Category: Baseball

Walk-up music is a phenomenon that has become more and more prevalent in recent years for baseball and softball players at all levels. It’s a trend that started at the major league level and has worked its way down to the kids. For some, it’s probably the highlight of their baseball experience, so why not let them have some fun? Plus, who hasn’t walked into a house at some point in their life and wished that they had their own entrance music to let everybody know that they’ve arrived?

I made this argument back in 2022 when a Koji Uehara entrance video from the 2013 playoffs resurfaced, running to the mound to Darude’s “Sandstorm” to uproarious, concert-level applause. The link is gone now, so let’s try again. 

Remember, there was a time not too long ago that the only music that we had at Fenway was from the organist. Granted, it was a funeral in there most of the time up until 2004, but this was certainly a park that lagged behind most of the modern parks in terms of atmosphere.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about walk-up music at the high school level, mainly because of the people in charge of starting and stopping the music on time. When disco music is still playing in the pitcher’s wind-up, that’s a problem. However, after seeing a kid get into the box with Maxine Nightingale’s “Right Back Where We Started From” on the speakers, I decided I just couldn’t fight it anymore. When family members texted me from the World Baseball Classic in Puerto Rico that Abraham Toro had chosen French Montana’s “Pop That” as his walk-up song, complete with video footage of the historic event, I knew I need to write this article at some point.

A good walk-up song needs to be upbeat. It needs to be a groove. For a batter, it needs to work as a short snippet, maybe ten seconds long. You need fans to hear it in the stadium, stop in the middle of a sentence, and say “Oh!!” And, of course, it should never be country music. (I’m fully aware that I’ll lose at least a third of the readers with that last sentence. I’m not sorry that my selections below are devoid of country songs.)

Every Major League Baseball team has a page within their website that compiles the walk-up songs of most of the players. Inexplicably, there isn’t a landing page within mlb.com where you can toggle across the 30 teams. Lucky for you, I’ve put a link to every one of those teams’ pages below, so that you can bookmark this article for eternity for future updates. And all Spotify song links are “clean” versions, so that you won’t get fired if you read this at work.

Music is very subjective, so if you disagree with anything below, I encourage you to write your own piece on the matter. Here is my list of the best walk-up song choices across each of the 30 MLB teams, mostly in alphabetical order by team, with the exception of the Top-5 that are ranked at the end.

Arizona Diamondbacks   Corbin Carroll: Miguel – Waves (Tame Impala Remix)

Atlanta Braves    Dylan Lee: The Hollies – Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)

An oldie that aligns with a pitcher’s entrance. Tremendous guitar in the song opening, which works better for a long jog to the bump, rather than a short ten-second walk. 

Baltimore Orioles    Kyle Bradish: David Guetta – Memories (ft. Kid Cudi)/Adley Rutschman: Kid Cudi – Alive

Few albums in this century are more of a joy than Kid Cudi’s “Man On The Moon” (2009). Rutschman’s choice of “Alive” is a strong one from that album (also the walk-up of the Red Sox’ Caleb Durbin), although personally I would have gone with “Cudi Zone.” Either way, the Cudi vibes are high in the Orioles clubhouse, and I appreciate that. 

Chicago White Sox    Randal Grichuk: Good Neighbours – Home

A very short list on the White Sox website, for whatever reason. 

Cincinnati Reds    Hunter Greene: Jay-Z – Public Service Announcement

“Allow me to reintroduce myself: my name is HOV.” Dave Chappelle yelling that phrase at work executives during the “When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong” sketch was a personal favorite. 

Cleveland Guardians    Shawn Armstrong: Johnny Cash – God’s Gonna Cut You Down

Colorado Rockies    Jake McCarthy: WWE (Jim Johnston) – Kurt Angle

As I mentioned in the Uehara piece, entrance music means the most to WWE fans, specifically during the Attitude Era of the 90s. Jim Johnston was a damn legend, writing and recording all of the WWE theme songs. Kurt Angle gets the easy nod from the Rockies, but I certainly would’ve gone with The Great Chris Jericho’s “Break The Walls Down” if it was me. 

Detroit Tigers    Tyler Holton: Tears for Fears – Everybody Wants To Rule The World

Tremendous choice. For my money, the single best song of the 80s. A hat tip to Gru as well, who flawlessly covered this song at a prison in Despicable Me 4.

Kansas City Royals    Bobby Witt: Tame Impala – The Less I Know The Better

Can never go wrong with Tame Impala. The edibles are strong in Kansas City, I’m told. 

Los Angeles Angels    Zach Neto: The Notorious B.I.G. – Big Poppa

If I were Neto, I’d mix the Will Ferrell/Robert Goulet version in for one at-bat each game just to throw everyone off. “Poppaaaaaa…”

Miami Marlins    Leo Jimenez: Dua Lipa – Levitating

WEEI has a shocking number of bangers that they use coming out of commercials on the Sox radio broadcast. Wu Tang Clan’s “Gravel Pit” … Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” … A Flock of Seagulls’ “I Ran (So Far Away).” Whoever is tasked with the commercial outro music deserves a significant raise. I didn’t know I liked Levitating until I heard the version that features Joe Castiglione. 

Milwaukee Brewers    Jacob Misiorowski: WWE (Jim Johnston) – The Miz Theme

(See Colorado Rockies write-up). If this week’s #1 overall pick, Roch Cholowsky, does not come out to one of the numerous versions of The Rock’s entrance song, alongside a People’s Eyebrow, it will be a major whiff.

Minnesota Twins    Ryan Jeffers: Playaz Circle – Duffle Bag Boy

That’s that salad dressin’, I’m on my Thousand Island.

New York Mets    Bo Bichette: Kendrick Lamar – tv off

The most frequently played song on Alexa in our home. “Make sure it’s the edited version!!”

New York Yankees

Not a single good option, so they’re getting skipped. Typical of a once-proud franchise that has won one title in this century. 

Philadelphia Phillies    Bryce Harper: Moby – Flower

The Phillies don’t post their walk-up songs, so I’m taking it upon myself to post this clip from 2022. Bryce Harper’s first at bat at home in the World Series, after hitting the game-winning home run in the NLCS. Incredible job from Fox letting the walk-up and crowd noise tell the story, followed by a first-pitch home run, which John Smoltz basically predicts will happen. Imagine not liking baseball? (Also, a reminder of how great the pitch clock is as we go more than a minute waiting for the first pitch of the at-bat). 

Pittsburgh Pirates    Mitch Keller – Wiz Khalifa, Empire Of The Sun – The Thrill

Empire of the Sun’s “Walking On A Dream” is an all-time favorite and was under consideration for the Top Five. This strong alternate version will have to do. 

Sacramento Athletics    Jeffrey Springs: Blackstreet – No Diggity

“Curve’s the word, spin’s the verb. Lovers it curves so freak what you heard” – Modern pitching analytics nerds

San Diego Padres    Ron Marinaccio: Yolanda Be Cool – We No Speak Americano

“It sounds like the music they play at The Olive Garden. The Olive Garden kicks ass.” The immortal Beavis and Butthead broke this song down back in 2011. 

Butthead: “Remember when you asked that waitress at The Olive Garden to dance, and then she slapped you, and the manager threw you out?”

Beavis: “Oh yeah. That was cool.”

San Francisco Giants    Adrian Houser: Creedance Clearwater Revival – Run Through The Jungle

Seattle Mariners    J.P. Crawford: Dr. Dre – Xxplosive

A 12-second perfect instrumental to start the song, and then not a single lyric that could be played at a family-friendly event. Arguably the ideal choice!

Honorable Mention: Josh Naylor: Eminem – Stan

As if we shouldn’t be concerned enough about Naylor, after learning that he stabbed a teammate in the minor leagues, he walks up to “Stan”?? A “prank that went a little too far.” I’ll say!

St. Louis Cardinals    Gordon Graceffo: Eminem – Square Dance

Speaking of Eminem, 2002’s “The Eminem Show” album was his peak, in my opinion. The only thing that I ever “re2pected” about Derek Jeter was that “Square Dance” was his walk-up song for one season. 

Texas Rangers    Cole Winn – Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Heads Will Roll (A-Trak Remix)

The Fenway Park P.A. will briefly drop this remix in between pitches a few times a game, and it’s always welcome. 

Washington Nationals    Zack Littell: Dire Straits – Money For Nothing

As mentioned earlier, the epic guitar solo in “Money For Nothing” could only work for a pitcher’s entrance to play throughout the lengthier first-inning warm-up pitches. 

Top Five Walk-Up Songs

5. Chicago Cubs    Pete Crow-Armstrong: Djo – End Of Beginning and MGMT – Time To Pretend

Two-for-two from PCA. He nails the local theme featuring the lyric, “When I’m back in Chicago,” from End Of Beginning. And then the iconic groove of Time To Pretend … more on that album later. 

4. Tampa Bay Rays    Bryan Baker: Avicii – Levels

We’ve all heard this one a thousand times. Perhaps on a dance floor, or perhaps to get through the final few minutes of your workout. It never gets old. I’ll run through a wall to this song, or just to the pitcher’s mound, either/or. 

Honorable Mention: Taylor Walls: Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz “Get Low”

Yup. Taylor “to the window, to the” Walls. I see what you’re doing here, and I approve.

3a. Los Angeles Dodgers    Landon Knack: Mark Morrison – Return of the Mack

3b. Toronto Blue Jays    Adam Macko: Mark Morrison – Return of the Mack

If you have a name that includes “mack” or rhymes with “mack”, you don’t have much of a choice but to walk out to this song. 

I don’t have such a name, but I’d still walk up to it since it just might be the greatest song of my lifetime. 

Leaving Edwin Diaz’s “Narco” intro out of this list feels reckless. But Timmy Trumpets felt like more of a Mets connection than Dodgers. And for all we know, Diaz is probably only using Narco as his cockfighting intro music these days.

2. Boston Red Sox    Roman Anthony: MGMT – Electric Feel

Cheating a little, as this was Anthony’s walk-up song last year, and he’s currently taking a tour of lovely Fort Myers in July, but maybe getting back to his rookie-season roots will turn his luck around in 2026. The “Oracular Spectacular” (2007) album is an absolute masterpiece, especially when you consider that many of the songs were meant to be ironic, making fun of modern pop music. In the behind-the-scenes making of “Electric Feel”, you hear the band asking if, by attempting to make the song better, “do you mean worse?” It was the soundtrack to his first career at-bat, and if the Sox are going to make any kind of postseason run, we need Roman and these vibes back in the lineup asap. 

1. Houston Astros    Joey Loperfido: M.I.A. – Paper Planes

Loperfido is curiously missing from the Astros website at the moment, but I heard it earlier this season, and immediately made sure I had a screenshot of the heroic player in question. 

Paper Planes was played on alternative rock stations, it was played on hip-hop stations, and eventually pop stations. Hell, Jay-Z and T.I. made “Swagga Like Us”, which had an entire chorus out of one single lyric from the song. The intro is incredible, the chorus is unmatched, and if you don’t react with an “Oh!” when Joey Loperfido walks to the plate, then I’m not sure we can be friends. 

Paper Planes would be my 2026 walk-up song (to the buffet).

With the 2026 trade deadline looming in the coming weeks, contending teams are looking to do everything between making a big splash and tying up some loose ends. Among the more frequent moves at the deadline is movement among veteran relief pitchers. With the Orioles 10 games out of the American League East, and four games under .500, there’s a reasonable chance Yennier Cano could fit that bill.

The Yankees, just like almost any team with October aspirations, could always use some security in the bullpen. The righty broke out with an All-Star season in 2023, and is enjoying his best season in 2026 since then. Cano is a talented pitcher, and has two more years of team control, so he wouldn’t necessarily be the cheapest option out there, but he could certainly be of help to plenty of contending clubs.

2026 Statistics (Thus Far): 42 games, 31.0 IP, 1-2 W-L, 1 save, 2.32 ERA (183 ERA+), 2.58 FIP, 3.25 xFIP, 22.0% K%, 6.3% BB%, 1.06 WHIP, 0.6 fWAR, 0.6 rWAR

2026 ZiPS Rest-of-Season Statistics: 24 games, 24.0 IP, 2-1 W-L, 3.54 ERA, 3.55 FIP, 21.6% K%, 8.0% BB%, 0.2 fWAR

Cano, who made his major league debut at 28 years old back in 2022, has had an up-and-down career in the big leagues. The big right-hander made that debut with the Minnesota Twins, though he pitched only 10 games with the club before being traded to the Orioles. On the whole, none of his 13 games in his debut season were particularly impressive, but Cano did enough to stick around for the 2023 season, and the O’s were certainly glad that he did.

In that year, the righty pitched 72.2 innings, managing a sparkling 2.11 ERA and 2.84 FIP for Baltimore. For a team that won over 100 games, Cano was a vital part of the bullpen for the O’s that featured several premier arms. The performance warranted an All-Star selection for the then 29-year-old, and locked him in as a cog in the Baltimore ‘pen.

While it wasn’t quite on par with the year prior, Cano was still good in the 2024 season, where he worked 60 innings in relief with a still-respectable 3.15 ERA. In a similar workload in 2025, however, Cano struggled to make much of anything happen, as his ERA soared above five while his strikeout and walk rates each took hits. It was certainly a disappointing season for the righty, in his third full year with the O’s, but there was still time for a rebound for Cano.

To this point in the season, it’s fair to call Cano’s 2026 season exactly that. He’s pitched in 42 games this year (just 31 innings), but they have been high quality ones. His 2.32 ERA is the best since that All-Star campaign and his 2.58 FIP would be a career-best. While his strikeout rate is trending in the wrong direction, his control has been top-notch, as he’s limited walks at the best rate in his career. After a down year, a control-reliant bounce back was exactly what the righty needed.

As far as a fit with the Yankees, it would be hard to deny the need for quality bullpen arms for any squad. With one of their prior deadline acquisitions, Camilo Doval, managing an ERA north of five, the Yankees will take another impact right-hander by any means. Whether the Yankees will pay the price for a reliever with two-plus years of control remains to be seen, but Cano would easily slide into almost any bullpen with ease.

Yennier Cano’s track record in the big leagues is not exactly a consistent one, but his highs are impressive, and he’s seemingly in the midst of one of them here in the 2026 season. The Yankees wouldn’t shy away from bullpen help, but the question remains of whether they’d pay for Cano’s talents and team control.

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

Is it just me, or is baseball suddenly kind of fun again?

The Orioles could end up disappointing us all again, and soon. But yesterday was a pretty great day for the organization. On the field, the O’s pulled off a stunning, extra-innings victory over the Astros to run their winning streak to six, getting key contributions from unheralded (and in some cases, maligned) players like Tyler O’Neill, Leody Taveras, and Cam Sanders. The Orioles are now within two games of a wild card spot, though they’re still having to play catch-up to the surging Red Sox, who won their 12th game in a row last night.

And the Birds made even bigger news off the field, signing Kyle Bradish to a five-year, $90 million extension. The deal buys out his remaining two years of arbitration and keeps him in an O’s uniform for an additional three. It’s great news not only for Bradish but also for the Orioles, who have locked up a quality arm through the 2031 season. With Shane Baz also signed long-term, the O’s have guaranteed some stability in their rotation for the next several years.

Bradish has been perhaps the best pitching success story under the Mike Elias administration. The O’s acquired him as a High-A minor leaguer in the Dylan Bundy trade with the Angels in 2019, and while he wasn’t a top prospect at the time of the deal, the Orioles have developed him into one of the game’s most dependable hurlers. Bradish has a career 3.50 ERA in 86 major league starts, including a dominant 2023 season that earned him fourth place in the AL Cy Young vote. After Tommy John surgery cut short his 2024 and 2025 campaigns, he has returned to form this season as an integral part of the Birds’ rotation. Now we’ll be seeing him for a long while.

Kudos to Elias and David Rubenstein for getting this deal done. There are a lot of problems with this Orioles team that won’t be easy to fix — and could ultimately cost Elias his job if the O’s tail off again — but ponying up the money to keep talented players in Baltimore is an excellent way to build the foundation of a winning team. In the past 12 months, the O’s have done it with Samuel Basallo, Baz, and now Bradish, not to mention the five-year commitment to add Pete Alonso in free agency. The Orioles have the core of a contending roster. Now let’s work on cleaning up the other stuff.

There was still more Orioles signing news yesterday. The O’s announced an agreement with their 2026 first-round draft pick, Eric Booth Jr. The deal is for $7,324,700, according to MLB.com’s Jim Callis, which is $2,500 less than the slot value of the #7 pick. There wasn’t much doubt that the Orioles were going to sign Booth, but it’s nice that they got this over with quickly so that the speedy outfielder from Oak Grove, Miss., can start his professional career.

There’s a lot going on with the O’s right now, most of it good. Let’s hope they can keep the positive vibes rolling as they go for a three-game sweep in Houston this afternoon.

Links

Tyler O’Neill saves Orioles in 4-2 win over Astros in extras to extend streak – The Baltimore Sun

Not bad for a player who I wanted the Orioles to release in April.

Bradish inks 5-year contract extension, becomes highest-paid pitcher in O’s history – MLB.com

More on the Bradish extension, including complimentary quotes from Trevor Rogers. Could Rogers himself be next?

O’s announce: They have signed top draft pick Eric Booth Jr. – Steve Melewski

Melewski speculates that Booth could report to extended spring training at Sarasota for a while before he joins an affiliate. But I want to see him now! Don’t the Orioles care what I think?

Will a player ever hit The Warehouse at Oriole Park? | MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com

Think of all the terrible pitchers the Orioles have employed in the last 34 years, and yet none of them have ever given up a warehouse home run. I’m starting to think it’s never going to happen.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Former Orioles born on this day are first baseman David Segui (60), catcher Dan Graham (72), and the late infielder Billy Gardner (b. 1927, d. 2024).

On this date in 1991, Cal Ripken Jr. played his 1,500th consecutive game and also hit his 20th homer of the year, becoming only the eighth hitter in MLB history to begin his career with 10 consecutive 20-homer seasons. That streak was broken the following year, when he hit just 14 during the 1992 campaign.

And in 1994, the Orioles’ scheduled game at the Kingdome was postponed when four 15-pound tiles fell from the roof onto the seats. Fortunately it was two hours before gametime and no fans were sitting there, but yikes. An inspection revealed water damage in many of the roof’s tiles. The Mariners had to play their remaining 20 games on the road before the strike canceled the rest of the season.

Random Orioles game of the day

On July 19, 1956, the Orioles lost to the White Sox, 3-2, to end a six-game winning streak. Birds starter Mike Fornieles lasted only three innings, giving up three runs and seven hits, and the O’s offense had no answer for White Sox lefty Billy Pierce, who tossed a complete game for the victory. Pierce was a pretty good pitcher but especially dominant against the Orioles in his career, posting a 2.22 ERA against them in 66 games (more than a run lower than his overall 3.27 mark). Left fielder Bob Nieman homered in the losing effort for the Orioles.

Do you think this is the day where the team doesn’t move their start time up? Not that yesterday or Thursday’s games didn’t need to be moved; they had good reasons.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Trea Turner getting hot at this point helps the team as the trade deadline moves ever closer with each day.
• Brandon Marsh has suddenly gone quite cold for the Phillies. Don Mattingly isn’t particularly concerned about the All-Star ($).

MLB news:

• Luis Garcia, Jr. starting to hit for power is starting to draw some eyes on the Nationals as teams look for power bats ($).
• The Orioles might be out of a playoff spot, but they now have a starter locked up for the foreseeable future that can help them out.
• Brandon Woodruff needs another shoulder surgery. He’s not feeling bad for himself, though one must wonder if this might be the end.

CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs had them singing from the rooftops, dancing in the aisles and crying at the memories.

This is the 10-year anniversary of the Cubs ending their 108-year World Series curse, and they returned over the weekend to Wrigley Field to celebrate the glorious season that North Siders will cherish forever.

The 2016 team partied on those rooftops and at Murphy Bleacher’s with Bill Murray and Eddie Vedder. They told stories and reminisced about ol’ times at the Chicago Theatre with David Ross and Anthony Rizzo hosting a two-hour podcast with their former teammates.

They gathered Saturday to unveil a 22-foot-high “Champions Gate" outside Wrigley Field, honoring their three World Series championships teams, with former Cubs manager Joe Maddon, Rizzo and Cubs owner Tom Ricketts speaking. Former pitcher Kyle Hendricks threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

And then they spent the game sitting in the right field bleachers with cold adult beverages, with Cubs first baseman Michael Busch even hitting a home run into the bleachers that landed at Rizzo’s feet while holding his infant son.

“These last few days, have been the best few days," said Rizzo, wearing his Game 7 jersey, “in the last 10 years of my life."

The good times rolled all weekend, leaving this year’s version of the Cubs feeling envious, knowing just how much they’d love to be included in that royalty some day.

“For the guys that are back in town, it makes you appreciate it even more," says Cubs manager Craig Counsell, “because it’s so difficult to do. It just makes you treasure it. It makes you work hard and understand that it takes your best every single day if you want to even have a chance at it."

The Champs cement their legacy 🏆 pic.twitter.com/5n7AchGODU

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) July 18, 2026

These Cubs believe they could be that team playing deep into the cool October nights themselves, if they can ever figure out just who they are themselves.

They looked like a team mired in mediocrity the first two weeks of the season, looked like a juggernaut who could challenge the Dodgers when they won 20 of 23 games, looked like a mirage when they dropped 10 games in a row, and then looked like a serious threat to the Brewers by going 20-8 before the break.

They produced two 10-game winning streaks, lost 10 in a row, and finished the first half as MLB’s hottest team with a 54-42 record and the top spot in the NL Wild Card race.

Who are these guys? When you find out, please let them know, too.

“It’s been a really odd first half," said Jed Hoyer, Cubs president of baseball operations. “Our record seems solid, you know, but the way we got there was so strange. The winning streaks, the 35 games as the worst offense in baseball, struggles, the injures.

“We put ourselves in good position, but obviously I know we can we can play even better."

The ultimate mission, of course, is to make sure the Cubs don’t go another century without winning another championship and there are folks still alive to witness it.

The Cubs haven’t adopted any gimmicks or mantra like Maddon’s “Embrace the Target" or ‘Try Not To Suck,’’ but they believe that with their explosive – but inconsistent – offense (ranking fourth in OPS) and fabulous defense, they have the nucleus to play until the ivy turns brown.

But if they’re going to be a serious challenger to the big boys in the National League, they’re going to need some more pitching. To be specific, a big-time starter, with San Francisco Giants No. 2 starter Robbie Ray being a perfect fit. They are expected to have Jameson Taillon return this week, and Edward Cabrera in three weeks, but they can’t afford to wait. They could use bullpen help, too, with closer Daniel Palencia sidelined until at least mid-August.

“I think I’ve said it to you a million times," said Hoyer, “you can’t have enough pitching. You never have enough. This first half has kind of proven that. We thought we went in with real depth and we got to the end of our depth, and I had to trade for guys and pick up guys."

The Cubs believe that acquiring just that one starter, maybe a reliever, too, could be the difference between playing late in October or going home in the first round of the postseason, providing, of course, they get there.

The 2016 Cubs exemplified what an ace and a lights-out closer can mean for a playoff team. They had a star-studded rotation with Lester, John Lackey and Hendricks, but they also had one of the best pitchers on the planet in Jake Arrieta. Arrieta went 22-6 with a 1.77 ERA while winning the Cy Young award in 2015, and then came back to go 18-8 with a 3.10 ERA the year Chicago won the title.

“I would walk into the stadium every day knowing we were going to win the game," Arrieta said, “because of the pitching we had along with four to seven [position players] that were going to get off that night."

Tyler Bell was absolutely fantastic while in Lexington. We knew when he committed that as soon as he became eligible, he was going pro.

And it didn’t take long for him to be selected, going 10th overall to the Colorado Rockies. But that leaves a huge hole in the middle of the infield for Kentucky.

That hole got a little smaller when infielder and Ohio State transfer Lee Ellis committed to the Cats.

Lee Ellis brings a steady bat to Lexington

First, nobody can fully replace Bell, but Ellis will certainly give it a go. He hit .314/.438/.556 with 54 walks, 95 strikeouts, and 9 errors across two years. Bell played shortstop, and Ellis was a second baseman last year after playing at short the year prior, and may slide over to short while in Lexington.

Ellis has hit .273/.396/.493 across 3 seasons in college while committing a lot more errors (24). So, he is not the same kind of raw talent that Bell was, but few players actually will be. Ellis however is still a player with good speed, a good bat, and if his fielding ticks up a player that can make a positive impact for Nick Mingione.

This brings Kentucky’s portal class to 10:

• OF Brody Chrisman
• OF Alex Kelsey
• LHP Kale Hammer
• RHP Logan Hastings
• RHP PJ Craig
• RHP Mason Snyder
• LHP Cooper Corkren
• C Brayden Ricketts
• C/1B Riley Jackson
• INF Owen Lee
• INF Lee Ellis
• IF/OF JP Peltier

With Bell gone, there is a lot of playing time up for grabs, and Ellis will make his mark in Lexington after playing pretty good baseball with Ohio State. Nick Mingione found a solid role piece to help supplement the offense, but as usual with this Kentucky team, pitching is going to be the difference maker.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: Postponed due to rain vs. Worcester Red Sox

Double-A Somerset Patriots:L, 0-11 at Portland Sea Dogs

LF Jackson Castillo 0-3, 1 BB, 2 K
CF Jace Avina 0-4, 2 K
3B Coby Morales 1-3, 1 BB, 1 K, fielding error
RF DJ Gladney 0-4, 3 K
2B Connor McGinnis 0-4, 2 K, fielding error
C Tomas Frick 1-3, 1 2B, 1 K
1B Josh Moylan 0-3, 1 K
DH Manuel Palencia 1-3, 2 K
SS Owen Cobb 0-3

Chase Hampton 3.2 IP, 3 R, 5 H, 3 BB, 7 K, 1 HR (loss) — still not a pretty result, but racked up a few K’s
Kelly Austin 1.1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K
Hayden Merda 1 IP, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
Luis Velasquez 0.2 IP, 3 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 1 K
Kevin Stevens 0.1 IP, 4 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 HR
Trent Sellers 1 IP, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades: Postponed due to rain at Brooklyn Cyclones, doubleheader scheduled for today

Low-A Tampa Tarpons:W, 6-1 vs. Bradenton Marauders

SS Jackson Lovich 0-4, 2 K
1B Hans Montero 0-3, 1 BB, 3 K
C Luis Puello 1-3, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 SB
DH David McCann 1-4, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 2 K
3B Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 1-3, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 SB
RF Willy Montero 1-4, 1 R, 2 K, 1 SB
LF Brando Mayea 2-4, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 R
2B Luis Escudero 0-2, 1 K
2B Christofer Reyes 0-1, 1 BB, 1 K
CF Isael Arias 0-2, 1 BB

Wyatt Parliament 5 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HR (win)
Greysen Carter 2.2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K (hold)
Austin Breedlove 1.1 IP, 0 R, 1 K

Florida Complex League Yankees:W, 10-6 (7) and W, 6-2 (7) at FCL Tigers

Game 1:

3B Richard Matic 0-3, 1 R, 2 K
SS Dax Kilby 0-1, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
2B Diego Flores 1-2, 1 2B, 1 R, throwing error
LF Wilberson De Pena 2-4, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 2 K, 1 SB — the lone base thief in Game 1
C Queni Pineda 2-4, 1 HR, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 2 R, 1 K
CF Jose Castro 1-3, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 CS
DH Francisco Vilorio 2-2, 1 2B, 2 R, 1 BB
2B-SS Dexters Peralta 1-3, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R, 1 K
RF Estivenzon Montero 2-3, 1 HR, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 K
1B Justin Capellan 0-3, 1 K, fielding error

Chalneil Arias 0.2 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 H, 1 K
Mack Estrada 1 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 K, pickoff error
Jorge Luna 0.1 IP, 0 R
Jerson Alejandro 2 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 3 K
Brian Hendry 2 IP, 0 R, 4 K (win)
Rafael Arias 1 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 2 K

Game 2:

3B Richard Matic 2-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 R, 1 K
RF Wilberson De Pena 2-3, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 HBP, 2 SB, 1 CS
DH Queni Pineda 0-2, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 HBP, 3 SB
CF Jose Castro 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 R, 3 K, 2 SB
LF Francisco Vilorio 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 2 SB, 1 CS
SS Dexters Peralta 0-3, 1 R, 2 K
C Justin Capellan 2-3, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K
2B Diego Flores 0-2, 1 R, 3 SB — the game plan completely switched in Game 2, with 12 steals from five players
1B Carlos Rondon 0-3, 2 K

Manuel Cruz 4 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 HR
Hueston Morrill 1 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 2 K
Enixon Sanchez 2 IP, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K (win)

Dominican Summer League Yankees: Off-day

Dominican Summer League Bombers: Off-day

We’ve got a busy day ahead of ourselves, thanks to Mother Nature getting involved yesterday. A rainout has turned this weekend series into a day-night doubleheader finale with Cam Schlittler and presumably Ryan Weathers getting the ball in each game respectively. An already difficult challenge of facing the two-time defending champions will now be a little bit tougher trying to do so with a doubleheader on deck, but the Yankees’ ace should give them a good shot of getting at least one of those games.

Before we get going covering the action, we’ve also got a bit going on here. Sam makes the case for the Yankees to consider Baltimore’s Yennier Cano to augment the bullpen, Peter recaps the action that managed to happen around the stormy weather yesterday in the Rivalry Roundup, Andrés remembers Bob Meusel’s contributions to the Murderers’ Row squad on what would’ve been his 130th birthday, and Michael praises Trent Grisham’s steadying presence to this Yankee lineup. In-between the games, John will also have the weekly social media spotlight.

Today’s Matchups:

New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Time: 12:35 p.m. EST | 7:20 p.m. EST

TV: YES Network, SportsNet LA | NBC/Peacock

Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

Questions/Prompts:

1. Will the Cam Schlittler vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto matchup live up to the hype?

2. Who’s taking home the World Cup today, Spain or Argentina?

MLB | Mike Lupica: There is confidence that Aaron Judge will be back this season, even if it’s not by the Trade Deadline (spoiler alert: it won’t be). If that is the case, should the Yankees push chips into the middle of the table and make a run at their first World Series title in a generation? The answer is yes, and not just because the American League is, All-Star Game result notwithstanding, mediocre. Judge is no spring chicken. And if he is going to be back this season, it behooves the front office to give him and the team the best possible chance to bring another title to the Bronx.

MLB: So. Where might the Yankees turn at the deadline if they decide to pursue upgrades? Let’s start with catcher. There has been smoke regarding the Colorado Rockies’ Hunter Goodman, for example. Regardless, the position desperately requires an offensive upgrade. Yankee backstops have put up a putrid .519 OPS this season, tied with the Chicago White Sox for the worst mark in the majors. Conversely, don’t expect the Yanks to spend assets on upgrading shortstop. That means everyone can put away their trade simulators — there will be no deal for Francisco Lindor.

Yahoo | Ronald Blum: Clarke Schmidt, who has been out all season after Tommy John surgery in 2025, has taken an important step in his rehab and recovery. On Saturday the righty faced live hitters for the first time, tossing an inning of batting practice. Schmidt remarked afterward that his fastball touched 95 mph, and he is slated to throw another session in the near future. Schmidt sounds like he is just excited to be nearing his return, and has expressed his willingness to return in the bullpen, to pitch as an opener, whatever the club needs.

NJ.com | Adam Zagoria: It annoys me when I find myself unable to be mad at Aaron Boone. But it makes me feel better when David Cone, who knows a thing or two because he’s seen a thing or two, agrees with me. Boonie fell on his sword for leaving Gerrit Cole in Friday’s game against the Dodgers to surrender what ended up the game’s decisive two-run home run. Coney, for his part, lauded Boone for trusting Cole, the Yankees’ returning ace. And gosh darn it, I can’t disagree. If you can’t trust Gerrit Cole, who can you trust. The move didn’t work but I loved seeing it.

In the first 15 innings of their series with the San Francisco Giants, the Seattle Mariners had only three hits and hadn’t scored a single run. Then a man dressed as a short-spined raccoon beat four people dressed in salmon costumes during the seventh-inning stretch, and everything fell apart for the Giants in a 4-3 extra-inning loss.

The unexpected raccoon victory inspired the Mariners to a three-run rally in the 7th inning, which started when Logan Webb hit Randy Arozarena with a pitch with one out. It was only the Mariners’ third base runner of the game and their second hit batsman. Webb proceeded to issue his first walk of the game to Josh Naylor, on four pitches, before 22-year-old Cole Young hit a three-run homer to tie the game.

Yes the announcer says “unexplicably” in that clip.

Should the Mariners be allowed to start a second baseman named Cole and a shortstop named Colt? Not if I was the commissioner, but until there’s some common sense in the league office, the home run stands. Webb was pulled one batter later when Luis Arraez committed an error, then Sam Hentges got out of the inning with one pitch when Daniel Susac threw out Luke Raley as he tried to steal second.

Why is there a hunched-over raccoon running during a baseball game? First, you have to understand that the Mariners have a race between four different varieties of salmon during the 7th inning of home games. According to the official Salmon Run page, “four unsuspecting salmon, infused with the caffeinated chemicals of a spilled triple-shot espresso, grew to monstrous size to fulfill their destiny – race for the delight of baseball fans in the Pacific Northwest.”

The biggest salmon is named King, the Sockeye is a grunge salmon who wears flannel and loves Alice In Chains, the Silver salmon is a tech nerd, and Humpy wears an inner tube and usually loses the race.

Then there’s “Jimothy,” a new addition to the race thanks to a video of a young raccoon with an unnaturally short spine went viral this week. The original videographer named the raccoon, and he entered his first Salmon Run Saturday night, much to the dismay of Webb and the Giants.

Things were looking promising before Jimothy showed up. The Giants got home runs from Rafael Devers and Willy Adames in the 6th inning, with Devers’ opposite-field blast confusing everyone on the field, including the umpiring crew, who didn’t realize the ball was pretty clearly a fair ball. Thankfully, some Giants fans in left field began signaling for an official review, and Devers followed suit.

Adames followed two batters later with his own opposite-field shot off Mariners starter Bryan Woo (6 IP, 6H, 3R, 2ER, 7K, 2BB) to make it 3-0. It was Adames second homer in two games and gave the Mariners an upstream battle to catch up.

The Giants offense clocked out after the Adames homer. Their only base runners afterward came on a Heliot Ramos infield single that should have been ruled an error, a free courtesy runner, and an intentional walk to Casey Schmitt so winning pitcher Jose Ferrer (3-1) could strike out Devers in the 10th, his third whiff of the game.

Dylan Smith (0-2) was the hard-luck loser in the 10th inning after a pretty decent performance from the Giants bullpen. Keaton Winn rescued Hentges in the 8th after Seattle got runners on first and third, hitting Arozarena again along the way. Erik Miller struck out two in a perfect 9th.

But with defensive replacement Victor Robles on second, who scored the winning run without getting an official at-bat, Colt Emerson bunted him to third. After a walk to J.P. Crawford, Rodriguez rebounded from an 0-for-4 start with two strikeouts by delivering a deep fly to left field that walked off the Giants.

It was Rodriguez’s first game back from the injured list, but he decided to wait until the most painful moment possible to get his first RBI.

The Giants scored their first run thanks to some sloppy Mariners defense. Drew Gilbert grounded a leadoff single into right field, then Luis Arraez hit one in nearly the same place, only to have Young throw the ball away. Somehow, this was also ruled a hit, and now Arraez’s batting title will have an asterisk.

Bryce Eldridge singled to center on a play where Gilbert was going to be held at third before Raley bobbled the ball, giving the Giants their first run and depriving the rookie of an RBI. They couldn’t capitalize further when Schmitt popped out and Devers swung through a 98 MPH fastball.

The Giants broke their three-game win streak, which ties for their longest of the season. Three games! It’s the first time in franchise history that they’ve played 98 games without putting four wins together in a row, going 0-for-6 in their attempts at extending a three-game win streak. This also means that they will become, at the very least, the first Giants team to go 101 games without a four-game winning streak as well.

The raccoon shook the Giants because they recognized themselves in Jimothy. They’re a desperate, malformed beast of a team, a squad that’s constantly sniffing around in dumpsters, trying to scrounge up a way to save their season. Once, they had Kung Fu Panda. Now, the Giants are simply trash pandas.

The Athletics took on the Washington Nationals in the second game of this three-game interleague series at West Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park. This game was a complete reversal of Friday night’s opener, as the A’s scored early and often en route to a 15–1 victory that had to feel good for a club that had been struggling. Unlike his last start, J.T. Ginn protected an early lead, turning in the best performance by an Athletics starter in quite some time.

A’s Offense On Fire Early

Ginn set the tone for the rest of the game by striking out the side in his first inning of work.

The hosts took the lead in the bottom of the first. Shortstop Jacob Wilson did not waste any time, launching a home run on Nationals’ starter Zack Littell’s first pitch of the game. His fifth long ball of the season and second career leadoff home run, gave the A’s an early 1–0 lead.

Left fielder Tyler Soderstrom singled to left. With one out, right fielder Carlos Cortes doubled to center, scoring Soderstrom from first. Third baseman Joshua Kuroda-Grauer followed by doubling down the right-field line, bringing home the A’s third run of the inning.

Designated hitter Jonah Heim kept the party going by lining an RBI single to center, scoring Kuroda-Grauer from second. Center fielder Lawrence Butler capped off the inning by grounding into an RBI fielder’s choice, beating the relay throw and allowing Donovan Walton to score the A’s fifth run of the frame.

The Nationals failed to take advantage of their first scoring chance in the second inning. Ginn worked out of a two on, two out jam.

The A’s scored another run against Littell in the bottom of that inning. The team loaded the bases with one out before Kuroda-Grauer hustled down the line and beat the relay throw on a potential double play, allowing Wilson to score the A’s sixth run of the game on the RBI fielders-choice. The “Green and Gold” had a chance to score more, however Heim popped out with the bases loaded.

JKG doing it all!

In the fourth inning, Kuroda-Grauer made an incredible diving catch in shallow left field to rob Nationals’ shortstop CJ Abrams of a base hit. That stellar catch, as well as his nice play the next inning, helped Ginn complete six scoreless, hitless innings on just 77 pitches.

Sodey Pop

In the bottom of the sixth, facing Littell, Soderstrom hit his second home run in as many games. His 16th long ball of the season was a two-run, two-out shot to right-center field, increasing the Athletics lead to 8-0.

Ginn Dominant Again

Ginn’s no-hit bid ended with one out in the seventh inning. After allowing Keibert Ruiz to single for the visitors’ first hit of the night, A’s manager Mark Kotsay removed Ginn. He brought in left-handed reliever Hogan Harris, who got the final two outs of that inning.

Ginn gave the A’s the quality start the team needed, allowing just one hit and three walks over 6 1/3 innings. He struck out seven and induced eight groundouts and two fly-outs.

The Floodgates Opened

In the bottom of the seventh. A’s right fielder Carlos Cortes welcomed Nationals’ reliever Max Kranick to the game by crushing his seventh home run of the season, a solo shot to left field.

Walton and Butler walked and then first baseman Jeff McNeil delivered a two-out RBI single, increasing the hosts’ lead to double digits. Wilson made it two consecutive RBI singles, his hit bringing Butler home to put the Athletics up 11-0.

The A’s were not done scoring against the Nationals’ beleaguered bullpen. Facing left-hander Carson Palmquist, Shea Langeliers ripped a bases-clearing double to right field that missed being a grand slam by just inches. Washington’s right fielder James Wood lost that fly ball,which would have ended the inning, but instead allowed three more runs to score.

In the eighth inning, Athletics’ reliever Mark Leiter Jr. escaped a bases-loaded, two-out jam unscathed, keeping the Nationals off the scoreboard.

In the bottom of that inning, Wood robbed Butler of a home run against position player-turned-pitcher Jorbit Vivas. The A’s did manage one run against Vivas, as McNeil lined a two-out RBI single for his third hit of the evening.

Shutout Over

The Nationals finally scored in the ninth. Vivas hit a sacrifice fly against A’s reliever Luis Medina, but that was all Washington could muster as Medina shut the door, securing his team’s blowout victory and setting up a rubber match tomorrow afternoon.

The winner-take-all series finale will feature a matchup between two left-handers. Jacob Lopez will start for the Athletics, looking to capitalize on his second chance in the team’s starting rotation. He will be opposed by Nationals’ southpaw Foster Griffin, who has impressed in his return to the majors after he spent time rediscovering his form in Japan’s professional baseball league.

“There is nothing I can do to make it better. Just wait.” That’s Julio Rodríguez explaining why his concussion was more difficult for him than prior injuries.

Julio’s a player that thrives on being at the center of things, always hustling, always giving the game everything he has. So when Nolan Schanuel’s errant throw hit him in the back of the head on July 2nd, it wasn’t surprising to see him notice the ball ricocheting into the outfield, jump up from his slide into second, and sprint into third to seize the extra base. When it quickly became apparent that he wasn’t OK, it would lead to two weeks of waiting. “That’s the most difficult thing because I’m somebody that if I hit the IL, I know I’m going to do whatever I can to get whatever it is better. But that—. I just wait and be patient until the time comes.”

Tonight was his first game back since being activated off the Injured List, and it was a tough one to walk into. San Francisco’s starter, Logan Webb, has consistently been one of MLB’s best pitchers for half a decade now. And boy did he show it through his first six innings.

The Mariners bats were utterly unable to get anything going against Webb and his sweeper-forward kitchen-sink approach. His first inning would be one of his longest, at all of 13 pitches, sending J.P. Crawford, Julio, and Dominic Canzone down in order. Through four innings, the Mariners had collected just a single hit, a single off the bat of Cole Young. When Julio led off the next inning, he struck out for the second time, this time on three pitches. If he wanted to contribute, he was going to have to wait.

Tonight demanded even more patience out of him because he wasn’t in the field. Trying to ease him back into things, the team had him DH tonight, and might tomorrow as well, depending on how he recovers. “I definitely had to adjust to DHing,” he said, adding that was trying his best to stay engaged with the game. But it can’t have been easy watching the Giants score a run when his replacement in centerfield, Luke Raley, bobbled a ball. All Julio could do was watch. And wait.

That was one of three runs allowed by Bryan Woo, who was otherwise excellent. The other two came off home runs: a squeaker into that tiny pocket between the left field foul pole and the visitors’ bullpen and a more convincing dinger off what Woo thinks was nevertheless a good pitch. Each of those runs feeling a little fluky means that Woo pitched better than his line suggests. His success was no doubt in part because his sinker was working tonight, which has often been the difference between his good outings and bad ones this season. He even collected his 500th career strikeout along the way tonight.

But with the Mariners unable to get anything going against Webb, Woo left the game with the team trailing 3-0. Webb was starting to look like he might pitch a Maddux, but in the seventh, his command suddenly seemed to escape him. He hit Randy Arozarena (Randy’s preferred method of reaching base since he doesn’t have to do anything), then walked Josh Naylor on four pitches. With two on, Cole Young, owner of the Mariners’ only hit, stepped into the box. Young earned his earlier hit, being attacked exclusively on the outer half, and so taking one of Webb’s best changeups the other way. So it was even more impressive to see him adjust in this at-bat, when Webb started attacking him inside. Attributing his success to having a simple mindset, Young took a pitch on the inside and cranked it to the pull side to tie the game at three.

The entire stadium came back to life. It suddenly felt like the Mariners’ game to win. They’d just have to wait longer than you’d have liked, as the offense couldn’t cash in any further over the next two innings.

The bullpen certainly did their part. Gabe Speier was lights out, riding his recently increased velocity to get the Giants way out in front of his slider. Eduard Bazardo allowed a baserunner on a hit that probably should have been scored an error. And Andrés Muñoz put together his most dominant performance in weeks: a three-pitch strikeout, an 0-2 easy ground ball, and a three-pitch strikeout. In the tenth, Jose A. Ferrer needed a little more help from his defense, but Colt Emerson made a sparkling play, requiring the combination of range, quickness, and arm strength that I’d sort of forgotten shortstops could have.

Leading off the bottom of the 10th, Colt followed up his great play with a perfectly placed bunt to move Víctor Robles, the Manfred Man at second base, to third. That’s the benefit of being on the field and in the lineup. You never have to wait that long for another opportunity to contribute.

J.P. Crawford then walked to bring Julio back to the plate. On a night where he never touched first base, struck out twice, and had to spend the Giants’ halves of the innings watching from the dugout, it was finally his time. “Just wait and be patient until the time comes.” This time, it didn’t take long, punishing the second pitch of the at-bat deep enough to left field to let Robles stride home at less than full speed.

And that patience gets Julio tonight’s Sun Hat Award. He joked that he was trying to protect himself in the celebration, “I was kind of like ah-ah” raising his arms over his head. “But that’s OK. We’re all good.”

After a thrilling ninth-inning comeback for the win on Friday night, the Tigers had their first crack at a series win against the Angels somewhere in the greater Los Angeles area. The drama was racheted-down considerably on Saturday night, though, with a convincing 7-0 win, ensuring a series victory.

Making his fourteenth start for the Tigers this year was Tarik Skubal. He’s had some short starts recently; his previous two starts only saw him complete five innings each. (Somewhere up there, Mickey Lolich shed a single tear.) He’d been more hittable in those starts, too — but let’s not forget, he underwent surgery on his throwing elbow earlier this season and the fact that he’s 100 percent now is something of a medical miracle.

Facing the Tigers was Grayson Rodriguez, who’s having a rough season, his first for the Angels after one full season in Baltimore, back in 2024. A variety of elbow and lat injuries kept him on the shelf for the entirety of the 2025 season and the start of 2026. But, after returning, he had back trouble that sat him down for almost a month. It’s been a tough go for him since being a highly-touted prospect drafted in 2018.

Kevin McGonigle hit a hustle-double which Mike Trout couldn’t quite corral to lead off the game. Dillon Dingler got hit for the second consecutive at-bat, dating back to Friday night, to put the first two runners on. Colt Keith followed with a sharp single to centre to score McGonigle and put runners at the corners. After Riley Greene struck out, Spencer Torkelson cracked a long, loud home run to left-centre to put the Tigers up 4-0 early.

Even the outs were hard-hit balls for the Tigers: Matt Vierling lined-out to left for the third out in the first, and it was 107.4 mph (172.8 km/h, 48.0 m/s) off the bat.

The baserunners kept coming in the second, as James Outman and McGonigle both singled to lead off. Dingler got hit again — yes, his third consecutive hit-by-pitch — and the bases were loaded. Keith hit a deep fly ball to Trout in centre, Outman scored, everyone else moved up a base, and it was 5-0. Greene’s deep line drive, also to centre, scored McGonigle for another run.

With two out in the fourth, Dingler did not get hit by a pitch: he doubled to the left-centrefield wall! Keith then hit a very, very high chopper that gave him enough time to get to first as Dingler took third. Alas, Greene followed with a deep flyout and that ended the inning.

Meanwhile, Skubal was far less nibbly than he’d been in those previous starts in which he only got 15 outs each — he was going right at hitters and getting groundouts on far fewer pitches. Through four innings he’d only thrown 54 pitches (36 for strikes), in giving up three harmless singles, no walks, and striking out seven.

Torkelson got a hold of another one to lead off the fifth, blasting a second long home run to centre, his eighteenth of the season, for a 7-0 lead.

A pair of singles sandwiched around a popout to start the bottom of the sixth marked the first time Skubal had allowed a runner to second base. But then Vaughn Grissom hit a grounder to shortstop for, as they say, a “tailor-made” double play to end the inning. Skubal mowed through the Angels in the seventh and his evening was done: 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K, 60 strikes out of 87 pitches. His changeup was lethal and he did a good job stuffing a mix of sinkers and fourseamers inside to right-handers. That’s a part of his game that’s been inconsistent at times since his return. (I love to see complete games, but it was a seven-run game, I mean, come on, now.)

Jacob Waguespack took over for Skubal to start the eighth, and a single and a walk put two runners on with one out. A foul popup to Torkelson was the second out, but a walk to Trout loaded the bases and AJ Hinch had seen enough. Kyle Finnegan was brought in, and on the second pitch Grissom launched a long fly ball to centre; Outman raced back to make a fine running catch look easy-peasy.

Keith hit his fourth single of the night in the ninth. Good for him!

Brenan Hanifee took over for the ninth, and he gave up a harmless single amongst the three quick outs he got. You can shove all those exciting, dramatic wins in a sack, buster! Give me a nice, easy, never-in-doubt victory any darn day of the week. The series finale starts just after 4:00 pm EDT on Sunday afternoon.

Final score: Tigers 7, Angels 0

Here’s a delightful stat for you

Observations and Observances

• Other than Grayson Rodriguez, there has been one major-leaguer with either the first or last name of Grayson: former Tiger Grayson Greiner. Remember him? I do, sort-of. I remembered that he was tall and couldn’t hit very well.
• Colt Keith has had an interesting trip around the infield. In his rookie year he appeared 0 times at first base, 133 times at second base, 0 times at third base, and 14 times at DH; let’s call that 0/133/0/14. Last year it was 18/26/37/52, and this year it’s 7/0/46/30.
• The Angels play in a stadium called Angel Stadium. That’s nice.
• On this day in 1995, the Soufrière Hills volcano on Montserrat started erupting, and the ash and pyroclastic flows from it have essentially made the southern half of the island uninhabitable to this day. It still occasionally erupts.

SEATTLE — It has been a season-long struggle for the Giants to build any kind of momentum, usually thwarted just as things get good by subpar pitching or poor defense.

Once again, it was the same culprits that kept them from extending a three-game winning streak to four. The Giants got home runs from Rafael Devers and Willy Adames and six shutout innings from Logan Webb but still fell to 0-6 when going for their fourth win in a row.

The second hit Webb surrendered was a three-run home run that tied the game in the seventh, and after the Giants weren’t able to push across their automatic runner in extra innings, Julio Rodriguez sent them to a 4-3 walkoff loss with a sacrifice fly off Dylan Smith in the 10th.

Smith took the loss, the Giants’ 10th when leading after six innings, despite not yielding a hit. But Webb shouldered the blame.

“I’m the d–khead who messed that up,” Webb said. “That should’ve been our fourth win today. It’s a momentum killer. It just sucks.”

The Giants led 3-0 when Webb served up the game-tying homer to Cole Young, and almost on cue, Luis Arraez flubbed a grounder from the next batter for only his fifth error, which proved inconsequential in the outcome but was tinged with symbolism.

As soon as one thing goes wrong, the entire system fails.

And now, the Giants are back to zero, or at least that’s where their win streak stands.

“Everybody looks at one pitch … but you can’t undo any of it,” manager Tony Vitello said. “It was a really good game. It’s a difficult loss to swallow and it makes for a great challenge tomorrow.”

When Webb took the mound to begin the seventh, he seemed poised to take it to the finish line. He had yielded just one hit, faced two batters over the minimum and thrown only 70 pitches.

Things began to unravel as soon as a 3-2 changeup ran inside and clipped Randy Arozarena, his second hit batsman of the game after he had him down 0-2. Webb walked the next batter, Josh Naylor, and Young made him pay for the free base runners.

“That’s unacceptable,” Webb said. “You get a guy 0-2 … that’s something I try to preach with the younger guys is to be in attack mode, especially if you’re winning. I was just trying to do too much and I ended up hitting him. Then a four-pitch walk the next at-bat. It’s not OK.”

Webb keeled over as he watched a sweeper at Young’s knees sail 405 feet into the right field seats. He had to settle for a no-decision and one of the more disappointing quality starts of his career, finishing 6 ⅓ innings with three earned runs on only two hits.

“I called it away and it just kind of backed up,” Webb said of the fateful slider, a pitch batters had whiffed at four of the previous seven times they offered at it. “It was a weird shape compared to all the ones I threw today. …

“I thought the team played great today. This one’s on me.”

It had been the pitcher’s duel as advertised through five innings with Bryan Woo, a Bay Area native, largely taking care of business against his hometown team.

The only run on either starter’s line until that point had been unearned, when Drew Gilbert got a late send from third-base coach Gary Pettis after center fielder Luke Raley mishandled the second of two singles from Bryce Eldridge, opening a 1-0 lead in the third.

A day after providing all the offense the Giants would need with his ninth homer of the season, Eldridge was the only Giant to record multiple hits and drew a walk to reach for a third time.

Adames and Devers teamed up to extend the Giants’ lead to 3-0 with a pair of solo shots in the sixth. Devers became the first Giant to 20 home runs, sneaking his just over the 331’ sign down the left field line to lead off the inning. Adames went the opposite way for his 17th — and second in as many games — lining a misplaced sinker over the right-field wall.

The home runs gave Webb some cushion to work with.

But only an inning later, it was gone, and so was Webb.

What it means

Webb was the first to blame himself for the loss, but Vitello noted that it’s difficult to win a game with three runs, which was all the Giants mustered against Woo and the Mariners bullpen.

Besides the two solo home runs, Eldridge’s single in the third with Gilbert at second was their only hit in seven chances with a runner in scoring position, stranding eight men on base.

“To me, that magic number is four [runs],” Vitello said. “We need to hunt everyday. Came up a little bit short on four, and maybe that’s the difference in nine innings for today’s game.”

While it may not have grabbed headlines, AJ Smith-Shawver’s outing for AAA warrants some attention. He looked good over 73 pitches, striking out 5 and walking 1 in 4.1 scoreless frames.

Given the state of the Braves’ rotation, grasping at a shortened AAA start of a former top prospect who didn’t have the time to fully establish himself at the major league level prior to injury seems warranted. That said, he was on his way to potentially establishing himself as a major league starter, despite rough mechanical consistency and command. Given that Atlanta essentially has one trustworthy starter, we could easily see Smith-Shawver in Atlanta sooner rather than later. It’s encouraging to see him pitching well on the farm as he works his way back from injury. I hope he has found some consistency in his recover, while maintaining the stuff (particularly that glorious turbocharged splitter that he was throwing potentially by accident before his injury).

Braves News

You can continue to track the signing status of the Braves’ draft picks, as we still await a number of signings.

The Braves were unlucky, but also let themselves down in a tight loss to the Rangers that they easily could have won.

MLB News

The A’s traded veteran starter Aaron Civale to the Cubs for a minor league pitcher.

The O’s signed a 5 year $90 million extension with veteran starting pitcher Kyle Bradish.

The Mariners reinstated Julio Rodriguez off the concussion IL.

Will Smith is expected out for the Dodgers until at least mid-August.

Brandon Woodruff is having season-ending shoulder surgery.

The Reds finalized their extension with star pitcher Chase Burns.