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José Soriano had the starting nod for the Los Angeles Angels in Saturday's lineup against the Milwaukee Brewers on August 1. Now, he's listed as a healthy scratch, according to baseball insider Jon Heyman.

Soriano has had his name swirl around discussions and trade rumors ahead of the MLB trade deadline, which is scheduled for Monday, August 3 at 6 p.m. ET and 3 p.m. PT.

Starting in place of Soriano is 36-year-old right-hand pitcher Brent Suter.

Soriano has put up a 9-6 record with a 3.29 ERA and 127 strikeouts. He's also tallied a 1.25 WHIP in 123 innings pitched. The 27-year-old, right-handed pitcher has appeared in and started 22 games for the Angels.

The Angels released the following statement on Saturday:

The last time Soriano pitched against the Brewers was during the 2025 season. On September 17, he pitched 1.1 innings where he allowed two hits, two walks and three runs in a 9-2 loss. He did not deliver any strikeouts during the September 2025 meeting at American Family Field in Milwaukee.

Jose Soriano stats and record

Soriano is on pace for a career-best 3.29 ERA. In his last outing against the San Francisco Giants, he helped the Angels to a narrow 4-3 victory where Soriano pitched five innings at Oracle Park.

On the mound, he put in work against one of the five California-based MLB teams. Soriano wasn't perfect but nevertheless put on a good pitching display that contributed in getting the job done.

He only gave up three hits and allowed one run in his July 26 performance. Soriano struck out five batters and only three were walked in 85 total pitches.

Soriano first signed with Angels as an international free agent for a $70,000 signing bonus on March 4, 2016. He had quite the journey that took him from his home in the Dominican Republic to Arizona to Iowa. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Soriano from the Angels in the 2020 Rule 5 draft. He spent time in Florida, before the Pirates sent him back to the Angels in 2021.

Soriano rehabbed from injury and continued to develop under the Angels' farm system until he got his break in 2023. He made his MLB debut on June 3, 2023 when the Angels promoted Soriano to the majors. It was the first time being called up in his career and he didn't look back.

In 38 appearances out of the bullpen during his rookie campaign, he threw a 3.64 ERA with 56 strikeouts over 42 innings of work.

Soriano, now in his fourth-year in the MLB, looks to improve upon his recent outings. However, it will be interesting to see whether he remains with the Angels as movement around the league is anticipated in light of the trade deadline.

In the meantime, Suter and the Angels will take on the Brewers at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA beginning at 9:38 p.m. ET and 6:38 p.m. PT.

The Angels currently have a 42-68 record and are in fifth place in the American League West division. The Brewers are 68-41, sitting atop the National League Central with the best record.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Angels scratch José Soriano before Brewers game amid trade buzz

Wow! First place in the Al Central by three games entering August, three straight wins over the top teams in the league, talk of adding at the deadline instead of the usual subtracting! Why, it’s enough to make a nonagenarian who hates fans and players happy, even if only because it means a whole lot more butts in seats and thus money in his pocket.

Trying to keep things going will be the one starting pitcher (or, today, bulk reliever, as fans of fiber call it) who has really struggled of late. Will Venable is going with an opener for Noah Schultz today, the first time that’s been tried. Jordan Hicks gets the nod to start the game, his first time in that role.

Hicks has fared extremely well lately, not giving up a run in 14 straight appearances since early June. Schultz, not so much, allowing 16 runs in 21 1/3 innings in July and not making it out of the fourth his last two times out.

Will how he does today impact trade deadline decisions on getting a starter? Only The Shadow knows. Well, The Shadow and Chris Getz.

Sox batters, fresh from clobbering long balls last night, will be facing modern medicine marvel Drew Rasmussen. The 31-year-old righty not only had two Tommy John surgeries while still in college (in a time when it was very unusual to be able to pitch effectively for more than a year or two after a second round), he had the nouveau internal brace surgery in 2023, and yet has come back to be an All-Star in 2025 and 2026.

Rasmussen sports a fine 3.07 ERA for the season, but had a mixed July, with two very bad starts early in the month. He was very good his last two starts, though, and held the Guardians to one hit over seven innings last time out.

Rasmussen will face a White Sox lineup that only has a change at catcher from last night’s slugfest.

Hicks, Schultz, et. al will be tossing to a Tampa Bay lineup weighted toward righties.

Y. Diaz, DH
C. Simpson, LF
J. Caminero, 3B
V. Mesa Jr., RF
J. DeLuca, CF
R. Vilade, 1B
B. Williamson, 2B
N. Fortes, C
T. Walls, SS

First pitch is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. Central, when it’s supposed to be in the upper 80s in Tampa and likely to rain, so saved by the dome. Usual broadcast suspects, with Steve Stone off for the road trip (too bad), but John Schriffen still in the TV booth (also too bad).

The 2026 MLB season is well into the second half, and while there have been some tough breaks, the Yankees have done a nice job on the whole staying afloat. They have been missing the irreplaceable Aaron Judge for some time now, Giancarlo Stanton’s status is as mystifying as ever, and now missing Cody Bellinger for a long spell, the roster does not look the way fans may have envisioned early in the year. Despite this, the Bombers have a firm grasp on a playoff spot, and are very much in the race for the AL East. While this can be attributed to many things, solid work with the leather certainly plays a role.

As with every other passing month, July did not pass without some highlights on the defensive side. With the month coming to a close, let’s take a look at some of the most notable flashes of the leather throughout July.

July 1: Volpe over the shoulder

On the first day of the month, in a close game at home against the Tigers, Anthony Volpe made an early entry into our list. With two outs in the fourth inning, Zach McKinstry hit a looping popup, ticketed for the center-field grass. Already shaded slightly up the middle, Volpe ran nearly straight back, before making the impressive over-the-shoulder catch and sliding to a knee, preventing a single and bringing the inning to a close.

As a bonus, reliever Paul Blackburn made a nifty, between-the-legs snag on a comebacker the same day.

July 24th: Caballero lays out, throws it from a knee

In the second inning of a scoreless game against the Phillies, José Caballero cemented his spot in July’s finest plays. With Cam Schlittler on the mound, Alec Bohm ripped the first pitch the other way toward the hole on the right side, only for Cabby to pick the worm-burner off the turf, roll over onto a knee, and make a sharp throw over to first base to just barely get Bohm. Every play mattered in this game, as the Yanks went on to win 1-0.

July 24th: Belli’s clutch play on the track

In the same game, Bellinger gave more proof to the importance of defense in the tight Yankees win. Later in the game, with the Phillies hoping to stage a rally in the ninth, Brandon Marsh nearly started one with extra bases when he rocketed a ball to the warning track the other way. Bellinger, as he does so well, had a beat on it and used every bit of his big frame to leap and make the play a few feet in front of the wall.

July 28th: Jazz ranges far into the outfield

Some of the most memorable defensive plays in baseball often involve a player far away from where their position typically roams. In this play, a chopper off the bat of Colson Montgomery bounced over first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, only for Jazz Chisholm jr. to range deep into the outfield, extend to snare the grounder, and make a spinning throw to first base. It’s not often you see a second baseman make a throw from the foul line, probably 50 feet beyond the first base bag, but Chisholm made it look pretty seamless here.

July 29th: A pair of nice plays in extras

This was very much a game to forget for the Yankees, as they ultimately lost in 12 innings. There was a time, however, that a couple of slick defensive plays nearly netted them a win in the 11th (before defense ended up biting them elsewhere). The first play sees some damage control from Goldschmidt over at first base. With no outs and a runner on second base, Camilo Doval fielded a soft chopper to his right before rocketing a throw into the dirt at first base. The veteran Goldschmidt calmly made a swift pick of the ball in front of the runner to secure the hue out.

The second play comes from the always-impressive Ryan McMahon, who snared a hard grounder to his left, quickly got to his feet and threw a strike over to first base. At the time, it was a game-saver, as the tying run was standing on third base with one out. We won’t talk about anything else from this game! If you dare ponder it, consider it a Dishonorable Mention.

Texas Rangers lineup for August 1, 2026 against the Houston Astros: starting pitchers are Jacob deGrom for the Rangers and Ronel Blanco for the Astros.

Texas looks to rebound from yesterday’s ugly loss and re-gain first place in the American League West. Its a lefty-heavy lineup that includes Joc Pederson at first base.

The lineup:

Pederson — 1B

Langford — LF

Seager — SS

Nimmo — DH

Carter — CF

Duran — 3B

Osuna — RF

Diaz — C

Lopez — 2B

6:10 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are -120 favorites.

The Mariners games will continue until morale improves.

As a reminder, if you want to chat about trade deadline stuff – rumors, suggested trades, analysis of other teams’ moves – you can do that in the trade deadline thread linked here or pinned on the homepage.

Lineups:

News:

Luke Raley has been moved to the IL with his nagging elbow issue; OF Stuart Fairchild, signed as a minor-league free agent in early July, is here in his place. Read more here. Also, in case you missed it, there was also a roster move yesterday, with J.P. Crawford headed to the IL to try to heal up his inflamed wrist; Leo Rivas is here instead. There are also some updates on the injured relievers as well as some other miscellany (apparently Brendan Donovan counts as miscellany to me); read it all in John’s injury update here.

The Twins also made their own roster moves: they’ve acquired pitcher Dean Kremer from the Orioles, who has reported to the team. Zebby Matthews was rewarded for his career night against the Mariners last night by being optioned to Triple-A to make room for him.

Today’s game information:

Game time: 1:10 PT

TV: Mariners TV with Aaron Goldsmith and Ryan Rowland-Smith, with Angie Mentink as field reporter. This game will also be televised nationally on FS1, with Connor Onion and Mark Sweeney as the announcers. This is my first time typing that particular name and I assure you, his name is in fact Connor Onion and he is real. This fact brought to you by Cibo Matto (you gotta know your chicken onion).

Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr.

The Braves are going for another series win at home against their division rival Nationals. Reynaldo Lopez is taking the mound, with Miles Mikolas starting for Washington, in a matchup of unconvincing righties.

Drake Baldwin gets the nod at leadoff against the righty starter, as Walt Weiss continues to swap him and Acuna at the top of the order. Elsewhere, Dominic Smith returns to the lineup, DHing and batting sixth, right ahead of the remnants of Austin Riley. Mike Yastrzemski and Jim Jarvis make up the back of the lineup.

I will update this post once the Nationals release their lineup.

Game Info

Game Time: Saturday, August 1st, 7:15 pm EDT

Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA

Watch: BravesVision

Radio/Audio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan

Go Rays!

The San Diego Padres have great confidence in Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta when they take the hill. Each pitcher has defined why they’re a top-of-the-rotation starter with their bulldog-like mentality.

Musgrove is the hometown hero who pitched the first no-hitter in franchise history. Pivetta had a breakout 2025 campaign, going 13-5 with a 2.87 ERA in 31 starts. But elbow injuries have derailed their seasons.

Arm Injuries are tough

The road to recovery is tough. The rehab process is slow and frustrating, but quite necessary. First, both right-handers must begin throwing at 75 feet, then gradually move to 125 feet. Next is a throwing session off the mound before heading out for rehab starts.

Padres President of Baseball Operations and General Manager AJ Preller is optimistic that Musgrove and Pivetta will pitch again this season. Currently, both starters are on the 60-day injured list, but neither has thrown a minor-league rehab start. 

Musgrove’s recovery has been bumpy

Musgrove is recovering from the after-effects of Tommy John surgery that has sidelined him since October 2024. However, in Spring Training, he suffered a setback that has kept Musgrove from making his season debut. Unfortunately, his injury history seems to drag on longer than expected. 

Immediately, the Friars placed Java Joe on the 60-day IL. Thanks to rest and rehab, he is now throwing short stints off the mound. Musgrove will not be rushed, but the hope is that he will return by late August or early September. 

The return of Pivetta is not far off

In an early-season start against the Colorado Rockies, Pivetta exited the game with elbow stiffness. Afterward, an MRI showed a flexor strain. Team doctors recommended rest and rehab over elbow surgery. So far, the diagnosis has paid off.

Pivetta threw 20 pitches in a simulated outing in late July at the Peoria Sports Complex. He is expected to throw another brief simulated outing before having another MRI to check on his elbow’s condition. If the images are good, Pivetta will be sent out for minor-league rehab starts. 

He may have a shorter timetable than Musgrove in returning to the active roster. But Pivetta will need at least four or five appearances before the Padres can consider him ready to pitch in the majors.

The Padres have been dealing with multiple injuries to the starting rotation all season. It began with Yu Darvish and Musgrove in Spring Training. Then you add Pivetta and his rotation replacement, Lucas Giolito, to an already long laundry list.

The return of Musgrove and Pivetta atop the rotation could alter the National League Wild Card race. 

But let’s take it one step at a time. The Friar Faithful need to see them pitch in games before we can dream.

The Mariners announced today that they have moved OF Luke Raley to the 10-day IL with a left forearm strain. Raley was out of the game yesterday after feeling pain in the elbow pregame, and today the team opted to move him to the IL to try to calm the inflammation and hopefully get him back before the end of the season.

The elbow issue isn’t a new one for Raley, who has been managing nagging pain in the joint for “years” in what manager Dan Wilson described as a “wear and tear” situation, but the injury cropped up in a more serious fashion back in late June after he aggravated it on a swing, forcing Raley to miss three games. Raley has been trying to manage the issue with treatment, but his production has dropped off sharply as the season has gone on. One of the team’s hottest hitters in May, with a 215 wRC+, Raley’s production in June dropped to a wRC+ of just 15 for June and 38 for July.

“It gets to a point where it’s difficult and it’s painful, and he felt like he wasn’t helping the team at that point,” said manager Dan Wilson, who also said there was no inciting incident causing the pain, rather just a threshold of daily pain that was crossed to the point where it’s not sustainable. “He’s going to take a break here and hopefully get some results.”

To replace Raley, the Mariners are selecting OF Stuart Fairchild, back for a second turn with his hometown organization. Born in Seattle, Fairchild attended Seattle Prep before attending Wake Forest for college; the Reds took him 38th overall in the 2017 Draft. Fairchild had a previous stint with the Mariners in 2022, when he was with the team just briefly from April to May before being DFA’d; he’d go on to bounce around several different organizations, eventually signing a minor-league free agent deal with Cleveland prior to the 2026 season. The Mariners signed him back into the organization as a minor league free agent in early July.

Fairchild’s main attribute is that he’s a right-handed hitting outfielder, something the Mariners need desperately; the local ties are a bonus. However, Fairchild might have a similarly brief stint with the Mariners this time around if the team decides to go bold at the trade deadline and bring in longer-term help, or if they do as John (and me and many others) wishes and call up hot-hitting (and right-handed) prospect Michael Arroyo.

Depending on how long Raley is out, it’s possible Mariners fans have seen the last of the beloved hard-nosed outfielder, who seems like a likely non-tender candidate this winter. Raley made just over $2M with the Mariners this season, avoiding arbitration, but still has two more years of arbitration eligibility before becoming a free agent. With similarly left-handed-hitting prospect outfielder Lazaro Montes approaching the majors, and a roster that’s heavily slanted towards left-handed bats to begin with, there might not be as natural a fit for Raley as there has been in years past. No matter what happens, no one can take away the joy that is watching Luke Raley play baseball – specifically running around the bases – but we’re crossing our fingers for a speedy recovery anyway.

Mets Lineup

1. A.J. Ewing – CF
2. Francisco Lindor – SS
3. Bo Bichette – DH
4. Carson Benge – RF
5. Jared Young – 1B
6. Marcus Semien – 2B
7. Brett Baty – 3B
8. Tyrone Taylor – LF
9. Luis Torrens – C

SP: Zac Thornton – LHP

Marlins Lineup

1. Otto Lopez – SS
2. Heriberto Hernández – LF
3. Liam Hicks – C
4. Xavier Edwards – 2B
5. Leo Jiménez – 3B
6. Kyle Stowers – 1B
7. Javier Sanoja – RF
8. Esteury Ruiz – CF
9. Griffin Conine – DH

SP: Tyler Phillips -RHP

Broadcast Info

First pitch: 4:10 PM ET
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

First Pitch (CT):3:10 PM
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN/830 WCCO/102.9 The Wolf /Audacy App
Know Yo’ Foe:Lookout Landing

The Twins’ offense rallied late last night to pull out a victory. They’ll likely need to do the same today facing Logan Gilbert, who has quietly been one of the best pitchers in baseball since he debuted in 2021. The Twins will counter with rookie Connor Prielipp.

Prielipp’s top level numbers aren’t great, but there’s a lot to like below the surface. He’s also already flew past last season’s career-high innings total and will likely start transitioning to the bullpen soon follow the Twins’ acquisition of Dean Kremer last night. For context. Prielipp has thrown a combined 91 innings between MLB and AAA this year. He threw 82.2 total last season and 58 combined innings from 2020-2024 due to two separate Tommy John surgeries.

Roster Notes

• The Twins made a slew of transactions this morning. AJ Minter was officially added to the active roster and Zebby Matthews was optioned to St. Paul. I don’t imagine Zebby will be down there long due to the Prielipp issue I mentioned.
• Garret Acton was also reinstated from the 60-day IL and optioned to AAA. Kremer wasn’t added to the active roster yet, but will also obviously need a roster spot shortly.
• To make space on the 40 man for those three, Cole Sands and Mike Paredes were both transferred to the 60-day IL, effectively ending their seasons. Cody Laweryson was designated for assignment for the third roster spot.
• The Twins will still have a 26-man move to make for Kremer, which likely be optioning either Kendry Rojas or Jack Anderson. Frankly, it will probably depend on who throws today so that they don’t option a fresh arm.

Lineups

San Francisco Giants outfielder Harrison Bader has not had the type of season he probably hoped for entering 2026.

The 32-year-old center fielder has been shut down for the rest of the season as he deals with plantar fasciitis in his left foot.

Bader initially suffered the injury in a 8-6 loss against the Colorado Rockies on May 29. He was placed on the 10-day injured list and has not played another game for the team since.

He also dealt with a hamstring injury earlier in the season. Bader appeared in only 30 games these season, posting a .170 batting average, 14 RBIs and five home runs.

Bader experienced a setback, re-injuring his foot following a late night, early morning scooter crash that further complicated his recovery to the existing foot injury. He was due to travel to Indianapolis to see a specialist for his plantar fasciitis, however the exam could not proceed after the crash.

The Pittsburgh Pirates moved to solve the problems of two ballclubs with one trade, acquiring hard-throwing right-hander Camilo Doval from the New York Yankees in exchange for two minor leaguers. 

A baseball official with direct knowledge of the trade confirmed the swap to USA TODAY Sports. The person requested anonymity because the deal, first reported by ESPN, has not been announced. 

Doval, 29, has struggled with the Yankees since coming over from the San Francisco Giants in a 2025 deadline deal, posting a 4.63 ERA over the two seasons. He was an All-Star and saved an NL-best 39 games in 2023 for San Francisco, but has struggled with command in ensuing years. 

With the Pirates, he immediately upgrades the bullpen from a stuff standpoint, and could conceivably work his way into save situations with Gregory Soto and Mason Montgomery currently holding down a ninth-inning spot. 

The Yankees received catcher-first baseman Omar Alfonzo, 26, currently at Class AA Altoona, and 18-year-old outfielder Luis Cruz, currently rostered on the Pirates' Dominican Summer League teams.

The trade adds to the Pirates' and Yankees' history of exchanging relievers, with New York acquiring current closer David Bednar and former closer Clay Holmes from Pittsburgh in recent seasons.

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The Washington Nationals have lost three straight, including the first two games of a weekend set in Atlanta.

The Braves have won three in a row. The Nationals are +152 underdogs despite their bats heating up with the weather, however.

My Nationals vs. Braves predictions and MLB picks are calling for an upset as Washington breaks out of its skid on Saturday, August 1.

Who will win Nationals vs Braves tonight: Nationals moneyline (+163)

The Washington Nationals are over .500 this year and .593 on the road. For the Atlanta Braves to be -170 favorites, they'd better have an ace on the mound.

Instead, they have Reynaldo Lopez. 

His FIP is nearly a full run worse than his ERA, and he's susceptible to the long ball. That's trouble against a Washington offense that leads MLB in OPS and home runs.

The Nats have boosted their OPS by 124 points in the second half, hitting 45% over league average. In July, they had an .895 OPS and 146 OPS+.

I'd take Washington money until about +140.

COVERS INTEL: Lopez has still not bounced back from the shoulder trouble that plagued the end of his 2024 season and cost him most of 2025. His fastball velocity was in the 96th percentile pre-injury and is now in the 44th percentile after losing 4 mph. The loss of velocity is more damaging because he's also lost 150 revolutions of spin on his curve. His whiff rates are way down, and opponents' average way up on every pitch he throws.

Nationals vs Braves Over/Under pick: Over 9.5 (+101)

Washington should get back Luis Garcia Jr., who missed Friday's game to rest his knee.

He had a .941 OPS and 154 OPS+ in July. Unfortunately for the Nats, they'll probably need every one of those runs they score, because they're starting perhaps the worst regular member of a rotation in baseball.

Miles Mikolas has a 5.65 ERA, and his FIP (5.66) says that's exactly where he should be. 94% of pitchers have better run value, and he's in the bottom 1% in swing-and-miss.

The Braves scored 5+ in the first two games of the series and should keep that streak going against Mikolas.

Nationals vs Braves weather

It will be a humid night in the ATL, with winds blowing in from centerfield. 

Nationals vs Braves odds

• Moneyline: Nationals +163 | Braves -170
• Run line: Nationals +1.5 (-127) | Braves -1.5 (+122)
• Over/Under: Over 9.5 (+104) | Under 9.5 (-108)

Nationals vs Braves trend

Over is 5-0 in Lopez's last 5 starts in the division and 6-0 in Mikolas' last 6 starts on grass. Find more MLB betting trends for Nationals vs. Braves.

How to watch Nationals vs Braves and game info

Nationals vs Braves latest injuries

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