SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JULY 31: Royce Lewis #23 of the Minnesota Twins reacts after hitting a home run during the seventh inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on July 31, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni/Getty Images) | Getty Images
While in Seattle last summer, one thing I noticed at their ballpark was a preponderance of Nintendo advertising—from player sleeves to wall signs to between-inning ads. Well, tonight—okay, now last night—the Minnesota Twins navigated all the platform stages and slid down the flagpole victorious!
After Twins’ bats went down 1-2-3 in the top of the first inning, MN SP Zebby Matthews struck out the side in B1. The problem? Zebby’s K’s were sandwiched around two walks (both on four pitches) and RBI doubles from Dominic Canzone & Cal Raleigh. 2-0 SEA.
Fortunately, tonight the Twins didn’t wait until the ninth inning to start scoring. After a leadoff walk drawn by Josh “Ring The” Bell against Seattle SP Bryce Miller, with two outs Brooks “General” Lee smashed a sphere 367 feet and beyond T-Mobile Park’s RF fence! 2-2 tie.
The Zebster looked to be cruising through a much easier second inning of work—until Cole Young deposited one over the RF wall not far from where Lee’s launch landed. 3-2 SEA.
In T5, Luke Keaschall coaxed a free base off Miller—but was summarily picked off and any potential rally fizzled. Meanwhile, after those rough first two frames, Zebulon settled down and racked up 10 punch outs—a career high—through five frames. After allowing a bloop base hit to Julio Rodriguez to lead off B6, Matthews exited in favor of Kody Funderburk.
The long ball continued to be the scoring method of choice, this time the pendulum swinging back in the vistors’ favor when Royce “Royce Baby” Lewis rocketed a 419-ft bomb deep to LF! After that, a simple Alan Roden single was pushed around a few left turns when Keaschall deposited a double just inside the LF line. 4-3 MIN.
Back to homers in T8—this time 372 feet worth from Ryan “My Name Is” Jeffers! 5-3 MIN.
See: Zach’s Zealot below for more on this, but the combo platter of Fundy, Nance, Morris, & Gomez kept the M’s off the board the rest of the way. A little drama in B9 when two Gomez walks almost haunted, but old friend Mitch Garver proved to be new friend Mitch Garver in waving at strike three for the Game Over kill screen.
Your Final: Minnesota Twins 5, Seattle Mariners 3.
Ladies and gentlemen, YOUR ‘26 Minnesota Twins are a winning ball club for the first time since April 21! Now tied with the Cleveland Guardians for 2nd place in the AL Central & the final AL Wild Card berth, the Twins are also just 3 GB of the Chicago White Sox for the division lead!
Zach’s Zealot
The MN bullpen: 4 IP, 0 H, 2 BB, 4 K.
Zach’s Zombie
Twins GM Jeremy Zoll: I won’t blame Tristan Gray himself for being overmatched at the dish at the major league level—but I will blame Zoll for calling him up to replace Byron Buxton (IL) when Walker Jenkins was right there.
Two more with the seafarers this weekend (Saturday & Sunday @ 3:10 PM). Maybe all their fans will be distracted by the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks starting their training camp.
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - JULY 31: Jake Bauers #9 of the Milwaukee Brewers celebrates with Jackson Chourio #11 and William Contreras #24 after hitting a three-run home run during the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on July 31, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Ryan Sirius Sun/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Shane Drohan turned in six strong innings in a bounce-back outing, while the Brewers broke the game open with a five-run fifth inning fueled by home runs from Brice Turang and Jake Bauers. After dropping two of three to the Giants to open their California road trip, Milwaukee got back on track tonight with a 6-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels.
After neither team managed to score in the first, Bauers and Garrett Mitchell led off the top of the second with back-to-back singles off Angels starter Ryan Johnson. Up next was Cooper Pratt, who slapped a line drive into left field. With Bauers rounding third, Angels left fielder Jose Siri charged the ball in an attempt to gun him down at the plate but couldn’t come up with it cleanly. By the time the dust settled, Pratt had reached second, Mitchell advanced to third, and Bauers had scored the Brewers’ first run of the game.
Neither team scored again until the fifth, when Johnson walked Pratt to open the frame. Turang then hit a towering fly ball that had just enough carry to clear the center-field fence.
Johnson continued to unravel, allowing Jackson Chourio to single before walking William Contreras to put another rally in motion. He managed just one more out—a sharp lineout off the bat of Christian Yelich—before being pulled in favor of Jose Fermín, whose second pitch to Bauers, a slider low and inside, hung just long enough. Bauers crushed it 424 feet into the seats to make it 6-0, a lead that proved to be more than enough with Drohan on the mound.
Drohan was perfect the first time through the order. In the fourth, he allowed back-to-back singles to Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel before bouncing back to get Jorge Soler to ground into an inning-ending double play. He surrendered a two-run homer to Denzer Guzman in the fifth, bringing the Angels within four, but retired the side in order in the sixth to finish his night. After allowing five earned runs against Colorado in his previous outing, Drohan responded with one of his better starts of the season, earning his sixth win. He’s now gone at least 5 2/3 innings in all six of his starts during the month of July.
With Drohan done after six innings, Grant Anderson, Abner Uribe, and Trevor Megill came in and combined for three no-hit innings. If not for a hit batter by Anderson, they would have been three perfect innings.
One more note for those who missed the game: Mitchell’s stat line doesn’t quite do his night justice. He finished 2-for-4 with a double and a walk, but he also hit three balls at 109 mph or harder — a 109.2 mph double in the fifth, a 111.3 mph single in the second, and a 109.9 mph lineout that traveled 395 feet in the fourth. For Brewers fans who have watched Mitchell battle injuries year after year, it’s been encouraging to see him not only healthy but consistently squaring the ball up.
Milwaukee will look to clinch the series tomorrow night before wrapping up its road trip on Sunday. Robert Gasser is scheduled to start for the Brewers opposite Angels right-hander José Soriano. First pitch is set for 8:38 p.m.
SACRAMENTO, CA - JULY 31: Jonah Heim #15 of the Athletics bats during the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on Friday, July 31, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Darren Yamashita/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Athletics dropped their third straight game on Friday night, falling to the Detroit Tigers 13-1 in embarrassing fashion in front of the Sacramento home crowd. Not a lot of positives from tonight’s contest.
After a rollercoaster week at the Commonwealth Games, the double Olympic champion says he will never stop believing what he can achieve
“I couldn’t switch off because it’s been a real rollercoaster of a week,” Adam Ramsay-Peaty says with a weary smile on a quiet Thursday morning in Glasgow. He has just endured a rough night in which, after winning his third medal of the Commonwealth Games, he managed less than three hours of sleep. The medals consist of bronze in the 100m and 50m breaststroke and a silver in the men’s 4x100m medley. For most swimmers this would constitute success and satisfaction, but Ramsay-Peaty is different.
The fact that none of his three medals are gold, or attached to anything remotely like the kind of supreme performance that Ramsay-Peaty churned out with an aura of invincibility for eight years, has taken a chunk out of the double Olympic champion. There have been tears of frustration and an admission that “nothing makes sense this week”.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JULY 31: Dominic Canzone #8 of the Seattle Mariners reacts after striking out during the fifth inning against the Minnesota Twins at T-Mobile Park on July 31, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Twins 5, Mariners 3
Clever, light-hearted japery in rhyme: Cal Raleigh, .16 WPA (hey! A Cal Raleigh WPA lead!)
Getting dragged to an open mic night where the theme is sadness: Eduard Bazardo, -.25 WPA
Game thread comment of the day:
I think this is also a poem
And a bonus, because if you watched this stinker, you deserve a bonus and I cannot give you a monetary one:
DENVER, COLORADO - JULY 31: Tomoyuki Sugano #11 of the Colorado Rockies celebrates after pitching in the sixth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Coors Field on July 31, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Colorado Rockies closed July by matching their entire 2025 win total.
Following an hour-long rain delay, Tomoyuki Sugano delivered 6.2 excellent innings, the Rockies converted five hits and two Kansas City errors into three runs against All-Star right-hander Michael Wacha, and Jordan Romano retired the Royals in order in the ninth to secure a 3-1 victory Friday night at Coors Field.
Colorado improved to 43-67, while Kansas City fell to 46-65. Last year’s Rockies did not reach win No. 43 until September 21.
Sugano earned the victory to improve to 11-4. Wacha fell to 5-8 despite striking out seven across six innings, and Romano recorded his ninth save.
Sugano controls the game
Tomoyuki Sugano did not overpower the Kansas City Royals. He simply controlled nearly every part of the game.
Sugano completed 6.2 innings on only 83 pitches, allowing one run on five hits. He did not issue a walk, struck out two and induced nine groundouts.
That line only begins to describe how firmly he controlled the night.
Sugano used all seven pitches in his arsenal and refused to give Kansas City a stable look. His 24 splitters led the mix, followed by 17 four-seam fastballs and 13 cutters. He also threw eight sinkers, eight sliders, eight sweepers and five curveballs.
The splitter was his primary finishing weapon. It generated five whiffs on nine swings, accounting for five of Sugano’s eight swinging strikes. His sweeper provided a different type of value, producing three called strikes on only eight pitches.
Sugano’s four-seam fastball averaged 92.7 mph and topped out at 93.4 mph. Neither the velocity nor movement of his arsenal differed dramatically from his season norms.
Sugano opened with two harmless popups before striking out Jac Caglianone. He set up the finish with two splitters below the zone, then changed the hitter’s eye level with consecutive 93.3 mph four-seam fastballs. Caglianone chased the second above the zone.
Kansas City made its hardest early contact in the second.
Salvador Perez opened the inning with a sharp grounder that deflected off Ezequiel Tovar, but Kyle Karros immediately started a 5-6-3 double play. Isaac Collins then lined a ball that deflected off a diving Brenton Doyle and rolled all the way to the wall for a triple.
Sugano stranded him there.
John Rave grounded out to Tovar, and Sugano went on to retire the Royals in order in the third, fourth and fifth innings.
Carter Jensen saw four splitters in a six-pitch plate appearance to end the third, including the final one buried below the zone for a swinging strikeout. Kansas City then managed only one ball out of the infield in the fourth and three groundouts in the fifth.
Sugano’s lone marked mistake came with two outs in the sixth.
He fell behind Jensen 2-0 and left an 85.9 mph splitter in a hittable location. Jensen crushed it 424 feet to right at 102.5 mph.
It was the 21st home run Sugano has allowed this season, but the 18th with the bases empty.
Lane Thomas followed the homer with a single, but Caglianone lined out to Doyle in center. Sugano returned for the seventh, allowed a soft leadoff single to Perez and retired the next two hitters before Warren Schaeffer went to the bullpen.
Sugano’s final numbers were excellent. Sugano was excellent.
Rockies find just enough against Wacha
Michael Wacha brought an All-Star résumé and a devastating changeup to Coors Field.
Colorado still reached him before he could settle into the game.
Mickey Moniak doubled with one out in the first, staying back on an 80.3 mph changeup and lining it into right field at 92.8 mph. Hunter Goodman struck out, but TJ Rumfield worked through a six-pitch at-bat and served another changeup into right for a two-out RBI single.
Wacha threw six pitch types, but his changeup controlled much of the night. He used it 31 times, more than any other offering, and generated 13 whiffs on 24 swings. Six of his seven strikeouts ended on the pitch.
His four-seam fastball averaged 92.9 mph, while the changeup sat at 81.4 mph. That separation allowed Wacha to disrupt timing without relying on overpowering velocity.
He paired it with cutters, four-seamers, sinkers and breaking balls, then repeatedly returned to it when he needed a finishing pitch.
Goodman saw five different pitch types before Wacha doubled up on the changeup for strike three. Wacha retired six straight hitters after the first inning, five by strikeout.
Karros interrupted that stretch in the fourth.
After Rumfield flew out, Karros lined an 81.2 mph changeup into left field at 103.1 mph. It was his second hit of the night and his second well-struck ball against Wacha.
Tyler Freeman grounded out to move Karros to second, and the inning began to unravel from there.
Troy Johnston hit a slow grounder between first and second. Michael Massey fielded it and threw toward Wacha covering first, but Wacha did not reach the bag in time. The throw went into the dugout, allowing Karros to score and Johnston to advance to second.
Brenton Doyle then ripped another 81.2 mph changeup past the diving Rojas and down the left-field line. The ball left Doyle’s bat at 96.8 mph, and Johnston scored to give Colorado a 3-0 lead.
Tovar nearly added another run, but his drive to right was caught near the warning track.
Colorado did not create constant traffic against Wacha. They instead converted the few openings he allowed.
Rumfield drove in the first run with two outs. Karros created the fourth-inning opportunity with hard contact. Johnston forced the defense to make a play, and Doyle punished the next pitch.
Wacha remained difficult into the sixth.
Karros laid off a curveball and slider below the zone, fouled off a four-seam fastball and then watched Wacha paint the outside corner with a 92.3 mph fastball for strike three. The fastball worked because of everything that came before it. Karros had respected the offspeed stuff, and Wacha used that expectation to steal the edge with velocity.
Freeman followed with a 10-pitch plate appearance before lining a ball at Andrew Velazquez. The shortstop bobbled it but recovered in time to make the play.
Johnston then did nearly everything right. He worked the count, laid off a tempting fastball near the top of the zone and lined a 100.5 mph drive to right with an 18-degree launch angle, but John Rave tracked it down for the final out of the inning.
Wacha completed six innings on 99 pitches. He allowed three runs, only one earned, on five hits without issuing a walk.
Bullpen finishes Sugano’s work
Antonio Senzatela entered with Perez at second and two outs in the seventh.
John Rave immediately lined a first-pitch fastball into center, but Brenton Doyle came up ready to throw and Perez held at third. Josh Rojas then lifted a fly ball to left that Jake McCarthy handled without difficulty.
Senzatela returned for the eighth and struck out pinch-hitter Nick Loftin before Warren Schaeffer turned to Brennan Bernardino.
Bernardino retired Carter Jensen on a grounder to first, walked Lane Thomas and got Jac Caglianone to ground out to TJ Rumfield. Kansas City again failed to turn traffic into a run.
The Rockies went quietly in the bottom of the eighth, leaving Jordan Romano a two-run lead to protect.
Romano did not allow the Royals to make the ninth uncomfortable.
He struck out Salvador Perez, got Michael Massey to fly out to McCarthy and finished the game when Isaac Collins lifted a high fly into shallow right.
Carrigg’s catch secured the 3-1 victory in his first major-league appearance in right field.
The bullpen combined for 2.1 scoreless innings. Senzatela and Bernardino each recorded two outs, while Romano completed a perfect ninth with one strikeout to earn the save.
Final thoughts
Tomoyuki Sugano was outstanding.
He needed only 83 pitches to record 20 outs, did not issue a walk and kept Kansas City from building a sustained inning.
Sugano entered the night as a possible trade candidate. If this was his final start in purple, he gave the Rockies exactly the kind of performance that made him valuable in the first place.
Kyle Karros finished 2-for-3 and scored twice. His 103.1 mph single was the hardest-hit ball by a Rockies batter, and he continued to show the zone awareness that makes his plate appearances compelling. Even his called strikeout in the sixth came after a disciplined battle that Wacha won through sequencing and location.
Troy Johnston did not record a hit, but twice lined the ball sharply directly at a defender. Results have been difficult for Johnston, but his process and contact were better than his final line.
Cole Carrigg replaced Johnston in the eighth for his first appearance in right field. Carrigg has played overwhelmingly in center, with limited time at shortstop, and added another position to his defensive résumé before recording the final out.
Colorado finished 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position and produced two two-out RBI. Kansas City went 1-for-3 with runners in scoring position and left five runners aboard.
The Rockies entered the night with 42 wins.
They reached No. 43 before the calendar turned to August, matching their entire 2025 total and closing July with another sign of progress.
Up next
The Rockies and Royals continue their three-game series Saturday at Coors Field, with first pitch scheduled for 6:10 p.m. MDT.
Kansas City will start right-hander Luis Avila, who enters at 5-3 with a 4.95 ERA and 59 strikeouts. Colorado will counter with right-hander Ryan Feltner, who is 3-5 with a 5.73 ERA and 54 strikeouts.
DENVER, COLORADO - JULY 31: Josh Rojas #40 of the Kansas City Royals throws to first base after fielding a bunted ball in the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on July 31, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After a one-hour rain delay, the Royals were quickly beaten by the Colorado Rockies on Friday night, 3-1.
Michael Wacha surrendered a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the first, which put the Royals down 1-0.
The Royals were completely stumped against Tomoyuki Sugano, the Japanese righty was efficient and effective, going 6.2 innings, allowing 5 hits, 1 run, striking out 2. Sugano induced tons of weak contact, outside a very few select at bats. He finished his night at just 83 pitches.
The Rockies scored the two game deciding runs in the bottom of the 4th inning, when with two outs and a runner on second, a routine grounder to second caused the Royals trouble. The ball was hit right to Massey for the third out, but Jac Caglianone, who was playing first, made a move to field the ball, he was out of position to cover the base, so Wacha sprinted over to get there, unfortunately, Massey’s throw didn’t connect, it was an error, and 2-0 Rockies. The next batter, Brenton Doyle doubled in another run making it 3-0.
The Royals got their only run of the night on Carter Jensen’s 15th home run of the season. It was a towering shot into the right field seats. With two outs in the 6th inning, Lane Thomas followed up with a single, but Cags lined out to center, ending the threat.
The Royals had another shot in the 7th, when Salvador Perez singled, and moved to second on a groundout. With two outs, John Rave singled, but Salvy couldn’t score. Josh Rojas flied out to end the inning.
Michael Wacha was really good again, and again, like all season, received no run support. His final line was 6 innings, 5 hits, 3 runs (1 earned) and 7 strikeouts. Nate Pearson and Easton McGee each looked good in their one inning of work.
The Royals will try and even the series tomorrow night, with first pitch at 6:40 p.m. CT. Luinder Avila will get the start.
Jul 31, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Detroit Tigers center fielder Max Clark (15) reacts after hitting a single during the fourth inning of the game against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The opener of a three-game series in Sacramento saw a highly anticipated big-league debut which absolutely did not disappoint, and a low-scoring game was blown wide open in the late innings as the Tigers won 13-1.
Casey Mize was supposed to be the starter but was scratched because (a.) he might be traded, (b.) his speed was noticeably down in his last start, or (c.) all of the above. So it was a good, old-fashioned Bullpen Day and Tyler Holton got things going. He’s not unfamiliar with the role, as he had nine starts during Pitching Chaos™ in 2024.
Jeffrey Springs got the start for the A’s, and it’s been a rough season for him, especially lately. A month ago he gave up six runs in consecutive starts, and in his previous start he didn’t get out of the second inning. Pitching half his starts at the launching-pad that is Sacramento certainly doesn’t help your stats.
The Athletics got on the board in the bottom of the first: Jacob Wilson walked with one out, and a Jonah Heim double clanked off a diving Riley Greene’s glove in left-centre to score Wilson and put the home team up 1-0, but that was all they’d get, as it turned out.
In the top of the second, Spencer Torkelson singled with one out to bring up Max Clark for the first time in the major leagues. On a full count he took a high four-seam fastball for ball four, putting two runners on for Javier Báez… who grounded into an inning-ending double play.
Henry Bolte, who is the fastest guy in the major leagues, got plunked with one out in the bottom of the second. Dillon Dingler had something to say about him trying to steal a base.
Gleyber Torres walked and Dingler followed with a soft single; a Riley Greene groundout acted like a bunt to push the runners up a base. But Hao-Yu Lee grounded out to short and that was that.
Ty Madden took over for Holton to start the bottom of the third. A pair of walks put two runners on with two out, but Tyler Soderstrom grounded out to second to end the mini-threat.
ClarkWatch 2026 continued in the top of the fourth: Torkelson worked a leadoff walk, and Clark served an opposite-field single into shallow left field for his first major-league hit. A lineout by Báez pushed Torkelson up to third, and Ben Malgeri walked to load the bases. McGonigle hit a shallow fly ball to right and Torkelson managed to beat the throw home for a 2-1 Tigers lead.
Meanwhile, Madden settled down and sprinkled a couple of hits here-and-there but nothing the A’s were doing looked vaguely threatening. Drew Sommers took over to start the sixth and he needed all of seven pitches to dispatch the A’s on a pair of strikeouts and a groundout. He also sailed through the seventh: a strikeout, groundout and foul popup to Dingler took eight pitches.
The game was still a tight, low-scoring affair entering the eighth — an unusual occurrence in Sacramento — and pinch-hitter Eduardo Valencia led off the inning with a sharp single. He was lifted for a pinch-runner, Zack McKinstry, who moved over to third on a Torkelson single to put runners on the corners. Clark came up and smacked a double off the wall in left field to score McKinstry, putting the Tigers up 3-1.
Báez snuck another single just over an infielder’s head to score Torkelson and move Clark up to third for a 4-1 score. A hard grounder to third by Malgeri was too hot to handle, and Clark aggressively scooted home for a 5-1 lead; smartly, Clark ran home a couple of feet on the infield side of the third base line to make any possible third-to-home throw that much harder. McGonigle walked to load the bases with none out; Torres hit a hard liner to shortstop for the first out, but Dingler rocketed a grand slam to straightaway centre for a 9-1 lead.
Enmanuel De Jesus, who was just recalled from Toledo, was brought in for the bottom of the eighth. He gave up a couple of very hard-hit outs but ultimately he put up a zero for the inning.
Clark continued his fine debut in the top of the ninth with another double, pushing Torkelson up to third, who’d led off with a single. Both runners scored on a Báez single for a 11-1 lead, and he came around to score on Malgeri’s first major-league home run for a 13-1 score.
De Jesus closed out the ninth — again, some hard contact in there — and the Max Clark Experience was officially in the books. Can we keep him?
Hao-Yu Lee’s hitless Wednesday game ended a twelve-game hitting streak for him.
Max Clark made his debut tonight, of course. In his age-21 season in Toledo before the call-up, he hit .276 in 418 plate appearances, with 11 home runs and 21 stolen bases.
The Tigers had four rookies in their starting lineup: Lee, Clark, Kevin McGonigle and Ben Malgeri. Another rookie, Eduardo Valencia, got a pinch-hit single as well.
This day in 1970 was Black Tot Day in the UK’s Royal Navy. For nearly two centuries before this day, sailors in their Navy were given a ration of rum every single day they were at sea. Think that lasted an absurdly long time? Well, the Royal Canadian Navy abolished the ration about two years later, and in the Royal New Zealand Navy it lasted until 1990.
SEATTLE — The Minnesota Twins acquired right-handed pitcher Dean Kremer from the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night in exchange for minor league outfielder Jhomnardo Reyes.
Kremer, 30, has a 6.50 ERA in seven starts this season. The seventh year right-hander has gone 42-44 with a career 4.37 ERA in 133 games, all with the Orioles.
To clear room for Kremer on the 40-man roster, the Twins transferred right-handed pitcher Mike Paredes to the 60-day injured list. A corresponding 26-man roster move will be announced at a later date.
Kremer opened the 2026 season in the minors, one year after he led the Orioles in wins, innings and strikeouts. Kremer went 11-10 with a 4.19 ERA while striking out 142 batters over 171 2/3 innings last season. He also dealt with a quad injury that sidelined him from mid-April until July.
Reyes, 18, is hitting .275 with seven home runs, 46 RBIs and 17 stolen bases in 216 plate appearances between the Twins’ Rookie League affiliate and Single-A Fort Myers. The Dominican Republic native spent all of the 2025 season in the Dominican Summer League, and was originally signed by the Twins in January 2025.
In fact, he has been a key part of their center group since he was first acquired from the Nashville Predators, along with defenseman Luke Schenn, for forward Michael Bunting and a fourth-round pick on Mar. 5, 2025.
The decision by Dubas and the Penguins to re-sign Novak is a relatively low-risk move, especially since the cap hit will be just a $1.15 million jump from his current contract in a rapidly rising-cap environment. The team will bolster its center depth for the next few seasons, and it allows 19-year-old Ben Kindel to ease into the transition of, presumably, taking on top-six center duties.
However, Novak is 29, meaning that he will be 33 when the deal expires. For perspective, defenseman Ryan Shea, who signed a five-year free agent deal with the Edmonton Oilers at the beginning of July, is also 29, and the Penguins opted to let him walk despite him being a key part of their blue line last season.
It's no secret that Dubas and the Penguins want to take a step toward contention next season, and they have certainly been trying to execute that roster-wise. There were substantiated rumors about them pursuing Dallas Stars superstar Jason Robertson before he signed a one-year deal to avoid arbitration with Dallas, and they have also been loosely connected to Seattle Kraken young center Shane Wright.
Even removing hypotheticals, they continued the "brick-by-boring" brick approach to improving the periphery of their roster. They took bets on Declan Carlile and Kaedan Korczak on the blue line, and the same applies to forwards Andrei Kuzmenko, Nicholas Robertson, and Hendrix Lapierre. They also have a few youngsters in defenseman Harrison Brunicke, goaltender Sergei Murashov, and forwards Rutger McGroarty, Tristan Broz, and Avery Hayes on the verge of what is, hopefully, permanence at the NHL level.
With or without Novak beyond next season, the future is looking much, much brighter for Pittsburgh than it did a few years ago. The system has been injected with some youth talent, and some of these players will phase in as aging veterans phase out. They have some shorter-term solutions and, hopefully, some longer-term ones.
But the decision to sign Novak - even though it helps their stated goal to become sustainable contenders as urgently as possible - also exposes how glaring the need at the center position is for the Penguins. Yes, there is promise in Kindel as a fixture for years to come as a top-six center, but at the end of the day, he's still a bit of an unknown, especially as his role gets bigger.
But beyond Kindel? Obviously, Sidney Crosby is turning 39 in a week. Evgeni Malkin turned 40 Friday and seems to be a full-time winger now. There is Novak, 33-year-old Rickard Rakell, and bottom-six mainstays in Blake Lizotte, Connor Dewar, and Hendrix Lapierre.
Sure, Broz shows some promise, but his ceiling is most likely a solid two-way third-line center. Bill Zonnon and Will Horcoff are question marks in terms of whether or not they will be centers at the NHL level - Horcoff being very unlikely, as he's developing into a scoring winger - and guys like Zam Plante and Markus Ruck are either complete uncertainties or much farther out than a couple of years.
If the Penguins want to win in the short- and long-term, they are going to have to acquire a young, elite center talent at some point, whether that's via trade or via the draft. Given the organization's stated goals and the direction they're moving in, it seems unlikely that the draft will bear much fruit until after Crosby decides to call it a career.
So, yes, the signing of Novak is, effectively, a bandage to help cover up a pretty deep-cut wound. If the Penguins expect to reach their desired destination, they will have to pull all stops to get their hands on a dynamic young center who can help them get there.
In other words, don't assume Dubas is done yet. There could be more at work here. But, even if there's not, the signing of Novak at least buys them a little bit more time to weigh their options and, eventually, pursue the right centerman for the job.
BALTIMORE – Shortly before the Philadelphia Phillies took the field Friday, July 31, desperate to slow their second-half free fall, owner John Middleton and Sam Fuld, their president of business operations, took a tour of Camden Yards’ new amenities, guided by an Orioles official.
The Phillies have big plans for their own Citizens Bank Park, the success of these past five seasons making a refurbishing of their lovely ballpark a well-timed venture.
Down on the field, interim manager Don Mattingly was searching even harder for upgrades.
The Phillies had lost nine of their last 12 games since hosting the All-Star Game, the fourth and fifth spots in their rotation still unreliable, the ennui spreading through the lineup and bullpen. Fresh out of ideas and the trade deadline still three stultifying days away, the Phillies returned promising but erratic right-hander Andrew Painter to the major leagues, not because they envision him immediately locking down a rotation spot.
“He gives us the best chance,” Mattingly said of Painter, 1-8 with a 7.06 ERA his first time up, “to win a game tonight.”
Painter was up to the smaller task at hand, shutting out the Orioles for five innings after a shaky two-run first. He gave them a chance to win. Yet the rookie was powerless to cure every other area failing the Phillies, a notion apparent immediately after he left the game.
This time, it was relievers Orion Kerkering and Tim Mayza forfeiting a two-run, seventh-inning lead Painter hand delivered them, flipping the result of a game that will reverberate throughout the major leagues on this crucial weekend before the trade deadline.
Their failures were a boon to the Baltimore Orioles, who, thanks to a two-run double by Christian Encarnacion-Strand off Kerkering and a two-run, left-on-left triple by Gunnar Henderson off Mayza, registered their most important win of the season, a 6-4 victory before 31,857 at that refurbished Camden Yards.
The Phillies, now 57-53, were never supposed to be in the ambiguous buy-or-sell state so many teams find themselves in as the Aug. 3 trade deadline bears down. And they’re still not: Baseball operations president Dave Dombrowski’s urgency to add relievers, a starting pitcher or two, a right-handed bat only keeps spiking.
Yet the Phillies are in trouble.
They are 3-10 since the break, losers of eight of their last nine games. Their franchise player, Bryce Harper, just finished one of the worst months of his career, batting .172 with a .625 OPS and two home runs.
And the bullpen has a 4.64 second-half ERA, their pratfalls testing the patience already running short around the room.
Kerkering posted scoreless outings in 10 of his last 11 appearances, but the red lights were still blinking: He’d walked 10 in 10⅔ innings, a performance that suggested his good fortune might soon run out.
It did so in disastrous fashion in the seventh inning.
Jackson Holliday got him for a hard-hit single and after Coby Mayo struck out, the base-on-ball reared its head again as Colton Cowser reached, putting the tying runs on.
The plan against Encarnacion-Strand, catcher J.T. Realmuto said, was to get him to chase, to fire a sweeper far out of the zone for a whiff. Kerkering indeed got it out of the zone, Realmuto said, just not far enough.
The two-run double ignited Camden Yards, and Kerkering’s night ended after he hit Pete Alonso with a pitch, leading to Mayza’s fateful match with Henderson.
Kerkering minced no words when asked the level of frustration with his poor location.
“It pisses me the (expletive) off,” Kerkering said. “Yeah, it’s frustrating because you can’t give the team a chance to win, almost, it feels like. It pisses me off a lot.
He’s not the only one. The Phillies hit the break 54-43, two games behind Atlanta in the NL East. They were a half-game out of the No. 1 wild card.
Now? They are eight games behind Atlanta and holding on to the No. 3 and final wild card slot, just a game in front of San Diego and 1½ ahead of Miami.
Could these Phillies, this veteran group that’s made October their playground every autumn since 2022, miss the playoffs?
“This, too, shall pass,” Mattingly insisted.
He was speaking more specifically about the bullpen, but it could apply to the grander canvas. Dombrowski remains among the most aggressive GMs in the game, and his presence is hard to miss, physically and otherwise, at the deadline.
The postgame scene was appropriately muted. Middleton strolled quickly through the clubhouse, stopping to tell Kerkering, “Don’t worry about it.”
Outside the clubhouse, Dombrowski huddled quietly with Harper, who, in something of an annual ritual, called for roster improvements by the deadline.
Perhaps Dombrowski was assuring him something was coming. Reinforcements will almost certainly be here by Tuesday.
Shoring up what they already have would make a bigger impact.
“This is not the brand of baseball we want to be playing,” says Realmuto, who hit his eighth homer. “We’ve got the guys in this room to win. We know that. We just have to play better.
“We’re just not doing enough things, particularly late in the game. I feel like when it really matters, we’re not making pitches we need to make, not attacking guys, and that’s getting us in trouble.
“We have confidence in this group. But at the same time, we know we have to do it. We can’t just talk about it. We just need to change our mentality late in the game, get some confidence and run with it.”
Paul Skenes entered the 2026 MLB season as arguably the best pitcher in the game.
The top pick of the 2023 MLB Draft was the Rookie of the Year in 2024 and won the NL Cy Young Award in 2025 with a sterling 1.97 ERA.
After a disastrous 2026 opening day that saw him give up five runs and fail to escape the first inning, the Pittsburgh Pirates ace settled back in, getting his ERA back below 2 by May 12 and keeping it at 3 or below until it hit 3.10 on June 26.
Skenes' ERA sits at 3.90 now after he lasted just four innings on Friday night, giving up seven hits (including two homers) and five runs. The Pirates ended up losing 8-7 to the Cincinnati Reds, though Skenes did not take the loss.
"It took pretty much an inning to find my delivery, which happens. Usually it doesn't look that bad in the first inning," Skenes said postgame. "Just pretty sloppy all around."
It's the second consecutive rough start for Skenes. He struck out 11 against the Chicago Cubs but gave up five runs in 5.1 innings in his July 25 start. This now marks an unfortunate first for Skenes − back-to-back starts allowing five earned runs.
On July 1, Skenes also lasted just four innings, giving up eight runs (seven earned) in a 10-6 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.
So, what's gone wrong for Skenes this month?
"I think today was extreme. Today was just straight up the sloppiest outing of the year for me," Skenes reiterated when asked about his month. "I think other than that, probably haven't been getting ahead in counts enough. You know, walking guys, giving up contact when I don't really want to be giving up contact at times.
"Up until today I think I've viewed the past month or so as me throwing the ball pretty well even though it doesn't look like it at all, really. The month as a whole I don't think has been terrible. Today was pretty terrible."
🎙️ Paul Skenes on his start: "It took pretty much an inning to find my delivery... just pretty sloppy all around."
On the Pirates as of late: "With the exception of my start I think we've played pretty well. Battled the whole way offensively... Just gotta keep going. I don't… pic.twitter.com/ta6JAmfA5U
Codify Baseball noted a clear drop in Skenes' top pitch velocity over the course of his 23 starts this season. In five of Skenes' past six starts, he's failed to top 98 mph, per Codify Baseball.
98+ MPH pitches thrown by Paul Skenes in each of his 78 career big league starts:
"It's been an interesting year, a little bit," Skenes said when asked how he moves forward after his frustrating outings. "But, it could be a lot worse. We'll figure it out. I'm going to figure it out. But it could be a lot worse."
Paul Skenes has thrown just 95 pitches at 98+ MPH this season.
He surpassed that total in just three starts in 2024 and five starts in 2025 🤯
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JULY 08: Dean Kremer #64 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches during a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 8, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the Twins have acquired starting pitcher Dean Kremer from the Baltimore Orioles. The Twins are sending outfield prospect Jhonmardo Reyes in return. Kremer is owed $5.75M this season and is controllable via arbitration for 2027.
Kremer has struggled this season to a 6.50 ERA/6.24 FIP in seven starts this year, but has a long track record as a reliable starter. He’s also missed most of the season with a quad strain and just returned July 1, and his advanced numbers paint a prettier picture with a 4.92 xERA/3.81 xFIP. From 2022-2025, Kremer had 3.95 ERA/4.17 FIP in 599 innings, so the Twins are making the bet he’ll return to that form down the stretch.
If there’s one area that is likely to get back to normal immediately, it’s Kremer’s home run rate. Kremer has allowed 12 home runs in those 7 seven starts for a robust 3.00 HR/9. He was sitting at a 1.17 HR/9 for his career before this season and will likely regress closer to that figure as he rounds into shape.
Reyes, 18, will be heading back to the Orioles. He’s still a long ways away, but he’s had some very exciting flashes in his first full season in the Twins’ system. FanGraphs has him rated as the Twins 10th-best prospect, touting his top end power potential with a lot of questions about his ability to make contact against better pitchers. Twinkie Town’s Aidan O’Brien is a bit lower on Reyes, placing him at number 22.
Starting pitching is always significantly more expensive than relievers, but this is a pricey trade for a pitcher that has looked rough this season. His track record will likely pay off in the long run, but Reyes is a significant tier above most 18-year-old wildcard prospects. The Orioles were likely only willing to move Kremer this early specifically because the Twins were willing to offer Reyes. And while I consider this a bit of an overpay, it’s not outrageously high and the cost for starting pitching is high in July (See: Minnesota getting a decent prospect for Chris Paddack last season).
The Twins have been very active early, completing two of the three trades that have happened so far at deadline week. I still expect them to bring in one more reliever, though the Kremer acquisition makes moving Prielipp to the ’pen much more likely, if not probable.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 30: Edward Cabrera #30 of the Chicago Cubs delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Angels during the second inning at Wrigley Field on March 30, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Iowa Cubs pitcher Connor Noland was activated off the Development List.
Second baseman Dom Krupinski was promoted from the ACL Cubs to low-A Myrtle Beach.
Edward Cabrera started this game on a rehab assignment. Cabrera only threw 1.2 innings and 43 pitches. He was charged with three runs on two hits and two walks, although two of the runs scored in the second inning after he was relieved by Ty Blach. Cabrera struck out three. He struggled with control as only 26 of his 43 pitches were strikes. However, his velocity was consistently between 94 and 98 miles per hour.
First baseman Jonathonn Long went 3 for 5 with a double and one run scored.
Center fielder Brett Bateman was 2 for 5.
Catcher Owen Ayers went 1 for 2 with two walks and an RBI.
Right fielder Kevin Alcántara extended his on-base streak to 39 games by going 1 for 4. He drove in one and scored one run.
Luis Martinez-Gomez started and gave the Smokies a solid six innings, giving up three runs on five hits. All three runs scored on the two home runs he allowed. Martinez-Gomez walked two and struck out five.
The loss went to Kenyi Perez, who pitched the seventh inning and surrendered two runs on two hits. Perez struck out two and did not walk anyone, but he did hit one batter that came around to scored.
Center fielder Alex Ramírez hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning, his 13th on the year. Ramírez was 3 for 5 with a double and the home run. He also stole a base.
Third baseman Jefferson Rojas went 1 for 2 with a double and two walks. He scored two runs.
RBI single for left fielder Carter Trice, who went 1 for 4 with a walk.
Kohl Franklin started this game on a rehab assignment and gave up one run on three hits over 1.2 innings. Franklin walked three and struck out one.
Nate Williams relieved Franklin and got the win because Franklin didn’t go five. Williams allowed one run on two hits over 2.1 innings. Williams walked three and struck out three.
South Bend scored nine runs in the top of the second inning, sending 13 batters to the plate. The Cubs hit three home runs in the second. The first one was a three-run home run by center fielder Kane Kepley. It was Kepley’s seventh home run on the season. Kepley went 1 for 4 with two walks, a hit-by-pitch, the home run and his 50th steal of the season. He scored twice.
Later in the second, right fielder Kade Snell hit a two-run home run, his sixth of the year and third in two nights. Snell went 1 for 6.
Shortstop Angel Cepeda then went back-to-back with Snell. It was Cepeda’s third South Bend home run and fourth overall. Cepeda was 2 for 4 with two walks and a stolen base. He scored twice in the second inning.
Third baseman Matt Halbach hit the Cubs’ fourth home run of the game in the sixth inning with the bases empty. It was Halbach’s eighth home run. Halbach went 1 for 4 with two walks.
Second baseman Ty Southisene was 3 for 4 with three walks. Southisene scored twice and drove in two.
Left fielder Jose Escobar doubled twice in a 3 for 6 game. He scored one run and had three runs batted in.
DH Logan Poteet was 2 for 5 with a double and a walk. He scored twice and had one RBI.
First baseman Josiah Hartshorn went 1 for 6 with a two-rum double and a walk. I mention this because the switch-hitter hit the double left-handed off a lefty. Hartshorn scored twice
David Avita started and took the loss. Avita pitched three innings and surrendered five runs on seven hits. Avita struck out one, walked one and hit one batter.
The only Pelicans run came in the fourth inning when right fielder Eli Lovich singled home shortstop Alexis Hernandez. Both players were 1 for 4.
Third baseman Corey Nunez is off to a great start to his pro career. Tonight he was 2 for 4 with a double.
Dodgers reliever Will Klein has been battling command problems for a few weeks now.
On Friday night against the Red Sox, it led to a frightening scene in the third inning at Dodger Stadium.
In an at-bat against Willson Contreras, the hard-throwing Klein lost control of two elevated 95 mph fastballs. The first one buzzed Contreras’ tower. The second drilled him straight in the back of the helmet.
On Friday night against the Red Sox, it led to a frightening scene in the third inning at Dodger Stadium. AP Photo/Mark J. TerrillIn an at-bat against Willson Contreras, the hard-throwing Klein lost control of two elevated 95 mph fastballs. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Will Klein knocked Wilson Contreras down on a pitch up and in, then two pitches later hit Contreras in the helmet.
Contreras walked to first base on his own power and is currently still in the game. pic.twitter.com/8xtfcuJw8g
The Red Sox later announced that Contreras had been removed for “precautionary reasons.”
Klein, a World Series hero for the Dodgers last year who has also battled command problems throughout his career, seemed remorseful about his misfire, walking slowly off the mound with a shake of his head. Dodgers catcher Eliezer Alfonzo also gave Contreras an apologetic tap as he walked up the base line. Contreras received an ovation from the stands as he reached first base.
That pitch would be the last of the night for Klein, who gave up three runs (two earned) in 1 ⅓ innings during the Dodgers’ planned bullpen game.
The right-hander has now allowed runs in six-straight appearances, and has issued multiple free bases (through either walks or hit batters) in four of his last five. His season ERA has climbed from 1.78 on June 2 to 3.89 following Friday’s outing.
