Worldwide Sports News

The 2026 season has become all about finding a few reasons to crack a smile during arguably the worst Red Sox campaign of the 21st century. 

Those would include the remarkable work of the starting rotation as well as the unexpected yet rather pleasant four-game sweep of the New York Yankees at Fenway Park. Boston reminded everyone that these rare positives are just that when they immediately lost that momentum as the Washington Nationals took two of three from the Red Sox to end the homestand. 

The next expected small victory on the schedule would be the rare chance the team gets solid returns across the board for the pieces they should still be selling at the trade deadline. But if you need a small shot of better Red Sox vibes to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, recent history says you should be in luck. 

The Red Sox are 10-1 on Independence Day since 2013, trailing only the Athletics for the most wins on the holiday in that span. Boston’s only loss in that 13-year run (excluding the game’s absence in 2020) came in 2023 with a 6-2 loss to the Texas Rangers at Fenway. Other than that, Boston is a wagon with the stars and stripes in full swing with a +40 run differential (72-32) and a 6-0 road record. 

That will come up again as Boston visits Anaheim for a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels, who sit 15 games under .500 in last place in the American League West. What a matchup for baseball! 

Boston will not be at full strength beyond the widely-discussed injuries after Willson Contreras earned a seven-game suspension for his role in Tuesday’s scuffle with the Nationals. Nonetheless, the Red Sox are in position to keep this patriotic streak in rhythm.

Sonny Gray takes the ball Saturday night in Anaheim in the midst of sensational starting pitching from the veteran. He took a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the Yankees on Sunday night baseball and struck out 11 against the Colorado Rockies before that. Entering with a 2.69 ERA and 24 strikeouts in his last three starts, Gray should pick up where he left off and have the Red Sox in position for another Independence Day victory. 

Even if Boston does slip up in another frustrating loss, the 9:38 p.m. first pitch pushes that well out of the way of enjoying hot dogs, fireworks and nationwide celebrations for a historic day for the United States.

Following their success at college-level baseball, two former LSU Tigers continue to carve out names for themselves in the upper ranks of professional baseball. Pitchers Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson have both been named to the American League roster for the 2026 MLB All-Star Futures Game.

Anderson, now a member of the Seattle Mariners’ Double-A affiliate, Arkansas Travelers, was dominant on the mound for LSU during his two seasons in 2024-25. Anderson led LSU to its second National Championship in three years in his stellar ’25 campaign. The lefty delivered a 12-1 record and would go on to win the Most Outstanding Player award for the 2025 College World Series.

Kade was selected third overall by the Mariners in last year’s draft and has transitioned flawlessly to the next level. Anderson is 8-0 with just a 1.22 ERA through 13 starts with the Travelers. He has earned nearly 100 strikeouts and has walked just ten batters.

Anthony Eyanson, also playing at the AA level, is a member of the Portland Sea Dogs, part of the Boston Red Sox organization. Anthony was a third-round pick from LSU, in the same class as Anderson. Eyanson, a right-handed pitcher, is currently 2-0 with the Sea Dogs and owns a 1.07 ERA.

Eyanson played just one season with the Tigers, but he was an impactful transfer from UC San Diego for Jay Johnson and crew. Anthony pitched to a 12-2 overall record, amassing 150 strikeouts and walking just 36. The righty reached a career high 15 strikeouts versus North Alabama in March of 2025.

Although neither prospect has yet to be called up to “The Show,” their inclusion as some of the top young players in the league bodes well for their elevation to come soon. Eyanson and Anderson are just a couple of former Tigers making noise around the diamond, and there will be plenty more to follow in their footsteps.

It is easy to forget with all that is going on, but the Nats have a potentially impactful arm who is rehabbing right now. The Nats signed Max Kranick in May, and have helped him out in the final steps of his recovery from flexor tendon surgery. Now, the righty is rehabbing in Harrisburg and showing strong stuff.

After his first rehab outing, the media actually got to talk with Kranick. It was very clear that he was excited to be back on a competitive mound. He told us that his live BP sessions in West Palm Beach were beginning to get “stale”. With the competitive juices flowing, he said his stuff looked better than he thought it would. In that outing, Kranick got up to 97, and was sitting about 95.

Kranick said that the velocity and shapes were not at that level when he was throwing his live BP’s. However, with the adrenaline flowing, he thought his stuff was nearly identical to where it was last season.

Back in 2025, Kranick was impressive for the Mets, combining stuff and command. His fastball averaged 95.6 MPH. He combined that with a 90 MPH slider, a 79 MPH downer curve and an 82 MPH sweeper he would mix in occasionally. In 37 innings, Kranick had a 3.65 ERA for the Mets in a multi-inning relief role. If the Nats can get that version of Kranick, it would be a big boost for them.

With the quality of his stuff, I think there could be some room for improvement from a strikeout standpoint. Last year, he only struck out 16.7% of hitters, which is low for a guy with quality stuff. He was clearly focusing on pounding the zone in 2025, with a 4.7% walk rate. 

During his rehab assignment, Kranick has shown that he has not lost his strike-throwing ways. Kranick has not walked anybody in 5.2 innings across 4 outings. Having that kind of command after missing a year due to elbow surgery is very impressive. It shows a level of sharpness that proves that Kranick can be big league ready soon. 

Kranick has also shown some swing and miss, with 6 strikeouts in those outings. However, most of the K’s came against A ball hitters. Once he got up to AA, Kranick has only K’d one hitter in 3 innings. Overall, the effectiveness has been there, with the righty posting a 3.18 ERA across his four outings. 

After his first rehab appearance with the Fred Nats, Kranick had an interview, where he went into how he felt and what was next. He mapped out a process that has since been followed. The next step for him should be to start throwing on back to back days. 

Once he does that, and makes some outings in AAA, he should be ready to roll in the big leagues. Kranick has not been talked about much, but he could be a really nice addition to this bullpen. He has the ability to be a multi-inning guy or a higher leverage arm, which is nice. 

With the Nats having a shot to make a playoff push, they need all hands on deck. The bullpen has been an obvious weakness for this team. Max Kranick is obviously not going to fix this all by himself, but he can be part of the solution. Hopefully the Nats are in position to make some additions to this bullpen at the trade deadline as well.

This is going to be the most exciting second half of Nats baseball we have had in a long time. However, to truly make a push, this bullpen has to be better. Max Kranick can be a part of that fix.

The San Diego Padres staked starter Randy Vasquez to a 6-0 lead after the first two innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he quickly allowed four runs and was followed by Wandy Peralta who also allowed four runs as the Padres suffered their sixth consecutive loss with a 12-7 defeat at the hands of the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Thursday night.

The San Diego rotation has been atrocious recently and that appears to now be affecting the bullpen. Vasquez had another poor outing, lasting just three innings while allowing four runs on seven hits with a walk and no strikeouts. He allowed one home run, which started the scoring for Los Angeles when Dalton Rushing hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the second inning. Vasquez allowed two more runs in the bottom of the third inning before he gave way to Wandy Peralta in the fourth.

Peralta had a terrible night on the mound, allowing four runs on six hits with two strikeouts in just one inning. The Padres watched what was a 6-0 lead heading into the bottom of the second inning become an 8-6 Dodgers lead by the end of the fourth inning. The following San Diego pitchers were not spared by Los Angeles hitters. Yuki Matsui allowed two runs on two hits with two walks and a strikeout in one inning and German Marquez allowed two runs on two hits with three walks in his three innings of work.

Throughout the six-game losing streak, Padres pitchers have allowed 66 runs. The San Diego offense has scored 24 runs over that same span for an average of 4.0 runs per game. Three to four runs a game will not ensure wins, but it should mean they are in most games. That is not the case when the pitchers are allowing an average of 11 runs per game.

The Padres jumped all over Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki. Manny Machado hit a two-run home run in the top of the first inning and was followed by a Jackson Merrill solo home run and a Jake Cronenworth three-run home run in the top of the second inning, which gave them their six-run lead.

San Diego will have a tall task trying to rebound against Los Angeles and starter Shohei Ohtani, but will need to do so if the Padres want to end their current losing streak today at 7:10 p.m.

Padres News:

• The MLB owners and the MLBPA continue to trade proposals with the latest exchange coming Wednesday.

• Jason Adam landed on the IL with a shoulder strain and will miss time. German Marquez was called up from Triple-A and will work out of the bullpen.

• Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune says the starting pitching is a major concern for the Padres as they enter July.

• Samad Taylor sat down with Annie Heilbrunn of the San Diego Union-Tribune to talk about how he made his way onto the Padres’ roster.

• Catcher Freddy Fermin took another foul ball off his mask and left the game early against the Dodgers.

Baseball News:

• The Cleveland Guardians walked off the Chicago White Sox on a Brayan Rocchio home run.

• The St. Louis Cardinals used a seven-run seventh inning rally to get an 11-5 win over the Atlanta Braves.

• Junior Caminero did not homer, but the Tampa Bay Rays still won to sweep the Kansas City Royals.

• Milwakuee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski proves he is human in 7-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

• Cade Cavalli of the Washington Nationals and Willson Contreras of the Boston Red Sox were each suspended seven games for their parts in a benches clearing brawl last week.

Rangers 10, Tigers 4

• Really?
• This lineup was the one to score doubt digit runs for the first time since June 7?
• This lineup being one that featured just two regulars from your Opening Day roster, two bench players, three guys who were in the minors to start the season, two guys who were not in the organization on Opening Day and were signed off the street, with one of the two street guys being your backup catcher who got the start at DH.
• June 7 — a 10-0 win against Cleveland — was also the last time the Rangers won a game by more than three runs.
• Prior to this, the Rangers last 12 wins all were by three runs or less, and all had someone earning a save.
• Its nice to have a game where the late innings don’t involve stress and drama.
• Nathan Eovaldi got the start and pitched really great until he stopped pitching really great.
• After four innings, Eovaldi had allowed no hits, had walked just one batter, had struck out seven, and you were thinking to yourself, hey, there’s a no hitter going, maybe Texas can notch one of those for the first time this century…
• Then Detroit started hammering the ball in the fifth. A leadoff homer by Colt Keith, a two run, two out homer by Hao-Yu Lee, and a couple of singles after that before Kerry Carpenter grounded out to end the inning.
• A Riley Greene double to start the sixth ended Eovaldi’s night, though it took two relievers — Tyler Alexander and Peyton Gray — to finish the sixth, as well as two relievers — Gray and Robby Ahlstrom — to wrap up the seventh.
• Cole Winn was given the eighth in a blowout and allowed a run, as has been the case too often of late with him. Winn is now rocking a 7.07 ERA, and as we have discussed before, you never want your ERA to be a plane.
• A Gavin Collyer ninth inning finished things off. I know we were all hoping new addition Ben Peoples would pitch the ninth, but it was not to be.
• Eovaldi ended the day with nine Ks, which moved him past Ron Darling, Steve Trachsel, Rube Marquard, Doug Drabek and Jose DeLeon on the all time strikeout list. With 1597 for his career, Eovaldi is now 199th all time, with Ken Holtzman (1601), Jim Maloney (1605) and Jose Rijo (1606) next in his sights.
• The patchwork lineup, meanwhile, put up 17 hits in the game. 17!
• I wasn’t counting on 17 hits from this group either. I figured more like 7.
• Alejandro Osuna and Nicky Lopez had three hits apiece. Josh Jung, Elias Diaz and Ezequiel Duran each had two hits. Evan Carter and Josh Smith each came off the bench once Framber Valdez was out of the game and put up a single and a homer apiece.
• I’m thinking about how, if you’re a Tigers fan, sending your high priced free agent pitching acquisition out there against the spring training looking lineup the Rangers had and seeing him give up five runs must sting. It would be one of those instances where, if it happened to the Rangers, we’d be asking, “Why can’t we do this to other teams?”
• Sadly, the Mariners also won, so the Rangers are still tied with Seattle for the American League West and Wild Card 3. They are 2.5 games up on Houston, though, with the Astros being the next closest team for both the division lead and WC3.
• Nathan Eovaldi reached 96.3 mph with his fastball, averaging 95.0 mph. Tyler Alexander’s fastball reached 92.0 mph. Peyton Gray hit 94.4 mph with his fastball. Robby Ahlstrom touched 95.4 mph with his fastball. Cole Winn’s fastball maxed out at 95.6 mph. Gavin Collyer touched 97.7 mph with his fastball.
• Elias Diaz had a 112.0 mph line out and a 102.3 mph home run. Ezequiel Duran had 109.0 mph single and a 103.6 mph single. Evan Carter had a 104.4 mph home run. Josh Smith had a 104.1 mph home run. Kyle Higashioka had a 104.0 mph fly out and a 102.2 mph fly out. Cam Cauley had a 101.7 mph fly out. Alejandro Osuna had a 100.1 mph single.
• No game on Friday because of the World Cup. I know, it feels weird to me, too.

The Braves are decidedly not blowing anything up. They were last in homers in June and got outhomered 5-1 by the Cardinals, hitting their sole homer in the game they won.

But, what about you? Risking your fingers (maybe), staring up at the sky, or maybe a mix of both?

The Orioles have had a lot of things go wrong in 2026, but let’s just pause to appreciate the fact that, for one sweltering July afternoon at Camden Yards, something finally went right. Dean Kremer, back after a nine-week absence with a right quad strain, threw six innings of one-run ball to snap his team’s four-game skid and beat the White Sox, 6-1. It was vintage Kremer: unspectacular stuff, with four strikeouts, one walk, a lot of soft contact. And just the stopper outing that the Orioles needed, as their staff and their team struggle with injuries and inconsistencies.

Unspectacular but dependable has been the story of Dean Kremer’s career (his hair is spectacular, but that’s another story). Last year was typical, as he posted a 4.19 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and a 142:45 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 31 outings and a team-leading 171.2 innings. Over his career, pretty similar: a lifetime 4.23 ERA and 1.281 WHIP across parts of seven seasons. Kremer is, almost to a T, the definition of league average (a 96 ERA+ suggests he’s just a notch below).

But maybe we’ve underappreciated Dean Kremer. It was a shock, to me at least, when the multi-year veteran was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk at the start of this season, deemed unworthy of a rotation spot by the front office what with newcomers Shane Baz and Chris Bassitt on the team, and Zach Eflin and Kyle Bradish back and ready to pitch. We’re rarely excited to see the name “Kremer” penciled in for the start that day, but considering what Baltimore’s rotation has been through this year, I think we should roll out the orange carpet for him.

Consider the state of things around here, pitching-wise. Zach Eflin’s season ended after a single start. Chris Bassitt is on the 15-day IL after having a bone spur removed from his back. Kyle Bradish, back from Tommy John surgery, has been maddeningly uneven, capable of stringing together the kind of dominant stretches (back-to-back gems in mid-June, including eight scoreless innings in Anaheim) that recall his 2024 near-Cy Young form, but also clunkers where he suddenly loses control. Shane Baz keeps flashing the upside that made him a four-prospect return but he, too, is frustratingly inconsistent. Trevor Rogers started the season with an ERA above 10.00 in May. Improbably, Brandon Young, an undrafted 27-year-old who started the year in Triple-A, may quietly be turning the best season of any Orioles starter, sitting on a 3.11 ERA with a 6-2 record across thirteen starts. And Trey Gibson, a well-regarded prospect, is carrying an ERA north of 7.00 in eight appearances (seven starts).

So where does Kremer fit in, now that he’s been reactivated? Kremer’s activation came with two corresponding moves: catcher Dom Keegan was designated for assignment, and, more relevantly for this conversation, the 24-year-old Gibson was optioned back to Norfolk, along with lefty Josh Walker. Gibson seems like he just isn’t ready: that answers the immediate question. Kremer didn’t push out Brandon Young, who’s been one of the best stories on the pitching staff all season. He pushed out the struggling Gibson based on performance, which makes that call an easy one.

The more interesting question is what happens next, once Bassitt himself is back in the mix. Baltimore has flirted with a six-man rotation before, and the appetite for it hasn’t gone away. Elias himself left the door open on it back in spring training, framing the five-man start to the season as “a calendar decision rather than a capability verdict.” Orioles beat writers have been thinking along the same lines: one recent SI analysis argued that “a six-man rotation when Kremer comes back makes all the sense in the world,” noting that trying to squeeze 180 innings out of a pitcher who spent two months hurt would be needlessly risky.

My guess: expect a soft six-man look before a hard one. The O’s don’t have to commit to it formally: they can simply use built-in off-days to space Kremer’s next couple of starts out, buying him extra rest without officially subtracting a bullpen arm. But if Bassitt returns healthy in the next few weeks, the numbers game becomes unavoidable: Rogers, Bradish, Baz, Bassitt, Young, and Kremer make six established arms for five spots, and Baltimore would be stupid to non-tender or bury any of them.

Then there’s the W-L record issue, too. So far, Orioles public faces are insisting that the team still sees itself as a buyer, but at 40-48, that gets harder and harder to justify. A formal six-man rotation, at least for a stretch, feels like the path of least organizational resistance—especially for a team that doesn’t need to squeeze every marginal inning out of a thin roster before the July 31 deadline sorts out who’s actually staying and who’s going.

For now, though, the answer is simpler than the six-man speculation suggests. Albernaz called Kremer on his return a “steadying” presence, someone who can “navigate the game and control his emotions, slow heartbeat,” the kind of veteran presence the club had missed. Kremer didn’t take anyone’s job so much as reclaim his own, and maybe for that, we should be glad.

Alan Rangel has been the first one tasked with filling Andrew Painter’s spot in the Phillies rotation. So far, Rangel has appeared in three games, and Tim Mayza was utilized as an opener in two of them. Rangel has fared relatively well in his limited action, although the Phillies are 0-3 in those games.

He pitched five innings of one run ball in his first game with five hits and four strikeouts, but the Phillies lost 4-1 to the Nats due to a quiet offense and Seth Johnson allowing a late two-run homer to Curtis Mead. Rangel was charged with the loss in his second appearance against the Mets, but he was pitching quite well through his four innings of work heading into the sixth but hit a wall after allowing back-to-back singles and then a two-run triple. His day was done after allowing another baserunner and Jonathan Bowlan couldn’t clean up the mess, as he allowed both inherited runners to score, bringing the runs charged to Rangel total up to 4. His third appearance yesterday was his first MLB start, and although he lasted only four innings, Rangel did not allow a run despite allowing three hits and four walks.

Rangel is not being asked to do much, as the Phillies just need him to be a competent fifth starter. So far, he’s looked the part but perhaps requires a faster hook as evidenced by his second appearance. Regardless, Rangel has largely given the team a chance to win which is all you can ask of a fifth starter. So, what do you think of Alan Rangel so far?

Just about everything that can go wrong lately for the Yankees has. Losing games? Well, obviously. Injuries? Unfortunately, yes. Offense going cold? You know it. Pitchers who’ve been having good years having unexpected off days? That too. Defensive lapses? Duh.

However over the years, there’s always been one thing that can help the Yankees get some wins: playing the Minnesota Twins. Well, that’s who’s up next so this weekend, we’ll see how big the slump truly is.

Having traded away a lot of their notable players at the trade deadline last year, the Twins are in something of a rebuild. While Byron Buxton, Joe Ryan, and some others you know are still around, they’re a different team than they’ve been in recent years. They’re still somewhat in the playoff race, but that’s more a product of the AL Central than anything else.

With the two teams starting a three-game set later tonight, let’s take a look at the probable pitching matchups for the next few days.

Friday: Gerrit Cole vs. Mike Paredes (7:04 pm ET)

Upon first coming off the injured list, Cole hit the ground running, throwing two 6+ inning shutout performances, including striking out 10 in one of them. However over the five starts since, he has a 6.12 ERA and a 5.95 FIP. His main issue in that time has been home runs, allowing seven in those five games. Hitting home runs has not been the issue for the Twins, as they were ninth in MLB with 110 going into Thursday’s games.

This will be the Yankees’ first ever meeting with the rookie Paredes. This will be just his fifth career start and seventh game in general, having gotten called up in late May. He’s been okay so far, with a 4.26 ERA and a 103 ERA+. However, his FIP is noticeably worse, 5.44, as he really doesn’t strike many hitters out.

Saturday: Carlos Rodón vs. Zebby Matthews (1:35 pm ET)

Rodón can often be a tedious watch. His 4.6 BB/9 rate is quite high, and only 61 percent of his pitches on the season have gone for strikes. That being said, he’s been effective. He has a 3.30 ERA and a 3.45 FIP. The issue is always just, will walks burn him and how deep into the game can he go?

Matthews is another fairly inexperienced pitcher, but in this case, the Yankees have seen him a couple times before and have gotten to him. They faced him last year in August and September, and in the second of those meetings the Yankees’ offense got him for nine runs on 11 hits in just three innings. His nine starts this year have generally been right around league average.

Sunday: Ryan Weathers vs. Joe Ryan (1:35 pm ET)

Weathers is another pitcher that’s a bit of a taxing watch, but unlike Rodón, his numbers don’t quite grade out as “pretty good.” His ERA (4.08) is technically better than average (104 ERA+), and his FIP (4.13) isn’t atrocious either, but when he’s bad, he tends to be bad enough to pitch the Yankees way out of games. In his last start, he lasted just 1.2 innings, having allowed five runs to the Tigers. The defense hurt him, as only two of the runs were earned, but he didn’t exactly cover himself in glory that day.

After a borderline ace-type season in 2025, that saw him in trade rumors during the Twins’ deadline sell-off, Ryan has taken a bit of a step back so far this year, at least if you just look at his ERA. However, his 2.95 FIP is the best of his career, and his 0.9 HR/9 rate is by far his best ever. If the Yankees’ offense are in one of their moods, he could very well breeze through them, even if a casual glance at his stats makes it look like he’s not as good this year.

Well, we now have (temporary) closure on the Willson Contreras/Cade Cavalli incident. Major League Baseball has suspended both players for seven games, with Contreras’s suspension being specifically linked to behavior “during and following” the episode, meaning, i.e., that he’s being punished both for the helmet throw and for his subsequent social media post. Nate Eaton has received an additional three game suspension, whille Nationals pitcher Miles Mikolas received a five-gamer. Of course, Cavalli is a starting pitcher, meaning that a seven-game suspension is really just something that bumps his regularly scheduled start a few days. If MLB actually wanted send a message about his remarks, they would’ve given him at least nine games. Both players have the option to appeal the suspension, during which the suspension will be put on hold. Otherwise, Contreras, easily the Red Sox best overall player this season, is set to miss most of a crucial nine-game road trip that will likely be the last chance the Red Sox have of getting back into the playoff race before the trade deadline. (Jen McCaffrey Spencer Nussbaum, The Athletic)

Being in the middle of an on-field controversy isn’t anything new for Contreras, who is known for playing the game with more passion and verve than the typical Major Leaguer. “To be honest, there’s not a lot of people that like me, and that’s fine,” Contreras said recently. “There have been a lot of teammates that, when they’re on the other side, they hate me, but when they’re on your side, they love me, because they know what I’m willing to do. I’m willing to do anything to win for them. It’s a survival game. You have to survive. At the same time you might make people uncomfortable. To survive, you have to make people uncomfortable. That’s how I see it.” (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)

Contreras isn’t the only important piece the Sox will be without for the foreseeable future, as lefty Connelly Early was placed on the IL on the same day as the Contreras-Cavalli fight. Thankfully, though, an MRI revealed no structural damage to Early’s elbow. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)

It’ll likely be Patrick Sandoval who will take Early’s place in the rotation. It’s been just over two years since the lefty has stepped on a big league mound. “I don’t want to speak too soon,” Sandoval said, “but I feel good right now.” (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)

Hopefully Sandoval fares better than Payton Tolle did during his most recent start, which was the worst start of of the precocious pitcher’s young career. In Tolle’s defense, it was so hot that catcher connor Wong claims to have lost six pounds during the game. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)

Outside of a measly one-run showing on Wednesday in Sacramento, the Dodgers offense has been rolling over their last six games.

Against the San Diego Padres on Thursday, they overcame a six-run deficit while tying a season-high with 17 hits in a 12-7 victory, marking the second time over their last three meetings that the Dodgers put up 17 hits over San Diego. One of the unsung heroes of Thursday was Kyle Tucker, connecting for four hits after walking four times in the finale against the Athletics and having reached base in nine consecutive plate appearances.

While Tucker hasn’t yet lived up the expectations that his contract demands, Tucker has been finding his stride over his last seven games, slashing .417/.548/.583 with a home run and five RBI. Tucker spoke with Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA about his four-hit performance following Thursday’s win, where he noted that he’s starting to play at the level that fans had been expecting from him.

“The last four games feel a lot better… Swing feels a lot better, and even my takes have been a lot better, so I’m happy with those.”

Dalton Rushing was the other Dodger with a four-hit game on Thursday, adding a home run to his credit and finishing a triple shy of the cycle.

The last 10 games have produced a whirlwind of results for Rushing, from having to be consoled by his manager to adding another huge night against San Diego, and he spoke with Watson about how Thursday’s performance gave him a boost of confidence in setting the table for the top of the lineup.

“It’s a boost of confidence. You feel ready for the next however many [games] you get. Anytime you can get your game started like that, it’s going to be a good game.”

The Dodgers offense had to do the heavy lifting after another frustrating start from Roki Sasaki, who tossed 89 pitches over three innings while allowing six earned runs and three home runs.

While Sasaki showed flashes of brilliance, especially in his two starts against the Angels, the right-hander has not only fallen back down to Earth, but cratered on the landing. Sasaki spoke with Watson about his rough performance, noting that while he felt his stuff wasn’t bad, there’s still some tinkering in store.

“They fouled off a lot of pitches, but maybe because my intensity of my fastball or maybe my command issues. I feel like I have to work on those things to improve.”

The opposite of waking up after a bullpen meltdown is waking up after a walkoff win and I much prefer today’s feeling.

Here’s your recap of yesterday’s 6-5 win over the White Sox. I still feel pretty mad about Vogt leaving Cecconi in that game.

Good game from Kwan yesterday going 1 for 2 with 2 walks. I still can’t get over looking at his line and seeing an OPS under .600.

Mike Mahoney and I did a Disgusting Baseball Podcast during the game.

AROUND MLB:

Tigers and Royals lost.

Triple-A: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Yankees) 7, Norfolk Tides 3

Cade Povich allowed a pair of early homers but settled down to pitch into the fifth inning. The lefty allowed seven hits, walked one and struck out five. Povich tossed a clean third, danced around a two-out double in the fourth, and exited after allowing a walk and a double in the fifth. He threw 56 of 81 pitches for strikes.

Heston Kjerstad went deep for the second consecutive night to mark his fifth homer of the season. Enrique Bradfield Jr. stole a pair of bags and scored twice while going 1-for-4 with a walk. Jeremiah Jackson finished 2-for-5, and Ryan Noda went 2-for-3 with a base on balls.

Double-A: Chesapeake Baysox 8, Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Mets) 4

Chesapeake trailed 4-2 before erupting for six runs in the top of the ninth. Aron Estrada launched a go-ahead grand slam to flip a two-run deficit into a two-run lead. Ethan Anderson followed with a solo shot, and Douglas Hodo III drove in the eighth run of the evening. The grand slam capped a massive day for Estrada at the plate. The 21-year-old finished 4-for-5 and a triple shy of the cycle. Frederick Bencosme doubled twice while going 4-for-5 as well.

Lost in the fireworks was a nice outing from Joseph Dzierwa. Dzierwa limited the Rumble Ponies to only two hits over 4.2 scoreless innings. He struck out seven and walked two. Alex Pham tossed 2.1 innings of scoreless ball. Richard Guasch allowed all four runs in just one inning but received a fortuitous win.

High-A: Frederick Keys 9, Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets) 4

Ike Irish smacked solo shots in the first and sixth innings while going 3-for-5 in the victory. The blasts marked his 11th and 12th homers this season. Wehiwa Aloy finished 3-for-5 with a triple and three RBIs, and Vance Honeycutt walked and scored a run while going 1-for-3.

Yeiber Cartaya limited Brooklyn to one run over 4.2 frames. He allowed three hits, struck out two, and walked a pair. Tyson Neighbors earned the win with a scoreless eighth. He struck out a pair and did not allow a baserunner.

Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 3, Charleston RiverDogs (Rays) 2

Delmarva scored all three of its runs in the second inning. The Shorebirds struck first on a wild pitch, and Raylin Ramos drove in two more with a base hit up the middle. Charleston outhit Delmarva 7-to-5, but the pitchers kept the RiverDogs off the board.

Andrew Herbert delivered a quality start for Delmarva. Herbert allowed five hits, but only one of his two runs were earned. Trent Turzenski, J.D. Hennen, and Jack Crowder combined for three scoreless innings of relief.

Box scores

Friday’s Schedule

Norfolk: at Scranton Wilkes-Barre, 7:05. Starter: Yaqui Rivera (1-2, 1.75 ERA)

Chesapeake: vs Binghamton, 7:00 pm. Starter: Evan Yates (4-4, 5.37 ERA)

Frederick: vs Brooklyn, 7:00 pm. Starter: Twine Palmer (3-3, 3.62 ERA)

Delmarva: vs Charleston, 6:35 pm. Starter: Brayan Orrantia (0-4, 4.97 ERA)

Royals captain Salvador Perez was out of Thursday night’s lineup with elbow soreness, causing a flurry of roster moves

Catcher Luke Maile was selected to the 40-man roster and called up from Triple-A Omaha, offering a reinforcement behind the plate if something were to happen to Carter Jensen and the Royals needed another catcher during the game.

In corresponding moves, outfielder John Rave was optioned to Triple-A Omaha, and reliever Eric Cerantola was designated for assignment to create room on the 40-man for Maile. The Royals also activated Stephen Kolek from the family medical emergency list to make Thursday’s start against the Rays and optioned reliever Jose Cuas to Omaha.

In other injury news, Cole Ragans has UCL surgery and is out for the next 10-12 months

Cole Ragans underwent an ulnar collateral ligament repair on his left elbow on Wednesday, with the surgery performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles.

The Royals’ lefty now faces 10-12 months of recovery. The club expects his return midseason in 2027.

The extent of Ragans’ elbow surgery was not known until he actually had the operation done, with several different options based on what the surgeon found once he could assess the elbow fully. But the Royals were operating under the assumption that it was going to be something related to Ragans’ UCL, and that they were not going to get Ragans back on the mound in 2026.

Kendry Chourio and Blake Mitchell will play in the Futures Game this season

Chourio has been on a rocket ship since signing for the Royals last year, and after a promotion to Quad Cities last month, he’s the only age-18 pitcher to appear at High-A this season and the first since Eury Pérez in 2021. His fastball sits around 96 mph (that stands out more for his command of it than its shape), and he plays off that with an upper-70s, good-spin curveball and an upper-80s changeup. Mitchell is a Three True Outcome King with 13 homers, a 24.5 percent walk rate and 35.2 percent strikeout rate in 68 games at High-A Quad Cities this season. The 2023 eighth overall pick also has a strong arm from behind the plate that he could show off in Philly.

Here are some former Royals who are playing well this year.

Michael Wacha and Jac Caglianone were named Royals player and pitcher of the month for June

Brayan Rocchio hit a walk-off two run homer against the White Sox in a battle of for the lead in the AL Central

Julio Rodriguez left the game for Seattle after taking a throw off the helmet on a double play ball

ESPN analyst Matt Miller is now being investigated by Missouri attorney general after car crash last month

Here is your song of the day Africa by Toto