Poor air quality in Cleveland pushed the Pirates and Guardians into a split doubleheader today, with Game 1 set for 12:10pm CT and Game 2 following at 6:10pm CT. Jared Jones and Gavin Williams will start the opener, while Logan Allen is expected to be called up for the nightcap and face Braxton Ashcraft for Pittsburgh. It’s the second Saturday in a row the Pirates have had to navigate a twin bill, after sweeping the Brewers in one on July 11.
The Red Sox are suddenly the hottest team in the sport. Boston rolled past the Rays 10-0 and 5-3 on Friday to stretch its winning streak to 11, and the surge has dragged the club back to .500 at 48-48 for the first time since Opening Day.
That 16-2 run over the last 18 games has completely changed the feel around a season that looked lost not long ago. The Sox are now just percentage points behind the Twins for the final AL wild card spot and eight games back of Tampa Bay in the AL East.
Patrick Sandoval gets the ball today for Boston, with Ian Seymour starting for the Rays.
Friday was a day for blowouts across the league, not just in Boston. Five games were decided by at least seven runs, and the biggest beatdown came in Washington, where the Nationals hammered the Athletics 23-4.
That total matched the second-highest single-game run output in Nationals/Expos franchise history. Andres Chaparro led the way with a 4-for-5 night and eight RBI, while the A’s dropped their 10th straight.
Atlanta also cruised, burying Texas 15-1 in a game that turned strange late when Victor Mederos, working in mop-up duty, ripped a two-run single off catcher Kyle Higashioka in the eighth. Mederos is now 1-for-1 in his MLB career, and the hit was the first by a full-time pitcher since the universal DH arrived before the 2022 season.
Kansas City delivered the wildest finish of the night. The Padres scored in the ninth to force extras, then added three more in the top of the 10th to go up 6-3.
But with Mason Miller already spent in the ninth, San Diego handed the ball to Kyle Hart, and the Royals made him pay. Kansas City strung together four singles in five at-bats, and Carter Jensen capped it with a two-run walkoff single in a 7-6 win.
The loss sends the Padres back under .500 at 48-49, a setback for a club trying to stay in the race and avoid becoming a trade-deadline seller.
In Other News...
Rays Skid Just Forced A Deadline Decision Fans Have Dreaded
The post-All-Star break slide has turned the Rays deadline into something much bigger than a routine roster tune-up. Tampa Bays unselfish style has long been part of the organizations identity, but the recent skid has exposed how thin the margin is when the lineup needs more punch and the pitching staff starts to wobble.
Eric Neander now faces the kind of pressure that comes with a team that still sees itself as a contender but can feel the ground shifting underneath it. The Rays are believed to be weighing help on both sides of the ball, and the next move has to be the kind that changes the tenor of the season rather than simply patches a few holes. [Read more 🡒]
Another AL Threat Just Entered The Twins Trade Deadline Picture
With the trade deadline approaching, the Rays are doing what they usually do this time of year: keeping a close eye on the market and looking for ways to patch holes before October arrives. According to USA Todays Bob Nightengale, Tampa Bay and the Yankees both had scouts on hand for a recent Twins game against the Cubs, a sign that Minnesota could be part of the conversation as the deadline draws near.
For the Rays, the appeal is easy to see. They have been tied to help in multiple spots, and Minnesota offers options that could fit different needs on the roster, from the rotation to the lineup. The bigger question now is how aggressive Tampa Bay wants to be, especially with another AL contender apparently circling the same names and raising the cost of doing business. [Read more 🡒]
Rays May Have To Beat The Yankees To Fix A Major Flaw
Scouts from both the Yankees and Rays were spotted at Wrigley Field taking a look at a few Twins players, including Ryan Jeffers, Joe Ryan and Trevor Larnach, a reminder that the deadline market can get crowded fast when two contenders are chasing the same help. For Tampa Bay, the interest makes sense. Catcher production has been a problem, and that spot is shaping up as one of the clearest areas the club may try to address before the deadline.
Jeffers is the name that stands out most because of the way he has hit this season, and he has already surfaced in trade chatter tied to New York. If Minnesota stays in the race, the Twins can keep him. If they slip, the Rays may find themselves in a familiar spot, trying to solve a weakness while another big-market rival is looking for the same upgrade. [Read more 🡒]