PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 8: Grant Holmes #66 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on July 8, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Despite getting completely and totally blanked for the first six innings of this contest, the Atlanta Braves eventually broke through and ended up pulling off a 3-0 victory in an excellent pitching performance from Grant Holmes and Atlanta’s bullpen.
It would be an understatement to call this one a pitchers’ duel, as both starters were dominant for the period of time where they were out there. Grant Holmes successfully navigated his way through two trips through the order as he finished with just three hits allowed and one walk conceded across five innings of work and five strikeouts. The slider and cutter were both working pretty effectively for Holmes — everything was working, really, as Holmes picked up two strikeouts on the four-seamer and three on the slider.
The only time that Holmes ran into trouble was in the third inning, which is when he found himself with two runners in scoring position with two outs after he led off the inning hitting Henry Davis and then gave up a two-out single to Bryan Reynolds. Fortunately, Holmes was able to get Esmerlyn Valdez to pop up on a four-seamer and that was that for the scoring chance. That was as close as Pittsburgh got to scoring off of Holmes before he eventually exited the game with 90 pitches after five innings.
As good as Homes was, Jared Jones was better. Jones was just about untouchable against the Braves tonight, as he struck out eight batters without giving up a hit or a walk through six innings of work. Atlanta’s lineup couldn’t handle him at all, which is why it was probably a huge relief for the Braves once they saw Mason Montgomery walk out for the seventh inning.
The crowd in Pittsburgh disagreed with the decision and they voiced their disapproval after Ozzie Albies ended the combined perfect game bid with a looping single out to left to give the Braves their first hit and baserunner of the game. While Jones has been kind of easing back into things following elbow issues, it certainly took a lot of the neutral intrigue out of the game once it was clear that the Pirates weren’t going to let him go for the perfect game.
Either way, the Braves were unable to do anything with the baserunner in the seventh inning as Montgomery sat down the Braves in short order after the hit. However, Atlanta’s fortunes improved once the eighth inning rolled around and an old friend of Pittsburgh’s got a chance to do some damage against his old club.
Earlier in the game, Joey Bart came the closest to getting the Braves on the board after he hit a deep fly ball in the third inning that only made it to the warning track. The funny part is that despite the hard contact, Bart busted it out of the batter’s box because he knew this ballpark and knew that he probably didn’t get enough of it for a dinger. This time in the eighth inning, he did, in fact, get enough of it. Bart followed up Mike Yastrzemski’s double off the wall in right field with a 422-foot shoot to left-center in order to finally break the deadlock and put the Braves in the lead.
Thanks to Didier Fuentes and Dylan Dodd keeping the Buccos quiet once they entered in relief of Grant Holmes, that set the stage for Dylan Lee to enter the game and deliver another strong performance out of the bullpen. That set the stage for the Braves to add on some more insurance as Michael Harris II led off the ninth with a double and then Drake Baldwin cashed in Money Mike with an RBI knock to make it 3-0.
With the lead at three runs, it was now up to Raisel Iglesias to make it stick and get a tiny bit of redemption following his rare blown save on Monday. The first batter for Iggy is always crucial and this time, Iglesias struck out Esmerlyn Valdez to get the inning started on the right track. While Iglesias did end up walking a batter, the Pirates weren’t able to even get the tying run aboard and the Braves ended up taking the 3-0 shutout victory.
For a while, this sure seemed like teh Braves were going to be on the wrong side of history for a second night in a row. Instead, Atlanta took advantage of the pitching change and did enough damage to Pittsburgh’s bullpen while the Braves’ bullpen was back in great form as well. Grant Holmes pitching five great innings sure helped matters as well and the Braves were able to snap their losing streak at the earliest point to where you could call it a losing streak.
It’ll be a quick turnaround for everybody involved as the rubber match takes place tomorrow afternoon at 12:35 p.m. ET. The Pirates will turn to Mitch Keller while Bryce Elder will be making his return to the rotation for the Braves. Hopefully he can pick up where Grant Holmes and the rest of Atlanta’s pitching staff left off and we’ll see the Braves pick up a much-needed series win after a nice win on Wednesday evening.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 07: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres advances home to score a run during the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park on July 07, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Arizona Diamondbacks (45-46) at San Diego Padres (45-46), July 8, 2026, 7:10 p.m. PST
Don’t troll in your comments; create conversation rather than destroying it
Remember Gaslamp Ball is basically a non-profanity site
Out of respect to broadcast partners who have paid to carry the game, no mentions of “alternative” (read: illegal) viewing methods are allowed in our thread
DENVER, COLORADO - JULY 3: Gabriel Hughes #43 of the Colorado Rockies pitches in his MLB debut in the seventh inning against the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field on July 3, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Colorado Rockies have a rare opportunity as they try to win a series on the road against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Rockies’ offense has been troublesome for the best team in baseball throughout the series, and after a narrow extra-inning loss on Monday and a comeback victory on Tuesday, Colorado looks to do it again tonight.
Gabriel Hughes (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will make his first career start after debuting against the San Francisco Giants last Friday. Hughes was excellent against the Giants in his debut, firing three scoreless innings to secure a save. He will have a tougher challenge this time out as he faces a dangerous Dodger offense. In nine starts in the minors this year, Hughes has a 4.71 ERA over 36.1 innings of work in that role. He has done excellent work pounding the zone, as evidenced by his 44 strikeouts against 12 walks. He’ll need to be mindful of hitting his spots and utilizing all of his pitches to challenge the Dodgers and avoid getting behind hitters, thus leaving mistakes over the plate.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers will send out Roki Sasaki (3-5, 5.40 ERA). It’s been a tough second season for Sasaki as he has experienced an up-and-down ride. He had one of his worst outings last Thursday when he gave up six runs on seven hits in a season-low three innings against the San Diego Padres. Sasaki has excellent stuff that can result in strikeouts, but he has struggled with his command and given up a lot of contact. He has been hit by the long ball lately, giving up seven home runs over his last four starts.
Gerrit Cole pitched into the seventh but the Yankees did not give him run support in their 3-0 loss to the Rays on Wednesday night.
The Yankees had six hits, all singles, and just could not string together enough hits against Tampa's pitchers. After striking out 17 times in the last two games, the Yankees struck out 11 times.
New York is now 5.0 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East.
Here are the takeaways....
-The Yankees had a chance in the second. With runners on first and third and one out, Max Schuemann laid down a safety squeeze, but Jasson Dominguez didn't get a good jump and the bunt was hit too hard back at Shane McClanahan. Dominguez was called out at the plate and the Yankees would not score.
Their next best chance came in the seventh. With runners on first and second and one out, Anthony Volpe struck out and a pinch-hitting Trent Grisham flew out to end the threat. New York was 0-for-4 with RISP and left four on base.
-Unlike the Yankees, the Rays did capitalize on an early opportunity. Yandy Diaz hit a one-out double that was nearly a homer in the third. Jonathan Aranda hit a single to Dominguez in right, but the outfielder's throw home was off the line, allowing Diaz to score. An on-target throw would have likely got Diaz out at the plate.
Aranda would drive in the game's second run with a one-out double in the fifth with two runners on. Gerrit Cole worked out of trouble to limit the damage, but allowed a third run in the seventh on an Aranda sac fly off of Fernando Cruz -- the runner on third was Cole's responsibility.
-Cole gave the Yankees exactly what they needed. He pitched 6.1 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out six batters. This is now two straight good starts for Cole after he allowed two runs across five innings on July 3 against the Twins. He tossed 97 pitches on Wednesday, his most since returning from Tommy John surgery.
-Paul Goldschmidt's struggles continued. He finished 0-for-4 and his hitless streak is now a career-worst 0-for-34. Volpe went 1-for-3 starting at short while Jose Caballero was also 1-for-3, and started at second.
-Manager Aaron Boone was tossed for the third time this season in the sixth. Home plate umpire Doug Eddings tossed bench coach Brad Ausmus first, and then Boone was thrown out for defending Ausmus. It seemed like the Yankees were miffed when they were not allowed to challenge an out call when Caballero was thrown out at second on a steal attempt.
Game MVP: Jonathan Aranda
Aranda drove in all three of the Rays' runs
What's next
The Yankees and Rays complete their four-game set on Thursday afternoon. First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m.
The Yankees have yet to announce a starter, while the Rays will send Drew Rasmussen (7-4, 2.78 ERA) to the mound.
Leadoff batter Anthony Seigler and cleanup hitter Willson Contreras both had to exit the Boston Red Sox's game against the Chicago White Sox before Wednesday night's game was even three innings old.
Seigler was hurt in the top of the third inning due to a collision with White Sox catcher Kyle Teel. Seigler scored on a wild pitch, but remained down after colliding with Teel and appeared to be in considerable pain.
He was replaced at second base by Andruw Monasterio.
Contreras fouled a ball off his foot in the same at-bat in which Seigler was hurt.
Willson Contreras has exited the game for the Red Sox after fouling a ball off his foot pic.twitter.com/jIjXAPx28w
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 9, 2026
He flied out to center to end the inning and eventually exited in the bottom of the third when the Red Sox returned to the field. He was limping heavily when he exited.
Both Willson Contreras and Anthony Seigler are out of the game. Incredibly bad luck.
Contreras was limping heavily out at first base before pulling himself. Last time we saw him during the first half? pic.twitter.com/vOyZMuZcri
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 08: Dylan Cease #84 of the Toronto Blue Jays looks on from the dugout against the San Francisco Giants in the top of the eighth inning at Oracle Park on July 08, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Baseball has a funny way of sticking with you. Some plays, some moments, some games, some players, just latch onto certain segments of your brain and I’m not fit to diagnose why.
I’ve consumed thousands and thousands of San Francisco Giants games in my life. Some through paper box scores, and others through digital ones; many through the speakers of my bright yellow boombox that my parents got me in my youth, and many more through god knows how many different car stereos; some I watched on TV, some I watched on a computer, and some I watched on my phone; a few were in person, and plenty have been followed through social media or the play-by-play data online.
And I’ve forgotten most of them, of course. Countless memorable games and can’t-miss highlights that have been labeled as you won’t ever forget that have been, ironically, thrown out in my annual spring cranial cleaning.
What we forget is rarely weird. What we remember, however, always seems so strange.
I remember, for instance, July 2, 2013 vividly. The Giants, seeking to repeat as champions, were mired in quite a slump. A once promising season had fallen by the wayside. They’d lost five of their last six games, and scored one run in three of their last four. They were flailing and feckless. They were inventing new ways to lose.
In a word, they were pathetic.
I was in Yosemite on that day, spending time with my parents for the first time since I had moved out and attempted to start life as an adult. There’s a cafeteria/bar/pizza parlor/patio in the valley, where we would stay on our then annual vacations, and they throw sports on the television, which is quite good of them. In 2013, the glorious pre-streaming era, they played the Giants, because the Giants were on the station they got.
And so I wandered with my dad to check in on the Giants game, eager for a glorious battle between Tim Lincecum and Homer Bailey. Excited for a chance for the Giants to right the ship. The game was only a few innings in when we got there, and we weren’t planning on staying long.
But I had to stay and catch the first hit. My dad, less patient, wandered back to the cabin. Every now and then I’d roam back between innings to fill him in: still no hit. Occasionally he’d meander back to the cafe and poke his head in: still no hit.
Finally and mercifully, the game ended. Nine no-hit innings by Bailey. I remember remarking, I think to my dad but perhaps just in my head, that at least the Giants had finally hit rock bottom. A brutal June swoon that began with getting blown out in both halves of a June 1 doubleheader had reached it’s climactic moment. The Giants had been bounced off the bottom of the riverbed, and had nowhere to go but up. They had been no-hit, and things could not, and would not, get worse.
I was thinking about that game today, as the Giants lost 10-0 to the Toronto Blue Jays. The thought first popped up in the third inning, when Dylan Cease struck out Bryce Eldridge, Drew Gilbert, and Eric Haase in dominant fashion, ending his first turn through the order with emphasis. It was perhaps too early to contemplate a no-hitter, especially given that the Giants, for all their woes, possess baseball’s fifth-best batting average. They struggle to spin hits into runs, and really struggle to spin runs into wins, but they do get their dinks and their doinks and their grab bag of miscellaneous singles.
But Cease cruised through the fourth on just nine pitches. And while a two-out walk drawn by Willy Adames broke up a perfect game in the fifth inning, Cease’s immediate rebuttal — overpowering Eldridge for another strikeout — made it clear that the other historic bid remained intact.
It was hilariously emblematic of the Giants season that Logan Webb was matching Cease bar for bar, but only after stalling out of the starting gates. Webb allowed back-to-back singles to open the game, followed them up with a one-out walk and a single to score a run, and then ceded the first grand slam of his career to Kazuma Okamoto.
By that point the had thrown 25 pitches, allowed five runs, and retired one batter. And then, in typical Webb fashion, he retired the next 13 batters consecutively, and needed just 46 pitches to do so. In all, Webb would make it through seven innings, giving up just a single and a walk after that fated stretch to open the game.
Cease, meanwhile, would not live up to his verb comprising his surname. He gave in with another walk in the sixth — this time a leadoff bases on balls to Gilbert — then struck out Haase, struck out Ramos, and induced a weak groundout from Luis Arráez. The no-hitter watch was well and firmly on.
It highlighted how useless the offensive display was — and how dominant the pitching was — that no one started to question the no-hitter until the seventh inning, when it became apparent that Cease was headed for squeamish manager pitch count territory, which wasn’t helped by his third walk of the game, this time to Rafael Devers. But he worked through it, and entered the eighth inning with a no-hitter intact.
In that frame, he got the two things he needed: a nine-pitch inning, and a highlight play from his defense. The former was necessary for John Schneider to feel comfortable sending his ace out to finish the job. The latter — a 396-foot fly ball from Eldridge that Daulton Varsho tracked down — was mandatory for the no-hitter. According to rule 109.3 in the Big Book of Baseball Rules, and I quote, “Every no-hitter must feature at least one (1) highlight defensive play in which you think a hit will be achieved, but it is instead stolen by a defender, resulting in a pitcher celebration that serves as the first on-field acknowledgement of the historical achievement at hand, and which will be uploaded to MLB’s YouTube channel within 30 minutes of the final out, to be replayed in perpetuity by millions of fans, at least 5,000 of which, annually, will be mandated to claim that they were in attendance even though they were not.”
At that point, the no-hitter felt like a given. The Blue Jays had their play. Cease had made it through eight innings with only one scare, only four balls hit harder than 90 mph, and 11 strikeouts.
But the Giants had a cheeky trick up their sleeves. They had tried everything to knock Cease out of rhythm: taking pitches, swinging at pitches, looking blankly at pitches, making jokes while watching pitches go by them … you name it, they’d tried it. But late in the game they tried a new tactic: ice him out.
It started in the top of the eighth inning, when Spencer Bivens replaced Webb, and an oh-so-long inning ensued. Bivens loaded the bases with one out, and then induced a double play ball, only to watch as Devers flat out dropped a pitch thrown right to his chest. A run scored, the inning lived on, and then another run scored on a single. They had kept Cease, now into triple figures with his pitch count, sitting in the dugout for a long time.
Was it any coincidence that when he took the mound in the eighth, he immediately threw a pitch that Eldridge tattooed deep into the night, even though it was ultimately caught?
Apparently the Giants didn’t think so, because they doubled down on their efforts in the ninth inning, with a man who has been honing this craft all season: Ryan Walker. If a laboriously long inning is what Tony Vitello is after, then he knows just the man to call. And indeed, Walker took his time issuing a leadoff walk to Nathan Lukes, then followed it up with back-to-back home runs issued to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer, both on teed-up hangers placed perfectly into the wheelhouse of the respective sluggers.
Walker mixed in a single and a few other long counts, ultimately throwing 28 pitches in the inning, the perfect amount of time for Cease to sit, grow cold and stiff and bored, and then get called on once again.
This time it worked. Cease took the mound for the ninth inning, and the third pitch he threw caught too much plate, with too little movement. Ramos jumped on it, lining it sharply into center field.
The no-hit bit was over, and it honestly felt anticlimactic. You almost found yourself rooting for a little bit of history. Maybe it’s the memory of Chris Heston influencing me, but there’s something magical about how a no-hitter stands as an outlier in a player’s performance, which allows it be viewed as separate from a run of the mill great outing. Great pitchers throw them, yes, but mediocre pitchers throw them as well. Sometimes players throw a no-hitter, and the next week get rocked. It feels less like a sustainably great performance by a sustainably great player, and more like the sport’s version of an eclipse: a perfect confluence of magic, skill, luck, and destiny bestowed upon a pitcher some random weekday from the baseball deities.
But eight innings of one-hit ball by an ace who was available this winter but the Giants didn’t even try to sign, followed by three quick outs from Tyler Rogers, an elite reliever who was available this winter but the Giants didn’t even try to sign? Well, that just feels like a baseball team that’s run better than yours and coached better than yours, using their players who are better than yours to win.
And with that, the Giants fell to 16 games below .500 for the first time in eight years. It wasn’t a no-hitter like the one Bailey painted all those years ago, but it sure feels like rock bottom all the same.
Then again, the day after Bailey no-hit them 13 years ago, the Giants got walked off in the 11th inning, and would lose six of their last seven. So maybe it’ll get even worse.
LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 3, 2026: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani (17) pitches against the San Diego Padres in the first inning at Dodger Stadium on July 3, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The Dodgers’ longest homestand of the year — 10 games — to take them into the All-Star break features all National League West opponents. First came the San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies to Los Angeles, and now the Arizona Diamondbacks are in town for a three-game series beginning Friday night at Dodger Stadium.
Los Angeles really distanced itself from the division in June, and Arizona has lost 10 of 16 games entering Wednesday night.
Shohei Ohtani takes the mound in his final pitching start before the All-Star break. He’s lasted at least six innings in 13 of his 14 starts this season, including each of his last six starts, averaging 6.12 innings per start this season with a sparkling 1.79 ERA and 2.70 xERA.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - MAY 20: Victor Mederos #58 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates defeating the Miami Marlins 9-1 at loanDepot park on May 20, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Prior to today’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Atlanta Braves recalled right-handed pitcher Victor Mederos and optioned lefty Conner Thomas to Triple-A.
Mederos appeared in one game back in late May for Atlanta, covering two innings in a victory against the Miami Marlins. He had pitched in a dozen games across three seasons with the Los Angeles Angels prior to his Braves debut. Thomas appeared for the Braves last night, allowing four runs in 3.2 innings pitched in his debut with Atlanta.
The Braves continue to churn pitchers on an almost daily basis. On a related note, the team’s transaction page shows the Carlos Carrasco has resigned on a minor league deal again.
Mederos has had middling results with Gwinnett this year, but can cover multiple innings, when needed.
SAN FRANCISCO — Dylan Cease of the Toronto Blue Jays took a no-hitter into the ninth inning on Wednesday before the Giants’ Heliot Ramos broke it up a line-drive single to center field.
Cease was lifted after Ramos’ hit and got a standing ovation from the San Francisco crowd. Tyler Rogers came on and got the last three outs on four pitches as the Blue Jays won 10-0.
The 30-year-old Cease threw a career-high 118 pitches, 81 for strikes, as he sought his second career no-hitter and the first solo no-hitter in the majors since 2024. The All-Star right-hander struck out 11 to increase his American League-leading total to 148.
Cease threw a no-hitter for the San Diego Padres at Washington on July 25, 2024. Eight days later, Blake Snell threw one for the Giants. Since then, there have been two combined no-hitters — including one in March by Tatsuya Imai, Steven Okert, Alimber Santa of the Houston Astros — but no pitcher has done it on his own as managers more frequently pull pitchers in the middle of hitless outings because of concern over pitch counts and players’ health.
Thirty-five pitchers have thrown multiple no-hitters. Mike Fiers of the Athletics became the last to do it on May 7, 2019.
Cease set down the first 14 San Francisco batters before he walked Willy Adames with two outs in the fifth. Cease also walked Drew Gilbert leading off the sixth and Rafael Devers with one out in the seventh.
Toronto’s defense made two solid plays to sustain the no-hit bid. With two outs in the seventh, Adames sent with a grounder up the middle, and second baseman Ernie Clement ranged to the left side of the bag and made a nice pickup and throw to first.
Leading off the eighth, Bryce Eldridge hit a drive to deep left-center. Center fielder Daulton Varsho raced to make an excellent catch before running into the wall.
In Toronto’s 9-3 win Tuesday night, the Blue Jays retired the final 15 San Francisco hitters.
Jun 1, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Michael McGreevy (36) reacts as he walks off the field after the fifth inning against the Texas Rangers at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
The St. Louis Cardinals will play the 4th game of their 5-game series this week versus the Milwaukee Brewers Wednesday night. Birthday boy Michael McGreevy will get the start for St. Louis while Milwaukee will give the ball to Kyle Harrison who’s 8-1 on the season with a 2.82 ERA. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45pm at Busch Stadium and the game broadcast will be available via Cardinals.tv.
Jul 7, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view of Busch Stadium after St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Nelson Velazquez (not pictured) hit a two run home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the sixth inning. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
The Milwaukee Brewers, winners of seven straight against the Cardinals and four straight overall, are looking to extend both those streaks on Wednesday night as they’ll take on St. Louis for the fourth game of their five-game set. Left-hander Kyle Harrison is set to start for the Brewers, with righty Michael McGreevy starting for the Redbirds.
Harrison, 8-1 with a 2.82 ERA and 99 strikeouts this season, had a short start on Friday night in Arizona, as he exited after just 2 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk, striking out three on 72 pitches. That marked his third consecutive and fourth start in his last five allowing at least two runs — he’ll look to buck that trend in St. Louis tonight.
McGreevy, 3-7 with a 3.12 ERA and 60 strikeouts this season, has lost each of his last four decisions despite a still-solid month of June — across five starts, he went 0-2 with a 3.41 ERA and 14 strikeouts over 29 innings, allowing two runs or fewer in four of those five games.
In roster news, Brandon Woodruff had an MRI in Milwaukee, but the news is not good: he has a new injury to the anterior shoulder capsule. His surgeon, Dr. Keith Meister, will provide a second opinion before determining a timeline. Another big “oof” for the Brewer veteran.
Additional info from the Brewers is not good: Brandon Woodruff’s imaging showed a new injury to the anterior shoulder capsule. Waiting on a second opinion from Dr. Keith Meister before determining a timeline.
Tonight’s lineup once again features Christian Yelich in the leadoff spot as the DH, followed by Jackson Chourio and Jake Bauers. William Contreras, Garrett Mitchell, and Luis Lara make up the middle of the order, with Cooper Pratt, Joey Ortiz, and Greg Jones (at second base!) rounding things out.
First pitch is at 6:45 p.m. CT on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JULY 07: Alejandro Osuna #19 of the Texas Rangers celebrates with Ezequiel Duran #20 after hitting a three run home run during the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Globe Life Field on July 07, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images) | Getty Images
MIAMI, FLORIDA - MAY 01: Julio Rodriguez #44 of the Seattle Mariners hits his first professional home run during the sixth inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on May 01, 2022 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Mariners are about to play baseball again.
They’ll be playing the Marlins tonight after losing to them last night in extras. They’ll face Tyler Phillips, who Jake Mailhot previewed for the site yesterday. George Kirby will pitch for the Mariners and looks to build off an eight-inning performance last time out. And yeah, that’s all I got for the pregame, let’s watch some baseball.
The Toronto Blue Jays' 36-year-old no-hitter jinx still hasn't met its match.
But Dylan Cease nearly finished the job.
Cease came three outs shy of pitching the second no-hitter of his career and just the second in Blue Jays history Wednesday, July 8, striking out 11 San Francisco Giants and throwing a career-high 118 pitches in a 10-0 conquest of the San Francisco Giants.
He took a no-hitter into the top of the ninth inning, but Heliot Ramos ended the suspense quickly with a solid single to center field. And so the Blue Jays no-hitter saga continued, despite manager John Schneider's best efforts.
Cease, 30, is in the first year of a seven-year, $210 million contract with the Blue Jays, and they certainly expected him to dominate. Yet pitch efficiency has been a bugaboo in his first season in Toronto, and it nearly derailed his no-hit hopes.
But Schneider just kept sending him out there, and Cease kept rewarding his faith.
He was aiming to throw the first no-hitter for Toronto since Dave Stieb tossed the first in Blue Jays history on Sept. 2, 1990 at Cleveland's Municipal Stadium. And that didn't come easy: Stieb had three no-hit bids broken up with two outs in the bottom of the ninth before making Toronto baseball history.
Cease tried taking the long way home: He walked three batters and had thrown 115 pitches through eight innings. Three days earlier, the Miami Marlins lifted Eury Perez after needing 92 pitches to complete seven perfect innings.
But Perez has been injury-prone; Cease threw a 114-pitch no-hitter as a member of the San Diego Padres against the Washington Nationals in 2024. That stood as his career high in pitches until Wednesday.
And so he jogged out to the ninth, buoyed by the one great play so many no-hitters seem to include: Center fielder Daulton Varsho chasing down Bryce Eldridge's fly ball to left center field, hauling it in and then crashing into the fence, some 399 feet from home plate.
Is this THE PLAY?!
Daulton Varsho makes an amazing catch to keep Dylan Cease's no-hitter intact 👏 pic.twitter.com/QUzCH19goy
Cease also shouted out Ernie Clement's across-the-body throw to get Willy Adames after the second baseman ranged across the bag to field the chopper in the seventh.
"Usually a couple of those happen every no-hitter" Cease said of Varsho's catch in an interview with Sportsnet. "Ern Dawg made a good play up the middle the inning before. When you start to see stuff like that, you start to think maybe it’s your day."
Nobody could stop Ramos' solid shot to center, though. Perhaps next time.
"I probably should've thrown a slider," Cease said after leaving a 96-mph sinker up in the zone for Ramos.
