A brawl broke out at Oracle Park in San Francisco after a game between the San Francisco Giants and the Colorado Rockies on Thursday, July 9. The incident took place just after 9:45 p.m. PT.
San Francisco police officers who were working the game responded to reports of a fight involving multiple people, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Several people were detained. and four were arrested and booked into the San Francisco County Jail.
Video shared on social media showed people at the game exchanging punches in the lower bowl of Oracle Park while nearby spectators tried to intervene.
The arrested individuals range in age from 21 to 29. One was charged with suspicion of assault and public intoxication, while the other three were arrested on suspicion of public intoxication and disturbing the peace.
In a statement to the San Francisco Chronicle Friday, July 10, a Giants spokesperson said arrests were made after stadium security contacted police assigned to the ballpark. The team said everyone involved will be banned from the stadium.
When will the Giants play next?
The Giants earned an 8-2 victory over the Rockies on Thursday, July 9. It was the first game of a four-game series to close out the first half of the season.
The teams play Friday night, Saturday afternoon (1:05 p.m. PT) and Sunday afternoon (1:05).
TyerSoderstrom provided the only run for the A’s tonight against teh Whites Sox with his solo hoer in teh seventh. | Getty Images
The 41-52 Athletics took on the 47-45 Chicago White Sox at Rate Field in Chicago today. While the A’s are struggling, the Southsiders are amid the most dramatic turn-around from last season.
Jacob Lopez took the mound as today’s opener, going up against 26-year-old righty Sean Burke for the White Sox. Lopez took on the first five Pale Hose batters before turning the game over to Aaron Civale. Civale cruised up until the bottom of the fifth when things began to unravel. Chase Meidroth doubled on a sharp line drive to left field. Andrew Benintendi doubled, driving in Meidroth. Civale walked Kyle Teel. Tristan Peters singled, driving in Benintendi. Sam Antonacci singled to right fielder, scoring Kyle Teel. Elvis Alvarado relieved Civale with no outs in the fifth. Miguel Vargas hit a sacrifice fly to center fielder Henry Bolte, scoring Tristan Peters. That gave the White Sox a 4-0 lead. In the meantime, Sean Burke had given up just two hits leading up to the seventh inning. But Tyler Soderstrum got the A’s on the board with a solo rocket to right field. That was number 14 for Soderstrom.
Justin Sterner got rocked in the bottom of the seventh. Kyle Teel walked and Tristan Peters homered, scoring Teel. Sam Antonacci walked, and Munetaka Murakami doubled, driving in Antonacci. Miguel Vargas hit a ground rule double, scoring Murakami. Mason Barnett replaced Sterner with a score of 8-1 and no outs in the inning. Andrew Benintendi doubled, scoring three more Sox. Tristan Peters tripled, completing the cycle for him tonight. The last White Sox batter to hit for the cycle was José Abreu, who hit for the cycle on September 9, 2017, against the San Francisco Giants. That brought the score to 12-1.
Carlos Cortes came in to pitch the eighth. He struck out Murakami, but Miguel Vargas homered to left field. Chase Meidroth singled, driving in Montgomery to mercifully end the scoring for the White Sox. The final was 14-1 and continued the A’s slide at seven games in a row.
Jul 10, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Samuel Basallo (29) celebrates as he runs to first base after hitting a two-run home run in the eighth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images | Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images
Sometimes, one small play in a game ends up ruining it. When Adley Rutschman didn’t challenge a pitch in the eighth inning that was called a ball, I thought that was the small ruining play. The batter went on to homer. The game was tied, and I assumed the Orioles would soon fall behind. But that didn’t happen! Instead, the stage was set for Samuel Basallo to come along and serve up some heroics. He did just that, with a home run to put the Orioles ahead and give them a 5-3 lead to start their series with the Kansas City Royals.
The Orioles started scoring early but were held to just three runs for most of the game. They got the scoring started in the second inning with a singles party. Dylan Beavers, Blaze Alexander, Jackson Holliday, and Gunnar Henderson all singled. Beavers and Alexander came in to score on hits from Holliday and Henderson. It was a nice start against Royals’ starter Luinder Avila, who allowed his share of baserunners in his five innings pitched.
Taylor Ward led off the third inning with a single, but was thrown out trying to steal second base with Pete Alonso at the plate. Ward got a good job and could have beaten the throw, but appeared to try the swim move to avoid the tag. Instead, he avoided the bag just long enough to get tagged out. Not great, Taylor! Alonso walked not long after, which made it seem even dumber. They did not score.
The Orioles had just one baserunner in the fourth inning, but it was a Blaze Alexander bomb to put the team up 3-2. It was already Alexander’s second hit of the game and he played good defense as well.
Unfortunately, the Orioles did not score again off Avila. They had two more baserunners in the fifth but couldn’t capitalize, and Avila left the game after five innings. The Royals’ bullpen held strong until they didn’t, but more on that later.
For much of the game, it looked like three runs would be enough. Brandon Young was solid. He wasn’t perfect; he allowed baserunners in the first and second innings but got out of it. In the second inning, he got great defense from Henderson, who made a sliding stop in the hole to start a double play.
The Royals briefly tied the game in the fourth inning before Alexander’s home run. Jac Caglianone hit his 15th home run to make it 2-1, then a walk and a double tied the game.
Isaac Collins got thrown out at second to start the fifth. He popped off the bag on the slide and Henderson held the tag. It was called safe, then overturned on replay. The result was a 1-2-3 fifth. Another runner reached to start the sixth, but this time it was Alexander who turned a great double play to keep it a three-batter inning.
The seventh inning was Young’s best inning of the night. It might have been his best inning all year. He needed just five pitches to get two ground balls and a flyout. It seemed like the seventh was going to be his final inning, but the quick turnaround gave him the chance to come back for the eighth. That didn’t go so well.
Collins started the inning for the Royals. He had just four home runs on the year and an OPS barely over .700. So naturally, he worked an eight-pitch at bat that resulted in a game-tying home run. The real kicker is that Young started the at-bat at 0-2, and threw a pitch that nicked the strike zone that was called ball one. That’s the pitch that Rutschman didn’t challenge. Instead of a strikeout, we got a tie game. It was the eighth inning, Adley! If not then, when?
That was Young’s last batter, and what a disappointing end to another solid start. His final line was 7 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K. Rico Garcia took over and pitched a quick rest of the inning.
The good news was that we didn’t have to wait long for the Orioles to come back, and they did it in an exciting way. Alonso started the bottom of the eighth with a single, then Basallo absolutely smoked a ball. It went off the bat at 105,9 mph and the only question was if it would stay fair. It did stay fair! As soon as it was for sure, Basallo flashed his winning grin at the dugout and heaved his bat towards his teammates before circling the bases. Orioles were up, 5-3.
Basallo continues to be exciting and I am always affected by the joy with which he plays. The smile on his face said it all.
Andrew Kittredge came in to lock down the win, and he did so without too much drama. Michael Massey doubled on a ball that a better right fielder may have caught, but Tyler O’Neill couldn’t catch up to. O’Neill had pinch-hit for Beavers in the eighth, but I don’t think Beavers would have made that catch either. Aside from that, easy peasy. Josh Rojas struck out to end the game and Kittredge had his third save of the season.
Orioles win! Brandon Young pitched seven-plus good innings. Blaze Alexander had an all-round solid game. And of course, Samuel Basallo had the game-winning home run. It was not a bad way to spend a Friday night.
It is Camden Chat tradition to name a Most Birdland Player after every win. Please put your pick in the comments below, and tell us why you chose Samuel Basallo.
Apr 15, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Kyle Hurt throws in the ninth inning against the New York Mets at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Dodgers (61-33) take on the D-backs (46-47) at Dodger Stadium Friday night for a NL West clash.
Shohei Ohtani was scratched from his start due to continued left knee irritation.
Kyle Hurt will open a bullpen game for the Dodgers in the series opener.
Shohei Ohtani will not make his scheduled start on the mound this evening against the D-backs due to continued irritation in his left knee. He will serve as the designated hitter the rest of the weekend, but following the series against the D-backs he will have some interventions…
MIAMI, FLORIDA - JULY 10: Steven Kwan #38 of the Cleveland Guardians (L), Chase DeLauter #24 (C) and Kahlil Watson #31 (R) celebrate after the game against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on July 10, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Sam Navarro/Getty Images) | Getty Images
What a splendid eve this was. The sun was shining through the blinds, perfect weather, partly cloudy. Picturesque. And, the Guardians won. It’s nice to write about a win every once in a while — as a treat.
The Guardians actually sort of got to a starting pitcher today! They tagged Sandy Alcantara for 3 runs in the first 5 innings. Both Messick and Alcantara were pitching shutouts through 3, and then Rocchio singled to start the 4th. Then, our sweet Chase DeLauter hit a rocket. A moonshot. A nuke. A blast. 430’ to right-center on a genuinely unreal swing.
Homer no. 10 on the year. wRC+ up to 124 on the season.
In the 5th, the Guardians had Hedges (single) and Kwan (long single) at the corners with one out. Bazzana did his job, and drove Hedges in with a sac fly. 3-0. That would be it for the Guardians offense on the evening.
Messick was decent tonight. 6 innings of 1-run ball. 4 walks and nearly as many balls as strikes thrown was a little concerning, but the end result was great.
Sabrowski was, well, not great. Again. Gave up a 407 foot homer to Leo Jimenez and then walked Esteury Ruiz (who recorded 3 walks and, by the way, was showing bunt up 2-0 and took all the way on 3-1). (Esteury Ruiz who, by the way, is an atrocious hitter). That was it for Sabrowski in another extremely disappointing outing since returning from the injured list.
Holderman relieved Sabrowski, and gave up a single (that got just past Bazzana). First and second, one out. He then struck out Joe Mack in an extremely gritty 9-pitch at-bat. And then got Otto Lopez (batting .345 going into today, .890 OPS) to ground out. Fantastic.
Gaddis pitched the 8th and gave up a bloop-y single to Xavier Edwards, but didn’t concede any runs.
Cade Smith pitched a clean 9th, and that was it!
Not much fanfare to tonight’s game. Which, for what it’s worth, is a welcome change of pace.
Clay Holmes pitched to a batter in the batter’s box Friday afternoon, the first time he saw a hitter since Spencer Jones broke his leg with a line drive in May.
The batter in the box was Marcus Semien, who is also out with injury. He did not swing at a single pitch. But through two innings’ worth of pitches with a break in between, Holmes was finally on the Citi Field mound again, a signal that he is moving nearer to returning from the injured list. What is not clear as of Friday is whether he will still be a Met when he does.
Holmes told The Athletic this week that he is open to an extension, and a person familiar with the front office’s thinking told SNY the Mets are open to an extension with him, too. Neither Holmes' agent nor president of baseball operations David Stearns immediately responded to inquiries about whether the two sides have had any conversations about a deal. If they are going to complete one, they should probably do so soon.
Because even though Holmes is not yet close to pitching in games – he said Friday he will likely face actual swinging batters in his next outing, and that it might have to come in Port St. Lucie because the major league staff will be off during the All-Star Break – he is one of the Mets’ more appealing trade deadline assets.
With an expiring contract, a strong start to the season, and a relatively fresh arm given the injury, Holmes would be an appealing top-end starter for any contending team. He could likely bring the Mets a worthwhile return, even as a rental who might not be fully built up by the deadline itself. The Blue Jays sent a top pitching prospect to the Guardians for Shane Bieber last year, even though he was not going to be healthy until late August. Top-end starting pitching is coveted in all its forms.
Holmes would seemingly never have more time to dedicate to deal-making than he does right now, when he is still working his way back from injury and is therefore removed from the daily regular season grind. But Holmes said he finds his mind does not have much time to wander – though of course, few players are willing to admit contract speculation or trade deadline talks are causing them distraction.
“[Rehab] stuff grabs a lot of my attention, getting healthy and checking those boxes. I want to be healthy. I want to be helping this team win as many games as possible,” Holmes said Friday. “How long that is, I’m not totally sure. Hopefully things will work out. But a lot of that is out of my control.”
Holmes and the Mets have the makings of a successful long-term partnership. It was the Mets who stretched him into a starter, setting him up for bigger contracts in the second half of his career than he would have been able to secure as a career reliever. And Holmes has become a sturdy, well-regarded presence in their clubhouse, particularly on a pitching staff with young starters like Nolan McLean and Christian Scott who can benefit from a veteran sounding board.
Plus, as he pitched to a 2.39 ERA in his first nine starts of this season, Holmes transformed from the solid starter he was last year to one who looked like he might be elite. With his history of relieving, Holmes has fewer innings on his arm than most elite 33-year-old starters. For a Mets team that will need to improve its pitching depth in 2027, Holmes would be a familiar keystone to have in place before what seems likely to be a chaotic offseason.
Exactly when the Mets would need to decide whether to deal Holmes is unclear, though it is possible that waiting long enough for suitors to see him make a rehab start could help solidify or boost his value. The Mets, however, do not need Holmes to hurry back. They know what value he could bring to their rotation in the years to come. And after the way the last two summers have gone, they also know as well as anyone that reliable starters like Holmes can be very hard to find.
CINCINNATI, OH - MAY 17: Elly De La Cruz #44 and Hunter Greene #21 of the Cincinnati Reds hug in the dugout prior to the game between the Cleveland Guardians and the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on Saturday, May 17, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Hunter Greene spent over three months on the shelf following his March surgery to cleanup loose bodies in his prized right elbow. Safe to say, when he returned for his season debut last weekend, things went about as poorly as they could have possibly gone.
On Friday, though, the Reds officially got their ace back.
Greene struck out 12 in 7.0 scoreless, brilliant innings against the Chicago Cubs in the series opener in Great American Ball Park, and did so while yielding just 3 hits and a lone walk. He routinely topped 100 mph on the radar gun on a hot night at the park, and there was never a moment when he was on the mound where he looked anything other than one of the best pitchers on the planet once again.
If that’s what the Reds get back for the last half of the season, well, there’s at least a chance they can miraculously pick themselves up off the mat.
Elly De La Cruz socked yet another homer from the right side of the plate, Sal Stewart had a pair of hits (and another ribbie), and JJ Bleday provided the back-breaker with a 2-run homer off Jake Woodford in the 8th inning to give Cincinnati a thorough 4-0 victory in the opener of the final series before the All Star break.
(Elly tripled, too, and Sal plated him with a sac fly. That’s a cool part of the order, I say!)
It was Cincinnati’s first win against the Cubs this season after having dropped each of the first four against their division rivals. Emilio Pagan provided a rare stress-free save for Cincinnati as the nail in the coffin tonight.
Nick Lodolo will attempt to lead the Reds to another win on Saturday in his start opposite righty Javier Assad, with first pitch set for 7:10 PM ET once again.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - JULY 08: Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies (foreground) and teammates look on during a pitching change in the fourth inning of the baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on July 08, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Aaron Nola was serviceable again but Tim Mayza had one of the worst innings of his nine-year big league career as the Philadelphia Phillies (52-43) unraveled late in a 10-2 drubbing at the hands of the Detroit Tigers (44-50).
Derek Hill led off the third inning with his seventh home run of the year for the game’s first run against Tigers’ starter, Jack Flaherty.
Delco legend and Rookie of the Year hopeful, Kevin McGonigle, got the Tigers on the board and gave them the lead with a two-run homer off Nola in the bottom of the third to make it 2-1.
Delco native Kevin McGonigle who grew up a die-hard Phillies fan hits a 2 run HR off Phillies starter Aaron Nola in his 1st game vs the #Phillies
An Alec Bohm hit-by-pitch and a pair of walks issued to Bryce Harper and Bryson Stott loaded the bases for Hill, who singled home Harper to bring the score level.
Nola left after five innings and 84 pitches, striking out eight and gave way to Mayza for the sixth. Riley Greene and Matt Vierling walked to set the table for Eduardo Valencia who singled home Greene to retake the lead. Next Zach McKinstry dragged a bunt on the first base side that Mayza hesitated on, eventually throwing to first too late to get McKinstry and allowing Vierling to score from third. One pitch later, James Outman tripled to the gap in right-center to score both runners and extend the lead to four. Three pitches after that, Mayza balked home Outman to complete the damage. The five runs allowed tied Mayza’s career high, which he previously surrendered to the Yankees on June 28, 2024 without recording an out.
Detroit Tigers rookie Eduardo Valencia stays red hot and gives the Tigers the lead, 3-2, with a rope to left-center. Zach McKinstry then lays down a suicide squeeze, followed by a James Outman 2RBI triple!
Max Lazar didn’t fare much better in the seventh, giving up a lead-off solo home run to Colt Keith and a two-run homer to Spencer Torkelson to finish the scoring at 10-2.
Garrett Stubbs threw a 1-2-3 four-pitch eighth inning in which his fastest pitch clocked in at 46 mph.
Hill got his third hit of the night with a one-out single in the seventh inning. The only other Phillie to get a hit was Brandon Marsh, a hard-hit single in the eighth. Per the broadcast, it’s the 38th time since 1901 that a player had a three-hit game while the rest of his team only had one.
Cristopher Sanchez will face Casey Mize tomorrow night in the second-to-last game before the All Star break.
DENVER, COLORADO - JULY 4: Robbie Ray #38 of the San Francisco Giants pitches in the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on July 4, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants continue this four-game series against the Colorado Rockies tonight from Oracle Park.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be left-hander Robbie Ray, who enters tonight’s game with a 3.45 ERA, 4.70 FIP, with 86 strikeouts to 46 walks in 101.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 6-4 win over the Rockies on Saturday, in which he allowed three runs on five hits with four strikeouts and three walks in six innings.
He’ll be facing off against Rockies right-hander Tanner Gordon, who enters tonight’s game with a 6.95 ERA, 5.03 FIP, with 46 strikeouts to 10 walks in 45.1 innings pitched. His last start was in the Rockies’ 7-6 win over the Giants on Sunday, in which he allowed five runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and two walks in five innings.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 07: Matt Strahm #25 of the Kansas City Royals in action against the New York Mets at Citi Field on July 07, 2026 in New York City. The Royals defeated the Mets 16-12. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Royals fell 5-3 after another very Luinder Avila start and one too many trips to the bullpen. Matt Strahm gave up the final blow, a two-run home run to Samuel Basallo. Before that, it was a pretty close game.
As noted above, Luinder Avila got the start in this one for KC. He pitched 5 innings and allowed 3 runs with 3 strikeouts and 3 walks. It was a real grind for Avila as it seemed like he was always pitching with a full count even with only the 3 walks. That meant it took him 96 pitches to get through those 5 innings.
Avila gave up two of the runs with two outs in the second inning. The Royals managed to tie it in the fourth thanks to a Michael Massey walk (he’s been doing that a lot lately) and a Josh Rojas double. But before that, Jac Caglianone smoked his first home run since that two-home run game in Tampa Bay almost two weeks ago.
Avila got Blaze Alexander down 0-2 with one out in the bottom of the inning, which caused the booth to praise him for his good work following the offense tying the game. He promptly hung a slider that went a long way. The score remained 3-2 until the eighth inning, with Steven Cruz pitching a clean sixth with a strikeout. Daniel Lynch IV did the same in the seventh.
In the top of the eighth, Isaac Collins led off the inning with a home run to dead center. Which I wasn’t entirely sure he could do.
In the bottom of the eighth, having already used Lynch, Matt Quatraro went fellow Matt Strahm for the eighth. The broadcast played a clip of Strahm getting his first strikeout in the big leagues to help celebrate Strahm reaching his 10 years of service time. That’s a big deal for MLB players because it’s when their pensions fully vest, and it also just signifies a pretty dang long MLB career.
Unfortunately, Strahm celebrated by giving up a single to Pete Alonso and a line drive home run to Samuel Basallo. Michael Massey ripped a double off the wall in the top of the ninth, but he was the only Royal to reach in that inning.
The Royals have lost three straight. They also had a baserunning blunder in the top of the fifth when Isaac Collins ripped a ball off the right field wall but overslid second and allowed Gunnar Henderson to tag him out. They’ve got two more games before the mercy of the All-Star Break. Though I wouldn’t blame any of you if you focused more on the Draft tomorrow and Sunday, as well as the Futures Game Sunday. If you are still interested, though, they’ll play tomorrow night at 6 PM central. Noah Cameron will face Kyle Bradish.
The Rangers right-hander will miss his final start before the All-Star Game against the Astros with “mild left glute strains,” manager Skip Schumaker told reporters Friday.
DeGrom pitched just five innings in his last outing against the Angels on Tuesday because of hip and leg issues, though at the time he felt he would be good to go against the Astros.
Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob Degrom (48) reacts as he head back to the dugout against the Miami Marlins. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“I think I’ll be fine,” deGrom told reporters on Tuesday. “I think we’ll manage in between. Honestly, I think sometimes off-days make you feel a little funny. I think we’ll stay on top of it this week, and I think I’ll be good to go.”
That injury has lingered, however, and he will now not pitch until after the break.
DeGrom has not been placed on the injured list since he underwent Tommy John surgery during the 2023 season. Schumaker did say it is a possibility, but the hope is that the two-time Cy Young winner will avoid it.
“You never want any of your players to feel anything, especially Jacob deGrom,” Schumaker said. “I think, obviously, if there’s anything with the hip or lower half or arm, you’re definitely concerned. Having a conversation with him, the way he’s feeling today is better.
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom throws to the Los Angeles Angels during the fourth inning of a baseball game. AP Photo/Julio Cortez
“You never know until a couple more days of rehab and how he feels. So I think the All-Star break is at the right time for him to recover, and hopefully it’s shorter right after the All-Star break than longer.”
DeGrom holds an 8-5 record and 3.49 ERA across 18 starts in 2026. He has recorded 122 strikeouts and a 1.01 WHIP in just over 100 2/3 innings.
The former Mets ace joined the Rangers in 2022 after signing a massive five-year, $185 million free-agent contract.
He’s in his fourth year of the deal, which includes a sixth-year option that would increase the total value to $222 million.
HOLLYWOOD, CA - APRIL 04: General view of the Hollywood Sign above Lake Hollywood on April 04, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
Today’s Lineups
DIAMONDBACKS
DODGERS
Ketel Marte – DH
Shohei Ohtani – DH
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Andy Pages – CF
Corbin Carroll – RF
Freddie Freeman – 1B
Gabriel Moreno – C
Mookie Betts – SS
Lourdes Gurriel – LF
Tommy Edman – 3B
Ildemaro Vargas – 2B
Kyle Tucker – RF
Nolan Arenado – 3B
Teoscar Hernandez – LF
Ryan Waldschmidt – CF
Miguel Rojas – 2B
Tim Tawa – 1B
Dalton Rushing – C
E. Rodriguez – LHP
Kyle Hurt – RHP
Roster moves
The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves. The D-backs’ 40-man roster is at 39.
Recalled from Triple-A Reno: OF Ryan Waldschmidt
Designated for assignment: 1B Pavin Smith
And so, Smith’s nine-year tenure as part of the Diamondbacks organization apparently comes to an end, though it is possible he might get through waivers. We’ll see if the team opts to retain his services in that case. But for now, let’s take a look back at the Smith era. It ends with Pavin having appeared in 476 games for the D-backs since making his MLB debut as a September call-up at the end of the lame duck 2020 season. He was Mike Hazen’s very first draft pick, being selected with seventh overall pick in the 2017 draft. Smith could have been a Rockie, since they drafted him out of high school three years earlier. But it was way back in the 32nd round and he didn’t sign.
However, over the seven seasons which followed, Smith rarely cemented himself as an everyday part of the Arizona line-up. There was only one year where he appeared in as many as ninety games. That was in 2021, when he played 145 times. That was mostly as an outfielder, including 29 starts in center field, which seems hard to believe now (and might help explain why that team lost 110 games!). It made sense in that Christian Walker was largely blocking Smith at first-base. That and designated hitter are the only two positions at which Smith has appeared since the end of 2024.
However, the results have largely been underwhelming, outside of one white-hot streak as Jack recently noted. Smith’s OPS has been below .600 over the last 300+ plate-appearances, and if the team had possessed any credible alternative options at first-base, it’s likely the plug would have been pulled sooner. Instead, they’ll be going with some hybrid combo of Ildemaro Vargas and Tim Tawa at first, while Mike Hazen works the phones, looking for a replacement. Given the previously-noted fact that our 1B production is the worst in over a century, the bar for improvement won’t be high. But despite 476 games of basically replacement-level production, I wish Smith all the best.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JULY 10: Brandon Young #63 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches in the first inning during a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 10, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It is Friday night.
The Orioles have beaten the Royals, 5-3. Brandon Young turned in an excellent seven-plus inning start, and after he left with the game tied, Samuel Basallo delivered an absolutely joyous and righteous go-ahead home run to put the Orioles on top. Bring this energy into all of your most important tasks:
Jun 22, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; A general view of Petco Park during the sixth inning between the San Diego Padres and the Milwaukee Brewers. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images
The Jays traded away Tommy Nance (and $250,000 in international signing bonus money) to the Twins for Catcher/Infielder Ryan Sprock (he’s assigned to Vancouver). FanGraphs had him at #31 on their Top Prospect list.
They must see something in Sprock. He has a .297/.427/.428 in 67 games at A ball.
Also Braydon Fisher has activated from the Bereavement list and will be available tonight.
Today’s lineups:
Today’s Lineups
BLUE JAYS
PADRES
Ernie Clement – SS
Fernando Tatis – 2B
Vladimir Guerrero – 1B
Jackson Merrill – CF
Kazuma Okamoto – 3B
Xander Bogaerts – SS
George Springer – DH
Manny Machado – 3B
Alejandro Kirk – C
Gavin Sheets – LF
Daulton Varsho – CF
Ty France – 1B
Luis Urias – 2B
Miguel Andujar – DH
Myles Straw – RF
Jase Bowen – RF
Jonatan Clase – LF
Rodolfo Duran – C
Shane Bieber – RHP
JP Sears – LHP
Go Jays Go
And this is great news:
Making history! 📺
Madison Shipman makes her regular season debut as analyst tonight, becoming the first woman to work the booth for a @BlueJays game on @Sportsnet 👏
Watch the Blue Jays take on the Padres tonight at 9:40pm ET on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+! pic.twitter.com/A9h2AxQjrd
Jul 10, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers left fielder Riley Greene (31) scores a run against the Philadelphia Phillies in the sixth inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
Talk about opening a series in style as the Tigers beat the Phillies 10-2 to open the last weekend series of the first half.
For the last weekend series before the All-Star Break, the Tigers were squaring off against the club that would be hosting the All-Star Game in the Phillies. They were hoping to ride the high of their series sweep against the A’s and keep it up right into the break. To get there, they’d have Jack Flaherty on the mound up against Aaron Nola for the Phillies. Now to see if the Tigers’ luck versus .500+ teams would be tested as the Phillies have the second-best record in the NL East.
Kyle Schwarber got a one-out single in the top of the first, but Flaherty quickly brought things around to get the final two outs of the inning. In the home half, Riley Greene got a two-out walk, but the Tigers left him stranded.
In the second, the Phillies went 1-2-3, and the Tigers did the same in the home half. Early to tell, yet, but looks like it could be a set-up for a pitchers’ duel.
The Phillies drew first blood in the top of the third with a solo home run from Derek Hill. The next three batters went down in order. In the home half, Jake Rogers took a one-out walk. Then Kevin McGonigle homered, pushing the Tigers nicely into the lead.
With two outs, Riley Greene doubled, but once again the Tigers left him stranded.
Bryce Harper took a leadoff walk in the fourth, then with one out, Flaherty hit Alec Bohm with a pitch. I can safely say any concerns I had about a pitchers’ duel were not founded. Bryson Stott then walked to load the bases. Hill singled into right, driving in a run. Flaherty did manage to get the final out of the inning, avoiding the worst damage, but the game was still tied 2-2. The Tigers went three-up, three-down in the bottom of the inning.
Jack Flaherty needs to send a thank you fruit basket to Riley Greene for nabbing the first two outs of the inning.
It was also pouring buckets at this point. Flaherty got the final out of the inning, thankfully making it very speedy, but with the rain it was hard to say whether things would continue in the bottom half. The game did resume for the bottom half with a slight delay to help absorb some of the rainwater and reset the mound. Jake Rogers got a one-out single, but unfortunately the Tigers weren’t able to bring him home.
The Phillies went 1-2-3 in the sixth and the rain was certainly lighter now. Aaron Nola’s day was done after the fifth and he was replaced by Tim Mayza. Riley Greene worked a walk, despite the Phillies challenging the final pitch call, he made his way to first (and it was quite the epic at-bat). With one out, a pinch-hitting Matt Vierling drew a walk. Eduardo Valencia got to play the hero in back-to-back games as he hit a line drive to left to break up the tie and score Greene.
Zach McKinstry hit a sac bunt to score Vierling, but a throwing error from Mayza left McKinstry safe on first. James Outman then tripled to score two more runs. Then, because this inning is just that unhinged, Mayza got called for a balk, scoring Outman. The next two at-bats were outs, but it was safe to say the Tigers made the most of the inning.
With a nice buffer now on the scoreboard, Jack Flaherty’s day was done with a final line of 6.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 1 HR, on 86 pitches. Not his best outing, a little uneven, but the results were pretty solid. Jacob Waguespack came out of the pen to replace him. Derek Hill continued to have himself a night with a one-out single. With two outs, Trea Turner was able to reach on a fielding error by McKinstry. The error gods giveth, and the error gods taketh away. Drew Sommers replaced Waguespack and got the final out of the inning, a big one against the Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber. Max Lazar was the new Phillies pitcher in the home half, and Colt Keith got in on the action with a leadoff home run.
With one out, Valencia singled, but two outs followed to end the inning, leaving him on base.
Beau Brieske came in for the top of the eighth. With one out, Brandon Marsh singled. But they got the final outs of the inning with no runs scored. Garrett Stubbs, a position player, came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and got the Tigers out in order. Love it when that happens.
The Tigers worked through the side in the top of the ninth and clinched their win. Great way to open a series.
