Category: MLB

Wednesday notes…

• TAKE TWO: This is the Cubs’ 27th series of at least four games at St. Louis since the National League’s Expansion Era began in 1962. It is only the fifth in which they won the first two games. The previous four: 1976 (finished 2-2), 1992 (3-1), 2014 (2-2) and 2023 (3-1). The last of those is the only time they won the first three. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• ON WEDNESDAYS: The Cubs are 12-5 on Wednesday, their second-best record on any day after 7-2 on Thursday. They are 7-2 on the road on Wednesday, also second best, after 4-1 on Thursday. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• RISPy BUSINESS: In their last four games, the Cubs are 23 for 58 with runners in scoring position, a gaudy average of .397. They have raised their season average to .248, the highest it has been since May 8, when it was .253 after the last of their second streaks of 10 straight wins. They have played 68 games since then. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: Jason Heyward and David Ross homer and the Cubs blow out the Mariners 12-1 at Wrigley Field. It happened 10 years ago today, Friday, July 29, 2016.

Cubs lineup:

Cardinals lineup:

Matthew Boyd, LHP vs. Dustin May, RHP

Matthew Boyd has been nails since returning from the knee injury suffered while playing with his kids. Oddly enough, the enforced layoff might have actually helped him.

In six starts since his return: 2.31 ERA, 1.200 WHIP. That’ll play.

Boyd has not faced the Cardinals this year. Current Cardinals are a small sample size 8-for-3o (.267) against Boyd with one home run (Jordan Walker) and 11 strikeouts.

Dustin May was a Top 100 prospect before 2020 but injuries prevented him from making any sort of regular starts until last year, which he split between the Dodgers and Red Sox. He came to the Cardinals as part of the deal that sent Willson Contreras to Boston.

His last start against the Cubs was April 22, 2025 at Wrigley Field, that whacked-out game where the Cubs scored five runs off him in the first inning, including a homer by Pete Crow-Armstrong, then had to come back to win in extras.

He was going along okay this year but has a 7.66 ERA and 1.970 WHIP over his last six starts. He did throw well in his last outing against the Reds last Friday (six innings, one run).

Here is the weather forecast for the area around Busch Stadium.

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. It’s also streaming on Peacock (outside the Cubs and Cardinals market territories).

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Cardinals site Viva el Birdos. If you do go there to interact with Cardinals fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.

You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.

The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.

You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

It took twelve innings to watch the Tigers officially lose this one, but the real downfall really started when Tarik Skubal exited the game in the seventh. The final score was 10-9 for the O’s.

The Tigers were feeling mighty fine after their blowout win on Tuesday and hoping to ride that wave into a series win during the Wednesday day game. To get there, they’d have Tarik Skubal on the mound in potentially his last start with the Tigers? Who knows, but the hot stove is certainly hot. He would be up against Trevor Rogers for the Orioles.

Tarik Skubal got the game started in historic fashion, wasting no time getting his 1000th career strikeout on the first batter he saw.

Pete Alonso then singled, but two outs followed to end the inning in short order. The Tigers went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning, so they would not be repeating their one run in every inning feat from Tuesday night.

Coby Mayo got a one-out single in the second, but Skubal was on his game and got the next two batters in order. In the home half, the Tigers went three-up, three-down.

The Orioles went 1-2-3 in the top of the third. In the bottom of the inning, Spencer Torkelson singled and it was another big Tigers’ milestone as it was his 500th career hit.

Matt Vierling doubled, then Javier Baez continued to be red hot since his return with a single to score two runs. He ended up on second thanks to a throwing error from Pete Alonso. With one out, Kevin McGonigle hit a sac fly to score Baez.

Skubal was cruising by the time they reached the fourth, getting the side out in order. In the home half, Dillon Dingler singled, but three outs followed to leave him stranded.

Three-up, three-down on repeat for Tarik in the fifth. Matt Vierling got the bottom of the inning started with a triple, but he appeared to hurt himself somewhere between second and third, with Zach McKinstry coming in to pinch-run and ultimately replace him in the game. Baez then singled, scoring McKinstry.

Gleyber Torres doubled, then with one out, Hao-Yu Lee hit a sac fly to score yet another run. By the time the end of the inning came around the Tigers were up 5-0.

Skubal kept making it look easy through the sixth, with another 1-2-3 inning. In the home half Riley Greene reached on a fielding error, then right on his heels, Eduardo Valencia reached on a throwing error. That was now three errors in a single game for the O’s, and the Tigers were keen to make sure they regretted every one. McKinstry doubled, bringing in two more runs.

Gunnar Henderson got a leadoff single in the seventh. A great diving stop from McGonigle, combined with a super accurate catch from Torkelson, got the first out of the inning and definitely saved getting another runner on the basepaths.

With two outs, Coby Mayo walked, bringing A.J. Hinch in, but Skubal remained in the game. This was the first inning of the game that Skubal showed signs of struggle with his command. Leody Taveras then singled to score the first Orioles’ run of the game. That was all she wrote for Skubal, possibly for the last time as a Tiger, and his final line (after the inning finished…. so spoilers) was 6.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K on 92 pitches. He got a standing ovation for the second time in the game and received high-fives from the whole dugout. If it was his last start, which feels unfortunate and likely, it was a good start to say goodbye on. Kyle Finnegan came in to replace him. After an unbelievably long at-bat, Jeremiah Jackson worked a walk. The bases were loaded with two outs, and a pinch-hitting Jackson Holliday coming up. Holliday singled, scoring two runs. Holliday stole second, and then Taylor Ward singled, bringing in two more runs. At this point, it would have made more sense to just leave Skubal in, it couldn’t have possibly been worse. Finnegan was pulled, finally and Drew Anderson came in to replace him. A pop out ended the inning but the damage was certainly done as the Orioles pulled within two.

Rogers’s day was done in the home half, replaced by Anthony Nunez. A pinch-hitting Colt Keith got a one-out triple. With two outs, Riley Greene was intentionally walked. With two on, though, the final out of the inning came, leaving the runners stranded.

In the top of the eighth, Henderson got a leadoff walk. A pinch-hitting Dylan Beavers reached on a fielder’s choice where Gleyber Torres opted to throw to second, didn’t get the out, and everyone was safe. With one out, Mayo tripled and suddenly the game was tied. The Tigers did finally get out of the inning but needless to say the damage was done and Skubal’s final game was pretty soundly squandered. Yennier Cano was the new pitcher in the bottom of the inning and he got the Tigers out in order.

Kenley Jansen was the new Tigers’ pitcher for the top of the ninth. Ward got a one-out walk. It took some work, but Jansen did manage to best the O’s to get out of the inning unscathed. Tigers went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning against Tyler Wells. The game was headed to extras.

Jacob Waguespack came in from the Tigers’ bullpen. A pop-out and a double play with the ghost runner got the Tigers out of the inning. Riley Greene was intentionally walked again with one out, then Valencia hit into a double play to end the inning, all with a runner on third.

Mayo got a leadoff walk in the eleventh. Taveras laid down a pretty perfectly placed sac bunt to advance both baserunners into scoring position. Yohel Pozo hit a sac fly to right, allowing Christian Encarnacion-Strand to score. While the tag did look close, it seemed clear the run was safely in. That was it for Waguespack, who was replaced by Drew Sommers. Holliday singled, scoring another run. Sommers did finally get out of the inning, but the Tigers would need to score at least two runs in the home half to stay alive. Rico Garcia came in to pitch, and because the baseball gods have a sense of humor, Torkelson hit a home run to score two and tie the game up. And it was Tork’s 100th home run, no less, his second milestone of the game. With two outs, James Outman was hit by a pitch. The O’s went back to their bullpen for Grant Wolfram who got the final out of the inning and keep us going into the twelfth.

With two outs in the twelfth, Colton Cowser singled, scoring a run. That was it for Sommers who was replaced by Brenan Hanifee. He got the final out of the inning, but once again the Tigers were behind, and they’d need to wake up their bats if they wanted to win it. Ben Malgeri got a leadoff walk in the home half to put two on. Greene grounded out to bump both runners into scoring position. The Orioles went back to their bullpen for Andrew Kittredge. He got the final out of the inning and of the game, and the Tigers took the L.

Final: Orioles 10, Tigers 9 (F/12)

It has been a frustrating season for Vinnie Pasquantino, and last night was just another setback. Pasquantino exited Tuesday night’s game against the Twins with hand soreness, and today the Royals placed him on the Injured List with right wrist soreness. Pasquantino previously missed a month after suffering a hamate fracture in mid-June. To replace him on the roster, the Royals called up outfielder John Rave.

Pasquantino has struggled to get going in 2026, getting off to a very slow start. He hit .165 in April and couldn’t get over the Mendoza Line until mid-May. He started to hit towards the end of the month until he injured his wrist on a swing during a June game against the Astros. He returned to the lineup in mid-July, and while he has hit .282 (11-for-39) in the 11 games since returning, he has not hit for power. Players with wrist and hand injuries commonly have a loss of power upon returning. For the season, Pasquantino has hit .232/.318/.345 with six home runs in 79 games, the tenth-lowest slugging percentage among all qualified hitters.

Rave appeared in nine games earlier with the Royals, hitting .222/.333/.611. The 28-year-old left-handed hitter was batting .285/.396/.481 with 13 home runs and 18 steals in 77 games for Omaha.

Jac Caglianone is likely to move back to first base to fill in for Pasquantino, with Salvador Perez also likely to see some time there.

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The New York Yankees took the first two games of this series, and they're -145 favorites to earn another win in Game 3 at Rate Field.

With Cam Schlittler dealing, my Yankees vs. White Sox predictions and MLB picks believe the value again lies with the road team on July 29.

Who will win Yankees vs White Sox today: Yankees (-145)

Davis Martin has had a rough go of late. His ERA is 6.0 over the last 30 days, and his underlying numbers (5.45 xFIP, 5.69 SIERA) indicate the poor results are warranted.

It’ll be tough for him to get back on track against the New York Yankees. They rank second in ISO vs. right-handed pitching, and Martin’s ERA sits at 6.14 over seven starts against Top 10 opponents.

The Chicago White Sox will have a difficult time keeping up facing Cam Schlittler, who slots in the 99th percentile in Pitcher Run Value.

Back New York to -160.

COVERS INTEL:Martin's 90.3 average exit velocity is likely to get him into trouble against a powerful Yankees attack.

Yankees vs White Sox Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (-115)

Schlittler’s gotten dinged up a little more frequently of late, but his process is as strong as ever. He has struck out 32.2% of batters in his past five starts while posting a 2.80 xFIP. 

His success should continue in Chicago. The White Sox rank 18th in average vs. righties this season, and 24th during the month of July.

It’s a struggle for them to string together hits, and Schlittler’s 0.83 HR/9 output doesn’t give them an escape via power.

If Martin doesn’t get blown up, this game should stay Under.

Bet to -120.

Yankees vs White Sox weather

Temperatures are expected to land in the low 70s with winds blowing east. No real impact.

Yankees vs White Sox odds

• Moneyline: Yankees -145 | White Sox +125
• Run line: Yankees -1.5 (+115) | White Sox +1.5 (-135)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-110) | Under 7.5 (-110)

Yankees vs White Sox trend

New York has hit the game total Under in 13 of the last 19 games (+6.60 units, 31% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Yankees vs. White Sox.

How to watch Yankees vs White Sox and game info

Yankees vs White Sox latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Blue Jays 5 Nationals 2

That was a fun game.

Until the sixth inning, we were losing 1-0. Well, from the fourth inning until the sixth inning we were losing 1-0.

We tied it in the sixth. George Springer walked to lead off the game. Two outs later, Ernie Clement doubled him home.

And we went ahead in the seventh. With one out, Kazuma Okamoto singled. An out later, singles from Alejandro Kirk and Daulton Varsho scored him.

Thankfully, we got three more in the eighth. Davis Schneider doubled with one out. Very happy for him, he’s had a rough go, hopefully that hit will be the start of good stuff. Yohendrick Piñango singled to give us runners on the corners. Myles Straw came in to pinch run for Lips, smart move as he’ll be coming in on defense anyway.

Straw decided to steal second. He was called safe. Nationals challenged and it wasn’t overturned. But it was very close. I am sure that if it was an out call on the field, it would not have changed on review. I was less than pleased with the baseball IQ shown. We had an insurance run on third and one out. A fly ball would have given us a big run.

Nathan Lukes struck out. Okamoto doubled both home (a bloop double, that the center fielder almost made the catch on). Then Springer singled home Okamoto.

It went from a one run lead to a four run lead.

Tyler Rogers, who got the last out of the seventh, stayed in the game for the eight. He sat for a long time (Dan said 17 minutes) and he wasn’t sharp in the eight.

James Wood led off with a double. Luis García Jr. singled him in, making it 5-2 . José Tena walked bringing the tying run to the plate. And bringing Louis Varland into the game looking for a six out save.

Varland got a force out at third, an amazing play by Andrés Giménez, making a diving stop to his right and throwing to third for the force. He didn’t have time to turn to second and go for the double play. Good on Clement for being close to the bag at third.

A Varland walk put the tying run on first. But a strikeout and a fly out ended the inning. and catching one after he slipped (he seems good at making catches after slipping).

There was a dumb moment in the first. Jays had runners on first and third with one out. Springer struck out, on the third strike pitch, Okamoto was thrown out trying to steal second. I think, it was an effort for a double steal, he goes to second, stops and Lukes at third comes home. But it was very poorly executed.

I’m sort of burying the lead….Trey Yesavage was excellent. 6.2 innings, just 3 hits, 1 earned, 3 walks and 4 strikeouts. Very little was hit hard of him. After six innings, he was at 87 pitches. I was glad John left him out there to start the seventh. He gave up a lead off single. Then a sac bunt and a strikeout. Then John put in Rogers, who got a ground out.

There was a lot of terrific defense today. Varsho made a couple of excellent catches in center. One in the first inning with a runner on, catching the ball right at the top of the wall. I don’t think it would have been a home but would have been close. And catching one after he slipped (he seems good at making catches after slipping). Giménez and Nasim Nuñez (even though he made an error) put on a show at short

We had 12 hits, and 4 walks and should have scored more. Okomoto had 3. Lips, Kirk, and Varsho had 2 each. Lukes (with 2 walks) and Giménez (0 for 4) had the 0 fors.

Jays of the Day: Varland (0.23 WPA, he didn’t seem happy with getting water poured on him while talking to Hazel. He threw his glove hard at, I think, Straw for doing it), Yesavage (0.23), Okamoto (0.19, and good play at first base), Varsho (0.15) and Davis Schneider (0.10, for a double and a walk).

Other Award: Rogers (-0.11, maybe the long offensive inning cost him), Lips (-0.11, but a nice catch in left), Lukes (-0.09) and Springer (-0.09).

Tomorrow is an off-day. Friday the Cardinals come to Toronto. There might be a trade or two by then.

The Cincinnati Reds used the 9th overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft on shortstop Steele Hall, then just 17 years of age, out of Hewitt-Trussville High School in Alabama. Hall had just recently reclassified to be a high school senior and therefore draft eligible, but the Reds had been scouting him as a potential #1 overall pick in the 2026 draft even before that.

Safe to say, the Reds have long been high on this kid, and his first taste of pro ball in 2026 has shown precisely why.

In 58 games for the Reds in Arizona Complex League play, Hall hit .288/.387/.518 (.904 OPS) with 10 homers and 24 steals, flashing both a patience at the plate and developing power while doing almost all of that at just 18 years of age. He turned 19 at the end of last week, and it turns out the Reds had a nice little present waiting for him.

According to Sam Dykstra of MLB Pipeline, the Reds have promoted Hall up to Class-A Daytona, and he’s expected to finish out the season with the Tortugas in Florida State League play.

Thanks to both his elite play and promotions elsewhere, Hall has risen to the #2 spot in MLB Pipeline’s rankings of the top prospects in the Cincinnati system (behind only Alfredo Duno), and they currently rank him as the #47 prospect in the game overall.

After trouncing the Braves in the first game of their series, the Mets’ pulled off a less dramatic win, taking the matinee 3-2 with a nightcap to follow.

The first four and a half innings of this game looked very similar on both sides of the ball. Both teams committed errors, both allowed some baserunners on questionable defensive alignments, but both pitchers got out of jams and kept the games scoreless.

AJ Smith-Shawver was making his first start after Tommy John Surgery and mostly looked very strong. A.J. Ewing reached twice and stole two bases against Smith-Shawver, but otherwise, he kept the Mets fairly in check.

That would change in the bottom of the fith.

Tyrone Taylor led off the inning with a walk, which was followed by a Brett Baty line drive that skipped off of Matt Olson’s glove, and put runners on first and third with no outs. Francisco Alvarez then drilled a ball off the base of the wall in left, scoring Taylor and sending Baty to third, while Alvarez just barely got into second. A sacrifice fly off the bat of Ewing scored Baty, and the Mets were up 2-0.

That would be it for Smith-Shawver, who was pulled for Didier Fuentes with one out. Fuentes walked Lindor to put two on, but a Bo Bichette pop out and a Carson Benge strikeout ended the scoring at two.

Sean Manaea similarly avoided trouble for his first five innings, working around some soft contact, walks, and a hit by pitch without allowing a run.

However, Manaea’s luck would run out in the top of the sixth, when a Matt Olson two-run homer tied the game before letting their lead last for one defensive out. However, three quick outs followed the dinger, and in five pitches, Manaea closed out the fifth.

Overall, Manaea’s six innings of five hit, two run, four strikeout, two walk ball got the job done, even if this wasn’t a pretty effort at times. Manaea has slowly righted his season somewhat, but not likely enough to make him a deadline target.

Victor Mederos began the sixth inning on the mound for Atlanta, and was greeted by Jared Young’s second hit of the game. After retiring the next two batters, he was pulled for lefty Dylan Dodd, who struck out pinch hitter Marcus Semien to end the frame.

Huascar Brazobán was first out of the ‘pen for the Mets and got three quick outs.

Dodd pitched the seventh for the Braves, and walked both Ewing and Francisco Lindor, but he looked like he was about to get through it when he got Bichette to line out to right. However, Carson Benge took an up and in fastball down the right field line to score Ewing and push Lindor to third. Young was then plunked by the first pitch he saw and, with the bases now loaded, Dodd was out of the game.

Old friend Danny Young was next in for the Braves, facing Jorge Polanco from the right side. Polanco, who got down a sacrifice bunt earlier in the game, struck out looking for what feels like the 600th time since he returned to end the inning.

The Mets had to get six more outs to win the game, and they first entrusted Luke Weaver to get them there. A strikeout and a double play got them halfway there. Both Weaver and Brazobán bolstered their trade value with excellent performances today.

Tyler Kinley pitched the bottom of the eighth for the Braves, and good outfield defense prevented the first two batters from reaching base. An Alvarez ground out turned the game over to Devin Williams to close it out.

Williams got the first two batters to fly out to shallow right and left fields, respectively. Mauricio Dubón lined a single up the middle to keep the Braves alive. Pinch runner Jorge Mateo stole second on an overturned out call, putting the tying run into scoring position. However, the slumping Riley couldn’t deliver, striking out to end the game.

This is the first time the Mets won more than two in a row since a four-game winning streak that ended May. Could they match that streak tonight?

Christian Scott will face Chris Sale in the nightcap, starting at 7:10pm tonight.

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Win Probability Added

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Carson Benge, +20.0% WPA
Big Mets loser: Bo Bichette, -15.0% WPA
Mets pitchers: +41.0% WPA
Mets hitters: 9.0% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Carson Benge’s game-winning double, +21.6% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Matt Olson’s two-run jack, -21.0% WPA

The opening game of Wednesday’s doubleheader at the New York Mets was a bit of a good news, bad news situation for the Atlanta Braves.

The good news was that AJ Smith-Shawver’s 2026 debut largely went well and appeared likely to give the Braves rotation an immediate upgrade.

The bad news is the offense didn’t do much in terms of run support for the 23-year-old.

Matt Olson provided the Braves’ only runs with a sixth-inning homer in the 3-2 afternoon loss at Citi Field, snapping Atlanta’s streak of three straight series wins coming out of the All-Star break.

With the game tied at 2 in the seventh, Carson Benge’s two-out RBI double proved to be the difference after Dylan Dodd (2-1) issued consecutive one-out walks to A.J. Ewing and Francisco Lindor.

The Braves were not lacking in chances for more runs, going down in order just twice in nine innings. However, they finished 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, stranded five runners and were largely unable to find much success against Mets starter Sean Manaea and the bullpen behind him.

Manaea allowed five hits and two runs over six innings and Huascar Brazoban, Luke Weaver and Devin Williams each followed with scoreless innings to stifle the Braves, who have scored three or fewer runs in four straight games after scoring six-plus in six of the first eight coming out of the break.

Atlanta had the tying run at second with two outs in the ninth after Mauricio Dubón delivered a two-out single and pinch runner Jorge Mateo swiped second. But an Austin Riley strikeout squandered one final scoring chance and clinched the defeat.

Smith-Shawver didn’t factor into the decision or make it through five innings in his season debut, the latter of which isn’t especially surprising considering he was on a pitch count of sorts. But he was effective for much of his debut, navigating traffic in each of his first four innings to post four scoreless frames.

Things came apart a bit in the fifth, though, as he allowed the first three batters to reach on a walk, a single and a double to plate the game’s first run. A sacrifice fly by the next batter ended his outing after 4 1/3 innings over which he allowed two runs on four hits, struck out four and walked two.

Still, he immediately looked to be an upgrade to the rotation, sitting 97 and touching 98 mph with his fastball and balancing that with effective offspeed offerings. Especially as he continues to rebuild his stamina, he has the look of being a better option than a number of starters the Braves have been forced to rely on this season.

After a glacial start at the plate, Atlanta equalized in the very next inning when Drake Baldwin led off with a double and Olson extended his team lead with his 28th homer — seventh-most in the majors — to tie the game.

Other than that, though, the Braves couldn’t break through.

They’ll have another chance to do that Wednesday night in the Mets finale before heading home to kick off a four-game set against the Washington Nationals on Thursday.

Texas Rangers lineup for July 29, 2026 against the Tampa Bay Rays: starting pitchers are MacKenzie Gore for the Rangers and Casey Legumina opening for Ian Seymour for the Rays.

Texas will try to make it two in a row against Tampa, who has a righthanded pitching opener going in front of a lefthanded pitching pseudo-starter. That’s why Joc Pederson and Evan Carter are on the bench. Lefthanded hitting Alejandro Osuna is in the lineup, though, which helps explain why the Rangers are reportedly looking for a righthanded hitting outfielder at the trade deadline.

The lineup:

Langford — DH

Duran — 3B

Nimmo — RF

Burger — 1B

Foscue — 2B

Lopez — SS

Cauley — CF

Osuna — LF

Diaz — C

5:40 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are +120 underdogs.

The Mets took the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves by a score of 3-2.

Here are the takeaways...

-- It was another big day for the Mets' pair of young outfielders. With the game tied 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh, Carson Benge came through against left-hander Dylan Dodd, roping a double into the right-field corner to give the Mets the lead. 

Benge had a pair of hits on the afternoon and now has a .718 OPS on the season.

-- A.J. Ewing had a more productive day at the plate than his line score might let on. The rookie reached base on an error his first time up, singled in his second at-bat, and had an RBI sac fly to center in the fifth. He then walked in the seventh, and came around to score the go-ahead run on Benge's RBI double.

Ewing was on base three times, stole a pair of bases, and scored a run.

--Sean Manaea pitched through traffic in the early going, but the lefty got a couple of double play balls and some timely strikeouts to pitch around trouble, working through his first three innings without allowing a run. 

Again, in the fifth inning, Manaea had a couple of runners on base, but forced Ronald Acuña Jr. into an easy flyout to left to get out of the jam.

Manaea’s shutout ended in the sixth, as he allowed a Drake Baldwin double and then a Matt Olson two-run blast, tying the game in the blink of an eye. 

Manaea, leaning heavily on his four-seam fastball, went 6.0 innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits, striking out four and walking two.

-- Francisco Alvarez continued his hot streak at the plate. With the game still scoreless and a pair of runners on in the bottom of the fifth, Alvarez drove an RBI double to the wall in left center, scoring the game’s first run. 

Alvarez now has a .791 OPS on the season.

-- Huascar Brazoban, Luke Weaver,and Devin Williams all held the Braves at bay, combining to go three scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

-- AJ Smith-Shawver made his first start of the season. Coming off Tommy John surgery, the right-hander pitched well, allowing two earned runs in 4.1 innings on four hits. He struck out four and walked two.

Game MVP

Ewing, who was on the basepaths early and often.

Highlights

Alvy 👊 pic.twitter.com/lVHVLK7SVQ

— New York Mets (@Mets) July 29, 2026

Carson Benge rips an RBI double to give the Mets a 3-2 lead! pic.twitter.com/c62nuQaeHU

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 29, 2026

What's next

Game 2 of the doubleheader is set for 7:10 p.m. on SNY. 

Christian Scott will face Chris Sale.

For the second straight series, the Milwaukee Brewers will look to win the last game of the series to win the series, as they go for their fourth straight series win since the All-Star break.

Rumors of trades were beginning to swirl around midday today as Shane Drohan was originally scheduled as the starting pitcher for this afternoon’s game before getting bumped back. Instead, the Brewers have recalled Thomas Pannone from Triple-A Nashville to start. With this move, Garrett Stallings was optioned back to Nashville.

This move comes as manager Pat Murphy is trying to get a number of the young arms a bit of a breather, and with the off day coming, this move only makes a number of sense as we enter the dog days of the season.

As for Pannone, today’s start will be his first as a Brewer and just his second appearance in the Major Leagues since 2023. Pannone has had quite the road in professional baseball since his last outing in June of 2023; after throwing 2.2 innings against the Pirates, he was designated for assignment before being released. He then bounced around in the Korean Baseball Association before spending time in the Minor League systems of the Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs.

This season with the Nashville Sounds, he has posted a 3.54 ERA through 16 appearances. He’s not a huge strikeout pitcher, as he only has 57 of them through 72.0 innings pitched, making him very much a Brewers-esque pitcher. Today isn’t the first time he will appear against the Giants either; back in April 2019, he threw 2.1 innings against them, allowing two runs on two home runs as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Taking a look at the Brewers lineup today, Murphy will trot out a very similar lineup as he did in last night’s 8-2 victory, the only changes being Jake Bauers will get the start at first base, and Gary Sánchez will start behind the dish. Christian Yelich will spend the second straight day as the cleanup hitter while Brice Turang seeks to continue his hitting prowess at the plate.

The Crew will have their hands full today, offensively speaking, as they’ll have to stare down the right-hander Logan Webb, who makes his 18th start of the season. This season, he has held opponents to a .231 batting average while also limiting the walks to just 29 through 112 innings pitched. On the bright side for the Brewers’ bats, Webb has been struggling in July as he enters today with a 7.54 ERA, striking out just 13 batters over 22.2 innings.

The Giants will look to win back-to-back series for the first time since the beginning of June, when they did it against the Brewers and the Cubs.

First pitch is 2:45 p.m., and you can find it on Brewers.TV and WTMJ 620.