Category: Baseball

Clippers 5, Bats 4

Justin Campbell’s awaited AAA debut wound up ending before it could even start. He was scratched from his start after injuring his oblique in warmups. As someone who was waiting all week to watch this start, it was very disappointing but I am also very glad that it appears we avoided the worst case scenario here. Trent Denholm got the start in place of Campbell and pitched pretty well considering the circumstances. He tossed 6 innings and struck out 8 batters and allowed 3 earned runs on 6 hits. Franco Aleman lowered his ERA to 0.32 after striking out the side and recording his 9th save of the season.

The offense was powered by Angel Genao’s 4-5 performance that included an RBI single and a double. He is now hitting .283 with an .823 OPS since being promoted to AAA. P:etey Halpin also had a big game, going 3-5 which included a triple and an RBI double. Juan Brito and Dayan Frias also had multi hit performances.

RubberDucks 9, SeaWolves 18

This was the other debut I was excited to watch tonight, as Braylon Doughty had his first start in AA! It went better than Campbell’s debut, but not by too much, as he allowed 8 runs over 2.1 innings pitched. Welcome to AA kid! Doughty is an extremely talented prospect who I have no doubt will bounce back from this and I can’t wait to see his next start.

Alfonsin Rosario just keeps trucking along, going 2-4 with his 14th HR of the season. He is now hitting .260 with a .913 OPS on the season. He is starting to prove that he may be ready for a promotion to AAA. Jaison Chourio and Jose Devers also had multi hit performances. Bennett Thompson made quite a bang in his AA debut! He recorded just one hit but that hit happened to be a grand slam in the bottom of the 3rd inning.

Captains 7, Whitecaps 10

Despite losing tonight’s game, the Captains still recorded 15 hits on offense. Welbyn Francisca continues to be scorching hot at the plate, going 2-4. Nolan Schubart went 2-5 with his 17th HR of the season. Both him and Welbyn have OPS’s over .900 on the season. We also saw multi hit performances from Tommy Hawke, Jeffrey Mercedes, Esteban Gonzalez, and Tyler Howard.

Jacob Zibin fared much better in his second High-A start, allowing three runs in 5 innings and striking out four.

Howlers 5, Woodpeckers 9

We saw multi hit performances from Jonathan Martinez and Gabriel Rodriguez in this one. Juneiker Caceres went 1-4 with a walk. Cannon Peebles went 1-3 with a walk and a 2 RBI double.

Ryan Prager didn’t have his best stuff tonight, but was still able to limit the damage to just two runs over 3.2 innings pitched. He wound up walking five batters and striking out four, which is not what we are accustomed to seeing from him.

I’ve always loved the idea of a “stopper” in a baseball rotation – a guy who can be counted on to stop a losing streak or provide a much-needed win in a crucial part of the season. In my mind, it’s a different role than an ace who might be expected to provide a specific type of run-prevention performance rather than one that gives the team a chance to win on their night to pitch. Unfortunately, Zac Gallen has seemingly taken on the role of an “anti-stopper” where instead of blunting negative momentum, he blunts positive momentum. Entering tonight’s play, the team has gone a discouraging 6-11 in Gallen starts which isn’t all that surprising given his 6.15 ERA and 1.575 WHIP on the season. He’s not the only player fulfilling that role as fellow veteran Merrill Kelly has also been a net drag on the team, going just 5-9 in Kelly’s turns in the rotation. But it is frustrating to see just how far away Gallen is from the pitcher who came in the top-five of Cy Young voting in consecutive years back in 2022 and 2023.

Through the first four innings of tonight’s game though, he looked exactly like that pitcher with a biting slider and a four-seamer that found its way past hitters and just one two-out single on his ledger. But he got ambushed in the fifth with four straight hits, including two home runs – a solo shot from Heliot Ramos to lead off the inning and a two-run shot from Victor Bericoto that gave the Giants a three-run lead. Gallen looked back in control in the sixth, collecting two easy strikeouts before committing the ultimate pitching sin: a two out walk, this one to Rafael Devers who quickly came in to score on a deep drive from Ramos that nearly left the yard and was just beyond a leaping Corbin Carroll. Ramos himself would be driven in four pitches later when Jung Hoo Lee shot a ground ball through the infield to end Gallen’s night as Torey Lovullo opted to bring in Ryan Thompson to face Bericoto. The pitching move did not pay off as Thompson gave up consecutive singles to Bericoto and Drew Cavanaugh to plate San Francisco’s sixth and final run of the night before mercifully ending the inning.

To their credit, after looking completely lifeless against Giants starter Trevor McDonald – making just his 13th career start but managing to surrender exactly one baserunner over six innings – the D-Backs finally managed to find some traction amidst the woeful San Francisco bullpen in the home half of the eighth. Nolan Arenado led off the inning with a single and came around to score on a sharp single from Pavin Smith, but Ketel Marte’s 18th double of the season was the biggest blow – plating Smith and allowing Tommy Troy to reach third. But a poor relay throw from Christian Koss doinked off Troy and out of play, scoring Troy and advancing Marte all the way to third with no outs. Sadly, Geraldo Perdomo and Carroll could only muster up a sacrifice groundout between them to score Marte for the D-Backs’ fourth and final run.

Tonight’s loss returns the team to .500 – a mark the team has struggled to escape since they swept these same Giants back at the end of May. Since then, the team has gone a dismal 12-19, the third-worst record in that time in the major leagues. While this team is clearly talented and has plenty of potential, I find myself lacking much confidence in their ability to play up to their opponents. They have feasted on bad teams with a 29-10 record against teams with sub-.500 records compared to just 14-32 against winning clubs. That does not feel like a team that is capable of making a run towards the playoffs and might find themselves overmatched if they did. They will need to find another gear if they hope to force Mike Hazen’s hand in adding to this team rather than subtracting from it with the Trade Deadline just over a month away.

It’s never a good sign when your first mile feels like you’ve already run a full marathon.    For Tatsuyi Imai, the outing was quick and ugly.    Twins 8 Astros 3.    

Imai’s early game struggles were on full display before an announced crowd of 29,179.     In the opening several minutes, Trevor Larnach would double and Josh Bell would hit a ball to dead center that’s still traveling.  Bell’s blast would officially become the fifth longest ball hit to center field since the ballyard at 501 Crawford Street opened its doors in 2000.     Just like that, it was a 2-0 lead, and the following inning Minnesota would continue the assault.    

Luke Keaschall and Brooks Lee would reach on walks, and then Kody Clemens would do his version of a deep shot to center, and the Twins had put five runs on the board.    Clemons has now hit 14 homeruns this season.   For good measure, Imai would issue another walk to Josh Bell and mercifully the curtain would come down.    Imai’s final line would read:    1.1 IP with 5 earned runs, 5 walks and 4 hits allowed, including 2 HR.   In sharp contrast was his counterpart Taj Bradley would record a season high 11 strikeouts, at one point mowing down five in a row.   

The Astros scored their initial run thanks to Jose Altuve’s leadoff walk of the game.   Altuve would advance to third on Yordan Alvarez’s first hit of the night, eventually scoring on a double play groundout by Isaac Paredes.    

The next time there would be signs of life would be in the 6th.    Brice Matthews (who replaced Christian Walker, who left the game with lower back stiffness)  and Cam Smith would reach base in consecutive fashion to start things.    Then Joey Loperfido and Nick Allen would each notch RBI’s singles, cutting the deficit to 7-3 but that would be as close as they’d get.

The final Twins run would come on Luke Keaschall’s second homer of the night in the 8th inning.      

Odds & Ends:

SS Nick Allen would relieve Raynel Delgado who exited in the top of the fifth inning with a dislocated right pinky finger while attempting to field a ball.  Delgado was attempting to field a ball that would have been an inning ending groundout, but the ball hit the second base bag and took n awkward hop. Delgado attempted to adjust to the ball with his bare hand, but the ball deflected off his hand, dislocating his pinky.     

In his latest rehab start, Lance McCullers pitched four innings of one hit ball in OKC on Wednesday Night.   41 of his 60 pitches were strikes.     

After an off day on Thursday, Spencer Arrighetti will attempt to notch his 8th win of the season on Friday night when Tampa comes to town to complete this current homestand.    The last time Arrighetti registered a win was back on May 28th.

South Bend first baseman Josiah Hartshorn and right-hander Mason McGwire were named to the Futures Game roster.

Right-hander Kenten Egbert went back from Triple-A Iowa to High-A South Bend.

Right-hander Eduarniel Núñez, whom the Cubs designated for assignment last week, cleared waivers and was assigned to Iowa.

The Cubs signed third baseman Michael Hallquist from the Milwaukee Milkmen of the independent American Association and assigned him to South Benc.

Everyone lost tonight. That stinks.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were chicken against the Toledo Mud Hens (Tigers), 7-4.

Starter Doug Nikhazy didn’t make it out of the first inning. Nikhazy got pummeled for five runs on two hits and four walks while just retiring one batter. At least that one out was a strikeout.

Aaron Bummer made his Cubs debut in this game, pitching the sixth inning. Bummer faced four batters and retired three of them. The other one hit a solo home run. Bummer did not have a strikeout.

Liam Hendriks made his Cubs debut in the bottom of the seventh. He allowed a single and a walk, but no runs in his one inning of work. Hendriks struck out two.

Left fielder BJ Murray hit his tenth home run of the year with the bases empty in the sixth inning. Murray went 1 for 3 with a walk. He scored twice.

Right fielder Ben Cowles was 3 for 4 with a steal. He singled home Murray in the fourth innning.

Second baseman Owen Miller went 2 for 4 with a double and two steals, one of which was a steal of home as part of a double steal with Cowles. He drove in one with an RBI groundout. Miller also scored one run.

Murray’s home run.

The double steal of second and home.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies got squeezed by the Columbus Clingstones (Braves), 8-3.

Brooks Caple gave the Smokies a good start, but he ended up getting the loss anyways. Caple allowed two runs on three hits over five innings. He walked two and struck out three.

This game 2-1 Columbus until Frankie Scalzo Jr. gave up six runs in the top of the ninth.

Center fielder Andy Garriola hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth, his 17th on the season. Garriola went 1 for 4.

First baseman Edgar Alvarez was a perfect 3 for 3 with two doubles and a walk. He drove in one run.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs were dropped by the Beloit Sky Carp (Marlins), 9-8 in ten innings.

Mason McGwire threw the first three innings and surrendered one run on three hits. McGwire struggled with control as he walked three and hit two batters. McGwire struck out two.

After the Cubs failed to score in the top of the tenth, Grayson Moore entered the game, trying to send the game to the 11th inning. Instead, he gave up a walk-off two-out RBI double. Moore’s final line was one run on one hit over two-thirds of an inning. The run was earned—the automatic runner was doubled off of second on a lineout. Moore did not walk anyone but he did hit a batter who turned out to be the winning run.

South Bend blew a 7-1 lead in this game after five-and-a-half innings.

In his affiliated baseball debut, second baseman Michael Hallquist hit a two-run home run in his first at-bat in the second inning. Hallquist went 1 for 4 with a walk and two runs scored.

Catcher Logan Poteet hit his first South Bend home run in the sixth inning with the bases empty. It was Poteet’s 15th overall home run. Poteet went 2 for 4 with a walk. He scored two runs and had two RBI.

DH Jose Escobar connected on a solo home run in the top of the seventh. It was his fourth home run with South Bend and sixth overall. Escobar went 1 for 4 with a walk and two runs scored.

Hallquist’s home run.

Poteet’s round-tripper.

Jose Escobar really got a hold of this one.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans were allergic to the Hickory Crawdads (Rangers), 6-2.

David Bracho started, gave up one run in the first, three in the second and two in the third. Bracho’s final line was six runs on seven hits over three innings. He walked three and struck out two.

Yoendris Gonzalez and Anhuar Garcia then each threw three innings of no-run, no-hit baseball. Both of them struck out five. Gonzalez walked one. Garcia hit one batter. It was Garcia’s Myrtle Beach debut.

Catcher Jairo Diaz hit an RBI double in the bottom of the ninth. He was 1 for 4.

Highlights, such as they are.

ACL Cubs

Off day.

Garrett Mitchell had just 10 starts against a left-handed pitcher all season long coming into the night. He had just a .547 OPS against lefties coming into the night, so it has been fairly understandable why. But Pat Murphy gave Mitchell the start on Wednesday night against Reds southpaw Andrew Abbott and he had a career night helping deliver the Crew a 4-2 victory.

Mitchell started the night with a single against Abbott in the first inning after the Brewers had already scored a pair of runs on an RBI groundout by William Contreras and a sac fly from Jake Bauers.

Then in the 3rd, Mitchell dropped in a one out double just barely fair down the left field line. Controversy later struck in that inning when Mitchell was running home on a safety squeeze bunt from Cooper Pratt. Spencer Steer glove flipped the ball to Tyler Stephenson and Mitchell was ruled out at the plate. After a lengthy review in which multiple replay angles seemed to show Mitchell beat the tag, the call somehow stood and he was ruled out. But was Mitchell out?

“No. Absolutely not.” Mitchell said.

“Our guy that does video, he’s the best there is and [Mitchell]‘s safe in his mind and he has a picture of him being safe….There is a picture of him touching the plate. We can see it from the angle we have, and I’m sure they have that angle.” Pat Murphy said.

The game remained tied at 2-2 and it stayed that way until the 7th inning. Andrew Vaughn ripped a two-out double to center past the diving Matt McLain to start the rally. Garrett Mitchell, after just missing a home run in the 5th inning and having to settle for another double, then ripped a triple off the angled wall out in center, his fourth hit of the night. It scored Vaughn to give the Crew the lead. Mitchell then scored a few pitches later on a wild pitch and this time there was no controversy at the plate.

Mitchell finished the night 4-for-4 at the plate, just inches away from a cycle. He raised his batting average on the season to .264 after coming into the night hitting .251. Mitchell’s OPS now sits exactly at .800.

“Take any other player in baseball that’s been missing for four years, to have him play this way particularly tonight. The four at-bats, the baserunning, the whole thing, I mean, I didn’t think it could happen. I didn’t expect anything close to this for this kid. I’m really happy for him. He’s just played every day, done whatever, hitting against lefties tonight, that’s something that he’s just gotten better and better. I commend his teammates for welcoming him back and seeking to understand what he’s been through, watching us play for four years. So it’s a great story” Murphy said.

Shane Drohan had another strong performance out of the rotation, even though he was pitching against the Reds in back-to-back outings.

“We worked on some stuff in the bullpen a couple days after the start in Cincinnati. Really just feeling out the direct line we wanted for the slider, it felt like in Cincinnati that was where I came up short, just not throwing good sliders late in counts. So we worked on that in the bullpen the other day and threw it well tonight, but I think it still goes back to that fastball.” Drohan said.

Drohan exited after 5.2 IP, allowing six hits and two runs while striking out seven. Coming on in relief of Drohan was Aaron “The Vulture” Ashby. Ashby pitched in parts of three scoreless innings and was the pitcher of record when Mitchell gave the Brewers the lead in the 7th.

As a result, Ashby was able to earn his major league-leading 12th win of the season and improve to 12-1. Abner Uribe, who was feeling under the weather and a little dehydrated, was able to lock down the 8th after the Brewers were unsure if he’d be available tonight. Then Trevor Megill closed things down in the 9th.

The Brewers have a chance to completely sweep the Reds in this four game series on Thursday afternoon and they’ll have their ace on the bump in Jacob Misiorowski.

The Athletics managed to salvage the final game of their tough series against the Dodgers, winning 7-1 in Sacramento on Wednesday night. It took a huge start from our ascendent young right-hander, paired with an offensive outburst, but they managed to get the job done tonight to snap the four-game losing streak and get back on the right track. The team has its 41st win of the season and will now get the day off tomorrow before a weekend series with the Marlins. They deserve it.

Ginn dominates star-studded Dodgers’ lineup

Coming into tonight the Athletics’ pitching had been torched for 18 runs over the first two games against these guys. The club needed a stopper to end this streak desperately or else who knows how long this losing streak could go. We saw how long last year.

Enter J.T. Ginn. Whenever the A’s have needed a big start it always feels like it just happens to be his turn in the rotation, and that was certainly the case yet again tonight against the reigning World Series Champions.

It wasn’t always easy. Los Angeles threatened right out of the gates, loading the bases against Ginn. But with two down all the righty needed was a groundball, which he got to himself. Then, he went on a roll. The 26-year-old fired off five more innings of strong pitching. The right-hander only made one big mistake, a solo home run off the bat of future Hall of Famer Freddie Freeman. It happens, and if that was the worst of it we will take that every single time. Ginn departed with the lead well in hand and on his way to a victory after finishing the sixth.

• J.T. Ginn: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 4 K, 1 Hr, 104 pitches

Considering that was all that the vaunted Dodgers’ lineup could muster against Ginn, it goes to show how well he’s pitched in what is really his first full year as a major league starter. The walks were a bit of an issue at times, especially early on, but he did well to not let those start a rally and snowball. Ginn’s next start is lined up to be on the road facing the Detroit Tigers.

Bats back up their starter

On the other side of things, the Athletics’ offense, down several big bats, was facing a Dodgers’ bulk game. Lucky us, it was originally scheduled to be against Shohei Ohtani, but the playoff-bound Dodgers decided to push him back a day for extra rest.

After seeing the 1-2-3 hitters strike out in the first ahead of him against the opener, tonight’s catcher Jonah Heim came to the plate against a the bulk arm, right-hander Charlie Barnes (who would end up pitching the final seven innings for the Dodgers tonight). On the first pitch he saw, Heim took the new reliever deep to center field for a solo blast, the A’s first hit and run of the evening to make it 1-0 A’s:

That was Heim’s eighth of the year and seventh with the A’s. He’s not getting on base at a great clip but boy is he bringing the power, something the club will be missing with Brent Rooker done for the year.

After a wasted opportunity in the third, the A’s managed to push two runs across in the fourth. A leadoff walk to Heim followed by Joshua Kuroda-Grauer’s second career double put two runners in scoring position with no outs. Lawrence Butler brought home Heim with a productive groundout, then it was Bolte’s turn to get in on the action:

That RBI single made it 3-0 A’s and they wouldn’t be done there for the night. They got right back to work in the next frame and this time it was Shea Langeliers getting in on the fun with his own solo blast, his 20th of the year:

That’s this year’s starting American League catcher right there! That was just the start of the inning, too. Fellow All-Star contender Nick Kurtz singled then immediately came around to score, courtesy of an RBI double off the bat of tonight’s left fielder Colby Thomas:

Thomas will be getting a lot more reps with Tyler Soderstrom on the shelf. That was his lone hit tonight as he went 1-for-4, but that was a big hit and his third straight with an RBI extra-base hit.

Then it was Heim’s turn again, and again he came through, this time with an RBI single to make it 6-1 A’s:

Have yourself a night, Jonah Heim. He finished the night 2-for-3 with two runs scored, two RBI, and a walk to boot.

And just to cap things off, shortstop Alika Williams came in in the bottom of the ninth with his second career home run to make it 7-1:

Great way to cap off the scoring. It’s been a small sample but Williams has been holding his own. We’ll see if he can continue so for the next three months.

Bullpen finishes things off

A lead like this can sometimes feel like a formality. Can’t think like that against these Dodgers though. Luckily tonight the relief unit was nails. Luis Medina handled a clean seventh, then ran into some trouble in the eighth. Switching things up to a lefty seemed to work as Hogan Harris struck out the final batter to end the Dodgers’ final comeback attempt in its tracks. The lefty was given wrap up duties and he completed the job with a clean ninth to finish off Los Angeles and send the fans home happy.

Now that’s how you snap a losing streak. Everything came up A’s today. From Shohei Ohtani being pushed back a day, to Mookie Betts being a late scratch, to Ginn pitching his butt off, to the offense waking up and collecting 12 hits, three of which were home runs. The A’s secured their 41st win of the season tonight and thanks to the Rangers’ loss earlier tonight the team climbs a game in the standings to just three games out of first place.

We got an off-day tomorrow as the club will prepare for the arrival of the Miami Marlins to town for a three-game weekend series. Miami has yet to announce its starting schedule against the Athletics but we may be seeing their staff ace kick off the series as righty Max Meyer’s next start lines up for tomorrow. The A’s will counter whoever Miami sends with right-hander Jack Perkins. He’s coming off his best start so far after firing five innings of two-run ball against the Angels last time out. Hopefully he can build on that on Friday night in Sacramento.

The Dodgers opted for a bullpen game on Wednesday, and the decision backfired as the A’s took the finale by a final score of 7-1, snapping the Dodgers’ four-game winning streak.

The Dodgers had no problem scoring early against the A’s over the first two games, and it appeared that way again as the Dodgers loaded the bases against J.T. Ginn in the top of the first inning. Tommy Edman, fresh off a four-hit, four RBI game, couldn’t come through as the Dodgers left them loaded.

While Ginn faced six hitters and tossed 29 pitches in the first inning, Jack Dreyer had a much easier time over his lone inning of work, striking out the side in a perfect bottom of the first.

Miguel Rojas tried to kickstart something in the top of the second with a single against Ginn. Chuckie Robinson popped up a bunt attempt for the second out, and Shohei Ohtani grounded out right to Nick Kurtz. The A’s needed one pitch from Charlie Barnes to take the lead, as Jonah Heim clobbered a 444 foot home run to make it a 1-0 lead.

Freddie Freeman ensured that the deficit was short-lived, as he socked a home run to right field to tie the game at 1. The Dodgers would put two more on base in the top of the third, but couldn’t add to the lead, giving the team six runners left on base over the first three innings.

The Athletics quickly rallied against Barnes to begin the bottom of the fourth inning, as Heim worked a leadoff walk before Joshua Kuroda-Grauer’s double put both men in scoring position. A groundout from Lawrence Butler gave the A’s the lead, and Henry Bolte brought the lead to two runs on a single up the middle.

The A’s continued to tee off on Barnes as Shea Langeliers led off the bottom of the fifth inning with his 20th home run of the season, becoming the first American League catcher to reach the 20 home run plateau this season. Nick Kurtz promptly followed with a base hit to right, and Colby Thomas continued his torrid stretch against the Dodgers with an RBI double. Heim tallied his second RBI of the game to give the A’s a three-run inning and a five-run lead.

All the Dodgers could muster against Ginn after the third inning was a walk to Kyle Tucker, giving him three on the game, as the right-hander faced the minimum over his final three innings of work. The Dodgers wouldn’t get another hit until a Max Muncy double against Luis Medina with two outs in the top of the eighth inning. Tucker would add another free pass following the Muncy double, marking the first time he walked four times in a single game.

The A’s tacked on another run against Barnes as Alika Williams drilled a home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to extend the lead to six.

Mookie Betts was a late scratch on Wednesday, and Miguel Rojas was given a second consecutive start. Rojas was the only hitter in the starting lineup with multiple hits.

Game particulars

• Home runs— Jonah Heim (8), Shea Langeliers (20), Alika Williams (2); Freddie Freeman (14)
• WP—J.T. Ginn (7-4): 6 IP, 3 hits, 1 earned run, 5 walks, 4 strikeouts
• LP—Charlie Barnes (0-1): 7 IP, 12 hits, 7 earned runs, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts

Up next

The Dodgers return back home as they begin a four-game series with the San Diego Padres beginning Thursday (7:10 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Roki Sasaki faces Randy Vásquez.

The newly promoted players are settling in for the San Diego Padres’ minor league affiliates. Lake Elsinore is adapting to the loss of multiple high-output offensive players and one of their two best pitchers. They still managed to win two games in their six-game series.

After electing free agency after being designated for assignment by the Friars, Nick Solak re-signed a minor league deal with the Padres, returning to El Paso on June 26.

The Fort Wayne TinCaps should benefit from an infusion of offensive talent; they split their series this past week after working the new players into the lineup. Newly promoted starter Winyer Chourio picked up where he left off with the Storm.

Catcher Ethan Salas, who has been on the injured list this past week with a minor oblique strain, was activated and should play soon. 

Salas and Fort Wayne’s lefty starter, Kash Mayfield, were both named to the All-Star Futures Game on the Sunday of All-Star weekend (July 12).

El Paso Chihuahuas (36-45 record, 4th in PCL East)

Infielder Pablo Reyes, 32, took the lead offensively while Nick Solak was gone from the team. With Solak returning, he has the top qualifying batting average at .321 and a .493 slug. Reyes leads in OBP with .408. Centerfielder Carlos Rodriguez leads the team with 45 RBI.

Rehabbing pitcher Germán Márquez made four starts for El Paso, with the most recent on June 17. He went five innings and has only appeared twice since then, both in relief. In those 2.1 innings he has struggled. Overall, he has 17.2 innings pitched with a 3.57 ERA. He ends his rehab stint on Friday and must be activated back onto the Padres roster or designated for assignment.

Reliever Andrew Moore, who the Padres acquired at the last trade deadline for Connor Joe, has appeared in two games for El Paso since his promotion from San Antonio. He has 3.2 innings pitched without allowing a run.

San Antonio Missions (33-42 record, 5th in Texas League South)

The Missions quickly had a new player lead them offensively with the promotion of outfielder Jake Cunningham. In his first six games, Cunningham is hitting .346/.370/.692 with a double, a triple, two homers, and five RBI. Undoubtedly, the league will adjust and these numbers will drop but it is highly encouraging that the former Baltimore Orioles prospect is getting off to a fast start.

Catcher Ethan Salas has cooled somewhat over the past month and just returned from an injury but is hitting .277/.347/.427 with 17 extra-base hits (seven homers) and 33 RBI. Outfielder Tirso Ornelas leads the team with 11 home runs and 34 RBI.

Starter Jhony Brito has four starts for 18.1 innings pitched and a 1.96 ERA. The organization looks to be slow-playing his buildup back to the rotation. Lefty starter Jagger Haynes has had multiple effective starts in June and has improved his ERA to 4.24 after a shaky start to the season. He has 72 strikeouts to 34 walks in 80.2 innings pitched.

Newly arrived reliever Tucker Musgrove has 2.2 innings with no runs allowed. Reliever Josh Mallitz also struggled to begin the season but has become a higher-leverage arm for the Missions. He carries a 4.94 ERA.

Fort Wayne TinCaps (33-43 record, 4th in Midwest League East)

Outfielder Alex McCoy has had to make multiple adjustments over the first half of the season after the league has learned to exploit his offensive weaknesses. He has had some slumps that show the pitchers finding the holes in his swing. Each time, he has adjusted and started hitting again for the TinCaps. McCoy currently is second in batting average at .269 and leads in slug at .496. He has 12 homers and 41 RBI, both leading the team. 

Outfielder Kasen Wells leads with a .419 OBP with 38 walks to 57 strikeouts. Wells does not feature power and is mostly a singles hitter with a .287 batting average.

Lefty starter Kash Mayfield, just named to the Futures Game with Ethan Salas, has a 3.22 ERA in 44.2 innings in his 12 starts. He will be limited in his innings pitched as he only threw 60.2 innings last season. Starter Abraham Parra has had some clunkers in his 54.2 innings pitched with a 5.93 ERA, but leads the team with 54 strikeouts. Mayfield has 53 strikeouts.

New arrival Ryan Och has eight appearances and 11.2 innings in relief with a 0.77 ERA.

Lake Elsinore Storm (41-34 record, 1st in California League South)

Catcher Alcides Hernandez, a Venezuelan signed out of the international class in 2023, is 21 years old and began the season in the ACL. He now leads with a .313 average in his seven games with the team. 

Outfielder George Bilecki, drafted in the 12th round of the 2025 draft, has a .372 OBP despite only hitting .212.  Newly promoted infielder Dawson Willis has played in 12 games for the Storm after his promotion from the ACL and is hitting .295/.347/.500 with three doubles, two homers, and 11 RBI.

Right-handed starter Jesus Castro, who just turned 19, has a 3.52 ERA in 13 games started and 53.2 innings pitched. He leads the team with 61 strikeouts to 20 walks. With the promotion of Winyer Chourio to Fort Wayne, Castro inherits the top spot in the rotation.

Reliever Javier Chacon was promoted to Fort Wayne, and the TinCaps will need to have their relief corps step up after losing two of their best pitchers.

ACL Padres (24-19 record, 3rd in West)

Outfielder Eddson Martinez, who came from the DSL Gold team a week ago, is hitting .333/.500/.500 in his six games. Infielder Luis De Leon leads the team with a .297 average. Catcher Jhohan Downer has a .430 OBP with 22 walks and 20 hits in 30 games. 

The pitching for the ACL team has struggled to limit runs. Their offense has led to their victories. Righty Cameron Nohos has six starts in his 10 appearances and 29.2 innings pitched. He has a 7.28 ERA with 50 strikeouts to 18 walks. Command and consistency are routinely an issue with pitchers at this level and Nohos is no exception, but he shows potential.

DSL Padres Gold and Brown

The Gold team continues to dominate with a 17-4 record, easily topping the Northwest Division. The pitching features many arms with good stuff but high ERA’s. The offense has multiple hitters sitting over .300 with shortstop Joniel Hernandez having a .329/.433/.506 line with 24 RBI. Two players lead with 3 homers and the team features doubles as their dominant extra-base hits.

The Brown team has a 5-15 record, last in the West Division. Both offense and pitching have had issues overall, with minimal power in the lineup (two home runs for the team). 

Infielder Endy Rios has a .333 average and 13 RBI, both tops on the team. 

The pitchers, both starters and relievers, have limited innings and reliever Gensy Aquino has a 3.38 ERA in 5.1 innings. Starter Yojansky Perez has a 3.68 ERA in 14.2 innings to lead the team.

TORONTO — Carson Benge cleared the fence in the eighth inning Wednesday, ensuring the Mets wouldn’t conclude their trip to Canada by getting shut out.

It was an offensive highlight for the Mets, but more importantly, it showed continued progress for the rookie Benge, who reached double digits with his 10th homer.

Interim manager Andy Green liked that Benge’s blast was against a left-hander, Patrick Corbin.

For Benge it was continuation into July of his performance last month, when he hit five of his homers.

“Anybody who starts the season the way he did in April, to rebound as a rookie usually has to go to the minor leagues to reset,” Green said following the 9-3 loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

“It says a lot about how he’s wired and competes. I think we are pleased with the way he’s responded this year. I think there is more inside of him to keep getting better.”

Benge finished the day 2-for-5 and owns a .720 OPS. His OPS on May 2 was only .498.

Jorge Polanco’s rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse won’t include much, if any, action at first base as the Mets look to keep his left ankle from regressing.

“We’re just getting him DH at-bats, and at some point in time we’ll find first base when it’s time for that,” Green said. “But he is a guy that can help us dramatically, even just in the DH spot, so right now it’s been DH priorities, and we’ll make a determination based on how he’s feeling and whether it’s the right thing to do to get him to first base or not.”

The Mets, following Thursday’s day off, will keep their rotation in line for four games in Atlanta. Christian Scott, Sean Manaea, Nolan McLean and Freddy Peralta are scheduled to start in succession.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns declined comment when asked about Steve Cohen’s pronouncement that his job is safe.

Stearns, during his media availability last week, indicated Cohen had told him he wasn’t in danger of being fired.

Sometimes it takes persistence when fishing after a couple of days of disappointment. The Colorado Rockies found plenty to be happy about as they routed the Miami Marlins 6-3. The win snaps an eight-game losing streak for the Rockies and now puts them in position to aim for a series split on Thursday.

Freeland goes fishin’

For the first time since April 7, Kyle Freeland has earned a win.

Looking to be a stopper against the Marlins, Freeland came through on his end for another solid outing. Historically good against Miami in his career, Freeland was able to combat the contact-oriented offense of the Fish for five innings.

From the get-go, it was clear Freeland had good command of his pitches and was spinning them well. His first time through the order, he collected four strikeouts while allowing just one hit and one walk. The knuckle-curve proved to be his best pitch once again, as it generated 55% of his 13 whiffs on the night.

The Marlins got on the board in the fourth inning after Liam Hicks singled and Heriberto Hernández doubled to put runners on second and third with one out. Javier Sanoja then connected on a sinker that was left over the plate for a two-run triple that put Miami up 2-1 at the time. Freeland bounced back quickly, stranding Sanoja on third by striking out Kyle Stowers and getting Leo Jiménez to line out.

Freeland then worked around a pair of one-out singles in the fifth inning thanks to another strikeout and groundout. His night was over after throwing 85 pitches, having allowed just two runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and just one walk.

Mickey, you blow my mind

The talk of the offense for the night was the performance of Mickey Moniak. Still shaking off some bad habits after returning from the injured list, Moniak had a home run on Tuesday night and got right back to work tonight. In his first at-bat of the game, Moniak blasted a 96 mph fastball over the plate to center field for his 14th home run of the season to give the Rockies a 1-0 lead.

In the third inning, Moniak then lined a ball into right field for a two-out double, but he got stranded at second base. His next at-bat came in the fifth inning, where he delivered a two-out two-run triple to give the Rockies a 3-2 lead.

Unfortunately, Moniak was unable to get the single he needed for the cycle when he stepped up to the plate in the seventh inning, as he ended up flying out to left field in foul territory. He ended the night 3-for-4 with three RBI.

Fifth inning rally

Facing the formidable Max Meyer for Miami, the Rockies ended up scoring six runs, tying a season-high for him. After Moniak’s home run in the first, the Rockies were silenced until the bottom of the fifth inning.

Troy Johnston led off the inning with a single, followed by a hard-hit ball from Kyle Karros that was deemed an error as it deflected off of Sanoja at second base. Ezequiel Tovar then dropped a bunt, which resulted in a throw to third base. Johnston was initially called safe, which would have loaded the bases, but a replay challenge by Miami overturned it for the first out. Jake McCarthy then grounded out to first base for the second out, putting runners on first and second, setting the stage for Moniak’s triple.

Hunter Goodman then joined in on the fun with a two-run home run to left field to put the Rockies up 5-2. It was his 27th of the year, tying Larry Walker for the most home runs before the All-Star break in franchise history. It also had a 45-degree launch angle, which is tied for the second-highest in franchise history during the Statcast era.

Meyer’s night ended after the sixth inning, having given up just one earned run, while allowing six hits and striking out five while walking none. He was efficient with eight groundouts and generated 13 whiffs, thanks largely in part to his sweeper. It was the first loss for Meyer as he was 9-0 entering the game.

Tacking on for Karros

The Rockies weren’t able to do much else against the Marlins’ bullpen, but Karros led off the seventh inning with a towering home run to center field to extend the Rockies’ lead 6-3.

Karros ended the night 1-for-3 with two runs scored and has continued the success he found in June. The Rockies as a whole had seven hits, including three home runs, while striking out just six times. They didn’t manage to draw a walk and went 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position.

The pen holds the line

After Freeland left the game, Juan Mejia fired two solid innings, Jimmy Herget a quick eighth, and Brennan Bernardino locked down the save in the ninth.

Mejia had the most eventful night as he worked two innings. He allowed the only hit of the night from the bullpen in the seventh inning. Pinch-hitter Joe Mack hit an inside-the-park home run on a ball that deflected off the center field wall for their third run of the game. Fortunately, Mejia bounced back nicely to keep things stable and move the line for the pen.

The pitching staff ended up allowing just two walks as a whole while striking out 11 Marlins hitters.

Up next

The Rockies and Marlins close out the four-game set at 1:10 pm MDT tomorrow. Michael Lorenzen (3-9, 6.83 ERA) will take the hill for the Rockies while the Marlins have yet to announce a starter.

See you then!

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Guardians 9, Rangers 4

• All good things must come to an end.
• The six game winning streak was a good thing, but it is no more.
• It was fun while it lasted though, no?
• A 7-3 road trip. No one can complain about that, right?
• Well, actually, they probably can.
• People will complain about anything.
• Probably even this post-game thoughts post.
• Ultimately teams have to lose, of course.
• Teams don’t keep winning forever.
• So you get a game like this, sometimes closer, sometimes more of a blowout.
• MacKenzie Gore gave up five runs in the second inning. That’s a novel change from giving up runs in the first inning.
• He didn’t give up any other runs in his five innings of work.
• Maybe we could call a mulligan on that inning.
• Winston Santos made his major league debut, finally. Hopefully he will have many more innings with the Rangers.
• Corey Seager going on the injured list put a damper on things before the game started. That puts a monkey in the wrench, as John McClain said.
• Everything seems just very slightly out of focus right now. Seager and Wyatt Langford on the injured list, Brandon Nimmo being out, guys like Ezequiel Duran getting three hits and Elias Diaz hitting home runs.
• Like the fumbling about around .500 and still being a contender because of the motleyness of the American League and the injuries and the collection of not guys you’d expect to be playing or carrying heavy playing responsibilities and the like all combining to smudge the reality of the season.
• Things slightly askew. A river that runs uphill. The dog that didn’t bark.
• It is back to Arlington on Thursday. Back to life, back to reality…
• MacKenzie Gore hit 97.1 mph with his fastball, averaging 95.5 mph. Cole Winn reached 96.4 mph with his fastball. Winston Santos’s fastball touched 98.6 mph.
• Elias Diaz had a 105.8 mph home run. Ezequiel Duran had a 103.4 mph single.
• Ten down. The road trip is over.

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani-fueled Japan craze has reached another level as fans are already trying to cash in on Thursday’s One Piece Night giveaway by selling cards they do not even have yet.

With the Dodgers set to host the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium on Thursday night at 6:40 p.m., eBay is already filled with listings for the exclusive “Monkey D. Luffy DON!!”
promotional card that will be handed out at the game.

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The card is already being listed for as much as nearly $900, while some sellers are advertising PSA 10 presale versions for more than $3,500 despite the giveaway not taking place until first pitch.

Those eye-popping prices may seem outrageous, but last year’s promotion suggests they are not entirely far-fetched.

Completed eBay sales show PSA 10 copies of the “2025 Dodgers x One Piece Night Monkey D. Luffy” promotional card selling for more than $4,000, with multiple cards changing hands between roughly $4,000 and $4,600.

The free stadium giveaway has quickly become one of the hottest modern collectibles on the secondary market.

The booming resale market is the latest example of the “Shohei Ohtani Effect” transforming the Dodgers into Japan’s baseball team.

Since signing Ohtani, along with fellow Japanese stars Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, the Dodgers have secured more than 20 Japanese corporate sponsors. 

The unprecedented wave of partnerships has helped push the club’s annual sponsorship revenue beyond $200 million, making Los Angeles the first Major League Baseball franchise to reach that milestone.

The collaboration also highlights the Dodgers’ growing ties to Japanese pop culture.

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One Piece, created by Eiichiro Oda, debuted as a manga in July 1997 before its anime adaptation launched in 1999.

The franchise remains one of Japan’s biggest entertainment properties, while its live action adaptation debuted in 2023 and has released two seasons on Netflix.

The Dodgers first teamed up with One Piece for a promotional night in 2025.

The first 52,000 ticketed fans through the gates will receive an exclusive “Monkey D. Luffy DON!!” trading card along with a co-branded Straw Hat.

Fans attending the game can also visit Centerfield Plaza for One Piece themed festivities, including a life-sized trading card display, photo opportunities and a special drone show before the game.

I think it’s time to chat again about Eric Hartman. The Braves’ now top prospect completed a 20 HR, 30 SB season on July 1st, through 71 games of his season. He was also ranked the 25th prospect in all of baseball by Baseball America and it’s getting easier every day to see him in the top 10 by the offseason. This is simply a hugely valuable prospect coming from a 20th round pick just two years ago and the back end of the organizational top 30 as recently as March. While he’s only at high-A (probably not for long) and still has work to do on his game, he has rapidly become a potential superstar on the position-player side for an organization that desperately needed talent on that hitting side and has got it this year from not only Hartman.

Braves News

Veteran national reporter Bob Nightengale reported that the Braves are favorites to trade for perhaps the best pitcher in the world, Tarik Skubal according to rival executives. This doesn’t mean a ton to me, but its fun to consider.

One of Atlanta’s top prospects, Cam Caminiti will represent Atlanta in the MLB Futures Game during All-Star weekend.

Reynaldo Lopez put together a really nice start and the offense did plenty to win a 5-1 game over St. Louis.

MLB News

Baseball America dropped their mid-season update to their top 100 prospects list.

MLBPA released a series of proposals for the new CBA, as negotiations continue to occur very rapidly and publicly.

The Orioles and Nationals made their first trade since Washington moved from Montreal.

The Giants are placing star Matt Chapman on the IL, but expect it to be a short stint.

A’s DH Brent Rooker will get knee surgery, ending his season.

Rangers’ star Corey Seager is hitting the IL with a back issue.

Hello, July. Hello, elusive win No. 50. Hello and safe travels to Mexico, English World Cup fan contingent. Braves Country, there was a lot to like about tonight’s 5-1 victory against the St. Louis Cardinals.

But first, the wink heard ‘round the world.

The offense would eventually come alive late after being pretty dormant (again), but for seven whole innings, the Braves’ lead was courtesy of Ozzie Albies. Ozzie is more than worthy of being this year’s starting second baseman for the NL at the All-Star game. Our petit sparkplug deserves the world. 

Ozzie was doing it all himself versus starter Michael McGreevy, starting with an RBI double in the first to drive in Drake Baldwin. We don’t talk about what else happened there because Ozzie then made up for it with a go-ahead solo homer in the third inning to make it 2-1 Braves. 

And thus the score would stay for the majority of the game.

This was a sorely needed outing for Reynaldo López. He was fired up as he left the mound for the final time tonight, and rightfully so. Giving us a sense of deja vu, he had yet another shaky first inning. He gave up a ground rule double to Iván Herrera, who would come home to score on a Jordan Walker single. But he held the Cardinals to those two hits in his five innings of work. The only other baserunner allowed was JJ Wetherholt, who worked a walk in the top of the third. The velocity returned, the locations were better, and he ended the night with six strikeouts. It was a beautiful glimpse of the Reynaldo we’ve been missing.

And thankfully, we can appreciate the outing all the more since they didn’t succumb to the temptation of having him go back out for the sixth after throwing 69 pitches. The call to the bullpen was to bring in the D’s: Didier Fuentes was sandwiched between our two lefty Dylans, and all three threw perfect innings to preserve the slim one-run lead. 

Michael McGreevy got Chris Sale’d by his offense: pitching a quality start, but being charged with the loss. He departed after six innings of two-run ball and was followed by Max Rajcic, who worked around two walks to keep the score 2-1. But reliever Justin Bruihl was not so lucky. Facing the top of the order, he walked Drake Baldwin and Ozzie reached on a fielding error by Blaze Jordan. Matt Olson’s flyout allowed Baldwin to advance to third. Michael Harris II then came through with an RBI single for a much-needed insurance run. 

Gordon Graceffo came in to get the remaining two outs and immediately allowed an inherited run to score as Mauricio Dubón hit a sacrifice bunt sans the sacrifice. Cue the Ozzie wink.

Dominic Smith wanted in on the action and singled to right, but Jordan Walker made an unbelievable throw to cut down Harris II at the plate. This allowed Dubie to get to third. 

Friends, rejoice. Your eyes do not deceive you – that’s is Austin Riley at the plate in the highlight below. And he does hit an RBI single to make it 5-1 Braves.

While it was no longer a save situation in the ninth, he was up, so Raisel Iglesias jogged out and promptly slammed the door. Braves, and I cannot emphasize this enough, win.

Maybe the problem really was June… only time will tell. In addition to a month-opening victory, López’s great start and the bullpen usage here means they were able to stay away from Hurston Waldrep, who could make the start in tomorrow’s rubber match / series finale. But that’s a tomorrow problem. For tonight, just enjoy this win. We really needed it.