Category: Baseball

I don’t have a clever heat-related pun to use here. Did you know that the home run rate rises as the temperature does? You did? Well, that’s all I had. Onto the links.

Phillies news

Zack Wheeler was not happy that Don Mattingly pulled him in the fifth inning of his last start. The skipper lays out his case.

Will Bryce Harper join the Home Run Derby? Maybe!

Jay Jaffe of FanGraphs examines the worst defenses among baseball’s championship contenders. The fact that I’m putting it under “Phillies news” is something of a giveaway. ($)

MLB news

Even if you don’t like the Braves, you’ll like this charming story of English football fans throwing their support behind Michael Harris II.

Courtesy of ESPN, one player that every team should rate for (or trade away) at this year’s deadline.

The future is NOW. Well, not now. But the Futures Game is now. Well, not now. Next Sunday. Anyway, here’s a look at who’s playing in it.

The suspensions from the Nationals-Red Sox incident from earlier in the week have been handed down.

They’ve been scouted and scrutinized for months and years on end, and now you can add some pokes, prods and productive interviews to the list for the top prospects entering Major League Baseball’s draft.

The draft scouting combine was, for almost all draftees, the last major step leading up to the July 14 selection soiree in Philadelphia. While many prospects put on a measurables show – including an old friend of ours – the greater value from the days in Phoenix are the interviews and get-to-knows exchanged between front offices and draftees.

As clubs tweak their big boards and draft day arrives in less than two weeks, USA TODAY Sports takes a fourth crack at forecasting the first round:

1. Chicago White Sox: SS Roch Cholowsky, UCLA

All indications are the White Sox are still deliberating this pick, and due diligence and bonus pool gymnastics – they have the third-highest lump to distribute, $17.592 million - will always transpire up until go time. In the end, the virtually minimal risk drafting a shovel-ready college shortstop instead of a catcher or prep shortstop should prevail.

2. Tampa Bay Rays: SS Grady Emerson, Fort Worth Christian HS

The first real fork in the road. Yet the Rays may not draft this high for many years and the window to grab such a tooled-up, high-ceiling talent like Emerson will be too difficult to pass up.

3.  Minnesota Twins: C Vahn Lackey, Georgia Tech

Seemingly another coin flip, but we’re ready to move off college righty Jackson Flora, though it would be little surprise if the Twins stayed that course. The franchise knows about elite-hitting catchers as franchise cornerstones.

4. San Francisco Giants: SS Jacob Lombard, Gulliver Prep (Florida) HS

Flora would make sense here as well but Buster Posey opts for the other potential franchise prep shortstop at the top of the round. It’d seem the last thing the Giants need is more risk with the high-ceiling Lombard, but the Miami-bound shortstop also represents opportunity.

5. Pittsburgh Pirates: RHP Jackson Flora, UC Santa Barbara

They love their high-ceiling prep arms, but in this scenario, it’s too hard to pass on Flora after he slips past the Twins and Giants. Flora’s profile suggests a quick-to-the-majors path, not the worst thing for a club with three years left of Paul Skenes and a future rotation that could be built around last year’s top pick, Seth Hernandez.

6. Kansas City Royals: OF Eric Booth, Oak Grove (Mississippi)

A snug fit for both, as Booth’s skill set translates nicely to Kauffman Stadium, and he figures to be the last of the big half-dozen on the board when the Royals are on the clock.

7. Baltimore Orioles: OF Drew Burress, Georgia Tech

The college player from the Sun Belt type has defined Orioles first rounds and there are so many to choose from as they determine the direction the first-round river flows from here. Burress’ career 1.204 OPS with the Yellow Jackets – he tied Jason Varitek’s career home run mark with 57 – and ability to man any outfield position stand out.

8. Athletics: SS Justin Lebron, Alabama

Still a passel of college hitters to sift through and the A’s roll the dice on Lebron, weighing the fallen stock against the physical tools that may fully develop in Yolo County and then Las Vegas.

9. Atlanta Braves: LHP Gio Rojas, Marjory Stoneman Douglas (Florida) HS

There are scenarios where a team upsets the expected Big 6 and snags Rojas earlier, but he should slip through to become the next big young arm added to Atlanta’s stable of pitchers.

10. Colorado Rockies: C Ryder Helfrick, Arkansas

Pitching has been the focus of the Rockies’ bottom-up rebuild, but it will be too hard to bypass a thunderous bat like Helfrick, who finished up in Fayetteville with 18 homers and as many walks as strikeouts.

11. Washington Nationals: OF Derek Curiel, LSU

They’d prefer a higher-ceiling player here but go with an advanced pure hitter who raked (.349, .353 in two seasons in Baton Rouge) against SEC pitching.

12. Los Angeles Angels: RHP Cameron Flukey, Coastal Carolina

Perry Minasian is gone, but does his ghost linger? Arte Moreno certainly does and the marching orders, surely, would be to assemble quick-to-the-majors talent since they’re just that close to contending.

13. St. Louis Cardinals: INF Chris Hacopian, Texas A&M

Already mature in his development and possesses enough versatility and an excellent hit tool to transition smoothly to St. Louis.

14. Miami Marlins: INF Ace Reese, Mississippi State

We’ve matched Reese and the Marlins before and we bring ‘em back together after the combine. The Marlins do like pitching but there’s not a consistent enough arm here to bypass a solid collegiate bat.

15. Arizona Diamondbacks: LHP/OF Jared Grindlinger, Huntington Beach (California) HS

Might as well take a big swing here. Grindlinger just turned 17 and while he figures to land on the hitting side of the equation, the youth and upside affords Arizona the time to find out.

16. Texas Rangers: OF AJ Gracia, Virginia

Mature college bat fits the Rangers snugly and Gracia, who could go much higher if a club wants to save a few bucks, could move quickly toward Arlington.

17. Houston Astros: SS Tyler Bell, Kentucky

Like Gracia, Bell might hear his name sooner, but the Astros jump on the draft-eligible sophomore whose final season was slowed by a shoulder injury.

18. Cincinnati Reds: RHP Liam Peterson, Florida

They love their big right-handers and the Reds could have their choice of Flukey or Peterson, whose platform season did not match his significant stuff.

19. Cleveland Guardians: LHP Brody Bumila, Bishop Feehan (Massachusetts) HS

Elite athleticism and a 6-9 frame with a 100-mph fastball? Kind of surprised Bumila would last this long, but the Guardians should do wonderful work with the erstwhile prep basketball star.

20. Boston Red Sox: C Daniel Jackson, Georgia

Jackson’s provided his own helium with a 32-homer, 26-steal season that ended in the men's College World Series finals and he simply looks better the longer you regard him.

21. San Diego Padres: OF Trevor Condon, Etowah (Georgia) HS

They love their athletic high schoolers and in this simulation, Condon is available. Check back in a few years if he ends up more AJ Preller trade fodder.

22. Detroit Tigers: 3B Bo Lowrance, Christ Church Episcopal (South Carolina) HS

Plenty to dream on here: A 6-5 corner infielder with big power potential and a smooth lefty swing.

23. Chicago Cubs: LHP Mason Edwards, Southern Cal

No need to overthink grabbing a big lefty who strikes out 16 batters per nine innings with plenty of deception.

24. Seattle Mariners: RHP Cade Townsend, Ole Miss

A draft-eligible sophomore with a powerful repertoire, Townsend – or whomever the Mariners grab here – is in the right system to max out his skills.

25. Milwaukee Brewers: OF Aiden Robbins, Texas

He slashed .333/.426/.696 for the Longhorns, increasing his home runs from six to 24 in moving from Seton Hall to Austin.

26. Atlanta Braves: SS Tyler Spangler, De La Salle (California) HS

Armed with a nearly $16 million bonus pool and two picks in the top 26, the Braves can afford a bold venture. Spangler, who missed his senior year due to injury, certainly qualifies. A top 10 consensus pick preseason, he performed at the draft combine, though his numbers reflected the rust. How far above slot would it take to lure him from Stanford?

27. New York Mets: RHP Tegan Kuhns, Tennessee

The 10-slot penalty for luxury tax indiscretions are seen in real time here, but a good player will still tumble to the Mets. In this case, it’s Kuhns, who rode a mid-90s fastball and sharp curve into the first round.

28. Houston Astros: OF Zion Rose, Louisville

We’ll stick with the Rose-to-Houston narrative and, in this scenario, the Astros walk away with a pair of advanced collegiate bats from the state of Kentucky.

29. San Francisco Giants: LHP Logan Schmidt, Ganesha (California) HS

No way the Giants don’t come away with pitching in either of their two picks. Having opted for Lombard over Flora earlier, they play the long game with Schmidt, who reclassified from 2027 and holds a commitment to LSU.

30. Kansas City Royals: RHP Jensen Hirschkorn, Kingsburg (California) HS

Like Schmidt, Hirschkorn is an LSU commit. Like Burmila, he’s also a standout hoops player with a 6-7 frame that already produces a mid-90s fastball.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB mock draft 2026: Will White Sox Roch steady at No. 1 with star shortstop?

The Yankees ended June on as terrible a run as they could’ve, and now sit in a seven-game losing streak as they limp into the weekend. Perhaps the off-day will have rejuvenated them, or perhaps their next opponent will as the Twins roll into town. Even their perpetual punching bag across the 21st century may not be enough of a fix for how lackluster they look at the moment, but it couldn’t hurt to give winning a series against them a try.

Matt starts us off with a look at said Twins and the pitching matchups they’ll throw out against the Yankees, and then he’ll come back to cover the Rivalry Roundup as well on a night where the Rays gained a little more separation in the standings. Nick wishes a happy birthday to the GM himself in Brian Cashman, I’ll pop back in to talk about the latest Reacts results, and then Peter looks at Yovanny Cruz busting out a nasty splitter in the Sequence of the Week. Sam goes through the defensive plays of the month that the Yankees managed in June, and finally I’ll return again to answer your latest questions in the mailbag.

Today’s Matchup:

New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins

Time: 7:05 p.m. EST

TV: YES Network, Twins.TV

Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

Questions/Prompts:

1. Surely the losing streak ends tonight, right?

2. Will we see Gerrit Cole look sharper tonight, or will the rotation continue to see its struggles pile on?

According to the Atlanta Braves transaction page, they have signed outfielder/designated hitter Andrew McCutchen to.a minor league contract. The former National League Most Valuable Player had appeared in 37 games with the Texas Rangers earlier this season. He was a free agent after being released by the Rangers.

The 39-year-old, five-time All-Star debuted with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2009 and has spend 18 seasons at the big league level. This season, he hit only .196/.277/.260 in 83 plate appearances. He’d spent the prior three seasons on a return engagement with the Pirates as their designated hitter providing slightly better then league average results until dipping below that production mark in 2025.

The Braves inked fellow grey-hair Carlos Santana to a MiLB deal last week but after designating Roddy Tellez for assignment yesterday, Atlanta seems positioned to get another former aging star a chance to see if there is something left in the tank. While Santana is limited to DH and first base, McCutchen can still play the corner outfield positions, although McCutchen has worked primarily as a DH since 2022.

McCutchen has appeared in 2,299 career games with 2,280 hits, 453 doubles and 333 home runs.

PHOENIX — So, how do you like him now?

Luis Arraez, a three-time batting champion and finest contact hitter in the game, could not find a job last winter.

He was viewed as a one-dimensional player who could hit singles, and never struck out, but didn’t excel at any other area of the game.

So he sat home with his .317 career batting average and elite bat-to-ball skills and waited all winter for someone to give him a chance to return to his natural position as an everyday second baseman.

Five teams expressed interest in him.

Only one team called to offer him a job to play second base.

The San Francisco Giants, after failing in trade attempts to acquire Brendan Donovan of the St. Louis Cardinals, Nico Hoerner of the Chicago Cubs and CJ Abrams of the Washington Nationals, signed Arraez to a one-year, $12 million on the eve of spring training.

They were mocked by their peers, believing it was a reckless decision to try to turn one of the worst defensive players into even a passable defensive player, and that he’d relegated to the DH role by the end of April.

Well, in a season that has gone horribly wrong, with the Giants producing the third-worst record (36-50) in the National League, there is Arraez.

He is reestablishing himself the modern-day of Rod Carew and Tony Gwynn – hitting .326 with only 13 strikeouts in 358 plate appearances, an MLB-low 3.6% strikeout rate, with 105 hits and a career high seven triples. He has become one of the better defensive second basemen in the game.

Really.

You can watch him with your eyes, back it up on the computer with analytics, and the story is the same.

Arraez ranks second in MLB among second baseman with 11 outs above average, trailing only rookie JJ Wetherholt of the St. Louis Cardinals. He is fourth in all of MLB among all position players with his defensive rating.

“I don’t think anyone thought I could do this but me," Arraez, 28, tells USA TODAY Sports. “I proved them wrong.

“I worked my (expletive) off to have this season.

“And I think it’s the best all-around season I’ve ever had."

Arraez, who signed as a 16-year-old second baseman out of Venezuela, had not been an everyday second baseman since 2023 with the Miami Marlins. He played only 17 of 154 games at second base last season with the San Diego Padres, and graded negative 7-outs below average as their primary first baseman.

He decided to go to work during the winter for a dramatic defensive facelift.

He spent hours training every day with former Cincinnati Reds infielder Rainer Olmedo in Miami and veteran infielder Luis Rengifo in Miami. When spring training started, informed Giants infield guru coach Ron Washington that he’ll be his prized pupil and work as long and hard as it takes to be that elite second baseman.

Washington, 74, is legendary for turning ordinary defensive infielders into Gold Glove winners. Third baseman Eric Chavez became a six-time Gold Glove winner. Shortstop Marcus Semien, who made a league-leading 35 errors his first season, became a two-time Gold Glove winner. Third baseman Matt Chapman won five Gold Gloves. Shortstop Dansby Swanson won two Gold Gloves.

Michael Young became a Gold Glove winner. Miguel Tejada and Jason Giambi won MVPs. Bobby Crosby won the AL Rookie of the Year. Mark Ellis had the highest fielding percentage among second basemen. Third baseman Austin Riley, second baseman Ozzie Albies and shortstop Elvis Andrus became All-Stars. And third baseman Adrian Beltre became a Hall of Famer.

And every single one of the players credits Washington for their defensive prowess, with Chavez even giving Washington his third Gold Glove award.

That group, Washington confides, probably all had more raw talent than Arraez, but when it comes to work ethic, when it comes to desire, Arraez take a back seat to anyone.

“The good thing about Luis is that he held true to what he told me he was going to do in spring training,’’ Washington says. “And that was coming to work to try to be a better second baseman, but more than anything, he wanted to be a better teammate. Everything he said he’d do, he’s done.

“The way he’s elevated the game, the way he has started understanding how to play the game, the way he’s fighting fatigue, the way he’s fighting anything that’s negative, and going out and doing it, he’s elevated his game as much as anyone I’ve had."

While Washington and the Giants are receiving the bulk of the credit for Arraez’s success, the real reason for his dramatic turnaround is Arraez, himself, Washington says. He’s the one who put in the work. He’s the one who dedicated himself to being the best. And he’s the one who deserves all of the accolades.

“I believe that if he would have been given the love and opportunity that the Giants have given to him when he was in other places,’’ Washington says, “I think they would see the same thing. He’s got skill set, you know what I mean. The key was to making him use that on a daily basis and making him believe, and that’s what he’s gotten here in San Francisco.

“He’s gotten love and he’s gotten an opportunity to realize his dream, showing the world that he’s always had that skill set to play defense.

“We just gave him that chance."

Luis Arraez trade rumors?

Arraez, a three-time All-Star who would love to make his fourth trip, says he’ll forever be indebted to the Giants for the opportunity. He’s certainly paid them back with his performance, and would love for it to be a long-term commitment.

The reality is that the trade deadline is a month away. The Giants are going nowhere in the standings. They have an abundance of young infielders who need playing time. And surely Arraez will be wearing a different uniform on Aug. 4 after the deadline.

“If they give me an opportunity, I’d love to stay," Arraez said. “I really enjoy it here. But it’s a business. I’m not paying any attention to any of the trade stuff. I just want to continue to work hard and focus on my job. Really, that’s all I can do."

Giants rookie manager Tony Vitello, trying to retain his sanity enduring the myriad of problems he has encountered since becoming the first manager to transition straight from college at Tennessee to the big leagues, has found tranquility in Arraez’s performance. Arraez plays every day. He performs. And he epitomizes professionalism.

“He’s phenomenal,” Vitello says. “Speaking of determination, he’s always got it. I don’t think there’s anybody out there that you could accuse of lack of overall focus or effort, but if we could match his energy and his determination as a group, we’d be in a pretty good spot.

“He’s just a pro. He can do a lot of different things for you. It’s not just about batting average or bat-to-ball skills. I’m not sure anyone is playing better at second base."

All-Star Game a possibility for Arraez

Yet, Arraez finished only fifth among all NL second basemen in the All-Star balloting with Atlanta’s Ozzie Albies and Philadelphia’s Bryson Stott finalists for the starting job. He now awaits Saturday’s announcement to determine whether he’s selected as a reserve by his peers, managers and coaches.

“I don’t think I’ll make it," Arraez said, “but we’ll see. I know what I’ve done, and I’m proud of that. That means the most to me, helping my team.’’

In a month, he’ll likely be helping another team’s quest for a playoff run, and then it’s off to free agency where his value certainly has risen from a year ago.

“I think he’s proven that it will be different for him this time around," Washington says. “You already know what he can do at the plate, but now with the way he’s playing defense, with his decision-making going up a different level, there will be a lot of interest in him.

“He wants to be great, and he’s just a class act. He would never embarrass you or the organization. Anyone would be lucky to have him."

And the team who signs him to his next deal, well, Arraez has one little request.

“I gotta take Washington with me," Arraez says, “wherever I go. That should be part of the deal."

Who could argue with that?

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Giants' hit wizard Luis Arráez 'worked my (expletive) off to have this season'

The Athletic | Chris Kirschner: June was a rough month for the Yankees, and July isn’t off to a good start, either. On Thursday, news broke that flamethrowing prospect Carlos Lagrange was placed on the 7-day injured list in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with a reported shoulder issue. The level of concern is high enough for the organization to schedule an MRI, per Kirschner. The right-hander had moved to the bullpen in early June and allowed five earned runs in his last game on Sunday. Everybody in the organization is crossing their fingers, hoping the exciting prospect can avoid a serious injury.

Newsday | Erik Boland: The Yankees have a very specific set of needs before the deadline: a bullpen arm or two and a right-handed-hitting catcher. They are expected to be active before August 3rd, but as Boland suggests, the future of Aaron Judge and his pending return from the injured list loom large and could dictate their specific plans. It goes without saying that the team’s performance in the short-term will factor into the strategy, too.

“The uber-talented Chisholm, who very much could be a trade deadline chip, is among a slew of Yankees slumping at the plate,” Boland wrote. Is there a universe in which the Yankees entertain a soft sale before the deadline, or at least use Chisholm as part of a deal to improve elsewhere? It seems unlikely, but you never know.

SNY | Anthony McCarron: Would you believe us if we told you that the Yankees have the best ERA in the American League before Thursday’s games? Well, that’s true: their 3.19 mark only trails the Braves’ 2.72 in the entire league. It hasn’t always felt like it, though. McCarron gave his grade of the unit halfway through the season, and it was B-. “There’s high-level talent, and it’s hard to ignore the numbers. It just feels like the path to Bednar should be smoother,” he wrote. And he’s right.

Every day, Pinstripe Alley offers updates on what the Yankees’ top American League opponents are up to through the Rivalry Roundup. The AL East is well-trodden ground there, but with the end of the month upon us, we’re going to take a peek around MLB as a whole and check in with each of the other five divisions. Who’s surprising? Who’s underwhelming? Who’s simply mediocre at the moment? Read on and find out.

In the spirit of competition, it was a disappointing month of June for the National League West. As has been customary for much of the last decade or so, the Dodgers are beginning to run away with the division, and the last month has been the same old story.

While the defending champs went an impressive 19-9 in June, no other team in the division went above .500. It was a sub-par month for many of our friends out west in the Senior Circuit, and while there is plenty of baseball left to be played, Los Angeles has a comfortable lead up in the top spot.

First Place: Los Angeles Dodgers (56-30)

Top Position Player: Max Muncy (3.2 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Shohei Ohtani (2.8 fWAR)

As mentioned, the Dodgers really only solidified their dominance during the month of June. Not much has changed over the last 30 or so days in Los Angeles, as Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman continue to hit like the stars they are, and 35-year-old Max Muncy seems to have regained his status from a couple years ago, as the veteran has 17 homers and a 141 wRC+ as their most valuable position player.

On the pitching side, Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Justin Wrobleski are leading the charge in impressive fashion, all continuing to boast ERA marks below 3. Meanwhile, they plan to get the often-dominant Tyler Glasnow back sometime soon, as he began a throwing program at the end of the month. His return would only help what is already baseball’s best team.

Second Place: San Diego Padres (43-42)

Top Position Player: Fernando Tatis Jr. (1.7 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Mason Miller (2.2 fWAR)

Despite a largely disappointing June, the Padres are still well within the hunt in the Wild Card, though they are already 12.5 games back in the division. They are still clawing their way just above .500 as of the end of the month, thanks in part to Fernando Tatis Jr.’s awakening (142 wRC+ in June) and some excellent work out of the bullpen from Adrian Morejon and primarily the otherworldly Mason Miller.

Even with those positive developments, the Padres have fallen from the top NL Wild Card spot to begin the month, to 2.5 games out of the chase to end it. With a rough month in the books, FanGraphs now has their playoff odds down to around 15 percent, with plenty of other teams in the same tier as we head past the mid-point of the season. The Padres are certainly alive, but there is plenty of work to do.

Third Place: Arizona Diamondbacks (43-42)

Top Position Player: Corbin Carroll (3.5 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Michael Soroka (2.1 fWAR)

In a dead heat with the Padres, the Diamondbacks find themselves in a similar situation in the west. Fortunately for them, their stars are still playing as such, with Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte leading the charge as two of the better all-around players in the sport. Geraldo Perdomo has also turned his season around with a very good month, in which he got on base at a .414 clip, while Nolan Arenado’s renaissance has taken a turn for the worse.

The starting staff has been a real problem for the Snakes, as Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly have been downright bad in 2026, and June did not bring any improvement. Their postseason odds are a bit more favorable than that of the Padres, but there is certainly a long road ahead of them if they have October ambitions. They’ll have to get more from the top of the rotation, but they certainly are not out of the race if a few things fall in the right place.

Fourth Place: San Francisco Giants (35-50)

Top Position Player: Luis Arraez (3.5 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Logan Webb (2.2 fWAR)

Along with most of their NL West compatriots, it was a forgettable June for the Giants as well. A 13-14 month was actually an improvement on their season up to the beginning of the month, but was not nearly enough to get them back in the action in the Senior Circuit. On the bright side, Logan Webb has regained his form as one of the game’s best, as he enjoyed five excellent starts in June, three of which saw him complete eight innings. Luis Arraez has also been genuinely great in 2026, while the bats of Jung Hoo Lee and Casey Schmitt have been major boosts to the lineup. Despite those positives, they are just about out of things in the NL.

Last Place: Colorado Rockies (33-53)

Top Position Player: Hunter Goodman (1.6 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Antonio Senzatela (1.0 fWAR)

As has sadly become customary, not much has changed for the ol’ Rockies. Stalwarts at the bottom of an often competitive division, not much has changed in Colorado with the passing of June. On a fun note, Hunter Goodman swatted 13 homers in June to bring his total to 26 through 80 games, as he looks more and more like the real deal as an offensive catcher. One of these days, I hope the Rockies don’t have to be the last team talked about in one of these.

On “One Piece” night at Dodger Stadium, Roki Sasaki got shattered into a million.

Somehow, the Dodgers found a way to put the game back together nonetheless.

Six outs into a nightmarish start on Thursday, Sasaki put the Dodgers into a stunning six-run hole.

Three innings later, however, the Dodgers had dug their way out of it, en route to scoring 12 unanswered runs in an eventual 12-7 win.

Such was the sudden whiplash experienced by a season-high crowd of 54,081 –– many of them in attendance for the team’s hat and trading card giveaway for the Japanese anime show “One Piece.” 

For as cataclysmic as Sasaki’s 88-pitch, three-inning clunker was, the Dodgers’ hellacious comeback was just as breath-taking.

First, for the ugly opening chapter. Sasaki gave up a double on his first pitch of the game, threw a wild pitch with the next, then ultimately served up a two-run homer to Manny Machado on a fastball in the heart of the zone.

The disaster was just getting started.

In the second, Sasaki gave up another home run to leadoff hitter Jackson Merrill on an elevated slider. He watched Xander Bogaerts rip a double on another center-cut heater. Then, after a four-pitch walk to Fernando Tatis Jr., he hung a two-out, two-strike slider to Jake Cronenworth that also left the yard for a three-run blast.

“I’m sure there are many reasons,” Sasaki said in Japanese about his latest struggles. “I have to figure out what they were and address them heading into the next start.”

Sasaki would get through the third inning without any further damage. But by the time his outing was over, he had yielded seven hits (all of them either doubles or homers), issued two walks (continuing his recent command problems) and raised his season ERA to 5.40 (including a woeful 10.06 mark over his last four starts).

“We’re going to do a little dive,” manager Dave Roberts said, while raising one potential explanation. “I don’t know if he was tipping his pitches, but they were on everything. So we’re going to look at that.”

The only silver lining: Sasaki got a no-decision.

Just as soon as his implosion was done, the Padres’ pitching staff suffered one of their own.

Dalton Rushing took San Diego starter Randy Vázquez deep for a two-run homer in the second. Max Muncy, with a double, and Kyle Tucker, with a single, drove in a couple more in the third.

At that point, the Padres also turned to their typically stout bullpen (Vázquez left the game with an ankle injury, and later fainted and was taken to an emergency room but was in stable condition).

But unlike the Dodgers’ relief corps, which combined for six innings of one-run ball following Sasaki’s early exit, San Diego was unable to find answers there either.

The Dodgers went in front with four runs in the bottom of the fourth, tying the game on a two-run double from Andy Pages before going in front on another RBI double from Mookie Betts (who looked just fine in his return to the lineup following a one-day absence with wrist soreness).

They then stretched the lead with two more runs in the fifth, when back-to-back doubles from Rushing and Tommy Edman were followed by a stolen base from Edman and a run-scoring wild pitch.

In the end, the Dodgers finished with a season-high 17 hits, including four each from Rushing and Tucker, and two apiece from Betts, Muncy and Edman. Meanwhile, they gave up just three to the Padres (who didn’t score again until the ninth) after Sasaki’s outing finished.

Rare is it that a six-run deficit is so easily overcome.

Rarer yet does a start like Sasaki’s prove not to be fatal.

What it means

If you want to know how the Dodgers have pulled so far away from the Padres in the National League West standings –– they now lead the division by 13 games –– Thursday was a prime example.

While the Dodgers (57-31) have been rolling for almost two months now, with 33 wins since May 13, the Padres (43-43) have been going in the exact opposite direction, with their league-worst offense no longer their only issue.

During what is now a six-game losing streak, Padres pitchers have allowed a whopping 66 runs, the most over such a stretch in franchise history. The rut started with the Dodgers’ 15-run outburst at Petco Park last Saturday. Somehow, Thursday’s defeat felt even more embarrassing.

Who’s hot

A week ago, Rushing was at the lowest point of his young MLB career, mired in a 0-for-12 slump as a hitter and openly feuding with Ohtani while behind the plate for his most recent start.

Since then, however, the second-year catcher has started to turn a corner, marking the latest step in his recent turnaround with a four-hit, four-RBI performance on Thursday.

After sparking the Dodgers’ comeback with his second-inning homer, Rushing also singled in the fourth, hit his leadoff double in the fifth, lifted a sacrifice fly in the sixth, then added an RBI single in the eighth. All five balls were hit at least 99 mph. In his last five games, he is now 8-for-18.

“It was kind of started by Doc,” Rushing said, giving credit to Roberts for suggesting a recent tweak to his batting stance. “Doc kind of saw something from his perspective, from the side. Mentioned it, tinkered with it a little bit. I don’t think it changed the swing too much. I think it just created a little more comfort, laid off some pitches, not swinging at things that bounce anymore. But yeah, kudos to Doc for picking it out.”

Rushing’s next test will come on Friday, when he will be back behind the plate for Ohtani’s next start on the mound.

Roberts said he expects Rushing –– who took ownership of last week’s miscommunication with the two-way star –– to be more on the same page with the pitcher this time around.

“I think Dalton understands that is what he signed up for. The job of a catcher is to be a servant to the pitcher,” Roberts said. “So I expect that all to be resolved.”

Who’s not

As for Sasaki…

A month ago, he seemed to have found something with his stuff, combining better command with routine 100 mph fastballs.

Now, however, the 24-year-old right-hander looks even more broken than before. His fastball velocity is declining once again, averaging under 98 mph for a second-straight start (something that hadn’t previously happened since May). His command is regressing, as well, dogged on Thursday by bad misses out of the zone and a flurry of mistakes right down the middle.

Roberts confirmed that Sasaki will make his next start, framing this current moment as “a good lesson for him to keep going and try to fight through this.”

But with injured rotation stars Blake Snell (who threw another bullpen session on Thursday afternoon) and Tyler Glasnow (who continues to ramp up his pitching progression) on the road to recovery, the clock is ticking for him to figure things out once again.

“I thought it was a conviction thing with Roki,” Rushing said. “I don’t think his stuff was too far off. You just, you got to attack the strike zone. With stuff like that, you throw 100, you have three pitches, two plus, and yeah, we need him to be in the zone a little more early.”

Up next

Ohtani (8-2, 1.58 ERA) will square off against San Diego ace Michael King (5-7, 3.55 ERA) on Friday, when the Dodgers will be looking to put more distance in the standings between themselves and the slumping Padres.

If you would’ve told me the Rays would convincingly sweep a team on the road two weeks ago after what I saw in person at Dodger Stadium, I’d hedge your bet.

The Rays, on their first west coast swing of the season, went 1-5 and lost three straight games in one-run fashion. and in the last game of the series in Chavez Ravine in the ninth inning, I watched Cedric Mullins strike out swinging with the bases loaded.

That was my boiling point with Mullins, as I grew frustrated with his swing results, or lack thereof, because I know what he is capable of.

Welp. time to eat crow.

In the 15 games since, he is slashing .321/.362/.547 with four homers, and, boy, did he show up to play tonight.

Mullins led the charge tonight, going 2-4 with a home run and a run scored to lead the Rays to their eighth straight win, and take a four game lead in the American League East over the Yankees.

Tonight was also his third straight game with a round tripper.

Cedric Mullins makes it 3 straight games with a home run! pic.twitter.com/rNnuWXL1qU

— MLB (@MLB) July 3, 2026

Ian Seymour had a stellar night as well, going six innings, with the Royals whiffing at 15 swinging strikes and striking out a career-high eight batters.

Ian Seymour, Nasty 84mph Changeup. 👌 pic.twitter.com/Y1W5mS3lGM

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 3, 2026

On a night where Yandy Diaz, Jonathan Aranda, and Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay’s big three, combined to go just 1/11, Chandler Simpson went 3/4 with a stolen base and two runs.

Taylor Walls, slashing .318/.423/.409 over his last seven games, stroked a double, and Hunter Feduccia went 3/4 with an RBI.

Just as the Rays get ready for the All-Star break, it feels like the local stingrays are in a great mood.

Roki Sasaki’s abysmal appearance faded away in the Dodgers’ 12-7 win over the San Diego Padres on Thursday night, but only after the National League West leaders rose from a catatonic first inning.

The Dodgers roared back from a 6-0 deficit as Andy Pages skirted a tying double down the left-field line, and Mookie Betts and Max Muncy each drove in runs to give them the lead for good in a four-run fourth inning. All of which sent the sold-out Dodger Stadium crowd into jubilant celebrations, some jumping, others breaking out World Cup chants.

“Thankfully, it played out the way I didn’t expect,” manager Dave Roberts said of the team’s ability to turn the game around, “or the way it started.”

By the time the game ended, Sasaki’s three-inning start seemed like a murky nightmare the Dodgers awoke from in a sweat. Except the Dodgers weren’t dreaming, and the team hadn’t done much to assuage the concerns with Sasaki.

The problem with Sasaki isn’t his stuff. On his best nights, when the velocity and command combine, Sasaki blows past batters with a triple-digit fastball and cutting off-speed pitches. The problem has been how to tick the radar without making the strike zone look like a Jackson Pollock painting — and recently, it has.

Sasaki’s June swoon, impervious to the calendar change, continued into Thursday’s series opener against the Padres, in which the right-hander gave up three home runs among seven hits before Roberts called it quits going into the fourth inning.

Read more:Fan loudly expresses unbridled enthusiasm for Mexico's World Cup goal ... at Dodgers-A's game

“They were on everything,” Roberts said. “You could see it.”

One possible concern? Tipping pitches. While Roberts and catcher Dalton Rushing said the team would need to do more research into Sasaki’s start, both left the door open to this answer.

“That would be a big explanation as to how they felt like they were on every pitch,” Rushing said.

As San Diego chugged through its lineup, Sasaki struggled to keep up. With his first pitch, he gave up a double to Fernando Tatis Jr., who scored on Manny Machado’s home run that left center fielder Pages staring at the ball’s path as it plopped down on the other side of the blue outfield fence.

The inning was only a preview of the Padres’ power. Each of the nine San Diego batters got his chance against Sasaki in the second, and the team quickly dug the Dodgers into a six-run hole. He surrendered two home runs in the second inning. Jackson Merrill blasted a ball to left-center field leading off, and, two outs later, Jake Cronenworth drove in two runs with a shot to right-center.

Sasaki said through interpreter Kensuke Okubo that he needed to work on his command, but he felt like his fastball was good.

“I don’t think my stuff was bad today,” Sasaki said. “Overall, it wasn’t great but a lot of things evolved.”

Part of Sasaki’s issue lies with his approach. Roberts said he wants the second-year pitcher to be aggressive, to play the cat-and-mouse game required to beat batters in the box. But when given the opportunity, Sasaki has shrunken in recent outings, struggling with his command and his ability to pitch deep into games.

“We had a great May, so let’s just get back to competing and making pitches,” Roberts said.

When reliever Will Klein walked out to the mound in the fourth to the aggressive, rambunctious clamor of the Dropkick Murphys’ “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” and collected two scoreless, one-hit innings, the relief was immediate: The Dodgers took the lead.

The lineup already was revving, as Rushing homered in the second inning while Sasaki was still in the game, and both Kyle Tucker and Muncy drove in runs off starter Randy Vasquez in the third, cutting the deficit to two. The Dodgers broke through against the Padres’ bullpen to score six runs in the fourth and fifth innings.

“The bullpen was fantastic tonight, and then the offense came up big,” Roberts said.

Read more:Fernando Valenzuela did the impossible 36 years ago today

A late catch by Pages helped close out the game after he gloved a ball despite ramming into the padding of the center field wall. A combined effort by Paul Gervase and Tanner Scott shut down San Diego’s ninth-inning momentum after it pushed across a run.

“Turned back around, was able to find the ball and make a really good catch right there,” Tucker said of Pages. “That was a huge out.”

The Dodgers (57-31) beat their division rivals for the fifth time in seven games to open a 13-game lead over both San Diego and Arizona. The Padres, meanwhile, have lost six straight and given up 66 runs over the last six days, the most in such a span in franchise history.

But San Diego’s flaws don’t negate the Dodgers’ as they burned through six relievers in their win. So, while the Dodgers crawled out of the hole with a season-high 17 hits, the steep cost heightens the pressure on the rest of the rotation the rest of the series.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Angels made three bad throws that injured two-and-a-half Mariners batters.

That’s unfortunately the top headline in a 1-0 Mariners win to sweep of the Angels on Thursday. If you want the details on those injuries first, Kate Preusser has the latest. For a while it looked like we might instead have a headline about a perfect game, then a no hitter, then a complete game shutout from Bryce Miller. But his day ended after seven innings, with two hits, eight strikeouts, no walks, one error behind him, and zero runs allowed. The injuries sapped some of the joy from his night, as did a competing no-hit bid from Walbert Ureña. The Mariners were fortunate his horrible command eventually gifted them a run. They looked unlikely to create one for themselves.

“To say runs were at a premium tonight would be an understatement,” Dan Wilson said after the game.

The Mariners had finally reassembled their ‘A’ lineup on Thursday, with the nine best batters they have to offer. Perhaps the injury burn of the last month was finally fizzling out. Unfortunately, Mariners trainer Kyle Torgerson got the bulk of the screen time in the bottom of the first inning.

Julio Rodríguez worked a one-out walk. Dominic Canzone ripped a hard grounder to first. Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel scooped, spun, and fired the ball right into the back of Julio’s head while trying to get the out of at second. It ricocheted into right-center field, and Julio broke for third, reaching with a roar, a fist pump, and a good bit of celebrating. The smile slowly faded as the adrenaline wore off; he stood, helmet in hand, scratching the back of his head. Torgerson and Wilson went out and spoke with him for a while. He’d finish the half inning and take the field in the top of the second. But he went to the locker room when the Mariners returned to the dugout, giving his spot to Victor Robles.

A few pitches later, Randy Arozarena took a heater from Ureña square in the left elbow, loading the bases. It hit him hard. The elbow pad might have saved him, as he stayed in the game, but required a long, grimaced chat with Torgerson and Wilson. Adding to the pain, Josh Naylor followed with a grounder right to the bag at second base to begin an easy double play. The Mariners did not score in the first inning.

Nor did they score in the second when they struck out in order. And after two quick outs in the third, more pain: Ureña hit Robles (replacing the injured Julio) in the inner forearm. This one also hit him hard. Robles went to first and fell to both knees while backup trainer Taylor Bennet massaged his hand and Wilson watched; Torgerson was with Julio in concussion protocol. No, the Mariners did not score in this inning, either.

In the top of the fourth with two outs, J.P. Crawford broke up Miller’s perfect game. Miller had been exceptional to that point, getting through what should have been four perfect innings in 41 pitches. Crawford instead got a routine grounder and sailed the ball well over Naylor’s head. Miller got Jorge Soler to strikeout to end the inning, keeping a no hitter and shutout on the table.

It really did feel like Miller might make some type of history Thursday. He struck out five consecutive batters, from the last batter of the first, to the first batter of the third. His command was phenomenal, riding the top rail with his fastball and getting chase below the zone with his split — he got seven whiffs on each. He finished the day with eight strikeouts and no walks, lowering his FIP to 2.77 and improving his K-BB to second best in the majors at 30.5%.

“I feel like I’m finally pitching like how I felt like I should have been pitching coming off the ’24 season. It just feel like this is what I’m supposed to do. This is how I’m supposed to pitch. So it’s been a lot of fun seeing success, having consistent success, but helping the team win – a lot of times last year, I go out and throw and before I come out of the game it’s five-zero and I’m like, this is not fun at all, I’m not helping anybody here. So being able to get back to who I am, pitching how I have been, is a lot of fun, and I’m super grateful to finally be healthy, see the success, and continue to stack outings and weeks together.”

The no-hitter was still intact entering the fifth. Naylor saved a hit on the leadoff batter, leaping way up on a liner from Wade Meckler, bopping the ball into the air with his mitt, and catching it on the second try. Miller would get two quick fly outs to finish five innings at 55 pitches. 

That sent Ureña back to the mound for the bottom half to work on his own no hitter. He got through the fifth quickly, having breezed since the shaky (but hitless) first. The other thing I wrote in the pregame was that Ureña can be a bit of a tough day for a lineup — he has a heavy sinker, a filthy changeup, and poor aim. The Mariners proved not up to task. They chased a bunch and either whiffed or beat the ball into the ground (when they weren’t getting plunked). It’s a lineup heavily reliant on the long ball, and Ureña kept them on the ground for five innings and 74 pitches.

On pitch 75, Crawford smacked a double into the right-center gap to lead off the bottom of the sixth. It was the game’s first hit. Weston Wilson, now in the game for the injured Robles, who was in for the injured Julio, struck out. But Canzone walked behind him. And Arozarena walked behind him (on a pitch that nearly hit his head) to load the bases with one out. Up stepped Naylor; he’d grounded into a double play with the bases loaded in the first inning, but did less damage this time, striking out on three pitches.

That put the game in the hands of Cal Raleigh, who fell behind 0-2. Still, he battled and battled and worked the count full. He watched pitch number nine, a fastball way up and away, for ball four. Crawford trotted home for the game’s first run. Ureña’s day was done after 5 2/3 innings, with one hit and one run allowed. Luke Raley faced a lefty out of the bullpen and struck out to the leave the bases loaded.

Miller’s no hitter didn’t last much longer. Leading off the top of the seventh, Schanuel hit a little flare that fell in soft space between second, center and right. It was a 67 mph blooper that broke up the no-hit bid. Denzer Guzman followed with another soft liner, just out of the reach of a diving Weston Wilson.

“I would have preferred about a 120-foot line drive,” Miller said. “Felt like they didn’t really earn those two hits, but they fall sometimes.”

The pressure of relative history was gone, replaced by the pressure of holding a 1-0 lead. Miller stepped up. Strikeout. Flyout. Groundout. His day was done after seven at 90 pitches, one hit, and a 1-0 lead.

The Mariners went down in order in the bottom seventh. Then the Angels went down in order against Eduard Bazardo in the top of the eighth. The Mariners went down in order in the bottom half.

That brought Andrés Muñoz to the mound to close out the game. He walked Zach Neto on four pitches to lead off. He fell behind 2-0 on Schanuel before landing his first strike. On the next pitch, Neto broke for second. Muñoz picked toward first right at that moment; Naylor took the throw and fired to second to nab Neto for the first out. Wilson after the game noted Manny Acta had figured out Neto’s tendencies and called for the pick.

It wasn’t quite over, though. Schanuel smacked a single to replace Neto at first. And after a fly out, Soler picked up another single to put two on with two outs. Muñoz took a quick breather, then toed the rubber. He went right after Meckler with a first-pitch fastball down and away. Meckler dribbled it to short. Colt Emerson charged, scooped, and fired — not into anybody’s head — a perfect strike to first. The Mariners won 1-0 and swept the Angels.

Mariners 1, Angels 0

Cookies in coffee: Bryce Miller, +0.43

Cookies in milk: Josh Naylor, -0.29

Game Thread Comment of the Day

Chris MacFarland has officially been the Nashville Predators' general manager for one month, and needless to say, he has been rapidly changing the look of this roster. 

From his first day on the job, he made one thing clear: he wanted to reshape the roster to address areas of need. He has done that, but there is still more work to be done. However, before we look at what else could be done, let's look at what moves he has already made in his short time as GM.

MacFarland's First Month on the Job:

• June 5th: Hired Rob Blake as executive vice president of hockey operations.
• June 16th: Traded Magnus Chrona & 2 picks to the Colorado Avalanche for Ross Colton & Isak Posch.
• June 24th: Traded Fyodor Svechkov & Zach L'Heureux to the Avalanche in exchange for Jack Drury, Chase Bradley and a 3rd round pick in 2029.
• June 26th: Traded 2 second-round picks to the Carolina Hurricanes for a 1st-round pick.
• June 27th: Traded Massimo Rizzo & a 5th round pick to the New York Rangers for Adam Edstrom.
• June 29th: Traded a 3rd round pick in 2029 to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Nils Höglander.
• July 1st: Traded a 2nd round pick in 2027 and a 3rd round pick in 2028 to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Mavrik Bourque & Ilya Lyubushkin
• July 1st: Signed Alex Kerfoot to a two-year, $7 million contract.
• July 1st: Re-signed Drury to a five-year, $22 million contract. 

Needless to say, MacFarland has been one of the most active GMs in the last month, if not the most active. There are going to be more moves given that they have an abundance of forwards. Now the question remains, who will he move next? 

The Tigers, with largely their pitching staff to thank, ended their winning streak with a 10-4 loss to the Texas Rangers.

After an unexpectedly great series against the Yankees, it seemed like they might have an opportunity to test the theory that they perform best against teams over .500. They headed to Arlington to take on the Texas Rangers. To hopefully lead them to another (much-needed) victory, they had Framber Valdez on the mound. The Rangers, meanwhile, were leaning on Nathan Eovaldi.

The Tigers went 1-2-3 in the top of the first. In the home half, Josh Jung got a one-out single, followed by a single to Ezequiel Duran. Two outs followed, though, to get the Tigers out of the jam.

It was another three-up, three-down outing for the Tigers, so I guess those early-inning home run sprees are looking a little less likely for this game. With one out in the bottom of the inning, Elias Diaz hit a solo home run to put the Rangers on the board first. Alejandro Osuno singled, then Nicky Lopez singled as well. Justin Foscue worked a walk to load the bases. Valdez wasn’t looking great, missing the zone on many of his pitches and just not showing the sharp stuff we see on his better outings. He emphasized this by walking in a run when he gave up a free base to Jung. Duran then hit a sac fly to score Lopez. Valdez finally got the last out of the inning, but the Rangers had a 3-0 lead after two.

The Tigers didn’t do much to help themselves in the third, totally unable to get anything off of Eovaldi and going down in order again. Cam Cauley got a one-out single in the bottom of the inning but was quickly eliminated by a force out off the bat of Diaz. The final out came with no runs scored, which was badly needed by Valdez and the Tigers.

Kevin McGonigle became the first Tigers baserunner of the game with a leadoff walk in the top of the fourth. Three outs in a row followed. Lopes singled to start the home half of the inning. With one out, Jung doubled, bringing another run in. Duran then singled, bringing the Rangers up to 5-0. The Tigers got the next two outs, but they had quite the hill to climb if they were going to keep their streak alive.

They started to chip away with a leadoff home run from Colt Keith to get the fifth underway. With one out, McKinstry singled. Then, after the second out of the inning, Hao-Yu Lee hit the second home run of the inning to put the Tigers right back in the game.

Hao-Yu Lee puts us within 2 💥 pic.twitter.com/WylHx4ycYm

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) July 3, 2026

McGongile and Dillon Dingler got back-to-back singles, but a final out ended the inning with no additional runs scored. In the bottom of the inning, Valdez had a badly needed 1-2-3 inning, with a lot of thanks to his teammates, including this insane nab by McKinstry.

that was niiiiiice Z-Mac pic.twitter.com/75nDMT7ysu

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) July 3, 2026

Riley Greene got the sixth underway with a leadoff double. That was it for Eovaldi (did not think he would be the first starter to get pulled today, let’s be honest), and was replaced by old friend Tyler Alexander. With one out, Torkelson singled, then one out later, a pinch-hitting Ben Malgeri walked to load the bases. The bases were loaded, and the Rangers went back to their bullpen to get Peyton Gray, who came in to get the final out of the inning. In the bottom of the inning, Valdez was also done, being replaced by Beau Brieske. The final line of the game for Framber was 5.0 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 HR on 87 pitches. It was a pretty bad outing for him overall, but he did right the ship towards the end. With one out in the home half, a pinch-hitting Josh Smith homered. Two outs followed, but at the end of six, the Rangers were up 6-0.

McGonigle hit a little dribbler of a single right down the third base line. Doesn’t matter how you do it as long as you get on base. With one out, Kerry Carpenter walked. With two on, the Rangers went back to their bullpen for Robby Ahlstrom. Unfortunately, the Tigers weren’t able to convert their baserunners and left two stranded at the end of the inning. With two outs in the home half, the Tigers returned to the pen to get Drew Sommers to face a pinch-hitting leftie, Evan Carter. Naturally, Carter singled. Diaz then walked (he should have been out, but a check swing that should have been ruled a strike wasn’t). Osuna hit a perfectly placed single in between the infielders to score Carter. Sommers attempted to behead Lopez a couple of times with very high and inside pitches. The at-bat was a long one that Lopes eventually won with a comebacker that Sommers let bounce off his glove and scored another run. Then Lopez stole second. A Josh Smith single scored yet another run and Sommers was done. He had come in to get the final out of the inning and instead allowed three runs to score, which I don’t think is the ideal outcome you want to see from your bullpen. Kenley Jansen replaced him and gave up a walk to Jung, but finally induced the last out of the inning.

Cole Winn was the new Rangers reliever, and that is a spectacular name for a Texas baseball player. With one out, McKinstry doubled, then a Malgeri single brought McKinstry home. The Tigers had to settle for just the one run, but it proved they weren’t counting themselves out yet. Kyle Finnegan came on for the Tigers in the home half. Carter struck again in the eighth with a two-out solo homer. Diaz then doubled. Osuna singled with no one to cover first but Finnegan, and Torkelson wasn’t quite able to get the ball over to his pitcher in time for the out. The Tigers finally got out of the inning, but they had a lot of ground to cover if they were going to make a comeback in the ninth.

Gavin Collyer came in for the ninth and gave up a leadoff double to Dingler. He would be the only baserunner for the inning as the Tigers went down in order after that to end the inning and the game with an unfortunate loss. Thanks to the World Cup, they would get an off day on Friday to recoup before concluding the series over the holiday weekend.

Final: Rangers 10, Tigers 4

The Texas Rangers scored ten runs while the Detroit Tigers scored four runs.

With one out in the bottom of the fourth in tonight’s game, the Rangers collected their first hit with RISP on the night despite several lengthy rallies in the early innings. Fret not, though, that RBI single by Ezequiel Duran scored Texas’ fifth run of the game. Previously they had scored via a Elias Diaz solo home run, a bases loaded walk, a sac fly, and a Josh Jung RBI double following a Nicky Lopez single.

The Rangers had eight hits before they had one with runners in scoring position. It was a humorous twist to the kinds of nights where Texas experienced frustrating missed opportunities that fed into disappointing losses.

Of course, the bizarre sequencing was only humorous because they found other ways to score against a floundering Framber Valdez. For a while, it didn’t seem like they’d need too many runs at all anyway.

Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi was cruising along with a ton of strikeouts and swings and misses as he hadn’t allowed a hit to Detroit through the first four innings while Texas built a comfortable lead. However, in the top of the fifth, the first hit by a Tiger came via a solo home run from Colt Keith on a 0-2 pitch way above the zone.

Eovaldi seemed to be rattled by Keith reaching up and yanking one out as, following the first out of the inning, four of the next five batters reached via a hit, including a two-run home run by No. 9 hitter Hao-Yu Lee. Suddenly a comfortable game was transformed into a close 5-3 contest and Detroit had the tying run on base with Eovaldi sputtering.

Eovaldi was able to get the final out of the inning to end the threat but after a double to lead off the top of the sixth, the veteran exited having tossed just five innings despite most of those being dominant. Eovaldi ended up striking out nine in those five innings but in a rare instance of running out of gas, the bullpen was tasked with getting through the remaining four innings.

The bats eventually made that job a little easier as Josh Smith pinch hit for Justin Foscue and hit his first home run of the season, a solo shot in the bottom of the sixth. An inning later, Texas suddenly got all those RISP hits that eluded them a few hours prior as six consecutive Rangers reached base with two outs and Alejandro Osuna, Lopez, and Smith each produced an RBI single to turn the game into a blowout.

In the bottom of the eighth, Evan Carter hit his seventh home run of the year, a solo shot that gave Texas double digits for their final run of the evening.

Meanwhile, a quintet of Tyler Alexander (.2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K), Peyton Gray (.2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K), Robby Ahlstrom (.2 IP, 1K), Cole Winn (1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 K), and Gavin Collyer (1 IP, 1 H, 1 K) teamed up to work through those final four innings as they kept the Tigers from threatening while the bats caught fire in the late innings.

With this game in the books, the Rangers completed their 15 games in 15 days stretch that began with a loss to Minnesota all the way back on June 18. Overall, the Rangers went 10-5 during that stretch and clawed their way atop the AL West even with a brutal schedule.

Player of the Game: There were plenty of candidates from the lineup tonight with 17 hits between them. However, Jung did good work in the No. 2 hole with a double, a run, two walks, and two RBIs. The Texas third baseman was robbed of what was likely a second double which would have put him on base in each of his plate appearances on the night.

Up Next: The Rangers have a rare Friday off with Australia playing Egypt in the Round of 32 at “Dallas Stadium” next door tomorrow. This series will resume on Saturday with RHP Kumar Rocker set to pitch for Texas against RHP Jack Flaherty for Detroit.

The July 4 first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 3:05 pm CDT and will be aired on the Rangers Sports Network.