Carlos Lagrange of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders delivers a pitch during a Minor League Baseball game at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, United States, on May 22, 2026. (Photo by Dan Squicciarini/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images
The Athletic | Chris Kirschner: June was a rough month for the Yankees, and July isn’t off to a good start, either. On Thursday, news broke that flamethrowing prospect Carlos Lagrange was placed on the 7-day injured list in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with a reported shoulder issue. The level of concern is high enough for the organization to schedule an MRI, per Kirschner. The right-hander had moved to the bullpen in early June and allowed five earned runs in his last game on Sunday. Everybody in the organization is crossing their fingers, hoping the exciting prospect can avoid a serious injury.
Newsday | Erik Boland: The Yankees have a very specific set of needs before the deadline: a bullpen arm or two and a right-handed-hitting catcher. They are expected to be active before August 3rd, but as Boland suggests, the future of Aaron Judge and his pending return from the injured list loom large and could dictate their specific plans. It goes without saying that the team’s performance in the short-term will factor into the strategy, too.
“The uber-talented Chisholm, who very much could be a trade deadline chip, is among a slew of Yankees slumping at the plate,” Boland wrote. Is there a universe in which the Yankees entertain a soft sale before the deadline, or at least use Chisholm as part of a deal to improve elsewhere? It seems unlikely, but you never know.
SNY | Anthony McCarron: Would you believe us if we told you that the Yankees have the best ERA in the American League before Thursday’s games? Well, that’s true: their 3.19 mark only trails the Braves’ 2.72 in the entire league. It hasn’t always felt like it, though. McCarron gave his grade of the unit halfway through the season, and it was B-. “There’s high-level talent, and it’s hard to ignore the numbers. It just feels like the path to Bednar should be smoother,” he wrote. And he’s right.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 29: Max Muncy #13 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is congratulated by manager Dave Roberts #30 after Muncy hit a solo home run against the against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the top of the fourth inning at Sutter Health Park on June 29, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Every day, Pinstripe Alley offers updates on what the Yankees’ top American League opponents are up to through the Rivalry Roundup. The AL East is well-trodden ground there, but with the end of the month upon us, we’re going to take a peek around MLB as a whole and check in with each of the other five divisions. Who’s surprising? Who’s underwhelming? Who’s simply mediocre at the moment? Read on and find out.
In the spirit of competition, it was a disappointing month of June for the National League West. As has been customary for much of the last decade or so, the Dodgers are beginning to run away with the division, and the last month has been the same old story.
While the defending champs went an impressive 19-9 in June, no other team in the division went above .500. It was a sub-par month for many of our friends out west in the Senior Circuit, and while there is plenty of baseball left to be played, Los Angeles has a comfortable lead up in the top spot.
Top Position Player: Max Muncy (3.2 fWAR) Top Pitcher: Shohei Ohtani (2.8 fWAR)
As mentioned, the Dodgers really only solidified their dominance during the month of June. Not much has changed over the last 30 or so days in Los Angeles, as Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman continue to hit like the stars they are, and 35-year-old Max Muncy seems to have regained his status from a couple years ago, as the veteran has 17 homers and a 141 wRC+ as their most valuable position player.
On the pitching side, Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Justin Wrobleski are leading the charge in impressive fashion, all continuing to boast ERA marks below 3. Meanwhile, they plan to get the often-dominant Tyler Glasnow back sometime soon, as he began a throwing program at the end of the month. His return would only help what is already baseball’s best team.
Top Position Player: Fernando Tatis Jr. (1.7 fWAR) Top Pitcher: Mason Miller (2.2 fWAR)
Despite a largely disappointing June, the Padres are still well within the hunt in the Wild Card, though they are already 12.5 games back in the division. They are still clawing their way just above .500 as of the end of the month, thanks in part to Fernando Tatis Jr.’s awakening (142 wRC+ in June) and some excellent work out of the bullpen from Adrian Morejon and primarily the otherworldly Mason Miller.
Even with those positive developments, the Padres have fallen from the top NL Wild Card spot to begin the month, to 2.5 games out of the chase to end it. With a rough month in the books, FanGraphs now has their playoff odds down to around 15 percent, with plenty of other teams in the same tier as we head past the mid-point of the season. The Padres are certainly alive, but there is plenty of work to do.
Top Position Player: Corbin Carroll (3.5 fWAR) Top Pitcher: Michael Soroka (2.1 fWAR)
In a dead heat with the Padres, the Diamondbacks find themselves in a similar situation in the west. Fortunately for them, their stars are still playing as such, with Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte leading the charge as two of the better all-around players in the sport. Geraldo Perdomo has also turned his season around with a very good month, in which he got on base at a .414 clip, while Nolan Arenado’s renaissance has taken a turn for the worse.
The starting staff has been a real problem for the Snakes, as Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly have been downright bad in 2026, and June did not bring any improvement. Their postseason odds are a bit more favorable than that of the Padres, but there is certainly a long road ahead of them if they have October ambitions. They’ll have to get more from the top of the rotation, but they certainly are not out of the race if a few things fall in the right place.
Top Position Player: Luis Arraez (3.5 fWAR) Top Pitcher: Logan Webb (2.2 fWAR)
Along with most of their NL West compatriots, it was a forgettable June for the Giants as well. A 13-14 month was actually an improvement on their season up to the beginning of the month, but was not nearly enough to get them back in the action in the Senior Circuit. On the bright side, Logan Webb has regained his form as one of the game’s best, as he enjoyed five excellent starts in June, three of which saw him complete eight innings. Luis Arraez has also been genuinely great in 2026, while the bats of Jung Hoo Lee and Casey Schmitt have been major boosts to the lineup. Despite those positives, they are just about out of things in the NL.
Top Position Player: Hunter Goodman (1.6 fWAR) Top Pitcher: Antonio Senzatela (1.0 fWAR)
As has sadly become customary, not much has changed for the ol’ Rockies. Stalwarts at the bottom of an often competitive division, not much has changed in Colorado with the passing of June. On a fun note, Hunter Goodman swatted 13 homers in June to bring his total to 26 through 80 games, as he looks more and more like the real deal as an offensive catcher. One of these days, I hope the Rockies don’t have to be the last team talked about in one of these.
On “One Piece” night at Dodger Stadium, Roki Sasaki got shattered into a million.
Somehow, the Dodgers found a way to put the game back together nonetheless.
Six outs into a nightmarish start on Thursday, Sasaki put the Dodgers into a stunning six-run hole.
Three innings later, however, the Dodgers had dug their way out of it, en route to scoring 12 unanswered runs in an eventual 12-7 win.
Dalton Rushing hits a two-run homer in the second inning of the Dodgers’ 12-7 win over the rival Padres on July 2, 2026 in Los Angeles. William Navarro-Imagn Images
Such was the sudden whiplash experienced by a season-high crowd of 54,081 –– many of them in attendance for the team’s hat and trading card giveaway for the Japanese anime show “One Piece.”
For as cataclysmic as Sasaki’s 88-pitch, three-inning clunker was, the Dodgers’ hellacious comeback was just as breath-taking.
First, for the ugly opening chapter. Sasaki gave up a double on his first pitch of the game, threw a wild pitch with the next, then ultimately served up a two-run homer to Manny Machado on a fastball in the heart of the zone.
The disaster was just getting started.
In the second, Sasaki gave up another home run to leadoff hitter Jackson Merrill on an elevated slider. He watched Xander Bogaerts rip a double on another center-cut heater. Then, after a four-pitch walk to Fernando Tatis Jr., he hung a two-out, two-strike slider to Jake Cronenworth that also left the yard for a three-run blast.
“I’m sure there are many reasons,” Sasaki said in Japanese about his latest struggles. “I have to figure out what they were and address them heading into the next start.”
Sasaki would get through the third inning without any further damage. But by the time his outing was over, he had yielded seven hits (all of them either doubles or homers), issued two walks (continuing his recent command problems) and raised his season ERA to 5.40 (including a woeful 10.06 mark over his last four starts).
“We’re going to do a little dive,” manager Dave Roberts said, while raising one potential explanation. “I don’t know if he was tipping his pitches, but they were on everything. So we’re going to look at that.”
The only silver lining: Sasaki got a no-decision.
Just as soon as his implosion was done, the Padres’ pitching staff suffered one of their own.
Dalton Rushing took San Diego starter Randy Vázquez deep for a two-run homer in the second. Max Muncy, with a double, and Kyle Tucker, with a single, drove in a couple more in the third.
Roki Sasaki, who allowed six runs in three innings, looks to the ground in frustration after giving up a three-run homer to Jake Cronenworth during the second inning of the Dodgers’ win over the Padres. Wally Skalij for California Post
At that point, the Padres also turned to their typically stout bullpen (Vázquez left the game with an ankle injury, and later fainted and was taken to an emergency room but was in stable condition).
But unlike the Dodgers’ relief corps, which combined for six innings of one-run ball following Sasaki’s early exit, San Diego was unable to find answers there either.
The Dodgers went in front with four runs in the bottom of the fourth, tying the game on a two-run double from Andy Pages before going in front on another RBI double from Mookie Betts (who looked just fine in his return to the lineup following a one-day absence with wrist soreness).
They then stretched the lead with two more runs in the fifth, when back-to-back doubles from Rushing and Tommy Edman were followed by a stolen base from Edman and a run-scoring wild pitch.
In the end, the Dodgers finished with a season-high 17 hits, including four each from Rushing and Tucker, and two apiece from Betts, Muncy and Edman. Meanwhile, they gave up just three to the Padres (who didn’t score again until the ninth) after Sasaki’s outing finished.
Rare is it that a six-run deficit is so easily overcome.
Rarer yet does a start like Sasaki’s prove not to be fatal.
What it means
If you want to know how the Dodgers have pulled so far away from the Padres in the National League West standings –– they now lead the division by 13 games –– Thursday was a prime example.
Manny Machado celebrates with Fernando Tatis Jr. and teammates after belting a two-run homer in the first inning of the Dodgers’ win over the Padres. Wally Skalij for California Post
While the Dodgers (57-31) have been rolling for almost two months now, with 33 wins since May 13, the Padres (43-43) have been going in the exact opposite direction, with their league-worst offense no longer their only issue.
During what is now a six-game losing streak, Padres pitchers have allowed a whopping 66 runs, the most over such a stretch in franchise history. The rut started with the Dodgers’ 15-run outburst at Petco Park last Saturday. Somehow, Thursday’s defeat felt even more embarrassing.
Who’s hot
A week ago, Rushing was at the lowest point of his young MLB career, mired in a 0-for-12 slump as a hitter and openly feuding with Ohtani while behind the plate for his most recent start.
Since then, however, the second-year catcher has started to turn a corner, marking the latest step in his recent turnaround with a four-hit, four-RBI performance on Thursday.
After sparking the Dodgers’ comeback with his second-inning homer, Rushing also singled in the fourth, hit his leadoff double in the fifth, lifted a sacrifice fly in the sixth, then added an RBI single in the eighth. All five balls were hit at least 99 mph. In his last five games, he is now 8-for-18.
“It was kind of started by Doc,” Rushing said, giving credit to Roberts for suggesting a recent tweak to his batting stance. “Doc kind of saw something from his perspective, from the side. Mentioned it, tinkered with it a little bit. I don’t think it changed the swing too much. I think it just created a little more comfort, laid off some pitches, not swinging at things that bounce anymore. But yeah, kudos to Doc for picking it out.”
Tanner Scott celebrates with Dalton Rushing, who had a four-RBI night, after the Dodgers’ win over the rival Padres. AP
Rushing’s next test will come on Friday, when he will be back behind the plate for Ohtani’s next start on the mound.
Roberts said he expects Rushing –– who took ownership of last week’s miscommunication with the two-way star –– to be more on the same page with the pitcher this time around.
“I think Dalton understands that is what he signed up for. The job of a catcher is to be a servant to the pitcher,” Roberts said. “So I expect that all to be resolved.”
Who’s not
As for Sasaki…
A month ago, he seemed to have found something with his stuff, combining better command with routine 100 mph fastballs.
Now, however, the 24-year-old right-hander looks even more broken than before. His fastball velocity is declining once again, averaging under 98 mph for a second-straight start (something that hadn’t previously happened since May). His command is regressing, as well, dogged on Thursday by bad misses out of the zone and a flurry of mistakes right down the middle.
Roberts confirmed that Sasaki will make his next start, framing this current moment as “a good lesson for him to keep going and try to fight through this.”
But with injured rotation stars Blake Snell (who threw another bullpen session on Thursday afternoon) and Tyler Glasnow (who continues to ramp up his pitching progression) on the road to recovery, the clock is ticking for him to figure things out once again.
“I thought it was a conviction thing with Roki,” Rushing said. “I don’t think his stuff was too far off. You just, you got to attack the strike zone. With stuff like that, you throw 100, you have three pitches, two plus, and yeah, we need him to be in the zone a little more early.”
Up next
Ohtani (8-2, 1.58 ERA) will square off against San Diego ace Michael King (5-7, 3.55 ERA) on Friday, when the Dodgers will be looking to put more distance in the standings between themselves and the slumping Padres.
If you would’ve told me the Rays would convincingly sweep a team on the road two weeks ago after what I saw in person at Dodger Stadium, I’d hedge your bet.
The Rays, on their first west coast swing of the season, went 1-5 and lost three straight games in one-run fashion. and in the last game of the series in Chavez Ravine in the ninth inning, I watched Cedric Mullins strike out swinging with the bases loaded.
That was my boiling point with Mullins, as I grew frustrated with his swing results, or lack thereof, because I know what he is capable of.
Welp. time to eat crow.
In the 15 games since, he is slashing .321/.362/.547 with four homers, and, boy, did he show up to play tonight.
Mullins led the charge tonight, going 2-4 with a home run and a run scored to lead the Rays to their eighth straight win, and take a four game lead in the American League East over the Yankees.
Tonight was also his third straight game with a round tripper.
Ian Seymour had a stellar night as well, going six innings, with the Royals whiffing at 15 swinging strikes and striking out a career-high eight batters.
On a night where Yandy Diaz, Jonathan Aranda, and Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay’s big three, combined to go just 1/11, Chandler Simpson went 3/4 with a stolen base and two runs.
Taylor Walls, slashing .318/.423/.409 over his last seven games, stroked a double, and Hunter Feduccia went 3/4 with an RBI.
Just as the Rays get ready for the All-Star break, it feels like the local stingrays are in a great mood.
Andy Pages rounds first base after hitting a tying two-run double in the Dodgers' four-run fourth inning. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Roki Sasaki’s abysmal appearance faded away in the Dodgers’ 12-7 win over the San Diego Padres on Thursday night, but only after the National League West leaders rose from a catatonic first inning.
The Dodgers roared back from a 6-0 deficit as Andy Pages skirted a tying double down the left-field line, and Mookie Betts and Max Muncy each drove in runs to give them the lead for good in a four-run fourth inning. All of which sent the sold-out Dodger Stadium crowd into jubilant celebrations, some jumping, others breaking out World Cup chants.
“Thankfully, it played out the way I didn’t expect,” manager Dave Roberts said of the team’s ability to turn the game around, “or the way it started.”
By the time the game ended, Sasaki’s three-inning start seemed like a murky nightmare the Dodgers awoke from in a sweat. Except the Dodgers weren’t dreaming, and the team hadn’t done much to assuage the concerns with Sasaki.
The problem with Sasaki isn’t his stuff. On his best nights, when the velocity and command combine, Sasaki blows past batters with a triple-digit fastball and cutting off-speed pitches. The problem has been how to tick the radar without making the strike zone look like a Jackson Pollock painting — and recently, it has.
Sasaki’s June swoon, impervious to the calendar change, continued into Thursday’s series opener against the Padres, in which the right-hander gave up three home runs among seven hits before Roberts called it quits going into the fourth inning.
“They were on everything,” Roberts said. “You could see it.”
One possible concern? Tipping pitches. While Roberts and catcher Dalton Rushing said the team would need to do more research into Sasaki’s start, both left the door open to this answer.
“That would be a big explanation as to how they felt like they were on every pitch,” Rushing said.
As San Diego chugged through its lineup, Sasaki struggled to keep up. With his first pitch, he gave up a double to Fernando Tatis Jr., who scored on Manny Machado’s home run that left center fielder Pages staring at the ball’s path as it plopped down on the other side of the blue outfield fence.
The inning was only a preview of the Padres’ power. Each of the nine San Diego batters got his chance against Sasaki in the second, and the team quickly dug the Dodgers into a six-run hole. He surrendered two home runs in the second inning. Jackson Merrill blasted a ball to left-center field leading off, and, two outs later, Jake Cronenworth drove in two runs with a shot to right-center.
Sasaki said through interpreter Kensuke Okubo that he needed to work on his command, but he felt like his fastball was good.
Roki Sasaki has his head down after giving up a solo homer to Jackson Merrill in the second inning. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“I don’t think my stuff was bad today,” Sasaki said. “Overall, it wasn’t great but a lot of things evolved.”
Part of Sasaki’s issue lies with his approach. Roberts said he wants the second-year pitcher to be aggressive, to play the cat-and-mouse game required to beat batters in the box. But when given the opportunity, Sasaki has shrunken in recent outings, struggling with his command and his ability to pitch deep into games.
“We had a great May, so let’s just get back to competing and making pitches,” Roberts said.
When reliever Will Klein walked out to the mound in the fourth to the aggressive, rambunctious clamor of the Dropkick Murphys’ “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” and collected two scoreless, one-hit innings, the relief was immediate: The Dodgers took the lead.
The lineup already was revving, as Rushing homered in the second inning while Sasaki was still in the game, and both Kyle Tucker and Muncy drove in runs off starter Randy Vasquez in the third, cutting the deficit to two. The Dodgers broke through against the Padres’ bullpen to score six runs in the fourth and fifth innings.
“The bullpen was fantastic tonight, and then the offense came up big,” Roberts said.
A late catch by Pages helped close out the game after he gloved a ball despite ramming into the padding of the center field wall. A combined effort by Paul Gervase and Tanner Scott shut down San Diego’s ninth-inning momentum after it pushed across a run.
“Turned back around, was able to find the ball and make a really good catch right there,” Tucker said of Pages. “That was a huge out.”
The Dodgers (57-31) beat their division rivals for the fifth time in seven games to open a 13-game lead over both San Diego and Arizona. The Padres, meanwhile, have lost six straight and given up 66 runs over the last six days, the most in such a span in franchise history.
But San Diego’s flaws don’t negate the Dodgers’ as they burned through six relievers in their win. So, while the Dodgers crawled out of the hole with a season-high 17 hits, the steep cost heightens the pressure on the rest of the rotation the rest of the series.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JULY 02: Manager Dan Wilson of the Seattle Mariners (R) checks on Julio Rodriguez #44 during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at T-Mobile Park on July 02, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jack Compton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Angels made three bad throws that injured two-and-a-half Mariners batters.
That’s unfortunately the top headline in a 1-0 Mariners win to sweep of the Angels on Thursday. If you want the details on those injuries first, Kate Preusser has the latest. For a while it looked like we might instead have a headline about a perfect game, then a no hitter, then a complete game shutout from Bryce Miller. But his day ended after seven innings, with two hits, eight strikeouts, no walks, one error behind him, and zero runs allowed. The injuries sapped some of the joy from his night, as did a competing no-hit bid from Walbert Ureña. The Mariners were fortunate his horrible command eventually gifted them a run. They looked unlikely to create one for themselves.
“To say runs were at a premium tonight would be an understatement,” Dan Wilson said after the game.
The Mariners had finally reassembled their ‘A’ lineup on Thursday, with the nine best batters they have to offer. Perhaps the injury burn of the last month was finally fizzling out. Unfortunately, Mariners trainer Kyle Torgerson got the bulk of the screen time in the bottom of the first inning.
Julio Rodríguez worked a one-out walk. Dominic Canzone ripped a hard grounder to first. Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel scooped, spun, and fired the ball right into the back of Julio’s head while trying to get the out of at second. It ricocheted into right-center field, and Julio broke for third, reaching with a roar, a fist pump, and a good bit of celebrating. The smile slowly faded as the adrenaline wore off; he stood, helmet in hand, scratching the back of his head. Torgerson and Wilson went out and spoke with him for a while. He’d finish the half inning and take the field in the top of the second. But he went to the locker room when the Mariners returned to the dugout, giving his spot to Victor Robles.
A few pitches later, Randy Arozarena took a heater from Ureña square in the left elbow, loading the bases. It hit him hard. The elbow pad might have saved him, as he stayed in the game, but required a long, grimaced chat with Torgerson and Wilson. Adding to the pain, Josh Naylor followed with a grounder right to the bag at second base to begin an easy double play. The Mariners did not score in the first inning.
Nor did they score in the second when they struck out in order. And after two quick outs in the third, more pain: Ureña hit Robles (replacing the injured Julio) in the inner forearm. This one also hit him hard. Robles went to first and fell to both knees while backup trainer Taylor Bennet massaged his hand and Wilson watched; Torgerson was with Julio in concussion protocol. No, the Mariners did not score in this inning, either.
In the top of the fourth with two outs, J.P. Crawford broke up Miller’s perfect game. Miller had been exceptional to that point, getting through what should have been four perfect innings in 41 pitches. Crawford instead got a routine grounder and sailed the ball well over Naylor’s head. Miller got Jorge Soler to strikeout to end the inning, keeping a no hitter and shutout on the table.
It really did feel like Miller might make some type of history Thursday. He struck out five consecutive batters, from the last batter of the first, to the first batter of the third. His command was phenomenal, riding the top rail with his fastball and getting chase below the zone with his split — he got seven whiffs on each. He finished the day with eight strikeouts and no walks, lowering his FIP to 2.77 and improving his K-BB to second best in the majors at 30.5%.
“I feel like I’m finally pitching like how I felt like I should have been pitching coming off the ’24 season. It just feel like this is what I’m supposed to do. This is how I’m supposed to pitch. So it’s been a lot of fun seeing success, having consistent success, but helping the team win – a lot of times last year, I go out and throw and before I come out of the game it’s five-zero and I’m like, this is not fun at all, I’m not helping anybody here. So being able to get back to who I am, pitching how I have been, is a lot of fun, and I’m super grateful to finally be healthy, see the success, and continue to stack outings and weeks together.”
The no-hitter was still intact entering the fifth. Naylor saved a hit on the leadoff batter, leaping way up on a liner from Wade Meckler, bopping the ball into the air with his mitt, and catching it on the second try. Miller would get two quick fly outs to finish five innings at 55 pitches.
That sent Ureña back to the mound for the bottom half to work on his own no hitter. He got through the fifth quickly, having breezed since the shaky (but hitless) first. The other thing I wrote in the pregame was that Ureña can be a bit of a tough day for a lineup — he has a heavy sinker, a filthy changeup, and poor aim. The Mariners proved not up to task. They chased a bunch and either whiffed or beat the ball into the ground (when they weren’t getting plunked). It’s a lineup heavily reliant on the long ball, and Ureña kept them on the ground for five innings and 74 pitches.
On pitch 75, Crawford smacked a double into the right-center gap to lead off the bottom of the sixth. It was the game’s first hit. Weston Wilson, now in the game for the injured Robles, who was in for the injured Julio, struck out. But Canzone walked behind him. And Arozarena walked behind him (on a pitch that nearly hit his head) to load the bases with one out. Up stepped Naylor; he’d grounded into a double play with the bases loaded in the first inning, but did less damage this time, striking out on three pitches.
That put the game in the hands of Cal Raleigh, who fell behind 0-2. Still, he battled and battled and worked the count full. He watched pitch number nine, a fastball way up and away, for ball four. Crawford trotted home for the game’s first run. Ureña’s day was done after 5 2/3 innings, with one hit and one run allowed. Luke Raley faced a lefty out of the bullpen and struck out to the leave the bases loaded.
Miller’s no hitter didn’t last much longer. Leading off the top of the seventh, Schanuel hit a little flare that fell in soft space between second, center and right. It was a 67 mph blooper that broke up the no-hit bid. Denzer Guzman followed with another soft liner, just out of the reach of a diving Weston Wilson.
“I would have preferred about a 120-foot line drive,” Miller said. “Felt like they didn’t really earn those two hits, but they fall sometimes.”
The pressure of relative history was gone, replaced by the pressure of holding a 1-0 lead. Miller stepped up. Strikeout. Flyout. Groundout. His day was done after seven at 90 pitches, one hit, and a 1-0 lead.
The Mariners went down in order in the bottom seventh. Then the Angels went down in order against Eduard Bazardo in the top of the eighth. The Mariners went down in order in the bottom half.
That brought Andrés Muñoz to the mound to close out the game. He walked Zach Neto on four pitches to lead off. He fell behind 2-0 on Schanuel before landing his first strike. On the next pitch, Neto broke for second. Muñoz picked toward first right at that moment; Naylor took the throw and fired to second to nab Neto for the first out. Wilson after the game noted Manny Acta had figured out Neto’s tendencies and called for the pick.
It wasn’t quite over, though. Schanuel smacked a single to replace Neto at first. And after a fly out, Soler picked up another single to put two on with two outs. Muñoz took a quick breather, then toed the rubber. He went right after Meckler with a first-pitch fastball down and away. Meckler dribbled it to short. Colt Emerson charged, scooped, and fired — not into anybody’s head — a perfect strike to first. The Mariners won 1-0 and swept the Angels.
Jul 2, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryce Miller (50) pitches to the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Chris MacFarland has officially been the Nashville Predators' general manager for one month, and needless to say, he has been rapidly changing the look of this roster.
From his first day on the job, he made one thing clear: he wanted to reshape the roster to address areas of need. He has done that, but there is still more work to be done. However, before we look at what else could be done, let's look at what moves he has already made in his short time as GM.
MacFarland's First Month on the Job:
June 5th: Hired Rob Blake as executive vice president of hockey operations.
June 16th: Traded Magnus Chrona & 2 picks to the Colorado Avalanche for Ross Colton & Isak Posch.
June 24th: Traded Fyodor Svechkov & Zach L'Heureux to the Avalanche in exchange for Jack Drury, Chase Bradley and a 3rd round pick in 2029.
June 26th: Traded 2 second-round picks to the Carolina Hurricanes for a 1st-round pick.
June 27th: Traded Massimo Rizzo & a 5th round pick to the New York Rangers for Adam Edstrom.
June 29th: Traded a 3rd round pick in 2029 to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Nils Höglander.
July 1st: Traded a 2nd round pick in 2027 and a 3rd round pick in 2028 to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Mavrik Bourque & Ilya Lyubushkin
July 1st: Signed Alex Kerfoot to a two-year, $7 million contract.
July 1st: Re-signed Drury to a five-year, $22 million contract.
Needless to say, MacFarland has been one of the most active GMs in the last month, if not the most active. There are going to be more moves given that they have an abundance of forwards. Now the question remains, who will he move next?
Jul 2, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Detroit Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle (7) attempts to make a diving catch of a foul ball during the seventh inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
The Tigers, with largely their pitching staff to thank, ended their winning streak with a 10-4 loss to the Texas Rangers.
After an unexpectedly great series against the Yankees, it seemed like they might have an opportunity to test the theory that they perform best against teams over .500. They headed to Arlington to take on the Texas Rangers. To hopefully lead them to another (much-needed) victory, they had Framber Valdez on the mound. The Rangers, meanwhile, were leaning on Nathan Eovaldi.
The Tigers went 1-2-3 in the top of the first. In the home half, Josh Jung got a one-out single, followed by a single to Ezequiel Duran. Two outs followed, though, to get the Tigers out of the jam.
It was another three-up, three-down outing for the Tigers, so I guess those early-inning home run sprees are looking a little less likely for this game. With one out in the bottom of the inning, Elias Diaz hit a solo home run to put the Rangers on the board first. Alejandro Osuno singled, then Nicky Lopez singled as well. Justin Foscue worked a walk to load the bases. Valdez wasn’t looking great, missing the zone on many of his pitches and just not showing the sharp stuff we see on his better outings. He emphasized this by walking in a run when he gave up a free base to Jung. Duran then hit a sac fly to score Lopez. Valdez finally got the last out of the inning, but the Rangers had a 3-0 lead after two.
The Tigers didn’t do much to help themselves in the third, totally unable to get anything off of Eovaldi and going down in order again. Cam Cauley got a one-out single in the bottom of the inning but was quickly eliminated by a force out off the bat of Diaz. The final out came with no runs scored, which was badly needed by Valdez and the Tigers.
Kevin McGonigle became the first Tigers baserunner of the game with a leadoff walk in the top of the fourth. Three outs in a row followed. Lopes singled to start the home half of the inning. With one out, Jung doubled, bringing another run in. Duran then singled, bringing the Rangers up to 5-0. The Tigers got the next two outs, but they had quite the hill to climb if they were going to keep their streak alive.
They started to chip away with a leadoff home run from Colt Keith to get the fifth underway. With one out, McKinstry singled. Then, after the second out of the inning, Hao-Yu Lee hit the second home run of the inning to put the Tigers right back in the game.
McGongile and Dillon Dingler got back-to-back singles, but a final out ended the inning with no additional runs scored. In the bottom of the inning, Valdez had a badly needed 1-2-3 inning, with a lot of thanks to his teammates, including this insane nab by McKinstry.
Riley Greene got the sixth underway with a leadoff double. That was it for Eovaldi (did not think he would be the first starter to get pulled today, let’s be honest), and was replaced by old friend Tyler Alexander. With one out, Torkelson singled, then one out later, a pinch-hitting Ben Malgeri walked to load the bases. The bases were loaded, and the Rangers went back to their bullpen to get Peyton Gray, who came in to get the final out of the inning. In the bottom of the inning, Valdez was also done, being replaced by Beau Brieske. The final line of the game for Framber was 5.0 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 HR on 87 pitches. It was a pretty bad outing for him overall, but he did right the ship towards the end. With one out in the home half, a pinch-hitting Josh Smith homered. Two outs followed, but at the end of six, the Rangers were up 6-0.
McGonigle hit a little dribbler of a single right down the third base line. Doesn’t matter how you do it as long as you get on base. With one out, Kerry Carpenter walked. With two on, the Rangers went back to their bullpen for Robby Ahlstrom. Unfortunately, the Tigers weren’t able to convert their baserunners and left two stranded at the end of the inning. With two outs in the home half, the Tigers returned to the pen to get Drew Sommers to face a pinch-hitting leftie, Evan Carter. Naturally, Carter singled. Diaz then walked (he should have been out, but a check swing that should have been ruled a strike wasn’t). Osuna hit a perfectly placed single in between the infielders to score Carter. Sommers attempted to behead Lopez a couple of times with very high and inside pitches. The at-bat was a long one that Lopes eventually won with a comebacker that Sommers let bounce off his glove and scored another run. Then Lopez stole second. A Josh Smith single scored yet another run and Sommers was done. He had come in to get the final out of the inning and instead allowed three runs to score, which I don’t think is the ideal outcome you want to see from your bullpen. Kenley Jansen replaced him and gave up a walk to Jung, but finally induced the last out of the inning.
Cole Winn was the new Rangers reliever, and that is a spectacular name for a Texas baseball player. With one out, McKinstry doubled, then a Malgeri single brought McKinstry home. The Tigers had to settle for just the one run, but it proved they weren’t counting themselves out yet. Kyle Finnegan came on for the Tigers in the home half. Carter struck again in the eighth with a two-out solo homer. Diaz then doubled. Osuna singled with no one to cover first but Finnegan, and Torkelson wasn’t quite able to get the ball over to his pitcher in time for the out. The Tigers finally got out of the inning, but they had a lot of ground to cover if they were going to make a comeback in the ninth.
Gavin Collyer came in for the ninth and gave up a leadoff double to Dingler. He would be the only baserunner for the inning as the Tigers went down in order after that to end the inning and the game with an unfortunate loss. Thanks to the World Cup, they would get an off day on Friday to recoup before concluding the series over the holiday weekend.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JULY 2: Elias Díaz #35 of the Texas Rangers celebrates after hitting a solo home run against the Detroit Tigers during the second inning at Globe Life Field on July 2, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Texas Rangers scored ten runs while the Detroit Tigers scored four runs.
With one out in the bottom of the fourth in tonight’s game, the Rangers collected their first hit with RISP on the night despite several lengthy rallies in the early innings. Fret not, though, that RBI single by Ezequiel Duran scored Texas’ fifth run of the game. Previously they had scored via a Elias Diaz solo home run, a bases loaded walk, a sac fly, and a Josh Jung RBI double following a Nicky Lopez single.
The Rangers had eight hits before they had one with runners in scoring position. It was a humorous twist to the kinds of nights where Texas experienced frustrating missed opportunities that fed into disappointing losses.
Of course, the bizarre sequencing was only humorous because they found other ways to score against a floundering Framber Valdez. For a while, it didn’t seem like they’d need too many runs at all anyway.
Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi was cruising along with a ton of strikeouts and swings and misses as he hadn’t allowed a hit to Detroit through the first four innings while Texas built a comfortable lead. However, in the top of the fifth, the first hit by a Tiger came via a solo home run from Colt Keith on a 0-2 pitch way above the zone.
Eovaldi seemed to be rattled by Keith reaching up and yanking one out as, following the first out of the inning, four of the next five batters reached via a hit, including a two-run home run by No. 9 hitter Hao-Yu Lee. Suddenly a comfortable game was transformed into a close 5-3 contest and Detroit had the tying run on base with Eovaldi sputtering.
Eovaldi was able to get the final out of the inning to end the threat but after a double to lead off the top of the sixth, the veteran exited having tossed just five innings despite most of those being dominant. Eovaldi ended up striking out nine in those five innings but in a rare instance of running out of gas, the bullpen was tasked with getting through the remaining four innings.
The bats eventually made that job a little easier as Josh Smith pinch hit for Justin Foscue and hit his first home run of the season, a solo shot in the bottom of the sixth. An inning later, Texas suddenly got all those RISP hits that eluded them a few hours prior as six consecutive Rangers reached base with two outs and Alejandro Osuna, Lopez, and Smith each produced an RBI single to turn the game into a blowout.
In the bottom of the eighth, Evan Carter hit his seventh home run of the year, a solo shot that gave Texas double digits for their final run of the evening.
Meanwhile, a quintet of Tyler Alexander (.2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K), Peyton Gray (.2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K), Robby Ahlstrom (.2 IP, 1K), Cole Winn (1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 K), and Gavin Collyer (1 IP, 1 H, 1 K) teamed up to work through those final four innings as they kept the Tigers from threatening while the bats caught fire in the late innings.
With this game in the books, the Rangers completed their 15 games in 15 days stretch that began with a loss to Minnesota all the way back on June 18. Overall, the Rangers went 10-5 during that stretch and clawed their way atop the AL West even with a brutal schedule.
Player of the Game: There were plenty of candidates from the lineup tonight with 17 hits between them. However, Jung did good work in the No. 2 hole with a double, a run, two walks, and two RBIs. The Texas third baseman was robbed of what was likely a second double which would have put him on base in each of his plate appearances on the night.
Up Next: The Rangers have a rare Friday off with Australia playing Egypt in the Round of 32 at “Dallas Stadium” next door tomorrow. This series will resume on Saturday with RHP Kumar Rocker set to pitch for Texas against RHP Jack Flaherty for Detroit.
The July 4 first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 3:05 pm CDT and will be aired on the Rangers Sports Network.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JULY 02: Manager Dan Wilson of the Seattle Mariners (R) checks on Julio Rodriguez #44 during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at T-Mobile Park on July 02, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jack Compton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s been a tough season for the Mariners with position player injuries, and things got worse on Thursday night against the Angels, with Julio Rodríguez departing the game in the third inning and Victor Robles in the fifth.
In the bottom of the first inning, Rodríguez reached on a walk from Angels starter Walbert Ureña. Dominic Canzone then grounded into what looked like it would be a routine 3-4-3 double play, but Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel’s throw hit Julio in the back of the helmet instead. Rodríguez smartly kept running, sliding into third with a smile and celebration, but shortly after was seen doubled over in pain. He stayed in after a visit from the training staff, long enough for Ureña to hit Randy Arozarena with a pitch, but the inning ended shortly after when Josh Naylor grounded into an inning-ending double play on the second pitch of his at-bat.
Rodríguez played the defensive top half of the next inning but then disappeared from the dugout during the bottom of the second, and when the third inning rolled around Victor Robles came out in his place to play center field.
The team has yet to announce anything regarding Rodríguez’s status but it’s likely he wasn’t able to clear concussion protocol after being struck squarely by Schanuel’s throw. Luckily, Schanuel’s arm ranks in the 11th percentile for arm strength, so fingers crossed it looked – and sounded – worse than it was. This story will be updated as more is learned about the extent of Rodríguez’s injury.
Arozarena wasn’t the only Mariners player Angels starter Ureña hit with a pitch in his outing, this time doing more damage: he struck Victor Robles with a 98 mph sinker on the forearm, causing the outfielder to double over in obvious pain. Robles stayed in for the rest of the inning (which was only one out) and played the defensive half of the fourth inning, but was replaced in the batting order in the fifth inning by Weston Wilson, as Luke Raley moved into center field with Wilson – a utility player who has spent more time on the infield dirt – taking over in right. We will update this story as we learn more about Robles’s injury. Stay tuned to see if Buddy Kennedy gets to take some reps in center by the end of the night.
POSTGAME UPDATES, 9:50 PM:
Dan Wilson says that Julio Rodríguez is indeed in concussion protocol; he will be re-evaluated tomorrow. X-rays on Victor Robles’s forearm/wrist were negative; he’s also day-to-day. This post will be updated with the latest information available tomorrow.
Knoxville Smokies pitcher Nick Dean (33) pitches against the Chattanooga Lookouts during a Minor League Baseball game on June 17, 2026, in Knoxville, Tennessee. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Second baseman Hayden Cantrelle was promoted to Triple-A Iowa from Double-A Knoxville.
Shortstop Alex Madera was promoted to Knoxville from High-A South Bend.
Andrew Wentz started and was touched for three runs on three hits over 3.2 innings. The real issue is that Wentz walked five while striking out three.
Antoine Kelly relieved Corbin Martin with runners on the corners and no outs. He retired the first two batters he faced without allowing the run from third to score, but an infield single off shortstop Scott Kingery’s glove allowed a run to score. But Kelly went on to pitch two innings with no runs of his own and got the win. He gave up two hits. Kelly walked one and struck out one.
Eduarniel Núñez threw the final two innings and got the save. Núnez surrendered no runs on one hit and no walks. He struck out three.
Left fielder Jonathon Long is heating up. In the eighth inning, he tacked on an insurance run with a 419-foot home run, his eighth of the season. Long went 2 for 5 with the double and the home run. He scored twice.
Center fielder Brett Bateman had a double and a triple in a 2 for 5 night.
Second baseman Owen Miller was a perfect 3 for 3 with two walks. He drove in two runs and scored once.
First baseman BJ Murray went 3 for 5 and scored twice.
Three Smokies pitchers combined on a six-hit shutout. Starter Nick Dean allowed four hits and walked one over six innings. He struck out seven.
Erian Rodriguez threw the seventh and eighth innings. He gave up two hit and walked one while striking out three.
Evan Taylor pitched the top of the ninth and got the win. Taylor walked two batters after two were out, but gave up no hits and got out of it. Taylor struck out two.
The game was still scoreless heading to the bottom of the ninth. Right fielder Alex Ramírez came to the plate with one out and the bases loaded and singled home pinch runner Alex Madera with the winning run. Ramírez was 1 for 4.
Second baseman Drew Bowser singled to lead off the bottom of the ninth in his first game in Double-A. Bowser was 1 for 3.
Starter Nazier Mulé gave up four runs on five hits over just three innings. Mulé walked three, hit one batter and struck out four.
Jackson Brockett pitched the next 3.2 innings and took the loss after he was hit for four runs on three hits. One of the four runs was unearned. Brockett struck out four and walked three.
Third baseman Matt Halbach was 2 for 3 with a walk. He scored once and drove home two.
Left fielder Jose Escobar was 2 for 5 and scored one run.
Right fielder Josiah Hartshorn went 0 for 2 with three walks. He scored once.
Here are highlights from a four-run top of the third.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JULY 02: Carter Jensen #22 of the Kansas City Royals celebrates with teammates after hitting a home run in the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Kauffman Stadium on July 02, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There must be a glitch in the Matrix because for the second time this week, Carter Jensen hit a leadoff home run to get his team up early, only for the Royals to fall to the Rays. This time Tampa won 5-2.
Let’s take a look at that Carter jack, though, shall we?
That was off of Ian Seymour who nearly masterminded a combined no-hitter against the Royals last week. Not this time. Unfortunately, he allowed 2 other hits the entire game while striking out 8. Isaac Collins added a solo shot in the bottom of the seventh off of reliever Cam Booser. It was so unimportant to the outcome that the Royals didn’t even bother to post a video of it, so I have nothing to show you.
Stephen Kolek had a 9-pitch, 1-2-3 first inning. But with two outs in the second, things began to unravel. Chandler Simpson was standing at first when Taylor Walls hit a rocket to right field that clanked off of Kameron Misner’s glove for a double. The way the booth told the story, Misner had almost no shot at the ball and it was amazing that he managed to get a glove on it. However, Baseball Savant gave the ball an expected batting average of only .390. And I’d argue any MLB outfielder who gets his glove on a ball should bring it in, but Simpson scored and Misner escaped without an error.
Richie Palacios popped it up into left, but it dropped in no-man ’s-land to score another run. Then Hunter Feduccia gave Misner another chance, and Misner dropped that one, too! That one had only a .170 expected batting average, despite being a home run in 14/30 parks, and Feduccia was credited with a triple. Yandy Díaz walked, and then Jonathan Aranda hit a grounder to the right side that deflected off of Jac Caglianone’s glove. For a moment it looked like the Royals were going to give up a third hit off of a player’s glove. Fortunately for all involved, Michael Massey barehanded the deflection and managed to get it to Stephen Kolek, who was smartly still attempting to cover the bag, and blessedly ended the inning.
As the Royals were batting in the bottom of the second, Matt Quatraro was seen to go out and speak to the home plate umpire while Randy Dobnak warmed up in the bullpen. The broadcast booth theorized Kolek was hurt. There was never an official announcement, but for the second straight start, Kolek was unable to pitch into the third inning and looked awful doing it. It seems likely he’s injured. He was probably injured during his last start, too, but the team hoped it would magically vanish while he was on parental leave.
It’s possible Kolek wasn’t hurt, and that throwing 42 pitches in the second inning was simply more than the Royals were willing to let him throw before getting him out of the game. But I don’t think KC has earned the benefit of the doubt with how they’ve handled injuries this season.
Lane Thomas had a two-out double in the first, Jac Caglianone had a groundball single to the right side in the sixth, and Carter Jensen added an infield single in the eighth to round out all of the Royals’ hitting for the night. Only when Bobby Witt Jr. reached on an error and stole second in the third inning did the Royals ever have a runner standing on second, and he was erased on a Jac groundout. They never had one standing on third.
Speaking of Jac, I saw him berating himself after a groundout in the bottom of the eighth. Combine that with the recent slump and I’m worried about him all over again just a week after I thought I wouldn’t need to worry about him for a good long while and had been praising his good body language even when he didn’t necessarily get a hit.
The Royals have tomorrow off thanks to the World Cup. They’ll start a three-game set with the Phillies on Saturday, the fourth of July. With Kyle Schwarber, Brandon Marsh, and Bryce Harper leading the way, I expect there to be plenty of fireworks even before the game ends. See you then.
Chase Meidroth’s home run was massive, but couldn’t combat poor pitching and baserunning. | (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
In a close game, the White Sox battled late, but sloppy baserunning, poor pitching, and a walk-off home run from Brayan Rocchio gave the Guardians the win. The White Sox fell 6-5 in the first of four games in Cleveland, one neither team necessarily deserved to win.
A few singles and a lot of bad baserunning could best describe the first inning. Sam Antonacci started the game with a base hit but was caught stealing. For the Guardians, Travis Bazzana and Chase DeLauter had back-to-back singles in the bottom half, but DeLauter was caught trying to steal second. Davis Martin’s command was abysmal at best, issuing a walk as well, but he did record all three outs, including a double-play ball that came right back to him to end the frame.
The White Sox caught two breaks in the second. Andrew Benintendi singled and easily got to second on a wild pitch, and Colson Montgomery reached second on a fielding error by left fielder Cooper Ingle. With those miscues, though, came more baserunning gaffes when Benintendi was called out for running out of the baseline. Despite three runners making it on base, no runs would come in. Martin had a much-needed 1-2-3 bottom of the inning to hold off the Guardians.
The Guardians took the lead in the bottom of the third thanks to a double from Patrick Bailey, a wild pitch, and a double from Bazzana that plated Bailey. With two outs, Martin gave up a four-pitch walk to put runners in the corners and walked Kahill Watson to load the bases. Another four-pitch walk forced in a run to make it 2-0 before escaping the bases-loaded jam with a ground out.
With two on, the White Sox squandered a chance to score in the fourth. Martin continued to struggle, giving up back-to-back singles and a walk to load the bases with just one out. Will Venable pulled Martin, and Chris Murphy stepped in. Miguel Vargas snagged the second out in foul territory, and Braden Montgomery made a sliding catch for the third out to prevent any further damage.
The top of the fifth was all about doubles. Tristan Peters started the frame with a double, but Jacob Gonzalez missed the memo with a liner to center. Antonacci sent Peters home via a double to put a run on the board, and Vargas followed up with a double as well. Kyle Teel sent the two runners home with, you guessed it — a double! The fun ended after Colson Montgomery went down swinging, but the Good Guys ended the top half with a 3-2 lead. The Guardians sent two balls into foul territory that were caught, making the bottom half quick and painless.
The doubles didn’t stop in the fifth as Chicago added to its lead in the sixth. Braden Montgomery decided to join in this time with a two-bagger. Then Chase Meidroth padded the lead with his seventh home run of the season, making it 5-2, and that was the end for Guardian’s starter Slade Cecconi. Gonzalez landed a single off new pitcher Daniel Espino, but was left on base after back-to-back strikeouts.
Gabriel Arias singled to start the bottom of the sixth, and Sean Newcomb, who replaced Murphy, gave up back-to-back walks to load the bases. DeLauter grounded out, but the throw home wasn’t in time, giving Arias the safe call and closing the gap 5-3. Newcomb neutralized the threat by striking out pinch-hitter Rhys Hoskins.
David Fry made it a one-run game in the bottom of the seventh with a solo shot. Both teams came up empty-handed in the eighth, and the White Sox went down in order in the top of the ninth. Drama ensued in the bottom of the ninth as Grant Taylor issued a four-pitch walk, putting the tying run on base to start the frame. With just one out, Brayan Rocchio sent Guardians fans home happy with a walk-off two-run homer.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - JULY 02: Brayan Rocchio #4 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off two-run home run during the ninth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field on July 02, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Guardians defeated the White Sox 6-5. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
“Faith, Balls, and Patience.”
“Hit him with a sandwich.”
Two immortal phrases tweeted by the god of the right field foul pole, Brayan Hommy Rocchio.
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) July 3, 2026
The path to tonight’s 6-5 walk-off win over the White Sox was a winding one. The Guardians started the game by failing to score with runners on first and third and no outs through a pick off and a line drive double-play. It was dumber than it sounds there. Slade Cecconi delivered four shutout innings, however (despite another Cooper Ingle error in left field as he desparately tries to learn a brand new position at the major league level and hit enough to make the experiment worthwhile). This allowed the Guardians to take the lead in the bottom of the third on a Travis Bazzana RBI double scoring Patrick Bailey
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) July 2, 2026
and then a Brayan Rocchio bases-loaded walk. Great game for Bazzana who went 2-3 with 2 walks, and it was needed.
Unfortunately, Cecconi ran out of gas on an extremely hot night in the fifth. He surrended four doubles and each was hard hit, and three runs, before getting out of the inning down 3-2. Having thrown 93 pitches, Cecconi was clearly done as the temperature neared 5,000 degrees. Clear to everyone except manager Stephen Vogt who explained after the game “We had to get 100 pitches from Slade with where our bullpen was.” No. That’s the dumbest thing I have ever heard. If your pitcher is done, you figure things out. As the bullpen proceeded to do! Scoreless one and 2/3rds from Daniel Espino, one and 1/3rd from Sean Armstrong (with no help from Gabriel Arias but yes help from Steven Kwan and Rhys Hopkins) and one from Tim Herrin (good time for 2024 Herrin to show up, imho). But, not before Vogt had sent Cecconi out for the sixth and he had given up two more runs because, again, he was obviously done in the fifth. Stupid move by Vogt. Absolutely inexcusable.
However, the Guardians were not done. Arias did something for once and singled to open the sixth, Bailey popped out, Kwan walked, Bazzana walked and DeLauter grounded out to score Arias. All this against Sean Newcomb who dominated the lineup in Chicago last week. Hoskins then pinch-hit for Manzardo and predictably struck out to end the inning. But Manzardo must never face a lefty with where our bullpen was. Or something.
Bottom of the 7th seemed quiet against a second lefty reliever… but then David Fry pinch hit for Cooper Ingle (I approve) and hit a homer!
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) July 3, 2026
The bottom of the ninth featured Rhys Hoskins redeeming himself with a leadoff walk (sensibly pinch-run for by Daniel Schneemann) then a really good at-bat from Kahlil Watson who ended up seeing seven pitches and flying out to center. That was apparently enough pitches for Rocchio to perform his magic on Grant Taylor and send the home fans happy.
Yet, I still hope Vogt is doing some serious self-reflection. Rote doesn’t make right. Gotta adjust to what you see in front of you. Or let playoff Rocchio fix it for you, I guess! I’ll take it.
I yelled so loud in our kitchen doing dishes that my wife thought I cut my finger off with a knife.
