Angels outfielder Mike Trout is back in the lineup. He’s also back to hitting homers. Maybe a week of action will be enough for him to change his mind about the Home Run Derby.
1. Cease loses no-hitter in ninth
Blue Jays righty Dylan Cease cruised through eight innings without allowing a hit on Wednesday against the Giants. Outfielder Heliot Ramos lined his 118th pitch to center field to open the final frame, ending the bid. Cease no-hit the Nationals as a member of the Padres back in July 2024. He had to navigate the top of the order one more time to complete the effort yesterday, and came up just short. An interesting character in the no-hit attempt was Luis Arraez. He was coming up after Ramos with a chance to tally San Francisco’s first knock. Arraez was Cease’s teammate for the no-hitter in 2024. He also broke one up in September 2022, while with the Twins. Cease, pitching for the White Sox, was one out away from his first no-hitter when Arraez delivered a single.
2. Jones pulled after six perfect innings
Pirates right-hander Jared Jones was also chasing history yesterday. He breezed through six frames without permitting a baserunner against the Braves. Pittsburgh went to the bullpen in the seventh inning with Jones at 77 pitches. It was the first time he’d thrown more than five innings this year. “Under normal circumstances, a perfect game, he’d continue to go,” manager Don Kelly told reporters, including Aidan Stepansky of MLB.com. “Coming off of surgery and everything, we just can’t push him.” Jones missed all of 2025 after undergoing an elbow procedure. His workload has been closely monitored since he returned to the majors in late May. A single off reliever Mason Montgomery ended the perfect game in the seventh inning.
3. Ober returning on Thursday
Twins righty Bailey Ober is expected to rejoin the team today against the Guardians. He’s been sidelined since the end of May with elbow inflammation. Minnesota placed reliever Marco Raya on the 15-day IL ahead of last night’s game, but didn’t make a corresponding move. That will likely be Ober’s spot. The big righty recorded a complete-game shutout against the Marlins in early May. In the three starts to follow, he was hammered for 14 earned runs over 14 2/3 innings, including seven home runs. Ober averaged 88.2 mph on his fastball in those final three appearances before hitting the IL. His return will likely bump Mike Paredes back to a long relief role.
Photo courtesy of D. Ross Cameron, Imagn Images
Source: www.mlbtraderumors.com