Game Recaps
Diamondbacks walked off by Pirates, drop 3 straight vs. Wild Card competitors
by Alex Weiner [Arizona Sports]Brandon Lowe delivered the game-winning single, as the Diamondbacks have dropped three straight games to fellow National League Wild Card contenders on what many players called the most important road trip of the season. Lowe’s walk-off knock off Taylor Clarke ricocheted off the glove of first baseman Ildemaro Vargas.
The Diamondbacks had their chance in the top of the 10th, as a throwing error
from Pirates third baseman Nick Gonzales set up Arizona with runners on second and third with one out. Gabriel Moreno, the Diamondbacks’ hottest hitter, struck out looking on the 11th pitch of his at-bat. After an intentional walk to Ketel Marte, Max Kepler — who delivered three hits on Monday — hit a line drive to center field that hung up too long.
Diamondbacks fall to Pirates in extra innings by Nick Piecoro [AZ Central]
The Diamondbacks’ bullpen, which had a rough afternoon in Washington the day before, coughed up a 2-1 lead in the eighth inning. With two out, the Pirates got consecutive doubles from Brandon Lowe and Bryan Reynolds to tie the game off reliever Jonathan Loaisiga.
Reynolds’ at-bat was interrupted by the ejection of Pirates manager Donnie Kelly, who was thrown out by third-base umpire Ben May after ostensibly complaining about check-swing calls that went against Reynolds.
Diamondbacks News
D-backs Reportedly Turned Down by Red Sox Before Connelly Early Trade by Alex D’Agostino [SI]
Piecoro went on to reveal that the Diamondbacks had spoken to the Red Sox about this type of deal. He did not state whether it was Early, specifically, who was on Arizona’s radar, but it’s a good bet that was the case.
But the Red Sox weren’t interested, and it had to do with the players the D-backs were able to give up in exchange. Boston reportedly preferred to land a more major-league caliber player, as opposed to hitters who were closer to being prospects than everyday major league bats.
Diamondbacks not looking to trade Ketel Marte as he nearly wipes Instagram feed by Damon Allred [Arizona Sports]
Many Diamondbacks fans grew worried there was a rift between Ketel Marte and Arizona when the star second baseman wiped his Instagram feed almost entirely over the weekend.
As of Monday morning, the Diamondbacks are not looking to trade Marte, Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro said.
Marte, who was previously very active on Instagram, deleted all posts but one, including those related to the Diamondbacks and others that were not.
D-Backs’ Torey Lovullo shuts down Ketel Marte tension rumors after Instagram buzz by Wendy Lopez [Burn City Sports]
“First, I don’t even know what scrubbing is,” Lovullo told reporters, according to MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert. “I don’t get it. I mean, I’m a baseball manager. I’ve connected with Ketel just to find out how he’s doing. Everything is in a good spot. I know that everybody wants to make some drama that’s taking place here. It’s nothing like it seems.”
Around the League
Max Scherzer grinds through birthday return to Nationals Park by Ian Quillen [MLB]
Max Scherzer’s second return from an IL stint this season went better than his first, enough so that he’s hopeful for what could still be ahead.
Scherzer labored through 2 2/3 innings on 75 pitches on his 42nd birthday, but he escaped by allowing only one run in his former home park in the Blue Jays’ 3-2 win over the Nationals in Monday night’s series opener.
MLB 2026 trade deadline: What NL contenders need to beat Dodgers by Jesse Rogers [ESPN]
It seems like, for much of the 2026 season, the top question in the National League — and Major League Baseball as a whole, really — has been: Who are the biggest threats to the Los Angeles Dodgers?
The teams in that category as we come out of the All-Star break and enter the second half of the season: the Milwaukee Brewers, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies.
Atlanta and Milwaukee lead their respective divisions, while Chicago and Philadelphia hold the first and second wild-card spots, respectively. The Dodgers are cruising to another NL West title, with a 12-game edge over the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks, meaning they will likely make their 14th consecutive postseason appearance in 2026, tying Atlanta’s record of 14 straight playoffs from 1991 to 2005.
Mead for Early: It’s a Challenge Trade! by Michael Baumann [FanGraphs]
The Boston Red Sox and Washington Nationals kicked off trade deadline season in earnest on Saturday night, when Boston sent left-handed pitcher Connelly Early to the Nats for corner infielder Curtis Mead.
Most consequential trades this time of year involve a contender swapping one or more prospects for an established big leaguer. Not so this one. At the time of the trade, the Red Sox and Nationals were in similar positions in the standings: The Sox were 53-50, seven and a half games out of the division lead, but half a game up in the AL Wild Card race. The Nats were 53-52, eight and a half games out of first place in the NL East, but only two games out of a Wild Card spot. Both teams are playing with house money: Boston on account of being 14 games under .500 less than five weeks ago, and Washington on account of… everything that’s happened since the start of the 2020 season.
Cubs, White Sox Reportedly Showing Interest In Reid Detmers by Anthony Franco [MLB Trade Rumors]
Detmers and rotation mate José Soriano are both under arbitration control through the 2028 season. The former is playing on a $2.625MM salary, a little over $775K of which will be owed after the deadline.
The Angels could seek multiple top 100 prospects to part with two and a half years of very affordable control over an above-average starter. They’re in an odd spot with interim general manager John Mozeliak running their deadline, but recent reporting suggests they’re more open to conversations on their controllable players than they’d been in prior years. The aforementioned two starters and shortstop Zach Neto would be their top trade candidates and could rejuvenate a weak farm system if the Halos are truly open to a rebuild.
