Category: Baseball

The Los Angeles Dodgers selected the contract of left-hander Adam Kolarek from Triple-A Oklahoma City and optioned right-hander Andre Jackson.

In an additional move, the Dodgers moved outfielder Trayce Thompson to the 60-day injured list in order to make room on the 40-man roster for Kolarek.

Kolarek, 34, returns to the Dodgers for the first time since pitching for the club from 2019-20. He was 0-3 with a 2.18 ERA at Oklahoma City this season after signing with the club in December. In 170 career major league relief appearances he is 11-4 with a 3.77 ERA for the Tampa Bay Rays (2017-19), Dodgers and Oakland Athletics (2021-22).

Jackson was just recalled Saturday and pitched three scoreless innings against the Philadelphia Phillies to earn his second three-inning save of the season. He was returned to Triple-A as the Dodgers look for more innings coverage during a planned bullpen game Sunday against the Phillies.

Jackson, 27, has a 6.62 ERA over seven relief appearances this season and is 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA in 14 career relief appearances for the Dodgers over the past three seasons.

Thompson, 32, has been on the IL since June 3 with an oblique injury. He was batting .155 with five home runs and 14 RBIs over 36 games.

According to the Orange County Register, Los Angeles right-hander Alex Reyes underwent a second shoulder surgery and will not pitch this season. An All-Star closer with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2021, Reyes did not pitch last season while having shoulder surgery.

Reyes, 28, signed a $1.1 million deal with the Dodgers as he recovered before further shoulder damage was found.

–Field Level Media

Corbin Carroll had three hits and scored twice, including the go-ahead run during a four-run, ninth-inning rally, lifting the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks to a 7-5 win over the reeling Detroit Tigers on Sunday.

Christian Walker doubled twice, scored a run and knocked in another for Arizona, which has won five straight and 11 of its last 13 games.

Starter Zac Gallen gave up five runs and 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings. Kevin Ginkel (3-0) pitched two innings of scoreless relief for the win and Scott McGough collected his second save.

Zach McKinstry hit a two-run homer for the Tigers, who have lost nine in a row.

Arizona’s Emmanuel Rivera singled with one out in the ninth against Jason Foley (2-2) and Ketel Marte drew a walk. Carroll then ripped a single to bring in Rivera and trim the deficit to 5-4.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. flied out before Walker smacked a 1-2 pitch for a double. Marte scored on the double and Carroll came home when left fielder Kerry Carpenter bobbled the ball, making it 6-5 Diamondbacks. Geraldo Perdomo then knocked in Walker with a single.

Pinch-hitter Andy Ibanez led off the bottom of the inning with a triple and Carpenter drew a one-out walk. McGough then replaced Andrew Chafin, struck out Javier Baez and induced Nick Maton’s groundout.

Will Vest opened the game for Detroit, pitching a scoreless inning. Joey Wentz went the next 4 1/3 innings and gave up one hit — Pavin Smith’s two-run homer — while striking out four.

The Tigers got the early jump on Gallen. Carpenter and Baez had back-to-back two-out singles and Maton smacked a ground-rule double to score Carpenter.

Arizona took a 2-1 lead in the second. Evan Longoria walked before Smith homered to left center.

Detroit tied it in the third. Spencer Torkelson hit a one-out double and moved to third on a Carpenter single. Baez drove home Torkelson with a sacrifice fly.

The Tigers took a 5-2 lead in the fourth. Miguel Cabrera reached on a single and scored on Jake Marisnick’s two-out double. McKinstry followed with a homer to right center.

Carroll had a one-out double in the eighth. He then stole third and scored on Gurriel’s groundout to make it 5-3.

–Field Level Media

Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon landed on the 10-day injured list Sunday with a broken right hand.

Blackmon, 36, sustained a fracture to the fifth metacarpal and could be looking at a longer absence.

The four-time All-Star is batting .265 with five homers and 26 RBIs in 56 games in his 13th season with Colorado.

The Rockies also called up infielder Coco Montes and catcher Brian Serven from Albuquerque, optioned infielder Alan Trejo to the Triple-A club and transferred right-hander Antonio Senzatela to the 60-day injured list.

–Field Level Media

The Cincinnati Reds activated Casey Legumina from the 15-day injured list Sunday and optioned fellow right-hander Kevin Herget to Triple-A Louisville.

Legumina, 25, had been sidelined since sustaining a right ankle contusion during a game against the Miami Marlins on May 13.

He was drilled in the ankle by a ball off the bat of Yuli Gurriel. Legumina was able to complete the play for an out before departing the game.

Legumina made his MLB debut on April 15 and is 1-0 with a 4.35 ERA in eight relief appearances this season.

Herget, 32, is 1-2 with one save and a 5.73 ERA in 13 relief appearances this season for Cincinnati.

–Field Level Media

The Philadelphia Phillies activated infielder Alec Bohm from the 10-day injured list Sunday.

Bohm, 26, was out with a left hamstring strain. He is batting .265 with six homers and 37 RBIs in 53 games.

Bohm has played in 39 games (32 starts) at first base and 20 games (17 starts) at third base this season.

The Phillies optioned infielder Drew Ellis to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to clear room on the 26-man roster.

Ellis, 27, batted .222 with two homers and three RBIs in eight games with the Phillies.

–Field Level Media

The Chicago White Sox put reliever Liam Hendriks on the 15-day injured list Sunday with right elbow inflammation.

Hendriks, 34, is 2-0 with a 5.40 ERA and one save in five appearances since being reinstated from the injured list on May 29.

The veteran right-hander began the season on the injured list while being treated for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He completed treatment on April 3 and announced he was cancer-free on April 20.

A three-time All-Star, Hendriks is 33-34 with a 3.82 ERA and 116 saves in 476 games (44 starts) with the Minnesota Twins (2011-13), Kansas City Royals (2014), Toronto Blue Jays (2014-15), Oakland A’s (2016-20) and White Sox.

Chicago recalled left-hander Tanner Banks from Triple-A Charlotte in a corresponding move.

Banks, 31, has a 3.38 ERA and no decisions in four appearances out of the White Sox bullpen this season.

–Field Level Media

In the first two games of the season between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, runs have been at a premium.

The two games have lasted a combined 5 hours, 57 minutes, and the teams have managed just nine runs at Yankee Stadium as the American League East rivals each look for a series win on Sunday night.

After the Red Sox opened the series with a 3-2 victory Friday thanks to solo homers by Rafael Devers and Enrique Hernandez, the Yankees eked out a 3-1 win on Saturday night with a similar formula. The Yankees finished with six hits and had three at-bats with runners in scoring position, but Gleyber Torres and Willie Calhoun hit solo homers to go along with a late RBI single by Kyle Higashioka.

The Yankees head into the series finale 3-3 since Aaron Judge injured his right big toe running into the right-field wall at Dodger Stadium to track down a fly ball. They have 10 runs in those three wins by getting just enough, including two homers from Calhoun in that span along with a homer from Billy McKinney.

“We talk about it starting in spring training,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “It’s gonna take everyone. It’s gonna take more than you even think, and we need to be ready for that. To their credit, they’ve done a really nice job for us in helping us win games. Ultimately that’s what it’s about.”

Devers homered for the second straight game, but Boston is 6-13 in its past 19 games.

On Saturday, the Red Sox were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11. In the series, they are 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and 4-for-34 over the past four contests.

“We have traffic,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “We’re working the counts, but obviously we’re not scoring runs. We’re not finishing anything. The two-out hits, they’re always important in this game, and we just got to find ways to get it going.”

Right-hander Brayan Bello (3-4, 3.97 ERA) will look to end a personal three-game losing streak Sunday night. Since winning three straight starts from May 4-17, Bello is 0-3 with a respectable 3.18 ERA.

Bello has allowed three runs or less in his past eight outings. He last pitched Monday when he allowed three runs on six hits in six innings of a 4-1 loss to the visiting Tampa Bay Rays.

Bello lost both of his starts against the Yankees in 2022 He allowed three unearned runs in five innings of a 5-3 loss at Boston on Sept. 14 and allowed an earned run in six innings of a rain-shortened 2-0 loss in New York on Sept. 25.

Clarke Schmidt (2-6, 4.96), who is winless in his past three starts, will start for New York. Since getting the win May 19 in Cincinnati, the right-hander is 0-2 with a 2.16 ERA.

Schmidt last pitched in Tuesday’s 3-2 home loss to the Chicago White Sox when he allowed three runs and six hits in six innings. While Schmidt matched his longest career start, he also allowed a homer for the first time in five starts as Seby Zavala took him deep twice.

Schmidt is 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in four career relief outings against the Red Sox.

–Field Level Media

Mike Trout is expected to be in the lineup Sunday as the Los Angeles Angels host the Seattle Mariners in the rubber match of their three-game series in Anaheim, Calif.

While that’s not exactly breaking news, Trout is 31 years old and playing in his 13th major league season. The three-time American League MVP and 10-time All-Star also hasn’t been able to avoid the injured list in recent years.

Last season Trout was limited to 119 games because of a back condition. He played in only 36 games in 2021 because of a calf strain, and 114 games in 2017 due to a torn thumb ligament.

No one is saying Trout is slowing just yet. His 14 home runs this season have him on a pace for 34 — which would put him at or over the 30-homer mark for the eighth time in his career — but his OPS sits at .827.

Trout finished under .900 only once during his previous 12 seasons, and that came in his rookie season of 2011 (.672), when he played in only 40 games. Trout’s career OPS is .994.

Trout says he is aware he has to pay more attention to his physical health the older he gets.

“I don’t know if there’s an age (to be in your) prime,” Trout said. “But I have a pretty good idea of how my body is, how my swing is, how to prepare myself, just going through everything. The more experience you get, the more you learn, but when you get a little older, you gotta start taking care of your body.”

Trout played in 157 games or more for four consecutive seasons from 2013-16.

“When you’re younger, you just come to the field and do your thing, go out there and play,” he said. “Now, it’s taking care of yourself and learning from that.”

On Sunday, right-hander Griffin Canning (4-2, 4.47 ERA) will be on the mound for the Angels for the 10th time this season. He is 1-1 with a 2.91 ERA in four career starts vs. Seattle.

Right-hander Logan Gilbert (4-3, 3.80) will make his 13th start of the season for the Mariners. He is 4-1 with a 3.51 ERA in six career starts against the Angels.

The Mariners are happy to have Andres Munoz back in the bullpen. He has struggled with injuries, although he looked healthy on Saturday, retiring all four batters he faced and striking out three of them in the Mariners’ 6-2 victory.

Munoz pitched in 64 games last season, and his 96 strikeouts in 65 innings led all American League relievers. But he needed offseason surgery on his right foot, then pitched in only four games at the start of the season before being sidelined with a strained shoulder.

Munoz missed two months and returned to a major league mound on Tuesday, throwing a scoreless inning and striking out two against the San Diego Padres. His strikeout victims on Saturday were Shohei Ohtani, Trout and Anthony Rendon.

Mariners manager Scott Servais, though, will err on the side of caution with Munoz.

“You won’t see him back-to-back days here for a little bit,” Servais said. “We’ve got other guys we’ll go to in the bullpen if we need to and take it from there.”

–Field Level Media

Two teams seeking to add some offensive fireworks to a series that’s so far been highlighted by a canceled drone show and a near-no-hitter are scheduled to complete a three-game set Sunday when the visiting Chicago Cubs go for a sweep of the San Francisco Giants.

Less than 24 hours after they were disappointed to learn that the club’s popular postgame drone light display was being postponed due to technical difficulties, Giants fans had to sit and watch their team get just one hit off Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks in a 4-0 defeat Saturday.

In 18 innings in the series so far, the clubs have totaled just 20 hits, 13 of which have been singles. The Cubs own the only two home runs, with Matt Mervis and Christopher Morel contributing solo shots to Hendricks’ gem Saturday.

The Cubs also got a quality start from Marcus Stroman and a key two-run, pinch-hit single from Nico Hoerner on Friday, two of the three elements Chicago manager David Ross believes his team will need to make a run at the National League playoffs after a slow start.

“To win games, we’re going to have to pitch, play defense, get some clutch hitting, which we haven’t had,” Ross said. “I think that’s indicative of our record.”

Right-hander Hayden Wesneski (2-2, 4.72 ERA) hasn’t helped — or been helped — much of late, either. The 25-year-old is winless in his past five starts, going 0-1 with a 4.26 ERA, with the Cubs having scored a total of 13 runs in those game — all losses.

Wesneski is coming off a 7-4 road loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday in which he allowed two earned runs in 4 2/3 innings.

He has faced the Giants just once previously in his two-year career, that coming in his second game last season, when he was charged with three runs in 3 2/3 innings in a 4-2 home loss. Thairo Estrada and Wilmer Flores homered off him in the Wrigley Field game.

For the second straight game, the Giants will start John Brebbia (2-0, 3.38), who tossed two scoreless innings as an opener on Saturday. He threw 19 pitches and struck out one.

The Giants caught a break when Jakob Junis and Sean Manaea were able to cover the final seven innings of Saturday’s loss. The rest of the bullpen, with the exception of the injured Scott Alexander, will be available in the series finale.

Brebbia will be throwing to either prized rookie Patrick Bailey or versatile Blake Sabol behind the plate. They’ve combined to go 0-for-8 so far in the series.

Manager Gabe Kapler said former top prospect Joey Bart, who completed an injury-rehab stint Friday and was assigned to Triple-A Sacramento, will be staying in the minors for now.

“We want him to be a good all-around baseball player,” Kapler said of Bart, who was hitting .231 in 26 games before suffering a strained right groin in mid-May.

“He’s been working toward that and made some significant strides that of course we appreciate,” Kapler added. “To be a good all-around major-leaguer — hitter, offensive player — you need to make consistent, solid contact and control the strike zone, and those are still areas that Joey’s working on. Not 100 -percent there yet.”

–Field Level Media

The San Diego Padres came to Denver looking for momentum, and they will leave for home with plenty of it if they complete a three-game sweep against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.

The Padres squeaked out a 3-2 win Saturday with a big hit by Fernando Tatis Jr. and stellar defense from Manny Machado, who made a sliding, bobbling catch in foul territory in the eighth inning.

San Diego will send left-hander Blake Snell (2-6, 4.06 ERA) to the mound on Sunday while the Rockies will counter with right-hander Dinelson Lamet (1-3, 12.42).

Snell will face the Rockies for the 11th time in his career; he is 3-2 with a 4.41 ERA in 10 starts against them, with half of those starts coming at Coors Field.

Snell hopes he can get the kind of run support the Padres received in Friday night’s 9-6 win. They hit five home runs, one by Gary Sanchez, who is the latest shrewd acquisition by San Diego.

The Padres have built their team through smart trades and free-agent signings to boast one of the more potent lineups in the National League. They acquired Tatis and Juan Soto with trades and signed Machado in 2019, and now the signing of Sanchez is looking pretty good, too.

San Diego picked him up on May 29, just four days after he was designated for assignment by the New York Mets. He has five home runs in 11 games for the Padres and came through with an RBI single on Saturday.

The 30-year-old catcher is showing he still has plenty to offer.

“A lot of times, you get a little confidence again and you do some things you’ve done in the past,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said of Sanchez. “He’s still a young man for what he does. Each and every game he has like this, you’ll see some of the potential he’s always had.”

If Sanchez is in the lineup on Sunday, he will face Lamet. The struggling pitcher will make his third start since moving into the rotation.

Lamet will make his fourth career appearance and first start against his former team. He has a 6.00 ERA without recording a decision in his previous three meetings with the Padres.

The Rockies are mired in another slump after losing their sixth straight game on Saturday. They have four losing streaks of four or more games this year, but one silver lining from the most recent setback is catcher Elias Diaz is fine after leaving the game.

Diaz took a foul ball off the mask in the eighth inning — the second straight game it has happened — but won’t miss time.

Manager Bud Black said Diaz passed the concussion protocols.

Colorado’s other bright spot was Nolan Jones hitting his third homer of the season. Jones was called up May 26 and has taken advantage of his opportunity while several players are on the injured list.

“Because of no C.J. Cron, no Kris Bryant, no Brendan Rodgers, there are opportunities coming for a lot of guys,” Black said. ” … It’s good to see a guy like Nolan take this opportunity and be a contributor.”

–Field Level Media