Another night when watching the Guardians was more of a chore than a pleasure. They still can’t score. They still can’t put the ball in play when a runner is on third base. They still employ Grant Fink.

A Hoskins home run was their only run; Chase DeLauter was their only baserunner (three times.)

JOEY CANTILLO DID NOTHING WRONG.

But it shows that he made a million pitches and gave up runs!? Yeah, because the defense behind him could not have been worse. This team just is not showing up and playing good baseball.

Around baseball

• Ryan O’Hearn went out and had himself a Lonnie Chisenhall Game last night

• Konnor Griffin is out 8-10 weeks

• Byron Buxton was also placed on the IL

• How easy was it to hit in New York last night? The Royals scored 16 times, the Mets scored 12, and

ESPN: The All-Star Game and Home Run Derby are upon us, and after finding out he’ll be making his first Midsummer Classic, Ben Rice also accepted an invite to participate in the derby. The 27-year-old enters play today with 25 dingers on the season and has continued raking after a breakout campaign last year. Rice announced that he’ll have his dad, Dan Rice—who threw for Brown University in the 1980s—be his pitcher for the derby.

The Rays’ Junior Caminero is the only other announced participant so far, but as outlined, there’s a good case for either to win even before knowing who else will be involved. The last Yankee to take home the trophy was captain Aaron Judge at Marlins Park during his memorable 2017 rookie campaign. (Remember when he broke physics and hit the roof? Good times.)

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: A franchise as storied as the Yankees is bound to have a lot of records, but sometimes they’re on the bad side of history. During this recent skid, things have looked pretty bleak for Aaron Boone’s squad, but all that came to a head on Tuesday. The Yankees matched Monday’s miserable 17-strikeout total on Tuesday to give them 34 over a two-game span, which beat their previous team record of 31 in two games. Congrats, team!

NBC Sports | George Bissell: If you’re looking for a glimmer of hope, or at least just fun, Max Fried looks ready to start working his way back to the rotation. On Saturday, Fried is scheduled to face hitters in another live batting practice session at Double-A Somerset. The bone bruise in his elbow has kept him out since mid-May, but if things progress well, he could be in line to return before the end of the month.

The Athletic | Chris Kirschner: While many fans are undoubtedly tired of Anthony Volpe’s lack of production and want to see José Caballero get more playing time at shortstop, it likely won’t result in much of a boost to the lineup. Though Caballero’s two home runs on Monday helped drive the team to a win they seemingly can’t buy these days, overall his numbers the past three or so weeks have been pedestrian and comparable to Volpe’s (indeed, he struck out four times in an 0-for-4 yesterday). Hey, at least he has a different face than Volpe though, right?

The 2026 MLB draft kicks off this Saturday, at 1:00pm ET. Because of MLB’s ironclad commitment to preventing this from becoming an event, it will occur while several teams are playing actual MLB games, although the Jays specifically will be in San Diego and don’t go until 8:40pm.

The first 10 picks, which will inexplicably take 90 minutes, will air on NBC and Peacock. After that, it’ll stream on MLB.com, MLB TV and MLB+, and for those who have cable MLB network will carry picks 11-40. Because why would your own network cover the whole first day of your sport’s draft?

Day one includes the first four rounds, while day 2 on Sunday will cover rounds 5-20. That’s an upgrade over last season, as the event isn’t unnecessarily split into three days. Day 2 will also stream on MLB.com and the apps.

The Blue Jays will have a fairly quiet day one. Their first pick, which would normally be 29th overall as the World Series losers, will be bumped back 10 spots to #39 because they tried to hard to win spent over the second luxury tax threshold last season.

They also forfeited their second round pick for signing Dylan Cease after he turned down the Padres’ Qualifying offer. He’s been more than worth it, posting what’s shaping up to be arguably his best statistical season and making a strong case to be in the Cy Young mix, but given the state of the rest of the team they’ll miss the opportunity to strengthen the farm.

After #39, they’ll pick again at #103 at the back of the third round and #131 in the fourth. On day two, they’ll select #164 in the fifth round, and 29th in each round thereafter.

Their bonus pool of $5,543,100 is the second smallest ahead of only the Dodgers, who both pick after them and took two Qualifying Offer penalties in addition to the luxury tax knock back. Nearly half that money, $2.57 million, is attached to the #39 pick. As a reminder of the rules, teams pay a 50% surcharge for exceeding their bonus pool by up to 5%. About 20 teams, including the Jays, always use that 5% overage. But by crossing 5%, the penalty jumps to a 75% surcharge and the loss of a future first round pick. Nobody has ever paid that penalty, and the Jays won’t start now, so 105% of the pool less a dollar ($5,820,254) is functionally a hard cap.* That pool has to cover all of their picks in the first 10 rounds, plus any bonus amounts in rounds 11-20 larger than $150,000. If a player in the top 10 rounds fails to sign, the team forfeits the entire bonus amount associated with that pick, which can wreak havoc with plans if they’d expected to move money around between picks. For that reason, expect that teams almost always have had tentative contact with players taken in the first few rounds and know what it’ll take to land them.

*Teams can also give prospects a $2,500 roster bonus that doesn’t count against the pool. That allows the Jays to move $22,500 around, but doesn’t materially change the situation.

Strategically, their lack of resources puts them in a bit of a bind. Normally, teams have three general draft strategies available. First, they can offer an over slot bonus in the first or second round, picking up a single prospect they love at the cost of having to find some bargains later. The Jays did that in 2020 for Austin Martin and in 2022 for Brandon Barriera, but I don’t think it’s likely here for a couple of reasons. First, Austin Martin and Brandon Barriera, and the guys behind them didn’t exactly rescue those strategies. Second, because in those years they had a lot of draft capital (the 5th selection in 2020 and three second round picks in 2022), so even with a deficit to make up they could land multiple significant prospects. That’s very different from 2026.

Second, teams can play it roughly straight, giving them the “expected” amount of money to work with later on. The Trey Yesavage, Gunnar Hoglund and Alek Manoah picks in 2024, 2021 and 2019 fit that mold for Toronto, with pretty good success.

Third, they can cut a deal for a player willing to sign for less than the slot bonus at their pick to move some money down the draft, maybe getting multiple solid prospects instead of one top guy. Jojo Parker and Arjun Nimmala represent moderately under slot deals in recent years. The Jays won’t have a specific player in mind at #103 or 131 if they go that route, just the expectation that someone exciting will be around when they next pick that they can use money on. They might also wait and take a shot after the 10th round on a top tier high schooler who slides because a high bonus demand or a strong commitment to go to college make them too risky to take with a slotted pick. That was the play last year, trimming money through most of the top 10 to give $1.7 million to Blaine Bullard in the 12th round.

My sense is that the Jays are opportunistic, rather than having a clearly discernible philosophy. They were tied pretty heavily to Jojo Parker last year at #8, but Yesavage, Arjun Nimmala in 2023, Barriera, Hoglund, and Martin were all somewhat out of the blue. Those six guys represent all four major demographics in the draft (two college pitchers, a college hitter, a high school arm and a pair of high school bats), and signed at different prices relative to the slot where they were chosen. They also have totally different profiles, from a command artist in Hoglund to Yesavage’s nasty stuff and from ultra-polished hit tool over everything Martin to tool shed with swing and miss concerns Nimmala. The only common thread is that if you had been watching public scouting draft boards in the weeks before each of those drafts you’d have expected them to go sooner than they ultimately did.

That seems likely to continue in 2026. They’ll let who’s on the board at #39 dictate the shape of the remainder of the draft, probably with a preference to cut some money but a willingness to go to or above slot for the right player.

Speaking of players, this is normally where I’d take a second post to profile a half dozen likely options. That’s an exercise in futility when the first pick is outside the first round, though. Instead, tomorrow I’ll take a look at each of the four demographics and a handful of names I think might be out there for their first pick.

It was a night of history for Shohei Ohtani.

And infamy for the Dodgers’ defense.

In a 4-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday, the Dodgers had been in control of the game, taking an early lead on Ohtani’s 300th career home run before extending it during a seven-inning, one-run gem from Justin Wrobleski.

In the top of the eighth, however, it all came undone.

With two costly defensive mistakes, the team helplessly squandered a two-run lead.

The meltdown started immediately after Wrobleski finished his outing, with his replacement Will Klein allowing two runners to reach base with one out.

Then, with Tyler Freeman at the plate, Klein fired a first-pitch fastball that was grounded straight to shortstop Miguel Rojas (getting the start on a day off for Mookie Betts).

Rojas had to range to his left, but still had a chance for an inning-ending double-play.

Instead, he misread a hop and booted the ball off the heel of his mitt. 

One run scored. Two runners remained on the corners. And the headache was just getting started.

Left-hander Jack Dreyer was summoned from the Dodgers bullpen next, prompting the Rockies to put on a squeeze play with left-handed hitter Jake McCarthy. McCarthy got his bunt down, scoring the lead runner from third. Third baseman Max Muncy charged to field the ball, throwing in time to get McCarthy at first base, where second baseman Alex Freeland was covering.

It was behind the play where the real action was, as Freeman got aggressive and made a hard turn for third –– realizing that Rojas hadn’t gone to cover the bag.

“Physical errors happen, and I’m okay with that, I’m not perfect,” Rojas said, referencing the error he was charged on the missed on the missed double-play. “But mental errors are the ones that are kind of disappointing. Like, I should have been on third base … That’s the one that I kind of like kick myself for.”

Rojas eventually picked Freeman up, and followed him step for step as Freeland turned at first and fired a throw across the diamond. Alas, his strike was low, Rojas couldn’t squeeze it, and the ball trickled all the way down the steps into the Dodgers dugout.

Freeman was awarded home plate.

The Rockies scored their third unearned run of the inning to take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish –– surviving a two-on, no-out jam in the ninth to deny the Dodgers a chance for a series-clinching victory.

“It doesn’t happen very often that he doesn’t make a play,” Roberts said of Rojas. “So when it happens, you know, we don’t like it, doesn’t feel good, but you know that player, I give him a lot of grace, because he is very dependable.”

What it means

Tuesday should’ve been about Ohtani, who reached his home run milestone three pitches into the game.

In a 2-0 count against Rockies starter Michael Lorenzen, the two-way lifted a towering 409-foot drive deep to center field, reaching the 300-homer club with his 20th blast of the season.

Playing in his 1,101st career MLB game as a hitter, Ohtani eclipsed the 300-homer mark faster than all but four previous players to do so (Aaron Judge, Ralph Kiner, Ryan Howard, Juan Gonzalez). He also became the first Japanese-born player to hit that many home runs, and only the second –– along with Babe Ruth –– to do so while also serving as a pitcher.

“Only 414 to go,” one member of the Japanese press joked, referencing Ruth’s former all-time homer record of 714.

At age 32, Ohtani is unlikely to challenge that total.

But, more round numbers figure to be in his future. Since joining the Dodgers, he has maintained a pace of more than 50 per season.

“He’s still young, still strong,” Roberts said. “So I definitely think 500 is in his future.”

Who’s hot

For now, Wrobleski remains snubbed from the All-Star Game.

But after another seven-inning gem against the Rockies, he remains a strong candidate to be picked as a replacement.

In Tuesday’s game, the left-hander worked around six hits while striking out nine batters –– giving him 20 total punchouts in his last two starts after struggling to generate Ks for much of this season.

The effort lowered his ERA to 2.69, eighth-lowest in the National League. It also marked his seventh time this season completing seven innings, tied for fifth-most in the majors behind only Nathan Eovaldi, Cristopher Sánchez, Michael Wacha and Logan Webb.

Who’s not

We covered the Dodgers’ porous defense above, so let’s focus on someone who is no longer injured.

In his first appearance back from Tommy John surgery last June, Evan Phillips pitched a scoreless inning in the ninth that featured two strikeouts, a fastball that got up to nearly 99 mph and a nice ovation from the crowd after stranding a two-out single.

Phillips will be a key arm to watch in the coming weeks, as the team evaluates its bullpen hierarchy and he tries to re-establish himself as a high-leverage option.

“As frustrating as this loss is tonight, that’s really a silver lining for tonight,” Roberts said of Phillips’ return. “He had a long road with Tommy John, so really happy for him.”

Up next

The Dodgers and Rockies conclude this series on Wednesday, when Roki Sasaki (3-5, 5.40 ERA) will look to bounce back from his recent struggles while facing Colorado right-hander Ryan Feltner (3-2, 4.27 ERA).

The Colorado Rockies have lost 11 consecutive games at Dodger Stadium (that would be since September 21, 2024), and they came into tonight’s game looking to break that streak and avenge a heartbreaking loss from Monday night.

It was another game when a dogged Rockies team played without fear against a juggernaut Los Angeles Dodgers squad, and this time, the Rockies pulled off a 4-3 win.

“There wasn’t a doubt in the dugout,” Tyler Freeman said after the game.

The offense

Although Justin Wrobleski stymied the Rockies in the first inning, Michael Lorenzen was less successful when facing Shohei Ohtani, who kicked off the Dodgers half of the inning by mashing his 300th career home run.

It looked like the game might go off the rails early when Lorenzen followed that up with a throwing error that put Andy Pages on second. However, he managed to get out of it without allowing any additional runs.

The Rockies got their first hit in the third inning with a Mickey Moniak single. Willi Castro followed that with a walk. They were unable to capitalize despite a TJ Rumfield single when Castro was called out at second base after being hit by a batted ball, and the score remained 1-0 Dodgers.

It looked like the Dodgers might add on in the fourth after Lorenzen gave up singles to Freddie Freeman and Tommy Edman, but a 4-6-3 double play ended the inning and prevented the Dodgers from adding to their one-run lead.

The Rockies again had traffic in the fifth inning after Braxton Fulford and Moniak both singled, but they were (again) unable to score.

Lorenzen had been excellent going into the fifth when he began to lose some of the control he had exhibited throughout the game. He started by issuing a leadoff walk to Dalton Rushing; Alex Freeland followed that with a single. A Miguel Rojas bunt failed to score Rushing, who was out at the plate. Lorenzen followed that by walking Ohtani to load the bases. But he wasn’t done issuing free passes with the next one scoring Pages, which made the score 2-0 Dodgers. The Rockies managed two outs after that to end the inning and keep the game within reach.

Finally in the fifth inning, the Rockies got on the board. It started with a Cole Carrigg double (allowing him to reach base in 18 consecutive games) followed by a Tyler Freeman single. Jake McCarthy brought Carrigg home, cutting the Dodgers’ lead in half, 2-1.

In their half of the fifth, the Dodgers would get back their two-run lead when a Rumfield fielding error allowed Edman to get on base. Eventually, he scored on a single by Freeland, and the Dodgers again had a 3-1 lead.

Wrobleski had another strong start for the Dodgers. He logged 7.0 IP and allowed one run (earned) on six hits. He walked two and struck out nine on 94 pitches. His current ERA is 2.69.

The Rockies have come to dominate the eighth inning, and the offense made on of their trademark appearances tonight. It started with a walk by Kyle Karros and then a single by Carrigg, putting runners on first and second. Tyler Freeman followed up with a hit that let to a Rojas error, but it was enough to score Karros, making the score 3-2 Dodgers, while Carrigg moved to second.

The hit knocked reliever Will Klein out of that game after just 0.1 IP, and manager Dave Roberts turned to Jack Dreyer.

It didn’t matter.

McCarthy laid down a bunt that scored Carrigg. Third baseman Max Muncy had not other move but to throw to second. That led to a throwing error by Freeland that left the ball in the camera well, scored Tyler Freeman, and put McCarthy at third when Dreyer failed to cover the base.

Actually, just watch.

The Rockies finished their half of the eighth with a 4-3 lead.

“We executed,” manager Warren Schaeffer said after the game. “It was a good inning.”

As the game turned to the bottom of the ninth, the Rockies maintained their one-run lead.

Jordan Romano came in to close for the Rockies.

He started by surrendering a single to Freeland. Roberts sent in Teoscar Hernández to pinch hit for Rojas, and during the at-bat, Freeland stole second. Following that, Romano walked Hernández with no outs as Ohtani stepped to the plate.

He promptly popped out to Karros leaving two on with one out as All-Star Andy Pages came up to hit. However, a fly out to right brought the second out as Freddie Freeman took his turn at the plate.

Fulford used two ABS Challenges to correct miscalls by home plate umpire Adam Beck, leaving the Dodgers first baseman with a 0-2 count.

Romano caught Freeman on a swinging strike on a gut-churning slider.

Game over.

Rockies win!

Michael Lorenzen gets the job done

For Lorenzen, this game was a solid outing.

In terms of his pitching, Lorenzen was outstanding. In 6.0 IP, he allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits. He walked three, struck out five, and allowed one home run on 95 pitches (54 for strikes).

However, he was also responsible for one fielding error.

That said, Lorenzen’s strong start kept the Rockies in the game until the offense’s eighth-inning tear. His current ERA is 6.65.

“He had a great night pitching,” Schaeffer said, noting Lorenzen’s throw to the plate in the fourth.

”I thought his offspeed stuff was really good. He pitched with confidence.“

“The changeup changed everything for me today,” Lorenzen said after the game. He has been working with Tanner Gordon on the pitch. “He gave me a cue that I felt comfortable going into the start with.”

The bullpen does something

In the seventh inning, Schaeffer turned the game over to the bullpen.

Juan Mejia was first out, and he started by striking out Ohtani. Although Mejia allowed a hit, the Dodgers did not score. His final line was 2.0 IP with one hit and one strikeout on 24 pitches. It was the kind of outing the Rockies expect from Mejia.

“I thought Juan was fantastic,” Schaeffer said.

The ninth went to experienced closer Jordan Romano who did not disappoint. He went 1.0 IP, allowing no runs on one hit. He also walked one and struck out one batter.

Right now, Reader, the Rockies bullpen is very good.

“The first couple of outings from him look really good,” Schaeffer said. “We’re happy to have him.”

Up next

Join us tomorrow night for Game 3 when Gabriel Hughes will face Roki Sasaki as the Rockies will look to take the series.

First pitch is at an ungodly 8:10 pm. (Hey, if the Rockies win, who cares?)

See you then.

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — For the better part of the first three months of the season, Paul Goldschmidt often looked like his former MVP version.

Over his last 30 at-bats, though, he has gone completely missing.

The veteran first baseman’s recent skid hit a new low Tuesday night in the Yankees’ 6-4 loss to the Rays, when he struck out in all four trips to the plate to sink to 0-for-30 over his last nine games.

“I wish I had an answer for you,” Goldschmidt said on a night when the Yankees struck out 17 times for the second straight game. “Obviously the performance tonight especially was terrible. I like to try to be more positive than that, but you strike out four times and there were guys on base, really just a bad performance. [Monday] night was the same.

“Probably swung at too many balls, taking strikes. When I do swing at the right pitch, fouling it off or swing and missing. I’ll be ready to go [Wednesday] and every game, but there’s no excuses. I have not played well.”

Before this brutal nine-game stretch, which has coincided with some awful play from the Yankees overall, Goldschmidt was batting .301 with a .933 OPS through his first 55 games of the season.

His consistent presence as a right-handed bat, especially with the Yankees missing Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, was immensely valuable.

But the 38-year-old is now searching for answers on how to snap out of his recent funk.

“They beat me tonight, every time, badly,” Goldschmidt said. “You got to keep pushing and just be ready to go. Can’t carry over any bad things, like for me individually, to the next day. I don’t feel like I’ve done that, but obviously the performance hasn’t been better.”

José Caballero, who matched Goldschmidt with four strikeouts, started at shortstop for the second straight game, marking only his third start at the position since returning from the injured list in late May.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS

While Aaron Boone continues to describe the shortstop situation as a “day-by-day” decision between Caballero and Anthony Volpe — the manager is unlikely to come out and declare one as the full-time starter even if he is leaning that way — now that the Yankees are closer to being whole, Caballero has a chance to be there more days than not.

With the Yankees facing Rays lefty Ian Seymour on Tuesday, it marked only the second time since Volpe was called up from Triple-A that he did not start against a lefty (the other came June 18, when the White Sox used a lefty opener).

Volpe did eventually enter the game as a pinch hitter for Ryan McMahon (who had hit for Amed Rosario earlier) in the eighth inning against lefty reliever Garrett Cleavinger and grounded into a fielder’s choice.

Max Schuemann started in right field, giving Jasson Domínguez a day off for the first time since June 16 — though he also entered as a pinch hitter in the seventh and went 1-for-2.

Domínguez, who remains a work in progress in right field, entered Tuesday batting just .209 with a .641 OPS in 30 games this season.

“Obviously want more production [from Domínguez]. I expect more production out of who I think he is as a hitter,” Boone said. “But I also feel like he’s kind of had competitive at-bats every day.”

Max Fried is scheduled to throw a third live batting practice session Saturday at Double-A Somerset, continuing his comeback from a left elbow bone bruise.

If it goes well, he could be in line to start a rehab assignment after the All-Star break.

The San Diego Padres appear to be at rock bottom for the 2026 season. Losing eight games after their one victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers in their home series that began on June 26, the organization is on the brink of being sellers at the Aug. 3 trade deadline. Their only other win over these last 10 games was Sunday, salvaging the last game in the four-game series in Los Angeles over the holiday weekend.

With the combination of poor performance in all aspects of their game and injuries that have devastated the roster, the Padres no longer resemble a team suitable for the playoffs. They played the Chicago Cubs to the most lopsided loss in team history, a 23-3 score that highlighted a horrendous trip to the windy and hot city.

Pitching problems

The pitching has been bad to inconsistent, and the offense has improved, but not enough.

The organization, and baseball at large, knew that the starting pitching needed to get lucky to be enough. With the loss, early in the season, of Nick Pivetta, the Friars had to resort to signing a pitcher in free agency who no one else seemed to want. Late signee, Lucas Giolito, has been a disaster. 

The reclamation projects the team signed before the season, Germán Márquez and Walker Buehler, have been both better and worse than expected. Buehler has risen to the challenge and battled back to respectability. Márquez is largely ineffective and was placed on the injured list after his shaky start to the season. He is now back with the team as a reliever, and maybe just a mop-up man.

The offense, late-inning heroes to start the season, has misfired ever since. Injuries have forced the team to bring up multiple minor league players from Triple-A El Paso for extended work in the major league lineup. Outside the fire provided by left fielder Samad Taylor, none have given the team any useful help.

Starters Michael King and Buehler have had the best performances, but both have been inconsistent. Neither can be depended on to be the stopper the team needs. 

The bullpen, the strength of the team at the start of the season, has faltered with the staggering performance of their teammates. 

There isn’t a lot to be optimistic about at this point 

There are increased rumblings among fans about the lack of experience with the manager and several members of his coaching staff. Having inexperienced coaches, with the team floundering, brings up questions about the ability of the coaching staff to pull the team out of its freefall.

The All-Star break is coming up. The trade deadline follows within a couple weeks. If the team can’t turn this around, president of baseball operations A.J. Preller might not have any choice but to sell off some players to acquire pieces for the future. 

It will be up to the players currently on the roster to determine the future of this season for the Padres. There is no help available elsewhere in the organization. The only pitcher that can be promoted to take the place of the injured Randy Vásquez is righty Jhony Brito. He is building up after his return from UCL surgery and looks to be the last option to join the major league rotation or bullpen.

Bad luck, injuries, poor offense, and bad pitching appear to have doomed this team for this season. Any recovery will be left to the players who have dug this hole.

Kudos for Rudolfo Durán

Backup catcher Rudolfo Durán deserves a mention for his efforts to save the bullpen during the Padres’ losing streak. In the 23-3 loss to the Cubs on July 1, Duran pitched in mop-up for two innings after serving the same role on June 27 in the 15-3 loss to the Dodgers. His three innings, allowing nine earned runs, saved at least two bullpen arms for other games.

Roster moves and injury updates

Reliever Jason Adam went on the injured list on July 3 with a right shoulder strain. He was replaced on the roster by Márquez, who started his rehab with El Paso as a starter but was used as a reliever before being activated by the Padres.

Vásquez, who started the season well but has been largely ineffective in his last eight starts, was placed on the injured list after being hit by a batted ball on his right ankle during his last start. X-rays showed no fracture, but he fainted while walking for testing and was taken to the hospital. He is listed as having an ankle contusion. Reliever Alek Jacob was brought up to fill his roster spot.

Catcher Freddy Fermin was removed from the game July 2 after being hit directly on his face mask by a foul tip. It is the second time he has been placed on the IL after direct hits behind the plate. Luis Campusano was activated after only three rehab appearances with El Paso. He spent almost two months on the IL with a fractured toe and an oblique strain.

Jake Cronenworth returned to the team on June 29 after almost eight weeks on the injured list with a concussion and its complications. He also only had three rehab appearances before being pressed into service for the Padres. Infielder Will Wagner was sent to El Paso when Cronenworth was activated.

Both Joe Musgrove and Pivetta are progressing in their throwing programs. Neither has a timeline. 

Giolito has not begun any rehab work and there has been no timeline discussed for his return. 

Matt Waldron is at Triple-A for his rehab and last threw four innings on July 1. He allowed eight hits and a run with a strikeout and has a week-and-a-half left in his rehab window before a decision has to be made about his position.

There has been no update on Jeremiah Estrada’s timeline. He has not begun a rehab assignment after being on the injured list for right knee inflammation.

Editor’s Note: This article was written and submitted prior to the start of the series with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

In Shohei Ohtani, who on Tuesday became the first Japanese player to hit 300 home runs in MLB, the Dodgers had the first National League All-Star voted in this year.

They still have a chance for a late addition.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has been lobbying for two members of his pitching staff to be named replacement players: left-handed starter Justin Wrobleski and left-handed reliever Tanner Scott.

“There’s going to be some changes and some talks here,” Roberts said before the Dodgers’ 4-3 loss against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. “There’s continual talks about both guys.”

Earlier Tuesday, MLB announced replacements for three NL pitchers who won’t be eligible to appear in the All-Star Game. Pittsburgh’s Braxton Ashcraft, Philadelphia’s Jesús Luzardo and St. Louis’ Riley O’Brien claimed spots as Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes, Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski and Miami’s Max Meyer bowed out.

“Obviously it’s disappointing,” Wrobleski said after holding the Rockies to one run through seven innings. “You want to be an All-Star. It’s something that, regardless of the year, whenever, it’s always a big deal. It’s something I wanted to do. It’s frustrating to not get that nod. But like I said before, it’s just more reason to try and keep getting better. Hopefully I can gain the respect of players and everybody else and maybe be in there next year.”

There should continue to be movement on the All-Star roster, especially on the pitching side, with rotation schedules limiting which starters can participate. Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, for example, is lined up to start Saturday, which may take him off the table for the All-Star Game next Tuesday.

That could open the door for Wrobleski and Scott.

Read more:'I wish she was alive.' Eliezer Alfonzo has emotional day as Dodgers lose to Padres

Asked to make his pitch for Wrobleski, Roberts pointed to his ERA (2.69, No. 8 among qualified NL pitchers), average of more than six innings per start and 10 wins.

“We run a six-man rotation, and I just don’t want him to get dinged for not making a couple more starts that he potentially could have had,” Roberts said. “I just think that he’s performed enough to earn that opportunity.

“And also, Tanner had a rough one [Monday], but I still think that … he’s one of the elite relievers in the National League.”

Scott, after notching just his second blown save Monday, compared to his 12 saves and 2.70 ERA, didn’t have an opening to improve on his All-Star campaign Tuesday.

Wrobleski, however, strengthened his.

He stayed true to his identity, pounding the strike zone and inducing weak contact to go with nine strikeouts. The only run he gave up came on a groundout in the sixth inning with runners on the corners.

In a nod to Wrobleski’s new nickname, “The Shark,” coined by Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martínez, Dodger Stadium organist Dieter Ruehle played a snippet of the “Jaws” theme to punctuate Wrobleski’s punchouts, and as he walked off the mound for the last time.

Once Wrobleski’s job was done, he paced in the dugout, interrupted once in a while by a hug or handshakes from a teammate. Catcher Dalton Rushing held his hand up to his forehead like a shark fin.

The name and attacking reputation had stuck. Would it be enough for an All-Star nod?

“If it happens, great,” Wrobleski said. “If it doesn’t happen, some time off and just chill for a couple days. Either way, I’m all good.”

On the offensive side, Ohtani’s leadoff homer made him the first player to notch 300 home runs and 100-plus stolen bases in his first nine MLB seasons, according to ESPN Insights. Tuesday was his 1,101st game with at least one plate appearance. By that measure, he was the fifth-fastest to 300 home runs, according to mlb.com and Elias Sports Bureau, behind only Aaron Judge (953), Ralph Kiner (1,086), Ryan Howard (1,091) and Juan González (1,093).

“It was quite the homer,” Roberts said. “I mean, it was [112 mph] off the bat, low launch angle. It was squared up, got out in a hurry. And 300 — he got there pretty quickly for us. I just marvel at him every day.”

Read more:Dodgers Dugout: Dalton Rushing, Dave Roberts and a bunch of All-Stars

Defense unravels late

The Dodgers widened their lead to two runs but gave it up in the eighth on a pair of errors, including one on a sacrifice bunt.

Shortstop Miguel Rojas, who botched a grounder to his left earlier in the inning that enabled a run to score, was late breaking to cover third, leaving the bag wide open. Second baseman Alex Freeland tried to hit Rojas in stride with his throw and was charged with an error when it got away and the go-ahead run scored.

“Physical errors happen, and I’m OK with that,” Rojas said. “I’m not perfect, and I’m going to make errors, and physical errors are OK. But mental errors are the ones that are disappointing. I should have been on third base, I shouldn’t be putting Alex Freeland in the situation of throwing the ball with me on the run there. That’s the one that I kick myself for.”

Said Roberts: “This guy’s as dependable as they come. So that it happens, we don’t like it, doesn’t feel good, but you know that player. I give him a lot of grace, because he is very dependable.”

Right-hander Evan Phillips made his first major-league appearance in 14 months, after undergoing Tommy John surgery last summer, and had two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth inning. But the Dodgers offense didn’t muster a comeback, as the top of the batting order went down in order with two runners on.

Ohtani on track

Ohtani is still in line to pitch Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Roberts said.

The right biceps issue that flared in Ohtani’s final at-bat last Friday, and sidelined him Saturday, raised the question of whether he should skip his last start before the All-Star break. But Roberts said Ohtani’s catch play has been normal and he hasn’t reported any concerns with his biceps.

“As he goes through the next couple days, if he doesn’t feel great, we’ll pivot, and we’re prepared to pivot,” Roberts said. “But as we sit here, I don’t see that changing.”

Roberts said he doesn’t think Ohtani will pitch in the All-Star Game or participate in the home run derby. But he does expect him to take an at-bat or two as the NL’s starting designated hitter.

“He understands the responsibility he has,” Roberts said. “So I do think that there’s a middle for what’s best for him, what potentially could be downside, but also what’s best for the game.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.