WASHINGTON (AP) — Jorbit Vivas hit a tiebreaking two-run double in the eighth inning to lift Washington to a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels that snapped the Nationals' seven-game losing streak Friday night.
The Angels led 2-1 before pinch-hitter Andrew Pinckney tied it with a sacrifice fly off Samy Natera Jr. (1-2) in the eighth. Then Vivas hit a flyball that dropped into the corner in right field to make it 4-2.
Clayton Beeter (6-5) won in relief, and Erik Tolman worked the ninth for his second save. Tolman allowed an RBI double by Christian Moore that very nearly cleared the wall in right-center for a tying homer, but it stayed in the park and the left-hander retired pinch-hitter Kyren Paris on a flyball to end it.
Mike Trout homered for the first time in over a month for Los Angeles.
Trout hadn't gone deep since Aug. 10 against Texas, but after 27 consecutive homerless games, he connected off Cade Cavalli in the first inning to put the Angels up 1-0.

#vivas #tolman #inning #pinch

25-year-old Guardians LHP Parker Messick made his MLB debut last August, and so far the results have been pretty spectacular. Even if they're helped a little by a lucky batting average on **** in play (he's at .264 for the season, the MLB average is .289). That's not a crazy outlier though, I don't think. Messick relies heavily on a 94-ish fastball and slightly slower sinker; that combo has been dynamite for him this season. He'll frequently mix in a change, less frequently some breaking stuff.
75 years ago, Bill Veeck pulled one of his signature wacky baseball stunts. He signed 3'7" Eddie Gaedel to the Browns' roster and had him pinch-hit in a game. Gaedel drew a walk — obviously his strike zone was small — and Veeck replaced him with a pinch-runner. The pinch-runner didn't score
Now, Veeck owned the St. Louis Browns at that time, not the team in Cleveland. (So this is kinda the wrong week for this post. I thought this happened in Cleveland, until I started writing it.)
But Veeck had owned the Indians for four years, selling them in 1950 when he needed money for a divorce settlement. And had done some notable things with the team, like signing the first Negro League player to join the American League, Larry Doby. (When manager Lou Boudreau introduced Doby to the team, three players refused to shake his hand — and Veeck got rid of all three.) In 1949, Veeck signed Satchel Paige, the oldest rookie to ever play in MLB at the age of 41; he'd pitch 155.2 innings over two seasons for the team (and then became a two-time All-Star with the Browns).
Veeck claimed the idea of using a small person as a pinch-hitter was his own notion… however, there'd been a 1941 story in The Saturday Evening Post called "You Could Look it Up" by James Thurber, author of "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." You can read the Thurber story here, if you like. It has paintings by Norman Rockwell which are very detailed and striking, as usual:

#pinch #cleveland

American League triple-crown contender Yordan Alvarez is out of the Houston Astros' lineup for Friday due to a sore right ankle.
Alvarez twisted his ankle while running the bases in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. He went 0-for-3 with 3 strikeouts against Phillies starter Zack Wheeler.
But Alvarez reached base in the eighth inning on an intentional walk from José Alvarado. He advanced to third base on a Jose Altuve double, but stumbled over the bag and was checked out by trainers.
Alvarez stayed in the game, but did not have to run on a Daulton Varsho pop-up. As the designated hitter, he didn't have to take the field in the bottom of the inning.
Astros manager Joe Espada said no imaging was necessary for Alvarez's ankle, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. He did some hitting earlier in the day and could be available to pinch-hit.

#ankle #Phillies #inning

Astros fans, for all the criticism Joe Espada has received during his tenure as manager, maybe it's time to take a step back, look at what he's actually been asked to work with, and give the man his flowers.
Managing a baseball team is easy to criticize from the outside.
Every pitching change can be second-guessed. Every lineup can be dissected. Every decision involving the bullpen, a pinch hitter or a defensive replacement can become a debate.
Espada certainly hasn't been perfect.
But when you stop evaluating individual decisions and start looking at the bigger picture, it's difficult to argue with what he's accomplished.

#every #fans #received

Some offers on this page are from advertisers who pay us, which may affect which products we write about, but not our recommendations. See our Advertiser Disclosure.
The national average price of gasoline hit a record high over Labor Day weekend as new escalations in the war between the U.S. and Iran triggered a spike in oil prices, with Brent crude futures hitting $100 per barrel for the first time since July.
"Average gasoline prices rose in nearly three out of five states over the last week, while diesel surged in every state — with some climbing nearly 50 cents per gallon in just seven days," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum **** ysis at GasBuddy, in his weekly newsletter. "The milestone many hoped to avoid has arrived: the national average price of gasoline on Labor Day set a new record for the holiday, eclipsing the previous mark of $3.83 per gallon set in 2012."
As of Sept. 9, regular gas was $4 per gallon, with diesel sitting at over $5 per gallon, according to AAA. Crude oil prices were trading above $90 per barrel, and Brent crude was above $100 per barrel.
However, despite elevated fuel prices, as a new season approaches, there may be hope for drivers who are feeling the pinch.

#price

ATLANTA (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays were prevented from possibly becoming the first team to clinch a playoff berth when Martín Pérez threw seven scoreless innings and Austin Riley's run-scoring single in the eighth inning gave Atlanta its first lead of the series in the Braves' 3-1 win Thursday.
Seeking its first division ****** le since 2021, Tampa Bay entered with a four-game AL East lead and would have clinched no worse than a wild card with a victory and a loss by Texas to Seattle or the Chicago White Sox to Pittsburgh.
Riley's hit came after pinch-hitter Ozzie Albies' had his first triple of the season, a drive against Kevin Kelly (6-4). Light-htting Ha-Seong Kim tacked on a two-run single for the offensively struggling Braves that proved crucial when Victor Mesa Jr. led off the ninth with a homer against Raisel Iglesias.
Iglesias bounced back to get the final three outs for his 32nd save in 35 chances for the Braves, who began the day with a three-game NL East lead.
Didier Fuentes (6-2) pitched a scoreless eighth for the win, which sent the Braves into an important series against second-place Philadelphia with a big lift.

#Braves #tampa

Jennifer Garner fully understood the timeless appeal of a LBD when she graced the stage of Late Night with Conan O'Brien during the height of the Noughties.
The Elektra actress took to her Instagram Story on Tuesday to share a throwback video of her appearance on the hit talk show from 2003. Jennifer oozed elegance as she donned a black mini-dress that featured a plunging neckline adorned with a halterneck spaghetti-strap design. The simple garment was crafted from glossy silk and teamed with a pair of matching heels.
Jennifer's toasted almond locks were swept back into a braid while her makeup exuded soft glam with a brown smokey eye, a pinch of blush, and a glossy natural lip. The star opted for '90s minimalism as she refrained from wearing any jewelry.
While on the show, Jennifer playfully corrected the talk show host's grammar with a witty comeback. The duo discussed Jennifer's spy television series Alias and the sneaky skills she learnt from being on set.
The actress shared a throwback video (@ Getty Images)

#show #actress #throwback #garner

Some offers on this page are from advertisers who pay us, which may affect which products we write about, but not our recommendations. See our Advertiser Disclosure.
The national average price of gasoline hit a record high over Labor Day weekend as new escalations in the war between the U.S. and Iran triggered a spike in oil prices, with Brent crude futures hitting $100 per barrel for the first time since July.
"Average gasoline prices rose in nearly three out of five states over the last week, while diesel surged in every state — with some climbing nearly 50 cents per gallon in just seven days," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum ****** ysis at GasBuddy, in his weekly newsletter. "The milestone many hoped to avoid has arrived: the national average price of gasoline on Labor Day set a new record for the holiday, eclipsing the previous mark of $3.83 per gallon set in 2012."
As of Sept. 9, regular gas was $4 per gallon, with diesel sitting at over $5 per gallon, according to AAA. Crude oil prices were trading above $90 per barrel, and Brent crude was above $100 per barrel.
However, despite elevated fuel prices, as a new season approaches, there may be hope for drivers who are feeling the pinch.

#prices #barrel #labor #brent

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Shay Whitcomb chopped a single with one out in the 11th inning for his first career game-ending RBI, and the San Francisco Giants beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4 on Monday night.
Drew Cavanaugh's sacrifice bunt against George Soriano (6-4) advanced automatic runner Nate Furman and put him in position to score the deciding run.
Jason Foley (3-1) pitched two innings for the win.
Bryce Eldridge tied the game at 4 on a single in the bottom of the 10th after St. Louis went ahead in the top of the inning when Leo Bernal's fly ball dropped in front of diving center fielder Jung Hoo Lee for a base hit.
Pinch-hitter José Fermín hit a tying sacrifice fly in the ninth for St. Louis against Giants closer Dylan Smith, who allowed a leadoff single to Joshua Báez and another base hit to Thomas Saggese before a one-out walk by Bryan Torres loaded the bases for Fermín.

#Giants #sacrifice #base

A sputtering lineup stirred in the eighth inning. Jose Altuve struck a one-out double, putting him on the cusp of a career milestone. Christian Walker flared a single into shallow left field. LaMonte Wade Jr. did the same, driving in Altuve and paring a deficit to one run.
The current Houston Astros offense can make that seem sizable. The additional hit it required did not appear. Jonathan Loáisiga got Daulton Varsho to wave at a third-strike changeup. Taylor Trammell, the second pinch-hitter of the inning, popped out to end it.
With a 3-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Astros dropped the deciding game of their series at Daikin Park and concluded a 4-3 homestand with consecutive defeats. They went 8-5 over a 13-game stretch with no off-day, emerging from it with a 73-71 record.
Houston scored three or fewer runs in eight of 13 games during that stretch. Its offense entered Sunday averaging 3.9 runs over its past 30 games, scoring the fifth-fewest runs in the majors in that stretch. Its .220 average was the sport's lowest in that span and its .368 slugging percentage the sixth-lowest.
Sunday, the Astros took three at-bats with a man in scoring position in the first seven innings and went hitless in them. Arizona starter Eduardo Rodriguez allowed one run in six innings on a first-inning home run by Yordan Alvarez. Alvarez also popped out with two runners on base to end the seventh.

#astros #runs #altuve #offense

Just when you thought the Mets were going to go quietly, an eighth-inning power surge changed the narrative Sunday in New York.
Brett Baty and Bo Bichette both homered in an epic eighth-inning rally to secure a 4-2 victory over the Giants, as the Mets stole a win and the series.
Stymied by Giants rookie pitcher Cesar Perdomo, the Mets finally broke through against the Giants bullpen thanks to Baty's and Bichette's heroics. Trailing 2-0, Baty pinch-hit for Nick Morabito and injected life into a sleepy game with a solo shot to get the Mets on the board. AJ Ewing singled before the Giants intentionally walked Juan Soto to get to Bichette. Perhaps the former All-Star took that personally, because Bichette crushed a three-run homer to take the lead and eventually the game.
Kodai Senga quickly retired the Giants in order in the ninth inning to earn the save and close out a good day for the Mets pitching staff, including a solid start from Christian Scott.
Up until the explosive eighth inning, the story was Perdomo, who made it look easy in his first career start. The Mets scored 15 runs in the first two games of the series with the Giants, but couldn't get traction against the young pitcher.

#eighth #baty #series #game

HOUSTON (AP) — Nelson Velázquez hit a two-run single in the eighth inning to break a scoreless tie, Hayden Wesneski and two relievers combined on a three-hitter and the Houston Astros defeated the Chicago White Sox 2-0 on Wednesday night.
With one out in the eighth, Yordan Alvarez singled and Isaac Paredes walked before Jose Altuve was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Pinch-runner Nick Allen was thrown out at home trying to score on a grounder by Daulton Varsho back to Sean Newcomb (2-4) before Velázquez laced his single into left-center field.
Wesneski allowed one hit with five strikeouts over seven shutout innings. He has allowed one run and five hits over his last three starts, a span of 17 innings. A.J. Blubaugh (5-2) gave up two hits in the eighth before Josh Hader pitched the ninth for his 22nd save.
Wesneski retired 14 of the last 15 batters he faced, including 12 straight between a one-out walk to Sam Antonacci in the third and a one-out walk to Braden Montgomery in the seventh.
Davis Martin scattered five hits with three strikeouts over 5 2/3 scoreless innings in his first start since Aug. 13. Martin, who had been on the 15-day injured list with a right middle finger blister, was activated before the game.

#wesneski #eighth #martin #zquez

Michael Harris II's clutch hit sparks wild controversy with Rockies originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Colorado Rockies Cole Carrigg found himself back on the field sooner than expected Sunday, one day after making an inappropriate gesture toward Atlanta Braves fans at Truist Park.
Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer initially indicated Carrigg would sit for "a couple days" following Saturday's incident, but the punishment ultimately lasted only six innings. Carrigg entered Sunday's game as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning with Colorado trailing Atlanta 2-1.
The controversy began during Saturday's 2-1 loss when Carrigg attempted a diving catch on a ball hit by Michael Harris II in the eighth inning. Carrigg narrowly missed the ball, allowing two runs to score and giving Atlanta the lead.
Moments after getting to his feet, Carrigg was shown on the broadcast extending his middle finger toward the stands.

#sporting #toward

Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has explained why Roma were able to pinch Marten De Roon from Atalanta in such quick fashion, has commented on the recent arrival of Leonardo Balerdi, but denies that there have been any formal approaches for Matias Soule.
The Giallorossi are having a busy end to the summer transfer window, with De Roon on his way over from Atalanta to reunite with Gasperini, and with the arrival of Balerdi from Marseille. Additionally, Neil El-Aynaoui looks set to join RB Leipzig, Soule has been linked with a move to the Premier League, while Gasp says that he still wants another two additions before the close of the summer transfer window on September 1.
Official: Leonardo Belardi holds up his Roma shirt after joining the club on loan with an option to buy from Marseille (via www.asroma.com)
Gasperini had an opportunity to discuss Roma's transfer business during his pre-match press conference on Sunday, ahead of his side's upcoming league clash away against Lecce on Monday evening.
"It was something that came about quickly," said Gasperini, discussing Roma's deal for long-term Atalanta servant De Roon.

#roon #transfer #marseille #league

After a late scratch of the Rockies' starting pitcher, the Braves were hoping to secure a series win against the Colorado bullpen with Martin Perez on the mound.
The game started slowly, with scattered baserunners but no runs, exactly what you'd expect in a matchup between Martin Perez and the Rockies bullpen in 2026. The Braves loaded the bases with two singles and a walk from the top of the order in the third, but cleanup hitter Mauricio Dubon flied out to end the threat. It wasn't until the sixth that a team got a runner past first base and it was the Rockies. Perez had pitched well through 5.2 innings with 6 strikeouts on 83 pitches, but went walk-single-walk-single to allow the first run of the ballgame and leave the bases loaded. Suter was able to record the crucial out and keep the score at 1-0. Martin was great overall, which makes that sixth even more disappointing, as those were his first two walks of the game.
The offense continued to flounder against the Rockies' pen and Suter got the seventh and was able to work a scoreless frame, as four soft grounders led to a single, double-play, single, and groundout. former Brave Jimmy Herget got the ball for Colorado in the seventh and allowed a swinging bunt single to Harris before there was a game delay due to the home plate umpire being hit in the mask with a foul tip, checked for a concussion, and ultimately replaced.
After the break, Ozzie battled from being down 0-2 and was ultimately hit in the shin pad by a slider, taking first. Yastrzemski produced some karma for the Rockies, as a swinging bunt to the pitcher produced a double-play, leaving Harris on third with two outs for Austin Riley. Austin walked and Lane Thomas got his second plate appearance after pinch-hitting for Dom Smith earlier in the game. Austin stole second to put two runners in scoring position, but Lane struck out looking to end the inning, with Atlanta still looking for that elusive first run. Suter continued to pitch into the eighth and worked another scoreless frame, doing tremendous work out of the bullpen, even as the offense was quiet.
Singles from Olson and Dubon presented another opportunity with runners on the corners and two outs in the eighth for Harris. Money Mike came through with a double off the glove of a diving Colorado outfielder, scoring Olson and Dubon for a 2-1 lead.

#Rockies #Colorado #perez #game

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Lars Nootbaar hit a pinch grand slam in the seventh inning and Merrill Kelly threw seven shutout innings to help the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the San Francisco Giants 7-1 on Saturday in the first game of a day-night doubleheader.
Kelly (9-12) limited the Giants to two hits in those seven innings. He struck out seven and walked four.
San Francisco's best scoring opportunity came in the fourth. With runners at the corners and one out, Turner Hill hit a grounder to second. Ildemaro Vargas' throw to the plate cut down Bryce Eldridge. Kelly then got Drew Cavanaugh on another grounder.
Making his third start in the majors, left-hander Matt "Tugboat" Wilkinson held the Diamondbacks scoreless on three hits through six innings and retired 11 batters in a row from the second inning through the fifth.
Listed at 6-foot-1, 250 pounds, Wilkinson issued his only two walks to open the seventh. Ryan Walker then replaced Wilkinson (0-2).

#diamondbacks #hits

CLEVELAND (AP) — Josh Rojas had his second career game with four RBIs, Salvador Perez hit two doubles and the Kansas City Royals defeated the Cleveland Guardians 8-3 on Saturday for their 12th win in 13 games.
Rojas came into the game as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning. He lined a two-run single to left to extend Kansas City's lead to 6-2 and added a two-run homer in the eighth. Rojas' other game with four RBIs was with Arizona in 2022.
Cleveland's Angel Martínez had two hits, including a two-run homer, and drove in three runs. The Guardians have dropped their last two after a seven-game winning streak.
Anthony Gose (1-0) pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings as five Royals relievers combined to allow one run and two hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Kansas City broke it open with a four-run sixth as its first five batters reached base. Perez's double to left-center off Colin Holderman (6-4) drove in Bobby Witt Jr. with the go-ahead run.

#cleveland #Guardians

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Mets slugger Juan Soto was reinstated from the 10-day injured list on Saturday ahead of the team's game against the Houston Astros.
The five-time All-Star landed on the injured list last month for the second time this season after imaging revealed a grade 2 strain.
Soto had been nursing the nagging calf problem for about a week before he left a game against the Dodgers in discomfort. He walked twice against Los Angeles starter Roki Sasaki during a 4-2 loss at Citi Field before being replaced by pinch-hitter Jorge Polanco in the sixth inning with the score tied at 1.
Soto is hitting .283 with 21 homers, 52 RBIs and a .947 OPS in 84 games during his second season with the Mets.
The Mets also optioned infielder Eric Wagaman to Triple-A following Friday night's 3-1 loss to the Astros.

#soto

One of the reasons the San Francisco Giants have liked Christian Koss so much is his baseball savvy. Against one of the team's top 2026 tormentors, the Diamondbacks, Koss' baserunning helped fuel a rare win against Arizona.
Hit by a pitch in the fifth, Koss dashed from first to third on Nate Furman's sacrifice bunt, realizing third baseman Jose Fernandez hadn't retreated fast enough to the bag. That set up Drew Gilbert's sacrifice fly to take a 2-1 lead, helping starter Landen Roupp snap his five-game losing streak. The Giants are now 2-8 against the Diamondbacks this season.
Jung Hoo Lee hasn't started two games in a row because of a bruised right elbow, but he pinch hit in the eighth Thursday and drew a 10-pitch walk. He scored on Bryce Eldridge's double and rookie outfielders Jonah ****** and Turner Hill provided RBI singles that inning, while third baseman Shay Whitcomb sent ****** in with a safety-squeeze bunt.
With Willy Adames likely out for the rest of the season with an elbow injury, Koss has started 27 of the past 28 games and has a plus-2 outs above average (OAA), an advanced Statcast metric. Adames, who has played through back issues this season, had a minus-17, tied for worst in the majors.
The Giants have Marcelo Mayer, acquired from Boston at the deadline, waiting in the wings. When he's ready to come off the injured list - he expects to be out of a walking boot for a bruised foot soon - Koss is likely to shift back to third, where he has also played well.

#season

ATLANTA (AP) — Chris Sale struck out 11 in a five-hit shutout, Drake Baldwin launched a leadoff homer against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and the Atlanta Braves edged the Los Angeles Dodgers 1-0 on Thursday night to complete a three-game sweep.
Sale (13-9) did not walk a batter. The left-hander posted his fourth double-digit strikeout game this season and the 95th of his career, which ranks seventh all-time.
Fans in the sellout crowd of 39,650 cheered when Sale strolled out to the mound for the ninth inning even though relievers were ready in the Atlanta bullpen. Braves manager Walt Weiss stuck with his ace after Freddie Freeman singled leading off the ninth.
Teoscar Hernández popped out, pinch-runner Alek Thomas was out at second on Miguel Rojas' fielder's-choice grounder and Sale struck out Alex Call for his 17th complete game and first since 2019 with Boston.
Baldwin lined the first pitch from Yamamoto (12-8) into the right-field Chop House restaurant. It was Baldwin's fourth leadoff shot this season and 22nd homer overall. Yamamoto allowed only four hits with eight strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.

#sale #yamamoto #baldwin #homer

Larne manager Gary Haveron says he is keen to experience another "pinch yourself" moment by leading the club back to the league phase of the Uefa Conference League.
Having managed three of Larne's games during their Conference League debut in 2024-25, Haveron is hoping to guide the Inver Park club back to a major European stage after reclaiming the Irish Premiership ****** le earlier this year.
Larne hold a 2-0 aggregate lead over Gibraltar's Lincoln Red Imps heading into Thursday night's play-off second leg at Inver Park.
"It's what you live for. The nights down here, I look back to when we played the Imps here two years ago when we got to the group stages and it was something that will live long in the memory for me, up there with my best night in football."
The 45-year-old former defender added: "To be on the cusp of potentially doing it again, it's a pinch yourself moment and it's a credit to the players that we're back in this position."

#back #league #larne

ATLANTA (AP) — Pinch-hitter Ha-Seong Kim singled home Lane Thomas with two outs in the ninth inning, lifting the Atlanta Braves to a 6-5 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night.
Ha-Seong Kim walks it off for the Braves! pic.twitter.com/IWTZ9L6XEM
Thomas doubled to right field against Tanner Scott (1-5) before the Dodgers intentionally walked Austin Riley to get to Kim. Scott also took the loss in Tuesday's series opener.
Victor Mederos (3-1) pitched a perfect ninth.
Matt Olson hit his 37th homer for Atlanta and Sean Murphy hit his first. Tommy Edman went deep for Los Angeles and drove in three runs in this back-and-forth matchup of NL division leaders.

#atlanta #lane

PHOENIX — Their star second baseman hasn't shown his face in the Arizona Diamondbacks' clubhouse since he went AWOL a week ago, and has yet to publicly apologize to a single teammate.
Their manager has been privately mocked and scorned inside and outside the organization for his public response to Ketel Marte's disappearing act.
Their starting rotation is a patchwork job with only one current starter who has been on their opening-day roster this entire season.
Their closer was released.
And yet, here are the Diamondbacks, staying alive in the National League wild-card race, showing uncanny resiliency with their MLB-leading 40th comeback victory of the season, winning 5-4 over the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, Aug. 25, capped by rookie Ryan Waldschmidt's pinch-hit, walk-off homer with two outs in the ninth inning.

#season #Chicago

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks have had their share of strife over the past 10 days, dealing with another pitching injury and the fallout of having one of their best players ghost the team during a playoff race.
Rookie Ryan Waldschmidt changed the mood in a hurry on Tuesday night.
The 23-year-old entered the game as a pinch hitter with two outs in the ninth and smashed a two-run, game-winning homer to stun the Chicago Cubs 5-4. It was the team's 40th comeback win of the season, which leads the big leagues.
The D-backs trailed 4-0 after seven innings on Tuesday before scoring three runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth.
"I think they have the mentality that they're just a bunch of dogs and they're not going to stop," manager Torey Lovullo said. "They're going to keep getting after it every single day and that's just ingrained in them. They have a great makeup.

#diamondbacks #rookie #ryan

Mark Grace perhaps said it best in the postgame show when he said, "Im not sure we have seen a more unlikely Dbacks win the season"
The almost Dback Clay Holmes shut this Dbacks offense down for 7 innings. The Dbacks had a deal in place for Holmes per multiple reports but the deal fell through at the last minute due to medicals. The fact that he was almost a Dback made the first 7 innings of this game sting all that much more, especially given the current status of this rotation.
Brandon Pfaadt was pretty good today pitching into the 7th inning tonight and allowing 4 runs while keeping his team within striking distance. The Cubs have the 2nd best offense in the league and Pfaadt did a decent enough job of keeping them in check. His first 3 innings were pretty easy getting lots of soft contact, however he gave up a 3 run HR in the 4th inning on a hanging curveball to Ian Happ. Most importantly however, like I mentioned earlier, he was able to settle back in after the home run and give his team 6.2 innings against a red hot offense.
The Dbacks offense finally woke up in the 8th inning as they were able to finally get on the board with 3 runs due to some linked up at bats with a couple of walks and a huge double from the red hot Gabi Moreno and a single from Geraldo Perdomo. When this offense has been clicking this season, it seems as though it is starting with the bottom of the order getting on base for the top of the order.
The story of the game however was Ryan Waldsschmidt who for the second time this season hit a walkoff home run off of a contending team's closer. This time it came as a pinch hitter with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th with Jose Fernandez pinch running at first base for Tim Tawa. The Dbacks were inches away from losing this game as Jose Fernandez was narrowly able to steal 2nd base and get into scoring position down 4-3. Then Waldschmidt got a hanging slider and did not miss it! What an electric moment and perhaps the biggest swing of the season thus far considering that the Dbacks were able to gain a game on both the Padres and the Phillies tonight on 1 single swing. What a great moment for this team!

#offense #game #first #however

MIAMI (AP) — Anthony Seigler hit a go-ahead triple in the ninth inning, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Miami Marlins 4-2 on Monday night.
Mickey Gasper had two hits and walked twice for the Red Sox, who won their fourth straight. Boston has won 19 of 20 against teams with records of .500 or better.
Miami closer Pete Fairbanks (4-5) started the ninth but left with an injury after issuing a leadoff walk to Gasper. Fairbanks stepped off the mound and touched his throwing arm as he talked with catcher Brian Navarreto and manager Clayton McCullough.
Tyler Zuber relieved Fairbanks and allowed Seigler's line drive toward the right field foul area that scored pinch-runner Eli White from first and snapped a 2-all tie. Nick Sogard followed with an RBI single.
Erik Miller (3-0) pitched a scoreless eighth around two singles and a walk. Aroldis Chapman closed it out for his 30th save.

#Miami #gasper #ninth #seigler

BOSTON (AP) — Eli White slid headfirst into the plate with the winning run to complete a three-run ninth-inning rally, a play that was upheld after a review, and the Boston Red Sox got to twice celebrate their 3-2 win over the San Francisco Giants on Saturday night.
Wilyer Abreu hit a hard grounder that first baseman Bryce Eldridge made a diving stop on, then threw home for an attempted force, but White was ruled safe by umpire James Hoye, setting off a celebration. The Giants challenged the call on the field and the call stood after a video review, prompting a second celebration.
Willy Adames hit a solo homer over the Green Monster for the Giants, who lost for the 10th time in 13 games.
Dylan Smith had escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the eighth before Boston rallied against Sam Hentges (1-6), tying it on Nick Sogard's RBI double down the left-field line after pinch-hitter White had a run-scoring single.
Wyatt Olds (1-0) earned the win.

#call

BALTIMORE (AP) — Dylan Beavers led off the 10th inning with a pinch double to right-center to score automatic runner Leody Taveras from second and give the Baltimore Orioles a 3-2 victory over the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday night.
Samuel Basallo tied it at 2 for Baltimore in the eighth with a two-run pinch homer off Kevin Kelly. Bryan Baker (1-2) gave up Beavers' double.
Coby Mayo had two doubles for the Orioles and Pete Alonso had two hits to extend his career-high hitting streak to 14 games. Rico Garcia (5-1) pitched an inning for the victory.
Liam Hicks homered for Tampa Bay, and Chandler Simpson singled to extend his hitting streak to 13 games. The Rays have lost three straight and seven of nine. They remain three games ahead of the Yankees.
Hicks led off the second and lined a homer over the scoreboard in right to make it 1-0.

#beavers

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing is still working to return to the field, and despite early pessimism about his return behind the plate, he is set to start throwing progression.
Rushing has a slight tear in his UCL, leaving him unable to perform one of the key duties as a catcher: throwing the ball back to a pitcher and trying to pick off any steal attempts.
Initially, Dave Roberts said that Rushing was unlikely to play catcher for the Dodgers this year, and if he returned, it would be as a pinch hitter, giving them a slugging lefty off the bench.
"I would say it's very small. I hope I'm wrong," Roberts said a few weeks ago. "He's a tough kid, and so for him to go through this speaks a lot. … Certainly a possibility with the time, but we're certainly trying to keep the bat alive for sure."
Jun 2, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

#catcher #angeles #roberts #return

Hickory starter Seong-Jun Kim made his full season debut, throwing two shutout innings and striking out four. Jormy Nivar allowed four runs in 1.2 IP, walking two. Michael Trausch struck out three and walked two in two scoreless innings.
Jay McQueen was 2 for 4 with a walk. Paulino Santana doubled and walked. Marco Argudin had a HBP and a stolen base before being lifted for a pinch hitter in the fourth. Dewar Tovar had a hit. Curley Martha had a hit. Yolfran Castillo and Pablo Guerrero each had a hit. Kolby Branch was 2 for 3 with a double and a walk.
Hickory box score
Hub City played a pair.
In Game One, Connor O'Hara, a 25 year old signed out of the Atlantic League earlier this year, made his first appearance in high-A, going five shutout innings, striking out seven and walking one.

#shutout #walk