Category: Sports News

Even beat writer Steve Gilbert seemed exhausted by last night’s nailbiter and it’s hard to blame him for being physically and emotionally worn out after a 12-inning, four hour marathon game. It’s also understandable for the players themselves to feel similarly and I fully expected some kind of hangover effect for one or both of these teams coming into today. While it wasn’t the most glamourous game of baseball that’s ever been played, there was little evidence of any lingering effects from last night’s game – at least for the D-Backs who looked focused and prepared throughout the afternoon. That goes doubly for Eduardo Rodriguez who continues to put his worst outing of the season in the rearview mirror with his best start of the season and one of the best starts of his career with eight innings of scoreless ball.

Rodriguez’s teammates weren’t quite as dominant with the bats, but with that kind of performance from their starter, they quite literally didn’t need much offense to secure the win. After being held hitless their first time through lineup against youngster Jared Jones, the D-Backs made some adjustments on their second opportunity. Corbin Carroll opened the fourth inning with a leadoff double and then stole third for good measure to put himself within sacrifice fly range, but Gabriel Moreno had other ideas. Instead of settling for one run, Moreno crushed a low and away slider to dead center and nearly crushed one of the Pirates’ bushes by the batter’s eye in the process. That blast constituted the entirety of the Arizona offensive attack until the sixth when they built a nice two-out rally that started with the bane of relief pitching: a two-out walk. The recipient, Moreno again, advanced to third on a bloop single from Ketel Marte and then scored on a Max Kepler single that just evaded second baseman Brandon Lowe. It was a beautiful rally and one they’ll need to continue creating in their postseason pursuits.

Regardless, today was Rodriguez’s day. He looked completely unfazed for most of the game and had sharp command of all five of his pitches. His changeup was particularly devastating with seven of his 15 whiffs coming on that pitch alone. It wasn’t a strikeout heavy afternoon with just two on the afternoon, but he induced plenty of weak contact with just five balls put into play that are considered “hard hit” (95 MPH or higher) for the entire afternoon. He was also especially efficient in his pitch count as the Pirates were aggressive very early in the counts throughout the game and he dialed up two crucial double play groundouts to extinguish rallies before they could even get started in the first and fourth innings. Amazingly, the lefty only allowed six baserunners total in the outing including just one walk – an important secondary marker for Rodriguez who has been a bit walk-prone this season at times.

I think a special note of appreciation towards the Arizona starting pitching in this series is warranted. Merrill Kelly, Brandon Pfaadt, and Rodriguez combined for 20.2 IP in three days against the Pirates and allowed just one unearned run in that span. There are certainly complaints about the bullpen – particularly in last night’s near debacle – but you would be hard-pressed to find much room for protestation with run prevention like that from the starting pitchers. It’s especially encouraging to see from Pfaadt and Kelly who have both had their well-publicized struggles at various times this season. The Pittsburgh offense is sneakily good too, tied for second in the majors in runs per game with 5.21, third in OPS at .759, and their 980 hits is the most in the entire major leagues. The whole team will need to keep the positive momentum rolling if they want to keep pushing for a postseason berth.

I wish I had more to say, but all the Rays’ offensive prowess came in the first inning this evening — and nothing else after that!

Casey Legumina was tonight’s opener, working a 1-2-3 first inning, and his night would be finished thereafter.

On pitch one in the bottom of the first, Yandy Diaz swatted a solo shot to right field, his 15th of the year, to put the Rays up 1-0.

Jonathan Aranda doubled right after him, Junior Caminero struck out, and Ryan Vilade (cue the Big Rig horn) hammered a Mackenzie Gore changeup of of the C-ring catwalk to give the Rays a crooked number.

Ian Seymour gets the win, going 4.2 IP, walking one, striking out four, and only allowing two hits.

Garrett Cleavinger and Kevin Kelly would earn holds, respectively, creating the bridge to Brian Baker.

The lights would turn off at Tropicana Field, fans were instructed to turn on the lights on their cell phones, and Baker would enter the game to a light show accompanied by the song Lights by Avicii.

Other than a one out double by Brandon Nimmo, the ninth was tame with Baker earning his 29th save of the season. Rays win 3-0, and earn their third shutout in four games.

Quick turnaround tomorrow, with Cole Winn and Shane McClanahan as the probable starters and a 12:10 EST first pitch for the matinee against the Rangers.

The Mariners lost another one of these.

The lineup struggled for most of eight innings on Wednesday, before the bottom of the order scratched a run across in the eighth. They’d get another in the ninth. But the Dodgers lineup put tons of pressure on Emerson Hancock and the Mariners defense, eventually taking game two of the series 4-2.

Hancock got the ball in what could be his final game with the team. The Mariners are reportedly willing to trade a starter, and that could very well be Hancock. I’m not sure he did much to change his trade value. He was solid and unspectacular. He worked five innings, picked up five strikeouts on five whiffs, and gave up three runs on eight hits, including a homer. The defense behind him was bad, which didn’t help. Some of the shock value from his surprising season has worn off, but that there’d be a whole “Emerson Hancock trade deadline” storyline to this season is latest thing that would have liquified my brain not four months ago.

In the bottom of the first, Hancock hung a sweeper to Andy Pages, who yanked it into the left field seats. He also struck out three batters in the inning, including Shohei Ohtani. 

In the third, a pair of singles put runners on the corners with one out for Freddie Freeman. Hancock exploded his bat producing a squibbed at Weston Wilson, who dove on the ball like a grenade. While heroic, this isn’t generally the way you want to dive on a ball as an infielder, and the Dodgers scored a second run. Hancock would wrestle out of the jam.  

In the fourth, Mookie Betts singled up the middle to lead off, and Teoscar Hernandez doubled to right center on a ball that Julio Rodríguez might have caught in previous years — he met the ball just ahead of the warning, track, but seemed to pull up while checking the fence and let it drop. Hancock then intentionally walked Ohtani to load the bases. This time, Pages hit the ball that gave Wilson fits, making the game 3-0.

The bullpen was fine, aside from Michael Rucker giving up a single and an RBI double to Ohtani to make the game 4-0.

The Mariners struggled against crafty lefty Eric Lauer, who gave up one hit and one walk in six innings. The Mariners would get there second hit when Wilson doubled off Tanner Scott in the eighth. Mitch Garver looked like he’d immediately picked up another with a hard liner deep to left. But Hernandez flagged it down with an awkward leap into the chainlink fence, snaring it from the top of the wall.

Cole Young would follow with a single to give the Mariners their first run. And they’d get a second in the ninth inning on a doubles from Dominic Canzone and Josh Naylor. But they couldn’t figure things out in time. They’ll have a chance to take a series from the Dodgers in Los Angeles on Thursday.

The Athletics faced the Boston Red Sox in the third game of a four-game series at Sutter Health Park. The Red Sox won 4-2 in ten innings, giving them a chance to claim the series with a victory in the finale. The back-and-forth game featured missed opportunities from both teams, as the A’s were unable to get a clutch hit in several key situations.

Early Scoring Chances Wasted

A’s starter Jacob Lopez worked around two walks in a 27-pitch scoreless first inning. In the bottom of the first, Red Sox pitcher Patrick Sandoval hit A’s first baseman Nick Kurtz on the wrist, causing discomfort for the hosts’ star slugger.

The A’s left Kurtz at second base, as Sandoval struck out Tyler Soderstrom to end the inning. Because of his forearm contusion, Kurtz did not take the field in the second inning. Jeff McNeil replaced him at first base. Second baseman Alika Williams made a diving catch to end the top of the second.

Heim Time

Catcher Jonah Heim led off the bottom of the second inning with a solo home run, the 500th hit of his career and his 11th homer of the season, giving the A’s a 1-0 lead.

In the fourth inning, three singles set up a bases-loaded, one out situation for the Red Sox. Lopez escaped unscathed by getting Red Sox’ catcher Connor Wong to ground into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.

The Red Sox tied the game in the fifth inning. Left fielder Jahmai Jones led off the frame with his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot to left field off Lopez. The A’s starter responded by striking out the next three batters, keeping the game tied at 1.

Butler Resurgence

The A’s immediately re-took the lead in the bottom of that inning. Facing Sandoval, right fielder Lawrence Butler led off the inning with a solo home run to center, his sixth of the season, putting the hosts up 2-1. With one out, shortstop Jacob Wilson singled. He then moved to second on McNeil’s single. Sandoval limited the damage by striking out the next two hitters, ending the inning with the A’s unable to add to their lead.

Red Sox Strike Back

Lopez exited with a runner on second and one out in the sixth inning. He turned in another strong start, allowing two runs, one earned on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked two batters, while striking out eight.

Right-hander Hayden Juenger entered out of the A’s bullpen and could not strand his inherited runner. With two outs, second baseman Nick Sogard singled to center, bringing home the tying run. A’s third baseman Tommy White’s dropped foul popup hurt his team that inning. Boston’s runner would not have advanced to second base if the ball had been caught.

High-Stress Innings

Juenger stayed in the game to pitch the seventh inning with the score tied at 2. He got two outs, although gave up a double and a walk. Right-hander Elvis Alvarado replaced Juenger and induced Red Sox designated hitter Romy Gonzalez to ground out with the bases loaded. For the second time tonight, the A’s prevented Boston from scoring with the bases juiced.

Red Sox reliever Justin Slaten pitched the bottom of the seventh. With two outs, Wilson reached on a fielding error, and McNeil followed with his second single of the night. White struck out for the third time, stranding two runners in scoring position.

The visitors got a runner on second with no outs in the eighth inning against Alvarado. The hard-throwing reliever struck out the next two batters before giving way to left-hander Brady Basso, who recorded the final out. Basso remained in the game and pitched a scoreless ninth, escaping trouble after allowing back-to-back singles with two outs.

A’s Blow It

Butler led off the bottom of the ninth with a double against Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman. Donovan Walton followed with a sacrifice bunt, advancing Butler to third. The hosts squandered that golden game-winning chance, as Chapman struck out Wilson and McNeil to send the game to extra innings.

The Red Sox took advantage in the tenth inning. Shortstop Andruw Monasterio hit a two-run home run against A’s left-hander Jose Suarez to give the visitors a 4-2 lead. That was the final score, as the A’s went down one-two-three in the bottom of the tenth against Boston reliever Greg Weissert, who recorded his first save of the season.

Analysis and Look-Ahead

The Athletics finished the game 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position, leaving ten on base in another frustrating offensive display. Wilson needs to stop swinging at everything, as that approach is not sustainable for long-term success and it cost his team tonight. Additionally, another takeaway was the disparity between the two bullpens. Boston’s relief corps threw five shutout innings, while the A’s beleaguered bullpen surrendered the lead and faced several high-pressure situations through the final few innings.

The A’s will look to salvage a series split tomorrow evening. The pitching matchup will feature former A’s player Sonny Gray against Mason Barnett.

It took 110 games, but the Astros have finally returned to the .500 mark.  Astros 7    Angels. 4.    The victory would represent a sweep in Anaheim, while securing a 5-1 road trip.    The Astros (55-55) have now won 8 of their last 9.    In contrast, after suffering the loss, the Angels (42-67) are now 25 games under .500.     

Hayden Wesneski’s (W, 1-0) return from Tommy John’s surgery was initially problematic.    Zach Neto drew a leadoff walk and moved over on Mike Trout ‘s double.    They’d each score on Vaughn Grissom’s double.  Grissom would come home on Jo Adell’s 61st RBI of the season and just like that, it was 3-0.     All told, five of the first six batters would reach safely.    

In the top of the 2nd, Yanier Diaz would launch a 425-foot blast to get the Astros on the board.    It was Diaz’s 7th homer of the season.    The next inning, Jeremy Pena would take a hanging slider from Grayson Rodriguez and deposit it over the centerfield wall.    Pena has now hit 6 home runs over the last week and is riding an 11-game hitting streak.    Rodriguez would eventually load the bases that inning, but the Astros failed to do additional damage.   He would exit after five innings of work.    Mitch Farris (L, 0-3) would come on for Rodriguez and immediately run into trouble, the biggest hit coming off the bat of Cam Smith.   His two-run double would give Houston their first lead of the night at 4-3.      Prior to that double, Cam was mired in a 2-42 slump.     Farris would allow a total of three earned runs in the 6th, while walking three.    

Wesneski would eventually get into a rhythm and settle down after the opening nerves took hold.    He’d come out after 79 pitches in the bottom of the 6th inning.    His return to the mound took 451 days.    Final stat line:    5 2/3 innings with 3 ER on 7 hits.   He’d allow a pair of walks and strike out four, receiving praise from Joe Espada and teammates alike.    

In the 7th, Houston would add an insurance run.   Yanier Diaz would bring home a hustling Jose Altuve who’d score all the way from first on an RBI single.    That made things 6-3.      Yanier for the night would register four hits.   The Angels would score in the bottom of the 8th on Jo Adell’s second RBI of the night.    Houston reclaimed that run on Denzer Guzman’s throwing error in the 9th which allowed Christian Walker to score.    

Bryan Abreu (S, 7) would come on and record four outs in earning the save.    

What a difference a week makes.    The Astros now sit just 1 game back from the Rangers for first place in the AL West.   Houston begins a 3-game series with Texas Friday at Daikin Park.

Odds & Ends:

The last time the Astros swept a series in Anaheim was back in September of 2024.    

With an intentional walk in the 6th inning, Yordan Alvarez now has 19 on the season.    He leads the majors.    

Jose Altuve registered a pair of hits for a second consecutive game.    

The Astros begin a 6 game homestand on Friday Night vs the division-leading Rangers.    Hunter Brown will take the hill in search of his third win.  

The Red Sox found themselves in another gritty, low-scoring clash with the Athletics in a post-midnight win (East Coast time) Wednesday night. While Boston left 13 men on base, they did enough with a big swing in extra innings to preserve a 4-2 victory. 

Here’s three takeaways from Wednesday night’s win. 

SANDOVAL IS SOLID

Boston’s left-hander continued to creep further into game action and gave the Red Sox over 90 pitches and finished five innings, capping the night in style with an ABS-assisted strikeout to strand two runners.

Sandoval allowed two earned runs on a pair of solo shots while he racked up seven strikeouts. The veteran is more than capable of taking the ball with solid production down the stretch, even as he builds up his workload following a long injury recovery that finally allowed him to begin his tenure with the Red Sox. 

SOGARD SPARK
Nick Sogard got the call back to The Show after the ill-afforded injury loss of Curtis Mead to the injured list. As everyone saw during the Wild Card series last October, Sogard can offer a jolt of energy and hustle when his number is called in occasional big-league opportunities. 

He stepped up again with a run-scoring single in the sixth inning to even the score and make an impact in his return to the lineup. 

OVER .500 IN EXTRAS

The Red Sox moved to 4-3 in extra innings this season thanks to Andruw Monasterio’s longest home run of the season (428 feet) and an unlikely Greg Weissert save to nail down the victory and keep Boston in the driver’s seat to win the series Thursday.

Credit to Aroldis Chapman as well for a pair of massive strikeouts of Jacob Wilson and Jeff McNeil in the ninth inning to send the game to extras. 

The San Diego Padres’ top prospect, catcher Ethan Salas, the only Friar prospect in the MLB top 100, was promoted from Double-A San Antonio to Triple-A El Paso today and was available for today’s game versus the Albuquerque Isotopes.

Salas, 20, will be the youngest player for the Chihuahuas by a large margin. First baseman Romeo Sanabria, 24, is the next youngest player for El Paso. He will also be the youngest Triple-A player in the league. 

Salas, who missed most of the 2025 season to a back injury, has played in 72 games this season for Double-A San Antonio with a .286/.361/.417 batting line and leads the team in OBP. He has seven home runs and 13 doubles with 37 RBI in a league that suppresses hitting and is now going to one of the most hitter-friendly leagues in MILB.

Salas started the season hitting over .300 in both April and May with an over .500 slugging percentage in both months. He slumped in June, hitting .156 in 12 games with an oblique injury that sent him to the injured list later in the month. After returning to the team in July, Salas has returned to form with a .321 average in 16 games but has not hit a home run since May. 

There has been some speculation that Salas has grown fatigued after missing most of last season and moving him to El Paso could give him a lift to end his season.

Salas is considered an MLB-level catcher and only needs to refine his offense to be MLB-ready for the Padres. 

MLB Pipeline has Salas as the No. 30 overall prospect in baseball, and he is ranked the No. 3 catching prospect.

The young catcher throws right-handed but bats left-handed and has flashed most of his power against right-handed pitchers but has two home runs of his seven versus lefties. He was ranked as the top international prospect when signed in 2023 for $5.6 million. Salas debuted as a Single-A catcher at the age of 17 and has been at least four years younger than any other player in each league he has played in since then.

Jeremiah Estrada returns

The Padres activated RHP Jeremiah Estrada from the injured list after completing his rehab from the right knee inflammation that landed him on the 15-day IL in June. He began his rehab with the ACL Padres on July 17 and then was transferred to El Paso on July 21. In 3.2 innings of rehab action over the two teams, Estrada allowed one hit and no runs. His fastball topped out at 96 mph with El Paso, very close to his top velocity with the Padres.

In a corresponding move, RHP Matt Waldron was designated for assignment. He has been out of options all season and will have to clear waivers to stay in the organization. If he is claimed off waivers, it will be the end of Waldron’s tenure as a Padre. 

The San Diego Padres signed 20 of the 21 players they drafted in the 2026 MLB amateur draft as well as nine undrafted free agents. Their top draft pick, RHP Coleman Borthwick, 18, was considered the top right-handed high school pitcher available in the draft. At 6-foot-6 and 255 pounds, Borthwick has already topped out his fastball at 100 mph. He also has a quality slider and has toyed with a changeup, which he hasn’t really needed at the high school level.

His command is considered advanced for his level, and his delivery has been consistent. Borthwick signed for $3.8 million with the slot bonus for the top pick being $4,224,700.

The one draftee who didn’t sign was 17th-round pick Denton Lord, a high school teammate of Borthwick. Lord had announced before the draft that he was committed to Mississippi State, but the Padres took a flyer on him anyway. It was not a surprise that he didn’t sign.

Of the rest of the drafted players, second round pick Elliot Lascelles, a high school shortstop, signed for $2.8 million, which was $1.24 million over his slot. Third round pick, RHP Ryan Lynch, signed for $1 million, slightly over his $808,100 slot. Of the other picks in the first 10 rounds, all of them signed for under slot.

Eleventh round pick, first baseman Chris McHugh, signed for $170,000, slightly over the $150,000 recommended maximum for all the rounds after the first 10 rounds. Of the other players selected in the last 10 rounds, LHP Rob Evans (12th round), RHP Ty Brachbill (14th round), RHP Albert Roblez (16th round), catcher Mark Quatrani (18th round), and LHP Chris Downs (19th round) all signed for over slot, with Quatrani getting the maximum over slot at $250,000.

The bonus pool for the Padres in the draft was $9,479,000 and they joined multiple other teams in MLB by going over slot by spending $9,825,000. Eleven teams in total exceeded their slot but all were less than the 5% over that would incur penalties from the league. Their overage of $346,395 was well under the $473,500 that would have put them at the tax level.

Undrafted free agents

Immediately after the draft is completed, teams begin signing players that they scouted but were not selected in the 20 rounds of the draft. The Padres signed nine players, consisting of five pitchers and four outfielders (per Baseball America).

• Ryan Gerety, out of Northeastern University, is a power-hitting outfielder who hit .326/.456/.492 with 5 home runs, 20 doubles, 2 triples, and also stole 20 bases. He had more walks than strikeouts.
• Logan Satter, out of Legion Collegiate Academy, is a RHP who throws from a ¾ arm slot with a 90-91 mph fastball, a slider and changeup, and throws strikes.
• Aidan Cochrane, out of East Lyme (Conn.) HS, is a RHP signed out of high school.
• Drew Detlefsen, out of the University of Texas – San Antonio, is a power-hitting outfielder.
• Jack Pineau, out of Creighton University, is a right-handed starting pitcher who had a 4.21 ERA in 83.1 innings pitched in 2026.
• Tyler Pitzer, out of Mississippi State, is a RHP who has started but is primarily a reliever.  He had a 3.90 ERA in 22 appearances and 30 innings with Miss. St.
• Josh Sknowronski, out of Winthrop University, is an outfielder who hits for power and had 19 home runs with 27 doubles in 115 games in 2026. He also has speed and could be a center fielder as a pro.
• Andrew Wright, out of Cal State Fullerton, is an LHP who pitched out of the bullpen for Fullerton and had a 3.82 ERA in 24 appearances.
• Mac Moyer, out of Nebraska University, is an outfielder who played center field for the Huskers. He hit .353 with 13 doubles, 2 triples and 4 home runs in 2026. He is the son of big league LHP Jamie Moyer.

Eric Lauer pitched six scoreless innings, and Andy Pages homered in a three-hit game to lift the Dodgers over the Seattle Mariners 4-2 on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.

The veteran left-hander Lauer allowed only a third-inning single to Cole Young and then walked Young in the sixth. Lauer also hit Dominic Canzone with a pitch in the first inning, but that was it through six innings, and none of those three baerunners scored.

The trade deadline is Monday, and Lauer was reported by Katie Woo at The Athletic this week as a player the Dodgers might deal away. But whether Wednesday marked the end of the line or not for Lauer, the veteran left-hander has done everything that was asked since getting acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays on May 17.

Nine times Lauer has pitched for the Dodgers, and he’s completed six innings six times. He’s allowed no more than three runs every time out, with a 2.96 ERA and 4.06 xERA thus far for Los Angeles, compared to a 6.69 ERA and 6.16 xERA in his eight games with Toronto. The Dodgers have won all nine of the games in which Lauer has appeared.

Pages started the scoring with a home run off Emerson Hancock in the first inning, and also doubled home a run in the fourth. The Dodgers strung together three hits in both the third and fourth innings to plate single runs off Hancock, who allowed three runs for just the sixth time in 20 starts this season.

Shohei Ohtani doubled in an insurance run in the sixth, giving him five hits in the last two games.

Seattle scored once in the eighth inning off Tanner Scott, but it could have been worse, were it not for Teoscar Hernández making one of his best defensive plays since joining the Dodgers.

Edwin Díaz, activated off the 60-day injured list earlier Wednesday, got right back on the beam with a rickety ninth inning, allowing four hard-hit balls and a run. But he finished the job to earn his fifth save of the season, and first since April 7.

The Dodgers were 34-20 in the first third of their season, and after Wednesday were 34-20 in the middle third of their season. Their regular season is two-thirds complete, on pace for 102 wins.

Wednesday particulars

Home run: Andy Pages (18)

WP — Eric Lauer (6-5): 6 IP, 1 hit, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts

LP — Emerson Hancock (6-5): 5 IP, 8 hits, 3 runs, 1 walks, 5 strikeouts

Sv — Edwin Diaz (5): 1 IP, 2 hits, 1 run

Up next

Roki Sasaki takes the mound in the series finale on Thursday night (7:10 p.m.; SportsNet LA, MLB Network), with Bryce Miller starting for the Mariners.

There were more roster moves and a return to winning for multiple affiliates in the San Diego Padres minor league system last week.

RHP Igor Gil was promoted from Fort Wayne (High-A) to San Antonio (Double-A) while LHP Adler Cecil finished his rehab with the ACL and joined Lake Elsinore (Single-A).

Several rehabbing players also were moved in the system. Catcher Ty Harvey finished his rehab with the ACL team and returned to Lake Elsinore. RHP Ryan Och, who started the season with Fort Wayne, has gone on the IL for the second time. José Leclerc, the 32-year-old major league veteran, completed his time with the ACL and is now with Fort Wayne to continue his rehab. 

Catcher Truitt Madonna, who spent time in Arizona on the development list, has been assigned back with Lake Elsinore. RHP Miguel Mendez and LHP Luis Gutierrez, both starters and on the injured list this season with shoulder injuries, will be with Fort Wayne as they rehab from their injuries.

Padres reliever Jeremiah Estrada completed 1.2 innings over three appearances with El Paso this week and allowed no runs. His velocity is not back to normal yet, but he has been effective. 

RHSP Matt Watson, who started the season with Fort Wayne but spent some time on the development list, was activated and joined San Antonio.

LHP Jagger Haynes, who had a 4.36 ERA with San Antonio over 94.2 innings pitched, will get a shot at pitching for El Paso. Catcher Victor Duarte, a journeyman minor league fill-in for the Padres organization all season, was sent to the development list when Haynes was promoted. 

The Arizona Complex League team completed its season on Thursday with a final record of 34-26. They finished second in the West Division, two games back of the division winner and a game out of the Wild Card standings. The ACL is currently in its playoff finish.

El Paso Chihuahuas (44-57 record, last in the PCL East)

The Chihuahuas lost their series 2-4, the only minor league affiliate to have a losing record this week.

Catcher Blake Hunt has been streaking since his return to El Paso after helping out the major league team while they were dealing with multiple catcher injuries. He hit three home runs over the past week and has a 1.125 slugging percentage since his return.

Since his promotion to Triple-A, Padres prospect Romeo Sanabria has struggled in his first stint at the highest minor league level. He is hitting .184/.273/.204 with four RBI and a double in 15 games since his promotion.

RHP Jhony Brito, who returned to starting with El Paso, has a 1.66 ERA in five games and 21.1 innings pitched. LHP Jagger Haynes made his first start after his promotion on July 24, going 2.1 innings with five runs allowed. He gave up four hits and four walks with four strikeouts in a rude introduction to the Pacific Coast League.

San Antonio Missions (44-52 record, last in Texas League South)

The Missions played to a 3-3 record for the week with outfielder Jake Cunningham continuing to show impressive numbers in his first month in Double-A with the Missions. The former Orioles prospect has 18 home runs for the season and had two doubles, six RBI and a homer for San Antonio last week.

Catcher/DH Ethan Salas has not seen his power production stay consistent; his on-base skills are impressive. He is hitting .320 with a .407 OBP for the month.

RHP Eric Yost pitched a six-inning shutout during the week, allowing three hits and two walks while getting five strikeouts. He started two games during the week, allowing two earned runs while striking out 10 over 10 innings. With San Antonio, Yost has a 3.11 ERA in 16 appearances.

Reliever Tucker Musgrove, who has held his high-90’s fastball through the season, totaled three innings over the weeks with six strikeouts. He has 58 strikeouts over 28.2 innings.

Reliever Garret Hawkins, who has struggled this year and was demoted to San Antonio earlier this season, threw three innings with no runs and two hits while striking out five for the series. 

Fort Wayne TinCaps (41-54 record, 4th in Medwest League East)

The TinCaps played to a 4-2 record this past week. 

Center fielder Ryan Wideman, struggling with extra-base hits since his promotion, continues to get on base at a .565 clip for the week, but it’s mostly singles. He also continues to steal bases and was successful seven-of-eight times. He leads all of the minor leagues in stolen bases with 57. 

Infielder Justin DeCriscio has a .830 OPS since his promotion to Fort Wayne and an .854 OPS for the season.

First baseman Luke Cantwell is slugging .581 since joining the TinCaps with four home runs and 10 RBI in 43 at-bats. Overall, this season, he is hitting .315/.463/.518 with six homers and 40 RBI after being drafted in the 20th round in the 2025 draft.

RHP Bryan Balzer got his first victory since his promotion, going five innings with one hit and no runs. He has made a good adjustment since his first start when he got hit hard. Over 16.2 innings since then, Balzer has a 1.08 ERA and 19 strikeouts.

RHP Jose Leclerc has made three appearances for Fort Wayne since moving his rehab to the TinCaps. They have all been scoreless efforts without any walks and only one hit with two strikeouts.

Lake Elsinore Storm (50-46 2nd in Cal League South)

The Storm played to a 4-2 record over the week and pulled themselves within three games of the division lead. 

Shortstop Jorge Quintana, 19, acquired at the last trade deadline from the Brewers in exchange for Brandon Lockridge, has struggled with the bat since coming to the Padres. He had a breakout week, earning Player of the Week honors, with four extra-base hits and eight walks while playing in all six games. He had two doubles, a triple, and a homer but also struck out seven times. His strikeout rate (26.9% in July) is too high, but he is now hitting the ball much more consistently.

Outfielder Qrey Lott leads the active players with a .282 average and an .816 OPS for the season. Outfielder George Bilecki leads a power-starved Storm with five homers on the season while 18-year-old infielder Jose Verdugo has 45 RBI, tops with Lake Elsinore.

RHP Luis Maracara pitched with the ACL team and joined the Storm earlier this month. The 18-year-old out of Venezuela allowed one hit in five innings while striking out five. It was his longest effort since coming stateside after playing last year with the DSL team.

LHP Kruz Schoolcraft is having an uneven rookie season but has good stuff and fluctuating command. He has pitched 64 innings in 17 games started with a 5.77 ERA and 67 strikeouts to 44 walks.

Reliever Yoesmerli Beltre, who pitched in the ACL this season, threw 4.1 scoreless innings for the week and allowed just one hit. He had four strikeouts and no walks in those appearances. In 9.2 innings he has a 2.79 ERA.

DSL Padres

DSL Brown has a 9-30 record, last in the West Division. OF/IF Gabriel Teran, 18, has played for both Gold and Brown this season but is currently the top hitter on the Brown team with a .390/.552/.561 line with 13 games played. He leads the team with two homers.

Infielder/DH Osmy Osorio, 17, has the most RBI with 21 in 29 games played.

Pitching has been a big problem for the Brown team, with no one having less than a 3.86 ERA, either starter or reliever.

The Gold team has a 29-11 record, first place in the Northwest Division. IF/OF Endy Rios leads the Gold team with a .407 batting average in only eight games since moving over from the Brown team.

There is also an issue with power as C/1B/RF Dayquer Alfonzo leads with four home runs and shortstop Joniel Hernandez has the team lead with 42 RBI. All of their top players are either 17 or 18 years old.

The best starter, Yunny Tovar is 19 and has a 4.15 ERA. Michael Cervantes, 18, a RHSP out of Mexico, leads with 33 strikeouts in 31 innings pitched. He also leads in innings pitched for the team and has a 6.10 ERA.

They have multiple relievers with an ERA of less than 3.00 and seven hitters with an average above .300.

A thorough and hearty hat-tip is due to Brady Singer, who did not allow a single earned run in his start for the Cincinnati Reds against the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday night in Great American Ball Park. A noted trade candidate with the deadline around the corner, Singer pitched pretty damn effectively, keeping Cleveland off the board entirely through 4.0 IP.

It was in the Top of the 5th inning, though, where Cincinnati’s foibles became realized. First, it was an error at short on a hot grounder hit to Elly De La Cruz. That was compounded by a subsequent grounder to Elly – a hot shot to his right by a left-handed hitter going the other way that seemed to pull the defensive positioning of the entire infield out of whack. Elly fielded it but sent a looping lob to Edwin Arroyo at 2B, who had taken his own meandering, roundabout path to the bag on what, in theory, could’ve been a 6-4-3 double play ball to get them out of a jam. Instead, Arroyo arrived later to 2B than the sliding Steven Kwan, all runners were safe, and the wheels had fully begun to come off.

Singer then walked a batter to load the bags, Travis Bazzana singled into LF to score the game’s first run, and back to back wild walks scored two more runners before Singer was lifted at the 100 pitch mark with the Reds down 3-0. Caleb Ferguson came on and yielded another unearned run on a sac-fly, and by inning’s end the Reds were down 4-0 in the most frustrating of ways.

Of course, being down 4-0 in the 5th and losing 6-1 means the offense did jack squat on the night, too. From the outset the team looked to be woefully overmatched as lefty Joey Cantillo toed the rubber for Cleveland. He’s a fine pitcher, no doubt, but manager Terry Francona’s attempt to play platoon advantages against the southpaw meant there was a stretch of the lineup that featured Noelvi Marte, Ivan Johnson, Edwin Arroyo, and Ke’Bryan Hayes hitting back to back. That’s a guy who entered with -1.1 fWAR – one of the four worst players in the game with a minimum of 150 PA – followed by two rookies who’ve never hit a big league home run and Hayes, who’s been the single worst hitter in the sport for three years running.

That unit struck out 8 times through 4.0 scoreless innings against Cantillo, who allowed nary a run. They struck out 16 times as a whole by game’s end, stranding 10 runners on base in the process.

This Cincinnati club has found ways to be slightly better than the worst team in the sport for most of the season, but time and time again just looks horrendous from the outset – both on paper and in play. On Wednesday night in Great American Ball Park, they put together one of their most indifferent, lackluster nights of the year just days away from the trade deadline, sinking to 50-57 on the season and, perhaps, sending Singer off elsewhere in the most frustrating of fashions.

They’re a bad baseball team in need of a hard, hard reset.

AJ Smith-Shawver has returned to Atlanta’s rotation. While it was only a middling 4.1 inning start, the talent he shows and the dire situation of the rotation should cause him to get a decent leash in the major league rotation as he continues to return from injury. This is of course pending reinforcements that could easily be added by his next turn of the rotation, with the trade deadline looming. That said, outside of Chris Sale, it’s an island of misfit toys in the rotation and I say that with no disrespect to Bryce Elder, who is clearly a serviceable innings-eater, Martin Perez, who is a veteran providing stability, Grant Holmes, who has spent two years admirably performing fifth starter quality pitching out of the rotation when he is clearly a reliever, and Reynaldo Lopez who is…who really knows at this point. For now AJ will return to AAA after serving as the doubleheader’s 27th man, but there is simply enough talent and present quality for him to be up in the majors and not enough there to keep him down, even with trade additions.

Braves News

The Braves’ 2025 first round pick and ascending top prospect Tate Southisene hit the 7-day IL with an injury of unknown severity after being hit by a pitch in the hand while making his AA debut.

Our prospect team continued to release the best Braves’ top 30 prospects list in the business, with spots 18-13 on Wednesday.

AJ Smith-Shawver had a solid but short start in game 1 of the doubleheader, which the Braves ultimately lost, while Chris Sale and Matt Olson did their thing to win game 2 in the evening.

MLB News

The Angels and Rangers made an inter-division trade as the trade noise slowly picks up.

The White Sox are looking to be buyers at the deadline and are very active looking for a starting pitcher, in what would have been shocking news 6 months ago.

The Dodgers activated closer Edwin Diaz off the IL, after missing 3 months due to loose bodies elbow surgery.

Byron Buxton is hitting the 10-day IL with a hip injury, as his career injury woes continue,