On Friday, Dodgers' outfield prospect Mike Sirota saw his quest for the Minor League Baseball record for consecutive games on base end at 72 games. That put him two shy of the record, set by infielder Andrew Velazquez back in 2014 when he was in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, playing at Single-A South Bend. The major league record is 84 games, set by Red Sox’s outfielder and Hall of Famer, Ted Williams, back in 1949
Fittingly for a prospect who has flown up prospect rankings like Sirota has, he put together a productive outing on Friday, despite not getting on base. The outfielder went 0-for-4, but drove in one run on a fielder’s choice and another run on a sacrifice fly. On the season, Sirota is hitting .314/.468/.554 with 14 home runs, 73 runs scored, 50 RBI, and 11 steals in 78 games split between High-A and Double-A.
Like Sirota, Velazquez was just in his second full professional season at the time he set the record. However, unlike Velazquez, Sirota was a high draft pick and is one of the top prospects in baseball. The Dodgers' outfield was the 87th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft and is currently ranked as the 11th-best prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, which earned him an invite to this year's Futures Game in Philadelphia during the All-Star break.
"It's an honor," said Sirota about being part of the game, in which he went 0-for-1 in just one at-bat. "I'm just extremely excited, trying to take it all in. You know, meeting a bunch of new guys, talking baseball with a bunch of new guys."
Sirota also went into that game sitting on a 72-game on-base streak. He had to wait five days before he had a chance to see if he could wind up alone atop the leaderboard, but his first game back from the break saw the streak snapped. Even during the streak, it was an experience he was dealing with mostly on his own: "I don't think people want to talk about it much," he responded when asked if anybody from within the organization had reached out about tying the record.
Sirota himself barely knew there was anything to talk about until recently.
"I wasn't even aware of it until about 40 or 50 games in," he admitted. "When I first heard about it, I kind of just brushed it off. I was just trying to play my game, but obviously, more recently, I've been thinking about it a little more."
Not that the added attention from the record did anything to impact his play on the field. In June, Sirota hit .310/.477/.524 with four home runs, 14 RBI, 17 runs scored, and a 25/25 K/BB ratio. In eight games in July before the break, he went 9-for-31 (.290) with two home runs, 10 runs scored, and a 6/5 K/BB ratio. If anything, the 23-year-old thinks that closing in on the record actually helped his performance.
"I'm learning about myself from it," he said before the Futures Game. "How to deal with this kind of stuff mentally. I've never had to deal with something like this before...Each at bat means a little more, I guess you could say. But meaning a little more could be a good thing. Obviously, with the extra added pressure to it, the extra adrenaline, I think it makes me better every time I go out there...Using it to take a little bit more adrenaline in each at bat, learning how to harness that, and use it to my advantage. It's been great."
This kind of success is certainly something the Dodgers envisioned when they aggressively pursued Sirota throughout his young career. Back in 2021, the Dodgers drafted Sirota in the 16th round of the MLB Draft. At the time, Sirota was a shortstop who decided to honor his commitment and attend Northeastern University. In 2024, he was drafted in the third round by the Reds, becoming the highest Northeastern draft pick ever.
Yet, before Sirota could even make his pro debut, he was drafted. The Dodgers sought him out again and sent Gavin Lux to the Reds in exchange for Sirota and a Competitive Balance Round A Pick.
"Obviously, being wanted by an organization like the Dodgers just feels amazing," smiled Sirota. "When I got there, they had a blueprint of what they wanted me to do. It was kind of just very personalized, with my swing and things like that, just a blueprint for me to look at and learn from. I just learned a lot from it... It's just been great all around."
Sirota immediately hit the ground running, batting .333/.452/.616 in 59 games between Single-A and High-A with 13 home runs and five steals. This season, Sirota seems to be going the other way less often and spraying line drives up the middle and to the pull side. He's continued to be selective at the plate, swinging just 37% of the time, but making lots of contact and posting a walk rate (20.7%) that almost equals his strikeout rate (22.1%). While much of that success can be attributed to Sirota as a player, he also credits the lineup around him.
"I just have great hitters hitting behind me and in front of me in the lineups that we have at these affiliates," he said, "so I was getting pitched to a little bit more selectively. I think it's made me better, but a little bit more recently, I'm getting attacked a little more, so it's unique, but it's great."
The Dodgers' lineup at Double-A Tulsa includes fellow top prospect outfielders Josue De Paula (4th overall, according to MLB Pipeline) and Zyhir Hope (19th overall prospect), as well as Kendall George, who is a top 15 prospect in the Dodgers' organization.
That talent around him might also be why, at 23 years old, Sirota remains at Double-A, instead of at Triple-A or sniffing an MLB call-up.
The Dodgers' Triple-A outfield features James Tibbs III, the 13th pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, who is hitting .289/.406/.553 with 21 home runs and 71 RBI in 87 games. It also has Ryan Ward, who has hit at least 34 home runs in each of the last two minor league seasons, and former MLB regulars Alek Thomas and Jack Suwinski. That makes it hard to see how Sirota can parlay this on-base streak into a quicker path to the big leagues. Not that that enters his mind at all.
"I don't focus on [potential promotion]. I just try to go out there and do my best every day."
So far, that approach has made him better at getting on base than almost anybody in minor league baseball history. Even with the increased scrutiny and pressure to keep the streak going, Sirota wasn't ready to put the streak in the rearview mirror. When asked if he thought there would be some weight off his shoulders when/if the streak ends, he said, "I'm gonna try and just keep going with it, honestly."
Sadly, that quest ended on Friday. Yet, even without a record connected to his name, this 72-game journey may still be a stretch that propels Sirota's career to the heights the Dodgers dreamed about when they tried to acquire him twice.
DENVER, COLORADO - JULY 17: Spencer Steer #7 of the Cincinnati Reds runs before scoring on an eighth inning inside-the-park home run against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on July 17, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After a handful of days off to rest and regroup, the Cincinnati Reds hit the ground running on Friday as the second half of their 2026 season began. It helped that they landed in Denver to face the woeful Colorado Rockies, but they wasted little time in establishing that they were still here on business, swatting four homers behind an excellent start from Brady Singer in what became a 7-2 victory.
Elly De La Cruz immediately got the party started in the Top of the 1st with his first hit of the night, and he scored a batter later when Sal Stewart smashed a double in to the left field gap. Elly poured in a 4 for 5 night that eventually featured a 9th inning homer to wrap the scoring, while Sal drove in his customary pair of runs on the night.
It was the Top of the 6th, though, where things got fun for the Cincinnati offense. Spencer Steer hit his first of two dingers – this one a laser over the wall in LF – only for Eugenio Suarez to flip a pitching wedge over the wall in LF right behind him for back to back shots.
Not to be outdone, Steer smashed a 421 missile off the wall in the deepest part of the Coors Field outfield in the Top of the 8th, and busted it out of the batter’s box the moment he hit it. That proved prescient, as the ball ricocheted off the wall towards LF and gave Steer enough time to motor all the way around the bags for an inside-the-park dinger, his second of the game.
Steer, whose intrigue on the trade market we documented earlier in the week, now sits at .250/.330/.441 with 16 homers and 40 runs batted in, work that’s good for a 109 OPS+ and 108 wRC+ as of this morning. First and foremost, I’m saying that the Cincinnati Reds need to go on a historic, miracle run to finish this season and win some playoff series. Beyond that, though, I’m saying that now may never be a more ‘right’ time to move Steer as he’s playing quite well amid a dearth of right-handed hitting outfield options, with five of the biggest teams in the sport needing just that this trade deadline.
Anyway, the Reds toppled the Rockies and moved to just 8 games under the .500 mark on Friday evening, with a matinee in the extreme heat in Denver set for 3:10 PM ET on Saturday.
Now that Kent Hughes has put pen to paper with Kirby Dach, the Montreal Canadiens only have two remaining RFAs to sign: Zachary Bolduc and Arber Xhekaj. In a recent article in La Presse, Guillaume Lefrançois reports that both a two-year bridge deal and a long-term (five years) contract have been discussed so far for the promising forward.
Speaking to La Presse, Bolduc indicated that he’s not worried about the negotiations and is confident the matter will be settled in the coming days or weeks. In the meantime, he keeps busy helping friends with their hockey schools or, like on Friday, attending FlexWork’s camp, making kids’ day as a guest. He recalls his own experiences as a kid, meeting NHLers like Philip Danault and Michael Bournival at his hockey camps and enjoying the experience.
It will be interesting to see whether Bolduc’s new deal will be a bridge or a long-term deal. Considering he’s only played two full NHL seasons and a single one with the Canadiens, he still has a lot to show, and it definitely feels like he hasn’t reached his ceiling. In his first full season with the St. Louis Blues, he scored 19 goals in 72 games, showing he has a scoring touch. However, he could only get 12 with the Habs last season.
Given his lack of top power-play unit opportunities and the need to adapt to a new team and system, that’s not surprising. In the playoffs, he also showed he could bring much-needed physicality to the lineup, but he ended up playing on the fourth line's wing.
Have the Canadiens seen enough to make a long-term commitment to the player at a cap hit that will feel appropriate to both parties? It remains to be seen. Bolduc is coming off a 12-goal, 18-assist season for a total of 30 points, which is the scoring pace Dach was on with 15 points in 37 games. He signed a $3.6M one-year contract with the team; chances are Bolduc’s contract will have a higher cap hit than that. If it’s a bridge deal, it could be somewhere around $4- $4.5 million; for a longer deal, he may be aiming for a deal similar to the one Mavrik Bourque signed with the Nashville Predators at $5.5 million for six years, even though the former Dallas Stars had a more productive season at 41 points in 82 games.
The Yankees of the mid-to-late 1990s are the standard. Every single team the Yankees have constructed since that era of stardom for the pinstripes has had the cloud of comparison hovering above it. Those teams dominated, and the Yankees faithful expect every aspect of the current teams to be similar to those squads who could suit up every game and come out of the clubhouse with the “we are going to win every game, and we’re going to win in every important moment” attitude.
Just as Yankees fans expect the players and management to have that attitude, they also expect the manager to instill confidence in the players and the fanbase. And the comparison for Aaron Boone (and every bench boss after him) is Joe Torre, a four-time World Series champion, six-time American League pennant winner, and one of the most decorated leaders in the history of the game of baseball.
Joseph Paul Torre Jr. Born: July 19, 1940 (Brooklyn, NY) Yankees Tenure: 1996-2007 (Manager)
Before Torre became a well-decorated manager, he spent his fair share of time gathering accolades in his own major-league career. He was native New Yorker who was steeped in just about as much baseball as one could imagine. Although he grew up on the sandlots of the Brooklyn, he was a Giants fan, but also was enough of a diehard that he was attendance as a fan at a Subway Series game that didn’t even feature his preferred team: Don Larsen’s perfecto in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.
Torre had a tough background, as his father was the center of an abusive household for years until Joe’s older brother Frank confronted his dad and told him to leave for good. These experiences later motivated Joe to establish the Safe at Home Foundation to aid youth in abusive households. Thanks in part to his brother, Joe was in a better situation to thrive, and he did so at St. Francis Preparatory School in Queens. He was well-built for his age, garnering the attention of scouts from clubs including Frank’s Milwaukee Braves, with whom he would eventually sign his first pro contract.
Torre began his MLB journey at the age of 20 on September 25, 1960, against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He recorded a hit in his only at-bat as a pinch-hitter, and he appeared just one more time that season. The next year, though, he finally received a real shot at the highest level. As a younger kid, Frank told Joe that if he switched to catcher, then he would be recognized more. And that was the position he played for his first MLB season, over 100 games, and exclusively until 1963, when he played first base as well.
In 1961, Torre finished second to Cubs Hall of Famer Billy Williams in the NL Rookie of the Year. He went on to play four more years with the Braves before they moved to their present-day location of Atlanta, garnering his first three All-Star appearances and then a Gold Glove in ’65.
From their 1966 inception down south, Torre would play another three full seasons with Henry Aaron and company. He added two more All-Star appearances to his name before being traded in spring training the following season to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Torre began his time in St. Louis at age 28 and collected four more All-Star appearances to bump his career total up to nine. The zenith of his Redbirds career was an MVP win in 1971 after leading the major leagues in hits (230), RBI’s (137), and batting average (.363). His final OPS+ for the season was 171, the highest of his career. He beat two NL legends in the race that year: his former teammate Aaron and the Pirates’ Willie Stargell.
For the final time in his career in 1974, Torre was traded, this time to the New York Mets. He played three seasons with them before retiring as player/manager in 1977 with nine All-Star appearances, a Gold Glove, a batting title, an MVP, and a TSN Major League Player of the Year Award. However, playoff success—or even an appearance in the postseason at all as a player—eluded Torre. So, when he found his way back into baseball, he was looking to write and finish that chapter.
Long before Torre became the Yankees’ skipper, he returned to all three of his former teams as bench boss. First, he started with the Mets from 1977 to 1981, but in his five years as manager (including a strike-shortened 1981), he never finished with a winning record. He was fired and moved on to Atlanta, replacing Bobby Cox as manager for the ’82 campaign. Led by MVP Dale Murphy, the Braves won 13 consecutive games to open the year, and the team finished with an 89-73 record that was good enough for the NL West division title. But Atlanta didn’t win a single playoff game, as the eventual champion Cardinals swept them away in the NLCS. Still, Torre was voted the Associated Press Manager of the Year as a result of his work in his first season.
Torre finished his final two years in Atlanta with slightly worse records than his first season, with 1983 at 88-74 and ’84 at 80-82. He was fired and had to spend the next few years away from the dugout, broadcasting games for the California Angels. In 1990 though, his old Cardinals gave him another shot. Success remained difficult to come by, as his career managerial record with St. Louis was 351-354, sitting around the 85-win mark for most of his tenure there. His best season was 1993, when his club posted an 87-75 record, but the Cards went 53-61 in the strike-shortened ’94 and got off to a 20-27 start in ’95. For the third time in his career, Torre was fired, and he figured he was out of chances since all his old teams had tried him out and let him go.
Nonetheless, the chance of a lifetime fell in Torre’s lap. Despite breaking their 14-year playoff drought in 1995, disagreements with Yankees owner George Steinbrenner over his coaching staff motivated manager Buck Showalter to turn down his contract offer. So a talented team was looking for a new skipper, and it just so happened that one of Torre’s old friends from his Mets days, Arthur Richman, was working for Steinbrenner. He encouraged the Boss to give Torre an interview, and the rest is history.
Yankees fans were initially opposed to the idea, given his unsuccessful track record, but with the winning that followed his hire, opinions quickly turned. In 1996, the Yankees finished with a 92-70 record and their first division title since 1981. They dispatched Texas and Baltimore in the playoffs to win the pennant and finally get Torre to his first-ever World Series after over 4,000 games between his playing and managerial careers. It was an emotional scene at Camden Yards when rookie Derek Jeter threw to first base for the final out of the ALCS.
That made for a nice story, and many thought that it would end right there. After all, Torre’s Yanks were stacked up against the then-consensus Team of the ’90s, Torre’s old Braves. Cox had returned to Atlanta and helped build an outstanding club that was laden with future Cooperstown honorees. Entering the ’96 Fall Classic, they’d won four pennants already in the decade and captured their first championship in ’95, silencing an overpowering Cleveland offense in the process with their Greg Maddux/Tom Glavine/John Smoltz pitching staff.
Atlanta was red-hot coming into Game 1 of the World Series in the Bronx. They’d overcome a 3-1 NLCS deficit against St. Louis by outscoring the Cards 32-1 across the final three games, and at first, the Yankees didn’t have an answer. Cy Young contender Andy Pettitte was clobbered in the Fall Classic opener, 12-1, and Maddux led a 4-0 shutout in Game 2. The World Series shifted to Atlanta with the Yankees already in an 0-2 hole and season obituaries already written. Torre later recounted a story where he told a doubting Steinbrenner that they would win the next three games in a row in Atlanta, return to New York, and win it in Game 6. The skipper said the Boss “looked at him like he had three heads.”
But Torre proved prescient. His team had a stirring comeback, taking Game 3 before rallying from a 6-0 deficit to win Game 4 on the back of Jim Leyritz’s big homer in the eighth, and then ekeing out a 1-0 win in Game 5 with 8.1 brilliant innings from Pettitte. The Yankees beat Maddux in Game 6 back in the Bronx, and they were champions for the first time since 1978. The man who was dubbed “Clueless Joe” when joining the team on November 2, 1995 was named 1996 Co-AL Manager of the Year Award alongside the surprising Rangers’ Johnny Oates.
The Yankees actually improved in the 1997 regular season to a 96-66 record, but had to settle for a Wild Card spot behind Baltimore and then suffered a early elimination at Cleveland’s hands in the ALDS. The shocking loss—one that featured a Game 4 comeback against no less a force than Mariano Rivera—set the stage for one of the greatest dynasties in baseball history to be born.
The Yankees of 1998 would become the winningest team in baseball under Torre’s calm leadership, always a strong shield to his team’s owner’s barbs in the press. Of course, he had an incredible core of players to lean on and lead by example on the field and in the clubhouse, but 114 wins aren’t just stumbled upon. The club finished with just 48 losses in the regular season, then went on to dominate the postseason, dropping only two games throughout October. Torre won his second American League Manager of the Year Award in three years as a result.
While it was going to be almost impossible to replicate the success of the 1998 season, the goal remained the same for everyone involved: win the whole thing. Yes, the regular season record dropped back to Earth (although 98 wins and 64 losses is still a heck of a bargain), but it was still the same Yankees who had won two championships in their last three seasons, and it was the same manager who was voted best amongst his peers two of the last three seasons as well. It wasn’t an easy season for Torre personally, though, as he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in spring training, and when he came back after making a full recovery, he had to help some of his players who were going through their own struggles. But they still found a championship, sweeping the Braves in the process.
Despite an 87-win season in 2000 with his aging and somewhat-underperforming club, the Yankees took the division anyway and Torre still managed the Yankees through the water rushing against them. Everyone wanted to dethrone the kings, but Torre, along with his core group, would not let that happen. They came up against the crosstown rival Mets (the second of two former clubs Torre would face in a World Series), and bested them in five games for their third consecutive title. Torre is one of only three managers to achieve that feat, alongside Yankees legends Joe McCarthy and Casey Stengel.
The 2001 season was extremely difficult, particularly toward the end of the year. The Yankees had an easier road to the division title with 95 wins, but the attacks of September 11th left the entire city scarred and shaken. Under Torre, the Yankees helped lead the way to bringing light and soul back into the city. In the 2001 ALDS, Jeter made one of the most legendary plays of his career — the backhand flip to Jorge Posada against Oakland, giving hope to all fans that this team could do the impossible. And the Yankees followed that 0-2 series comeback by defeating the 116-win Mariners in the ALCS. However, the hope would run dry in the 2001 World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, despite incrediblystirringwins in the Bronx. In Game 7, it was the person you would least expect—Rivera—who gave up the winning run in the most heartbreaking of ways. And although the Bombers were not going to remain kings of the hill forever, it was a brutal way to go in a season that meant so much to the city of New York.
Following all that postseason success from 1996-2001, the remainder of the 2000s decade was a challenge. In 2002, the 103-win Yankees were upset in a four-game ALDS loss to the Angels, and while they returned to the Fall Classic in 2003 in dramatic fashion, they were again dispatched by a surprising club. The Marlins won three in a row to shock the Yanks in a Game 6 shutout clincher, and the first of those three featured an infamous Torre decision to not use Rivera in extra innings on the road. Instead, it was Jeff Weaver who gave up a walk-off homer to Alex Gonzalez, sparking the Florida comeback.
2004 was the hardest loss of them all — blowing a 3-0 series lead to the rival Red Sox on their way to winning their first World Series since 1918, thus breaking the Curse of the Bambino. Then from 2005-07, the Yankees lost in the first round for three years in a row. Torre was facing more criticism than ever for his tactics, and the non-Rivera relief aces like Tom Gordon, Paul Quantrill, and Scott Proctor were getting gassed down the stretch. 2007 marked the end of Torre’s career with the Yankees, as he turned down what he believed to be an insulting contract offer from the club to return.
Torre went on to manage the Dodgers from 2008 to 2010 and winning two more division titles. The Phillies eliminated them in the NLCS both years, and he stepped down after 2010 with 2,326 career wins. Since 2011, he has worked in the commissioner’s office, handling all kinds of managerial work across MLB. Time heals all wounds, and Torre received a big ovation when his No. 6 was retired in 2014.
Torre served as the Yankees’ manager for a dozen seasons. He managed 1,942 regular-season games, with a win-loss record of 1,173–767. In all 12 of those seasons, the Yankees reached the playoffs; during that time, they won six American League pennants and four World Series. He is one of the most legendary managers in all of baseball history for the turnaround he helped guide the Yankees through, and his playing days weren’t short of impressive as well.
As one of the most influential people in Yankees history, it’s always exciting for fans to see him around the Yankees today whenever he’s able to help as well. Happy birthday, Joe!
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - JUNE 29: Miguel Ullola #66 of the Houston Astros warms up before his MLB debut against the Minnesota Twins at Daikin Park on June 29, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Houston Astros/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below.
AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (46-47) won 5-3 (BOX SCORE)
Sugar Land got on the board in the first inning on an error. They scored another run in the 2nd inning on a Biggio sac fly. Wesneski got the start and went 4 innings allowing 3 runs. The pen was solid keeping the game at a score of 3-2. In the 9th, Sugar Land took the lead when an error led to 3 runs. Ullola struck out 2 in the 9th as he closed out the 5-3 win.
Note: Ullola has a 1.56 ERA with 29 K over 17.1 innings in relief.
Christian Roa, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Alimber Santa, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Roddery Munoz, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (WIN)
Miguel Ullola, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K (SAVE)
AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (40-48) lost 4-3 (BOX SCORE)
The Hooks got on the board in the second inning on a Sullivan RBI groundout. Mancini got the start and was solid allowing 2 runs over 4.2 innings while striking out 4 batters. The Hooks tied the game in the 7th when Call scored on a double steal. In the bottom of the 7th, the Missions scored 2 runs as they took the lead. The Hooks rallied in the 9th and got one run on a Whitaker RBI single but the comeback fell short as the Hooks lost 4-3.
Joey Mancini, RHP: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Nic Swanson, RHP: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Alex Santos, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Ramsey David, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
A+: Asheville Tourists (31-56) won 4-0 (BOX SCORE)
Taylor got the start for Asheville, his first outing in High-A since April 8th, and pitched really well tossing 4 perfect innings with 3 strikeouts on 42 pitches. Asheville got on the board in the 5th inning getting back to back home runs from Moss and Huezo. Rodriguez relieved Taylor and tossed 2 scoreless innings. Asheville got another run in the 7th when a run scored on a wild pitch and one more in the 8th on a Frey RBI single. Cruz tossed 2 scoreless innings and Frias closed it out with a scoreless 9th inning as Asheville won 4-0.
Note: Moss is hitting .381 in Asheville this season.
A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (43-43) won 3-2 (BOX SCORE)
Potter started for the Woodpeckers and was great tossing 2 scoreless innings with 3 strikeouts. The offense got on the board in the first inning scoring 2 runs on a Luciano sac fly and Fielder hit by pitch. Fraide tossed a scoreless innings before being relieved by Beck who allowed 1 run over 2 innings. After the GreenJackets tied the game in the 7th, Flores responded with a go-ahead RBI single in the bottom of the inning to give the Woodpeckers a 3-2 lead.
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 28: Sandro Mamukelashvili #54 of the Toronto Raptors handles the ball during the game against the Washington Wizards on February 28, 2026 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Every player showers the team they joined with praise upon signing. However, with the Lakers, it’s typically a bit more authentic.
The Lakers are a big brand and garner attention and respect that few NBA teams can. Given their rich history and championships, players often enter the franchise with strong emotions about the Lakers.
“Just the name itself – all of the legends play for the Lakers,” Mamukelashvili told the Post of why he signed with the Lakers. “The organization is a very high-level organization. They’re starting a new page and it’s just unbelievable to be part of it.”
Mamukelashvili, who got a “Mamba Mentality” tattoo while he was in college at Seton Hall, grew up a fan of late Lakers icon Kobe Bryant.
“I could only imagine this really in 2K, that I would be playing for this team,” Mamukelashvili said. “I’m so excited, so happy. The coaching staff is amazing and I can’t wait to just put the jersey on, go out there and just play my heart out every night. You gotta have a chip on your shoulder when you play for the Lakers.”
It’s one thing for a player to compliment the Lakers and talk about their love for Kobe Bryant. It’s another for that player to have a Bryant tattoo on their body.
It certainly sounds like Mamu is aware of the special position he’s in and is ready to make the most of it.
Clearly, Mamu has a ton of love and respect for the Lakers. After all, he signed with them, so obviously it’s where he wants to be. Hopefully, that will translate into production this year. Last season, Mamu averaged a career-best 11.2 points along with 4.9 rebounds per game. He also shot 38.9% from 3-point range.
While playing for the Lakers is a high-pressure environment, and Mamu and other new players like Walker Kessler will certainly feel that, in the end, all fans want is for guys to give their all.
If Mamu is hustling hard and playing with that chip on his shoulder he talked about, he will become a fan favorite. All he has to do now is match his words off the court with his play on it.
South Africa overpowered Wales in Durban thrashing
9 mins. A few minutes are taken up with the setting of a Wales scrum that goes to ground once, then brings a penalty for the Boks against Dillon Lewis for losing his feet under pressure. The lineout for the home team is wasted as Moyo encroaches the lineout too early.
5 mins. The crowd springs to life for the first time as Fassi steps off his left foot, leaving Edwards standing, to run 15 metres into the Wales half. Two phases later, after a strong run from De Allende, Wiese crashes through some poor tackling in the 22 on a short angle to rumble over.
Jul 17, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; San Francisco shortstop Willy Adames (2) celebrates after hitting a grand slam home run during the seventh inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
Bucking the trend established in March, these 2026 Goofs started the second, and smaller, half of the season on the right foot with a 7-0 win over the Seattle Mariners.
A quality start and seven scoreless tossed by Landen Roupp, a grand-slam slammed by Willy Adames — is this the first step in the Giants’ journey back to respectability???
Haha!
These odd, mid-year, longer than a weekend, less than a week vacations like the All-Star break can be restful but not baptismal. Rebirth might be a lot to ask for from just a four-day holiday. Taken out of their rhythm and routine, it’s quite possible that this team forgot how to be bad together. Give it a couple of days. Or a day. Or until later this afternoon…
For many teams in the Giants situation, late-July is not the time for hope, but acceptance. Peace and freedom come with knowing exactly where you are and understanding there is little you can do to change that. This kind of perspective was on full display Friday night. The players didn’t get immediately pulled back into the rushing and crushing current of the season, but embraced the pace of a lazy river, showcasing a more laissez-faire approach. Sit back on the tube, no need to rush, let the game happen.
It was the right mindset when facing a guy like Seattle’s Bryce Miller, who works fast, throws a lot of strikes and gets a lot of strikeouts. He’s going to be effective and in control. Miller pitched as advertised with pinpoint accuracy and a fearlessness to live in the zone and trust the stuff of his rising four-seam and banana-peel splitter. He struck out four Giants in a row across the first couple frames. A one-out walk by Drew Cavanaugh and single by Luis Arraez in the 3rd set up runners at the corners for Bryce Eldridge. What felt like a huge opportunity to scratch across the game’s first run fell by the wayside when Eldridge weakly popped up to second, defusing the offense’s only scoring threat against Miller over the first four innings.
Eldridge was frustrated of course. He lunged at a 1-0 splitter and golfed it into the air off his front foot. But the plate appearance served as reconnaissance for the next one. The offense grew into the game, they trusted they had time to figure things out, and what Eldridge figured out about Miller in the 3rd helped him in the 5th. One, Miller will throw the split-finger in the zone — it’s not a chase pitch. Two, he’ll throw it when he’s behind in the count, or any count, because he trusts it over the plate, because he knows it’s nasty (opponents were hitting .119 against it). Three, it’s something he can hit. The pop-up contact didn’t look impressive, but I imagine feeling it leave his bat emboldened Eldridge. He wasn’t flabbergasted, he just missed. A better timed swing, and he could drive it.
Same sequence as the 3rd — slider, splitter — just a different count, and not located as well. The pitch stayed up and Eldridge stayed back, sending it just over the wall in center field for a tie-busting two-run homer.
The whole line-up continued to evolve against Miller. They fanned four times across the first two innings, then only struck out twice more over the next six frames. A walk, hit-batter, and some sloppy defense by the typically resolute Seattle middle-infielders would help add another run on Miller and chase him from the mound in the 6th. And in the 7th, Willy Adames busted the game open with a grand slam off reliever Nick Davila.
Fourth time was the charm for the shortstop. He had come up hitless in his previous three at-bats, all with a Jung Hoo Lee on base. In the 6th, with Lee in scoring position, Adames fouled off six pitches in a 9-pitch scruff against Miller before he went down chasing a splitter. Tellingly, Adames didn’t swear angrily after the strikeout. He didn’t kick dirt, slam his helmet, or disgustingly toss his bat. That’s never really his style, but Adames actually ended his gigantic whiff with a deferential gesture and nod back to the mound. He smiled at Miller as he turned back to the dugout. A good at-bat ended by a better pitch.
Perspective. There will always be more chances. For these Giants specifically: there is nothing left to lose. The luxury of late-summer, the spoils of the losers, is exactly this. An inning later with the bases loaded, Adames put the game out of reach with San Francisco’s eighth of the season, and his 16th homer.
The other obvious reason the offense could bide their time and hit with patience and such consequence is because Landen Roupp’s pitching kept them in the game.
Well-rested after ten days, still jazzed after his impressive 8-inning performance against the Blue Jays before the break, perhaps, egged on by Miller’s early dominance — whatever it was, Roupp stymied Seattle’s bats over seven innings. It wasn’t dominant by way of the swing-and-miss or strikeout: he walked more batters (3) than he K’ed (2), and Miller out-whiffed him 15 to 5. The performance was dominant by how he trusted his offerings to dictate contact.
Roupp has one of the lowest hard-hit rates of any starter in the Majors, and he’s at his best when hitters bat the ball in play on his terms. Pitching isn’t about withholding the baseball, but sharing it. Roupp owns a sinker, curve, change trail mix. The question before each hike out to the mound is will he let hitters pick-and-choose what they want from his bag, or is he going to make them close their eyes and submit to the unpredictability of the blind handful?
Friday night, Roupp kept Seattle guessing.The first time through the order Roupp leaned heavily on his sinker and change-up. Second and third time, he eased off the sinker, feathered in more of his cutter, kept the offspeed consistent, and increased his curve usage from 19% to 26% to 45%.
That game plan worked pretty well. The heavy dose of breaking stuff and off-speed led to most contact being driven into the ground. The Mariners managed just two singles off Roupp, their first coming with two-outs in the 4th, and a runner never reached second base. While Roupp walked three, he was discerning when he got stingy with the zone. Two of the three walks, and three of their five Seattle baserunners overall, reached with two outs already recorded.
Eldridge and Adames homered, Roupp framed the All-Star break with another great outing, but the player starring behind the scenes was the man behind the mask, Drew Cavanaugh.
Before the game, Daniel Susac was recalled from the IL and Eric Haase was designated for assignment, effectively thrusting back-up catcher Cavanaugh into a meatier role. He repaid the vote of confidence by reaching base four times with two walks and two singles while batting out of the 9-hole. He singled before Eldridge’s 5th inning pop. His walk (his second against Miller) loaded the bases, and his savvy base running screen on Arraez’s bounder probably forced second baseman Cole Young’s bobble. On top of all that, he threw out Victor Robles trying to steal second in the 5th.
A week and a half of rest for the starter, the whole team getting four days off — this team seemed to appreciate the break. How ’bout another one, please?
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 14: Hunter Goodman #15 of the Colorado Rockies throws to second base during the seventh inning of the 2026 MLB All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park on July 14, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Colorado Rockies are a team in the midst of a rebuild. With this in mind, the staff at Purple Row thought it would be useful to revisit the “State of the Position” series that we ran in March to see where things stand. We’ve asked authors of the spring articles to re-evaluate their earlier remarks with an eye toward the August 3 trade deadline.
The 26-year-old catcher followed up a breakout campaign in 2025 — when he hit 31 homers, drove in 91 RBIs, hit 28 doubles and batted .278/.323/.520 — by bringing power to the plate again so far in 2026. In doing so, along with his keen eye behind the plate that creates successful ABS challenges, Goodman, the Rockies fourth-round pick from the 2021 Draft, has arguably made catcher the strongest position for the Rockies.
In the first half, the Rockies are tops in MLB stats for all catchers in terms of homers (25), slugging percentage (.527) and OPS (.846), in addition to being second in batting average (.262) and runs scored (97). And that doesn’t include when Goodman is slotted in as DH. With all the injuries and unknowns this season, at least the catcher production has remained accurate from the pre-season catcher outlook.
Goodman, the anchor
Coming out of the All-Star break, Goodman already had 27 homers — just four shy of his total from 2025. His homers lead the team, as do his 59 runs scored and .528 slugging percentage. He’s second in RBI with 51 and OPS at .862.
However, with great power, often comes an increased strikeout rate and lower batting average. His strikeout rate in 2025 was 26.3%, but it’s increased to 32.2% this season. He’s dropped his batting average .024 points, but his on-base percentage is one point higher than last season at .324. A big part of that is an increased walk rate from 5.7% last season to 8.5% now.
Goodman, 26, has also proven to be a reliable bat, able to serve as DH when his knees need a break on the field. He played 90 games (62 starts at catcher, 23 at DH, and a few late-game subs) before going to Philadelphia, which was five more than before the Midsummer Classic last year.
Three of Goodman’s homers came in one game, an 8-5 win over the Twins on June 27 at Coors Field.
In addition, Goodman has become one of the best in MLB at tapping his helmet to challenge a strike called a ball or ball called a strike. Among MLB catchers, he is fourth-best with 53 correct calls as he gets it right 67.1% of the time.
Sometimes the challenges make a big difference, like this ball turned into a strikeout of San Francisco’s Victor Bericoto by Juan Mejia on July 4.
Goodman’s eye accounts for why the Rockies are tied for the sixth-best rate at 64% and tied for second with 86 correct challenges.
The backups
The Rockies drafted Braxton Fulford two rounds after Goodman in 2021. He seemed to have the backup role locked in until the Rockies signed journeyman catcher Brett Sullivan, 32, in December. Sullivan made a splash in spring training and has continued to play very well in the first half.
When Goodman is not behind the plate, Sullivan has made 30 starts, while Fulford has only made six. Sullivan has been better, hitting .221/.265/.385 with four homers, eight doubles, 15 RBIs and 23 strikeouts in 122 at-bats. Two of those homers came in one game against the Cubs on June 11.
In addition, Sullivan has added the extra benefit of being the position player pitcher for the Rockies, filling in when the Rockies are down and don’t want to waste bullpen arms.
Fulford, 27, has struggled offensively, hitting .193/.273/.324 with one homer, four doubles, seven RBI and 27 strikeouts in 57 at-bats. Despite being on the Opening Day roster, Fulford was sent down to Triple-A Albuquerque on April 1 before being called back on May 18. The Rockies have stuck with a three-catcher roster since.
On the farm front, 22-year-old Bryant Betancourt has been making waves. The catcher, who the Rockies signed out of Venezuela in 2021, climbed from Double-A Hartford to the Isotopes on June 30 after he hit .269/.337/.513 with 14 HRs and 44 RBIs in 65 games. He’s still adjusting to Triple-A, having hit one homer and one double with three RBIs in 9 games while hitting .125/.200/.250.
The Draft
The Rockies selected two catchers early in the MLB Draft, fueling speculation that Colorado could trade Goodman. However, Double-A catcher Cole Messina (No. 26 PuRP), who is currently playing for Double-A Hartford, would be much more likely to see MLB time before any of the new draftees.
With the supplemental pick at No. 37, the Rockies took Daniel Jackson, a junior out of the University of Georgia. In the third round, Colorado selected Jack Natili, a junior out of the University of Cincinnati. For good measure, they also picked up undrafted catcher Talmadge LeCroy out of the University of South Carolina.
The things to remember are the importance of versatility and the possibility of change.
Goodman was drafted as a catcher, but Colorado tried him out at first base and outfield to play up his athleticism and to best fit the team’s needs. He went back to catcher when he came to MLB, which has clearly been the right call.
Cole Carrigg was also drafted as a catcher with the No. 65 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. After playing every position on the field in college and most in the minors, Carrigg has shown that with his rifle arm, he can play nicely in the outfield, while also being able to fill in at shortstop. Truly, anything can happen.
While the future is always unknown and we could all be surprised by a big move before the MLB trade deadline on Aug. 3, it seems like the Rockies are set at catcher.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 14: Cristopher Sánchez #61 of the Philadelphia Phillies waves to the crowd prior to the 96th MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday, July 14, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The other day, I asked the question of you believed to be the Phillies’ “first half” MVP, giving you several options or letting you choose someone on your own. The results:
Saying that Sanchez is the MVP would be a worthy decision. He’s been outstanding this season, even with a few blips here and there. His stabilization of the starting rotation should be duly noted, keeping that unit intact until they had Zack Wheeler join them to go on the run they have been on.
However, each of the other candidates has a case to be made as well. Brandon Marsh’s season has provided a third musketeer to Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber and provided the team with a threat in the lineup that would make sure consistent production is being had outside of that top two. Harper and Schwarber’s contributions make their own cases; they not only can make a case for their team MVP, they can make a case for a National League MVP. Jhoan Duran being able to make sure the ninth inning of any game he appears in is locked down is an assurance that the team has badly needed with a bullpen that is currently limping quite a bit.
You could even make the case that Wheeler himself is the MVP as the team’s fortunes seem to have turned around the minute he made his return to the team and started putting up Cy Young worthy numbers.
Yet saying that Cristopher Sanchez is the team MVP for the “first half” is something no one really could get too mad about. He’s been great.
We have a pretty interesting pitching matchup today, as Owen Murphy gets his first major league start for Atlanta and major offseason trade acquisition MacKenzie Gore will start for the Rangers.
Murphy was the Braves’ 2022 first round pick, ahead of JR Ritchie, but injury timelines and development curves meant that Ritchie beat him to The Show. Ritchie is more of a prototypical pitcher, but Murphy has some intriguing traits that led him to be that first round pick. His low/mid 90s fastball has exceptional induced vertical break, coming out of the arm of a shorter pitcher in Murphy, allowing it to play up as a swing-and-miss pitch. He throws a four-seamer, curveball, slider, changeup mix, with the slider being the least used pitch so far in his two major league appearances out of the bullpen. While he’ll almost certainly have to be less fastball-reliant than he has been out of the bullpen, his results have been solid, with 4.0 scoreless innings, 4 strikeouts, and no walks in the majors. His stats in the minors haven’t been especially impressive this year, but he has the prospect pedigree and traits to hope that he can be a solid major league pitcher, which would go a long way to bolstering Atlanta’s struggling rotation as we exit the All-Star break.
While Gore has a 4.63 ERA on the season, his xERA, xFIP, and FIP all indicate that he is more or less the same quality pitcher that he was when the Rangers traded for him, all sitting in the mid/high 3s. The Rangers’ lefty pitches primarily off of his four-seamer and curveball, which he throws a couple ticks above league average in terms of velocity and with great extension, despite average movement. He mixes in four other pitches (changeup, slider, cutter, and sinker) for the rest of his pitch usage. His changeup and slider have been quite effective in a smaller sample, and his fastball has been good as far as fastballs go. This will be a challenging matchup for Atlanta, but perhaps Drake Baldwin has found his form again and can get back to absolutely crushing lefties with his reverse splits.
It’s only a few days following the 2026 All-Star Game, hosted by the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
So it’s time for MLB to turn its attention to next year’s Midsummer Classic, which will be hosted by the Cubs at Wrigley Field, the ballpark’s first turn at hosting since 1990.
Before Friday’s game, the team held a ceremony to unveil the logo that will be used for promoting the game over the next year. (And, of course, it will be all over merchandise which I’m sure you can pick up soon.)
The Cubs honored each of the previous All-Star Games at Wrigley Field, which were held in 1947, 1962 and 1990. For the 1947 game, Phil Cavarretta’s niece represented the former Cubs star, along with a high school athlete from Cavarretta’s school, Lane Tech, which is located just a couple of miles west of Wrigley Field.
In 1962, Billy Williams was among three Cub All-Stars, and he was on the field representing that team, along with another local high school athlete. And in 1990, Andre Dawson and Shawon Dunston were among three Cub All-Stars (along with the late Ryne Sandberg), and both were there, with a third high school athlete.
Those groups planted a base with their year’s All-Star logo at first, second and third base, respectively, then Pete Crow-Armstrong helped unveil the 2027 logo, which you can see at the top of this post.
The Cubs and MLB did a nice job on this logo. It evokes Wrigley Field’s famous marquee and in between “All” and “Star,” the six-pointed star is similar to the stars on the city of Chicago flag. Nicely done.
Wrigley Field will become the only current ballpark to have hosted the All-Star Game four times. Two other parks no longer in use also hosted four times: Municipal Stadium in Cleveland (1935, 1954, 1963 and 1981) and the original Yankee Stadium (1939, 1960, 1977 and 2008).
Of course, there’s the specter of the MLB/MLBPA collective bargaining agreement expiring at the end of this year and the possibility that games might be lost in 2027, including this All-Star Game. Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney addressed that, quoted in this Tribune article by Meghan Montemurro:
“The All-Star Game is a whole different animal, so we’re going to have to operate as if there is no end of the CBA and that there is no pause in play, which we still hope is the case,” Kenney said. “There’s a great case to be made that both sides will come together, we’ll get something done and there’ll be no interruption to play, and we just have to operate with that as our strategy.
“It’s not like we’re going to plan to have concerts. Normally the All-Star break is a really lucrative concert window for us, which is very helpful to putting a great payroll together for Jed (Hoyer). We won’t have that next year, and we won’t be loading shows in as a contingency. And what we learned through COVID and the last lockout and sort of a quick start to play is that we can spin up our operation with 30 days’ notice.”
If all goes as scheduled, the stars will meet at Wrigley Field on Tuesday, July 13, 2027.
Here’s the entire pregame ceremony, which was very nicely done:
There will be another Cubs ceremony held this morning, beginning right around the time this article is posted. It will officially dedicate Champions Gate at Gallagher Way, an entry to the area that honors all three Cubs World Series champion teams. BCB’s Sara Sanchez will have a full report on the ceremony here tomorrow.
GOODYEAR, ARIZONA - MARCH 7: Ben Lively #39 of the Cleveland Guardians participates in a team workout prior to a Spring Training game against the San Diego Padres at Goodyear Ballpark on March 7, 2026 in Goodyear, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After the smoke issues yesterday, the Guardians will play two games today. Gavin Williams will face off against the Pirates’ Jared Jones at 1:10 and Logan Allen is up as the 27th man to face TBD at 7:10.
There are thunderstorms around all day, so that’s something to be aware of, also.
We got some injury updates yesterday:
-Angel Martinez began his rehab assignment in Columbus
-Jose Ramirez is progressing well and may not need a rehab assignment.
-Ben Lively has been facing live batters and may go on his rehab assignment soon.
-CJ Kayfus broke his ankle and tore a ligament right before the break and is out for the rest of the season.
The Boston Red Sox enter Saturday on an 11-game win streak – their longest since 2016 – and will look to keep it rolling against the Tampa Bay Rays this afternoon at Fenway park.
The Red Sox come in as the favorites (-113) against the Rays (+108), and I’m taking the hosts to keep their streak alive in my Rays vs. Red Sox predictions due to their dominance vs. left-handed pitching.
Find my free MLB picks for Saturday, July 18 below.
Who will win Rays vs Red Sox today: Red Sox moneyline (-116)
The Boston Red Sox have outscored the Tampa Bay Rays 15-3 through the first two meetings of this four-game set, and I’m taking the hosts to win a third straight this afternoon.
Boston is batting .262 and slugging .432 against southpaws, putting the Red Sox within the top four among all MLB teams in both categories.
Rays starter Ian Seymour is trending in the wrong direction with a 5.52 ERA over his last three outings, and his changeup-heavy arsenal will leave him vulnerable against a Red Sox squad that’s been feasting on off-speed pitches.
Play Boston up to -120.
COVERS INTEL:The Red Sox have a 37.1 hard hit percentage against changeups from left-handed pitchers – the fifth-best mark in the majors.
Rays vs Red Sox Over/Under pick: Under 9.5 (-107)
The Red Sox and Rays are two of the stingiest teams in the MLB, ranking fourth (3.55) and ninth (3.88) in team ERA, respectively. Boston’s bullpen owns the third-best ERA in baseball (3.13), so this projects as another quiet game for Tampa Bay at the plate.
Tampa Bay has cashed the Under in four of Seymour’s last five outings, while Boston starter Patrick Sandoval allowed just one run in his only appearance of the season.
I’m playing the Under to -115.
Chris Faria's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 5-3, +1.18 units
Over/Under bets: 2-6, -3.9 units
Rays vs Red Sox weather
Rays vs Red Sox odds
Moneyline: Tampa Bay (+108) | Boston (-113)
Run line: Tampa Bay -1.5 (+163) | Boston +1.5 (-170)
Over/Under: Over 9.5 (-100) | Under 9.5 (-104)
Rays vs Red Sox trend
Boston is 10-2 in its last 12 home games against Tampa Bay. Find more MLB betting trends for Rays vs. Red Sox.
How to watch Rays vs Red Sox and game info
Location
Fenway Park, Boston, MA
Date
Saturday, July 18, 2026
First pitch
4:10 p.m. ET
TV
Rays.TV, NESN
Rays starting pitcher
Ian Seymour (6-2, 4.59 ERA)
Red Sox starting pitcher
Patrick Sandoval (0-0, 2.08 ERA)
Rays vs Red Sox latest injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
PORTLAND, ME - JULY 02: Brooks Brannon #11 of the Portland Sea Dogs rounds the bases during the game between the Altoona Curve and the Portland Sea Dogs at Delta Dental Park on Thursday, July 2, 2026 in Portland, Maine. (Photo by Bryce Mosmen/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
Allan Castro continues his hot streak after the break with three knocks in Scranton (Yankees AAA). The WooSox had a pretty awesome day at the plate all things considered. Nate Eaton hit a home run off a rehabbing Max Fried, the eighth inning featured homers from Mikey Romero and Bret Harris, and the team as a whole had thirteen hits on the night. That was not enough to overcome a rough pitching night from Raymond Burgos, who’s for sure this year’s Jose De Leon – a pitcher with some Major League experience who just takes the brunt of some starts. Either way, the two home runs (and five runs) he allowed in four innings were the albatross around the neck that ended up costing the WooSox Friday.
Dalton Rogers also had a pretty rough start against Somerset (Yankees AA), lasting just three innings and allowing seven runs, but the Sea Dogs did not have the same night offensively as the WooSox did and scored in just one inning (the sixth), after the game was already 7-0, so this game was never even close. Brooks Brannon did hit a home run in that sixth inning, his fourth in six games, and Ronald Rosario had a double and ended up subsequently scoring on an error. But outside of that, the team had just two other hits on the night and struck out fifteen times. Brannon has looked awesome for a while, though, and his OPS hovers closer back to that 1.000 mark he was eclipsing for much of the spring.
It looked like a lost cause after Joe Vogatsky went probably two more outs longer than he should have and ended up blowing a save. Devin Futrell also went just a bit too long despite striking out eight Keys (Orioles High-A) on the night. The Drive should not have won this game, but they did thanks to some early offense; they scored five runs in first three innings including Mason White’s fourth home run in the month of July and capped the night off with an Enddy Azocar walk-off double.
In a game where 25 total runs were scored and seven total errors were committed, it’s usually the team that allows the most destructive innings that loses. This was the case in Salem, as the Shorebirds (Orioles A) had an 8-run fifth inning, getting to Jay Allmer for seven runs (four earned.) The RidgeYaks were far from stagnant at the plate, though; Avinson Pinto had two doubles, catcher Franklin Primera went 4-for-4 and Louis Andujar had 4 RBI’s including a home run in the 9th to make it a sweat for Delmarva. But Salem had also let some runs go in the 9th, which ended up being the difference here.
COVERS INTEL: 
