ATLANTA, GA - MAY 13: A locked padlock and chain against two official MLB baseballs representing a potential lockout between Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) for the 2027 MLB season, as photographed on May 13, 2026 in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Giants fans and fans across the country.
The 2026 season has been full of bad news for the San Francisco Giants and their fans. And if you’re an optimist who sees a light at the end of the tunnel, well … that light will be dimmed very quickly, and not even because of anything the Giants do.
Yes, baseball is headed for a lockout, and while the last one was short, everything we’ve heard going into this one suggest it will be very long. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ spending and dominance and the altered landscape of regional sports networks and streaming platforms are large factors, and it seems like both sides will get bloody arguing over whether or not a salary cap should be introduced.
It will be ugly. You’ll get sick of hearing about it. I’ll get sick of writing about it.
But as long as it’s ugly, you might as well take a chance to be right, right? So give us your predictions as to how much baseball we are deprived of while watching billionaires argue with their (mostly) well-compensated employees.
For the better part of the last few years, the Edmonton Oilers have been Canada's best chance to finally win another Stanley Cup.
They came within one win in 2024, returned to the Stanley Cup Final the following year, and have spent the better part of the past decade getting closer than any Canadian team has since Vancouver in 2011. There is still plenty of reason to believe they can get back there.
They may not have much longer as Canada's best chance.
The Montreal Canadiens are well ahead of schedule, and after reaching the Eastern Conference Final last season, you can't call what they're doing a rebuild anymore. They already have a good NHL team, most of their best players are young, and there is still another group coming behind them.
Montreal has drafted extraordinarily well.
Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield are established stars. Juraj Slafkovsky is 22, Ivan Demidov is 20, and Lane Hutson has already become one of the best young defencemen in the league. Noah Dobson gives Montreal another high-end defenceman, while Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler give the Canadiens two young goaltenders who could be part of the organization for a long time.
Michael Hage is still at Michigan, and the Canadiens haven't emptied Laval to build the team that's already winning playoff rounds.
That's a pretty good situation to be in after making a conference final.
Edmonton's situation is a little different.
The Oilers have the better players at the top of their roster. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Evan Bouchard and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, to name a few. Matt Savoie and Isaac Howard have given the Oilers some much-needed younger talent.
The difference is that most of Edmonton's best players are already what they're going to be.
McDavid isn't a prospect who might eventually become a superstar. Draisaitl isn't still developing into one of the best centres in hockey. Hyman and Nugent-Hopkins are established veterans.
The Oilers are built to win now because they have to be.
Montreal has already become a contender while several of its most important players are still developing. Demidov should be better in two years than he is today. Slafkovsky should be better. Fowler hasn't reached his prime, Hage hasn't reached the NHL, and there are still players in Laval who could eventually become part of the Canadiens' lineup.
They don't need all of them to work out, either.
Montreal has enough young players and prospects that some can miss and the organization will still be in good shape. If Hughes decides the Canadiens need another established player instead, he has the draft picks and prospects available to go get one.
Teams trying to win the Stanley Cup, as the Oilers have been for years, don't keep every draft pick and prospect. They trade them for players who can help immediately.
Eventually, those trades leave the organization with less to work with.
The Oilers don't have a prospect pool in Bakersfield that compares with what Montreal has coming through Laval, and they don't have the same collection of draft picks available if another major piece becomes available. Edmonton can still improve its roster, but Bowman doesn't have the same margin for error that Hughes does.
Montreal's contracts help, too.
The Canadiens haven't had to pay their young core like a group that has already reached its ceiling. Their biggest contracts remain manageable relative to league-wide salary levels, and much of the core is under team control for years. That lets Hughes keep adding as the young players improve.
Martin St. Louis has been behind the bench through much of the rebuild and has developed alongside many of the players now turning Montreal into a contender. After taking such a young team to the conference final, it isn't difficult to see a Coach of the Year award in his future.
Hughes could eventually have a GM of the Year award waiting for him as well.
The Canadiens have rebuilt quickly without giving up the things rebuilding teams are supposed to accumulate. They still have prospects. They still have picks. They have young players on the NHL roster who haven't reached their primes, and they already know the group can win in the playoffs.
McDavid, Draisaitl, Hyman, Nugent-Hopkins and Bouchard have been through long playoff runs together. They've played in Stanley Cup Finals, dealt with the pressure that comes with them and come about as close to winning as a team can without actually doing it.
Montreal hasn't done that yet.
For now, that experience and the presence of McDavid and Draisaitl are enough to keep Edmonton near the front of the Canadian contenders. The Oilers don't need to be younger than Montreal or have a better prospect pool to win four playoff rounds this season. But they can't keep assuming there will always be another one.
Montreal's best years should still be ahead of it. Edmonton's best opportunity may be the one it has right now.
The Canadiens were the last Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup in 1993. For more than three decades, every contender north of the border has tried to become the team that finally follows them.
Edmonton has come closer than anybody, but if can't finish it in the coming years, the Canadiens may not leave them much longer to try.
There's a certain know-it-when-you-see-it moment when a baseball team goes from underperforming to checked out, from disappointing to joylessly headed nowhere.
Their 22-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday, Aug. 18 had it all: Managerial malfeasance, an embarrassing gaffe by a superstar and, in the end, an utter lack of fight that belies the fact the Mariners are actually in the playoff hunt.
Let's be clear: That doesn't mean they're a good team.
The Mariners are 59-67, have been outscored by 45 runs and have a 60-homer superstar batting .157 — nearly 50 points worse than the lowest-qualified hitter in the major leagues. In any other year, that would typically invite a housecleaning at the trade deadline and perhaps a few rolling heads in management.
In the American League in the year 2026, however, it gets you just four games out of first in the West and three games out of the wild card.
Yet Seattle's fortuitous positioning can't wash away how dismal this season has been, particularly since expectations were sky-high after the Mariners came within eight outs of their first World Series appearance ever in 2025.
That Game 7 loss — courtesy of George Springer's historic home run — would not be possible had Mariners manager Dan Wilson not pushed virtually every wrong button in the pivotal seventh inning. And 2026 has been one hell of a hangover.
The Mariners' location in the Pacific Northwest makes them the game's best-kept secret when things are going well. It can also serve to camouflage disappointments.
But you can't hide from 22-0.
The remarkable thing? It was just a 1-0 game going into the bottom of the fifth. That's when Mariners starter Bryce Miller got peppered — single-walk-single-walk-sacrifice fly — with a one-out rally. Even then, it was just 3-0.
Lefty reliever Josh Simpson was warming in the bullpen. Christian Yelich was striding to the plate. Wilson stuck with Miller, not unlike sticking with Eduard Bazardo to face Springer all those months ago in Toronto.
Like Springer, Yelich crushed a three-run homer. And then Wilson lifted Miller once again after the fact. But it was game over at that point.
The ignominy was just beginning, though, reaching a crescendo when position player Leo Rivas was peppered for nine hits and nine runs in the bottom of the eighth. Yet only seven were earned runs, because franchise center fielder Julio Rodriguez lost track of the outs, tossed the ball into the stands and two more runs scored.
Hey, brain farts happen. But combine that with all that's gone wrong with the squad — this was the Mariners' eighth loss in 11 games — and it's a massive spotlight on a bad team.
Up 22, the Brewers saw fit to throw their own position player on the mound — catcher Gary Sanchez — and still, the Mariners couldn't push across a run. So they joined the 2004 Yankees and 1975 Pirates for the worst shutout loss since 1888.
Nonetheless, they'll wake up Wednesday four games behind Houston in the West. The division is so bad that the Mariners' odds of winning it are 23.1%, per FanGraphs, compared to their 7.4% chance to snag the final wild card, which is just three games out of their reach.
But the Mariners would have to leapfrog six teams, not two, to claim the final wild card. That's just not happening.
Bad seasons happen, certainly. But this one seems like a continuation of all that went wrong when the Mariners held that 3-2 ALCS lead, only to go home empty-handed. It seems a lot likelier there will be consequences for this failure.
While Marc-Edouard Vlasic kept the number 44 under lock and key with the San Jose Sharks for nearly two decades, shortly after he departed the organization, a new face took over.
The Sharks acquired Kiefer Sherwood from the Vancouver Canuck on January 19, 2026 for a pair of second round draft picks and defenseman Cole Clayton. Less than two month later, the Sharks signed the veteran winger to a five-year contract with an average annual value of $5.75 million to retain his services for the foreseeable future. With that being said, things weren't always this smooth for Sherwood, as he had to overcome massive odds to ever be seen as a legitimate NHL prospect.
As an undrafted player, Sherwood's NHL journey began alongside his younger brother Kole when the duo were invited to attend development camp with their hometown team, the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2015.
After showing off what they could do at development camp, the Blue Jackets offered Kole Sherwood an entry-level contract while letting Kiefer return to Miami University for the 2015-16 season.
Kiefer would go on to earn an entry-level contract of his own toward the tail end of the 2018-19 season with the Anaheim Ducks, but after two seasons split between the NHL and their American Hockey League affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, the Ducks opted not to extend a qualifying offer to Sherwood, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent.
Sherwood then joined the Colorado Avalanche for the 2020-21 season, where he again found himself stuck between the NHL and AHL. The same was true for the 2021-22 campaign, but he spent the majority of that season with the Colorado Eagles.
After another tweener season during the 2022-23 season, this time with the Nashville Predators, Sherwood finally got his first opportunity to stick in the NHL on a full-time basis during the 2023-24 season. In 68 games, he scored 10 goals and added 17 assists, attracting the interest of the Vancouver Canucks.
During his first season north of the border, Sherwood scored a career-high 19 goals and 40 points in 78 games. He then scored 17 goals and 23 points with the Canucks to start the 2025-26 season before he was traded to San Jose.
Compared to most 31-year-old NHLers, Sherwood has less of a proven track record as he prepares for his first full season in the Bay Area. With that being said, sometimes all late bloomers need is a true opportunity, and that appears to have been the case with Kiefer Sherwood.
DENVER, CO - AUGUST 18: Willi Castro #3 of the Colorado Rockies celebrates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field on August 18, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There just wasn’t enough LoDo Magic for the Colorado Rockies as their comeback effort fell just short in a 7-6 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Despite a solid offensive night and bullpen performance, the Rockies couldn’t overcome another difficult starting pitcher outing.
Another labored night for Feltner
Hoping to replicate his successful outing last time facing the Dodgers at Coors Field, Ryan Feltner faced a tough test against the Dodgers lineup.
Feltner worked through the opening frames, keeping the game manageable. The Dodgers manufactured a run in the first inning and added a Shohei Ohtani two-run home run in the third inning. The Rockies managed to answer back both times to tie the game 3-3, but the Dodgers’ potent order eventually broke through in the fourth inning.
The Dodgers kicked off the inning with three-straight doubles to score two runs, including Kyle Tucker’s to snap an 0-for-26 streak at the plate. Hunter Feduccia then drew his second walk of the evening against Feltner before Ohtani grounded into a fielder’s choice. Freddie Freeman capped off the scoring with a sacrifice fly to put the Dodgers up 6-3.
Feltner navigated another double in the fifth inning and came out to start the sixth inning but immediately gave up a leadoff triple that eventually scored after he departed to give the Dodgers a 7-4 lead.
“Not a lot of feel for the spin today,” said manager Warren Schaefer. “I thought he competed well, probably without all of his weapons.”
On the night, he ended up allowing seven runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and three walks. Feltner filled up the strike zone, throwing 55 of his 83 pitches for strikes, but he struggled to locate within the zone and gave up a lot of contact
The offense tries to climb back
The Rockies offense did a good job answering back early on as the Dodgers took the lead. After Jake McCarthy led off the bottom of the first with a single and stole second, Cole Carrigg hit an RBI double to tie the game 1-1. Colorado made Eric Lauer labor through that first inning, throwing a season-high 29 pitches in the first inning.
After Ohtani’s home run in the third inning, the Rockies answered with a two-out rally in the bottom half of that inning. Willi Castro drew a walk and came around to score on a TJ Rumfield double. Connor Norby followed with a double of his own to score Rumfield and tie the game 3-3
The Rockies made it a two-run game in the bottom of the fifth when Castro hit his 14th home run of the season, a solo shot to make the score 6-4, before the Dodgers tacked on in the top of the sixth.
Despite the first-inning excess of pitches, Lauer settled in against the Rockies offense, allowing just four runs on six hits while striking out six and allowing just one walk. The Rockies put together some solid at-bats but Lauer’s crafty arsenal was enough to limit further damage and preserve the Dodgers’ lead.
Late game chances
After rough innings against Jack Dreyer and Edgardo Henriquez, the Rockies tried to chip away at the three-run lead in the eighth inning against Evan Phillips.
Castro led off the inning with a double and Rumfield followed with a bloop single. Zac Veen then came through with a pinch-hit single that dropped into right field, allowing Castro to score the Rockies’ fifth run.
Adael Amador was then called upon to pinch-hit but struck out, prompting the Rockies to turn to the red-hot Brett Sullivan off the bench. The Dodgers brought in Tanner Scott to face him, and he won the battle, getting Sullivan to ground out to third base.
Colorado then threatened in the ninth when McCarthy hit a one-out double. Unfortunately, Carrigg’s lengthy at-bat resulted in a stellar play by Max Muncy at third base for the second out, but Castro delivered another clutch hit with an RBI single to left field to make it 7-6. However, Rumfield then popped out to end the game.
Castro led the Rockies offense with two hits while scoring three runs, driving in two, and drawing a pair of walks.
“Willi’s consistent; he’s been consistent all year,” said Schaeffer. “He gives you strong at-bats, day in and day out; he’s reliable. That’s what you want out of a ballplayer.”
The Rockies matched the Dodgers in hits with 10, but struck out 11 times while going 4-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Meanwhile, the Dodgers struck out just five times and went 3-for-12 with RISP but had one more extra-base hit, the sixth-inning triple proving the difference maker.
The bullpen parade
The reason the offense had chances to chip away was because of a solid night from the bullpen. Parker Mushinski entered in the sixth inning and did give up a bloop single that scored the seventh run for the Dodgers, but was otherwise unscathed in that inning. Jimmy Herget and Zach Agnos both followed with 1-2-3 innings in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively, with each collecting a strikeout. Because the game was still close, Jordan Romano was called on to pitch the ninth inning and allowed just a single as he induced three fly balls.
Up next
The Rockies and Dodgers will close out the series with Kyle Freeland (4-10, 6.27 ERA) taking the ball for Colorado and Roki Sasaki (5-5, 4.46 ERA) going for Los Angeles.
But the game could have been very different if not for ABS.
In the second inning with the game still scoreless, the Orioles loaded the bases thanks in large part to a fielding error by Jazz Chisholm Jr. after the second base umpire screened him on a groundball. What could have been an inning-ending doubleplay turned into a massive jam for Carlos Rodon and the Yankees.
Rodon would wind up striking out Carlos Narvaez before Jackson Holliday stepped into the batter's box with two outs. After Rodon got ahead 0-2, the southpaw threw a fastball away and a bit high. Holliday didn't bite, but Austin Wells hopped up to head into the dugout but stopped once he realized homeplate umpire Will Little didn't ring up the young Orioles infielder.
After a few seconds, ABS confirmed that it was a strike and the Yankees escaped.
"I thought it was a little closer to the zone, but it was a strike. I was pretty confident," Wells said after the game. "It’s big time. ABS allows us to change the game both ways. Luckily, we have it and able to convert it there."
It was a risky challenge by Wells since the Yankees were down to their last one after an ill-timed challenge by Heliot Ramos in the first inning.
"I was confident it was a strike; it ended up barely clipping," Rodon said. "It was a great challenge in the situation since we were down to one. I was confident in the challenge and I’m gald he did to get out of the inning. It worked out."
Ramos wasn't the only ABS offender on Tuesday, as Spencer Jones wasted a challenge in the fourth. Manager Aaron Boone said they were not great challenges after the game, but had to praise Wells for his game-changing one earlier in the game.
"We might have had the best challenge of the season by Wellsy, if you think about it," Boone said. "Bases loaded, Jackson Holliday, we’re already down a challenge to get that one. It could be a completely different night if he doesn’t challenge that. And Jackson gets on and Rodon is shorter. A couple of not great ones, but one of the best ones of the season by Austin."
Tuesday was Rodon's first start since June after he was placed on the IL with elbow inflammation. While his pitch count was monitored -- Rodon tossed 66 pitches -- the southpaw gave the Yankees enough, allowing one run on two hits and two walks in four innings.
"Like to fill up the zone more, get ahead sooner. First-pitch strikes a little better, but I was able to compete," Rodon said of his start. "Limited pitch count, defensively we were good. Tough play by Jazz, getting screened by the umpire. It’s our job to pick each other up, he’s picked me up before. I was happy to be able to, to keep the game close."
"I thought he did really well and to give us four strong innings, hold them to one run there," Boone said of Rodon. "Set us up to win the game."
Kyle Tucker finally ended his lengthy hitless streak with a double against the Rockies on Tuesday. (David Zalubowski / AP)
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called right fielder Kyle Tucker into the visiting manager’s office at Chase Field a week and a half ago, just to catch up.
Roberts had run into Tucker’s wife Samantha and their 5-month old baby that morning in Arizona. And he saw it as a good time to check in.
“When you start to struggle and you internalize … you find yourself going dark, and that’s a lonely place,” Roberts said Tuesday, before the Dodgers’ 7-6 win against the Rockies. “So I think that for me, trying to proactively pull conversations out of him, talk about life, talk about baseball, it just kind of opens things up, and I think that it’s freeing.
“He’s a cerebral guy by nature, internalizes a lot. But still, for me, he’s with a new ballclub, he’s scuffling, so I want to get that out of him.”
Scuffling is a mild way of describing Tucker’s struggles this season. He described it as the “first time in [his] life” that he’s had a season with so many offensive false starts. After being named an All-Star in each of his previous four seasons, Tucker is on pace for the worst offensive year since his 2018 debut season with the Astros.
On Tuesday, he finally ended his career-high hitless streak at seven games, with a double up the right-field line in the fourth inning (although he grounded out once and struck out twice in his other plate appearances). He’d gone 26 straight at-bats without a hit.
So much about Tucker’s year has been head-scratching.
Take his plate discipline, for example. Traditionally known for his strike-zone control, Tucker’s chase rate has been up this season. But even when he trimmed it to 21.6% in July (not as low as the last two years but even with his 2023 season), his production at the plate didn’t respond accordingly.
One of the biggest mysteries has been his extreme home/road splits. Entering Tuesday, he had a solid .822 OPS on the road and a paltry .558 OPS at Dodger Stadium.
Asked about the contrast earlier this week, he said he didn’t have a theory.
“If I knew, I’d probably have figured it out by now,” he said. “But that’s just kind of how it’s gone.”
Recently, his woes have followed him into the outfield. The day after he failed to reel in a flyball in the right-field corner at Dodger Stadium, he had a far worse drop Monday at Coors Field.
In the seventh inning of the Dodgers’ 11-5 victory against the Rockies, Tucker seemed to camp right under a shallow fly. But as it fell, he twisted and put one knee down before dropping the ball.
“There’s indecision, and catching a baseball at your ankles kind of speaks to where his head is at right now,” Roberts said. “It’s not from lack of effort, or care. It’s just right now, I think he’s kind of fighting. So we’ve got to keep supporting him.”
Tucker isn’t the only player who’s struggling. Mookie Betts has been hot and cold at the plate. Teoscar Hernández hasn’t been slugging the way he’s accustomed to. And before arriving in Colorado, the team was in a collective slump.
Tucker, however, is in the first year of a four-year, $240-million contract. And so far the Dodgers haven’t seen the version of him that elevated the Cubs’ offense in the first half of last year and was a steady part of the Astros’ lineup during a run of sustained success.
“Whether it’s my first year or 10th year with a team, I think it’d be frustrating regardless,” Tucker said. “But it’s not like I’m frustrated just because I’m playing at home or anything. Whether it’s on the road or at home, it would be frustrating, just not helping the team win games.”
He slid into his most recent slump during the Dodgers’ last homestand, but the Colorado altitude didn’t immediately work its magic when the team went back on the road.
During Monday’s SNLA broadcast, analyst Eric Karros suggested sending Tucker to Arizona for a reset.
The less extreme version would be sitting Tucker for several games in a row.
“I’m not at the point where it’s like a three-day, three-game reset situation, something like that,” Roberts said Tuesday afternoon.
He did, however, give Tucker a day off Saturday, saying he saw Tucker’s frustration as he continued to struggle offensively at Dodger Stadium. And Tuesday, he said he hadn’t decided whether to start Tucker against Rockies left-handed starter Kyle Freeland the next day.
“It’s tough because, I mean, I feel like I’ve tried just about everything,” Tucker said. “And every time I feel like I’m turning a corner, I get hit with a roadblock. But, you can’t stop. You just got to keep going, try and at least pick out the positives, and just try and ride with that. Just keep on moving to the next day and hope for something to build.”
DENVER , CO - AUGUST 18: Shohei Ohtani (17) of the Los Angeles Dodgers is greeted by teammates in the dugout after he smoked a two-run home run during the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado on Tuesday, August 18, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post) | Denver Post via Getty Images
The Dodgers scored in four different innings, including a three-run fourth inning and held on to beat the Colorado Rockies 7-6 on Tuesday night at Coors Field in Denver.
If anything, the offense is exercising muscles that sat dormant for a while.
Shohei Ohtani hit a two-run lead to give the Dodgers a lead in the third inning, continuing a hot streak that included four extra-base hits on the homestand and two home run in Monday’s series opener. Ohtani’s sixth home run in his last 13 games was also his 30th of the season, just the seventh Dodger to hit 30 home runs in at least three consecutive seasons, and the first since Gary Sheffield from 1999-2001.
After two home runs on Monday and Tuesday’s blast, Ohtani since joining the Dodgers in 2024 has nine home runs in 19 games at Coors Field while hitting .407/.478/.840 with 25 runs scored and 23 RBI.
For Ohtani, he’s hit 30 home runs for six years in a row, dating back to 2021, encompassing his final three seasons with the Angels and first three with the Dodgers.
Doubling their pleasure
Kyle Tucker swung through four consecutive changeups and fouled off another to start his night. Ryan Feltner threw a sixth changeup, and this time Tucker lined a ball just inside the first base line in the fourth inning, the second of three consecutive doubles by the Dodgers to open the three-run frame. The double for Tucker snapped an 0-for-26 skid that dated back to August 9.
The other doubles in the fourth inning were by Tommy Edman, who also doubled in the fifth, and by Teoscar Hernández, who later tripled and scored in the sixth.
Freddie Freeman singled in the first inning, and was running on a full count when Andy Pages singled to left field, and Freeman was able to get to third easily. Freeman tagged up on a foul pop to third baseman Willi Castro well down the left field line, and scored the game’s first run easily after Castro made an overhead catch. Freeman also walked and stole second with one out in the third inning, taking third on an errant throw by catcher Braxton Fulford.
In the sixth inning, Freeman lofted a two-out single into left field for another run, and his second straight multi-hit affair.
Call to arms
Eric Lauer gave up a run in the first inning and two in the third, both times matching what the Dodgers scored in the top of the frame. Lauer kept the third lead provided in the top of the fourth inning, allowing only a solo home run to Willi Castro in the fifth before his night was finished. Lauer didn’t go six innings this time but did strike out six batters in his five frames.
Jack Dreyer and Edgardo Henriquez held serve with scoreless frames of relief, but Evan Phillips — working for a second straight night — allowed the first three to reach in the eighth inning, bringing home one run and leaving with two outs and the tying runs on base.
Tanner Scott entered as the fireman and induced a groundout to extinguish the rally, then allowed a double and single in ninth, cutting the lead to a single run. Scott stranded the tying run on base by getting TJ Rumfield to pop out to shortstop, finishing out the game.
Tuesday was Scott’s fifth appearance and third save longer than an inning this season.
Catch and release
Hunter Feduccia caught all nine innings on Monday and caught the first six and a third innings on Tuesday. But after a strike out to open the seventh inning, Feduccia appeared to throw up behind home plate and walked off the field into the clubhouse. There was a long delay before Ben Rortvedt put his gear on and relieved Feduccia behind the plate to finish out the inning and the game.
Dave Roberts confirmed that Hunter Feduccia was sick when he abruptly exited with one out in B7. Running theory is stomach bug/food poisoning. "He went as long as he could go, obviously. And he’ll be down tomorrow. But he gave us a great effort.”
The Dodgers go for their second sweep of a last-place team in the last two weeks on Wednesday night (5:40 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA), with Roki Sasaki on the mound against Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 17: Pete Crow-Armstrong #4 of the Chicago Cubs celebrates after hitting a two-run walk-off home run during the tenth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Wrigley Field on August 17, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s Tuesday night here at BCB After Dark: the coolest club for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. It’s so nice to see you tonight. Come on in and dry off. There’s no cover charge. The dress code is casual. The hostess will seat you now. Bring your own beverage.
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.
On Tuesday night, I don’t normally do any movie stuff. But I can scrounge up some tunes for you.
Tonight we have legendary vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater performing B.B. King’s signature song, “The Thrill is Gone” in Abu Dhabi for International Jazz Day in 2025. Bridgewater is backed by an all-star band that is too long to mention here, but you can go to YouTube and get them all if you wish.
Last night, Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a walk-off home run that sealed his second-straight season of 30 home runs and 30 steals. Tonight’s question is simple. There are 35 games left in the season. Crow-Armstrong has 31 home runs (after one more tonight as I write this) and 31 steals. Can he get nine more home runs and nine more steals to be a 40-40 player?
Only six players in MLB history have ever had 40 home runs and 40 steals in a season. They are
Jose Canseco (1988) 42 HR, 40 SB
Barry Bonds (1996) 42 HR, 40 SB
Alex Rodriguez (1998) 42 HR, 46 SB
Alfonso Soriano (2006) 46 HR, 41 SB
Ronald Acuña Jr. (2023) 41 HR, 73 SB
Shohei Ohtani (2024) 54 HR, 59 SB
Obviously Ohtani is the only member of the 50-50 club.
So when this season ends, will we be adding Pete Crow-Amstrong to this list of names?
Thank you for stopping by tonight. We were so glad to see you. Please tell your friends about us. Get home safely. Don’t forget any personal items. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow night for more BCB After Dark.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 18: Bryce Miller #50 of the Seattle Mariners is taken out of game in the fifth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on August 18, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
You want to empty your home, you want to empty your life, of the 2026 Mariners, and we here at Lookout Landing Lacuna are here to help.
Hopefully you enjoyed the brief interlude of the Mariners winning a series against the Astros, as we’re back to our regularly scheduled programming of soul-crushing road losses with a 22-0 debacle against the Brewers. This game was close until it wasn’t, on paper at least, but with the Mariners offense flat in the first five innings of this game, a 1-0 deficit felt about as large as the eventual 2-0 deficit…then 6-0…then 11-0…then 22-0. I might have missed some in there. Honestly I sort of stopped paying attention, in the way that sometimes at the dentist’s office you transport yourself elsewhere mentally somewhere more pleasant. To paraphrase John Green a little, this game fell apart the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.
Or to paraphrase Charlie Kaufman:
The Mariners could have gotten on the board first in this one, with Brendan Donovan – whose bat continues to slowly heat up as he gets more regular playing time – led off with a double off lefty Kyle Harrison. But despite Donovan moving to third on a wild pitch, the Mariners couldn’t get that run across with no outs, as the top of the lineup went down in order after that – Randy Arozarena struck out, Dom Canzone grounded out, and Julio Rodríguez struck out one pitch after a pitch he should have walked on, a slurve well below the zone that was called a strike.
Meanwhile, the Brewers came out swinging hard against Bryce Miller, making the kind of early loud contact that has unfortunately been a hallmark of Miller’s outings lately. He got lucky with a couple of deep flyouts – one tracked down by an excellent route by Julio in center – but then hung a splitter to Jake Bauers for a double, with Bauers narrowly safe at second thanks to a strong catch and throw by Robles in right. Unlike the Mariners, the Brewers were then able to score that run; William Contreras turned on a sinker inside and did just enough to get it into left field. The slow-footed Bauers should have been out at home, but the ball popped out of Cal Raleigh’s glove when Bauers ran into Raleigh, earning Cal a tough error.
(Hilariously, at one point it looked like we’d debate that one run all night. That was before Julio Rodríguez threw a ball into the stands with just one out, allowing a run to score, and it somehow wasn’t even the worst thing to happen that inning. We were so young here, in this part of the recap. How happy is the blameless recapper’s lot!)
It wasn’t much easier for Miller in the second as he labored through the bottom half of the Brewers’ lineup; he worked around back-to-back one-out singles but the Brewers just weren’t fooled by anything; he had just four whiffs by the end of the second with no strikeouts; meanwhile, the Mariners had struck out four times by the end of the third. The Mariners allowing a starter to settle in after making some noise early? Color me sadprised.
Harrison had retired nine in a row by the fifth when Victor Robles worked a two-out walk and Brock Rodden knocked a ball up the middle that the shortstop was able to smother but not make a play on. Robles and Rodden then executed a risky double steal but Rodden was tagged out at second. Like the missed catch at home, at one point this might have made a difference in the ballgame. When I was young and upset, my mom used to tell me that one day, whatever intense heartbreak I was suffering would feel like nothing at all, that I wouldn’t even remember it. What she didn’t tell me was that the reason that would happen is because that sharp pain would be dulled by a lifetime of other, worse ones.
Once again, in a cruel mirroring, the Brewers got some traffic in the bottom of the inning after Miller had retired nine in a row himself, with Hamilton eking out an infield single Cole Young couldn’t quite corral, followed by a steal where he was narrowly safe. Maybe losing the handle a little, Miller went on to walk Brice Turang on four pitches and then the Brewers executed a double steal of their own, as if to rub the Mariners’ faces in their own failure in the top of the inning. Jackson Chourio then hit a little flyball single that dropped right in front of Julio for a 2-0 Brewers lead, doubling up what already felt like an impossible 1-0 deficit. Miller then fell behind Jake Bauers 3-0 before walking him, loading the bases for the dangerous Contreras. Miller was able to keep Contreras in the yard, limiting the damage to a sac fly, but that brought up Christian Yelich. Miller made a mistake with his splitter, and Yelich – although not the fearsome hitter he’s been in years past – jumped on it, demolishing the splitter on the plate 396 feet to double up the Brewers’ lead.
Postgame, Dan Wilson took accountability for leaving Miller in despite the hard contact the Brewers had been making off him all game: “It’s on me. I didn’t make the right choice.”
That’s where in a merciful and just world this game would have ended, with each side trading half-hearted blows and the Mariners quietly limping to a shutout loss. But this game was not merciful despite how much fans might have wished for a mercy rule, as the Brewers went on to put the kind of hurting on the Mariners that brings national attention (derogatory). If the Mariners must be bad, can’t they just be bad in peace and leave us safely below the radar of fans with access to gif toolbars? But no, they must make a big, unignorable pile of mess. In architectural terms, they somehow created an unholy trinity of the J.Edgar Hoover building (depressing), Trump Tower in Vegas (tacky), and DIA (ugly, confusing, likely haunted by a malevolent spirit).
The one thing that sucked about this game is it crushed underfoot one of the tender green shoots of hope I’d been nourishing for the back half of this season, namely that Josh Simpson Is Interesting. This felt much more like a spring training Simpson appearance, when he struggled to throw strikes. Things got
bad worse
from
here
to the point where I don’t want to necessarily detail them any more, and I don’t think you want to read about them. How much deeper can a hole be dug? To the point where Leo Rivas was standing on the mound in the eighth. The numbers just kept ticking up in the runs column for the Brewers until it sort of just felt numb. Just tiny little rocks. The 2026 Mariners: technically it IS brain damage.
“Obviously, it’s an embarrassing loss. We got our ass kicked,” said Bryce Miller postgame. “But at the end of the day, dwelling on it isn’t going to do any good. We gotta go back to the hotel, sleep, and come back tomorrow and play again.”
“Blessed are the forgetful, for they get the better even of their blunders,“ said Fredrich Nietzsche post-Enlightenment. Meet me tomorrow in Montauk Milwaukee.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - AUGUST 18: Gabriel Moreno #14 of the Arizona Diamondbacks rounds the bases after hitting a grand slam against the Boston Red Sox during the third inning at Fenway Park on August 18, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dbacks fell once again for the second consecutive night in Boston 9-4. To make things worse, the Phillies and the Padres won so now the Dbacks are 2 games outside of the third wild card spot. They are losers of 3 in a row and are 4-6 over their last 10 games.
Despite everything happening off the field with this team and Ketel Marte, it was actually the pitching that let this team down for the second consecutive night. The Marte news is no doubt a distraction im sure for this team, however having Ketel Marte on the field isn’t going to change the fact that this pitching staff has given up 20 runs the past 2 games. You aren’t going to win very many games giving up that many runs no matter who you are running up there to bat.
Merrill Kelly continued his skid as his stuff has really regressed late into the season. Kelly allowed 6 ER in just 4 innings tonight including 4 walks. What has become especially alarming about Kelly is just how few of his pitches he is throwing in the zone. This was first brought to my attention weeks ago by Snakes Territory’s own Jesse Freidman, and tonight he noted that Kelly only threw 38.4% of his pitches in the strike zone. Last year, Kelly’s in zone rate was 47.8%. And it wasn’t just tonight for Kelly as he has had a sub 40% in zone rate for several of his last starts. Whatever is going on with him isn’t going to be a simple fix im afraid. He really has some issues he needs to iron out physically, mechanically, or perhaps both.
The offense was rather quiet again with the exception of a Gabi Moreno grand slam in the top of the 3rd inning. It was just like you drew it up too as with 2 outs Waldschmidt and Vargas each singled, and Carroll was hit by a pitch brining up exactly who you wanted at the plate in this situation, the teams hottest hitter Gabi Moreno. Moreno then proceeded to get ahead in the count 2-0 and then absolutely unloads on a mistake pitch 428 feet over the green monster for a grand slam. Like I said, just like you drew it up. Team baseball passing the baton to the heart of the lineup.
Unfortunately Merrill Kelly would hand the 4-3 lead immediately back to the Red Sox just 4 batters later. Terrible timing for a team desperate to get some momentum. Then the Dbacks offense would proceed to do almost nothing for the rest of the game outside of a Perdomo double in the 6th and a couple of singles gathered around.
Aside from the Gabi grand slam, the highlight of the game for me was seeing Justin Martinez back on the mound pumping 102mph fastballs. He did walk 2 guys in the inning and was far from perfect, but to be able to get him back out on the mound is huge for this team. What a bullpen these guys can theoretically run out there now that Martinez is back!
Like I said in the beginning, im sure the Marte situation is a distraction, but you aren’t going to win many games giving up 9 or more runs. The offense has not looked good since the Marte news broke with the exception of 1 swing from Gabi Moreno sure. However the Dbacks were not going to win either of these games with how poorly the pitching has shown up in this series.
Tomorrow will really be the test for this team as they send the red hot Brandon Pfaadt to the mound to try and avoid the sweep, but the offense will have to rebound against Payton Tolle and his power fastball. The Dbacks badly need to get some momentum back on their side and try and put this Ketel Marte situation behind them the best they can if they want to save their season. And hopefully tomorrow can also be some good news on the Ketel front if all goes well on his MRI.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - AUGUST 18: Adley Rutschman #31 of the Boston Red Sox hits a home run, his first in a Red Sox uniform, during the third inning of a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on August 18, 2026 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The runs came early and often for the Sox in this one as they scored in the five of the first seven frames, including three in the opening inning to set the tone. However, the most impressive baseball of the night came in the bottom of the third.
Right after Ranger Suarez served up a grand slam to erase an early 3-0 Sox lead, Boston counterpunched and posted a pair of runs on their own. Adley Rutschman got things started with this homer, his first in a Red Sox uniform.
That bomb was impressive for two reasons: First, Rutschman’s struggled out of the gate in his Red Sox tenure, going 0 for his last 18 before this series started. So getting him off the schneid is an encouraging sign.
But secondly, the way a guy breaks out of a slump tells you a little something about how useful he might be in a playoff push, and this shot checked a bunch of boxes. It was a home run, it was crushed, it tied the game, it came right after Arizona scored four runs. Lots to like there!
Later in the inning, the impressive baseball continued with this slide by Caleb Durbin.
Granted, a bunch of this is also bad baseball by Arizona. Merrill Kelly has oscillated between being excellent and terrible all season long (and the latter version clearly showed up tonight). They’re on a rough east coast road trip. Ketel Marte went missing yesterday before heading back to Phoenix for an MRI, and they made several boneheaded plays defensively over the last two games.
But still, the Sox are taking full advantage of it, and that’s what good teams do during the dog days of summer. When you’re on the right side of games like this, you can marvel at things like this Durbin slide on repeat all night long.
Three Studs
Adley Rutschman: In addition to his home run, Rutschman also got the scoring started in the first inning with this bases loaded single. (He ended up getting on base three times to go along with his three RBI.)
The Jimmy Fund: The annual radio-telethon broke a record and is now at $7 million and counting in donations. As a cancer survivor, Thank You to everybody who donated! Also, Thank You to all the fans who share their stories, the players who get active in the event, and the Red Sox and NESN for doing an awesome job hosting this thing every year. This one was especially outstanding!
(Also, more good news. The previous five years that were at the top of the list in donations were years the Red Sox ended up making the playoffs.)
Two Duds
Wilyer Abreu: Only guy in the lineup without a hit. He went 0-4, but did walk and score a run.
Bullpen management: Why are we using Erik Miller up five runs? With both Garrett Whitlock and Justin Slaten on the IL, the Sox need to use Tyron Guerrero and Miller as strategically as possible. They are the two best weapons to bridge the starter to Chapman in the ninth, and using Miller tonight in the eighth wasn’t a very productive use of resources.
Ranger Suarez:
He gets his own category here. I don’t want to give him a dud, because he did get the win and pitched well for most of the night (throwing more pitches than any outing since before going on the IL with a groin injury in July), but the top of that third inning wasn’t nothing.
The D-Backs strung a two-out rally together that culminated in a grand slam and temporarily gave Arizona the lead. On a night like this, it didn’t really matter because the Sox offense stayed on the attack. However, if Boston’s going to make a deep run in the playoffs, they can’t afford to have Suarez come off the rails like that for a random inning. We’re getting closer to the point in the calendar where they’re going to need him to lock in, and each start he doesn’t gets a little bit more concerning. Tonight was closer to what we’re looking for, but things are still not fully buttoned up. Maybe next week in Miami?
Play of the night:
Amazingly, the most encouraging effort of the night from a big picture standpoint didn’t even come from Fenway Park. Instead, it happened in Portland, Maine, where in the first game of his rehab assignment, Roman Anthony obliterated a baseball over the right field grandstand and completely out of Hadlock Field! Mercy!
Roman Anthony no-doubt home run 💪
He's reached base all 3 plate appearances in his first rehab appearance with Double-A Portland. pic.twitter.com/rxMxFb05B9
(We’re still working to get a distance on this home run, but it hasn’t landed yet.)
Anthony got on base in all four of his plate appearances, which included two walks and an opposite field base hit to go along with his mammoth home run. In some ways the opposite field 108mph single was almost as encouraging as the home run. (We’ll have more on this and the rest of that game tomorrow here at Over The Monster with Dean Roussel on Minor Lines.)
Looking Ahead:
Wednesday’s game is on a bit earlier at 4:00pm, and it serves as a mini get away day for Arizona. It also gives the Sox a bit more breathing room, as they have an off day on Thursday in the middle of this homestand, their first since way back on August 3rd.
Before the rest and recovery though, Payton Tolle will take the mound going for the sweep of the snakes.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - AUGUST 18: Cam Smith #11 of the Houston Astros hits a solo home run in the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Daikin Park on August 18, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Houston Astros/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Tuesday Night marked the fifth time this season that the last place Angels defeated the Astros.
Final Score LA 3 Houston 1
The Angels scored the first run of the night in the top of the third inning. Wade Meckler singled to center, stole second and came around thanks to a clutch two out RBI from Nolan Schanuel. The Astros had chances in the first. With two outs, Issac Paredes drew a walk and went to third on a single from Jose Altuve. However, each were stranded when Daulton Varsho struck out swinging.
Josh Lowe would add to the Angels lead, launching an opposite field home run in the fourth inning off Cristian Javier. It was Lowe’s 10th home run of the season. Javier would last four innings, allowing 5 hits, a pair of runs and striking out five on 87 pitches. The 87 pitches would be Javier’s highest total of the year. Bryan King would come on in relief and exit after a Nolan Schanuel single. King would give way to Enyel De Los Santos, who would promptly allow an RBI double to Zach Neto. Just like that, the Angels had posted runs in three consecutive innings.
In just his fifth major league start, George Klassen would pitch shut out baseball over seven innings, resembling Chuck Finley in his Halos prime. He’d earn the win. The Astros lone run came off the bat of Cam Smith who hit his 17 home run of the year of Jose Fermin.
One thing is for certain, the Astros are as flat as day old soda. The Mariners in 2024 sat 64-64 when they released manager Scott Servais in hopes of a jump start. That firing occurred on August 22nd of that year, so there is precedent for a late season managerial change. Of course, that move ultimately made little difference in the grand scheme of things as Seattle would miss the playoffs.
Who knows, perhaps .500 baseball or slightly above it will ultimately win the A.L. West. It’s happened before. In 2005, the Padres won their division with a mark of 82-80. Would it shock anyone if the Astros in their final stretch went 19-17, matching the mark of the Pads, albeit 21 seasons later?
Maybe newcomer Ethan Pecko can breathe some life into Daikin Park on Wednesday Night when he takes the mound. They are in need of a wakeup call. Walker’s heroics from last Friday Night already feels like a month ago.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 18: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres celebrates after hitting a lead off home run with David MacIas #46 during the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field on August 18, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Mets dropped the middle game of their three-game set with the Padres, 5-2.
The Mets’ string of good luck somewhat dried up tonight, although starter Zac Thornton gave them a perfectly cromulent start, five inning performance, allowing three earned runs on two home runs, while striking out seven and walking just one. Thornton has bent but not broke in many of his starts thus far, and this start continued that trend.
In fact, if Thornton had been able to control Fernando Tatis Jr., his start would’ve looked quite different. Tatis drilled two home runs in the first five innings, driving in three runs and putting the Padres up ahead enough that he didn’t need the insurance runs provided by his teammates. But alas, Tatis has woken up his bat in the second half, and Thornton was on the other side of that tonight.
The sole Mets’ offense came from solo home runs from Luis Torrens and Luis Robert Jr. The Torrens renaissance continues, and while Robert is more than likely not a Met next season, it’s nice to see the Mets producing up and down the lineup. Bo Bichette collected two hits, and first baseman [checks notes] Christopher Morel collected one hit as well. But aside from a few walks, that’s all folks.
Some of that can be credited to Robbie Ray, who looked really good over his six innings of work, allowing just three hits, three walks, and striking out four. He wasn’t overpowering, but he kept the Mets off-balance enough to limit their productivity.
Ty France singled home Jase Bowen in the seventh off of Jack Weisenburger and Manny Machado added a solo home run in the ninth off of Dedniel Nuñez, but overall the Mets’ bullpen was similarly fine tonight. After four games in a row where the Mets looked like they had some juice behind them, tonight just looked flat.
Tomorrow, Robert Stock makes his fourth start of the season, facing off against Michael King in the rubber game in a matinee at Citi Field.
Three of the recently acquired Mets prospects had big nights on Tuesday.
Third baseman Jefferson Rojas, acquired from the Chicago Cubs in the Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor trade, showed why he's viewed as the club's new No. 1 prospect. The 21-year-old went 3-for-5 with a game-tying double in the ninth, a HR, and three RBI for Double-A Binghamton.
Rojas now has two home runs in 11 games since joining the organization and is up to 17 home runs on the year (all in Double-A). Overall, he's hitting .273 with a .813 OPS over 102 games this season.
Over in Syracuse, Émilien Pitre and Billy Amick both made an impact in their Triple-A debuts after being promoted on Monday.
Pitre, who was one of three players the Mets got from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Freddy Peralta, led off and went 2-for-4 with a double and run scored. The 23-year-old has now played in four different minor league levels this season after starting the year in High-A and owns a collective .318 batting average.
Amick went 1-for-4 with an RBI double, but did strike out three times. He came to New York, along with Bruin Agbayani, from the Minnesota Twins in the A.J. Minter deal. The 23-year-old hit fourth in the lineup behind Ronny Mauricio (who went 3-for-3 with three RBI and a walk) and played first base, which he's split time at along with third base this season (48 games at 3B, 36 games at 1B).
Tuesday Tanks.
Jefferson Rojas (@Mets No. 1 prospect) launches a two-run home run. 🚀
📏405 FT 🔥106.7 MPH
It's his second home run as a member of the Mets organization.
