Category: Sports News

The Marlins are reportedly listening on their young players and there are three players the Guardians should be in on… so let’s start with their lefty masher, Heriberto Hernandez.

You can view our larger trade deadline piece here as we discuss a wider pool of options the Guardians may consider. To make my position clear, I expect the Guardians to make smaller moves, like trading Bo Naylor and getting a castoff/undervalued reliever. But, in the interest of exploring potential larger moves, we are doing a series looking at some of those bigger names. So far, we have discussed Spencer Steer, Luis Arraez, Shea Langeliers, Taylor Ward, Heliot Ramos, Jo Adell, Ty France and Tyler Soderstrom. Although the Guardians’ greatest need is hitting, the market is aflush with starting pitching so it also may make sense for the Guardians to see if they can find a good value there, as we wrote here and looked at specifically with Jose Soriano.

Hernandez is a 26 year-old right-handed hitting outfielder with a career 129 wRC+ against LHP and a 105 wRC+ against RHP, good for a career 115 wRC+ overall with a 26.4/9.5 K/BB%. Hernandez is probably mostly a left-fielder, slightly below average there by Defensive Runs Saved at -2 and above average by Outs Above Average at +4 for his career. He has a career .457 slugging percentage and Baseball Savant has his career total of 25 homers as being the same at Progressive Field as it has been with Miami as his home stadium, a rarety among right-handed hitters.

It will not be cheap to acquire Hernandez who is about as good a lefty masher as potentially available at this deadline. However, his numbers look good enough where he can be considered a lineup regular here in Cleveland. The Marlins might even be interested in fixing Kyle Manzardo to go along with a top 100 prospect among the Velazquez/Caceres/Doughty/Chourio/Genao/Ingle bunch. Alternatively, one of those prospects with a major league bullpen ready arm like Hunter Gaddis, Franco Aleman or Daniel Espino could push former CTC commenter and Marlins GM Peter Bendix to pull the trigger on a deal.

Acquiring Hernandez would allow the Guardians to field a lineup something like this:

1. Kwan CF
2. Jose 3B
3. DeLauter DH
4. Hernandez LF
5. Bazzana 2B
6. Angel Martinez RF
7. Manzardo 1B
8. Bailey C
9. Rocchio SS

What do you think about doing business with Bendix and landing Hernandez? Let us know in the comments below.

Good morning friends!

The Mariners had yet another underwhelming offensive performance last night, dropping the middle game to the Dodgers 4-2.

Given the complete inevitability of the Dodgers, is there any team you hate watching the Mariners play more than them?

In Mariners news…

• Chris Towers at CBS Sports marveled at how Dominic Canzone became a legitimate threat against left-handed pitching.

Around the league…

• In a major AL West trade, the Rangers acquired right-hander Chase Silseth and catcher Logan O’Hoppe from the Angels for infield prospect Angel Arredondo.
• Tarik Skubal seems to think he just pitched his last game in a Tigers uniform yesterday, tipping his cap to the fans as he walked off the mound — a game in which he also recorded his 1,000th career strikeout.
• Twins outfielder Byron Buxton is back on the injured list with the same hip ailment that has been nagging him for much of the season.
• In case you missed it, the Dodgers activated closer Edwin Díaz from the injured list. It’s his first time back on the active roster in over three months after getting surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow.
• The Rangers have re-signed Jarred Kelenic to a minor league deal after releasing him just three days ago.
• The City of Vancouver has selected a prospective owner to pursue an MLB expansion franchise.
• Jeff Passan at ESPN unveiled his final major trade deadline preview with under a week to go until the the big day.
• Ashok Selvam reviewed the White Sox’s brand new sushi menu item in their concessions stand.
• Chandler Rome at The Athletic told the story of Steven Okert, the 35-year-old left-hander for the Astros who has suddenly become an extremely lode-bearing piece of the Houston bullpen.
• With Curtis Mead hitting the IL just one game into his Red Sox tenure, Mike Carlucci at Over the Monster remembers some of Boston’s greatest one-game wonders.

Diamondbacks News

(Arizona Sports) Diamondbacks going back to closer-by-matchups

The Diamondbacks are going to play the matchups with a bullpen that has been deeper than in previous seasons.

“I’ve made an adjustment,” Lovullo told Diamondbacks broadcaster Todd Walsh on the postgame show. “I’m going to mix up some roles a little bit and get Paul back on his feet. … We’re going to have roles, matchups to get it done.”

(SI.com) Evaluating All 6 D-backs Closer Options After Paul Sewald Demotion

Manager Torey Lovullo did note that, for now, the D-backs would likely go based on matchups. But a closer-by-committee tends to be more successful when there is one or two primary closers.

Arizona currently carries eight relievers. They’ve all had some level of success this year and have overperformed as a group.

With the exceptions of Sewald and of right-hander Gerardo Carrillo — who is a rookie, and currently the long man of the bullpen — let’s take a look at the potential closer committee members

(Arizona Sports) Diamondbacks will not make a trade that leads to luxury tax penalties

The Diamondbacks are only $6-7 million away from facing luxury tax penalties for the first time in franchise history, Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro reported.

The club will not set off those penalties, which include an increasing tax rate and the loss of money it receives from redistribution.

MLB News

(Yahoo! Sports) Angels deal Logan O’Hoppe, Chase Silseth to Rangers ahead of trade deadline as struggles continue

The Angels struck a deal to send both starting catcher Logan O’Hoppe and relief pitcher Chase Silseth to the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, just days ahead of the MLB trade deadline. In return, they’ll acquire minor-league infielder Angel Arredondo. 

The move was announced minutes before the Angels and Houston Astros were set to start the third game of their series in Anaheim. O’Hoppe, who started behind the plate in the Angels’ 3-2 loss on Tuesday, was not in the lineup.

(CBS Sports) Tarik Skubal gets standing ovation in possible last Tigers start as trade deadline looms

Skubal made history early in his start on Wednesday. He entered the game with 999 career strikeouts and fanned Taylor Ward, the game’s first hitter, to join the 1,000-strikeout club. Skubal got there in 857 career innings, far and away the fewest in Tigers history. The previous franchise record holder, Max Scherzer, recorded his 1,000th strikeout in 944 ⅔ innings.

(NBC Sports) CC Sabathia: Detroit Tigers “have to trade” Tarik Skubal at deadline

As the Tigers (51-58) fade in the AL Central and Wild Card races, Sabathia believes now is the ideal time for Detroit to acquire “all the pieces” it needs to replenish its farm system and MLB roster. A potential deal for Skubal could see the Tigers “run through” a team’s farm, with multiple top prospects and MLB-ready talent likely coming back to Detroit in any deal for the two-time defending AL Cy Young Award winner.

That’s why Sabathia is adamant about the rare opportunity Detroit has in front of it, saying it “makes no sense” to keep Skubal when the chance to re-tool on the fly is on the table.

(Yahoo! Sports) Curtis Mead reportedly expected to miss most if not all of the remaining regular season due to wrist fracture sustained in first game with Red Sox

Boston Red Sox infielder Curtis Mead is tentatively expected to miss 6-8 weeks due to the wrist fracture he sustained in his first game with the team, Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported Wednesday.

The timeline threatens to sideline Mead for most if not all of the remainder of the regular season.

In these waning days in the Phillies organization for some players, let’s look at how some minor leaguers performed.

Buffalo 5, Lehigh Valley 4

Keaton Anthony hit a home run for the IronPigs yesterday, which makes me wonder about his trade value. He’s a right handed hitting first baseman that can’t really play in the outfield, isn’t really that great a shakes with the glove and is probably just suited to be a DH. How much value does he actually have? Is he something of a second piece? A third piece? On the pitching side, Alex McFarlane had one innings where he struck out two. Personally, I think he’s headed out the door as a trade piece, no matter that he would probably be a better option than at least one pitcher in the current bullpen.

Binghamton 7, Reading 6

For the Fightin’ Phils, Bryan Rincon had a double and scored two runs, Aroon Escobar had two hits and two runs scored and Wuilfredo Antunez almost copied that line, only he had a double as one of the two hits. Pitching wise, Jean Cabrera allowed four runs in four innings, which wouldn’t have been an issue had Mavis Graves not exacerbated the issue by walking four and allowing two runs in a single inning of relief. In a week, I don’t think this team will look the same.

Jersey Shore/Hudson Valley

Jersey Shore was rained out last night.

Clearwater 16, Jupiter 8

I think the Phillies might want to consider taking some lessons from the Threshers. Continuing their solid season in Low-A, the Threshers put up 16 on the Hammerheads, led by Jonathan Hogart (3-4, 2B, HR, 4 RBI) and Victor Cardoza (3-6, 3 R). Nolan Beltran and Will Vierling kicked in two hits each, Vierling hitting a home run as part of it. On the mound, Brad Pachecho continued raising his own stock, throwing six innings and only allowing three runs, one of them earned, scattering five hits and striking out seven. He’s starting to be someone to watch for the player development system.

Tarik Skubal's name continues to loom over the 2026 MLB trade deadline, even as questions remain about whether the Detroit Tigers have any real interest in moving their ace.

Skubal threw 6⅔ scoreless innings with six strikeouts during his start against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday, July 29. He left with the Tigers leading 7-0, but the Orioles rallied for a 10-9 extra-innings win. It was a gut-punch of a loss that caused some to believe it will be Skubal's last start in a Tigers uniform.

With contenders across baseball searching for front-line pitching, Skubal – who has won the past two American League Cy Young Awards – obviously stands out as one of the most impactful players who could potentially become available. Detroit heads into Thursday with a 51-58 record, six games out of first place in the American League Central, and 4½ games out of the final wild-card position.

Follow along here for the latest reports, rumors and news surrounding Skubal's trade market as the deadline approaches.

When is the MLB trade deadline?

Teams must have their trade details finalized and submitted to the league office by the deadline in order for any acquired players to be eligible for the playoffs. After that, players on 40-man rosters can't be traded.

• When: Monday, Aug. 3
• Time: 6 p.m. ET

Will Tigers trade Tarik Skubal?

Just in case the Tigers needed further clarity on what to do with Tarik Skubal, his teammates determined his fate Wednesday in an excruciating loss that was a microcosm of their season.

The Tigers led 7-0 entering the seventh inning and blew it.

It not only resulted in a 10-9, 12-inning loss to the Baltimore Orioles, but left the Tigers no choice but to trade the two-time Cy Young Award winner.

It leaves the Tigers five days to find the best trade partner for Skubal before the Aug. 3 deadline.

It will be a painful move, but a necessary one, writes USA TODAY Sports' Bob Nightengale.

Nightengale: Chances of Tarik Skubal getting traded at least 80%

Before Tarik Skubal's start against the Orioles on Wednesday, USA TODAY Sports' Bob Nightengale said he believes there was at least an 80% chance of the Tigers trading Tarik Skubal before Monday's deadline.

"I just think with the way they have played, being six games under .500, they have no choice," Nightengale said Wednesday while appearing on "Foul Territory." "I think they'll try to thread the needle here and say, you know what, tell teams we'll trade him but we need a starter back that can fit in the rotation right now and get some help for the future."

Nightengale also named his top contender for Skubal's services: "I still think the Dodgers are the No. 1 fit."

Tarik Skubal landing spots

Which teams are going to be in on adding Tarik Skubal to its rotation? According to USA TODAY Sports' Jon Hoefling, don't be surprised to see the usual suspects.

• Chicago Cubs
• Tampa Bay Rays
• Atlanta Braves
• Los Angeles Dodgers
• Milwaukee Brewers

Passan: Tarik Skubal is going to be traded

While appearing on SportsCenter on Wednesday night, ESPN's MLB insider Jeff Passan said he had no doubt about Tarik Skubal's future.

"Yeah, Tarik Skubal is going to be traded," Passan said. "The Tigers haven't gone to teams that are interested in him and said as much at this point, but the expectation is that's going to happen within the next day or two.

"And frankly everyone has been expecting it when you see how the Tigers have played recently, and certainly their game Wednesday was a perfect encapsulation of their season, they understood that they needed to go on a really big run in order to have Tarik Skubal stick around. And they didn't do it."

Passan went on to name the top contenders to land Skubal.

"Milwaukee Brewers, who have a tremendous farm system, and of course the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are the favorites at this point, and frankly have been since the possibility of Tarik Skubal getting traded first surfaced a couple months ago," Passan said.

Do Dodgers need Tarik Skubal?

Considering the injuries that have impacted the Dodgers' rotation this season, they could certainly benefit from bringing in the reigning two-time AL Cy Young Award winner.

Shohei Ohtani had a setback in his recovery from a left knee injury, delaying his scheduled bullpen session on July 25 in New York.

Tyler Glasnow (back injury) is expected to return some time in August from the 60-day IL. The 32-year-old pitcher was cleared to resume throwing off the mound in early July and was scheduled to face live hitters last week.

Blake Snell is also taking steps toward a return. The 33-year-old southpaw is expected to make his third minor league rehab start at Triple-A Oklahoma City on July 29. — James Williams

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tarik Skubal trade rumors: Latest updates, landing spots for Tigers ace

On Thursday morning, Emily Waldon of Baseball America and Just Baseball Media reported that the Detroit Tigers plan to call up top prospect, center fielder Max Clark, in advance of their series with the Athletics in Sacramento starting Friday night. Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic Detroit confirmed that report later.

With outfielder Matt Vierling seemingly headed to the injured list after suffering a lower body injury, and left-handed hitting center fielder James Outman struggling mightily at the plate, the Tigers have decided the time is right for Clark’s major league debut. It’s certainly a tricky time for the Tigers as they head out west with reports that Tarik Skubal will be traded soon swirling, and only the Tigers themselves fully knowing what course they’re plotting into Monday’s trade deadline. So, Clark will immediately be thrust into tumultuous time for the franchise.

The 21-year-old was already on his way after catching fire in July at the Triple-A level. Clark currently holds a 1.086 OPS for the month of July, with five home runs after hitting six total from April to June. As we’ve noted in our scouting reports on him all year, the sign we were looking for to declare him ready to go was starting to tap into his above average raw power, and Clark has followed through on that request. He’s hit three homers just in the past week, and importantly, has balanced his splits perfectly with an .802 OPS from either side of the plate, though he does strikeout more against left-handed pitching.

Clark rarely swings and misses. His swinging strike rate for the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens is a miniscule 5.3 percent. He also holds an excellent chase rate of 22.2 percent and Clark has walked in 11.9 percent of his plate appearances this season. His strikeout rate is just 15.3 percent. His contact rate on swing in the zone is an extremely good 94.1 percent. Those numbers aren’t terribly dissimilar from his friend Kevin McGonigle’s work, although obviously Clark is at an easier level of pitching. The big step for Clark will be driving the ball more consistently in the air to the pull field at the major league level. That will probably take some time.

Clark will take some called strikes waiting for a pitch he likes, but he has a strong two-strike approach and can put together really pesky at-bats that wear on opposing pitchers. He’s also quite fast and generally gets out of the box well. Clark will beat out his share of infield hits and he can handle the bat and drop a bunt down as well. A true contact hitter, he’ll need time to acclimate and to find the power stroke at the major league level, as has been his pattern at each level of his development. Expect him to spray line drives and ground balls to all fields early on, with gap and then over the fence power following as he settles in.

What the Tigers will get offensively from Clark is a true leadoff hitter type who runs the bases well and has improved his reads on pitchers and ability to steal bases this year. He has 21 stolen bases for the Hens this season, having been thrown out just twice. He’ll eventually hit for average power in my opinion. It may just take until next year for him to start putting many balls in the seats once he’s learned the league.

In Clark, the Tigers will also get an upgrade defensively in center field over Outman, Vierling, or Javier Báez. Clark has the speed to cover a lot of ground, and while he hasn’t always had the most refined approach in his route running, that too has been a focus for him this season and he’s cleaned up some of the rough edges in his defensive game as well, rarely making any mistakes, and showing off an accurate throwing arm with six assists this season.

Clark would have retained rookie eligibility for 2027 had the Tigers waited until August 15, but the incentive picks for promoting a prospect for a full season and having them win Rookie of the Year might not even survive the new collective bargaining agreement. Of course, the 2027 season could potentially not survive the new collective bargaining agreement either, so it’s an interesting decision to go ahead and start his service time clock right now. Probably neither speculative factor really moved the needle on the decision either way.

It is a bit peculiar that the Tigers didn’t already call Clark up in place of Outman if they weren’t concerned with the rookie eligibility issue. Presumably, like all the prospect watchers out here, they were just waiting for him to heat up at the plate and look in full control of the Triple-A level before the next challenge.

Max Clark will be the 6th high-schooler (and 50th player overall) from the 2023 draft to reach the majors. He joins:

Bryce Eldridge
Kevin McGonigle
A.J. Ewing
Colt Emerson
Cooper Pratt

— Chris Brown (@ChrisBrown0914) July 30, 2026

Expect that whatever the Tigers do in the trade market over the next few days, they’re going to insist that they’ll continue to push for a wild card spot in the postseason. Max Clark in center field certainly helps them do that more than any of the Tigers other options. This isn’t going to be a fullscale teardown and tank job. Putting their prized rookies in that situation is no way to start them off in the league anyway. Instead, they’re more likely to simply accept the reality of the Skubal situation and their modest postseason odds and make a trade or two to acquire young, controllable talent, without really putting the rest of the team up for bids. If they could get the backend of their bullpen sorted out, they’d still have a decent shot anyway, but that’s been the story all season long without remedy.

Clark was the Tigers first round pick, and third overall, in the 2023 amateur draft. He’s moved very quickly through the system and found success at early level consistently ranking among the top few outfield prospects in baseball. A few months younger than Kevin McGonigle, Clark will actually reach the major leagues at the same age. Don’t expect him to immediately rake the way McGonigle has, but the duo will make for a talented 1-2 punch atop the Tigers order for a long time to come, and Clark will bring a lot of energy and speed to the Tigers lineup and outfield defense.

Welcome to the Show, Max Clark. This should be fun.

There are so many cracks on this Red Sox roster, it’s hard to pinpoint a top priority to address, but if we keep it broad I think we can focus on five general areas of need.

• Significantly more offense in left field, where the Red Sox have the second lowest OPS of any team in the American League at the position.
• A solution in the middle infield, where over the next six weeks they’ll have some combination of Andruw Monasterio, Nick Sogard, Trevor Story, Marcelo Mayer, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Romy Gonzalez available, but no obvious path forward.
• Another arm in the rotation to combat injuries, the trade of Connelly Early, and the fact both Payton Tolle and Jake Bennett are set to blow by career highs in innings pitched.
• Multiple seventh inning options in the bullpen to slot into the same general tier as Justin Slaten and Tyron Guerrero. (Once you get beyond those two guys, it’s a real game of pick your poison to get to Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman.)
• An upgrade at catcher, because there’s just no ceiling there with Connor Wong and Carlos Narvaez.

Here’s the problem: I don’t know what I want the Red Sox to do about these holes because I don’t know the September status of Garrett Crochet, Roman Anthony, and Curtis Mead.

On the flip side, I know exactly what I really, really DON’T want the Red Sox to do, and that’s take a significant stab trying to upgrade about half of these needs before getting to the heart of September and realizing Crochet, Anthony and Mead are fully out of the picture.

To put it mildly, this is quite a pickle. I firmly believe a roster with Crochet, Anthony and Mead can make a very deep run in October, and if you look at those five areas of weakness highlighted above, those three guys fully solve two and a half of them. In other words, there are scenarios in the deck where Boston gets good news on the injury front and is only a couple of pieces away from going to the World Series as constructed right now.

Unfortunately, we have no idea if we’re living in that world. This is like being asked to bet on a poker hand without being able to look at your cards. How confident are you there’s an ace sitting under there?

Despite their absence the last three months, Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony remain the two most important championship building blocks for this team over the next five years. They’re young, they’re locked up long-term under contract, and they each have extraordinarily high ceilings. You can build a playoff team without them, but I’m not sure you can build a championship team without them unless you’re willing to completely mortgage the future, and this is where the calculus gets really sticky.

If these guys are truly done for 2026, the Red Sox are sailing blind into a waterfall. They could royally screw themselves for the next five years by making the wrong moves in next five days. All they have to do is give up significant pieces that could help them in 2027 and beyond and not have Crochet, Anthony and Mead available down the stretch. In that scenario, you’re probably getting quickly bounced this fall, and then have much less firepower to work with in a year where Crochet and Anthony actually are vying for Cy Young and MVP awards.

Adding more fuel to this fire is the playoff format. Right now, the Red Sox find themselves seven games off the division lead, and would also need to leapfrog the Yankees to get there, who are 4.5 games ahead. This is all another way of saying that the Red Sox are probably going to end up in that Wild Card round no matter what they do.

Even if they do nothing else this deadline, I think they still get into the Wild Card round given the ridiculously bloated playoff format at this historically awful American League. They could probably even sell a piece or two and still get there — that’s how much the other middling teams in the AL suck! On the flip side, is there anything the Red Sox could realistically do at the deadline that will dramatically improve their chances of winning the division?

Even if you believe the Red Sox can become the best team in the AL by October with a healthy return of Crochet, Anthony and Mead — and I do — those guys wouldn’t enter the picture until late in the proceedings. In other words, start booking your vacation days for Tuesday, September 29th through Thursday October 1st.

Given this dynamic, I’m petrified of what the Red Sox might do over the next handful of days. The fan in me wants them to buy, but I also realize you’re pretty much building this whole thing for a three game Wild Card series where the two most important players to your franchise may or may not be available. Does that sound like a solid investment?

Perhaps the real play here is to go for the long-term options. Guys under control for multiple years so you get a shot a both the 2026 World Series and others beyond it. But then again, that’s only going to cost more, potentially further damaging your ability to build around the core going forward.

Can you see why I’m nervous yet? Why every step forward here could lead to a trap door? Let’s hope the Red Sox know a little more about the timelines of Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony internally than they’re letting on, because if they don’t, they may cost themselves the 2027 or 2028 World Series trying to capture an unwinnable game in 2026.

Your move Craig.

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (38-37/12-15)

NO GAME (SCHEDULE)

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (27-42/9-19)

READING 7, BINGHAMTON 6 (BOX)

Coming into the ninth, the Rumble Ponies were barely hanging on, holding a slight 6-5 lead, looking to take the first game of the series. With two men on and one out, Garret Stratton bungled a chopper hit to him, throwing away the ball and turning what should’ve been a game ending double play into a game ending throwing error.

·  SS Mitch Voit: 3-5, 2 R, 2 2B, 3B, BB

·  LF Chris Suero: 0-3, R, 2 BB, SB (25)

·  CF John Bay: 1-3, BB, K, HBP, CS (1)

·  2B-3B Nick Lorusso: 2-5, 2 RBI, K

·  DH Jose Ramos: 1-2, R, RBI, 2 BB, K

·  RF D’Andre Smith: 1-5, R, 2B, RBI, K

·  1B Corey Collins: 2-4, R, HR (2), 2 RBI, BB

·  C Kevin Parada: 0-4, BB, 2 K

·  3B JT Schwartz: 0-4, K

·  2B Wyatt Young: 0-1, K

·  RHP Channing Austin: 2.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

·  LHP Felipe De La Cruz: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

·  RHP Danis Correa: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, BS (1)

·  RHP Brendan Girton: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, H (2)

·  RHP Zach Peek: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, H (3)

·  RHP Garrett Stratton: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HBP, L (1-3), BS (1), E (1)

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (25-40/15-16)

BROOKLYN 8, WINSTON-SALEM 6 (BOX)

Twin four-run innings evened up the series for the Cyclones. The first, in the sixth, saw Antonio Jimenez, Colin Houck, and Trace Wilhoite string together a few hits. The second, in the bottom of the ninth, saw Randy Guzman drive in a run and Daiverson Gutierrez walk things off with a two-run homer.

·  CF Trey Snyder: 0-4, BB, K

·  C Ronald Hernandez: 0-4, BB, E (12)

·  LF Randy Guzman: 3-4, 2B, RBI, HBP

·  PR Yonatan Henriquez: 0-0, R

·  2B Jamari Baylor: 1-5, 2 R, K, SB (6)

·  DH Daiverson Gutierrez: 1-5, R, HR (6), 3 RBI

·  SS Antonio Jimenez: 1-3, R, 2B, RBI, BB, K

·  3B Colin Houck: 4-4, R, RBI, SB (6), CS (3), E (14)

·  RF Yohairo Cuevas: 0-3, R, BB, K

·  1B Trace Willhoite: 1-3, R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB

·  RHP Nicolas Carreno: 3.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 6 K, WP

·  LHP Luis R. Rodriguez: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

·  RHP Juan Arnaud: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, WP, HBP

·  RHP Bryce Jenkins: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

·  RHP Ryan Dollar: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, W (2-1)

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (33-33/12-19)

DUNEDIN 14, ST. LUCIE 9 (BOX)

Another game where the St. Lucie offense was clicking on all cylinders; unfortunately, pitching was just as bad as the bats were good.

 ·  DH Elian Peña: 2-4, 2 RBI, K, HBP

·  REHAB ALERT 3B Cole Mathis: 1-4, R

·  PH Julio Zayas: 0-1

·  2B Marco Vargas: 1-3, 2 R, BB, K

·  2B Vladi Gomez: 0-1, K

·  RF Kuhio Aloy: 0-5, 3 K

·  C Yovanny Rodriguez: 1-4, R, HR (1), 3 RBI, BB, 2 K, E (1)

·  1B Branny De Oleo: 1-4, R, 2B, RBI, BB, K, E (12), CS (8)

·  LF Simon Juan: 1-4, R, HR (8), 2 RBI, K

·  CF Bohan Adderley: 2-4, 2 R, HR (1), RBI, K, SB (1), E (1)

·  SS Dylan Carey: 1-3, R, HBP

·  REHAB ALERT RHP Owen Woodward: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

·  RHP Jose Lopez: 2.2 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 6 BB, 2 K, WP, BLK

·  RHP Elwis Mijares: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, HBP

·  RHP Zack Mack: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, WP, L (4-2), BS (2)

·  RHP Joe Scarborough: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 3 WP

·  RHP Caden Wooster: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Rookie: FCL Mets (24-33)

NO GAME (SEASON OVER)

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Daiverson Gutierrez

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Garrett Stratton

The Yankees have gotten off to a decent start on their ten-game road trip, winning four of the first six contests. They have put themselves in position to win three out of four from the White Sox, which would send them to the North side of Chicago winners of their last three series. Mostly lights-out pitching has been at the forefront of this run of games, the performance of the bullpen in particular standing out before yesterday’s gut punch loss. That unit is where we select our Sequence of the Week from, David Bednar slamming the door on a late White Sox rally Tuesday night.

We join Bednar with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. In recording the first two outs of the frame, Bednar had extended his MLB-leading scoreless inning streak to 24 frames, but that came to an end when he surrendered the two-out, two-run homer to Chase Meidroth to allow the White Sox to pull within one and make the final out a lot more tense than it might have been, former Yankee Everson Pereira stepping to the plate to pinch-hit as the potential tying run.

Pereira like teammate Munetaka Murakami struggles the most against the fastball, particularly those above 95 mph. As such, I expected to see a steady diet of four-seamers from Bednar, and he obliges with a first pitch heater at 97 mph:

Fabulous execution from Bednar here to nail the corner up and away for a called strike. This extended run of dominance from Bednar has seen his four-seamer tick up in velocity and location, as evidenced by this pitch right here. Earning the called strike opens up a ton of options for Bednar later in the AB including a high fastball, curveball low and away, and splitter below the zone, all for chase.

Bednar opts for the first of those three choices, climbing the ladder a rung higher to see if he can get the chase on the four-seamer above the zone.

Once again, Bednar executes right to his spot, above the zone and in on the hands of Pereira, which is important as it prevents him from getting his bat extended and being able to hit a fly ball to the opposite field. Pereira swings right through the pitch as he’s unable to lift his swing path to match this four-seamer that holds its plane above the hitting zone.

After two straight high fastballs for strikes, the situation is ripe for Bednar’s killer pitch: the splitter below the zone looking for Pereira to get himself out.

Unfortunately, this one isn’t thrown remotely close enough to the zone to elicit a chase. Bednar spikes this pitch in front of home plate, making for an automatic take from Pereira.

It appears Bednar is not happy with the way that splitter felt coming out of the hand, because he goes back to the four-seamer for the next three pitches.

Bednar tries to go back to the same spot he hit with the first pitch of this AB, this pitch dipping downwards more toward the heart as it doesn’t quite have the same rising, riding life as the first two fastballs he threw. You can see the importance of that late life at the top of the zone for the four-seamer — without it this pitch falls off its plane and into the hitting zone, which allows Pereira to foul it off rather than whiff beneath.

Bednar sticks with the same pattern as the first two pitches he threw — four-seamer up and away followed by a four-seamer up and in.

This four-seamer is a few inches higher than the one he threw for a whiff to make it 0-2. That’s just far enough away from the zone that Pereira manages to take it this time rather than chase.

Rather than allow the count to run full, Bednar goes on the attack and tries to gas a 97 fastball by Pereira.

Whoo boy did Bednar get away with a mistake here. He throws this heater right down the middle and Pereira hits it deep into the seats in right foul. This is by far Pereira’s best swing against a heater so far in this encounter, as if he realizes that with the velocity on the pitch, he has more than enough power to send it out the other way.

I think Bednar got the message that that was one fastball too many. Pereira’s timing and swing path are syncing up to the pitch, so Bednar has to throw something off-speed to at the very least get him out of that rhythm if not end the AB.

This splitter catches a little too much of the zone to get Pereira to whiff. He swings early, likely because of the previous three fastballs, but still manages to get a piece foul to stay alive.

Judging by that off-balance swing from Pereira, there’s a good chance that if Bednar can execute one a few inches lower, he should get the swinging strikeout to end the game.

You can check both those boxes, Bednar saving his nastiest splitter of the outing for the strikeout. Just look at the way that pitch looks like a strike for most of its path toward home before falling off the table and nosediving toward the plate. Pereira has no chance as he hacks wildly over the top of the pitch to end the game, Bednar clearly pumped up that he got the job done.

Here’s the full sequence:

Bednar’s scoreless inning streak may have ended with the home run to Meidroth, but there is so much to love about this AB and his performance since mid-May. He read the scouting report on Pereira but also adapted mid-AB, reading the swings from the hitter to inform the rest of his attack plan. I’ve loved the shapes of the four-seamer and splitter for the last month-plus, the four-seamer exhibiting better late life at the top of the zone and the splitter featuring sharper downward break.

There was a time back in May where you really worried about the closer role for the Yankees. However, Bednar has rebounded to reclaim his spot as one of the most dependable ninth inning guys in the game, bringing a ton of stability to the back end of the bullpen. That’s not to say the Yankees won’t still pursue relief help with the trade deadline less than a week away, but Bednar’s resurgence might just let them keep a little extra powder dry for an impact addition to the offense.

The San Diego Padres scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning of Colorado Rockies starter Gabriel Hughes and that was all the offense they would need to get a 3-1 win at Petco Park on Wednesday. The win gave the Padres a two-game sweep of the Rockies and extended their current winning streak to five games.

San Diego got to Hughes in the bottom of the fourth after back-to-back singles by Jake Cronenworth and Manny Machado. Ty France was then hit by a pitch on his left elbow and that loaded the bases for Jackson Merrill. The center fielder stepped to the plate and put a ground ball through the infield to give the Padres a 1-0 lead. Luis Rengifo grounded out to the right side for the first out of the inning, but that allowed the second run to score to put San Diego ahead, 2-0. Gavin Sheets followed with a sacrifice fly to bring home France and the Padres went ahead 3-0 and Merrill advanced to third base. Xander Bogaerts flied out to end the inning.

San Diego had three of its six hits in the bottom of the fourth inning and made them count. Fernando Tatis Jr. led off the game for the Padres with a double to left field, but was stranded there after a ground out, strikeout and a fly out. San Diego went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position on the day and left four runners on base.

The Padres pitching staff made the runs hold up. Kyle Hart started the game and went 2.2 innings allowing two hits and a walk with three strikeouts before giving way to Griffin Canning. The right-hander came into the game and had an impressive performance. Canning went three scoreless allowing just one hit and recorded four strikeouts. Wandy Peralta got touched up for a run in the top of the seventh inning. He allowed back-to-back singles and then got Mickey Moniak to pop out to third base for the first out of the frame. Peralta was replaced by Bradgley Rodriguez who got a strikeout but then allowed an RBI-single to former Padre Brett Sullivan, which made the score, 3-1. Rodriguez then got Jake McCarthy to flyout to end the inning.

Adrian Morejon threw a ton of pitches in his inning of work on Tuesday, so he was unavailable to work the eighth inning on Wednesday. Jeremiah Estrada, who was activated from the IL prior to the game, made his return to the mound and allowed a leadoff walk to start the top of the eighth. Estrada then recorded three consecutive strikeouts to end the inning. Mason Miller came on for the top of the ninth and recorded two strikeouts and a lineout on 15 pitches to end the game and earn his 28th save of the season.

San Diego gets back on the field tonight when the San Francisco Giants come to Petco Park tonight for the first game of a four-game set at 6:40 p.m.

Padres News:

• Cheri Bell of Gaslamp Ball provides the latest updates on the San Diego farm system complete with performances and moves that were made throughout the organization.

• The biggest piece of news to come out of the Padres’ farm system was that catcher Ethan Salas was promoted from Double-A to Triple-A to join the El Paso Chihuahuas. He proceeded to record three hits in his Triple-A debut.

• San Diego had a busy week finishing a 10-game road trip and returning home to take on Colorado for a quick two-game series. In that time the Padres were also able to sign 29 players after the MLB Draft, which included their top draft pick Coleman Borthwick.

• Pitcher Matt Waldron was designated for assignment to make room for Estrada when he returned from the IL.

• Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune has seen enough after the Padres’ five-game win streak and believes the team will be buyers at the trade deadline. Has the team done enough to convince the Friar Faithful, some of which were ready to sell at the deadline, to agree?

• Several Padres players could be attractive to teams at the deadline, but they may not be available after the recent five-game win streak which has pulled San Diego within 1.5 games of the third Wild Card spot. For those players whose names have been linked to the rumors they understand it comes with the job.

Baseball News:

• The Texas Rangers linked up with the Los Angeles Angels for an AL West trade that sent catcher Logan O’Hoppe and Chase Silseth to the Rangers for minor-leaguer Angel Arredondo.

• Ivan Herrera came through with a walk-off hit to help the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs.

• The Baltimore Orioles mounted a massive comeback to beat the Detroit Tigers. Tarik Skubal recorded his 1,000th strikeout of his career in what could have been his final start with Detroit.

• Edwin Diaz returned for the Los Angeles Dodgers and locked down their 4-2 win over the Seattle Mariners.

• The Toronto Blue Jays knocked off the Washington Nationals, 5-2.

• The San Francisco Giants dominated the Milwaukee Brewers in a 16-3 win.

• The Miami Marlins bounced back in a big way after their sweep at the hands of the Padres with a sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies.

• Eduardo Rodriguez led the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 3-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Three different teams went over double digits in a day of great offensive performances in the Dodgers minor league system.

Player of the day

If there was a case to be made for a couple of other names to be the Player of the Day on Tuesday, Jake Gelof this time made it a no-contest. The Drillers’ third baseman hit three home runs as the protagonist of a 6-2 win.

Have yourself a night, Jake Gelof!

Gelof homers for the THIRD time tonight! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/s7qyZtMmpA

— Tulsa Drillers (@TulsaDrillers) July 30, 2026

One of the more dominant hitters in Double-A presently, Gelof recorded his fourth straight multihit performance, now with 21 long balls this campaign. The more power-oriented approach seems to be paying off, as Gelof carries a .880 OPS, having already set a career high in strikeouts.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Scoring a run in seven of the eight innings in which they hit, the Comets took down the Aviators in an 11-2 game. Jack Suwinski, Ryan Fitzgerald, and Ryan Ward all left the yard, with the latter of the trio knocking a couple of solo shots to make it an even 10 for him this season.

Two AB's, two dingers by Ryan Fitzgerald ☄️☄️ pic.twitter.com/e3FdtwGN37

— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) July 30, 2026

Not that the Comets needed such a high level of performance on the mound, but Landon Knack was at his finest, allowing just one hit in five innings, punching out one batter per frame.

Surprisingly, perhaps the Comets’ best hitter this season, at least one of them, James Tibbs III, was the only batter in the starting lineup to go hitless. Hyeseong Kim didn’t record an RBI but made up for it by reaching base in four of five plate appearances, scoring three runs.

Double-A Tulsa

It was a game of rare individual accomplishments with the Drillers beating the Naturals at home. Starter Payton Martin allowed a solo shot in his first inning of work and another one in his last frame—that was all the scoring the Naturals did, as Martin was a machine across eight innings to earn his fifth win of the season.

The Drillers’ offense delivered as much of a one-man show as you could see, with Jake Gelof carrying the offense from start to finish with his three home runs.

Jake Gelof has homered in back-to-back games 🔥 pic.twitter.com/XoRx7CDUcF

— Tulsa Drillers (@TulsaDrillers) July 30, 2026

The other two RBI came from Frank Rodriguez, the only other Driller to hit a long ball. One aspect of the Drillers’ performance left a lot to be desired, though, and probably stood in the way of a larger win: the running game. Three different base runners were caught stealing, including Josue De Paula twice, as the Drillers didn’t steal a single base.

High-A Great Lakes

With the two teams combining for 29 strikeouts and no home runs, scoring could’ve been even scarcer than the final 5-4 result in favor of the visiting TinCaps. With the teams tied at two all after nine innings, the 10th frame saw Fort Wayne score three runs and still nearly let the Loons back into the game, stopping one run short.

Nico Perez hit a two-run single in the 10th and even stole second with just one out—only Chase Harlan and Jaron Elkins couldn’t do anything with it, stranding the tying run in scoring position. Elkins ended the game with his fourth strikeout for that Golden Sombrero.

Single-A Ontario

Maybe it was the confidence boost of playing behind a big-league ace, but the whole team showed up performing at a high level as the Tower Buzzers thrashed the Grizzlies in a 12-3 win. Blake Snell was sharp in his command with 45 strikes on 60 pitches to complete four scoreless innings, punching out nine with zero walks.

Mairoshendrick Martinus recorded a team-high three hits, including the game’s only home run, a solo shot in the fifth. Ching-Hsien Ko had a rare triple, retired just once in five plate appearances, with two hits and a couple of free passes. Easton Shelton was a rare Ontario batter to go hitless, but he still found a way to drive in his 95th run, closing in on the 100 mark.

Transactions

Blake Snell started a rehab assignment with the Ontario Tower Buzzers.

Wednesday’s scores

• Oklahoma City 11, Las Vegas 2
• Tulsa 6, NW Arkansas 2
• Great Lakes 4, Fort Wayne 5
• Ontario 12. Fresno 3

Thursday’s schedule

• 4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (TBD) vs. Fort Wayne (Carson Montgomery)
• 5:00 p.m. PT: Tulsa (Adam Serwinowski) vs. NW Arkansas (Drew Beam)
• 5:05 p.m. PT: Oklahoma City (TBD) vs. Las Vegas (TBD)
• 6:35 p.m. PT: Ontario (TBD) vs. Fresno (Brady Parker)