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West coast games have not agreed with the Brewers this season. For the sixth time this season, the Brewers gave up double-digit runs in a game, and three of those have happened on the west coast. This time, it was an 11-2 loss to the Padres on Wednesday night in San Diego.

The game started off well enough for Kyle Harrison, who needed just ten pitches to get through the first inning despite allowing a single. However, it all started falling apart in the second. The inning started with back-to-back singles by Jackson Merrill and Austin Hays. Then, with runners at first and second, catcher Luis Campusano hit a ground ball directly to David Hamilton at third base. It was a tailor-made double play at minimum, and potentially even a chance at a triple play. Hamilton stepped on third and threw to Jihwan Bae at second, but Bae missed the catch. It should have been a error, but is not counted as one since by rule, you can’t assume a double play will be turned.

That loomed large as the inning continued. Xander Bogaerts popped out for the second out, but then Jake Cronenworth hit a double to left to score a run. After that, Fernando Tatis Jr. worked a full count, and then drew a walk after a challenge on a called strikeout. That brought up former Brewer Luis Rengifo. On the second pitch he saw, Harrison threw a fastball right down the middle, and Rengifo sent it far out over the left field fence. The Padres had a 5-0 lead.

From there, it might as well have been an insurmountable lead as the Brewers flailed against Walker Buehler. In his six inning start, he threw just 58 of his 98 pitches for strikes, and that was with the Brewers’ hitters taking some bad swings. They did get a run off him in the third on a Jackson Chourio groundout with runners at second and third base, but that was all. That was the only run Buehler allowed, finishing his day with just one run, three hits, and two walks allowed while striking out five.

Meanwhile, Harrison had to keep pitching to not use up the bullpen, but his struggles were not done. He allowed a solo home run to Tatis Jr. on the first pitch of the fourth inning. The next inning, he allowed a two-run home run to Campusano. His day came to an end at 4 2/3 innings pitched, allowing eight runs on ten hits and three walks with just three strikeouts. His fastball velocity was notably down throughout the start, averaging between 92 and 94 mph, and topped out at 94.5 mph.

Bryse Wilson, fresh on a new contact after he elected to become a free agent, ended up as the bulk pitcher for the next few innings. The Padres scored three more runs off him in the sixth, but he made it through the seventh scoreless. He pitched 2 1/3 innings and allowed three runs on five hits with two strikeouts.

Gary Sánchez came in to both pitch and hit in the eighth inning. Despite allowing two hits while featuring a 35 mph curveball and fastball that topped out at 87 mph, he made it through the inning scoreless.

The Brewers did get one run back in the ninth off of Griffin Canning. Singles from Luis Lara and Andrew Vaughn put two runners on base, and Brice Turang doubled to right to score one run. That was in as Brandon Lockridge grounded out to end the game.

Despite entering the game in the seventh inning, Vaughn led the offense with a two-hit day. The only other batter to reach base twice was Garrett Mitchell, who had a hit and a walk. As a whole, the offense managed just seven hits and three walks.

The Brewers will look to salvage a game in this series tomorrow afternoon in the series finale. Dustin May will face Robbie Ray on Wednesday. First pitch is set for 3:10 p.m.

EDIT: The injuries continue to build for the Brewers. Not only is William Contreras dealing with soreness after being struck on the arm, Brice Turang has a sprained thumb now as well.

The Yankees woke up Tuesday six games back of first-place Tampa Bay in the AL East.

It was their largest deficit of the season. 

They are still awaiting the return of three of their most important lineup fixtures in Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton. 

For a team that acknowledged in spring training and early in the regular season the importance of winning the division after falling just short a year ago, the Yankees have got their work cut out with just about a quarter of the season left. 

“Nothing changes,” Aaron Boone said Tuesday of the team’s objectives before before they beat Mariners 4-1 at the Stadium. 

That’s true even with Judge sidelined since the end of May and no timeline disclosed for his return from his fractured rib. 

Bellinger looks to be progressing in his comeback from a strained hamstring, and Stanton ran the bases Tuesday. 

Without that trio, the Yankees lineup has gone into the tank. But after initially withstanding the loss of Judge — when the Yankees built a 3 ½-game lead June 17 — they’ve slipped further behind the surging Rays. 

They’ve so far been able to fight off Boston for second place in the division. 

Despite the gap that exists between the Yankees and Rays, Gerrit Cole echoed Boone’s belief that a second division title in three years remains not just within reach but expected. 

“To be honest with you, I didn’t know how many games it was, but we’re not gonna change our mindset,” Cole said. “Our mindset is to win the division.” 

And that will continue to be the case until they’re eliminated. 

“The six games [deficit] is relevant statistically, in a sense, but we haven’t moved the goalposts,” Cole said. “You don’t do that till it’s over.” 

The blows to the roster don’t alter anything, according to Cole. 

“Regardless of who we have, that’s the standard we should be accountable to,” Cole said. “That’s always our focus.” 

For the Yankees to flip the standings, they’ll have to get more out of the lineup before their stars return. 

Jazz Chisholm Jr. has acknowledged his part in the struggling offense and said catching Tampa Bay was within reach. 

“It’s still a realistic goal to win the division,” Chisholm said. “If they go on a losing streak and we do well, it would be there for us. It’s baseball. Anything can happen.” 

The Yankees don’t have to go too far back for inspiration. 

On Aug. 23 last season, they were in third place, 6 ½ games behind first-place Toronto and also trailing the Red Sox. 

And even with just 12 games to play, they were still five games back of the front-running Blue Jays before going 11-1 to close to within one game. 

They fell short and Toronto knocked them off in the ALDS. 

“We just have to go day by day,’’ Chisholm said. 

Ryan Weathers’ time in the rotation may come to an end sometime this month, especially with Carlos Rodón possibly coming back into the rotation after one more rehab start.

But Weathers isn’t going to make the decision an easy one.

The lefty delivered his fourth straight excellent start in Tuesday’s 4-1 win over Seattle. He gave up just one run over 5 ²/₃ innings, touched for a solo homer by Randy Arozarena with one out in the top of the sixth.

At that point, the lethargic Yankees offense still hadn’t scored, which seems to be a nightly occurrence in The Bronx.

But the solid work by Weathers allowed the Yankees to come back in the bottom of the seventh, when they finally broke through against the Mariners with four runs.

Weathers entered Tuesday having given up just one run over 18 ²/₃ innings in his previous three starts and was excellent again while facing a Mariners team that’s been in a similar scoring drought to the Yankees.

“I’m in this organization to win ballgames at this level,” Weathers said after the game. “Whatever that means, I think I’m a valuable asset in any role. That’s what I want [Aaron Boone] to know about me. If I’m in the bullpen, that’s fine.”

Despite his run of success, there has been the thought that Weathers’ stuff would translate to the bullpen better than right-hander Will Warren’s.

But pitching coach Matt Blake said the team hasn’t determined how they will handle the rotation once Rodón gets back from his inflamed elbow.

“Weathers is throwing the ball extremely well lately, and there are a lot of valuable innings to be had as a starter,” Blake said. “I don’t think we’ve made a decision one way or the other with Carlos coming back. We’ll let it play out. It usually sorts itself out, as it has so far this year.”

Another factor to consider is that Weathers has also had a much heavier workload than in any of his other five major league seasons.

Prior to this year, he’d never started more than 18 games or pitched more than 94 ²/₃ innings as a major leaguer. He pitched a combined 136 ²/₃ innings between the majors and minors in 2023.

After Tuesday’s performance, his 23rd start of the year, he’s up to 126 ²/₃ innings.

“I feel great,” Weathers said. “My arm is really good.”

Still, even Weathers is intrigued by the possibility of moving to a relief role, at least down the stretch.

“In the bullpen, who knows what I can do?” Weathers said. “It’s a shorter burst and you’re not setting up hitters. You just throw nasty stuff and get three outs. And in the playoffs, all bets are off at the end. I just want to be a Swiss Army knife.’’

He was good enough to throw 22 ²/₃ consecutive scoreless innings before Arozarena took him deep, which also ended his streak of having retired 11 batters in a row.

Weathers continued using a different pitch mix, featuring his sinker and slider more, with less of his four-seam fastball and sweeper.

The results have followed, with fewer homers allowed.

“He’s got a great handle on who he is and what he needs to do,’’ Aaron Boone said. “He’s executing at a high level right now.”

The Texas Rangers scored two runs but the Anaheim Angels scored three runs.

The Rangers had two paths they could take tonight. They could win tonight’s game and inch a smidge further from being a .500 ballclub or they could lose and be right back at .500. It’s pretty easy to guess which direction they took.

Despite leading 1-0 just three pitches into the game against a starter with a 7+ ERA on the year, the Rangers only scored one more run all game against a team so broken half their pitching staff have like single-digit big league careers and the entire pitching coaching staff was just fired.

The Rangers had plenty of chances to score, and indeed eight opportunities with RISP, but capitalized on just one of them when they had to send in Jarred Kelenic to pinch hit, a guy they didn’t think was as good as Jonah Bride like four days ago.

Despite leadoff man Joc Pederson reaching in each one of his PAs tonight, Wyatt Langford and Corey Seager went a combined 0-for-8 with several missed chances to plate runs. When the Angels got a runner on from the bottom of their lineup, the top of the order capitalized and that was ultimately the difference.

Scoring only two runs mattered because the Angels scored three of them. All three of them came in the bottom of the third when tonight’s starter Cody Bradford had one of those MacKenzie Gore-esque innings that got away from him with three of Anaheim’s five hits on the night coming in the frame.

Despite the three-run third, Bradford ultimately went seven innings on just 75 pitches. Allowing three runs to the Angels shouldn’t be demoralizing but for the Rangers, it apparently is.

The Rangers have now lost four of five games in Anaheim this season and five of eight games overall against the Angels. If they don’t make the playoffs, getting manhandled by a team the rest of the league wipes their shoes on is as good a reason as any for why.

Player of the Game: Pederson hit the lead off home run and then drew three walks. He only scored one run. You do the math.

Up Next: The Rangers and Angels will play again tomorrow night and hey, at an even later hour this time. RHP Cal Quantrill will make the start for Texas in Nathan Eovaldi’s stead while the Anaheims will turn to RHP George Klassen.

The Wednesday night first pitch from the Big A is scheduled for 9:10 pm CT and will be aired nationally on ESPN.

The Athletics dropped the second game of their three-game series against the Rays on Tuesday night, losing in embarrassing fashion to Tampa Bay 12-4 on a warm night in Sacramento. The A’s will now have their backs up against the wall tomorrow as they’ll hope to avoid the sweep in front of the home crowd. And with the Angels’ win tonight, they need a win to avoid the cellar of the American League. How did it come to this?

Tampa didn’t wait to get going against A’s starter Mason Barnett. Just two batters into the game the Rays were up 2-0 thanks to a two-run blast off the bat of Rays slugger Junior Caminero, his 35th of the year which puts him in a tie for the league lead.

Tampa would add on another in the third inning thanks to two walks and a wild pitch from Barnett, then three more in the fourth off back-to-back home runs, another two-run blast and a solo home run. After four innings the Rays had already tagged Barnett for six runs (five earned). That would be it for Barnett in this one, making way for lefty Brady Basso to start the fifth inning.

• Mason Barnett: 4 IP, 5 H, 6 R (5 ER), 3 BB, 0 K, 3 HR, 67 pitches

Not a great outing from Barnett and that’s back-to-back duds from the righty. There’s no guarantee he’s assured another start the next time through the rotation but with the lack of other options it’s likely he gets another go, which would come next against the team that traded him, the Kansas City Royals. Not a bad matchup to let the young pitcher go prove something.

Meanwhile the A’s were facing Tampa Bay right-hander Nick Martinez. The offseason acquisition has been a godsend for the Rays and is having a career year at age 36. That strong season continued tonight against the slumping A’s. Through the first three innings the club managed just one hit.

They would finally break through against Martinez in the fourth courtesy of a home run off the bat of Lawrence Butler, a two-run blast to cut into the Tampa lead:

That’s #8 on the year for Butler. Who else thinks the club rushed him back from double knee surgery this past offseason?

Tampa would add on another in the sixth off another solo home run off Basso, then two more off another two-run shot off Luis Medina in the seventh. And just for good measure a three-run home run off Yunior Tur in the eighth, their sixth long ball of the night.

That Butler homer was more or less it for the Green & Gold in this one. The A’s would add on two meaningless runs in the bottom of the ninth off a Carlos Cortes double but that was it as Martinez threw a 101-pitch complete game.

A tough night all around in every facet of the game. The pitching didn’t show up, the offense was silent outside of a Lawrence Butler home run, and now the A’s are facing the prospect of getting swept at home. Things are not going well in any sense of the word right now. Last place in the American League is a place we could possibly be by the end of the day tomorrow.

The series wraps up tomorrow afternoon in what’s expected to be a scorcher at the ballpark. Tampa Bay will go with right-hander Drew Rasmussen in the finale. Tampa’s ace is putting together another strong campaign leading the Rays’ pitching staff with a 2.75 ERA. It’s not going to be an easy task for the A’s bats to inflict damage against him. The Athletics meanwhile have yet to announce their starter but it lines up to be Jack Perkins. Perhaps we’ll have an opener for tomorrow’s series finale?

Dave Roberts said multiple times in recent days that Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell looks like a man “on a mission.”

Based on what happened Tuesday night, the veteran skipper might have actually been underselling it.

In his latest return from a long-term injury with the Dodgers, Snell quickly began making up for lost time with a six-inning, one-run gem against the Kansas City Royals in the Dodgers’ 5-4 walk-off win.

By striking out 10 batters and allowing only three hits, he offered a resounding reminder of his two-time Cy Young Award-winning skillset.

“With the talent that he has, that’s what can happen,” manager Dave Roberts said.

Added Snell himself, with a confident head nod: “I like where I’m at.”

Indeed, in the kind of outing he hopes will kickstart a dominant finish to his second season with the Dodgers, Snell showed no signs of rust, apprehension or lack of faith in his stuff.

He began the evening looking almost untouchable, retiring each of his first 10 batters including seven via strikeout. 

He gave up a run in the fourth (which only came after a broken-bat single, seeing-eye grounder and sacrifice fly) but stranded a couple of runners in scoring position later in that inning, then another at third base with no outs in the fifth.

And from there, he put a promising final touch on his 84-pitch performance, surpassing Roberts’ soft pregame limit of five innings for his return start by returning for sixth and retiring the side in order.

“Coming into this, I was going to go six,” Snell said. “I told Dave that. We were texting and I just told him, ‘I’m going six.'”

Still, he later added, “To be able to do that for six innings and feel like I had more left, I’m excited about that.”

It wasn’t only himself he impressed with immediate return to form, either.

“That’s the Snell that we’re used to seeing,” third baseman Max Muncy said. “And hopefully we have him for the next two, three months, for the long run, and look forward to playing behind him again.” 

Staying healthy for any long runs, of course, has been a challenge for the 33-year-old pitcher ever since he signed a $182 million contract with the Dodgers two offseasons ago.

In his first spring with the team, he developed a shoulder injury that would plague him throughout the 2025 regular season, limiting him to just 11 starts. And though he returned in time to play a key role in the playoffs –– making five starts, three of them gems, plus a relief appearance in Game 7 of the World Series –– his shoulder issue lingered into the start of this year, delaying his season debut until May 9.

“Last year, obviously he wasn’t completely healthy,” Roberts said, “as we found out later.”

More troubles arose immediately after that three-inning, five-run start against the Atlanta Braves earlier this year.

Snell experienced arm pain that led to a diagnosis of loose bodies in his elbow. He underwent a surgical procedure on May 19 (using the revolutionary and less-invasive NanoNeedle technique) that forced him to endure another elongated rehab process. He faced growing scrutiny over all the time he continued to miss.

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This go around, however, Snell came back feeling healthy and refreshed.

Even leading up to Tuesday, Roberts said he had noticed his “swagger” and that he “looks a little taller.”

The surgery, Snell recently explained, had alleviated not only his elbow discomfort, but also his ongoing shoulder pains as well as numbness in his fingers. 

His stuff, he felt during his recovery, was in as good of a spot as it had been in years, leaving him increasingly anxious for his activation from the injured list.

“I was more calm than I thought I was going to be, so that was good,” he said, later adding: “I think the biggest thing was just being aggressive, be in the zone, attack.”

That’s what Snell did from the moment he toed the rubber, striking out the side in the first inning with a clinical 13-pitch sequence.

He immediately had command of his fastball, dotting it at the top of the zone and to either side of his plate.

He used three different pitches to put batters away, snapping off a full-count changeup to Nick Loftin, a 98 mph heater that blew away Bobby Witt Jr., and a late-breaking, dirt-biting curveball that Jac Caglianone helplessly swung through.

“I know how good my stuff is, so I didn’t want to just be nibbling,” Snell said. “To strike out the side was good, but it’s just keeping the pace, keeping the velo where I need it to be, feeling strong. Those things matter a lot to me.”

Snell succeeded there as well, maintaining effeciency and effectiveness for the rest of the night.

None of the three hits he allowed came on hard contact (the third, a leadoff double in the fifth from Tyler Tolbert, was a blooper down the right-field line). None of the four times the Royals took an at-bat with a runner in scoring position could they find a way to solve him.

“I think I saw what everyone saw,” Roberts said. “Just going after guys, being on the attack.”

In the end, it added up to nothing short of an all-around masterclass; one that might have (once again) been a long time in the making, but could foreshadow a flurry of similar performances from Snell as he catapults himself back into the Dodgers’ season.

“I thought tonight everything was pretty easy, it really was,” Roberts added. “Just the finishing of his pitches. He didn’t seem like he was searching for feel, delivery, and he was very external.”

“And, yeah, the 10 punch[outs],” he later quipped, as if he’d almost forgotten. “So really electric stuff tonight.”

The Dodgers are counting on more to come.

For the first seven innings, it certainly seemed like the White Sox (61-57) channeled the Pope in the series opener, mashing three solo home runs for three of their four runs in front of a 40,000-person crowd, all wearing Pope hats.

Unfortunately, the Chicago bullpen wasn’t as blessed, and wound up blowing the save in the top of the eighth, allowing the Reds (57-61) to come all the way back and steal the game in the top of the 10th, 5-4.

Righthander Sean Burke looked as good as ever, and outside of a solo home run given up to Eugenio Suárez, he was completely under control, only surrendering one run on three hits while striking out eight along the way. Burke put together three true 1-2-3 innings in his seven innings of work: the first, third and fourth (he technically recorded four outs in the third, with Héctor Rodríguez reaching on a dropped-third strike). In fact, Edgar Quero was just as devoured by Burke’s knuckle curve that dove out of the zone to the ground as Rodríguez, who completely whiffed. The pitch was so far out of the strike zone that it didn’t even appear in the MLB Gameday feed:

Offensively, the South Siders were looking great early in the game, blasting three solo home runs and an RBI double to go up four runs, 4-0.

The White Sox were averaging a long ball an inning through two, beginning with Brenton Doyle smashing a first-pitch, leadoff home run in the first, and Edgar Quero following it up with one of his own in the bottom of the second, giving Burke and Chicago a pair of insurance runs early in the game.

The Good Guys took an inning off of the moon shots in the third, but Miguel Vargas picked it right back up in the fourth, driving the third Sox bomb of the day over the left-field fence, 3-0:

The fun didn’t stop there, though. Randal Grichuk ripped his 15th double of the season to restart a rally, and advanced to third on a ground ball from Braden Montgomery to put himself in scoring position. With two outs, Quero was bailed out on an 0-2 count by getting hit by a pitch, and Sam Antonacci legged out a two-bagger to score the fourth run of the game for the South Siders, 4-0.

Burke had cruised through the first four, and didn’t allow a hit until Eugenio Suárez took him deep on a solo shot in the fifth. He otherwise retired the next three batters in order, not letting the blemish to his outing get to him in the slightest. Suárez seemed to have Burke’s number tonight, however, as he smoked a double in the seventh, sending Sean with a parting gift before his day was over. Once again Burke remained calm and in control, striking out the final two batters he faced to complete his excellent performance, seemingly on the hook for a win with a three-run lead going into the eighth.

The issue, however, is that the bats shut down for the rest of the game, and the Chicago bullpen apparently did not want to take Burke’s unhittable cue. Lefthander Bryan Hudson came in to relieve the starter in the top of the eighth, and he had a rare, weak outing where the batters were just all over him. Hudson gave up three straight singles before being taken out of the game, after Elly Da La Cruz mashed the third hit while driving in Cincy’s second run of the game to cut the White Sox lead in half, 4-2.

Ideally Hudson would have lasted way longer than three batters, but he was getting dinked and doinked enought that Will Venable made the call to the bullpen early, bringing Grant Taylor in to manage what we hoped would be the final two innings of a win on the South Side. Taylor was able to get Sal Stewart to fly out for the first out of the inning, but he walked JJ Bleday to load the bases up and raise everyone’s heart rate. The Bleday walk didn’t end up coming back to bite them on the scoreboard, but Tyler Stephenson was able to poke a base hit out to right, scoring two runs to tie the game up at four. Thankfully, Munetaka Murakami made the wise decision to cut Braden Montgomery’s on-line throw headed home and fired to second behind Bleday to catch him off of second base for a clutch second out, before Suárez flew out to end the inning.

All three runs were charged to Hudson, though Grant Taylor wound up with the blown save.

The White Sox were brutally flat at the plate for the rest of the game, with only Murakami getting a hit, with a double in the bottom of the eighth to extend his on-base streak. Though the South Siders only left four on base, they went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Lefthander Sean Newcomb came in for the 10th in an effort to prevent the ghost runner from scoring, but the Reds were able to score their free run while Chicago bombed all three opportunities in the bottom of the 10th. For Cincinnati, back-to-back fly outs let the runner advance to third, and score on a sacrifice fly from De La Cruz to take the lead, 5-4. Yep, the Reds won it in the 10th without the benefit of a hit. Great new rules, MLB.

Sam Antonacci battled through a 14-pitch at-bat before striking out against Reds closer Emilio Pagán for the first out of the 10th. Luisangel Acuña and Tristan Peters were the last hope for the Good Guys, but both popped out in the infield, sealing a heartbreaker on the South Side, and losing a game on the Detroit Tigers in the division race to boot.

Tomorrow is another day, and while we can hope the Cleveland Guardians can even out the series with the Tigers to hold the division lead to at least 2 ½ games, but the White Sox need to come back with a vengeance tomorrow and take care of business. Luis Castillo will take the mound for his second outing since joining the South Siders, going up against another righthander as the Reds turn to Rhett Lowder.

MVP
Sean Burke: 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 8 K, HR, WP, no decision

Runners-Up
Brenton Doyle: 1-for-3, leadoff HR, R, RBI
Miguel Vargas: 1-for-4, R, RBI, HR
Edgar Quero: 1-for-3, R, RBI, K, HR, HBP
Sam Antonacci: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 K, 2B

Cold Cat
Bryan Hudson: 0 IP, 3 H, 3 R

Runners-Up
Colson Montgomery: 0-for-4, 3 K
Braden Montgomery: 0-for-4, 2 K, OA
Luisangel Acuña: 0-for-4, K

On Tuesday night against the Atlanta Braves, following a clunker of an outing his last time out in Cleveland, Nolan McLean allowed just one hit through six innings.

Unfortunately for the right-hander, that one hit, a home run by Ozzie Albies, was enough to beat him and the Mets who were shut out against Martin Perez and the Braves bullpen in a 4-0 loss.

Any other day, especially lately as New York’s offense has been red-hot, McLean’s outing would’ve been more than enough to earn him a win. Still, he and interim manager Andy Green were pleased with how he threw the ball.

“He was great,” Green said. “I thought he bounced back early from being behind consistently and he managed to get out of those in the first couple of innings, avoided hits early because of that. 

“Pitched behind more than he’d like to or we’d like him to, [but he] really found his groove there for a while. Just great six innings of work. One pitch that I’m sure he wants back.”

That one pitch to Albies, a fastball up, came on a 0-2 count and while the result is frustrating, particularly in that exact spot, McLean tipped his cap to the infielder who has tortured the Mets for a while.

“It was fairly executed,” the rookie said about the pitch. “I mean I wasn’t trying to really punch him by any means for a strikeout there, but I would’ve liked it slightly more elevated but he made a good swing on a pitch that was pretty close to the outside corner so tip my cap.”

While that was McLean’s only blemish of the night in what has been a sensational rookie campaign, the right-hander is still looking to improve.

In fact, when asked to take stock of the body of work during his first full year as a starting pitcher in the majors after he made his MLB debut on Aug. 16, 2025, McLean was more interested in looking towards the future instead of reliving the past.

“There’s still a lot of work to do I think,” he said. “Still a lot of games left, too, in this season and I wouldn’t say that the body of work is finished. I can learn every time I go out there and each lineup is completely different, too. 

“So I think it poses a good challenge every time I go out there, how to navigate lineups multiple times through the order and I guess the goal is to keep learning from that.”

However, for those wondering, McLean is 13-9 with a 3.07 ERA (1.11 WHIP) through his first 32 career starts. For comparison’s sake, Dwight Gooden had a 2.60 ERA in 31 starts during his rookie season in 1984.

Of course, McLean began his career last season when he burst onto the scene with a 2.06 ERA in eight starts in the middle of a playoff race. So, with more experience and time in the majors this year has he begun to settle into a rhythm?

“It’s always a work in progress I think,” McLean said. “I’m constantly tweaking it to figure out what works for me. And sometimes it’s different, you can’t be super self-conscious about it if you don’t get everything in and just trusting that it’s gonna be there every five days.”

A lot of movement in the system tonight.

Iowa right-hander Paul Campbell was released.

Right-handers Noah Edders and Anhuar Garcia were promoted to High-A South Bend from Low-A Myrtle Beach.

The following players were all promoted to Myrtle Beach from the ACL Cubs.

Shortstop Juan Cabada

Right-hander Chase Meyer

Left-hander Victor Zarraga

Right-hander Luis Mata

Right-hander Jubrayker Salaya

Right-hander Luis A. Reyes

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs expelled the St. Paul Saints (Twins) from heaven, 6-3 in the minor league Field of Dreams game.

Jordan Wicks gave up a home run on the first pitch of the game. After that, Wicks was pretty effective and ended up getting the win. Wicks allowed two runs on just two hits over five innings. The non-home run run was unearned. Wicks struck out two and walked one.

Jaxon Wiggins pitched the sixth inning in relief of Wicks. He walked the first batter, Walker Jenkins, on five pitches. But then he got two strikeouts and a ground out. It was just Wiggins’ second relief appearance of his career, and the other one was a “tandem start” situation last year in which Wiggins threw three innings.

Gabe Klobosits threw the ninth and gtot the save. Klobosits gave up no runs on no hits. He walked one and struck out one.

Every Iowa run came on a home run. In the second inning, shortstop Greg Jones connected with the bases empty for his second home run of the year and first in the Cubs’ organization. Jones went 1 for 3.

The I-Cubs scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth thanks to to three home runs. The first two home runs were back-to-back solo blasts by third baseman Ben Cowles and DH Jordan Nwogu. The third one was a three-run blast that came later in the inning by first baseman BJ Murray.

It was Cowles sixth home run this year. He was 1 for 3.

The home run by Nwogu was his first career Triple-A home run and his second overall. Nwogu was also 1 for 3.

Murray was 1 for 4 with his 13th home run on the year.

Right fielder Kevin Alcántara went 2 for 4.

The Jones home run.

The back-to-back home runs by Cowles and Nwogu.

Murray’s three-run blast.

A great defensive play by Jones on his knees.

Fireworks.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies were picked dry by the Rocket City Trash Pandas (Angels), 6-1.

Edward Cabrera started this game on a rehab assignment and completely dominated the Trash Pandas for five innings. He gave up no hits and no runs. The only baserunner was a two-out walk in the first, after which Cabrera retired 13 in a row. He struck out seven. Cabrera threw 64 pitches, of which 43 were strikes.

Things did not go as well for Daniel Palencia’s rehab assignment. Palencia relieved Cabrera to start this sixth and didn’t make it out of the inning. He took the loss after allowing four runs on no hits, three walks and one hit batter over two-thirds of an inning. Palencia struck out one. Only 11 of his 24 pitches were strikes.

Third baseman Dom Krupinski was 1 for 2 with two walks and the only Smokies run. He also stole a base.

Cabrera highlights.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs were short-changed with Canadian money by the Great Lakes Loons (Dodgers), 6-3.

Solid start for Jostin Florentino, who went four innings and surrendered two runs on four hits. Both runs scored on a fourth-inning home run. Florentino walked three and struck out five.

Brayden Spears pitched the final three innings and took the loss. Spears was tagged for four runs on five hits, including a two-run home run. Spears walked two and struck out one.

Third baseman Matt Halbach hit a solo home run in the third inning, his ninth on the season. Halbach went 2 for 4 and scored twice.

Center fielder Alexey Lumpuy was 2 for 4 and scored one run.

Here’s a two-run double by catcher Logan Poteet. He was 1 for 4.

Halbach’s home run.

A nice outfield assist at the plate by right fielder Jose Escobar.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans were driven mad by the noise of the Hill City Howlers (Guardians), 9-4.

Edwardo Melendez pitched the first three innings and allowed just one run on two hits. Melendez walked two and struck out three.

Freddy Rodriguez was up next, and he took the loss after getting pummeled for four runs on four hits over 1.1 innings. Rodriguez walked one and struck out one.

Right fielder Ethan Conrad went 2 for 4 with a two-run triple in the eighth inning. Conrad scored one run.

DH Jhoander Irigoyen singled home Conrad in the eighth. He was 2 for 4.

Third baseman Corey Nunez singled home a run in the second inning. He was 2 for 4.

Left fielder Eli Lovich was 2 for 4 with a double and a run scored.

Highlights.

Paul Skenes hasn’t been his Cy Young Award-winning self this season, and Tuesday’s start almost bordered on shocking.

The Pirates ace threw just five innings — and just 65 pitches — before being yanked from the game in a 2-0 loss to the Marlins.

He yielded just two runs against Miami, striking out four, but did serve up a solo homer in the bottom of the third and an RBI single in the fifth.

Skenes, who hit 99 mph or higher on his fastball 68 times last season, did not exceed 96.5 mph on his heater at loanDepot park. His last fastball registered at 95 mph on his 57th pitch of the game.

The right-hander’s numbers in August, from a runs allowed standpoint, have improved. Skenes surrendered five runs in each of his final two starts of July and has allowed five in total across his first two games this month.

But for the 2023 No. 1 overall pick and three-time National League All-Star, the numbers (3.88 ERA, 1.12 WHIP) have been far from what baseball fans have been used to seeing. And each of his starts in August have been five frames long.

“If I were the manager I’d probably do it too,” Skenes said, according to USA Today. “He walked me through everything and it all made sense.

“Wish I could have gone more but, you know, it kind of is what it is.”

Pirates manager Don Kelly said Skenes coming out at that after five innings did not have anything to do with an injury.

“Anybody this time of year is … not injured, but guys in August aren’t 100 percent,” Kelly told reporters, per MLB.com. “It wasn’t injury-related that he came out. Just thought it gave us the best chance to win there.”

Skenes has now recorded three starts of 65 or fewer pitches this season after doing that just twice over his first two big league campaigns. One year ago, he fastball averaged 98.2 mph. This season it has dipped to 96.9 mph.

Before the game, according to MLB.com, Kelly said a lot of Skenes’ issues have come because hitters across baseball have become accustomed to his stuff.

“The league is adjusting back,” Kelly said. “Paul’s gonna have to fight to make the adjustment back to the league and find a way to adjust himself.”

The LL comments stopped working right about the time that Michael Rucker turned to watch his bases-loaded mess become a lead-losing base hit. Small mercies. Tonight’s 4-1 loss had the decency to come before sundown in Seattle, but the winter equinox is approaching far quicker for the Seattle Mariners than it is for the rest of us.

Bryan Woo was nails, albeit for just five frames, racking up his third shutout appearance in four appearances at Yankee Stadium, with the lone outlier last year’s 7.1 inning gem spoiled late by two big flies. Similarly to a season ago, the M’s bullpen coughed up a loss on a night that could’ve been put away earlier by a more competitive offense. Instead, they had Randy, end of list, for the umpteenth time this year. An opposite field homer was nice for a time, as left-handed man Ryan Weathers bamboozled Seattle’s bats by spraying his offerings around the area of the plate and allowing the limp-batted M’s to design and furnish their own mausoleums.

Unable to adjust or demonstrate knowledge of the prior existence of the pitcher they were facing, Seattle gave Weathers the courtesy of 5.2 frames before allowing a pair of southpaws continue going right at Seattle’s ideal lineup to face lefties. Tim Hill took 10 pitches for his frame and a third, Brent Headrick needed just nine. A misplay by Jazz Chisholm Jr. gave the M’s a shot with Dom Canzone aboard and just one out in the 9th, but Chisholm made up for it with a stellar ranging snag and throw to deny Cole Young a hit on the very next at-bat, giving Cal Raleigh three more elevated fastballs to add to his scouting report as he punched out and ended it.

Tonight’s moment is about Dan Wilson, of course, because it must be. Wilson reported postgame that despite an off day following serving his two-game suspension for throwing at Gleyber Torres back in the Tigers series, which forced Seattle to be shorthanded for most of the Rays series, Gabe Speier was unavailable due to back soreness. Following Woo, José Ferrer worked a clean sixth with 16 pitches, carving through the 1-2-3 of the Yankees. With LHHs Luis Garcia Jr. and Chisholm up, both sporting significant splits on the year and for their careers, Wilson opted for RHP Michael Rucker. Speier’s absence at the time was unknown externally, but even still it was a surprising choice ahead of time. Eduard Bazardo’s performance of late hasn’t earned immense trust with a 1-0 lead, and newly arrived Seranthony Domínguez is far from famed for easy innings. Lefty Josh Simpson has had next to no high-leverage experience in the bigs.

And so it was Rucker Wilson opted for, facing nine straight against three playoff teams, not wishing to extend Ferrer to a second frame either. A double, a single, a punchout, and a four-pitch walk to another lefty later, Rucker stood bases loaded against Ryan McMahon, squaring up from the left side as well. McMahon scalded a breaking ball for a single, an xBA of .500 evoking a coin that will even out eventually, if not necessarily in the Holocene. Eduard Bazardo arrived at last, hoping to hold a 2-1 lead he needn’t have bothered with. A chip-swing grounder from Austin Wells crawled through the 5-6 hole like it’d been rolled there to triple New York’s lead. On a night only Julio Rodríguez managed a ball hit at an expected batting average above .500, Seattle started their road trip from hell exactly where they expected to be.

The Orioles blasted a pair of two-run homers in the first two innings against Bailey Ober to jump out to an early lead. The damage was done by Pete Alonso and Gunnar Henderson.

The Twins loaded the bases in the 2nd inning with no outs and only got one run out of it. In the top of the 3rd, Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit a solo homer to make it a 5-1 game.

In the bottom of the 3rd, Brooks Lee’s 19th double scored their 2nd run of the game. Later, Alan Roden would strike out with the bases loaded to end the inning.

The final chance for the Twins came in the 8th, with Luke Keaschall and Royce Lewis getting on base. Unfortunately, Kaelen Culpepper would strike out looking to end the inning.

It was a pretty uneventful game after the 3rd inning, with the exception of Culpepper getting his first hit at Target Field in the 4th inning. Ober managed to settle down and go 6 innings, with the bullpen trio of Funderburk, Nance, and Rogers keeping the game within reach. The lineup just couldn’t reach very far, or at all.

The loss drops the Twins down to 59-62, with the rubber match of this series coming tomorrow at noon. Following that, the next 9 are against the Phillies, Braves, and Padres. That will certainly be a tough test.

Studs:

Royce Lewis: 2-4, R

Brooks Lee: 2-4, 2B

Duds:

Alan Roden: 0-4, RBI

Trevor Larnach: 0-5

Bailey Ober: 6 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, BB, 3 HR

Team: 1-11 w/ RISP

“A pitcher’s nightmare, this game,” pronounced Kevin Brown as we headed into the fourth inning. It was true, we’d played six half-innings at that point and seen a run or more score in five. There were no easy ABs or quick outs. And while the runs dried up eventually, truly neither the Twins’ Bradley Ober nor the O’s Brandon Young looked particularly skilled tonight. If you like good starting pitching, this was one to skip.

But this was also an Orioles win—and what a relief, given that this team entered tonight two games out of a Wild Card, having dropped two of three to Texas and Game One of this series in tragic fashion after getting silenced by former friend Dean Kremer, dealt just last week.

I’m thrilled to report that offense was not a problem for the Orioles tonight. Kind of the opposite: they were up 2-0 after two batters, 4-0 after two innings, and despite an offensive slowdown after that, they stayed on top for an easy 5-2 win in the end.

Gunnar Henderson, still in the leadoff spot despite a tough .215 average, turned on the second pitch he saw from Minnesota starter Bradley Ober, a fastball down the middle. Henderson walloped it into the right-field corner for a leadoff double. Pete Alonso was even ruder to the Minnesota righty: he got an 88-mph fastball down the middle and launched it into the seats. 2-0, Orioles, before the Twins had an out.

(The inning could have gone even worse for Ober, who then allowed a single to Christian Encarnacion-Strand and walked Coby Mayo, hitting .444 in his last seven games. But Ober retired Christian Franklin to get out of it down just two.)

After the home team posted a zero against the O’s Brandon Young, the Birds’ hitters returned to the task of hitting Ober. The O’s No. 9 hitter, catcher Yohel Pozo, hit a soft ground ball up the middle that confused the Twins’ infield, with neither Kaelen Culpepper (at short) nor Kody Clemens (at second) able to scoop it up.

That brought back up the leadoff hitter, Gunnar Henderson. Gunnar was fouling off Ober offerings while the MASN booth reported how Gunnar had gone 18 straight games without a multi-hit game. Then, boom. The shortstop got a low-and-inside fastball and ripped it, loudly, into the stands. “The Birds are bashing it right now!” exulted analyst Ben McDonald. It was 4-0 Orioles.

We were onto the bottom of the second, and Brandon Young had himself a cushion. He’d need it, because that inning was dicey. Considering Young loaded up the bases for himself with no outs, it could have been much, much worse. He surrendered back-to-back singles to Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee, then hit second-year center fielder Luke Keaschall, who trotted to first. The Twins scored a run on a groundout to second. But another groundout did not go their way: the ball rolled right to Encarnacion-Strand, who fired home with ample time to get the runner at home. One groundball later, and Young was out of trouble with a three-run lead still.

The O’s had one more left in them, too. Ober served CES a meatball, and the O’s third baseman hit an absolute tank, 460 feet away, the longest homer by an Oriole this year. It was a terrible pitch, but a beautiful swing. Wow. 5-1 Orioles.  

After his team had given him a homer in each of the first three innings, Young wanted a shutdown third… but it wouldn’t be so easy. Minnesota catcher Ryan Jeffers reached on an infield single, then Josh Bell, too, on a strange catcher’s interference call. (In reality, Bell swung late on a sinker and caught a chunk of Yohel Pozo’s mitt. The O’s backstop left in pain, and was promptly replaced by another new O’s backstop, Carlos Narváez.) After two quick outs, Young was one strike away from ending the inning, but Brooks Lee doubled off a sinker, making it now 5-2. Then it looked like Young had struck out young Luke Keaschall, but the CF challenged, and the call was overturned. While the MASN booth proclaimed this “another stressful outing,” Young finally got a strike three swinging. It’d taken him 62 pitches, but he was through three.

Gunnar next doubled with two outs, making him 3-for-3 on the day, but the Orioles didn’t score, and Young teetered in the fourth. He allowed a leadoff single to rookie Kaelen Culpepper but, with two outs, fell down 3-0 to slugger Josh Bell. “I would pitch Josh Bell extremely carefully here,” said McDonald from the booth. Young was up to the task: a groundball to second kept it 5-2.

The O’s made solid contact against Ober in the fifth and sixth (with three deep flyouts), but both ended up 1-2-3 innings. Brandon Young did not have a 1-2-3 fifth or sixth inning—and frankly, it was a miracle he got this deep in the game, period, given his pitch count was up around ninety before either. In the fifth, he walked the leadoff man, but got a miraculously timed double play. He came back out for the sixth—and it felt scary. But after a leadoff single, he got two quick flyouts. Then, a ground ball took Gunnar well to his backhand; he picked it, slung his arm across his body, and got the third out at first! For Young to complete six and get a quality start tonight (his tenth of the season!) felt like a miracle; what a gutsy effort by the Texan.

The Orioles had a chance to make it 6-2 against Twins lefty Kody Funderburk, but a Pete Alonso single, Jackson Holliday walk, and Tyler O’Neill produced only an out at the plate—feels like the Orioles have more than their fair share of those.

Josh Walker had a lightning-fast seventh inning—it took him just eight pitches. I wasn’t in a hurry or anything tonight, but still, what a breath of fresh air.

Yennier Cano was much messier, allowing a hit and a walk, but he held the line.

The O’s took their swings off lefty sidewinder Taylor Rogers in the ninth, but didn’t score (once linked to the O’s as a bullpen target, Rogers has a twin brother, also a pitcher, named Tyler, and just imagine the havoc if this team had a Tyler, a Taylor and a Trevor Rogers on the same staff).

That left only the bottom of the ninth, and Andrew Kittredge. The veteran righty has been a little shady of late, but tonight he was nails. Not only did he get two quick groundball outs, he whiffed Josh Bell convincingly, with a little dipping dart of a sinker. Cool.

Tonight was a much-needed win. It doesn’t fix all the Orioles’ flaws, but they made it look pretty easy tonight.

So, Birdland, who is your vote for Most Birdland of tonight? Brandon Young, who gutted out his tenth quality start of the season with imperfect stuff? Pete Alonso, 3-for-4 with a 2-run home run and a walk? Gunnar Henderson, who came a triple away from the cycle and played some great defense? Christian Encarnacion-Strand, a recent callup who hit a 460-foot monster of a home run?