The Baseball Buffet for 7/8/2026

ATL 4, PIT 12 - PIT SP Paul Skenes wasn't overpowering (6 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K), but he didn't need to be as the Pirates provided more than enough offense to secure his first win since mid-May. And by "Pirates", I primarily mean 1B Ryan O'Hearn who had a monster day by going 4-5 with 3 HR, including a grand slam and two 3-run HRs for a total of 10 RBI. Brandon Lowe went 3-5 with 2 runs; Esmerley Valdez was 1-3 with 2 walks and 2 runs; and Nick Gonzales and Tyler Callihan had two hits apiece.

KCR 16, NYM 12 - This game had 32 total hits and scoring all over the place. KCR SP Seth Lugo struggled right away (4.1 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 4 K), including giving up HRs to AJ Ewing and Juan Soto, his 20th of the year. Mets opener Cionel Pérez pitched a scoreless first inning, but then Kodai Senga once again struggled (3 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 4 K), giving up a 2-run HR to Tyler Tolbert who was an impressive 5-6 with 4 runs on the day. Lane Thomas went 3-4 with 2 doubles, 2 walks, and an RBI; Nick Loftin was 3-5 with a HR and 2 doubles; Michael Massey was 2-4 with 2 walks, 2 doubles, and 4 runs; and Salvador Perez went 2-5 with a walk, a double, and 2 RBI. Ewing went 4-4 with 4 runs and 3 RBI, and fellow rookie Carson Benge was 2-3 with 2 walks and 2 runs in the Mets' loss. As noted in an article by Bill Ladson at MLB, Tolbert connecting for five hits actually tied an MLB record as that gave him hits in 12 consecutive plate appearances.

COL 4, LAD 3 - Shohei Ohtani led off the bottom of the first with a HR, his 20th of the year and the 300th of his career. COL SP Michael Lorenzen recovered and pitched fairly well over six frames (6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K), while LAD SP Justin Wrobleski put in another strong performance (7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K), lowering his ERA to 2.69 on the season. Down 3-1, the Rockies came back and took the lead with three runs in the eighth, thanks largely to two errors by SS Miguel Rojas and 2B Alex Freeland in the inning. Jordan Romano kept the Dodgers from scoring in the ninth to earn his 6th save of the year.

MIL 4, STL 3 (Gm 1) - MIL SP Jacob Misiorowski gave up three runs early off HRs by Jordan Walker and Iván Herrera. But he otherwise was outstanding, giving up only three hits overall, with 11 K and 0 BB over 7 IP. Meanwhile, the Brewers came back with 2 runs in the third and one each later in the sixth and seventh innings to take the lead. Aaron Ashby pitched a scoreless eighth, and then Abner Uribe closed it out in the ninth for his 6th save. Christian Yelich was 3-5 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI; Jake Bauers was 2-3 with 2 doubles; and Joey Ortiz was 3-4 with a double.

MIL 10, STL 2 (Gm 2) - STL SP Hunter Dobbins had been called back from the minors for this second game of the double-header and he allowed an early 3-0 lead for the Brewers (5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K). The big damage came when Milwaukee unloaded for seven runs in the seventh inning, including a solo HR by Joey Ortiz. MIL SP Robert Gasser pitched well (7.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K), only allowing a 2-run HR by Nelson Velázquez in the sixth. Cooper Pratt went 2-4 with a walk, a triple, a double, 2 runs, and 2 RBI, and Brice Turang was 2-5 with 2 doubles. Of note, Brewers 21-year-old prospect CF Luis Lara made his major league debut, going 1-4 with a single, a walk, a run, and 2 RBI.

ATH 2, DET 6

NYY 4, TBR 6

HOU 6, WSH 3

CHC 5, BAL 2

SEA 5, MIA 6 (10)

CLE 1, MIN 3

BOS 8, CWS 1

PHI 4, CIN 1

LAA 3, TEX 8

ARI 1, SDP 4

TOR 9, SFG 3

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!

TOR Dylan Cease vs. SFG Logan Webb - Two aces face off in this one, though Cease has had a more consistent season so far this year.

NYY Gerrit Cole vs. TBR Shane McClanahan - A good pitching matchup in game two of this important AL East series