Category: MLB

The Brewers care about when to challenge ball/strike calls.

In spring training, they tested a system that involved green index cards that were posted in the dugout in the best situations to challenge.  Apparently, MLB told them to stop posting cards.

An unique suspension.

Brewers relief pitcher Abner Uribe was suspended for one game (served on 24 June) for making a WWE gesture called a crotch chop after striking out a batter.  Perhaps, he was (and always will be) the only player in the Majors to make that gesture. Will that gesture get him mentioned at the baseball Hall of Fame?

Home runs are close to the same.

This season, the Brewers and the Diamondbacks ranked in the bottom four teams for home runs (70 and 71 homers in games through 24 June). 

This balance in homers contrasted sharply with total runs.  The Brewers ranked in the top three teams in total runs (407), while the Diamondbacks are average. In past seasons, the Diamondbacks have ranked high in total runs scored. Perhaps they will break-out in this series. Instead of homers, small-ball will likely decide the winner of the series. The Diamondbacks will be challenged, but could play better than expected.

The Brewers are less fearsome, but the series will be challenging for Diamondbacks.

“To close things out with my three-axis framework, I think that the Brewers sacrificed some Championship Probability Distribution in 2026 in an attempt to push it higher in future years. Their full organization looks better than it did to me last year, even if the major league team isn’t quite as fearsome. I also like how they left spots for breakouts in the infield, outfield, and on the mound because of the way they moved on from good-but-not great players.” — Ben Clemens, March 2026

On the other hand, the context makes a big difference.  Despite the Brewers being less fearsome, this series will be a challenge for the Diamondbacks.  Two aspects of the context follow.

• Last season, the Brewers made it to the NL Championship series, and lost to the Dodgers. 
• This season, the Brewers lead the NL Central Division, with 95.3% odds of making the playoffs.

Let’s compare the teams.

Offense. This season through 30 June, the Brewers averaged more runs scored per game (5.18 vs 4.27 runs per game).

Runners Left On Base. This season through 30 June, the Diamondbacks left fewer runners on base per game (6.61 vs 7.45).

Defense. This season through 30 June, the Diamondbacks had much better defense (28 vs 2 OAA, 28 vs 19 DRS)

Bullpens. This season through 30 June, the Diamondbacks and Brewers each had 74 shutdown performances by the bullpen.

Starting Pitcher Matchups. This season through 30 June, the Diamondbacks had the most quality starts (33 vs 27).

Brewers Players to Watch.

From 1-24 June, the league average OPS was .746. In that same stretch, the Brewers had five players with an OPS over .900. Their batting is worth watching. The players were:

• Andrew Vaughn, 1.019 OPS
• Chourio Jackson, 1.017 OPS
• Jake Bauers, .996 OPS
• Blake Perkins, .945 OPS
• Gary Sanchez, .931 OPS

Diamondbacks Player to Watch.

Gabriel Moreno. From 1-24 June, he leads the Diamondbacks with an .931 OPS. After missing most of April due to injury, he is back. His batting was outstanding, especially from mid-May onward!

Pitching Matchups.

Friday, 6:45 PM MST.

Jose Cabrera vs Kyle Harrison. The statistic of interest is walks plus hits per inning (WHIP). Looking at Diamondbacks starting pitchers, Cabrera’s 1.20 WHIP has the third best (only Rodriguez’s 1.176 and Soroka’s 1.085 were better). And Cabrera’s WHIP seems sustainable because it was 1.19 in Reno. On the other hand, this season Harrison’s 1.039 is his career best. But will he regress?

Perhaps the deciding factor will be ERA. In June, Jose Cabrera started 2 games and had the better ERA (3.60 ERA vs 4.62 ERA).

This matchup is very slight advantage Diamondbacks.

Saturday, 6:40 PM MST.

Merrill Kelly vs Brandon Woodruff. Woodruff was on the injured list from 1 May to 22 June due to a shoulder injury. In June Woodruff (2 games) had the better ERA (0.00 ERA vs 7.31 ERA).

Despite being ceredited with a loss in all 5 starts in June, Kelly had more quality starts than Woodruff (2 QS vs 1 QS). In June, Merrill Kelly allowed 8 home runs. If those had not happened, his June ERA would have been a respectable 4.45.

This matchup is advantage Brewers.

Sunday, 1:10 PM MST.

Eduardo Rodriguez vs Brandon Sproat. In June, Rodriguez had the better ERA (2.02 ERA vs 3.46 ERA), and Rodriguez had more quality starts (4 QS vs 2 QS).

This matchup is advantage Diamondbacks.

Detroit Tigers (38-49) vs. Texas Rangers (44-43)

Time/Place: 8:05 p.m., Globe Life Field
SB Nation Site:Lone Star Ball
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: LHP Framber Valdez (4-5, 4.05 ERA) vs. RHP Nathan Eovaldi (8-7, 3.95 ERA)

Player	G	IP	K%	BB%	GB%	FIP	fWAR
Valdez	17	95.2	18.5	8.2	52.2	4.17	1.0
Eovaldi	16	100.1	24.4	5.6	50.2	4.16	1.3

howdy 🤠

⚾️ 8:05 PM ET
📺 @WatchDSN
📻 @971theticketxyt
🏟️ Globe Life Field pic.twitter.com/hKdpQkEQdn

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) July 2, 2026

One of the least-swept teams in baseball found themselves on the wrong end of history yesterday. The San Diego Padres were swept for just the third time this season after the Chicago Cubs scored 23 runs against the Friars. That total ties the Padres’ record for runs allowed in a game. It was a tough one to stomach for a team that has showed fight the last few games.

With starter Walker Buehler on the mound, it was the first pitcher that the Friar Faithful could feel confident about. Instead, Buehler disappointed and was tagged for nine runs in the blowout loss, seven coming via the long ball. It felt like the ball flew out of the yard for everybody but the Padres, who only put up three runs. They went a miserable 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

It’s been a part of a continuing trend toward mediocrity. The Friars need a win now more than ever and the schedule does not get easier from here. They’ll face the rival Los Angeles Dodgers for the second time this week, needing a turnaround to the slump San Diego has been mired in.

Taking the mound

Roki Sasaki (LAD) v. Randy Vásquez (SD)

Sasaki started for L.A. in the only Padres’ win of last week’s series. All things considered, he pitched well apart from an 0-2 mistake to Ty France that ended up in the left field seats. The righty has been serviceable for the Dodgers this year, helping to bolster a rotation struggling with injuries.

He’s also looked better lately, with a 3.99 ERA across his last 38 1/3 innings compared to a 4.88 mark this season. Sasaki’s command has gotten better lately too (1.07 WHIP) despite walking five batters in last week’s contest against San Diego.

Vásquez continues to underwhelm on the mound. He owns a 7.34 ERA in his lasts seven starts. He’s only gone 6 2/3 combined innings across his last two games, and surrendered 10 runs in those frames. It’s been rough going for the young right-hander.

Which is why it’s tough for the Padres to pin their hopes on him as a stopper. San Diego is on a five-game losing streak. They need a win any way they can get it, and Vásquez will need to pitch the game of his life in order to turn things around for the Friars.

Batter up!

Two good things happened in yesterday’s blowout loss. Sung-Mun Song hit his first MLB home run! For a player who was signed for his pop in the KBO, it’s comforting to see that first one. (Hopefully they come in bunches.) And Jake Cronenworth went 3-for-4 at the plate in his second game back. He’s now batting .429 since coming off the IL Monday (7 at-bats).

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

At this point, the offense looks almost irredeemable. Almost. This is still the team that stormed back from a middling 50-49 record at the 2024 All-Star break to post the best second-half record in all of baseball (43-20). Baseball is a game that can change in the blink of an eye. It’s never over until the last out is recorded. The lineup has shown some potency. If it can add consistency to that, it could be the best in all of MLB.

Relief corps

To call it a 23-run blowout is a bit of a disservice. The Cubs scored eight runs against catcher Rodolfo Durán in their final frame. He covered two innings for the Friars to help rest their ‘pen. Even accounting for that, a 15-3 loss is still a blowout. Thanks to Durán, only Kyle Hart was called on out of the bullpen.

Thankfully, Vásquez will have some breathing room with the entire bullpen (excluding Hart) available tonight. Jason Adam, Ron Marinaccio, Yuki Matsui, Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon, Wandy Peralta and Bradgley Rodriguez are all available to pitch out of the ‘pen. That said, San Diego doesn’t have an off day until the All-Star break. It would be nice to give the relief corps a rest after covering 10 innings in Chicago.

The pitching staff has been asked to be perfect time and again, and now that has begun to implode San Diego’s club. San Diego pitchers have surrendered 47 runs in their last six games. During the five-game losing streak, it’s 46 runs. The lineup needs to produce more to give their pitching some leeway.

Despite having been a fan for nearly 30 years, this is quite possibly the most painful season I’ve ever watched. I think I was shielded a bit during the aughts by my childish belief that the Royals could go on a 15-game winning streak at any moment. I used to believe that pitcher ERAs entering a game significantly influenced who likely had the upper hand. And, honestly, I simply didn’t pay as close attention because I was so much busier during the times baseball was being played and didn’t have a computer in my pocket to keep me up to date on every single play.

Few series this year have been as painful as the ones against AL East opponents. The Royals are 3-15 against AL East opponents. The series against the Orioles, where they won that third game, feels so long ago I’d almost forgotten it. Of course, they won their first two matches against Tampa Bay in Tampa, so things were feeling quite a bit better this time last week, but, these are the 2026 Royals. They’ll win 5 of 6 just so they can lose 9 of their next 10 and really drive home how disappointing all these losses are.

The good news is that Stephen Kolek will return to the mound for KC tonight. He went on the Parental Leave list last weekend ahead of the birth of his first child. Then, because she was born prematurely, he was shifted to the Family Medical Emergency List (There are a lot of lists for players to be on) earlier this week to spend more time with his family. But he’s back now, so hopefully that means good things for the health of his growing family, and it also means we don’t have to watch Mitch Spence tonight.

Jose Cuas is the one who got demoted after throwing two innings last night, which is unfortunate for him, but hopefully, he’ll be back soon.

The Rays will be using Ian Seymour, the author of the beginning of the latest disaster period. (I like to think of Griffin Jax’s victory in the third game of the series last week as the prologue.) Last time, Seymour pitched as a bulk reliever and pitched a hitless 6.2 innings. This time I guess the Rays thought they’d let him see if he could get the no-hitter by himself. I’m not betting against him.

Lineups

Salvador Perez is getting another day off after hitting into two double plays last night. Unfortunately, that means the middle third of the Royals’ lineup goes Lane Thomas, Starling Marte, and Nick Loftin. In an ideal world, none of those guys would be batting in those positions either. But the Royals stopped playing in an ideal world almost before the season started.

Also, apparently, it might mean Salvy is hurting. The Royals designated Eric Cerantola for assignment and demoted John Rave (who absolutely did not deserve it, but what can you do) to add Luke Maile back to the roster. If the Royals think they need three catchers and one of those guys is catching and leading off tonight, you don’t have to be all that good at math to know something is adding up bad for the other guy.

Of course, the Rays have Victor Mesa Jr., Chandler Simpson, and Cedric Mullins in the same spots. They wouldn’t be my first, second, or third choices to bat there either. The Royals will have to find another reason for their failures than having guys out of position in the lineup, perhaps.

Junior Caminero is still in the Rays’ lineup. I’m torn between wanting the Royals to intentionally walk him every time and just let the guy hit some more dingers because what harm can it do KC, and it would be awful to end his homer streak by intentionally walking him in every AB. Don’t forget, no baseball tomorrow because of the World Cup. Enjoy the break!

Detroit Tigers @ Texas Rangers

Thursday, July 02, 2026, 7:05 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Rangers Sports Network)

The Shed

LHP Framber Valdez vs. RHP Nathan Eovaldi

Go Rangers!

The Atlanta Braves are taking on the St. Louis Cardinals looking to secure their first series win since the twentieth of June, almost two full weeks ago.

Hurston Waldrep is making his much anticipated first start of the season after making one appearance this year where he went two innings. It will be interesting to see if he will be on a strict pitch count and how long he will go if he is pitching well. He will be facing Dustin May who had a one hit shutout two starts ago but followed that up with a six earned run start where he was removed after two innings.

If the Braves can get the bats going early, they may have a shot to get a two-game winning streak going for the first time since that series win previously mentioned.

First pitch is at 7:15 EDT. Follow along in the comments.

Lineup

Preview

The St. Louis Cardinals will finish up their stay in Atlanta before heading to the (not so) friendly confines of Wrigley Field for the 4th of July weekend. Dustin May will make the start for the Cardinals while the Atlanta Braves will send Hurston Waldrep to the mound. First pitch at Truist Park is once again set for 6:15pm central time and the game’s TV broadcast will be available on Cardinals.tv.

After falling behind early from a shaky start by their starting pitcher, the Colorado Rockies rallied offensively and the bullpen shut things down to secure a series split with the Miami Marlins and a 14-4 victory.

Lorenzen’s shaky command

Something seemed to finally start clicking for Michael Lorezen over the month of June and the hope was to keep things rolling into July. His first start this month proved to be a grind.

Lorenzen’s command was shaky from the get-go. Liam Hicks led off the game with a single, followed by a double from Otto Lopez. Both pitches were left over the plate and the Marlins did not miss. Lorenzen then issued a walk to Kyle Stowers to load the bases. Xavier Edwards grounded into a force out that could have been a double play if Edouard Julien hadn’t hesitated on the throwing decision. The play scored the run to give the Marlins a 1-0 lead. Lorenzen then issued another walk to Griffin Conine to load the bases once again. Owen Caissie lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to drive in Lopez and give the Marlins a 2-0 lead.

He escaped the inning on the next hitter and rebounded with a quick 1-2-3 second inning. Lopez smacked a lead-off triple in the top of the third and came in to score on a sacrifice fly by Edwards to extend the lead 3-1. Thanks to a couple of nifty defensive plays about the run, including a sharply hit ball to Julien, Lorenzen ended the inning without any further damage.

The command waned again in the fourth inning when he issued a pair of walks and gave up a single to load the bases for the third time. The Marlins scored their fourth run of the game to take back the lead at the time on a ground ball that was bobbled at first base.

Handed another lead heading into the fifth inning, Lorenzen gave up another pair of walks to force his removal from the game with one out. He ended up going just 4.1 innings, tying a career-high of six walks while striking out just one batter. He allowed four runs on four hits while throwing 51 pitches, 30 for strikes.

It was a gritty start for Lorenzen as he battled himself, but he mitigated catastrophic damage. However, constantly struggling against yourself is a tough way to pitch and is something he’ll try to reassess before his next start.

Stay hot Mickey!

After falling a single shy of a cycle on Wednesday, Mickey Moniak wasted no time starting another bid for a cycle on Thursday. In his at-bat of the game, Moniak once again slugged a home run, his 15th of the season, to get the Rockies on the board. It was the third straight game that he hit a home run in his first at-bat, becoming the first player to do that in franchise history.

In his second at-bat in the third inning, Moniak then laced a double to right field but then struck out in the fourth inning. He struck out in his third at-bat but then came through with an RBI single in the sixth inning.

Moniak would ground out in the seventh inning, ending his day just a triple shy of the cycle which is a much less rare feat than falling a single shy. He ended up going 3-for-5 with two RBI and three runs scored.

Early offensive returns

After Moniak’s home run and TJ Rumfield’s double in the first inning, the Rockies started to find some offensive rhythm in the third inning against Marlins’ starter Ryan Gusto.

Jake McCarthy led off the inning with a walk and moved up to third base on Moniak’s double. After Rumfield flew out, Willi Castro came through with a huge two-run single to tie the game 3-3.

The Rockies came close to tacking on two more runs when Cole Carrigg sent a ball down the line that went foul. Colorado requested a review, and after a lengthy process, it was determined that the foul ball would stand.

Manager Warren Schaeffer offered his insights after the game, agreeing that it was indeed a foul ball.

“My angle was absolutely terrible,” Schaeffer said, “but on a homer, you get a free challenge so you might as well take it in case something happens. Maybe it goes our way, so there’s no harm in doing that. But I think it was clearly foul. All of the guys that were in line with that — including the home plate umpire, Ramon [De Jesus] — said that it wasn’t even close.”

After falling behind by a run heading into the bottom of the fourth, the Rockies built some opportunities early in the inning. A pitch hit Kyle Karros to start off the inning, ending Gusto’s day having allowed three runs on four hits over three innings.

Brett Sullivan then bounced into a fielder’s choice and was later thrown out trying to steal second base with Julien at the plate. Julien drew a walk against reliever lefty-killer John King to bring McCarthy to the plate. King hung a 2-1 slider up and in, which McCarthy blasted into right field to give the Rockies a 5-4 lead. It was his first home run against a left-handed pitcher since April 2023.

Sixth inning offensive returns

The Rockies weren’t done, as they ended up throwing together a massive rally in the sixth inning to extend their lead 12-4.

Carrigg kicked things off with a bunt single, followed by a strikeout of Karros. The Rockies proceeded to have the next seven straight batters reach as Sullivan singled and Julien walked. McCarthy then dealt another blow with his two-run single.

Moniak followed with his single, while Rumfield added an RBI single of his own. Castro was then hit by a pitch, and Troy Johnston chopped a ball into right field to drive in two more runs.

Carrigg capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly to right field to drive in the seventh run of the inning. The Rockies now have 15 innings in which they have scored five or more runs, which is tied for the most in MLB this season.

“Really solid approach in that inning, ” Schaeffer said, “and most of it, honestly, was left-on-left, which was ultra-impressive for our guys to take those at-bats like that. Mick, Rum, Troy, Jake… the homer left-on-left. I mean, it’s a big day. That’s big time for those guys.”

A few for the road

Later in the eighth inning, with utility player Javier Sanoja on the mound, the Rockies tacked on a few more runs. Rumfield was hit by a pitch and was later followed by a Johnston double. Carrigg delivered another sacrifice fly to drive in his second RBI of the game. Karros then walked, and Sullivan hit an RBI single to drive in Johnston and give the Rockies a 14-4 lead.

The Rockies ended up with 14 hits in the game while striking out just four times and drawing five walks with two hit-by-pitches. McCarthy drove in four runs with his two hits while Rumfield, Johnston, and Sullivan each had two hits. Julien also led the team with two walks on the day. Karros was the only starter for the Rockies to not have a hit. The team also went 5-for-8 with runners in scoring position, and the top four guys went 8-for-16 with nine RBIs on the day.

“Those guys continue to be good,” Schaeffer said. “They take good, solid at-bats every day. They don’t take days off. They grind. And Mick, two days in a row [was] one hit away from the cycle, which is pretty special.”

Bullpen heroes

Plenty of praise deserves to be placed on the bullpen as they tamed the Marlins for the second straight game. After Lorenzen departed the game in the fifth inning with two runners on base in a one-run game, the Rockies turned to Brennan Bernardino. The lone lefty reliever quickly got a fly out and a line out to end the inning and preserve the lead. He then started the sixth inning, recording two outs while allowing a single.

“Bernie’s been extremely consistent,” Schaeffer said. “You always want to give him the ball — no matter if it’s righty or lefty, but most of the time we try to give him left-handed matchups because he’s our only lefty. But he throws strikes consistently, and you know that. And that’s of huge importance to a manager that you’re going to throw strikes. He did a great job again today on a back-to-back, going 1+.”

With Lopez stepping up to the plate with two outs and a runner on second, Victor Vodnik was called upon for the right-on-right matchup. Vodnik won the battle with ease by inducing an infield pop-up to end the inning. He then came out for the seventh inning and faced the minimum after allowing a lead-off single and getting a double-play, followed by a ground out.

“Vic was really good today, which was good to see,” Schaeffer said. “It was a step forward for Vic. And then Ags with two solid ones, saving the ‘pen down there. We didn’t have to use Jimmy [Herget] and Senza today, which were the only two short guys available, so it sets us up again for tomorrow.”

Zach Agnos closed out the game with two quick and clean innings. The bullpen allowed just three hits and didn’t give up a walk while recording just one strikeout.

Up next

The Rockies will celebrate the holiday weekend by welcoming the San Francisco Giants into town. Ryan Feltner (2-2, 4.42 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Rockies. Logan Webb (5-5, 3.09 ERA) takes the mound for the Giants.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 pm MDT.

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Here’s the White Sox lineup:

Set for baseball in Cleveland pic.twitter.com/AwP7VcFjyF

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 2, 2026

Here’s the Guardians’ lineup:

Big series.#GuardsBallpic.twitter.com/zSfUIKvEUl

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) July 2, 2026

Let’s go, Guardians!

The penalties from Tuesday night’s brawl were handed down, and MLB delivered a harsh ruling. Cade Cavalli and Willson Contreras were each suspended 7 games, while Miles Mikolas got 5 and Nate Eaton got 3. The 7 games for Cavalli, who did not throw a punch or get physical during the confrontation, feels harsh.

Suspensions from the brawl between the Nationals and Red Sox, per @BNightengale:

Willson Contreras: 7 games
Cade Cavalli: 7 games
Miles Mikolas: 5 games
Nate Eaton: 3 games pic.twitter.com/2wAGG6y3da

— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) July 2, 2026

In case you forgot, the Nats and Red Sox got into a major brawl the other day. After Cade Cavalli was upset that Contreras cut him off on his way to the dugout, he let him hear it after he struck out the first baseman. Cavalli painted a breaking ball on the outside corner, and told Contreras “sit down boy”. 

The language Cavalli used was not very tasteful, especially considering the fact that Contreras is a person of color. Yesterday, Cavalli apologized for that language, saying he did not understand the connotations of using the term boy in that way. Paul Toboni also chimed in, saying that he spoke with Cavalli. Both said that he will eliminate that “boy” term from his vocabulary. 

However, it just feels like the punishment does not fit the crime here. Seven games is a long suspension. I understand that it is different with a starting pitcher, but Cavalli still is not getting paid for those 7 games when he otherwise would. That is something that the MLBPA is not going to be happy about.

When you look at previous suspensions for language, the punishments have been much lighter. Players like Jarren Duran and Yuli Gurriel got fewer games for using or doing much more openly bigoted things. Duran only got two games for yelling a homophobic slur, while Gurriel got 5 for openly mocking the appearance of Asian people in the dugout. Should Cavalli have said what he did? No, but the punishment does not fit the crime here.

Where is the precedent for a 7 game ban for trash talk (distasteful sure but not like Cade said a slur)? Cavalli did not throw any punches or engage in anything physical and was not even ejected from the game. Seems harsh

— federalbaseball (@federalbaseball) July 2, 2026

While considering pitchers and position players are a slightly different animal, the MLB is setting a pretty wild precedent here. Cavalli is being suspended without pay for the same amount of time as Contreras who charged the mound, used his helmet as a weapon and threatened a fan on social media. That seems pretty extreme if you ask me.

Willson Contreras throws his helmet during a benches clearing incident after Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli told him to “sit down boy” pic.twitter.com/IBEyYXKReN

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 1, 2026

If I were Cavalli’s agent, I would certainly be telling him to appeal this. The appeal system is highly unlikely to hold up that level of suspension. At most, the suspension should be five games to where Cavalli misses one start. Where those other two games are coming from beats me.

Once again, I am not excusing his language or actions, but this penalty is over the top. Cavalli did not even get thrown out of that game, and now he has the same penalty as Contreras?

I understand my bias here, but this just feels like a situation where a hefty fine is the best option. The longest suspension you could convince me on is 5 games. Again, this is just my opinion, but when you look at the precedent things are clear. Cavalli did not throw a punch (or a helmet), but he is getting the same percentage of his paycheck docked as Contreras.

The Royals have made a lot of transactions today, which could be exciting for fans hoping for a shakeup, but they’re mostly internal to the team.

The first announced move was to reinstate Stephen Kolek to the 26-man roster from the Family Medical Emergency List. In a corresponding move, Jose Cuas was optioned back to Omaha. Cuas pitched two innings last night in his season debut, and while he did allow a run, he also struck out three. So hopefully we’ll see him get more chances going forward.

Then, shortly before the game, the Royals announced that they had selected Luke Maile’s contract from Omaha and added him to the major league team. To accommodate his addition to the 40-man and 26-man rosters, John Rave was demoted back to Omaha and Eric Cerantola was designated for assignment.

Personally, despite Cerantola’s unsightly big league performances so far – 10 walks and a 10.13 ERA in 5.1 innings – I would have preferred to keep him around over Mitch Spence. At least Cerantola could also get a strikeout on occasion. I also probably would have demoted Tyler Tolbert or Kameron Misner over John Rave. Rave hasn’t actually made any boneheaded plays at the big league level so far this year, which is more than I can say for the other two, and I’m still very fascinated to see where his revamped swing could take him. But the Royals didn’t agree.

Considering Salvador Perez is also not in tonight’s starting lineup, we can add 2 + 2 and get 4. Salvy is probably hurting again. So the best move probably would have been to go ahead and put him on the IL so they could have a full, healthy bench. But the Royals would prefer to demote Rave to Omaha rather than put the aging catcher on the IL, which is what it’s there for. The IL has not stopped being lava, I guess.

Oh, and the Royals made one other under-the-radar move. It didn’t even get announced on their main social channels:

Royals fans from the last few years before Dayton Moore was fired will remember this move. The “add a guy we used to like a few years ago because we desperately need someone to pitch and heaven knows we don’t want to try anyone new!“ special. No guarantees that Barlow will make it back to the bigs with KC, but considering the bullpen carousel we’ve been on all year, I wouldn’t bet against it, either.

Finally, we got this tidbit from Anne Rogers:

Cole Ragans underwent a UCL repair on his left elbow yesterday. That was what the #Royals had feared but ultimately expected, and now they’re looking at getting Ragans back midseason next year.

— Anne Rogers (@anne__rogers) July 2, 2026

Based on the timeline, it’s possible Cole Ragans underwent the internal brace procedure rather than a third Tommy John surgery, but it’s a pretty brutal blow to lose him for not just the remainder of this season, but at least midway into next year, too. It would seem to make it even less likely that they trade either Michael Wacha or Seth Lugo at this deadline, even if they’re currently the only guys with trade value that it would make any sense for the Royals to part with.

We’re just under an hour away from first pitch at Truist Park and there’s going to be a bit of a new look both on the mound and out in the field for the third game of this series between the Atlanta Braves and the St. Louis Cardinals. Hurston Waldrep is set to make his first start of the season and Jim Jarvis is in the lineup and starting at shortstop for Atlanta.

Walt Weiss spoke with the media ahead of tonight’s contest and as you can imagine, those two aforementioned players were certainly the topic of conversation and people of interest in the run-up to Thursday night’s game.

On Hurston Waldrep ahead of tonight’s start

Walt Weiss told the media that he’s expecting something like 70-to-around-80-or-so pitches from Waldrep tonight. He described his expectations as “hopefully similar to what we got last night from [Reynaldo López].” López threw 69 pitches and tossed five innings with the Cardinals scoring their lone run of the night in the first inning. Anything similar to that would be greatly appreciated and Weiss said that he’s really “looking forward to it. [Waldrep] was dominant at times last year…it’s good to have him back in the mix here.

On having Jim Jarvis back in the lineup

“A baseball-y player, to use a common term,” is how Walt Weiss described having Jim Jarvis in the fold. “He’s got a good bat. He’s a little different from all the other players in the lineup to where he wants to go deep into counts and draw walks.”

Weiss continued to discuss how he was looking forward to utilizing his starting shortstop for the rubber match against the Cardinals by going into his versatility. “He can hit too,” continued Weiss. He’s having a nice year at Triple-A. He defends well and he’s got a good arm. He runs pretty well. It’s nice having another left-handed bat against a tough righty like [Cardinals starter] Dustin May. It’s nice to have that option as a left-handed option. The shortstop thing will be day-to-day but he’s nice to have.”

When asked about whether or not Jim Jarvis could be deployed in a platoon-type situation, Walt Weiss mentioned that it’s possible but was ultimately non-committal and preferred to keep his options open in that regard. “I’ll look into the numbers and go from there but other than that, he can play other spots in the infield and spell some other guys against right-handers. It gives us a bit more flexibility,” answered Weiss.

On long-relief options

“I think we’re covered,” said Weiss when he was asked about the multi-inning relief options out of the bullpen ahead of Thursday’s game against the Cardinals. “[Ian] Hamitlon and [James] Karinchak have both gone multiple innings in Triple-A, so they’re capable of doing that. I think we’re covered, yeah.”

On Sean Murphy’s status

It’s been around eight weeks now for the Braves when it comes to haing Sean Murphy on the shelf. Friend of the site Grant McAuley asked Weiss about whether or not Murphy was getting close to a rehab stint and Weiss seemed to indicate that any rehab stint wouldn’t exactly be imminent at the moment.

“I’m not exactly sure when he’s going out on rehab,” said Weiss. “I don’t want to speculate. He’s starting to progress and do some baseball things but I’m not sure exactly when that rehab clock will start.”

The Milwaukee Brewers are back on the road this weekend, as they’ll head to the desert to take on the Arizona Diamondbacks for three games beginning Friday evening. The Brewers, fresh off a winning homestand against the Reds and Cubs, are about halfway through the biggest gauntlet of their season — they’ve played seven games in the last seven days, with 11 games in the next 10 days leading into the All-Star break. They still sit atop the NL Central, five games ahead of the second-place Cubs.

On the other side, the Diamondbacks had a disappointing month of June, going 12-15 as they’re now an even 43-43 on the season. They’re still in the wild card hunt but sit third in the NL West, 12.5 games behind the NL-leading Dodgers and just behind the Padres for second place.

Milwaukee’s IL currently includes RHP Carlos Rodriguez (late July return), RHP Logan Henderson (expected back next week), RHP Coleman Crow (July), LHP DL Hall (late July), LHP Rob Zastryzny (early July), LHP Brian Fitzpatrick (TBD), RHP Quinn Priester (2027), and LHP Angel Zerpa (early to mid-2027). Outfielder Brandon Lockridge is the lone position player on the shelf, and he’s currently looking at a late July return.

For the Diamondbacks, they’re currently without catcher James McCann (expected back next week), RHP Michael Soroka (post-All-Star break), OF Jordan Lawlar (late July/August), RHP Ryne Nelson (September), RHP Justin Martinez (second half), LHP A.J. Puk (TBD), RHP Corbin Burnes (September), RHP Cristian Mena (TBD), LHP Blake Walston (second half), and LHP Andrew Saalfrank (2027).

Jake Bauers leads the Brewers’ offense with 15 homers this season, while Jackson Chourio and Brice Turang have both added 12 homers. William Contreras, Garrett Mitchell, Christian Yelich, Andrew Vaughn, David Hamilton, and Cooper Pratt are among the other regular contributors of late, while Gary Sánchez, Sal Frelick, Joey Ortiz, and Blake Perkins provide depth. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .254/.339/.396 (.734 OPS ranks 10th), with 79 homers (tied for 25th), 436 runs (fifth), and 83 steals (fifth).

Despite having a few big names like Ketel Marte, Corbin Carroll, Nolan Arenado, and Geraldo Perdomo, the D-backs haven’t been great offensively this year. Marte leads the team with 17 homers and 54 RBIs, while Carroll has 13 homers and a league-best 10 triples. Arenado has nine homers, and Ildemaro Vargas has cooled off considerably after a red-hot start. Gabriel Moreno, LuJames Groover, Max Kepler, Jorge Barrosa, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. round out the regulars for Arizona, with Pavin Smith, Adrian Del Castillo, and Tommy Troy serving as depth. As a team, the D-backs are hitting .238/.308/.386 (.694 OPS ranks tied for 26th), with 78 homers (tied for 28th), 367 runs (19th), and 54 steals (tied for 18th).

Aaron Ashby leads Milwaukee’s bullpen with a 3.16 ERA over 51 1/3 innings, and he also leads the league with a whopping 12 wins (to just one loss). Trevor Megill has been great after a shaky start to the season, and the same goes for Abner Uribe. Grant Anderson, Jared Koenig, and Chad Patrick provide valuable depth, and Joel Kuhnel and recent call-up Garrett Stallings round things out. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.36 team ERA (tied for first), including a 3.17 starter ERA (first) and a 3.60 bullpen ERA (seventh). They’ve struck out 842 batters (second) over 762 1/3 innings.

The D-backs have had a solid bullpen, at least in terms of high-leverage arms. Taylor Clarke, Juan Morillo, Jonathan Loáisiga, and Ryan Thompson all have 30-plus appearances with sub-3.00 ERAs. Paul Sewald has struggled in the closer role with a 4.50 ERA, though he’s still 19-for-20 in save opportunities. Brandyn Garcia has a 2.33 ERA over 19 1/3 inning, Kevin Ginkel has a 3.06 ERA over 32 1/3 innings, and Drey Jameson’s 4.76 ERA (over just 11 1/3 innings) is actually the worst of the current bullpen. As a staff, the D-backs have a 4.32 team ERA (20th), including a 4.42 starter ERA (18th) and a 4.23 bullpen ERA (17th). They’ve struck out 580 batters (30th) over 756 2/3 innings.

Probable Pitchers

Friday, July 3 @ 8:45 p.m.: LHP Kyle Harrison (8-1, 2.57 ERA, 3.03 FIP) vs. RHP JoséCabrera (0-1, 3.60 ERA, 5.21 FIP)

Harrison continues to make his All-Star case in his first season in Milwaukee. Across 15 starts this year, he’s 8-1 with a 2.57 ERA, 3.03 FIP, and 96 strikeouts over 77 frames. He took a no-decision in his last outing as the bullpen wasn’t able to help him out. Over five frames against the Cubs, he allowed two runs on three hits and a walk, striking out nine on 92 pitches. Harrison made four appearances (three starts) against the D-backs as a Giant, going 0-2 with an 8.56 ERA and 13 strikeouts over 13 2/3 innings.

Cabrera, 24, is a rookie who has made just two starts in the majors thus far. Signed out of the Dominican Republic back in 2021, he’s 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA, 5.21 FIP, and seven strikeouts over 10 innings to begin his career, pitching in a pair of losses to the Twins and Rays. This obviously marks Cabrera’s first career appearance against Milwaukee.

Saturday, July 4 @ 8:40 p.m.: RHP Brandon Woodruff (2-1, 2.59 ERA, 3.11 FIP) vs. RHP Merrill Kelly (5-8, 5.84 ERA, 6.11 FIP)

Woodruff, who has had trouble staying on the field over the last few seasons, has looked fantastic in two starts since returning from his latest IL stint. Over 11 2/3 total innings against the Reds and Cubs, he allowed no runs on two hits and two walks, striking out 16. For the season, he’s 2-1 with a 2.59 ERA, 3.11 FIP, and 41 strikeouts over 41 2/3 innings. Woodruff has made nine career appearances (eight starts) against the D-backs, going 3-1 with a 4.65 ERA and 51 strikeouts across 40 2/3 innings.

Kelly, 37, does not look like the average pitcher he was in the last several seasons. In his eighth season in the majors, he has a career-worst 5.84 ERA and 6.11 FIP this year, with just 47 strikeouts over 81 2/3 innings through 14 starts. It’s really been a case of three seasons for Kelly. Here are his splits by month (he missed the first few weeks of the season due to injury):

• April: 3 GS, 1-2, 14 2/3 IP, 15 ER (9.20 ERA), 9 K, 2.250 WHIP, 5 HR
• May: 6 GS, 4-1, 38 2/3 IP, 15 ER (3.49 ERA), 24 K, 1.164 WHIP, 5 HR
• June: 5 GS, 0-5, 28 1/3 IP, 23 ER (7.31 ERA), 14 K, 1.659 WHIP, 8 HR

Let’s hope we see April/June Kelly and not May Kelly. He did get a start against the Brewers back in April, going five innings with five runs allowed and just one strikeout. For his career, he’s made 11 starts, going 5-3 with a 3.41 ERA and 61 strikeouts over 66 innings.

Sunday, July 5 @ 3:00 p.m.: RHP Brandon Sproat (3-4, 5.28 ERA, 5.00 FIP) vs. LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (7-2, 2.21 ERA, 3.98 FIP)

Despite his rough season-long numbers, Sproat has looked a lot better over his last several outings, including a pair of starts against the Reds in his last two appearances. In those games, he totaled 11 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out 17 to pick up a pair of wins. Sproat started against the D-backs (and Rodriguez) back in late April of this year, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five over 4 1/3 innings in a loss.

Rodriguez, 33, is an 11-year veteran who is quietly turning in a great season. Despite a FIP of 3.98, he has a much better 2.21 ERA, with a 7-2 record and 71 strikeouts over 102 innings through 17 starts. He’s been especially good of late, allowing just two runs on 14 hits and six walks while striking out 11 over 20 2/3 innings in wins over the Angels, Cardinals, and Giants in his last three outings. As I mentioned above, Rodriguez faced off against Sproat and the Brewers back in April. He went 4 2/3 innings with two runs allowed on five hits and four walks, striking out four in that one. For his career, he’s 0-3 with a 4.44 ERA and 20 strikeouts over 24 1/3 innings in five starts against the Crew.

How to Watch & Listen

Friday, July 3: Exclusively on Apple TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Saturday, July 4: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Sunday, July 5: Exclusively on Peacock/NBCSN Extra; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Prediction

The D-backs have been less than great the last few weeks, while the Brewers have looked a lot better. Give me the Crew to take two of three in the desert.

Washington Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli and Boston Red Sox slugger Willson Contreras were each suspended seven games by Major League Baseball Thursday, July 2 for their actions that precipitated a bases-clearing incident in the teams' June 30 game.

Cavalli struck out Contreras in the bottom of the fourth inning, and as the Boston slugger returned to his dugout, Cavalli shouted, "Sit down, boy!" at Contreras. Contreras, already an emotional player who admittedly was even moreso after an earthquake devastated his home country of Venezuela, stopped in his tracks and asked if Cavalli said something.

The two began to jaw and Contreras approached the mound, at one point tossing his helmet in Cavalli's direction. Cavalli remained in the game, much to the chagrin of Boston interim manager Chad Tracy, while Contreras, Tracy and Red Sox reserve Nate Eaton were ejected. Washington pitcher Miles Mikolas, who pitched Monday, was also ejected.

Mikolas was suspended five games and Eaton received a three-game suspension. All four players are appealing their suspensions.

"I felt as though the comment made, ‘Sit down, boy,’ at the top of (Cavalli's) lungs was part of what caused that to happen,” says Tracy, who said he was ejected for protesting that Cavalli wasn't ejected. "I just felt like the other pitcher should have been one of them too. That was my biggest complaint there: 'Why is he still in the game?' That was my take on it."

Contreras was taken aback by Cavalli's remark, yet was unsure if there were racial overtones.

“I think it was more like the fact that he yelled whatever he said," says Contreras, 34, of the 27-year-old Cavalli. "Because, prior to that, I was talking to [Nationals catcher] Keibert Ruiz, you can go ask him, about how good Cavalli is. I was like, 'He has good stuff,' and then he struck me out on a good pitch. I was walking back to the dugout, then he did what he did. The rest of it was history."

As for any further intent, Contreras said: "To be honest, I don’t know. I'm Venezuelan. I don’t know if he’s racist or not. I’ll let MLB handle that."

Cavalli told reporters: "I don't know, I just lose my head in it. I mean, I'm competitive. I just told him to sit down, and then he asked if I was talking to him. I was just standing there, I said, ‘You heard me.’ It's really not a big deal. So that's it."

Cavalli and Contreras crossed paths after an earlier at-bat, with Cavalli noting that Contreras appeared to get in his way after he was walking off the mound. Contreras denied any intent.

Cade Cavalli and Paul Toboni spoke about the incident with Willson Contreras last night. Cavalli said there was no ill intention and he will eliminate “boy” from his vocabulary.

Said he is heartbroken. He has not yet reached out to Contreras. pic.twitter.com/QYxbrfixyR

— Spencer Nusbaum (@spencernusbaum_) July 1, 2026

A day later, Cavalli expressed remorse for his comments; Nationals GM Paul Toboni said July 1, "I think now he understands it."

The Red Sox play Friday, July 3 at the Los Angeles Angels while the Nationals host the Pittsburgh Pirates.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nationals' Cade Cavalli, Red Sox's Willson Contreras suspended 7 games by MLB

Maybe all it takes for the Cincinnati Reds to morph back into playing good baseball is to face the absolute best, hardest-throwing arms in the game.

Just days after thumping Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, the Reds took aim at Milwaukee Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski on Thursday afternoon in the series finale, and their aim was pretty perfect. Sal Stewart homered off the game’s hardest thrower in the Top of the 1st to set the tone, and Jose Trevino later added a 3-run blast down the left-field line to give Cincinnati’s own ace Chase Burns a 5-0 lead that he would not relinquish.

Trevi 💣 (!!!) pic.twitter.com/uVzLMQqwef

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) July 2, 2026

Cincinnati scraped out an eventual 7-2 win, beating the Brewers for the first time in seven chances so far in this disappointing 2026 season. Burns, whose down velocity had him only sitting 95-97 on the day, still battled his way through 6.0 IP of 2 ER ball, and the much maligned bullpen managed to hold things down completely after that to secure the win and avoid yet another sweep.

The win moved the Reds to 40-46 on the season, still miles away from any relevance in the Central and still buried in the crowded wild card standings despite the superexpanded megaplayoff format championed by Rob Manfred. That said, they did get a resurgent performance from the recalled TJ Friedl, finally, as he homered as part of a 2-hit, 2-RBI afternoon, and now they will return home for a two-series homestand where ace Hunter Greene will make his much anticipated return to the club.

Atta way, @TjFriedl1pic.twitter.com/pcesmdomRy

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) July 2, 2026

So, there’s the slightest hint of optimism, I’d say. At least, there’s a lot more after today’s game than there was just 16 or so hours ago, as the Reds finally, mercifully got the Brewers monkey off their backs for a day.