The emotional Chicago Cubs will turn to veteran right-hander Colin Rea on Tuesday night in a bid to even their three-game series with host Milwaukee and move back into a tie with the Brewers atop the National League Central.

Rea (8-4, 4.06 ERA), who pitched the previous two seasons for Milwaukee, will oppose fellow right-hander Quinn Priester (9-2, 3.28). Priester has won his last eight decisions.

Milwaukee moved a game ahead of the Cubs with an 8-4 comeback victory Monday in the series opener on a day the Cubs lost their legendary second baseman, Ryne Sandberg, to prostate cancer at the age of 65.

Sandberg was a 10-time All-Star and a nine-time Gold Glove winner in 15 seasons for the Cubs. He was chosen as the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1984, when he hit .314 with league-high totals of 114 runs and 19 triples to go with 19 homers and 84 RBIs. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.

After the Cubs’ loss on Monday, manager Craig Counsell said: “I just addressed the team and told them the news of Ryno’s passing. We’re saddened of the loss of a great man.

“We were lucky as a group this year to have Ryno in spring training, and it was an honor to be around a man battling for his life but wanted to come to the baseball park and spend his day with us. I know it meant a lot to everybody in there. We’re grateful that he was willing to spend his time with us when things weren’t going great for him.”

“So it’s a sad day for the Chicago Cubs, and he was a great Cub.”

On Monday, the Brewers overcame a shaky start from All-Star rookie Jacob Misiorowski, who allowed three runs in the first inning with the aid of a bases-loaded wild pitch and his own throwing error.

Christian Yelich, Andrew Vaughn and Sal Frelick each homered for Milwaukee.

Rea is 3-1 with a 3.04 ERA in four starts in July, lasting at least five innings each time out.

He took the loss in his last start, allowing six runs (five earned) and three homers in five innings in an 8-4 defeat versus Kansas City on Wednesday.

Rea has given up 19 homers, fifth most in the National League this season.

In his lone appearance against Milwaukee, in 2020, he yielded three runs on four hits in 3 1/3 innings in a no-decision.

Kyle Tucker extended his on-base streak to 17 games Monday with a single and two walks.

After picking up a win in his last appearance in May, Priester was 4-0 with 1.98 ERA in five games in June. He is 3-0 in four appearances, including three starts, this month.

In his last start, Priester allowed two runs in seven innings in a 10-2 win at Seattle on Wednesday.

“Just get our guys back in the dugout, that’s my goal,” Priester said following his last start. “We’ve been on a hot streak, and it’s so hard to sustain that, right? That’s part of why it’s so hard to be in the big leagues and win games here.”

Priester is 0-0 with a 9.58 ERA in two career relief appearances against the Cubs, including this season when he allowed seven runs in 4 1/3 innings in early May.

Vaughn, acquired from the Chicago White Sox last month for pitcher Aaron Civale, was called up from Triple-A Nashville when first baseman Rhys Hoskins went on the IL with a thumb injury. In 14 games with Milwaukee, Vaughn is batting .341 with four homers, four doubles and 15 RBIs.

The Brewers shuffled their bullpen before Monday’s game, calling up right-hander Craig Yoho from Triple-A and sending down right-hander Tobias Myers.
Yoho relieved to start the ninth inning Monday and issued a pair of two-out walks, requiring closer Trevor Megill to come in and get the final out.

–Field Level Media

What might have been right-hander Seth Lugo’s final start as a member of the Kansas City Royals has turned into the beginning of an extended stay with the club.

Meanwhile, one of Atlanta’s recent acquisitions will try to help the Braves’ depleted rotation.

Fresh off of signing a contract extension, Lugo will try to help the host Royals even this series Tuesday night against right-hander Erick Fedde and Atlanta.

Lugo (7-5, 2.95 ERA) was the subject of consistent trade rumors as the deadline approaches on Thursday. Instead, the 35-year-old agreed to a two-year, $46 contract extension beyond this season, his second with the team.

“Seth made it very apparent that he wanted to be here,” said Royals executive vice president and general manager J.J. Picollo.

“I do feel very confident that we would have not found somebody that had a couple of years’ control, was a runner-up Cy Young Award winner, All-Star, Gold Glover. … I don’t think we’re finding that type of talent in the trade market.”

Lugo, a 16-game winner with the Royals in 2024, is coming off his 11th quality start of the season. On Wednesday, he allowed two runs, four hits and struck out six over six innings of an 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Now, he will pitch without a trade cloud overhead.

“Rumors that come up over the past month, I wanted to be here next year,” Lugo said. “We’ve got to show up every day, and it’s something we shouldn’t take lightly.”

Locking up Lugo was imperative after the Royals announced Monday that All-Star Kris Bubic will miss the rest of the season with a strained rotator cuff.

Lugo also will try to help Kansas City rebound after it tied a franchise record with 14 walks allowed in Monday’s 10-7 loss to the Braves, who snapped a five-game losing streak.

Lugo has made 29 career appearances versus the Braves and is a stellar 4-0 with a 1.29 ERA in five starts against them.

Fedde (3-10, 5.22 ERA), meanwhile, was designated for assignment by the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday and traded to Atlanta on Sunday.

Though he allowed a whopping 26 runs, 33 hits — including eight homers — and walked 11 over 17 2/3 innings while going 0-4 in his last five starts with the Cardinals, he’s apparently a viable option for the Braves.

“I’ve had highs and lows in this game, and I’m just trying to be professional, show up every day and give it my best,” Fedde told MLB.com.

Fedde, however, was exceptional in his only two career starts versus Kansas City. Both coming last season with the Chicago White Sox, he yielded one run over 10 2/3 innings.

Kansas City’s Maikel Garcia is 0-for-3 versus Fedde. However, he’s batting .423 with five RBIs in the last seven games.

On Monday, Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna Jr. and Marcell Ozuna each hit a two-run homer. Acuna is 6-for-12 versus Lugo, while Ozuna, the subject of trade rumors, is 1-for-11 with five strikeouts and five walks against him.

–Field Level Media

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ pitching situation is coming into focus.

Manager Dave Roberts has had to work his rotation around injuries throughout the season, but the Dodgers are just about back at full strength.

On Tuesday night, in the second game of their three-game set in Cincinnati, the Dodgers will send right-hander Tyler Glasnow (1-1, 2.75 ERA) to the mound. He will make his third start since a right shoulder injury sidelined him for May and June.

The Dodgers escaped a bases-loaded jam in the ninth inning Monday night and posted a 5-2 win over the Reds in the series opener. Los Angeles evened its mark at 2-2 as it continues a three-city, nine-game road trip against the Boston Red Sox, Reds and Tampa Bay Rays.

After getting swept in Cincinnati in 2024 and losing two of three there in 2023, the Dodgers broke through with a road win against the Reds.

Former Dodgers infielder Gavin Lux went 0-for-2 with two walks and an RBI groundout in the first inning Monday night that tied the game, 1-1.

“It’s always fun,” Lux said of the team he won the World Series with in 2024. “A lot of really good players over there. A lot of guys that I have a lot of respect for and love a lot. It’s fun getting in the lineup against them and being on the other side of it. It was fun.”

Monday’s loss kept Reds manager Terry Francona at 2,006 wins, three wins shy of passing Leo Durocher for 12th on the all-time list.

Despite the Reds’ loss, Glasnow will face a hot team when he makes his ninth start of the season. The Dodgers snapped Cincinnati’s four-game winning streak on Monday, but the Reds remain in the thick of the National League wild-card race.

Glasnow had his best start of the season in his most recent outing on Wednesday, allowing just one run on three hits in seven innings, striking out 12 and walking one. He received a no-decision in a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins.

Glasnow is 1-2 with a 4.55 ERA in 12 career appearances against Cincinnati, including three starts.

With Glasnow back, Shohei Ohtani pitching Wednesday, Clayton Kershaw set for Friday in Tampa, and Blake Snell set to make just his third appearance in a Dodgers uniform this weekend against the Rays, Roberts said he is more comfortable about where the rotation stands.

“We feel really good,” he said. “(We’re) kind of trying to stabilize some things in the ‘pen. But I think with the starters, (it’s) encouraging.”

With Snell (left shoulder inflammation) and Glasnow missing most of this season, Monday’s starter and winner Yoshinobu Yamamoto has carried the staff with a 9-7 mark and a 2.48 ERA, third-best in the National League.

“It’s good to see him get back,” Roberts said of Yamamoto. “He was kind of middling for a bit there, (he’s back) to being the dominant pitcher that we know he can be.”

The Reds will counter with left-hander Nick Lodolo (8-6, 3.08 ERA), making his 22nd start of the season.

In his most recent outing, Lodolo tossed the first shutout of his career, holding the Washington Nationals to four hits, striking out eight and walking none in Cincinnati’s 5-0 victory Wednesday. Lodolo became the first Reds pitcher with multiple complete games since Trevor Bauer in 2020.

Lodolo, who has been in the majors since 2022, will start against the Dodgers for the first time in his career.

–Field Level Media

Max Fried is in the midst of his worst stretch in an otherwise solid first season of an eight-year contract with the New York Yankees.

On Tuesday night, the Yankees hope to see the version of Fried they saw for most of the first three months when they continue a four-game series against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays.

Fried will take the mound after the Yankees absorbed their fourth loss in five games by getting six hits in a 4-2 setback to Tampa Bay. Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Ryan McMahon drew bases-loaded walks in the first inning for the only runs for the Yankees, who struck out 10 times.

“We weren’t able to mount enough,” manager Aaron Boone said.

Fried (11-4, 2.62 ERA) has pitched once since July 12 because he’s recovering from a blister, The left-hander exited his start against the Chicago Cubs after three innings on his left index finger and did not start against until Wednesday, when he allowed six runs (four earned) on six hits in 5 1/3 innings of an 8-4 loss to Toronto.

“Coming in, first start off the break for me, I just wanted to make sure I put us in a good position,” Fried said after last week. “Left the lead up early and frankly, just didn’t do my job tonight. Walking guys definitely isn’t going to help. And throwing the ball away and having two more come in — especially battling and letting it go — is frustrating. For me, that can’t happen.”

Fried has lost consecutive starts for the first time since late September while pitching for the Atlanta Braves.

Fried is 4-0 with an 0.32 ERA in four career starts against the Rays. He scattered three hits, struck out four and did not walk a batter over 14 2/3 scoreless innings in a pair of outings against Tampa Bay earlier this season.

The Rays collected 11 hits on Monday and broke a four-game losing streak to improve to 8-18 in their past 26 games. Junior Caminero hit a two-run homer, and the Rays survived going 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position and stranding 11.

Caminero homered after going 1-for-12 in the weekend series at Cincinnati.

Josh Lowe had the tiebreaking single in the fifth inning on Monday.

“Right now every hit with guys on base, it matters,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. “We’ve grinded through it a little bit, haven’t found success, but today we did and the guys are pumped.”

Right-hander Joe Boyle (1-0, 1.42 ERA) will make his second start for Tampa Bay and first since allowing two unearned runs on no hits in five innings in an 8-3 win over the Braves on April 13. Boyle has allowed four runs (three earned) in four relief appearances this season.

Boyle’s only start against the Yankees occurred on April 24, 2024, in New York when he allowed two runs on three hits and walked four in three innings during a 7-3 loss for the Athletics.

–Field Level Media

Philadelphia Phillies reliever Tanner Banks shared a clubhouse with Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. as Chicago teammates for parts of three seasons.

With Robert surging entering Tuesday night’s game between visiting Philadelphia and Chicago and rumored to be on the trading block, might a reunion be in the works?

Philadelphia was listed in a Monday report from The Athletic as one of three potential destinations should the White Sox trade Robert. Banks said the Phillies could benefit from the 27-year-old.

“He’s got a sneaky arm, very fast, power, the ability to hit for average,” Banks told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “He’s the complete package. He’s young. He’s very toolsy. He’s not a guy I like to face. Even if he’s having a down year, I don’t like to face him.

“It’ll be interesting to see where he lands.”

While Robert has navigated durability issues for much of his six-season career, he has starred in July, batting .318 (14-for-44) with three home runs and 11 RBIs. He will turn 28 on Sunday.

Robert delivered a go-ahead, two-run home run in the fourth inning Monday to help lift the White Sox to a 6-2 victory in the opener of the three-game interleague series. While Banks is not Phillies general manager Preston Mattingly, he suggested a change of scenery might offer Robert a boost.

“Across the board in baseball, sometimes that’s what it takes,” Banks said. “Just a breath of fresh air.”

While the trade deadline looms on Thursday, Robert still is batting just .205 this year with the only major league organization he has known. Monday’s homer against Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sanchez gave him hits in 10 of his past 11 games, and he has 11 home runs and 43 RBIs for the season.

He also contributed a diving catch of a J.T. Realmuto line drive in the fourth inning, showing increasing comfort after missing games Friday and Saturday against the Chicago Cubs with adductor soreness.

“I thought that the ball was a lot farther,” Robert said through a translator, “but at the end I realized that I was closer. I think I could have got the ball without diving, but I just did it anyways.”

Chicago is 7-3 since the All-Star break and benefiting from strong efforts from a core of rookies in addition to Robert.

Rookie third baseman Colson Montgomery went 2-for-4 with three RBIs Monday, including a tying two-run blast in the third inning. Montgomery has homered in four of his past six games.

The White Sox will aim to secure their third series victory since the All-Star break behind right-hander Jonathan Cannon (4-7, 4.48 ERA), who is set to face Philadelphia for the first time. Cannon is 2-0 with a 4.15 ERA in four June starts covering 21 2/3 innings. He is coming off a no-decision on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays last Wednesday, when he yielded six runs (five earned) and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings with one walk and nine strikeouts in his team’s 11-9 win.

Left-hander Jesus Luzardo (8-5, 4.58) will get the call Tuesday for the Phillies in his first career appearance against the White Sox.

Luzardo also struggled in a no-decision Wednesday, allowing two runs and six hits in five innings in a 9-8 loss to the Boston Red Sox while walking five and striking out seven. He is 1-1 with a 7.23 ERA in four June starts.

–Field Level Media

There was plenty of drama during the first game of the Arizona-Detroit series on Monday night, though it had little to do with the outcome. The Tigers and Diamondbacks will play the second game of the three-game series on Tuesday evening in Detroit.

The Diamondbacks and the many trade suitors for Eugenio Suarez got a huge scare in the ninth inning when the slugging third baseman was hit in the hand by a Will Vest pitch. Suarez said afterward that X-rays on his index finger were negative. He planned to have more tests on Tuesday.

“Right now, it’s painful, obviously. The good news is the X-ray was negative,” he said postgame. “We’ll see (Tuesday) what else they’re going to do. Right now, I will do my best to try to be back soon.”

The Tigers are one of many teams reportedly interested in the services of Suarez, who is among the top five in the majors with 36 homers.

Detroit won the series opener 5-1 and will seek a third straight victory following a six-game slide.

The Tigers’ roster is in flux.

Outfielder Kerry Carpenter was activated from the injured list on Sunday. The team learned on Monday that starting pitcher Reese Olson would miss at least the remainder of the regular season with a shoulder injury, so the Tigers acquired Chris Paddack from the Minnesota Twins to replace him.

Detroit also placed outfielder Parker Meadows on the IL with a quad issue. Andy Ibanez, who was recalled from Triple-A Toledo, gave the offense a spark with a double and solo homer Monday night.

“I told (Ibanez) before the game, don’t try to make up for lost time in one game,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “So if that’s his way of just settling in — bam, double, homer. I know it means a lot to him. It crushed him to be sent down. But he went down, did his work and waited for the next opportunity.”

American League All-Star Casey Mize (9-4, 3.40 ERA), who is scheduled to start for the Tigers on Tuesday, has gotten roughed up in his past two starts. The right-hander allowed six runs in three innings to the Seattle Mariners just before the break, then yielded five runs (four earned) and 10 hits in four innings at Pittsburgh last Tuesday in an 8-5 loss.

“I just look at myself and what I can do better,” Mize said. “I think the role of the starting pitcher is so important, just setting the tone for the game and not having those guys on the field for too long.”

Mize, who will face the Diamondbacks for the first time, originally was scheduled to pitch on Monday. He was given an extra day of rest after experiencing some minor knee tightness.

Right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (10-6, 4.76 ERA), Mize’s mound opponent, has delivered three straight solid starts. He held the San Diego Padres to two runs in eight innings on July 9. In his first outing after the All-Star break, Pfaadt tossed seven scoreless innings against St. Louis.

In his latest start, he was charged with two runs in 5 1/3 innings in his team’s 4-3 loss to the Houston Astros on Wednesday. Pfaadt didn’t give up a run in the first five innings but was pulled shortly after allowing back-to-back doubles in the sixth.

“Ran into some trouble in the sixth, and (it) came back to bite us,” said Pfaadt, who will face the Tigers for the first time in his career. “That’s what’s most disappointing.”

–Field Level Media

The Cleveland Guardians’ postseason chances took a major hit on Monday when closer Emmanuel Clase was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave, joining starting pitcher Luis Ortiz on MLB’s administrative leave list amid gambling investigations.

The Guardians took another step in the wrong direction later in the day, when the visiting Colorado Rockies rallied against Cade Smith in the ninth inning for an 8-6 win.

The three-game series continues Tuesday when Guardians left-hander Logan Allen (6-9, 4.16 ERA) faces Rockies right-hander Tanner Gordon (2-2, 3.13).

Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt chose to maintain a stiff upper lip after the gut-wrenching Monday loss that saw his newly installed closer retire a lone batter while giving up four runs. Thanks to Smith’s throwing error on an attempted sacrifice bunt, only one of the runs was earned.

“Definitely not a normal Cade outing,” Vogt said. “He just looked like he got a little bit sped up there. He typically has a slow heartbeat pitching that spot. These things happen, but yeah, I still have full confidence in Cade and all of our guys.”

Perhaps no one took Clase’s stunning departure harder than Smith, who filled in for the three-time former All-Star when Clase endured a rough stretch in April.

“That (stinks),” Smith said of Clase’s departure. “I mean, he’s a part of the team. It sucks for him to be not here.”

Smith, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound Canadian, is now 3-for-6 in save situations this season, but he has been a seventh- and eighth-inning anchor since making the Guardians out of spring training in 2024. Over 121 games, Smith has an 8-5 record, four saves and a 2.39 ERA.

“I’m going to do whatever the team asks me,” Smith said. “My job is to be here to compete, to prepare, to be ready for when that bullpen phone rings. And so that doesn’t change.”

Allen has dropped back-to-back outings, giving up seven runs on 15 hits in 11 2/3 total innings against the Athletics and the Baltimore Orioles. He has only pitched against Colorado once, when he was rocked for seven runs over 1 2/3 innings in a road loss on May 29, 2024.

The Rockies are almost certain to finish with the worst record in the major leagues. They are sitting at 28-78, and they could approach the 2024 Chicago White Sox’s modern-era record of 121 losses.

However, in the series opener on Monday, Colorado looked nothing like its lowly mark.

Tyler Freeman tied his career high with three RBIs, capped by the go-ahead single in the ninth, and rookie Warming Bernabel became the fifth player in team history to sock two homers in his first three career games.

Freeman, who was acquired from Cleveland for outfielder Nolan Jones on March 22, has blossomed in a full-time role as a right fielder/designated hitter. The ex-utility man is batting .333 with 16 RBIs and nine stolen bases in his last 45 games, while Jones is 5-for-39 (.128) since July 12.

“I know (Vogt) loves Tyler. Well, I second that,” Colorado interim manager Warren Schaeffer said. “He’s been incredible, brought a lot to our team all season. I love how he plays. You love when a guy goes out and gives it his all — and then some — every day.”

Gordon is 1-3 with a 7.36 ERA in four career interleague starts, but this will be his initial appearance against Cleveland. He threw six scoreless innings in his latest start, beating the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday after being recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque.

–Field Level Media

Maybe it’s not too late to alter the narrative on the season for the Baltimore Orioles. With the lineup closer to looking the way the club expected it to, there is growing confidence even with the trade deadline looming on Thursday.

Now another test comes with a day-night doubleheader against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday.

Catcher Adley Rutschman came off the injury list and was among the batters to provide sparks as Baltimore belted four home runs in an 11-4 series-opening victory on Monday. Rutschman delivered three hits, including a pair of doubles, a much-coveted development after he had been out of the lineup for more than five weeks because of an oblique injury.

“I missed these guys so much, and to be able to get back out there again today, it was just the best,” Rutschman said.

The Orioles have won three games in a row and four of their last five.

The Blue Jays will try to dodge a three-game losing streak, which is something they haven’t experienced since they were swept June 13-15 in Philadelphia.

There also is concern about designated hitter George Springer, who was plunked up high by a ninth-inning pitch from Baltimore reliever Kade Strowd. Springer walked off the field as he was removed for a pinch runner.

“He’s doing all right,” Toronto manager John Schneider said postgame. “It kind of got him in his shoulder, then helmet. … He was able to turn a little bit, too.”

Two batters later, Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette grounded into a game-ending double play, ending his franchise-record streak of collecting hits in nine consecutive at-bats. Four Toronto players previous had 8-for-8 streaks.

The pitching matchups weren’t entirely clear for the doubleheader, though right-hander Charlie Morton (6-8, 5.48 ERA) is slated to be used by Baltimore in the opener.

Morton is coming off a 6 2/3-inning stint during a victory at Cleveland on Thursday, when he allowed three runs and five hits while walking four batters. With 99 strikeouts this year, the 41-year-old veteran is on the verge of reaching triple figures for the 10th time in his career.

In 10 all-time matchups against the Blue Jays, Morton is 2-3 with a 4.42 ERA.

Morton is unbeaten in nine home appearances since April 29, though he spent some of that time coming out of the bullpen.

Baltimore should have left-handed reliever Keegan Akin, who came off the injured list Monday, available for at least one of the games Tuesday. Akin had been out since July 1 due to an inflamed left shoulder.

Left-hander Eric Lauer (6-2, 2.61 ERA) will get the call for the Blue Jays in one of the games.

Lauer, who is averaging slightly more than one strikeout per inning, is aiming to pick up his third victory in as many starts. In 14 innings combined against the San Francisco Giants and the Detroit Tigers, he surrendered three runs without giving up a walk while striking out 13 batters.

Lauer’s only career start against Baltimore lasted 4 1/3 innings without a decision, as up four runs (three earned) on April 12, 2022.

Baltimore’s offense suddenly is showing encouraging traits. Coby Mayo has hit two of his three career home runs across the past four days.

Not only was Rutschman back, but he re-introduced himself with an eye-catching performance. It was his first multi-RBI game since June 5.

“He’s gone through some struggles here over probably a 300-at-bat span,” Baltimore interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “That’s probably the right way to look at it. It felt like he was coming out of it a little bit when he got hurt. Today was another nice step in the right direction, so hopefully he continues.”

The Tuesday doubleheader came about because of an April 11 postponement.

–Field Level Media