BOSTON, MA - JULY 25: Dylan Cease #84 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning at Fenway Park on July 25, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Anticipating a fine pitchers duel on a fine afternoon, I asked who had it better than us at the start of today’s game. The answer ended up being Blue Jays fans.
Dylan Cease, in the midst of a season that is going to end with Cy Young votes if not the award itself, held up his end of the bargain. He threatened to throw a perfect game, in fact, not allowing a single Red Sox baserunner until Caleb Durbin walked in the fifth, and ultimately finishing off a virtuoso complete game performance with 12 strikeouts.
Sonny Gray, on the other hand, did not look so great. Remember the Sonny we saw early in season, the guy who, even when he finished with a perfectly cromulent line, struggled to put hitters away? He was back today. In fact, Gray would get to a two-strike count five times in the third inning alone, failing to retire the hitter each time as the Jays plated five runs and effectively ended the game.
We all know how taxed the Red Sox rotation is going to be down the stretch. Payton Tolle and Jake Bennett are going to run up against innings limits. Connelly Early will, too, when he returns. Patrick Sandoval has looked shaky and Brayan Bello continues to mystify. Garrett Crochet’s arm may or may not be attached to his body — team messaging has been inconsistent on this point. If the Sox are going to make the playoffs, they are going to need Sonny Gray and Ranger Suárez to carry them there. Let’s hope this today represents a minor blip in what will otherwise continue to be a strong campaign for Sonny
The Lonely Stud
Alec Gamboa has now made seven appearances for the 2026 Red Sox. He has allowed hits in only three of those, and runs in only two. In throwing four one-run innings today, he saved the bullpen on what could’ve turned into a much uglier day for the Sox. This is the type of performance that could net the Sox an extra W in the week ahead.
Duds
Pretty much everyone else.
Play of the Game
Hey, at least we got yet another Ceddanne web gem.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - JULY 25: JJ Wetherholt #26 of the St. Louis Cardinals is congratulated but Iván Herrera #48 after scoring a run against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning at Busch Stadium on July 25, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Andre Pallante did what the St. Louis Cardinals asked him to do. He was lights out sharp again, but something unusual happened. For once, the Cardinals offense gave him some run support, but it took awhile. Misplays by the Reds didn’t hurt either.
The Cardinals got off to a fast start in the bottom of the 1st inning, but they frankly should have had more to show for it. JJ Wetherholt reached on an error from Elly De La Cruz on a ball up the middle that he mishandled. Jordan Walker reached on another ball that was misplayed by Cruz although this one technically was a single as it soared just barely above Cruz into short left field. Alec Burleson then singled to left which surprisingly scored JJ Wetherholt as he and the Reds appeared surprised that he got the go sign from Pop Warner at third base giving St. Louis an early 1-0 lead.
That would sadly be the only runs the Cardinals would get in the 1st as Iván Herrera struck out and then Lars Nootbaar hit into a double play. It was another moment of Déjà vu as St. Louis scored, but left a lot of runners in scoring position on the table. They would redeem themselves later, though.
The game would cruise along with the Cardinals hanging on to their narrow 1-0 lead while Andre Pallante was dealing. Through the top of the 6th inning, Andre only allowed 2 Reds hits while striking out 7 and walking just 1. This was as good as it gets for Pallante.
His offense would finally wake up in the bottom of the 6th inning. It started when JJ Wetherholt drew a leadoff walk. After Jordan Walker fouled out, the St. Louis offense erupted. Alec Burleson singled and then Iván Herrera doubled which scored both Wetherholt and Burleson giving the Cardinals some breathing room at 3-0.
Fortunately, they were just getting started. Lars Nootbaar walked followed by a single from Masyn Winn to right to load the bases. Bryan Torres got in on the fun as he singled to right making it 4-0 St. Louis. Blaze Jordan added his own single scoring Nootbaar and Winn giving the Cardinals a 6-0 lead. The final tally of the Cardinals 6th was a sacrifice bunt by Nathan Church which scored Bryan Torres upping the St. Louis lead to 7-0. It’s been way too long since I’ve been able to include such a large crooked number for the Cardinals. FINALLY.
The only remaining question Saturday night was whether the Cardinals bullpen could protect Pallante’s great start. Gordon Graceffo took over in the top of the 8th inning. He kept the game refreshingly drama-free keeping the Reds from mounting a threat in the 8th. The 9th inning was a bit more eventful with Gordon giving out a leadoff walk to De La Cruz followed by a single from Sal Stewart. The boo birds started raining down on Graceffo when he walked JJ Bleday to load the bases. He fortunately struck Suarez out looking with a nasty 88 mph changeup for the first out. That same changeup also fooled Stephenson for the second out. All Gordon needed to do was shut down Marte which he did getting a groundout for the final out and barely preserving the shutout.
The St. Louis Cardinals will try to win the series Sunday afternoon as Kyle Leahy will start for the Cardinals. Lefty Andrew Abbott will take the mound for the dastardly Reds. First pitch scheduled for 1:15pm Sunday afternoon at Busch Stadium with the TV broadcast being handled by Cardinals.tv.
ATLANTA, GA - JULY 19: Eli White #36 of the Atlanta Braves runs in the seventh inning during the game against the Texas Rangers at Truist Park on July 19, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jack Casey/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There was a bizarre moment during Saturday night’s middle game between the Braves and the Orioles. Eli White was pinch-hitting for Mike Yastrzemski in the seventh inning and hit one down the line for what was presumably going to be a double for the outfielder.
Well, it did end up being a double but White stumbled while turning towards second and eventually fell down halfway towards the bag. Fortunately, the throw from Dylan Beavers in right field wasn’t fielded cleanly and White was able to make it into second base with a double after all.
Still, the Braves training staff checked on White and while he did stay in the game, he eventually gave way to Brewer Hicklen once it was his turn to bat.
We’ll have more on the situation as it develops but I suppose you can just chalk this up as yet another bizarre injury moment for the Braves in recent years. Hopefully Eli White is okay going forward.
Jul 25, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants fans hold foam fingers for right fielder Jung Hoo Lee (not pictured) during the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images
July has been tough on Jung Hoo Lee.
Tough, especially after a June in which he hit .340 with an .858 OPS and peaked with a two hit night against the Athletics that raised his batting average to a season high .333 on June 23rd. Knocks were coming off his bat like water from a hose. Grounders found holes, flares frolicked in open fields, liners hugged the lines. But for many high contact, low hard-hit guys like Lee the spigot can close just as easily as it can open. The seventh month wasn’t so lucky.
Over 67 at-bats prior to Saturday, he hit just .224 with a .541 OPS. Last night’s 0-for-4 performance saw his batting average drop below the .300 mark for the first time since May 31st. In his first at-bat against Angels’ starter Ryan Johnson, Lee seemed like a completely different person to the hitter he was during his 18-game hitting streak. The right-hander’s two-step motion and sling-y delivery had him flailing. He unhinged a swing on an elevated 2-1 sweeper and the bat nearly flew out of his hands. Next pitch, his helmet flew off whiffing at an inside cutter. Grandson of the Wind? More like Generator of the Wind! It’s jokes like that which made Lee into one of the greatest hitters in recent KBO history. He had had enough. His typically stoic expression turned stony as he walked back to the dugout. It wasn’t the missed cutter that irked him — that was a good pitch — but the breaking ball, lazily flipped out over the plate. Instead of getting off his best swing, he nearly ripped his shoulder out of his socket. That was unacceptable.
An inning later, the offense had Johnson on the ropes. The inherent funk of his motion had bought him a free pass first time through the order, but once the line-up flipped back over for second licks, the situation had changed.
Both Luis Arraez and Heliot Ramos singled. With runners at the corners and one out, Johnson got Eldridge to strikeout, but didn’t have the same success against Rafael Devers and Casey Schmitt. Back-to-back RBI singles got the Giants on the scoreboard and encouraged LA pitching coach Mike Maddux to chat with the 23 year old starter.
The transcript from mound visit probably went something like this: Hey, man, deep breath, you’re doing fine, just take a deep breath, calm down, one more out and you’re through this inning, just trust your stuff, stick to your game plan, don’t over think anything, stick to your game plan, okay, trust the preparation, you know what you got to do, remember how bad Lee looked on that sweeper in the last at-bat, jumping out of his shoes, he looked like s*** swinging at that thing, grandson of the wind, more like generator of the wind, haha, like a fan, yeah, so do that again, that’s the game plan,he’s not looking for your breaking ball, you stole a strike with it to start the at-bat, you made him look bad with it for strike two, then you got him with the cutter, pitch him backwards, start with the sweeper, throw that sweeper, trust it, it’ll be awesome, okay, the umpire is coming so I gotta go, you’re gonna do great, I’m so proud of you, sweeper, throw it, okay, see you in a bit, bye.
The takeaway for Johnson: Throw the sweeper because my coach says so and he believes in me.
What happened: Johnson threw the sweeper. First pitch. Lee knew he would.
The 3-run homer was Lee’s sixth of the year, his first since June 23rd, and jump-started a pretty dang pleasant afternoon. He collected a double off lefty reliever Brent Suter in his next at-bat, tracked down an over-the-head liner to end the 4th, and recorded a Dolly Parton assist (9-5) in the 6th.
Lee wasn’t the only one who enjoyed their day. The deliverer of walk-offs, Rafael Devers, came up a triple shy of the cycle. He picked up Eldridge after his strikeout with a 2-out RBI single in the 3rd, and with two outs again, he ripped a gorgeous line-drive over the wall in left-center.
A 106 MPH punch like that is not something Suter gives up often. His 29.8% hard-hit rate is in the 95th percentile of pitchers. Like Tyler Rogers, he’s a master of dead-fish contact. He’s also a lefty, and for whatever reason, Devers has been completely baffled by southpaws in 2026. Before his homer, he was batting .181 with .530 OPS and a 49 wRC+, which is about as ineffective as you can get in that split. For most of the at-bat, right up until the end, that season-long struggle was evident. Devers waved over two of Suter’s slow-mo change-ups, and fouled off another with an awkward emergency swing. He didn’t look particularly comfortable at the plate. Suter could’ve kept spinning that offspeed, and eventually, Devers would’ve swung through one — but the reliever decided to get cute and tried to sneak a 90 MPH four-seam fastball by him. Devers clocked it and then CLOCKED it.
Another three-run swing that pumped up the lead to 9 runs, putting the game out of reach of Los Angeles bats and more importantly, Giants relievers. While the offense efficiently piled up 9 runs on 9 hits over the first four frames, starter Robbie Ray quietly went about his business. The extended time on the bench between halves didn’t bother him. He wasn’t dominant, nor was he batted around. Five of the six hits he scattered across his six shutout innings were singles. He needed just 80 pitches before Tony Vitello elected to give Tristan Beck and eventually Keaton Winn some low-leverage, no-pressure reps.
It wasn’t pretty, nor did it look easy at times — they walked three, hit a batter, gave up three hits and two runs, but they got through it.
Two games into his comeback, Mario Lemieux reached the 1,500-point mark. That’s right, he scored 750 points against Toronto and 750 more against Ottawa.
OK, it only seemed that way.
The real numbers are almost as scary. Lemieux, 35, returned to the NHL on more than 1,200 days' rest and began scoring at a rate that would net him 138 points in Pittsburgh’s remaining 46 games.
Normally, such projections are folly. With Lemieux, you just don’t know. He had three points against the Leafs, four against the Senators and two more against Washington for a total of three goals and six assists. In the Senators’ game, he became 10th player in NHL history to reach 1,500 career points.
“I’m a little bit surprised by the way I played after being off 3-1/2 years, but it was certainly my plan to go out and play well and play at a high level if I could,” Lemieux said.
High level? Lemieux soared like an eagle from his very first shift — and he didn’t even have his old burst yet.
“He’s getting better every day,” said Penguins’ defenseman Ian Moran. “That’s what’s scary”
It took Lemieux just 33 seconds to reacquaint himself with the scoresheet when the Leafs visited Mellon Arena Dec. 27 in one of the most anticipated games in NHL history. He assisted on Jaromir Jagr’s goal. But his impact in the dressing room hit home about a half-hour before that, as the Penguins anxiously awaited to take the ice with their Hall of Fame player-turned-owner-turned-player.
“We all tried to talk, but it was weird,” said defenseman Darius Kasparaitis. “I haven’t felt that nervous for many years.”
The Penguins waited while Lemieux’s retired No. 66 banner was lowered from the roof as his 4-year-old son, Austin, watched from the ice. When the team finally bolted from the runway, the biggest crowd of the season—a standing-room-only gathering of 17,148—roared. TV viewers all over North America watched intently. Lemieux’s return drew a bigger regional audience—about 180,000 households in the Pittsburgh market—than any regular season game in the history of the 22 Fox Sports Net affiliates. Nationally, ratings on ESPN (double the season average) and Hockey Night in Canada(up roughly 65 per cent) went through the roof.
Lemieux didn’t disappoint that night or three nights later when the Senators paid a visit. And he might have had his most impressive performance against the Capitals, who checked Lemieux tightly only to see him set up Jagr for the game-winner with 8:07 left. The Penguins won all three home games by a combined score of 13-5. Before his return, the Penguins had lost five consecutive home games, which was two short of tying a team futility record.
“The most amazing thing is he made everybody better, not just his line, but the whole team—instantly,” said veteran defenseman Jeff Norton. “It wasn’t a meeting. It wasn’t a hard practice. It was Mario’s presence. I haven’t seen anything like that.”
In many ways. Lemieux is the same player he always was, a step ahead of everyone while somehow slowing the game to his pace. But in other ways, this is a new Lemieux. He wears his helmet and shoulder pads at practice. He maintains a strict diet. And he boasts a much stronger upper body than he did in his first 12 NHL seasons.
“I’ve been doing a lot more weights than my early years,”
Lemieux said, “I feel a lot stronger on the puck.”
That can’t be good news for defenders, who showed Lemieux so much respect in his first two games you would have thought he was holding an AK-47 rather than a hockey stick. The few who dared touch him wound up flat on their fannies.
“I think it’s good I’m playing with him,” Kasparaitis said. “If I was playing against him, maybe I’d get abused.”
Lemieux worked minimally with weights earlier in his career, but he hit them hard when he got the comeback bug in November. He trained alternately with former Penguins’ teammate Jay Caufield and Pittsburgh-area back specialist and personal trainer Tom Plasko.
"From what Mario was all about to now, it’s a total turnaround,” Plasko says. “He has become dedicated. This guy has put 150 per cent into everything we’re doing.”
Lemieux’s conditioning paid off immediately, even though his leg strength wasn’t what he wanted it to be. He sat out most of the third period against the Leafs, but still averaged 22:52 of ice time in his first three games. That put him eighth in average ice time among NHL forwards. Three of Lemieux’s teammates were among the top six: Alexei Kovalev led the league at 24:46; Jagr was third at 23:56; and Martin Straka was sixth at 23:20. If things work out as Lemieux hopes, he might surpass them all.
“(Coach) Ivan (Hlinka) asked me a couple of times if I was tired and I felt pretty good,” Lemieux said. “The best way to get back into the game is to play. Sometimes, I’m going to feel a little tired at the end of the shifts, but that’s all conditioning and you have to go through that to get to the next level, which I intend to do pretty quickly. If I can keep playing 20-to-25 minutes a game and by the end of the year probably 30 minutes a game, that’s where I want to be.”
Lemieux’s impact could be seen everywhere, most notably in the rejuvenated play of linemates Jaromir Jagr and Jan Hrdina. Jagr had 10 points in Lemieux’s first three games. Hrdina continued to play mostly center while Lemieux played left wing, just as he had in his final season (1996-97) before retirement. Earlier this season, Hrdina was reluctant to shoot and was often guilty of forcing the puck to Jagr. Both things changed when Lemieux joined the crew.
And the power play? “I’ve never seen a power play with that many options,” said Leafs’ goaltender Curtis Joseph.
The power play might have Lemieux on the left wing boards and Jagr cruising the slot, or Jagr on the right wing boards with Lemieux looking for a shot. Kovalev works the right point with ne of the hardest shots in the game and a pair of talented forwards, Straka and Robert Lang, round out the unit.
“That’s the best I’ve seen our power play look in years,” said Pens’ GM Craig Patrick after Lemieux’s first game.
The unit went 3-for-11 in Lemieux’s first three games (27.2 percent). Prior to that, it clicked at a 16.2 percent rate.
The Penguins sold out the first two games of Lemieux’s return and are a good bet to sell out most of their remaining games. Tickets were selling briskly for his away games, too.
“This takes things up another notch,” said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. “It’s because what he’s doing transcends the Penguins; it transcends hockey.”
One of the most extraordinary aspects of Lemieux’s return, of course, is he remains the Penguins’ owner. But that hasn’t caused a ripple among his teammates or with Hlinka, who said simply, “He does n’t need a coach.”
“I’m back playing the game now,” Lemieux said. “I want to be treated like a player. That’s what I’ve been my whole career. Just the fact that I own the team doesn’t mean that people have to treat me differently, especially the players and the coaching staff.”
If Lemieux is able to stay away from the injuries that hampered him in his first 12 seasons, there is no telling what kind of numbers he might put up. It seemed certain he was only going to get better and stronger as he played more games.
“That was just a start,” Norton said. “He has looked better and better out there, skating-wise. A couple of times the other night he had the puck, beat a guy and lost it. Those things are going to come. As you’ve seen, those moves are usually completed and the puck’s in the net.”
With interim general manager John Mozeliak now leading the front office, the former MLB All-Star said the Angels should use the Aug. 3 deadline to begin reshaping a roster that again sits at the bottom of the American League West.
“I think now more than ever there’s pressure,” Frazier said on Foul Territory. “I’m not gonna say it’s make-or-break pressure, but it’s go time.”
Todd Frazier urged the Angels to sell at the trade deadline and find new leaders as their playoff drought continues. Getty Images
Team owner Arte Moreno fired Perry Minasian in late June and turned to Mozeliak, who spent three decades with the St. Louis Cardinals and helped oversee one of baseball’s most consistent organizations.
The situation he inherited is far less stable.
The Angels entered the week with an MLB-worst 39-61 record and have not reached the postseason since 2014. Frazier argued that continuing to patch the roster without establishing a stronger foundation would only produce more of the same.
“What’s the difference if you get a bunch of prospects and you gotta wait three or four more years?” Frazier said. “It’s gonna be the same old progress that, ‘Oh yeah, look at the beginning of the year, they’re doing pretty good,’ then it falls off.”
Mozeliak has already acknowledged the organization must consider significant moves.
“We know things have to change,” he said. “And what that looks like, who that looks like, that’s to be determined.”
Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno in attendance for an opening day game between the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Angels Getty Images
Starting pitchers Reid Detmers and José Soriano are expected to attract considerable interest because both are under team control through 2028. Either could bring back the type of young position-player talent the Angels lack, though moving them would signal a more aggressive reset.
Zach Neto, Jo Adell and several relievers could also draw calls, but Mozeliak must balance collecting prospects with maintaining some hope of competing next season.
President of baseball operations John Mozeliak of the St. Louis Cardinals MLB Photos via Getty Images
Frazier believes the larger issue goes beyond individual trades. The Angels need tougher players, a stronger identity and someone capable of eventually replacing Mike Trout as the face of the franchise.
“I love Mike Trout, but he’s not getting any younger,” Frazier said. “So, who’s gonna be that next guy that they’re gonna look to be the leader of this team?”
Mozeliak may not have enough time to answer every question before the deadline.
Frazier’s message is that he cannot afford to avoid them.
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And then Jasson Domínguez, hoping to prove he can still be part of the solution to withstanding Aaron Judge’s absence, delivered some insurance by crushing a home run from the right side.
It was still only three runs, scored across three innings, but they were provided by some key bats and complemented the club’s latest strong pitching effort — this time from Ryan Weathers and three relievers — as the Yankees beat the Phillies 3-1 on Saturday night at a sold-out Citizens Bank Park.
An otherwise positive night ended with concern for Bellinger, who came out of the game in the bottom of the eighth after his hamstring grabbed while he was legging out a double in the top of the frame.
There was some fear that the All-Star might have to join Judge and Giancarlo Stanton on the injured list, but that was dependent on how he woke up Sunday with tests to follow.
“It sucks,” Bellinger said. “I hate going down. It’s no fun being on the IL. See how I wake up [Sunday] and hopefully it’s nothing serious.”
Despite the injuries and an offense that is still not scoring enough, the Yankees (59-45) won for the ninth time in their last 12 games, but remained two games back of the Rays (who also won again) for the AL East lead.
Jasson Dominguez looks up the sky after scoring on his solo home run in the seventh inning of the Yankees’ win over the Phillies. AP
“The pitching’s held us in these games,” Wells said. “They’ve been on their stuff for us and given us a really good chance offensively. We’re not scoring a ton of runs right now, but they’re keeping us in every game and giving us a chance.”
On Saturday, it was Weathers who turned in a strong outing (despite a rocky start and some traffic throughout) as he held the Phillies (56-49) to just one run across 5 ²/₃ innings — the only run the Yankees have allowed over this three-game winning streak.
The left-hander, who once again de-emphasized his four-seam fastball, scattered six hits and one walk but struck out seven before giving way to the bullpen — with Angel Chivilli, Paul Blackburn and David Bednar all throwing up zeroes, Bednar for his 20th straight scoreless appearance.
Ryan Weathers, who held the Phillies to one run and pitched into the sixth inning, picked up his fourth win of the season. Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
“The bullpen’s been phenomenal,” Weathers said. “As starters, just keep our team in the game, we know we have a really good bullpen right now and they came in and closed it out tonight.”
Coming into the night, Wells was batting just .163 with a .524 OPS across 70 games, but he had quietly been better of late — both in results and at-bat quality — hitting .286 with a .995 OPS and two home runs over his last eight games.
There is nothing he can do over the next week to convince the Yankees they should not still acquire a catcher before the trade deadline, but his recent play has at least offered some encouragement in an otherwise miserable offensive season.
Wells added to that mini hot streak by crushing a sinker from right-hander Brian Keller — the Yankees’ 39th-round pick in 2016 who was making his MLB debut — 430 feet the other way to left-center field for a solo shot in the third inning that tied the game 1-1.
While the hamstring injury threatens to stall his progress, Bellinger, after going 2-for-4, is batting 16-for-43 (.372) over his last 12 games — the same number of hits he had in 24 games before that.
One of those hits was an RBI single in the sixth inning that scored Wells for the 2-1 lead.
Austin Wells hits a solo home run in the third inning of the Yankees’ win over the Phillies. Getty Images
In the seventh, Domínguez demolished a 420-foot blast off lefty José Alvarado — his second of the season from the right side of the plate — to put the Yankees ahead 3-1.
“This season I feel much better,” Domínguez said while turning around to knock on his wooden locker, “against lefties.”
The Yankees may need to find some more wood to knock on in hopes of Bellinger’s injury not being serious, but either way, they will have to find a way to get their offense clicking more consistently.
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“Did enough offensively and we got to keep moving the needle though as a group offensively,” manager Aaron Boone said. “The biggest thing that’s kept us in there is the run prevention side.”
Jul 25, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Jasson Dominguez (24) reacts in front of Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (10) as he crosses home plate on a home run during the seventh inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
When the Phillies struggle on offense as a collective, there is usually a simple recipe for it:
The stars slump
Everyone starts pressing and swinging at bad pitches
There are bad swing decisions
Wash, rinse, repeat.
The offense is in the middle of one of those stretches right now where everyone is trying to do too much, swinging at bad pitches, trying to hit a seven run home run and now, we have a four game losing streak.
And tonight, they even struck first! Trea Turner gets hit by a pitch, Kyle Schwarber doubles, newly shorn Bryce Harper hits a sacrifice fly and all of a sudden, there is a 1-0 Phillies lead and a runner on third base. Little did we know that that was the only run that would be scored on the evening.
On the mound, Tim Mayza was the opener and did a fine job over two shutout innings, giving way to Brian Keller in his major league debut. Keller did give up a home run to Austin Wells, but for the most part, did just fine in keeping the Yankees off the board, only allowing a single run over three innings. Clearly, the coaching staff did not want Keller out there too long, instead opting to go to the bullpen in the sixth inning instead.
In that inning, Kyle Backhus walked the first hitter he faced before getting the next two on strikeouts, giving way to Seth Johnson. Johnson looked like a decent candidate to break out as a reliever, but it just has not come to fruition. He gave up back to back hits to allow Wells to score and give the Yankees the lead.
Meanwhile, the offense was generating some traffic against Weathers, but couldn’t push anything across. In the sixth, they got runners on the corners with Bryan de la Cruz and J.T. Realmuto each singling, but facing Angel Chivilli, Bryson Stott popped out into foul territory to end the threat. The Yankees tacked on another in the seventh on a Jasson Dominguez home run and that was basically that.
The offense is just slumping so badly right now and everyone is trying to swing their way out of it. The Yankees have been pitching well prior to this series and have carried it over into Philadelphia, but still, there should be better at bats coming from this lineup. They’ll try and salvage a game tomorrow night on Sunday Night Baseball with Cristopher Sanchez on the mound, so we’ll see.
The Yankees' pitching staff kept the vaunted Phillies lineup at bay for the second game in a row as they defeated Philadelphia, 3-1, on Saturday night.
Both teams had seven hits, but the Phillies were 0-for-7 with eight left on base.
In the first two games of this weekend series, the Yankees staff has allowed just one run.
Here are the takeaways...
-- The Phillies made Ryan Weathers work early. Trea Turner led off the game by getting hit by a pitch before Kyle Schwarber doubled to put runners on second and third and no outs. Bryce Harper drove in the game's first run with a sac fly, but Weathers worked out of further trouble, getting a ground out and a strikeout.
Weathers would work out of trouble a few times, getting strikeouts when needed and taking advantage of over-aggressive Phillies hitters.
Weathers pitched into the sixth inning, getting the first two outs and was on the verge of completing the inning, getting Bryan De La Cruz to hit a soft grounder toward the first base side, but Weathers was caught in between going for the ball and covering the base, and De La Cruz made it on safely. That spelled the end of Weathers' night as Aaron Boone went to his bullpen.
Angel Chivilli was the first out and gave up a single to J.T. Realmuto, but Cody Bellinger covered a lot of ground to get a Bryson Stott flyout in foul territory to end the threat and put a bow on Weathers' night.
Weathers allowed one run on six hits and one walk while striking out seven across 5.2 innings (97 pitches/66 strikes).
-- The Yankees lineup struggled yet again. They were shut down by former Yankee Tim Mayza for two innings before giving way to Brian Keller, making his major league debut. But Austin Wells got to the young right-hander, taking him deep to tie the game at 1-1. The blast went 430 feet and Wells took Keller the opposite way for his seventh homer of the season.
New York would finally take the lead in the sixth. Bellinger hit a two-out single to score Wells from second, who led off with a walk. The single was set up when Turner could not come up with a behind-the-shoulder catch in shallow left field on a bloop by Paul Goldschmidt. It would have ended the inning.
-- Jasson Dominguez would tack on in the seventh, taking Jose Alvarado deep to give the Yankees a 3-1 lead. Dominguez hit it 420 feet from the right side.
-- Paul Blackburn pitched two shutout innings after Chivilli, allowing just one baserunner (walk), to lower his ERA to 1.93 on the season. And David Bednar pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to lock down his 20th save of the season.
-- Bellinger finished 2-for-4, but was pulled in the eighth inning after stretching out a single into a double. It looked as if Bellinger came up lame going from first to second base.
Game MVP: Yankees pitching staff
The combination of Weathers, Chivilli, Blackburn and Bednar kept the Phillies off balance
Cody Bellinger exited Saturday's game with a hamstring injury.
PHILADELPHIA — Already without Aaron Judge, the Yankees may be down another key outfielder, as Cody Bellinger left Saturday’s 3-1 win over the Phillies with left hamstring tightness.
Bellinger suffered the injury running to second base on his two-out double in the top of the eighth.
After sliding into second and appearing hobbled, Bellinger waved off the trainers and remained in the game.
But he was replaced in left field by Max Schuemann in the bottom of the inning and will likely undergo tests Sunday — with an IL stint not ruled out.
“I felt something rounding first and it got tight and thought it was smart to get out [of the game],’’ Bellinger said. “We’ll see how I feel [Sunday].”
Bellinger added, “I really don’t think it’s anything too serious.”
Cody Bellinger exited with an apparent injury during the Yankees’ July 25 game. Screengrab via X/@TalkinYanks
Still, Aaron Boone noted the possibility they could lose Bellinger for an extended stretch and acknowledged he was “alarmed” by it.
“It looks like it could be something,’’ the manager said.
The left fielder spent time on the IL in 2021 due to left hamstring tightness while with the Dodgers, missing 10 games.
Schuemann would likely be in the lineup Sunday against Philadelphia lefty Cristopher Sánchez.
After that, Boone said, “We’ll do what we have to do [and] piece it together … [Bellinger] is a huge member of the team. He’s a tremendous all-around player. I hope it’s on the minor side.”
Cody Bellinger slides into second base after hitting a double during the Yankees’ July 25 win. Getty Images
If Bellinger has to sit out, it comes at an inopportune time for the Yankees.
He’s hit better over his last dozen games after slumping at the plate for most of the past month.
Bellinger entered Saturday with just five extra-base hits, all doubles, in his previous 30 games.
His OPS over that span was .535 after posting an .860 OPS in his first 71 games.
Prior to the injury Saturday, he had an RBI single and then the double in the win.
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“I felt good from Washington on,’’ Bellinger said of the final series heading into the All-Star break. “The cold stretch there was way longer than I wanted it to be.”
And Bellinger has continued to be superb in left field.
“He’s been so good out there,’’ Boone said before the game. “I’ve leaned more on leaving him there on days instead of moving him to center or right. His left field [play] is so stellar.”
The Yankees offense has taken a serious downturn in recent weeks, with the indefinite loss of Judge due to a fractured rib taking a toll.
While Bellinger hasn’t maintained his torrid early pace at the plate, his presence in the middle of the lineup is still crucial.
I figure our chances are good to take two out of three from the Washington Nationals in the nation’s capital this weekend, but as I thought when I read over the series preview for this one, I figured this was the one we were most likely to drop. It was a matchup of soft-tossing lefties, with Mitch Bratt going for us in only his fourth Major League start, while Foster Griffin, who has clearly emerged as the ace of the Nationals’ staff this season and who pitched a scoreless inning for the National League in the All-Star Game the other week, was going for them. Sad to say, it went pretty much as I expected.
Bratt, who hadn’t gotten through five innings in his first three starts, was looking good early for us, even as the team around him wasn’t helping him out so much. He pitched around a one-out walk in the first to put up a zero in a 13 pitch inning, and then he put up another zero in the second despite having two strikes called as balls (and not challenged by James McCann, who was behind the dish for us this afternoon) to put the leadoff man on base with a “walk”, followed by Ketel Marte botching an easy double-play grounder with one out that would have ended the inning but instead went for an error. At that point, Bratt should have been out of the inning, but instead, he had runners on first and second with only one out. Much to the young man’s credit, he didn’t get visibly upset or rattled, but instead got back to work and recorded the last two outs efficiently enough that, despite the mishaps around him, he only needed 17 pitches total to close out the inning. This put him at 30 pitches through two, with no runs allowed, which was a very good sign.
Meanwhile, our newly reshuffled top of the lineup—Corbin Carroll batting first, Gabriel Moreno in the three spot, Ketel Marte batting cleanup for the first time in his career—couldn’t do anything against Griffin in their first time through. Our first baserunner was Nolan Arenado, who drew a four pitch walk with two outs in the second, and who was advanced to second by our first hit, a Tim Tawa ground ball single to left. James McCann, batting eighth, couldn’t do anything with it, though, so the game remained scoreless through two.
We finally drew first blood in the top of the third. Paul Waldschmidt beat out an infield single on the ninth pitch of a very good and patient at bat. Griffin then hit Carroll in the ribs with a pitch to put runners on first and second. Perdomo laid down a perfect bunt to advance the runners into scoring position with one out, and then Moreno blooped a single into center that drove in both Waldschmidt and Carroll:
Sadly, as you can see at the end of the clip above, Gabi tried to stretch his single into a double as the throw from center came to the plate, but Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz immediately threw to second and Gabi was out by a mile. Ketel Marte then flew out to right to end things there, but what the heck, we had a lead! 2-0 D-BACKS
The lead was very short-lived, though, as it turned out, as Mitch Bratt came out for the bottom of the third to start his second time through the Nationals’ batting order, and it…. didn’t go great. He struck out James Wood on four pitches to start things off, but then surrendered either walks or base hits to the next seven batters in the Nationals’ lineup. The exact sequence was walk-double-double-walk-single-triple-walk, with four Nationals crossing the plate. Bratt did pick off CJ Abrams as he tried to steal third, thanks in large measure to a great play by Nolan Arenado on the back end, which was nifty, but he wound up getting through the entire Nationals lineup a second time in that inning, finally getting Kelbert Ruiz to pop out to shallow center for the final out. 4-2 Washington
Bratt then surrendered a leadoff single to James Wood to lead off the bottom of the fourth, but that was promptly erased by a quick double play, and a pop-up on the infield for the third out in a good 10-pitch inning for the kid. He did surrender a leadoff home run to CJ Abrams to start the bottom of the fifth, and then gave up a one-out single to Washington center fielder Jacob Young that led to Young then stealing both second and third before young Mitch managed to record the final out and, for the first time in his major league career, completing five innings of work. 5-2 Washington
Meanwhile, after those two runs we’d scored in the third, we didn’t even have another baserunner off Griffin until Ildemaro Vargas led off the top of the seventh with a line single to left. He was promptly erased by a Nolan Arenado one-pitch double play groundout, but Tim Tawa followed that dismal performance with a double to left, and then James McCann singled to right to drive him in. That finally chased Griffin from the game—he had thrown 108 pitches at that point—and it was bullpens all the way home.
Happily, our bullpen put up zeros, with two innings of scoreless ball byu bullpen newcomer and guy I’d honestly never heard of Gerardo Carrillo, and one perfectly clean inning from Taylor Clarke. Sadly, their much-maligned bullpen did the same, retiring the last seven Diamondbacks hitters in order to secure the win for the Nationals.
To be fair, I thought that Bratt actually showed a lot of fortitude, and despite the fact that, yeah, his starting performance lost the game for us, there were some good things:
The innings he pitched well, he was very efficient (13 pitches in the first, 17 pitches in the second despite the foolery behind him, 10 pitches in the fourth);
The way he didn’t let Marte’s error behind him mess him up or melt him down, unlike how we’ve seen certain former aces and protein drink spokespeople become unglued;
The way that he kept grinding through that interminable bottom of the third, despite getting apparently no support from his catcher or his pitching couch (there were no mound visits recorded in that half inning, even though this 23-year-old kid was getting lit up by the best offense in baseball and allowed seven Nationals hitters in a row to reach base).
And that leads in nicely to the Gameday Thread stuff, and the Comment of the Game. It was a reasonably well-attended thread, with 231 comments at time of writing and a number that went Sedona Red. Most of the top rec-getters were various people’s hello posts, so I had to dig into the response comments to find today’s CotG, which goes to VWBeetle, with an assist from kilnborn:
I agree with this wholeheartedly—both comments, in fact. Well said.
So once more we head on into Sunday with the rubber match of a series awaiting us. Kohl Drake takes the mound for us in only his second major league start, while Veteran Presnce (TM) and innings absorber Miles Mikolas goes for Washington. Make sure you have some coffee and/or mimosas ready, as this one is full-on morning baseball, with first pitch scheduled for 10:35am AZ time. TheReal Ramona will have the recap, making this an all-Tucson recap weekend….I hope you can join us!
As always, thanks for reading, and as always, go Diamondbacks!
Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger was pulled from Saturday's game against the Phillies with what the team later called a hamstring injury.
In the eighth, Bellinger hit a bloop single that he stretched into a double. Bellinger seemingly pulled up going from first to second. Bellinger did run the bases to finish the inning, waving off the trainers in the dugout. But once the inning came to a close, the broadcast showed Bellinger walking back to the dugout gingerly and shaking his head at his manager.
Bellinger went 2-for-4 with an RBI single before being pulled.
The Yankees replaced him with Max Schuemann for the remainder of the game.
"Hammy grabbed on him going to second base," Aaron Boone said after the win. "We’ll see what we have. Obviously getting up and see what next steps are."
He added, "I don’t want to speculate too much on it. Looks like it could be something. But we’ll have a better idea getting up, and if we need to get tests and where we go from there."
Bellinger said he hopes to avoid an IL stint but won't know until tests are done.
"It just feels a little tight," Bellinger told the media, including MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. "I really don't think it's anything too serious."
Boone expects the Yankees will piece it together moving forward for however long Bellinger is down for. Boone said with left-hander Cristopher Sanchez set to pitch Sunday's series finale, Schuemann was going to be in the lineup already, so that will likely be who plays in the outfield.
If Bellinger were to miss time, it would be a big blow to the Yankees, who are already without Aaron Judge.
Bellinger is slashing .259/.350/.420 with an OPS of .770 to go along with his 11 home runs and 53 RBI. He's also playing Gold Glove-level defense in left field and was this year's All-Star Game MVP.
“He’s a huge member of our team and what we do. And a tremendous all-around player," Boone said of Bellinger's impact. "Hopefully, whether it’s some time or not, hopefully it’s on the minor side, but we’ll see."
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 12: Draymond Green smiles before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match between USA and Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium on June 12, 2026 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Erin Chang/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images) | ISI Photos via Getty Images
When Draymond Green opted out of his $27.7M salary for next season, it was purely to give the Golden State Warriors the financial flexibility to pursue his good buddy LeBron James. Now that James has chosen the Philadelphia 76ers, it appears that the Warriors are simply going to give him the salary he gave up.
The Warriors are expected to re-sign Draymond Green to a nearly $28 million deal, per @joevardon
There were reasons for the Warriors to give Green an extension to lower his salary cap number for this season. The team would clear space under the first luxury tax apron, where the Warriors are hard-capped, and get a chance to use the money they freed up to pay another premium free agent. However, the Warriors’ wish list seems to have consisted of a single player: James.
Despite rumors he might follow James to his new team, Green was never going anywhere. He was willing to opt out and sign for less, likely with some extra protection like a player option in 2027-28, if the team could get James. If not? The team lets him hit the “Whoopsie” button and get the same deal he gave up. Which is completely fair! If Green’s going to play for less money, the team should actually be spending it on something besides Icy-Hot and Metamucil for the veterans.
It also means Green becomes a free agent next summer, just like the majority of the Warriors roster. Only Gui Santos, Moses Moody, Al Horford, and Yaxel Lendeborg are under contract past this season at the moment, with De’Anthony Melton holding a player option and Kristaps Porzingis owed a $3M buyout if the Warriors cut him loose.
Of course, Steph Curry is quite likely to sign another contract extension next month. But the absence of James means the Warriors have a nearly clean slate after this season. Does that justify an offseason where they’ve so far only added rookies? It probably does to management, who had an offseason to-do list that read:
Bring back everyone from last year’s 10th place team
LeBron (?!?) LOL
One more year (at least!) of Draymond Green. Maybe one more addition — DeMar DeRozan? Mario Hezonia? Bradley Beal? — but otherwise the main roster drama will be sorting out who gets the two-way deals.
For the record, the funniest possible outcome is the Warriors striking out on Super Mario and signing Jonathan Kuminga, with him wearing a University of Michigan sweatshirt at the signing to troll Draymond. And if you’re wondering, Jaden Ivey is much more likely to catch on with the San Francisco Giants bullpen than the Warriors.
There hasn't been any trade activity for the Yankees yet ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline.
PHILADELPHIA — With just over a week remaining before the trade deadline, “All’s quiet on the Western Front,” said Erich Maria Remarque — er, Aaron Boone.
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The Yankees have clear needs — most notably a bat, including one at catcher, to help rejuvenate a lineup that has been mostly lifeless for over a month now — but Boone indicated that he has not had many conversations with GM Brian Cashman in the last few days as the market waits to declare itself.
“I think it’s probably just leaguewide, that calm before the storm,” Boone said Saturday before the Yankees defeated the Phillies 3-1 at Citizens Bank Park. “I would imagine conversations are going on between clubs. But again, you’re talking about still a number of clubs that probably don’t even know what they’re going to do, one way or another. So it’s still got to define itself here over the next several days. I would imagine those conversations start to heat up in the next week.
Aaron Boone makes a pitching change during the Yankees’ July 24 game against the Phillies. Imagn Images
“Hopefully that allows us to do something that ultimately helps us.”
Because of the expanded postseason, entering Saturday, only six teams (the Angels, Rockies, Mets, Royals, Giants and Athletics) were more than 6 ½ games out of the last playoff spot, with a handful of others still theoretically holding out some hope that they could sneak in if they do not sell.
That has muddied the waters to an extent in terms of clear-cut buyers and sellers, as has teams deciding whether to deal players with multiple years of control — as in Padres closer Mason Miller, Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman, Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers and Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña, among others.
Brian Cashman is pictured Feb. 16 at spring training. Charles Wenzelberg
Either way, the Yankees will be in the market trying to improve a team that was two games back of the Rays for the AL East lead (and the best record in the American League overall).
The offense has suffered mightily without him, but Boone — like Cashman had earlier this month — insisted that Judge’s status would not impact how aggressive the Yankees would be in pursuing help ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline.
“I don’t think so, because I think we all expect him back,” Boone said of Judge, who has still not been cleared for baseball activities — at which point he may still need another month to get back.
The Yankees have somewhat treaded water without the back-to-back AL MVP, though, thanks in large part to their pitching — a rotation headlined by Cam Schlittler, Gerrit Cole and now a healthy Max Fried, the kind of group that could give teams problems in October.
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But the offense will have to pick up its weight to make sure those pitching efforts do not go to waste, putting the pressure on Cashman to get them some help in the way of bats.
After last year’s deadline — when the Yankees’ haul included David Bednar, Camilo Doval, Jake Bird, Ryan McMahon, José Caballero and Austin Slater — Boone felt better about that team than any other in his tenure, even though it eventually crashed out in the ALDS.
“It feels like maybe the needs are a little bit different going into this deadline,” Boone said. “But at the end of the day, I don’t think anybody knows what you’re going to be able to do. You’re trying to make your club better. Maybe you line up with someone that you’re able to hammer a strength or sometimes you’re able to plug a hole.
“Whatever it may be, it’s hard to predict what those things are. But I know our guys have done all their due diligence. Hopefully something lines up that we get through this and whatever happens, you look forward to getting past it and knowing what you’re going to be the rest of the way.”
One of baseball’s bright young stars could receive significant interest ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
But that doesn’t mean he will be on the move.
The Nationals will listen to offers on two-time All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams, even though they are not actively shopping him nor have they decided if they will trade him, The Athletic reported Saturday.
CJ Abrams snags a ground ball in the third inning of the Nationals’ win over the Diamondbacks on July 25, 2026 in Washington. Getty Images
Sources told the outlet that Abrams, 25, would be the most valuable player on the market if Washington decides to dump him.
The Nationals hold a 53-52 record and are two games back of a wild-card spot in the National League, so they’re still in the playoff hunt.
A big reason for that is Abrams, who is putting it together this year in what has been a career season.
Through 100 games, Abrams has a .293 average, 25 home runs, 79 RBIs and a .921 OPS, all of which are career highs.
The Post’s Jon Heyman reported in June that Abrams could draw significant interest if he became available in a trade.
A rival suggested Abrams made sense for the Yankees, but the Bronx Bombers have a strong belief in top shortstop prospect George Lombard Jr. and are reluctant to trade him.
The Brewers, who did not pull the trigger on a trade for Abrams in the offseason, could be willing to swing a deal for him in the next week, The Athletic reported.
Abrams was one of the key pieces the Nationals acquired when they dealt Juan Soto and Josh Bell to the Padres in 2022.
CJ Abrams celebrates on second base after hitting a two-run double in the third inning of the Nationals’ win over the Diamondbacks on July 25. Getty Images
If the Nationals were to trade Abrams, James Wood would be the only one left at the MLB level still with Washington from the Soto trade.
Pitcher Jarlin Susana, who also arrived in the package, has yet to pitch above Double-A and has been out with an injury this season.
The Mets’ Francisco Lindor has been the subject of trade rumors in recent weeks as the Amazin’s slide well out of contention, though president of baseball operations David Stearns did not suggest the veteran would be dealt at the deadline.
“I’m not going to rule out or in any specific player on anything,” Stearns said Friday. “I don’t think that’s wise for me to do. What I will say is, we’ve got a group of young players and we’ve got some potential Hall of Famers, future Hall of Famers, that we view as our core. We expect them to be our core.”
