Baseball fans may have been doing a double-take when they turned on ESPN’s broadcast of Thursday’s Braves-Nationals game.
Calling the game alongside Eduardo Pérez was Karl Ravech, who had been part of the ESPN’s mass layoffs last week, leading to plenty of surprise from viewers.
Despite being let go by ESPN, Ravech was given the option to call select games on the network this summer and is expected to announce during the Little League World Series, sources told The Post.
The supposedly laid off Karl Ravech is in the booth calling Braves-Nationals for ESPN tonight pic.twitter.com/HieiM61kgE
Ravech has been a part of the Little League World Series broadcast team since 2006 and had been the lead voice for ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” broadcasts for four years through the 2025 MLB season.
The longtime ESPNer was among the names the network let go of last week in the latest round of layoffs at the Walt Disney Company, which owns the sports conglomerate.
ESPN analyst Jay Williams (left) and announcer Karl Ravech before the game between the Connecticut Huskies in the Saatva Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 19, 2023 in New York City. Getty Images
Among the others who saw their time at the Worldwide Leader end included ex-NFL safety Ryan Clark, along with NFL reporter Tom Pelissero and longtime anchor David Lloyd.
Ravech had spent 33 years at the network and it was initially believed that his ESPN tenure had come to an end with calling a game between the Dodgers and Phillies.
ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro had outlined the reasoning behind the layoffs in a memo to staff last week.
Doug Glanville and Karl Ravech smile before the MLB All-Star Game at Truist Park on July 15, 2025 in Atlanta, Ga. Getty Images
“Over the past several months, we’ve made significant progress integrating the NFL assets that we acquired into ESPN,” he wrote. “Throughout this process, we have taken the time to carefully evaluate our collective teams, resources and organizational structure to best position us for the future. As a result, we had to make some difficult decisions about job impacts that we will be communicating today.
“While most of the job impacts are tied to the acquisition, we will also notify colleagues in other parts of the company today that their positions have been impacted. We are committed to treating employees with compassion and respect and to providing support as they navigate this transition.
“Even in moments like these, the strength of ESPN comes from our people, our teamwork and our shared mission to serve sports fans.”
SAN DIEGO, CA - JUNE 08: A general view of Petco Park during the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Monday, June 8, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Ryan Levy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants head south to begin a four-game series against the San Diego Padres tonight.
The Giants are going for the element of surprise again, as they have not announced a starting pitcher for tonight’s game as of the time this is being written. You can check out the comments below for more up to date information.
Whoever it ends up being will face off against Padres left-hander JP Sears, who enters tonight’s game with a 3.86 ERA, 4.75 FIP, with 23 strikeouts to nine walks in 28 innings pitched. His last appearance was in relief in the Padres’ 7-2 win over the Miami Marlins on Saturday, in which he allowed just one hit and one walk with three strikeouts in three and a third innings.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani sits in the dugout during a win over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
In the latest twist in Shohei Ohtani’s battle with left knee discomfort, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts held him out of the lineup Thursday against the Seattle Mariners.
Ohtani reported soreness Wednesday night in his left knee, which he treated over the All-Star break with a lubricating orthovisc injection and rest. So the Dodgers’ training staff recommended a day off.
“I expected him to play,” Roberts said. “I appreciate him saying that there’s some soreness to then allow me to make a decision of what is in his best interest, and that’s what we’re doing.”
Roberts said he’s “very confident” that Ohtani will be in the lineup Friday when the Dodgers open a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox.
But the Dodgers previously believed only pitching aggravated the injury. Ohtani hasn’t pitched in a game since July 3, and he hasn’t thrown off a mound in a little over a week. He’s been running through weighted plyo ball drills to keep his arm in shape without putting pressure on his knee.
It raises questions about how to best manage Ohtani for the rest of the season.
“I’m trying to restrain from a forecast of what’s going to happen, as opposed to just reading and reacting,” Roberts said. “Three days ago, we just had an off day, and to say there’s some soreness certainly is different than what we’ve done the last two weeks. Is it a trend? I hope not. But if it is, then we just got to manage it.”
Roberts said he didn’t believe any specific incident Wednesday aggravated Ohtani’s knee.
“The last couple days he’s been on base a lot more,” Roberts said. “So I think that’s been a good thing in one sense, whereas the last part of the road trip he wasn’t, so there might have been a little something to that.”
Ohtani also mentioned earlier this week that his biceps problem, which flared for the second time this season during his last at-bat July 3, has not completely subsided. But the Dodgers have downplayed the severity of that ailment and are under the impression that throwing doesn’t hurt it.
When asked if the team would consider shutting down Ohtani for 10 days to help him fully recover, Roberts said: “That’s a hard question and I understand the thought behind it. But it’s gotten better over the last few weeks, markedly. He’s been a very productive player. ... You trust him. He feels like he can go.
“He’s not 100%; very few players are 100%. Then what is it? Is it 70%, is it 80%, is it 90%? For me, there’s still that conversation, where he understands the most important part of the season is to come, and he understands his value with our team.”
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani hits a home run against the Seattle Mariners at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
It doesn’t seem like the Dodgers are ready to put Ohtani on the injured list just yet. Roberts said he hopes Ohtani will start playing catch this weekend or next week.
The Dodgers, however, had expressed hope that the injection and time off over the break would prevent Ohtani from having to manage the problem. That no longer seems to be in play.
“We’re talking about this constantly, we are,” Roberts said. “And nothing should be off the table and nothing is set in stone. So I think it’s more of how he feels. This surprised me. So now with this new information we’ve got to have new conversations.”
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - JULY 29: Raymond of the Tampa Bay Rays interacts with fans during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Wednesday, July 29, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Rays 3, Rangers 2
What an unpleasant series.
The Rangers allowed 7 runs in this series but still lost two of three, due to scoring just 6 runs.
That’s pretty terrible.
The Rangers rolled with a bullpen game in this one. The pitchers the Rangers used: 1) Cole Winn, who is only still on the roster because he’s out of options; 2) Marco Gonzales, who was out of baseball in 2025, was picked up in June after being released by the Padres after posting a 7.99 ERA in AAA, and who was promoted by the Rangers after putting up a 8.64 ERA for Round Rock; 3) Peyton Gray, was was pitching in Indy League ball in 2022 and 2023, and in the Mexican Pacific Winter League from 2022-25, before being signed by the Rangers prior to the 2025 season; 4) Robby Ahlstrom, who was in AAA and not on the 40 man roster at the start of the season; and 5) Ben Peoples, who has been pitching professionally since 2019, had never pitched above AA until 2025, and who made his major league debut for the Rangers this season after they acquired him from the ChiSox, for whom he was toiling in AAA.
This rag-tag crew of misfits held the Rays to three runs.
They held the Rays to two runs for 7.2 innings. Peoples gave up a homer to Cedric Mullins with two outs in the eighth, a solo shot that was the winning run.
I want to bitch about how that’s what you get for having Ben Peoples be the guy who has to pitch in a tie game on the road in the eighth inning, but Peoples didn’t throw a bad pitch, and Mullins sliced a not terribly well hit pop fly the other way that barely made it over the fence right by the foul pole.
With Shane McClanahan starting, the Rangers opted to go the bullpen game route so they could save Nathan Eovaldi to pitch the opener in Houston on Friday. And the Rangers need to sweep the Astros — currently a half-game back — in order to earn the tiebreaker, which is important. It did feel like they were sort of sacrificing this game to improve their chances in Houston.
And yet, the coterie of relievers pitched well enough for the Rangers to win.
Sadly, the Rangers only had two hits in the game.
Its hard to win a game when you only register two hits. A lot of people don’t know that.
One run came on a Joc Pederson pinch hit grounder that should have been a double play but instead was an error, allowing Ezequiel Duran to score. Duran had reached on a hit by pitch, and advanced to second on a Brandon Nimmo walk then to third on a Jake Burger fly out.
The other run scored when Wyatt Langford doubled off of Craig Kimbrel, driving home Alejandro Osuna, who had singled ahead of Langford.
That’s right, the two hits the Rangers had came in back-to-back at bats, a day after the only three hits the Rays recorded came in a four batter stretch to start the game.
Strange things are afoot at the Tropicana Dome.
The Rangers did draw an impressive eight walks, so that’s something, although the inability to get hits meant that none of those eight walks came around to score.
The Rangers even drew a pair of walks in the ninth, the first of which was originally called a strike on a 3-2 pitch, but which Nicky Lopez successfully challenged. Langford drew a two out walk to put the tying run on second, but Ezequiel Duran fanned to end the game.
After the Pederson RBI E6, Evan Grant said that the Rangers had caught a break by Taylor Walls having booted a potential inning-ending GIDP, and having tied the score on the play, really needed to score more runs in the inning.
The problem is that Cam Cauley and Nicky Lopez were due up next. No shade on the two of them, but if you team needs to score runs in an inning, and Cam Cauley and Nicky Lopez are due up, your needs will probably go unmet.
Cole Winn topped out at 95.5 mph with his fastball. Marco Gonzales hit 90.9 mph with his fastball. Peyton Gray reached 94.5 mph with his fastball. Robby Ahlstrom’s fastball topped out at 95.4 mph. Ben Peoples hit 96.7 mph with his fastball.
Brandon Nimmo had a 108.1 mph groundout. Alejandro Osuna had a 104.9 mph single. Wyatt Langford had a 103.9 mph double, a 100.6 mph groundout and a 100.2 mph fly out. Jake Burger had a 102.8 mph fly out. Cam Cauley had a 100.2 mph groundout.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JULY 29: Mookie Betts #50 of the Los Angeles Dodgers warms up in the outfield prior to the game against the Seattle Mariners at Dodger Stadium on July 29, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers all-American League homestand continues this weekend facing the Boston Red Sox at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
The Dodgers haven’t yet named a starting pitcher for Friday, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto starting on Saturday. Presumably that means a bullpen game. Ranger Suárez starts for Boston, the first of three consecutive left-handed starting pitchers for the Red Sox during the weekend series. The Dodgers are 19-12 in games started by opposing southpaws this season.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 29: Kyle Hart #68 of the San Diego Padres pitches during the first inning of a game against the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park on July 29, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
San Francisco Giants (46-62) at San Diego Padres (55-53), July 30, 2026, 6:40 p.m. PST
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The MLB trade deadline is approaching and teams are having discussions on whether they intend to deal players or stand pat.
The Athletics are a team that many in baseball thought could make a run at the wild card, but they have slipped to having the second-worst record in the American League at 45-63.
The 2026 trade deadline is officially scheduled for Monday, Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. ET and 3 p.m. PT. A .417 winning percentage is typically enough for teams to consider a massive overhaul of the roster, but not the A's. They're sticking with their guys.
“We’ve built this team for the long haul. I’m not looking to break the team up. Just because we’re not in a playoff race doesn’t mean you’re selling off pieces," A's general manager David Forst said on A's Cast. "I don’t feel compelled to make a trade just because the deadline is Monday.”
The A's have added standout prospects and formed a promising young core that is expected to be together for years to come. The Athletics' opening day roster was one of the youngest in all of baseball at an average of 27.4 years old, according to Statista.
Many of their key players are under age 30. Nick Kurtz is 23, so is Joshua Kuroda-Grauer. Jacob Wilson and Tyler Soderstrom are both 24. Lawrence Butler just turned 26 on July 10, joining Denzel Clarke. J.T. Ginn is 27. Shea Langeliers is 28.
Despite building all this young talent together, things just haven't gone right for the A's during the 2026 season.
The A's have lost nine consecutive series entering their four-game series against the Boston Red Sox, which concludes Thursday, July 30. The team's last such series losing streak occurred last season between May 5 and June 5.
The Athletics have not lost more than nine consecutive series since 2023, when they lost their first 10. After losing two of the first three games versus Boston, the A's have gone 12 consecutive series without a win, which is their longest streak since they lost 12 straight series from July 11 to Aug. 24, 2008.
The A's could use additional support at pitching, having a need primarily for young pitching talent. The A's don't have a proven starting pitcher or a veteran reliever in big moments. That veteran relief could also be someone who could serve as a primary closer for the Athletics. They currently don't a traditional closer.
The A's bullpen is 0-3 with two saves, three blown saves, a 6.17 ERA and has allowed 10-of-22 (45.5%) inherited runners to score over the last eight games.
Overall, the Athletics have been losing games due to poor performances at the mound. Their bullpen is responsible for the highest ERA in the majors (5.45), they rank third in most blown saves (21), sixth in lowest save percentage (56.3%), highest percentage of inherited runners scored (36.8%), and eighth in most innings pitched (435.2).
Aside from pitching, the A's could use better luck in the health and medical department. The Athletics have 13 players on the injury list, including some of their best such as Kurtz, Clarke, Langeliers, Kuroda-Grauer, Zack Gelof, Justin Sterner, Luis Severino and Brent Rooker, who will miss the year after season-ending surgery to repair a cartilage tear in his left knee.
It's all but over for the A's during the 2026 season, despite there still being a lot of baseball left to be played.
But make no mistake this wasn't expected of the A's. Minor setbacks prevented them from seeing their potential for this season, but they won't be hauling off players, rather play this year out and prepare for 2027.
But when host Kevin Connors sent the network's pregame coverage from ESPN's studios in Bristol, Connecticut to Truist Park in Atlanta, a familiar name was included in the send-off: Karl Ravech.
Despite Ravech being part of the latest round of layoffs at ESPN, a person with knowledge of his status with the network told USA TODAY Sports Thursday evening that Ravech was given the option to call a few select MLB games this summer. The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the details of his contract publicly.
The supposedly laid off Karl Ravech is in the booth calling Braves-Nationals for ESPN tonight 🤨 pic.twitter.com/HieiM61kgE
The 61-year-old Ravech is also expected to once again call the Little League World Series for ESPN; he has served as a play-by-play voice for the tournament since 2006, and the lead voice of the LLWS championship games since 2011. The 2026 Little League World Series gets underway on Wednesday, Aug. 19 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
In addition to serving as a longtime play-by-play broadcaster for ESPN's Major League Baseball and LLWS coverage, Ravech had called college basketball and college baseball for ESPN, and even anchored SportsCenter during his tenure.
Here's what to know:
Is Karl Ravech still with ESPN?
Ravech was let go by ESPN on Tuesday, July 21 as part of the network's round of layoffs, two people close to the situation confirmed to USA TODAY on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on personnel decisions.
"There is a lot going on with ESPN. We’re well aware of it. We’re not going to discuss that tonight. This is all about Parent Dugout. It’s all about Dirt From The Dugout," Ravech said.
"It’s all about trying to help parents, which ultimately is our goal here, and young players on their journeys through the eyes and through the experiences of Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers, where I think Adam Wainwright will belong and eventually get to."
Ravech joined ESPN in 1993. He served as the lead play-by-play voice on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball for four seasons before NBC bought the rights for this season.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 29: Andruw Monasterio #32 of the Boston Red Sox hits a two-run home run against the Athletics in the top of the 10th inning at Sutter Health Park on July 29, 2026 in Sacramento, California. The Red Sox won the game 4-2. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
TV: NESN First Pitch: 9:40 p.m. ET Location: Sutter Health Park, Sacramento, Calif.
The Red Sox are aiming to secure yet another series victory over the Sacramento Athletics on Thursday at Sutter Health Park.
Boston has been superb recently, having put itself in a position to win a seventh consecutive series with its torrid 23-5 stretch through July.
Sonny Gray will toe the rubber after perhaps his worst start of the season, having allowed five runs his last time out against the Toronto Blue Jays on July 25. It’s expected that he’ll be able to bounce back since… well, he’s done it time and time again. Red Sox manager Chad Tracy has made a couple of changes, adding Anthony Seigler, Masataka Yoshida, and Jarren Duran to the fold while benching Jahmai Jones, Romy Gonzalez, and Nick Sogard.
Freddy Fermin #54 and Mason Miller #22 of the San Diego Padres celebrate after defeating the Colorado Rockies 3-1 in a game at Petco Park on July 29, 2026 in San Diego, California.
Mason Miller continues to raise his stock as the MLB trade deadline looms.
Miller, 27, recorded his 28th save of the 2026 season to seal the Padres’ 3-1 win over the Rockies on Wednesday — their fifth victory in a row.
Miller’s work has helped the Padres rise right back into the playoff race with just over two months left in the regular season. San Diego now sits 1½ games out of a National League Wild Card spot.
Mason Miller gets the save and the Padres have won five in a row!
Miller’s recorded his last three outs on pitches clocked in at a blazing 102, 104, and 103 miles per hour.
At the end of Wednesday, FanGraphs listed the Padres’ playoff odds at 17.5%, the highest they have been since the end of June.
Many teams across the MLB are shopping for relievers, and Miller has easily been the best closer in baseball so far this season. Through 44 appearances this year, Miller has posted a 0.79 ERA with 85 strikeouts, and hitters are batting just .135 against the righty.
The Athletic’s Dennis Lin reported last week that Padres general manager AJ Preller wanted to be in a position to buy by the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
Freddy Fermin #54 and Mason Miller #22 of the San Diego Padres celebrate after defeating the Colorado Rockies 3-1 in a game at Petco Park on July 29, 2026 in San Diego, California. Getty Images
San Diego began the second half with five losses in seven games, but seems to be trending in the right direction recently.
It’s not Miller’s first experience with trade deadline talk. He was in a similar spot last season when San Diego acquired him at the deadline from the Athletics in exchange for highly-touted 19-year-old shortstop Leo De Vries, who is now the No. 2 prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that teams interested in Miller should have “nobody off limits in [their] organizations,” meaning teams who are serious about acquiring the elite closer will likely have to be willing to part with some elite talent.
The rookie outfielder may have been listening, because he has responded in a major way.
At the time, Ewing was in a 3-for-22 slide with eight strikeouts. He was expanding the zone after being so patient early on in his big league career. Since then, he has found his groove, going 5-for-10 with five runs scored and three stolen bases.
The Mets lineup won all three games he started — Ewing was given the nightcap of Wednesday’s doubleheader off against the Braves.
“I feel good and have felt good about him as a competitor,” Green said before the Mets opened a four-game series against the Marlins at Citi Field on Thursday night. “He doesn’t carry a lot of fear with him into the batter’s box. As I mentioned, you go through stretches throughout the course of the season where walks come in bunches, strikeouts come in bunches, home runs come in bunches. It was just a matter of time before he had more winning at-bats. We saw that the last couple of days. He doesn’t take fear into the box. He’s in a good spot right now.”
New York Mets center fielder A.J. Ewing (9) hits a single against the Atlanta Braves during the third inning at Citi Field. John Jones-Imagn Images
Ewing, 21, has been a major bright spot in an otherwise dismal season for the last-place Mets. Along with fellow rookie outfielder Carson Benge and young starting pitchers Nolan McLean, Christian Scott and Zac Thornton, Ewing has provided reasons to believe a better future is ahead in Queens.
In 68 games, Ewing is slashing a solid .273/.344/.417 with a .762 OPS, seven home runs and 14 stolen bases. He has a WAR of 2.7, according to Baseball-Reference.
The Mets’ fourth-round pick in the 2023 draft has become a mainstay in the leadoff spot and has impressed in the outfield. This wasn’t expected, with Ewing starting the year at Double-A Binghamton. Injuries and underperformance forced the Mets’ hand and he has run with the opportunity.
New York Mets center fielder A.J. Ewing (9) reacts after hitting a double in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Citi Field, Sunday, July 12, 2026, in Queens, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
“We expected him to get more than 12 games at Triple-A, I think that’s very fair to say,” Green said. “Did we believe that the shortness of the swing and the athlete would play quickly in the big leagues? How quickly no one ever really knows. I certainly believe he had attributes that you can point to and believe pretty strongly that was going to have respectable early returns. He’s done better than that. I’m not shocked by that by any stretch. But it’s definitely been a quality start to a young major league career.”
The next few days are all about Monday’s trade deadline for the Mets, and what president of baseball operations David Stearns can get in return for the team’s assets that include Freddy Peralta, Clay Holmes, Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley, Luis Robert Jr., A.J. Minter and Huascar Brazobán.
Then, it will turn to the future. Ewing is a big part of that.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 29: Freddy Fermin #54 and Manny Machado #13 of the San Diego Padres celebrate after defeating the Colorado Rockies 3-1 in a game at Petco Park on July 29, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Diego Padres welcome the San Francisco Giants to Petco Park on the strength of a five-game win streak. The offense has shown it is capable of winning big and the pitching has shown it can hold the lead in close games. While not all the games have been clean, they had all resulted in a win for the Padres. San Diego will try to extend its winning streak to six games in front of a what is expected to be a large crowd on a giveaway night.
San Francisco is coming into the series after a blowout win over the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers. The Giants have lost Casey Schmitt to the IL, but despite their record they have shown an ability to give teams problems. There is still star power on the team with Rafael Devers and Willy Adames so the Padres should not expect a potential sixth win in a row to come easy.
Taking the mound
JP Sears (SD) v. TBD (COL)
JP Sears will get the start for San Diego against San Francisco. He has been solid in his outings at the major league level this season with the exception of the game in Chicago at Wrigley Field. Sears has a 3-3 record and a 3.86 ERA in 28.0 innings. The expectation is the left-hander will work a handful of innings before the pitching chaos approach takes over for San Diego.
San Francisco had still not announced a starting pitcher at the time of this report.
Batter up!
The Padres just needed one three-run inning to beat the visiting Rockies, but they need to get back to scoring in multiple innings to give their relievers some room to work. The big inning, if you want to call three runs a big inning, was all the San Diego pitching staff needed to get the win.
Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
Jake Cronenworth, 2B
Manny Machado, DH
Ty France, 1B
Jackson Merrill, CF
Gavin Sheets, LF
Sung-Mun Song, 3B
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Luis Campusano, C
It is hard to imagine Luis Rengifo coming out of the lineup, but he has cooled slightly at the plate. He has shown an ability to provide some power off the bench if needed and could be used in that role. It seems that every time the trio of Tatis, Machado and Merrill are productive the Padres win. San Diego will hope its stars shine tonight to open the series.
Relief corps
Adrian Morejon got the day off yesterday, but Mason Miller pitched in back-to-back days. Morejon may be used in the closer role if the situation calls for it. Randy Vasquez should be the first out of the ‘pen behind sears and the chaos will ensue after that. No matter how they get it done, if the Padres walk away with a win, the bullpen has delivered.
Sean Burke was lights out for six scoreless innings. Ryan Weathers of the Yankees was equally as good, but for seven.
Each starter gave up only three hits, Burke walking two and Weathers three, with Burke winning the battle of the K’s with 10 (one short of his career high) to Weathers’ four.
Burke was amazing. He came nowhere near the plate against the first two Yankee batters, but then Edgar Quero came out for a chat and must have had magic words, because Burke then struck out seven of the next eight. Quero has many defensive weaknesses, but apparently a silver tongue.
The Sox bullpen followed with five scoreless innings, allowing only the Manfred Man to score in the 10th. Sean Newcomb handled two of those innings, albeit he had some nice help, with Jazz Chisholm Jr. following up a leadoff single in the seventh by dumbly wandering off base and easily being picked off, and Braden Montgomery making a nice grab in right.
The inning before, Braden got an assist when Jasson Domínguez dug for a triple with no outs, and, in an act of huge stupidity, overslid third by about 10 feet. Or maybe 20. That was just one example of Yankee brainlessness in the game, following through on losing Wednesday largely because of a dumb defensive move — it’s one thing to hit badly with three of your best hitters injured, but that doesn’t mean you have to park your brains in the clubhouse. The White Sox smartly took advantage.
Domínguez followed up his next time out by striking out on a pitch that was helmet high with two on and one out in the eighth. So he didn’t exactly atone.
With the pitchers in total domination, the game was 0-0 through regulation, reportedly the first such case between these two teams in 58 years. The Yankees helped the scorelessness by going 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position to that point — the Sox had many fewer such opportunities.
On to the extras, for the second game in a row.
The Yankees scored their Manfred Man in the 10th on a Trent Grisham single with one out, but Chris Murphy got Ben Rice and Domínguez (yep, him again) to fly out.
The Sox matched the run when sub catcher Ali Sánchez — Yankee goat of last night — was unable to block a bouncer, sending the Manfred Man to third, and Andrew Benintendi hit what would have been a routine grounder, but went through the drawn-in infield for an RBI single. Chase Meidroth, who had walked three times earlier, ended the inning by hitting into a double play.
In the 11th, Will Venable dared to send Seranthony Domínguez to the mound, which probably had all available Sox fans throwing stuff at their TVs. He somehow didn’t give up a run.
That put the Sox in great shape. Meidroth began the 11th on second, Munetaka Murakami was intentionally walked, Miguel Vargas struck out, and Sam Antonacci beat out an infield single to first to load the bases.
At that point, Yankee reliever Fernando Cruz apparently decided he wanted to get an early start for home, so why bother keeping the game going? Since Sox batters couldn’t be counted on to hit in a run, he ran the count to 3-0 on Colson Montgomery, but after a couple of get-me-over strikes, Colson decided to swing at a ball that was bouncing in, making it bases loaded, two out.
Frustrated that he couldn’t walk in Colson, Cruz absolutely insisted on handing the Sox the game by throwing four straight balls to Tristan Peters, not a one of them remotely close.
Thus, it was 2-1 Sox, and a split of the four-game series. That runs their record to 57-51, with a trip to Tampa Bay for the weekend coming up. Erick Fedde (5-6) is scheduled to face Nick Martinez (10-2) tomorrow, and it’s highly unlikely the Rays will be nearly as boneheaded as the Yankees.
White Sox MVP Duh — Sean Burke, 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 10 K
Runners-Up Fernando Cruz, for walking in the winning run Jasson Dominguez, for a bunch of dumb stuff (yeah, yeah, they’re on the other team — so what)
Cold Cat Miguel Vargas and Colson Montgomery, 0-f0r-10 with 5 Ks between them
SAN DIEGO — The first trade of Robbie Ray’s career came before his MLB debut and the second came a year later, when he had just 28 big league innings under his belt. It was six years before the next one, and he followed that deal by winning a Cy Young Award for his new team. The fourth trade of his career happened while he was recovering from Tommy John surgery.
The fifth almost certainly will be finalized over the next four days, and it might be the Giants pitcher’s last. Ray is 34 now, and he has a large family. He is close to reaching the point where every offseason will be spent wondering if he wants to go through the grind again, or trade it all in for rides to Little League and soccer practice.
But for any scouts who were watching Thursday night, he made sure to show that he’s not there yet.
If this was Ray’s final start with the Giants, he went out on a high note, and he certainly showed that there’s plenty left in that arm. Ray gave up just one run over six innings in a 4-1 win over the San Diego Padres, and when they put a runner on in his final frame, he reached back for 95 mph to blow away Manny Machado.
This run he has been on has been about grinding through innings and traffic, but there are still quite a few lightning bolts left. The rest will just probably come elsewhere, a likelihood that Ray finally acknowledged late Thursday night.
The veteran has said for weeks that he’s ignoring the noise, but he couldn’t do that after this win. He has been around long enough to know that Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey almost certainly will send him elsewhere before Monday evening’s MLB trade deadline.
“I tried to put everything out of my head leading up to this start, but yeah, it obviously comes up now that this could be my last start in a Giants uniform,” Ray said.
Robbie Ray discusses the emotions of what could have been his final start as a Giant 🫡 pic.twitter.com/iEPjGVGJki
The 22nd appearance of his 2026 MLB season got him to 10 wins and lowered his ERA to 3.08. Over his last seven, it’s a microscopic 1.09.
A few weeks ago, before this stretch started, Giants officials were concerned that they wouldn’t get many offers at all for Ray, but that’s no longer the case. He’ll be one of the best starters available at the deadline, and while his MLB playoff appearances have not gone well, he at least has those reps under his belt. By this time next week, Ray should be in some contender’s rotation.
On Thursday, he said he hadn’t thought about the fact that he might be leaving a 47-62 team for a shot at the postseason. His focus for the last four months has been simple: Put up zeroes, give the Giants a chance every five days.
“I felt like this whole year, it’s been a tough year,” he said. “As a team, we’re not where we want to be, but I feel like I’ve put myself in a good position, going out every day and trying to give my team a chance to win.”
Ray came to the Giants in what amounted to a double salary dump. Farhan Zaidi had his share of mistakes, but he was masterful at getting out from under contracts that had turned sour, and he flipped Mitch Haniger and Anthony DeSclafani to Seattle in 2024 for Ray, who was recovering from surgery at the time.
Ray’s first start as a Giant was a memorable one — five hitless innings at Dodger Stadium — and partially led Zaidi to keep that rotation intact, hopeful that it could lead the Giants through the second half. That didn’t end up being the case, but Ray came back to make the All-Star team in 2025, and this season he again has stayed healthy and productive.
“I’m super thankful to be given the opportunity mid-rehab to come over here and continue the rehab process with the guys they have over here. The training staff has been amazing,” Ray said of his journey. “And just (being) given the opportunity to pitch, I think that’s the biggest thing, getting back on the field and doing what I love to do.
“They’ve given me a chance to come back from that injury, and I’m just thankful for that.”
The start on Thursday was his 60th as a Giant, and it’s hard to know where the next will come. Both Chicago teams need a pitcher like Ray, and the Atlanta Braves certainly could use another veteran arm. The Padres, who went with a bullpen game Thursday and will do so again Friday, had to be impressed. That at least would solve some travel headaches for the Ray family.
The left-hander tried to avoid the rumors over the past few weeks, but he knows that he now has to keep his phone close. He has been through this a few times before, and once again, he’s pitching well enough that someone is going to come calling.
“I feel like I’ve been locked in lately,” he said. “I feel like my last few starts, my last two in particular, I was kind of on cruise control. I didn’t really feel pressured my last two starts all that much. I just felt like I was kind of in a flow state kind of the whole time.
“I felt comfortable with all my pitches in any situation, and I think as a starting pitcher that’s kind of where you want to be, to be able to turn over a lineup three times, and I feel like that’s kind of where I’m at right now.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts stated that Ohtani was out of the lineup due to an ongoing knee issue that has kept him off the mound since before the All-Star Game.
Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers' president of baseball operations, told reporters on July 29 that Ohtani’s knee is the reason he’s not pitching right now.
Another injury came to light after Ohtani mentioned during his recent media availability that he's dealing with right biceps discomfort.
Ohtani recently had a bullpen session postponed on Saturday, July 25, in New York. There’s an expectation that the organization would be cautious with the superstar’s workload for the rest of the regular season.
Roberts recently stated that Ohtani is not expected to throw 100 pitches whenever he does make his return to the mound.
The two-way star had continued to be in the Dodgers' lineup as designated hitter, despite the injuries.
Ohtani went 2-for-3 for one run and an RBI in the 4-2 victory over the Mariners on July 29. He was also walked once.
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