BALTIMORE — — Justin Steele pitched seven innings of three-hit ball, Seiya Suzuki had three extra-base hits and three RBI, and the Chicago Cubs blanked the Baltimore Orioles 8-0 Thursday night for a three-game sweep. Dansby Swanson homered for the Cubs, who outscored the AL East leaders 21-2 in becoming the first team to sweep the Orioles in Baltimore since Tampa Bay in August 2021. Chicago came to town in last place in the NL Central, but they have won four in a row and six of seven to move within a half-game of third place. “It’s huge. It’s the…

DETROIT — — Riley Greene drove in three runs on three hits and Jack Flaherty pitched six strong innings, helping the Detroit Tigers beat the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians 10-1 on Thursday to win their four-game series. Cleveland’s Bo Naylor homered in the third and Carson Kelly countered with his seventh of the season in the bottom of the inning, restoring Detroit’s three-run lead before the game turned into a rout. Greene’s two-run double in the fourth put the Tigers ahead 6-1, and Gio Urshela’s three-run double gave them a 10-1 lead in the sixth inning. Detroit is 6-1 in…

Jul 10, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Gavin Stone (35) reacts after allowing a home run against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports The Los Angeles Dodgers lost to the Philadelphia Phillies for the second consecutive day, but this time it was due to poor offense and defense, rather than an implosion from their starting pitching. The box score didn’t show an error for the Dodgers, but it could be argued that shouldn’t have been the case. Multiple defensive mishaps led to a few runs scoring in their 4-3 loss,…

MILWAUKEE — Paul Skenes struck out 11 in seven no-hit innings in another dominant performance, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Milwaukee Brewers 1-0 on Thursday.Skenes threw 99 pitches in his 11th major league start, 65 for strikes. The All-Star right-hander walked one while lowering his ERA to 1.90.”It just comes down to going out there and executing,” Skenes said. “So, if strikeouts are what that looks like, then so be it. It’s just about getting outs.”PitcherStrikeoutsPaul Skenes, 202489Fernando Valenzuela, 198179Orel Hershisher, 198477– ESPN Stats & InformationColin Holderman replaced Skenes (6-0) and surrendered a leadoff single to Jake Bauers for…

Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports With the All-Star break on the horizon, feel free to use this comment section for any questions related to decisions going into the second half. — Starter Notes July 12, 2024 Recommendations for Roto 5×5 Leagues The chart includes their 2024 stats (this changed over from last year’s stats on April 22nd), their opponent’s wOBA versus the pitcher’s handedness from this year so far (this is changed as of April 11th), my general start/sit recommendation for 10-team, 12-team, and 15-team (or more) leagues, and then a note about them. Obviously, there are league sizes beyond those…

The Houston Astros got off to a disastrous start to the 2024 season. They began the season 12-24, looking more like the Astros that played in the NL Central a decade ago than the AL West Astros that dominated the mid-late 2010’s. But we play 162 games for a reason.The Astros have completely turned their season around despite being riddled with a plethora of injuries. They have more starting pitchers on the injured list than any Houston fan could have imagined, leaving them with a ton of holes on their roster.One of the holes is at first base and there…

NEW YORK — — Brandon Nimmo hit a bases-clearing double to spark a five-run fifth inning, David Peterson threw six scoreless innings and the New York Mets moved into playoff position with a 7-0 victory over the Washington Nationals on Thursday, completing a three-game sweep. J.D. Martinez and Pete Alonso added RBI singles as the Mets moved two games over .500 for the first time since April 24. Mark Vientos and Harrison Bader had RBI singles in the eighth and New York (47-45) moved one percentage point (.511) ahead of San Diego into the NL’s third wild-card spot. “It’s been…

Connie Mack, 83-year-old manager of the Philadelphia Athletics, steps to the mound at the A’s training camp at West Palm Beach, Florida, Feb. 24, 1946, rears his leg in the air and shows some prospective pitchers some real pitching form. Players are unidentified. (AP Photo) As the Athletics’ days in Oakland dwindle, the team will return to the city where it first started — and from where it first picked up and left. Before the Swingin’ A’s and the Bash Brothers and Moneyball, there was Connie Mack, Shibe Park and two dynasties that brought five World Series championships to Philadelphia.…

NEW YORK — In finishing off a sweep of the Washington Nationals with a 7-0 win at Citi Field Thursday, the New York Mets also reached a landmark in their remarkable mid-season turnaround. Just weeks after sitting 13th in the National League, New York is in playoff position, percentage points ahead of the San Diego Padres for the third and final wild-card berth.The Mets could, therefore, be straightforward buyers at the July 30 trade deadline, looking to fortify a roster for October. New York’s rise, however, reveals just how swiftly the landscape of a tightly packed wild-card race can change,…

Trev Alberts introduces Michael Earley SEC Extra Mark Etheridge – July 11, 2024 As Texas A&M wound down the regular season with an eye towards the postseason, not many people knew who Michael Earley was. Sure, some recognized the name as one of the assistants on Jim Schlossnagle’s Texas A&M staff. Earley served as the hitting coach, and the Aggies established themselves as one of the best offenses in the nation. Still, Earley was essentially just a cog in the machine. The Aggies won a regional, then a super regional, and then advanced all the way to the College World…