Minnesota gets creative in dumping Ricky Nolasco, as the Twins also send a former top prospect to the Angels and get back Hector Santiago. Also, the Angels send Joe Smith to the Cubs.
Notable pitching performances by Jon Lester, Cole Hamels and Danny Duffy.
The Mets ad-lib a loss, Dee Gordon says sorry, and Aroldis Chapman pitches for a new team.
The Red Sox finally lose a whole series, the Angels lose under protest, and Giancarlo Stanton makes a pretty picture.
Voting your conscience is awfully difficult as a baseball fan.
The real world doesn’t care about partial wins.
If you want a bunch of Zobrists, it helps to plant them early. Are teams doing it?
Jeremy Hellickson aces his audition, the White Sox get to the Cubs’ bullpen, and Dave Dombrowski has made so many trades that they’re starting to overlap in a kind of baseball version of the grandfather paradox.
Chicago acquiring Aroldis Chapman from New York is a complicated, blockbuster trade on and off the field.
No, the record isn’t ‘most wins.’ Still, a record pace!
Chicago makes the inevitable trade of Dan Vogelbach’s big bat and gets team-controlled left-hander Mike Montgomery from Seattle in return.
All Seattle does is hit walk-off dingers. Plus: Felix returns, Hanley takes a swing at four bombs in a game, and the Cubs are good again.
Things are looking down lately, but the Cubs really have been something else this year.
When it comes to the standings on the first day of the second half, what you see is *mostly* what you get.
Notable pitching performances this week from Drew Pomeranz, Jake Arrieta and MIchael Fulmer.
The struggling Cubs fail to build any momentum, the Angels win without Trout, and the Indians keep destroying the Tigers.