Worldwide Sports News

The Yankees are gearing up to welcome Aaron Judge back into the fold sometime soon, perhaps as soon as this current road trip is over. When he returns to the lineup, the team will at last have their Opening Day outfield of Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Trent Grisham all healthy again. However, while the team hasn’t had nearly as much of Judge as they’d like and Bellinger has also missed a decent chunk of time, they’ve gotten a good look at Grisham in 2026 and unfortunately the results haven’t been good.

Grisham’s offense has taken a significant hit compared to his breakout 2025, posting a 97 wRC+ that’s a full 30 points lower than last year’s mark while playing increasingly worse defense out in center field. His luck at the plate was rather unfortunate for the first month before a strong May and June brought him back in line, but after looking nonexistent in July it’s become more and more apparent that the decline he’s faced is closer to reality than the Yankees would like. The team didn’t have much choice but to continue running him out there as the outfield depth has been tested throughout the year, but now that they’re at full strength there’s one option they can make. The team can continue to run Grisham out there to close out the year, or they could lean on the power of one of their top prospects in Spencer Jones as he starts to figure things out at the major league level.

Jones’ first couple cups of coffee as a Yankee didn’t do much to inspire confidence that his swing could play in the majors yet, showcasing the massive holes that had been apparent down in the minors. He ran a strikeout rate north of 40 percent through June, but a major turnaround began when he was called back up at the end of July. He’s managed to pull back that strikeout rate a touch, still running a high 32 percent in August, and he’s provided a power boost to the lineup in the process. His defense is still awkward at best, but considering how Grisham looks covering balls out there nowadays I’d have a hard time saying Jones is worse.

It’s a tough choice for the Yankees to make, but their best lineup might just be with Jones penciled in rather than Grisham. There’s little else they can do to optimize their chances to win at this point — the infield has been brought up a level with George Lombard Jr. manning shortstop and Luis García Jr. at first base, Cody Bellinger has been one of the best left fielders in baseball and shouldn’t be messed with shifting him around, and Judge will play right field out of necessity but can’t give 100 percent on defense with his rib injury. They have the month of September to figure out which of the two outfielders can ride a hot streak into October, but the odds might favor Jones as he’s adapted his swing since his initial callup. Which one would you trust to start the lion’s share of games going forward? Let us know down below in the comments.

We’ve got a busy day ahead of us while we wait for the late night rubber match out on the West Coast. Peter gives a trio of Yankees the spotlight in his At-Bat of the Week, Andrew has the Rivalry Roundup featuring Freddy Peralta exacting some revenge on the Mets after a terrible first half with them, and Nick gives Monte Pearson his flowers on his birthday. Then in the afternoon we’ve got some division check-ins, with Sam, Jeremy, and John covering the NL East, Central, and West respectively.

Today’s Matchup:

New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Angels

Time: 9:38 p.m. EST

TV: YES Network, ABTV

Venue: Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA

Gavin Williams absolutely dominated the Blue Jays last night.

Guardians hitters hit 3 home runs, all with a man on base.

Stephen Vogt pushed all the right buttons.

It was exactly what this team needed to stay ahead in the WC race, and also what they will need if they make it to the postseason. Also the Orioles lost. So CLE has a 1.5 game cushion over them and the Rangers, with the Jays 2.5 back.

Around baseball

• The Angels were sold. To the guy who did this. But because he also did these things, he will be a massive upgrade over Arte Moreno.

• Parker Messick and Chase DeLauter are wildly overperforming their preseason ZIPS, but not by as much as PCA.

The Athletic | Chris Kirschner (unlocked): The Yankees took a calculated risk in offering Trent Grisham the $22 million qualifying offer last winter, and you could make a fair argument the gamble hasn’t paid off. Grish has been the worst center fielder in baseball by OAA and the slowest at the position as well. He’s looked considerably more vulnerable at the position in the past couple of months, and unlike last year when he was also not great defensively, his 128 wRC+ bat has dropped a full 30 points, making him a below-average hitter. With every run — scored or allowed — meaning something for the Yankees right now, it’s time to wonder if he’s the right player for the September stretch run.

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: Speaking of outfielders, Spencer Jones. The Yankee rookie is starting to get his feet under him in the majors, with a 105 wRC+ on the season and some flashes of being an above-average player. This week’s series in Anaheim is something of a special moment for Jones, who was originally drafted by the Angels out of high school before going on to play college ball at Vanderbilt. Drafted in the 31st round in 2019, Jones was considered by the Angels org to have some two-way potential, but Vandy solidified the power profile into the player we know today.

New York Post | Greg Joyce: Speaking of outfielders, Aaron Judge! The Yankee captain seems as though he will skip a rehab assignment and could be ready to return to the lineup next week in the Bronx. What I said above about every run being meaningful goes double for the three-time MVP, as 75-80 percent of Judge is still better than most of the players you could possibly run out on a field…including arguably the team’s starting center fielder.

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Combining the need to save some bullpen arms, keep Max Fried on a calculated return from injury, and the fact he and Will Warren were lined up to pitch in the same game, Warren will likely act as a piggyback for the Yankee lefty Friday in San Diego. Piggybacking has long been rumored as the next stage of pitching strategy, and after Warren’s excellent start Sunday against the Red Sox, you have to be interested to see how it’ll turn out.

Lastly, we get an update on some bullpen depth decisions. Squeezed out of the active roster mix by the Yankees’ activation of Max Fried, recent Yankee relief addition Justin Topa will remain with the organization. He’s not one of the September “call-ups” — that would be erstwhile Royals reliever John Schreiber and the previously injured Ryan McMahon — but Topa is sticking around at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

One thing about aces is that while they’re usually the best card, in some rare games, they’re the lowest. That’s what happened Tuesday in Pittsburgh, when reigning Cy Young winner Paul Skenes faced off against three-time All-Star and one-time pitching WAR second-place finisher Logan Webb.

By the bottom of the third inning, Skenes had given up five runs and Webb was out of the game after giving up nine runs and failing to record an out. The result was a pitching-light game where the Giants produced two separate five-run innings and still lost, 13-12, on a walk-off error from Osleivis Basabe, on a play that started with a pretty nice stop from the out-of-position infielder. Like the final play itself, was some of the best and worst baseball you’ll ever see from both teams and the rare game that leaves both fanbases scarred and upset.

Should a baseball team have to walk it off in a game where they were up five runs in the 8th inning? Probably not, but that’s what happens when, on the second night in a row, a team failed to respect the bats of Turner Hill and Nate Furman. Hill went 4-for-5 with two runs scored and Furman delivered a game-tying two-run single in the 8th. Furman’s probably already worth what he cost in trade: The last 22 innings of Alex Cobb’s career.

It looked so promising early against Skenes, who has taken a step back in his third season but remains the Pirates’ ace. Osleivis Basabe battled through eight pitches to draw just his third walk of the season, equaling his total of hit-by-pitches. Drew Cavanaugh legged out an infield hit before Tony Vitello decided to get conservative for the apparent pitchers duel by bunting the runners to second and third.

It paid off when Christian Koss hit an RBI single, though Cavanaugh couldn’t repeat his speed demon effort to score from second. Clutch king Turner Hill knocked in Cavanugh with a single and Rafael Devers cleared the bases with his 31st home run of the season.

A 5-2 lead with Webb on the mound? The Giants were in business! Only Webb simply didn’t have his command, evidenced by drilling two hitters in a two-run 1st inning. The Giants got him out of the second inning with an impressive double play, but the 3rd inning was big trouble.

The Pirates hitters were scattering singles like an appreciative lunch buffet audience at the Gold Club. Webb gave up four straight hits, then issued two bases-loaded walks, which is really frowned upon. His night ended after perpetually-struggling former No. 1 pick Henry Davis hit Webb’s 33rd pitch — a 92 MPH fastball down the absolute middle of the plate — for a two-run single.

The improbably-named Braxton Roxby relieved Webb and immediately let Davis, who is no Drew Cavanaugh, steal second base easily. That meant Davis scored on Spencer Horowitz’s single. That was followed by a single from Brandon Lowe (4-for-6, three runs), the 9th straight Pirates hitter to reach base. Usually “batting around” doesn’t mean nine batters and zero outs but the 2026 Giants are a special team.

Roxby finally got an out on a fielder’s choice, then followed it up with a hit batsman and a two-run single from O’Neil Cruz (4-for-6, 4 RBI), who had two separate RBI singles in the 3rd. Final damage? 17 batters, nine hits, two walks, a HBP, a stolen base, and nine runs. It could have been worse, since the Pirates had the bases loaded when the inning finally ended.

But to their credit, the Giants did not cave. Cesar Perdomo, making his major-league debut, struck out four in four innings of relief and yielded only one run, on a Lowe home run.

Perdomo hadn’t pitched above A-ball this season, so this was a very impressive effort for the 24-year-old Venezuelan, who was promoted to the roster just hours before the game. He almost certainly didn’t think he’d be called upon in a Webb start, but he pitched admirably — there’s no shame in letting Lowe go deep for the 29th time this season.

The rookies came through once again. Jonah Cox, who also hadn’t played above A-ball before this season, went 2-for-5 with a walk and legged out an infield hit to get the Giants to 11-6 in the 6th. Cavanaugh, who had less than 200 plate appearances in AAA, went 3-for-5 with a two-run double. We think he’ll get a lower number than #61 next season.

Bryce Eldridge went 1-for-4, but walked twice to give him 49 BBs for the season, which is very encouraging for a 21-year-old. Furman has three hits in his last four at-bats and should get a chance at third base if his tiny body is able to make the long throw, or let Basabe (exceeded rookie limits in 2023) take the hot corner (apologies to all three Shay Whitcomb fans out there). And Braxton Roxby continues to break record for pitching statistics by a man named Roxby, though he has a ways to go to climb the ranks of Braxtons (there’s two other pitchers).

The Giants got to see their old friend Camilo Doval, who worked a scoreless 7th inning with two strikeouts. Thankfully, the Giants still have Parks Harber in the minors from that trade, restocking their reserves of players with extremely silly names.

In the climactic 9th inning, the Pirates were able to convert where the Giants simply couldn’t. Mason Montgomery hit a batter and gave up two hits, including a double from Cox, but got an early double play and induced Jung Hoo Lee (0-for-5 with a walk) to ground out to end the threat. Meanwhile, Carson Seymour gave up two hits, but got unlucky when Basabe couldn’t get Lowe on his final goundout.

It’s certainly better than losing in a blowout, and there were a lot of positives! Still, it was a game where even when the Giants roared back to tie, and Vitello pushed the right buttons, it still felt like they’d blow it. And they did, losing in a brand-new way than their previous 81 defeats.

The 2026 Giants may be bad, really bad. But they’ve still retained the ability to surprise their fans, even when it’s ultimately gut-wrenching. And that’s something.

The Dodgers’ August woes followed them into the first day of September.

Roster expansion, returning three players from the injured list, the mental relief of turning the calendar page — none of that gave the Dodgers the boost they needed against the Cardinals on Tuesday.

Instead, the Dodgers lost 13-8 to a team that entered the day 4 ½ games out of the last National League wild-card spot.

“I just think tonight we just got behind the eight ball,” manager Dave Roberts said.

During the Dodgers’ past seven series (following a high-scoring trip to Chicago), their rotation has recorded a top-five ERA (2.97) in the majors. But on Tuesday, left-hander Eric Lauer coughed up seven runs in three innings.

It was a personal outlier as well in Lauer’s time with the Dodgers. Lauer had given up more than three runs in just two other outings since the Dodgers acquired him from the Blue Jays in mid-May, and Tuesday marked his shortest start.

“I felt good warming up, felt good in the bullpen, then got out there and kind of just lost it,” Lauer said. “And you know it’s one of those things where you try to make adjustments and you try to work on things between, and I think I might have been just tinkering a little too much in between and getting outside of myself. So I think really just focusing on what I do well and repeating that and not trying to get too fancy and getting back to the basics is really all I can do.”

The Dodgers had briefly moved Lauer from the rotation into the bullpen, but he reclaimed his starting role when right-hander Roki Sasaki landed on the IL last week with a blister on his right middle finger.

Lauer’s start Tuesday began to go downhill in the second inning when he gave up back-to-back solo homers to Ramón Urias and Thomas Saggese with two outs.

Those two runs could have been quickly forgotten if Lauer had gotten back on track. The next inning, however, he surrendered five runs as the Cardinals kept chipping away with five singles, a hit batter, a walk and a sacrifice fly.

The Dodgers struck back in the bottom half of the inning — but not exactly with authority.

Read more:Will Smith and Dalton Rushing among Dodgers activated as rosters expand for September

Mookie Betts’ bases-clearing double was assisted by a Cardinals defensive miscue. Right fielder Jordan Walker and second baseman José Fermín both raced after Betts’ shallow fly. As Fermín dashed back, Walker slid to attempt the catch — and took out Fermín’s feet from under him.

The ball fell to the ground. With two outs, Dodgers baserunners were going on contact and all three crossed the plate before Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson could retrieve the ball and throw it.

Betts’ bat stayed hot. And he contributed another RBI double in the fifth — this one smoked up the left-field line to drive in one run. But it didn’t do much to put a dent in the Cardinals’ lead.

The Cardinals continued to tack on against the Dodgers’ bullpen, powered by three more home runs, off right-hander Seth Halvorsen, lefty Alex Vesia and lefty Justin Wrobleski, fresh off the injured list.

Catcher Will Smith, who the Dodgers also activated from the IL Tuesday, put the ball in the air in his first four at-bats and was finally rewarded in the seventh inning with an RBI double. He drove in another run in the ninth, grounding into a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded, as part of a three-run last-ditch rally.

“I think that there were some positives with the at-bats,” Roberts said. “I liked some of the swings. I like taking walks when given to us. I like being able to push and runs across.”

All four players who the Dodgers activated on Tuesday appeared in the game. In addition to Smith and Wrobleski, second baseman Alex Freeland (recalled from triple A) started the game, and Dalton Rushing (reinstated from the IL) struck out in his lone pinch-hit at-bat. Rushing will provide a left-handed bat off the bench until he’s graduated from his throwing program and built up on the defensive side.

The score was so lopsided by the ninth inning that utility player Kiké Hernández took the mound to finish the game — but without his signature pitching helmet.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The White Sox (73-65) rebounded from Monday’s rough loss to the Astros (70-69), defeating Houston behind South Side ace Sean Burke. The righthander earned his eighth win of the season.

Despite getting off to a rocky start in the bottom of the first, Burke battled through his 5 2/3 innings, allowing just one hit while walking three and striking out six. The righty started the game with back-to-back walks. To his credit, Burke battled back from 3-0 to fill the count against Yordan Alvarez, but ultimately walked him to put two runners on with no outs. To be fair, a walk beats Yordan blasting a home run over the right-field wall, so all things considered, I’ll take it. Burke was able to lock in and induce three consecutive fly outs to get out of the jam. There was one final scare when José Altuve drove a ball to the wall in left, but Sam Antonacci had just enough room to make the catch.

Once Burke put the first inning behind him, he recovered beautifully and did not surrender a hit until the fifth. It would be the first and only hit he allowed. Burke labored early, running the count full five times and needing 49 pitches to complete the first two frames. He did, however, limit the damage and kept the Astros off the scoreboard.

The righty settled in during the third, needing only nine pitches to retire Houston in order. He also froze Alvarez with a 95-mph fastball for his second strikeout of the night. Burke rang up two more in the fourth, preserving the no-hitter a little longer. With one out in the fifth, Taylor Trammell poked a double down the right-field line to finally put Houston in the hit column, but Burke moved right along and recorded the final two outs without incident.

On the other side of the ball, the White Sox scattered a few hits through the first four frames but remained relatively quiet until the fifth. Their recent lack of situational hitting carried into the beginning of this one, and the South Siders made Ronel Blanco look much better than his ERA suggested. Blanco entered with an ERA above 7.00 but stranded five runners and kept the White Sox off the scoreboard. He struck out only three over four innings, while three walks helped drive up his pitch count. Still, he worked through the lineup well enough to keep Houston in the game.

It seemed like the Good Guys might have had something going in the second after Tristan Peters walked and Chase Meidroth ripped a base hit to right, but Peters got a bit too aggressive rounding second and was thrown out at third. The play was close, and although Chicago challenged the call, there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn it.

Colson Montgomery has looked a lot better lately, slashing .280/.400/.600 with two home runs, seven RBIs, five walks and 11 strikeouts over his last seven games (25 at-bats). That improvement carried over into tonight’s game. Although Colson struck out in the first, he smoked a single in the fourth for his first of two hits on the night. Unfortunately, the Sox couldn’t capitalize, as Randal Grichuk sent one deep to right — just not deep enough.

Houston went to the bullpen for the fifth, and with Kai-Wei Teng on the mound, the White Sox bats finally started to wake up. Antonacci must have some sort of magnetic force pulling the ball toward his body because he was hit by a pitch for the 25th time this season. His foot took one for the team, igniting a three-run rally that put the Good Guys on the board. Miguel Vargas walked to reach base for the second time, and once again, Andrew Benintendi came through in the clutch, lining a single down the right-field line to drive in the first run of the game. In the next at-bat, Colson followed Benny’s lead by mashing a double into the right-field corner. The ball stayed just fair, bringing home two more and extending Chicago’s lead to 3-0.

The Good Guys took a scoring break in the sixth, but not for lack of trying. With one out, Chase Meidroth put himself in scoring position with a generously scored double, only to get caught in a rundown on Drew Romo’s ground ball. The good news is that the Sox added two insurance runs in the seventh. Tatsuya Imai issued walks to Munetaka Murakami and Colson, and Grichuk brought both of them home with a double to extend the lead to 5-0.

In addition to Burke’s solid performance, the bullpen was on point. Even with a bit of stress from Jordan Hicks in the eighth, the relievers limited the damage and preserved the lead. Lefthander Bryan Hudson relieved Burke and needed just one pitch to end the sixth, thanks to Antonacci’s diving catch for the final out. Hudson returned for the seventh and worked around a single by Trammell, striking out two in a scoreless frame.

With two outs in the eighth, it looked like Hicks was cruising through his appearance. He struck out Alvarez for the second out, but Isaac Paredes added a bit of chaos by smashing a solo shot over the tall left-field wall, cutting the Sox lead to 5-1. Because Houston has half of a Mickey Mouse ballpark, the home run carried just a .050 xBA and would have left only Daikin Park and — you probably guessed it! — Fenway Park. Hicks walked the next two batters to make things a bit dicey, but he struck out Christian Walker to end the threat. Thankfully, the run proved inconsequential.

Vargas led off the ninth with a single up the middle, reaching base for the third time on the night, but three consecutive Ks shut down the White Sox in their final trip to the plate. Vargas’ on-base streak now stands at 18 games, the second-longest active streak in baseball behind Bryce Harper.

The Ump Show briefly took center stage during Colson’s plate appearance. With a full count, he was called out on a pitch-clock violation despite already being in the batter’s box. The umpire ruled that Colson wasn’t engaged with the pitcher. It didn’t matter much with a four-run lead in the ninth, but that made two questionable calls by a home plate umpire in as many days. Lest we forget Monday’s foul-ball-that-wasn’t involving Anthony Kay.

The lack of additional offense was no problem for Grant Taylor, who needed 14 pitches to navigate a 1-2-3 ninth. He struck out two before ending the game with a ground out, securing Burke’s eighth win of the season.

Although they were better with runners in scoring position Tuesday, the South Siders went just 3-for-10 and stranded 10 runners, leaving at least one aboard in all but two innings. On the bright side, Vargas and even Benintendi continue to produce consistently. Colson also appears to be turning a corner, telling CHSN’s Brooke Fletcher during the postgame show that he is feeling much more confident at the plate and trying to build on that momentum.

Sadly, the Cleveland Guardians defeated the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-1, so tonight’s win was much needed to maintain the White Sox’s three-game lead in the AL Central. Our old South Side pal Dylan Cease is scheduled to start for Toronto on Wednesday, and hopefully the Cy Young Award candidate can shut down the Guardians.

The White Sox still trail the Astros, 3-2, in the season series, meaning the South Siders must win the final two games in Houston to secure the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Davis Martin will start for the Good Guys on Wednesday, making his first major league appearance since Aug. 13. The righthander landed on the injured list the following day with a blister on his right middle finger, and the Sox could certainly use a healthy, well-rested Martin for the final month of the season.

MVP
Sean Burke: 5 2/3 IP, H, 0 R, 4 BB, 6 K, WIN (8-6)

Runners-Up
Colson Montgomery: 2-for-4, R, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K, 2B
Miguel Vargas: 2-for-4, R, BB
Randal Grichuk: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, K, 2B
Andrew Benintendi: 1-for-5, R, RBI, K
Bryan Hudson: 1 1/3 IP, H, 0 R, 2 K, Hold
Grant Taylor: 1 IP, 0 H, 2 K

Cold Cat
Jordan Hicks: 1 IP, H, R, 2 BB, 2 K, HR

Runners-Up
Munetaka Murakami: 0-for-4, R, BB, 3 K
Tristan Peters: 0-for-3, BB, thrown out at third

Outhomering the Dodgers five to zip, the Cardinals had no trouble controlling this game right from the jump in a 13-8 blowout win. For the first time since joining the Dodgers, Eric Lauer delivered a bad enough start at home that helps illustrate why he was available in the first place, ready to be scooped up by one of baseball’s strongest teams. Lauer ran into all kinds of issues, first crushed by the long ball and then dealing with a massive rally courtesy of nothing but singles, walks, and an HBP.

The bottom of the Cardinals’ order first gave Lauer problems, with Ramón Urías and Thomas Saggese demolishing fastballs in the middle to upper part of the zone to leave the yard in back-to-back at-bats in the second. Saggese, in particular, was on an inspired night, later also crushing his second homer in the game to triple his total (1) before the start of play. Equally not known for his pop, Urías hit what was only his fourth long ball this season.

Still, both of those were solo shots, and only trailing 2-0, Lauer had a path to find himself once again, but in the third inning, it all quickly unraveled for the veteran southpaw. Six of the inning’s first seven hitters reached safely; a little later, Nathan Church drove in the Cards’ seventh run on an infield single—the runner from first was thrown out trying to go to third on the play, ending the inning with the score 7-0.

A seven-run deficit is a daunting challenge to overcome, but with six innings still to go, the Dodgers had nothing but time, and for a brief moment it looked like they’d get back into it. Back-to-back walks by Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman loaded the bases with two outs in front of Mookie Betts. And probably with more luck than skill, Betts cleared the bags on a fly ball to right that likely should’ve been caught but was aberrantly misplayed by the Cardinals’ defense. The scoring in that inning stopped there, and as much as the end product was promising, you couldn’t help but feel a bit frustrated at the lack of thump—by the end of three frames, the Dodgers had three runs and just two hits.

Understanding full well who they were going up against, the Cardinals made it so that the Dodgers weren’t able to gain much momentum by scoring two of their own in the following frame to make it 10-3. Looking to get in on the fun alongside the bottom of the order, Jordan Walker took Alex Vesia deep in the fourth for a two-run shot, as Lauer got the hook after three dreadful innings of work.

Individually, Betts was the only Dodger who had a big game, showing up again in the fifth with a proper two-out RBI double. However, Max Muncy was retired right after him, stranding a pair and keeping the home side at arm’s length. Undoubtedly, though, the most frustrating inning for the Dodgers came in the sixth. Teoscar Hernández and Alex Freeland came up to hit with runners at the corners, and both were robbed of extra-base hits on fine defensive plays from the Cards’ third baseman and center fielder, respectively.

Fishing for positives in this game, Will Smith looked good in most of his swings, even managing an RBI double in the seventh and adding one more on a bases-loaded groundout in the ninth. That final Smith at-bat represented a recurring theme for the Dodgers in the late innings, often setting up opportunities to make things closer only to not fully capitalize on them. By the time they scored three in the ninth to make it 13-8, there were already two outs, and the Cardinals’ lead didn’t feel threatened.

Game particulars

• Home runs— 2 Thomas Saggese (3), Ramón Urías (4), Jordan Walker (28), Joshua Baez (6)
• WP—Michael McGreevy (6-9): 5 IP, 5 hits, 4 runs, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts
• LP—Eric Lauer (8-7): 3 IP, 8 hits, 7 runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts

Up next

One day you’re facing Chris Sale at the height of his powers, and the next you’re at home trying to outpitch an opposition that will roll with a bullpen game. That’s the scenario in front of Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the second game of this series against the St. Louis Cardinals, starting at 7:10 p.m. (PT).

The St. Louis Cardinals did not forget to ship their bats to Dodger Stadium as they began their west coast trip Tuesday night. I know this because the sound of Cardinals bats hitting balls was everywhere in Los Angeles as they hammered the Dodgers mercilessly, but LA didn’t roll over and just let the Cardinals walk off with the game either.

The Cardinals offense announced its presence in the top of the 2nd inning when Ramón Urías and Thomas Saggese hit back-to-back homers to give St. Louis an early 2-0 lead.

The top of the 3rd inning was even more fun for the Cardinals. José Fermín led off with a single to left and then stole second base. He scored the Cardinals third run when Ivan Herrera singled to center making it 3-0 St. Louis. Jordan Walker then singled giving the Cardinals runners at first and second with nobody out. After Alec Burleson flied out to left, Joshua Baez was barely grazed on his elbow guard by a pitch which loaded the bases for Leo Bernal making his Major League debut Tuesday night. He showed everyone why he’s now in the big league lineup as he lined a solid two-run RBI single to left-center scoring both Walker and Herrera and giving the Cardinals an impressive 5-0 lead.

Thomas Saggese followed that with a sacrifice fly to left scoring Baez making it 6-0 Cardinals and they weren’t done yet. When Nathan Church reached on an infield single, a hustling Bernal scored before Urias was tagged out at third which gave St. Louis a commanding 7-0 lead.

The Dodgers reminded the Cardinals their work wasn’t done in the bottom of the 3rd inning when they scored 3 runs on a play that St. Louis blundered. With the bases loaded, Mookie Betts lifted what looked like an inning-ending pop-out to right, but Jose Fermin and Jordan Walker nearly collided trying to catch it as the ball bounced away from them scoring all runners cutting into the Cardinals lead at 7-3 after 3 innings.

Fortunately, the St. Louis Cardinals answered back quickly as Ivan Herrera drew a walk in the top of the 4th inning. He was able to walk home when Jordan Walker launched a 97 mph fastball that sounded like a cannon coming off of his bat traveling 409 feet into the centerfield seats for a 2-run blast upping the Cardinals lead back up to 9-3. BOOM!

Thomas Saggese must have been binging carbs before Tuesday night’s game as he came up in the top of the 5th inning and went yard AGAIN catching a 91 mph four-seam fastball just right as it soared barely above the right field wall in Dodger Stadium for a 10-3 Cardinals lead.

If only the Dodgers had complied with out wishes and just conceded the game, but alas it was not to be as they drew a little closer in the bottom of the 5th inning when Teoscar Hernandez led off with a single. Two batters later after Freeland grounded into a fielder’s choice, Shohei Ohtani slapped a single to center. Then, two batters later Mookie Betts ripped a double down the left field line which scored Freeland which made a 10-4 Cardinals. Fortunately, that’s all LA would get in the 5th.

With all of the wild offense, Michael McGreevy was having a pretty decent effort on the mound. Truthfully, he probably deserved a better result than he ended up with as he should have been out of the bottom of the 3rd if Fermin and Walker had better communication. However, his stat line still wasn’t bad for a game against the Dodgers lineup. 5 innings pitched allowing 5 hits, 4 earned runs striking out 4 and walking 2. Not an ace performance, but solid. Luis Gastelum took over in the bottom of the 6th inning and he pitched out of a jam – barely. The Dodgers ended up with runners at first and third with just one out, but Luis was saved by some nice glovework from Urias at third who snagged a hot line drive and then Nathan Church caught the final out of the inning with his back up against the centerfield wall.

Have I mentioned the Cardinals brought their bats to California? Joshua Báez put his to good use in the top of the 7th inning when he launched a 96 mph four-seam fastball 404 feet into the left-centerfield seats for a solo blast and a 11-4 Cardinals lead.

The Cardinals bullpen merry-go-round landed in Justin Bruihl’s spot for the bottom of the 7th inning. He drew the ire of the crowd by plunking Ohtani with a pitch and then two batters later nearly clipped Betts who he ended up walking giving the Dodgers two on with just one out. That earned him a place on the bench as manager Oli Marmol brought in Ryan Fernandez in relief to keep the Dodgers at bay. He struck out Rushing, but then gave up a single to Will Smith scoring Ohtani and whittling down the Cardinals lead to 11-5. Fernandez finally was able to get Kyle Tucker to fly out to end the Dodgers 7th.

The Cardinals made it an even dozen in the top of the 8th inning with several assists from the Dodgers. Their first contribution was a walk to Thomas Saggese. Second gift was an errant throw when Nathan Church hit a dribbler to the left side of the infield and the ball was thrown way over first base. Final gift was a wild pitch that scored Saggese to up the Cardinals lead to 12-5. José Fermín isn’t superstitious as he lifted a sacrifice fly to left field scoring Church making it 13-5 St. Louis.

Other than a solitary walk, Ryan Fernandez handled the Dodgers in the bottom of the 8th with no real drama. The Cardinals were unable to add to their tally against position player pitcher Hernandez in the top of the 9th inning, but that wouldn’t matter as long as our bullpen didn’t allow something outrageous in the bottom of the 9th inning. Cade Winquest was given that responsibility. He promptly gave up a line drive single to right by Enrique Hernandez and then walked Betts. Fermin then muffed a ground ball allowing Feduccia to reach first loading the bases with nobody out for LA. A ground ball up the middle from Will Smith that should have probably been a double play ended up being just a force out at second as the throw to first was in the dirt allowing the Dodgers to score a run, but who cares because it’s still just 13-6, right? The slumping Kyle Tucker who was hitless on the night was up next. He flied out to left to Victor Scott II for the second out which scored another Dodger run making it 13-7. Former Cardinal Tommy Edman then ripped a single to right scoring ANOTHER run for the Dodgers edging unnervingly closer at 13-8. Teoscar Hernandez mercifully made the final out of the game, but I have a sneaking suspicion that those arms who had to warm up in the bullpen in the bottom of the 9th will come back to haunt us later on this west coast road trip. Far be it from me to complain about an overall dominant Cardinals victory, though.

It’s game 2 in Los Angeles as the Cardinals take on the billionaires Dodgers Wednesday night. LA will start Yoshinobu Yamamoto while the St. Louis starter is to be determined later. First pitch is scheduled for 9:10pm central time with the game broadcast available via Cardinals.tv.

With a new page of the calendar turned and facing an opponent that would have given them fits two months ago, the Philadelphia Phillies (79-60) continued their ascendancy in the National League playoff hunt with a 7-1 masterclass against the Arizona Diamondbacks (73-67) to push their winning streak to six games.

On a night that saw the Braves, Padres and Cubs all lose, the Phillies padded their contender’s resume behind another gem by Jesus Luzardo (13-5, 3.02) to pull within three games of the division lead and extend their wild card inclusion to six games.

They hopped on Diamondback’s starter, Eduardo Rodriguez, early with a leadoff walk by Kyle Schwarber and an RBI double by Trea Turner. Bryce Harper reached on a cheeky bunt single to put two on for Luis Arraez who grounded into a run-scoring double play to gift Luzardo with a two-run handicap.

Luzardo allowed a solo shot to Jordan Lawlar in the bottom of the fifth but otherwise worked around the few threats posed by Arizona, stranding six runners to go along with six punch outs in 6.2 innings of work.

Alec Bohm singled home Harper in the fifth for a 3-0 lead and the Phillies tacked on three more against Gerardo Carillo in the eighth via a Bryson Stott walk, Justin Crawford pinch hit, Schwarber sacrifice fly and another Harper hit. Bohm led off the top of the ninth with a double and came home on a Stott sac fly to finish the scoring.

Luzardo left with a two-man jam that Jonathan Bowlan cleaned up en route to 1.1 spotless innings and Chase Shugart retired the side in the bottom of the ninth in order to seal the win.

Harper extended his career-best on base streak to 34 games. It was the eighth time in Harper’s career he’s reached base safely five or more times in a game and first since September 3, 2023.

The Phils will look to cap off their successful road trip with a second consecutive sweep tomorrow afternoon as Andrew Painter is slated to face Arizona’s TBD.