Category: MLB

Hello, friends.

Here’s my hot take: It’s more fun when the Orioles win than when they lose. Yesterday, as they stopped themselves from getting swept by the White Sox with a 6-1 victory, we saw a glimpse of what this team could be if enough of its pieces regularly came together. Dean Kremer returned from the injured list and pitched great, Tyler O’Neill hit a homer and made a good play on defense, and the bullpen didn’t spoil it. Check out my recap of the game for more of the lovely totals.

A challenge that’s been in front of the Orioles all year is the need to stack together some wins. They have rather infuriatingly not been able to do it yet. Each time they fail to do so, the next opportunity becomes that much more urgent. The Wednesday win puts them at 40-48, 4.5 games out of the wild card but with five teams to pass. The math gets tough in a hurry if they don’t start fixing some of their problems, especially considering the inflection point of the trade deadline (August 3) being much closer than the end of the season.

They won’t have a chance to do that today since they’re off today. Waiting for them next are the Cincinnati Reds, a team that was strong through the end of April but stunk it up in May and June. Although they have a better record than the Orioles, Cincinnati is farther out of the postseason picture in the NL than the O’s are in the AL. That’s the way it goes. The Orioles could play well against the Reds or they could have another one of these sleepwalk series. They are capable of good things! That’s what makes the bad ones showing up so often such a source of frustration.

In less major league-focused news, MLB announced the rosters for the 2026 edition of the Futures Game on Wednesday. The game will be played at noon on July 12 in Philadelphia. I think it’s kind of a shame they don’t even give these players prime time billing, but that’s a whole separate thing. Most teams have two players who made one of the rosters. That’s true of the Orioles as well. Two of their 2025 high draft picks are going to be on the roster: outfielder/first baseman Ike Irish, and pitcher Joseph Dzierwa.

Irish recently cracked MLB Pipeline’s updated top 100 list, checking in at #84. He’s doing well for himself in High-A Frederick, hitting .266/.388/.467 so far this season. Dzierwa may not be on any top lists yet but he’s getting more hype within Birdland for his results in Frederick and then with Chesapeake. The 22-year-old lefty has a 0.917 WHIP between High-A and Double-A, with 96 strikeouts in 76.1 innings. His results did not drop off after being promoted. It’s exciting. These guys being recognized is nice for them. Hopefully they get to make the most of the chance to make some good memories.

A year ago, the Orioles had outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. and pitcher Keagan Gillies as their representatives in the game. I think that’s a step up in prospect quality this year, for whatever that ends up being worth.

Orioles stuff you might have missed

Ryan Helsley experiences elbow discomfort warming up in Orioles win (The Baltimore Banner)
Yesterday’s win did not come without a cost. Helsley didn’t even make it out from the bullpen warmup before hurting too much to enter the game. He was already on the IL with elbow inflammation this year. Hopefully the next bit of news isn’t “the big one.”

Recapping the series of roster moves before Wednesday’s game (School of Roch)
A flurry of roster activity was involved in activating Kremer to make the start, plus adding a fresher reliver in Cameron Weston. More may be coming if Helsley’s situation turns into “put him on the IL right away.”

Creed Willems is forcing an interesting conversation (Orioles on the Verge)
What do you do with a guy OPSing .798 at Norfolk who’s seemingly blocked at any position the Orioles might have him play?

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

Today in 2013, the Orioles traded Jake Arrieta and Pedro Strop to the Cubs for Scott Feldman. This did not turn out to be a good idea.

There are a pair of former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2018-19 reliever Pedro Araújo, and 1963 pitcher Pete Burnside.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: author Hermann Hesse (1877), Baltimore native Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall (1908), Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas (1932), stock car racer Richard Petty (1937), musician Michelle Branch (1983), and gold medal judoka Kayla Harrison (1990).

On this day in history…

In 1644, the English Civil War saw its largest battle as an allied force of Parliamenterians and Scottish Covenanters fought Royalists in the Battle of Marston Moor. The battle, waged by over 40,000 men across both sides, was a victory for the Parliamenterian side in part thanks to an Oliver Cromwell-led cavalry charge. The Royalist defeat limited their ability to gather further strength from a generally sympathetic north of England.

In 1776, the Second Continental Congress approved the Lee Resolution, which proclaimed all ties with Great Britain to be severed by an independent United States. More well-known today is July 4, since this is when the Declaration of Independence’s text was approved by the Congress.

In 1863, Colonel Joshua Chamberlain and his 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry repulsed the Confederate attackers at Little Round Top in Gettysburg with a downhill bayonet charge. This was only one pillar of the Union’s defense in the three-day battle.

In 1937, Amelia Earhart made her last radio contact, after which she disappeared while attempting to make an around-the-world flight across the equator.

**

And that’s the way it is in Birdland on July 2. Have a safe Actual Independence Day.

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? ($)

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:L, 9-5 vs. Norfolk Tides

3B Jonathan Ornelas 1-4, BB, K
C J.C. Escarra 3-5, 2B, K
2B Marco Luciano 2-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI, K — has had a hell of a year, 15 homers and .957 OPS across two levels
RF Yanquiel Fernández 1-4, 2B, BB, K
1B Tyler Hardman 0-4, BB, 3 K, SB
DH Ernesto Martinez Jr. 0-4, BB, 3 K
LF Kenedy Corona 1-3, BB, K
CF Duke Ellis 0-3, RBI, K, SF
SS Owen Cobb 0-4, K, fielding error

Don Hamel 6 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 3 K, 1 HR (loss)
Eric Reyzelman 0.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 HR
Angel Chivilli 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K — has been sharp in Triple-A this season
Dylan Coleman 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K

Double-A Somerset Patriots:W, 5-3 vs. Hartford Yard Goats

CF Trent Grisham 1-3, 2B, BB — hard double in the fourth inning
1B John Cristino 0-1, K
DH Jace Avina 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, BB — great year continues, 16 dingers
RF Jackson Castillo 2-3, 2B, RBI, BB
LF DJ Gladney 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI
3B Coby Morales 1-4, 3B, 2 K
C Miguel Palma 0-3, BB, K
1B Josh Moylan 1-4, 2 K, GIDP
SS Kevin Verde 0-4, K
2B Connor McGinnis 2-4, K , fielding error

Xavier Rivas 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R (0 ER), 2 BB, 4 K — Somerset pitching combined for 19 (!) strikeouts, a franchise record
Miguel Arias 1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 2 HR
Trent Sellers 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
Hayden Merda 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K (win)
Chris Kean 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (hold)
Tony Rossi 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (save) — first save of the season for Tony

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades:L, 5-3 vs. Wilmington Blue Rocks

2B Kaeden Kent 0-4, BB, K
SS Core Jackson 1-4, 2B, K
RF Wilson Rodriguez 1-4, RBI, K, CS
C Eric Genther 2-3
1B Kyle West 2-4
3B Roderick Arias 1-2, 2 RBI, BB, K, SF
DH Enmanuel Tejeda 1-3
CF Camden Troyer 0-4
LF Robbie Burnett 0-3, BB, K

Luis Serna 6 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 6 K, 1 HR (loss)
Andrew Landry 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Wilmy Sanchez 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 HR
Thomas Balboni Jr. 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K

Low-A Tampa Tarpons:W, 6-0 at St. Lucie Mets

SS Jackson Lovich 3-5, RBI, K
2B Hans Montero 1-4, BB, K
C Luis Puello 0-3, BB, 2 K
RF Logan Maxwell 3-4, 3 RBI, BB, K
3B Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 0-3, 2 BB, K
CF Brando Mayea 0-4, BB, K
LF JoJo Jackson 1-2, BB
PR-RF Isael Arias 0-1
1B David McCann 1-4, RBI, 2 K
DH Ediel Rivera 1-4, 3 K

Thatcher Hurd 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K (win) — 2024 third-rounder had a ten-run disaster start in May, but has been nails since
Brian Hendry 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Jose Martinez 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Jordarlin Mendoza 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K

Florida Complex League Yankees:W, 9-8 (9) vs. FCL Tigers — game was called with none on and two out in the top of the ninth due to inclement weather

3B Richard Matic 0-4, BB, 2 K
CF Wilberson De Pena 0-3, 2 K, SB
DH Queni Pineda 1-1, HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 3 SB
2B Leni Done 1-2, BB, 2 SB
LF Jose Castro 1-3, HR, 3 RBI, BB, SB
RF Francisco Vilorio 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K
SS Dexters Peralta 2-3, HR, 2 RBI, BB, 2 SB — ten steals for the Yanks in this one
C Justin Capellan 0-4, 2 K, SB, CS
1B Diego Flores 0-3, 3 K

Sunayro Martina 2.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Marco Manzano 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K (win)
Brian Arias 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Jorge Luna 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 0 K
Rafael Arias 2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Austin Breedlove 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (save)

Dominican Summer League Yankees: Off-day.

Dominican Summer League Bombers: Off-day.

It’s July — the trade deadline is in sight!

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to publish a series of articles that survey the league’s trade landscape as it relates to the Brewers. We’re going to start by looking at the team’s needs and surveying the league to see who might be selling before the August 3 deadline. In the following weeks, we’ll look at specific targets that could be available at the Brewers’ positions of need.

So — what are those positions of need?

Need #1: a high-leverage reliever

The most obvious place, and in my opinion, the most realistic place, that the Brewers could upgrade is the bullpen. Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe have both turned it around after shaky starts to the season, but beyond them, the Brewers can’t feel great about the state of this group.

Aaron Ashby leads the league in wins, but he’s being worked hard and hasn’t been as effective as he has been the previous two years. Ashby has 39 appearances, tied for the second-most in the National League, and his 50 innings pitched are sixth in the league among players who’ve primarily relieved this season. Given Ashby’s swingy history, he might be able to keep up this pace, but he’s been plagued by command issues this season; Ashby currently has his worst ERA, FIP, WHIP, H/9, HR/9, and BB/9 since he missed the 2023 season with shoulder issues (though it should be acknowledged that his strikeout numbers are the best of his career).

Chad Patrick’s recent issues are troublesome. After he looked so great in last year’s postseason, it looked like he was ready to be a high-leverage reliever, and he excelled in that role after moving back to the bullpen in early May. But the last three weeks have been bad; in six outings between June 10 and June 27, Patrick allowed 14 runs, all earned, in just 9 2/3 innings. His meltdowns contributed directly to two losses in those six games. Whether Patrick finds it again could be a sneaky harbinger of the Brewers’ success this season, and his last two outings have been scoreless, so we’ll see.

There are more questions. Grant Anderson doesn’t profile as a high-leverage guy. Shane Drohan has pitched well out of the bullpen, but he’s more of a long-relief guy than a high-leverage one. DL Hall looked good early but is again injured. Jared Koenig is back in the big leagues, but he’s working with diminished velocity and is a huge question mark. Craig Yoho may or may not be ready to contribute at the major league level, but it doesn’t look like he’s going to be given enough leash to prove anything. Joel Kuhnel is not the answer.

The Brewers have two high-leverage relievers, Megill and Uribe, even if their numbers this season aren’t as good as previous years. (I’m particularly unbothered by Megill’s “step back” — he struggled early but has a 1.33 ERA and 0.84 FIP (!) since April 14.) Depending on how you feel about Ashby, they might have three. At this point, there are too many questions around the other guys for me to consider them reliable.

This is certainly an area worth upgrading, but it’s tricky. Relievers are notoriously fickle, and the Stearns/Arnold Brewers’ track record on relievers acquired at the deadline — of which there are quite a few — is bleak. While the current front office has not shown a ton of aggression in the mid-season trade market, they have traded for at least one relief pitcher every trade deadline since 2017, barring the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

The stakes feel higher this season, and the proverbial cupboard is loaded. This feels to me like the most realistic place to make a meaningful upgrade to the roster.

Need #2: another starter?

It seems almost silly how much starting pitching major league teams need in 2026. Milwaukee started the season with 11 guys who could reasonably compete for a starting job with the Brewers, and that doesn’t include Ashby or Hall.

Well, here we are in early July, and nine of those 11 guys have started a game in the big leagues, the 10th is out for the season, and the 11th has pitched in long relief in the majors and is currently on the IL. The front office correctly identified that you need that many guys to get a pitching staff through a whole season, and their recent offseason moves have reflected that.

But do the Brewers need more? Quinn Priester is out for the season. Logan Henderson has missed time and will need to prove he can stay healthy. Carlos Rodriguez wouldn’t be much help even if he were healthy. Coleman Crow doesn’t quite look ready to contribute to winning yet, and he’s on the IL, too.

That leaves seven of those 11 guys healthy, but Chad Patrick is pitching out of the bullpen at the moment, Shane Drohan has been better from the bullpen (and probably belongs there, if not for all the injuries), and another, Robert Gasser, has yo-yoed between Nashville and Milwaukee this season. Brandon Sproat has looked great his last few times out, but he has a lot to prove. Brandon Woodruff looks healthy, but that will be a question all season.

Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison have both been excellent. But Harrison, at least, will need to prove that he can keep up his excellent level of play through a whole season, and particularly in the postseason when high-powered opponents will have scouted the crap out of him. Both of these pitchers —and this is also true of Henderson, Drohan, and Crow, too — will be running into innings pitched issues.

There are two ways the Brewers could go here if they choose to make a move. They could make a huge swing for one of the top arms available, or they could look for an innings eater to take some of the pressure and innings from the young guys. Both approaches have their merits and their risks.

Need #3: offensive help

It feels like a broken record to say that the Brewers need a power bat, so I’m not exactly going to say that they need a power bat. I’m instead going to suggest that they should at least explore the possibility of acquiring someone who will help offensively. The Brewers are not a bad offensive team, but they are a team that can look bad, and they are definitely a team that can have a three-hitter black hole in the lineup. That might be a big problem in the postseason.

The question here is how you go about upgrading the offense in a manner that is both a) realistic and b) logical, from a fit perspective.

One truth needs to be spoken: the Brewers are not going to bury Christian Yelich, at least not in the regular season. After a good first couple of weeks, Yelich has been alarmingly poor at the plate for most of the last two months. Since April 7, which was just the 11^th game of the season, Yelich is batting just .225/.313/.350 with only four home runs in 40 games. Worse, his Statcast page is the worst it has ever been; he’s not only not driving the ball with authority, but he’s also swinging and missing a ton. Yelich continues to be generally disciplined about not swinging at balls, but he’s whiffing way more than he ever has.

Moving Yelich into a strict platoon could help, though he’s barely been better against right-handed pitching than he has been against left-handed pitching in 2026. (His career numbers indicate a platoon could be beneficial.) But we probably need to accept the fact that Yelich — who makes about $24 million dollars a year for two more years after this one — is going to be around and will be in the lineup more often than not. This is ironic, as one of the most interesting ways in which the Brewers have exceeded expectations relative to their peers over the last few years has been by not playing players who aren’t helping, an action which is directly related to the fact that they don’t have many older, highly paid players. But it’s hard for me to see a scenario where Yelich’s playing time is reduced to anything other than a strong-side platoon role, and who knows — a couple of adjustments could get him right again.

Figuring out where this new bat would fit in is a challenge. The obvious answer would be third base: the single easiest way to upgrade the offense would be to acquire a third baseman who can hit, regardless of the side of the plate, but more likely as a right-handed hitter. The pickings are quite slim, which we’ll look into in a later installment.

Another option could be an outfielder. Milwaukee has been playing Blake Perkins frequently against left-handed pitching, and while he’s borderline competent from the right side of the plate and good in the field, that could certainly be upgraded. (Brandon Lockridge’s return could change this a bit, but while Lockridge is likely an upgrade on Perkins and is an overall useful player, he’s not exactly “short-term offensive upgrade” material. The same could be said for Luis Lara.) Jake Bauers has been getting starts against left-handed pitching, but has been just slightly above average; a good platoon bat would be an upgrade. It would also prevent you from situations where the lineup against a left-handed starter would include both Joey Ortiz and Perkins, plus one of Bauers, Garrett Mitchell, or Sal Frelick in a platoon disadvantage.

Given the numbers on the roster, a right-handed bat makes the most sense for an upgrade. Positionally, it looks like that would need to be either an outfielder or a third baseman, unless you were okay with acquiring an Andrew Vaughn-type that would be used essentially strictly as a soft-side platoon option with Yelich.

Who’s selling?

Now to the part that makes everything complicated: the league has kind of sucked this year. The Brewers, at 53-31, are one of just seven teams league-wide with a win percentage above .550. Right now, the leaders of the AL Central, the White Sox, are just 45-40. The leaders of the AL West, the Rangers (did you know that the Rangers were leading the AL West?) and Mariners, are both just 44-43.

This means a lot of bad teams still have hope. The Royals are last in the American League with a 35-52 record, but even they are only nine games back of a Wild Card spot. Only four teams in the AL — the Tigers, Red Sox, Royals, and Angels — are more than 5.5 games back of a Wild Card spot:

• The Tigers are in their last year with Tarik Skubal. They’ll probably trade him, but they might also decide to keep him and make a run at it.
• The Red Sox have an interim manager (and fired most of the rest of their coaching staff, too).
• The Royals will probably sell, but they’re not going to do anything that meaningfully damages their immediate future, given that they have one of the brightest young stars in the league.
• The Angels are interesting because they’re now under the management of John Mozeliak. It’s unclear how much power he has to reshape the team, given his “interim” role, but the Angels seem to think they’re in it every year, so I don’t see them selling off any major pieces. Beyond those, there’s not much here.

There are a few other AL teams that could sell if they don’t see their place in the standings improve in the next month. The Orioles, like the Red Sox, are way back in their own division and are eight games under .500, but again, they sit just 4.5 games back in the Wild Card. Minnesota has also hardly inspired confidence, and they are five games under .500, but the AL Central is totally up for grabs, especially with José Ramírez missing from the Guardians’ lineup. The Astros and Athletics, likewise, could turn into sellers with a bad July.

The National League is a little bit different; each division has at least one team that’s clearly ahead of the rest. But there’s a bit of a gap between the second and third Wild Card in the NL, and there are currently six teams separated by just three games in the running for the third and final Wild Card.

The NL teams likely to be sellers if nothing improves dramatically in the next month are:

• The Reds, though they also have a lot of pieces worth building around.
• The Giants, who are a high-priced disaster.
• The Mets, who are an even-higher-priced, bigger disaster.
• The Rockies, a perpetual disaster that could finally be ready to make smart decisions.

The teams that could go either way include:

• The Cardinals, who currently sit tied for the last Wild Card spot but who have a -10 run differential.
• The Marlins, who are overperforming expectations (and are always eager to get rid of anyone who might cost them anything), but were the best team in baseball in June.
• The Padres, another team firmly in the mix but with a negative run differential.
• The Pirates, who will probably not sell because this is the closest they’ve been to competing in a long time.
• The Nationals, about whom you could say the same.
• The Diamondbacks, who are playing roughly .500 baseball despite a -24 run differential.

There’s one other consideration that could affect the market: the CBA situation. If low-payroll teams think there’s a chance that there’s a salary floor in 2027, they could figure it makes sense for them to keep higher-priced veterans rather than trading them for more minor league or league-minimum contracts, rather than face the prospect of filling out their rosters by giving a bunch of money on a one-year deal to a lower-tier free agent just to get to the floor.

We’ll have to watch and see how the next month plays out to know for sure who will be available, but in the coming weeks we’ll look at some possible targets.

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.