July 18th, 2025

What a start to the second half of the MLB season. Welcome back! It feels good to have baseball in full swing again. Thankfully, there was a ton of great action around the league yesterday so I didn’t have to fully suffer through the Giants offense.

If you missed it, Ronald Acuña Jr. made what might be one of the most ridiculous plays you’ll ever see. It’s honestly hard to even describe, you just have to watch it. Acuña continues to be one of the most electric players in the game, and the fact that he can pull off stuff like this is just unreal. One-of-a-kind talent.

I’m also treating you all to the Matt Vasgersian broadcast call. No disrespect to the Braves crew, Brandon Gaudin is great but the real ones know that Matty V just hits different.

The second thing I want to hit on is the Milwaukee Brewers. If they get into the playoffs, they’re going to be an absolute nightmare matchup. That pitching staff, both the starters and bullpen is legit. And now it looks like they’ve found another gem in Quinn Priester. They just keep doing it year after year.

On the flip side, I’m not totally sure what’s going on with the Dodgers. I know they’ve faced some tough competition lately, but something still feels a little off.

⚾ Headlines Around the League

Brewers 2, Dodgers 0 — Priester Silences L.A. Bats for Milwaukee’s 8th Straight Win

Cubs 4, Red Sox 1 — Suzuki’s First-Pitch Blast Ends Boston’s 10-Game Streak

Castillo Dominates as Seattle Closes Gap in AL West

Bassitt Shines, Blue Jays Blank Giants to Start Second Half Strong

Marlins 8, Royals 7 (10) — Stowers Walks It Off Again in Record-Breaking Night

Angels 6, Phillies 5 — Ward’s Go-Ahead Homer Caps Power Surge in Comeback Win

🔥 Notable Performances

Hitting

Pitching

📊 Final Scores and Highlights

Brewers 2, Dodgers 0

Quinn Priester turned in a dominant six-inning performance Friday night at Dodger Stadium, striking out 10 and holding the Dodgers to just three hits as the Brewers rolled to their eighth consecutive victory with a 2–0 shutout. Caleb Durbin delivered all the offense Milwaukee needed with a pair of extra-base hits, including a solo homer in the seventh.

🔑 Key Moments

• Quinn Priester started the second half with authority, needing just 77 pitches to blank the Dodgers over six innings. He struck out the side twice and generated 12 whiffs, mixing his cutter, slider, and a boosted sinker to keep hitters guessing.

• With the game scoreless in the fifth, Isaac Collins worked a leadoff walk and scored on Caleb Durbin’s 108.8 mph RBI double down the left-field line, giving the Brewers a 1–0 lead.

• In the seventh, Durbin struck again, crushing a 410-foot solo homer to center to double Milwaukee’s advantage.

• The Dodgers’ best shot came in the bottom of the seventh, but Joey Ortiz, Brice Turang, and Andrew Vaughn turned a slick double play to erase a one-out threat.

• Abner Uribe, Jared Koenig, and Trevor Megill combined to shut the door with three hitless innings of relief, sealing the shutout.

📊 Notable Stats

MIL

• Quinn Priester: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K

• Caleb Durbin: 2-for-4, 2B, HR (5), 2 RBI

• Isaac Collins: 1-for-3, BB, R

• Christian Yelich: 1-for-4, 2 K

LAD

• Tyler Glasnow: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

• Freddie Freeman: 1-for-2, 2B, BB

• Will Smith: 1-for-3

• Mookie Betts: 0-for-4, 2 K

Cubs 4, Red Sox 1

Seiya Suzuki wasted no time reminding fans why he deserved All-Star consideration, launching a three-run homer on the first pitch he saw to spark the Cubs to a 4-1 win and snap the Red Sox’s 10-game winning streak.

🔑 Key Moments

• After Michael Busch and Kyle Tucker worked back-to-back walks to open the bottom of the first, Seiya Suzuki jumped on the very first pitch he saw from Lucas Giolito — a 93.5 mph four-seamer — and crushed it 389 feet to left-center for a three-run blast that gave the Cubs a 3-0 lead.

• Boston chipped away in the third inning with a run, but Colin Rea worked through traffic and stranded two runners, keeping the Cubs in front.

• In the fifth, Pete Crow-Armstrong came up with a momentum-turning play, catching a line drive in center and firing to second to double up Abraham Toro, ending a Red Sox rally.

• The Cubs padded their lead in the sixth when Nico Hoerner rolled a ground ball single into left to score Ian Happ, pushing the lead to 4-1.

• The Chicago bullpen was lights out down the stretch, with five relievers combining for four shutout innings to close out the win and cool off a red-hot Red Sox team.

📊 Notable Stats

Cubs

• Seiya Suzuki: 2-for-4, HR (26), 3 RBI

• Nico Hoerner: 1-for-4, RBI

• Colin Rea: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 5 K

• Daniel Palencia: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R

Red Sox

• Roman Anthony: 1-for-3, 2B, RBI

• Lucas Giolito: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

• Jarren Duran: 1-for-2, 2 BB, R

Mariners 6, Astros 1

Luis Castillo delivered 6 2/3 scoreless innings and the Mariners broke it open late with a four-run eighth to take the series opener over Houston, cutting the AL West lead to just four games.

🔑 Key Moments

• Luis Castillo set the tone from the start, punching out Jose Altuve three times and stranding multiple runners in the third to escape a jam. His 6.2 innings of three-hit ball gave the Mariners a huge lift in Game 1 of this pivotal series.

• In the bottom of the fourth, Randy Arozarena continued his torrid stretch, blasting a 445-foot solo homer to left-center to put Seattle on the board first.

• Mitch Garver joined the fun in the seventh, launching a 420-foot solo shot to dead center that doubled the Mariners' lead to 2-0.

• Houston briefly made it interesting in the top of the eighth when Isaac Paredes ripped an RBI double to score Brice Matthews, cutting the lead to 2-1.

• But Seattle roared back in the bottom of the frame with a four-run outburst: J.P. Crawford and Cal Raleigh delivered RBI singles, Raleigh swiped his 11th bag of the season, and the M's took full control at 6-1.

📊 Notable Stats

Mariners

• Luis Castillo: 6.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K

• Randy Arozarena: 1-for-3, HR (18), BB, RBI

• Mitch Garver: 2-for-4, HR (6), RBI

• Cal Raleigh: 1-for-4, RBI, SB (11)

• J.P. Crawford: 1-for-4, RBI

Astros

• Isaac Paredes: 1-for-3, 2B, RBI, BB

• Brandon Walter: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K

• Jose Altuve: 0-for-4, 3 K

Blue Jays 4, Giants 0

Editor’s Note: The Giants offense is on the verge of making me crash out. I think I need a new hobby.

The Blue Jays picked up right where they left off before the All-Star break, stringing together a four-run second inning and riding 6.1 scoreless frames from Chris Bassitt to shut out the Giants in their second-half opener.

🔑 Key Moments

• The Blue Jays came out hot in the bottom of the second, sending all nine batters to the plate against Justin Verlander. RBI doubles from Joey Loperfido and Will Wagner, along with an RBI single from Nathan Lukes, gave Toronto an early 4-0 cushion.

• Chris Bassitt worked around 10 hits with the help of two early double plays and efficient soft contact. He struck out five and walked none in a gritty 97-pitch outing that kept the Giants off the board.

• The bullpen was lights out behind Bassitt. Brendon Little, Yariel Rodríguez, and Jeff Hoffman combined for 2.2 hitless innings, racking up seven strikeouts to lock down the shutout.

• Despite a quiet night from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, the bottom of the order stepped up. Wagner, Loperfido, and Kirk all chipped in with key hits that made the difference.

📊 Notable Stats

Blue Jays

• Chris Bassitt: 6.1 IP, 10 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

• Will Wagner: 1-for-2, 2B, 2 RBI, BB

• Joey Loperfido: 2-for-3, 2B, RBI, BB

• Nathan Lukes: 1-for-4, RBI

• George Springer: 3-for-4, SB (12)

Giants

• Rafael Devers: 2-for-4, 2B

• Patrick Bailey: 2-for-4

• Justin Verlander: 2.2 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 K

Marlins 8, Royals 7

Kyle Stowers capped off a historic two-game stretch with a walk-off two-run blast in the 10th, lifting the Marlins to an 8-7 win over the Royals in dramatic fashion and making MLB history along the way.

🔑 Key Moments

• Jesús Sánchez opened the scoring in the first with a 431-foot solo homer, and two batters later, Stowers followed with a two-run shot to right-center, giving Miami a quick 3-0 lead.

• Stowers added an RBI single in the third to extend Miami's lead to 5-0, his fifth consecutive hit dating back to Sunday's three-homer game.

• Kansas City stormed back in the fourth with a game-changing three-run homer from John Rave, trimming the lead to 5-4.

• After tying it with another Rave homer in the ninth, the Royals took a 7-5 lead in the top of the 10th thanks to a clutch two-out, two-run double from Adam Frazier.

• The Marlins answered immediately. Agustín Ramírez knocked in a run with a single, then Stowers crushed a 394-foot walk-off homer into the right-field upper deck to end it — his second homer of the night and fifth in his last two games.

📊 Notable Stats

Marlins

• Kyle Stowers: 3-for-5, 2 HR (20, 21), 5 RBI

• Agustín Ramírez: 2-for-5, RBI, R

• Jesús Sánchez: 1-for-3, HR (8), RBI

• Sandy Alcantara: 6.0 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

Royals

• John Rave: 2-for-4, 2 HR (1, 2), 4 RBI

• Adam Frazier: 1-for-1, 2B, 2 RBI

• Seth Lugo: 6.0 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

Angels 6, Phillies 5

The Angels powered their way to a comeback win behind three home runs and seven bullpen arms, taking a 6-5 victory over the Phillies to open a critical second-half stretch.

🔑 Key Moments

• Jorge Soler tied the game early with a 420-foot solo homer in the second, answering Kyle Schwarber’s leadoff blast from the bottom of the first.

• Down 4-1 in the fourth, the Halos chipped away with a rally sparked by a Mike Trout double and a Jo Adell two-run homer — Adell’s 20th of the season — to bring L.A. within one.

• Trout came through again in the fifth with a game-tying two-out RBI single, his 996th career RBI, knotting the game at 4-4.

• In the seventh, Taylor Ward crushed a 393-foot go-ahead two-run homer off Tanner Banks, his 22nd of the season, putting the Angels up for good.

• Kenley Jansen shut things down in the ninth for his 17th save after Bryce Harper made it interesting with his second homer of the game in the eighth.

📊 Notable Stats

Angels

• Taylor Ward: 1-for-4, HR (22), 2 RBI, BB

• Jo Adell: 1-for-4, HR (20), 2 RBI

• Mike Trout: 2-for-5, 2B, RBI

• Jorge Soler: 1-for-3, HR (11), RBI

• Logan O’Hoppe: 2-for-4, 3B

• Bullpen: 8.0 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K

Phillies

• Bryce Harper: 3-for-4, 2 HR (11, 12), 4 RBI

• Kyle Schwarber: 1-for-3, HR (31), 2 R

• Jesús Luzardo: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K

Other scores around the league:

White Sox 10, Pirates 1
J. Cannon: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 SO
L. Robert: 2-2, 3 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Padres 7, Nationals 2
D. Cease: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 10 SO
M. Soroka: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 SO, 2 BB

Guardians 8, Athletics 6
S. Cecconi: 8.1 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 2 SO
B. Rooker: 2-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Reds 8, Mets 4
N. Lodolo: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 7 SO, 1 BB
A. Hays: 2-3, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI

Braves 7, Yankees 3
S. Strider: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 8 SO, 3 BB
J. Brubaker: 3.0 IP, 4 SO, 1 BB

Rays 11, Orioles 1
T. Bradley: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 6 SO, 1 BB
J. Caminero: 3-5, 2 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI

Rangers 2, Tigers 0
R. Olson: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 6 SO, 1 BB
P. Corbin: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 6 SO, 2 BB

Rockies 6, Twins 4
K. Freeland: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 SO, 3 BB
J. Beck: 3-5, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Diamondbacks 7, Cardinals 3
B. Pfaadt: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 6 SO
V. Scott II: 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI

⚾ Must-Watch Games Today

⚡ Brewers (57-40) @ Dodgers (58-40)

🕘 9:10 PM EDT • Dodger Stadium
Pitching Matchup: Freddy Peralta (11-4, 2.66 ERA) vs. Emmet Sheehan (1-0, 2.03 ERA)

🍁 Giants (52-46) @ Blue Jays (56-41)

🕒 3:07 PM EDT • Rogers Centre
Pitching Matchup: Logan Webb (9-6, 2.94 ERA) vs. Eric Lauer (4-2, 2.78 ERA)

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