ARLINGTON, TEXAS - AUGUST 7: Leody Taveras #30 of the Baltimore Orioles is tagged out at home plate by Elias Díaz #35 of the Texas Rangers during the ninth inning at Globe Life Field on August 7, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Orioles have struggled to score for Shane Baz all season. Baltimore followed that trend tonight against the Texas Rangers, but they nearly made things right in the ninth. Christian Franklin’s first Major League hit could have evened the score at two, but replay failed to overturn an out call at home plate. In the end, the Orioles dropped a winnable game to another wild card contender with a 2-1 result in Texas.
Leody Taveras started the ninth with an infield single. Coby Mayo went down swinging for the first out, but Christian Franklin picked a great time for his first Major League hit. Franklin punched a ball down the right field line, and Taveras raced all the way home. Texas right fielder Brandon Nimmo corralled the ball and hit the cutoff man. Nicky Lopez took the ball and fired home, and Taveras was ruled out at the plate.
The Orioles immediately challenged, and the replay revealed multiple questions. Rangers catcher Elias Díaz swung his arm to make the tag, but his glove did not appear to immediately make contact with Taveras. A portion of Díaz’s arm touched Taveras before he reached home plate, but the glove appeared to miss the runner. To further complicate the matter, the ball appeared to come loose as it made contact with the ground. The ball never completely escaped the mit, but it easily could have been trapped against the ground.
In the end, the replay crew in New York took the coward’s way out. The call on the field stood, and the Rangers held their 2-1 advantage. The call spoiled what should have been a special moment for Franklin. It’s a moment that he’ll always remember, but it should have been so much more.
Don’t take it from me, take it from former Oriole and MASN commentator Ben McDonald.
Meanwhile, Baz delivered the type of start Baltimore envisioned when they acquired him from Tampa Bay. Baz pitched all eight innings and took only the third complete game loss for an Oriole in the last 15 years. He finished the game with 8 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, and 9 K.
Baz had been absolutely cruising along until a hiccup broke his rhythm in the sixth. Elias Díaz managed a swinging bunt toward the right side of the infield, and Baz failed to make the play. Díaz received credit for an infield single, but the avoidable incident gave Texas some life.
Nicky Lopez advanced Díaz into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt, but the small ball stopped there. Joc Pederson ambushed an elevated cutter and drove a no doubter 414 feet down the right field line. Just like that, Baz lost the shutout and the lead. The long ball marked the latest example of Baz facing some adversity on the mound and failing to immediately recover.
The Orioles found their way onto the board in the top of the second. Leody Taveras got ahead in the count before smacking a 3-1 fastball to right-center field for a double. Coby Mayo followed with a line drive up the middle, and Taveras raced home to provide Baltimore a 1-0 advantage. Both teams went on to post zeros in the third, fourth and fifth innings.
The Orioles wasted multiple opportunities to build on their early lead. The bottom of the order came through with a pair of two-out singles, and Gunnar Henderson worked a walk to load the bases for Pete Alonso in the fifth. Texas starter froze Alonso with a 2-2 splitter, and the Orioles left the bases loaded.
Tyler O’Neill worked a one-out walk in the sixth, and Dylan Beavers singled to place a runner in scoring position. Taveras struck out on three pitches, and Mayo failed to come through against lefty reliever Tyler Alexander.
Gunnar Henderson, Pete Alonso, and Jackson Holliday combined to go 0-for-11 from the top of the order.
The late call added insult to injury. Baz outdueled Eovaldi, but the offense fell flat once again. The Orioles dropped to 56-60 with the loss. They’re two games back of the final wild card spot.
Jaden Woods isn’t Jacob Gonzalez, but he’s shining for the Knights. | Getty Images
Charlotte Knights 5, Durham Bulls 4 The Knights evened their series against the Bulls in a contest that came down to the late innings. Shut out through the sixth, Charlotte cycled through four pitchers, all held on short leashes. After feeling the sting of old friends Oliver Dunn and Blake Sabol driving in a pair of runs, Mario Camilletti got revenge with a hard-pulled ball over the right field wall in the sixth.
In the seventh frame, Dru Baker led the cavalry through a three-run inning to give the Knights 4-3 lead, which was extended shortly after by Tim Elko’s solo jack. From there, Charlotte leaned on Riley Unroe and Garrett Schoenle to seal the win. Although two fielding errors and eight hits left the margins slim, the Knights had big moments from Camilletti, Elko and reliever Jaden Woods, who’s settling into Charlotte with his fifth scoreless outing since being acquired in the Jacob Gonzalez trade.
Keep an eye on Unroe, as the White Sox might possibly be transitioning him back into a two-way player; there’s no reason a left fielder comes into the eighth inning of a 4-3 game otherwise. A year ago in the Detroit Tigers org, Unroe pitched in seven games, to a 0.82 ERA, while also getting into 68 games across six defensive positions. Riley can do everything, it seems, and it will be interesting to see how Charlotte employs him as a weapon from here.
Rocket City Trash Pandas 10, Birmingham Barons 4 The Barons’ short-lived hot streak continues to dwindle with another loss to their Southern League North rivals. The usual suspects (Colby Shelton and Ryan Burrowes) put the Barons on the board early, but the lead evaporated once Juan Carela got to the mound. Carela’s rocky rehab assignment in Double-A ball persisted, as he allowed three runs, four walks, and a home run in 3 1/3 innings. Caleb Bonemer delivered his 28th homer of the year to brighten Barons fans’ spirits, but the offense overall was no match for Rocket City’s deep bullpen, which twirled a shutout over the final three innings.
Meanwhile, Jake Palisch shared Carela’s pitching woes as he continues to find his footing in Bham this year. Although his durability was appreciated, his six hits and seven earned runs were not. Pitching control continues to haunt last year’s Southern League champions, and after their loss to the Trash Pandas it’s become clear that they may not get much help with the shallow pitching pool in Winston-Salem.
MVP Caleb Bonemer: 2-for-4, 2 R, RBI, BB, K, HR
Runners-Up Jose Colmenares: 3-for-4, RBI James Taussig: 1-for-2, R, 2 RBI Jorge Corona: 1-for-2, R, 3 RBI, BB Dylan Campbell: 1-for-4, R, K Colby Shelton: 1-for-4, RBI, BB, K
Charleston RiverDogs 6, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 5 The CBs rode their five-run third inning the entire way through regulation, but they crumpled in extra innings. Although Fabian Ysalla got shelled early with a four-run first, Kanny rebounded in the fifth with three leadoff walks and small-ball slaps from Stiven Flores and Steven Lancia, but it was a nothingburger until extras on both ends. The Kannapolis pen locked Charleston down, refusing to give up a single hit and putting four runners on with walks. But then the Ballers tried to get fancy defensively.
Despite having a defensive arrangement that worked for most of the game, Chad Pinder shuffled the whole infield. Then, after Tom Poole grounded out, Pinder made another questionable decision by intentionally walking pinch hitter Angel Morales. Although Angel wasn’t the winning run, reliever Jordan Morales immediately gave up a single to end Kanny’s five-game win streak.
MVP Matthew Boughton: 2-for-4, R, BB, 2 SB
Runners-Up Jaden Fauske: 2-for-4, R, 2 RBI, BB, SB Stiven Flores: 1-for-4, R, 2 RBI Steven Lancia: 1-for-4, RBI, K Andrew Berg: 1 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, K
Cold Cat Fabian Ysalla: 5 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 2 K
Runners-Up Jordan Morales: 1/3 IP, H, R, BB Billy Carlson: 1-for-4, BB, 4 K
DSL Cubs Red 10, DSL White Sox 8 Unlike in May’s Crosstown series, the DSL Sox couldn’t come out on top of the DSL Cubs Red. Things looked good early, as Fernando Graterol and Sebastian Romero put the Good Guys in front, 2-0, with a sac fly and an RBI single. The Sox and Cubs traded runs in the second and third, but overall Franchel Crisostomo and Hansel Pinales restricted the Cubs to a hit, a run, five walks, and three strikeouts through four. Then the tides turned for the remainder of the game: Two fielding errors and control issues plagued Jefferson Timaure and Mario Sosa, resulting in a six-run fifth and three-run sixth. Although the bats attempted to rally in the seventh, eight walks and four earned runs out of 10 total from the pitching crew detracted from any offensive good.
Good times, bad times, you know he’d have his share. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The kid had the jitters. Look, it happens. But Aidan still believes in Kaelen Culpepper’s glove, and because of that so do I. The Brewers, who are very good at taking advantage of other teams’ mistakes, did precisely that, but it wasn’t quite enough. Inning-by-inning notes:
1: Leadoff walk for Austin Martin; he steals second, two guys strike out. Brewer 2B Brice Turang makes a nice play to turn a sure Josh Bell RBI into an infield hit only. Kody Clemens hits one deep but not deep enough.
2: Luke Keaschall walks, and rookie SS Kaelen Culpepper’s first-ever MLB at-bat is… a popup out. Nobody else feels like getting any hits, either. At least the Twins are making Brewers lefty Shane Drohan throw a lot, he’s at 41 pitches, now. The bad news there is that Milwaukee has a pretty good bullpen.
A one-out single by Christian Yelich followed by another single and a flyout. Then an easy roller goes right under 2B Royce Lewis’s glove. It is a plain-as-day error, and Yelich scores when the inning should have been over.
Two more runs score on a Turang double. Bring in the position players to pitch, no way the Twins score four against a lefty tonight. Former Seattle Pilots 4-0
3: Lewis tries to redeem himself with a homer and it’s not far enough. Stop trying, Royce, your error lost the Twins both the game and the season and probably the next 14 years and then the team will move to Albuquerque. Josh “Ring That” Bell does hit a homer and Ryan Jeffers WAS on base at the time, so I guess there’s a tiny chance Royce’s shame won’t last a lifetime but I doubt it.
Hey — it’s actually a 1-2-3 for Zebulon Matthews, and he’s only at 46 pitches. That’s not too bad.
Victor Caratini walks and Ryan Kreidler puts down a sweet bunt up the third base line; both runners are safe. Then Martin doubles to left, but a good relay play gets Kreidler at home. Still, way to hit a lefty, for once!
Lewis Lara singles with one out; two pitches later, the Twins are outta the inning via GIDP and Zebby’s only at 56 pitches. Baby all tied up 4-4
5: Back-to-back Lewis/Bell singles, and a perfect bunt (another one) by Klobberin’ Kody Klemens to load the bases. Kreidler his a blooper RBI that moves everybody up one. Alas, followed by a Culpepper GIDP, but a run does score. It feels like we shoulda had more there… shoulda kept bunting! Bunts are the new Moneyball, baby.
It’s all the firsts for Culpepper tonight; first AB, first homer, first GIDP, first error (that’s here). Then a David Hamilton single, then a four-pitch walk to Turang. Bases loaded, nobody out. Whatcha wanna bet they get more than two here?
Sac fly for Jake Bauers (Martin made a nice adjustment to catch it). A flyout to center, and Keaschall (wrongly) tries throwing it to third instead of to second; that allows both runners to move up, not just one.
So naturally the next play is an infield hit. Culpepper is too hesitant on the throw. Both this and the earlier botch are ruled infield hits; they should both have been ruled errors. The next batter grounds out, and “Zebby gets his fifth out of the inning” (per Kris Atteberry on radio, and he is correct). Tied 6-6
6: A two-out rally for Minnesota! Ryan Jeffers double, Lewis double RBI, Bell single RBI (have a game, Josh Bell). The lead be ours!
Now pitching is getting Weird… Zebby has to leave with an injury of some kind (blister on foot). New acquisition Tommy Nance comes in, Culpepper kinda boots another one, infield hit again. Runner advances on fielder’s choice, Nance Ks the next guy. New acquisition Tommy Nance goes out. Other new acquisition A.J. Minter enters. He had been with the Mets, does that mean he’s cursed?
Not yet, K. Twins 8-6
7: That good Brewers bullpen I mentioned way back when is in play; the first 1-2-3 inning for them so far tonight.
More newbie Twins hurlers; Jeff Hoffman (no relation to Trevor). Hoffman, of course, had been in camp with the Twins in 2023; they cut him and he was terrific for two years with the Phillies instead. He strikes out Chourio and walks Bauers. Then a fielder’s choice, walk, HBP.
Bases loaded, gulp! But a little Eddie Gurdado-style magic prevails; Luis Lara strikes out on three pitches.
8: Bryse Wilson pitching his second inning for the Brewers; he wrote “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and “God Only Knows,” both of which sum up my feelings about the Twins’ chances here. For the first time tonight, a bunt backfires; Martin pops one straight to third, meaning leadoff runner Kreidler can’t advance. Nobody gets hits that would have knocked him in, anyways.
Andrew Morris in for Us. Gives up a one-out double to David Hamilton, no relation to Linda of the Terminator movies. Then a walk to put the go-ahead run at the plate… nuh-uh! A nice GIDP started by Royce, inning over.
9: 1-2-3 again for the Twins. I told you this bullpen is good.
Now it’s time for the less-good one, presenting Yoendrys Gómez here. Bauers takes a third strike; Contreras pops one up. But then Garrett Mitchell, on a 3-1 count…
…grounds meekly to second. Twims wim! (We spell it wrong on purpose sometimes.)
Studs: I mean Bell, duh, 4-4, 3 RBI. Two hits apiece for Kreidler and Lewis, even if Lewis’s +/- tonight was -3. Yoendrys the Merciless for a no-drama save.
Duds: Zebby went gone, cause his blister was no fun, Zebby was gone… pen arms still got the game won. Actually, the one dud goes to the official scorer, who gave Matthews three earned runs (when it should have been only one).
COTG goes to our spy in Milwaukee for a traditional TwinkieTown suggestion to take over at shortstop, jjam for a story about a naughtily-titled Wisconsin song, and Kirilofffan19 with “A little interesting fact: there’s only one Twins player who has hit 4 homers in 4 games in the MiLB playoffs.” I’m guessing it’s Brian Dinkelman.
Thanks to everyone who joined in on a nice summer weekend night.
Tomorrow’s game will be at 6:10, featuring superbly-named (for a pitcher) Robert Gasser against our own Taj Bradley. Catch y’all next time!
Luke Weaverwas one of the pieces dealt by the Mets at this year's trade deadline, but the right-hander wanted to stay.
Speaking with reporters ahead of the Mets' three-game series with the Pirates, he revealed that he told the organization that he "strongly" wanted to stay before he was eventually dealt.
“I was very upfront. I told them, ‘I hope you know I want to stay,’” Weaver told reporters, including The NY Post, before Friday's series opener. “I made my commitment … but I understand how this goes. It’s not my first rodeo.”
While trading other players who were on expiring contracts, like Brooks Raley and Freddy Peralta, made sense, Weaver had another year under contract after signing a two-year, $22 million deal with the Mets this past offseason.
The Mets sent Weaver to the Pirates for shortstop prospect Sammy Stafura, who is now the organization's No. 3 prospect in Joe DeMayo's latest rankings. But New York could have kept Weaver to anchor their bullpen to try and compete in 2027.
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns explained his reasoning for dealing Weaver and Huascar Brazoban, who was also under team control in 2027.
“Ultimately the returns that we were able to get, we thought made sense and were in the best interest of the organization, recognizing that at this time of year you are able to get really good talent back for relief pitching,” he said.
Weaver was also asked about the Mets’ struggles this season ahead of Friday's game, and in typical Weaver fashion, gave a thoughtful response.
“There’s a lot of changes that were made, a lot of new people that were brought in, a lot of new faces,” he said. “I don’t think necessarily it was a bad thing, but I think people underestimate change and how much you have got to adapt in a short period of time.
“A lot of great teams we have seen in the past have a lot of chemistry, a lot of deep-rooted connection that has happened over time. It’s not always like that, but there’s a lot of those history book teams that have that, and I think it gets taken for granted how much that needed to happen, and it was happening. It has just got to link together on the field.”
In 42 appearances for the Mets, Weaver pitched to a 1.84 ERA and was arguably the top reliever available.
Weaver, despite being traded Monday, made his first appearance with Pittsburgh against his former team on Friday. With the Pirates down 6-2 in the eighth, the right-hander allowed a hit and a walk but pitched a scoreless inning.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - AUGUST 7: Iván Herrera #48 is congratulated by Jimmy Crooks #8 of the St. Louis Cardinals after hitting a solo home run against the Colorado Rockies in the third inning at Busch Stadium on August 7, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Kyle Leahy has slowly established himself this season as one of the more reliable St. Louis Cardinals starters in this development year. He turned into something of a strikeout machine Friday night, but also gave up a ton of leadoff hits. How would that affect the end result? The answer is Leahy’s strikeouts and a bomb off of Herrera’s bat would be enough to put one in the win column for St. Louis.
The Rockies were the first to score in the top of the 2nd inning when TJ Rumfield led off with a single to center. Castro also singled which advanced Rumfield to third giving Colorado runners at first and third with nobody out. The Rockies would only get one run out of this RISP opportunity two batters later when Johnston grounded out to short giving Colorado a 1-0 lead.
The Rockies lead would not stand for long. The St. Louis Cardinals played some great small ball baseball in the bottom of the 2nd inning when Jimmy Crooks reached on an infield hit followed by a double by Masyn Winn giving St. Louis runners at 2nd and 3rd with no one out. Unlike the Rockies, the Cardinals would score both runners in scoring position with consecutive sacrifice flies from Nathan Church and Bryan Torres. Good basic baseball gave the Cardinals a 2-1 lead after two innings.
St. Louis would add to their lead in the bottom of the 3rd inning when Iván Herrera turned on a 79 mph curveball and launched it into the left field seats 379 feet away increasing the Cardinals advantage to 3-1.
Colorado would peck away at the St. Louis lead in the top of the 4th inning when Runfield would leadoff with another single followed by a double from Willi Castro. Two batters later, Johnston would again drive in a run with a groundout reducing the Cardinals lead to 3-2.
Kyle Leahy’s start lasted 5 innings as he allowed 8 hits, but just 2 earned runs with 8 strikeouts and no walks. A solid with some spectacular strikeout moments kind of start.
Justin Bruihl handled the top of the 6th inning shutting the Rockies down 1-2-3. The Cardinals missed a prime scoring opportunity in the bottom of the 6th when they loaded the bases with no hits. Masyn Winn drew a one-out walk and then stole second. Nathan Church walked and two batters later pinch-hitter Blaze Jordan was hit in the back knee by a pitch which loaded the bases for JJ Wetherholt. All JJ could muster was a weak pop-out to third base to end the Cardinals 6th with no runs to show for a long inning. Bummer.
Newcomer Caleb Ferguson pitched around a one-out single by Beck in the top of the 7th inning to help maintain the slim Cardinals one-run lead. The Cardinals offered up some of the most pathetic swings in the bottom of the 7th inning. Alec Burleson struck out on a 92 mph four-seam heater that he was somehow way late on. After Iván Herrera’s impressive home run at-bat earlier, he had two completely lost looking swings that looked like he second-guessed himself halfway through the swing. That meant the Cardinals would have to survive the final two innings with just a one-run lead.
Caleb Ferguson would get the Cardinals one out into the top of the 8th inning when Ryne Stanek would enter the fray. The first batter he faced was Goodman who got robbed by Masyn Winn who dove to his left to grab what looked like a certain single and then rifled a throw to Burleson at first for the second out of the inning. Winn would also catch the last out of the inning when Stanek got Castro to pop-out. I would love to see Masyn develop into more of an offensive weapon, but I think he’s a part of the new St. Louis Cardinals core just for his glove alone.
Due to the fact that the Cardinals bats sucked were silent after Herrera’s home run, St. Louis entered the top of the 9th inning with a measly one-run lead that was in the hands of Riley O’Brien. He decided handing out a leadoff walk to Tovar would be the appropriate way to add some drama to Friday night’s contest. Fortunately, one of O’Brien’s sinkers would leave Kyle Karros bat and end in a double play greatly lessening the Rockies threat. He coaxed a weak grounder off the bat of Beck to wrap up a tight Cardinals victory.
It’s game 2 of the St. Louis Cardinals 3-game series hosting the Colorado Rockies Saturday night. Matthew Liberatore will start for the Cardinals while the Rockies will give the ball to Kyle Freeland. First pitch is scheduled for 6:15pm central time and the game broadcast will be available through Cardinals.tv.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 7: Jefry Yan #84 of the New York Mets reacts after tagging out Jared Triolo #19 of the Pittsburgh Pirates at home plate in the seventh inning during the game at PNC Park on August 7, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Mets defeated the Pirates 6-4 in this series opener at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Zac Thornton delivered five scoreless innings, helped out by strong defense behind him and the Mets tagged Carmen Mlodzinski for four runs in the third, punctuated by a Macrus Semien three-run homer. Devin Williams was shaky, but held on to polish off the victory.
The Mets got on the board right away off Carmen Mlodzinski in the first. A.J. Ewing, who had a good game on both sides of the ball, led things off with a double. Francisco Lindor then truck out, but Bo Bichette singled to advance Ewing to third and then Carson Benge plated him with a single for the game’s first run. Bichette tagged up to third base on a fly out by Jared Young and the Mets threatened for a big inning when Benge stole second to put two runners in scoring position, but Macrus Semien grounded out to short to get Mlodzinski through the inning with just one run.
Zach Thornton started his evening with a 1-2-3 inning complete with a strikeout and Mlodzinski bounced back to log a 1-2-3 inning of his own in the top of the second. Thornton had a quick second inning as well, thanks to his defense, which played well behind him all evening. Thornton walked Esmerlyn Valdez to lead off the inning but then Jared Young made a nice snag on a soft liner by Spencer Horwitz to double Valdez off. At this point, it began to rain rather heavily and A.J. Ewing needed to make a diving play through the rain drops on a Nick Gonzales shallow fly ball to end the inning. We made it to a 2-1 count on Ewing to lead off the top of the third before the tarp went on the field.
After a rain delay of just under an hour, the Mets came out guns blazing. Ewing singled to get things started and then Francisco Lindor worked a walk. The Pirates then got a break when the runners took off and would have executed a double steal, but Bo Bichette flew out to left field and A.J. Ewing failed to re-touch third base after he went past the bag on the steal attempt and went to return to second on the fly ball, and thus was called out on the play. But the Mets weren’t done hitting yet. Lindor stole second base (for real this time) and Carson Benge singled to put the Mets up 2-0. Jared Young followed with a single to advance Benge to third. Marcus Semien then dealt the decisive blow: a three-run homer to cap off a four-run inning and put the Mets up 5-0.
Whether you want to call it pulchritudinous, psychotic, hellacious, or some other adjective, Carson Benge made an unbelievable diving catch up against the left field wall to rob Ronny Simon of an extra base hit in the bottom of the third. Unfortunately he jammed his wrist against the wall in the process and made an early exit from the game as a result, replaced in left field by Cristian Pache. Evan Sisk replaced Carmen Mlodzinski on the mound for the Pirates in the fourth and the Mets tacked on a run against him to extend their lead to six runs. With two outs, Ewing was hit by a pitch and promptly stole second base. Lindor then laced a single to center to drive him in.
Thornton managed to navigate around traffic on the base paths in both the fourth and fifth innings again in part thanks to his defense. He gave up a one-out single to Bryan Reyonds in the fourth and then walked Valdez, but induced a double play grounder off the bat of Spencer Horwitz to end the inning. In the fifth, Nick Gonzales led off the inning with a seeing-eye single between short and third. Ronny Simon popped out and Jared Triolo grounded into a force out at second, but Rafael Flores Jr. singled with two outs to advance Triolo to second and he scrambled to third on a wild pitch by Thornton. Jake Mangum then hit a sharp fly ball to right center that A.J. Ewing did an excellent job to track down and make the running catch to cap off Thornton’s outing of five scoreless frames.
In the sixth with two outs, Luis Torrens drew a walk and stole second base for the Mets’ fourth stolen base of the game, but nothing game of it. Dedniel Núñez came in the game in relief of Thornton and worked around a one-out ground rule double by Bryan Reynolds to pitch a scoreless inning. Meanwhile, Yohan Ramírez kept the Mets off the board over 3 1/3 scoreless innings and the Pirates were able to scratch back two runs off the Mets’ bullpen. Núñez came back out for a second inning of work in the seventh and that proved to be a bad idea, as he gave up a double to Nick Gonzales and a single to Ronny Simon to lead things off. He then made way for Jefry Yan, who allowed a single to Jared Triolo to plate the Pirates’ first run. He then walked Rafael Flores Jr. to load the bases and a sacrifice fly by Jake Mangum scored another run to cut the Mets’ lead to 6-2. Yan got Brandon Lowe to pop out for the second out and escaped the jam in thrilling fashion. He bounced a pitch that skipped away from Luis Torrens, but scampered to cover the plate and Torrens flipped it to him and Yan tagged Jared Triolo out at the plate to end the inning, emphatically slamming his hand down on the dirt in celebration, in keeping with his personality.
Daniel Duarte worked a scoreless eighth inning, navigating around a two-out single by Spencer Horwitz. The Mets then faced off against old friend Luke Weaver in the ninth, now donning Pirates black and gold. Ewing and Lindor managed to reach base against him via a single and a walk, respectively, but Weaver kept the Mets off the board. Devin Williams then entered the game in the bottom of the ninth in a non-save situation and had a rocky outing, but managed to hang on to seal the victory, assisted by another pair of fantastic defensive plays by the Mets. Ronny Simon got things started for the Pirates with a single and advanced to second on defensive indifference. Endy Rodríguez, pinch hitting for Jared Triolo, flew out to left for the first out. Jacob Gonzalez, pinch hitting for Rafael Flores Jr., launched a ball to deep right field that hit right off the top of the tall fence in right at PNC Park and caromed perfectly to Brett Baty, who threw a perfect strike to second base to nab Gonzalez trying to leg out what he likely thought was a sure extra-base hit off the bat. It was the first outfield assist of Brett Baty’s career and it was a beauty to get Williams within an out of maneuvering through the inning, though Simon did score on the play. Williams then walked Jake Mangum, who also advanced to second on defensive indifference, and Brandon Lowe singled to cut the Mets’ lead to two runs. Bryan Reynolds then came to the plate as the tying run and hit a grounder that seemed to be making its way through the hole between first and second, but Marcus Semien made a great sliding grab to his left to throw out Reyonlds and stymie the Pirates’ comeback to end the game.
Big Mets winner: Zac Thornton, +18% WPA Big Mets loser: Bo Bichette, -7% WPA Mets pitchers: +23% WPA Mets hitters: +27% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Marcus Semien’s three-run homer in the third, +18.2% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Jefry Yan walks the bases loaded in the seventh, -6.4% WPA
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - AUGUST 7: Joc Pederson #3 of the Texas Rangers reacts after flying out against the Baltimore Orioles during the third inning at Globe Life Field on August 7, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Texas Rangers scored two runs while the Baltimore Orioles scored one run.
Back on the streaming service du jour, and sporting their finest cochineal red on a Friday night, the Rangers were seeking a return to .500 with Nathan Eovaldi on the mound against Shane Baz for Baltimore.
Lo and behold, we were treated to a good ol’ fashion pitchers’ duel with Eovaldi sequenced for a run allowed in the top second and Baz holding Texas to just one hit through the first five innings.
The Orioles’ run came with two outs when LSB-disliked former Ranger Leody Taveras smacked a double which was followed by an RBI single from Coby Mayo. From there Eovaldi was trying to match zeroes with Baz as the Baltimore righty was carving up the Rangers.
Texas got a leadoff single from Brandon Nimmo in the bottom of the second but from there Baz retired the next twelve batters. Eovaldi, meanwhile, wiggled out of a jam in the top of the fifth when the Orioles loaded the bases with two outs only for Eovaldi to freeze Pete Alonso with a splitter in the zone.
It wasn’t until an inning later that the Rangers would finally break through against Baz when Elias Diaz singled to lead off the bottom of the sixth. With runs at a premium, No. 9 hitter Nicky Lopez bunted Diaz over giving Joc Pederson an opportunity with a runner in scoring position.
Rather than tying the game with a mere base hit, Pederson had other ideas.
A two-run dong that danced around the foul pole put Texas up 2-1. It was dinger No. 21 on the year for the Rangers’ Rubenesque leadoff man.
Eovaldi exited after a walk in the top of the sixth with Tyler Alexander coming in to clean up that inning. Robby Ahlstrom pitched a scoreless seventh inning and with Texas enjoying a day off yesterday, Skip Schumaker elected to have closer Jacob Latz do one of his patented two inning saves.
Latz worked around a walk in the eighth and survived replay agreeing that Taveras was thrown out at home plate on the first hit of Christian Franklin’s big league career to help the Rangers secure the series opener as they climbed back to .500.
Player of the Game: The Rangers collected just three hits on the night but thanks to Pederson’s home run, Baz was saddled with an eight inning complete game loss.
Up Next: The Rangers and Orioles will continue this series with RHP Jacob deGrom next up for Texas opposite RHP Kyle Bradish for Baltimore.
The Saturday evening first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 6:15 pm CDT and will be televised nationally on FOX.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - AUGUST 07: Daniel Lynch IV #41 of the Kansas City Royals throws in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Kauffman Stadium on August 07, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After one inning, this one was looking pretty good for the Royals, but things went downhill quickly in the second as the Royals fell to the Cubs 6-4.
Daniel Lynch IV got his first true start since 2024 tonight against the Cubs. As predicted, the pregame show and broadcast booth both made copious references to Danny Duffy and Kris Bubic. The first inning went pretty well; Lynch struck out Pete Crow-Armstrong to start the game and then got Seiya Suzuki down 0-2. He finished the inning with just the one strikeout and also allowed a walk but no runs.
Lynch got a quick two outs in the second with a flyout and another strikeout. But then he allowed a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases. Up came PCA again. This time Lynch got a soft roller to the right side. Jac Caglianone went for it even though it was way too far for him to get it, and that left him out of position for the throw from Massey. Lynch tried to cover first, but for the second time in a week, Michael Massey couldn’t get an accurate throw to the pitcher covering after Jac went too far to the right. Two runs scored.
Now, Jac needs to stay home on those balls, but all Royals first basemen range too far to the right. Massey needs to make a better throw, too. But even if everything had gone right, it was probably an infield single for PCA. This is the problem with a pitcher who doesn’t get strikeouts. And it’s a big part of why Lynch hasn’t pitched more than an innings this year. We’ll see if he does better the next time out – the Royals indicated they plan to stretch him out and leave him in the rotation for the rest of the year. If he continues pitching like tonight, we’ll have to see if they stick with that plan, but they don’t really have a better option unless Lucas Braun is closer to ready than they’ve indicated.
Anyway, Lynch was pulled for Jose Cuas. PCA stole second easily, and then Suzuki smacked a single through the right side to put two more runs on Lynch’s scorecard. His ERA went from 1.96 to 2.64. Cuas pitched another inning without giving up any more runs. Mason Black got something approaching a bulk role, going 5 innings and allowing 2 runs on 2 hits, 3 walks, and 2 strikeouts. Lucas Erceg got a scoreless ninth inning despite allowing a single and an HBP thanks to a double play and a foul popout.
As to the offense, the Royals started quickly there, too. Carter Jensen took a leadoff walk, advanced to third when Salvador Perez smoked a two-out single off of Gausman’s shin, and scored when Isaac Collins smacked a double into left-center. The next Royals hit wouldn’t come until Caglianone hit a grounder down the third-base line in the third. Their final hit off of Gausman was Jensen’s two-out solo shot in the fifth.
The Royals made it interesting in the eighth inning. Tyler Tolbert led off and hit it hard to left-center for a double. With one out, Bobby Witt Jr. smoked an RBI single to right field. Jac Caglianone hit a hustle double into the right-center gap to put runners at second and third with one out. Salvador Perez grounded home Bobby for the game’s final run.
Despite the close score, it never felt particularly close after the second inning until the bottom of the eighth and once the Royals failed to tie it, I think most of us assumed that was it. KC will get a chance to even the series tomorrow evening. Seth Lugo (4.41 ERA, 4.66 SIERA) will face off against the Cubs’ other newly acquired starter making his debut, Clay Holmes (2.39 ERA, 3.97 SIERA). The game will start at 6:15 PM Central. See you then.
Aug 5, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Luis Lara (18) reacts after striking out during the seventh inning against the Minnesota Twins at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Through five-and-a-half innings, the Brewers and Twins played a wild, back-and-forth game, a game marred by bad defense and the toughest outing of the season for Brewers rookie starter Shane Drohan. But when the Twins’ beleagured but retooled bullpen took over, the Brewer bats couldn’t come up with a needed clutch hit, and Minnesota walked away with an 8-6 victory in the first game of this three-game series.
Drohan took a minute to settle in and walked the leadoff hitter, Austin Martin, on five pitches. Drohan got into the evening with strikeouts of Ryan Jeffers and Royce Lewis, though Martin stole second during Jeffers’ at-bat. With two out, Josh Bell hit a soft line drive up the middle that looked destined for center field, but Brice Turang was able to cut it off and almost threw the lead-footed Bell out at first. Turang didn’t get the out but he saved a run, and one batter later, Kody Clemens flew out to left to end a scoreless top of the first.
Minnesota starter Zebby Matthews, just recalled from Triple-A St. Paul today, started his evening with a strikeout of Turang. But he wasn’t so fortunate against the suddenly red-hot Jackson Chourio, who hit a 108 mph shot off the batter’s eye in center field to get the evening’s scoring started. Jake Bauers and William Contreras were retired to end the inning, but the Brewers had an early 1-0 lead.
Drohan issued his second free pass to start the second inning, this one to Luke Keaschall. But the Minnesota debutante Kaelen Culpepper popped out to first, old friend Victor Caratini struck out, and Ryan Kreidler grounded out to short.
After a Garrett Mitchell groundout to start the second, Christian Yelich scalded a line drive into the gap, which Clemens was able to cut off to hold Yelich to a single. After a Luis Lara walk pushed Yelich up to second, Matthews should’ve gotten out of the inning after a Cooper Pratt flyout to right and a weak ground ball to second from David Hamilton, but Lewis whiffed on the ground ball—a really bad error—and Yelich was able to score as the ball rolled into right field. The damage wasn’t done, though; Turang followed Hamilton with a screamer of a double into the right-field corner that scored two more. Chourio grounded out to end the inning, but Milwaukee had a 4-0 lead after two.
Drohan walked his third batter with one out in the third, the first time he’d walked three since June 24. Lewis almost hit a ball out in the left corner, but it hung up enough for Chourio to make the catch on the warning track. Josh Bell, though, didn’t get under one like Lewis did—he got a 1-1 sinker right down the middle and crushed it to the back of the Brewer bullpen for a two-run homer. Clemens grounded out to end the inning but the Twins had halved the lead.
After a very quick bottom of the third, the Twins built on their second-inning momentum. With one out, Kaelen Culpepper—the twins #2 prospect, playing in his major-league debut—got up to an 0-2 fastball that didn’t quite get high enough and hit it out for his first big-league hit, a solo homer. Caratini then walked, Kreidler bunted for a hit, and Martin lined a ball hard into left. Caratin scored easily, but a well-executed relay from Chourio to Pratt to Contreras cut down Kreidler at the plate, keeping the score tied. Jeffers popped out to end the inning, but the Brewers’ early lead had disappeared.
The Brewers got a one-out single from Lara in the bottom of the fourth, but Pratt hit into a 3-4-1 double play that ended the inning. Drohan, still pitching after his tough fourth inning, gave up back-to-back singles to Lewis and Bell to start the fifth, and when Clemens dropped a bunt down—presumably intended to be a sacrifice—Drohan slipped and couldn’t field it, which loaded the bases with nobody out.
Keaschall swung at the first pitch he saw and managed a jam-shot single into left that scored one and gave the Twins a 5-4 lead. Culpepper was next, and he grounded into a 6-4-3 double play, which scored another run but gave the Brewers a path out of the inning; Caratini nearly added another run when he hit a solid line drive to center, but Mitchell caught it on the run. The inning was finally over, but the Twins had turned a 4-0 deficit into a 6-4 lead after scoring two runs in each of the third, fourth, and fifth innings.
Looking for a quick response, Hamilton gave the Brewers a leadoff baserunner in the bottom of the inning when he hit a soft grounder to short—Culpepper misplayed it, but likely wouldn’t have had a play anyway, and Hamilton was given an infield hit. Turang, who was next, lined a single through the middle on a 1-2 pitch which advanced Hamilton to third and gave the Brewers runners on the corners with no outs for Chourio, their hottest hitter.
Matthews was either rattled or afraid of Chourio or both, and he walked him on four pitches, and just like the Twins in the top of the inning, the Brewers had the bases juiced with no outs. Bauers nearly blew the roof of the place when he hit a ball hard to deep left, but Martin caught it going back on the warning track. Hamilton tagged and scored, but it was a little bit of a letdown that it wasn’t more.
Milwaukee still had a good opportunity with runners on first and second and one out. Contreras hit a fly ball to center that was caught by Keaschall but which advanced both runners, and Mitchell had a chance with two out and two runners in scoring position. What followed was a great example of how speed can be a game-changing tool: Mitchell hit a ground ball to short, and Culpepper fielded it just awkwardly enough that he needed an extra step on his throw; Mitchell, blazing down the line, beat the throw to first and the Brewers tied the game. A Yelich strikeout ended the inning, but this wild one was 6-6 after five.
Antonio Senzatela was out of the Brewer bullpen, but he wasn’t able to settle the game down. After picking up two quick outs, Jeffers and Lewis hit back-to-back doubles to put the Twins back in the lead, 7-6. Bell, already with three hits in the game, came up and on a 2-2 pitch lined a single into left that scored Lewis from second. It was just the sixth inning, and Bell had four hits and three RBI. Clemens hit a hard ground ball to Turang that ended the inning, but the Twins had scored two runs for the fourth straight inning.
Matthews came out for the sixth, but before the inning started, Derek Shelton and the Twins’ trainer fetched him and he came out of the game. One of Minnesota’s “deadline” pickups (he was actually traded on July 10th), righty Tommy Nance, replaced him. He started against the two Brewer rookies. Lara, in a beautiful at-bat, battled back from 0-2 to a full count and fouled off pitches until, on the 10th pitch, he singled up the middle. Pratt got up 3-1 and took a high cutter that was called a strike but should’ve been ball four, which was followed by a grounder to third—with Lara running on the play, Kreidler’s only play was at first.
Hamilton, on a 2-2 pitch that was pretty clearly a strike, burned the Brewers’ second challenge right after Jeffers’ burned the Twins’ second. In any case, Hamilton was out, and the Twins turned to another new acquisition, AJ Minter, to face Turang—and Minter struck him out on three pitches.
Bryse Wilson finally gave the Brewers a perfect inning in the top of the seventh, their first of the game. Another new Twins pickup, Jeff Hoffman, entered in the bottom of the seventh. Bauers drew a one-out walk, but was erased on a Contreras fielder’s choice. With Contreras at first and two out, Mitchell drew a walk—a walk that would surely have been a strikeout, had Jeffers had a challenge to use. On the first pitch to Yelich, Hoffman yanked a slider that hit Yelich in the foot to load the bases with two outs for Lara. Anticlimactically, Lara struck out on three pitches, and the Twins maintained their 8-6 lead into the eighth.
Kreidler started the Twins’ eighth with a single up the middle, but Martin made the first out on an attempted bunt that he popped up to Hamilton. A strikeout of Jeffers and a pop out by Lewis ended Wilson’s second scoreless inning.
Hamilton hit a one-out hustle double in the bottom of the eighth to give the top of the Brewers’ order a scoring opportunity against the new Minnesota hurler, Andrew Morris. Turang, up next, drew a seven-pitch walk to put two on for Chourio, but on the first pitch of the inning Chourio hit into about as easy of a 4-3 double play as you will ever see.
Wilson, back out for the ninth, did something no other Brewer could do tonight: he got Josh Bell out. A Clemens groundout and a Keaschall fly out capped a fantastic outing for Wilson, who came into a game teetering out of control and retired nine of ten batters he faced, allowing only a single.
Of course, it didn’t mean anything if the Brewers couldn’t muster a couple of runs. After letting golden opportunities go by in the seventh and eighth, they had no such opportunity in the ninth: Twins closer Yoendrys Gómez shut the door with a 1-2-3 inning.
This was a wild game in the early innings, but the bullpens settled things down late, and truthfully, the Brewers were lucky to be in the game at all given how much they’d been gifted by the Twins defense. There were a couple of bright spots offensively for Milwaukee—Turang, Lara, and Hamilton had two hits apiece, with Turang and Hamilton doubling and Chourio supplying the Brewers’ only home run. Drohan suffered through his worst start of the season and Senzatela faltered in his third outing as a Brewer, but Wilson gave the Brewers three good innings.
The Twins send their best healthy starter, Taj Bradley, to the mound tomorrow to face off with the Brewers’ Robert Gasser for a 6:10 p.m. game.
The veteran second baseman homered in a second straight game Friday, a reminder of the pop that helped transform him into an MVP candidate with the A’s and All-Star player for the Blue Jays and Rangers.
His third-inning, three-run homer was the team’s loudest hit in a 6-4 victory over the Pirates. The Mets won their fourth straight, matching their longest winning streak this season.
But there was at least one glitch: Carson Benge departed in the fourth inning with left wrist discomfort, after colliding with the left field fence on a sliding catch that robbed Ronny Simon of an extra-base hit in the third.
X-rays were negative, according to interim manager Andy Green, but Benge will undergo further imaging Saturday.
Semien, who began the day with a paltry .634 OPS, has joined Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert Jr. to form a triumvirate of disappointments from president of baseball operations David Stearns’ winter overhaul.
New York Mets second baseman Marcus Semien (10) circles the bases on a three-run home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the third inning at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“I don’t want to talk about disappointment,” Semien said, when asked if he viewed his season in such terms. “We just had a good day today. I am happy with the results today and my focus is on the rest of the season, not what happened before.”
But with Semien’s contract running through 2028, the Mets have to wonder if the 35-year-old has something to offer for the remainder of this season and beyond.
Green, when asked about Semien, said he is “not looking backwards” on his season.
“Where we are right now is a huge swing to win a baseball game,” Green said. “That’s where we are going to stay.”
Zac Thornton of the New York Mets reacts after the final out in the fifth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Friday, August 7, 2026, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Getty Images
The Mets blasted nine homers while sweeping the Guardians in three games to begin this road trip, and Semien’s shot Friday extended their power surge.
In a rebound performance, Zac Thornton pitched five scoreless innings, allowing only four hits and two walks. It followed a shaky performance against the Marlins in which he surrendered three earned runs over 4 ²/₃ innings. The rookie lowered his ERA to 2.52 after seven starts.
New York Mets first baseman Jared Young, middle, and left fielder Carson Benge (3) congratulate second baseman Marcus Semien (10) after crossing home plate on a three-run homer. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“I knew that I needed to get back in the zone early on with most every pitch, so I thought I did a good job of that,” Thornton said.
Green indicated that Thornton, who was removed at 63 pitches, was impacted by a rain delay before the third inning. The delay lasted 36 minutes.
“The rain put him in a bad spot,” Green said. “We were really close to him not going back out, just as long as the delay was.”
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Thornton said he stayed loose by throwing in the indoor batting cage during the delay.
“I felt really good, despite the delay,” Thornton said.
Benge delivered the Mets’ first two runs, with RBI singles in the first and third innings.
Semien extended the Mets’ lead to 5-0 in the third with a three-run homer — his second blast in as many games. Jared Young’s single followed Benge’s before Semien homered.
Francisco Lindor stroked an RBI single in the fourth that put the Pirates in a 6-0 hole. A.J. Ewing was hit by a pitch and stole second in the inning.
Dedniel Núñez, extended to pitch a second inning, was charged for two runs in the seventh. Lefty Jefry Yan got all three outs in the inning in a second straight solid outing to begin his major league career.
Devin Williams, in a non-save situation, allowed two runs on three hits and a walk in the ninth.
The vibes remain positive for a team that sold at the trade deadline.
“We have got a ton of energy in this clubhouse,” Thornton said. “Guys that are hungry for it, guys that are hungry to win. I think we’re playing for each other, so it’s awesome to see.”
White Sox pitcher Noah Schultz got yanked early from his start on Friday — but it had little to do with his performance.
Midway through the first inning during Chicago’s 8-2 loss to the Guardians, White Sox manager Will Venable went to check on Schultz after the southpaw allowed two runs.
The only problem?
It was the White Sox’s second mound visit of the inning, which meant Schultz had to exit the game.
The White Sox had already used a mound visit in the first inning, so when Will Venable went out to check on Noah Schultz, Schultz had to come out of the game.
MLB rules state that teams are given four mound visits per nine innings, and the coaching staff “can make one mound visit per pitcher per inning” before having to pull them from the game.
Umpires appeared confused as Venable walked out to the mound a second time, while Guardians skipper Stephen Vogt knew that Schultz had to exit the game.
The umpires then reconvened before ruling that Venable had to bring in a new pitcher.
Schultz exited after just ⅓ of an inning, giving up two earned runs on three hits.
Chicago White Sox pitching coach Zach Bove, center, talks with pitcher Noah Schultz, right, during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians on August 7, 2026, in Chicago. AP Photo/Melissa Tamez
David Sandlin, who entered the game for Schultz, did not fare much better, yielding six earned runs — and two home runs — through 5⅓ innings.
The Venable blunder comes as another, albeit unintentional, blow to Schultz, 23, who has had a rough rookie season in Chicago.
Entering Friday’s game, Schultz held a 3-8 record with a 5.82 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 65 innings.
Chicago White Sox’ Noah Schultz exits the game during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians on August 7, 2026, in Chicago. AP Photo/Melissa Tamez
The towering 6-foot-10 Schultz was drafted by the White Sox with the No. 26 overall pick in the 2022 draft.
He was called up in mid-April after dominating for Triple-A Charlotte to start the season, pitching to a 1.29 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 14 innings at that level.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - AUGUST 7: Payton Tolle #70 of the Boston Red Sox reacts during a game against the Athletics on August 7, 2026 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Some games answer questions. Tonight answered several.
Payton Tolle went six innings against the A’s, struck out 14 batters, walked nobody, gave up two hits and one earned run on 84 pitches. The A’s were swinging at air from the first inning on. Henry Bolte struck out three times. Brian Serven struck out three times. Jonah Heim struck out twice. Tommy White struck out twice. Tyler Soderstrom hit a solo homer in the fifth—the lone blemish—and the A’s otherwise had absolutely nothing for Tolle all night. Fourteen strikeouts with zero walks in six innings on 84 pitches. At Fenway, in August, from a 22-year-old the front office and coaching staff has had to trust in such incredible situations—it’s a statement performance.
Raymond Burgos followed with three perfect innings to close it out. Thirty-four pitches, no hits, nothing. Between the two of them, the Red Sox bullpen didn’t throw a meaningful pitch. Chapman, Whitlock, Weissert (from Worcester)—all of them sat and watched. They threw every arm available the night before (genuinely, Tracey said if last night’s bout went any longer, they might have needed to use a position player on the mound), and tonight, Tolle and Burgos handed them an extremely needed full night off.
Meanwhile, the offense showed up early, put up crooked numbers, and didn’t stop. Five in the second inning. Four more in the fourth. 9-0 through four frames against a depleted Athletics roster that was already missing Shea Langeliers—who tore his meniscus before the trade deadline and is done for the season—and Nick Kurtz, who reaggravated a right thumb capsule strain and is also on the IL. The A’s came to Fenway short-handed and left embarrassed. It felt like how the Sox were playing in May, which honestly makes me feel bad, but not too much to enjoy this Friday night victory.
On Langeliers, I can’t have any regrets in getting Adley Rutschman—who looks like he could start a rehab stint as early as this weekend—or frankly Jake Rogers who showed up very well in his first Red Sox start. That’s gotta feel good for your first time with a new club to lead a game masterfully behind the dish and put up hits in the box.
Back to tonight. Every starter in the Red Sox lineup collected at least one hit. Wilyer Abreu drove in three runs in two at-bats before being removed—hopefully precautionary from his foul ball off his leg. Duran hit a homer. Yoshida drove in two. Monasterio kept his recent extra-base-hit tear going. Durbin drove in two. This lineup top to bottom put in a full shift.
13-1. Tolle with 14 punchouts. Bullpen rested. This team is cooking.
Studs
Payton Tolle (6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 14 K)
Fourteen strikeouts. Zero walks. Eighty-four pitches. That’s a signature Tolle start. His fastball was touching 98, his curveball was an incredible putaway pitch, he had a career high in strikeouts and swings and misses. That’s a start you remember as a youngster.
Raymond Burgos (3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K)
Three perfect innings on 34 pitches. After Tolle’s six, Burgos walked out and put up zeros until the final out. The Sox emptied the bullpen the night before—tonight, not a single one of those guys had to warm up. In a pennant race, that’s worth a lot.
Wilyer Abreu (2-for-2, 3 RBI, BB, 1 R)
Three RBI in two at-bats before coming out early. Whatever happened, he left a mark before he left the game.
The Whole Lineup
Every starter got a hit. That doesn’t happen every night and it’s worth saying out loud. Top to bottom, this offense showed up.
Duds
The Athletics
How many pitchers did they need to use? A position player pitching? Short-handed without Langeliers and Kurtz. There’s not much to dissect—they just got run out of Fenway.
Play of the Game
Take your pick from the fourteen strikeouts. The front office spent a week deciding whether to deal Tolle, and he went out and answered the question himself, one swing-and-miss at a time. Call it the fourteenth K if you want a specific moment. The whole performance was the play.
The Mets opened up their series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night with a 6-4 win to make it four straight victories.
Here are the key takeaways...
-- Following a difficult outing against the Miami Marlins his last time out, Zac Thornton turned the page and had himself a wonderful start while dealing with the elements. The left-hander’s night began with two scoreless innings where he faced the minimum with help from his defense, particularly in the second inning.
-- The first nifty play came from first baseman Jared Young, who was in the perfect spot to snag a line drive before stepping on the bag to begin an unassisted double play. A.J Ewing followed that up with a diving catch on a shallow fly ball to center field through the raindrops, which ended the inning.
-- But speaking of rain, it didn’t stop during the next half-inning, which caused the umpiring crew to pause the game and bring out the tarp and resulted in a 35-minute rain delay.
-- After the game resumed, the Mets tagged starter Carmen Mlodzinski for four runs in the third inning. Ewing began the inning with a single followed by a Francisco Lindor walk. With two outs following a baserunning blunder by Ewing on a flyout by Bo Bichette that resulted in two outs, Carson Benge knocked in a run with a single, his second run-scoring single of the game.
-- With runners at the corners after Young singled, Marcus Semien’s recent hot streak continued as he blasted a three-run shot to left field to put the Mets ahead, 5-0. The home run was Semien’s second in as many days and his 14th of the year, second on the team behind Juan Soto (21).
-- Thornton finally returned to the mound in the third inning after more than an hour since he last walked off the field to end the second inning and picked up right where he left off, but not without more help from his defense.
-- For the first out of the frame, Benge had to sprint across the field toward the left field foul line and made a sliding catch at the wall. The unbelievable play came at a cost, though, as Benge appeared to hurt his wrist. The outfielder finished the inning but left the game shortly after.
-- As for Thornton, the 24-year-old ran into his first trouble of the night in the fourth after a single and a walk, but escaped unharmed after a much more conventional 6-4-3 double play. In the fifth, the lefty had runners on the corners with two outs but retired his final batter to finish five scoreless innings on just 63 pitches (42 strikes). He lowered his ERA to 2.42.
-- Offensively, Semien had the big blow in the third inning, but New York banged out 10 hits with Ewing leading the charge from the top of the lineup and going 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and a stolen base. Fellow rookie Benge went 2-for-2 with two RBI, a run scored and a stolen base before exiting. Lindor also had a good night at the dish, knocking in a run with a single in the fourth, scoring a run and walking twice while adding his third stolen base of the year.
-- The Mets went 5-for-11 with RISP.
-- Out of the bullpen, Dedniel Nuñez struggled once again and allowed two earned runs on three hits. Meanwhile, Jefry Yan had a mixed bag outing in his second career appearance, but was able to end it on a high note by tagging the runner out at home after the ball got away from Luis Torrens.
-- Daniel Duarte then pitched a scoreless eighth as he continues to impress before Devin Williams pitched the ninth, where he allowed two earned runs on three hits and a walk.
Game MVP: A.J. Ewing
Semien may have had the big hit, but Ewing had his hand everywhere in this one and was the catalyst for the Mets' offense.
Aug 2, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Detroit Tigers center fielder Max Clark (center) celebrates with teammates after defeating the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Detroit Tigers (56-59) vs. San Francisco Giants (48-67)
Time/Place: 10:15 p.m., Pracle Park SB Nation Site:McCovey Chronicles Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network Pitching Matchup: RHP Keider Montero (8-6, 3.17 ERA) vs. RHP JT Brubaker (0-0, 3.17 ERA)
The hottest team in baseball defeated the Athletics 13-1 at Fenway Park on Friday, Aug. 7, and while the bats did plenty of damage again, on this night it was all about the Payton Tolle show.
The second-year lefthander mowed down the A's, striking out a career-high 14 batters in his six innings of work. He gave up just two hits and no walks, firing 61 of his 84 pitches for strikes.
He was perfect through four innings and struck out the side in the second and fourth. After an infield single to start the sixth, he struck out the last three batters he faced.
Tolle walked off the mound with a 9-1 lead, which the Red Sox then extended to 11-1 in the bottom of the sixth.
They finished with 15 hits as they put up double-digit runs for the third time in four games.
Boston has now won nine games in a row and is a scorching hot 18-3 since the All-Star break. But the Red Sox's hot streak started well before that. After falling to 32-46 on June 24, the Red Sox now sit at 64-51. Their 32-5 stretch has put them well inside wild card position and in striking distance of the AL-best Tampa Bay Rays.
