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MLB News & Moments: Seattle Denies Ohtani and the Dodgers

The Pirates run out of comebacks.

Pablo Figueroa
MLB Morning News 3 Hours Ago

Stay updated on everything baseball with our morning MLB News & Moments articles. We’ve got you covered to keep you in the know.

Today’s Headlines

 

Power M’s

After falling to third place in the AL West following a rough series in Arlington, traveling farther west to face the Dodgers should not be a pleasant development for the Mariners. Facing this adversity, including red-hot pitcher Justin Wrobleski, the M’s decided to mount their own version of a Home Run Derby. Despite a lead-off homer from Shohei Ohtani, Seattle bounced back with long balls from Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez, Rob Refsnyder, and Dominic Canzone, all coming off Wrobleski. All of this led to a late 5-5 tie, as Luis Castillo also allowed five runs. With Canzone up to bat again, LA brought in Alex Vesia to gain the platoon advantage, but Canzone was unfazed by the lefty, hitting his second homer to give Seattle a 7-5 lead. Closer Andres Muñoz made things interesting in the ninth, with Ohtani getting an RBI double and reaching third with no outs, following an error on the outfield. At this point, Muñoz remembered that he is a top-notch closer, as the Dodgers were unable to score Ohtani and extend the game, as Andy Pages struck out, Freddie Freeman grounded out, and ultimately Mookie Betts was retired to secure the final out, with Seattle escaping with the 7-6 victory.

Welcome to the NFL, Kids

Despite the feel-good nature of the White Sox’s season, now they have to face heightened expectations and the tough reality of trying to be a contender. A second straight loss to the Yankees may not temper all the excitement in Chicago, but it places a lot of things into perspective. Gerrit Cole was great through six scoreless innings, including a bizarre infield play in which he caught a pop-up despite colliding with his own catcher, leading to a humorous moment in which he decided to cosplay an NFL zebra. New York’s early 3-0 lead would hold up for most of the contest, as a ninth-inning two-run blast from Chase Meidroth added some excitement, but the score would end on a 3-2 win for the road team. These growing pains will keep on coming for the young Sox, and how they handle them will remain one of the best stories of 2026.

Sisyphus Pirates

The best thing about baseball is that you can improbably tune to one of the most exciting games you’ve ever seen on a random Tuesday, which is essentially what happened in Pittsburgh. For a long time, things did not seem that way, as the Diamondbacks jumped to a 6-0 lead behind a stellar outing from Brandon Pfaadt. Alas, Arizona’s bullpen is far from a perfect unit, as evidenced by Ryan Thompson’s three-run outing in the eighth to close the deficit. And yet, the Dbacks had a comfortable three-run lead for their closer Paul Sewald, who quickly added top-notch drama, with a two-run blast from Brandon Lowe and a solo homer from Bryan Reynolds tying the game and sending PNC Park into a frenzy.

After erasing that deficit, the Pirates faced the tenth again trailing by one, and scored their ghost runner to keep the game going. However, the offense would not be able to score anymore from that point on, failing to walk it off in the 11th and then coming up empty in the 12th, when Arizona finally held on to a lead for good. The 8-7 final score in 12 innings serves as a good representation of the madness around this game, as the Pirates ultimately missed out on a chance to match the team they are chasing in the NL wild card standings.

Sandy (You’re a Fine Pitcher)

A day after snapping their infamous 12-game losing streak, the Marlins had the difficult task of facing the Phillies again. Even with a diminished Aaron Nola on the other side, things looked difficult for the Fish, but nobody told Sandy Alcantara that, as the former NL Cy Young delivered a vintage performance. Alcantara needed 97 pitches to cruise through seven scoreless frames, striking out five to earn his 11th win of 2026. Nola was similarly effective, but a first-inning solo homer from Kyle Stowers would be enough for Miami to secure a 1-0 win, climbing back to .500 in the process. This outing could have served as the ultimate audition for Sandy’s potential trade partners, or maybe a glimmer of hope for Miami’s dwindling playoff hopes. In any case, the rest of the week should be quite interesting for the Marlins.

They’re Grrrrreat

With two outs and two on in the first inning, Baltimore’s Dean Kremer had a clear chance to escape unscathed and give his team a chance to win. Colt Keith proceded to hit a triple and clear the bases, setting the tone for what would become an offensive feast for the Tigers. Three more would score in the second, and then one in the third, followed by three in the fourth… and it would simply not stop. Kremer exited with eight runs allowed in four frames, but his bullpen mates would be no better, allowing six more in the final four, as Detroit sprayed its runs methodically. In the end, the 14-0 drubbing would include at least one run in every offensive inning for the Tigers, becoming only the third time in their long history with this neat accomplishment. The 19-hit effort was highlighted by Kevin McGonigle (4-for-5 with four runs), Eduardo Valencia (4-for-5 with a homer and four RBI), and Gleyber Torres (homer and five RBI). Meanwhile, starter Troy Melton took advantage of the massive run support to improve to 6-1 on the season, as the Tigers cling to the hope that they can still fight for the playoffs.

 

By The Numbers

 

130 Max Muncy (Dodgers version) continued to add his name to the franchise’s record books, as his 130th career home run at Dodger Stadium tied the record for most homers in his home venue, matching Eric Karros. It is important to note that this ballpark has hosted games since 1962.

4 Cleveland’s Gavin Williams had another dominant outing at the plate, albeit in a losing effort. For the fourth straight start, Williams had a pitching line including at least 10 strikeouts with no more than one walk. This is the second longest such streak of record, as he will try to match Chris Sale’s mark in 2018, when he did it in five straight starts.

1,438 The A’s may have seen their season unravel in ugly form, but that doesn’t mean they can still have a few nice moments. Enter Brian Serven, a veteran backup catcher who had four at-bats in 2026 after not playing in MLB in 2025. In fact, Serven had been almost out of the league since his rookie season in 2022, when he amassed almost all of his 303 career plate appearances. After last homering on August 21, 2022, Serven waited 1,438 days for his next long ball, a two-run shot that was the key hit in his team’s win over the Red Sox.

 

 

Best Moments From Yesterday

 

Worst. Challenge. Ever. 

As rain prevented the Guardians and Reds from playing on Monday, a twin bill was set up to make up for it, giving us a rare Tuesday game around noon. Cincinnati probably felt good sending out Chase Burns for game one, even as the game’s first inning saw him face the bases loaded following an error, a hit, and a walk. With Kyle Manzardo at the plate and two outs, the home-plate umpire called a hit by pitch that appeared to open the scoring, even though the alleged HBP looked flimsy. Cincinnati challenged and was successful, keeping the at-bat alive for Manzardo, with an annoyed José Ramírez having to go back to third base. Despite Burns being almost a demigod with runners in scoring position (batters are hitting .129 in that spot), Manzardo’s second chance saw him make the most of it, blasting a grand slam to turn a meager 1-0 lead into a monster four-run output, all unearned for Burns. The Reds would respond and at least spare their ace from taking a loss, but Cleveland ended up taking a tight 6-5 win, using a squeeze play to score the winning run. Fortunately for the Reds, they still had another game to make up for it…

Walk-Off Web Gem

…now relying on a bullpen game, the relief corps did their best Chase Burns impersonation to stop the Guardians, as four relievers kept Cleveland scoreless through eight frames. With an early J.J. Bleday solo homer providing a spark, and the Reds scratching a second run despite a 12-K performance from Gavin Williams, Cincinnati entered the ninth with a 2-0 lead, trusting closer Emilio Pagán to earn a Tuesday split. With two outs and a runner on second, Petey Halpin drove a ball deep to center, with what looked like a potential game-tying homer. Center fielder Dane Myers took an excellent route, jumping expertly and catching the ball against the wall. While additional replay showed that it would not have been a homer, Myers’ max effort prevented any kind of drama for the Reds, as they held on for the 2-0 win to tie this battle of Ohio.

Speed is Relative

Chandler Simpson is basically a new version of Billy Hamilton, with a game that relies on slap hits and plenty of speed to add value. Jake Burger is… not that. While his sprint speed is average, his size portends a man who is not particularly fleet of foot. For a moment in time, though, Burger bested Simpson in a footrace, albeit one in he had a clear advantage. With a ball hit sharply to first, Burger had no choice but to catch and run to the bag, barely beating Simpson in the process. Now with clear bragging rights, Burger and the Rangers calmly closed out this tight contest, riding a strong bullpen to beat the Rays at their home stadium 4-1.

 

Injuries and Other Moves

 

⚾Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. left last night’s game in Washington after a grounder, citing right hamstring tightness. The extent of the injury is still unknown, as the club will wait until later today to assess the situation. In the meantime, Vladdy can be considered day-to-day.

⚾ In one of the cruelest developments of the season, newly-acquired Red Sox infielder Curtis Mead has been placed on the 10-day IL with a broken wrist. This came on his first day after being traded from the Nationals, as he was hit by a pitch on Monday’s game in Sacramento. Mead’s status for the rest of 2026 is uncertain, but wrist injuries tend to derail hitters for a while. Meanwhile, Boston recalled infielder Nick Sogard to take his spot on the roster. 

⚾ Adding injury to their insult of a season, the San Francisco Giants have placed one of their best players to the IL, as Casey Schmitt has been placed on the 10-day IL with a torn left meniscus. The injury may keep Schmitt on the sideline for a while, and should also keep him away of any trade rumors, putting a stop to his breakout, 20-homer season. With the Giants far away from playoff contention, there will be no rush to get him back on the field. 

 

Articles You Should Read

 

How the Fish Ended Up at the Market — Eric Longenhagen, Fangraphs

British Pilot Completes His Stadium Journey at the Trop — Brian Murphy, MLB.com

 

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Pablo Figueroa

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Pablo Figueroa is a Baseball Writer here at Pitcher List, with experience as a writer since 2013. He lives in Aguascalientes, Mexico - proud home of Los Rieleros. When he´s not thinking about baseball , he's a husband, owns two dogs, watches random episodes of The Sopranos , plays padel, and works on his day job to pay the bills.

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