Category: Baseball

The Yankees finally bid farewell to the Toronto Blue Jays for 2026 (barring something crazy going on in October), winning on Sunday to take the current series as well as the season series overall 7-6. The team is entering a bit of a hot streak after treading water through the start of the summer, winning six of their last seven games with an offense that looks a lot less comatose. They’ll get the day off today before running into another pair of rivals in the Astros and Red Sox over the course of this week, and their performance there could either set themselves up to secure the first Wild Card slot or put it in peril. At the very least, they’re peaking at the right time for a stretch like this.

While the team may be resting up, we’ve got you covered with things to read during your day. Kevin’s got a double-feature, first going over the Rivalry Roundup where the Rays and Red Sox both kept pace with the Yankees’ win on Sunday before wishing a happy birthday to one of the most beloved former members of the modern Yanks in Brett Gardner. Peter delivers the latest installment of his series examining how the Yankees’ pitching staff has revolutionized the splitter by looking at Carlos Rodón’s resurgent usage of the pitch. Finally, I’ll be back to open up the mailbag for more of your questions later in the day.

Today’s Matchup:

Off-day

Questions/Prompts:

1. How much of a threat do you view Houston as they arrive tomorrow, tied for first-place in their division but with a losing record?

2. Is Spencer Jones playing his way into a spot in the lineup by the end of the year even if Aaron Judge returns?

The Pittsburgh Pirates may have found a diamond in the rough with Murf Gray, who very well could be the third baseman of the future for the Buccos.

Gray was drafted 73rd overall just a year ago out of Fresno State and has quickly shot up through the Minor League ranks. In his first season of professional baseball, the 22-year-old third baseman has been outstanding at the plate. On the season Gray has a slash line of .302/.403/.966 with 28 home runs; oh, and by the way, he’s already made it to Double-A Altoona!

While he’s not an elite defender at the hot corner, Gray has only committed seven errors to this point in the year. Longterm might not be at third, although it is where he’s played exclusively in college and in the Minor Leagues. His arm strength is a plus at the position, but his height, weight and lack of quickness might make him a better first baseman down the line.

Gray’s true strength is his bat. In low and High-A, he was able to chase against lower level pitching, but has since adjusted his approach at the plate since his promotion to Altoona.

“(Pirates hitting coaches) said, ‘How can we clean up your swing and be efficient for 130 games? With that came the power,” Gray said. “You become more patient. You take more walks. You get more pitches you can hit. You start realizing where your power zones are, so when you get that pitch, you don’t miss.”

With The Curve, Gray is still adjusting to higher level pitching talent.

“Low-A guys had really good stuff,” Gray said. “In High-A, they can maybe control their stuff a little more. Once you get to Double-A, it’s like everyone is here for a reason. They can control every pitch they have, and they’re looking to get you out on their best stuff. You have to know what you can hit so that you can stay away from their best stuff.”

On August 20th Gray had his fifth Double-A home run after going 2-4 with three RBIs against Binghamton. His production has plateaued slightly after some struggles at the plate with The Curve, but Gray is still projected to make his major league debut some time in 2027.

Murf Gray is the Pirates’ fourth highest rated prospect and is the 94th highest rated prospect in baseball.

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Over the past five games, Jazz Chisholm Jr. has started to look like his older self, displaying what Aaron Boone likes to refer to as “Jazz-ball.” While his 50/50 season goals are likely not happening with 32 games left in the season, the second baseman now says he only has one goal: to win the World Series. If he continues to play like he did on Sunday, that would be a huge boost to a team that’s stayed afloat with a stale offense without their leader, Aaron Judge.

The Athletic | Chris Kirschner: One of the best things about Giancarlo Stanton has always been his accountability. He never gives up and is always working hard whether he’s on the field or trying to work his way back. Unfortunately, accountability is not as great as availability, and he simply cannot be relied upon to be available. The midseason acquisition of Luis García Jr. signaled that the Yankees have had similar thoughts on being able to rely on Big G, and now with just a year left on his contract after this one (team option for 2028), this could be the beginning of the end of Stanton’s storied career.

The Athletic | Brendan Kuty: The Yankees, fortunately, received “really good news” on Ryan Weathers’ injury. They say there’s a good chance he’ll pitch again this season, even if they don’t have an exact plan in place for him just yet. There are questions that need to be answered around what his role will be, but they likely won’t be answered until they absolutely need to be. If he’s back like they expect him to be, they’ll determine whether he’ll return to the rotation or pitch out of the bullpen, and the health of the rest of the rotation will also help answering those questions when the time is right.

CHICAGO — Jared Young began the day on the bench but ended up producing the biggest Mets hit Sunday.

Unfortunately for the team, Young’s ninth-inning RBI single against Grant Taylor that tied the game became a footnote when Tristan Peters smacked a walk-off homer against Kodai Senga in the bottom of the frame.

It was just the latest big hit for Young, who has an .871 OPS in August and has provided stability at a position (first base) that was a black hole for the Mets during most of the season’s first half.

“He’s always been a good hitter,” interim manager Andy Green said following the 2-1 loss to the White Sox. “This is the first time he’s gotten any runway in the big leagues, and he’s been really good. Those are the type of at-bats you have been getting. That’s a legit closer that has really good stuff and another big swing from him.”

The Mets needed more, but Francisco Alvarez and A.J. Ewing each struck out to leave the go-ahead run in scoring position. Alvarez struck out in both of his plate appearances to continue a recent slide. Overall, he’s struck out 29 times in his past 58 at-bats.

Young was on the bench at the start as Green deployed Eric Wagaman, a right-handed bat, at first base. But Wagaman was removed after only one plate appearance.

Bo Bichette went 0-for-4 and snapped his on-base streak at 12 games. During that streak, he posted a .462 on-base percentage with eight extra-base hits.

The Mets will face a second straight first-place opponent, with the NL Central-leading Brewers headed to Citi Field for three games beginning Tuesday. After the Brewers, it’s three games against an Astros team that currently leads the AL West. The Mets will play the AL East-leading Rays for three games beginning next Monday.

The Mets are 17-16 in interleague play this season, with plenty still ahead — games remaining against the Astros, Rays, Yankees, Orioles and Rangers.

The loss of Ryan Weathers, at least as a starter, puts a bit more pressure on each Yankees rotation member.

Including Carlos Rodón, whose on-the-fly buildup is going well if not perfectly.

Rodón was “good enough,” in his words, for four innings of an 8-3 win over the Blue Jays in The Bronx on Sunday, when he stretched out to 76 pitches.

Of that total, just 42 were strikes and he walked a pair. Against a Toronto lineup that is known for its contact abilities, Rodón recorded just four swings and misses and struck out two.

But he allowed only a pair of runs (one earned) while letting up just two hits and came away happy with his stuff and his arm as he returns from an IL stint for elbow inflammation.

“It’s good,” Rodón said of his stuff, his fastball matching his season average of 94.4 mph and inducing a few whiffs with his slider. “Obviously there’s some things I want to refine and obviously be in the [strike] zone a little more, crisper with strikes and just attacking and getting ahead.

“So there’s some things I can work on.”

If next-level command is his goal, he should have a month-plus to hone it.

Sunday, he was burned by a third-inning walk to No. 8 hitter Charles McAdoo, who raced around the bases on a Myles Straw double and then scored on a Brett Bateman sacrifice fly.

And he was burned by a potential double play that George Lombard Jr. could not convert. The young shortstop appeared to glance toward second base before gloving a hard grounder from Ernie Clement, and the ball bounded out of his glove. Instead of a potential frame-ending double play, the Blue Jays had the bases loaded with one out. Daz Cameron’s sacrifice fly scored a run.

“I think he’s in a really good place,” manager Aaron Boone said of Rodón. “I think his stuff physically is where it needs to be and hopefully he just continues to get a little bit sharper as he does build up here.”

As the Yankees moved Weathers (flexor strain) to the injured list, they called up Brendan Beck, who had been scratched from his start with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday.

Yet Beck is not officially set to join the rotation. The Yankees are listing Will Warren as Tuesday’s starter and TBA on Wednesday before Gerrit Cole on Thursday.

Top prospect Elmer Rodríguez owns a 1.38 ERA in his past five starts.

“We’ll see how the next several days play out,” Boone said of his Wednesday starter. “Obviously Elmer down there could factor in. Brendan Beck’s up here today.”

Clarke Schmidt, building up from Tommy John surgery and past a forearm issue, is expected to throw a live batting practice Tuesday.

If that goes well, Schmidt would begin a rehab assignment that would end with his joining the Yankees bullpen.

Cody Bellinger went 1-for-4 with a run scored in his return.

“Felt really good,” Bellinger said after a four-week absence with a hamstring strain. “Honestly felt 100 percent.”

The Dodgers unleashed their three best pitchers on the Pirates over the weekend: Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitching the series opener, Tarik Skubal the middle game and Blake Snell the series finale on Sunday.

The results were predictable: win, win, win.

“Definitely excited about it,” Snell said.

Snell pointed out that Tyler Glasnow is set to come back from a back injury on Tuesday in the series opener in Atlanta, as well as how Shohei Ohtani is closing in on his return to the mound.

“It’s going to be a lot of good competition within the starting rotation,” Snell said. “I’m really excited about it.”

Admonishing himself for chasing strikeouts, Snell was displeased with his performance.

“I just gotta be better,” he said.

He still pitched six shutout innings in the Dodgers’ 4-0 victory.

He didn’t like that he walked three batters and hit another. Or that his inefficiency kept him from pitching into the later innings.

“Honestly,” he said, “it’s lazy.”

In the three games Snell has pitched since returning from a minor procedure to remove loose bodies from his elbow, he has allowed only two runs in 18 innings.

Snell’s solid-but-unspectacular effort was backed by a similar-quality performance by the offense.

The Dodgers collected only six hits but worked four walks and turned that into four runs. Their first run scored on a double play by Mookie Betts. The other runs were driven in by No. 8 and 9 hitters Alek Thomas and Hunter Feduccia and a groundout by Max Muncy.

“I liked the way we manufactured runs,” manager Dave Roberts said. 

Roberts applauded Shohei Ohtani for setting the tone with an 11-pitch walk to start the game. Facing Pirates opener Lake Bachar, Ohtani fell behind in the count, 0-2, then fouled off the next four pitches.

“I love going 0-2 to 4-2, spoiling the pitches and working the count,” Roberts said.

Ohtani stole second base and reached third on a single by Freddie Freeman. Betts’ double-play ball got him home.

A win is a win, but when you’re the Atlanta Braves looking to break out of a scoring slump, you can’t help but look forward to a bit more.

Regardless, in a game filled with questionable calls and moments of minimum effort, the Braves managed to take a 4-2 win against the Milwaukee Brewers to close out their trip to Wisconsin.

The Braves put themselves on the board first with an RBI double from Mauricio Dubón, bringing Ozzie Albies home in the top of the second inning.

The Brewers answered back in the third with a run of their own off an RBI single, tying the contest at 1-1.

After adding another run in the fourth, it was a costly fielding error in the top of the sixth that helped the Braves pull away with a 3-1 lead. And that run ended up being much needed, because the Brewers went on to score in the bottom of the eighth, cutting into Atlanta’s lead just when it looked like the Braves might be all out of runs for the night.

But a homer from the leadoff man, Michael Harris II, sparked the Braves’ offense once again in the top of the ninth, giving Atlanta one final pull-away from its opponent and ending the night on a positive note. It was also his career-best 21st home run.

Tyler Mahle had a decent outing in his fourth appearance with Atlanta, finishing with 5.0 innings pitched, six hits allowed, one earned run, two walks and four strikeouts. His ERA dropped to 4.41.

Mahle has shown that he can be a considerably solid starter, but more importantly, a consistent one. Adding that to what the team has in Chris Sale, at least there’s a bright side to the Braves’ constant rotation scrutiny. While there are still plenty of questions surrounding the rotation, Mahle’s recent outings have given Atlanta something it needs: another starter it can rely on to give the team a chance.

Will it be enough to take on the Dodgers at Truist Park?

First, a much-needed break before the return home. But until then, let’s enjoy the win.

Box Score

With really good starts by Jacob Misiorowski and Logan Henderson behind them already in this series, Brewers starter Shane Drohan had a lot to live up to. But not all low-scoring games are pitchers duels. This wasn’t an especially attractive game of baseball, but it was at least close until the end. Atlanta, however, playing to avoid a sweep, was just able to keep the Brewers at arm’s length all night and Milwaukee once again struggled with runners in scoring position.

With one out in the first, Drohan allowed his first baserunner on a free pass to Ronald Acuña Jr. But a couple pitches later, Drohan induced a double play from Matt Olson and he faced the minimum in the first. Tyler Mahle also faced the minimum in the first: he got three groundouts in a row from the top of the Brewers’ order, and we were off.

The first hit of the game came when Ozzie Albies hit a slow roller to short; Joey Ortiz took just a beat too long, and Albies beat the throw by a half a step. Drohan came back with a strikeout of Drake Baldwin, but Lane Thomas jumped on the first pitch he saw and knocked a solid single to center fielder Garrett Mitchell (while he was chatting with the broadcast team during the game). The Braves continued to barrel up Drohan, as Mauricio Dubón hit a ball just inside the right-field line that bounced over the fence for a ground-rule double, which scored the first run of the game.

A five-pitch walk to Austin Riley loaded the bases with one out and prompted a visit from Chris Hook, but from there Drohan buckled down. Sean Murphy popped out to Andrew Vaughn in foul territory for the second out, and Michael Harris II struck out to end the inning.

With one out in the bottom of the second, the Brewers got their first hit when Vaughn lined a single into left field. Christian Yelich then came up swinging at the first pitch and lined a single through the hole up the middle to make it back-to-back singles. A Joey Ortiz walk loaded the bases, and the Brewers had Mahle on the ropes. The batter was Mitchell, and with nowhere to put him, Mahle fell behind 3-0, but he was able to come back for a strikeout. Mahle fell behind Hamilton 3-0, too, but he was robbed of a hit and a couple RBI by a sliding Acuña to end the inning. It was about as far as a pitcher can bend without actually breaking, but Mahle was through two scoreless.

Drohan had a painful start to the third, as Acuña—who, I remind you, had just robbed the Brewers of a couple runs—lined a ball off of Drohan’s “backside” that deflected for an infield single. Olson, though, grounded into his second double play of the game—a beauty of a play by Hamilton, who was in a shift but ranged way over to his left to pick up Olson’s ground ball, stepped on the bag, and made a difficult throw to first for a 5-3 double play. After a bit of a battle, Albies went down swinging to end the inning.

Jackson Chourio hit a hard ground ball that Olson made a nice play on at first base to start the bottom of the third. Brice Turang picked up a one-out single, and William Contreras made nice contact but Albies made a nice play to get Contreras at first. The fielder’s choice advanced Turang to second though, which was big when Jake Bauers hit a line drive to right on the next pitch for a single that scored Turang ahead of Acuña’s throw. Vaughn struck out to end the inning, but Bauers’ RBI single had tied up the game at one.

With Rob Manfred in the booth (booooo), Baldwin got the Braves off to a good start in the fourth by hitting a double into the right-field gap. Thomas, who was next, picked up his second hit on a hard line drive to right; Baldwin held at third, but Atlanta was in business with runners on the corners and nobody out. Dubón helped Drohan out by popping out to shallow left on the first pitch he saw, and Riley struck out. Drohan was one batter away from getting out of it, and he induced a ground ball, but Hamilton slipped while fielding Murphy’s slow grounder and a run scored. Harris flew out to end the inning, but the Braves had restored their lead.

Yelich walked to start the bottom of the fourth, but Ortiz grounded into a double play to erase the baserunner. Mitchell squared to bunt, but a fastball got away from Mahle and Mitchell got plunked on his right wrist. He was clearly in pain. (Mitchell stayed in to run, but was later replaced in the field by Luis Lara; the word was a “right forearm contusion.”) Hamilton smoked a ball with two outs, but for the second time in the game he was robbed of a hit, this time by Albies, who snagged his 1o1 mph line drive for the third out.

Drohan walked Acuña to start the fifth, and he stole second with Olson at the plate. Drohan was able to strike out Olson, but with one out Albies snuck a single just over the glove of Ortiz and into left field. Acuña aggressively rounded third but got a late stop sign, and before he could get back to third, Contreras, who already had Chourio’s throw from left field, got him trying to get back to the base. Baldwin flew out, and the Brewers were through another scoreless inning.

Chourio grounded out for the third time in the game on the first pitch of the bottom of the fifth. Turang then struck out on three pitches, but Contreras extended the inning with a two-out single to center. Bauers, though, grounded out, and the Braves maintained their 2-1 lead.

Drohan was done after five innings; he wasn’t very good, but he managed to hold the Braves to two runs in five innings despite eight hits and three walks. There was a lengthy delay during Thomas’s at-bat to lead off the sixth; Contreras accidently put his foot on Thomas’s while new pitcher Grant Anderson was winding up, but the explanation given was that, since it happened before the pitch, it wasn’t catcher’s interference. After the delay, Thomas grounded out. Anderson walked Dubón with one out—his 30th walk, adding to his career high!—and Riley followed with a single to put runners on the corners. With Murphy batting, Riley stole second, perhaps trying to goad Contreras into a throw, but he held onto the ball while staring Thomas down.

Anderson got Murphy looking for the second out, and Pat Murphy went to play matchups by going to DL Hall to face Harris. Hall did his job and got a weak ground ball from Harris, but Vaughn—who needed to hustle with Hall covering first—misplayed the ball, Harris had an infield hit, and Thomas scored from third. Acuña flew out to left to end the inning, but the Braves had their lead up to 3-1.

The Brewers got a fortunate break in the bottom of the sixth. After Vaughn singled to right, Yelich hit what maybe should’ve been a 3-6-3 double play. But Vaughn did a good job getting in Olson’s throwing lane, and Olson’s throw to second bounced off of his head. Vaughn and Yelich were both safe, and the Brewers were in business with nobody out. That was also the end of Mahle’s day, as Walt Weiss went to his bullpen for righty Didier Fuentes.

Fuentes did exactly what the Braves needed. For the second tiem in the game, Ortiz grounded into a double play, and with Vaughn at third and two out, Lara, in his first at-bat, grounded out to end the inning. Hall had no trouble in the top of the seventh, and retired Atlanta’s 3-5 hitters in order.

After Hamilton flew out to left to start the bottom of the seventh, Chourio hit his fourth ground ball of the game, but this one was slow enough that he could beat it to first for an infield hit. After Turang popped out, Contreras lined another single to right, which gave Bauers a shot with two on and two out. He got a pretty good pitch to hit on 2-2 but swung under it, and the Braves held their 3-1 lead through seven complete.

Bryse Wilson replaced Hall in the eighth. Riley picked up his second hit on a two-out single, but Murphy lined out to end the inning. The Brewers, though, needed offense. Yelich did his part: with one out, he lined a double into the right-field gap off of the lefty Dylan Lee. Ortiz, though, continued his tough day with a strikeout, but Lara’s second at-bat was a beauty. On the ninth pitch of a lengthy battle, he lined one past Olson at first and into the right-field corner for a stand-up triple, which made it 3-2. The Brewers sent Gary Sánchez to the plate, which was countered by Weiss bringing on his closer, Raisel Iglesias, with two outs in the eighth to attempt a four-out save. Sánchez, in front of the Little Leaguers, hit a big-league pop-up for the third out, but the Brewers had halved the lead.

With the lead at one, Murphy went to Aaron Ashby rather than sending Wilson out for a second inning of work. He maybe should’ve stuck with Wilson; Ashby left an 0-2 slider too close to the zone and Harris knocked it out for his 21st home run of the season, restoring Atlanta’s two-run lead. Ashby recovered; Acuña grounded out, then the Brewers were almost harmed by tonight’s lack of ABS technology in Williamsport, as a perfect 0-2 pitch to Olson was called a ball. But a couple pitches later, Olson struck out on a 3-2 slider, and an Albies fly out ended the top of the ninth.

Milwaukee had the top of the order up in the bottom of the ninth. Chourio hit his fifth ground ball of the game up the middle for a solid single, and after a wild pitch in a 2-0 pitch advanced Chourio, and Turang walked a pitch later. Contreras then got into one and hit it deep to the right-field gap, but the ballpark held it—it would’ve been a homer in seven of the league’s ballparks, though American Family Field was not one of those seven. (Remember—this game would’ve been in Milwaukee if not for tonight’s festivities.)

In any case, a couple pitches later, Bauers, on a check swing, hit a weak comebacker to the mound that started a 1-6-3 double play to end the game. The Braves took game three of the series with a 4-2 victory.

This game, despite its low score, was a slog. Drohan and Mahle together allowed 19 baserunners in just ten combined innings, though only three of them scored; the bullpens settled things down a bit after that. The Brewers were bitten again by their lack of timely hitting; they were just 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11 runners on base. Only two of Milwaukee’s 11 hits went for extra bases (Yelich’s double and Lara’s triple, which came in succession in the eighth).

The Brewers get the day off tomorrow before starting a series with the Mets in New York on Tuesday evening.

Another brawl broke out at a Chicago baseball game, and this one made last week’s fisticuffs look like a tea party.

A group of White Sox fans got into it Sunday during the Southsiders’ 2-1 win over the Mets in a shocking scene that spanned nearly half a section.

It’s unclear how or why the skirmish started, but multiple viral videos from different angles showed about a dozen fans in section 518 punching, shoving and stomping on each other while moving dangerously close to the railing at the front of the section.

As the extracurriculars spread, some bystanders fled the scene — “there’s a kid!” one shouted — while others whipped out their phones.

Some even rushed to get involved themselves.

At one point, a fan jumped down two rows and landed feet-first on a man’s stomach after he was pushed to the ground.

That man then grabbed his attacker by the shirt and aggressively flung him down another row of seats, somehow losing his own shirt in the process.

A loud gasp could be heard from around the ballpark as the crowd turned its attention away from the product on the field.

Even as security guards — some wielding handcuffs — showed up to break up the fight, fans could be seen continuing to point and shout at each other, with one man even defying his handler to get in one last hit before he was held back by the arm.

There was even a bit of a crowd pop on the final blow.

It’s the second melee involving White Sox fans in less than a week after a viral incident during Chicago’s Crosstown Classic at Wrigley Field. Multiple fans were arrested during that game for an unrelated infraction.

Unlike last week’s brawl at the Friendly Confines that was between rivals, this one appeared to be mostly friendly fire between White Sox fans.

The baseball world was slow to recognize the contributions of the greatest players in Colorado Rockies history. When Larry Walker was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame back in 2020, he did so on his 10th and final chance on his last ballot of eligibility. Four years later, Todd Helton got the call in his sixth year of eligibility.

For a variety of reasons and biases, national sportswriters took their time in granting the two legends their place in the game’s history.

The Rockies were quicker to honor Helton, retiring his number 17 in 2014, the season after his retirement. They were a little slower on the draw than they could have been with Walker, who retired in 2005 but didn’t have his jersey retired until 2021 alongside a celebration of his Hall of Fame induction.

Beyond the retired numbers, Rockies fans have long clamored for the club to do more to celebrate these greats around the ballpark. Finally, fans got their wish.

The Rockies announced plans this year to unveil statues of both Walker and Helton, with the first taking place today and the latter coming soon on September 19th.

Between the Hall of Fame inductions, the jersey retirements, and the statues, all of the celebrations are long overdue and beyond well-deserved for these two. Coors Field is already one of the best ballparks, but the new additions will make it even better.

There’s often discussion about where the line should be drawn around how many players are honored by a franchise and how that should be done. Some argue that teams retiring too many numbers can cause that recognition to lose some of its meaning.

I’ve always enjoyed the Denver Broncos approach to celebrating team legends. They’ve historically been selective in retiring numbers but have a robust Ring of Fame. They host meaningful celebrations for new inductees and honor all Ring of Famers by enshrining their names inside the stadium and building statues of each outside. While I don’t think a newer team like the Rockies can expect to have as many players celebrated as a historically rich team like the Broncos, I do think the model is a nice one.

So after this, what comes next for other great players in Colorado baseball history now that the Rockies built a new future for honoring the past with the Walker and Helton statues?

• What’s your threshold for who should get their number retired and/or receive a statue?
• Would you like to see the Rockies reserve those honors for only the players who make it into the MLB Hall of Fame? Or would you like to see the franchise recognize more of its own players where MLB won’t?
• With all of that, who should get the next statue outside of Coors Field? Charlie Blackmon? Some or all of the Blake Street Bombers? Matt Holliday? Nolan Arenado? Anyone else?

Give us your thoughts on memorializing Rockies legends below!

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

Rangers 5, Angels 3

• Your Texas Rangers have won their fifth straight home series.
• And, thanks to the Houston Astros blowing a 6-0 lead against the Sacramento A’s, your Texas Rangers are in first place in the American League West.
• Yes, yes, its a tie in the West with Houston, and the Astros hold the tiebreaker so the Rangers are effectively a game back, but spare me all that nitpicking.
• At least for now.
• The Rangers also are tied for the third Wild Card spot with Cleveland. Texas does hold the tiebreaker advantage over the Guardians, having won 4 of 6 against them, so we have that going for us.
• The last time the Rangers lost a series at home was a month ago, when they lost two of three to the White Sox of Chicago, the very same team they are playing on the road starting Monday. I’m not sure if that’s an omen or not.
• I remain a Cal Quantrill skeptic.
• Nonetheless, he continues to exceed expectations.
• This is now five straight starts where Quantrill has given up 0 or 1 earned run.
• With six shutout innings in this start, Quantrill has now allowed one run in his last nineteen innings.
• He has lowered his ERA on the season to 2.90.
• I will note that Quantrill has a 4.01 FIP and 4.61 xFIP to go with the 2.90 ERA, which is why its not unreasonable to be skeptical about whether he can continue to do this.
• But it doesn’t change what has occurred so far.
• I will acknowledge that I got concerned in the eighth inning, when Peyton Gray allowed a homer to Zach Neto, and then Tyler Alexander allowed two more runs, bringing the tying run to the plate before Chase Silseth got the final out.
• I don’t mean to alarm anyone, but Peyton Gray is kinda trending in the wrong direction. He’s allowed three home runs in his last four outings, and five in his last 12 outings, after allowing just three in his first 33 appearances.
• I was also a bit concerned when Jacob Latz started the ninth by allowing Christian Moore to smoke a ball to the wall for a double, once again putting the tying run at the plate.
• It was fine, though, in part due to intentionally walking Mike Trout with two outs.
• Also, shoutout to Elias Diaz, whose success challenge on a 1-0 pitch to Moises Ballesteros, right after the intentional walk to Trout, turned a 2-0 count into a 1-1 count, ultimately leading to a game ending K of Ballesteros.
• Texas even managed to put some runs on the board, in a novel change from recent games.
• Ezequiel Duran, starting in center field as part of an effort to get some more offense going, allowing Cody Freeman and Justin Foscue to both start in the infield against a lefty and have the newly recalled Logan O’Hoppe start at DH, homered for the Rangers’ first run of the game in the second. Cody Freeman tripled home O’Hoppe later in the inning, and then scored on an Elias Diaz sac fly. Diaz added a home run in the fifth.
• Yes, your first place Texas Rangers were led by Duran, Freeman, Foscue, and Diaz today.
• To be fair, Corey Seager was 2 for 3 with in the game with a HBP, and Wyatt Langford was 2 for 3 with a walk, and Langford hit a double that put Seager on third so that he could score on a Brandon Nimmo sac fly for what was the final Ranger hit of the game.
• And, not to belabor the point or anything, but Seager and Langford getting their grooves on simultaneously would be a very fine thing indeed.
• Cal Quantrill topped out at 95.2 mph with his sinker, averaging 93.8 mph, and 94.3 mph with his fastball, averaging 93.4 mph. Peyton Gray hit 94.4 mph with his fastball. Tyler Alexander’s fastball hit 92.4 mph. Chase Silseth threw one sinker at 95.4 mph. Jacob Latz touched 95.3 mph with his fastball.
• Wyatt Langford had a 108.3 mph GIDP. Elias Diaz had a 106.3 mph sacrifice fly, a 106.1 mph fly out, and a 103.7 mph home run. Elias ate his Wheaties this morning. Cody Freeman had a 104.5 mph groundout. Brandon Nimmo had a 103.6 mph sacrifice fly. Corey Seager had a 100.6 mph single. Jake Burger had a 100.5 mph ground out. Logan O’Hoppe had a 100.4 mph single. Ezequiel Duran’s homer was 100.1 mph.
• Let’s be happy with the Rangers. At least for now.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs roasted the Toledo Mud Hens (Tigers), 4-2.

Braxton Garrett had his best start as a Cub, getting the win after tossing five shutout innings. Garrett allowed just two hits. He struck out seven and walked just one.

Eduarniel Nuñez had to bail out Jayden Murray in the eighth inning and then pitched the ninth to get the save. Nuñez’s final line was no runs on no hits over 1.1 innings. He did walk one batter while striking out one.

Right fielder Chase McCormick hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning, his 12th on the year. McCormick was 2 for 4 with a walk.

Matt Shaw played seven innings at shortstop today in a rehab assignment. Shaw was 1 for 3 with an RBI double and a walk. He also scored on McCormick’s home run.

Shaw’s RBI double.

The McCormick home run.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies let the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Marlins) get away, 4-3.

Starter Dawson Netz took the loss after he allowed three runs on three hits over three innings. One of those hits was a two-run home run. Netz walked two and struck out two.

Catcher Miguel Useche hit a solo home run in the fourth inning. It was Useche’s 11th home run this year and fifth with the Smokies. Useche went 1 for 4.

Third baseman Alex Madera was 3 for 4 with a stolen base. He scored once.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs calmed the West Michigan Whitecaps (Tigers), 3-2.

Anhuar Garcia pitched the first five innings and allowed just one run on three hits. The one run came on a fourth inning home run. Garcia struck out four and walked no one.

Noah Edders threw the next three innings, giving up one run on three hits. He struck out four and walked two.

Luis Rujano retired the side in order in the top of the ninth and got the win when South Bend walked it off. Rujano did not strike anyone out.

Shortstop Angel Cepeda singled home pinch hitter Jose Escobar in the bottom of the ninth to win the game. Cepeda was 2 for 5.

DH Josiah Hartshorn singled Escobar (who had walked) over to third before Cepeda’s walk-off single. Hartshorn went 1 for 3 with two walks and a stolen base.

Catcher Justin Stransky doubled and scored on a sac fly in the third inning. Stransky went 1 for 3 with a walk.

That’s all four hits South Bend had today. They were enough.

A nice 1-4-3 double play.

Ethan Conrad and Cepeda showing off their arms.

Cepeda’s walk-off.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans were swept in a doubleheader by the Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Astros), 6-2 and 6-1.

Riely Hunsaker started game one and took the loss after surrendering four runs on three hits and two walks over 4+ innings. He struck out five and walked two.

Myrtle Beach had just two hits in game one. Catcher Jose Silva was 1 for 1 with two walks and one run scored.

Freddy Rodriguez started game two and took the loss after giving up two runs on four hits over five innings. Rodriguez struck out four and walked no one.

The Pelicans only had four hits in game two but one of them was a solo home run by right fielder Caden Sorrell. It was Sorrell’s second home run. He went 1 for 3.

Sorrell’s home run.

There might be a few surprising concerns about George Lombard Jr.’s defense, the rookie shortstop committing a third error in as many games after a sparkling start.

There might be a few unsurprising concerns about Spencer Jones’ strikeouts, up to 64 in his first 57 games and 159 at-bats.

But there is far more excitement than concern over what the Yankees are witnessing from their two youngest active players, who are sparking an offense that was desperate for anything or anyone who could get it going.

Lombard and Jones combined for four hits, four runs scored and an RBI in the Yankees’ 8-3 victory over the Blue Jays in The Bronx on Sunday, when good things continually happened when the pair stepped to the plate.

Such as Lombard’s well-struck single to the right side in the second inning, which was followed by Jones crushing an RBI double into right-center field that allowed a chance for two fresh and speedy legs to gallop around the bases.

Such as Lombard’s slow roller to third base that he turned into an infield single in the sixth, which was followed by Jones demolishing a 110.2 mph single in an inning where both would come around to score.

“They’re good players, so hopefully they can continue to kind of entrench themselves as key pieces going forward,” manager Aaron Boone said of the duo, who are good friends off the field and beginning to establish themselves on it.

Jones simply being on the roster Sunday was significant.

As recently as a few days ago, there was curiosity whether the return of lefty-hitting outfielder Cody Bellinger would shove the other lefty-hitting outfielder back to the minors.

But Ryan McMahon’s IL stint changed the equation, and it was the just-called-up Max Schuemann who was sent to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

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Jones, who is up to a .743 OPS with seven home runs, continues to play his way into more playing time and now finds himself in a platoon role in right field with the righty-hitting Heliot Ramos.

“He’s made good adjustments to the league,” Boone said of Jones, who has hit safely in eight of his past 11 games and is slashing .307/.357/.564 in the span. “And I feel like has a good understanding of his strengths and weaknesses, has a good idea of the opposing pitcher’s strengths and weaknesses.

“And I feel like for a young player, he’s done a good job of making adjustments and applying his experience to help him get better.”

As for Lombard, his glove might be slumping — he could not record any outs on a fourth-inning ground ball from Ernie Clement that might have been an inning-ending double play — but he has shown enough spectacular for some leeway while he also is showing he, too, might be figuring out major league pitching.

A prospect who took time to master every minor league level has not appeared to need much of a learning curve in the majors, now with five multi-hit games in his first 17 and batting .288 with a .755 OPS.

“It’s been excellent,” Boone said of Lombard’s bat. “He’s another guy that’s gotten a lot better on that side of the ball this year. He’s grown a lot as a hitter.

“He knows the strike zone. … He’s strong and has some power, but I think the hit-ability piece is getting better. We’ve seen him in a number of situations, kind of just punch one to the right side, where the situation kind of calls for it, too.

“He’s done a really good job.”

CHICAGO — Nolan McLean is approaching 150 innings for this season following his strong performance Sunday, but his ambitions are much grander.

“I am still behind what I threw last year, so I have got some room to continue to grow and build those innings up,” the Mets rookie said after his team’s 2-1 loss to the White Sox at Rate Field. “Ideally, it’s 200. Every single time you start the season, your goal is to get to 200 innings.”

McLean, at 148 ²/₃ innings, has six starts remaining at most, and it’s unlikely Mets officials will push him extensively late in the season.

McLean pitched 161 ²/₃ innings last season, split between the minor leagues and majors.

On this day he fired six scoreless innings in which he allowed only one hit and walked four batters — he plunked another — with six strikeouts.

It was his third straight start pitching at least six innings while allowing one or no runs.

“Those are good hitters that had really been swinging it well against us all series, having tough at-bats,” interim manager Andy Green said. “I thought he was on the attack all day. Mixed pitches. He was really unpredictable. It was hard to know what he was going to do, so I felt good about what he did today.”

He faced his stiffest challenge in the third, when he walked consecutive batters to load the bases after allowing a two-out single to Sam Antonacci.

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The right-hander rebounded to strike out Andrew Benintendi on three pitches.

“I felt like I made all the pitches I wanted to and ended up walking them,” McLean said of the third-inning jam.

McLean, who has a 3.21 ERA in 26 starts this season, is part of the NL Rookie of the Year discussion, along with teammate Carson Benge.

How much is McLean paying attention to the race?

“Not a ton,” he said. “My job is to go out there and try to put my team in the best position to win. If you control that, good things tend to happen. I think any competitor would like to win the award, but I don’t pay too much attention.”

Despite losing 2-1 to the Chicago White Sox on Sunday afternoon in walk-off fashion for the second time in the series, the Mets had a couple of things worth celebrating during the series finale.

Kodai Senga takes next step as reliever

After pitching the ninth inning in Saturday’s 10-5 win, Senga was back on the mound on consecutive days for the first time in his career and although he allowed a game-ending home run in the process, he and the Mets can check off another box as the former starter continues to make the transition to the bullpen.

“For him it’s good to get that under the belt and to have done that,” said interim manager Andy Green. “... I think overall Senga’s got something done now that he hadn’t done and that’s good for us.”

In a 1-1 game and New York off on Monday, it seemed like the perfect time to introduce Senga to pitching in back-to-back games as he’ll have extra time to recover from the appearance. The hope is that the right-hander, who has fallen into the closer role, comes out of the experience feeling good and healthy so that he can possibly do it again this season and beyond.

In fact, Green is hardly concerned with the result of the outing and called it a “step forward” for Senga who has been solid as the team’s new closer during Devin Williams’ absence.

For his part, Senga was disappointed in the outcome but said he had “no big issues” being on the mound.

“I felt good today,” he said via an interpreter. “I had no doubts being out on the mound, believed that I could do it and it was partly my decision to go out there and say that I’m ready to pitch today.”

As for the results, a walk-off solo shot to Tristan Peters on a 3-1 fastball in the middle of the zone, it reminded Senga just how different closing a game is compared to starting, how intense a closer’s job is and how important it is to the success of a team.

“It’s kind of like a moment of realization that I’m in a position where the game could end potentially in one pitch with one swing of the bat,” he said. “Seeing the ball like that, it just kind of dawned on me that that’s the type of role that I’m playing right now.”

Nolan McLean becoming an ace

Before the White Sox walked it off against the Mets’ bullpen, McLean had shut them down for six scoreless innings while allowing just one hit. It was the rookie’s third consecutive start allowing one earned run or fewer and it lowered his ERA to 3.21.

Still, the outing wasn’t without its hiccups as the right-hander walked four and hit a batter, both for the second straight start. In fact, McLean had to work out of a two-out jam in the fourth inning after a single and two walks loaded the bases, which he did by striking out Andrew Benintendi – one of three strikeouts, all looking, in the frame.

Aside from that, McLean was in control all day and has easily been New York’s ace in his first full season in the big leagues.

“Just a really good mix today,” Green said. “Those are good hitters that have been swinging really well against us all series, having tough at-bats. I thought he was on the attack all day, mixed, it was hard, really unpredictable, hard to know what he was gonna do so I felt good about what he did today. Six strong innings.”

After running into some struggles in May that raised his ERA to as high as 4.40, McLean was able to put that behind him and has been dominant ever since, looking like the pitcher that burst onto the scene last year in eight starts as he tries to finish this season strong.

“I feel good. I wouldn’t say stronger or any better than I felt to start the season, it’s just every time I go out there I’m trying to learn and I’m hopefully doing a better job of that,” he said.

With 31 games remaining for the Mets this season, the rookie, who has pitched 148.2 innings in 26 starts, will likely have about five or six starts left and is “fairly confident” he won’t run into any possible fatigue that often shows up for pitchers setting career-highs in innings pitched.

“I think I’m still behind what I threw last year so I got some room to go to continue to grow and continue to build those innings up,” he said. “Ideally it’s 200 [innings] every single time, once you start a season your goal is to get to 200 innings.”

McLean won’t get to 200 innings this season but there’s no doubt that he’s trending in the right direction to get there soon and continue to be the ace for a talented Mets pitching staff for a long time.

In fact, McLean’s sights seem to only be set on helping his team win games and he isn’t worried about anything else when he’s on the mound like the Rookie of the Year award, even though he’s certainly in the running – one of two Mets rookies who are.

“My job is to go out there and try to put my team in the best position to win and overall if you control that good things tend to happen,” he said. “I think any competitor would like to win the award but I don’t pay too much attention.”

Meanwhile, McLean’s teammate, Carson Benge, added to his case for ROTY with another two-hit game on Sunday, including a double and a run scored. The outfielder went 6-for-13 in the series and is up to a .278 average at the plate with a .765 OPS as he continues to be on fire following a slow start to his career.