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What Ryan McMahon thought was a ray of optimism might have sounded more frightening to those who have watched the Yankees over the past month.

“We got another game later today,” McMahon said in between games of a doubleheader Sunday, “so the day’s not completely spoiled yet.”

A few hours later, it looked headed that way thanks in part to another dismal offensive performance.

But shortly after Fernando Cruz blew a one-run lead in the top of the eighth, Jazz Chisholm Jr. picked him up in the bottom of the frame, belting a home run the other way that lifted the Yankees to a 2-1 win over the Dodgers, splitting a doubleheader and avoiding a series sweep in The Bronx.

Chisholm’s disappointing year — “I’ve sucked all season,” he acknowledged Sunday night — has been one of the bigger reasons the Yankees lineup has faltered without Aaron Judge, but he has now saved them in two of their past six games with a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning or later.

“I think I just forget about all the stuff that happened early in the game and just lock in on that one at-bat,” Chisholm said. “Just try to help my team win any way I can.”

Sunday’s winning blast came off Dodgers reliever Evan Phillips in a 1-1 game and, along with some terrific work from the bullpen besides Cruz, proved to be just enough on a night when the Yankees squandered chances throughout, going 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

“That was a big win, obviously,” said Cody Bellinger, who has been scuffling for about a month but delivered an RBI single in the first inning for the 1-0 lead. “A really good team over there. Pitching was tremendous today. … Scraped one early and they kept us in this game, then Jazz with the huge homer.”

Even after getting dominated by Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s complete game in the opener Sunday afternoon, the Yankees (55-44) finished the day just 1 ¹/₂ games back of the Rays (who were swept by the Red Sox) for first place in the AL East — the closest they have been since June 29.

The rematch of the 2024 World Series featured a pair of 2-1 games — the Dodgers (63-37) taking the second-half opener on Friday — and another close game in Sunday’s Game 1 (the Yankees trailed 3-1 entering the eighth) before the wheels came off as Aaron Boone used his lowest-leverage relievers in an attempt to save his best arms for the nightcap.

That was painful in the moment, but paid dividends in Game 2 as Boone pieced together a bullpen game — 2 ²/₃ innings from Ryan Yarbrough, 2 ¹/₃ innings from Paul Blackburn, two innings from Brent Headrick, one-third of an inning from Fernando Cruz and 1 ²/₃ innings from David Bednar — to reach the finish line.

“You’re not sure exactly how you’re going to piece together the night game and a lot of people did a really nice job to allow us to get that victory,” manager Aaron Boone said.

The Dodgers, whose relentless at-bats forced Cam Schlittler out of Game 1 by the fifth inning, could not do the same in a battle of bullpen games in the nightcap, as the Yankees led 1-0 after seven innings.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS

But Cruz entered for the eighth and his second pitch was a splitter over the heart of the plate that pinch hitter Tommy Edman lifted into the right field seats to tie the game 1-1.

Cruz went on to issue back-to-back walks with one out, leading Boone to call on Bednar to face the top of the order.

Bednar entered and put out the fire, striking out Shohei Ohtani and getting Andy Pages to pop out.

Then, after Chisholm provided the lead, Bednar started off the ninth by walking Freddie Freeman on 10 pitches before retiring the next three batters in order.

“We trust [Bednar] for a reason,” Headrick said. “He’s the best closer in the game and we love having him on our team.”

Things could have been easier on the bullpen if the Yankees lineup had cashed in on key opportunities earlier in the game.

They had runners on second and third with one out in the fourth inning but could not score.

Then in the fifth, they loaded the bases with no outs and still could not push any of them across as Jasson Domínguez struck out, Chisholm popped out on the first pitch and Anthony Volpe whiffed on a full count — a flashback to Game 1 of the doubleheader.

But Chisholm found redemption in his final at-bat to salvage the day.

“I feel like we match up against any team in the league,” Chisholm said. “I feel like we beat ourselves a lot. That stuff, we’re going to clean up as it goes.

“I just feel like we got to keep on trusting each other. We’ve put in the work every day. Guys don’t come here and just not do anything. Guys come in here and work every day. That’s not the problem right now. I just feel like when we trust each other, we play a lot better.”

NEW YORK — At the end of a very long doubleheader day at Yankee Stadium, it took until the penultimate inning of Sunday’s nightcap for someone to finally deliver a fatal blow.

With the score tied in the bottom of the eighth between the Dodgers and Yankees, New York second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. delivered the night’s decisive swing, taking Dodgers reliever Evan Phillips deep to lift the Yankees to a sweep-averting 2-1 win.

For New York, salvation should have come much sooner in a series finale that saw the Dodgers go with a bullpen game.

After scoring a quick run in the first off opener Will Klein, they let the Dodgers hang around and stay within striking distance, squandering a string of repeated chances to further pad their lead.

In the fourth, they had runners at second and third with only one out but came up empty thanks in part to a nice play by third baseman Max Muncy to field a ground ball and throw a runner out at home. In the fifth, the Yankees loaded the bases with no outs off three singles against Jack Dreyer but couldn’t scratch even one run across after Brock Stewart came in and sandwiched an infield pop-up between two strikeouts.

Finally, in the eighth, the Dodgers made their hosts pay, with Tommy Edman coming off the bench for a game-tying pinch-hit home run.

But then, it was the Dodgers’ turn to waste an opportunity. They got two runners aboard later in the inning with one out, only to watch Shohei Ohtani strike out and Andy Pages pop out against Yankees closer David Bednar.

Thus, the stage was set for Chisholm to launch his game-winning blast in the bottom half of the frame, belting an opposite-field drive off a low fastball from Phillips that stayed over the middle of the plate. 

What it means

The Dodgers did not complete a three-game sweep of the Yankees but still leave the Bronx with a series win to begin this nine-game road trip.

At 63-37, they continue to own the best record in the majors, plus an 11 ½-game lead in their division.

Despite Sunday night’s loss, they also got an encouraging performance out of the bullpen — a positive sign for a team that might need to use more bullpen games to compensate for Ohtani’s continued absence from the starting rotation.

Who’s hot

The Dodgers didn’t produce much at the plate Sunday night.

But backup rookie catcher Eliezer Alfonzo provided one memorable moment.

In the third inning, Alfonzo roped a line drive into center for his first career MLB hit, finally breaking through two weeks removed from his emotional debut to snap his 0-for-9 stat line previously.

The knock led to the Dodgers’ best early chance of the night, with Ohtani legging out an infield single behind him. But a flyout from Pages after that ended the inning –– which would be the Dodgers’ only at-bat with a runner in scoring position until their pivotal squandered chance in the eighth.

Who’s not

Two weeks ago, Mookie Betts looked like he was back.

Now, he’s simply back to his previously disappointing form.

After going hitless in four at-bats Sunday night, Betts is now just 4-for-38 over his last 11 games with only one extra-base hit. That slump has dropped his season batting average, which was up to .248 on July 2, back down to .226. His OPS has also fallen from .750 to .689 in that time.

Up next

The Dodgers continue this East Coast road trip with a three-game series against the Phillies beginning Monday. Emmet Sheehan (4-6, 4.81 ERA) will start Monday’s opener at Citizens Bank Park against Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez (11-4, 2.62 ERA).

Sometimes it’s the small victories. After a managing blunder from Aaron Boone in the series opener and a thorough humbling at the hands of Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the second game relegated the Yankees to losses in the first two games of the series, it became imperative that the Yankees find a way to avoid the sweep in both the doubleheader and the series.

Despite Gerrit Cole and Cam Schlittler going in the first two games of the series, the Yankees improbably received their best pitching performance of the series from a hastily assembled bullpen game in the finale. It was far from a vintage performance by the offense against the Dodgers’ cobbled together bullpen game, the Bombers wasting a pair of scoring opportunities in the middle innings to leave the door open for a Dodgers comeback that thankfully stalled before they could take the lead. Jazz Chisholm Jr. provided the decisive blow with the go-ahead solo home run in the eighth, and every reliever not named Fernando Cruz was lights-out to secure the victory, 2-1.

Last time Ryan Yarbrough faced the Dodgers, he authored one of the most improbable starts of any pitcher in baseball last year. He held their mighty lineup to a run in six innings last June at Chavez Ravine, out-dueling Yamamoto in the process — part of a crucial eight-start stretch where he allowed two or fewer runs in seven of those outings to help save the Yankees’ season as the rotation was inundated with injuries in May and June.

He managed to tap into some of that same magic tonight. He retired the first eight batters he faced, needing just 17 pitches to go six up, six down in the first two innings. He couldn’t quite make it through three, Eliezer Alfonzo tallying a single for his first big league hit with two outs and then Shohei Ohtani following with a squibber infield single to the left side. That prompted Boone to call on Paul Blackburn as the first man out of the bullpen. It was expected that Elmer Rodríguez would follow Yarbrough as the bulk reliever — the rookie called up as the Yankees’ designated 27th man earlier in the day — but it’s understandable that Boone go to the recently-minted relief ace Blackburn given the high leverage of the situation. Indeed, Blackburn got Andy Pages to fly out to left to strand the pair he inherited.

The offense had to wait until the fourth to register their first hit (and run) against Yamamoto, so it was nice to see them come out of the blocks firing against opener Will Klein. Paul Goldschmidt kept the first inning alive with a two-out double to the opposite field and Cody Bellinger cashed him in with an RBI single lined up the middle. Jasson Domínguez followed with a single of his own, but Jazz stranded the pair in place by striking out to end the frame.

Kyle Hurt was called up as the Dodgers’ designated 27th man for the doubleheader and entered as the bulk reliever in place of Klein to start the second. Things quieted down for a spell with the two bulk guys in the game, until the Yankees gave themselves a golden opportunity to grow their lead in the fourth. Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells drew a pair of one-out walks and both advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. However, as we have seen countless times in the Boone era, the Yankees made an out at home on an ill-conceived contact play, José Caballero hitting a routine grounder to third and Max Muncy’s throw home beating Volpe by a step-and-a-half. Trent Grisham grounded out to first to strand runners on the corners as the Yankees failed to score.

If you think that was bad, just wait until you see what they did the next inning. They loaded the bases with no outs on three straight singles by Ben Rice, Goldschmidt, and Bellinger to bring Jasson Domínguez to the plate. However, he flailed at four pitches out of the zone to strike out, Jazz popped up a first pitch changeup that was left middle-middle and Muncy caught it in foul territory, and then Volpe chased a 3-2 fastball off the plate for the inning ending strikeout to strand the bases loaded. Probably the worst three batter sequence you are likely to see to Houdini themselves out of scoring a run.

Thankfully for the Yankees, the first two members out of their bullpen appeared to pitch with a steely determination to avoid the sweep. Blackburn gave them 2.1 scoreless innings allowing a hit and a walk. Brent Headrick was even more impressive, twirling two perfect innings in the sixth and seventh and racking up three strikeouts. However, all those wasted opportunities were fated to come home to roost, and indeed they did upon Cruz’s entrance in the eighth. Normally excellent for large stretches this summer, Cruz grooved a 1-0 splitter to pinch-hitter Tommy Edman, and he crushed it to right for the game-tying solo home run. Cruz walked a pair to force Boone out of the dugout to call on his closer, and David Bednar slammed the door on the burgeoning rally to strand the pair.

You wondered whether yet another gut-punch in this series would spiral into a third straight loss. However, Jazz had other ideas in the eighth. He atoned for his pop out with the bases loaded in the fifth with a booming go-ahead solo shot off reliever Evan Phillips. Ryan McMahon followed with a pinch-hit double and Wells drew a walk, the pair advancing into scoring position but ultimately getting stranded by a Grisham pop out.

Bednar navigated around a leadoff Freddie Freeman walk in the ninth, striking out a pair in the frame to nail down the five-out save. The offense remained anemic, scoring two or fewer runs in all three games, and overcame their 11 stranded runners and 2-for-10 showing with runners in scoring position. However, every win is a win, and it’s hard not to feel like this one counts as double given that Yankees were previously 1-9 in their last 10 home games. Thanks to the Rays’ sweep, the Yanks are only a game and a half back of the AL East lead.

The Yankees next welcome the Pirates to the Bronx for three games, thankfully with Paul Skenes having just pitched yesterday. Ryan Weathers gets the series opener against Braxton Ashcraft, who was an All-Star in his own right. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 pm ET Monday night with the broadcast returning to YES.

Box Score

18 innings in one day can sometimes be too much for one team to handle, and that was the case for the Dodgers as they dropped the second half of a doubleheader to the Yankees 2-1.

After both aces battled earlier on Sunday, both teams were relegated to using their bullpens. The Dodgers struck first in the first half of the doubleheader, but old friend Cody Bellinger continued his exciting week with an RBI single against Will Klein to put the Yankees on top 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning.

Both teams were gridlocked throughout the majority of Sunday night, as the Dodgers collected just three hits against the Yankees bullpen through the seventh inning. That all changed when Tommy Edman connected on a Fernando Cruz sinker in the top of the eighth inning and drilled it out to tie the game. It was Edman’s first home run of the season as a left-handed hitter and it was his first home run this year in a regular MLB ballpark.

As soon as the Dodgers found their clutch gene, the Yankees returned the favor against Evan Phillips in the bottom of the eighth inning as Jazz Chisholm Jr. launched an opposite field, go-ahead home run to once again give New York a one-run lead.

David Bednar came in to fan the flames that Cruz created in the eighth inning, and he locked down the door with a scoreless ninth inning to help the Yankees avoid a Dodgers sweep.

Game notes

• Eliézer Alfonzo lined a single up the middle in the top of the third inning, giving him his first career hit at the big league level. Alfonzo finished the game 1-2 before being pinch hit for Dalton Rushing, and he is now hitting .091 over his first 11 big league plate appearances.
• Old friend Ryan Yarbrough was the opener for the Yankees on Sunday night, going 2 2/3 innings while allowing just two hits and picking up a strikeout.
• Brock Stewart and Kyle Hurt provided the most length out of the Dodger bullpen, with both right-handers combining for four no-hit innings while striking out three and walking two.
• Several hitters on the Dodgers are enduring sluggish starts to the second half of the season, as Mookie Betts went hitless over the three games while Freddie Freeman went 1-9 over the weekend with six strikeouts, including a three-strikeout performance on Friday.

Game particulars

• Home runs— Tommy Edman (2); Jazz Chisholm Jr. (14)
• WP—David Bednar(4-3): 1 2/3 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
• LP—Evan Phillips(0-1): 1 IP, 2 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk, 1 strikeout

Up next

The Dodgers continue their east coast excursion in Philadelphia on Monday as they begin a three-game series with the Phillies (4:10 p.m. PT, ESPN). Emmet Sheehan faces All-Star Cristopher Sánchez.

Eliezer Alfonzo jumped on a first-pitch cutter, keeping his hands inside to send it into shallow center field.

Two weeks after making his major league debut under tragic circumstances, Alfonzo recorded his first hit.

“The guys have been supporting me, pushing me every day,” Alfonzo said. “And they told me, ‘You’re going to get it here at Yankee Stadium, it’s going to be really good.’”

It was a heartwarming moment early in the Dodgers’ 2-1 loss to the New York Yankees in the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader. By dropping the series finale after an 8-2 win in the opener, the Dodgers settled for a series win instead of sweep.

Read more:'That's why he's our ace.' Yoshinobu Yamamoto shines with latest complete-game gem

With starting catcher Will Smith sidelined indefinitely because of a neck injury, Alfonzo has served as the backup to Dalton Rushing for the last two weeks.

The morning of Alfonzo’s debut, his sister and stepmother, who had been missing since two powerful earthquakes devastated Venezuela last month, were found dead. Alfonzo still played, honoring them on the field.

“It was good to see him shorten up and get a knock,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Obviously he has gone through a lot so it was good to get that first major league hit here. Behind the plate, he’s been great.”

Alfonzo’s familiarity with the Dodgers’ pitching staff from spring training has helped provide some stability in Smith’s absence. But he had yet to contribute at the plate, going 0 for 9.

Until the third inning of Sunday’s nightcap.

Read more:Shaikin: Shohei Ohtani's knee troubles creating a major pitching dilemma for Dodgers

Alfonzo rounded first base, kissed his closed right hand and pointed to the sky. Then he turned to the visitors dugout, grinned and lifted both fists above his head.

“The first thing I said, as soon as I saw the ball going through, [was] ‘Thanks, God, for this,’” Alfonzo said.

A pitching change later in the inning, after Shohei Ohtani singled, gave Alfonzo a chance to grab a drink of water outside the dugout. His teammates flocked to him, reaching over the railing for high-fives.

Ohtani, who Alfonzo said had encouraged him with “Let’s get the first hit today” before the game, greeted him with: “Congratulations! I told you.”

Notching his first hit at Yankee Stadium was even sweeter, Alfonzo said, because of his grandmother’s affinity for the Yankees.

His teammates made sure to get the ball back. And Teoscar Hernández held it up to show him.

Alfonzo’s two-out single didn’t start a rally. But in the bottom of the fourth, he helped squash one.

Dodgers right-hander Edgardo Henriquez was on the mound as their third pitcher in a bullpen game, and his command was faltering, to the tune of back-to-back walks and a wild pitch. Then with runners on second and third, he induced José Caballero to hit a grounder to third baseman Max Muncy.

Anthony Volpe, the Yankees’ runner on third, took off on contact. Muncy threw on the run to Alfonzo, who was set up on the inside of the basepath. Alfonzo made a diving tag on Volpe to prevent a run.

The Dodgers (63-37) used seven pitchers, the first six combining to limit the Yankees (55-44) to Cody Bellinger’s first-inning RBI single for seven innings. Brock Stewart had a standout performance, entering in the fifth with no outs and the bases loaded and retiring three straight batters. He then threw a clean sixth. Alex Vesia struck out the side in the seventh.

Utility man Tommy Edman’s pinch-hit homer in the eighth tied the score, but with two men on, Ohtani struck out and Andy Pages popped out against Yankees closer David Bednar. In the bottom half, Yankees star Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a solo homer off Evan Phillips to regain the lead. Freddie Freeman led off the ninth with a walk, but Bednar retired the next three Dodgers to end it.

“I think everyone’s pleased with the results of the series,” Phillips said. “But I think what we do well here as a team is treat games individually and just go out there and try to perform well as a group each and every game. So sure, you can look back on the series and reflect and say this was a quality series, but I think everybody’s disappointed about the loss.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Yankees (55-44) beat the Los Angeles Dodgers (63-37) to avoid the three-game sweep at home, 2-1 the final score.

The Yankees now trail the Tampa Bay Rays (56-42) for the AL East lead by just 1.5 games.

Here are the takeaways....

-- The Bronx Bombers took the lead thanks to a two-out rally in the first inning. Paul Goldschmidt doubled, and Cody Bellinger singled him home.

-- Due to the doubleheader, both teams had unusual starting pitchers take the mound tonight. For the Dodgers, reliever Will Klein served as the opener, but was taken out in the second inning. With a fresh bullpen thanks to Yoshinobu Yamamoto's heroic complete game earlier in the day, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts used seven different pitchers in this game. Meanwhile, Yankees manager Aaron Boone handed the ball to lefty Ryan Yarbrough, who pitched a scoreless 2.2 innings. Paul Blackburn picked up where Yarbrough left off, keeping Los Angeles from scoring for another 2.1 innings. Brent Headrick continued to shine in relief for New York, refusing to allow the Dodgers to reach base across two innings, striking out three of the six batters he faced.

-- The Yankees held onto a 1-0 lead for the majority of the game. They could have (and probably should have) had a much safer lead, as they stranded nine baserunners through seven innings, including squandering the bases loaded with nobody out in the fifth. The Dodgers finally broke through in the eighth, tying the game 1-1 when switch-hitter Tommy Edman took a Fernando Cruz splitter out of the park for a solo homer. With two runners on base, David Bednar came in to record the final two outs of the inning.

-- With one out and nobody on base in the bottom half of the eighth inning, Jazz Chisholm Jr. faced Dodgers righty reliever Evan Phillips and blasted his fastball to the opposite field for a home run, restoring the Yanks' lead to 2-1. Ryan McMahon entered the game as a pinch-hitter for Anthony Volpe, sending a frozen rope to center field which bounced on the warning track and leaped the wall for a ground-rule double. With runners on second and third and two outs, Phillips got Trent Grisham to produce a meek infield fly to limit the damage.

-- Facing the heart of the Dodgers' batting order, Bednar stayed in the game with the save on the line in the ninth inning. Leading off, Freddie Freeman worked a ten pitch at-bat and drew a walk before being subbed out of the game for pinch runner Alex Freeland. Bednar battled back, striking out Mookie Betts swinging with a nasty splitter and forcing Kyle Tucker into a groundout via fielder's choice. Edman flied out to shallow left field for the third out, sealing a nervy 2-1 win for the Yankees as Bednar earned his 19th save of the season.

Game MVP: Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Jazz came up clutch with his 14th homer of the year to give New York a late lead they wouldn't relinquish.

Highlights

Cody Bellinger gets the Yankees on the board first! pic.twitter.com/6FvtFG6S3q

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) July 19, 2026

JAZZ CHISHOLM JR. HOMERS AND THE YANKEES LEAD! pic.twitter.com/Ivr9kj1gyd

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) July 20, 2026

What's Next

The Yankees continue their home stand tomorrow night against the Pittsburgh Pirates (52-48) at 7:05 p.m.

The scheduled pitching matchup is Ryan Weathers (4.15 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) for the Yankees and Braxton Ashcraft (3.49 ERA, 1.11 WHIP) for the Pirates.

According to Baseball America, the Cubs have signed 17 of their 21 draft picks already. The only ones that haven’t signed are 11th-round pick RHP Ariston Veasey, 13th-rounder C Emanuel Hernandez, 18th-rounder RHP Luke McGrath and 19th-round pick RHP Luke Guth.

Those four picks still have until a week from tomorrow to sign.

Right-hander Jake Woodford, who opted for free agency four days ago, re-signed with the Cubs and reported to Iowa.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs plucked the Memphis Redbirds (Cardinals), 13-4.

It was a good start for Will Sanders, as he allowed just two runs on two hits over five innings. One of the two runs was unearned. The other one was a home run. Sanders struck out two and walked one as he collected the win.

Ethan Roberts pitched the sixth inning on a rehab assignment and retired the side in order. He did not strike anyone out.

First baseman Jonathon Long had a huge game, going 4 for 6 with two doubles and a solo home run in the third inning. It was Long’s 11th on the year. Long scored two runs and drove in two runs.

Third baseman Owen Miller cranked a three-run home run in the fourth inning, his sixth on the campaign. Miller went 2 for 4 with two walks. He scored two runs.

Finally, center fielder Brett Bateman hit a two-run home run in the top of the ninth. It was Bateman’s third home run this year. Bateman went 2 for 5 with a walk and two runs scored.

Right fielder James Triantos doubled twice in a 3 for 5 afternoon. Triantos scored one run and drove in one.

Second baseman Ben Cowles was 2 for 5 with an RBI triple in the ninth. He scored twice.

Catcher Moisés Ballesteros went 2 for 5 with a walk. He stole two bases and had two RBI.

Jonny Long goes deep

Owen Ayers went 1 for 4 with a walk. Here’s the RBI single.

Triantos’ first double.

Miller’s home run.

Trianto’s second double.

Cowles hits a triple.

Bateman showing some uncommon power.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies got burned by the Montgomery Biscuits (Rays), 10-2.

Starter Kevin Valdez gave up four runs in the bottom of the first inning and the Smokies never overcame that. The final line on Valdez was four runs on nine hits over 3.1 innings. Valdez struck out two and walked no one.

First baseman Edgar Alvarez went 2 for 4 and scored one run.

DH Ariel Armas was 2 for 4.

Catcher Ethan Hearn went 1 for 4 and drove in both Knoxville runs.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs reassigned the Peoria Chiefs (Cardinals), 7-0.

Kohl Franklin returned to South Bend on a rehab assignment and pitched quite well. Franklin tossed 4.1 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits. Franklin struck out four and only walked one.

The win went to Pierce Coppola, who tossed three innings of scoreless relief. Coppola surrendered two hits and issued two walks while striking out two.

Shortstop Angel Cepeda hit a solo home run in the sixth inning, his second on the season. Cepeda was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Left fielder Jose Escobar was 3 for 4 with two runs batted in.

Center fielder Kane Kepley went 1 for 2 with a walk and he was hit by a pitch. Kepley also left the game after his head collided with the Chiefs shortstop’s knee in the sixth inning. Kepley scored one run and had one run batted in before he exited.

Cepeda’s home run.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans were broadsided by the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (White Sox), 10-2. It was the Birds’ fourth-straight loss.

Noah Edders started and got the loss. Edders went three innings and gave up four runs on six hits. Edders struck out three, walked two and hit one.

Third baseman Derniche Valdez went 2 for 4 with an RBI.

DH Alexey Lumpuy was 1 for 4 with a triple and one run scored.

ACL Cubs

Off day. The Arizona Complex League season ends on Thursday. The Cubs will not make the (short) playoffs.

June was a bad offensive month for the Braves. The first 12 games of July were a mixed bag: some good outputs, but questionable inputs. Still, it got the Braves to a 6-6 record. Then the All-Star Break came and went, and the Braves started the “second half” with a home series against the Rangers.

Good news! The bats not only showed up, they went more or less ham on Texas pitching. The Braves won the series and pushed their division lead back to three games. The Braves hit three homers in the series-opening win, followed with two more in the Game Two loss, and then hit four more in the rubber game. It was the fourth time (two of those were overlapping) that the Braves had three multi-homer games in a row. The nine homers in three games is the third time they’ve done that (they actually had four in a three-game stretch earlier in July). While it’s not clear if the Braves can keep this up (three homers a game is a very tall order), Drake Baldwin looks back and even Austin Riley went off in this series. Things may not be sanguine yet, but this outcome was way better than a loss.

The Rangers also came into this series with a decent pitching staff, and two of the starters they deployed have been having pretty good seasons (the third was Cal Quantrill…), so this series was less the Braves beating up on patsies all weekend, and more one patsy and some pretty good offensive performances in the summer Atlanta heat.

Friday, July 17

Braves 15, Rangers 1

The Braves started the second half with a good ol’ fashioned clobberfest, courtesy of Cal Quantrill, who participated in some clobberfests of his own while eating innings with the Braves last year.

The box score in this one was ridiculous: Drake Baldwin, Matt Olson, and Austin Riley all homered, Baldwin had three hits and a walk while driving in five, every Braves starter had at least one hit, and even Victor Mederos got in on the action with a two-run hit… against a position player pitching. Meanwhile, Chris Sale, whose prior start was shortened by rain and who sat on the bench during the All-Star Game, came out firing and hurled seven scoreless frames with a 6/0 K/BB ratio.

This one was Braves all the way, a palate cleanser for much of the Braves’ struggles over the past five-ish weeks. And if you figured that Drake Baldwin was back after his rushed-back-from-injury slump after this one, well… you weren’t wrong.

Saturday, July 18

Rangers 7, Braves 6

…And all the good vibes of the first game post-Break came crashing down in this one. Temporarily, but crashing down nonetheless.

Most one-run games are kind of weird, and this one definitely fit the bill. The Braves were done in by bad defense, of all things — as they couldn’t stop the Rangers from rallying with a bunch of grounders. This has been a good defensive team even when it hasn’t been a good pitching team or a good offensive team, so having the defense fail to show up and condemn the team to a one-run loss is kind of lame.

It was also kind of lame because the Braves tried hard to win this game. Owen Murphy made his first career start and had it go pretty blah-y, with a 2/2 K/BB ratio and a homer allowed (to old pal Joc Pederson, the first batter of the game) while getting just eight outs. The pitching management was fairly aggressive, especially as a miscommunication in left field started a Rangers rally that Murphy and the gloves couldn’t really staunch, but despite all that, the game was ruined in the sixth. There was a double that Mauricio Dubon (part of the miscommunication earlier) couldn’t snag on a dive, and that was immediately followed by a thanks, short porch homer off Tyler Kinley that tied the game. After a walk, the Braves summoned Dylan Lee to at least try to preserve the tie, but… ball-hit-too-weakly-to-be-double-play, ball-hit-weakly-and-Ozzie-Albies-didn’t-throw-it-for-some-reason, hard-grounder-that-Jim Jarvis-couldn’t-snag-on-a-dive, and seeing-eye-single-to-score-two-runs did the Braves in.

The Braves threatened a few times afterwards and even scored another run, but couldn’t find the grass needed to re-tie the game. Michael Harris II and Eli White had the homers in this one; Baldwin had two hits, but also ended two innings late with outs, even though one was a liner that would’ve really helped were it not hit right at the third baseman.

Sunday, July 19

Braves 8, Rangers 5

Drake Baldwin and Austin Riley both hit a pair of dingers; Riley also came through with a pull-away two-run single late, as the Braves took the rubber game. The Braves jumped ahead early, scoring a single run in each of the first four frames against Nathan Eovaldi.

Amazingly, Grant Holmes managed to get by relatively unscathed two whole times through the order… which meant that the Braves more or less stood by and let him struggle through a three-run fifth. Fortunately, that decision didn’t end up hurting in the standings, as there was no bullpen-and-defense-based heartbreak in this one. Instead, a couple of defensive miscues set up a bases loaded situation in the seventh, and Riley unloaded the bags by singling up the middle. Brewer Hicklen got in on the action with an RBI double of his own.

The Rangers managed to score a couple of runs off Dylan Lee and Raisel Iglesias, but it wasn’t enough to deny the Braves a series win.

With the Phillies dropping a series to the Mets (somehow), the Braves have at least a tiny bit of breathing room as the Padres come to town. That’s kind of a good thing, because A) the Braves were swept by the Padres earlier this season, but also B) the Braves haven’t won a series against the Padres in two years, and haven’t won a home series against the Padres since 2018. They’ll have that chance this week, though.

Record-setting performances are becoming routine for Hunter Goodman of the Colorado Rockies.

Just five days after having appeared in his second consecutive All-Star game, Goodman etched his name in Colorado franchise history on July 19.

The Rockies catcher slugged three home runs against the Cincinnati Reds in the finale of a three-game series at Coors Field for Goodman’s second three-home run game of the season.

He also slammed three roundtrippers June 27 at Minnesota.

Goodman becomes the first player in franchise history to have multiple three-home run games in the same season.

“Definitely cool knowing all the guys, the great players that have played here, the Hall of Famers who have played here,” Goodman said about securing his special spot in Rockies history as he finished with five RBI in his team’s 9-6 loss to the Reds.

“It’s a pretty cool accomplishment,” he added before a throng of media in the Rockies clubhouse.

Goodman, who now has 30 home runs this season, becomes the fourth player in franchise history with at least two, three-home run games in their careers.

Hall of Famer Larry Walker did it three times while fellow Hall of Famer Todd Helton accomplished the feat twice. Carlos González also achieved the distinction on two occasions in his career.

With his 30 homers in 101 team games in 2026, Goodman becomes the fourth-fastest Rockie to reach 30 homers in a season. Vinny Castilla attained 30 homers in 97 games in 1998 to reach the total in the fewest number of games.

Goodman now has five multi-homer games this season to lead the Majors and has 10 multi-homer contests in his career.

The three-home run performance came on a sunny, 92-degree summer day in Denver,

“It’s a July day game, hot, Coors Field…the ball tends to fly on those days,” Goodman said.

“And then I got some good pitches to hit.” 

Goodman belted a solo shot off Cincinnati starting pitcher Hunter Greene in the first inning then added a two-run blast off Greene in the sixth. His third homer of the day, another two-run shot, came against Reds reliever Sam Moll in the eighth inning.

Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer praised his catcher’s offensive output.

“His body looks like it’s flowing right,” Schaeffer said. “He looks dangerous. He just looks in sync. Today he was, obviously, with three homers. He was really good. You can see the confidence seep out.”

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The Milwaukee Brewers are set to host the second of three series during their current homestand, as they’ll welcome the New York Mets to town for three games beginning Monday evening. The Brewers currently sit at 62-37 and in first place in the NL Central after sweeping the Marlins this weekend, six games ahead of the second-place Cubs. The Mets sit in dead last in the NL East and with the fourth-worst record in baseball at 42-58, and they’ve already fired their manager. They’re coming off a nice series win in Philadelphia, though, as they took two of three from the Phillies.

The Brewers are currently without pitchers DL Hall (on rehab assignment), Kyle Harrison (late July), Rob Zastryzny (late July), Joel Kuhnel (late July or early August), Brian Fitzpatrick (out for season), Brandon Woodruff (out for season), Quinn Priester (out for season), and Angel Zerpa (out for season). Outfielders Brandon Lockridge and Sal Frelick, along with infielder David Hamilton, are also shelved, with Lockridge and Hamilton expected to return in late July and Frelick’s return TBD, as he’ll undergo imaging on his shoulder injury this week.

New York is without pitchers Clay Holmes (late July), Austin Warren (late July), Justin Hagenman (late July or early August), Tylor Megill (the younger brother of Trevor) (out for season), Reed Garrett (out for season), and Dedniel Núñez (out for season). First baseman Mark Vientos is out until late August with a fractured hand, and outfielder Luis Robert Jr. may be activated for this series after missing the last two-plus months with a lumbar spine disc hernia.

Jake Bauers continues to set the pace for the Brewers with 18 homers, followed by Brice Turang (14), Jackson Chourio (13), and William Contreras (10). Garrett Mitchell has been the Crew’s best hitter over the last month or so, and Gary Sánchez, Christian Yelich, Joey Ortiz, Andrew Vaughn, Luis Lara, Cooper Pratt, Blake Perkins, and Braden Shewmake round out what has been a balanced offensive attack for the Brewers. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .253/.337/.396 (.733 OPS ranks 10th), with 91 homers (last), 502 runs (tied for fourth), and 98 steals (fourth).

Juan Soto has easily been New York’s best hitter, slashing .290/.409/.552 with 21 homers. Francisco Alvarez and Carson Benge have 11 homers apiece, while Bo Bichette has added 10. Jared Young, Marcus Semien, Brett Baty, Tyrone Taylor, A.J. Ewing, and Jorge Polanco round out the regulars, with Eric Wagaman, Brett Baty, and Luis Torrens providing depth. As a team, the Mets are hitting .234/.304/.382 (.686 OPS ranks tied for 27th), with 117 homers (16th), 409 runs (25th), and 49 steals (24th).

Aaron Ashby sets the pace for Milwaukee’s bullpen with 47 appearances this year, pitching to a 3.43 ERA with 78 strikeouts over 57 2/3 innings. Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill have been the most effective arms in the back end of the ‘pen, with Chad Patrick, Grant Anderson, Craig Yoho, Lance McCullers Jr., and Bryse Wilson rounding out the lower-leverage arms. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.45 team ERA (second), including a 3.38 starter ERA (second) and a 3.54 bullpen ERA (fourth). They’ve struck out 960 batters (second) over 886 2/3 innings.

Huascar Brazobán, Brooks Raley, and Luke Weaver lead the Mets in appearances, and each of them has an ERA in the low- to mid-2.00s. Former Brewer Devin Williams has 14 saves in 17 opportunities this year but has a 4.68 ERA over 32 2/3 innings. Kodai Senga has been moved to the bullpen as he has a dismal 8.85 ERA and 0-7 record this year, while A.J. Minter has been solid with a 1.80 ERA over 20 frames. Cionel Pérez (5.14 ERA) and Xzavion Curry (2.70 ERA) round things out. As a staff, the Mets have a 4.23 team ERA (17th), including a 4.44 starter ERA (21st) and a 4.00 bullpen ERA (14th). They’ve struck out 918 batters (third) over 891 2/3 innings.

Probable Pitchers

Monday, July 20 @ 6:40 p.m.: RHP Jacob Misiorowski (10-4, 1.62 ERA, 2.09 FIP) vs. RHP Freddy Peralta (5-8, 4.66 ERA, 4.39 FIP)

A matchup of the former ace vs. the current ace. Misiorowski, who has had a lengthy layoff to give him a bit of extra break, hasn’t pitched since July 7 against the Cardinals. He’s 10-4 this year with a 1.62 ERA, 2.09 FIP, and 167 strikeouts across 111 innings. He picked up the win in that game against St. Louis, allowing three runs on three hits and no walks while striking out 11. Misiorowski’s lone start against the Mets came last July in New York, when he took the loss as he allowed five runs on five hits and three walks, striking out two over 3 2/3 innings.

Peralta, 30, is in his first season with New York after being traded by the Brewers in the offseason. The nine-year veteran has had his worst full season to date, as he’s pitched to a 4.66 ERA, 4.39 FIP, and 104 strikeouts over 104 1/3 innings this year. He got hit for two runs on three hits and five walks, striking out six over just 4 1/3 innings in his last outing against the Red Sox, a 4-0 loss. This marks Peralta’s first career start against his former team.

Tuesday, July 21 @ 6:40 p.m.: RHP Brandon Sproat (3-4, 5.16 ERA, 5.11 FIP) vs. LHP Zac Thornton (0-1, 2.60 ERA, 2.99 FIP)

Sproat, who was acquired in the aforementioned Peralta trade with the Mets, made his debut with New York last season. He’s shown flashes of his potential but hasn’t fully put things together just yet, with a 5.16 ERA, 5.11 FIP, and 87 strikeouts over 82 innings. Walks and hit batters have plagued the young right-hander, as he has 39 free passes to go with nine hit batters. That was exactly what gave him fits in Pittsburgh last weekend, when he allowed three runs (two earned) on two hits, two walks, and three hit batters, striking out three over three innings. This marks Sproat’s first start against his former squad.

Thornton, 24, ranks as the Mets’ No. 12 prospect by MLB Pipeline. The Winona, Minnesota product was drafted in the fifth round in 2023 out of Grand Canyon University, and he’s made three starts in the majors thus far, pitching to a 2.60 ERA, 2.99 FIP, and 15 strikeouts over 17 1/3 innings. He started last weekend against the Red Sox in what was his best start yet, allowing no runs on two hits and two walks, striking out five over seven innings on just 82 pitches, though he took a no-decision as the Red Sox went on to win in extras. This marks Thornton’s first career start against Milwaukee.

Wednesday, July 22 @ 1:10 p.m.: RHP Logan Henderson (3-1, 2.97 ERA, 2.71 FIP) vs. RHP Christian Scott (3-1, 2.87 ERA, 3.77 FIP)

Henderson continues to impress, as he now has 12 MLB starts across parts of two seasons, pitching to a 2.45 ERA, 2.84 FIP, and 71 strikeouts over 58 2/3 innings. He went five innings in a no-decision against the Marlins in Friday’s series opener, allowing one run on three hits and no walks, striking out four on 73 pitches. This will mark Henderson’s first career start against New York.

Scott, 27, is in his second major league season after making nine starts for the Mets back in 2024. In 13 starts this year, he’s pitched to a solid 2.87 ERA, 3.77 FIP, and 72 strikeouts over 59 2/3 innings. He’s looked great in each of his last two appearances, totaling 10 2/3 innings with no runs allowed and 12 strikeouts against the Royals and Phillies. This marks Scott’s first career appearance against Milwaukee.

How to Watch & Listen

Monday, July 20: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Tuesday, July 21: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Wednesday, July 22: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Prediction

These are two teams with completely opposite philosophies — the Mets like to spend money and lose; the Brewers like to save money and win. Give me the Crew to win two of three.

The Houston Astros continue to shuffle the deck with their pitching staff.

SP Ronel Blanco, who hasn’t pitched in the majors since May 18, 2025 due to Tommy John surgery, will return to the roster on Monday and get the start against the Miami Marlins at Daikin Park.

Blanco has pitched well on his rehab assignment. In 5 games covering 17 innings, Blanco is 1-0 with a 1.06 ERA. He has allowed 2 runs on 12 hits, walked 6 and struck out 13 in that time. Blanco’s velocity has also mirrored that of his pre-injury days.

After today’s loss to the Baltimore Orioles, the Astros optioned RP Bryan King to Triple-A Sugar Land.

Since joining the team in 2024, King has been a solid reliever for the Astros, but has been in a bad rut of late. Not only has he allowed runs in each of his last 4 outings, but he has allowed at least 1 home run in each of his last 4 outings. In his last 4 outings, covering 5 innings, he has allowed a total of 5 home runs. He has allowed 8 runs overall in that time on 10 hits, walked 2 and struck out 4.

King’s strikeout rate is down notably this season, sitting at 7 K/9 entering today’s game. It was 9.1 K/9 last season and 10.9 K/9 in 2024.

Multiple Astros pitchers this season have been optioned to Sugar Land, only to be later have that option cancelled and be placed on the MLB 15-day IL instead. Whether King has an injury at this time is unknown, but he is in the middle of the worst stretch of his career.

The potential swap of King for Blanco still leaves the Astros with only 12 pitchers, and 14 position players. Teams can carry up to 13 pitchers, but not more than that.