Jul 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Teoscar Hernandez (37) hits a grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jon Endow-Imagn Images | Jon Endow-Imagn Images
Teoscar Hernández capitalized off an error and launched a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning to lead the Dodgers (58-31) to a 4-3 comeback win over the Padres (43-44) Friday night at Dodger Stadium. The dramatic blast was Hernandez’s eighth home run of the season, erasing a 3-0 deficit and securing the win.
It was an uncharacteristic shaky start for Shohei Ohtani on the mound. A four-pitch walk to Tatis Jr. started the game for Ohtani who missed the strike zone with his first six pitches of the game. Another walk to Jake Cronenworth immediately gave the Padres the opportunity to get on the board quickly.
The Padres, once again, scored early. Gavin Sheets smacked a high sweeper to right field for a RBI single. Ohtani ended up striking out three in the first inning, but the Padres took an early 1-0 lead.
Ohtani and Dalton Rushing settled down nicely and had collected seven strikeouts through the first three innings.
Michael King was perfect through three innings, using his sinker and changeup to fool batters.
Jackson Merrill took advantage of an overturned strike call and homered against Ohtani with two outs in the fourth to make it 2-0 Padres.
Freddie Freeman’s two-out single in the bottom of the fourth was the first hit the Dodgers mustered off King. The Dodgers got nothing to show for it after Mookie Betts flied out to end the inning and erase the base runner.
Max Muncy snagged a Machado grounder at third to get the final out in the fifth after the Padres had runners at the corners with two outs.
The Dodgers got the tying run to the plate against King in the bottom of the sixth, but Freeman grounded out to end the inning and strand another two base runners.
Kyle Hurt took over for Ohtani in the seventh, and a double play helped the reliever escape without allowing a run. Ohtani wasn’t involved in the decision with a line of: 6 IP, 3 R, 7 H, 2 BB, 9 K (110 pitches).
The Dodgers adjusted at the plate against King and got their first two men aboard in the bottom of the seventh to chase the Padres ace from the game. Things unraveled for the Friars after they took out King. Adrian Morejon, who had been lights out coming into the game, got ambushed by the Dodgers offense.
Coming off a four-hit game, Tucker looked to get that big hit the Dodgers needed all night. Betts walked, and Muncy singled. The Dodgers got a lucky break when Tucker reached safely on a bumbling error by Cronenworth which ended up to be very costly.
Hernández brought the early 4th of July fireworks to Chavez Ravine with a monstrous grand slam to give the Dodgers a 4-3 lead. It was the first home run for Hernandez since returning to action after missing a month with a hamstring injury.
Edgardo Henriquez pitched a 1-2-3 eighth to keep it a one-run game. Henriquez has been a key part of this Dodgers bullpen that has been particularly effective of late. Opposing hitters had a .154 batting average against him in June.
Dave Roberts gave Tanner Scott the ball in the top of the ninth. Tanner struck out Samad Taylor, Miguel Andujar, and Tatis Jr. to slam the door on the Padres who have now lost seven straight.
Friday particulars
Home runs: Jackson Merrill (10); Teoscar Hernandez (8)
LP — Adrian Morejon (6-2): 1 IP, 2 hits, 2 runs, 2, walks, no strikeouts
S — Tanner Scott (12): Struck out the side in the top of the 9th
Up next
Fireworks are sure to explode during the third of four games between the NL West rivals on 4th of July (7:10 p.m., SportsNet LA), with Yoshinobu Yamamoto (8-5, 2.67 ERA, 0.89 WHIP) on the mound for the Dodgers and Griffin Canning (1-5, 7.09 ERA, 1.66 WHIP) for the Padres.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JULY 03: Randy Arozarena #56 of the Seattle Mariners reacts after striking out during the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at T-Mobile Park on July 03, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Blue Jays 2, Mariners 0
Christmas Beef Wellington: Víctor Robles, +0.11 WPA American attempts at poutine: Colt Emerson, -0.21 WPA
Jul 3, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Aroldis Chapman (44) celebrates the victory against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Besides all that, it’s the start of the holiday weekend. But for all the night owls who tuned in, it was a thoroughly enjoyable game!
Jake Bennett proved he belongs and Romy González showed he’s back. Bennett quickly got out to a confident start, with a 1-2-3 first inning; he repeated that feat in each frame through the fourth, not allowing a hit until the fifth and never giving up a walk. I was surprised that Chad Tracy brought him out for the eighth, not because he was struggling—he most definitely wasn’t—but because he’d never gone that deep in a game before. Sure enough, he was a little gassed and began to falter, giving up a home run, a single, a wild pitch, then another single. Two runs scored in the inning but this wasn’t indicative of his night.
In the ninth, Aroldis Chapman broke Hoyt Wilhelm’s record for most strikeouts by a reliever—not a closer, but all relievers.
As for the offense, the Sox hitters were as confident as their pitchers, with nearly everyone getting at least one hit. Rafaela, Abreu, Contreras, Durbin, and Duran were on the basepaths multiple times. Though Duran didn’t have a hit, he had a nice sac fly, laid down a sacrifice bunt, and advanced on a fielding error.
Fire up the grill, get the drinks on ice, and stay cool over the weekend; the Sox are doing their part to give us something to celebrate.
Studs
Aroldis Chapman
Chapman went into the record books for most strikeouts by a reliever, besting Hoyt Wilhelm with #1,364. He even grinned for the occasion. Nice work.
Jake Bennett
He held the Angels hitless until the fifth. With a lot of first-pitch strikes, soft contact, and short at-bats, he cruised through seven. Good for him, good for us, good for the bullpen. His final line doesn’t quite do justice to how good he looked out there tonight. 7.2 IP, 5H, 2R, 6K, 1 BB.
Romy González
The guy we’ve been pining for all season has arrived. He announced himself with a triple in the first inning and overall went 3-4 with 2 RBI.
Caleb Durbin
He went 1-3 with a home run, and scored another run after getting on base with a walk. He had the Defensive Play of the Game too. Nice night.
Dud
Nate Eaton
Hey, it happens. He was the only hitter to not reach base, going 0-5 with 3 K’s.
Play of the Game
In 2026, we haven’t often been able to consider several potential Plays of the Game; it’s been sparse all season long. Tonight I considered a few different candidates, including Durbin’s homer, but I’m going with Romy’s triple that put the Sox on the board in the second. Romy showed he was back, and said he’s feeling good. Here’s hoping it’s the first of many notable plays that he’ll record for the Sox for the rest of the way.
Amid absolute pandemonium at Dodger Stadium on Friday night, an unexpected cause for concern arose in the home dugout.
Shortly after completing a six-inning, three-run start as a pitcher against the San Diego Padres, Shohei Ohtani was removed from the game as a hitter in the bottom of the seventh, when Miguel Rojas pinch-hit for him shortly after a go-ahead grand slam from Teoscar Hernández in the Dodgers’ come-from-behind 4-3 win.
The reason for Ohtani’s removal: Tightness in his right bicep he had felt during his final at-bat as a hitter in the game.
“Just kinda tightened up on him,” manager Dave Roberts said.
On the bright side, both Ohtani and Roberts described the superstar’s exit as a “precautionary” decision, and downplayed the potential severity of the injury.
However, Roberts said Ohtani would still be out of the lineup on Saturday, to “give him a day to fully recover, treat it up.”
“We’ll just go from there,” the skipper added.
Shohei Ohtani exited early on Friday night. Getty Images
Ohtani did not appear to be laboring physically in his two-way performance Friday, even as he grinded through an 110-pitch effort –– which included nine strikeouts, but also nine baserunners allowed (seven hits, two walks), to leave him with a 1.79 ERA on the season and a mediocre 4.38 ERA over his last four starts.
However, during his final at-bat in the bottom of the sixth, he said in Japanese that there “was something that concerned me a little with my biceps” after lifting a flyout to right field.
He said it only impacted his swing, and that he felt no problem while pitching.
Ohtani later revealed that he had dealt with similar discomfort in batting practice earlier this season, but noted “it got better relatively quickly then, so I think that will be the case again this time.”
“You know what, [that instance] was so benign, that I didn’t hear about it until tonight,” Roberts added when asked about Ohtani’s previous bicep issue. “It didn’t take him out of playing.”
Ohtani’s absence didn’t put a damper on the Dodgers’ comeback Friday, when they overcame a 3-0 deficit in the bottom of the seventh.
After six dominant innings from Padres ace Michael King to start the night, the Dodgers finally knocked him out of the game on a leadoff walk from Mookie Betts and single from Max Muncy. Then, they got a fortuitous break to load the bases against reliever Adrian Morejon, with Kyle Tucker’s would-be double-play grounder getting booted by Jake Cronenworth at second base.
Just like that, Hernández stepped up representing the go-ahead run.
And on the first pitch he saw –– a hanging slider over the plate –– the veteran slugger blasted a grand slam that unleashed perhaps the loudest reaction from the crowd all season.
Hernández chucked his bat with an emphatic flip, then rounded the bases as Chavez Ravine shook in celebration, helping the Dodgers –– even without Ohtani at the end –– extend their division lead over the Padres to 14 games.
“We believe in each other, we know what we can do, we know the players that we have, and we’re never out of the game,” Hernández said, after keying the Dodgers’ second stunning comeback against San Diego in as many nights. “That’s our mentality every day that we go into the field. It happens to keep showing every single day.”
What it means
The initial belief might be that Ohtani’s injury is nothing to worry about.
But it is yet another reminder of the toll that comes with his two-way workload.
Roberts acknowledged that fact, and even left the door open to not having Ohtani make his final pitching start before the All-Star break, which is scheduled for next Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“I do think that for us to read and react and hear what his body is telling him is really important,” Roberts said, “given the toll it takes on his body to be a two-way player.”
Still, Roberts also called Ohtani a “quick healer” who “finds a way to get back.”
And though Ohtani will get the day off on Saturday, he already felt on Friday night that he would be able to take the field if the team wanted.
“It’s not as if you can be in perfect condition every time you play,” he said.
Who’s hot
Ohtani’s injury aside, the moment of the night was Hernández’s go-ahead blast in the seventh.
The homer was Hernández’s first since returning from a month-long hamstring injury earlier this week.
It was also the best sign yet that he hasn’t lost the hot swing he’d found before going on the IL, having hit .325 with 14 RBIs in his final 24 games before getting hurt.
“It’s just a little bit of everything,” Hernández explained of his emotional reaction to Friday’s big fly, which continued with a string of high-fives and fist pumps on his way back to the dugout, plus a sunflower seed shower from teammate and mentee Andy Pages.
“I’m just trying to find the same swing that I had before I got hurt, and at the same time, just do something for the team,” Hernández added. “It happened to be a big swing.”
Who’s not
Even before his biceps injury, Friday hadn’t been Ohtani’s most convincing performance.
His pitching outing was a “quality start” only in the most literal sense of the term –– marred by a pair of leadoff walks that led to a run in the first, a home run to Jackson Merrill on a center-cut fastball in the fourth, and a two-out, run-scoring rally he yielded in the sixth that nearly put the Padres’ lead too far out of reach.
“Good outing,” Roberts called it. “But I think, again, with Shohei, the stuff that he has, he’s just got to be more efficient to get into that seventh inning. And the last few starts, he just hasn’t given himself a chance.”
Ohtani’s bat has quietly cooled off in recent days too, with his 0-for-3 performance on Friday dropping him to 2-for-16 over the last four games.
At the very least, he and catcher Dalton Rushing found better chemistry as batterymates, getting on the same page with their pitch calling (the majority of which was done by Rushing) after their glaring miscommunication in Minnesota last week.
Also, as Ohtani noted, he still “left the game in a place in which we could still hope to win.”
And even without him at the end, Hernández made sure the Dodgers did.
Up next
The Dodgers will try to clinch this four-game series, and grow their monstrous lead in the division even further, in a Fourth of July game on Saturday. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (8-5, 2.67 ERA) faces Padres right-hander Griffin Canning (1-5, 7.09 ERA).
The 23-year-old won’t throw for approximately six weeks — well after the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
So instead of potentially joining the bullpen in The Bronx in the coming weeks, Lagrange will be shut down indefinitely, knocking the hard-throwing righty off the list of possible upgrades.
Before the game, Aaron Boone said it altered the team’s plans “certainly for the short term.”
Carlos Lagrange throws a pitch during the Yankees’ Feb. 21 game in spring training. Charles Wenzelberg
Lagrange opened eyes in the spring with his ability to throw 100 mph consistently and the Yankees continue to view him as a starter in the future, but hoped to move him to the pen for the rest of this season as a nasty bullpen arm.
That process began in early June, with a possible second half promotion to the majors.
That’s now on hold, very possibly for the rest of the season.
Lagrange last appeared in a game with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday. He pitched on two days’ rest and had his worst outing as a reliever, allowing five runs on four hits, as well as a pair of walks, in just two-thirds of an inning. Lagrange averaged 98.8 mph with his fastball and hit 100.9.
It was Lagrange’s seventh appearance out of the bullpen and second time pitching on two days’ rest.
Naturally, questions arose about whether the switch led to the shoulder woes.
“It’s impossible to answer that for sure,’’ Boone said. “We were pretty disciplined and methodical with how we took him into that role. I feel like we were careful with it, but you never know for certain why [it] happens.”
It’s no secret why the Yankees were looking to get some help from Lagrange.
Two of last year’s trade deadline acquisitions who were expected to aid the pen, Camilo Doval and Jake Bird, have been huge disappointments, while David Bednar has mostly been solid as closer.
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And if the season had gone according to plan, the Yankees would consider Ryan Weathers as another left-handed option since there would be no room for him in the rotation.
But they’re waiting for Max Fried to get back from a left elbow bone bruise and now have Carlos Rodón on the IL with left elbow inflammation.
There was also belief that Luis Gil might thrive out of the pen, but he last pitched on April 26 with the Yankees and then was shut down with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in early May with a shoulder injury.
He’s resumed throwing, but is a long way from being considered for a role in The Bronx.
That could leave the Yankees looking for at least a pair of relievers in the next month, and as they proved last year, that’s no easy feat.
"You talk about the toughest job, manager of the New York Mets is the toughest job in baseball right now," Martinez, who cited his "freedom" and work-life balance in explaining the outlook on managing before Friday's 5-3 loss at the Atlanta Braves. "Managing is tough. You have to know how to maneuver pieces, how to handle pitching staffs, all that. I pride myself on the offensive side of things."
The Mets hired Martinez, 38, as a special advisor to baseball operations in March.
"It's a really good group," Martinez said in early April when asked about this year's Mets. "I played with and against a lot of these guys. I have a ton of respect for them."
A six-time All-Star, Martinez ended his career with the Mets. He slashed .235/.320/.406 with 16 home runs and 69 RBI in 120 games.
"Every time he speaks I listen -- he has great advice and we relate, so it’s great to have him around and see a familiar face," Mark Vientostold SNY'sSteve Gelbsin early April.
DENVER, COLORADO - JULY 3: Jake McCarthy #31 of the Colorado Rockies celebrates with Mickey Moniak #22 after his first inning solo home run against the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field on July 3, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Colorado Rockies did not just open their series against the San Francisco Giants with offense. They opened it with a flood.
By the time Gabriel Hughes entered from the bullpen to make his Major League debut in the seventh inning, the Rockies already had a 14-3 lead, 17 hits, three home runs, two triples from Cole Carrigg, a career game from Jake McCarthy, and another strong start from Ryan Feltner. Colorado finished with a 15-3 win, pounding out 18 hits while getting run production from almost every part of the lineup.
The Rockies improved to 36-53, while the Giants fell to 36-51. Colorado is now one game behind San Francisco in the NL West.
Feltner controls the Giants
Ryan Feltner had more than enough run support, but his outing was still one of the biggest reasons the game stayed under control. He gave Colorado six innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits with nine strikeouts and no walks. The Giants scored in three separate innings, but Feltner avoided free traffic and kept them from building the type of inning that can change a game at Coors Field.
Feltner set the tone immediately by striking out Luis Arráez on a changeup to open the game. That pitch became a major part of the night. Feltner threw the changeup 13 times, generated five whiffs on nine swings, and used it for four strikeouts. Its 56% whiff rate was his best mark of any pitch he used regularly, and it gave him a finishing pitch against a Giants lineup that was forced to cover multiple speeds.
Feltner struck out the side in the second inning, then opened the third by striking out Victor Bericoto for his fourth straight strikeout. San Francisco broke through later in the inning when Arráez doubled and Casey Schmitt followed with a 104 mph RBI single, but Feltner limited the inning to one run and kept Colorado ahead 5-1.
The pitch mix supported the line. Feltner threw his four-seam fastball 36% of the time, averaging 94.2 mph, and it produced four strikeouts with a 53% called-strike-plus-whiff rate. His slider was his second-most used pitch at 31%, generating six whiffs on 15 swings for a 40% whiff rate. Between the four-seamer, slider, and changeup, Feltner got 16 of his 17 whiffs and all nine of his strikeouts.
The fourth inning was the only frame where Feltner helped create the damage. Jung Hoo Lee reached on a bunt single and advanced to second on Feltner’s throwing error before Bryce Eldridge singled him home. Feltner again kept it to one run, then responded with a 1-2-3 fifth that included two more strikeouts.
Rafael Devers got Feltner for the loudest swing against him in the sixth, a 104.1 mph, 432-foot solo homer to right field. Feltner finished the inning by getting Lee to fly out and striking out Willy Adames, ending his night with the Rockies ahead 14-3.
This was not just a run-support start. Feltner missed bats, filled the zone, and leaned on a three-pitch core that gave the Giants very little room to turn contact into sustained pressure.
Rockies jump Webb immediately
Logan Webb never had a chance to settle in. McCarthy attacked the first pitch of the bottom of the first inning and drove a 92.2 mph sinker to right-center for a leadoff home run. The swing came off the bat at 105.1 mph and traveled 440 feet, giving Colorado a lead before Webb recorded an out.
The inning did not stop with the first swing. Mickey Moniak, Hunter Goodman, and June NL Rookie of the Month TJ Rumfield followed with three straight singles, and Cole Carrigg drew a bases-loaded walk. The first five Rockies reached base against Webb, forcing him into immediate damage control. Tyler Freeman then grounded into a double play, but Goodman scored on the play, giving Colorado a 3-0 lead after the first inning.
Colorado’s approach carried into the second, but it showed up in a different way. Kyle Karros singled and stole second before Ezequiel Tovar forced Webb through an 11-pitch at-bat. Tovar fouled off four two-strike pitches, including three fastballs after the count reached 3-2, then drove a cutter to right-center for a two-run home run. The swing came off the bat at 101.7 mph and traveled 392 feet, pushing the Rockies’ lead to 5-0.
The third inning showed the same problem for Webb. Carrigg opened the inning with a triple to right field, and Edouard Julien brought him home on a fielder’s choice. Tovar later added a single, and McCarthy followed with an RBI single to right field before stealing second. By the end of the third, the Rockies had scored seven runs on 11 hits against Webb and had forced him into traffic in all three innings.
That was the best version of Colorado’s offense against a starter. McCarthy punished the first pitch he saw. Tovar won a long at-bat and still got to damage. Carrigg added pressure with speed and extra-base contact. The Rockies were not just swinging early; they were forcing Webb to execute in different counts and punishing him when he did not.
The data matched the result. Webb allowed 11 hits and seven earned runs in three innings, and the Rockies produced eight hard-hit balls against him. He generated only eight whiffs on 43 swings, a 19% whiff rate, with a 17% called-strike-plus-whiff rate. Colorado put 17 balls in play against Webb, and 11 of them became hits.
Webb leaned on his cutter more than any other pitch, throwing it 39% of the time, but the Rockies handled it. They collected three hits on five balls in play against the cutter, with two hard-hit balls and a 95.3 mph average exit velocity. The sinker was also a problem from the first pitch, with McCarthy’s leadoff homer setting the tone.
By the time San Francisco went to the bullpen in the fourth, Colorado had already built a 7-2 lead and forced the Giants into a game that was no longer being played on Webb’s terms.
Rockies turn it into a blowout in the fifth
Matt Gage gave San Francisco its first clean inning in the fourth, but the reset did not last. The Rockies came back in the fifth with the same pressure they had created against Webb, and this time they turned a comfortable lead into a blowout.
The inning started with a walk from Julien, followed by singles from Karros and Tovar. That brought McCarthy back to the plate with the bases loaded, and he delivered the swing that put the game away. McCarthy drove a grand slam to right-center for his second home run of the night, pushing Colorado’s lead to 11-2 and giving him a career-high six RBI. It marked McCarthy’s second career grand slam, the first of which came on May 7 against the Mets.
Goodman kept the inning going with a double to left, and Rumfield followed with a walk. The Giants went to Ryan Walker, but the change did not stop the inning. Carrigg drove in both runners with his second triple of the game, then Freeman brought Carrigg home with an RBI single. Colorado scored seven runs in the inning and stretched the lead to 14-2.
The inning also showed how complete the offensive night had become. McCarthy supplied the biggest swings, but the fifth included a Julien walk, a Karros single, a Tovar single, a Goodman double, a Rumfield walk, Carrigg’s second triple and Freeman’s second run-scoring plate appearance. The Rockies were getting production from the top, middle and bottom of the order.
Carrigg’s night stood out beyond the box score. His two triples gave Colorado extra-base production and forced San Francisco to defend the full field. Tovar added three hits, including his long two-run homer in the second. Karros reached base four times, stole a base, tripled and scored three runs. Freeman drove in two runs from the lower third of the order. Rumfield added a hit and walk, continuing a first half that has pushed him into notable franchise company among Rockies rookies before the All-Star break.
By the end of the fifth, Colorado had 14 runs, 17 hits, three home runs and two triples. The Rockies had already beaten Webb, then carried the same approach into San Francisco’s bullpen. That turned the game from a strong offensive showing into one of their most lopsided wins of the season.
Hughes makes his MLB debut
By the seventh inning, the game had shifted into a different phase. McCarthy exited after his career night, Braxton Fulford entered for Goodman, Troy Johnston replaced McCarthy in left field, and Brett Sullivan took over for Rumfield at first base. The Rockies had already created separation, but the final three innings still carried another important development.
Hughes replaced Feltner to start the seventh and made his MLB debut with an 11-run lead. His first inning was clean, even after Eldridge reached on Karros’ error. Hughes got Bericoto to ground into a double play, then retired Cavanaugh on a lineout to Carrigg in center field.
Hughes picked up his first career strikeout in the eighth, getting Jonah Cox swinging to open the inning.
San Francisco followed with singles from Schmitt and Heliot Ramos, but Hughes kept the inning scoreless by getting Drew Gilbert to ground out.
Colorado added one more run in the bottom of the eighth when Karros tripled off JT Brubaker and Tovar brought him home with a sacrifice fly. That pushed the lead to 15-3 and gave Tovar his third RBI of the night. Tovar finished with a home run, two singles, a sacrifice fly and three RBI, giving Colorado run production early and late.
Hughes returned for the ninth and finished the game with help from the defense. After Christian Koss flew out and Eldridge walked, Bericoto grounded into his second double play against Hughes, ending the game.
Hughes finished his debut with three scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk with one strikeout. He threw 53 pitches, leaning heavily on his four-seam fastball. The pitch accounted for 35 of his 53 pitches, or 66% of his usage, and averaged 93.6 mph. He paired it mostly with his sweeper, which he threw 14 times, or 26% of his mix. The curveball and changeup were used only sparingly.
The swing-and-miss was limited. Hughes generated six whiffs on 30 swings, a 20% whiff rate, with an overall 21% called-strike-plus-whiff rate. All six whiffs came on the four-seamer. The Giants put nine balls in play against him, but only two went for hits, and Hughes kept the contact manageable with an 85.8 mph average exit velocity.
Final notes
McCarthy led the offense with the best run-producing game of his career, finishing 4-for-5 with two home runs, six RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base. He opened the game with a first-pitch homer, added an RBI single in the third and put the game away with a grand slam in the fifth.
Tovar finished 3-for-4 with a home run, a sacrifice fly, three RBI and two runs scored. Carrigg went 2-for-4 with two triples, three RBI and two runs scored. Karros reached base four times, going 3-for-4 with a triple, a walk, a stolen base and three runs scored. Goodman went 2-for-4 with a double, while Moniak added two hits and a walk.
Colorado finished 7-for-16 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base. The Rockies also got two-out production from McCarthy, whose third-inning RBI single gave Colorado its only two-out RBI of the game.
San Francisco finished 2-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left five runners on base. The Giants did not record a two-out RBI. Devers had the loudest swing for San Francisco with a solo homer in the sixth, while Schmitt finished with two hits and an RBI.
Feltner earned the win to move to 3-2, lowering his ERA to 4.27. Webb took the loss, falling to 5-6 with a 3.66 ERA after allowing seven earned runs in three innings. Hughes recorded a three-inning save in his debut, the second Rockie to do so this year.
Hughes became the eighth player to make his major league debut for Colorado this season, and the Rockies remain undefeated in July.
Up next
The Rockies and Giants continue the series Saturday night at Coors Field, with first pitch scheduled for 6:10 p.m. MDT on the Fourth of July.
Tomoyuki Sugano gets the ball for Colorado after the Rockies used only two pitchers in the series opener. Sugano enters at 8-4 with a 4.80 ERA and 48 strikeouts, and the Rockies will look for him to keep the bullpen rested after Feltner and Hughes covered all nine innings in Thursday’s win.
San Francisco will turn to Robbie Ray, who enters at 7-6 with a 3.39 ERA and 82 strikeouts.
Seranthony Domínguez’s struggles again cost the White Sox a chance to pick up a crucial win.
After both the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox had no issues scoring last night, there was no doubt that this game would be much more likely to end as a pitcher’s duel. True to form, the game ended up being exactly what most fans expected — until a rain delay changed the fortunes of the entire game.
Unfortunately for the White Sox, those fortunes didn’t favor them.
The first few innings went along smoothly for both sides, until Anthony Kay ran into trouble in the bottom of the third. After surrendering two straight walks, the Guardians played small ball, using a sacrifice bunt and a single to bring home the first run of the game. Luckily for the White Sox, Kay was able to lock back in and coaxed a huge double play out of David Fry to end the inning with minimal damage.
It stayed 1-0 in favor of the Guardians until Miguel Vargas had one of his best at bats of the year in the top of the fifth. With neither pitcher giving an inch, it was Vargas who worked the count, seeing nine pitches until Gavin Williams hung a sweeper up in the zone and Miguel Vargas did his best Barry Bonds impression. Not only did Vargas become the third White Sox player to have 20 home runs on the season (making Chicago the only team in baseball to hold the honor) but the White Sox turned the game on its head and took a 3-1 lead.
The game likely would’ve continued as a pitcher’s duel until the game was delayed due to rain immediately after Vargas’ home run. When I say immediately, I mean they locked that game down quicker than a security breach at Area 51. Instead of Kay likely dominating for another few innings, the rain delay took him out of the game and forced the White Sox to turn to their depleted bullpen early. It immediately moved momentum away from the White Sox and made this game up for grabs once again.
Although the delay benefited the Guardians, Jordan Hicks came in and picked up the pitcher’s duel where Kay left off, making a statement of his own. After giving up a leadoff single, Hicks sat down the next three batters, all looking, to swing momentum back in the favor of the White Sox. For a pitcher who struggled mightily early in the season, Hicks has now allowed just three hits and no runs over his last five innings dating back to late May, a trend that could do wonders for Chicago’s bullpen if it continues.
Unfortunately, the White Sox threw in Seranthony Domínguez, who is probably being paid about $8 million more than he’s worth, in the seventh inning, and his issues came to the forefront once again. Entering with a 3-1 lead, Domínguez surrendered two walks and a wild pitch, which gave the Guardians their first rally since the third inning. Even though Domínguez was pulled before a run crossed the plate, the damage was already done. Both runners that Bryan Hudson inherited from him scored, thanks to more small ball from the Guardians in the form of two RBI singles.
The stalemate continued until extra innings, when fans could finally expect to see some offense from the South Siders with a runner automatically placed on second. Instead, Randal Grichuk and Junior Perez both went down on strikes looking in two terrible at-bats (Grichuk burning the White Sox extra-innings challenge on the second pitch of the inning) before Sam Antonacci flew out to right field. Clearly, the rain delay took all the juice out of Chicago’s bats, along with their decision-making abilities.
The South Siders didn’t have enough in the tank to see out the win. After a Thursday loss where the White Sox blew a ninth-inning lead, and with it their lead atop the AL Central, the club fell victim to an all-too-familiar storyline once again.
The Guardians put an end to all of our misery when the White Sox couldn’t record a single out in the bottom of the 10th. With two back-to-back singles, the Guardians walked off the White Sox for the second straight game, taking sole possession of the AL Central once more.
It’s a tough loss for a team that will certainly feel hard done by a questionably-timed rain delay. While the rain that fell shortly after the tarps came out is undisputed, it is certainly up for debate how the game would’ve gone had starter Kay been able to continue spinning the ball as he had up to that point.
Not only does the loss hurt, but so does the fact that the White Sox again had to dig deep into a bullpen that is already hurting. With their first off day since June 25 coming next Monday, the hope is that the team can find a way to take the final two games of this series before loading up for the final stretch before the All-Star break.
DENVER — When Logan Webb took the mound here, almost a mile above sea level, a little more than a month ago, he only left the game due to a pitch restriction.
In that start, his first back from the injured list, Webb still pitched into the fifth inning.
In his return visit Friday night, following five starts so dominant that he was named National League pitcher of the month that afternoon, his day was done after only three innings.
“I just got my ass kicked today,” Webb said, more than three hours since he hit the showers.
Apparently the Rockies didn’t get the message that the Fourth of July fireworks were scheduled for after the game. Jake McCarthy started the show on Webb’s first pitch of the game.
When Logan Webb took the mound here, almost a mile above sea level, a little more than a month ago, he only left the game due to a pitch restriction. Getty ImagesApparently the Rockies didn’t get the message that the Fourth of July fireworks were scheduled for after the game. Jake McCarthy started the show on Webb’s first pitch of the game. Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images
McCarthy, the Rockies’ leadoff man, put a first-pitch sinker into the home bullpen, only the beginning of a battering that will go down as one of Webb’s worst nights on the field.
The Giants’ ace yielded seven earned runs on 11 hits — both matching career-highs — in a 15-3 rout to one of the only two teams in the NL with a worse record (36-53) than San Francisco’s (36-51).
From the get-go manager Tony Vitello could see Webb’s pitches were impacted by the altitude.
“The ball can do different things here than the average park,” Vitello said. “Coming out of the shoot, the first pitch of the game, it looked like it ran down and in to the lefty. It’s supposed to go the other way.”
Colorado had a clear plan of attacking, pouncing on Webb early and often. Of the 21 hitters who came to bat against him, nine put one of his first two pitches in play, resulting in seven hits.
“It was a good game plan,” Webb said. “I didn’t adjust very well.”
And yet, probably the most enraging result came on the 12th pitch of Ezequiel Tovar’s at-bat in the second inning, which the No. 9 hitter turned on for the second of three Rockies home runs.
For all the Rockies’ fireworks against Webb in three innings, they put on an equal spectacle in one inning against Matt Gage and Ryan Walker, who allowed Colorado to bring 12 men to the plate in a seven-run fifth that, even at Coors Field, put this one far out of reach.
Gage put the first three batters of the inning — also the bottom three hitters in the Rockies’ order — on base, and McCarthy slugged a grand slam for his second homer of the night. He became the first player ever to hit a leadoff home run, a grand slam and steal a base in one game.
Colorado had a clear plan of attacking, pouncing on Webb early and often. Of the 21 hitters who came to bat against him, nine put one of his first two pitches in play, resulting in seven hits. Getty Images
What it means
What a deflating way for the Giants to begin their first series of July.
The schedule lightens up substantially, with three games against the Mariners (45-44) being their only ones against a team with a winning record for the rest of the month. But they can’t feel too good about their chances of capitalizing when this is how it goes against a team as bad as the Rockies.
“There’s no easy part of the schedule in this league,” Vitello said, “especially when you’re on the road.”
Who’s hot
Getting a rare chance to play his natural position with Matt Chapman sidelined, Casey Schmitt showed why many evaluators considered him a future Gold Glove candidate as a third baseman.
Schmitt turned one of the most spectacular double plays of the season — “one of the greatest plays I’ve ever seen,” in the words of Giants broadcaster Dave Flemming — to record the first two outs of the night after Webb allowed the first five Rockies to reach base.
On a sharply hit grounder down the line, Schmitt backhanded the ball, followed his momentum into foul territory — while stepping on third for a force out — and flashed the arm that he used to use to save games at San Diego State, slinging a sidearm throw across the diamond, which Bryce Eldridge scooped at first base to complete a desperately needed double play.
Jonah Cox, an outfielder getting his second chance at second base, also flashed the leather once he entered with the game out of hand. Before the game, Vitello raved about his work with Ron Washington, and it showed, ranging behind the bag at second and making an accurate throw across his body for the second out of the seventh inning.
“I think everybody knows Jonah’s athletic and certainly can benefit from some reps,” Vitello said. “He’s athletic enough he can make a bunch of different plays but actually got tested for the first time on the routine play and looked solid.”
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Safe to say Webb will not be repeating as the pitcher of the month for July.
He had allowed 11 hits twice in 191 previous career starts. He also allowed seven earned runs only twice before. But never in the same outing.
The previous two times he had yielded 11 hits came while also completing six innings. Since becoming a full-time member of the rotation midway through 2021, there had only been one other occasion that he failed to throw a pitch in the fourth inning.
Statistically, there is only one other start in Webb’s career that compares to this one: When the Cardinals knocked him around for eight runs (seven earned) in 2 2/3 innings in the fourth start of his career, when he was still 22 years old and struggling to establish himself as a big leaguer.
Here’s the thing: While Coors Field can be a minefield for most starters, Webb hasn’t had many problems here, at least since 2022. Of the starters to log at least 40 innings at Coors Field over the past five seasons, only Merrill Kelly had a lower ERA (1.96) than Webb’s (3.29).
“This place sucks to pitch in, no matter what,” Webb said. “So you if you have any excuses going into it or after it, that’s on you. That’s no excuse. I’ve pitched here before.”
Up next
Robbie Ray, who has been on a roll similar to Webb’s, will try to right the ship Saturday in the second game of the series — and Vitello’s first time managing on Fourth of July — against Tomoyuki Sugano.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani is unlikely to pitch in the All-Star Game on July 14 after the Los Angeles Dodgers adjusted his schedule.
The two-way superstar has primarily been starting on the mound every Wednesday, but the team pushed him back to Friday this week to manage his workload.
Asked if that meant Ohtani was unlikely to pitch in the All-Star Game, manager Dave Roberts said Friday: “I haven’t formally said it, but if you just kind of do the math, it would be hard to imagine. But I don’t have to make that decision quite yet.”
Roberts will manage the National League All-Stars in Philadelphia.
Ohtani is already penciled into the starting lineup as the designated hitter because he was the overall leader with 3,341,257 votes after the first phase of fan balloting.
The right-hander is a strong candidate to be selected to the NL pitching staff as well, but Philadelphia left-hander Cristopher Sánchez seems most likely to start in his home ballpark. Milwaukee ace Jacob Misiorowski leads the majors with a 1.45 ERA but is on turn to pitch for the Brewers two days before the All-Star Game, which would make him unavailable against the American League.
Ohtani was second with a 1.58 ERA going into Friday night’s start against San Diego.
The Dodgers wanted Ohtani to get additional rest during a stretch of 13 games in 13 days. After his outing Friday, he’s scheduled to make one more start before the All-Star Game on July 10 against Arizona at home. That would give his arm only three days of rest prior to the Midsummer Showcase.
“Shohei hasn’t had his best stuff recently and that’s the truth,” Roberts said. “The fastball command hasn’t been what it was earlier in the season, the sweeper hasn’t been the same.”
Ohtani has been bothered by left knee soreness and has a blister on the middle finger of his right hand.
“He feels good, the body feels good,” Roberts said before Friday’s game. “The knee feels as good as it’s felt in quite some time, so that’s encouraging.”
The Yankees looked differently, played differently and found a different result against a club that sure felt familiar.
Maybe it was a lineup that looked far more whole, even without Aaron Judge. Trent Grisham immediately announced his return from the injured list by stroking a leadoff home run while Ryan McMahon doubled and fought for a nine-pitch walk. The two, who had been sidelined during the entirety of the club’s slide, played a part in four of the team’s five runs.
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Maybe it was the passing storm with heavy winds and a sky that opened up after the top of the third, the downpour perhaps washing away the slop and grime that the Yankees had not been able to shake.
Maybe it was Gerrit Cole, one of the game’s great competitors, trading in gas for guts to bridge a 53-minute rain delay and find a way to grind through five solid innings. Or maybe it was simply an opponent that seems always willing to take a punch when the Yankees’ right hook needs work.
Whatever the cause, the Yankees looked more like the Yankees in snapping a season-worst, seven-game skid by quieting the Twins, 5-2, on Friday night in front of 45,104, many of whom brushed off the rain and remained on a fireworks night in The Bronx.
“We’re in a rut,” said Cole, who managed to take down five innings while allowing two runs despite the lengthy delay. “We needed this one today.”
New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) walks off the mound after ending the fourth inning on July 3, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
The Yankees (49-38) recorded their first victory since June 24, halting the hard-to-fathom skid by scoring their most runs since June 19 — they had not even plated five runs in 12 straight contests.
For the entirety of that slide, the Yankees were without Grisham, who missed three weeks with a hamstring strain. He returned to center and to the top of the order, stepping up in the first inning and authoring what manager Aaron Boone called “a classic Grish at-bat.”
He went down, 1-2, worked the count full, and then turned on a middle-of-the-plate changeup and smacked it to the second deck in right.
New York Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham (12) hit a solo home run to start the first inning. Robert Sabo for NY Post
This despite just a one-game rehab assignment.
“It was like I never left,” said Grisham, who had helplessly watched the club spiral without him. “Which is surprising — I thought I was going to have to find it a little bit.”
McMahon, himself back from a throat infection, returned to third base — making a smooth play to help Fernando Cruz escape a jam in the eighth — and pushed José Caballero back to his natural shortstop.
Lightning strikes during a rain delay in the third inning at Yankee Stadium.
Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
A defense that had contributed to a stunning 17 unearned runs during the skid looked far more buttoned up.
“In what’s been a tough week for us, to be able to go out there and play a complete game,” Boone said. “That one feels good.”
Ben Rice, who had gone 2-for-25 during the slide, followed up a Grisham single in the third inning by cracking his 24th home run of the season, this one pulled into the short porch, for a go-ahead, two-run shot.
The Yankees gained separation in the seventh, when McMahon doubled and scored on a knock from Caballero, who then came around to score on a sacrifice fly from Grisham.
On a day of returns, Cole, too, returned to form. After a pair of duds, the ace allowed just a first-inning home run to Kody Clemens and a well-placed RBI single from Victor Caratini in the fourth, an inning in which Cole’s sheer presence on the mound impressed.
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During the delay, he had gotten up to throw approximated innings — 8-15 pitches every 10 minutes to ensure he would be ready to take the mound — then talked Boone into allowing him to return for the fifth inning, too.
Cole, plus Brent Headrick, Paul Blackburn, Cruz and David Bednar (17th save), helped toppled a club that is a perpetual pushover around these parts.
The Yankees are now 112-44 against Minnesota since 2002 (128-46 if you include the postseason), which is the majors’ best record for one team against another in the span.
Ben Rice celebrates his two-run homer. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
The onslaught has been unabated despite the Twins making the playoffs for 10 of those seasons, a perfectly fine team against any opponent that isn’t wearing pinstripes.
Whatever the cause, the skid is over.
“I think everyone was ready to turn the corner,” Rice said.
DENVER, COLORADO - JULY 3: Jake McCarthy #31 of the Colorado Rockies celebrates after his first inning solo home run against the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field on July 3, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Reds plan to reinstate pitcher Hunter Greene from the 60-day injured list to make his season debut Saturday night against the Baltimore Orioles.
Greene’s return is a boost to a Cincinnati rotation that also features 23-year-old Chase Burns, who is 10-1 with a 2.40 ERA in 17 starts this season.
The Reds entered the three-game weekend series against Baltimore in last place in the NL Central with a 40-46 record but still hope to climb back into the wild-card race.
“You’ve seen our team and other teams get really hot,” Greene said. “That’s our mindset. I’m confident that I’ll be a really good asset to that full picture.”
The 26-year-old Greene, an All-Star in 2024, has been on the IL since March 23 after undergoing surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow. It was the latest setback for the hard-throwing right-hander, who hasn’t made more than 26 starts in any of his four major league seasons.
He made three minor league rehab starts, including two at Triple-A Louisville, going 1-0 with 13 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings. His fastball topped out at 101 mph.
Greene threw 82 pitches over 6 1/3 innings in his final rehab outing, allowing one hit and striking out four.
Reds manager Terry Francona said Friday he doesn’t plan to limit Greene’s workload.
“I think he’s strong enough (and) stretched out enough, healthy enough, where we’re going to get him back, not just in name only, but in production also,” Francona said.
Greene went 7-4 with a 2.76 ERA and 132 strikeouts over 107 2/3 innings in 2025 despite two stints on the IL with a right groin strain.
He is 25-29 with a 3.65 ERA and 617 strikeouts in 495 2/3 innings over 91 career starts for the Reds.
The evening started quickly but died soon after. Edgar Quero must’ve read my June White Sox checkup and took my critiques of him personally, because his first home run with the Knights since April 6, 2025 gave Charlotte a 2-0 lead in the first:
— Charlotte Knights (@KnightsBaseball) July 4, 2026
Memphis responded at the bottom of the frame, charging Joe Rock with consecutive bases-loaded walks to knot the game at 2-2. The game was a bit of a snoozer after that, as the Knights only put up three hits and got rung up 11 times from the second through the ninth inning. Although the offense was paltry, Charlotte’s arm barn game balanced out the absence of hitting. Four relievers combined for three hits, eight strikeouts, and two walks. Duncan Davitt and Zach Franklin carried the bulk of the pitching. Davitt effortlessly navigating three innings while only allowing one hit. Franklin had his best performance this season, tossing nearly three innings while striking out five in his shutout.
The game unceremoniously ended in the 11th inning. Ryan Galanie’s sacks-packed sac fly put Charlotte up and pressured the Redbirds to match it or lose. Leo Bernal pummeled a two-run shot off Javy Guerra to walk Memphis off and put an end to this disappointing game.
Birmingham Barons 2, Montgomery Biscuits 0 (7 innings) A two-hour rain delay postponed an unexpected Barons win. Was it worth it for a team that is so far out of the playoffs? Perhaps not, but it was quite entertaining.
There’s nothing else you could’ve asked from starter Dylan Cumming. Endurance and effectiveness haven’t often gone hand-in-hand for him this season, but he managed to put it all together against the Biscuits. Cumming silenced Montgomery in his six innings while striking out six. He made it easy for the Barons to sail through the game with just two runs scored. Jackson Kelley eventually relieved him to bring the game home.
In his second Double-A game, Boston Smith smashed a home run to right-center field to keep his slugging percentage well better than .550:
Boston Smith goes yard for the first time in AA to give the #Barons a 1-0 lead. (I apologize for the video quality, but I'm just happy the stream is up and running. We lost the last half of the game yesterday.) pic.twitter.com/vqTPHgMiUn
Samuel Zavala realized that he couldn’t let the new guy outshine him, so he decided to match Smith’s homer with one of his own, which beautifully sailed completely out of the ballpark:
Winston-Salem Dash 7, Greenville Dash 1 Everything fell Winston-Salem’s way against the Drive: The pitching was superb, the bats came alive, and Greenville provided ample opportunities for the Dash to pad the lead. After a tumultuous June, Max Banks shone on the mound, shutting out the Drive for seven innings while holding them to three hits and a walk. Although a bases-loaded walk interrupted the shutout, the arms didn’t let the Dash down.
Winston-Salem had a quiet start to the evening, sustaining off Ryan Burrowes’ RBI triple in the third until the seventh when the Dash capitalized off Greenville’s self-inflicted injuries to break the game open. Three walks, two fielding errors, and James Taussig’s home run sealed the night.
Although he hasn’t even been in High-A for a month, Taussig’s absolute missiles beg, compounded with his strong June, one question: When can he join the Barons?
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 7, Wilson Warbirds 1 The CBs took a page out of the Dash’s playbook, but they added their twist: PLENTY more hits. Kanny’s 16 safeties made Winston-Salem’s six look like child’s play. Jurdrick Profar was the only one not to collect a hit, while Alexander Albertus, Stiven Flores and Christian Gonzalez feasted on Wilson’s weak bullpen, earning three hits apiece. Gonzalez and Flores especially had a ball, firing off solo home runs to add some oomph to the game. Congrats to Gonzalez for hitting his first Single-A home run, and second career home run after making the jump from the ACL on June 29.
— Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (@Kcannonballers) July 3, 2026
Although the CBs stranded 11 on base, I won’t be too critical.
Caedmon Parker was the pitching hero of the game. He held the Warbirds to five hits and a run while punching out five over five frames to give the Ballers a strong foundation for the evening. He has shown he can consistently take the Ballers deep enough into the game before handing it off to the bullpen.
DSL White Sox 10, DSL Cardinals 6 There were a few firsts in the DSL Sox’s victory over the DSL Cardinals: the first three-game win streak this year, reliever Mario Sosa’s first career win, and Fernando Graterol’s first career home run. A breakout second inning, initiated by Graterol’s three-RBI single, carried the team’s runs. Franchel Cristomo made do with his tight three-inning leash, striking out four and giving up a run off two hits. Although Jose Taveras and Beinel Adon let the 6-0 lead slip away, the Sox managed to keep the runs coming from a combination of small ball and a long ball.
