Aroldis Chapman returned to the mound Sunday and pitched a perfect inning for a hold.
He struck out two of the three batters he faced. Chapman was unavailable for a couple of days due to a sore knee.
Brenton Doyle finished 0-for-4 as the Rockies' leadoff hitter Sunday against the Royals.
Doyle was only leading off today because Charlie Blackmon had the day off, but it still seems like the Rockies had better options. While Doyle's defense in center has made his useful to the Rockies, he has a .271 OBP and a 39/6 K/BB through 107 major league plate appearances.
Scott Barlow got his seventh save by pitching a scoreless ninth against the Rockies on Sunday.
Barlow struck out three, but he did allow a couple of singles along the way. Because the Royals have been struggling, it was his first save opportunity since May 17.
Brady Singer scattered five hits over 5 2/3 innings Sunday in the Royals' 2-0 shutout of the Rockies.
Singer struck out seven and went without a walk today after issuing 17 over 27 1/3 innings in his previous six starts. It's a weak opponent, for sure, but it still seems like Singer is coming around some. His current 6.45 ERA is his lowest mark since mid-April.
Maikel Garcia hit his first big-league homer Sunday off the Rockies' Kyle Freeland.
Garcia came in with a 56.5% hard-hit rate and four barrels in 99 plate appearances, but he hadn't recorded a homer until hitting a ball 414 feet today. He's batting .267/.333/.389 while playing mostly third base for the Royals.
Tommy Pham hit a pair of solo homers Sunday against the Blue Jays.
Pham was filling in for Brandon Nimmo in both the leadoff spot and center field today. He really shouldn't be playing center these days -- he's barely adequate in left field -- but at least he's hitting well of late; he's 9-for-25 with two homers, seven RBI and four walks in his last 10 games (eight starts). It might start earning him some time over Mark Canha in left field against righties.
Starling Marte homered and doubled against the Blue Jays on Sunday.
Mets manager Buck Showalter won't replace Francisco Lindor near the top of the order because he doesn't think anyone else is an improvement, but Marte is having better at-bats than Lindor and it's starting to show in the results. He's 8-for-22 with three steals in his last seven games.
Kodai Senga walked five and allowed four runs -- three earned -- in 2 2/3 innings Sunday against the Blue Jays.
This was Senga's first start on four days' rest, and it didn't go well at all, suggesting that it might not happen again for a spell. The 30-year-old is used to pitching on six days' rest in Japan, and the Mets had been trying to make sure he's on at least five days' rest before succumbing to the realities of the MLB schedule today. The team is off Monday, so Senga will get five days' rest before his next start.
Jordan Romano turned in a perfect ninth in a two-run game for a save Sunday.
It's the Blue Jays' fourth straight day with a save. Romano has earned three of those, with Erik Swanson getting the call on Saturday. It will be interesting to see what happens if there's another chance Monday. We doubt they'll want to use Romano for a fourth time in five days, and since Swanson pitched today, it'd be three days in a row for him. Nate Pearson should also be unavailable. That leaves Trevor Richards as the favorite to close, we imagine.
Yusei Kikuchi struck out eight while allowing two runs in five innings Sunday against the Mets.
Kikuchi outdueled his countryman, Kodai Senga, but he was denied a win after a two-run lead was blown in the sixth. Kikuchi gave up two more homers today, bringing his season total to 17. That's tied for the major league lead this season. The guy he's tied with, Jordan Lyles, is 0-9 with a 6.89 ERA. Kikuchi, though, is 6-2 with a 4.40 ERA.
After striking out in each of his first four at-bats, Brandon Belt hit a go-ahead two-run homer Sunday in the seventh in the Jays' 6-4 defeat of the Mets.
The homer came off his former Giants teammate Dominic Leone, who seemed to be in disbelief that the ball left the yard with the wind blowing in from center. It was just Belt's third homer of the season, but he's been much better in the average and OBP departments lately, leaving him with a solid .259/.374/.415 line.
Paul Blackburn gave up five runs in five innings Sunday in a no-decision against the Marlins.
Blackburn matched the 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner pitch-for-pitch for five innings, so that's something, right? He nearly got the chance to exit with a 5-2 lead, but Garrett Cooper hit a game-tying, three-run homer with two outs in the fifth. Blackburn will take a 6.00 ERA into his next start versus the Brewers.
Dylan Floro got his sixth save with a perfect ninth against the A's on Sunday.
He struck out two. Floro was making his first appearance since a meltdown Tuesday against the Padres got him tagged with a loss. He'll soon return to a setup role with A.J. Puk close to being activated from the IL.
Sandy Alcantara gave up five runs in seven innings Sunday in a no-decision against the A's.
All of the runs scored in the third, an inning that included a single that Alcantara failed to field and another bunt single. Alcantara pitched just fine otherwise; he's still performing like a Cy Young pitcher when the bases are empty this year. For some reason, though, hitters are having much different results against him whenever anyone reaches base.
Royce Lewis was removed from Sunday's game against the Guardians after getting into a collision while covering first base.
Fortunately, it appears that all is well -- as manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters that Lewis did not sustain a concussion or any acute concerns, just minor abrasions. The talented 23-year-old infielder should be considered day-to-day.
Dodgers placed OF Trayce Thompson on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain.
As expected, Thompson heads to the injured list after straining his oblique during Saturday's loss to the Yankees. He'll be shelved for at least a couple of weeks. Jonny DeLuca was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City in a corresponding move on Sunday.
Dodgers recalled OF Jonny DeLuca from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
It's the first trip to the big leagues for the 24-year-old outfielder, as he'll add outfield depth with Trayce Thompson (oblique) heading to the injured list. He has been having a terrific season in the minors -- slashing .292/.378/.574 with 14 homers, 37 RBI and 12 stolen bases in 49 games between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City. He's unlikely to see enough playing time to gain relevancy from a fantasy perspective.
Aaron Judge is absent from the Yankees' starting lineup for Sunday night's showdown against the Dodgers.
It appears to be just a regular day of rest for the 31-year-old slugger. The Yankees will roll with an outfield of Willie Calhoun, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Jake Bauers on Sunday evening in Los Angeles against rookie right-hander Bobby Miller.
Christian Walker was a late addition to the Diamondbacks' starting lineup on Sunday.
It looked as though Walker was going to sit for the second straight day, but he wound up getting swapped into the Diamondbacks' lineup in place of Lourdes Gurriel Jr. just before first pitch against the Braves. It looks like whatever minor illness or injury he's dealing with has been resolved.
Andruw Monasterio was pulled from Sunday's contest against the Reds after catching a blow to the face from Will Benson on a pickoff attempt at second base.
He remained in the game to run the bases for himself, but was ultimately lifted for a pinch-hitter in the fourth inning. Presumably, he'll head for further evaluation to rule out any possible concussions. For now, he should be considered day-to-day.