All articles tagged with #pitching
Zack Wheeler was uncharacteristically ineffective, surrendering five first-inning runs and four homers as Seattle rolled to a 9-2 victory and snapped Philadelphia’s nine-game win streak. His command struggles—five walks and elevated pitches—were the story, while the Phillies’ offense could not mount a comeback. Philadelphia will turn to Aaron Nola next to try to regain momentum.
Bleacher Nation previews tonight’s Cubs-Diamondbacks game at Chase Field, highlighting a Cubs lineup and Kevin Gausman’s start against Merrill Kelly. The piece emphasizes Gausman’s recent form and a push for Daniel Palencia to reclaim the closer role, plus injury updates for both teams. Broadcast details list MARQ on TV and 104.3 The Score on the radio, with notes on weather and other game-day info.
Defector’s Ray Ratto hails Tugboat Wilkinson’s MLB debut for the Giants—a two-inning, 25-pitch, 1-0 win outing. Wilkinson, the second player to be nicknamed “Tugboat” (after Thurman Munson), delivers a nostalgic, unpolished flair and, despite limited action, earns calls for more opportunities in a game that felt built for more of him.
José Urquidy delivered six scoreless innings in relief after Sean Newcomb, guiding the White Sox to a 3-0 win over the Cubs at Wrigley to avoid the sweep; Miguel Vargas opened the scoring with a sixth-inning double, Braden Montgomery delivered a two-run hit in the eighth, and Grant Taylor closed out the shutout.
Phillies beat the Marlins 6-4 to extend a five-game win streak and reach 11 games over .500, but Zack Wheeler’s recent inconsistency—five innings, two runs, four walks, and a 6.64 ERA over his last five starts—raises concerns for Philadelphia’s playoff push.
Milwaukee's 2026 season is finally looking real, with elite pitching led by Jacob Misiorowski and Brice Turang providing steady offense, pushing the team toward a 100-win pace and even a World Series conversation after dominating the Dodgers in a four-game series.
Tommy John, the left-handed pitcher whose 1974 elbow reconstruction—the first successful ulnar collateral ligament transplant—extended his career to 26 seasons, helped redefine modern baseball, and earned four All-Star selections while playing for the Dodgers, White Sox and Yankees, died at 83.
The Pirates will push back Paul Skenes’ next start to Wednesday against the Tigers to give him extra rest; manager Don Kelly stressed it’s not injury-related. The move follows a non-dominant outing versus the Marlins, with a dip in fastball velocity and Skenes being pulled after 65 pitches, as he navigates a season that’s been trending away from his Cy Young-winning form.
The Cubs host the Cardinals in a three-game set at Wrigley with Cubs’ starters Clay Holmes, Matthew Boyd, and Shota Imanaga (Sunday starter Edward Cabrera replacing Imanaga) facing Luke Liberatore, Michael McGreevy, and Hunter Dobbins; Cabrera’s return to the rotation was announced, and Chicago aims to grab at least two wins amid favorable matchups and strong current form from its lineup.
The White Sox are betting that Luis Castillo can turn around a rough season by embracing a changeup-heavy adjustment, with GM Chris Getz noting the pitch's effectiveness when used and Castillo vowing to trust and increase its usage as he works to restore confidence after a slider-heavy development path in Seattle and a difficult Sox debut.
Despite a star-studded roster, the Dodgers have dropped eight of nine and sit 9–12 in the second half, exposing issues on both sides of the ball: the pitching staff has cratered in fWAR, ERA, FIP and home runs allowed while the offense has cooled with lower wRC+ and OBP and several regulars slumping. Edwin Diaz has blown several saves, and even new addition Tarik Skubal hasn’t fully stabilized the rotation. A few players—Kyle Tucker, Shohei Ohtani, and Andy Pages—have carried the load, but the team’s dominance feels less inevitable as they head toward August. Still, with a talent-rich roster, a rebound is expected rather than panic.
Ohtani has begun a throwing progression after knee trouble sidelined him from pitching since early July, returning to catch on Saturday with more throwing planned. Dodgers managers suggest he may not follow a normal rehab, given his DH duties, and could be used as an opener or in a piggyback role rather than as a traditional starter in the postseason. With Snell and Glasnow nearing returns, Los Angeles is evaluating its rotation, potentially including Yamamoto, Skubal, Wrobleski, Lauer, and Sasaki, while Lauer and Sasaki could shift to the bullpen. The final plan will hinge on his health and the team’s postseason strategy.
MLB starting pitchers are working fewer innings and delivering fewer complete games than ever, with July producing just two complete games and starters averaging 5.03 innings. The workload split has become bullpen-heavy (57% to starters) and the 110–120-pitch ceiling has effectively vanished, evidenced by only a handful of 110-pitch starts. Velocity modulation has collapsed—first-inning speeds now exceed ninth-inning speeds from 2011—indicating a shift toward early power and shorter outings across the league.
Detroit activated Jackson Jobe from the 60-day injured list and optioned Brenan Hanifee to Triple-A Toledo to clear a spot in the rotation, with Jobe set to rejoin the Tigers’ rotation and make his season debut tomorrow at Oracle Park against the Giants after 14 months away from MLB following Tommy John surgery. The move comes as Detroit has two 40-man openings after trading Casey Mize and Gage Workman and looks to stabilize a bullpen in a pivotal stretch.
Mired in a rough season with a 5.67 ERA, Miles Mikolas pinch-hit in extra innings for the Washington Nationals, laying down a squeeze bunt to drive in a run and later scoring on a double as Washington beat the Phillies 10-4; the moment stands out as a throwback highlight amid a disappointing year for Mikolas and the club.