Category: MLB

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (38-37/4-4)

WORCESTER 6, SYRACUSE 5 (BOX)

Syracuse and Worcester went back and forth in this one, with Syracuse falling late. The Red Sox got off to a 1-0 lead in the second following a scoreless first, but a double by Ben Rortvedt and a ground out by Cristian Pache made it 2-1.

Worcester got the lead back, 3-2, in the third inning, and and score held until the fifth. Vidal Brujan reached on a fielder’s choice which allowed a run to score in that inning, making it three apiece. Both teams scored two runs in the seventh, with both Mets runs coming off of a Nick Morabito single. The comebacks stopped there, however, with the Red Sox driving in a run in the ninth. The Mets threatened with two singles in the bottom of the ninth, but could not muster up a game tying hit.

• 2B Ji Hwan Bae: 2-5, R, 2B, K, E (4)
• CF Nick Morabito: 1-5, 2 RBI, 4 K
• RF MJ Melendez: 1-5, 2 K
• DH Christopher Morel: 1-5, R, 2 K
• 1B Ryan Clifford: 1-4, BB, E (9)
• 3B Yonny Hernández: 1-3, R, K
• 3B Zack Short: 1-2
• C Ben Rortvedt: 3-5, 2B, RBI, K
• LF Cristian Pache: 1-4, R, 3B, RBI, 2 K
• SS Vidal Bruján: 0-2, R, RBI, 2 BB, K
• LHP Zach Thornton: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, 1 WP, 1 HBP
• RHP Guillo Zuñiga: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
• LHP Joe Jacques: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 1 WP
• RHP Ben Simon: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP
• LHP Jefry Yan: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 WP, L (2-1)
• RHP Dan Hammer: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (27-42/2-6)

CHESAPEAKE 8, BINGHAMTON 4 (BOX)

The final score for this game actually made it look closer than it was, because Chesapeake got out far ahead early. They scored three in the first, one in the second, two in the third and two in the fourth, which put them up 8-2 after four (the Rumble Ponies scored one in the first, with Nick Lorusso homering in the inning, and one in the third, with Nick Lorusso sacrifice flying someone home).

JT Schwartz drove in runs in the eighth and ninth, but it was too little, too late.

• CF Jose Ramos: 1-4, BB, E (6)
• 3B Nick Lorusso: 1-4, R, HR (14), 2 RBI, K
• 1B JT Schwartz: 3-5, R, 2B, HR (8), 2 RBI, K
• DH Kevin Parada: 0-4, BB, K
• C Vincent Perozo: 1-4, 2 K
• RF Matt Rudick: 2-4
• SS Wyatt Young: 1-4, K
• LF Jaylen Palmer: 1-4, R, 2 K
• 2B Nick Roselli: 3-4, R
• RHP Brendan Girton: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 2 HBP
• RHP Brian Metoyer: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 HBP
• RHP Carlos Guzman: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
• RHP Zach Peek: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (25-40/7-4)

BROOKLYN 13, FREDERICK 7 (BOX)

Brooklyn took the lead in the second after a scoreless first, and really coasted from there. They scored their first run of the game on a throwing error, and their second on a Trace Willhoite single. The Keys got one back in the bottom of the inning, but Brooklyn put the game away from there. They drove in a run in the fourth, on a Yohairo Cuevas homer, and then dropped five in the fifth. They loaded the bases in the inning, Cuevas walked in a run, and Willhoite hit a grand slam to put the game out of reach.

The Cyclones added two in the eighth and three in the ninth (which included Cuevas and Mitch Voit home runs), which helped keep the distance as the Keys scored four in the eighth and two in the ninth.

• SS Mitch Voit: 1-5, 2 R, HR (10), RBI, BB, 2 K
• 2B Yonatan Henriquez: 2-5, R, HR (3), 2 RBI, BB, SB (14)
• C Ronald Hernandez: 0-5, 4 K
• 1B Corey Collins: 1-2, R, 3 BB
• DH JT Benson: 2-5, 2 R, K, SB (6)
• 3B Colin Houck: 0-3, 3 R, 2 BB, K, SB (5), E (10)
• RF Yohairo Cuevas: 2-3, 3 R, 2 HR (3, 4), 4 RBI, 2 BB, E (1)
• LF Trace Willhoite: 2-5, R, HR (5), 5 RBI
• CF Sam Biller: 1-5, 2 K, SB (6)
• RHP Robert Stock: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 HBP
• RHP Noah Hall: 5.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 8 K, 1 HBP, W (2-6)
• RHP Josh Blum: 0.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• RHP Tanner Witt: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (33-33/2-7)

TAMPA 6, ST. LUCIE 0 (BOX)

For the second day in a row, St. Lucie was shutout by a score of 6-0 against the Tampa Tarpons. This time around, they mustered up just four hits (all singles), and two walks. They left seven on base, and went 0-6 with runners in scoring position. They threw a bullpen game, and two relievers (Jose Guevara and Elwis Mijares) surrendered all six of the runs, though one was unearned.

• SS Antonio Jimenez: 0-4, K
• 3B Jeremy Rodriguez: 0-4, K
• 2B Trey Snyder: 1-4, K, SB (9)
• 1B Julio Zayas: 1-3, BB
• CF Branny De Oleo: 2-4, K
• RF Simon Juan: 0-3, BB, E (8)
• LF Jackson Hauge: 0-4, 2 K
• DH Jack Scanlon: 0-3, 2 K
• C Francisco Toledo: 0-3, K, E (6)
• RHP Joel Díaz: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 1 WP
• RHP Jose Guevara: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, L (0-1)
• RHP Elwis Mijares: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
• RHP Ernesto Mercedes: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• RHP Caden Wooster: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Rookie: FCL Mets (17-24)

FCL METS 2, FCL NATIONALS 0 / 7 (BOX)

• RF Bohan Adderley: 0-3
• 3B Vladi Gomez: 1-3, R, 2 SB (23, 24)
• CF Wyatt Vincent: 0-2, BB, K, SB (6)
• 1B AJ Salgado: 1-3, R, K
• LF Sam Robertson: 0-2, BB, 2 K
• C Josmir Reyes: 1-2, RBI, BB
• SS Anthony Frobose: 0-3, K
• DH Roybert Herrera: 0-2, K
• 2B Yorber Semprun: 0-2, 2 K
• RHP Nathan Hall: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• RHP Eris Albino: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, W (3-0)
• RHP Franyel Diaz: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, S (1)

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Yonatan Henriquez and Yohairo Cuevas

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Brendan Girton

The Detroit Tigers opened up their second-straight month with a sweep of the American League East leaders with a 6-2 victory over the New York Yankees in the Bronx on Wednesday afternoon. Troy Melton gave his team 6 1/3 innings of two-hit ball, and while the bullpen blew yet another save, a four-run 11th powered the good guys to the win.

AJ Hinch’s team remains on the road this weekend with a trip to the Lone Star State to take on the Texas Rangers starting — who are tied for first in the AL West — on Thursday night, when left-hander Framber Valdez will take the mound in the series opener. The 32-year-old put up a 3.21 ERA and 4.14 FIP in June over five starts, three of which he allowed just one run and the other two saw him cough up a four-spot in each.

For the Rangers, right-hander Nathan Eovaldi will toe the rubber looking to build on his gem last time out, in which he threw seven shutout innings allowing five hits and a walk while striking out nine. That was a vast improvement for the 36-year-old after posting a 5.11 ERA and 4.04 FIP in his other four June starts, surrendering four home runs while striking out 25 in that 24 1/3-inning stretch.

Here is what the matchup looks like on paper in Thursday night’s opener at Globe Life Field.

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

Time (ET): 8:05 p.m.
Place: Globe Life Field, Arlington, Texas
SB Nation Site:Lone Star Ball
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 88: LHP Framber Valdez (4-5, 4.05 ERA) vs. RHP Nathan Eovaldi (8-7, 3.95 ERA)

VALDEZ

EOVALDI

I think it’s safe to say that the Phillies have Paul Skenes’ number this season. They roughed him up for the second time this season after teeing off on him in Pittsburgh back in the end of May. Take a gander at this stat from friend of the site Paul Boye:

That’s what we like to call “being owned”.

On to the links.

Phillies News:

• The Phillies will have two representatives at the All-Star Futures Game to be played at Citizens Bank Park: Gage Wood and Wei-Hui Pan.
• Bryce Harper’s defense has regressed badly this season by most metrics. Here are some ideas on how he can improve. ($)
• The Phillies outfield needs help. Can they make do until the trade deadline? ($)
• You know all about Derek Hill’s recent heroics. But did you know that he paints his own cleats? ($)

MLB News:

• Nationals’ pitcher Cade Cavalli has issued a statement regarding the incident involving Willson Contreras of the Red Sox that instigated a benches clearing brawl.
• Mets owner Steve Cohen may have just fired manager Carlos Mendoza, but he is intent on not firing president of baseball operations David Stearns.
• Corey Seager is headed back to the IL with lower back inflammation.
• We are almost exactly one month away from the trade deadline. Who are the buyers, who are the sellers, and who is still stuck somewhere in between? ($)

It’s a lot easier than it used to be putting together rosters for Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game. That doesn’t mean quality can’t slip through the cracks.

This year’s exercise, in advance of the July 14 affair in Philadelphia, will benefit greatly if, appropriately enough, America rallies in the final round of voting in this, her 250th year of existence.

See, in this era of online balloting, The Fans generally do pretty well. It’s just that this time around, six Toronto Blue Jays have been named as “finalists” for the American League, with a handful of them not deserving of the nod based on cold, raw data. Conversely, the Midsummer Classic is all about the zeitgeist of the game at the time. And Canadians’ fervor for their team – 44,000 jam into Rogers Centre, night after night – is worth celebrating, particularly as an example that almost any team can follow in these uncertain times of crying wolf.

Yet whether a handful more Jays join the top AL vote-getter, the beloved Ernie Clement, in Philly, there will certainly be a few All-Stars you might not have thought about. Here are six of them, all hoping the roster breaks their way when it’s released the evening of Saturday, July 4:

Juan Soto, OF, Mets

Remember this guy? Easy to lose him in the haze of all the misery in Flushing, yet Soto, still just 27, remains every bit as generational as we imagined. Though limited by injury to 66 games, Soto has nonetheless slugged 17 homers with a .298/.408/.563 line and leads all major leaguers with a 166 wRC+ and the NL with a 170 adjusted OPS.

And, lest we forget, he was not an All-Star last year.

This seems like a Captain Obvious pick but it’s also a clarion call to not take greatness for granted. Soto is among the outfield finalists in fan voting, but with the Mets’ 2026 debacle slowly unfolding, we can’t imagine he’ll outpoint worthy reps from contending teams. Perhaps the player vote will rescue him. But another All-Star shutout for Soto would be silly.

Otto Lopez, SS, Marlins

If your kids are clamoring for Luis Arraez, just tell them, “We have Luis Arraez at home!” That would be Lopez, who entered July 1 with six more hits than Arraez, a microscopic edge in batting average (.333 to .331) and an identical (.366) OBP while also stealing 16 bases. Oh, and he’s second in the NL with 3.6 fWAR. Most important, the Marlins are coming off a 20-6 June to place themselves in the thick of the NL wild card dogfight. They certainly deserve more than just a courtesy rep, which would figure to be starter Max Meyer. Second baseman Xavier Edwards would also be a fine option.

Hunter Goodman, C, Rockies

Good gravy: This dude has 26 home runs and a 119 adjusted OPS at the halfway point. As a catcher. Coors Field be damned.

Goodman seems a lock for Philly, but here’s where the roster vagaries come into play. The two “finalists” at catcher are the Dodgers’ Will Smith and Atlanta’s Drake Baldwin. Smith is never a bad choice but is having a league-average season at the plate and is on the IL with a neck injury. Baldwin is having a fantastic season, but injury has limited him to 60 games.

It would stand to reason that if Smith gets elected, Goodman would be added as an injury replacement. But the point here is that Goodman has that look of perennial All-Star – he earned his first nod last year – and deserves to be regarded as such. And as a foundational player for a franchise that looks more serious each month, Goodman is proof positive to the greater baseball world that the Rockies do, in fact, exist, a big reason why the All-Star Game is held, anyway.

The Yankees are agony right now. They flirted with winning yesterday, going so far as to look as though they were about to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, erasing a 2-0 ninth-inning deficit against the Tigers. Instead, they welcomed defeat like an old friend yet again, the seventh-consecutive game that they’ve done so. They drift three games back of the Rays, and we will sit through this off-day licking our wounds and hoping that, once some players start to come of the IL this weekend, maybe the team will be able to stabilize.

In any event, we’ll have lots on the site today to get you through the off-day. Our monthly check-in series continues, as Matt profiles the NL Central, Michael takes a look at the NL East, and Sam runs down the NL West. Also, Sam recaps the day that was in the American League yesterday, John continues our trade deadline preview with an analysis of the Angels as a potential trade partner, and Matt remembers Jose Canseco’s wild career on the occasion of his 62nd birthday.

Today’s Matchup:

Off-day.

Questions/Prompts:

1. Will the likely returns of Trent Grisham and Ryan McMahon do anything to turn the tide right now?

2. Did you watch Team USA’s World Cup win last night? How do you think they’ll fare playing Belgium next week without their best scorer, Folarin Balogun?

Toledo Mud Hens 7, Iowa Cubs 4 (box)

The Hens bounced back with a solid victory on Wednesday night.

The Hens jumped out to a big lead in the bottom of the first. Max Clark led off with a walk, and Max Anderson doubled him to third. Eduardo Valencia walked to load the bases, and Corey Julks drew a walk to force in the game’s first run. Trei Cruz singled in Anderson, and Tyler Gentry drew a walk to force in the third run. Tomas Nido reached on an error to score another run, and the Cubs wild pitched in one more before the inning ended.

Nido would double in the bottom of the third, and score on an Andrew Navigato single for a 5-0 lead.

Sawyer Gipson-Long cruised for three innings, but allowed a pair of runs before wrapping up the fourth. Enmanuel de Jesus allowed a two-run homer in the sixth to make it a 6-4 game, but in the bottom of the sixth, Valencia launched his 15th home run to make it 7-4.

Scott Effross was good out of the pen in the seventh and eighth, striking out four. Woo-Suk Go continues to dominate out of the pen, and he picked up his second save in this one.

Anderson: 2-5, R, 2B

Clark: 1-4, R, 2B, BB

Nido: 2-4, R, RBI, 2B, K

Gipson-Long: 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 3 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 7:05 p.m. ET start in Toledo on Thursday.

Erie SeaWolves 18, Akron RubberDucks 9 (box)

The SeaWolves pounded out 22 hits and drew six walks to crush Akron on Wednesday.

Max Alba got the start, and he gave up a run in the bottom of the first.

In the top of the third, the SeaWolves tore the RubberDucks apart. E.J. Exposito, Seth Stephenson, and Peyton Graham singled to start the inning, loading the bases for Thayron Liranzo. The catcher smoked a one-hopper through the right side for an RBI single.

Chris Meyers then singled in two runs. Garrett Pennington singled to load the bases, and there were still no outs as Justice Bigbie walked as well, forcing in a run. A disengagement violation pushed across the fifth run of the inning, and then Andrew Jenkins followed with a two-run single. Max Burt singled as well, this was just a parade of singles, when finally Exposito struck out for the first out in the frame. Peyton Graham would single in Jenkins before the inning ending, stealing his 44th base of the season before Liranzo finally grounded out to end the inning.

So it was 8-1 SeaWolves, but Alba allowed four runs in the bottom half to make it 8-5 SeaWolves.

Stephenson singled in Burt and Exposito in the top of the fifth. Two more walks and a Pennington double made it 12-5.

Reliever Yoniel Curet allowed two runs in the bottom of the fifth. Peyton Graham doubled in Stephenson in the sixth. Tanner Kohlhepp allowed two runs in relief in the bottom of the sixth. In the top of the seventh, Bigbie tripled and scored on a Burt sacrifice fly. That got us to 14-9 SeaWolves.

They’d add on four more in the top of the ninth, with Graham’s sixth hit on the day plating their 17th run. Graham has nine hits and four doubles in the past two games. Bennett Lee’s RBI single completed the scoring.

Graham: 6-7, R, 3 RBI, 2B, SB

Stephenson: 3-7, 4 R, 2 RBI, 2B, K

Jenkins: 2-5, 2 R, 3 RBI

Liranzo: 1-3, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB

Alba: 4.0 IP, 5 R, 4 ER, 7 H, BB, 2 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:35 p.m. ET start on Thursday night.

West Michigan Whitecaps 10, Lake County Captains 7 (box)

Ben Jacobs was knocked around badly in this one, but the offense stormed back with a late rally to win on Wednesday.

Jacobs wasn’t wild in this one, but everything seemed to find a hole as he surrendered four runs on 10 hits, without allowing a walk. He did punch out five along the way, but couldn’t get out of the fourth inning.

The ‘Caps got a run back when Stephen Hrustich led off the bottom of the third with a single, and Bryce Rainer smashed a double to right field to plate him. In the bottom of the fourth, Clayton Campbell led off with a single. With two outs, Andrew Sojka launched a two-run homer. That made it 4-3 Captains.

A Sojka sacrifice fly in the sixth scored Campbell after he’d singled to lead off the inning.

Unfortunately, that 4-4 tie didn’t survive long. Preston Howey allowed two runs in the seventh, and Jalen Evans allowed one in the eighth.

So it was 7-4 Captains heading into the bottom of the eighth.

Luke Shliger led off the frame with a walk, but was erased on a fielders choice as Samuel Gil reached first. Sojka walked and Hrustich was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Juan Hernandez struck out, but Jackson Strong, Rainer, and Ricardo Hurtado all walked to force in runs and tie the game. Campbell came up and singled in two runs, knocking the second Captains reliever out of the game. The new reliever walked Shliger for the second time in the inning, and it was on a wild pitch, scoring Hurtado to make it 10-7.

Evans locked down the ninth, earning the victory.

Campbell: 3-5, 2 R, 2 RBI

Rainer: 1-3, R, 2 RBI, 2B, 2 BB, 2 K

Sojka: 1-2, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR, BB

Jacobs: 3.1 IP, 4 ER, 10 H, 0 BB, 5 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:35 p.m. ET start on Thursday, with the series tied up 1-1.

Lakeland Flying Tigers vs. Palm Beach Cardinals (postponed)

They’ll play two on Thursday, starting at 4:00 p.m. ET after they were rained out on Wednesday.

FCL Yankees 9, FCL Tigers 8 (box)

For the second straight start, Jhonan Coba was mauled on Wednesday as he struggled to find the strike zone. He gave up eight runs between the first and the second inning, and didn’t make it out of the latter.

Marco Jimenez tossed a perfect inning of relief with two strikeouts in his rehab assignment.

Cristian Perez and Enderson Delgado each homered for the Tigers.

Perez: 2-4, R, 5 RBI, HR, BB, 2 K

Madero: 2-5, R, RBI, K

Cris Rodriguez: 0-2, 2 R, 3 BB, SB

Coba (L, 0-3): 1.1 IP, 8 ER, 5 H, 5 BB, 2 K

Less than a week after receiving the surprising news of Marcos Paz’s departure, Jay Johnson and his staff brought in RHP Kaden Smith from South Florida. He took to Instagram to announce his decision.

In his sophomore year, Smith posted a 4.24 ERA in 46.2 innings pitched. He struck out 52, while walking 25. Of his 16 appearances, 8 of them were starts. He allowed less than a hit per inning with his total of 41, which suggests that command is his biggest issue. Hitting 17 batters further solidifies that conclusion.

As a freshman in 2025, Smith began his collegiate career at TCU and made 14 appearances for the Horned Frogs. He threw 12.0 innings with a 5.25 ERA, while striking out 12 and walking 6.

Following Landon Hood and Diego Velazquez, Smith becomes the third pitcher that Johnson and co. have added in the portal, along with incoming freshman Braxton Beaty. It w0uld appear that the to-be junior is coming in to bolster a bullpen that is seeking drastic improvement after a disastrous 2026 season, but the starting experience is certainly a plus.

Smith mostly deploys a 3-pitch mix, including two different breaking balls and a fastball that can get in to the mid-to-high 90s, according to Jacob Rudner of Baseball America.

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: The Yankees’ sidelined captain delivered a pointed analysis of the team’s recent performance in his absence. “Well, it’s not great,” Aaron Judge said said before Wednesday’s game. “Just a little lack of focus. We just gotta dial it in.” His public comments, the first since he landed on the IL on May 31, serve as a rare critique of not just performance but motivation amidst a now-eight game losing streak. Manager Aaron Boone was more measured, acknowledging a “terrible week” but giving a vote of confidence that “the group’s in a good place, as far as their preparation goes.”

New York Post | Greg Joyce: The Yankees have been hit with another setback, this time of a more tangible variety. Several Bombers have been afflicted by food poisoning or a stomach bug, including Spencer Jones, who was scratched from Wednesday’s game, and Ryan McMahon, who had to sit out a rehab game. Boone declined to reveal all the Yankees affected, but made clear the issue was widespread. “We got IVs going and everything today,” Boone said. “Yeah, it’s been an interesting week on a lot of fronts. I had a lineup [Tuesday] night and kind of had to make some tweaks to it. Hopefully as the day unfolds, we got everyone available.”

The Athletic | Chris Kirschner: ($) The malady taking its toll on the Yankees played a role in Boone’s decision-making during Wednesday’s loss. With Max Scheumann fully unavailable, he chose to stick with Oswaldo Cabrera with a chance to win the game in the ninth instead of inserting Paul Goldschmidt. The skipper’s reasoning was that he did not want to be forced into using the 38-year-old at second or third (though relinquishing the DH and moving Amed Rosario to third would have been another option). After the defeat, Jazz Chisholm Jr. echoed his captain’s comments from earlier in the day. “I feel like we’ve got to lock in, do all the small stuff,” the second baseman said. “We make a lot of mistakes, and I feel like we beat ourselves.”

MLB.com | Sam Dykstra: Two Yankees prospects have been selected to the 2026 All-Star Futures Game roster. Shortstop George Lombard Jr., the team’s top prospect, and fireballer Carlos Lagrange, who slots in at number four, will have the opportunity to participate. The exhibition, held the Sunday before the All-Star Game, is an opportunity for MLB to showcase its most promising young talent still working their way through the minors.

We close with a couple housekeeping notes. Trent Grisham is on his way back to the Yankees after being sidelined with a hamstring strain. He was activated for a quick rehab assignment last night by the Double-A Somerset Patriots, playing center and going 1-for-3 with a double and a walk. Since he wasn’t gone from the team that long, it sounds like he should be back in a Yankees lineup that could really use him by tomorrow.

And Yovanny Cruz went back to Triple-A following yesterday’s loss. David Bednar missed the Tigers series on paternity leave and should be back with the Yankees for their next game.

Clippers 5, Bats 4

Justin Campbell’s awaited AAA debut wound up ending before it could even start. He was scratched from his start after injuring his oblique in warmups. As someone who was waiting all week to watch this start, it was very disappointing but I am also very glad that it appears we avoided the worst case scenario here. Trent Denholm got the start in place of Campbell and pitched pretty well considering the circumstances. He tossed 6 innings and struck out 8 batters and allowed 3 earned runs on 6 hits. Franco Aleman lowered his ERA to 0.32 after striking out the side and recording his 9th save of the season.

The offense was powered by Angel Genao’s 4-5 performance that included an RBI single and a double. He is now hitting .283 with an .823 OPS since being promoted to AAA. P:etey Halpin also had a big game, going 3-5 which included a triple and an RBI double. Juan Brito and Dayan Frias also had multi hit performances.

RubberDucks 9, SeaWolves 18

This was the other debut I was excited to watch tonight, as Braylon Doughty had his first start in AA! It went better than Campbell’s debut, but not by too much, as he allowed 8 runs over 2.1 innings pitched. Welcome to AA kid! Doughty is an extremely talented prospect who I have no doubt will bounce back from this and I can’t wait to see his next start.

Alfonsin Rosario just keeps trucking along, going 2-4 with his 14th HR of the season. He is now hitting .260 with a .913 OPS on the season. He is starting to prove that he may be ready for a promotion to AAA. Jaison Chourio and Jose Devers also had multi hit performances. Bennett Thompson made quite a bang in his AA debut! He recorded just one hit but that hit happened to be a grand slam in the bottom of the 3rd inning.

Captains 7, Whitecaps 10

Despite losing tonight’s game, the Captains still recorded 15 hits on offense. Welbyn Francisca continues to be scorching hot at the plate, going 2-4. Nolan Schubart went 2-5 with his 17th HR of the season. Both him and Welbyn have OPS’s over .900 on the season. We also saw multi hit performances from Tommy Hawke, Jeffrey Mercedes, Esteban Gonzalez, and Tyler Howard.

Jacob Zibin fared much better in his second High-A start, allowing three runs in 5 innings and striking out four.

Howlers 5, Woodpeckers 9

We saw multi hit performances from Jonathan Martinez and Gabriel Rodriguez in this one. Juneiker Caceres went 1-4 with a walk. Cannon Peebles went 1-3 with a walk and a 2 RBI double.

Ryan Prager didn’t have his best stuff tonight, but was still able to limit the damage to just two runs over 3.2 innings pitched. He wound up walking five batters and striking out four, which is not what we are accustomed to seeing from him.

I’ve always loved the idea of a “stopper” in a baseball rotation – a guy who can be counted on to stop a losing streak or provide a much-needed win in a crucial part of the season. In my mind, it’s a different role than an ace who might be expected to provide a specific type of run-prevention performance rather than one that gives the team a chance to win on their night to pitch. Unfortunately, Zac Gallen has seemingly taken on the role of an “anti-stopper” where instead of blunting negative momentum, he blunts positive momentum. Entering tonight’s play, the team has gone a discouraging 6-11 in Gallen starts which isn’t all that surprising given his 6.15 ERA and 1.575 WHIP on the season. He’s not the only player fulfilling that role as fellow veteran Merrill Kelly has also been a net drag on the team, going just 5-9 in Kelly’s turns in the rotation. But it is frustrating to see just how far away Gallen is from the pitcher who came in the top-five of Cy Young voting in consecutive years back in 2022 and 2023.

Through the first four innings of tonight’s game though, he looked exactly like that pitcher with a biting slider and a four-seamer that found its way past hitters and just one two-out single on his ledger. But he got ambushed in the fifth with four straight hits, including two home runs – a solo shot from Heliot Ramos to lead off the inning and a two-run shot from Victor Bericoto that gave the Giants a three-run lead. Gallen looked back in control in the sixth, collecting two easy strikeouts before committing the ultimate pitching sin: a two out walk, this one to Rafael Devers who quickly came in to score on a deep drive from Ramos that nearly left the yard and was just beyond a leaping Corbin Carroll. Ramos himself would be driven in four pitches later when Jung Hoo Lee shot a ground ball through the infield to end Gallen’s night as Torey Lovullo opted to bring in Ryan Thompson to face Bericoto. The pitching move did not pay off as Thompson gave up consecutive singles to Bericoto and Drew Cavanaugh to plate San Francisco’s sixth and final run of the night before mercifully ending the inning.

To their credit, after looking completely lifeless against Giants starter Trevor McDonald – making just his 13th career start but managing to surrender exactly one baserunner over six innings – the D-Backs finally managed to find some traction amidst the woeful San Francisco bullpen in the home half of the eighth. Nolan Arenado led off the inning with a single and came around to score on a sharp single from Pavin Smith, but Ketel Marte’s 18th double of the season was the biggest blow – plating Smith and allowing Tommy Troy to reach third. But a poor relay throw from Christian Koss doinked off Troy and out of play, scoring Troy and advancing Marte all the way to third with no outs. Sadly, Geraldo Perdomo and Carroll could only muster up a sacrifice groundout between them to score Marte for the D-Backs’ fourth and final run.

Tonight’s loss returns the team to .500 – a mark the team has struggled to escape since they swept these same Giants back at the end of May. Since then, the team has gone a dismal 12-19, the third-worst record in that time in the major leagues. While this team is clearly talented and has plenty of potential, I find myself lacking much confidence in their ability to play up to their opponents. They have feasted on bad teams with a 29-10 record against teams with sub-.500 records compared to just 14-32 against winning clubs. That does not feel like a team that is capable of making a run towards the playoffs and might find themselves overmatched if they did. They will need to find another gear if they hope to force Mike Hazen’s hand in adding to this team rather than subtracting from it with the Trade Deadline just over a month away.

It’s never a good sign when your first mile feels like you’ve already run a full marathon.    For Tatsuyi Imai, the outing was quick and ugly.    Twins 8 Astros 3.    

Imai’s early game struggles were on full display before an announced crowd of 29,179.     In the opening several minutes, Trevor Larnach would double and Josh Bell would hit a ball to dead center that’s still traveling.  Bell’s blast would officially become the fifth longest ball hit to center field since the ballyard at 501 Crawford Street opened its doors in 2000.     Just like that, it was a 2-0 lead, and the following inning Minnesota would continue the assault.    

Luke Keaschall and Brooks Lee would reach on walks, and then Kody Clemens would do his version of a deep shot to center, and the Twins had put five runs on the board.    Clemons has now hit 14 homeruns this season.   For good measure, Imai would issue another walk to Josh Bell and mercifully the curtain would come down.    Imai’s final line would read:    1.1 IP with 5 earned runs, 5 walks and 4 hits allowed, including 2 HR.   In sharp contrast was his counterpart Taj Bradley would record a season high 11 strikeouts, at one point mowing down five in a row.   

The Astros scored their initial run thanks to Jose Altuve’s leadoff walk of the game.   Altuve would advance to third on Yordan Alvarez’s first hit of the night, eventually scoring on a double play groundout by Isaac Paredes.    

The next time there would be signs of life would be in the 6th.    Brice Matthews (who replaced Christian Walker, who left the game with lower back stiffness)  and Cam Smith would reach base in consecutive fashion to start things.    Then Joey Loperfido and Nick Allen would each notch RBI’s singles, cutting the deficit to 7-3 but that would be as close as they’d get.

The final Twins run would come on Luke Keaschall’s second homer of the night in the 8th inning.      

Odds & Ends:

SS Nick Allen would relieve Raynel Delgado who exited in the top of the fifth inning with a dislocated right pinky finger while attempting to field a ball.  Delgado was attempting to field a ball that would have been an inning ending groundout, but the ball hit the second base bag and took n awkward hop. Delgado attempted to adjust to the ball with his bare hand, but the ball deflected off his hand, dislocating his pinky.     

In his latest rehab start, Lance McCullers pitched four innings of one hit ball in OKC on Wednesday Night.   41 of his 60 pitches were strikes.     

After an off day on Thursday, Spencer Arrighetti will attempt to notch his 8th win of the season on Friday night when Tampa comes to town to complete this current homestand.    The last time Arrighetti registered a win was back on May 28th.

South Bend first baseman Josiah Hartshorn and right-hander Mason McGwire were named to the Futures Game roster.

Right-hander Kenten Egbert went back from Triple-A Iowa to High-A South Bend.

Right-hander Eduarniel Núñez, whom the Cubs designated for assignment last week, cleared waivers and was assigned to Iowa.

The Cubs signed third baseman Michael Hallquist from the Milwaukee Milkmen of the independent American Association and assigned him to South Benc.

Everyone lost tonight. That stinks.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were chicken against the Toledo Mud Hens (Tigers), 7-4.

Starter Doug Nikhazy didn’t make it out of the first inning. Nikhazy got pummeled for five runs on two hits and four walks while just retiring one batter. At least that one out was a strikeout.

Aaron Bummer made his Cubs debut in this game, pitching the sixth inning. Bummer faced four batters and retired three of them. The other one hit a solo home run. Bummer did not have a strikeout.

Liam Hendriks made his Cubs debut in the bottom of the seventh. He allowed a single and a walk, but no runs in his one inning of work. Hendriks struck out two.

Left fielder BJ Murray hit his tenth home run of the year with the bases empty in the sixth inning. Murray went 1 for 3 with a walk. He scored twice.

Right fielder Ben Cowles was 3 for 4 with a steal. He singled home Murray in the fourth innning.

Second baseman Owen Miller went 2 for 4 with a double and two steals, one of which was a steal of home as part of a double steal with Cowles. He drove in one with an RBI groundout. Miller also scored one run.

Murray’s home run.

The double steal of second and home.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies got squeezed by the Columbus Clingstones (Braves), 8-3.

Brooks Caple gave the Smokies a good start, but he ended up getting the loss anyways. Caple allowed two runs on three hits over five innings. He walked two and struck out three.

This game 2-1 Columbus until Frankie Scalzo Jr. gave up six runs in the top of the ninth.

Center fielder Andy Garriola hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth, his 17th on the season. Garriola went 1 for 4.

First baseman Edgar Alvarez was a perfect 3 for 3 with two doubles and a walk. He drove in one run.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs were dropped by the Beloit Sky Carp (Marlins), 9-8 in ten innings.

Mason McGwire threw the first three innings and surrendered one run on three hits. McGwire struggled with control as he walked three and hit two batters. McGwire struck out two.

After the Cubs failed to score in the top of the tenth, Grayson Moore entered the game, trying to send the game to the 11th inning. Instead, he gave up a walk-off two-out RBI double. Moore’s final line was one run on one hit over two-thirds of an inning. The run was earned—the automatic runner was doubled off of second on a lineout. Moore did not walk anyone but he did hit a batter who turned out to be the winning run.

South Bend blew a 7-1 lead in this game after five-and-a-half innings.

In his affiliated baseball debut, second baseman Michael Hallquist hit a two-run home run in his first at-bat in the second inning. Hallquist went 1 for 4 with a walk and two runs scored.

Catcher Logan Poteet hit his first South Bend home run in the sixth inning with the bases empty. It was Poteet’s 15th overall home run. Poteet went 2 for 4 with a walk. He scored two runs and had two RBI.

DH Jose Escobar connected on a solo home run in the top of the seventh. It was his fourth home run with South Bend and sixth overall. Escobar went 1 for 4 with a walk and two runs scored.

Hallquist’s home run.

Poteet’s round-tripper.

Jose Escobar really got a hold of this one.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans were allergic to the Hickory Crawdads (Rangers), 6-2.

David Bracho started, gave up one run in the first, three in the second and two in the third. Bracho’s final line was six runs on seven hits over three innings. He walked three and struck out two.

Yoendris Gonzalez and Anhuar Garcia then each threw three innings of no-run, no-hit baseball. Both of them struck out five. Gonzalez walked one. Garcia hit one batter. It was Garcia’s Myrtle Beach debut.

Catcher Jairo Diaz hit an RBI double in the bottom of the ninth. He was 1 for 4.

Highlights, such as they are.

ACL Cubs

Off day.

Garrett Mitchell had just 10 starts against a left-handed pitcher all season long coming into the night. He had just a .547 OPS against lefties coming into the night, so it has been fairly understandable why. But Pat Murphy gave Mitchell the start on Wednesday night against Reds southpaw Andrew Abbott and he had a career night helping deliver the Crew a 4-2 victory.

Mitchell started the night with a single against Abbott in the first inning after the Brewers had already scored a pair of runs on an RBI groundout by William Contreras and a sac fly from Jake Bauers.

Then in the 3rd, Mitchell dropped in a one out double just barely fair down the left field line. Controversy later struck in that inning when Mitchell was running home on a safety squeeze bunt from Cooper Pratt. Spencer Steer glove flipped the ball to Tyler Stephenson and Mitchell was ruled out at the plate. After a lengthy review in which multiple replay angles seemed to show Mitchell beat the tag, the call somehow stood and he was ruled out. But was Mitchell out?

“No. Absolutely not.” Mitchell said.

“Our guy that does video, he’s the best there is and [Mitchell]‘s safe in his mind and he has a picture of him being safe….There is a picture of him touching the plate. We can see it from the angle we have, and I’m sure they have that angle.” Pat Murphy said.

The game remained tied at 2-2 and it stayed that way until the 7th inning. Andrew Vaughn ripped a two-out double to center past the diving Matt McLain to start the rally. Garrett Mitchell, after just missing a home run in the 5th inning and having to settle for another double, then ripped a triple off the angled wall out in center, his fourth hit of the night. It scored Vaughn to give the Crew the lead. Mitchell then scored a few pitches later on a wild pitch and this time there was no controversy at the plate.

Mitchell finished the night 4-for-4 at the plate, just inches away from a cycle. He raised his batting average on the season to .264 after coming into the night hitting .251. Mitchell’s OPS now sits exactly at .800.

“Take any other player in baseball that’s been missing for four years, to have him play this way particularly tonight. The four at-bats, the baserunning, the whole thing, I mean, I didn’t think it could happen. I didn’t expect anything close to this for this kid. I’m really happy for him. He’s just played every day, done whatever, hitting against lefties tonight, that’s something that he’s just gotten better and better. I commend his teammates for welcoming him back and seeking to understand what he’s been through, watching us play for four years. So it’s a great story” Murphy said.

Shane Drohan had another strong performance out of the rotation, even though he was pitching against the Reds in back-to-back outings.

“We worked on some stuff in the bullpen a couple days after the start in Cincinnati. Really just feeling out the direct line we wanted for the slider, it felt like in Cincinnati that was where I came up short, just not throwing good sliders late in counts. So we worked on that in the bullpen the other day and threw it well tonight, but I think it still goes back to that fastball.” Drohan said.

Drohan exited after 5.2 IP, allowing six hits and two runs while striking out seven. Coming on in relief of Drohan was Aaron “The Vulture” Ashby. Ashby pitched in parts of three scoreless innings and was the pitcher of record when Mitchell gave the Brewers the lead in the 7th.

As a result, Ashby was able to earn his major league-leading 12th win of the season and improve to 12-1. Abner Uribe, who was feeling under the weather and a little dehydrated, was able to lock down the 8th after the Brewers were unsure if he’d be available tonight. Then Trevor Megill closed things down in the 9th.

The Brewers have a chance to completely sweep the Reds in this four game series on Thursday afternoon and they’ll have their ace on the bump in Jacob Misiorowski.

The Athletics managed to salvage the final game of their tough series against the Dodgers, winning 7-1 in Sacramento on Wednesday night. It took a huge start from our ascendent young right-hander, paired with an offensive outburst, but they managed to get the job done tonight to snap the four-game losing streak and get back on the right track. The team has its 41st win of the season and will now get the day off tomorrow before a weekend series with the Marlins. They deserve it.

Ginn dominates star-studded Dodgers’ lineup

Coming into tonight the Athletics’ pitching had been torched for 18 runs over the first two games against these guys. The club needed a stopper to end this streak desperately or else who knows how long this losing streak could go. We saw how long last year.

Enter J.T. Ginn. Whenever the A’s have needed a big start it always feels like it just happens to be his turn in the rotation, and that was certainly the case yet again tonight against the reigning World Series Champions.

It wasn’t always easy. Los Angeles threatened right out of the gates, loading the bases against Ginn. But with two down all the righty needed was a groundball, which he got to himself. Then, he went on a roll. The 26-year-old fired off five more innings of strong pitching. The right-hander only made one big mistake, a solo home run off the bat of future Hall of Famer Freddie Freeman. It happens, and if that was the worst of it we will take that every single time. Ginn departed with the lead well in hand and on his way to a victory after finishing the sixth.

• J.T. Ginn: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 4 K, 1 Hr, 104 pitches

Considering that was all that the vaunted Dodgers’ lineup could muster against Ginn, it goes to show how well he’s pitched in what is really his first full year as a major league starter. The walks were a bit of an issue at times, especially early on, but he did well to not let those start a rally and snowball. Ginn’s next start is lined up to be on the road facing the Detroit Tigers.

Bats back up their starter

On the other side of things, the Athletics’ offense, down several big bats, was facing a Dodgers’ bulk game. Lucky us, it was originally scheduled to be against Shohei Ohtani, but the playoff-bound Dodgers decided to push him back a day for extra rest.

After seeing the 1-2-3 hitters strike out in the first ahead of him against the opener, tonight’s catcher Jonah Heim came to the plate against a the bulk arm, right-hander Charlie Barnes (who would end up pitching the final seven innings for the Dodgers tonight). On the first pitch he saw, Heim took the new reliever deep to center field for a solo blast, the A’s first hit and run of the evening to make it 1-0 A’s:

That was Heim’s eighth of the year and seventh with the A’s. He’s not getting on base at a great clip but boy is he bringing the power, something the club will be missing with Brent Rooker done for the year.

After a wasted opportunity in the third, the A’s managed to push two runs across in the fourth. A leadoff walk to Heim followed by Joshua Kuroda-Grauer’s second career double put two runners in scoring position with no outs. Lawrence Butler brought home Heim with a productive groundout, then it was Bolte’s turn to get in on the action:

That RBI single made it 3-0 A’s and they wouldn’t be done there for the night. They got right back to work in the next frame and this time it was Shea Langeliers getting in on the fun with his own solo blast, his 20th of the year:

That’s this year’s starting American League catcher right there! That was just the start of the inning, too. Fellow All-Star contender Nick Kurtz singled then immediately came around to score, courtesy of an RBI double off the bat of tonight’s left fielder Colby Thomas:

Thomas will be getting a lot more reps with Tyler Soderstrom on the shelf. That was his lone hit tonight as he went 1-for-4, but that was a big hit and his third straight with an RBI extra-base hit.

Then it was Heim’s turn again, and again he came through, this time with an RBI single to make it 6-1 A’s:

Have yourself a night, Jonah Heim. He finished the night 2-for-3 with two runs scored, two RBI, and a walk to boot.

And just to cap things off, shortstop Alika Williams came in in the bottom of the ninth with his second career home run to make it 7-1:

Great way to cap off the scoring. It’s been a small sample but Williams has been holding his own. We’ll see if he can continue so for the next three months.

Bullpen finishes things off

A lead like this can sometimes feel like a formality. Can’t think like that against these Dodgers though. Luckily tonight the relief unit was nails. Luis Medina handled a clean seventh, then ran into some trouble in the eighth. Switching things up to a lefty seemed to work as Hogan Harris struck out the final batter to end the Dodgers’ final comeback attempt in its tracks. The lefty was given wrap up duties and he completed the job with a clean ninth to finish off Los Angeles and send the fans home happy.

Now that’s how you snap a losing streak. Everything came up A’s today. From Shohei Ohtani being pushed back a day, to Mookie Betts being a late scratch, to Ginn pitching his butt off, to the offense waking up and collecting 12 hits, three of which were home runs. The A’s secured their 41st win of the season tonight and thanks to the Rangers’ loss earlier tonight the team climbs a game in the standings to just three games out of first place.

We got an off-day tomorrow as the club will prepare for the arrival of the Miami Marlins to town for a three-game weekend series. Miami has yet to announce its starting schedule against the Athletics but we may be seeing their staff ace kick off the series as righty Max Meyer’s next start lines up for tomorrow. The A’s will counter whoever Miami sends with right-hander Jack Perkins. He’s coming off his best start so far after firing five innings of two-run ball against the Angels last time out. Hopefully he can build on that on Friday night in Sacramento.