Category: MLB

Scattered throughout the year, in a thin bullpen that could’ve used an upgrade at the trade deadline but didn’t get one, the Yankees have uncovered some success with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre relievers.

Yerry De los Santos has pitched to a 1.00 ERA across six appearances.

For Kervin Castro, it was a 1.42 ERA in five appearances.

Until a dud in his last appearance before getting optioned, Angel Chivilli’s ERA sat at 0.57.

Enter Bradley Hanner, called up Tuesday after Castro landed on the injured list and tasked with becoming the next Yankees discovery.

A 27-year-old yet to make his MLB debut, Hanner was drafted in 2019 in the 21st round, which no longer exists.

In an era of velocity-driven pitchers, Hanner relies on arm angles and a four-seamer that averaged 93.7 mph in his last minor league outing to complement a sinker, cutter and sweeper.

His chance could be fleeting, something that could close when Castro returns. But Hanner, who Aaron Boone said has been in the mix for a call-up for over a month, still had a chance to soak in “everything I dreamed of” and avoided the temptation to look down the road.

“Just because a guy doesn’t light up the radar gun,” Boone said before the Yankees’ 10-5 win over the Mariners on Wednesday in The Bronx, “doesn’t mean he doesn’t have good stuff. … There’s a lot of things that make you good or nasty or whatever, not just power.”

Still, the presence of the unproven Hanner also captured the risk the Yankees took at the deadline.

They didn’t add a reliever. They even dealt away Camilo Doval.

They’ve banked on starters Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt getting healthy and current members of their rotation shifting to the bullpen. But formulating a plan around health can be a delicate strategy, one capable of quickly going awry.

Hanner has built a career without velocity, going from the Twins to the Guardians and then the Yankees in the winter on a minor league deal.

He triggered an opt-out clause July 15 that resulted in the Yankees selecting his contract, adding him to the 40-man roster and giving him his first jolt of belief that he could crack the majors this year.

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Hanner pitched to a 2.10 ERA across 40 appearances in Triple-A, recording a 29.0 strikeout percentage and an 11.4 walk percentage.

He knows, too, that he won’t overpower opponents but can rather attack and get ahead in counts.

“Velo is king now,” he told The Post, “but throwing strikes is also king.”

In 2026, right-handed hitters recorded just a .167 average against him in Triple-A — and the Yankees, Boone said, will try to find Hanner lanes with righties.

And for now, in the second week of August, with just over 40 games remaining in the regular season, one of the final spots in the bullpen belongs to Hanner.

“[Fernando] Cruz told me, ‘You only debut once,’ ” Hanner said. “Take everything in. Enjoy it. … The rest will take care of itself. I’m not looking down the road. Like, I’m looking to help this team win and whatever happens, happens.”

The Texas Rangers scored two runs but the Anaheim Angels scored five runs.

I’m a big baseball fan so when I see or meet anyone I always tell them, “If you ever get the chance, you gotta see George Klassen pitch.” He’s one of the greatest of all time and it’s a privilege and a pleasure to watch him ply his trade on the mound.

What’s that you say? George Klassen had a 7.27 ERA and hadn’t pitched into the fifth inning in any of his three career starts and had walked 14 batters in his 8 2/3 career innings? Well that simply cannot be true. After all, I just saw him shove over six innings with just one walk against a team that Jacob deGrom himself believes is a playoff contender. THE Jacob deGrom!

The Rangers scored two runs tonight, one in the top of the second and another one inning later when Corey Seager hit a solo home run. That gave them a 2-0 lead and then they never scored again against baseball’s worst franchise of the last like 20 years but especially this particular year.

Which, ok, fine. They had an early lead. That’s usually a good sign. Except, in a 2-1 game, the bullpen immediately imploded for a disastrous three-run inning the moment tonight’s start Cal Quantrill exited despite facing the bottom of essentially the league’s worst lineup.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Angels scored their fifth run on a ground ball that bounced off the first base bag. Don’t bemoan Texas’ poor luck, though. After all, they let a bunch of terrible Angels batters on base to open up the potential for something like that to happen.

So the Rangers are below .500 again. The Astros won. It’s basically a 2.5 game lead in the West because the Rangers also lost a bunch to Houston this season and don’t have the tiebreaker against them.

The Rangers are 1-5 at Anaheim this season. They’ve scored just eight runs in three games against the Angels this week, three of which came in Monday’s extra inning when they were gifted a free baserunner in scoring position. They cannot and will not win this series.

But at least we can tell our grandkids we got to see George Klassen pitch.

Player of the Game: Quantrill allowed a run in five innings as he stepped back into the rotation. If the Rangers had the ability to treat the Angels like any of the other teams in the league have, he’d have a win tonight.

Up Next: The Rangers and Angels close out this series as the Rangers turn to deGrom — who I’m pretty sure cared more about just not having to move mid-year than any belief in Texas — hoping for their second win in Orange County in their final game at the Big A this season. RHP Walbert Urena will pitch for Anaheim.

Despite it being a getaway game, the Thursday night first pitch from Angel Stadium is scheduled for 9:07 pm CDT and coverage will be back on the Rangers Sports Network.

Dodgers left-hander Eric Lauer adjusted his cap and glanced into the stands as he walked off the field to a standing ovation.

In the Dodgers’ 4-2 win against the Kansas City Royals, completing a sweep at Dodger Stadium, Lauer held the Royals to two runs (one earned) in 6 ⅓ innings.

“It was really nice,” Lauer said, noting how much more enjoyable it was to pitch well at Dodger Stadium for the home team, instead of the opposition. “It always makes you feel good walking off the mound and having people appreciate what you did out there.”

The Dodgers (73-48) got home runs from Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Hunter Feduccia.

The Dodgers, with a short bullpen after playing extra innings twice in four games, needed Lauer to pitch deep into the game.

That plan seemed to be in jeopardy as he labored through the first three innings, his pitch count climbing to 64. But the next three, he only gave up just one walk.

“Wasn’t getting a ton of swing out of zone,” Lauer said. “So mentally I just had to lock in a little bit more in-zone, make sure I was throwing quality pitches in zone, and not try to be so fine. Give myself more plate to work with and try to get some quick soft contact.”

By the time he exited with one out in the seventh, he’d thrown 112 pitches, the most he’d thrown in a game since September 2024 (114 in 6 ⅔ innings against the Mets) and just three shy of his career high (8 ⅔ innings against the Dodgers in 2018).

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“Eric’s a smart player, been around,” manager Dave Roberts said. “And I say smart in the sense of understanding where our bullpen was at, and we had essentially everybody down. … It didn’t look great early as far as pitch efficiency, but he just recalibrated and kind of righted the ship, and it was really good.”

Right-hander Landon Knack finished the game and got his first save of the season.

Home runs from Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Hunter Feduccia provided all the offense the Dodgers needed to secure the victory.

Lauer, as a pitcher the Dodgers acquired in May to help them weather injuries, has pitched through uncertainty about his future with the team all year. He acknowledged as much as the trade deadline neared.

Still, he’s remained, through the trade deadline and IL activations, and steadied the rotation in the process.

Lauer has given up three or fewer runs in all but one of his 11 outings for the Dodgers And the Dodgers have won every game he’s pitched other than that rare clunker (four innings, six runs, 11 hits) against the Cubs at Wrigley Field last week.

The Dodgers rotation, however, will continue to evolve down the stretch.

In the coming weeks, the Dodgers probably have to clear room for right-hander Tyler Glasnow’s (back) return from the IL. He’s set to make his third minor-league rehab start later in the week.

And Ohtani, who has been hitting but not pitching for over a month, has progressed to long toss, although Roberts said he’s not sure when he’ll move to throwing bullpens.

The Dodgers’ rotation is steadily evolving into its final playoff form. Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been a steady presence at the top all season. Then they added left-hander Tarik Skubal before the trade deadline. And fellow two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell returned from the injured list to throw six innings of one-run ball Tuesday.

Right-hander Tyler Glasnow (back) is set to make his third minor-league rehab start later in the week. And Ohtani has progressed to long toss, although manager Dave Roberts said he’s not sure when he’ll move to throwing bullpens.

The Dodgers still, however, have rotation questions to answer come October. Though they probably will have only four starting spots to fill in the postseason — and Yamamoto, Skubal, Snell and Glasnow can be penciled in when healthy — Ohtani’s build-up adds an interesting wrinkle.

Read more:Dodgers' Freddie Freeman appears to avoid serious injury in fall down dugout steps

If he runs out of time to build up to a full starter’s workload, will the Dodgers use him as an opener in the postseason? And if so, who will follow him?

And how do the rest of the Dodgers’ starters — Roki Sasaki, who has put together an impressive last month, left-hander Justin Wrobleski, a 2026 All-Star who has gone through a recent rough patch, and Lauer, who turned around his season with a change in scenery — fit into their plans?

In the coming weeks, the Dodgers will have to clear room for Glasnow’s return from the IL. If they don’t move a starter to the bullpen, or decide Wrobleski could use some time to work through the issues that have sprung up in his last three starts, Lauer’s lack of minor-league options could make him a DFA candidate.

If Lauer eventually does end up as the odd man out in a roster crunch, he’s done plenty in 11 appearances with the Dodgers to prove he can be an asset to a contending team looking to reinforce its pitching staff. So, he’d draw attention from other teams on the waiver wire or as a free agent.

But he’s appeared to be on the bubble before. And he’s still here, providing consistency every week.

Freeman exits

Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman fell down the visiting dugout stairs while chasing a foul ball in the eighth inning. He remained in the game for the top of the eighth, but Tommy Edman hit for him in the bottom of the eighth and he was replaced in the ninth at first base by Kiké Hernández.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Los Angeles Dodgers star first baseman Freddie Freeman exited Wednesday's game against the Kansas City Royals after taking a hard fall in the top of the eighth inning.

Freeman was chasing a pop-up from Isaac Collins that veered into foul territory next to the first base dugout. He chased it onto the warning track as the ball continued to pull right before stopping and trying to lean over the gap, but the 36-year-old's momentum took him down the dugout steps.

Chasing a pop foul, Freddie Freeman falls down the stairs and into the dugout in a terrifying moment. Somehow he stays in the game. pic.twitter.com/SfM9IHssrZ

— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) August 13, 2026

Freeman was immediately attended to by security, Royals players and Miguel Rojas as he took a moment to gather himself, but appeared to be OK and ran back onto the field to chants of his name and a loud applause from Dodger fans in attendance.

He finished out the frame on defense but Tommy Edman pinch-hit in his place in the bottom of the eighth.

The Dodgers went on to beat the Royals 4-2.

Freddie Freeman injury update

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Freeman's left hand and shoulder took the brunt of the fall and that he felt it would be difficult for Freeman to take the next at-bat, which is why he subbed in Edman.

"He's sore," Roberts told reporters. "Hand, knee, foot, shoulder a little bit. But I think we really dodged a bullet. Very scary visually."

Roberts added that Freeman did not need X-rays and is considered day-to-day. The plan was already for Freeman to take a day off on Friday, but Roberts said he'll talk with his first baseman and see how he feels over the next few days.

"We really dodged a bullet."

Dave Roberts speaks with the media after the #Dodgers 4-2 win over Kansas City, addressing Freddie Freeman’s exit from tonight’s game. pic.twitter.com/Q0tfOv9j2A

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) August 13, 2026

Freeman spoke with reporters later Wednesday night and described himself as being "sore" but "in good spirits."

He said he didn't hit his head but his playing status for Thursday will likely be determined by "how I feel tomorrow when I wake up."

"I'm ok; this one's not my ankle... Everything on my right side is pretty sore."

After the #Dodgers 4-2 win over the Royals, Freddie Freeman (1-2, BB) talks with the media after leaving tonight's game with body soreness. pic.twitter.com/TtpsFEWc23

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) August 13, 2026

This story has been updated with new information.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Freddie Freeman exits Dodgers game after scary fall down dugout stairs

Wednesday night saw the Yankees offense explode for the first time in a long time.

The bats pushed across 10 runs, the most they've scored in almost a month, and they used that to grab victory after being down three runs early in their 10-5 win over the Mariners.

And while Trent Grisham's two home runs may steal headlines, rookie Spencer Jones put his stamp on this game in a big way. The outfielder drove in three runs on two hits (both doubles), but it was his first double in the third inning that shifted the momentum.

With the Yankees down 4-1, Jones came up against Bryce Miller with two outs and two runners on. Miller struck out Jones in his first at-bat, but the left-handed slugger battled, working a full count before driving a 97 mph fastball down in the zone off the left field wall to drive in two. While it didn't tie or give the Yankees the lead, manager Aaron Boone pointed out the hit as a turning point in the game.

"Miller beat him up with the fastball up with the punch in the first, but the more he saw in the second at-bat, laid off some tough ones," Boone said after the win. "Found his timing with the fastball….really big at-bat to get us back in the game and the guys took it from there."

Spencer Jones goes the other way off the wall to drive in a pair with a double! pic.twitter.com/aczJqVTLlK

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) August 13, 2026

"Feeling more comfortable, feeling better," Jones said of how he feels at the plate. "Better queues, kinda working through some stuff. And starting to do what I do."

Jones explained that those "queues" are what his body is doing at the plate: the stance, the swings and how his body feels. Since those have clicked, he's remembering how to move his body and his swing to mirror when he's seen success in his career.

And it has paid off.

While his overall numbers don't jump off the page -- a lot of that has to do with his first cup of coffee with the big league club in June -- with more starts and at-bats, Jones is becoming more comfortable facing major league pitching.

"Having professional at-bats every day," Boone said of what's different with Jones. "He understands some of his strengths and weaknesses. He’s done a good job of having a plan up there, and knowing what the pitcher’s strengths and weaknesses are. And he’s shown some adaptability at this level, which has been good."

The Yankees are trying to win without some of their top bats in Cody Bellinger, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge. Jones has stepped in and delivered production in their stead, especially in the clutch.

After his two doubles, Jones is hitting .282/.391/.590 (.981 OPS) in 46 PA with men on base this season, according to Katie Sharp.

He's also recorded 10 RBI over his last 13 games.

"I learned when I was young, when there’s runners on base, there’s really no pressure on you, the pressure is on the pitcher on the mound," Jones said of his ability to hit with RISP. "That’s how I always framed it. Guys are going to try and get you out; they’ll put stuff over the plate. And as long as you do your job and don’t go chasing, you’ll get a pitch to hit."

This stretch is the longest runway Jones has had in the majors. The injuries to Judge and Bellinger have facilitated more playing time for Jones, but earlier in the season, the young slugger didn't have that luxury, and he struggled and was eventually demoted.

So, what did the 25-year-old work on when he was back in Triple-A? Turns out, he needed to get back to being more relaxed.

"I need to slow things down. You try so hard to do a lot of things," Jones said. "For me, I’m a chill bird. I just need to relax and allow myself to do what I do and not force things. Settle into that mentality, not trying too hard, allowing things to happen has been the big difference." 

It started as a routine pop-up.

It ended in a frightening –– but, as of now, benign –– scene.

In the top of the eighth inning on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium, first baseman Freddie Freeman was tracking a pop fly in foul ground when he lost his footing at the edge of the visiting dugout and went tumbling straight down a flight of stairs.

He was forced to leave the game early, but was hopeful he had come away with only general body soreness.

“I haven’t really seen the replay yet, but I went to lean, like I was gonna lean against the rail to catch the ball, and obviously there was no rail,” Freeman said afterward. “It was an opening.”

Immediately, concern descended from all parts of the ballpark as the 36-year-old disappeared from sight.

Several of Freeman’s Dodgers teammates came racing over to his aid. Several more Kansas City Royals players also leapt off the bench to check on the former MVP. 

For several moments, with Freeman sprawled on the ground beneath the concrete overhang, the entirety of the crowd also seemed to be holding its collective breath.

“It’s definitely scary,” shortstop Mookie Betts said. “Anybody going down like that is.”

The good news: Freeman had fallen in a strangely fortunate spot.

He didn’t hit any of the steps coming down, instead flying straight onto a rubber landing behind the camera well in the first-base dugout. Beyond that, just as importantly, was another set of stairs that led further down to the clubhouse. While Freeman landed with a thud on his right side, his head avoided what could have been a violent collision with the ground.

“I think that’s what kind of saved me,” Freeman said. “I landed on that, and that’s what gave leeway for my head.”

Thus, Freeman finally got back to his feet and re-emerged on the field –– getting seranded with chants of “Fredd-ie! Fredd-ie!” as he returned to his position and played out the rest of the inning.

“I am sore,” he said. “Kneecaps are sore, shoulder is sore, hand is sore, wrist is sore. I mean, I fell. But I’m in good spirits. I’ve already cold-tubbed. I’ve done everything I needed to do to put myself in a position to be able to hopefully play tomorrow.”

That did not mean Freeman finished Wednesday’s game, getting pinch-hit for in the next half-inning of the Dodgers’ eventual sweep-clinching 4-2 win.

“When the adrenaline started to wear off, I kind of motioned in [to the dugout] like, ‘Hey guys, you guys might need to hit for me. It’s getting sore,'” Freeman said.

Upon his exit, however, Freeman felt confident he hadn’t suffered anything more than “total body soreness,” as manager Dave Roberts put it.

“I didn’t hit my head, so that was the key part,” he said.

The veteran slugger didn’t even undergo X-rays, only laughing about the exchange in which head trainer Thomas Albert had asked him.

 “Thomas asked if I needed an X-ray, and I said, ‘Do you want to do a whole-body X-ray?’” Freeman quipped. “He was like, ‘We can.’ But no, I’m OK.”

Freeman’s fall came at the end of an otherwise encouraging night at Chavez Ravine.

The Dodgers got home runs from Mookie Betts (who is heating up again, hitting 11-for-26 over the last week), Shohei Ohtani (on a go-ahead two-run blast in the third) and Hunter Feduccia (his first since being reacquired by the team at the trade deadline).

They got nine combined innings out of Eric Lauer (6 ⅓ innings, 2 runs, 1 earned) and Landon Knack (2 ⅔ scoreless on a night the bullpen was thin and he was called up from triple-A).

And after entering this homestand in a 1-8 tailspin, they leveled out their form with a narrow three-game sweep.

“Just a great sweep when we needed it,” Freeman said.

And one, the hope remains, that didn’t come at the cost of a freak injury to a star player in the dugout.

The Royals made Eric Lauer work and had the lead twice, but it was not enough as the Dodgers’ three long homers were enough to win 4-2.

The early game was back and forth. Neither offense was able to score in the first, but then it was all scoring for a bit. Daniel Lynch managed to strike out the side in the bottom of the first and looked like maybe the experiment to move him back to the rotation was bearing some fruit. In the second, the Royals got the scoring going with a two out rally. Tyler Tolbert battled for a walk and then promptly stole second base on the first pitch of Josh Rojas’ plate appearance. Josh rewarded Tyler’s speed by singling to right and giving the Royals a 1-0 lead.

That lead did not last very long. Lynch threw a decent bottom of the second, but he left one pitch middle middle to Mookie Betts who crushed it to left center for a solo home run and a tie ball game. Mookie has not hit well this year, but against the Royals in this series this got him to four extra base hits, so if he gets back on track it may be the Royals’ fault. To the third. The Royals first base runner was Jac Caglianone who hit a grounder up the middle. It looked like Betts would throw him out, but the throw went wide and into the dugout putting Cags on second base. Salvador Perez followed that by hitting the first pitch to the right side slowly but in just the right spot to clear both the first and second baseman. It went so slow to Kyle Tucker in right field that Jac was able to get home despite slowing up as he approached third. The Royals had the lead again 2-1.

In the bottom of the third, Lynch managed a groundout to start the inning, which brought up Miguel Rojas who slapped a ball down the third base line for a double. That brought it back to the top of the order and Shohei Ohtani, who struck out looking the first time up. He was ready this time as Daniel left a sinker up over the middle allowing Shohei to hit an opposite field blast and give the Dodgers their first lead of the night 3-2. This brought an end to Lynch’s night. Matt Quatraro called for Jose Cuas to come in from the bullpen. He got out of the inning with help of a caught stealing from Salvy. He would take care of the fourth as well.

Mason Black took the mound in the fifth for the Royals. The first batter he faced was Hunter Feduccia who got a pitch to his liking and hit the Dodgers’ third home run of the night and gave LA a 4-2 lead. Meanwhile, Eric Lauer had struggled to get through the first three innings had settled in and had a fairly easy 4th and 5th innings. Even pushing 90 pitches, he came back for the 6th and took care of Starling Marte and Carter Jensen with little drama. Isaac Collins managed to work a walk after the Dodgers lost their second challenge of the night leaving them without ABS help for the remainder. Another challenge quickly followed on a potential HBP for Tolbert, but Kansas City lost that challenge as well. Tolbert struck out and you would think Lauer’s day would end his day at 107 pitches with a solid six innings and a lead in the bank. He did come back out in the 7th to face Rojas and record one more out before being replaced by Landon Knack.

Luke Maile did take over for Salvy in the bottom of the 6th as the catcher and finished the rest of the game. It sounds like Salvador’s right elbow is barking and we will hopefully get more info over the next few days.

In the eighth inning, all the weird fly balls came out. Carter Jensen hit a ball sky high with one out and it was straight toward the mound. The pitcher, still Knack, thought someone would call him off, but no one did so it fell. Next up was Isaac Collins who also skied one this time toward the Royals dugout. Freddie Freeman tracked it and ended up falling down the dugout steps, though he seemed to be fine and stayed in the game. Regardless, the Royals managed to find no runs and continued with their two-run deficit.

Craig Kimbrel made his Royals debut in the 8th. Thanks to a double play, it was uneventful. It also did not matter. The Royals never mustered any more runs against Landon Knack who finished out the game. It was a sweep at the hands of the Dodgers. Hopefully, the team can have a better time in Anaheim before they wrap up this road trip.

The Dodgers have their first sweep of the second half, as they took care of business against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday with a 4-2 victory.

The early game jitters flared up again for Eric Lauer, as he left two men on in the top of the first inning. He was one out away from a perfect second inning, but he walked the speedy Tyler Tolbert before Josh Rojas drove him home with a single to right field.

Mookie Betts erased the Kansas City lead by smashing his second home run in as many games, tying the score at 1. It’s the first time Betts has hit home runs in consecutive games since doing so from June 24-27.

Lauer began the third inning by striking out Bobby Witt Jr., but a wild throw from Mookie Betts allowed Jac Caglianone to reach second. The error proved costly as Salvador Pérez attacked the first pitch he saw and drove home Caglianone on a single to give the Royals the lead again.

As quick as the Royals were to strike back, the Dodgers answered back against Lynch in the bottom of the third inning. Miguel Rojas put the tying run on base with a double before Shohei Ohtani took Lynch the other way for a go-ahead, two-run home run, giving the Dodgers the lead and knocking the southpaw out of the game.

The Dodgers wasted a leadoff single from Betts in the bottom of the fourth, but Hunter Feduccia helped pad the lead with a solo home run against Mason Black in the bottom of the fifth inning. It was just the third career home run for Feduccia, and his first hit in a Dodger uniform.

After allowing three consecutive baserunners in the top of the third inning, Lauer kept the Royals at bay the rest of the way. He retired 10 consecutive hitters until he allowed a two-out walk to Isaac Collins in the top of the sixth inning. He ended his night by striking out Josh Rojas to begin the top of the seventh inning while tossing a season-high 112 pitches, the first time his pitch count reached triple digits this year. After allowing six runs in his most previous start, Lauer allowed just two runs while striking out six, the most in any start as a Dodger.

Landon Knack nearly let the lead slip, as he allowed a pair of two-out singles, but he got Luke Maile to ground out to first to get out of trouble. Knack ended up getting the final eight outs in relief of Lauer, giving him the third save of his career.

Mookie Betts added a walk to his two hits in the bottom of the sixth inning, and he finished the three-game set with a batting average at .545 while smashing two home runs and driving in three.

The Dodgers still hold onto a 7 1/2 game lead over the San Diego Padres for the NL West lead, and with the Milwaukee Brewers having been swept by San Diego, the Dodgers are now just one game back for the best record in baseball.

Game particulars

• Home runs— Mookie Betts (15), Shohei Ohtani (27), Hunter Feduccia (3)
• WP— Eric Lauer (7-6): 6 1/3 IP, 4 hits, 2 runs (1 earned run), 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
• LP— Daniel Lynch IV (4-4): 2 1/3 IP, 3 hits, 3 earned runs, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts
• SV— Landon Knack (1): 2 2/3 IP, 2 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts

Up next

The Dodgers continue their homestand on Thursday as they begin a four-game set against the Milwaukee Brewers (7:10 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Roki Sasaki faces Shane Drohan.

Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman fell directly into the Kansas City Royals dugout in the top of the eighth inning trying to catch a foul popup, and left the game after the defensive inning.

Royals left fielder Isaac Collins lofted a pop up into foul territory on the first base side, and Freeman tracked it the whole way. He reached to try to catch the ball, but was right at the opening in the dugout with no railing, and tumbled directly down the steps. He did not catch the ball.

Amazingly, Freeman remained in the game, but only to finish the inning on defense.

In the bottom of the eighth, Freeman was set to lead off, but was pinch-hit for by Tommy Edman, as Freeman retreated to the clubhouse for treatment. Kiké Hernández took over at first base in the ninth inning.

Spencer Jones described himself as a “chill bird.”

In his first stint in The Bronx, though, he acted differently than that description.

“First time around, you try so hard to do a lot of things,” the outfielder said Wednesday. “For me, I’m a chill bird, I just need to relax and allow myself to do as I do, and not force anything.”

When he returned July 26, Jones was determined to be himself. The results have followed.

The latest example came in the Yankees’ come-from-behind 10-5 win over the Mariners at the Stadium. Jones had a pair of doubles and three RBIs as the Yankees won for the fourth time in five games.

Jones has been particularly effective with runners in scoring position, posting a .981 OPS in such situations spanning 46 plate appearances. He has a simple approach with men on base.

“I think something that I learned when I was young, that I’ve always liked, was that when there’s runners on base there’s really no pressure on you at the plate. It’s more so on the pitcher on the mound,” Jones said. “That’s kind of the way I’ve always framed it and just recognize that the guys are going to try to get you out, they’re going to put stuff over the plate. As long as you do your job and don’t go chasing, you’ll get a pitch to hit.”

Jones’ recent emergence — he had a big day in Saturday’s win over the Braves and ace Chris Sale, driving in two runs — has been significant as the injury-ravaged Yankees search for offense. He had one of the biggest hits Wednesday, a two-run double that cut a three-run deficit to one in the third inning. Two innings later, he pulled the Yankees even with another double.

“I feel like he has had some adjustability. You start with obviously his size and strength and speed, and real natural power. He touches it on the barrel, it’s getting hit hard,” manager Aaron Boone said.

“But I feel like he’s done a good job of having professional at-bats every day. He understands some of his strengths and weaknesses. He has been pretty good at having a plan going up there, and knowing what that pitcher’s strengths and weaknesses are and then making a plan for that. He has shown some adaptability at this level, which has been good.”

After a rough outing, Will Warren blamed his emotions more than his pitches. 

The Yankees starting pitcher was victimized by three home runs, each coming off a different pitch, but his outing might be most remembered for a ball that found grass rather than seats. 

In the second inning, Seattle’s Brendan Donovan lofted a high fly into shallow center. Trent Grisham’s first instinct was to jog in — he later acknowledged he got a bad read on the ball — before realizing the fly ball should be his. 

The epiphany came too late, and George Lombard Jr.’s helpless lunge with his back to the plate was unsuccessful. The ball dropped for a gift double, and TV cameras caught Warren yelling in frustration. 

“You got to be able to control your emotions,” Warren said after the 10-5 win over the Mariners in The Bronx. “I don’t think I did a very good job of that tonight, and that’s probably why I got ran out of there in the fifth.” 

The second-inning misplay would not haunt him — Warren eventually induced a double play from Taylor Ward — but there were several other pitches that might. 

Five batters into the game, the Yankees were down 3-0 because Randy Arozarena turned a sweeper that was not even in the strike zone into a two-run home run to right field — “Wow,” said manager Aaron Boone, who couldn’t believe Arozarena hooked the homer rather than sliced it into foul territory — and Julio Rodríguez redirected a four-seamer over the right field wall. 

In the third, Dominic Canzone demolished a changeup to right — the 397-foot drive was no porch job — and the Mariners added another in the fifth when Fernando Cruz could not strand a runner Warren left on base. 

“Overall, just behind in the count,” Warren said after he was charged with five runs in four-plus innings on six hits and four walks, “and they made me pay.” 

At this point, Boone doesn’t have any plans to test Luis García Jr.’s defensive flexibility in a game. But Boone left the door open for that to happen at some point — whether it’s later in 2026 or beyond. 

García, whom the Yankees acquired ahead of the trade deadline, played second base — and struggled doing so — with the Nationals before switching to first base full-time this year. But with a logjam at first base with Ben Rice, and second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. stumbling and a free agent in the offseason, García taking grounders at other positions, as he did before Tuesday’s game, could become a more common scene. 

“Yeah, we’ll see,” Boone said when asked about García playing another position. “Kinda had him making sure he works out there all the time, and you watch him and I feel like he’s got real natural actions to me. … Just watching him work and move and things like that, I feel like he could.” 

Boone brought up García’s defensive versatility unprompted before the game, when asked about García fitting into the clubhouse and adding value at first base. 

“I feel like there’s more in there for him defensively,” Boone said of the 26-year-old, who has played 508 games at second base, 70 at shortstop and 101 at first base throughout his career entering play Wednesday. García had a minus-seven Outs Above Average at second base, according to Baseball Savant, and a minus-17 Defensive Runs Saved last season, according to FanGraphs — capturing the risk involved with any potential position switch. 

But Boone and infield coach Dan Fiorito have been impressed by García’s arm, and Fiorito added that García can slow the game down when balls are hit at him and has good hands. 

“We’ll kinda wait and see where everything kind of transitions,” Fiorito told The Post. “I mean, you saw García out here [Tuesday] taking ground balls at second and third, and that’s something that we’ll do with all first basemen — just kinda like working around the infield, doing it for their athleticism standpoints. We’ll see what kind of things open up for us as the year progresses.” 

Kervin Castro, who was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with right elbow neuritis, could return this season, Boone said, although he might cut it close. 

The righty, who had been quietly effective in the bullpen (one run in 6 ⅓ innings), went down in late May with an injury that Boone said was similar and wound up sidelined for five weeks. There are six and a half weeks left in the season. 

Clarke Schmidt, who felt forearm cramping during a live batting practice Aug. 4, still has not returned to a mound. 

Schmidt, whom the Yankees have said has seen a doctor who believed the issue was just cramps rather than something more serious, has been throwing but on flat ground. 

“I know the last couple of days have gotten better each day throwing,” Boone said of Schmidt, who is hoping to return as a bullpen option this season after 2025 Tommy John surgery. 

Giancarlo Stanton (calf strain) ran the bases for a second straight day and appeared to come through OK. His next step, and if and when he would begin a rehab assignment, remains unclear.

Clippers 15, Storm Chasers 7

It was a massive game for the Clippers offense lead by number one prospect Ralphy Velazquez. He went 3-5 with 2 HRs and is officially starting to kick the door down. Will they call him up? Ralphy wasn’t the only Clipper to hit multiple HRs in this game. Guardians legend David Fry went 3-4 with two HRs and 6 RBIs, his AAA OPS is up to 1.209. Kody Huff went 2-5 with a HR of his own, and we also saw multi hit games from Cooper Ingle and Kyle Manzardo. All together the Clippers scored 15 runs on 15 hits with 9 walks to just 5 strikeouts. That’s a pretty great game offensively if you ask me.

Connor Brogdon, Trevor Stephan, and Daniel Espino all had scoreless innings in relief.

RubberDucks 4, Curve 3

The RubberDucks totaled just 4 hits tonight, but that can work when 3/4 of them were home runs. Ryan Cesarini homered yet again, along with Bennett Thompson and Dean Curley, who seems to be figuring it out at AA after a slow start.

Ryan Degges had another great start for the Ducks. He threw 4.1 scoreless innings while striking out 5 and walking 3. His ERA on the RubberDucks is still at 0.00.

Captains 4, Dragons 2

Welbyn Francisca juuust missed another home run tonight, he hit a line drive single that hit off the top of the wall and was limited to just a single. He went 2-4 and is now hitting .282 with a .932 OPS in High A. He just turned 20 years old a couple months ago so I don’t think they’ll do it, but I’d love to see him get a taste of AA this season. Jose Pirela welcome to High-A! He went 2-2 with a HR, a triple, and 2 walks. There’s a lot of swing and miss in his profile but he’s a tooled up kid with some real power potential, I hope he is able to figure it out.

Aidan Major made his High-A debut and allowed two runs in 4 innings pitched while striking out 4.

Howlers 1, Pelicans 3

The Howlers kept this from being an affiliate sweep tonight. They recorded just two total hits as a team.

Will Hynes had one of his better starts so far this season. He allowed just one earned run while striking out two batters in his 4 innings pitched. His ERA is down to 8.49 since being promoted to Hill City.

Well Tyler Mahle is two starts into his Braves’ tenure, but those two starts have been two of the best starts by a Brave not names Chris Sale this season, going 6.0 innings with strong strikeout numbers in each. There is one thing that definitely jumps out on his profile that the Braves may have changed and that is dramatically reducing his cutter usage, in favor of his four-seamer and splitter. It is also possible that they dropped his arm angle, but that is less clear from the season-long trends for him. If that can actually unlock a better version of Mahle, who has always had middle-of-the-rotation talent, that would be a huge win for the Braves and a huge feather in Jeremy Hefner’s cap.

Braves News

As much angst as there has been about Atlanta’s ABS savvy, often justifiably so, the Braves have been quite good on the defensive side of ABS.

Tyler Mahle twirled another gem, as the Braves secured another series win against the Mets, stretching the division lead to a massive 9.5 games in mid-August and 1.0 game behind Milwaukee for the #1 seed in the NL.

MLB News

Rays’ Yandy Diaz reached the threshold to secure his vesting option and a salary bump in the final year of his contract, as the Rays have the best record in baseball.

The Red Sox sent one of their top prospects, Harold Rivas to the Orioles as a player to be named later in the Adley Rutschman trade.

The Tigers placed Riley Greene on the IL with a hamstring strain.

Cubs Phil Maton is hitting the IL with a partially torn patellar tendon, but may be able to return this season.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs deconsecrated the St. Paul Saints (Twins), 7-6.

Braxton Garrett made his Cubs’ debut in this game and he had some major issues throwing strikes. Garrett only allowed one run on one hit over two innings, but he walked six batters while striking out just one. Only 29 of Garrett’s 62 pitches were strikes.

Hoby Milner pitched one inning on a rehab assignment. In the fifth inning, Milner gave up no runs, but did surrender one hit and allowed one run. He did not strike anyone out.

Connor Noland got the win in relief. Noland allowed three runs on seven hits over 3.2 innings. He struck out three and did not walk anyone.

Noland got in trouble in the ninth inning, giving up two runs and leaving runners on first and third with two outs when he was replaced by Tyler Ferguson. Ferguson threw one pitch, got a ground out to first base and collected the save.

The I-Cubs were held scoreless for the first five innings until right fielder Kevin Alcántara hit a two-run home run, his 19th on the year. (Or 20th if you count the one at Wrigley.) The Jaguar was 2 for 4 with a double and the home run.

Iowa took the lead for good with a five-run seventh inning, highlighted by a two-run home run by first baseman BJ Murray. It was Murray’s 14th this year. He went 1 for 5.

Left fielder Jordan Nwogu was 2 for 3 with a walk. He scored once and drove in two.

Second baseman Owen Miller went 2 for 4 with a double and a run scored.

The first Jaguar in orbit is Kevin Alcántara.

Big two-run single for Nwogu.

Murray’s home run tonight may not have landed in a cornfield, but it counts the same.

Justin Dean robs the Twins’ top prospect of extra bases.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies caged the Rocket City Trash Pandas (Angels), 7-1.

Connor Schultz started and took the win after allowing just one run on five hits over five innings. Schultz walked one and struck out one.

Shelby Miller pitched the sixth inning on a rehab appearance and struck out the side in order on 14 pitches.

DH Alex Ramírez hit a two-run double in the seventh inning. Ramírez went 2 for 5 and scored one run.

First baseman Miguel Useche doubled twice in a 2 for 5 night. He scored once and drove in one.

Catcher Ariel Armas went 3 for 4 with an RBI single in the sixth inning.

Second baseman Drew Bowser was 2 for 4 with an RBI single.

Left fielder Carter Trice bangs into the wall, but hangs on to the catch.

The Ramírez two-run double.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs were driven mad by the Great Lakes Loons (Dodgers), 11-3. The start of this game was delayed by 88 minutes.

Braylon Myers threw the first 2.1 innings and took the loss after he was charged with three runs on three hits. Myers walked three and struck out one.

Shortstop Angel Cepeda was 1 for 3 with a walk and two steals. He was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the eighth inning for one RBI.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans quieted the Hill City Howlers (Guardians), 3-1.

Jubrayker Salaya made his Low-A debut and pitched three innings. He allowed one unearned run on one hit. He struck out two and walked one.

Next up, Victor Zarraga threw three scoreless innings and got the win. Zarraga allowed just one baserunner, a hit batter, but then erased him in a double play so he faced the minimum. Zarraga struck out two.

The Pelicans divided the nine innings equally between three pitchers, and Julio Valdez got the three-inning save. Valdez gave up no runs on just one hit. He struck out two and walked one.

Right fielder Eli Lovich was 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored.

Center fielder Ethan Conrad was 1 for 4 with a double.

Highlights:

At first, Wednesday emerged as an instance of Trent Grisham struggling in center field — despite the public support of Aaron Boone one day prior, despite the Yankees having another option in Spencer Jones who could play there and a dip at the plate not helping his case.

But by the end of the night, when the Yankees’ 10-5 win concluded, Grisham’s best offensive game in months made that — and his rough season at the plate at large with a $22 million contract — an afterthought.

Grisham crushed two homers, collected three hits and drove in four runs, delivering his second multihomer game of the season and ninth of his career.

He has collected multiple hits in three consecutive games, which tied his career best. And Grisham has gone 8-for-14 over his last four games, capturing one of his best stretches of the season as he attempts to fix a brutal start. 

“I don’t think he gets swung emotionally very much by highs and lows,” Boone said. “The reality is he’s putting together a lot of good at-bats right now for us, and we know that’s what he’s capable of — of setting the tone for us.” 

Grisham admitted that he wanted a better read on the ball off Brendan Donovan’s bat at the start of the second inning, which had an exit velocity of 70 mph and an expected batting average of .170, according to Baseball Savant. The shallow fly ball into center field started with Grisham slowly jogging in.

Shortstop George Lombard Jr. ended up wildly attempting to dive for it, tumbling to the ground as Donovan sprinted into second with a double. 

“It felt like the ball was up there long enough that a play could’ve been made if everyone got the right jump on it,” said Boone, who added that he still needed to watch the replay to see Grisham’s read. 

But the Yankees escaped the inning unscathed, and with two outs in the fifth inning, Grisham crushed a first-pitch sinker 364 feet to right field.

He drove in Lombard with a double in the seventh before adding his 15th homer of the season in the eighth, giving him three in the last four games. 

“Earlier in my career, I’ve gotten really high and really low, really emotional,” Grisham said. “What I’ve seen in the better players across the league usually just kinda stay even-keeled. … So I just try to emulate that as much as I can.” 

By the time the Yankees’ game ended Aug. 2, Grisham’s average had dipped to .211, the lowest it’d been since early June. His career season in 2025 kept fading.

But even with his power down one season after a career-best 34 homers, Grisham, at least for this 10-day stretch has started to ease some of those concerns.

“Hitting the ball in the seats and the gap,” Boone said, “I’ll sign up for that.”