Category: MLB

One of the most exciting aspects of every Major League Baseball season is the influx of rookies across the game. We see top prospects fast-tracked to the big leagues, journeymen who have waited ages for their moment, and players from other professional leagues making their mark.

As MLB’s first half comes to a close, the Rookie of the Year race continues to heat up, and the Colorado Rockies find themselves with a player right in the thick of it for the National League thanks to rookie first baseman TJ Rumfield. Since joining the Rockies via trade with the New York Yankees before the season, Rumfield has proven to be a steady contributor in the lineup and on the field, and one of the most productive rookies in the game.

But in a crowded field, does Rumfield have a legitimate chance at becoming just the second Rockie to win the award, joining Jason Jennings in 2002?

A matter of numbers

Let us first consider Rumfield’s statistics in relation to his ranking among qualified rookies in the NL.

Entering Tuesday, this is where Rumfield’s stats rank:

• .297 AVG (1st)
• .375 OBP (1st)
• .486 SLG (1st)
• .861 OPS (1st)
• 94 hits (1st)
• 20 doubles (2nd)
• 2 triples (T-1st)
• 12 home runs (3rd)
• 47 RBI (3rd)
• 34 walks (3rd)
• 51 strikeouts (7th-fewest)
• 2.1 bWAR (2nd)

The numbers speak for themselves. Rumfield is one of the most productive players among NL rookies across the board. His ability to consistently take good at-bats and make contact is one of the main reasons that he was named the Rookie of the Month in back-to-back months. His batting average is 20 points higher than the next qualified hitter, and his OPS is 30 points higher. He doesn’t rely on his power as much as some other players, but he has plenty of power he can tap into as needed.

What truly stands out is that Rumfield’s 14.2% strikeout rate is the lowest among NL rookies while he sports a very respectable 9.4% walk rate. He gets on base better than any rookie in the NL, and that should carry a lot of weight among voters at the end of the season because of the consistency of his performances. Rookies tend to ebb and flow through a season, but Rumfield has hardly had a rough patch this season. His longest streak of games without a hit is four, and he has only struck out more than once in just seven of his 89 games played.

And before the naysayers claim that it’s only because he plays at Coors Field, well, do I have some news for you. Yes, Rumfield plays well at home, where he is batting .299/.383/.494 with seven home runs, but he is also one of the best hitting rookies on the road. He is hitting .294/.366/.477 away from Coors Field, leading NL rookies in AVG while ranking in the top three in OBP and SLG, and has five home runs.

As for his defense, Rumfield leads all qualified first basemen in baseball with six defensive runs saved while being tied for second among first basemen in general. He has proven to be one of the steadiest gloves at the position despite a more limited range due to his speed.

He is offensively and defensively sound with very little to nothing to nitpick about his game. The most notable thing is that he isn’t very quick on the bases, but that’s just a drop in the bucket compared to all the good things he is doing, which are listed above.

Stiff competition

Despite all the incredible things Rumfield is doing, he is going to have a hard time winning the award over some of the other rookies in the NL. His main competition among position players at the moment appears to be JJ Wetherholt of the St. Louis Cardinals, Sal Stewart of the Cincinnati Reds, and Konnor Griffin of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Wetherholt has been fantastic for the Cardinals this season. The seventh-overall pick in 2024 is slashing .266/.360/.411 with 13 home runs for the Cardinals this season. He leads NL rookies in WAR thanks to his offensive production and ability to steal some bases, but he also has displayed Gold Glove-worthy defense at second base. Those factors are why he has 4.1 bWAR and has emerged as a leading candidate in the race.

As for Stewart, the 32nd overall pick in 2022, has burst onto the scene with the Reds with his 17 home runs. Slashing .254/.339/.466 with 61 RBI, Stewart is a run-producing machine for the Reds in the heart of their order. He has also proven quite capable of getting on base with his 44 walks, but can also swipe bags with 11 on the year. He, too, has proven reliable at both corner infield positions and was named an NL All-Star this season. He currently has 1.4 bWAR for the season.

Konnor Griffin has the hype of being the number one prospect entering the season and has shown off his spark in Pittsburgh. In 59 games, he is batting .276/.332/.404 with just five home runs but also 20 stolen bases. He has been susceptible to strikeouts, but he is adapting well to big league pitching. He also plays stellar defense at shortstop, which is partly why he has 1.6 bWAR on the season. However, injuries have hindered him this season, including the recent news that he has a torn tendon in his finger that could cause him to miss a month.

Of course, there are plenty of other names across the league that will garner votes, but it’s been apparent that Rumfield does not get as much attention from the media as these other players do. Part of it is that Rumfield plays in an ignored market for a team that has a reputation for not being very good. These other players are certainly deserving, but it’s difficult to trust that awards voters will do their due diligence in considering his case.

Build upon the case

There is no doubt that Rumfield will receive Rookie of the Year votes, but where he will place is up in the air. The Rockies have only had a couple of position players place second in voting, while the most recent finish was Nolan Jones in 2023, when he finished fourth.

An All-Star nod would have helped his case (I’ll hold out hope for a replacement opportunity), but Rumfield can take matters into his own hands with a replication of his first half. If he can get his home run swing a bit more consistently while doing everything else he already does, it can give the voters no choice but to pay attention to how much he has done to deserve it.

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On the farm

Triple-A:Sugar Land Space Cowboys 6, Albuquerque Isotopes 5 (F/7)

The Albuquerque Isotopes took an early 4-0 lead, but ended up losing 6-5 after the game was called with two outs in the seventh inning due to rain and lightning. The Isotopes only had three hits, with Jordan Beck driving in a run with a sacrifice fly and both Zac Veen and Adael Amador both driving in a run. Mason Green made the start and allowed two runs on three hits over his three innings of work. Domingo Acevedo followed in relief with 2.2 innings of work, during which he allowed three runs on three hits. Andrew Baker took the loss after allowing the winning run in the bottom of the seventh.

Double-A:Binghamton Rumble Ponies 10, Hartford Yard Goats 4

Despite matching the Binghamton Rumble Ponies with nine hits, the Hartford Yard Goats suffered a disastrous eighth inning, resulting in the 10-4 loss. After starting, Griffin Herring allowed four runs in 1.2 innings in his start. Cade Denton held down the fort with 4.1 scoreless innings of relief. Austin Smith eventually entered in the eighth inning and was hit hard, recording just one out as he was responsible for six runs, four earned, to take his third loss. Trailing early, the Yard Goats tied the game up with two runs in the fifth and one in both the sixth and seventh innings. Andy Perez led the night with three hits, including two doubles, and three RBI. Meanwhile, Cole Messina and GJ Hill each had two hits.

High-A:Spokane Indians 12, Eugene Emeralds 4

The Spokane Indians threw out 12 hits as they took the victory against the Eugene Emeralds. Jacob Humphrey led the charge with four hits, including two home runs, and drove in five runs. Roynier Hernandez and Ethan Hedges each had two hits while Robert Calaz drove in a pair of runs. Jordy Vargas made the start and went six innings, allowing just three runs on six hits with six strikeouts. Francis Rivera followed with three innings of one-run ball to secure his fifth save of the season.

Low-A:Stockton Ports 11, Fresno Grizzlies 5

The Fresno Grizzlies kept pace early but couldn’t keep up as they fell to the Stockton Ports. Easton Marks made the start for Fresno and allowed six runs over four innings while walking six and striking out three. Jhon Medina was then roughed up out of the bullpen as he allowed five runs on three hits over 2.2 innings with four walks and five strikeouts. Fresno’s defense didn’t help much as two errors resulted in four unearned runs. Roldy Brito led the offense with two hits, including a solo home run, and two RBI, while Derek Bernard hit his seventh home run of the season. Carlos Renzullo and Ashlu Andujar each had two hits as well.

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Rockies looking to find 1st-round success with No. 10 overall pick | MLB.com

Thomas Harding breaks down the Rockies’ approach to the draft this weekend with some insights from general manager Josh Byrnes.

Affected by Altitude Episode 217: The Big Pre-Break Roundup 2026 Edition | Rocky Mountain Rooftop

This week, Evan Lang and I chat about TJ Rumfield and Hunter Goodman’s recent accolades, preview the upcoming draft, and hand out our June Players of the Month.

Rockies learning one thing about energetic Carrigg: ‘He wants it’ | MLB.com

Since getting called up, Cole Carrigg has been electric for the Rockies. He has brought an edge that the team has sorely needed. After an incredible performance on Monday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Carrigg is embracing every moment with the big league club.

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I was already leaning towards writing about this before the Brewers series, but after last night’s game, it really hammered the point home. So, through the lens of my own bullpen rankings, I will compare which teams are really thriving with a light’s out, effective bullpen, and which teams are bleeding wins because of theirs. In 2026, baseball continues to evolve, and I have a feeling that bullpens are more important than ever. It could end up that I reveal teams wasting resources on amazing bullpens, or maybe all the best teams will have the best bullpens; we shall see…

I’m going to do this in an odd sort of way, using something I am going to call Correlation Points. I am looking at team reliever stats on fangraphs, with a variety of different stats, including rate stats and fWAR.

There are 12 teams with a bullpen ERA under 4, and those teams are actually 3.8 ERA or lower. The rest of MLB is over 4 ERA. There are 10 MLB bullpens with an ERA 4.0-4.5. Then, the worst, most neglected bullpens are over 4.50 ERA, with only a handful of MLB bullpens performing at 5.0 ERA or worse. I am using a three tier system, assigning 3 CP (correlation points, remember?) to tier 1 teams, 1.5 CP to the mid-tier teams, and .5 CP to the worst teams. But wait, what about the absolutely elite bullpens? Don’t they mean something? Only 4 MLB bullpens have an ERA under 3.5. I’ll go ahead and assign those teams 3.5 CP. It ended up convenient that by my ratings sytem, the 4 best bullpens weighed out the 4 worse bullpens as the outliers. Instead of half a CP, the 4 worst get absolutely no Correlation Points. And that’s how I’m doing ERA.

Including xERA is a way to include a balance to the flukiness of ERA. I’ll again be assigning 3 CP to teams with a rate under 4.0. No bonus points this time because the teams are more tightly packed. In this case, the middle teams with an xERA under 4.40 will get 2 CP, and the worst bullpens of MLB will get .5 CP.

And then of course, you should look at it from a Fielding Independent Pitching perspective, normalizing and leveling the playing field when it comes to fielding/defense masking the effectiveness of a bullpen. I’ll use the same system for xERA here. Under 4.0 FIP = 3 CP. Mid teams get 2 CP, and the worst bullpens only get .5 CP. I’m going to skip using xFIP because you don’t want your bullpen giving up a lot of home runs and then trying to normalize that.

And because it’s good if your bullpen can eat a bunch of innings while also performing well, I’ll simply be using fWAR totals as correlation points, so the most valuable bullpens by counting stat WAR will have quite an effect on my Correlation Points system. But not all winning bullpens are used frequently, so I want to level that playing field by not just using fWAR. I want to see what teams have good bullpens across the board.

After I totaled the Bullpen Correlation Points, I listed teams’ Winning Percentage and then assigned Record Correlation Points, mirroring the Bullpen CP totals but assigning according to record. I was then able to tell what percentage of teams records match up with the performance of their 2026 bullpen.

Tiering MLB Bullpens

Tiers by ERA

• Elite Tier: Braves, Yankees, Red Sox, Brewers
• Top Tier
  SEA
  NYM
  SDP
  MIA
  TEX
  CLE
  TOR
  LAD
• Mid Tier
  CHC
  DET
  ARI
  CHW
  STL
  BAL
  PHI
  HOU
  TBR
  PIT
• Bad Bullpens
  SFG
  LAA
  CIN
  COL
• Dumpster Fire
  ATH
  WSN
  KCR
  MIN

Tiers by xERA

• Top Tier
  NYY
  SDP
  PHI
  MIL
  ATL
  LAD
  NYM
  MIA
  TOR
  DET
  BAL
• Mid Tier
  HOU
  BOS
  CLE
  ARI
  TEX
  SEA
  LAA
  CHW
  ATH
  PIT
  SFG
• Bottom Tier
  TBR
  MIN
  COL
  CHC
  STL
  KCR
  WSN
  CIN

Tiering Bullpens by FIP

• Top Tier
  SEA
  ATL
  PHI
  NYY
  LAD
  MIL
  MIA
  NYM
  BOS
  SDP
  CLE
  TOR
  BAL
• Mid Tier
  ARI
  TEX
  DET
  STL
  CHW
  PIT
  COL
  SFG
• Bottom Tier
  HOU
  ATH
  LAA
  TBR
  MIN
  CHC
  WSN
  CIN
  KCR

Just to give you an idea on how these rankings can fluctuate depending on what stat we are using. Notice how the Cardinals bullpen is either mid-tier, or bottom tier by xERA. Compare and contrast teams, if you’d like.

Now, for the Bullpen Correlation Points! The more CP, the better the bullpen across all categories, also including bullpen fWAR.

Tiering MLB Bullpens with Bullpen Correlation Points

• Elite Tier: Atlanta, Milwaukee, San Diego! All are among the best across the board using all major stat categories. The cream of the bullpen crop.
• Top Tier: only a small step down. If your favorite thing in baseball is a very effective bullpen to shut things down for the starting pitcher or just keep you in the game, you might want to be a fan of the Dodgers, Blue Jays, Yankees, Mets, Marlins, or Phillies, if that’s your thing (a second favorite team, of course!)
• Mid Tier: The mid bullpens are ones like the Red Sox, Guardians, Mariners, Orioles, Rangers, White Sox, Diamondbacks, Tigers, Pirates, Rockies, or Astros. These ‘pens get the job done well enough. You might have noticed, none of these teams are among the very best in Winning %. The best you can hope for in this mid tier is a team like the Mariners, or Guardians, two teams who have the same record just above .500. Which is good enough in their divisions, strangely enough.
• Bottom Tier: The Cardinals bullpen is the best of the bottom tier, but what has weighed them down a bit is their low fWAR total. They are probably a more mid tier team, hopefully, but for now I’ll just have to rank them as among the bottom of the bullpens. The Giants, Angels, first place Rays, Athletics, Cubs, Twins, and Reds join them. The Reds of course have a much worse bullpen than the Cardinals, but let this be a cautionary tale that the Cardinals deserve some bullpen help!
• Dumpster Fires: The Nationals and Royals bullpens are just dumpsters filled with napalm on a hot summer day. Fans of these teams must turn off the TV once the starter is out, unless they are up by 7+ runs or something.

And now for the fun part! Do bullpens really matter a lot? How much do bullpens correlate with a team’s winning percentage? Bullpens after all are almost like bench players, in many ways. The pitchers don’t play as much overall, and are a bit of a hodge podge motley crew of journeymen and prospects. What I found may surprise!

• I was surprised to find SEVEN teams had a DIRECT correlation between their record and bullpen. By that I mean their bullpen correlation points exactly matched their ranking according to their winning percentage.
• 11 teams had either a direct or a very strong correlation between bullpen effectiveness and wins and losses.
• Over half the teams had a close correlation between bullpen and winning. That’s sort of impressive, all things considered.
• 21 teams had some correlation between their bullpen’s goodness and their record. I think that says a bullpen is pretty important.
• Only three teams appeared to have really no correlation between their bullpen and their win/loss record. Can you guess who they are? The Mets really damn good bullpen cannot save them from whatever is happening in NY… while the Cubs and especially the Rays cannot be dragged down by a bad bullpen. I don’t want to see how good the Cubs would be with a bullpen.
• The Cardinals are another team that is outplaying its bullpen, saved by defense and some hitting. There is only a weak correlation between the team’s bullpen and its record. The flip side of the coin is the Padres having an absolute top tier bullpen, while playing under .500 baseball. One of the best bullpens cannot save them. Same with over half of the AL East: Blue Jays, Red Sox, Orioles are floundering despite effective bullpens.
• Teams with a direct correlation between bullpen effectiveness and record: Brewers elite ‘pen means a top tier team (while they do everything well), Marlins bullpen making them a contender, Rangers and Diamondbacks midrange bullpens making them around .500, and the Athletics bottom tier bullpen keeping them towards the lower reaches of MLB.
• I don’t think the Braves would be as good as they are without a top tier bullpen. Playoff ready teams the Dodgers and Yankees have bullpens that are not preventing them from winning many games.
• The Mets should probably trade away most of their bullpen to make their team better but I have no idea how they could do that.

Given how tough a bullpen can be to pin down, I think 21 teams having some kind of correlation between their record and their bullpen is interesting enough to draw a conclusion that maybe teams shouldn’t skimp on their reliever corps. A good to elite bullpen is very difficult to assemble, but there is some evidence that you shouldn’t blow off the assembly of it. Sure, you will have freak teams like the Rays that can win a lot despite an ineffective bullpen (and to a much lesser extent, the Cardinals), but overall bullpens might be a little underrated.

1992 Music Part 2

So last week I ran out of time and only got through 15 of the 30 (non heavy metal) albums I had selected for review. I am nearly out of time this week, but I will howl at the moon a bit tonight and reveal 15 more! Night owl here…

• Medicine – ‘Shot Forth Self Living’ I would describe Medicine as USA’s answer to the UK’s My Bloody Valentine, even more distorted and over the top but different, in some ways also more mellow. A shoegaze genre classic from the band that would later appear on the Crow soundtrack and gain many more fans.
• Boredoms – ‘Wow2’ the Boredoms (perhaps one of the most uniquely captivating bands of all time, or at least from Japan) also released the more well known ‘Pop Tatari’ in 1992, but I have enjoyed Wow2 even more! You cannot go wrong either way if you love avant garde rock, experimental music, and weirdo punk.
• Lush – ‘Spooky’ another album of shoegazer goodness, but also a bit dreampop and even goth or punk at times, the UK’s Lush made a splash in 1992 with Spooky, a really fun but dark album. Top song picks: Tiny Smiles, Superblast!, Laura, and Starlust.
• Gang Starr – ‘Daily Operation’ all time hiphop classic, file somewhere between conscientious rap and gangster rap, with strong hiphop production elements. Guru and Premier at their best!
• Thinking Plague – ‘In This Life’ totally mental, super advanced prog rock of the highest order. Only a few preview tracks on their bandcamp, so you’re just going to have to buy this one. I did years ago, and trust me, it’s worth it!
• Pete Rock & CL Smooth – ‘Mecca and the Soul Brother’ stumbled across this excellent early 90s hiphop album and I think you should listen to it. It’s certainly going into my hiphop collection!
• Ruins – ‘Burning Stone’ another highly original band from Japan, the contrast between Ruins and the Boredoms being that Ruins was a duo on this album, and are much more tightly controlled and focused on the music genre known to humans as Zeuhl. A band like no other. I have had the fortune of seeing them multiple times in Chicago. Flat out astounding!
• Stone Temple Pilots – ‘Core’ I had this tape before they blew up, and before anyone else I knew. They were being promoted at some mall record store, on an end cap. They were opening for Megadeth so I gave it a try, and loved it! And they were even better live. That didn’t matter to the Megadeth fans though, they booed at the end. I thought it was funny, and it was my first concert. STP’s debut album!
• Meat Beat Manifesto – ‘Satyricon’ Jack Dangers and MBM began to move away from noisy industrial hiphop party music to something a bit more nuanced… However, this album still retains much of that early Meat Beat Manifesto energy and is perhaps their most signature release, bridging the band into new sonic territories.
• Frontline Assembly – ‘Tactical Neural Implant’ similar to MBM, Frontline Assembly delivered an all time industrial dance classic in 1992, all the while being more futuristic sounding than just about anyone else at the time outside of NIN and Skinny Puppy.
• Showbiz and A.G. – ‘Runaway Slave’ and another classic hiphop release from 1992! Definitely adding this one to my hiphop collection as well.
• Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 – ‘Mother Of All Saints’ I may end up moving this up the list further some day *same goes for Showbiz and AG* but for now, let me just say I’m intrigued and I want to hear more! Bandcamp link, go buy a lesser known bands tunes! Good stuff.
• High Rise – ‘Dispersion’ Japan really exploded onto the scene in 1992 at least in my mind, with releases by the Boredoms and Ruins, but High Rise may have been the most impressive in the intensity department, taking psyche rock to new levels and loudness, soloing all over the place with no fucks given. One of the louder live shows I have scene, incredible. The most in-your-face stoner rock possible. (bandcamp)
• Naked City – ‘Grand Guignol’ and ‘Leng Tch’e’ bandcamp and youtube links, respectively. I couldn’t choose just one album from 1992 Naked City by John Zorn. Grand Guignol includes covers of 20th century avant classical composers while Leng Tch’e is a longform sludge metal/drone release. Neither sound alike or like the previous Naked City album. All three albums completely necessary.
• Steven Jesse Bernstein – ‘Prison’ little known “rapper” Bernstein reminds us of one of the roots of hiphop here, spoken word and beat poetry to a sampler collage. A piece of art melding a uniquely crafted vision, and one of the hidden gems I’ve unearthed doing this project. You won’t even remotely understand what I’m talking about until you hear this masterpiece.
• Ween – ‘Pure Guava’ part of Ween’s early evolution into what they would later become, I’d describe this as one of my favorite Ween albums but I pretty like all of them, so I’m not sure what to say other than that Ween occupy their own corner of the music world and this is them becoming who they are.
• Screaming Trees – ‘Sweet Oblivion’ and to round out my 1992 picks for music listening, I don’t think any list about 1992 is complete without Sweet Oblivion. Stacked with classic songs that conjure up that time period rather effectively. Music as time machine, no need to invent one. I could listen to the song “Nearly Lost You There” every day of the week. “Dollar Bill” is another classic track. The whole album is stacked, really.

And last but not least I actually have the complete 1992 (non heavy metal) playlist ready! Link here

1992 Heavy Metal Playlist next week! At some point I’ll just list a bunch of years youtube playlists.

Thanks for reading all that, if you did! You rock. Special all star break edition next week… stay tuned.

The Pittsburgh Pirates had a huge 11-4 win in their series opener against the Atlanta Braves, with Ryan O’Hearn leading the charge from the very first inning.

Hurston Waldrep was on the bump for the Braves and did not start off his night great as in the first inning the Pirates had quickly loaded the bases. With one out and bases loaded O’Hearn came to the plate. With a 1-1 count Waldrep gave up a regrettable looking curveball that O’Hearn turned on and smashed into the right field stands. With that grand slam the Pirates were quickly up 4-1.

In the bottom of the third, O’Hearn was back at the plate with two runners on and no outs. Waldrep again gave O’Hearn an off-speed pitch in the lower part of the zone that ended up being crushed off the back drop in center field. Bryan Reynolds and Esmerlyn Valdez were driven in and the Pirates went up 7-2 with 7 RBIs and two homers on the night from O’Hearn.

Connor Thomas would relieve Waldrep but the momentum that the Pirates offense had started with at the beginning of the night had no end in sight. In the bottom of the sixth inning there was two outs with Jake Mangum and Brandon Lowe on the base pads. With a 3-1 count O’Hearn took advantage of yet another off-speed pitch and armed the cannon with another cannonball into the right field stands. The Pirates went up 10-2 at that point in the game and O’Hearn had officially set a new record for most RBIs in a game by a Bucco, breaking Johnny Rizzo’s record that he set back in 1939 when he had nine in a game against St. Louis. With his 10th RBI he set the mark for most by any player in a game this season, and became the 17th player to have 10 RBIs in a game in the modern era.

3 HOMER 10 RBI NIGHT FOR RYAN O'HEARN 🤯

He's the first Pirates player with 10 RBIs in a game‼️ pic.twitter.com/j0MucKI7oE

— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) July 8, 2026

O’Hearn would take a crack at getting a fourth homer on the night in the bottom of the eighth. He didn’t drive one home, but he did hit a line drive single into right field before exiting for a pinch runner and receiving a huge standing ovation from the fans at PNC Park. He would finish the night with four hits, 10 RBIs, three homers, upped his batting average to .293 and increased his season total of home runs to 16 which is just one shy of his career high of 17 that he had last season.

Although he was snubbed of a spot on the All-Star team, O’Hearn is having what could end up being the best season of his career. At 32-years-old it would be reasonable to see him start to decline, but he has enjoyed a career year with the Buccos so far and we’re only halfway through the season.

The Detroit Tigers opened up their final homestand before the All-Star break with a 6-2 victory over the Athletics on Tuesday night. Tarik Skubal limited the visitors to just one run over five frames while striking out nine and the home team benefited from a two-out rally in the sixth inning to give them their fifth win of July and sixth in the last seven games.

With a chance to clinch their third-straight series on Wednesday, the Motor City Kitties send right-hander Troy Melton to the mound to do battle. The 25-year-old has thrown three straight quality starts since late June, posting a microscopic 0.98 ERA while the FIP gods are still a bit bearish at 3.39 over that stretch. His strikeout numbers have trended in the right direction as well, sending five or more batters back to the dugout over his last five outings.

Melton’s last start against the New York Yankees in the Bronx was among the best of his young career, tossing 6 1/3 frames of shutout ball on two hits and a walk while matching his career-high in strikeouts with seven en route to a no-decision in a 6-2 team victory in extras.

For the Athletics, left-hander Jeffrey Springs will toe the rubber looking to even the weekday series in a season that has seen his performance drop off precipitously after a strong start. Over his first four appearances of the 2026 campaign, the 33-year-old posted a 1.46 ERA and 2.46 FIP; in his 14 outings since, he has produced a 7.34 ERA and 7.09 FIP. Woof.

In Springer’s last start against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he surrendered six runs on eight hits (two home runs) and four walks while striking out for his eighth loss of the season. Hopefully, the Tigers can give him his ninth on Wednesday night.

Here is how Melton and Springer match up on paper.

Detroit Tigers (41-50) vs. Athletics (41-50)

Time (ET): 6:40 p.m.
Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
SB Nation Site:Athletics Nation
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 92: RHP Troy Melton (4-1, 2.05 ERA) vs. LHP Jeffrey Springs (3-8, 5.79 ERA)

Player	G	IP	K%	BB%	GB%	FIP	fWAR
Melton	7	44.0	19.2	6.0	42.3	4.54	0.4
Springs	18	93.1	19.7	8.1	33.8	5.86	-0.3

MELTON

SPRINGS

I do believe that Zack Wheeler pitched that game with a decent sized chip on his shoulder. Actually, multiple chips on his shoulder – one from not being selected to the All-Star Game and one for Don Mattingly taking him out early from a game he wanted to stay in.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Jesus Luzardo was added to the National League All-Star team as a replacement for a trio of starters starting on Sunday.
• Zack Wheeler is still not an All-Star, an issue his agent is none too happy about and is more than willing to share that anger about.
• The game of bullpen roulette continued for the Phillies with Max Lazar coming back to the team and Kyle Backhus heading out.

MLB news:

• The Tigers have let go their third base coach, Joey Cora, over some philosophical differences. Intrigue in Detroit.
• After giving him a long term extension a while back, the Brewers have called up Luis Lara to join the party.
• Byron Buxton is headed to the injured list with a hip issue. That could be a problem for their trade plans if they planned on exploring his market.

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (38-37/6-6)

POSTPONED (INCLEMENT WEATHER)

ROSTER ALERT: Syracuse Mets sent RHP Kevin Herget on a rehab assignment to Brooklyn Cyclones.

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (27-42/3-10)

BINGHAMTON 10, HARTFORD 4 (BOX)

With the score tied at 4-4 going into the later innings, Binghamton unloaded on Hartford with a six-run eighth inning.

·  DH Chris Suero: 0-4, 2 R, 2 BB, K

·  CF Jose Ramos: 2-4, 2 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K

·  3B Nick Lorusso: 1-5, R, 2B, RBI, BB, 2 K

·  1B JT Schwartz: 1-3, 2 R, HR (9), 4 RBI, BB, 2 K

·  C Kevin Parada: 1-2, RBI, 2 BB

·  LF Vincent Perozo: 0-4, BB, 2 K

·  RF Matt Rudick: 1-4, R, BB, 2 K

·  SS Wyatt Young: 1-4, R, BB

·  2B Kevin Villavicencio: 2-4, R, RBI, 2 SB (2, 3)

·  RHP Channing Austin: 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K

·  RHP Justin Armbruester: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

·  RHP Brendan Girton: 2.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

·  LHP Felipe De La Cruz: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, BLK, H (2)

·  RHP Douglas Orellana: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, W (7-2), BS (3)

·  RHP Garrett Stratton: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

·  RHP Saul Garcia: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

ROSTER ALERT: New York Mets sent CF Luis Robert Jr. on a rehab assignment to Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (25-40/7-8)

WILMINGTON 2, BROOKLYN 1 (BOX)

Noah Hall tossed a terrific game, and following scoreless inning after scoreless inning, the Cyclones finally got on the board in the bottom of the sixth to make him the potential winning pitcher. Kevin Herget promptly allowed a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, and that ended up being that.

·  2B Mitch Voit: 0-3, R, BB, SB (27)

·  SS Yonatan Henriquez: 0-4, K, E

·  DH Ronald Hernandez: 1-4, RBI, K

·  1B Corey Collins: 0-2, BB, K, HBP

·  LF JT Benson: 0-4, K

·  C Daiverson Gutierrez: 2-3

·  RF Yohairo Cuevas: 0-3, 2 K

·  3B Colin Houck: 0-3, K

·  CF Sam Biller: 0-3, 2 K

· RHP Noah Hall: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K

·  RHP Kevin Herget: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, WP, L (0-1), BS (1)

·  RHP Parker Carlson: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

·  LHP Gregori Louis: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (33-33/4-10)

ST. LUCIE 11, JUPITER 2 (BOX)

Not only did St. Lucie knock around Jupiter starter Jonas Uzcategui, but they kept the pressure on, scoring deep into the ballgame. Antonio Jimenez was a big part of that, with the infielder having his best game as a professional, logging four hits including two doubles and a home run, and stealing a pair of bases.

·  SS Antonio Jimenez: 4-6, 4 R, 2 2B, HR (4), RBI, K, 2 SB (11, 12)

·  3B Branny De Oleo: 2-5, R, 3 RBI, K

·  CF Trey Snyder: 1-4, 2 R, BB, 3 K, HBP, CS (1)

·  1B Julio Zayas: 0-2, 2 R, 4 BB, K

·  RF AJ Salgado: 2-5, 2 RBI, K

·  LF Simon Juan: 1-3, BB, HBP

·  C Chase Meggers: 0-4, RBI, BB, 2 K, PB (11)

·  DH Taylor Darden: 0-4, BB, 2 K

·  2B Jeremy Rodriguez: 0-3, 2 R, 2 BB, K

·  RHP Jose Lopez: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, WP

·  RHP Zack Mack: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, W (3-1)

·  RHP Miguel Mejias: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

·  RHP Elwis Mijares: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Jose Lopez assigned to St. Lucie Mets from FCL Mets.

Rookie: FCL Mets (20-25)

FCL METS 1, FCL CARDINALS 0 / 7 (BOX)

·  CF Bohan Adderley: 2-3, 2B

·  REHAB ALERT DH Mike Tauchman: 0-2, BB

·  LF Vladi Gomez: 1-3, 2 SB (29, 30)

·  C Yovanny Rodriguez: 0-2, BB, K

·  2B Anthony Frobose: 0-3, 2 K

·  1B Yeider Mindiola: 1-3, R

·  SS Yorber Semprun: 0-2

·  3B Diover De Aza: 0-2, BB, CS (1)

·  RF Heriberto Rincon: 1-3, 2B, RBI, K

·  RHP Nathan Hall: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

·  REHAB ALERT RHP Candido Cuevas: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HBP

·  RHP Eris Albino: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

·  RHP Yoralbert Cadiz: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

ROSTER ALERT: Syracuse Mets sent RF Mike Tauchman on a rehab assignment to FCL Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: Brooklyn Cyclones sent RHP Candido Cuevas on a rehab assignment to FCL Mets.

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Antonio Jimenez

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Kevin Herget

Good morning Birdland,

It’s tough to win a game in which you have zero extra base hits and go just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. The Orioles proved that on Tuesday night as they lost 5-2 to the visiting Cubs. Andrea SK recapped the action for us, in case you missed it.

If you’ve seen one Orioles game this season, you have pretty much seen them all. The Tuesday night loss was boiler plate for this squad. Shane Baz was…fine. He provided a quality start and gave his team a chance to win. The bullpen, which is falling apart with injuries, did not hold up their end. Anthony Nunez coughed up a pair of runs in his two innings. And then the lineup, outside of Adley Rutschman, who drove in both of the team’s runs, failed to come through when the pressure was high.

The bottom of the fourth inning saw the O’s get the first two hitters on base. That was followed by three consecutive strikeouts. The seventh inning is where Rutschman came through with his two-out, two-run single. But then Gunnar Henderson went down on three straight strikes at the bottom of the zone to end the threat.

The loss (paired with another Red Sox win) sunk the O’s further down the standings. They are now at the bottom of the AL East, 12.5 games back of the division-leading Rays and 4.5 games back of the final wild card spot. It’s getting more difficult to make a case for the Orioles to truly “go for it” in 2026.

There could be a lane for the team to both buy and sell. That is, move players due to hit free agency this year or that you don’t see a role for in 2027, while also seeking out talent that is under team control beyond this season that would be an upgrade for a turnaround next summer. That can be a tricky proposition, but the Orioles are one of the rare teams where it might make sense.

That’s a problem to figure out in a few weeks. Right now, the focus has to be on winning games. They need to do something they haven’t done yet this year, which is to go on an extended winning streak. Bouncing back and going into next week’s all-star break on a heater would be pretty neat. Fingers crossed.

Links

Orioles Notes: Akin, Helsley, Selby, Detwiler | MLB Trade Rumors
The Orioles bullpen has had some moments of brilliance, but in general the unit has fallen apart this season. Injuries have been killer, and that has only gotten worse recently. Mike Elias made some comments recently that indicated the club was intrigued by Félix Bautista’s progress, but any possible return there is still a ways off. And by the time he could be ready, it may not make too much sense to force him back into action.

This, that and the other | Roch Kubatko
Lots of little nuggets in this one, including the fact that Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward have combined for the third-highest hit total for a duo that is in its first season with the Orioles. It’s a very specific stat, but still interesting given some of the great hitters the O’s have had. Miguel Tejada and Javy Lopez are first with 213 hits. Alonso and Ward are at 172.

Bassitt ‘writing the script’ for second-half return after unique back surgery | Orioles.com
It’s great that Chris Bassitt is feeling better. It doesn’t sound like he is particularly close to getting back on the field though. Right now he is talking about pitching at some point before the season is over. So, don’t get too excited.

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• Danny Ardoin turns 52 today. He played in five games for the 2006 Orioles.
• Jerome Walton is 61 years old. The outfielder spent 26 games with the O’s in 1997.
• The late John Powers (b. 1929, d. 2001) was born on this day. He made his way into 10 games for the Orioles in 1960.

This day in O’s history

1969 – The Orioles beat the Yankees 4-1 as Mike Cuellar throws a complete game three-hitter. All three hits come off the bat of Yankees centerfielder Ron Woods, who singles twice and hits a home run.

1970 – Using a ninth-inning rally that includes a home run from Frank Robinson and a two-out single from Don Buford, the Orioles come back from an 8-6 deficit to beat the Yankees 9-8.

2011 – The Orioles lose 10-3 to the Red Sox, sunk by a disastrous first inning. But that didn’t prevent some fireworks late. In the eighth inning, David Ortiz charges the mound after O’s reliever Kevin Gregg brushes him back twice and then yells at him as he fails to run out a pop out. Benches empty. Ortiz, Gregg, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Jim Johnson are all ejected.

Free of charge for the discerning reader.

Happy birthday to Jerome Walton, and a mighty host of others.

Today in baseball history, in 1962 – With home runs in his first three at bats, 41-year-old Stan Musial of the Cardinals not only becomes the oldest player to hit three in a game but also ties the major league record of four straight home runs, as the Cards whip the Mets, 15-1. His home run in the second game the day before won the game, 3-2, and other stories as well.

Today in baseball history:

• 1907 – Bombarded by pop bottles in Brooklyn, irate Cubs manager Frank Chance throws one back into the stands where it cuts a boy’s leg. Chance is mobbed and leaves the park in an armored car with a police escort after the Cubs’ 5-0 victory. Three-Finger Brown emerges with the shutout win.
• 1918 – Although Babe Ruth‘s blast over the fence in Fenway Park scores Amos Strunk, as the Red Sox win 1-0 over Cleveland, prevailing rules reduce Babe’s home run to a triple. He will tie for the American League title with 11 homers, even though he plays just 95 games.
• 1927 – In a matchup of the NL’s top two teams, the Cubs extend their slim lead to one and a half games by edging the Pirates, 1-0, behind Charlie Root‘s one-hitter.
• 1945 – The Cubs take the National League lead by winning two from the Phillies, 12-6 and 9-2. They never relinquish first place, despite losing 16 of 22 games to the Cards.
• 1950 – Red Schoendienst of the Cards goes 5 for 5 against Pittsburgh, but the Cards lose, 7-6, to drop the Birds into second place, a game behind the Phillies. 
• 1951 – Red Schoendienst hits a home run from each side of the plate in the second game, as the Cards beat Pittsburgh, 9-8, after losing, 6-2.
• 1962 – The Dodgers take first place as Don Drysdale saves Sandy Koufax‘s 13th win, 2-0, against San Francisco. Los Angeles will remain in first until the final day of the season, but will lose a three-game playoff to the Giants.
• 1990 Looking for his 279th win, Bert Blyleven starts for the Angels but never makes it out of the 4th. He’ll win only once more the rest of the year.
• 2008 – Ryan Dempster improves to 10-0 at home, the best start by a Cubs hurler at Wrigley Field since Rick Reuschel in 1977. Chicago beats the Reds, 7-3.
• 2009 – Andruw Jones hits three home runs to lead Texas to an 8-1 win over Los Angeles, breaking a tie between the two teams in the AL West race. Jones is now hitting .250 with 14 homers, putting his career back on track after a disastrous last season with the Dodgers almost forced him into retirement.

Cubs Birthdays:Owen Caissie, Jaime García, Bobby Ayala, Jerome Walton*, Ken Patterson, Al Spangler, Charlie Gilbert, Rowdy Elliott, Buttons Briggs. Also notable: Hank O’Day HOF.

Today in history:

• 1693 – New York City authorizes the first police uniforms in the American colonies.
• 1776 – Colonel John Nixon gives the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence to an assemblage of citizens in Philadelphia.
• 1889 – John L. Sullivan successfully defends the last officially sanctioned bare-knuckle world heavyweight prizefighting championship when Jake Kilrain’s trainer throws in the towel after 75 one-minute rounds near Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
• 1913 – Alfred Carlton Gilbert‘s patent for the Erector Set is issued, one of the most popular toys of all time.
• 1947 – Reports are broadcast that a UFO has crash landed in Roswell, New Mexico.
• 2014 – FIFA World Cup: Germany defeats Brazil by a record 7-1 in the semi-finals to make it to the final; Miroslav Klose of Germany breaks the World Cup career goal scoring record with 16 goals (surpassed by Lionel Messi in 2026)

*pictured.

Another night when watching the Guardians was more of a chore than a pleasure. They still can’t score. They still can’t put the ball in play when a runner is on third base. They still employ Grant Fink.

A Hoskins home run was their only run; Chase DeLauter was their only baserunner (three times.)

JOEY CANTILLO DID NOTHING WRONG.

But it shows that he made a million pitches and gave up runs!? Yeah, because the defense behind him could not have been worse. This team just is not showing up and playing good baseball.

Around baseball

• Ryan O’Hearn went out and had himself a Lonnie Chisenhall Game last night

• Konnor Griffin is out 8-10 weeks

• Byron Buxton was also placed on the IL

• How easy was it to hit in New York last night? The Royals scored 16 times, the Mets scored 12, and

burn it all down (@russbengtson.bsky.social)

ESPN: The All-Star Game and Home Run Derby are upon us, and after finding out he’ll be making his first Midsummer Classic, Ben Rice also accepted an invite to participate in the derby. The 27-year-old enters play today with 25 dingers on the season and has continued raking after a breakout campaign last year. Rice announced that he’ll have his dad, Dan Rice—who threw for Brown University in the 1980s—be his pitcher for the derby.

The Rays’ Junior Caminero is the only other announced participant so far, but as outlined, there’s a good case for either to win even before knowing who else will be involved. The last Yankee to take home the trophy was captain Aaron Judge at Marlins Park during his memorable 2017 rookie campaign. (Remember when he broke physics and hit the roof? Good times.)

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: A franchise as storied as the Yankees is bound to have a lot of records, but sometimes they’re on the bad side of history. During this recent skid, things have looked pretty bleak for Aaron Boone’s squad, but all that came to a head on Tuesday. The Yankees matched Monday’s miserable 17-strikeout total on Tuesday to give them 34 over a two-game span, which beat their previous team record of 31 in two games. Congrats, team!

NBC Sports | George Bissell: If you’re looking for a glimmer of hope, or at least just fun, Max Fried looks ready to start working his way back to the rotation. On Saturday, Fried is scheduled to face hitters in another live batting practice session at Double-A Somerset. The bone bruise in his elbow has kept him out since mid-May, but if things progress well, he could be in line to return before the end of the month.

The Athletic | Chris Kirschner: While many fans are undoubtedly tired of Anthony Volpe’s lack of production and want to see José Caballero get more playing time at shortstop, it likely won’t result in much of a boost to the lineup. Though Caballero’s two home runs on Monday helped drive the team to a win they seemingly can’t buy these days, overall his numbers the past three or so weeks have been pedestrian and comparable to Volpe’s (indeed, he struck out four times in an 0-for-4 yesterday). Hey, at least he has a different face than Volpe though, right?

The 2026 MLB draft kicks off this Saturday, at 1:00pm ET. Because of MLB’s ironclad commitment to preventing this from becoming an event, it will occur while several teams are playing actual MLB games, although the Jays specifically will be in San Diego and don’t go until 8:40pm.

The first 10 picks, which will inexplicably take 90 minutes, will air on NBC and Peacock. After that, it’ll stream on MLB.com, MLB TV and MLB+, and for those who have cable MLB network will carry picks 11-40. Because why would your own network cover the whole first day of your sport’s draft?

Day one includes the first four rounds, while day 2 on Sunday will cover rounds 5-20. That’s an upgrade over last season, as the event isn’t unnecessarily split into three days. Day 2 will also stream on MLB.com and the apps.

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The Blue Jays will have a fairly quiet day one. Their first pick, which would normally be 29th overall as the World Series losers, will be bumped back 10 spots to #39 because they tried to hard to win spent over the second luxury tax threshold last season.

They also forfeited their second round pick for signing Dylan Cease after he turned down the Padres’ Qualifying offer. He’s been more than worth it, posting what’s shaping up to be arguably his best statistical season and making a strong case to be in the Cy Young mix, but given the state of the rest of the team they’ll miss the opportunity to strengthen the farm.

After #39, they’ll pick again at #103 at the back of the third round and #131 in the fourth. On day two, they’ll select #164 in the fifth round, and 29th in each round thereafter.

Their bonus pool of $5,543,100 is the second smallest ahead of only the Dodgers, who both pick after them and took two Qualifying Offer penalties in addition to the luxury tax knock back. Nearly half that money, $2.57 million, is attached to the #39 pick. As a reminder of the rules, teams pay a 50% surcharge for exceeding their bonus pool by up to 5%. About 20 teams, including the Jays, always use that 5% overage. But by crossing 5%, the penalty jumps to a 75% surcharge and the loss of a future first round pick. Nobody has ever paid that penalty, and the Jays won’t start now, so 105% of the pool less a dollar ($5,820,254) is functionally a hard cap.* That pool has to cover all of their picks in the first 10 rounds, plus any bonus amounts in rounds 11-20 larger than $150,000. If a player in the top 10 rounds fails to sign, the team forfeits the entire bonus amount associated with that pick, which can wreak havoc with plans if they’d expected to move money around between picks. For that reason, expect that teams almost always have had tentative contact with players taken in the first few rounds and know what it’ll take to land them.

*Teams can also give prospects a $2,500 roster bonus that doesn’t count against the pool. That allows the Jays to move $22,500 around, but doesn’t materially change the situation.

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Strategically, their lack of resources puts them in a bit of a bind. Normally, teams have three general draft strategies available. First, they can offer an over slot bonus in the first or second round, picking up a single prospect they love at the cost of having to find some bargains later. The Jays did that in 2020 for Austin Martin and in 2022 for Brandon Barriera, but I don’t think it’s likely here for a couple of reasons. First, Austin Martin and Brandon Barriera, and the guys behind them didn’t exactly rescue those strategies. Second, because in those years they had a lot of draft capital (the 5th selection in 2020 and three second round picks in 2022), so even with a deficit to make up they could land multiple significant prospects. That’s very different from 2026.

Second, teams can play it roughly straight, giving them the “expected” amount of money to work with later on. The Trey Yesavage, Gunnar Hoglund and Alek Manoah picks in 2024, 2021 and 2019 fit that mold for Toronto, with pretty good success.

Third, they can cut a deal for a player willing to sign for less than the slot bonus at their pick to move some money down the draft, maybe getting multiple solid prospects instead of one top guy. Jojo Parker and Arjun Nimmala represent moderately under slot deals in recent years. The Jays won’t have a specific player in mind at #103 or 131 if they go that route, just the expectation that someone exciting will be around when they next pick that they can use money on. They might also wait and take a shot after the 10th round on a top tier high schooler who slides because a high bonus demand or a strong commitment to go to college make them too risky to take with a slotted pick. That was the play last year, trimming money through most of the top 10 to give $1.7 million to Blaine Bullard in the 12th round.

My sense is that the Jays are opportunistic, rather than having a clearly discernible philosophy. They were tied pretty heavily to Jojo Parker last year at #8, but Yesavage, Arjun Nimmala in 2023, Barriera, Hoglund, and Martin were all somewhat out of the blue. Those six guys represent all four major demographics in the draft (two college pitchers, a college hitter, a high school arm and a pair of high school bats), and signed at different prices relative to the slot where they were chosen. They also have totally different profiles, from a command artist in Hoglund to Yesavage’s nasty stuff and from ultra-polished hit tool over everything Martin to tool shed with swing and miss concerns Nimmala. The only common thread is that if you had been watching public scouting draft boards in the weeks before each of those drafts you’d have expected them to go sooner than they ultimately did.

That seems likely to continue in 2026. They’ll let who’s on the board at #39 dictate the shape of the remainder of the draft, probably with a preference to cut some money but a willingness to go to or above slot for the right player.

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Speaking of players, this is normally where I’d take a second post to profile a half dozen likely options. That’s an exercise in futility when the first pick is outside the first round, though. Instead, tomorrow I’ll take a look at each of the four demographics and a handful of names I think might be out there for their first pick.

It was a night of history for Shohei Ohtani.

And infamy for the Dodgers’ defense.

In a 4-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday, the Dodgers had been in control of the game, taking an early lead on Ohtani’s 300th career home run before extending it during a seven-inning, one-run gem from Justin Wrobleski.

In the top of the eighth, however, it all came undone.

With two costly defensive mistakes, the team helplessly squandered a two-run lead.

The meltdown started immediately after Wrobleski finished his outing, with his replacement Will Klein allowing two runners to reach base with one out.

Then, with Tyler Freeman at the plate, Klein fired a first-pitch fastball that was grounded straight to shortstop Miguel Rojas (getting the start on a day off for Mookie Betts).

Rojas had to range to his left, but still had a chance for an inning-ending double-play.

Instead, he misread a hop and booted the ball off the heel of his mitt. 

One run scored. Two runners remained on the corners. And the headache was just getting started.

Left-hander Jack Dreyer was summoned from the Dodgers bullpen next, prompting the Rockies to put on a squeeze play with left-handed hitter Jake McCarthy. McCarthy got his bunt down, scoring the lead runner from third. Third baseman Max Muncy charged to field the ball, throwing in time to get McCarthy at first base, where second baseman Alex Freeland was covering.

It was behind the play where the real action was, as Freeman got aggressive and made a hard turn for third –– realizing that Rojas hadn’t gone to cover the bag.

“Physical errors happen, and I’m okay with that, I’m not perfect,” Rojas said, referencing the error he was charged on the missed on the missed double-play. “But mental errors are the ones that are kind of disappointing. Like, I should have been on third base … That’s the one that I kind of like kick myself for.”

Rojas eventually picked Freeman up, and followed him step for step as Freeland turned at first and fired a throw across the diamond. Alas, his strike was low, Rojas couldn’t squeeze it, and the ball trickled all the way down the steps into the Dodgers dugout.

Freeman was awarded home plate.

The Rockies scored their third unearned run of the inning to take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish –– surviving a two-on, no-out jam in the ninth to deny the Dodgers a chance for a series-clinching victory.

“It doesn’t happen very often that he doesn’t make a play,” Roberts said of Rojas. “So when it happens, you know, we don’t like it, doesn’t feel good, but you know that player, I give him a lot of grace, because he is very dependable.”

What it means

Tuesday should’ve been about Ohtani, who reached his home run milestone three pitches into the game.

In a 2-0 count against Rockies starter Michael Lorenzen, the two-way lifted a towering 409-foot drive deep to center field, reaching the 300-homer club with his 20th blast of the season.

Playing in his 1,101st career MLB game as a hitter, Ohtani eclipsed the 300-homer mark faster than all but four previous players to do so (Aaron Judge, Ralph Kiner, Ryan Howard, Juan Gonzalez). He also became the first Japanese-born player to hit that many home runs, and only the second –– along with Babe Ruth –– to do so while also serving as a pitcher.

“Only 414 to go,” one member of the Japanese press joked, referencing Ruth’s former all-time homer record of 714.

At age 32, Ohtani is unlikely to challenge that total.

But, more round numbers figure to be in his future. Since joining the Dodgers, he has maintained a pace of more than 50 per season.

“He’s still young, still strong,” Roberts said. “So I definitely think 500 is in his future.”

Who’s hot

For now, Wrobleski remains snubbed from the All-Star Game.

But after another seven-inning gem against the Rockies, he remains a strong candidate to be picked as a replacement.

In Tuesday’s game, the left-hander worked around six hits while striking out nine batters –– giving him 20 total punchouts in his last two starts after struggling to generate Ks for much of this season.

The effort lowered his ERA to 2.69, eighth-lowest in the National League. It also marked his seventh time this season completing seven innings, tied for fifth-most in the majors behind only Nathan Eovaldi, Cristopher Sánchez, Michael Wacha and Logan Webb.

Who’s not

We covered the Dodgers’ porous defense above, so let’s focus on someone who is no longer injured.

In his first appearance back from Tommy John surgery last June, Evan Phillips pitched a scoreless inning in the ninth that featured two strikeouts, a fastball that got up to nearly 99 mph and a nice ovation from the crowd after stranding a two-out single.

Phillips will be a key arm to watch in the coming weeks, as the team evaluates its bullpen hierarchy and he tries to re-establish himself as a high-leverage option.

“As frustrating as this loss is tonight, that’s really a silver lining for tonight,” Roberts said of Phillips’ return. “He had a long road with Tommy John, so really happy for him.”

Up next

The Dodgers and Rockies conclude this series on Wednesday, when Roki Sasaki (3-5, 5.40 ERA) will look to bounce back from his recent struggles while facing Colorado right-hander Ryan Feltner (3-2, 4.27 ERA).

The Colorado Rockies have lost 11 consecutive games at Dodger Stadium (that would be since September 21, 2024), and they came into tonight’s game looking to break that streak and avenge a heartbreaking loss from Monday night.

It was another game when a dogged Rockies team played without fear against a juggernaut Los Angeles Dodgers squad, and this time, the Rockies pulled off a 4-3 win.

“There wasn’t a doubt in the dugout,” Tyler Freeman said after the game.

The offense

Although Justin Wrobleski stymied the Rockies in the first inning, Michael Lorenzen was less successful when facing Shohei Ohtani, who kicked off the Dodgers half of the inning by mashing his 300th career home run.

It looked like the game might go off the rails early when Lorenzen followed that up with a throwing error that put Andy Pages on second. However, he managed to get out of it without allowing any additional runs.

The Rockies got their first hit in the third inning with a Mickey Moniak single. Willi Castro followed that with a walk. They were unable to capitalize despite a TJ Rumfield single when Castro was called out at second base after being hit by a batted ball, and the score remained 1-0 Dodgers.

It looked like the Dodgers might add on in the fourth after Lorenzen gave up singles to Freddie Freeman and Tommy Edman, but a 4-6-3 double play ended the inning and prevented the Dodgers from adding to their one-run lead.

The Rockies again had traffic in the fifth inning after Braxton Fulford and Moniak both singled, but they were (again) unable to score.

Lorenzen had been excellent going into the fifth when he began to lose some of the control he had exhibited throughout the game. He started by issuing a leadoff walk to Dalton Rushing; Alex Freeland followed that with a single. A Miguel Rojas bunt failed to score Rushing, who was out at the plate. Lorenzen followed that by walking Ohtani to load the bases. But he wasn’t done issuing free passes with the next one scoring Pages, which made the score 2-0 Dodgers. The Rockies managed two outs after that to end the inning and keep the game within reach.

Finally in the fifth inning, the Rockies got on the board. It started with a Cole Carrigg double (allowing him to reach base in 18 consecutive games) followed by a Tyler Freeman single. Jake McCarthy brought Carrigg home, cutting the Dodgers’ lead in half, 2-1.

In their half of the fifth, the Dodgers would get back their two-run lead when a Rumfield fielding error allowed Edman to get on base. Eventually, he scored on a single by Freeland, and the Dodgers again had a 3-1 lead.

Wrobleski had another strong start for the Dodgers. He logged 7.0 IP and allowed one run (earned) on six hits. He walked two and struck out nine on 94 pitches. His current ERA is 2.69.

The Rockies have come to dominate the eighth inning, and the offense made on of their trademark appearances tonight. It started with a walk by Kyle Karros and then a single by Carrigg, putting runners on first and second. Tyler Freeman followed up with a hit that let to a Rojas error, but it was enough to score Karros, making the score 3-2 Dodgers, while Carrigg moved to second.

The hit knocked reliever Will Klein out of that game after just 0.1 IP, and manager Dave Roberts turned to Jack Dreyer.

It didn’t matter.

McCarthy laid down a bunt that scored Carrigg. Third baseman Max Muncy had not other move but to throw to second. That led to a throwing error by Freeland that left the ball in the camera well, scored Tyler Freeman, and put McCarthy at third when Dreyer failed to cover the base.

Actually, just watch.

The Rockies finished their half of the eighth with a 4-3 lead.

“We executed,” manager Warren Schaeffer said after the game. “It was a good inning.”

As the game turned to the bottom of the ninth, the Rockies maintained their one-run lead.

Jordan Romano came in to close for the Rockies.

He started by surrendering a single to Freeland. Roberts sent in Teoscar Hernández to pinch hit for Rojas, and during the at-bat, Freeland stole second. Following that, Romano walked Hernández with no outs as Ohtani stepped to the plate.

He promptly popped out to Karros leaving two on with one out as All-Star Andy Pages came up to hit. However, a fly out to right brought the second out as Freddie Freeman took his turn at the plate.

Fulford used two ABS Challenges to correct miscalls by home plate umpire Adam Beck, leaving the Dodgers first baseman with a 0-2 count.

Romano caught Freeman on a swinging strike on a gut-churning slider.

Game over.

Rockies win!

Michael Lorenzen gets the job done

For Lorenzen, this game was a solid outing.

In terms of his pitching, Lorenzen was outstanding. In 6.0 IP, he allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits. He walked three, struck out five, and allowed one home run on 95 pitches (54 for strikes).

However, he was also responsible for one fielding error.

That said, Lorenzen’s strong start kept the Rockies in the game until the offense’s eighth-inning tear. His current ERA is 6.65.

“He had a great night pitching,” Schaeffer said, noting Lorenzen’s throw to the plate in the fourth.

”I thought his offspeed stuff was really good. He pitched with confidence.“

“The changeup changed everything for me today,” Lorenzen said after the game. He has been working with Tanner Gordon on the pitch. “He gave me a cue that I felt comfortable going into the start with.”

The bullpen does something

In the seventh inning, Schaeffer turned the game over to the bullpen.

Juan Mejia was first out, and he started by striking out Ohtani. Although Mejia allowed a hit, the Dodgers did not score. His final line was 2.0 IP with one hit and one strikeout on 24 pitches. It was the kind of outing the Rockies expect from Mejia.

“I thought Juan was fantastic,” Schaeffer said.

The ninth went to experienced closer Jordan Romano who did not disappoint. He went 1.0 IP, allowing no runs on one hit. He also walked one and struck out one batter.

Right now, Reader, the Rockies bullpen is very good.

“The first couple of outings from him look really good,” Schaeffer said. “We’re happy to have him.”

Up next

Join us tomorrow night for Game 3 when Gabriel Hughes will face Roki Sasaki as the Rockies will look to take the series.

First pitch is at an ungodly 8:10 pm. (Hey, if the Rockies win, who cares?)

See you then.

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