Category: Baseball

Keider Montero fired six shutout frames and the Tigers bullied Athletics pitching again to win 11-0 and complete a three-game sweep. The Tigers scored 32 runs in this series. No one player was really the hero as the offense pounded out 12 hits and drew nine walks, but Eduardo Valencia continued to rake, contributing a pair of two-run doubles to lead the way.

A.J. Hinch stacked up his right-handed hitters to face young lefty Gage Jump in this one. The 23-year-old got out to a really good start this season but has struggled quite a lot since late June. Riley Greene got a day off, while Max Clark was in against the lefty and Javier Báez was on the bench as well.

Gleyber Torres led off and drew a walk from Jump. Dillon Dingler, the designated hitter in this one, followed with a single. Kevin McGonigle took a called strike three, and Eduardo Valencia also had a little trouble picking up Jump’s fastball after falling behind 0-2, and took a heater right down the gut for strike three as well. That was fine because Spencer Torkelson smoked a double that split the left and center fielders to the wall, scoring both baserunners for a 2-0 lead. Torkelson snatched third base on a pitch that squirted away from catcher Jonah Heim. Hao-Yu Lee ripped a hot one-hopper down the third base line but Tommy White made a really nice pick and saved a run by throwing Lee out.

Montero took the bump knowing that as a fly ball pitcher, he needed to avoid mistakes in a very home run friendly Triple-A park. Donovan Walton popped out to shallow left field to start things off. Tyler Soderstrom ripped a hot one-hopper that clipped Montero in the heel, rode up his back, and stayed right there. Montero gloved it in the air and easily retired Soderstrom. Montero was laughing about it and quickly dismissed the training staff’s concerns and got back to business. He just missed to a 2-2 changeup to Heim and then yanked one to walk him. Tommy White squared up a sinker but Max Clark ran it down easily near the warning track.

Max Clark challenged a 2-1 fastball from Jump that was called a strike. The rookie was correct, and then Jump missed 3-1 to put the speedy center fielder on to begin the second inning. Malgeri then grounded a 3-1 pitch into a 6-4-3 double play, but the Tigers challenged the play at first and they were right again as Malgeri beat out the throw by a few inches. Zach McKinstry flew out in foul territory down the left field line, leaving it up to Torres as the lineup turned over. The first pitch to Torres was a passed ball that got Malgeri into scoring position, and the Tigers second baseman once again patiently waited out the youngster and drew a walk. Dingler took a called strike three to strand two.

Lawrence Butler led off with a single, but Montero got a fly out and Alika Williams, former ASU teammates of Torkelson and Gage Workman, grounded into a force of Butler. Montero wasn’t getting many whiffs, and Valencia may have cost him a strike or two, but Jeff McNeil flew out to McKinstry, who had an…interesting route on the ball, to end the inning.

The Tigers went in order in the top of the third, but they did continue to wear on Jump, and he finished the inning at 55 pitches.

Montero got the first two hitters in the bottom half, but Soderstrom lined a one-hopper over the right field wall for a two-out double. Heim immediately hit a soft tapper in front of the plate and Valencia easily threw him out to send us to the fourth.

With one out in the top of the fourth, Max Clark put together another patient at-bat and walked for the second straight plate appearance. Malgeri worked a full count and Jump’s effectively wild routine was wearing thin. Heim wasted a challenge, but the pitch was low and there were two on for McKinstry. Jump fell behind 2-0 again, and McKinstry smoked a line drive just over Walton at second for a sharp single. The runners had to wait a beat as Walton leapt for it, and so Billy Boyer held Clark at third, and the bases were juiced for Gleyber Torres. Former Tigers right-hander Elvis Alvarado was warming in the pen.

Gleyber Torres got an 0-1 heater and paddled it back through the box for a two-run single. McKinstry went first to third just ahead of the throw, and it was 4-0 Tigers. Dingler had some trouble with Jump’s slider and struck out.

Jump’s outing looked like it would end either way after McGonigle, and the Tigers rookie got ahead 3-1 and eventually walked to load the bases for Valencia. Mark Kotsay brought in Alvarado, and his triple digit heat remains intact. Valencia fouled off a triple digit 0-2 pitch, and then Alvardo dropped a slider right down the middle and Valencia came through once again, smashing a two-run double to left. Mwahaha. 6-0 Tigers. Torkelson flew out, and a now rested Montero took the mound with a big old lead.

Montero got a pair of quick outs on routine contact, then walked Carlos Cortes with two outs in the bottom half. Alika Williams popped out to Torres to end the inning. Montero hadn’t been terribly efficient and still didn’t have a strikeout to this point, but he was at 58 pitches and looked primed to go six. The Tigers went in order against Alvarado in the top of the fifth, with Lee and Malgeri flying out, and Clark striking out swinging.

Montero dropped in a perfect 0-2 slider to McNeil to start the bottom of the fifth. Valencia failed to challenge it, and McNeil fouled off a pair of heaters before flying out to McKinstry in right field. Henry Bolte fouled a 2-2 fastball right back into the mask of home plate umpire Jeremie Rehak. He was shaken up, and after a little concussion testing, it was determined that he needed to leave the game. Adam Beck moved from second base to the home plate umpire spot, and there was a lengthy delay as the umpiring crew talked it through.

When play finally resumed, Montero plunked Bolte with the first pitch he threw. Walton slapped a grounder to third and Lee to McGonigle to Torkelson, who made a nice diving scoop while keeping his toe on the bag, recorded a double play to end the inning.

Lefty Hogan Harris took over in the sixth. Zach McKinstry greeted him with a single up the middle. He took second on a wild pitch, and Torres drew a walk. Dingler chased a rainbow curveball down and struck out for the third time in this one. The success at hammering breaking stuff may be getting him a little too aggressive at this point. McGonigle grounded into a double play to send us to the bottom half.

Montero punched out Soderstrom with a slider for his first strikeout of the game. Heim flew out to Clark, but Tommy White got ahead 3-0. Montero then threw two fourseamers right on the outer edge which were absolute perfection, and then whiffed him on a slider right on the corner to send us to the seventh. Montero was through six with just two hits and two walks allowed. Montero’s ERA is down to 3.17 with a WHIP right at 1.00. Impressive stuff despite the relative lack of strikeouts.

Right-hander Hayden Juenger was on for the Athletics in the seventh. Hao-Yu Lee lined a two-out single to center field after a sleepy pair of innings for the offense in triple digit heat and holding a big lead. Max Clark got a first pitch heater on the outer edge and went with it, barrelling a line drive single to left field. Hinch wasn’t sitting on this lead, and he pinch hit Colt Keith for Ben Malgeri to try and cash in these baserunners. He worked into a full count but Juenger tied him up with a heater inside and he popped out.

Tyler Holton succeeded Montero in the seventh. He racked up three routine ground balls, but the third one was right on the third base line and Lee clanged it trying to circle around to a better throwing angle, allowing Williams to reach. McNeil singled up the middle and just past a diving McGonigle. Clark hustled and got to it quickly to hold Williams at second, and the Tigers turned to Drew Anderson with the right-handed hitting Bolte digging in at the plate. A 1-1 changeup got a routine grounder to McGonigle to end the seventh inning. Still 6-0 Tigers.

Lefty Ben Bowden took over for the A’s in the eighth, while the Tigers continued to wage war on the pythag. Torres walked for the fourth time on the day with one out, then Dingler was clipped on the right wrist, and fortuantely appeared no worse for wear. Good grief this Athletics team is terrible…and a wild pitch advanced the runners, while a walk to McGonigle loaded the bases. That brought up Valencia, and you know the big man wants to eat. Feast he did, getting a 3-1 fastball down and smoking a one-hopper off the left field wall for a two-run double. Spencer Torkelson dumped a single into center field to score McGonigle and it was 9-0 Tigers. Hao-Yu Lee grounded into a force of Torkelson at second, and Valencia scored to make it 10-0. Max Clark popped out, mercifully ending the inning.

The Tigers had now scored eight or more runs in five straight games for the first time since August 2 of 1996, exactly 30 years ago.

Anderson punched out Walton to start the bottom of the eighth, and Soderstrom flew out to James Outman, who had taken over in left field and replacing Keith in the lineup. Heim dumped a bloop single to right field with two outs. Anderson flew away Tommy White with high heat to send us to the ninth.

The A’s moved their DH, Cortes, to the mound to preserve whatever is left of that pitching staff. James Outman took advantage, launching a solo shot off the soft tossing lefty to right field for a 11-0 lead. After a pair of ground outs, Dingler singled, but McGonigle flicked a little breaking ball to left to end the inning. Everyone, most especially the A’s, just wanted this one over.

Enmanuel de Jesus took over to finish this game off. Brian Serven, former Tiger, singled on a grounder that Hao-Yu Lee couldn’t quite glove. Jeff McNeil singled with two outs, but de Jesus whiffed Bolte to end it.

The White Sox and the Guardians both won, while the Twins lost on Sunday. The Tigers remain 2.5 games back in the wild card hunt and 5.5 games back in the AL Central. Casey Mize is scheduled to start on Tuesday in Seattle, but we’ll see if he’s still a Tiger or not at that point.

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers are very confident in the roster the had in trying to win a third consecutive championship, something not seen in the sport since 2000. But it’s not often a reigning two-time Cy Young Award winner becomes available, and they were happy to pounce on getting Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers.

“You can feel the energy, the excitement, and the buzz,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of the days leading up to Monday’s trade deadline. “This was a different year in the sense that it was Skubal or nothing. I think essentially where we have a lot of good players, a lot of good depth already.”

The Dodgers were happy with the starting pitching depth, especially with Blake Snell expected back on the next homestand after a final rehab start in Triple-A on Tuesday. He’ll join Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Skubal atop the rotation, along with Justin Wrobleski having an All-Star season. The Dodgers are confident that Tyler Glasnow (back) and Shohei Ohtani (left knee) will also be ready come October. But they decided to lessen that risk should something go wrong.

This was case of the Dodgers adding to their unprecedented pitching depth, but doing so from the top down by adding a player of Skubal’s caliber.

“We were of the mind to be aggressive for one player, and fortunately we were able to line up,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Sunday at Dodger Stadium. “We don’t know what the world’s going to look like at the end of September. but I don’t think we went into this thinking [starting pitching] was an acute need. But as we’ve talked about a lot, whenever there’s a star-level player available who can really shift championship odds, those are the moments we’ll be more aggressive.”

Skubal won Cy Young Awards in 2024 and 2025 but since the start of 2023 the left-hander leads the majors in ERA (2.46), xERA (2.69), strikeout rate (31.4 percent), and strikeout-minus-walk rate (27 percent) among the 83 pitchers with at least 400 innings.

He has a 2.04 ERA in six postseason starts the last two years for Detroit, with 56 strikeouts and six walks in 39 2/3 innings. That included games last postseason with 14 strikeouts and 13 strikeouts.

“Watching Tarik Skubal pitch in the playoffs last year was must-see TV. I was in awe, watching the energy, the dominance he exhibited there,” Friedman said. “I can’t wait to see it on our club.”

Roberts said he found out the Dodgers acquired Skubal just before first pitch of Saturday night’s game, and that normally he doesn’t put much stock into trade rumors until a deal is completed.

“I personally don’t put much hope into anything because a lot of it doesn’t happen,” Roberts said. “Just for fear of being let down or disappointed, all the while knowing the guys are doing the best job they can, which is what’s best for the organization.”

But the Dodgers did put Hope into this particular deal, which was enough to land Skubal in Los Angeles.

In director Christopher Nolan’s epic film The Odyssey—currently still dominating theaters near you—the concept of Zeus’s Law is front and center. It states that hosts must welcome travelers with food and shelter in exchange for similar treatment from others.

This weekend, the Seattle Mariners did not observe Zeus’s Law—instead playing the Robert Pattinson role—taking two-of-three from the visiting Minnesota Twins despite a furious late-inning MN comeback today that fell just short.

Mirroring what happened Friday night and Saturday late-afternoon, the Mariners jumped out to a first inning lead in this contest. A Cole Young first-pitch single and a Randy Arozarena four-pitch walk off MN SP Taj Bradley both came around to score on Josh Naylor’s double juuuust out of the outstretched glove of Trevor Larnach in LF. 2-0 SEA.

Taj escaped a third-inning jam when Cal Raleigh blasted a two-on, two-out deep fly ball to CF that—fortunately, for the visitors—landed in the safety of Luke Keaschall’s glove just feet from the wall. Alas, almost the exact same scenario played out in T4 when Royce Lewis’ pop off SEA SP George Kirby was hauled in by Julio Rodriguez.

Not much of note happened until B6, when Seattle strung together a walk and two singles with two outs to increase their lead. 3-0 SEA.

The recently-minted Player of the Month ultimately put together a quality start even without much swing-and-miss stuff: 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 K. But he left the contest with a goose egg still on the board from his batsmen.

This one got a little out of hand as soon as the Twins’ bullpen arrived. After holding Raleigh down for the first two games, he wielded the trident in B7 after crushing a no-doubt three-run bomb off of Kendry Rojas. 6-0 SEA.

The Twins’ offense finally got off the schneid in T8 when Ryan Kreidler reached on an error and Trevor Larnach’s launch off Eduard Bazardo made the M’s pay. The late rally continued with a Josh Bell double and a Brooks Lee single, bringing Lewis to the dish:

Life! 6-5 SEA.

After newly-acquired A.J. Minter kept the seafarers off the board in B8, the Twins would have a chance to tie things up in T9 off Seattle closer Andres Munoz. It didn’t take long (2 pitches) for Keaschall to do exactly that:

6-6 tie! Alas, despite further base paths traffic off Munoz, the Twins couldn’t push out in front.

Yoendrys Gomez entered to try and get this contest to Manfredball—but could not. Singles from Naylor & Victor Robles put runners on first and third with one out for the home team, and despite a fifth infielder in play for MN, Colt Emerson still rifled a single past the dirt to let the Mariners celebrate and give them the series victory.

Your Final: Seattle Mariners 7, Minnesota Twins 6.

Another tough ending in a well-fought contest.

The Twins enter the 2026 Trade Deadline (Monday, 5 PM CST) 4 GB of the AL Central-leading White Sox and about a game off the final Wild Card slot pace. We’ll see if the roster looks a little different come Tuesday in KC.

Zach’s Zealot

• Kirby (and not our beloved #34): 7 IP, 5 H (all singles), 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K.

Zach’s Zombie

• Rojas: 1 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 HR. His disaster-inning proved to be a bit too much to overcome in the end.

Egg-cellent Elocution

• gintzerwearing out his keyboard’s CTRL-C, CTRL-V trying to rally the troops.

Who’s Got Next

• The Twins fly back to the Midwest and after a Monday off day in Kansas City will play under the Kauffman Stadium waterfalls for three games (Tues. night, Wed. night, Thurs. night).

The Milwaukee Brewers are set to host the Pittsburgh Pirates to begin a seven-day, seven-game homestand, as they’ll take on the Pirates for four games before welcoming their interleague rival Twins over the weekend. The trade deadline will also have come and gone by the time this series begins, as the deadline is set for 5 p.m. CT on Monday, just 100 minutes before the 6:40 p.m. first pitch of Monday’s series opener.

The Pirates have had Milwaukee’s number in their two series this season, as Pittsburgh has taken five of six, including a three-game sweep leading into the All-Star break. Since the break, though, these two teams have been on completely different trajectories, as the Pirates have gone 6-10 and the Brewers have gone 10-5.

Several players have returned from the IL in the last couple of weeks for Milwaukee, but they’re still waiting on a few more. Pitchers Joel Kuhnel (on rehab) and Kyle Harrison (expected to start Wednesday), as well as outfielder Sal Frelick (close to a potential rehab assignment), are all on the verge of returning. Pitchers Brandon Woodruff, Brian Fitzpatrick, Quinn Priester, and Angel Zerpa are all out for the season, and Rob Zastryzny is also slated for an August return, though he’s a bit behind Kuhnel and Harrison.

Pittsburgh is without pitchers Evan Sisk (could return this week) and Chris Devenski (could return this week), as well as first baseman Ryan O’Hearn (quad injury, out until late September), Konnor Griffin (finger injury, out until early September), and Oneil Cruz (hand injury, close to a rehab assignment).

The Brewer offense is led by Jake Bauers, who slugged his 20th homer of the season over the weekend. The first baseman is batting .270/.373/.504 this year, slightly better than Brice Turang’s .271/.364/.463 line with 16 homers. Jackson Chourio, William Contreras, Garrett Mitchell, Christian Yelich, Andrew Vaughn, Cooper Pratt, and Luis Lara have also been solid bats this year, with Gary Sánchez, Joey Ortiz, David Hamilton, Brandon Lockridge. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .253/.337/.399 (.736 OPS ranks seventh), with 101 homers (last), 555 runs (fifth), and 111 steals (fifth).

Brandon Lowe leads Pittsburgh with 23 homers this year, adding 25 doubles while driving in 71 and scoring 68 runs. Bryan Reynolds, Esmerlyn Valdez, and Spencer Horwitz also have double-digit homers, as do the injured O’Hearn and Cruz. Nick Gonzales leads the team with 127 hits, as he’s hitting .312 on the season, and Henry Davis, Jared Triolo, Jake Mangum, and Marcell Ozuna round out the regulars, with Jhostynxon Garcia, Jacob Gonzalez, Endy Rodríguez, and Rafael Flores Jr. providing depth. As a team, the Pirates are hitting .258/.335/.416 (.751 OPS ranks third), with 139 homers (ninth), 578 runs (second), and 100 steals (eighth).

Aaron Ashby leads the Brewers with 51 appearances this season, while Abner Uribe (2.23 ERA, six saves) and Trevor Megill (2.83 ERA, 18 saves) have been the best bullpen arms overall. Chad Patrick (3.50 ERA, four saves) has also been solid, as has DL Hall (2.25 ERA), though he missed a chunk of time due to injury before returning over the weekend. Grant Anderson, Bryse Wilson, and Garrett Stallings round out Milwaukee’s bullpen. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.48 team ERA (second), including a 3.36 starter ERA (first) and a 3.64 bullpen ERA (sixth). They’ve struck out 1,081 batters (second) over 991 2/3 innings.

Gregory Soto leads Pittsburgh with 47 appearances and 14 saves this season, though he’s also blown five saves and has a 3.69 ERA. Mason Montgomery has 46 appearances with a 3.80 ERA, and Yohan Ramírez has 46 appearances with a 3.00 ERA. The Pirates also added Camilo Doval in a swap with the Yankees this week, as he struggled to a 4.54 ERA over 44 appearances with them this year. Carmen Mlodzinski (3.15 ERA) has functioned as a swingman with nine starts and 16 relief appearances, and Wilber Dotel (5.11 ERA over 24 2/3 IP), Ron Marinaccio (6.75 ERA over 5 1/3 IP), and Noah Murdock (0.00 ERA over 3 IP) round things out. As a staff, the Pirates have a 4.31 team ERA (20th), including a 4.29 starter ERA (16th) and a 4.34 bullpen ERA (22nd). They’ve struck out 1,047 batters (third) over 1,011 2/3 innings.

Probable Pitchers

Monday, August 3 @ 6:40 p.m.: RHP Brandon Sproat (3-6, 5.05 ERA, 5.19 FIP) vs. RHP Bubba Chandler (3-8, 4.56 ERA, 4.34 FIP)

Sproat has yet to find consistency in the majors, but he’s flashed his potential at times. His last start was a microcosm of his season, as he gave up three runs on six hits and three walks but settled in nicely to finish with six innings, striking out five in Milwaukee’s 3-0 loss. Sproat’s lone appearance against the Pirates came in that series leading into the All-Star break, when he went three innings and allowed three runs on two hits and two walks, striking out three in a no-decision.

Chandler, 23, sports some solid strikeout stuff, but hasn’t quite been able to find consistent success in the majors to this point. He’s made 21 appearances (20 starts) this season, with a 4.56 ERA, 4.34 FIP, and 93 strikoeuts over 104 2/3 innings, as he’s issued a whopping 57 walks (4.9 BB/9). He got roughed up for five runs (three earned) on seven hits and a walk against the D-backs in his last appearance, striking out three over four innings. Chandler has made two starts against Milwaukee, including one in early July, totaling 7 1/3 innings with 11 runs allowed and nine strikeouts.

Tuesday, August 4 @ 6:40 p.m.: RHP Logan Henderson (5-1, 2.66 ERA, 2.80 FIP) vs. RHP Jared Jones (2-2, 3.81 ERA, 3.48 FIP)

Henderson continues to impress, as he’s now 8-1 in his big-league career with a 2.34 ERA and 2.88 FIP over 69 1/3 innings. This season, he’s made nine starts with a 5-1 record, a 2.66 ERA, 2.80 FIP, and 54 strikeouts across 44 innings. He picked up another win his last time out against the Giants, spanning 5 2/3 scoreless innings with two hits and two walks allowed, striking out seven. Henderson made his lone start against the Pirates last May, as he went five frames with one run allowed on five hits and two walks, striking out six in a no-decision.

Jones, who turns 25 on Thursday, missed all of 2025 but has bounced back nicely in 2026, making 11 starts with a 3.81 ERA, 3.48 FIP, and 58 strikeouts over 52 innings this year. He had a great month of July, making five starts and totaling 27 innings with six runs allowed (2.00 ERA) with 33 strikeouts. Jones’ lone appearance against the Brewers came back in his rookie season of 2024, when he went six innings with one run allowed on four hits and two walks, striking out seven to pick up a win.

Wednesday, August 5 @ 6:40 p.m.: TBD vs. RHP Paul Skenes (9-9, 3.90 ERA, 2.91 FIP)

Kyle Harrison is expected to make his return on Wednesday, as the left-hander has missed the last few weeks with an arm injury, though it isn’t anything too severe. Prior to his injury, Harrison made 17 starts this year, with an 8-2 record, 3.01 ERA, 3.10 FIP, and 101 strikeouts across 83 2/3 innings. Harrison has made two career starts against Pittsburgh, one with the Giants in 2024 and one with Milwaukee back in April. He’s looked great in both of those outings, totaling 12 scoreless innings with just six hits and one walk allowed, striking out 19.

Skenes, 24, hasn’t been quite as dominant this year as we saw in 2024 and 2025, but he’s still got solid numbers, with a 3.90 ERA, 2.91 FIP, and 156 strikeouts over 124 2/3 innings this season, putting him on pace for 200-plus strikeouts once again. Skenes has been roughed up in both of his last two outings against the Cubs and Reds, totaling 9 1/3 innings with 10 runs allowed on 13 hits and six walks despite striking out 18. Skenes has had varying success in his career against Milwaukee, but he’s won each of his last two decisions (both in 2026). Overall, he’s 3-2 with a 2.97 ERA and 41 strikeouts over 33 1/3 innings.

Thursday, August 6 @ 1:10 p.m.: LHP Shane Drohan (6-4, 3.48 ERA, 3.03 FIP) vs. RHP Braxton Ashcraft (11-4, 3.96 ERA, 3.53 FIP)

Drohan has reliably pitched six innings the last month or so, as each of his last five appearances have totaled at least six innings. He has a 3.48 ERA, 3.03 FIP, and 89 strikeouts this season, and across six starts in July, he totaled 36 innings with a 4.00 ERA and 37 strikeouts. Drohan has made two appearances (one start) against Pittsburgh this season, totaling 10 1/3 innings with six runs allowed (four earned) on nine hits, one walk, and a hit batter, striking out eight.

Ashcraft, 26, has put together a solid campaign in his sophomore season, making 22 starts with a 3.96 ERA, 3.53 FIP, and 140 strikeouts over 127 1/3 innings thus far. He’s won each of his last two outings, totaling 11 innings with five runs allowed on nine hits and three walks, striking out 10 against the Cubs and Reds. Ashcraft has made two starts against the Brewers, one in 2025 and one back in July. In those games, he’s totaled eight innings with five runs allowed (5.63 ERA) and eight strikeouts with a no-decision in both appearances.

How to Watch & Listen

Monday, August 3: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Tuesday, August 4: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Wednesday, August 5: Exclusively on ESPN/ESPN App; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Thursday, August 6: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Prediction

The Pirates have dominated the season series thus far, but I think the Brewers will look to bounce back from what was ultimately a disappointing West Coast trip this week. Give me the Brewers to win three of four.

Mariners 7, Twins 6

The maxxing meme: Andrés Muñoz, -0.23 WPA
Chilin’ out, maxin’, relaxin’ all cool: George Kirby, +0.35 WPA; also Henry

Game Thread Comment of the Day

And adding this one from the chart comments because I guffawed

Emmet Sheehan faces Jake Bennet as the Dodgers wrap things up against the Boston Red Sox on Sunday.

Today's #Dodgers lineup vs. Red Sox: pic.twitter.com/st4XfV9zB2

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 2, 2026

SUNDAY GAME INFO

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Red Sox
• Stadium: Dodger Stadium
• Time: 4:20 p.m. PT
• TV: NBC; Streaming: Peacock
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 (Spanish)

The MLB trade deadline continues to send shockwaves throughout the league, most recently with the Yankees securing Luis García Jr. from the Nationals.

In return for the lefty infielder, the Nationals will receive relievers Ben Grable, Yovanny Cruz, and Jake Bird, plus starter Jack Cebert, who was spotted saying goodbyes to his teammates in Somerset during their game against the Richmond Flying Squirrels.

Jack Cebert saying goodbye to teammates in Somerset. #Yankeeshttps://t.co/VqVn90Nnqhpic.twitter.com/mMSwPWmWPK

— Greg Johnson (@gregp_j) August 2, 2026

At first glance, this trade appears to be a good deal for the Yankees. García Jr. can provide a much-needed offensive boost to the lineup in the absence of key hitters, including Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Giancarlo Stanton. García Jr. led the NL with a .560 slugging percentage, which could add a lot more shots into the short porch.

Sending over four reliever prospects doesn’t have a massive effect on the current bullpen rotation, who often does a fair job of taking care of business when most neeeded.

However, the trade raises questions about who’s starting at first base.

Manager Aaron Boone has emphasized that he has confidence in his current catchers and that there is no plan in place to utilize Ben Rice at the position. He will likely continue filling the DH spot in Stanton’s absence while García alternates with Goldschmidt at first. Giving Goldschmidt a rest could be beneficial in the long run as the Yankees prepare for the looming playoff race. YES Network’s Jack Curry also noted that he should primarily play first or DH against righties.

In 104 games this season, García Jr. has 23 home runs, a career high, with 20 doubles and five triples. He is hitting .283 with a .873 OPS, and is poised to continue building upon his offensive momentum for the playoff push in New York. Adding some much-needed offensive depth, he will receive a warm welcome to the Bronx.

Mets interim manager Andy Green discussed a number of topics following Sunday’s shutout loss to the Marlins…

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Jorge Polanco’s continued struggles

It’s been a season to forget thus far for Polanco.

The veteran infielder still hasn’t been able to get back into a groove at the plate since returning from a long-term absence due to wrist and Achilles injuries.

Polanco went hitless again during Sunday’s series finale loss including a pair of strikeouts, one of which came in a significant point in the ballgame.

The lefty stepped to the plate in a bases loaded and nobody out situation with the Mets still trailing by just one run in the bottom of the seventh.

He fouled off two fastballs, then chased a slider down and out of the zone for strike three.

Polanco is now 4-for-35 (.114) with just two RBI and one extra-base hit while striking out 18 times in 15 games since returning from the injured list.

He’s also hitless in each of his last eight games, lowering his OPS to .381 for the season.

“It’s fair to assume with as much time as he missed that he’s still working back for timing, and at the same getting to a pace where he feels comfortable and confident hitting,” Green said.

“We’re excited to get him on the road just to change the environment, maybe get some early hitting in and get going, see if we can jumpstart him -- it’s definitely been a tough stretch.”

The Freddy Peralta trade

Green also got into the tough but expected off the field news of the day, as the trade deadline sale continued with Peralta being traded to the Rays.

The interim skipper didn’t have the chance to see Peralta after receiving word of the deal, but he knows how disappointed he is with how his time in New York went.

“He came here to anchor a rotation and felt the weight of that,” Green said. “I know from talking to him certainly doesn’t feel it went the way he hoped it would, and we all feel that way.

“Where we are today screams we’re all wishing we were in a different spot -- he gave us everything he had, stepped on the mound everyday and competed, I know he wanted better results.”

Peralta pitched to a 4.99 ERA and 1.47 WHIP in 22 starts as a Met.

Faced with replacing two All-Star outfielders and former MVPs, the New York Yankees got smart in backfilling the production missing when Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger succumbed to injuries.

Rather than pick over an underwhelming market of potentially available outfielders, the Yankees instead pivoted to acquire slugging first baseman/DH Luis Garcia Jr. from the Washington Nationals for four minor leaguers Sunday, Aug. 2.

Garcia, 26, is having a breakout season perhaps beyond what the Nationals believed was possible, belting 23 home runs and posting an .873 OPS in 104 games. He’ll immediately pump life into a Yankees offense missing three-time MVP Judge, who remains out with a rib injury, and Bellinger, who is recovering from a hamstring injury.

In return, the Nationals receive four right-handed pitchers, two – relievers Jake Bird and Yovanny Cruz – with major league experience. It’s their second trade made with the intention of curing the massive imbalance between their league-leading offense and nearly league-worst pitching staff, a process that began with the swap of Curtis Mead to Boston for lefty Connelly Early.

Here’s the early grades on the Nationals-Yankees swap:

Luis Garcia Jr. trade details

Yankees receive: Nationals infielder/DH Luis Garcia Jr.

Nationals receive: RHP Jake Bird, RHP Ben Grable, RHP Yovanny Cruz, RHP Jack Cebert

Yankees trade grade: A-

Talk about instant impact: Garcia has been fantastic this season, already establishing a career high with 23 home runs and ranking in the 93 RD percentile for expected slugging. He and All-Star Ben Rice can immediately occupy the first base and DH spots, lengthening a Yankee lineup that’s been held to three runs or less in 12 of their last 16 games.

While many remember Garcia as a second baseman – he played 125 games there a year ago – he’s been strictly a first baseman and DH this year, slugging enough from that spot to produce a career-best 2.3 WAR. Garcia was worth minus-7 outs above average at second in 2025. Unless they’re willing to get creative, Garcia doesn’t solve the Yankees’ production outage at the opposite corner, where Ryan McMahon is batting .207 with an adjusted OPS of 75.

Yet. it gives them significant options both game-to-game and inning-to-inning, with lefties Garcia, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Rice lurking against right-handers. Veteran Paul Goldschmidt can now return to simply crushing left-handed pitching, and should Giancarlo Stanton return, the Bombers will have significant maneuverability late in games.

Garcia is earning $6.9 million this season and has one more year of salary arbitration before hitting the market.

Nationals trade grade: B

There has to be a more moderate reaction to upgrade a terrible pitching staff than “trade away both corner infielders.” Yet, that’s the route the Nationals have chosen, and it’s not too hard to blame them.

Losing Garcia and Mead will be tough and signals a strong look to the future after the club bubbled over .500 this year and drew within a game of a playoff spot before a five-game losing streak, that included a four-game sweep at Atlanta, preceded this deal. Minus those two, youngsters Brady House and Albimelic Ortiz figure to get much of the playing time at the corners.

We will see how far the Nationals go in their sale, with All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams the most notable figure whose future is in doubt. While the Nationals’ playoff chances were tenuous, they have compromised what could have been a tremendous 2027 lineup as well, with Garcia, Abrams and James Wood running it back in the middle of the order.

Now, that possibility is gone, and Abrams’ future will be in flux until the deadline arrives at 6 p.m. ET Monday, Aug. 3.

Still, it’s hard to argue with pitching tonnage, including a pair of arms – Bird and Cruz – who can help the bullpen immediately. Bird enjoyed more success with Colorado in 2025, striking out 62 in 53 innings with a 4.73 ERA, yet had a 7.24 ERA in 27 games across two seasons with New York. He’s largely a slider-sinker guy, able to get swings and misses in the zone with both pitches when he’s going well.

Cruz, 26, made his major league debut in May and has pitched in four big league games. He originally signed with the Cubs in 2017 out of the Dominican Republic before joining the Padres, Red Sox and Yankees as a minor league free agent in recent years. He’s worked exclusively as a reliever since 2022, and relies on a 100-mph fastball, slider and splitter. Control is his bugaboo, posting 6.7 walks per nine innings as recently as 2025 in Class AA with Boston.

Grable, 24, was the Yankees’ 11th-round pick in 2025 out of Indiana University; he’s currently ranked their No. 25 prospect by MLB Pipeline. He’s shown well in his first full pro season, posting a 2.45 ERA and striking out 56 in 36⅔ innings, almost all of it at Class AA. He’ll likely land among the Nationals’ top 15 prospects.

Cebert, 24, was drafted four rounds after Grable a year ago out of Texas Tech and has been on virtually the same path as Grable, spending almost all his season at Class AA Somerset. While similar precision hasn’t been there – he’s toting a 4.90 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in 13 outings at Class AA – the punch is, with 79 strikeouts in 64⅓ innings.

Immediately triaging their porous bullpen and taking a shot at two starters who conceivably could impact the club sometime in 2027 rates as a fairly solid day of work for new club president Paul Toboni. Whether the Nationals minus Garcia can come close to retaining their machinelike offense – their 607 runs scored are 29 more than any other club – bears watching.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Luis Garcia Jr. trade grades: Yankees add slugger, Nationals get pitching help

It was one of the hottest first pitches on record in Coors Field history as the Colorado Rockies took to the field looking for their first sweep of the second half against the Kansas City Royals. The Rockies rode a six-run sixth inning in tandem with a vintage Kyle Freeland start in order to cement an 8-1 victory and bust out the brooms.

Today we’re all Kyle Freeland Guys, Gals, and Pals.

It may have been over 100 degrees on the mound at Coors Field this afternoon, but Denver native, Thomas Jefferson High School graduate, and ten-year MLB veteran Kyle Freeland was as cool as ice.

On 115 pitches, Freeland not only threw his best start of the season by allowing just one earned run on five hits and two talks while striking out eight batters, he also pitched the first complete game of his career.

“Oh man. It’s been a long time, huh?” said Freeland after getting the final out before a well-deserved cooler bath.

Freeland struck out Royals leadoff hitter and designated hitter Carter Jensen to open the game and set the tone. The only time he found himself in real trouble was in the second inning when the Royals scored their only run of the game. Freeland gave up a walk and two singles to let Kansas City on the board. In the third inning with one out he gave up a double to slugger Jac Caglianone.

Then, Freeland locked in.

Following that double, Freeland set down a career-high 18 Royals in order. He was efficient. He was deliberate. He commanded both the ball and the strike zone. Freeland ended up striking out eight total batters–tied for his second-most this season–with six of those strikeouts coming on his excellent knuckle curveball.

“Right from the jump, he didn’t miss,” said catcher Brett Sullivan after the game.

In the top of the eighth inning, as Freeland’s pitch count rose, reliever Zach Agnos was up and warming in the bullpen. Then, quietly, the bullpen was empty.

“The conversation with Schaeff between innings was ‘Are you good? Do you want it?’ and the answer was an immediate yes.”

Manager Warren Schaeffer confirmed in his post-game interview that he planned to keep Freeland in the game.

“I was going to do everything I could to let him finish that game,” Schaeffer said.

Freeland came back out for the ninth and quickly got Caglianone out again, but then his streak of setting down batters ended when future Hall of Famer Salvador Perez doubled to right field. Freeland then appeared to have struck out veteran outfielder Starling Marte, but the third strike was overturned on ABS review. Marte then singled on a grounder to left. With runners on the corners and no outs, Agnos began warming up again. However, Freeland induced two quick flyouts to earn his first career complete game on his 251st career start.

Grinning ear-to-ear in his post game interview on the field with Ryan Spilborghs, Freeland was asked if he had a message for the Rockies faithful.

“I love you guys,” he said. “All ten years. I love you guys.”

After the game, skipper Warren Schaeffer was asked about Freeland’s role and leadership on this Rockies squad.

“It’s–I think–inherent for him since he’s been here for such a long time,” Schaeffer explained. “He’s been such an enormous presence in the clubhouse in the Rockies’ winning days, and then through this lull we’ve had in the past however many years, he’s been a constant leader in the clubhouse. Through thick and thin, which is the test of a real leader. Can you lead in distress? And he has. He’s meant the world to me as a first time manager. He’s been fantastic and I’m so happy for him today.”

Jake the Snake strikes hard in collaborative offensive effort.

With the weather as hot and dry as it was today in Denver, the ball wasn’t really rocketing out of the stadium like one would expect. The Rockies’ offense started fairly slow. Mickey Moniak drew a walk in the first inning and was driven home by a Cole Carrigg double. In the fourth inning, Edouard Julien drew his second of three walks in the game. Julien moved to third on a Brett Sullivan double and was then plated by an Ezequiel Tovar sacrifice fly.

Then the Rockies blew the Royals’ doors off in the sixth inning.

Back-to-back singles by Troy Johnston and Willi Castro, followed by another Julien base on balls, loaded up the bases with no outs for Brett Sullivan. Sullivan laced a double over the head of right fielder Jac Caglianone to score two runs and put the Rockies up 4-1.

After Tovar grounded out in what ended up being a hitless game for the beleaguered shortstop, off-season acquisition and potential trade name for tomorrow’s deadline Jake McCarthy came to the plate. In what was his only hit of the day, McCarthy sent the ball over the right field wall for three more runs.

Carrigg singled–his third of the day after going hitless with three walks last night–to keep the inning going and was driven home with an authoritative TJ Rumfield double.

Coming Up Next

Tomorrow at 4:00 PM MDT is the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline, with a potentially very different-looking Rockies roster ready to play later that evening. The Rockies will start a three-game series against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays. Right-handed veteran Michael Lorenzen is currently scheduled to start against Rays lefty Ian Seymour. First pitch is slated for 6:40 PM MDT.

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Happy Sunday, Red Sox nation. Can you believe we get to watch Red Sox baseball? They’re the hottest team in baseball right now and going for a sweep of the villains of the league, the Los Angeles Dodgers. It’s Jake Bennett vs Emmett Sheehan, in what will hopefully be a great showcase of what the Red Sox are doing to a national audience.

That brings me to my next point, which is: what the Red Sox have done over the last month or so is what we should be talking about. The trade deadline is coming up, there are moves to be made, and speculating about them is fun, so go right ahead on that front. What I don’t care about is the upcoming CBA negotiations and how the Tarik Skubal trade affects that. That’s not for another 3 months. Talking about labor stoppages and economics is boring. Talking about a baseball team going on an insane hot streak is fun. Sports are fun! Don’t lose sight of that. Watch a rookie starting pitcher throw to a lineup full of all-stars and enjoy it. Watch Ceddanne Rafaela go nuclear at the plate and make diving catches in the field without worrying about if there’s a salary cap coming. We’re playing great baseball right now, and that’s what’s important.

Sorry for being preachy; I spent too much time reading Twitter this morning, and I think we’re all losing the plot a bit.

7:20 pm on NBC and Peacock and probably the radio too.

Lineups

Ready for Sunday Night Baseball! pic.twitter.com/WUnM0lUang

— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 2, 2026

Today's #Dodgers lineup vs. Red Sox: pic.twitter.com/st4XfV9zB2

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 2, 2026

A lot of attention will be paid on Monday to the Major League Baseball trade deadline, with comes at 3 p.m. PT. But the Dodgers also have a game on Monday, opening a road trip against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

It’s a battle of southpaws in the opener, with Justin Wrobleski going for the Dodgers and Matthew Boyd on the mound for the home team.

Monday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Cubs
• Ballpark: Wrigley Field, Chicago
• Start time: 5:05 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Nobody gets off the mat like the Houston Astros.

On July 19, the Astros looked to be dead in the water. Swept at home by the Baltimore Orioles, losers of 7 of 9 and 7 games under .500, it looked the magic had finally run out on Houston.

Wrong.

Picking themselves up by the bootstraps yet again, the now first-place Houston Astros (58-55) continue to score runs late and took down the Texas Rangers (55-57) 7-3 at Daikin Park, completing the 3-game sweep and winning the season series 9-4 and winning the Silver Boot for the 10th consecutive season.

Houston has now won 6 straight and 11 of their last 12 games.

The Astros got on the board first this afternoon in the bottom of the third when Jose Altuve hit a comebacker off the foot of Rangers starter Kumar Rocker. Rocker looked like he hackey-sacked the ball off his foot. Yordan Alvarez would score on the play and give Houston a 1-0 lead.

In the bottom of the 4th, Jeremy Pena drilled his 13th HR of the season, a 2-run shot to left that drove in Cam Smith to give the Astros a 3-0 lead.

In the top of the 5th, the Rangers would get within a run. Evan Carter would single to right to drive in Brandon Nimmo, although Carter would be cut down by Christian Vazquez trying to advance to 2nd after the throw home. That would prove to be a big out as the next batter, Ezequiel Duran, singled to left to score Jake Burger. Carter could have potentially scored the tying run on that play if he had safely reached 2nd the play before. The score would be 3-2 Astros as the top of the 5th ended.

Peter Lambert again gave the Astros a solid performance. He went 5.2 IP allowing just 2 runs on 3 hits, 2 walks and 8 strikeouts. Lambert threw 46 of his 83 pitches for strikes, including 16 swings and misses.

In the top of the 7th, the Rangers would tie the game at 3 when Brandon Nimmo led off the inning by hitting his 11th HR of the season off Astros reliever Steven Okert.

After the HR, Okert allowed a single by Jake Burger, who was advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Evan Carter. Joe Espada made the call to go to Bryan Abreu (W, 3-3) to slam the door with a runner on 2nd and 1 out.

Abreu would strike out 2 of the next 3 batters to end the inning with no further damage. The final out was a called third strike on pinch hitter Nicky Lopez on a pitch that appeared to be slightly low, but the Rangers were out of ABS challenges. Furious over the strikeout call, both Rangers manager Skip Schumaker and hitting coach Justin Viele got ejected for arguing the called third strike.

In the bottom of the 7th, the Astros would respond, and take control of the game.

Christian Walker led off the bottom of the 7th with his 22nd double of the season off Rangers reliever Tyler Alexander, who had just entered the game. Taylor Trammell (1×2, 2BB, HBP, phenomenal catch in deep CF) followed with a walk. After Jose Altuve bounced into a fielder’s choice that forced Walker at 3rd, Cole Winn would replace Alexander on the mound for Texas.

Cam Smith greeted Winn with an RBI single to score Trammell to give the Astros a 4-3 lead. After a walk to Nick Allen, LaMonte Wade Jr. would pinch-hit for Christian Vazquez and deliver an RBI single to drive in Altuve and increase the lead to 5-3. Following a Jeremy Pena strikeout, it was Yordan time.

The front-running MVP candidate laced a 2-run double to right, scoring Smith and Allen. Alvarez’ 24th double of the season gave the Astros a 7-3 lead. Alvarez finished the game 4×5 with a run and 2 RBI. He is now batting .330 and has a 1.092 OPS. He leads the majors with 35 HR and leads the AL with 84 RBI.

Bryan King (0.2 IP, H, K) would start the top of the 8th before eventually giving way to AJ Blubaugh (S,1). Blubaugh pitched the final 1.1 innings without allowing a baserunner and struck out 1 for his first career save.

The Astros are 3 games over .500 for the first time since April 4, when they were 6-3. It matches their high water mark for the season.

The Astros lead the AL West by 2.5 games.

Tomorrow, Houston begins a 3-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Probable Starters:

Monday: Cristian Javier (1-1, 7.17) vs. Shane Bieber (2-2, 5.74)
Tuesday: Hayden Wesneski (1-0, 4.76) vs. Trey Yesavage (5-5, 3.73)
Wednesday: Hunter Brown (3-1, 3.42) vs. Dylan Cease (7-5, 2.41)

Gavin Williams took the mound against the Arizona Diamondbacks, looking to continue his dominate season. The forecast called for heavy rain, off and on, throughout the game which proved to be the case. As the rain came and went, it ultimately poured during the sixth resulting the game being put into delay and the tarp being pulled. Not before making a complete mess of the infield and warning track.

Warning track is muddy https://t.co/y9jZuDJA3ypic.twitter.com/pQCJuCH4I6

— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) August 2, 2026

Gavin Williams had an absolutely stunning performance. The Guardians ace was perfect going into the sixth. Tim Tawa showed bunt on the first pitch in the sixth which drew umbrage from Patrick Bailey and an annoyed shrug from Brayan Rocchio.

The bunt was unsuccessful and Tawa hit a swinging single to break up the perfect game and the no hitter. Ildemaro Vargas grounded into a force out and advanced to second on a throwing error by Rocchio. Gavin got a strikeout for the second out. Corbin Carroll drew a walk on a wild pitch that advanced Vargas to third. At this point the game delay was officially called and the tarp was rolled out. However, as the grounds crew was trying to cover the infield, the benches cleared at home plate. Third base coach Rouglas Odor was clearly incensed and it took Augie, another coach, and Perdomo from the Diamondbacks to get Odor to even start walking towards the dugout. After the grounds crew plead their case for the crowd to disperse, it did seem like cooler heads prevailed as the game entered a lengthy delay.

With the delay, Gavin’s day ended earlier than planned. Gavin went 5.2 innings of scoreless baseball. He allowed one hit and one walk, both in the sixth inning, and struck out 10 batters. Gavin joined Clayton Kershaw and Chris Sale as the only pitchers in MLB history to go five consecutive games of 10 or more strikeouts and 1 or fewer walks per outing according to Tom Hamilton.

Gavin Williams goes 5 2/3 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 10 K on 89 pitches before rain delay ended his day

He has 55 strikeouts over his past five starts. That's the most by a Cleveland pitcher over a five-start stretch since Shane Bieber (56) in April 2021

— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) August 2, 2026

Before the delay hit, the Guards offense was on a roll. Patrick Bailey started the scoring with a lead off solo home run in the bottom of the third.

Petey Halpin followed up Patty’s HR with a single that fell in right and then reached second on a successful stolen base attempt. Steven Kwan drew a walk as the rain first started falling on the players. With one out and runners on first and second, Chase DeLauter hit a RBI single to center.

In the bottom of the fifth Steven Kwan drew a lead off walk. José Ramírez hit a single to right. Chase DeLauter knocked in his third RBI on the game with a two-RBI double to right scoring Kwan and José.

Travis Bazzana drew a walk, still no outs in the inning. Then Bazz and CDL executed a successful double steal with the ball getting away from the third baseman.

Kyle Manzardo made the effort worth it with a RBI single to score CDL.

Playing resumed at 4:50PM with Hunter Gaddis on the mound, runners on the corners, and two outs. Gaddis allowed a walk before retiring the side. Craig Yoho made his Guardians debut after being traded from the Brewers yesterday morning. Yoho got two quick outs, but hit Nolan Arenado to walk a batter. Tim Tawa struck out swinging to retire the side.

Matt Festa was brought on in the top of the eighth with Angel Martínez replacing CDL in right. Festa got two outs, but gave up a walk and a single. With tomorrow being an off day, Vogt pulled Festa for Cade Smith to get the final out. Cade came on in the ninth to close it out. He got the first out then walked the next two. A fielding error by Rocchio allowed Tim Tawa to load them up on a fielder’s choice. Cade struck out the next batter for the second out of the inning and a ground out to first retired the side. The Guardians completed a two hit shutout across five pitchers to seal the Sunday victory.

With this win the Guardians are back above .500 heading into the off day before the New York Mets roll into town.

What started as an overcast afternoon ended as a rain-soaked disaster, as the Orioles dropped their rubber match to the Phillies with an 8-0 loss in six innings.

Starter Kyle Bradish looked sharp to begin the game but showed clear adverse effects from the worsening weather. Bradish breezed through the Phillies in the 1st on 10 pitches, punctuating the frame by striking out Kyle Schwarber on a fastball and fanning Bryce Harper on a dive bomb curveball.

The 29-year-old right-hander worked another 1-2-3 inning in the 2nd, but it didn’t inspire the same levels of confidence. After a weak fly out by Alec Bohm to start the inning, Bradish gave up louder fly balls to Brandon Marsh and J.T. Realmuto, but both died in front of the outfield walls and found their way into Oriole gloves.

As a drizzle turned into a downpour in the 3rd, Bradish was the one most affected by the increasingly damp conditions at Camden Yards. Bryson Stott led off the inning with a lineout to center on a sinker that caught a bit too much of the outer half of the plate. The Orioles’ starter was clearly struggling to throw his best pitches as thick raindrops dotted the field, and it showed as he left another sinker over the plate to Justin Crawford, who doubled into the left field corner. It only got worse against No.9 hitter Bryan De La Cruz, as a Bradish curveball hung over the plate and the Phillies OF blasted it over the CF fence to give Philadelphia a 2-0 lead.

Bradish would get the final two outs of the inning by picking off Trea Turner and getting another strikeout of Harper. That’d be all we’d see from Bradish Sunday, as the skies continued to open up, sending the game into a two-hour rain delay.

Things went from bad to worse when the O’s finally returned from the rain delay. The much-delayed bottom of the 3rd saw Baltimore waste their best scoring of the afternoon. After a Jake Rogers one-out walk, Dylan Beavers singled off lefty reliever Kyle Backhaus to give Baltimore its first runner in scoring position. The runner moved up to second and third after Backhaus threw a pitch behind Pete Alonso, giving the Polar Bear a chance to tie the game with a hit.

Instead, Alonso tried to inside-out a sinker into right field, only for it to end up in Harper’s glove at first. Gunnar Henderson then sent a 2-1 sweeper for a ride to right, only for the fly ball to land safely in De La Cruz’s glove.

Anthony Nunez would take over for Bradish in the 4th, and despite the briefly drier conditions, Nunez also struggled with his control. He gave up a back-to-back singles to Bohm and Marsh before walking Realmuto to load the bases. A second consecutive walk forced across the Phillies’ third run, before Crawford poked a ball to second base for an RBI groundout.

Trailing 4-0, Josh Walker took over in the 5th and made one mistake to perennial All-Star Harper. After getting ahead 1-2, Walker tried to double up on his slider, but left the breaking ball over the plate and allowed Harper to launch a solo shot to right-center.

With the rain once again falling thick and fast, Albert Suárez took over in the 6th. The long reliever tried to battle the elements and loss, as the Phillies piled on three more runs. Realmuto led off the inning with a single and moved to second on a Bryson Stott walk. Crawford then singled to load the bases in front of De La Cruz, who picked up his third RBI with a sac fly to center.

All-Stars Turner and Schwarber would put the final nails in the Orioles’ coffin. Turner reached on an infield single to short to move Crawford to third before Schwarber lifted another sac fly to left to put Philly up 8-0. Suárez would get Bohm to ground out to finally end the inning, and it was the last baseball we’d see Sunday. The grounds crew would bring out the tarp before the bottom of the 6th started and MLB would call the game half an hour late.

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The loss combined with Cleveland’s win Sunday dropped the Orioles to 2.5 games behind the Guardians for the final Wild Card spot. The Mariners, Rangers and Twins all sit ahead of the O’s heading into Monday’s trade deadline, with only Texas scheduled to play tomorrow. Mike Elias and the front office now have just under 24-hours to figure out if the Orioles will be buyers or sellers at the deadline.