Lawmakers face off at congressional baseball game
Pak Gazette correspondent Chad Pergram previews the annual Congressional Baseball Game, where Republican lawmakers aim to extend their five-year winning streak against Democrats. The report highlights the competitive spirit, the challenges both teams faced during morning practices, and the game’s significant fundraising efforts for DC nonprofits.
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I mentioned how humiliating baseball can be in yesterday’s article. I certainly felt honored last night. Humiliated may not even be the right word; instead, you should probably be incredibly frustrated. I was under 10.5 in the Royals-Padres game, and in nine innings, exactly six runs were scored. Unfortunately, there were three on each side, so it was down to the tenth inning. In the top of the tenth, three runs crossed the plate. That brought the total to 9, but he was still alive. In the bottom of the inning, the Royals scored four runs. A seven-run tenth inning and the game is over. As brutal as it seems. Luckily, I beat the Reds, but that… was something. Let’s try to avoid that fate when the Rays face the Red Sox.
Tampa Bay is one of the best teams in baseball, which isn’t all that surprising when you consider the franchise as a whole. They have a 56-40 record on the season and are alone in first place in the division. The Rays have been hot all year, but I would challenge almost any casual fan to name more than three players on the team. Junior Caminero is probably the best known, partly because he is an All-Star and partly because he was nearly injured in the All-Star Game.
Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates his solo home run off Cincinnati Reds pitcher Brandon Williamson during the third inning of a baseball game in St. Petersburg, Florida, on April 22, 2026. (Chris O’Meara/AP)
You may be familiar with some of the starting pitchers on staff, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you weren’t. The Rays are a little unconventional at times with their rotation and arms. Today, they are sending in Ian Seymour to start the game, or maybe we should consider calling it opening the game? Seymour has 33 appearances and only six starts. It’s normal for a guy to stretch out and move from the bullpen into the rotation, but some are better left in the bullpen, and it looks like that could be the case for him. As a starter, he has allowed teams to hit .242 against him compared to just .197 as a reliever. The encouraging sign for the Rays is that in 18 at-bats against him, the Red Sox did not record a hit and struck out seven times.
THE RED SOX HAD A NIGHTMARE DAY RIDE YEARS AGO, BUT THEY STILL FOUND A WAY TO BEAT THE METS IN NEW YORK
The Boston Red Sox seemed dead in the water just a month ago. They were in last place in the division and looked like they were probably going to be sellers at the trade deadline. Maybe it was just a very bad start. Maybe this team is better than we expected. Or it’s possible that this was just a hot stretch and they end up falling back down the standings. There is still a lot to be determined, but the club is finally clicking and I know they are looking to build on that success for as long as possible.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JULY 7: Ceddanne Rafaela #3 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates hitting a two-run home run during the second inning against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on July 7, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
The Red Sox will send Patrick Sandoval to the mound today. This is just his second start of the season with the Red Sox and he has a record-breaking ERA of 2.08 and WHIP of 1.38. He has only 4.1 innings under his belt, so I would be very surprised to see him go deep in this game. It’s possible, since yesterday was a doubleheader, that they need Sandoval to eat innings even if he pitches poorly. Rays hitters have faced him 28 times, but 17 of those have come from Yandy Diaz, who is just 3-for-17 against him. The other three players who have seen Sandoval before are a combined 2-for-11.
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I think this could be a game where you see some runs from both teams. Neither starter is going to strike fear into their opponent, exactly. However, I will at least give them credit for showing success against their opponent in limited exposure. I’m leaning towards the over at 9.5 for this game, but I think there is a better play.
Yandy Diaz, center, of the Tampa Bay Rays, is congratulated on his two-run home run against the Atlanta Braves during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, July 9, 2023, in St. Petersburg, Florida. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
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The Red Sox have won 11 straight games, but I don’t see them getting to 12. Boston should be very happy to be back at .500, but Tampa Bay is a very good team, and I actually think Seymour is more reliable than Sandoval in just his second start. Combine that with the Red Sox winning both games yesterday, and I think the Rays will take this one. Give me Tampa Bay on the money line.
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