July 4, 2026

Player of the Day

Jake McCarthy, Colorado Rockies

Jake McCarthy hit a leadoff home run and a grand slam in Colorado’s 15-3 win over San Francisco. He finished with four hits and a career-high six RBI, becoming only the seventh player in MLB history to hit a leadoff homer and grand slam in the same game.

Top Stories

• Jake McCarthy hits a leadoff homer and grand slam as Colorado routs San Francisco.
• St. Louis scores 17 runs and ends Chicago’s five-game winning streak.
• Dylan Cease leads Toronto to a shutout win over Seattle.
• Teoscar Hernandez hits a go-ahead grand slam as the Dodgers beat San Diego.
• Aroldis Chapman sets the all-time strikeout record for relievers.
• Junior Caminero homers again as Tampa Bay wins its ninth straight.
• Milwaukee beats Arizona in 11 innings.
• Ben Rice helps the Yankees snap a seven-game losing streak.

Last Night’s Scoreboard

Game of the Day

Dodgers 4, Padres 3

San Diego carried a 3-0 lead into the seventh before Teoscar Hernandez flipped the game with one swing.

Turning Point: Hernandez’s go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning.

Best Player: Teoscar Hernandez.

Why It Mattered: The Dodgers won for the ninth time in 11 games, while the Padres dropped their seventh straight.

Big Bats

• Jake McCarthy, Rockies: 4 hits, 2 home runs, 6 RBI, including a leadoff homer and grand slam.
• Masyn Winn, Cardinals: 4 RBI, including a three-run homer.
• Alec Burleson, Cardinals: 4 RBI in St. Louis’ 17-run win.
• Daylen Lile, Nationals: 2 home runs, 1 double, 4 RBI.
• Luis Garcia Jr., Nationals: 2 home runs, 3 RBI.
• Kyle Stowers, Marlins: 4-for-5, 2 home runs, 3 RBI, 3 runs.
• Teoscar Hernandez, Dodgers: Go-ahead grand slam.
• Matt Olson, Braves: 2 home runs, ending a 16-game homerless stretch.

Dealing

• Dylan Cease, Blue Jays: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K.
• Ryan Feltner, Rockies: 6 IP in Colorado’s 15-3 win.
• Andre Pallante, Cardinals: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 0 R.
• Trevor Rogers, Orioles: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 4 K.
• Jake Bennett, Red Sox: 7.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R.
• Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers: 6 IP, 3 R, 9 K.

Who’s Hot

• Junior Caminero, Rays: Homered for the 10th time in 10 games.
• Tampa Bay Rays: Extended their winning streak to nine games.
• Los Angeles Dodgers: Won for the ninth time in 11 games.
• Milwaukee Brewers: Won for the fourth time in five games.
• St. Louis Cardinals: Won for the fourth time in five games after scoring 17 against Chicago.
• Robbie Ray, Giants: Won his fifth consecutive decision.

Who’s Not

• San Diego Padres: Lost their seventh straight game.
• New York Mets: Fell a season-worst 16 games below .500.
• Kansas City Royals: Entered July 4 having lost eight of nine, based on the next-day context.
• Cincinnati Reds: Lost for the sixth time in seven games and went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
• Oakland Athletics: Lost for the ninth time in 12 games.

Team Trends

• Heating Up: Rays, Dodgers, Brewers, Cardinals, Orioles.
• Cooling Off: Padres, Mets, Reds, Athletics, Angels.
• AL Central: Cleveland took a one-game lead over the White Sox with a 10-inning walk-off win.
• AL West: Seattle fell out of a first-place tie with idle Texas after losing to Toronto.
• NL West: Los Angeles continued its strong stretch while San Diego’s losing streak reached seven.

Trending Players

• Jake McCarthy, Colorado Rockies
• Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays
• Teoscar Hernandez, Los Angeles Dodgers
• Dylan Cease, Toronto Blue Jays
• Aroldis Chapman, Boston Red Sox
• Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves

Standings Watch

Cleveland Guardians moved one game ahead of the White Sox in the American League Central with a 4-3, 10-inning win.

Seattle’s loss to Toronto knocked the Mariners out of a first-place tie with the idle Texas Rangers in the American League West.

In the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers kept moving in the right direction with their ninth win in 11 games. Milwaukee stayed hot with an 11-inning win at Arizona.

Injury & Transactions Report

• Yankees: Carlos Rodón was placed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to June 30 with left elbow inflammation.
• Padres: Freddy Fermin was placed on the 10-day injured list with a head contusion.
• Padres: Randy Vásquez was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right ankle contusion.
• Padres: Luis Campusano returned from a minor league rehab assignment.
• Nationals: Max Kranick and Trevor Williams were sent out on rehab assignments.
• Twins: Ryan Jeffers was sent on a rehab assignment to St. Paul.

Today’s Games

For this edition, today’s games means the MLB schedule for July 4, 2026. Games are sorted by first pitch time where verified. Probable pitchers are included in the watch note when verified; otherwise, TBA is used.

Stat of the Day

Jake McCarthy became the seventh player in MLB history to hit a leadoff home run and a grand slam in the same game.

Yesterday at a Glance

• There were 13 completed MLB games on July 3, 2026.
• Player of the Day: Jake McCarthy, 4 hits, 2 home runs, 6 RBI.
• Highest Scoring Game: Cardinals 17, Cubs 1.
• Biggest Win: Cardinals 17, Cubs 1.
• Closest Finish: Guardians 4, White Sox 3 in 10 innings.
• Extra-Inning Game: Brewers 7, Diamondbacks 4 in 11 innings.
• Walk-Off: Kahlil Watson delivered Cleveland’s second straight walk-off hit.
• Top Pitching Performance: Dylan Cease threw seven scoreless innings with nine strikeouts.
• Top Power Note: Junior Caminero homered for the 10th time in 10 games.
• Milestone: Aroldis Chapman set the all-time strikeout record for relievers.
• Team on the Rise: Tampa Bay won its ninth straight game.
• Team Sliding: San Diego lost its seventh straight game.