Category: Sports News

Detroit Tigers (55-59) vs. Seattle Mariners (56-59)

Time/Place: 4:10 p.m., T-Mobile Park
SB Nation Site:Lookout Landing
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: LHP Framber Valdez (6-7, 4.41 ERA) vs. RHP Bryce Miller (4-5, 2.80 ERA

The Orioles entered today’s game with a chance to pull into a tie for a Wild Card spot. And as it turns out, with the Guardians likely to lose today, the O’s would have done exactly that — if only they had actually, you know, remembered to win.

Instead, they put up one of their most pathetic, frustrating efforts of the season and dropped the finale to the worst in the majors, the Angels, by a 4-1 score. It was another stark reminder that O’s fans should never make the mistake of getting their hopes up. This team is simply too flawed to let you feel good about their chances.

It didn’t take long into the afternoon to realize that this was going to be one of those games. You know the ones I mean. The kind where the Orioles do lots and lots of dumb stuff to give away an easily winnable game. Like, say, losing a routine pop-up in the sun because your sunglasses are on your hat instead of your face, which is exactly what Jackson Holliday did in the second. And even though Brandon Young pitched out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam that inning, the miscue forced him to throw 29 pitches.

That was the unfortunate story of the game for Young, who lacked his usual crispness and command. The entire afternoon was a struggle for the normally reliable right-hander, no inning moreso than the third. An infield single (on which Young himself committed a throwing error) and a walk put two on for the struggling Zach Neto, who hadn’t homered in more than a month. I think you know where I’m going with this. One big fly into the bleachers later, the Angels had a 3-0 lead. Sigh.

Young trudged through a 25-pitch inning in the fourth, including 13 pitches to the #9 hitter, Oswald Peraza, though he escaped a two-on, no-out jam on a well-timed double play. But with his pitch count so elevated, Young couldn’t get deep into the game, exiting after 4.1 innings with 98 pitches. That’s a disappointingly short outing on a day when most of the Orioles’ high-leverage relievers were unavailable. Then again, you don’t need high-leverage relievers when your offense can’t even make it a competitive game.

Oh my, that Orioles offense. This is going to be a real problem for the rest of the season, isn’t it? With Samuel Basallo and Blaze Alexander on the shelf, and with Gunnar Henderson showing no signs of breaking out of his season-long slumber, and with Taylor Ward and his team-leading OBP gone, and with Adley Rutschman never to return, the O’s are trotting out a truly woeful offense most days. The Orioles fielded a lineup today in which six of the nine hitters have a sub-.700 OPS for the season. They’ve got nobody that any pitcher should be afraid of except maybe Pete Alonso. That’s not going to win you many games.

And indeed it didn’t. The Birds’ offensive flaws were on full display against a pitcher that by all accounts they should have clobbered, Angels right-hander Ryan Johnson and his 7.63 ERA. What if I told you that the Orioles put nine runners on base in 4.2 innings against him? That he walked five batters and plunked another? How many runs would you assume the O’s scored?

The answer is one, and it came on a solo homer by Yohel Pozo. All of those walks and free baserunners? They amounted to nothing, because if there’s one thing you can count on the Orioles to do, it’s to waste every opportunity that comes their way. They ended both the first and second innings by grounding into a double play.

Then came the torturous bottom of the third, which started off promisingly enough on Pozo’s unlikely dinger, the first of his Orioles career. Yet somehow, even though the next four batters all reached base, the Orioles didn’t score again. That’s because Dylan Beavers, who singled, got himself thrown out trying to steal. Johnson practically begged the Orioles to start another rally by walking the next two batters and plunking another to load the bases for Holliday.

Pop quiz time: if you’re up to bat and the clearly struggling pitcher has just walked and/or hit three consecutive batters, what do you do? Do you work the count and try to force him to throw strikes, or do you just hack away at the very first pitch, ground out weakly, and let him off the hook completely? I think you can guess which approach Holliday took, and it was painful. Holliday, who had been red hot to end July, is now 0-for-14 in August. And he also doesn’t know how to wear sunglasses, apparently.

Johnson didn’t end up getting the win because he was removed with two outs in the fifth, but he finished with 4.2 innings of one-run ball despite issuing five walks and throwing more balls (39) than strikes (37). Johnson, who threw six scoreless innings against the Orioles in June, now has a 0.84 ERA against the Orioles and 8.78 against all other teams this year. Sometimes all you can do is laugh.

The Angels added an insurance run in the seventh against Yaramil Hiraldo, and their 4-1 lead might as well have been 40-1. The Angels’ bullpen, even after all of their best relievers were traded a few days ago, dominated the Orioles’ listless lineup. Four guys I have never heard of — Mitch Farris, Luke Murphy, Taylor Saucedo, and Sammy Natera Jr. — combined to work 4.1 scoreless innings. The O’s only got one hit off these randos! Are we still laughing?

The Birds’ best chance to score came in the eighth when they brought Jeremiah Jackson to the plate as the possible tying run, but Gunnar Henderson tried to score from third on a wild pitch that unluckily bounced off the wall and back to the catcher, who fired to Natera covering the plate for the out. Replays showed that Henderson hesitated for a split-second coming down the line, which likely cost him the chance to score. It was that kind of day.

Natera finished things off with a perfect ninth, sealing one of the Orioles’ dumbest losses of the year. And there have been many.

The Athletics took on the Cincinnati Reds in the series finale, seeking to avoid a sweep and end a seven-game losing streak. The Reds secured the series sweep by defeating the A’s 6-5, dropping the Green and Gold to their eighth straight defeat in a game that played out all too similar to several of the team’s previous losses. For the third straight day, the bullpen faltered, and the offense was unable to do enough to overcome the pitching struggles.

Reds Strike First

A’s starter Mason Barnett got off to a rough start. The first batter he faced, Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz, hit his 19th home run of the season, putting the hosts up 1-0.

His counterpart, Reds starter Andrew Abbott, pitched three scoreless innings to begin the game, consistently getting A’s hitters to chase pitches outside the strike zone and inducing strikeouts and soft-contact groundouts.

A’s Take the Lead

Athletics center fielder Henry Bolte and first baseman Tommy White led off the fourth inning with back-to-back singles, setting up the visitors first scoring opportunity of the game. Jonah Heim drew a walk, bringing up Tyler Soderstrom with the bases loaded and no outs. The A’s left fielder delivered, grounding a two-run single to center field to give his team a 2-1 lead.

After Max Muncy singled to re-load the bases, Lawrence Butler grounded into the A’s second double play of the game, bringing home the third run of the inning, but preventing the rally from extending further. That replay-aided play swung the momentum in the Reds’ favor and they never looked back.

More A’s Pitching Troubles

The Reds immediately responded. First baseman Sal Stewart led off the last of the fourth with his 25th home run of the season, a solo shot to center field that cut the A’s lead to 3-2. Later that inning, catcher Tyler Stephenson tied the game with his 10th home run of the season, another solo shot to center field.

The Reds had the chance to re-take the lead after drawing two walks, but Barnett recorded the final out of the frame to keep the game tied at three. Innings like these have been a major reason the A’s have struggled to win baseball games lately, as their pitching staff has repeatedly allowed opponents to score immediately after the offense provides a spark.

Same Story Every Game!

The Reds threatened to retake the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, loading the bases with one out against Barnett. After he walked JJ Bleday to load the bases, A’s manager Mark Kotsay made a pitching change, bringing in hard-throwing but erratic reliever Elvis Alvarado, a move that quickly backfired.

After striking out the first hitter he faced, Alvarado lost his command and walked in two runs, giving the Reds a 5-3 lead through five innings. It seems like a bases-loaded situation may not be the ideal spot to use Alvarado, raising the question of which pitcher the A’s should have turned to instead.

For the second time this series, the A’s bullpen gave the Reds free runs, with Alvarado’s walks fest coming two days after Hogan Harris’ wild pitch bonanza. No wonder this team has the worst bullpen ERA in the major leagues! Both of the runs scored were charged to Barnett, who allowed five runs on five hits over 4 1/3 innings. His seven strikeouts were encouraging, but allowing three home runs proved costly.

Reds Eying the Sweep

Unlike the A’s, the Reds can actually throw strikes and hold leads. Abbott completed his second straight scoreless inning, keeping the game’s momentum firmly on his team’s side. Cincinnati’s southpaw turned in a quality start, allowing three runs on seven hits over 6 2/3 innings.

New A’s reliever Seth Johnson made his first appearance in the eighth inning, and unfortunately, he fit right in with the rest of the A’s struggling bullpen. With one out, Bleday launched his 20th home run of the season and the Reds’ fourth of the game, turning the deficit into a three-run hole. Bleday, who struggled last season with the Athletics, has revitalized his career in Cincinnati, putting a spotlight on the A’s player development staff.

A’s Comeback Falls Short

Down by three, the A’s attempted to come back in the ninth. Facing Reds left-hander Brock Burke, Butler reached on an infield single and advanced to second on a throwing error by shortstop Elly De La Cruz. A’s catcher Brian Serven hit his second home run of the season, a two-run shot to left-center, field that cut the Reds’ lead to one.

That was as close as the visitors got. Burke retired the next two hitters to earn his second save of the season. The loss was the Athletics’ eighth straight, dropping them to 6-32 over their last 38 games as they were swept for the second consecutive series.

It could be more of the same this weekend as the A’s head to Boston to face a Red Sox team trending in the opposite direction. Right-hander Jack Perkins is scheduled to start for the Athletics on Friday evening, while the Red Sox have yet to announce their starter.

Things turned awfully testy during the late innings of Wednesday night’s 4-2 Mariners victory over the Detroit Tigers, which evened the pivotal series for both teams in an American League playoff race that is heating up more and more with every passing day. A half-inning after Cal Raleigh was drilled in the ribs with 95 mph four-seam fastball by Enmanuel De Jesus — and no warnings were issued — Gabe Speier pegged Gleyber Torres with a 96 mph four-seamer of his own, leading to an exchanging of words and the benches clearing. Speier and Dan Wilson both ended up ejected. As Kate said in the recap, we’ll see if this has any ramifications Thursday.

Speaking of throwing at people, Framber Valdez gets the start for the Tigers on Thursday. His first season in Detroit hasn’t gone quite to plan, with many of his numbers across the board taking a step back. His FIP has ballooned to 4.13 in 2026, having not exceeded 3.50 over his previous four seasons in Houston.

The Mariners will look to Bryce Miller to try to secure an important series win before the American League-leading Tampa Bay Rays come to town for 50 Seasons weekend. Big Tex had a much shakier month of July (4.93 FIP) after beginning his 2026 campaign with solid performance in May (2.86) and June (3.22). For more on the pitching matchup, check out the series preview.

Lineups

Taylor Ward is in the leadoff spot for his first time as a Mariner. Brendan Donovan and Josh Naylor both get scheduled days off, and Raleigh gets a rest day (unrelated to the hit-by-pitch last night). Jhonny Pereda will be behind the plate for the first time since being recalled from Triple-A Tacoma on Tuesday, while Weston Wilson and Leo Rivas make starts at first and third base.

News

In the aftermath of Wednesday’s bench-clearing incident, both Speier and Dan Wilson have been suspended by Major League Baseball. Speier’s discipline amounts to three games, which he is appealing. Dan Wilson, on the other hand, will serve his one-game suspension on Thursday afternoon. Manny Acta will be the Mariners’ acting manager for this important rubber game.

Game Information

First Pitch: 1:10 p.m. PDT

TV:Mariners.TV

Radio: Ol’ Reliable

Getting thumped by the jewelbox teams is never fun, but alas, on this off day, we revisit something that has been on my mind for a while. Eric Stephen has an excellent summary of the Dodgers’ skids over the past few years.

I have some firsthand experience on the subject. You know what’s worse than the Dodgers being walked off? Having the Dodgers be walked off on consecutive nights after they have just coughed up a no-hitter on the 26th out. I remember writing at one point that it should be a crime to be playing such bad baseball in such beautiful surroundings. C’est la vie – such is life.

Now, if you are unhappy right now, I get it. Even with the current skid, the Dodgers are still on a 97-win pace, which is still better than the 92-regular season wins I predicted at the start of the year. Arguably, the Dodgers are ruining baseball, not by all the emotional nonsense being spouted by those mad about the Tarik Skubal trade, mind you.

By treating the regular season as a de facto extended Spring Training, baseball is cheapened as the marathon campaign is its own beauty and beast. We revisit the wise, and lightly edited for clarity, words of Craig Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus from last year, who wrote an interesting paywalled essay that argued that the Dodgers were, in fact, ruining baseball even if just a little:

…The league has devalued winning the division, especially if you’re not a top-two seed. The Dodgers likely look at the benefits of being the third-seed division winner compared to the fourth-seed top Wild Card and…shrug. It’s home-field advantage in the Wild Card round either way, so why press things?

The difference between [now and previous seasons] is that the Dodgers had enough cushion within the division that whatever in-season experiments they wanted to run were basically irrelevant. That’s the kind of thing you can do without causing agita when you win 111 games and finish the season 22 up on your next closest competitor. …

But it’s the similarities that create the bigger problem. In both situations, Roberts and the Dodgers seem to just…not care all that much. Obviously, their preference is to win, you don’t spend what they’ve spent just to win in the playoffs, but to be good enough to sell lots of tickets and ads throughout the season, too. …

There’s nothing strictly wrong with prioritizing a World Series; it’s where the league and its culture have arrived, hand in hand. But the impact of taking the longest view available at every possible turn undeniably results in a diluted on-field product—again, much as we’ve seen with the league as a whole. …

The Dodgers sleepwalking through regular season series against potential playoff opponents, while looking comically inept? We have seen this figurative movie before. To the uninitiated, it is a crisis. To the experienced, it is a Thursday.

To summarize the sage analysis of Craig Minami, you might see a collapse in the making, but what you are likely seeing is some self-correction due to some probably entirely unsustainable portions of the roster, including, but not limited to:

• Justin Wrobleski pitching like an All-Star;
• Eric Lauer pitching like a mid-rotation arm;
• The bullpen pitching like a lights-out unit without peripheral stats to back it up, and so on.

Last year, the Dodgers lost a nine-game lead in 40 days. This year, over almost the same stretch, the lead has gone from 14 games to eight as of the start of play on Friday, which is not great, but not terrible.

So you should probably bear down and enjoy the ride, because it was so much worse last year. While the last week was bad, it wasn’t “look inept in front of last place teams who have nothing to play for” bad. Granted, if the team keeps losing and has to play in the Wild Card round again, then they will only have themselves to blame.

Several players are having down years in 2026. Today, we take notice of Kyle Tucker, but before we start any analysis, I must ask an unexpected question.

Why would they come just to boo him?

Generally, I do not pay attention to players not on the Dodgers unless they play in Japan. Even then, one has to be special to grab and hold my notice. Generally, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, and Munetaka Murakami. I knew Yamamoto, Sasaki, and Murakami; Kyle Tucker is not Yamamoto, Sasaki, or Murakami.

Putting that theme aside for a moment, there was a tidbit from my visit to Houston that I originally omitted, mostly because I forgot. At the time, I was struck by how absolutely hostile the Houston faithful were towards Kyle Tucker.

It was so visceral and obnoxious, I had to check midgame in Game 1 how Tucker left Houston. Considering how hostile the ballpark’s conditions were (terrible view, blinding lights, overly tight chairs, insufferable fanbase, among other demerits), it was a novel distraction.

At this point, Tucker had only been in my orbit for about a month. So Houston’s petty rage felt like it was directed towards a boiled potato or a stalk of celery, which feels like an apt comparison for our right fielder’s temperament, and it was absolutely confusing to the uninitiated.

The observation is generally not meant as an insult; if you put Tucker in a nondescript suit, put him at a desk, and said he was a certified public accountant (CPA), you would accept the image. As opposed to putting Enrique Hernandez or Freddie Freeman in the same situation, despite his public declaration of wanting to be a CPA if this whole baseball thing didn’t work out. (Author’s Note: That’s your side hustle when you retire, Mr. Freeman; no one should putter about the house.)

The Astros traded Tucker to the Chicago Cubs on December 13, 2024, for Isaac Paredes, Hayden Wesneski and Cam Smith. Tucker had the following to say to the Houston Chronicle after the trade:

“I appreciate everything that the Houston Astros team and the city itself has done for me and my family since I got drafted in ’15 until now,” Tucker said on a video conference call Tuesday. “And I don’t think I could have gone to a much better organization than the Cubs. So I’m excited to start playing in front of the fans and in the city and everything else…A lot of things in life and sports and everything kind of is what it is. Stuff happens and whatnot. Some stuff is out of your control, but you’ve just got to make the most with it.” …

Testing the open market after one season in Chicago would seem likely, though Tucker did not declare that his intention when asked multiple times Tuesday about the potential for extension talks with the Cubs.

“Kind of like I’ve always said, I’m always open to talks to see where that leads,” Tucker said. “You never know what the future’s going to hold. I’m still real close with everyone on the Astros. It’s not like we’re all enemies now or anything or I hate everyone over there — no, that’s not it. Obviously, whenever we play against them, I would prefer to win. But at the end of the day, I’m still close with a lot of those guys and some close friends of mine.”

[Emphasis added.]

If there was an opposite for bulletin board fodder, the above paragraphs would likely be it. I am not doubting the sincerity of the statements, but anodyne is the adjective that immediately comes to mind upon reading it. So, yes, the Houston faithful were largely being spectacularly unreasonable and petty. Shocking.

Life moved on. I forgot about the unjustified abuse, which brings us to the recently concluded “series” against the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs used a qualifying offer on Tucker last year, which he declined before signing his massive, record-breaking deal with the Dodgers.

Kyle Tucker returned to the Northside of Chicago for the first time since leaving, which begged the question of how he’d be received. More of a question of “how would it be?” versus “how will they react?” The fans let Tucker have it all series long.

Again, to put it kindly, it didn’t go well — again, either on or off the field, especially in Games 1 and 2, with blunders on the base paths and the outfield. Again, Tucker had nice things to say about his time in Chicago after Game 1.

“I tried my hardest last year. I mean, I tried playing through hand fracture and calf thing, just trying to get back to the playoffs for them, and trying to do what I could to help out the team last year with them. … Hit really well in 1st half, and 2nd half didn’t go as great, and kind of didn’t end up great at the end of the year. But had a good run. … They’re a good team, and it should be good for them for the rest of the year.”

Again, as bulletin board fodder, this interview fails miserably. Tucker in Chicago was not the same as Manny Machado in Los Angeles in 2018, who performed well enough on the field, but his style of play (dirty or otherwise) did not ingratiate himself with the fanbase.

In fact, local media was initially confused as to why Tucker was being treated so harshly by the crowd.

The accepted explanations were that Tucker did not act as if he wanted to be in Chicago and his signing in Los Angeles was emblematic of the perceived ills of the sport, which was a roundabout way to say sour grapes. Tucker played well on the whole and then signed elsewhere; the marriage was one of convenience, as clearly everyone was ready to move on, much like the Dodgers and Machado after 2018.

The latter point on Tucker is one for a later day, but the first point is idiotic and arguably applies to recent arrival Tarik Skubal. Tucker, like Skubal, was traded without a movement clause. It’s like flying a hot air balloon; one doesn’t steer it as one is at the mercy of the winds. Tucker played well in 2025, even while hurt, before the Cubs were unceremoniously bounced by the Milwaukee Brewers, which really was a historical footnote in the grand scheme of things.

For as much as everyone is glazing the Cubs now, the Brewers are still the defending NL Central Division champion until dethroned; never mind that they once again have the best record in baseball. Brewers/Cubs 2 Electric Boogaloo likely having a repeat result this October would be very funny.

Sometimes trades do not work out in that there is a mismatch between player and team. My position on booing is simple: go for it. It may say more about you than them, but have it as there are no sacred cows apart from family, injuries, and the late Vin Scully (or Mike Krukow, if you are of that particular fandom, who announced he is retiring at the end of the year).

Steamed Ham

Some guy on the Astros and Chicago Cubs generally does not pop up on my radar, even if he was averaging 5 fWAR/bWAR a year. While preparing this essay, I came across something that Jordan Bastian of MLB.com wrote last year, which just seems kind of mean now:

When Tucker is healthy and his swing is in rhythm, he is simply one of the best hitters on the planet.

“Look, it’s important,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “It’s part of why at times this has been a really, really good offense. He’s a big part of it.”

[Emphasis added.]

With respect to Mr. Bastian and Craig Counsell, I have no earthly idea who they are talking about, because the person they are speaking about is not the person I have seen in my travels or in my viewing of the 2026 campaign. I have yet to see the so-called King Tuck who merited this record contract and will be in Los Angeles for the next three years, at this rate.

I have recently taken to calling Tucker “Steamed Ham” because of the impromptu reaction I had to actual power being demonstrated by Tucker in Queens, NY.

Something occurred to me as the de facto Traveling Correspondent during my travels that I had to double-check once I got home from Philadelphia that I thought I might be imagining: Has Tucker been okay, if moderately underwhelming, on the road, but downright unwatchable when at Dodger Stadium?

I decided to put my observations to the test because I was genuinely curious whether I was falling victim to confirmation bias or recency bias. Tucker has played exactly 54 games at home and 54 games on the road in 2026, so any difference will likely show in the statistics by now.

Tucker at Home as of start of play August 7, 2026:

• 54 games, .209/.302/.300, 39 for 187, 2 HR, 11 2B, 17 RBI, 3 SB, 24 BB, 42 K, GIDP, HBP, 56 TB, 68 OPS+

Tucker on Road as of start of play July 31, 2026:

• 54 games, .276/.373/.454, 54 for 196, 8 HR, 7 2B, 2 3B, 35 RBI, 4 SB, 31 BB, 42 K, 2 GIDP, 2 HBP, 4 SH, 89 TB, 131 OPS+

Talk about a Jekyll-and-Hyde act.

On the road, Tucker compares to 2026-Max Muncy (.253/.347/.494, 131 OPS+). At Dodger Stadium, Tucker compares favorably to 2026-Nasim Nunez, currently ranked next to last in OPS+ for qualified players (.235/.318/.274, 68 OPS+).

Tucker was signed, in part, to shore up the Dodgers outfield, which was manned in part by now-Chicago Cub Michael Conforto. Last year, Conforto was generally bad in left field. It was generally painful to watch. However, I give Conforto credit in one regard: during his terrible 2025, he wasn’t publicly complaining about it.

Conforto did his best, but it just did not work out. Sometimes one’s reach exceeds one’s grasp. Moreover, the clubhouse rallied behind Conforto, and I can’t recall him making any public outbursts, even though he played poorly enough to show it.

Tucker’s facade was starting to crack in Los Angeles with public displays of frustration in the dugout after poor at-bats. This slow meltdown, compounded by his generally poor play in Chicago, led to mistakes on the basepaths and in the outfield throughout the series.

In Game 1, with the Dodgers down 3, Tucker was thrown out trying to extend a single, just before Teoscar Hernandez homered to cut the deficit to two.

While Tucker tipped his cap to the Cubs defense, Dave Roberts had a different view of the play:

“It’s just the scoreboard. [Cubs outfielder] Seiya [Suzuki] throws as well as anyone in baseball,” Roberts said. “It just doesn’t look good when you’re down three making the first out at second base.

“It just doesn’t.”

In Game 2, Tucker seemingly forgot how to play right field at Wrigley, which is a little bit awkward considering the year he played there, having a key miscue that both cut Skubal’s night short and triggered the events that tagged Skubal with the loss.

If Tucker is starting to press even further to try and overcompensate for his poor 2026, he needs to stop, because it clearly is not working. With the Summer Swoon now in full effect, if Tucker wants to change the narrative surrounding his inaugural campaign in Los Angeles, he has 48 regular-season games left to turn the tide.

San Francisco Giants outfielder Harrison Bader allegedly crashed into a firetruck during a night out in the city last month, resulting in his already injured left foot getting ran over.

As a result, Bader’s already disappointing 2026 season is now over. And the Giants are suspending Bader’s pay because of this incident’s non-baseball nature.

Giants players have remained tight-lipped about the situation since it happened. But one player addressed Bader’s situation in a hilarious way during his team’s game on Wednesday.

Giants rookie catcher Daniel Susac hit a double during the second inning. Upon reaching second base, he turned to his team’s dugout and mimicked riding a scooter. He then shot a grin before removing his protective gear.

The camera than flashed to several Giants players in the dugout, including ace Logan Webb, who was laughing out loud at the celebration.

There seem to be two options for why Susac and his Giants teammate embraced the celebration. Either they’re paying homage to their fallen comrade, or trolling a teammate who made a selfish mistake that cost both himself and his team.

The latter scenario seems much more likely. Regardless, Susac’s teammates got a kick out of what he did.

It would be interesting to hear Susac speak on the celebration, or get a glimpse of how manager Tony Vitello responded to it. Whether this celebration picks up steam among Giants players and becomes their primary extra-base celebration will also speak volumes about the situation.

Don’t expect Bader to comment on the celebration either way.

Legendary San Francisco Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow will retire after the 2026 season, ending a 36-year stint in the booth.

Krukow has been battling a degenerative muscle disease called body myositis for the past two decades. It appears this battle is what ultimately forced Krukow to make his retirement decision.

“I don’t want to quit. Unfortunately the rules change, first from year to year, and then month to month and now it’s day to day. It’s becoming unsafe. My home in Reno is much safer, and it really is the determining factor in how I can’t do games anymore,” Krukow told NBC Sports Bay Area.

Krukow released an official statement on Thursday that read, “[His wife] Jennifer and I have been so blessed to be able to stay in the game for as long as we have and it’s really made it impossible to feel sorry for myself that my career is coming to an end.”

It is good to hear that Krukow still feels grateful for his time in the Giants’ booth, even if he is not fully ready to call it a career quite yet.

Krukow has become a legend in baseball largely because of his broadcasting partnership with Duane Kuiper. “Kruk and Kuip” are immortal among Giants fans, as their close-knit friendship has sparked countless hilarious moments and camaraderie that is usually found in MLB clubhouses, not broadcast booths.

San Francisco fans now have a great reason to tune in to games in what has otherwise been a disappointing season.

When Anthony Volpe reports to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, manager Shelley Duncan anticipates the shortstop to see some action at second base and possibly third base.

“There’s a good chance of that,” Duncan said. “We’ll see when he gets here. Us as an organization, we’ll have a plan in place for him. Anthony will be a part of that plan. We’ll move forward accordingly for what’s best for him and what’s best for the organization.”

Volpe, Jasson Domínguez, and Max Schuemann were all sent down by the Yankees on Monday following the fallout of the Trade Deadline and the promotion of top prospect George Lombard Jr. Schuemann arrived and played for the RailRiders on Wednesday night. Duncan expected Volpe and Dominguez to join the team by Friday; they had 72 hours to report.

The trio will be joining an already-good RailRiders squad. Despite having their eight-game winning streak snapped Wednesday with an 8-1 loss to the Rochester Red Wings at PNC Field, the RailRiders are in first place in the International League second-half standings with a 23-10 record, one-half game ahead of the Durham Bulls. Overall, the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate is 60-47. They are one of four teams in the 20-team league with 60 or more wins. Rochester has 64, the St. Paul Saints 63, and first-half champion Memphis Redbirds 62. During the RailRiders’ six-game series sweep at Iowa last week, they batted .343 with 79 hits, including 11 home runs, and outscored the Cubs, 50-18.

Heading into Thursday’s action, the RailRiders rank fourth in the IL in home runs with 152. On the mound, they rank first in ERA (4.14), hits allowed (774), runs allowed (492), earned runs allowed (423), WHIP (1.33), and opponents’ batting average (.227). They’re also tied for first in shutouts (7), rank second in home runs allowed (104), and tied for third in saves (29).

Two big reasons for their pitching success are right-handers Brendan Beck and Elmer Rodríguez.

Beck, the Yankees’ No. 19 prospect, is 9-2 with a 2.69 ERA in 20 starts and 118 strikeouts in 110.1 innings. He is tied for first in the league in wins with Trenton Denholm of the Columbus Clippers, is first in ERA, innings, strikeouts, and WHIP (1.02) and second in opponents’ batting average (.201). He has not lost a game at the Triple-A level since April 26th. In 14 starts since then, he is 7-0 and he hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of those outings. Additionally, six of the starts have been scoreless, including Tuesday in the series opener against Rochester, when he tossed six shutout innings with four hits, one walk, and a career-high 12 strikeouts.

Meanwhile, Rodríguez, the Yankees’ No. 3 prospect, is 7-3 with a 2.77 ERA in 16 starts and 81 strikeouts in 81.1 innings. He is coming off a month of July that saw him go 4-0 in five starts with a 2.73 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 26.1 innings with eight runs (eight earned), 26 hits, and 10 walks.

Adding Volpe, Dominguez, and Schuemann makes the RailRiders even better. They potentially could be the team to beat in the International League second half.

“The sky’s the limit,” Beck said. “Those are great players and we’re going to be excited to have them join the team. Everyone wants to be up top; this isn’t anybody’s end goal. It’s nice that we’re playing well right now and hopefully can seamlessly slide them in. Those are guys everyone is going to look to take things away from. They’ve had huge experiences in the big leagues, played in huge games. That’s something I’m interested in taking things away from them and I know the other guys are probably going to do the same.”

Duncan cautions, however, not to think things automatically will be better. He said there could be an adjustment period adding the new players.

“You don’t know honestly,” Duncan said. “The group of guys in that clubhouse over the past two weeks or so have allowed me to sit back and plug and play almost the same lineup every day. They’ve gotten really comfortable together and the chemistry in there is phenomenal. A lot of times when you bring in new players, even when you bring in really good talent, it takes a little bit for everyone to really vibe and get to know each other. The expectation can’t be they’re going to come in and have a sense of comfort. Anytime there’s any movement on a team, there’s always a little time that chemistry builds.

“Over the course of a season, you have a team’s win-loss record. But over the course of that season, you see many different teams. When I talk about that, it’s players learning to play with each other, learning to support each other, learning to sacrifice a little bit of yourself for the guy next to you. The guys in there right now are doing that with each other. When one guy doesn’t come through, the next guy picks him up. They’re able to communicate real well between at-bats and doing the little things right. I don’t think it’s fair to expect the same chemistry right out of the get-go. It takes work. Having a good team takes work. It takes constant effort to pour into that team. We’ll need to do it again. When we do, you let the talent play for itself. It will be interesting, but it will be fun at the same time.”

At various points this season, Volpe, Dominguez, and Schuemann have all played for the RailRiders, so there is some familiarity. But Duncan said when they were here, it was a completely different team. For example, when Schuemann was last here in April, the infield included Paul DeJong, Jonathan Ornelas, Braden Shewmake, and Seth Brown. None of those players are with the team now.

“There’s going to be some level of comfort,” Duncan said. “But when the makeup on teams change, there’s always work that needs to be put in with everyone.”

Despite all that, Beck believes there won’t be any issues.

“Baseball is a hard game. It’s hard to continuously go out there and have success,” Beck said. “When people come and go from the locker room, you rely on the culture of the team and the culture of the clubhouse to keep those things moving along. Luckily, we have a good culture here, so I’m excited to see what we’re able to do.”

It certainly should be quite a wild ride over the final six weeks of the season.