NINE TO KNOW AND DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

1. The Dodgers have an active losing streak. Check this out:

• On April 1, the Dodgers lost to Cleveland, 4-1.

• On May 1, the Dodgers lost to St. Louis, 7-2.

• On June 1, the Dodgers lost to Arizona, 4-1.

• On July 1, the Dodgers lost to the Athletics, 7-1.

Meanwhile, their magic number today is 63.

2. The Rays have won eight straight games for the first time since they opened the season 13-0 in 2023.

3. The Yankees and Mets are battling to see which team is currently the worst. If this is a city that never sleeps, it’s because they are up all night with aggravation. Since June 24, they are a combined 3-14, a winning pct. of .176, The Mets are 2-7 and the Yankees are 1-7. The two teams have combined to hit .180 and are averaging 2.94 runs per game. Anthony Volpe, Ronny Mauricio, Cody Bellinger, Mark Vientos, and Austin Wells are all hitting under .120.

4. The Padres have allowed 44 runs (42 earned) in the last three games, which comes to an ERA of 15.27. After 84 games, they had an ERA of 3.94. Three games later, they have a team ERA of 4.26. The 35 runs the Padres allowed the past two days are more than they had ever allowed in consecutive games. On top of that, the Friars have gone 6 straight games without getting at least 5 innings from a starter, tying the longest stretch in franchise history.

5. Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby is now 12-1, leading the majors in wins. He entered the season with a lifetime record of 11-16 in 97 games.