Game Recaps
In Soroka’s IL return, Perdomo exits with knee injury by Steve Gilbert [Dbacks.com]
The Diamondbacks on Monday celebrated the return of right-hander Michael Soroka, who held the Rockies scoreless through 4 1/3 innings, but it wasn’t all good news for Arizona on the injury front.
Shortstop Geraldo Perdomo was forced to exit the D-backs’ 9-0 win at Chase Field before the top of the fifth due to left knee soreness.
PHOENIX — The Diamondbacks on Monday celebrated the return of right-hander Michael Soroka, who hel
The extent of the injury was not announced, but losing Perdomo for any period of time would be a blow for the Diamondbacks. The shortstop is not only a key part of the Arizona lineup, but he is also the captain of their defense.
Diamondbacks avoid post-Dodgers letdown, clobber Rockies in Soroka’s return by Alex Weiner [Arizona Sports]
After playing in front of 46,000 fans against the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers this weekend, the Arizona Diamondbacks had to avoid a letdown in a different environment, facing the lowly Colorado Rockies in a sparsely-crowded ballpark on Monday.
They did, as the Diamondbacks jumped to a 4-0 lead in the first inning off a Nolan Arenado grand slam against his former club. The D-backs tacked on three more in the second inning against Rockies starter Gabriel Hughes, who needed 62 pitches to get through the first two frames.
Diamondbacks News
How the Diamondbacks Plan To Use New Pitcher Zack Littell by Alex D’Agostino [SI]
Lovullo said Littell would be used primarily as a bullpen arm for the time being.
The D-backs have some arms capable of throwing multiple innings, but Littell’s ability to go well beyond a traditional two- or three-inning long reliever will allow him to serve a unique role and preserve the rest of Arizona’s bullpen if needed.
Littell has a 6.18 ERA as a starter this year, but a 3.18 in relief. He’s delivered four-plus innings as a reliever in all but one of his nine appearances in that role, and has even served as a “bulk starter” behind a short-outing opener.
“We feel like right now he is stretched out. And we know that he can give us 100 pitches if he pops out of the bullpen,” Lovullo said.
Diamondbacks make ‘brutal decision’ to designate Paul Sewald for assignment by Alex Weiner [Arizona Sports]
The Arizona Diamondbacks decided to designate relief pitcher Paul Sewald for assignment on Monday after he was removed from the closer role.
Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro first reported the news.
Sewald meant a lot to the Diamondbacks as the closer for most of this season and a clubhouse leader, but he was not performing well enough to hold onto a leverage role.
Around the League
The postseason schedule is out. Here’s what you need to know [MLB]
Rule check: Red Sox-Blue Jays delayed for unusual run scoring play by Keegan Matheson [MLB] {Ed. Note: This play was wild, but the biggest thing I appreciated about it was that the umpire actually explained to the fans what was going on. Love that!}
Congress asks MLB to take action after Bryce Harper betting video by David Purdum [ESPN]
“We write to demand an end to the MLB and MLBPA policies that enabled this type of predatory promotion,” Blumenthal and U.S. Reps. Paul Tonko, D-N.Y., and Valerie Foushee, D-N.C., said in a letter sent to the league and the Major League Baseball Players Association.
In November 2024, FanDuel sent a Cameo video featuring Harper to a VIP customer. The bettor later sued the sportsbook, claiming it had taken advantage of his gambling addiction. Harper has denied knowing how FanDuel would use the video or the circumstances with the customer’s betting.
Max Scherzer Headlines a Big Weekend for Strikeout Feats by Jay Jaffe [FanGraphs]
Even by the standards of his recent, injury-marred seasons, Max Scherzer’s 2026 campaign has been a rough one. The 42-year-old righty has made two trips to the injured list, and through the end of July had taken just seven starts and allowed more than a run per inning. Even on a Blue Jays team destined to be retooledahead of the trade deadline, he was clearly in no shape to be any contender’s hired gun. Nonetheless, Scherzer’s last two starts have been bright spots, and on Saturday evening, he notched career strikeout 3,516, officially moving him into the all-time top 10.
Scherzer wasn’t the only pitcher who reached a strikeout milestone this weekend. Aaron Nola, who started for the Phillies opposite Scherzer at Citizens Bank Park, collected his 2,000th career strikeout. Elsewhere, in a matchup that pitted the third- and fourth-ranked pitchers on the active strikeouts leaderboard, namely Chris Sale and Gerrit Cole, the latter notched his 1,000th strikeout since joining the Yankees. Then on Sunday, Jacob Misiorowski became the first pitcher to notch his 200th strikeout of the season.