Category: Sports News

Zac Thornton’s scoreless stretch is over. 

But the rookie’s latest solid outing has kept multiple streaks in play. 

With his fourth straight start of at least six innings, Thornton earned his second career (and consecutive) win, leading the Mets to a 14-3 victory over the Braves at Citi Field for the team’s first back-to-back wins since July 8-9. 

Thornton (2-1, 2.43 ERA) entered his fifth career start having thrown 18 straight scoreless innings — the longest such stretch by a Mets rookie since 2016 (Steven Matz) — but the southpaw allowed a run before his first inning was done. Still, the 24-year-old exited to a standing ovation in the rain. 

Thornton (2-1, 2.43 ERA) allowed three runs, six hits and one walk in 6 ¹/₃ innings, with five strikeouts on 81 pitches (54 strikes). 

“That’s who he is,” Mets interim manager Andy Green said. “The guy’s young, but he [doesn’t] allow [anything] to affect his next pitch, which is not an easy thing to do as a rookie on a big league mound for the first time.” 

Entering the night, opponents were hitting .175 against Thornton.

But the lefty surrendered three hits before he recorded three outs, seeing his shutout streak end at 18 ²/₃ innings after Ozzie Albies’ run-scoring infield single.

The rookie allowed just three more hits over the next 5 ¹/₃ innings, including a game-tying homer to Albies in the fourth inning. 

“I left a few pitches [in the] middle, and I gotta get back to what I do well, living on the edges,” Thornton said. “I’m a competitor. [I think] I’m gonna go out and beat whoever is on the other side of that field.” 

Green took away one of the only remaining reasons to come to Citi Field, giving Carson Benge the day off. Over the final two months of the season, Green said he will attempt to walk a fine line with Benge and fellow standout outfielder A.J. Ewing, balancing the rookies’ health with their need to acclimate to the rigors of a full major league season. 

“I think it’s a balance of pushing them to places they haven’t been before,” Green said before Monday’s game against the Braves. “Obviously the minor league schedule … is much easier than the major league travel schedule. You have to push them past where they’ve been before, but not necessarily so far that they’re in completely uncharted waters that you’re putting them at injury risk. So that’s just finding them a periodic off-day at strategic times … There’s a really good chance you’ll see A.J. get one [Tuesday or Wednesday] … I think we’re just gonna strategically make those choices to keep them fresh, but also challenged.” 

Infielder Mitch Voit, the Mets’ 2025 first-round pick, was promoted to Double-A Binghamton and is expected to debut with the team Tuesday. The 21-year-old appeared in 76 games this year with High-A Brooklyn, compiling a slash line of .242/.349/.745 with 11 home runs, 47 RBIs, 47 runs, 12 doubles and 36 stolen bases.

A few big lessons learned for a young squad tonight:

1. You can’t win a game in the first inning
2. Sloppy baseball = frustrating loss
3. Don’t aggressively wave a guy home who missed Sunday’s game due to a leg injury when it’s not necessary
4. Using half your bullpen in the opener of a four-game series isn’t a great idea

Let’s get into an ugly, 9-5 White Sox loss against the Yankees.

After a dominant first half of the frame from Noah Schultz with three strikeouts, Colson Montgomery put the White Sox on the board early on after a 3-2 count: Max Fried put two on base, and Colson knocked former Yankee Randal Grichuk in and sent Munetaka Murakami to third. A sac fly RBI from Chase Meidroth made it 2-0, and Braden Montgomery added another run with a triple to run the lead to 3-0.

Despite putting two runners on base in the bottom of the second, one being a two-out walk to Murakami, the Good Guys left the bases loaded but bumped the pitch count up to 54 for Fried, and it was looking like the southpaw might get run from the game much earlier than anticipated.

But the game turned from that point.

Schultz gave up back-to-back walks to Ben Rice and Paul Goldschmidt, and loaded the bases with no outs via Jasson Domínguez’s single. With the Sox bullpen stirring, Anthony Volpe’s RBI ground out would make it 3-1. Chris Murphy stepped in to relieve Schultz, but a two-run double from Jazz Chisholm Jr. tied the game, and Chisholm stole third base as a freebie, when no one was paying attention. José Caballero drew a walk to put runners in the corner with only one out. Spencer Jones sent another run home, reminding the White Sox that paying attention could’ve kept the game tied. Alas, the first half of the inning ended, 4-3, after starting with a 3-0 lead.

Miguel Vargas legged out a double in the bottom of the fifth and hustled a bit more to tie the ballgame after Colson Montgomery’s single. Meidroth hit into a force out and Braden Montgomery picked up a walk with two outs, but Tristan Peters (pinch-hitting for Everson Pereira) grounded out to leave runners stranded.

Edgar Quero started the seventh by burning the last White Sox challenge, then made a throwing error on a pickkoff attempt that landed Amed Rosario at third. A single from Rice sent Rosario home, giving the Yankees a 5-4 lead.

After the seventh-inning stretch, Colson Montgomery singled to provide comeback hope. And when Meidroth doubled to center, it would seem ducks would be on the pond for Braden Montgomery. Colson was held at third, right? Because, you know, leg injury and all? Nope! Third base coach Justin Jirschele decided to send him home, and he was out by a mile despite two dribbling relay throws by Yankees. Thus ended the seventh.

The Yankees would get three singles in a row to start the eighth, and with a throwing error, another run would come in to pad the lead at 6-4. Ali Sánchez busted the inning open with a three-run homer, the first of his career, on a full-count meatball from Sean Newcomb. Down 9-4, the White Sox rolled over in the bottom half, going down in order.

With two runners on via an error and a walk in the bottom of the ninth, Volpe embarrassed his bloodline by not making a routine catch to end the game. Colson Montgomery made it to first base while Sam Antonacci dashed home to make it 9-5. The Yankees, much to Aaron Boone’s dismay, had to go to the bullpen for the final out. It worked for Boone, as David Bednar got Meidroth to go down swinging.

Time for a vote for this stinker of a game!

MVP
Munetaka Murakami: 1 H, 2 BB, 1 R
Colson Montgomery: 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 RBI
Trevor Richards: 2 IP, 4 K, 0 H
Braden Montgomery: 1 H, 1 RBI, 1 BB

Cold Cat
Noah Schultz: 3 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Sean Newcomb: 1 IP, 4 H, 4 ER
Miguel Vargas: 1-for-5, 1 K
Edgar Quero: 1-for-4, E

Max Scherzer received two standing ovations while on the road in his first game back from the injured list.

In his first start since June 10, Nationals fans showered Scherzer with cheers and a standing ovation as the 19-year MLB veteran took the mound.

Scherzer, who played for the Nationals from 2015 to 2021, returned the ovation with a salute to the crowd.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner fought through 2 2/3 innings with 75 pitches and allowed just one run from his former team.

Scherzer got into some trouble during the first inning when the bases were loaded with one out, but like so many other times in his career, he escaped unscathed.

The pitcher’s four strike outs on the day also moved him within eight of Walter Johnson (3,515) for 10th on MLB’s all-time strikeout list.

As Scherzer walked off the mound he was once again given a standing ovation and gave a wave to the crowd as a show of thanks.

The return to the mound, after dealing with back spasms and right thumb discomfort, marked Scherzer’s second return from the injured list this season.

He had previously missed April 24-June 10 with a combination of right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation.

In his only start between the injured list stints, Scherzer allowed five runs in 3 1/3 innings.

The right-handed pitcher has struggled mightily this season when he has stayed healthy, only lasting more than 3 1/3 innings one other time.

He has pitched to a 10.23 ERA in 22 innings pitched, allowing 27 hits and 25 runs in that time. He also has a career-high WHIP of 1.73.

During his time in Washington, Scherzer won the National League Cy Young Award in 2016 and 2017, played a crucial role in the franchise’s first World Series championship in 2019, and racked up 2,692 strikeouts.

In a blockbuster deal, Scherzer was traded to the Dodgers before the 2021 deadline, along with shortstop Trea Turner. He also spent a season-plus with the Mets.

It wasn’t a pretty opening to the series, but the Yankees found their way Monday night in Chicago. Max Fried struggled mightily in his second start returning from the IL, putting them in a big hole early with an offense that hasn’t been prone to exploding lately, but a pair of big innings turned this game from a deficit to a 9-5 win.

Last time out Fried was extremely sharp, going five strong despite a low pitch limit blanking the Pirates with just a single hit and walk going against him. Randal Grichuk greeted him with a leadoff double, and the wheels fell off from there. Munetaka Murakami followed up with a single to put runners on the corners, and after Fried struck out Miguel Vargas for the first out of the inning Colson Montgomery ripped a single to the right side that Jazz Chisholm Jr. barely couldn’t corral scoring Grichuk. Chase Meridoth was up next and lifted a sacrifice fly to bring in a second run, and then Braden Montgomery lined a triple over the head of a diving Max Schuemann that brought in a third. It looked like Schuemann might’ve gotten messed up leaping for the ball, which would’ve complicated things for a Yankees team that is already down two of their starting outfielders, but thankfully he shook it off and stayed in the game.

Fried calmed down from there, working two straight clean frames, but the Yankee offense wasn’t getting anything going at first against the rookie Noah Schultz, who entered the game with a gaudy 6.04 ERA. Paul Goldschmidt managed a two-out single in the top of the first, but the lineup otherwise went down in order the first time through. The fourth inning finally saw them break though, starting off with a pair of walks from Ben Rice and Goldschmidt to set up a rally. Jasson Domínguez singled to left but it was hit hard enough to prevent a run from coming in, bringing Anthony Volpe up with the bases loaded and no outs. Volpe managed to bring in a run, hitting a soft grounder to short that Luisangel Acuña was just barely able to scoop up and throw to first in time to convert an out from the play.

That would be all for Schultz, as the White Sox went to their ‘pen and brought in Chris Murphy. The tide was turning though, and Chisholm provided the big blow of the inning with a double out to center to tie the game at three. Chisholm then stole third base on a head’s up play noticing that the catcher was lazily flicking the ball back to the pitcher, and José Caballero walked to pass the baton over to Spencer Jones. Jones managed to convert, fighting off three foul balls before grounding a ball in front of Caballero who was running on the pitch to prevent a double play opportunity and give the Yankees a 4-3 lead.

Angel Chivilli entered the game in place of Fried to start the fourth inning, ending his night early. Chivilli worked around a two-out single to keep the newfound lead intact, but Tim Hill wasn’t as lucky in the fifth. Vargas hit a one-out double and Colson Montgomery singled to bring him in and knot us at four, bringing Fernando Cruz out to hold things down. Cruz managed to escape without any further damage, walking a batter but getting pinch-hitter Tristan Peters to ground out.

The seventh inning was an adventure of miscues for the White Sox in both halves. In the top of the inning Amed Rosario led off with a double, and when he strayed off the bag a little too far catcher Edgar Quero attempted to pick him off. His throw ended up hitting Rosario though and bounced into the outfield, allowing him to take third base instead. The next two Yankees made outs and nearly squandered the chance, but Ben Rice came through with an RBI single to retake the lead. Then in the bottom half, Colson Montgomery managed a two-out single to keep the frame alive and Meridoth ripped a double to left. Schuemann fired the ball back in to Volpe, and even though his throw home was a two-bouncer it was still easily in time to down Montgomery by about five steps at the plate.

The Yankees held a slim 5-4 lead entering the eighth inning, but they’d walk out of it with several insurance runs. Domínguez and Volpe both singled to lead off, and then Chisholm laid down a push bunt that would’ve already been good enough for a hit, but reliever Sean Newcomb threw too far off the bag at first allowing Domínguez to score. Jazz then stole second base, his 29th steal of the season, before Trent Grisham hit a grounder to first that got thrown home. Volpe had a good slide to make it a close play at the plate, but even after a replay challenge he remained out.

Ali Sánchez stepped up to the plate and delivered the finishing blow, a shocking three-run blast to left for his first career home run after six years sporadically spent in the majors.

The insurance ended up mattering, because Camilo Doval was tasked with handling the ninth inning and the defense didn’t help him. Doval got Andrew Benintendi to strike out to start, but Caballero mishandled a ball to put the first runner aboard. Doval then walked Murakami, got an out away by inducing a lineout from Vargas, and then got Montgomery to pop up for what should’ve been the final out. Volpe called everyone off in shallow center but dropped the ball, allowing the lead runner to score and forcing Aaron Boone to go to his closer David Bednar for the final out. Bednar shut things down, striking out Meidroth to end it and convert the save, but this was a game where they surely didn’t want to waste his bullets after needing him for the fourth time in six games.

With the opener in hand, the Yankees will send Gerrit Cole to the mound looking to secure at least a split tomorrow, going up against Anthony Kay. First pitch is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. EST.

Box Score

Zac Thornton continued his excellent start to his career with the Mets on Monday night against the Atlanta Braves, allowing three earned runs in 6.1 innings of an eventual 14-3 win for New York.

The left-hander is now 2-1 with a 2.43 ERA (0.91 WHIP) in five starts and 29.2 innings pitched this season, and although he’s a top pitching prospect in the Mets organization and just 24 years old, Thornton’s repertoire doesn’t include the typical blistering fastball and wicked secondary pitch that most young pitching prospects have.

Instead, Thornton relies mostly on a cutter that averages around 87 mph and his two-seam fastball that sits between 89-92 mph while mixing in a variety of other pitches, none of which get above 94 mph on a consistent basis.

Interim manager Andy Green admitted that it’s not “the traditional way” that most front-line starters attack hitters in this day and age of high velocity and spin rate, but the results so far speak for themselves.

“It’s good stuff,” Green said about Thornton’s assortment of pitches. “We live in a world where we don’t define stuff as good unless it’s 95+ anymore and that’s unfortunate because the cutter really is tough for righties to see and react to and the more you have to thik about pitches coming in on your hands, the more you’re gonna pull off of everything else that works away from you. 

“So it’s not the traditional way that star pitchers get people out right now, but it’s real, it’s not easy and so it gets a lot of soft contact off handles and gets a lot of ground balls. And occasionally somebody barrels him up, but he gets right back at it.”

So far, that’s been Thornton’s approach. Regardless of what happened in a previous at-bat, he doesn’t let it affect his next one.

For example, in the fourth inning on Monday night Thornton allowed a game-tying, two-run home run to Ozzie Albies after the Mets had taken the lead a half-inning prior. Rather than allow the inning to spiral, the lefty calmly went back to work and even after a single following the homer, Thornton ended the inning without further damage thanks to some weak contact and a double play.

Thornton didn’t allow another run beyond that point and New York went on to retake the lead in the sixth inning thanks to its starter’s resilience which allowed the team to remain in the fight and in the end give Thornton the win.

In fact, the way Thornton sees it, it doesn’t matter where he’s pitching or what the situation is, he’s coming after hitters the same way he always has.

“It’s the same thing if I was getting starts at Triple-A or Double-A,” he said. “I’m a competitor, I’m gonna go out and beat whoever is on the other side of that field.”

That attitude from the lefty comes as no surprise to Green who has been around Thornton quite a bit from his role as senior vice president of player development prior to becoming the interim manager.

“That’s who he is. Sometimes guys barrel you up and I don’t think he allows it to affect his next pitch which is not an easy thing to do as a rookie on a big league mound for the first time,” Green said. “[The Braves have] a good lineup. They had some good early swings. I thought he got to punchouts a little better in some bigger situations that were nice to see, but more than anything he got a couple of double play balls, continued to pitch to contact, continued to fill up the zone and even after the two-run homer to tie the game, he got right back out there and kept going.”

Green added: “It doesn’t surprise me, though. I expect him to attack that way.”

The Yankees overcame Max Fried's season-low-tying start of three innings with four-run frames in the fourth and eighth to take Monday's series-opening game at the American League East-leading Chicago White Sox, a 9-4 win, rebounding from Sunday's 11-4 loss at the Philadelphia Phillies.

Takeaways

1. Fried's second start back from injury mirrored his season-worst outing May 13 at the Baltimore Orioles, a 7-0 loss, in which he allowed three runs on five hits in three innings. This time, Fried -- after returning from a two-month absence due to a left elbow bone bruise with one hit in five innings during last Wednesday's 5-3 10-inning loss against the Pittsburgh Pirates -- also allowed three runs on five hits and exited following three frames. Pulled after 39 strikes on 66 pitches while fanning four and walking two, Fried (4-3, 3.23 ERA) fell victim to a three-run first inning in which he started slow, allowing four of his five hits. Fortunately for Fried, the Yankees' bullpen and offense picked him up, but this was a step back from how he looked in his debut last week.
2. Jazz Chisholm Jr. was chief among New York's reinforcements, tying the game with a two-run double in the fourth inning that scoredPaul Goldschmidt and Jasson Domínguez. Chisholm subsequently stole third base and scored when Spencer Jones grounded out to second with one out. When the Yankees led the White Sox (55-50) by a run in the eight inning, Chisholm's RBI single to score Domínguez padded the 6-4 lead and eventually break the game open. Chisholm's 2-for-4, two-RBI effort from the sixth spot in the order was the type of performance that New York needed to avoid a series-opening dud as he brought his slash line to .226/.299/.414 with 45 RBI and 29 steals through 99 games this season.
3. Between Chisholm's highlights, Ben Rice's go-ahead RBI single in the seventh inning with two outs to score Amed Rosario gave the Yankees the much-needed push after the White Sox tied the game at 4-4 with one out in the fifth. Rice, whose 2-for-4 evening included a leadoff walk that sparked New York's fourth inning, need to be the guy in this lineup without Aaron Judge and met the moment as the second-batting designated hitter Monday. Through 101 games, Rice is slashing .275/.363/.585 with 73 RBI.
4. With Cody Bellingerout for the next month and change due to a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, Max Schuemann's second start in left field saw him also lead off but underwhelm. Schuemann's two-game glimpse is an 0-for-7 sample size after Monday's 0-for-5 result out of the No. 1 spot in the order, which only adds to questions for Aaron Booneand the Yankees with the MLB trade deadline around the corner.

Who's the MVP?

Chisholm, whose all-out effort sparked the Yankees to a gutsy win.

Highlights

Jazz brings the Yankees even! pic.twitter.com/o1Kz18Fgf4

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) July 28, 2026

Ben Rice comes through! pic.twitter.com/mZg8Zdgruq

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) July 28, 2026

What's next

The Yankees and White Sox return to action with Tuesday's 7:40 p.m. game.

New York RHP Gerrit Cole (3-5, 3.92 ERA) and Chicago LHP Anthony Kay (7-4, 4.21 ERA) are set to start.

WASHINGTON — This time, there was little argument when Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider came to the mound to take the ball from Max Scherzer.

This time, as Scherzer departed the mound for the dugout and a small but spirited Nationals Park crowd of 17,618 offered a standing ovation, Scherzer didn’t stare daggers and skulk into the dugout.

Instead, he turned and wearily offered a wave of his right hand to a crowd that still reveres him for his work in Washington.

On Monday, July 27, Scherzer celebrated his 42nd birthday by returning to a major league mound for the first time since June 10 and just the ninth time this season. Back spasms shelved him most recently for six weeks, just one start after he returned from another six-week absence due to right forearm tendinitis and ankle inflammation.

Yet the details are almost irrelevant. Simply, Scherzer is old.

And if the past two seasons have proven anything, it is that any time he can climb a mound in the big leagues, it should not be taken for granted.

Monday, that was the case both for Scherzer and the crowd that saluted him before and after his 2 2/3-inning, 75-pitch return to the majors.

“That’s the best part. That’s why I still do this,” says Scherzer after he and six relievers combined to suppress the Nationals’ league-leading offense in a 3-2 victory.

“No matter what team you’re on, where you’re at, when you get the ball and you can toe the rubber, there’s no other feeling I’d rather have than being on a big league mound, competing at people.”

On this night, he wasn’t exactly Mad Max, stalking the mound and talking to himself after pitches. More like Steamed Scherzer, retaining his energy on a 91-degree evening, a replacement jersey, undershirt and three caps waiting in the tunnel behind the Blue Jays dugout in case he got too sweaty.

But at this age, with his nagging ailments, getting back was most of the battle.

In 2025, Scherzer seemed to dust off every trick in his bag to piece together 17 starts, plus two more in the playoffs, despite a vexing thumb condition and more back issues. And the magic that drove him to two World Series titles, three Cy Young Awards and now, more than 3,500 strikeouts seemed to return in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, when he screamed at Schneider during a mound conference in the fifth inning, won the fight to stay in the game and delivered a crucial victory.

When the Blue Jays fell two outs shy of winning a World Series, Scherzer was so moved by the experience he returned on a one-year, $3 million contract, smallest of his career. Yet nothing’s gone right since: The Blue Jays have been touched by injuries, felled by underperformance from superstar first baseman Vladimir Guerrero and entered Monday, this final week before the MLB trade deadline, 48-58 and 13th among 16 AL teams.

Josh Hart and Donovan Mitchell are going after each other on X over MLB.

The Knicks guard started the interaction by shouting out the Cavaliers star in a tweet about the struggling Mets.

“Yo @spidadmitchell trade deadline coming up,” Hart wrote. “Yall might want to make a move…it’s looking dark at the bottom.”

Hart is referring to the Mets’ 45-62 record that has them at the bottom of the National League East, despite having one of the most expensive rosters in baseball.

Mitchell is a devoted Mets fan because his dad, Donovan Mitchell Sr., is a Mets executive, currently working as the senior director of community, inclusion, and player relations.

The basketball star grew up around the clubhouse and worked as a bat boy for the Brooklyn Cyclones, a minor-league team affiliated with the Mets.

Mitchell has often been spotted at Citi Field donning the blue and orange.

“You from the DMV and a Yankee fan.” Mitchell responded on X. “… I’m not hearing it smh @joshhart.”

While the start of Hart’s Yankee fandom is not known, legendary Yankees catcher Elston Howard was his great-uncle.

Howard was the first Black player to play for the Yankees.

“I used him as a role model, just everything he was able to do: The first Black player to play for the Yankees,” Hart told NBC Sports Philadelphia in 2016, when he was playing for Villanova.

“The character that he had is something that I try to resemble. Dad was always telling me stories about when he used to go to the ballpark and watch him play and just learn from him.”

Hart played into Mitchell’s response, though, posting a picture of the NL East standings, which have his local team, the Nationals, 10 games in front of the Mets.

“You right…..Let’s see how the Nats are doing,” Hart wrote. “Surely the Mets are better than them.”

It’s another week here at BCB After Dark: the hippest hangout for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abraod. Come on in out of the heat. There’s no cover charge. We promise not to trade you. We still have a few tables available. The hostess will seat you now. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

Last week I asked you which Angels’ starter you’d rather the Cubs trade for: José Soriano or Reid Detmers? The vote was reasonably close, but a clear majority of 56 percent of you said you’d rather the Cubs acquire Soriano.

Here’s the part where we listen to jazz and talk movies. You’re free to skip ahead if you want. Or you’re free to read whatever parts you want. It’s your call.

Tonight I’m just not going to play around. Here’s some classic John Coltrane playing “Impressions” with his quartet: McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass and Elvin Jones on drums.

The one film I saw over the weekend was director Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. I’m not sure I have anything to say about it that hasn’t been said better elsewhere, but I thought tonight I would try to open things up for discussion on what is surely the biggest movie of the year and early favorite for all the Academy Awards.

First, I did not see the film in 70mm IMAX. The nearest 70mm IMAX theater to me was two-and-a-half hours away and I just wasn’t going to make that kind of an effort. I know that was the format that Nolan shot the film for and it’s certainly the format where it looks the best. I think it’s certainly questionable that you make a film designed to be shown in a format that only about 26 theaters in the US can handle. But even Nolan would say that you should just watch the movie and not obsess over the format.

I did see it in laser IMAX and it looked great. The panoramic overhead shots of the Mediterranean Sea were gorgeous. The shots from the ships as you saw the waves crash over the sailors are fantastic. In a world where Nolan mostly turns the Greek gods into the forces of nature, the format makes the humans look small compared to the power of the gods, even if their physical manifestations remain off-screen. Except Athena, and even that Nolan leaves open to interpretation.

But I’m sure that the film looks great in any format. I’ve read some claim that if you can’t get the 70mm IMAX, the second-best option is Dolby Cinema. (That would have only been a two-hour drive for me.) The sound quality of the film is huge and will probably make a bigger impact on your enjoyment of the movie than a minor decrease in picture quality. But the point is to see the film in the best theater you can find and not worry about some other showing having a slightly-better experience.

I watched the film with my wife who was a classics major as an undergraduate, so she clearly knows The Odyssey better than I do. She’s read the poem in ancient Greek, although that was a long time ago. I will defer to her on the quality of the translation to film. But she loved the movie and was untroubled by many of the criticisms of the film by some fans of the original work. The modern language didn’t bother her. She admitted that the “Nobody” pun just doesn’t work in translation and that Nolan was wise to leave it out. The changing of Odysseus from a hubristic trickster to a tortured anti-hero was something that she agreed needed to be made for the film to resonate with modern audiences. (Plus, she’s more into Latin literature than Greek and the Romans thought Odysseus was an out-and-out villain.) She also picked up on a lot of details that I didn’t, but I’ll leave those to you for you to discover on your own. Or not.

I found Nolan’s decision to tie the events of the Odyssey to the late Bronze Age collapse to be ingenious. Now the lines where people say “Our Bronze Age is coming to an end” are cringeworthy and indeed, the dialogue is the weakest part of the film. But while some would say that choice was ahistorical, I would argue that by Homer’s time, this story was around 400 years old and everyone knew that this “age of heroes” they were singing about was going to come to an end to be replaced by the “Greek Dark Ages” that they were only emerging from at the time of the composition. While Penelope wouldn’t say our current age is collapsing, Homer definitely would.

As far as the cast goes, I thought everyone did a great job. Matt Damon is a different kind of Odysseus and many have said he’s more of a soldier with PTSD than the guy in the poem, but every generation re-invents their heroes for a new era. That was true in the times of the ancients as well as modern times. Tom Holland has made a career out of turning his youthful looks into playing characters ten years younger than he is. But he’s believable as Telemachus. John Leguizamo steals some scenes as the blind, loyal Eumaeus.

It’s often been said that Nolan doesn’t write women characters well and certainly the women in the film aren’t as compelling as the men. But Samantha Morton is terrific as Circe and certainly Anne Hathaway manages to give some fire to Penelope.

To address the controversy, if you’re someone upset by the casting of Lupita Nyong’o and Elliot Page, just don’t watch the movie. It’s your loss, because Page in particular is terrific as Sinon. After having seen him, I can’t imagine anyone else in the role. From the box office numbers, it’s clear that the “controversy” is a bunch of far-right and terminally online characters whose fame and income derive from stirring up hatred and whose voices are constantly amplified by the richest man in the world. In any case, the “controversial” actors have less than ten minutes of screen time between them.

In some ways, The Odyssey is a follow-up to Nolan’s Oppenheimer: both are the stories of men who created world-altering events and then lived to regret it for decades to come. The other thematic point of The Odyssey is that societies collapse when people no longer feel bound to follow the rules. The film constantly goes on about the violations of “Zeus’s Law” and how there are consequences to either not following it or abusing it. Here, Nolan is arguing that what keeps us away from barbarism is a shared acceptance that we all need to follow the letter and the spirit of the rules, even if we don’t like the outcomes. The spirit is more important than the letter if they come into conflict. You can read into that what you will about the current state of the world.

So the bottom line is that you should go watch The Odyssey. It’s an old-fashioned movie epic with fantastic imagery, incredible sound and a plot that has stood the test of time. It’s also a surprisingly timely film. It’s also a heck of a lot of fun. If you don’t like The Odyssey, you probably don’t like movies.

Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and the movies.

The Cubs are unquestionably trying to land a starting pitcher before the Trade Deadline a week from today, but the Cubs could certainly add a reliever to the pen. The Padres are one of those teams on the fence between buying and selling. At the moment, San Diego is at exactly .500, 53-53, and just a game and a half out of the final playoff spot. But the problem is that there are four teams ahead of them at the moment just to get that final playoff spot.

I think it’s fair to say that how the Padres do this week against the Rockies and Giants will determine whether they buy or sell. It’s also possible that they’re one of those teams that does both, dealing from a position of strength and trying to fill in some other weaknesses.

It’s clear that the Padres biggest strength right now is their bullpen. They have Mason Miller, who is the best reliever on the planet. He’s probably the best relief pitcher since Eric Gagné‘s heyday and maybe even since the prime of Mariano Rivera. I tried to come up with a scenario where the Cubs could make a trade for Miller that the Padres might reasonably accept and I couldn’t do it. The best I could come up with was Ben Brown, Josiah Hartshorn and Jefferson Rojas, and even then I think San Diego says no, if only because Brown is hurt.

So the Padres may hang on to Miller. But Miller’s setup man, left-hander Adrián Morejón, is a quality 27-year-old pitcher who would be a closer for most other clubs. Morejón was an All-Star last year and while his ERA has dropped off this year (2.08 to 3.20), the underlying numbers are just as good or even better than last year. Morejón’s strikeout rate actually increased this year from 24.5 percent to 27.4. His walk rate is up slightly from 5.9% to 6.1, but that’s just a rounding error. If you look at expected ERA rather than his actual ERA, Morejón is even better this year than last. His fastball has even increased to an average of 99 miles per hour over last year’s average of 97. His slider velo is up too.

Morejón would instantly become the Cubs closer until the end of the year and through the playoffs.

He wouldn’t be the closer for anytime after that because Morejón is a free agent at the end of the season. That’s a bad thing because he would be a pure rental. But it’s a good thing in that it would keep his price down. No one gives up a top 100 prospect anymore for a rental reliever. But he’s not going to be cheap.

I don’t think the Cubs can acquire Morejón without giving up a top-ten prospect. They might have to toss in a lesser prospect from farther down the system, but that’s not really something the Cubs should worry about. It’s the headliner that I’m thinking about.

The Padres need help everywhere except the bullpen. Kane Kepley isn’t a great fit for the Padres because they already have Jackson Merrill in center field, but that’s the quality of prospect the Padres would want back in return. Owen Ayers might be another possibility, but the Padres have their catcher of the future in Ethan Salas in Double-A. Jaxon Wiggins might interest San Diego, especially if the Padres think he can stick in the rotation. Even if he can’t, he could be a reliever to replace Morejón in the pen.

I’m going to throw out Ethan Conrad as another possibility of a player the Padres might take for Morejón. The Cubs’ 2025 first-round pick has struggled with injuries, but he’s healthy now.

So would you deal any of those players for Adrian Morejón? Or would you rather just pass? I will remind you of the dangers of prospect-hugging and how most traded prospects don’t pan out. (Baseball America sub. req.) I think we’re all familiar with Pete Crow-Armstrong and Yordan Alvarez, but most traded prospects are more like Alexander Canario than those two.

Remember, a “none of the above” answer probably means the Cubs move on to a different pitcher.

Thank you for stopping by tonight. Stay cool out there. Get home safely. Don’t forget any personal items. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow night for more BCB After Dark.

Record: 55-52. Pace: 83-79. Change on 2025: +4.

The Diamondbacks dropped the opener of The Most Important Series of the Season™, losing 3-2 in ten innings to the Pirates. Merrill Kelly pitched well, and Max Kepler gave Arizona a 2-0 lead. But a throwing error by Kelly allowed a key Pittsburgh run, and Juan Morillo then gave up the tying score, which pushed the contest into extras. The Diamondbacks were unable to take advantage of a major Pirates gaffe, stranding the Manfred Man. A ball which was clanked off the glove of Ildemaro Vargas let the home team walk off, but the key stat tonight was the D-backs going just 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position. And one of those hits didn’t score a run either.

But to focus on the positives. Merrill Kelly continued his resurgence. He finished June with an ERA above six (6.11, to be precise). But since the calendar turned to July, he has been much improved. Tonight, he allowed only an unearned run over 5.2 innings, on four hits – all of which were singles. He walked one and struck out six. [That is still an area of concern. Through nineteen starts last year, he had 7 or more K’s eight times: he hasn’t gone past six at all this year] He did hit a batter, Pirates’ rookie Esmerlyn Valdez wearing a pitch around the wrist area, and having to leave the game in obvious discomfort. Hopefully, there’s no serious damage there.

Through five innings, both Kelley and his opposite number – confusingly, called M. Keller – were basically cruising. Each side has managed to advance only one runner past first-base to that point. In the top of the second, Max Kepler led off with a single, advanced to third on a pair of outs, but was stranded there when Ildemaro Vargas grounded out. For the Pirates, they got a two-out single in the bottom of the fifth, and the runner stole second before being left there. Kelly even got a pick-off, ending the fourth by nailing the pinch-runner who had come in to replace Valdez. Rather embarrassing for them, I imagine.

Both pitchers were also being highly efficient. Through five innings, Keller had needed just 63 pitches, and Kelly less than a handful more at 67. I particularly enjoyed this strikeout by Kelly which ended the fifth inning. None of the six pitches in the zone, and zero contact by the batter on his three swings. However, my hopes of a quick recap foundered thereafter, as neither starting pitcher would make it through the sixth. Corbin Carroll and Geraldo Perdomo singled to lead off the top of the frame, though Gabriel Moreno would strike out looking, on a master-class of ABS by the Pirates catcher, which reversed two balls to strikes, by very narrow margins.

[Conversely, Moreno was 0-for-2 in his challenges tonight. Though it is worth noting that the team’s overall challenge rate when on defense is still 66.7%, significantly better than the MLB average of 58.1%.]

Ketel Marte then singled to load the bases. He’d probably be grateful if I left it at that, since this isn’t exactly the type of hit which he will be reposting on his Instagram feed. A squibber off the end of the bat, it had an exit velocity of just 27.5 mph, but was perfectly placed to the right-hand side of the pitcher. The only two lower exit velo by a D-back this year were both bunts, by Jose Fernandez and Kepler. The last D-back with a hit which came slower off the bat? Pavin Smith (remember him?) on this hit in September 2024, a whopping 25.8 mph. [And yes: it says “error” on the video, but it was a hit in the box-score] Anyway, it loaded the bases and Kepler doubled in two runs (above).

Unfortunately, that was all Arizona could do. Marte was easily out at home, trying to score on a contact play off the bat of Tyler Locklear, and Adrian Del Castillo grounded out. Still, a 2-0 lead to the D-backs. It didn’t stay that way. Kelly allowed a one-out single, and then on his third pickoff throw over made a terrible throw which skidded up the line towards right field. The runner easily reached third, and scored on a subsequent single. A two-out walk ended Kelly’s night. Juan Morillo ended the threat, leaving two on base, and got three further outs in the seventh to keep Arizona ahead. Jonathan Loaisiga: not so much, with a pair of two-out doubles (around the ejection of the Pirates manager for arguing checked-swing calls) locking things back up at 2-2.

The Arizona offense basically went overboard after Kepler’s hit. Ryan Waldschmidt had a one-out double in the sixth (and also had a very nice play at the wall), while Ildemaro Vargas singled in the ninth and moved to second on a balk. That was it. Even when gifted a runner at second in the tenth, the D-backs came up empty. Corbin Carroll had bad luck, lining into an out at 103 mph. Perdomo should have been the second out, but a throwing error put men on second and third with one out. However, Moreno took a called third strike and Kepler was unable to repeat his earlier magic. Though with three hits on the night, it’s hard to blame him specifically.

It drops the D-backs back into a tie with the Pirates for the third wild-card. On the other hand, the Phillies lost to the Marlins, and the Cardinals are losing to the Cubs. So we aren’t the only team with NL wild-card aspirations to lose to a rival tonight.

Click here for details, at Fangraphs.com
Captain Jack Sparrow: Juan Morillo, +19%
Long John Silver: Perdomo, +18%; Kelly, +16%
Blackbeard: Gabriel Moreno, -33%
Calico Jack: Loasiga, -19%; Carroll, -15%; Locklear, -12%; Barrosa, -11%; Del Castillo, -10%

Comment of the night to chwalter:

Same two teams tomorrow night, with Brandon Pfaadt on the mound for the D-backs. Another 3:40 pm start there, so see you for that. And don’t forget: nobody said it would be easy…

The Tigers ground crew took “how many people does it take to capture a squirrel” to a whole new level on Monday. 

A rogue black squirrel got loose on the field during the Tigers’ game against the Orioles at Comerica Park, leading to a wild moment in the middle of the seventh inning, as an army of staffers tried to corral the critter to no avail for several minutes before they finally captured it.

The four-legged trespasser made its way onto the field sometime around the sixth inning and managed to meander around until the middle of the seventh when the grounds crew made its move. 

At one point, the squirrel was positioned near Orioles’ third base coach Buck Britton, who decided to share a sunflower seed with it in a hilarious moment that was caught on the broadcast. 

At least a dozen grounds crew members ran onto the field in the middle of the seventh, giving chase to the squirrel in an attempt to get it off the playing surface. 

As the squirrel scurried around the outfield, the grounds crew comically gave chase, in what can only be described as something out of a “Looney Tunes” cartoon. 

In one instance, Orioles right fielder Leody Taveras attempted to help out by scooping up the critter and instead sent it flying through the air before it sprinted away — talk about an E9. 

The squirrel was eventually captured after one grounds crew member was able to throw a towel on it and pick it up. 

The capture elicited boos from the Comerica Park crowd, which had been enjoying the rodent’s elusive moves. 

Home plate umpire Bill Miller attempted to show his appreciation to the grounds crew for their effort and jumped on his mic to do so. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to thank the grounds crew. Let’s give ‘em a round of applause. The Detroit Tigers grounds crew, thank you!” Miller said. 

The Tigers have not publicly stated the squirrel’s condition, nor have they said if it will face any further disciplinary action other than being removed from the field. 

The Tigers lost the ballgame 8-5 to the Orioles.