Category: MLB

The hot weather in Kansas City appeared to agree with Aaron Nola. The Phillies’ starter pitched his best start of the season, going seven innings while giving up three runs. Unfortunately, it was wasted because the Phillies’ offense and bullpen came up small in a 5-2 loss.

In the first inning, it didn’t look like it was going to be a good day for Nola. With one man on and two outs, Nola gave up a double to Lane Thomas and a single to Michael Massey to put the Phillies in a 0-2 hole.

Things improved in the second. With two men on and two outs, Nola got Bobby Witt, Jr. out to end the threat. That seemed to settle Nola down, and he pitched clean innings in the third and fourth.

The Phillies’ offense was racking up zero run innings of their own against an unspectacular array of pitchers. Starter Luinder Avila came in with a 5.40 ERA, but he limited the Phillies to one run in five innings. The only damage they did against him was in the fifth when they cut the lead to 2-1 in the fifth on a Bryson Stott triple and a Gabriel Rincones sacrifice fly.

The Royals got that run right back in the bottom of the inning thanks to two hits and a sacrifice fly of their own.

The Royals handed the Phillies a run in the seventh by botching two potential double plays. Stott led off with a single, and after Rincones flied out, Justin Crawford hit a ball to third base that looked like it might end the inning. Instead, Josh Rojas threw the ball into right field giving the Phillies runners at the corners.

Garrett Stubbs then hit a comebacker to the mound, but pitcher John Schreiber double clutched on his throw to second. The delay let Stubbs beat the relay throw to first, allowing Stott to score a run.

That was it for the Phillies’ offense. The Royals bullpen isn’t well thought of, but they didn’t give up any earned runs in four innings and retired the final seven batters in order. The top five batters in the Phillies’ lineup went a combined 1-18, and Bryce Harper had a particularly rough game. He struck out three times and had two decisive ABS challenges go against him.

Nola’s day was over after seven, and if nothing else, he kept the game close. Once he left the game, the Phillies’ bullpen made it not so close. Seth Johnson walked two batters, and Kyle Backhus gave up a double to Perez that scored them, essentially sealing the game for the Royals.

The Phillies might have played as if it was a getaway game, but the series will continue tomorrow afternoon when Cristopher Sanchez takes the mound looking to secure a series victory. Hopefully, Sanchez will pitch the way we’re accustomed to, and this time, the rest of the team will follow suit.

Jorge Polanco is finding his power during his rehab assignment. 

The slugging Mets infielder was back in action with Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday afternoon, and he lifted his second homer over the past three games. 

That was Polanco’s lone hit across four at-bats, but it’s good to see him tapping into his power again as he continues working his way back. 

The two-run blast came on a 1-1 sweeper in the heart of the zone, and he lifted it 360 feet to right.

Mets interim manager Andy Green said on Saturday night that the team has been encouraged by how Polanco has done coming back from his Achilles injury. 

While he’s doing well, Green did say it’s still premature to target a return date yet. 

The plan is for Polanco to play with Syracuse again Tuesday, then the team will see how he’s doing from there. 

The veteran is expected to mainly handle DH duties upon his return. 

The Mets came into the Sunday game against the Braves mired in a serious funk. They had lost three straight games and twelve of the last fourteen games. They needed to turn it around, and given the state of their rotation, they had their best chance with Nolan McLean on the mound. They were facing Martín Pérez, who was in the midst of one of the best seasons of his career, with a 3.27 ERA going into the game. But rain in the area pushed the game off its 12:30 PM start time, threatening to complicate the game further for a Mets team in desperate need of an easy afternoon.

After a lengthy rain delay of nearly two hours, the game was finally underway at Truist Park, with Francisco Lindor leading off. He hit a groundball right to Austin Riley, but Riley bobbled the ball which allowed Lindor to reach first safely. Juan Soto hit a single and was thrown out attempting to stretch it into a double, but Lindor was able to reach third. Bo Bichette then hit a soft single to left, driving in Lindor as the game’s first run. Pérez was able to get out of the sticky situation (after making it even stickier with a walk of Mark Vientos to put two runners on) but the Mets ended the top of the first with the lead.

In the bottom of the inning, the Mets predictably immediately blew their lead. McLean hit Drake Baldwin with a pitch then gave up a double to Ozzie Albies to put two runners in scoring position with no outs. Tyrone Taylor made a great sliding catch to record the first out of the inning while saving a run from coming in to score. But a Michael Harris II single drove both runners in to give the Braves the lead. Nolan McLean then tried to throw over to first to try and pick off Harris, but he threw it at Harris, which then bounced away from Vientos and allowed Harris to advance to third. Mauricio Dubón then hit a single to drive in Harris as the Braves’ third run of the inning. A Dominic Smith double play got the Mets out of the inning but it took just three outs to take the Mets from winning to losing by multiple runs.

The Mets did something no one expected in the top of the second: they bounced back. A.J. Ewing led off with a solo home run to center field, putting the Mets back by just one run. A Luis Torrens walk and a Brett Baty double mirrored the Braves start to the last half inning, then a Lindor single tied the game up at three runs apiece. Soto hit a single to right, driving in both baserunners and putting the Mets back ahead. The Mets big inning ended there, but a four run inning put them back ahead and was the first show of resilience they had had in a while.

The game was quiet after that point, with McLean going six innings and allowing just the three runs (only two of them earned), with five strikeouts and just one walk. The next two Mets relievers who came in after him, Brooks Raley and Luke Raley delivered two scoreless innings to keep the Mets ahead by two runs. The Mets exploded in the ninth, beginning with a solo home run from Tyrone Taylor to add on a run to their lead. After two consecutive outs, the Mets offense exploded, with a Baty single and consecutive walks by Lindor and Soto loading the bases. A Bichette double drove in two runs, and a Jared Young (brought in a few innings earlier to pinch hit for Vientos) single drove in two more to put the Mets ahead by seven runs.

But it is the Mets of course, and nothing ever comes easy, even with a seven run lead. Huascar Brazoban came in, with a sparkling 1.94 ERA on the season and a nice cushy lead. He gave up two consecutive singles and then committed a throwing error to allow a run to score. No big deal, they still had a six run lead. A single and a walk then loaded the bases, and after a strikeout, Drake Baldwin hit a grand slam. A grand slam. Four runs. A seven run lead dwindled back down to two runs. Devin Williams was brought in to put Brazoban out of his misery, and at first looked like an improvement, getting the second out by striking out Albies. But then he gave up a double to Olson, who advanced to third on a wild pitch. Then Harris hit a single driving in Olson and putting the Braves within one run. Two outs earlier then had a seven run lead. A Mauricio Dubón single put two runners on, but Dominic Smith struck out and the Mets clung to their lead for the win.

A win is a win, but this was one of the ugliest wins of the season for the Mets, one that essentially felt like a loss by the end. They have one more game against the Braves tomorrow, with a chance to head home with a series split. They have Freddy Peralta taking the mound, which has been an uphill battle for a win as of late.

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Win Probability Added

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Brooks Raley, +15% WPA
Big Mets loser: Carson Benge, -10% WPA
Mets pitchers: +24% WPA
Mets hitters: +26% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Devin Williams striking out Dominic Smith in the ninth, +24.4% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Mauricio Dubón’s single in the ninth inning, -14.5% WPA

Edwin Díaz insists he did nothing wrong.

After facing live batters for the first time Sunday since undergoing elbow surgery in April, the Dodgers’ reliever pushed back against allegations linking him to illegal cockfighting in Puerto Rico.

“I’ve been doing that before because, like the story said, that’s legal in Puerto Rico,” Díaz said.

USA Today published a story in May highlighting social media posts advertising cockfighting tournaments that picture Díaz in his Dodgers uniform. The story also referenced a story in El Nuevo Día, the largest circulating newspaper in Puerto Rico, quoting Díaz.

No one from Major League Baseball has reached out to Díaz about a possible suspension, he said.

Read more:Dodgers' Eliezer Alfonzo to start after his sister and stepmother died in Venezuela

“They didn’t reach out to me because I wasn’t doing anything illegal,” Díaz said.

In 2019, a federal law banning cockfighting took effect in Puerto Rico. Before the law, the blood sport had been made illegal in all 50 states, but not U.S. territories. Many Puerto Ricans saw the ban as an attack on their culture and vowed to defy the law.

Puerto Rico responded by passing a law saying that it’s legal to host cockfights as long as people don’t export or import the animals or any goods or services related to cockfighting. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2021 declined to hear a challenge to the federal law brought by a group that argued Congress exceeded its power by applying the ban to Puerto Rico.

Anyone found guilty of taking part in cockfighting faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Spectators could receive a one-year prison sentence.

Still, some Puerto Ricans such as Díaz view the topic as part of the island’s history, initially brought to the Caribbean by 16th-century Spaniards when the island was first colonized.

“It’s a pastime I’ve followed since I was a child,” Díaz told El Nuevo Día in March. “It’s legal in Puerto Rico, thank God. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.”

Diaz is on track to return to the Dodgers after the All-Star break, although his exact return date remains unclear. His fastball felt good, so locating his slider was the next step toward his return.

Times staff writer Hannah Fry contributed to this report.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Royals got 2 runs in the bottom of the first inning, tacked on one in the fifth inning and added two insurance runs in the eighth to take game two of the series 5-2.

Bobby Witt Jr. singled with one out in the bottom of the 1st inning, he was on the move with two outs when Lane Thomas smacked a double into right center field, giving the Royals a 1-0 lead. Michael Massey pulled one over the 2nd baseman’s head to give the boys in blue a 2-0 advantage.

Luinder Avila, who has struggled mightily in his home appearances was really good in his 5 innings of work. The big thing for Avila was his command and efficiency. He only walked one batter, after walking 7 in his last two starts. Over 5 innings of work, Avila gave up 3 hits, 1 run, a walk and struck out 4 batters.

Isaac Collins led off the 5th with a double and went to third on Witt’s single, he scored on Jac Caglianone’s sac fly to center, putting the Royals ahead 3-1.

Matt Strahm gave up a walk and a bloop single in the 6th inning but escaped with no harm allowed.

John Schreiber worked the 7th; he surrendered an unearned run after a Josh Rojas throwing error.

Daniel Lynch IV worked a 1-2-3 8th inning, mowing down the heart of the Phillies order.

In the bottom of the 8th inning, the Royals got two huge insurance runs from Salvy. Witt led off the inning with a walk, he stole second, his 30th of the season, making it 5 straight seasons with 30 or more stolen bases for Bobby Baseball. Thomas also walked, and they both scored on a 2-run double to the left field wall from Salvy.

Alex Lange got the save in the 9th inning, working a quick 1-2-3 inning. It’s Lange’s 8th save in 8 opportunities this season. The win snaps a 4-game losing streak for the Royals and moves them to 36-54 on the season. Noah Cameron starts in the rubber match tomorrow; first pitch is set for 1:10 p.m. CT tomorrow.

It’s Sunday once more, and you know what that means — it’s time for our weekly social media roundup! This week has been, well…the less we speak of it, the better. Fortunately, we don’t actually care about the Yankees’ on-field performance in this post, we care about their online performance. So what have the Bombers been up to on social media this week? Let’s find out!

Happy Fourth!

Yesterday, the United States celebrated its 250th anniversary. Not surprisingly, the Yankees’ social media accounts marked the occasion, sharing footage from Friday night’s fireworks display.

But this year, the Fourth of July isn’t just a day of celebration in the Yankees Universe, however, for the day also marks the birthdays of two Yankees legends — the Boss himself, and, rather bittersweetly, John Sterling.

Dave’s Thoughts

As usual, Dave Sims took to Instagram with his thoughts after this week’s slate of games.

A Trip to France

CC Sabathia was in Cannes, France, with some old friends last week — including Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. There were also some athletes from other teams, like Dexter Fowler and Jayson Tatum, but, well, this is a Yankees site, we don’t care about them.

Finishing up some old news

Willie Randolph made one last post on Instagram talking about the New York Knicks’ championship run.

Last week, Trenton Thunder bat dog Rookie announced his retirement; this week, the Thunder Instagram account posted a video celebrating the very good boy.

LeBron Shenanigans

With LeBron James announcing that he will not be returning to the Los Angeles Lakers, teams have begun lining up to sign one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Hoping that LeBron opts for a Michael Jordan-esque baseball plotline, a whole bunch of minor league teams put in their pitch to bring James to their ballclub.

The 2026 edition of the MLB Draft begins this Saturday, July 11th, at 1:00 PM ET. Saturday will see teams make selections through the end of Round 4, while Sunday will conclude the draft with teams making picks 5 through 20 over the course of an 8-hour grind that will begin at 11:30 PM ET.

Because the Cincinnati Reds were slightly better than mediocre during the 2025 season instead of their typical ‘awful,’ they won’t make a selection until pick #18 in Round 1 this time around. So, it’s hard to truly hammer down one particular player they are tied to since there are so many scenarios that could play out over the first 17 picks of the draft. Still, it’s evident that their scouts have been tied to a number of players who most front offices expect will be available around that portion of the draft, and we’ll run down which players have been linked to the Reds in mock drafts through Sunday, July 5th below.

MLB Pipeline: OF Trevor Condon (Etowah HS – Woodstock, GA)

Despite being an extremely talented Georgia high school product with the last name of ‘Condon,’ Trevor is not related to fellow Condon Charlie, whom the Reds were linked to a bit prior to the 2024 draft when they instead selected Chase Burns with the #2 pick. Trevor, to his credit, has carved out his own big of GA lore, and is ranked #13 overall by the MLB Pipeline crew at the moment.

Listed as an OF, Condon also has experience playing 2B, and the 5’11” 175 lb left-handed hitter is currently committed to baseball powerhouse Tennessee at the collegiate level. So, if the Reds were to jump to select him, he’d likely require the full (if not over-slot) bonus to sway him from that decision.

Player Highlights via Perfect Game

ESPN: OF Trevor Condon (Etowah HS – Woodstock, GA)

ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel has Condon on the Reds board, too. He even drops a Kevin McGonigle reference in his blurb, which is #nice.

Perfect Game: RHP Liam Peterson (University of Florida)

To highlight just how ‘all over the place’ this year’s draft is, Perfect Game has the Reds taking Florida righty Liam Peterson with the #18 pick. They have Trevor Condon going #40 overall. MLB Pipeline actually has Peterson going with pick #17 ahead of the Condon pick in their latest mock, though they rank Condon as the #13 player in their draft rankings and Peterson #20.

Science!

Peterson put up a somewhat pedestrian 4.59 ERA across 84.1 IP for the Gators this past season and a mediocre 5.03 ERA across 216.2 IP there in his career. However, he’s 6’5” and 220 lbs with a 60 grade fastball and 65 grade slider, his heater running ‘up to 99 with riding life and carry,’ according to Prospect Porch.

A projectable frame on a college arm with solid, but not extensive use to date? That sounds like something the Reds would be very much up to should Peterson still be around at pick 18.

Perfect Game Scouting Report & Highlights (from his senior year in HS)

The Athletic: RHP Liam Peterson (University of Florida)

Keith Law sees the Reds taking Peterson in his latest mock, too. That’s in part because he’s the best starter available on his board at this point of the draft, and also because he thinks ‘the Reds are a little more likely to take a pitcher than a hitter,’ which certainly tracks.

USA Today: RHP Liam Peterson (University of Florida)

Gabe Lacques has the Reds taking Peterson here, too. Like Law, he’s got Peterson as the pick here despite Condon being still on his board (with the San Diego Padres selecting him at pick #21).

D1 Baseball: SS Justin Lebron (University of Alabama)

Justin Lebron is a name connected with as high as pick #2 overall (Perfect Game), whereas MLB Pipeline has him ranked as the #9 prospect in this year’s draft class. The 6’2” 190 lb shortstop hits from the right side of the plate while playing plus defense at the game’s most important defensive position, and the Pipeline crew doled out 60-grades on each of his Power, Run, Arm, and Field tools.

Lebron swiped 42 bags last season for the Crimson Tide and went a pretty astonishing 69 for 71 on steals over the course of his college career. He was also originally committed to play ball for Rice and study Mechanical Engineering, which is cool as all hell.

He’s got to work on chasing breaking balls, but so much of the rest of his skill set is tough to replicate with anyone else in this draft. If he’s still there at #18, he’s who I’d be selecting.

Perfect Game Scouting Report & Highlights (from his senior year in HS)

Behind a three-run first inning, it seemed the Braves were going to carry their Saturday momentum right into Sunday afternoon’s home game against the New York Mets.

Then they were held scoreless for the next seven innings.

Facing a seven-run deficit after the Mets posted a five-run top of the ninth, the bats awakened but came up just short of a remarkable comeback in a 10-9 loss which snapped Atlanta’s two-game winning streak.

The first four batters of the Atlanta ninth reached before Drake Baldwin lifted his first career grand slam just over the wall in left. It was just his second homer in 16 games since coming off the injured list, coming a day after he earned his first All-Star nod.

A Matt Olson double followed by a wild pitch, a Michael Harris II infield single and a Mauricio Dubón single to left put the tying run on third base and winning run on second base with two outs. But Dominic Smith struck out, bringing the Braves up just short in the first major league game since 2019 in which both teams scored five-plus innings in the ninth inning.

Had the Braves won, it would have been the first time since 2000 that a team rallied from seven-plus runs down in the ninth inning to win a major league game.

Early on, the Braves’ offense appeared poised to carry over its momentum from Saturday’s 14-3 thrashing. After a leadoff hit-by-pitch of Baldwin, Ozzie Albies gave Atlanta two runners in scoring position with a double to right and Michael Harris II brought them both home with one-out single which made it 2-1 Braves.

After a throwing error on a pickoff attempt, Dubón extended the lead to 3-1 on an RBI single to center.

But after getting to Mets starter Nolan McLean early, he settled in and sent the Braves back to their ineffective June form at the plate.

The Braves managed just two hits over the next five-plus innings against McLean, who bounced back from a rocky first to allow five hits and three runs (two earned) over six innings, striking out five and walking one.

Things didn’t get better from there against the Mets bullpen. After Austin Riley’s bloop single to lead off the bottom of the seventh chased McLean, Brooks Raley and Luke Weaver each retired three straight batters to get through the eighth inning.

Huascar Brazoban struggled through the ninth, managing just one out and forcing the Mets to use closer Devin Williams, who allowed three hits before finally finishing off the Braves one hit away from what would have been a stunning loss.

Things started poorly for Martín Pérez when he allowed one run and stranded two on base in the first inning after the first four batters of the game reached base.

They got worse in the second when the Mets tagged him for four runs, putting the first five batters of the inning on base to give New York a 5-3 lead.

From there, Pérez settled in quite well, retiring the next nine batters he faced. Unfortunately, the ninth batter he faced in that span was Juan Soto, who hit a liner off his left forearm and forced him to exit the game after 4 1/3 innings.

It wasn’t a good start for Pérez (6-6), who allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits. But it appeared to be headed for a disastrous start which he slightly salvaged.

Now to wait and see the severity of the injury and if the Braves’ rotation depth will be further tested.

The cold streak at the plate was especially unfortunate for the Braves as the lesser bullpen arms rose to the occasion of the larger load thrust upon them by Pérez’s early exit for most of Sunday’s game.

Tyler Kinley got the final two outs of the fifth before Danny Young and Dylan Dodd followed with a scoreless inning apiece. Carlos Carrasco, called back up Sunday morning, threw a scoreless eighth before he was hit hard for five runs on five hits in the top of the ninth to give the Mets some major insurance which they wound up needing every single run of.

The defeat denies the Braves their first three-game winning streak in a month’s time.

Now Atlanta will need to win Monday night with Reynaldo López on the mound if it wants to win this four-game series instead of what would be a disappointing split.

The Mets snapped their losing streak with a 10-9 win over the Atlanta Braves on Sunday afternoon at Truist Park.

Here are the takeaways...

-- New York's offense jumped all over veteran Braves left-hander Martin Perez in the early-going, quickly opening their first lead of the series. Three straight hits from the top of the order, capped off by a Bo Bichette RBI single, helped them establish the one-run advantage. 

-- Atlanta got to Nolan McLean for three runs in the bottom-half, but the Mets answered right back. A.J. Ewing led off the inning with his second left-on-left homer of the season, then the next four would reach, with run-scoring hits from Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto pushing them back in front. 

-- McLean worked around a two out jam in the bottom of the second then settled into a groove, retiring the next seven hitters he faced in order. Part of that stretch was a Michael Harris III strikeout in which the righty recorded the highest spin rate on a curveball for a strike since foreign substance checks started, according to Pitching Ninja. 

-- McLean's run came to an end with another Mark Vientos booted groundball leading off the fifth. That was Vientos' second miscue of the day, as he was also unable to corral a pickoff in the bottom of the first, which prolonged the inning and resulted in an unearned run. 

-- This time McLean was able to work around it, though, as he retired the next three in order then breezed his way through a scoreless sixth. His day came to an end after giving up a leadoff hit in the seventh, closing his line with three runs allowed (two earned) on five hits and a walk and five strikeouts over 6.0+ innings.

-- Luke Weaver extended his scoreless streak to 25 innings with a scoreless bottom of the eighth. Weaver hasn't been scored upon since May 1st, lowering his ERA to a stellar 1.95 in that span. 

-- New York tacked on five insurance runs against old friend Carlos Carrasco in the top of the ninth. Tyrone Taylor smacked a homer leading off the inning, then Bichette ripped a base-clearing double to center with the bases loaded, and Jared Young lifted a two-run single. 

-- Those runs ended up being huge for the Mets, as Huascar Brazoban struggled mightily, giving up five runs and recording just one out before being pulled in the bottom of the ninth. Atlanta scratched across another two out run against Devin Williams, then pushed the winning run into scoring position, but Dominic Smith struck out to end the game. 

-- In addition to his homer, Ewing also singled left-on-left against former Met Danny Young. The youngster came into the day hitting just .190 in those situations thus far during his rookie campaign, but he looked very comfortable facing off with a pair of tough veteran arms. 

-- Lindor, Soto, and Bichette went a combined 6-for-13 with two walks, six RBI, and three runs. 

Game MVP: Top of the order

The trio at the top lead the way for the Mets' offense, showing how the team expected them to look. 

Highlights

Bo Bichette drives one down left field to send Francisco Lindor home! pic.twitter.com/igYdiwEoos

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 5, 2026

A.J. Ewing solo shot! pic.twitter.com/NYKyFELLhG

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 5, 2026

Francisco Lindor singles to left field and Luis Torrens scores to tie the game! pic.twitter.com/NPfLCqSqWt

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 5, 2026

Juan Soto drives in Brett Baty and Francisco Lindor! Mets lead 5-3! pic.twitter.com/MuiGWEJ47y

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 5, 2026

Two-run double for Bo Bichette! Brett Baty and Francisco Lindor score! pic.twitter.com/3WISylj0k9

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 5, 2026

Jared Young drives Juan Soto and Bo Bichette in! pic.twitter.com/aw3oEKFOtl

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 5, 2026

What's next

The Mets wrap up their four-game series against the Braves on Monday at 7:15 p.m. on SNY.

The St. Louis Cardinals fans have learned that there are two different potential versions of Matthew Liberatore this season. Sunday, the Cardinals got parts of both versions as the Chicago Cubs jumped on his wildness early, but he settled down later. The problem would arise out of the Cardinals bullpen and defense when all was said and done.

Matthew Liberatore’s performance on Sunday looked a lot worse by using the eye test compared to the actual damage on the scoreboard. It all started in the bottom of the first inning when the Cub we all love to despise (because hate is such a strong word), PCA, reached on an infield single and then stole second. Alex Bregman followed that with a double to center which scored the loser from second giving the Cubs a 1-0 lead. Liberatore then struck out Suzuki, but then walked Carson Kelly and hit Michael Busch with a pitch (this would become a theme for Matthew Sunday) to load the bases. Nico Hoerner lifted a sacrifice fly to Jordan Walker in right who almost threw out Bregman at home, but almost doesn’t count so it was 2-0 Cubs. That was all Chicago would get out of that bases loaded opportunity.

Matthew Liberatore hit 3 batters during his time in the game with the most painful probably being PCA getting nailed on the fleshy part of his left arm. He winced in pain on the ground for several minutes, but probably didn’t cry although many of us who are confirmed Cardinals fans imagined he did. I personally am never in favor of a player getting injured, but Crow whatever appeared to be fine when all was said and done.

If you’re thinking that I’m not mentioning much about the Cardinals offense, it’s because there was really nothing special to include over the first 5 innings. That changed big time in the top of the 6th inning when Jordan Walker proved why he deserves to be an All-Star. JJ Wetherholt started off the inning by being JJ Wetherholt and getting on base with a single. Two batters later, Alec Burleson singled giving the Cardinals runners at first and second with Jordan Walker coming to the plate. The Cubs changed pitchers, but it didn’t matter squat and Jordan crushed a weak 82 mph sweeper and gave it a ride way up into the left field stands immediately correcting most of what is wrong in the world by giving the Cardinals their first Sunday lead at 3-2. BOOM!

Just as I and the rest of Cardinals Nation were preparing to throw a “we just swept the Cubs” party, the wheels came off for St. Louis in the bottom of the 6th inning which really felt like it went on FOREVER. It began with Matthew Liberatore walking Carson Kelly and then surrendering a single to Michael Busch. Credit to Liberatore for getting that deep into the game as he really pulled himself together after a very shaky start. Matt Svanson entered the game and immediately gave up the lead as Nico Hoerner smacked a single to right scoring Carson Kelly and tying the game at 3-3. After Ian Happ popped out for the first out, the Cardinals defense collapsed. Dansby Swanson grounded to José Fermín at third who instead of starting an inning-ending double play, threw the ball into right field scoring Busch and giving the Cubs a 4-3 lead and the Cards defense was just beginning to defeat itself. The next batter Ramirez lifted a sacrifice fly to Jordan Walker in right who tried (key word) to throw out Dansby Swanson at third, but instead threw wildly which allowed both runners to score giving the Cubs a stupid 6-3 lead.

The Cardinals would scratch and claw to get one run back in the top of the 8th inning when JJ Wetherholt led off with his second hit of the game. Iván Herrera grounded out to second which moved JJ up a base. Alec Burleson then singled to right as Wetherholt advanced to third. That brought up Jordan Walker who unfortunately did not provide an encore 3-run homer to tie the game, but did hit a sacrifice fly to center just deep enough for JJ to score from third making it 6-4 Cubs going into the bottom of the 8th inning.

Ryan Fernandez deserves credit for keeping the Cubs from adding to their lead anymore than they already had by getting the Cardinals into the top of the 9th inning with at least a chance. Would the Cardinals stage a never say die comeback win in the 9th? Well, Masyn Winn drew a walk to lead off the inning, but then Nathan Church popped out to the catcher for the first out. José Fermín then struck out for the second out. That left former Cub Nelson Velázquez as the Cardinals last hope. He unfortunately lined out to Dansby Swanson for the final out. Bummer.

The St. Louis Cardinals begin a brutal 5-game series over just 4 days against the Milwaukee Brewers Monday night at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals will give the ball to Dustin May while the Brewers will assign Shane Drohan the starting duties. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45pm central time and the game TV broadcast will be available on Cardinals.tv.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Pirates fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

This week’s Pittsburgh Pirates question asked you if thought the Buccos would make it as a Wild Card this season. When the survery was posted, the Bucs were 43-43 and three games out of a Wild Card spot. Today they are 46-45, but are now 3.5 games out. Here’s what you said about their chances.

The vast majority of you think the Bucs are going to miss the postseason. Who knew that the offense wouldn’t be the problem this year and it was actually the pitching staff that would be issue? But if Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller don’t find some consistency soon, I most definitely agree with you.

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Absolutely ineffective on the mound, defensively, and offensively, the Yankees lost 6-1 to the Twins, their ninth loss in ten games. They have an awful 3-12 record since peaking at 46-28 on June 19th. The team they’ve dominated for the better part of this century also won its first series at Yankee Stadium since 2014, when the Yankees’ lineup featured the likes of Yangervis Solarte, Kelly Johnson, and Zoilo Almonte. It’s bad.

Addressing how this result came to pass, there is more to speed as a threat than the number of bases a team steals, and the Twins showcased that in how they approached this matchup against Ryan Weathers. Whether their consistent willingness to try to take an extra bag rattled Weathers in any way or not, it was involved in the two times Minnesota scored a run off the Yankee starter.

The first two hitters of the game reached safely on a double and an infield single, as Weathers couldn’t cleanly field a squibbler from Byron Buxton, who was eventually thrown out at second trying to secure an early steal. Last night’s star, Josh Bell, made sure the Twins got something out of that inning, getting on the board early by knocking an RBI single into right field.

Specifically on Buxton’s stolen base attempt, Austin Wells catching him red-handed was significant given he hadn’t been caught stealing since 2024, 31-for-31 in stolen base attempts since the start of last season. Unfortunately for the Twins, Buxton felt something relating to a previous hip injury and had to leave the game early, replaced by Kyler Fedko.

A few innings later, Royce Lewis opened the fourth with a walk, went to second on a wild pitch, and looked intent on stealing third to set up a sacrifice fly, enough so that he generated two early pickoff throws from Weathers at second. Perhaps too much attention to the basepaths led Weathers to not elevate a fastball enough and see Brooks Lee dump it into left for an RBI single, doubling the Twins’ lead.

Even though the signs were there on a cloudy “Weathers” forecast, the Yankees tried to extend him one more inning in the fifth, a decision they’d later regret. Opening the frame with a hit-by-pitch and walk, Weathers was removed in favor of Paul Blackburn, who very nearly got out of this mess but became yet another victim of Royce Lewis, who hit a two-run bases-loaded single to make it 4-0 Twins. Responsible for scoring or driving in three of the Twins’ first four runs, Lewis is in the middle of his best run of form this season, having reached safely in 15 out of his last 16 games.

While Blackburn was adequate in a tough situation, the Yankees bullpen didn’t provide much of a boost after a poor Weathers performance, justifying why the Yankees pushed their starter by allowing the Twins to further increase their lead. Camilo Doval opened the sixth, running into all sorts of trouble through his fault and also the defense’s, not to mention bad luck. A Volpe error and a lucky pop-up bunt hit that fell in no man’s land loaded the bases, allowing Minnesota to put two more across, scoring half a dozen. The story is just more of the same with Doval, who even with the miscues behind him has just been dreadful over and over again.

As if there weren’t enough disappointments in this loss, the Yankees, much like the Twins, also saw an important player leave the game early. Jazz Chisholm Jr. was replaced in the middle innings by Amed Rosario.

Chisholm was the protagonist of the most frustrating moment of this Yankees loss when, after winning a long battle against the dominant Ryan with a single in the second, he was picked off at first immediately after. That Jazz single was one of only three hits the Yankees secured against Ryan, who held them to seven scoreless innings with nine strikeouts. The Yankees wouldn’t get an at-bat with a runner in scoring position until the seventh inning when Ryan stranded a couple of runners to complete his standout performance.

Even the sole run the Yankees scored came in deflating fashion with Jasson Domínguez grounding into a double play in the ninth when they threatened a rally after the first two hitters of the inning reached safely against Yoendrys Gómez.

It’s a quick turnaround for the Yankees, traveling down to Florida to start a four-game set against the AL East-leading Rays on Monday. The first of those games will be with AL Cy Young-hopeful Cam Schlittler against righty Griffin Jax as the opener, with the first pitch at 6:40pm ET.

Box Score

The Yankees fell to the Twins on Sunday, 6-1, dropping their first series at home to Minnesota since 2014.

Here are the takeaways…

-- New York's bats had nothing going for them against Twins starter Joe Ryan, recording just three hits against the right-hander over 7.0 innings.

-- Ryan Weathers struggled on Sunday afternoon across four-plus innings, allowing four earned runs on six hits with six strikeouts and two walks over 88 pitches.

He let up a leadoff double in the first inning, but got some help from his defense as Austin Wells threw out Byron Buxton at second for strikeout double play. Although, the left-hander couldn't escape cleanly, giving up an RBI single to Josh Bell (that was somehow kept in the park by RF Max Schuemann) as Minnesota took a 1-0 lead.

Weathers got through the next two frames, including a 1-2-3 third inning, before letting up another run in the fourth inning. He walked Royce Lewis and then threw a wild pitch, allowing him to advance to second and score easily on Brooks Lee's single that made it a 2-0 game. The lefty's day came to an end in the fifth inning with no outs after he hit Luke Keaschall and walked Austin Martin. 

-- Buxton left the game with a hip injury after his slide in top of the first inning and was replaced in center field by Kyler Fedko. It was the first time he was caught stealing since May 1, 2024.

On the Yankees side, Jazz Chisholm Jr. left the game after the bottom of the fifth inning with right big toe discomfort. Amed Rosario came in for him, playing thrid base, with Jose Caballero moving to second base.

-- Paul Blackburn came in for relief in the top of the fifth with two runners on base and one out. The righty nearly escaped after getting a flyout and strikeout, but allowed a two-run single up the middle to Lewis as the Twins took a 4-0 lead.

-- The Twins loaded the bases in the sixth as Camilo Doval let up a leadoff double, Anthony Volpe misplayed a ground ball, and Keaschall bunted it to empty space in the infield. Doval walked in a run and let up another on a sac-fly, giving Minnesota a 6-0 lead.

-- New York added two more hits in the ninth and avoided the shutout as Jasson Dominguez drove in Trent Grisham on a double play grounder.

Game MVP: Joe Ryan

Ryan retired 13 straight Yankees from the third inning through the seventh inning. He struck out nine with one walk over 106 pitches.

Next Up

The Yankees head down to Tampa Bay and begin a three-game series against the Rays on Monday. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m.

Cam Schlittler (8-5, 2.08 ERA) gets the start against Griffin Jax (4-5, 3.45 ERA).

Yesterday, Americans attended barbecues, tore around on jet skis, and partied under fireworks for the country’s 250th birthday. Or, they took their sister’s Goldendoodle on 12 miles worth of walks, then got takeout supper and continued a Star Trek: The Original Series re-watch (& checked in on the Rocky & Twilight Zone marathons). Freedom, and all that.

But as was once said about President Ronald Reagan, it’s a new morning in America. What would the sunrise bring for MN? Well, how about 250 years of Minnesota Twins dominance over the New York Yankees!

After boat-racing the Yanks yesterday, the Twins got off to a fast start in this contest too when New York SP Ryan Weathers’ first offering was slapped into RF by Austin Martin for a double. This was quickly followed by a newly-minted-All-Star Byron Buxton single and it looked like MN would never make an out against NYY again—until Kody Clemens K’d and Buck was caught stealing for the first time since 5/1/24. Ugh. You also won’t hear Buxton’s name again in this recap until the Duds (double ugh).

Fortunately, Josh “Liberty” Bell saved the rally with a ringing (heh, heh) single that NY RF Max Schuemann couldn’t quite reel in. 1-0 MN.

As also-newly-minted-All-Star SP Joe Ryan looked sharp foiling Yankee bats in the early goings, the Twins went back on the attack in T4: a Royce Lewis walk led to his advance to 2B on a wild pitch which led to his coming around to score on a Brooks Lee base knock. 2-0 MN.

Right back on the attack in T5: the Twins loaded the bases with two outs and Lewis didn’t fall into the trap—instead knocking a solid single up the middle to drive two visitors across home plate! 4-0 MN.

Then, some circus baseball in T6: an Anthony Volpe error at shortstop…a horrible Luke Keaschall bunt that someone resulted in a hit…a bases-loaded walk to Martin…a well-struck Clemens sac fly. Boo birds were echoing through Yankee Stadium 3.0. 6-0 MN.

Meanwhile, the reason no Yankee offense has been discussed heretofore is because Ryan continued his Bronx brilliance. New York put a couple runners on base with two outs in B7, but our oh-so-much-more-than-average Joe made Amed Rosario look foolish on a filthy slider for this final line: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K.

Andrew Morris hurled a crisp, clean 8th inning, followed by Yoendrys Gomez losing the battle (shutout effort) but winning the war (ballgame) in the 9th.

Your Final: Minnesota Twins 6, New York Yankees 1

The Twins exorcised some demons by winning road series against the Astros & Yankees (the latter of those the first time since 2014). A new morning, indeed! Time for Goldendoodle walk number two on the day—with a smile on my face all the way.

Zach’s Zealot

• The United States of America: Our grand Democratic Republic experiment somehow made it through 250 years! I always wonder what the Founding Fathers would think—good or bad—about the nation they got off the ground. Perhaps when I reboot Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone that can be my first episode.

Zach’s Zombie

• Byron Buxton’s removal from this contest: After hitting the ground hard in T1 on a caught-stealing attempt, Buck left this contest with a re-aggravation of his troublesome hip. Tomorrow’s off day will presumably provide further evaluation and decisions on a potential IL stint.

Egg-cellent Elocution

• JustAnotherMinnesotan2says what Twins fans have wanted to vocalize since the Knoblauch Hot Dog Incident of ‘01 or Jason Giambi’s Big Blast in ‘02.

Who’s Got Next

• After Monday off, the Twins are back at the homestead for three games with the Cleveland Guardians (Tues. night, Wed. night, Thurs. afternoon)