The Baseball Buffet for 7/19/2026

TBR 6, BOS 7 - BOS SP Patrick Sandoval allowed many baserunners (5 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K), and a HR by Victor Mesa Jr. in the fourth inning. TBR SP Ian Seymour (3 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K) allowed a 2-run HR by Jahmai Jones in the second and a solo HR by Wilyer Abreu in the third. The Rays were ahead 5-3 through six innings and then Tampa's Jonny DeLuca hit a solo HR in the top of the seventh. But then after the stretch the Red Sox slugged two doubles and Abreu hit his second HR of the game, a go-ahead two-run shot.

The usually reliable Garrett Whitlock then threw a scoreless eighth, and closer Aroldis Chapman did the same in the ninth to earn his 21st save. The Rays actually outhit the Red Sox 10-6, but a throwing error by Ryan Vilade in that big seventh inning was a factor in letting the Red Sox get back into it and eventually take the lead. Of note, Abreu has hit 2 HR in each of last two games, and now has 15 HR on the season. Lastly, this win is Boston's 12th in a row and puts them one game over .500 at this point.

PIT 7, CLE 1 (Gm 1) - CLE SP Gavin Williams had 11 K over 6 innings (7 H, 5 ER, 0 BB), but the five runs he gave up came from HRs by Jacob Gonzalez in the second, and then Esmerlyn Valdez and Nick Gonzales in the sixth. Bryan Reynolds went 2-4 with a double and 2 runs, and Gonzalez, Gonzales, and Brandon Lowe had two hits apiece. Meanwhile, PIT SP Jared Jones had 9 K over 5 innings of work (3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB), and then Carmen Mlodzinski and Isaac Mattson pitched four scoreless innings to close it out.

PIT 3, CLE 5 (Gm 2) - The Pirates scored runs in each of the second, third, and fourth innings off CLE SP Logan Allen (3.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K). Meanwhile, Mason Montgomery pitched a scoreless first inning as their opener, and then PIT SP Khristian Curtis did well in his major league debut (5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K). Unfortunately for Bucs fans hoping for a doubleheader sweep, recently acquired reliever Brandon Eisert gave up three consecutive singles in the bottom of the eighth, and all three scored to tie the game 3-3. Cleveland brought in their closer Cade Smith as their seventh pitcher of the game, and struck out two in a scoreless top of the ninth.

The Pirates turned to Dennis Santana, who has really struggled this year, and he immediately yielded a single to Patrick Bailey. Steven Kwan doubled, but throws by Bryan Reynolds and Nick Gonzales got Bailey out at home. It didn't matter, as Santana then gave up a walk-off 2-run HR to rookie Travis Bazzana. With the trade deadline looming, I assume Pirates GM Ben Cherington is on the phone constantly to deal for bullpen help.

WSH 1, ATH 15 - After the disastrous 23-4 loss on Friday that extended their losing streak to ten games, the Athletics really needed to turn things around. Their generally capable offense showed up early, scoring five runs in the first inning off WSH SP Zack Littell, then tacking on another three over his six innings of work (6 IP, 8 H, 8 ER, 4 BB, 4 K). They kept attacking with Jacob Wilson going 3-6 with a HR, 3 runs, and 2 RBI; Tyler Soderstrom was 2-4 with a HR, 3 runs, and 2 RBI; Carlos Cortes went 2-4 with a HR and a double; and Jeff McNeil was 3-5 with 2 runs and 2 RBI out of the nine spot in their lineup. Meanwhile, ATH SP J.T. Ginn was outstanding, taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning (6.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K), and the Athletics bullpen only allowed one run finally in the ninth, bringing an end to the club's 10-game skid.

DET 7, LAA 0 - DET SP Tarik Skubal looked great (7 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K) as I assume phones continued to ring with trade offers for the two-time Cy Young Award winner. Three Tigers relievers combined with him for a shutout of the hapless Angels. Meanwhile, Spencer Torkelson went 2-4 with two HRs, including a 3-run HR in the first inning off LAA SP Grayson Rodriguez (4 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 3 K). Colt Keith was 4-4 with 2 RBI, and Kevin McGonigle went 2-5 with a double and 2 runs.

MIN 2, CHC 6

NYM 1, PHI 6

CWS 0, TOR 1

CIN 3, COL 10

BAL 4, HOU 2

SDP 1, KCR 6

STL 3, ARI 5

TEX 7, ATL 6

MIA 6, MIL 8

SFG 3, SEA 4

LAD vs. NYY - postponed due to inclement weather, with the makeup game being a doubleheader today

12-year major league career, spanning from 1963-1974, as a 2B mostly with the Mets, Giants, and Expos

Came in second in the NL Rookie of the Year vote after batting .272 with a modest 10 HR and 28 doubles in 143 games for the Mets. That would be the most HR he would hit in a season, as he retired with 39 HR in 6,158 plate appearances.

Two-time All-Star

Had a knack for getting hit by pitch, and led the NL in HBP for seven consecutive years from 1968-1974. He had 50 HBP in 1971, which is by far the modern-era (post-1901) record, with Don Baylor's 35 HBP in 1986 in second place.

Overall had a .273/.368/.347 slash line and a 105 OPS+

Game summaries for every game

Current MLB standings

Notable player transactions… injuries, call-ups, free agent signings, trades, etc.

Rotating statistical leader lists

Current hitting streaks of seven or more games

On this day in baseball history…

Career summaries for each of The Birthday Boys

Daily Hitter Watch and Pitcher Watch lists - who has historically done well or poorly against their matchup today?

Good Reads… my favorite recent baseball articles from other writers

… and the answers to the daily trivia questions!

… and during the offseason I still publish every day, covering trades, free-agent signings, and other hot-stove season news!

TBR Shane McClanahan vs. BOS Sonny Gray - This is a good pitching matchup, but the intrigue is building as Boston has a 12-game winning streak going.

PIT Paul Skenes vs. CLE Joey Cantillo - If the Pirates are going to make a wildcard run, they need Skenes to have a strong second half.

SFG Robbie Ray vs. SEA Logan Gilbert - Two solid veteran pitchers who are capable of having great games.

LAD Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. NYY Cam Schlittler - A great pitching matchup for game one of today’s doubleheader.

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