Cole Ragans dominated in his first inning back from the IL ($):
Ragans got Arozarena swinging on three pitches. He overpowered the All-Star outfielder with three fastballs 95 mph or higher. Next, Ragans sent Raleigh — an American League MVP candidate — down on strikes. Rodriguez received the same fate. He swung through three consecutive heaters before making a U-turn back to the Mariners dugout. All told, Ragans induced nine swings and misses in the first inning alone.
Kyle Isbel left the game with a hamstring injury:
“He felt something in his hamstring,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “We’ll get him an MRI in the morning and see how it is.”
The Royals are staying focused despite being effectively eliminated from postseason contention:
“It’s tough to deliver, but it is one day at a time,” Frazier said. “There are two weeks left. If you just check out, your numbers are going to reflect it. You’ve got to show up mentally. Stay locked in. … You got to take some pride with yourself up [at] the plate and in the field. Still got 10 games left to play hard.”
Baseball America graded out how the farm performed in 2025 ($):
Big league pitchers have exposed holes in his offensive game, but Jac Caglianone laid waste to minor league competition and surged to the majors—all while learning a new position—which is an encouraging development in such a short amount of time. Carter Jensen has joined him in the majors, and Noah Cameron has also exceeded expectations so far. Elsewhere, the Royals got great returns so far from several lower-level prospects such as David Shields, Yandel Ricardo, Kendry Chourio and Asbel Gonzalez. Even despite Blake Mitchell’s lost season, this is a system in a better place than it was 12 months ago.
Carlos Estévez has brought stability to Kansas City’s bullpen:
Again, he doesn’t leave batters dumbfounded with blistering stuff, but he’s found a way to close out games that works for him. And as long as the saves keep coming, the Royals likely won’t care how he’s going about getting them.
With Kansas City also seeing the likes of several trusted arms hit the IL at some point his season, like Erceg, Hunter Harvey, Steven Cruz and Daniel Lynch IV, one thing has remained constant, and that is Estévez’s stabilizing presence in the back.
Ryan Bergert’s season is over as he heads to the IL with a forearm injury.
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Cal Raleigh has a shot at breaking Aaron Judge’s AL home run record.
In a cost-cutting move, the Twins fired almost their entire pro scouting staff.
The Cubs clinched their first postseason birth since 2020.
In the midst of a strong stretch, Justin Verlander intends to pitch in 2026.
Despite another bad season, the White Sox appear to be headed in the right direction.
Dan Szymborski investigates which teams have been most ravaged by injuries this season.
Comparing 2025’s aces to those of past eras.
How improved understanding of rising fastballs has revolutionized pitching development. ($)
St. Louis first baseman Willson Contreras will miss the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury.
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Milwaukee left-handed pitcher Jose Quintana will miss at least the remainder of the regular season with a calf injury
Could college football benefit from a Premier League style shakeup?
Teslas appear unable to recognize railroad tracks.
A Chinese airshow demonstrated why flying cars are an awful idea. Also worth pointing out that we already have flying cars — we call them helicopters and there are many reasons why they are not more widely used.
Jerry Greenfield, cofounder of Ben & Jerry’s, is leaving the company, citing disputes with parent company Unilever over the founders’ political activities.
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Your song of the day is Arm’s Length by Pool Kids.