Category: Baseball

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

Even in a season that isn’t going according to plan, an immutable fact remains: life seems a little bit better after an Orioles win. That’s especially true when the O’s make it a dramatic win, like last night’s 5-3 takedown of the visiting Royals at Camden Yards. After Brandon Young’s bid to pitch into the eighth inning went haywire in heartbreaking fashion, Samuel Basallo stepped up to reinvigorate the team and the sizable crowd of O’s fans with his electric go-ahead homer — and epic bat toss — in the Birds’ last at-bat. Check out Stacey’s recap of a delightful night at Oriole Park.

The game was a fun reminder of what the Orioles can look like when they’re playing well, something that unfortunately has happened far too little this season. A win against a last-place Royals team doesn’t fix the many problems that still plague the Birds. But with two games remaining against lowly Kansas City, the Orioles have a chance to head into the All-Star break feeling better about themselves if they can put together a couple more performances as competent as last night’s.

While the players (hopefully) keep their attention on the field, the O’s front office decision-makers have other things on their mind this weekend. The 2026 MLB Draft begins today at 1 pm, and the Orioles hold the #7 pick. As Mark Brown wrote, there’s no consensus among draft pundits about which player the O’s will take; five different writers have suggested four different possibilities for the Orioles in their mock drafts. And of course the Birds’ actual selection could end up being someone not even mentioned. They do that sometimes.

The Orioles’ #7 pick is their highest since 2022, when they held the #1 overall selection and drafted Jackson Holliday. Since then, their highest first-round picks have been #17 in 2023 (which they used on Enrique Bradfield Jr.), #22 in 2024 (Vance Honeycutt), and #19 in 2025 (Ike Irish).

And I would venture to say that Mike Elias really needs to nail this one. His once-hyped draft prowess has lost quite a bit of luster in recent years. After his lauded first draft with the Orioles in 2019, which netted the O’s both Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson, the results of his subsequent drafts have been a mixed bag. He reached a bit to make Heston Kjerstad the #2 overall pick in 2020 and that hasn’t panned out, though he also scored Jordan Westburg later in the first round. Elias’s top selection in 2021, Colton Cowser, is still a bit of an enigma offensively. Then there’s Holliday, who hasn’t yet performed like the platonic ideal of a #1 overall pick, though he’s still just 22.

None of the Orioles’ draft picks from 2023 or beyond have arrived in the majors, but Bradfield has struggled to hit consistently in the minors, and the 2024 draft — in which Elias selected Honeycutt and Griff O’Ferrall in the first round — looks like a bust. Early returns from the 2025 first round (Irish and Wehiwa Aloy) look promising so far, as does Caden Bodine, whom the O’s traded to the Rays in the Shane Baz deal.

If the Orioles’ 2026 campaign continues to go sideways and the team decides to make front office changes this offseason, then there’s a real possibility that this is the final draft Elias will oversee. For everyone’s sake, let’s hope it’s a good one.

Links

Basallo’s tie-breaking home run gives Orioles 5-3 win over Royals (updated) – School of Roch

Basallo got some amazing distance on that thing. And I’m just talking about the bat toss.

Is 2026 the year the Orioles draft a 1st-round pitcher? ‘We’ll see.’ – The Baltimore Sun

In my house, “we’ll see” is what I tell my daughter when my actual answer is a hard no. I’m thinking the same is true here.

Will Orioles’ Jackson Holliday fulfill his promise? | MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com

One e-mailer suggests that the O’s should mortgage the farm to trade for Mason Miller. I hate to tell you this, friend, but the Orioles are not a closer away from being a good team.

Will the O’s consider trading any pending free agents? – Steve Melewski

Follow-up question: do the Orioles have any pending free agents that other teams would even want to trade for?

Turnstile will be at the Orioles game tonight. The commemorative jerseys will not. – The Baltimore Banner

Due to supply chain issues, the O’s didn’t have the Turnstile giveaway jerseys ready to hand out to fans last night. It’s been that kind of a year for the 2026 Orioles.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You share your day with two guys who were briefly Orioles: outfielder Daniel Johnson (31), who played nine games from 2024-25, and righty Zach Clark (43), who pitched a single MLB game back in 2013.

On this date in 1968, Earl Weaver managed his first major league game after taking over for the fired Hank Bauer. The then-37-year-old Weaver guided the O’s to a 2-0 win over the Senators in Baltimore, thanks to Dave McNally’s two-hit shutout and a Don Buford home run. It was the first of 1,480 regular season wins — plus 26 postseason wins — in Earl’s eventual Hall of Fame career.

And on this day in 1987, Billy Ripken made his MLB debut, joining brother Cal Jr. in the Orioles lineup. Their dad, Cal Sr., became the first skipper in MLB history to manage two of his sons. Cal Jr. and Billy went a combined 0-for-7 in the Orioles’ 2-1 loss to the Twins.

Random Orioles game of the day

On July 11, 2002, the Orioles opened the second half with a 4-1 loss to the Athletics at Camden Yards. Scott Erickson had a strong seven-inning, three-run outing, but was outdueled by A’s lefty Mark Mulder, who stymied the Orioles for seven scoreless. Future Oriole Miguel Tejada went 2-for-5 with an RBI double for Oakland. The loss dropped the Orioles to two games under .500, which doesn’t seem so bad considering they eventually finished the season 28 games under.

The 2026 MLB Draft gets underway today. Over the next two days, the Milwaukee Brewers will select 20 players to add to their organization and be part of that next wave of young talent.

MLB’s Draft is notoriously difficult to predict, especially the later the Draft goes on. Picks aren’t necessarily about who is the best on the board; it’s about who is there for the best price, so the slot money can be spread around to get the maximum amount of talent. The Brewers have been one of the best teams at spreading out their available bonus money over the past several years.

This year, the Crew has one of their lowest bonus pool totals in a long time — they have a lack of compensatory picks (including trading away the No. 67 pick to acquire Kyle Harrison) and had the best record in baseball last year, pushing their picks toward the end of each round.

The Brewers have their first pick at No. 25 overall, which is the last selection in the first round. Where could they go? Let’s take a look at who the experts have Milwaukee taking in their mock drafts.

Baseball America 7.0 – Cameron Flukey, RHP, Coastal Carolina

The Brewers took a starting pitcher from Coastal Carolina last year with Jacob Morrison in the third round. Carlos Collazo at Baseball America has the Crew going back to the Chanticleers rotation again this year with Cameron Flukey.

Flukey’s success is no fluke. He sits in the mid-90s on his fastball and can reach 98 mph with movement. His curveball is his best secondary and is a high-spin pitch, which is a quality the Brewers have targeted consistently in their pitching selections. Flukey stands 6-foot-6 and 210 pounds, so there’s a starter’s frame with room to add on more weight if needed.

ESPN – Cameron Flukey, RHP, Coastal Carolina

Back-to-back Flukey selections here; he should be going off the board right around this range, so it does make sense. However, the Brewers have selected a pitcher in the first round just once in the past decade. That pick was Ethan Small in 2019, and Small didn’t exactly work out very well for the Brewers. There’s a reason they don’t go there often. But could they buck the trend this year?

The Athletic – Ace Reese, 3B, Mississippi State

The Brewers have drafted corner infielders a lot in recent years, so why not go back to that well again with an SEC third baseman? Ace Reese has big-time power, slugging 24 bombs this year for the Bulldogs while hitting .336. Classic left-handed power bat with a solid feel to hit. The big question will be his defensive home and if he can stick at the hot corner.

CBS Sports – Cole Prosek, SS/C, Magnolia Heights (MS) HS

The nephew of Brewers third base coach Matt Erickson, Prosek has been a heavily connected name to the Brewers through this process. He’s also from the same high school as the Crew’s current shortstop, Cooper Pratt, and plays with Pratt’s younger brother on the team. Prosek is an athletic player who can play both infield and behind the plate. He has a strong feel to hit, with some giving him plus grades, and some pretty good pop as well. He’s committed to Ole Miss, but there’s strong momentum for him in the first round, and the Brewers feel like a great landing spot if he’s there.

MLB Pipeline – Zion Rose, OF, Louisville

MLB Pipeline’s most recent mock draft came back on July 2, and they had the Crew going with a college bat yet again. This is not much of a surprise. Rose is generally above average across the board offensively, and though they may need to work on pitch selection with him, Rose has a pretty good ceiling to work with.

The Sporting Tribune – Cole Prosek, SS/C, Magnolia Heights (MS) HS

Another Prosek pick. The connection is certainly strong. The Brewers do have a history of selecting players who have the potential to stick behind the plate even if they haven’t primarily played there as an amateur. If the Brewers like his catching potential, they could take him and send him out there. Marco Dinges was one such player a few years ago.

Fangraphs – Ace Reese, 3B, Mississippi State

For many years, the Brewers avoided corner infielders like the plague. They focused on up-the-middle athletes only. Recently, they’ve taken Brock Wilken, Blake Burke, and Andrew Fischer with early selections each of the last three years. They seem to have plenty of future possibilities on the corners, but can you ever really have enough?

Prospects Live – Cole Prosek, SS/C, Magnolia Heights (MS) HS

A very popular pick here. Could it be because of the Matt Erickson connection? Could it be legitimate interest? Could it also be a smokescreen? If too many prognosticators think the Brewers are taking someone, the Brewers generally do something else. They keep things largely tight to the vest.

Baseball Prospect Journal – Sawyer Strosnider, OF, TCU

Back to the college bats, Sawyer Strosnider is another name that has popped up quite a bit with the Brewers. Strosnider is a left-handed bat with a big-time power-speed combination, earning plus grades on both tools. He does have a little bit of a strikeout problem, which is somewhat concerning with any hitter. But in terms of tools and athleticism, few in this draft have more, which makes him a name to watch.

Other names connected

Throughout all these mock drafts, the writers do include other names they considered or names they have heard connected to the Brewers at No. 25. That group includes:

James Clark, SS, St. John Bosco (CA) HS
Tegan Kuhns, RHP, Tennessee
Taj Marchand, SS, James Island (SC) HS
Trey Ebel, SS, Corona (CA) HS
Eric Becker, SS, Virginia
Logan Reddemann, RHP, UCLA

The 2026 MLB Draft gets started this afternoon. We shall see which, if any, of these mock drafters were correct in their selections.

I do at least appreciate that when the Phillies lose a game like that, I can at least focus my attention on something else and not be dialed into every single pitch like normal. It lets me get some things done around the house for the evening.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• As mentioned yesterday, Kyle Schwarber is doing the Home Run Derby as well, joining teammate Bryce Harper.
• For this All-Star Game, it has all the fingerprints of David Montgomery, who knew he wouldn’t be here to see it happen ($).
• The MLB Draft is today, which will feature the first time the Phillies are penalized for spending money.

MLB news:

• JJ Wetherholt joins the group of those that are getting extensions so soon in their major league career, getting an eight-year deal from the Cardinals.
• More like Shohei No-tani, amiright? The Dodgers star is going to miss the All-Star Game with an ouchie in his knee.
• The Home Run Derby is set. Let’s have some fun!

Good morning, BBN!

The 2026 MLB Draft begins today, and Kentucky Baseball fans will have at least one major reason to tune in.

Wildcats shortstop Tyler Bell is widely expected to be selected in the early rounds after two seasons in Lexington.

Bell entered the season as one of the top prospects in the 2026 class, with MLB Pipeline ranking him among its top draft prospects. He also participated in the MLB Draft Combine last month.

While recent first-round mock drafts from CBS Sports and ESPN have not projected Bell among the opening selections, his prospect status makes him Kentucky’s best bet to be called early in the draft.

Bell’s combination of defensive ability, switch-hitting potential, and youth could make him an intriguing option for organizations looking for an up-the-middle prospect.

Kentucky could also have additional players selected during the later rounds as MLB organizations work through 20 rounds over two days.

How to Watch the 2026 MLB Draft

Day 1: Saturday, July 11 (Rounds 1-4)

• 1:00-2:30 p.m. ET – Preview show + Picks 1-10 (NBC/Peacock)
• 2:30-4:30 p.m. ET – Picks 11-40 (MLB Network, MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+)
• 4:30-7:45 p.m. ET – Picks 41-135 (MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+)

Day 2: Sunday, July 12 (Rounds 5-20)

• 11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. ET (MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+)

Where do you think this year’s Wildcats land?

Tweet of the Day

Get to know Milan and his Kentucky journey!

Headlines:

J Batt set to begin tenure at UK – UK Athletics

A new era.

Spain beat Belgium late to set to World Cup semifinal vs. France – ESPN

Spain vs. France is going to be electric.

College basketball rankings: Marcus Spears Jr.’s commitment lifts Texas in early Top 25 And 1 – CBS Sports

Texas might be the best team in the SEC next season.

Scottie Scheffler misses the cut for the first time in 4 years – NBC Sports

Scottie has been on a slide lately. Further proof of Tiger’s untouchable greatness.

Shohei Ohtani dealing with knee irritation, to miss All-Star Game – ESPN

MLB in shambles hearing this.

The NBA’s seven biggest non-LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard questions left to be answered this offseason – CBS Sports

It’s been quite the offseason.

Report: George Pickens among teammates working with Dak Prescott in Utah – NBC Sports

Love to see it.

Mike Boynton Jr. agrees to 2-year deal as Michigan hoops coach – ESPN

Big opportunity.

Why Argentina Football Association for has reportedly been investigated for alleged money laundering in U.S. – CBS Sports

Insane story.

Jannik Sinner beats Novak Djokovic to set up Wimbledon final vs. Alexander Zverev – NBC Sports

Should be a great one!

In some past seasons, we’ve written up every pick the White Sox make in the draft with individual stories. This year, we’ll let a constantly-updated Day 2 draft tracker do all the work, but overall we will have individual features on the first five White Sox picks (Nos. 1, 34, 44, 77, 105).

An exciting twist to our coverage this year is having Melissa Sage-Bollenbach in Philadelphia and on the grounds covering for us. That should mean details and quotes you won’t see anywhere else, as well as video and other postings on all our social media channels (@southsidesox.bsky.social on Blue Sky, South Side Sox on Facebook, @sss_south_side_sox on Instagram, @southsidesox_ on TikTok, @sss_south_side_sox on Threads and @SouthSideSox on Twitter/X).

To kick off our coverage of today’s five picks and the following 16 on Sunday, here’s a How to Watch guide. But really, let us do the heavy lifting and just stay tuned to the real-time updates of South Side Sox!

2026 MLB draft
Day 1: Saturday, July 11 (Rounds 1-4)
Noon-12:30 p.m. CT Preview show (NBC/Peacock)
12:30-1:30 p.m. CT Lottery picks 1-10 (NBC/Peacock)
1:30-3:30 p.m. CT Picks 11-40 (MLB Network, MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+)
3:30-6:45 p.m. CT Picks 41-135 (MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+)

Day 2: Sunday, July 12 (Rounds 5-20)
10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. CT Rounds 5-20 (MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+)

The 2026 MLB draft is in Philadelphia this year as part of MLB All-Star Week. First-day coverage of the draft is extensive, with interviews of newly-drafted players, highlight packages, real-time analysis from MLB’s experts, footage from team draft rooms and interviews with front office personnel. Sunday’s coverage will be exhaustive, covering every pick, but the nature of buzzing through hundreds of picks means that the broadcast mostly consists of stock-ticker reporting in rapid-fire fashion.

MLB draft primer
After trading Jacob Gonzalez to the Pirates, the White Sox the largest draft pool in baseball: $20,489,500. Each pick of the first 10 rounds has an assigned slot value, and adding up all of those pick values determines the bonus pool. Teams can spend more or less on any draft choice in any round, all the way down to Round 20.

Overall, teams are allowed to exceed their allotted pool by up to 5% — but teams are taxed 75% on any spending beyond the bonus pool; if the White Sox sign their 21 draft choices for $21 million, they’ll have to pay a 75% tax on that extra $510,500. (For a Jerry Reinsdorf-run team, don’t expect to see the White Sox exceeding their bonus pool.) And if a team was to exceed their bonus pool by more than 5%, it’s viewed as “cheating” and results in higher penalties and a loss of future draft picks — NO TEAM has ever done this.

Players picked in Rounds 11–20 have slot values of $150,000 — but it’s all “free” money in that it does not count against the bonus pool. Any contract of more than $150,000 results in the extra payment counting against the pool (if the total used to sign Round 11-20 selections adds up to $1.5 million, the White Sox will have all $20,489,500 to spend on their Round 1-10 picks, but if the total added up to $3 million, the bonus pool to sign Round 1-10 draftees will be just $18,989,500. The White Sox are very likely to lowball a few selections with no other options (players sign for as little as $10,000) to free up money in the latter half of the draft, rather than cannibalize the more precious bonus-pool monies.

White Sox top 11 draft pick slot values
Round 1 (No. 1) $11,350,600
Competitive Balance Round A (via Pirates) (No. 34) $2,897,400
Round 2 (No. 41): $2,446,100
Round 3 (No. 77): $1,086,600
Round 4 (No. 105): $747,700
Round 5 (No. 137): $547,700
Round 6 (No. 166): $413,900
Round 7 (No. 195): $325,100
Round 8 (No. 225): $256,500
Round 9 (No. 255): $217,000
Round 10 (No. 285): $200,900
Total Pool $20,489,500

White Sox picks Round 11-20
11th Round No. 315
12th Round No. 345
13th Round No. 375
14th Round No. 405
15th Round No. 435
16th Round No. 465
17th Round No. 495
18th Round No. 525
19th Round No. 555
20th Round No. 585

Finally, if you’d like your own “White Sox draft preview show” as you wait for the action to begin, here’s director of scouting Mike Shirley on Friday’s broadcast, talking draft:

Good morning! It’s draft day for Major League Baseball which, strangely, comes at a terrible time for the Red Sox. They’ve won seven in a row! They’re somehow surging up the standings despite suffering a new injury every day! It’s time to celebrate the NOW! Not to look to the future!

Alas, the schedule is what it is, and the baseball gods Rob Manfred has decided that the best time to hold the MLB draft is on a Saturday afternoon, when it will compete against a full slate of MLB games as fans gear up for the All-Star Break. So, to some extent, the big league club will take a backseat today.

The Draft begins with rounds 1-4 today, which will be broadcast on NBC/Peacock starting at 1PM, with coverage moving to MLB Network at 2:30.

The Red Sox will make the 20th, 67th, and 96th picks in the first four rounds today.

Yesterday, Bob touched upon the question of what strategy the Sox should pursue, as Craig Breslow is coming off several years in a row of loading up on arms (to great success). Check out the discussion and mock drafts there, and then stay tuned to OTM as the picks come in.

Be good to each other and go Sox.

After splitting their series against the Rays, one series was left between the Yankees and the All-Star break. The Nationals managed to take the lead late as Tim Hill didn’t have it in the eighth, but thankfully Washington’s bullpen gave it right back in the ninth to give New York their third win in five games. Ben Rice launched his 29th home run of the season and now has two more games to hit a nice, round 30 before the break, and Austin Wells hit his second home run in as many games after a lengthy drought. All in all, that’s a great game for the Yankees to have taken, and now they can end this half of the year with a series win if they win today or tomorrow.

The break isn’t for another couple of days, but the festivities start this weekend with the MLB Draft kicking off this afternoon. We’ll have plenty of coverage of the event throughout today and tomorrow and breakdowns of what the team accomplished afterwards, but we’ll open the day up with a primer from Andrew on what to expect from today specifically. Andrew’s also got the Rivalry Roundup lined up and Matt celebrates the birthday of Harry Wolter before we get deep into prospect land.

Today’s Matchup:

New York Yankees at Washington Nationals

Time: 4:05 p.m. EST

TV: YES Network, Nationals.TV

Venue: Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.

Questions/Prompts:

1. Get your guesses in for who the Yankees take with their first-round pick (35th overall).

2. Will we see any team make a trade over the break?

Unlike other major pro sports in the United States, Major League Baseball’s annual draft is hardly must-see television. With 20 rounds of picks—it used to be 50—and very few of them household names, only true baseball diehards closely pay attention beyond the first handful of selections.

For college baseball fans, though, the MLB Draft can bring about some stress and uncertainty since both incoming freshmen and existing veterans are eligible to be selected. The best college juniors and seniors are sure to get drafted and sign, while top recruits may be lured into starting their pro careers early via a hefty signing bonus.

Last year the UA saw nine members of the 2025 squad, which reached the College World Series, get drafted and sign. One of its prep signees also took the money rather than come to Tucson.

The 2026 draft, which begins Saturday and finishes Sunday, won’t be nearly as impactful to Arizona’s roster. Only one current Wildcat with eligibility remaining is assured of being drafted: junior right-handed pitcher Owen Kramkowski.

Kramkowski, who struggled in the spring after a breakout 2025 season, is ranked as the 205th-best draft prospect by Baseball America and No. 245 by MLB.com. That would put him in the range of the 6^th or 7^th round to get selected, though he could go earlier. All indications are Kramkowski will sign.

Beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess. No other current or future Wildcats are among BA’s Top 500.

Among Arizona’s outgoing seniors, the top candidate to get drafted is left-handed pitcher Patrick Morris, who is currently playing the MLB Draft League. Infielders Tyler Bickers and Maddox Mihalakis could also get picked late or sign as an undrafted free agent.

Draft-eligible juniors other than Kramkowski include lefty Maclain Roberts, catcher Beau Sylvester and outfielders Andrew Cain and Easton Breyfogle. A couple of Arizona’s 2027 newcomers, such as junior college righty Collin Cobb, prep infielder Ayden Deome and catcher Francisco Rivero, are also at risk of getting picked.

Arizona has had 293 players drafted in its history and has had at least two taken every year since 2011.

The first four rounds of the 2026 MLB Draft are Saturday, with NBC airing the first 10 picks starting at 10 a.m. PT before the broadcast switches to MLB Network and later MLB.com. Rounds 5-20 are Sunday on MLB.com starting at 8:30 a.m. PT.

Indianapolis Indians 6, Toledo Mud Hens 3 (box)

Troy Watson was knocked around in his return to the rotation, and the Hens couldn’t capitalize enough on 10 hits and two walks to mount a comeback.

Watson gave up a run in the bottom of the first, and then three more in the third. The score remained 4-0 for several innings until the Hens fought back in the seventh.

Andrew Navigato led off the top of the seventh with a double. Luke Shliger, up to fill in for Eduardo Valencia, flew out, but Max Clark stepped to the dish and cranked a two-run shot just fair down the right field line. Clark’s eighth shot of the season made it 4-2.

Max Anderson followed with a triple to right field. Gage Workman lifted a sacrifice fly to score him, making it a 4-3 game.

Unfortunately, the comeback stalled there. Jack Little allowed a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth. That opened up too much distance between the two clubs, and the Hens couldn’t mount another charge.

Clark: 2-5, R, 2 RBI, HR, K

Anderson: 1-4, R, 3B, BB, K

Watson (L, 3-3): 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, BB, 2 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 3-1 Indy lead heading into a 7:05 p.m. ET start on Saturday.

Erie SeaWolves 7, Harrisburg Senators 1 (box)

Jake Miller returned from his lengthy rehab with a short start for the SeaWolves, and the rest of the pitching staff dominated to down the Senators on Friday.

Miller fired three scoreless frames as the Tigers continue to carefully build him back up. The left-hander’s command is still rusty, but he allowed just one hit and two walks, striking out two.

In the bottom of the third, Bennett Lee was hit by a pitch and that sparked a big inning as Peyton Graham followed by drawing a walk. Justice Bigbie singled in Lee, and Graham scored on an Andrew Jenkins grounder that forced Bigbie at second. Garrett Pennington followed by drawing a walk, and Max Burt singled in Jenkins for a 3-0 lead.

In the fourth, Viandel Pena, who the Tigers recently signed out of Indy ball after Pena was released by the Nationals last summer, led off with a double. Bennett Lee drilled a line out to center and Pena took third. Graham singled him in, posting a two-hit, two walk game that took his OPS to .837 on the year.

Eric Silva tossed a scoreless fourth, then allowed a run in the fifth. So it was 4-1 SeaWolves in the bottom of the sixth when Pena doubled with one-out. Lee grounded out, but Pena stole third and Graham singled him in. Bigbie walked, and Jenkins reached on an infield single to load the bases. A walk to Pennington forced in a run, and a passed ball made it 7-1.

Lael Lockhart had it from there. The lefty fired four scoreless innings of one-hit ball to close this one out.

Graham: 2-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, K, SB (48)

Bigbie: 2-4, R, RBI, BB

Pena: 2-4, 2 R, 2 2B, K

Burt: 2-4, RBI, BB

Miller: 3.0 IP, 0 R, H, 2 BB, 2 K

Coming Up Next: The Senators lead the series 3-1 headed into Saturday’s 6:05 p.m. ET start.

Fort Wayne TinCaps 6, West Michigan Whitecaps 3 (box)

Carlos Marcano gave up four early runs in this one, and the offense just didn’t have the mojo for a comeback.

The TinCaps scored one in the first, and three in the second before Marcano departed. In the bottom of the fourth, Caleb Shpur drew a leadoff walk and Bryce Rainer singled. A double play ball from Clayton Campbell erased Rainer, but Shpur scored on a wild pitch.

Luke Stofel gave up a run in the fifth, but in the sixth, Rainer drew a leadoff walk and later scored on an error after a Samuel Gil single to right field and Rainer pushed first to third. The throw in went wild, allowing him to score, but the Whitecaps would only get one more run. Campbell walked in the eighth, and Gil was hit by a pitch. An Andrew Sojka single made it a 6-3 game, and that’s where it ended.

Hernandez: 2-4

Rainer: 1-3, R, BB, K

Marcano (L, 1-3): 2.0 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 7:05 p.m. ET start on Saturday.

Lakeland Flying Tigers vs. Dunedin Blue Jays (postponed)

They’ll play two on Saturday after getting rained out on Friday.

FCL Yankees 7, FCL Tigers 6 (F/8)(box)

Joey Wimpelberg got knocked out of this one early, but Ryan Hall took over for four decent innings, allowing two more runs. SS Angel de los Santos kept it rolling with an inside the park home run, a single, and a walk. Michael Oliveto was the DH in this one and had a pair of hits, including an RBI triple. Unfortunately, after tying this one up in the top of the seventh and scoring two in the first inning of extras, the Yankees dropped three more runs to walk this one off.

De Los Santos: 2-2, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR, BB, CS

Oliveto: 2-4, RBI, 3B, K

Cristian Perez: 1-3, 2 R, RBI, HR, BB, K

Hall: 4.0 IP, 2 ER, H, 2 BB, 4 K

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: A lot of the big headlines to come out of Brian Cashman’s media availability on Thursday were around the status and recovery of Aaron Judge and his rib injury. Also during that availability, Cashman noted that the performances the Yankees have gotten from the catcher position this season have been an issue. While he emphasized that he’s looking to improve themselves in total as opposed to putting all the eggs in one position’s basket, he acknowledged that catcher has become an unexpected area of concern.

The Trentonian | Greg Johnson: One annual event during the All-Star Game weekend festivities is the Futures Game played between some of the top prospects from around baseball. The Yankees were set to be represented in this year’s event by shortstop George Lombard Jr. and pitcher Carlos Lagrange. However, both have been ruled out with injury. In their place, the Yankees will now send pitcher Ben Grable, an 11th-round pick from Indiana last year who is now in the Somerset Patriots’ bullpen. He’s much lower in the Yankees’ prospect pecking order, but is having a nice 2026 season.

MLB.com | Byron Kerr: The Yankees’ offense had one of their best performances in a while on Thursday when they put up 12 runs in a win over the Rays. A couple Yankees gave a bit of credit to a pregame speech from Jazz Chisholm Jr. ahead of that game. Jazz then played a big role in last night’s win over the Nationals, so it’s been a nice couple days for him.

Netflix: Ben Rice’s competition in the 2026 Home Run Derby is set for Monday night. Barring any late substitutions, he will face Junior Caminero of the Rays, Jac Caglianone of the Royals, Jordan Walker of the Cardinals, Munetaka Murakami of the White Sox, Willson Contreras of the Red Sox, and two host sluggers: Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper of the Phillies. Caminero and Schwarber were runners-up in the 2025 and 2018 events, respectively, while Harper was the winner in 2018, the last time he competed in one with the Nationals. Rice will be looking to become the fifth Yankee to win the event, alongside Tino Martinez (1997), Jason Giambi (2002), Robinson Canó (2011), and Aaron Judge (2017).

MLB.com: Another event this weekend is the MLB Draft, which is set to begin later today. If you want to feel old, the sons of Andy Pettitte, CC Sabathia, Jose Contreras, and other famous names from around baseball will be among those available for selection in this year’s Draft. And if you’re curious about who the Yankees might take with their top pick (No. 35), check out Dan Kelly’s article for us yesterday.

WASHINGTON — Jasson Domínguez began Friday as one of the Yankees’ hotter hitters of late — which wasn’t exactly saying much, given their collective funk before Thursday’s breakout — but Aaron Boone is setting a higher bar.

As in more of what Domínguez did Friday night.

The 23-year-old outfielder smoked a solo shot from the left side and later singled from the right side in the ninth inning to start the game-winning rally as the Yankees beat the Nationals 5-3 at Nationals Park.

“I feel like I’ve been getting better,” Domínguez said. “I’ve been working to take better at-bats. Just go and compete, and that’s been my only focus.”

At a time when the Yankees need all the offense they can get, Domínguez is batting .333 (10-for-30) over his past eight games. Still, he ended the night batting only .242 with a .709 OPS in 34 games this season.

“I expect more,” Boone said before the game. “I feel like really all year he’s giving solid at-bats every day, but hasn’t had that breakthrough yet. His on-base percentage should not be whatever it is [.276]. He’s so much more than that. But I feel like he hasn’t struggled at all in the time that he’s been up so far. But I feel like he hasn’t caught that fire yet either.

“He’s been a little unlucky, especially this last week. He’s hit some balls on the screws right at people. He did it a couple times in the Tampa series. So hopefully he’s starting to consistently square things up. When he’s doing that, he can do some special things out there with his speed and his power to all fields.”

The switch-hitter has the potential to be a difference maker in the Yankees lineup — often residing in the top half — especially as it carries on without Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton for the foreseeable future.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS

Domínguez remains a work in progress in right field, but if he can produce more consistently with his bat and legs, it would make his growing pains defensively easier to live with.

*Ryan Weathers turned in a strong outing against the game’s highest-scoring offense, holding the Nationals to just one run across 5 ¹/₃ innings despite receiving some shoddy defense behind him — including a pair of errors from third baseman Amed Rosario.

The left-hander changed up his pitch mix — leaning on his sweeper, slider and changeup and throwing just seven four-seam fastballs — to scatter six hits and no walks while striking out six.

“It’s definitely weird for me, but my job is to go out there and help the team win the ballgame,” Weathers said. “If me throwing less fastballs helps us win the ballgame, I want to go out there and win every possible game I can.”

Paul Goldschmidt snapped out of an 0-for-34 skid with a single in the first inning, then later added an infield single.

Angel Chivilli had two encouraging outings in the final two games against the Rays, throwing a perfect inning Wednesday and two perfect innings with three strikeouts Thursday.

That earned him a longer stay on the roster instead of being sent back to Triple-A for a fresh arm Friday.

“Wow,” Boone said. “[Thursday] was really good. And coming off a game where he pitched the day before, to be able to give us two innings, because he was efficient and the strike throwing. The changeup’s a really good pitch. He was executing with it a lot in these last two games.”

He did not pitch in Friday night’s victory.

Ben Rice’s dad was at Nationals Park early Friday afternoon to throw him batting practice, as the two got a round of prep for Monday’s Home Run Derby at Citizens Bank Park.

Introduction

If you’re only only interested in the baseball happenings, you can skip down to the section titled ‘The Actual Game Recap’

If you’ve been around here at the Snakepit for long enough, you should already be familiar with the now traditional cannabis themed recape or ‘weedcaps’ every April 20th. For those who haven’t been around for that long or are just unfamiliar with how that works, a weedcap consist of me recapping the game while also consuming and reviewing different cannabis products and various accessories. Sadly this tradition was broken in 2026, as April 20th was an off day for the D’Backs, so instead we’re doing the other weed holiday, which just so happens to be today, the 10th of July. If you aren’t familiar, July 10th has become the holiday where cannabis concentrate are celebrated, and that’s entirely because 7/10 reads as OIL upside down. (Apologies to the Europeans who use date/month instead of month/date). Links helpfully provided to either define what I’m talking about or to the appropriate business’ website.

Rally Rig and MJ Concentrate Product Review

During the 2026 season, I’ve often referred to the ‘Rally Rig’ in the comment section, taking ‘dabs’ of concentrates in the superstitious hope that it rallies the team.

This piece was actually part of the Daily High Club’s April “420 stoner party” subscription box, which you can purchase here, if so desired. Pictured below is the full subscription box contents. I looked all over for a baseball related piece for the specific purpose of this article, but sadly couldn’t find much. Thankfully, the Rally Rig has anthropomorphic cannabis flower using a joint as a baseball bat on it, so it was good enough!

I’ve actually built up a fairly impressive collection of glass pieces thanks to them and I’ve largely been satisfied. However, I wouldn’t reccomend actually subscribing to the boxes, as it is mildly annoying unsubcribing. If you like cool glass display pieces, or are looking for a gift for the resident stoner/medical marijuana patient in your life, I would absolutely recommend giving their website a look.

To go with the glass piece meant to be used with concentrates, I picked up a couple different strains (Mr. Powers round glass container on the left, Blueberry on the right ) of sugar wax from Tucson SAINTS dispensary‘s house brand. In addition, I also grabbed some of IO Extracts Pineapple Chem shatter, pictured in between the two containers of sugar wax.

I won’t go into full details on the individual products, but I recommend the Saints Wax for the combination of value (2.5grams for <25$) and overall quality. IO Extracts also make quality products worth checking out, albeit at not as great of value. They’re very consistent, and have a wide array of strains, different forms of concentrates, as well as vape cartridges for those not so inclined to mess with the torch and dab rig set up. (And it is a pain to be honest, the rally rig is pretty much only used during game days.)

I had originally planned on doing a very different version of this article, but last minute time and budget constraints changed those plans.

The Actual Game Recap

Shohei Ohtani, the pitcher, was scratched as the Dodgers starting pitcher, so instead the Dodgers turned to their bullpen, starting with RHP Kyle Hurt. The Diamondbacks offense struck early against Hurt, scoring a pair of runs in the first, thanks to back to back singles from Ketel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo to lead off the game. After Corbin Carroll ground into a fielder’s choice to put runners on the corners, Gabi Moreno singled and advanced to second on a Kyle Tucker throwing error, allowing both runners to score and putting the Dbacks 2-0 over the Dodgers.

Shohei Ohtani, the hitter, made his presence in the game known immediately in the bottom of the inning, hitting a home run off Dbacks starter Eduardo Rodriguez to leadoff the game, making the score 2-1. Andy Pages followed up with a solo homer of his own, which tied the game up at 2-2. Rodriguez would get Freeman to strikeout for the first out before giving up single to Mookie Betts, but he’d set down the next two batters and exit the inning without any further damage.

Nolan Arenado lead off the second inning with a walk, but Ryan Waldschmidt struck out swinging and Tim Tawa flew out to right. That would prompt Dodgers Manager Dave Ross to take Kyle Hurt out of the game at this replaces, replacing him with Will Klein, who’d then get Marte to ground out for the third out of the inning stranding Arenado at third. The bottom of the inning proved uneventful as Rodriguez set down Teoscar Hernandez, Miguel Rojas, and Daulton Rushing in order.

In the top of third inning, after a Perdomo groundout, Carroll walked, which the Dodgers unsuccessfully challenged, which Carroll responded to by stealing his 10th base of the year. The Dbacks were unable to capitalize on the runner in scoring position with Moreno striking out and Gurriel grounding out to end the inning. Fortunately, Eduardo Rodriguez continued to cruise through the bottom of the third inning, striking out Ohtani and then erasing an Andy Pages single by getting Freeman to ground into a double play.

After an overly aggressive Ildemaro Vargas struck out for the first out of the fourth inning, Nolan Arenado walked, prompting another pitching change with LHP Brock Stewart taking over for Will Klein. After getting Ryan Waldschmidt to strikeout for the second out of the inning, Tim Tawa blasted a two run homerun to left center, giving the Dbacks a 4-2 lead. Ketel marte then struck out for the third out. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Rodriguez continued neutralizing the Dodgers offense, working around a two out double from Kyle Tucker to come out of the inning unscathed.

in the top of the fifth, Geraldo Perdomo lead off with a walk. Corbin Carroll then hit into a fielder’s choice on a ball hit 2 feet at 70MPH, but thanks to a throwing error by Dalton Rushing, he’d reach safely and Perdomo would advance all the way to third. Gabi Moreno then ground out to third, but that’d be enough to score Perdomo, putting the Dbacks up 5-2 to over the Dodgers. Another pitching change would follow, this time with RHP Edgardo Henriquez to face Lourdes Gurriel, replacing Brock Stewart.

Gurriel would go down on strikes, but not before Carroll advanced to third and then scored as a result of a balk, then a wild pitch, making the score 6-2. Vargas would then strikeout for the third out, sending it to the bottom of thw inning. In the bottom of the fifth, Rodriguez once again escaped without any damage, despite giving up a leadoff single to Miguel Rojas and a two-out single to Andy Pagès.

In the top of the sixth, the Dbacks offense blew the game wide open, though not without a casualty. After Arenado lead off with walk, Ryan Waldschmidt was injured attempting to bunt him over, resulting in Jorge Barrosa taking over in the middle of the at-bat. _{Update: The pitch hit Waldschmidt’s thumb, x-rays came back negative, see comments}

Thankfully, Barrosa was able to finish the job bunting Arenado over and a throwing error by Dodgers third baseman Tommy Edman not only only allowed Barrosa to reach safely, but put runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out. Tim Tawa then singled, scoring Arenado, advancing Barrosa to third. Dbacks lead 7-2. Later in the inning Barrosa would score on a Perdomo ground out, adding an additional run to make it 8-2.

In the bottom of the sixth, Rodriguez once again allowed a baserunner, a one out walk to Tommy Edman, but managed to escape the inning unscathed.

In the top of the seventh, Jack Dreyer would take over for Edgardo Henriquez and posted a scoreless inning, though he did allow a two out single to Ildemaro Vargas. In the bottom of the seventh inning,

Rodriguez was relieved by Brandynn Garcia, who put up an easy 1-2-3 inning by getting Vargas to pop out, followed by striking out Rushing and Ohtani.

Evan Phillips would take the ball next for the Dodgers in the bottom of the eighth inning. Before recording a single out, Phillips gave up a Jorge Barrosa single, a wild pitch, and then a Tim Tawa RBI single. That tacked on one last extra insurance run, making the score 9-2. Phillips then set down the top of the Dbacks order to send it to the bottom of eighth. Jonathan Loáisiga took over for Garcia, who pitched an uneventful, scoreless eighth inning.

Alex Vesia would take over for Phillips for the top of the ninth and allow a leadoff double to Moreno, but got Gurriel to pop out, then struck out Vargas and Arenado to send it to the bottom of the ninth. Drey Jameson, taking over for the ninth inning, allowed a leadoff single to Tommy Edman and two outs later an RBI double to Miguel Rojas, but got Dalton Rushing to ground out, ending the game.

The Colorado Rockies spent most of Friday night creating chances without cashing them in.

They finally broke through in the ninth.

Kyle Karros delivered a go-ahead, two-run single, Cole Carrigg added a sacrifice fly, and Juan Mejia needed one pitch in the bottom of the ninth to strand the bases loaded and secure a 4-3 win over the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park.

Colorado improved to 39-57. San Francisco fell to 39-55.

The Rockies loaded the bases with nobody out in both the sixth and ninth innings. They came away empty in the sixth, but scored three times in the ninth before nearly giving the lead back.

Gordon and the defense limit the damage

Tanner Gordon allowed one run on eight hits over five innings. He walked one, struck out one and threw 81 pitches, 54 for strikes.

It was not a dominant outing. Gordon generated only three whiffs on 35 swings, and his velocity was down across the arsenal. His four-seam fastball averaged 90.7 mph, more than two mph below his season average.

The movement was better. Each of Gordon’s five pitches showed more induced vertical movement than its season norm.

He also used a balanced mix. Gordon threw 20 changeups, 19 sinkers, 19 sliders, 19 four-seamers and four curveballs. Against right-handed hitters, the four-seamer remained his primary pitch at 36%.

Rafael Devers opened the second inning by lifting a 79.7 mph curveball over the right-field wall for his 19th home run and a 1-0 Giants lead.

Gordon then worked through several threats with help from the defense.

In the third, Luis Arraez singled and Casey Schmitt reached on an infield hit. An Ezequiel Tovar throwing error moved both runners into scoring position, and the Rockies intentionally walked Devers to load the bases.

Gordon recovered to get Willy Adames to fly out to Tyler Freeman in right.

The Giants threatened again in the fourth. Drew Gilbert doubled and Drew Cavanaugh singled, putting runners at the corners with two outs.

Heliot Ramos then lined a 103.6 mph ball toward first, but TJ Rumfield made the catch to end the inning.

Cole Carrigg made the biggest defensive play of Gordon’s final inning.

Arraez opened the fifth with a single before Schmitt drove a fly ball deep to center. Carrigg made the catch, got behind the ball and threw Arraez out at second. The Giants challenged, but the call stood.

Devers followed with a 109 mph single to right, but Gordon retired Adames on a groundout to finish five innings with the game tied.

Ray keeps Colorado from building innings

Robbie Ray allowed one run on four hits across five innings. He walked six, struck out four and threw 100 pitches, 53 for strikes.

Ray was effective despite inconsistent command. He threw first-pitch strikes to 12 of 23 hitters and put only 35% of his pitches in the zone.

Colorado hit eight of its 13 balls in play against Ray at 95 mph or harder, but most of that contact did not lead to runs.

Ray also continued to de-emphasize his four-seam fastball. He threw it only 15% of the time, compared with a 37% season rate. His sinker led the mix at 33%, followed by the knuckle curve and slider at 20% each.

Kyle Karros recorded Colorado’s first hit in the third, extending his on-base streak to 18 games. Jake McCarthy advanced from first to third, but Carrigg struck out to leave runners at the corners.

Hunter Goodman walked to begin the fourth but was caught stealing. Rumfield followed with a 102.7 mph single before Freeman grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Colorado tied the game with two outs in the fifth.

Tovar lined his 17th double of the season to left at 105.1 mph. McCarthy then drove a 2-0 sinker into right field for his 18th double, scoring Tovar.

It was McCarthy’s 52nd RBI and Colorado’s first hit in four chances with runners in scoring position.

Rockies waste a bases-loaded chance

Colorado forced Ray from the game in the sixth.

Carrigg, Goodman and Rumfield drew consecutive walks to load the bases with nobody out. San Francisco brought in Dylan Smith.

Smith escaped on 15 pitches.

Freeman popped out on the infield-fly rule, Willi Castro struck out and Mickey Moniak grounded out.

Brennan Bernardino kept the game tied in the bottom half. He walked Bryce Eldridge, then got Jung Hoo Lee to line out before Gilbert grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.

The Rockies missed another opportunity in the seventh. Karros singled with two outs, but Sam Hentges struck out Carrigg to end the inning.

Devers puts the Giants back in front

Jimmy Herget retired the first two hitters in the seventh before San Francisco started another rally.

Arraez singled and stole second. Schmitt walked, and a passed ball charged to Goodman moved Arraez to third.

Devers then drove a 91.3 mph sinker through the right side at 106.8 mph, scoring Arraez and giving San Francisco a 2-1 lead.

Antonio Senzatela worked a clean eighth inning, striking out Eldridge before retiring Lee and Gilbert on ground balls.

Rockies score three in the ninth

The Rockies entered Friday ranked third in MLB with an .837 OPS in the ninth inning.

Their late offense showed up again.

Moniak opened the ninth with a single against Caleb Kilian. Troy Johnston pinch-hit for Tovar and drew a walk.

McCarthy then executed an obvious bunt situation perfectly. He pulled the bat back on the first two pitches, then placed a bunt down the third-base line and beat it out for a single.

That loaded the bases with nobody out.

Karros followed with the decisive hit. He fought through a six-pitch at-bat and punched a broken-bat single through the middle, scoring Moniak and Johnston for a 3-2 lead.

San Francisco replaced Kilian with Erik Miller.

Carrigg initially showed bunt, worked the count to 3-1 and then lifted a fly ball to left. McCarthy scored easily, extending the lead to 4-2.

Goodman added a single before Edouard Julien grounded into a forceout and Freeman struck out looking.

Mejia gets the final out

Jordan Romano entered for the bottom of the ninth with a two-run lead but could not finish the game.

He walked Cavanaugh before Eric Haase entered as a pinch-runner. Grant McCray grounded into a forceout, then stole second. Romano walked Arraez, putting two runners aboard with one out.

Schmitt then hit a 102.7 mph sinking liner to center. Carrigg charged and made a diving attempt, but replay showed the ball barely touched the ground before rolling into his glove.

The call was overturned, but not without some weirdness. Schmitt was credited with a single, and the runners were placed at third, second and first.

Devers followed with a sacrifice fly to center, scoring McCray and cutting the lead to 4-3.

Romano then walked Adames to reload the bases.

Warren Schaeffer brought in Mejia with two outs.

Mejia threw one pitch. Eldridge grounded to Julien at second, who threw to Johnston at first to end the game.

Final notes

Colorado finished 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position. San Francisco went 3-for-8.

Each team recorded one two-out RBI. McCarthy drove in Colorado’s run in the fifth, while Devers delivered San Francisco’s go-ahead single in the seventh.

The Rockies stranded 11 runners. The Giants left 12 aboard. Colorado drew seven walks and struck out nine times. San Francisco walked six times and struck out three.

Karros led the Rockies by going 3-for-5 with two RBI. His third hit drove in the winning runs.

McCarthy went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, one RBI and two runs. He tied the game in the fifth and loaded the bases in the ninth with his bunt single.

Rumfield reached in all four plate appearances, going 2-for-2 with two walks. He also made a key defensive play on Ramos’ liner in the fourth.

Carrigg went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts, but he contributed several important defensive plays and drove in Colorado’s final run with a sacrifice fly.

Devers accounted for all three Giants runs. He finished 3-for-3 with a home run, an RBI single, a sacrifice fly, a walk and three RBI.

Senzatela earned the win with a scoreless eighth inning, improving to 9-1 with a 3.00 ERA.

Kilian took the loss after allowing three runs without recording an out in the ninth. He fell to 2-5 with a 4.74 ERA.

Mejia earned his fourth save.

Up next

The Rockies and Giants continue their series Saturday afternoon at Oracle Park.

Colorado will send left-hander Kyle Freeland to the mound. Freeland enters at 2-7 with a 7.46 ERA and 70 strikeouts.

San Francisco will counter with right-hander Tyler Mahle, who is 1-8 with a 5.70 ERA and 69 strikeouts.

First pitch is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. MDT.

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This. THIS is what a complete Rays win feels like.

Taking advantage of opponent’s mistakes, crisp baserunning and a defensive clinic. That is the brand of Rays baseball that has been both the most successful and entertaining this season.

But before we delve into tonight’s on-field action, for the first time since the 2023 Wild Card Series, Tropicana Field’s upper deck was open to fans, and it was quite the treat.

Once fans were able to put butt to seat, there was a pregame ceremony that celebrated the five Rays All-Stars, complete with them receiving their All-Star jersey; Junior Caminero, Yandy Diaz, Drew Rasmussen, Brian Baker, and Nick Martinez. Martinez, added to the roster after Red Sox pitcher Ranger Suarez landed on the injured list, had plans to visit Walt Disney World with his family before getting the nod that he was Philadelphia bound.

Martinez kept consistent with what he’s done the entire first half, going 5.1 innings allowing two earned runs, and striking out and walking one apiece.

Defensively, tonight’s contest from One Trop Drive started with a spectacular diving play from Richie Palacios on the first play of the game, and a nifty grab by Taylor Walls the play after.

In the bottom of the third inning, the offense clicked.

A Caminero double just past the third base bag and a Chandler Simpson single up the middle later, and it’s 1-0 Rays.

Then Tampa Bay started to flex some muscle. Palacios homered to lead off the fourth inning to bring the score to 2-1 Rays.

In the bottom of the fifth, things got peculiar.

Left fielder Randy Arozarena, returning to Tropicana Field for the first time after being traded to the Mariners in 2024, is nursing a tight hamstring sustained in the series prior against the Marlins.

On a foul ball from Cedric Mullins near the left field line, Arozarena went after it, and pulled up about 20 feet away from the ball, with the ball landing about a body’s length away from his outstretched glove.

From the naked eye, it appeared if he kept running at the same speed during the chase, he would catch the ball for a crucial out in the ballgame.

The very next pitch, a hanging slider, was deposited into the right field seats by Mullins to put the Rays up 3-1, and two batters later, Victor Mesa Jr. decided to get in on the fun, as he left the yard with a solo shot.

In the bottom of the seventh, Tampa Bay went for the dagger.

Jonathan Aranda singled to left, and ‘La Maxima’ did what ‘La Maxima’ does, and that’s have a flare for the dramatic. A two-run shot all but puts the start of Longo Legacy Weekend to bed.

Chandler Simpson continued to swing a hot bat, having had another multi-hit game tonight, and in the seventh had about the most Simpson-esque trip around the bases that he can have.

He singled, advanced to second base on a Mesa Jr. single, advances to third on a disengagement violation for the pitcher stepping off the rubber three times, and scores on a sacrifice fly from Walls.

Kevin Kelly secures the last six outs, and the Tampa Bay Rays win by a score of 7-2.

Let’s start with an image. It’s the only image you need, really:

Within the span of three batters, in a tie game, Michael Harris II hit a ball at over 105 mph, whose combination of velocity and angle yields a hit just about 60 percent of the time, and would’ve been a homer in 26 of MLB’s 30 ballparks. That ball was caught at the wall. Then, pinch-hitter Jimmy Crooks hit a ball over 102 mph, whose combination of velocity and angle yields a hit just about 60 percent of the time, and would’ve been a homer in 24 of MLB’s 30 ballparks. That one was not caught at the wall and ended up being a game-winning homer.

As I’ve been thinking for over a month now, “this is why the Braves built this cushion.” But the existence of the cushion itself doesn’t feel particularly comforting when stuff like this happens. Combine it with the Braves’ steadfast desire to give the guys they consider the “good relievers” as much rest as possible, and, well, we stayed up until about 1:30 am ET for this, guys.

This game was a Chris Sale start, once upon a time. Sale had a poor outing in his last start, and came out firing, striking out five in three frames before the rain cut his night short. There was a little bit of a hiccup with a double and a walk in the third, but Ivan Herrera did nothing of use with a hanging first-pitch slider.

This game was also a Kyle Leahy start, once upon a time. Leahy retired the first eight Braves he faced, gave up a single to Jim Jarvis, and then was bailed out on a snag of a Michael Harris II liner by JJ Wetherholt, who signed a big extension today.

Then, we all sat through a nearly three-hour rain delay as Mother Nature turned Busch Stadium into Busch Lake.

When play resumed, it was kind of a battle of who was less sleepy. Mike Yastrzemski barreled a double with one out in the fifth, and then scored on a hard grounder from Austin Riley back up the middle. That was the only run the Braves ended up scoring… though they could have had more if Wetherholt didn’t snag another liner for the third out of that inning. In the sixth, Drake Baldwin nearly popped a two-run homer, but the ball was just foul.

Victor Mederos threw two shutdown innings after the rain, but Didier Fuentes gave up the lead: a one-out walk, a slow, seeing-eye single on a pitch that was basically in the “waste” area, and then a hard-hit liner the other way by Jordan Walker. Fuentes and the defense escaped the frame with the tie intact, and Tyler Kinley had a leadoff walk erased on a double play in the seventh.

That’s how we got to the eighth, and the image above. Harris didn’t homer, Danny Young came in (not Dylan Lee) and saw Jimmy Crooks deposit a sweeper into the stands, and that was pretty much that.

For an added little pinch of “seriously you already made me stay up past 1 am for this?” Baldwin hit another deep drive off closer Riley O’Brien. That one wasn’t quite a barrel, but it did travel 402 feet, and would’ve been a homer in 12 parks. Just, you know, not Busch Swamp. The game ended shortly thereafter.

The entire NL East lost today, so the division lead remains at three. That’s why they have this cushion, right? Right?