Category: Baseball

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: A year after rupturing his Achilles tendon while chasing down a Willie Randolph fly ball hit to center field, Mariano Rivera marked a successful return to Old-Timers’ Day. The all-time saves leader and Hall of Famer had to undergo surgery to repair the injury and admitted that he “still [has] to deal with it,” but that he was happy to be back at Yankee Stadium and moving better. Rivera threw batting practice to Hideki Matsui, recorded a couple outs in the game, and reflected on how he would use Old-Timers’ Day as a player to connect with former players to don the pinstripes, as well as relaying his frustration at the team’s 16-year championship drought.

It was a joyous Old-Timers’ Day by all accounts, with a pair of father-son pairs — Clay Bellinger and Cody Bellinger, David Weathers and Ryan Weathers — able to take part in the festivities. It also included first-time participants Dellin Betances, Todd Frazier, and Adam Ottavino, all three of whom have worked on recent YES Network broadcasts as booth and studio analysts. No one homered, but Hideki Matsui probably came the closest on this 375ish-foot drive to center:

On a day that celebrated Yankees of old, the newest Yankee continued to dazzle, George Lombard hitting his second home run in four games as the Bombers hung on for a 5-4 victory over the Braves.

ESPN: Former Yankees pitcher Tommy John was unable to attend Old Timers’ Day due to an ongoing battle with health issues. He’s had bladder cancer in the past and is reportedly in hospice care, though it’s unclear if it’s specifically related to the cancer or something else. The 83-year-old penned a poignant letter from Florida to say goodbye to the organization, friends, and fans. He thanked those who helped and supported him in his 26-year career including the pioneering surgeon Dr. Frank Jobe, who carried out the cutting edge procedure to repair John’s ulnar collateral ligament in 1974. John went on to pitch 14 more years in the majors, his namesake procedure saving the careers of thousands of pitchers around the country over the last 50-plus years — including both starters from yesterday, Gerrit Cole and Chris Sale.

New York Daily News | Peter Sblendorio: Aaron Boone provided an injury update on Giancarlo Stanton, who has been out since April 24th with a right calf strain. He has resumed jogging in the outfield and light running around the bases, though there is no timetable for an actual return beyond Boone offering that he “expect[s] him back here at some point.” Stanton suffered a setback in his recovery when he sustained a new strain in the same calf while running the bases in June.

Beyond Stanton on the health front, Carlos Rodón began a rehab assignment at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last night. Making his first appearance since going on the IL with elbow inflamation on June 30th, he went 2.2 innings and allowed three runs on three hits with two walks and four strikeouts, primarily focusing on getting his pitch count up to 48. At least one more rehab start awaits, with Aaron Boone floating the idea that his next one after that could be at the MLB level, piggybacking with Ryan Weathers or Will Warren as he builds stamina. Nothing is confirmed.

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Gerrit Cole became the fastest player in franchise history to reach 1,000 strikeouts, achieving the mark in 139 games and 837.2 innings. He finished with nine in seven innings of the Yankees’ 5-3 win over the Braves on Saturday to give him 1,002 in pinstripes. The 1,000th K of his career came to end the top of the fifth inning, punching out Matt Olson looking on a 99-mph fastball.

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Cam Schlittler looks to build on his AL Cy Young case when the New York Yankees look to complete the sweep against the Atlanta Braves this afternoon.

I’m taking New York at -138 on the back of Schlittler, but don’t overlook Atlanta starter Grant Holmes.

I’ll break today’s pitcher’s duel in the Bronx in my Braves vs. Yankees predictions and MLB picks for Sunday, Aug. 9.

Who will win Braves vs Yankees today: Yankees (-142)

Cam Schlittler is a -115 favorite in the latest Cy Young odds, and that’s the main reason I’m taking the New York Yankees to top the Atlanta Braves this afternoon.

Despite a misstep in his last start, Schlittler owns a 2.78 ERA over his last six outings and ranks in the 98th percentile in pitching run value, as well as the 89th percentile in xERA (2.95) this year.

Schlittler will also be backed up by a bullpen that boasts the second-lowest ERA in baseball (3.15).

Take the Yankees up to -145.

COVERS INTEL: Nearly half of Schlittler’s 171 strikeouts have come off his four-seamer, and the Braves own the fifth-highest swing% and 10th-highest swinging-strike% against that pitch vs. righties.

Braves vs Yankees Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (-116)

We know Schlittler will be hard to hit, but don’t underestimate Braves starter Grant Holmes, either. The right-hander carries a minuscule 2.52 ERA over his last eight appearances and is fresh off a scoreless six-inning start vs. Miami.

The Yankees are down three big bats in Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Giancarlo Stanton, so runs will be hard to come by for both clubs.

Playable to -130.

Braves vs Yankees weather

Yankee Stadium will see clear skies, warm temperatures, and light winds blowing out to center field, though it won't help much against two solid starters.

Braves vs Yankees odds

• Moneyline: Atlanta +127 | New York -142
• Run line: Atlanta +1.5 (-163) | New York -1.5 (+150)
• Over/Under: Over 8.4 (+104) | Under 8.5 (-116)

Braves vs Yankees trend

Atlanta has hit the team total Under in 19 of its last 25 road games (+12.75 Units / 42% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Braves vs. Yankees.

How to watch Braves vs Yankees and game info

Braves vs Yankees latest injuries

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Pfaadt versus Yamamoto was the matchup today. On paper, maybe, Yamaoto was the favorite. Myself, I didn’t think so, and even though we didn’t wind up winning the game, I think I was right. Unfortunately, however, that doesn’t wind up meaning much of anything at the end of the day, at least if what one mainly cares about is the result in the W-L column. Which, in the heat of a wild-card race that we are very much right in the middle of, both in terms of time of year but also in terms of contention, is kinda the main thing.

Big props, though, the biggest props in fact, to Brandon Pfaadt. I suspect that a lot of people, myself included frankly, kinda thought that maybe he was irretrievably broken and sorta washed up as a starting pitcher after the succession of performances earlier this year that got him first demoted to the bullpen and then kicked out of the bullpen and put on a bus to Reno. Since he’s been back, though, he’s been one of the best starting pitchers in baseball, and he showed it again tonight.

This was a pitcher’s duel from the get-go, so I’m not gonna describe a whole lot of the inning-by-inning action, because, as is the way with pitchers’ duels, there really wasn’t any for the most part.

Brandon Pfaaft gave up a one-out Andy Pages walk in the top of the first, but that was immediately erased when Freddy Freeman grounded into a 5-6-3 double play. Pfaadt then pitched two perfectly clean innings against the bottom two thirds of the LA lineup. In the top of the fourth, he once again allowed Pages to reach, this time on an infield single, with one out. Once again, Freddy Freeman was considerate enough to serve up another double play, this one a liner to Nolan Arenado at third that doubled Pages off first because the lineout came with a full count, so Pages had taken off for second as soon as the pitch was thrown. Pfaadt then proceeded to retire the bottom two thirds of the LA lineup in order again, which meant that he had faced the minimum through six innings, despite having given up a walk and that infield single.

Pfaadt had been incredibly efficient, as well. He’d only needed 74 pitches to get through his first six innings of work, and when he came out for the top of the seventh, he only needed ten more pitches to record the first two outs, despite giving up another infield single to Pages. Inconvienently, though, Freeman didn’t oblige with a third inning-ending double play, and Max Muncy came to the plate and drew a seven-pitch walk to push Brandon over the 90-pitch mark. Part of me actually thinks that was maybe a key at bat in the ballgame, because as someone noted in the Gameday Thread, Pfaadt might have been able to come out to at least start the top of the eighth otherwise. Thing was, his first pitch to Muncy was called a ball, though it was clearly a strike, but catcher James McCann didn’t challenge it. Muncy then swung through the next two pitches; if that first pitch had been challenged and overturned, Pfaadt would have ended the inning right there with a three-pitch swinging strikeout. Instead, he wound up having to throw six further pitches before putting up his seventh and final zero of the night.

Meanwhile, our offense was doing, well, mostly nothing. While Pfaadt only allowed four baserunners overall in his seven innings of work, his opposite number, Yoshimeru Yamamoto, was a lot less efficient. We put two runners on against him in the bottom of the first (two-out Gabriel Moreno single followed by a Ketel Marte walk), another runner in the bottom of the third (two-out Corbin Carroll walk), and another two runners in the fifth (leadoff single from Tim Tawa, one-out hit-by-pitch on Paul Ryan Waldschmidt). Moreno singled again to lead off the top of the sixth, and Marte walked again, and Lars Nootbar and Nolan Arenado both had relatively lengthy at bats before making outs without advancing the runners, but they forced Yamamoto out of the game after only 5 2/3 innings pitched and 107 pitches thrown. So we had plenty more chances than the Pfaadt had given the Doyers, but we simply couldn’t get them home. Evan Phillips got the final out in the sixth in relief of Yamamoto, and Alex Vesia put up another zero in the bottom of the seventh, despite surrendering back-to-back walks.

First blood was drawn in the top of the eighth, as Jonathan Loaisiga took the mound from Pfaadt to face Kyle SuFuYu Tucker, who launched the second pitch that Johhny threw over the fence in right-center. Two more singles ensued, but thankfully Johnny Lasagna managed to esape the top of the eighth with only the one run allowed. 1-0 Los Angeles

In the bottom of the eighth, the Diamondbacks had still more chances, as we loaded the bases with two outs against yet another FTD reliever, Kyle Hurt, thanks to a Nolan Arenado single that was folowed by back-to-back walks to Tawa and McCann. Sadly, Ryan Waldschmidt couldn’t repeat last night’s bottom-of-the-lineup magic, lining out to shallow center to leave all the runners stranded.

After Gerardo Carrillo pitched a scoreless top of the ninth for us, Geraldo Perdomo came to the plate to lead off the bottom of the frame. He started things off quite well against Edwin Diaz, the Doyers’ very expensive closer who give up last night’s Waldschmidt walkoff dinger, hitting a gapper into the alley in right center field and booking it out of the box for a triple. Corbin Carroll then went oppo, lining a triple of his own into left. That tied the score and put our fastest baserunner at third with nobody out. It looked like it would be the second walkoff walk in as many nights, but alas, that was not to be. Moreno lined out to third, Marte popped out to short in an ambarrasingly dismal plate appearance, and after Diaz intentionally walked Lars Nootbar (I do love that I will get to type that name in probably every recap until the end of the season) he struck out Ildemaro Vargas, who’d come on to pinch-run for Arenado in the eighth, to leave Corbin stranded. 1-1 TIE

Carrillo came out for the top of the tenth, recorded two quick outs on fly balls that didn’t allow ghost runner Kyle Tucker to advance, before walking the number nine batter with a ball-four wild pitch that allowed Tucker to take third, and then giving up an infield hit to Shohei Ohtani that pushed Tucker across the plate. 2-1 Los Angeles

In the bottom of the tenth, we couldn’t match it, with Tawa striking out, McCann singling Ildemaro Vargas to third, and Waldschmidt grounding unceremoniously into a game-ending double play.

Loss Probability Added, courtesy of FanGraphs

Perhaps to punish me for my snarky remark regarding the silliness of WPA in the comments on the recap of last night’s game, the WPA algorithm spewed out a wholly new variety of wackiness that I don’t think I’ve ever seen before, in seven or eight years of recapping Diamondbacks games here at the Snake Pit. Whereas, many nights there aren’t more than one or two players who reach the +/-10% threshold that is our rule of thumb for who gets mentioned in this part of the recap, tonight there was only one player—Nolan Arenado, at -6% WPA—who didn’t reach that threshold.

Makes sense, I guess, because it was a low-scoring game where every plate appearance and every pitch thrown could tip the balance decisively one way or the other. But still. My first thought was to say “screw it” and just let anyone who’s interested sort it out for themselves by clicking on the FanGraphs link above, but on less sober reflection I think I’m going to try to break the list down into broad categories based on why I think they rated as high or as low as they did in terms of WPA. So. Here goes:

The Best Starter: Brandon Pfaadt (7 IP, 2 H, 0 r, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, +45% WPA)
Dudes Who Got Extra-Base Hits: Geraldo Perdomo (4 AB, 1 H, 1 R, 1 3B, 1 BB, 1 K, +34% WPA), Corbin Carroll (4 AB, 1 H, 0 R, 1 RBI, 1 3B, 1 BB, 1 K, +21% WPA)
James McCann: James McCann (3 AB, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K, +25% WPA)
A Reliever Who Did His Job, at least until Extras: Gerardo Carrillo (1 2/3 IP, o H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, +21% WPA)
Guys Who Didn’t Do Anything, or Didn’t Do What They Did at the Right Time: Gabriel Moreno (-14% WPA), Ketel Marte (-20% WPA), Lars Nootbar (-17% WPA), Ildemaro Vargas (-14% WPA, despite coming on as a pinch-runner in the bottom of the eighth and only having one AB), Tim Tawa (-15%)
Relievers Who Happened to Be on the Mound when a Run Scored: Jonathan Loaisiga (-19%), Brandyn Garcia (-22%)
Hero to Zero: Ryan Waldschmidt (4 AB, 0 h, 1 K, -70% WPA!!!)

Okay. Upon reflection, I probably just spent way too much time on the above. I should have just recommended clicking on the link, So be it. Anyway. It was, much like last night, quite the robust Gameday Thread, with 392 comments at time of writing. By popular acclaim, and also because I already called out the first two ABs of the gentleman referenced, tonight’s Comment of the Game goes to our Fearless Leader:

That was indeed a bit of a bright spot, though I was sad that he couldn’t manage the GIDP.LIDP trifecta in his third plate appearance with Andy Pages on first. Ah, well. If wishes were horses, and so on.

So once again, we go into a Sunday game that is a rubber match, with the series victory on the line. In this case, the season series victory is on the line too, which makes it even more intense. Or something. Anyway. Eduardo Rodriguez, everyone’s favorite hologram, takes the mound for us, while Justin Wrobleski goes for the Doyers in a lefty-on-lefty duel for the season series title. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10pm AZ time. Hope you can stop by and join us!

Addendum: A Thought about the Diamondbacks and ABS Challenges

Per the above, and the challenge that McCann didn’t make with two outs in the seventh that would have ultimately gotten Pfaadt out of the inning at 89 or 90 pitches. Sure, it was the first pitch of the at bat, so there was no way of knowing that Pfaadt would get two swinging strikes right after that, but that was definitely a challenge that would have changed the trajectory of the game, if it had been made. I’m not saying it would have happened, but if Pfaadt hadn’t been at 94 pitches, he might have come out for the eighth, and retired Tucker instead of Tucker launching the leadoff longball off Johnny Lasagna.

And that wasn’t the only one in this game—there was the called strike three to Ryan Waldschimdt to start off the bottom of the third, which was pretty clearly a ball, as well as two or three others when our pitchers were on the mound or our batters were in the box that were pretty clearly wrong, and would have been overturned if we’d actually challenged the calls. There were several others last night as well, that I think 1AZFan1 touched upon in his recap.

Earlier in the season, when the “If you know, go” guideline was in effect, it seems like we were actually pretty successful at using ABS to our advantage. Admittedly, the last month or two it has seemed like that stopped being a useful heuristic, as we saw tons of truly abysmal challenges from players who should know better in game situations where the difference between a ball and a strike didn’t really matter. But it very much seems to me like we’ve swung way too far back in the other direction, so that even when a hitter or a catcher is pretty much convinced that the call was wrong, they don’t tap the helmet to initiate the review. And the team has suffered for it.

Not sure what is to be done about that, really—this is a new aspect of the game, and one that players and managers at the major league level are still learning how to handle and make use of. But something does need to be done, because we’re giving away balls and strikes and outs multiple times a day these days. And I for one would rather see our players challenge and be wrong than to be so reluctant to tap the helmet that bad calls wind up standing when they should be overturned.

I dunno. My two cents. Take it for what it’s worth.

As always, thanks for reading, and as always, go Diamondbacks!

I’m never sure what to think about 1995. I’m about the same age as Cal Raleigh, and neither of us had been born. I’ve picked up the key points over the years. Ken Griffey Jr. was cool. Edgar Martinez was wise. Randy Johnson was wild. Jay Buhner was bald. And Lou Piniella was pissed. These are the characters who saved baseball in Seattle. I can imagine the impact of that team through the voice of Dave Nieahus, through his reverence, his honesty. I can quantify their greatness in a spreadsheet. I can only smile politely when those clips are played.

But for all I’ve been told, for all my gentle nods, I’ve never been able to place Dan Wilson. He’s always been there, as a player, an ambassador, a broadcaster or a coach; in all the pictures and at all the parties; forever standing in the background, affably. I’m not sure what he represents or how loud to clap. There are no clues in his FanGraphs’ page or in his persona. There’s nothing to discern in his Funko Pop—vacancy its lone identifying trait. I only know that he was there, and that he is here, sitting on my shelf, forever staring past me.

What does he see?

He’s seen Olivo take his job, Sexson sulk, and Figgins in the outfield. He’s seen the #6 Org, with its stomach bugs, soggy arms, sprinkler heads, and warning tracks; posers, brain spiders and broken promises. He’s Believed in slogans and prospect lists and righteous indignation; Driveline and PEDs and left-on-left splits. He’s seen greatness come and quickly go, or stay too long, or return and spoil. Too many characters to list, too few to remember, most summed up in a word. I’ll let you pick.

These are my Mariners. The naughts. A symbol more than a celebration. Decorated with baseball, rather than embodying it. Forever looking towards a time that doesn’t exist. I display them in my life not quite with pride but a perverse sense of duty, or marketing, or irony, or yes maybe pride. Never, ever the protagonists.

Still, I watch. I write. I give myself, for a glimpse behind those plastic eyes. To see what they see. To know this team. To stay just a few more years.

Suddenly it’s there, in a blink, in a lifetime.

The Mariners honored 50 players before Saturday’s game to celebrate their 50th season. It was a fairly predictable ceremony, as the team seems to find something to celebrate in this fashion once a summer. It was nice.

The University of Washington marching band kicked things off with the Mariners nautical theme song, before diving into their pep band set list for what felt like a bit too long. A hype reel followed, with the standard fare of classic highlights and a voice over delivering the first platitudes of the evening.

They eventually got to the point and announced the 50 most notable Mariners alumni. Players were brought out by era, old guys first. The full list wasn’t too surprising or controversial. It was cool to see guys I wasn’t thinking about ahead of time, like JJ Putz, Kazuhiro Sasaki, and Raul Ibanez. And it was cool to see some personal favorites, like Mitch Haniger, James Paxton, and Hisashi Iwakuma. The cheers outweighed the boos for Alex Rodriguez and Dan Wilson. The only living players who didn’t show up were Robinson Canó, Kyle Seager, Freddy García, and Luis Castillo. There were seven players from the active roster (and eight if you count Castillo). The only snub I could think of was Eugenio Suárez, but I understand why he wasn’t included. After they called 40 or so names chronologically, they brought out the inner circle guys like Alvin Davis, Jay Buhner, and Félix Hernández. They finished by having the quartet of true Hall of Famers (Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez, Randy Johnson, and Ichiro) walk in from center field. Again, it was nice.

Next came a longer montage on the history of the team. This one was great, I thought, with much more than the standard highlights you’ve seen too often. They showcased lots of great Mariners-y things, like individual performances and minor accolades and commercials. Rick Rizzs did the voice over with another round of platitudes.

The video faded to the podium with a tuxedo’d Rizzs offering a few more platitudes before handing the mic to Alvin Davis. I was excited for this, as we generally don’t get to hear from Davis, despite his status as Mr. Mariner. His speech was OK. He talked about the Mariners identity: “Loyal, steady, kind — that’s a Mariner.” And he noted the org’s tendency to hold on for dear life to its history, pointing to Wilson and Edgar in the dugout. He eventually fell into the corny routine of trying to hype up the current squad and told them to go win a World Series. “Outsiders have doubted this franchise for 40 years (sic). Let that doubt fuel you. Prove them wrong. We believe in you. Prove us right.”

John Stanton was next to the stage, the boos covered with yet another highlight package, this time honoring Rizzs. But instead of more platitudes, Stanton got right to the point. He thanked Rizzs for 41 years with the team and announced he would be inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame. “For many Mariners fans, the voice of the summer is Rick Rizzs,” Stanton said. This was a very touching moment, with the players and crowd giving a tremendous ovation while Rizzs failed to fight back tears.

Rizzs took the podium again, clearly flustered by the news — again, very touching. He thanked a bunch of people and quipped he was honored to be the “shortest member of the Mariners Hall of Fame.” Rizzs then announced Lou Piniella, who was yet to be seen, would throw out the first pitch to Wilson. Piniella appeared and all the players got off the stage and huddled around him while he made the toss. This was the best part of the night, as all the alums stood in the middle of the field and commiserated. A-Rod gave Wilson a huge hug. Haniger and J.P. did some catching up. Mike Moore talked Logan Gilbert’s ear off. Buhner and Félix exchanged a chummy embrace. Dave Valle was mic’d up. For as much as these things can be a bit of an eye roll, given the frequency with which the organization insists on remembering itself, seeing all these people again was a good time. It was nice.

Then the game began. Turns out it was still the 2026 Mariners. They lost 3-2.

George Kirby got the start, shortly after being named one of the 50. He was just OK. He couldn’t find the zone at times and struggled to coax much chase or whiff at others, with the Rays fouling off tons of pitches. He nearly made it through four innings with a 1-0 lead, but with two outs, Victor Mesa Jr. got hold of an up-and-in fastball and crushed a game-tying homer to right. A pair of singles followed and things looked like they might get away for Kirby. But he got a pop up in foul territory that Cal Raleigh made a fantastic sliding catch on, despite a competing effort from Kirby.

Michael Rucker took the ball for the sixth. It wasn’t pretty. He loaded the bases on an error from Brendan Donovan, a single, and a walk. Richie Palacios battled and battled and picked up a two-out, two-strike single to plate a pair of runs and give the Rays a 3-1 lead. They wouldn’t score again, and they wouldn’t need to.

The Mariners offense wasn’t terrible, but it certainly wasn’t enough. Casey Legumina got the start for the Rays, the first leg in a bullpen day (starter Griffin Jax was scratched with an injury shortly before the game). Legumina got the ball to Cam Booser with one out in the second inning, the game still tied at zero. Naylor quickly changed that, taking Booser deep on the first pitch he threw.

Donovan immediately singled and Raleigh walked, and it looked like the Mariners might have a chance for a big inning with just one out. But they were turned away from there. Then they went in order in the third. Naylor picked up a double in the fourth, but nothing came of it. Then they went in order in the fifth and sixth. They wouldn’t get another base runner until Naylor went deep again in the seventh. It was a three extra base hit day for Naylor, the lone bright spot in this one.

Things got heated in the sixth. Julio Rodríguez struck out looking on a pitch out of the zone to end the inning. Julio immediately — and I mean immediately — tapped his head to challenge. The ump said he didn’t challenge in time, which wasn’t true. It seemed the ump wasn’t paying attention. Julio started to give him the business, before Dan Wilson came crashing in, kicking and screaming, about as livid as I’ve ever seen him. Wilson eventually got run, and Manny Acta jumped in to drag him away. But Acta midway through heard something from the umpire he didn’t like either and started yelling himself. Eventually the crew chief came over and escorted them back to the dugout.

The episode turned the game over to the boo birds, who’d booed the team broadly of late and decided to also boo every pitch called by the umpire. It didn’t help the Rays asked for (and were granted) a challenge in the next inning. This gave the evening a sour taste, which was probably deserved for celebration in the middle of one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history.

Still, in keeping with the theme of legacy, the Mariners offered just enough hope to keep you watching. Down 3-2, Cole Young led off the eighth with a single. But Randy Arozarena nearly hit into a double play, and Dominic Canzone did hit into a double play to end the threat. Julio led off the ninth with a single. But Naylor just missed another homer and Donovan hit into a double play to wrap things up. It was another near miss, for a franchise with so many. The Mariners fell to 56-62 and four games out of the AL West.

And so that was it. A nice ceremony for some nice people, followed by a Mariners loss. See you at 100.

PHOENIX — There were no signs of euphoria Saturday, just sheer relief.

There was music briefly in the visiting clubhouse, but then it was quickly turned off.

The Los Angeles Dodgers got dressed in a hurry, boarded the team buses, and vowed that it will get better in time.

But finally, for the first time this month, and the first time since they angered the baseball world by acquiring two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal at the trade deadline, the Dodgers finally won a game.

Their seven-game losing streak, one shy of their longest in nine years, is over.

It was hardly pretty − and even ugly at times − but, hey, a win is a win.

The Dodgers won, 2-1 in 10 innings over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

“Oh man, that was a tough one,’’ Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said in his office. “It wasn’t pretty.’’

In a move that surprised no one yet still wrung a fair amount of waterworks out of the assembled crowd – and the man himself – the Mariners announced that Rick Rizzs will be inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame next season. Rizzs will be just the twelfth member of the Mariners Hall of Fame, joining fellow broadcaster Dave Niehaus as the only two non-uniformed members of the Mariners HOF (and this is why it’s important that managers wear uniforms).

It was an especially apt announcement as the team celebrated 50 seasons, 41 of which Rizzs has called, albeit non-consecutively. Joining the organization in 1983, Rizzs spent nine years in Seattle as Dave Niehaus’s broadcast partner before going to Detroit for an opportunity to be the lead broadcaster for the Tigers. Rizzs returned to Seattle in 1995 and has been with the club ever since, taking over as the lead radio voice after the passing of Niehaus prior to the 2011 season. His 41 years of service make him the longest-tenured broadcaster in Mariners history; as John Stanton put it during his speech, for generations of fans, the voice of Rick Rizzs is the voice of the summer.

In addition to his work on the field, Rizzs has also been a pillar of the community, jumping in to support Mariners charities while founding his own, the Toys for Kids charity established in 1995. Initially started to give kids in need a special toy during the Christmas season, the charity has expanded to include college scholarships, support unhoused mothers, assist children experiencing challenges with food scarcity, and provide baseball equipment to needy kids who want to play the sport.

The team has yet to announce when the ceremony will occur – gotta have something fun to look forward to in the off-season – or if there will be a statue to echo the one of Niehaus in centerfield (but there’s gotta be a statue, right?), but it seems like a safe assumption it will probably be in August, which is when the team tends to do these kinds of things. If you’re really intent on making sure you don’t have conflicting plans, the Mariners are at home the weekends of August 13th and August 27th, so do with that information what you will.

Given the ceremony today – where Rizzs gave a heartfelt, tearful speech, managing to make a joke even as he was clearly overcome with emotion – you won’t want to miss it. The team might be failing in their job to send Rizzs off with an exciting playoff run in his final season, but the fans will have a chance to properly honor the longtime voice of the Mariners. It’s especially poignant given that that’s something Mariners fans never got a chance to do with Dave Niehaus, whose career was cut short by a heart attack before he had an opportunity to be given the full treatment by the club and the fanbase.

Rays started slow with some awkward last minute changes. Griffin Jax had to be scratched with elbow discomfort, while Taylor Walls was removed from the initial lineup still dealing with back soreness.

The loss of Jax (and hopefully not for too long) changed the strategy shifting towards a full on bullpen game. Combine that with it being a road game in Seattle, on a night the Mariners celebrated their 50th anniversary with an all star cast of former players returning to the park, the vibes were were extremely bleak for the road club.

However, while the Rays pen has not been a strength this year overall, they have worked towards improving and lately have been performing extremely well. Tonight was no exception, and without this amazing work, by the relievers chosen and by Kevin Cash’s gameplan and sequencing of arms, the Rays were able to overcome all the cards stacked against them.

7 guys were called upon and aside from two one inning lefties, they made like a NIMBY and didn’t let Seattle build anything.

Starting it off was Casey Legumina, returning back to the team he started the season with, and getting a bit of revenge for his former club. 1.1 IP and just a hit given up.

Both Booser and Cleavinger struggled and matched their lines: 2 hits 1 HR served up lefty on lefty to Josh Naylor, and a walk. Booser was able to wriggle out and finish the inning for his 2nd out, while Cleavinger needed Kevin Kelly’s help to escape.

Outside of those two, the rest of the pen was nails. Tyler Wells and Steven Matz were able to give some length, 2 innings apiece, with just 1 hit no walks and 3 Ks combined. Excellent job shortening the middle innings.

On the backend it was the dynamic duo of Kevin Kelly and Bryan Baker again. First Kelly was able to clean up Clev’s inning, finishing 1.1 IP and just a single hit yielded. Baker would slam the door shut to finish (more on that later).

On the other side of things, this was a bit of a stolen game from the offensive perspective. The Rays bats worked good counts and fought hard against a very good George Kirby tonight. And while they weren’t able to generate much (just xBA of 1.64), they did force a short night for Kirby and held serve with the Mariners keeping things close.

Victor Mesa Jr got the Rays on the board to tie it up at one apiece with a mammoth blast going 412 ft on 105.7 MPH exit velo.

Rays had some good opportunities but Mariners were able to escape several jams, including a spectacular catch from Cal Raleigh.

Eventually though, when you keep putting guys on base, eventually you are bound to break through. Richie Palacios had a fantastic night overall, being a total pest running up the count and spoiling pitches, was able to be the bat to finally break through with a 2 RBI double to give the Rays a 3-1 lead.

Palacios would finish the game 2-3 with that double and added a walk for good measure. Big game for Richie to pick up the top of the lineup who were held well in check.

Weird scene in the 6th, where on an 0-2 pitch Julio Rodriguez took a close pitch at the top corner of the zone. Could have gone either way, framed nicely by Hicks, and called strike 3. Julio, wisely, challenged. But home plate umpire Emil Jimenez refused the challenge, saying Julio waited too long. To my eyes and the eyes of several thousand at T-Mobile Park, disagreed and saw Julio challenge fairly quickly. Dan Wilson, perhaps in an homage to Sweat Lou Pinella in attendance for the Mariner’s 50th anniversary celebrations, got his money worth before getting tossed.

Jimenez was on a collision course for a double manager booking when the very next inning he wasn’t paying attention when Jonathan Aranda challenged a strike call (that ended up being out of the zone). Thankfully the 3rd base Ump was able to run in and was paying attention to force the hand. Just strange stuff overall, and ultimately didn’t change the outcome of the game, but certainly changed the vibes for the last several innings as Seattle fans continued relentless booing.

The one bat in the M’s lineup the Rays struggled to contain, at the plate and on the bases, was Josh Naylor. After going 43 games without a HR, Naylor foudn the long ball again. First on a fairly cheapy HR just over the RF wall. His 2nd bomb however was well and clearly tagged for the hardest hit ball of the night.

In the 9th, after a J-Rod leadoff single, Naylor stepped to the plate vs Bryan Baker. Baker looking for his 23rd consecutive save, which would break a Rays franchise record with a closer familiar to both these teams: Fernando Rodney.

Best bat tonight for Mariners vs the guy the Rays want on the mound with a lead. Naylor got a changeup up, gave it a ride, but died on the track in Cedric Mullins glove. Brendon Donovan up next got 3 straight fastballs, and then Baker pulled the string on him finally giving the change-up to induce the game ending double play.

Another save for Baker, and well earned place in Rays history books. This one giving the Rays a series win in the Pacific Northwest.

Rays 3, Mariners 2

Remembering the Mariners: Josh Naylor, +0.20 WPA
Remembering the Mariners: Michael Rucker, -0.27 WPA

Game Thread Comment of the Day

It sure looks like Ronald Acuna Jr. is back to his all-world self and that is huge news for the Braves. Outside of the obvious massive upgrade in talent on offense, that also balances out the lineup that has been very left-handed heavy in his absence and with Austin Riley floundering. As we enter the stretch run and the playoffs, Acuna bringing a huge bat back to the lineup and protecting some of his left-handed teammates from being vulnerable to endless left-handed bullpen options makes Atlanta that much more secure in the division, that much more likely to secure a first round bye, and that much more dangerous in October.

Braves News

The Braves lost a coin flip game in the Bronx, sealing the first series loss since before the All-Star break.

MLB News

The Cubs activated trade deadline prize from the Mets Clay Holmes off the 60-day IL.

Former Cy Young winner Blake Snell is expected to be activated off the IL this week for the Dodgers.

Aaron Nola left his start early with a leg contusion, but x-rays were negative.

Dodgers reliever Jack Dreyer let loose a shout, balling his hands into fists as he released the tension of the last several minutes — or, from a team perspective, over a week.

The Dodgers had just pulled off a 2-1 win against the Diamondbacks in the 10th inning, and, mercifully, snapped a seven-game losing streak. It was their longest such streak since July 2025. They haven’t had a losing streak longer than seven games since September 2017 (11).

“I think that was the most emotion I’ve ever showed,” said Dreyer, who picked up his first save of the season. “It was nice because I knew I wouldn’t go back out for the next inning. ... The game was over. So kind of let the emotions take over for a little bit.”

Before this latest streak, the Dodgers had done an admirable job of not piling up losses. They hadn’t lost more than four straight games until this week. But the Dodgers were swept in two straight series, against the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs heading into the weekend against Arizona (62-56).

Read more:‘Dodgers do all the right things.’ Tarik Skubal dismisses the 'ruining baseball' critics

The Dodgers’ National League West lead over the second-place Diamondbacks moved up to 8½ games.

Many of the Dodgers’ recent problems still flared. The offense is slumping, and the back end of the bullpen has been shaky. But at least the streak was finally over.

“Man, that was a tough one,” manager Dave Roberts said. “We’ll take it.”

The Dodgers’ offense has been all but silenced in two games against Arizona. A day after Merrill Kelly kept the Dodgers hitless through his first five innings, Arizona starter Brandon Pfaadt gave up only a pair of infield hits to Andy Pages through seven innings.

“I think each individual, there’s a different component,” Roberts said. “But I think collectively, we just gotta come together. We’re just better than this. As we always say, it’s not a try league. We gotta get it done. We gotta be better, and again, to score one or two runs to win, it’s just a hard quality of life. I understand hitting is hard. I did it, but we’ve got a lot of talent in the room.”

Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto was nearly as effective, holding the Diamondbacks to three hits. But he wasn’t as efficient and exited with two outs in the sixth inning, his pitch count up to 107.

The game remained scoreless until Kyle Tucker, whose bat has been hot this road trip, hit a solo home run to right field off Diamondbacks reliever Jonathan Loáisiga in the eighth.

Teoscar Hernández and Hunter Feduccia followed with singles, but both were left stranded when Shohei Ohtani and Pages struck out.

Dodgers reliever Kyle Hurt retired the first two batters in the eighth before giving up a single and back-to-back walks to load the bases. Tanner Scott replaced him and got out of the jam by inducing Waldschmidt to fly out.

In the ninth, Díaz, who gave up a walk-off home run Friday, blew it again, but he at least managed to keep the score tied.

Díaz gave up back-to-back triples to Geraldo Perdomo and Corbin Carroll to tie the score. He retired three of the next four batters, with an intentional walk in between, to send the game into extra innings.

“You saw once they scored the run, man on third base, nobody out, you saw the intensity pick up, the stuff picked up,” Roberts said. “The fastball got better. The slider got better. Even talking to him after the game, that’s how we have to be from the first pitch. That was the first game I saw this year where he had some real intensity.”

Tucker served as the Dodgers’ automatic runner on second base to start the 10th inning, and with two outs, he advanced to third base on a wild pitch, as Feduccia took first on a walk.

That put runners on the corners for Ohtani. He hit a sharp groundball to the right of Diamondbacks first baseman Tim Tawa, who made a diving stop. But the ball rolled away from him as he went to flip to first, giving Ohtani time to reach first and Tucker time to score the go-ahead run.

“I guess that was the game right there,” Tucker said. “So it was a great at-bat out of him and being able to get down the line was huge.”

Clinging to a narrow lead, the Dodgers turned to Dreyer. He struck out Tawa. And then he got James McCann to hit a soft grounder up the middle, but McCann beat second baseman Tommy Edman’s throw to first by a split second.

With runners on the corners, Waldschmidt hit a bouncing comebacker that Dreyer snagged and threw to second before Edman quickly threw to Freddie Freeman to end the game.

“It helps when you have some of the best defensive players in the game behind you,” Dreyer said. “I knew that all I needed to do was get the ball to Tommy and he would take care of the rest. I don’t know if I had too much velo on the throw to him, but once it got to him, he made the play.

“That was fun to watch.”

Ohtani plays catch

Fans consolidated in the right field stands as Ohtani warmed up by throwing a weighted plyo ball against the back wall of the visitor’s bullpen and then returned to the outfield to play catch.

It was the first time Ohtani, who threw on flat ground from about 90 feet, has been spotted playing catch before a game since July 22, when he threw a 31-pitch bullpen in Philadelphia. According to the team, he has been keeping his arm moving with plyo ball drills.

Ohtani declined to comment through a team representative.

“It’s sort of Shohei and the training staff driving it, more Shohei,” Roberts said of Ohtani’s throwing schedule. “So I don’t know if he’s going to come back out there [Sunday] and pick up a baseball, or if it’s going to be Monday, but I do think that him getting out there and playing catch is a step in the right direction.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Dodgers are finally back in the win column, as they came away with a 2-1, 10-inning win against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday.

It was another dormant showing from the Dodgers offense, as Brandon Pfaadt worked around a one-out walk from Andy Pages in the top of the first by getting a ground ball double play from Freddie Freeman. The Dodgers would go down quietly until the top of the fourth inning, when Pages singled to reach base for the second time. Freddie Freeman lined out to third with Pages on the move, and the center fielder was doubled up at first. Pfaadt would retire the next six hitters in order, facing the minimum over six shutout innings while tossing 74 pitches.

As for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, he worked around a pair of two-out baserunners in the bottom of the first inning by getting his former WBC teammate Lars Nootbaar to ground out. Yamamoto allowed just one walk over his next three innings, but Arizona would threaten with two men on with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning. Yamamoto froze Geraldo Perdomo for the second out before Corbin Carroll met a similar fate to get the Dodgers out of trouble.

Both Gabriel Moreno and Ketel Marte reached against Yamamoto for a second time to begin the bottom of the sixth inning, and after getting two crucial outs, the right-hander’s day was done after 107 pitches. Evan Phillips came in relief of Yamamoto, and kept Arizona off the board by getting Tim Tawa to line out to right field.

After allowing three runs over eight innings against the Boston Red Sox in his last start, Yamamoto was able to toss his first scoreless start since tossing seven shutout innings against the San Diego Padres on July 4. Although Yamamoto was not able to get his first quality start since May 31, his six strikeouts were the most he’s had in a start since punching out seven during his complete game against the Yankees on July 19.

Pages reached on his second infield single against Pfaadt in the top of the seventh, and put the Dodgers in scoring position for the first time with a stolen base. Even though they managed to put two men on, Pfaadt got Mookie Betts to ground out to short complete seven shutout innings on the mound.

Alex Vesia came in to keep the game scoreless, but lost his command by walking two over his first three hitters. After getting Carroll to foul out, Vesia won a 10-pitch battle against Moreno by striking him out to strand the two runners and keep the game scoreless.

Two pitches were all Kyle Tucker needed to break the scoreless ice, as he launched a solo home run against Jonathan Loásiga to put the Dodgers on top by a run. It’s the second home run Tucker has over his five-game hitting streak, where he’s managed to hit .389 over that time.

Teoscar Hernández and Hunter Feduccia added a pair of one-out singles, but Loásiga struck out both Shohei Ohtani and Pages to limit the damage at one run.

After Kyle Hurt got two quick outs on three pitches, he promptly allowed a single to Nolan Arenado before walking Tawa and James McCann to load the bases. Tanner Scott was called on to fan the flames, and he got the rookie Ryan Waldschmidt to fly out to center and keep Arizona off the scoreboard.

The Dodgers failed to get any insurance in the top of the ninth inning, and Edwin Díaz was called on to try to get the save. Perdomo laced a leadoff triple to put the tying run 90 feet away from scoring, and Carroll followed suit with a triple of his own to give Díaz his second blown save in as many games. Díaz got Moreno to line out to third for the first out before getting Marte to pop out to Mookie Betts. The Dodgers walked Nootbaar intentionally to put runners on the corners, and Díaz sent the game to extra innings by striking out Ildemaro Vargas.

After the first two hitters failed to get anything going in the top of the 10th, Hunter Feduccia drew a two-out walk, but the pitch sailed past McCann and allowed Tucker to take third. Shohei Ohtani hit a ground ball to first, but the ball trickled out of Tawa’s glove, allowing both Ohtani to reach safely and Tucker to score as the Dodgers regained the lead.

Jack Dreyer took over for the Dodgers in the bottom of the 10th inning, and after he struck out Tawa for the first out, McCann reached on an infield single to put runners on the corners. After playing hero last night, Ryan Waldschmidt grounded right back to Dreyer, who turned a 1-6-3 double play to put the losing streak to bed.

With the Dodgers coming away with the win, they regain an 8 1/2 game lead over Arizona in the NL West standings.

Game particulars

• Home runs— Kyle Tucker (11)
• WP— Edwin Díaz (2-1): 1 IP, 2 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
• LP— Gerardo Carillo (2-1): 1 2/3 IP, 0 hits, 1 run (0 earned), 2 walks, 1 strikeout
• SV— Jack Dreyer (1): 1 IP, 1 hit, 0 runs, 0 walks, 1 strikeout

Up next

The Dodgers wrap up their road trip on Sunday in Arizona (1:10 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA) before heading back home to open a three game series against the Kansas City Royals on Monday. Justin Wrobleski faces Eduardo Rodriguez.

PITTSBURGH — Carson Benge received a break Saturday, but not the kind that appears likely to send him to the injured list. 

The rookie outfielder was diagnosed with a bone bruise, a day after he jammed his left wrist while completing a sliding catch in left field. Benge was removed from the game with discomfort in the wrist and X-rays were negative. Imaging on Saturday indicated the bone bruise, interim manager Andy Green said before the Mets’ 9-0 loss to the Pirates. 

It left the Mets without one of their hottest hitters for the short term, but likely in position to reinstate him into the lineup within the next few days. 

“I knew something didn’t feel right, and after probably 10 seconds it kind of wore off,” Benge said of his collision with the left field fence at PNC Park. “Then when I got back in the dugout and all of the adrenaline kind of wore off, it kind of lit back up again.” 

The play was the latest defensive gem for the 23-year-old Benge, who has shined offensively and defensively. 

“I always want to be in there every single day, but I feel like this isn’t something that is going to take me a long time to come back from,” Benge said. 

The Mets activated infielder Gabriel Arias and optioned Eric Wagaman to Triple-A Syracuse. Arias was claimed off waivers from the Guardians on Friday, two days after he was designated for assignment. 

“I think he provides us a greater measure of defensive versatility than Eric Wagaman does,” Green said. “We really like Wags’ bat, but given who we have at DH and first base it’s hard to find him consistent opportunity. Gabe gives u an opportunity to rest the regulars on the left side — if Francisco [Lindor] needs a day off and even some of the games where you get a blowout situation and you get somebody off their feet.”

WASHINGTON – Chase Burns was on the ropes. And deep down in his heart, Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona did not want to throw the towel.

The Reds are grooving at the moment and Burns, by far, is the best thing they’ve had going all year. On this Saturday, Aug. 8 evening, he was aiming to become the first Reds pitcher in 70 years to win 13 straight decisions.

Yet in a tie game in the sixth inning, Burns mislocated three fastballs that resulted in hits for the Washington Nationals, the major leagues’ highest-scoring offense this season. After a walk and strikeout, Burns needed just one more out to escape with a one-run deficit.

In the dugout, Francona stewed. And sighed. And fetched reliever Sam Moll, who’d give up a two-run, game-breaking double to pinch-hitter Andrés Chaparro. The Reds would lose consecutive games for the first time since July 11.

Yet Saturday’s 8-2 defeat at Nationals Park created a win of a different sort: Burns got one start closer to the finish line of his first full season, one in which he hardly takes a back seat to Jacob Misiorowski or Chris Sale or any of the National League pitchers having Cy Young-caliber seasons.

The birth of the ace is nearly complete. Even if setbacks are inevitable along the way.

After dropping the opening game of this fight for first place yesterday, the White Sox honored Ozzie Guillén in his No. 13 retirement ceremony this afternoon — and that turned out to be a perfect time to bounce back and complement the ceremonies with a win.

Win they did, in decisive, 6-3 fashion. And it all started with Anthony Kay.

Early on, Kay found himself in the middle of a jam in the second inning. With runners on the corners, Austin Hedges bunted back to Anthony, who scooped and threw the ball home in one swift motion. Drew Romo caught a Rhys Hoskins pivoting back to third base and threw a perfect bullet to Miguel Vargas. Initially called safe by third base umpire Austin Jones (who was not in the best position to view the tag and the bag), a Will Venable challenge quickly confirmed Vargas tagged Hoskins’ back before his foot returned to the bag safely.

The Chicago defense stayed locked in during the following inning. A diving Chase Meidroth stole a base hit from Chase DeLauter, who was running side-by-side with Kay but lost the race, as Kay located the bag and caught Chase’s accurate bullet:

Joining his battery mate, Romo stayed hot on defense as well (a sentence I did not have on my bingo card entering tonight’s game), as he threw out Angel Martínez trying to steal second to send the Sox to the home half of the third inning.

From there, Kay and Gavin Williams would each swap goose eggs until the sixth inning.

Rhys Hoskins, looking to amend his bad baserunning, launched a two-run shot 392 feet to the left-field stands to break open the scoring and give Cleveland a 2-0 lead.

While the FOX broadcast was eating the Muneshot sushi push-pops during the home half of the sixth, Munetaka Murakami found the left-field foul pole and hit his second home run in as many games, cutting Cleveland’s lead in half, 2-1.

Soon after, Miguel Vargas snuck a hit past a diving Angel Genao. Williams would stay in the game to strike out Colson Montgomery, but he would not stay in the game to finish the inning.

Reliever Colin Holderman, with two outs, hit Andrew Benintendi (1-2 count) and Braden Montgomery (2-2 count) to load the bases. Tristan Peters, with six hits in his 59 at-bats since the All-Star break, broke through and flipped a ball to left-center field, bringing home Vargy and Benny and giving the Sox their first lead of the night, 3-2.

That closed the book on Williams, with this final line: 5 2/3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K.

Chase Meidroth, complementing his Gold Glove-caliber defense, continued the two-out, two-RBI hit parade with a bloop single down the right-field line, extending the Sox lead to 5-2.

With Kay in now in line for the win, Jordan Hicks replaced the southpaw in the seventh. Working through some trouble, Kay notched back-to-back quality starts: 6 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 4 K.

Hicks sat down Patrick Bailey, pinch-hitting for Austin Hedges, with four pitches, but that would be his only easy batter of the night. He proceeded to give up Genao’s first career homer and allowed back-to-back hits from Steven Kwan and Jo Adell to put ducks on the pond with only one out.

Sean Newcomb, a face Sox fans were dying to see in their 13-inning spar against Boston, replaced Hicks. Ice in his veins, he struck out DeLauter looking. Then, on a 0-2 count to Martínez, Newcomb was taken to the deepest part of the ball park, but we had a man there! Peters chased down a 101.1 mph baseball 395 feet in left-center for the final out of the top half of the seventh.

Bryan Hudson pitched the eighth and worked around just one hit.

Looking for some daylight, Colson Montgomery singled on a full count to open the home half of the eighth. Luisangel Acuña pinch-ran for Colson, stole second and advanced to third on a bad throw all in one play. Braden Montgomery, reminiscent of his first career hit, slapped one the opposite way to drive in Acuña and extend the lead, 6-3.

Aiming for his sixth save in his ninth attempt, Grant Taylor was successful behind Vargas, who making a tough pick on a ground ball, and Murakami diving for the final out of the ball game. Sox win!

The Good Guys evened up the series against the Guardians and regained their three-game lead in the AL Central, with the Minnesota Twins taking a loss against the Milwaukee Brewers (shout out old friend, Andrew Vaughn, for the game-winning hit!).

Catch the rubber match at 1:10 p.m. CT tomorrow, back on the usual CHSN for your viewing pleasure.

(•_•)

( •_•)>⌐■-■

(⌐■_■)

MVP
Anthony Kay: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K

Runners-Up
Tristan Peters: 1-for-2, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB
Chase Meidroth: 1-for-4, 2 RBI
Munetaka Murakami: 1-for-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R
Sean Newcomb: 0.2 IP, 1 K, stranded runners on second and third

Cold Cat
Jordan Hicks: 1/3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 K

Runners-Up
Sam Antonacci: 0-for-4
Colson Montgomery: 1-for-4, 3 K
Drew Romo: 0-for-4, 1 K

The Colorado Rockies needed a little bit of everything Saturday night in St. Louis, and Jake McCarthy provided most of it.

McCarthy went 4-for-5 with two home runs, three RBI, four runs scored, and two stolen bases as the Rockies beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-6. Colorado improved to 46-71, while St. Louis fell to 58-59.

It was not a particularly clean win. The Rockies ran themselves into two early outs on the bases, Kyle Freeland had to navigate traffic without the swing-and-miss stuff he showed in his previous start, and the bullpen spent much of the second half protecting a shrinking lead.

But Colorado also turned 11 hits into eight runs, went 3-for-8 with runners in scoring position and kept finding ways to answer.

McCarthy’s two home runs supplied the loudest moments. His speed might have supplied the most important one.

Freeland battles without the whiffs

Freeland’s encore to his first career complete game looked very different.

After holding Kansas City to one run while generating 19 whiffs in his previous start, Freeland worked 4.1 innings against St. Louis, allowing five hits and three runs, only one earned, with three walks and three strikeouts. He needed 101 pitches to get there.

The pitch mix was more balanced this time. Freeland leaned most heavily on his knuckle curve at 29%, followed by the four-seam fastball at 22%, cutter at 20%, sinker at 13%, and sweeper and changeup at 8% each.

The sinker remained more prominent than its 7% season usage, but this was not the same kind of outing that overwhelmed Kansas City.

Most notably, the misses were not there.

Freeland generated eight whiffs on 44 swings. Five came against the cutter, while his knuckle curve produced only one whiff on 10 swings. Without many empty swings, his margin for error became smaller whenever his command wavered.

For much of the night, he compensated by limiting the quality of contact.

The first inning illustrated both the effectiveness and frustration of his outing. Freeland retired the first two Cardinals and appeared to have Alec Burleson struck out for the third out, but the pitch got past Hunter Goodman for a passed ball. Iván Herrera, who had doubled earlier in the inning, advanced to third while Burleson reached.

José Fermín then pulled a full-count knuckle curve down the third-base line for a two-run double, turning what looked like a scoreless inning into a 2-1 St. Louis lead.

Freeland settled down from there. He worked a clean second inning, and Kyle Karros helped him in the third by charging Jordan Walker’s slow roller and making the throw across the diamond on the move. Freeland later struck out Burleson after showing him four different pitch types, finishing him with a knuckle curve below the zone.

The fourth was where things began to get more difficult.

A walk, a single, a groundout and a hit batter loaded the bases with two outs. JJ Wetherholt then hit a 104.6 mph liner to center, but Cole Carrigg was positioned well enough to make the catch and end the inning.

That was an escape, not necessarily evidence that Freeland had rediscovered the dominance of his previous start.

His command deteriorated further in the fifth.

Herrera drove an 0-2 sweeper 106.4 mph for a double that deflected off Karros’ glove. Burleson followed with a nine-pitch walk, fouling off four consecutive two-strike pitches before finally reaching.

Freeland then got Fermín into a 1-2 count but could not finish him either. Fermín eventually walked on the seventh pitch of the at-bat, loading the bases and ending Freeland’s night at 101 pitches.

His stuff did not completely disappear as his workload climbed. His fastball velocity largely held. What eroded was his ability to consistently locate and finish hitters.

Freeland had to gut this one out.

For four-plus innings, he mostly did.

Rockies make Liberatore come to them

If the question entering the game was whether Colorado could avoid chasing Matthew Liberatore’s secondary pitches, the Rockies answered it pretty clearly.

Liberatore allowed five runs on nine hits over five innings, walking two and striking out three on 94 pitches.

Colorado chased just 22% of his pitches outside the zone. The Rockies did not allow Liberatore’s secondaries to dictate the at-bats. They made him come back toward the zone, and when he did, they did damage.

McCarthy required no such patience to begin the game.

He attacked Liberatore’s first pitch, a 95 mph four-seam fastball, and drove it 104.0 mph and 420 feet to right-center for his 12th home run of the season.

Colorado then spent two innings doing a pretty good job of undoing the early advantage.

Karros walked and stole second in the first, then started toward third on Goodman’s liner to shortstop. He was caught too far off the bag and doubled up as he dove headfirst back into second.

In the second, TJ Rumfield walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch before taking off on Castro’s soft flare to shallow right. JJ Wetherholt made the catch on the outfield grass, but Rumfield had already reached third before realizing his mistake.

Two innings, two bad reads and two outs given away.

The third inning was where Colorado’s aggression started working for them instead of against them.

McCarthy beat out a chopper for an infield single, and Karros was hit by a pitch. The pair then executed a double steal, putting runners on second and third.

Carrigg followed by getting an 88 mph changeup from Liberatore and driving it 100.7 mph and 378 feet to center for a two-run double.

Carrigg immediately stole third and scored when Goodman dropped a single into right, giving Colorado a 4-2 lead.

The changeup continued to give Liberatore problems. Colorado put six of them in play, collected four hits and produced three hard-hit balls against the pitch.

Carrigg doubled again in the fifth, this time shooting a 94.8 mph ground ball down the third-base line. Rumfield followed with one of the better two-out at-bats of the game.

He took a cutter away, watched a slider bounce to get ahead 2-0, fouled off another slider and then handled a 93 mph sinker through the left side at 95.2 mph to score Carrigg.

That extended the lead to 5-2.

The contrast with Friday was hard to miss. Colorado collected 10 hits in the series opener but went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. The Rockies generated traffic again Saturday, but this time they converted enough of it.

Liberatore’s velocity also declined as his outing progressed. His four-seam fastball averaged 94.9 mph in the first inning and 92.3 mph in the fifth.

That does not automatically mean fatigue was the reason Colorado got to him. But the Rockies made him work, rarely expanded the zone, and were ready when he came back over the plate.

McCarthy helps the Rockies finish it

Colorado added separation in the sixth because Ezequiel Tovar did something that does not always come naturally to an aggressive hitter.

With two outs and nobody on, Tovar worked Luis Gastelum to a 3-0 count. He took a strike, then held up on an 86.4 mph sweeper that finished well below and away from the zone for ball four.

That turned the lineup over.

McCarthy needed one pitch.

Gastelum threw a 94.1 mph four-seamer, and McCarthy launched it 105.3 mph and 417 feet to center for his second home run of the night.

The two swings were almost copies.

His first homer left the bat at 104.0 mph, traveled 420 feet and carried a 29-degree launch angle.

The second came off at 105.3 mph, traveled 417 feet and also had a 29-degree launch angle.

Both came on first-pitch fastballs.

The second made it 7-3, and Colorado eventually needed most of that cushion.

Juan Mejia inherited Freeland’s bases-loaded jam in the fifth and allowed one of the runners to score on Masyn Winn’s sacrifice fly. Carrigg nearly erased the run with a 97 mph throw home, but the one-hop throw presented Goodman with a difficult short hop that he could not secure.

Mejia then made his own inning more difficult with a wild pitch and a walk before Nathan Church hit a 104 mph grounder toward second. Castro handled the hard hop and recovered to throw to Rumfield for the final out.

Jimmy Herget allowed another run in the sixth before Parker Mushinski entered to face Burleson and got him to pop out in foul territory.

Mushinski stayed in for the seventh and had to work around more traffic after Fermín walked and Winn singled to open the inning. He retired the next three hitters without allowing either runner to score, stranding both and preserving a 7-4 lead.

Brennan Bernardino surrendered the biggest hit of the late innings when Walker demolished a changeup in the eighth.

Walker hit it 107.3 mph and 432 feet to left-center for his 23rd home run, cutting Colorado’s lead to 7-5.

Bernardino recovered.

Rumfield handled a 104 mph one-hop grounder from Herrera, and Bernardino eventually struck out Burleson with one of the better sequences of the night.

He threw Burleson five consecutive curveballs. Then, with the count full, Bernardino changed the look completely with a 90.7 mph sinker and froze him for strike three.

That sent the Rockies to the ninth with a two-run lead.

Then McCarthy showed why the two home runs only tell part of his story.

He dropped a drag bunt and beat Peter Strzelecki’s throw for his fourth hit. He stole second for his 20th stolen base of the season, then started creating problems simply by refusing to stay put.

McCarthy danced off second, shuffling farther toward third and forcing Strzelecki to account for him. The pressure eventually helped produce a balk that moved McCarthy to third.

“I love it. I absolutely love it. If that’s part of your game, we need to put pressure on teams and be able to do that. And really, nobody’s better than Jake at that” said Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer after the game.

Karros followed by driving a 92.5 mph sinker 101.5 mph and 370 feet toward left-center. Everson Pereira made an excellent leaping catch, but McCarthy jogged home on the sacrifice fly.

At the time, it looked like insurance.

A few minutes later, it looked much more important.

Jordan Romano allowed a 101.6 mph leadoff single to Fermín in the bottom of the ninth. Fermín stole second essentially uncontested and eventually scored when Church singled to right with two outs.

The lead was down to 8-6.

Without the run McCarthy helped manufacture in the top half, Colorado would have been protecting a one-run lead with the tying run on base.

Instead, Romano still had room.

He went right after pinch-hitter César Prieto. Romano landed a 92.4 mph four-seamer for a called strike, got a swing-through on a 94.8 mph four-seamer, then buried an 84.3 mph slider below the zone for the chase.

Ballgame.

Final thoughts

McCarthy’s power will deservedly lead the highlights. Two first-pitch home runs totaling 837 feet will do that.

McCarthy has swung at 47.3% of first pitches this season, a significant jump from 30.2% last season. His career rate is 37.8%, while the MLB average this season is 30.3%.

McCarthy beat out an infield hit in the third and stole third as part of the double steal that preceded Carrigg’s two-run double. Then, after Walker’s homer tightened the game in the eighth, McCarthy manufactured the most important insurance run of the night in the ninth.

Bunt single. Stolen base. Pressure that helped create a balk. Sacrifice fly.

Schaeffer pointed to more than one night when discussing McCarthy after the game.

“I mean, Jake’s been good for a long time for us here this year,” Schaeffer said. “He’s been one of the main catalysts for our wins and pushing us forward. He just looks awfully comfortable, and I’m happy that he’s having a good time playing baseball right now.”

Carrigg had a strong all-around night of his own. He doubled twice, drove in two runs, stole third, made the bases-loaded catch behind Freeland and nearly threw out a runner at home with a 97 mph throw.

Rumfield continued to show why there is more to his offensive game than a simple box-score line might suggest. He collected two hits, delivered the two-out RBI in the fifth and made several useful defensive plays at first.

Karros also had one of those games where the hit column misses much of what happened.

He reached base twice before taking his first swing, stole two bases and scored a run. Later, he hit two balls well without recording a hit, including the 101.5 mph sacrifice fly that provided Colorado’s final run.

And after going 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position Friday, the Rockies went 3-for-8 Saturday and stranded only four runners. St. Louis went 3-for-16 and left 12 aboard.

Colorado did not play a perfect game.

Instead, they played a good one.

Up next

The Rockies and Cardinals will wrap up their three-game series Sunday afternoon at Busch Stadium.

Colorado will send Michael Lorenzen to the mound. The right-hander enters the finale 3-10 with a 6.94 ERA and 80 strikeouts this season.

St. Louis will counter with Michael McGreevy, who comes in 4-9 with a 3.59 ERA and 81 strikeouts.

First pitch is scheduled for 12:15 p.m. MDT.

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