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The Houston Astros (54-55) struck out 17 times tonight against the Los Angeles Angels (42-66), and still found a way to win.

Starter Peter Lambert was solid again, as he held the Angels to 2 runs over 5 innings on 7 hits, walking 1 and striking out 6. Though he wouldn’t factor in the decision, he once again gave his team a chance to win.

Enyel De Los Santos, Bryan Abreu, Steven Okert and Josh Hader (S, 14) combined for 4 scoreless, hitless innings in which they struck out 5 without walking a batter.

In the top of the 9th, with runners on the corners and 2 outs in a 2-2 game, the Angels decided to pitch to Yordan Alvarez. It ended exactly as you thought it would.

Alvarez ripped a 2-out RBI single to drive in Nick Allen with the go-ahead run in a 3-2 victory. Josh Hader closed out the 9th on 4 pitches.

The Astros got on the board first, when Alvarez launched his major league-leading 35th HR, giving Houston a 1-0 lead.

The Angels would tie the game at 1 in the third on an RBI single by Vaughn Grissom.

Houston would get that run right back in the top of the 4th when Christian Walker hammered his 21st HR of the season, a solo shot to re-take the lead at 2-1.

In the bottom of the 5th, the Angels would tie the game again when Jorge Soler doubled in Mike Trout.

Neither team really mounted any kind of offense again until Alvarez broke the tie in the 9th.

The Astros are now 1 game under .500 for the first time since April 8, when they were 6-7. Houston is 2 games behind the Texas Rangers for the AL West division lead, and 1 GB of the Cleveland Guardians for the 3rd Wild Card spot in the AL.

Hayden Wesneski will be activated tomorrow and make the start for the Astros as they go for the series sweep.

You guys have probably heard the line ‘its hard not to be romantic about baseball’ before, and tonight was a perfect encapsulation of that very phrase. It had all the highs of the big blowout win, the heartbreak of the blown save, and then the triumph of the unsung hero coming out of nowhere in the extra innings to save the team. Nights like tonight either drive you crazy, or make you fall in love with the game that much more. No other sport can play with our emotions quite like baseball can.

The Diamondbacks offense got off to such an amazing start. Scoring consistently with team baseball throughout each of the first 4 innings. It really felt like this offense was clicking. Overall they recorded 16 hits in the 12 innings highlighted by James McCann with 4 and Nolan Arenado with 3. On the flip side, this offense also set a franchise record recording 24 outs with runners in scoring position tonight. What started out so good, quickly turned into a start reminder of the problems that have been plaguing this offense most of the season with its struggles with RISP.

Then in the 7^th inning, the offense suddenly came to a screeching halt. And the Pirates offense came jolting to life. The Pirates would erase the 6-0 lead the Dbacks had going into the 8^th inning with 3 runs in the 8^th and 3 runs in the 9^th. Unfortunately what had been a strength much of the season in the backend of the bullpen in Thompson and Sewald was a weakness tonight. Thompson simply could not get away with anything tonight giving up 4 hits and a walk in just .2 of an inning. And the leader of this bullpen, Sewald came into the game with a 3 run lead in the 9^th and proceeded to give up a base hit and back to back home runs to immediately erase the 3 run lead and tie the game. This was such a low moment for this team in such a big game. Especially with how lock down Sewald has been in save situations this season coming into the game having blown only 2 saves in 24 chances.

However fortunately for the Dbacks there was Gerardo Carillo who tonight put this team on his back and carried them back into the 3^rd wildcard spot. Carrillo, who came into today working primarily as the low leverage long man, was thrust straight into some of the most high leverage innings of the season thus far, and boy did he deliver. Carillo was able to give the team 2 innings tonight in which he allowed 0 hits and 0 runs while striking out 3 while getting his first career major league win. He threw a 6 pitch scoreless 11^th and then put up another 0 in the 12^th to keep this team alive. Carillo has always been an intriguing relief option in the upper minors given his upper 90’s fastball velocity combined with his pitch mix including a cutter, a splitter, and sinker. However tonight he also showed that he has what could arguably be the most important trait for a late inning reliever and that is he has that dog in him.

It is also worth discussing Brandon Pfaadt who tonight was dominant over 7 innings and definitely was deserving of a win. Pfaadt allowed just 7 baserunners while striking out 4 tonight and his stuff was really working. With the way his season started out, if I would have told you that he would be back in the starting rotation with an ERA of 4.00 going into August, very few people would have believed me. Especially with the contract extension that he signed, Pfaadt has definitely been one of the biggest wins thus far in the season with how he has turned things around and once again looks like the promising young frontline starting pitcher that the Dbacks were banking on.

The Dbacks will go for the series win tomorrow afternoon with Eduardo Rodriquez on the mound in what will once again be the biggest game of the season thus far for the Dbacks. A win would guarantee the Dbacks the season series split against the Pirates, and could put them two games up for the final wild card position (depending on results elsewhere). Here’s to hoping ERod can continue to carry this team tomorrow.

The White Sox (55-51) waited until the bottom of the ninth to score any runs, and ironically ended up outhitting the Yankees (61-46), but they couldn’t make the full comeback and fell just short, 3-2. Chase Meidroth saved the day from a 3-0 shutout, mashing a homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but the bats were mostly quiet and couldn’t provide run support for their pitching staff.

Giving the White Sox bullpen a bit of a reprieve from Monday night, Anthony Kay labored through 5 1/3 innings, looking sharp outside of his 29-pitch second inning. The lefty started the game on a high note by striking out the side in the top of the first — the first three of seven Ks during today’s outing — but we can’t say the same about the next frame.

Back-to-back singles from Jasson Domínguez and Trent Grisham led off the second frame and kicked off their three-run rally. Kay uncorked a wild pitch to move both runners into scoring position before Anthony Volpe lined a double off the top of the wall in right, scoring Domínguez. The southpaw worked around Jazz Chisholm Jr. with a strikeout, but Max Schuemann doubled to left to score another two runs to give the Yankees a 3-0 lead.

Kay was otherwise solid, and when a batter did reach base, he was able to work around it. The main issue, however, is that he received zero run support from the offense, which mustered only three hits while Kay was in the game. It helped that Kay gutted through five-plus innings, but without any run support, it hardly mattered.

Kay put Domínguez on for the second time to lead off the sixth, hitting his 20th batter of the season, and his 10th batter in his last nine starts. Though there was some weird communication between Tristan Peters and Braden Montgomery in right-center, Braden was able to snow cone the ball at the last second for the out.

That marked the end of the day for Kay, as righthander Jordan Hicks came in to close out the inning. Things got a little dicey after Domínguez stole second, which was confirmed after the White Sox attempted to challenge to see if his foot might have slipped off the base. Hicks intentionally walked Chisholm to avoid giving him a chance to do damage, and Aaron Boone opted to pinch-hit Spencer Jones for Schuemann, who struck out on three straight pitches to end the inning.

While all of that was happening, Gerrit Cole effectively shut down the South Siders for all six of his innings. The veteran allowed just four hits and two walks while striking out seven; the main difference between Cole’s outing and Kay’s is that the Yankees finagled three runs, while the South Siders went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position and left seven on base. The South Siders had their best chance in the bottom of the fourth and made Cole navigate through a bases-loaded jam with 32 pitches. Still, unfortunately, they couldn’t capitalize on a Munetaka Murakami leadoff double and a pair of walks.

Miguel Vargas had walked to put two on after the Murakami double, but Colson Montgomery flew out while Andrew Benintendi wasn’t able to beat out a slow dribbler that went to short off the end of his bat. Braden walked to load the bases up, bringing Peters up to the plate. Peters entered hitting .280 with runners in scoring position, but he couldn’t cash in, flying out to shallow left and ending the threat.

Entering the game for Hicks, Tyler Schweitzer put together three solid frames as a long reliever to eat innings while hoping the offense would eventually make the comeback. Spoiler alert: they did not, but Schweitzer allowed just one hit and walked two while striking out one, and kept the Sox in a position to close the gap and win the game. The Yankees could hardly hit the ball after the second inning, but the South Siders could not take advantage of it.

Cole was able to regain control for the fifth and sixth innings and shut the Good Guys down. New York’s bullpen ranks second in MLB with a 3.07 ERA, trailing only their rivals, the Boston Red Sox (3.02). They seemed to be cruising tonight as well, as both Angel Chivilli and Ryan Headrick earned a hold with just one hit allowed (Headrick), but no harm was done. And that’s not including the excellent defensive plays by Chisholm, who stole a pair of base hits, including taking a double away from Colson for a ground out deep into the first and second-base hole.

The first was the first batter of the game for the White Sox:

And the second was slick and extremely clutch:

That clutch play from Jazz in the eighth likely saved the game for the Yankees. Righthander David Bednar came into the game with a 24-inning consecutive scoreless streak, looking to extend it to 25 and close the game out for a shutout win. Bednar struck out Benintendi and Peters, with Peters going down looking after a called ball was overturned to a strike. Braden, who had singled and moved into scoring position, brought Chase Meidroth to the plate. Meidroth wasn’t ready to go home and ended Bednar’s scoreless streak with a two-run homer over the South Side bullpen in left field, bringing the game within one, 3-2.

Since Will Venable had already decided to pinch-hit Randal Grichuk for Sam Antonacci in the bottom of the eighth, there wasn’t much power left on the bench to pinch-hit for Romo. Everson Pereira was called upon, and though he battled through an eight-pitch at-bat, Bednar was able to strike him out on a splitter on the outside corner to end the game.

With the Cleveland Guardians defeating the Cincinnati Reds, 6-5, the White Sox remain in first place with a 1 1/2-game lead in the division. They will need the bats to step up and capitalize on situations where the other team is handing out free base runners, just like Cole did in the fourth. Either way, they couldn’t get a rally going to save their lives, so it’s time to try to brush this one off and come back tomorrow ready to take on Cam Schlittler.

White Sox MVPs
Munetaka Murakami: 1-for-4, 2B, 2 K
Braden Montgomery: 2-for-3, R, BB, K
Chase Meidroth: 1-for-4, R, 2 RBI, HR
Jordan Hicks: 2/3 IP, 0 H, IBB, 2 K
Tyler Schweitzer: 3 IP, H, 2 BB, K

White Sox Cold Cats
Sam Antonacci: 0-for-3, K
Colson Montgomery: 0-for-4, K
Tristan Peters: 0-for-4, 2 K
Anthony Kay: 5 1/3 IP, 5 H, 3 R, BB, 7 K, WP, HB, LOSS (7-5)

One night before the induction of San Francisco Giants second baseman/wheelie enthusiast Jeff Kent into the Hall of Fame, Harrison Bader had a setback in his recovery from plantar fasciitis thanks to a scooter accident. Yes, really.

This is honestly far more baffling than the traffic accident that nearly blinded San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan. A player who has missed the last two months of the baseball season with a foot problem nonetheless went for a late night scoot sesh, crashed, and exacerbated his foot issue. Harrison Bader is 32 years old.

This isn’t even the first time Bader has crashed a scooter late at night. When he was a sophomore at the University of Florida in 2014, Bader was suspended for 19 games after drunkenly crashing his scooter into a parked truck. There’s been no indication that alcohol was involved in the most recent injury, but describing the accident as happening “on Saturday night/early Sunday morning” strongly implies there may have been some revelry involved.

Of course, manager Tony Vitello doesn’t know anything, and he didn’t ask.

“He didn’t provide a lot of details to me, and [I’ll] let the medical staff and the front office sort that stuff out,” Vitello told reporters before Tuesday’s game. Way to stay on top of things, Tony V!

Bader was supposed to fly to Indianapolis to see a foot specialist on Monday, which he did, but that was spent evaluating the new injury, maybe digging broken glass and gravel out of his foot while explaining that while scooters may seem “rad,” he’s a professional athlete on a $20M contract and not an adventurous tween defying his parents. The team said he’d have an MRI Tuesday, after he goes shopping for Rollerblades and a pair of wraparound sunglasses.

It’s been a rough day for the Giants when it comes to injuries. Tuesday afternoon, the team announced that Casey Schmitt had a (likely season-ending) meniscus tear. A few hours later, they announced starter Trevor McDonald had a definitely season-ending UCL tear in his elbow, and would undergo Tommy John surgery.

It’s also been a rough week for the entire organization when it comes to scooter incidents. Saturday, R.C. Dinger, the mascot of the Sacramento River Cats, the team’s AAA affiliate, crashed into Alek Thomas while cruising along the warning track. We are nearly positive that Bader was not in the mascot costume.

What exactly is R.C. Dinger? A cat that lives in the American River and shops at that one store in Old Town Sac that sells candy out of giant barrels and somehow didn’t go out of business during a global pandemic? But we digress.

We all knew there’d be no end to the improbable, terrible disasters that would befall the 2026 Giants. But no one had “scooter accident” on their bongo card. And if anyone did, that bingo card would find away to severely cut Logan Webb’s pitching hand and end his season.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Padres fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

The San Diego Padres stumbled out of the All-Star break dropping back-to-back series on the road to the Kansas City Royals and the Atlanta Braves. Each loss, four in all, seemed to be another nail in the coffin on the 2026 season. The Padres limped into their final series of the road trip against the Miami Marlins with their season seemingly hanging in the balance. Anything less than a winning series would have surely resulted in the team looking to offload expiring contracts at the deadline relegating the remaining players on the roster to play out the string of games before heading to the offseason.

The Padres had other plans and instead of just winning the series against the Marlins, they swept the team from South Beach and handed them their 12th consecutive loss. San Diego had a thrilling win in the third and final game of the series that saw the Padres enter the eighth inning trailing by two runs. Manny Machado hit a two-run home run to tie the game and two batters later, Jackson Merrill connected on a solo home run to put San Diego in the lead. Luis Campusano later added an RBI-single in the inning and the Friar Faithful got a glimpse of what the Padres could be — and were expected to be.

Starting pitching has been problematic for San Diego, but the offense has come to life in the past week. With the offense turning around and the Padres adopting the pitching chaos theory with their rotation has San Diego changed your mind about what they should do at the MLB Trade Deadline. There are five games remaining after the Padres played their series opener against the Colorado Rockies tonight. There is still time to make a decision, and there is still an opportunity to sway decision makers within the organization or maybe the team has already done so. Have they changed your thoughts about the deadline approach?

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A Clay Holmes showcase appeared to go according to plan.

The recovering Mets right-hander, who is likely to be used as trade bait by Monday, completed four scoreless innings with Low-A St. Lucie on Tuesday night in what was his second and likely final rehab start.

Holmes, who maxed out with a 94.1 mph sinker and allowed two hits while walking two and striking out three, might have thrown his final 59 pitches (37 strikes) in the Mets organization.

But not necessarily: It is also possible that he remains on regular rest and starts Sunday — one day before the deadline — for the Mets when they host the Marlins.

Doing so would run some risk for the Mets, who would not want to see Holmes get hammered or injured, but teams across the league would love a last glimpse at one of the expected prizes of the trade deadline, if he has not been moved by then.

Holmes has been one of the best moves of the David Stearns era, a reliever signed ahead of the 2025 season and converted into a starter who was promising last year (3.53 ERA in 33 games) and better this season (2.39 ERA in nine starts) before a Spencer Jones comebacker fractured his fibula in May.

It is possible the Mets extend Holmes by the deadline — not likely, with Holmes saying last week he didn’t think “there was a ton” of extension talk between the two sides — and it is also at least possible the Mets hold on to Holmes, which likely would lead to the club extending a qualifying offer after he expectedly opts out of his current deal.

But the most likely scenario is the Mets will trade Holmes, who looked like himself Tuesday: Of the six outs he recorded through balls being put in play, all were ground outs.

Welcome to another show at BCB After Dark: the grooviest spot for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in out of the heat. Everyone is welcome here. There’s no cover charge. We still have a few tables available. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

Last night, I asked you what you’d give up for Padres reliever Adrián Morejón. The plurality of you, 31 percent of you to be exact, wouldn’t give up any of my suggested prospects for Morejón. Thirty percent of you were willing to part with last year’s first-round pick, Ethan Conrad.

On Tuesday night, I don’t do movie stuff. But I will say, in reference to what I said about The Odyssey last night, I was in a Barnes & Noble today and there were a couple of big Ancient Greek/Homer displays. But in any case, I always have time for jazz and that time is now.

Tonight I have pianist Robert Glasper performing Radiohead’s “Everything in its Right Place” in Paris last month.

Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and movies.

I’m going to take a break from trade proposals tonight to ask you about Alex Bregman. Specifically, do you think that Bregman has put his disappointing first half behind him?

Alex Bregman signed a big free agent contract this past offseason that came with big expectations. And while I can’t say that Bregman was bad his first few months as a Cub, I’m not going to say he was good either. The defense was good, but the Cubs were paying for both the glove and the bat. He certainly wasn’t playing up to the almost $30 million a year (after deferments) that the Cubs were paying him. To be fair to Bregman, he’d be the first one to admit that.

But since the All-Star Game, Bregman seems to have turned a corner. Before the Break, Bregman hit .241/.336/.359 with nine home runs. Again, that’s not bad, but it’s not what the Cubs were expecting out of him when they signed him. But since the All-Star Break, Bregman is hitting .286/.362/.500, which is pretty good. It’s only ten games, but that’s almost exactly what the Cubs were hoping for out of Bregman.

Of course over the past two games in St. Louis, Bregman has used one of Dansby Swanson’s bats and has gone 7 for 10 with two doubles and a home run.

So tonight’s question is “How optimistic are you about Alex Bregman in the second half?” On a scale of 1 to 5, what do you expect Bregman to do the rest of the way?

Lets get some definitions out of the way. If you say “Very,” you’re thinking that Bregman will continue to hit the way he has over the past ten games or better the rest of the way. Not the “7 for 10” of the first two games of this series. That’s ridiculous. But you think he’ll have some of those 7 for 10 streaks the rest of the way along with solid production the rest of the time.

If you say “Somewhat,” you mean that you think Bregman will be better than he was in the first half, but not quite up to his career norms. Bregman’s career triple-slash numbers are .270/.363/.471. Like I said, pretty similar to what he’s done since the All-Star Break.

If you answer “Somewhat pessimistic,” you think Bregman’s second half will be like his first half. If you vote “very pessimistic,” you’re thinking that Bregman is going to fall off a cliff and be even worse the rest of the way.

So how are you feeling about Alex Bregman?

Thank you for stopping by. It’s always good to be around friends. Please get home safely. Don’t forget any personal items. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow night for more BCB After Dark.

Well, this one was a dud. Coming off a series sweep of the Cleveland Guardians, the Tampa Bay Rays’ offense remained quiet at the plate and dropped the opener to the Texas Rangers by a score of 4-1.

Griffin Jax got the start for the Rays and was serviceable, allowing just a pair of runs over 5.2 innings of work. He punched out ten, walked three, and allowed five hits. Only one of the two runs he allowed was earned. The effort should have been enough to earn his seventh win of the season. Instead, he left with his eighth loss of the year.

The real story of the night was the Rays offense, or lack thereof. Outside of Aranda and Caminero, who each tallied a pair of hits, the rest of the lineup mustered just one hit. Cal Quantrill held the Rays to just one run an two hits over 5.1 innings of work. He punched out seven and walked just one.

Trailing 2-0, the Rays did threaten in the bottom of the fourth and for a brief moment it looked as if they were poised to take the lead and potentially send Cal Quantrill to the showers early. After a leadoff strikeout by Yandy Diaz, who’s struggles at the plate continued Tuesday night, Jonathan Aranda singled and later advance to third on a double by Caminero. Mullins then reached on catcher’s interference to load the bases for Chandler Simpson. Then, shockingly, Simpson found a way to hit into a groundball double play as he slapped a groundball right back to Quantrill who quickly threw home to start a 1-2-3 double play to end the inning.

The Rays eventually scored in the sixth inning when Caminero tripled home Yandy Diaz on a ball to left that got past a sliding Langford. With a chance to tie the game at two, Mullins promptly struck out swinging.

With the Rays in need of a shutdown inning, Matz took over on the bump and served up a cookie to the nine-hole hitter Austin Wynns, who turned on it and sent it over the wall for his first homer of the season. The solo shot gave the Rangers a 3-1 lead. They would score again in the eighth, but that run was of little consequence as the Rays were done scoring after the sixth inning. The score of 4-1 would hold.

With the Rays loss and the Yankees win over the White Sox, the Rays’ lead in the division is now down to just a game and a half, though they are up two in the loss column. Legumina will open for the Rays on Wednesday night with Seymour working a bulk of the innings. Hopefully the bats wake up as they have now just scored five total runs over their last three games. Luckily, they are 2-1 in that stretch.

It’s that time! It’s been a slow-moving, but eventful, game at Petco Park so far, as the the Rockies lead the Padres 4-3 as we enter the sixth inning.

IT’S OVERFLOW THREAD TIME!

Here are the lineups:

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It's a bird! It's a plane! It's ... Jimothy!

The viral raccoon will be honored by his hometown baseball team, the Seattle Mariners, during an upcoming game on Aug. 5.

The promotion listed on the team's website will feature free Jimothy rookie cards to the first 20,000 fans who show up at T-Mobile Park to watch the Mariners take on the Detroit Tigers. There will be a handful of exclusive cards, 1 of 1 gold, 1 of 100 silver, 1 of 500 shiny blue and 1 of 2,000 numbered, among the mix.

If someone is a superfan of Jimothy, they can buy a special Jimothy Night ticket that includes a t-shirt featuring an animated image of Jimothy wearing a Mariners hat. With each ticket purchase, the team will donate $2 to the Ballard Food Bank.

The @Mariners just announced "Jimothy Night," happening at T-Mobile Park next Weds (8/5)

Fans who buy through the team's ticket special link will get a Mariners x Jimothy t-shirt. The first 20,000 fans will also score an exclusive Jimothy Rookie Card, with several being chase… pic.twitter.com/PUNHfmUhLo

— Ellyn Briggs (@EllynBriggs) July 28, 2026

On Friday, July 24, Julio Rodríguez and other members of the Mariners did batting practice wearing gray t-shirts that said "Jimothy" with an image of the furry friend. Front Office Sports reported that the shirts were the All-Star outfielder's idea.

Another baseball team is fittingly giving Jimothy his flowers, too. The Rocket City Trash Pandas, the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels based in Madison, Alabama, are hosting their own Jimothy Night on Aug. 4. Festivities will include a raccoon parade for fans who come to the game dressed in a raccoon costume. The team will serve specialty food and drinks out of dishes mimicking trash cans and the first 200 kids get a free Jimothy mask.

The raccoon, who is hunched over most likely due to a spinal deformity, took over the internet this summer. Local resident Kiana Hall posted a video on Instagram of the creature running through the streets and she named him Jimothy. Signs celebrating the unofficial team mascot started showing up at T-Mobile Park and the Mariners even featured him in their salmon run mascot race.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Seattle Mariners to celebrate viral raccoon Jimothy at upcoming game

Shane Bieber melted down, which cost the Jays a chance to win but probably more importantly derailed a string of solid starts that had hopefully been pushing his trade value back up. Also, Vladimir Guerrero jr. left the game before the bottom of the fourth after legging out an infield single and throwing error in the third. It was later reported to be a right hamstring injury. So a good day all around.

We got a fun moment before the game as Louis Varland and his brother Gus, recently recalled from AAA by the Nationals, got to do the lineup card exchange.

There was an hour long rain delay before we could get going tonight. Cade Cavalli didn’t look bothered, but it looked like the delay really threw Shane Bieber. He couldn’t get any of his pitches across, missing badly all over the plate. After the Jays were retired in the first with just a Nathan Lukes single erased by a Vladimir Guerrero jr. double play ball, Bieber walked two the first three Washington hitters. Then CJ Abrams reached on an infield ground ball when Bieber couldn’t find the bag while recieving Luis Urias’ toss, loading the bases with just one out. Walks to Keibert Ruiz and Daylen Lile forced in a pair of runs. A Nasim Nunez sac fly plated Abrams to make it 3-0. Then another walk, to Jorbit Vivas, re-loaded the bases, and a sixth, to Jacob Young, pushed yet another run across. That was enough for the Jays, who called for Brendon Little. He got a ground out to finally end the inning.

The Jays had a chance in the second, with George Springer walking and Ernie Clement lining a single, but they failed to capitalize. Little returned for the bottom half and struck out the side.

Toronto got on board in the third. Yohendrick Pinango walked with one out, but was traded for Lukes on a fielder’s choice. The speed upgrade mattered, as Vlad hit a slow roller to third and Vivas’s throw to first went wide, allowing Lukes to come all the way around to score, cutting the deficit to 4-1. Little kept dealing, getting a ground out and a strikeout among the first two batters. Nunez reached when Ernie Clement bobbled a soft chopper to third, but Brandon Valenzuela gunned him down stealing second with a beautiful throw.

Valenzuela kept the good play going with a line single to lead off the next inning. Daulton Varsho lined a double off the top of the wall in right centre to put men on second and third with none out. One batter later, an Andres Gimenez gound out plated Valenzuela to make it 4-2.

Mason Fluharty took over in the fourth. A walk and a Luis Garcia jr. home run off the back of the right field bullpen extended the Nats’ lead back to four and brought CJ Van Eyk into the game. He didn’t fare any better, though, as Dylan Crews lifted one out to centere left to make it 7-2.

Kazuma Okamoto, in for Vlad, hit a solo homer in the fifth, his 24th. That ties him with Eric Hinske for the Blue Jays rookie record (though a 30-year-old six time NPB All Star is a rookie only in a technical sense). Washington got the run back in their half on a pair of singles, a fielding error by Okamoto on a ground ball, and a sac fly.

The sides trades scoreless sixth and seventh innings. In the eighth, the offence decided to rain on the Varland family picnic. Lukes won an 11 pitch battle, lining a single, Okamoto reached on a CJ Abrams error, and George Springer leaned back and golfed a low-inside fastball over the centre field fence to bring the Jays within two. Jeff Hoffman took over from Van Eyk for the bottom half and kept the Jays in it by retiring the Nationals in order with a pair of strikeouts.

The offence couldn’t complete the comeback, though. Washington closer Clayton Beeter retired them in order to lock down the save.

Jays of the Day: Nobody qualifies, but Little deserves credit for strong relief work in an emergency

Less so: Bieber (-0.33), Fluharty (-0.11), Gimenez (-0.10)

It’s an early game tomorrow, with first pitch scheduled for 1:05pm ET. Trey Yesavage (4-5, 3.92) goes for the Jays, while Zack Littell (7-8, 5.17) toes the rubber for the Nationals.

The Cubs announced that they have signed all 21 picks from the recent draft. It’s the third time in the last four years the Cubs came to terms with all of their draft picks.

The Cubs have also signed the following undrafted free agents, listed with their college team.

Outfielder Michael Gupton Memphis

Catcher Jhoander Irigoyen Tampa

First baseman Blake Bevis Mississippi State

Catcher Colin Hynek North Carolina

Irigoyen has been assigned to Low-A Myrtle Beach. Hynek has been assigned to Double-A Knoxville. The other two went to the ACL Cubs, whose season is over but they can still play in the unofficial games going on down there.

With those players under contract, it’s Black Tuesday for many others as the Cubs needed to make roster room for the new players. The following players were released:

Outfielder Edward Vargas

Right-hander Ben Johnson

Right-hander Henry Cone

Catcher Dillon Granadillo

Right-hander Kenton Egbert

Catcher Casey Opitz has retired. I wouldn’t be surprised if Opitz has a coaching job lined up somewhere, either with the Cubs or elsewhere.

Now for some movement.

Catcher Ethan Hearn was promoted from Double-A Knoxville to Triple-A Iowa.

Left-hander Luis Peralta rejoins Iowa from the Development List.

Right-hander Grayson Moore moves from High-A South Bend to Double-A Knoxville.

Right-hander Yoendris Gonzalez has been promoted to High-A South Bend from Myrtle Beach.

Outfielder Geuri Lubo has also been promoted to South Bend from Myrtle Beach.

Outfielder Jan Luis Reyes goes from the ACL Cubs to Myrtle Beach.

Shortstop Corey Nunez, the Cubs’ 14th-round pick, has been assigned to Myrtle Beach.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were run off the rails by the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Yankees), 6-3. It was the first time Iowa has played Scranton/Wilkes-Barre since 1990.

It was a very good start tonight for Jace Beck, who gave the I-Cubs five scoreless innings on four hits. Beck struck out two and walked no one.

The bullpen couldn’t hold the lead, however. Antoine Kelly grabbed the loss after pitching the eighth inning and allowing three runs. Kelly gave up four hits and no walks in his one inning of work, but he did hit a batter. Kelly struck out two.

Catcher Owen Ayers hit his first Triple-A home run with the bases empty in the fourth inning. It was Ayers’ 23rd home run overall. Ayers was 1 for 4.

First baseman Jonathon Long was 2 for 4 with a double and a run scored.

Right fielder Kevin Alcántara extended his on-base streak to 37 games, going 1 for 2 with a walk and a sacrifice fly. He scored one run.

Ayers home run.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies were extinguished by the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Marlins), 3-2.

Connor Schultz started, gave up three runs over 3.2 innings, and took the loss. Schultz gave up six hits and walked five while striking out four.

The Smokies only managed four hits. DH Miguel Useche went 1 for 1 with a walk and a sacrifice fly.

Catcher Ariel Armas was 1 for 2 with two walks. He scored both Smokies runs.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs were boarded and seized by the Lake County Captains (Guardians), 7-5.

It was a rough start for Mason McGwire, who took the loss after getting knocked around for six runs on five hits over 3.1 innings. Three of those five hits were home runs. McGwire walked four and struck out one.

Left fielder Kade Snell hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning. It was Snell’s third home run this year. Snell went 2 for 4.

Catcher Logan Poteet got South Bend a run closer with a solo home run in the top of the eighth. It was Poteet’s second High-A home run and 16th overall. Poteet went 1 for 4 and scored twice.

Center fielder Kane Kepley was 2 for 5 with a steal.

Surprising power out of Snell here.

Poteet’s home run.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans were bitten by the Charleston RiverDogs (Rays), 6-2.

The Birds got a solid start out of Hayden Frank, who scattered seven hits for one run over four innings. Frank did not walk anyone and struck out two.

Freddy Rodriguez’s Pelicans debut did not go well. He relieved Frank in the fifth and took the loss after allowing five runs on four hits over 2.2 innings. Rodrigue walked four and struck out three.

Pelicans had just four hits. Left fielder Eli Lovich had an RBI single in the sixth inning and then came around to score on a wild pitch. Lovice was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Lovich’s single and the wild pitch.

The Yankees are in need of a right-handed catcher, and with Twins backstop Ryan Jeffers on an expiring contract, it seems the Bronx would be the best fit. 

Or so the baseball world thought.

Twins GM Jeremy Zoll spoke to the media, including The Athletic’s Dan Hayes, ahead of Tuesday’s series opener with the Royals, saying that the plan is to be buyers ahead of this year’s trade deadline.

“This has been what we were focusing on and what our pro personnel group over the last couple of months has been focused on — the ‘buy’ version of things,” Zoll said. “It wasn’t some situation where they were prepping to sell and we’re switching. Now we’re looking forward to try and execute on that work.”

Zoll said he hopes to improve the team’s bullpen and the Twins will be open to “creative paths.”

What that means for Jeffers’ future with Minnesota is unclear. Again, the 29-year-old catcher will be a free agent at the end of the season, which makes him a prime candidate to be dealt, but after Tuesday’s dramatic walk-off win, the Twins sit at 54-54 and just 0.5 games behind the Guardians for the final wild card spot.

Although the Twins have announced their trade deadline status, they could potentially look to upgrade their chances to make the postseason while also selling at the same time.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan spoke about the fit between the Yankees and Jeffers on hisSources Tell Jeff Passan web show on Tuesday, saying it feels “preordained” that a deal would be made.

"It feels like where Ryan Jeffers is going has been preordained for months now,” Passan said. “The Yankees need a right-handed hitter, they need power, and they need a catcher; and while there are other options out there, they are going to cost a whole lot more.”

Passan did acknowledge that if the Twins remain steadfast in trying to compete this season, it would make sense to keep Jeffers. However, Jeffers’ impending free agency leads Passan to believe that the catcher will still be dealt.

Minnesota does have Victor Caratini under contract, who is more than capable of stepping in to play full time as he did when Jeffers missed two months with a hamate bone fracture. 

But if Jeffers is not on the market, the Yankees will have to look elsewhere. The Reds' Tyler Stephenson has been linked to the Yankees as a potential alternative and the Marlins have reportedly made Liam Hicks available. 

With just five more games before the Aug. 3 deadline, the baseball world will see if the Twins hold on to their position or change course. 

DUNEDIN, FL — Clay Holmes has been traded once before. He found out when he was going to the New York Yankees in the checkout lane of a Pittsburgh Target. Pirates GM Ben Cherington called him to tell him he had been traded and Holmes was quickly searching the aisles for a razor. He had a plane to catch and a beard to shave.

Now, five years later, he is on the block again. This time, he's a more known and wanted commodity, and because he has been on the injured list he has had 10 weeks to sit with it.

He doesn't love the uncertainty, but he's not dreading anything.

"It was such a good experience the last time, because I just took it for what it was and accepted it," Holmes said Tuesday night. "I am going to try and do that same thing this time. Whatever happens, I just try and come at it with a new perspective, fresh eyes and just enjoy it and just kind of hang on."

Hanging on is harder this week when the ride hasn't even started.

Holmes pitched four scoreless innings for Single-A St. Lucie on Tuesday night against Dunedin in a ballpark with maybe 250 people in it. Six days before the MLB trade deadline, the five scouts behind home plate stood out and were a reminder that as Holmes grinds to get back, nobody knows where his next start will be, or what organization it will be for.

The Mets are 45-62, last in the National League East, and have told teams that Holmes is available. He can walk after this season and he has confirmed that there have been no substantive extension talks with the Mets. So, his name has been linked in reports to the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and even the Yankees.

"I can't address any rumors or anything. I have no clue," Holmes said when asked about a possible return to the Bronx. "But it's a place that I'll always be grateful for. A lot of great memories, great relationships. It's a great organization. I definitely have some good friends over there."

He made a name for himself in pinstripes after that surprising 2021 trade. He came in a unknown and left as a prized free agent.