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After falling behind early from a shaky start by their starting pitcher, the Colorado Rockies rallied offensively and the bullpen shut things down to secure a series split with the Miami Marlins and a 14-4 victory.

Lorenzen’s shaky command

Something seemed to finally start clicking for Michael Lorezen over the month of June and the hope was to keep things rolling into July. His first start this month proved to be a grind.

Lorenzen’s command was shaky from the get-go. Liam Hicks led off the game with a single, followed by a double from Otto Lopez. Both pitches were left over the plate and the Marlins did not miss. Lorenzen then issued a walk to Kyle Stowers to load the bases. Xavier Edwards grounded into a force out that could have been a double play if Edouard Julien hadn’t hesitated on the throwing decision. The play scored the run to give the Marlins a 1-0 lead. Lorenzen then issued another walk to Griffin Conine to load the bases once again. Owen Caissie lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to drive in Lopez and give the Marlins a 2-0 lead.

He escaped the inning on the next hitter and rebounded with a quick 1-2-3 second inning. Lopez smacked a lead-off triple in the top of the third and came in to score on a sacrifice fly by Edwards to extend the lead 3-1. Thanks to a couple of nifty defensive plays about the run, including a sharply hit ball to Julien, Lorenzen ended the inning without any further damage.

The command waned again in the fourth inning when he issued a pair of walks and gave up a single to load the bases for the third time. The Marlins scored their fourth run of the game to take back the lead at the time on a ground ball that was bobbled at first base.

Handed another lead heading into the fifth inning, Lorenzen gave up another pair of walks to force his removal from the game with one out. He ended up going just 4.1 innings, tying a career-high of six walks while striking out just one batter. He allowed four runs on four hits while throwing 51 pitches, 30 for strikes.

It was a gritty start for Lorenzen as he battled himself, but he mitigated catastrophic damage. However, constantly struggling against yourself is a tough way to pitch and is something he’ll try to reassess before his next start.

Stay hot Mickey!

After falling a single shy of a cycle on Wednesday, Mickey Moniak wasted no time starting another bid for a cycle on Thursday. In his at-bat of the game, Moniak once again slugged a home run, his 15th of the season, to get the Rockies on the board. It was the third straight game that he hit a home run in his first at-bat, becoming the first player to do that in franchise history.

In his second at-bat in the third inning, Moniak then laced a double to right field but then struck out in the fourth inning. He struck out in his third at-bat but then came through with an RBI single in the sixth inning.

Moniak would ground out in the seventh inning, ending his day just a triple shy of the cycle which is a much less rare feat than falling a single shy. He ended up going 3-for-5 with two RBI and three runs scored.

Early offensive returns

After Moniak’s home run and TJ Rumfield’s double in the first inning, the Rockies started to find some offensive rhythm in the third inning against Marlins’ starter Ryan Gusto.

Jake McCarthy led off the inning with a walk and moved up to third base on Moniak’s double. After Rumfield flew out, Willi Castro came through with a huge two-run single to tie the game 3-3.

The Rockies came close to tacking on two more runs when Cole Carrigg sent a ball down the line that went foul. Colorado requested a review, and after a lengthy process, it was determined that the foul ball would stand.

Manager Warren Schaeffer offered his insights after the game, agreeing that it was indeed a foul ball.

“My angle was absolutely terrible,” Schaeffer said, “but on a homer, you get a free challenge so you might as well take it in case something happens. Maybe it goes our way, so there’s no harm in doing that. But I think it was clearly foul. All of the guys that were in line with that — including the home plate umpire, Ramon [De Jesus] — said that it wasn’t even close.”

After falling behind by a run heading into the bottom of the fourth, the Rockies built some opportunities early in the inning. A pitch hit Kyle Karros to start off the inning, ending Gusto’s day having allowed three runs on four hits over three innings.

Brett Sullivan then bounced into a fielder’s choice and was later thrown out trying to steal second base with Julien at the plate. Julien drew a walk against reliever lefty-killer John King to bring McCarthy to the plate. King hung a 2-1 slider up and in, which McCarthy blasted into right field to give the Rockies a 5-4 lead. It was his first home run against a left-handed pitcher since April 2023.

Sixth inning offensive returns

The Rockies weren’t done, as they ended up throwing together a massive rally in the sixth inning to extend their lead 12-4.

Carrigg kicked things off with a bunt single, followed by a strikeout of Karros. The Rockies proceeded to have the next seven straight batters reach as Sullivan singled and Julien walked. McCarthy then dealt another blow with his two-run single.

Moniak followed with his single, while Rumfield added an RBI single of his own. Castro was then hit by a pitch, and Troy Johnston chopped a ball into right field to drive in two more runs.

Carrigg capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly to right field to drive in the seventh run of the inning. The Rockies now have 15 innings in which they have scored five or more runs, which is tied for the most in MLB this season.

“Really solid approach in that inning, ” Schaeffer said, “and most of it, honestly, was left-on-left, which was ultra-impressive for our guys to take those at-bats like that. Mick, Rum, Troy, Jake… the homer left-on-left. I mean, it’s a big day. That’s big time for those guys.”

A few for the road

Later in the eighth inning, with utility player Javier Sanoja on the mound, the Rockies tacked on a few more runs. Rumfield was hit by a pitch and was later followed by a Johnston double. Carrigg delivered another sacrifice fly to drive in his second RBI of the game. Karros then walked, and Sullivan hit an RBI single to drive in Johnston and give the Rockies a 14-4 lead.

The Rockies ended up with 14 hits in the game while striking out just four times and drawing five walks with two hit-by-pitches. McCarthy drove in four runs with his two hits while Rumfield, Johnston, and Sullivan each had two hits. Julien also led the team with two walks on the day. Karros was the only starter for the Rockies to not have a hit. The team also went 5-for-8 with runners in scoring position, and the top four guys went 8-for-16 with nine RBIs on the day.

“Those guys continue to be good,” Schaeffer said. “They take good, solid at-bats every day. They don’t take days off. They grind. And Mick, two days in a row [was] one hit away from the cycle, which is pretty special.”

Bullpen heroes

Plenty of praise deserves to be placed on the bullpen as they tamed the Marlins for the second straight game. After Lorenzen departed the game in the fifth inning with two runners on base in a one-run game, the Rockies turned to Brennan Bernardino. The lone lefty reliever quickly got a fly out and a line out to end the inning and preserve the lead. He then started the sixth inning, recording two outs while allowing a single.

“Bernie’s been extremely consistent,” Schaeffer said. “You always want to give him the ball — no matter if it’s righty or lefty, but most of the time we try to give him left-handed matchups because he’s our only lefty. But he throws strikes consistently, and you know that. And that’s of huge importance to a manager that you’re going to throw strikes. He did a great job again today on a back-to-back, going 1+.”

With Lopez stepping up to the plate with two outs and a runner on second, Victor Vodnik was called upon for the right-on-right matchup. Vodnik won the battle with ease by inducing an infield pop-up to end the inning. He then came out for the seventh inning and faced the minimum after allowing a lead-off single and getting a double-play, followed by a ground out.

“Vic was really good today, which was good to see,” Schaeffer said. “It was a step forward for Vic. And then Ags with two solid ones, saving the ‘pen down there. We didn’t have to use Jimmy [Herget] and Senza today, which were the only two short guys available, so it sets us up again for tomorrow.”

Zach Agnos closed out the game with two quick and clean innings. The bullpen allowed just three hits and didn’t give up a walk while recording just one strikeout.

Up next

The Rockies will celebrate the holiday weekend by welcoming the San Francisco Giants into town. Ryan Feltner (2-2, 4.42 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Rockies. Logan Webb (5-5, 3.09 ERA) takes the mound for the Giants.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 pm MDT.

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Here’s the White Sox lineup:

Set for baseball in Cleveland pic.twitter.com/AwP7VcFjyF

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 2, 2026

Here’s the Guardians’ lineup:

Big series.#GuardsBallpic.twitter.com/zSfUIKvEUl

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) July 2, 2026

Let’s go, Guardians!

First pitch for the series opener between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres is at 7:10 p.m.

However, fans formed a gigantic line outside of Dodger Stadium before noon because of the team’s giveaway for Thursday’s game, many of whom brought hundreds of dollars to pick up a rare item.

ONE PIECE Night at Dodger Stadium is an event surrounding the popular Japanese anime and manga series. The show follows Monkey D. Luffy, a young pirate whose body is made of rubber, as he gathers a loyal crew called the Straw Hat Pirates.

And thus, the Dodgers giveaway on Thursday is a straw hat and a Luffy card for the first 52,000 fans. One Piece Night will also feature a special themed drone show for fans following the game.

The rivalry between the Dodgers and Padres is alive and well, but the expected near-capacity crowd is primarily because of the giveaway and themed-night.

Fans showed up hours in advance to secure their giveaway items, but many also showed up with cash in hand, some offering upwards of $500 apiece for the special card that can only be obtained at this game.

Another fan showed a video of a business card with a QR code from aggressive buyers offering to snatch up these collectible cards.

These guys looking for the One Piece trading cards pic.twitter.com/CtNSaJzMMD

— DodgersBeat | Dodgers News & Interviews (@DodgersBeat) July 3, 2026

At the @Dodgers game for One Piece Night and someone is handing these out lol the scalping is unreal pic.twitter.com/Ll74MoZ7mV

— Ryan (@M7_Reaper) July 2, 2026

While the straw hats were seen on several fans’ heads throughout the game, they weren’t nearly as coveted as the One Piece Luffy card, as evidenced by new eBay listings.

Listings for just the straw hat alone on eBay range from $65 to $200, but those pale in comparison to listings for the card.

“Buy it now” listings for the card alone range from $700 to $1,500, though several auction listings are lower, at the moment.

Still, the card has proven to be quite lucrative, especially if these cards are ultimately graded by PSA and given the coveted 10 grade.

The Dodgers’ first One Piece night in 2025 also included a card and a straw hat giveaway, with the card from last year also fetching staggering amounts.

Last month, a sealed 2025 One Piece card from last year’s giveaway sold last month for $2,200, with a PSA 10 graded card selling just days ago for over $5,100.

The Dodgers look to extend their 12-game lead in the NL West with a series opening win against San Diego, who is coming off its worst loss in franchise history. The Chicago Cubs handed the Padres a 23-3 beatdown Wednesday, completing the three-game sweep.

Roki Sasaki will take the mound for the Dodgers in Thursday’s series opener. The right-hander is coming off three rough outings, where he’s given up 13 runs across 14 innings. He is sporting a 4.88 ERA in 72 innings pitched this season.

Opposite Sasaki is Padres right-handed pitcher Randy Vasquez, who has posted a 4.44 ERA across 81 innings. Vasquez had a strong start to the campaign, but his performance has drastically declined as of late.

The right-hander gave up seven runs (four earned) against the Dodgers in his most recent start last weekend.

Regardless of the outcome for Thursday’s game, Dodgers fans will be able to enjoy One Piece Night at Uniqlo Field.

The penalties from Tuesday night’s brawl were handed down, and MLB delivered a harsh ruling. Cade Cavalli and Willson Contreras were each suspended 7 games, while Miles Mikolas got 5 and Nate Eaton got 3. The 7 games for Cavalli, who did not throw a punch or get physical during the confrontation, feels harsh.

Suspensions from the brawl between the Nationals and Red Sox, per @BNightengale:

Willson Contreras: 7 games
Cade Cavalli: 7 games
Miles Mikolas: 5 games
Nate Eaton: 3 games pic.twitter.com/2wAGG6y3da

— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) July 2, 2026

In case you forgot, the Nats and Red Sox got into a major brawl the other day. After Cade Cavalli was upset that Contreras cut him off on his way to the dugout, he let him hear it after he struck out the first baseman. Cavalli painted a breaking ball on the outside corner, and told Contreras “sit down boy”. 

The language Cavalli used was not very tasteful, especially considering the fact that Contreras is a person of color. Yesterday, Cavalli apologized for that language, saying he did not understand the connotations of using the term boy in that way. Paul Toboni also chimed in, saying that he spoke with Cavalli. Both said that he will eliminate that “boy” term from his vocabulary. 

However, it just feels like the punishment does not fit the crime here. Seven games is a long suspension. I understand that it is different with a starting pitcher, but Cavalli still is not getting paid for those 7 games when he otherwise would. That is something that the MLBPA is not going to be happy about.

When you look at previous suspensions for language, the punishments have been much lighter. Players like Jarren Duran and Yuli Gurriel got fewer games for using or doing much more openly bigoted things. Duran only got two games for yelling a homophobic slur, while Gurriel got 5 for openly mocking the appearance of Asian people in the dugout. Should Cavalli have said what he did? No, but the punishment does not fit the crime here.

Where is the precedent for a 7 game ban for trash talk (distasteful sure but not like Cade said a slur)? Cavalli did not throw any punches or engage in anything physical and was not even ejected from the game. Seems harsh

— federalbaseball (@federalbaseball) July 2, 2026

While considering pitchers and position players are a slightly different animal, the MLB is setting a pretty wild precedent here. Cavalli is being suspended without pay for the same amount of time as Contreras who charged the mound, used his helmet as a weapon and threatened a fan on social media. That seems pretty extreme if you ask me.

Willson Contreras throws his helmet during a benches clearing incident after Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli told him to “sit down boy” pic.twitter.com/IBEyYXKReN

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 1, 2026

If I were Cavalli’s agent, I would certainly be telling him to appeal this. The appeal system is highly unlikely to hold up that level of suspension. At most, the suspension should be five games to where Cavalli misses one start. Where those other two games are coming from beats me.

Once again, I am not excusing his language or actions, but this penalty is over the top. Cavalli did not even get thrown out of that game, and now he has the same penalty as Contreras?

I understand my bias here, but this just feels like a situation where a hefty fine is the best option. The longest suspension you could convince me on is 5 games. Again, this is just my opinion, but when you look at the precedent things are clear. Cavalli did not throw a punch (or a helmet), but he is getting the same percentage of his paycheck docked as Contreras.

The Royals have made a lot of transactions today, which could be exciting for fans hoping for a shakeup, but they’re mostly internal to the team.

The first announced move was to reinstate Stephen Kolek to the 26-man roster from the Family Medical Emergency List. In a corresponding move, Jose Cuas was optioned back to Omaha. Cuas pitched two innings last night in his season debut, and while he did allow a run, he also struck out three. So hopefully we’ll see him get more chances going forward.

Then, shortly before the game, the Royals announced that they had selected Luke Maile’s contract from Omaha and added him to the major league team. To accommodate his addition to the 40-man and 26-man rosters, John Rave was demoted back to Omaha and Eric Cerantola was designated for assignment.

Personally, despite Cerantola’s unsightly big league performances so far – 10 walks and a 10.13 ERA in 5.1 innings – I would have preferred to keep him around over Mitch Spence. At least Cerantola could also get a strikeout on occasion. I also probably would have demoted Tyler Tolbert or Kameron Misner over John Rave. Rave hasn’t actually made any boneheaded plays at the big league level so far this year, which is more than I can say for the other two, and I’m still very fascinated to see where his revamped swing could take him. But the Royals didn’t agree.

Considering Salvador Perez is also not in tonight’s starting lineup, we can add 2 + 2 and get 4. Salvy is probably hurting again. So the best move probably would have been to go ahead and put him on the IL so they could have a full, healthy bench. But the Royals would prefer to demote Rave to Omaha rather than put the aging catcher on the IL, which is what it’s there for. The IL has not stopped being lava, I guess.

Oh, and the Royals made one other under-the-radar move. It didn’t even get announced on their main social channels:

Royals fans from the last few years before Dayton Moore was fired will remember this move. The “add a guy we used to like a few years ago because we desperately need someone to pitch and heaven knows we don’t want to try anyone new!“ special. No guarantees that Barlow will make it back to the bigs with KC, but considering the bullpen carousel we’ve been on all year, I wouldn’t bet against it, either.

Finally, we got this tidbit from Anne Rogers:

Cole Ragans underwent a UCL repair on his left elbow yesterday. That was what the #Royals had feared but ultimately expected, and now they’re looking at getting Ragans back midseason next year.

— Anne Rogers (@anne__rogers) July 2, 2026

Based on the timeline, it’s possible Cole Ragans underwent the internal brace procedure rather than a third Tommy John surgery, but it’s a pretty brutal blow to lose him for not just the remainder of this season, but at least midway into next year, too. It would seem to make it even less likely that they trade either Michael Wacha or Seth Lugo at this deadline, even if they’re currently the only guys with trade value that it would make any sense for the Royals to part with.

We’re just under an hour away from first pitch at Truist Park and there’s going to be a bit of a new look both on the mound and out in the field for the third game of this series between the Atlanta Braves and the St. Louis Cardinals. Hurston Waldrep is set to make his first start of the season and Jim Jarvis is in the lineup and starting at shortstop for Atlanta.

Walt Weiss spoke with the media ahead of tonight’s contest and as you can imagine, those two aforementioned players were certainly the topic of conversation and people of interest in the run-up to Thursday night’s game.

On Hurston Waldrep ahead of tonight’s start

Walt Weiss told the media that he’s expecting something like 70-to-around-80-or-so pitches from Waldrep tonight. He described his expectations as “hopefully similar to what we got last night from [Reynaldo López].” López threw 69 pitches and tossed five innings with the Cardinals scoring their lone run of the night in the first inning. Anything similar to that would be greatly appreciated and Weiss said that he’s really “looking forward to it. [Waldrep] was dominant at times last year…it’s good to have him back in the mix here.

On having Jim Jarvis back in the lineup

“A baseball-y player, to use a common term,” is how Walt Weiss described having Jim Jarvis in the fold. “He’s got a good bat. He’s a little different from all the other players in the lineup to where he wants to go deep into counts and draw walks.”

Weiss continued to discuss how he was looking forward to utilizing his starting shortstop for the rubber match against the Cardinals by going into his versatility. “He can hit too,” continued Weiss. He’s having a nice year at Triple-A. He defends well and he’s got a good arm. He runs pretty well. It’s nice having another left-handed bat against a tough righty like [Cardinals starter] Dustin May. It’s nice to have that option as a left-handed option. The shortstop thing will be day-to-day but he’s nice to have.”

When asked about whether or not Jim Jarvis could be deployed in a platoon-type situation, Walt Weiss mentioned that it’s possible but was ultimately non-committal and preferred to keep his options open in that regard. “I’ll look into the numbers and go from there but other than that, he can play other spots in the infield and spell some other guys against right-handers. It gives us a bit more flexibility,” answered Weiss.

On long-relief options

“I think we’re covered,” said Weiss when he was asked about the multi-inning relief options out of the bullpen ahead of Thursday’s game against the Cardinals. “[Ian] Hamitlon and [James] Karinchak have both gone multiple innings in Triple-A, so they’re capable of doing that. I think we’re covered, yeah.”

On Sean Murphy’s status

It’s been around eight weeks now for the Braves when it comes to haing Sean Murphy on the shelf. Friend of the site Grant McAuley asked Weiss about whether or not Murphy was getting close to a rehab stint and Weiss seemed to indicate that any rehab stint wouldn’t exactly be imminent at the moment.

“I’m not exactly sure when he’s going out on rehab,” said Weiss. “I don’t want to speculate. He’s starting to progress and do some baseball things but I’m not sure exactly when that rehab clock will start.”

The Milwaukee Brewers are back on the road this weekend, as they’ll head to the desert to take on the Arizona Diamondbacks for three games beginning Friday evening. The Brewers, fresh off a winning homestand against the Reds and Cubs, are about halfway through the biggest gauntlet of their season — they’ve played seven games in the last seven days, with 11 games in the next 10 days leading into the All-Star break. They still sit atop the NL Central, five games ahead of the second-place Cubs.

On the other side, the Diamondbacks had a disappointing month of June, going 12-15 as they’re now an even 43-43 on the season. They’re still in the wild card hunt but sit third in the NL West, 12.5 games behind the NL-leading Dodgers and just behind the Padres for second place.

Milwaukee’s IL currently includes RHP Carlos Rodriguez (late July return), RHP Logan Henderson (expected back next week), RHP Coleman Crow (July), LHP DL Hall (late July), LHP Rob Zastryzny (early July), LHP Brian Fitzpatrick (TBD), RHP Quinn Priester (2027), and LHP Angel Zerpa (early to mid-2027). Outfielder Brandon Lockridge is the lone position player on the shelf, and he’s currently looking at a late July return.

For the Diamondbacks, they’re currently without catcher James McCann (expected back next week), RHP Michael Soroka (post-All-Star break), OF Jordan Lawlar (late July/August), RHP Ryne Nelson (September), RHP Justin Martinez (second half), LHP A.J. Puk (TBD), RHP Corbin Burnes (September), RHP Cristian Mena (TBD), LHP Blake Walston (second half), and LHP Andrew Saalfrank (2027).

Jake Bauers leads the Brewers’ offense with 15 homers this season, while Jackson Chourio and Brice Turang have both added 12 homers. William Contreras, Garrett Mitchell, Christian Yelich, Andrew Vaughn, David Hamilton, and Cooper Pratt are among the other regular contributors of late, while Gary Sánchez, Sal Frelick, Joey Ortiz, and Blake Perkins provide depth. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .254/.339/.396 (.734 OPS ranks 10th), with 79 homers (tied for 25th), 436 runs (fifth), and 83 steals (fifth).

Despite having a few big names like Ketel Marte, Corbin Carroll, Nolan Arenado, and Geraldo Perdomo, the D-backs haven’t been great offensively this year. Marte leads the team with 17 homers and 54 RBIs, while Carroll has 13 homers and a league-best 10 triples. Arenado has nine homers, and Ildemaro Vargas has cooled off considerably after a red-hot start. Gabriel Moreno, LuJames Groover, Max Kepler, Jorge Barrosa, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. round out the regulars for Arizona, with Pavin Smith, Adrian Del Castillo, and Tommy Troy serving as depth. As a team, the D-backs are hitting .238/.308/.386 (.694 OPS ranks tied for 26th), with 78 homers (tied for 28th), 367 runs (19th), and 54 steals (tied for 18th).

Aaron Ashby leads Milwaukee’s bullpen with a 3.16 ERA over 51 1/3 innings, and he also leads the league with a whopping 12 wins (to just one loss). Trevor Megill has been great after a shaky start to the season, and the same goes for Abner Uribe. Grant Anderson, Jared Koenig, and Chad Patrick provide valuable depth, and Joel Kuhnel and recent call-up Garrett Stallings round things out. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.36 team ERA (tied for first), including a 3.17 starter ERA (first) and a 3.60 bullpen ERA (seventh). They’ve struck out 842 batters (second) over 762 1/3 innings.

The D-backs have had a solid bullpen, at least in terms of high-leverage arms. Taylor Clarke, Juan Morillo, Jonathan Loáisiga, and Ryan Thompson all have 30-plus appearances with sub-3.00 ERAs. Paul Sewald has struggled in the closer role with a 4.50 ERA, though he’s still 19-for-20 in save opportunities. Brandyn Garcia has a 2.33 ERA over 19 1/3 inning, Kevin Ginkel has a 3.06 ERA over 32 1/3 innings, and Drey Jameson’s 4.76 ERA (over just 11 1/3 innings) is actually the worst of the current bullpen. As a staff, the D-backs have a 4.32 team ERA (20th), including a 4.42 starter ERA (18th) and a 4.23 bullpen ERA (17th). They’ve struck out 580 batters (30th) over 756 2/3 innings.

Probable Pitchers

Friday, July 3 @ 8:45 p.m.: LHP Kyle Harrison (8-1, 2.57 ERA, 3.03 FIP) vs. RHP JoséCabrera (0-1, 3.60 ERA, 5.21 FIP)

Harrison continues to make his All-Star case in his first season in Milwaukee. Across 15 starts this year, he’s 8-1 with a 2.57 ERA, 3.03 FIP, and 96 strikeouts over 77 frames. He took a no-decision in his last outing as the bullpen wasn’t able to help him out. Over five frames against the Cubs, he allowed two runs on three hits and a walk, striking out nine on 92 pitches. Harrison made four appearances (three starts) against the D-backs as a Giant, going 0-2 with an 8.56 ERA and 13 strikeouts over 13 2/3 innings.

Cabrera, 24, is a rookie who has made just two starts in the majors thus far. Signed out of the Dominican Republic back in 2021, he’s 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA, 5.21 FIP, and seven strikeouts over 10 innings to begin his career, pitching in a pair of losses to the Twins and Rays. This obviously marks Cabrera’s first career appearance against Milwaukee.

Saturday, July 4 @ 8:40 p.m.: RHP Brandon Woodruff (2-1, 2.59 ERA, 3.11 FIP) vs. RHP Merrill Kelly (5-8, 5.84 ERA, 6.11 FIP)

Woodruff, who has had trouble staying on the field over the last few seasons, has looked fantastic in two starts since returning from his latest IL stint. Over 11 2/3 total innings against the Reds and Cubs, he allowed no runs on two hits and two walks, striking out 16. For the season, he’s 2-1 with a 2.59 ERA, 3.11 FIP, and 41 strikeouts over 41 2/3 innings. Woodruff has made nine career appearances (eight starts) against the D-backs, going 3-1 with a 4.65 ERA and 51 strikeouts across 40 2/3 innings.

Kelly, 37, does not look like the average pitcher he was in the last several seasons. In his eighth season in the majors, he has a career-worst 5.84 ERA and 6.11 FIP this year, with just 47 strikeouts over 81 2/3 innings through 14 starts. It’s really been a case of three seasons for Kelly. Here are his splits by month (he missed the first few weeks of the season due to injury):

• April: 3 GS, 1-2, 14 2/3 IP, 15 ER (9.20 ERA), 9 K, 2.250 WHIP, 5 HR
• May: 6 GS, 4-1, 38 2/3 IP, 15 ER (3.49 ERA), 24 K, 1.164 WHIP, 5 HR
• June: 5 GS, 0-5, 28 1/3 IP, 23 ER (7.31 ERA), 14 K, 1.659 WHIP, 8 HR

Let’s hope we see April/June Kelly and not May Kelly. He did get a start against the Brewers back in April, going five innings with five runs allowed and just one strikeout. For his career, he’s made 11 starts, going 5-3 with a 3.41 ERA and 61 strikeouts over 66 innings.

Sunday, July 5 @ 3:00 p.m.: RHP Brandon Sproat (3-4, 5.28 ERA, 5.00 FIP) vs. LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (7-2, 2.21 ERA, 3.98 FIP)

Despite his rough season-long numbers, Sproat has looked a lot better over his last several outings, including a pair of starts against the Reds in his last two appearances. In those games, he totaled 11 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out 17 to pick up a pair of wins. Sproat started against the D-backs (and Rodriguez) back in late April of this year, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five over 4 1/3 innings in a loss.

Rodriguez, 33, is an 11-year veteran who is quietly turning in a great season. Despite a FIP of 3.98, he has a much better 2.21 ERA, with a 7-2 record and 71 strikeouts over 102 innings through 17 starts. He’s been especially good of late, allowing just two runs on 14 hits and six walks while striking out 11 over 20 2/3 innings in wins over the Angels, Cardinals, and Giants in his last three outings. As I mentioned above, Rodriguez faced off against Sproat and the Brewers back in April. He went 4 2/3 innings with two runs allowed on five hits and four walks, striking out four in that one. For his career, he’s 0-3 with a 4.44 ERA and 20 strikeouts over 24 1/3 innings in five starts against the Crew.

How to Watch & Listen

Friday, July 3: Exclusively on Apple TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Saturday, July 4: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Sunday, July 5: Exclusively on Peacock/NBCSN Extra; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Prediction

The D-backs have been less than great the last few weeks, while the Brewers have looked a lot better. Give me the Crew to take two of three in the desert.

Washington Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli and Boston Red Sox slugger Willson Contreras were each suspended seven games by Major League Baseball Thursday, July 2 for their actions that precipitated a bases-clearing incident in the teams' June 30 game.

Cavalli struck out Contreras in the bottom of the fourth inning, and as the Boston slugger returned to his dugout, Cavalli shouted, "Sit down, boy!" at Contreras. Contreras, already an emotional player who admittedly was even moreso after an earthquake devastated his home country of Venezuela, stopped in his tracks and asked if Cavalli said something.

The two began to jaw and Contreras approached the mound, at one point tossing his helmet in Cavalli's direction. Cavalli remained in the game, much to the chagrin of Boston interim manager Chad Tracy, while Contreras, Tracy and Red Sox reserve Nate Eaton were ejected. Washington pitcher Miles Mikolas, who pitched Monday, was also ejected.

Mikolas was suspended five games and Eaton received a three-game suspension. All four players are appealing their suspensions.

"I felt as though the comment made, ‘Sit down, boy,’ at the top of (Cavalli's) lungs was part of what caused that to happen,” says Tracy, who said he was ejected for protesting that Cavalli wasn't ejected. "I just felt like the other pitcher should have been one of them too. That was my biggest complaint there: 'Why is he still in the game?' That was my take on it."

Contreras was taken aback by Cavalli's remark, yet was unsure if there were racial overtones.

“I think it was more like the fact that he yelled whatever he said," says Contreras, 34, of the 27-year-old Cavalli. "Because, prior to that, I was talking to [Nationals catcher] Keibert Ruiz, you can go ask him, about how good Cavalli is. I was like, 'He has good stuff,' and then he struck me out on a good pitch. I was walking back to the dugout, then he did what he did. The rest of it was history."

As for any further intent, Contreras said: "To be honest, I don’t know. I'm Venezuelan. I don’t know if he’s racist or not. I’ll let MLB handle that."

Cavalli told reporters: "I don't know, I just lose my head in it. I mean, I'm competitive. I just told him to sit down, and then he asked if I was talking to him. I was just standing there, I said, ‘You heard me.’ It's really not a big deal. So that's it."

Cavalli and Contreras crossed paths after an earlier at-bat, with Cavalli noting that Contreras appeared to get in his way after he was walking off the mound. Contreras denied any intent.

Cade Cavalli and Paul Toboni spoke about the incident with Willson Contreras last night. Cavalli said there was no ill intention and he will eliminate “boy” from his vocabulary.

Said he is heartbroken. He has not yet reached out to Contreras. pic.twitter.com/QYxbrfixyR

— Spencer Nusbaum (@spencernusbaum_) July 1, 2026

A day later, Cavalli expressed remorse for his comments; Nationals GM Paul Toboni said July 1, "I think now he understands it."

The Red Sox play Friday, July 3 at the Los Angeles Angels while the Nationals host the Pittsburgh Pirates.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nationals' Cade Cavalli, Red Sox's Willson Contreras suspended 7 games by MLB

Maybe all it takes for the Cincinnati Reds to morph back into playing good baseball is to face the absolute best, hardest-throwing arms in the game.

Just days after thumping Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, the Reds took aim at Milwaukee Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski on Thursday afternoon in the series finale, and their aim was pretty perfect. Sal Stewart homered off the game’s hardest thrower in the Top of the 1st to set the tone, and Jose Trevino later added a 3-run blast down the left-field line to give Cincinnati’s own ace Chase Burns a 5-0 lead that he would not relinquish.

Trevi 💣 (!!!) pic.twitter.com/uVzLMQqwef

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) July 2, 2026

Cincinnati scraped out an eventual 7-2 win, beating the Brewers for the first time in seven chances so far in this disappointing 2026 season. Burns, whose down velocity had him only sitting 95-97 on the day, still battled his way through 6.0 IP of 2 ER ball, and the much maligned bullpen managed to hold things down completely after that to secure the win and avoid yet another sweep.

The win moved the Reds to 40-46 on the season, still miles away from any relevance in the Central and still buried in the crowded wild card standings despite the superexpanded megaplayoff format championed by Rob Manfred. That said, they did get a resurgent performance from the recalled TJ Friedl, finally, as he homered as part of a 2-hit, 2-RBI afternoon, and now they will return home for a two-series homestand where ace Hunter Greene will make his much anticipated return to the club.

Atta way, @TjFriedl1pic.twitter.com/pcesmdomRy

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) July 2, 2026

So, there’s the slightest hint of optimism, I’d say. At least, there’s a lot more after today’s game than there was just 16 or so hours ago, as the Reds finally, mercifully got the Brewers monkey off their backs for a day.