Merrill Kelly gives up five runs in loss to Rays

Machado, who certainly isn’t used to coming out of non-blowouts, was lifted for a pinch-runner after the single, which proved to be key. The next batter, Gavin Sheets, hit a grounder to shortstop Andrés Giménez against a shifted infield. Second baseman Ernie Clement, pulled over towards first, decided against trying to beat the pinch-runner, Jace Bowen, to second base, and the Jays settled for the out at first. Had Machado been running, there’s little doubt the Padres would have retired him. Bowen, though, went on to steal third and score the go-ahead run on Ty France’s sac fly. The three-hit game was Machado’s first since April and just his second of the year. It raised his average from .196 to .203, making this the first time since May 7 that he’s finished a game over the Mendoza Line. Since bottoming out at .166 last month, he’s hit .279 with eight homers and 23 RBI in his last 30 games.

The runs came on a 95.3-mph homer from Nathan Lukes and a 98.4-mph homer from Ernie Clement, so Márquez didn’t have a lot of luck there. He showed improved velocity for the second straight start, again averaging 95.8 mph with his fastball. He was also at 95.0 mph in his return from the injured list on July 2. He averaged 94.3 mph in his first six starts before missing two months with forearm inflammation. The extra velocity doesn’t figure to make him fantasy relevant, but it should make him more viable for the Padres.

There’s little doubt that Miller will be the choice in the ninth on Tuesday in the NL All-Star squad has a lead. Miller enters the break as the NL saves leader, with one more than Jhoan Duran and Riley O’Brien. He’s three behind Cade Smith for the major league lead.

The runs all came in the second. The last scored on a balk after Gausman failed to disclose whether he’d be pitching from the windup or the stretch with the bases loaded. Overall, it was an encouraging outing. Six days after averaging just 92.5 mph with his fastball against the Giants, Gausman came in at a season-high 95.1 mph today and struck out eight. But it’s probably best not to read much into it; his velocity has always fluctuated more than that of other starting pitchers. He ends the first half 4-8 with a 4.33 ERA and a 116/32 K/BB in 112 1/3 innings, and he’ll probably face the White Sox next weekend.

The rally started with a soft liner that Ernie Clement could do nothing with and included a couple of more singles, a couple of steals and a long go-ahead sac fly that would have been a homer in 15 ballparks. The earned runs were the first allowed by Hoffman since June 6. He had since allowed one unearned run in 13 innings. He’s still throwing well enough to resume closing, but it seems highly unlikely that the Jays will give him that chance as long as Louis Varland remains healthy.

Troy was forced out of Saturday’s game with a contusion on his right shoulder and wasn’t able to play Sunday The outfielder was considered day-to-day, but obviously the results of that imaging will go a long way towards determining if he’ll need to miss significant time.

The Giants got their go-ahead run in the eighth when Hunter Goodman threw the ball into center on Grant McCray’s steal attempt, allowing Rafael Devers to score from third. Adames then singled in McCray for an insurance run. It was Adames’s first three-hit game since May 16. He had been off to a 5-for-32 start this month.

The one run came on Jake McCarthy’s inside-the-park homer to open the game. The Giants didn’t take the lead until the bottom of the eighth, so McDonald went unrewarded for his fine effort. He ends the first half 3-7 with a 5.02 ERA and a 54/21 K/BB in 66 1/3 innings over 13 starts. There isn’t much fantasy upside here, but with his groundball ability, he should do well enough to stick in the San Francisco rotation the rest of the way.

Miller replaced Keaton Winn in a tie game in the eighth and remained in after the Giants scored twice in the bottom of the inning, as Caleb Kilian was left in the pen after blowing his last save chance on Friday. Miller gave up a leadoff single, but he retired three in a row afterwards, winning an 11-pitch battle with Cole Carrigg to end the game. Miller could be a possibility to pick up some saves after the break. He could also be a candidate to be traded if the Giants decide to sell, but since he’s not going to be a free agent until after 2029, the team would demand a significant return.

Lorenzen allowed five hits, walked three and struck out just one, but that amounted to only one run for the Giants. Lorenzen departed a tie game, so he remained 3-9 with a 6.22 ERA for the season. He could be part of a deadline deal if anyone is interested in his ability to soak up innings. If not, he’ll probably finish out the year in Colorado’s rotation.