Category: MLB

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:W, 8-3 vs. Rochester Red Wings

C J.C. Escarra 2-3, HR, 2 BB, 2 RBI — went yard in three-run fifth
2B Marco Luciano 2-5, 2B, GIDP
SS Oswaldo Cabrera 2-5, RBI
RF Yanquiel Fernández 2-4, RBI, K
3B Tyler Hardman 2-4, 2B, RBI
1B Ernesto Martinez Jr. 0-3, BB
DH Christian Bethancourt 1-4, K
CF Duke Ellis 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K, 2 SB — second-straight season with 40 steals in the Yanks’ organization
LF Kenedy Corona 1-4, RBI, K

Brendan Beck 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 12 K, WP (win) — 22 whiffs and a new season-high with a dozen punchouts
Zach Messinger 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 2 K
Brian Hendry 0.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 0 K
Rafael Montero 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

J.C. ya later 👋#RepBXpic.twitter.com/bWwE8IKNtR

— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) August 5, 2026

Double-A Somerset Patriots:L, 3-17 at Akron Rubber — they’ve had better matinees

CF Jace Avina 2-4, BB, RBI, K
DH DJ Gladney 2-5, 2B, 2 K
C Omar Alfonzo 1-5, 2 K, passed ball, throwing error — first hit with the organization
SS Roderick Arias 1-5, RBI, 2 K, CS, fielding error — bumpy Double-A debut outside of the ground-ball RBI single in his first at-bat
2B Connor McGinnis 1-4, BB, 2 K
LF Jackson Castillo 0-2, 3 BB
3B Coby Morales 1-5, 2B, K
1B Josh Moylan 1-3, BB, RBI, K, 2 throwing errors — Patriots committed five errors on the day
RF Luis Durango 0-2, 2 BB, outfield assist

Cade Smith 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R (3 ER), 3 BB, 5 K (loss)
Harrison Cohen 1 IP, 1 H, 3 R (3 ER), 3 BB, 2 K
Hueston Morrill 0.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 0 K, HBP, WP, throwing error — Somerset allowed seven runs each in the sixth and seventh, yuck
Matt Keating 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 1 K
Michael Arias 0.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R (5 ER), 1 BB, 1 K, HBP — un-good, as they say
Kelly Austin 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K — Cy Young for him!

All 5⃣ of Cade Smith's (@Yankees No. 12 Prospect) strikeouts today.

Watch out for the NASTY breaking ball 👀 pic.twitter.com/6pErIqYRRa

— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) August 4, 2026

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades:L, 6-12 at Greenville Drive

SS Core Jackson 2-4, 2B, BB, K, fielding error — returned from IL
CF Jackson Lovich 2-5, 2 RBI, 2 K
DH Eric Genther 1-4, 2B, BB, K
1B Kyle West 3-5, HR, 2 RBI, SB, missed catch error — 18th dinger of season
2B Enmanuel Tejeda 0-5, 2 K, 2 GIDP
RF Willy Montero 1-3, BB, RBI, K, SB
LF Robbie Burnett 0-3, BB, 2 K, SB
C Josue Gonzalez 0-3, 3 K, HBP, passed ball — tough day
3B Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 0-3, BB, K, SB — High-A debut

Franyer Herrera 3.1 IP, 3 H, 6 R (6 ER), 4 BB, 4 K, HR, HBP (loss)
Andrew Landry 0.2 IP, 1 H, 3 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 0 K, throwing error
Jackson Fristoe 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 0 K
Thomas Balboni Jr. 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 3 K, HR
Jack Sokol 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

THAT BALL IS CRUSHED. Kyle West with the solo shot🔥 pic.twitter.com/Iz59KRHQ7j

— Hudson Valley Renegades (@HVRenegades) August 4, 2026

Low-A Tampa Tarpons:L, 2-5 at Clearwater Threshers

SS Dax Kilby 0-2, 2 BB
RF Wilberson De Pena 0-4, K, outfield assist
CF Yostin Pena 2-4, 2 K, SB
LF Paul Gutierrez-Contreras II 1-4, RBI, K, SB — singled for first pro hit in debut for 2026 fourth-rounder, 110.1 mph off the bat (also two other bits of contact at 107.9 mph or better)
C Bear Harrison 1-4, 3B, K — tripled 106.1 mph off the bat for first pro hit in debut for 2026 fifth-rounder
3B Hans Montero 1-4, 2B, RBI, K
1B Tyce Armstrong 0-4, 2 K — pro debut for 2026 19th-rounder
2B Blake Cyr 1-3 — singled for first pro hit in debut for 2026 18th-rounder
DH Luis Puello 0-2, BB, K

Sabier Marte 3.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R (3 ER), 3 BB, 2 K, 2 HR, HBP (loss)
Rafael Arias 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K, HBP — got K’s for all four outs in Low-A debut
Josh Tiedemann 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 2 K, HR
Austin Breedlove 1 IP, 0 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 0 K, WP
Jose Martinez 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K — struck out the side

#Tarpons C @bearharrison32 pulls a triple into the left field corner for his first professional hit and would score his first run on the ensuing groundout by Hans Montero. #Yankees 2026 5th RD Pick pic.twitter.com/SLbLN3fwFn

— Nick Flammia (@NickFlammia) August 4, 2026

Florida Complex League Yankees: Season over

Dominican Summer League Yankees:W, 15-6 (8) at DSL Rockies

CF Isaias Castillo 1-3, 2B, 2 BB, RBI, K, HBP
LF Luis Cruz 1-4, 2 BB, RBI, GIDP
SS Stiven Marinez 4-5, 3 RBI, 2 SB, CS
SS Emmanuel Orozco 0-1
2B Juan Torres 2-4, BB, 4 RBI, SB, HBP — two-run single was crowning blow in seven-run second
DH Juan Martinez 2-5
PH-DH Jose Peralta 0-1, K
C Cesar Lopez 0-4, BB, RBI, SB, HBP — stole home on front end of double steal
1B Stalen Ramirez 1-3, 2 BB, K, HBP
1B John Rosillo 0-0
RF Alfiery Matos 2-5, RBI, 2 SB
3B Abrahan Pichardo 1-3, 2 BB

Dalvin Taveras 5 IP, 3 H, 4 R (4 ER), 3 BB, 2 K, HR, 2 HBP (win)
Freddy Lopez 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 2 K, WP
Emanuel Vargas 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K

Dominican Summer League Bombers: suspended in the ninth inning tied 4-4 vs. DSL Colorado

CF Ruben Castillo 1-4, 2B, GIDP, HBP, SB, CS
SS Dariel Santana 0-5, 3 K, throwing error
DH Alessandro Rodriguez 2-3, 2B, BB, K
2B Carlos Bello 0-3, 2 K
RF David Carrera 1-3, HR, BB, RBI, K — tied game with solo shot in eighth; probably why this wasn’t just called at a 4-3 Colorado final!
C Kenneth Melendez 0-4, RBI, 2 K, throwing error
3B Germayhoni Beltre 1-4, 2 SB
LF Richard Meran 1-3, 2B, BB, K, SB
1B Alfred Ciriaco 0-4, 2 K

Higor Requena 3.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R (4 ER), 2 BB, 3 K, HBP, 2 WP
Junior Tavera 4.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K, 2 WP
Andre Avila 0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (38-37/14-19)

COLUMBUS 15, SYRACUSE 7 (BOX)

Jonah Tong was initially scheduled to start this ballgame but he was pushed back so that he would start later in the week. Dakota Hawkins got the start instead, and I will give him the benefit of the doubt that he wasn’t as prepared as he would’ve otherwise been or something, because he got shelled. The right-hander recorded just two outs and allowed 6 runs to score- with two additional runners scoring after he was lifted from the game. Down 8-0 before even coming up to the plate, Syracuse predictably lost this one. The offense made sure this one wasn’t a complete embarrassment- Christopher Morel hit another homer, his fourth homer in five at-bats, and Nick Lorusso hit one in his first at-bat with Syracuse- but even scoring 7 runs in total, the Mets were at no point really in this one. Let’s focus on silver linings though: Brian Metoyer threw 1.1 scoreless innings and struck out all 4 batters he faced in his first Triple-A outing, inching that much closer to being the final 40th round draft pick to make their MLB debut and Mike Tauchman improbably threw not just one but two scoreless innings.

·  2B Vidal Bruján: 1-5, 2B, 2 RBI, E (7)

·  CF Nick Morabito: 1-4, R, BB

·  3B Christopher Morel: 1-5, R, HR (9), 2 RBI, 2 K

·  SS Ronny Mauricio: 0-5, 2 K, E (8)

·  DH-P Mike Tauchman: 0-4, R

·  1B Nick Lorusso: 1-4, R, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 K

·  RF Jose Ramos: 2-4, R, 3B, K

·  C Hayden Senger: 2-4, R, 2B, RBI, K

·  LF D’Andre Smith: 2-3, R, HBP

·  RHP Dakota Hawkins: 0.2 IP, 5 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 3 BB, 0 K, L (0-1)

·  RHP Ofreidy Gómez: 1.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

·  RHP Brian Metoyer: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

·  RHP Zach Franklin: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

·  RHP Dylan Ross: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

·  RHP Dan Hammer: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

·  LHP Mike Tauchman: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HBP

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Brian Metoyer assigned to Syracuse Mets from Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

ROSTER ALERT: SS D’Andre Smith assigned to Syracuse Mets from Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

ROSTER ALERT: CF Jose Ramos assigned to Syracuse Mets from Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

ROSTER ALERT: 3B Nick Lorusso assigned to Syracuse Mets from Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Dakota Hawkins assigned to Syracuse Mets from Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

ROSTER ALERT: Syracuse Mets released LHP Brandon Waddell.

ROSTER ALERT: Syracuse Mets released 3B Jose Rojas.

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (27-42/12-22)

BINGHAMTON 6, HARTFORD 3 (BOX)

So, remember yesterday where I said that Mitch Voit was not going to be able to sustain his   .500/.593/909 batting line over the course of the rest of the season? Well, maybe I was wrong about that, as the infielder logged another two doubles en route to a 3-4 evening which raised his line to .538/.613/.962 in 7 games with the Rumble Ponies. Voit drove in two of Binghamton’s runs, with Marco Vargas and a returning Jacob Reimer driving in another two apiece.

·  SS Mitch Voit: 3-4, 2 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, SB (4)

·  DH Marco Vargas: 2-3, 2 R, HR (1), 2 RBI, BB

·  2B Émilien Pitre: 2-4

·  3B Jacob Reimer: 1-4, 2 RBI, K

·  C Chris Suero: 0-3, K, HBP, E (12)

·  1B Billy Amick: 0-4, 3 K

·  CF John Bay: 0-4, 2 K

·  LF Corey Collins: 0-3, R, BB

·  RF JT Benson: 1-4, R, K

·  RHP Channing Austin: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, HBP

·  RHP Cristofer Gomez: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, W (1-0)

·  RHP Zach Peek: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, H (4)

·  RHP Bryce Jenkins: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, H (1)

·  RHP Garrett Stratton: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, S (1)

ROSTER ALERT: OF JT Benson assigned to Binghamton Rumble Ponies from Brooklyn Cyclones.

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Bryce Jenkins assigned to Binghamton Rumble Ponies from Brooklyn Cyclones.

ROSTER ALERT: OF Yohairo Cuevas assigned to Binghamton Rumble Ponies from Brooklyn Cyclones.

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Cristofer Gomez assigned to Binghamton Rumble Ponies from Brooklyn Cyclones.

ROSTER ALERT: Binghamton Rumble Ponies placed RHP Danis Correa on the 7-day injured list.

ROSTER ALERT: Binghamton Rumble Ponies activated 3B Jacob Reimer from the 7-day injured list.

ROSTER ALERT: Binghamton Rumble Ponies transferred C Vincent Perozo to the Development List.

ROSTER ALERT: Binghamton Rumble Ponies released SS Wyatt Young.

ROSTER ALERT: Binghamton Rumble Ponies released RHP Jordan Geber.

ROSTER ALERT: Binghamton Rumble Ponies released OF Matt Rudick.

ROSTER ALERT: Binghamton Rumble Ponies released 1B JT Schwartz.

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (25-40/18-18)

BROOKLYN 7, WILMINGTON 1 (BOX)

For a while, it looked like the Cyclones might throw their third no-hitter in franchise history, as Nicolas Carreno blanked the Blue Rocks for 5.1 no-hit innings and Parker Carlson did the same for another 1.1. In the bottom of the eighth, Luis Rodriguez led off the inning with a walk- Wilmington’s fifth- subsequently allowed a hit to end the no-hitter, and a few batters later, a run to end the shutout. These things happen, what can you do? The left-hander limited the damage to just a run and his replacement, Juan Arnaud, threw a scoreless ninth so no big deal ultimately. With the win, the Cyclones are back to .500 for the second half and could conceivably end the week in first place if they do well in the rest of this series against the first place Blue Rocks.

·  CF Aidan Smith: 2-4, R, BB, K, SB (15)

·  LF Trey Snyder: 2-5, 2 R, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 K

·  1B Cole Mathis: 0-4, BB, 2 K

·  DH Randy Guzman: 1-5, R, RBI, K

·  2B Yonatan Henriquez: 1-2, 2B, 2 BB, CS (8)

·  RF John Spikerman: 1-4, RBI, 2 K

·  C Ronald Hernandez: 0-4, RBI

·  3B Jamari Baylor: 1-3, R, HR (3), RBI, BB, K, E (2)

·  SS Antonio Jimenez: 0-2, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 SB (4, 5)

·  RHP Nicolas Carreno: 5.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 8 K, W (1-1)

·  RHP Parker Carlson: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

·  LHP Luis R. Rodriguez: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, WP

·  RHP Juan Arnaud: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K

ROSTER ALERT: 1B Carter Dierdorf assigned to Brooklyn Cyclones from FCL Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Elwis Mijares assigned to Brooklyn Cyclones from St. Lucie Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Joe Scarborough assigned to Brooklyn Cyclones from St. Lucie Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: Brooklyn Cyclones activated 3B Cole Mathis from the 7-day injured list.

ROSTER ALERT: Brooklyn Cyclones placed RHP Frank Camarillo on the 7-day injured list.

ROSTER ALERT: Brooklyn Cyclones transferred SS Colin Houck to the Development List.

ROSTER ALERT: Brooklyn Cyclones transferred 3B Trace Willhoite to the Development List.

ROSTER ALERT: Brooklyn Cyclones released RHP Tanner Witt.

ROSTER ALERT: Brooklyn Cyclones released 3B AJ Salgado.

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (33-33/13-21)

POSTPONED (RAIN)

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Candido Cuevas assigned to St. Lucie Mets from Brooklyn Cyclones.

ROSTER ALERT: 1B Reed Stallman assigned to St. Lucie Mets from FCL Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Dillon Stiltner assigned to St. Lucie Mets from FCL Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Camden Lohman assigned to St. Lucie Mets from FCL Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: St. Lucie Mets transferred SS Branny De Oleo to the Development List.

ROSTER ALERT: St. Lucie Mets released RHP Franyel Diaz.

ROSTER ALERT: St. Lucie Mets released RHP Luis Alvarez.

ROSTER ALERT: St. Lucie Mets released RHP Omar Victorino.

Rookie: FCL Mets (24-33)

NO GAME (SEASON OVER)

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Mitch Voit

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Dakota Hawkins

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

I’ve just double-checked, wondering if perhaps Monday’s events were just a fever dream, and I can confirm: yes, the Orioles really did trade Adley Rutschman to the Red Sox.

It still stings. And don’t just take my word for it. The clubhouse reaction from Orioles players yesterday reflected just how much the Rutschman trade has affected his longtime teammates and friends. Trevor Rogers described it as “a shock.” Jackson Holliday said, “he’s going to be very missed around here.” Gunnar Henderson was too worked up to even put it into words, telling reporters, “I’m not going to be able to talk about it today.”

The impact of Adley’s departure was best described by Colton Cowser, who was with Rutschman when he received the call that he’d been traded. “Just from a human side of it, obviously, it was tough. I was pretty emotional yesterday,” he said. “Definitely some sadness there, and all I could do was give him a hug and tell him I’m here for him and I love him.” (I’m not crying. You’re crying.)

I attended last night’s game and I couldn’t help sensing a bit of a funereal atmosphere, as if fans were saying goodbye not just to Adley the individual, but also to the era of Orioles baseball that he represented. Rutschman’s much-hyped arrival in 2022 ushered in an (all too brief) renaissance of the club’s fortunes, a return to glory fueled by young, exciting, homegrown players. When the O’s peaked to a 101-win season and AL East title in 2023, Adley was the poster child for their success, the affable All-Star and team leader who seemed destined to guide the Orioles to perennial contention for his long and illustrious Baltimore career.

It didn’t turn out that way. The O’s stumbled into mediocrity during the 2024 season and have really never recovered. Many of the homegrown prospects have failed to develop in the majors, or have regressed after having initial success. Rutschman himself is part of that group, having battled injuries and offensive struggles for the last three years. And now the Adley Era is officially over for the Orioles. He’s moved on to greener pastures, while the O’s are left to face the harsh reality that the total organizational rebuild they underwent for the last seven years has fizzled out, with not even one playoff game win to show for it. It sucks.

That’s not to say that the Orioles are necessarily doomed. They’ve still got plenty of talented players on the roster and intriguing prospects on the farm who could help the team in the not-too-distant future. But after witnessing the disappointing, anticlimactic end to the Adley Era, it’s hard to feel particularly optimistic about the state of the Orioles or the people who are making the decisions right now.

Links

More from Elias on yesterday’s trade deadline activity and impact on Orioles – School of Roch

Considering that Mike Elias is the architect of this wholly disappointing Orioles team, it’s hard to stomach his comments about how he’s trying to “make the right moves by the franchise.” Why start now?

After a whirlwind day, Adley Rutschman reflects on the ‘unbelievable amount of love’ he felt in Baltimore – The Baltimore Banner

In his farewell to Baltimore, Adley has some nice things to say about the Orioles and their fans. Warning: this article features a photo of Rutschman in his Red Sox uniform. If you’ll excuse me, I need to go throw up.

Orioles defeat Angels behind a strong Cade Povich spot start, 3-1 – Camden Chat

The Orioles won their first game of the post-Adley era last night, and Andrea SK has the details. Sure, the Orioles just barely beat the worst team in baseball, and were out-hit 11-4, and were dominated by former Oriole Grayson Rodriguez and his 7.98 ERA. But a win is a win, I suppose.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You share your day with two former O’s right-handers: John Wasdin (54) and the late Nelson Briles (b. 1943, d. 2005).

On this date in 1994, Orioles righty (and current MASN analyst) Ben McDonald pitched a one-hit shutout against his future team, the Brewers. McDonald threw 145 pitches (!) in tossing his sixth — and final — career shutout.

And on this day in 2019, Jonathan Villar hit for the cycle, becoming the fifth player in O’s history to do so. Villar tripled in the third, doubled in the fifth, homered in the sixth, and singled off Aroldis Chapman in the ninth. Sadly, the Orioles still lost the game, 9-6, largely because they coughed up five home runs to the Yankees. It was the Orioles’ 10th straight game in which they gave up multiple home runs, setting a dubious major league record.

That was a rough year for the Orioles, but at least the rebuild was all worth it in the end, right? …Right?

Random Orioles game of the day

For today’s date, the random number generator spat out the number 2025. Well, OK then. So much for reminiscing about some old Orioles teams. Way back on Aug. 5, 2025, the Orioles got shut out in Philadelphia, 5-0. Starter Dean Kremer gave up four runs, including a Max Kepler homer, while the O’s offense — which days earlier had traded away Ryan O’Hearn, Ramón Laureano, Cedric Mullins, and Ramón Urías — was utterly stymied by Taijuan Walker and three Phillies relievers. They managed only five hits, all singles.

Well, last night was a blast, wasn’t it? The only nitpick I have is that I’d have liked more offense than a couple solo shots, but Ryan Weathers was great, David Bednar was nails in relief, Jazz Chisholm Jr. provided the pop, and—oh yeah—the Yankees’ youngest shortstop since Derek Jeter looked years beyond his age (which is younger than this very website). As the late Stuart Scott would say, George Lombard Jr. was cool as the other side of the pillow in his MLB debut, making excellent plays on defense and even making his first career hit a 392-foot homer. That’s the dream, isn’t it?

So where does one go from here? It’s baseball, so you know the answer: right back to the grind. The Yankees have a series to hopefully win against the Cardinals tonight, with Lombard back in the lineup at the six. There’s no rest yet for the weary on this long stretch of games on 13 consecutive days, though they will at least have an offday tomorrow. The Rays and Red Sox both just keep winning, too, so the Yanks can’t take a beat just yet.

For today’s question, we’re falling back a bit on an old cliché: X-factors. Yeah, yeah, they’re a little silly, but they’re fun to consider. The definition is in the eye of the beholder, but generally, it’s not someone (or something) that you would typically expect to be decider. It’s too easy to say that Aaron Judge’s health and recovery from his rib injury are the biggest X-factor in the Yankees’ 2026 fate. Although it may literally be true, it’s not the spirit of the exercise!

I’ll get us started. This is just a gut instinct that I’m coming up with while writing this, but two guys who keep popping up in my head are Paul Blackburn and Clarke Schmidt. It’s no secret that the Yankees have given a lot of bullpen work to David Bednar, Brent Headrick, and Fernando Cruz late in ballgames throughout 2026. Headrick and Cruz rank second and fifth in the majors in most games pitched with 58 and 54, respectively, and Bednar leads MLB with 42 games finished across his 46 appearances.

The trio needs a little breathing room, and though the Yankees perhaps regrettably stood pat on bullpen aid at the Trade Deadline, Blackburn has helped provide it in recent months as he’s ascended the pecking order, transforming from a middle/long relief option to someone now accustomed to short relief himself. His potential has been apparent, and it’s vital that he keeps it up. Schmidt keeps coming to mind as well as a former starter who can be a boon to the bullpen once his Tommy John surgery rehab is complete. The 2024 playoff rotation member has already said that he doesn’t have time to come back to start, but that he’s hopeful of returning to the mound in the big-league bullpen this year. Schmidt has pitched in relief earlier in his career, too, so it’s not a totally unfamiliar role.

Now, it’s not wise to count on someone coming back from Tommy John, especially since Schmidt’s procedure was done just 13 months ago. Setbacks happen all the time, and this is also Schmidt’s second Tommy John. It’s very possible that he doesn’t pitch in 2026, or that he throws a few innings and isn’t that good, so they nip it in the bud and have him focus on 2027. Schmidt is getting closer to a rehab assignment though, so for now, let’s dream. (And if it doesn’t work out, then Blackburn can be the X-factor on his own.)

---

Today on the site, we’ll have Jeff, Jeremy, and Sam write up our post-Trade Deadline/monthly check-ins on the NL East, NL Central, and NL West, respectively. Sam will also write up the birthday of the owner who made them the Yankees perhaps more than anyone else: Jacob Ruppert. Madison will tackle the Rivalry Roundup, and Peter will discuss a pair of excellent trips to the dish by José Caballero and Ryan McMahon for our At-Bat of the Week feature.

Today’s Matchup:

New York Yankees vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Time: 7:05 p.m. EST

TV: Amazon Prime Video, Cardinals.TV

Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

Before the Braves moved to Atlanta from Milwaukee in 1966, the minor league Atlanta Crackers called Atlanta home for most of the century. Their park, as well as that of the Atlanta Black Crackers of the Negro Leagues, was Ponce de Leon Park located just east of downtown Atlanta.

In the outfield at “Poncey” was a majestic magnolia tree that was as iconic as the park itself. The final season of full-time baseball there was 1964, and the stadium – which was across the street from the Sears building now known as Ponce City Market – was demolished in favor of a shopping center. Then, when that shopping center was replaced with the current retail development, one constant remained: the magnolia.

Nestled between that retail center and the re-developed rail lines called the Atlanta BeltLine, the tree was a living monument to baseball in Atlanta.

That was until August 3, 2026, when storms that rolled through Atlanta felled the magnolia, as seen in this post by long-time Atlanta sportscaster and journalist Jeff Hullinger.

The mighty Spiller has been felled, a pair of historic 125-to-160-year-old trees in Atlanta. They famously stood in the outfield (deep center-right field) of Ponce de Leon Park—also known as Spiller Field—where any batted ball hitting the trees remained live in play until 1947. pic.twitter.com/DCVSieJ2I3

— Jeff Hullinger (@jeff_hullinger1) August 3, 2026

Most of you reading this may not be aware of Ponce de Leon Park – or if you are, it is from stories of parents or grandparents or friends or relatives who visited the park that also hosted Georgia Tech football games and other events. If you have spent time in this area of Atlanta in the last 10-15 years, you are aware that it has seen massive redevelopment with an influx of residential and commercial development.

But with fading baseball lore, sickos of the sport would often go there to get a moment of historical retrospection standing between the branches of a tree that saw baseball and Atlanta in a different era, a different time, but with the same grand game.

As Hullinger noted in his post, the magnolia that was 462-feet from home plate was in play as the reconstructed ballpark Spiller Field – the original Ponce de Leon Park had burned in 1923 – was built around the trees. The stadium was re-named back to Ponce de Leon Park in 1934 when the team’s owner, for whom the re-build stadium was named, sold the team.

Famously, the legendary “500-mile home run” was hit at Poncey in 1954 when Crackers’ slugger Bob Montag hit a home run that landed in a coal car of a train passing on the rail line and ended up in Nashville, TN, before being found and returned to Montag.

Legend also has it that Babe Ruth hit a home run even further – with the Bambino also hitting one into a coal car that ended up in Joplin, MO. That 700+ mile home run may be more lore than truth. But Ruth and Braves Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews were two players to have hit balls that got caught in the branches of the in-play magnolia.

Ironic how trees and baseball are connected as the crack of the bat couldn’t be possible with out ash or hickory trees. In a time with trees are seemingly being cut down without care, it was a thunderstorm brought down a magnolia that thousands of people walked by daily and likely never know how significant that old magnolia was.

MLB.com | Brendan Samson: Yesterday was a very cool moment for the Lombard family, as George Jr. made his MLB debut for the Bombers, his younger brother, Jacob, also made his professional debut for the Marlins’ Low-A affiliate. While Mom and Dad Lombard were going to Florida to see Jacob’s debut, they quickly pivoted (with Jacob’s encouragement) after news of the older brother’s MLB debut broke. Even cooler for the family is that both brothers homered yesterday, and while their parents only got to see George’s in person, cameras did catch them watching the younger brother’s bomb on their cell phone.

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch, Jared Greenspan: The organization’s message to their top prospect after his call-up and ahead of his debut was quite simple: “Go be you.” George Lombard Jr. has seen success at every level he’s been, easily earning the Yankees’ top prospect title, and it’s easy to see why. They don’t want him to change anything, just do what he does best and they think success will come. If Monday night was any indication, he’s all ready for the challenge. With a big blast for his first major league hit and a few smooth defensive plays at shortstop, there could be big things in his future.

NJ.com | Adam Zagoria: Anthony Volpe has some things to work on as its clear that he needs to improve his game if he wants to have a future with this team. In order to help his value, the Yankees are planning to get some reps in at second base while he’s in the minors, following his demotion. Aaron Boone spoke about both his and Jasson Domínguez’s demotions and how they were difficult conversations, but opportunities for them to work on things and refine their game so they might be able to earn another shot in the majors.

"Two people that we love and think highly of, and think still have very bright big-league careers ahead of them."

Aaron Boone talks about the "tough conversations" he had with Anthony Volpe and Jasson Domínguez after they were both demoted to Triple-A: pic.twitter.com/PLIOsrrqzz

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) August 4, 2026

MLB.com | Jared Greenspan: Heliot Ramos was at the gym for a quick workout when he found out he had been traded to the Yankees. His phone was in his locker but he looked up at the TV in the gym and found out he’s coming east to New York. Even though he had a hitless debut, Ramos talked about how cool it is to wear the pinstripes and how he’s willing to play whatever role is necessary in order to help the club. While not the flashiest acquisition, it’s still nice to see players who want to be here and hopefully a change of scenery will help him find some success.

*(Credit to Matt Ferenchick for today’s home page title)

How tough am I? How tough am I? I watched that entire Mariners game… with the audio on.

The Mariners couldn’t cut it at the Salty Spittoon on Tuesday, losing to the Tigers 8-0 in the first game following the trade deadline. Emerson Hancock pitched fine but had some poor defense behind him. Seranthnoy Domínguez made his Mariners debut and got shelled. The lineup posted a big ol’ zero. Maybe they should try Weenie Hut Juniors instead. The Mariners had the gall to implode on SpongeBob Night at the ballpark. If you see a link in the writing that follows, give it a click if you wish to sing along.

Have you finished those errands? 

This was the first game after the trade deadline, allowing the Mariners to unveil what they’ve been working on the last few weeks. It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for, in other words. Taylor Ward and Domínguez joined the team. Jhonny Pereda made the trip up I-5 to replace Mitch Garver, who was let go along with Rob Refsnyder. Even Brendan Donovan returned from his latest trip to the injured list. This felt like a good opportunity for a reset. It was not.

Keep going, you’re good

The Tigers did most of their damage in the third. Zach McKinstry doubled to lead off the inning and made his way to third on a groundout. Gleyber Torres then hit a big chopper to short. Colt Emerson reached up to snag it, then fired home to nab McKinstry at the plate. It was a nice play!

But this was an inning that just wouldn’t end. Dillon Dingler slapped a hard single past a diving Emerson at short to put two on with two out. Riley Greene hit a broken-bat slow roller to Emerson again, who ranged so far to his right that he had to backhand the ball and make a crossbody throw. Unfortunately, it was a poorly aimed crossbody throw, sailing weast of first and into foul territory, allowing the first run to score. Colt Keith dropped a looping single into right field to plate two more and make the game 3-0. It was still early, but this already felt enough like the 2026 Mariners that I started watching SpongeBob videos instead. 

Hi, how are ya

Hancock would eventually give up a legitimate run on a solo shot to Greene in the fifth. Otherwise, Hancock was fine. He threw six innings, struck out six and kept the hard contact to a minimum. It was a perfectly normal start.

Greetings, from Apple World

The game was still 4-0 in the ninth, and Dan Wilson saw fit to bring in Domínguez for a no-pressure debut. He got shelled. Domínguez walked the first batter then gave up a single. After an out, he gave up a three-run homer to Gleyber Torres. Then he immediately gave up another homer to Dingler. After another single and another walk, his night was done.

That’s not my wallet

The Mariners would have lost this one no matter how many runs they gave up. They scored zero. It wasn’t the absolute worst performance of the year, but only because there’s been a lot of competition. They picked up just four hits — all singles — and three walks without ever really threatening. In fact, they picked up only two hard hit balls all night, as Troy Melton ate everything in sight. They couldn’t lay off the hook (it was a splitter but let me have this one). The Mariners tepid deadline was largely an acknowledgement that they won’t go anywhere if their existing starts step up. They still seem to be in denial of their identities. Not even Ward could get them going, with an 0-for in his debut.

Tax exemption

Colt Emerson struck out swinging in the fourth on a fastball at eye level, which is the type of thing people say to mean “high”, but this one was literally at eye level. Not to pick on the kid, but this was a bit avant garde.

Sorry, I don’t speak Italian

Dominic Canzone hit a single in the first inning. 

Nosferatu

The Mariners won’t have to worry about the Hash-Slinging Slasher in game two because the Tigers traded him to the Dodgers. Instead, they’ll face Drew Anderson. 

I remember chocolate

Mariners 50 is this weekend, and the team is certainly making a big deal of it. There was a dramatic reveal earlier in the day that Alex Rodriguez will show his face. Dae Ho Lee threw out the first pitch of the game. Jay Buhner and Lou Piniella are in town. The team announced it will air Friday’s home run derby. It’s going to be a celebration of sorts. 

The stars at night are dull and dim

Both Texas teams won tonight. The Mariners are back in third. 

It’s OK, Rocky, you go when you feel like it

I keep waiting for this team to get going. There’s been several opportunities for a narrative shift, between the All-Star Break, a clutch homer, the calendar flipping to August, the return home, the deadline, etc. But the magic conch shell has yet grant permission. It seems they’re content to go at their own pace. Maybe it’s time to put this season to rest. There’s always next year.

CHICAGO — The first fans booed Tarik Skubal at 6:22 p.m. CT, as he jogged on the outfield grass in front of the visitor's bullpen at Wrigley Field. They booed him again, and louder than any of his new teammates, when the Los Angeles Dodgers' lineup was announced. They booed more as Skubal stepped to the mound for his first start with a team, which also doubled as his first career start inside the "Friendly Confines."

The two-time AL Cy Young Award winner was officially a villain, and he already knew it’s a feeling that will become familiar.

“I plan on pitching in front of those atmospheres for the rest of the season,” Skubal said. "I actually haven’t made a home start in the postseason. They’ve all been on the road. I’ve pitched in pretty good environments and I’d say that’s up there with any of those postseason starts.”

MLB TRADE DEADLINE: Casey Mize reflects on Tigers' decision to trade him, best friend Tarik Skubal

The result of Skubal’s debut as a Dodger – a 5-1 Cubs win on Tuesday, Aug. 4 – wasn’t as significant as the sensation everyone involved left with once this highly anticipated regular-season game was over. The potential presented by Skubal’s overwhelming power, as well as the perils of being an overwhelming favorite, were on display for a sold-out crowd of more than 40,000 and a national television audience.  

If this Los Angeles team is indeed ruining baseball en route to a third straight World Series championship and perhaps a lockout, it’ll only do so after taking the entire sport’s best shot. 

“Everyone can’t play here for the Dodgers,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of the pressure. 

There is a target on these Dodgers unlike their past two predecessors that won titles, and it got bigger when they acquired the best pitcher in baseball. That reality confronted Skubal almost as soon as he walked inside Wrigley Field on Tuesday, even though he’s now another superstar on a roster filled with them.

A plane flew around the stadium a few hours before first pitch carrying a banner that read, “The Dodgers ruined baseball.” It was sponsored by Underdog Sports, a daily fantasy sports and predictions market operator. There was just one problem: The banner was upside down. 

Skubal said he struggled to fall asleep Monday night. “It felt like my major league debut,” he explained. Roberts admitted before the game that Skubal "just wants to get this first one out of the way.”

“Yeah, it’s 1 of 162 but I do think Tarik Skubal making a start for the Dodgers is a big deal for baseball,” Roberts said of the moment.

So then Skubal struck out Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong looking with a 99 mph fastball to start the game. A solo home run by Dansby Swanson was the lone hit of substance he allowed before the sixth inning, even though his strike rate was the lowest it had been in three years. Then came a sequence seemingly set up for Skubal’s first fist-pumping, adrenaline-fueled celebration in a Dodgers uniform. 

He had nearly escaped his only jam when he fired a four-seam fastball at the top of the strike zone that Nico Hoerner hit directly into the dirt. The ball traveled just one foot in the air, according to the official scorer, but then bounced so high into the Chicago night that Hoerner had nearly reached first base by the time it settled into the glove of Dodgers infielder Tommy Edman. A run scored, a 1-1 stalemate was broken, and the Cubs held on to deliver a fifth consecutive defeat for the Dodgers.

Skubal finished having pitched six innings and given up two runs on four hits, with six strikeouts, in his first game with the Dodgers. He was on the hook for the loss, but "there’s nothing he really throws that you can hit hard,” Hoerner said with a laugh.

That, of course, is why the Dodgers traded for Skubal. It's why he could command $400 million as a free agent after this season.

It's also why nobody is ready to make this easy on them.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: In his Dodgers debut, Tarik Skubal inherits baseball's bullseye

You follow the San Francisco Giants, so you’re familiar with bad baseball. You’re well aware of it from watching the Giants, both this year and in many other years. But you’ve also become keenly alert to bad baseball through divisional foes such as the woeful Colorado Rockies, who, in most years, make you feel a little better about the Giants.

Through all of this you’ve learned something critical to the baseball-watching experience: there are levels to the badness. There are bad teams and there are bad teams, and there’s a whole gradient betwixt the badness, plus a little something something past the extreme end of the spectrum.

The Giants have been a bad team if you look at the year as a whole, but they’ve sneakily only been a bad bordering on mediocre team in recent weeks. Entering tonight’s game, the Giants were 25-27 over the last two months. Not the stuff dreams or even playoff teams are made of, but certainly not bad.

Well let me tell you something, folks: that might have been a borderline competent team you watched for the last two months, but it’s going to be a downright bad team that you watch for the next two months. That’s just the nature of the beast when you sell at the deadline, as the Giants absolutely, positively, most definitely needed to do and, thankfully, did (and very well, I might).

You don’t get rid of your best position player, your second-best starting pitcher, your fourth-best starting pitcher, two of your best relievers, and your everyday outfielder and expect to get anything other than categorically worse, especially when the haul in return only featured two rostered players, one of which is playing fairly poorly in AAA, and the other of which is injured with no timetable for a return.

That’s not to say the Giants aren’t worth watching. There will be storylines and prospects and debuts and first hits and first homers and milestones galore. But a good baseball team? No. A bad baseball team? No. A bad baseball team?

Now we’re getting somewhere.

That was fully evidenced on Tuesday night, when the Giants took the field against the Texas Rangers. Robbie Ray is gone, and replacing him was Blade Tidwell, someone who has spent the year in AAA for a reason. Heliot Ramos is gone, and replacing him was Eddys Leonard, an infielder who has exhausted all of his Minor League options despite never making the Majors, is on his fifth team, and was making his MLB debut as a left fielder, rather than at his home on the dirt. Luis Arráez is gone, and replacing him was Osleivis Basabe, who is in his fourth season of trying (and failing) to hit league average in AAA. And just for old time’s sake, Buddy Kennedy was the DH so Bryce Eldridge, nursing a sore thumb, could get the day off.

So yeah. You’ve got eyes. You’ve got baseball knowledge. You understand the situation. The Giants will win some games, and they might even entertain the heck out of you, but they are going to be bad.

Which made Tuesday’s loss to the Rangers that much funnier. Because ultimately, it was all those reasons why the Giants should be bad that they almost won … and primarily the reasons why they were decent for a while that led them to defeat.

It sure didn’t feel that way at the onset, though. Tidwell made his first Major League appearance in more than three months, and his first start as a Giant, and it almost didn’t last a full inning. He got ahead of the leadoff hitter, old friend Joc Pederson, 0-2, but ended up walking him. He had a nine-pitch battle with Corey Seager, who roped a 108-mph one-out single. He gave up an RBI double to Brandon Nimmo and an RBI single to Ezequiel Duran, and when he finally escaped the inning you could almost see the oil that he was leaking. He’d thrown 32 pitches. It was ugly.

And then he retired the side in order on nine pitches in the second. And he had a relatively easy third, with just a two-out single, and a relatively easy fourth, with just a two-out single, and a relatively easy fifth, with just a two-out single.

It wasn’t an overpowering performance by any stretch of the imagination: he needed 100 pitches to get through his five innings, and only struck out three. But it was a very solid outing, and if you’re crafting a list of reasons the Giants lost, Tidwell’s name is nowhere to be found.

Shortly after Tidwell’s night ended, the Giants offense finally broke through. After six dominant innings from MacKenzie Gore, the Rangers moved to the bullpen and righty Chase Silseth. Drew Gilbert welcomed Silseth into the game by drawing a leadoff walk in the seventh, and stealing second base. After the Giants recorded two outs, the hottest man on the planet, Basabe, stepped to the plate. The same Basabe who has five home runs in 75 games in the Pacific Coast League this year, where baseballs fly like tennis balls in the dreams of a labrador retriever.

And in his sixth game with the Giants, Basabe demolished his third home run to tie the game.

A youngster leading a pitching charge. A youngster getting on base. A youngster tying the game with one swing of the bat.

Veterans gave it right back. After Jason Foley cruised through the sixth on five pitches, and JT Brubaker handled the seventh with ease, Brubaker opened the eighth with a walk. With a pair of lefties due up, Reiver Sanmartin entered the game, and promptly loaded the bases by allowing back-to-back singles to Seager and Nimmo. Forced to stay in against a righty, Sanmartin had no choice but to challenge Duran, who punished the very first pitch he saw for a two-run double.

Credit where it’s due, though: with runners at second and third and no outs, Sanmartin got two unproductive outs, before Adrian Houser entered and finished off the inning, keeping the Giants within striking distance.

And strike they did. With, you guessed it, a parade of youngsters in the top of the ninth.

It began in the most improbable fashion: with Gilbert knocking a one-out single off of Jacob Latz. Not just a single, but a single in an 0-2 count.

To recap, for the uninitiated: Latz was an All-Star this year, has a 1.80 ERA on the season, and, critically, is left-handed. Gilbert, a left-handed hitter, entered the game having hit 3-51 against southpaws in his career.

So yeah, naturally he got an 0-2 knock.

Next up was Grant McCray, another lefty, who also fell behind 0-2. McCray who, as a refresher, entered the game having drawn 12 walks in 185 plate appearances in his career. And who also entered the game with a career .427 OPS against lefties.

He worked the 0-2 count to a 4-2 count, putting the tying run on base. And then a somewhat rattled Latz threw a wild pitch, allowing the runners to move over.

And that set the table for the best youngster of them all: Eldridge, yet another lefty, who came off the bench to pinch-hit, and he delivered in style, drilling a game-tying single.

To the ninth we went, and in came Dylan Smith, who gave up a double on the first pitch he threw. But being something of an unproven youngster himself, Smith remembered the theme of the day. He got an unproductive fly out, then issued an intentional walk to Seager, and then struck out Nimmo. The stage was set for Smith to work his heroics and get the game to extras. He went to work against Duran, getting the count to 2-2. And then Smith briefly won, as Duran hit what felt like a harmless enough fly ball to right field.

And then Jung Hoo Lee took one of the worst routes I’ve seen in my entire life and didn’t even get close to catching the ball, and the Giants lost 5-4.

And so the Giants, who project to be bad for the next two months because of their reliance on youngsters, got heroics from Basabe and Eldridge, an improbable rally prompted by Gilbert and McCray, a delightful pitching performance from Tidwell, and some magic from Smith.

And those same Giants, who have been surprisingly competent for the last two months because of their capable veterans, got next to nothing from Willy Adames and Rafael Devers, had a mini blowup from the bullpen, and were walked off by Lee not catching a routine fly ball.

Baseball’s a funny sport. Is “funny” the right word?

Dbacks manager Torey Lovullo started off his postgame interview stating that this game had a ‘funky rhythm’ to it, and I think that is a great way to summarize it.

Eduardo Rodriguez who went 8 scoreless in his last outing, got jumped in this outing. The Padres came out of the gates with a lot of hard contact scoring 3 runs in the first inning and 2 more in the second inning and before anyone could get settled in, the Dbacks were already chasing 5 runs. ERod certainly didn’t have his best stuff tonight, but due to the amount of hard contact he was giving up early in this game, Im sure there are going to be people who are suspecting there was atleast some degree of pitch tipping going on.

The defense behind ERod also let him down multiple times as multiple balls clanked off of Arenado’s mitt at 3^rd base, none of them errors, but still not common to see from the perennial gold glove winner. Ketel Marte also missed a critical double play on a bobble that allowed extra runs to score as of the 7 runs scored tonight while ERod was pitching, only 5 of them were earned. Certainly not the crisp defense this team typically relies on to win games. It should be noted however that despite not having his best stuff, ERod was still able to pitch into the 6^th inning tonight.

The offense did nothing for 8 of the 9 innings tonight with the exception of the 7^th when the Dbacks offense blasted 2 homeruns. Nolan Arenado hit the first, a 2 run shot to get the Dbacks on the board. James McCann hit the second of the inning another 2 run shot, and then all of a sudden its an 8-4 ballgame and the Padres are getting up Mason Miller in the 8^th. However the Padres would then tack on another run in the 9^th inning to sit Miller back down and solidify the final score of 9-4.

Of particular note in this one, Ketel Marte and Corbin Carroll combined to go 0-8 as they continue to slide as they have done the past 6 weeks or so. This team desperately needs them to step up if this team is going to maintain any kind of wild card lead and make a playoff run. Hopefully this is just the calm before the storm.

All in all, this game was a frustrating one tonight as the final score appeared closer than the game really ever felt. The Dbacks will face newly acquired Casey Mize tomorrow night and will send rookie Mitch Bratt to the hill in a huge game in which they need to get back out in front of the Padres and hold them off in this tight wildcard race.

The Guardians debuted their post-deadline roster last night against the woeful Mets, but they were the ones who were woeful.

Jo Adell was awesome; he left nobody on base. So how did the other 9 participants leave 29? Bazzana left 7, Hoskins left 6, Martinez left 5. There’s 18. Arias’s 4 gets us to 22. More on him in a minute. Lowe 3, Kwan 2. 27. DeLauter and Rocchio 1 each. 29. Austin Hedges, who was hitless, was the only new friend of Adell’s who also left 0.

The gawdawful situational hitting wasn’t the only fundamental that the Guardians neglected last night.

It was Rocchio who made the last out at third, and it was Arias who made a terrible throw for the error. He might be DFA’d by the time you read this becauuuuuuusssseeee…..

Let’s hope it’s that, and not Jose Ramirez going back on the IL with the wrist soreness that kept him out of this game v NYM.

They couldn’t even score against Kodai Senga who entered the game 0-8 with a 8.66 ERA. Senga walked the 8th Guardian of the night. None of those 8 scored.

Stephen Vogt might need a new staff more than he needed new players.

Around baseball

• ZIPS loves what the Guardians did at the deadline. Same. But, um, that was unacceptable last night.

• The White Sox lost 14-2. Cool that Dan Orlovsky gave them those 2 pity runs.

• Twins lost 8-2 to the Royals. lol.

• Detroit beat Seattle 8-0. lol. For Seattle.

This was Tampa Bay Rays starter Freddy Peralta’s third time to face the Rockies this season following two starts with his previous team, the New York Mets. He came into the game with a 3-0 record at Coors in addition to a 1.23 ERA.

But it didn’t seem like it would matter against a persistent Colorado Rockies club that took an early lead.

However, the Rockies offense stalled after the fourth inning, and the Rays got back in the game ultimately winning 9-7 in extra innings.

The offense got an early start — and then stopped

The Rockies got off to a quick start on the offensive side in their third time facing Peralta this season. (They faced him twice when he was with the New York Mets.)

Jake McCarthy kicked things off with a lead-off single, and Cole Carrigg followed his example with another single that moved McCarthy to third. Mickey Moniak then hit into a double play, but it was enough to score McCarthy and give the Rockies a 1-0 when the first inning had concluded.

The Rays did not have a baserunner until the third inning when Cedric Mullins hit a single. After that, Gabriel Hughes walked Richie Palancios, and Taylor Walls executed a successful bunt single, loading the bases with no outs. He struck out Yandy Díaz before issuing a walk to Jonathan Aranda, and the score was tied with the Rockies desperate for a double play with Junior Caminero at the plate. Hughes struck him out with a four-seam fastball The Rockies just needed one more out to minimize the damage.

It didn’t happen.

Newly acquired catcher Liam Hicks hit a grand slam home run, the first of his career, to give the Rays a 5-1 lead.

Hughes came back to get a groundout and end the inning.

Jordan Beck made his presence felt in the Rockies half of the third when he led off with a triple, his second of this season. Coming off a four-hit night, Ezequiel Tovar picked up where he left off. After a 10-pitch at-bat, he singled to bring home Beck and make the score 5-2 Rays. After that, McCarthy singled giving the Rockies runners at first and second.

The 2026 Colorado Rockies are nothing if not persistent, and such was the case in the third inning.

Moniak stepped to the plate and belted a three-run, 380-ft homer — his 19th of the season — tying the game and celebrating his two-year contract extension.

Hughes got back in track with a one-two-three fourth.

And then the Rockies decided they wanted some taco’s.

Kyle Karros led off with a walk, and Willi Castro followed that with a homer — his 13th and a career high.

With that, the score was 7-5 Rockies as Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta visited the broadcast booth.

After that, Peralta got two quick outs before allowing McCarthy to hit a single, and that was it for him. Although he’s had a history or success at Coors Field, that was not the case tonight. His final line was 3.2 IP, allowing seven runs (all earned) on nine hits. He walked one, struck out three, and allowed two home runs on 71 pitches.

Hughes was terrific in the fifth inning, striking out all three batters he faced and kicking the sixth off with a fourth K. However, when he allowed Hicks a double, Warren Schaeffer went to the bullpen for LHP Brennan Bernardino.

Although Bernardino allowed a single, no runs scored, and the Rockies finished the sixth inning with their 7-5 lead.

The Rockies went quietly in their part of the sixth, and recently recalled Parker Mushinski came in for the seventh, a rare stretch when the Rockies were able to pitch back-to-back lefties. Although he had some traffic, the Rays did not score.

That said, the Rays bullpen was successful in quieting the Rockies offense, which did not have a base runner after a McCarthy single in the fourth until the eighth inning when TJ Rumfield hit a double. However the Rockies failed to score.

Schaeffer haded the ball to Juan Mejia in the eighth, who allowed two hits but no runs.

Jordan Romano entered to close, and things went sideways.

He struck out Ben Williamson before surrendering a walk to Walls, who then stole second, and a single to Díaz, who followed suit, grabbing second as well. A base hit from Aranda tied the game with one out and Caminero at the plate.

Romano struck out Caminero with the Rockies opting to intentionally walk Hicks to get to old friend Ryan Vilade. A 5-3 ground ball to Karros ended the Rays half of the inning with a blown Romano save and a tie game.

The bottom of the ninth would bring up Castro, Beck, and Tovar. After Castro failed to get on base, Rays manager Kevin Cash went to Kevin Kelly while Troy Johnston entered for the Rockies to pinch hit.

Although Johnston was a quick line out, Tovar stayed hot and hit a double, which brought McCarthy to the plate — 3-for-4 so far on the night. But he was unable to get on base, and the game went to extras.

Warren Schaeffer went with Jimmy Herget for the 10th inning. With Vilade as the ghost runner, the Rockies got a 4-3 out that moved the runner to third. He struck out Jonny DeLuca and Williams to end the inning without allowing a run.

The stage was set for a Rockies walk-off with McCarthy the ghost runner.

The Rays begin by walking Carrigg, which brought Tyler Freeman to the plate. He executed a successful bunt that advanced the runner and brought up Hunter Goodman.

That led to a pitching change for the Rays who went to LHP Garrett Cleavinger. Goodman flew out to right, but it wasn’t enough to bring McCarthy home.

With two outs, everything came down to Rumfield.

He flew out to left, and the game went to the 11th inning with recently acquired Nick Frasso making his MLB debut.

It wasn’t the start he wanted as a wild pitch scored ghost runner Williamson from third, and the Rays took a 8-7 lead with one out. Following that, Díaz hit a double. He advanced to third on a fly ball, and a Caminero single gave the Rays a 9-7 lead. Hicks flew out to left to end the inning.

Cash turned to his closer, Bryan Baker and a wicked elevated changeup, for the Rays half of the 11th while the Rockies ghost runner Rumfield started at second. Karros was unable to advance the runner; Castro struck out; and Johnston struck out.

Game over.

In total, the Rockies had seven runs on 11 hits. They walked once and struck out six times.

“They got the job done in a battle,” Schaeffer said of the Rays bullpen. “It was a great baseball battle back-and-forth.”

Walks came back to haunt Gabriel Hughes — but then he called Ghost Busters

If anything has defined Gabriel Hughes’ time with the Rockies, it’s been his ability to get ahead in counts and avoid walks.

That did not happen for him in the third inning, when he surrendered two walks and a grand slam, but he kept his composure for the rest of his outing.

He relied primarily on his four-seamer (44%) followed by his curveball (23%) and changeup (14%).

Hughes final line was 5.1 IP with five runs (earned) on four hits. He walked two, struck out seven, and allowed one home run on 71 pitches.

He continues his quest to notch his first MLB win.

“Just one rough inning with a couple of walk mixed in there,” Schaeffer said. “I thought Gabe gave us a chance to win.”

The bullpen picked up where Hughes left off — until it didn’t

Although Bernardino had some traffic, his streaks across 23 games of not allowing an earned run continues. He went 0.2 IP, allowing one hit but no walks, strikeouts, or runs.

Mushinski’s Rockies debut was not without a few hiccups, but no harm, no foul. His final line was 1.0 IP with one hit and one walk.

Mejia’s eighth inning was mostly uneventful: 1.0 IP with two hits and no runs.

Then it all came down to closer Jordan Romano, who blew the save by allowing two walks (one intentional), two runs, and two hits while notching two strikeouts.

Jimmy Herget pitched a lovely scoreless 10th inning that saw him striking out two and setting up the Rockies for the walk-off.

“Obiovusly it’s big for Jim to get that inning in,” Schaeffer said. “That’s the Jimmy we know, and it was good to see that.”

As for Nick Frasso’s MLB debut, it would not without its problems, but ultimately, he allowed two runs and did not strike out or walk any batter. He also earned the loss.

Up next

Join us tomorrow for Game 3 when Nick Martinez will face Tomoyuki Sugano (菅野 智之) as the Rockies look to avoid the sweep.

First pitch is at 1:10.

See you then.

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It was an impressive showing for the Rays offense last night, as Junior Caminero’s two homers and Jonathan Aranda’s four hits led the way to a 13-9 victory.

But tonight it was all about the brand new battery, as trade deadline acquisitions Freddy Peralta and and Liam Hicks both made their Rays debuts at pitcher and catcher, respectively. On the other side it was Gabriel Hughes, with just four major league starts under his belt coming into tonight.

Peralta got into some trouble immediately, giving up two hits out of the gate in the bottom of the first, but a double play and a strikeout on an elevated heater to catcher Hunter Goodman limited the damage to just one run. Whether is was just nerves or not to start the game, he recovered nicely to pitch a clean second.

Things were quiet until the top of the third when Cedric Mullins opened the Rays offense with the team’s first hit of the night. After a Richie Palacios walk and a Taylor Walls bunt single, the bases were loaded with no outs. Hughes promptly struck out Yandy Diaz, but Aranda followed up with a game tying walk. Caminero gifted Hughes another strikeout, and it looked like Hughes was going to get out of it.

Until newcomer Hicks delivered the big blow:

Liam Hicks' first career grand slam and first hit with the Rays! pic.twitter.com/8dutjVg4Wg

— MLB (@MLB) August 5, 2026

Not only was it the first grand slam of Hicks’ young career, it was the first for the Rays this season.

Unfortunately though, the Rays couldn’t quite coast after that, as the Rockies came roaring back in the bottom half. Jordan Beck led off the inning with a triple off the top of the right field wall. Ezequiel Tovar drove in the Rockies’ second run and two batters later, they delivered a big blow of their own:

Contract extension 🤝 3-run homer pic.twitter.com/NEPOPiQKQt

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) August 5, 2026

And that wouldn’t be all, as the Rockies scored two more in the fourth from a two run homer off the bat of Willi Castro for six unanswered runs. Peralta wouldn’t finish the inning. To put it nicely, it was not a good debut for the Rays’ shiny new starter.

Hughes, on the other hand, settled in nicely after the grand slam, retiring the next 7 batters he faced. For the Rays, it was Cam Booser who was tasked with keeping the deficit at two, and did so for the next one-and-a-third innings. Casey Legumina held the Rockies down for the next two.

Despite having two on in the sixth, seventh and eighth, the Rays were unable to score, as Brennan Bernardino, Parker Mushinski and Juan Mejia held the Rays scoreless. But it was old foe Jordan Romano who would cough up the lead in the ninth, as an Aranda single drove in two, tying things up at seven.

Steven Matz came back out for the bottom of the ninth after pitching a clean eighth when Kevin Kelly came in to finish the frame. After fielding a few comebackers, they were on to extras!

The Rays pulled ahead in the 11th after Walls’ second bunt of the day (third attempt) moved auto-runner Ben Williamson to third. A wild pitch from Nick Frasso brought him in. Diaz broke out of his slump to inside out a double off of the right-center wall, then Caminero added a much needed insurance run on a ground ball single to center. Closer Bryan Baker came in to seal the victory in the ninth, recording his 32nd save of the season.

The story was the bullpen for the Rays, as they allowed only three baserunners in five-and-two-thirds innings. Hicks said it best in his post game interview when he described the unit as ‘A Bunch Of Nasty Guys.’

The Rays will go for the sweep tomorrow afternoon as Nick Martinez takes the ball opposite Tomoyuki Sugano for a 3:10 PM eastern start time.

Blue Jays 2 Astros 7

Not a good night. The Jays lost the game and Trey Yesavage came out the game with, what the Jays are calling left knee discomfort. It looked like more than discomfort. He was warming up for the third inning, and his left knee seemed to buckle on two warm up pitches in a row. Trey said there was a ‘little pinch’ in his knee. He is getting an MRI tomorrow. Trey had thrown 2 innings allowing just 1 walk, before the injury.

I’m not going to try to diagnose him from the couch, but I’m guessing he won’t be making his next start.

Beyond that, we scored just 2 runs. And, when your bullpen has to throw six innings of a game, 2 runs isn’t going to be enough.

Chad Dallas turned out to be the bulk man and he gave up the bulk of the runs. 6 earned in 3 innings, on 7 hits, 4 walks with 3 strikeouts.

Braydon Fisher, Brendon Little (giving up the 7th run) and Mason Fluharty each pitched an inning.

On offense, we only had five hits. Myles Straw had two of them (including a triple, picking up our only RBI and scored our other run on a wild pitch, which, at that point tied the game in the fifth inning). George Springer, Alejandro Kirk and Andrés Giménez had one hit

Other than that, the Jays threw Daulton Varsho at the plate, a nice relay from Davis Schneider to Andrés Giménez to Alejandro Kirk. And Ernie Clement made a couple of nice plays at second.

Varsho also had a nice sliding catch in the outfield. We’ve seen that enough when he did it for us.

Jays of the Day: Straw (0.26 WPA) and Yesavage (0.10).

Other Award: Dallas (-0.50) and Lukes (-0.09).

Tomorrow we have a day game, a 2:00 Eastern start. We get our first look at new Blue Jay Jameson Taillon (2-6, 5.92) with Hunter Brown (3-1, 3.42 in 10 starts) going for the Astros.