The Los Angeles Dodgers remain a strong contender to make another World Series run this season.

The Dodgers have won nine World Series, including back-to-back titles in 2024 and 2025 with manager Dave Roberts and superstar Shohei Ohtani leading the way.

This MLB All-Star Weekend served as a break for teams, like the Dodgers, to reevaluate their rosters and communicate as needed with other teams to start piecing together trade possibilities.

The MLB trade deadline is set for Aug. 3, at 6 p.m. ET.

While the Dodgers have very few weaknesses, there’s always a need to bolster their pitching staff for the final months of the season.

Toledo Mud Hens vs. Gwinnett Stripers (postponed)

The cloud of smoke streaming across the Great Lakes and east coast remained bad enough on Friday to postpone the first game of this series at Fifth Third Field. They’ll try to play two on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Et.

Erie SeaWolves 5, Richmond Flying Squirrels 2 (box)

The SeaWolves got a solid effort from Kenny Serwa and the bullpen to take down the Squirrels and get this road set off to a good start.

With one out in the first inning, Peyton Graham singled and Josue Briceño drew a walk to get Graham in scoring position. Justice Bigbie followed with a single too sharply hit to score on, but Andrew Jenkins lifted a sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead. That was all they’d get, but Serwa took that slender lead and fired five scoreless frames.

Nothing changed until the sixth when Graham was hit by a pitch and Briceño, in his first game off the injured list, singled him to third. Bigbie struck out on a wild pitch, but Graham scampered home to make it 2-0.

Dariel Fregio gave up a run in the bottom of the sixth, but E.J. Exposito smacked a solo shot in the top of the seventh to make it 3-1 SeaWolves. Yosber Sanchez then surrendered a run in the bottom half to make it 3-2.

Eric Silva and Trevin Michael shut the Squirrels down for an inning apiece, the latter earning the save.

In the top of the ninth, Garrett Pennington lined a one-out single. Max Burt struck out, but Exposito and Joe Campagna both walked to load the bases. Seth Stephenson paddled a two-run single back up the middle to reach the final score.

Graham: 1-3, 2 R, BB

Exposito: 1-3, 2 R, RBI, HR, BB, 2 K

Stephenson: 1-5, 2 RBI, K

Serwa (W, 4-7): 5.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 7:05 p.m. ET start on Saturday.

West Michigan Whitecaps at Great Lakes Loons (postponed)

They got a little rain in their blanket of ash up in Midland, and decided to save this one for tomorrow. They will also play two, starting at 5:35 p.m. ET.

Fort Myers Mighty Mussels 9, Lakeland Flying Tigers 5 (box)

The Flying Tigers staff got hit up despite multiple attempts at a comeback from the offense. Reliever Burch Smith, Gleyber Torres, and Thayron Liranzo were on rehab assignment in this one, Liranzo for a cut on his finger that required stitches and cost him the week prior to All-Star week.

Smith allowed two in the first in his first rehab outing. In the top of the second inning, Beau Ankeney singled to center field, and Nick Dumesnil followed with a single of his own. They both advanced ona balk, and Edian Espinal singled in both runs to tie the game.

Cash Kuiper gave the Flying Tigers four innings, but he leaked a pair of runs in the fourth inning. Andrew Pogue gave up a run in the sixth, and so it was 5-2 Fort Myers in the top of the seventh. Kuiper also got some help from Jordan Yost.

Gleyber Torres drew a one-out walk and was replaced by Jude Warwick as a pinch-runner. A wild pitch got Warwick to second and Hunter Dobbins walked, and then another wild pitch put runners on second and third. Ankeney struck out, but Dumesnil smoked an opposite field double to plate both runs.

Fort Myers went back to the pen, but getting Espinal out is not an easy task. He singled in Dumesnil to tie the game 5-5.

Unfortunately, Jan Carabello was then rocked for four runs, three earned in the bottom half to lose it.

Dumesnil: 2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B, 2 K

Espinal: 3-4, 2 RBI, K

Torres: 0-3, BB, K

Liranzo: 0-1, 2 BB

Smith: 1.0 IP, 2 ER, H, BB

Kuiper: 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 5 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:05 p.m. ET start on Saturday as the Flying Tigers look to bounce back in this three-game set.

FCL Tigers 5, FCL Yankees 4 (suspended)

Lighting cut this one short in the top of the fifth. We’ll see if they conclude it tomorrow before their regularly scheduled game. Things are different in the Complex League.

One great sign was that right-hander Kelvis Salcedo, who possesses arguably the best stuff in the whole system, threw an inning, beginning a rehab assignment. We’d had no word on his injury, but fortunately it appears he’ll only miss the last few weeks. He threw a perfect inning, striking out the side in the first.

Joey Wimpelberg gave up two in a short outing, and Ryan Hall two more in the fourth, but he did strike out four in two innings of work.

Michael Oliveto and Santiago Pinto each had a double in this one so far, while Cristian Perez continued his FCL reign of terror with two more knocks.

It’d be one thing to lose to a good team like the Dodgers to begin the second half after the good feelings of the sweep to end the first and the relaxing All-Star break. But the way the Yankees lost on Friday night? Hooboy. Managerial blunders, questionable baserunning decisions, and most damning of all, another lifeless showing on offense really sucked the air out of Yankee Stadium. You have to walk a tightrope to win a pitchers’ duel (credit to Gerrit Cole for doing well until being left out for too long) and they were not up to the task. Turns out, it’s harder to score runs when you’re not facing the Senior Circuit’s most hapless bullpen. Bad bad bad.

Whatever. Please figure out Emmet Sheehan? Or don’t. It’s fine! It’s fine.

Today on the site, John will look at the Trade Deadline relief market and consider the Rockies’ resurgent Antonio Senzatela as a potential target, Sam will have the Rivalry Roundup, and Jeff will celebrate old friend Joe Torres’s 86th birthday (wow). Later, Scott will give the live report from Max Fried’s rehab start in Triple-A Scranton and George Lombard Jr.’s triumphant return from his own Rookie ball rehab.

Today’s Matchup:

New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Time: 8:08 p.m. EST

TV: FOX

Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

Questions/Prompts:

1. Who was the biggest goat of yesterday’s loss: Aaron Boone, Gerrit Cole, Trent Grisham, Luis Rojas, or the Yankees’ offense as a whole?

2. Will you watch the France/England World Cup third-place match today, or is that only for True Sickos?*

*I say this with love. If there was a third-place game between the ALCS and NLCS losers, I would watch it.

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: In case you missed it, we got a bit of an update on the Captain on Friday. While recent imaging has shown some healing in Aaron Judge’s ribs, he’s still not cleared to begin baseball activities as of yet, although they’re still waiting on another opinion before mapping out a gameplan for Judge’s return. For more, check out Estevão’s write-up for Pinstripe Alley.

Baseball Prospectus ($): With the season over halfway done, the draft in the books, and the trade deadline coming up, now as about the time of year you see outlets released a midseason updated prospect rankings. Baseball Prospectus put out their mid-year Top 50, and from a Yankees’ perspective, that’s headlined by George Lombard Jr. The shortstop came in at No. 24 with his potential power a big selling point. (He drove the point home by homering at Triple-A last night in his return from injury.)

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Down in Triple-A, Max Fried was on the mound, making his first rehab appearance. He threw three innings, allowing two runs on five hits, including a homer, while also striking out three. He’ll make at least one more rehab start on Wednesday before the Yankees decide if he’s ready for activation or needs a third.

MLB Trade Rumors | Darragh McDonald: With Austin Wells falling off a cliff and the various backups not doing much more, catcher has become a position to look out for when it comes trade deadline time. Although there’s no red alerts for this year as of yet, in the past, the Yankees have shown an interest in the Rockies’ Hunter Goodman. With a 118 wRC+, Goodman has graded out as pretty solid both offensively and defensively so far in 2026. Now, is he available? He’s still pre-arbitration and currently wouldn’t hit the free agent market until just before 2030, so … we’ll see.

Of all the key Yankees currently on the injured list, Max Fried has a chance to be the first one back. 

The left-hander took a significant step in making that happen Friday night when he started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre — throwing 52 pitches across three innings while giving up two runs and no walks with three strikeouts — just over two months removed from landing on the IL with a left elbow bone bruise. 

If he recovers from Friday’s game without issue, Fried is expected to make at least one more rehab start Wednesday before the Yankees will discuss whether he is ready to rejoin the rotation, though he would not be fully built up at that point. 

“Obviously, tonight’s another important step for him,” manager Aaron Boone said before the Yankees fell to the Dodgers 2-1 to begin the season’s second half. 

Fried presumably would get to around 60 pitches in his next start, making it possible he could return to the big leagues after that on a pitch count around 70 and finish off his buildup from there. 

In the meantime, the Yankees will need to fill his rotation spot Tuesday against the Pirates, though Boone said they had not yet decided whether they would do so by calling up a fifth starter (à la Elmer Rodríguez) or throwing a bullpen game, like they did against the Rays before the All-Star break. 

The Yankees have already used three of Rodríguez’s five minor league options this season, so they need to be deliberate in when they use the final two the rest of the season. 

“It could be similar to what we did in Tampa with having the extra reliever, but we got to see how these handful of games unfold and then we’ll make a call as to what we need that second game against the Pirates,” Boone said. 

Fellow lefty Carlos Rodón (left elbow inflammation) threw about 10 pitches off the bullpen mound Friday as he continued his throwing progression after being shut down for about a week. 

Clarke Schmidt is set to face hitters in a simulated inning Saturday for the first time in his rehab from Tommy John surgery. 

“Itching, man,” Schmidt said Friday. “It’s been a little bit over a year now, just hit the year mark [July 11], so really excited to start somewhat getting close to competing.” 

Giancarlo Stanton (right calf strain) has started his running progression outside, Boone said, but remains without a timetable for a return. 

Boone said the Yankees were monitoring the air quality in The Bronx on Friday, due to the smoke from the Canadian wildfires, but it was clear for most of the game before getting slightly hazy in the late innings.

After a lovely vacation, many of us believe we will return to our jobs reinvigorated, with a fresh heart and a renewed passion for our professions.

Personally, I find the return to the office to be a definitive, draining reminder of how much I wish I never had to work another day in my life. How if I won the lottery or bought NVIDIA in my 401(k) account 6 years ago, I’d spend most of my days volunteering at an animal shelter (and DEFINITELY not adopt another animal) before going to watch the Mariners game at my local brewery. 

(Well. Maybe not that last part.)

It seems like the Mariners would agree with me, as they returned from the All-Star Break looking limp and lifeless, losing listlessly to the Giants 7-0.

Off the bat, it seemed like the San Francisco Season of Humiliation was bound to continue, as the Giants blew through their two ABS challenges just four outs into the game on poorly-advised challenges from left fielder Kasey Schmidt and catcher Andrew Kavanaugh.

Bryce Miller also started hot, touching 97 in the first inning and recorded four straight strikeouts in the first/second innings. He showed some Nestorocity on his strikeout of Rafiel Dever with a little hesi in his windup.

There were a few great almost-hits in the early part of the game for Seattle. Cal nuked one that was loud enough that I woke up my cats, but fell just foul, and Luke Raley hit one right to the top of the wall in center field, but it took until the bottom of the fourth for the Mariners to earn the first of their two hits for the night off the bat of Josh Naylor.

My cats had the right idea, as the first four innings of this game were capital-S Sleepy. Unfortunately, the wake-up call for this snoozer did not come from the bats of the Mariners. Miller left a splitter too far up in the zone to Bruce Elderidge, and he was punished for the mistake to the tune of a 2-run homer. 

The Mariners swiftly responded with some small-ball to manufacture some outs. After Raley hit a leadoff single, a poorly-executed sacrifice bunt by Robles saw him out at second. Robles soon followed suit, getting thrown out at second on a poorly-executed stolen base attempt. 

Miller saw his chance at a quality start slip away after he plunked Drew Gibert with one on and two out in the fifth inning. Miller ended with a José Ferrer walked Andrew Kavanaugh before Louis Arroz did what Arroz does best – use annoying bat-to-ball skills to ruin pitcher’s lives. 

A funky deflection off the glove of Ferrer saved the Mariners from another couple of runs, leaving the game at 3-0, but it didn’t take long for the Giants to reclaim what was rightfully theirs. 

Nick Davila brought shame upon our name in the seventh inning, loading the bases and allowing William Adams to hit a coffin-nail grand slam that put the game out of reach.

One of the few bright spots from this game was Cole Wilcox coming in for mop-up duty and absolutely cleaning up, hitting 98.2 on the gun and earning himself a couple of strikeouts. 

The Mariners put up almost no fight in this game whatsoever. At no point did it feel like the offense was on the verge of threatening the show signs of life. The defense had as many errors as the lineup had hits. The post-vacation sluggishness comes for us all, it seems.

Ah, well. At least it’s baseball.

SEATTLE — If a reset was what the Giants were looking for, they couldn’t have asked for more than the way they began the second half Friday against the Mariners.

Jung Hoo Lee led a parade of a dozen hits, Bryce Eldridge and Willy Adames provided the power and Landen Roupp mowed through seven shutout innings for a convincing 7-0 win.

“It looked like we’ve been playing the last four days,” quipped Eldridge, who opened the scoring with a two-run shot in the fifth. “In all seriousness, I think the break was good for us.”

For the sixth time this season, San Francisco won its third game in a row.

Now, for the real test of whether or not this is just a mirage: Can they extend it to four for the first time all year?

It’s hard not to like their chances if they can repeat performances like Friday’s.

“We played really well tonight, but we only get one win for it,” manager Tony Vitello said. “Tomorrow is a new battle. … The challenge is on for the coaching staff, too, but for the players to bring the attitude they brought today, of a 66-game season, make it a fresh start.”

Logan Webb gets the ball Saturday, and Roupp gave him a good starting point with his second straight stellar showing.

He walked three and only struck out two but didn’t yield a hit until the fourth, surrendering only two all game. He traded swings and misses for a boatload of weak contact and some solid defense behind him.

After allowing only one run in eight innings in his last start before the break, Roupp lowered his ERA to 3.98 after it had climbed to a season-worst 4.55 two starts ago.

“I think if you look at his whole body of work, he’s been great for us all year long,” Vitello said. “It’s just been a couple outings where the pitch count gets high on him because he’s not in the zone. Ironically tonight, one more walk than strikeout … but the rest of the time was just pounding the zone.”

Now two innings shy of his previous career high (106 ⅔), the Giants skipped Roupp’s last turn through the rotation before the break. The 11-day layoff seems to have only helped.

“Yes and no,” Roupp said. “I felt a little sluggish today, just with so many days off in between. … I don’t really like to take breaks. It kind of just messes with my momentum.”

For once, it was the Giants who benefited from some sloppy play, with Seattle committing a pair of errors that led to Lee widening the Giants’ lead to 3-0 in the sixth.

Lee reached on a fielder’s choice after Heliot Ramos singled to lead off the inning, but made it to second when shortstop Colt Emerson threw into foul ground trying to turn two.

He then scored when second baseman Cole Young couldn’t handle a ground ball off the bat of Arraez.

Playing a key role in it all: Catcher Drew Cavanaugh, who reached base all three times he came to the plate and used his body to obstruct Young’s path to the grounder while going to second.

Lee (3-for-4), Cavanaugh (2-for-2), Ramos (2-for-5) and Casey Schmitt (2-for-5) all contributed multiple hits.

Maybe the most encouraging sign came from Adames, who blew the game wide open with San Francisco’s eighth grand slam of the year. The struggling shortstop had been 0-for-3 when he came up with the bases loaded in the seventh.

He lined an 0-1 slider over the wall in right-center, going with the pitch, to widen the lead to 7-0.

“It can’t just be Willy and [Matt Chapman] and [Rafael] Devers,” Eldridge said. “But when those guys are at their best, we’ve shown what the offense is capable of. This team’s unstoppable. … I even thought during batting practice, [Adames] looked good, he looked fresh.”

The marine layer had kept a couple of deep drives in the ballpark, with Schmitt and Seattle’s Luke Raley sending fly ball outs to the center field wall, but Eldridge’s power was the first to prove impervious. Eldridge caught a splitter on the outside corner off the end of his bat but still gave it enough oomph to sneak it over the wall — and out of the reach of leaping center fielder Victor Robles.

Eldridge’s ninth home run of the season produced the first runs for either team, opening a 2-0 lead in favor of the Giants in the top of the fifth. That, it turned out, would have been enough.

What it means

It’s now been more than a week since the Giants’ last loss, the longest they have gone all season without the number in the loss column going up.

Who’s hot

Of all the Giants, Vitello believed few needed the All-Star break more than Lee.

It’s one reason why the skipper framed it as a positive when he had to break the news to the third-year outfielder that his breakout first half didn’t merit his first career All-Star selection.

Lee looked freshly rested while rattling off a pair of line drive singles in his first two at-bats. His only piece of contact that wasn’t hard-hit was a broken-bat single for his third hit of the night. He reached base for a fourth time when he was hit by a pitch, loading the bases for Adames.

It was Lee’s 30th multihit effort of the season, trailing only Luis Arraez and Schmitt, but only his second since June 24. In 17 games before the break, Lee had been hitting .164 (10-for-61), with only one walk and three extra-base hits, resulting in a .404 OPS.

Who’s not

For a team looking for a fresh start in the second half, its biggest star didn’t get the message. 

The only Giant kept off the bases in the 12-hit performance was Devers, who struck out three times while going 0-for-5. Devers went down swinging on three pitches in his first at-bat, then swung through another fastball at the letters for strike three his next time up.

Devers briefly raised his OPS over .800 for the first time all season in the Giants’ last series before the break, but the hitless performance sent it back down to .789.

Up next

Fresh off a restful few days representing the Giants at the All-Star Game in Philadelphia, Webb makes his first start of the second half against Seattle right-hander and Bay Area native Bryan Woo.

First pitch is scheduled for 5:08 p.m. PT, with Fox carrying the game nationally.

With 10 days since his last start, Webb will try to begin the second half on a better note than the way he went into the break, surrendering 12 runs over his final two starts.