There's a version of Thursday night that ends with the Dodgers cruising, but Thursday night didn't go that way. Los Angeles has fallen behind fast before, and it has recovered before too, but a six-run hole against San Diego by the second inning felt like the kind of deficit that swallows a game.
Down Six, Still Standing
It didn't swallow this one. The Dodgers answered with 12 unanswered runs across four innings, and by the time the Padres managed one last run off Tanner Scott in the ninth, the final read 12-7 in forty4 Baseball's box score. Dalton Rushing tied a career high with four hits and four RBI, Kyle Tucker matched his own career best with four hits, and Will Klein worked two scoreless innings out of the bullpen to pick up the win. San Diego matched a season high with its sixth straight loss, a rough stretch that has the Padres sitting at .500 while the Dodgers extend their NL West lead to 13 games, the widest margin in baseball.
The Cardinals Answer With a Rally of Their Own
That comeback was the headline, but it wasn't the only rally in the National League Thursday. In Atlanta, the Cardinals trailed 5-3 into the seventh inning before Nathan Church's two-run homer tied the game and JJ Wetherholt's single put St. Louis ahead for good. Jordan Walker drove in four runs on the night, including a three-run shot in the first, and Alec Burleson added an insurance homer in the ninth as the Cardinals closed it out 11-5. Gordon Graceffo picked up the win after a scoreless sixth, and St. Louis took the series from a Braves team that has now dropped four of its last five.
Cleveland Walks It Off in a Division Fight
Cleveland's finish carried its own weight. The Guardians trailed the White Sox by three runs before David Fry's pinch-hit homer trimmed the gap in the seventh, and Brayan Rocchio settled it with a two-run, walk-off shot off the right-field foul pole in the ninth. It was Rocchio's second career walk-off, and it came in the opener of a four-game series between the top two teams in the AL Central, a division so tight that Cleveland and Chicago are now tied atop the standings. Tim Herrin worked around trouble in the top of the ninth to secure the win.
Rays Make It Eight in a Row
Tampa Bay kept its own streak alive in Kansas City, riding a dominant Ian Seymour start to a 5-2 win and an eighth straight victory, the Rays' longest run since they opened the 2023 season 13-0. Cedric Mullins provided the power with a two-run homer, and Bryan Baker closed it out for the save. The sweep completed a series in which Tampa Bay outscored Kansas City by a wide margin, and the Rays have used this stretch to build a four-game lead in the AL East. Junior Caminero's six-game home run streak, tied for a franchise record, came to a quiet end in the finale, but his last week at the plate has been loud enough to make that a footnote rather than a story.
Around the Rest of the Slate
Colorado's offense put together its most complete night in weeks, piling up 14 runs against Miami behind a seven-run sixth inning, with several Rockies bats getting things rolling early and often. In Pittsburgh's win over Philadelphia, Carmen Mlodzinski turned in a strong outing while the Phillies' bullpen couldn't hold a lead against a Pirates club quietly building momentum in the NL Central mix. Cincinnati jumped on Milwaukee starter Jacob Misiorowski for a big fourth inning, a reminder that even the Brewers' deepest arms are not immune to a bad night. In Texas, Nathan Eovaldi outdueled Framber Valdez as the Rangers ended a rough week for Detroit's rotation. And in Seattle, Bryce Miller was nearly untouchable, throwing seven scoreless innings with eight strikeouts as the Mariners shut out the Angels behind Andrés Muñoz's save, a start that has Miller squarely in the conversation as the All-Star break approaches.
What to Watch Friday
Taken together, Thursday's slate leaned on late innings more than usual, three separate games decided from the seventh inning on, and two of them by teams coming from multiple runs down. That kind of night tends to shuffle the standings picture without anyone officially moving, and it is worth watching the AL East and AL Central over the next few days as the Rays keep pulling away and the Guardians and White Sox stay locked together. Friday's slate carries several of these same threads forward, with the Dodgers opening a new series against the Padres and Cleveland and Chicago picking up where they left off in a series that already feels like it will matter in September. Worth setting the alarm a few minutes early.
Thursday's Final Scores
Pittsburgh Pirates (44-44) @ Philadelphia Phillies (49-39) — Pirates 6, Phillies 1
Cincinnati Reds (40-46) @ Milwaukee Brewers (53-32) — Reds 7, Brewers 2
Colorado Rockies (35-53) @ Miami Marlins (46-42) — Rockies 14, Marlins 4
Chicago White Sox (45-41) @ Cleveland Guardians (46-42) — Guardians 6, White Sox 5
St. Louis Cardinals (45-39) @ Atlanta Braves (50-35) — Cardinals 11, Braves 5
Tampa Bay Rays (51-33) @ Kansas City Royals (35-53) — Rays 5, Royals 2
Texas Rangers (45-43) @ Detroit Tigers (38-50) — Rangers 10, Tigers 4
Los Angeles Angels (36-52) @ Seattle Mariners (45-43) — Mariners 1, Angels 0
San Diego Padres (43-43) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (57-31) — Dodgers 12, Padres 7
