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MLB News & Moments You Should Know: 7/26/2024

Cease's No-Hitter and Kershaw's return highlight an eventful Thursday.

Christian Otteman
MLB Morning News 7/26/2024

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

 

Cease and Desist, Nats!

Thursdays aren’t always the most exciting days of the season, with much of the league traveling to their next destination for a weekend series. This Thursday was a strong exception to the rule with Dylan Cease providing one of the best moments of the season as he completed his first career no-hitter in a start against the Washington Nationals. It was just the second no-hitter in Padres history and the first since Joe Musgrove accomplished the feat in 2021.

It was a Herculean effort from Cease, who required 114 pitches to finish the job. According to Cease’s postgame comments, it took a little convincing for manager Mike Shildt to allow Cease to stay in as he approached 100 pitches after seven innings. Mid-bid workloads have been a spot of contention for baseball fans this year, most recently with Paul Skenes being lifted after seven innings a few weeks ago, but it was great to see one pitcher stay in and stamp his place in the history books.

Of course, completing a no-no requires a little help from your friends. Ha-Seong Kim made sure that Cease had the run support he needed by providing a bases-clearing double in the first inning:

Later on, Xander Bogaerts and Jackson Merrill combined for a circus catch to keep Cease’s bid intact in the fifth inning. Every no-hitter requires a little defensive magic, right?

Overall, it was an excellent performance from Cease and one that cements him in Padres and baseball history forever. Congratulations, Dylan!

 

Kershaw Solid in Return

It’s been a long road to get back to the majors for Clayton Kershaw, who underwent shoulder surgery in the offseason and experienced a few setbacks before finally making his season debut on Thursday. Kershaw began the game looking like his old self, striking out Patrick Bailey to escape a jam in the first inning.

Following a mostly uneventful second inning, Kershaw ran into some trouble in the third, allowing a few hits and two runs to the Giants, but struck out Thairo Estrada in a big spot to limit the damage. Kershaw would complete a total of four innings while allowing six hits, two walks, and two earned runs while striking out six. While it wasn’t Kershaw’s best outing, it was a successful one in which we saw flashes of one of the best pitchers of the past decade. Here’s hoping Kershaw can stay healthy and turn in some vintage performances in 2024. The baseball world is better with him in it.

 

Orioles Salvage Extra-Inning Win

The Baltimore Orioles are one of the best teams in baseball, but they need every win they can get to stay ahead of the New York Yankees in the AL East. Winning the division title will require taking care of business against inferior teams, which is exactly what the O’s didn’t do in their first two games against the Miami Marlins. Facing a series sweep, Colton Cowser and Connor Norby provided some power to get the Orioles out to an early lead:

 

The Marlins wouldn’t go down without a fight, however, putting together a rally in late innings to chip away at the deficit and battle back. With Craig Kimbrel on the mound to close, Josh Bell delivered a clutch hit to knot the score at six runs apiece and send the game to extras:

In the top of the tenth, Ryan Mountcastle delivered an RBI single that would put the O’s ahead for good to avoid getting swept by the Marlins:

The 7-6 victory gives the Orioles a two-game lead in the AL East. Baltimore will head home to host the Padres in a weekend series, while the Marlins will travel to Milwaukee to face the Brewers.

 

A’s Star Closer Hits IL

In a season defined by off-field headlines and an uncertain future, Mason Miller has been a bright spot for the Oakland Athletics. The flame-throwing closer is must-see TV every time he takes the mound and was Oakland’s representative in the All-Star game last week. Unfortunately for Miller and the A’s, it looks like it’ll be a while before we see him throw again:

 

While the cause of injury was unclear for some time, it was later confirmed that Miller injured himself after hitting a padded training table in frustration. Miller’s name has been the subject of trade speculation since early this season, and while this injury doesn’t mean we won’t see him get moved ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, it certainly does complicate things. Get well soon, Mason.

 

Best Moments From Yesterday

 

Like Father, Like Daughter

Along with being an insanely talented shortstop, Francisco Lindor is one of the most likable players in the league. The only way we could possibly love him more is if we got some footage of him being an awesome dad.

 

Order Up, Vinnie!

Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino is getting a new menu item at Kauffman Stadium, and it couldn’t be more perfect:

 

Hats Off to You!

Remember that hat catch in the bullpen on the home run by Connor Norby? Yeah, apparently that’s something that Cionel Pérez has a knack for doing.

 

Mad Max Reaches the Top 10

While Cease was throwing a no-hitter, Max Scherzer was entering the history books in his own way by reaching his 3,400th strikeout in a win over the Chicago White Sox. With this performance, Scherzer passed Justin Verlander for a spot in the all-time top 10 strikeout leaders and became the active leader in punchouts.

 

Power Couple

In case you didn’t know, Dansby Swanson is married to US Soccer star Mallory Swanson, who had herself a great game representing the United States in the 2024 Olympics:

 

Injuries and Other Moves

 

⚾ Trade deadline season is here! The first move of the next few chaotic days: the Arizona Diamondbacks acquired A.J. Puk from the Miami Marlins in exchange for prospects Deyvison De Los Santos and Andrew Pintar. Puk has been excellent since moving back to the bullpen with a 2.08 ERA and instantly improves the Diamondbacks’ relief pitching.

⚾ Rangers activated SP Dane Dunning from the 15-day IL.

⚾ Orioles recalled 2B Connor Norby from Triple-A Norfolk and placed SS Jorge Mateo on the 10-day IL with a left elbow subluxation.

⚾ Giants placed SS Wilmer Flores on the 10-day IL with left knee tendinitis and recalled 3B David Villar from Triple-A Sacramento in a corresponding move.

⚾ Atlanta 3B Austin Riley was activated from the paternity list. Congrats to the Rileys!

⚾ Royals C/OF MJ Melendez began a rehab assignment with Double-A Northwest Arkansas.

⚾ Rangers sent SP Tyler Mahle on a rehab assignment to Double-A Frisco.

 

Articles You Should Read

 

In the right-field stands, an Oakland A’s die-hard faces an empty future — Sam Blum, The Athletic

Judge denies MLBPA in case against Bad Bunny agency, defers to arbitrator— Evan Drellich, The Athletic

Ranking the Top 10 Trade Deadlines — Will Leitch, MLB.com

 

Fantasy Baseball Coverage

 

Starting Pitcher Roundup

Hitter Performances

Reliever Ranks

Starting Pitcher Streamers

 

Christian Otteman

Christian Otteman is a hopelessly optimistic Cubs fan living in Milwaukee just looking to share his love of this beautiful game with others. He is especially a fan of the wild and weird things that only a game like baseball can produce. While he's not watching baseball, Christian is playing golf, hosting trivia, and working on his Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Marquette University.

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