Category: Baseball

One night before the induction of San Francisco Giants second baseman/wheelie enthusiast Jeff Kent into the Hall of Fame, Harrison Bader had a setback in his recovery from plantar fasciitis thanks to a scooter accident. Yes, really.

This is honestly far more baffling than the traffic accident that nearly blinded San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan. A player who has missed the last two months of the baseball season with a foot problem nonetheless went for a late night scoot sesh, crashed, and exacerbated his foot issue. Harrison Bader is 32 years old.

This isn’t even the first time Bader has crashed a scooter late at night. When he was a sophomore at the University of Florida in 2014, Bader was suspended for 19 games after drunkenly crashing his scooter into a parked truck. There’s been no indication that alcohol was involved in the most recent injury, but describing the accident as happening “on Saturday night/early Sunday morning” strongly implies there may have been some revelry involved.

Of course, manager Tony Vitello doesn’t know anything, and he didn’t ask.

“He didn’t provide a lot of details to me, and [I’ll] let the medical staff and the front office sort that stuff out,” Vitello told reporters before Tuesday’s game. Way to stay on top of things, Tony V!

Bader was supposed to fly to Indianapolis to see a foot specialist on Monday, which he did, but that was spent evaluating the new injury, maybe digging broken glass and gravel out of his foot while explaining that while scooters may seem “rad,” he’s a professional athlete on a $20M contract and not an adventurous tween defying his parents. The team said he’d have an MRI Tuesday, after he goes shopping for Rollerblades and a pair of wraparound sunglasses.

It’s been a rough day for the Giants when it comes to injuries. Tuesday afternoon, the team announced that Casey Schmitt had a (likely season-ending) meniscus tear. A few hours later, they announced starter Trevor McDonald had a definitely season-ending UCL tear in his elbow, and would undergo Tommy John surgery.

It’s also been a rough week for the entire organization when it comes to scooter incidents. Saturday, R.C. Dinger, the mascot of the Sacramento River Cats, the team’s AAA affiliate, crashed into Alek Thomas while cruising along the warning track. We are nearly positive that Bader was not in the mascot costume.

What exactly is R.C. Dinger? A cat that lives in the American River and shops at that one store in Old Town Sac that sells candy out of giant barrels and somehow didn’t go out of business during a global pandemic? But we digress.

We all knew there’d be no end to the improbable, terrible disasters that would befall the 2026 Giants. But no one had “scooter accident” on their bongo card. And if anyone did, that bingo card would find away to severely cut Logan Webb’s pitching hand and end his season.

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The San Diego Padres stumbled out of the All-Star break dropping back-to-back series on the road to the Kansas City Royals and the Atlanta Braves. Each loss, four in all, seemed to be another nail in the coffin on the 2026 season. The Padres limped into their final series of the road trip against the Miami Marlins with their season seemingly hanging in the balance. Anything less than a winning series would have surely resulted in the team looking to offload expiring contracts at the deadline relegating the remaining players on the roster to play out the string of games before heading to the offseason.

The Padres had other plans and instead of just winning the series against the Marlins, they swept the team from South Beach and handed them their 12th consecutive loss. San Diego had a thrilling win in the third and final game of the series that saw the Padres enter the eighth inning trailing by two runs. Manny Machado hit a two-run home run to tie the game and two batters later, Jackson Merrill connected on a solo home run to put San Diego in the lead. Luis Campusano later added an RBI-single in the inning and the Friar Faithful got a glimpse of what the Padres could be — and were expected to be.

Starting pitching has been problematic for San Diego, but the offense has come to life in the past week. With the offense turning around and the Padres adopting the pitching chaos theory with their rotation has San Diego changed your mind about what they should do at the MLB Trade Deadline. There are five games remaining after the Padres played their series opener against the Colorado Rockies tonight. There is still time to make a decision, and there is still an opportunity to sway decision makers within the organization or maybe the team has already done so. Have they changed your thoughts about the deadline approach?

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A Clay Holmes showcase appeared to go according to plan.

The recovering Mets right-hander, who is likely to be used as trade bait by Monday, completed four scoreless innings with Low-A St. Lucie on Tuesday night in what was his second and likely final rehab start.

Holmes, who maxed out with a 94.1 mph sinker and allowed two hits while walking two and striking out three, might have thrown his final 59 pitches (37 strikes) in the Mets organization.

But not necessarily: It is also possible that he remains on regular rest and starts Sunday — one day before the deadline — for the Mets when they host the Marlins.

Doing so would run some risk for the Mets, who would not want to see Holmes get hammered or injured, but teams across the league would love a last glimpse at one of the expected prizes of the trade deadline, if he has not been moved by then.

Holmes has been one of the best moves of the David Stearns era, a reliever signed ahead of the 2025 season and converted into a starter who was promising last year (3.53 ERA in 33 games) and better this season (2.39 ERA in nine starts) before a Spencer Jones comebacker fractured his fibula in May.

It is possible the Mets extend Holmes by the deadline — not likely, with Holmes saying last week he didn’t think “there was a ton” of extension talk between the two sides — and it is also at least possible the Mets hold on to Holmes, which likely would lead to the club extending a qualifying offer after he expectedly opts out of his current deal.

But the most likely scenario is the Mets will trade Holmes, who looked like himself Tuesday: Of the six outs he recorded through balls being put in play, all were ground outs.

Welcome to another show at BCB After Dark: the grooviest spot for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in out of the heat. Everyone is welcome here. There’s no cover charge. We still have a few tables available. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

Last night, I asked you what you’d give up for Padres reliever Adrián Morejón. The plurality of you, 31 percent of you to be exact, wouldn’t give up any of my suggested prospects for Morejón. Thirty percent of you were willing to part with last year’s first-round pick, Ethan Conrad.

On Tuesday night, I don’t do movie stuff. But I will say, in reference to what I said about The Odyssey last night, I was in a Barnes & Noble today and there were a couple of big Ancient Greek/Homer displays. But in any case, I always have time for jazz and that time is now.

Tonight I have pianist Robert Glasper performing Radiohead’s “Everything in its Right Place” in Paris last month.

Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and movies.

I’m going to take a break from trade proposals tonight to ask you about Alex Bregman. Specifically, do you think that Bregman has put his disappointing first half behind him?

Alex Bregman signed a big free agent contract this past offseason that came with big expectations. And while I can’t say that Bregman was bad his first few months as a Cub, I’m not going to say he was good either. The defense was good, but the Cubs were paying for both the glove and the bat. He certainly wasn’t playing up to the almost $30 million a year (after deferments) that the Cubs were paying him. To be fair to Bregman, he’d be the first one to admit that.

But since the All-Star Game, Bregman seems to have turned a corner. Before the Break, Bregman hit .241/.336/.359 with nine home runs. Again, that’s not bad, but it’s not what the Cubs were expecting out of him when they signed him. But since the All-Star Break, Bregman is hitting .286/.362/.500, which is pretty good. It’s only ten games, but that’s almost exactly what the Cubs were hoping for out of Bregman.

Of course over the past two games in St. Louis, Bregman has used one of Dansby Swanson’s bats and has gone 7 for 10 with two doubles and a home run.

So tonight’s question is “How optimistic are you about Alex Bregman in the second half?” On a scale of 1 to 5, what do you expect Bregman to do the rest of the way?

Lets get some definitions out of the way. If you say “Very,” you’re thinking that Bregman will continue to hit the way he has over the past ten games or better the rest of the way. Not the “7 for 10” of the first two games of this series. That’s ridiculous. But you think he’ll have some of those 7 for 10 streaks the rest of the way along with solid production the rest of the time.

If you say “Somewhat,” you mean that you think Bregman will be better than he was in the first half, but not quite up to his career norms. Bregman’s career triple-slash numbers are .270/.363/.471. Like I said, pretty similar to what he’s done since the All-Star Break.

If you answer “Somewhat pessimistic,” you think Bregman’s second half will be like his first half. If you vote “very pessimistic,” you’re thinking that Bregman is going to fall off a cliff and be even worse the rest of the way.

So how are you feeling about Alex Bregman?

Thank you for stopping by. It’s always good to be around friends. Please get home safely. Don’t forget any personal items. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow night for more BCB After Dark.

Well, this one was a dud. Coming off a series sweep of the Cleveland Guardians, the Tampa Bay Rays’ offense remained quiet at the plate and dropped the opener to the Texas Rangers by a score of 4-1.

Griffin Jax got the start for the Rays and was serviceable, allowing just a pair of runs over 5.2 innings of work. He punched out ten, walked three, and allowed five hits. Only one of the two runs he allowed was earned. The effort should have been enough to earn his seventh win of the season. Instead, he left with his eighth loss of the year.

The real story of the night was the Rays offense, or lack thereof. Outside of Aranda and Caminero, who each tallied a pair of hits, the rest of the lineup mustered just one hit. Cal Quantrill held the Rays to just one run an two hits over 5.1 innings of work. He punched out seven and walked just one.

Trailing 2-0, the Rays did threaten in the bottom of the fourth and for a brief moment it looked as if they were poised to take the lead and potentially send Cal Quantrill to the showers early. After a leadoff strikeout by Yandy Diaz, who’s struggles at the plate continued Tuesday night, Jonathan Aranda singled and later advance to third on a double by Caminero. Mullins then reached on catcher’s interference to load the bases for Chandler Simpson. Then, shockingly, Simpson found a way to hit into a groundball double play as he slapped a groundball right back to Quantrill who quickly threw home to start a 1-2-3 double play to end the inning.

The Rays eventually scored in the sixth inning when Caminero tripled home Yandy Diaz on a ball to left that got past a sliding Langford. With a chance to tie the game at two, Mullins promptly struck out swinging.

With the Rays in need of a shutdown inning, Matz took over on the bump and served up a cookie to the nine-hole hitter Austin Wynns, who turned on it and sent it over the wall for his first homer of the season. The solo shot gave the Rangers a 3-1 lead. They would score again in the eighth, but that run was of little consequence as the Rays were done scoring after the sixth inning. The score of 4-1 would hold.

With the Rays loss and the Yankees win over the White Sox, the Rays’ lead in the division is now down to just a game and a half, though they are up two in the loss column. Legumina will open for the Rays on Wednesday night with Seymour working a bulk of the innings. Hopefully the bats wake up as they have now just scored five total runs over their last three games. Luckily, they are 2-1 in that stretch.

It’s that time! It’s been a slow-moving, but eventful, game at Petco Park so far, as the the Rockies lead the Padres 4-3 as we enter the sixth inning.

IT’S OVERFLOW THREAD TIME!

Here are the lineups:

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's ... Jimothy!

The viral raccoon will be honored by his hometown baseball team, the Seattle Mariners, during an upcoming game on Aug. 5.

The promotion listed on the team's website will feature free Jimothy rookie cards to the first 20,000 fans who show up at T-Mobile Park to watch the Mariners take on the Detroit Tigers. There will be a handful of exclusive cards, 1 of 1 gold, 1 of 100 silver, 1 of 500 shiny blue and 1 of 2,000 numbered, among the mix.

If someone is a superfan of Jimothy, they can buy a special Jimothy Night ticket that includes a t-shirt featuring an animated image of Jimothy wearing a Mariners hat. With each ticket purchase, the team will donate $2 to the Ballard Food Bank.

The @Mariners just announced "Jimothy Night," happening at T-Mobile Park next Weds (8/5)

Fans who buy through the team's ticket special link will get a Mariners x Jimothy t-shirt. The first 20,000 fans will also score an exclusive Jimothy Rookie Card, with several being chase… pic.twitter.com/PUNHfmUhLo

— Ellyn Briggs (@EllynBriggs) July 28, 2026

On Friday, July 24, Julio Rodríguez and other members of the Mariners did batting practice wearing gray t-shirts that said "Jimothy" with an image of the furry friend. Front Office Sports reported that the shirts were the All-Star outfielder's idea.

Another baseball team is fittingly giving Jimothy his flowers, too. The Rocket City Trash Pandas, the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels based in Madison, Alabama, are hosting their own Jimothy Night on Aug. 4. Festivities will include a raccoon parade for fans who come to the game dressed in a raccoon costume. The team will serve specialty food and drinks out of dishes mimicking trash cans and the first 200 kids get a free Jimothy mask.

The raccoon, who is hunched over most likely due to a spinal deformity, took over the internet this summer. Local resident Kiana Hall posted a video on Instagram of the creature running through the streets and she named him Jimothy. Signs celebrating the unofficial team mascot started showing up at T-Mobile Park and the Mariners even featured him in their salmon run mascot race.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Seattle Mariners to celebrate viral raccoon Jimothy at upcoming game

Shane Bieber melted down, which cost the Jays a chance to win but probably more importantly derailed a string of solid starts that had hopefully been pushing his trade value back up. Also, Vladimir Guerrero jr. left the game before the bottom of the fourth after legging out an infield single and throwing error in the third. It was later reported to be a right hamstring injury. So a good day all around.

We got a fun moment before the game as Louis Varland and his brother Gus, recently recalled from AAA by the Nationals, got to do the lineup card exchange.

There was an hour long rain delay before we could get going tonight. Cade Cavalli didn’t look bothered, but it looked like the delay really threw Shane Bieber. He couldn’t get any of his pitches across, missing badly all over the plate. After the Jays were retired in the first with just a Nathan Lukes single erased by a Vladimir Guerrero jr. double play ball, Bieber walked two the first three Washington hitters. Then CJ Abrams reached on an infield ground ball when Bieber couldn’t find the bag while recieving Luis Urias’ toss, loading the bases with just one out. Walks to Keibert Ruiz and Daylen Lile forced in a pair of runs. A Nasim Nunez sac fly plated Abrams to make it 3-0. Then another walk, to Jorbit Vivas, re-loaded the bases, and a sixth, to Jacob Young, pushed yet another run across. That was enough for the Jays, who called for Brendon Little. He got a ground out to finally end the inning.

The Jays had a chance in the second, with George Springer walking and Ernie Clement lining a single, but they failed to capitalize. Little returned for the bottom half and struck out the side.

Toronto got on board in the third. Yohendrick Pinango walked with one out, but was traded for Lukes on a fielder’s choice. The speed upgrade mattered, as Vlad hit a slow roller to third and Vivas’s throw to first went wide, allowing Lukes to come all the way around to score, cutting the deficit to 4-1. Little kept dealing, getting a ground out and a strikeout among the first two batters. Nunez reached when Ernie Clement bobbled a soft chopper to third, but Brandon Valenzuela gunned him down stealing second with a beautiful throw.

Valenzuela kept the good play going with a line single to lead off the next inning. Daulton Varsho lined a double off the top of the wall in right centre to put men on second and third with none out. One batter later, an Andres Gimenez gound out plated Valenzuela to make it 4-2.

Mason Fluharty took over in the fourth. A walk and a Luis Garcia jr. home run off the back of the right field bullpen extended the Nats’ lead back to four and brought CJ Van Eyk into the game. He didn’t fare any better, though, as Dylan Crews lifted one out to centere left to make it 7-2.

Kazuma Okamoto, in for Vlad, hit a solo homer in the fifth, his 24th. That ties him with Eric Hinske for the Blue Jays rookie record (though a 30-year-old six time NPB All Star is a rookie only in a technical sense). Washington got the run back in their half on a pair of singles, a fielding error by Okamoto on a ground ball, and a sac fly.

The sides trades scoreless sixth and seventh innings. In the eighth, the offence decided to rain on the Varland family picnic. Lukes won an 11 pitch battle, lining a single, Okamoto reached on a CJ Abrams error, and George Springer leaned back and golfed a low-inside fastball over the centre field fence to bring the Jays within two. Jeff Hoffman took over from Van Eyk for the bottom half and kept the Jays in it by retiring the Nationals in order with a pair of strikeouts.

The offence couldn’t complete the comeback, though. Washington closer Clayton Beeter retired them in order to lock down the save.

Jays of the Day: Nobody qualifies, but Little deserves credit for strong relief work in an emergency

Less so: Bieber (-0.33), Fluharty (-0.11), Gimenez (-0.10)

It’s an early game tomorrow, with first pitch scheduled for 1:05pm ET. Trey Yesavage (4-5, 3.92) goes for the Jays, while Zack Littell (7-8, 5.17) toes the rubber for the Nationals.

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

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

Outfielder Michael Gupton Memphis

Catcher Jhoander Irigoyen Tampa

First baseman Blake Bevis Mississippi State

Catcher Colin Hynek North Carolina

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

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

Outfielder Edward Vargas

Right-hander Ben Johnson

Right-hander Henry Cone

Catcher Dillon Granadillo

Right-hander Kenton Egbert

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

Now for some movement.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Iowa Cubs

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ayers home run.

Knoxville Smokies

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

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

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

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

South Bend Cubs

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

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

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

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

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

Surprising power out of Snell here.

Poteet’s home run.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

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

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

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

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

Lovich’s single and the wild pitch.

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

Or so the baseball world thought.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Box Score

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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