Chalk up yet another impressive career milestone for Shohei Ohtani in what will be a Hall of Fame career.In the first inning against the Colorado Rockies, Ohtani lead off the game with a home run, the 300th of his career.
Ohtani crushed right-hander Michael Lorenzen's third pitch of the game — a 93-mph sinker — over the center-field fence at Dodger Stadium for the milestone blast, giving the Los Angeles Dodgers an early 1-0 lead.
The Mets dropped a rollercoaster game to the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night, losing 16-12.
New York took a 9-4 lead into the fourth inning, but all of a sudden found themselves down 16-9 after a disastrous seven-run seventh inning. They slowly clawed back, cutting the deficit to four runs heading into the ninth, but the rally would end there.
The Royals out-hit the Mets 19-13 in the chaotic series-opener. It's the first time New York has scored 11 or more runs at home and lost.
Here are the takeaways...
-- New York jumped on the board against former Met Seth Lugo in the bottom of the first inning with one of the craziest little league home runs you'll ever see... and it may have been a sign of things to come.
With two outs and runners on first and second base, Carson Benge singled on a tapper to Lugo -- and that's when it got messy. Lugo's throw went by first base, allowing a run to score. Then, 1B Jac Caglianone's throw sailed across the field to no-man's land and 3B Nick Loftin picked up the loose ball, firing home late as another run scored. As if it couldn't get worse, the ball got by catcher Carter Jensen, so Benge, who never stopped running, came around to score.
In total, three errors gave the Mets a 3-0 lead.
-- Cionel Pérez made his second start of the season as the opener and escaped some first-inning trouble, including a balk that pushed two runners into scoring position. Kodai Senga replaced him on the mound in the second and got two quick outs, but couldn't hold onto the clean frame. The righty let up a single and a two-run homer to Tyler Tolbert that cut the lead to 3-2.
-- A.J. Ewing one-upped Benge's "home run" with a two-run blast to right field in the bottom of the second inning, pushing the lead to 5-2. It's Ewing's sixth HR of the season.
-- Senga got into trouble again in the fourth inning, loading the bases and allowing a two-run double to Lane Thomas as the Royals trailed, 5-4. It nearly got worse, but Juan Soto saved two more runs from scoring by making a spectacular diving catch for the third out. Senga's final line: four runs on five hits over 3.0 IP with four strikeouts and four walks.
-- Ewing's big night continued in the bottom of the fourth with his third hit, driving in his third run to extend the lead. Soto then stepped up and launched a three-run homer, his 20th of the year, to make it 9-4.
-- Austin Warren let KC right back in the game in the fifth inning, allowing three doubles and four runs without recording an out as it quickly became a 9-7 game. Huascar Brazoban couldn't clean up the mess, allowing a run on a groundout, walking a batter, and letting up a game-tying single to Salvador Perez (that was tacked on to Warren's line).
Brazoban somehow escaped a bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning, getting Bobby Witt Jr. to line out back to him to keep the game tied at 9-9.
-- Matt Seelinger's MLB debut didn't go as planned, as he let up a go-ahead RBI double to Perez in the seventh inning that gave the Royals their first lead of the night. The right-hander's night got worse, allowing six more runs in the inning, including a two-run homer to Loftin, as KC took a 16-9 lead.
Seelinger rebounded for a scoreless eighth inning with some help from a leaping Ewing at the wall for the third out. A.J. Minter tossed the only 1-2-3 inning of the game in the ninth.
Game MVP: Tyler Tolbert
Amid all the madness Tuesday night, Tolbert tied an MLB record with hits in 12 straight at-bats after his fifth of the night. He's just the fifth player in MLB history to accomplish the feat. Overall, Tolbert went 5-for-6 with two RBI in the win.
Honorable mention: A.J. Ewing, who finished the night 4-for-4 with a walk and three RBI for his first career four-hit game.
Jul 7, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Taj Bradley (26) delivers a pitch against the Cleveland Guardians in the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Cleveland got on the board in 2nd inning, as Rhys Hoskins went down and got Taj Bradley’s fastball and hit it out of the park to center for a solo homer. That was one of only three hits allowed by Bradley all night, as well as the only Guardians run. The question became: Can the Twins score more than one run tonight? The answer was yes.
In the bottom of the 2nd, Kody Clemens, Ryan Kreidler, and Luke Keaschall all reached without hitting a ball out of the infield. Then, after Kyler Fedko struck out (still searching for that first big league hit), Austin Martin got the Twins on the board with a sac-fly. With 2 outs, Brooks Lee put the Twins on top with a single up the middle, scoring Kreidler.
Taj Bradley had great stuff tonight, getting 10 strikeouts. Cleveland batters couldn’t hit his cutter, which had a 71% whiff rate and got him 7 of those strikeouts. In the 7th, with the tying run at 3rd and 1 out, he used that cutter to get Rhys Hoskins to strikeout, then a splitter got Brayan Rocchio to ground out to end the threat.
In the bottom of the 7th, with Josh Bell at first and 2 outs, Kody Clemens drilled a ball into the left-center field gap for an RBI triple to get the Twins an insurance run.
Andrew Morris tossed a clean 8th inning, and Taylor Rogers got the first two in the 9th until he walked Chase DeLauter. Yoendrys Gomez came in and got Gabriel Arias to swing through 3 straight pitches for the save.
At this time of year, sometimes a smaller trade — like the sign-and-trade of John Collins to Detroit — ends up growing into something else entirely, a much larger trade, as it makes financial sense for multiple teams to piggyback on an existing deal.
Washington is essentially salary-dumping Russell to Washington (the Wizards get a pick out of it).
Middleton has agreed on a three-year, $17.6 million deal with the Wizards and will head there via sign-and-trade with Dallas. The second year of this deal is partially guaranteed, and the third year is non-guaranteed.
Both Russell and Middleton are now folded into a much more complex six-team trade that includes already agreed-upon trades, such as Collins from the Clippers to the Pistons. The six teams in the trade are Dallas, Washington, LA Clippers, Detroit, Milwaukee and Memphis. Here is how it shakes out, via Spotac's Keith Smith.
There are 11 Players involved in this six-team trade:
To DAL: Santi Aldama (from MEM), Marcus Sasser (from DET), Tarik Biberovic (draft rights from MEM)
To DET: John Collins (from LAC via S&T), Gary Harris (from MIL), Taurean Prince (from MIL)
Middleton will make $5.6 million next season, speculates John Hollinger of The Athletic, because at that number he and Deandre Ayton both still fit in the Kelly Olynyk trade exception Washington wants to use.
Dallas will come out of all this with Santi Aldama, Marcus Sasser and a trade exception, which is a nice little bit of work.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 1: Zack Wheeler #45 of the Philadelphia Phillies delivers a pitch in the first inning during a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citizens Bank Park on July 1, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After a day off on Monday, the Cincinnati Reds opened a crucial six-game homestand with their backs against the proverbial wall in this 2026 season. They stood at 41-48 and in last place in the National League’s Central division, and were about to welcome behemoths to town in the form of the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs.
If ever there were a time to show up for this season, it was tonight. Instead, the Reds got absolutely waxed by a Phillies club that’s playing some of the best ball in the sport right now.
Phillies starter struck out 14 in his time on the mound, the Phils staff struck out an astonishing 18 Reds on the evening, and Kyle Schwarber – whom the Reds ‘tried’ to sign over the winter to no avail – socked a back-breaking 2-run homer off Andrew Abbott that sealed a 4-1 loss for Cincinnati in a game they desperately needed to win.
Abbott, to his credit, was hardly the problem on the night. He yielded 3 ER in 6.0 IP, the Schwarbomb the only true mistake he made. He fanned 8 against nary a walk and allowed just 5 H in his effort, and he once again showed he’s a rock within a rotation that’s otherwise been shaky (non Chase Burns edition) all season long.
Cincinnati’s offense, though, simply had no fight back.
Eugenio Suarez did launch a solo homer in the Bottom of the 7th as Wheeler tired, but Geno later struck out with the bases loaded against reliever Jonathan Bowlan in the Bottom of the 8th as the bottom dropped out of any potential Reds revival.
Chase Burns will toe the rubber tomorrow as the Reds look to once again attempt to right their ship, with first pitch set for 7:00 PM ET on ESPN.
Jul 7, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Luis Lara (18) hits a two run single in his Major League debut during the fifth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
For six innings, the Brewers and Cardinals were involved in another close, low-scoring baseball game. Starters Robert Gasser and Hunter Dobbins were both pitching well, and while Milwaukee got out to an early lead, the Cardinals punched back in the sixth.
Then the seventh inning happened.
Milwaukee put up seven runs in their half of the seventh, and Gasser went deeper into a game than he ever has as a professional, and the Brewers finished a sweep of today’s doubleheader that guaranteed the team a series win in this five-game set. On top of all of that, rookie Luis Lara played his first game as a big leaguer and got off on the right foot.
After Christian Yelich started the game with a groundout, Lara got his first chance as a big leaguer. He had a nice at-bat and worked Dobbins to a full count, but on the seventh pitch he saw he also grounded out. Brice Turang hit a two-out double into the right-field corner, but Andrew Vaughn struck out looking, and the Brewers didn’t score in the first.
In the bottom of the inning, Gasser also allowed a two-out hit — a single to Jordan Walker — but he retired Nelson Velázquez on the very next pitch, and the inning was over. Dobbins and Gasser both worked quick second innings, as neither allowed anything except for another two-out bloop single for José Fermín.
The Brewers put themselves in a good position to start the third when Cooper Pratt hit a ball into the right-field corner that bounced just in front of the wall and ended up as his first career triple. Dobbins picked up a big strikeout of Joey Ortiz, but Yelich was able to come through with an RBI groundout that gave the Brewers an early 1-0 lead. With two outs, Lara nearly picked up his first hit as a big leaguer with a looping line drive to right, but Walker caught it on a dive to end the inning.
Sal Frelick answered Walker’s diving catch by making one of his own to lead off the bottom of the inning. Frelick made another nice play on a fly ball from JJ Wetherholt for the second out, but St. Louis got another two-out baserunner when Iván Herrera walked. Walker followed with a groundball to third, which Ortiz played in shallow left field and made a heck of a throw to get Walker — a play that looked very, very close, but which the Cardinals didn’t challenge.
Dobbins sliced through the Brewers in order in the top of the fourth. Gasser continued what was already an efficient game by getting his first three-up, three-down inning on just seven pitches. With the bullpen needing a break in the second game of a doubleheader, Gasser was through four scoreless innings on just 42 pitches.
Sánchez drew a walk to start the fifth, and after a Frelick flyout, Pratt walked, too. With two on and one out, Ortiz lined a solid single to right, loading the bases for the top of the order. Yelich struck out, and the Brewers were in danger of letting a golden opportunity pass… but Lara came up with a big moment in his debut. He hit a grounder just past a diving Wetherholt that scored two runs, and he ended up at second after Walker threw to third. Turang flew out to end the inning, but the Brewers were up 3-0, and the kid was on the board.
Nine pitches later, Gasser had another 1-2-3 inning.
After Dobbins walked Vaughn to start the sixth, he was replaced by lefty Jared Shuster. His first batter was Jake Bauers, who also walked. Shuster struck out Sánchez to get himself back in the inning. With one out and two on, Pat Murphy opted to send Jackson Chourio in as a pinch-hitter for Frelick, but he flew out to center on the first pitch he saw. Pratt, who’d reached in each of his first two at-bats, still had a chance with two out, and he hit a hard grounder up the middle, but Masyn Winn was able to make the play to get the Cardinals out of the inning.
After a Wetherholt groundout, Lara got his first action in the field when Herrera flew out to shallow center. But Gasser finally faltered with two outs in the sixth. Walker lined his second two-out single of the game, and Velázquez, the next batter, got a mistake on a 1-2 fastball and hit it into the front row in left-center. Gasser had been brilliant, but suddenly the Brewers were ahead by just one. Alec Burleson then made it his personal goal to wreck Gasser’s excellent pitch count, but on the ninth pitch of the at-bat, he hit a weak tapper that ended the inning. Even with the long inning, Gasser was at just 72 pitches through six, but the score was now 3-2.
The suddenly scorching-hot Ortiz had an immediate answer. On the second pitch of the seventh inning, Ortiz hit one out to left for his third homer of the season, and, including the first game of the doubleheader, his fifth hit of the day. After a Yelich strikeout, Lara came to the plate as a right-handed hitter for the first time and drew the first walk of his career. Lara then got to show off the wheels when Turang hit a ball into the gap in right field; center fielder Nathan Church cut it off, and St. Louis thought they’d have a play at the plate, but Lara was way too fast and scored without much trouble.
Milwaukee still wasn’t done. Vaughn hit a ground ball up the middle that Winn was able to get to, but he couldn’t make a play on it. After Bauers walked (he was then replaced by the speedier Mitchell, who would take his place in right field in the bottom of the inning), the bases were loaded with one out for Sánchez. Sánchez delivered with a base hit to left field that scored two and advanced Mitchell to third.
Shuster was clearly laboring and had thrown over 30 pitches in the inning, but the Cardinals were going to cruelly make him figure it out. Chourio was up next, and he took three balls and a strike before he crushed an RBI single into right field that made it 8-2 Brewers. Shuster was mercifully replaced by right-hander Gordon Graceffo after that, 39 pitches into the inning and 52 in the game. Pratt greeted Graceffo rudely by lining a two-run double down the left-field line that scored two more runs. Yelich, trying to avoid making his second out of the inning, grounded out to finally end the top of the seventh. But the Brewers had scored seven runs in response to the two St. Louis had garnered in the bottom of the previous inning, opening up a 10-2 lead.
Brewers put up a 🔟 spot
🔵 El Gary singles, drives in 2 🔵 Jackson singles to score 1 🔵 COOP doubles to bring in 2 more
After a long layoff, Gasser was back on the mound. Winn grounded out to third, and for the first time in his major league career, Gasser had recorded an out in the seventh inning. Two batters later, Gasser had two more outs, and he was through seven.
Outfielder Bryan Torres was the new Cardinals pitcher in the eighth. The Brewers hit some balls hard and got a baserunner when Wetherholt was given an error on a grounder by Vaughn, but Torres didn’t give up any hits and got the Cardinals through the inning. Gasser was back for the eighth at 86 pitches. After getting the first two batters of the inning, he hit Jimmy Crooks (who’d come in as a defensive replacement in the top of the inning), and Murphy elected to end his night there. He called for Craig Yoho, and while Walker scalded a line drive, he hit it right at Vaughn for the third out.
Gasser was fantastic. He completed 7 2/3 innings, five more outs than he’d ever gotten in a big-league game before, and allowed just four hits and one walk. If not for the one mistake to Velásquez in the sixth, he may have had a chance at a complete-game shutout, but either way, he gave the Brewers length and efficiency at the best possible time.
In Torres’ second inning, he issued a leadoff walk to Sánchez. He then faced… left-handed Jackson Chourio? Chourio put some decent wood on the ball from the wrong side of the plate, but flew out to deep center. Pratt hit a hard line drive to short, but it was caught, and Ortiz flew out. Two scoreless, hitless innings for Torres.
Yoho was tasked with finishing the game, and he did just that, in order. Fittingly, Lara made the catch that ended the game.
In a game that featured a balanced offensive attack, the Brewers got hits from seven different players and multiple hits from three. Those multiple hits came from three guys with standout games: Turang, who had two doubles; Pratt, who had a double and a triple; and Ortiz, who hit the team’s only home run. But it was Gasser who was the big story, as he had one of his best nights as a professional and did a huge solid for a heavily worked pitching staff. Miraculously, the Brewers got through the doubleheader while using only three relievers: Ashby and Uribe for an inning each in the early game, and Yoho for four outs in the nightcap.
With two wins today, Milwaukee has already clinched this five-game series, but they’ve got two more games in St. Louis. The series continues tomorrow with Kyle Harrison on the mound for the Brewers versus Michael McGreevy at 6:45 p.m.
Jul 7, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Seattle Mariners shortstop Colt Emerson (4) is forced out at home plate against the Miami Marlins during the sixth inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
The most frustrating thing about tonight’s 6-5 extra-innings loss: it was a winnable game, if just a few things had gone differently. But the mistakes compounded for the Mariners, ultimately delivering a loss to open up the Florida leg of their road trip – always a tough road trip for the Mariners, who haven’t won a series in Miami since 2011.
Those looking for an antidote to the “Bryan Woo struggles on the road” narrative (it’s me I’m those) would be disappointed by Woo’s outing today. The Marlins made a ton of hard contact off Woo early, and although he was able to navigate around a pair of singles in the first, getting back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning, he wouldn’t be so lucky in the second: after falling behind Marlins slugger Owen Caissie 1-0, he left a fastball in the lefty loop zone that Caissie demolished for a solo homer.
That itself wouldn’t have been so bad, especially after Woo got his next two outs, but nine-hole hitter Javier Sanoja ambushed a first-pitch fastball and then advanced first to third on a Liam Hicks single on a pitch high and out of the zone, his second of the day. Woo then made things worse for himself, spiking a slider for a wild pitch that brought in the Marlins’ second run of the day.
The Marlins kept nibbling away at Woo in the third, pesking around another run despite two outs and a savvy challenge from the Mariners on a very nice play by Cole Young against the speedy Xavier Edwards. But despite getting a boost from his defense, Woo couldn’t work around a single to Griffin Conine given up in his next at-bat, walking Caissie with some nibble pitches to push Conine into second and then surrendering a hit on the sweeper to Jakob Marsee to make it 3-0. The Marlins added a fourth run in the fourth inning; Hicks doubled off a slider and advanced to third on some fielding misadventures from Victor Robles, and then scored on a sacrifice fly (despite a very nifty catch from Luke Raley).
Meanwhile, Marlins starter Max Meyer was perfect the first time through against the Mariners, deploying his pair of sweepers with devastating effectiveness. The only batter who really made him work the first time through the order was Cole Young, who executed one of his platonic-ideal Cole Young at-bats, going from 0-2 and a called strike three, smartly challenged by Young, to working the count full and almost getting the Mariners’ first hit on a hard-hit ball that Marlins first baseman Liam Hicks was just able to smother.
Instead, it was – as it has so often been this year – Randy Arozarena who delivered the Mariners’ first hit of the day in the fourth, taking advantage of a poorly-located sweeper for a line-drive single; unfortunately, he’d be cut down trying to steal for what would be the final out of the inning.
Cal Raleigh, who was at bat when Arozarena got thrown out, would lead off the fifth with a double then be small-balled around for the first Mariners run of the day, and the Mariners got a second run in that inning when Cole Young jumped on a fastball identical to one he’d just fouled off in the first pitch of the at-bat: this time Young leaned on it, pulling it over the right-field wall for a solo homer that cut the Marlins’ lead in half.
The Mariners had their best scoring chance in the sixth and let it slip through their fingers, finally taking advantage of some shoddy command from Meyers and loading the bases with no outs on two walks and an opposite-field single from J.P. Crawford. The Marlins brought in flamethrowing reliever Michael Peterson to try to act as the fireman and prevent and runs from scoring, and he did his job—or rather, the Mariners did his job for him. Dominic Canzone chased after some high heat for a grounder that turned into an out at home. Cal Raleigh couldn’t catch up with 99 on the plate for the second out of the inning, and Josh Naylor – not any king of bat speed – grounded out to end the inning. NOBLETIGERS are the worst kind of tigers.
Similarly, the Mariners squandered another opportunity in the seventh after a leadoff double from Luke Raley – off a lefty, even! If there’s one bright spot to take from this game it’s that Raley has looked much better lately after what was a very tough June for him. Young advanced him to third on a deep flyout that he just missed knocking over the wall for a game-tying homer, but the bottom of the order couldn’t pick the run up.
The Mariners had another great scoring opportunity in the eighth, after some good work from J.P. Crawford working a leadoff walk off the lefty King, and then some bad work by Marlins reliever Calvin Faucher, who hit Randy with a 97 mph fastball, leaving him in obvious distress. But Canzone again couldn’t connect, trying too hard to make something happen and striking out chasing a curveball in the dirt. Cal Raleigh battled for nine pitches, fighting off some tough breaking balls and declining to chase after the curveball that got Canzone, getting a sweeper he could drive for an RBI double, bringing the Mariners to within a run.
The Mariners would tie it up and then go ahead on some good old-fashioned Chaos Ball, courtesy of Josh Naylor, who rapped a single past second baseman Edwards for the game-tying run; Naylor would then get tangled up with Edwards while making his turn at first, allowing him to get to second on an obstruction call. Naylor made it to third on a fielder’s choice out and then Cole Young put up yet another great at-bat, working a tiring Faucher for 10 pitches and eventually earning a walk. The go-ahead run, coming in on a wild pitch with Victor Robles at-bat, can be directly credited to Young pushing Faucher to the brink.
Unfortunately, all that work would go for naught when pinch-hitter Heriberto Hernández leaned on a pitch from Gabe Speier, trying to sneak a fastball past the righty in a full count, for a game-tying homer. Maybe frustrated, Speier then walked pinch-hitter Esteury Ruiz on four pitches, none of which were particularly close; Ruiz would get to third but that’s as far as he would get, as Speier, despite missing his swing-and-miss-stuff, was able to clear the inning without further damage.
On to the ninth in a tied game, then, with the Marlins bringing in their closer, former Ray Pete Fairbanks, pitching two days after a fairly disastrous outing against the Athletics. Despite a two-out single from Randy Arozarena, Fairbanks was able to put the Mariners away in the top of the inning.
Andrés Muñoz spun a perfect 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth to keep the Mariners in it, but the Mariners weren’t able to score their Manfred Man, with pinch-runner Weston Wilson foolishly getting thrown out at third on a Cal Raleigh groundout, erasing the Mariners’ best opportunity to score and essentially sealing the loss. That left Michael Rucker to try to contend with the Marlins’ high-flying offense and things went about as you’d expect, with the Marlins walking it off.
More than anything else – not Woo’s hard contact and continued road struggles, or Speier allowing the game-tying homer, or Michael Rucker being pressed into high-leverage service again – it was the back-to-back squandered scoring opportunities in the sixth and seventh that sunk the Mariners in this game. To look on the bright side, there are a lot of good things that happened in this game: continued traffic on the bases, hitters making adjustments against a tough pitcher in Meyer, Raley hitting off a lefty, Colt Emerson making some solid plays at short, Cole Young continuing to put up impressive plate appearances, a clean inning from Muñoz. But that’s cold comfort for a team that’s struggled with consistency and struggled on the road, staring down the barrel of yet another tough East Coast road trip.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JULY 07: Matthew Boyd #16 of the Chicago Cubs pitches in the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 07, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
So, it turns out the Cubs are no slouches after all. And though it’s their offense that’s supposed to be a team strength, today the Most Cub-Like Player had to have been the starter, Matthew Boyd. The lefty hounded the Orioles all night, the way you thought a crafty lefty might. Through six innings, Baltimore had no runs and just three hits—a single apiece by Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and Pete Alonso—off the 2025 All-Star, who was mixing up speeds and locations. That’s no way to win a ballgame.
You can’t be too mad at a Shane Baz quality start (six innings, three runs) against MLB’s second-best offense. But his team gave him no help at all.
Rain delayed first pitch by an hour, so we kicked off bravely at the pretty regular hour of 7:30 ET. It didn’t appear to faze the Orioles starter, Baz, who confronted the Cubs with confidence, attacking the zone.
For two innings it kinda worked! Baz had a strong first inning, striking out the mighty Pete Crow-Armstrong with high heat before retiring Alex Bregman and Michael Busch on two quick flyouts. In the second, he allowed lots of noisy contact, including to outfielder Seiya Suzuki, who skied a ball deep to center, 383 feet away, 106 mph off the bat.
Despite keeping things scoreless, so many hard hits augured poorly for Baz in the third. Considering, it could have gone worse. With two outs, Miguel Amaya walked and Crow-Armstrong singled to center before Alex Bregman got a hanging Baz knuckle curve and singled home the Cubs’ first run. A concerned O’s pitching staff checked on Baz, but the damage wouldn’t go any further. It took a popout with the bases loaded to get Baz out of trouble, though.
The knuckle curveball featured prominently in Baz’s offerings tonight, but it proved vulnerable in a two-run Chicago fifth. Baz allowed three straight hits, including Crow-Armstrong’s RBI single. Then Bregman grounded into a forceout, scoring the catcher Amaya and making it a 3-0 Chicago game.
All of this would have been fine, like I said, except that Matthew Boyd was hounding the Orioles, who’d managed little more than offensive drips and drabs. Through five innings, they had just three hits off the 2025 All-Star, who was mixing up speeds and locations—you know, just what you’d expect.
The Birds had some baserunners, at least one in each of the first five innings. I still wouldn’t say they made the Chicago starter really sweat. In the first inning, Gunnar Henderson singled to right with two outs. No rally. Coby Mayo walked to start the second, but he was stranded. In the third, Adley singled and got no further. The fourth bid well for the home team, as Pete Alonso hit a leadoff rocket at 111.9 mph and Coby Mayo got hit by a pitch. But, whaddya know, then Matthew Boyd went and struck out the side in order. Thanks for spotting us two baserunners, Matthew Boyd (😞).
Both starters got lifted after six innings, Baz on 100 pitches, Boyd on 93. The move didn’t pay off for either club, but the O’s would have it worse (that is, because they lost).
O’s reliever Anthony Nunez got hit up pretty quickly. The right hander tossed a pair of fastballs down the middle that ended up a single for catcher Amaya and a Bregman double. A sac fly by Michael Busch would stretch the Cubs’ lead to a deflating 4-0.
True, it felt less deflating after a seventh inning where the O’s chose to score a pair of runs against a rickety Cubs bullpen featuring lefty Ryan Rolison and old Orioles friend Jacob Webb (so that’s where he ended up!). It started with Samuel Basallo in the six spot hitting an infield single. Blaze Alexander followed with an inside-out swing, a single of his own. (“An Alexanderian swing,” said a MASN booth of Kevin Brown and Ben McDonald. What a luxury these guys are.) Two strikeouts in a row by pinch-hitters Tyler O’Neil and Leody Taveras threatened to douse the flames. But with two outs, Taylor Ward walked and Adley delivered the Orioles’ first hit of the night with RISP, a 108-mph rocket to the outfield. Basallo and Blaze Alexander scored fairly easily, especially when the Cubs’ Suzuki airmailed the throw from right field.
Gunnar struck out, and there would be no more rallying. Then, alas, 4-2 became 5-2 the next inning. Maybe Craig Albernaz was wrong to try and extend Anthony Nunez for a second inning. The world may never know, but Cubs second baseman Hico Hoerner golfed a single to the outfield, stole second, and scored when Dansby Swanson, on some kind of a run (30 RBI in his last 15 games), served a Nunez breaking ball into the opposite field to make it 5-2 Chicago. Not much hard contact off Nunez. “A dying quail,” the MASN booth called it. A buzzkill, I call it.
With Nick Raquet on for the O’s in the ninth, the broadcast cut to a small but hardy “Tarps Off” section of shirtless, dancing men in the upper deck. I admired their commitment, because there wasn’t much on the field to get excited about. It would be cool if the Orioles could hit lefties a little better.
Onto better things tomorrow? Dean Kremer (1-1, 3.18 ERA, 20 K) takes on Chicago’s Colin Rea (6-5, 4.74 ERA, 68 K). At least it’s a battle of right handers.
Jul 7, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Cooper Pratt (12) is congratulated by teammates after scoring against the St. Louis Cardinals during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Hunter Dobbins was entrusted with the starting duties of game 2 of the day/night doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers and did a great job of limiting their offense to minimal damage in the early innings. The St. Louis Cardinals offense did not make a significant appearance in the game and the 7th inning was a disaster – again.
The Brewers didn’t make a dent in Hunter Dobbins outing until Cooper Pratt tripled to lead off the top of the 3rd inning. He would score 2 batters later when Christian Yelich grounded out to Masyn Winn giving Milwaukee a 1-0 lead.
More trouble would arrive in the top of the 5th inning as walks would come back to haunt Hunter Dobbins. He walked Sanchez to start the Brewers 5th. After Frelick flied out, Dobbins then walked Pratt. Ortiz singled to right to load the bases. Hunter was able to strike out Christian Yelich, but one of Milwaukee’s top prospects who was just called up to the majors Luis Lara smacked his first major league hit into right field after a diving JJ Wetherholt scoring 2 and increasing the Brewers lead to 3-0. Hunter Dobbins would complete 5 innings allowing 4 hits, 3 earned runs while striking out 4 and walking 3.
Jared Shuster, who was just called up today from Memphis, entered the game in the top of the 6th inning with one runner on. He walked Jake Bauers, the first batter he faced, to give the Brewers runners on first and second with no outs, but struck out Sanchez. Shuster was also able to coax a flyout to center from Jackson Chourio for the second out. He got out of the inning when Cooper Pratt grounded into a force out to end the Milwaukee 6th.
The Cardinals bats were extremely quiet for the first 5 innings with the exception of Jordan Walker. He had one of the only St. Louis hits in the early innings and hammered an 86 mph changeup for another single with two outs in the bottom of the 6th inning. He would cross home plate shortly after thanks to a jolt that Nelson Velázquez put into a 93 mph four-seam fastball from Brewers pitcher Gasser as it sailed into the plants above the left field wall reducing the Milwaukee lead to 3-2.
The Brewers would almost immediately get one of those runs back when Ortiz led off the top of the 7th with a no-doubt 415 foot home run off of Shuster to make it 4-2 Brewers. Milwaukee wasn’t done in the 7th, either. After Christian Yelich struck out, Luis Lara walked followed by a double by Turang which scored Lara easily as he is one of the fastest players on the Brewers roster upping their lead to 5-2. Can someone please put up a poster in the Cardinals bullpen that says WALKS=BAD? I wish I could say that the walks and scoring stopped, but that would be inaccurate. After Vaughan reached on an infield single that glanced off of JJ Wetherholt’s glove, Bauers (you guessed it) walked to load the bases bringing up Sanchez with just one out. He piled on the misery by smacking a single to left scoring 2 and increasing the Milwaukee bashing to 7-2. Chourio refused to show us mercy by singling to right-center scoring another one of the zillion Brewers baserunners making it 8-2. That finally inspired the Cardinals manager to remove Shuster and bring in Gordon Graceffo. Perhaps feeling peer pressure from his predecessors, Gordon gave up a double to Cooper Pratt which scored 2 more Brewers and brought out the boo birds in Busch Stadium as the score inflated to 10-2 Brewers.
To make matters worse, the St. Louis Cardinals lineup made Brewers starter Robert Gasser look like Sandy Koufax. Not trying to detract from his impressive outing, but other than Jordan Walker and Nelson Velázquez, the Cardinals just looked overmatched all night. He pitched an epic 7 2/3 innings and deserves big credit for his effort. The fact that there was one singular Cardinals highlight to share tonight tells you all that you need to know about how far St. Louis is behind the Milwaukee Brewers as a team. I’m confident that the organization led by new President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom have us headed in the right direction, but this series has been a reality check for the work that still has to be done.
The most effective reliever out of the Cardinals bullpen was position player Bryan Torres who pitched the final two innings of the game. My proof? He only walked one batter and allowed no runs.
The St. Louis Cardinals will play the 4th game of their 5-game series this week versus the Milwaukee Brewers Wednesday night hoping for better results than the first 3 games have provided them. Michael McGreevy will get the start for St. Louis while Milwaukee will give the ball to Kyle Harrison who’s 8-1 on the season with a 2.82 ERA. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45pm at Busch Stadium and the game broadcast will be available via Cardinals.tv.
The Kansas City Royals' Tyler Tolbert won't being playing in the Midsummer Classic next week, but the young utility player is having a long weekend to remember.
In the seventh inning against the Mets, Tolbert hit an infield single — his second in as many at-bats — to move to 5-for-5 on the night. But, even more impressively, he hit another high water mark: 12-for-12 in his last 12 plate appearances.
Tolbert is the fifth player to have 12 hits in 12 at-bats and just the third to have 12 hits in 12 plate appearances. He joins Johnny Kling in 1902, Pinky Higgins in 1938, Walt Dropo in 1952, and Jose Miranda in 2024 in the former category. Only Kling and Dropo achieved the latter, according to MLB stats analyst Sarah Langs.
Tolbert, who homered earlier in the game, had another hit that was 103.5 mph off the bat, while the other three were good old-fashioned hustle and balls with eyes. They were 86.1 mph, 81.2 mph, and the record-tying hit was 64.8 mph off the bat.
His historic run came to a close when he flied out to right field to lead off the ninth inning.
Tolbert also went 5-for-5 in a 15-1 romp over the Phillies on July 6, finishing a triple shy of the cycle and logging another pair of hits under 65 mph off the bat.
It is, frankly, a hilarious streak. And the kind of thing you only see in July of the marathon MLB season. He may not be hitting the cover off the ball. But Tolbert is showing the value of just putting your head down and sprinting to first.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JULY 7: Pitching coach Carl Willis #51 of the Cleveland Guardians visits the mound to speak with Joey Cantillo #54 and Patrick Bailey #16 during the second inning of the game against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on July 7, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Joey Cantillo was facing off against the Minnesota Twins offense and, briefly, the Cleveland Guardians defense in his start today. Cantillo went 5.0 innings, giving up two unearned runs on six hits and three walks. Joey struck out seven.
After getting through the bottom of the second only allowing a single and a walk, Joey faced the 6-7-8 hitters to start the bottom of the second. A fielding error, fielders choice, and a single loaded the bases before the Guards could record an out. The lead off hitter, on an 0-2 count, hit a ball directly to Travis Bazzana between first and second. Bazzana misplayed the ball, letting it go right past him and giving first base to the Kody Clemens. The second batter of the inning was hit to Brayan Rocchio who fumbled the throw to Bazzana. It didn’t reach the second baseman in time for the out. The third batter hit to Kyle Manzardo, who was playing off of first base. Manzardo second guessed throwing to second base, due to the runner being in the way, and Cantillo couldn’t reach first in time for the out at first, leaving the bases loaded. The very next batter popped foul behind first base. Kyle Manzardo had a read on it and seemed to catch the ball, but tripped over the covering Bazzana and dropped the ball in foul territory. Ultimately the Twins scored two in the second inning, giving Joey the loss on a bizarre inning. Cantillo fell to 7-4 on the season.
Franco Aleman came on in the sixth, throwing a scoreless inning and only allowing a hit. Eric Sabrowski pitched the seventh. Sabrowski gave up two hits and an earned run. A lead off single and a two out triple scored the insurance run for the Twins. The triple came on a rare, and I hesitate to call it this, miss from Steven Kwan. Kwan got his glove on the ball and would have made another Gold Glove catch, but the ball ricocheted off of his glove and was bobbled at the wall. This allowed Josh Bell to score from first. Matt Festa locked down the eighth, only giving up a hit in his scoreless inning.
The offense sat solely on Rhys Hoskins’ shoulders. Rhys hit a solo home run in the first inning for the Guardians only run of the game.
I don’t even know where to begin with pinch hitting Gabriel Arias for Kyle Manzardo in the top of the ninth with a runner on and two outs.
Mavrik Bourque's timeline in the NHL has moved at the same pace as a shooting star.
It was just two seasons ago that he was dominating the AHL, putting up 77 points in 71 games with the Texas Stars, but earning just one call-up to Dallas.
Now, upon his arrival in Nashville via a trade that sent Fedor Svechkov and Zach L'Heureux to Dallas, he is poised for a middle-six role and adds critical depth down the middle for the Predators.
"I have to show up and be able to deliver (for the role I'm in)," Bourque said. "I think if I show what I've got and believe in what I can do, I'll have a chance to be in a good spot."
At the beginning of the 2024-25 season, Bourque was called up as a full-timer in Dallas, playing in 73 games and scoring 25 points. This past season, he played in all 82 games, recording 41 points (20 goals and 21 assists).
It's almost hard to believe that he was playing out of position during his time with the Stars.
"I've played center my entire life except for last year, so I'm looking forward to having a shot down the middle and showing what I can do," Bourque said. "I believe I'm a better player down the middle and I know what I need to work on to be a good center in the NHL."
Drafted 30th overall in the NHL Draft, Bourque returned to Shawinigan for two more seasons in juniors, showcasing his game and leading his team to a QMJHL championship.
He'd join Texas the next season, which he wasn't unfamiliar with, having played six games there at the end of the 2020-21 season. From there, it became a process for Bourque to continue working his way up the lineup and amplifying his game.
Each season offered something different, but that's exactly what Bourque wanted.
Mar 8, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars center Mavrik Bourque (22) skates against the Chicago Blackhawks during the third period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
"I was playing mostly fourth Line in my first (NHL) season and playing on the PK," Bourque said. I was coming from an offensive season (in the AHL) to the NHL, where I was playing mostly defensive minutes. In my second season, I played more offense and had a bigger role with some key guys leaving.
"I feel like I've been in a lot of situations in the NHL, even in 2 years."
That experience made Bourque more attractive to the Predators and Chris MacFarland when they were in the market for another center. He brings a mix of youth and all-around experience that is hard to find in the league nowadays.
"He's a smart, heady hockey player," MacFarland said about Bourque. "He's a good two-way guy that we think the arrow is still pointing up for. We intend to give him every shot at playing in the middle."
Bourque is committed to Nashville, signing a six-year, $33 million contract and is eager to prove that every ounce of ink on that dotted line will be worth it.
"I'm just excited and looking forward to showing them why they gave me that contract," Bourque said.
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 27: Khris Middleton #22 of the Washington Wizards prepares to shoot a free throw during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on January 27, 2026 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Sabina Shysh/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Washington Wizards have acquired Khris Middleton via a sign-and-trade deal with the Dallas Mavericks, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Tuesday.
Just in: Free agent Khris Middleton has agreed on a three-year, $17.6 million deal with the Washington Wizards via sign-and-trade, agent Mike Lindeman of Excel Sports Management tells ESPN. The 14-year veteran returns to D.C. where he spent parts of last two seasons as a leader… pic.twitter.com/iZh6XrXMoc
The deal is part of a larger six-team trade that sends D’Angelo Russell, a 2029 second-round picks (via Lakers) and a 2033 second-round pick swap to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Middleton, 34, will sign a three-year, $17.6 million contract as part of the deal. The first year is fully guaranteed, but the second year only carries a partial guarantee and the final year is fully non-guaranteed, per The Athletic’s Joshua Robbins.
The second season on Khris Middleton's new three-year sign-and-trade deal with the Wizards will be partially guaranteed, while the third season will be non-guaranteed, per source.
Sign-and-trade deals must be at least three years in length and have the first year fully guaranteed, which is why Middleton’s contract fits those parameters.
The 14-year NBA veteran returns to Washington after he was traded at the February deadline for Anthony Davis. Middleton averaged 10.3 points across 34 games for the Wizards during the 2025-26 season.
Washington’s roster now sits at 14 standard contracts:
G: Young | Johnson | Carrington W: Dybantsa | George | Coulibaly | Riley F: Davis | Champagnie | Middleton | Whitmore C: Sarr | Ayton | Vukcevic Two-way: Watkins | Reese | Okpara
Jul 7, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Seattle Mariners second baseman Cole Young (2) celebrates with teammates after hitting a home run against the Miami Marlins during the fifth inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Marlins 6, Mariners 5
Fresh ceviche served seaside: Randy Arozarena, .26 WPA
Day old tuna heated up in the microwave: Dominic Canzone, -.30 WPA (I refuse to penalize Michael Rucker for the walk-off)
Game thread comment of the day:
Not a Hemingway fan, but my English-major heart had to appreciate this:
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - NOVEMBER 14: Jonathan Kuminga #00 of the Golden State Warriors smiles before the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the In-Season Tournament on November 14, 2023 at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
This early into the NBA offseason, it’s unclear what the Lakers’ roster will look like at the start of the year. But it’s obvious the front office would like it to feature Jonathan Kuminga.
The Lakers have a serious need for wings, and they’ve been linked to Kuminga since the Hawks declined his team option.
Not only have they spoken with him, but they’ve reportedly remained in contact with his agent and even increased their offer to entice him to sign.
However, he remains available and is still looking for the best possible deal.
Jonathan Kuminga is a player the Lakers are after, according to people, who said LA is looking at a two-year, $20-million deal for Kuminga.
Last season, Kuminga earned over $23 million, so going from that to $10 million per year is a considerable decrease. But given how little cap space the Lakers have, this offer signals how serious they are in bringing Kuminga in.
The Lakers are showing they want Kuminga by offering whatever they can, even increasing their original deal. And with a potential starting spot on the table, a breakout season from Kuminga could raise his value around the NBA.
Kuminga averaged 12.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game last season. He also shot 33.3% from 3-point range last year while playing for the Warriors and Hawks.
If he does start with the Lakers, he can produce well past those numbers and get closer to his career-high in scoring, which came during the 2023-24 season with Golden State, when he averaged 16.1 points per game.
Here in LA, with LeBron James gone, there are a ton of shots up for grabs. Kuminga could be the one to pick them up and make the most of this opportunity.
Clearly, the two-year $20 million deal isn’t enough to get him here, but this is all part of the negotiation.
Lakers President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka has to keep selling his vision and see if he can free up some salary cap space so he can get this deal to the point where Kuminga will take it.
So far, the Lakers appear to remain aggressive and very much in the running for Kuminga. The fit seems good, and if they can reach an agreement, this could be beneficial for everyone involved.
