A semi-random stop over for the D-backs in St. Louis, on their way to Washington. This is the make-up of a game which was rained out at Busch Stadium on June 25. Much to the ire of Paul Sewald, who clearly felt there was enough warning for the game time to have been moved up, and the cancellation avoided. It’d be nice if he successfully closed out a save opportunity in this afternoon’s game. A win would definitely be helpful, since we go into this game in sole possession of the third wild-card, but by the narrowest of margins over the Cardinals and Pirates (who are off today). Victory would put us 1.5 up on St. Louis and a game over Pittsburgh.

The bullpen looks in a better state today. The blowout win yesterday allowed Torey Lovullo to run out debutant Gerardo Carrillo for an extended spell – his 42 pitches was a season high. With a 12-run lead in the ninth, he then turned to Ildemaro Vargas, who became the first Arizona position player to pitch in a win. And, as far as I can tell, the first player to pitch the day after having a walk-off hit. I’m still digging into this, mostly from the angle of the surprisingly high (218!) number of pitchers to get walk-off hits. There’s only one of those after 1994 though: Randy Keisler of the Reds did so in the 14th inning of a game against Washington in 2005. More on all that some off-day.

I won’t be about for the end of this. Going off with Mrs. SnakePit, the SnakePitette and her teenage stepdaughter, SurlySnakette, to the Titanic exhibition in Scottsdale. Which explains the home-page picture: it is not intended as a visual representation of Sewald’s season trajectory as our closer. Curious to see what it’s like. Hopefully, considerably shorter than the 195 minutes of James Cameron’s version (I was largely on #TeamIceberg for that one). Pretty much all I know about the disaster, comes from the movie. Which I’m sure was an entirely factual and accurate representation of events. Report to follow tomorrow, I imagine.

Some team will give the Cincinnati Reds something semi-tangible for the services of Brady Singer. The veteran righty eschewed a miserable start to the season and has turned things completely around, pitching to a 2.92 ERA and 3.56 FIP across 52.1 IP during his last 9 starts. That includes his typical durability as well as pitching into the 7th inning in four of those outings.

That’s got a bit of value even if he will be a free agent at season’s end. Someone will give the Reds something, even if it’s likely to be a lottery ticket we won’t hear about for years down the road. Singer, admittedly, at least gives the Reds front office an avenue to a legitimate (even if far off) prospect.

The thing is, the rest of the free agents to-be on the Reds roster don’t actually afford the front office that opportunity right now given how poorly they’ve collectively performed this season. That’s certainly the case for Eugenio Suarez and his $15 million deal, while Caleb Ferguson ($4.5 million) and Pierce Johnson ($5.5 million) have both chipped in with sub-par seasons out of the bullpen. Even Brock Burke’s durability (league-high 51 appearances and 2.79 ERA) are sunk by a plummeting K-rate, just a 1.38 K/BB, and unsightly 4.45 FIP so far in his first season with the Reds.

Could the Reds potentially get something back of value for Tyler Stephenson? Perhaps, as valuing catchers (especially in the age of ABS challenges) is a bit diffucult to do. Still, the number of times catchers get traded into pennant races mid-year with how hard it is to learn entirely new pitching staffs is woefully small, and it’s hard to envision any club going over the top to land a backstop with just a 94 OPS+ at this juncture.

Even Nathaniel Lowe, whose 116 OPS+ this season matches his career number, will be a hard sell for the Reds. They’ll likely get something for him as teams search for 1B/DH types who can hit RHP, but there’s a reason Lowe couldn’t even land a big league deal guaranteed this offseason in the first place.

The reality is that aside from Singer, and Stephenson if you squint, the Reds really aren’t going to get much for the rest of their pending free agents. The group of Suarez, Ferguson, Burke, Johnson, and Ty Steves have the prorated portion of roughly $34.2 million left on their contracts, or just shy of $13 million between now and the end of the season. So, if the Reds are truly going to move them for next to nothing in return player-wise, they’ll be moving them simply to try to recoup some of that $13ish million that is still owed their way.

In Suarez’s case, they’ll likely have to eat a couple million of even that prorated total just to get a team to take a flyer on him, which they’ll still undoubtedly do due to there being enough streakiness in his bat to make his first half numbers a bit more irrellevant. They’ll take him for that reason, sure, but they aren’t going to pay the Reds as if he’s actually been a 49 dinger a season guy to do so.

So, it’s $13 million for the Castellinis to decide over. Is it worth a $13 million gamble that the Reds, at 47-54 and 5.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot right now, might have a miracle run in them down the stretch now that Hunter Greene is back? There are still a half-dozen teams ahead of them in that chase, of course, and even when this team shot out to a 20-11 record to start the year they never once looked good enough to play the kind of ball they’d need to play down the stretch to make it reality. Or, rather, is having $13 million back in the checkbook to spend (or pocket) in other ways next year and punting this season completely into the sun the look they want to give off after so many other years of premature disappointment?

Some times during teardowns and sell-offs, it’s about moving old pieces for new pieces because the someone actually wants the old ones elsewhere. This time, though, it’s going to come down to just cold, hard cash. I think we all know what that means with this ownership group, though.

2023 Yankees first-round pick George Lombard Jr. entered the season with questions about his offense. Scouts, fans, and media all agreed that his defense was—and is—MLB-ready, but there were still doubts about his ability to hit big-league or high-minors pitching right out of the gate.

It’s safe to say that Lombard has done his best to put those concerns to rest. Even though they still exist to some extent, which is natural for a 21-year-old with no college baseball experience, Lombard is showing that his promotion to the majors is a matter of time. It’s safe to say that the shortstop prospect and top name in the Yankees’ system has gotten so much better at the sweet science of hitting, and he is now knock, knock, knocking on the door of Yankee Stadium.

The highly athletic Lombard is now on a 15-game hitting streak (interrupted by an injured list stint) in which he entered play yesterday slashing an incredible .400/.475/.860 with five dingers, a 1.335 OPS, a 222 wRC+, and 14 runs scored. In fact, he did this on his first game back from the shelf last week:

Missed him? So did we. 💣

George Lombard Jr. homers in his first at-bat off the IL!#RepBXpic.twitter.com/efkSZ1D70D

— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) July 18, 2026

Lombard began Wednesday batting .249/.389/.414 with five long balls, eight stolen bases, and a 116 wRC+ in 45 games and 211 plate appearances on the season in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. This comes after slashing a robust .312/.400/.571 with a 157 wRC+ in 20 games and 90 trips to the plate in Double-A Somerset to open 2026.

Lombard’s incredible ability to make adjustments is evident if you zoom in to his game log with the RailRiders. After a brief adjustment period from the moment he was promoted to Triple-A on April 29th until May 16th, he slashed a putrid .127/.351/.127 with a .479 OPS and a 58 wRC+. Yes, he drew some walks, but wasn’t a good hitter and took a little while to get going.

From that point forward, however, Lombard has hit a jaw-dropping .316/.427/.607 with 13 doubles, seven round-trippers, a 1.033 OPS and a 161 wRC+ in 143 plate appearances. It’s not a huge sample, but it’s significantly more than nothing and enough to get people’s attention.

It will be interesting to see how Lombard impacts the Yankees’ Trade Deadline. New York could theoretically call him up at any point when they deem he’s ready, but it seems most likely that if it happens, it will be once August 3rd has come and gone and they know what their depth chart looks like at the six in the home stretch. If, say, Anthony Volpe ends up on the move, then it would be logical to see Lombard come up and bump José Caballero to his more natural utility role. Unlike other occasions in which fans have clamored for his name as an MLB option, this time he does seem ready for the challenge.

It is, of course, also possible that Lombard is the key man in a big swing, as much as it seems more probable that they’ll keep him. If the Yankees do indeed hold onto him and give the kid a chance to contribute in the next few weeks, he could give the team a significant boost. His excellent defense would go a long way toward fortifying the left side of the infield, and we know it can be a liability sometimes. His bat, however, will dictate his ceiling and how much he can help this season.

Lombard hasn’t shown any marked platoon issues in the 67 games he has played in the high minors this year. He boasts a 1.123 OPS against lefties, and a .813 mark while facing righties: he is much better vs. southpaws but can more than hold his own vs. right-handed hurlers. It is worth noting that he has needed a little bit of an adjustment at each level, so it might take a bit for everything to click (if indeed it does; remember that Volpe was the can’t-miss name not so long ago, as was the since-departed Oswald Peraza before him).

The Yankees can afford to keep Lombard a few more weeks in Scranton while they work out their strategy, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that he doesn’t really have much left to prove there. The promising prospect, once a slick-fielding, light-hitting infielder with limited potential, is blossoming into a future star with the glove and with the bat.

The cadence of the long baseball season lends itself to lots of streaks. Nobody in a Cubs uniform understands that better this year than Nico Hoerner. The Cubs second baseman has had an unusually streaky season that saw a red hot April fade into a soul-crushing slump beginning in May that had fans wondering if perhaps there were lingering effect from the ball that hit him in the helmet on April 29. Whether there were lingering effects of that or not, Nico’s been on another torrid tear since the All-Star break so today I wanted to take a closer look Nico’s 2026 season and what fans can expect going forward.

An MVP April

Hoerner signed his six-year, $141 million extension in March, and instead of the predictable post-deal letdown, he came out of the gate playing like a top-five player in the National League. Through the season’s first month, he was doing everything, slashing .291/.370/.449 while striking out just 9.6 percent of the time with an uncharacteristic four home runs on top of his normal elite defense. His wRC+ of 129 indicated he was 29 percent better than league average at creating runs for a Cubs team that looked like they might just steamroll the division. That extension was looking like a bargain for a player who might be leveling up on the power front, like this leadoff home run in Tampa Bay in early April [VIDEO].

The slump

Baseball is nothing if not capricious, however, and one of the worst stretches of Nico’s career followed his hot start to the 2026 season. From May 1 until the All-Star break Hoerner slashed .202/270/.263. He lowered his strikeout rate to 6.9 percent, but nothing else was really going right. What’s pretty strange about the whole affair is nothing in the numbers really looked off. His hard hit rate was about 4 percent higher in April, but a 29.6 percent hard hit rate vs. a 25.1% hard hit rate shouldn’t really be the difference between hitting .300 and hitting at the Mendoza line. Similarly, he pulled the ball slightly more in April (38.3 percent) v. 33.3 percent in the months that followed. But again, nothing that screamed a change in approach that should cause the type of fall off the Cubs were seeing from Hoerner.

In fact, the one stat that looks like an outlier during this 63-game stretch was an uncharacteristically low .216 BABIP. That mark is .081 off the .297 BABIP Nico put up in March and April, and .084 off his career mark of .300. I’ll spare you every set of permutations I ran at FanGraphs looking for correlations, only to land on “this really looks like bad BABIP luck,” as you can see below:

A resurgence since the All-Star break

The good news about slumps that are luck-based rather than skill-based is that they almost always tend to regress to the mean. While it may seem counterintuitive, regression can be good or bad depending on the direction of the outlier. In Nico’s case, that could mean the hot streak he’s had since the All Star Break may be the start of his season returning to his career norms.

Since the All-Star break Nico’s hitting .407/.407/.481. with a slightly elevated 11.1% strikeout rate and an uncharacteristic stretch of not talking a walk. Admittedly, a six-game, 27 plate appearance sample size is minuscule, but if Nico’s struggles over the last two-plus months are truly the result of batted-ball luck, as I suspect they might be, this hot start since the break is possibly the beginning of another hot streak. That would be good news for a Cubs team fighting to stay at the top of the National League Wild Card standings with 60 regular season games left to play.

Following a disappointing series loss to the New York Yankees that concluded with another bullpen meltdown, the Pittsburgh Pirates return home to begin a stretch of games that could define their aggressiveness at the trade deadline.

The Pirates are 53-50 and entered Thursday just a half-game back of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final wild card in the National League.

Arizona comes to PNC Park on Monday, but first a three-game weekend series against the Cubs sets the table for Yinzerpalooza Weekend.

Pittsburgh is 4.5 back of Chicago, which holds the top wild card in the NL, but 

The Bucs took two of three from the Cubs at Wrigley Field in mid-April, nearly sweeping the series before the bullpen gave the lead up (a sign of what was to come), and split a four-game set in mid-May. 

The teams haven’t played each other in two months and have both been defined by their offense during that stretch.

A year after finishing bottom five in nearly every offensive category, the Pirates are first in hits per game (9.1), tied for first in batting average (.261), second in on-base percentage (.339), second in runs scored (5.3), third in slugging (.424), and third in OPS (.763). 

Shockingly, the Pirates have hit more home runs (132) than the Cubs (128) after totaling only 117 last season, dead last in baseball.

The Pirates have won 27 games at PNC Park in 2026 (27-24), while the Cubs have the same win total away from Wrigley Field (27-23). 

The Bucs are 17-12 against the NL Central in 2026 after only winning 19 games against the four teams last season (19-33). 

On paper, the Pirates have the upper hand with the starting pitching matchups, including two All-Stars.

Jared Jones will oppose Matthew Boyd on Friday night. Paul Skenes takes the hill on Saturday against Shota Imanaga, a lefty who has notoriously dominated the Pirates. Braxton Ashcraft will go to the mound in the finale against former Pirate Jameson Taillon.

The Pirates have been bad against left-handed starting pitchers and are tied for the third-fewest wins against southpaws.

Don Kelly’s lefty-heavy lineup is 9-20 against left-handed starters, tied with the Marlins (9-16) and just better than the Royals (8-21) and Mets (7-20) for the poorest performances in all of baseball.

It’s something the Pirates must improve upon moving forward if they’re going to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

The bullpen remains a mess and hasn’t been positively addressed all year, longing for the trading deadline on August 3 to fix all the problems. 

A losing streak could change the Pirates’ level of aggressiveness a week and a half from now, benefiting the rest of the division.

Pittsburgh is battling Arizona, Miami, Washington, and St. Louis for the final wild card, but does have a chance to chase down Chicago for a bigger prize.

The Pirates’ top three starters are pitching, and it’s pivotal that the Bucs win the series to gain ground on the Cubs and continue their success in the NL Central.

Had it all the way – what a completely normal and resounding series win for your Atlanta Braves. Win number 60 and taking three out of four from the Padres at home… Per the game notes, the Padres have beaten the Braves more than any other team since the beginning of last year (10-3), so this feels particularly sweet.

Chris Sale did his job, and the math checks out to me that four home runs are greater than one. The Braves loved the longball in this come-from-behind win at Truist Park this afternoon. 

Chris Sale’s rocky second inning was not entirely on his shoulders. A Gavin Sheets single, a Freddy Fermin single, and Jake Cronenworth HBP had the bases loaded with two outs. Mauricio Dubón’s misplay in left field would loom large when Sale walked Fernando Tatis Jr. to give the Padres their first run. He had Luis Rengifo down 0-2, but Rengifo’s single to right drove in two to make it 3-0. 

Sale settled in nicely after that, and the offense had their marching orders.

The Padres, weirdly half-committed to their last-minute plan to use an opener, sent out reliever Kyle Hart to start the game. He only needed five pitches to throw up a zero and looked like he was in great shape to continue mowing down Braves hitters. But the Padres gave the ball to planned starting pitcher Griffin Canning to start the second. And for that, we thank them. 

The good for Canning – he lasted two more innings than the last time he faced the Braves a month ago. Other than immediately giving up a tank to Michael Harris II to lead off the second, he even had a stretch of retiring six Braves. 

But that streak came to an end in the bottom of the fourth, courtesy of Ozzie Albies. His solo homer chipped away at the Padres lead to make it 3-2. 

After a Matt Olson popup, a Harris II single and Dubón reaching on catcher’s interference set the table for a sorely-missed sight: a big Dominic Smith moment. An absolute bomb to the Chophouse gave the Braves the 5-3 lead. 

And so the score would stay for a bit. Chris Sale racked up double-digit strikeouts, ending his day with eleven. He surrendered five hits and walked one in his six innings of work. Dylan Dodd replaced him and threw a perfect inning with one strikeout.

Catching for three straight days didn’t phase Drake Baldwin. The reigning NL Player of the Week is an absolute freak (complimentary), golfing a home run in the seventh to make it 6-3 Braves. Spoiler alert: this would be a much more important homer than it seemed in the moment!

Do you get deja vu? Because it became two straight games where the Braves offense tacked on some insurance runs that felt like “nice to haves” before every single one ended up being crucial. Things went from comfortable to concerning in the top of the eighth when Tyler Kinley gave up a two-run homer to the hot-hitting Ty France to make it a one-run game. Danny Young entered and got Gavin Sheets to fly out to center to end the frame. 

The Braves wouldn’t get any more breathing room in the bottom of the eighth with Harris II, Dubón, and Riley going down quickly. 

Raisel Iglesias, just like last night, was tasked with getting three outs to seal a win for the Braves. He started solidly facing two pinch-hitters at the bottom of the Padres order, striking out Sung-Mun Song and getting Jackson Merrill to fly out to left. “A one-run game is dramatic enough, Iggy,” I said. “But it could be spicier,” he seemed to reply. Consecutive singles from nine-hole hitter Jake Cronenworth and Tatis Jr. built up the familiar dread and brought Luis Rengifo to the plate. Rengifo had been a menace this series AND had a homer off Iggy last night. Cool cool cool.

One changeup for a swinging strike. A second changeup, fouled off. And finally, a four-seam fastball for strike three. Raise your arms up to the sky and/or unclench, lunchtime crowd. Braves win another close one, 6-5.

Happy flight! Old friend Pete Alonso and his Orioles await the Braves as they begin a three-game set in Baltimore starting tomorrow night. 

PARODY PARODY PARODY

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This weekend, I’ll be recording a live episode of my Star Trek podcast, Trek Marry Kill, at San Diego Comic-Con as part of the official convention (come say hi!*), but it wasn’t the only panel I submitted for consideration. I figured that since sports fans are as fanatical as comic book and pop culture fans that it’d be okay to sprinkle a little sports into the mix, and there are plenty of weirdos out there like me who dances between these worlds with ease; but folks, would it surprise you to learn that none of my San Francisco Giants panels were accepted? So, for your reading pleasure, here are San Francisco Giants-themed panels rejected by Comic-Con.

Willie Mays: The World’s First Superhero

It’s been said that Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game was invented solely for the great Willie Mays, and when you look at all of his highlights he seems as close to human beings have come to seeing Superman in real life. He was so famous that they even made a comic book of the story of his life! Baseball blogger Bryan Murphy from SB Nation’s McCovey Chronicles is joined by Superman director James Gunn and baseball legend Barry Bonds to discuss his legacy.

What if it’s all a simulation? Yes, even that.

The 2026 San Francisco Giants will go down as one of the worst teams in franchise history and has an outside shot of having one of the worst seasons in professional sports due to a combination of on-field incompetence and off-field statements, but is this misery they seem keen to inflict on a quasi-captive audience (their devoted fans) evidence of Simulation Theory? Is this season proof that Giants fans live in The Matrix or have stumbled into The Amazing Digital Circus? Come test the bounds of reality with baseball blogger Bryan Murphy from SB Nation’s McCovey Chronicles along with actors Keanu Reeves (The Matrix, Destination Wedding) and Michael McKean (Spinal Tap, the episode of Star Trek: Voyager where he plays a clown that tortures people caught in his simulation).

Posters: The Last Generation

Back in the late 1900s, Bay Area baseball fans could collect two iconic wall posters: THE BASH BROTHERS, featuring disgraced sluggers Mark McGwire & Jose Canseco and PACIFIC SOCK EXCHANGE, featuring the problematic duo of Kevin Mitchell & Will Clark. Baseball blogger Bryan Murphy from SB Nation’s McCovey Chronicles is joined by Giants fan Lars Ulrich (Spinal Tap II: The End Continues) and A’s fan Andy Samberg (Zootopia 2) to decide which was the better poster and why it’s been tough to follow in either’s footsteps.

Baseball Movies That Suck

Whether it’s Robert De Niro stalking a star player or Austin Butler playing a washed up star, the San Francisco Giants have really gotten a raw deal when it comes to on-screen portrayals, despite being one of the winningest franchises in pro sports and home to legends like Willie Mays, Barry Bonds, and Buster Posey. Is that because Hollywood is run by Dodgers fans or is it because they’re a franchise that’s inherently un-cinematic?Baseball blogger Bryan Murphy from SB Nation’s McCovey Chronicles is joined by New York Times film critic Manohla Dargisto dissect and analyze this troubling issue.

Captain Sisko’s All-Star Team

Back in 1998, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine produced the episode “Take Me Out to the Holosuite,” where Captain Sisko put together a crew of Niners to take on some surly Vulcans in a baseball game on the holosuite and, thanks to the fandom of episode writer Ronald D. Moore, wore a San Francisco Giants hat.

If Captain Sisko could’ve used holographic players from 2026, who would he have chosen? Baseball blogger Bryan Murphy from SB Nation’s McCovey Chronicles is joined by ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith to discuss and decide.

So, your favorite franchise has been run into the ground. Now what?

If there’s one thing Star Wars fans and baseball fans have in common, it’s complaining about the consequences of their favorite franchise’s poor leadership. By simply swapping out some proper nouns, Solo: A Star Wars Story can be easily compared to doing what the San Francisco Giants did this winter in hiring a college coach with no major league experience to manage their world-famous team into the ground(?). Baseball blogger Bryan Murphy from SB Nation’s McCovey Chronicles hosts a panel featuring Alex and Mollie Damon from YouTube’s Star Wars Explained, Mike Trout of MLB’s Los Angeles Angels, Kevin Feige of Marvel Studios, and Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors.

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Now, I’m sure these were all rejected for not being in tune with Comic-Con International’s goals, but I’m sure there’s a Padres component to this. Petco Park is right around the corner from the convention center. They’re a very big deal, and the Giants are a rival. Maybe I could’ve tightened up some of the descriptions or under-promised the Q ratings of the various panelists, but there you have it. What could have been, for comics and sports geeks alike.

*-Oh, to be clear: the Trek Marry Kill panel is the only real part of this parody post.

Winning streaks bring a life of their own to a clubhouse, each day presenting another opportunity to extend the joy and methodically build a feeling of invincibility.

Inevitably the streak ends and everyone sighs, reflects and returns to work. The Boston Red Sox lost the second game of a doubleheader Wednesday to end a win streak that tied an 80-year-old club record when it reached 15 in the opener.

Boston interim manager Chad Tracy stepped into the clubhouse to say a few words afterward but saw veteran players Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray speaking to the team and allowed them the moment.

“We just won 15 games in a row, and I think all of us knew it was going to end at some point,” Tracy said.

Call it the “Tracy Turnaround” redux.

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Tracy had never managed, coached or played at the major league level before replacing Alex Cora on April 25, but he was well-versed in experiencing the glorious ride of a winning streak and its abrupt end. His father, Jim Tracy, managed the Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies from 2001-2012.

Like his son, Jim Tracy was given an interim manager title when he replaced Clint Hurdle in May 2009 after Colorado’s poor start. It took only a few weeks before the Rockies won 11 games in a row, 17 of 18 and finished 74-42 to make the playoffs.

This year’s Red Sox can only hope their U-turn under Chad Tracy mirrors his dad’s. Boston was 32-46 before winning 20 of 23, including the 15-game win streak.

No surprise that father and son discussed the similarities. Chad was a double-A first baseman with the Texas Rangers in 2009 and closely followed his dad’s fortunes.

“I remember the [Rockies’] run,” Chad said. “You know, we talk very basically about just, he’s excited [about the Red Sox]. He’s a baseball fan. He’s watching constantly, and he’s fired up for it. So, like, we haven’t done a whole lot of comparing to that, but he’s just — he’s a Boston Red Sox fan.”

Read more:Ex-Dodger Alex Cora's wild roller-coaster departure from the Red Sox explained

Jim was rewarded by becoming the second interim manager in MLB history to win the Manager of the Year award. Chad could be in the running to be the third, especially if the Red Sox make the playoffs.

They already are only the sixth father-son combo to manage in the major leagues, following Bob and Aaron Boone, George and Dick Sisler, Bob and Joel Skinner, Buddy and David Bell, and Felipe Alou and Luis Rojas.

The achievement isn’t lost on Jim Tracy, who became so emotional upon learning his son was named interim Red Sox manager he pulled his car to the side of the road. He attended Chad’s first game, a victory over the Baltimore Orioles, on the top step of the dugout.

“One thing that jumped out at me,” Jim Tracy said, “was that when he was presented to the media, his body language in the dugout…. he was not overwhelmed or fazed with anything that was going on. He was ready to do whatever was asked of him.”

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That Chad replaced Cora, who led the Red Sox to the 2018 World Series title in his first season, elicited mixed feelings. Cora played with the Dodgers from 1998-2004, including four seasons under Jim.

“It’s a wonderful day, but in some respects, it’s bittersweet,” Jim said the day of Chad’s managerial debut. “I’m proud of [Chad], but the Tracy family loves and respects Alex Cora.

“You have to go back with some special years I had in Los Angeles and Alex was very much a part of that. Bittersweet is the right word because Alex was so good to my son and took such good care of him. But it was reciprocated.”

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Game #103.

Some runs would be nice. Some defense too.

The Jays made another move, picking up outfielder Rudy Martin off waivers from the Orioles. The Orioles had just picked him up in trade from the Royals and DFAed him, which I imagine we’ll be doing soon enough.

He is a 30-year-old left-handed hitting outfielder who hasn’t played in the majors yet. In Triple-A he has hit .284/..414/.441 with 8 homers, 33 walks and 41 strikeouts in 244 plate appearance. I don’t know that we need another lefty hitting outfielder, but if we have a roster spot, why not?

We have a post up about the roster moves.

A bit of a change to the batting order:

Score please.

Go Rays!

The Yankees’ offense still feels stuck in first gear but fortunately their bullpen has transformed into one of the most shutdown units in the sport, which alongside stellar starting pitching has led to three wins in their last four. One of the biggest factors in the bullpen’s turnaround in form has been the performances of Brent Headrick, who earns his second nod on Sequence of the Week.

We join Headrick with two outs in the top of the seventh in Monday’s series opener against the Pirates. The bases are empty, but Pittsburgh’s most dangerous hitter is stepping to the plate. Rookie outfielder Esmerlyn Valdez has done nothing but rake since getting called up amid the Bucs’ rash of injuries, leading MLB with a 242 wRC+ since June 19th and seven home runs in eight games leading into the doubleheader. He represents the Pirates’ biggest threat as the Yankees attempt to protect their 8-5 lead.

Valdez has done the majority of his damage against the heater, but that doesn’t deter Headrick, who fearlessly attacks with a first-pitch four-seamer as if daring Valdez to beat his best with his own best.

Valdez doesn’t bite on this low four-seamer, only to watch it clip the bottom ledge of the zone for a called strike one as the pitch does not drop as much over its course toward home as one might expect. It’s such a valuable pitch to earn the strike one call as it now forces Valdez to respect any pitch that starts aimed at the bottom of the zone, thus opening up limitless opportunity for chase and whiff with secondaries below the zone.

That is exactly Headrick’s thinking, as he follows the heater up with a splitter below the zone looking for a chase.

This is a really impressive take from Valdez. The four-seamer exits Headrick’s hand out of a similar tunnel as the pitch that was just called a low strike, only to drop off the table about halfway toward home. Valdez reads it well as it bounces in the dirt beyond home for ball one.

Perhaps sensing that Valdez will not be easily tempted into chase below the zone, Headrick returns to the four-seamer.

It’s amazing how many whiffs Headrick gets on four-seamers just like this one. This pitch seems like a cookie at just 94 mph and pretty much down the middle. However, we see time and again how Headrick’s four-seamer almost explodes on the hitter, resulting in late swings beneath the pitch. That’s because Headrick gets elite extension and induced vertical break on the pitch, turning it into an invisiball of sorts as it plays up well above its velocity.

That whiff underneath the four-seamer is just the reinforcement Headrick needs to throw another one, he and Austin Wells looking to climb the ladder with the pitch.

This is the definition of a perfect four-seamer, dotted on the corner up and away with elite riding life. Once again, Valdez whiffs underneath, unable to adjust his swing path to a fastball that flies truer than many hitters are used to seeing.

Here’s the full sequence:

Headrick has been at the heart of the Yankees’ bullpen renaissance that has seen some unlikely heroes step up including Paul Blackburn and Angel Chivilli as well as a rediscovery of shutdown form from David Bednar. Those four relievers have allowed just six earned runs in their last combined 95.1 innings. Headrick in particular has quietly become one of the best relievers in MLB this year, placing in the top-ten in ERA (1.40), FIP (2.19), and fWAR (1.5). He has not allowed a run in 43 of his 51 appearances, which is the most in the majors, even more than the Padres’ historically good closer Mason Miller.

If the relief corps can keep up this level of performance combined with a starting rotation that just got Max Fried back with Carlos Rodón’s own return from injury looming on the horizon, this becomes a tough pitching staff to score against from top to bottom.

The Cubs offense has been solid at times this year, sputtering at others. They currently rank fourth in MLB in runs with 520, six ahead of the division rival Brewers.

One of the reasons for all those runs is that the Cubs lead MLB in walks with 448, significantly ahead of the second-best Brewers (420). That’s 4.39 walks per game, and if they keep up that pace they will finish with 712 walks, which would demolish the franchise record. That’s 656 walks, which was set in the World Series title year of 2016. The previous record of 650 was set in 1975.

A bit about that 1975 team before I talk more about this year’s Cubs walks. The 1975 Cubs were a very good offensive team. They scored 712 runs, which in that lower-offense era was tied for third-best in the National League. That team got off to a 20-10 start and was still in first place in the NL East as late as June 6.

What happened? The pitching staff, which was atrociously bad. They allowed 827 runs, which was the most in the NL — by 88! The Braves, who lost 94 games, were second-worst. Rick Reuschel, who posted a 3.73 ERA in 38 games (37 starts), was the only starter with an ERA under 4.00. That sounds okay now, perhaps, but in that lower-offense era Reuschel’s ERA ranked 23rd among 39 qualified starters.

Darold Knowles, a World Series hero with the A’s in 1972, had been acquired and though he posted 15 saves, that came with a 5.81 ERA and seven blown saves. In an era when good relievers were called “firemen,” Knowles became known as “The Torch” because he’d come in and make bad situations worse.

Back to 2026: The Cubs walked 11 times in Tuesday’s win over the Tigers. That was the 46th time in 102 games this year that the team has had at least five walks. They’ve had 33 games with at least six and 17 with at least seven, and the 11 Tuesday matched the team’s season high (also June 19 in the 16-2 blowout of the Blue Jays). All of those walks have done a great job in helping score all the runs the Cubs have put on the board. Interestingly, they have done this with only two players in the top 10 in walks in the NL (Michael Busch is second with 65 and Ian Happ is 10th with 56). The Cubs’ team OBP of .338 is third in MLB, just one point behind the second-place Pirates.

Of course, one of the reasons for this increase in walks is Pete Crow-Armstrong, who has walked 52 times this year (including three times Tuesday) and might wind up with 75 or more, after drawing only 29 all of last year. His improved patience at the plate has made him a better hitter and likely helped the other guys in the lineup.

And if you’re curious, the MLB record for walks by a team in a season is 835, set by the Red Sox in 1949. That’s way out of reach for the Cubs, but the NL record might be catchable. That’s 732, set by the Dodgers in 1947.

Keep walking on, Cubs. It helps good things happen.

Tarik Skubal has won the last two AL Cy Young Awards while also capturing consecutive ERA titles and leading baseball in strikeouts over that span. But when the Royals open a four-game series in Detroit this week, they may be seeing Skubal in a Tigers uniform for the final time. With Detroit well back in the playoff race and the July 31 trade deadline approaching, speculation continues to build that one of baseball’s best pitchers could be on the move.

Kansas City Royals (43-60) vs. Detroit Tigers (48-54) at Comerica Park, Detroit, MI

Royals: 4.25 runs scored/game (21st in MLB), 5.18 runs allowed/game (28th)

Tigers: 4.25 runs scored/game (20th), 3.97 runs allowed/game (7th)

The Tigers have the ninth-best walk rate (9.3 percent), but the sixth-worst batting average (.235). Dillon Dingler is third among all catchers with 22 home runs. He has been on a tear since the start of June, hitting .325/.363/.624 with 11 home runs in his lats 40 games. Rookie Kevin McGonigle has a 14.4 percent walk rate, ninth-best in baseball. Riley Greene is hitting .310/.385/.524 against righties this year. He is also a .304/.337/.544 hitter in 50 career games against the Royals.

Spencer Torkelson has a 32.3 percent strikeout rate, seventh-highest among qualified hitters, and a 50.7 percent flyball rate. Kerry Carpenter is hitting 4-for-43 (.093) this month. Zach McKinstry is hitting .093/.235/.093 against lefties this year. Gleyber Torres is a career 3-for-26 (.115) hitter against Michael Wacha.

The Tigers have the fewest stolen bases in baseball, and they have the third-worst success rate (69 percent). The Tigers are fifth-worst in Outs Above Average at -19, with Tokelson and Carpenter rating very poorly.

Troy Melton has struck out nine batters in each of his last two starts and has allowed two runs or fewer in eight of his nine starts. He throws a 96 mph fastball and opponents are hitting just .083 against his cutter. Six of the seven home runs he has given up were against lefties.

The Royals have actually fared well against Skubal in his career – he has a 4-9 record and a 4.06 ERA in 18 career games against them. He has allowed just four earned runs with 32 strikeouts in 23 innings over his last four starts. He has a reverse split with lefties hitting .286 against him, while righties are hitting just .194.

Casey Mize left his last start in the fourth inning with groin tightness, and after taking a comebacker off the wrist. He has a 2.50 ERA in seven home starts this year. He has a 4.97 ERA in 13 career starts against the Royals. Salvador Perez is 14-for-33 (.424) with four doubles and a home run in this career matchups.

Framber Valdez gave up six runs while recording just two outs in his last start against the Cubs. He has the fourth-highest groundball rate among starters at 51.9 percent. Opponents are hitting .307 against his sinker this year.

Kenley Jansen hasn’t given up a run in seven outings this month, although he has six walks in 6.1 innings. The active leader in career saves with 487 has four blown saves this year in 15 opportunities. Kyle Finnegan has had a huge drop in strikeout rate while seeing his walk rate spike up and he has the biggest gap between ERA and FIP of any reliever. Tyler Holton has a 2.11 ERA at home.

The Tigers have won four of six from the Royals this year, including a home sweep in Detroit in mid-April. The Tigers have been playing well lately, winning 13 of their last 18, but it is probably not enough to keep them from moving Skubal. With one of the deadline’s most coveted trade chips in Tarik Skubal, the Tigers could end up shaping the market over the next week.

Hunter Goodman has been one of the more delightful developments for the Colorado Rockies over the last two seasons. The power has been unreal as he has emerged as not just one of the best sluggers in franchise history, but also one of the best sluggers in all of baseball.

This season has seen Goodman take his game to new heights as he chases down Johnny Bench’s single-season home run record for a National League catcher (45), as well as a potential shot at becoming the first Rockie with 50 home runs in a season. Last Sunday, Goodman founded a brand new club for the Rockies as he became the first player to hit three home runs in a game multiple times in a single season, having done it the first time a few weeks ago in Minnesota.

Over the course of franchise history, the Rockies have had a player hit three home runs in a game 22 times, with 17 total players accomplishing the feat. With all of this fresh on the mind, let’s take a trip down memory lane to remember these incredible performances.

Andres Galarraga (1995)

It wasn’t until the Rockies’ third season of existence that a player hit three home runs in a game, and it’s only right that it was the Big Cat himself, Andres Galarraga.

Facing the San Diego Padres on the road on June 25, 1995, the game was relatively low-scoring, as the Rockies held a 2-1 lead heading into the sixth inning. After being walked in his first two at-bats, Galarraga unloaded on a 3-2 offering from Scott Sanders for his first home run of the day to drive in two. In the seventh inning, he greeted a 1-1 pitch from Willie Blair with another blast to left field for his second homer, a two-run shot. Then, facing Fernando Valenzuela in the eighth inning, Galarraga launched his third home run of the day down the left-field line for three runs, his 12th overall on the season.

The Rockies ended up winning the game 11-3 with Galarraga going 3-for-3 with seven RBI.

Larry Walker (1997, 1999, 2004)

Larry Walker, the only player in franchise history to hit three home runs in a game three times, had prodigious power that contributed to his enshrinement in the Hall of Fame.

His first time came on April 5, 1997, on the road against the Montreal Expos. Facing his former team with a 6-0 lead, the future MVP launched a fourth-inning solo home run off Anthony Telford. Two innings later, Walker sent a 1-2 pitch from Omar Daal to right field for another solo home run. Then, future Rockie Dave Veres surrendered another solo home run to Walker in the seventh inning as the Rockies went on to win 15-3 and he went 4-for-5 with five RBI.

The next instance for Walker came on April 28, 1999, at Busch Stadium II. He kicked things off with a three-run homer in the first inning, followed by another one in the second inning, both off future Rockie José Jiménez. Walker proved to be the difference-maker in a close game in the seventh inning when he delivered a two-run home run off Scott Radinsky to give the Rockies an eventual 9-7 win as he went 4-for-5 with eight RBI.

Before he was traded to St. Louis five years later, Walker still had plenty of highlights with the Rockies, one of which came on June 25, 2004. Facing the Cleveland Indians on the road, Walker belted a couple of solo home runs off starting pitcher Jason Davis in the second and sixth innings. The game went into extra innings tied 8-8, and Walker broke the tie with a two-run home run in the top of the 10th against his now-former teammate José Jiménez.

Walker went 4-for-4 with five RBI as the Rockies won 10-8.

Mike Lansing (1998)

Perhaps a forgotten Rockie by most, Mike Lansing had a solid first season in Colorado in 1998.

While he’s best known for his historic four-inning cycle in 2000, Lansing became just the third Rockie to hit three home runs in a game, and the first to do so at Coors Field. Facing the Arizona Diamondbacks on September 22, 1998, Lansing collected his first two home runs against starting pitcher Omar Daal, including a two-run shot in the sixth inning. His third homer came as a solo shot in the eighth inning against Aaron Small.

Despite Lansing going 3-for-4 with four RBI, the Rockies played from behind the whole game and lost 8-6.

Vinny Castilla (1999)

There are plenty of exciting Rockies moments for the legend Vinny Castilla, and his three-home-run performance came on June 5, 1999, at home against the Milwaukee Brewers. Leading off the second inning against Hideo Nomo, Castilla hit a two-run shot the opposite way. Castilla delivered another opposite-field home run in the seventh, a solo shot, off Rafael Roque to get the Rockies back within three runs. In the next inning, with the score tied 11-11, Castilla turned on a pitch from Eric Plunk to put the Rockies up 12-11 as they held on for the win in the ninth. Castilla went 4-for-5 with five RBI.

Todd Helton (2000, 2003)

The early 2000s were legendary for Todd Helton as the Hall of Famer showcased the damage he could do at the plate.

On May 1, 2000, at Coors Field, Helton put the hurt on the Expos in an eventual 15-8 Rockies victory. In the third and fifth innings, Helton launched a pair of two-run home runs against Dustin Hermanson, the second of which gave the Rockies an 8-7 lead. Then, up by seven in the seventh, Helton sent an Anthony Telford offering to deep right field to cap off the scoring for Colorado. He ended up going 4-for-5 with five RBI.

The next instance came on May 29, 2003, against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field. Facing starting pitcher Odalis Pérez, Helton hit a two-run homer in the first inning, followed by a solo shot in the third. With the Rockies up 10-5 in the eighth inning, Helton added another two-run homer off Éric Gagné to fuel the Rockies’ 12-5 victory as he went 4-for-5 with six RBI.

Jeff Cirillo (2000)

In another classic Coors Field slug fest, the Rockies would need every bit of production from the offense, and Jeff Cirillo delivered the goods on June 28, 2000. Facing the San Francisco Giants, Cirillo’s first two home runs came against future Rockie Liván Hernández, a two-run shot in the third and a solo shot in the fifth. The Rockies eventually tied the game 12-12 when Cirillo stepped up to the plate in the eighth against John Johnstone, and he promptly hit a go-ahead solo home run.

The Rockies went on to win 17-13 with Cirillo going 4-for-5 with six RBI and being named an All-Star not long after.

Todd Hollandsworth (2001)

Mostly a fourth outfielder type during a mostly successful three-season stint in Colorado, when on the field, Todd Hollandsworth delivered a memorable performance on April 15, 2001, despite only playing 33 games that season. Facing the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field, Hollandsworth collected his first home run in the bottom of the sixth inning, a two-run shot off Curt Schilling. In the eighth inning, with the game tied 5-5, Hollandsworth put the Rockies ahead with a two-run shot off Greg Swindell. The Diamondbacks tied it up 7-7 and the game went to the bottom of the 10th, where Hollandsworth delivered a three-run, walk-off homer against Matt Mantei to win 10-7. He went 3-for-7 with seven RBI.

José Ortiz (2001)

How many guesses would it take you to land on José Ortiz as one of the Rockies to hit three home runs in a game?

After joining the club via trade at the end of July, Ortiz hit three of his 14 career home runs (all with Colorado) in a single game on August 10, 2001. Facing the Florida Marlins at Coors Field, Ortiz launched a two-run home run off Ryan Dempster in the fifth inning. Ortiz then added a solo shot against Vladimir Núñez in the sixth to extend the lead to 10-5. His third home run came in the eighth inning when he sent a 3-1 pitch from Ricky Bones to left field for a solo home run. The Rockies won 12-5, and Ortiz went 3-for-5 with four RBI.

Jason Giambi (2011)

After Walker’s 2004 performance, the Rockies wouldn’t see another three-homer game until Jason Giambi became a one-man wrecking crew on the road against the Philadelphia Phillies on May 11, 2011. I covered this game extensively in a 2021 article, which you can check out. In his first at-bat against future Rockie Kyle Kendrick, Giambi blasted a three-run home run to get the Rockies on the board. His second time up against Kendrick, Giambi blasted a two-run home run to put the Rockies up 5-0. In the fifth inning, he hit another two-run homer, this time against Danys Báez, to put the Rockies up even further.

He went 3-for-5 on the night with seven RBI as the Rockies won 7-1.

Carlos González (2012, 2013)

There didn’t seem to be anything Carlos González couldn’t do when he stepped up to the plate in the 2010s. On May 30, 2012, CarGo delivered one of the more memorable moments in an otherwise abysmal season. Facing the Houston Astros at Coors Field, CarGo kicked things off with a go-ahead solo home run in the fifth inning against Lucas Harrell. He came up to the plate in the sixth against Xavier Cedeño and blasted a two-run shot to put the Rockies up 12-6. He capped off the night with a solo home run against David Carpenter in the eighth to cap the scoring and give the Rockies a 13-5 victory.

CarGo went 4-for-5 with four RBI. And just for fun, he homered in his first at-bat the very next game.

The following season, CarGo launched three home runs in Cincinnati on June 5, 2013. Pedro Villarreal was the primary victim of CarGo that night as he surrendered a solo home run in the first inning and a three-run shot in the fourth inning that put the Rockies ahead. Manny Parra then coughed up a two-run homer to CarGo in the eighth inning as the Rockies went on to win 12-4 with CarGo going 3-for-5 with six RBI.

Charlie Blackmon (2016)

Five years after Giambi, Charlie Blackmon would invoke his spirit by putting up a three-homer game against the Phillies on August 12, 2016. Blackmon’s first home run came in the third inning as he hit a solo shot off Jake Thompson. He later hit his second solo shot in the seventh inning off Edubray Ramos. Still trailing in the ninth, Blackmon hit a third solo home run, this time against David Hernandez. The Rockies lost 10-6, but Blackmon went 3-for-4 with three RBI as the leadoff hitter.

Nolan Arenado (2017)

During the height of Nolan Arenado’s Rockies tenure, he delivered plenty of jaw-dropping performances.

On July 19, 2017, Arenado displayed one of his greatest offensive games at Coors Field against the San Diego Padres. The Rockies pounded the Friars 18-4 with Arenado going 5-for-6 with seven RBI. His first home run was a solo shot in the fourth inning against Clayton Richard. His other two came against Kevin Quackenbush as he belted another solo shot in the fifth, followed by a three-run blast in the sixth inning.

Arenado became the first player in franchise history to have five hits and three homers in a single game.

Trevor Story (2018)

Trevor Story had his fair share of incredible home run feats in Colorado, but where were you when he delivered three mammoth home runs in a game at Coors Field on September 5, 2018? The oddity of this game was that Story hit all three homers against Giants starter Andrew Suárez, and all of them were solo shots. He went 3-for-4 with three RBI as he hit a home run in the first, fourth, and sixth innings. The Rockies eventually won the game 5-3. At the time, Story hit a towering blast to left field that landed on the concourse that was initially measured at 505 feet. Somehow MLB eventually decided that was inaccurate and dropped it down to 487 feet.

Ryan McMahon (2021)

It was always a joy to see Ryan McMahon tap into his power, and he provided an early highlight for the club in the wake of the Arenado trade that happened the season started. Facing the Diamondbacks on April 6, 2021, McMahon greeted Luke Weaver with a solo home run to lead off the second inning. When he faced Weaver again in the fourth, McMahon launched a ball to left-center for another solo shot. He then hit another solo home run in the seventh, this time against Alex Young.

The game eventually went 13 innings with the Rockies losing 10-8, but McMahon went 4-for-6 with four RBI.

Brendan Rodgers (2022)

There was never much power for second baseman Brendan Rodgers. Between the myriad of injuries and lack of production at the plate, it was a surprise when he hit three homers on June 1, 2022. Facing the Miami Marlins in the second game of a doubleheader, Rodgers kicked off his day with a solo home run against Trevor Rogers in the second inning. He then hit a solo homer off Louis Head in the fifth inning to get the Rockies within a run. The game eventually went to the 10th with the Rockies down 12-11 and Rodgers leading off. On a 3-2 pitch from Cole Sulser, he sent the ball to left field for a walk-off home run and a 13-12 victory. Rodgers went 3-for-5 with four RBI.

Michael Toglia (2024)

The final player to hit three home runs in a game before Goodman was Michael Toglia on July 14, 2024. Facing the New York Mets on the road, Toglia hit solo home runs from the right side against Jose Quintana in the fifth and sixth innings. In the eighth inning, the switch-hitting first baseman flipped over to the left side against Adrian Houser and blasted a third solo shot to left-center. The Rockies won the game 8-5 with Toglia going 3-for-4 with three RBI.

Conclusion

The history of three-homer games for the franchise is interesting.

There are plenty of names you’d expect to see, but several that seem to have come out of nowhere. It’s also interesting to see how many have understandably come at Coors Field but also the incredible performances that have happened on the road as well. I eagerly wait to see the next time a Rockie accomplishes the feat.

When Cade Cavalli entered the season as the Opening Day starter, expectations were high, but there was also plenty of uncertainty. Cavalli showed us a glimpse of his high potential down the stretch last year. However, he was still very unproven and had a lengthy injury history. For a guy in his first full MLB season, Cavalli has been remarkably consistent this year.

Cavalli has been a metronome in the Nats rotation. He has been overshadowed a bit by Foster Griffin, whose elite run prevention and great story have attracted eye balls. However, Cavalli has arguably been even more consistent than Griffin. He has allowed 3 or more earned runs just twice this season and does not have a month where his ERA is over 4, outside of his one start in March.

Cade Cavalli today:

6 IP | 4 H | 0 ER | 2 BB | 8 K

He's allowed 3 or fewer earned runs in 20 of his 22 starts this season! pic.twitter.com/n24CzV2XIc

— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) July 22, 2026

For as great as Griffin has been, he did have a couple blowup starts in May, resulting in a 4.86 ERA that month. Meanwhile, Cavalli posted a 3.67 ERA in April, a 3.41 ERA in May, a 3.82 ERA in June and a 3.10 ERA so far in July. That is just a remarkable level of consistency for a guy in his first full big league season, who missed almost two years with injury not too long ago.

One critique you could throw at Cavalli, especially early in the season, is that he did not go deep enough into games. It is something he will need to work on to take the next step. Despite making two fewer starts, Griffin has still logged more innings than Cavalli. 

There are a couple reasons for this. One is that the Nats are still being a bit careful with Cavalli. His career high in innings before this year is 127.2 innings, which he did all the way back in 2022. Cavalli did pitch 122.2 innings last year as well. However, he is already at 110.2 innings this year.

Butera has said in the past they will not shut Cavalli down unless they see a noticeable drop in stuff. Despite that, it is clear they are monitoring his work load. There have been a few times this season, including yesterday where Cavalli could have gone one more inning, but they held him back.

Another reason he does not go super deep into games is that he can be inefficient at times. It is a bit like MacKenzie Gore where there are a lot of deep counts, though not to that level. As the season has gone on though, he is starting to give the Nats the length expected of a front line starter.

Yesterday, Cavalli completed at least six innings for the sixth time in his last seven starts. Granted, he could not even go three innings in that other start, but that was clearly an outlier. It was a very hot day and the whole Boston situation seemed to be weighing on Cavalli.

Cade Cavalli was sensational again today.

Massive game with a series on the line against an inferior team, days away from a buy/sell decision. He was dominant. Looked like an ace.

He’s gone 6+ innings in 6 of his last 7 starts. Pitching like a bonafide front-line starter. pic.twitter.com/kNwXequAGl

— Grant Paulsen (@GrantPaulsen) July 22, 2026

In the three starts since that short outing in DC, Cavalli has been back to his best. He did not have his sharpest stuff against the Yankees, but he still logged a quality start. In his last two though, Cavalli has been excellent. The fastball is living in the upper 90’s and his breaking balls have had a ton of bite. Going into Coors Field and getting out without allowing a run is impressive stuff. That is exactly what Cade did yesterday.

He had some traffic on the bases at times, but when he needed to make a big pitch, Cavalli came through again and again. The big righty was up to 99 MPH and was sitting at 97. Instead of slowing down, it feels like Cavalli has found another gear as the season has gone on, which is lovely to see.

Cade Cavalli today:

6 IP 4 H 0 R 2 BB 8 K
10 whiffs

He has a 2.43 ERA over his last 6 starts! pic.twitter.com/qrb5IUwxuV

— Andrew DeCeglie (@Andrew_FBB) July 23, 2026

Cavalli has also implemented a new weapon recently with his cutter. He would show one maybe once an outing before July, but he has made it a core part of his arsenal lately. His 92-95 MPH cutter pairs nicely with his 4-seamer which already has natural cut. It is not a swing and miss pitch, but it generates weaker contact and just gives him another look.

Pitching these days is a cat and mouse game. As hitters adjust to your stuff, you have to adapt on the fly. You can do that by mixing up your usage or command. That is what Cavalli has been doing lately. It is resulting in more success, and notably more strikeouts.

For the season, Cavalli has a 26.6% K rate and a 7.1% walk rate. Those are very strong numbers, and only have been improving as the season goes along. Cavalli is almost 28, but he is still a young pitcher who is adapting to the big leagues. Right now, it really feels like he is settling in and finding his groove.

This season, Cavalli has been an ultra-consistent number 2 starter. However, I still think the best is yet to come for Cavalli, who is just oozing with arm talent. Few pitchers have his velocity and feel for spin. It is special stuff, and if he stays healthy, Cavalli has the chance to be an All-Star level talent for the Nats who can start playoff games.