Category: Sports News

And so it ends…

Just as the Atlanta Braves were on a hot streak, the San Francisco Giants took the power back in this makeup game with a 7-3 win.

The Giants’ Rafael Devers set the tone with a home run in the top of the first inning. Matt Olson answered right after in the bottom half with an RBI groundout to bring Drake Baldwin in and put the Braves on the board.

A Michael Harris II home run then gave the Braves a 2-1 lead in the second inning.

San Francisco wouldn’t let them have the last word, however, after knocking in an RBI single of their own in the top of the fifth to tie things back up.

A back-and-forth matchup formed right after, as the Braves reclaimed the lead with an RBI single from Baldwin to drive in Sean Murphy. But then the Giants answered back in the very next inning with a homer to tie the game at 3-3 in the sixth.

A pattern was forming here… but who would break it?

Unfortunately, Braves Country, it was the Giants.

San Francisco drove in four more runs to shut the Braves down, turning what had been a competitive back-and-forth matchup into a 7-3 final. More importantly, the loss snapped the Braves’ seven-game win streak just before they head out on their road trip to Washington.

You can’t win them all, and it was a decent showing from the Braves’ offense early on as they tried to regain their lead every time San Francisco answered back. And they almost had a promising ninth inning, opening the frame with two runners on base and no outs.

It just wasn’t enough to force a comeback, however, as the Braves ultimately fell into the losing column.

But what about the defense?

Pitching through 5.1 innings, Bryce Elder allowed eight hits and gave up five runs, along with three walks and three strikeouts. His ERA climbed to 4.11, and Elder is showing a different version of himself than the one Braves Country was getting adjusted to seeing at the beginning of the season.

So now, it’s a question of what exactly the problem is: Is it mechanics? A lack of confidence? Or is it something completely different that encompasses all of the above?

At this point, one could just hope that Elder figures it out before his next outing and that he and Greg Maddux can come up with a new plan of attack on the mound.

The Braves had a seven-game win streak going into this one, so while the loss stings, it doesn’t erase what they were able to build over the past week. Now, the focus shifts to Washington and finding a way to get back to the version of this team we witnessed just a week ago.

Until then, Braves Country, look forward to a series in Washington and the Braves’ chance to bounce back.

On September 1st, major league rosters expand to 28-players, and tomorrow the Mets are reportedly calling up right-handed pitcher Justin Hagenman and right-handed outfielder Nick Morabito.

The plan for Hagenman is to have him start on Wednesday against Tampa Bay, giving an extra day of rest to the Mets’ young trio of Christian Scott, Nolan McLean, and Zac Thornton heading into the weekend series with the Giants.

Hagenman appeared in nine games for the Mets in 2025, starting one game, and did not pitch vey well, putting up a 4.48 ERA over 23.2 innings. Hagenman fractured a rib during spring training and has been on the shelf all year. Wednesday’s start will be only his fourth game of the 2026 season, getting one rehab start in St. Lucie, Binghamton, and Syracuse, giving up home runs in two of those games.

Hagenman was not promised any starts beyond Wednesday, according to Gary Cohen on the Mets’ broadcast.

Morabito appeared in five games for the Mets earlier this season, before A.J. Ewing emerged as the Mets’ everyday center fielder, and was hitless in 11 plate appearances. At Triple-A Syracuse, Morabito hit .254/.355/.388 with 13 home runs and 42 stolen bases.

Here are the lineups. For the Phillies:

For the Diamondbacks:

Let’s talk about it.

The Yankees are getting closer and closer to receiving their captain back.

Aaron Judge traveled with the team for their West Coast trip against the Angels and Padres so that he can continue ramping up his baseball activities. 

Manager Aaron Boone said prior to Monday’s opener that the team feels good about where he’s at, and a potential return for New York’s next homestand appears to be on the table.

“It’s possible,” the skipper said. “I’m not gonna put a date on it, but those things are in play, it’s just getting the durability and workload build up on him is the biggest thing now.”

Judge has been sidelined since late-May due to a stress fracture in his rib. 

The slugger has been progressing steadily in his recovery over the past few weeks, and he recently told reporters that he hoped to not require a minor league rehab assignment. 

He also skipped the assignment when he missed 42 games to a toe injury two years ago, but did briefly appear in Triple-A coming back from an oblique strain in 2019. 

Judge had 17 homers, a .375 OBP, and a .907 OPS over 59 games before going down. 

The Yankees' offense has been up-and-down with him sidelined, but they enter play on Monday coming off a strong series in which they broke through for 26 runs to take three out of four from the rival Red Sox. 

Folks, Orioles baseball is getting quite interesting of late. The Birds have been playing capable, credible baseball, and now they’re within one game of the last Wild Card. The offense is, maybe not humming, but it’s providing thump and interest. And lots of power: the Orioles have 31 home runs in their last 18 games.

That shouldn’t change as they head to Coors Field in Denver, notorious for its thin air and propensity for dingers. Also because the Rockies are the worst team in the league, to include their pitching.

Colorado’s starter today looks to fit this mold. Tanner Gordon is a 28-year-old righty who’s been in the league since 2024 and has just 42 games under his belt (30 starts). He’s posted an ERA of 8.65, 6.33 and 5.38 in parts of three seasons thus far, this year being his best. Gordon is considered to have a nice changeup, and not a ton else. His four-seamer has a run value of -4; his slider -5, his curveball -6, and his sinker -3. I know which one I’d want to hit. He doesn’t walk too many batters, though, so that’s nice.

To face this right-handed behemoth, the Orioles are sending up a lot of lefties, as you’d guess: six, in fact, in Holliday, Henderson, Beavers, Basallo, Cowser, and Taveras. Holliday bats leadoff, followed by Iron Man Pete Alonso, who refuses to miss time with his sore calf. Coby Mayo, hitting .308 with 8 RBI in his last week, is batting cleanup. It’s also good to see Basallo getting the start at catcher, since he’d just recently taken a foul ball to his throwing hand.

For Baltimore, and giving a tired-looking starting rotation something of a breather, is Cade Povich, called up today for this start. (To make room for Povich, the Orioles optioned right-hander Anthony Nunez, who’s 3-2 with a 4.29 ERA in 44 games.) In six games (five starts) with the big-league club this year, Povich is 2-1 with a 4.45 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. His walks, usually a problem, are slightly down from last season (3.45 per game to 3.18).

Will the balls be flying out of Coors Field tonight?

Orioles lineup

1. Jackson Holliday 2B
2. Pete Alonso 1B
3. Gunnar Henderson SS
4. Coby Mayo DH
5. Dylan Beavers LF
6. Samuel Basallo C
7. Blaze Alexander 3B
8. Colton Cowser CF
9. Leody Taveras RF

LHP Cade Povich

Rockies lineup

1. Jake McCarthy CF
2. Connor Norby 2B
3. Hunter Goodman C
4. TJ Rumfield 1B
5. Willi Castro 3B
6. Mickey Moniak RF
7. Jordan Beck LF
8. Troy Johnston RF
9. Ezequiel Tovar SS

RHP Tanner Gordon

Another successful week saw the Guardians go 4-2 including a sweep of the Los Angeles Angels, and they find themselves back in second place.

DeLauter Has Near Cycle

In Cleveland’s 11-1 blowout win of the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, Chase DeLauter was the star of the show. He went 4-4 with three hits, a single, a double, and a triple. Just a home run shy of the cycle, he earned his 60th RBI of the season with a double in the bottom of the fourth inning. Because of his big night, he is now hitting .293/.365/.454 with 125 hits and 50 walks. He has the chance to show what he can do in the postseason this year since his “debut” came in the Wild Card series in 2025.

José Finally Homers

For the first time since June 6th, José Ramírez did what he’s expected to do nearly every time he’s at bat. He hit a home run. What was shocking was that it had been almost two months since the last time he did that. It marked his 296th home run as the countdown to 300 inches ever closer to its end. He is currently second on the franchise home run leaders list, just behind Jim Thome who has 337.

Martínez Web Gem

In the eighth inning of Wednesday’s game, the Guardians were tied 6-6 with the Los Angeles Angels. The Angels had a runner on first with two outs, and Mike Trout was at the plate. It looked like a recipe for disaster as he launched a ball into center field. That was until Angel Martínez locked eyes on it. He tracked the ball to the warning track, leaped into the air, and caught the ball to end the inning and save the game. The Guardians went on to win that game 8-6 in what would eventually be a sweep of the Halos.

Social Media Spotlight

I hate to use my own Tweet here, but I have to show it off. The Guardians offered a special ticket package on Sunday that included a bobblehead of Big Bird wearing a Guards jersey and hat while waving a Guards flag. Bird is my absolute favorite Muppet/Henson character, so I knew I needed this item.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Freddy Peralta can’t pinpoint the root of his failed Mets tenure, but he’s willing to discount the idea the pressure of pitching in New York buried him.

“I don’t see pressure,” the Rays right-hander said Monday at Tropicana Field. “It’s a way bigger market and there’s a lot more fans, people there, and everybody is paid to win for every day. I enjoyed those kinds of moments when I was in New York, but I don’t see it as pressure.”

After an initial ugly start for his new team, Peralta — whom the Mets traded Aug. 3 for prospects Aidan Smith, Gary Gill Hill and Émilien Pitre — has brought value to the Rays. Over his last four starts, he’s pitched to a 3.80 ERA, which included six scoreless innings against the Tigers in his last outing.

He is Tuesday’s scheduled starter for the Rays in yet another appearance against a team that traded him during the last year; Peralta, with the Mets, faced the Brewers on July 20 and allowed seven earned runs over 5 ²/₃ innings.

In his 22 starts for the Mets, he pitched to a 4.99 ERA and too often failed to complete even five innings.

“It was the first time I struggled like that, but I never gave up,” Peralta said. “I was always trying to find a way to feel better, to pitch better and I knew what I can do and I was feeling good physically too and healthy, but I couldn’t make the adjustment. But the good thing is now that I feel different, I am ready to keep going to the World Series, hopefully.”

Peralta said he’s again getting extension during his delivery and that has helped add life to his fastball.

“[The Mets staff] was really good and they tried to help me all the time,” Peralta said. “But for some reason when I got here, for some reason it was probably the time that everything just changed like that.”

The Rays began the day with a 4 ½-game lead in the AL East, allowing Peralta to at least dream of such October moments. It’s a chance he wasn’t going to receive with the Mets, whose many shortcomings beyond Peralta’s struggles buried the team before the All-Star break.

Peralta arrived to the Mets last winter in a deal that sent prospects Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams to the Brewers. The Mets viewed the deal as one that had brought an ace — albeit one entering his last season before free agency — to the rotation.

What was Peralta’s reaction when he was told he had been traded to the Rays?

“I felt good because I was going to a team that was playing really well, in first place, competing all the time,” Peralta said. “I love the stadium here, too. When the season started, I wasn’t expecting to be traded because I was going to a whole new team. I thought I would be there the whole year, at least. But in time it wasn’t a secret I was going to be traded, and I was just hoping to go to a team like this one.”

Peralta, after a light throwing session Monday, ventured to the visitors dugout, where he caught up with several former teammates and Mets staff members. Peralta cited his friendship with Juan Soto as one of his strongest during his Mets tenure.

“Most of the guys, we were really close,” he said. “The American guys, too, we were very close and we created a good relationship.”

The White Sox continue their road trip with a stop in Houston to see the Astros, before they come back home to see another division rival. With the Guardians trying to steal first, a series win is needed as we enter September.

First, a few White Sox announcements:

Prior to tonight’s series opener at Houston, the Chicago White Sox reinstated left-handed pitcher Tyler Schweitzer from the Paternity Leave List and optioned lefthander Tyler Gilbert to Triple-A Charlotte.

Per Jeff Passan, the White Sox are acquiring outfielder Tommy Pham from the Philadelphia Phillies, with Pham expected to join the team when rosters expand on September. 1. The 38-year-old veteran of the 121-loss debacle rejoins the Sox after spending parts of 2026 with the Mets, O’s, and Phils. Watch out, Michael Kopech, you’re next!

Anthony Kay will be on the mound tonight, with Jake Rogers behind the plate. Otherwise, the lineup is what we’re used to, with Sam Antonacci leading off.

Peter Lambert (8-7) will be on the mound tonight for Houston, bringing a 3.66 ERA and 125 strikeouts.

First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. CT. The game is available on CHSN or ESPN Chicago 1000.