MLB

• Rays 11, Dodgers 10
  • The beginning of the career of the Dodgers’ No. 4 prospect, Gavin Stone, hasn’t gone according to plan — at all. Stone surrendered seven earned runs yesterday across just two innings, raising his ERA to 14.40. Not great.
• Yankees 10, Padres 7
  • The Padres, at 24-29, aren’t in a good place. Yu Darvish has been mostly dependable over the duration of his career, but he’s pitching to his age (36) this season. Darvish was bombed for seven runs in this start.
• Orioles 3, Rangers 2
  • Felix Bautista, possibly due to a lack of experience, doesn’t get enough credit for being one of baseball’s top closers. That should change. Bautista, owner of a 1.38 ERA, grabbed his 13th save in the affair.
• Tigers 6, White Sox 5
  • The Tigers aren’t anywhere close to being as good as your typical first-place team, but Detroit, at 25-26, is now just a game back of the Twins in the AL Central. The reemergence of Eduardo Rodriguez has played a big part in propelling the Tigers up the standings, as the southpaw holds a 2.13 ERA through 11 starts.
  • On the surface, this was yet another unsuccessful start for Chicago’s Dylan Cease, but if you look a little deeper, Cease did strikeout eight Tigers over just four innings. Baby steps. I’m betting on Cease to figure things out as the season progresses.
• Guardians 4, Cardinals 3
  • Ryan Helsley is still a good pitcher, but he blew his fourth save of the season yesterday. Four blown saves before June isn’t good under any circumstances, and especially not when those blown saves are up against just six actual saves.
• Brewers 7, Giants 5
  • Think the Guardians miss Owen Miller? Cleveland dealt Miller to the Brewers this past offseason, and his production in 2023 would surely help Cleveland. Milwaukee has to be happy, though, as Miller, after going 2-2 with two RBIs in this game, is batting .330.
• Royals 3, Nationals 2
  • The 16-38 Royals are likely going to be able to get something in return for Aroldis Chapman at the trade deadline. Chapman isn’t the same guy he was throughout the 2010s, but he’s been better this season than he was the past few years, making him an attractive trade chip for a bad Kansas City team. Chapman’s ERA is 2.75 and he has 32 strikeouts over 19.2 innings.
  • MacKenzie Gore has so much upside. The 24-year-old is still figuring it out for Washington, but he struck out 11 hitters in this contest, while allowing just three hits. The Nationals should be excited about Gore.
• Reds 8, Cubs 5
  • Exciting times in Cincinnati. Not necessarily in the win column, though. Still, the Reds have youngster Matt McLain producing already (four hits in this game), and baseball’s No. 4 prospect Elly De La Cruz on the way soon. There’s some bright futures ahead in the NL Central.
  • Times are not exciting in Chicago right now. Unexpectedly, the Cubs currently have the worst record in the National League at 22-30. Cody Bellinger can’t come back soon enough for the struggling Cubs.