Chicago Cubs starter Edward Cabrera, on a rehab **** ignment with the Smokies in Knoxville, held Rocket City hitless through five innings before the visiting Trash Pandas rallied for a 6-1 win Aug. 11.
The Trash Pandas scored six unanswered runs off Smokies relievers after Cabrera left the game at Covenant Health Park.
Cabrera had seven strikeouts and finished his start retiring 13 straight batters. The only baserunner to reach base came from a two-out walk in the first inning.
"That's kind of how you draw it up," Smokies manager Lance Rymel told Knox News. "Really, really electric stuff."
Knoxville's only run came from an RBI double by Ariel Armas in the second inning.

#cabrera #really #inning #Cubs

If Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer had one goal ahead of this year's trade deadline, it was to add the type of starting pitcher that a team in win-now mode needs and deserves. And on the eve of the trade deadline, we can now say that he has done just that. The Chicago Cubs landed one of the best rentals on the market Sunday, acquiring right-hander Kevin Gausman from the Toronto Blue Jays for prospects Brett Bateman and Ty Southisene.
Gausman, 35, checks a lot of boxes for the Cubs, who have also acquired pitchers David Peterson and Aaron Civale in recent weeks. Not only is Gausman the type of frontline starting pitcher that Chicago's rotation has been missing, but what's more, for a team looking to go deep into October, he has the postseason pedigree that is sought after by every contender.
Chicago's newly acquired right-hander is 5-10 with a 4.38 ERA in 23 starts this season, but his 3.51 FIP would suggest that he has been a bit unlucky thus far in 2026. In his postseason career, Gausman has a 3.83 ERA with 56 strikeouts across 56 ⅓ innings.
There might not be a team in baseball that has been hit as hard by injury as the Chicago Cubs this year. And most of that has come in their starting rotation. After right-hander Cade Horton was lost to season-ending elbow surgery, left-hander Justin Steele hit a setback in his rehab and has yet to pitch this season. Right-handers Ben Brown and Edward Cabrera are also currently on the 15-day IL.
Nonetheless, the Cubs have shown they aren't messing around in their quest to make noise the rest of this season as they try to get back to the playoffs. They designated right-hander Jameson Taillon for ****** ignment on Monday after his struggles continued. He has since been traded to the Blue Jays for a player to be named later or cash.

#Cubs

Iowa Cubs pitcher Connor Noland was activated off the Development List.
Second baseman Dom Krupinski was promoted from the ACL Cubs to low-A Myrtle Beach.
The Iowa Cubs were tied to the tracks by the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Yankees), 9-5.
Edward Cabrera started this game on a rehab ***** ignment. Cabrera only threw 1.2 innings and 43 pitches. He was charged with three runs on two hits and two walks, although two of the runs scored in the second inning after he was relieved by Ty Blach. Cabrera struck out three. He struggled with control as only 26 of his 43 pitches were strikes. However, his velocity was consistently between 94 and 98 miles per hour.
First baseman Jonathonn Long went 3 for 5 with a double and one run scored.

#iowa #only #pitches

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: L, 1-8 vs. Syracuse Mets
SS George Lombard Jr. 1-3, 1 BB, 1 K — no fretting about him not starting this time
C J.C. Escarra 1-4, 3 K, catchers' interference
CF Spencer Jones 0-4, 2 K
DH Marco Luciano 0-3, 1 BB, 3 K
RF Yanquiel Fernández 0-3, 1 R, 1 BB
2B Oswaldo Cabrera 2-4
3B Tyler Hardman 0-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
1B Ernesto Martinez Jr. 1-4, 2 K
LF Kenedy Corona 0-4, 3 K

Adam Kloffenstein 4 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 4 BB, 5 K, 1 HR (loss)
Chris Kean 1 IP, 3 R, 3 H, 1 BB
Carson Coleman 0.2 IP, 3 R, 4 H
Danny Watson 1.1 IP, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Yerry De Los Santos 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 K
Double-A Somerset Patriots: W, 5-4 at New Hampshire Fisher Cats
2B Connor McGinnis 2-4, 1 BB, 1 K
DH Jace Avina 2-5, 1 HR, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 R, 1 K
3B Coby Morales 3-5, 1 R, 1 SB
CF DJ Gladney 3-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 K, 1 SB — go-ahead RBI single in the ninth
LF Jackson Castillo 2-5, 1 RBI, 1 SB
RF Cole Gabrielson 1-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 SB
1B Josh Moylan 1-4, 1 RBI
C Manuel Palencia 1-4, 1 K, throwing error
SS Owen Cobb 0-4, 1 K, throwing error

Jack Cebert 5 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 3 BB, 7 K — 1.74 ERA in July after being north of five in May and June
Geoffrey Gilbert 1 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 HR
Kevin Stevens 1.2 IP, 0 R, 2 K
Michael Arias 0.2 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 K (win)
Tony Rossi 0.2 IP, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K (save)
High-A Hudson Valley Renegades: L, 1-9 at Wilmington Blue Rocks

#scranton #wilkes #barre

With 58 games remaining in the Houston Astros’ 2026 season and two months left on the schedule, it might be too early to talk about Yordan Alvarez potentially winning a Triple Crown.
Yet after Alvarez hit his 34th home run of the season, it’s not unreasonable to raise the possibility either. The Astros slugger batted 2-for-4 with 2 RBI in Houston’s 5-2 win over the Miami Marlins.
Alvarez now leads MLB in homers, overtaking the Philadelphia Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber. And he has four more than Ben Rice of the New York Yankees for the top spot in the AL.
With 77 RBI, Alvarez is one ahead of the Washington Nationals’ CJ Abrams and Jordan Walker of the St. Louis Cardinals. And though he trails the Marlins’ Otto Lopez (.332) for the MLB lead in batting average, his .328 mark leads the Tampa Bay Rays’ Yandy Diaz (.308) by 20 points.
MLB’s last Triple Crown winner was the Detroit Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera, who led the AL with a .330 batting average, 44 homers and 139 RBI. But as might be expected, Alvarez doesn’t want to talk about the Triple Crown right now.

#alvarez #crown #astros #talk

Cubs urged to make 'no-brainer' Joe Ryan decision to boost World Series odds originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Chicago Cubs should be dialed in on the starting pitching market at the trade deadline.
Injuries have derailed the seasons of starters like Cade Horton and Justin Steele. Edward Cabrera is also hurt and hasn't had the strongest season on the mound.
That's just the tip of the iceberg for the Cubs. They'll need to address the rotation at the Aug. 3 deadline.
"At this point, it's looking like they'll be crossing their fingers with Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga in the first two games of the postseason," Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller wrote.

#Cubs #deadline #World #series

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: W, 8-7 (10) at Buffalo Bisons
C J.C. Escarra 1-6, 1 RBI
CF Spencer Jones 1-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K
2B Marco Luciano 2-4, 1 HR, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RF Yanquiel Fernández 3-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 K
3B Oswaldo Cabrera 2-5, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 K
DH-1B Tyler Hardman 1-5, 1 R, 1 K
1B Ernesto Martinez Jr. 0-4, 1 BB, 1 K
PR-LF Duke Ellis 0-0, 1 R, 1 SB
SS Jonathan Ornelas 2-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K, fielding error — go-ahead three-run homer brought it back after the team blew a three-run lead in the span of two innings
LF Kenedy Corona 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K
P Zach Messinger 0-0

Brendan Beck 5.1 IP, 2 R, 6 H, 1 BB, 2 K
Chris Kean 0.2 IP, 0 R (hold)
Bradley Hanner 1 IP, 0 R, 2 H (hold)
Yovanny Cruz 0.1 IP, 1 R, 2 H (hold)
Danny Watson 0.2 IP, 0 R, 1 H (hold)
Rafael Montero 0.1 IP, 2 R, 3 H (blown save) — back-to-back doubles burned a two-run lead
Zach Messinger 1.1 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 H (win) — pulled the ninth inning out of a fire, made one himself in the tenth
Carson Coleman 0.1 IP, 0 R (save)
Double-A Somerset Patriots: L, 1-2 (11) vs. Reading Fightin Phils
LF Jackson Castillo 0-3, 2 BB
CF Jace Avina 1-5, 1 2B, 1 R, 2 K
DJ Gladney 1-5, 2 K
3B Coby Morales 2-4, 1 RBI
2B Connor McGinnis 0-4
C Miguel Palma 0-3, 1 BB, throwing error
1B Josh Moylan 0-3, 1 BB, 3 K
DH Manuel Palencia 1-4, 2 K
SS Owen Cobb 0-4

Xavier Rivas 6 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 BB, 10 K — six no-hit frames with 10 strikeouts, easily the best line of his young career…
Harrison Cohen 1.1 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 1 K (blown save) — …only for the first reliever to cough up the lead two innings later
Hayden Merda 1.2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K
Luis Velasquez 1 IP, 0 R, 1 BB
Trent Sellers 1 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 K (loss)
High-A Hudson Valley Renegades: L, 4-7 vs. Rome Emperors

My father often told me in my abbreviated athletic career that mistakes were inevitable. Even the best athletes make mistakes, but it's the type of mistake that matters. Physical mistakes are truly unavoidable, but mental mistakes are the real killers as they more likely indicate a lack of preparation or concentration. Tonight, the D-Backs featured plenty of both as they rumbled and ******* bled their way to another series loss. Ironically, the first two innings were actually somewhat positive. The offense quickly struck in the first inning as Ildemaro Vargas worked a one-out walk, stole second base, and then scored on a Gabriel Moreno double for an early one-run lead. And on the other side, Jose Cabrera, in his fourth career start faced just one over the minimum through the first two innings. But that's where the positive vibes ended. The Padres would score in five out of the next six innings while the D-Backs showed little fight outside of the last couple innings.
I've been very impressed by a lot in Cabrera's first few big league starts. Torey Lovullo often gushes about his "mound presence" during games and he's been remarkably good at finding ways to navigate traffic on the base paths through his first three starts at the big league level. But tonight was the first time that it looked like the moment was a little too big for him in my opinion and the game sped up for him. The first two runs he allowed were both walks that advanced into scoring position and then scored on clutch hits in the third and fourth, but the fifth was when the game really got away from him. After a quick first out, he uncorked a sweeper right into the "backside" of Fernando Tatis Jr, allowed him to steal second, and then misplayed a weak comebacker from Jackson Merrill. He was able to field the ball cleanly and looked Tatis back to second, but then inexplicably threw to the covering Vargas at second who immediately tried to salvage an out at first, but the throw was too late. Instead of two outs and a runner on second, Cabrera faced two runners on and just one out. Then, to make matters worse, he attempted a pickoff move towards Tatis, but was instead called for a balk to move both runners into scoring position for Xander Bogaerts who promptly plated them both and chased Cabrera out of the game. I won't try to pretend to understand why Cabrera was called for a balk. I've watched a lot of baseball in my life and I've never fully understood the balk rule. I get that it's designed to prevent the pitcher from deceiving the runner, but it is one of the few holdovers from an earlier era that confuses nearly everyone – including Lovullo who was tossed from the game when he asked for an explanation on the call.
The bullpen unfortunately had no answer to a subpar San Diego offense. Taylor Clarke was the second man to pass the bullpen gate, but he looked overmatched as the Padres ambushed him for four runs – including three straight run-scoring singles from Sung-Mun Song, Tati

Much as been made by fans following popular baseball prospect site, baseballamerica.com, posting their organizational rankings among all MLB teams. The hometown Phillies ranked as the 29th worst farm system in the league based on prospect talent. This seems bad, huh? For a team with aging stars and up against the luxury tax threshold, an injection of young talent could be the only way to prolong this current run of regular seasons success for the Phillies. You are now thinking, how could they have fallen from 20th (in the preseason ranking) to near dead-last? What might have caused this? Well, two things. The graduation of prospects and the lack of development elsewhere. In regards to the former, it always seems to go over the casual fan’s head that could be a driving factor in these nonsensical rankings (nothing against rankings, I love them…but they are really arbitrary and objective). The Phillies graduated two Top100 MLB prospects in Andrew Painter and Justin Crawford. That is a legit major factor! This doesn’t even factor in struggles by Jean Cabrera, Aroon Escobar, Dante Nori, and Carson DeMartini. Not to mention their best prospect has yet to take the field (a consensus Top20 prospect in the game) in shortstop Aidan Miller.
I’m NOT saying this isn’t time to hit the panic **** on. Development has stagnated among prospects, especially on the hitting side. It feels any promising prospect hits that AA/AAA wall and nothing ever materializes. Its frustrating! The Phillies need to do a lot better in both drafting and international scouting. It is largely why the last few years the Phillies have needed to sign and trade for talent rather than find it within the organization. It isn’t a sustainable model if you aren’t blowing past the luxury tax.
You may ask, has it always been like this? Haven’t the Phillies had touted prospects and a system not that long ago? Lets look back at 2016, using a similar list from baseballamerica.com (its their preseason ranking, they didn’t do a full 30 for midseason). In 2016, the Phillies ranking 8th in the league. Led by promising names like JP Crawford, Nick Williams, Jake Thompson, and Jorge Alfaro.
Now these are some great names. The Phillies most impactful player wound up being 23rd ranked 1B-only prospect Rhys Hoskins. Who if memory serves me correctly, wasn’t nearly as fawned over as the monstrous OF Dylan Cozens. A lot of the names on here were also acquired via trade including: Nick Williams, Jake Thompson, Jorge Alfaro, Zach Eflin, Nick Pivetta, Darnell Sweeney, Ben Lively, Jimmy Cordero, and Tom Windle. 10 years later, only Hoskins, Crawford, Eflin, and Nick Pivetta remain major leaguers or had significant impacts.
If you were to tell me that there will be less than four impactful players from this year’s midseason Top30 Phillies list, I wouldn’t argue with you. I’m not sure the same amount of pedigree is there as there was in 2016. However, there is still some optimism. Gage Wood looks at a MINIMUM a

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: W, 18-3 at Buffalo Bisons — scored eight in the ninth (four off a position player) to make it silly
C J.C. Escarra 2-6, 2B, RBI, K
CF Spencer Jones 0-4, BB, 2 K
2B Marco Luciano 0-5, BB, RBI, 2 K
RF Yanquiel Fernández 2-6, RBI, 2 K
3B Oswaldo Cabrera 3-4, 2 HR, 2 BB, 3 RBI, K, fielding error — two dingers and scored five runs, was all over the action
1B Tyler Hardman 4-6, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI — one of the best nights of his pro career after long wait for Triple-A
DH Ernesto Martinez Jr. 3-5, HR, BB, 5 RBI, SF — is it possible for a five-ribbie night to be quiet in comparison?
LF Duke Ellis 2-4, HR, 2 BB, 2 RBI, SB
SS Jonathan Ornelas 1-4, BB, RBI, 2 K
Will Brian 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K — opener
Zach Messinger 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 1 K, HBP, WP
Eric Reyzelman 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (win) — encouraging!
Kervin Castro 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Carson Coleman 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 1 K, HR
Danny Watson 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Double-A Somerset Patriots: L, 1-2 vs. Reading Fightin Phils
LF Jackson Castillo 0-4, 2 K
CF Jace Avina 1-4
3B Coby Morales 1-4, K
RF DJ Gladney 2-4, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 K — solo shot in the sixth for the only run
DH Nicholas Torres 0-4, K
1B Josh Moylan 0-4, 2 K
C Tomas Frick 3-4, K
2B Connor McGinnis 2-4, 2 2B, K
SS Owen Cobb 0-4, K

Detroit — The Tigers don't have a good record.
But they have some good players. The American League All-Star roster says as much.
Three Tigers — catcher Dillon Dingler, shortstop Kevin McGonigle and left fielder Riley Greene — were named reserves for the AL All-Star team, Major League Baseball announced Saturday. The All-Star Game is set for Tuesday, July 14, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
It marks the third consecutive season the Tigers have been represented by multiple players in the All-Star Game, after six Tigers made it in 2025 and two made it in 2024.
Greene, 25, has been an All-Star in all three of those seasons, making him the first Tiger to make three start All-Star teams since Miguel Cabrera made it every year from 2016. Greene, who homered in the Tigers' 3-0 win over the Texas Rangers earlier Saturday, becomes the first Tigers outfielder to make three consecutive All-Star teams since Hall-of-Famer Al Kaline, Mr. Tiger, made it every year from 1955-67.

As the legendary football coach Bear Bryant once said, "Defense wins championships," and without it, the Milwaukee Brewers don't take game one against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Crew takes care of business in an 11-inning affair by a score of 7-4.
Often known for his defensive abilities, Garrett Mitchell used his bat to sneak one over the center field wall to give the Brewers an early 2-0 lead. An inning later, Jake Bauers added another run to their tally with a base hit to right field to make it 3-0. It was nearly 4-0 before Lourdes Gurriel Jr. took away another home run from Mitchell, holding the game at bay.
Later in the bottom half of the third, the Diamondbacks found themselves with bases loaded, two outs, and down to their final strike of the inning; with a chance to cut into the Brewers' lead, Nolan Arenado ripped a double into left field to clear the bases, tying the game at 3-3, putting an end to Kyle Harrison's night as well.
The Brewers' starting rotation has seen a slight decrease in productivity, specifically from their top two arms over their last couple of outings. Tonight, it was Harrison who struggled, not making it out of the third inning. He completed his evening with 2.2 innings pitched, striking out three, while allowing three runs to score on five hits and a walk. His main issue outside of the runs scoring was his pitch count, as he threw 72 pitches on the night.
Brewers quickly responded on offense by forcing the Diamondbacks to pull their starting pitcher after 3.1 innings. In Jose Cabrera's third career start, he allowed three runs, three walks, and six hits while striking out three batters. It's his second start in a row allowing multiple runs to score and his first time not making it into the fifth inning.

Full recap to post shortly. In the meantime, feel free to vent in the comments! Or go to bed.
Jose Cabrera led off the game with a 4 pitch walk of Christian Yelich with none of the pitches all that close. He then threw strikes in 8 of his next 11 pitches to retire the side without the leadoff walk advancing a base. Nice job by the young fella!
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is still playing effective defense out there. Like Gimli, he's dangerous over short distances as he showed a great jump and tracking of the ball through a feet first slide to reach a sinking line drive in left field in the second inning.
The Brewers 2-run home run in the second inning had go to crew chief review to confirm it was indeed a roundtripper. A fan at the edge of the home run porch in centerfield appeared to reach over the wall, but it wasn't conclusive where the ball made contact with the fan so the call of home run on field stood and the D-backs were down 2-0.
Jose Cabrera got an error on a poor throw on a pickoff attempt at first, making Vargas reach too far toward the sliding runner. The carom off Vargas' outstretched glove resulted in a free 90 feet and a runner in scoring position for the Brewers with 1 out. Cabrera cleaned up his own mess though by getting a ꓘ (after falling behind 3-0 in the count!) and an easy fly out to end the inning.

What channel is Brewers vs. Diamondbacks on? Time, TV schedule, live stream to watch MLB Friday Night Baseball game originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The first-place Milwaukee Brewers begin a brutal road gauntlet that runs all the way to the All-Star break as they open a series at the Arizona Diamondback on Friday.
Milwaukee has been the class of the NL Central so far but will be tested with 11 road games in 10 days heading into the break. On the plus side, the Brewers will start it with one of their best arms in Kyle Harrison. The 24-year-old lefty is in the midst of a career season at 8-1 with a 2.57 ERA and 96 strikeouts against just 19 walks in 77 innings.
His opposite number at Chase Field on Friday will be Jose Cabrera, a right-hander making his third major league start on the heels of only three games a Triple-A. The Rays roughed him up a bit his last time out but he threw five shutout innings against the Twins in his MLB debut two weeks ago.
Who will start the holiday festivities on a winning note? Here's everything you need to know to watch.

Despite having just four hits and being shutout through the first eight innings, the Yankees had multiple chances to come away with a win late in Wednesday's game against the Detroit Tigers.
But in a continuance of what's been a week to forget for the Yankees, they couldn't push a run through when they needed it most, falling 6-2 in 11 innings in their seventh straight loss.
After scoring a couple of runs to tie the game at 2-2 in the ninth, the Yankees had Anthony Volpe thrown out trying to steal second base for a pivotal second out. In the 10th, New York had a runner at third with one out (the game-winning run), but Oswaldo Cabrera and Ali Sanchez both went down swinging.
In the 11th, Camilo Doval had two outs with a runner on third, but he followed an intentional walk with two more walks, and things snowballed from there.
"Tough one… had chances in the ninth and certainly in the 10th to put it away and weren't able to do it," manager Aaron Boone said after the game. "Then we get two outs and man on third there (in the 11th) and ahead 0-2 with (Hao-Yu) Lee and can't get back in the zone.

NEW YORK — New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. left the game against the Detroit Tigers following a violent collision with right fielder Jasson Domínguez and was placed in concussion protocol.
With the Yankees down 7-0 in the fourth inning, Hao-Yu Lee hit a high popup to shallow right field. Chisholm ran back and attempted to make the catch but Domínguez charged in and caught the ball as his glove struck Chisholm in the face.
"I'm not sure exactly what happened," manager Aaron Boone said after a 7-3 loss sent the Yankees to their fifth straight defeat. "Obviously we're playing the infield in, so it's a little bit that no-man's land. I think JD called it late. I don't know if he didn't hear."
Chisholm immediately fell down on the grass and was on his back for several minutes as Boone and athletic trainer Tim Lentych checked on him. After a few minutes, Chisholm stood up and slowly walked off the field under his own power. He was replaced at second base by Oswaldo Cabrera .
"It was really unfortunate," Domínguez said. "They were playing infield in. In my mind, I've got to go catch the ball. I called it, but obviously I didn't call it loud enough. But really unfortunate what happened."

NEW YORK – A brutal stretch became even worse for the Yankees early Monday night.
Already trailing 7-0 in the fourth inning to the Detroit Tigers, second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. was forced out of the game due to a collision in shallow right field.
In pursuit of Hao-Yu Lee’s pop fly, caught by Dominguez, the right side of Chisholm’s head struck Dominguez’s extended left arm.
Chisholm stayed on the ground for a few minutes as the Yankees’ athletic training staff attended to him and eventually helped him to his feet and off the field.
Defensively, Oswaldo Cabrera replaced Chisholm at second base. Chisholm was presumably being tested for a concussion.

The trade deadline is five weeks away, meaning MLB teams are doing daily evaluations about whether they should be buyers and sellers as the days until the Aug. 3 cut-off dwindle.
For those interested in upgrading their big-league clubs, a big part of the process is internal evaluation of the farm system to identify which prospects could be expendable and which should be off-limits in trade talks. On the flip side, for teams trading major-league pieces with an eye toward the future, this is a prime opportunity to target minor-league talent in other organizations that could become a fixture for their teams down the road.
With that in mind, here’s a look at six prospects on teams expected to be buyers who could be on the move in the coming weeks, given their place in the organizational depth chart and their value industry-wide.
The Cubs already unloaded one outfield prospect, Owen Caissie, in the deal for right-hander Edward Cabrera. Alcantara represents another tantalizing trade chip that Chicago could use to address its injury-ravaged rotation (Cabrera, predictably, included). Alcantara is the classic case of a prospect performing in the upper levels but completely blocked by a superstar player at his primary position. In this case, that’s Pete Crow-Armstrong, who not only is leading all position players in fWAR but also recently signed a six-year, $115 million extension that ensures he’ll be patrolling center field on the North Side for the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, the 23-year-old Alcantara — acquired from the Yankees in the Anthony Rizzo trade at the 2021 deadline — is crushing the ball in Triple-A. His 30.5% strikeout rate remains a red flag, but Alcantara is registering elite hard-hit and barrel rates, and he has already matched his home run total from last season (17) in roughly half as many games. Between his Triple-A production and the PCA-sized obstacle in front of him on the Cubs’ depth chart — and as one of the top prospects in an otherwise shallow farm system — Alcantara checks the boxes of an ideal trade chip for a team in Chicago’s position, pushing aggressively for a postseason spot with clear roster holes to fill.

The Yankees are lucky this series is in Boston, because after three pretty gross outings in a row against the Red Sox, they’d almost certainly booed by the Bronx like the hunter who shot Bambi’s mom. They can get a little bit of good vibes back today by managing a single win in this four-game set, though they’ll need to beat arguably the BoSox’s best in order to do it.
Sonny Gray, who I’m sure many of us remember, has been quite effective from a pure run prevention standpoint. He’s top 20 in baseball by ERA albeit with a 70-inning threshold, but what should be noteworthy is how his strikeouts have disappeared. He sat down 26.7 percent of batters faced last year and over 30 percent two years ago, but manages just a 21.1 percent this year. Far more **** in play are available against Gray, and while he’s juiced his ground-ball rate to something we haven’t seen from him this side of COVID-19. If the Yankees can elevate against him, there are runs on the table here.
Meanwhile, Carlos Rodón will once again take the stage for the Yankees. I don’t want to harp on Carlos too much, he’s a fair pitcher who probably isn’t what you’re paying him to be but his wife is an excellent social media follow. He hasn’t allowed more than three runs a start all year. I hate watching him pitch. He is a laborious viewing prospect, seemingly spotting every hitter an extra pitch and being one of the slowest pitchers in baseball in terms of how long he holds the ball for. Cam Schlittler is the second-slowest, but at least he seems to dock a pitch per hitter rather than donate one. I hope Rodón pitches well, but I doubt I’ll enjoy the journey.
We have a bit of a funky lineup today, with Aaron Boone seemingly try to shake the tree and see if a few runs drop out. Against the righty Gray, Jazz Chisholm Jr. will lead us off for the first time all season–first time as a Yankee actually–and traditional lefty platoon hitter Amed Rosario will DH and bat sixth. This means Paul Goldschmidt is the odd man out, with the league’s oldest position player given the day off. Oswaldo Cabrera also gets his first start since the ugly ankle injury that ended his season early in May 2025.
How to watch

I was initially going to call this “Bouncy Castle Blues,” because that’s what Tropicana Field reminds me of as much as anything. With its synthetic fabric top, and its weirdly springy turf, and the fact that try as we might we never seem to play competent baseball there, it seems fitting. But that would have led me to Google Images and then probably an extended session of foolishness with Photoshop, and I realized I really wanted nothing more than to get this recap done as soon as possible, because it wasn’t a fun baseball game to watch, even with the always pleasant company in the Game Day Thread. And rays are basically fish, right? They live in water and they swim around in it, anyway. Whatever.
Young Jose Cabrera was making his second start of his young major league career, and I was kind of excited to see that, because I must admit I slept through the early innings of his debut last Sunday. And you know what, the kid looked pretty good, even though his final pitching line doesn’t quite reflect that.
We also staked him a lead before he’d even taken the mound, thanks to a one-out Geraldo Perdomo double off the top of the wall in right center that just missed being a home run, followed by a Corbin Carroll single to right that drove him in. Carroll was then promptly thrown out trying to steal second, and Gabriel Moreno grounded out to third to end things against Tampa opener (and former Diamondback, apparently) Cole Sulser. 1-0 DBACKS
Sadly, Cabrera gave that run right back in the bottom of the first. After retiring Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda without any drama at all, he allowed a 2-1 sinker to catch a little too much of the plate, and Junior Caminero launched it over the fence in the left field corner for his third first-inning home run in as many games. 1-1 Tie
And there things stood until the bottom of the fifth, as Cabrera settled down and put up zeroes in the next three innings, while the Diamondbacks offense could do nothing whatsoever against Sulser (who pitched the second inning as well) or former Doyer Michael Grove (who pitched three scoreless with no blemishes other than a Moreno single in the fourth). Cabrera retired the last two batters in the Rays’ order to start the fifth, flipping the lineup back to the top, where their big bats live. And they did big bat things, alas: Diaz drew a 7-pitch two-out walk, and threw Aranda a sweeper on the inside that Aranda turned on and sent into the right field seats. 3-1 Tampa

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Junior Caminero homered for the third consecutive game, Jonathan Aranda added a two-run home run and the Tampa Bay Rays moved back into the top spot in the American League East with a 4-2 victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday.
The Rays moved ahead of the New York Yankees on winning percentage and occupy the top spot in the division for the first time since June 12. Tampa Bay’s current four-game winning streak is their longest since a five-game streak from May 17-22.
Five Tampa Bay relievers combined to hold Arizona to seven hits on a bullpen day, with Michael Grove (1-0) picking up the victory after three scoreless innings while retiring nine of 10 batters he faced. Bryan Baker retired the side in order in the ninth for his 21st save of the season.
Jose Cabrera (0-1) allowed four runs on seven hits in his second career start for Arizona, which has dropped five of the past seven games. Ketel Marte added his 14th home run of the season.
The D-backs jumped on Rays’ opener Cole Sulser with a one-out double by Geraldo Perdomo followed by an RBI single from Corbin Carroll in the first inning.

The Cubs simply couldn’t afford to wait any longer.
After adding both Edward Cabrera (hamstring/adductor) and Ben Brown (neck) to the 15-day injured list on Wednesday, the Cubs struck a late-night deal, bringing in left-handed pitcher David Peterson from the New York Mets. In return, Chicago sent infield prospect Cole Mathis to the Mets.
Peterson, 30, should enjoy a short commute to join his new club. The move was first reported by ESPN shortly after the Cubs swept a day-night doubleheader in Queens against the Mets on Wednesday night.
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing for the lefty thus far in 2026, sporting a 6.09 ERA in 68.0 innings over 16 appearances, including eight starts. His peripherals, however, tell a bit of a different story. Despite his — and the Mets’ — struggles this season, Peterson has induced groundballs 51.1 percent of the time, sports an xFIP of 4.05 and is just two years removed from a 2.90 ERA in 121.0 innings.
For as much as the club would love to unlock that 2024 version of him, the Cubs don’t even need Peterson to become a top-of-the-rotation starter. This is about weathering a torrential storm and being able to field a full rotation. Peterson — whose contract runs through the end of the season — helps with that for now.

NEW YORK (AP) — Ben Brown and Edward Cabrera were placed on the injured list Wednesday, delivering two more blows for the pitching-depleted Chicago Cubs.
Cabrera was expected to get imaging Wednesday after straining his left hamstring/adductor stretching for a throw at first base Tuesday during a 9-6 win over the New York Mets.
Brown has a neck strain. He is 4-2 with one save and a 1.85 ERA for the Cubs, including 3-1 with a 1.70 ERA in eight starts since joining the banged-up rotation May 8.
The Cubs have six starters sidelined, though opening day starter Matthew Boyd (left meniscus) is scheduled to come off the injured list and start in Brown’s spot Thursday.
“We’re getting a guy that pitched opening day back for us, so that’s a big deal,” Counsell said. “Those are important players to get healthy and get in your rotation.”

Cubs select contract of former Phillies, Pirates righty starter amid Edward Cabrera injury originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Chicago Cubs' starting rotation has been significantly depleted from their initial group from the beginning of the year.
Cade Horton is done for the year, Justin Steele isn't going to start for the team this season, and Jameson Taillon and now even Edward Cabrera are all on the injured list.
As the Cubs place Cabrera on the IL after a freak injury covering first base, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports that former Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Vince Velasquez was selected by the Cubs to join the MLB rotation.
"Cubs roster moves: - RHP Tyler Ferguson is the 27th man for today's doubleheader. RHP Vince Velasquez' contract selected. RHP Edward Cabrera is placed on 15-day IL," McGregor reports.

NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a three-run homer, Dansby Swanson also went deep and drove in four and the Chicago Cubs beat the New York Mets 9-6 on Tuesday night despite an injury to starting pitcher Edward Cabrera.
The right-hander hurt his left leg stretching to catch a throw at first base for the final out of the fifth inning. In obvious pain, he was carted off the field with a left hamstring/adductor strain.
New York slugger Juan Soto exited in the fifth with tightness on the left side of his back. Francisco Alvarez homered and knocked in three runs for the last-place Mets. Bo Bichette added a two-run shot in a three-run ninth.
Coming off consecutive rainouts, Chicago scored five times in the second against Kodai Senga (0-6), ineffective again in his second start since coming off the injured list. The right-hander issued a leadoff walk and hit a batter with a pitch before walking Carson Kelly with the bases loaded to force in the first run.
Swanson had a sacrifice fly and Crow-Armstrong launched his 17th home run to right-center, extending his career-best on-base streak to 24 games dating to May 26. The star center fielder has 11 homers, seven doubles and 20 RBIs while hitting over .400 during that stretch.

Cubs get bad news amid Justin Steele update for 2026 season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Chicago Cubs are one of the more obvious teams in need of starting pitching help this season, with the trade deadline their best option to improve their rotation.
With the Cubs a likely postseason contender, they really can't afford to add to this rotation with Cade Horton out for the season and the struggles from Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd, and Edward Cabrera.
But what about Justin Steele? Well, according to Bruce Levine of 670 The Score, Jed Hoyer revealed an update on the left-hander that doesn't help the Cubs' starting pitching need at all this season, despite Steele having the chance to return this season.
"Cubs boss Jed Hoyer told mullyhaugh that he does not expect Justin Steele to be starting games this season," Levine shared. "Hoyer pointed toward a healthy 2027 for Steele. He did not rule out Steele helping in the pen at some late summer point."

For the second straight day, there will be no Cubs baseball due to weather:
Game times Wednesday will be 12:10 p.m. CT and 6:10 p.m. CT (the originally scheduled game is the 6:10 p.m. game).
At this time we don't know who will be starting for the Cubs or Mets, as no announcement has been made. I'd think the Cubs would go with Edward Cabrera (tomorrow's scheduled starter) and Javier ******* ad (Wednesday's scheduled starter), with today's starter Shōta Imanaga going Tuesday.
The bullpen, for whatever that's worth, should be well rested.
But that's just speculation, we'll find out later.

Wyndham Clark finished his darkness-halted first round of the 126th US Open with two pars on Friday morning, completing a six-under par 64 to hold a two-stroke lead at windy Shinnecock.
The 32-year-old American, who won the 2023 US Open at Los Angeles Country Club, was among 50 players who did not conclude their first rounds Thursday due to a two-hour morning fog delay, but Friday skies were clear at the restart.
Clark set the lowest first-round score in a US Open at Shinnecock, breaking the old mark off 66 by Angel Cabrera, Shigeki Maruyama and Jay Haas in 2004 and Nick Price in 1995.
Clark owned a four-stroke overnight lead through 16 holes but compatriot Dustin Johnson, a two-time major winner, birdied the par-three seventh and par-four ninth to trim his playing partner's edge in half.
Johnson sank a three-foot birdie putt at the seventh and a 10-footer for birdie at the ninth to complete a 66 and grab second.

In the fast-paced world of Hollywood, fame can sometimes be fleeting, even for the biggest stars of the 2000s. Many celebrities who once dominated our screens have taken a step back from the limelight — some by choice, others by circumstance. From reality TV icons and chart-topping pop singers, to teen heartthrobs and comedic talents, these once-familiar faces have found new paths or disappeared entirely from the public eye. Here are the unforgettable stars whose names you still remember, but whose whereabouts might surprise you.
Known best for his roles in drama series, Shane West struck a chord with audiences seeking tender moments and underdog heroes. He played Landon Carter opposite Mandy Moore in the 2002 teen tearjerker A Walk to Remember. Despite his early promise and musical side gig with punk bands, including fronting the Germs on tour for nearly five years, Shane's career trajectory moved away from center stage. Nowadays, his public appearances are rare, making fans wonder if he may be plotting a comeback, or simply enjoying life out of the spotlight.
Cameron Diaz was once a Hollywood mainstay known for both comedic and dramatic chops, and for consistently drawing crowds at the box office. After a string of highly successful films and acclaimed performances, she decided to step back from acting to focus on her personal life and other ventures, famously calling her decade away "the best 10 years" of her life during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show. She also launched her own organic wine label, Avaline, in 2020. Diaz recently returned to acting in 2025's Back in Action.
Lauren Conrad helped define a generation's idea of celebrity. She first rose to prominence as one of the original cast members on Laguna Beach in 2004, then received her own spinoff series The Hills in 2006, which followed her life as she pursued a career in the fashion industry. After dominating the MTV era, she pivoted successfully to the fashion world, collaborating with Kohl's to launch LC Lauren Conrad in 2009, and branched into writing and philanthropy. While she still appears at charity events and in entrepreneurial circles, Conrad keeps a much lower public profile than in her reality TV heyday.
Ryan Cabrera captured the charts and viewers' hearts with his upbeat hit singles and TV-linked romances. His 2004 major-label debut album, Take It All Away, debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200 and was certified Platinum. Though his musical career flourished briefly, he eventually slid out of the Top 40 but never disappeared entirely. Devoted fans can sometimes spot him performing at festivals and nostalgic pop tours, per his website. These days, he lives for the stage, but far from the pop stardom frenzy of his early years.

The White Sox have been ******* ertive about calling up their prospects this season. They have had twelve players make their major league debuts this year, and the most recent of them, outfielder Braden Montgomery, ranked 21st overall in MLB’s top 100 prospects, joined the big league club Tuesday night. He introduced himself to the Sox faithful with gusto.
Up to bat in the tenth inning, the Sox trailing the Braves 5-4 and two outs on the board with a runner on third, Montgomery homered just over the White Sox bullpen in left field to give his team a 6-5 win.
“Just how we drew it up,” Montgomery joked. “That was unreal.”
Not just unreal, but rare. Montgomery was only the fifth player in major league history to hit a walk-off home run in his debut. Tuesday night’s homer puts him in a group with Miguel Cabrera.
“It’s history for me. It’s going to be well remembered forever,” Montgomery said. “Any time you are in a sentence with Miguel Cabrera, you are probably in pretty good conversation.”