The Buzz — Saturday, July 25

Cam Schlittler

The take Dominant 12-K scoreless gem shuts down Phillies

The 12 strikeouts are what the highlights lead with, but the zero next to walks is the line that matters. Schlittler faced a Phillies lineup with Turner and Schwarber and never handed a free pass — 7.1 innings, 3 hits, 0 runs, and 99 pitches, which means he was ahead all night and the count never ran him. The four-seamer sat 98.5 and touched 99.7, and he retired the first 10 men he faced.

Goldschmidt's solo homer off Luzardo in the fourth was the only run of the game, which means Schlittler's zero was not padding — it was the margin. He is the American League ERA leader at 2.07, and this start did not create that standing; it confirmed it. The crowd is right to call it dominant. The more honest read is that this is who he has been all year.

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Rafael Devers

The take Devers walk-off single powers Giants past Angels

He bookended the night — a two-run homer in the first inning, his 21st of the season, and then a two-run single in the 10th that ended a 7-6 win and a five-game losing streak. The walk-off is the clip everyone will share. The fuller read is a club at 43-60 that blew leads of 5-1 and 6-4 before Devers bailed them out with the bases loaded in extras.

The production is real: 21 homers, multi-RBI, and an opposite-field approach that played against Grayson Rodriguez early. But the Giants' record is the record, and one walk-off in July does not change the math on a season that has already slipped away. The crowd got the moment. The moment does not fix the standings.

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Chase DeLauter

The take rookie ends no-hit bid, rides hit streaks

The no-hitter he broke up on March 29 is four months old — what matters now is the .345 he has hit over his last seven games and the 4-for-5 with three RBI he put up on July 20. A rookie at .284 with 11 home runs and 50 RBI after a rib injury cost him two weeks in June is producing as an everyday contributor, not a phenom. The streaks are real. The ceiling is still being tested.

Chase DeLauter cards on eBay →(paid link)

Alex Bregman

The take Cubs 3B Bregman role and No. 3 jersey talk

The jersey number is the story the crowd is having fun with, and Bregman gave them the line himself: he wears No. 3 because he wants a third championship. He wore No. 2 for his entire career in Houston, and Nico Hoerner holds it in Chicago. The change is aspirational, not a status dispute.

But the role conversation is really about the 5-year, $175 million contract — $70 million deferred. In 397 at-bats, Bregman is hitting .237 with 10 home runs, 44 RBI, and a .688 OPS. On June 8, after an 0-for-5, he said it plainly: "I've been terrible... Offensively, it's been awful" — citing a .178 average with runners in scoring position and mechanical issues. Three weeks later he jogged to first on a grounder, got thrown out after a bobble, and owned that too, pointing to 10 soft-tissue injuries.

Since the break, Bregman has three home runs in five games after just two in all of June. Counsell noted the hard-hit balls; the Cubs are using DH days to manage his legs, not reducing his role. The bust framing was premature. This is a player who bottomed out and is climbing back on a club that needs the bat it paid for. The jersey says third championship. The season says he is still becoming the hitter they signed.

Alex Bregman cards on eBay →(paid link)

Kazuma Okamoto

The take Okamoto smacks 23rd HR, sets Japanese rookie record

23 home runs, and the 23rd broke Shohei Ohtani's record for most by a Japanese-born rookie in an MLB season. The ball traveled 408 feet to straightaway center at Fenway Park — not a wall-scraper, a no-doubt shot. The record is real and it is his alone now.

But the number that tells you what Okamoto means to the Blue Jays is this: he has 23 home runs and 65 RBI, and the next-closest teammate in homers is George Springer with 10. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is second in RBI with 42. On a team with the lowest-scoring offense in baseball, Okamoto is not a bright spot — he is the offense. The .227 average says the approach is still raw. The power says the $60 million investment is already paying for itself.

Kazuma Okamoto cards on eBay →(paid link)