Kansas City Royals and Chicago Cubs play in game 2 of series
Kansas City Royals (49-52, third in the AL Central) vs. Chicago Cubs (59-41, second in the NL Central)
Chicago; Tuesday, 8:05 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Royals: Richard Hill (0-0); Cubs: Matthew Boyd (10-3, 2.34 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 102 strikeouts)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cubs -260, Royals +209; over/under is 9 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Kansas City Royals lead 1-0 in a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs.
Chicago is 32-18 at home and 59-41 overall. The Cubs have the fourth-best team batting average in MLB play at .256.
Kansas City is 25-26 in road games and 49-52 overall. Royals pitchers have a collective 3.50 ERA, which ranks second in MLB play.
The teams play Tuesday for the second time this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Tucker has 19 doubles, four triples and 18 home runs for the Cubs. Carson Kelly is 12 for 36 with three doubles, four home runs and five RBIs over the last 10 games.
Bobby Witt Jr. has 14 home runs, 31 walks and 56 RBIs while hitting .288 for the Royals. Salvador Perez is 15 for 36 with three doubles, seven home runs and 10 RBIs over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Cubs: 5-5, .240 batting average, 4.66 ERA, outscored by 11 runs
Royals: 6-4, .268 batting average, 3.64 ERA, outscored opponents by 10 runs
INJURIES: Cubs: Pete Crow-Armstrong: day-to-day (knee), Porter Hodge: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Jameson Taillon: 15-Day IL (calf), Miguel Amaya: 10-Day IL (oblique), Eli Morgan: 60-Day IL (elbow), Javier Assad: 60-Day IL (oblique), Justin Steele: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Royals: Michael Lorenzen: 15-Day IL (oblique), Cole Ragans: 60-Day IL (rotator cuff), Mark Canha: 10-Day IL (elbow), Daniel Lynch: 15-Day IL (elbow), Michael Massey: 10-Day IL (ankle), Hunter Harvey: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Alec Marsh: 60-Day IL (shoulder), James McArthur: 60-Day IL (elbow)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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Fox Sports
2 hours ago
- Fox Sports
MLB Trade Deadline Winners and Losers: How are the Padres Both?!
The Padres are all in (again), it's reunion season in Seattle and Houston, the bullpens are bolstered in New York and one of Major League Baseball's top prospects has found a new home. While this trade deadline was not particularly fruitful for teams seeking difference-making starters or dynamic outfielders, a plethora of potentially season-altering bullpen moves turned what could have been a bit of a snoozer into an exhilarating final 48 hours. In the end, the Mariners got the top power bat in Eugenio Suárez; electric closers Mason Miller (Padres), Jhoan Duran (Twins), David Bednar (Yankees) and Ryan Helsley (Mets) all found new homes; and Carlos Correa returned to Houston, among a bevy of surprising moves. Here are the biggest winners and losers of the 2025 trade deadline. The big winner: Seattle Mariners No team upgraded their offense quite like the Mariners, who entered the deadline lacking pop at both corner infield spots and filled their needs with two of the best players on the market in Eugenio Suárez and Josh Naylor. This version of Suárez, an All-Star who ranks fifth in MLB in home runs, is a more impactful player than the one who occupied the hot corner in Seattle two years ago. Even if his power takes a hit at T-Mobile Park, he represents a significant upgrade at the spot; the Mariners had gotten just five home runs from their third basemen this year. Meanwhile, Naylor's ability to get on base and put the ball in play separates him from the rest of a lineup which all of a sudden looks like one of the more formidable groups in MLB. The Mariners trail the Astros by five games, but if the rotation can stay healthy, this Seattle team might be the most talented in the American League. Loser: Chicago Cubs This isn't an indictment on the moves that were made; it's a reaction to the moves that weren't. Willi Castro is an incredibly useful piece, and pitchers Mike Soroka, Taylor Rogers and Andrew Kittredge should be helpful additions for the staff. But this is a team that should be all in. They have the most dynamic offense in baseball in what might be the only year they have with Kyle Tucker. They needed another impact starter; they didn't get it. Loser: Milwaukee Brewers Anyone in the NL Central feel like separating themselves? No? All right, then. It's not necessarily that I was expecting the Brewers to splurge at the deadline — that's not really their way of operating — but they had a chance to add a difference-making slugger in the middle of their speedy, contact-first lineup, the type of player who could help them actually make some noise in October after a series of early exits. An impact bat such as Eugenio Suárez could have been perfect, and they have the plethora of arms that might have been intriguing for Arizona. But they passed, as expected, and I have to wonder if that will come back to bite them again. Winner: Philadelphia Phillies The Phillies' saves leader, Jordan Romano, has a 6.81 ERA. The player with the second-most saves on their team, Jose Alvarado, will not be available in the postseason after getting suspended. An impact closer was the most obvious need for a Philadelphia bullpen that ranks 24th in ERA. They found that in Jhoan Duran, one of the most impactful pieces to move at the deadline and one who will help the Phillies for years to come. He is a ninth-inning force, capable of missing bats, avoiding barrels and keeping the ball on the ground. The acquisition of Harrison Bader is a more underrated addition, one that should provide a significant boost to an outfield that ranks last in the National League in WAR. Winners: The New York teams (and their bullpens) The Yankees may not have ended up with the best player at the deadline, but they addressed a bevy of needs — the most glaring at third base — while significantly raising the ceiling of the pitching staff. Ryan McMahon, though a slightly below league-average bat over his career, is still an offensive upgrade and one of the better defensive third basemen in the sport. Austin Slater gives the team a platoon lefty masher. David Bednar, Camilo Doval and Jake Bird provide a remedy for a Yankees bullpen that has an ERA over 6.00 in July, and all of them are under contract beyond this year. Jose Caballero adds speed, defense and the ability to move around the diamond. They were unable to land an impact starter, but the moves help lift the spirits of a team trying to stay in contention while Aaron Judge is down. We'll see if it's enough to chase down the Blue Jays. The Mets rank second in MLB in ERA, but the bullpen is 7-8 with an ERA over 4.00 in July. One of the biggest issues has been the lack of a reliable left-hander in the group after injuries to A.J. Minter and Danny Young. They answered that quickly by adding Gregory Soto … and then did a whole lot more to transform their relief unit into one of the most formidable in the National League, picking up two-time All-Star Ryan Helsley, the Cardinals' flamethrowing closer, and Tyler Rogers, the submarining righty from the Giants who has a 1.80 ERA. That is quite the bridge to Edwin Diaz, who is an All-Star back in his usual elite form. Getting Cedric Mullins to upgrade another weakness in center field was another plus. Both the Mets and Phillies upgraded in the bullpen and the outfield, setting up what should be a fun fight to the finish. Losers: The Los Angeles teams (for different reasons) The Dodgers seemed to do well in the deals they made, but with all the elite closers available and the mess that has been their bullpen all year, it seemed likely that they might try to take a big swing. That did not happen. Brock Stewart — who has been basically unhittable against right-handers — is much better than people realize, and Alex Call will help their offense against left-handed pitching, but it was a quieter deadline than anticipated for a team that has been ravaged by injuries and has yet to perform to its capabilities. They're counting on a lot of players either returning to form or returning to health at a time when their primary division rivals are pushing their chips all in. At least they will be playing in October, though. That is unlikely to be the case for the Angels, who, in another year marred by mediocrity, have a 3.4% chance to make the playoffs, according to FanGraphs. Did they try to help their future by getting a haul back for Taylor Ward or Jo Adell? Did they try to recoup some value for rentals Tyler Anderson or Kenley Jansen? No, no. Instead, the fourth-place squad acquired pitchers Andrew Chafin and Luis Garcia and light-hitting infielder Oswald Peraza to go from fourth place in the AL West to … likely fourth place in the AL West. Winners: Teams in need of impact relief pitchers The Padres got Mason Miller. The Phillies got Jhoan Duran. The Mets got Ryan Helsley and Tyler Rogers. The Yankees got David Bednar and Camilo Doval. The Rays got Griffin Jax. We knew a lot of elite closers might have been available for the right price, but because almost all of them were under team control beyond this year, it was also possible that the cost would be too exorbitant for a ton of action. That was not the case. Now, we'll be seeing a lot more of the best arms on baseball's biggest stage. Losers: Teams in need of impact starting pitchers Where would the Marlins send Edward Cabrera and Sandy Alcantara? (Nowhere.) Could Zac Gallen or Mitch Keller be pitching postseason games somewhere else? (No.) Would the Twins be willing to part with Joe Ryan? (Nope.) What about the Nationals and MacKenzie Gore? (No to that, too.) Would the Padres have to part with Dylan Cease to get the starter they needed? (They would not.) Teams hoping for a new No. 1 or No. 2 starter in October were mostly out of luck, though Shane Bieber's move to Toronto is one to watch as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery and Merrill Kelly is a noteworthy add for the Rangers if their offense can get moving. Winner: The current Padres … And all of us who enjoy action this time of year. Thank the baseball gods for A.J. Preller. Who needs a farm system, anyway? Whether it's Juan Soto or Josh Hader or Tanner Scott or, now, Mason Miller, Preller is routinely willing to go where no other executive would, emptying the farm system in an effort to win immediately. The Padres had a clear need in left field, which was answered with the acquisition of Ramon Laureano. They had questions at first base and DH, which were answered by trading for Ryan O'Hearn. They had issues at catcher, and they added Freddy Fermin. Preller wanted more rotation depth, and he got J.P. Sears and Nestor Cortes. Most importantly, the Padres, who already possessed the best bullpen in MLB, wanted to add another impact arm and got the most electrifying young closer in the game in Miller. The cost was massive, but suddenly a flawed and shallow Padres roster looks capable of making an October run again, even if they can't catch the Dodgers in the division. Loser: The future Padres So, about that cost…the Padres depleted their farm system to make another run, including giving up their top prospect. Is it risky? Absolutely, especially if Leo De Vries becomes a superstar. Is it reckless? Depends who you ask, but as often as this happens, Preller still routinely finds a way to replenish the system in a way no one expects, putting the Padres in position year after year to then trade more prospects for impact big-leaguers. At some point, will the well run dry? That's a problem for another day. And if it helps deliver a championship to San Diego, no one will care. Winner: Athletics It's not often that one of the top prospects in baseball changes hands in July. For the A's to get that from the Padres in exchange for a reliever, even one as electric as Mason Miller, represents a win. They received an absolute haul headlined by De Vries, a dynamic 18-year-old shortstop, in addition to three San Diego pitching prospects. The future got brighter in Sacramento (or Las Vegas). Winner: Mason Miller/JP Sears When you go from a last-place team in a hitter-friendly environment at a minor-league ballpark to a team with championship aspirations in a pitcher-friendly venue at one of the best stadiums in Major League Baseball, everything should suddenly feel a bit brighter. Loser: Boston Red Sox On a similar note, this was an underwhelming deadline for a third-place Red Sox team that had started to find its form after a disappointing start. Boston could've used another impact starter to pair with Garrett Crochet. There was chatter of potentially moving some of their outfield surplus to make it happen. Instead, all they got was Dustin May, who was soon going to be forced out of the Dodgers' rotation, and a bullpen addition in Steven Matz. This was an opportunity squandered to go for more. Loser: Minnesota Twins fans It was just a couple weeks ago that the Twins were in second place in the division. On July 12, they were only a game under .500. Now, well … insert the "Will Smith looking around an empty room" GIF. That basically describes life now for Joe Ryan and Byron Buxton, two of the few mainstays remaining after Minnesota sent out Carlos Correa, Duran, Jax, Danny Coulombe, Chris Paddack, Brock Stewart, Louis Varland, Willi Castro, Harrison Bader and Ty France. I can't help but wonder how different this might be had Pablo Lopez stayed healthy or, more importantly, had the ownership situation been resolved. Winner: Carlos Correa In some ways, this will all feel very familiar for Correa, who returns to where it all began. In other ways, it will feel different. The roster has changed. His position will, too, as he gets set to play third base for the first time. But whether or not he's able to find his old form again in Houston, this has to be a huge boost for Correa, considering the direction that the Twins are going. Loser: Atlanta Braves Sure, Marcell Ozuna and Raisel Iglesias haven't had the type of year that would make them particularly attractive pieces to acquire. Still, it was surprising to see the Braves basically sit out this chance to add more to the farm from this abysmal season. Loser: Detroit Tigers Considering they've been one of the best teams in baseball all year, I expected them to more meaningfully address their deficiencies. Tigers relievers have an ERA over 5.00 in July and one of the worst strikeout rates in MLB this year. They could have used an elite piece at the back end. Instead, they opted to address their pitching issues with quantity — starters Charlie Morton and Chris Paddack, relievers Kyle Finnegan, Rafael Montero, Randy Dobnak and the injured Paul Sewald — over quality, favoring slight upgrades over major upside. They should still cruise to a division title, but this felt like an opportunity missed. Thank you for playing: Colorado Rockies Prospect Roc Riggio found an appropriate new home. Is the Rockies' farm system now fixed after sending Ryan McMahon and Jake Bird to the Yankees? No, it is not. But give them credit for acknowledging reality and finally participating this time of year. Everyone please clap. Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on X at @RowanKavner . recommended Item 1 of 3 Get more from the Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Cubs Linked to Rockies' All-Star Amid Hot Corner Concerns
Cubs Linked to Rockies' All-Star Amid Hot Corner Concerns originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Despite having the league's best offense, the Chicago Cubs' lack of production at third base is becoming a problem. The Cubs may view Matt Shaw as the third baseman of the future, but right now, he is borderline unplayable. Through 66 games, the 23-year-old is slashing .210/.285/.304 with just two home runs and 16 RBIs. His performance is a key reason Chicago's third basemen rank as the second-worst unit in the league, according to FanGraphs. The hole at the hot corner is forcing Cubs' President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer to reevaluate the position, and according to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, Chicago would 'love' to acquire Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies. McMahon, 30, is not known for his bat despite playing at Coors Field. The left-hander is hitting .218 with 15 home runs and 32 RBIs. While the numbers do not jump off the page, it is an improvement from what Shaw is delivering with everyday at-bats. One area where McMahon can provide a massive upgrade for Chicago is defense. McMahon ranks second among third basemen with 6.1 WAR. Acquiring McMahon would not only give the Cubs a more legitimate bat at the hot corner but move Shaw to the bench and deepen their depth in return. There is one factor that may deter the Cubs from swinging a trade for McMahon. Hoyer is in the final year of his contract, and McMahon has over $32 million left on his deal. If Chicago's brass is not fully committed to Hoyer's future with the organization, they may veto any agreement for any non-rental players and end all discussions about adding McMahon at the deadline. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
5 hours ago
- New York Times
On a trade deadline day that called for action, the Cubs hugged their prospects tight
CHICAGO — If you were looking for a blockbuster trade deadline, you came to the wrong city. Try San Diego or Houston. On Thursday, the Cubs played it safe, while the White Sox tried to muster some enthusiasm about another season of Luis Robert Jr. Meanwhile, Chicago just collectively shook its head and asked when the Bears' first preseason game is. Advertisement All that time spent coming up with fake trades was wasted. It's fair to say the best addition by either team at the deadline was when Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer swung a deal for 'super-utilityman' Willi Castro. The White Sox, who have used a hot streak to vault from the second-worst record in baseball to the second-worst record in baseball, made just two deals in the last two days. The Cubs made a handful of moves but didn't address their most obvious need: starting pitching. Sox general manager Chris Getz's only real trade chip was rental starting pitcher Adrian Houser. While he apparently had conversations with his friend Hoyer about another crosstown deal, it didn't happen. The Cubs and Sox almost had a trade for Adrian Hauser. ' We worked really hard but didn't quite get there.'Hoyer told me. Getz confirmed that they had conversations up to 30 min before the said he thought they were close for the prospects they asked for. — Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) August 1, 2025 Once I saw that Getz traded Houser to the savvy Tampa Bay Rays, I figured he probably lost the deal. In return for Houser, Getz got a former top prospect in Curtis Mead and two Triple-A relievers. The Charlotte Knights improved with this deal, but I'm not so sure about the White Sox. The easy comparison, and one Getz himself made, was to his deadline deal last year when he picked up Miguel Vargas from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Vargas looked like he had never previously hit a baseball last season. This season, he is only slightly below average offensively, which is a massive improvement. Another year, another project. (Getz also got a minor-league pitcher from the Yankees for outfielder Austin Slater.) The big news on Thursday was that Getz couldn't swing a trade of Robert, his former All-Star. It wasn't that big of a surprise considering how Robert has played for most of the season. Though he has heated up lately, no smart GM would trade top prospects for such an unsure thing. Unfortunately for Getz, most of the dumb ones aren't running teams in playoff contention. Advertisement In the wake of this failure, Getz tried to express his utmost faith in Robert, who has been unreliable and unproductive for the past two seasons. 'It starts with Luis and how we feel about him,' he said. 'You look at what he's done in the last month or so and he's impacting the game in so many different ways, which speaks to the talent he has. We believe in Luis Robert.' We believe in Luis Robert … until next season, when we try desperately to trade him again. First, they have to pick up his $20 million option, which might give Jerry Reinsdorf some agita, but it's a bet they have to make. OK, that's enough White Sox. The Cubs were the team with the most to gain this week and their results are mixed at best. At worst, this was a failure. If we can meet in the middle, it was a missed opportunity. Hoyer got swingman Michael Soroka on Wednesday and added relievers Andrew Kittredge and Taylor Rogers on Thursday. And if they weren't going to swing for the fences with Eugenio Suárez, Castro was a perfect addition for their needs. He can play multiple positions in the infield and outfield. He's the kind of guy that playoff teams get at the deadline. As for the pitchers, well, we'll see. Relievers are a volatile bunch. I trust the Cubs' pitching department, but none of these guys are Mason Miller or Jhoan Duran. And aside from Soroka, who will probably be slotted into the bullpen down the stretch, they aren't starters. Early Thursday evening, Hoyer walked into a second-floor conference room where the media was holed up to address his trade deadline moves and lack thereof. He wasn't thrilled to see a news conference setup. If he landed a top starter, he would've done cartwheels to the backdrop and lectern. Instead, Hoyer had to address his missed opportunity to find a starter for a beleaguered rotation. Sure, Jameson Taillon and Javier Assad could be close to returning from their injury rehabs. But this is a team that desperately needed a proven starter not only for October, but also to help hold off the Brewers, who are currently in first place in the NL Central. 'The goal is to be good every year … the goal is not to have massive up-and-down cycles.' – Jed Hoyer — Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) August 1, 2025 Like a lot of baseball execs did Thursday, Hoyer noted the bold-faced names, the starting pitchers with years of control left, weren't traded at all. The teams that kept them wanted the farm in return, so to speak, and Hoyer drew a line in the dirt. 'I think that we obviously worked hard on some guys that I feel like could provide significant impact,' he said. 'In the end, the asking price on those guys would have been so detrimental to our future that we've obviously decided against it.' Advertisement You might call it prospect-hugging, Hoyer calls it responsible stewardship for a franchise he'll be running for the foreseeable future. His contract extension was announced Monday. All that talk about timing to help him at the trade deadline was just more wasted breath. Going into a lame-duck season, Hoyer made a win-now move in the winter when he traded his 2024 top pick, Cam Smith, to Houston for one year of Kyle Tucker. On one hand, it has worked out for both teams. Smith went from prospect to starter for the Astros, and Tucker was looking like an MVP until the last month. But if the Cubs don't do anything this postseason and Tucker walks, it will no longer be looked at as such a win-win deal. That's why the conventional wisdom was that Hoyer would take a couple more big swings at the deadline to try to improve his odds. Now, if Hoyer had to deal multiple top prospects for starters with years of control, and if teams were really asking for Matt Shaw and Cade Horton, you can see why that's a nonstarter for him. 'Whether it's in this offseason or in the past, I think, certainly we've moved top prospects, but the calculus that we have to make is ultimately what is the impact this is making and how many wins are we losing going forward,' he said. But all logic that doesn't make the Cubs' situation any more enviable now or in the future. The Cubs are going to need some luck to make a run in the postseason, and they'll still need to spend money — not chairman Tom Ricketts' favorite thing to do — in the offseason to keep this train moving. It all comes back to money. If the Cubs had paid up for Alex Bregman in the offseason or spent more money on pitching — aside from Matthew Boyd's bargain of a deal — then Hoyer wouldn't be in the position to worry about the price of deadline poker. Advertisement But that's not the Cubs' reality, and Hoyer is left trying to toe the line between the present and the future. 'I think the job is to make the best decisions for the organization,' he said. 'And there's times that's focused on just right now and there's times that's focused on the future. And those are the conversations we have every day. So we try to be as unemotional about those as possible.' In related news, the Cubs DFA'd former closer Ryan Pressly to make room for Rogers, the aforementioned reliever acquired from the Pirates. In his last outing in Milwaukee on Tuesday, Pressly gave up a grand slam to Andrew Vaughn to break open a close game. Pressly was one of Hoyer's big acquisitions this offseason, but he didn't pitch up to his reputation and lost his job to Daniel Palencia. Now he's looking for a new place to pitch. Can Rogers and Kittredge help the bullpen survive? Can those two, along with Soroka, be the kinds of 'out-getters' that manager Craig Counsell needs? Will any of the prospects they didn't trade, like Owen Caissie, Kevin Alcantara and Moisés Ballesteros, be the reinforcements the team needs down the stretch? On a day when the Cubs were supposed to get some answers, a lot of questions remain. The most important one — 'Did the Cubs do enough?' — will be answered over the next two to three months. (Photo of Kyle Tucker: Benny Sieu / Imagn Images)
