Category: Sports News

How would the St. Louis Cardinals respond to two of the most disappointing games of the year? Tuesday night in Anaheim, it was Matthew Liberatore on the mound for the Cardinals and the game started like the Angels were reading his mind.

To say that the game started off poorly for St. Louis would be a massive understatement. Problem number one was the Cardinals top of the 1st when Iván Herrera and Alec Burleson reached base with one-out singles only to be stranded when Jordan Walker flew out to right and Lars Nootbaar struck out. Bummer part one.

The bottom of the 1st inning would see the LA Angels jump all over Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore as if they had foreknowledge of every pitch he was throwing. Neto led off with a single followed by Mike Trout who did the same. Matthew then helped the Angels by walking Schanuel to load the bases. Jorge Soler doubled to left scoring Neto and Trout giving the Angels an immediate 2-0 lead. They were just getting started. Grissom then singled to right scoring Schanuel making it 3-0 Los Angeles. Jo Adell then punished a 79 mph Liberatore curveball launching it 405 feet giving the Angels a 1st inning 5-0 lead.

If you didn’t see the game broadcast, let me catch you up. The St. Louis Cardinals TV team muted the start of the bottom of the 3rd inning to show Jordan Walker reacting to his historic Home Run Derby performance last week. I’m very proud of what Jordan achieved and he needs to be celebrated, but it was a surreal moment having a baseball game play-by-play muted for something that happened 8 days ago. Some theorized that the audience would prefer to watch Walker’s home run heroics instead of what was happening in Angel Stadium and that might be accurate.

To Matthew Liberatore’s credit, he pulled it together after the shelling the Angels gave him in the bottom of the 1st inning. He limited the damage by keeping the Angels from adding to their lead through the middle innings. The problem is the St. Louis Cardinals offense was relatively silent until the top of the 5th inning. After Nathan Church flied out to lead off the Cardinals 5th, Blaze Jordan reached on an infield single and then advanced to third on a single by Bryan Torres. JJ Wetherholt grounded into a fielder’s choice, but Jordan scored on the play as JJ beat the throw to first giving St. Louis a badly-needed run cutting the Angels lead to 5-1.

To give you an idea of how bizarre the current stretch is for the Cardinals, Iván Herrera waved off the first pitch from Matthew Liberatore in the bottom of the 6th inning when he saw the scoreboard in right field make sudden changes which were distracting so he and manager Oli Marmol appealed to the umpires to not count the first ball that Matthew tossed and they agreed. Liberatore was removed from the game with one out in the bottom of the 6th after throwing 95 pitches. This will not be referred to as a good outing, but Matthew was able to eat some innings after the first 6 batters he face got hits off of him. Matt Svanson came in to try and keep the Angels where they were and he was successful for his part of the bottom of the 6th inning. Scott Blewett was the Cardinals solution for the bottom of the 7th and 8th innings. He also kept the Angels from adding to their lead.

Would the Cardinals find a way to light a fire and rally from 4 runs down in the final 3 innings? Well, José Fermínalmost hit a home run before grounding out in the top of the 7th inning and JJ Wetherholt nearly had a single leading off the top of the 8th inning and that’s about it. I almost forgot that Jordan Walker kept his 12-game hitting streak alive when his ground ball hit third base and shot straight up in the air in the top of the 9th inning. Oh, and Chip Caray managed to share the entire biography of Adele in the late innings because we Cardinals fans haven’t suffered enough the past 3 days.

The St. Louis Cardinals will wrap up what has been a massively disappointing road trip as they take on the lowly Angels (who have won the first 2 games) in a Wednesday afternoon contest. The Cardinals will send Hunter Dobbins to the mound while the Angels are giving Reid Detmers the start. First pitch is scheduled for 3:07pm central time in Angel Stadium. TV broadcast will be available thru Cardinals.tv.

When all was said and done, it was simply not the South Siders’ night. The Rangers’ (51-50) offense blasted 18 hits to shut out the White Sox (53-47), 10-0. Their bats were seemingly in hibernation while the pitchers were dishing out hits and runs left and right like it was an Oprah episode. Before Tuesday’s game, Chicago ranked second in the AL in run differential behind only the Yankees at +52. The 10-run loss erased Monday’s seven-run gain, dropping the White Sox to +42. Really, the most entertaining and impressive performance from the White Sox was Dan Plesac and John Schriffen’s journey through the massive “Boomstick” hot dog and Nacho Sombrero at Globe Life Field. Dan ate roughly 90% of that two-foot-long hot dog, which is remarkable, whereas losing 10-0 is not.

Plus, then this happened.

Right off the bat, Noah Schultz ran into trouble, and he ended up getting knocked around for all 3 2/3 innings of his outing. The lefty surrendered five runs on 11 hits while striking out two, including a two-run homer from Brandon Nimmo in the bottom of the first to give Texas an early two-run lead. Though he didn’t walk anyone and was more controlled in the strike zone, he was hanging a ton of hittable pitches, but luckily, only one of those 11 hits sailed over the wall. Unfortunately, home runs have become a trend in Noah’s outings, as tonight’s was the seventh dinger allowed in his last six starts while holding a 7.33 ERA and 1.58 WHIP in his last seven games.

The pitching woes didn’t end with Schultz. Both Trevor Richards and Tyler Schweitzer also floundered for five more runs in relief, including the second two-run shot of the game, this time from Wyatt Langford off Schweitzer in the bottom of the fifth. The Rangers scored in five of their eight trips to the plate, putting a 10-run beatdown on the Good Guys after six while the bats remained dormant. Waving the white flag in the eighth, this one culminated in a position player pitching, as Luisangel Acuña entered the game and unironically recorded the best relief performance of the contest with two ground outs and a line out.

While the Rangers were teeing off against Chicago’s pitchers, the Sox couldn’t buy a hit to save their lives. Righthander Kumar Rocker worked through the South Side bats with ease, tossing a one-hit, six-inning shutout with six strikeouts and two walks while recording his third win of the season. The Good Guys mustered just one baserunner the first time through the order as Munetaka Murakami walked in the first, and was the hero in the fourth with a leadoff base hit to ensure they weren’t getting no-hit today.

There weren’t many opportunities for the White Sox to score runs in the first place, but they went 0-for-3 in the chances they did get, and left all seven of their runners on base. Acuña finally got a second hit for the South Siders in the eighth, and Miguel Vargas ended up with a ground-rule double in the ninth, but couldn’t cash in either opportunity. Putting Chicago to shame, the Rangers were a nuisance at the plate all night and went 7-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left another nine on base.

In my Game Thread earlier this evening, I noted how anytime the White Sox score a bunch of runs — especially double digits — they tend to score little to no runs and typically can’t get any hits in the next game. Sadly, they didn’t score any runs, and the pitching wasn’t good, but I was pretty spot-on with the hits — womp womp.

The series is still up for grabs, so hopefully some rest and a reset can help the Good Guys bounce back on Wednesday before heading back home to face the Houston Astros. Since the Cleveland Guardians were able to defeat the Minnesota Twins, Cleveland was able to pick up a game on us, so as of Tuesday night, the White Sox are once again tied in the division race.

We’ll be back tomorrow with coverage of the series finale. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CT, with Anthony Kay taking the mound for Chicago.

MVP
Luisangel Acuña: 1-for-3, K / 1 IP, 0 H

Runners-Up
Munetaka Murakami: 1-for-3, BB
Miguel Vargas: 1-for-4, 2B, K

Cold Cat
Noah Schultz: 3 2/3 IP, 11 H, 5 R, 2 K, HR, LOSS (3-7)

Runners-Up
Trevor Richards: 2/3 IP, H, 2 R, BB, K
Tyler Schweitzer: 2 2/3 IP, 6 H, 3 R, K, HR

It was a hot night at Coors Field with a hard-hitting Washington Nationals team ready to pick up where they left off on Monday night.

But it was not to be as the Colorado Rockies offense came to play tonight.

Despite a less-than-stellar performance from Michael Lorenzen, the Rockies were able to keep up with a hot Nationals team and tally the win, 8-7.

Taco’s for everyone!

There was a whole lotta offense — on both sides

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: The Rockies were behind before even taking an at-bat.

Lorenzen retired the first two batters he faced before allowing a José Tena single followed by a CJ Abrams homer, his third in three games.

There was no more action from the Nationals in the top of the first, but the Rockies headed to the plate down 2-0.

Cole Carrigg managed to break the seal for the Rockies in the first, but he was unable to score.

Nationals opener (and former Rockie) Carson Palmquist moved efficiently through the first inning, but struggled in the second — and the Rockies were eager to pounce.

First, he walked leadoff batter TJ Rumfield before hitting Kyle Karros with a pitch. Mickey Moniak stepped up to the plate with an RBI single that scored Rumfield and cut the Nationals lead, 2-1.

Karros’ smart base runners at the corners with no outs. Troy Johnston followed that up with a sacrifice fly to score Karros and even the score at two.

And then Jake McCarthy whacked out a double that extended his on-base streak to 16 games and scored Moniak, giving the Rockies a welcome 3-2 lead.

Not to be left out, Carrigg knocked a single to score McCarthy. The score was 4-2 Rockies, and the move knocked Palmquist out of the game with bulk reliever Miles Mikolas entering to finish the second.

Palmquist’s final line was 1.2 IP allowing four runs (earned) on four hits. He walked one and struck out two. His current ERA is 8.74.

The Rockies lead did not last long, as Abrams hit his second home of the game and tied the score.

It was a night for scoring, though, and in the Rockies half of the third, Willi Castro led off with a double that Karros was able to score. By the end of the inning, the Rockies had a 5-4 lead.

It would be short-lived.

In the fourth inning, Lorenzen issued a walk and a single with two outs before James Wood hit a double to give the Nationals a 6-5 lead. Manager Warren Schaeffer went to LHP Brendan Bernardino to end the inning.

The Rockies threatened in the fifth when Hunter Goodman hit a one-out double. With two outs, Rumfield hit an RBI single to tie the game.

Only one thing was certain at this point: If the Rockies were to win, the fans would get taco’s.

Things looked like they might be dire in the sixth when Victor Vodnik issued a leadoff single to Daylen Lile, who was able to progress to third on a Keibert Ruiz groundout. But Nasim Nuñez hit a high chopper to Ezequiel Tovar, who threw to home where Goodman tagged out Lile before shooting the ball to first, catching Nuñez in a rundown.

Inning over.

And then, Moniak got everyone taco’s and the Rockies a 7-6 lead with a homer — his 16th of 2026.

The Rockies were just getting started.

Johnston grounded out, but then the Rockies loaded the bases after an error to put Tovar on base followed by two singled from McCarthy and Carrigg.

As Goodman headed out to the plate, the Nationals pulled Mikolas and went to RHP Orlando Ribalta.

The strategy worked as he struck out Goodman and Castro. Still, the Rockies finished the sixth with the lead.

As for Mikolas, his final line was 3.2 IP allowing three runs (earned) on six hits. He struck out one and did not issue any walks.

Surprising absolutely no one, the Nationals rallied back in the seventh with Jimmy Herget pitching in relief. After Herget got the first out, Wood followed that with a double and the Luis García Jr hit a double. Jorbit Vivas, after a nine-pitch at-bat, hit a sacrifice fly to score Wood, and the game was (again) tied.

The Rockies had traffic in the seventh when Karros walked followed by a Johnston single, but Tovar struck out to end the threat.

In the eighth inning with two outs, Hunter Goodman entered the chat and blasted his 31st home run.

And with that, Goodman tied his 2025 total of 31 homers.

”I finally got a somewhat hittable one,“ Goodman said, ”and it was good.“

The ninth inning went to Jordan Romano.

He moved through the Nationals efficiently: Jacob Young filed out to right; Wood struck out; and García Jr struck out swinging.

Game over.

In what was an offensive smorgasbord on both sides, the Rockies finished the evening with eight runs (all earned) on 12 hits, including two home runs. They walked twice and struck out six times.

While commending his team’s overall effort, and pointing to Goodman’s homer, Schaeffer said, “The defense was huge.”

Michael Lorenzen struggled through it

It was not Lorenzen’s best outing, who did not manage a clear inning in the 3.2 he pitched. Moreover, all of the runs he allowed were scored with two outs.

Much of the damage came from Abrams’ two homers, and it’s worth noting that 12 of the 16 home runs Lorenzen has allowed have come from lefties.

His final line was six runs (all earned) on seven hits across 3.2 IP and 80 pitches. He walked one and struck out five.

Lorenzen’s current ERA is 6.53.

The bullpen gets the job done

Brennan Bernardino continues to impress. He finished off the fourth inning for a struggling Lorenzen and then retired the side in the fifth. He went 1.1 IP, allowing no hits or walks. He struck out one batter.

Schaeffer turned to Vodnik for the sixth, and the righty benefited from a fielder’s choice double play. He allowed one hit but no runs on six pitches.

Herget had the seventh and, after some traffic, allowed one run. His final line was 1.0 IP, allowing one run (earned) on two hits. He walked one (Abrams, which was just sensible) and struck out one.

The eighth inning went to Juan Mejia, who was in top form. Mejia faced the minimum, giving up no hits and strike out one.

Although the Rockies do not officially have a closer, that duty often now falls to an increasingly confident Jordan Romano. Tonight he did not disappoint, facing three batters and talking two strikeouts.

“It’s a really difficult lineup to get through,” Schaeffer said, commending his bullpen.

“They pounded the strike zone,” he added. “Efficient and confident.”

Up next

Join us tomorrow afternoon at 1:10 for Game 3 as the Rockies will look to take the series.

RHP Cade Cavalli will face RHP Gabriel Hughes in what should be a fun game.

See you then.

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Former Yankees pitcher and Hall of Famer CC Sabathia celebrated his 46th birthday the way every parent dreams of: seeing their child live out a dream. 

Sabathia watched as his son, Carsten Sabathia III, signed his first professional baseball contract with the Brewers on Tuesday after the club drafted him in the 20th round of this year’s draft. 

The pitcher, who played 19 years in the major leagues and was inducted into the Hall of Fame last summer, celebrated the moment in a post on X. 

“Best Birthday ever. My son Carsten is officially a Brewer!!!” the former hurler wrote in the post, along with a photo of him with his son and wife, Amber. 

Carsten wore a Brewers jersey in the photo and had a team hat on the desk where he signed his contract. 

Carsten played infield during his time at the University of Houston, hitting .283/.374/.511 with six home runs during his senior season. 

The elder Sabathia played for a trio of teams during the course of his major league career, including a stop in Milwaukee during the 2008 season. 

He was acquired at the trade deadline that year from Cleveland and posted an 11-2 record with a 1.65 ERA in 17 starts for a team that reached the playoffs for the first time since 1982 that season. Even with just half of a season with the Brewers, he was inducted into the franchise’s Wall of Honor in May.

All of that is to say, the fact that his son will now play for a team he was once part of must mean a lot to Sabathia. 

The Mets feel really good about Nolan McLean and Christian Scott as arms of the future, but Zac Thornton is quickly emerging as an intriguing name in that mix, as well.

Thornton was spectacular again against one of baseball’s best on Tuesday night, shutting out the Brewers across six strong innings to take home his first career victory. 

“It’s sort of a lift off the shoulders,” he told SNY’s Steve Gelbs postgame. “I’ve always wanted to help this team contribute to winning, and now I’ve made my mark.”

The lefty was in control for the majority of the night, leaning on his full arsenal and consistently pounding the zone. 

He did face some trouble after an infield single and a walk in the bottom of the first, but immediately turned a comebacker into an inning-ending double play. 

Thornton would face the minimum from there, retiring the next 13 batters he faced in order before the Brewers were able to generate some traffic again in the sixth. 

Back-to-back singles brought that stretch to an end and put two men on with no outs, but the 23-year-old quickly bared back down and picked up a huge strikeout. 

He was then helped out by a Milwaukee baserunner blunder and A.J. Ewing’s second spectacular catch of the night in left to end his outing with another zero on the board. 

Thornton allowed just a walk and three singles on the night. 

“He’s just the same guy,” interim manager Andy Green said. “Unafraid, attacks, went after every hitter -- it’s a good mix with aggression and there was some good defense behind him, a ton of good plays all over, it was fun to see.”

The southpaw has now pitched to a 1.93 ERA through four big league starts. 

He’s also gone 18 consecutive innings without allowing a run, which is the longest streak by a Mets rookie since fellow lefty Steven Matz in 2016. 

With each passing inning, Thornton’s already sky-high confidence only continues to grow.

Following the Mets' 4-0 win over the Brewers on Tuesday night, interim manager Andy Green and others talked about the game...

ROBERT STILL LOOKING FOR RHYTHM

Tuesday was Luis Robert Jr.'s second game back from an injury that kept him sidelined since April, so it was going to take some time for the first-year Mets outfielder to shake the cobwebs out at the plate.

After going hitless in four at-bats, with three strikeouts, in Monday's series opener with the Brewers in Milwaukee, Robert showed the power that made him coveted by the Mets this past offseason.

With the Mets up 3-0 in the eighth, Robert slammed an 87 mph cutter from Brewers reliever Bryse Wilson over the left-center field wall for his third home run of the season. The blast left Robert's bat at 112.2 mph and went 451 feet over the bullpen and into the concourse at American Family Field.

Robert was asked how many times in his career he's hit a ball that well and far before. The 28-year-old, who has hit 105 long balls in his seven-year career, said he's hit plenty like it, but acknowledged he's still trying to find his rhythm at the plate after missing nearly three months. 

"Yesterday and today, the first couple of at-bats I was just trying to get that rhythm," Robert said after the game through an interpreter. "I was able to connect today with that homer, but at the same time, just continue to go out there, work and try to fall into that rhythm."

Following Tuesday's game, Robert is slashing .213/.308/.340 with an OPS of .648 through 26 games. Robert has started in center field since he's returned as the Mets showcase the outfielder for a potential trade before the Aug. 3 deadline. 

ELITE OUTFIELD DEFENSE

In the Mets' 4-0 win over the Brewers, the defense was superb.

The combination of Robert in center, Carson Benge in right and A.J. Ewing in left -- his first start there in his MLB career -- meant no ball hit out there would hit the grass.

"A.J. is going to defend wherever you stick him in the outfield. Feels like when those three guys are out there together, you have three centerfielders," Green said. There’s a ton of extra value of having guys that can make those types of plays in the corner outfielders.

"[The Brewers] hit some balls hard and they found the gloves of good defenders today."

"It’s great, it’s a beautiful thing because none of us have to cover that much ground when we’re all out there," Robert said of the outfield through an interpreter. "It’s a lot of fun because any of us can get to those balls at any moment." 

While young starter Zac Thornton was dealing, a lot of the zeroes he put up was thanks to the defense behind him. Of the 18 batters Thornton retired, nine were retired by the three outfielders. None bigger than in the sixth inning. 

With two outs and two runners on, Brice Turang hit a fly ball to left field. Ewing was turned around, but adjusted fast enough to make a sprawling catch to end the inning.

A.J. Ewing makes another big-time play in the outfield! pic.twitter.com/7ehT55KfMu

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 22, 2026

"I yelled and said, ’Let’s go," Thornton said of the Ewing play. "He made two great plays out there." 

"With the speed that's out there, it gives you confidence to attack the zone and have the guys play defense behind you," Devin Williams, who pitched a clean ninth, said of his defense.

DEVIN RETURNS TO MILWAUKEE

Williams allowed a hit, but otherwise put the bow on the Mets' win on Tuesday night. What was significant about the appearance for the closer is that he made his first appearance in Milwaukee as an opposing player.

The last time Williams pitched in Milwaukee was when he allowed the go-ahead homer to Pete Alonso during the 2024 Wild Card series. Williams was traded to the Yankees that offseason but never pitched in the city of the organization that drafted him until Tuesday.

"Kind of a weird feeling, sitting in the opposing bullpen having been there since 2020," Williams said of the experience. "It was good. Put up a zero and helped us get a win.

"I had a little bit more adrenaline, I would say. But nothing crazy," Williams later said.

In six seasons with the Brewers, Williams pitched to a 1.83 ERA and saved 68 games across 241 appearances. 

Baseball games, even walk-offs, are not decided by one play. And, more pertinent to the sweeping point that I will eventually make at some point in this story, baseball games certainly are not decided by one lack of a play, even though our minds often wander the “what if” caves all night. There’s some damn good spelunking in those caves. Far better than anything the San Francisco Giants are doing. Allocate your time accordingly.

All of this is to say that there are a lot of reasons, people, and moments behind the Giants’ 3-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday. Tyler Mahle allowed a pair of runners to reach base without recording an out to start the sixth inning — that’s bad. Sam Hentges entered and allowed an inherited run to score, while loading the bases — that’s bad. Keaton Winn replaced him and gave up a go-ahead RBI single that would have been a tailor-made double play if it were a few feet in either direction — that’s unlucky. The front five in the lineup (Heliot Ramos, Bryce Eldridge, Casey Schmitt, Rafael Devers, and Willy Adames) combined to hit 1-18 with six strikeouts — that’s atrocious. They had six balls all day hit harder than 91 mph — that’s awful. Luinder Avila had far and away the best start of his career — that’s either bad or unlucky, depending on your point of view.

And so on and so forth. You know the drill. You’ve followed 59 of these losses now.

But. You know there’s a but. All those literary tropes in the first paragraph were leading to that but.

While a loss is always a collection of poor moments weaved together to build an unsightly quilt, there are, in some cases, A Moment. Usually it stands out in the box score. A big home run. A walk-off hit, which the Giants had experienced in two of the prior three nights.

But sometimes, especially for teams with a narrative, that moment is a little more hidden. Because it’s less how the moment impacted the game, and more what it represents. A Moment that stands as a surrogate for A Season, and my goodness are the Giants in the midst of A Season.

Tuesday’s loss had such a moment. It occurred in the top of the seventh inning. The Giants had ceded a pair of runs in the prior inning, seeing their 2-1 lead get flipped into a 3-2 deficit. They needed one lowly run, and they had three innings to accomplish it.

Jung Hoo Lee led off the inning with a single, setting a potential rally in motion. Jesús Rodríguez, who had doubled earlier in the game and scored on an incredibly artful dive, laid down a lovely bunt to advance Lee into scoring position. With that, Avila, who had stymied the Giants all game long, was done. He exited the front of the stage, while Matt Strahm entered from the back.

And suddenly, all was set for A Moment. The Moment. Which was, arguably, less a moment and more an absence of one.

The tying run was at second base, with just one out. The pitcher, while once an All-Star, was a player laboring through the type of season that ends careers — Strahm entered the game with a 7.24 ERA, and having allowed 10 home runs in just 32.1 innings.

It’s at the point in the tale where I need to point out one critical detail: Strahm is left-handed. He presumably writes left-handed, and I suppose he likely eats left-handed, but, more pertinently, he throws a baseball left-handed.

And it was Drew Gilbert’s turn to bat.

Gilbert, as you’re likely aware, simply cannot hit left-handed pitchers. Not yet, at least. Probably not anytime soon, if ever. Just can’t stand them, really.

He entered the game having hit 1-28 against southpaws on the season, with one walk and 10 strikeouts. He had ground into as many double plays against lefties as he had hits and walks, combined, against them. Throw in last year’s starts and he’s a career .065/.104/.087 hitter against left-handed pitchers.

Here’s some context that you really, really weren’t asking for: for his career, Tim Lincecum hit .112/.171/.129.

So in the one corner the Giants had Tim Lincecum in the midst of a hitting slump. And in the other corner they had something about as visible in Giants land as Lincecum these days: a bench.

With Harrison Bader and Jonah Cox injured, the Giants didn’t have a right-handed center fielder they could turn to, but they had Grant McCray, a fellow lefty who could serve as a defensive replacement if Gilbert were pinch-hit for.

And on the bench they had Daniel Susac, a right-handed hitter who had a delightful game at the plate on Monday. Sitting next to him was Luis Arráez, who received a rare day off but was available to pinch-hit. You might be familiar with Arráez: he’s hitting .316 against left-handed pitchers this year.

The only question should be whether they opted for Susac or Arráez. But since this is A Moment we’re talking about, you know what they actually did: let Lincecum Gilbert have his at-bat.

These are the moments that define a game, sometimes for surprising good and other times for predictable bad. Since I’ve already revealed numerous times that the Giants lost, you probably can surmise as to which category this moment fell into.

Gilbert took a first-pitch strike in the heart of the plate, then fouled off a second-pitch strike in the heart of the plate, then swung wildly at a third-pitch fastball a foot above the zone. And just like that, he was gone. And so, too, was the rally, try as Christian Koss did to prolong it.

Tony Vitello would finally pull that bench off the shelf in the ninth inning. After Lee drew a mighty impressive one-out walk, McCray pinch-ran for him. But alas, McCray never attempted to steal second, despite reliever Alex Lange using both of his step-offs.

And when the game ended — fittingly, on a Gilbert fly ball (this time against a righty) — Arráez was standing in the on-deck circle, awaiting an opportunity two innings late, and which ultimately never came.

Had Vitello handled the seventh inning more sensibly, what would have happened? The Giants lose, probably. Because that’s the team they are. But the inevitability of defeat does not forgive a baseless process. If anything, it only makes the inexcusable that much harder to justify.

It’s times like these that make you wonder whether the Giants are 17 games below .500 because of talent, luck, or simply because, top to bottom, it doesn’t seem like anyone has any idea what they’re doing. The evidence is certainly mounting in favor of one of those options.

Diagnosing what is wrong with the Yankees lineup begins with Aaron Judge’s absence and includes Giancarlo Stanton’s injury. Their catchers’ collective .176 batting average and .521 OPS play a large role. So does Paul Goldschmidt’s recent 0-for-34 skid.

As recently as Sunday, Jazz Chisholm Jr. acknowledged he has “sucked all season” (although he has not since making this admission). They have not received enough offensively from the left side of their infield.

A bit more quietly, Cody Bellinger has been a below-average hitter for two and a half months.

A strong candidate to step up in a lineup missing a pair of sluggers, Bellinger instead has continued a long offensive slide.

Way back on May 7, Bellinger was hitting .299 with a .924 OPS and five home runs in his first 37 games. Combined with his defensive excellence and flexibility, you did not have to squint too hard to see Bellinger making a case for MVP on a team with Judge and Ben Rice.

But since that high-water mark, Bellinger owns the same OPS (.662) as Anthony Volpe does in his career.

For 61 games — in which the Yankees are 30-31 — he has hit just .229 and added just six home runs. His expected numbers in the span are better than his actual ones, but he has struggled regardless.

“I’ve been through it and just got to continue to stick to your plan. Got to stay positive,” Bellinger said at the All-Star Game, where his two-run single made him MVP, when asked about his slump. “This game’s hard.”

More recently, the issue has involved far more strikeouts than the Yankees and Bellinger are used to seeing. Re-signed in part because of his contact skills and knowledge about when to unleash a big hack and when to shorten up, Bellinger has struck out 20 times in his past 17 games and 70 plate appearances while walking just three times.

His strikeout rate in that span is 28.6 percent. Last season that mark sat at 13.7 percent.

“Probably a little more swing and miss in there,” manager Aaron Boone said recently of Bellinger. “I feel like a lot of the balls he’s getting in the air, it’s like, ‘Ooh, just missed.’ He’s hit some balls decent to center, decent to left, even decent to right.”

There are signs of hope for a player locked up on a $162.5 million deal. He has reached base four times in the past two games.

Even one of his outs during Monday’s victory over the Pirates was well struck, a hard ground ball up the middle that was aimed directly at the shortstop.

If Bellinger escapes the depths of this slide and joins a suddenly on-fire Chisholm, the wait for Judge to return would be far more manageable for the Yankees.

“He’s fouling some pitches that I feel like he’s getting a pitch to hit, maybe he’s fouling it off or he’s just missing it in the air,” Boone said of Bellinger, whose OPS has fallen from .813 last year to .760. “The difference between success and scuffling is razor-thin sometimes. But he’ll get it going.”

Fans who had tickets to Tuesday’s game can use them for Game 2 on Wednesday (scheduled to start at 7:05 p.m.), with the regularly scheduled day game now beginning at 1:05 p.m.

Charlotte Knights 7, Norfolk Tides 6
Charlotte (51-46) had to battle from behind, but a pair of rehabbing big leaguers helped spark the comeback. The Tides grabbed an early 1-0 lead after the dreaded leadoff walk surrendered by David Sandlin came around to score in the first. However, the Knights’ cavalry broke through in the fourth with a three-run frame. Rikuu Nishida worked a free pass before Everson Pereira roped an RBI double. Austin Hays followed by launching a two-run homer to put Charlotte in front for good.

Norfolk tried to creep back in with a pair in the fifth, but Charlotte had a four-run answer. Andy Weber mashed a homer, Nolan Jones drove in another run, and suddenly it was 7-3. The Tides did their best to make it interesting late, nicking Tanner McDougal for one and then squeezing two more out of Garrett Schoenle in the ninth, but the comeback fell a run short. Sandlin, for his part, was stingy with hits but generous with walks, serving up three in four innings and missing out on the win. He fanned two.

MVP
Austin Hays: 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR

Runners-Up
Everson Pereira: 1-for-2, 2 R, RBI, BB, 2B
Rikuu Nishida: 2-for-4, R, BB
Nate Jones: 2-for-4, RBI
Andy Weber: 1-for-4, R, RBI, HR

Cold Cat
Garrett Schoenle: 2/3 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 BB, K
Tanner McDougal: 2/3 IP, 2 H, 1 R
Duncan Davitt: 2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, BB, 2 K, W
Mario Camilletti: 0-for-4, 2 K

Montgomery Biscuits 13, Birmingham Barons 4
Caleb Bonemer wasted zero time, cranking his 22nd bomb of the year in the first to hand Birmingham (34-57) a quick 1-0 lead.

That was the last bit of good news. The Biscuits baked Birmingham as the Barons’ pitching staff got shelled for 13 runs on 17 hits.

The Birmingham offense couldn’t capitalize on its opportunities despite collecting nine hits and three walks, and they finished a disappointing 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Bonemer kept swinging, though, driving in another tally with a single in the fifth after Jacob Burke and Boston Smith worked back-to-back walks. Brendon Dixon chipped in a solo shot in the ninth, but by then, the game was long gone.

MVP
Caleb Bonemer: 3-for-4, R, 2 RBI, HR

Runners-Up
Dylan Campbell: 2-for-4, SB, OA, E
Brendon Dixon: 1-for-4, R, RBI, HR, E
Anthony DePino: 1-for-4, RBI
Alec Briley: 1-for-4, 2B

Cold Cat
Connor McCullough: 3 IP, 6 H, 4 R (3 ER), 3 BB, 2 K, L
Jarold Rosado: 1 IP, 4 H, 4 R (3 ER), BB, K
Samuel Zavala: 0-for-4, 3 K

Greensboro Grasshoppers 6, Winston-Salem Dash 1
Things started well as the Dash (50-41) got on the board first in the bottom of the second. A leadoff single by James Taussig, a pair of wild pitches, and a triple by Ely Brown plated Taussig. Unfortunately, that was the high-water mark for the Dash, as the Grasshoppers answered in the top of the third, grabbed a 2-1 lead, and never looked back. That’s where things stayed until late in the game when Greensboro padded the score off the W-S bullpen with four more tallies, to put the contest out of reach. Five hits for the Dash, with four of them singles, and they went a dismal 1-for-7 with RISP.

MVP
Ely Brown: 2-for-3, RBI, 3B

Runners-Up
James Taussig: 2-for-4, R
Jack Young: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, BB, 2 K
Jeral Perez: 1-for-3, BB
Ryan Burrowes: 1-for-3, BB, SB

Cold Cat
Drew McDaniel: 4 IP: 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K, L
Aric McAtee: 2 IP, 4 H, 3 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 2 K
Kyle Lodise: 0-for-4, 3 K
George Wolkow: 0-for-4
Kaleb Freeman: 0-for-4, K
Arxy Hernández: 0-for-4, 3 K

Columbia Fireflies 7, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 4
The Fireflies came out swinging, and starter Gabriel Rodriguez never stood a chance, allowing six runs in not even two innings, and the Ballers were already buried. The Kanny (47-44) bullpen held Columbia scoreless for five frames until Choyce Diffey served up a run in the eighth. The Ballers’ offense finally ignited in the seventh. With one out, Stiven Flores and Derek Cerda slapped singles, and Matthew Boughton worked a walk to pack the sacks. Alexander Albertus punched in a run, Christian Gonzalez lifted a sac fly for another, and Jurdrick Profar doubled home the last of the rally. Kanny tried to make it interesting in the ninth when Boughton ripped a leadoff triple, and Albertus doubled him in, but it was too little too late.

MVP
Alexander Albertus: 2-for-3, 2 RBI, BB, 2B

Runners-Up
Jurdrick Profar: 1-for-4, RBI, 2B
Matthew Boughton: 1-for-3, 2 R, BB, 3B
Jaden Fauske: 1-for-3, BB
Derek Cerda: 1-for-3, R, BB
Blaine Wynk: 3 1/3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 K

Cold Cat
Gabriel Rodriguez: 1 2/3 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 3 K, L
Billy Carlson: 0-for-4, K
Javier Mogollón: 0-for-4, 2 K

ACL Reds 4, ACL White Sox 2
The ACL White Sox offense was missing in action. Four hits, two walks, and a goose egg in eight shots with runners on. Leandro Alsinois briefly tied it up with his first bomb of the year in the third, but Orlando Suarez handed the lead right back in the bottom of the frame. Frank Mieses added a solo shot late, but that was just window dressing. Both runs came on solo homers, and the rest of the lineup might as well have stayed on the bus.

DSL White Sox 9, DSL Blue Jays Blue 4
Despite only five hits, the DSL White Sox (12-22) had no trouble finding their way around the bases, taking full advantage of a DSL Blue Jays pitching staff that completely lost the strike zone. Toronto hurlers uncorked seven wild pitches and handed out 14 free passes, and the Sox gladly cashed them in, scoring in every inning except the fourth. DSL All-Stars Ronald Cardoza and Sebastian Romero each drove in a run in the opening frame, while Cardoza added another RBI knock in the third, and Felix Lebron added a two-run single in the fifth. The pitching staff did its part, too, limiting the Blue Jays to just four hits and two earned runs across seven frames.

ACL White Sox 8, ACL Brewers 7 (July 20 — 7 innings)
The ACL White Sox looked dead in the water early, trailing 7-4, but then broke through with four late runs to swipe the win. Yordani Soto got things rolling with an RBI double in the second, and then the Sox hung a crooked number in the third, thanks to a two-run shot from rehabbing Wes Kath, who is still trying to justify that second-round pick from 2021. The third baseman, now 23, has yet to put it all together.

Still down three in the fifth, D’Angelo Tejada decided enough was enough and launched his fourth bomb of the year, plating three and knotting things at 7-7. The clincher came in the sixth when Jefrank Silva worked a walk, took second on a passed ball, and Darren Baker, also on the rehab trail, came through with a base hit to bring Silva home for the go-ahead run.

DSL White Sox vs. DSL Pirates Black (July 20 — postponed)
It’s unclear why this one was postponed. Makeup date is July 31.