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Elmer Rodríguez stepped into a big Yankees moment and delivered the best outing of his young career.

The Yankees called up Rodríguez, their No. 3 prospect, to start Wednesday, and he provided them with a quality outing at a time when their injury-riddled pitching staff’s depth is being tested amid a two-front race in the standings.

He tossed six innings and gave up three runs in the 9-3 win over the Astros in The Bronx, striking out six batters and walking just two.

It was the 23-year-old’s fifth start — and first since June 21 — in the big leagues this year. After four shaky starts — he entered Wednesday with a 4.76 ERA in 17 innings pitched — he returned and provided the Yankees with a needed lift.

“That’s what we get excited about right there,” manager Aaron Boone said. “I think he got [the Astros’] attention right away — you’re seeing 97, 98, 99 [mph] sinkers filling up the zone, spinning a good breaking ball. That was really encouraging, to see that. And to see him, it felt like, a little bit more settled, too.

“That’s the electric arm that we know is in there. I thought he threw the heck out of the ball.”

Rodríguez came back out for the seventh inning but was pulled after walking Jose Altuve to start the frame. He left to loud applause from Yankees fans.

His final line also would have looked a bit better if it weren’t for some rough fielding in the first inning, when Trent Grisham misplayed a fly ball to hand the Astros their first run.

Rodríguez’s velocity was noticeably a few ticks higher Wednesday than it was across his first four starts. And Wednesday was the deepest he’s pitched across his five starts — he had never gone further than 4 ²/₃ innings previously.

“Just trusting myself,” Rodríguez said. “Something that I’ve been building up since my first couple of starts. Each time, I felt better. I’ve been working on a couple [of things] down there [in Triple-A] and I feel like it’s been working.”

The Yankees rotation has been hit by injuries recently, opening the door for Rodríguez to return to the big leagues — for the moment, at least. Ryan Weathers was placed on the injured list earlier this week with a low-grade flexor strain that will likely keep him sidelined for several weeks.

And Max Fried hit the injured list earlier this month with a bone bruise in his left elbow, though he could return as soon as Saturday. The bullpen, particularly with Fernando Cruz now dealing with a partial UCL tear, has been hit, too.

Rodríguez’s performance came at an important time for the Yankees even beyond the injuries — they remained 3 ½ games behind the Rays atop the AL East and extended their lead to 2 ½ games above the Red Sox for the top wild-card spot.

“That’s by far,” Boone said, “the best stuff he’s had since he’s been up here with us.”

Boy, oh, boy, do these guys need Thursday’s off-day.

Chicago’s (70-63) arms are cooked. Sean Burke lost the strike zone, and the Rangers took 10 free passes. Not that it mattered. The South Siders just kept swinging, Tristan Peters kept launching balls into orbit and somehow the Good Guys walked away with a 10-4 win and the series in hand.

Was it tidy? Absolutely not. Was it fun? You bet.

Burke had nothing from pitch one. He fell behind the first four hitters and handed Corey Seager a free pass with one out, while his fastball velocity was down 0.4 mph. Four pitches into Wyatt Langford, Burke tried to pick off Seager. The ump called him safe, but Will Venable challenged and got the out. The successful challenge did nothing to fix Burke’s control, as he walked Langford with two outs. Fortunately, the Rangers bailed him out. Langford got greedy on a 2-2 pitch to Brandon Nimmo, and Jake Rogers gunned him down at second to end the mess.

Burke needed 22 pitches to survive the first, throwing only 10 for strikes. Buckle up.

The bottom half was less chaotic but equally frustrating. Miguel Vargas worked a six-pitch walk, his 20th free pass of August, but Munetaka Murakami pounded a 3-1 pitch into the ground for a double play. Randal Grichuk followed with a strikeout, and MacKenzie Gore escaped without breaking a sweat.

Burke continued searching for the strike zone in the second. He issued a one-out walk to Ezequiel Duran and surrendered a single to Evan Carter, although he appeared to find a little more feel for his fastball toward the end of the inning. He retired the next two batters to strand both runners, but his pitch count had already ballooned to 52.

Thankfully, the offense decided to give him some breathing room.

Chase Meidroth opened the bottom of the second with a double, and Braden Montgomery immediately drove him home with an RBI double to right. Brenton Doyle kept the line moving with a single to left that scored Braden, although Doyle was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double.

Rogers restarted the rally with a base hit to center, and after Peters flew out, Luisangel Acuña bounced a ground-rule double into the stands to put runners on second and third. Texas intentionally walked Vargas to pack the sacks for Mune, but Murakami struck out to leave them loaded.

Still, the Sox had a 2-0 lead. That lasted approximately five minutes.

Burke opened the third by walking Cody Freeman, and Joc Pederson promptly launched a two-run homer to tie the game. After Seager flew out, Burke walked Langford for the second time, balked him to second and appeared to get strike two on Nimmo on a 3-1 pitch. Nimmo was already halfway to first when he challenged the call, and the automated system agreed with him. Ball four.

Somehow, Burke pulled himself together long enough to punch out Ezequiel Duran and Evan Carter, escaping with the score still tied. It took him 81 pitches to record nine outs, though, which is generally not the preferred ratio.

The Sox did not give Burke much time to contemplate his life choices. Grichuk lined out, Meidroth walked, Braden flew out and Doyle struck out to send him right back to the mound.

For some reason, Venable allowed Burke to come back out for the fourth. He walked the first two batters, because of course he did, and FINALLY the skipper went to the bullpen.

Burke’s night ended after three-plus innings, two hits, two earned runs and a career-high eight walks. If Texas were a competent baseball team, those eight free passes might have buried the Sox.

Instead, Sean Newcomb came riding to the rescue.

Newcomb got Freeman on a sacrifice bunt before coaxing a pop out from Pederson and a fly out from Seager. Two inherited runners, zero runs. What an enormous job by Newcomb to bail out his teammate and keep the game tied.

The Sox rewarded him immediately.

Peters ripped a one-out double in the fourth, and Acuña followed with a single to center to put runners on the corners. Vargas worked his way into a 3-0 count before dropping a duck snort just inside the first-base line, driving in Peters and moving Acuña to second.

It was not majestic, but it counted all the same. The Sox had reclaimed a 3-2 lead.

Acuña was caught stealing third with Mune at the plate, but Murakami eventually worked a walk to end Gore’s night. Venable then sent Sam Antonacci up to pinch-hit for Grichuk, and Antonacci delivered a clutch RBI single to make it 4-2.

Newcomb returned for the fifth and surrendered a pair of singles, but Braden made an outstanding play in right to end the threat and preserve the two-run cushion.

Then it was time for the Tristan Peters Show.

Rogers worked a huge two-out walk in the bottom of the fifth, and Peters promptly shot a laser over the right-field wall for his fifth home run in as many games.

Yes, five.

The two-run blast gave the White Sox a 6-2 lead and put Peters alongside Murakami and Ron Kittle as the only rookies in franchise history to homer in five consecutive games. Peters also tied the White Sox record and the MLB rookie record for consecutive games with a home run.

Bananas Bonds strikes again.

Newcomb finally delivered the first 1-2-3 inning by a White Sox pitcher in the sixth, and the offense responded by putting the game away.

Vargas led off with a single and took off for second. The throw sailed into center field, allowing him to scamper all the way to third. Murakami walked to put runners on the corners with nobody out, and Antonacci did what Antonacci does, sneaking a grounder between short and third to drive in Vargas.

After Meidroth flew out and Braden hit into a force out, Doyle stepped in with two aboard and two down.

Boom.

Doyle crushed a three-run homer to stretch the lead to 10-2 and turn the rest of the evening into something resembling a bullpen rehabilitation assignment.

Newcomb’s night ended after three magnificent scoreless innings. The southpaw allowed only two hits, did not issue a walk and struck out one. On a night when Burke could not locate anything and the pitching staff desperately needed length, Newcomb could not have been much better.

Jonathan Cannon took over in the seventh for his first major league appearance since April 12 after spending the past several months refining his mechanics in Charlotte. He struck out Seager before allowing a walk, a double and a single that brought home two runs. Cannon then walked old friend Nicky Lopez — he’s from Naperville, you know — but recovered with a fly out and a strikeout to escape the inning.

Peters led off the bottom of the seventh with a single, leaving him a triple shy of the cycle for the second consecutive night. Apparently, homering in five straight games is not enough for him. Unfortunately, Acuña followed with a double play, and Vargas struck out to end the inning.

Cannon made things interesting again in the eighth when Jake Burger doubled and Langford singled, but Texas failed to capitalize. Meidroth added a two-out single in the bottom half, giving the White Sox 15 hits on the night, and the Rangers never mounted the miraculous comeback necessary to spoil the party.

It was not exactly a pitching clinic, but who cares? The South Siders survived Burke’s eight walks, received three enormous innings from Newcomb and battered Texas pitching for the second consecutive night. Antonacci drove in two off the bench, Doyle collected four RBIs, Vargas reached base four times and Peters finished 3-for-4 with a double, a homer and two RBIs.

On the out-of-town scoreboard, the Tigers and Twins lost while the Guardians won. The White Sox maintain their 2 1/2-game advantage atop the AL Central and, mercifully, have Thursday off before opening a three-game series in Minnesota on Friday.

Get these pitchers some ice, a comfortable pillow and strict instructions not to pick up a baseball for at least 24 hours.

MVP
Brenton Doyle: 2-for-4, R, 4 RBI, HR

Runners-Up
Tristan Peters: 3-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR, 2B
Miguel Vargas: 2-for-3, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB, SB, K
Sam Antonacci: 2-for-3, 2 RBI
Chase Meidroth: 2-for-4, R, BB, 2B
Luisangel Acuña: 2-for-4, 2B, CS
Sean Newcomb: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, K

Cold Cat
Sean Burke: 3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 8 BB, 3 K, PO

Runners-Up
Jonathan Cannon: 3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 K
Randal Grichuk: 0-for-2, K
Munetaka Murakami: 0-for-3, R, 2 BB, 2 K

Right-hander Luis Rujano moves from the High-A South Bend Cubs to the Double-A Knoxville Smokies

Right-hander Jackson Kirkpatrick joins the South Bend Cubs from the ACL Cubs.

South Bend right-hander Jose Romero was released.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs evaded the Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals), 7-3.

It was a terrific start for Kohl Franklin who allowed no runs on two hits over 4.2 innings. Franklin struck out seven and walked just one.

Luis Peralta got the final out of the fifth inning and got the win. Peralta faced one batter and gave up a single, but then that batter was thrown out trying to steal second.

Shelby Miller struck out the first two batters of the sixth inning swinging, but then he struggled with control as he walked the next two. So with two on and two outs, Miller was relieved by Connor Noland, who gave up a three-run home run to the first batter he faced. So two of those runs were charged to Miller.

However, Noland stayed in the game after that and actually got the save by pitching the final 3.1 innings. Noland surrendered one run (of his own) on two hits. He walked two and struck out one.

The I-Cubs exploded for six runs in the bottom of the sixth off former Cub Luke Little. The highlight was a “Little League grand slam” by right fielder Justin Dean, which officially went into the scorebook as a two-run single and a three-base error. Dean was 1 for 4.

Second baseman James Triantos was 2 for 5 with a double and a stolen base. He scored one run.

Center fielder Chas McCormick went a perfect 1 for 1 with three walks and a stolen base. He scored on the “grand slam” and singled home a run in the seventh inning.

Matt Shaw played the entire game at third base and went 1 for 4 with an RBI single in the sixth. He then scored on Dean’s single.

Franklin’s seventh strikeout.

RBI single for Shaw.

It’s a grand slam in our hearts, Justin.

Shelby Miller with 96 mph for the strikeout. He was as high as 98.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies were extinguished by the Biloxi Shuckers (Brewers), 4-3.

Brody McCullough started and took the loss. McCullough gave up three runs in the first inning, including a two run home run and then settled down until the fifth inning when he allowed one more. McCullough’s final line was four runs on seven hits over five innings. He struck out five and walked one.

First baseman Miguel Useche went 3 for 4 with one run scored.

Third baseman Edgar Alvarez was 2 for 4 with a double and a run scored.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs skinned the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Brewers), 13-6.

Brayden Spears pitched the first three innings and allowed two runs on two hits and two walks. He struck out five.

Braylon Myers relieved Spears to start the fourth inning and got the win because Spears didn’t go five. Myers pitched 4.1 innings, giving up four runs on three hits, two of which were home runs. Myers walked two and struck out five.

Shortstop Juan Cepeda cranked two home runs tonight: a solo home run in the fourth inning and a three-run home run in the ninth. That gives Cepeda eight South Bend home runs and nine overall. Cepeda was a tough out all night, going 4 for 5 with the two home runs and a walk. He scored three times to go with the four RBI.

First baseman Josiah Hartshorn also had four hits tonight, going 4 for 6 with a double and two RBI. That gives the teenager 77 RBI in South Bend and 102 overall this year.

DH Reginald Preciado played in his first game since April and was 2 for 3 with a walk and was hit by a pitch to reach four times. Preciado scored twice and had three RBI.

Catcher Logan Poteet was 2 for 4 with a double and two walks. Poteet drove home one run and scored twice.

Right fielder Alexey Lumpuy hit an RBI triple in the fourth inning. Lumpuy went 2 for 4 with a walk and a stolen base. He had two total RBI and scored twice.

Left fielder Kade Snell went 2 for 6 with a double. He scored one run.

Hartshorn’s RBI double.

Cepeda’s first home run.

Cepeda’s second home run was more impressive.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans were stung by the Augusta GreenJackets (Braves), 6-1.

Starter Hayden Frank took the loss after he allowed four runs on four hits and three walks over 3.1 innings. Frank struck out three and also hit a batter.

The Pelicans had one hit in this game and it was a third-inning home run by center fielder Darlyn De Leon. De Leon now has three home runs this year. He was 1 for 3.

The only Pelicans hit of the game.

Well, this game was like a rollercoaster. And when it ended, I felt much like I do after a real rollercoaster: happy but mildly nauseous.

The Orioles jumped out to a huge early lead in this game, big enough to make us relax a bit. The vibes were good, and the offense was cooking. But then they missed some opportunities to add on. And Kyle Bradish, who had battled throughout the first part of the game, fell apart. The Cardinals came all the way back. It took ninth-inning heroics from Christian Encarnacion-Strand and a gutsy performance from closer Andrew Kittredge to secure an 8-7 win.

Before all the drama, we had a very fun first two innings. With two outs in the first, Gunnar Henderson slapped a ball to the opposite field for a single. Samuel Basallo worked a walk, setting up back-to-back RBI singles by Encarnacion-Strand and Dylan Beavers. Both hits went to right field and the Orioles were up, 2-0.

Cardinals’ starter Michael McGreevy went to a 2-2 count on Leody Taveras, then threw a curveball that Taveras did not miss. It also went to right field, only it landed on the other side of the fence. It was his 8th long ball of the year and gave the Orioles a 5-0 lead. Wow, a five-run lead in the first inning! What could go wrong?

In the second inning, Pete Alonso decided to get in on the action. As he does. With Carlos Narváez on base from a HBP, Alonso once again took the ball to the opposite field. Note to McGreevy: don’t throw Pete Alonso a fastball down Broadway. That made the score 7-0. Uunfortunately, the offense cooled off after that.

They still got plenty of runners on base, but they could not get them in. In the third inning, they had first and third with no outs, then bases loaded with one out, and got bupkis. In the fourth, Basallo legged out an infield single with two outs and moved to third on a double by Encarnacion-Strand. It was CES’s third hit in four innings! But they were both stranded as well.

They had just one baserunner in the fifth, a single from Colton Cowser. And when the bottom of the fifth rolled around, you can bet the Orioles regretted stranding all those runners.

Bradish got off to a rough start in the game, but as I said, he battled. He pitched a scoreless first, but gave up two hits and threw 28 pitches. In the second, he allowed a home run to .190 batter Nolan Gorman, plus another single. The home run made the score 7-1, which still felt quite comfortable.

He settled in after that, getting help from a slick double play in the third to erase a single. And in the fourth, Bradish had a quick and easy 1-2-3. He went into the fifth inning looking stronger than he did at the start of the game. He had a pitch count of 69 and a six-run lead. What could go wrong? Well…about that.

Bryan Torres jumped on the first pitch he saw for a single, then after a fly out, Bradish issued back-to-back walks. The first walk, to JJ Wetherholt, went to a 3-2 count, but none of the balls were particularly close to the plate. The second walk, to Iván Herrera, was similar. Alec Burleson smoked a ball to center field and two runs scored, making it 7-3.

After that, things got a little ridiculous/unfair/weird for Bradish. Jordan Walker chopped a ball down the third base side that looked to almost everyone to be foul. It did not look foul to the third base umpire, and it wasn’t a challengeable play. Another run scored. Then Nathan Church hit a ball into deep left field, close to the foul line. It was a long run for Beavers, but he got there. He attempted to make a sliding catch but slid right past it. It was called a double; two more runs scored. 7-6.

That ended Bradish’s night. He was bad, but he was also a little unlucky and had a little bad defense. It’s a bad combo. Alex Hoppe replaced Bradish, and Church promptly stole third. That set up an RBI groundout for José Fermín to tie the game. Bradish’s final line: 5.1 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 2 BB, 4 K.

This was Bradish’s second struggle in a row, though last time he kept the run scoring down. After tonight, he has thrown 144 innings this season. Last year, when he came back from Tommy John surgery, he threw a combined 54 innings between rehab and the majors. In 2024, before he went out with injury, he threw 39.1. It could be an issue.

In the sixth inning, the Cardinals also went to their bullpen, and things got quiet on both sides. The Orioles went 1-2-3 in the sixth, then wiped out a baserunner on a double play in the seventh. They had a chance in the eighth. Cowser singled, then move to second on a bunt by Narváez. But Holliday grounded out and, after an intentional walk to Alonso, Gunnar did the same.

Josh Walker started the sixth inning for the Orioles and allowed the first batter, Torres, to reach on an infield single that he bobbled. Torres stole second on a pitch, then moved to third on a groundout. That prompted Craig Albernaz to go to Rico Garcia. Garcia has been better of late, and that held true tonight. He stranded the runner and followed with a scoreless seventh. Grant Wolfram did the same in the eighth, which took us to the top of the ninth inning.

Finally, the Orioles got another run on the board. Basallo hit a soft ground ball that snuck into left field. In the olden days we could have said he went against the shift. He was replaced at first by the newest Oriole, Luis Vázquez. Cardinal pitcher Riley O’Brien did the Orioles a solid, throwing a wild pitch that put Vázquez in scoring position. Up came our hero, Encarnacion-Strand. With a 2-2 count, he saw an outside pitch and he went with it. He drove the ball to right-center field, easily scoring the go-ahead run.

It was a double for Encarnacion-Strand, his fourth hit of the day. I hoped they might bring him in for insurance, but neither Beavers nor Taveras could get the job done. Luckily, one run held up.

Andrew Kittredge came in to get the save, and he did. But whew, was it dicey. Herrera, the tying run, singled. Then Burleson hit a hard, low liner to Encarnacion-Strand at first base. He could have caught it, but he didn’t. Wait, why was Encarnacion-Strand at first? He had been playing third the entire game, but moved over after Basallo was pinch-hit for. He did get the out at first, at least. But Herrera moved to second.

Kittredge followed with a walk to Walker, but Jackson Holliday made a very nice diving stop on the next batter to get the second out. Finally, Kittredge got an easy out to end the game. A routine pop out to Holliday and the win was secured.

Orioles win, 8-7! That game was fun, then terrible, then exciting, then stressful, then happy. . But it all worked out in the win. They go for the sweep tomorrow at 2:15 with Trevor Rogers on the mound.

As is Camden Chat tradition, every win means selection of the Most Birdland Player award! Who is your choice? It could be Christian Encarnacion-Strand, who had four hits, including the game-winning RBI in the ninth. Maybe Pete Alonso and his 32nd home run. Perhaps even Rico Garcia for 1.1 clutch innings in relief. Let us know in the comments!

As part of the celebration for America 250, MLB’s content team has been putting together 25 top-10 lists to honor the history of the game. Today’s list featured 10 of the nastiest pitches in MLB history. The list featured pitches like Nolan Ryan’s fastball, Clayton Kershaw’s curveball, and Mariano Rivera’s cutter. It’s a fun trip down baseball memory lane, but what about the Colorado Rockies?

The pitching history of the Rockies is obviously not that great and mostly forgettable. Still, some pitchers have had a signature pitch that comes to mind when they are mentioned.

For example, whenever I think of sliders, my thoughts immediately turn to Adam Ottavino. The absolute frisbee he would sling across the zone, particularly in 2018, will be etched in my memory forever. To this day, I consider him the gold standard for sliders in Colorado.

For tonight’s point of discussion, I want to know: what pitches in Rockies history do you consider iconic? What offering from a pitcher always impressed you with its movement, effectiveness (or even lack thereof), and so forth?

If you don’t have a Rockies pitcher in mind, I’ll also accept any pitcher in MLB history.

Sound off below, and if you can, leave a link to one of the pitches!

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

How can two baseball games start out so similar, but end so differently? I present to you Tuesday night’s Cardinals/Orioles game as Exhibit A and Wednesday night’s Cardinals/Orioles game as Exhibit B. Very similar games as the Orioles brought out their bats and put the Cardinals down big early. St. Louis Cardinals starter Michael McGreevy suffered much of the same fate as Matthew Liberatore did the night before. There was one key difference, though. Wednesday night, the St. Louis Cardinals fought back after going down big. It would unfortunately not end up being enough at the end, though.

The trouble for Michael McGreevy started with two outs in the top of the 1st inning. Gunner Henderson singled, Basallo walked and then Encarnacion-Strand did damage again as he hit a RBI single scoring Henderson and giving the Orioles a 1-0 lead. Beavers followed that with a single of his own scoring Basallo and upping the Baltimore advantage to 2-0. Leody Tavaras would be the one to give the Cardinals flashbacks to Tuesday night’s game as he crushed a 78 mph McGreevy curve into the right-centerfield seats for a 3-run homer and 5-0 Orioles lead.

It would get worse in the top of the 2nd inning when Narvaez was hit by a McGreevy pitch leading off and he would score two batters later when Pete Alonzo hit a 2-run homer to right giving the Orioles a seemingly insurmountable 7-0 lead. It felt like it was going to be another one of those nights for the Cardinals, but it only seemed that way. This time, the Cardinals flipped the script and came roaring back.

It started in the bottom of the 2nd inning when Nolan Gorman did something that Nolan Gorman hasn’t done in a long time. He hit a home run at Busch Stadium to get the Cardinals started Tuesday night. He caught up with a 96 mph Kyle Bradish sinker and sent it 410 feet into the Cardinals bullpen making it 7-1 Orioles. However, the best was yet to come.

The 5th inning has been a perilous one for the St. Louis Cardinals this season. I’ve lost track of how many games have gotten away from us as opposing teams punished us in the 5th. Well, the tables turned Wednesday night at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals came all the way back from a 7-run deficit by plating 6 in the bottom of the 5th inning. It all started with a Bryan Torres single. Two batters later, JJ Wetherholt had a great 8-pitch at-bat drawing a walk. Ivan Herrera followed that with a walk of his own to load the bases. Alec Burleson smoked a single up the middle scoring both Torres and Wetherholt reducing the Orioles lead to 7-3 and the Cardinals weren’t done. Jordan Walker and Nathan Church hit back-to-back doubles scoring 3 more runs to bring St. Louis to within 1 run. After a pitching change, Jose Fermin grounded out to short scoring Church and tying the game at 7!

This was not a good outing by Michael McGreevy, but he did give the Cardinals 5 innings. He also rebounded from a disastrous start in the first 2 innings to holding the Orioles scoreless for the other 3 he was responsible for. He gave St. Louis some innings and didn’t allow any more damage and that allowed the offense to make the comeback. Luis Gastelum was brought into the game to relieve Michael in the top of the 6th inning and he shut the Orioles down 1-2-3 and he did it with ATTITUDE. He was pumping his fist and screaming after he got the last out. Love it!

Ryne Stanek kept the fire going in the top of the 7th inning as he struck out Encarnacion-Strand then walked Beavers, but then got out of the inning as he got Tavares to ground into an inning-ending double play. The Cardinals offense unfortunately could not take advantage of the bullpen holding the Orioles at 7 runs after Bryan Torres reached on a bunt single and then stole second on a play that Baltimore unwisely challenged which eliminated their challenges for the rest of the night. Torres advanced to third on a ground out from JJ Wetherholt, but he would be stranded when Ivan Herrera struck out. Nathan Church walked in the bottom of the 7th inning, but he didn’t even make it into scoring position.

George Soriano had to pitch out of a mini-jam in the top of the 8th inning when Cowser singled to lead off the inning. He was moved into scoring position on a successful sacrifice bunt. The Cardinals intentionally walked Pete Alonzo after Jackson Holliday grounded out advancing Cowser to third base, but Soriano got Henderson to ground out to Wetherholt at short who stepped on second base to end the Orioles 8th inning.

After the Cardinals failed to score in the bottom of the 8th, it was Riley O’Brien’s game in the top of the 9th inning. It didn’t start out well as Basallo hit an excuse me ball past Blaze Jordan at third base for a leadoff single. The Orioles pinch-ran Vasquez as he represented the go-ahead run. Riley did not help his cause by winging a wild pitch to the backstop allowing Vasquez to take second which proved crucial as Encarnacion-Strand blasted a double into the right-centerfield gap giving the Orioles their lead back at 8-7. It could have been worse, but O’Brien managed to get flyouts from Beavers and Tavaras and a groundout from Cowser to end the top of the 9th.

The Cardinals had the heart of the lineup in the bottom of the 9th inning against former Cardinal Andrew Kittredge for the Orioles. Ivan Herrera was first up for St. Louis. Herrera smoked a single to left to give the Cardinals a chance. One of the MLB’s top RBI men, Alec Burleson, was up next for St. Louis. He lined a ball off of the first baseman Encarnacion-Strand which allowed Herrera to move up to second, but he recovered quick enough to tag first to get Burleson out. Jordan Walker was unintentionally intentionally walked by Kittredge putting the potential winning run at first base. Nathan Church had the chance to put on the hero cape. He ripped a ball deep into the hole at 2nd base, but Jackson Holliday made a great play getting Church out at first, but the tying run was only 90 feet away at third and the potential winning run was standing tall at second base in the form of Jordan Walker. Jose Fermin was the Cardinals last hope. Sadly, he popped out to Holliday at second to end the Cardinals night.

I’ll credit the Cardinals for doing something Wednesday night that they did not do Tuesday night. They put up a fierce fight, but the closer was unable to close again and that’s the way baseball goes.

The Cardinals will try to salvage their series against the Orioles in a Thursday afternoon contest at Busch Stadium. St. Louis has not formally announced their starter as of this moment, but Baltimore will send LHP Trevor Rogers to the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 1:15pm central time and the game broadcast will be available via Cardinals.tv.

ATLANTA — Roki Sasaki left the game early. Then, the Dodgers gave it away late.

So things went in an excruciating 6-5 defeat to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night –– in which the Dodgers first lost Sasaki to a middle finger blister, then lost an early lead on a costly Teoscar Hernández fielding blunder, before ultimately losing the game on Ha-Seong Kim’s walk-off single against Tanner Scott in the bottom of the ninth.

“The base hit by Kim ended the game, but it’s not what cost us the game,” manager Dave Roberts said. “There’s a lot of plays that lead up to circumstances, whether it be defensively, offensively, that sort of come to pass when you don’t execute. So, yeah, I mean, there’s just a lot of things that we got to keep getting better at.”

Indeed, after seemingly ending a second-half slump with back-to-back series sweeps last week, the Dodgers have frustratingly lost whatever momentum they were beginning to build, too.

Wednesday’s loss clinched a series defeat to the Braves, who have suddenly trimmed the gap for a top-two National League playoff seed down to just two games ahead of Thursday’s series finale.

It also marked a fifth-straight series loss against an opponent with a winning record –– a concerning trend even for the two-time defending champions.

“This,” Roberts said, “was a tough one.”

Wednesday’s game epitomized such struggles, with a domino effect of missed chances and unforeseen setbacks setting the Dodgers up for a fatal, final punch.

The team had been in a good spot early, leading 3-1 after Tommy Edman doubled and scored in the second on a Hunter Feduccia RBI single, then hit a two-run homer in the third (making him one of four Dodgers with two hits, along with Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Hernández).

But in the bottom of the fourth, everything began to go sideways — starting with Sasaki’s blister, and culminating in Hernández’s consequential defensive gaffe.

At the start of the inning, the skin on Sasaki’s right middle finger ripped open. He lost his command on a leadoff walk, then gave up a run on a single, sacrifice fly and double before finally making it clear something was physically wrong.

“It was a pretty good blister,” Roberts said, while announcing postgame that Sasaki would go on the injured list. “It just came out of nowhere.”

With Sasaki gone, the Dodgers summoned Edgardo Henriquez from the bullpen, handing him an unenviable two-on, one-out jam with the top of the Braves order due up.

Despite that, the hard-throwing right-hander initially appeared to get a key out against his first hitter, Drake Baldwin, inducing a high fly ball into the left-field corner.

As Hernández tried to track it, however, he misjudged its flight and overran it as it dropped.

The resulting two-run double gave the Braves a 4-3 lead. A Dodgers team that has been living on the margins lately –– 14 of their last 19 have now been decided by two runs or less –– found itself grinding through another close game again.

“Balls typically that go into the corner … will go back to the field,” Roberts said of the play, after Hernández declined to speak with reporters after the game. “He got in the corner and just overran it … Would’ve given up one run [even if he caught it]. But ultimately, it ended up being two.”

Such differences would matter, especially after Sean Murphy made it a 5-3 game with a solo home run off Eric Lauer in the sixth.

The Dodgers evened the score in the seventh, scoring twice on three hits (including a leadoff double from Ohtani that was aided by a curious decision from right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. to bluff a throw even with Ohtani caught out on the base paths) and two walks (the latter of which was a bases-loaded free pass from Edman for his third RBI) before recording an out.

But from there, with a chance to blow the game open with the bases still loaded, they instead came up empty, after Kyle Tucker flied out and Alek Thomas bounced into a double-play (part of 0-for-5 nights from each).

“Creating traffic, getting guys on base is one part of the equation,” Roberts said. “But you got to finish the inning.”

That rang true again in the eighth, when the bases were again full for Max Muncy with two outs.

Though he worked a nine-pitch at-bat against Braves reliever Didier Fuentes –– which included seven-straight fastballs after a first-pitch splitter –– he couldn’t stop his swing on a full-count splitter that started on the edge of the plate before darting helplessly away.

“We haven’t cashed in,” Muncy said after the Dodgers left 11 men on base. “We’ve had a lot of opportunities but we haven’t cashed in on it … If we do our job on any of those opportunities, it’s a different outcome.”

Instead, the game remained tied until the ninth, when Scott took the loss for a second-straight night.

It started with a two-out double to Lane Thomas. Then an intentional walk to Riley prompted the Braves to pinch-hit Kim. 

Despite coming up to the plate with an historically bad .066 batting average this year, Kim got a notably steady diet of fastballs from Scott, who threw seven in a row while working a 3-0 count back to full.

Scott said afterward he was playing to his strengths and felt his heater was good. But, he also acknowledged he probably leaned on the pitch too much.

Thus, when he missed low and over the plate with his eighth-straight fastball, Kim was on time to shoot a line drive to left, sending the still-scufflling Dodgers to a painful loss that hurt in more ways than one.

“I thought we had a really good chance to win this game,” Roberts said. “I just think that it’s a tough loss.”

The Dodgers saw another Atlanta Braves comeback against Tanner Scott on Wednesday, this time walking them off in the bottom of the ninth in a 6-5 final score.

Roki Sasaki was one strike away from completing a perfect bottom of the first inning, but Matt Olson attacked a low slider and struck the foul pole to put the Braves on top for a second consecutive game. Sasaki promptly allowed two consecutive two-out baserunners, but he was able to escape further damage by getting a weak groundout from Ozzie Albies.

The Dodgers had their second leadoff extra-base hit over their last three innings, as Tommy Edman led of the top of the second with a double to right center field. A.J. Smith-Shawver managed to get two consecutive outs, but after a walk to Teoscar Hernández, Hunter Feduccia kept his solid month of August going with an opposite field single to left field, plating Edman and tying the game.

Freddie Freeman made it three leadoff extra-base over the Dodgers’ last four innings with a double to begin the top of the third. Smith-Shawver once again retired the next two hitters after being down in the count 2-0, but Edman decided to take the 2-1 pitch for a called strike 1. That decision paid off, as Edman turned on the very next pitch to right field, scraping the outfield wall and giving the Dodgers their first lead of the series. It was Edman’s second home run from the left side of the plate and his fourth away from home.

Sasaki was able to keep Atlanta scoreless over the second and third innings, but they found their stride offensively in the bottom of the fourth inning. Ozzie Albies worked a leadoff walk and stole second base before Mike Yastrzemski moved him over to third with a single up the middle. Austin Riley drove home Albies on a sacrifice fly to reduce the lead to one before Sean Murphy cracked a double to put runners on second and third— just his second extra-base hit of the season. That double was the final pitch for Sasaki on the night, as he would leave the game early due to a blister to his right middle finger.

Wednesday was the shortest outing of the second half for Sasaki, as he could only complete 3 1/3 innings while tossing just 66 pitches.

Edgardo Henriquez came in relief of Sasaki to try and get the Dodgers out of the jam, but an awful route from Teoscar Hernández on a fly ball to left field from Drake Baldwin allowed both runners to score, helping Atlanta regain their first lead since the first inning. Eric Lauer came on for the fifth inning, making his second relief appearance as a Dodger, and the left-hander managed to complete two full innings. In doing so, he allowed the first home run of Sean Murphy’s season to pad the Atlanta lead to two.

The Dodgers were left struggling to find any answers against Smith-Shawver and Dylan Dodd after the third inning, but they managed to kickstart a seventh-inning rally against southpaw Dylan Lee. Shohei Ohtani led off the inning with a double before a single from Freeman moved him over to third. Mookie Betts drove home Ohtani with a single up the middle, and a walk to Max Muncy loaded the bases with nobody out, chasing Lee out of the game.

Didier Fuentes was called on to preserve the lead, but a walk to Tommy Edman took Sasaki off the hook for the loss and evened the score a 5. Kyle Tucker’s lineout to left field was too shallow to bring home Betts, and Fuentes needed one pitch to ignite a 4-6-3 double play from Alek Thomas.

The Dodgers once again loaded the bases against Fuentes in the top of the eighth inning, but the Dodgers couldn’t capitalize as Max Muncy went down swinging to end the threat. Atlanta responded by immediately putting two runners in scoring position with nobody out against Brock Stewart in the bottom of the eighth inning. Stewart managed to hold both runners on a weak ground ball to Freeman off of Ronald Acuña Jr., and after an intentional walk to Olson, a nifty 6-4-3 double play kept Atlanta quiet and got Stewart out of the bases-loaded jam.

The Dodgers went down in order against right-hander Victor Mederos in the top of the ninth inning, while Tanner Scott was one out away from doing the same in the bottom half when Lane Thomas sent a double down the right side to put the winning run in scoring position. The Dodgers decided to put Austin Riley on base intentionally to put the force at any base, but a pinch-hit single to left from the struggling Ha-Seong Kim sunk the Dodgers, allowing Atlanta to walk them off and officially take the season series.

Freddie Freeman’s double against Smith-Shawver in the third inning was the 578th of his career, tying him with Hall of Fame third baseman Wade Boggs for 24th on the all-time doubles list.

With the Milwaukee Brewers defeating the New York Mets on Wednesday, the Dodgers now sit two games back for the best record in the National League. They still maintain a two-game lead over the Atlanta Braves for the two seed.

Game particulars

• Home runs— Matt Olson (37), Sean Murphy (1): Tommy Edman (5)
• WP—Victor Mederos (3-1): 1 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts
• LP— Tanner Scott (1-5): 2/3 IP, 2 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk, 1 strikeout

Up next

The Dodgers look to avoid being swept by Atlanta on Thursday (4:15 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA) before heading out to Detroit for a weekend series against the Tigers. Yoshinobu Yamamoto faces Chris Sale.

Brewers starter Dustin May left Wednesday night’s Brewers-Mets game in New York after just one pitch, as he took a 106-mph liner off his back on a comebacker off the bat of outfielder A.J. Ewing.

UPDATE 7:44 p.m.: Official word from the Brewers is that May left the game with a right scapula contusion. X-rays were negative. We’ll hear more after the game.

UPDATE 9:51 p.m.: After the game, May sounded relieved that the injury is nothing more than a bruise and said he’ll see how he feels tomorrow.

Stay tuned for more updates as we learn more.

After a dramatic win last night, the Atlanta Braves were looking to secure a series win against the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers tonight behind AJ Smith-Shawver who took the mound for just the third time this season against the struggling Roki Sasaki.

With the Braves win last night it gave the Dodgers a losing record against teams above .500, showing that maybe those power rankings you see all over the internet may just be skewed a little bit.

Smith-Shawver started the game off with a statement by striking out the reigning MVP, Shohei Ohtani on four pitches to include a 98.4 MPH putout pitch. He then followed that with forcing a groundout to former MVP Freddie Freeman, but then walked another former MVP, Mookie Betts. He settled down and got 2026 All-Star Max Muncy to ground out as well. Sasaki struck out Baldwin and got Acuña to ground out, but then Matt Olson launched a 1-2 pitch into orbit for a 1-0 lead to put him three HRs away from forty. This put him 130th all-time in MLB for career HRs and second all-time in the amount of HRs in a player’s first five seasons with the Braves franchise behind the great Eddie Mathews.

It looked like the Braves might get more offense when Dubón singled and stole second followed by a rare Harris walk, but Ozzie Albies grounded out to end the inning.

The second inning did not go quite as well for Smith-Shawver. He gave up a leadoff double and after a pop up and fly out he walked Teoscar Hernández on five pitches. Hunter Feduccia then tied the game with a single. Fortunately, he settled down and got Ohtani to fly out. The Braves continued to put pressure on in the second but could not cross the plate. Riley and Baldwin both singled, but it did not result in runs.

Smith-Shawver struggled again in the third. He gave up a leadoff double to Freddie Freeman, and retiring the next two hitters, Tommy Edman hit a two-run shot to put the Dodgers up by two runs. Smith-Shawver settled down, and got Tucker to ground out. The Braves could not return the favor in their half of the inning as they were retired in order.

The fourth was shaky as well for Smith-Shawver. He was able to retire the first two hitters to include a strikeout, but then walked Hunter Feduccia followed by an Ohtani single to put runners on the corners. Ohtani stole second, but Freeman flied out. The Braves struck back in the fourth inning. Albies walked and then stole second. Yastrzemski singled to put runners on the corners. Riley then hit a sacrifice fly to bring the Braves within one. Sean Murphy finally started to look like Sean Murphy again tonight starting with a double here. Sasaki then was removed from the game due to a blister. Drake Baldwin took advantage of the pitching change and bad defense to hit an opposite field double off of Teoscar Hernández’s glove to score two and give the Braves the lead before Acuña struck out.

Matt Olson then lined out hard to end the inning, but some serious damage was done.

In his longest start of the season thus far, Smith-Shawver pitched the fifth inning and retired the side to include striking out Edman, who hit a HR off of him, on a failed ABS challenge. Smith finish his night with 5.0 innings pitched that included three earned runs on five hits, three walks, and three strikeouts. Eric Lauer came in to pitch for the Dodgers and Dubón led off with a single. Harris then moved him over with a rare sac bunt. Albies hit a hard line out and then Lane Thomas then came in the game to replace Yaz. Unfortunately, the Thomas sub did not work with him grounding out.

Dylan Dodd came in to pitch the sixth. He retired his first two hitters but then gave up a single to Teoscar Hernández. He was able to get the next out easily with a fly ball. In the Braves’ half of the sixth Riley struck out, but then Sean Murphy hit his first HR of the season to give the Braves a two-run lead.

Baldwin and Olson both walked, but they could not be scored.

Dylan Lee came in to pitch the seventh, and he had a rare bad night. He gave up a leadoff double to Ohtani, followed by a singled from Freeman and then a single to Betts to bring the Dodgers within one run. He then walked Muncy to load the bases with zero outs. This led to Didier Fuentes coming in. He unfortunately walked in the tying run, but then looked great for the rest of the inning and came in super clutch. He got Kyle Tucker to line out and then got Thomas to ground into a double play to stop anymore damage.

Evan Phillips came in to pitch the seventh for the Dodgers. Michael Harris hit one deep but was caught by a leaping Teoscar Hernández at the wall. Albies singled, but was out at second on a force out when Lane Thomas hit a force out. Thomas stole second, but it did not result in a run when Riley struck out. The eighth got scary for Fuentes. Teoscar Hernández singled and was moved over on a sac bunt by Hunter Feduccia. Ohtani then moved the runner to third on a ground out. This led to the decision to intentionally walk future HOFer Freddie Freeman. Fuentes then clearly pitched around Mookie Betts which led to loading the bases yet again. This led to an epic showdown with Max Muncy where after nine pitches to include five fouls, Fuentes was able to strike him out to end the inning with no runs scored.

Brock Stewart then came in to pitch eighth inning. Sean Murphy hit a single, putting him a triple shy of the cycle, and then Drake Baldwin hit his second double of the night to put runners on second and third with no outs. Somehow, the Braves squandered this opportunity. After an Acuña groundout and a Matt Olson intentional walk to load the bases, Dubón grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Victor Mederos came in to pitch the ninth inning and was able to strike out Edman after getting to a full count. He then got the the most hyped free agent of this past off-season, Kyle Tucker, to pop out to third. Medoros likely gained even more hearts of the fans tonight with a clutch strikeout to Alek Thomas to bring the game into the bottom of the ninth tied.

Tanner Scott came in for the Dodgers to face Michael Harris. Harris grounded out, Albies struck out, but Lane Thomas was able to stretch out a double to bring up Austin Riley who was intentionally walked. Because of the swaps earlier it resulted in Ha-Seong Kim coming in to hit in the ninth spot currently held by Mederos. This led to one of the most hilariously awesome walk-off wins of the season with Kim battling an eight pitch at-bat that resulted in a walk-off single to secure a series win for the Braves. As Brandon Gaudin said so beautifully, the unlikeliest of heroes.

The Braves only scored six runs, but if they continue to hit like tonight, their offense may be back. They had fourteen hits, and six walks to equal twenty base runners. They did leave thirteen runners on base, but we won’t dwell on the negative. The Dylan Lee struggled, but the rest of the bullpen pitched with ice in their veins.

The Braves go for the sweep tomorrow.

An adventurous squirrel — and not former utility player Jeff McNeil — was the highlight of the Mets’ evening Wednesday.

Unlike the team, it gave Mets fans something to cheer about.

Robert Stock and the lifeless lineup certainly didn’t.

The journeyman right-hander had very little, and the Mets failed to take advantage of Brewers starter Dustin May leaving after one batter in an ugly 8-1 loss at Citi Field.

In the bottom of the third inning, the crowd began cheering. A squirrel had gotten loose behind home plate.

The cheers turned to groans as the Mets failed to take advantage of a two-on, two-out opportunity when Carson Benge flied out to left field. As the fans were rooting on the squirrel, Bo Bichette fouled a pitch off his foot. He later left the game with a left ankle contusion.

In the top of the following inning, the Brewers put the game away. Brice Turang ripped a three-run homer to make it 7-0. Stock was trying to go for the strikeout but hung a 1-2 slider that Turang crushed.

“It was a pretty risky pitch because it might get a swing and miss, but it’s most likely to give up a home run if he does connect. That’s exactly what happened,” Stock said. “Their good approach forced me to do something I wasn’t comfortable with, and it wound up burning me.”

Milwaukee started the second with six consecutive hits. Stock, who replaced Freddy Peralta in the starting rotation when the veteran was traded to the Rays, hasn’t given the Mets much length.

He lasted only four innings Wednesday and gave up 10 hits and seven earned runs, as his ERA rose to 7.40.

“When you face a team like that, it’s kind of rolling the dice. They’re going to put the ball in play and it’s on you to make your best pitches, and a theme that I’ve noticed for every outing is my velocity has been dipping,” Stock said. “Not because I’m not feeling good, but I think because I’m spending so much time working on throwing strikes. That’s my strongest suit, is I should be able to go out there and throw 98. Tonight I didn’t see any 97.”

In five starts, he has failed to record an out in the sixth inning. This performance was similar to his Aug. 8 start against the Pirates, when he was tattooed for nine hits and eight earned runs in three innings.

Next week, rosters expand by two, and the Mets could opt to replace Stock in the starting rotation with a prospect like Jonah Tong. Interim manager Andy Green said before the game he was unsure of any promotions that could be coming.

He reiterated that stance afterward.

“We just finished up the game right now. We’ll get in there and talk about it as a group, see where our heads are at,” Green said. “He’s had some nice starts for us. This was another one I’m sure he would want back.”

Leading off the game for the Mets, A.J. Ewing drilled a line drive off May’s right shoulder.

May initially tried to stay in but was in obvious pain and, after a few warmup pitches, departed. It was later announced as a right scapula contusion.

It didn’t help the Mets lineup.

Robert Gasser held them to six hits and one run over 5 ¹/₃ innings. His lone hiccup was allowing a Francisco Alvarez run-scoring single in the fourth.

The Colorado Rockies came into this game having just ended their longest losing streak of the season by narrowly beating the Washington Nationals 3-1 on Tuesday. A magnificent start from Tanner Gordon combined with a home run parade from the Rockies lineup made for a remarkable tone shift compared to just two days ago with the Rockies winning 13-1.

Gordon efficient and steady

After rejoining the rotation just last week, Gordon had his best outing of the season.

When the game began, it did not seem like Gordon would last nearly as long as he did as Washington hitters came out of the gate with hard contact. In the first, Dylan Crews notched a triple into deep right field where he was stranded thanks to a groundout by Daylen Lile.

In the second, though, the Nationals got on the board with a leadoff home run from Andres Chaparro.

For a brief moment it seemed like the Nationals had Gordon figured out, and he was in danger of a short outing.

Instead, he quietly got the next seven straight batters out to silence any thoughts of bringing the bullpen in early.

In the bottom of the fourth, Chaparro would again get a hit, but was limited to a single this go around. Then came the play that could have thrown Gordon off of his rhythm and unraveled the entire outing.

With two outs, Cole Carrigg lost sight of what should have been an easy fly out from José Tena, and it instead turned into a double. Carrigg did not react quickly enough to communicate to Jake McCarthy, who was backing him up, that he could not see the ball and it ended up dropping between the two of them. Tena would end up on second base and the lead runner would advance to third.

Carrigg was bailed out of the mistake by Gordon unflinchingly getting Nationals catcher Harry Ford to softly ground out to end the inning.

He would go on to throw another three uneventful innings. When Zach Agnos replaced him before the eighth inning, Gordon had a sparkling line of only one run on six hits and no walks while striking out five.

After the game, Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer attributed Gordon’s success on the night primarily to his early count approach: “It all starts with him getting ahead. He got ahead, and then 0-1 he was 14 out of 15 strikes, which is elite.”

In the end, Gordon earned his first win of the season and allowed the bullpen to largely rest after a taxing five-reliever day on Tuesday.

Early trouble in the clutch

The early innings for the Rockies lineup were defined by getting players into scoring position and then failing to drive them in.

• McCarthy led off the first inning with a double and was followed by a TJ Rumfield walk and three soft contact outs. He would fail to score despite advancing to third on a stolen base.
• Ezequiel Tovar led off the third inning with a single that chased Nationals starter Matt Waldron. After he advanced to second on a groundout from McCarthy, both Carrigg and Hunter Goodman struck out to end the threat.
• The fourth inning again opened up with a runner in scoring position as Rumfield doubled. He would then be thrown out trying to advance on a fielders choice hit into by Willi Castro.

After the fourth, though, the Rockies lineup decided to put that frustration to bed and simply start hitting dingers.

When in doubt just hit it out

In the fifth inning, Connor Norby walked to lead off before being driven in when Troy Johnston took a cutter to right field.

That was followed up by McCarthy reaching first on a hustle bunt and then scoring on a homer from Carrigg to left field.

After a quiet sixth inning, the Rockies continued the home run parade in the seventh.

A couple of singles from Goodman and Rumfield followed by a rare Castro walk would load the bases against Nationals pitcher Luis Perales, who was making his Major League debut. Mickey Moniak struck out for the third time in the game before Connor Norby came to the plate and earned some grand slam taco’s for Denver.

For good measure, in the eighth Goodman crushed his 36th home run of the season to plate another two and bring the overall score to 10-1.

That home run parade by Rockies hitters was enough for the Nationals. After a couple more walks they raised the white flag in the top of the eighth.

Position Player pitching shenanigans

While the Rockies went to Zach Agnos to close out the last two frames of this blowout the Nationals instead turned to utility infielder Jorbit Vivas to get the final four outs.

Vivas came in with two outs and two runners on base. His mid-40’s looping eephus not only lacked velocity but also missed the strike zone. He allowed a couple of singles to Norby and Tovar but then managed to hit both Johnston and Moniak.

Eventually, Carrigg mercifully flew out to center field to end the inning.

The ninth came around, and the Nationals stuck with Vivas. Amusingly, a two-out single from Ryan Ritter was the only additional baserunner Vivas would allow as Goodman flew out and both Rumfield, and Moniak grounded out.

Up Next

Tomorrow the Rockies will face off against the Nationals for the final time this season.

On the mound for the Rockies will be Gabriel Hughes facing Jake Irvin of the Nationals.

First pitch is scheduled for 11:05 AM MDT.

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