CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 22: Luis Robert Jr. #88 of the New York Mets celebrates hitting a two-run home run during the third inning against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on August 22, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Luis Robert Jr. and his powerful bat got revenge against his former team in the Mets’ 10-5 win over the White Sox to even the series.
The offense, with the help of Robert, jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the third inning and chased Chicago starter Luis Castillo from the game after getting his pitch count up. Great at bats by Bo Bichette, Carson Benge, and Robert led to an early exit in the third inning for Castillo. Bichette hit a solo home run with one out that inning and then Robert blasted a two-run shot after an ABS challenge overturned a strikeout call against him. Castillo never recovered and departed two batters later having thrown 80 pitched in 2.2 innings pitched.
With the offense clicking unfortunately Christian Scott could not hold his end of the bargain. The White Sox fought their way back in the bottom of the third after Carson Benge ran into the wall attempting to make a catch that forced the ball over the wall for a home run. Scott would go on to give up another run that inning to make it a one-run game.
In the fifth, Benge reclaimed the home run he forced over the wall with his glove by blasting one with his bat to lead off the inning. Eric Wagaman and Marcus Semien also added RBI singles and the Mets held a more comfortable 7-3 lead when the inning was over.
Once again Scott could not keep Chicago off the board and was pulled when he walked in a run with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth. It was not a great outing for the young righty who couldn’t complete five innings on a night the offense provided plenty of run support. With both starters out of the game early this one came down to a battle of the bullpens. Jonathan Pintaro was the first man up out of the Mets bullpen, and while he was able to complete the fifth after entering for Scott without further damage, he did give up a run an inning later which allowed the White Sox to inch closer yet again. However, when Chicago turned to old friend Huascar Brazobán, Robert struck again with another home run to make it 8-5.
Throughout the game manager Andy Green seemeed to pull all the right strings. First he pinch hit Eric Wagaman for Brett Baty and Wagaman came through with an RBI single. Then in the ninth, with a runner on, he pinch hit Luis Torrens for Wagaman and Torrens continued his recent power streak with a two-run home run to give new closer Kodai Senga a five-run lead to work with.
Senga allowed the first two runners to reach base but he retired the next three batters in order to finish off the victory.
It was a good bounce back win for the team who suffered a heartbreaking loss in the series opener against the first place Sox. This team continues to play well against tough competition since the trade deadline and perhaps some positives will be found in an otherwise dismal season.
Big Mets winner: Carson Benge and Austin Warren, +23% WPA Big Mets loser: Christian Scott, -19% WPA Mets pitchers: -1% WPA Mets hitters: +51% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Luis Robert Jr. home run in third, +17.7% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Braden Montgomery home run in second, -11.2% WPA
BOSTON, MA - AUGUST 22: Wilyer Abreu #52 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates with Andruw Monasterio #32 after his ground ball scoreds the game winning run during the ninth inning of their 3-2 win over the San Francisco Giants at Fenway Park on August 22, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s the magical summer of 2026. Fenway Park was full and frenzied on a slightly cool August evening. And the Red Sox were wearing the City Connect yellows, which (to me, anyway) still glow with a corona of magic from that wonderful 2021 season. And so, even as the Sox sleepwalked through the first seven innings of the game, I felt pretty confident that they were going to find a way to pull out yet another memorable win.
They did. Somehow.
Patrick Sandoval was, once again, not all that good. In fact, had Jung Ho Lee’s sharply hit groundball with the bases loaded been just a foot or two to either the left or the right, this game might’ve been out of reach in the third inning. But that ball was snagged for the third out by Willson Contreras, and Sandoval did manage to keep the offense in the game as he labored into the sixth.
For most of the night, though, the offense didn’t really seem like it wanted to get into the game; they mostly seemed like they wanted to get home. The Sox put just one single runner in scoring position in the first seven innings: it was Nick Sogard in the third and he was stranded there one batter later when Willson Contreras struck out to end what little threat there was. This was one of those nights where the Sox just couldn’t get that one hit they needed.
Then came the eighth. Mickey Gasper doubled into the right field corner. Nick Sogard took a four-pitch walk. And Ceddanne Rafaela stung a single to left that was hit too hard to score a run but brought the ballpark to life nonetheless. The Sox had the bases loaded with no outs and the heart of the order up. Bases loaded/no outs situations result in runs so often that Bill James actually invented a stat (the Houdini) to track the rare times that it doesn’t. There’s an entire internetty acronym that flies around Twitter every time a team fails to score there. Any MLB team would be expected to score there. The 2026 Red Sox — in August, in the yellows, with Abreu, Contreras, and Adley Rutschman due up — would be expected to start a dance riot.
Instead, the Giants called on closer Dylan Smith for a six-out save. Abreu struck out for the fourth time, Willson Contreras was caught looking on an ABS challenge that wasn’t particularly close, and then Rutschman flew out to deep center to end the threat.
But reread the first sentence of this recap — summer 2026, Fenway, the yellows. This game wasn’t over yet.
Gassed by all those high-leverage pitches, Smith immediately issued a non-competitive walk to Caleb Durbin to leadoff the ninth. He was replaced by Sam Hentges, who immediately hit Jahmai Jones. Andruw Monasterio lucked out of a double-play on a booted soft grounder to second, putting runners on the corners. Then Eli White lucked into the Sox’ first RBI on a softly hit single up the middle. One hit away! Again!
This time they did get that one hit — from Nick Sogard, who roped a double to left to tie it. Wilyer Abreu strode to the plate with the bases loaded and a chance to redeem himself for what had been an awful night. And he did. I mean, he only barely did: he grounded to first and then the Sox got their third bit of ninth inning luck when a bad throw barely pulled Andrew Knizner’s foot off the plate to score White from third. (Frankly: he looked out to me. Still not sure how it wasn’t overturned.)
It was an incredibly lucky ninth inning, but by now it’s clear that the 2026 Red Sox specialize in that type of thing. Magic.
Studs
Nick Sogard: It wasn’t just the RBI double in the ninth. He’d already reached base three times and made a key defensive play in the game. How could you even consider sitting him in favor of Trevor Story right now?
Caleb Durbin: He didn’t hit the ball particularly hard tonight, but he reached base three times, including a hope-inducing leadoff walk in the ninth.
Wilyer Abreu: Abreu was terrible for most of the night. The Sox only put runners in scoring position on two separate occasions in the first eight innings and Wilyer Abreu subsequently struck out both times. He struck out four times overall. He went 0-5. And his game-winning RBI came the lamest way an RBI can: via a fielder’s choice combined with a very questionable call. But it was a game-winning RBI, damn it.
The Mets bats were on fire Saturday night in Chicago with five home runs and 16 hits, beating the White Sox, 10-5.
Here are the takeaways...
-- The rookies stepped up early to give the Mets a 1-0 lead in the first inning. A.J. Ewing hit a leadoff single and stole second base to get into scoring position, as he'd come around to score on Carson Benge's two-out RBI single to left field.
Although, New York's lead didn't last long as Christian Scott let up a solo homer to Braden Montgomery with one out in the second inning. Scott locked back in and recorded back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning.
-- Perhaps a sign of how the third inning would go -- Bo Bichette won an 11-pitch battle by blasting a solo home run off Luis Castillo to put the Mets back up 2-1. It's his second straight day with a solo HR, extending his on-base streak to 12 games. New York continued to make Castillo work as Benge, the next man up, singled in a 10-pitch at-bat to push the right-hander's total to over 60 pitches in the third inning.
Former White Sox Luis Robert Jr. took advantage of a flustered Castillo (including winning a challenge on what would've been strike three), launching a two-run homer on the eighth pitch of the AB to extend the lead to 4-1. After Brett Baty walked, Marcus Semien knocked Castillo out of the game with a two-out single. The star's day finished after just 2.2 IP, having thrown 42 pitches in the third and 80 pitches overall.
The wild third inning continued in the bottom half with Scott letting up a leadoff HR to Tristan Peters, making it 4-2. Benge got shaken up on the play, crashing into the chain link fence in right field with the ball ricocheting off his glove over the wall. Scott then loaded the bases and let up a sac-fly to Andrew Benintendi, cutting the Mets' lead to 4-3.
-- Benge showed his toughness, shaking off the hard hit and smashing a solo home run in the top of the fifth inning to make it a 5-3 game. Eric Wagaman kept it going with a pinch-hit RBI single and Marcus Semien then drove him in, pushing the lead to 7-3.
-- Scott tossed a much-needed 1-2-3 fourth inning to keep the score intact, but it unraveled for him in the fifth inning. He hit the leadoff man, walked two more to load the bases, and walked in a run to make it 7-4. RHP Jonathan Pintaro came in and struck out Colson Montgomery to escape the jam. Scott finished after 4.2 IP, allowing four runs on five hits with six strikeouts and four walks over 94 pitches.
Pintaro ran into trouble of his own in the sixth inning with two in scoring position, as a run scored on a chopper that Bichette couldn't handle. Austin Warren was able to hold the score at 7-5, striking out Munetaka Murakami and getting Benintendi to line out.
-- Robert put an exclamation point on his big night with a second solo homer in the seventh inning, this time against former Met Huascar Brazobán to go up 8-5. Luis Torrens joined in on the fun in the top of the ninth, launching a two-run homer to right field to make it 10-5 -- it's his sixth home run in his last nine games.
Warren, Dedniel Núñez, and Kodai Senga closed it out, tossing a combined 3.2 scoreless innings.
Game MVP: Luis Robert Jr.
In what's been a rough season for the outfielder, Saturday was easily his best game. It's his eighth career multi-HR game and first with the Mets, naturally against his old team.
Dodgers pitcher Tarik Skubal delivers during a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium on Saturday. Skubal earned his first win with the Dodgers. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Tarik Skubal hadn’t delivered a signature outing, nor had he earned a win, over his first three starts with the Dodgers.
And six minutes into Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the two-time defending American League Cy Young Award winner seemed on his way to his worst performance yet with his new club, giving up three runs on three hits.
Then, the left-hander that manager Dave Roberts has been waiting for finally arrived, giving up just two hits over the next six innings while striking out 11 in a 4-3 win.
“Obviously the first inning didn’t go great,” Roberts said after the series-clinching win. “But just seeing him on the attack after they got those two runners on in the second inning — from that point on, it was a different pitcher.
“Yeah, that’s the guy that we needed; completing seven innings, reset the bullpen; great outing.”
Skubal finally looked like himself, earning a standing ovation as he walked off the field in the seventh.
“It feels good, obviously, to get the first one out of the way,” said Skubal as “Scooby Doo Pa Pa” by DJ Kass blared in the clubhouse. “I didn’t do a good job early in the game, but the boys picked me up and were able to keep us in a game. The offense got going, and that’s all we needed to get a win today.”
Kyle Tucker was one of the Dodgers (79-51) who got going.
Riding an 0-for-26 drought and hitting below the Mendoza Line at home, Tucker delivered a go-ahead, two-run single off Yohan Ramirez in the fifth, giving the Dodgers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Kyle Tucker runs to first base after hitting a go-ahead, two-run single against the Pirates in the fifth inning Saturday.
Tucker gets a pat on the back from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts after the Dodgers' win.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“I don’t, like, keep up with the stats like that,” Tucker said. “I’m just trying to go up there ... try and have a quality at-bat, whether it’s working a long at-bat or drawing a walk, getting ahead [or] moving guys over.”
Roberts has been outspoken in his support of Tucker and was thrilled to see the four-time All-Star have a good moment in front of the 12th sold-out crowd at Dodger Stadium this season.
“Obviously, everyone’s talking about the splits and how much he struggled at home,” Roberts said. “But I do think that the fans, every at-bat, cheering for him — you gotta feel that as a player. ... It was really good for him to come through right there.”
Another Dodger who came through was Alek Thomas. Called up from triple-A Oklahoma City after center fielder Andy Pages sustained a hand fracture Friday, Thomas delivered an RBI single off Pirates starter Jared Jones, a Whittier native, in the fourth.
“It’s been a little while,” said Thomas, who made his Dodgers debut after spending 55 games in Oklahoma City. “So, I’m super glad to be back, and happy to help the team in any way, shape or form.”
Over parts of five seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Thomas heard his fair share of boos when playing in Dodger Stadium.
“It’s funny, because they always hated me whenever I came out there in center field,” said Thomas, who was acquired by the Dodgers in May. “I was, like, ‘Come on, guys, I’m Mexican too. You don’t have to yell at me; like, we’re on the same side here.’
“But, obviously ... it doesn’t matter where you’re from. ‘If you’re not a Dodgers guy, you’re not my guy.’”
Dodgers center fielder Alek Thomas points skyward next to first base coach Chris Woodward after hitting an RBI single in the fourth inning Saturday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Relievers Evan Phillips, Jack Dreyer and Tanner Scott combined for two shutout innings. Dreyer struck out Oneil Cruz looking to end the top of the eighth with a runner on third, fighting off the Pirates’ final gasp.
The Dodgers, who have won five straight for the first time since late May, will look to sweep Pittsburgh (63-68) on Sunday.
“I’m excited,” Skubal said. “You got a ton of really good arms here and a ton of talent. It’s just about us going out there and playing baseball and executing. And when we’re doing that, we’re the best team in the league.”
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - AUGUST 22: Randy Arozarena #56 of the Seattle Mariners catches a fly ball hit by Miguel Amaya #9 of the Chicago Cubs (not pictured) during the third inning against the Chicago Cubs at T-Mobile Park on August 22, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The show you came to see: Randy Arozarena, 1.08 WPA
BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 22: Dylan Beavers #12 of the Baltimore Orioles hits a walk off double to defeat the Tampa Bay Rays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Saturday, August 22, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
There’s been plenty to criticize this season, but nobody can question Baltimore’s ability to find the right bat at the right time. The Orioles offense went scoreless for seven innings before Samuel Basallo delivered a pinch-hit, game-tying homer in the eighth. The bullpen did its part, and Dylan Beavers came off the bench to walk it off in the bottom of the 10th. The late-inning heroics propelled Baltimore to a 3-2 victory and another series win over the first-place Rays.
Before the fireworks, Brandon Young gave the Orioles a chance to win the game. Young didn’t have his best stuff, but he fared better than his performance against Tampa last week. The righty allowed the first two batters of the game to reach before generating a pop out and an inning-ending double play.
Liam Hicks took him deep to start the second inning, but Young used another twin-killing to escape the frame with only one run allowed. The 28-year-old went on to retire the next eight batters that he faced. Cedric Mullins worked a two-out walk in the fifth, but Carlos Narváez nabbed Mullins attempting to steal second.
The Rays clung to the one-run lead before doubling their advantage in the sixth. Young walked Taylor Walls to start the frame. Yandy Díaz followed with a single to right, but Tyler O’Neill fired a strike to third that caught Walls attempting to take an extra 90 feet. Young retired Jonathan Aranda for the second out, but he failed to escape the inning unscathed. Chandler Simpson advanced Díaz with an infield single, and Junior Caminero drove him in with a base hit up the middle. Young left after 5.2 innings, and Josh Walker retired Ryan Vilade to end the frame.
Baltimore threatened a couple of times but struggled early to find the big hit. Coby Mayo delivered a double with Pete Alonso running in the first. Alonso may have scored if he followed the ball, but he slid into second before realizing that Mayo had made contact. Alonso made it to third base with less than two outs, but he declined to break home on a shallow fly ball by Tyler O’Neill. Gunnar Henderson struck out to end the inning.
Mayo and Alonso found their way into scoring position again in the third, but O’Neill flew out to end the threat.
The Orioles finally broke through in the eighth inning. Jackson Holliday turned a Kevin Kelly sinker around for a leadoff base hit. Kelly struck out Alonso with a high fastball for the first out, but Craig Albernaz pushed the right button once again. Albernaz sent out Basallo to pinch hit for Mayo, and the rookie tied the game with one swing of the bat. Basallo worked ahead in the count before sending a sinker 411 feet from home plate. The ball cleared a jumping Mullins, and Baltimore found its way into a brand new ball game.
O’Neill kept the Rays off the board with a pair of spectacular plays in the top of the ninth. The two-time Gold Glover chased down a screaming line drive to rob Caminero. Andrew Kittredge generated a ground ball from Kenny Piper for the second out, but Jonny DeLuca found his way into scoring position with a double to left field.
Richie Palacios followed with a shallow fly ball to right field. It felt like the type of soft single that propels a team like the Rays to victory, but O’Neill raced in and made a diving grab to keep the score even at two. The game went to extras after Baltimore went quietly in the bottom half.
Cedric Mullins advanced the designated runner to third with a ground ball to start the tenth. Taylor Walls attempted to bunt Palacios home, but Rico Garcia cleanly fielded the squeeze play and flipped home to nab the potential go-ahead run. Garcia fell behind 3-0 to Díaz before closing out the inning with a fly out to left.
The Birds entered the bottom of the tenth needing only one run to walk things off. Albernaz sent out Beavers to pinch hit for Carlos Narváez, and the pinch-hit magic continued to propel the Orioles. Facing former Oriole Bryan Baker, Beavers fell behind 0-2 before taking a pair of fastballs outside of the zone. Baker made a quality pitch with a changeup below the knees, but Beavers went down to get the ball and ripped it to right center.
The ball bounced off the wall and allowed designated runner Leody Taveras to race home without a play. The MASN broadcast booth originally thought Beavers homered, but everyone gladly settled for a walk-off double and a 3-2 win.
These are the types of games that make you believe in the 2026 Orioles. Basallo delivered the big fly, the team made several impressive plays on defense, and Beavers came through with another clutch knock. Baltimore moved to 63-67 with the win. They’ll go for the sweep tomorrow afternoon with Shane Baz set to face Nick Martinez.
O’Neill shined on defense, while Basallo and Beavers delivered huge hits off the bench. Let us know your pick for the Most Birdland Player of the Game in the comments below!
Kyle Tucker and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ offense showed some positive signs on Saturday, Aug. 22.
He hit a two-run single to right field against pitcher Yohan Ramírez of the Pittsburgh Pirates, allowing Max Muncy to score what proved to be the game-winning run. The Dodgers have now won five straight games.
The runs Tucker provided gave the Dodgers a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning after trailing 3-2. They held on to win by a 4-3 final.
Tucker snapped an 0-for-26 hitless streak at home. It was his first hit at Dodger Stadium since Aug. 2.
“I haven’t had a hit in the last three home stands," Tucker told reporters after the game. "I don’t keep up with stats like that. I just go out there and take the next at-bat and try to have a good quality at-bat.”
Tucker received a standing ovation from the crowd before his first at-bat on Friday. There was an effort made by fans to show their support for Tucker during his return amid his slump.
“It’s nice, they come out and support us every single day," Tucker said. "... They’ve been doing their part. We try to go out there and win games.”
The outfielder was previously booed at the home stadium on Sunday, Aug. 16. He managed to draw a walk but remained hitless on Friday, Aug. 21 after four at-bats.
South Bend infielder Josiah Hartshorn warms up before a Minor League Baseball game between the South Bend Cubs and the Cedar Rapids Kernels at Four Winds Field on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, in South Bend. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
Jordan Wicks continues to pitch well in August. Tonight, he allowed two runs on four hits over a five-inning start. Wicks struck out six and walked on.
Shelby Miller pitched the sixth inning and struck out the first two batters he faced before giving up a two-out double. But Miller got a line out to center to end the threat from the next batter.
Antoine Kelly let the tying run score with two outs in the bottom of the ninth on a wild pitch. But he got the win when the I-Cubs stormed back for four runs in the tenth. Kelly’s final line was one run on one hit and one walk over one inning. He did not have a strikeout.
James Triantos led off the top of the first with a solo home run, his eighth on the year. Triantos went 2 for 5 with a double and the home run. He scored twice.
Justin Dean blew this game open with a bases-loaded, bases-clearing double in the top of the tenth, scoring three. It was Dean’s only at-bat of the game.
Brooks Caple started and took the loss. Caple allowed four runs on seven hits over five innings. Two of the hits were solo home runs in the fifth inning. Caple struck out one and walked no one.
Ethan Flanagan tossed two perfect innings of relief in his Double-A debut. He struck out three. Vince Reilly pitched the ninth, retired the side in order in the ninth and struck out two.
Third baseman Edgar Alvarez hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning, his tenth on the year. Alvarez went 1 for 4.
Center fielder Kane Kepley went 0 for 1 with three walks and three steals. He scored once.
Pierce Coppola absolutely dominated the Whitecaps for five innings, giving up no runs and no hits. He struck out seven and walked two.
The Whitecaps took the lead when they scored three runs in the top of the sixth inning off of reliever Nate Williams. But the Cubs came back and took the lead in the bottom of the eighth, giving the win to Yoendris Gonzalez. Gonzalez pitched two innings and only allowed one baserunner and that came on a one-out error in the ninth. Gonzalez struck out three.
After the Whitecaps took a 3-0 lead in the sixth, first baseman Josiah Hartshorn hit a solo home run in the bottom of the inning. It was Hartshorn’s 15th home run with South Bend and 20th overall. That makes Hartshorn the first Cubs teenager to have 20 home runs in a season since Corey Patterson in 1999.
Hartshorn also singled in the tying run in the bottom of the eighth inning. He finished today 3 for 4 with the home run. He drove in two and scored twice.
Shortstop Angel Cepeda also hit a solo home run in the sixth inning and hit the go-ahead single in the eighth, scoring Hartshorn. It was Cepeda’s sixth South Bend home run and seventh overall. Cepeda was 2 for 4.
Center fielder Ethan Conrad went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in his South Bend debut.
Aug 22, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Athletics pitcher Jacob Lopez (57) throws a pitch against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The A’s snapped their five-game losing streak on Saturday night, beating the Astros 4-3 on Houston’s home turf for the club’s 50th win of the season and setting the team up for a possible series win tomorrow morning. Wouldn’t that be something?
CINCINNATI, OHIO - AUGUST 16: JJ Bleday #22 of the Cincinnati Reds bats during the game against the Miami Marlins at Great American Ball Park on August 16, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Miami defeated Cincinnati 7-1. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
JJ Bleday leaned out and turned on a Zack Littell meatball in the Top of the 6th inning of Saturday night’s game between the Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks down in the Land of the Endless Strip Mall, and the laser flew over the fence in right field at Chase Field for a homer.
That’s cool in a nutshell. What made it even more special, though, is that the Cincinnati outfielder had already picked up a single, double, and triple on the evening, and this homer game him the cycle.
The cycle – just the 8th in the long, storied history of the Cincinnati Reds – was a marked change from where Bleday’s form has been so far in August. Despite scorching the earth with his play in May after being recalled from AAA Louisville, he’s fallen into something of a three true outcomes slugger ever since, with the hits and homers being much fewer and more far between.
Not so on Saturday, though.
Bleday’s homer played pile-on for the Reds, who held an 8-2 lead at the time. Each of JJ, Elly De La Cruz, and Sal Stewart had been electric at the plate so far on the day, and that’s pretty much the lone recipe for the Reds having success on any given night.
Fortunately, that was the case tonight – including Elly smashing a towering 450 homer to right off his former teammate Littell.
At the beginning of Saturday’s game, Tarik Skubal suffered his worst inning as a member of the Dodgers.
By the end of the team’s eventual 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, however, the marquee trade deadline acquisition had rebounded for perhaps his best start with the club.
“When you get punched in the mouth early in this game, I always think it’s important for any pitcher to see how you respond to those moments,” Skubal said afterward. “I think that’s when the true, who-you-really-are kind of shows out.”
Indeed, despite giving up three runs in a first inning full of less-than-fortunate contact (two soft singles and a down-the-line triple) on what Skubal felt were mostly well-executed pitches (only one of the hits came on a pitch even in the strike zone), the star pitcher did not waver in his fourth start with the Dodgers.
Even after two more tough-luck singles dropped to begin the second, he did not falter in the face of early adversity.
“I’m not going to be perfect out there, but yeah, I need to be more efficient,” Skubal said last week, after failing to pitch into the seventh inning in each of his first three appearances with the Dodgers. “That’s the standard that I hold myself to, is pitching deeper into ballgames. Giving our team a chance to win every time out.”
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal throws to the plate during the first inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, August 22, 2026, in Los Angeles. (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
And right on cue, he rebounded en route to a seven-inning, three-run, 11-strikeout showcase –– finally finding a rhythm just when it appeared his game might go off the rails.
“From that point on, it was a different pitcher,” manager Dave Roberts said. “He sort of went into bully mode … and you could see we fed off of that intensity.”
The turnaround started in the second, when Skubal stranded runners at second and third by getting his first two strikeouts of the day, turning to his slider for each after struggling to get early whiff with his trademark changeup.
From there, the momentum kept building. He retired the side in order in both the third and fourth with a pair of Ks each. He worked around a two-out walk in the fifth while dialing up a couple more punchouts. Then, he reached top gear in the top of the sixth, striking out the side in a breathtaking 14-pitch sequence that was punctuated by a 100 mph fastball –– his hardest pitch with the Dodgers, and second-hardest all season.
“Early in games, I might just be trying to feel it out too much instead of just competing with what I got in that moment,” Skubal said. “I feel like deeper into games, you just kind of get into a little bit better rhythm and your command cleans up … So when I feel confident commanding the ball, that’s when I feel like I can really start letting it rip, and it’s going to go where I want it to.”
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Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal throws to the plate during the second inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, August 22, 2026, in Los Angeles. (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Then, in the fifth, Kyle Tucker ended his historic home-field hitting drought, snapping a 26-at-bat hitless streak at Dodger Stadium (which dated back to Aug. 2) with a two-run single through a drawn-in infield (giving him his first RBIs at the venue since July 8).
“I think the last couple days is more of what we’re going to see going forward,” Roberts said of Tucker, while praising what he felt was an uptick in the quality of his at-bats. “Obviously, everyone’s talking about the splits and how much he struggled at home … So it was really good for him to come through right there.”
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) pitches in the first inning at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on Saturday, August 22, 2026. (This asset – including all text, audio and imagery – is provided by Imagn Images. Reuters Connec) IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Skubal made sure to make it count, too, finishing his 106-pitch outing with one more 1-2-3 inning in the seventh.
Overall, he retired 18 of the final 19 batters he faced, finished one strikeout away from his season-high of 12, and –– for the first time since his blockbuster arrival before the trade deadline –– flashed the sort of sustained dominance that has made him arguably the sport’s best current pitcher.
“That,” Roberts said, “is the guy that we needed.”
Added Skubal: “The stuff coming out of hand is as good as it’s ever been.”
All it took to get there was the pitcher overcoming his worst inning as a Dodger along the way.
Aug 22, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) pitches during the third inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Tarik Skubal had choppy waters in a rough first inning, but it was smooth sailing after that in the Dodgers’ 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday evening at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers have won five games in a row, their longest streak since a six-gamer May 23-29, and their fourth win streak of at least five games this season.
The Pirates bunched together three hits in a row against Skubal in the first inning, capped by a two-run triple by former Dodgers farmhand Oneil Cruz, who scored on a groundout. But after those three runs, plus two singles to open the second inning, Skubal more than settled in.
Five of the first Pirates got hits, with no strikeouts, but then Skubal retired 18 of 19 batters faced with 11 strikeouts, including four in a row at one point. He finished seven innings in the longest of his four strikeouts with the Dodgers
Skubal’s 11 strikeouts matched Justin Wrobleski (June 30 at A’s) for the most by a Dodgers pitcher this season, and one shy of Skubal’s season high (July 24 vs. Kansas City Royals).
The Dodgers didn’t have a hit until the fourth inning, but they did make Pirates starter Jared Jones work, getting him out of the game after 87 pitches to get 12 outs. They scored two runs each in the fourth and fifth innings, with a Max Muncy double key to both frames. Muncy had three hits in the game and scored after each double.
Teoscar Hernández singled home the first run in the fourth. Center fielder Alek Thomas, just called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday, drove in the second run. Kyle Tucker singled home a pair in the fifth to give the Dodgers their first lead. It was the first home hit for Tucker since August 2, snapping an 0-for-26 skid at Dodger Stadium.
Evan Phillips struck out two around a double in the eighth inning, but Jack Dreyer stranded the tying run on base with a strikeout of Cruz to end the frame. Tanner Scott pitched a clean ninth with a strikeout of his own. Fifteen strikeouts by Dodgers pitchers matched their season high, also done on May 4 at Houston, June 30 at the A’s, and Wednesday in Colorado.
One more game between the Dodgers and Pirates on Sunday (1:10 p.m., SportsNet LA), with Blake Snell making his third start since returning from the injured list.
Aug 22, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers designated hitter Joc Pederson (3) stands in the dugout during the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Texas Rangers did not score but the Anaheim Angels scored three runs.
The Rangers were honoring the 1996 club tonight. A lot can change in 30 years, apparently.
Unlike this year’s team, the ‘96ers are a version of this franchise that I hold near and dear to my heart, so hopefully the players who made it out didn’t stick around to watch this one. They wouldn’t recognize whatever the 2026 team does on the home synthetic field as the same sport as the one that they played over at The Ballpark on their way to the first AL West championship in team history.
The ‘96 squad averaged just a smidge over ten hits per game and scored 928 runs. The 2026 team is sitting at 516 runs scored this season and added none to that tally tonight. The current year Rangers haven’t scored in a regulation inning since Thursday, have now been shut out twice this week against a couple of teams with a combined record of 113-148, and have scored two or fewer runs in all but one game this week on this homestand.
Texas’ big output this week was scoring five runs in Tuesday’s victory. The ‘96 team averaged 5.7 runs per game.
Anyway, here in the present, in unrecognizable baseball land, Zach Neto doubled on the second pitch of the game, the first of three extra base hits for the Anaheim leadoff man, and the first of ten hits for the Angels overall. The Rangers, meanwhile, had one single all evening.
Player of the Game: I guess No. 8 hitter Cody Freeman for collecting Texas’ lone hit — a single in the bottom of the sixth — to prevent the club from getting no-hit by a guy with a 6+ ERA in front of the team’s first ever playoff squad.
Up Next: The Rangers and Angels close out this series tomorrow where RHP Cal Quantrill will make the start for Texas opposite a pitcher to be named for Anaheim.
The Sunday afternoon first pitch from The Shed is set for 1:35 pm CDT and you can view it on the Rangers Sports Network.
The Senators may not have an obvious Hart Trophy candidate in their midst for the coming season, but they do have several players capable of working their way into various NHL awards conversations.
Some are already closer than people may realize. Shane Pinto and Travis Green both finished sixth in voting for big awards last season, while Jake Sanderson received Norris Trophy votes for the second consecutive year.
Here are the six Senators most capable of taking home some hardware soon, maybe as early as next summer.
Steve Warne and Gregg Kennedy discuss Jake Sanderson's ranking among top NHL defensemen.
Sanderson is good enough to win a Norris right now, but his primary obstacle is the league's extreme depth of star defensemen,
Cale Makar, Zach Werenski, Rasmus Dahlin and Quinn Hughes are among those who've consistently produced superior offensive numbers, and all of them have a million miles of racetrack left in their careers.
For Sanderson to have a chance to win, he’ll need to stay healthy, flirt with a point per game, and help the Senators take another step forward.
Shane Pinto: Selke Trophy
Pinto finished sixth in Selke voting last year, receiving eight first-place votes. Only Nick Suzuki, Anthony Cirelli, Brock Nelson, Mitch Marner and Jordan Staal finished ahead of him for the NHL’s best defensive forward.
That means his defensive game is no longer flying beneath anyone's radar.
Like Sanderson, his next step will be to create enough offence to attract more voters for what's supposed to be a defensive award. Pinto scored 23 goals and 47 points last season, but most modern Selke winners are also prominent offensive players.
As the team thinks about their chessboard alignment for next month, GM Steve Staios has admitted that moving Pinto into the top six and sliding Dylan Cozens to the wing is something that's been talked about.
If Pinto pushes toward 60 or 70 points while continuing to succeed in his shutdown role, kill penalties and win faceoffs, he could become Ottawa’s first serious Selke finalist since Mark Stone.
Linus Ullmark: Vezina Trophy
Ullmark still has three years left on his four-year contract, so the Sens are praying that he can still be the man who ends Ottawa's reputation for being a goalie graveyard.
He finished last year with 28 wins, a 2.73 goals-against average and an .891 save percentage. Those are clearly not Vezina numbers. However, Ullmark has already demonstrated that he can reach that level, winning the award with Boston just three years ago.
He hasn't been anywhere near that level in his two years with the Sens, except in this year's playoffs. Maybe he can carry that into next season. Regardless, he’s on the list because he’s the only Ottawa player who has already proven he can be the best in the league at his position.
Carter Yakemchuk: Calder Trophy
Yakemchuk needs to put all his focus on just making the team and shouldn't even be thinking about trophies right now.
But we're not Yakemchuk, so we're free to proceed.
Yakemchuk's offensive ability makes him a Calder possibility, albeit a long shot. He led Belleville’s defencemen with 40 points during his first professional season. If he makes the Sens and hits that number again in the NHL, he'll get some votes.
He made an immediate NHL impression, recording two points in his regular-season debut and another two in his first Stanley Cup playoff game.
If Yakemchuk wins a full-time spot, it will probably come with some looks on the power play, which could further assist him in putting up some decent numbers. Offence from the blue line tends to attract most, if not all, of the Calder attention, and Yakemchuk has never been shy about joining the rush or creating something with the puck.
Everyone remembers his solo overtime rush up ice against the Leafs two years ago, but how about this one (0:35 second mark) against the Leafs in the rookie showdown in Montreal last year?
Yakemchuk may not receive enough minutes to compete with the Gavin McKennas, Porter Martones or Cole Hutsons of the world, but he's far and away Ottawa’s best Calder possibility for the coming season.
Claude Giroux: Masterton Trophy
The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. But unofficially, many nominees have either overcome a major injury or personal crisis, or they're still going strong as they approach the sunset of long, excellent careers.
Now 38, Giroux remains an important player and one of the most respected voices in Ottawa’s dressing room. His willingness to return and continue helping a relatively young team grow only adds to that story.
Depending on how the Sens leadership decision goes, the Messier Award might be on his radar as well, particularly if the Sens can take a big step forward and G's influence gets more national attention as a result.
Travis Green: Jack Adams Award
Green finished sixth in Jack Adams voting last season, receiving four first-place votes after guiding Ottawa to its second consecutive playoff appearance.
The award often goes to the coach of a team that significantly exceeds preseason expectations. That can work against coaches whose teams are already considered contenders, but the Sens are still in the ideal territory. They're respected, but not quite viewed yet as a Stanley Cup favourite.
If the Senators can improve again this season after a summer of significant roster turnover, Green will receive much of the credit.
None of the above would be considered a favourite this season by any stretch. But for Sens fans, it's nice to at least have some possibilities. Three or four years ago, during the darkest days of the rebuild, this would have been a very short article, if it got written at all.
By Steve Warne The Hockey News
This article was first published in The Hockey News. For more Sens coverage at The Hockey News, click on one of the latest headlines below:
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - AUGUST 21: Kyle Isbel #28 of the Kansas City Royals reacts after hitting a home run during the fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium on August 21, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Ever since the Chicago White Sox series last week in which the Tigers got swept, the wind seems to have gone out of their offenses’ sails. The Tigers pitched pretty well in this one, but the bats were asleep yet again as they dropped their seventh game in their last eighth by a score of 3-1, and lost the series to the Royals in the process. They’ll try to salvage one on Sunday.
From the start, this was just another frustrating effort from the Tigers offense against Michael Wacha. The veteran right-hander’s deep pitch mix and deception has often given them trouble the past two seasons. Kevin McGonigle and Gleyber Torres each lifted weak flyouts to start the game. Colt Keith walked and Dillon Dingler blooped in a single, but Zach McKinstry flew out to end the first inning.
Drew Anderson came into this one looking for a good start after some mediocre efforts since moving into the rotation. He gave up a single to Bobby Witt Jr., who stole second base, but escaped the inning unscathed as Salvador Perez grounded out to Torres.
Brett Callahan got a good look at all the ways veteran major league starters can pitch you and struck out to open the second inning. Spencer Torkelson got eaten up by the curveball and struck out, while Max Clark lined out to first. Anderson gave up a walk to Nick Loftin but no more.
In the third, Wacha handled Hao-Yu Lee, and then McGonigle and Torres again with ease. Kyle Isbel, the nine hitter, jumped a first pitch fastball in the heart of the plate and smoked a solo shot to open the scoring in this one. Anderson took care of the next three hitters in order to end the inning. Anderson came into this one with a good .283 wOBA against his fourseamer, and using that pitch more, and more effectively, is a big piece of turning him into a quality starting pitcher. The fastball is effective, but that still doesn’t mean you can groove them, and the fastball command has certainly been an issue at times.
Colt Keith opened the fourth with a rocket to center field, but Isbel hauled it in. Dingler was nicked on the elbow guard by a curveball, but McKinstry struck out, and Callahan grounded out.
In the bottom half, it was Salvador Perez who got a poorly located fastball. In a 1-2 count, Dingler signaled for a fastball up, but it was more center away, and the veteran catcher crushed a deep fly ball to center field for a solo shot to give the Royals a 2-0 lead. Anderson gave up a one-out single to Loftin up the middle, but he popped up Michael Massey and Tyler Tolbert grounded out to send us to the fifth.
Hao-Yu Lee cut the Royals lead in half in the top of the fifth. After Torkelson and Clark struck out, Lee got a 1-1 sinker on the inner third and destroyed it, launching a 446 foot homer that left the bat at 110 mph. Lee now has two homers and three hits total in five ABs against Wacha. At least someone sees the ball well out of his hand. 2-1 Royals.
Anderson kept the momentum with a quick 1-2-3 inning. Isbel grounded out, and Carter Jensen was dusted by a high fourseamer to strike out. Witt Jr. grounded out to end the inning.
Wacha’s pitch count was still in pretty good shape at 72 pitches entering the top of the sixth. He got Torres on another routine ground out as the veteran second baseman reached for a slider breaking down and away to start the inning. Colt Keith correctly challenged a first pitch strike call to get into a hitter’s count. In a 1-2 count, Wacha floated another high changeup that fooled him and was fouled back, and Keith watched a sinker right down the gut for strike three. Dingler’s recent struggles continued with another ground out to end the frame.
AJ Hinch left Anderson in to face the left-handed hitting Jac Caglianone to open the bottom of the sixth. The changeup made him a better option with Tanner Rainey poised to take over. Instead, Caglianone smoked a hot ground ball double to right. Hinch made the switch, and Rainey got a ground out from Perez, moving Caglianone to third with one out. A good 2-2 slider from Rainey got a sharp grounder to Torkelson, and Caglianone had to hold as the Tigers’ first baseman stepped on first base for the second out. That left it up to Nick Loftin, and Dingler came out for a quick chat with Rainey. The right-hander is currently sitting 96 up to 98 mph with his fastball, making him a little more effective than in recent years. He fed Loftin plenty of breaking balls to get to a 2-2 count, but then yanked a fastball into the dirt toward the other batter’s box. Dingler couldn’t backhand it, and Caglianone scored on the wild pitch. Loftin popped out, but the way things were going that was a tough run to give up. 3-1 Royals after six.
McKinstry grounded out to first to start the seventh. Wacha was only nearing 90 pitches at this point and was likely to get the whole inning if he could go 1-2-3. He could not, however. Callahan got a first pitch changeup that he was way ahead on. Wacha tried it again, and Callahan ripped it down the right field line for a double. The Royals bullpen quickly got to work warming up as Torkelson stepped in. The first baseman has had little to no success against Wacha in his career and it held true as he popped out to Caglianone. So it was up to Max Clark to get Callahan home. Wacha threw him two changeups, one fouled off and one up, and then came back to jam him with a cutter and Clark grounded out to second. That was the end of the night for Wacha, but the Tigers were rapidly running out of time to prevent a seventh loss in their last eight games.
Lefty Drew Sommers, whose nickname in the cluhouse is Pontoon as we learned today, took over in the bottom of the seventh. We kind of preferred something more traditional like Big Nasty. He got Massey to ground out ot McGonigle at shortstop. He locked up Tolbert with a good swing back sinker on the inner edge for the second out. Isbel just couldn’t pick up Sommers arm slot and took a sinker down the middle for strike three. With much improved strike throwing and a bit of added velocity to go with his tough arm slot and huge extension, Sommers is pitching the best ball in the Tigers’ pen at this point.
Old friend Alex Lange took the bump for the Royals in the eighth. Lee grounded out to Witt Jr. to start the inning. McGonigle flew out to Isbel, and Torres grounded out to end the frame.
The Tigers offense is the second best in baseball by wRC+ and fourth best in run scoring since June 1, but the sweep at the hands of the White Sox seems to have sucked the second wind out of them. The power has largely dried up, and some of the rookies are getting their first taste of the struggle.
Sommers was really feeling it in the eighth. He whiffed Jensen on a nasty slider and then just reared back and blew Witt Jr. away with heat. Caglianone threw his bat at a slider away and grounded out weakly for a quick inning. And so it was last call for the Tigers.
They would face one of the all-time great closers, Craig Kimbrel, though he is not that guy anymore. No doubt Kenley Jansen can sympathize. He would face Colt Keith, Dingler, and McKinstry. Keith grounded out to second to start things off. Dingler took a fastball for a called strike three just above the zone and didn’t challenge it either, suggesting that the frustrations are mounting for him lately. McKinstry waited Kimbrel out and drew himself a walk, and so the game was in Brett Callahan’s hands. Kimbrel stepped off after a first pitch strike, but Caglianone wasn’t holding the runner, making it a balk to move McKinstry to second. Callahan yanked a curveball foul and then fought off a pair of fastballs. A high fourseamer drew the whiff, and the Tigers have lost seven of their last eight.
First pitch is set for 2:10 p.m. ET on Sunday. The Tigers are going with a bullpen game centered around lefty Andrew Sears, who will be called up for his major league debut. You can read more about him here.
