Category: MLB

After a somewhat surprising (and surprisingly emphatic) win against the Doyers last night in their house thanks in large measure to Tim Tawa busting out, it seemed honestly pretty unlikely to me that we’d knock them off again, especially with Yoshinobu Yamamoto taking the mound for them and Brandon Pfaadt going for us. Don’t get me wrong, it has seemed like Pfaadt definitely worked some things out during his brief time in Reno, but his two very good starts since he’s been back have been against the Giants and the Padres, neither of whom are exactly poster children for “fierce and difficult competition” at this point in the season. The Dodgers, on the other hand, sport the best record in baseball, and Yamamoto has definitely earned his spot on the All-Star Game roster for the National League this year. So. My expectations were not high, is what I’m saying.

But you know what? I was completely wrong! Hooray! It didn’t look great to start, as Yamamoto made very short work of the top of our lineup in the first, sitting down Ketel Marte, Geraldo Perdomo, and Corbin Carroll, with only ten pitches thrown. But Pfaadt came out for the bottom of the first, and only needed five pitches to retire Shohei Ohtani, Andy Pages, and Freddie Freeman. Not too shabby.

And it pretty much continued that way through five innings—Brandon Pfaadt outpitching and outperforming the 2025 World Series MVP. Our hitters started hanging longer and more patient at bats on Yamamoto, the Dodgers hitters failed to do so with Pfaadt. Tim Tawa got the Diamondbacks’ first hit with two outs in the second with a fly ball single to center. Sadly, however, he was immediately picked off first base before Yamamoto had to throw another pitch, which was embarrassing. It broke the seal, though, at least, and we started driving Yamamoto’s pitch count up from there, with James McCann reaching on the Max Muncy throwing error with one out in the top of the third and Tommy Troy drawing a six-pitch walk. Nothing more came of that, sadly, as Marte popped out to third, and Perdomo flew out to left after a long at bat, but we made Yamamoto throw 25 pitches in the inning. Pfaadt, on the other hand, cruised through the second and third innings, retiring the Dodgers in order as he completed his first run through their lineup with only 27 pitched needed to record his first nine outs.

The Diamondbacks drew first blood as well in the top of the fourth, after Gabriel Moreno drew a six-pitch walk with one out and then got to third on a Max Kepler grounder that snuck through the right side of the infield and into right field for a single. Tim Tawa then hit a grounder to third that Max Muncy frankly made an amazing play on, but Moreno was running on contact and Muncy’s only play was to throw to first, where he just nabbed Tawa while Gabi crossed the plate for the first run of the game. 1-0 DBACKS

Pfaadt got himself into some trouble in the bottom half of the inning, as Ohtani lined a single to left and Andy Pages hit a ground ball that got between Perdomo and Nolan Arenado for another single. Freddie Freeman then hit a slow roller to Perdomo, and while he and Marte tried to turn two, they were only able to get the force on Pages at second, putting runners on the corners with only one out. But where early 2026 Brandon Pfaadt would have started nibbling and melted down to give up a big inning, July Pfaadt buckled down, induced Mookie Betts to pop out to second and then got Muncy to ground out to put up another zero and preserve the lead.

Both pitchers seemed to regain their composure a little bit in the fifth, with both Yamamoto and Pfaadt retiring their respective sides in order. Tommy Troy fouled a pitch off his knee in the top of the frame, and then had to leave the game (with Jorge Barrosa taking his place) in the bottom when he plowed into the wall in center field making a play on a long fly ball by Teoscar Hernandez. So that wasn’t great, but no damage was done, score-wise, at least.

And then the sixth inning happened.

Yamamoto came out to start the sixth with his pitch count sitting at 76 pitches thrown. He promptly walked Perdomo on four pitches, which was nice, and then struck out Carroll on four pitches, which was less nice. Moreno singled to right, advancing Gerry to third, and a Max Kepler sacrifice fly to deep center allowed Perdomo to score the second run of the ballgame. That brought Tawa to the plate again, and Tawa bounced a ball up the third base line for a double that, despite third base coach JR House putting up the stop sign, scored Gabi from third.

You can’t see it in the clip, but what I think I loved most about this play was that not only did Gabi run through the stop sign, he almost bowled over House himself as he was turning the corner around third and heading home. So that was kind of hilarious. Dave Roberts, meanwhile, apparently really wanted Yamamoto to get through the sixth inning, because he had him intentionally walk Nolan Arenado to get to James McCann, who one might have supposed would be the easier out. This turned out not to be the case, however, as McCann hammered the second pitch he saw in the at bat up and out and over the wall in left for a three-run dinger:

Barrosa flew out to left, at long last, for the third out of the inning, but we’d secured Brandon Pfaadt’s lead. 6-0 DBACKS

It turned out to be a good thing, too, as it turned out that Pfaadt didn’t have a whole lot left in the tank. He’d gotten through five innings of Dodgers with only 59 pitches thrown, but the wheels came off for him in the bottom of the sixth. Tommy Edman led off the inning with a line-drive double to right, and after recording a one-pitch out to Ohtani, Brandon surrendered three straight singles to Pages, Freeman, and Betts. Edman and Pages scored, and Pfaadt’s night was abruptly over, as Torey Lovullo pulled him for Brandyn Garcia, who was making his second relief appearance in as many days. Garcia did the business, though, striking out Max Muncy looking and getting Kyle Tucker to line out to Perdomo for the third out. 6-2 DBACKS

Landon Knack, activated today from the 60-day injured list to give Los Angeles some length after they used nearly their entire bullpen last night, came on for the top of the seventh, and promptly gave back one of the runs by loading the bases with one out. He hit Perdomo with a pitch, then walked Carroll and Perdomo. Max Kepler flew out to right, allowing Perdomo to tag from third and score. 7-2 DBACKS

Kevin Ginkel pitched a clean bottom of the seventh for us, and Knack came out for the eighth and was greeted by back-to-back solo home runs from Nolan Arenado and James McCann, who went deep for the second time in the game.

So that was fun. 9-2 DBACKS

And that accounts for our final score, as Juan Morillo put up a zero in the eighth and Philip Abner, recently recalled from Reno, put up a zero of his own in the bottom of the ninth.

Win Probability Added, courtesy of FanGraphs

BINGO!: Brandon Pfaadt (5 1/3 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, +19% WPA)
Bango: Tim Tawa (5 AB, 3 H, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 2B, 1 K, +13% WPA), James McCann (4 AB, 2 H, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR, 1 K, +12% WPA), Max Kepler (3 AB, 1 H, 2 RBI, 1 K, +10% WPA)
Bongo: Ketel Marte (5 AB, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K, -9% WPA)

This was kind of an interesting WPA sheet, and frankly an interesting game for the offense, as all of the meaningful offensive production came from the bottom six players in the lineup. Go figure. And Tawa, for the second game in a row, was the WPA leader for the offense—+13% today, and a whopping +23% yesterday. It’s certainly a small sample size, but I begin to wonder if, when he was called back up from Reno this last time, Timmy reached out to Christian Walker and arranged to sublet Dodger Stadium from the hand-downs historical owner of that ballpark. Could be.

Anyway, we had a lovely and lively Gameday Thread tonight, with 315 comments at time of writing. Comment of the Game, by popular acclaim and because they are certainly not wrong, goes to Webb Gemz for this observation regarding our new heir apparent at first base:

Of course, given the propensity of fans a Chavez Latrine to bat beach balls around in the stands, that could also be an explanation for the phenomenon. We’ll have to see if Timmy continues to see pitches that way once we’re back at Chase. Here’s hoping, though.

And I did not expect to be typing this sentence, but stop by with your brooms in hand tomorrow as we go for the sweep against the Doyers tomorrow in the last game of our last series before the All Star Break! Mitch Bratt takes the mound for us, replacing the apparently destined-for-the-IL Zac Gallen, while Emmet Sheehan goes for the Evil Floral Delivery Conglomerate. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10pm AZ time. Hope to see you, because if we don’t, that can only mean that you are simply the worst kind of Frankfurter (i dunno, blame Trappkory)!

As always, thanks for reading, and as always, go Diamondbacks!

Members of the Los Angeles Dodgers are expected to visit the White House to be honored for winning the World Series in 2025.

President Donald Trump will greet the Dodgers on July 23. 

Los Angeles secured back-to-back titles after beating the Toronto Blue Jays in a thrilling Game 7. The Dodgers also won the title in 2024, knocking off the New York Yankees in five games.

The Dodgers also captured the Fall Classic in 2020, which was the franchise's first championship since 1988.

The Dodgers visited the White House in April 2025 to celebrate the 2024 World Series. Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw were among the players that attended.

The team will make the trip to Washington, D.C. on an off day between series against the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets. It's in the midst of a demanding stretch of games for the Dodgers, playing nine games in 10 days.

Betts told the California Post on July 11 that he wasn't expected to appear at the White House. Betts plans on skipping the festivities and claimed the decision wasn’t political. He stated that he wanted to spend the day with his family, which includes his newborn daughter.

Kiké Hernández is also not expected to make the trip. He is currently on a minor league rehab assignment.

Which Dodgers will not visit White House?

• Mookie Betts
• Kiké Hernández

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dodgers' White House visit: Mookie Betts among players not expected to go to DC

A Montgomery, Texas native, Shane Sdao attended Lake Creek High School in Montgomery, a school that opened in 2018 due to overcrowding at the city’s primary school, Montgomery High School. The left-hander helped turn the school’s fledgling baseball program into a winner. In their first year of existence, the Lions went 7-7 on the season. In 2021 and 2022, the two years that Sdao lettered and pitched for the varsity team, they went 20-12-1 and 23-6, respectively, advancing to the Texas Region III-5A quarterfinals both times. In both years, the left-hander was named to the First All-District Team, the Second All-Greater Houston Team, and was the Texas District 5A All-State honorable mention pitch in his senior year.

Despite the accolades, Sdao was far from a draft follow. The left-hander garnered very little attention from scouts and evaluators due to his relatively uninspiring repertoire and advanced age. The southpaw already had a commitment to Texas A&M in place, and after no MLB teams called his name in the 2022 MLB Draft, Sdao attended the College Station institution.

The left-hander appeared in 22 games in his freshman season with the Aggies, starting two games and coming out of the bullpen for the remaining 20. In total, the 19-year-old posted a 4.78 ERA in 43.1 innings, allowing 54 hits, walking 15, and striking out 46. He was used in a similar manner in his sophomore season, starting 5 games and coming out of the bullpen for the remaining 15. Sdao was better in virtually every regard, posting a 2.96 ERA in 48.2 innings, allowing 42 hits, walking 9, and striking out 55. The Aggies made it to the 2024 College World Series finals, losing to the University of Tennessee, but they did so without the left-hander, who injured his elbow starting against the University of Oregon in the Super Regionals.

Sdao’s injury turned out to be the worst-case scenario: a UCL tear that required Tommy John surgery to fix. The left-hander redshirted in 2025, missing the entire season. Despite being injured, Sdao received numerous financially lucrative bonus offers from multiple MLB teams who were looking to float a deal with him while he recovered from surgery. He ended up rejecting those offers and decided to return to Texas A&M in 2026.

The results were not exactly there for Sdao in his redshirt junior season. More important than anything else, he was able to take the mound and his stuff was more or less where it was before the Tommy John surgery, but the results were ugly. Appearing in 17 games, starting 13 of them, Sdao posted a 7.03 ERA in 71.2 innings, allowing 98 hits, walking 20, and striking out 83. In particular, the longball was a problem; he allowed 16 home runs over the course of the season.

The 22-year-old Sdao stands 6’3”, 185-pounds. He throws from a three-quarters arm slot, extending off the mound well and incorporating a high leg kick and a long arm action through the back. He is a strike thrower, and keeps hitters off-balance with a deep repertoire that includes a four-seam fastball, slider, curveball, cutter, and changeup. At present, none of his pitchers are better than average offerings, but as he continues recovering from Tommy John surgery, his fastball and slider stand to improve the most.

His fastball sits in the low-to-mid-90s, and in the past the left-hander has been able to ramp it up and hit the high-90s with the pitch. Even before the ligament surgery that kept him off the field in 2025, Sdao lacked consistency with the pitch and its velocity often fluctuated, more often settling into the lower end of that velocity band and rarely exceeding 95 MPH. The pitch lacks the power to be a true strikeout offering, generating below-average whiff rates, but Sdao still has had success with the pitch thanks to his ability to command it and its rising action; in the past, it has been measured possessing 2300 RPM, an average-to-above-average spin rate for a fastball.

The left-hander’s slider is his main secondary pitch, and he uses it against left-handed and right-handed batters alike. A sweeping slider in the low-80s, the pitch has a bit less horizontal movement than most sweeping sliders, but Sdao has become skilled at dropping his arm angle a bit when throwing it, telegraphing the pitch but at the same time giving it the illusion of having more lateral movement than it actually does.

Against right-handed batters, Sdao utilizes a mid-80s changeup, but the pitch has been supplanted in usefulness by an upper-70s curveball and an upper-80s cutter that he recently added to his repertoire.

In 2026, as mentioned, Sdao had a problem with home runs, but in general, he had some major issues keeping the ball down. As compared to his prior two seasons with the Aggies, where he averaged a 41.7% groundball rate, 20.9% line drive rate, and a 37.5% flyball rate, the left-hander had a 31.7% groundball rate, 24.3% line drive rate, and a 43.9% flyball rate in 2026.

The Dodgers’ 9-2 loss to the Diamondbacks on Saturday wasn’t enough to prevent them from going into the All-Star break with the best record in the majors — that much is ensured. But the uninspired all-around performance sealed a series loss on the final weekend of the season’s first half.

“It was a clunker,” manager Dave Roberts said. “The last three out of five [or] four out of five games, it just hasn’t been clean baseball. So when you give teams free bases, extra outs, it’s hard to win a game, regardless of opponent. ... We’ve got to find a way to win a game [Sunday] to feel somewhat better about going into the break.”

The Dodgers (61-35) put little pressure on the Diamondbacks pitching staff. And Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto wrapped up his first-half campaign with his highest-scoring start of the season; he surrendered six runs in six innings.

“He still had a really, really, really good first half,” Roberts said.

Over the All-Star break, Yamamoto (2.85 ERA) will get the week to rest. Before the game Saturday, oberts confirmed Yamamoto, an All-Star for the second consecutive year, will not pitch in the game.

The timing of his start Saturday, three days before the Midsummer Classic, suggested as much. Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to have his left knee drained coming out of the All-Star break and will not travel to Philadelphia. So Justin Wrobleski, who was added to the National League roster Saturday, is the only Dodger set to pitch in the All-Star Game.

Yamamoto held the Diamondbacks (48-47) to one run through the first five innings. But his final inning quickly unraveled. It started with a leadoff walk and peaked with a three-run home run from James McCann.

The Dodgers finally rallied for two runs in the sixth and then fell quiet again. The Diamondbacks then scored three runs against Landon Knack in his three-inning season debut coming off the injured list.

Read more:Dodgers pitcher Justin Wrobleski added to National League roster for All-Star Game

Yamamoto’s uncharacteristic sixth inning ended his streak of quality starts at five, including two that lasted eight innings or more. He leads the team with 110⅔ innings pitched.

“Overall, there’s good outings,” Yamamoto said through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda. “And also physically, condition-wise, it’s been good. And I hope that I can carry this into the second half.”

Yamamoto’s workload, along with Wrobleski’s emergence, has helped the Dodgers weather injuries to pitchers who were expected to be major contributors.

In a promising sign for closer Edwin Díaz’s recovery timeline, he started a rehab assignment with single-A Ontario on Saturday. Díaz made just seven appearances for the Dodgers before undergoing an operation to remove loose bodies from his right elbow in late April.

“He’s been throwing pretty effortlessly, free, maybe a week after he started throwing,” pitching coach Mark Prior said.

He estimated that Díaz would return in about three to four weeks if his progression goes smoothly.

Blake Snell — who also had loose bodies removed from his pitching elbow, undergoing a NanoNeedle Scope procedure on May 19 — threw two simulated innings to batters Saturday.

Snell is scheduled to begin a minor-league rehab assignment next weekend, Roberts said. Prior believes Snell will need at least four to five outings, likening it to a spring training buildup.

“The goal would be to get him fully built up to 90ish pitches before he comes back,” Prior said.

Tyler Glasnow, who had been sidelined for more than two months with a lingering back injury, threw a bullpen session Friday.

“It was like 95, 96 [mph] in his ‘pen, but he does that rolling out of bed when he’s healthy,” Prior said. “But it’s a good sign.”

Glasnow has had plenty of back and forth in his rehab, however. Twice he started playing catch only to be shut down when back spasms returned.

“The schedule is starting to move with a little bit more consistency than it had been,” Prior said. “So he’s in a good spot.”

Glasnow is scheduled for another bullpen session on Monday.

Read more:Dodgers' top MLB draft pick Bo Lowrance eager to emulate Freddie Freeman, Corey Seager

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The All-Star break all of a sudden looks more and more like something the Dodgers need, as they suffered a second blowout loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in as many nights, 9-2 on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium.

Simply losing consecutive games has been rare for the Dodgers, as this marked just their second two-game losing streak in the last two months. But to lose consecutively in blowout fashion is even more rare, as they followed up Friday’s 9-3 loss with a defeat by seven runs on Saturday.

The Dodgers have lost by six or more runs only eight times this season — they’ve won 22 such games, for comparison — and never consecutively before now. The only other similar streak came from May 9-12, when the Dodgers lost four straight games by five, five, six, and four runs.

For a while, this looked more like a typical game, especially for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who entered the sixth inning having allowed only one run, with the Dodgers trailing 1-0. But Arizona tacked on five runs in the frame, punctuated by a three-run home run by catcher James McCann.

Six runs allowed is a season high for Yamamoto, who will head to Philadelphia for All-Star festivities but will not pitch in the game. His four walks matched a season high.

Landon Knack, called up to eat innings after Friday’s bullpen game, soaked up the last three innings and allowed three runs of his own, including another home run by McCann.

Saturday particulars

Home runs: James McCann 2 (2); Nolan Arenado (12)

WP — Brandon Pfaadt (3-1): 5 1/3 IP, 6 hits, 2 runs, 2 strikeouts

LP — Yoshinobu Yamamoto (9-6): 6 IP, 5 hits, 6 runs, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts

Up next

One more game remains before the All-Star break, with Emmet Sheehan starting on the mound on Sunday (1:10 p.m., SportsNet LA), with Mitch Bratt expected to pitch for the Diamondbacks.

The Braves put together a fascinating day 1 of the draft, taking AJ Gracia with their first pick and some intriguing upside plays with the rest of their picks. I am a big fan of the approach they took, taking an intriguing combination of floor and ceiling with the ninth pick in Gracia, for reportedly well underslot money. They then took a tooled up outfielder from an unorthodox background with their Prospect Promotion Incentive from Drake Baldwin’s NL ROY in Carter Beck, also generating more bonus pool savings. They then went big in the second and third rounds on huge upside overslot prep pitchers in Kaiden McCarthy and Jensen Hirschkorn, with a less highly rated prep arm, Cole Dennis in the fourth round. I love taking advantage of the extra pick by spreading the money around. Gracia was a nice pick for what he brings to the table offensively. Given the talent-pool at the ninth pick being less exciting than in some drafts, I think it is a savvy move to pick up reportedly large savings with a still-exciting player and use that money later in the strength of the draft class — prep pitching depth.

Braves News

Our prospect team has excellent write-ups of all 5 of the Braves’ picks in an exciting Day 1 of the draft. See them here for AJ Gracia, Carter Beck, Kaiden McCarthy, Jensen Hirschkorn, and Cole Dennis.

Mike Yastrzemski hit the IL and Owen Murphy returned to Atlanta in a flurry of roster moves.

Matt Olson broke Dale Murphy’s franchise consecutive games played record.

Back on the field, the Braves had a rough night, losing 4-1 to the Cardinals.

MLB News

One of this past offseason’s biggest free agents, Zac Gallen will likely hit the IL with elbow inflammation.

Orioles’ closer Ryan Helsley is expected to avoid UCL surgery, for now at least.

Day 1 of the MLB Draft was completed, with 135 picks in our tracker.

The A’s are placing their star bat Nick Kurtz on the 10-day IL with a thumb strain.

After three seasons with the Virginia Tech Hokies, junior pitcher Brett Renfrow declared for the 2026 MLB Draft earlier this year. On Saturday, Renfrow’s dreams were realized when the Minnesota Twins selected him with the No. 74 overall pick in the second round.

Renfrow played high school baseball at Charles J. Colgan Sr. High School in Manassas, Virginia. Renfrow made history upon arriving in Blacksburg, becoming the first freshman in school history to start on opening day. He would start 15 games in 2024, going 6-4 with a 4.92 ERA with 78 strikeouts in 75 innings pitched.

In 2025, Renfrow started 15 games, going 3-7 with a 3.89 ERA over 74 innings. He struck out 84 batters while walking only 34. This past season, he started 15 games and finished with a 5-4 record and a 4.64 ERA. In 73.2 innings pitched, Renfrow struck out 88 batters and walked 25.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Renfrow is a strikeout pitcher. Here are some scouting reports on the Hokie right-hander.

Congratulations to Brett Renfrow. We’ll continue to follow along and let you guys know if any more Hokies are selected in the MLB draft this weekend.

Seventeen walks, eleven issued by the Jays, against just seven strikeouts. Really, on both sides, some of the worst pitching you’ll see in a major league game. Five Jays pitchers played, and all but Spencer Miles gave up a run.

On the positive side, the offence actually showed up. They managed seven runs on eight hits and six walks of their own, including home runs by Jonatan Clase and Vladimir Guerrero jr. It’s a little late for moral victories, but Vlad going into the All Star break having broken out of his months long slump would be a little good news.

The Jays offense took an inning to figure Walker Buehler out, recording just a Vladimir Guerrero jr. chopper for an infield single in the first. In the second, though, they pounced. Kazuma Okamoto and Daulton Varsho walked. Alejandro Kirk lined a double that plated one run, and Andres Gimenez grounded out to force a second across. That left one on for Jonatan Clase, who homered on a fly ball to right to put the Jays in front 4-2.

Trey Yesavage could not find the plate at all. 12 of his first 13 pitches were balls, loading the bases with none out in the first. He got a pop out, but then walked in a run. A sac fly added a second before he was able to get out of the inning. Staked to a lead in the second, he struck out Luis Campusano before issuing his fifth walk of the game. Then a ground out and two more walks loaded the bases, and a Manny Machado line drive single tied it at four. That was the end of a start that never really got off the ground. Adam Macko took over, but before he could complete his first at bat Machado was caught in a rundown between first and second for the third out.

The Jays could manage only a Kirk single off reliever Matt Waldron in the top of the third. Macko allowed the Padres to break the tie in the bottom half, on a hit, a line single, a stolen base and a two RBI single, putting them back on top 6-4.

Waldron walked Clase in the fourth, but the Jays couldn’t do anything with it. Braydon fisher got the first two batters in his half, but yet another walk and a pair of single plated one more for San Diego. Both teams were quiet in the fifth, with Waldron pitching a 1-2-3 inning and Mason Fluharty working around a single.

In the sixth, Yuki Matsui walked Clase and hit Nathan Lukes, setting the table for a three run Vladimir Guerrero jr. home run to left, tieing the game at seven. It was short lived, as Ty France took Fluharty deep off the Western Metal Supply Co. building for a solo home run in the home half.

Bradgley Rodriguez and Spencer Miles each sat the opposing side down in order in the seventh. Luis Urias, hitting for Gimenez, singled to lead off the eighth but Adrian Morejon struck out Clase and got a double play from Clement. Jackson Merrill singled and appeared to steal second in the bottom half, but was called out. The call survived a replay, but I have to say he looked safe and it wasn’t particularly close. The Jays were happy to take it, of course. Miles took advantage to get out of the inning, although he issued two more walks in the process.

Nathan Lukes managed a single of Mason Miller in the ninth, which is more than almost anyone has this season. Myles Straw pinch ran and stole second while Guerrero struck out. George Springer lined a ball hard 390 feet to dead centre, but Merrill made the catch at the track to prevent the comeback from coming to fruition. Miller struck Okamoto out to end the game.

Jays of the Day: Guerrero (0.17), Kirk (0.14), Clase (0.16)

Less so: Yesavage (-0.39), Macko (-0.14), Fluharty (-0.11), Springer (-0.25), Okamoto (-0.16)

Tomorrow’s the last one before the All Star break. Kevin Gausman (4-8, 4.32) will try to right the ship after a rough finish to his first half, while the Padres will start German Marquez (4-2, 5.02), who’s having a rough season of his own. We’ll get it started at 4:10pm ET.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs deconsecrated the St. Paul Saints (Twins), 8-2. It was Iowa’s fourth-straight win.

Jameson Taillon started this game on a rehab assignment and dominated. Taillon threw 4.2 innings and allowed just one hit and no runs. Taillon struck out three and walked one. He threw 53 pitches and 34 were strikes.

Ty Blach gave up two runs on two hits over the next 2.1 innings, but got the win because Taillon didn’t throw five innings. Blach walked two and struck out two.

Second baseman Ben Cowles hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning, his fifth on the year. He was 1 for 4.

Right fielder Brett Bateman was 2 for 4 with a two-run triple and a walk. Bateman also scored once.

Third baseman Owen Miller doubled twice in a 3 for 4 game. He scored once.

Center fielder James Triantos was 1 for 2 with two walks and two runs scored.

Bateman’s triple.

A strikeout for Taillon.

Cowles’ home run.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies were shelled by the Biloxi Shuckers (Brewers), 3-1.

Another great start for Jace Beck, who has allowed zero or one run in his last eight appearances. Tonight, Beck allowed one run on three hits over five innings. The one run was a solo home run. Beck struck out nine and walked just one.

Tyler Schlaffer pitched the next three innings and got the loss. He gave up two runs on one hit. Schlaffer walked one, hit one batter and struck out three.

DH Jefferson Rojas was 1 for 4 with an RBI double for the only Smokies run.

Second baseman Drew Bowser was 2 for 4 and scored the only run.

Third baseman Alex Madera was 2 for 4.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs were harvested by the Cedar Rapids Kernels (Twins) 11-7.

Starter Alfredo Romero kept the Kernels off the board for three innings, but he gave up two in the fourth and two more in the fifth. The final line on Romero was four runs on six hits over 4.2 innings. He walked one and struck out four.

The Kernels exploded for six runs in the bottom of the seventh, and losing pitcher Ben Johnson was responsible for five of them. The final line on Johnson is was five runs on two hits and two walks over one-third of an inning. One of the five runs was unearned. Johnson struck out one.

Shortstop Angel Cepeda connected in the sixth inning with a man on for his first South Bend home run and second on the year. Cepeda went 1 for 5.

Right fielder Miguel Olivo was 3 for 4 with a double, a walk and three stolen bases. Olivo scored one run and knocked home one.

Second baseman Michael Halquist was 2 for 4 with a double and a triple. He scored twice.

An RBI double for Jose Escobar, who went 1 for 4 with a sac fly and two total RBI.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans upset the Fredericksburg Nationals, 8-7.

Starter Noah Edders surrendered three runs on two hits over 4.1 innings. One fo the three runs was unearned. Edders struck out seven and walked three.

Edwardo Melendez pitched the top of the eighth and ninth innings, did not allow a run and got the win when the Pelicans scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth. Melendez gave up just one hit. He walked two and struck out three.

DH Ivan Cespedes hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth that gave the Pelicans the lead and ended up being the difference. It was Cespedes’ second home run with the Pelicans and seventh overall. He went 1 for 4.

Shortstop Alexis Hernández was 2 for 4 with a walk and a solo home run in the second inning. It was Hernández’s second home run. He also stole a base and scored twice.

Center fielder Alexey Lumpuy went 2 for 3 with a double and two walks. Lumpuy scored once.

Third baseman Derniche Valdez was 2 for 4 with a triple and a sac fly. He had two RBI and one run scored.

Second baseman Jose Silva went 1 for 2 with two walks. He scored twice and had one run batted in.

The Hernández home run.

Valdez’s triple.

Cespedes’ blast left no doubt.

ACL Cubs

Beat the Athletics, 11-3.

Right fielder Robin Ortiz hit two home runs

On Friday, JJ Wetherholt and the St. Louis Cardinals agreed to the most recent in a string of early career extensions. Wetherholt’s deal will last eight years and will buy out what would have been two free-agent years. This deal comes with Wetherholt having played fewer than 90 big league games in his career.

Many teams have looked to gain some cost certainty with their young players and have signed similar deals recently including the Pittsburgh Pirates with Konnor Griffin and the Detroit Tigers with Kevin McGonigle. Some, such as the Seattle Mariners’ Colt Emerson and Milwaukee Brewers’ Luis Lara signed extensions before having made their major league debut.

The Rockies made a similar long-term deal to a player on a rookie contract in 2024 when Ezequiel Tovar agreed to a seven year extension just after his rookie season. With the surge of new faces performing well in Denver and a handful of prospects banging on the door from Triple-A, it would seem a good time to ask the question:

Are there any Rockies rookies that the front office should be trying to sign to a long term extension now?

There are a decent number of possible candidates:

• TJ Rumfield is fresh off of two straight rookie of the month awards.
• Cole Carrigg has provided a spark to the rockies lineup since his call up in June.
• Gabriel Hughes has had two great outings since his being called up a week ago.
• Charlie Condon and Zac Veen have both been destroying baseballs for the Isotopes all season long.

If you were in Paul DePodesta’s shoes, would you be trying to lock down any of these players beyond the normal six years of service that their rookie contracts would cover? Is there someone else you’d like to see signed for the long-term?

Let us know in the comments!

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Following in the footsteps of his older brother Jaxon, who is a top prospect for the Cubs, Carson Wiggins turned electric stuff into becoming a high draft pick. Carson will have bragging rights at holidays in the Wiggins household though, as he goes No. 27 overall to the Mets in the 2026 MLB Draft while Jaxon went No. 68 overall in 2023.

Wiggins was a highly regarded prospect coming out of high school in 2024, where he first touched 100 mph as a 17-year-old. He ranked as the No. 78 prospect by Baseball America and No. 79 by MLB Pipeline in the 2024 MLB Draft. He ended up going undrafted in the 2024 class due to his strong commitment to Arkansas, where his brother also attended college.

He started his collegiate career pitching out of the bullpen for the Razorbacks, but after 14 innings in his freshman year, he underwent Tommy John surgery with an internal brace surgery and missed not only the rest of the 2025 season, but the entirety of his 2026 collegiate season as well.

When the 6-foot-5, 215-pound Wiggins is right, he possesses some of the most electric stuff in this year’s class, headlined by what MLB Pipeline graded as an 80-grade fastball that sits 99 mph and touches 102. His upper 80’s slider was untouchable in his small sample in college, generating a 74 percent whiff rate on it. He is also an excellent athlete on the mound, which is something the Mets have always sought. That athleticism would be evident if you looked up some of his high school basketball highlights.

The recently turned 21-year-old draft eligible sophomore helped his draft stock by proving to teams that he was healthy by throwing at the MLB Combine in Arizona last month. While not going full bore, Wiggins was up to 97 mph in that bullpen session and showed his patented slider as well as two pitches he seldom threw before, a curveball that he really can spin, averaging 2,719 rpm at the Combine as well as a changeup that lags behind the other offerings. The Mets also had eyes on him throwing bullpen sessions throughout the SEC schedule in the latter half of the college season.

While Wiggins was ranked as the No. 88 prospect in the 2026 class by MLB Pipeline, it was expected he would go much higher than that number. When I polled scouts, most believed he would go inside of the top 50 picks. One scout said “102 with a wipeout slider simply don’t grow on trees”.

Ultimately, if the Mets wanted Wiggins, they had to take him at No. 27. They did not have a second-round pick to hope for him to fall to, as they forfeited that as well as their compensatory fourth-round pick that they received for the Dodgers' signing of Edwin Diaz when they signed Bo Bichette who had a qualifying offer attached to him last winter.

The stuff is tantalizing, but this is going to be a bit of a project for the Mets' player development department. Wiggins has had control questions dating back to high school, and in the small sample of innings that he had in college, he walked 15.3 percent of the batters he faced. It goes without saying he has to throw more strikes at the next level.

The Mets will send Wiggins out as a starting pitcher with his increased arsenal and delivery that they believe will play as a starter. Mets vice president of amateur and international scouting Kris Gross called him a pitcher “with real frontline upside”. Starting is something Wiggins also wants, saying after being drafted: “I would like to be a starter if that opportunity comes to me, but I’m going to do whatever they (the Mets) need me to do”.

However, if starting doesn’t work out, Wiggins has the kind of stuff to profile as a late-inning reliever, perhaps even a closer type with a lethal fastball/slider combination alone.

This is a home run swing type of pick, with a wide range of potential outcomes, but given where the Mets were picking, they felt the juice was worth the squeeze.

Like his brother Jaxon, Carson had an elbow surgery that took out their final college season and both ended up high draft picks despite that. Jaxon ended up being a top 100 prospect in baseball entering 2026, and the Mets are hoping he follows in his brother’s footsteps, becoming a future top 100 prospect himself.

Cristopher Sanchez stunk the other day in Kansas City. We mentioned pitch tipping as the main reason the Royals were able to put a beatdown on him, but the simple fact was that his stuff wasn’t good, he left it over the middle of the plate and was hammered as a result.

Tonight, against the Tigers, he was back to the form that may have earned him a start at home on Tuesday in the All-Star Game, the Phillies won and they enter Sunday with Zack Wheeler on the mound to try and take another series.

The scoring started in the third when Derek Hill reached on an error, stole two bases and scored on a sacrifice fly to give them the early lead. In the bottom of the innings, Hill was able to preserve the lead with another spectacular play in centerfield to rob a certain RBI double.

In the fourth, Brandon Marsh walked to lead off, then went to second on a one out single by Bryson Stott. J.T. Realmuto followed with a double that plated both and pushed the lead to 3-0.

Hill then drove in Realmuto with a single and the score went to 4-0. From there, Sanchez settled in and cruised. He allowed a solo home run in the fifth to Eduardo Valencia, who seems to be on a career beginning heater, but that was about all that Detroit could muster. Sanchez just had it all working yet again after that minor blip against the Royals on Monday.

It did get a little hairy in the eighth when Sanchez was brought back out to start the inning only to allow the first two runners on and get replaced by Jonathan Bowlan, who promptly hit Dillon Dingler to load the bases with no one out. Bowlan then got Spencer Torkelson to ground into a double play, one of three on the night, that helped quell the threat, even if a run did score. Bowlan finished the inning, then was followed by Jhoan Duran slamming the door shut in the ninth without much of a threat.

Watching Sanchez be so bad this week was jarring a bit, but tonight reinforced why he should still be considered a favorite to win the Cy Young award. He kept Detroit off balance, found his stuff and stopped the offense in its tracks.

Wonderful to watch.

WASHINGTON — Cam Schlittler has made himself the AL Cy Young favorite in the first half by leaning heavily on three different kinds of fastballs.

The Nationals, his final test before the All-Star break, have been one of the majors’ best fastball-hitting teams.

That made for an intriguing matchup Saturday afternoon, which started poorly for Schlittler when he gave up a pair of solo home runs in the first inning before pitching into the seventh as the Yankees came back to beat the Nationals 4-2 for their third straight win.

In an ace-like effort, Schlittler rebounded from the early ambushes by not giving up a run the rest of the way, putting the finishing touches on a terrific first half (2.05 ERA) that should earn him the start for the American League in Tuesday’s All-Star Game.

“Good pitchers are going to battle through that or you’re going to crumble,” Schlittler said. “I feel like I crumbled a little bit against Detroit [two starts ago when he gave up four home runs]. I feel like I can take today as a win in terms of making those adjustments and getting deeper into the game than I probably should’ve been.”

Schlittler did not have his best command either, tying a season high with four walks while striking out six.

But he settled into a groove as he got deeper into the game and finished with 6 ²/₃ innings — helping out his bullpen and keeping the Yankees within striking distance so they could come back to win it.

“Just a bunch of resilience, making pitches, competing,” said Trent Grisham, who delivered the go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth.

Up next could be a start in the All-Star Game, on what would essentially be Schlittler’s between-starts bullpen day.

Aaron Boone said before the game that there was a “good chance” Schlittler would be able to throw in the game, and while the right-hander said he did not yet know if he has the green light, he expected to find out in the next day or two.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS

“If I’m comfortable doing that, then I’ll do that,” he said. “It’d be a cool experience. I’m not gonna lie, I’m not too worried about it. I got more things to worry about in terms of this team and how we’ve been playing. I like how it’s been the last couple days.”

David Bednar, after throwing two innings to close out Friday’s win, came back for the ninth inning Saturday to record his 18th save of the season.

He now has a career-long 19-inning scoreless streak after an up-and-down start to the year.

“I think just finding my form and being aggressive,” Bednar said. “Being aggressive in the zone and trusting all three of my pitches. Whenever I’m able to be in the zone with all three, I’m able to have success.”

Max Fried (left elbow bone bruise) was in line to throw about 45 pitches in a simulated game Saturday afternoon at Double-A Somerset.

If he recovers well from it in the coming days, he should be cleared to start a rehab assignment after the All-Star break, giving him a chance to return to the Yankees by early August.

The Texas Rangers scored three runs but the Houston Astros scored nine runs.

Kumar Rocker made a couple of mistakes in the first inning. The first one wasn’t quite as big as the one that followed but he did allow an 0-2 single to Jeremy Pena to lead off the game. That was a mistake because that meant Yordan Alvarez was up with a runner on base.

That therefore meant the Rangers trailed 2-0 because Rocker’s second mistake was throwing a 93 MPH fastball right down the middle to the only player in baseball with an OPS north of 1.000.

Rocker eventually made many more mistakes, including allowing a third inning grand slam to LaMonte Wade Jr. on another pitch right down the middle. Before his day was over, Rocker also allowed a solo dong to Christian Vazquez in the top of the fourth on, you guessed it, a pitch right down the middle.

About the best you can say about Rocker’s evening is that he gave a beleaguered Texas staff 5 2/3 innings despite allowing seven of the nine runs. The final tallies came in the top of the ninth when Chris Martin entered and allowed a couple runs in what should be the final appearance of his big league career if the Rangers are being serious.

Granted, Martin was the only person to get Alvarez out all night so maybe there’s still some juice in the old fella’s right arm.

The bats, meanwhile, collected just one run on three hits over six innings against someone named Peter Lambert. By the time they got to the Houston bullpen for a couple of runs in the ninth, it was already way too late.

The Rangers have gone 3-6 against Houston this season meaning one more loss will end their quest to secure the Silver Boot in 2026.

Player of the Game: Ezequiel Duran connected for two home runs and drove in all three of Texas’ runs.

Up Next: The Rangers close out the first half of the season with a rubber match against these Astros. Neither team has listed a starting probable.

The Sunday afternoon first half finale from The Shed is scheduled 1:35 pm CDT and it will be aired on the Rangers Sports Network.

You would be hard-pressed to find a more relaxing night of baseball as an Orioles fan than the team’s smooth 6-1 win over the Royals on Saturday night. Kyle Bradish twirled a gem, taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning, and the lineup pounded four home runs in support.

Bradish put together one of his better starts of the season. There were really just two innings with some worrying moments. In the third inning, a error by Jackson Holliday, followed by a Carter Jensen walk, put two runners on base ahead of Bobby Witt Jr. That threat quickly dissipated when Witt popped up the first pitch of the at-bat. And then there was the seventh inning, where Jac Caglianone led off with Kansas City’s first hit of the day, moved to second on a ground out, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and then scored on a sac fly.

Now, this was not Bradish at his absolute best. In fact, he was battling quite a bit. His velocity was down slightly. As was his whiff rate (20%) and strikeout rate (five across 6.2 innings). And yet, the Royals struggled to square the ball up. Oftentimes that is the mark of a top tier pitcher, to turn in an impressive showing with less-than-ideal stuff. His season ERA is down to 3.61, the lowest it has been since May 31.

On offense, the Orioles were powerful and efficient. They had one at-bat with a runner in scoring position and cashed in. The other five runs all came in on the quartet of home runs that they bashed.

Samuel Basallo had the team’s one hit with a runner in scoring position. That came in the second inning. Pete Alonso had doubled ahead of him and Basallo singled him in on a slider at his knees. Those two base knocks were the Orioles only hits that didn’t leave the yard. It was a “three true outcomes” kind of night.

Alonso got in on the fun with his 21st long ball of the season. That was a two-run shot in the fourth inning to score Taylor Ward

Coby Mayo had the two hardest hit balls of the evening. In the second inning, he lined out on a ball hit 112.8 miles per hour. In the fifth inning, he launched a ball 440 feet at 110.4 miles per hour for his 12th homer of the year. Have we mentioned that he likes facing left-handed pitching?

Ward launched his sixth dong of the season. It’s his first home run since June 22nd, yet another long stretch for a player that was expected to challenge for the team lead in round-trippers.

Gunnar Henderson was the final Oriole to go yard. He left the park in the eighth inning with a 417-foot bomb to right-center field for his 17th homer of the year.

This lineup was designed to win with power. It hasn’t happened as much this year as the front office would have probably liked for it to. But sometimes they have nights like this and make it very easy to understand what all of the spreadsheets and analysis were illustrating to Mike Elias back in the winter.

The bullpen was also good in this one. Grant Wolfram came on to wrap up the seventh inning for Bradish. He did that, and then got two more outs for fun. Yennier Cano struck out the lone batter he faced in the eighth inning. And then Tyler Wells came on for a shutout ninth inning.

It was an odd sensation to watch this team play a relatively easy game like this. They were in control throughout, and it never felt like things were about to go sideways. That must be how fans of competitive teams feel every night.

On top of that, the Orioles gained a full game in the wild card race tonight. So now, despite the uneven play throughout the first half, they find themselves just two games out of a playoff spot. The win tonight also made it three in a row. They are yet to win four in a row this season. If they reach that threshold on the final day before the all-star break, it will give all of us some very different vibes with trade season on the horizon.

The O’s and Royals will wrap up the unofficial first half of their seasons on Sunday afternoon at Camden Yards. Shane Baz (4-9, 4.21 ERA) is set to duel with Seth Lugo (3-6, 4.56 ERA). First pitch is 1:35.

Most Birdland Player, July 11. 2026

Who do you think was the Most Birdland Player in this Orioles win? Here are some nominees for your consideration, but feel free to name your own in the comments.

• Kyle Bradish (win, 6.2 innings, two hits, one run, two walks, five strikeouts)
• Pete Alonso (2-for-4, home run, double, two RBI, two runs
• Coby Mayo (home run, hitting left-handed pitching really, really hard)
• Grant Wolfram (cleaned up Bradish’s mini jam in the seventh)