Category: Baseball

We’re just going to pretend like that one never happened, right? The Sox held the Astros scoreless in seven of the nine innings they played yesterday, and allowed just one in one of the others. We can leave it at that, I think.

At the very least, the Sox have the advantage of sending their hottest starter to the hill to make a fourth straight series win still salvageable, as Sean Burke looks to continue his stretch of looking like one of the best pitchers in baseball, bar none. His 1.40 ERA since June 18th is a top-six mark in the majors, with well-more than a strikeout per inning to boot. He has been the beneficiary of an abnormally-low BABIP and abnormally-high left-on-base percentage, which means there’s been some sequencing luck involved in his success.

That being said, there’s also this, which you can’t attribute to batted-ball luck in the slightest:

There’s also this fun little nugget I came across: Burke has hit 98 mph 16 times since June 18 alone, and his six fastest pitches of the year have all resulted in strikeouts. When he’s got a hitter in the hole and needs some extra oomph, Burke is pretty dang good at reaching back to get it.

Only once since Covid-19 have the Sox had a pitcher reach 180 innings, much less 200, which was last accomplished by James Shields in 2018. Burke and Davis Martin are both on pace to challenge the 180 threshold, and we’ll see tonight whether Burke can maintain his six-plus innings per start pace of the last month and change.

Unfortunately, the Astros are also throwing their best tonight. Hunter Brown finished third in Cy Young balloting last year but hasn’t quite looked himself since returning from injury in mid-June, and he’s got a pedestrian 4.08 ERA heading into this one. He also seems to have lost a handle on his control as of late, walking 15 against 11 strikeouts over 14 2/3 innings in his last three starts. The Sox are one of the more patient teams in the league, so this does have the potential to be an explosive one for their offense. Nonetheless, Brown’s fastball/curveball combination remains relatively intact, so this one could swing on Chicago’s ability to not swing at pitcher’s pitches and make Brown beat them with his less-dangerous slider and changeup.

Here’s the lineup that Will Venable hopes can break out of the South Siders’ second-half semi-power outage. It’s pretty much the best they got, until the hot stove starts burning:

Meanwhile, Joe Espada pushes back with the following:

If the Sox can stop Yordan Alvarez from beating them like they did yesterday (1-for-4 with a walk and two runs, so it’s all relative, but nonetheless!), I’m willing to take my chances that they won’t let Jeremy Peña, José Altuve and LaMonte Wade Jr. beat them on their own again. Whether it matters will be in the hands of Sox hitters.

First pitch is at 6:05 p.m. CT from Rate Field in Armour Square, with standard broadcasts on CHSN (TV) and ESPN 1000 AM (radio). We’ll see you there!

Well. This series certainly didn’t get off to the start the Mariners had hoped for. Bryan Woo takes the mound tonight to try to help turn things around for the Mariners.

Lineups:

J.P. Crawford returns from wrist soreness and rejoins the lineup, but Cole Young remains in the leadoff spot.

Today’s game information:

TV: FOX

Radio: 710 Seattle Sports

NEW YORK — Another day, another new twist in Shohei Ohtani’s knee injury saga.

The Dodgers’ two-way star did not throw a bullpen session as originally expected Saturday, after having what manager Dave Roberts described as “regression” with his left knee issue following a 31-pitch bullpen session earlier in the week.

“[He] just doesn’t feel 100%, because I think that the last ‘pen that he had, there was a little bit of regression,” Roberts said. “So we want to make sure that that doesn’t happen again.”

On Wednesday in Philadelphia, Ohtani threw off a mound for the first time in two weeks — and the first time since he had a lubricant injection in his ailing knee during the All-Star break.

Initially, the team said that session went well. But both Roberts and pitching coach Mark Prior noted that the training staff would be monitoring how Ohtani felt in the following days, wanting to maintain a “fluid” plan with the four-time MVP’s knee recovery.

On Friday, Roberts said that if Ohtani –– who has continued to serve as the Dodgers’ designated hitter, since his knee problem hasn’t impacted his swing –– felt good on Saturday, he was expected to throw another bullpen.

However, he evidently didn’t, leaving his next steps as a pitcher unclear for now.

“Obviously not ideal, him throwing his last bullpen and going backwards, essentially,” Roberts said. “That’s disappointing, because you throw a bullpen to continue to build up.”

Roberts did reiterate that he “absolutely” expected Ohtani to pitch again this season, and said that long-term, “as far as worry, concern, we don’t have any of that.” He also set a soft target of having Ohtani return to the rotation at some point in August, though didn’t offer any further specifics for his timeline.

“Everything is kind of fluid,” Roberts said. “Just trying to figure out what’s best.”

Ohtani has not made a pitching start since July 3, and has been battling his knee injury –– which is believed to have been caused by flaws in his mechanics that put added force on his front landing leg –– since mid-June.

The 32-year-old had a pitching start before the All-Star break scratched, in preparation for his lubricant injection, and has been out of the Dodgers’ rotation ever since. He has not personally addressed reporters since before the All-Star break, either.

“[He feels] better than before the break,” Roberts said. “But again, you think that you take the break and then you come back and throw your ‘pen, then you can still build up … The thought was he’d throw one [bullpen session earlier this week] and throw another one today, but it just wasn’t to be.”

Roberts was asked if a break from hitting (and running the bases, where the two-way star has been notably aggressive in recent days) might also benefit Ohtani’s knee, but indicated that wasn’t a current consideration.

“From his words, the hitting, the running, as he has done the last couple nights, doesn’t affect him,” Roberts said.

Pitching, however, still does, leaving his status on the mound an ongoing question.

“We’re not going to move forward until he feels 100% confident, we feel 100% confident that we should do it,” Roberts said. “So right now we didn’t do it.”

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Mets lineup

1. A.J. Ewing – LF
2. Francisco Lindor – SS
3. Bo Bichette – 3B
4. Carson Benge – RF
5. Luis Robert – CF
6. Jorge Polanco – DH
7. Marcus Semien – 2B
8. Brett Baty – 1B
9. Francisco Alvarez – C

SP: Nolan McLean – RHP

Dodgers lineup

1. Shohei Ohtani – DH
2. Andy Pages – CF
3. Freddie Freeman – 1B
4. Max Muncy – 3B
5. Mookie Betts – SS
6. Tommy Edman – 2B
7. Kyle Tucker – RF
8. Teoscar Hernandez – LF
9. Dalton Rushing – C

SP: Y. Yamamoto – RHP

Broadcast info

First pitch: 7:15 EDT
TV: Fox
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

Seattle Mariners @ Texas Rangers

Saturday, July 25, 2026, 6:15 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / FOX)

The Shed

RHP Bryan Woo vs. RHP Nathan Eovaldi

Go Rangers!

Join us and discuss tonight’s game below as the Braves go for a series win behind Bryce Elder at 7:05 PM ET in Atlanta on BravesVision and MLBTV!

The Colorado Rockies secured their biggest post-All-Star break win on Friday with a massive series-opening victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Milwaukee was 5-1 coming out of the break prior to last night’s loss, compared to the Colorado’s 2-4 record in that span. Their records on the year are essentially inverted, with the NL Central leading Brewers carrying a 64-39 mark to the Rockies’ 42-63.

Yet the resilient Rockies found a way to hang in there, chipping away at the Brewers and controlling the game on the way to a 5-2 win. The Rockies will have two more chances to prove that the first win wasn’t just a Sugano-fueled anomaly and steal a series from one of MLB’s top teams.

For game two, the Rockies will rely on Ryan Feltner. Feltner is 3-4 through 14 starts, carrying a 5.48 ERA and a 1.416 WHIP. His last outing, a 9-6 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, was his roughest of the year. He only lasted 2.1 innings and gave up eight runs on seven hits including three home runs surrendered. He also struggled to find the zone, walking four in his short outing.

The good news is that Feltner has bounced back from bad outings reliably well this year (knock on wood). After giving up six runs in a loss to the San Diego Padres back in April and another six to the Chicago Cubs in June, he followed each of those starts with four straight outings giving up two or fewer runs. Feltner will try to continue that trend against a tough foe today.

Robert Gasser gets the start for Milwaukee, carrying a 2-4 record, a 4.91 ERA, and a 1.208 WHIP across 10 starts. On the other side of the spectrum, Gasser had arguably his best start of the year in his last appearance. In a 3-1 win over the Miami Marlins, Gasser allowed just three hits and a solo homer, dishing out five strikeouts with no walks in 5.0 IP. The Brewers carry one of the league’s best home records this season (34-20) and will look to Gasser to avenge Friday’s loss and get back on track at American Family Field.

First Pitch: 5:10 p.m. MDT

TV: Rockies.TV

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM and KNRV 1150 (Spanish)

Brewers SB Nation Site: Brew Crew Ball

Lineups:

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

COOPERSTOWN — Nearly 27 years later, Mets fans still shudder at the thought of Andruw Jones’ bases-loaded walk-off walk against Kenny Rogers in the 11th inning of the Braves’ series-clinching win in Game 6 of the 1999 NLCS. 

What did the soon-to-be Hall of Famer think of the moment? 

“I couldn’t believe he walked me. I try not to walk, ’cause I strike out a lot,” Jones said at his pre-induction news conference Saturday. “So when he walked me, I was shocked.” 

The 1999 NLCS sent the Braves to face the Yankees in the World Series, and the Yankees promptly swept Atlanta to claim their second of three consecutive world championships.

The Braves led the Mets 3-0 heading into Game 4, but the Mets clawed back to make the series 3-2, losing by a hair in Game 6. 

“I think if we would’ve lost that game … it could’ve gone the other way,” Jones said. “The Mets and Yankees fans would’ve seen an earlier Subway Series.” 

The following season, that scenario came to fruition, as the Mets and Yankees met in the Fall Classic for the very first time in 2000.

The Yankees won the title in five games, marking a three-peat for their 26th ring. 

“[The NLCS] was a tough series. It drained us, to be honest with you,” Jones said. “By the time we went to play the Yankees, we got swept. We had no juice left to go play them. … The Yankees had a great team that year.” 

Jones joins several legendary Braves in the Hall of Fame on Sunday, finally gaining entrance on his ninth ballot. 

The 1996 Braves have eight members in the Hall now that Jones joins Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Chipper Jones and Fred McGriff, as well as manager Bobby Cox and general manager John Schuerholz. 

“They always kept saying, ‘Hey, be patient, you’re gonna be there.’ … Being on a ballot for nine years, you kind of watch from afar, but you’re not thinking about it, because life keeps going, you know?” Jones said. 

“If I made it, this is a great honor. One of the toughest Halls of Fame to go in … but if it didn’t happen, I would have been the same person. You would have seen me walk on the street and have this joy that I always had.” 

Chipper Jones talked about his joy for his longtime teammate at a Hall of Fame signing event Friday.

The Joneses were teammates in Atlanta for 12 years, from 1996-2007. 

“It’s been really fun to see him go through the week and the whole process. I think he had to wait a little too long to get here, but hey, you’re here now,” Chipper Jones said. “We took great pride in knowing that if people wanted to come into Atlanta and beat the Braves, they had to get the Jones boys out in the three and four hole. … Hope he’s not the last, but we’ve had a good contingent over the last 10, 15 years.”

COOPERSTOWN — Carlos Beltrán will become just the third player to represent the Mets in the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, joining Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza in the small but mighty group. 

Before Beltrán’s six years in Queens, he began his career in Kansas City after being drafted out of high school in the second round of the 1995 draft.

At his pre-induction press conference in Cooperstown on Saturday, he opened up about the reception he got in each city.

Beltrán would get another taste of New York when he went to the Yankees for two years in the twilight of his illustrious career. 

“If you don’t understand the process, sometimes it could be overwhelming. For me, it was,” Beltrán said. “Coming from Kansas City, playing in New York, at the beginning, I didn’t understand why the fans were getting on me, while I played in Kansas City and never got booed. So all of a sudden, I’m in New York, they boo me the whole month. 

“I was like, ‘Oh my God, I just signed here for seven years and these people, they have no patience with me,’ ” Beltrán continued to laughter. “[New York is] a city where the fanbase supports their team, but at the same time, they expect excellence out of the players, and they understand the game … they know how much money you’re making, so they want you to earn every single penny.” 

One of the most significant memories from Beltrán’s early career came alongside perhaps the most legendary Royal in 1999, when George Brett got his moment in Cooperstown with his induction alongside Nolan Ryan and Orlando Cepeda. 

“[1999] was my first full year in the big leagues. I haven’t been able to show what I’m capable of,” Beltrán said. “I was so excited to come [to Cooperstown] because not only were we supporting George Brett, I was going to be able to meet Orlando Cepeda, who was inducted that year also. 

“I have a baseball, and I’m approaching Cepeda for him to sign my baseball, and George said to Cepeda, ‘Cepeda, I’ve introduced you to the next Hall of Famer from Puerto Rico. His name is Carlos Beltrán.’ And I’m going like, what is he doing? I haven’t played a game, and you’re introducing me as a Hall of Famer. I don’t think that’s a good statement, George, and George said, ‘Well Carlos, everything is possible in life. If you play hard and if you continue to play good and you continue to develop yourself, this is an opportunity.’ ” 

Needless to say, Beltrán did nothing but seize that very opportunity, especially as a five-time All-Star with the Mets. 

“I end up getting to the Hall of Fame, but I fail 72 percent of the time,” Beltrán said. “It’s a lot of pain, but at the end of the day, I have to say that New York is a great place … most of the most meaningful relationships I built in the game, I did it wearing the Mets uniform.”

Interim Mets manager Andy Green spoke with reporters ahead of Saturday's game against the Dodgers at Citi Field and hit on a few topics...

Jorge Polanco to play more in Soto's absence

With Juan Soto landing on the IL with a Grade 2 calf strain, there will be everyday at-bats available for many on the Mets roster.

Green was asked about whether Luis Robert Jr. will receive the bulk of the DH at-bats in Soto's absence and the Mets skipper said it will likely go to Polanco, at least in the short term. 

"We’re still trying to get him back on the field and into rhythm," Green said. "In the last week, Juan has taken quite a few of the DH at-bats and that’s stunted Polo’s ability to find some rhythm. We’re going to try to get him back into rhythm. He’s a guy we believe a lot in. Hopefully, as time goes on, we’ll get him to first base and then we’ll see where the DH at-bats get divvied up at that point."

Polanco is in Saturday's lineup as the Mets' DH, which will be his position moving forward until, as Green said, he can tolerate his Achilles pain and play first base. 

In just 23 games, Polanco is batting .161 with an OPS of .456 to go with his one home run and four RBI. Polanco has only played first base twice this season after suffering chronic left Achilles bursitis and a right wrist contusion, the latter putting him on the IL for nearly three months.

Mets unlucky with injuries in 2026

Soto's latest IL stint is the third in which a Mets player had to miss time due to a calf injury.

Of course, Soto missed about three weeks with a Grade 1 right calf strain earlier in the year and Francisco Lindor missed nearly two months with a calf strain as well. 

"It's a frustrating set of circumstances," Green said of the injuries that have plagued the team this year. "It feels unlucky, to a degree."

Green was asked a number of ways about the organization's medical and training staff and how they have handled these calf injuries this season. Green backed the staff and believes they have done their best. 

"We look at every injury and my experience with the medical and training staff is that they are reflective," Green explained. "They look at ways to improve in every situation. Baseball has this tendency to have a rash of elbow injuries for one team in a given year, and then a rash of lower-extremity injuries in another year. Then another year you’re looking at shoulder injuries.

"None of these is to excuse our responsibility to limit those as much as humanly possible, but I think if you look across the game, those trends exist. They‘re troubling for those who give their lives to keep people in the field of play. I can promise you our group is incredibly introspective and they want to keep these guys on the field and they’ll look back, just like any year, to see if there’s any adjustments to be better in that space."

Latest on Clay Holmes

Fresh off his first rehab start, Holmes is set to throw a bullpen on Sunday and once he's done, they'll figure out the right-hander's next steps. 

While Green didn't announce how many pitches he'll throw in the bullpen session, he did hint that he believes Holmes will need at least one more rehab start before rejoining the team. 

Holmes tossed 2.1 innings for Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday, throwing 51 pitches in the process, but it seems the Mets will want to stretch Holmes out further this next time through. If Holmes does throw another rehab, he could potentially start for the Mets just before the trade deadline on Aug. 3, but with the trade rumors surrounding the veteran, he could be pitching for another team. 

The Dodgers conclude their nine-game road trip on Sunday, with Emmet Sheehan looking to rebound against the Mets at Citi Field.

Sheehan allowed six runs in a loss to the Phillies on Monday, one more run than he gave up in his previous three outings combined. Mets right-hander Freddy Peralta is coming off a bad start of his own, giving up seven runs in a loss to Milwaukee on Monday.

Among the 117 major league pitchers with at least 80 innings this season, Sheehan ranks 103rd in ERA (5.13) and 43rd in xERA (3.89), while Peralta is 99th in ERA (5.01) and 40th in xERA (3.86). Both have better peripheral numbers than their ERA shows, but it hasn’t yet translated to much success on the mound.

Sunday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Mets
• Ballpark: Citi Field, Queens
• Start time: 10:45 a.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Saturday notes…

• MILESTONE INCOMIMG: A win today will be the Cubs’ 600th at Pittsburgh since the rivalry with the Pirates began in 1887, when “Allegheny City” jumped to the National League after five seasons in the rival American Association. The Cubs have won more games at Pittsburgh than at any other city. Philadelphia is second, with 579. The Cubs have lost more games at Pittsburgh, 714, than anywhere else. St. Louis is second, with 677. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• DEFEATING THE WINNERS: Last night’s game was the Cubs’ first in 13 against an opponent that took a winning record into the game. They had gone 7-5 in the 12 vs. teams at .500 or below. Based on current records, the Cubs’ next 12 games all could be against clubs with more wins than losses. The Cubs are 25-21 against such teams and 33-24 vs. all others. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• DIVISION RIVALS: Last night’s win raised the Cubs’ record against their Central Division rivals above .500, at 14-13. The Pirates are 17-13 within the division; the Brewers, 19-10; and the Cardinals, 15-14. The Reds are 7-22. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: The Cubs pounded out 19 hits, including a home run and four RBI from Augie Galan, and crushed the Phillies 17-4 in Philadelphia. They led the NL by three games. It happened 90 years ago today, Saturday, July 25, 1936.

Neither team’s lineup was available at posting time. Please check BCB social media for the lineups.

Shōta Imanaga, LHP vs. Paul Skenes, RHP

Shōta Imanaga continued his good stretch of starts his last time out with seven shutout innings against the Twins last Sunday at Wrigley Field. Over his last seven: 2.31 ERA, 1.179 WHIP, only five home runs in 39 innings.

Imanaga threw six no-hit innings against the Pirates April 10 at Wrigley Field. In fact, the Pirates are the team against whom he’s had his most success: Five starts, 32 innings, 0.28 (!) ERA (one earned run), seven walks, 32 strikeouts. And he will need that because his opponent is…

Paul Skenes, who’s done very well against the Cubs in his career — 2.77 ERA, 53 strikeouts in 39 innings.

This year’s Skenes, though, is not like the last couple of years. After getting off to a great start, Skenes has a 4.55 ERA and 1.347 WHIP over his last 12 starts covering 65.1 innings. He’s still striking out guys — 82 in those 12 starts — but teams are finding ways to score.

One of those starts was May 28 at PNC Park. The Cubs scored three runs (one earned) off him in 5.1 innings, really running up his pitch count (103). That seems to be a way to beat him, so do it again.

Also, his four-seamer velocity is down a bit this year. As you see in the chart below, it’s at 96.9 this year — last year it was at 98.2. That might be enough to make the difference.

Here is the weather forecast for the area around PNC Park.

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network.

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Pirates site Bucs Dugout. If you do go there to interact with Pirates fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.

You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.

The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.

You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Here are the lineups. For the Phillies:

For the Yankees:

Let’s talk about it.

Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung has been placed on the 10 day injured list, the team announced today. To take his place on the active roster, the Rangers have recalled infielder Josh Smith from AAA Round Rock.

Jung left Tuesday’s win against the White Sox due to a calf issue which, after the game, he reported was minor. He missed Wednesday’s game, with the team saying a scan showed a strain, and the hope at the time was that he would be back in the lineup Friday, after Thursday’s off day. Jung did not play Friday, and will now miss at least the next week or so.

Jung has had a history of being dogged by injury issues, but has generally been healthy and productive this season, slashing .294/.361/441.

Smith started the season as the team’s regular second baseman, but got off to a bad start, then went on the injured list with a glute injury. While on the injured list, he was hospitalized with viral meningitis. Since being off the injured list he has bounced up and down between AAA and the majors. He’s slashing .230/.312/.295 in the big leagues on the season.