Hayden Wesneski returns for start vs. Angels

Lauer averaged 92.1 mph with his fastball tonight, matching his season high. and allowed only three hard-hit balls. He’s now 5-0 with a 2.96 ERA in nine outings for the Dodgers after going 1-5 with a 6.69 ERA with the Blue Jays, and the Angels are already preparing to make him a three-year, $39 million offer in November. First, though, he’ll face the Cubs on Tuesday.

The Dodgers had a 4-0 lead going until the eighth. Tanner Scott pitched that inning and allowed one run to create the save situation. Diaz then gave up a double to Dominic Canzone with one out and another to Josh Naylor with two outs before Luke Raley’s 86-mph liner to first ended the game. It’s definitely a good sign for those rostering Díaz that he got the ball in the ninth right away in his first game back. He averaged 96.9 mph on his five fastballs, which was 1.2 mph better than his April average prior to surgery. Scott is probably worth holding on to for now in most formats, but that would change if Díaz looks good the next couple of weeks.

Three runs in five innings on the road against one of the game’s best offenses probably doesn’t do much for Hancock’s trade value either way. He gave up one homer, though that was hit just 95.4 mph off the bat by Andy Pages. The other runs scored on three straight singles in the third and a single, a double and an infield single in the fourth. A better third baseman than Weston Wilson might have made the play on the last hit in the fourth to prevent the run. Hancock dropped to 6-5 with a 3.26 ERA. If he stays put, he should face the Tigers next Tuesday or Wednesday.

Emerson Hancock struck out Shohei Ohtani to begin the bottom of the first, but Pages immediately followed with a homer. He later picked up another RBI on an infield single in the fourth. That puts Pages up to 71 RBI on the season. He’s tied for eighth in the majors there, even though he’s mostly hit second and seventh.

Diaz hit a 425-foot homer off Grayson Rodriguez in his first at-bat and then added three singles afterwards for third career four-hit game. His last came almost exactly two years ago on July 30, 2024 against the Pirates. Diaz is batting .286 with four homers in his last 13 games. He hasn’t been playing quite enough lately to reemerge as an option in mixed leagues, but that could change if he stays hot.

Wesneski struck out four and gave up nine hard-hit balls, so this wasn’t a dominant effort. The Astros, though, had to be pretty pleased. Wesneski was quite efficient, throwing first-pitch strikes to 19 of 25 batters and getting 17 outs on 79 pitches. His sweeper, thrown slower and with more break than it had been previously, had a 43 percent CSW with no hard-hit balls the five times it was put into play. It’s possible the Astros could go away from Wesneski if they acquire a starter before the deadline, but the rotation doesn’t seem to be the team’s priority. He’ll likely face the Blue Jays next Tuesday.

Josh Hader had this one off after pitching the previous two days and four of the last five. Fortunately, though, Abreu is back in pretty good form now after his horrendous start to the year. He has a 2.20 ERA in 30 appearances since the beginning of June, though his 32/13 K/BB in 28 2/3 innings still isn’t quite reminiscent of how he performed the previous four years.

Rodriguez struck out six and left with a one-run lead, though that didn’t even survive the sixth. It’s his best outing in the four since he came off the IL and right there with his top performances in 10 tries on the season. Next up for Rodriguez will be his first start against his old friends in Baltimore. It’s doubtful he’ll offer any mixed-league value the rest of the way on an Angels team that’s bad and probably getting worse, but he’s showing enough to make the Taylor Ward trade look like a clear win. The Angels will have him under control through 2029, and he’ll make close to the minimum again next year.

This was an unbelievable baseball game. Tied 0-0 after nine, Pete Crow-Armstrong swatted a two-run home run in the top of the 10th to give the Cubs a commanding lead. Facing a sweep and swirling rumors about teammates being traded, the Cardinals rallied for three in the bottom of the inning with Herrera’s walk-off double landing the final blow. It was his second of two doubles – with the first being hit 111 mph – and saved the day. Herrera himself has been at the center of some recent rumors and hopes to get off the schneid after putting up a .545 OPS over his last 30 games.

May put together a solid start here while it was obvious that the Cardinals were trying to protect him. He got through his five scoreless innings, but didn’t face a single batter for a third time and was yanked at just 70 pitches. His fastball also trended down closer to 95 mph from his usual 97 in that fifth or final inning. To further defend that decision, May’s command was all over the place and he only forced three total swings-and-misses. In the end, May has faltered over the last month, was wild again here, and the Cardinals did well to quit while they were ahead. May is a trade candidate ahead of Monday’s deadline, so keep an eye out for where and when his next start is.