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MLB News & Moments: Yankees and Red Sox close out July with Ws

Harrison Bader makes an expensive mistake on a scooter.

Pablo Figueroa
MLB Morning News 50 Minutes Ago

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The Giants entered Friday’s action after two straight impressive wins over NL playoff contenders, looking a bit more competent in a lost season and with hopes of a productive trade deadline. Alas, it seems that this franchise cannot have anything nice in 2026, as it was announced that the franchise will stop paying the remaining salary of injured Harrison Bader following reports that he aggravated his foot injury in a scooter incident in San Francisco.

This move will likely generate issues with the MLBPA and could create a complicated precedent, as Bader’s remaining salary of $1.42 million for 2026 is now set to be voided. With the Giants still making headlines for all the wrong reasons, expect to hear more from this story in the upcoming weeks.

Today’s Headlines

 

The Hunt for Red (Sox) October

On June 30, the Red Sox were a disappointing 37-47, looking at a lost season in which they would probably become sellers at the deadline. They started the month with another loss, but that would be the only bad news the team would receive through all of July. By winning 21 of their following 24 games, Boston has positioned itself as a true contender in the AL, and will probably be looking to acquire reinforcements over the weekend. This was evident during last night’s game in Los Angeles, as the Sox outlasted the Dodgers in a dominant 9-4 comeback win. Despite squandering an early 4-3 lead with a Shaky Ranger Suarez outing, Brayan Bello came in to quiet the Dodgers with four scoreless frames and earn the win, while the offense came to life with a five-run seventh, as a Ceddanne Rafaela two-run homer and an Andruw Monasterio two-run double propelled the Red Sox to one of their best wins of 2026. The rest of this series should be quite interesting.

Bronx Blankers

Early Friday games in Fenway tend to be high-scoring affairs, as the wind and hot weather combine to create a friendly atmosphere for hitters. This was not the case to close out July, as Will Warren and Shota Imanaga engaged in an unlikely pitchers’ duel. Warren kept the Cubs scoreless through 6.2 innings, with only four hits allowed versus seven strikeouts. Imanaga was similarly stingy, also allowing four hits and no walks in 6.2 frames, albeit with a couple of solo homers that derailed his effort. Amed Rosario and Spencer Jones were the rare power sources for the Yankees, accounting for all the scoring in this tense 2-0 game. After Warren exited, Chicago was still kept quiet by the Yankees’ bullpen, finishing the game with only five hits. As mentioned in the previous blurb, this series should also be a must-watch through the weekend.

Power Display

After beginning the week in a tough series against the Yankees, the Chicago White Sox earned a split and showed their ability to hang on with the big boys in the AL. That belief was further expanded in their opener against the AL-best Rays, as Chicago earned an impressive 6-1 win behind a strong outing from Erick Fedde and their usual brand of slugging. While Fedde was not particularly overpowering, needing 91 pitches to get through five innings, his offense provided enough backing to give him his sixth win of the season. Miguel Vargas opened the scoring with a solo homer in the first, followed by a similar result from Andrew Benintendi in the second. In the end, further damage from Munetaka Murakami and Colson Montgomery were enough to give Rays’ starter Nick Martinez his worst outing of the season, as he surrendered four homers in a game for the first time in his career.

Western Promises

The AL West standings do not stand out for their excellence, but rather because three teams are bunched together at the top, while their cellar-dwellers are really suffering from horrible seasons. The Mariners are the only one of them all with a positive run differential, and even that is a weak +1 that illustrates just how bad the division has been as a whole. In that scramble, a series between the Astros and Rangers represents a battle for first place, and Houston drew first blood with a commanding 11-2 victory. Nathan Eovaldi had a rough go, allowing six runs over five frames, allowing two homers to close out his day. Meanwhile, the Astros cruised behind Hunter Brown, who earned only his third win of 2026 with that massive run support. At 56-55, the Astros are now the only team with a winning record in the West, as they have now won nine of their past ten contests.

To the Max

After a depressing loss on Thursday on what could have been Tarik Skubal’s final game as a Tiger, Detroit must have been really happy to face the lowly A’s, who have become almost helpless against any kind of offense. Starter Jeffrey Springs was decent enough, allowing only two runs over four innings, as the game was a tight 2-1 affair through seven. Alas, the A’s bullpen showed its ugly side, surrendering a seven-run frame that turned the contest into a laugher. In the process, rookie Max Clark had a very successful MLB debut, going 3-for-4 with a couple of doubles, two runs, and an RBI, highlighting this 13-1 win for the Tigers. With an unclear path towards the deadline, a couple of more wins in Sacramento could make things really confusing for Detroit’s front office.

 

By The Numbers

 

5 In the White Sox’s win over the Rays, their power trio of Munetaka Murakami, Miguel Vargas, and Colson Montgomery each recorded a homer, marking the fifth game this season in which they all went yard. It is the first time a trio of teammates do it in the same season since 2019, when Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager, and Joc Pederson did it for the Dodgers.

.840 After completing an impressive comeback win over the Dodgers, the Boston Red Sox officially closed July as their best calendar month in franchise history. Their 21-4 record translates to a .840 winning percentage, as they have vaulted from a lowly season to the thick of the AL playoff chase.

23.07 Junior Caminero hit his 30th homer of the season in a losing effort, giving him two straight years with at least 30 long balls. That makes him the sixth-youngest player to achieve this feat, at 23 years and 26 days. Some of the players above him on the list include inner-circle Hall of Famers like Jimmie Foxx and Eddie Mathews.

Best Moments From Yesterday

 

Spidey Senses

In one of the weekend’s most interesting matchups between contenders, the Diamondbacks and Guardians showed us why they can be dangerous if they make it to October, based on their athletic brands of baseball and solid pitching. This was quite clear in Angel Martínez’s effort to turn a routine foul ball into a spectacular out, as Cleveland’s right fielder showed no fear in crashing against the netting, giving us a Spiderman kind of play just as Peter Parker is back in theaters. Alas, while that play helped keep Arizona out of the board, it seems that no amount of defense can help the tragically unlucky Tanner Bibee in 2026. As the righty cruised through seven scoreless innings, a tragic eighth would add to his ledger of tough losses, as he allowed two runs to end his night at 100 pitches, while the bullpen would add two more for an eventual 4-1 Diamondbacks win. Bibee is now an unsightly 4-11 on the year despite a solid 3.81 ERA.

AB-Shout

In one of Friday’s most entertaining games, the Cincinnati Reds added to their recent run of strong play by defeating the Pirates 8-7, as the contest featured plenty of twists and turns. As a soccer fan, I know that no celebration is safe and holy anymore, with video review’s ugly head always looming. In baseball, though, ABS has added a nice layer in which a celebration can become enhanced by a favorable review. Despite another ugly start from Paul Skenes (five runs and four walks allowed in four innings), the Pirates managed to take a 7-5 lead heading to the eighth, but a stressful inning full of miscues allowed Cincinnati to score three times and re-take control, with an 8-7 score to close in the ninth. As closer Emilio Pagán had a full and two outs, he froze Endy Rodríguez with a perfect fastball on the black, leading the home plate umpire to call strike three as the crowd roared. With nothing to lose, Rodriguez challenged the call, with ABS confirming the strike and leading to a second massive crowd reaction. In an interesting tidbit, the official scorer decided to give Pagan the win instead of a traditional save, as his bullpen predecessors had allowed three combined runs in the eighth and almost blew the game.

Four Seasons In a Day

Despite their bad results on the field, the Colorado Rockies are frequently credited with having one of the best ballpark experiences in baseball, as Coors Field can be a special place to watch a game. To start a mostly meaningless series against the Royals, Denver decided to become noteworthy, as the city was witness to a bizarre weather sequence that started with a cold, windy hail and ended with a perfect day for baseball. What looked like a certain rainout became a beautiful postcard, allowing the contest to start on time. What’s more, the Rockies even completed one of their nicest wins of the season, as Tomoyuki Sugano won his 11th game, tossing 6.1 innings of one-run ball, as Colorado prevailed 3-1 and sent the home fans happy.

 

Injuries and Other Moves

 

⚾ The Rays are placing starter Shane McLanahan on the 15-day IL with a lower back injury. The lefty suffered the setback during Thursday’s game against Texas, and Tampa Bay will be cautious, even as his injury history has mostly dealt with arm and shoulder issues. To replace McLanahan’s spot on the roster, the team recalled Alex Cook, who should make his MLB debut soon. 

⚾ The Tigers have placed reliever Will Vest on the 10-day IL, as he is expected to miss the remainder of the season with a stress fracture in his elbow. Vest had a disappointing 2026, battling ineffectiveness and failing to secure a high-leverage role in Detroit’s bullpen. He will remain under contract with the Tigers for next season, as he is eligible for his final arbitration.

⚾ On one of the first important moves before the trade deadline, the Orioles shipped out starting pitcher Dean Kremer to the Twins. In exchange, Baltimore received power prospect Jhomnardo Reyes, an 18-year-old outfielder who has just been promoted to Low-A ball. He projects as a long-term option, while the Twins are now expected to really fight for a playoff spot.

 

Articles You Should Read

 

Ultimate Guide to Ultimate Grand Slams — Daniel Kramer, MLB.com

The Rays or Brewers Must Trade for Skubal — Mike Baumann, Fangraphs

 

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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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