Category: MLB

We’re into the second half of the season now, folks (not numerically, just post All-Star break), a stretch where a bunch of contending teams are going to go head-to-head in an attempt to separate the wheat from the chaff.

So which one are the Orioles?

More chaff than wheat … but only for the first seven innings! The Orioles were playing catch-up the whole game, with Houston building a 1-0, then 2-1 lead off O’s starter Dean Kremer as the Birds were kept in check by Houston righty Peter Lambert over six one-run innings in which he struck out 10. But, just like a (hopeful) late season playoff run, they stormed ahead with two runs in the top of the eighth. Adley Rutschman hit a ground-rule double deep to the right corner off reliever Bryan King, and Taylor Ward homered (his seventh) into the stands to put Baltimore up 3-2, their first lead of the game.

And just like that, the Orioles are winning.

Adley Rutschman leads off the inning with a double off Astros LHP Bryan King, and Taylor Ward blasts a two-run homer to LCF.

Orioles lead 3-2 thanks to Ward's homer and reliever Cam Sanders escaping that jam in the 7th. pic.twitter.com/iXM4nIRFlS

— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) July 18, 2026

And, despite a depleted bullpen asked to cover five innings, that lead held. Anthony Nunez covered two innings, Grant Wolfram was messy but didn’t blow it, and new guy Cam Sanders, acquired in a cash trade from Pittsburgh on Monday, pitched a critical inning of his own, entering in the seventh with the bases loaded and one out before whiffing Isaac Paredes and getting Christian Walker to pop out. Andrew Kittredge was steady in the eighth, and Tyler Wells held on in a crazy ninth.

As for the O’s Dean Kremer, look, this wasn’t his best start. He struggled with command all night and only lasted four innings on 83 pitches. But to his credit, he did one thing particularly well: keep the Astros from scoring bunches of runs. He allowed just two of those and gave his team a chance to write a late-inning comeback.

Kremer put his team in a one-run hole in the first inning. The O’s starter walked leadoff hitter Jeremy Peña and did what everybody said not to do before this series: he pitched to Yordan Alvarez [groan],  a man hitting nearly 90 percentage points better than the rest of his team. Kremer left a low fastball in the middle of the zone and Alvarez doubled off the center-field wall, driving in Peña. Talk about a one-man wrecking crew.

We were still in the first with no outs, and Isaac Paredes singled. But Kremer fought. He got a big-boy strikeout of cleanup hitter Christian Walker, deploying a healthy amount of sinkers. Battling against José Altuve, Kremer went to a 3-2 count before he drew a bouncing double play ball. Inning over; further damage avoided.

It never got easy for him tonight, but Kremer kept limiting the damage. In the second inning, he threw 30 pitches and walked two. But he got out of it, aided by a Rutschman-to-Holliday caught stealing. Battling, Kremer sandwiched a walk of Lucas Spence, making his MLB debut, between two strikeouts. Laborious but scoreless.

For the better part of innings, Houston’s Peter Lambert shut the Orioles down with his nasty right-to-left stuff, sort of like the mirror image of a lefty. The Orioles got their first and only run off him in the third inning, as Lambert lost his finesse and walked three. Coby Mayo figured him out first, smacking a cutter with ease into the outfield. The next two hitters made quick outs. But Adley Rutschman and Taylor Ward worked a pair of walks, looking like tough ABs the both of them. Pete Alonso came up with the bases juiced. Lambert threw him a lot of junk, but he just missed with Pitch No. 7. It was his third walk of the inning, and it tied the game, 1-1.

Still no smooth sailing for Dean Kremer, but also no collapses. The Astros made it 2-1 in the third on two hits and a sac fly. But a stronger Kremer kept the Astros at bay with a quick one-two-three fourth. Looks like he’d found his stuff! Regrettably, we’d see no more of Kremer after that. He was pulled after 83 pitches and four innings.

In the fifth, the O’s turned to Anthony Nunez, and to their defense. Catcher Christian Vázquez hit a one-handed ball over the infielders, but Jackson Holliday, dancing and prancing like a deer, made a running over-the-shoulder catch. Peña hit a warning-track shot that Colton Cowser reeled in with ease. And after Alvarez walked (his third time on base), Paredes cued a foul ball towards first that Pete Alonso made a great running catch on.

Grant Wolfram took the baton in the seventh, and frankly, he made kind of a mess. He allowed a leadoff single and two walks. But, if you have a sense of drama, you can see that all Wolfy did was tee up a great chance for Cam Sanders’ early heroics with his new team. Sanders whiffed Isaac Paredes and got Christian Walker (really ineffective tonight) to pop out. It was a big escape.

What an Orioles debut for Cam Sanders.

Sanders, who was acquired from the Pirates in a cash trade Monday, enters with the bases loaded and one out in a 2-1 game. He then strikes out Isaac Paredes and gets Christian Walker to pop out.

It's a 96 mph fastball with this slider. pic.twitter.com/NVJf8Egz7x

— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) July 18, 2026

That set the stage for the O’s late heroics off a new Houston reliever, Bryan King. Not King’s night, as Adley and Ward hit back-to-back extra base hits, putting the Birds up for the first and final time.

The Orioles don’t quite have a closer right now, but Tyler Wells impersonated one just convincingly enough in the ninth inning. It got dicey, though: with one out, he allowed a single, then a flyout, then a walk. But Christian Walker couldn’t come through with two men on, swinging through a Wells fastball instead.

The Orioles were behind all game, but they came out on top tonight. The wins count all the same. And with this one, the O’s have leapfrogged Houston in the standings, with only three teams currently separating them from a wild card spot. Time to start stacking more of these!

Who was your Most Birdland Player tonight? Taylor Ward, with the go-ahead home run? Cam Sanders, who escaped a bases-loaded jam in his Orioles debut? Adley Rutschman, with a double and a caught stealing?

Durham Bulls 8, Charlotte Knights 2
Coming out of the midseason break, Charlotte looked sluggish in its 8-2 loss to Durham. The only two runs came from a two-out Bulls throwing error in the top of the first and Ryan Galanie’s RBI single in the fourth. In the end, Charlotte put more men on base with walks than hits. It also didn’t help that Jonathan Cannon took the mound to start the game. Cannon wore out his time, earning four runs, walking three, and giving up a three-run homer. Jaden Woods doubled Durham’s runs in the eighth to drive the Knights into the ground, but at least Tanner McDougal looked sharp in his one-hit, two-inning appearance as he makes a strong case to make his season debut before the trade deadline.

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Rocket City Trash Pandas 5, Birmingham Barons 3
The Barons attempt to come back from a two-run deficit to overcome a well-deserved win over the Trash Pandas. Starter Lucas Gordon effectively limited the damage from his seven hits allowed, holding the Trash Pandas to two runs while striking out five. Jackson Kelley was a serviceable reinforcement, but Mathias LaCombe didn’t have the Birmingham debut he expected. LaCombe finished the seventh but not without sacrificing two runs and a walk to weigh on his Double-A stats.

Although LaCombe’s rough outing put a damper on the game, the Barons refused to be pushed around. Dylan Campbell blasted a two-run shot to bring the Barons within one run, as was Boston Smith’s solo home run in the second, but the two jacks weren’t enough to push Bham over Rocket City.

Boston Smith continues his assault on the Southern League with his 5th HR in AA. #Baronspic.twitter.com/WGVwPQMQ94

— FutureSox (@FutureSox) July 18, 2026

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Bowling Green Hot Rods 5, Winston-Salem Dash3
Winston-Salem came out of the rain delay parched for offense. The Dash did nothing to support starter Justin Sinbaldi, who put on his best performance of the year, holding Bowling Green to one run while striking out eight in five frames. Fortunately, Jeral Perez served the Dash a tall drink of water by cranking a two-run homer in the seventh to knot the contest at two apiece. Then, Ely Brown provided Winston-Salem with an RBI single to help the Dash claim the lead. But it was short-lived.

The Dash’s 3-2 lead evaporated in the ninth almost as quickly as the White Sox suddenly became a winning team. Garrett Wright hoped to secure a save, but walking Tony Santa Maria and then allowing him to steal second put him in deep water quickly. Walking Nathan Flewelling shortly thereafter made matters worse and set up Aric McAtee allowing a walk-off bomb that ruined Winston-Salem’s comeback. Let’s blame it on the rain delay, rather than shaky bullpen pitching, shall we?

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Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 9, Myrtle Beach Pelicans 1
Kanny decided to go from zero to 60 in their first game of the second half, shutting out Myrtle Beach in a competition that was hardly a fair fight. In the second frame, Alexander Albertus put the CBs on the board first with an RBI single, then Jaden Fauske squeaked two runs out of a dribbler by playing musical bases after he saw Homer Bush Jr bobble the throw in. That put opened the scoreboard to more small-ball play for Kannapolis to widen their lead while Gabe Tanner worked his magic on the bump. Building on last week’s momentum, Tanner twirled another shutout, but this one was for six innings. Tanner provided more than enough for the Ballers to cruise through the game and secure their 45th win.

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ACL White Sox 12, ACL Reds 10 (9 innings, July 16)
Runs? Oh, there were plenty. After seven innings of the regulation Complex League play, the contest was knotted at 11. Both sides battled it out until the ninth, when the ACL White Sox walked it off on a wild pitch and a sac fly. The fireworks included solo bombs from Marcelo Ácala and Jose Mendoza, plus rehabber Adam Fogel went deep twice, driving in four. The bats even showed up in the clutch, going 6-for-17 with runners in scoring position. It wasn’t exactly a pitching clinic, but who’s complaining?

DSL Athletics 12, DSL White Sox 3 (July 16)
The DSL White Sox, allergic to scoring, struggled in this one as well. Out of 51 teams, they’re scraping along at 34th in runs, and today’s showing was more of the same: nothing doing until the fifth, when All-Star Sebastian Romero finally cracked a double and Ronald Cardozo (also an All-Star) managed to bring him home. After that, the Sox cobbled together a run on a balk, then another on a wild pitch — pure charity from the A’s arms. Otherwise, the bats were silent, with a ghastly 1-for-14 showing with runners in scoring position. On the mound, starter Roderic Ramirez got shelled, surrendering seven runs on seven hits over two innings.

ACL Guardians 7, ACL White Sox 3 (July 17)
The ACL Guardians took advantage of an unambitious ACL White Sox team. The ACL Sox traded six hits and a pair of walks for Jose Mendoza’s RBI single in the sixth. In exchange for the hard work, the pitching staff was equally effective. Opener Felix Doroteo could’ve fared better in his brief outing, but it was Fabian Ysalla’s 10 hits and five runs that served as the tipping point for the Guardians’ win. On the bats’ side, going 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and leaving seven stranded isn’t redeeming, either. Neither the lineup nor the arms put on their best show, but that’s just how it’s been this summer for the Complexers.

DSL Blue Jays Red 5, DSL White Sox 0 (July 17)
Three hits, 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position, and a fielding error kept the DSL Sox off the board in Camelback Ranch. Although the DSLers didn’t have to deal with the smoke that’s blanketing the Midwest and East Coast, they couldn’t hit the ball even if it were right in front of them, based on their 13 strikeouts accumulated. Emmanuel Rodriguez accepted his third loss of the season after leaving with two runs allowed in 1 2/3 innings, although the lack of run support isn’t his fault. Franchel Crisostomo was tagged with three runs in the third, which buried the ailing White Sox. While it’s hard to find a gem in the rough, Jhoriel De La Rosa’s 3 1/3 scoreless innings deserve praise.

NEW YORK — Dave Roberts didn’t indulge the narrative.

But the clock was ticking on Roki Sasaki nonetheless.

This weekend, Blake Snell will begin a rehab assignment for the Dodgers. That means, within a month, the team will have to boot someone from its rotation to make room for his return.

Going into the All-Star break, the natural answer appeared to be Sasaki, who finished the first half of the season with a rotation-worst 5.33 ERA.

So, Roberts was asked Friday, how important would these next couple weeks be for Sasaki, as Snell gets close to making his return?

“Well, Snell is starting a rehab assignment, but I wouldn’t say he’s getting close,” Roberts said.

“Nice try,” the veteran manager then added with a sly grin.

Alas, it turned out no public pressure was needed for the 24-year-old phenom to finally turn a corner.

In the Dodgers’ 2-1 win over the Yankees on Friday night, Sasaki delivered his most promising outing as a member of the Dodgers’ rotation.

With his fastball playing up at a career-best 100.1 mph average, and his splitter coming out so deceptively that catcher Dalton Rushing joked, “I had trouble catching [it] for half the game, so that’s a pretty good sign,” Sasaki blew the Yankees’ lineup away in a 5 ⅔-inning gem that included only one unearned run.

“Very impressive,” Roberts said afterward. “Gosh, I mean, the velocity, he dialed it up.”

“That,” Rushing added, “was about as quality as we’ve seen him this year.”

Indeed, while Roberts might not have said so pregame, Sasaki desperately needed this.

A night in which he threw more 100 mph fastballs (21) than he had in the entirety of his career as an MLB starter previously (14). 

A night in which he went on the attack, put an opposing lineup on their heels and coupled his triple-digit velo (his 21 pitches of 100+ mph were also the most by any Dodgers pitcher since the league began tracking pitch speeds in 2008) with an assortment of swing-and-miss breaking stuff.

A night in which, finally, he looked every bit the part against a legitimate contending team; even if Aaron Judge remains sidelined with a rib injury.

“It’s one game, so I can’t say anything declarative,” Sasaki said in Japanese. “But it’s the lower body. I reviewed how I use that part, and I think that went well.”

This is what the Dodgers had expected to see when they signed the much-hyped Sasaki out of Japan last year. This is what they’d been waiting to see over his turbulent transition to the majors in the season and a half since.

Granted, as Sasaki noted himself, it was only one game. He has flashed potential before, only to quickly revert to inconsistent form.

Then again, in much the same way Yoshinobu Yamamoto leveled up in a Yankee Stadium start back in 2024, the Dodgers are hoping that Sasaki just did the same.

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In his postgame address with reporters, Roberts went so far as to make that comparison unprompted.

“It sort of reminded me of when Yamamoto was here a couple years ago, and that performance he put out, when the velocity and everything ticked up,” Roberts said. “It’s a good team over there, on the road, and to battle his emotions and go out there and put forth that effort that he did tonight was fun to watch. So, hopefully, he continues to build on that and keeps getting confidence.”

Sasaki’s stuff stood out from the get-go, highlighted by a tantalizing sequence against former MVP Paul Goldschmidt to punctuate a 1-2-3 first inning.

At the start of the at-bat, Sasaki pumped a 101.8 mph fastball over the plate for strike one. It was the hardest pitch he had thrown in the majors. After that, Sasaki climbed the ladder with a 101.7 heater that Goldschmidt fouled off. Three pitches later, Sasaki fanned him with a slider in the dirt.

“I got a big smile on my face when I saw 102,” said Roberts, who noted that Sasaki put in “a lot of work over the break” following his staggeringly inconsistent start to the campaign.

“I was upset I didn’t get an All-Star break,” Sasaki quipped, “so I unleashed that.”

The rest of the night, Sasaki kept on dealing, holding his 100 mph velocity while breezing through a five-hit, one-walk, five-strikeout performance.

He escaped a two-on, one-out jam in the third by inducing a double-play grounder from Ben Rice with a first-pitch splitter.

He bounced back from his lone run in the fourth, which only scored with the help of a couple defensive mistakes: Andy Pages letting a runner reach third on a double after dropping the ball in the outfield, and Rushing whiffing on a forkball for a run-scoring passed ball.

Unfazed, Sasaki continued to cruise, going blow-for-blow with former Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole before finally being removed at 94 pitches following a pair of singles in the sixth.

It only lowered his season ERA to 4.98 but encapsulated so much of the potential he has been trying to unlock.

“After that first inning … it was pretty exciting,” Roberts said. “With Roki, there’s times where he gives up a couple, then he settles down, or he’s good until he’s not. So today he was good all the way through.”

Remaining this good moving forward will be the challenge now, with Sasaki still needing to show more consistency with his delivery to cement a longer-term rotation spot.

Whether he can remains a question even Roberts couldn’t answer.

“I guess time will tell,” Roberts said. “I guess it’s in that bucket.”

But now, at least, he has given himself the perfect template to follow.

“I just go back to the conviction that he has,” Rushing said. “Watching him compete on the mound, there was a little bit of a different animal out there tonight.”

The second half of the season is officially underway.   Unfortunately for Houston, they’ve started off on the wrong foot, disappointing the assembled crowd of 31,867 with a late inning blown lead.   Orioles 3 Astros 2.    The Orioles have now won five in a row and have passed Houston in the wildcard standings.    

Peter Lambert’s career high ten strikeouts would be wasted as reliever Bryan King’s struggles continued.   In the top of the 8th, Adley Rutschman would double deep to right, moments later scoring on Taylor Ward’s homerun. King has now allowed three homeruns in each of his last three outings.    

Jeremy Pena led off things with a walk and was brought home for the game’s first run on Yordan Alvarez’s 18th double of the season.   For Alvarez, it would represent his 71st RBI.    

In the third inning, the O’s would tie things up at 1-1.  Pete Alonso would draw a bases loaded walk, sending home Coby Mayo.  Lambert would walk three straight batters in the inning, his only real trouble during an otherwise fantastic outing.   In the bottom of the frame, Pena and Alvarez would continue their 1-2 punch, each reaching safely on a pair of singles.   Isaac Paredes would bring home Pena on a sacrifice fly, making it 2-1.     That would be the score until King’s shortcomings.   

Dean Kremer entered the night having a perfect career 4-0 record verses Houston.   However, on this night, he’d last just four innings, throwing 83 pitches.    Kremer allowed four hits, walked three and struck out five.    Baltimore would utilize six different arms in victory.    

Late on Friday night, the Astros would have plenty of chances.    In the bottom of the seventh, they’d load the bases but failed to expand their lead.    In the ninth, Pena and Paredes would reach, but once again, Christian Walker failed to deliver, striking out to end the game.    

Odds & Ends:

Lucas Spence made his MLB debut.  In his first AB, he drew a walk after completing a 9-pitch sequence.    Spence would also single in the bottom of the seventh, notching his first hit in the major leagues.       

Pete Alonso has now played in 514 consecutive games.    

Saturday contest will be the 100th game of the 26′ season for the Astros.  Spencer Arrighetti will take the mound; he’ll be opposed by Trevor Rogers.    First pitch set for 3:10pm CDT.    Game promotion will feature a Christmas in July theme.   

It is Friday night.

The Orioles have won a fifth straight game. No, really! Taylor Ward hit a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning, helping the O’s in a game where they only got five hits. A parade of pitchers, starting with Dean Kremer and including brand new Oriole Cam Sanders, contributed to holding the Astros to just two runs in the game, capped by Tyler Wells getting through the ninth inning that included having to get out Yordan Álvarez, which he did! The Orioles passed the Astros in the wild card standings with this victory.

YOU KNOW WHAT MUST BE DONE.

The Royals wasted opportunity after opportunity all night until, finally, they didn’t. Carter Jensen got his first walk-off hit as a Royal with a two-run single in the bottom of the tenth to give the Royals a 7-6 victory.

Seth Lugo had a really good bounce-back start tonight. He only struck out 3 while walking 2, but he also allowed 2 runs (1 earned) in 6 innings. His first quality start since July 1st, and only his second since June. He gave up some hard contact in the first inning, starting things off by giving Jac Caglianone a home run-robbing opportunity (successful) in right, followed immediately by a leaping grab by Isaac Collins in left. As funny as it was to see the difference in how high the two guys can get when leaping, it was a bit scary for how the game would go.

Lane Thomas gave the Royals an early lead with the longest home run of his career leading off the bottom of the second.

The Royals wasted a further opportunity when Salvador Perez was hit by a pitch and Michael Massey singled. In the bottom of the third, Carter Jensen led off with a double and the Royals couldn’t advance him.

In the top of the fifth, the Padres got runners at second and third with one out, and the Royals chose to bring the infield in. Lugo did exactly what he wanted, forcing a groundball to second, but it clanged off of Massey’s glove into center to allow both runs to score and the Padres to take the lead.

In the bottom of the sixth, Thomas led off again and singled to left. Vinnie Pasquantino drew a walk, and with runners on first and second, Salvador Perez hit a routine groundball to Xander Bogaerts at shortstop. Bogaerts double-clutched and then threw the ball into the outfield. That allowed Thomas to score and Vinnie to advance to third. But with runners at first and third, Massey struck out, and Nick Loftin gave them another double play opportunity that they didn’t screw up. Still, the game was tied.

It remained that way even after Steven Cruz pitched the seventh and John Schreiber pitched the eighth. Then Jac Caglianone led off the bottom of the inning with a single to right. Tyler Tolbert immediately pinch ran for him and then stole second, making sure to keep his hand on the bag at all times. Lane Thomas grounded to second, sending Thomas to third, and all Vinnie needed to do was get the ball in the air. Unfortunately, he hit a dribbler back to Adrian Morejon. The contact play was on, and despite Tolbert’s attempt to deek Morejon, he was thrown out at home. But the Royals weren’t done there.

Vinnie stole his fourth bag of the year, which led to a weird sequence where Morejon threw a strike to Salvy before the Padres decided to intentionally walk him and face the lefty, Massey. Massey watched two 100+ MPH sinkers to get down two strikes, but he wasn’t watching the third.

Alex Lange-xiety came on for the ninth inning and got two outs before, who else, Ty France whacked a game-tying home run.

The Royals weren’t done wasting opportunities, either. In the bottom of the ninth, the Padres went to Mason Miller. Miller is so good as a reliever that there was some buzz early in the year about him winning the Cy Young award. That seems unlikely as long as The Mis stays healthy for the remainder of the year, but he’ll get some votes. He came into the game with an ERA under 1.00, 2.5 fWAR as a reliever midway through the season, and he had struck out 72 in 49.2 innings – nearly 2 batters per inning!

Isaac Collins doinked a single just on the line in left field, then Carter Jensen ripped a double off the base of the wall in right. Miller intentionally walked Bobby to get to Tyler Tolbert, so the Royals pinch-hit Josh Rojas. He struck out. Lane Thomas struck out. Vinnie Pasquantino struck out.

In the top of the tenth, Matt Quatraro looked at his rogues’ gallery of a bullpen and, perhaps at random, chose Lucas Erceg to try to preserve the tie. Coming into the inning, the Padres had not gotten a hit with a runner in scoring position. Most Royals fans, I think, knew that was about to end.

Erceg got some awkward swings from Miguel Andujar on sliders away, but eventually gave up a double bouncing down the first base line to give the Padres a lead they would not relinquish. To no one’s surprise, the pain didn’t end there. Erceg bobbled a Sung-Mun Song sacrifice bunt attempt into runners at first and third with no outs. Fernando Tatis Jr. smoked a single over the drawn-in infield to drive in another run with Song running to third. Song scored on a sacrifice fly by Bogaerts to give us our final score.

By rule, the Royals were set to send three batters up in the bottom of the tenth, even though everyone knew the game was over. The Padres knew it so well that they sent Kyle Hart – with a career 6.78 ERA – to earn his first career big league save.

Salvy managed to get one off the end of his bat into left to send Vinnie to third while Salvy went to first. Michael Massey got an infield single to give the Royals a pity run, but surely that would be the end. Nick Loftin attempted to bunt the tying run into scoring position, but his bunt was too good, and Kyle Hart made the mistake of fielding the ball. It seemed like it might go foul, but it definitely never had a chance of being an out. Collins went to the plate with the bases loaded and the tying run at second. He hit a slow roller to the right side, and the Padres could only get one out; the Royals had gotten the game within one for Carter Jensen. I was already telling my dad about how the Padres would walk Bobby again after they got Carter out to face Rojas and finish the game.

Carter watched a sinker down the middle and then swung at another, hitting a soft roller into left past the diving Bogaerts. It was a good thing the ball was hit so softly because it allowed Loftin to score the winning run from second.

Lucas Erceg gets an undeserved win, Seth Lugo and Mason Miller get nothing for their hard work. Alex Lange got his first blown save as a Royal. As noted at the top, Carter got his first walk-off hit. The Royals were 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position heading into the bottom of the tenth. They finished the night 5-for-20. It was one of the more improbable wins the Royals have ever earned. Perhaps the most improbable of this disappointing year.

The Royals can get a series victory tomorrow afternoon. Griffin Canning will pitch for the Padres; the Royals still have TBD as of this writing. It won’t be Stephen Kolek as the Royals want him to make a rehab start before returning to the big league club following his extended absence on the family medical emergency list. The game will start at 3:10 PM Central. See you then.

Gerrit Cole was dominating the Dodgers on Friday night through six innings, allowing just three singles and the Yankees staked him to a 1-0 lead.

However, Cole came out in the seventh with already 90 pitches under his belt. He battled with Mookie Betts, but the shortstop worked a walk, forcing manager Aaron Boone to come out.

Southpaw Brent Headrick was already warmed up in the bullpen to potentially face the left-handed Max Muncy, but Boone had a conversation with Cole, and he left the veteran out there.

Cole and Muncy battled, but a 90 mph slider over the heart of the plate resulted in a two-run shot, the decisive blow in a 2-1 loss.

"I was feeling the situation out," Boone said of the decision after the game. "Obviously, in hindsight, I probably should grab him there. Pitched so well. I felt like he was competitive back in the Mookie at-bat. I felt like he had enough to get Max and jumps out in front of him. But then [Muncy] got a mistake. 

"I got Headrick teed up there. That's on me. I should probably get him there, even though it felt like he was in a good place and obviously threw the ball great tonight."

Boone asked Cole if he had one more batter in him, and Cole said he did, but the longtime Yankees skipper recognized his mistake and needed to take the decision out of his player's hands. 

"That falls on me," Boone reiterated. 

"I looked at the pitch. It's not where I wanted, but I looked at the swing and it was pretty excellent," Cole said of the Muncy at-bat. "But yea, it stinks."

The homer put a damper on what was Cole's best start since elbow surgery more than a year ago. He threw a season-high 103 pitches and struck out eight batters in that formidable Dodgers lineup. 

Despite the loss, Cole and Boone are encouraged by the right-hander's performance and what it could mean as the Yankees start the second half of the season. 

"Back-to-back outstanding outings for him. And tonight was really good," Boone said of Cole's outing. "I thought he was just really sharp. I thought he used all his pitches, his secondary well. The change up right away, especially for some of their lefties, was a factor. He spun the ball well, and then I thought he was really spotting his fastball, which had life to it. He threw the heck out of the ball."

"It's nice to push the stamina to, get back out there and, for an extra hitter and just keep going for it," Cole said. "Keep competing, so that's great. Learning opportunity physically and obviously, hitting deeper into the second half, a good learning opportunity as well that it's not over till it's over. You got to keep making pitches, especially against, a great team like the Dodgers."

Following Friday's start, Cole is now 3-5 and lowered his ERA to 3.93 and has now allowed three runs or fewer in seven of his 10 starts, including two runs or fewer in six of those starts.

The Yankees will look to bounce back when they take on the Dodgers again Saturday night. 

 

Well, I guess the four day break didn’t solve everything that’s wrong with the Blue Jays. This one got out of hand early, with the eventual winning run scoring in the second inning. The pitching was bad, and while the offence managed three home runs they were still held to just seven hits by an unimposing White Sox pitching staff composed mostly of their own castaways.

17 days to the deadline, so if they’re going to get anything going it has to be now. Personally, I wouldn’t bet on it.

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No need to go through all the details, but as a quick recap:

• Spencer Miles had a 1-2-3 first inning, but Chicago jumped him for five in the second on three singles, a double, and a Sam Antonacci home run. He’d pull it together and keep the game within reach for two more innings, but a lead-off single in the fifth would knock him out.
• Adam Macko allowed the inherited runner and two of his own to cross, on a single, a walk and a Colson Montgomery double.
• Patrick Corbin had a decent sixth, working around a single, but a single, walk and error would load the bases in the seventh. Derek Fisher gave up a triple to Braden Montgomery, misplayed by Myles Straw in the right field corner, that scored all three inherited runners. A sac fly cashed Montgomery for the White Sox’ 12th.
• CJ Van Eyk, in his MLB debut, mopped up with two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out one. Welcome to the show CJ, it’s usually more exciting than this.
• The Blue Jays’ first run came in the third. Ernie Clement was hit by Anthony Kay’s pitch, moved to third on a Vladimir Guerrero jr. line single, and after Kazuma Okamoto walked he scored on a George Springer ground out.
• The second, third, and fourth were all solo home runs. Luis Urias went out to left in the fourth, Springer did the same in the fifth, and Brandon Valenzuela took it down the right field line in the sixth.
• Other than that, Clement had a pair of hits, Alejandro Kirk chipped in one of his own and walked twice, Okamoto was hit by a pitch, and Sean Keys walked for Guerrero in the ninth.

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Jays of the Day: Nobody qualifies, but Clement and Kirk each got on three times, it’s not their fault that it didn’t matter.

Less so: Miles (-0.32), Macko (-0.10), Varsho (-0.10)

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We’re back tomorrow at 3:07pm ET. Shane Bieber (0-1, 7.64) will try to get his season going against Davis Martin (9-4, 3.41).

The season may be 162 games long, but there are certain games that hold more weight than others. In the case of the White Sox, there are few that will hold as much weight as tonight’s game being the first after the All-Star break. It set the tone for the second half, which will be crucial for a White Sox team that finds itself right in the thick of the AL Central race. With a tough road game and the lights shining bright on the forever awful Apple TV, the White Sox continued their dominance over the Toronto Blue Jays in a 12-4 runaway.

Coming into the game, the story was who would prevail in a pitcher’s duel between Anthony Kay and Spencer Miles. Both pitchers struggle to produce many missed swings, and live off of producing weak contact. It was a question on who was sharpest, and Kay won the battle. He certainly wasn’t flawless, but the White Sox got to Miles early, scoring at ease early against one of the better recent pitchers in the American League.

When going up against a pitcher like Miles, it’s important to take what you’re given. Trying to do too much usually is what gets teams in trouble. Fortunately, the White Sox knew exactly what was needed of them and jumped all over the righthander, who only lasted four innings and surrendered five runs.

The story of the night was “the other guys,” and no, I’m not talking about the 2010 movie classic by Adam McKay. Miguel Vargas and Munetaka Murakami are obviously crucial to the success of the White Sox, but it’s going to be the other guys who are going to need to step up if this team wants to win the division. And in a game where Vargas and Murakami struggled, Sam Antonacci and both Montgomerys carried the load.

In the second inning that saw Chicago score five runs, none of them came from the bats of Murakami or Vargas. Toronto fought back with two runs of their own over the third and fourth innings before a Colson Montgomery double with the bases loaded brought in three runs to spike the lead to 8-2; during that same inning, Murakami walked while Vargas struck out.

The role players don’t need to play like stars every night, but if they can pick up the slack here and there when the two All Stars are struggling at the plate, that will be the difference in the AL Central race. With all due respect to Cleveland, Minnesota and Detroit, none of those teams can compete with Chicago’s depth if players like Antonacci continue to step up.

Unfortunately for the White Sox, games aren’t decided in just five innings, so there was still some baseball to be played. In an odd move, Will Venable took Anthony Kay out after just four innings, having struggled through 83 pitches. It was surprising to see the skipper not at least give Kay a chance at going five and collecting the win. On the other hand, it did give fans a chance to suffer from heart palpitations as they watched, so who’s to say whether it was the right call or not.

With a six-run lead, a blown game by the bullpen probably would’ve led to screaming and loud sobbing that could’ve been heard all the way to Canada. Instead, the bullpen only slightly struggled with the golden goose of an 8-2 game.

In what was hopefully more of a “one-off” performance, reliever Trevor Richards struggled to keep the ball in the park. Over five outs, he allowed four hits and two runs thanks to a pair of solo home runs. Luckily, the White Sox would put the game away in the seventh, rendering any other sketchy bullpen work moot. But Seranthony Domínguez mopped up for one out in the sixth and long reliever Tyler Schweitzer brought the game home with three scoreless innings to earn his first major league win.

All in all, it’s hard to complain about a win, especially one of this nature. It is a little odd to see the White Sox score more than 50 runs over their last four games on Friday, but as long as the games keep going in our favor we might as well embrace the chaos.

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Game MVP
Colson Montgomery (SS): 2-for-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2B, BB, K, 12% WPA

Runners-Up
Sam Antonacci (LF): 2-for-5, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, 12% WPA
Braden Montgomery (RF): 1-for-5, 3B, 2 R, 4 RBI, SB, 0% WPA
Chase Meidroth (2B): 2-for-4, 2 R, RBI, 9% WPA
Tyler Schweitzer (LHRP): 3 IP, H, BB, 3 K, first career WIN (1-0), 40-of-54 strikes, 1% WPA
Andrew Benintendi (DH): 1-for-2, R, K, 8% WPA

Cold Cat
Trevor Richards (RHRP): 1 2/3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, K, 2 HR, -2% WPA

Runners-Up
Miguel Vargas (3B): 1-for-4, R, 2 K, -4% WPA
Tristan Peters (CF): 1-for-4, RBI, -2% WPA
Kyle Teel (C): 1-for-5, 2B, RBI, 3 K, 8% WPA

The season may be 162 games long, but there are certain games that hold more weight than others. In the case of the White Sox, there are few that will hold as much weight as tonight’s game being the first after the All-Star break. It set the tone for the second half, which will be crucial for a White Sox team that finds itself right in the thick of the AL Central race. With a tough road game and the lights shining bright on the forever awful Apple TV, the White Sox continued their dominance over the Toronto Blue Jays in a 12-4 runaway.

Coming into the game, the story was who would prevail in a pitcher’s duel between Anthony Kay and Spencer Miles. Both pitchers struggle to produce many missed swings, and live off of producing weak contact. It was a question on who was sharpest, and Kay won the battle. He certainly wasn’t flawless, but the White Sox got to Miles early, scoring at ease early against one of the better recent pitchers in the American League.

When going up against a pitcher like Miles, it’s important to take what you’re given. Trying to do too much usually is what gets teams in trouble. Fortunately, the White Sox knew exactly what was needed of them and jumped all over the righthander, who only lasted four innings and surrendered five runs.

The story of the night was “the other guys,” and no, I’m not talking about the 2010 movie classic by Adam McKay. Miguel Vargas and Munetaka Murakami are obviously crucial to the success of the White Sox, but it’s going to be the other guys who are going to need to step up if this team wants to win the division. And in a game where Vargas and Murakami struggled, Sam Antonacci and both Montgomerys carried the load.

In the second inning that saw Chicago score five runs, none of them came from the bats of Murakami or Vargas. Toronto fought back with two runs of their own over the third and fourth innings before a Colson Montgomery double with the bases loaded brought in three runs to spike the lead to 8-2; during that same inning, Murakami walked while Vargas struck out.

The role players don’t need to play like stars every night, but if they can pick up the slack here and there when the two All Stars are struggling at the plate, that will be the difference in the AL Central race. With all due respect to Cleveland, Minnesota and Detroit, none of those teams can compete with Chicago’s depth if players like Antonacci continue to step up.

Unfortunately for the White Sox, games aren’t decided in just five innings, so there was still some baseball to be played. In an odd move, Will Venable took Anthony Kay out after just four innings, having struggled through 83 pitches. It was surprising to see the skipper not at least give Kay a chance at going five and collecting the win. On the other hand, it did give fans a chance to suffer from heart palpitations as they watched, so who’s to say whether it was the right call or not.

With a six-run lead, a blown game by the bullpen probably would’ve led to screaming and loud sobbing that could’ve been heard all the way to Canada. Instead, the bullpen only slightly struggled with the golden goose of an 8-2 game.

In what was hopefully more of a “one-off” performance, reliever Trevor Richards struggled to keep the ball in the park. Over five outs, he allowed four hits and two runs thanks to a pair of solo home runs. Luckily, the White Sox would put the game away in the seventh, rendering any other sketchy bullpen work moot. But Seranthony Domínguez mopped up for one out in the sixth and long reliever Tyler Schweitzer brought the game home with three scoreless innings to earn his first major league win.

All in all, it’s hard to complain about a win, especially one of this nature. It is a little odd to see the White Sox score more than 50 runs over their last four games on Friday, but as long as the games keep going in our favor we might as well embrace the chaos.

---

Game MVP
Colson Montgomery (SS): 2-for-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2B, BB, K, 12% WPA

Runners-Up
Sam Antonacci (LF): 2-for-5, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, 12% WPA
Braden Montgomery (RF): 1-for-5, 3B, 2 R, 4 RBI, SB, 0% WPA
Chase Meidroth (2B): 2-for-4, 2 R, RBI, 9% WPA
Tyler Schweitzer (LHRP): 3 IP, H, BB, 3 K, first career WIN (1-0), 40-of-54 strikes, 1% WPA
Andrew Benintendi (DH): 1-for-2, R, K, 8% WPA

Cold Cat
Trevor Richards (RHRP): 1 2/3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, K, 2 HR, -2% WPA

Runners-Up
Miguel Vargas (3B): 1-for-4, R, 2 K, -4% WPA
Tristan Peters (CF): 1-for-4, RBI, -2% WPA
Kyle Teel (C): 1-for-5, 2B, RBI, 3 K, 8% WPA

Both teams missed out on some offensive opportunities, but the Cubs’ misses ended up hurting more. Some nice defense by the Twins tonight helped Bailey Ober escape some jams, and Ryan Jeffers’s bomba proved to be enough offense.

Inning-by-inning notes:

1: Colin Rea, whose name sounds Irish but who’s actually from Iowa, walks leadoff hitter Trevor Larnach, whose name sounds more Scottish. Two fielder’s choice outs and a strikeout means no runs for the Twins, who would be called “Efeilliaid” if they were Welsh.

A leadoff walk issued by Bailey Ober, too, except this one actually comes back to haunt. Selya Suzuki walks, and Michael Busch knocks the lead runner in. Wrongly, Twins RF Alan Roden tries throwing home, and that lets Suzuki scamper to third. But Alex Bregman strikes out, and Ian Happ grounds into a 3-6 DP, nicely started by Royce Lewis. So Ober escapes without any more damage. Cubs 1-0

2: The Twins don’t do anything, and Roden loses one of the teams’ ABS challenges. The dude’s got an OPS of .494 — buddy, your problems go deeper than ump calls.

With Bailey Ober throwing that mighty 87-MPH stuff, the Cubs begin with two singles, the second advancing the runner to third. And then —-the same thing happens! Strikeout followed by DP! Wow, that’s some real BAbip luck right there.

3: Luke Keaschall with a leadoff infield hit. Then Tristan Gray hits it to first, and 1B Michael Busch makes a wonky throw that glances off Keaschall and hits Dansby Swanson right in the mouth; radio said he was bleeding pretty visibly, ouch!

Then, bam-bam, Larnach single and Ryan Jeffers dinger!

Followed by a single, DP, and flyout, but we’ll take it.

And Ober, still throwing 87, strikes out the side. Crazy! Twins 4-1

4: Two-out single by Keaschall, he’d have stolen second if Gray hadn’t struck out on the same pitch.

A two-out single by Nico Hoerner that becomes a double when Kody Clemens airmails the throw, but Ober gets the next guy to harmlessly pop up.

5: Twins down in order, Rea at 82 pitches. Same for Cubs; Ober at 78. Nice diving/rolling play by Brooks Lee for the second out.

6: Leadoff double into the LF corner by Suzuki. A FC advances Suzuki to third and chases Ober. Recent acquisition Tommy Nance comes in. He throws a wild pitch that bounces off the backstop and allows Suzuki to score. Then Nance walks Bregman. Then Happ singles. Finally Nance gets a groundout and a deep flyout to end the inning. Lake Superior 4 Lake Michigan 2

7: RP Drew Pomeranz in for Chicago; he does not start well. Two walks and an RBI to PH Ryan Kriedler; second and third with no outs!

IT’S A TRAP. Trevor Larnach hits one out of the ballpark, but it’s a foul ball; then he lines out to first. Gavin Pomerall comes in and strikes out Jeffers, then Josh Bell. Hope leaving those RISP doesn’t come back to bite our boys on the butt.

Nance still in there. He gets the first two guys, and Taylor Rogers enters to face LH Pete Crow-Armstrong, who is the son of Sheryl Crow and Lance Armstrong except I am lying about one or both of those. Pete C-A pops out on the second pitch, ‘cause every day is a winding road or something. Non-windy city 5-2

8: Ryan Rolison in to pitch; Brooks Lee gets a two-out single and tries stealing. He’s thrown out, and starts walking off the field; the Twins challenge the call. When even the guy called out thinks he was out, he was probably out; that’s the case here.

Andrew Morris for side Us, working on a 16-inning scoreless streak. Suzuki smacks one to left-center but Keaschall is able to run it down. Then two less-dramatic groundouts. Make it 17 innings.

9: Tyler Fergusfalls Ferguson pitching; the Twins go down quickly.

And it’s Yoendrys Gómez for the Twins; he walks the leadoff guy. Lewis ALMOST turns a nifty DP; still, gets the lead runner. Michael Conforto strikes out; Carson Kelly hits one deep, but there’s Keaschall again to grab it before crashing into the ivy. Twims wim! (We spell it wrong here sometimes.)

That brings the Twins to 49-49; it’s the first time they’re at .500 since April 22nd.

Studs of the game: Ober, lucky or not; Jeffers for the bomba and Keaschall for the defense. Duds: no duds, Twins win, but we’re sorry about Dansby Swanson’s mouth, hope his teeth are okay. I’ve had someone break one of my teeth and it SUCKS.

COTG to sandwiches for a great story about family and co-workers, and BobbyDarwinFanClub for mishearing a famous KISS song: “‘(At one point) I literally thought the lyrics were “Rock and Roll all night and part of every day.” I believe in moderation in all things, especially moderation.’” Thanks to everybody who joined in a pretty fun thread.

Tomorrow’s game is at 1:20, featuring lefty Matthew Boyd against our own Taj Bradley. Catch ya next time!

The Boston Red Sox are 48-48, even for the first time since March 28th—the second game of the entire season. They got there by sweeping a doubleheader against the Tampa Bay Rays, 10-0 and 5-3, on a Friday afternoon and evening at Fenway Park. Jake Bennett went six innings and gave up one hit in the opener. The offense went bonkers enough to bring in a position player pitching (which feels illegal if you have a 27th man). Wilyer Abreu hit two homers in Game 2 against right-handed pitching, which has been a problem all year. Willson Contreras went yabo in his first game back from suspension. The bullpen held a two-run lead for five frames. Aroldis Chapman closed it with a perfect ninth for his 20th save.

There are 66 games left. Nobody knows what that means yet. But this team has won eleven in a row and the conversation has changed.

GAME ONE: Red Sox 10, Rays 0

There are days where the starting pitcher is the whole story. Friday’s opener was one of them.

Jake Bennett went six innings and allowed one hit. One. Against a Rays lineup with Junior Caminero and Yandy Diaz. He walked one, struck out three, hit a batter, and otherwise quietly dismantled them—65 pitches, none of the drama, all of the results. The offense did plenty of damage behind him, but Bennett’s afternoon set the tone for everything that followed.

The big frame on offense was the sixth. The Red Sox were already up 3-0 heading in, Griffin Jax having already suffered enough damage with Yoshida taking him deep in the fourth—yeah, the wheels came all the way off. And they came off in the most fitting way possible: the Red Sox beat the Rays at their own game. Before this, Jarren Duran brought home two runs with a bases-loaded single, chasing Jax from the game. Now, with runners on the corners, Carlos Narváez laid down a sacrifice bunt that forced a bad throw to first from catcher Nick Fortes, turning a routine sacrifice out into another opportunity for a run. Then Tsung-Che Cheng dropped one so perfectly up the third base line that nobody wanted to touch it. The Rays jawed about this being foul but it wasn’t. Just perfect small ball baseball. Two bunts, two problems for Tampa’s defense, six runs before the inning was done. Chris Roycroft inherited a mess and made it worse. Jarren Duran drove in three total on the day. Caleb Durbin went 3-for-4 with two runs scored. This was an all-team effort.

Then in the seventh, Carlos Narváez sealed it. His solo shot off Roycroft went 412 feet at 106.9 exit velocity. Soo wee, was that a spectacular shot.

Luis Gamboa handled the final three innings. He was the extra arm up for the doubleheader—going back down when it’s over—which meant Tracey could burn him freely without touching anyone else in the pen. Kind of like a coupon that expires at midnight. Bennett’s 65 pitches and Gamboa’s presence made the whole thing cleaner than it had any right to be. It worked out really well knowing there was a second game to be had.

Final: 10-0. Red Sox with 15 hits and no errors.

Studs

Jake Bennett (6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K)

One hit in six innings against the best record in the AL East. Bennett has been one of the more reliable arms in this rotation all year and this was his best outing of the season. The command was there, the Rays never got comfortable, and he handed things to Gamboa with a 10-0 lead and nothing to worry about. Exactly what a doubleheader opener needs to be. Over his last 5 starts—a 4-0 record, 0.82 ERA, 4 walks to 25 Ks, a .64 WHIP in 33 total frames. Kudos to Breslow on this, this was a shrewd pickup from the Nationals.

Carlos Narváez (3-for-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R)

Three hits and a 412-foot shot in the seventh to close the scoring. Narváez is batting .203, which isn’t a number that makes you feel great, but the power is real—this was his third homer—and today he was right there from the first bunt to the last swing.

Masataka Yoshida (3-for-5, HR, 2B, 1 RBI, 3 R)

Three hits, three runs scored, a homer, and a double. The Macho Man was on base all afternoon and driving the offense. Frankly, he’s been one of the hottest players as of late. It so helps round this lineup out. How about coming within a triple of the cycle too?

Caleb Durbin (3-for-4, 1 RBI, 2 R)

On base all afternoon and scored twice to go with his three hits. What else can you say about one of the most changed players in baseball?

Duds

It’s a 10-0 win, so let’s keep this section brief.

Anthony Seigler (2-for-5, 0 RBI, GIDP)

Two hits, but grounded into a double play in a game that scored 10 runs. Fine afternoon overall—the GIDP earns the spot.

Wilyer Abreu (1-for-4, 0 RBI, 2 K)

Two strikeouts and an intentional walk. He’d fix this in Game 2.

Play of the Game

Narváez’s seventh-inning bomb. 412 feet, 106.9 exit velocity, dead pull to left. For a hitter who’s been grinding all year, that one had some feeling behind it.

GAME TWO: Red Sox 5, Rays 3

If Game 1 was about pitching and small ball, Game 2 was about a team that’s learned not to crumble.

Jarren Duran made a throwing error in the top of the first that let two Rays runs score on a Jonny DeLuca single. Rays 2, Red Sox 0 before Boston had even come to bat. This early 2026 version of the Red Sox might have absorbed that kind of start and gone quiet the rest of the night. This isn’t that team.

Wilyer Abreu stepped up and hit a two-run homer to right-center. Tied. Bam. Then Willson Contreras—in his first game back from suspension—hit one to left-center right behind him. Back-to-back. Bam. Bam. Sox lead. Fenway was RAUCOUS.

The Rays tied it in the third. Junior Caminero—who has been a nightmare for this team all series and one of the preeminent power hitters in all of baseball—hit his 29th homer of the season down the left field line to make it 3-3. The Sox responded yet again in the bottom half: Abreu, his second homer of the game, a solo shot to retake the lead at 4-3. He hit both against right-handed pitching, which matters because Abreu has genuinely struggled against righties this season. He didn’t look like it today.

Anthony Seigler added an RBI double in the fourth to make it 5-3, and that’s where the score stayed. Eduardo Rivera gave up all three Tampa runs in 2.1 innings, but the bullpen that took over was extraordinary: Weissert, Morán, Guerrero, Whitlock, Slaten, and Chapman combined for 6.2 scoreless innings. Chapman closed it with a perfect ninth—his 20th save—and the Red Sox had swept the doubleheader.

48-48. Eleven wins in a row. Back to .500 for the first time since the second game of the season.

Studs

Wilyer Abreu (2-for-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R)

Two home runs against right-handed pitching in a game that needed both of them. The first one tied it immediately and made Contreras’s back-to-back shot possible. The second came right after the Rays tied it in the third—Abreu responded before anyone had a chance to feel queasy about this. He’s been squaring the ball up differently over the last few weeks, which the Sox sorely need.

Willson Contreras (1-for-4, HR, 1 RBI, 3 K)

He’s back, and he homered in his first at-bat of his first game back from suspension. The three strikeouts are an afterthought. Bowser can’t do much wrong.

The Bullpen (6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K)

Weissert, Morán, Guerrero, Whitlock, Slaten, Chapman. Six pitchers, 6.2 scoreless innings after Rivera handed them a 5-3 lead that needed protecting. They protected it. Chapman’s 20th save closed it out.

Duds

Jarren Duran (0-for-4, 1 K, E)

The throwing error in the first put them behind before they had a chance to hit. The Sox answered immediately, so it didn’t cost them, but in a tighter game that’s a different conversation. Quiet at the plate too—the sac fly and three RBI from Game 1 feel like a long time ago with a batting average as low as his.

Eduardo Rivera (2.1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K)

Responsible for all three Rays runs. The bullpen bailed him out completely. He’s not an opener but not a true deep starter? I don’t know what to make of it.

Play of the Game

Contreras and Abreu, back-to-back. Down 2-0 in the first inning, Abreu ties it with one swing, then Contreras takes the lead with the very next pitch. The whole game changed in about 90 seconds.

Lost amid the headlines about Tarik Skubal, the Dodgers face this unexpected reality as the trade deadline looms: They would like to add a starting pitcher, but they need to add a catcher.

Will Smith has not played in six weeks. In a “best case” scenario, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday, Smith would miss another month.

That left Roberts to make a jolting admission, when I asked him if the team really can count on Smith returning this season.

“We don’t know,” Roberts said, “but we certainly are counting on it.”

Would it be nice for the Dodgers to get their three-time All-Star catcher back in time for October? Of course.

Should the Dodgers count on it? Of course not.

Read more:Dodgers expect Shohei Ohtani to pitch next week as they manage his knee ailment

The Dodgers won’t know where Smith stands by the Aug. 3 trade deadline. That means now is the time to acquire a catching option they may or may not need later.

Dalton Rushing, the primary catcher in Smith’s absence, has a .799 OPS. Among the 24 major league catchers with at least 200 plate appearances entering play Friday, Rushing ranked fifth in OPS.

He is hitless in his last 13 at-bats. His batting average: .266 before Smith’s injury, .233 since then.

On defense, Rushing ranks next-to-last in defensive runs saved among major league catchers, ahead of only the Angels’ Logan O’Hoppe. On Friday, in the Dodgers’ 2-1 victory at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees scored their only run on Rushing’s passed ball.

In past Octobers, the Dodgers have prioritized defense at catcher. In the 2020 World Series, Austin Barnes caught ahead of Smith in four of the six games, including the final two.

In 2025, with Smith recovering from a hand injury, Ben Rortvedt started ahead of Rushing in the Dodgers’ first four postseason games. Rortvedt was a trade deadline acquisition last summer, picked up with pitcher Paul Gervase from the Tampa Bay Rays for catcher Hunter Feduccia.

Rortvedt, currently playing in triple-A for the New York Mets, fits the profile of what the Dodgers need now: a defense-first catcher with major league readiness. With Smith injured, the Dodgers first tried and then cut minor league journeyman Chuckie Robinson at backup catcher. Their current backup, Eliezer Alfonso, made his major league debut in his ninth professional season; he is hitless in nine at-bats.

Could the Dodgers pursue an established catcher, say Ryan Jeffers of the Minnesota Twins or Francisco Alvarez or Luis Torrens of the New York Mets? Possible, but probably not necessary.

Rushing could be their guy. Smith could be back.

Smith has started and re-started baseball activities, only to find out that the inflamed disk in his neck flares up.

“He hasn’t been able to get over the hump,” Roberts said.

The Dodgers are trying another round of complete rest before asking him to try hitting or throwing again.

“We felt that, if he’s inactive, it gives it a good chance to get all the inflammation out, the soreness out, the pain, increase flexibility, all of it,” Roberts said. “Then he has a fighting chance to work his way back. Trying to do everything — even at a lesser dosage — just wasn’t feasible.”

Trying to trade for Skubal might not be feasible, at least so long as his Detroit Tigers remain in the American League wild-card race. The Tigers won seven of their final 10 games in the first half, and they face teams with losing records in 13 of their 16 second-half games ahead of the trade deadline, starting with the Angels this weekend in Anaheim.

The Dodgers do not need a depth starter. However, they might do well to find someone they would feel comfortable starting the third or fourth game of a playoff series, lest they count on Blake Snell (elbow) and Tyler Glasnow (back) and Shohei Ohtani (knee) all returning to the mound healthy and effective.

Important, yes. As important as another catcher, no.

For a team that will spend almost half a billion dollars on its player payroll and luxury tax this season, its most important trade deadline pickup could be a catcher making maybe $1 million.

Read more:Max Muncy makes Yankees pay for keeping Gerrit Cole on mound in Dodgers' win

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Gerrit Cole never threw a pitch trailing in this game. Yet he was on the hook for a fifth loss—wasting what was a magnificent outing—because the Yankees offense failed to score more than one (unearned) run against Roki Sasaki and the Dodgers bullpen to prevent a 2-1 defeat. One mistake by the Yankees starter against Max Muncy, who hit a two-run blast in the seventh inning, accounted for all of the opposition’s scoring in this low-scoring affair. Cole’s pitching line before then was six scoreless innings with three hits, eight strikeouts, and no walks. Alas, that was not how it ended.

Anyone who came into this game with thoughts of a slugfest, given the recent hiccups of both starters, was left somewhat surprised by the efficiency of both of them. Neither allowed a single hit with a runner in scoring position, not that there were even that many types of chances for each team.

It’s a given that with the quality of these offenses, an opportunity or two will arise, but when it did, both Cole and Sasaki handled it reasonably well. Ryan McMahon began the third inning with an automatic double, and a couple of batters later the Yankees had two on and one out as Trent Grisham worked a hard-fought walk. The excitement of this scenario ended as quickly as it came to fruition, with Ben Rice hitting into a double play on the first pitch of his at-bat. One inning earlier, the Dodgers had been the team wasting their chance with a runner in scoring position as Dalton Rushing stranded a pair with a strikeout swinging.

Unable to put rallies together, each team had to get creative about getting on the board. They both took advantage of opposition mistakes but went about it very differently. The Yankees pounced on defensive miscues to open the scoring in the bottom of the fourth. Andy Pages misplayed a two-out double from Jasson Domínguez, allowing the Martian to move to third on the error. Sasaki would retire the following hitter, but not before a wild pitch allowed Domínguez to come across and score.

The Yankees could’ve given Cole some cushion in the sixth, when once again they put two men on against Sasaki. Seeing what Domínguez had done against the Dodgers starter earlier in the game, Dave Roberts went to the left-hander Jack Dreyer, who punched out Domínguez looking on a curve.

That moment would loom large in the following frame because that’s when the Dodgers pounced on a different kind of mistake: a mistake pitch. Cole had given Aaron Boone every reason to try to push him for one more frame, a move that did not ultimately work out. Mookie Betts worked a leadoff walk to start the seventh (Cole’s first free pass of the night), and for any other Yankee starter, that would’ve been the end of the line, but not for Cole. Boone walked to the mound and only talked to his starter, letting the veteran keep going—in a tiring at-bat, after three Muncy foul balls, Cole fed him a slider with far too much off the plate, leading to a no-doubt shot, well over 400 feet out to right field.

One subplot of this game was Ohtani’s continued struggles at Yankee Stadium. He came into the game hitting .136 in the Bronx and delivered yet another oh-fer, which included stranding a runner in the eighth, wasting a chance to pad the Dodgers’ lead.

Dreyer stayed in the game after retiring Domínguez, and once again managerial decisions came into play, as Boone opted not to pinch-hit for McMahon with two outs in the seventh and a lefty-lefty matchup. McMahon was 1-for-2, and the Yankees had three lefties following him; McMahon popped out. It turns out that Boone was saving Amed Rosario for the eighth, as he then pinch-hit for Austin Wells against another lefty, Alex Vesia.

It was in that eighth inning that the Yankees had and wasted their best chance to get back in the game. The same defensive impact that handed the Yankees a run earlier in the game came on the opposite side to take one away from them. Grisham worked his second great walk of the game, this one against Vesia, and this time Ben Rice delivered with a ball in the gap that looked like it’d tie things up.

Grisham, however, did not get the best of jumps on it, and he was nailed at the plate with Pages linking up with Mookie Betts to nab the Yankee’ center fielder.

One could quibble with Yankees third-base coach Luis Rojas’ decision to send Grisham despite the poor jump and 32nd-percentile sprint speed, even with Mookie perfectly executing a hard play to coordinate the brilliant relay throw home. Would Paul Goldschmidt or Cody Bellinger have stranded him on third with one out anyway? We’ll never know, though Bellinger had a chance to plate a run anyway after an intentional walk to Goldschmidt; he hit a lazy fly to center.

Tanner Scott tossed a clean ninth, and that was the ballgame.

The Yankees’ hitters better wake up with a better mindset tomorrow, as they face Emmet Sheehan before being tasked with Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Sunday. They’ll also need Ryan Weathers to put in a good effort as well against Sheehan, and it might very well be Weathers’ toughest test yet as a Yankee. Assuming the weather holds off, first pitch will be at 8:08pm ET on Fox.

Box Score