Category: Baseball

After Monday’s tough extra-inning loss to the Tigers. it was certainly fun to see the Cubs get out of the gate quickly Tuesday, with a six-run first leading to an easy 11-2 win over Detroit, evening up the series.

David Peterson had a quick 1-2-3 first and then the Cubs got to work against Framber Valdez. Pete Crow-Armstrong led off with a line drive down the right field line that went for a triple [VIDEO].

Seiya Suzuki walked and Alex Bregman was hit by a pitch to load the bases with nobody out.

Carson Kelly then singled in two runs [VIDEO].

Michael Busch followed with another single, scoring Bregman [VIDEO].

A single by Nico Hoerner re-loaded the bases, and Ian Happ blooped a single to right, scoring Kelly [VIDEO].

It’s 4-0, the first seven Cubs have reached base against Valdez, and the bases are still loaded. The next two Cubs made outs — Dansby Swanson popped up and Kevin Alcántara struck out. But the Cubs were not done scoring.

PCA made his second plate appearance of the inning. Valdez walked him to make it 5-0 [VIDEO].

That was it for Valdez. It was the worst start of his career, only the second time he had failed to finish the first inning, and the other time, back in 2019, he allowed “only” four runs.

Ty Madden, just called up by the Tigers, entered the game. The walkathon wasn’t over, either — he walked the first batter he faced, Suzuki, to force in another run [VIDEO].

More on the Cubs’ six-run first from BCB’s JohnW53:

The Cubs’ six-run inning was just their second of the season. The first was May 27, in their 56th game, when they won at Pittsburgh, 10-4. They have had three innings with seven runs and one with eight.

Through the first inning, the Cubs had scored multiple runs in 130 innings and a single run in 131.
…..
The Cubs have scored 12 runs in the first inning of their last six games: two, one, one, two, zero and six. They had scored 41 total runs in the first of their previous 96 games.

Peterson had an interesting second inning. He allowed a leadoff double, then got three fly outs on hard-hit balls. It was a good thing the wind was blowing in, because all four of those balls would have probably left the yard on Monday, when the wind was blowing out.

After that, though, Peterson settled down. Overall he allowed just three hits over the first six innings and got eight outs on ground balls. One of the outs that wasn’t a ground ball was this sliding catch by Alcántara in the third [VIDEO].

While that was going on, the Cubs were extending their lead. Swanson led off the third with a walk and stole second. That was Swanson’s 14th steal of the year without being caught. PCA singled him in [VIDEO].

The Cubs put two more on the board in the fifth. Swanson led off with a single. Michael Conforto was sent up to bat for Alcántara and launched one [VIDEO].

That was Conforto’s ninth homer of the year and fourth as a pinch-hitter. Here are some Cubs PH HR facts from John:

According to my research, Michael Conforto’s pinch-hit home run was the Cubs’ 363rd since the Modern Era began in 1901.

It was his fourth of the season. That tied the Cubs record for a single season, set by Glenallen Hill in 1999. Players with three: Jeff Blauser 1999, Thad Bosley 1985, Dave Clark 1997, Kevin Roberson 1993, Willie Smith 1969, Chuck Tanner 1958, Julio Zuleta 2001.

Only six players have hit more in their careers as a Cub:

9: Hill
6: Bosley, Roberson
5: Ernie Banks, Ian Happ, Patrick Wisdom

Five others hit four: Jeff Baker, Dale Long, Jerry Morales, Smith, Zuleta

The MLB record for pinch homers in a season is seven, set by Dave Hansen in 2000, tied by Craig Wilson in 2001.

Peterson was removed with two out in the seventh to a warm ovation. He’s now made four starts as a Cub. While one of them was unspeakably bad, the other three have been good-to-excellent. More on that from John:

David Peterson’s start was the Cubs’ first this season of at least 6.2 innings with no runs, three or fewer hits and no more than one walk.

Shōta Imanaga had the only two longer shutout starts, both 7.0, both at home, on May 2 vs. the Diamondbacks (four hits, one walk) and Sunday vs. the Twins (six hits, one walk).

Just-acquired Aaron Civale entered to finish the seventh. He allowed a single to the first batter he faced, putting runners on first and second. PCA ended the inning with this fine running catch [VIDEO].

Then it got to silly season, as the Tigers put in infielder Zach McKinstry, a former Cub, to pitch the bottom of the seventh. He threw some pitches at 80-plus miles per hour, but others with velocity in the 30s (listed as “slow curve” on the Wrigley video boards). The first hitter he faced was Happ, who walked. Swanson hit a ground ball to short that went for a hit. After a fly out, PCA walked, his third one of the game, loading the bases.

Suzuki hit into a force play to make it 10-0 [VIDEO].

As you can see, that was called a double play on the field, but Suzuki pretty clearly beat the relay, so the run scored and left runners on first and third.

Bregman singled, scoring Swanson to make it 11-0 [VIDEO].

Civale ran out of gas in the ninth and allowed a two-run homer to Dillon Dingler, and wound up loading the bases with two out before getting this fly to center to end the game [VIDEO].

The Cubs could have scored a lot more than 11 runs, too. They had hits in their first four at-bats with runners in scoring position and overall went 6-for-20 (!) with RISP and left 12 runners on base. It was a terrific display of offense.

The Cubs gained a game on the Brewers, who lost to the Mets, and trail in the NL Central by six games. They also gained on the Phillies in the wild card race. The Dodgers beat the Phillies, so the Cubs lead Philadelphia by 1.5 games for the top wild card spot.

And the Cubs will go for yet another series win Wednesday evening at Wrigley Field. Colin Rea will start for the Cubs and Keider Montero goes for the Tigers. Game time is 7:10 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be on ESPN (full national broadcast, no blackouts).

The Orioles had won seven straight before traveling to Boston to face the only team in the league touting a better win streak. The Birds were set to play in their first series in over a year that carried a heightened sense of meaning. Playing the Red Sox—a division opponent in possession of a playoff spot—marked an opportunity for the club to measure itself against a contender.

How did the Orioles respond? They committed four errors and lost a one-run game.

It’s always tempting to over analyze after a bad loss, and yesterday’s rain out only helps the cause. We all know that every outcome counts as one win or loss in the standings, but that game was rich with symbolism. Baltimore pulled Shane Baz (6 IP, 2 ER) after 77 pitches, and both relievers allowed a run. The team left the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position. Craig Albernaz pinch hit for Christian Encarnacion-Strand despite his strong offensive night, and Sam Huff finished 0-for-3 with three strikeouts for the second consecutive game.

At the same time, Tyler O’Neill squared up a ball that could have kept the Birds alive. The Orioles scored in four different innings despite missing Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo. They got another solid start from the rotation, and the Red Sox are obviously a good team too. Winning teams lose all the time, and you shouldn’t make a mountain out of a one-run molehill. But those four errors… Those are the type of plays that make you wonder if this team is capable of playing winning baseball.

So what exactly is winning baseball? Did the Orioles play winning baseball when they won seven consecutive games? It’s kind of like that thing the Supreme Court spent some time discussing in the 1960s. You know it when you see it.

The Orioles have been a bad defensive team all season, but they made some winning plays over that recent stretch. O’Neill extended the game with an impressive catch and throw in Houston. The outfielders made several running grabs, and Brandon Young’s kick save was named MLB’s play of the week.

This team is capable of making the necessary plays, but defense will never be considered a true strength. One or two defensive miscues may be inevitable, but those four errors felt like something more. It felt like the Orioles crumbled in their first big game of the season.

The American League is bad enough that a flawed team is going to make the playoffs. The Orioles could be that team. The question is whether a team like that can do any damage once they get there. Flawed teams can go on a run if they—and stop me if you’re over it by now—play winning baseball.

Jim Palmer has spent enough time explaining the value of hitting the cutoff man, but those things make a difference. Gunnar Henderson is capable of making the “wow” type of plays, but can he remain engaged over nine innings? Baltimore’s shortstop made his 12th error of the season on Monday and could have been credited with another when he failed to catch an 82 MPH line drive in third inning.

The rotation has provided some real reason for hope, and the bullpen has been better than it should be on paper. At a minimum, it feels like the Orioles could hang around with any AL team in a three-game series. Unfortunately, Baltimore is 8-15 in one-run games. Their eight wins are the lowest number of one-run victories in all of baseball.

The Orioles can’t go back and win any of those 15 games, but they can learn from the outcome. The front office, if they plan on buying, must determine what this team really needs. The club probably doesn’t want to pay the premium for Tarik Skubal or Joe Ryan. If acquiring a true ace is off the table, the team doesn’t need another mid-rotation starter.

The bullpen is a different story. The Birds need to flip the script in one-run games, and a shutdown reliever or two would go a long way. Ryan Helsley will be out until at least September, and it’s far too early to expect anything from Félix Bautista.

Will the team address the defense? A steady third baseman that hits righties would work wonders for this team, but nobody is replacing Henderson at short. It feels like the Orioles have been “learning how to win” since 2022, but the sentiment still rings true. The team had an extra day to flush Monday’s loss and can take a big step in the right direction by playing 18 innings of winning baseball today.

The Braves lost to the Padres on Tuesday night. That in and of itself isn’t weird, especially considering that it came at home. Did you know that the Braves haven’t won a home series from the Padres since 2018? That’s a lot of really good years (including 2022 and 2023, where the team won 100-plus games), but… the Padres in Atlanta have been an issue. (The Braves have also lost a bunch of series to the Padres going back to mid-2024, including a playoff series… but they did actually win a road series against them in 2024.)

Anyway, here’s some random weird stuff about last night:

The Braves set a season-high in walk rate at 20.5 percent. They tied their season high in walks with eight. In the other three games they had eight walks, they scored eight, 10, and 17 runs. Yet, they scored just three runs.

Despite all the walks, the team had its second-worst quality of contact of the season (.224 xwOBACON). It was shut out in its only game with a worse xwOBACON on the season. In essence, the Braves did nothing on swings, but did a lot when not swinging.

Two of their runsscored on a not-that-well struck ball that perfectly split the defense and looked awesome. Jim Jarvis’ triple had a .163 xBA and .214 xwOBA, and came off the bat at 94 mph. Then, Jarvis had a nearly-perfect bloop single off Mason Miller of all people. Speaking of…

The Padres used Mason Miller in a five-run game for some reason. Talk about a bazooka to kill a fly. They had a five-run lead. Miller ended up having to throw a lot of pitches because of Jarvis’ bloop and a walk to Drake Baldwin, not that he had any real issues in the inning. Imagine using the best reliever in baseball in a situation where the other team could’ve been justified in pitching Elieser Hernandez in the top half of the inning.

The Braves scored a run on a balk. I don’t even have anything to add. I don’t know the last time the Braves scored a run on a balk. To add to the weirdness: when the home plate umpire spoke to the crowd about the balk, his words said that the batter at the time (Austin Riley) was to take first base, maybe because the pitch-on-which-there-was-a-balk was taken outside the zone. (The words were, “run scores, second and first” or something along those lines.) Yet, per the rules, Riley did not take first base, and actually struck out instead of making more of a game of it. So the umpire called a balk, and then goofed the verbal (not applied) explanation of what was to happen.

Bonus: the Phillies didn’t gain a game in the standings because of an Eli White-level baserunning mistake. In case you missed it, they had the tying run on third with one out in the ninth, and the go-ahead run on second in the form of JT Realmuto. Brandon Marsh hit a sliced dribbler to third. The runner on third was cut down in a rundown, prolonged enough to allow Realmuto to reach third. But, for some reason, Realmuto started running back to second base, which allowed the Dodgers to easily throw in that direction and tag him out, ending the game.

So, how weird does all this rate?

It’s Nola Day. He’ll be taking the mound tonight for the rubber match against the Dodgers. It’s not news to you that Nola has struggled this season and last. But he’s been solid over his past trio of starts, allowing three runs in two of them, and two in the other. Prior to that he had a seven-ER clunker, but before that, another trio of games with no more than three runs allowed. Of course, his old enemy, the long ball, has still been a problem: all three of the runs in his last start came on solo shots, and he’s only had one homer-free game in his last seven starts.

All of which is to ask: has Nola’s unspectacular but solid performance over his past few starts changed how you’re feeling about him?

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: The original lead for this link dump was previewing Max Fried’s last Triple-A rehab start, which was supposed to come today. Instead, you already know that the left-hander is rejoining the Yankee roster, and the long-awaited one-two punch of Gerrit Cole and Max Fried atop the Yankee rotation will be brought to bear against the Pirates in their doubleheader today. Fried was tabbed to throw about 60 pitches for the RailRiders, so I imagine he will be held to that number or close to it in his return. Still, he’s damn hard to beat and it’s good to have him back.

NJ.com | James Mertz: On Monday, communicator of legendary status Aaron Boone said there was no timeline for Giancarlo Stanton’s return from his annual leg injury, before Boone had to walk himself back yesterday. The Yankee manager told us Stanton was progressing “pretty well” and should be available “in a reasonable amount of time,” exactly the clear, direct messaging Boone’s become famous for.

New York Post | Mark W. Sanchez: It’s the time of year where we all argue just how valuable one prospect or another would be in hypothetical deals to transfer 2029 Yankee wins into 2026 Yankee wins. One common name tossed around in trade discussions past, Jasson Domínguez, sheds some light on what that feeling as a prospect is like, but to him it didn’t seem too big a deal. The Martian revealed he didn’t really know what the trade deadline was before 2025, as his entire focus was on improving his onfield play and making himself invaluable to the talent evaluators within the Yankee org. I’d like to see more interviews with young players and see if that approach is common or not.

MLB.com | Jason Foster: Nearly three dozen writers were polled on the Cy Young race for both leagues, and lo and behold Cam Schlittler is still in the pole position. The AL leader in ERA, FIP and fWAR received 23 of 33 first place votes, with Blue Jays hurler Dylan Cease the only other player to receive first-place nods. We’re a long way from the awards banquet, but Schlittler looks like the best case for end-of-year individual hardware from a Yankee in 2026.

Now that the Guardians have taken the first two games of their series vs the Twins, it’s time to get serious with our trade targets. Previously in “this series” some pretty good players have been mentioned, and more will continue to be. But take a look at this and tell me that there isn’t one obvious guy who needs to be freed and put onto a roster that desperately needs a handful of things that he is great at

That’s right. Go get Mike Trout, Cherfonetnofti.

I won’t go into any more detail since this isn’t an official installment in the Trade Target series because we need to talk about yesterday’s actual links instead:

• Oh, wait, that article is dated Jul 21. No no no, on we go.

• The Marlins performed a public service by tripling up Jose Altuve.

• Wait, maybe we should provide more evidence that Mike needs a fresh new home

• JT Realmuto ended a game with an Arias cosplay.

• The Tigers placed Jack Flaherty on the 15-day with flexor inflammation.

That was a relatively enjoyable loss.

The Mariners lost 4-2 to the Reds on Tuesday, snapping a three-game win streak. They got dominated by Chase Burns early but chased him quick, then nearly clawed back into the game against the bullpen. The go-ahead hit remained elusive, and that was the difference, but this was overall an enjoyable one to sit through.

To be fair, I love watching Elly De La Cruz play, and he made his presence known immediately. He led off the game working an eight-pitch at bat against Luis Castillo, then turned on a heater to hit a line drive homer out to right center.

I also love watching Eugenio Suárez play. He’s one of my all-time favorite Mariners, and I generally root for him to succeed elsewhere. He got a middle-middle fastball to lead off the fourth and launched it to center field.

And, hey, I love watching Castillo pitch, too. Other than the homers, he was pretty good on Tuesday. He picked up 11 whiffs, including seven on the four-seamer, which sat at a crispy 95 mph atop the zone all night. He gave up just two hard hit balls — the two homers — on 22 balls in play on the night. He threw tons of strike, went right after batters, and made it through seven innings giving up only three runs. It was pretty OK. He thought so, too.

“I think what helped me today is I didn’t go with the mentality of trying to strike out every batter, but the mentality of going in, attacking the zone, and if they make contact, hopefully it’s an out,” Castillo said postgame.

My enjoyment of this one was also partially due to low expectations. I wrote the other week that I don’t really like to be a doomer about the Mariners and assume they’re going to lose. But Burns is just so good, and the Mariners ran out a weird lineup without Julio Rodríguez or J.P. Crawford (each day to day with minor injuries). This didn’t seem like a winning combo.

It wasn’t. Burns was great. He got tons of chase and whiffs on his fastball-slider combo, picking up six strikeouts on the one-two punch. The Mariners couldn’t get much going against him, and it was clear why the Reds just gave him a big ol’ contract.

“He’s kind of got that over the top thing, and getting comfortable to that and used to that, it makes a difference,” Dan Wilson said after the game. “And he’s got the good velo that rides at the top, and you see that slider come out, and you’ve got to make a quick decision. I thought he threw some good ones down tonight, and got us to chase a few down there below the zone. He’s a tough at-bat when he’s throwing that fastball at the top and that slider down below. It’s a tough at-bat. You can’t cover both. And that’s what makes him so effective.”

The one thing the Mariners were able to do was make Burns work, drawing a pair of walks and working some deep counts. They got him out of the game after five, and started closing in on the Reds bullpen.

In the sixth, Dominic Canzone led off with walk. Josh Naylor followed with a single — one of three hits for him on the day — to bring Luke Raley to the plate. Wilson instead called on Julio, who’d started the game on the bench  while nursing a minor injury. He battled and battled and worked a full count against seven straight sweepers from Tejay Antone. Then he got an eighth and hit a 110-mph one-hopper near short. Out of nowhere sprawled De La Cruz, who saved a run and potentially a big inning.

In the seventh, Weston Wilson hit a solo homer to get the Mariners on the board and cut the lead to 3-1. It looked like the Mariners might get some more after three straight two-out walks. But Naylor, in his only at bat that didn’t result in a hit, grounded out to strand the bases loaded. 

Julio cut the lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth with a solo homer himself. That’s another reason this game was great: Julio certainly does not seem significantly injured, and he had two great at bats.

But Michael Rucker gave up a solo homer himself in the top of the ninth to extend the lead back to two runs. And the Mariners couldn’t get anything going in their half of the inning and lost 4-2. It was nearly a very fun game, and so I’ll settle for a pretty good.

The Arizona Diamondbacks were able to even the series with the Athletics Tuesday night thanks to a heroic walkoff from the veteran Ildemaro Vargas and a solid major league debut from Kohl Drake.

Kohl Drake gave the Dbacks 5 much needed solid innings tonight for his major league debut. Overall his stuff was just ok, he especially struggled to throw his curveball for strikes. The 3^rd inning almost got away from him, however he was able to get a big double play ball and was able to hold the A’s to just the 1 run through 5 innings. This start today from Drake was a huge shot in the arm for a rotation that has sustained some injuries and had its depth tested the past couple of weeks.

Of the 5 runs tonight, 3 of them came in the bottom of the first inning when Max Kepler hit a 3 run home run giving the offense and the young Kohl Drake some much needed breathing room to begin this game. Kepler appears to really be turning a corner these past few games including the walk off the other day, the HR today, and he had some big at bats throughout this game including a clutch walk in the bottom of the 10^th.

Unfortunately for the Dbacks, Paul Sewald blew just his second save tonight in the 101^st game of the season giving up a 2 run game tying home run in the bottom of the 9^th inning with 2 out. Sewald has been so good in these save situations, but unfortunately tonight he made a mistake in location to one of the best hitters on the team.

Fortunately for Sewald and the Dbacks, the offense was able to come through in the bottom of the 10^th inning. The A’s were able to get a run across in the top of the inning and were leading the Dbacks 5-4 heading into the bottom of the 10^th, but the Dbacks were able to clutch up and show some great discipline with a leadoff walk to Gabi Moreno, followed by the aforementioned great at bat by Max Kepler leading to another walk and loading the bases for Nolan Arenado with no outs. Arenado recorded his 2001^st career hit a couple of pitches later scoring Corbin Carroll from 3^rd base and tying the game. And after a Tim Tawa strikeout, it was none other than the seasoned veteran Ildemaro Vargas that would rise to the occasion tonight and play hero. After a couple of tough pitches to begin the at bat, Vargas did what he does so well and took a shoulder high fastball into left field to walk the game off and send the fans home happy! Such a deserving player who has meant so much to this team this season coming through when the team needed him the most so good to see!

That hit by Vargas is amplified even more considering the Marlins, Cardinals, and the Nationals all lost tonight moving the Dbacks into a tie for the 3^rd wild card spot with the Pirates. Such a key win for the Dbacks at a key moment in the season. The Dbacks will look to win the series tomorrow afternoon as they send Merrill Kelly to the hill. Kelly will look to maintain his recent momentum and put his team in good position heading into the road trip of the season where they will face all of the other 3^rd wild card contenders in the span of a week.

It’s Tuesday night here at BCB After Dark: the happening-est hangout for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Thanks so very much for stopping by tonight. We always have room for one more. There’s no cover charge. There are still 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 which young backup infielder you’d rather keep around, Matt Shaw or Pedro Ramírez? The final vote was close, but by a narrow margin of 53 to 47 percent, you said you’d rather keep the younger Ramírez than the more veteran (but still young) Shaw.

On Tuesday nights I don’t normally do any movie stuff. But I always have time for jazz. That time is now.

Tonight we’re featuring Brazilian pianist/vocalist Eliane Elias performing “Brasil,” a song from her upcoming album Ao Vivo. You probably know this song already if you watch Terry Gilliam films. But you probably haven’t heard it sung in Portuguese before.

This was at SFJAZZ just this past May.

Welcome back to all those who skip the jazz.

The Red Sox have won 14 in a row and have played themselves back into a playoff spot. That probably means that for now at least, Aroldis Chapman, one possible trade target for the Cubs to shore up the back of their bullpen, is off the market. The Red Sox seem more likely to be buyers than sellers at the Deadline.

Since it doesn’t seem like a wise idea to rely on Daniel Palencia to return to being a dominating closer before the end of the year (next year is a different story), the Cubs may well have to look elsewhere. Meanwhile, while the Red Sox have been playing their way into the American League Wild Card race, the Astros seem to be stuck in neutral on the outside looking in. The Astros even have a dominating closer that might be available for trade: left-hander Josh Hader.

I’m sure you’re familiar with Hader from his days with the Brewers. Cubs manager Craig Counsell certainly is. Hader was always a big villain at Wrigley Field during his Brewers days. Over the course of his career, Hader has a 1.88 ERA and 18 saves versus the Cubs, more than against any team other than the Pirates.

Hader, now 32, has lost a tick on his power sinker/slider combo, but it’s as effective as ever. His sinker is now 95 miles per hour when it used to be 96. His nasty slider is now around 84-85 when it was 85-86 with Milwaukee. But the thing is, the pitchers are no less effective at a smidge slower. So far this year, Hader is 3-1 with a 1.47 ERA. He’s 11 for 11 in converting save chances. Over 18.1 innings, Hader has struck out 29 and walked eight. Opposing hitters are hitting .154 off of Hader this year.

So Hader looks ideal for the Cubs, especially considering his connection to Craig Counsell. But there are a few issues if the Astros decide to trade him. The first is that Hader is under contract for the next two years and a whopping $19 million a year. That’s a ton of money for a guy who pitches just one inning at a time. The two years of control are certainly nice. The money isn’t.

Another issue is that Hader missed the first 8-9 weeks or so of the season this year with left bicep tendonitis. He also missed the final six weeks of last year with a left shoulder strain. He’s been back healthy since early June and looks just as good as ever. But it is fair to say Hader doesn’t have the most promising injury history.

The other issue is simply that he’s Josh Hader. It might be hard for some of you to start cheering for Josh Hader after years of loathing him.

On the other hand, the Astros might be willing to pay off some of that contract for the right prospect package or accept a lesser group of players if the Cubs are willing to take the whole contract. As far as the injury factor goes, what pitcher does have a clean bill of health? And if Cubs fans were willing to accept Counsell, shouldn’t they be willing to give his former closer in Milwaukee the same benefit of the doubt?

Hader wouldn’t come cheap, but he’d come a lot cheaper than Mason Miller would if the Padres decide to deal him. I don’t think the Cubs would have to include anyone like Josiah Hartshorn or Owen Ayers. Jaxon Wiggins or (but not and) Jefferson Rojas would certainly be possibilities of someone to include in a deal for Hader. Matt Shaw or Pedro Ramírez might even get the Astros to eat some of the contract.

So are you willing to let bygones be bygones and start drinking some Hader-ade?

Thank you for stopping by tonight. We’re sorry we opened so late, but we had an issue in the kitchen. Please get home safely. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow night for more BCB After Dark.

PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler isn’t ready to make any announcement.

He wants to wait until next year before deciding for sure.

But remember those original plans of returning to health this year, pitching one final season in 2027, and then sailing off into the sunset with his family, calling it a career?

Well, ever so quietly, those plans are on hold.

Wheeler has yet to open talks about a contract extension with the Phillies, but the way he’s dominating, the way Hall of Fame voters are changing their view for entrance to Cooperstown, he’s not sure he’s ready to say good-bye.

"Never say never," Wheeler, 10-2, 2.16 ERA, told USA TODAY Sports after his latest brilliant performance Tuesday night in the Phillies’ 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. "We’ll see. It’ll probably depend on what happens next year. It’s something to think about for sure."

Phillies executives privately believe that Wheeler will ultimately change his mind, and instead of retiring when his contract expires after the 2027 season, that he’ll want to continue pitching, taking him on a potential road to Cooperstown.

If the day comes he’s ready to talk about delaying those retirement plans, the Phillies are all ears.

"It’s tough," says Wheeler, who with his wife, Dominique, are raising four children (ages 6, 4, 2, 1). "My kids are growing up and they're at that age where it's important to have both parents around. I'm going to be there for that and see them grow and be successful in life. So, we’ll see."

Really, Wheeler never imagined that he’d be facing this decision. Just 10 months ago, Wheeler was lying in the hospital, having his rib removed near his right shoulder during his thoracic outlet decompression surgery, with the Phillies and everyone else wondering if he’d ever step on the mound again after his season-ending blood clot.

These days, he’s the hottest pitcher on the planet, and despite missing the first month of the season, is starting to find himself in the National League Cy Young conversation.

Wheeler, who gave up five hits and two runs with nine strikeouts and no walks in seven innings on Tuesday, just missed being the first pitcher since Atlanta’s Spencer Strider in 2023 to strike out at least 10 batters in four consecutive games. Wheeler, with 43 strikeouts and just three walks in his last four starts, is only the second Phillies pitcher in history to accomplish the feat. He now has 20 games with at least nine strikeouts and no walks, the most in Phillies history, and the only pitcher to accomplish the feat in MLB since he joined the Phillies in 2020.

"Maybe my strikeout numbers aren’t what they have been for my career, per game," Wheeler said. "So, I do see that. I wanted to get that back up, I’m not going to lie to you. Maybe with two strikes, I make a little more concerted effort to punch a guy out."

It’s a tremendous achievement to simply return and be part of the Phillies’ starting rotation, but quite another to absolutely dominate, actually pitching better than a year ago when he was in Cy Young contention before his season-ending blood clot.

"I always saw myself coming back to who I was, or even better," Wheeler said. "Getting those innings in, getting the strikeouts, and getting some wins. So, that was always the mindset coming back, and I’m thankful."

It’s this determination and domination that could eventually vault Wheeler into Hall of Fame debates, but if he’s ever going to have his plaque hanging in the museum with the other all-time greats, he needs to keep pitching. He has just 123 career victories, 42 shy of Sandy Koufax, who produced the fewest victories (165) by a Hall of Fame pitcher in nearly 90 years.

Realistically, if Wheeler wants to be elected into the Hall of Fame, he needs more victories.

And for Wheeler to get more victories, he needs to continue pitching.

"The Hall of Fame would be life-changing, you know, something I don’t take lightly," Wheeler says. "It’s definitely something that everybody shoots for coming into pro baseball, even as a kid. You want your face and name on that plaque. It’s there forever.

"But at the same time, I'm human. I'm a family man. So, if that time calls, then it is what it is."

Yet, it’s not as if Wheeler is showing any signs of digression. The 36-year-old continues to defy Father Time. You look, and there hasn’t been a better pitcher in baseball since his arrival to Philadelphia seven years ago. He is 79-38 with a 2.84 ERA and 1,202 strikeouts, and easily has the best WAR (33.3) of any pitcher during the stretch.

Could this stretch possibly be good enough to garner Hall of Fame support if he doesn’t pitch past 2027, finishing his career with fewer than 150 victories?

"I don't know," Wheeler said, "maybe a couple of awards might help something like that. But I really don’t know. Things will have to change voting-wise, just because nobody’s going to get 300 wins or whatever it was. It’s just a different game.

"Me, I’m an old-school guy. I want to do all of the stuff they did, right? But it’s just a different game with these young guys. So, things will have to change. Maybe I’ll catch that luck or something."

Well, if Wheeler keeps pitching like this, that first award could be the Cy Young. He has four top-10 Cy Young finishes, but has never won. He also has three All-Star selections on his resume, but was livid that he wasn’t selected to the All-Star Game this year. When he finally was chosen as an alternate, he passed, saying, "They disrespected me, so I’m not going to participate."

He has taken that rage out on opposing hitters since the All-Star announcement, going 2-1 with a 1.35 ERA in his last three starts, allowing 11 hits and striking out 33 batters with only two walks in 20 innings.

So now that the saga is over, will he keep pitching with anger, serving as motivation?

"Yeah, why not," he said. "It seems to be working. Just find a way. That’s the biggest thing. It’s a long season. It’s a ton of starts. You’ve got to pick your battles and just try to go out there and do well every time."

Perhaps the next will be with the Cy Young voters, convincing them that while he might not have the innings quite yet to qualify for the ERA title, he’s building a resume that could lead to the ultimate pitching award.

And, perhaps, one that could one day help lead him through those doors of Cooperstown, too.

Follow Bob Nightengale on X @Bnightengale.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Zack Wheeler's dominance has Phillies ace building case for Hall of Fame

One of the many storylines from this Mets-Brewers series was that former prospect Brandon Sproat was set to take the mound against the team that drafted him.

And on Tuesday night, Sproat had his chance to show his stuff to the Mets. While the 25-year-old was solid, the Mets got the better of him as New York took a 4-0 win to tie the series.

From the start, Sproat struggled to keep his pitch count down. It took him nearly 30 pitches to get through a scoreless first, but the young right-hander wasn't deterred and leaned on his experience to try and make it further in the game. 

"It was roughly 30 pitches in the first, two walks doesn’t help. We’ve been down this road before…it’s not my first time at it," Sproat said of his pitch count after the game. "Just tell myself 'keep going' no matter how I’m feeling, just keep making pitches. Maybe get a five-pitch inning to get back on track, that’s my mindset."

Sproat was unable to get back on track. After allowing a solo shot to Jared Young in the second, Sproat would pitch into the fifth inning when the game got away from him. After two outs, he walked Bo Bichette on six pitches, putting him at 99 pitches. Brewers manager Pat Murphy had seen enough, going to his bullpen. However, the Brewers pen could not get it done, allowing two runs to score in that inning and putting a bow on Sproat's night.

Sproat allowed two runs on four hits and four walks while striking out four batters in his 4.2 innings. 

When asked after the game if the added adrenaline of facing the Mets contributed to his inefficient start, Sproat denied it affected him.

"Nothing extra, really the only difference is seeing familiar faces," Sproat said. "Pretty much every single one that comes to the plate. It was a good challenge. They know me, I know them. At that point, it’s a chess game. It was definitely a fun matchup."

Sproat was drafted in the second round by the Mets in the 2023 draft, the same year New York drafted Zac Thornton in the fifth round. Thornton pitched opposite Sproat on Tuesday night and his night went differently from Sproat's. The left-hander pitched six scoreless innings, en route to his first big league win.

"That’s what Thornton does. That’s what he’s done his whole career so far," Sproat said of his former teammate. "I know him pretty well. He’s a super crafty lefty. He mixes super well and the pitchability is there. He’s not afraid of who’s in the box. That’s who he is. He’s a great pitcher. Tip of the cap to him tonight."

It was a disappointing start for Sproat, who is looking to keep his place in the Brewers rotation after Milwaukee traded Freddy Peralta to the Mets for a package that included Sproat this past offseason. 

However, the young right-hander's first full season in the bigs is starting to look promising. After getting off a tough start in the first two months -- owning a 6.24 ERA after May -- Sproat has settled in. Even with the loss, his ERA dropped to 5.09, and he has allowed two runs or fewer in five straight starts. 

Sproat made just four starts with the Mets last season, pitching to a 4.79 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. 

MILWAUKEE — If Luis Robert Jr. was forgotten by the Mets, they received a reminder Tuesday night of what they missed for 2 ½ months. 

The outfielder crushed a 451-foot homer — the longest blast at American Field Family this year — to give the Mets their final run in a 4-0 victory over the Brewers. 

Robert was playing only his second game after his removal from the injured list. He had been sidelined since April 27 with lumbar spinal disc herniation. 

“[Monday] and today, those first couple of at-bats I was just trying to get into a rhythm,” Robert said through an interpreter. 

Robert’s homer was the fifth longest of his career, according to Statcast. It was the longest of his three homers this season. He started in center field, surrounded by rookies A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge. 

“It’s a beautiful thing because none of us have to cover that much ground when we’re all out there,” Robert said. “It’s a lot of fun because any of us can get to those balls at any moment.” 

Benge needed nearly a month to get his first season on the right track, but he hasn’t looked back since. 

The rookie outfielder entered Tuesday with an .809 OPS in July, a continuation of the success he saw over the previous two months. Benge had a .750 OPS in June after posting an .801 mark in May. 

Peaks and valleys are common for a rookie, but Benge’s consistency has been refreshing to a team that has received underperformance from several more experienced players. Benge had a .498 OPS on May 2. 

“It’s just getting adjusted to the league,” Benge said before going 2-for-5 with two RBIs. “After I kind of figured it out the first time, it kind of helped me realize how to get back on track if I’m not doing too well.” 

Benge’s steadiness is hardly a surprise to Andy Green, who oversaw the farm system until becoming the team’s interim manager last month. 

“I think he’s wired as a person to handle the ups and downs that come with the big leagues and not make a mountain out of every molehill, because that mountain just gets bigger if you do,” Green said. “He just shows up and plays baseball and does that well.When you put the ball in play at good angles like he does, you tend to get a lot of hits.” 

Clay Holmes is expected to pitch in a minor league rehab game later this week, but Green wasn’t certain on which day or for which affiliate. The right-hander, who is rehabbing from a fibula fracture, threw 45 pitches in a simulated game Saturday. 

Reds 4, Mariners 2

Good: Julio Rodríguez, +.09 WPA

Bad: Colt Merson, -.17 WPA

Game thread comment of the day:

How would the St. Louis Cardinals respond to two of the most disappointing games of the year? Tuesday night in Anaheim, it was Matthew Liberatore on the mound for the Cardinals and the game started like the Angels were reading his mind.

To say that the game started off poorly for St. Louis would be a massive understatement. Problem number one was the Cardinals top of the 1st when Iván Herrera and Alec Burleson reached base with one-out singles only to be stranded when Jordan Walker flew out to right and Lars Nootbaar struck out. Bummer part one.

The bottom of the 1st inning would see the LA Angels jump all over Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore as if they had foreknowledge of every pitch he was throwing. Neto led off with a single followed by Mike Trout who did the same. Matthew then helped the Angels by walking Schanuel to load the bases. Jorge Soler doubled to left scoring Neto and Trout giving the Angels an immediate 2-0 lead. They were just getting started. Grissom then singled to right scoring Schanuel making it 3-0 Los Angeles. Jo Adell then punished a 79 mph Liberatore curveball launching it 405 feet giving the Angels a 1st inning 5-0 lead.

If you didn’t see the game broadcast, let me catch you up. The St. Louis Cardinals TV team muted the start of the bottom of the 3rd inning to show Jordan Walker reacting to his historic Home Run Derby performance last week. I’m very proud of what Jordan achieved and he needs to be celebrated, but it was a surreal moment having a baseball game play-by-play muted for something that happened 8 days ago. Some theorized that the audience would prefer to watch Walker’s home run heroics instead of what was happening in Angel Stadium and that might be accurate.

To Matthew Liberatore’s credit, he pulled it together after the shelling the Angels gave him in the bottom of the 1st inning. He limited the damage by keeping the Angels from adding to their lead through the middle innings. The problem is the St. Louis Cardinals offense was relatively silent until the top of the 5th inning. After Nathan Church flied out to lead off the Cardinals 5th, Blaze Jordan reached on an infield single and then advanced to third on a single by Bryan Torres. JJ Wetherholt grounded into a fielder’s choice, but Jordan scored on the play as JJ beat the throw to first giving St. Louis a badly-needed run cutting the Angels lead to 5-1.

To give you an idea of how bizarre the current stretch is for the Cardinals, Iván Herrera waved off the first pitch from Matthew Liberatore in the bottom of the 6th inning when he saw the scoreboard in right field make sudden changes which were distracting so he and manager Oli Marmol appealed to the umpires to not count the first ball that Matthew tossed and they agreed. Liberatore was removed from the game with one out in the bottom of the 6th after throwing 95 pitches. This will not be referred to as a good outing, but Matthew was able to eat some innings after the first 6 batters he face got hits off of him. Matt Svanson came in to try and keep the Angels where they were and he was successful for his part of the bottom of the 6th inning. Scott Blewett was the Cardinals solution for the bottom of the 7th and 8th innings. He also kept the Angels from adding to their lead.

Would the Cardinals find a way to light a fire and rally from 4 runs down in the final 3 innings? Well, José Fermínalmost hit a home run before grounding out in the top of the 7th inning and JJ Wetherholt nearly had a single leading off the top of the 8th inning and that’s about it. I almost forgot that Jordan Walker kept his 12-game hitting streak alive when his ground ball hit third base and shot straight up in the air in the top of the 9th inning. Oh, and Chip Caray managed to share the entire biography of Adele in the late innings because we Cardinals fans haven’t suffered enough the past 3 days.

The St. Louis Cardinals will wrap up what has been a massively disappointing road trip as they take on the lowly Angels (who have won the first 2 games) in a Wednesday afternoon contest. The Cardinals will send Hunter Dobbins to the mound while the Angels are giving Reid Detmers the start. First pitch is scheduled for 3:07pm central time in Angel Stadium. TV broadcast will be available thru Cardinals.tv.

When all was said and done, it was simply not the South Siders’ night. The Rangers’ (51-50) offense blasted 18 hits to shut out the White Sox (53-47), 10-0. Their bats were seemingly in hibernation while the pitchers were dishing out hits and runs left and right like it was an Oprah episode. Before Tuesday’s game, Chicago ranked second in the AL in run differential behind only the Yankees at +52. The 10-run loss erased Monday’s seven-run gain, dropping the White Sox to +42. Really, the most entertaining and impressive performance from the White Sox was Dan Plesac and John Schriffen’s journey through the massive “Boomstick” hot dog and Nacho Sombrero at Globe Life Field. Dan ate roughly 90% of that two-foot-long hot dog, which is remarkable, whereas losing 10-0 is not.

Plus, then this happened.

Right off the bat, Noah Schultz ran into trouble, and he ended up getting knocked around for all 3 2/3 innings of his outing. The lefty surrendered five runs on 11 hits while striking out two, including a two-run homer from Brandon Nimmo in the bottom of the first to give Texas an early two-run lead. Though he didn’t walk anyone and was more controlled in the strike zone, he was hanging a ton of hittable pitches, but luckily, only one of those 11 hits sailed over the wall. Unfortunately, home runs have become a trend in Noah’s outings, as tonight’s was the seventh dinger allowed in his last six starts while holding a 7.33 ERA and 1.58 WHIP in his last seven games.

The pitching woes didn’t end with Schultz. Both Trevor Richards and Tyler Schweitzer also floundered for five more runs in relief, including the second two-run shot of the game, this time from Wyatt Langford off Schweitzer in the bottom of the fifth. The Rangers scored in five of their eight trips to the plate, putting a 10-run beatdown on the Good Guys after six while the bats remained dormant. Waving the white flag in the eighth, this one culminated in a position player pitching, as Luisangel Acuña entered the game and unironically recorded the best relief performance of the contest with two ground outs and a line out.

While the Rangers were teeing off against Chicago’s pitchers, the Sox couldn’t buy a hit to save their lives. Righthander Kumar Rocker worked through the South Side bats with ease, tossing a one-hit, six-inning shutout with six strikeouts and two walks while recording his third win of the season. The Good Guys mustered just one baserunner the first time through the order as Munetaka Murakami walked in the first, and was the hero in the fourth with a leadoff base hit to ensure they weren’t getting no-hit today.

There weren’t many opportunities for the White Sox to score runs in the first place, but they went 0-for-3 in the chances they did get, and left all seven of their runners on base. Acuña finally got a second hit for the South Siders in the eighth, and Miguel Vargas ended up with a ground-rule double in the ninth, but couldn’t cash in either opportunity. Putting Chicago to shame, the Rangers were a nuisance at the plate all night and went 7-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left another nine on base.

In my Game Thread earlier this evening, I noted how anytime the White Sox score a bunch of runs — especially double digits — they tend to score little to no runs and typically can’t get any hits in the next game. Sadly, they didn’t score any runs, and the pitching wasn’t good, but I was pretty spot-on with the hits — womp womp.

The series is still up for grabs, so hopefully some rest and a reset can help the Good Guys bounce back on Wednesday before heading back home to face the Houston Astros. Since the Cleveland Guardians were able to defeat the Minnesota Twins, Cleveland was able to pick up a game on us, so as of Tuesday night, the White Sox are once again tied in the division race.

We’ll be back tomorrow with coverage of the series finale. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CT, with Anthony Kay taking the mound for Chicago.

MVP
Luisangel Acuña: 1-for-3, K / 1 IP, 0 H

Runners-Up
Munetaka Murakami: 1-for-3, BB
Miguel Vargas: 1-for-4, 2B, K

Cold Cat
Noah Schultz: 3 2/3 IP, 11 H, 5 R, 2 K, HR, LOSS (3-7)

Runners-Up
Trevor Richards: 2/3 IP, H, 2 R, BB, K
Tyler Schweitzer: 2 2/3 IP, 6 H, 3 R, K, HR