Category: Baseball

The Cubs announced that they have signed all 21 picks from the recent draft. It’s the third time in the last four years the Cubs came to terms with all of their draft picks.

The Cubs have also signed the following undrafted free agents, listed with their college team.

Outfielder Michael Gupton Memphis

Catcher Jhoander Irigoyen Tampa

First baseman Blake Bevis Mississippi State

Catcher Colin Hynek North Carolina

Irigoyen has been assigned to Low-A Myrtle Beach. Hynek has been assigned to Double-A Knoxville. The other two went to the ACL Cubs, whose season is over but they can still play in the unofficial games going on down there.

With those players under contract, it’s Black Tuesday for many others as the Cubs needed to make roster room for the new players. The following players were released:

Outfielder Edward Vargas

Right-hander Ben Johnson

Right-hander Henry Cone

Catcher Dillon Granadillo

Right-hander Kenton Egbert

Catcher Casey Opitz has retired. I wouldn’t be surprised if Opitz has a coaching job lined up somewhere, either with the Cubs or elsewhere.

Now for some movement.

Catcher Ethan Hearn was promoted from Double-A Knoxville to Triple-A Iowa.

Left-hander Luis Peralta rejoins Iowa from the Development List.

Right-hander Grayson Moore moves from High-A South Bend to Double-A Knoxville.

Right-hander Yoendris Gonzalez has been promoted to High-A South Bend from Myrtle Beach.

Outfielder Geuri Lubo has also been promoted to South Bend from Myrtle Beach.

Outfielder Jan Luis Reyes goes from the ACL Cubs to Myrtle Beach.

Shortstop Corey Nunez, the Cubs’ 14th-round pick, has been assigned to Myrtle Beach.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were run off the rails by the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Yankees), 6-3. It was the first time Iowa has played Scranton/Wilkes-Barre since 1990.

It was a very good start tonight for Jace Beck, who gave the I-Cubs five scoreless innings on four hits. Beck struck out two and walked no one.

The bullpen couldn’t hold the lead, however. Antoine Kelly grabbed the loss after pitching the eighth inning and allowing three runs. Kelly gave up four hits and no walks in his one inning of work, but he did hit a batter. Kelly struck out two.

Catcher Owen Ayers hit his first Triple-A home run with the bases empty in the fourth inning. It was Ayers’ 23rd home run overall. Ayers was 1 for 4.

First baseman Jonathon Long was 2 for 4 with a double and a run scored.

Right fielder Kevin Alcántara extended his on-base streak to 37 games, going 1 for 2 with a walk and a sacrifice fly. He scored one run.

Ayers home run.

First Triple-A home run for Owen Ayers! pic.twitter.com/i66DGEQhtt

— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) July 29, 2026

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies were extinguished by the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Marlins), 3-2.

Connor Schultz started, gave up three runs over 3.2 innings, and took the loss. Schultz gave up six hits and walked five while striking out four.

The Smokies only managed four hits. DH Miguel Useche went 1 for 1 with a walk and a sacrifice fly.

Catcher Ariel Armas was 1 for 2 with two walks. He scored both Smokies runs.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs were boarded and seized by the Lake County Captains (Guardians), 7-5.

It was a rough start for Mason McGwire, who took the loss after getting knocked around for six runs on five hits over 3.1 innings. Three of those five hits were home runs. McGwire walked four and struck out one.

Left fielder Kade Snell hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning. It was Snell’s third home run this year. Snell went 2 for 4.

Catcher Logan Poteet got South Bend a run closer with a solo home run in the top of the eighth. It was Poteet’s second High-A home run and 16th overall. Poteet went 1 for 4 and scored twice.

Center fielder Kane Kepley was 2 for 5 with a steal.

Surprising power out of Snell here.

Kade Snell visits Owen Caissie territory!@HoosierLottery Home Run | #SBCubspic.twitter.com/9chVMV7kuX

— South Bend Cubs (@SBCubs) July 29, 2026

Poteet’s home run.

Logan Poteet pushes one out to right!@HoosierLottery Home Run | #SBCubspic.twitter.com/NyqnPSJa9X

— South Bend Cubs (@SBCubs) July 29, 2026

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans were bitten by the Charleston RiverDogs (Rays), 6-2.

The Birds got a solid start out of Hayden Frank, who scattered seven hits for one run over four innings. Frank did not walk anyone and struck out two.

Freddy Rodriguez’s Pelicans debut did not go well. He relieved Frank in the fifth and took the loss after allowing five runs on four hits over 2.2 innings. Rodrigue walked four and struck out three.

Pelicans had just four hits. Left fielder Eli Lovich had an RBI single in the sixth inning and then came around to score on a wild pitch. Lovice was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Lovich’s single and the wild pitch.

We are all tied up here at Pelicans Ballpark!! pic.twitter.com/UmTv6boAta

— Myrtle Beach Pelicans (@Pelicanbaseball) July 29, 2026

The Yankees are in need of a right-handed catcher, and with Twins backstop Ryan Jeffers on an expiring contract, it seems the Bronx would be the best fit. 

Or so the baseball world thought.

Twins GM Jeremy Zoll spoke to the media, including The Athletic’s Dan Hayes, ahead of Tuesday’s series opener with the Royals, saying that the plan is to be buyers ahead of this year’s trade deadline.

“This has been what we were focusing on and what our pro personnel group over the last couple of months has been focused on — the ‘buy’ version of things,” Zoll said. “It wasn’t some situation where they were prepping to sell and we’re switching. Now we’re looking forward to try and execute on that work.”

Zoll said he hopes to improve the team’s bullpen and the Twins will be open to “creative paths.”

What that means for Jeffers’ future with Minnesota is unclear. Again, the 29-year-old catcher will be a free agent at the end of the season, which makes him a prime candidate to be dealt, but after Tuesday’s dramatic walk-off win, the Twins sit at 54-54 and just 0.5 games behind the Guardians for the final wild card spot.

Although the Twins have announced their trade deadline status, they could potentially look to upgrade their chances to make the postseason while also selling at the same time.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan spoke about the fit between the Yankees and Jeffers on hisSources Tell Jeff Passan web show on Tuesday, saying it feels “preordained” that a deal would be made.

"It feels like where Ryan Jeffers is going has been preordained for months now,” Passan said. “The Yankees need a right-handed hitter, they need power, and they need a catcher; and while there are other options out there, they are going to cost a whole lot more.”

Passan did acknowledge that if the Twins remain steadfast in trying to compete this season, it would make sense to keep Jeffers. However, Jeffers’ impending free agency leads Passan to believe that the catcher will still be dealt.

Minnesota does have Victor Caratini under contract, who is more than capable of stepping in to play full time as he did when Jeffers missed two months with a hamate bone fracture. 

But if Jeffers is not on the market, the Yankees will have to look elsewhere. The Reds' Tyler Stephenson has been linked to the Yankees as a potential alternative and the Marlins have reportedly made Liam Hicks available. 

With just five more games before the Aug. 3 deadline, the baseball world will see if the Twins hold on to their position or change course. 

DUNEDIN, FL — Clay Holmes has been traded once before. He found out when he was going to the New York Yankees in the checkout lane of a Pittsburgh Target. Pirates GM Ben Cherington called him to tell him he had been traded and Holmes was quickly searching the aisles for a razor. He had a plane to catch and a beard to shave.

Now, five years later, he is on the block again. This time, he's a more known and wanted commodity, and because he has been on the injured list he has had 10 weeks to sit with it.

He doesn't love the uncertainty, but he's not dreading anything.

"It was such a good experience the last time, because I just took it for what it was and accepted it," Holmes said Tuesday night. "I am going to try and do that same thing this time. Whatever happens, I just try and come at it with a new perspective, fresh eyes and just enjoy it and just kind of hang on."

Hanging on is harder this week when the ride hasn't even started.

Holmes pitched four scoreless innings for Single-A St. Lucie on Tuesday night against Dunedin in a ballpark with maybe 250 people in it. Six days before the MLB trade deadline, the five scouts behind home plate stood out and were a reminder that as Holmes grinds to get back, nobody knows where his next start will be, or what organization it will be for.

The Mets are 45-62, last in the National League East, and have told teams that Holmes is available. He can walk after this season and he has confirmed that there have been no substantive extension talks with the Mets. So, his name has been linked in reports to the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and even the Yankees.

"I can't address any rumors or anything. I have no clue," Holmes said when asked about a possible return to the Bronx. "But it's a place that I'll always be grateful for. A lot of great memories, great relationships. It's a great organization. I definitely have some good friends over there."

He made a name for himself in pinstripes after that surprising 2021 trade. He came in a unknown and left as a prized free agent.

"I wasn't necessarily a hot commodity," he said. "It kind of came out of nowhere as a big surprise."

He went on to save 74 games for the Yankees, earn an All-Star nod and was able to turn that into a three-year $38 million deal with the Mets to become a starter.

Now, he's an established pitcher with experience starting and relieving, and an elite groundball rate of more than 55% that contenders can use in the rotation and bring out of the bullpen in the playoffs. So, his name has been out there almost every day since he fractured his leg on a comebacker in May. The recovery and rehab has left him a lot of time, too much time, to hear about the rumors and think.

"It's easy to get caught up in a lot of what-ifs, a lot of stories that may or may not be true," Holmes said. "You just really have to focus on what you can do."

MLB'S TOP UPCOMING FREE AGENTS: Who else besides Tarik Skubal?

On Tuesday, that was pitching four scoreless innings with three strikeouts and two walks. He threw 59 pitches and felt good. He thinks he is built up enough to have a conversation with the Mets about making his next start on Sunday.

That's the day before the trade deadline, so who knows if it will be his last start for the Mets organization or his first in another. He isn't sweating it.

"You can't control that," he said. "But if you're just kind of grateful for the situation you are in, and just be present with people around you, it can be a lot of fun."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Clay Holmes knows he can be traded any day now. He is trying to enjoy it

Trying to describe what happened when the St. Louis Cardinals played a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs Tuesday night is like trying to explain what it looked like when you see a dumpster on fire. It wasn’t pretty, but it happened so let’s begin.

The Chicago Cubs made St. Louis Cardinals starter Michael McGreevy look like a batting practice pitcher. It started out promising enough (for the first out, anyway) when Pete Crow-Armstrong struck out gloriously. From there, it was downhill at blazing speed. I’ll keep this as brief as possible. Suzuki singled. Two batters later, Bregman hit a ground rule double then Ian Happ hit a double which made it 2-0 Cubs before most of the Busch Stadium crowd had even taken their seat.

The top of the 2nd inning was worse. So much worse. Conforto singled. Kelly walked. Two batters later, PCA hit a sacrifice fly then Suzuki doubled, Busch singled, Bregman singled, Happ walked, then Nico Hoerner singled to right. By the time the carnage was over, it was 7-0 Cubs. Even the all-you-can-eat Busch Stadium food deal isn’t enough to redeem this type of experience. Michael McGreevy didn’t even finish the 2nd inning. That was Gordon Graceffo’s job and, to his credit, he kept the Cubs from piling on any more runs until he was replaced by Justin Bruihl in the top of the 5th inning.

The Cardinals would manage to scrounge around for a run in the bottom of the 4th inning when they loaded the bases with an Alec Burleson walk, a Nootbaar infield single, a Masyn Winn single and a Nathan Church sacrifice fly with the bases loaded slightly reducing the humiliation making it 7-1 Cubs.

The Cubs were determined to squash whatever faint hopes the Cardinals might have managed with that menial 1-run bottom of the 4th by grabbing another run in the top of the 5th inning when Nico Hoerner walked then stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch by Justin Bruihl and then scored on an infield single from Ramirez restoring the 7-run lead making it 8-1 Chicago. The Cubs added another run in the top of the 8th to make it 9-1 and another in the top of the 9th to make it 10-1, but who really cares? Oh, the Cardinals did add a run in the bottom of the 9th inning when Masyn Winn doubled in Lars Nootbaar who had walked to make the final score 10-2, but we still don’t care.

If there is ANY positive that can be taken from the Tuesday night baseball game in Busch Stadium, it’s the fact that new call-up Peter Strzelecki made his debut for the Cardinals and did a respectable job of taking care of the last few innings of the debacle except for the 9th which Matt Svanson can be blamed for. Cardinals legend Yadier Molina was also in the dugout which is also a plus. I have to wonder what was going through his mind as he was watching…THIS. I have to wonder how that Cardinals leadership core a couple decades ago including manager Tony La Russa would have handled a deplorable effort like what we witnessed tonight. Different era with greater expectations, but surely the Cardinals can represent better than this. Even in a non-playoff season rebuild, the team can show more fire than they’ve displayed since the All-Star break. The first few months of this season, the St. Louis Cardinals were hungry, relentless and competitive. They were fun to watch. What they have become in July is the opposite of that.

Well, what can we say except that the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs will play again Wednesday night. According to MLB.com, Dustin May will audition for a trade to the Yankees make the start for the Cardinals while LHP Matthew Boyd will take the mound for the Cubs. First pitch scheduled for 6:45pm central time at Busch Stadium. Game TV broadcast will be available through Cardinals.tv.

The one-sentence recap for the first two games of the Yankees’ series with the White Sox: all’s well that ends well.

Was it ideal that the Bombers fell behind on Monday night, struggled to put the Sox away when they gained a lead, and forced their closer to grab the final out? Not exactly, but they got the win. Was it ideal that the Yankees failed to add any insurance runs to the three-run lead they grabbed in the second inning tonight? Not exactly, but they got the win. Was it ideal that David Bednar had to take the mound for the fourth time in five games, losing his 24.2-inning scoreless streak on a two-run homer that made it close right at the end? Not exactly, but they got the win.

Bednar and the bats have Gerrit Cole to thank. Despite some turbulence in the fourth inning, Cole was the pristine pilot on the bump that the Yanks needed. Powered by the effort from number 45, the Yankees won 3-2, and gained a full game on the Rays in the American League East standings.

The Bombers’ first two trips to the bat rack couldn’t have progressed more differently. In the first, Anthony Kay struck out the side to make quick work of the top of the order. In the second, the first two batters Kay faced reached with well-struck singles, giving Anthony Volpe an RBI opportunity. Volpe charged a ball deep to left center where Tristan Peters nearly tracked it down at the wall. But Peters was unable to come down with the catch, the ball stayed in play, and Jasson Domínguez scored for an early 1-0 lead.

Volpe continues to excel against the Southsiders this year—this double made him 7-for-14 in the season series.

Trent Grisham had been forced to hold up at second to see if Peters would make the catch, and thus only made third before putting on the brakes. Thankfully, Max Schuemann was happy to provide a perfectly-placed chopper along the left field line, which scored both runners and extended the lead to 3-nil.

Cole, meanwhile, came out the gates looking as strong as he did in his previous outing against the Pirates. He even helped his case by making one of the niftier catches of an infield pop you’ll see from a pitcher. Colson Montgomery’s sky-high pop started falling in front of the mound and Cole saw it the whole way, but Austin Wells got into Gerrit’s airspace a bit, making him stagger back to spear the ball. It then popped out of his glove—disaster!—but Cole deftly snagged the biscuit with his pitching hand to record the out.

After mostly cruising through three innings, Cole lost his rhythm in the bottom of the fourth. He surrendered a leadoff double to Munetaka Murakami, then issued a walk. He engaged Colson Montgomery in a clash of wills and escaped with a popout, then got a dribbler to third from veteran Andrew Benintendi, laboring through deep counts all the while. A second free pass loaded the bases for Tristan Peters, who mercifully sailed a harmless popup to Rosario in shallow left. Cole was forced to throw 32 pitches in that frame, but he danced through the raindrops to post a massive zero on the scoreboard.

Better yet, he came back refreshed and pitched two more scoreless innings, walking around individual singles in both. He finished with a strikeout of Braden Montgomery to complete a six-inning scoreless performance, marking his fourth consecutive quality start. Getting length was all the more critical because of how much the bullpen had to labor to reach the finish line last night. Thanks to Cole, they only needed to grab nine outs in this one.

The sixth inning proceeded with little incident, though I wanted to note that Kay plunked Domínguez for his MLB-leading 20th hit batsman. He departed shortly afterward and Jordan Hicks completed the frame. An ensuing scoreless seventh from rookie Tyler Schweitzer sent us to the stretch with those three second-inning runs continuing to stand up on their own.

The White Sox appeared intent on forcing Angel Chivilli to play the field on his birthday. Well, no worries for the now 24-year old righthander. First he channeled Cole by catching a foul pop, then fielded a swinging bunt and fired to first for the second out. He got the third out on a fly to center, finishing a brisk bottom of the seventh. Happy birthday, Angel!

Brent Headrick got a favor to put yet another goose-egg up, as a splendid play from Jazz Chisholm Jr. sent us to the ninth and kept the White Sox scoreless. Earlier in the evening, Jazz had made a diving stop against the first batter Cole faced—here, he tracked down a grounder from Colson Montgomery which eluded Goldschmidt, then twirled and whisked an accurate throw back to Goldy for the third out. Nothing like good defense!

Of course, the Yankees were able to hand the ball to their closer at the top of his game. David Bednar entered riding his active 24-inning scoreless streak and began with a strikeout of Benintendi in his quest for 25. A single for Braden Montgomery continued his solid game and gave the Pale Hose a pulse. Bednar then fired a low-and-in fastball to Tristan Peters on 2-2 which home plate umpire Roberto Ortiz called a ball. Wells challenged, and on review the ball had scraped the corner of the zone. Two out.

It was up to second baseman Chase Meidroth, who worked ahead 2-1. Bednar fired a fastball on the inner half, and Meidroth turned it around for a 406-foot home run. The Yankee closer’s shutout streak was gone, and we had a 3-2 ballgame.

Give credit to Meidroth; that was a tough pitch to square up and that’s what he did. Wells went out to the mound to settle Bednar down, and he went after pinch-hitter Everson Pereira. Pereira battled, but fell on the splitter to finish the ballgame. Pity the foolish recapper who thought there would be no late drama. Was it ideal? Not exactly, but they got the win.

Earlier, the Texas Rangers went into Tampa and handed the Rays a rare home loss, winning 4-1. That means the Yankees gained a full game in the standings and now sit just a game and a half back of first place in the AL East, despite all those injuries and all the roster turmoil. The Bombers will try to make it a series victory tomorrow night, and they’ve got the right man on the mound to make it happen. Cam Schlittler opposes righty Davis Martin, with first pitch once again slated for 7:40 PM ET. Coverage will be on Amazon Prime Video for the Wednesday night contest.

Box Score

Seth Lugo has somewhere between 17 and 38 different pitches to stymie opposing batters (nine, technically, per Statcast). He did just that in Tuesday’s start against the Minnesota Twins, tossing six innings and allowing only one run. But none of them can force his offense to score or prevent his bullpen from imploding, and the Twins felled the Kansas City Royals 3-2 on a Target Field walkoff triple.

To be fair, Lugo wasn’t exactly dominant tonight. He only notched two strikeouts, and he allowed nine baserunners via six hits, a pair of walks, and an error. Lugo did very well when it counted, inducing double play after double play—one in each of his first two innings, and one in each of his last two innings. Though the Twins tagged him with one run in the fourth with a Kody Clemens double and a Josh Bell single, that would be it against the crafty veteran righty. It put the Royals bats in a position to succeed.

Well, it put the bats in a position to succeed as much as possible. With Bobby Witt Jr. and Maikel Garcia both on the injured list, Kansas City was forced to do things tonight like “start Josh Rojas at shortstop” and “use Tyler Tolbert as a pinch hitter.” To be fair to Rojas, he was part of a nifty double steal in the sixth inning that tied the game up.

A double steal ties it up! pic.twitter.com/6kuDgxjgC7

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) July 29, 2026

Just one batter later, Salvador Perez would single on a bloop fly ball to score Lane Thomas and make it 2-1, Royals.

The Captain drops one in for the lead! 🫡 https://t.co/wHvos43xWMpic.twitter.com/t3nDIF3BWl

— Royals.TV (@kcroyalstv) July 29, 2026

Kansas City actually held onto that lead for a few innings. Daniel Lynch IV, John Schreiber, and Stephen Cruz combined for a scoreless seventh and eighth innings, although they only managed one strikeout. This, despite the offense being totally ineffectual; the Twins struck out the Royals 14 times, and Kansas City was only 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Jac Caglianone and Nick Loftin drew a pair of walks apiece, I guess.

Alex Lange entered the ninth inning, and unlike his compatriots in the bullpen wasn’t so lucky in the batted ball department. It started off darkly, with Victor Caratini singling on a ground ball to lead off the frame. Fortunately, Isaac Collins made a terrific diving catch on a sinking line drive off the bat of Luke Keaschall. Unfortunately, Lange walked Brooks Lee, putting on two on with one out. And though Lange struck out Ryan Kreidler, he allowed a loooong fly ball off the bat of Royce Lewis that bounced away from Thomas and Tolbert. It scored both Caratini and Lee.

BEST CHRISTMAS GIFT EVER? pic.twitter.com/C0GunsxfbX

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) July 29, 2026

The Royals now stand at some record deeply under .500, while the Twins desperately cling to some hope of the postseason—a hope kindled by the American League being largely, ah, poopy. Kansas City is part of the poopy, if you were wondering. See you all tomorrow.

The San Francisco Giants unsteady future plans for their rotation just got murkier. On Tuesday, the team announced what many had feared for a few days: that right-handed pitcher Trevor McDonald will undergo Tommy John surgery to repair his throwing arm.

McDonald, who has a 5.12 ERA and a 4.28 FIP on the year, left his last start after feeling discomfort in his elbow during warm-up pitches before the fifth inning. The 25-year old was promptly placed on the 15-Day Injured List with a UCL strain which, unfortunately, leads to Tommy John most of the time. After getting a second opinion from a specialist, McDonald and the Giants decided on the surgery, which will take place next week.

The timing of the surgery means that McDonald will not only miss the rest of this year, but almost certainly all of next season as well. Barring any setbacks, he should have a good chance of being ready to return by the time Spring Training rolls around in 2028. Unfortunately for McDonald, he’ll find himself in an unenviable situation then: he’ll be not only trying to shake off the injury rust and get back in form, but he’ll be out of options, essentially eliminating his leash to get back in a rhythm and proove himself.

But that’s a problem for another day. Unfortunately, a whole lot of rehab awaits McDonald before he gets to the stage. And a whole lot of moves await the Giants, who will need to rebuild an already-bad rotation this offseason — and one that is likely about to lose Robbie Ray and Tyler Mahle — without McDonald as an option.

The Yankees scored early and held on, despite some ninth-inning dramatics, to beat the White Sox, 3-2.

Here are the takeaways...

-- Anthony Volpe put the Yankees on the board in the second inning, nearly hitting a three-run home run, but settling for an RBI double that bounced off CF Tristan Peters' glove. Max Schuemann then found a way to drive the other runners in, bouncing a double over third base to give the Yanks an early 3-0 lead.

Luckily, that was all they needed.

-- Gerrit Cole dazzled in his 12th start of the year, tossing six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts. He allowed just four hits and walked two, lowering his ERA to 3.57.

The right-hander breezed through the first three innings, allowing just one hit with four strikeouts. He then ran into a bit of trouble in the fourth inning as Munetaka Murakami doubled and two walks loaded the bases, but found a way to escape without a run crossing the plate after 32 pitches. 

Cole bounced back for a quick fifth inning on just 14 pitches, striking out Murakami on a low slider to end the frame. Looking to keep the shutout going in the sixth inning, he fought around a two-out hit and struck out Braden Montgomery on his 99th pitch of the night. 

-- In the bottom of the fifth, Schuemann, Amed Rosario, and Volpe had a bit of miscommunication in shallow left field, allowing a single to fall between the three of them. Thanks to Cole, the fielding mistake didn't come back to hurt them.

-- Jasson Dominguez, batting from the right side of the plate, got two hits (plus a HBP) against LHP Anthony Kay. He's now hitting .269 against left-handed pitching this season and .239 overall (finishing the night 2-for-3).

-- Up from the minors with Cody Bellinger on the IL, Spencer Jones pinch-hit for Schuemann against RHP Jordan Hicks in the top of the sixth inning, but struck out on three pitches. He remained in the game in left field.

-- Angel Chivilli tossed a 1-2-3 seventh inning and then Brent Headrick got some help from Jazz Chisholm to get out of the eighth. David Bednar's 24-inning scoreless streak ended in the ninth on a two-out, two-run home run to Chase Meidroth, but he was able 

Game MVP: Gerrit Cole

It was a vintage performance from the ace, as he recorded his third scoreless outing of the year and first since his second start on May 27.

Highlights

An RBI double for Anthony Volpe! pic.twitter.com/xDnqHmGPbm

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) July 29, 2026

Max Schuemann makes it 3-0! pic.twitter.com/10NRoTSFP8

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) July 29, 2026

Gerrit Cole sticks with it 😅 pic.twitter.com/fpIRPCiosi

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) July 29, 2026

What's next

The Yankees and White Sox continue their four-game series on Wednesday at 7:40 p.m.

Cam Schlittler (10-6, 2.07 ERA) faces right-hander Davis Martin (9-5, 3.49 ERA).

 

The Philadelphia Phillies (57-51) lost their fourth straight series to begin the second half of the season with a 1-0 loss to the Miami Marlins (54-54) in game two of the series.

Aaron Nola had his second best start of the season, allowing only one run in five and two-thirds’ innings of work. His best also came in Miami back on May 4th, when he pitched six scoreless innings.

The offense only mustered four hits on the evening, all against Marlins’ starter, Sandy Alcantara, who went seven innings. Former Fish, Bryan De La Cruz, had half of those four hits, including a double, to raise his batting average to .727 in 11 at-bats since being called up six days ago.

If there was someone who would end Sandy Alcantara's no-no, it would be Bryan De La Cruz.

Stowers makes a nice stop, but De La Cruz just beats out Alcantara to the bag.#Marlinspic.twitter.com/gIGFrZtiR3

— Kevin Barral (@kevin_barral) July 28, 2026

The game’s lone run came two batters into the bottom of the first when Kyle Stowers sent a 1-1 curveball just beyond the reach of Justin Crawford above the right-center field wall.

Kyle Stowers starts the @Marlins off with a solo shot 🐟 pic.twitter.com/2kRtgLtw7A

— MLB (@MLB) July 28, 2026

Tim Mayza finished off the sixth inning after Nola set the table for a potential scoring threat with a two-out walk to Xavier Edwards and a single to Liam Hicks. Josa Alvarado and Orion Kerkering eached pitched a scoreless inning in the seventh and eighth.

The Phillies are 3-8 since hosting the All Star Game and sit six games back of the Atlanta Braves.

Jesus Luzardo will try to fend off the sweep as the Marlins will counter with a bullpen game.

The San Francisco Giants’ season has already gone horribly wrong. Harrison Bader somehow found a way to make it stranger.

Bader had been scheduled to visit a foot and ankle specialist Monday in Indianapolis about the plantar fasciitis that has kept him out since May 30. Before making the trip, however, the veteran outfielder further injured the same left foot in a late-night scooter accident in San Francisco.

The Giants said Bader still attended the appointment, but the new injuries changed the nature of his evaluation. He returned to San Francisco to see team orthopedist Dr. Ken Akizuki and was scheduled for an MRI to determine the extent of the damage.

“Obviously, he’s not better than he was prior to that,” manager Tony Vitello said. “It’s going to delay the recovery process for him, but even prior to it, you’re looking at a pretty frustrating long runway.”

The accident represents a fittingly bizarre addition to a season that has gone pear-shaped at nearly every turn.

Bader signed a two-year, $20.5 million contract in January but has been limited to 30 games by hamstring and foot problems. He is batting .170 with a .198 on-base percentage and .358 slugging percentage, falling well short of the two-way impact San Francisco expected in center field.

This is also not Bader’s first scooter-related mishap. He was suspended from team activities at the University of Florida following a late-night scooter crash in 2014.

Bader’s setback was only part of a brutal injury update.

Casey Schmitt suffered a torn meniscus while rounding first base Monday and could miss the remainder of what had become his breakout season. Pitcher Trevor McDonald will undergo Tommy John surgery and is likely to miss all of 2027.

Those losses arrive as the Giants sit 16 games below .500 and prepare to sell at the trade deadline. Robbie Ray, Tyler Mahle and Luis Arráez could all be moved, while the team faces the possibility of its first 90-loss season since 2017.

San Francisco has experienced disappointing performances, significant injuries and mounting trade uncertainty. Bader further damaging an already injured foot in a scooter crash feels like the perfect cherry on top.

The Mariners are in town as the Dodgers kick off a nine-game homestand.

Tonight's #Dodgers lineup vs. Mariners: pic.twitter.com/1Zn46YWbTU

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 28, 2026

Kicking off our series against the Dodgers tonight. #TridentsUp

📺 FREE on https://t.co/o2PoeYzBMc
📻 @SeattleSportspic.twitter.com/R0X8KFysU5

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) July 28, 2026

Tuesday’s game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Mariners
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles
• Start time: 7:10 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

WASHINGTON - Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s disappointing season has now hit a health hurdle.

Guerrero was removed from the Toronto Blue Jays' Tuesday, July 28 game after three innings due to right hamstring tightness. He was replaced by Kazuma Okamoto, who hit his 24th home run in his first at-bat.

Guerrero has not fared as well; he has just six home runs − none of them at home − and is batting .264 with a .700 OPS in the first year of his 14-year, $500 million contract.

Guerrero suffered the injury when he hit an infield single in the top of the third and then advanced to second on a throwing error by Washington third baseman Jorbit Vivas.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. left the game after this play. https://t.co/CNyZRV4czrpic.twitter.com/rjmb7dwj7Y

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) July 29, 2026

Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters that when Guerrero hit the bag, his hamstring felt a little sore, but the slugger wanted to stay in the game. Schneider opted to remove him for precautionary reasons, and he'll be reevaluated Wednesday morning, before the Blue Jays' afternoon game against the Nationals.

Guerrero is on pace to register full-season career lows in all three slash categories as well as home runs.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. injury update: Slugger exits game with hamstring tightness

The San Francisco Giants just can't seem to catch a break this season.

The club has faced many setbacks this season and can add another one with its Tuesday update on outfielder Harrison Bader.

Bader was involved in a scooter accident over the weekend that further injured his left foot, the Giants announced on July 28.

Bader has been out since May 29, battling left plantar fasciitis.

He met with a foot and ankle specialist in Indianapolis on Monday, July 27, the Giants said, but the team added the meeting "was complicated by the fact that he had a scooter accident on Saturday night/early Sunday morning and further injured his same foot."

"The impact of that injury changed the nature of his evaluation, which had originally been to determine the severity of the initial injury/condition (left plantar fasciitis)," the Giants said.

Bader returned to San Francisco on Monday, July 27 where he was further examined, the team said. He was expected to receive an MRI on July 28 to "better understand the severity of the injuries sustained from the scooter accident," per the Giants.

Not Harrison Bader's first scooter accident

This is not the first documented scooter accident for Bader, 32.

In 2014, when he played for the University of Florida, Bader was suspended for 19 games after an early Sunday morning scooter accident.

According to the Gainesville Police Department's incident report at the time, via The Gainesville Sun, Bader hit a curb while on his scooter then struck a parked Ford F150 pickup truck while going southbound on Southwest 10th Street. "Bader was found on the ground next to his scooter and was unresponsive," per The Gainesville Sun, part of the USA TODAY Network. He was transferred to Shands Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The report at the time stated there was a strong odor of alcohol, per The Gainesville Sun.

San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello did not have specific details on Bader's weekend crash.

Tony Vitello speaks on outfielder, Harrison Bader, who was involved in a scooter crash last weekend in Indianapolis while seeing a specialist for plantar fasciitis pic.twitter.com/cI1NiEsYc0

— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) July 29, 2026

Harrison Bader's career in MLB

Bader was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the third round of the 2015 MLB Draft. He made his professional debut in the major leagues in 2017. He has since played 12 MLB seasons, where he's batted .244 and hit 93 home runs with 336 RBIs. He won a Gold Glove Award with the Cardinals in 2021.

Bader went on to play for the New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies and Giants.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Giants' Harrison Bader injured foot further in scooter accident over weekend

Game 2 of the day/night double header was another disappointing loss behind some stellar starting pitching.

Gavin Williams pitched another incredible game with a quality start in seven innings of work. Williams allowed two runs on three hits and one walk. He struck out twelve batters, his fourth straight start with eleven or more strikeouts.

MLB pitchers with 11+ strikeouts in four consecutive starts, last 20 years:

Gavin Williams, current (CLE)
Shane Bieber, 2021 (CLE)
Gerrit Cole, 2019 (HOU)
Chris Sale, 2018 (BOS)
Trevor Bauer, 2018 (CLE)
Corey Kluber, 2017 (CLE)
Chris Sale, 2015 (CWS)

— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) July 29, 2026

The two runs allowed by Gavin came on a solo homer in the first and a wild pitch with a runner on third in the fifth. Gavin fell to 10-6 on the season with tonight’s loss. The Reds were held to three hits. Daniel Espino, who was called up as the 27th man, pitched the eighth inning and looked great. Espino only allowed one baserunner via a walk and struck out three batters.

The offense was shutout again and held to only three walks and four baserunners. In the final at bat of the game, with Gabriel Arias on second base, Petey Halpin hit a long fly ball that was caught at the wall. Dane Myers, the Reds center fielder, made an incredible catch, spoiling what would have been an extra base hit. Kwan, Rhys, Rocchio, and Petey reached on walks. Bazzana, Arias, and Hedgey all reached on hits, but the team was 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

Cleveland and Cincinnati are back at it tomorrow with another 7:10PM EDT start in Cincy. Joey Cantillo and RHP Brady Singer will face off.

The Orioles were humiliated in the middle game of their series up in Detroit. Dean Kremer was roughed up on the mound, and the O’s lineup did almost nothing to fight back, losing 14-0 at Comerica Park on Tuesday evening.

This was a miserable game to endure from an Orioles fan’s perspective. Even the rosiest of supporters would need to be donning their thickest pair of orange-tined glasses in order to see anything positive at all. The smarter decision would have been to turn the game off completely sometime in the second inning.

Each of the three actual pitchers used by the Orioles were bad. The Tigers scored runs in each of their eight chances to bat. Dean Kremer lasted four innings, and was charged with eight runs. His season ERA is up to 6.50. Albert Suárez coughed up two runs and recorded only four outs. Josh Walker was barely better, giving up two runs and getting just five outs. It got so bad that Chadwick Tromp was asked to fill in on the mound. He was equally ineffective (one inning, two runs) with his offerings that could have safely driven through a school zone.

Kremer is the one to worry about. This is now back-to-back disappointing starts for him. He allowed six runs to the Red Sox on July 22. He hasn’t even put forth a quality start since July 1, when he gave up one run over six innings to the White Sox. His season ERA has more than doubled (from 3.18 to 6.50) since then.

Nothing was working well for Kremer in this one. He was wild, throwing just 45 strikes in the 81-pitch outing. And he struggled to miss bats, inducing a meager 19% whiff rate. His season whiff rate prior to the game was 29.7%.

It should be said that Kremer is a notoriously slow starter in his career. Normally, April is a tough month (6.04 career ERA) for him. This season, a quad injury interrupted the beginning of his season and has made July into the first full month of play for him. Maybe he will improve later on, but the Orioles don’t have any wiggle room to wait. They need to win games, and Kremer isn’t helping them do that as a starter. The Orioles have two days off in the next six days. They can (and probably should) skip Kremer or put him in the bullpen for a few days.

Regardless of how good or bad Kremer was, it wouldn’t have mattered anyway because of the way in which the Orioles lineup was dominated by Tigers starter Troy Melton. There’s no real shame there. Melton is in the midst of a terrific season and has been cruising through most opposing lineups. But this was a particularly poor showing for the Orioles offense.

Across nine innings of baseball the Orioles were unable to create even one at-bat with a runner in scoring position. They collected just three total hits, all of which were singles, and they walked twice. Jackson Holliday had two of the hits as his batting average on the season reached .252 after this one. So, that’s something.

There could be an argument to start putting Holliday at the top of the lineup, at least occasionally. He has been taking the best at-bats on the team recently and is walking more than 15% of the time. The offense needs a consistent spark, and manager Craig Albernaz is clearly trying to figure out the top spot in the order. They don’t want to fix something that isn’t broken by taking Holliday out of his current comfort zone. But they also have always wanted him to be their lead-off hitter anyway. The time to try it again is coming.

There isn’t much else to say about this game. The Orioles were utterly dominated in every facet of the game. It happens sometimes, and it’s not usually helpful to overthink it. Chalk it up as a bad night at the office and hope you do better next time out.

Speaking of which, this series will conclude on Wednesday afternoon in Detroit. It should be a nice pitching matchup. Trevor Rogers (6-7, 4.17 ERA) is on the bump for the Birds. He will be matched up against fellow lefty Tarik Skubal (7-5, 2.70 ERA). First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m.