Category: Baseball

The Atlanta Braves took an 8-3 loss against the San Diego Padres in game two of their four-game midweek series.

After an RBI single from San Diego’s Ty France to drive Fernando Tatis Jr. in for the first run, the Braves answered back with an RBI triple from Jim Jarvis to bring in Mauricio Dubón and Brewer Hicklen. This gave the Braves a 2-1 lead.

The Padres wouldn’t let that lead go on for too much longer as they responded with five more of their own, and set the tone with a homerun from Manny Machado in the top of the sixth inning for a 6-2 lead.

Hoping to clinch a come-from-behind victory like they did the previous night, another run from Jarvis off a balk gave the Braves one more run to advance to three total. It was too late, however, as they couldn’t muster a surge of consecutive runs to end the night.

The Padres finished with a 474-foot two-run homer from Tatis Jr. in the top of the eighth inning to seal the deal with an 8-3 win.

The focus shifts a bit to pitching. In Reynaldo López’s 10th start and 23rd appearance of the season, his consistency has been one of his upsides. Tonight showed differently (4.1 IP/ 9 H/ 5 ER/ 3 BB/ 6 K/ 2 HR). It doesn’t help that his last start against the St. Louis Cardinals also resulted in a shaky stat line.

Jr Ritchie came in to relieve López, pitching through 3.2 innings, but gave up three runs of his own with four total strikeouts.

Though pitching was a major aspect in the loss, the blame can’t all be put on that area. The bats were not ready today, and only Jarvis was awake to knock in some runs for the night.

The Braves will have to pull through in tomorrow’s start to build the momentum back and avoid dropping the series as they did in June with a clean sweep to send Atlanta out of Petco Park.

The offense looked solid coming after the break. Now it’s just consistency with execution that’ll have to stay in place.

The Jays haven’t, obviously, been good this season. This week has felt like the bottom finally falling out, though. They’re now equidistant between the third wildcard and last place in the American League. Their run differential is tied with the last place Angels. It hasn’t been fun to watch, but after months of thinking they might still pull something off in a weak league, at least now there’s clarity and they can focus on getting whatever they can before the deadline the Monday after next.

As a bonus, Daulton Varsho crashed hard into the wall chasing a ninth inning home run. He stayed in the game, but was in visible pain legging out a ground out in the next half inning. Hopefully it’s just a bruise.

Kevin Gausman had another bad day at the office. He got the first two Rays in the first, but then a walk and three back to back hits, including a Cedric Mullins double, staked the Rays to a three run lead. It was all they’d need. Gausman got out of it and worked through jams with men on first and third in the second in each of the second and third innings to keep Toronto in range, but then a single and a walk knocked him out of the game with one out in the fourth. Mason Fluharty took over and got the second out, but then Yandy Diaz was able to come home on a Brandon Valenzuela throwing error trying to catch Mullins stealing second. A Jonny DeLuca single plated the Rays’ fifth and closed the book on Gausman. All told, he surrendered five runs, four earned, on nine hits and two walks, striking out just one. Not ideal for his trade value.

Lazaro Estrada took over and gave up three more runs in the top of the fifth on a pair of singles and a home run. With the game now firmly in mop up territory, he stuck around for the sixth, getting through it cleanly. Patrick Corbin pitched a couple of solid relief innings, allowing one hit and striking out three. In the ninth, though, the Rays decided to pour a few more on. Three singles and a Yandy Diaz home run scored four, making it 12-2. With the lead now at 10, Myles Straw was able to take over. He was the most effective pitcher of the night for Toronto, giving up just a soft line single and getting a pair of ground outs.

Meanwhile, the offence was on Drew Rasmussen but couldn’t capitalize. Nathan Lukes, Ernie Clement, and George Springer each singled in the first to load the bases, but a pop out and a strikeout prevented any runs. Valenzuela walked in the second. They couldn’t get anything done in the third or fourth, but Myles Straw added another single in the fifth. Finally, in the sixth, Clement got another hit, Springer doubled to move him to third, and a Daulton Varsho single plated the lead runner, knocking Rasmussen out of the game. Reliever Cole Sulser got Kazuma Okamoto to ground into a double play, but at leas that plated Springer.

At that point they went back to sleep, going down in order in the seventh, eighth, and ninth.

Jays of the Day: Absolutely not, no.

Less So: Gausman (-0.20), Okamoto (-0.11 and an error), and really everyone else except Clement.

Since we’re all having so much fun, we’ll play the Rays two more times. The next one is tomorrow at 7:07pm ET. Griffin Jax (5-7, 4.08) takes the mound for the Rays. The Jays haven’t announced a starter, but Spencer Miles (4-2, 3.52) will probably do the bulk of the pitching, either off the bat or following an opener.

MILWAUKEE — Brooks Raley counted down the minutes to the trade deadline in the visitors clubhouse in Kansas City three years ago, half expecting a call into the manager’s office to tell him he had been traded by the Mets. 

That call never occurred. 

This time, the veteran lefty reliever, in the final year of his contract for a sputtering team, understands it makes more sense that he will be a former Mets pitcher by Aug. 3. 

Raley’s lefty cohort in the bullpen, A.J. Minter — who is also a free agent after this season — holds the same mindset: his days with the Mets are likely numbered. 

“This isn’t the ideal situation for the Mets and what we wanted to do here,” Raley said before pitching a scoreless eighth in Tuesday’s 4-0 win over the Brewers. “But it’s also the reality of what’s to come.” 

Together, Raley and Minter have given the Mets a top one-two combination from the left side in a bullpen that serves as a team strength. 

Raley, 38, entered the day with a 2.02 ERA in 40 appearances this season. He first arrived to the Mets in a trade with the Rays before the 2023 season and then re-signed with the club last year while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. 

Minter, 32, began play with a 1.80 ERA in 20 appearances this season. He signed a two-year contract worth $22 million with the club before last season, but was lost in April to a torn lat. He returned this season in May and has found success with a fastball that has averaged 92.9 mph — a drop from 94.5 mph last year. 

Minter, a former Braves reliever, noted this is the first time he’s been part of a trade deadline for a team that is selling. 

“I am going to keep doing my best until they tell me to go somewhere else,” Minter said. “Just keep going out there and performing for this team and go out there and win and see what happens.” 

Both relievers are enthralled by the idea of jumping into a pennant race in the next 1-2 weeks. 

“There’s that optimism and I think that is the goal of every player when they put on a uniform, no matter what uniform that is, to go compete for a championship,” Raley said. “I wish we had done more while I was here. I really didn’t get to do the 2024 [NLCS] run, rehabbing from surgery. I think all of us feel a certain amount of responsibility for not getting it done this year. But we are where we are.” 

Minter, who pitched for the 2021 World Series-winning Braves, has appeared in 20 postseason games. 

“It makes the grind of 162 games all worth it,” Minter said. “There’s no words to describe a postseason atmosphere, and that is the reason why we play this game. It’s exciting for that opportunity. At the same time, I am still a Met and it’s frustrating to see where this year has gone, and we try to look at what we could do better.” 

If these are Minter’s final days with the organization, what will be his memory of his tenure? 

“It’s been just sad,” he said. “The New York Mets have changed my life forever. Going into free agency, I wanted to compete and win a World Series here and I had full expectations of doing so, especially with the talent we have. I feel for this organization because they do everything they possibly can to win here, from the owner to the front office to the coaches to the players. They just want to win and you can see that and it’s just frustrating to not be able to deliver that to this fanbase.” 

Raley said he never expected to stay four seasons with the Mets. 

“But I think I have excelled at my position,” he said. “I think I have been really consistent, and this is one of the best, if not the best, division in baseball to play in. Citi Field, a special full ballpark and atmosphere. I have really enjoyed my time.”

Reds reliever Caleb Ferguson has issued a public apology to umpire Bill Miller after Ferguson directed disparaging, expletive-filled remarks on Monday night.

“Don’t feel great about it for sure,” Ferguson told reporters Tuesday. “Definitely pretty uncharacteristic for myself. As long as I have been in this game I don’t know if you will find a clip of me going at an umpire like that. Definitely going to have to wear that one on the chest.”

Ferguson said he’s going to directly talk to Miller if he can to make things right with the veteran umpire.

“Going to seek Bill out, going to try to at some point,” Ferguson added. “Definitely make it right with him cause very unprofessional on my part. Nothing you can do with it now, but just have to move on. I know Bill’s doing his best to not be in his way in that situation, so I’ve got to be better on my part too.”

Ferguson lashed out after Miller inadvertantly got in the way of Cincinnati infielder Edwin Arroyo, preventing him from making a play.

Ferguson’s comments, in which he insulted Miller’s weight, were caught on the broadcast and went viral.

“F–king fatass, get out of the way. Fat motherf–ker,” Ferguson appeared to say toward the umpire.

Ferguson was in the midst of a frustrating outing when he confronted Miller. Two batters before the incident occurred, Ferguson gave up a grand slam to Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh that put Seattle up 7-0. Ferguson was only charged with two earned runs in 2/3 of an inning, but the damage was done.

The Mariners would go on to shut out the Reds 8-0.

“It’s just a very unprofessional thing on my part,” Ferguson said. “I know these things happen within the game.

“But I don’t like that I was kind of the centerpiece of this.”

The St. Louis Cardinals will try to rebound from yet another tough loss Monday night with a Tuesday night clash versus the Los Angeles Angels. Matthew Liberatore will start for the Cardinals while the Angels will give the ball to Walbert Ureña. First pitch is scheduled for 8:38pm central time at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. Game TV broadcast being handled by Cardinals.tv.

KANSAS CITY — With little else at stake, the Giants’ primary focus in the second half will be evaluating who they can count on for next season, particularly in their starting rotation.

It’s a puzzle that Trevor McDonald figured to fit in somewhere.

But things got more complicated when the 25-year-old right-hander walked off the mound with a trainer between the fourth and fifth innings of Monday night’s 4-3 loss to the Royals.

McDonald was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, with Tristan Beck called up to take his place on the roster, but his outlook wasn’t any clearer. He flew back to San Francisco, where he will undergo further evaluation. For now, the Giants diagnosed him with an elbow strain.

They expect to have a better idea by Wednesday morning.

“You don’t want to say it’s a part of the game,” manager Tony Vitello said. “We’re planning on him just having a little bit of time off. We’ll see what we get on the reports and go from there.”

As it stands, Logan Webb and Landen Roupp look like the only sure things in next year’s rotation. Adrian Houser is under contract for 2027 but was relegated to the bullpen. Robbie Ray and Tyler Mahle will both be free agents and are strong candidates to be traded before the Aug. 3 deadline.

Trevor McDonald’s Uncertain Future with Giants

McDonald debuted with one appearance late in 2023, impressed with two strong starts last September and seemed to cement a spot in the big-league rotation this season.

At his best, Vitello said, “it literally feels at the end of the day like he won the game for us.” But his 14 starts before suffering the arm injury were too up-and-down for the Giants to know for sure that he’ll be able to hold down a rotation spot for 162 games going forward.

That was one area they hoped to see improvement from McDonald in the second half.

“The one thing I think he’s searching for is a little bit more consistency,” Vitello said. “Regardless of what he’s got in front of him, I’m sure he’ll find a way to continue to develop.”

McDonald showed what he was capable of as soon as he stepped into the rotation on May 4, striking out eight and walking none over seven two-hit innings against the Padres. He made four more starts where he yielded one run or fewer. But he also failed to complete four innings four other times, including twice when he was lit up for seven or more runs.

The totality produced a 3-7 record with a 5.12 ERA, a 4.27 FIP, 57 strikeouts and 35 combined walks and hit-by-pitches in 70 ⅓ innings when he landed on the IL.

“I’ve talked to other hitters in the league. It’s a tough look,” Vitello said. “He’s a ground ball guy. Normally there’s damage that’s limited when it comes against him.”

Still, Vitello didn’t feel that he’d seen enough to commit to a rotation spot next year. After all, it remains to be seen whether that will be an option at all. While the Giants are waiting for the results of McDonald’s MRI, the combination of elbow and strain is an ominous string of words for any pitcher to hear.

Although 16 of McDonald’s 18 career appearances have come as a starter, he could be an option as a bullpen piece, something the Giants experimented with during this past spring training.

“At the very least, a part of the staff,” Vitello said. “I think he’s versatile for what it’s worth. We’re talking a long way off and a lot of other people are involved in those things. But I think the bottom line is he pitches the way we want. … There’s a lot of things he can provide for us.”

In the meantime, the injury should give the Giants a chance to get an extended look at another one of their young arms. Carson Whisenhunt’s time in the big leagues so far has been limited to spot starts but the 25-year-old left-hander was already expected to get a longer-term opportunity in the second half if and when the Giants trade Robbie Ray or Tyler Mahle.

Vitello said over the weekend that he expected Whisenhunt’s next opportunity would “come at some point soon.” With McDonald going on the IL, that timeline could be accelerated.

Roster moves

The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves. The D-backs’ 40-man roster is at 40.

• Recalled from Triple-A Reno: LHP Kohl Drake (No. 58)
• Recalled from Triple-A Reno: RHP Gerardo Carrillo (No. 68)
• Optioned to Triple-A Reno following last night’s game: RHP Juan Burgos
• Placed on the 15-day injured list: RHP Drey Jameson (right hip inflammation, retro to July 20)

Another debutant on the 2026 Diamondbacks! That’s seven all told, so we’ve already crushed the line for that in Place Your Bets, which was originally set at a mere 4.5. Drake becomes the third starting pitcher to reach the majors this year for Arizona, following Jose Cabrera and Mitch Bratt. There have also been four position players: Jose Fernandez, Ryan Waldschmidt, Tommy Try and LuJames Groover. Drake was originally drafted by the Rangers, in the 11th round of the 2022 draft, but came over to the D-backs in the trade for Merrill Kelly – the same deal also gave us Bratt, and David Hagaman, who has a 3.19 ERA in High-A ball this year. Not a bad little haul.

To be fair, Drake has struggled a bit in Reno – though who doesn’t? His ERA with the Aces across 16 starts and one relief appearance is a meaty 6.92, with a K:BB of 60:31 across 66.2 innings in Triple A. But it’s perhaps significant that at home, he has a batting average against of .321, more than ninety points higher than Drake has posted away from Reno. He had a particularly good outing his last road game, tossing five shutout innings of one-hit ball in Tacoma, with no walks and six strikeouts. So there’s quality there. He just needs to tap into it more consistently. He turned 26 on Friday, so should be entering his prime.

Also, just before going to press, Drey Jameson was put on the IL with a hip issue, and Gerardo Carillo will consequently have a shot to become debutant #8! Finally, I’ll just leave this here:

Thoughts and prayers… [Shifts uncomfortably in his seat]

Game two of the three-game series between the Athletics and the Arizona Diamondbacks will take place tonight at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. The A’s took the opener last night 5-2 behind Joshua Kuroda-Grauer’s first MLB homer and a 4-5 night by Tommy White.

Taking the mound tonight for the Athletics is 26-year-old righty Jack Perkins. Perkins is 2-5 with a 6.87 ERA this season with seventy-two strikeouts in 57.2 innings. He’ll go up against 26-year-old righthanded rookie Kohl Drake who is making his major league debut tonight. He was called up today from the D-backs AAA affiliate Reno Aces.

Drake will face off against this lineup for Mark Kotsay’s A’s:

Perkins will go up against this lineup for the Diamondbacks:

Follow the Game:
Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA

Listen:
Athletics – Talk 650 KSTE, A’s Cast

Athletics rookie infielder Joshua Kuroda-Grauer was placed on the 10-day injured list following surgery for a ruptured testicle, the club announced Tuesday, July 21. 

Kuroda-Grauer was hurt in the Athletics' 5-2 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix on Monday, July 20. He fouled off a pitch in the fifth inning that took an unfortunate ricochet.

The impact took him out as he laid at the plate for a few moments before rising back up to send a line drive to right-center for a base hit.

Kuroda-Grauer didn't finish the game, as he was replaced defensively at third base by Donovan Walton in the bottom of the seventh inning. He finished the game with a batting line of 2-for-3, which included his first-career home run and pushed his batting average to .417.

Kuroda-Grauer underwent emergency surgery to repair a ruptured testicle Monday night at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix and is resting comfortably, the club said.

Kuroda-Grauer made his major-league debut on June 29 in a 9-4 loss against the Los Angeles Dodgers in which he registered three hits. He was just getting warmed up in the big leagues with eight multiple hit games in 16 games before the injury.

I am not sure if the Baseball Gods put their heads together and orchestrated tonight’s matchup and lineups between the Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners, but there sure seem to be some stars aligning in making it happen.

Luis Castillo, former ace and All Star for the Reds, will start against the club that traded him to Seattle back in 2022. Noelvi Marte and Edwin Arroyo – the two headliners that returned to Cincinnati on the other half of that deal – are both in the lineup to face him, with Spencer Steer getting a break after a conveniently timed bean-ball to the ribs last night.

Facing Castillo will be the burgeoning new ace of the Reds in Chase Burns, who’s doing everything he can to show the world he’s the next great right-handed fireballer on the club. Burns is fresh off signing a $105 million contract extension with the Reds that (service time qualifiers and time value of money aside) looks akin to the $108 million outlay Castillo scored from Seattle after the Reds found themselves unwilling to commit to that era of slightly more than mediocre baseball from their team’s recent history.

There’s a lot of overlapping history between these two clubs, including each’s own foibles when it comes to actually making pushes deep into the playoffs in the era of cable television. Shit, we’ve already passed the era of cable television into the streaming age, and both are still in search of any sort of relevance in terms of pennants and banners with their current situations still very much not there yet.

The Mariners, of course, are still in a much, much better spot than the Reds, who just gave them last night’s game in epic-fail fashion and are sure sellers at the trade deadline in two weeks. So, I can’t even point to Burns tonight and claim he can help save the season anymore since this season is as dead as Jimmy Hoffa.

Anyway, first pitch is set for 9:40 PM ET if you’re willing to stay up for that. Here’s how both clubs will line up to begin things:

After getting back over .500 last night, the Nats will look to take another series, this time in Colorado. Just based on the pitching matchup and where this game is being played, this game has the potential to be a shootout. This Nats offense is hungry to get this team back into a playoff spot.

With a righty on the mound, there will be a couple changes. Jose Tena will hit third and DH. Luis Garcia Jr. moves up to his customary 2 spot in the lineup. Dylan Crews gets the day off with Daylen Lile, Jacob Young and James Wood roaming the outfield. Keibert Ruiz is also back behind the plate. Former Rockie Carson Palmquist will open for Miles Mikolas.

The Rockies are bringing in a couple left handed heavy hitters. Mickey Moniak and Troy Johnston will join the lineup after not being in there last night. Those two have been very productive this season. After DH’ing last night, Hunter Goodman will be behind the plate. He will be catching Michael Lorenzen, who infamously no-hit the Nationals back in 2023.

Game Info:

Stadium: Coors Field

Time: 8:40 PM EST

TV: Nationals.TV

Radio: 106.7 The Fan

These first two series out of the break are about taking care of business. On paper, these are teams the Nationals should be beating. However, the game is played on the field, and the Rockies have been plucky this season. Hopefully the Nats can secure the series win tonight. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!

Detroit Tigers (47-52) vs. Chicago Cubs (56-44)

Time/Place: 8:05 p.m., Wrigley Field
SB Nation Site:Bleed Cubbie Blue
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: LHP Framber Valdez (5-6, 4.10 ERA) vs. RHP Ethan Roberts (0-2, 4.21 ERA)

The rainout of Tuesday’s game against the Pirates and subsequent rescheduling to a day-night doubleheader on Wednesday brought forward some earlier-than-expected news. The Yankees have announced that they will activate Max Fried from the IL and that the southpaw starter will start the second game of the twin bill, with Gerrit Cole starting the matinee.

Fried has been sidelined since mid-May with a bone bruise in his left elbow that thankfully did not require surgical intervention. He was forced to depart his May 13th start against the Orioles after just three innings with noticeably lowered velocity on all his pitches, and subsequent imaging revealed the bone bruise. Fried was one of their best starters at the time of his injury, with a 4-3 record in ten starts, 3.21 ERA (132 ERA+), 2.71 FIP, and 50 strikeouts in 61.2 innings.

Fried checked all the boxes in what was an understandably deliberate and cautious rehab process. He made his lone rehab assignment appearance with the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders last Friday, allowing two runs on three hits with three strikeouts and no walks on 52 pitches. The initial plan was for Fried to make one more rehab appearance of roughly 60 pitches before rejoining the big league team, but the Yankees scrapped those plans and moved up his activation off the IL with the doubleheader rearranging their rotation schedule.

Fried’s return comes at a crucial time with the team still weathering the absence of Carlos Rodón to left elbow inflammation. It will also be the first time that he and Cole will be active teammates — Cole spending the entirety of 2025 off the 40-man roster during his Tommy John rehab — and it’s an extra bonus that they will be pitching back-to-back on the same day.

Expect Fried to be on a similar pitch count to the 60 they were targeting for the scrapped rehab appearance, or perhaps a bit fewer given the higher-intensity environment of the big leagues. The alternatives were not great, as the Yankees just did an all-bullpen game on Sunday, and the prospect of Triple-A arms Elmer Rodríguez (already starting tonight for the RailRiders) or Brendan Beck against the second-best offense in baseball is not one they relished. So they will roll the dice on Fried with a pitch count. Regardless, it is welcome news for the Yankees to be getting one of their stars back.

The Chicago offense exploded in its 10-3 series-opening win on Monday, knocking veteran Jacob deGrom around for five runs in the process. Which means the White Sox pitching needs to be extra good today, since their bats will probably only scrape up a couple runs on somewhere between three and six hits, as that seems to be the trend in games following a double-digit beatdown like that. I’d prefer it if they proved me wrong, however, so that southpaw Noah Schultz can get some run support.

While the Good Guys still hold a one-game lead in the AL Central, last night’s game caused a scare after both Kyle Teel and Colson Montgomery exited the game early with an injury. Colson fouled a ball off his shin late in the game, but finished the plate appearance before Luisangel Acuña took over at shortstop. Colson’s injury didn’t appear to be serious, and he expressed to the media that he would likely be back in the lineup this week. Unfortunately for Kyle, however, as MLB’s Scott Merkin noted: “Teel was on crutches postgame and will almost certainly be moved to the injured list.” Sure enough, the Sox placed Teel on the IL today and called Edgar Quero back up from Triple-A Charlotte as a corresponding move.

In 15 games (61 at-bats) with the Knights, Quero is slashing .230/.299/.295 with a double, a homer, six RBIs, four walks, and 11 strikeouts. Edgar struggled for the first half with the South Siders, posting a .486 OPS and .187 batting average while also ranking as a poor defensive catcher with a 46% ABS challenge win percentage. He will still forever be the hero of the 2026 home series in the Crosstown Classic. With the trade deadline on the horizon, it’s clear that the Good Guys need some assistance with pitching if they are going to try to contend this season, but it’s possible we have a new need: a solid catcher that can (ideally) hit for power.

Noah Schultz is making his 12th start of the season and has posted a 5.60 ERA in 53 innings with a 1.358 WHIP. He’s shown flashes of frontline potential, but there have also been outings where his control issues have been more evident. Schultz’s 12.6% walk rate is in the bottom 11% among MLB pitchers, and though he has 47 Ks on the season, he’s not getting batters to chase or whiff much at his pitches. He is also only 22 years old in his rookie season, and while it would be incredible for him to be an elite pitcher right out of the gate, he’s also learning and adapting as he continues to face MLB hitters.

Outside of Colson Montgomery sitting out, we have a fairly typical lineup tonight with Sam Antonacci, Munetaka Murakami, and Miguel Vargas leading off at the top of the order. The Montgomerys are swapping in the lineup, as Braden moves into the cleanup spot, and with Teel out, Drew Romo will remain behind the plate tonight.

The South Siders will face righthander Kumar Rocker, looking to tee off and help Schultz early on. Rocker is making his 17th start of the season, and in 90 innings, he’s posted a 2-8 record with a 4.40 ERA and 1.367 WHIP. The righty can force a decent amount of ground balls to his advantage (45.1% GB%) and has great extension, but opponents own a .295 BABIP with a .430 slugging percentage, and it would be great if the Good Guys could take advantage of some of those weaknesses.

The top of Texas’ order has been productive all season, with each of the first three hitters carrying an OPS above .800, with second baseman Justin Foscue leading the team with an .871 OPS. Our forever White Sox friend, Jake Burger, is batting fifth and has the most home runs this season among the Rangers starters tonight with 17, and while we’ll always root for him, I’d rather him not hit his 18th tonight (sorry, Jake).

Tune into CHSN at 7:05 p.m. CDT as the South Siders look to jump on Texas early. You can also listen in on ESPN Chicago AM 1000. The Sox have a chance to lock up the series and make it three straight victories.

In Game 1, the Colorado Rockies (40-62) were thoroughly beaten by the visiting Washington Nationals (51-50).

Tonight, they will look to take Game 2 and even the series.

Starting for the Nationals is old friend Carson Palmquist. (Read his 2025 “Ranking the Rockies” here.) This will be his 16th appearance for the Nationals. During that time, the lefty reliever has 9.2 IP and a 6.52 ERA. He has struck out 12 and has a 1.45 WHIP.

Presumably, Palmquist will be acting as an opener for the Nationals.

Palmquist will be setting the table for Miles Mikolas. This will be his eighth career start and 10th appearance against the Colorado Rockies. He is 1-1 with a 7.91 ERA (34 ER/38.2 IP) with 25 strikeouts. Mikolas leads Major League Baseball with just 1.03 walks per 9.0 innings since May 22. He’s walked just six batters in 52.2 innings over this stretch, and his 3.67 strikeout-to-walk ratio (22 SO/6 BB) over this stretch is ranked ninth in the National League.

Taking the mound for the Rockies will be RHP Michael Lorenzen in what will be his 22nd start.

Currently, he has an ERA of 6.22 in 97.0 IP. He’s struck out 73 while giving up 38 walks and 14 home runs with a 1.77 WHIP.

Lorenzen has thrown at least five innings in six of his last seven starts (June 10), posting a 3.22 ERA (36.1 IP, 13 ER) with 16 walks and 25 strikeouts. He has the lowest ERA on the club (min. 15.0 IP) across that span.

And now to the details.

First Pitch: 6:40 pm MDT

TV: Rockies TV

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)

SB Nation site:Federal Baseball

Lineups:

For the visiting Nationals:

And the home Rockies:

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