Category: Sports News

Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz officially started a minor league rehab assignment on Saturday night, tossing a scoreless inning for Class-A Ontario with two strikeouts and a single allowed.

Díaz needed only 11 pitches, eight of them for strikes in his first game action in 83 days. Making his way back from arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies in his right elbow, Díaz is expected back at some point shortly after the All-Star break. After his outing, Díaz told reporters in Ontario he might need three more rehab games before being ready for return.

Player of the day

Tyler Gough walked four but also struck out five in his three scoreless innings for Great Lakes.

The 22-year-old right-hander, who was acquired from the Mariners for left-hander Robinson Ortiz on November 16, has pitched 13 scoreless innings since joining Great Lakes. After missing nearly two months on the injured list, Gough between Ontario and Great Lakes has a 0.81 ERA in eight starts and 33 1/3 innings, with 39 strikeouts and 13 walks.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Rain washed away Oklahoma City’s Saturday game against the El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres), which served as a blessing for the Comets.

Oklahoma City’s scheduled starter was Landon Knack, but he was called up to eat innings Saturday after the Dodgers used a bullpen game on Friday. The move to necessitate space on the 40-man roster with Knack coming off the 60-day injured list was Charlie Barnes, the scheduled Sunday starter for the Comets, was designated for assignment.

Oklahoma City and El Paso will make up Saturday’s rainout on August 26, which means they only have to cover nine innings on the mound this weekend instead of 18.

Double-A Tulsa

Peter Heubeck gave up seven runs and couldn’t finish the first inning in the Drillers’ blowout loss to the Springfield Cardinals, which was shortened by rain to only six innings.

Taylor Young hit a two-run double in defeat.

Josue De Paula and Mike Sirota left the Drillers to head to Philadelphia for the Futures Game on Sunday. Kole Myers had two singles and two RBI while playing left field on Saturday, with Kendall George in center field and Zyhir Hope in right field.

High-A Great Lakes

Charles Davalan hit a game-winning home run in the eighth inning in the Loons’ victory over the Dayton Dragons (Reds). His two-run shot turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead and culminated a Great Lakes comeback from once down 2-0.

Class-A Ontario

Tower Buzzers outfielder Landyn Vidourek walked with the bases loaded, bringing home the winning run in the eighth inning to beat the Inland Empire 66ers (Mariners). Ontario walked four times in the inning, two against Caleb Franzen and two by Jean Muñoz.

Corner man Easton Shelton, playing first base, homered again on Saturday. His 25 home runs are a whopping 10 more than the second-place home run hitter in the California League (his teammate, outfielder Ching-Hsien Ko).

Transactions

Triple-A: Reliever Kyle Hurt, who had steadily climbed Dave Roberts’ bullpen trust tree with a strong first half in Los Angeles, fell off his lofty perch of late and was optioned to Oklahoma City on Saturday when Landon Knack was activated off the 60-day injured list and Charlie Barnes was designated for assignment. In his first 18 appearances for the Dodgers this year, through the end of May, Hurt had a 1.00 ERA, 2.23 xERA, 21 strikeouts and four walks. But since the start of June, Hurt in 14 games had a 10.13 ERA, 5.28 xERA, 17 strikeouts, and 12 walks, and allowed six total runs over his last two games.

Double-A: 19-year-old infielder Reyli Mariano was promoted to Tulsa from the Arizona Complex League for roster coverage, and played all five defensive innings at second base in his Double-A debut, going 0-for-1 with a walk.

Saturday scores

• Oklahoma City vs. El Paso, postponed (rain)
• Springfield 10, Tulsa 4 (6 innings)
• Great Lakes 3, Dayton 2
• Ontario 3, Inland Empire 2

Sunday schedule

• 10:05 a.m. PT: Tulsa (Christian Zazueta) vs. Springfield (Braden Davis)
• 10:05 a.m.: Great Lakes (Isaac Ayon) vs. Dayton (Ovis Portes)
• 11:05 a.m.: Oklahoma City (Jose Rodriguez) vs. El Paso (Sean Boyle)
• 4:05 pm.: Ontario (TBA) vs. Inland Empire (Jack Bowery)

For Yankees fans who watched the team during the mid-2010s, Chasen Shreve inspires a lot of emotions, most of which are negative. Acquired via trade for one of the organization’s biggest could-have-beens in Manny Bañuelos, he spent parts of four seasons in pinstripes. At times, the lefty looked like a dominant pitcher who was going to anchor the Yankees’ bullpen for years; at other times, he may as well have been throwing batting practice. No matter how he pitched, though, there was never a doubt that he left it all out on the field, and for that, Shreve ought to be remembered fondly for his contributions to several teams — some of which were certainly better than others.

Chasen Dean Shreve
Born: July 12, 1990 (Las Vegas, NV)
Yankees Tenure: 2015-2018 (majors); 2022 and 2024 (minors)

A native of Las Vegas, Shreve put himself on the map while at Bonanza High School, being named to the Nevada All-State second team for his senior season. He then went on to play for the College of Southern Nevada, where he played alongside then-catcher Bryce Harper during his JUCO season between high school and the draft. Both players were then selected in the 2010 MLB Draft, with Harper of course going first overall to the Washington Nationals, and Shreve falling to the 11th round, where he was selected by the Atlanta Braves.

Over the next three years, Shreve steadily climbed the farm, making his MLB debut for Atlanta on July 19, 2014 — just over a week after his 24th birthday. Between a five-cameo appearance across the final week of July and an extended run during September, he flashed great potential as a reliever, allowing just one run in 12.1 innings across 15 appearances. His performance against right-handed bats — he limited them to just a .167/.200/.208 slash line — despite being a southpaw inspired hope that he might be more than just a lefty specialist.

That hope would not be tested in Atlanta, however. Looking to add some rotation depth, the Braves rang in 2015 by flipping a pair of relievers, the youngster Shreve and the veteran David Carpenter, to the Yankees in exchange for the injured former top prospect, Manny Bañuelos (seriously, the deal went through on January 1, 2015). While Carpenter was at the time the name that drew more attention, as the Yankees had some openings in the bullpen due to the departure of David Robertson in free agency and the trade that sent Shawn Kelley to San Diego, Shreve was ultimately the one who played a bigger part of the 2015 bullpen.

After making his Yankees debut on April 6th, Shreve made himself an instant fan favorite just four days later. Thanks to a Chase Headley homer in the bottom of the ninth, the Yankees and Red Sox found themselves headed to extra innings having already exhausted their bullpens, with the Yankees already having used four pitchers to get through regulation. After Chris Martin, Justin Wilson, Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller, and Carpenter came and went, manager Joe Girardi turned the ball over to the rookie Shreve in the 12th.

He went an efficient 3.1 innings, allowing just three hits while striking four. While the Bombers ultimately lost, as Esmil Rogers allowed the Red Sox to rally in both the 18th and the 19th innings, it certainly wasn’t Shreve’s fault.

While he never had to go that long again, Shreve became a reliable multi-inning bullpen weapon for Girardi, capable of going one or two innings on a regular basis. Through September 5th, he had a 1.86 ERA, and had 60 strikeouts in 53.1 innings for a team that went on to win a playoff spot. Unfortunately, in what would become a pattern, Shreve utterly collapsed in September; across his final nine appearances, he managed to go just five innings, walking six batters and allowing four home runs. Because of this, his end-of-season numbers did not quite represent his full-season performance: 3.09 ERA, 4.92 WHIP, 1.406 WHIP.

Shreve was not used in the one-game Wild Card loss to Houston and never quite hit those heights ever again. He struggled out of the gate in 2016, posting a 5.21 ERA before hitting the injured list in May with a left shoulder strain. After returning in July, he bounced between Triple-A Scranton and the Bronx, and while his MLB numbers over that stretch don’t seem pretty — he had a 5.14 ERA in 14 innings — they don’t tell the full story: half of his eight earned runs came in one disastrous inning on August 16th, as Shreve, Adam Warren, and Blake Parker combined to allow eight runs to turn a 6-4 lead into a 12-6 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

More pleasantly, Shreve’s next appearance saw him come on in relief of Ben Heller in the bottom of the 10th on August 30th. Handed a bases loaded jam with just one out, Shreve struck out Kendrys Morales and got Salvador Perez to fly out to secure his first of two career saves.

Shreve spent all of 2017 and the first half of 2018 on the Scranton shuttle, unquestionably on the periphery of the bullpen picture and outside of their eventual playoff plans. On July 21, 2018, he recorded his second career save, this time against the New York Mets. After Aroldis Chapman began the inning by allowing a walk, a single, two walks, and a hit batsman, Aaron Boone called on Shreve to preserve a 7-5 lead with the bases loaded and nobody out. He traded two outs for one run on a ground-ball double play, then got Wilmer Flores to bounce back to the pitcher, to rescue Chapman and preserve the win.

That, however, would be Shreve’s last big highlight in pinstripes. Less than a week later, the Yankees sent him and Giovanny Gallegos to St. Louis Cardinals for international bonus pool money and an apparent Quadruple-A first baseman named Luke Voit. And while I’m sure that Yankees fans don’t exactly look upon this trade with regret, I will never not be touched by Shreve’s interview immediately after being informed of the trade — a reminder that, at the end of the day, these guys are people first and foremost.

Following his Yankees career, Shreve bounced around quite a bit. He spent the remainder of 2018 and all of 2019 in the St. Louis organization, then signed with the Mets for what would be the shortened 2020 season.

2021 was spent with the Pirates, the first half of 2022 with the Mets, and the final two months in Scranton on a minor-league contract with the Yankees (though he never made it back to the Bronx). The Tigers picked him up for 2023, his last extended run in the Majors, before designated him for assignment in August; he finished that season in the Reds organization. He began 2024 in the Rangers’ system, spent July with Scranton, and August with the Rockies, where he made one final big-league appearance. He made one last attempt to crack an MLB roster by accepting an invitation to spring training with the Braves in 2025, before being released in April.

While he has yet to officially announce his retirement, Shreve is not currently in an MLB organization. If this is in fact it for him, Shreve can hang up the cleats content in the knowledge that while he never quite recaptured the dominance he flashed early in his career across 11 different seasons, he was nonetheless an important part of some memorable Yankees squads.

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

Good morning and happy Sunday everybody! The Mariners tossed another cup-o-fart in our faces yesterday by losing 6-1 in Tampa and have a chance to do the funniest thing imaginable in the last game before the break this morning at 10:40 am PST.

In Mariners news…

• The first four rounds of the 2026 MLB Amateur Draft were yesterday. With the 26th pick of the first round the Mariners selected Mississippi State infielder Ace Reese, a big bat with an 80 grade baseball name. They followed one college hitter with another by taking Louisiana State outfielder Jake Brown in the second round, and then took University of Cincinnati RHP Nathan Taylor in the third. They finished up the day with UNC-Wilmington infielder Trevor Lucas in the fourth. The rest of the draft will wrap up today starting at 8:30 am PST.
• The Mariners posted some genuinely difficult Meccha Chameleon the other day. If you aren’t familiar with Meccha Chameleon, it’s the hot friendslop game of two weeks ago, and what I’m learning from this post is to avoid playing Meccha Chameleon with the Mariners social team at all costs, because I can’t paint like that.

Around the league…

• The Athletics officially placed All-Star first baseman Nick Kurtz on the 10-day IL with a strain in his right thumb. White Sox first baseman Tristan Peters, fresh off his cycle on Friday night, was named as the replacement on the All-Star roster.
• If I had a nickel for every time a Phillies pitcher was rightfully upset with the league for not adding them to the All-Star roster because of a scheduled Sunday start, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.
• Diamonbacks pitcher Zac Gallen will not make his scheduled start against the Dodgers today and is expected to hit the IL with elbow inflammation.
• The Orioles were relieved to find out yesterday that closer Ryan Helsley will not need UCL surgery, as the ligament is intact and there is just inflammation surrounding it.

Nick’s pick…

• Seth Wickersham and Adam Schefter reported yesterday afternoon that the Seattle Seahawks were sold for $9.6 billion to Vinod Khosla, a now former limited partner of the San Francisco 49ers and the co-founder of Sun Microsystems.

Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 3, Syracuse Mets 2

Nestor German was the story in this Tides win, twirling a dazzling outing of seven shutout innings, the longest outing of his professional career. He had more strikeouts (six) than baserunners (five), and it came against a Syracuse lineup in which all nine batters were guys with major league experience, including blink-and-you-missed-them former Orioles Cristian Pache and Vidal Bruján. It was German’s second straight scoreless start. What a performance by the Orioles’ #11 prospect (per MLB Pipeline).

Tides cleanup hitter Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit his 17th homer with Norfolk, and Heston Kjerstad went 0-for-3 but contributed a sac fly. Leadoff man Enrique Bradfield Jr., who as of yesterday is no longer the only EBJ in the organization, went 0-for-3 with a walk.

The Tides nearly blew a 3-0 lead in the ninth when lefty Andrew Magno had a rare bad outing, giving up two runs to raise his season ERA to a still-awesome 1.04, but he held on for his sixth save. Before that, Yaramil Hiraldo, whom the O’s activated from the IL and optioned yesterday, worked a perfect eighth.

Box score

Double-A: Chesapeake Baysox 9, Akron RubberDucks (Guardians) 0

The Baysox dominated on every side of the ball, not only erupting for nine runs on 10 hits but also throwing a two-hit shutout. It was maybe their most all-around well-played victory of the season.

Let’s start on the mound, where #4 prospect Luis De León had the kind of outing that makes scouts drool over him. Just like Nestor German, he delivered the longest outing of his professional career, but he one-upped German by tossing eight scoreless innings. Wowza! Before tonight, De León’s career high for innings in a game was six, and even that he only did once. Also like German, De León had more strikeouts (five) than baserunners (three). I think it’s safe to say this was the best outing of his professional career. For good measure, reliever Juan Rojas struck out the side in the ninth.

Then there’s the Chesapeake offense, which certainly brought the lumber on this night. Leadoff man Douglas Hodo III set the tone with a homer, a double, and five RBIs. Three other Baysox had multi-hit games, including Aron Estrada, Griff O’Ferrall, and recently acquired Dom Keegan. Thomas Sosa added a homer. The Baysox went 5-for-12 with runners in scoring position. They scored two of their runs against former O’s minor league Carter Rustad, who was traded for Johnathan Rodríguez in March.

Box score

High-A: Frederick Keys 6, Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies) 4 — Game 1, 7 inn.

In their regularly scheduled Saturday game, the Keys scored six unanswered runs to rally back from an early 3-0 deficit. The top five hitters in the lineup were a combined 7-for-14, which my rudimentary math skills tell me is a .500 average. Wehiwa Aloy starred with two hits, including his 13th home run. Victor Figueroa, Randal Diaz, and Colin Tuft each added an RBI. The Keys also had four steals in five attempts.

Tall lefty Boston Bateman picked up the win with a solid five-inning effort, giving up three runs and striking out six. Righty Trent Turzenski, making his first appearance in High-A this year, worked a scoreless ninth for the save. The seven-inning game clocked in at under two hours (1:58).

Box score

High-A: Jersey Shore 2, Frederick 1 — Game 2, 7 inn.

The Keys had to settle for a doubleheader split, dropping the nightcap in a makeup of Thursday’s rainout. The productive offense from the opener disappeared in game 2, with Frederick managing only two hits in their seven innings of play. Aloy provided one, an RBI single in the third, and #9 hitter Alfredo Velásquez had the other. Jersey Shore starter Ramon Marquez, the Phillies’ #9 prospect, racked up nine strikeouts in five innings.

The BlueClaws, like the Keys, also had only two hits, but unfortunately they came back-to-back in the second — a single and a two-run homer — to provide the margin of victory. That spoiled an otherwise strong outing by Keys lefty Caden Hunter, who went five frames, walked three, and struck out eight. This game was even quicker than the first one, at just one hour and 50 minutes.

Orioles #2 prospect Ike Irish did not play in either game of the doubleheader, although no injury has been reported.

Box score

Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 8, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (White Sox) 0

Yet another stupendous pitching performance by an O’s affiliate on this night. You love to see it. This time it was Christian Rodriguez who delivered the goods, firing seven scoreless innings. That matched a career high for the 24-year-old righty. Rodriguez scattered five hits, walked one, and struck out four. When is the last time that three different Orioles minor leaguers pitched 7+ innings on the same day? I would venture to say it’s been a long time, if ever. Relievers Adrian Heredia and Luis Beltrán completed the combined shutout with a scoreless inning apiece, combining for five strikeouts.

The Shorebirds’ offense erupted for a 13-hit attack, including three apiece by center fielder Braylon Whitaker and catcher Adriander Mejía. Home runs by Félix Amparo, Jose Perez, and Andrés Nolaya helped lead the Delmarva rout.

Box score

Sunday’s scheduled games:

• Norfolk: vs. Syracuse, 1:05 PM. Starter: Cade Povich (0-2, 5.31)
• Chesapeake: at Akron, 1:05 PM. Starter: TBD
• Frederick: vs. Jersey Shore, 2:00 PM. Starter: Patrick Reilly (Frederick season debut)
• Delmarva: vs. Kannapolis, 5:05 PM.Starter: Dalton Neuschwander (1-6, 7.10)

(54-38) Memphis Redbirds 2, (45-45) Gwinnett Stripers 9

• Patrick Clohisy, CF: 2-for-4, HR, 2B, BB, 2 RBI, 2 R, .265/.349/.459
• Rowdy Tellez, 1B: 2-for-4, HR, 4 RBI, R, .259/.367/.492
• Jair Camargo, DH: 3-for-4, HR, 2B, RBI, 2 R, .236/.276/.345
• AJ Smith-Shawver, SP: 2.1IP 5H 2ER 3BB 2K, 7.71 ERA

The Stripers clawed their way back to .500 with a dominant win over the Redbirds thanks to a strong pitching effort by the Gwinnett staff, and some explosive hitting.

AJ Smith-Shawver got the rehab start and was okay – clearly running out of gas around the 40 pitch mark for the second start in the row. AJ’s mechanics seemingly disappeared at time, with his pitching shoulder often dipping making his arm whip around more which led to his velocity decreasing a bit as he sat more in the 95-96 range. Smith-Shawver was strong up until that 40 pitch mark – seeing just two over the minimum as he entered the third inning. It was the third that the command wavered, walking two and surrendering three singles and driving in two runs. He was replaced by Carlos Carassco (3IP 1H 0R 4BB 2K) who needed just one pitch to end the bases loaded, 1 out threat that Smith-Shawver left. Carlos was strong, working around some walks, to register three one hit innings. Following Carlos was Anderson Pilar (2.2IP 0H 0R 0BB 4K) who was dominant – striking out four over 2.2 scoreless innings of work himself. Finally, it was Joel Payamps (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 0K) who worked the final inning and secured the win for the Stripers.

Offensively, it was a barrage for the Stripers who hit three home runs and collected 11 hits. Rowdy Tellez continued his hot form – by driving in two with a single in the first inning. He added another pair of runs in the third inning when he connected on his 10th home run of the season. The following inning it was Jair Camargo who added a solo shot in the fourth to push the Stripers lead to 5-2. Two innings later it was Patrick Clohisy, who was making his Triple-A debut, who connected on a two run home run himself to push it to 7-2.

Finally, Sandy León and Cal Conley drove in the final two runs of the game, both in the bottom of the eighth, to extend the Stripers dominant lead to 9-2.

(32-54) Birmingham Barons 2, (39-42) Columbus Clingstones 3

• Dalton McIntyre, CF: 1-for-4, RBI, .289/.438/.447
• Will Verdung, 1B: 2-for-4, R, .145/.234/.217
• Ambioris Tavarez, 2B: 2-for-3, R, 2B, .186/.297/.311
• Brett Sears, SP: 6.2IP 4H 2ER 1BB 8K, 3.99 ERA
• Owen Hackman, RP: 1.1IP 0H 0R 0BB 3K

Box Score

An absolutely brilliant pitching performance by the Clingstones pitching staff did the heavy lifting in a tight 3-2 over the Barons.

Brett Sears got the start and put together a really strong start, registering 18 whiffs across 6.2 innings of work. He allowed a total of just four hits including a double, and solo home run. Sears saw just one over the minimum until the fifth inning when he ran into his first bit of trouble when he allowed a one out, run scoring double. He would then get back on track, getting the next five outs before allowing that solo shot in the seventh inning. Sears would get replaced by Owen Hackman (1.1IP 0H 0R 0BB 3K) who was…also dominant, striking out three over his 1.1 innings of work, including striking out the final two batters he would face. Tyler LaPorte (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 1K) worked the final inning, picking up his fourth save of the season, as he pounded the zone throwing 8 strikes on 10 pitches while picking up four whiffs.

Offensively, the Clingstones got just enough done to secure the win. Drew Compton got the fun going in the first inning as he singled in Luke Waddell, who had earlier doubled, to give Columbus the 1-0 lead. The Clingstones would then be held scoreless the next three innings until Dalton McIntyre singled in Ambioris Tavarez to drive in the second run of the game. It was one inning later when this time Tyler Tolve drove in what was eventually the game winning hit via a dribbler to third that allowed Will Verdung to score.

(41-42) Rome Emperors 1, (41-43) Hudson Valley Renegades 7

• Tate Southisene, 0-for-4, BB, .217/.366/.396
• John Gil, 2B: 1-for-5, SB. .250/.346/.394
• Eric Hartman, CF: 1-for-3, 2B, BB, .281/.359/.543
• Dixon Williams, 1B: 1-for-2, 2B, R, 2 BB, 2 SB, .222/.332/.419
• Matieu Curtis, SP: 2.2IP 1H 1ER 2BB 7K, 4.43 ERA

Box Score

The talented Emperors offense ran into an absolutely dominant pitching performance by the Hudson Valley Renegades – striking out 12 times, while collecting just four hits. They went a painful 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position, stranding 10 on base.

Matieu Curtis got the start and put the Emperors in a good place as he struck out seven across just 2.2 innings of work. He struck out the side in the first inning, while working around a pair of walks in the second while picking up another two strikeouts. After picking up his sixth strikeout at the start of the third, the first blemish occurred as Curtis allowed a one out double, stolen base, and a balk drove in the first run of the game for the Renegades. Drew Christo (2IP 4H 3ER 1BB 2K) relieved Matieu in the third and surrendered what ended up being the game winning solo home run to his first batter seen. Drew would go on to surrender three more runs in his two innings of work before he was replaced by Jarret Whorff (1.1IP 3H 2ER 0BB 1K) who ran into double himself – allowing another pair of runs in his innings of work. Jacob Shafer (2IP 1H 1ER 2BB 2K) was the final pitcher utilized for the Clingstones and allowed a run himself across a pair of innings. In totality, the Clingstones pitching staff surrendered seven runs on nine hits hits and five walks.

Offensively, it was a struggle. The Emperors made things interesting in the first inning, loading the bases but were unable to cash in on any real opportunities until the fourth inning when Dixon Williams led off a double. Dixon would steal third, and then come into score on a wild pitch. That would end up being the only run scored. They would threaten throughout the game but never get the big hit that they needed. Starting pitcher Rory Fox for the Renegades was dominant – striking out nine across five innings of work.

(48-36) Hickory Crawdads 13, (48-38) Augusta GreenJackets 4

• Luis Guanipa, CF: 2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI, .307/.364/.465
• Conor Essenburg, RF: 1-for-2, 2B, RBI, 2 BB, .259/.401/.465
• Cody Miller, 3B: 1-for-3, 2 BB, R, .217/.365/.400
• Cooper McMurray, 1B: 2-for-4, 2 R, .236/.384/.406
• Michael Martinez, DH: 2-for-3, R, .252/.331/.462
• Davis Polo, SP: 1IP 3H 5R 4ER 3BB 1K, 4.21 ERA

Box Score

The GreenJackets were unable to overcome porous defense, as they committed five errors, while the pitching staff allowed an appalling fourteen walks and nine hits.

Davis Polo got the start and it just wasn’t his day – as he allowed five runs, four earned, threw two wild pitches, allowed a run to score on a balk, and allowed a stolen base. As he lasted just a single inning, the game quickly fell apart as the GreenJackets had to turn to the bullpen to cover at least eight innings. Adiel Melendez (2IP 3H 3R 2ER 0BB 2K) was the first man up, surrendering three total runs across two innings of work. Logan Forsythe (1.1IP 0H 3ER 2BB 1K) replace Adiel, and surrendered three earned runs despite not allowing a single hit. The GreenJackets then turned to Lews Sifontes (1IP 2H 1R 4BB 0K) who struggled with his command – walking four in his single inning of work. With the game all but settled at this point, the GreenJackets turned to a pair of position prospects who not only saved more arms, but had the best results on the mound. Joe Olsavasky (2.2IP 0H 1ER 4BB 2K) was the first one up, surrendering an earned run in his 2.2 innings of work. Hayden Friese (1IP 1H 0R 1BB 1K) was the only player on the team to record a scoreless inning.

There wasn’t much the GreenJackets could do to overcome that bad defense and poor pitching, but still did an admirable job – scoring four runs on eight total hits. They were held scoreless until the seventh inning when Luis Guanipa collected his 16th double of the season – driving in Cooper McMurray. Conor Essenburg would follow that up with a sacrifice fly that drove in Michael Martinez to give Augusta a pair of runs. They added on another run in the eighth when Cody Miller walked, took second and then third on a pair of wild pitches before being driven in by Austin Machado on a ground out. Their final run scored came in the bottom of the ninth, when it was again Luis Guanipa that singled and drove in Cooper McMurray for the GreenJackets fourth run.

(14-35) FCL Braves 5, (33-17) FCL Rays 13

• Manuel Campos, SS: 1-for-4, R, .306/.407/.442
• Jorwin Pulido, DH: 0-for-3, BB, RBI, R, .341/.429/471
• Andrew McCutchen, LF: 1-for-3, 2B, RBI, .200/.429/.400
• Johan Rodriguez, 1B: 2-for-3, 2B, RBI, R, .276/.338/.439
• Luisberth Valdez, SP: 2.2IP 5H 7ER 4BB 0K, 12.46 ERA

Box Score

(14-14) DSL Orioles Black 10, (8-20) DSL Braves 3

• Jose Manon, 3B: 2-for-4, R, .290/.396/.398
• Edelson Cabral, SS: 1-for-3, BB, R, RBI, .289/.429/.446
• Durban Arnedo, 2B: 2-for-4, .200/.273/.250
• Hector Aguilar, SP: 3IP 6H 5ER 4BB 0K, 22.50 ERA

Box Score

I have always found the Home Run Derby to be one of the most exciting events on the baseball calendar every year. There is something simple and satisfying about seeing people swing as hard as they can and smash baseballs as far as possible.

This season a combination of factors have transpired that have conspired to somewhat dampen my particular enthusiasm for the event.

1. The rules have changed such that participants no longer have a time limit but instead a limited number of swings.
2. Hunter Goodman, who is tied for fourth most home runs in the majors, wasn’t named as a participant.

Losing out on the frenetic pace of recent derbies was one thing but having a Rockies hitter who had a legitimate case to participate be snubbed has somewhat dimmed my excitement for this otherwise incredible event.

There are still plenty of exciting names in the derby (Jordan Walker!) and it will still be fun to baseballs get smashed but, for me, I worry something will feel missing from past years.

So, that brings me to our question:

If you were commissioner, would you make any changes to the Home Run Derby?

Would you want changes to the actual rules of how the Derby is played or perhaps a difference in the participant selection process?

Let us know in the comments!

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Meet the Mets

The Mets were shut out for the ninth time this season, falling to the Red Sox 4-0 at Citi Field. A pair of two-run homers powered the Red Sox and for the second day in a row, the Mets failed to get the big hit with runners on.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, MLB.com, Newsday, New York Post

Zach Thornton will be called up to pitch today in the series finale against the Red Sox. The Mets have not yet indicated whether he will start the game or be used in bulk relief.

Bo Bichette is dealing with some lower body soreness that has caused him to miss the past couple of games. According to manager Andy Green, he’ll use the All-Star break to reset and rest.

Yesterday the Mets selected Carson Wiggins with the 27th overall pick in the MLB Draft. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com wrote up a profile of the flamethrowing righty, who has not thrown many college innings due to Tommy John surgery.

The Mets Player Development Twitter account posted videos of analysis Mets’ third-round pick Aiden Robbins and the Mets’ fourth-round pick Shane Sdao.

Juan Soto considered participating in this year’s Home Run Derby, but ultimately decided not to do it.

Yesterday the Mets provided updates on two righty relievers they had designated for assignment. Alex Carrillo was released and Matt Seelinger was outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse.

Marcus Semien, who is working his way back from a left hip flexor strain, is ready to begin a rehab assignment, but it may have to wait until after the All-Star break.

The Mets shouldn’t hold back and should make all of their relievers available in trade, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Around the National League East

The Yankees crushed three home runs in the eighth to make a late-inning comeback against the Nationals, who fell to the on this day aptly named Bronx Bombers 4-2.

After three years in Japan, Foster Griffin is now an All-Star with the Nationals.

Cristopher Sánchez was dominant again, striking out seven in the Phillies’ 4-2 victory over the Tigers and making his case to start the All-Star Game in his team’s home city.

Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler was asked to participate in the All-Star Game as an injury replacement, but felt disrespected to be the fifth choice and therefore declined.

The Marlins lost to the Guardians 4-1, as Cleveland racked up a whopping 11 hits against Miami pitching.

The Braves lost to the Cardinals by the same 4-1 score, as Lars Nootbaar struck early with a three-run homer in the first for St. Louis off Reynaldo López.

Braves pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, will have at least one more rehab outing after a rough appearance on Saturday with Triple-A Gwinnett.

Around Major League Baseball

You can find full coverage of the first day of the MLB Draft on MLB.com, Baseball Prospectus, Baseball America, and Fangraphs. MLB.com sums up all the big storylines from Day 1 of the draft.

The MLB Draft is raptly consumed by diehards and sickos, but the league is not doing a good job broadening its appeal to the wider fanbase, writes Michael Baumann of Fangraphs.

Madison Shipman made her debut as an analyst in the Blue Jays booth yesterday, making her the first woman to work a Blue Jays game on Sportsnet.

White Sox outfielder Tristan Peters was selected to the American League All-Star roster to replace the injured Nick Kurtz.

Jacob Misiorowski was scratched from his scheduled start today due to arm fatigue. He will unfortunately miss the All-Star Game as well.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

You can follow along with all the Mets’ draft picks in the 2026 MLB Draft with our handy minors team’s handy tracker. Meanwhile, Thomas Henderson covered the signing of the Mets’ first round pick Carson Wiggins and Lukas Vlahos covered the Mets’ next two selections: Aiden Robbins at 92nd overall and Shane Sdao 120th overall.

Steve Sypa wrote up profiles on all three of the Mets’ picks on the first day of the drat (Carson Wiggins, Aiden Robbins, and Shane Sdao).

This Date in Mets History

The 1988 All-Star Game was played on July 12 and the Mets sent four representatives that year.

The San Diego Padres staked starter Walker Buehler to a 2-0 lead heading into the top of the second inning against the Toronto Blue Jays. He immediately surrendered four runs and the Padres headed back to their dugout for their turn at the plate in the bottom of the inning, trailing the Blue Jays, 4-2. Both teams traded blows with the game being tied two times at 4-4 and 7-7 before Ty France hit a decisive solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to lead San Diego to an 8-7 win at Petco Park on Saturday night.

Buehler had his third consecutive disappointing outing. He allowed four runs on three hits with four walks and one strikeout over just two innings. Matt Waldron who just returned to the Padres, was forced into action and was effective over three innings. He did not allow a run and limited the Blue Jays to just two hits. San Diego held a 7-4 lead when Waldron left the game, but Bradgley Rodriguez came on to pitch for Yuki Matsui with two on in the top of the sixth inning and surrendered a three-run home run to Vladamir Guerrero Jr. which tied the game at 7-7.

France responded in the bottom of the sixth inning when he connected on a solo home run with two outs in the inning that put the Padres ahead by a run. Both teams failed to add to their run totals over the next two innings and Mason Miller came on to close the game and ensure the win for San Diego.

The Padres will look to win the series against the Blue Jays to head into the All-Star break with a .500 record today at 1:10 p.m.

Padres News:

• The Padres stuck to their recent draft strategy drafting a high school pitcher, Coleman Borthwick, with their first-round draft pick. San Diego made four additional picks on the first day of the MLB draft.

• Padres president of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller discussed the draft strategy for the team and what San Diego could do at the trade deadline.

• New Padres owners are taking notes as the team drafts for the future.

Baseball News:

• The Boston Red Sox extended their win streak to eight games with a shutout win over the New York Mets.

• Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski will miss the All-Star game with arm fatigue.

• Alex Bregman homers to lead the Chicago Cubs to a win over the Cincinnati Reds.

• Matthew Liberatore leads the St. Louis Cardinals to a win over the Atlanta Braves.

• Brandon Pfaadt guides the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 9-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

• The San Francisco Giants knocked off the Colorado Rockies, 4-2.

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The Washington Nationals dropped the first two games of this series by multiple runs.

With a hot offense and an advantage on the mound, my Yankees vs. Nationals predictions and MLB picks see the home team flipping the script in the series finale.

Who will win Yankees vs Nationals today: Nationals moneyline (-110)

The surface stats would tell you there isn’t much separating Will Warren and Cade Cavalli. The underlyings tell a much different story — particularly over the last month.

Cavalli has posted a strong 2.49 xFIP and struck out 29.3% of opposing batters. It’s a much different story for Warren, who owns a 4.64 xFIP and 16.0 strikeout rate in that time.

Warren has struggled with power along the way, allowing 2.19 homers per nine innings. The Washington Nationalslead the majors in homers and OPS vs. RHP in July, making them the perfect team to back against him.

Bet this up to -120.

COVERS INTEL: Will Warren owns a 5.04 xFIP on the road, 24th among today's projected starting pitchers.

Yankees vs Nationals Over/Under pick: Over 9 (-115)

This is a matchup where the offenses should be front and center. The Nationals have hit for extreme power lately while also getting on base at a high rate. That should continue against Warren, given he ranks in the 12th percentile in pitcher run value and enters in poor form.

While Cavalli is solid, he's still conceded multiple earned runs in six of his last seven starts. The New York Yankees sit second in homers against righties this month and have the power to pounce on any mistakes.

Play the Over to -130.

Yankees vs Nationals weather

Temperatures in the low 80s are expected with winds blowing west. Small bump to the bats.

Yankees vs Nationals odds

• Moneyline: Yankees -110 | Nationals -110
• Run line: Yankees -1.5 (+145) | Nationals +1.5 (-170)
• Over/Under: Over 9 (-115) | Under 9 (-105)

Yankees vs Nationals trend

The Nationals have cashed the Over in 31 of the last 50 home games for +13.50 units and a 24% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Yankees vs. Nationals.

How to watch Yankees vs Nationals and game info

Yankees vs Nationals latest injuries

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The Pittsburgh Pirates came away from yesterday’s day one of the 2026 MLB Draft with a haul of players. Here’s the total list along with the MLB.com post draft info on each.

Pick #5 – Derek Curiel – OF, LSU

Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 45 | Run: 55 | Arm: 45 | Field: 55 | Overall: 55

Curiel plays a “special center field” and has shown command of the strike zone with upside in his damage profile. Curiel played with shortstop Konnor Griffin on the USA travel circuit, and the two committed to LSU together for the 2024 class.

Curiel could rise through the ranks quickly. The pick was a bit of a surprise, as many mock drafts leading up to the Draft had Pittsburgh expected to take Santa Barbara pitcher Jackson Flora. When Flora went fourth to the Giants, the Pirates had the choice between multiple college and high school bats. Ultimately, they went with the experienced Curiel.

The 6-foot-2, 192-pound outfielder was once considered a first-round pick out of high school in Southern California, but he decided to forgo the 2024 Draft after a subpar senior season. After two years at LSU, he has proven himself as one of the best pure hitters in the Draft class, batting .349 with a .975 OPS in two seasons with the Tigers. Just a sophomore — eligible for the Draft by virtue of turning 21 in May — in 2026, Curiel led his team in batting average (.353), runs (64) and hits (82) while trying for the team lead in total bases (122). He also has plus speed, stealing a team-high 13 bases in just 15 attempts.

Pick #44 – Aiden Ruiz – SS, Stony Brook

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 40 | Run: 55 | Arm: 60 | Field: 65 | Overall: 50

Many thought Ruiz, a smooth-fielding, switch-hitting (and switch-throwing – he throws lefty when he plays the outfield!) shortstop, might go in the first round.

An undersized switch-hitter who is listed at 5-foot-10 and 168 pounds, Ruiz is arguably the best defensive shortstop in the class. He’s an elite defender with a plus arm and range, great hands and outstanding footwork. Unlike with many young players at the premium position, Ruiz not only makes the spectacular, acrobatic plays, throwing on the run, he also slows the game down and makes the routine plays as well. It’s future Gold Glove-caliber defense. 

An above-average runner whose instincts help him be a successful base-stealer, Ruiz’s bat is behind his glove. He makes a ton of contact with an idea of what he’s doing at the plate, excellent bat control and no fear, showing an ability to turn around premium velocity

Pick #51 – Chris Rembert – 2B, Auburn

Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 45 | Run: 50 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50

Rembert has some of the best bat speed in college baseball and an advanced approach, though his swing and patience have regressed a bit while he dealt with an ankle injury this spring. He manages the strike zone very well and focuses on drilling line drives from gap to gap. It’s unclear if he’ll provide more than 15 homers annually because he makes too much groundball contact, though he has the strength and bat speed to do more damage if he turns on more pitches and adds more loft to his compact right-handed stroke.

Rembert is an average runner with arm strength to match, which limits his usefulness on the bases and in the field. Some scouts once wondered if he’d wind up in left field, but he’s looking more comfortable at second base in college than he did at shortstop in high school. He has reliable hands and provides steady defense at the keystone.

Pick #80 – Jason Decaro – RHP, UNC

Scouting grades: Fastball: 45 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 45

As a New York high schooler, DeCaro reclassified from the 2024 Draft to ’23 and got an early jump on his college career at North Carolina. He looked like a potential 2026 first-rounder when he cracked the Tar Heels rotation as a 17-year-old freshman, but scouts aren’t sure what to make of him because his stuff has leveled off since. His feel for pitching allowed him to make the U.S. collegiate national team after each of his first two seasons and rank third in NCAA Division I with 11 victories while serving as the ace of the College World Series runners-up in his third.

While DeCaro gets outs, he doesn’t miss a lot of bats or land his secondary pitches in the zone consistently. His fastball has ordinary velocity (91-94 mph, peak of 97) and shape and relies on generating weak contact. His fading low-80s changeup has regressed a bit during his junior season and is now more of an average offering, as are his tight low-80s slider and upper-70s curveball.

DeCaro keeps batters off balance by sequencing his pitches well and he throws consistent strikes from an upright delivery. Unless he improves the velocity and quality of his arsenal, he profiles more as a durable high-floor starter than someone who will pitch in the front half of a rotation. He’s extremely young for a college junior (20 years, three months on Draft day) but doesn’t have a lot of projection remaining in his strong 6-foot-5 frame.

Pick #108 – Andruw Giles – OF, Nevada HS

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 45 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

Strong and compact, Giles has the chance to be a solid offensive performer. He shows off hitterish traits from the left side, showing a solid, balanced approach and the ability to make a lot of solid contact. He looks like he’s more of a hit-over-power guy, but he can drive the ball to all fields. He’ll show off the raw power he can keep learning to tap into in BP, the kind of pop that will surely impress in workouts. 

An average runner, Giles does have the chance to play center field, though not everyone thinks he can stick there. A once easily plus arm that fired mid-90s fastballs from the mound now looks more above-average after he dealt with elbow soreness that forced him into a DH role during last summer’s Area Code Games. It’s still plenty for an outfield corner, though that move will put more pressure on his bat. To some, it gives him a little more of a tweener profile, but those who see every day player potential will consider signing him away from his commitment to Oregon. 

Here's what happened in Mets Land on Saturday, in case you missed it...

• At the MLB Draft, New York took RHP Carson Wiggins, OF Aiden Robbins, and LHP Shane Sdao
• SNY's Joe DeMayo wrote about the club taking a home run swing on the righty Wiggins and his tantalizing stuff
• WATCH: Mets VP of Amateur Scouting Kris Gross and Director of Scouting Drew Toussaint spoke about Wiggins
• In Queens, the Mets' bats went silent against the Red Sox in a 4-0 loss
• Interim skipper Andy Greenexpressed about getting shut out for the ninth time this year
• It has been a "difficult" stretch, but there was some encouragement taken at the start from Freddy Peralta
• Ahead of Saturday's game, Green had updates on several Mets' injuries
• Green also spoke about Sunday's starter Zach Thornton's development and Kodai Senga's bullpen role
• WATCH: Highlights of first-round pick Wiggins at the University of Arkansas
• WATCH: Wiggins reacts to being drafted by New York

Astros 9, Rangers 3

• That was unfun.
• Kumar Rocker? Well, I guess he pitched okay, if you ignore the home runs.
• The home runs? They kind of put a damper on things.
• Allowing Yordan Alvarez to launch one to the moon? Okay, that happens. Pretty much every time Alvarez plays the Rangers, really.
• Allowing LaMonte Wade Jr. to hit a grand slam off of you? That’s bad.
• Rocker did make it into the sixth at least, which is helpful. MacKenzie Gore will be starting Sunday’s game on short rest, but the Rangers probably aren’t going to want to push him too hard, so not having to ask the pen to handle six innings or something on Saturday was good.
• Gavin Collyer and Robby Ahlstrom each acquitted themselves with scoreless outings, which is nice to see. And which has to be particularly rewarding for Ahlstrom, whose last two outings were rather bad.
• Chris Martin, pitching on back-to-back nights, allowed a pair of runs on a single, a double, a balk and a sacrifice fly. The single was of the infield variety, and weakly hit, but still…Martin’s ERA is now a nice, round 9.00 on the year.
• Much like Friday’s game mirrored the opener of the Angels series, this defeat largely followed the script of the middle game against Anaheim. The starter allowed seven runs in that game as well, and Gavin Collyer and Robby Ahlstrom both pitched. Also, Ranger reliever who pitched the ninth gave up two runs in both games, though in on Wednesday against Anaheim it was Kyle Higashioka who handled the ninth, not Martin.
• Collyer and Ahlstrom each gave up two runs in that previous game, so maybe this is a sign of progress.
• Oh, and Rangers only scored one run against the Angels in that blowout loss, compared to three in this game.
• All the runs for Texas came on Ezequiel Duran homers — a solo shot in the fourth and a two run shot in the ninth. Duran is now slashing .272/.322/.439 on the year.
• Evan Carter had a couple of hits, which, you know, that’s good to see. Cam Cauley had a pinch hit single, so way to go Cam.
• The Mariners lost, at least, which means that not only are the Rangers still a game and a half up on Seattle in the West, Texas is guaranteed to spend the All Star Break in first place.
• Kumar Rocker hit 95.6 mph with his sinker, averaging 93.5 mph. Gavin Collyer’s fastball touched 98.5 mph. Robby Ahlstrom hit 95.7 mph with his sinker. Chris Martin’s fastball touched 95.4 mph.
• The only ball in play above 100 mph was Ezequiel Duran’s fourth inning homer, at 100.3 mph.
• One more to go before the Break.

Though the Atlanta Braves have lost the series, they still have a chance to end the first half of the season on a high note before heading into the All-Star break.

MLB Braves’ beat writer Mark Bowman had announced on Friday that, as Hurston Waldrep would be sent back down to Triple- A, JR Ritchie would be taking his place in today’s matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Ritchie’s rookie season has had its ups and downs. After spending some time in Triple-A when the Braves optioned Carlos Carrasco to the active roster earlier this month (July 5), Ritchie is looking to make an impact to give the Braves a solid start to hold down the Cardinals, who have been getting the best of them on offense throughout the series.

Holding a 4.60 ERA with 10 games under his belt (three as a reliever), Ritchie is still trying to find his footing and what works constantly for him to stick with. If he has the Braves’ offense on his side today, he might have the push he needs to spark a quality outing on the defensive-end for his first matchup against St. Louis.

As for Cardinals starter Dustin May, he’s looking to help St. Louis clinch their first series sweep for the first time since early June. Holding a 4.55 ERA currently, with a 1.25 WHIP, May also hasn’t been the most consistent in his starts, and is 0-2 when facing the Braves in his three starts against them.

In his last matchup against Atlanta on July 2, he gave up five runs off five hits with only one strikeout. This could work to the Braves’ advantage if he finds the same trouble commanding the strike zone. He did, however, get a better showing in his most recent matchup against Milwaukee, allowing four hits, no earned runs and seven strikeouts just this past Monday.

This matchup will honestly be a toss-up on which version of these two pitchers we’re going to get to close out the first half of the regular season. Ritchie is looking to avoid the sweep and May is looking to get one. Both are hoping for a quality outing after suffering some shaky starts; the question is, who wants it more?

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Sunday, July 12, 2:15 p.m. ET

Location: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO

TV: BravesVision

Streaming: MLB.tv

Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan, Los Bravos

The Mets (40-56) take on the red-hot Boston Red Sox (45-48) in the final game of the season's first half at 1:40 p.m. on PIX11. Here's what to know about the game and how to watch...

Mets Notes

• Zach Thornton will climb the hill for his third career big league start and look to build off his last outing when the left-hander allowed one run on five hits and a walk over six innings with seven strikeouts
• The Red Sox are sending out a lefty of their own in Payton Tolle, who carries a 3.14 ERA and 1.071 WHIP into the start over 80.1 innings with 80 strikeouts to 24 walks.
• New York was shut out for the ninth time this season in Saturday's defeat. In the series against Boston, the club has gone hitless in 16 at-bats with runners in scoring position after going 21-for-45 with RISP in the previous five games

Today's Lineups

After selecting two players on Saturday, the Dodgers conclude their 2026 MLB Draft with 14 picks on Sunday, beginning with the seventh round.

On Saturday the Dodgers drafted high school shortstop Bo Lowrance with the 40th overall pick out of South Carolina. They also selected Florida pitcher Russell Sandefer with their fourth-round pick, number 132 overall.

Their first pick on Sunday comes in the seventh round.

Dodgers Day 2 picks

• 7th round, 223rd overall
• 8th round, 253rd overall
• 9th round, 283rd overall
• 10th round, 313th overall
• 11th round, 343rd overall
• 12th round, 373rd overall
• 13th round, 403rd overall
• 14th round, 433rd overall
• 15th round, 463rd overall
• 16th round, 493rd overall
• 17th round, 523rd overall
• 18th round, 553rd overall
• 19th round, 583rd overall
• 20th round, 613th overall

It’s all streaming the rest of the way, with Sunday’s coverage on MLB.com and MLB.tv.

MLB Draft Day 2 particulars

• Rounds 5-20, through picks 136-613
• Time: 8:30 a.m. PT
• Streaming: MLB.com, MLB.tv