Category: Baseball

No loss is a good one, but this one is annoying because the things the team is normally good at, they weren’t so good at. We accept the Yankees’ lineup is going to struggle to score, but we expect the bullpen to get the outs after a big night from the starter. Two of those three things happened today — the Yankees struggled to score, and the starter had a big night. Handed a slim 2-1 lead late, the New York bullpen collapsed in the late innings, and the Cubs tied up this series, with 5-2 your final score.

We had about one inning of worry about Max Fried tonight. He was a little scattershot in the first, with Pete Crow-Armstrong working his was back from 0-2 into an eight-pitch leadoff walk, before a pair of spiked curveballs allowed the NL MVP frontrunner to scamper home and put the Cubs up 1-0. Just like earlier this week against the White Sox, we had to contend with the fact the Yankee co-ace would labor his way through the opening frame.

And then, he was pretty well academic. Fried allowed just two hits and didn’t walk a batter after PCA in the first, freezing out the league’s second-best offense and taking advantage of heavy winds blowing in off Lake Michigan. Neither team had the best day at the plate but Fried had a slightly higher degree of difficulty — for as good as he was against Pittsburgh I would argue this outing is more impressive.

At 73 pitches through five innings, many of us assumed Fried’s day was done, but an in-depth discussion with
Ali Sánchez while the Yankees batted had me wondering if they’d let the lefty face PCA one more time. Sure enough, Aaron Boone rolled the dice against one of the better players in all of baseball, and Fried rewarded his skipper’s confidence.

On the offensive side, this side as constructed was always going to be a tough watch. They took advantage of Michael Busch’s error in the fifth, letting Spencer Jones reach first. Sánchez and José Caballero had singles in stereo to bring Jones in and tie the game at one.

The Yankees’ big prospect was front and center for the second run of the game too, taking David Peterson deep to the opposite field on a windy night at Wrigley:

That’s three dingers this week for Jones, who in 105 ABs this season is looking like a respectable enough hitter with some upside. I don’t know that I’ll ever enjoy the aesthetics of Spencer Jones, but if he can lengthen a lineup that’s awful short right now, runs are runs.

The Yankees briefly threatened for more after the Jones homer. Sánchez punched one through the right side but was thrown out at second on a botched hit-and-run with Caballero up. Cabbie then walked and swiped second before a pinch-hitting Trent Grisham earned a free pass as well. Paul Goldschmidt couldn’t do anything though, fouling out on the first pitch to end the rally.

Unfortunately, the vaunted Yankee bullpen couldn’t hold out forever. Nico Hoerner hit a near-impossible home run just over the left-field wall to re-tie the game at two against Fernando Cruz, and then PCA did PCA things with a Cub aboard and Brent Headrick on the mound:

Crow-Armstrong is very good, but boy do I need Aaron Judge back in right field so Jasson Domínguez is not there. Seiya Suzuki followed up with a single to bring PCA in, and although the Yankees did get Suzuki at second base, an insurance run was in. The newly-recalled Yovanny Cruz also allowed a run in the eighth to give the Cubs that three-run lead they wouldn’t reliquinsh. (Another Yankees rally has gone by the wayside in the top of the eighth when Jacob Webb retired Domínguez, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and a pinch-hitting Ben Rice in order.)

On the whole this isn’t a particularly remarkable loss, the Cubs are a good team and the Yankee lineup is quite weak right now. One thing I do want to complain about is how the Yankees deployed their ABS challenges today. Max Schuemann challenged a called third strike at the top of the zone on the very first at-bat of the game, he was wrong, and the Yankees were down to one review before many fans had even taken their seats. Yes, having the leadoff hitter walked aboard is a good thing — see the bottom of the first — but I don’t think it’s worth burning a challenge on so early, especially when the hitter challenging isn’t exactly Juan Soto.

Angel Chivilli, who has impressed as a relief option, also burned a challenge in the sixth inning, a reminder why pitchers generally should not be allowed to challenge calls. This loomed large in the ninth, where after Jones singled to lead off the frame, Sánchez took a first pitch that was awful inside:

Now if you have an ABS challenge left, you can now start your ninth inning at bat up 1-0 instead of 0-1. But you don’t have any challenges left, because a journeyman leadoff hitter and former Colorado reliever decided to use them instead.

The Yankees have been pretty mediocre on the year with the ABS system, and going into a stretch run and hopeful playoff push, they need to be better at this. They also probably need to designate players that are and aren’t allowed to challenge. It’s becoming one of those little things that adds up, and when the Yankees are this depleted, the little things have to be done right.

It’s easier to swallow a loss like this when the Yankees won last night and can win the series tomorrow. Gerrit Cole will be the man charged with delivering that victory, but he has to be aware there won’t be that much run support. The finale of this road trip comes at 2:20pm Eastern. It will be the final game before the Trade Deadline hits at 6pm ET on Monday.

Box Score

It would appear that the MLB Trade Deadline market is starting to kick into high gear with some major moves starting to happen. We’ll drop the latest trade news here as we learn of them.

Cross one right-handed hitting option off the list of names for the Yankees to possibly pursue ahead of the trade deadline.

The Braves acquired outfielder Lane Thomas — alongside left-handed pitcher Bailey Falter — from the Royals on Saturday, The Post’s Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman confirmed.

Minor-league pitchers Carter Holton and Lucas Braun will both head back to Kansas City, the team announced.

Thomas, in his first season with the Royals, was pulled from the middle of Kansas City’s game Saturday night and had hit .230 with a .717 OPS and 10 homers this season entering the game.

Falter has dealt with elbow inflammation this season and appeared in five games, with two starts, for the Royals, collecting a 13.97 ERA.

But Thomas, who was limited to just 39 games last season in Cleveland due to an injury, will get a chance to boost a Braves lineup ahead of another playoff push, with Atlanta leading the National League East by 8½ games.

Braun is the No. 8 prospect in Atlanta’s system, according to MLB.com.

Well, let’s start with the good feelings. There was a sentimental feeling percolating around the Yard well before tonight’s game, with a team Hall of Fame induction ceremony that saw former O’s slugger Chris Davis, 1983 World Series Champion Storm Davis, and late scout Jim Russo all get their green jackets. Both Storm and Chris were in attendance, along with lots of their former teammates, including, to give short pre-game remarks and stop by the MASN booth to chat about their favorite memories.

It was cool to learn that Storm Davis actually served as a mentor to a young Ben McDonald, then a rookie pitcher, now a MASN analyst, but I was especially sentimental about Davis’s reminiscences, which covered the especially sweet 2012-16 years, when the O’s led the AL in wins. Dishing about some of his favorite memories, Davis named several that brought up memories. There was his 2013 home opener grand slam:

This unreal broken-bat home run off lefty Tony Watson.

And, my favorite, the ludicrously improbable homer he hit off ambidextrous sinker-baller Pat Venditte, a tentative one-handed half-swing that somehow made it into the stands. Davis described it earlier this week: “The home run vs Pat Venditte where I literally ass out, one handed, I heard he tore up the video room on the visitor side after that… I’m like, I don’t know either dude. Like I don’t know what I’m doing.” Amazing!

Look, Chris Davis had his share of troubles on the field, especially toward the end of his career, but he is a beloved part of Birdland history, a fact that seemed confirmed by how many former O’s made it out to honor him.

OK, but that’s the extent of the sentimentality here, because there was a game to play, and for O’s fans, not a lot of sweet memories will be left from this one. This is because Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sánchez is a true artist on the mound. The left-hander came into tonight with the NL’s fifth best ERA and a wicked 50-inning scoreless streak earlier this season, and tonight, you saw why it was deserved. Sánchez has one of the best sinkers in the game, and so it was again. He also has a changeup several miles slower but with the same path out of the hand. It wreaked havoc. Sánchez drew 9 swings and misses on 15 changeups tonight (60%), finishing with 11 strikeouts in just six innings.

Then again, for most of the game the score was 1-0, and O’s starter Shane Baz was really good, too: he threw 6 1/3 innings and only allowed one run. More on Baz in a sec.

The Birds had a few chances against Sánchez, believe it or not—even if they had to do it by free pass, and not by hard contact. In the fourth inning, Sánchez did something he hadn’t all season and walked three hitters in a row—Gunnar Henderson, Tyler O’Neill, Christian Encarnación-Strand. This brought up Leody Taveras with the bases juiced and two outs. Could he… ?? Alas, he could not. It was not a good at-bat. Taveras swung aggressively through the early pitches, and stared at a fairly routine pitch down the middle for Strike 3.

They gritted a second rally chance into existence in the sixth, but if you’ve been paying attention to the final score you know how that went. Taylor Ward worked a walk, and chugged his way to third base on a Tyler O’Neill dribbler the other way—nice hustle, Ward! CES had a chance to drive him in from third, but he walked, the second time Sánchez had loaded the bases with two outs. Sánchez looked mighty distracted, way overthrowing the ball twice to CES before walking him.

So, not much to report on offense. Now, despite what the badness of the score indicates, Orioles pitching was excellent until a bullpen meltdown in the eighth inning. O’s right hander Shane Baz went toe-to-toe with Sánchez, basically, continuing to look like a solid investment for this team and a great option in this rotation. Baz had dazzling spin on his changeup and knuckle curve, plenty of movement on his sinker, and even better velocity than usual—which is saying something! Baz allowed some loud contact, but no more than two hits out of the first fourteen batters.

Regrettably, he got the loss in this game, with one run surrendered in the fifth inning. With a man on second via walk, Baz allowed a two-out single to Bryan de la Cruz. Not a cheapie, it was a bad, middle-of-the-zone fastball, and De la Cruz responded appropriately. This was pretty much Baz’s only bad pitch of the night.

In the sixth, Baz allowed a leadoff single to Bryce Harper, but then retired the side on a groundout, popout, and—oh, a super nice play by new-guy catcher Jake Rogers, acquired last week from Detroit, who caught Alec Bohm wandering off of first and fired down to Pete Alonso, who tagged him out.

Baz came one strike short of completing seven, but Philly second baseman Bryson Stott was a huge pain in the neck, seeing 14 pitches before cuing an opposite-way single. It took Baz out of there, but doesn’t dampen what was a great outing by the starter: 6 1/3 innings, 1 ER, 6 H, 4 K, 1 BB.

What was not great was the Grant Wolfram + Andrew Kittredge tandem in the eighth, which coughed up four runs by virtue of three combined walks and three hits. Wolfram looked wild, and Kittredge hittable. The inning felt like forever, and a 1-0 pitcher’s duel became a 5-0 blowout, deflating the stadium.

At the time of this writing, the Twins lost and the Guardians are in a 12-7 hole, so the Orioles haven’t actually given up ground in the Wild Card race. Despite this stupid result, the hunt for the playoffs goes on. Tomorrow, Kyle Bradish v. Zack Wheeler. Let’s hope the bullpen is more rested by then.

CHICAGO — The way the Yankees have been hitting — or not hitting — lately, their pitchers have had to be just about perfect.

Their starters have done that.

Their bullpen has not.

So on another night when they got a strong start from Max Fried, but very little from their lineup, the Yankees asked their bullpen to walk a tightrope.

It could not deliver, faltering in a 5-2 loss to the Cubs on Saturday night at windy Wrigley Field.

After Spencer Jones swatted a solo home run to give the Yankees (62-49) a 2-1 lead in the top of the seventh, they wasted a chance to add on, which immediately cost them in the bottom of the frame when the Cubs (63-48) mounted a three-run rally against Fernando Cruz and Brent Headrick.

It was as if the Yankees lineup was screaming for help once again, just two days before the trade deadline, as it continued to flounder without Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton.

It has scored just five runs over its last three games and 13 over its last five — scoring three runs or fewer in 11 of its 15 games since the All-Star break — leaving them 3 ¹/₂ games back of the Rays for the division.

“It’s a tough moment for us,” said Jasson Domínguez, who went 1-for-4 with a double but misplayed a ball in the right field corner that allowed the go-ahead run to score in the seventh. “We’ve been grinding, trying to find a way every day.”

The Yankees received an outstanding turn through the rotation, as their last five starters combined to give up just two runs across 31 ¹/₃ innings, scattering 15 hits and seven walks while striking out 33.

Incredibly, though, the Yankees only managed to turn that dominant pitching into two wins.

“It’s baseball,” said Fried, who turned in 5 ¹/₃ innings of one-run ball. “There are going to be times where guys are throwing really well and maybe the bats aren’t putting up as many runs as we need. But there’s also times where we’re going to put up five, six, seven, eight, nine runs, and then we’re giving up some too.

“It’s just about being a really good baseball team and picking each other up and knowing that everyone’s doing everything they can to win today’s baseball game. Whatever you have that day, you got to make the most of and try to figure out how to scratch and get that one.”

Against former Mets lefty David Peterson — who entered the night with a 5.80 ERA — and three Cubs relievers, the Yankees tallied eight hits and two walks while stranding seven men on base.

Two of them came in the top of the seventh with two outs after Jones had put them ahead 2-1 with his second left-on-left home run in as many days.

José Caballero and pinch hitter Trent Grisham drew back-to-back walks against righty Trent Thornton, at which point manager Aaron Boone considered pinch hitting Ben Rice but stuck with Paul Goldschmidt, who popped out in foul territory to end the rally.

“Felt like I had [Rice] in my pocket there for the next hitter [Amed Rosario] if I needed it,” said Boone, who ended up using Rice as a pinch hitter in the eighth, when he grounded out with a runner on first. “We had the lead. So trusting our pen and wanting the defense in there. So I did consider it. Maybe with less than two outs, maybe more inclined to do it. I did consider, but decided not to.”

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Nico Hoerner led off the bottom of the seventh by crushing a Cruz splitter down the left field line for a home run that tied the game at two.

Cruz later issued a two-out walk to pinch hitter Pedro Ramírez, leading Boone to bring Headrick into the game.

The lefty had stranded all 15 of his inherited runners over his last 32 games before Saturday, but could not keep that streak alive.

Pete Crow-Armstrong ripped a line drive down the right field line that bounced off the side wall and got past Domínguez, ensuring Ramírez could score all the way from first for the 3-2 lead.

Crow-Armstrong, who raced around for the triple, then came in on Seiya Suzuki’s single up the middle to make it 4-2.

“We were set up to do it, we just couldn’t finish it off,” Boone said. “We don’t have a lot of margin for error when you’re not putting a lot of points on the board. We put some traffic out there, we probably had 10-plus base-runners tonight, so those are little signs hopefully for the offense getting things going a little bit. But obviously we need to keep doing a little bit more.”

According to a report by The Athletic’s Jesús Cano, Atlanta Braves first round pick AJ Gracia underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder and will miss the rest of the season. According to the report, the surgery was performed on Wednesday by Dr. Neil ElAttrache with Gracia expected to miss seven to 10 months.

Gracia was selected ninth overall by the Braves out of the University of Virginia. He took an under-slot deal when he signed. Gracia was ranked second on Battery Power’s mid-season prospect list.

Cano reported Gracia’s surgery based on information from anonymous sources as the team has not announced this news.

Here’s our own Matt Powers with some context via ex-Twitter:

The White Sox, one season removed from a 102-loss campaign and currently leading the American League Central, made a splash ahead of the trade deadline.

Chicago acquired two-time All-Star Luis Castillo from the Mariners in exchange for reliever Seranthony Domínguez, outfielder Nolan Jones and prospect Boston Smith, The Post’s Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman confirmed Saturday.

Castillo, who finished fifth in voting for the Cy Young Award in 2023, has struggled to start the 2026 season, collecting a 5.06 ERA and pitching to a 3-9 record across 20 starts.

But the potential is there, and he’ll add to a Chicago pitching staff that sits with the No. 16 rotation in MLB for ERA at 4.29, according to FanGraphs.

The White Sox will also take on the remaining money for Castillo’s contract, according to ESPN.

Castillo also set to make $22.75 million next season with a vesting option for 2028 if he throws 180 innings in 2027.

Domínguez has appeared in 43 games this season, collecting a 3.99 ERA, and will join a Mariners team that sits four games under .500 (54-58) but just 2 ½ games back in the AL West.

The Chicago White Sox didn’t have to prove they were legitimate playoff contenders, but they affirmed as much Saturday, Aug. 1 when they acquired right-handed pitcher Luis Castillo from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for reliever Seranthony Dominguez, former prospect Nolan Jones and catching prospect Boston Smith, the team announced.

Castillo, 33, was expendable in Seattle thanks to the Mariners' deep rotation, a gaggle of majors-ready prospects and the $24.1 million salary he’s due in 2027. He also hasn’t performed particularly well this season, posting a 5.06 ERA in 20 appearances, 17 starts, this season.

Yet Castillo is a three-time former All-Star who finished fifth in 2023 AL Cy Young Award voting and as recently as last season pitched 180 innings. He’ll add length to a White Sox rotation that thins out after No. 1 starter Sean Burke and Davis Martin. 

MLB trade deadline updates: Rumors, news and latest hot stove intel

The Yankees blew a late lead against the Chicago Cubs to even the series following their 5-2 loss on Saturday night.

Here are the key takeaways...

-- In his third start since returning from the IL due to a bone bruise in his left elbow, Max Fried was dominant over 5.1 innings. His only blemish came in the first inning after a leadoff walk to Pete Crow-Armstrong was followed by two wild pitches that sandwiched a groundout that advanced the runner to third base and scored the game’s first run without a hit.

From there, the left-hander didn’t allow a baserunner until Alex Bregman gave the Cubs their first hit with a one-out single in the fourth. However, Fried easily disposed of the next two batters to end the inning unharmed. 

-- It was the next half inning that the bottom of the Yankees’ lineup helped their starting pitcher out and got on the board to tie things up. 

After two quick outs, Spencer Jones reached base on a fielding error by first baseman Michael Busch. That opening allowed the next batter, Ali Sanchez, to sneak one through the right side for a base hit before Jose Caballero capped the two-out rally with a run-scoring single to right field.

-- Fried worked around a leadoff single in the bottom of the fifth and then went back out for the sixth but was removed by manager Aaron Boone after getting the first out of the inning. New York is still raising the left-hander’s pitch count following his injury and he was pulled after 78 pitches (54 strikes).

Fried’s final line: 5.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, which lowered his ERA to 3.12.

-- Angel Chivilli was the first arm out of the bullpen and despite two walks, he was able to get out of the inning.

-- It looked like the Yankees took the momentum in the top of the seventh when the lefty-swinging Jones, who started the rally in the fifth, launched a solo shot against LHP David Peterson to give his team its first lead of the night. The home run was Jones’ fifth of the season as the rookie continues to look more and more comfortable at the plate. He finished 2-for-4.

-- After running themselves out of the inning and being unable to tack on any insurance runs following Jones’ blast, the Yanks’ lead quickly disappeared.

With reliever Fernando Cruz now in the game, the first batter he faced, Nico Hoerner, took him deep for a game-tying solo homer that swung the pendulum back in favor of Chicago. 

Two outs later, it looked like Cruz would be able to get out of the inning with just one run allowed, but a walk to pinch-hitter Pedro Ramirez turned over the lineup and brought up Crow-Armstrong. Facing Brent Headrick, Crow-Armstrong tripled on a line drive to right field that Jasson Dominguez had trouble with, allowing the go-ahead run to score, charged to Cruz. Seiya Suzuki followed suit with an RBI single, charged to Headrick, to make it 4-2.

The Cubs added a run in the bottom of the eighth against Yovanny Cruz and the Yanks went quietly in the top of the ninth.

Game MVP: Pete Crow-Armstrong

Crow-Armstrong was everywhere, scoring twice and driving in the game-winning run with his seventh-inning triple.

Highlights

The Yankees string together a rally in the 5th!

José Caballero ties the game! pic.twitter.com/T10EpY2nZy

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) August 2, 2026

What's next

The Yankees and Cubs continue their series at Wrigley Field with a Sunday matinee starting at 2:20 p.m.

RHP Gerrit Cole (4-5, 3.57 ERA) takes on RHP Colin Rea (8-7, 4.67 ERA).

The Texas Rangers scored four runs but the Houston Astros scored five runs.

Other than the fact that the Rangers didn’t ultimately end up losing by like ten runs, this was a pretty familiar contest. The Rangers let a first inning rally go to waste without scoring and then Houston got on the board first with a two-out rally from the bottom of their lineup in the second.

Wyatt Langford tied the game with a Crawford Boxes special solo home run, but Houston again produced an extended rally that saw them collect two more two-out runs. Unlike last night, the Rangers had some fight in them as they tied the game 3-3 in the top of the fourth but Houston again produced a couple of runs in the bottom of the inning to knock out starter Jacob deGrom.

The Rangers got the final run of the game via a solo Elias Diaz home run in the top of the sixth, but they couldn’t get the next run to even the score and have now lost this series with a game to play tomorrow. Oh yeah, and they’re below .500 again after losing their fourth game in a row.

Player of the Game: Lefty reliever Tyler Alexander tossed two scoreless frames in the middle innings to settle the game down and give the Rangers a shot at mounting a comeback. The Rangers did not pull it off but Alexander was essentially the most successful pitcher that Texas has sent out there so far in this series.

Up Next: The Rangers will send RHP Kumar Rocker to the mound hoping to avoid getting swept against RHP Peter Lambert for Houston.

The Sunday afternoon series finale first pitch from Daikin Park is scheduled for 1:10 pm CDT and will be aired on the Rangers Sports Network.

It’s been a busy night at Coors Field! The Rockies lead 8-4 after being down 4-0, and being held without a baserunner, at the top of the third inning.

They scored six in the bottom of the third, and Lane Thomas was traded to the Atlanta Braves in the fourth.

There’s still a lot of game left, so let’s keep the discussion going!

As a reminder, here are the lineups:

Let’s go Rockies!

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

Clay Holmes may make a final rehab start with Class-A Brooklyn on Sunday, but of more importance is the fact that the right-hander knows whenever he does return to the majors, it will almost certainly be with another organization.

“There are no guarantees in this sport,’’ the Mets right-hander said Saturday at Citi Field about the possibility of a trade by Monday’s deadline. “In the situation we’re in, it’s pretty likely. We’ll wait and see what the next few days hold.”

The right-hander, who has a player option worth $12 million for next season, has fully recovered from the fractured right fibula he suffered on a Spencer Jones comebacker on May 15 and said he was “more than ready” to pitch in the majors.

Still, he has come to grips with the reality of the situation, with the Mets not wanting to risk an injury with perhaps their most valuable trade piece.

Asked about a potential extension prior to Monday, Holmes said it remained a long shot.

“It seems like it’s the same path and a trade is most likely,’’ Holmes said.

Interim manager Andy Green said the plans to have Holmes pitch in Brooklyn on Sunday could “change at the drop of a hat,” depending on whether a deal appears to be imminent.

If the Mets go through with sending Holmes to Brooklyn, he’s expected to throw about 70-75 pitches in a third rehab outing.

“There’s a lot of interest across the industry,’’ Green said of Holmes. “We’ll see where it goes. As an organization, he’s still getting built up. There’s still work to be done.”

If Holmes ends up getting traded, he didn’t rule out a return if he declines the player option, since he was having a stellar season prior to the injury.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND METS STATS

“My feelings haven’t changed about the Mets,’’ said Holmes, who has outperformed the three-year, $38 million deal he signed with the team prior to the 2025 season. “Whatever happens here, I feel the same way. There’s a level of uncertainty and it’s hard to predict what’s gonna happen at the end of the year.”

Holmes had a 2.39 ERA over 52 innings in nine starts before hitting the IL in May and put up a 3.53 ERA in 165 ²/₃ innings over 33 games — 31 starts — last season.

If the Mets hadn’t been in the midst of one of the worst seasons in franchise history, Holmes’ return would have been a welcome addition to the starting rotation.

As he heads towards the deadline, Holmes said he “feels good. The sinker feels like it always has. Pretty normal.”

He was also pleased with his sweeper, cutter and changeup.

But with the Mets in sell mode and little to play for down the stretch, the two most important pieces of the rotation — Holmes and Freddy Peralta — are seeing their days numbered in Queens.

“I’m more than ready to pitch in the big leagues,’’ Holmes said. “I respect [why they want me to make another rehab start]. . . . I want to continue to build and hope for the next start, I’m ready for the full clip, wherever that is.”

After a late scratch for Reynaldo Lopez with a knee injury, Martin Perez became the late-notice starter for Atlanta in game 2 against the Nationals.

Perez worked a 1-2-3 first and Ronald and Matt Olson gave him a quick lead with back-to-back solo homers with one out in the bottom of the first.

Onto the second and Perez cruised through the second with two strikeouts. Yaz hustled for a bloop double and that work paid off with an RBI single from Drake Baldwin with two outs. A Jarvis error allowed a leadoff baserunner in the third, but the runner was erased with a double-play in another clean frame. Errors from Albies and Jarvis spelled trouble for Perez in the fourth, but Martin secured a crucial strikeout to keep the Nats off the board. Dominic Smith tacked on an insurance run with a solo homer in the bottom of the frame.

Perez carried a no-hitter through 6.2 innings, before giving up a single with two outs and ultimately getting out of the frame with the shutout. He ended the night with a massive 7.0 innings of scoreless ball and 6 strikeouts, all while making this start on maybe one hour’s notice. It can’t be overstated how tremendous this was for tonight and for the bullpen from Martin.

In the bottom of the inning, the Braves loaded the bases with no outs with two walks and some help from an error, scoring a run on a Dominic Smith walk. Ronald scored on a wild pitch, with the other runners advancing and Austin Riley brought them home with a two-RBI double, making it a comfortable 8-0 ballgame in the bottom of the seventh. Danny Young got the eighth and gave up three runs but got out of the inning limiting the damage to that. Victor Mederos got the ninth and got the job done with little drama, securing a comfortable 8-3 win and preserving the back of the bullpen.

Join us again as the Braves go for the sweep tomorrow at 1:35 PM ET.

At the bottom of the fourth inning of tonight’s game, Lane Thomas went out to center field but then was summoned back to the dugout where he smiled and hugged teammates before exiting up the tunnel. A few minutes later, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that he and left-handed pitcher Bailey Falter had been traded to Atlanta. The return has not yet been announced, but with the variety of injuries to right-handed hitters and the announcement earlier tonight that Randy Arozarena would not be traded, hopes are high for a strong return.

UPDATE:

So I did the research, and Carter Holton is considered Atlanta’s 23rd-best prospect with a Future Value of 40. But he’s a 23-year-old in A-ball, which doesn’t match the lofty rating at all. He’s a left-hander with an above-average slider, but a 5.08 ERA in 33.2 innings this year.

Lucas Braun is considered Atlanta’s 18th-best prospect, all with a 40 FV. He’s a 24-year-old right-hander playing in AAA. At least he’s young for the level, but the 3.92 ERA and low strikeout rate don’t inspire confidence. Sure feels like if he had a ton of value, Atlanta could have just kept him instead of acquiring Bailey Falter. MLB does have him with a 45 FV and as 8th in their system. So, maybe FanGraphs is overly critical. But I’m not really liking what I’m seeing there.

Unlike nearly every other deal I’ve seen this deadline, I’m underwhelmed.

Baseball Trade Values thinks the Royals got a steal, but you have to wonder how much better they could have done without Falter in the deal. It sure as heck seems like he got added as a salary dump with that underwhelming return.

Update: It’s official.

The Atlanta Braves are trading for Kansas City Royals outfielder Lane Thomas and pitcher Bailey Falter, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

Thomas, who is from Knoxville, TN, is an eight-year big league outfielder who debuted with the St. Louis Cardinals and also spent four seasons with the Washington Nationals. He’s appeared in 96 games for the Royals this season with an overall .717 OPS but has hit left-handed pitchers much better with an .800 OPS against them. His career OPS against left-handed pitchers is .850. For the season he has a 101 wRC+ which is in line with his career totals.

He adds depth to Atlanta’s outfield and becomes a viable platoon partner for Mike Yastrzemski. Thomas was removed from the game was a “hug watch” moment from Royals broadcaster Joel Goldberg.

As for Falter, he has pitched in only five games with Kansas City this season. The left-hander has had some recent success at Triple-A as MLB.com’s Mark Bowman notes. Falter adds bullpen depth, but could stay at Triple-A barring other moves.

Update: Falter to Triple-A confirmed by the AJC’s Chad Bishop. Also, the delay of Thomas reporting to Atlanta could be due to the possible roster crunch around the trade deadline. Atlanta off on Monday.

He has historically posted low strikeout totals but has provided slightly above average results, until this season, during his big career that starting in 2021 with the Philadelphia Phillies. He’s 85 of his career 119 games pitched including a career-high 28 with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2024.

Robert Murray reports that pitchers Carter Holton and Lucas Braun are going to the Royals in the deal. Holton was Atlanta’s second round pick in 2024 out of Vanderbilt University but has yet to pitch above A.

Braun, who was 28th on the Battery Power mid-season prospect rankings, was the team’s sixth round pick in 2023 and has made nine starts at Triple-A Gwinnett and eight starts at Double-A Columbus.

What is your initial reaction to the trade?