Category: Sports News

Things I did instead of starting this recap, a woeful 7-3 Mariners loss to the Rangers:

• Made a cup of coffee. Just one cup to get me going!
  
• Decided I deserved some chocolate syrup in the coffee. A treat for the recapper.
  
• Checked Slack, Bluesky, Twitter. Maybe someone else has some fresh insight on this team that will spark something that isn’t just baseball sucks dressed up in nicer language.
  
• Made a second cup of coffee because chocolate-laced coffee disappears quickly, it turns out.
  
• Thought about how the Rangers hitters seemed to have the Mariners’ pitchers figured out all weekend long, pouncing early and often and doing damage.
  
• Thought about how that approach really didn’t matter when George Kirby was grooving sweepers and sliders middle-middle, putting the Mariners in first a 1-0 hole, then a 4-1 hole, then a 7-2 hole, effectively wiping out any chance at a comeback despite some early signs of life from the offense, which shut down after that against Kumar Rocker, who demolished Mariners hitters with his slider and looked unhittable over his last four innings.
  
• Thought about how George Kirby, who gave up four (4) homers today to Rangers hitters, once looked unhittable against Texas.
  
• Checked to make sure the chart posted properly. Read the comments. Felt bad.
  
• Debated a third cup of coffee. Filled water bottle instead.
  
• DM’d a bit with Sam, the site manager for Purple Row. Sympathized about how tough it is to run a site when the team sucks. Got and gave pointers on dealing with “doomers” in the comments because that is the level we are at, needing advice from people who have to deal with the literal Rockies on a daily basis.
  
• Thought about the Dodgers series looming and the real chance the Mariners will go 1-6 on this roadtrip.
  
• Checked chart comments again. Felt worse.
  
• Forced self to think about a positive thing about this series. Positive thing: Colt Emerson with five hits against just three strikeouts this series against a tough slate of Texas pitching.
  
• Considered if trading a lost 2026 season is worth it if Cole Young – who had six hits this series, didn’t strike out once, had the hardest-hit ball in today’s game at 111 mph, and looks locked in as the leadoff man – becomes the Mariners version of Jose Altuve.
  
• Entertained self by imagining Astros fans hating Nice Young Man Cole Young with the white-hot passion Mariners fans have hated Altuve.
  
• DM’d some more with Sam from Purple Row. The Rockies have just called up a young Cole of their own, Cole Carrigg, who plays at 150% at all times and the other day the Rockies broadcaster described him as “emotional.” Debated if “emotional” is pejorative or not, when “emotional” turns into “fiery competitor,” and how that term gets applied differently depending on a player’s age or national origin.
  
• Watched some Cole Carrigg highlights. Decided I much prefer having Cole Young.
  
• Wondered if the Mariners might give Michael Arroyo, who plays a pretty high-emotion brand of baseball himself, a shot since firing the hitting coach didn’t seem to spark anything.
  
• Made a third cup of coffee. Ignored water.
  
• Decided I already put more effort into this recap than the Mariners did this game. Tough recap today.

Oh boy. Here we go.

Here’s the Guardians’ lineup:

2nd leg of the Ohio Cup starts tonight. Here’s the #Guardians starting lineup for their series opener in Cincinnati:

LF Kwan
DH Ramírez
RF DeLauter
2B Bazzana
SS Rocchio
1B Manzardo
3B Arias
C Bailey
CF Halpin

SP Cecconi#GuardsBall x @WEWS

— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) July 27, 2026

Here’s the Reds’ lineup:

Burns Day on ESPN.

Powered by @PNCBankpic.twitter.com/jDRgFt7del

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) July 27, 2026

Let’s go, Guardians!

Yay, the phenom is back!

Game 107.

The first of three against the Nationals. Tomorrow’s is a 6:45 start time too, then a 1:00 game on Wednesday/

It is Max Scherzer starting for us tonight. And James Wood, taking a few years off acting, leads off for the Nationals. I was trying to think of the best movies I’ve seen with James Wood in. I guess Casino. Maybe Once Upon a Time in America. Or perhaps the small role in Entourage.

I’m still not a fan of Nathan Lukes at the top of the order against a lefty.

Go Jays Go.

Detroit Tigers (50-55) vs. Baltimore Orioles (51-55)

Time/Place: 6:40 p.m., Comerica Park
SB Nation Site:Camden Chat
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: RHP Keider Montero (7-5, 3.14 ERA) vs. RHP Kyle Bradish (7-9, 3.49 ERA)

Player	G	IP	K%	BB%	GB%	FIP	fWAR
Montero	22	106.0	18.6	5.3	40.7	3.57	2.2
Bradish	20	113.1	23.1	10.7	48.7	3.95	1.7

Motor City Monday

⚾️ 6:40 PM ET
📺 @WatchDSN
📻 @971theticketxyt
🏟️ Comerica Park pic.twitter.com/pmoPgK4k8s

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) July 27, 2026

Monday in the Motor City.

📺 @masnOrioles & MASN+
📻 98 Rock 97.9 FM & WBAL 1090 AM pic.twitter.com/cL79h49OVp

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) July 27, 2026

WASHINGTON – Connelly Early has been a major leaguer for just 10 months, but he’s packed a wild spectrum of emotions into that period.

It started with his big league debut in August 2025 in West Sacramento, his family trekking cross country from Virginia to Yolo County to take it in. Two months later, he started a do-or-die playoff game for the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.

Come spring, he survived a monthlong battle and won the fifth starter job for the Red Sox, standing on the baseline for Opening Day in Cincinnati, the club he rooted for as a child. Three months later, he was in orthopedist Keith Meister’s Dallas exam room, wondering whether he’d blown out his prized left elbow.

Finally, Saturday, July 25, his phone rang shortly before 11 p.m., as he was getting ready for bed. Forget how high the Red Sox were on Early, and the years of club control they’d enjoy: Club president Craig Breslow informed Early he’d been traded to the Washington Nationals for slugger Curtis Mead in the first major transaction before the trade deadline.

Monday, he put on jersey No. 19, climbed a bullpen mound at Nationals Park and began a new journey, one that began with Meister confirming it was just inflammation, not ligament damage, around his elbow.

He hopes to commence a rehab assignment next week and, later in August, partake in what few imagined at the start of the season: Help the Nationals in their drive for a playoff spot.

In a trade deadline rarity, Early did not lose much in the standings: Boston’s 15-game winning streak pushed it into what’s now a 2½-game lead for the final wild card spot in the American League. The Nationals, toting the most potent offense in the majors, are tied with the Pittsburgh Pirates just one game out of the National League’s final wild card spot, currently held by Arizona.

So, not much harmed. Yet the gentle dip in the standings is quantifiable; the emotional heft of getting traded from a team that drafted him in the fifth round out of the University of Virginia in 2023 was more challenging to process.

“I feel like baseball brings so much more than the game,” Connelly said Monday. “It brings so many relationships, builds bonds that you can’t really get anywhere else.

“So obviously that’s tough, but I’m excited to be here and build that with these guys around me.”

He leaves behind close ties with fellow lefty starter Payton Tolle, a relationship with pitching coach Andrew Bailey and interim manager Chad Tracy, who also managed him at Class AAA Worcester.

But there’s still a connection in D.C.: First-year Nationals baseball operations chief Paul Toboni came from Boston, where as vice president of amateur scouting he drafted Early. And even traveled to West Sacramento to witness his debut.

This time, Toboni was giving up a prized asset – Mead has 17 homers, an .852 OPS and is expected to destroy left-handed pitching at Fenway Park – to snag Early.

And so shortly after Breslow got off the phone, Toboni was blowing him up.

“Obviously a little bit emotional, coming up with (Boston),” Early said. “But I know T-Bone pretty well and he called me after that, and just super excited to get here and have a couple familiar faces.”

Indeed, Early grew up in the Richmond area, a little more than two hours from Nationals Park, and he has relatives in nearby Ashburn. He’d been to a handful of Nationals games as a kid, but, in one of those inexplicable-little-kid moments, took a shine to Joey Votto and Aroldis Chapman and thus rooted for the Reds growing up.

A decade later, Early was sharing the Red Sox clubhouse with Chapman, now the all-time leader in strikeouts for a reliever.

“You don’t get to see all the behind-the-scenes stuff,” Early said of Chapman. “You just see 100 mph on the board. You wonder how he gets to that point, and then you watch him go about his work and you know why.”

Early is just beginning his journey. He struck out 29 in 19⅓ innings of his debut year, then, with Boston’s rotation facing injury, drew a difficult assignment: Game 3, AL wild-card series against the Yankees and rookie Cam Schlittler.

Early did not survive that buzzsaw – he gave up three earned runs in 3⅔ innings while Schlittler famously struck out 12 over eight shutout innings. Yet he was road-tested by the time spring came around, and posted a 3.44 ERA and 93 strikeouts in 91⅔ innings of 17 starts this year before his elbow barked. Oddly enough, the injury came after he threw four innings of three-hit, shutout ball against Washington at Fenway Park.

Now, the Nationals hope he’s their rotation fixture. The trade nicely balanced both clubs’ needs, although a winner or loser may eventually emerge.

Early plans to remain unbothered. It is an ethos that’s already served him well over this wild year of a major league indoctrination.

“I just go out there and compete every single time. I love playing baseball,” Early said. “There’s a lot of people who think about results. I’m just out there enjoying it.

“In this job, everybody’s put under a microscope. So the more you can make it fun, the better it’s going to be.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: First big deal of MLB trade deadline capped wild year for Connelly Early

Initially, when Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger got hurt on Saturday, it was believed that the injury was not overly serious. Dealing with a hamstring strain, the All-Star and former NL MVP was even seen doing some light jogging in left field on Sunday before the series finale in Philadelphia.

Well, perhaps he shouldn’t have done that, at least not yet. Results of tests performed on Bellinger’s left hamstring came on Monday, and it was revealed that he is dealing with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. As a result, he is expected to be sidelined for 4-to-6 weeks.

Grade 2 strain for Cody Bellinger. 4-6 weeks, per Aaron Boone.

— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) July 27, 2026

Losing Bellinger represents yet another blow to an offense that is already missing Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. The outfielder is hitting .259/.350/.420 with 11 home runs, 10 stolen bases, a 119 wRC+ and 3.0 fWAR in 2026, his second season in pinstripes.

With Bellinger out of action for the time being, Spencer Jones is expected to take on a significant role with the Yankees, with utility option Max Schuemann also seeing some time against southpaws. The team, however, needs to go to the trade market and bring in a relevant bat.

We are not talking about just a catcher to share time with Austin Wells, no. We are talking about how the Yankees need to go out and acquire a productive outfielder to avoid falling too far down in the race for the AL East. Judge and Stanton aren’t particularly close to making it back, and every single game counts.

Bellinger spent much of the summer struggling to put up good numbers, but was starting to heat up, and the injury interrupts a nice little stretch he enjoyed from July 9-25. Over that span, the sweet-swinging lefty slashed a cool .372/.438/.465 with four doubles, six runs, three RBI, and a 161 wRC+.

Yesterday, 24-year old pitching wiz Jacob Misiorowski continued his dominate 2026 with a 12-strikeout, 1-hit performance across 5 innings against the lowly Colorado Rockies in Milwaukee. It was his ninth double digit strikeout performance of the season (in 20 starts), and it sparked another tranche of eye-popping posts from Sarah Langs about this velocity demon:

The Giants, the loser cousins of the Rockies, will not face Jacob Misiorowski in this series, thankfully. Indeed, they’ve managed to miss him these past two seasons. But, they’ll be facing a team that’s won 7 of 9 and is 50-25 since May 1st. Remarkably, the Giants split a 4-game series in Milwaukee at the beginning of June. Seems hard to remember 19 wins ago, but remarkably, the Giants are 19-23 since that series or 21-23 since the start of that split.

Hard to believe! Does that mean the Giants have Figured Things Out? No!

The Brewers are a great team that ought to clobber them. The only forseeable problem with that plan is the state of Milwaukee’s rotation after Misiorowski. Kyle Harrison is on the 15-day IL. Brandon Woodruff is on the 60-day IL. That leaves Mis, Brandon Sproat, Shane Drohan, Logan Henderson, and Robert Gasser as the rotation, a group that could clearly use an upgrade as the trade deadline approaches. Harrison (2.2 fWAR) is the second-most valuable pitcher after Misiorowski (4.8) and Woodruff was on his way to a good season before being lost for the season (1.2 fWAR in 45.1 IP). He and Harrison’s 3.4 fWAR is on par with the collective value of the current non-Mis group, just to put it in perspective.

Well, actually… despite those injuries, Milwaukee’s 17.1 fWAR makes them the most valuable pitching staff in the sport. 4.7 fWAR of that is coming just from the relief corps (3.47 ERA / 3.67 FIP in 410 IP, 9.2 K/9, 0.88 HR/9). The Giants’ bullpen, remarkably, is not the worst in the sport — yet. Their -0.1 fWAR is 25th, basically tied with the A’s, and both ahead of the Cubs, Reds, Nationals, and Royals.

Their top five hitters: Santa Rosa’s own Andrew Vaughn (141 wRC+), Jake Bauers (135), Gary Sanchez (128), Brice Turang (127) and Garrett Mitchell (124). Remarkably, the bigger names aren’t contributing at the same level, with Jackson Chourio a “mere” 120 wRC+. Cooper Pratt, who was recently signed to an historic extension, is at 114. William Contreras and Christian Yelich are right around 100 wRC+. They’re still a fine hitting group. Their team 105 wRC+ is 6th in MLB (they’re also 5th in runs scored). They also walk a lot (10.6 BB% — 2nd) and steal bases (104 — 5th).

What’s really funny about this comparison is that the Giants have had a great offense since June 1st (107 wRC+), but the Brewers have been even better (119) — and as good as the stats have been, the Giants have scrounged up just 204 runs (23rd), just barely ahead of the Angels.

So, just sit back, relax, and enjoy the baseball, I guess.

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Series Overview

Who: San Francisco Giants (44-61) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (66-39)
Where: Oracle Park | San Francisco, California
When: Monday & Tuesday at 6:45pm PT, Wednesday at 12:45pm PT
National broadcasts: None

Projected starters
Monday: Tyler Mahle (RHP 2-9, 5.31 ERA) vs. Brandon Sproat (RHP 3-5, 5.09 ERA)
Tuesday: Landen Roupp (RHP 7-8, 3.93 ERA) vs. Logan Henderson (RHP 4-1, 3.05 ERA)
Wednesday: Logan Webb (RHP 5-7, 3.98 ERA) vs. Shane Drohan (LHP 5-4, 3.51 ERA)

---

Players to watch

Luis Rengifo: Since acquiring him from the Padres, he’s 13-for-30 with a pair of homers, a double, 7 RBI, and 3 walks against 6 strikeouts. Possible switch-hitting menace here.

Logan Webb: So, what’s going on here? Is he really cooked, washed, and/or chopped? My confidence in such declarations has increased as the season has gone along, but just looking at his Statcast data, the problems become a bit more clear:

• Claim: He probably has a bad defense behind him. Evidence: Hard Hit rate, xwOBACON, exit velocity, Barrel rates all lower than career average.
• Claim: ABS. Evidence: Strikeout rate (19.2%) below career average (22.5%), walk rate up (6.3% vs. career 5.8%).

He’s 5-0 (8 starts) with a 1.79 ERA in his career against the Brewers.

Prediction time

I like the Giants’ chances of winning a game and maybe even the series given the lack of Misiorowski in this series and I wonder what a single loss, let alone a series loss, might do to Milwaukee’s front office… become so embarrassed that they trade for Tarik Skubal or Hunter Greene (somehow)?

After a massive series win this weekend, the Nats kick off another series against the Blue Jays. Last season’s AL pennant winners have not had a great season, and are likely to sell at the deadline. However, the Jays still have plenty of firepower. The Nats also welcome back the greatest pitcher in franchise history in Max Scherzer.

With a righty on the mound, the Nats lineup looks pretty different. Luis Garcia Jr. goes back to the 2 spot in the lineup. Jose Tena, Daylen Lile, Keibert Ruiz and Jorbit Vivas are also back in the fold. Dylan Crews is the only true right handed hitter in the lineup. Eddy Yean will open for Andrew Alvarez in this contest.

monday, july 27 6:45pm

→ https://t.co/iUBDqlACVspic.twitter.com/Z514KkWd3U

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 27, 2026

The Jays have a lot of big names in the lineup, but many of them are underperforming. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the most notable example, with the slugger only having six homers this season. George Springer, Daulton Varsho and Alejandro Kirk are also struggling to replicate what they did last year. At least Kazuma Okamoto has provided some thump for them. Max Scherzer returns from the IL to make a start on his 42nd birthday in what could be his last start at Nationals Park.

Hello, Washington 👋 #BlueJays50pic.twitter.com/1gR93gxKUv

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 27, 2026

Game Info:

Stadium: Nationals Park

Time: 6:45 PM EST

TV: Nationals.TV

Radio: 106.7 The Fan

This could be the last time we see Mad Max in action at Nationals Park. Hopefully the future Hall of Famer gets a warm reception. However, this offense will not be going easy on the veteran. This is another huge series in a playoff push. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!

The Cincinnati Reds return to Great American Ball Park on Monday fresh off a sucucessful road trip, and now they’ll send ace Chase Burns to the mound for the series opener against the Cleveland Guardians.

They’re riding a pretty good high right now, something that the Baseball Gods saw fit to wreck with the news that Spencer Steer tore a sheath in his wrist and will be out indefinitely – including through the trade deadline. So, now they don’t even have their most coveted trade chip to cash-in on in the next week even if things go sideways enough to start ripping things completely apart, which complicates the job facing the front office as this club is still mired in last place in the Central.

The Reds are, though, just 5 games out of the final NL Wild Card spot, and they could climb higher in that list if Burns shows up tonight and dominates the way we know he can. They’re up against a Cleveland club that has fallen completely on its face to begin the second half, fresh off five consecutive losses and just 3-7 overall since the All Star break. Because the AL as a whole this year is about as garbage below the top as it has been in years, they still hold a 1 game lead over Minnesota for the final AL Wild Card spot, but this is a team fighting for its life just like the Reds are with just a week to go before the deadline.

Slade Cecconi will start for Cleveland, who welcomed back Jose Ramirez last week after a five-week absence just in time to revv up to face Cincinnati pitching.

First pitch is slated for 7:00 PM ET, with this one being broadcast directly by ESPN.

Here’s how both clubs will line up to start:

Mets lineup

A.J. Ewing – RF
Francisco Lindor – SS
Bo Bichette – 3B
Luis Robert – CF
Francisco Alvarez – DH
Jared Young – 1B
Tyrone Taylor – LF
Marcus Semien – 2B
Luis Torrens – C

SP: Zac Thornton – LHP

Braves lineup

Ronald Acuna – RF
Drake Baldwin – DH
Matt Olson – 1B
Ozzie Albies – 2B
Michael Harris – CF
Mauricio Dubon – LF
Austin Riley – 3B
Joey Bart – C
Jim Jarvis – SS

SP: Martin Perez – LHP

Broadcast info

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

Jackson Holliday will bat sixth and play shortstop tonight as the Orioles look to get back in the win column against Detroit. Gunnar Henderson will bat third and serve as the designated hitter.

Coby Mayo will get the start at third base against right-handed pitcher Keider Montero, and Jeremiah Jackson will play second. Leadoff hitter Dylan Beavers, Leody Taveras and Taylor Ward will handle the outfield duties. Pete Alonso will bat second and play first base.

Chadwick Tromp will bat ninth and catch Kyle Bradish. The Orioles made a move to shake up their catching situation by recalling recent waiver claim Yohel Pozo and designating Sam Huff for assignment, but Tromp will still get the start tonight.

Bradish will look to play stopper after the Orioles dropped two winnable games over the weekend. Bradish recently received a five-year, $90 million extension, and Baltimore will look to the righty to help steady the ship this evening.

The Orioles will enter the series four games below .500 and 2.5 games back of the final wild card position. Baltimore (51-55) currently holds a one-game advantage over Detroit (50-56) in the race for the final spot.

Orioles lineup

1. Dylan Beavers RF
2. Pete Alonso 1B
3. Gunnar Henderson DH
4. Taylor Ward LF
5. Leody Taveras CF
6. Jackson Holliday SS
7. Coby Mayo 3B
8. Jeremiah Jackson 2B
9. Chadwick Tromp C

Starter: RHP Kyle Bradish