Category: Baseball

The Blue Jays announced that Duane Ward passed away in Toronto.

He was in Toronto for the ceremony for the World Series winning teams, but didn’t get to the ceremony Saturday. They say he died of natural causes. He was just 62. Far too young.

We mentioned that it was strange that Tom Henke was in a truck by himself, yesterday, I’m sure Ward was to be with him. I wonder if they knew he passed then and kept it quiet.

Duane ranks second on the Blue Jays’ all-time saves list with 121.

Duane Ward, born on May 18, 1964, in Park View, New Mexico, was drafted out of high school as the ninth overall pick in the first round of the 1982 amateur draft by the Atlanta Braves. The 6’4” right-hander initially faced challenges as a starting pitcher prospect in Atlanta’s system, struggling with control and walking five batters per nine innings, while not yet developing his eventual strikeout prowess. On July 6, 1986, the Blue Jays acquired Ward in a trade for Doyle Alexander. While Alexander was a reliable starter, the Jays ultimately benefited more from the deal.

After short appearances in the majors during 1986 and 1987, Duane Ward started the 1988 season in the Blue Jays’ bullpen, quickly establishing himself as Tom Henke’s primary setup man. That year, he shined with a 9-3 record, 15 saves, and a 3.30 ERA across 111.2 innings in 64 games. His 60 walks and 91 strikeouts showed that his unpredictability was part of his effectiveness. Times have changed; today, no setup man is expected to pitch that many innings—nowadays, 70 innings is considered a heavy workload for a reliever.

Ward remained Henke’s setup man for the next four seasons, forming a dominant bullpen tandem. Each year, Ward’s performance improved, with ERAs dropping from 3.77 to 1.95. He was no longer limited to setup duties, often pitching multiple innings, and notched double-digit saves each season, topping out at 23 in 1991. That year, he struck out 11 batters per nine innings and lowered his walk rate, earning a ninth-place finish in Cy Young Award voting.

When Tom Henke left after the 1992 season, Ward became the Blue Jays’ closer. He excelled, leading the league with 45 saves—still a franchise record—while striking out 97 batters in 71.2 innings and posting a 2.13 ERA. Ward’s dominance was evident in his 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings and a .182 opponents’ batting average. He was named an All-Star, finished fifth in Cy Young voting, and even garnered MVP consideration.

Ward was instrumental in the Blue Jays’ consecutive World Series championships. In 1992, he pitched in three ALCS games against Oakland, earning a win, and appeared in four World Series games against Atlanta, where he won twice, allowed no runs, and struck out six in 3.1 innings. The following year, Ward pitched four times and earned two saves in the ALCS win over the White Sox, then made four more appearances—including a win and a save—in the World Series victory over the Phillies.

Ward missed the entire 1994 season with a torn rotator cuff. He attempted a comeback in 1995, but after only four appearances, his career was cut short at age 31—a stark reminder of the toll heavy workloads can exact on relievers. For six seasons, Ward was a dominant force, regularly throwing 95 mph fastballs and sharp sliders. In his era, relievers were often expected to pitch multiple innings and appear in as many as 80 games per season.

Rob Neyer ranked Ward as the second-best reliever in Blue Jays history. Ward traveled with the Blue Jays’ clinics. My youngest son attended those clinics a few times, and Ward was excellent with the kids and kind with his time, he spent a few minutes talking to after clinic days.

Deepest condolences to his family and friends. He was a favourite of mine.

Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below.

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (47-47) won 8-3 (BOX SCORE)

Nezuh got the start and went 4.1 innings allowing 2 runs. The offense got on the board in the 3rd inning on a Biggio solo home run. They got another in the 5th on a Whitcomb sac fly. After falling behind 3-2, Salazar gave Sugar Land the lead with a 2 run home run in the 6th inning. Sugar Land rallied for 4 runs in the 8th to extend the lead on a Biggio walk and Guillemette 3 run double. The bullpen was solid as they closed out the 8-3 win.

Note: Biggio has a .890 OPS this season.

• Cavan Biggio, LF-2B: 2-for-3, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB
• Garret Guillemette, 1B: 1-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI
• Joey Loperfido, RF: 1-for-4, 2B, BB
• Shay Whitcomb, DH: 1-for-4, RBI
• Trenton Brooks, LF: 1-for-4, R, BB
• Cesar Salazar, C: 1-for-3, 3 R, HR, 2 RBI, BB

• Jackson Nezuh, RHP: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 1 K
• Michael Knorr, RHP: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K (WIN)
• Logan VanWey, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Alimber Santa, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Cody Bolton, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (41-48) won 5-2 (BOX SCORE)

Mayer started for the Hooks and pitched well tossing 5 scoreless innings with 8 strikeouts. The offense got on the board in the 7th inning scoring 2 runs on a Sisneros 2 run double and Whitaker RBI double. DeVos made his Double-A debut and allowed 2 runs over 3 innings with 6 strikeouts. The offense got some insurance with 2 runs in the 8th inning on a Janek 2 run home run. Chirinos came on for the 9th and tossed a scoreless innings as the Hooks won 5-2.

Note: Mayer has a 3.16 ERA this season.

• Will Bush, C: 1-for-2, R, 2 BB
• Walker Janek, DH: 2-for-4, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI
• Joseph Sullivan, CF: 1-for-4, 2B
• Cameron Sisneros, 1B: 2-for-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI
• Tyler Whitaker, RF: 1-for-4, 2B, RBI

• Bryce Mayer, RHP: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 K
• Nolan DeVos, RHP: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K (WIN)
• Amilcar Chirinos, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (SAVE)

A+: Asheville Tourists (31-57) lost 12-5 (BOX SCORE)

Smith got the start but really struggled allowing 6 runs without retiring a batter. Asheville got on the board in the third inning on a Hernandez solo home run. Rome added a few more runs making it 10-1. In the 6th, Frey connected on a 2 run home run, his 7th of the season. The offense got 2 runs in the 9th on a Powell RBI double and Batista sac fly but that was it as Asheville fell 12-5.

Note: Thomas has 26 stolen bases this season.

• Justin Thomas, DH: 1-for-2, R, 3 BB, SB
• Ethan Frey, CF: 1-for-3, R, HR, 2 RBI, BB
• Caden Powell, PH-LF: 1-for-1, R, 2B, RBI, BB
• Alberto Hernandez, 2B: 1-for-4, R, HR, RBI

• Parker Smith, RHP: 0.0 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
• Jordan Carr, LHP: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• Joan Ogando, RHP: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• Conor Steinbaugh, RHP: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• Colby Langford, LHP: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K

A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (44-43) won 4-3 (BOX SCORE)

Perez got the start for the Woodpeckers and went 3.2 innings allowing 2 runs while striking out 5 batters. The Woodpeckers got on the board in the bottom of the 4th inning scoring 4 runs on an error, a Wakefield 2 run triple and a run on a wild pitch. Weber tossed 4 no-hit innings in relief. Cassedy came on for the 9th and allowed a run but was able to hold on as the Woodpeckers won 4-3.

Note: Alvarez is hitting .271 this season.

• Josh Wakefield, RF: 1-for-4, R, 3B, 2 RBI
• Kevin Alvarez, CF: 2-for-4, 2B
• Juan Sierra, DH: 2-for-4, R
• Jadyn Fielder, LF: 1-for-4, R, 2B
• Hector Salas, 2B: 1-for-4, R

• Javier Perez, RHP: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
• Grayson Saunier, RHP: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K (WIN)
• Charlie Weber, RHP: 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• Brandon Cassedy, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (SAVE)

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: Ethan Pecko – 7:05 CT

CC: James Hicks – 6:05 CT

AV: Dylan Howard – 12:00 CT

FV: TBD – 4:05 CT

As the second half of the 2026 MLB season unfolds, what will rookie TJ Rumfield of the Colorado Rockies do for an encore after a breakout opening half of 2026?

If his performance on July 19 against the Cincinnati Reds in Colorado’s second series after the All-Star break is any indication, the first baseman may well be on his way to securing more than just a set of lofty statistics at season’s end.

The Richmond, Virginia, native erupted for career highs of four hits and four RBI while smashing a career-long 456-foot home run in Colorado’s 10-3 shellacking of the Reds at Coors Field.

Against Cincinnati, Rumfield went 4-for-5 at the plate with a pair of run-scoring singles in addition to his two-run monster homer to pick up right where he left off before the All-Star break.

In fact, the Virginia Tech product could not have dreamed about a much better first half—both offensively and defensively—than what he displayed in his team’s opening 98 games before the All-Star Game.

Rumfield was selected as the National League Rookie of the Month for May and June, the first player in franchise history to earn the award two times and the first NL player to turn the trick since Michael Harris of Atlanta in August-September 2022.

Beyond that, among all MLB rookies this season and through games of July 18, Rumfield ranked first in batting average (.295), second in slugging percentage (.472) and OPS (.851), tied for first in games played (96) and hits (100), tied for second in extra-base hits (34) and doubles (20), and he was fifth in RBI (47).

So, how is the first-year player, who leads Colorado and is tied for second among all ML first baseman with seven Defensive Runs Saved, approaching the season’s second half?

“I think it’s just trying to be a better teammate every day,” he said.

“You can do so much on the baseball field, but the people who remember you are your teammates. They are not going to remember if you went 4-for-4. I’ll just remember if you said ‘Good morning’ or whatever.”

With his 99 hits before the All-Star break, Rumfield became the first player to reach that total in a debut season since Hideki Matsui of the New York Yankees and Rocco Baldelli of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2003.

Based on Rumfield’s first-half performance, and with a solid second half, could the left-handed swinging first baseman be a solid candidate for NL Rookie of the Year accolades?

Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer weighed in on that possibility before the Rockies’ game July 19 against the Reds.

“Listen, he’s right in the middle of it,” Schaeffer said. “He’s been doing things that are very well deserving. (He’s) got 63 games left that you have to finish strong in.

“Honestly, with all due respect, I think it’s too early to talk about it. He’s got work to do, and he knows that.”

If Rumfield were to gain ROY honors, he would join pitcher Jason Jennings from 2002 as the only Colorado players to be so named.

Quite a scenario for a player who was drafted in the 12th round by Philadelphia in 2021. The Rockies obtained Rumfield from the New York Yankees in a trade for pitcher Angel Chivilli in January of this year.

Ever since then, Rumfield has been a man on a mission. 

“I think the biggest thing for me was just coming into spring training with my body in a position ready to play, try to just show up every single day with a good attitude, be a good teammate and let all the other things fall into place because I can’t control them,” he said.

“So, pitch to pitch, go out there and try to control my performance as much as I can. But it’s really just showing up and making sure your body is ready to go.”

Schaeffer noted that, once Rumfield had an opportunity to display his talent with the Rockies, good results followed.

“It’s what makes it such a nice story with TJ because he was blocked for a while with New York and then became clear and got an opportunity and he’s really showing what he can do really well,” the manager said just before the All-Star break.

Rumfield will let his play on the field speak for itself.

“I think in the beginning…it’s still every day trying to prove to them that I’m the guy who can play first base,” he said. “I can only control what I can control. So whatever they think about me, it’s whatever they think. But they leave me in there and I like it.”

Rockies fans certainly liked what they saw from the ROY candidate in an early second half of the season encore on July 19 against the Reds.

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The Braves are keeping the core of the lineup that has come out of the All-Star break in better form through two games intact, with only a few small changes for Sunday’s 1:35 p.m. ET rubber match against the Texas Rangers at Truist Park.

The top five of the order remains the same, although Drake Baldwin moves back behind the plate to bring Dominic Smith, who is hitting sixth, in at designated hitter against a righty starter.

Additionally, Jim Jarvis, who has been in form of late with six hits in the last three games, moves up a spot to eighth while Brewer Hicklen replaces Eli White in right field and will hit ninth.

The Rangers are running back the same lineup they had for Saturday’s comeback win. That includes old friend Joc Pederson as DH in the leadoff spot.

The current Braves hitters have not had a ton of success against Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi (9-7, 4.04 ERA). They’re a combined 12-for-64 (.188) with four doubles, eight RBIs and 14 strikeouts to five walks.

Among players with more than two at-bats, only Michael Harris II (3-for-8, .375) and Dominic Smith (2-for-6, .333) are hitting above .200 against the veteran right-hander.The B

The Rangers only have a combined 22 at-bats against Braves starter Grant Holmes (5-4, 3.61) but they have had success against him, with a combined .409 batting average and .864 slugging percentage.

Jake Burger (3-for-5 with two homers and three RBIs) and Elias Diaz (2-for-5, 2 doubles) have had particular success versus Holmes.

But none of that history means anything when the teams take the field Sunday afternoon. Let’s see if the Braves can build momentum to begin the second half with a series win.

The Mets close out a weekend set against the Phillies with a 1:35 p.m. start at Citizens Bank on SNY.

Mets Notes

• Nolan McLean allowed just two unearned runs and struck out six over 6.0 innings his last time out
• McLean has a stellar 0.68 ERA in two career outings against the Phillies
• A.J. Ewing has reached safely in seven of his last eight games, and he has hits in three straight
• Philly starter Alan Rangel has a 4.19 ERA and 1.40 WHIP on the season
• The Mets got to Rangel for four runs on as many hits and two walks in 4.0 innings earlier this month

Today's Lineups

Nobody could’ve ever imagined that Trent Grisham would be where he is right now when the Yankees acquired him as a partial salary dump in the Juan Soto trade during the 2024 Winter Meetings. After all, the team planned on him being the fourth outfielder while Alex Verdugo manned left field. And even when spots opened up in the outfield after Verdugo and Soto both walked (with varying levels of interest), he was referred to as a non-tender candidate who, if he stayed, would once again be the fourth outfielder after the team acquired Cody Bellinger and got star prospect Jasson Domínguez back healthy.

But funny things happen when opportunity arises. Minor injuries and struggles opened up playing time for Grisham early in 2025. In an opportunity sport like baseball, sometimes people just need a little daylight to force their way in. That’s exactly what Grisham did, becoming the team’s everyday center fielder and leadoff hitter for much of the season.

Despite emerging into a borderline All-Star bat at a very important position, a lot of fans were willing to bid him adieu in the offseason. With Bellinger as more of a priority, most were willing to give Domínguez more of an extended run or even give a look to Spencer Jones while using Grisham’s money to shore up the bullpen or improve the offense in the infield.

But those thoughts didn’t last long. The Yankees extended him a $22 million qualifying offer, which he surprisingly accepted. We’ll never know if his market was depressed because of the contract year effect or if he viewed it as best for himself in the short term, but it quickly tied up a lot of money in what ultimately was a quiet offseason for the Yanks. As such, he drew the ire of the fanbase as the poster boy for not meaningfully improving a roster that crashed out in the ALDS.

The Yankees believed they had the core to do it, and whether they truly wanted Grisham back for that $22 million or extended him thinking he’d decline (the former is more believable), they were adamant that his 2025 wasn’t a fluke. After all, how often does a guy meaningfully improve all around as a hitter in his physical prime and just revert out of nowhere?

Right away in 2026, things didn’t look great. He was hitting well below the Mendoza Line and wasn’t slugging nearly as much as he did in 2025. While his walk rate remained elite and his peripherals looked just as good as before, the dissenters grew ever louder as he entered May continuing to struggle. The Yankees don’t spend like the Dodgers or Mets, so that kind of money needs production.

That production came, and everyone is slowly realizing that Grisham is, in fact, a good MLB hitter. And for a Yankee team that’s missing Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton for at least another month-plus, he’s a stabilizing force for a lineup that’s been in the doldrums. He’s their rock.

His defense is still regressing considerably. He doesn’t have long for center field due to declining athleticism and recurring lower-body injuries, but he still can be a leader in an outfield that now often has a guy like Domínguez or Max Schuemann to his right. Even if his future is likely in a corner himself, he’s nowhere near a liability.

At the plate, he remains pivotal. He’s still sporting an elite 13.7 walk rate and .337 on-base percentage despite spending much of the season below the Mendoza Line. In 122 plate appearances since mid-May, he’s hitting .333 with a 163 wRC+. Before going down with a minor hamstring ailment in June, he kept the offense afloat after Judge’s injury at the end of May.

But when he did go down, the offense completely fell apart. In the 18 games played with him on the injured list, the team topped five runs only three times, all initially during the Paul Goldschmidt heater. After he cooled off, the team was the worst offense in the sport. When he was out, the team had an 80 wRC+. Since he’s returned? Back to 109, a top-10 figure in baseball.

Bringing him back into the fold brought two critical things for the offense: clutch hitting and plate discipline. The Yankees, usually an elite walk team and a mediocre strikeout team, have been among the worst in the sport in both categories since Grisham’s injury. Those two things are what the 29-year-old excels at, and while his plate discipline has slipped since his return, it’s an improvement over the guys he’s taking at-bats from.

The clutch hitting is where the Big Sleep is most important. He was one of the most clutch players in the sport last year and has delivered timely swings all season long for the team, regardless of how he’s performed at times overall. He was a pivotal part of the three come-from-behind wins in Washington, hitting a go-ahead homer last Saturday and scoring the go-ahead run on Ben Rice’s triple on Sunday.

His impact also extends to providing protection for the guys behind him. Rice in particular was struggling mightily without Grisham, but has improved massively since his return:

Ben Rice
6/13 to 7/1 (w/o Grisham): .197/.260/.408, 27.3 K%, 81 wRC+
Since 7/3 (w/Grisham): .361/.465/.917, 18.6 K%, 271 wRC+

Leaving Rice on an island left him vulnerable to getting every pitcher’s best stuff. After all, he was one of the only guys teams were circling in the pitchers’ meetings before the game. Now, with Grisham back, his ability to see pitches, grind at-bats, and give Rice protection is allowing the young first baseman to re-emerge as an MVP candidate.

All of what he’s doing makes the Yankees’ decision to tender a qualifying offer to him one of the best moves by any team last offseason. What would the Yankees have done if they hadn’t? Would they have used Bellinger’s money to get Kyle Tucker or Bo Bichette, who are both mightily underachieving with $60 million salaries? Would they have signed a reliever like Brad Keller, who’s undergoing Tommy John surgery? What would a full season of relying on Domínguez and Jones have looked like with the injuries? Thankfully, we won’t have to find out.

We may have even reached a point where he and the team negotiate a multi-year extension in the offseason. The free agent market for outfielders is incredibly bleak, and there’s a case to be made that two of the top three hitters overall hitting the market will be Yankees. If that’s the case, with neither Domínguez nor Jones showing they can contribute to winning the way Grisham has, why not consider it?

His offense isn’t a fluke, and Judge’s age will slowly push him to being the DH down the road anyway, especially when Stanton’s contract expires. Why can’t he settle into a favorable Yankee Stadium right field as he enters his early 30s while Bellinger continues to be a rock in left field? I’m sure these discussions are happening internally, which is incredible considering where he was not too long ago in his career.

Good morning, folks…

The Texas Rangers beat the Atlanta Braves yesterday by a score of 7-6.

Evan Carter had a two run homer in the win, part of a recent stretch of success Carter has had.

The bullpen got a shot in the arm with the return of Jakob Junis to the active roster.

Elias Diaz has taken over as the Rangers’ regular catcher of late.

Jordan Montgomery and Cody Bradford each had a rehab start on Saturday.

The Rangers’ new streaming partner, BZZR, is adding things to make watching Rangers games easier for fans.

Former longtime Jays reliever Duane Ward has passed away at the age of 62.

The Baltimore Orioles and Kyle Bradish have reportedly agreed to a 5 year, $90 million extension.

David Laurila has his Sunday Notes column up at Fangraphs.

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The Toronto Blue Jays go for the series win over the Chicago White Sox in an early Sunday finale, with Trey Yesavage on the mound against Sean Burke.

Toronto’s bats have been quiet, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is trending up, and he headlines a card built around a pitcher this lineup has already roughed up.

Read on for my White Sox vs. Blue Jays predictions and MLB picks for this Sunday, July 19 matchup.

White Sox vs Blue Jays predictions

White Sox vs Blue Jays best bet: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Over 1.5 total bases (+150)

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is heating up at just the right time. He’s squaring the ball up as well as he has all season, hitting for a 41.7% line-drive rate in July that’s up nearly 22% from June.

Now he draws Sean Burke, a right-hander who tends to wobble early in his starts and who coughed up 23 home runs a season ago.

At +150, Vladdy is a strong bet to collect a couple of bases against a starter this lineup has already had plenty of success against.

I’d play this to +120 odds.

COVERS INTEL: Burke ranks in the 50th percentile in barrel rate.

White Sox vs Blue Jays same-game parlay (SGP)

I’ll start with the Toronto Blue Jays moneyline, since the models give the home side a slight edge, and Trey Yesavage stacks up well against Burke on the other side. 

I’ll double down on Vladimir Guerrero Jr. going Over 1.5 total bases from my best bet, then add Over 8 total runs, banking on Burke’s early-inning wobbles and two well-worked bullpens to push the scoreboard after Saturday’s 1-0 grind.

White Sox vs Blue Jays SGP

• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Over 1.5 total bases
• Blue Jays moneyline
• Over 8

White Sox vs Blue Jays home run pick: Nathan Lukes (+950)

Nathan Lukes is my longshot swing on Sunday. He has taken Sean Burke deep before, going yard last season in a game where the Blue Jays battered Burke for six runs. Lukes is more of a contact hitter than a slugger, but he has flashed pop in stretches this year.

Add in Burke’s habit of leaving mistakes over the plate, and this is a live lottery ticket at a high price. I’d keep it to a quarter unit.

White Sox vs Blue Jays odds

• Moneyline: Chicago -115 | Toronto -105
• Run line: Chicago -1.5 (+145) | Toronto +1.5 (-170)
• Over/Under: Over 8 (-110) | Under 8 (-110)

White Sox vs Blue Jays trend

The Toronto Blue Jays have hit the game total Over in 27 of their last 45 games (+7.35 Units / 15% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for White Sox vs. Blue Jays.

How to watch White Sox vs Blue Jays and game info

White Sox vs Blue Jays latest injuries

White Sox vs Blue Jays weather

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After using pretty much all their pitchers except hitting hero Victor Mederos on Saturday afternoon, the Braves are making a move to get another mop-up arm to the roster.

The 31-year-old Elieser Hernandez is a veteran of six major league seasons, but has amassed -0.8 fWAR in his 303 1/3 career innings. He spent some time in 2024 and 2025 in the KBO, and has been eating innings at an underwhelming performance level for Triple-A Gwinnett for much of this year. His FIP and xFIP are both over 5.00 for the Stripers, so this is purely a, “We don’t care about the results, just eat needed innings” move.

Owen Murphy struggled in his career start yesterday, managing just a 2/2 K/BB ratio and giving up a homer while getting eight outs. Through three outings and 6 2/3 innings, he has a 95 ERA-, 111 FIP-, and 117 xFIP-, which feels oddly familiar for pretty much any pitching help the Braves have attempted to summon from the minors recently. He’ll probably get another shot against major league hitters soon, for the time being, he’s being shuttled off the roster to keep the bullpen fresh in another worst-case scenario.

The Braves play the Rangers in a rubber game a 1:35 pm ET later today, and hopefully they find a way to win. (And not use Elieser Hernandez. Or at least win while using Hernandez.)

Clarke Schmidt took another big step on his road back to the Yankees on Saturday. 

The right-hander threw a one inning sim game against live hitters for the first time in his rehab process prior to Saturday's rained out game in the Bronx. 

Schmidt threw 15 pitches, all of which were fastballs. 

"It was great, I felt good," he told Zach Braziller of the NY Post. "Felt like I was moving really well out there. It felt good to have some competition, compete again and get some cleats on the dirt -- so I was really excited."

Schmidt, of course, has been slowly progressing his way back after he was forced to undergo the second Tommy John surgery of his career last summer. 

The Yankees will continue to ease him in in an effort to avoid any setbacks, but as long as things continue going as planned he could be back in the mix next month. 

He is penciled in to throw another simulated game in five days. 

It remains to be seen exactly how the Yanks will use Schmidt when he is ready to return, but for now, he's open to whatever gets him back helping the club. 

"That's the only thing on my mind right now," he said. "Obviously I care about my career and the long term stuff like that, but for me right now, I know how talented we are -- I've seen the upside of this team throughout the season. 

"Being a part of that and being able to help in any way that I can, when I lay my head down at night it's all that I'm thinking about right now -- how can I be an impact on this team?"

Schmidt was in the midst of a stellar season as a starter being going down with the elbow injury, but he also owns a strong 3.18 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 30 career appearances as a reliever. 

Well, what a day for the Guardians and they went .500, splitting a double-header with the Pirates.

Here’s Nick’s sad recap of a horrible first game in a 7-1 loss and Zach’s happy recap of a mostly horrible second game that turned amazing at the end with a 5-3 win. I can’t say I feel good about Khristian Curtis dominating our lineup for five innings… but they figured things out against the Pirates’ usual relievers. Shoutout to Kahlil Watson who has been really going through it yet put up a good at-bat against a tough lefty and got the game-tying single.

And, of course, Bazzana:

The latest Guardians Weekly features Guardians V.P. of Scouting, Paul Gilespie, talking about their 2026 draft class.

AROUND MLB:

The Tigers won and the Twins and White Sox lost.

Despite having some competitive at-bats, the San Diego Padres just couldn’t get it together, falling short in Game 2 against the Kansas City Royals. They’ll now be staving off the sweep against KC in today’s series finale. Starter Griffin Canning went just 3 2/3 innings, surrendering four runs to the Royals. That was more than enough, as San Diego put up just one run in the third inning.

Yesterday was a tough one for the Padres. The club fell short in Game 1 on Friday night after some incredible performances from the offense and Mason Miller to put the Friars three runs up in the 10th inning. They’d go on to lose the game. The loss in Game 2 felt like San Diego was still shaking off the loss from the night before. They’ll need to regroup to salvage the finale.

Taking the mound

Noah Cameron (KC) v. Germán Márquez (SD)

Like most of the Kansas City rotation, Cameron has seen better days. The lefty owns 4.89 ERA this year after a breakout rookie campaign in 2025 (2.99 ERA, 138.1 IP). He just threw seven innings against the Baltimore Orioles last week, but gave up five runs in the process and earned the loss.

Cameron’s problem has been consistency. (Sound familiar, Friar Faithful?) The left-hander hasn’t been able to locate his pitches well, giving up three or more walks in five of 18 starts this season. He’s walked two or more batters in 11 of 18.

Márquez has looked mostly solid since returning from the IL. The veteran has given up five runs through 12 innings pitched, good for a 3.75 ERA across that time. His last start against the Toronto Blue Jays was tougher, but he made it through four innings having given up just three runs.

The right-hander has faced the majority of the Royals’ lineup before, and it doesn’t look great. Starling Marte and Josh Rojas have the most experience against Márquez (32 combined at-bats) and boast a combined .281 batting average. Hopefully, he’ll be able to quiet their bats this afternoon.

Batter up!

Well, at least Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a home run. The lone run the Friars managed to put up came on Tatis’ sixth homer of the season. Beyond that, the Padres were stymied at every turn by Kansas City’s pitching staff. The club grounded into three double plays, going 1-for-9 with RISP. They’ll need to be better to salvage the series finale.

1. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
2. Jackson Merrill, CF
3. Xander Bogaerts, DH
4. Manny Machado, 3B
5. Gavin Sheets, LF
6. Ty France, 1B
7. Jake Cronenworth, 2B
8. Freddy Fermin, C
9. Sung-Mun Song, SS

Bogaerts hasn’t had an off day recently and could be penciled in at DH today. That would likely put Song at shortstop, though Cronenworth could move over and rearrange some of the San Diego infield. Either way, the offense needs to score some runs against Cameron.

Relief corps

It wasn’t a bad game for the bullpen by any means. Matt Waldron gave up two runs over 2 1/3 innings before Ron Marcinaccio and Jhony Brito pitched two scoreless frames. That came following Canning’s first regression in quite some time. Thankfully, Waldron saved the ‘pen a bit with his outing.

The Friars will have Kyle Hart, Yuki Matsui, Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon and Bradgley Rodriguez available in the series finale this afternoon. All but Hart have been high-leverage options for the Padres to turn to this season. If the offense can get some runs on the board, San Diego shouldn’t have too much trouble staving off the sweep.

In a day marked by Blake Snell’s rehab start, the Dodgers minor league affiliates played five games with two wins and three losses.

Player of the day

Even though he couldn’t help the Drillers secure a win, Zyhir Hope wins our Player of the Day award with a rare two-homer game, reaching 21 on the season. It’s been an outstanding season for Hope in Double-A, with a .910 OPS in a little over 80 games.

Hope has now reached base safely in every game this month and already has eight homers in July, his highest mark for any month this season.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Working his way back from a lengthy absence, Blake Snell tossed 1.1 innings, needing 32 pitches to do so and utilizing the strikeout to record each of his four outs.

For the most part, relievers were effective following Snell, with the primary exception being Paul Gervase, who allowed six runs in the seventh to set up a 9-5 loss for the Comets.

Zach Ehrhard recorded a team-high three hits but didn’t drive anyone home because, ahead of him, leadoff hitter Alek Thomas didn’t reach safely even once. The only home run for the Comets came in garbage time, when Ryan Ward cut the Rainiers’ lead to 9-5 with a two-run shot in the eighth inning. That home run was the only long shot of the game as the Rainiers didn’t need to leave the yard to punish OKC’s pitching, working 12 walks against them.

Double-A Tulsa

With the top three in the order going 0 for 11 with a pair of walks, the Drillers didn’t have enough offensive firepower to avoid the 4-3 defeat against the RoughRiders. Hope did his best solo act, responsible for all two of the team’s RBI with a pair of home runs, but the lack of support proved costly. Hope now has 21 homers on the season.

Starter Adam Serwinowski came into this game with a 7-2 record and suffered his third loss of the year, allowing four runs over five innings with a couple of home runs. The Drillers even got the tying run on in the ninth inning, only to do nothing with it.

High-A Great Lakes

Charles Davalan and Logan Wagner both hit their 13th homer on the season with solo shots in the early stages of what turned out to be a 3-2 walk-off win for the Loons. Davalan was in the middle of the action late in this one as well, earning the walk in the eighth inning that led to the winning run, as it came on a wild pitch with a runner at third. Reliever Davis Chastain, who covered the eighth inning after Zach Root held the opposition to two runs (one earned) in five innings, now has a 7-0 record this season.

Splitting the doubleheader, the Loons suffered a blowout defeat of 11-2 to the Whitecaps, with the only highlight being Cameron Decker’s three-for-three performance, including a triple and a stolen base. Starter Aidan Foeller allowed four runs, and six others came against reliever Seamus Barrett, who now has a 12.06 ERA this year across two levels.

Single-A Ontario

The Tower Buzzers first took the lead in this game in the third inning with a Kellon Lindsey home run and never looked back, winning it 9-4. Taking advantage of a productive day from the bottom of the order, Jaron Elkins recorded three RBI from the leadoff spot.

Responsible for the two defensive errors, Mason Estrada allowed two unearned runs in 5.2 innings of work. It was only the second win for Estrada this season on what has been a tumultuous campaign with an ERA north of 7.00.

Transactions

Blake Snell began a rehab assignment with the Oklahoma City Comets.

Saturday’s scores

• Tacoma 9, Oklahoma City 5
• Frisco 4, Tulsa 3
• Great Lakes 3, West Michigan 2
• Great Lakes 2, West Michigan 11
• Ontario 9, Lake Elsinore 4

Sunday’s schedule

• 10:05 a.m. PT: Great Lakes (Jakob Wright) vs. West Michigan (TBD)
• 1:35 p.m. PT: Oklahoma City (Cole Irvin) at Tacoma (Nick Hull)
• 4:05 p.m. PT: Tulsa (Myles Caba) at Frisco (Blake Townsend)
• 5:05 p.m. PT: Ontario (TBD) vs. Lake Elsinore (Luis Maracara)

Happy Sunday everybody! I’m still here, still reporting mostly on injury news! And contract extensions. Inside you there are two wolves, etc.

The Mariners managed to even the series with the Giants last night with a thrilling walk-off win in extra innings that was buoyed by a game-tying three-run homerun by Cole Young. Logan Gilbert will duel Robbie Ray for a series win at 1:10 PST.

In Mariners news…

• Julio made his blessed return from the 7-day concussion IL before yesterday’s game, but it did come with a cost, as infielder Miles Mastrobuoni was DFA’d in the corresponding move. Mastrobuoni has cleared waivers once this season already, but if he does get claimed I hope he finds the playing time he deserves.

Around the league…

• Veteran Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff addressed the media in Milwaukee yesterday to announce that he will be getting season ending surgery. The operation is the same capsule surgery that he got in 2023. Woodruff said that he hopes to pitch again following the second operation, but it is worth remembering that Johan Santana had two separate shoulder capsule surgeries, and he never pitched in the majors again after the second.
• The Athletics entered Saturday with a record of 41-56 and on a ten-game losing streak. So naturally the best way to right the ship is to trade away one of their starting pitchers. Aaron Civale and some cash (the A’s have cash now?) are now part of the Chicago Cubs organization.
• One team’s collapse has been matched by another team’s rise. The Boston Red Sox entered Saturday on an eleven-game winning streak, and have played themselves into being big potential buyers at the deadline. The major area of need for them is shortstop and a strong contender to plug that hole is the Angels’ Zach Neto.
• Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed yesterday that the Dodgers are not expecting Will Smith back with the team before mid-August, and that’s the best case scenario. When asked by Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, Roberts admitted that team is not 100% sure if Will Smith will return this season at all from the neck injury that put him on the IL over a month ago.
• I’m realizing I might be a little too superstitious because if I’m Chase Burns and I’m standing in the room and watched the man I just spent days or weeks negotiating with spill his third cup of coffee all over the fruits of that negotiation, I might call the whole thing off. Sorry man, signs are signs.

• Speaking of contract extensions, the Orioles and pitcher Kyle Bradish agreed to terms on a five year, $90 million contract extension yesterday that will keep the right-hander in Baltimore through the 2031 season.

Nick’s pick…

• Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is ready for football season.

Saturday saw the Atlanta Braves affiliates win four out of six games that were played, though the most important news is how the rehabbing players looked. AJ Smith-Shawver turned in a great 72-pitch outing, while Ronald Acuna Jr. reached base twice as did Ha-Seong Kim. We also got a great Lucas Braun outing and a very strong one from Zach Royse, while Conor Essenburg homered and we got big games from John Gil, Tate Southisene, Owen Carey, and Dalton McIntyre.

Gwinnett Stripers 5, Toledo Mud Hens 1

Box Score

Statcast

• Ronald Acuna Jr., DH: 1-3, BB
• Carlos Santana, 1B: 2-3, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB, .278/.435/.444
• AJ Smith-Shawver, SP: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 2.70 ERA
• Blake Burkhalter, RP: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 0.00 ERA

AJ Smith-Shawver made another rehab start with Gwinnett, and this was a strong one. Over four and a third scoreless innings he allowed four hits and a walk with five strikeouts and 13 whiffs. AJSS also hit 99.4 MPH with his fastball and owned the top five velocities in this game during his 72-pitch outing. He was relieved by Hayden Harris, who picked up a pair of strikeouts in his two thirds of an inning stint. Blake Burkhalter came in next and picked up two strikeouts during an inning of work, and Ian Hamilton pitched the final inning – allowing the only run to score.

AJSS wasn’t the only big leaguer rehabbing, as Ronald Acuna Jr. went one for three with a walk and Ha-Seong Kim was one for four with a double. Homers though are what led the offense, as Carlos Santana, Brett Wisely, and Jair Camargo each hit one – and those three homers accounted for all five Stripers runs. Santana led the way going two for three with the homer, walk, and two runs scored while Luke Williams and Patrick Clohisy each joined him with two-hit games, Clohisy picking up a pair of doubles, and Williams also with one.

Gwinnett Stripers 8, Toledo Mud Hens 1

Box Score

Statcast

• Jose Azocar, CF: 4-4, R, .257/.306/.353
• Ha-Seong Kim, DH: 1-3, 2B, BB
• Adam Zebrowski, C: 2-3, 2 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI, .200/.300/.417
• Lucas Braun, SP: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K, 4.15 ERA

The second game of the day saw Lucas Braun turn in one of the best outings of his season. Over five scoreless frames Braun allowed just one hit and two walks as he struck out three. Rolddy Munoz pitched a scoreless sixth, striking out two. James Karinchak allowed a run in the seventh and final inning, but did strike out batters for all three outs he recorded.

Adam Żebrowski was the star in this one, going two for three with a pair of doubles, two runs scored, and three runs batted in. Jose Azocar went a perfect four for four with a run scored, while Luke Williams doubled, scored twice, and batted two in, and Cal Conley singled, doubled, scored, and picked up an RBI as the bottom four hitters in the lineup carried the Stripers to the win. That’s not to say the top of the order didn’t produce some too, as Patrick Clohisy singled and walked in his three plate appearances, and rehabbing Ha-Seong Kim doubled and walked in four plate appearances.

Columbus Clingstones 8, Chattanooga Lookouts 7

Box Score

• Dalton McIntyre, CF: 2-5, 2B, 2 R, .292/.414/.458
• Will Verdung, DH: 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, SB, .167/.255/.267
• Ambioris Tavarez, 2B: 1-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, .184/.295/.321
• Brett Sears, RP: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 11 K, 4.16 ERA
• Tyler LaPorte, RP: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 1.78 ERA

It’s weird to call Brett Sears the reliever in this one, but this game was resumed from the day before with a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the first inning after Julio Robaina allowed three runs in two thirds of an inning. Sears came on to start the day and went the next six and a third. Sears did allow four runs on seven hits, but walked none and struck out 11 with 17 whiffs. This was a huge outing for the pen on a doubleheader day, allowing them to not burn through the pen in a big way. In fact his start looked even better than the final line, as two runs and four hits came off him in the top of the eighth inning without him recording an out. Luis Vargas came in and allowed an inherited runner to score and tie the game, but did pick up two strikeouts. Tyler LaPorte picked up the save as he struck out the side in the ninth, and picked up nine whiffs for his inning of work.

Homers by Will Verdung and Ambioris Tavarez accounted for three of the Clingstones runs, and Verdung also singled, stole a base, and batted in a second run. Dalton McIntyre had a productive day as well, going two for five with a double and scoring a pair of runs. Luke Waddell and Carson Taylor each had two-hit games, with the new Brave Taylor picking up a double in his first game in the system. Logan Braunschweig, Jordan Groshans, and Archer Brookman also had base hits in the win.

Chattanooga Lookouts 4, Columbus Clingstones 0

Box Score

• Dalton McIntyre, CF: 1-3, .294/.410/.451
• Logan Braunschweig, LF: 1-2, .194/.257/.214
• Anderson Pilar, SP: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K, 7.71 ERA

It was a bullpen game for the second game. Anderson Pilar started and allowed a pair of runs over two and a third innings, while Owen Hackman allowed two more runs over his inning and two thirds. Samuel Strickland and LJ McDonough followed with a scoreless frame apiece, and that was everything from the Clingstones pitching staff.

The offense couldn’t get anything going here, managing to get shutout on just three hits and no walks. Singles by Dalton McIntyre, Logan Braunschweig, and Carson Taylor accounted for the only players to reach base safely. McIntyre finished the pair of games going three for eight, while Taylor also had a three-hit day, and Braunschweig had two hits of his own.

Rome Emperors 12, Asheville Tourists 5

Box Score

• Tate Southisene, DH: 1-3, 2 BB, R, RBI, .237/.377/.415
• John Gil, SS: 3-6, R, RBI, .248/.343/.387
• Owen Carey, LF: 2-4, BB, R, 3 RBI, .258/.327/.445
• Zach Royse, SP: 6 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 6 K, 5.40 ERA

Zach Royse turned in a quality start, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks over six innings. He also struck out six and got 13 swings and misses. In fact the start would have been even stronger if not for a pair of mistakes, as two homers accounted for all three runs against him. Rehabbing Ray Kerr followed and after walking one struck out the side, before a scoreless inning from Logan Samuels. Tyler Schoff came in and pitched the ninth, allowing the final two Asheville runs to score.

Once again the prospects carried the offense. John Gil led the way, going three for six with a run scored and one batted in, but Owen Carey and Tate Southisene also each reached base three times. Carey went two for four with a run scored and three runs batted in, while Southisene was one for three with two walks, a run scored, and one batted in. Dixon Williams added a double, while Dallas Macias went two for five with a double, and Colin Burgess singles, tripled, and walked in his five trips to the plate. Luis Sanchez joined Gil with a three-hit game, going three for four and scoring three runs, while Colby Jones walked twice. Eric Hartman was hitless in five at bats with a pair of strikeouts, but did walk and score a run.

Fayetteville Woodpeckers 4, Augusta GreenJackets 3

Box Score

• Conor Essenburg, CF: 1-3, HR, BB, R, RBI, .251/.397/.464
• Nick Montgomery, C: 1-1, 2B, 2 BB, RBI, .190/.320/.352
• Carter Lovasz, RP: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 3.58 ERA

Derek Vartanian got the start and lasted four innings, allowing four runs on eight hits and a walk with two strikeouts. However the guys that followed were lights out. Adiel Melendez went the next two innings without allowing a base runner and struck out three, while Carter Lovasz pitched two scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts.

The offense really struggled in this one despite the close score. Conor Essenburg and Nick Montgomery led the way, as Essenburg hit his eighth homer of the season and drew a walk in his four plate appearances. Montgomery was one for one with a double, drew a pair of walks, and batted in a run. Outside of that pair the only hits were singles by Alex Lodise and Cody Miller, though Hayden Friese drew two walks and Juan Mateo had one in the loss.

FCL Braves vs FCL Rays – Cancelled

This game was cancelled due to a wet field. It will not be made up as we are in the final few days of the FCL regular season. After a Sunday off the FCL squad will have four games remaining in it’s season with the playoffs out of reach for them at 17-37.