Category: Sports News

‘Thankful' Robbie Ray finally acknowledges trade rumors after Giants' win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN DIEGO — The first trade of Robbie Ray’s career came before his MLB debut and the second came a year later, when he had just 28 big league innings under his belt. It was six years before the next one, and he followed that deal by winning a Cy Young Award for his new team. The fourth trade of his career happened while he was recovering from Tommy John surgery. 

The fifth almost certainly will be finalized over the next four days, and it might be the Giants pitcher’s last. Ray is 34 now, and he has a large family. He is close to reaching the point where every offseason will be spent wondering if he wants to go through the grind again, or trade it all in for rides to Little League and soccer practice. 

But for any scouts who were watching Thursday night, he made sure to show that he’s not there yet. 

If this was Ray’s final start with the Giants, he went out on a high note, and he certainly showed that there’s plenty left in that arm. Ray gave up just one run over six innings in a 4-1 win over the San Diego Padres, and when they put a runner on in his final frame, he reached back for 95 mph to blow away Manny Machado. 

This run he has been on has been about grinding through innings and traffic, but there are still quite a few lightning bolts left. The rest will just probably come elsewhere, a likelihood that Ray finally acknowledged late Thursday night. 

The veteran has said for weeks that he’s ignoring the noise, but he couldn’t do that after this win. He has been around long enough to know that Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey almost certainly will send him elsewhere before Monday evening’s MLB trade deadline. 

“I tried to put everything out of my head leading up to this start, but yeah, it obviously comes up now that this could be my last start in a Giants uniform,” Ray said. 

The 22nd appearance of his 2026 MLB season got him to 10 wins and lowered his ERA to 3.08. Over his last seven, it’s a microscopic 1.09.

A few weeks ago, before this stretch started, Giants officials were concerned that they wouldn’t get many offers at all for Ray, but that’s no longer the case. He’ll be one of the best starters available at the deadline, and while his MLB playoff appearances have not gone well, he at least has those reps under his belt. By this time next week, Ray should be in some contender’s rotation. 

On Thursday, he said he hadn’t thought about the fact that he might be leaving a 47-62 team for a shot at the postseason. His focus for the last four months has been simple: Put up zeroes, give the Giants a chance every five days. 

“I felt like this whole year, it’s been a tough year,” he said. “As a team, we’re not where we want to be, but I feel like I’ve put myself in a good position, going out every day and trying to give my team a chance to win.”

Ray came to the Giants in what amounted to a double salary dump. Farhan Zaidi had his share of mistakes, but he was masterful at getting out from under contracts that had turned sour, and he flipped Mitch Haniger and Anthony DeSclafani to Seattle in 2024 for Ray, who was recovering from surgery at the time. 

Ray’s first start as a Giant was a memorable one — five hitless innings at Dodger Stadium — and partially led Zaidi to keep that rotation intact, hopeful that it could lead the Giants through the second half. That didn’t end up being the case, but Ray came back to make the All-Star team in 2025, and this season he again has stayed healthy and productive. 

“I’m super thankful to be given the opportunity mid-rehab to come over here and continue the rehab process with the guys they have over here. The training staff has been amazing,” Ray said of his journey. “And just (being) given the opportunity to pitch, I think that’s the biggest thing, getting back on the field and doing what I love to do.

“They’ve given me a chance to come back from that injury, and I’m just thankful for that.”

The start on Thursday was his 60th as a Giant, and it’s hard to know where the next will come. Both Chicago teams need a pitcher like Ray, and the Atlanta Braves certainly could use another veteran arm. The Padres, who went with a bullpen game Thursday and will do so again Friday, had to be impressed. That at least would solve some travel headaches for the Ray family.

The left-hander tried to avoid the rumors over the past few weeks, but he knows that he now has to keep his phone close. He has been through this a few times before, and once again, he’s pitching well enough that someone is going to come calling. 

“I feel like I’ve been locked in lately,” he said. “I feel like my last few starts, my last two in particular, I was kind of on cruise control. I didn’t really feel pressured my last two starts all that much. I just felt like I was kind of in a flow state kind of the whole time. 

“I felt comfortable with all my pitches in any situation, and I think as a starting pitcher that’s kind of where you want to be, to be able to turn over a lineup three times, and I feel like that’s kind of where I’m at right now.”

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Shohei Ohtani will not be in the starting lineup for the Los Angeles Dodgers' home game against the Seattle Mariners on Thursday, July 30.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts stated that Ohtani was out of the lineup due to an ongoing knee issue that has kept him off the mound since before the All-Star Game.

Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers' president of baseball operations, told reporters on July 29 that Ohtani’s knee is the reason he’s not pitching right now.

Another injury came to light after Ohtani mentioned during his recent media availability that he's dealing with right biceps discomfort.

SAN FRANCISCO — When the Giants board their charter jet home from this seven-game road trip, the passenger manifest will look different than the one on their flight to San Diego.

“There’ll be changes, for sure,” manager Tony Vitello acknowledged Wednesday, a few days ahead of his first trade deadline leading a major-league clubhouse.

Even after series wins over the Angels and Brewers, the Giants’ position as one of a handful of definitive sellers hasn’t budged. They ended Wednesday 16 games below .500, one of five teams buried 10 or more games out of a playoff spot.

Although Luis Arraez boarded the plane Wednesday night, and Robbie Ray is slated to start Thursday’s series opener, neither player is likely to be on the flight back from Texas.

Tyler Mahle, Heliot Ramos and any number of relievers could also be dealt before the 3 p.m. PT Monday trade deadline. They could also unload Willy Adames or Rafael Devers, if they can find a trade partner willing to take on their bloated contracts with more than $100 million left on each.

“For any team that makes a change throughout the league, it is a little bit of a restart to the season,” Vitello said. “Or a fresh start, of some sort.”

Arraez is viewed as possibly the most likely player to be on the move in all of baseball, given his exceptional two-way play and status as a free-agent to be. But the seemingly inevitable end of his brief but memorable tenure in San Francisco is something he prefers not to think about.

“I don’t know. I don’t know,” Arraez said when asked Wednesday about the looming deadline. “I just try to be focused and play my game. I don’t want to think about trades or anything. I just try to go out there and do my job.”

It should have been harder than most days for Arraez to keep his focus on the field as the Giants wrapped up their homestand with a feel-good 16-3 win over the Brewers. If all goes as expected, it would be the last time he takes the field in front of the fans at Oracle Park.

Arraez’s signing was met with mixed reactions from a fanbase who doubted his ability to play second base and the utility of his contact-oriented hitting style. Only six months later, in what could have been his finale in front of the same fans, no player generated more cheers.

Forced to confront reality afterward, Arraez expressed his gratitude to the fans for their quick embrace and the organization for giving him a chance when no other team would.

Despite their record, Arraez said his time in San Francisco has been “amazing.”

“Especially [because] they gave me a real opportunity to play second base,” he said. “I really appreciate the organization. They gave me an opportunity to go out there and play second base. Nobody trusted me and the organization trusted me to play second base. I really appreciate that. …

“[The fans] are amazing. Everyday they cheer for us. And they get loud everyday. I love the fans. I want to say thanks to them.”

It would have been hard to script a more appropriate sendoff for Arraez in front of the home fans. If it was his final time wearing the Giants’ home cream uniforms, he got everything out of them, just like everything he does.

There was a small hole in the left knee of the pants and dirt stains still there from a diving play he made to his right in what may end up being his final act with the Giants, a fitting bookend to his defensive transformation and dedication to his work with infield coach Ron Washington.

“He literally had to go full speed and then extend full out on that play,” Vitello said. “So that’s how his day ended. It kind of marks what kind of day he had. But you could really just stack up all the days together. He’s playing phenomenal baseball.”

Even during the lowest doldrums of the Giants’ lineup early in the season, Arraez provided a rare bright spot with a customary hit or two almost every night. On this afternoon, he collected four, raising his average to .331, overtaking the Marlins’ Otto Lopez for the major-league lead.

Logan Webb bestowed him the highest compliment, calling him a “modern-day Tony Gwynn.”

“He’s an unbelievable hitter,” Webb said. “I wasn’t a fan of him because he’d get hits off me and his power takes are incredible. But getting to know him and become his friend and teammate and see the work he puts in everyday, it’s pretty special.”

Even teams going nowhere have to field nine players, and there are still plenty of fans passing through the turnstiles at the corner of Third & King — 35,399 for a weekday matinee — who are paying to be entertained. Without Arreaz, that will only get harder.

“He made everybody’s day better,” Vitello said. “Pick any fan you want, [media], players, coaches – literally made everyone’s day better, everyday. There wasn’t any days off, either.”

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters

The Atlanta Braves are opening up a series at home against the Washington Nationals where they hope to get some momentum going before the trade deadline on August 3rd.

Grant Holmes will be facing Jake Irvin for the second time this season. In that game both pitchers performed well, but it was Irvin who came out on top with 5.0 innings of one hit ball. Irvin has not pitched since that game and may need to shake off some rust today.

The Braves and Nationals are both in the top three in runs scored this month, so it looks to be a shootout, but that was said the last time these two pitchers faced off and that was not the case. Baseball can be funny sometimes. Here is to hoping the Braves’ offense can shake off their underwhelming performance against the Mets and start this series off with a bang.

Follow along with us in the comments.

First pitch is at 7:15 EDT.

Lineup

Preview

With the August 3rd deadline looming larger by the day, the Nats hit the road and head to Atlanta. Dropping the Jays series felt like a missed opportunity, especially with this four gamer approaching. However, the Nats are road warriors and will have the chance to show that yet again in Atlanta.

With a righty on the mound, Blake Butera is going with a lefty heavy lineup. Dylan Crews is the only true right hander in the lineup, playing center field and hitting third. CJ Abrams is back at shortstop, with Nasim Nunez sliding to second and Jorbit Vivas moving to third. Keibert Ruiz is back behind the dish. After missing a lot of time with a shoulder injury, Jake Irvin is back in the fold to make one of the biggest starts of his career.

The Braves lineup features a familiar cast of characters including Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Olson, Drake Baldwin and Ozzie Albies. One Braves mainstay who is not in the lineup is Austin Riley, who has had a difficult season. Mauricio Dubon will take his place at third. Right hander and Kenny Powers lookalike Grant Holmes is on the mound.

Game Info:

Stadium: Truist Park

Time: 7:15 PM EST

TV: ESPN

Radio: 106.7 The Fan

This is a nationally televised game where the Nats have a chance to show the world their elite offense. It is also a massive game in the Wild Card race. They need to win to stay above .500 after dropping that Jays series. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!

The MLB trade deadline is four days away, and the Pittsburgh Pirates are in desperate need of bullpen help.

Everyone knows it. That’s not an industry secret that the 29 other teams are unaware of.

As the deadline nears and the Pirates hover around .500 and the final wild card, it’s time for the Pirates to become the most aggressive they’ve been in a decade. 

ESPN insider Buster Olney labeled the Pirates as one of 12 teams that are most desperate to make moves to their major league roster.

The greatest area of need? The bullpen.

Pittsburgh ranks 24th in bullpen ERA and released former closer Dennis Santana this week following a chaotic season that resulted in an ERA over six. 

It’s a huge week for Ben Cherington, whose offense ranks first in hits per game and tied for second in runs scored. The staff also boasts two All-Star starters and Jared Jones, emerging as one of the best young right-handed starters after internal brace surgery last year.

The Pirates offense is the best of our lifetime, and Olney reported on Wednesday that other teams have definitely taken notice.

“That rotation is f- – -ing real,” one rival executive told Olney, “and they can score.”

Olney pointed to Padres star closer Mason Miller and shutdown lefty Adrian Morejon as names to keep an eye on, but said “we’ll see” and didn’t add any other rumblings surrounding the duo.

The same executive told Olney, “they’re going to be aggressive” at their trade deadline.

It’s a common statement local and national insiders have reported in the previous weeks.

The Padres relievers would make a significant impact, but would command a significant return, and San Diego is closer to the final wild card than the Pirates. 

Pittsburgh is two games back of the Arizona Diamondbacks after losing two out of three games this week and looking up at the Marlins and Padres. Philadelphia is also tied for the final wild card.

The Pirates begin a crucial four-game series against the rival Cincinnati Reds on Thursday before their most important deadline since 2015.

The start of Thursday's game between the Mets and Miami Marlins at Citi Field has been delayed due to the threat of bad weather.

After about a 30-minute delay, the Mets announced the series opener will start at 8:15 p.m.

The game was originally scheduled to start at 7:10 p.m., with the two NL East sides opening a four-game set in Queens.

When the weather clears, Nolan McLean (3.32 ERA and 1.115 WHIP over 119.1 innings) will get the ball for his 22nd start of the campaign. The visitors are sending out right-hander Eury Pérez (3.56 ERA and 1.115 WHIP in 98.2 innings) for his 19th start of the year.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Cincinnati Reds, July 30, 2026, 7:10 p.m. ET

The Pittsburgh Pirates are hoping to snap their two-game losing streak as they take on the Cincinnati Reds in the first of a four-game set in Cincinnati.

The Pirates are doing something a bit unorthodox going into the matchup: handing the ball to Johan Ramirez for the first start of his career. Ramirez has appeared in 208 MLB games across seven seasons but has never been given the ball to start a game. This indicates that the Pirates are going to have a bullpen day today, which could be an interesting strategy going into a long series.

Today’s game will mark the fourth time Ramirez has pitched against the Reds this season. He gave up no hits and no runs back in March, but gave up a run on May 2. He pitched two scoreless innings against the Reds on June 27. Look for him to go about two innings or so in tonight’s contest before handing the ball off to someone else.

Rhett Lowder is getting the ball for the Reds. He last pitched on July 24 against the St. Louis Cardinals, pitching five innings, giving up a hit and two earned runs in a 4-2 victory. Lowder has not won a game since April 20, so he will look to snap out of the funk he’s been in for most of the year.

Lowder pitched against the Pirates back on May 2, giving up five hits and eight earned runs in a 17-7 loss at PNC Park. If the Pirates can chase him out early once again, Pittsburgh should start the series off on the right foot.

Location: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, OH

Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh

Pitching Matchup: Yohan Ramirez (6-3, 3.21 ERA) vs. Rhett Lowder (3-7, 5.61 ERA)

BD community, this is your gameday thread for today. Chime off in the comments section below.

Mets lineup

A.J. Ewing – LF
Francisco Lindor – SS
Bo Bichette – 3B
Carson Benge – RF
Luis Robert – CF
Brett Baty – 1B
Marcus Semien – 2B
Jorge Polanco – DH
Francisco Alvarez – C

SP: Nolan McLean – RHP

Marlins lineup

Liam Hicks – DH
Xavier Edwards – 2B
Otto Lopez – SS
Kyle Stowers – 1B
Heriberto Hernandez – LF
Griffin Conine – RF
Jakob Marsee – CF
Graham Pauley – 3B
Joe Mack – C

SP: Eury Perez – RHP

Broadcast info

First pitch: 7:10 PM ET
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

CHICAGO — In the aftermath of a crushing 12-inning loss to the White Sox on Wednesday night, the Yankees took solace in the fact that they would be able to take the field again in just over 12 hours, with a chance to win the series and change the vibes.

Instead, there was only more pain.

For the second straight day, the Yankees got walked off on, this time coming on Fernando Cruz’s four-pitch walk to Tristan Peters with the bases loaded in the 11th inning, punching them in the face with a 2-1 loss to the White Sox on Thursday afternoon.

On a day when they went 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base, the Yankees took a 1-0 lead in the top of the 10th before Angel Chivilli — in his second inning of work — blew it in the bottom of the frame.

Cruz came in to bail him out of that inning, but after the Yankees could not score in the top of the 11th, the White Sox won it in painstaking fashion, with David Bednar seemingly unavailable for the second straight day, after having pitched on four of the last six days.

The Yankees fell to 1-8 in extra innings this season.

Cruz started the 11th by intentionally walking Munetaka Murakami and then striking out Miguel Vargas. Sam Antonacci followed with a hard ground ball to first base that Ben Rice dove for and knocked down, but the ball came out of his glove, wiping out any chance of recording an out, loading the bases.

Cruz then fell behind 3-0 to Colson Montgomery before coming back to strike him out. But he did the same to Peters and could not escape.

In relief of Ryan Weathers, who delivered seven shutout innings, Brent Headrick threw a scoreless eighth inning before Chivilli had a 1-2-3 ninth. Then, after Grisham — who entered the day in a 3-for-45 slump — singled up the middle to score the automatic runner in the top of the 10th, Chivilli returned to the mound to start the bottom of the 10th.

Chivilli spiked a changeup past catcher Ali Sánchez to move the automatic runner to third before striking out the leadoff man. But then Andrew Benintendi, a ghost of Yankees trade deadlines past, lined a single up the middle to tie the game 1-1.

After Edgar Quero — who delivered the walk-off single Wednesday night against Ryan Yarbrough — followed with a single, manager Aaron Boone called on Cruz, who generated a double play to escape the jam and extend the game.

It was another miserable offensive day for the Yankees, and even when they did get on base, bad things happened.

Jasson Domínguez led off the sixth inning with what should have been a triple to the right-field corner, but as he raced for third base and beat the throw easily, he slid past the bag, allowing Montgomery to tag him out.

An inning later, Jazz Chisholm Jr. was picked off first base with two outs by lefty Sean Newcomb, trying to steal second with Austin Wells at the plate.

Chisholm later left the game in the 11th with what looked to be a right leg injury, two innings after he pulled up on a groundout and was hobbling the rest of the way.

You could be forgiven if you were thinking, as you were watching Thursday’s 4-2, 10-inning Cubs win over the Cardinals, “Didn’t we see this game yesterday?”

Tightly fought game? Check.

Extra innings? Check.

Two-run Cubs lead heading to the bottom of the 10th? Check.

This time, Jacob Webb and Aaron Civale held the line on the Cardinals, retiring three in order to preserve the win. By posting the save — the second of his career, the other one coming with the Cubs last year — Civale became the 13th different Cub to record a save in 2026. That’s a franchise record, breaking the mark set in 2021 and matched last year.

Caught your breath yet?

Let’s rewind to the beginning of this tense game.

Javier Assad, starting on his 29th birthday, gave up a run to the Cardinals in the second inning on a pair of walks and an RBI single by Bryan Torres.

But the Cubs matched that tally in the fourth on some alert baserunning by Alex Bregman. Bregman doubled with one out, and then Ian Happ came to the plate [VIDEO].

As you can see on the clip, Cardinals right fielder Lars Nootbaar just casually runs after he makes the catch, as if it’s the third out of the inning, which it wasn’t. Bregman had taken off for third and when Nootbaar finally realized that and threw in, his throw got away and Bregman scored. Really good job of baserunning there.

That’s where the score stayed until the seventh. Assad was lifted with one out in the fifth, having struck out six [VIDEO].

Ryan Rolison threw the rest of the fifth without incident and also threw a scoreless sixth, helped out by this really nice play by Michael Conforto in right [VIDEO].

Conforto did not hesitate after the single by Blaze Jordan and made an accurate throw to Dansby Swanson to end the inning. Nice tag by Dansby, too.

The Cubs took the lead in the seventh. With one out, Swanson walked and stole second — his 15th without being caught this year. Then he advanced to third on a wild pitch one out later, as Seiya Suzuki walked.

Michael Busch then singled in Swanson [VIDEO].

That lead did not last long, though, as with one out in the bottom of the seventh JJ Wetherholt homered off Caleb Thielbar to tie the game 2-2.

The Cubs got the leadoff hitter on in the eighth when Nico Hoerner singled, but one out later Carson Kelly hit into an inning-ending double play. About that hit, Nico’s third of the game, from BCB’s JohnW53:

This was Nico Hoerner’s third game since the break for the All=Star Game with at least three hits, and his seventh with at least two, in 13 games played.

With his 3 for 5 game, Hoerner is batting .426 since the break: 23 for 54. His batting average at the break was .223. Now it is .257.

The Cardinals also got their leadoff man on in the bottom of the eighth when Ivan Herrera singled. But Gavin Hollowell retired the next three Cardinals in order.

In the ninth, the Cubs had a chance when Pete Crow-Armstrong hit this sinking liner to left, but he was robbed of a hit by Torres [VIDEO].

Webb, who’s been so reliable lately, allowed a one-out single in the bottom of the ninth but retired the next two Cardinals to send the game to the 10th.

Suzuki was the placed runner for the Cubs. A ground out moved him to third, and Suzuki scored easily on this double by Bregman [VIDEO].

Happ followed with this RBI double to give the Cubs a 4-2 lead [VIDEO].

So, here we are. Same situation as Wednesday night, a two-run Cubs lead going to the bottom of the 10th. This time, Craig Counsell left Webb in to start the inning and he gave up a sharp line drive to Alec Burleson, but PCA made this nice grab [VIDEO].

That brought in Civale, who got another fly ball to PCA for the second out.

Then Civale struck out Nootbaar on this nasty curveball to end the game [VIDEO].

Here are the other 12 Cubs who have recorded saves this year:

Webb: 5
Trent Thornton, Daniel Palencia: 3
Thielbar, Jordan Wicks: 2
Rolison, Hollowell, Assad, Colin Rea, Hoby Milner, Ben Brown, Corbin Martin: 1

Yes, the Cubs miss Palencia and yes, it would be nice to have a lockdown closer but as long as the job gets done, what does it matter who does it?

The Cubs thus wrap a very successful 5-2 road trip. They creep to within 5.5 games of the idle Brewers for the NL Central lead and now lead the Phillies and Diamondbacks, tied at 57-52, by five games in the wild card race.

The team will certainly have a happy short flight back to Chicago this evening and then begin a three-game series against the Yankees Friday afternoon in Wrigley Field. Shōta Imanaga will start for the Cubs and Will Warren will go for the Yankees. Game time is 1:20 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network (and MLB Network outside the Cubs and Yankees market territories).

With neither team scoring through nine innings on Thursday afternoon, the White Sox lineup had a little more juice in extra innings to outlast the Yankees in a 2-1 walk-off win. The decisive plate appearance was a bases-loaded free pass from Tristan Peters against a clearly gassed Fernando Cruz. In a game in which neither team hit well, it was fitting that the winning run would score without a bat being swung.

Wasted opportunities in the first are not something a team normally dwells on for too long, but in this matchup, both clubs had reasons to lament not opening the scoring right from the get-go. Sean Burke saw the first two hitters reach safely with a catcher’s interference and a walk, only for the Yankees offense to go 0-for-3 with a runner in scoring position. In Ryan Weathers’ turn, the left-hander had a dose of luck as Colson Montgomery swung at a middle-middle 3-0 fastball but couldn’t square it, rolling over to second with runners at second and third.

The lament stems from a lack of scoring on both sides that lasted until the ninth inning. Assessing the big picture, one cannot praise Weathers enough for the job he did today. Despite needing 27 pitches to complete that tumultuous first, Weathers recalibrated to complete seven scoreless innings efficiently. Perhaps not as overpowering as Burke with four strikeouts to Burke’s eventual 10, Weathers succeeded by relentlessly keeping the ball on the ground, recording over half of his 21 outs on the ground. The value of this lengthy outing for a tired bullpen in the middle of 13 games on 13 days is immense and could very well mean an extra win or two when all is said and done.

On the other side, having created his own mess in the first, Burke went on to dominate the Yankees with an outing even more impressive than his win at Yankee Stadium—at one point, the right-hander had a stretch of nine strikeouts in 11 at-bats.

Still, the Yankees manufactured run-scoring chances, only to squander them, one in particular in excruciating fashion.

The only Yankee batter to record a hit and not be struck out by Burke, Spencer Jones got that two-out single in the fourth and put himself in scoring position by stealing a bag—Jazz Chisholm Jr. didn’t get a pitch to drive him in, but earned the walk for two on and two out ahead of Anthony Volpe. Probably seeking a fastball, Volpe looked through two breaking balls in the zone for the punchout on just three pitches, a letdown at-bat if there ever was one. Then in the sixth, Jasson Domínguez hit what was by all accounts a leadoff triple but was tagged out sliding through the bag in pretty inconsequential fashion—the frustrating thing is that the way Domínguez slid, he didn’t have a prayer at keeping contact with the bag.

A traditional silver lining of so many strikeouts induced by Burke is that an elevated pitch count led the White Sox to pull the plug after six innings on 91 pitches. While more aggressive in his managerial style, Aaron Boone left Weathers to return for the seventh inning despite being over 90 pitches as well, seeing his trust rewarded with a 1-2-3 inning. Boone even came out for a talk with two outs and a pitch count over 100 but backed his starter to end the frame.

For the Yankees offense, while Burke left the game, their propensity to waste opportunities remained intact; the seventh inning ended with Chisholm picked off at first, and in the eighth, Domínguez and Paul Goldschmidt stranded a pair after Trent Grisham and Ben Rice reached base safely. It seems Weathers was the only one who got the memo about the bullpen needing rest. You can’t win if you don’t score, and extras are inevitable if no one does.

The tenth inning nearly carried on the theme of previous ones, with Ali Sánchez originally grounding into a double play on a failed bunt following a leadoff walk. However, the Yankees challenged the call, and he was safe at first. Grisham then broke through with an RBI single for the game’s first run. New York aimed for more than one with their best hitter up, but Rice and Domínguez lifted uneventful fly outs.

You know what they say about one run just holding serve hitting first in extras. Angel Chivilli did his best, but not only couldn’t he strand that runner at second in the 10th, but he left the game with two on and just one out.

Luckily for him and the Yankees, Fernando Cruz put out the fire by inducing a double play, begging the question of why he wasn’t out there to start the inning if he had any chance of pitching in this game—certainly it would’ve been the preferred choice over pushing Chivilli for a second inning. Then again, as the game goes, you accept more and more compromises.

On a concerning note, it looked like Chisholm felt something on a groundout in the ninth. He stayed in there until an intentional walk in the 11th that led to Boone pinch-running for him with José Caballero, who stole second. Unfortunately, Volpe stranded two base runners with the Yankees putting up a zero in the frame, setting the stage for a walk-off loss.

Munetaka Murakami got the intentional walk to open the 11th, Cruz punched out Miguel Vargas, and then Sam Antonacci loaded the bases with just one out with an infield single smothered by Rice. Cruz wasn’t about to go down without a fight, though, bouncing back in a 3-0 count to strike out Montgomery with the bases loaded. Against Tristan Peters, he also went down 3-0 in the count, and you can’t play with fire like that for so long without getting burned. Peters exercised the patience that Montgomery didn’t have, earning the walk to win the game.

It’s an extremely rare sequence of back-to-back matinees away from home against different teams in the same city, as the Yankees head north in the streets of Chicago ready to face the Cubs on Friday at 2:20pm at Wrigley Field. The pitching matchup of Will Warren against Shota Imanaga presents its challenges for New York, which will bring in an exhausted pitching staff and a lineup that currently looks dead on arrival. Any Trade Deadline or minor-league reinforcements can’t come soon enough.

Box Score

The nature of the current MLB playoff beast is set to play out this weekend in Cincinnati as the Reds play host to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Between the vast parity underneath the top 3 or 4 teams in the sport and Rob Manfred’s Superexpanded Megaplayoff format, the above-.500 Pirates roll into town likely buyers ahead of next week’s trade deadline and sit just 2.0 games back of a Wild Card spot in the standings.

They come to Cincinnati 55-54 for a 4-game series. By series end, they could sit a game worse in the loss column than the Reds themselves, who could, in theory, surge to 54-57 by the end of Sunday opposite a 55-58 Pirates club.

That would obviously require a sweep at home by the Reds, but that’s how close the margins are right now. The Reds, as things stand today, look to be clear sellers, but they could just as easily flip those standings on their respective heads with a monster performance at home against their rowdy NL Central rivals.

To get to that dream scenario, the Reds are going to need a lot more from Rhett Lowder than they’ve gotten of late. Last week’s outing against the St. Louis Cardinals (2.0 ER in 5.0 IP) was certainly a step in the right direction after he was shelled in his previous start on the road in Denver, and something of that ilk would likely suffice tonight provided that the meager Cincinnati offense can get off the mat and, y’know, actually do something more than they did in their last series against Cleveland.

Matt McLain is back. Edwin Arroyo is out. The Reds are up against an opener in a bullpen game – a righty at that – so they’re rolling out what can only be described as their best* lineup to get things started.

First pitch is set for 7:10 PM ET. Here’s how the Reds will line up to start: