Amal Clooney was spotted leaving Athens at the Eleftherios Venizelos Airport on September 11.
She wore an asymmetrical olive-green dress with brown sandals.
She was in the city to give a panel talk on AI.
After a brief stop in Athens, Greece, it appears that Amal Clooney is back on the road. The human rights lawyer was spotted leaving the city on September 11 along with her mother journalist Baria Alamuddin. In a photo obtained by W Magazine, the mother-daughter duo were seen making their way through the Eleftherios Venizelos Airport. Amal opted for a comfy olive-green dress with an asymmetrical slit. She paired the dress with simple brown leather slider sandals, a large brown weekender tote bag, and her signature oversized brown shades. Her long dark hair was styled smooth and straight, marking a change from her usual loose waves.
Amal and George Clooney in Venice.
Credit: Getty

#venizelos #airport #spotted

By the end of the third inning, Friday's game against the Padres didn't seem to promise much of a contest. The tally: 7-1 in favor of the visiting San Diegans after a barrage of extra basehits and two-out knocks. A
nthony Molina, who looked somewhat sharp in the 1st with two strikeouts with his four-seam, ran out of ideas in the 2nd and 3rd. He pressed hard on that fastball and the Padres bats welcomed it. Jackson Merrill bounced an outside fastball over the wall for a ground-rule double to start the 2nd. Molina retired the next two hitters he faced but couldn't find a way out of the frame cleanly. Dustin Harris deflected another elevated fastball to score Merrill. Freddy Fermin punched another 340 feet, easily scoring Harris from first.
Molina tried to adapt, shifting off his primary weapon his second time through the San Diego order, but nothing worked. Jake Cronenworth set the tone in the 3rd with a feisty 8-pitch scuffle that ended with a 107 MPH single off a change-up. Luis Campusano plated him by punishing a hanging slider. That double would be the first of four RBI extra base knocks in the inning. Seven Padres reached, five scored in all. Molina became less as a road-block and more as a facilitator, the operator of a fast food drive-thru, the In-N-Out at Tejon Ranch, taking each hitter's order, efficiently moving the high-volume of customers from window to window before sending them on their way with exactly what they asked for.
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As Molina's fortunes plummeted, San Diego starter, Robbie Ray, making his first start against the Giants since his trade, steadied himself after a prolonged 1st inning.

#molina #fastball #merrill #knocks

The Braves had 'em all the way. Yep, had 'em all the way. At least, that's what we'll tell ourselves whenever a scintilla of a memory of this game pops into our brains, right? It took 12 innings, a brief blip from Chris Sale, and run-scoring scrambles in the ninth, tenth, and eleventh, another huuuuge hit from Ha-Seong Kim, and finally, a walkoff rope off the bat of Drake Baldwin, but the Braves ultimately prevailed in the opener of the final series against their division rivals.
How do you recap this game? It felt like living a few different lifetimes. I guess we'll just go sequentially, but this is a game that warrants watching the highlights.
After a 45-minute weather-related delay, things got started and Sale pretty much picked up where he left off. The top of the Philadelphia order went down on a flyout and two nasty strikeouts. Aaron Nola retired the first two Braves he faced, but then Matt Olson broke a two-week homerless slide with a slice the other way that juuust managed not to go foul and instead became his 38th longball of the year. A homer from the recently homer-shy Braves offense seemed to be an auspicious sign, but things quickly took a turn for the worse.
After the first two outs of the eighth, Edmundo Sosa caught a Sale slider and yanked it for a single. Sale then issued a rare walk to Bryan De La Cruz of all people, and then hit J.T. Realmuto with the next pitch, loading the bases.
***Derek Hill complaints interlude***

#things

So often pitchers' duels don't really stand up to the hype, but today's matchup between two former Stetson Hatters – the Mariners' Logan Gilbert and the Rangers' Jacob deGrom – delivered on all that promise and then some. The two pitchers combined for 23 strikeouts, and deGrom carried a perfect game through five innings. In true pitching duel style, it looked like the pitcher who blinked first would come out on the short end, but despite Logan Gilbert making a couple of mistakes, his offense was able to pick him up and deliver him the win. Bragging rights are fun; wins are better. (Gilbert also gets the honor of leading MLB in whiffs today: 24 to deGrom's 20, despite having one fewer strikeout than deGrom.)
This all being said, it was a slog for the Mariners early on. The best at-bat the first time through the order for the Mariners went to – surprise, surprise – Cal Raleigh, who battled deGrom for nine pitches before striking out on deGrom's fastest fastball of the day, a 99.6 mph heater (my campaign for decimal points on the ribbon board in the stadium, which read 100, continues unabated). But the Mariners did fight deGrom, getting themselves into good counts and forcing him into the zone; he finished the second inning at 37 pitches, compared to Gilbert's 24.
But it only took two pitches to offset that work in the third. Nicky Lopez was able to take 96 up and in from Gilbert and find a hole on the infield, and one batter later, with two outs, Joc Pederson jumped a first-pitch slider for a two-run homer. It wasn't a terrible pitch from Gilbert, away from Pederson but probably still too much on the plate; Gilbert had struck Pederson out on the slider in his first at-bat. The slider was particularly nasty today, with an eye-popping 75% whiff rate. He led with the pitch, throwing it 40 times, 12 times to start off an at-bat, which feels like a different sequence than he's used. Gilbert credits Cal for coming up with a good game plan, especially after he felt like he fell into some predictable patterns in his last time out against the A's.
"Like with Joc, we got him with the slider early, so he probably thought we were going to it next time," explained Gilbert. "But then also other guys, we went heavy spin, like with Duran, and then next time went three or four straight fastballs. So I think we did a good job there. They're trying to look at how we're probably scouting them, and then next time through, maybe pitch them different. I think Cal did a good job there."
But deGrom was just as tough on the other side. After striking out eight times in the first three innings, the Mariners hitters decided to try a different strategy the second time through the order. That also didn't work, as they let deGrom cruise through the fourth on nine pitches, keeping his perfect game intact.

#degrom #like #pitch

Two games into their September stop at Yankee Stadium, the Rockies have scored four runs, struck out 24 times and lost twice.
The Yankees won the opener 5–3 before taking Game 2 by a 6–1 score.
Tonight gives the Rockies (55–90) one more chance to salvage a game against the Yankees (83–62), avoid the sweep and carry a bit of momentum with them to Detroit.
Ryan Feltner will make his 22nd start in a season that has gone poorly. He is 5–9 with a 5.91 ERA and 1.58 WHIP across 106.2 innings.
Feltner leads with his four-seam fastball and varies his secondary mix from there. He works primarily with the slider and changeup against lefties, then turns to the slider, sinker and sweeper against righties. Lefties have produced a .293/.378/.507 line against him this season, while righties are at .275/.326/.522.

#four #slider #righties

Ivanka Trump's latest photo of her son playing golf has caught everyone's attention. She shared a carousel of pictures on Instagram, giving a glimpse of how she spent the summer. The caption reads, "Camera roll summer 2026." She has shared various moments with family and friends in the post. One that has drawn everyone's attention is her son's choice of footwear on the golf course.
Ivanka Trump's son hit the golf course in a unique choice of footwear in her latest Instagram post. The 44-year-old has shared 19 slides, including photos and videos, on her social media feed. She has compiled the most precious moments of her "summer 2026." The pictures featured her spending time with her friends and family.
One of the snaps that appeared interesting to all showed her son on the golf course. He wore a powder blue T-shirt and beige shorts with a white golf cap styled differently, with the little boy wearing it backwards to keep it cool.
At first glance, he looked like a professional player, swinging his golf club and showing off his perfect posture. But then, upon closer look, one would notice Trump's son's quirky twist to his golf attire. In the photo, he has put a playful spin on the sport by wearing blue sliders instead of shoes.
The businesswoman has shared more sweet moments from her camera roll in the post, capturing her perfect summer. The recap began with Trump riding a horse on a beachside, enjoying the carefree vibe. It then ended with a photo of her husband, Jared Kushner, carrying her in his arms. The sweet image portrayed the affection between the couple.

#summer

LOS ANGELES — Tommy Edman made a fantastic defensive play to rob extra bases, then rounded said bases after a three-run home run that helped the Dodgers to a 6-5 win over the Washington Nationals on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium.
Down two runs in the seventh inning, Alex Freeland walked with one out and Kiké Hernández singled with two out. That set the stage for Edman, who jumped on a high slider from former Dodgers draft pick Clayton Beeter for a three-run home run, turning the game around.
Edman in five games on the homestand has nine hits in 22 at-bats (.409), what a way to make a living.
With no Shohei Ohtani in the lineup for a third straight day, the Dodgers were also without two other planned starters with Dalton Rushing scratched with elbow soreness and Max Muncy sick. They still managed to score a pair off Washington's best starter, Cade Cavalli in the opening frame. Freddie Freeman was hit by a pitch and Mookie Betts singled with one out. Teoscar Hernández continued his solid week or so with an RBI single, and catcher Hunter Feduccia added another.
Tyler Glasnow struck out eight but pitched through traffic most of his night, and allowed four runs.

#Dodgers #night

Diamondbacks right-hander Corbin Burnes packed four innings' worth of outs into three innings during a bridge camp game on Thursday, Sept. 3, an outing that is expected to be his last before a return to the majors next week in Kansas City.
"Today, I think, was for me a good last step, if that's what this is going to be," Burnes said after facing a lineup of Los Angeles Angels minor leaguers on a backfield near Tempe Diablo Stadium.
Working with a fastball that topped out at 93 mph, Burnes worked three innings and retired 12 batters; in both the second and third innings, he remained on the mound after the third out to continue building his pitch count.
He struck out two, did not walk a batter and may or may not have allowed a hit depending on whether a ground ball to third was ruled an error. His repertoire looked generally sharp, and he gave up perhaps three hard-hit ****** .
"Swing and miss on cutters, sinkers, curveball, the slider, changeup -- I think we got a swing and miss on every pitch today, which is good," Burnes said. "Around the zone. For me, the thing is, I want to be able to command the baseball, and we were able to command everything, which is good."

#innings #swing

CHICAGO (AP) — Christian Yelich capped Milwaukee's four-run sixth inning with a tiebreaking two-run homer, helping the Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs 9-4 on Tuesday night.
Milwaukee used a 13-hit attack to restore its eight-game lead in the NL Central over Chicago, bouncing back nicely after losing 17-3 to the Cubs in the opener of the four-game series. The top three hitters in the Brewers' lineup — Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang and William Contreras — went 6 for 14 and scored four times.
A day after hitting a franchise-record nine homers, Chicago was held to three singles and three doubles on a muggy night at Wrigley Field. Tyrone Taylor drove in two runs, and BJ Murray Jr. singled in the sixth for his first hit in his major league debut.
Milwaukee went ahead to stay in the sixth. Turang scored on a balk by Daniel Palencia, and Andrew Vaughn's RBI double tied it at 3. Yelich then drove an 0-2 slider from Palencia (2-2) to right-center for his 10th homer.
Yelich also walked and scored on Joey Ortiz's eighth homer in the eighth, a two-run shot to center field off Tyler Ferguson that lifted the Brewers to a 9-4 lead.

#scored #milwaukee

Well, they lost the first one. But they're back to try it again! The San Francisco Giants are hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks for the second game of a doubleheader, and are hoping to split the four-game series.
It's an exciting pitching situation for the Giants, as right-hander Yunior Marte takes the mound for his MLB debut. Marte — not to be confused with the reliever of the same name, who pitched for San Francisco in 2022 — is a young prospect whom the Giants acquired a year ago in the Mike Yastrzemski trade. He is, shockingly, following in Jonah **** 's footsteps as the second player the Giants have called up directly from AA this year … after going nearly a decade without making such a move.
Marte, who turned 23 earlier this month, has a strong fastball/slider combo, with a splitter as well. He's fastball reliant, and sits mid-90s, while occasionally touching high-90s. He does a good job limiting walks, despite a slightly herky-jerky motion that isn't always conducive to consistent strike-throwing. In 13 starts with AA Richmond this year, Marte posted a 3.92 ERA and a 3.97 FIP, with 72 strikeouts and 22 walks in 64.1 innings. He started the year with High-A Eugene, where he had a 3.74 ERA and a 4.11 FIP in nine games, with 41 strikeouts and 19 walks in 43.1 innings. He was not on the 40-man roster (though he would have been a Rule 5 decision this winter), so the Giants made a spot for him by moving Casey Schmitt to the 60-Day IL. The Giants made **** e on the active roster by optioning lefty Seth Lonsway, who made his MLB debut in the first game of the doubleheader.
For Arizona, it's lefty Mitch Bratt, who is also a 23-year old lefty. Bratt, who was a fifth-round pick in 2021, has made nine appearances in his debut season, and is 1-2 with a 4.54 ERA, a 5.28 FIP, and 28 strikeouts against 25 walks in 39.2 innings. After a pair of great starts to open the month, Bratt has given up three runs in three innings in each of his last two games.
Enjoy the baseball, everyone!

#walks #made #game #strikeouts

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

Tonight's White Sox starter, Luis Castillo, was pretty darn good until he wasn't. From 2019-2025, an ERA of 3.48 and a bWAR of 21.7. This year, something's gone off, I dunno what it is; his fastball's ticked down a notch or two, maybe that's it. Happens to all of us eventually. He throws it at around 95 now, with a slider/sinker/change. The slider's effective when it's working.
If you're like me, you think "wait, didn't Luis Castillo play for the Twins for awhile?" Yes, he did — that was a DIFFERENT Luis Castillo. The Twins one was a middle infielder and former All-Star/Gold Glover who was with the Twins in 2006/part of 2007. Mid-2007, the Twins traded him to the Metropolitans for Sweet Drew Butera. That experience was so groovy, the Twins later traded Johan Santana to the Mets for gold, frankincense, and myrrh. I don't know what myrrh is and neither do you. Here is the Twins' Luis Castillo:
So, we went to our first Twins game in a few years last week. It was four of us – Mrs. James had been given four free tickets by a season-ticket holder who was gonna be out of town (taking a kid to college). We asked two semi-retired friends if they wanted to come, and they said "sure."
One of those friends has trouble walking long distances, as Mrs. James does. So I asked here if anyone had some suggestions for a parking ramp that was convenient for people with mobility challenges. gintzer provided helpful information, and the parking situation worked out well, ***** ody had to walk too far. Thanks, gintzer!
After the game, we got in the wrong exit line, and were stuck there for awhile. But, not the end of the world. Our car can go into electric mode for situations like that, so we weren't burning gas. We listened to the radio, made jokes about the other cars/drivers, chatted about events in our lives, etc. Just what you'd want with your favorite friends.

#james

Chris Sale is a consummate ace. It seems unlikely that anyone would contest this at this point, but if they ever do… just point 'em at this game. In a marquee pitching matchup that featured Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the other side, it was Sale and the Braves that prevailed, as the grizzled southpaw gave Atlanta its first complete game shutout since Max Fried's performance in a 5-0 win over the Marlins in April 2024.
This one, though, was a lot tighter. In fact, there was only one run scored in this game… and it came on the first pitch Yamamoto delivered to a Braves batter. That pitch was a hanging splitter, and Drake Baldwin was either expecting a get-me-over or just did an excellent job if he wasn't, launching an absolute no-doubter Chop House-ward for a solo shot. No one else crossed the plate in this game, or even got close to crossing the plate.
That said, this game was about Chris Sale. It was kind of the Chris Sale Game, except that really, he gives you a superlative performance so often that many games are the Chris Sale Game. Against an offense that ranks first or second in pretty much everything, he showed up, showed out, and dominated. He was actually pretty close to a Maddux (shutout on fewer than 100 pitches) until some drama late.
He breezed through the first on nine pitches, with a strikeout, two first-pitch groundouts, and a soft single by Mookie Betts. He struck out two more in the second, working around an overcooked slider that grazed Alex Call on the toe with two outs. He struck out the side on 12 pitches in the third: two three-pitch strikeouts sandwiching a longer plate appearance by Shohei Ohtani. In the fourth, Betts led off with a no-man's land bloop that went for a double (and nearly got Betts thrown out as he took a big turn around second and had to scramble back to the bag). Not to worry, Sale threw just seven more pitches to end the inning, with a couple of easy flyouts chased down by his defense around a strikeout.
Two more quick outs started the fifth, before catcher Ben Rortvedt knocked a liner to left for a single. That brought up Shohei Ohtani, and Sale delivered his outing in microcosm against one of the game's best: he got ahead with a get-me-over fastball, then painted two perfect fastballs on the outer edge. Neither was called a strike, neither was challenged by Baldwin behind the dish. So, Sale got Ohtani to graze a slider, and then obliterated him with 100 mph about chin-high. Then he went back to business as usual in the sixth: another three-pitch strikeout, two other quick field outs.

#sale #game #pitches #plate

The Dodgers saw another Atlanta Braves comeback against Tanner Scott on Wednesday, this time walking them off in the bottom of the ninth in a 6-5 final score.
Roki Sasaki was one strike away from completing a perfect bottom of the first inning, but Matt Olson attacked a low slider and struck the foul pole to put the Braves on top for a second consecutive game. Sasaki promptly allowed two consecutive two-out baserunners, but he was able to escape further damage by getting a weak groundout from Ozzie Albies.
The Dodgers had their second leadoff extra-base hit over their last three innings, as Tommy Edman led of the top of the second with a double to right center field. A.J. Smith-Shawver managed to get two consecutive outs, but after a walk to Teoscar Hernández, Hunter Feduccia kept his solid month of August going with an opposite field single to left field, plating Edman and tying the game.
Freddie Freeman made it three leadoff extra-base over the Dodgers' last four innings with a double to begin the top of the third. Smith-Shawver once again retired the next two hitters after being down in the count 2-0, but Edman decided to take the 2-1 pitch for a called strike 1. That decision paid off, as Edman turned on the very next pitch to right field, scraping the outfield wall and giving the Dodgers their first lead of the series. It was Edman's second home run from the left side of the plate and his fourth away from home.
Tommy Tanks! pic.twitter.com/tiVSFph6TP

#Dodgers #edman #Braves #shawver

For the second day in a row, the San Francisco Giants have placed a starting pitched on the Injured List with a potentially devastating injury. On Tuesday, it was lefty Carson Whisenhunt, who left Monday's start with elbow discomfort and is now headed for Tommy John surgery. And on Wednesday, it was righty Adrian Houser, who left Tuesday's game with elbow discomfort and will now hope for better news than his teammate.
The Giants officially placed Houser on the 15-Day Injured List with a right forearm strain. Taking his place on the roster is right-handed reliever Braxton Roxby, who had his contract purchased from AAA Sacramento. To make ******* e on the 40-man roster for Roxby, the Giants moved Whisenhunt to the 60-Day IL.
The hope is that Houser, who is under contract for next year, has avoided a catastrophic injury. He sounded fairly optimistic after the game, which is a good sign. We'll have to wait and see.
As for Roxby, this will be his chance to make his MLB debut. The 27-year old was an undrafted free agent following the truncated 2020 draft, and came to the Giants in the Taylor Rogers trade before the 2025 season. He has just a 4.11 ERA and a 4.92 FIP with Sacramento this season, but has been pitching very well over the last month or two.
He's a four-pitch pitcher, who this year has relied fairly heavily on a slider, sinker, and cutter, with his four-seam fastball — which averages 94.6 mph — being used quite a bit less frequently than that trio. The fastball and slider have really stymied AAA hitters this year, while the cutter has been hit fairly hard and the sinker has been demolished. It will be interesting to see what pitch mix the Giants have him throw.

#Giants #list #whisenhunt

Tuesday's contest against the Atlanta Braves featured a disappointing ending where the Dodgers left the tying runner on third base in a 4-3 defeat, snapping their six-game winning streak.
Before the uneventful finish, Tyler Glasnow made his return to the mound, making his first start since May 6 against the Houston Astros. Although he allowed three earned runs in the first inning, Glasnow, like Tarik Skubal on Saturday, managed to settle in and didn't allow another run the rest of the way. Glasnow ended his night tossing five innings against Altanta, allowing six hits and those three runs while striking out seven and not allowing a walk.
Glasnow discussed his change in sequencing after a laborious first inning, helping him settle into a groove where he struck out six over four shutout innings onward, per Courtney Hollmon of MLB.com.
"I think just switching up a little bit," Glasnow said. "I think it was pretty fastball-heavy the first inning. A little bit predictable. Not a ton of hard-hit ****** , but it's just how it goes sometimes. But I think coming out in the second, I just felt more in rhythm and my slider was working a lot better. … The slider felt good today, too. So I just tried to start some guys off with it and throw it in middle counts and just not be so predictable."
After spending parts of five seasons with the division rival Arizona Diamondbacks, Alek Thomas has had a nice start to his time as a Dodger. Thomas put the Dodgers on the board in the second inning of Tuesday's matchup with an RBI single, and the outfielder has a .300 average with three RBI and a walk over his first three games with his new team.

#runs

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

The White Sox got steamrolled, 11-2, by a team that entered the game worse than .500. The pitching was terrible, the bats were ice-cold, and the Rangers took advantage of the long ball on several occasions.
José Urquidy did not have a great start, tossing 39 pitches in his first frame. He walked the leadoff batter and the third batter, then hit Brandon Nimmo with a pitch to load the bases with only one out. Ezequiel Duran grounded into a force out at second, but sent Joc Pederson home. Evan Carter doubled, putting the second run on the board. With two outs, Jake Burger picked up a walk, but a pop-up from Elias Díaz would finally stop the damage. Miguel Vargas singled with two outs, and Andrew Benintendi nearly tied the game and would have with just a bit more wind, but Nimmo jumped up to rob the good guys of any runs.
With two outs in the top of the second, Corey Seager singled and was safe at second after Colson Montgomery scooped up a single from Wyatt Langford. Drew Romo blew through the first challenge as Nimmo picked up a walk to load the bases, with Urquidy already passing the 50-pitch mark. Chase Meidroth slipped, unable to grab what should've been an easy out, and another run came in on an infield single from Duran. Pederson, after not getting his challenge call in on time on a strikeout, continued to throw a tantrum, leading to his ejection. Romo ended additional on-field drama by tagging home for the inning-ending force-out. Braden Montgomery singled for the Good Guys, and with two outs, Tristan Peters took a slider and made the Rangers pay, cutting the deficit to 3-2. That home run put him in double-digits and his 10th homer this season:
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With one out in the top of the third, Elias Díaz was hit by a pitch, and Cody Freeman singled. Seager caused more damage with a two-run double, giving the Rangers a 5-2 lead with two outs. The frame ended with a pop fly, but also on 93 pitches for Urquidy. The the bottom half Munetaka Murakami singled and Miguel Vargas walked to put two on base early. Benintendi grounded into a fielder's choice, and Braden Montgomery picked up a walk to load the bases. Of course, the next two batters struck out to strand all three runners.

#rangers #second

Left-hander Andrew Sears is reportedly on his way to Detroit. The Tigers 11th ranked prospect on our preseason rankings, Sears has shown out in two Triple-A appearances since being promoted from Double-A Erie back on August 11. The X account Dr. Degenerate, apparently the burner account for someone with good sources, reported on Saturday that Sears is being promoted to Detroit. That account has nailed several recent promotions in the Tigers' system. The report has been circulated by both Emily Waldon as well as the MiLB Central official account on X, and Chris McCosky of the Detroit News confirmed that Sears is with the team in Kansas City and will be used as a bulk reliever in Sunday's bullpen game.
The 23-year-old Sears, he'll turn 24 on August 30, was the Tigers 10th round pick in the 2023 draft out of Connecticut. That makes him the first pitching prospect drafted by Scott Harris to reach Detroit, and another later round success story to go with Brett Callahan. Sears received a $167,500 bonus to sign, just barely over the base bonus of $150,000.
Sears made his full season pro debut in 2024 at the Low-A Lakeland level, where his strikeout rate was good and he was rarely hit hard, but had some control issues. Those were resolved by 2025, and the southpaw continued to rack up good strikeout numbers and prevent home runs while throwing a lot more strikes for High-A West Michigan. Left-handers often thrive in A-ball and then struggle as more advanced hitters get used to seeing more southpaws against them, but Sears didn't miss a beat moving into the upper levels. He closed out the season with a nice run over six starts at Double-A Erie. The hope this year was that Sears would refine his changeup and overall command a bit more, reach Triple-A and become available in the second half of this season to help the major league club.
Ultimately, this all came to pass, but it was a wild ride for Sears this year. He had a bone spur fracture in his throwing elbow to begin the season, and spent a few months recovering and rehabbing, returning to Erie in mid-June. He made nine starts for the SeaWolves, compiling a 2.57 ERA/3.44 FIP combination, with a 24.3 percent strikeout rate and a 7.6 percent walk rate. In two starts for the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens, Sears has been a strikeout machine, punching out 41.2 percent of hitters he's faced. His walk rate has ticked up to 11.8 percent, but he also hasn't allowed a home run.
We've pegged Sears for two seasons now as the next lefty swingman for the Tigers. He can start, but he makes plenty of sense as a long reliever and spot starter who also works out of the bullpen. His deception, built on a bit of funky, crossfire delivery and a quick arm from a low slot, makes him tricky to deal with, and his stuff has routinely played up compared to the raw stuff metrics. The big task this season was to refine his changeup and get to using the offspeed more often to take pressure off his good sinker-slider combination, and

Over the entire history of MLB, fewer than 100 pitchers have struck out 2,000 batters in a career. Texas Rangers starter Jacob deGrom became the latest member of that elite club Thursday, hitting the milestone in the top of the first inning against the Washington Nationals.
DeGrom struck out Daylen Lile swinging to begin the game. He then struck out Abimelec Ortiz on five pitches, with a 92.6-mph slider sending the first baseman swinging to hit the milestone.
It marks a significant accomplishment for deGrom, who has been one of the most dominant pitchers in the game since his debut in 2014 with the New York Mets.
Despite never being listed as a top-100 prospect, deGrom exceeded all expectations early. As a rookie, he posted a 2.69 ERA over 140 1/3 innings, striking out 144 batters. That performance was good enough to earn him the National League Rookie of the Year award.
DeGrom continued to post excellent seasons with the Mets, but he really took his game up a level in 2018. That season, he led the majors with an astounding 1.70 ERA over 217 innings. His strikeout rate surged, helping earn him his first Cy Young award. DeGrom was similarly dominant in 2019, posting a 2.43 ERA over 204 innings and leading baseball with 255 strikeouts. That performance earned him back-to-back Cy Youngs.

#rookie #batters

Over the entire history of MLB, fewer than 100 pitchers have struck out 2,000 batters. Texas Rangers starter Jacob deGrom became the latest member of that elite club Thursday, hitting the milestone in the top of the first inning against the Washington Nationals.
DeGrom struck out Abimelec Ortiz in five pitches, with the last slider sending the first baseman swinging to hit the milestone. DeGrom had struck out Daylen Lile swinging one at-bat earlier.
It marks a significant accomplishment for deGrom, who has been one of the most dominant pitchers in the game since his debut in 2013 with the New York Mets.
Despite never being listed as a top-100 prospect, deGrom exceeded all expectations early. As a rookie, he posted a 2.69 ERA over 140 1/3 innings, striking out 144 opposing batters. That performance was good enough to earn deGrom the National League Rookie of the Year award.
While deGrom continued to post excellent seasons with the Mets, he really took his game up a level in 2018. That season, deGrom led the majors with an astounding 1.70 ERA over 217 innings. His strikeout rate surged, pushing deGrom to his first-ever Cy Young award. He was similarly dominant in 2019, posting a 2.43 ERA over 204 innings and leading baseball with 255 strikeouts. That performance earned him back-to-back Cy Young awards.

#young

Rookie right-hander George Klassen is beginning to figure out how to succeed at the big-league level.
The 24-year-old may never have been touted as a top-100 prospect by either MLB Pipeline or Baseball America, but he was always regarded as an intriguing prospect for his electric stuff and shaky command. In his second stint in the big leagues this season, his command has tightened up, and he's showing the type of ceiling he has.
Klassen pitched the best start of his very young big-league career Tuesday night in Houston when he tossed seven shutout innings on only one hit in the Angels' 3-1 win over the Astros.
He needed only two pitches to dominate the Astros in this one. Klassen primarily used his fastball and slider, with the slider being the biggest weapon in his ******* nal.
It didn't matter if Klassen's slider was in the strike zone or not; it was unhittable. Hitters whiffed at his slider in 12 out of 20 swings and only hit one ball hard out of five ******* put in play.

#slider #only #astros #command

The lopsided pitching matchup didn't materialize, but it turned out not to matter, as big bats beat big arms.
As he crossed into more innings than he had pitched all of last season (134) Sean Burke had his worst start since June 13, giving up four earned runs on five hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings that took him 72 pitches. His velocity was off a couple of ticks and his command wasn't terrific, either. The first and biggest blow was a two-run triple in the second on Brett Callahan's first major league pitch. Callahan then was knocked in on a Max Clark single to make it 3-0 (Callahan's next time up he was called out on strikes by home plate umpire Adam Beck on a clear ball, but his attempt at a challenge was declared too late by Beck, who had a terrible day overall.)
The Sox got one run back on a Tristan Peters opposite-field pop-up ground-rule double (those corners in Comerica are really short) and two grounders. The Tigers got it back to 4-1 on an opposite-field homer off Sam Antonacci's glove by Colt Keith in the third, then in the fifth they learned why the dreaded leadoff walk is so dreaded: Tigers starter Drew Anderson, at his highest pitch count all year, pinned Peters down 0-2 then threw four straight ****** , followed by a slider that didn't slide that Drew Romo slid 386 feet to right to make it 4-3.
A Randal Grichuk pinch-double and Colson Montgomery broken-bat single in the sixth tied the game. Next, Tigers lefty reliever Todd Holton again proved the dreaded-leadoff-walk rule by giving Antonacci (who doesn't hit lefties well) a five-pitch pass and following that by setting one on a tee for Munetaka Murakami, only to see it land 393 feet away. Make it 6-4, White Sox.
The Tigers cut it to 6-5 in the seventh when Dillon Dingler broke an 0-for-29 slump with a double to score Gleyber Torres, at which point Mune proved he's not just another pretty bat:

#drew

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A dominant fastball has made Jacob Misiorowski one of the most exciting pitchers in baseball over the past two seasons, but it was an effective slider that helped him get out of a bases-loaded jam by striking out Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman in the Milwaukee Brewers' 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.
"He's understanding how his breaking stuff moves and what he can do with it on any particular day," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said.
Misiorowski allowed one run on five hits in six innings, needing an expanded **** nal of pitches to get out of the fifth unscathed after the bottom of the Dodgers' order had three consecutive singles to bring up Ohtani with one out. The two superstars had already faced off twice, with Misiorowski throwing six straight fastballs over 102 mph to retire him on a popup leading off the game.
Misiorowski needed three pitches to fan Ohtani, and only one was a fastball. Instead, catcher William Contreras called for a curveball and slider to bookend that 102.4 mph heater.
"William took control and saw something, and we readjusted," said Misiorowski, who improved to 12-5 while lowering his ERA to 1.75 with his 13th start this season allowing one or zero runs.

#ohtani #fastball

There has never, in the long and celebrated history of Major League Baseball, been a better debut than the one Cardinals outfielder Joshua Baez authored at Wrigley Field on Saturday afternoon as Baez became the first player to ever go deep in the first three plate appearances of a career.
The 23-year-old slugger got things started with a bang, pulverizing the 0-0 pitch of his first at-bat 449 feet over the batter's eye in dead center. That sent the Cardinals' dugout into a frenzy. Players banged uncontrollably on the dugout railing. Coaches stood shellshocked, mouths agape. Baez couldn't stop smiling as he floated around the bases. It was a magnificent opening salvo for a player whose calling card is light-tower power. It was also just the start.
Baez went yard again in his second trip to the dish. Savvy veteran Matthew Boyd tried to sneak a full-count changeup past Baez. The hulking slugger turned it into a souvenir, pulling the offering down the left-field line over the ivy and into the seats. But he wasn't done. With a runner on first in the top of the sixth, Baez got the better of Boyd once again, poking an outer-half slider into the front row in right. Three at-bats; three homers, all to different parts of the yard. It was a debut beyond anyone's wildest dreams.
It was quite a Day 1 in the big leagues for St. Louis' Joshua Baez. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
For Baez, the Cardinals' 8-4 victory was the experience of a lifetime and an appropriate introduction to the big league ball fans that might spend the next decade watching him turn hangers into bangers.

#three #debut

If the Wrigley Chewing Gum company weren't so deeply **** ociated with the arch-rivals of the St. Louis ballclub, they'd probably offer the Cardinals the opportunity to be the new face of Doublemint Gum, on account of all the double killings they turned tonight. In the absence of an endorsement deal, the Redbirds will have to settle for winning the game.
The Phillies put runners on the corners on the first, but didn't convert them into runs. And the same was true in the second, as the Phillies put runners on the corners and saw the inning end on a Justin Crawford 6-4-3 GIDP. The Cardinals soon found themselves in a comparable situation, putting runners on first and third against Cristopher Sánchez on singles from José Fermin and Masyn Winn. And the Redbirds, wanting to be gracious and considerate hosts, chose not to upstage their visitors and promptly hit into a 5-4-3 twin killing. The Phillies, however, misunderstood this kind gesture, thinking that home team was trying to upstage them with a GIDP slightly fancier than the standard 6-4-3. "We can match that," said the Phils. And so it was that in the next inning they did indeed replicate the 5-4-3 DP, via grounder from Bryce Harper.
The **** embled masses, Philadelphia Phaithful and toasted ravioli-eating St. Louis partisans alike, cried "stop! No more!" But their calls went unheeded. The Cardinals, their dander up and their ire drawn, one-upped the Phillies by hitting into a 4-6-3 version of the pitcher's best friend. to conclude the bottom of the third. The arms race was on. Your faithful recapper sprinted to his bookshelf, removed his copy of the **** son Baseball Dictionary, flipped to the entry on double plays, and groaned upon realizing that only four synonyms were listed; one was used two sentences ago, and the others weren't distinct enough to be of use (technically you can shorten double play to just double, but isn't that confusing?)
In the fourth inning, the first two Phillies batters, Luis Arraez and J.T. Realmuto, made outs, thus ensuring the chain of double plays would at last be broken. But while the double plays ended, offense was still hard to find. In the top of the fifth, Alec Bohm sent a slider flying to center, where Everson Pereira leapt and came down with it elegantly; poetry in motion, and frustration in action for the Phillies. The Cardinals proved no more adept at scoring in their portion of the fifth, and then in the sixth the double play chain began again, with the Phillies matching the 4-6-3 their avian foe hit into earlier.
The Phillies faced the Redbird bullpen in the seventh, with Brady Pallante departing after six scoreless, with four hits and just two Ks. His replacement, George Soriano, quickly induced two outs, then allowed a single to Brandon Marsh and a walk to Bohm. That brought up Justin Crawford, who lined out. The scoring drought continued.

#runners #first #justin

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve left the team's game at San Francisco on Tuesday night after getting hit on the left foot by a pitch.
The Astros said Altuve had a bruised foot.
Altuve was hit by an 82 mph slider from Giants starter Carson Whisenhunt in the top of the first. After getting looked at, he stayed in the game to run the bases.
The 36-year-old two-time World Series champion took the field for the bottom of the inning but left before going back out on defense in the third. He was replaced by Nick Allen.
Altuve is hitting .240 with 13 home runs and 35 RBIs in his 16th season in the majors. Houston went into the game in first place in the AL West.

#altuve #left #game #first

During the top of the third inning of Monday night's Royals vs. Dodgers game, the SportsNet LA broadcast flashed a leaderboard of the lowest starter ERA since the start of the 2023 season. Of the five names listed, four are currently employed by the back-to-back champs: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell and the star of this particular evening, Tarik Skubal. Some understandably pessimistic fans in western Pennsylvania surely harbor fear that the fifth figure, Paul Skenes, will end up in Dodger blue one day as well.
But if that list was a reminder — as if anybody needed another — of the preposterous talent gilding L.A.'s star-studded roster, Skubal's ordinary performance on Monday in his first home start as a Dodger emphasized that nothing in this wonky sport is preordained.
Pitching in front of a revved up, eager audience, Skubal was downright mediocre in L.A.'s 6-5 victory over the Royals.
His fastball command was, by his cathedral standards, scattershot. He struggled to locate the four-seamer consistently at and just above the top rail, right where the world-beating southpaw makes his bread. Skubal had similar issues with his sinker, a handful of which ended up catching far too much plate, including one that resulted in a first-inning RBI single from Royals first baseman Jac Caglianone.
But the hammer blow of Skubal's night came in the third, when he gifted Caglianone a hanging, piped 0-2 slider. The scalding-hot lefty didn't miss the miss, sizzling the breaker 110.8 mph into the right-field seats to give Kansas City an early 3-0 lead.

#four

During the top of the third inning of Monday night's Royals vs. Dodgers game, the SportsNet LA broadcast flashed a leaderboard of the lowest starter ERA since the start of the 2023 season. Of the five names listed, four are currently employed by the back-to-back champs: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell and the star of this particular evening, Tarik Skubal. Some understandably pessimistic fans in western Pennsylvania surely harbor fear that the fifth figure, Paul Skenes, will end up in Dodger blue one day as well.
But if that list was a reminder — as if anybody needed another — of the preposterous talent gilding L.A.'s star-studded roster, Skubal's ordinary performance on Monday in his first home start as a Dodger emphasized that nothing in this wonky sport is preordained.
Pitching in front of a revved up, eager audience, Skubal was downright mediocre in L.A.'s 6-5 victory over the Royals.
His fastball command was, by his cathedral standards, scattershot. He struggled to locate the four-seamer consistently at and just above the top rail, right where the world-beating southpaw makes his bread. Skubal had similar issues with his sinker, a handful of which ended up catching far too much plate, including one that resulted in a first-inning RBI single from Royals first baseman Jac Caglianone.
But the hammer blow of Skubal's night came in the third, when he gifted Caglianone a hanging, piped 0-2 slider. The scalding-hot lefty didn't miss the miss, sizzling the breaker 110.8 mph into the right-field seats to give Kansas City an early 3-0 lead.

#Royals #caglianone #inning #start

The wins are rare and not so easily attained for the Dodgers at this specific moment in the season. And hosting the Royals, it took all that this team had to outlast the opposition in a 6-5 victory in a back-and-forth matchup with multiple lead changes, ultimately decided on a Freddie Freeman RBI single.
Allowing a run in the first, Tarik Skubal didn't deliver a lights-out performance, but how a pitcher handles outings with some form of adversity can often be the true measure of him. The Royals were relatively lucky to get on the board early on with a softly hit single from Nick Loftin that found the right spot—followed by an RBI knock from Jac Caglianone on a groundball that should've found a Dodger glove but didn't, as Miguel Rojas and Mookie Betts didn't react well enough to make a play. Those two singles were enough for the run because once Bobby Witt Jr. replaced Loftin on the basepaths after a forceout, he showed off his speed by swiftly stealing second, his AL-leading 32nd SB.
It would not be the only time Caglianone would hurt Skubal, as a couple of innings later, he would hit a two-run shot on a hanging slider to hand the Royals a 3-0 lead. What was particular about that at-bat was the unpredictable attack plan of Skubal versus Caglianone, with the slider being the fifth different pitch he threw to Caglianone. The problem is that unpredictability can only do so much if hangers are coming to the plate.
Laboring a bit more than he is used to per inning, Skubal established a very high pitch count in the first few frames, allowing him to just complete five, not before getting the final laugh on Caglianone, though. Caglianone came up to the plate with two on and two out in the fifth with the chance to do the most damage in this one. Skubal gave him a recipe of nothing but heaters that laid the groundwork for a strike three swinging on a changeup down and in, a dangerous pitch to throw to the tall lefty, but one that worked out.
Chasing the game from the start, the Dodgers didn't spend a lot of time trailing by those three runs, answering the Royals' two-run third with two of their own in the bottom of the frame. The lefties provided the big hits against Noah Cameron as a Shohei Ohtani RBI double was followed by a Freddie Freeman single to make it 3-2.

#freddie