Category: Sports News

The Rays have not always had the best of luck when playing on ESPN. A West Coast trip to Chavez Ravine on ESPN? Well, I was not expecting a great night. However, much to my delight, for 6 and a half innings the Rays went toe to toe, pitch for pitch, with the defending champs.

Unfortunately, the Rays lack of depth and early sloppy bit of defense proved to be too much against such a power house club.

Tampa Bay was able to strike early after Caminero laced a double off the wall, Ryan Vilade, the Rays left-handed pitcher specialist, delivered a 2-run bomb to give the Rays a rare early lead this road trip.

Vilade will probably never earn the trust to start against right handed pitchers, at least with any consistancy. He has his role against the small side of platoons. However, Vilade has truly made the most of his limited playing time off the pine for the Rays and has been a huge bright spot in the first half for the club.

Rays almost looked like the Rays of pre-June in the 2nd, with Nick Fortes laying down a slick sac bunt to move Austin Slater (single) and Cedric Mullins (walk) into scoring position. Taylor Walls followed that up with a second bunt, to score Slater and give the Rays a 3-0 lead. Against the Dodgers you knew runs were gonna be a premium, so the following inning was a true backbreaker for Tampa Bay’s chances.

Dodgers jumped all over Nick Martinez in the bottom half of the 2nd. Following a Mookie Betts double, Muncy hit a sharp grounder into the backhand glove of Aranda at 1st. Aranda was not able to field it cleanly, and a far too slow recovery and underhand toss to 1st later, even the not quite fleet of foot Muncy was able to win the race.

The very next batter, Tampa native Klye Tucker, delivered the game tying swing.

Following that swing, Tucker was not done taking the swiftly sinking Rays and handing them another few bricks to sink even faster. A 2-out Ben Williamson single attempted to drive in Aranda from 2nd to give the Rays the lead right back. Unfortunately, Aranda is very slow, did not seem to get a good jump, and Tucker made a perfect throw to get Aranda out by a country mile.

This was the closest the Rays would get to scoring the rest of the game.

On the other side of things, Nick Martinez had a gutty, gritty performance. It wasn’t his sharpest, and the Dodgers lineup has no breaks, but Martinez was able to keep the Rays in this one. 5.1 IP 5 hits, 1 walk, 6 Ks and most importantly just that one big blemish on the ledger of 3 ER. Hard to ask for more than that, and he gave the Rays that punchers chance for the mega upset.

Cam Booser would take the mound after Martinez departed, and was able to keep the score tied at 3s with two big Ks. Unfortunately, Kevin Cash ran out of arms.

To explain waht happened next you kinda have to look back to the previous series. With so many innings to cover, short starts, and poor appearances from Kimbrel and Sulser needing to be covered, left the Rays with very few usable arms left and fresh.

With the score tied 3-3, Cash had a real tricky choice. The contenders:

Cole Sulser: has been hammered nonstop in every appearance since returning from the IL and fresh off being chased for 4 runs without completing an inning just 48 hours prior.

Craig Kimbrel: would be three days in a row and the previous two days were ugly.

Garrett Cleavinger: 3rd day in a row

Casey Legumina: pitched two inning Opener the previous night.

Kevin Kelly and Brian Baker: both absolutely usable on back to backs but it’s the 7th and you are still tied so will need to cover the 8th and 9th.

So that leaves…oh no. Surely there’s somebody else? Yoendris Gomez isn’t still here? Nope, just Steven Matz. Welp, there’s a lot of lefties in the Dodgers lineup so I guess that’s something.

Welp, just ask the Blue Jays fans and Jeff Hoffman how fun it is to see Miguel Rojas up with the game on the line.

Matz somehow was able to pitch both the 7th and 8th and ONLY give up the game winning bomb to Rojas. It wasn’t pretty, he was getting hammered just foul, he was a boxer getting pummeled but standing still as the bell rings. Matz has given up a run in every appearance as a member of the Rays. Most of that was fine since he was a starter going 5-6 innings. As a reliever since he returned from the IL he has given up 16 runs in 12 IPs.

Despite the records, I don’t think anybody was expecting the Rays to be able to beat or even compete with the Dodgers right now. So, while it’s another loss in a long string of losses this month, to actually compete and make the Dodgers work and come within a lucky bounce here or there from stealing this one gives me some encouragement.

The Rays have banked a lot of wins. The AL is really bad. It won’t take much to keep afloat enough to convince Erik Neander to push some chips when trade season kicks off in a few weeks. Just got to endure a little while longer.

The San Diego Padres drafted catcher Blake Hunt as their Competitive Balance pick after the second round of the 2017 draft and signed him for $1.6 million. He had progressed to High-A Fort Wayne when he was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays as part of the Blake Snell deal in 2020. He was with the Rays organization until he was traded to Seattle in November of 2023. In May of 2024, the Mariners traded him to the Baltimore Orioles.

Hunt was called up by the Orioles in July for one day but was not used. He stayed on the taxi squad for a month but was never promoted again. He was designated for assignment in January of 2025 then traded back to Seattle and optioned back to Triple-A Tacoma. For the 2025 season, Hunt hit .272/.368/.452 with eight home runs and 35 RBI with 15 doubles and two triples. During the season he was again designated for assignment, cleared waivers and stayed with Tacoma.

Hunt opted for free agency at the end of the 2025 season and was re-signed by the Padres to a minor league contract on Dec. 16. On March 2, in the Padres major league camp, Hunt suffered an oblique injury and was shut down. He started the season on the injured list and wasn’t sent out for a rehab assignment until May; he played in seven games with the ACL Padres for his rehab.

On June 3, Hunt made his Triple-A debut with the El Paso Chihuahuas and has played in eight games as the primary catcher for El Paso. In 26 at-bats, he had a 269/.375/.462 line with two home runs.

Spring expectations

At the start of spring camp, manager Craig Stammen stated that Hunt was the catcher they were looking toward as their number three catcher, available in El Paso as needed. His early spring injury pushed Rodolfo Durán into that position and the fractured toe to Luis Campusano gave that 11-year minor league veteran a chance to prove his worth. He has since contributed significantly to the Padres.

As a prospect with Seattle in 2024, Hunt was reported to have plus-power as well as a sub-two-second pop time behind the plate. At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, he will easily be the biggest of all Padres catchers.

Blake Hunt gets his chance

Hunt, 27, is going to make his MLB debut after front-line catcher Freddy Fermin was placed on the seven-day concussion IL after being hit in the head with a bounced warm-up pitch from Yuki Matsui. Fermin has taken several direct hits to his facemask so far this season while catching. He had one previous concussion scare earlier this year but was only given a couple of games off.

The latest hit for Fermin required his removal from the game and further assessment indicated an IL stint was needed. Durán replaced Fermin on Saturday after his injury, and he started Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles in the final game of the series. Durán will start the first game of the series against the St. Louis Cardinals, but Hunt will most likely make his debut on Tuesday when Michael King has his next start.

With the debut of Blake Hunt, the Padres will have played host to the third member of their minor leagues making their MLB debut. Outfielder Jase Bowen, Rodolfo Durán and Hunt have all had minor league success without having an opportunity to play in the majors until injuries to Padres regulars have given them a big opportunity.

Hunt joins them and outfielder Samad Taylor as well as utility man Nick Solak in debuting with the Padres after the release of Nick Castellanos and injuries to multiple Padres regulars.

Miguel Rojas had practiced his dance moves in the Dodgers’ dugout Monday, long before he hit the go-ahead home run. Before the game, he strutted around, at one point even grabbing Dalton Rushing, decked in full catcher’s gear, to get hyped.

Rojas, who pinch-hit for Alex Freeland in the bottom of the seventh and homered to left, was more measured as he crossed the plate without any antics. His veteran steadiness never indicated that he‘d hit a pinch-hit home run only one other time in his career.

“It feels pretty good,” Rojas said. “It’s always a new day, a new opportunity that you contribute to win a baseball game. It’s pretty special, especially with this group that we have right here and the kind of season that we’re having.”

The Dodgers’ 4-3 win over Tampa Bay rid them of their middling road performance. The team split a six-game trip, capped by a Sunday loss to the Chicago White Sox, before returning home.

No one found more immediate success than Kyle Tucker, who temporarily put his .227 batting average on the trip in the rearview mirror. For how long remains a question. Tucker’s season so far has looked more like a teenager testing out their driver’s license: stopping and starting and stopping again. Yet everything seemed to be working when the Dodgers (46-27) beat the Rays (41-28).

“I would love to come back and do it again and make it consistent every single day,” Tucker said. “I guess, if it works out for one at-bat, it’s not like I immediately figured it out and everything is fine now. The important thing is, just try to do it every single at-bat. And, over the course of time — It felt good and everything. I’ve just got to try to do it again tomorrow.”

Of the five Dodgers who’ve played at least 60 games, Tucker has the lowest batting average (.239). Still, he battled in an eight-pitch duel in the second inning before taking a changeup 384 feet over the wall in right-center.

“It was nice,” Tucker said. “Mookie [Betts] did a good job getting that double in front of us, and [Max] Muncy was able to leg that single out. I just had an opportunity, and sitting on the ball right there was huge. Nice swing.”

His home run tied the score at three apiece, and Tucker wasn’t finished.

The next inning, the Rays’ Ben Williamson hit a two-out single to Tucker in right field, and Tampa’s Jonathan Aranda darted around third toward home. Tucker lasered a ball to Rushing, who tagged Aranda out on the slide.

“We play so many games that it can get frustrating,” Tucker said of the season’s ups and downs. “You’ve just gotta try to move on to the next batter or the next game and do your best with that. That’s what I’ve been trying to do.”

The defensive play helped buoy an otherwise precarious start by pitcher Eric Lauer. The left-hander had been undefeated in three starts with the Dodgers, a large departure from the 1-5 record he had with the Toronto Blue Jays. After starting his year with a 6.69 ERA, Lauer had recorded a 2.76 mark with the Dodgers.

But inconsistencies plagued Lauer’s start, ranging from the three earned runs he gave up in the first two innings to a pitch clock violation in the fourth. While Lauer eventually settled, the command of his fastball remained absent. He normally crosses the strike zone with 53.7% accuracy on his fastball, getting batters to chase about 37% of the time. In the series opener, Lauer threw his four-seamer in the zone only 42% of the time, cutting his chase rate to 23%.

In other words, the best pitch in Lauer’s arsenal became one of his worst, and the Rays took advantage. Junior Caminero doubled in the first inning, and Ryan Vilade followed with a home run on a cutter, silencing a sold-out Dodger Stadium before the game could even heat up. The Rays tacked on another run on a safety squeeze, taking the lead until Tucker’s home run. Lauer finished after six innings, giving up the three earned runs, six hits and three walks, striking out four.

“The toughest inning for starters is that first inning, to get the flow of the game and to get the feel of what’s working, what’s not,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “My challenge [to Lauer] was to have that reliever mindset from the outset and be more on the attack and not feel your way into the game.”

Read more:The hardest days are when calls don’t go through: Andy Pages opens up about family in Cuba

Tampa Bay starter Nick Martinez fared about as well. The right-hander lasted 5-1/3 innings of three-run baseball, striking out six and walking one.

While there was movement on the bases for both starters, the game lulled until the seventh. A couple of feet separated Rushing’s foul ball from a home run. Reliever Steven Matz didn’t get so lucky with Rojas, who delivered his first homer since April 20.

Rojas acknowledged that pinch-hitting has been a challenge to adapt to, locating the pitches he can do the most damage on and putting together good at-bats in big moments. “I’ve never been a really good pinch-hitter,” he said.

After consulting with players such as Jason Heyward and Chase Utley and his former Venezuelan winter ball teammates, Rojas said he feels his mentality has changed and he’s been able to capitalize on more mistakes.

“The mentality for us bench players is to be the best players off the bench [in] the league,” Rojas said.

Espinal to be DFA’d

To make room for Tommy Edman on Tuesday’s roster in his return after he underwent ankle surgery over the winter, the Dodgers will designate Santiago Espinal for assignment. Espinal had returned to the roster May 29 after being DFA’d that month. He went five for eight on the trip but didn’t play Monday.

“[Espinal] has been great for us, but the fit right now with our ballclub just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense,” Roberts said.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Tonight showed what the Athletics are capable of when their pitching does its job. The team got the start it needed from J.T. Ginn, who has become its most consistent starter. The A’s offense, led by Kurtz’s three-hit, two-home-run All-Star-caliber performance, provided Ginn plenty of run support in this 11-2 series-opening victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at West Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park.

A’s Waste Early Scoring Opportunity

In the bottom of the first, Pirates starter Jared Jones worked into trouble. A’s first baseman Nick Kurtz, catcher Shea Langeliers and left fielder Tyler Soderstrom opened the frame with three consecutive singles. Jones responded by striking out the next three hitters, and the A’s came away empty-handed despite loading the bases with no outs.

A’s starting pitcher J.T. Ginn got off to a good start, pitching a scoreless first two innings, only giving up a single and a walk.

A’s Take the Lead with a Three-Spot!

With one out in the bottom of the second, Athletics’ center fielder Henry Bolte hit his fifth double of the season to the right field corner. Second baseman Jeff McNeil promptly delivered an RBI single to left field, with Bolte beating the throw home to give the hosts a 1–0 lead. That hit snapped the veteran infielder’s 0-for-20 streak.

The A’s were not done scoring that inning. Kurtz made it two hits in two at-bats as he hit his 17th home run, a two-run 112 mph line drive missile over the left field fence.

Ginn Keeps A’s in Front

Ginn got the first two outs in the third inning before allowing an infield single and a walk. The A’s starter struck out Pirates’ right fielder Ryan O’Hearn to escape the runners in scoring position threat unharmed and complete the shutdown inning.

The Pirates first batter of the fourth inning reached on A’s third baseman Zack Gelof’s sixth fielding error of the season. Then, the Pirates’ catcher Endy Rodriguez singled, making it two on with no outs for the visitors. Center fielder Jake Mangum blooped a one-out RBI single to left field to get the Pirates on the scoreboard. Ginn limited the damage to one run by inducing an inning-ending double play that he started on a comebacker. Like the A’s in the first inning, the Pirates failed to capitalize on a runner at third with fewer than two outs.

McNeil Having A Game

The Athletics regained the momentum in the bottom of the fourth. Right fielder Lawrence Butler led off the inning with an infield single. He moved to second on Bolte’s groundout and then scored on McNeil’s third home run of the season, a two-run shot into the A’s bullpen in right field.

Ginn fired an eight-pitch, 1-2-3 shutdown fifth inning, keeping the A’s up 5-1. Jones did not come out for the fifth as right-handed reliever Carmen Mlodzinski entered out of the Pirates bullpen.

A’s Add a Sixth Run

Soderstrom greeted Mlodzinski with a single to right. A’s shortstop Jacob Wilson followed with a fly ball to right field that O’Hearn failed to catch, resulting in a ground-rule double that advanced Soderstrom to third. With one out, Gelof lined an RBI single up the middle to score Soderstrom, extending his hitting streak to 19 games—the longest active streak in the majors. Mlodzinski retired the next two batters as the A’s only pushed one run across in the fifth inning.

The Pirates got two singles against Ginn in the sixth, yet the A’s burgeoning ace wiggled out of another jam to finish six strong innings of work. He earned his fifth win, allowing just one unearned run on six hits while recording three strikeouts, eight groundouts, and six fly outs.

Right-handed reliever Justin Sterner replaced Ginn in the seventh inning. He preserved his team’s five-run lead, striking out two in a scoreless appearance.

A’s Two-out Rally!

Gelof reached on Pirates’ second baseman Brandon Lowe’s fielding error with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. Butler punished the visitors’ mistake by lining an RBI double off the left-center field fence, scoring Gelof from first to give the A’s their seventh run of the night.

Bolte kept the inning going by speeding down the line to beat Pittsburgh’s third baseman’s throw across the diamond. Then McNeil lined a single into right field for his fourth RBI of the game.

Kurtz put an exclamation mark on the inning with his second home run of the game and 18th of the season, a three-run opposite-field shot that just snuck over the left field fence. The hosts’ seventh inning rally off Mlodzinski doubled their advantage.

With three more home runs today, the Athletics set a franchise record for the most home runs over a seven-game span. Additionally, Kurtz’s seventh home run since last Sunday left him one shy of the Athletics’ franchise record for home runs by a player in his first two MLB seasons.

The “Big Amish” has shown no signs of a sophomore slump, as he now leads MLB in both RBIs and walks. How is he not in first place in the early All-Star voting?

Pirates Score A Consolation Run

In the eighth inning, Rodriguez collected his third hit of the game, a two-out solo home run off A’s reliever Mason Barnett to make it an 11-2 game. Barnett came back out and sealed the A’s win with a scoreless ninth inning.

Tomorrow, the A’s will return at the same time and place as they look to clinch the series against the Pirates and move above .500. Right-hander Jack Perkins will make his third start since joining the A’s rotation. Pittsburgh counters with right-hander Mitch Keller, who is 5-4 with a 5.14 ERA across 14 starts this season.

Record: 37-35. Pace: 83-79. Change on 2025: +1.

Ryne Nelson’s strong series of outings at Chase Field continued, as he pitched seven innings of two-run ball. The D-backs used some smart base-running to keep in touch, then Pavin Smith’s first home-run since his two-homer game in Chicago, almost a year ago (June 23rd), gave them a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Geraldo Perdomo tacked on what would turn out to be a crucial insurance run. For Paul Sewald made it a little interesting in the ninth, allowing a solo home-run before locking down his 18th save. Mason Miller is the only pitcher in the National League with more.

But let’s talk about strikeouts. Nelson struck out a modest five of the 29 batters he faced tonight. However, that was still the most he had fanned in a start for more than a month (May 13), ending a streak of five consecutive games with three or fewer strikeouts. That’s not common. In the past fifteen years, there have only been a pair of D-backs starter with a longer run. Randall Delgado had six in a row, but he was more of an extended opener: those came over more than three years, from 2014-17, and he never threw more than four innings. The other was Mike Leake in 2019, who had just 15 K’s over seven starts, from August 6 through September 8.

Though in franchise history, the most “impressive” such streak likely belongs to Armando Reynoso in 1999. He had eight games where he struck out just 19, and walked more than that (22). However, he averaged an out into the seventh inning, had an ERA of 3.18 and was undefeated over those eight outings, going 3-0. The record by a Diamondback, incidentally, belongs to Brian Anderson, who went 13 starts in a row without more than three K’s, in 2001-02. He got just one win there – in part because he allowed getting on for as many home-runs (18) as strikeouts (26). More on the team’s K-shortage in tomorrow’s GDT, I think.

Nelson ended up scattering nine hits, but key was that he didn’t walk any batters. He was also efficient, and that allowed him to get through seven innings for the fifth time in his last seven appearances. It was also his fifth quality start in a row at Chase Field, over which time he has thrown 35.2 innings and allowed nine earned runs, an ERA of 2.27. I’m pleased to report his next outing will also be here in Arizona, on Sunday against the Twins. The two runs tonight were both scored by Mike Trout, playing only his third game at Chase in an Angels jersey. He has played more often here in the colors of Team USA.

As mentioned, a couple of nice moves on the basepaths were key in scoring both of Arizona’s runs. In the bottom of the first, after the Angels had taken a 1-0 lead, Perdomo walked with one out. Corbin Carroll then popped one foul down the first-base line and the Angels 1B and RF got tangled up. While the catch was made, by the time they were able to get the ball in, Perdomo had taken both second and third (above). Not often you see someone take two bases on a 219 ft. fly-ball out. It paid off immediately, Perdomo able to tie things up on Gabriel Moreno’s infield single, on a throw from third that pulled the Angels’ first-baseman off the bag.

Arizona then took the lead in the fourth, with another first-to-third move critical in the build-up. Here, it was Carroll, who singled to lead off the inning, stole second, and took an extra ninety feet as the throw down skittered into the outfield. One out later, a little bloop single from Lourdes Gurriel, in his return from the IL, brought Carroll home, to give the Diamondbacks a 2-1 lead. The visitors tied it up quickly though, Trout hammering his 16th of the season. But, hey: what’s a Ryne Nelson game without a solo home-run? There matters stayed until the bottom of the seventh inning.

That proved a veritable roller-coaster of emotions. Jordan Lawlar took a pitch off his thigh to get on base as the lead-off man in a tied game. Hooray! But he was then immediately picked off, a decision which just about survived a review (upheld – had he been called safe, that would likely have been upheld too). Boo! But Smith then turned on a change-up – to be fair, not a bad pitch, right on the inside edge of the strike-zone – and was just able to keep it fair down the line, clanging off the pole in right field for his first homer of 2026 (above). Hooray! He also singled. I was able to toast marshmallows powered only by the incandescent rage on social media.

A little two-out magic followed, courtesy of a Ketel Marte single, and a Perdomo double into the left-center gap, for a 4-2 lead. Jonathan Loasiga worked a very quick eighth inning, needing only eight pitches, and Sewald looked like he might also go 1-2-3, before a two-out blast brought the tying run for the Angels to the plate. A swinging strikeout ended the threat, and the D-backs moved two games above .500. As mentioned, Smith had two hits, and Perdomo reached base three times, walking twice in addition to his RBI double. It moves Arizona just one-half game back of the three-way tied for the last NL wild-card spot, currently shared by Chicago, San Diego and… Washington?

Click here for details, at Fangraphs.com
For I would walk: Pavin Smith, +24%
500 Miles: Nelson, +21%; Perdomo, +14%
Sweet Caroline: Jordan Lawlar, -8%

A very enjoyable Gameday Thread, reaching over 330 comments. I particularly enjoyed the discussion on D-backs themed jigsaw puzzles. No, seriously. But comment of the Thread to gzimmerm:

They do say that every time you go to a baseball game, you might see something that has never happened before. This would be that. Tomorrow, it’s the same two teams at Chase, with another 6:40 pm first pitch, and Merrill Kelly on the mound for the Diamondbacks.

The Dodgers started their homestand on a strong note, as home runs from Kyle Tucker and Miguel Rojas helped defeat the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday.

In Eric Lauer’s previous start in Pittsburgh, he allowed a pair of two-out home runs to Bryan Reynolds and Ryan O’Hearn. This time on Monday, after getting two outs on eight pitches, Lauer allowed a double to Junior Caminero before Ryan Vilade tattooed his first pitch halfway up the left field pavilion to make it a 2-0 Tampa Bay lead. The Rays decided to play small ball in the second, as Taylor Walls brought home a run on a suicide squeeze, giving Tampa Bay a three-run lead.

The Dodgers went down in order in the bottom of the first against Nick Martinez. They responded with a double from Mookie Betts in the bottom of the second before Max Muncy hustled out an infield single. Kyle Tucker picked the perfect time to smack his first home run at home in two months, as he scraped one over the right field wall to tie the game at 3. It is the first time that Tucker has homered at home as a Dodger while wearing his jersey no. 23.

Tucker showed off his cannon in right field as he gunned down Johnathan Aranda at the plate for the third out of the third inning to keep the game tied at three.

After allowing the early three runs, Lauer managed to keep Tampa Bay off the board over his final four innings on the night despite having to navigate through heavy traffic on the bases. It’s his first quality start since his Dodger debut on May 26 against the Colorado Rockies

Martinez outperformed Lauer after the Tucker home run by retiring eight in a row until Tucker collected his second hit of the night. He was unable to complete six innings, as an 11-pitch walk to Freddie Freeman and a walk to Max Muncy signaled his departure, and Kevin Cash brought in the southpaw Cam Booser to face Tucker and Ryan Ward. Booser struck out Tucker for the second out, and Dave Roberts countered Booser by pinch hitting Alex Call for Ward. The decision ultimately failed, as Call went down swinging to keep the game tied with the go-ahead runner in scoring position.

The Dodgers decided to bring in another pinch hitter in the bottom of the seventh, replacing Alex Freeland for Miguel Rojas against the left-hander Steven Matz. Rojas swung at the first pitch, and sent it over the left field wall for his first home run since April 20, giving the Dodgers their first lead of the night. It was also Rojas’ first home run at home on the year.

The Rays put the leadoff man against Will Klein in the top of the eighth, as Vilade singled the other way to put the potential tying run on base. Vilade scattered his way to third with two outs, and against the left-handed hitting Cedric Mullins, Alex Vesia was called to get the final out. One flyout of Mullins later, Vesia kept the lead intact. Tanner Scott retired the side in order to secure the save as the Dodgers completed yet another comeback win.

Game particulars

• Home runs— Ryan Vilade (4); Kyle Tucker (6), Miguel Rojas (2)
• WP— Kyle Hurt (2-1): 1 IP, 1 hit, 0 runs, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts
• LP— Steven Matz (4-4): 2 IP, 2 hits, 1 earned run, 0 walks, 1 strikeout
• SV— Tanner Scott (8): 1 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 1 strikeout

Up next

The Dodgers host the middle match of their three-game set against the Rays on Tuesday (7:10 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Justin Wrobleski looks to bounce back after a rough outing in Pittsburgh, and he faces Drew Rasmussen.

In a game that should have been a battle of Cole Carrigg vs. Pete Crow-Armstrong, and one where the Rockies rookie out-produced Chicago’s All-Star center fielder, it was the bullpen that snatched defeat from the jaws of victory on Monday night.

Carrigg hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning and drew a bases-loaded walk earlier in the game, taking credit for every Colorado Rockies run and outshining reverse cycling-hitting PCA, but Juan Mejia and Seth Halvorsen combined to walk three Chicago Cubs in the bottom of the ninth, including Halvorsen’s four-pitch walk to Matt Shaw with the bases loaded to lose the game.

Don’t walk this way

Seven different Rockies pitchers combined to walk nine Cubs and give away the game. Rockies starter Michael Lorenzen, who gave up one run in five innings, only issued one walk.

“[Eight bullpen walks] is never ever going to lead to wins. Michael walked one. He threw the ball very well, I thought. He kept us right in the ball game. He was efficient,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said after the game. “That’s two really, really good starts in a row for him, which is huge for us and huge for him. I am happy for him.”

The walk-fest started in the sixth when Antonio Senzatela gave up a two-out walk to Moisés Ballesteros. He came around to score on a Shaw triple to put the Cubs up 2-1.

In the eighth inning, after the Rockies rallied to take a 4-2 lead, the Cubs used Victor Vodnik’s control problems to cut the lead to one. Vodnik, who rejoined the team earlier on Monday after being on the IL since May 20, gave up a single to Pedro Ramírez and a walk to Michael Conforto. Crow-Armstrong made the Rockies pay with a sac fly to make it 4-3 Colorado, and despite another walk to Alex Bregman, the Rockies entered the bottom of the ninth with the lead thanks to Juan Mejia striking out Michael Busch on 98.2-mph high heat.

Mejia’s mojo didn’t carry over to the ninth as he started off by walking Seiya Suzuki, who didn’t have a hit and had struck out twice in the game. Ian Happ then hit a grounder to Hill, who airmailed a throw to second base to center field, putting runners at the corners with no outs. A frazzled Mejia then walked Nico Hoerner to load the bases. At that point, Schaeffer pulled him from the game.

Seth Halvorsen came in, but the problem remained the same.

Halverson immediately gave up a game-tying single to Ramírez and then threw four straight balls to give Shaw the walk-off walk win.

“If you are going to walk eight guys in the bullpen, you aren’t going to win very many games,” Schaeffer said. “It’s a shame. Eight walks on the road in the tough environment, that’s just not going to fly.”

Despite the outcome, Schaeffer still brushed aside questions about having an established closer. He listed all six relievers that came in the game on Monday and said they could do it, but that “we just couldn’t get it done tonight.”

Carrigg continues to crush

If the first seven games of Carrigg’s MLB career are any indicator, the center fielder, who finished the game at shortstop, is going to be something special. In his first 27 at-bats, the 24-year-old switch hitter has seven hits, eight RBI, three homers, six runs scored, three walks, and six strikeouts.

He flashed his potential when he came to the plate with two outs and two runners on and smashed a four-seam fastball from Caleb Thielbar 105.1 mph to left field.

“He’s been absolutely awesome,” Schaeffer said. “The homer in Wrigley, down one in the eighth, what do you say about that? The kid’s first seven games, and he’s doing that already? That’s impressive. He’s not scared of anything. He’s a breath of fresh air. It’s fun watching him play.”

Willi Castro picked up where he left off from his two-homer, seven-RBI game on Sunday by starting the game with a pair of singles. He was part of the Rockies recording a single in each of the first five innings, but they were never able to advance a runner to second base through five innings against Shota Imanaga.

That finally happened in the sixth when Castro drew a leadoff walk. Tyler Freeman traded places with him after hitting into a fielder’s choice and TJ Rumfield flied out. Hunter Goodman followed with a single and his hit was enough to chase Imanaga from the game.

Phil Maton entered the game, only to hit pinch hitter Troy Johnston to load the bases. Carrigg then came to the plate, and stood in for a great, eight-pitch at-bat to draw an RBI walk and tie the game.

Jake McCarthy grounded out to end the inning with the bases still loaded, but at least the Rockies were on the board. Imanaga finished with a similar line to Lorenzen’s: one run on five hits and one walk in five innings, but only with three strikeouts.

Lorenzen, Rockies could have overcome PCA’s cycle

Crow-Armstrong punished Lorenzen early, hitting a 434-foot homer to center field with the wind blowing out in the first at-bat of the game. With a 1-0 lead, Alex Bregman followed with a single up the middle and it seemed like the Rockies were in for a long night.

Then Lorenzen turned it on, responding by striking out Michael Busch and Seiya Suzuki before getting Ian Happ to fly out. Over the next four innings, Lorenzen held the Cubs scoreless, despite threats every inning. Lorenzen escaped two runners in the second (two singles), a leadoff triple by PCA in the third and a one-out double by PCA in the fifth.

PCA completed the reverse cycle, the first cycle of his career and the first at Wrigley Field since Mark Grace did it in 1993, in the seventh inning when he hit a single of Brennan Bernardino.

As a small bit of solace for Rockies fans, Bernardino then picked off Crow-Armstrong at first base.

Lorenzen finished with five strikeouts — three on the four-seam fastball and two on the sinker. That helped him overcome the five hits he surrendered.

When he left the game entering the bottom of the sixth, after throwing 89 pitches, the Rockies and Cubs were tied 1-1.

The Rockies have now lost 10 straight at Wrigley Field.

Up Next

The Rockies and Cubs will be back at it on Tuesday night with first pitch slated for 6:05 p.m. MDT. Ryan Feltner (2-2, 5.20 ERA) will start for the Rockies, while Edward Cabrera (4-3, 4.86 ERA) will be on the mound for Chicago.

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

On the day that the Mets placed starter Christian Scott on the 10-day IL and announced Kodai Senga would make his return from injury to start Tuesday, they needed the plan of Tobias Myers as the opener to set them up for a low-stress opening game of a three-game set in Cincinnati. 

Two pitches into the home half of the first, the Reds had a man on second. Four batters into the game, the Reds were up by three, and manager Carlos Mendoza was once again behind the eight-ball: David Peterson would have to be used, and the Mets would be down a bulk man in the bullpen should Senga’s return go the same way that Myers’ return to the big leagues did in Monday’s 12-0 loss.

Despite the recently recalled Jonathan Pintaro gamely delivering 3.2 innings after Myers managed to record just four outs before hitting the upper limit of his pitch count, Peterson was required to get the final nine outs to save the rest of New York’s bullpen.

"It sucks, it sucks. You feel like you've let a team down,” Myers said of his feelings after exiting the game with the Mets down nine after two innings. “The team's been playing really well the last couple of weeks, too, so it's definitely a blow to me for sure."

Now, entering the rest of the series, the Mets will be counting on Senga and Nolan McLean on Wednesday to provide length and protect a bullpen that has already thrown 314.2 innings (fourth most in MLB) through 72 games. (That number another way: 4.1 innings per game.)

Asked about his level of concern in piecing together the rotation, Mendoza said they’ve been doing the piecing together for “quite a bit now.”

“Guys will continue to get opportunities, and guys will need to step up,” the manager said after the game. “We got a lot of guys in there that are more than capable. And we need those guys to step up, especially right now when we're banged up.”

Asked about what the plan will be for this spot in the rotation, Mendoza said it is something the club will have to figure out.

“We have a few days before we have to worry about the next turn. And we'll have those discussions, but people have to step up here,” he said.

Myers ‘digging’ for answers

In three outings with Triple-A Syracuse after he was sent down in late May, the right-hander didn't allow an earned run over six innings, with one hit, a walk, and a HBP against him to four strikeouts.

Myers allowed seven of the 11 batters he faced to reach base, with three walks, three singles, and a home run allowed.

What went wrong for the right-hander on Monday?

“His ability to throw strikes,” Mendoza said. “A couple of walks there, he got behind hitters and then he needed to come into the strike zone, and they clipped him. They were aggressive with the fastball.

“When you’re getting behind and giving that team free passes, you put yourself in a position where it’s dangerous.”

Myers said they are in “the process of digging deep" into why his command was off.

"It’s tough to face major league hitters when you’re behind most of the time,” Myers said. “This is something I've seen on the mound with my delivery a little bit mechanically, today specifically. So we’re kinda digging deep on that.”

Not crisp with RISP

The Mets had chances to claw their way back into the game, collecting six hits and drawing six walks, but came away empty-handed every time as they left 12 men on base and went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position, as Bo Bichette, who doubled with the bases empty in each of his first at-bats, accounted for the lone hit with a man in scoring position.

“That’s a tough one, there,” Mendoza said of the lack of clutch hitting.

After going down rather tamely in the first three frames, the Mets got traffic against Reds starter Chase Burns, but left the bases loaded with one out in both the fourth and fifth against the hard-throwing righty.

“We were facing a pretty good arm and – we didn’t score any runs, obviously – but we put together some good at-bats,” Mendoza said. “We created traffic but couldn't get the big hit. We had bases loaded, less than two outs, three times, and we couldn't cash in.”

Hitting with runners in scoring position has been an issue for the Mets all year. The team's .671 OPS and 184 RBI both rank second-worst in the big leagues.

Mendoza added that “even though we were down big in the second inning, I thought the guys continued to put together some really good at-bats, but, again, not enough.”

“Turn the page. Come back tomorrow, you got two more here and an opportunity to win the series,” the manager continued. “We got punched today, the first couple of innings, got down big, but you gotta flush that one. Come back tomorrow ready to go.”

Once again, an Astros (33-41) starter could not get through 5 innings. Tonight, Kai-Wei Teng (L, 3-6) couldn’t get out of the 4th, and an already overtaxed pen looked the part as Houston fell to the Detroit Tigers (30-42) 9-3 at Daikin Park.

This marks the 4th straight start that Teng could not get past 5 innings, and the second straight he couldn’t even get into the 5th. Teng allowed 5 ER on 6 H in 3.1 IP, walking 2 and striking out 9. He also allowed 3 HRs and hit 2 batters. Both hit batters came in the first inning, one loading the bases and the next driving in the Tigers first run.

Teng has now allowed 6 HR in his last 17.1 IP over his last 4 outings. His velocity was also down nearly 2 MPH, as noted by Astros beat reporter Chandler Rome of the The Athletic.

Down 1-0 in the top of the 2nd, Teng allowed a 2-out HR to Kevin McGonigle. The solo shot gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead.

In the top of the 3rd, Teng allowed a 2-run HR to Colt Keith with 2 outs, pushing the deficit to 4-0. That was immediately followed by Spencer Torkelson’s 12th HR off the season, and it was 5-0 Detroit.

Houston started to claw it’s way back in the bottom of the 3rd. With 2 out, Christian Walker drew a walk, and the Isaac Paredes launched his 10th HR of the season to make it 5-2. Jose Altuve sent the next pitch 410 feet to left-center for his 7th HR and deficit was reduced to 2, at 5-3.

Astros manager Joe Espada wanted to get one more inning from Teng, especially with the pen being heavily taxed the last 2 games, but Teng could only get one out in the 4th before being replaced by Steven Okert.

Okert inherited runners on 1st and 2nd with one out, but got a pair of strikeouts to escape the jam unharmed.

A.J. Blubaugh was summoned for the 5th, and gave up a leadoff triple to Dillon Dingler. After a strikeout and a walk, a passed ball by Christian Vazquez allowed Dingler to score from 3rd, extending the lead to 6-3. Blubaugh would go 2 innings, allowing only the unearned run.

Astros bats would go quiet from here on out, mustering only 3 hits.

Jayden Murray, recalled today to replace Alimber Santa (who would not have been available after working the past 2 games), allowed 2 runs in two innings of work on a 2-run HR by Colt Keith, his second of the game , to make it 8-3 Tigers.

In the 9th, Bryan Abreu allowed a solo shot by Keith, his 3rd HR of the game and 4th of the season, to account for the final score.

________________________________________________________________________

Hunter Brown (1-0, 0.84 ERA) is expected to be activated to start tomorrow’s game, facing off against former teammate Framber Valdez (3-5, 4.40 ERA).

C Yainer Diaz is also expected to be activated for tomorrow’s game to catch Brown.

_________________________________________________________________________

Yordan Alvarez went 2×4 tonight, raising his average to .328. That leads the American League.

Isaac Paredes and Jose Altuve hit back-to-back HRs in the 3rd. Both players sat Sunday for rest.

Astros pitchers struck out a total of 18 batters tonight. It is the 3rd time in franchise history the team has lost a game in which it’s pitchers struck out 18 batters.

Teng has allowed 14 ER in his last 12.1 innings. He has allowed 4 HR, hit 4 batters, and walked 7 in that time. His ERA has risen from 2.57 to 4.31 in those 3 appearances.

The bottom 4 hitters in the Astros lineup tonight (Trammell/Meyers, Smith, Matthews, Vazquez) combined to go 2×16 with 6 of the Astros hitters’ 10 K this evening. None of them scored or drove in a run.

Cubs 5, Rockies 4

Graphics via FanGraphs.

Hitting for the cycle: Pete Crow-Armstrong, +0.13 WPA

Bullpen implosion: Juan Mejia, -0.42 WPA

Comment of the Game

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