Category: Sports News

The Cubs’ 5-2 loss to the Twins Friday night at Wrigley Field was certainly not the way we envisioned the season’s “second half’ beginning.

The offense (mostly) disappeared. And a long ball by the opposition proved the difference in the game.

Let’s begin at the beginning.

The Cubs took a first-inning lead. Pete Crow-Armstrong led off with a walk and stole second. Then Seiya Suzuki also walked.

Michael Busch’s single made it 1-0 Cubs [VIDEO].

So after 18 pitches, the Cubs had the lead and two runners on with nobody out. Big inning possible, right?

Well… no. Alex Bregman, who ended the first half so well, struck out. Then Ian Happ hit into a double play. Inning over, and already 0-for-2 with RISP. (That would become a theme on this night.)

The Cubs had another good scoring chance in the second. Nico Hoerner led off with a single and Michael Conforto followed with another hit. But again a strikeout (Carson Kelly) and double play (Dansby Swanson) would end the inning. That’s 0-for-4 with RISP if you’re keeping track.

In the top of the third, with a runner on first and nobody out, Tristan Gray hit a possible double-play ball to Busch. Unfortunately, Busch’s throw hit Swanson in the face [VIDEO].

There was a brief delay while Cubs staff tended to Swanson, who stayed in the game. Did this delay bother Colin Rea? He did warm up during the delay, but then allowed a single to Trevor Larnach that tied the game, followed by the pitch alluded to in the headline, a sweeper to Ryan Jeffers. Jeffers hit the ball into the bleachers for a three-run homer that made it 4-1 Twins.

The Cubs got another runner to scoring position in the bottom of the fourth. With two out, Nico had his second hit of the game and went to second on a throwing error. Conforto popped up to end the inning, 0-for-5 with RISP.

Rea settled down after the Jeffers homer and allowed just one further baserunner from the fourth through the sixth. It wasn’t that bad an outing, but I’m sure Rea would love to have that pitch back. From BCB’s JohnW53:

Because one of the four runs he allowed was unearned, Colin Rea earned a quality start.

It was his fourth, in 16 starts, tying him with Edward Cabrera and Jameson Taillon for second most on the Cubs, behind Shota Imanaga’s seven.

Ben Brown has three; Javier Assad and Matthew Boyd, two; and Cade Horton, one, for a total of 27.

The Angels began Friday with 27, which was 23rd most among the 30 teams. The Dodgers had 54; the Red Sox, 45; the Mariners, 44; and the Phillies, 43. No other team had more than 39.

The Angels moved ahead of the Cubs Friday with a very good start from Reid Detmers, who held the Tigers scoreless for six innings with seven strikeouts. I still would love to see the Cubs trade for Detmers before the deadline. (The Tigers won the game off the Angels bullpen.)

Anyway, the Cubs did put another run on the board in the sixth. Seiya Suzuki led off the inning with a double and advanced to third on a ground out. Alex Bregman then walked and while Ian Happ was at bat, Suzuki scored on this wild pitch [VIDEO].

Bregman held at first on that wild pitch but advanced to second when Happ singled. With one out there were more scoring chances but… Hoerner hit into a force play and Conforto flied to center. That’s two more unsuccessful at-bats with RISP.

Drew Pomeranz entered to throw the seventh and walked the first two hitters he faced. A pinch-hit single by Ryan Kreidler made it 5-2. I’m thinking the Pomeranz Cubs Reunion Tour might not have too many gigs left.

The Cubs bats were mostly silent the rest of the way. The only baserunner over the last three innings was a leadoff walk by Happ in the ninth. In the eighth, Suzuki sent a ball to deep left-center, and a hat tip to Twins center fielder Luke Keaschall for this PCA-like sliding catch [VIDEO].

So: Lack of offense, lack of hitting with RISP (1-for-10 on the night) and the one pitch thrown for a three-run homer was what doomed this game. One good thing: Hoerner’s two hits. He hadn’t had two hits in a game since June 28. Hopefully this gets him going.

The Brewers won Friday so the Cubs now trail by six games in the NL Central. The Cubs maintained their lead for the first wild card spot over the Phillies, who were idle on Friday. Speaking of Fridays, from John:

With the loss, the Cubs now are 5-8 in their rare Friday night games at home.

They have lost the last five. The four before last night: 10-2 to the Marlins in June of 2021, 12-4 to the Cardinals in September of 2021, 4-2 to the Pirates in April of 2022 and 8-3 to the Red Sox in July of 2023. 

The April 2022 game noted by John was moved from 1:20 to 7:05 early that day due to weather. The others were scheduled. Also, for whatever it’s worth, the Cubs are now 3-5 in 2026 wearing the “Chicago Blues” uniforms; they were 9-4 in them last year.

The Cubs will look to even up the series with the Twins Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field. Matthew Boyd will start for the Cubs and Taj Bradley goes for Minnesota. Game time is 1:20 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.

Well, last night was fun. 15 to 1 laughers tend to be that way. Hopefully, this sets the tone for the remainder of the season. How about 5 barrels for the Braves and 1 for the Rangers? One of those barrels was Austin Riley’s home run off a catcher. Another hard hit ball was reliever Victor Mederos’ 103 MPH RBI single. Can we spend a moment watching this again?

That’s an 80.1 MPH swing right there. Eephus or not, that’s quite a rip. The Braves had 15 batted balls at greater than 99 MPH of exit velocity. That’s their second highest total this season and is tied for 11th in all MLB games. Maybe the message is out: swing hard at strikes and kill, don’t try to place it. It seemed to be on display last night, at least.

Yes, it’s one game. And Cal Quantrill was definitely trying to be a little too fine. That does play into the other Braves approach, which is to take until deep in the count. The Braves did pick up nine hits with two strikes. But also starter Quantrill only got to throw 3.74 pitches per plate appearance. I don’t have a z-swing percentage (swings at pitches in the zone) at this hour, but I’m gonna say it was really high.

So are the Braves seeking strikes to destroy now? Please, please, please make it so.

Meet the Mets

Hit-by-pitch legend Ron Hunt passed away at the age of 85.

Another day, another piece contemplating which players the Mets will trade at the deadline.

The Athletic reported that the possibility of a Francisco Lindor trade is viewed as unlikely throughout the league.

Around the National League East

Chris Sale had a dominant start and the Braves’ bats went nuclear as they destroyed the Rangers by a score of 15-1 to start their second half.

The Marlins went to extra innings in Milwaukee, failed to score the ghost runner in the tenth inning, and then surrendered a walk-off single to fall to the Brewers 2-1.

Andrés Chaparro hit two homers and tallied eight RBIs as part of an offensive barrage from the Nationals to propel them to a 23-4 victory over the Athletics.

Around Major League Baseball

While All-Star week should be a time for a celebration of the game, it was hard to escape the looming shadow of the upcoming labor negotiations.

Shohei Ohtani received an injection in his left knee and is scheduled to start Wednesday, though the Dodgers will be closely monitoring his workload.

Aaron Boone put his faith in Gerrit Cole last night, and it did not work out.

Aaron Judge is still recovering from his rib fracture and has not been cleared for baseball activities.

Garrett Crochet is another AL East star who continues to work towards a return from injury yet currently remains out of action.

MLB.com listed one player from each team who will be most important to their squad in the seccond half.

Last night’s game between the Pirates and Guardians was postponed due to poor air quality in Cleveland.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Joe Sokolowski provided the latest installment of This Week in Mets Quotes.

This Date in Mets History

The National League voted to expand to ten teams (thereby setting the stage for the return of a second New York team) on this date in 1960.

MOOSIC, Pa. — Max Fried had two goals for his first rehab start on Friday night: Get in all his pitches and come away feeling good.

Mission accomplished.

The New York Yankees’ left-hander, who has not pitched in a game since May 13th due to a bone bruise in his pitching elbow, worked the first three innings for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in their 7-6 victory against the Worcester Red Sox at PNC Field. He overcame a lengthy first inning and allowed two runs and five hits — including a home run — with no walks, three strikeouts, and one wild pitch. He threw 52 pitches, 32 for strikes, and topped out at 95.4 mph.

“Mixing my pitches, some of my shapes. I felt like I was executing some good areas, especially outside that first inning and obviously the home run,” Fried said. “I felt like I was putting it where I wanted to and able to do what I wanted today, which was go out, try some new things, get through all my pitches, build up, and be healthy at the end.”

RailRiders manager Shelley Duncan felt Fried’s outing was solid.

“We didn’t have the best defense tonight behind him. He gave up a couple hits that could have been turned into outs. Tough plays for the fielders, I believe in those guys,” Duncan said. “But overall it was fun watching him. He had a long inning in the first and then a really efficient one in the second, which was a good bounce-back inning for him.

“He’s a hard guy to hit when he’s in the strike zone. He’s got a really loaded arsenal that makes it hard for hitters. It’s fun watching him out there.”

While Fried began his comeback from injury, George Lombard Jr. returned from an IL stint of his own. The Yankees’ No. 1 prospect — sidelined since June 16th with sprained fingers on his left (glove) hand that he suffered when reaching into a sliding Columbus Clippers runner while attempting to field a throw on a stolen base attempt — went 2-for-3 with a home run, walk, one RBI, and two runs. He handled five chances (four assists, one putout) at shortstop, but did have one throwing error.

“I’ve been kind of antsy to get back,” Lombard said. “It’s been about a month now, so I was ready to get back. My body feels good and I’m excited to get back with the team and hopefully keep helping the guys win games.”

Fried threw 28 pitches in two simulated innings June 29th, then threw 36 pitches in a live bullpen session July 11th. So coming into Friday night’s game, he was scheduled to throw about 50 pitches. He used up half that total in a six-batter top of the first inning.

Fried allowed a line-drive single on his second pitch to leadoff batter Nick Sogard, then wild-pitched him to second. After striking out Nate Eaton on five pitches, Mickey Gasper singled on a 2-0 count. He fanned Mikey Romero on seven pitches for the second out, but Andrew Knizner lined a 2-1 pitch through second baseman Marco Luciano to score Sogard and give Worcester a 1-0 lead. The lefty got Brett Harris to ground a 2-1 pitch to Lombard to end the inning.

“Just trying to get the feel of a game setting again. I’ve had a lot of BPs,” Fried said. “Trying to throw the ball over the plate, not walk guys, force action and they were ready. Ready to come out of the break.”

However, Fried rebounded in the second inning, throwing just nine pitches and getting a strikeout and ground out and a lineout.

But with one out in the third, Eaton jumped on a 2-1 pitch and sent it over the left-field fence for a home run.

“It was a slider, a pitch that I don’t really throw a ton,” Fried said. “But I wanted to try a bunch of different things today and see how it works. I guess that one didn’t.”

Gasper followed with a high chopper for an infield single. But Fried got Romero to ground out to second. Knizner then hit a grounder to third baseman Tyler Hardman that ricocheted off him and right to Lombard, who barehanded the ball and threw to first in time for the out to end the inning.

“That was one of those plays that rarely ever happen, but you’re looking for them when they do,” Lombard said. “It just kind of took a lucky bounce over to me and I was ready for it and I was able to make a good throw to first. It helped Max get out of that inning.”

After the lengthy first inning, Fried was glad to go three innings and hit his pitch limit.

“Twenty-five pitches after the first inning, I wanted to try to be able to make it through three, hopefully four,” Fried said. “When you get put behind the 8-ball like that, you just try to go out there and get a quick inning. It was nice to do that. I was able to get my three full innings, 50 pitches, and feeling good, so that’s the most important thing.”

What is next for Fried remains to be seen. Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters in New York that he expects Fried to make another rehab start Wednesday.

“I’ll just go wherever they want me to for the next one. It’s more about whatever the team needs,” Fried said. “If they want me to come and keep building up and have another outing, great. Whenever they feel like I’m ready to go and help the team, I’ll be there.”

Watching the Yankees struggle while he, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Carlos Rodón have been sidelined has been frustrating, but Fried believes the team will right itself.

“We’re a confident group. You’re not going to play your best baseball the whole year, all 162,” Fried said. “It’s been not as consistent as we’ve wanted it to, but we’re pretty motivated to come out of the break and play some of our best baseball, especially when it matters most.

“We definitely have some guys down that aren’t playing. But we also have a really deep team that’s really good. The guys filling in are more than capable of going out there and win baseball games. I’m just trying to give them as much support as I can and do what I need to make sure when I’m back that I’m contributing.”

Prior to his injury, Lombard certainly was contributing for the RailRiders, riding a nine-game hitting streak. It didn’t take him long to extend that to 10 games. He led off the the bottom of the first by crushing a 1-2 pitch from WooSox starter Raymond Burgos off the signage beyond the walkway above the bullpens in left field for his fifth Triple-A home run, tying the game at 1-1.

In two rehab appearances earlier this week with the Florida Coast League Yankees, he homered in each game.

“I was able to get some at-bats down in Tampa while I was rehabbing, so I was feeling good,” Lombard said. “I was looking for a good pitch to start off the game and put a good swing on it.”

With one out in the second, after Kenedy Corona hit a three-run home run to put the RailRiders in front, 4-1, Lombard walked and scored on a two-out double by No. 6 prospect Spencer Jones to make it 5-1. In the fourth, he singled with two outs and easily advanced to third on a single by J.C. Escarra. He struck out in his final at-bat leading off the top of the sixth and exited the game after seven innings.

“He made his presence felt right from the get-go,” Duncan said. “The thing that stood out was on Spencer’s double he put his head down and really busted it to score easy on that play. A lot of guys might watch the ball to see if it was a homer or not. It’s the little things — the plays he’s making on defense. Even though they gave him a throwing error on the one that got under (first baseman) Ernesto (Martinez Jr.’s) glove, it was a great play. He’s fun to watch, but it’s the little things that really stand out to me.”

Duncan said the plan is for Lombard to serve as DH on Saturday and play nine innings at shortstop Sunday.

Either Saturday or Sunday, whenever Dalton Rushing starts behind the plate again, he will pass Will Smith for the Dodgers lead in innings caught this season. Rushing has started 45 games and caught 389 1/3 innings this season. Smith, who started 44 games, is at 393 innings.

Smith was a starter on three championship teams in his first six full major league seasons, and the three-time All-Star last October and November set a record by catching all 73 innings in the World Series, in which he hit the championship-winning home run in Game 7.

But this year, Smith last played on June 5, and has been on the injured list ever since with neck inflammation. His rehab has slowed to the point that his return is still in question. From Bill Shaikin at the Los Angeles Times:

In a “best case” scenario, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday, Smith would miss another month.

That left Roberts to make a jolting admission, when I asked him if the team really can count on Smith returning this season.

We don’t know,” Roberts said, “but we certainly are counting on it.”

Max Muncy’s game-deciding two-run home run on Friday night at Yankee Stadium was his 227th home run since joining the Dodgers, only one behind Ron Cey for fifth place in franchise history.

The Yankees nearly scored the tying run in the eighth inning, but they erased Trent Grisham at the plate on a double off the wall by a throw by Andy Pages to a ranging Mookie Betts, who through home to Rushing, who reached to his right then swiped left for the game-saving out.

Said Betts, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register:

“It was just off line a little bit. But it was a strong throw,” Betts said of the throw from Pages. “That’s the main thing. It wasn’t just a lollipop in there. He gave us a good strong throw and at some point you’ve got to do something cool.”

Roki Sasaki was sharp on Friday, allowing only an unearned run in his 5 2/3 innings, with five strikeouts. He also topped 100 mph 21 times on Friday, more than his major league totals to date. From Jack Harris of the California Post:

“It’s one game, so I can’t say anything declarative,” Sasaki said in Japanese. “But it’s the lower body. I reviewed how I use that part, and I think that went well.”

This is what the Dodgers had expected to see when they signed the much-hyped Sasaki out of Japan last year. This is what they’d been waiting to see over his turbulent transition to the majors in the season and a half since.

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.

What I said in March

First base was one of the bigger question marks heading into the 2026 season. After Michael Toglia and Warming Bernabel were jettisoned from the organization, the Rockies spent the offseason stocking up on some talent to hold open tryouts in spring training.

Here is what I wrote about the position in March:

The Rockies hoped to raise the floor of competition at several positions in spring training, and that’s what has happened at first base. It seemed like a foregone conclusion early that [Blaine] Crim and [Troy]Johnston would hold the fort until [Charlie] Condon was ready, but the addition of [TJ] Rumfield has made it an even more compelling race.

As spring training unfolded, the competition was as intriguing as I had expected it to be, albeit with a few wrinkles. Crim sustained an oblique injury early in camp that caused him to start the year in Triple-A Albuquerque. He played well enough once healthy, but was eventually designated for assignment and claimed off waivers by the Texas Rangers, and was released not long after to pursue an opportunity in the KBO.

Meanwhile, Johnston and Edouard Julien made the Opening Day roster but serve mostly in the outfield and second base, respectively. This left the matter of first base in the hands of two rookies as the season drew closer. Despite the incredible play of Condon, he was sent to Triple-A to continue developing, while Rumfield was granted the opportunity to start at first base.

And boy, what a fantastic decision that turned out to be for the Rockies.

A Rookie of the Year candidate

The Rockies were trying to figure out how best to utilize the roster over the first month of the season. While Rumfield would play nearly every day at first base, he would also split some of his time as the designated hitter to allow Johnston or Julien to start at first base. On occasion, the Rockies even used Willi Castro at the position for the first time in his career.

Despite mixing up the role a bit, Rumfield proved he was more than capable as a big league hitter over his first month of play. In his first 32 games, Rumfield slashed .263/.331/.412 with three home runs, six doubles, and 16 RBI. The early returns were promising, and it turned out that Rumfield was just getting started.

He put the pedal to the metal in May as he gave the Rockies no choice but to leave him at first base every day. In 25 games, he batted .310/.400/.483 with four home runs and 12 RBI. For his efforts, he was named the National League Rookie of the Month, the ninth player to win the award in Rockies history.

For an encore, Rumfield decided to one-up himself and proceeded to slash .316/.400/.589 with five home runs, nine doubles, and 17 RBI in June to earn NL Rookie of the Month honors again. In the 34-year history of the Rockies, Rumfield is the first player to win multiple Rookie of the Month awards in a season, let alone in back-to-back months. He also became just the second player in franchise history to hit 10 home runs before the All-Star break in his debut season, and just the fourth to have 10 home runs and at least 50 hits, and now owns the franchise record for most hits by a rookie before the All-Star break with 99.

Rumfield continues to check every box as the player the Rockies hoped he could be. Defensively, he is one of the best in the league at first base. Offensively, he is one of the best contact bats in the league while maintaining an elite eye at the plate. He could stand to tap into his power more often and hit the ball harder, but overall, he has solidified the position in a way that hasn’t been done since Todd Helton retired.

There is an argument to be made that he should have been an All-Star, considering he batted .296/.380/.475 heading into the All-Star break and is among the rookie leaders, if not the leader, in most offensive categories. However, one thing is clear: Rumfield deserves more recognition as a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate.

Rumfield has shown no indications that he won’t be able to replicate his success in the second half of the season and it will be entertaining to see where he ends up in the awards voting when all is said and done.

How long until Condon?

Rumfield’s performance provided the Rockies with something they hadn’t had in previous years: development time. The major flaw of 2025 was that prospects were rushed to the big leagues out of desperation, a trend the new front office wasn’t going to repeat.

As great as it would have been to see Charlie Condon (No. 1 PuRP) win a spot out of spring training, it was apparent he needed to get more time for development in the minors. Condon hit the ground running in his first couple of games to start the 2026 season, but then suffered a bit of a slump that lasted about a month. Condon was showing excellent plate discipline, but the hits weren’t coming and the power was nowhere to be seen. Adjustments needed to be made and he was ready for it.

He hit four home runs through his first 10 games of the season, but then didn’t hit his fifth until his 42nd game on May 23. That seemed to finally open the floodgates as Condon tapped into his power on the regular, slugging 16 home runs over the next month and a half. Entering the All-Star break, Condon was slashing .289/.414/.584 with 20 home runs and 60 RBI with 87 strikeouts and 53 walks. He was named the starting first baseman in the Futures Game.

It’s only a matter of time until Condon gets the call to the big leagues, and the Rockies have gotten out in front of the position problem. When drafted in 2024, the Rockies seemed to have settled on Condon as a first baseman because that was a position of need.

However, the new front office values versatility and creating opportunities for players to earn a spot, meaning Condon would need to continue learning other positions. He has nearly split his time evenly between first base and right field with Albuquerque this season, growing ever more comfortable at both positions. So far, he has proven he is more than capable of handling either spot at the big league level should the opportunity arise, which could be soon.

The farm depth

Beyond Condon, first base continues to be a thin spot in the system, but there are still intriguing options in the pipeline.

Aidan Longwell has continued his progression through the system after being a 17th-round draft pick in 2023. Starting the year in Double-A Hartford, Longwell has embraced the challenge in the difficult offensive environment and hit a respectable .243/.301/.421 with 10 home runs in 79 games so far.

Also in Double-A is Jack O’Dowd, who has rapidly ascended to the Yard Goats since signing as a free agent in January. While he has mainly served as a DH this season, O’Dowd has gotten reps at first base as well as catcher. It’s hard to ignore a .344/.419/.660 batting line with 18 home runs across three levels.

In High-A Spokane, Tanner Thach represents the most notable piece in the lower levels of the minors. Drafted in the eighth round in 2025, Thach impressed in his brief sample size with Low-A Fresno. He began the 2026 season in Fresno once again and crushed opposing pitchers to the tune of a .339/.414/.541 slash with 11 home runs and 70 RBI over 73 games. He has struggled in his 11 games since moving up to Spokane, but there is plenty of time for him to get comfortable and get the bat swinging hot once again.

Conclusion

The purpose of the 2026 season for the Rockies was to assess needs, improve talent, and get answers for the near future. First base was a riddle that the team hasn’t quite been able to solve for 13 years, but now the future feels a bit brighter thanks to TJ Rumfield. He has solidified the position with a style of play that harkens back to the days of Todd Helton and could be a legitimate piece to plug into a new core of the Rockies moving forward.

Add in the bright future of Charlie Condon and the possibilities of other solid depth pieces and you have a position of weakness turning into a position of strength. While the quantity of first basemen isn’t large, the quality of those first basemen has improved, and that’s a crucial factor for the rebuilding Rockies.

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Good morning Birdland,

The All-Star break is over, and the Orioles got right back into the action with a 3-2 win on Friday night in Houston. It wasn’t the most dominant performance you’ll ever see. The six pitchers that O’s manager Craig Albernaz deployed really had to battle, and the offense was rather quiet until the eighth inning. But it all added up to the team’s fifth straight win, which kept them within two games of the AL’s final wild card spot.

The pitching staff had to tip toe around danger all night, walking nine Astros and giving them seven at-bats with runners in scoring position. But they managed to wiggle out of those predicaments time and time again, including a key first-inning double play. Cam Sanders came out of the bullpen to make his Orioles debut with the bases loaded and just one out. He got a huge strikeout and a ground out to escape unscathed. Hopefully Grant Wolfram bought him dinner, or at least gave him a big hug for that.

Through the first seven innings of the night, the Orioles scored just one run on three hits. That changed in the eighth, when Adley Rutschman led off with a double and then came in to score on a go-ahead homer from Taylor Ward. The O’s outfielder now has five homers between June and July after hitting just two long balls through the end of May. He’s not going to match his 36 home runs from 2025, but the O’s would love to see him get hot and flirt with the 20 mark by season’s end.

This series continues today with a first pitch of 4:10. Trevor Rogers (6-7, 4.48 ERA) will look to stay hot. He has a 0.82 ERA this month, even better than his 2.05 ERA from June. The Orioles have won each of the lefty’s last four starts.

Links

Orioles Acquire Rudy Martin Jr. From Royals | MLB Trade Rumors
Martin is 30 years old, has never appeared in the majors, and has spent most of this season in Double-A. This trade earns him his first ever spot on a 40-man roster. That’s pretty cool for him! How much does it actually help the Orioles? Eh, let’s try to stay positive here.

Sanders’ bases-loaded escape in O’s debut makes comeback win possible | MLB.com
You look at the stuff Sanders has, and you can understand why the Orioles were interested in adding him. Of course, his top level stats as a major leaguer have not been good, and this isn’t some kid here. He’s 29. But the Orioles need bullpen help wherever they can find it, and for now Sanders is an interesting as any other option.

The 4 factors that will decide the Orioles’ second-half fate | The Baltimore Banner
I recall that Coby Mayo recently said something like “This team is just one good streak away.” Right now, they might just be in the midst of that streak. It sure has helped. Extending it by another week would be cool too.

Because You Asked – Endgame | Roch Kubatko
Featuring a theoretical lineup and rotation made up entirely of…Muppets! And that’s not in the derogatory, British way. No. The actual Muppets.

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• Ryan Helsley turns 32 today. Signed to be the team’s closer this past offseason, he is on his second IL stint of the season with elbow issues. That contract came with a player option for 2027, which at this point seems likely to be picked up.
• The late Rudy May (b. 1944, d. 2024) was born on this day. The southpaw played 16 season in the majors, which included a two-season run in Baltimore from 1976-77.

This day in O’s history

1959 – In the nightcap of a double-header, Orioles catcher Joe Ginsberg ties an American League record by allowing four passed balls while receiving knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm. The Orioles lose the game 2-0 to the Tigers.

2001 – The second game of a double-header between the Orioles and Rangers is postponed when a train carrying toxic substances derails in Baltimore.

2002 – Melvin Mora ties a major league record by being hit by a pitch three times in one game. Despite this, the Orioles lose 5-4 to the Blue Jays.

2015 – Chris Tillman allows a single to the first batter of the game, and then walks one other later in the first inning. But from there he retires 23 consecutive Tigers and combines with Zach Britton for a one-hitter as the O’s win 3-0.

Good morning, baseball fans!

It’s another weekend of San Francisco Giants baseball. Normally on the weekends I like to pick the player of the week and the highlight of the week. However, most of the Giants have not played any baseball games this week due to the All-Star Game. So it’s kind of hard to pick those things without any games being played.

Instead, I thought it would be a good time to do a temp check, since it’s been a few weeks (if not longer) since we’ve weighed in on how we’re feeling about this season on the whole.

I can’t say that anything has changed, from my perspective. I’m mildly surprised that they managed to keep themselves from falling down to last place in the division. Not that picking up three of four against the Colorado Rockies means much, but they did manage to keep themselves from being overtaken by them. For now. I feel like there’s still plenty of time for that.

At this point in the season, playoffs are off the table entirely and I would expect a fire sale at the trade deadline if we were talking about a rational and well-operated franchise. But we are not.

Instead, I think I’m adopting the outlook I had in the disastrous second-half of the 2016 season when it seemed like everything that could possibly go wrong did go wrong, and they kept finding new and demoralizing ways to lose. Sometimes you can find a lot of fun in the suffering. And goodness knows there’s very little that is fun about this team to me right now, so I guess I’ll find it where I can.

I’m still absolutely furious at the organization for never actually handling the Pride Night situation, then telling us to stick to sports, and then being terrible at that too.

I think Buster Posey needs to go, if he wants to salvage any of his reputation within the fanbase and the larger baseball world. But I don’t think that is going to happen. Despite it seeming like a glaring conflict of interest for an owner of the team to also be the president of baseball operations, I think that’s exactly what the ownership group wants. Which means I can only assume that this is the on-field product they want too. I hope they’re enjoying it, at least, even if I’m not.

But that’s enough from me. How are you all feeling about this season thus far? What are you hoping to see the team do at the trade deadline? What are you still looking forward to in a seemingly lost season?

What time do the Giants play this weekend?

The Giants continue this weekend road series against the Seattle Mariners, with both Saturday and Sunday’s games scheduled to begin at 1:05 p.m. PT.

Today’s Reflections

I wondered what articles would be out there on the Internet today, thinking it would be rather limited or of one voice.

Turns out there’s quite the variety, shown by the number of sections below. Therefore, it becomes difficult choosing who or what to talk about. But let’s start where there’s major interest.

It’s not a surprise, but Matt Shaw is most likely to be the hottest commodity for the Cubs when it comes time to make big trades. I like his game and I like the improvement that he has shown this season before he got hurt. However, he is blocked in the infield for the future, so he at best is an alternative for the outfield in 2027. But if he is the big kicker to make a big trade, the Cubs have to be willing to let him go.

An article below mentions Shaw for Tanner Bibee of Cleveland. Bibee has struggled often this season, but his last outing against the hot Marlins shows the type of pitcher he can be. And he would be under team control through the 2029 season with a team option for 2030. He’s not a TOR guy, but he would be a big boost to the rotation. Straight up for Shaw? Um, that would leave a lot of available pieces for the Cubs to use in other trades, and there’s only a small handful of very good pitchers out there to trade Shaw straight up, so that type of deal could work out very well. I would have to think Cleveland would want more, though.

Ben Brown and Shota Imanaga were the top two of the Cubs’ rotation, and trade talk looked heavily into either a TOR pitcher or rotational depth to complement them. But it is unknown when Brown will return, and if he does, how long will it take for him to return to the rotation. Smaller pieces, like Michael Wacha mentioned below for example, should be the type of targets the Cubs should look at. Yes, ideally the Cubs would acquire a TOR guy for the playoffs. But they have to get there first. Colin Rea has been extremely solid for the Cubs, but they can’t depend on him as a No. 2 for the playoffs, and he needs help getting the team there.

And that’s just among the first section of articles! There more PCA stories, Second-Half stories, next-year stories, post-Draft stories, a surprise 2016 World Series twist that could’ve changed Cubs history — just go look, okay? 🙂

*means autoplay on, (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled real sarcasm font in the comments.

Trade and Roster Talk:

• Ken Rosenthal, Patrick Mooney, Katie Woo and Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Blockbuster summer? Why buying and selling at MLB’s trade deadline is more complicated than ever. “Officials from teams throughout the league are tempering expectations of major deals at this season’s deadline.”
• Sam Caulder (North Side Baseball): If Cubs Are Willing to Trade Matt Shaw, What Framework Will They Look For? “He’s under team control for years and could be part of Chicago’s future, but Matt Shaw might also be the type of player who brings back the pitching help the Cubs desperately need.”
• Brandon Glick (Cubbies Crib): Cubs should solve overlooked need with trade deadline reunion for former slugging prospect. “Why not bring some 2016 mojo back to town?”
• Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Cubs next reunion for pitching staff may have just been cut loose by the Athletics. “This is the well the Cubs will remain at for the next week or two.”
• Conor Liguori (Sporting News): Cubs’ biggest trade deadline need revealed amid Ben Brown problem. “Chicago’s front office has plenty of work to do.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): Farewell Liam Hendriks, Aaron Bummer, Jake Woodford, and Kyle Wright (UPDATE: Welcome Back, Jake!). “These are reclamation swings for a reason, and although each did pitch for the Cubs at Triple-A in recent weeks, it looks like that time may be over.”

PCA- Mania Revs Up:

• Joey Ricotta (OnTapSportsNet): The Cubs Can’t Afford to Waste Pete Crow-Armstrong’s Historic Season. “Pete Crow-Armstrong is having an MVP-caliber season for the Cubs and is on pace for consecutive 30-30 years. With free agents looming, Chicago can’t afford to waste this championship window.”
• Matt Snyder (CBSSports.com): Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong pinpointed a problem and then turned into one of the best players in baseball. “Crow-Armstrong is walking more, chasing less and has become Shohei Ohtani’s biggest MVP challenger.”
• Casey McAleer (Da Windy City): Pete Crow-Armstrong was the Cubs first half MVP. “The Gold Glove winner became the heartbeat of Chicago and could be the player who leads the Cubs back to the top of the NL Central.”
• Sam Householder (Windy City Gridiron): Pete Crow-Armstrong is one of us. “Cubs star PCA is a Chicago Bears fan and still watches a Hall of Famers highlights.”

Second-Half Stories:

• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation): Cubs Second-Half Projections: What ZiPS Expects From the Core Nine. “Although the next 2.5 weeks are arguably the most important 2.5 weeks left in the regular season, there’s still a lot more baseball to be played after that.”
• Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Jacob Misiorowski shades Cubs while identifying Brewers biggest NL Central threat. “Wait…what did he say?”
• LaMond Pope (Chicago Tribune {$}): Chicago baseball report: Season resumes with Cubs chasing Brewers — and White Sox exceeding expectations. “Despite all of their injuries, the Cubs open the second half in playoff position.”
• Troy Andracki (Bleacher Nation): Five Cubs Storylines to Watch in the Second Half. “The All-Star Break is a perfect time to catch your breath — to contextualize the season that has already transpired and think about what’s to come.”
• Ryan Gilbert (SI.com): NL Central Division Odds: Can Brewers Keep Pulling Away From Cubs? “Jacob Misiorowski and the Brewers are NL Central favorites at the All-Star break.”
• Elias Schuster (Chicago Cubs On SI): Cubs Finalize Starting Pitchers as They Look to Set Second Half Tone vs. Twins. “The Chicago Cubs will not go with David Peterson or Javier Assad in their first series after the break.”
• Cory Sparks (North Side Baseball): At Least Alex Bregman Has Nowhere To Go But Up. “Alex Bregman struggled in the first half at the plate, starting his expensive contract with the Cubs on an off-key note. Better days should be ahead, so long as he makes the proper adjustments.”

Minors and Post-Draft Articles:

• Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Owen Ayers promotion could be early clue for Cubs offseason need hiding in plain sight. “He’s now a part of the conversation.”
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): The Cubs loaded up on pitchers in the MLB draft. Here are the arms they’re excited about. “The Cubs added pitching to their system with Cade Townsend, Carson Jasa and several other arms.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): Two More Undrafted Free Agent Signings for the Chicago Cubs: John Alkire II, Grant Gray. “Coming out of their pitching–heavy draft, the Chicago Cubs immediately went on a signing spree of positional undrafted free agents.”

Assorted Stories:

• Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): Cubs’ 2027 schedule features season-opener at home ahead of All-Star Game at Wrigley Field. “The Cubs’ schedule for the 2027 campaign was released Thursday, featuring a second consecutive Opening Day in late March at Wrigley Field ahead of the Friendly Confines’ first All-Star Game since 1990 in mid July.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): ‘It’s going to be crazy’: PCA pumped for Wrigley to host ASG, HR Derby in ’27. “Pete Crow-Armstrong has seen what the atmosphere is like at Wrigley Field for a weekday game in the middle of summer.”

2016 Reunion:

• Rich Eberwein (Cubbies Crib): Theo Epstein reveals 2016 World Series twist that could’ve changed Cubs history. “A TV network nearly ruined Game 7 of the 2016 World Series.”
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune {$}): Column: 10-year reunion of Chicago Cubs’ 2016 champions is a reminder the saga is still in progress. “Not that long ago, Chicago Cubs fans dreamed of a dynasty.”
• Jon Greenberg (The Athletic {$}): As Cubs celebrate their World Series anniversary, let’s raise a glass to Joe Maddon. “”The Chicago Cubs are the big leagues of the big league,” Maddon said, reflecting on his tenure and the team’s championship window.”

Food For Thought:

Born and raised in Dallas, Stevie Ray Vaughan began playing guitar at age 7, inspired by older brother Jimmie. By age 12 he was playing in garage bands, and within a few years he joined semi-professional bands that occasionally landed gigs in local nightclubs. At 17 he dropped out of high school to concentrate on playing music. In 1970 Stevie was playing in a nine-piece horn band and then formed his first blues band, Blackbird, a year later. Blackbird moved to Austin and after a few more stints in various bands Vaughan joined Paul Ray and the Cobras in 1975. The Cobras were Austin’s Band of the Year in 1976. After paying his dues as a sideman Stevie formed Triple Threat Revue in 1977. Triple Threat also featured bassist W.C. Clark, and vocalist Lou Ann Barton. Barton left the band in 1979 and the group became Double Trouble, the name inspired by the Otis Rush song. Double Trouble featured Jack Newhouse on bass, Chris Layton on drums and Vaughan became the band’s lead singer. In 1981 Tommy Shannon joined on bass and the power trio was set.

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.

The Atlanta Braves opened up the second half of the 2026 season on a high note, defeating the Texas Rangers 15-1. Chris Sale got the start and was magnificent, going seven innings and allowing just two hits. He also recorded his 2,700th career strikeout. 

Offensively, things went well as the Atlanta lineup tallied 19 hits. Even Victor Mederos got in on the fun and singled. 

The series continues this afternoon at 4:10 ET behind Owen Murphy.

More Braves News:

The rehab assignments of Ronald Acuña Jr. and Ha-Seong Kim were transferred to Triple-A Gwinnett. 

MLB News:

The St. Louis Cardinals placed left-hander JoJo Romero on the 15-day injured list with appendicitis. The move is retroactive to July 14.

The New York Mets announced the passing of All-Star Ron Hunt at age 85.

From the Feed:

Cast your vote for Braves Player of the Game here!

Walt Weiss provided an unfortunate update on Spencer Schwellenbach and Spencer Strider.