Category: MLB

CLEVELAND — Name tags might have been appropriate within the Mets clubhouse Tuesday, a day after president of baseball operations David Stearns finished his trade deadline sell-off.

The anonymous new Mets included Nate Lavender, Jefry Yan and Chayse McDermott. More familiar — yet largely forgotten — names such as Dedniel Núñez and Cristian Pache also arrived.

Life after Luke Weaver, Huascar Brazobán and Brooks Raley, to name a few, wasn’t so bad for the Mets on this night, who received three home runs and strong work from one of the bullpen newcomers in a 6-2 victory over the Guardians at Progressive Field.

Luis Torrens, Bo Bichette and Carson Benge all went deep to help the Mets end a three-game losing streak.

Lavender, in his major league debut, pitched 1 ¹/₃ scoreless innings to resume where Raley and A.J. Minter — the two lefty relievers traded by the Mets in recent days — left off.

“It’s been a long journey,” said Lavender, a 26-year-old who was drafted by the team in 2021 and departed through the Rule 5 draft before undergoing Tommy John surgery with the Rays and returning to the Mets.

Interim manager Andy Green summoned Lavender in the seventh with the tying run at the plate. Lavender struck out Travis Bazzana to end the inning.

“I think what really energizes a group of guys is having a guy make a debut, come in and get a huge out in a tough situation against a very good hitter and then go out there and throw really well the next inning,” Green said. “I thought the dugout was as alive in that Nate Lavender punch-out as it’s been in some time and I think that hopefully is a catalyst to bring some energy with these new guys we have got here.

“We saw a bunch of guys in different roles that are pitching in tough situations. They did a great job, so I think everybody took some juice from that.”

The new-look bullpen included Kodai Senga shifted from long relief to pitching the ninth. The right-hander worked a scoreless inning.

The Mets received a third straight solid outing from Sean Manaea, but the left-hander lived dangerously: he allowed seven hits and five walks, yielding two runs over six innings with seven strikeouts. It was Manaea’s third straight start pitching six innings and allowing two earned runs or fewer.

“They put the pressure on early and often and to be able to navigate it like that was a lot of fun,” Manaea said. “That’s everything I have always dreamed of — just to be able to go out there and pitch and navigate a lineup like that. I was just really proud of myself.”

Torrens blasted a three-run homer in the second inning to get the Mets started. The homer was the third season for Torrens, whose playing time behind the plate has increased, sliding Francisco Alvarez into an occasional DH role. Alvarez started at DH on this night.

Bichette homered on the first pitch of the third inning to extend the Mets’ lead to 4-0. Bichette’s blast was his 11th this season.

After the Guardians scored a run on Angel Martinez’s RBI double in the third, the Mets countered in the fourth. They took a 5-1 lead on Torrens’ RBI single after Marcus Semien had walked leading off the inning and advanced to second on a groundout.

Manaea surrendered an RBI single to Bazzana in the fifth that sliced the Mets’ lead to 5-2. Manaea allowed a walk and single before Bazzana delivered.

Benge smashed a 451-foot homer to center field in the eighth inning to give the Mets a 6-2 lead. The homer was Benge’s 12th this season.

Green said bench coach Kai Correa, a former Guardians coach, doubted that Benge’s ball be a homer based on the area of the ballpark to which it was hit.

“I love it when Kai’s wrong, because it doesn’t happen often,” Green said. “That was a fun one to talk about. [Benge] absolutely crushed it.”

OK. I’m going to try to get all the player movement today. If I miss someone, I’m sorry. But the Cubs have to fill in for all the players who were traded yesterday.

Left-hander Braxton Garrett joins Triple-A Iowa.

Right-hander Andrew Wantz elected free agency.

Right-hander Tyler Santana was promoted from Double-A Knoxville to Iowa.

Left-hander Evan Taylor also promoted from Knoxville to Iowa.

Outfielder Jordan Nwogu was activated off the 60-day injured list and promoted from Knoxville to Iowa.

Shortstop Ed Howard was promoted from Knoxville to Iowa.

Catcher Daniel Campos promoted from Mesa to Iowa.

Outfielder Kane Kepley was promoted from High-A South Bend to Knoxville.

Left-hander Jackson Brockett was promoted from South Bend to Knoxville.

Second baseman Dom Krupinski was promoted from Low-A Myrtle Beach to Knoxville.

Outfielder Alexey Lumpuy promoted from Myrtle Beach to South Bend.

Right-hander Braylon Myers also promoted from Myrtle Beach to South Bend.

Catcher Brennen Hudson promoted from Mesa to South Bend. Hudson was the Cubs’ 20th-round draft pick this year.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs got blitzed by Indianapolis (Pirates), 14-1.

Stater Jaxon Wiggins took the loss after allowing five runs on two hits over 2.2 innings. As normal lately, control was the problem for Wiggins as he walked six. He struck out four.

The I-Cubs had four hits. DH Owen Ayers went 1 for 3 with a doule and a walk.

Here’s the only Iowa run on an RBI single by third baseman Owen Miller. He was 1 for 4.

Knoxville Smokies

Rained out. Doubleheader tomorrow.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs popped the Cedar Rapids Kernels (Twins), 6-0.

Jostin Florentino gave the Cubs five scoreless innings and got the win. He allowed five hits. Florentino struck out four and walked no one, but he did hit one batter.

Yoendris Gonzalez gave the Cubs 2.2 scoreless and Ethan Bell retired all four batters he faced to complete the shutout. Bell struck out three.

Right fielder Jose Escobar had a home run washed out by rain on Sunday, so he cranked a solo shot in the fourth inning today. It was Escobar’s fifth South Bend home run and seventh overall. Escobar went 1 for 4.

South Bend scored four runs in the seventh inning on two two-run home runs. Second baseman Matt Hallquist hit the first one, his fifth on the year. Hallquist was was 1 for 4.

First baseman. Josiah Hartshorn went the other way for the other home run in the seventh. It was Hartshorn’s 17th home run and 12 with South Bend. Hartshorn went 1 for 2 with two walks.

Escobar’s home run.

The Hallquist home run.

The Cubs’ top prospect goes deep again.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Pelicans and the Fireflies were still scoreless in the third inning when the rains came. They’ll finish this one tomorrow followed by a seven-inning game.

CHICAGO –– Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing has a diagnosis for his recent elbow injury.

As manager Dave Roberts said in a radio interview with AM570 on Tuesday, the second-year slugger has a “slightly torn UCL” in his right throwing arm, though a timeline on his recovery was not immediately clear.

Roberts expounded after Tuesday’s game by saying Rushing will remain on a hitting program, but is set to be shut down from throwing for up to potentially 4-6 weeks.

That could leave his status as a catching option in doubt for the stretch run of the year, and potentially the playoffs.

“Don’t know what that looks like for the rest of the season and throughout the postseason,” Roberts said. “Fortunately, it happened the day before the trade deadline. So… today we’re looking at two new catchers.”

Indeed, from a timing standpoint, Rushing’s injury happened just soon enough for the Dodgers –– who have also been without starting catcher Will Smith since early June because of an inflamed disc in his neck –– to find replacements behind the plate.

Rushing was scratched from the Dodgers’ lineup on Sunday, after feeling arm pain during pregame catch play.

And over the next 48 hours, the team made two catching additions before Monday’s trade deadline, reacquiring familiar faces in Ben Rortvedt and Hunter Feduccia. They were both added to the active roster before Tuesday’s game, replacing recent minor-league call-ups Eliezer Alfonzo and Chuckie Robinson.

The Dodgers are confident Smith will return to action over the stretch run of the season. He started ramping up baseball activities during last week’s homestand, after his lingering injury finally became pain-free.

The hope is that Rushing will be able to return, as well, though it’s possible he could be limited to hitting-only duties.

If so, the Dodgers at least now have ample insurance at the position, allowing them to remain cautious with both Smith’s and Rushing’s recovery progressions as their injury questions linger behind the plate.

The Yankees have not referred to George Lombard Jr. as a savior of their season. The words “Derek Jeter” have yet to come out of Aaron Boone’s mouth when asked for comparison. The vision that the club’s manager laid out Tuesday, shortly after promoting the young shortstop, was for Lombard to “get settled here as seamlessly as possible and hopefully go out there and help us win ballgames.”

And then Lombard authored the kind of debut that ensured the nearly impossible expectations, at least externally, will only grow.

In his first major league game, Lombard looked like the kind of immediate upgrade — with the bat and glove — who allows the Yankees and their fans to fantasize they have found their World Series shortstop for the present and the future.

The 21-year-old top prospect homered in his second big league at-bat, put on a show defensively and immediately displayed why he was untouchable at this and every trade deadline since joining the organization, contributing plenty to a 2-0 Yankees victory over the Cardinals.

There were 41,081 fans who watched a sweet swing and several slick defensive plays from Lombard. But if this game truly marks the start of a new Yankees era, there will be millions more who claim they witnessed the rise of Lombard firsthand.

“This is probably a moment, a swing, a day I won’t forget forever,” Lombard said after his team improved to 64-50 on the year and 1-0 in the Lombard Era, which will be remembered for that swing and a bit of defensive wizardry.

Lombard had struggled initially with the bat at every minor league affiliate before adjusting and conquering the level. At least for one game, he required only two at-bats to figure out big league pitching.

After a third-inning groundout, Lombard stepped up in the fifth inning and smoked a solo home run into the left field seats for his first hit, homer, RBI, run scored and electrifying moment in The Bronx.

“He’s strong,” Boone said after Hunter Dobbins’ 0-2 sweeper got too much of the plate and was redirected 392 feet for a 2-0 Yankees lead. “He knows what he wants to do. He knows his plan.”

Lombard allowed a small smile as he rounded the bases while his parents — who earlier in the night had celebrated the first professional home run from George’s brother, Jacob, in his debut with the Marlins’ Low-A affiliate — hugged in the stands. The home dugout exploded. Yankee Stadium found a new hero.

And yet the kid, barely old enough to drink alcohol, whose reputation for maturity might be greater than his reputation for baseball excellence, did not show much emotion.

“Honestly, I felt pretty relaxed [during the game],” said the third-youngest Yankee (behind Jasson Domínguez and Johnny Ellis) in history to homer in his debut. “I think everybody around me, everyone here, helped me feel comfortable once I got here.”

To see the dangers of proclaiming Lombard as the rightful heir to Jeter, you just have to look at the last shortstop proclaimed as such, who was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with Tuesday’s corresponding move. A 2019 first-round pick, Anthony Volpe was the darling of the organization and the fanbase until he was not. In his fourth big league season, Volpe will have to prove himself in the minors to even make the case he can be a part-time player in The Bronx.

There are no guarantees, but the 2023 first-round pick wasted no time showing off tools that Volpe does not have in his toolbox.

Arguably more impressive than his home run was the second-inning ground ball that Blaze Jordan smacked into the hole, where Lombard took a few long steps and lunged.

“I didn’t realize he was that long,” said winning pitcher Ryan Weathers, who watched Lombard spear the ball with an extended backhand and throw with force to second while fading away. Jazz Chisholm Jr. caught it, turned and threw for a well-turned double play.

“Pretty special turn. You just see how fluid he is, how physical he is,” Boone added of the play, on which Lombard looked “like a puma.”

Add in a homer from Chisholm and nine shutout innings from Weathers, Fernando Cruz, Brent Headrick and David Bednar, and the Yankees seized a 10th victory in their past 16 games.

This one, though, felt different. Time will tell, but it felt as if it should be remembered.

“Obviously a great first night for him,” Boone said of his new shortstop. “The home run was great. The defense was tremendous.”

PHOENIX — While Tarik Skubal was making his Los Angeles Dodgers debut at Wrigley Field, Casey Mize, his former teammate and close friend, was sitting in the visiting clubhouse at Chase Field cheering him on.

Skubal and Mize were drafted together by the Detroit Tigers in 2018, came through the minor leagues together, arrived in the major leagues together in 2020, and within 48 hours became ex-Tigers together.

Mize, who like Skubal said the Tigers never made a contract extension offer to keep him, was traded to the San Diego Padres on Monday afternoon, just minutes before the 3 p.m. PT trade deadline in Seattle.

He packed up his suitcase, took a flight to Phoenix that was diverted to Las Vegas because of the Phoenix dust storms, and Tuesday afternoon was wearing a Padres’ brown uniform.

“Very excited to be here,’’ he said, “chasing a championship. Got a really good group here. I'm excited to be a part of it.’’

When the Tigers blew a 7-0 lead last Wednesday to the Baltimore Orioles with Skubal on the mound, Skubal knew he would be traded, he revealed at his introductory press conference with the Dodgers.

Mize knew that Skubal would be traded, too.

He just didn’t know his own status.

“I thought he might be gone, but for myself,’’ Mize said, “I still didn't know the direction in which the organization was going to go.’’

You never know what to expect from a major league debut. You could get a fiery one like Aaron Judge’s first-pitch home run, or you could get a game like Mike Mayers allowing nine runs in 1.2 innings (both of which happened in 2016). I couldn’t tell you what Gleyber Torres did in his MLB debut, which I was in attendance for back in April 2018, but the memory of such a debut rings eternal.

For George Lombard Jr., the latest highly-touted prospect in an organization that puts pressure on youngsters like none other in the history of baseball, he probably didn’t need a tremendous first impression given the shoddy performance in the infield and who he was replacing, but coming out firing would boost the confidence of a front office that probably wanted to wait another two weeks to maintain his rookie eligibility.

Well, Lombard’s MLB debut was as good as you could’ve hoped for. Some slick defensive plays and a memorable first major league hit and homer in the same at-bat were the highlights of a ho-hum 2-0 shutout victory at Yankee Stadium over the Cardinals.

The night started much better than last, as Weathers came out throwing strikes and kept the Cardinals’ hitters off balance. After Cam Schlittler’s five walks and gargantuan pitch count populated the start of the game on Monday, the lefty was efficient and effective. Yankee hater Hunter Dobbins was on the mound, continuing a scoreless streak against the team he performatively hates that began with six scoreless innings last year with Boston with a clean first of his own.

In the second, a one-out single by Masyn Winn became the game’s first baserunner, but he didn’t last too long. On the very next pitch, Blaze Jordan would ground a ball into the 5.5 hole that the rookie Lombard would snag before turning a picture-perfect 6-4-3 double play in his first chance defensively as a Yankee. He’s an exceptional defender, so expect more plays like these in the future.

Perhaps energized by his double play partner’s dazzling play, Jazz Chisholm Jr. thought to provide some offense, hammering a looping curveball into the short porch in right field for a go-ahead home run, his 17th of the season. For those with good memories, you may recall Chisholm’s “free smoke” tweet in response to the Dobbins story last season. Good way to back it up.

Weathers kept on rolling in the ensuing innings, pitching around a bunt single in the third before tossing a 1-2-3 fourth. Another snazzy double play turned by Lombard in the fifth got him through five extremely quick innings. On the offensive front, a walk by Ben Rice and a single by Luis García Jr. put two on and nobody out, but an unsuccessful contact play and two unproductive at-bats stranded the threat.

The one known quantity we had about Lombard in the major leagues was his stellar defense at shortstop, but there were valid questions about whether his bat would play, particularly against right-handed pitching. While he had excelled against lefties in the minors, there was some risk against righties. You wouldn’t know it the way he swung it in his second at-bat, as Dobbins completely hung an 0-2 sweeper down the pipe, which allowed the rookie to get his arms extended just enough for his first big-league everything. Hit, run, RBI, home run, whatever you want.

Needing a shutdown inning, things got sticky for Weathers in the sixth, as after back-to-back strikeouts to open the inning, he walked JJ Wetherholt on four pitches before a single by Iván Herrera put runners on the corners with two out. Nearing the end of his rope and in a 3-2 count, he was able to get José Fermín to line out to left field to complete six sparkling innings, continuing a really good stretch of late.

For a brief moment, it looked like García made it 4-0 with his second homer in as many nights, but the ball died on the warning track in what was a fleeting sixth inning with a lot of loud contact. Fernando Cruz was first out of the arm barn in the seventh, immediately giving up a leadoff double to Nelson Velazquez before getting the next two outs. With a runner on third and two out, Brent Headrick was called upon out of the bullpen and needed just one pitch to retire last night’s hero, Nathan Church.

It seemed like the Yankees could get some insurance in the seventh after a single by Ryan McMahon and a walk by Lombard put two on with one out. Dobbins was lifted from the game by Oli Mormol for former Yankee Caleb Ferguson, as Aaron Boone countered with lefty killer Paul Goldschmidt. Despite seeming to get the matchup they wanted, Goldy hit a hard grounder right back to Ferguson, who turned a 1-4-3 double play to end the inning.

Headrick got in trouble in the eighth, allowing a single before a walk to the 9-hitter put two on and nobody out. Walking a tightrope, he induced a soft grounder out of Wetherholt and struck out Herrera before Boone lifted him for David Bednar. With the tying run on second and the bases loaded after an intentional walk of the pinch-hitting Alec Burleson, he toyed with Velazquez on a three-pitch strikeout to escape the jam.

A quiet top of the ninth against Ferguson put the spotlight back on Bednar, who retired Winn, Jordan, and Church to salt away yet another shutout victory. The Yankees now have 12 of those this season, second in the majors behind the Phillies.

The Yankees will look to win the rubber game tomorrow night at 7:05 pm. It’ll be Will Warren looking to build on his strong last start at Wrigley against Andre Pallante on Prime Video.

Box Score

Joey Cantillo and the Cleveland Guardians took the field against the New York Mets, the day after a successful trade deadline. The pieces have been moved and the Guardians got a first look at the rest of the season.

Unfortunately for Joey, the Mets were on their better game. Joey looked like he was struggling with control, pitching a bit wild, and a throwing error in the second wasn’t helpful. With two outs, Gabriel Arias made a throwing error to first that allowed Marcus Semien to reach. The next batter walked and the batter after him hit a three-run home run on a 90.9 mph four seamer down the middle. Cantillo ended the night having gone 5.0 innings. He allowed five runs, two earned, on seven hits and two walks and struck out five.

Slade Cecconi came on in the sixth in his new role in the bullpen. Slade went 2.2 innings, allowing a solo home run, two hits, and striking out four batters. Tim Herrin finished the eighth and closed the game, only walking one batter.

Recent acquisition Jo Adell went 2-for-4 with a run and a walk. He also reached on a error. In the bottom of the third Adell doubled to lead off the inning. Chase DeLauter drew a walk and, with one out, Angel Martínez slapped a double to left that bounced off of the foul line on the walk to score Adell from second.

With one out in the bottom of the fifth, Chase DeLauter singled on a sharp liner to left. Angel Martínez, with now two outs, drew a walk. Travis Bazzana hit a RBI single up the center, through both defenders to score CDL for the Guards’ final run of the night.

On a night where there are a lot of frustrating little mistakes and issues that piled up to a loss, there were some positives. Jo Adell looks to be a good addition that the team needed. Chase DeLauter is an on base machine, going 1-for-2 with three walks. Steven Kwan is one of the best defensive outfielders in the game.

These two teams will face off again tomorrow at 6:40PM EDT. It will be a righty face off with Christian Scott and Tanner Bibee starting for their teams.

The first two innings of Tarik Skubal’s Los Angeles Dodgers debut could not have gone smoother. The same can’t be said for the third frame.

Skubal cruised to six straight outs in his start against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. Then Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson stepped up to the plate in the bottom half of the third and deposited a first-pitch, 96 mpg fastball into the left center-field bleachers.

Shockingly, the home run was the first of the season allowed by Skubal on the first pitch of an at-bat, per TBS’ broadcast.

The no-doubt home run tied the game at 1-1, and that wasn’t the end of what ended up being a stressful inning for the two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award winner.

He recorded outs against the next two hitters he faced before Cubs star center fielder, Pete Crow-Armstrong, hit a single to right field to extend the inning.

PCA stole second base soon after before Seiya Suzuki worked a walk against Skubal in a six-pitch at-bat. Skubal got Alex Bregman to fly out after that, limiting the damage to Swanson’s solo shot.

Skubal has thrown 48 pitches through three innings. It will be interesting to see how long Dodgers manager Dave Roberts lets him keep pitching in his first time performing in a Los Angeles uniform.

The new Dodgers ace settled in after that, though.

Through 5+ innings, Skubal has allowed one run on two hits, with one walk and five strikeouts.

The St. Louis Cardinals were hoping for an encore performance after a slugfest Monday night that they came out on top of against the New York Yankees. Tuesday night’s game was a completely different type of game as Hunter Dobbins for the Cardinals and Ryan Weathers were in a bit of a pitcher’s duel. The Cardinals would get their share of hits, but lacked enough runs to support Dobbins quality start.

Both pitchers were stingy for the first 6 innings at Yankee Stadium Tuesday night. The Yankees were first on the board in the bottom of the 2nd inning when Jazz Chisholm Jr. lifted a sky-high 397 foot fly ball into the right field stands for a 1-0 Yankees lead.

The Yankees got their second run in the bottom of the 5th inning when prospect extraordinaire George Lombard Jr. got ahold of one of Hunter Dobbins 81 mph sweepers and blasted it into the left field stands for his first Major League hit and the second Yankees run of the night making it 2-0.

The Cardinals would start a two-out rally in the top of the 6th inning when JJ Wetherholt drew a walk. When Iván Herrera singled up the middle, Wetherholt aggressively went first-to-third giving St. Louis runners at 1st and 3rd with two outs. José Fermín worked the count full against Weathers before barreling a 94 mph sinker that unfortunately sailed directly into the glove of leftfielder Ramos ending the Cardinals scoring threat.

Ryan Weathers pitched 6 innings of scoreless ball for the Yankees allowing just 4 hits while striking out 6. Hunter Dobbins was nearly his match for the Cardinals other than the two solo home runs. He pitched into the 7th inning as his pitch count didn’t hit 80 until the Yankees bottom of the 7th started. He would depart with one out in the 7th after McMahon singled and Lombard Jr. walked after throwing 91 pitches. He was relieved by newcomer Caleb Ferguson who the Cardinals bought from the Reds prior to the trade deadline for $250,000 in international pool money and he promptly got a double play ball on his first pitch to get the Cardinals out of the bottom of the 7th.

The Cardinals would load the bases in the top of the 8th inning after Pedro Pagés singled and Bryan Torres walked. JJ Wetherholt grounded out to the pitcher, but Lombard Jr. fell down at short taking away the double play possibility. The Yankees would eventually decide to intentionally walk pinch-hitter Alec Burleson which was wise considering the fact that he launched 3 home runs Monday night. Unfortunately, Nelson Velázquez struck out on 3 straight splitters to end the Cardinals chance to score.

After Caleb Ferguson held the Yankees scoreless in the bottom of the 8th inning, the Cardinals had one more chance to come up with some runs. Masyn Winn led off the 9th inning against Yankees reliever Bednar. He worked a full count before lining out to Chisholm Jr. at second for the first out. Next up was Blaze Jordan who struck out on a 91 mph splitter. Final Cardinals hope was Nathan Church who struck out confirmed by the ABS challenge.

End result? Cardinals with 6 hits, but no runs. Yankees with 5 hits and 2 runs. When your pitching staff only gives up 2 runs on 2 solo homers, you should win that game. Didn’t happen for the Cardinals Tuesday night.

It’s game 3 as the St. Louis Cardinals tackle the New York Yankees again Wednesday night. Andre Pallante hopes for another strong start for the Cardinals while the Yankees will start RHP Will Warren who’s 8-5 on the season with a 4.14 ERA. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05pm central time at Yankee Stadium and the TV broadcast will be available via Cardinals.tv.

Ryan Weathers pitched six scoreless innings and George Lombard Jr. homered in his MLB debut as the Yankees defeated the Cardinals, 2-0, on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.

Here are the takeaways...

-Weathers was on. The Yankees southpaw kept the Cardinals lineup off balance for much of the game. His only trouble came in the sixth when St. Louis had two runners on, but Weathers got Jose Fermin to line out to end the threat. 

Weathers extended his scoreless innings streak to 18 and finished tossing 88 pitches (56 strikes), allowing four hits and one walk while striking out six batters across his six innings of work. His season ERA was lowered to 3.79.

-The Yankees got on the board first after Jazz Chisholm Jr. launched a 397-foot blast in the second. It was tough sledding for the offense for a while. The Yankees had first and third with no one out in the fourth, but could not come up with any runs. Heliot Ramos grounded into a fielder's choice, as the Cardinals gunned down Ben Rice at home, who was running on contact. Spencer Jones grounded into a force out and Chisholm struck out to end the inning. 

But Lombard Jr. gave the Yankees a jolt, launching a solo shot in the fifth to double the Yankees' lead. It was Lombard's first MLB hit and home run. He also became just the 14th Yankee to hit a home run in his debut. 

The Yankees top prospect finished 1-for-2 with a walk and made a number of spectacular plays on defense, making it look easy. 

-A day after the bullpen imploded, they were on the verge of doing so again. Fernando Cruz allowed a hit in his 0.2 innings of work before Brent Headrick got the final out of the seventh. The southpaw allowed a walk and a hit before striking out Ivan Herrera to get the second out of the eighth. David Bednar intentionally walked a pinch-hitting Alec Burleson before striking out Nelson Velazquez to end the eighth. 

Bednar pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to lock down his 25th save.

-Ramos, making his Yankees debut, went 0-for-4. Luis Garcia Jr. finished 1-for-4 in his second game in pinstripes. 

Game MVP: Ryan Weathers

Weathers' six scoreless innings allowed the Yankees to hold onto their slim lead.

Highlights

George Lombard Jr. with the SMOOTH play to turn two! 💪 pic.twitter.com/jn3hSGu8dS

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) August 4, 2026

George Lombard Jr. turns two! pic.twitter.com/54dQm6FsyI

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) August 5, 2026

Jazz Chisholm Jr. homers to open the scoring! 🎷 pic.twitter.com/7KD68Qnu2d

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) August 4, 2026

What's next

The Yankees and Cardinals wrap up their three-game series on Wednesday. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.

Will Warren (8-5, 4.14 ERA) will take the mound against Andre Pallante (11-6, 3.72 ERA). 

Detroit Tigers (54-58) vs. Seattle Mariners (55-58)

Time/Place: 9:40 p.m., T-Mobile Park
SB Nation Site:Lookout Landing
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: RHP Troy Melton (6-1, 1.75 ERA) vs. RHP Emerson Hancock (6-5, 3.26 ERA)

The Athletics dropped their sixth straight game on Tuesday evening, dropping the series opener late to the Reds 5-4.

Ginn rolls early

It was J.T. Ginn on the bump tonight making his first start off the IL due to a blister issue. Based off how he was pitching early you’d be hard pressed to see a pitcher who was just returning from an injury. After allowing a pair of hits in the first Ginn induced a groundball double play, then proceeded to retire the side in the second and third frames. He ran into a bit more trouble in the fourth with two runners on but got a much-needed lineup to get himself out of that jam.

Bats take time to arrive, finally show up

Meanwhile the lineup behind Ginn tonight was squaring off against Reds right-hander Brady Singer. A trade candidate who ended up staying put, Singer was matching Ginn early, posting zeros across the first three frames this evening while holding the A’s to just one hit and a pair of walks.

Singer couldn’t keep the A’s off the board forever. A leadoff double off the bat of Tyler Soderstrom was an excellent way to start the fourth, and he’d come around to score on a base knock off the bat of veteran Jeff McNeil, a line drive single to right center:

McNeil didn’t perform well enough during the first half to gin up trade interest in the infielder’s services but the A’s benefit from having him around right here as he collected his 35th RBI to give the A’s an early 1-0 lead.

The A’s would continue to add on in the next frame. A walk and single put two runners on but a sacrifice bunt from today’s leadoff man Lawrence Butler didn’t work out as the back runner was gunned down at second base. Butler made up for it with a stolen base to get that second runner into scoring position but with two outs the A’s would need a big hit. And who else was next up to bat than Jacob Wilson?

A two-run double and suddenly the A’s had a 3-0 lead with Ginn on the mound and looking sharp. That’s a big hit for Wilson, a guy who was out for the past couple of games and has generally had a tough season with all the injuries and whatnot.

Reds do damage against Ginn

The young righty couldn’t keep the Cincy offense down forever. The Reds, now facing a three-run deficit, got to work in the fifth against Ginn. A leadoff walk of course started it all. Then a double put two runners in scoring position for Reds phenom Elly De La Cruz who brought both home with a two-run single. A wild pitch and some bad defense from Jonah Heim behind the plate then allowed him to get all the way to third before a sacrifice fly brought De La Cruz home. That’s three runs he’s more or less directly responsible for right there. Easy to see why he’s so important to the Reds.

Ginn would pitch one more frame tonight, finishing off six full frames in his first start since

• J.T. Ginn: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 91 pitches

What rust? Considering his last appearance was just two and a half weeks ago we shouldn’t be shocked but it’s still nice to see him with no lingering issues. His next scheduled start should be in Boston against the Red Sox on Sunday.

A’s answer back

With the game all knotted back up at 3 apiece it was back on the offense to get some work in. The A’s were now themselves into the Cincy bullpen and it was old friend Sam Moll first out for the Reds. The lefty got two quick outs before a two-out hit from center fielder Henry Bolte. The struggling rookie then swiped second base to put himself in scoring position, his 13th of the season. It was Butler back to the plate and a groundball looked like it’d waste the scoring opportunity but a throwing error from De La Cruz allowed Bolte to come home to score:

The first baseman could have made an amazing play but that was a bad throw from De La Cruz. Now we see why he’s so enigmatic for Reds fans. Bolte also made a heads-up play to run it out and just beating the throw home. He may be going through some struggles in the batter’s box but he’s not letting that follow him onto the basepaths.

Bullpen blows it

Now with the lead again the A’s would ask their bullpen to get nine more outs. Lefty Brady Basso was first out of the ‘pen and turned in a perfect 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh. Of course, he wouldn’t have had that without a great play from his shortstop:

Next was another lefty as Hogan Harris was tasked with handling the eighth. When you walk the first two batters of the eighth you’re just asking for trouble and that’s what Harris got after his two free passes. That led to two runs for the Reds, giving them a lead they would not relinquish. The A’s couldn’t answer back in the ninth and went down in the series opener 5-4.

Another loss thanks to the bullpen. A wasted solid start from Ginn which hurts. And now the A’s have lost six straight games. Tough to swallow and we are desperate to see an A’s win. Pronto.

The series continues tomorrow night, same time same place everyone. Lefty Jacob Lopez is set to get the ball for his 15th start of the season and fourth since returning to the starting rotation. The results have been much, much better as he’s allowed just three runs in 16 1/3 innings of work spanning those four starts. The Reds will counter Lopez with right-hander Rhett Lowder. Considered one of the Reds’ top prospects, Lowder looked fantastic last season in his first cup of coffee in the big leagues but has had some struggles here in 2026. A lot of the damage he’s allowed has been in disastrous blowup outings: he’s gotten tagged for eight runs twice and six runs once. If you were to remove those three starts he’d have a much-better 3.35 ERA. Which pitcher will show up tomorrow?

Luis Arraez’s Philadelphia Phillies (61-53) debut went about as well as you could draw it up with their new second baseman knocking in a pair of runs on a couple of hits to support Jesus Luzardo’s terrific effort in a 5-0 shutout of the Washington Nationals (55-60) on Tuesday night.

The new defensive alignment went smoothly on night one, with Bryce Harper making four routine catches in right field and Bryson Stott and Alec Bohm playing mistake-free in their new posts at third and first base while all provided significant contributions at the plate.

Harper walked in each of his first two at bats, both times pushing Trea Turner into scoring position for Arraez.

Bohm hit a sacrifice fly to score Harper as part of the three-run third inning and tacked on another hit. Stott had two hits including a double.

Brandon Marsh capped off the big third with a double of his own.

Justin Crawford had two hits and scored courtesy of Turner’s third hit of the night to add an insurance run in the seventh inning.

The 8.0 innings pitched were Luzardo’s most in a start this season, though he only needed 98 pitches. He becomes the third Phillies’ starter to collect double-digit wins this year.

The unsung rider on the Arraez trade also made his Phillies debut as Caleb Kilian pitched a scoreless ninth inning to preserve Luzardo’s shutout.

Andrew Painter will look to build on his solid return from the minors and validate Dave Dombrowski’s optimism in him in game two of the series tomorrow night. Nats’ will go with Jake Irvin.

In their first game after selling a slew of players at the trade deadline, the Mets looked like a better baseball team than the Guardians, a team that entered the night in the final American League Wild Card spot. We know by now that the Mets are not the better of the two teams, but thanks to a very solid start by Sean Manaea and a trio of home runs by Mets hitters, it ended up being a fairly easy 6-2 win.

Manaea went six innings, struck out seven, walked five, allowed seven hits, and gave up two runs, both of which were earned. It was his latest good start as he continues to pitch fairly well ever since rejoining the Mets’ rotation.

As for the Mets’ runs, most of them came while Manaea was in the game. Luis Torrens hit a three-run home run in the second, Bo Bichette hit a solo shot in the third, and Torrens singled in the Mets’ fifth run in the fourth.

The most heartwarming moment of the game came in the bottom of the seventh, as Nate Lavender made his major league debut—with the tying run at the plate—in relief of Daniel Duarte. Lavender struck out the first major league hitter he faced to end the inning. He stayed in the game to throw a scoreless eighth inning, too.

In the middle of Lavender’s outing, Carson Benge hit a bomb of a solo home run to left-center field. And Kodai Senga pitched the ninth, hitting the upper 90s with his fastball and putting up a scoreless inning with one walk and without any strikeouts.

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Win Probability Added

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Luis Torrens, +33% WPA
Big Mets loser: Francisco Lindor, -6% WPA
Mets pitchers: +24% WPA
Mets hitters: +26% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Luis Torrens hits a three-run home run in the second, +26.9% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Angel Martínez doubles to score a run in the third, -12.7% WPA

The Mets racked up nine hits, including three home runs, to beat the Cleveland Guardians, 6-2, in their first game after the trade deadline.

Here are the takeaways...

-- The Mets took advantage of a two-out throwing error that extended their second inning, as Luis Torrens blasted a three-run home run against LHP Joey Cantillo to take an early 3-0 lead.

Bo Bichette tacked on another run in the third inning with a solo home run to deep left field, pushing the lead to 4-0. The homer, No. 11 for Bichette, had an exit velocity of 107.5 mph and traveled 422 feet.

-- Torrens' big night continued in the fifth inning, driving in his fourth run of the game with a single up the middle to make it 5-1. He finished the night 3-for-3  with a walk and four RBI.

-- Sean Manaea got the start and kept the Guardians' bats relatively quiet, allowing two runs on seven hits over 6.0 IP with seven strikeouts and five walks.

Manaea allowed the first three batters to reach base (HBP-single-walk) before getting back-to-back strikeouts and a forceout to escape the early jam. He avoided damage the next two frames, but the Guardians got to him in the fourth inning. Jo Adell hit a leadoff double, Chase DeLauter walked, and Angel Martínez doubled off the wall in LF to cut the lead to 4-1.

The lefty let up a two-out RBI single to Travis Bazzana in the fifth, but struck out Gabriel Arias to leave two Guardians stranded and keep the score at 5-2. Manaea stayed in to pitch the sixth inning and got through with a strikeout and 4-3 double-play on a soft liner. He finished after 100 pitches even.

-- Manaea got some help from RF Carson Benge in the second inning, as the rookie caught Brayan Rocchio trying to go first-to-third on Steven Kwan's single with a laser throw for the third out. It's his fifth outfield assist of the year.

Benge smashed the team's third home run of the night in the top of the eighth, a 451-foot homer over the wall in left-center to extend the lead to 6-2.

-- Daniel Duarte entered to pitch the seventh and ran into immediate trouble. Francisco Lindor's high throw allowed Adell to reach first safely (although a review may have flipped the call) and a walk to DeLauter brought the game-tying run to the plate with no outs. Duarte got two lineouts and interim manager Andy Green turned to LHP Nate Lavender to get the third out in his MLB debut, striking out Bazzana looking. Lavender stayed in and tossed a 1-2-3 eighth inning, forcing a groundball double play.

-- Making his new bullpen role debut, Kodai Senga came in to get the final three outs in the ninth inning. He walked Adell with one out, but got the job done with two flyouts.

Game MVP: Luis Torrens

Torrens' four RBI were his most in a game this season and matched his entire July total. 

(He nearly lost this honor for getting thrown out trying to tag up to second base in the top of the ninth inning.)

Highlights

Sean Manaea escapes a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the first inning pic.twitter.com/h8rdYfbkRE

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 4, 2026

Luis Torrens goes the other way for a three-run homer! 💣 pic.twitter.com/DdBTn46ObY

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 4, 2026

WHAT A THROW BY CARSON BENGE! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xDOQWgMgR4

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 4, 2026

Bo Bichette launches a 422-foot solo homer! pic.twitter.com/8f88oNRc5L

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 4, 2026

Luis Torrens brings in Marcus Semien! pic.twitter.com/1IZst4V3ou

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 4, 2026

Marcus Semien catches the line drive and throws to first for the double play! pic.twitter.com/X9YuSiOal8

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 5, 2026

Nate Lavender gets his first MLB strikeout and his family loves it 👏 pic.twitter.com/a8bvyc1CSS

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 5, 2026

A 451-FOOT BLAST FOR CARSON BENGE! pic.twitter.com/285upzinMM

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 5, 2026

Lavender hesi.

Nate Lavender slows it down ⏸️ pic.twitter.com/etOhlC0ZzT

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 5, 2026

What's next

The Mets and Guardians continue their series on Wednesday at 6:40 p.m. on SNY.

Christian Scott (3-3, 2.99 ERA) faces Tanner Bibee (4-11, 3.81 ERA).