Category: MLB

An already beaten-up Yankees lineup looks to be without Trent Grisham for a while longer, as imaging taken Monday showed a “moderate” right hamstring strain, according to Aaron Boone. 

The manager said he’d hoped the center fielder would be out just a minimal amount of time, but the severity of the injury means Grisham would “miss a little bit of time.” 

Boone declined to put a timeline on how long Grisham would be out, but it figures to be at least 2-3 weeks. 

Grisham has been able to do some baseball activities, which is encouraging, but they’ll be without him for a while. 

It comes at a rough time for Grisham, who’d shaken off a tough start to the season and had a .994 OPS in his previous 20 games.

And more recently, he had been even more productive, with four extra-base hits in his last seven games. 

Spencer Jones was back in center, his most comfortable position, Tuesday against the White Sox and hit his first Yankee Stadium homer in a 12-2 win. 

And the Yankees will also continue to be without Giancarlo Stanton, who underwent an MRI exam on Monday that showed he reinjured the right calf strain that’s sidelined him since late April. 

Stanton said he felt it again while running bases and the discomfort was similar to when the injury first occurred in Houston. 

He had hoped to be back as soon as Wednesday, but that timeline is now pushed back indefinitely. 

Austin Wells (cervical headaches) began a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday. 

Wells was behind the plate and went 0-for-3 with a walk and is scheduled to catch part of Wednesday’s game before potentially serving as a DH with SWB on Thursday. 

The Yankees are hoping Wells returns a more productive hitter than what he’s been for nearly the entire season. 

In his last six games before hitting the IL, Wells went just 1-for-18 with two walks and seven strikeouts. And his .533 OPS on the season, worse than all but three players with 160 plate appearances this season. 

J.C. Escarra and Ali Sánchez haven’t helped, as the Yankees entered Tuesday tied for the lowest OPS in the majors among catchers at .526, but Escarra had two hits Tuesday… Jasson Domínguez wasn’t in Tuesday’s lineup after getting a tooth pulled Tuesday. 

Top prospect George Lombard Jr. was removed from Tuesday’s game with SWB.

According to the YES Network, the shortstop appeared to jam his wrist while covering second when a base stealer slid into his glove. He finished the inning, but was then removed from the game. 

The 21-year-old has been heating up at SWB. He entered Tuesday with an eight-game hitting streak, with six doubles and two homers in that stretch.

With the Yankees’ issues on the left side of their infield, there has been thought he could get to The Bronx this season. 

Boone said Max Fried reported no issues after throwing a bullpen session Tuesday as he comes back from the left elbow bone bruise that’s sidelined the lefty since mid-May.

Boone said Fried is “asymptomatic.” He is expected back next month

First baseman Seth Brown was released from his minor league deal Sunday. The 33-year-old appeared in 53 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after spending the past seven seasons with the A’s.

Whenever Shohei Ohtani is questioned, it seems, he does something spectacular.

On Tuesday, with discussion still swirling over whether his knee problem from the week before would influence his two-way availability when he took the mound Wednesday, Ohtani broke open a scoreless standoff with a sixth-inning solo home run.

It held as the winning run, and the Dodgers went on to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 1-0.

“That’s just him,” Dodgers starting pitcher Justin Wrobleski said of Ohtani. “He’s obviously the best player of all time. I’m super lucky and blessed to be his teammate and watch him play. It’s been super cool.”

Up to that point, neither team’s starting pitcher had flinched.

Wrobleski had given up just three hits in six scoreless innings. And, with no walks to go with five strikeouts, he hadn’t had more than one baserunner in any inning, squashing the scrappy Rays’ ability to manufacture a run.

Though the Dodgers had more viable scoring threats against Rays starter Drew Rasmussen, they’d come up short for five innings.

They came within a couple of feet of scoring in the second inning, but the Rays pulled off a trick play to throw out Kyle Tucker at home.

With runners on first and third, Alex Freeland laid down a bunt to Rasmussen. When he fielded it cleanly, Tucker shuffled back toward third base. But then Rasmussen turned and fired toward second base, and Tucker took off. Rays shortstop Taylor Walls cut off the throw in front of the base and cut down Tucker as he slid headfirst for the plate.

For the next three innings, the Dodgers (47-27) failed to reach base.

Then Ohtani happened.

Leading off the sixth inning, Ohtani pounced on a cutter that drifted toward the heart of the plate.

He launched it to straightaway center field, where it bounced on the netting beyond the fence.

Rasmussen lasted through the seventh inning, leaving that home run as the only blemish on his outing. Then the two bullpens duked it out to a draw in the late innings.

Ohtani’s home run stood alone.

It was his fifth home run in nine games, bringing his season total to 15.

After a slow start, by his standards, Ohtani lamented his lack of power. Now, with the second-highest on-base-plus-slugging percentage in the National League (.966), barely trailing the Washington Nationals’ James Wood (.967), Ohtani has that going for him too.

“He was hitting the ball hard, some doubles, singles,” manager Dave Roberts said. “And if he was just missing a little bit [before], there was going to be slug. So that’s what’s happening. Seeing the baseball well. Swinging at good pitches. And when he uses the big part of the field, there’s just no one better.”

The home run Tuesday, however, was not enough to claim a spot in the batting order Wednesday. Not in an extra-early 12:10 p.m. game. Not just days removed from a bout of inflammation in his left knee.

Before the game, Ohtani threw off a mound to test his knee before his scheduled pitching start the next day. It went well enough that he’ll be taking the mound, Roberts confirmed Tuesday night. But he will not be hitting.

Roberts will keep a close eye on Ohtani, who left the game last Thursday with a swollen knee and then sat out Friday. Ohtani theorized over the weekend that issues with his pitching mechanics may have aggravated his knee.

Said Roberts: “He wouldn’t start if we felt that we were going to put him in harm’s way.”

Glasnow hopes to begin throwing soon

In retrospect, it’s clear to right-hander Tyler Glasnow that he tried to start throwing a little too quickly after back spasms pulled him out of his start against the Houston Astros on May 6. But at the time of the injury, Glasnow, who is no stranger to back problems, was encouraged.

“It didn’t feel as bad when I first did it,” Glasnow told The Times on Tuesday.

Nearly a month and a half later, Glasnow has twice tried to restart throwing, and twice he’s had to shut it down.

“Frustrating, for sure,” Glasnow said. “Just because it happens so frequently. A lot of times I just want to find a way to address the underlying issues of why it happens.”

Read more:Shaikin: The Dodgers are ruining baseball! Stop them! But first let me vote for all their players

He has yet to find that long-term solution, but he does not expect to have surgery.

Glasnow, encouraged by his recent improvement, expects to start throwing again “soon.”

“We’re just waiting for it to be fully, fully healed,” he said.

Edman activated

As expected, the Dodgers activated Tommy Edman (right ankle surgery) off the injured list Tuesday and designated utility man Santiago Espinal for assignment.

Edman didn’t make his season debut, but Roberts said he’ll play a mixture of second base, third and left field, with his playing time dictated by factors such as pitcher matchups and the availability of left fielder Teoscar Hernández’s (strained left hamstring), who’s still on the IL.

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Rays hoped to even the series after a tough one-run loss against the Dodgers last night. And they had their best on the mound to make it happen, as Drew Rasmussen took the ball for tonight’s game. Coming into the contest, he had pitched a combined 14 scoreless innings in his last two starts.

But it would be no easy task, for at least two reasons — a formidable Dodger lineup featuring a red hot Shohei Ohtani, as well as a counterpart in Justin Wrobleski, who’s been every bit as effective this season. Both pitchers came out as advertised, trading high-90’s fastballs for a scoreless first inning.

It would stay scoreless until the bottom of the sixth inning, when Ohtani drove a Rasmussen cutter over the centerfield wall.

It’s important to note that Rasmussen coaxed a few swings and misses from Ohtani on cutters, including a strikeout in the first. It seemed like he was ready for this one, however.

Rasmussen’s face says it all.

He’s not even mad, he’s impressed.

Rasmussen would finish the sixth with no further damage, and then come out to pitch another scoreless frame in the seventh. It was one of his best performances of the season, especially considering the strength of this Dodger lineup. All in, Rasmussen scattered five hits and struck out seven using a season high 102 pitches. Additionally, it was his third consecutive start with seven innings.

On the other side, Wrobleski threw six scoreless, striking out five. Both bullpens looked strong as well, as Will Klein and Kyle Hurt held it down for the Dodgers, and Cam Booser looked strong in the bottom of the eighth for the Tampa Bay.

The Rays sent the top of the order to face closer Tanner Scott in the top of the ninth, but he too, made quick work of the lifeless Rays offense. It was a one-hour-fifty-two-minute affair — no need for the L.A. fans to leave early and beat the traffic.

The Rays will hope to salvage the series tomorrow and leave Los Angeles with at least one win behind the arm of Shane McClanahan. It won’t be a walk in the park though, as Ohtani will be his opposite.

It was a tough night for the Mets batters in more ways than one.

Not only did the Mets bats go 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and leave 11 men on base -- the third straight game they left at least 10 on the basepaths -- they failed on two early ABS challenges that could have benefited them later on in their eventual 5-3 loss on Tuesday night. 

First, Francisco Alvarez tried to get a strike for Kodai Senga in the first inning. With Senga having walked the first batter of the game, JJ Bleday took ball three on a 2-1 cutter that he didn't bite on. Trying to save his starter, the Mets backstop asked for a challenge. While Senga's pitch missed by 0.7 inches, the reality is that Alvarez took an unnecessary risk. 

"There was a runner on first there," Alvarez explained through an interpreter after the game. "I thought in challenging that one instead of having a 3-1 count, it could be a 2-2 count and I think it makes a big difference there."

Senga wound up walking Bleday, setting the Reds up for a four-run first inning, a deficit that the Mets could not overcome.

Marcus Semien was the second culprit, challenging a 1-2 pitch an inning later. There were two outs and no one on base when the veteran second baseman asked for a second look. The result was a called third strike from a Brady Singer sinker that clipped the outside corner. 

“We were super aggressive today," manager Carlos Mendoza of the challenges said after the game. "Essentially, you lose that first one right there early, a little too much there. We got to do a better job. That’s something we’ll continue to talk to the guys about it.”

Mendoza was asked why players were using challenges in low-leverage situations this deep into a season, and the Mets skipper acknowledged they have to be better.

"They’re competing there. They’re competing and there’s going to be times where they don’t agree with a call," Mendoza said. "I thought Marcus was one that was super close there. But again, it’s something that we have to be mindful, especially early on, when you lose the first one like that.”

That lack of situational awareness cost the Mets a challenge for a more important moment in the game. And that moment came in the sixth inning. Mark Vientos had just cut the Reds' lead to 5-3 with his two-run shot. Alvarez walked, allowing Carson Benge to come up as the potential tying run. The young outfielder struck out looking on four pitches, but many of the strikes called -- especially the third strike -- were noticeably low. Without a challenge, an opportunity was gone to extend the at-bat. 

That moment would lead to Mendoza being ejected in the bottom of the seventh. After Bleday worked a one-out walk, home plate umpire Carlos Torres heard someone from the Mets dugout and ejected them. Mendoza came out to argue to find out what was going on, and was promptly ejected.

"It was a quick one there. Somebody said something from the dugout and Carlos just threw someone out. No one knew who it was and that’s when I jumped out of the dugout," Mendoza explained. " I wasn't pleased with the strike zone, especially with the Benge at-bat there. Went back and looked at some of the pitches. I wasn’t happy about it. Again, I know it’s a tough job there, but that’s all to it.”

The Mets hope they can put that lack of situational awareness behind them as they look to salvage a win in the series on Wednesday afternoon. 

Someone from the Mets dugout was ejected for arguing balls & strikes, and then Carlos Mendoza was soon ejected afterward after defending him pic.twitter.com/pZ5cU7QYMk

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 17, 2026

A return to the lineup by Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton isn’t happening anytime soon after he reinjured his calf while running the bases.

Stanton, who wanted to be back with New York on Wednesday after missing the last two months with a right calf strain, will be reevaluated next week following this setback and will have a “light week” this week.

When asked if he thinks he’s now back at square one, Stanton said “I don’t know” but admitted that the feeling in his calf is similar to what he felt when he first injured it against the Houston Astros on April 24.

With Aaron Judge out for the foreseeable future, the Yankees would love to have Stanton’s bat back in the lineup, but it’s hard to say when that might happen now.

Meanwhile, in the last eight years, Stanton has had just one season where he’s played 139 games or more. When he’s in the lineup, though, Stanton remains one of the most prolific power hitters in the game as he's 44 home runs away from 500.

If tonight was any indication of what this Orioles’ West Coast road trip has in store, then don’t bother staying up late for these games, O’s fans. You’d be better off getting to bed at a reasonable hour and saving yourself the torture.

The Orioles offense failed to show up for their opener in Seattle, going silent for the final eight innings of the game after tallying their lone run in the first, and the bullpen spoiled another strong Brandon Young effort in a 3-1 loss to the Mariners. It was once again a winnable game that the O’s simply failed to take. New coast, same old story.

When the Orioles last faced Mariners starter Logan Gilbert precisely one week earlier, they made him labor through a long first inning, took a 1-0 lead, and proceeded to get shut down for the rest of his outing. Would you believe that exactly the same scenario played out again tonight? … Oh, you would? Because the Orioles always make the same mistakes over and over again without ever correcting them? Yeah. Well, good call.

Indeed, once again the O’s started off hot against Gilbert and then completely disappeared. Taylor Ward led off the game with a shot to deep left that he thought was a homer, breaking late out of the batter’s box, and instead settled for a double when the ball stayed in play. He nearly was left stranded on the bases when Gilbert retired Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman, but Pete Alonso kept the inning alive with a walk and Samuel Basallo smoked an RBI single to right to give the Orioles a quick lead.

Gilbert stranded the remaining two runners by striking out Leody Taveras, and from then on, he was brilliant. Or the Orioles’ offense was atrocious. Probably a little of both. Starting with Taveras, Gilbert mowed down 16 consecutive Orioles batters. SIXTEEN! I know this guy is a good pitcher and all, but good lord, Orioles. These weren’t even competitive at-bats.

Each inning was more embarrassing than the last. In the second, Colton Cowser and Jackson Holliday received six fastballs basically down the middle and failed to make contact with any of them, both striking out. The next inning, Gilbert retired three batters on just eight pitches, and the inning after that, he struck out the side. The fifth and sixth frames were similarly spotless.

Considering the Orioles’ pathetic offensive effort, you’d figure they were losing big by the late innings. But fortunately they were kept afloat by their secret weapon: Brandon Young. The Orioles entered the game with a 9-1 record in Young’s starts this year, and tonight the second-year sensation nearly matched Gilbert’s excellence. Through six innings he held the Mariners lineup — boosted by the pre-game activations of Cal Raleigh and J.P. Crawford from the IL — to just one run.

Young delivered his latest quality start despite some uncharacteristic wildness. He issued a career-high four walks in the game, and one of them came back to haunt him in the third, when Miles Mastrobuoni reached on a free pass and later scored on a two-out RBI single by Julio Rodríguez. Aside from that, though, Young made some big pitches to strand a lot of Mariners traffic on the bases.

Before you knew it, we were in the seventh inning in a 1-1 game, but that’s where Gilbert and Young took divergent paths. Gilbert snapped his 16-consecutive-outs streak by drilling Alonso’s leg on a 1-2 splitter, but he had no problem stranding the runner, retiring Basallo on a first-pitch foulout and fanning Taveras and Cowser. Young, on the other hand, allowed the first two Mariners to reach in the bottom of the seventh on a pair of singles, and he could go no further. Craig Albernaz went to the bullpen for lefty Grant Wolfram, ending Young’s night after 92 pitches.

In a surprise to nobody, Wolfram failed to get out of the jam. A one-out walk loaded the bases for the returning Raleigh, who laced a two-run single to center. With that, the Mariners had a 3-1 lead, and Young’s otherwise strong night had been sullied by Wolfram’s inability to strand his inherited runners. Andrew Kittredge replaced Wolfram and induced an inning-ending double play, but the damage had been done.

Is there any chance the Orioles’ offense suddenly showed signs of life and rallied for a late comeback? No, my friends, they did not. Even when Gilbert left the game after seven innings, the Birds’ bats were no less pitiful. Eduard Bazardo, a blink-and-you-missed-him former Oriole, mowed down all three batters he faced in the eighth, and Andrés Muñoz — who’s been one of the majors’ worst closers this season — nevertheless had no problem blanking the O’s in an easy ninth. And a lackluster Orioles loss was in the books.

We’re one game into a road trip that has the chance to make or break the Orioles’ season. Based on early returns, I’m leaning towards the latter.

LOS ANGELES — Justin Wrobleski piled up more zeroes and kept Dodgers infielders busy, out-dueling Drew Rasmussen on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium. Shohei Ohtani provided the game’s only run in a 1-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Wrobleski had one of his most efficient outings of the season, needing only 67 pitches to complete his six innings. That it wasn’t obviously the most economical is a testament to how effective the left-hander has been this year.

He allowed only three singles and walked none, with five strikeouts in those six frames. The biggest threat came in the fourth, when Alex Slater led off with a hit then stole second base. But Wrobleski got the next three batters in a row to strand Slater, the only three at-bats Tampa Bay had with a runner in scoring position against him.

Wrobleski also induced a whopping 10 groundouts, out of character with his 41-percent career groundball rate in the majors, including 38.3 percent entering Tuesday, when 12 of 16 batted balls against him were on the ground.

Despite the efficiency, Wrobleski still got the hook after six frames, the ninth time in a dozen starts he’s lasted at least that long this year, a move more understandable considering Wrobleski was pitching on four days rest for the first time this season, just the second such start by a Dodgers starter this season.

Five of Wrobleski’s 12 starts have been scoreless outings.

Though Wrobleski walked off the mound in a 0-0 tie, Wednesday’s starting pitcher — Shohei Ohtani — gave the Tuesday starter a lead by taking Drew Rasmussen over the center field wall for the first run of the game.

Ohtani’s blast spoiled a gem of a game by Rasmussen, who struck out seven in his seven innings and, like Wrobleski, didn’t walk a batter. The home run was the only run surrendered by the Rays right-hander.

Will Klein walked his first batter in the seventh, but got out of the inning unscathed. Kyle Hurt and Tanner Scott were perfect in the eighth and ninth, respectively, as the Dodgers wrapped up their win in a tidy one hour, 52 minutes, their fastest nine-inning game since October 4, 1992.

Tuesday particulars

Home run: Shohei Ohtani (15)

WP — Justin Wrobleski (8-2): 6 IP, 3 hits, 5 strikeouts

LP — Drew Rasmussen (6-3): 7 IP, 6 hits, 1 run, 7 strikeouts

Sv — Tanner Scott (9): 1 IP, 2 strikeouts

Up next

This series concludes with the final weekday Dodger Stadium day game of the regular season on Wednesday (12:10 p.m.; SportsNet LA, MLB Network), with Ohtani on the mound against left-hander Shane McClanahan. Expect the newly-activated Tommy Edman to make his first start of the season.

Mariners 3, Orioles 1

A pleasant PNW summer day: Logan Gilber, +.29 WPA; Cal Raleigh, +.13 WPA

A muggy, swampy East Coast summer day: Rob Refsnyder, -.06 WPA

Game Thread Comment of the Day:

The Red Sox had more hits than the Blue Jays, more walks than the Blue Jays, more than double the opportunities with runners in scoring position than the Blue Jays, and yet lost an uncompetitive 6-1 snoozefest to the Blue Jays.

Despite numerous chances to take an early lead against Dylan Cease, who was struggling to find the strike zone throughout his unimpressive 108 pitch outing that lasted just five innings, Boston managed to score zero runs before he left the mound. That’s of course because the 2026 Red Sox are running an absolute masterclass on how to lose baseball games. In fact, losing might be the only thing they’re truly great at.

Tonight’s special twist was a 1-12 effort with runners in scoring position (and the one didn’t even leave the infield) that came attached with 13 men left on base. Their only run came on a Jarren Duran solo homer, which is worth mentioning because it also came on the only one of Duran’s five plate appearance where there wasn’t anybody on base. Great timing as always from this offense!

It’s not just that this team stinks, it’s that they’re consistently less then the sum of their parts. They don’t know how to pick each other up, string competitive at bats together, get clutch hits when trailing late in games, or do anything remotely competent for more than one or two days in row. Most every halfway decent stat line is emptier than it looks, and the team is on pace to lose more games at Fenway Park than any Red Sox team in history!

Before the game tonight, Craig Breslow said they’re not giving up on the season and that their focus is still more on trying to win games each night. Well, teams that are trying to urgently win games to save their season generally aren’t allowing a washed up Masataka Yoshida to remain on their roster, much less bat leadoff. They’re also not using Mickey Gasper — a career sub .200 hitter with just two home runs in 227 plate appearances — to pinch hit as the tying run in the eighth inning.

The product is just so embarrassing and underwhelming, and it’s almost impossible to believe it’s gotten this bad before we’ve even hit the summer solstice.

Three Studs

Jarren Duran: Went 2-5, scored and produced the only Red Sox run with his eighth inning solo blast, and he also had the only Red Sox hit with a runner in scoring position, even if it was a lucky infield knock.

Connor Wong: Was on base all three times going 2-2 with a walk before getting pinch hit for in favor of Mickey Gasper in the eighth inning. If I’m Wong, I’m not at all pleased about getting called back there.

Greg Weissert: Score one for Over The Monster’s own Jacob Roy, who wrote about Weissert starting to show signs of life earlier today. Tonight he was the only Red Sox pitcher to not allow a run.

Five Duds

Willson Contreras: Horrible game for the usually productive Contreras. 0-4 with four strikeouts. Probably not a mystery the team felt extra dead tonight with his bat going silent.

Masataka Yoshida: Went 1-5 at DH from the leadoff spot and continues to hit weak ground balls almost exclusively. Provides zero spark at the top of the lineup.

Caleb Durbin: It was an unlucky 0-4 at he didn’t strike out and got bit by two strong catches in centerfield, but an 0-4 night is an 0-4 night, especially when you’re batting .190 on the season.

Chad Tracy: In general, I’m willing to give Chad Tracy a pretty long rope with the mess he’s inherited, but he can’t be pinch hitting Mickey Gasper there in the eighth inning. He needs to be batting less often in high leverage situations late in games, not more.

Payton Tolle: Unfortunately that’s two clunkers in a row for him. It probably wouldn’t have mattered anyway tonight with this sorry excuse for an offense, but the Red Sox are now 3-10 in his 13 career starts.

Play of the game:

Every single Red Sox at bat with runners in scoring position, but I’ll spare you the long conveyor belt of gory videos.

Catcher Owen Ayers was named Southern League Player of the Week.

Outfielder Josiah Hartshorn was named Midwest League Player of the Week.

The Cubs acquired right-hander Yosver Zulueta from the Mariners for cash. Zulueta joined Triple-A Iowa.

Right-handers Ryan Jensen and Zac Leigh were demoted from Triple-A Iowa to rookie ball ACL Cubs. That’s (I assume) a technical move that allows them to work in the Cubs pitch lab in Mesa.

Right-hander Vince Reilly joins Iowa from Double-A Knoxville.

Iowa shortstop Scott Kingery went on the temporarily inactive list.

Right-hander Emilio Ramos went from the ACL Cubs to Low-A Myrtle Beach.

I don’t normally mention Monday’s ACL Cubs game, but right-hander Jaxon Wiggins threw the first two innings in that game in a rehab assignment.

Everyone won except Knoxville, who was the one team that needed to win.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs beat Indianapolis (Pirates), 13-7.

Another rough start for Jordan Wicks, who got tagged for six runs on nine hits over three innings. He struck out four and walked no one.

Tyler Beede pitched the next two innings, didn’t allow a run, and got the win. He didn’t allow a hit, but he did walk one while striking out three.

Left fielder Kevin Alcántara hit a solo home run off of José Urquidy in the third inning. It was The Jaguar’s 16th home run this season. Alcántara was a perfect 3 for 3 with a double, the home run and two walks. He also stole a base. Alcántara scored three times and had two runs batted in.

DH Christian Bethancourt hit his sixth home run of the year with a man on in the fourth inning. Bethancourt was 3 for 4 with a two-run double and the home run. He had the four RBI.

Center fielder Brett Bateman was 2 for 5 with a steal. He scored twice.

Second baseman James Triantos went 2 for 5 with a stolen base and one run scored.

First baseman Jonathon Long was 2 for 5 wth an RBI double in the fifth. He scored twice.

DH Chas McCormick was 2 for 4 with a walk. McCormick scored twice and drove in one run.

An RBI double for Bethencourt.

The blast by The Jaguar went 432 feet.

Bethancourt’s home run.

An RBI double for Long.

An RBI double for BJ Murray. Murray was 1 for 4 with a walk.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies were extinguished by the Chattanooga Lookouts (Reds), 5-3. The loss moves Knoxville and Chattanooga into a first-place tie in the division.

Connor Schultz started and took the loss after allowing three runs on six hits over 4.2 innings. Two of the three runs were unearned. Schultz struck out six and walked just one.

Right fielder Alex Ramírez connected for a solo home run in the sixth inning. It was his eighth on the year. Ramírez was 1 for 3 with two walks.

Third baseman Jefferson Rojas was 2 for 4 with a double and he scored one run.

Catcher Ariel Armas had a two-run single in the sixth. He went 1 for 4.

DH Owen Ayers was 0 for 3 with a walk and one run scored. This snapped his streak of ten-straight games with at least two hits.

A great throw from Armas.

The Ramírez home run.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs cracked the Ft. Wayne TinCaps (Padres), 4-3.

Starter Kevin Valdez gave up three runs, all in the bottom of the second, over four innings. Valdez surrendered four hits and walked two. He struck out five.

Ft. Wayne did not have a hit after the second inning. Ben Johnson pitched the fifth, sixth and seventh innings and only allowed one baserunner, a hit batter in the seventh. That runner was promptly thrown out trying to steal. Johnson struck out one and got the win.

Grayson Moore entered the game with a man on third and two outs in the eighth. He got a strikeout to end that threat and retired all four batters he faced for the save. He struck out three of them.

Third baseman Matt Halbach went 3 for 4 with two doubles and a solo home run in the sixth inning. It was Halbach’s fifth home run of the season. Halbach scored three times.

DH Miguel Useche was 2 for 4 with an RBI groundout and an RBI single in the top of the eighth that put South Bend up 4-3.

Left fielder Jose Escobar was 2 for 4 with a double.

Second baseman Alex Madera went 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI single in the second inning.

Halbach’s home run.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans egged the Delmarva Shorebirds (Orioles), 12-4.

Braylon Myers pitched the first four innings without allowing a run. He surrendered three hits. He walked one and struck out two.

Daniel Avitia pitched the next three innings, gave up four runs and got the win because Myers didn’t pitch five innings. Avitia allowed the four runs on three hits and three walks. That includes a three-run home run. Avitia struck out two.

Center fielder Alexey Lumpuy was 2 for 5 with an RBI double.

Catcher Logan Poteet went 2 for 4 with a double and a walk. He scored three times.

First baseman Michael Carico was also 2 for 4 with a double and a walk. Carico also scored three times.

Right fielder Eli Lovich was 2 for 5 with two runs scored.

Third baseman Yahil Melendez went 1 for 2 with a double and three walks. Melendez scored two runs and had two RBI.

RBI double for Yahil Melendez.

RBI double for Lumpuy was almost a carbon copy.

ACL Cubs

Beat the Athletics, 9-6.

Brody McCullough pitched his first game since May of 2024. He gave up two runs over two innings, but the important thing was that he pitched.

Kodai Senga’s return to the mound for the Mets on Tuesday night was less than stellar after he allowed four earned runs in the first inning, but the right-hander did enough in the final three innings of his outing to earn himself another start.

“Pretty sure he will,” manager Carlos Mendoza said about Senga making his next scheduled start.

Still, neither the skipper nor the right-hander was thrilled with how Senga threw the ball against the Cincinnati Reds in a 5-3 loss and he’ll need to be much better in the future than he was in his first start in nearly two months following a lengthy IL stint.

“First time back out there on a big league mound in a little while, just wasn’t able to gather it all together in the beginning,” Senga said through an interpreter.

The biggest problem in Senga’s start was his command as he walked four while trying to establish his forkball which wasn’t great on Tuesday. 

And while he admits his forkball wasn’t as sharp as he wanted it to be, he also thinks the Reds were making a conscious effort to not swing at anything down in the zone, even when he threw some good forkballs.

“Some of those forkballs weren’t in the zone to start off with, they were ball to ball so that’s not gonna work very well. But even with the good ones too, I could tell that they weren’t swinging at anything down below the zone, they’re not chasing,” he said.

After that, Senga switched over to his slider, sinker and sweeper which played better against the Reds hitters.

The results proved that the change in approach worked as he didn’t allow a hit in the final three innings, although he did walk two more, while striking out five on the night. Nevertheless, the damage was already done after the four-run first inning.

“Obviously the first three batters of the game, not ideal,” Mendoza said. “Not what you want to see right away… I thought he found that sweeper, the slider, but they got him there early on.”

“Because those last three innings were effective, the first inning is frustrating,” Senga added.

In all, Senga went four innings and allowed four earned runs on two hits and four walks while striking out five on 82 pitches (46 strikes). His ERA stayed put at 9.00, and even though it wasn’t his best performance, it’s one he will work upon as he looks to get his season and career back on track.

“As long as I’m able to prepare the way I should prepare between outings I should be able to go out there and be effective and that’s the goal,” Senga said.

After Monday’s crushing loss that saw that Colorado Rockies bullpen allowing the Chicago Cubs a walk-off win, the Rockies were hoping to even the score on Tuesday.

And that they did in a Game 2 win that saw the Rockies defeating the Cubs 5-2.

It was the kind of baseball manager Warren Schaeffer has been touting, and tonight, all the pieces worked, allowing the Rockies to end a 10-game losing streak at Wrigley Field.

“The bullpen was fantastic tonight,” Schaeffer said, pointing to their much-improved performance.

The Rockies take walks, get hits, score runs

Picking up where he left off yesterday, Pete Crow-Armstrong led off the Cubs part of the first with a home run, putting the Rockies in an early 1-0 hole.

Things did not improve for the Rockies in the second inning when Matt Shaw scored on a wild pitch, and the Cubs took a 2-0 lead while Ryan Feltner’s pitch count ballooned to 50.

In the third inning, however, Feltner settled in and retired the Cubs in order on 14 pitches.

The Rockies came alive in the fourth inning. They got their first hit of the evening on a Jake McCarthy lead-off single that was followed by an RBI double from Willi Castro. After just two pitches, the Rockies were on the board and down by one run.

And then TJ Rumfield gave the Rockies a 3-2 lead with a two-run bomb, his tenth of the season.

After the game, Rumfield described the moment as “special,” especially given that it took place as Wrigley Field.

“He’s been Mr. Consistency all year,” Schaeffer said, “no ups and downs like you expect from a rookie.”

The Rockies kicked off the fifth innings with back-to-back walks issued to Brett Sullivan and Ezequiel Tovar. However, after striking out Edouard Julien to get the first out of the inning, the Cubs training staff visited the field and removed starter Edward Cabrera from the game due to cramping in his right hand.

He finished the evening with 4.1 IP, allowing five runs (earned) on three hits. Cabrera walked two and struck out three, throwing 67 pitches.

And then old friend Ryan Rolison entered the game. He immediately surrendered a hit to McCarthy, and the bases were loaded. A wild pitch scored Sullivan, and the Rockies followed that with a Willi Castro fielder’s choice that brought home Tovar.

When the fifth inning ended, the Rockies had a 5-2 lead.

However, Rolison would get his revenge in the sixth as he struck out the side.

With Phil Maton in relief, the Rockies managed to load the bases with two outs in the seventh. As Rumfield stood in the on-deck circle surveying the landscape, Cubs manager Craig Counsell went to RHP Trent Thornton. However, Happ tracked down Rumfield’s fly ball, and the Rockies were done for the inning.

The Cubs had runners on base during the seventh after Brennan Bernadino got two quick outs, but a ground ball to Tovar ended the inning.

Actually, please take a moment to appreciate this gorgeous Cole Carrigg gem for the second out in the seventh.

“That was a great play,” Schaeffer laughed after the game.

In the eighth inning saw the Rockies back on the base paths. Both Troy Johnston and Carrigg walked, and although Johnston got thrown out trying to steal second, Carrigg was successful, notching his first MLB stolen base. However, Sullivan flew out to right field, sending the Rockies to the dugout.

Old friend Gavin Hollowell (now with a new arm angle) came in to pitch the ninth for the Cubs, but the Rockies did not score.

Jaden Hill came in to close.

The final numbers for the Rockies were five runs (four earned) on six hits. They walked six times and had eight Ks. They were 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Also of note, the Rockies had one stolen base (Carrigg) and two caught-stealing (Johnston and Tyler Freeman).

Feltner settles in

Ryan Feltner’s talent is undeniable. The question is which version will show up for any given game.

While last week against the Cubs, Feltner was hot out of the gate before losing steam, in this game, he struggled through the first two innings, allowing two runs on four hits before settling in during the third. However, the relief was short-lived as he struggled through the fourth before finally getting Alex Bregman to strike out looking to end the inning.

Still, he was back out to start the fourth inning and got two outs before surrendering a hit to Ian Happ at which point Warren Schaefer went to the bullpen.

Feltner’s final line was 4.2 IP, allowing two runs (both earned) on six hits. He walked three and struck out seven on a career-high 104 pitches.

He currently has a 5.05 ERA.

After the game, Schaeffer said of Feltner’s performance, “Very good. Gusty,” adding, “He gave us a chance to win.”

The bullpen does something

After the Rockies utilized six relievers in the Monday game, the pressure was on an overworked bullpen to deliver.

And they did.

Blas Castaño went for the third out in the fifth inning with one on base and quickly ended the inning. He was successful in the sixth as well and finished the night going 1.1 IP, allowing no hits and striking out one on 16 pitches. His ERA is 3.92.

This was his first MLB win.

The seventh inning went to Brennan Bernadino. Although he had some traffic due to a walk and a hit, he finished the inning without allowing a run, going. 1.0 IP on 16 pitches.

The Rockies went with Victor Vodnik in the eighth, who was coming off a tough Monday-night showing that saw him unable to get three outs. However, tonight saw him back on track with a quick 1-2-3 inning on nine pitches.

Jaden Hill closed out the game, getting three outs on 12 pitches. It was his first MLB save.

It was a good night to be a Rockies reliever.

Up next

Tomorrow, the Rockies will look to take their second series against the Cubs when Sean Sullivan (0.00 ERA) will face Javier Assad (3.99 ERA). If the Rockies get the win, they will have won four of their past six series since May 29.

First pitch is at 6:05 pm though there may be some weather issues, so stay tuned.

See you then.

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The hopes of an improbable run from the loser’s bracket to the College World Series finals took a final blow for the Texas Longhorns on Tuesday at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha in a 2-0 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs.

Defined by the long ball all season, the Bulldogs scratched runs over the plate in the fifth and seventh innings by playing small ball and coming through an RBI double to score the first run and a sacrifice fly to short left field for the second, winning despite striking out 17 times.

Texas got almost nothing going in the batter’s box, recording just four hits and drawing three walks to strand seven runners on base. Only one of those hits came from a leadoff batter and none came with a runner on base — the Horns crashed into the offseason by going 0-for-8 with runners on and 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

For the second straight game against Georgia in Omaha, the moment seemed too big for the Texas hitters.

The poor hitting wasted superlative performances on the mound from redshirt senior left-hander Luke Harrison and freshman right-hander Sam Cozart. Harrison set his career high with 11 strikeouts to close out his career in burnt orange and white, allowing one run on two hits and four walks in 5.2 innings. Cozart struck out six in 3.1 innings, giving up one run on three hits.

Harrison was sensational through the first four innings, striking out 10 batters and looking in complete control with his fastball reaching into the mid-90s, a rarity throughout his career. The control only faltered slightly in the fifth, when Georgia drew a full-count walk and opted to play small ball, also a rarity for the Dawgs — the sacrifice bunt put down was only the second this season, but paid off when the runner was advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a double to left to put UGA up 1-0.

The pressure on the Texas starter increased in the sixth when Georgia loaded the bases with two outs on a four-pitch walk after a full-count walk and a bloop single, prompting Schlossnagle to make the call to the bullpen for freshman right-hander Sam Cozart, his first appearance in the College World Series.

Squaring twice once again, Kolby Branch took a fastball inside and a big breaker for a strike before swinging and missing against Cozart’s best fastball. Ahead 1-2, Cozart dotted the inside corner with a 95-mph heater to leave the bases loaded and keep the Horns in the game.

Against Georgia starter Dylan Vigue, who has struggled to work deep into games this year, Texas put runners on first and second with one out in the first after junior catcher Carson Tinney singled up the middle and freshman left fielder Anthony Pack Jr. drew a walk, bringing up sophomore shortstop Adrian Rodriguez, perhaps the hottest hitter in college baseball.

Behind early, Rodriguez fought off several pitches before flying out to center field, advancing Tinney to third. After Pack stole second without a throw, junior designated hitter Ethan Mendoza couldn’t come through as Vigue worked ahead again and struck out Mendoza on four pitches.

Like Joey Volchko did on Saturday against Texas, Vigue used a devastating slider that typically had glove-side run and often made the Longhorns chase out of the zone with no chance to get the barrel to the baseball.

The early pressure on Vigue prompted to Georgia bullpen to get moving in the first, but after that, Vigue comfortably worked out a two-out single in the second, struck out the side in the third, and retired Texas in order in the fourth before departing after issuing a leadoff walk in the fifth.

Right-hander Justin Byrd came on for Vigue and also featured his own slider, striking out the first batter he faced, fielding his position on a sacrifice bunt, and getting Texas junior right fielder Aiden Robbins out on two pitches on a foul ball to third base.

In the sixth, Byrd gave up a two-out single to Rodriguez, who advanced to second on an error by the right fielder, but Mendoza was unable to come through, hitting a line drive to right field that failed to trouble Ryan Black after his error.

Georgia manufactured a run in the seventh without much solid contact — a blooper to center was initially in the glove of redshirt senior Dariyan Pendergrass and initially ruled a catch, but came out as he rolled and was ruled a hit, a weak single through the right side beat the shift, and a collision between Rodriguez and Pack on a popup in short left field delayed the throw by Rodriguez to the plate, which was too slow to get Black at the plate despite a good throw by the Texas shortstop.

A four-pitch walk by Cozart extended the inning, but a blooper to second found the glove of redshirt senior Temo Becerra to send the Horns to the plate down 2-0.

Up first, Becerra got a good pitch to hit, but didn’t find the barrel on a fly ball to left, the Georgia first baseman made a nice play on a sharp grounder by junior first baseman Ashton Larson, and junior third baseman Casey Borba hit a routine grounder to shortstop on the first pitch he saw.

Cozart settled in during the eighth, working backwards to strike out the first two batters looking on fastballs and third swinging.

Pinch hitting for Pendergrass, redshirt senior Josh Livingston laced a line drive to right field to lead off the eighth, but Black was playing deep and made the play easily. Down 1-2 after swinging and missing at the first two pitches, Robbins recorded his second hit of the College World Series on a single up the middle, but Tinney took an 0-2 fastball over the plate for a strikeout. More discerning, Pack drew a five-pitch walk to bring Rodriguez to the plate, but he chased a breaking ball low and rolled it over to the Georgia first baseman to end the inning.

Black opened the ninth with a leadoff single on a 0-2 breaking ball from Cozart, who helped himself out by catching a popup bunt in front of the plate, struck out Daniel Jackson on a cutter with glove-side movement, and got a long flyout to left caught by Pack with defensive replacement Maddox Monsour barreling down on him from center.

In the ninth, the Horns went quietly into the offseason against Byrd, who notched his sixth win of the season after putting Texas down in order without much trouble.