Category: Baseball

Hopefully you all had a good day at your real jobs and didn’t watch this game because it was ROUGH. In the first 11 (THAT IS ELEVEN. TWO ONES NEXT TO EACH OTHER. IT’S TOO MANY FOR THE REST OF THIS UN-FUN FACT) innings of this game the Minnesota Twins went 1-14 with runners in scoring position. Luckily, Taj Bradley and the Twins’ apparently elite bullpen kept Cleveland to 0-17. The Twins were bad, but the Guardians were worse. So baseball goes.

Various Cleveland Guardians social media accounts and influencers refer to Cleveland’s brand of baseball as Guardsball. However, due to the Guardians ranking in the bottom five of nearly every offensive category of substance over the past five seasons, as far as I can tell Guardsball is about scoring as few runs as possible, hitting into weak outs, and pretending that a bloop single over the shortstop is a skill and not luck. Also Guardsball may be having your All-Star closer participate in the most nefarious gambling scheme in modern sports, but I’m still unclear on that part.

Anyway. Let’s do a Guardsball-inspired recap to try something different. Taj Bradley and Gavin Williams were the starting pitchers today, playing the role of “victim.”

BOTTOM 1: Twins 0, Guardians 0

Steven Kwan walked and stole second to start the game the Cleveland, giving the home squad a great chance to score early. Jose Ramirez had a typical AB, fouling off countless two-strike pitches but ended up with a soft liner to center. Chase DeLauter then ground out on a splitter that was, conservatively, a foot below the zone. And finally Brayan Rocchio struck out to leave Kwan stranded.

RISP: Twins 0-0, Guardians 0-3

LOBster count: Twins 1, Guardians 1

BOTTOM 4: Twins 0, Guardians 0

This inning started the same way as the first for Cleveland, with a walk and SB, this time by DeLauter. A wild pitch let DeLauter reach third, but Bradley struck out Rocchio and Rhys Hoskins with a pop-out from undeserved All-Star Travis Bazzana sandwiched in the middle. No dice.

RISP: Twins 0-0, Guardians 0-6

LOBster count: Twins 1, Guardians 3

TOP 5: Twins 0, Guardians 0

Finally, a threat for the good guys! Kody Clemens did his best Guardian impression and singled and stole second base to give the Twins a great scoring opportunity with no outs. Unfortunately this game is cursed with the two worst clutch hitting performances of all time (don’t fact check me) so no runs could be allowed. Royce Lewis popped out, Austin Martin struck out, and Luke Keaschall hit the ball hard but put it right on the ground to first base.

RISP: Twins 0-3, Guardians 0-6

LOBster count: Twins 2, Guardians 3

TOP 8: Twins 0, Guardians 1

Guardians catcher Patrick Bailey hit a homer at some point between these two innings, but there wasn’t even anyone stranded on base so who cares about that? That is NOT what’s Guardsball is about. I hope you learned your lesson, Patrick. Let’s get back to the good stuff: Guardsball.

Lewis walked, stole second, Trevor Larnach struck out, Keaschall walked, and pinch hitter Alan Roden came in to face All-Star closer Cade Smith. Unfortunately, Roden did not get the Guardsball memo since he wasn’t playing for most of today and delivered a clutch RBI single on the very first pitch he saw to tie the game at one apiece.

As far as I can tell, this All-Star closer did NOT participate in any nefarious gambling schemes. That’s probably why he gave up the RBI single. He wasn’t willing to make the Guardsball sacrifice in order for his team to win. Next time, place a three-way parlay on whether your first three pitches will be balls or strikes, then maybe you can come through when your team needs it most.

The Twins got back to Guardsball with a Lee groundout and Buxton strikeout to end the threat.

RISP: Twins 1-6, Guardians 0-6

LOBster count: Twins 4, Guardians 3

BOTTOM 8: Twins 1, Guardians 1

Andrew Morris quickly got the first two outs of this inning, but notorious Guardsballer Steven Kwan delivered his third hit of the game with a wild pitch allowing him to advance to second base with two outs. However, Jose Ramirez quickly popped out to fellow hamate veteran Ryan Jeffers to end the frame.

RISP: Twins 1-6, Guardians 0-7

LOBster count: Twins 4, Guardians 4

BOTTOM 9: Twins 1, Guardians 1

Yoendrys Gomez is not yet an All-Star, so no gambling required for this Guardsball move. He needed all of five pitches to retire the first two batters, but issued back-to-back walks to Bazzana and Hoskins two put two on for Kyle Manzardo, who quickly struck out to send it to extra innings.

RISP: Twins 1-6, Guardians 0-8

LOBster count: Twins 4, Guardians 6

TOP 10: Twins 1, Guardians 1

Now we have the fun scenario where Guardsball meets the Manfred Man. Every extra inning in the regular season now starts with the potential for Guardsball from the top. Remember: scoring is NOT Guardsball,

However, when Lewis, Larnach, and Keaschall hit into three quick outs to end the frame before it really began, that’s what we’re looking for here.

RISP: Twins 1-9, Guardians 0-8

LOBster count: Twins 5, Guardians 6

BOTTOM 10: Twins 1, Guardians 1

Bailey, Petey Halpin, and Kwan did their organizational duty. To the 11th.

RISP: Twins 1-9, Guardians 0-11

LOBster count: Twins 5, Guardians 7

TOP 11: Twins 1, Guardians 1

Where do we stand on intentional walks as part of Guardsball? It seems pretty anti-Guardsball to have someone in your lineup who is a good enough hitter to warrant an intentional walk, but the Guardians do employ Jose Ramirez so it’s hard to say. Regardless, the ineptitude warrants another paragraph. Eight pitches later and a Buxton walk later, Roden, Lee, and Jeffers hit into three soft outs to end their half and potentially my sanity.

I’m losing steam on this bit. Please someone help me. God. Let me outside. My family keeps pressuring me to get into cockfighting. Oh wait, that’s another completely separate Emmanuel Clase anecdote? Alright I’m back in.

RISP: Twins 1-12, Guardians 0-11

LOBster count: Twins 7, Guardians 7

BOTTOM 11: Twins 1, Guardians 1

To make sure everything was even and fair, Taylor Rogers intentionally walked Jose Ramirez. Now we don’t have to have the philosphical debate. Both walks cancel each other out and we move on. Rogers then got DeLauter, Rocchio, and Bazzana in order. To the 12th inning we go!

RISP: Twins 1-12, Guardians 0-14

LOBster count: Twins 7, Guardians 9

TOP 12: Twins 1, Guardians 1

Oh god. It’s done. I hate Guardsball. Please don’t make me do this again, baseball Zeus. How does the city of Cleveland live like this? Baseball is supposed to be FUN!! For the love of god please stop trying to make incompetence cool. We already have enough that in other facets of life. For the sake of baseball, I am begging the Guardians to get a second good hitter. They’ve needed one for a decade. Just do it for all that is good in the world.

Thank you Trevor Larnach. Thank you Luke Keaschall. Two two-out RBI singles later and the Twins lead 3-1 and I can finally put this bit to rest.

RISP: Twins 3-17, Guardians 0-17

LOBster count: Twins 9, Guardians 9

Alright back to normal. Thank god.

Jack Anderson made things interesting in the bottom of the 12th, with a two-out walk bringing the winning run to the plate. But Anderson retired pinch hitter Daniel Schneeman to end the game and secure the series split.

Anderson became the 12th Twin to record a save this season, further increasing the franchise record. That list includes such illustrious names as Luis Garcia and Justin Topa, both of whom are currently not in affiliated ball. If I were a betting man, I’d place the over/under on 17 different Twins recording a save before the year is up. There will be one from a trade deadline acquisition not currently on the team and another from Connor Prielipp after he moves to the bullpen to limit his workload. Tommy Nance is bound to get one at some point when Gomez and Morris are unavailable. One of Woo-Suk Go or Marco Raya probably gets an opportunity eventually just due to raw stuff. The final one will be the inevitable three inning Mike Paredes/Kendry Rojas bulk relief job after Joe Ryan goes six shutout. Stay tuned, I’ll have the lottery numbers for you next week.

Next up for the Twins is the reeling Las Oakramento Athletics, who are a robust 3-13 in July. They’ll round out their pre-trade deadline schedule with the bad Kansas City Royals, who just lost MVP candidate Bobby Witt Jr. to a back injury and the middling Seattle Mariners, who lost MVP candidate Cal Raleigh to a bizarre phenomenon known as “regression.” Even if it was ugly, salvaging a split was a huge boon to this team that hopes the front office will be buyers. They’ll have a great chance to emphasize their point with this soft portion of the schedule coming at a good time.

STUDS

• Oh no
• Wait
• I thought I was done
• PLEASE NO I’LL DO ANYTHING
• GUARDSBALL
• Also the Twins pitchers (Bradley, Morris, Gomez, Nance, Rogers, Anderson): combined 12 IP, 3 H, 1 solo HR allowed, NO OTHER RUNS

DUDS

• Somehow this game only took 3:23 despite it being stuck in a fifth dimension outside of the very bounds of time and space. We are all but mites of dust compared to the power of Guardsball, may we all beg for forgiveness and pray to every baseball god that we are never in this position again. I need to call my mom.
• Oh uh, no duds, Twins win… technically.
• Help me.

Comment of the game goes to Danish philospher Soren Kierkegaard who once wrote, “With every increase in the degree of consciousness, and in proportion to that increase, the intensity of despair increases: the more consciousness the more intense the despair.”

May we never be conscious of Guardsball again. Amen.

The Los Angeles Dodgers visited the White House on Thursday to commemorate their 2025 World Series title.

During the outdoor ceremony in the Rose Garden, Dodgers owner Mark Walter presented President Donald Trump a jersey with the No. 47, the perfect number for the 47th President of the United States. Walter also gifted Trump a championship ring.

This marked the second consecutive year Trump welcomed the Dodgers to the White House after LA won the 2024 World Series against the New York Yankees.

The President heaped high praised about the franchise’s accomplishments in 2025 throughout a 20-minute monologue. Trump announced that the Dodgers’ triumph over the Toronto Blue Jays was “among the most thrilling championships in the history of the sport.”

Thursday’s visit marked the third trip for the Dodgers in the 2020s, after the team was welcomed by former President Joe Biden in 2021 following LA’s championship run in 2020.

The Dodgers had been silent on whether the team would visit the White House to celebrate their most recent World Series title due to scheduling conflicts. Los Angeles’ opening road trip of the season was in Washington D.C., but all three games against the Nationals had an afternoon start time.

It took some time, and some scheduling snafoos to figure out, but a few months later, the Dodgers finally reached the nation’s capital on an off-day to celebrate their 2025 World Series title.

White House visits from professional sports teams during the Trump administration have been controversial. However, most of the Dodgers elected to stick with tradition in spite of any controversy that may arise.

Only Mookie Betts, Edgardo Henriquez, and Kike Hernandez were not with the team, citing logistical reasons.

Mets starter Clay Holmes returned to the mound on Thursday night after making his first rehab appearance with Triple-A Syracuse.

With the plan for Holmes to go roughly three innings, per interim manager Andy Green earlier in the week, the right-hander lasted 2.1 innings after throwing 51 pitches (28 strikes) and allowed two earned runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two.

Holmes’ evening began with a 1-2-3 first inning, including back-to-back strikeouts that ended the frame. Things got hairy in the second after a leadoff double and a walk put runners at first and second with nobody out. Holmes didn’t allow a hit for the rest of the inning, but the RailRiders scored the game’s first run on a sacrifice fly.

In the third, Holmes allowed a walk and consecutive singles that brought home a run before getting a flyout to end his night. Tobias Myers came in for relief and struck out the next two batters to strand the inherited runners and close the book on Holmes.

The expectation is that the right-hander will likely need one more rehab start following Thursday’s performance before being activated. If Holmes is on a regular schedule, that final start could come on July 28, which is six days before the MLB trade deadline.

What was supposed to be an off-day for the St. Louis Cardinals became a rather important encounter with the Arizona Diamondbacks thanks to a game postponed by weather a few weeks ago. Michael McGreevy was in charge of the Cardinals fortunes, but the odd feeling matinee game didn’t go as expected. As a matter of fact, the wheels would come off the Cardinals bullpen by the time it was over and the end result could only be categorized as embarassing.

When I say expected, the anticipation for a Michael McGreevy start is a lot of ground balls and a relatively low score. As it turns out, the Diamondbacks were making hard contact and doing it often Thursday afternoon, but more on that later.

The St. Louis Cardinals jumped out to a quick lead in the top of the 1st inning as JJ Wetherholt reached on an infield single. He was followed by Jordan Walker who was batting second in the lineup Thursday. Jordan received a warm ovation from the Busch Stadium crowd in his first appearance since his historic Home Run Derby win a week and a half ago. Walker rewarded the applause with reason for more applause as he rocked a double to the wall scoring Wetherholt and giving St. Louis a 1-0 lead.

Alec Burleson followed Walker’s double with a infield single of his own which moved Jordan Walker to third. Lars Nootbaar then smacked a single which scored Jordan and doubled the Cardinals lead to 2-0. It felt like the Cardinals were going to explode for a really big inning. Unfortunately, it just felt that way as reality would prove that inaccurate. Masyn Winn flied out to center and then Jose Fermin walked to load the bases with just one out. The Cardinals could not do anything with those many runners in scoring position as Nathan Church struck out and Blaze Jordan popped out. The St. Louis 1st inning is one of those cases where scoring 2 runs felt like a defeat or at least a big missed opportunity.

The Cardinals 2-run lead would remain until the top of the 4th inning when the Arizona Diamondbacks jumped in front of St. Louis. It started with a McGreevy walk of Kepler who advanced to third on a double by Del Castillo. After Tawa hit a sacrifice fly scoring Kepler cutting the Cardinals lead to 2-1, Tyler Locklear turned on an 86 mph Michael McGreevy changeup and deposited it over the left field wall just inside the foul pole giving the Diamondbacks a 3-2 lead.

Arizona would get another run in the top of the 5th inning when Corbin Carroll led off with a triple. Two batters later, Moreno managed to lift a sacrifice fly to left scoring Carroll and increasing the Diamondbacks lead to 4-2. Michael McGreevy’s effort would end with one out in the top of the 7th inning. His stat line for the game was 6 1/3 innings allowing 7 hits while striking out 3 and walking 3. Manager Oli Marmol brought Justin Bruihl into the game to try and keep Arizona close. He was successful for the rest of the 7th inning, but allowed a loud double to Moreno who led off the Arizona top of the 8th inning. That would be costly two batters later when Del Castillo snuck a single through the left side of the infield giving the Diamondbacks a more significant 5-2 lead.

Matt Svanson was the Cardinals bullpen answer for the rest of the 8th inning, but the beneficiary was the Arizona Diamondbacks fantasy league stats. He immediately walked Tawa and then gave up a single to Vargas to load the bases. Tyler Locklear got in on the singles parade, too, which scored Del Castillo increasing the Diamondbacks lead to 6-2. That brought former Cardinal Nolan Arenado to the plate with the bases loaded and after he received a nice ovation, he (you guessed it) singled scoring yet another run giving Arizona a 7-2 lead. To add to the St. Louis misery, Corbin Carroll managed a sacrifice fly giving the Diamondbacks an even 8 runs which might as well have been 50 the way the Cardinals offense has struggled lately. To add to the degree of difficulty, Matt Svanson walked Perdomo to load the bases (again). That gave Moreno the chance to hit (wait for it) a single which upped the Arizona lead to 9-2. The Diamondbacks scored another run in the top of the 9th to make it 10-2, but does it really matter?

I would love for this to be the part where I document how the Cardinals offense exploded for a late inning rally, those of us who have been paying attention lately know that’s not realistic. St. Louis went down in order in the bottom of the 8th inning but the bottom of the 9th inning showed some positive energy. We did get a couple of runs on a Bryan Torres single with JJ Wetherholt and Nathan Church on base to make the score a slightly less disgusting at 10-4. Alec Burleson and Lars Nootbaar singles would add tallies making the game appear much more interesting than it actually was at 10-6. The truth is the 4 runs the Cardinals managed to score in the bottom of the 9th inning made the collapse of the bullpen even more aggravating. Imagine what Thursday’s game might have been if the relief arms could have kept Arizona from piling on? We’ll never know.

There’s no way to frame the Cardinals performance Thursday as anything other than disappointing. St. Louis could have leapfrogged Arizona in the Wild Card standings Thursday. Instead, they made many of us wonder if a winning record the remainder of this season is even possible. The upcoming series against the Reds and Cubs will likely decide the fate of this team as it approaches the trade deadline.

The St. Louis Cardinals begin a crucial 3-game series against their NL Central rivals Cincinnati Reds Friday night. Dustin May will take the mound for the Cardinals while the villains Reds will start RHP Rhett Lowder. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15pm central time and the TV broadcast will be handled by Cardinals.tv.

Oh my God, Jose Iglesias can do it all.

You can add Broadway star to the MLB player and singer-songwriter’s resume. 

Iglesias is set to play the narrator in the Tony and Grammy Award-winning Buena Vista Social Club musical starting in August, adding to his already long list of accomplishments.

The musical is about legendary Cuban singer Omara Portuondo coming back to the spotlight after years without music and confronting her past.

The Narrator plays a substantial role in the show and portrays the character of Juan De Marcos, a young music producer and bandleader from the late 1900s.

Iglesias will feature on stage during a six-week window, starting on Aug. 27 and ending Oct. 4.

The former Mets infielder has always been known as an entertainer on the diamond, but also earned a reputation for his electric singing performances off of it.

Under the pseudonym “Candelita,” Iglesias has released two songs “No voy a volver” and “OMG.”

“OMG” quickly became one of the most popular songs in the world and was the Mets’ rallying cry, debuting at No.1 on the Billboard Latin Digital Song Sales chart in 2024.

It became so popular that the 15-year MLB veteran performed the song alongside dancers at Citi Field after a Mets win and during the All-Star Game festivities.

“It’s a dream come true,” Iglesias said after his on-field performance in Queens. “I’m very humbled about it. I’m very excited about the win today. I’m floating right now.”

Iglesias said his love for music came from his dad, and he grew up writing songs and singing them in the shower.

He wrote “OMG,” a song about being appreciative of what you have, during the offseason leading up to the 2024 season while on his ranch in Miami.

Iglesias said there’s not much difference between performing and playing sports, citing fans’ reactions as proof.

“I think they’re both very similar,” he said in 2024. “Every time you make a great play, they’re on their feet and they’re having a great time. Sort of like when you sing ‘OMG,’ they get on their feet, and then they start throwing hands in the air

While he has not officially announced his retirement, Iglesias has not caught on with an MLB team this season.

Donald Trump hosted the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers at the White House on Thursday for the team’s second trip to the White House in two years.

The team gave the president a custom jersey and a World Series championship ring during a ceremony at the Rose Garden. Four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani, star first baseman Freddie Freeman, World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto and manager Dave Roberts were among those in attendance, while several players – most notably star shortstop Mookie Betts and utility man Kike Hernández – opted not to attend.

Related: As Dodgers head to White House, loyal fans are conflicted: ‘Trump is tearing this city apart’

“Special winners, unbelievable,” Trump said. “I would not be surprised to see them back here again.”

In remarks that also included lengthy tangents on former Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and the renovation of the Rose Garden, Trump complimented several Dodgers players while also confusing the roles of some others. He made a lengthy comparison between Ohtani and legendary slugger Babe Ruth, and praised Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers ace who pitched an inning of last year’s epic World Series Game 3 win over the Blue Jays in 18 innings.

“I watched him beat a lot of teams. They didn’t do too well against him. He is still pitching well, I bet,” Trump said of Kershaw, who retired after last year’s World Series.

Trump said he spoke with Roberts before the event and expressed surprise at the Dodgers’ status this season as the best team in baseball, but noted he’s “been a little busy with Iran and some other things”.

The team gave Trump what appeared to be a replica of their championship ring.

“Wow. Do I have to report this?” he said as he put the ring in his jacket. “I don’t want to report this.”

The Dodgers’ trip to the White House left many of their fans with conflicted feelings, given recent ICE raids and protest crackdowns in the city of Los Angeles as ordered by the Trump administration.

Betts, who did not participate in the Boston Red Sox’s trip during Trump’s first term but was there during the Dodgers’ visit last year, told reporters he preferred to spend the day with his family. Hernández, an outspoken critic of the ICE raids in Los Angeles, said he had a conflicting injury rehab assignment but wouldn’t have participated if he was available to join. Pitcher Edgardo Henriquez also reportedly did not attend.

“My personal line, my company line, is I hope we get this invitation every year because that’s the goal, to win a championship,” Roberts said earlier this year after the team accepted the invitation. “I’m not a politician, and I’m doing something that teams have done for decades. And so that’s where I stand, really. I’m a baseball coach. That’s what I do.”

Teams who have won a major championship have traditionally been invited to the White House to celebrate their victory with the president. During Trump’s first term, several teams were not invited or made clear they would not attend, including champions from the NBA and the WNBA.

This year, the White House has hosted the Olympic gold-winning US men’s hockey team and the NHL’s Florida Panthers to celebrate championships. The Oklahoma City Thunder, the 2025 NBA champions, opted not to visit; the owner of the 2026 champion New York Knicks has said Trump invited the team but there has been no decision made on whether they will attend.

Because not even the off-day can come without some bummer Mariners news, Adam Jude of the Seattle Times reports that the Mariners are parting ways with assistant hitting coach Bobby Magallenes.

Magallanes joined the staff prior to the 2025 season along with hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, both of whom had been unceremoniously fired by Atlanta after the 2024 season when the Braves finished the season 89-73. That mark was good for second place in the AL East, but broke the Braves’ streak of six consecutive division titles, even though Atlanta still qualified for the playoffs, where they were swept by the Padres in the Wild Card series. It was a surprising move at the time, and looked on with consternation by many Atlanta fans as Seitzer and Magallanes went on to help the 2025 Mariners get deeper into the playoffs than any other Mariners team in history, making it all the way to the ALCS.

But baseball is often a sport of what-have-you-done-for-me-lately, and the Mariners, floundering after a 3-3 homestand against two of the worst teams in the NL, opted to make a move to try to spark some offense. While bold staffing changes is a common mid-season move among teams that are dramatically failing to live up to expectations, it’s curious that Seitzer and Magallanes – long regarded as a package deal and sharing a similar hitting philosophy – weren’t both let go. The ineptitude of the Mariners offense, last or near the bottom of the list in most offensive categories, is obvious, but like the 2024 Braves, Seattle’s lineup has been wracked by injuries that have affected, at least temporarily, basically every member of the Opening Day roster except second baseman Cole Young [knocks on wood, pours salt circle, extends giant protective umbrella over Cole]. Furthermore, the bilingual Magallanes was a popular figure in the clubhouse, known for his “heck yeah, shoot yeah!” exclamation after wins or offensive outbursts; the deeply religious Magallanes was also a faith leader on the staff, something that resonated with hitters and pitchers alike.

While Seitzer preached an overall hitting mindset and approach, Magallanes’s role on staff was to be responsible for more of the nuts-and-bolts mechanical adjustments, something Director of Hitting Edgar Martinez (who remains on staff) also focuses on, so the team might be looking for a new voice to fill that particular role and hopefully create some better on-field results.

To do that, they’ve promoted Ed Paparella, the Mariners’ minor-league hitting coordinator, to a major-league role. The Mariners actually signed Paparella back in 2021 as a free agent out of South Alabama, and while he never played professionally, he quickly ascended the ranks of the minor leagues. At 31, Paparella is more than two decades younger than the 56-year-old Magallanes, and three decades younger than Martinez or Seitzer, perhaps providing more of a peer-adjacent perspective for the Mariners and creating some age diversity on the hitting staff. Paparella is young, but he’s also deeply rooted in the Mariners team culture and the mental skills side of hitting – on his Twitter account (paps_swings) he references The Mental Game of Tennis, a popular tome among Mariners mental skills coaches, and studies coaches from across the sports world to glean insights, similar to former Mariners farm director Andy McKay.

The firing of Magallanes recalls the firing of hitting coordinator Jarret DeHart in August of 2024, in the midst of another disappointing season for the Mariners; the 31-year-old DeHart, who was with the Mariners from 2021 to 2024, is now the hitting coordinator for the Yankees, who currently rank sixth in baseball (second in the AL) in team wRC+.

The team has not yet officially commented on Magallanes’s dismissal; this story will be updated with any and all relevant quotes.

Detroit Tigers (48-54) vs. Kansas City Royals (43-60)

Time/Place: 6:40 p.m., Comerica Park
SB Nation Site:Royals Review
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: RHP Troy Melton (5-1, 1.80 ERA) vs. RHP Randy Dobnak (0-0, 1.93 ERA)

Although A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge are still having standout seasons, the rookie outfielders are dealing with the major league grind.

Ewing enters Friday with 14 strikeouts in his last seven games — the most he’s had in a seven-game stretch all year.

Benge has whiffed 11 times in that same span, also his most strikeouts in a seven-game stretch as a rookie.

“I’m not surprised,’’ said one National League scout who has seen them after the All-Star break. “It’s the second half of the season and they’ve never had a year like this. Pitchers and teams are figuring them out, but I think it’s more the wear and tear of a long season.”

Ewing has the highest strikeout rate of any Met in the everyday lineup (27.1 percent).

Ewing, who turns 22 next month, struck out over 100 times in each of his two full seasons in the minors before reaching Queens in May.

“No one expected him to get here this quickly,’’ the scout said. “I would expect those numbers to go down as he gets more comfortable at this level, so I’m not worried about it.”

The concern the scout did mention isn’t so much about the pair of first-year outfielders, but just how ugly it will get at Citi Field around them down the stretch.

“That will be a tough environment for anyone, especially if things get worse,’’ the scout said regarding the Aug. 3 trade deadline. “They’ve passed the tests so far, though.”

Juan Soto is expected to be back in the lineup Friday after receiving a full day off Wednesday in Milwaukee to rest his calf, which initially caused him to leave the team’s first game after the All-Star break on July 16 in Philadelphia.

Since returning from that soreness — in his left calf, not the right one he strained in April — Soto is 2-for-16 with no extra-base hits, three walks and five strikeouts.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND METS STATS

For most of the season, Soto has been the lone consistent threat in the Mets lineup and remains fourth in the majors with an OPS of .944.

The trade deadline countdown is set to go into full effect this week, with the Mets among the teams in sell mode.

Though the Mets were off Thursday, there was still important action, with Clay Holmes making his first rehab outing with Triple-A Syracuse.

He pitched 2 ¹/₃ innings, giving up two earned runs on three hits while striking out two and walking two on 51 pitches.

The right-hander was off to an excellent start to the season, pitching to a 1.86 ERA in his first eight outings, before suffering a fractured right fibula that sidelined him for two months.

He threw 45 pitches in a simulated game Saturday, as Holmes was able to maintain some arm strength.

“If he looks anything like how he looked before he got hurt by the time the deadline comes, they’ll get a ton of interest,” an American League scout said of the Mets.

After winning five of six at home to begin the second half of the season, the Royals hit the road for a ten-game road trip with the first four taking place against the Detroit Tigers.

Checking out the Tigers’ X page, it looks like they’re celebrating 125 years of baseball. This old-timey scorecard looks kind of cool. I had first wondered if this was an all-season type of celebration, but this souvenir item, at least, is specifically for the Royals-Tigers series.

Where were you 125 years ago?

To the lineups!

Jac Caglianone out of the lineup, but acting manager Paul Hoover said he could be available off the bench. Salvador Perez batting fourth as he looks to break the Royals’ all-time home run record, which he currently shares with George Brett. The funny thing about Salvy is that, sure, he could break it tonight, but I could also seem him go into a power drought that lasts the entire road trip so that he doesn’t break the record until the Royals return to Kansas City.

The Royals will face right-handed pitcher Troy Melton.

Randy Dobnak faces a Detroit lineup with some intriguing hitters. Both Kevin McGonigle and Dillon Dingler are having excellent seasons at the plate to the point where the former could very well win the Rookie of the Year award while the latter could get some MVP votes. Riley Greene continues his solid career with another above-average year. Former first-overall pick Spencer Torkelson, though, is struggling, and James Outman has a horrible name for a batter.

Game tonight at 5:40.

The Guardians lost 3-1 in 12 innings to the Twins.

Look, folks, I am frustrated, so the less said the better.

Gavin Williams was amazing pitching seven scoreless, allowing two hits, no walks and striking out eleven.

Hunter Gaddis did not have his best performance, walking two batters, then Cade Smith was brought in and allowed the tying run to score. But, you cannot expect your pitching staff to be perfect. That’s unrealistic.

The Twins bullpen is bad. Twins fans will tell you that. And yet they allowed ONE hit to the Guardians in five innings today. Patrick Bailey’s homer provided the Guardians’ only run.

I am jealous of Petey Halpin who got to slap Grant Fink on Monday. Ah well. On to Tampa.

It is tough to sweep a four-game series, unless you are the impossibly hot Boston Red Sox. Perhaps Shane Bieber took it upon himself to make Kyle Snyder, Kevin Cash, and the front office beliebers and effort to acquire him before the August 3rd deadline. Bieber had his second consecutive fantastic outing since the break with seven innings of one-run baseball allowing just three baserunners before handing it over to the A-pen to finish the game.

This was the type of game Toronto envisioned this winter, but has rarely been able to put together throguhout this frustrating season. The three runs scored today was the most runs the team has scored in their last six games, but it was the pitching that was story of the game and why the Rays offense was mostly lifeless today.

Bieber himself had just 8 swings and misses on 39 pitches, but he did a fantastic job working an extremely liberal strike zone to his advantage for seven innings:

The zone was questionable all day, but it was not until the 7th inning that any Rays batter challenged a pitch. Jonny DeLuca challenged a first pitch cutter that was well off the plate and had it overturned:

There were not many pitches more aggregiously wrong than this one, but Bieber certainly enjoyed a fair number of favorable strike calls in this contest yet the Rays were stubborn in using their challenges until DeLuca apparently had enough in the 7th inning:

The Rays sole run nearly did not happen because Hunter Feduccia nearly had his own J.T. Realmuto moment as he appeared to believe Yandy Diaz’s single had been caught because he first stopped running, then momentarily started back to third base, before hurrying home:

It is said a picture can say a thousand words, and since the highlight video cut off this moment, I will simply share this picture and let you use your imagination as to what Cash was thinking:

The lack of offense wasted what was a solid outing by the combination of Casey Legumina and Ian Seymour. They struck out 9 while wakling three batters and the only egregious run was the third run of the game when Myle Straw easily stole second base on a play which was two parts a bad throw by Feduccia and one part an inattentive hold of Straw by Seymour. Straw would come around to score on an RBI single by Vladimir Guerrero Jr, which could have been a very close play at the plate with a more accurage throw by Victor Mesa Jr:

The Rays will bring home a two-game lead to Tropican Field where they open with a homestand against a fully healthy Cleveland club while the Rays leverage their top three pitchers in the series.

Credit to Bieber for using the zone afforded to him and showing a potential new employer what he could bring to the team down the stretch when everything is working.

Rays 1 Blue Jays 3

WE SCORED THREE RUNS!

It isn’t like we had a lot of hits, just seven (with three walks). But it was enough

We scored a run in each of the first, third and seventh innings:

• First: With two out, Ernie Clement singled. George Springer walked. And Alejandro Kirk singled home Ernie. Well, Kirk dribbled one down the third base line, which Junior Caminero, apparently not knowing Kirk was the one running to first, tried to bare hand, and failed. He had more time than he thought.
• Third: Yohendrick Yohendrick doubled (our hardest hit ball of the day at 108.2, also had our second hardest, 106.8 ground out) leading off. He did a nice job as leadoff hitter today. After two outs, George Springer singled him home.
• Seventh: Myles Straw led off with a walk (he challenged, and was right, two pitches). He stole second and scored on a Guerrero single. Vlad was caught stealing after, but up two and two out, I was ok with him trying to get into scoring position.

Vlad and George (with a walk) had two hits each. Yohendrick, Clement, and Kirk had the others. We did have nine strikeouts, but it was a massive offensive day by Jays July standards.

Shane Bieber went seven scoreless innings, allowing 3 hits, 1 earned, with 3 strikeouts. He did have a lot of great defense behind him. Straw made an amazing catch in center in the first inning. Okamoto made three terrific plays at third. Ernie made a great play at short.

There were also some lesser plays. Yohendrick had a ball fall at his feet, which I thought should have been a hit and which cost us the run against. Davis had a ball fall in left that I thought he should have caught.

Tyler Rogers and Louis Varland each pitched a good inning of relief without allowing a baserunner. Hold and save number 21 respectively.

Bieber came out at 86. There was some complaining about it, but I liked getting him out of there with a great start, when we have two guys who can consistently give us clean innings.

Jays of the Day: Bieber (0.35 WPA) and Springer (0.18). Let’s give honorary mention to Rogers and Varland. And to Straw for that catch in the first. If that hits the ground, it’s a double, and the game might have gone differently.

Other Award: Urias (-0.09). Okamoto also had the number but he had three terrific plays on defense, so I’m not going to give him the ‘honour’.

Tomorrow the Red Sox are in town to start a three game series. Trey Yesavage (4-5, 3.78) vs. Patrick Sandoval (0-0, 4.82, just 9.1 innings).

The 2026 Florida Complex League season came to a close this week, and finishing with a 33-26 record, the FCL Twins rode the backs of a handful of intriguing bats to put together a solid season. To see this level of production from so many teenage hitters in their first year playing in the United States is rare and a very promising sign for the future of the Twins’ pipeline.

I’m planning on doing one of these articles for each of the Twins’ minor league teams as their season concludes, so keep an eye out for the next one coming in late August when the DSL Twins finish up their 2026 campaign. I apologize in advance for making this article too long. There were so many players that needed to be highlighted, and there were even a few more that I wanted to write about but decided to hold myself back. To kick it off, we will begin with the biggest story of this team’s season.

Jhomnardo Reyes

Now ranked as my No. 22 Twins prospect, 18-year-old outfielder Jhomnardo Reyes has emerged as the top player in the Twins’ 2025 international signing class, which is looking like a very promising group as a whole. After a solid first pro season in the Dominican where he batted .291 with an .855 OPS, he flourished in the Florida Complex this summer, batting .296 with a .950 OPS and 7 homers.

He is a 6’3” lefty with a thinner frame, but some of the most impressive raw tools in the organization. There is potential for 70 grade raw power as Reyes is posting exit velocities north of 110 MPH as a teenager with plenty of room to add muscle. What really intrigues me is the significant improvements we are already seeing from him in contact and discipline. He slashed his strikeout rate by 6% in 2026 while drawing more walks and improving contact rates. You often see international hitters struggle in their first year stateside as they adjust to a new country at a very young age, but Jhomnardo has absolutely shined this summer. He runs well and can steal some bags, but projects as a fringy or average runner as he matures. With a plus arm and solid range, there is impact potential in a corner outfield spot. A new challenge at Single-A Fort Myers is on the horizon, and Reyes has a chance to really make a name for himself if he continues to smack the ball around there.

Sophomore Sluggers

While these guys haven’t quite produced at the level of Jhomnardo Reyes, they are all showing off plus tools in their second year in the pros.

Teilon Serrano really struggled in the second half of the 2025 season, which made me wary of him as he entered the Florida Complex this summer, but he put together a really encouraging season. It is very much a true outcome approach. His strikeout rate landed around 30%, but so did the walk rate as Serrano was among the league-leaders in walks this year. He is a big power bat from the left side of the plate, running exit velocities up to 110 MPH as an 18-year-old. He runs well and will continue to see time in center field throughout the minors, but likely projects to fit into a corner spot. His hit tool is very concerning, but elite discipline with plus raw power potential and an athletic build has a chance to create a fantastic big leaguer.

In a move that many fans may not have even heard about, the Twins selected Daniel Susac in the Rule 5 draft last winter and immediately traded him to the Giants in exchange for Miguel Caraballo, an athletic switch-hitting catcher who was THE youngest qualified hitter in all of complex ball this summer. Caraballo is 6’0” with an athletic build. There are significant hit tool concerns as he struck out at nearly a 30% clip, but he ran a respectable walk rate while showing off power to all fields. There is plus power potential if he can continue to build strength, especially from the left side. Defensively, his receiving is developing well. Blocking is raw, but he has a quality arm and is unusually athletic for the position. Caraballo has everything he needs to develop into an impactful catcher with a good bat. He is a long way out but already showing loud tools at just 17 years old.

As a highly rated international outfielder, Carlos Taveras has had each of his first two pro seasons cut short due to injury, but when he’s been on the field, he is showing glimpses of a five tool profile. Taveras projects for at least an average hit tool with his smooth swing from the left side. He has an advanced approach and is flashing exit velocities up to 110 MPH already, giving hope for plus power potential if he can continue to add strength and consistently find the barrel in game. He’s an average runner with a good arm, fitting well in a corner outfield spot as his frame fills out. If it all comes together for Taveras, he has exciting potential as an outfielder who can impact every facet of the game.

These Guys Just Keep Producing

Yovanny Duran and Darwin Almanzar are a couple more names who haven’t shown the same power ceiling as the other top bats, but still have mastered rookie ball at just 18 years old.

Yovanny Duran was the primary leadoff hitter for the FCL Twins most of the season. He is a switch-hitting outfielder with twitchy, quick feet. He succeeded last year with a contact and discipline profile, but showed off very little power. His contact rates dropped to around average this year, but it was offset by an even bigger jump in quality of contact. He batted .317 with a .943 OPS and stole 36 bags this season. Defensively, he was the primary center fielder, displaying good range and a reliable arm. The tools aren’t as loud as Jhomnardo Reyes, but the production has been elite, and if he can continue to build up more power, this is a nice outfield profile.

As another switch-hitter, Darwin Almanzar ran into a handful of homers in the Dominican last year, but his true profile is better-explained by his 2026 numbers. In his first year stateside, he batted .254 with only 8 extra base hits. His .824 OPS was largely carried by a monstrous 28% walk rate while striking out only 19% of the time. He has solid contact skills with an extremely patient approach, but still developing power in his smaller frame. Defensively, he primarily plays third and is a raw defender, but has the arm and instincts to fit at the hot corner. It’s a less explosive profile, but Almanzar is ahead of the curve in his development and has plenty of time to continue growing as a player. There is hope for a well-rounded infield profile.

Frederick Hiciano

Now shifting to the pitching side, Frederick Hiciano is not a second-year pro like all of the others. In fact, he is a first-year who the Twins decided to push to the Florida Complex before playing a single game in the Dominican Summer League. This unusual roster management is part of what’s making me intrigued, but the production itself has also been there. There are 36 pitchers under 19 years old who threw at least 10 innings in complex ball this year, and Hiciano is 2nd among them in both FIP and xFIP.

He has a lean 6’2” build, throwing a low 90s sinker that tops out around 95 and has potential for added velocity as he matures. His slider has shown flashes of good spin, but is still developing consistency. He also has a solid feel for his changeup, which is generating quality depth and has the makings of a nice third pitch. We haven’t seen him since he left a July 2nd start with an injury, but in 12 innings, he posted a 3.00 ERA with 15 strikeouts and 5 walks. Quality stuff and an advanced feel for command in a projectable frame makes for a nice pitching prospect. Hiciano immediately becomes one of the Twins most exciting rookie ball pitchers.

This Isn’t Even the Whole Gang

This FCL Twins team showcased an exceptional amount of fire power this year, but there are a handful of other high-profile international prospects in this group that saw limited time on the field this year, if any at all.

Santiago Castellanos is the headliner, an advanced 18-year-old RHP who lit up the DSL last year, but saw limited game action this summer as the Twins put him on a different development plan due to his young age. He ended up with a season-ending elbow injury in June, but the team is hopeful that he will have a normal offseason and be ready to let it loose next spring(Theodore Tollefson, Twitter). His fastball was sitting 92-95 and flashing upper 90s at 16 years old when he signed. He’s showing advanced changeup feel and a quality slider to complement the plus heater. He’s a smaller guy at 5’10”, but packs a punch with a starter repertoire and good strike-throwing.

As the 2nd-youngest pitcher to touch the mound in complex ball this year, Geremy Villoria tossed 7 scoreless innings with 5 strikeouts and 3 walks on the season as the Twins also limited his action due to his age. Coming over from Philly along with Hendry Mendez in the Harrison Bader trade last July, Villoria has a more projectable frame at 6’2”. His fastball sits around 90 with a variety of shapes. Slider is around 80 with high spin, while the mid 80s changeup is in the early development stages, but flashing excellent fade. He’s a good strike-thrower with developing stuff and excellent early results. Look for him to start building up more volume next summer.

Santiago Leon’s 2026 season ended with an injury before it even started. Still, the Twins’ top 2025 IFA signing at $1.7 million showed a lot of promise in his debut season in the DSL. Over his final 30 games, he batted .268 with limited power, but an excellent approach, tallying 22 walks to 17 strikeouts. Thin frame at 5’11” and the swing may need some work, but he runs well and has smooth, twitchy actions at shortstop with a quality arm. He projects as a plus defender in the infield with a strong chance to stick at shortstop, making him a high probability big leaguer if the bat continues to develop.

An injury ended Haritzon Castillo’s season after just 5 games this year, but he is a well-rounded infield prospect who was productive in the DSL last year. Signing bonus was just shy of a million in 2025. Struck out at a 13% clip last year while drawing more walks that strikeouts. The hit tool looks above-average and he generates good bat speed with a whippy swing. There is hope he can develop average power. He runs well and is ahead of the curve in his development on the defensive side. He may lack the twitchy actions needed to play short, but Castillo can be impactful at second or third. Lots of quality tools for him to lean on.

Rey Pacheco was an under-the-radar signing in 2025, running a 3.00 ERA with just 7 walks and 31 strikeouts in 33 innings during his debut season in the Dominican. He’s a smaller righty at 5’9” with an over-the-top delivery. Fastballs sits 88-90 with good spin and ride at the top of the zone. Two distinct breaking balls have shown quality spin with some whiff potential. There is a developing splitter/changeup in the low 80s as well. Pacheco missed the entire season with an injury this year, but displayed a quality repertoire with elite strike-throwing in 2025.

This 2025 international crop is likely among the best groups we have seen in this organization, and we will learn a lot more about each of these players as they move up to Single-A Fort Myers in 2027 and probably even a little bit this fall. Twins fans down in Fort Myers don’t know it yet, but they are about to strike gold.

Red Sox top prospect Franklin Arias promoted to Triple-A Worcester: Report originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The top prospect in the Red Sox’ system is making the jump to Triple-A.

Shortstop Franklin Arias, who has spent all of the 2026 season with Double-A Portland, is being promoted to Worcester. The Worcester Telegram & Gazette’s Tommy Cassell reported the move on Thursday night.

The promotion came just hours after Arias hit his 19th home run of the year for Portland in a 3-2 Sea Dogs win.

The 20-year-old native of Venezuela signed with the Red Sox as an international free agent in 2023, making his Single-A debut for the Salem Red Sox a year later. He moved up to High-A Greenville in 2025 and finished the season in Double-A Portland, where he remained for the start of the 2026 season.

In 75 games with Portland, Arias batted .318 with a .994 OPS, hitting 17 doubles and a triple in addition to the 19 homers while driving in 52 runs and scoring 50 runs himself.

At the time of his promotion, Arias led the Eastern League in OPS, ranked second in batting average, third in home runs and seventh in RBIs.

The development in power has been a relatively new one for Arias, who hit nine home runs in 87 total games in 2024 and eight home runs in 116 games a year ago.

MLB Pipeline has Arias ranked as the top propsect in the Red Sox’ system and the seventh-best prospect in all of baseball.

With Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, Payton Tolle, Connelly Early and Jake Bennett all joining the major league club over the past year, the WooSox have been without some of the organization’s top prospects for most of this season.

That will now change, with Arias set to join the WooSox, who are riding a three-game winning streak and are coming off a 15-1 win over Jacksonville on Friday afternoon.