ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — This is a column about baseball and forward thinking. So naturally, we’ll start with football and the past.

Forty-some years ago, NFL coach and Texas legend Bum Phillips described Don Shula in this way:

“He can take his’n and beat your’n, or he can take your’n and beat his’n.”

And, now, here is the segue...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — Before Wednesday’s series finale against the Dodgers, Curt Casali, fresh off signing a one-year deal to re-join the black and orange, was asked about the team’s morale amidst a flurry of injuries. While Casali couldn’t speak to the temperature of the room, he may have instead foreshadowed what was to come in the ensuing ...Read more

BOSTON — After the irritating extra-inning, walk-off loss to the Red Sox on Tuesday, the Rays were looking to feel better about things on Wednesday.

And they did, thanks to a good start from Taj Bradley, solid relief work, key hits by Jose Siri and Yandy Diaz, and some help from the Sox.

The 4-3 win got the Rays back to .500 at 22-22, and ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Bryce Harper smiled and laughed as he took infield practice Wednesday. He spoke to a few British journalists in advance of the Phillies’ London trip next month, then chatted with another reporter in the dugout.

One day after getting hit with a migraine, he was in good spirits.

It was time, then, for Harper to resume being a ...Read more

Aaron Judge remained hot at the plate on Wednesday night, going 4 for 4 with a home run, three doubles and a walk in the Yankees’ 4-0 win over Minnesota.

The homer, Judge’s first hit of the night, crashed into the upper deck in left at Target Field. The first-inning solo blast off of Twins ace Pablo López traveled 467 feet at 113 mph and ...Read more

Remember when the Athletics were a .500 team? It wasn’t that long ago, May 4 to be exact, after a win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Now it’s a distant memory, and one that isn’t likely to be reached again in 2024. The Athletics were shut down by Framber Valdez and Seth Martinez Wednesday night, losing 3-0 at Minute Maid Park.

The A’s ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — Thirteen months ago, Rockies lefty Austin Gomber was lost.

He had a 0-4 record and a 12.12 ERA. He made an emotional admission, saying that being part of the 2021 trade that sent Nolan Arenado to St. Louis had gotten into his head.

That Gomber is long gone.

On Wednesday afternoon at Petco Park, he blanked the Padres for six ...Read more

SEATTLE — Bryan Woo was efficient and effective in his second start since coming off the injured list, Ty France hit his fourth home run of the season and the Mariners eked out a series victory over the Kansas City Royals with a 4-2 win in the rubber match Wednesday afternoon at T-Mobile Park.

Gabe Speier relieved Woo in the sixth inning and ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Adley Rutschman has done it again.

The Orioles’ franchise catcher hit his fourth home run in three games to walk off the Toronto Blue Jays in the bottom of the ninth inning, 3-2, on Wednesday afternoon, salvaging a win to extend their sweepless streak past the two-year mark.

After rain postponed Tuesday’s game to July, the ...Read more

DETROIT — In what's becoming an unfortunate theme, the Tigers on Wednesday wasted another dominant pitching performance.

Casey Mize allowed two hits and two runs to the first two batters he faced, then was unhittable before leaving to begin the seventh inning. But the Tigers' offense was silent itself in a 2-0 loss to the Miami Marlins at ...Read more

MILWAUKEE — Martin Perez had pitched in 296 career MLB games without giving up five home runs in a single contest.

That fact turned false by the end of Wednesday afternoon’s game against the Brewers at American Family Field. Five different Milwaukee hitters went deep against Perez before the Pirates fell, 10-2, to drop a season-worst six ...Read more

There is an old adage: “Good things come to those who wait.”

And Kansas City Royals designated hitter Nelson Velázquez had certainly waited a long time to hit his third home run of the season — more than a month, in fact.

Velázquez finally snapped that homer drought on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. He drilled an 86.3 mph ...Read more

ANAHEIM, Calif. — As their offense starts to percolate lift them to consecutive comeback wins, the Cardinals tried something new for the week on Tuesday.

They played from ahead.

That did not have the desired effect of reducing drama.

The Cardinals surged to an early five-run lead, misplaced it in the middle innings, got it back with a home...Read more

SAN DIEGO — Inside the clubhouse, Rockies players had quietly said they were much better than their terrible record indicated. They didn’t say it too loudly because it’s best to whisper when you own an 8-28 record.

But after beating the Padres 6-3 Tuesday night in front of 40,134 at Petco Park, who could blame the Rockies for turning up ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — Eleven months ago, the Dodgers and San Francisco Giants looked like two franchises headed in somewhat different directions.

In June, a surging Giants team came to Dodger Stadium, swept a three-game series in dominant fashion, and jumped their intradivison rivals in the National League West — marking the clear nadir of the ...Read more

MILWAUKEE — It looked like Quinn Priester was going to avoid the big inning. Instead, he delayed the inevitable for a frame.

Despite Priester stranding runners at the corners in the first inning Tuesday night at American Family Field, the Brewers tagged him for four runs in the second en route to the Pirates losing, 4-3.

In the inning, the ...Read more

The Yankees’ 5-1 win didn’t start off on the best note in Minnesota on Tuesday, but things quickly fell in their favor after Carlos Rodón surrendered a leadoff homer to Ryan Jeffers on his second pitch of the game.

Oswaldo Cabrera swiftly tied the contest in the second inning, plating Anthony Rizzo with a sacrifice fly. Anthony Volpe then ...Read more

BOSTON — The Rays had several chances to win Tuesday’s game and failed to take advantage.

As a result, they lost in the 12th inning, 5-4 to the Red Sox.

Romy Gonzalez singled in the winning run off Manuel Rodriguez with no outs in the 12th, scoring Connor Wong, the runner placed at second. The Rays walked Tyler O’Neill intentionally to ...Read more

DETROIT — At first, you wondered who was going to blink first. Then you thought maybe neither would blink at all.

Neither did.

Tigers’ right-hander Reese Olson and Marlins’ lefty Ryan Weathers put on an impressive display of pitching Tuesday night. They both hung zeros for eight innings before turning it over to their respective bullpens...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — As far as rehab starts go, it doesn’t get much better than the four perfect innings Blake Snell threw for Single-A San Jose earlier this week. The reigning National League Cy Young winner will, however, make one more tuneup before rejoining the Giants’ starting rotation.

As the Giants play host to the Rockies on Friday, ...Read more