The Baseball Buffet for 7/4/2026

CWS 3, CLE 4 (10) - CWS SP Anthony Kay was pitching well (4 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K), but then the tarp came out for a nearly two-hour rain delay. That interrupted CLE SP Gavin Williams' start (4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K), though he had just allowed a 3-run HR to Miguel Vargas in the fifth. Cleveland came back and tied the game 3-3 with two runs in the bottom of the seventh, and it stayed that way through nine to force extras. With closer Cade Smith already having pitched the ninth, Erik Sambrowski entered and struck out two in a scoreless top of the tenth. The White Sox brought in Sean Newcomb, but he immediately gave up a single to Travis Bazzana which advanced the automatic runner to third, and then a walk-off single to Kahlil Watson.

STL 17, CHC 1 - CHC SP David Peterson's first start for the Cubs went fairly well, but this one was a disaster (3.2 IP, 9 H, 10 ER, 3 BB, 3 K). He only gave up one HR, a 3-run shot from Nathan Church in the second, but gave up 10 runs in less than four innings. Another recently acquired arm for the Cubs didn't do any better, as Bryse Wilson (3.1 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) gave up a 3-run HR to Masyn Winn in the fourth, and a solo HR to Bryan Torres in the seventh. Blaze Jordan went 3-5 with 3 runs; José Fermín was 2-5 with 2 doubles, Iván Herrera was 3-4 with a walk, 3 runs, and 2 RBI; and Alec Burleson was 2-5 with 4 RBI. Meanwhile, STL SP Andre Pallante pitched five scoreless innings (5 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) and picked up his 10th win of the year.

MIL 7, ARI 4 (11) - The Brewers scored three runs early against ARI SP Jose Cabrera (3.1 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K), including a 2-run HR by Garrett Mitchell in the second inning. Down 3-0, the Diamondbacks tied the game in the third when Kyle Harrison (2.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K) gave up three singles, a walk, and a double. Both bullpens were effective after that, and the game remained locked 3-3 to force extras.

Neither team scored in the 10th, and the D-Backs had to bring in their eighth pitcher of the game, Ryan Thompson, for the 11th inning. He hit rookie Cooper Pratt with a pitch, and then Joey Ortiz hit a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners to second and third. Thompson intentionally walked Christian Yelich to load the bases and set up force outs everywhere. Jackson Chourio hit a weak grounder on the third base side, Thompson fielded it barehanded and made a wild throw home, allowing two runs to score. Brice Turang then singled, driving in two more, and the Brewers were up 7-4. Milwaukee reliever Grant Anderson had pitched a scoreless 10th, came back out for the 11th, gave up a single to Ildemaro Vargas which drove in the automatic runner, but then closed it out for the Brewers win.

SDP 3, LAD 4 - LAD SP Shohei Ohtani had 9 K over 6 innings (7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB), but also allowed three runs including a solo HR by Jackson Merrill in the fourth. SDP SP Michael King pitched six efficient and scoreless frames, but then ran into trouble in the seventh when he walked Mookie Betts and allowed a single to Max Muncy. Padres reliever Adrian Morejon came in, but a fielding error by 2B Jake Cronenworth allowed Kyle Tucker to reach first and load the bases. That would prove costly, as Teoscar Hernández then hit a go-ahead grand slam. Dodgers reliever Edgardo Henriquez pitched a scoreless eighth, and then Tanner Scott struck out three in the ninth to record his 12th save.

BAL 3, CIN 0

PIT 5, WSH 9

NYM 3, ATL 5

MIN 2, NYY 5

SFG 3, COL 15

TBR 3, HOU 1

BOS 5, LAA 2

MIA 12, ATH 5

TOR 2, SEA 0

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!

BAL Brandon Young vs. CIN Hunter Greene - The 26-year-old Greene is coming off the IL and making his 2026 debut. When on the field he has been good the past two years with a 2.75 ERA over 26 starts in 2024 and a 2.76 ERA over 19 starts last year.

TBR Drew Rasmussen vs. HOU Hunter Brown - Two good pitchers in this one in Rasmussen (2.45 ERA over 92 IP) and Brown (1.78 ERA over 25.1 IP).

MIN Zebby Matthews vs. NYY Brendan Beck - The injury to Carlos Rodón creates an opportunity for a Yankees prospect, Brendan Beck. He was a second-round draft pick in 2021 and is now 27 year old, with a 3.07 ERA over 16 starts this year at AAA. Today is not his major league debut, as he previously pitched three innings of relief, but this is his first major league start.