Oregon pitcher Cal Scolari throws a pitch as the Oregon Ducks host the USC Trojans on May 14, 2026, in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Howdy, y’all? If you weren’t aware, the MLB Draft was this past weekend, and we had a good number of players get drafted. So, I thought I’d throw together a quick little recap of our newest #ProDucks. So, without further ado, here we go!
Round 3, Pick 103: SS Ryan Cooney, selected by the Toronto Bluejays
Round 5, Pick 137: P Cal Scolari, selected by the Chicago Whitesox
Round 6, Pick 187: SS Maddox Molony, selected by the Detroit Tigers
Round 8, Pick 253, P Miles Gosztola, selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers
Round 10, Pick 313, P Devin Bell, also selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers
Round 15, Pick 448, 3B Drew Smith, selected by the San Francisco Giants
Round 19, Pick 556, OF Jack Brooks, selected by the Washington Nationals
So, there we have it. Seven new Ducks into the MLB system, adding to the four from last year, and five in 2024. Which player do you think will have the best shot at making the MLB? Let us know down in the comments!
Rucker Park in Harlem, New York, has seen its fair share of iconic pickup basketball games.
Saturday marks the 24th anniversary of Lakers great Kobe Bryant showing up at Rucker Park to play pickup games against fans.
The anniversary of Bryant at Rucker Park came right after he won his third NBA title with the Lakers, cementing him and Shaquille O’Neal as one of the greatest duos to play for the franchise.
When Bryant pulled up to the park, he came with his entourage, his fist in the air, as basketball fans attending the event cheered endlessly for the reigning champion.
Twenty-four years later, Rucker Park remembered Kobe Bryant’s iconic performance. NBAE via Getty Images
Upon his arrival at the park, Bryant shouted: “Straight to the court.”
According to Ericka Goodman-Hughey and Anthony Olivieri from ESPN, Rucker Park has had many famous names play pickup games, including Allen Iverson and Kevin Garnett. The difference with their performances and Bryant’s, however, was that Bryant was much quieter about his appearance.
At the peak of pickup street basketball games during the early 2000s, Rucker Park was a staple for some of the most iconic pickup games.
Pickup basketball has been a crucial part of New York’s basketball culture, as the games were not played like traditional basketball games; the players would perform all sorts of trick shots and flashy moves against each other.
Bryant’s performance lasted only one half because the event ended up getting rained out. But still, he put on a show in which he tallied 15 points, seven assists and seven rebounds.
24 years ago today, July 18, 2002 — a month after completing a three-peat with the Los Angeles Lakers — Kobe Bryant put on a show at Rucker Park in Harlem, New York!
Kobe had 15 PTS, 7 REB, 7 AST before the game got called off due to rain.
During the event, Bryant was seen performing all kinds of flashy plays such as bouncing the ball over opponents’ heads, making passes behind his head and alley-ooping the ball to himself off the backboard to make a dunk.
Rucker Park remembered Kobe Bryant’s iconic performance on its 24th anniversary Saturday. NBAE via Getty Images
Outside of performing plays that are considered unconventional in basketball, Bryant also performed some of his more traditional moves, such as shooting 3-pointers, performing layups, and of course, his signature step-back fadeaway shot.
When the event was over, Bryant interacted with the fans who attended and greeted them as a way to show respect.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JUNE 30: Julio Rodríguez #44 of the Seattle Mariners celebrates an 8-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels at T-Mobile Park on June 30, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Mariners activated Julio Rodríguez from the 7-day IL ahead of this evening’s game against the Giants. Julio had been out since July 3, when Anaheim’s Nolan Shanuel threw the ball into the back of Julio’s head in an attempt to make a double play. Julio initially got up and sprinted to third base, looking very amped up. But it quickly became apparent that he was not alright, and he’s been recovering for the past two weeks.
There’s never a good time for a concussion, but the injury came at a particularly unfortunate time for Julio, who seemed to be regaining his timing after struggling throughout much of June. And while the injury lingered for longer than anyone would hope, it’s nice for him to have only missed one game of the second half since that’s traditionally what one might call Julio Season.
In a corresponding move, Miles Mastrobuoni was DFA’d. Among a bench full of players without options, this made the most sense because Master Bunny is the only lefty on a team that’s gotten lopsided. In addition, Mastrobuoni has already cleared waivers once this season, so there’s a reasonable chance the Mariners get to keep him again.
Julio will DH tonight as he eases back into things. Luke Raley will play centerfield because sometimes we like to have fun.
This is about as low-stakes a restricted free agent offer sheet as you are going to see.
The New York Knicks have reportedly signed center Moussa Cisse to a two-year offer sheet, first reported by Jake Fischer of The Stein Line. Both years of the offer are at the minimum, and while the first year is partially guaranteed, the second year is non-guaranteed, ESPN reports.
Dallas has 48 hours to match.
There is not much risk in New York making this offer, they are limited in what they can pay and still stay under the second apron (which owner James Dolan has said the team will do).
Cisse went undrafted out of Memphis (he played for three colleges across five years) but signed with Dallas on an Exhibit 10 deal last season (essentially a training camp deal) and was later converted to a two-way contract. He played 38 games with the Mavericks, averaging 4.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. For stretches, he was a regular part of the Mavericks' frontcourt rotation.
New York, looking for an inexpensive and athletic third center, and Cisse is athletic, can finish lobs and is a rim protector. With Mitchell Robinson and Ariel Hukporti gone in free agency, New York needs another big man off the bench.
Woodruff has been limited by arm and shoulder injuries this year and landed on the IL earlier in July due to his latest issue.
He’s pitched well in just nine appearances and 45 ⅓ innings this year with a 2.98 ERA.
Woodruff has spent his entire career in Milwaukee after being drafted by the team in 2014.
Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff stands on the field prior to a July 18 game against the Marlins. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The former Mississippi State star made his big league debut in 2017 and established himself as a reliable arm for Milwaukee, as he earned All-Star nods in 2019 and 2021.
Woodruff’s injury is a tough blow to a red-hot Brewers team that leads the National League Central with a 60-37 record heading into Saturday’s action
And, across all of MLB, only the Dodgers have a better record than Milwaukee with the second half of the season still to play.
The Brewers will face the Marlins on Saturday and Sunday before hosting the Mets for a three-game series.
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 12: Luis García Jr. #2 of the Washington Nationals at bat against the New York Yankees during the first inning at Nationals Park on July 12, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
This morning an interesting report came out that the Nationals have been talking with other teams about Luis Garcia Jr. ahead of the trade deadline. Garcia’s name has not been mentioned as much in trade rumors as the likes of CJ Abrams or Foster Griffin. However, moving the first baseman at the peak of his value could make a lot of sense.
Multiple teams are expressing interest in trading for Luis García Jr., per @WillSammon.
Talks between the Nationals and other teams on García remain in preliminary stage. pic.twitter.com/9K8o7q5m1z
There have been no truly advanced talks yet, but it is now clear that Garcia’s name is out there. This would be an interesting move to make, and has its pros and cons. As mentioned in the Athletic article, losing Garcia could be a big blow to the clubhouse, which the front office is mindful of.
The 26 year old Garcia has become a leader in the clubhouse despite still being a young player. After all, Garcia is the longest tenured player on the Nats, having been with the club since 2020. Obviously, losing Garcia would be more than just a loss in the clubhouse. Garcia is having a career year on the field, hitting .284 with an .871 OPS and a career high 20 home runs.
Garcia has been on a torrid run since the start of June, with an OPS of 1.087 and 15 of his 20 homers. He has been putting the ball in the air more consistently, and it has paid off in a big way. Garcia has always had a ton of talent as a hitter, but with a better coaching staff, he is finally putting things together.
That makes the decision to trade him an interesting one. At 26, this could just be the beginning for Garcia. However, he does have a fairly long history of mediocre production before this and cannot hit left handed pitching. There is a decent chance that this is the peak of his value.
One other thing that could make it easier to stomach trading Garcia is the fact that the Nats have ready made replacements waiting in the wings. We saw Abimelec Ortiz in the last game of the first half, and he looked like he could handle big league pitching. He also hit three doubles in his first game back in AAA. If you can get assets, ideally pitchers, for Garcia and have Ortiz slide in and deliver similar production, that would be a bargain.
The Nats could target high minors or even young big league pitching in a Garcia deal. If they could get a solid starting pitching prospect and a promising but unproven young reliever, this could be a deal that could help the Nats this year. With Ortiz waiting in the wings, Garcia is a player you can trade while not losing that much production. It would be tough to ask Ortiz to be as productive as Garcia has been, but he can give you about 85% of it.
Our guy Paul made an interesting mock trade with the Red Sox, who were brought up in that article. His trade sends Garcia to the Sox for Kyson Witherspoon and Eduardo Rivera. Just like my suggestion, that brings in a nice pitching prospect and a talented but unproven reliever.
Mock Luis Garcia Jr. trade: Red Sox Receive 1B Luis Garcia Jr. (134 wRC+, 1.9 fWAR)
I am not totally sold that Witherspoon would be on the table for Garcia, but I suppose it is possible. Witherspoon was the Red Sox first rounder last year, but has had an uneven first pro season after Boston tried to make some tweaks to his mechanics. However, the talent is still quite large. Rivera is a relief prospect who has made his MLB debut, and has loud stuff from the left side.
Both are a bit buried in the Red Sox loaded pitching core, but would be great fits in DC. If Witherspoon is unavailable, Marcus Phillips is another name that makes sense, especially if there is a third piece coming back to the Nats. Phillips is very similar to Witherspoon, as he has big stuff but uneven results this year in his first season of pro ball.
With Garcia, there could be a lot of interest due to his unique offensive profile. His combination of power and contact is rare. Other teams that would make sense for him include the Guardians, the D-Backs if they remain in the hunt and maybe even the Marlins.
Garcia has one year of team control after this season, which would appeal to teams as well. He is not just a rental, and is still very young. If the Nats wanted to do a combination of buying and selling, Garcia would make a lot of sense as a piece to move. Unlike Foster Griffin or CJ Abrams, they have an in-house replacement and Garcia could help them acquire much needed pitching help. There will be a lot on Paul Toboni’s plate as we approach the deadline, and this Garcia decision will be one of many that he has to make.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 19: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Moussa Cisse #30 of the Dallas Mavericks in action against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on January 19, 2026 in New York City. The Mavericks defeated the Knicks 114-97. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Many have wondered aloud of late what the Knicks’ plan is for the final roster spot they are legally able to fill under the second apron.
After losing Mitchell Robinson and Ariel Hukporti to division rivals, they’ve signed Andre Drummond and shown interest in the likes of Jonas Valanciunas and Kevon Looney, but the latter two have found better deals and situations elsewhere, leading to speculation throughout the last two weeks.
Several members of the P&T community have loudly vouched for Moussa Cisse, a young big man on the Dallas Mavericks who’s currently on a two-way qualifying offer with the team. Despite his promise, his market was extremely quiet all throughout free agency.
That was until Saturday afternoon, when the Knicks boldly staked their claim and signed Cisse to a two-year offer sheet.
Restricted free agent Moussa Cisse has agreed to a two-year contract offer sheet with the New York Knicks, sources tell ESPN. His salary is half guaranteed in the first year and 2027-28 is non-guaranteed. The Dallas Mavericks have 48 hours to match or not. pic.twitter.com/pxo45v0Bw2
Cisse went undrafted in the 2025 NBA Draft out of Memphis after a complicated, five-year college career that began at Memphis, saw him transfer to Oklahoma State the year after Cade Cunningham left, saw him spend 2023-24 at Ole Miss, and saw him return to Memphis for his fifth season. In his collegiate career, he was known as an elite rim protector with limited offensive ability who split time as a starter and backup center.
Cisse inked a two-way deal with the Mavericks last October after making an impression throughout Summer League and training camp, spending much of 2025-26 in the G League, where he dominated to the tune of 14.7 points and 13.1 rebounds on 63.1% from the field in 15 games.
But with the Mavs’ season in total free fall due to their rebuild around Cooper Flagg, Cisse was able to appear in 38 games with the big league club, where he flashed his potential. A 15-point, 9-rebound, 4-block gem at the World’s Most Famous Arena on MLK Day is probably where most fans saw him for the first time:
Outside of that game and a 17-point, 20-rebound gem to close the season in a meaningless game, he flew well under the radar, averaging just 4.5 points and 5.7 rebounds on 57.4% from the field, never attempting a shot outside eight feet.
His per-36 numbers are quite impressive, averaging 11.5 points and 14.7 rebounds, showing that he’s a bang-for-your-buck big. All told, this is probably the closest you could come to a Mitchell Robinson replacement in terms of size (seven feet, 7’5” wingspan!), defense, rebounding, and impact, albeit with a lot more risk due to his youth and rawness. He mimics a rookie Mitch at times with his foul woes at times, but with all the positives as well.
Mavs RFA Moussa Cisse is my favorite FA big
Turns 24 in sept, 7' with a 7'5 WS !!
Absolutely monstrous defender ( 1.7 stl + 4 blks p100) and force on glass (17% OREB 25% DREB)
The only players to average 1+ stl 4+ blks per 100 last szn: Wemby, Rob Williams, MOUSSA CISSE pic.twitter.com/tLZndPKLwK
The contract structure is quite odd. He’s signed to a two-year deal worth about $5 million, but only $1.1 million is guaranteed for the soon-to-be 24-year-old. The second year of the deal is completely non-guaranteed, giving the team flexibility, similar to how they structured the Jose Alvarado and Landry Shamet contracts.
And then, there’s the elephant in the room. Cisse is not a regular free agent. He’s just the second player this offseason to sign an offer sheet and the first to sign one with the Knicks since the infamous $72 million contract to Tim Hardaway Jr. in 2017, which wasn’t matched by Atlanta.
The Mavericks have the right to match, having until the end of the day on Monday to decide. At this point, it’s out of the Knicks’ hands entirely.
Cisse’s contract would fit fine in the Mavericks’ sheets, but it would be their 19th player on their roster and 16th signed to a standard deal, likely necessitating them to cut someone by the time the season begins. Only Ryan Nembhard’s contract is non-guaranteed (and they wouldn’t cut him anyway), so they would have to eat the salary of whoever they cut. It’s also important to note that Cisse’s partially guaranteed first year is fully guaranteed before preseason begins on October 1.
The big question, though, is if Dallas wants to keep him.
I’d imagine that their plan the whole time was to get him back on a two-way contract. His limited NBA experience wouldn’t give him much leverage, and prospective teams would be scared away by the RFA tender. Now needing to give him a two-year standard deal to keep him, it’ll at least be considered in the room.
Their center rotation is already a bit jammed with Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II, along with a mountain of power forwards in Cooper Flagg, Morez Johnson Jr., Santi Aldama, and P.J. Washington. I doubt this would stop them if they wanted to retain him, but it’s a factor.
There’s also the minutiae of offer sheets. If the Mavericks match, Cisse gets a no-trade clause for the 2026-27 season, something that could hurt Dallas’ flexibility. There’s also the factor of them having an entirely new brass from when he initially signed in Dallas last year, with both GM Nico Harrison and head coach Jason Kidd dismissed. Will Dusty May and Masai Ujiri want him?
If the contract is matched, there is no recourse for the Knicks. Teams above the first apron are prohibited from acquiring players via sign-and-trade, which kills any hopes of negotiating something afterwards. If it isn’t matched, the Knicks will likely be done for the offseason and ink Tyler Nickel and/or Jack Kayil to a two-way contract.
We just have to wait and see. I’m not confident, but I’d be ecstatic if Dallas once again undervalued a guy and allowed him to waltz to NYC.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - JULY 18: Travis Bazzana #37 of the Cleveland Guardians hits an RBI triple during the third inning in game one of a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Progressive Field on July 18, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
This will be a short recap, since nothing really of note happened.
Gavin Williams was, well, weird. 11 Ks in 6 innings, but gave up 3 HRs and 5 earned runs.
The offense did practically nothing. After Gavin gave up a 2-run homer in the 2nd, Kwan singled with two outs in the bottom of the 2nd. Jared Jones missed on a 2-2 fastball, and Bazzana laced a triple down the right-field line, scoring Kwan. For what it’s worth, it probably wouldn’t have been a triple if not for Kwan’s spectacular baserunning, getting from first to home on what was, in most cases, a routine double.
That was all.
Pirates starter Jared Jones went 5 innings, striking out 9, and giving up only that one run. The pirates bullpen pitched 4 scoreless innings, striking out 4.
The Guardians bullpen pitched 3 innings and gave up 2 runs.
The Guardians mustered up 7 baserunners today, and collected only one extra-base hit.
SEATTLE — Landen Roupp didn’t want his night to end. But he didn’t put up a fight.
When just over two more innings represents a career high for a season, you learn to pick your battles over going back out for one more. Even in the case of Roupp, who shares the same bulldog mentality as Logan Webb and, on Friday, sure pitched like the Giants’ ace, too.
Giants pitcher Landen Roupp expects to play a big role during the second half of the season. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Roupp tossed seven shutout innings to help the Giants start the second half on the right note Friday in a 7-0 win over the Mariners. Still, he understood he had minimal leverage to persuade manager Tony Vitello to give him the chance of completing eight for a second straight start.
“He made a comment today about not fighting to go back out there in the eighth,” Vitello said.
Instead, he handed the game off to Jason Foley, who touched 97 mph while tossing a scoreless eighth in his first big-league appearance since 2024. Caleb Kilian took care of business in the ninth, and the Giants finished what they hope is a preview of what’s to come in their final stretch.
Roupp, 27, figures to be a big part of the Giants’ second-half plans, especially if Robbie Ray and/or Tyler Mahle are pitching for different teams after the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
The young right-hander has looked the part of a No. 2 his past two times out. Before allowing two hits over seven innings against the Mariners, Roupp limited the Blue Jays to one run on three hits.
In that outing, 11 days earlier, Roupp was allowed to complete eight innings, a career high. That also put him on the doorstep of another significant milepost: He was less than 10 innings from matching his largest workload in one season — the 106 ⅔ he threw last year.
When his night was over Friday, Roupp’s inning total stood at 104.
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By the sounds of it, the Giants have no plans of lightening his load.
Vitello was asked after the game about his plans for Roupp in the second half, given the career high he is almost certain to blow past the next time he takes the mound.
“Let him pitch,” he said. “Try not to get in a fistfight in the dugout any time he comes out of the game.”
That’s music to Roupp’s ears.
“I don’t really like to take breaks,” he said. “It kind of just messes with my momentum and rhythm. … I feel good to go. I don’t really see anything stopping this.”
Roupp has tossed 104 innings this season and likely will eclipse his career high during his next start. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Roupp had plenty of downtime between his two most recent starts and said he felt a “little sluggish” when he took the mound in Seattle, even if it didn’t show. After starting 11 losses in a row, tying a franchise record, Roupp has used pretty much the same formula to correct course his past two starts.
“Just trying to pound the zone,” Roupp said. “Not really going for strikeouts much.”
For the most part, he has done a good job of generating early contact. That has allowed him to pitch deeper into games while limiting runs despite striking out less than a batter every two innings his past two starts, which could also bode well for his ability to continue to take on a larger workload.
“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 his pitch count gets high on him because he’s not in the zone.”
The Giants opted to skip his last turn in the rotation before the All-Star break, a decision Vitello chalked up more to finding an opportunity for Carson Whisenhunt than giving Roupp a breather.
“Finding ways to get Wiz involved,” Vitello said, “is something we’re all thinking about in the back of our minds as we talk about the pitching staff.”
Soon enough, Roupp and Whisenhunt will likely be in the rotation. There should be no shortage of innings and starts to go around once the Giants’ sell-off commences.
In the meantime, Roupp found a creative setting to stay fresh during his extended layoff. While Webb was enjoying the All-Star festivities in Philadelphia and Vitello was relaxing on the beach in Cabo, Roupp stayed closer to home. He went to Santa Cruz with Casey Schmitt.
The teammates took in the boardwalk, mostly stayed away from the cold, seaweed-filled ocean water and played catch in the driveway of a friend’s house where they were staying.
“I guess it was good, in the long run, to take a break like that,” Roupp said, even though he added, “I would rather not” take another one.
ATLANTA, GA - JULY 02: Dustin May #3 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches in the first inning during the game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on July 2, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The St. Louis Cardinals will play game 2 in Arizona Saturday afternoon as Dustin May takes the mound for the Cardinals hoping to win the series versus the Diamondbacks. Arizona will try to foil that plan by giving the ball to RHP Brandon Pfaadt. First pitch is set for 3:10pm central time in the desert. The game TV broadcast will be available through Cardinals.tv.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - JULY 03: Pitcher Trevor Rogers #28 of the Baltimore Orioles throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on July 03, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Orioles are in unprecedented territory, carrying a season-best five-game winning streak into today’s game. What do you say we make it six?
The Birds’ second-half opener last night wasn’t the most crisply played affair, with nine walks by the O’s pitching staff and a nearly non-existent offensive showing, but Taylor Ward’s dramatic, eighth-inning home run turned a sure defeat into a dramatic victory. The win leapfrogged the Orioles a half game ahead of the Astros in the crowded wild card race.
If the O’s hope to stay ahead, they’ll need to win at least one of their next two games in Houston. Preferably both! Today Trevor Rogers will make his first start of the second half, hoping to continue the roll he was on before the All-Star break. Since the start of June, the lefty has a 1.73 ERA in seven outings, going 4-1 with four quality starts. He’s shaved his once sky-high 6.96 ERA to a reasonable 4.48. If Rogers can hold Yordan Alvarez in check, he’s got a good chance to lower that mark even further.
The Orioles, against Astros righty Spencer Arrighetti, have eight of the same nine guys in the lineup as last night. The one exception is at third base, where newly recalled Christian Encarnacion-Strand makes his Orioles debut in place of Coby Mayo. This will be Encarnacion-Strand’s first MLB appearance in more than a year, since July 8, 2025 with the Reds. He’s never had much success at the major league level, batting just .233/.275/.404 in parts of three seasons with Cincinnati, but he was tearing up Triple-A Norfolk with 17 homers and a .555 SLG in 61 games. If he can play a decent defensive third base and hit a few dingers for however long he’s with the Orioles, I’ll take that.
At 17 letters, Encarnacion-Strand has the longest last name in Orioles history. So he’s got that going for him.
Orioles lineup:
DH Adley Rutschman SS Gunnar Henderson LF Taylor Ward 1B Pete Alonso C Samuel Basallo RF Dylan Beavers CF Colton Cowser 3B Christian Encarnacion-Strand 2B Jackson Holliday
LHP Trevor Rogers
Astros lineup:
SS Jeremy Peña DH Yordan Alvarez 3B Isaac Paredes 2B Jose Altuve 1B Christian Walker C Yainer Diaz RF Cam Smith LF Zach Dezenzo CF Lucas Spence
Jul 8, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Randy Dobnak (62) pitches in the third inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Here’s the good news: After winning a wild game last night, the Royals have a shot to take the series with a W this afternoon. The bad news: They’re going to have to do it with Randy Dobnak taking a turn in the rotation because Stephen Kolek needs a tune-up start for Omaha (also occurring today) before he’s ready to rejoin the Royals’ rotation following an extended stay on the Family Medical Emergency list to be with his prematurely-born baby daughter.
Dobnak has danced around trouble – allowing 9 hits and 4 walks while only striking out 4 in 9.2 innings – in 2 appearances for the Royals. If he earns at least one out today, it will be the most major league innings he has thrown in a season since 2021. He didn’t pitch in the bigs at all in ‘22 or ‘23, pitched 9.2 innings in ‘24, and only 5.1 innings last year. When the Twins called him up as a 24-year-old in 2019, it seemed like he could be a swingman in their rotation and bullpen for years to come but it just didn’t work out that way for him. The Royals, of course, acquired him for cash from the Mariners when he exercised an upward-mobility clause in his contract with them earlier this year. The Royals actually just sold Rudy Martin Jr.‘s rights to the Orioles for the same reason yesterday.
The Padres will send Griffin Canning to the mound. Canning is something the opposite of last night’s starter, Michael King. His K-BB% is better, but his LOB% is worse, so he carries an unwieldy 6.47 ERA despite a SIERA of 4.57. So, he’s the opposite of King in that he’s been unlucky, but the same as King in that his true performance has been closer to mediocre than the results would seem to indicate. Don’t ask me what the Royals might do about it.
Canning has seven pitches, though he only throws four of them more than 10% of the time, with three of those – his four-seamer, slider, and changeup – accounting for almost 3/4 of his pitches thrown. He doesn’t generally get anyone to chase his pitches. His slider and cutter can generate some whiffs. Batters don’t do well when they put the knuckle-curveball or sweeper into play. The changeup grades out the best of his pitches. It’s a mish-mash of stats that only tell you that he doesn’t seem to have a clear identity as a pitcher. That can be a problem for a good offense, but I could see how it would make it difficult for a bad offense to figure out a plan against him.
Lineups
Speaking of bad offenses, the Royals will send out the same nine they used last night. I wouldn’t hate it if they did better with runners in scoring position before the tenth inning. Only time will tell if they can manage it.
LAKE HAVASU CITY, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 30: A general view of Tinnell Memorial Skate Plaza as competitors warm up prior to the Finals of the 2021 SLS Championship Tour: Lake Havasu at Rotary Park on October 30, 2021 in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today’s Lineups
CARDINALS
DIAMONDBACKS
JJ Wetherholt – 2B
Ketel Marte – 2B
Ivan Herrera – DH
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Alec Burleson – 1B
Corbin Carroll – RF
Jordan Walker – RF
Gabriel Moreno – DH
Lars Nootbaar – LF
Max Kepler – LF
Masyn Winn – SS
Nolan Arenado – 3B
Nathan Church – CF
Tim Tawa – 1B
Jose Fermin – 3B
James McCann – C
Pedro Pages – C
Ryan Waldschmidt – CF
Dustin May – RHP
Brandon Pfaadt – RHP
Roster moves (just before going to press!)
The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves. The D-backs’ 40-man roster is at 40.
Recalled from Triple-A Reno: C Adrian Del Castillo
Placed on the 10-day injured list: OF Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (strained right adductor)
Selected to the Major League roster and optioned to Triple-A Reno: RHP Gerardo Carrillo
It’s rare that a Diamondbacks’ loss so thoroughly annoyed me as the one last night. It was bad enough dipping into the Gameday Thread during last night’s concert. But after we came home and I was watching the condensed version of the game to unwind… Well, it succeeded only in winding me up more. It felt, after sweeping the enemy in Dodger Stadium, that the D-backs had the chance to get on a roll, and I wondered if perhaps the All-Star break was coming at just the wrong time. For certainly, based on the evidence last night, this looked like an Arizona team which had forgotten entirely how to play the game over the four days off.
There was hardly an aspect of the Diamondbacks game which was even adequate. Sloppy defense. Poor approaches at the plate (and never mind the 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position, they seemed especially poor with a runner on third and less than two outs). Issuing free passes in key situations. Even the ABS challenges were woeful, allowing home-plate umpire Bill Miller to get away with the single most skewed pitch-calling (click on “Favor (Home)” to sort by that) of the season so far. Indeed, there just only one worse game all of last year – when there were no ABS challenges available to mitigate this level of official incompetence.
Hopefully, things will go better today. Merrill Kelly’s start was actually one of the lesser problems. While he did the five and dive, two of the three runs he allowed came courtesy of Marte’s first-inning gaffe and were unearned. So his ERA dropped to 5.20, the lowest it has been since May. We’ll see if Brandon Pfaadt can join him on the recovery train. Since returning to the rotation, he’s 3-0 with a 1.72 ERA and a FIP under three. Especially with the news about Zac Gallen, it looks like Pfaadt will be a key component of the rotation for the rest of the season. If he can pitch like it again today, we will be all the better for it.
No nifty orange color like Wednesday’s expected in Toronto today, but the roof is expected to be closed anyway. | AFP via Getty Images
Given how much the White Sox have crushed right handed starters recently, Sox fans seeing another righty on the schedule may well go, “Oh, yesss!!” Then when they see who it is, they may well go, “Oh, noooo!!!” And then, when they look at recent stats, they’ll be back to, “Oh, yesss!!” again.
That’s because the Blue Jays are starting Shane Bieber, whom Sox fans are bound to remember from his Cy Young and multiple-All Star years in Cleveland. But lately, Bieber has been more Justin than Shane, thanks to injuries.
Bieber was outstanding for two starts in 2024 before departing for Tommy John surgery. Then he was just so-so after coming back late last season. And then he had another elbow injury this spring which kept him out until June 23, since which he has been absolutely horrible — 26 hits, seven of them homers, in just 17 2/3 innings, to go along with ten walks, adding up to a 7.64 ERA and 2.04 WHIP.
The Sox counter with the righty who had been their star earlier, but Davis Martin has himself struggled some lately, raising his ERA a point in the past month, His last time out, Martin gave up five runs in four innings against the Red Sox — but maybe all he needed was a nice relaxing time between starts, provided thanks to the All-Star break.
With right handers on the mound, both teams have gone to lefty-heavy lineups, though the Blue Jays are limited from that side.
First pitch is scheduled for 2:07 Central (:07 must be a Canadian thing), with the Rogers Centre roof expected to be closed because of wildfire pollution. Usual broadcast suspects instead of the greed fest last night that put the game on Apple TV.
The team wrapped up its Las Vegas summer league campaign Saturday with a 96-94 loss to the Bucks. Brayden Burries’ lefty layup with 1.5 seconds left won it for Milwaukee.
Both the Sixers and Bucks went 2-3 over their five games in Vegas.
Gerald Ayayi was the Sixers’ leading scorer with 22 points. Dante Maddox Jr. and Nick Townsend each had 15.
Here are observations on the Sixers’ summer finale:
Philon and Broome’s summers
Labaron Philon Jr. and Johni Broome watched the action from the sideline. The Sixers started Duke Miles, Maddox, Ayayi, Amani Lyles and Isaac Johnson.
He didn’t shoot nearly as well as at Alabama (38.2 percent from the floor, 25.8 percent from three-point range), but the No. 22 overall pick was awfully impressive as a ball handler and played confident, skillful basketball.
Broome recorded 14.7 points and 9.0 rebounds per contest. The lefty big man had a rough third game, scoring two points on 1-for-5 shooting in the Sixers’ blowout loss to the Rockets. He posted double-doubles in the team’s wins over the Pistonsand Pacers.
The bigs without Broome
While Johnson could never rekindle the sharpshooting magic from his 20-point performance in the Sixers’ summer opener, he had a solid finale.
Johnson tallied 10 points and six rebounds on Saturday in 12 minutes. He also had a few decent moments defending guards and wings on the perimeter. That presumably won’t ever be a strength for the 7-foot Johnson, but it would boost his chances of professional success if he could hold his own defensively outside of the paint on occasion.
Drew Cisse served as the Sixers’ backup center behind Johnson. He threw down a dunk in the first quarter a few seconds after stopping John Butler Jr.’s drive. Cisse put up six points and seven rebounds.
As Maddox showed throughout summer league, his game is centered around firing up threes. He went 2 for 6 from long range and ended the summer at 11 for 31 (35.4 percent). Maddox appeared in all five of the Sixers’ games and averaged 15.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists.
Ayayi wound up being the Sixers’ most productive guard and scored efficiently (7 for 13 from the floor). He missed some chances to finish inside during summer league but played with force and often seemed to find the ball around the rim.
Townsend also fared well as a driver. The Yale product was 6 for 9 from the field in his only extended playing time of the summer.
Though the Sixers faced a double-digit deficit in the second quarter, they pulled to within one point late in the period on a Maddox mid-range jumper. Mylik Wilson’s layup on the Sixers’ final possession of the first half gave the team a 51-50 edge.
The game stayed tight in the second half. The Bucks made a 10-0 run early in the fourth quarter and it seemed that they’d hold a slim lead until the final buzzer, but the Sixers kept competing and tied it up with 9.6 seconds left in the fourth on a pair of Ayayi free throws. Burries then delivered in the clutch for the Bucks.
