Category: MLB

One week after his best start of the season, Carson Whisenhunt wasn’t fooling anyone on the Cleveland Guardians. Especially not Jo Adell.

Adell drove in six runs in his first three trips to the plate, setting a career high in the game’s first four innings. He hit Cleveland’s longest home run of the season (455 feet) to give the Guardians a 3-0 lead three batters into the game, delivered a two-run single in the 2nd inning, and hit another RBI single in the 4th as the Guardians cruised to an 8-1 win.

Whisenhunt gave up nine hits and seven runs in four innings, while walking two and striking out one. He just barely finished with more outs than baserunners, though only six runs were earned thanks to Drew Gilbert’s error on Adell’s third single that let Steven Kwan advance to third base.

Adell did this all despite fouling a ball off his knee in the first inning, which led to him leaving the game after seven innings.

One batter later, Angel Martinez added injury to insult by lining the ball off Whisenhunt for an RBI groundout. He stayed in the game to finish the inning, achieving a moral victory by being removed from the game for poor performance, not injury.

The Giants did get a very solid relief appearance from Trent Harris,. who struck out five Guardians in two innings. Reiver Sanmartin loaded the bases with no one out in the 7th, but should have escaped after inducing a popup and what would have been an inning-ending double play had Bryce Eldridge not dropped the relay throw.

All the same, all three Giants pitchers finished the game with ERAs north of 7, which is quite rare and impressive for the middle of August.

All the Giants scoring came off a second-inning home run from Bryce Eldridge, his 14th of the season.

The rookie made a nice play in the bottom of the inning, retiring former teammate Patrick Bailey with an athletic tag.

Eldridge had two hits off of tough lefty Foster Griffin (14-4), who have up five hits and two walks in six innings, striking out five. His 4th-inning single kicked off an almost-rally where the Giants loaded the bases with one out, only for Andrew Knizner to hit a 4-6-3 double play to end the threat. The next nine Giants also made outs.

That ended the Giants’ best scoring threat and also ended the home plate umpire’s night by fouling a ball off his mask. It was 7-1 by the end of the inning, so he didn’t miss much.

The Giants got two hits in the last five innings, both of them doubles. The second was 27-year-old rookie Turner Hill’s first major-league double and his second career hit, delighting a large contingent of friends, family, and various Hill-Heads who made the 160-mile trip to Cleveland from his hometown of Marietta, Ohio.

Jonax Cox paid tribute to “MajorLeague” by finding success imitating Willie Mays Hayes. When he pounded the ball into the ground, he hit a single to left and legged out an infield hit. And like Hayes in the first half of the movie, he got picked off his first time on base and missed a diving catch by about eight feet.

But the main problem in the game was that Whisenhunt couldn’t miss bats. He threw 80 pitches in the game and the Guardians only swung and missed at five of them. He was a regular Eddie Harris out there, while his battery mate couldn’t deliver the same footspeed as a Jake Taylor.

Meanwhile Roger Dorn would have been out with season-ending surgery and Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn would have already been traded for a toolsy middle infielder who can’t stop swinging at breaking balls out of the strike zone. And the Giants will remain juuuuust a bit outside of the playoff picture.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Giants fans and fans across the country.

The 2026 season has been full of bad news for the San Francisco Giants and their fans. And if you’re an optimist who sees a light at the end of the tunnel, well … that light will be dimmed very quickly, and not even because of anything the Giants do.

Yes, baseball is headed for a lockout, and while the last one was short, everything we’ve heard going into this one suggest it will be very long. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ spending and dominance and the altered landscape of regional sports networks and streaming platforms are large factors, and it seems like both sides will get bloody arguing over whether or not a salary cap should be introduced.

It will be ugly. You’ll get sick of hearing about it. I’ll get sick of writing about it.

But as long as it’s ugly, you might as well take a chance to be right, right? So give us your predictions as to how much baseball we are deprived of while watching billionaires argue with their (mostly) well-compensated employees.

DENVER –– It appeared the altitude got to Dodgers catcher Hunter Feduccia on Tuesday night.

That, or maybe the smash burger he had for lunch.

Feduccia was forced to leave the team’s 7-6 win over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night in the bottom of the seventh inning, after appearing to become ill behind the plate and throwing up in the dugout.

“He’s got this stomach bug or food poisoning, something like that,” manager Dave Roberts said afterward. “He was scuffling all game. So finally –– he went as long as he could go.”

Indeed, Feduccia was catching his second-straight game in this week’s series, and fourth in the last five days, when he finally gave way with one out in the seventh. 

After catching a slider from reliever Edgardo Henriquez for a strikeout to begin the inning, Feduccia doubled over behind the plate and looked like he was about to retch. 

He quickly raced off the field and back down the dugout stairs, but left behind a trail that required a stadium worker to later mop up near the team’s third-base bench.

“He gave us a great effort,” Roberts said, after Ben Rortvedt replaced Feduccia to complete the game.

Feduccia was part of a second-straight resurgent performance from the Dodgers’ offense, drawing two early walks in their eventual series-clinching win.

The victory was also keyed by Shohei Ohtani, who followed Feduccia’s first free pass with his 30th home run of the season in the third; Freddie Freeman, Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernández, who each had two hits and combined for three RBIs; and even Kyle Tucker, who snapped his career-worst 0-for-26 hitless streak with an RBI double in the fourth. 

Just as important, however, was a five-inning, four-run start from Eric Lauer (a passing grade at mile-high altitude) and four innings of two-run ball from the bullpen (punctuated by a four-out save from Tanner Scott).

Feduccia was crucial to that effort early, displaying his growing comfort level with the Dodgers’ big-league pitching staff.

The former unheralded prospect –– who was traded by the team at last year’s deadline, then reacquired this year to bolster the team’s banged-up catching depth –– has become the team’s primary backstop lately, starting for the ninth time in the last 14 games on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, however, he’ll get a deserved break.

“I think we’re just trying to hydrate him,” Roberts said postgame. “He’ll be down tomorrow.”

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There's a certain know-it-when-you-see-it moment when a baseball team goes from underperforming to checked out, from disappointing to joylessly headed nowhere.

The  Seattle Mariners seem to have reached that point.

Their 22-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday, Aug. 18 had it all: Managerial malfeasance, an embarrassing gaffe by a superstar and, in the end, an utter lack of fight that belies the fact the Mariners are actually in the playoff hunt.

Let's be clear: That doesn't mean they're a good team.

The Mariners are 59-67, have been outscored by 45 runs and have a 60-homer superstar batting .157 — nearly 50 points worse than the lowest-qualified hitter in the major leagues. In any other year, that would typically invite a housecleaning at the trade deadline and perhaps a few rolling heads in management.

There just wasn’t enough LoDo Magic for the Colorado Rockies as their comeback effort fell just short in a 7-6 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Despite a solid offensive night and bullpen performance, the Rockies couldn’t overcome another difficult starting pitcher outing.

Another labored night for Feltner

Hoping to replicate his successful outing last time facing the Dodgers at Coors Field, Ryan Feltner faced a tough test against the Dodgers lineup.

Feltner worked through the opening frames, keeping the game manageable. The Dodgers manufactured a run in the first inning and added a Shohei Ohtani two-run home run in the third inning. The Rockies managed to answer back both times to tie the game 3-3, but the Dodgers’ potent order eventually broke through in the fourth inning.

The Dodgers kicked off the inning with three-straight doubles to score two runs, including Kyle Tucker’s to snap an 0-for-26 streak at the plate. Hunter Feduccia then drew his second walk of the evening against Feltner before Ohtani grounded into a fielder’s choice. Freddie Freeman capped off the scoring with a sacrifice fly to put the Dodgers up 6-3.

Feltner navigated another double in the fifth inning and came out to start the sixth inning but immediately gave up a leadoff triple that eventually scored after he departed to give the Dodgers a 7-4 lead.

“Not a lot of feel for the spin today,” said manager Warren Schaefer. “I thought he competed well, probably without all of his weapons.”

On the night, he ended up allowing seven runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and three walks. Feltner filled up the strike zone, throwing 55 of his 83 pitches for strikes, but he struggled to locate within the zone and gave up a lot of contact

The offense tries to climb back

The Rockies offense did a good job answering back early on as the Dodgers took the lead. After Jake McCarthy led off the bottom of the first with a single and stole second, Cole Carrigg hit an RBI double to tie the game 1-1. Colorado made Eric Lauer labor through that first inning, throwing a season-high 29 pitches in the first inning.

After Ohtani’s home run in the third inning, the Rockies answered with a two-out rally in the bottom half of that inning. Willi Castro drew a walk and came around to score on a TJ Rumfield double. Connor Norby followed with a double of his own to score Rumfield and tie the game 3-3

The Rockies made it a two-run game in the bottom of the fifth when Castro hit his 14th home run of the season, a solo shot to make the score 6-4, before the Dodgers tacked on in the top of the sixth.

Despite the first-inning excess of pitches, Lauer settled in against the Rockies offense, allowing just four runs on six hits while striking out six and allowing just one walk. The Rockies put together some solid at-bats but Lauer’s crafty arsenal was enough to limit further damage and preserve the Dodgers’ lead.

Late game chances

After rough innings against Jack Dreyer and Edgardo Henriquez, the Rockies tried to chip away at the three-run lead in the eighth inning against Evan Phillips.

Castro led off the inning with a double and Rumfield followed with a bloop single. Zac Veen then came through with a pinch-hit single that dropped into right field, allowing Castro to score the Rockies’ fifth run.

Adael Amador was then called upon to pinch-hit but struck out, prompting the Rockies to turn to the red-hot Brett Sullivan off the bench. The Dodgers brought in Tanner Scott to face him, and he won the battle, getting Sullivan to ground out to third base.

Colorado then threatened in the ninth when McCarthy hit a one-out double. Unfortunately, Carrigg’s lengthy at-bat resulted in a stellar play by Max Muncy at third base for the second out, but Castro delivered another clutch hit with an RBI single to left field to make it 7-6. However, Rumfield then popped out to end the game.

Castro led the Rockies offense with two hits while scoring three runs, driving in two, and drawing a pair of walks.

“Willi’s consistent; he’s been consistent all year,” said Schaeffer. “He gives you strong at-bats, day in and day out; he’s reliable. That’s what you want out of a ballplayer.”

The Rockies matched the Dodgers in hits with 10, but struck out 11 times while going 4-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Meanwhile, the Dodgers struck out just five times and went 3-for-12 with RISP but had one more extra-base hit, the sixth-inning triple proving the difference maker.

The bullpen parade

The reason the offense had chances to chip away was because of a solid night from the bullpen. Parker Mushinski entered in the sixth inning and did give up a bloop single that scored the seventh run for the Dodgers, but was otherwise unscathed in that inning. Jimmy Herget and Zach Agnos both followed with 1-2-3 innings in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively, with each collecting a strikeout. Because the game was still close, Jordan Romano was called on to pitch the ninth inning and allowed just a single as he induced three fly balls.

Up next

The Rockies and Dodgers will close out the series with Kyle Freeland (4-10, 6.27 ERA) taking the ball for Colorado and Roki Sasaki (5-5, 4.46 ERA) going for Los Angeles.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 pm MDT.

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Jose Iglesias was back at Citi Field, back in Queens, where he enjoyed one of the most memorable seasons of his major league career.

The former Met threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Tuesday’s 5-2 loss to the Padres and was warmly greeted by the crowd, given a standing ovation.

The Mets played a highlight video on the big screen, accompanied by his hit song, “OMG.”

“It’s great, extremely happy to see smiles everywhere and the way they opened the door for me was special one more time,” he said. “Extremely, extremely happy to be home. It’s a lot of emotions right now. Being in this part of the field, sitting on this bench reminds me of great moments.”

Iglesias, 36, threw the first pitch to Francisco Lindor. It was a strike.

Iglesias was a key part of the 2024 Mets, who after a poor first two months of the season reached the NLCS.

He said it was a season he won’t forget and one he will cherish.

Iglesias spent last season with the Padres and is now entering a new phase of his life, although he hasn’t closed the door on his baseball career.

He is set to join the cast of the Broadway musical Buena Vista Social Club on Aug. 27 in the role of the narrator. Iglesias will make history as the first Latino MLB player to appear on Broadway.

“I did not expect that call at all. It was an automatic yes,” he said. “Coming back to New York and delivering the energy and now in this case representing Cuban music as an immigrant, it’s a privilege.

“I’m surrounded by great teammates. They support me on a daily basis, they know this is totally new for me. It’s a fun responsibility I have with my hands. I’m grabbing it with two hands like I would a ground ball and I won’t let it go.”

Christopher Morel, called up Monday from Triple-A Syracuse, got the start Tuesday. The 27-year-old was hitting well in the minor leagues. He has bounced around after a hot start to his career with the Cubs, spending time with the Rays and Marlins. In 2023, Morel produced an .821 OPS and hit 26 home runs.

“I saw him be about as electric as any hitter in the game during a period of time,” interim manager Andy Green said, referring to the time Morel spent with the Cubs.“Ridiculous power, elite athleticism. I think we’re taking a shot to see if we can recapture, rekindle some of that.”

Infielder Mark Vientos is nearing a rehabilitation assignment, according to Green. Vientos took batting practice and ran the bases ahead of the game Tuesday. He has been out since July 9 due to a fractured right hand.

A.J. Ewing’s struggles continued with three more strikeouts. He is now in a 3-for-37 stretch with 17 strikeouts. 

“I’m confident he’ll come out the other side of it,” Green said. 

The Yankees, on the strength of Trent Grisham, pulled out a 3-1 win over the Orioles on Tuesday night. 

But the game could have been very different if not for ABS.

In the second inning with the game still scoreless, the Orioles loaded the bases thanks in large part to a fielding error by Jazz Chisholm Jr. after the second base umpire screened him on a groundball. What could have been an inning-ending doubleplay turned into a massive jam for Carlos Rodon and the Yankees.

Rodon would wind up striking out Carlos Narvaez before Jackson Holliday stepped into the batter's box with two outs. After Rodon got ahead 0-2, the southpaw threw a fastball away and a bit high. Holliday didn't bite, but Austin Wells hopped up to head into the dugout but stopped once he realized homeplate umpire Will Little didn't ring up the young Orioles infielder. 

After a few seconds, ABS confirmed that it was a strike and the Yankees escaped.

Rodon escapes he bases loaded jam after the error from Jazz pic.twitter.com/BVZUdyUPTL

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) August 18, 2026

"I thought it was a little closer to the zone, but it was a strike. I was pretty confident," Wells said after the game. "It’s big time. ABS allows us to change the game both ways. Luckily, we have it and able to convert it there."

It was a risky challenge by Wells since the Yankees were down to their last one after an ill-timed challenge by Heliot Ramos in the first inning. 

"I was confident it was a strike; it ended up barely clipping," Rodon said. "It was a great challenge in the situation since we were down to one. I was confident in the challenge and I’m gald he did to get out of the inning. It worked out."

Ramos wasn't the only ABS offender on Tuesday, as Spencer Jones wasted a challenge in the fourth. Manager Aaron Boone said they were not great challenges after the game, but had to praise Wells for his game-changing one earlier in the game.

"We might have had the best challenge of the season by Wellsy, if you think about it," Boone said. "Bases loaded, Jackson Holliday, we’re already down a challenge to get that one. It could be a completely different night if he doesn’t challenge that. And Jackson gets on and Rodon is shorter. A couple of not great ones, but one of the best ones of the season by Austin."

Tuesday was Rodon's first start since June after he was placed on the IL with elbow inflammation. While his pitch count was monitored -- Rodon tossed 66 pitches -- the southpaw gave the Yankees enough, allowing one run on two hits and two walks in four innings. 

"Like to fill up the zone more, get ahead sooner. First-pitch strikes a little better, but I was able to compete," Rodon said of his start. "Limited pitch count, defensively we were good. Tough play by Jazz, getting screened by the umpire. It’s our job to pick each other up, he’s picked me up before. I was happy to be able to, to keep the game close."

"I thought he did really well and to give us four strong innings, hold them to one run there," Boone said of Rodon. "Set us up to win the game." 

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called right fielder Kyle Tucker into the visiting manager’s office at Chase Field a week and a half ago, just to catch up.

Roberts had run into Tucker’s wife Samantha and their 5-month old baby that morning in Arizona. And he saw it as a good time to check in.

“When you start to struggle and you internalize … you find yourself going dark, and that’s a lonely place,” Roberts said Tuesday, before the Dodgers’ 7-6 win against the Rockies. “So I think that for me, trying to proactively pull conversations out of him, talk about life, talk about baseball, it just kind of opens things up, and I think that it’s freeing.

“He’s a cerebral guy by nature, internalizes a lot. But still, for me, he’s with a new ballclub, he’s scuffling, so I want to get that out of him.”

Scuffling is a mild way of describing Tucker’s struggles this season. He described it as the “first time in [his] life” that he’s had a season with so many offensive false starts. After being named an All-Star in each of his previous four seasons, Tucker is on pace for the worst offensive year since his 2018 debut season with the Astros.

On Tuesday, he finally ended his career-high hitless streak at seven games, with a double up the right-field line in the fourth inning (although he grounded out once and struck out twice in his other plate appearances). He’d gone 26 straight at-bats without a hit.

So much about Tucker’s year has been head-scratching.

Read more:Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz heads back to injured list because of neck inflammation

Take his plate discipline, for example. Traditionally known for his strike-zone control, Tucker’s chase rate has been up this season. But even when he trimmed it to 21.6% in July (not as low as the last two years but even with his 2023 season), his production at the plate didn’t respond accordingly.

One of the biggest mysteries has been his extreme home/road splits. Entering Tuesday, he had a solid .822 OPS on the road and a paltry .558 OPS at Dodger Stadium.

Asked about the contrast earlier this week, he said he didn’t have a theory.

“If I knew, I’d probably have figured it out by now,” he said. “But that’s just kind of how it’s gone.”

Recently, his woes have followed him into the outfield. The day after he failed to reel in a flyball in the right-field corner at Dodger Stadium, he had a far worse drop Monday at Coors Field.

In the seventh inning of the Dodgers’ 11-5 victory against the Rockies, Tucker seemed to camp right under a shallow fly. But as it fell, he twisted and put one knee down before dropping the ball.

“There’s indecision, and catching a baseball at your ankles kind of speaks to where his head is at right now,” Roberts said. “It’s not from lack of effort, or care. It’s just right now, I think he’s kind of fighting. So we’ve got to keep supporting him.”

Tucker isn’t the only player who’s struggling. Mookie Betts has been hot and cold at the plate. Teoscar Hernández hasn’t been slugging the way he’s accustomed to. And before arriving in Colorado, the team was in a collective slump.

Tucker, however, is in the first year of a four-year, $240-million contract. And so far the Dodgers haven’t seen the version of him that elevated the Cubs’ offense in the first half of last year and was a steady part of the Astros’ lineup during a run of sustained success.

Read more:Dodgers Dugout: That wasn't the series we were looking for

“Whether it’s my first year or 10th year with a team, I think it’d be frustrating regardless,” Tucker said. “But it’s not like I’m frustrated just because I’m playing at home or anything. Whether it’s on the road or at home, it would be frustrating, just not helping the team win games.”

He slid into his most recent slump during the Dodgers’ last homestand, but the Colorado altitude didn’t immediately work its magic when the team went back on the road.

During Monday’s SNLA broadcast, analyst Eric Karros suggested sending Tucker to Arizona for a reset.

The less extreme version would be sitting Tucker for several games in a row.

“I’m not at the point where it’s like a three-day, three-game reset situation, something like that,” Roberts said Tuesday afternoon.

Read more:Why the vitriol for the Dodgers' Kyle Tucker was so thick at Wrigley Field

He did, however, give Tucker a day off Saturday, saying he saw Tucker’s frustration as he continued to struggle offensively at Dodger Stadium. And Tuesday, he said he hadn’t decided whether to start Tucker against Rockies left-handed starter Kyle Freeland the next day.

“It’s tough because, I mean, I feel like I’ve tried just about everything,” Tucker said. “And every time I feel like I’m turning a corner, I get hit with a roadblock. But, you can’t stop. You just got to keep going, try and at least pick out the positives, and just try and ride with that. Just keep on moving to the next day and hope for something to build.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

MILWAUKEE — The long ball hasn’t been the Milwaukee Brewers’ strength this season, but the team with the best record in the majors put its power on full display on Tuesday night in a record-matching 22-0 rout of the Seattle Mariners.

The Brewers equaled baseball’s modern-era record for the biggest shutout with a power surge that included three-run homers from Christian Yelich, David Hamilton and Luis Lara and a two-run shot by Jake Bauers.

The Brewers have 117 home runs this season, the fewest in baseball, but as was pointed out by Seattle manager Dan Wilson, they have multiple players with the ability to go deep.

“They’ll put bunts down and put pressure on the bases and steal bags,” Wilson said before the game. “They also have the ability to hit the home run. You kind of have to prepare for all areas of the game.”

The Brewers also generated offense doing what they do best, pulling off a double steal in a five-run fifth inning that helped break open a tight game.

The 78-48 Brewers matched a franchise record for runs in a game, tying the 22 runs they scored at the Toronto Blue Jays on Aug. 28, 1992. The Brewers also had a season-high 22 hits.

“It’s one game but a pretty darn good performance,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “I’d like to order that every night.”

The only other 22-0 victories since 1901 were by Pittsburgh over the host Chicago Cubs on Sept. 16, 1975 and by Cleveland at the Yankees on Aug. 31, 2004.

Yelich connected for his ninth homer of the season, a three-run shot off Bryce Miller in the fifth. The Brewers tacked on five more runs in the sixth.

“It’s kind of crazy. It happened fast,” Yelich said. “It’s always fun to be on this side.”

Bauers smiled as he struggled to find words to describe the Brewers offensive outburst.

“I’ve got nothing for you on that one,” Bauers said. “It was just good performance all around. Just good at-bats all night up and down the lineup.”

Bauers hit his team-leading 22nd home run of the season in the sixth inning and he’s now reached base safely in 20 consecutive games.

The Brewers tagged Mariners infielder Leo Rivas, who came on to pitch in the eighth, for nine runs, which included a three-run home run from 21-year-old rookie Lara, his first career homer.

Lara took some good-natured ribbing about whether the homer counted since he hit it off a position player, but he was in a celebratory mood.

“For me, it all counts,” Lara said through an interpreter. “But I understand that it may not be common to get your first (home run) against a position player.”

Bauers and Yelich backed their young teammate.

“It’s a hard game. Every bloop single, dribbler single, home run off a position player, they all count,” he said.

Yelich urged Lara to embrace the moment.

“The first career homer is always cool,” he said. “Anytime you get to jog around the bases in a major league game is always special. It was cool for him to get his first one and smile and laugh about it.”

The Brewers also used a position player on the mound, veteran catcher/first baseman Gary Sanchez, with a much different result. Sanchez pitched a scoreless ninth with many in the announced crowd of 36,870 standing and cheering.

It was the third career pitching appearance for Sanchez and second this season. He has tossed two scoreless innings in the pair of outings the season.

“He did great. He was a showman as always,” Bauers said. “The crowd was involved. They loved it. He loved it. We loved it. But I still think he’s a better catcher than a pitcher.”

The Dodgers scored in four different innings, including a three-run fourth inning and held on to beat the Colorado Rockies 7-6 on Tuesday night at Coors Field in Denver.

Before this series, the Dodgers hadn’t scored at least six runs in consecutive games since June 29-30. That was back when the Dodgers led the majors in runs scored per game, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, wRC+, and several other categories. Since then they’ve been well below average on offense, which is why this series brings a sigh of relief, park factors be damned.

If anything, the offense is exercising muscles that sat dormant for a while.

Shohei Ohtani hit a two-run lead to give the Dodgers a lead in the third inning, continuing a hot streak that included four extra-base hits on the homestand and two home run in Monday’s series opener. Ohtani’s sixth home run in his last 13 games was also his 30th of the season, just the seventh Dodger to hit 30 home runs in at least three consecutive seasons, and the first since Gary Sheffield from 1999-2001.

After two home runs on Monday and Tuesday’s blast, Ohtani since joining the Dodgers in 2024 has nine home runs in 19 games at Coors Field while hitting .407/.478/.840 with 25 runs scored and 23 RBI.

For Ohtani, he’s hit 30 home runs for six years in a row, dating back to 2021, encompassing his final three seasons with the Angels and first three with the Dodgers.

Doubling their pleasure

Kyle Tucker swung through four consecutive changeups and fouled off another to start his night. Ryan Feltner threw a sixth changeup, and this time Tucker lined a ball just inside the first base line in the fourth inning, the second of three consecutive doubles by the Dodgers to open the three-run frame. The double for Tucker snapped an 0-for-26 skid that dated back to August 9.

The other doubles in the fourth inning were by Tommy Edman, who also doubled in the fifth, and by Teoscar Hernández, who later tripled and scored in the sixth.

The Dodgers had six extra-base hits on Tuesday after seven on Monday, their first time with consecutive games of at least six extra-base hits since April 15-17, which included a home game against the New York Mets and another game at Coors Field.

Freeman’s legs

Freddie Freeman singled in the first inning, and was running on a full count when Andy Pages singled to left field, and Freeman was able to get to third easily. Freeman tagged up on a foul pop to third baseman Willi Castro well down the left field line, and scored the game’s first run easily after Castro made an overhead catch. Freeman also walked and stole second with one out in the third inning, taking third on an errant throw by catcher Braxton Fulford.

In the sixth inning, Freeman lofted a two-out single into left field for another run, and his second straight multi-hit affair.

Call to arms

Eric Lauer gave up a run in the first inning and two in the third, both times matching what the Dodgers scored in the top of the frame. Lauer kept the third lead provided in the top of the fourth inning, allowing only a solo home run to Willi Castro in the fifth before his night was finished. Lauer didn’t go six innings this time but did strike out six batters in his five frames.

Jack Dreyer and Edgardo Henriquez held serve with scoreless frames of relief, but Evan Phillips — working for a second straight night — allowed the first three to reach in the eighth inning, bringing home one run and leaving with two outs and the tying runs on base.

Tanner Scott entered as the fireman and induced a groundout to extinguish the rally, then allowed a double and single in ninth, cutting the lead to a single run. Scott stranded the tying run on base by getting TJ Rumfield to pop out to shortstop, finishing out the game.

Tuesday was Scott’s fifth appearance and third save longer than an inning this season.

Catch and release

Hunter Feduccia caught all nine innings on Monday and caught the first six and a third innings on Tuesday. But after a strike out to open the seventh inning, Feduccia appeared to throw up behind home plate and walked off the field into the clubhouse. There was a long delay before Ben Rortvedt put his gear on and relieved Feduccia behind the plate to finish out the inning and the game.

Tuesday particulars

Home runs: Shohei Ohtani (30); Willi Castro (14)

WP — Eric Lauer (7-1): 5 IP, 6 hits, 4 runs, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts

LP — Ryan Feltner (5-7): 5+ IP, 8 hits, 7 runs, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts

Sv — Tanner Scott (17): 1 1/3 IP, 2 hits, 1 run

Up next

The Dodgers go for their second sweep of a last-place team in the last two weeks on Wednesday night (5:40 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA), with Roki Sasaki on the mound against Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland.

It’s Tuesday night here at BCB After Dark: the coolest club for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. It’s so nice to see you tonight. Come on in and dry off. There’s no cover charge. The dress code is casual. The hostess will seat you now. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

Last night, I asked you who you want on the mound for a potential Game One of a playoff series. Thirty-nine percent of you would go with Matthew Boyd. Another 25 percent said Kevin Gausman, although that was before tonight’s game.

On Tuesday night, I don’t normally do any movie stuff. But I can scrounge up some tunes for you.

Tonight we have legendary vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater performing B.B. King’s signature song, “The Thrill is Gone” in Abu Dhabi for International Jazz Day in 2025. Bridgewater is backed by an all-star band that is too long to mention here, but you can go to YouTube and get them all if you wish.

Last night, Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a walk-off home run that sealed his second-straight season of 30 home runs and 30 steals. Tonight’s question is simple. There are 35 games left in the season. Crow-Armstrong has 31 home runs (after one more tonight as I write this) and 31 steals. Can he get nine more home runs and nine more steals to be a 40-40 player?

Only six players in MLB history have ever had 40 home runs and 40 steals in a season. They are

Jose Canseco (1988) 42 HR, 40 SB

Barry Bonds (1996) 42 HR, 40 SB

Alex Rodriguez (1998) 42 HR, 46 SB

Alfonso Soriano (2006) 46 HR, 41 SB

Ronald Acuña Jr. (2023) 41 HR, 73 SB

Shohei Ohtani (2024) 54 HR, 59 SB

Obviously Ohtani is the only member of the 50-50 club.

So when this season ends, will we be adding Pete Crow-Amstrong to this list of names?

Thank you for stopping by tonight. We were so glad to see you. Please tell your friends about us. Get home safely. Don’t forget any personal items. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow night for more BCB After Dark.

You want to empty your home, you want to empty your life, of the 2026 Mariners, and we here at Lookout Landing Lacuna are here to help.

Hopefully you enjoyed the brief interlude of the Mariners winning a series against the Astros, as we’re back to our regularly scheduled programming of soul-crushing road losses with a 22-0 debacle against the Brewers. This game was close until it wasn’t, on paper at least, but with the Mariners offense flat in the first five innings of this game, a 1-0 deficit felt about as large as the eventual 2-0 deficit…then 6-0…then 11-0…then 22-0. I might have missed some in there. Honestly I sort of stopped paying attention, in the way that sometimes at the dentist’s office you transport yourself elsewhere mentally somewhere more pleasant. To paraphrase John Green a little, this game fell apart the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.

Or to paraphrase Charlie Kaufman:

The Mariners could have gotten on the board first in this one, with Brendan Donovan – whose bat continues to slowly heat up as he gets more regular playing time – led off with a double off lefty Kyle Harrison. But despite Donovan moving to third on a wild pitch, the Mariners couldn’t get that run across with no outs, as the top of the lineup went down in order after that – Randy Arozarena struck out, Dom Canzone grounded out, and Julio Rodríguez struck out one pitch after a pitch he should have walked on, a slurve well below the zone that was called a strike.

Meanwhile, the Brewers came out swinging hard against Bryce Miller, making the kind of early loud contact that has unfortunately been a hallmark of Miller’s outings lately. He got lucky with a couple of deep flyouts – one tracked down by an excellent route by Julio in center – but then hung a splitter to Jake Bauers for a double, with Bauers narrowly safe at second thanks to a strong catch and throw by Robles in right. Unlike the Mariners, the Brewers were then able to score that run; William Contreras turned on a sinker inside and did just enough to get it into left field. The slow-footed Bauers should have been out at home, but the ball popped out of Cal Raleigh’s glove when Bauers ran into Raleigh, earning Cal a tough error.

(Hilariously, at one point it looked like we’d debate that one run all night. That was before Julio Rodríguez threw a ball into the stands with just one out, allowing a run to score, and it somehow wasn’t even the worst thing to happen that inning. We were so young here, in this part of the recap. How happy is the blameless recapper’s lot!)

It wasn’t much easier for Miller in the second as he labored through the bottom half of the Brewers’ lineup; he worked around back-to-back one-out singles but the Brewers just weren’t fooled by anything; he had just four whiffs by the end of the second with no strikeouts; meanwhile, the Mariners had struck out four times by the end of the third. The Mariners allowing a starter to settle in after making some noise early? Color me sadprised.

Harrison had retired nine in a row by the fifth when Victor Robles worked a two-out walk and Brock Rodden knocked a ball up the middle that the shortstop was able to smother but not make a play on. Robles and Rodden then executed a risky double steal but Rodden was tagged out at second. Like the missed catch at home, at one point this might have made a difference in the ballgame. When I was young and upset, my mom used to tell me that one day, whatever intense heartbreak I was suffering would feel like nothing at all, that I wouldn’t even remember it. What she didn’t tell me was that the reason that would happen is because that sharp pain would be dulled by a lifetime of other, worse ones.

Once again, in a cruel mirroring, the Brewers got some traffic in the bottom of the inning after Miller had retired nine in a row himself, with Hamilton eking out an infield single Cole Young couldn’t quite corral, followed by a steal where he was narrowly safe. Maybe losing the handle a little, Miller went on to walk Brice Turang on four pitches and then the Brewers executed a double steal of their own, as if to rub the Mariners’ faces in their own failure in the top of the inning. Jackson Chourio then hit a little flyball single that dropped right in front of Julio for a 2-0 Brewers lead, doubling up what already felt like an impossible 1-0 deficit. Miller then fell behind Jake Bauers 3-0 before walking him, loading the bases for the dangerous Contreras. Miller was able to keep Contreras in the yard, limiting the damage to a sac fly, but that brought up Christian Yelich. Miller made a mistake with his splitter, and Yelich – although not the fearsome hitter he’s been in years past – jumped on it, demolishing the splitter on the plate 396 feet to double up the Brewers’ lead.

Postgame, Dan Wilson took accountability for leaving Miller in despite the hard contact the Brewers had been making off him all game: “It’s on me. I didn’t make the right choice.”

That’s where in a merciful and just world this game would have ended, with each side trading half-hearted blows and the Mariners quietly limping to a shutout loss. But this game was not merciful despite how much fans might have wished for a mercy rule, as the Brewers went on to put the kind of hurting on the Mariners that brings national attention (derogatory). If the Mariners must be bad, can’t they just be bad in peace and leave us safely below the radar of fans with access to gif toolbars? But no, they must make a big, unignorable pile of mess. In architectural terms, they somehow created an unholy trinity of the J.Edgar Hoover building (depressing), Trump Tower in Vegas (tacky), and DIA (ugly, confusing, likely haunted by a malevolent spirit).

The one thing that sucked about this game is it crushed underfoot one of the tender green shoots of hope I’d been nourishing for the back half of this season, namely that Josh Simpson Is Interesting. This felt much more like a spring training Simpson appearance, when he struggled to throw strikes. Things got

bad worse

from

here

to the point where I don’t want to necessarily detail them any more, and I don’t think you want to read about them. How much deeper can a hole be dug? To the point where Leo Rivas was standing on the mound in the eighth. The numbers just kept ticking up in the runs column for the Brewers until it sort of just felt numb. Just tiny little rocks. The 2026 Mariners: technically it IS brain damage.

“Obviously, it’s an embarrassing loss. We got our ass kicked,” said Bryce Miller postgame. “But at the end of the day, dwelling on it isn’t going to do any good. We gotta go back to the hotel, sleep, and come back tomorrow and play again.”

“Blessed are the forgetful, for they get the better even of their blunders,“ said Fredrich Nietzsche post-Enlightenment. Meet me tomorrow in Montauk Milwaukee.

The Dbacks fell once again for the second consecutive night in Boston 9-4. To make things worse, the Phillies and the Padres won so now the Dbacks are 2 games outside of the third wild card spot. They are losers of 3 in a row and are 4-6 over their last 10 games.

Despite everything happening off the field with this team and Ketel Marte, it was actually the pitching that let this team down for the second consecutive night. The Marte news is no doubt a distraction im sure for this team, however having Ketel Marte on the field isn’t going to change the fact that this pitching staff has given up 20 runs the past 2 games. You aren’t going to win very many games giving up that many runs no matter who you are running up there to bat.

Merrill Kelly continued his skid as his stuff has really regressed late into the season. Kelly allowed 6 ER in just 4 innings tonight including 4 walks. What has become especially alarming about Kelly is just how few of his pitches he is throwing in the zone. This was first brought to my attention weeks ago by Snakes Territory’s own Jesse Freidman, and tonight he noted that Kelly only threw 38.4% of his pitches in the strike zone. Last year, Kelly’s in zone rate was 47.8%. And it wasn’t just tonight for Kelly as he has had a sub 40% in zone rate for several of his last starts. Whatever is going on with him isn’t going to be a simple fix im afraid. He really has some issues he needs to iron out physically, mechanically, or perhaps both.

The offense was rather quiet again with the exception of a Gabi Moreno grand slam in the top of the 3^rd inning. It was just like you drew it up too as with 2 outs Waldschmidt and Vargas each singled, and Carroll was hit by a pitch brining up exactly who you wanted at the plate in this situation, the teams hottest hitter Gabi Moreno. Moreno then proceeded to get ahead in the count 2-0 and then absolutely unloads on a mistake pitch 428 feet over the green monster for a grand slam. Like I said, just like you drew it up. Team baseball passing the baton to the heart of the lineup.

Unfortunately Merrill Kelly would hand the 4-3 lead immediately back to the Red Sox just 4 batters later. Terrible timing for a team desperate to get some momentum. Then the Dbacks offense would proceed to do almost nothing for the rest of the game outside of a Perdomo double in the 6^th and a couple of singles gathered around.

Aside from the Gabi grand slam, the highlight of the game for me was seeing Justin Martinez back on the mound pumping 102mph fastballs. He did walk 2 guys in the inning and was far from perfect, but to be able to get him back out on the mound is huge for this team. What a bullpen these guys can theoretically run out there now that Martinez is back!

Like I said in the beginning, im sure the Marte situation is a distraction, but you aren’t going to win many games giving up 9 or more runs. The offense has not looked good since the Marte news broke with the exception of 1 swing from Gabi Moreno sure. However the Dbacks were not going to win either of these games with how poorly the pitching has shown up in this series.

Tomorrow will really be the test for this team as they send the red hot Brandon Pfaadt to the mound to try and avoid the sweep, but the offense will have to rebound against Payton Tolle and his power fastball. The Dbacks badly need to get some momentum back on their side and try and put this Ketel Marte situation behind them the best they can if they want to save their season. And hopefully tomorrow can also be some good news on the Ketel front if all goes well on his MRI.

Carlos Rodón got his first taste of pitching with George Lombard Jr. behind him at shortstop, and it’s fair to say the lefty was very impressed with what he saw.

One particular play garnered an NSFW response from Rodón, who was starting his first game since June 28 in the Yankees’ 3-1 win over the Orioles at Camden Yards on Tuesday night. 

Christian Encarnacion-Strand led off the bottom of the fourth inning of a tie game by grounding a ball sharply and well to Lombard’s right toward third base. 

The rookie not only got to the ball, but he also made a strong off-balance throw while leaning backward to get Encarnacion-Strand at first base. 

Lombard, 21, checked his glove after the play before Rodón could show his appreciation.

“You’re a bad motherf–ker, man,” Rodón appeared to say toward Lombard on the YES broadcast.

Lombard, who also went 2-for-4 at the plate with a run scored, has impressed defensively since the moment her was called up — turning a nifty double play in his debut on Aug. 4. 

He helped Rodón, who was coming back from elbow inflammation, allow just one run on four hits across four innings. 

The veteran’s successful return is extra important for the Yankees after Max Fried landed on the injured list on Monday.

Lombard’s play defensively has been as good as advertised since taking over for Anthony Volpe at short.

He’s also been a boost to the Yankees’ offense that has struggled to score runs in the absence of stars Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton. 

Lombard is hitting .293 with two homers, three RBIs and an .833 OPS in 41 at-bats.

Rodón will probably be looking forward to pitching more games with Lombard behind him as the Yankees jockey for playoff position and make their way to October.