The Atlanta Braves announced Tuesday that they have selected the contract of right-hander Elieser Hernández and optioned left-hander Connor Thomas to Triple-A Gwinnett.
The move comes after Monday's game, where Thomas gave up 11 earned runs in just 2.2 innings against the New York Mets. Hernández is back with Atlanta after appearing for the club last week, as he continues to bounce between the Braves and Triple-A Gwinnett as a bullpen depth option.
Tuesday's washout in New York leads to a split doubleheader at Citi Field today. Games will be at 1:10 and 7:10 ET.
Boston Red Sox infielder Curtis Mead is heading to the 10-day injured list due to a broken wrist.
San Francisco Giants pitcher Trevor McDonald will undergo Tommy John surgery, causing him to miss the rest of 2026 and likely all of 2027.

#gwinnett #ndez

Weird things happen when the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres get together, and tonight's game was one of many such occasions in the history of this rivalry. The first of two in San Diego had it all. Terrible defense, many different pitchers, chair interference, multiple ejections from the Padres' bench—including manager Craig Stammen—and finally a walk-off loss after more than three hours.
"We all kept going," manager Warren Schaeffer **** sed after the game. "Back and forth ballgame, really good big-league ballgame in terms of back-and-forth. Some big offensive moments. Two big at-bats for [Ezequiel Tovar] today. Big homer from [Mickey Moniak], Willi [Castro] — a couple of good walks from Willi, and Cole [Carrigg] just moving the line.
"Scoring 7 runs on the road, that's pretty good," he continued. "[We] scored against their bullpen a little bit, it's a really good bullpen. But then on the other side of the ball, we had four errors. Errors and walks, walks and errors. You're not going to win in the big leagues if you walk guys, especially late in the game and then you make errors in big moments."
Right-handed starter Michael Lorenzen was the first of many pitchers utilized by the Rockies in tonight's… let's call it "interesting" affair against the Padres. Lorenzen, despite a string of solid starts in recent memory, was looking to rebound after getting hammered hard by the Washington Nationals his last time out.
Instead, Lorenzen gave up a lot of contact in an inefficient start. He threw 93 pitches in just four innings while also giving up eight hits with a walk and only two strikeouts.

#good #Rockies

PITTSBURGH — The Arizona Diamondbacks' Tuesday win over the Pittsburgh Pirates had fans feeling every emotion, but one feeling that resonated throughout the fan base was exasperation.
Jul 28, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder Bryan Reynolds (10) gestures as he circles the bases on a solo home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the ninth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
What looked like a dominant 6-0 Diamondbacks lead turned into a 6-3 game before the ninth inning, forcing Arizona to turn to closer Paul Sewald as a blowout became a save opportunity. The Pirates, who trailed throughout, rallied in the ninth, tying the game on a two-run shot and a solo home run off Sewald.
The closer was eventually pulled after recording one out and allowing three earned runs, but questions about his role lingered long after the Snakes secured an 8-7 win in extra innings.
May 11, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Paul Sewald (38) throws the plate during the ninth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

#pirates #sewald #credit #imagn

In the definition of a back-and-forth battle, the Mariners outslugged the Dodgers with a season-high five home runs in a 7-6 loss for the reigning champs. Neither team seemed capable of holding onto a lead for any meaningful period until the Mariners jumped in front in the eighth thanks to a two-run shot from Dominic Canzone, his second and Seattle's fifth homer of the game.
As different as the seasons of the two starting pitchers in this matchup might be, for one game, they both encountered the same problem, completely allergic to the prospect of a shutdown inning. On four separate occasions, a team took the lead in the first five innings only to see its starter unable to put a zero on the board in the following half-inning.
Justin Wrobleski has thrived this season with the ability to raise his level according to the situation, but what does he do when the opposition ambushes him? The Mariners managed to score five runs off the left-hander without even having a single at-bat with a runner in scoring position against him—courtesy of not two, not three, but four home runs against a pitcher who had allowed a total of three long ****** prior to this game. Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez, Rob Refsnyder, and Dominic Canzone all left the yard. While the homers hit by Rodríguez and Raleigh could be categorized as mistake pitches, the ones by Canzone and Refsnyder came on well-located fastballs at or well above the strike zone—it stands to reason that Wrobleski's heater didn't have the same life on it, or that the M's guessed right on multiple occasions.
For the Dodgers' offense against Castillo, it was an eventful game from start to finish, but one that could've been more dominant. The M's veteran starter allowed a leadoff bomb to Shohei Ohtani and had to deal with trouble in some form or another for his entire outing.
The Sho has started! pic.twitter.com/rfu4k1gr7W

#runs #Dodgers #dominic

PITTSBURGH — The Arizona Diamondbacks' 8-7 extra-inning win over the Pittsburgh Pirates Tuesday night was a nail-biter. More importantly, it continued to raise one question: Is Paul Sewald still the right person to close games?
Jul 28, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder Bryan Reynolds (10) gestures as he circles the bases on a solo home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the ninth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The D-Backs looked poised to take the win in regulation, leading the Pirates 6-0 in the bottom of the eighth inning. However, a turbulent inning by right-hander Ryan Thompson allowed Pittsburgh to cut the lead in half heading into the ninth. Instead of a comfortable win, it became a save opportunity for Sewald — and it wasn't his night.
A two-run homer followed by a solo shot tied the game, marking the closer's third blown save of the season. He eventually recorded one out before being pulled as the game went into extra innings.
Jul 28, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Paul Sewald (38) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the ninth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

#inning #sewald

Blue Jays' Shane Bieber loses control with franchise-worse six first-inning walks originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
During his final outing before the MLB trade deadline on Aug. 3, Toronto Blue Jays starter Shane Bieber tossed a dud, walking six first-inning batters at Nationals Park on Tuesday night.
No other pitcher in Blue Jays history issued that many bases on ******* in one frame in franchise history. He also walked the second-most batters in the first inning in major-league history.
Pulled after 42 pitches and only 15 strikes, Bieber's pitching line was unique. No other hurler in league history surrendered four runs on one hit with zero strikeouts and six walks. He also failed to induce one whiff.
Washington Nationals leadoff batter James Wood worked a six-pitch walk.

#history #sporting #franchise

Trying to describe what happened when the St. Louis Cardinals played a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs Tuesday night is like trying to explain what it looked like when you see a dumpster on fire. It wasn't pretty, but it happened so let's begin.
The Chicago Cubs made St. Louis Cardinals starter Michael McGreevy look like a batting practice pitcher. It started out promising enough (for the first out, anyway) when Pete Crow-Armstrong struck out gloriously. From there, it was downhill at blazing speed. I'll keep this as brief as possible. Suzuki singled. Two batters later, Bregman hit a ground rule double then Ian Happ hit a double which made it 2-0 Cubs before most of the Busch Stadium crowd had even taken their seat.
The top of the 2nd inning was worse. So much worse. Conforto singled. Kelly walked. Two batters later, PCA hit a sacrifice fly then Suzuki doubled, Busch singled, Bregman singled, Happ walked, then Nico ******* ner singled to right. By the time the carnage was over, it was 7-0 Cubs. Even the all-you-can-eat Busch Stadium food deal isn't enough to redeem this type of experience. Michael McGreevy didn't even finish the 2nd inning. That was Gordon Graceffo's job and, to his credit, he kept the Cubs from piling on any more runs until he was replaced by Justin Bruihl in the top of the 5th inning.
The Cardinals would manage to scrounge around for a run in the bottom of the 4th inning when they loaded the bases with an Alec Burleson walk, a Nootbaar infield single, a Masyn Winn single and a Nathan Church sacrifice fly with the bases loaded slightly reducing the humiliation making it 7-1 Cubs.
The Cubs were determined to squash whatever faint hopes the Cardinals might have managed with that menial 1-run bottom of the 4th by grabbing another run in the top of the 5th inning when Nico ******* ner walked then stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch by Justin Bruihl and then scored on an infield single from Ramirez restoring the 7-run lead making it 8-1 Chicago. The Cubs added another run in the top of the 8th to make it 9-1 and another in the top of the 9th to make it 10-1, but who really cares? Oh, the Cardinals did add a run in the bottom of the 9th inning when Masyn Winn doubled in Lars Nootbaar who had walked to make the final score 10-2, but we still don't care.

#even

The San Francisco Giants unsteady future plans for their rotation just got murkier. On Tuesday, the team announced what many had feared for a few days: that right-handed pitcher Trevor McDonald will undergo Tommy John surgery to repair his throwing arm.
McDonald, who has a 5.12 ERA and a 4.28 FIP on the year, left his last start after feeling discomfort in his elbow during warm-up pitches before the fifth inning. The 25-year old was promptly placed on the 15-Day Injured List with a UCL strain which, unfortunately, leads to Tommy John most of the time. After getting a second opinion from a specialist, McDonald and the Giants decided on the surgery, which will take place next week.
The timing of the surgery means that McDonald will not only miss the rest of this year, but almost certainly all of next season as well. Barring any setbacks, he should have a good chance of being ready to return by the time Spring Training rolls around in 2028. Unfortunately for McDonald, he'll find himself in an unenviable situation then: he'll be not only trying to shake off the injury rust and get back in form, but he'll be out of options, essentially eliminating his leash to get back in a rhythm and proove himself.
But that's a problem for another day. Unfortunately, a whole lot of rehab awaits McDonald before he gets to the stage. And a whole lot of moves await the Giants, who will need to rebuild an already-bad rotation this offseason — and one that is likely about to lose Robbie Ray and Tyler Mahle — without McDonald as an option.

#Giants #tommy

LOS ANGELES — With just two months remaining in the regular season, the Los Angeles Dodgers are beginning to look like the team they envisioned entering the year.
Kiké Hernández is back after a lengthy absence. Edwin Díaz is set to rejoin the bullpen. Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow continue progressing toward full strength.
But the biggest question surrounding the Dodgers remains unanswered.
Despite positive updates on Shohei Ohtani's overall health, manager Dave Roberts acknowledged there is still no timetable for the two-way superstar to resume pitching, raising the possibility that the Dodgers may have to navigate the stretch run without one of the game's elite starting pitchers.
"I think we're just trying to be prudent," Roberts said of Ohtani's recovery. "Overall and total, I feel very good for the rest of the season with all three of those guys as starting pitchers."

#Dodgers #roberts #season

The San Diego Padres have won three games in a row and will look to make that four games with a win against the Colorado Rockies who have a 2-4 record coming into the two-game series at Petco Park.
As is the case seemingly every season, the Rockies players are essentially auditioning for other teams around the league. It is understandable that the Colorado roster wants to play well.
The Padres are stuck in limbo of will they or won't they as the trade deadline approaches. The San Diego players have made no secret that they are aware of how important the next six games are to the team and the season. The Padres have built momentum despite a 5-5 road trip and will need a win today to keep the good vibes going.
Michael King came into the season as a co-ace with Nick Pivetta. He quickly became the sole ace when Pivetta went down with injury. King has not had a dominant season, but he has looked better over the last couple of outings. He is he lone pitcher in the San Diego rotation that is a threat to throw a complete game and time out.
Michael Lorenzen has had a down year, but that does not automatically mean the San Diego offense will have success against the Colorado right-hander. Lorenzen sits at 3-9 on the year and carries a 6.53 ERA. The Padres will have to jump on Lorenzen early and often to give King a chance to pitch with a lead.

#diego #Colorado #Rockies

While it'll still be some time until Raynham's Brody ***** ila takes the mound for the Texas Rangers or any of its affiliates, you can already test the 6-foot-9 southpaw's skills against the MLB's best in the virtual realm.
The former Bishop Feehan ace, 2025-26 MaxPreps Male National Athlete of the Year and 2025-26 Gatorade Massachusetts Baseball Player of the Year, who was selected in the third round (89th overall) by the Rangers in the 2026 MLB Draft, is already a usable player in MLB The Show 26's Diamond Dynasty mode.
Bumila is one of 34 MLB prospects added to the game as part of its draft card series, which dropped on the game on July 11. The left-handed pitcher can be pulled in one of the 2026 MLB Draft virtual card packs in Diamond Dynasty mode, in which players can build teams by collecting player cards of active and former players to face off against other players' custom-built teams or the computer in a variety of game modes from full games to situations to tournaments and mini seasons.
The former University of Texas commit is joined by fellow Rangers draft pick and LHP Gio Rojas in the card series, who was introduced along ***** ila and second round pick Connor Comeau during a press conference on Tuesday, July 21.
Bumila comes in rated as a 96 overall. He has a maximum value of 99 in both velocity and break as well as a 90 in arm strength, 95 in durability and 78 in control.

#texas

There is really nothing like the trade deadline in MLB. Yes, other leagues have an in-season deadline, and it can be a season defining moment for those leagues as well, but in Major League Baseball the ripple effect of a deadline deal could last for a decade or more. Teams at the deadline are basically debating between their ability to win a championship in the next two years vs. five years down the road.
Those are the stakes for every trade involving an All-Star level talent. But this year has at least the possibility of a trade that would hit the league like a tornado. The Detroit Tigers are currently 50-57, six games back in the A.L. Central and four games out of the Wild Card. Far from insurmountable, but with the amount of teams in their way it would be a heavy lift. It's been a letdown season for the Tigers who had World Series aspirations. Now they are faced with an organization defining decision. Should they trade arguably the best pitcher in baseball?
Tarik Skubal is a two-time Cy Young winner who is still four months away from turning 30-years old. He could, if healthy, be in his prime for at least another five seasons. That's five seasons of an ace who can lead a team through the postseason. That kind of pitcher isn't often available, and any trade would require an absolute haul of prospects and young talent in return. It would take an all-in move by a team ready to win now and not worried about depleting their Minor League organization.
On the other side of the coin, the Tigers aren't a team that looks to be in desperate need of a rebuild just yet. There is plenty of talent on that team in a division that feels gettable in the near future. But with the uncertainty looming next season, maybe the time is right to cash in?
For this week's MLB Reacts survey, we want to know if you think the Tigers WILL trade Skubal before this year's deadline. Get your answer's in quick and be on the lookout for results later this week!

#deadline #season #team #skubal

As announced by the program, Alabama baseball's Bryce Fowler and Hagan Banks have signed with the Minnesota Twins.
A pair of redshirt seniors on Alabama's CWS team this past spring, both of Fowler and Banks were not selected in the 2026 MLB draft, and will now begin their professional career's in the minor leagues of Minnesota's organization.
Fowler joined the Crimson Tide prior to the 2025 season from Pearl River Community College, and went on to start during both seasons in Tuscaloosa as one of Alabama's top defensive players. Across his 121 games played, Fowler slashed a combined .294/.397/.442 with 13 home runs, 83 RBI, and 27 stolen bases, while also leading the Crimson Tide with a .320 batting average this past spring.
Banks spent all five seasons of his collegiate career in Tuscaloosa from 2022-26, emerging as Alabama's closer this past spring. The right-hander made 63 career appearances for Alabama over that span with seven starts, posting a combined 3-4 record with a 3.59 ERA, a 105:33 K:BB ratio, and six saves across 95.1 innings pitched.
Other former Alabama players currently in the Twins' organization include pitchers Connor Prielipp, Riley Quick, Hunter Hoopes, and Jonathan Stevens.

#tide #tuscaloosa

Many expected the Dodgers to be facing the Mariners in the World Series last season, but Seattle couldn't close the deal against the Blue Jays. Now, a year later, they're an inferior team, but one still fighting to enter the postseason. The M's will go with the veteran Luis Castillo for the opening game of this series; potentially good news for a Dodgers offense that scored more than four runs only once in its last five games, making the pitching do the heavy lifting in the road trip's last stop at Citi Field.
A symbol of stability for this young Mariners staff ever since his acquisition back at the deadline in 2022, Castillo has a 3-9 record this season, which is a direct indicator of career-low numbers almost across the board. Lately, though, Castillo has had problems keeping the ball in the yard, allowing five home runs in his last two outings, the losing pitcher of record in each of his three outings this month. Although that 4.85 ERA this season justifies a lousy record, it is also a byproduct of the Mariners' complete inability to provide him any run support, scoring just 19 runs in his last eight starts.
Back to the home runs and how they might come into play, the one Dodger to actually leave the yard against the Mets, Kyle Tucker, is also one of the two who has gone deep against Castillo before. The two home runs in Citi Field were encouraging, but even in this recent stretch, Tucker needs to show more to come close to the player the Dodgers thought they were getting. Hitting at home hasn't been an enjoyable task for Tucker with a .607 OPS at Dodger Stadium.
One player who has definitely enjoyed performing at Dodger Stadium, though, is Justin Wrobleski. The Dodgers' starter has managed to keep an ERA below 3.00 both at home and on the road, but his .461 OPS allowed in seven starts at home genuinely sounds made up. Monitoring how he does with an increased workload in the second half is a priority for the Dodgers.
Teams: Dodgers vs. Mariners

#castillo #runs

Former Florida baseball pitcher Franco Aleman is just starting his professional career. He is proving himself to be a solid option as a rookie in the Guardians' bullpen so far in the 2026 campaign.
Aleman's rise through the minor leagues has showcased his potential as a reliever, with his ball velocity and strikeout ability making him a valuable **** et for Cleveland. As he continues adjusting to the highest level of baseball, the former Gator is proving why he remains one of Florida's more promising recent pitching products.
This season, Aleman has appeared in 11 games, posting a 1.54 ERA, 3.63 FIP, 1.11 WHIP, and 0.2 fWAR across 11.2 innings. He has recorded 11 strikeouts and five walks, good for a 23.9% strikeout rate and 10.9% walk rate.
Aleman has leaned heavily on his four-seam fastball (66% usage), which averages 96.5 mph, landing him in the 81st percentile among major league pitchers. He also mixes in a slider (25%) that averages 86.2 mph along with a changeup (9%) that clocks in at 88.4 mph — both providing a strong separation in velocities from the fastball — to keep hitters off balance.
The Cleveland Guardians are currently in the wild card hunt with a record of 54-53.

#fastball

The Boston Red Sox should be better after trading for infielder Curtis Mead.
It's going to take more than that if they want to contend for the American League, though…
Mead was certainly worth the price they paid in order to obtain his services, as his presence not only ensures there will be some added pop to the lineup but puts others in a position to succeed. If you're not convinced that he was worth giving up on starting pitcher Connelly Early, perhaps heed the words of chief baseball officer Craig Breslow on Sunday.
"I've tried to shift our goal… not to win the trade but to make our major league team better."
Mead makes them better, but not as good as they'll need to be to contend — which is why it is imperative that they continue both adding around the margins and taking swings at moves that can make them better both now and in the future.

#mead #american

With the MLB trade deadline quickly approaching, contenders around the league are evaluating where they need to improve before making a postseason push. While some clubs are searching for another bat or bullpen help, starting pitching remains the biggest priority for many teams hoping to play deep into October.
Whether it's because of injuries, inconsistent performances, or simply the desire to add another frontline arm, these eight teams stand out as organizations that should be actively pursuing starting pitching before the deadline.
MORE: One player every MLB team will trade at the 2026 trade deadline
Jul 3, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Nick Martinez (28) meets on the mound with teammates against the Houston Astros during the fourth inning inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
The Tampa Bay Rays have been one of baseball's best teams this season, but another quality starter would make an already dangerous club even more formidable. A deeper rotation could prove invaluable during a playoff run.

#teams #houston #tampa #pitching

ST. LOUIS — The Chicago Cubs designated right-handed pitcher Jameson Taillon for **** ignment before the start of a four-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals.
In a corresponding move, the Cubs selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Andrew Wantz from Triple-A Iowa.
In his last start, Taillon allowed seven earned runs, with three home runs in four innings, in an 8-7 loss to Pittsburgh. That outing raised his ERA to 5.92 on the season.
In 15 starts, Taillon had a career-worst 5.92 ERA with a 2-6 record. He has allowed the National League's most home runs this season with 25 on 76 hits.
Taillon, 34, went 2-6 with a 5.92 ERA in 15 starts this season with the Cubs. He is in the final year of a four-year, $68 million contract.

#Cubs #four #louis #right

San Francisco (45-61) opened a three-game series against Milwaukee (66-40) on Monday. The Giants won the series opener, 3-0, at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California. 35,107 were in attendance.
Two former Vols played in Monday's National League contest.
Drew Gilbert started in center field for the Giants. He went 1-for-3 and singled to right field in the sixth inning. Gilbert was picked off at first base by pitcher Brandon Sproat (3-6).
Garrett Stallings pitched two innings in relief for the Brewers. He recorded one strikeout and 37 pitches, including 19 strikes, against seven batters. The right-handed pitcher allowed one walk.
Stallings played for the Vols from 2017-19. He appeared 52 games, including 35 starts, and pitched 251.1 innings. Stallings recorded 182 strikeouts, two saves and a 16-14 record.

#right

Two weeks ago, I argued in a column that USC baseball needed to pay up and retain star pitcher Grant Govel for the 2027 season. Well, it appears as though the Trojans listened to me.
On Monday, Govel announced that he will forego signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates, who selected him in the 16th round of the MLB Draft. Instead, he will be returning to USC for his junior season in 2027.
This is a massive boost for the Trojans. Govel finished the 2026 campaign with a 10-3 record and a 2.87 ERA. For his performance, he earned second-team All-American honors.
With first-team All-American Mason Edwards signing with the Athletics as a second round draft pick, Govel should take over as USC's ace next season. In Govel and NCAA Tournament hero Andrew Johnson, Trojans hope that they will once again have one of the top pitching duos in the country in 2027.
Contact/Follow TrojansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of USC Trojans news, notes and opinion.

#round

Covenant Health Park will return to form as a baseball diamond, with the Knoxville Smokies back in town for their July 28-Aug. 2 series against the Pensacola Blue Wahoos after two weeks away.
The playoff-bound Smokies − still first place in the Southern League North − went 3-6 on their road trip following the MLB All-Star break.
The Smokies have been missing catcher Owen Ayers, who was promoted after Knoxville's last homestand to the Triple-A Iowa Cubs alongside the Southern League Pitcher of the Month for June, Jace Beck. Ayers is now the Cubs' No. 3 prospect, according to the MLB Pipeline's updated top prospects list.
Right-handed pitcher Luis Gomez-Martinez highlighted the Smokies' 3-3 split with the Rocket City Trash Pandas. Activated from the 60-day injured list July 17, Martinez-Gomez struck out a career-best 12 batters in the Smokies' win July 24. He didn't walk a batter in six innings and gave up just one earned run.
Get tickets to see the Knoxville Smokies play

#league #pitcher

After a dominant run through the East Zone Tournament, the Hagerstown PONY-13 All-Stars will fly to California to play in the PONY-13 World Series in Carlsbad starting Friday, July 31.
"I don't think it will set in completely until they get out to California and see the Dominican Republic, ****** an, France, Mexico," said manager Jeff Mills. "When they start seeing these guys they get to play against, it's going to kind of hit them. But I don't think these boys will get nervous."
Hagerstown outscored its opponents by a combined 39-8 in the East Zone. Hagerstown broke a 4-4 tie with a pair of runs in the sixth inning of a 7-4 win over Athletix in the opener, then blew open its other two games with 10-run innings while defeating the Ohio Prospects 16-1 and Athletix 16-3 in the ****** le game.
"They played great the whole weekend," Mills said. "They're very mature for their age. They never got down at any point in the tournament, just stayed strong. The pitchers threw great. ****** ody had a really rough outing. Defensively, there were only two or three errors. They're solid the whole way around.
"When they put up 10 runs on Ohio, that was a big confidence boost because at that point they knew they'd have to get beat twice in the championship round. Then they put up 10 again."

#zone

ANAHEIM California - The Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Angels, 6-4, on Monday, July 27, 2026 at Angels Stadium. The Sporting Tribune's Edwin So was there to capture the following images:
LA Angels starting pitcher Walbert Urena (57) throws a pitch during a game between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Angels on Monday, July 27, 2026 at Angels Stadium in Anaheim Calif.
Edwin So - The Sporting Tribune
LA Angels starting pitcher Walbert Urena (57) throws a pitch during a game between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Angels on Monday, July 27, 2026 at Angels Stadium in Anaheim Calif.
LA Angels center outfielder Mike Trout (27) sprints to third base during a game between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Angels on Monday, July 27, 2026 at Angels Stadium in Anaheim Calif.

#Angels #houston

WEST SACRAMENTO — Newly-acquired Curtis Mead left his Red Sox debut during the fifth inning Monday due to a left wrist contusion after getting hit with a pitch earlier in the game.
Athletics starter Jack Perkins hit Mead on the left wrist with a 94.9 mph four-seam fastball to lead off the fourth inning.
Mead remained in the game and played at second base in the bottom of the fourth inning. But the Red Sox replaced him at second base with Anthony Seigler to begin the bottom of the fifth inning.
Boston acquired Mead from the Nationals for starting pitcher Connelly Early on Saturday night.
"I was shocked, excited, a bunch of different emotions," Mead said Monday. "Just really excited to be here. And I didn't sleep a whole lot Saturday night."

#mead #Monday #game #fourth

Comerica Park has always been a special place for Grant Wolfram.
As a kid, the Holland native and Hamilton High School graduate, grew up watching the Tigers.
It took a big step last year when Wolfram made his major league debut at Comerica Park, pitching for the Baltimore Orioles.
Wolfram's Comerica Park memories continued on Monday, July 27, as he earned the win in relief when Baltimore beat Detroit 8-5. He faced four hitters - all All-Stars - and got them all out in order.
More: Baltimore Orioles pitcher Grant Wolfram puts together stellar month of June on mound

#comerica

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Ceddanne Rafaela hit his first major league grand slam and the Boston Red Sox beat the Athletics 4-2 after being held without a hit through five innings Monday night.
Connor Wong doubled leading off the sixth for the first hit against Athletics rookie starter Jack Perkins (2-6), who was pulled after walking Willson Contreras with two outs. José Suarez walked Wilyer Abreu to load the bases, setting the stage for Rafaela's 11th homer and a 4-1 lead.
Curtis Mead struck out looking his first time up in his Boston debut and then left after he was hit on the wrist by a pitch his second time up. The Red Sox acquired Mead from the Wasington Nationals on Saturday night for rookie pitcher Connelly Early.
Tyler Soderstrom extended his hitting streak to 10 games when he launched his 17th homer to give the Athletics a 1-0 lead two batters into the bottom of the first against Payton Tolle. Jonah Heim homered for the 10th time to cut it to 4-2 in the sixth.
Tolle (6-6) allowed two runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out seven and walked one to help the surging Red Sox (55-50) win for the 18th time in 20 games.

#athletics #boston #night #sixth

It wasn't a pretty opening to the series, but the Yankees found their way Monday night in Chicago. Max Fried struggled mightily in his second start returning from the IL, putting them in a big hole early with an offense that hasn't been ****** e to exploding lately, but a pair of big innings turned this game from a deficit to a 9-5 win.
Last time out Fried was extremely sharp, going five strong despite a low pitch limit blanking the Pirates with just a single hit and walk going against him. Randal Grichuk greeted him with a leadoff double, and the wheels fell off from there. Munetaka Murakami followed up with a single to put runners on the corners, and after Fried struck out Miguel Vargas for the first out of the inning Colson Montgomery ripped a single to the right side that Jazz Chisholm Jr. barely couldn't corral scoring Grichuk. Chase Meridoth was up next and lifted a sacrifice fly to bring in a second run, and then Braden Montgomery lined a triple over the head of a diving Max Schuemann that brought in a third. It looked like Schuemann might've gotten messed up leaping for the ball, which would've complicated things for a Yankees team that is already down two of their starting outfielders, but thankfully he shook it off and stayed in the game.
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Fried calmed down from there, working two straight clean frames, but the Yankee offense wasn't getting anything going at first against the rookie Noah Schultz, who entered the game with a gaudy 6.04 ERA. Paul Goldschmidt managed a two-out single in the top of the first, but the lineup otherwise went down in order the first time through. The fourth inning finally saw them break though, starting off with a pair of walks from Ben Rice and Goldschmidt to set up a rally. Jasson Domínguez singled to left but it was hit hard enough to prevent a run from coming in, bringing Anthony Volpe up with the bases loaded and no outs. Volpe managed to bring in a run, hitting a soft grounder to short that Luisangel Acuña was just barely able to scoop up and throw to first in time to convert an out from the play.
That would be all for Schultz, as the White Sox went to their 'pen and brought in Chris Murphy. The tide was turning though, and Chisholm provided the big blow of the inning with a double out to center to tie the game at three. Chisholm then stole third base on a head's up play noticing that the catcher was lazily flicking the ball back to the pitcher, and José Caballero walked to pass the baton over to Spencer Jones. Jones managed to convert, fighting off three foul ****** before grounding a ball in front of Caballero who was running on the pitch to prevent a double play opportunity and give the Yankees a 4-3 lead.

#fried

The Diamondbacks dropped the opener of The Most Important Series of the Season™, losing 3-2 in ten innings to the Pirates. Merrill Kelly pitched well, and Max Kepler gave Arizona a 2-0 lead. But a throwing error by Kelly allowed a key Pittsburgh run, and Juan Morillo then gave up the tying score, which pushed the contest into extras. The Diamondbacks were unable to take advantage of a major Pirates gaffe, stranding the Manfred Man. A ball which was clanked off the glove of Ildemaro Vargas let the home team walk off, but the key stat tonight was the D-backs going just 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position. And one of those hits didn't score a run either.
But to focus on the positives. Merrill Kelly continued his resurgence. He finished June with an ERA above six (6.11, to be precise). But since the calendar turned to July, he has been much improved. Tonight, he allowed only an unearned run over 5.2 innings, on four hits – all of which were singles. He walked one and struck out six. [That is still an area of concern. Through nineteen starts last year, he had 7 or more K's eight times: he hasn't gone past six at all this year] He did hit a batter, Pirates' rookie Esmerlyn Valdez wearing a pitch around the wrist area, and having to leave the game in obvious discomfort. Hopefully, there's no serious damage there.
Through five innings, both Kelley and his opposite number – confusingly, called M. Keller – were basically cruising. Each side has managed to advance only one runner past first-base to that point. In the top of the second, Max Kepler led off with a single, advanced to third on a pair of outs, but was stranded there when Ildemaro Vargas grounded out. For the Pirates, they got a two-out single in the bottom of the fifth, and the runner stole second before being left there. Kelly even got a pick-off, ending the fourth by nailing the pinch-runner who had come in to replace Valdez. Rather embarrassing for them, I imagine.
Both pitchers were also being highly efficient. Through five innings, Keller had needed just 63 pitches, and Kelly less than a handful more at 67. I particularly enjoyed this strikeout by Kelly which ended the fifth inning. None of the six pitches in the zone, and zero contact by the batter on his three swings. However, my hopes of a quick recap foundered thereafter, as neither starting pitcher would make it through the sixth. Corbin Carroll and Geraldo Perdomo singled to lead off the top of the frame, though Gabriel Moreno would strike out looking, on a master-class of ABS by the Pirates catcher, which reversed two ******* to strikes, by very narrow margins.
[Conversely, Moreno was 0-for-2 in his challenges tonight. Though it is worth noting that the team's overall challenge rate when on defense is still 66.7%, significantly better than the MLB average of 58.1%.]

#innings #tonight #runner

Once upon a time (although it wasn't just once), the Braves used Carlos Carrasco in a close game. Ronald Acuña Jr. got injured in that game and ended up missing about six weeks of play. The use of Carrasco turned sinister, the Braves lost that game, and then ended up mired in a funk that lasted for a good chunk of Acuña's absence.
Tonight, Ronald Acuña Jr. made his return to the lineup. It could have been a triumphant time, building on the Braves' recent strong run of results. Instead, amid some rain and another indifferent outing from Martin Perez, the Braves opted to insert Connor Thomas, the "last guy" in their bullpen, into a tie game. It went south almost immediately, and then it kind of ran out south to go, as the Mets just pummeled Thomas into oblivion. To the Braves' credit, they let Thomas wear it and didn't use another pitcher, avoiding a double-down mistake of using Thomas to save the rest of the bullpen but then not actually saving the rest of the bullpen. (Jorge Mateo got the last out in lieu of Thomas, after the score had ballooned to 14-3 in favor of the Mets.)
Before all that, though, the game was pretty cool. In his first major league PA in a while, Acuña fell behind 0-2 against Zac Thornton, battled back to 3-2, and then teed off on a pitch down the middle, knocking it 108 mph to center for a solid single. Drake Baldwin followed followed with a hard liner single of his own, and the Braves seemed to be in business. Unfortunately, Matt Olson hit into a double play, but Ozzie Albies, as part of a measure of personal revenge for possibly a career-worst game on Sunday, legged out an infield hit to plate his buddy for the first run of the game.
Martin Perez did not have a shutdown first inning. A hard-hit grounder went for a leadoff hit, and then Francisco Lindor got his arms extended on a cutter on the edge away and nearly hit it out of the park. The play ended up being kind of weird, as it looked like it was just going to be a double, but the ball bounced far enough off the wall that Lindor ended up getting an RBI triple. But, Perez pachinko also cuts the other way, as a grounder to third, a strikeout, and flyout to center kept the game tied at one run apiece.
Nothing much happened in the second or the top of the third. In the bottom half of the inning, after a leadoff single, Lindor again took a Perez pitch on the outer edge, this time a changeup, and pulled it into left for a two-run homer. Perez was hitting his spots, but it didn't matter. That score didn't last long: after Olson drew a leadoff walk in the fourth, Albies victimized Thornton by crushing an elevated fastball for a definitive non-cheapie homer. Michael Harris II singled and it looked like the Braves might've solved Thornton, but that didn't end up being the case, as Mauricio Dubon popped out and Austin Riley hit into a double play.

#thomas #play #double #lindor

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 23: President Donald J. Trump plays catch with former New York Yankees Hall of Fame pitcher Mariano Rivera during the filming of an ESPN Opening Day for Major League Baseball spot on the South Lawn at the White House on Thursday, July 23, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The Atlanta Braves have been involved in countless memorable moments away from the field over the years, but one of the organization's latest public appearances produced an exchange that quickly drew attention well beyond baseball.
During a rally featuring President Donald Trump in Georgia, Braves manager Brian Snitker and chief executive officer Mike Plant were called on stage to personally praise him. And the ceremonial appearance involved several memorable comments from Trump as well as head-turning statements from the Braves’ representatives.
FORBES | By Peter Chawaga
ESPN Icon Blindsided By Bloodbath, ‘No Idea’ Phillies, Dodgers Would Be Final Game
After being called on stage, Braves former manager Brian Snitker welcomed the president while indicating that the rally’s audience was representative of the team’s fanbase.

#Braves #donald