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In one dugout was the kind of first base torch-passing that will be referenced for decades, a seamless transition from an aging star to a younger version.

In the other dugout was the kind of first base torch-passing that sees the torch get fumbled to the ground and sets the whole place on fire.

With Matt Olson, who assumed the position of Freddie Freeman so naturally, watching and homering for Atlanta, Jorge Polanco again did not look much like Pete Alonso.

Because he is signed through next year, Polanco still has time to endear himself to his team and the team’s fans, but with each game and each at-bat right now he is making one of David Stearns’ key offseason decisions look a bit worse.

Polanco’s struggles continued Wednesday afternoon, when he went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts and, perhaps most tellingly, opted for a sacrifice bunt rather than swinging away in what became a 3-2 Mets win over the Braves in the opening end of a doubleheader at Citi Field.

Since returning from nearly three months on the injured list with both wrist and ankle issues, Polanco entered the nightcap 4-for-41 (.098) with three singles and a double.

He had logged at least one strikeout in eight of his past nine games, a stretch in which he was punched out 13 times in 29 at-bats. He has not swung like Alonso.

Every one of those at-bats has come as the designated hitter, the 33-year-old unable to play the field because of his Achilles bursitis. He has not played defense like Alonso.

In his final at-bat, with the bases loaded in the seventh inning against former Met Danny Young, Polanco swung through a sweeper and heard loud boos — even following a frame in which his team took the lead — all the way to the dugout. The fans, too, are not treating him like Alonso.

Andy Green said Polanco is still searching for his timing after his 12th game back from the IL — and reminded reporters of the type of player Polanco has been in his career.

“He squared up [Tarik] Skubal for two home runs in the postseason last year,” the interim manager said of Polanco’s memorable Game 2 of the ALDS with the Mariners. “He is ridiculously good. And he hasn’t been able to find his timing or rhythm right-handed [or] left-handed.

“He’s obviously dealt with injuries all year, so he’s someone that we know we’re one swing away. We’d all like that swing to get here.”

That the Mets allowed Alonso to walk to Baltimore for five years and $155 million is defensible considering a projected downturn and defensive concerns. That they replaced him with an older infielder with a history of injuries and virtually no experience at first was more curious and, at least in Year 1, has backfired. Polanco has not been healthy or productive, and neither has their Plan B in Mark Vientos.

Polanco is a year removed from establishing himself as a postseason hero and homering 26 times with an .821 OPS. With better health, he has time to rebound.

But his confidence, too, might need to rebound, considering his greetings in Queens and considering his sixth-inning at-bat, when he followed a leadoff single from Jared Young with a sacrifice bunt, a move seldom seen in today’s game and rarely from a slugger capable of inflicting damage. Young did not come around to score.

After the game, Polanco was not made available for an interview because he had too much to do in the training room, a Mets official said.

“I know he’s grinding on it harder than anybody is, but we do have a ton of confidence that moment is coming,” Green said, “where unleash the floodgates and the Polanco who he’s always been will be there.”

Daniel Susac was on the injured list when Patrick Bailey’s trade to the Guardians became official on May 9th. The transaction effectively made the rookie the Giants primary catcher, a promotion earned on the merits of his offensive production as the back-up backstop, which shone especially bright compared to the dull bat work of Bailey. Of course, the .478 average and 1.152 OPS was a 24 plate-appearance mirage. Turns out, Susac was not the second-coming of Mike Piazza — even worse, he proved to be a whiter shade of Bailey’s pale. 

Going into Wednesday’s game against the Brewers, Susac’s .239 SLG (105 PA) since May 9th was the lowest among catchers in the Majors (min 100 PA). His 39 wRC+ was obviously well below league average, and well below Bailey’s below-average 86 wRC+. 

It’s not just the on-field results either. By most advanced metrics and expected statistics, Susac is getting out pretty much what he’s put in. His launch angle sweet spot % is excellent but it isn’t supported by a quick bat speed or exit velocity. With Susac, the Giants have ended up with a faded copy of their Gold Glover: Still solid behind the dish, but dubious when digging in next to it. 

A crude, but still revealing one, measurement of Susac’s deficiency in power lies in home run totals. Bailey has hit four as a member of the Cleveland Guardians. Eric Haase, since DFA’d by San Francisco, homered four times over 69 at-bats as a Giant, including a two-homer game against the Dodgers. The light-hitting Jesus Rodriguez hit his first in his second game of the season. 

As for Susac, he still hadn’t cleared the wall. He was the only catcher in the Majors since May 9th (min. 100 PA) without a homer… 

Maybe that fact didn’t live rent-free in his brain, or keep him up late at night. Maybe he wasn’t desperately swinging after that first long ball when he dug out the 1-1 change-up from Brewers’ starter Thomas Pannone. His swing looked unbothered. The pitch wasn’t a mistake in terms of location, but it appeared to be a mistake in that Susac was ready for it, meeting it out in front of the plate, getting some air under it, squaring it up. The way he hurried out of the box after contact made it look like he wasn’t sure. And how would he know what a home run felt like, or sounded like anyway? He had never hit one out in a Major League stadium before…until now. 

The Susac sock gave the Giants and Logan Webb a three-run cushion that would be briefly tested by the Brewers before San Francisco would score 13 runs across the late innings, including a 7-run outburst in the 6th.

Luis Arraez, in probably his last home game, logged his 24th career 4-hit game, accompanied with some fine flashes of leather at second base. Heliot Ramos also had four knocks, while he and Jung Hoo Lee collected three RBIs a piece.

Still, Susac is the MVP in this one. Give the kid the game ball, the beer-and-mustard shower, cuz he deserves it. The wait is over. After grinding through 131 plate appearances to log his first career homer, just two more passed before he launched his second. Who cares if it was off of position player Andrew Vaughn and a 60 MPH fastball? A homer is never a lay-up. In fact, there’s an argument to be made that generating enough power to clear a fence from a pitch that slow is more impressive. 

While the Susac family will look back on this day fondly, the 16-3 win won’t go down in any history books as a shining example of baseball aesthetics. It got sloppy at times, and dragged on at the pace of an Andrew Vaughn eephus. Home plate umpire Emil Jimenez lost track of the count at one point. In his first at-bat of the season, Osleveis Basabe, just called-up after Casey Schmitt’s injury, nearly dove, bat first, at a 49 MPH knuckle ball for strike three. Not particularly pretty, but not consequential either. Besides, you expect this level of shenanigans from our bottom-feeding Giants — but not the 67-win Brewers.

The Brew Crew probably couldn’t get in the showers fast enough after the final out was recorded. Their three errors in the field, along with various gifts of 90 feet handed out by Milwaukee arms, were major donations, helping to fund San Francisco’s offensive spending spree.

A dropped flyball by centerfielder Garrett Mitchell in the 2nd allowed Jung Hoo Lee to reach second before Susac’s three run homer. Their nightmarish 6th inning started when relievers Chad Patrick and Aaron Ashby loaded the bases for free with a HBP and two walks.

Up until that point, Milwaukee had the wind in their sails. 

Logan Webb, who has been struggling since the All-Star break to preserve the integrity of leads, couldn’t keep Milwaukee off the base paths or off the scoreboard immediately after Susac’s homer. The Brewers whittled a three run lead down to one with single scores in the 3rd and 4th innings. Webb hung on through those frames for dear life, facing seven batters with a runner, or runners, on base, and six batters who represented the tying run. Considering that level of pressure, Webb did well to manage it. Twice Milwaukee had runners at third with no outs — both ended up scoring, but on fielder’s choice ground balls. Bryce Eldridge in the 3rd and Webb in the 4th may have had plays on the runners dancing off third, but they traded a single run for  a guaranteed out. A bargain that paid off and kept the innings from getting out of hand. 

As the Brewers closed the gap, efforts to pad their slimming lead were stymied. The Giants had the leadoff man reach base in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings, and each time failed to push them around the bases. After Ramos singled, he was thrown out trying to steal second. Willy Adames didn’t leave first after being hit by a pitch in the 4th, and with runners at the corners threatening, Lee rolled sheepishly out to second to end the 5th. 

It wasn’t until they were relieved of the pressure to string together hits and link-up baserunners — thanks to the graciousness of Brewers pitching — that they were able to find a way to break through and score. Christian Koss’s single, notching him his first RBI of the year, broke the dam open. Hits from Arraez and Ramos would score three more runs, and another error, this time by catcher Gary Sanchez, gifted San Francisco a fifth. Lee’s 2-RBI double capped the rally at seven.

Five more singles in the 7th grew the run total to 13, and in the 8th, Milwaukee waved the white flag by sending Vaughn to the mound. 

Not that calling “uncle” was going to stop Susac from getting his licks in.  

In the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader, the Mets (46-63) couldn't complete the sweep against the Atlanta Braves (63-45), losing 1-0 on a clear night at Citi Field.

Center fielder A.J. Ewing, first baseman Jared Young, and second baseman Brett Baty - who all started in the first game of the day - were swapped out of the lineup in this one for Luis Robert Jr., Eric Wagaman, and Marcus Semien, respectively. Meanwhile, Francisco Alvarez moved from catcher in game one to designated hitter in game two, replacing Jorge Polanco, and Luis Torrens served as the backstop in Alvarez's place.

Here are the takeaways...

-- For the first time this season, Christian Scott completed six full innings. He allowed five hits and one walk, striking out seven Braves batters in the process. It got hairy in the sixth inning, when some singles through the infield added the first tally to the scoreboard for Atlanta (Matt Olson singled home Jim Jarvis), but Scott worked out of the jam, stranding the bases loaded and keeping the score 1-0. 

-- A.J. Minter relieved Scott with a clean frame to handle in the seventh, but plunked Austin Riley, who promptly stole second base to threaten from scoring position with one out. Minter battled back in a big way, notching back-to-back strikeouts to sit down Jarvis and Drake Baldwin. 

-- Braves starter Chris Sale was dominant, striking out nine Mets batters without issuing a single walk, allowing just two hits over six innings pitched.

-- With Cionel Perez pitching in the eighth inning, Mets right fielder Carson Benge robbed Ronald Acuna Jr. of a base hit with a spectacular diving catch. Perez took care of the rest, retiring the next two batters he faced.

-- Braves closer Raisel Iglesias retired the top of the New York batting order - Francisco Lindor, Bo Bichette, and Robert Jr. - to earn the save, and the Mets lost 1-0.

Game MVP: Christian Scott

Scott lowered his season ERA to 2.99 thanks to his stellar performance on the hill, throwing 69 strikes across 98 pitches.

Highlights

Six strikeouts through five innings for Christian Scott 🔥 pic.twitter.com/RmKyotHHMc

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 30, 2026

A "splendiferous play" from Carson Benge as he lays out for the diving catch 🤯 pic.twitter.com/kd1GhuebRd

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 30, 2026

What's next

The Mets continue their home stand, kicking off another in-division series on Thursday against the Miami Marlins, with first pitch set for 7:10 p.m.

For the Mets, Nolan McLean (3.32 ERA, 1.11 WHIP in 119.1 IP) will toe the slab.

Fellow promising young pitcher Eury Perez (3.56 ERA, 1.11 WHIP in 98.2 IP) will take the mound for the Marlins.

What could be Tarik Skubal’s last game as a Tiger ended in catastrophe.

After the two-time Cy Young Award winner guided Detroit to a 7-0 lead heading into the seventh inning against the Orioles, the Tigers allowed 10 runs in the next five innings to lose 10-9 in 12 innings at Comerica Park on Wednesday.

The comeback was the largest for Baltimore since they erased a nine-run deficit in an 11-10 win over the Red Sox in 2009 and the first time the Orioles won after they trailed 7-0 since a 9-7 victory at Toronto in 1995.

“Obviously, this was a tough one,” Skubal said. “We were up 7-0 and end up losing. … I don’t even know what the final score was, but this one hurts.”

Despite the loss, Skubal showed why he’s such a hot commodity in the trade market right now.

The left-handed pitcher exited the game up 7-1, recording six strikeouts and allowing just five hits in 6 2/3 innings. He owns a 2.79 ERA this season.

He also reached his 1,000th career strikeout during the game, becoming the fastest left-handed pitcher to do so since Hall of Famer Randy Johnson.

“For some reason, strikeout marks hit differently for me,” Skubal said after the game. “Reaching 200 strikeouts for the first time was a huge milestone for me, and as I was getting close to 1,000, it just felt really cool.”

For potentially the last time as a Tiger, Detroit fans gave their ace a standing ovation for the milestone.

Though Skubal said the ovation was “special’ and he is trying to “live in the moment,” yet another loss only raises the odds he’s moved before the Aug. 3 trade deadline.

After the Orioles series, the Tigers sit 51-58, second to last in the AL Central, and are four games off the final wild-card spot.

Skubal is 4-3 with a 2.86 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 53 1⁄3 innings since returning from an experimental elbow surgery, piquing the interest of teams such as the Brewers and Dodgers.

The deadline is Detroit’s last chance to get a return from Skubal. His record-setting one-year, $32 million contract in arbitration ends after the World Series, making him a free agent.

“I just can’t think in hypotheticals — I just can’t,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said when asked about the possibility of Skubal leaving. “I’ll have a ton to say when and if and where and whenever, but it’s just a waste of my time talking hypotheticals.”

Skubal said earlier this month that he would prefer to stay with the Tigers this season to make a run at the playoffs and subsequently the World Series.

After all, he was drafted by Detroit and has spent seven seasons with the Tigers.

but that prospect seem more and more fleeting with each day,

SAN FRANCISCO — Before and after the stunning early-season trade of Patrick Bailey, the Giants’ catching position has been an offensive black hole.

When they arrived at the ballpark Wednesday, it had been nearly two months since the last home run from one of their catchers. The lack of offense from a defense-driven position is low on the list of reasons why the Giants are where they are in the standings.

But when the player they traded for a lack of hitting is launching more balls over the wall than his replacements who represented a defensive downgrade, it stands out.

Finally, Daniel Susac provided some salvation in the second inning.

The former Rule 5 draft pick got ahold of a low changeup from Brewers starter Thomas Pannone in the second inning and left little doubt about its final destination. The ball ended up 411 feet away for Susac’s long-awaited first career home run — and the first by any Giants catcher since June 4.

“It was about time,” joked starting pitcher Logan Webb.

The blast to straightaway center followed an error and a walk and gave the Giants a three-run lead that held up behind Webb’s six innings of two-run ball that eventually turned into a 16-3 romp.

Susac added a second home run in his final at-bat, with position player Andrew Vaughn on the mound, taking his career total from zero through his first 44 games to two after his 45th.

“I’d be lying if I said [it wasn’t on my mind], but I knew it was going to come eventually,” Susac said. “Just trying to get back to the swing I began this year with. It’s been a grind. … Lost a little bit of weight in spring training, so I’ve been trying to put that back on while keeping it healthy weight.”

The Giants, fresh off being swept by the lowly Royals, took two of three from a team tied with the Dodgers for the majors’ best record and have won consecutive series for the first time since the last week of June.

Webb pitched with a lead for most of his six innings, limiting the damage to two runs after allowing the leadoff man to reach three times, and had no reason to come out for the seventh after the Giants batted around and exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the sixth.

They added three more in the seventh and another three against the position player in the eighth.

“It’s a really, really good group when it gets going downhill,” manager Tony Vitello said. “They stacked at-bat on at-bat today, and I guess you’ve got to trust the process that if you’ve got at-bats like we had in that [sixth] inning, eventually the floodgates will open.”

The Texas Rangers didn’t score but the Tampa Bay Rays scored three runs.

MacKenzie Gore allowed three hits to the first four batters he faced in tonight’s contest. Two of those hits were home runs including one on the first pitch from Gore and another, a two-run shot, that nearly tore the roof off the Trop.

We’re used to Gore having one of these disastrous innings in each of his appearances. It’s interesting to ponder how this start’s disaster impacted the entire course of the game. Down 3-0 immediately, the Rangers never really showed a spark for a comeback bid.

Maybe they thought the Rays were going to blow the game open on Gore eventually. Maybe it’s just difficult to beat the AL’s best club at their park when your starter gives up a crooked number no matter when it comes.

Who knows, maybe if the game had settled in, perhaps Texas could have struck first before the Gore Inning (TM). Or maybe not. Maybe they were just destined to never get on the board tonight against a thrifty Rays staff and it simply was always going to play out like this.

Here’s the punchline, though: After that two-run home run, Gore threw the next 6 2/3 innings without allowing another hit while retiring 20 of the last 21 he faced. Gore walked no one and struck out nine in a quality start, and one that saved the bullpen from a lot of extra work.

Maybe Gore should have done more to give the lineup something to believe in early, but ultimately the lineup failed to ever make this a game and the Rangers missed a shot at their best mark above .500 this season.

Player of the Game: Ironically, MacKenzie Gore.

Up Next: The Rangers and Rays close out this series in the ante meridiem with the Rangers not yet naming a starter but perhaps RHP Nathan Eovaldi while Tampa Bay will turn to LHP Shane McClanahan.

The Thursday finale first pitch from Tropicana Field is scheduled for 11:10 am CDT and will be aired on the Rangers Sports Network.

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Houston Astros (54-55) and Los Angeles Angels (42-66) play the finale of this 3-game series tonight at Angel Stadium.

RHP Hayden Wesneski (2026 Debut) will make his first start of the season as he takes on Angels RHP Grayson Rodriguez (3-3, 8.54 ERA).

SWEEPSTAKES: A win tonight would give the Astros their 4th series sweep of the season and their 2nd on the road. The other was a 3-game sweep vs. the Cubs at Wrigley Field, May 22-24. Their most recent sweep was a 3-gamer vs. MIA last week (July 20-22).

BIG WES: RHP Hayden Wesneski makes his return to the big league mound tonight after missing the last 14 months while recovering from Tommy John surgery. His last Major League appearance was a start on May 6, 2025 at MIL.

Rehab: Wesneski posted a 2.25 ERA (5 ER/20IP) combined ERA in 5 rehab starts at Triple A Sugar Land (3 GS), Double A Corpus Christi (1 GS) and the FCL Astros (1 GS). His last rehab start was for Sugar Land vs. Nashville on July 24 (4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO, 80 pitches, 49 strikes).

Local Product: Wesneski is a Houston-area native and was a standout at Cy Fair High School. He went on to have a record-setting career at Sam Houston St. (25-9, 3.56 ERA), which is also where Steve Sparks pitched in college.

RECENT STROS: The Astros have won 7 of their last 8 games. Their recent 5-game win streak (7/20-25) matched their longest win streak of the season (other was 3/28-4/1).

ROAD WARRIORS: Tonight is the final game of a 6-game road trip for the Astros (4-1 thus far). HOU was 2-1 over the weekend at CWS on the first stop of the trip. The Astros are 21-13 (.618) on their last five road trips combined and are 27-19 (.587) on the road since going 1-9 on their first road trip of the season. HOU is now 28-28 overall on the road.

ROAD SLUGGING: On the road, Astros are 1st in the AL in runs scored (268) and road HR (79) while ranking 2nd in road OPS (.739) and road SLG (.416).

VS. THE HALOS: A win tonight would give the Astros their 1st sweep of the Angels since Sept. 13-15 of 2024 at LAA, which was also a 3-game series. The Astros are 5-4 vs. LAA thus far in 2026. Over the years, the Astros have had success vs. the Angels. They are 143-92 all-time against the Halos, including a 69-48 record at Angel Stadium.

Note: The Astros were 2-0 vs. LAA in a 2-game, regular season series in Mexico, May 4-5 of 2019.

MEASURING UP: The Astros are 32-23 vs. teams currently at .500 or better. Additionally, HOU is a combined 20-11 vs. the 6 AL clubs currently holding playoff spots, with a 10-6 record vs. the 3 AL division leaders (2-1 vs. TB, 6-4 vs. TEX, 2-1 vs. CWS) and a 10-5 record vs. the 3 current AL Wild Card teams (5-1 vs. BOS, 4-2 vs. CLE, 1-2 vs. NYY).

THE LAMMA: RHP Peter Lambert finished the month of July with a 2-0 record in 5 starts with a 1.88 ERA (6 ER/28.2IP) and 32 K’s, allowing just 1 HR in the month. Since May 24, Lambert is 6-1 in 12 starts with a 2.79 ERA, ranking 2nd in the AL in wins in that span.

SLOW BUT STEADY CLIMB: After a 20-31 start to the season, the Astros are 34-24 (.579) since May 22, which is the best record in the AL in that span.

PEÑA POWER: Jeremy Peña has hit safely in 10 straight games at .439 (18×41) clip with 5 HR, 8 RBI and 14 R. He has raised his avg. from .287 to .314. in those 9 games.

MVP-CALIBER: Yordan Alvarez is a strong AL MVP candidate as he enters tonight leading the league in all three Triple Crown categories, ranking 1st in batting average (.325), HR (35), and RBI (80). Additionally, he currently leads all of baseball in OPS (1.082), OBP (.435), SLG (.647) and TB (251), and in the AL, he also ranks 1st in hits (126) and runs (74) and 4th in walks (72).

HOT IN JULY: Yordan Alvarez has posted a 1.223 OPS in his 21 games in July. For the month, he is batting .367 (29×79) with 9 HR and 20 RBI (.463 OBP, .760 SLG).

BRYAN’S BACK: RHP Bryan Abreu has a 1.46 ERA (2ER/12.1IP) in his last 12 apps. with just 7 hits allowed and 14 K’s in that span. Additionally, since May 1, he has a 2.31 ERA (7ER/27.1IP) in 28 apps., and is 5-for-5 in save opp. in that span. Prior to May 1, Abreu had a 12.54 ERA in his 1st 11 apps. of the season.

ROSTER MOVE: Following last night’s game, the Astros optioned RHP Miguel Ullola to Triple A Sugar Land, to make room for RHP Hayden Wesneski, who was reinstated from the Injured List today.

HOW THE WEST WAS WON: Beginning Friday, the Astros will host the 1st place Texas Rangers in a 3-game, AL West showdown. The Astros enter tonight in 2nd place in the West, just 2.0 games behind the Rangers. The Astros are 6-4 vs. TEX thus far in 2026. This weekend’s series will be the final regular season matchup between the 2 clubs.

TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 2024 – The Astros acquire LHP Yusei Kikuchi from the Blue Jays in exchange for RHP Jake Bloss, OF Joey Loperfido and minor leaguer IF Will Wagner. Kikuchi goes 5-1 with a 2.70 ERA (18ER/60IP) in 10 starts down the stretch. The Astros went 9-1 in his 10 starts in 2024 en route to winning the AL West Division title.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Wednesday, July 29, 8:38 p.m. CT

Location: Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA

TV: SCHN

Radio: KTRH 740 AM; KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

Last night, the Athletics evened this series against the Boston Red Sox, winning the second game 4-3 in a contest that came down to the final out. The Red Sox came within a few feet of hitting a second consecutive home run with two outs in the ninth inning, but A’s center fielder Henry Bolte tracked down the fly ball, preserving the victory for pitcher Hogan Harris and the A’s.

Athletics left-hander Jacob Lopez will start the third game of this four-game series between the two American League clubs. The 28-year-old enters his 17th appearance and 14th start of the season with a 5-4 record, a 6.12 ERA, a 1.67 WHIP and 53 strikeouts over 64 2/3 innings.

Lopez earned the win in his last start after holding the Minnesota Twins scoreless over five innings while allowing just one hit. Control remains a concern, however, as he issued four walks to continue a season-long trend. Lopez, could benefit from tonight’s matchup against a Red Sox offense that has drawn the fourth-fewest walks in the major leagues. After Gage Jump recorded a quality start yesterday, the Athletics will look for Lopez to deliver another strong performance in his first career outing against Boston.

Here’s the Athletics’ lineup this evening:

If the A’s want to score more runs, they will need leadoff hitter Jacob Wilson to work deeper counts and avoid chasing pitches outside the strike zone. Third baseman Tommy White moves up into the third slot in the lineup after recording the second four-hit game of his career yesterday. White earned the nickname “Tommy Tanks” for his home run ability in college, but he has primarily been a singles hitter through his first 39 major league at-bats. He will look to record his first major league home run this evening.

Further down the starting nine, Jonah Heim will catch, with backup catcher Brian Serven, who hit a two-run home run last night, on the bench. Colby Thomas will serve as the designated hitter, allowing Lawrence Butler to start in right field. Butler, who delivered a pinch-hit RBI double in the eighth inning of Tuesday’s game, enters today looking to raise his batting average above .200.

The A’s offense will face Red Sox left-hander Patrick Sandoval, who is seeking his first win in his fourth outing with the team. Sandoval returned to action with a new club after missing last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Through his first three starts back in the big leagues, he has posted a 3.21 ERA with 13 strikeouts over 14 innings. In his last start, Sandoval pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The “Green and Gold” are familiar with the 29-year-old, who pitched for the Los Angeles Angels from 2019 to 2024. During that span, he faced the A’s 11 times, going 4-4 with a 2.56 ERA and 47 strikeouts. The Athletics will aim to generate offense against Sandoval tonight and defeat him for the fifth time.

And Boston’s starting nine:

Over the past two nights, the A’s pitching staff has limited Boston’s offense, with all of the Red Sox’s runs coming against A’s relievers. Lopez will need to be careful against the middle of Boston’s lineup, especially Wilyer Abreu, who has hit left-handed pitching well.

Time to win a second straight and set up a chance to take the series tomorrow. Let’s go A’s!

TV: NESN

First Pitch: 9:40 p.m. ET

The Red Sox came all the way back in the ninth inning of Tuesday’s 4-3 loss to the Athletics, which evened the four-game set. 

Patrick Sandoval takes the mound for his fourth start in a Red Sox uniform after 4 2/3 scoreless innings last time out against the Toronto Blue Jays. Nick Sogard also rejoins the team after Curtis Mead landed on the injured list after two at-bats with the team. 

Here’s who the Red Sox will send to the plate behind him Wednesday night in Sacramento. 

The Athletics counter with Jacob Lopez, who holds a 6.12 ERA through 64.2 IP of work. The Athletics have lost four of his last five starts. 

There are 23 teams either in a playoff spot or within 5 ¹/₂ games of one, which means there are 23 teams that would welcome Luke Weaver to their bullpen.

With trade rumors and reports swirling and plastered “on the front page of my Instagram or my newspaper that I don’t read,” Weaver said to laughs, a battle-tested pitcher continued to show that he can pitch through pressure.

Weaver is enhancing his trade value — and his value to the Mets, who do not have to trade him — during a stretch in which the toss-up reality of his immediate future does not seem to matter to him on the mound.

“It [was] certainly a lot harder in the past,” Weaver said about dealing with the uncertainty after firing another scoreless inning in a 3-2, doubleheader-opening victory over the Braves at Citi Field on Wednesday. “But unfortunately and fortunately, I’ve had a lot of experience through different waves of these circumstances — experience to lean into, offseason, in season, for good, for bad. So I think that gives me peace.”

Weaver has pitched for seven teams in parts of nine major league seasons, been traded twice and designated for assignment twice. After his second DFA he was claimed by the Yankees, who converted him to a reliever, watched him soar and last offseason watched him sign a two-year, $22 million pact with the Mets.

So the 32-year-old has been here, which is apparent as he flourishes during a challenging moment. Since May, he has pitched in 29 games and allowed one earned run.

He also is happy with where he literally is, which matters because the Mets are not obligated to trade him like they are with walk-year bullpen arms in Brooks Raley and A.J. Minter (who himself threw a scoreless inning in the 1-0 nightcap loss). Weaver, due $11 million next season, could be a part of a 2027 Mets team that will want to compete.

He is “absolutely” enjoying life with the Mets, he said, pointing to the relationships he has formed and the clubhouse culture.

“It’s been a real joy to come in every day, even in an environment that isn’t winning like we had hoped,” Weaver said after lowering his ERA to 1.88 with a one-hit, one-strikeout eighth inning. “I think [losing clubhouses] can be a very dreaded environment from time to time in certain situations, but to me I’ve never had that. I think it’s disappointing after games when you’re not winning. The winning is great, but you also want the consistency of what you bring on a daily basis when you walk in through the door, and that has definitely matched that in such a positive way, and it’s a testament to the people they have here.”

Weaver said he and his wife are “mentally prepared to an extent” for a trade, “but we’re also not by any means one foot out the door.” He referenced the fact the Mets are not about to embark upon a rebuild and will want to win soon.

Which complicates the future of a pitcher who is showing he can help them win.

“Luke’s really good [and] valuable to us not just this season, the remainder, but also the next season,” interim manager Andy Green said. “Nobody knows how the next few days are going to go.”

The San Francisco Giants had a few things to cheer about in their 16-3 blowout win against the Milwaukee Brewers at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California on Wednesday, July 29.

First off, it was a milestone game for Giants catcher Daniel Susac, who hit his first pair of home runs in his young MLB career.

Susac got his first-career homer on a three-run blast in the second inning that flew 411 feet across center field and out of the park, bringing in Jung Hoo Lee and Willy Adames.

But he wasn't done. He added his second career homer in the eighth inning, going yard 379 feet to left center field to extend the San Francisco lead to 14-3. Susac ended the game going 2-for-4 accounting for two home runs, three scores and four RBIs.

The Giants went on tp win the game and the three-game series, as well as a season-series win over the NL Central-leading Brewers.

Susac, 25, made his MLB debut with the Giants on April 1.

He already looked to establish himself as a consistent base-hitter. In his first career start against the New York Mets, Susac recorded a hit in his first at-bat, going 3-for-3 in the game. He started out with two hits in his next start and became the first player in Giants' modern history to go 5-for-5 in his first five plate appearances. He finished that game against the Philadelphia Phillies 3-for-4 with a two-run RBI triple that sent the crowd into a frenzy.

It was one of the rare high moments for the Giants this season.

San Francisco routed Milwaukee by taking command in the sixth inning, ripping seven runs on four hits and two errors.

Heliot Ramos and Luis Arraez both ripped off four hits in the contest, going 4-for-5 on the day.

Arraez became the MLB batting average leader when he singled to center at the bottom of the seventh inning, which resulted in an RBI bringing home Drew Gilbert. His batting average improved to .331 in the Giants' 16-3 win.

Arraez is a three-time batting champion and could very well win his fourth this season with the Giants.

San Francisco won consecutive series for the first time since late June when they took 2-1 series wins against the A's and Atlanta Braves at Oracle Park from June 23-28.

The Giants improved to 46-62, but still have the second-worst record in the National League and the West division. Their next series is a divisional four-game bout against the San Diego Padres. Their series will be at Petco Park in San Diego, California. The first game begins Thursday, July 30 at 6:40 p.m. PT.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: Giants catcher Daniel Susac hits first career home runs in blowout win