Worldwide Sports News

It is prudent by starting out with a big thank you to Al for filling in for me for the last week plus while I vacationed with my family. Midseason vacations are never optimal, but with one of my adult children and her significant other both deriving employment from Penn State University, summer was the only time to bring the whole family together for a trip.

Looking back, the last time I wrote was following the Cubs’ 7-3 win over the Cardinals. Does that feel like a very long time ago? I was out of the country, did I miss anything? I don’t have a lot of in-season vacation memories, but one of them involves Cole Hamels and a no-hitter. I still sometimes like to mentally pretend that the game happened in an alternate timeline that I’m not a part of.

I’m going to have some things to say about the trade deadline and this 17 straight game stretch that I had circled. Well, I and just about every other even remotely informed Cubs blogger or writer. Sometimes you may pick a certain landmark series or two for looking at a block of games, but this one was easy with them being 17 straight games. Coming into this game with the Royals, the Cubs were 11-4. By any objective measure, this has been a very successful string of games. This hiccup doesn’t make it any less impressive, though obviously after sweeping four games from the Dodgers and Blue Jays, you wanted to get greedy and run a winning streak out to seven. It wasn’t meant to be.

The start of the Clay Holmes era wasn’t a great success. David Peterson had that one terrible start and he’s been terrific as Cub, so let’s go ahead and not draw any conclusions, all right? There are still a ton of injured Cub pitchers rehabbing from various maladies. So the Cubs are no longer married to any one pitcher or group of pitchers. They have depth. Hopefully, Holmes had an off night and the pitching department will find a workable plan moving forward. If not, they can find another way to use him and give someone else a shot in that rotation spot.

Let’s hit a quick perspective check, did you miss me doing this? Four teams have a better record than the Cubs. I’m, of course, disappointed to see that didn’t change, even with a hot stretch of baseball. They are closing in on the Dodgers and Braves now, though that doesn’t have a lot of immediately apparent value. They’ve created a ton of space with the Phillies and Diamondbacks and are pretty comfortably the first Wild Card now. The Cubs appear to be the long shot in a two-horse race. The Cubs are on a better than 93-win pace and now, I feel there is a real chance to exceed that. This team, right now, is better than the one that set this pace. Though I will always concede that they were fortunate to win as many games as they did. All of the walk-offs and the lack of consistently good pitching might have suggested a few more losses.

I’m back, but I’m going to be a little bit brief here tonight. The standings will return in a day or two as I work backwards through the numbers. I will also have a longer form thought about the trade deadline. I was legitimately not tapped in to the BCB reaction, but I did see it on social media and in the national media. I’ll assume that, save for a little trepidation here or there about a prospect that moved, the feedback was wildly positive.

Three Positives:

• I saw that we are trying to vote Ian Happ off the island as a fan base again. Pardon my overall lack of surprise that I return to him having a double and a homer, driving in a run and scoring one. Ian is one of the weirdest players ever. He is remarkably consistent year over year while having long stretches of unproductive offensive play. Never mind that he gets pretty hot between those stretches to maintain that productivity.
• Michael Conforto got into the game, had one at bat and doubled. He’s been such an incredibly effective pinch hitter this year.
• Carson Kelly had a two-run double.

Game 118, August 8: Royals 6, Cubs 3 (68-50)

Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Ian Happ (.088). 2-4, HR, 2B, RBI, R
• Hero: Carson Kelly (.070). 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI
• Sidekick: Michael Conforto (.043). 1-1, 2B

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Clay Holmes (-.211). 4 IP, 18 BF, 6 H, 2 BB, 4 ER, K (L 0-1)
• Goat: Seiya Suzuki (-.149). 0-4
• Kid: Dansby Swanson (-.119). 0-4

WPA Play of the Game: Jac Caglianone’s second homer of the game off Colin Rea, extending the lead back to two. (.147)

Cubs Play of the Game: Carson Kelly’s two-out, two-run double in the fourth inning, cut the lead to two. (.134)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 117 Winner: Kevin Gausman received 79 of 98 votes.

Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)

The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.

This spot will return in a day or two.

Up Next: The third and final game of this series, the 17th and final game of this stretch before an off day Monday. Matthew Boyd (7-1, 3.59) starts for the Cubs. Matthew is 5-0 with a 2.66 over his last seven starts, though he did allow four runs to the Dodgers in his last start.

31-year-old righty Randy Dobnak (2-0, 1.16) makes the start for the Royals. He’s made six appearances to date, four of them starts. He’s been in the rotation since the break, recording the two wins and allowing only two runs, both earned, over 21.1 innings as a starter.

Find a win to finish this stretch.

The infield of the 2014 World Series Champions haven’t thrown the ball around the horn in years, but the shadow they cast is a long one. Pablo spread-eagled in foul territory after squeezing Game 7’s final out. Posey wrapping Bumgarner up in his arms. The 4-6-3 double play, the Panik dive and glove flip, the Crawford turn and Belt stretch, is probably the most consequential defensive play in Giants history. 

After Saturday’s Wall of Fame pre-game ceremony celebrating the feats of yore, the 2026 Giants honored the inductees by making everyone in attendance pine for those days. Days of winning? Days of championships? Sure, but also just days with familiarity and warmth, chemistry, and some resilience.  

An 8-0 loss to the Tigers had none of those things. It was like the 2026 kids were handed a stack of plates and asked to set the table. They got as far as the threshold between the kitchen and dining room before they lost their concentration, got bored or tired or both, and the wobbles started. In Friday’s win, the team regained their balance, they managed the mistakes made and moved forward. On Saturday, the stack of plates teetered, quickly tottered, then crashed to the floor…and the kids just sat down amongst the shattered pieces, utterly bewildered.

Landen Roupp and Detroit starter Jackson Jobe traded zeroes through the first five innings. Unlike Friday’s game, baserunners were at a premium. Roupp walked two and allowed just two singles. One of them was a soft dribble that spun back into fair territory in the 2nd that compounded into a bases-loaded situation that Roupp nullified with two shallow flyball outs. 

Jobe hadn’t thrown in a Major League game for 14 months and pitched like he was making up for lost time. He allowed just a walk and a single over 5 scoreless innings and needed just 71 pitches to do it. He announced his return with a strike out of Bryce Eldridge. He K’ed righty-mashed Rafael Devers twice and then got him to ground into a double play immediately after Willy Adames’s single (one of two hits the Giants would manage all game). The most convincing knock against Jobe was Drew Gilbert’s liner to center in the 2nd. Hard-hit, yes, but the hardest part for centerfield Max Clark was not the quality of contact, but battling the late-afternoon sun.

The game shifted out of the Giants favor when Landen Roupp took the mound in the 6th inning.

Time had passed since he had pitched this deep into a game. He couldn’t stick around through the 4th against the Brewers on July 28th. In his last start against the Padres, he got pulled in the 5th. Walks were a problem in both games, and they scuttled his outing here.

After getting ahead 1-2 on Gleyber Torres, Roup missed big on three of his next four pitches. Bad offerings especially with his curveball that saw his count leverage slip away. He walked Torres. He rifled through his sinker, change-up, curve and sinker again against Dillon Dingler — all came in uncompetitive and wild. Riley Greene, who had already struck out twice and looked completely lost against Roupp, helped him get some footing in the frame by flailing at three change-ups off the plate. The out was generous, not necessarily earned, and a more disciplined hitter in Colt Keith, who had already walked twice, exposed Roupp’s lack of command. 

The right-hander disowned the baseball the moment the 3-0 sinker slid from his grasp. A ball all the way, and the pitch sealed the deal. His day was done. He had just generated a rally for the Tigers. Two of those passes were uncompetitive, efficiently handed out on four pitches.  

Still, he seemed to huff and puff in visible consternation when Tony Vitello mounted the top step and strode out to the hill. A glare was thrown in the manager’s direction, and he shook his head as he aggressively scraped dirt from his studs. He even threw his hands up to his chest and motioned as if to tell Vitello to stay in the dugout. While nothing near the same scale as Devers’s infamous finger wag, the gesture’s meaning was clear. He wanted to stay in.

Admirable in some instances…myopic, prideful, grace-less in this one.  

Words were forced through the webbing of his glove, but Roupp did eventually give up the ball. You walk the bases loaded, you forfeit any legitimate claim to the mound — I’m sure that truth sank in as he watched the rest of the game from the dugout railing. Hopefully more truths were reckoned with in those lonely and raw moments. Like many of his outings, Roupp was in control and in rhythm, and then suddenly, he wasn’t. The pitch count was in his favor when he started the 6th. He didn’t throw many stressful pitches leading up to it either. So what happened?

Roupp has now pitched one more start than in 2025 and passed his previous career high in innings pitched by 17. Maybe it’s the workload. More likely it’s the temperament. I can see how losing Torres when he had count advantage served as a penny on the tracks, just thinking about that 2-2 sinker that he yanked, letting it eat away at him — he couldn’t throw another one for a strike, and Lord knows, he tried.   

This was Roupp’s fourth game in which he walked 5 or more batters. He’s now tied with Robbie Ray and Trey Yeasavage for most in the Majors. It’s also his ninth start in which the walk total has matched or exceeded the hits total on his final pitching line. The truth is that hasn’t always been a bad thing for him. He’s had success when strutting that fine line, balancing between how much to give and how much to take. Opposing hitters have such a hard time getting quality contact off him that he can sustain and manage inflated BB totals more than most. 

After Keaton Winn immediately walked the next batter to plate the Tigers’ first run, he fanned both Max Clark and Javier Baez to end the inning and keep Roupp’s earned run total at one. It could’ve been a lot worse for the Giants’ starter. It also could’ve been better — that’s a pill Roupp seems to have swallowed a lot this year. 

While Roupp’s ERA made out nicely, things did get a lot worse for the team as a whole. The one-run in the 6th broke the freshness seal on the pitching duel and it spoiled fast, devolving into a lopsided and poorly played blowout.

Recently called up right-hander, Trent Harris made his Major League debut — and it didn’t go well. He threw 14 pitches, faced four batters and three of them reached base. Dillon Dingler’s 2-run double chased Harris from the mound, and his replacement, Reiver Sanmartin didn’t fare much better. Both arms bore the brunt of three runs each as Detroit sent ten up to the plate in the inning.

The defense didn’t help much either. Eddys Leonard made a desperate and ill-advised heave home, allowing Kevin McGonigle to advance to second base, taking away the chance of a double-play on the subsequent ground ball off the bat of Torres. Drew Gilbert lost a line-drive in the sun…with the exact tool needed for success perched on his hat rather than over his eyes.

There’s gotta be a lesson to be learned here.

These last two wins have been key in stabilizing the Nats season, which looked to be going off the rails. Between selling at the deadline and that miserable road trip, the playoffs are highly unlikely, but the Nats have righted the ship. Surprisingly, their pitching staff has been a big reason for that.

The back end of the bullpen has been particularly impressive lately. We talked about that yesterday, but they looked good again today. Outside of the home run Max Kranick allowed, the bullpen was pretty close to perfect. It really seems like Blake Butera has a steady back of the pen for the first time all year.

A big reason for that is new addition Yovanny Cruz, who has electric stuff. Blake Butera couldn’t believe some of the pitches he threw, saying Cruz threw some “ridiculous” sliders. They were 93 MPH with vicious movement. He also said that Cruz will continue to get more comfortable with his splitter as well.

Last night, the splitter was very helpful for him. Cruz got back to back whiffs on that pitch to strike out Elly De La Cruz to get out of a jam. The strikes are not always there for Cruz, but the stuff is easy to see. Having your worst pitch be a 100 MPH fastball is pretty nuts.

It is not just Cruz who is helping out this pitching staff though. In the bullpen, guys like Beeter, Ribalta and Tom Cosgrove have also done a nice job. They are also getting some quality outings from Brad Lord and Trevor Williams. A massive weakness has now become much less of a problem. It is too soon to call it a strength, but if the Nats have a 3 or 4 run lead, I am not as worried anymore.

Cade Cavalli and Andrew Alvarez also delivered very solid starts these last two nights. Alvarez has been particularly impressive in his last two outings. For most of the season, he has had a habit of nibbling, but lately he has been attacking the zone with intent.

This has made his manager Blake Butera very happy. In the post game interview, both he and Alvarez mentioned how getting too deep into counts has been a problem in the past. Butera said that Alvarez continues to gain more belief in how good his stuff is. He added that “A lot of it when you get to the big leagues is believing you can pitch here and have success here”. 

It seems like Alvarez is starting to gain that belief and realize that he does not have to nibble to get outs. He has some really good breaking stuff, which he showed off tonight. If Alvarez can continue to get deeper into games, his stock will really rise.

At the moment, the pitching staff seems to be in a good spot, outside of a couple guys. However, it seems like help should be on the way soon. Spencer Nusbaum put out an article where he said that prospects Luis Perales and Jackson Kent are likely to join the club sometime soon.

Those two would make the staff even more exciting. Kent projects to be a sturdy and dependable number 4 starter with a very good changeup. His stuff is not electric, but he has good command and deception while having average raw stuff.

Meanwhile, Perales is pretty much the opposite. He has a fastball that routinely hits triple digits, a nasty cutter and a splitter that falls off the table. However, his command and execution is a work in progress, though it has been improving lately.

Watching this pitching staff has been a chore for most of the season, but it is looking more exciting as we enter the stretch run. As we enter 2027, the pitching staff is in a much better place than it was entering 2026. That is without even mentioning the return of the Nats top 2 pitching prospects in Travis Sykora and Jarlin Susana.

This time next year, we could be talking about the pitching staff as a borderline strength. A lot of it comes down to the work that Paul Toboni has done. It has taken longer and there have been plenty of misses, but it feels like we are finally finding a formula here.

There is plenty of time for things to go sideways and there are still some real weak links. However, the arrow is finally pointing up on the pitching side. Hopefully that continues down the stretch and the Nats can finish this season on a high note.

Michael King gave the San Diego Padres exactly what they needed against the Houston Astros on Saturday. The right-hander returned to his ace-like form and gave his team six innings of three-hit baseball. Over that span he allowed one run and one walk and struck out six batters. Jackson Merrill provided the offense driving in two runs, one of which came on a solo home run to center field, and the Padres went on to beat the Astros 3-2 at Petco Park.

King looked locked in throughout his start and used 93 pitches to get through the sixth. He threw 64 pitches for strikes and the one run he allowed came on a solo home run to Taylor Trammell in the top of the second inning. The ball was hit out of the yard to tie the game 1-1 at the time, but it was not a bad pitch, it was just a better piece of hitting by the former San Diego farmhand.

The Padres offense made Astros starter Peter Lambert work. They did not score a ton of runs, but he was under attack throughout his outing, which lasted five innings. He allowed three runs, two earned, on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts. It seemed like almost every at-bat was a seven or eight pitch at-bat and many times it was more than that.

San Diego and Houston will meet for the final game of the series in the rubber match today at 5:20 p.m.

Padres News:

• Ethan Salas cannot stop hitting at Triple-A and David Morgan continues to work back to his big-league return.

• Adrian Morejon proves he is as good off the field as he is on it.

• Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune thinks the work the Padres did at the Trade Deadline could help them in the offseason and beyond.

Baseball News:

• Gerrit Cole recorded his 1,000th strikeout as a New York Yankee and helped his team get a win over the Atlanta Braves.

• The Toronto Blue Jays got an extra-innings win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

• Shohei Ohtani helped the Los Angeles Dodgers end their losing streak with a win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

• The Athletics ended their losing streak and the Boston Red Sox winning streak with a win on Saturday.

• The Chicago White Sox used a five-run inning to beat the Cleveland Guardians.

• Sandy Alcantara pitched the Miami Marlins to a 7-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels.

• Jac Caglianone powered the Kansas City Royals past the Chicago Cubs.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

The Toronto Blue Jays are +170 underdogs as they look to complete the sweep in Philadelphia today.

My Blue Jays vs. Phillies predictions and MLB picks for Sunday, Aug. 9 expect Toronto to keep things close, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. factoring in at the plate.

Blue Jays vs Phillies predictions

Blue Jays vs Phillies best bet: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Over 0.5 singles (-130)

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. historically hits left-handed pitching well, and we’ve seen that more over the last month. 

Vladdy has hit .333 with a 50% hard hit rate, a number not bested by any member of the Toronto Blue Jays during that span.

His improved play has led to a spike in hits, but the power still lags behind. Only one of his hits went for extra bases, which is a plus when chasing singles.

Jesus Luzardo is excellent at limiting quality contact, forcing opponents to take what they can get. That sets up well for Guerrero Jr. and his current hitting profile.

Bet to -140.

COVERS INTEL:Guerrero's .378 wOBA and .048 ISO against lefties the past 30 days creates a perfect storm for singles.

Blue Jays vs Phillies same-game parlay (+390)

Alejandro Kirk leads the Blue Jays with a strong .279 average against lefties this season. He hasn’t hit for power (35% hard hit rate, 3% barrel rate), leading to almost all of his hits going for just a base.

Shane Bieber struggled out of the gate but has posted a 4.18 xFIP or lower in three of his last four starts.

He is pitching much better, and should be able to keep this game competitive against a Philadelphia Phillies offense ranking 25th in wOBA vs. right-handed pitching over the last month.  

Blue Jays vs Phillies SGP

• Alejandro Kirk Over 0.5 singles
• Shane Bieber Under 2.5 earned runs
• Blue Jays +1.5

Blue Jays vs Phillies home run pick: Kazuma Okamoto (+380)

Kazuma Okamoto has been the go-to power source for the Blue Jays all season, and is the most likely candidate to go yard in this game. 

It is feast-or-famine for Okamoto, as he’s struck out a lot while chasing power. It’s hard to argue with the process given he leads the team in hard hit rate, barrel rate, and homers when facing left-handed pitching.

He owns a 12.5% barrel rate or higher against each of Luzardo’s four pitches, giving him a real chance to get a hold of one.

Blue Jays vs Phillies odds

• Moneyline: Toronto +170 | Philadelphia -210
• Run line: Toronto +1.5 (-120) | Philadelphia -1.5 (+100)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+100) | Under 8.5 (-120)

Blue Jays vs Phillies trend

Toronto has covered the Run Line in 24 of the last 40 away games (+6.20 units, 11% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Blue Jays vs. Phillies.

How to watch Blue Jays vs Phillies and game info

Blue Jays vs Phillies latest injuries

Blue Jays vs Phillies weather

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Good morning, folks…

The Texas Rangers beat the Baltimore Orioles last night by a score of 5-1.

The DMN’s game story talks about Jacob deGrom coming up big in his first start after saying he wanted to stay with the Rangers, and win with the Rangers, rather than be traded.

Jack Leiter is making progress in his return from ankle surgery, and could be close to starting a rehab assignment.

Former Ranger Max Scherzer has moved into the top 10 on the all-time strikeout list, and it’ll probably be a long time before anyone displaces him.

David Laurila has his Sunday Notes column up at Fangraphs.

Good lord, a clean sweep of the Phillies organization yesterday. Even the kids on the minor league level were getting shelled.

Worcester 19, Lehigh Valley 0

El.

Oh.

El.

The IronPigs were just bad in every which way you can think of. The hitting? Bad – only three hits on the game, but at least one of them was a double! Thanks Tommy Pham! The pitching? Atrocious – Steward Berroa got into the game and let in fewer runs than the first, second or third pitcher for the IronPigs. At least Alex McFarlane had a clean inning! You know who didn’t? Chase Shugart at the big league level.

An all around forgettable night.

Richmond 6, Reading 2

Carson DeMartini homered, continuing a solid year for him in something of a bounceback for his prospect status. It was only his fifth home run of the year, but considering how last year, he wasn’t very good, we’ll take it. That was pretty much the only offense on the night as the Fightin’ Phils were stifled by the Flying Squirrels pitching staff. Brayden Tucker had a rough night pitching, allowing five runs in 3 2/3 innings, but what was nice to see was Mavis Graves pitching two innings of scoreless relief. Since the team converted him to relief, he has had three solid outings in a row in the month of August, a good sign that perhaps the transition is going well for him.

Frederick 3, Jersey Shore 1

Robert Phelps had a three hit night for the BlueClaws, yet the only run they could muster was an RBI single by Devin Saltiban as they ran into a duo of Kyson Witherspoon and Evan Yates that each went four innings for the Keys and kept the Jersey Shore offense in check. Tanner Gresham had a good night pitching for the BlueClaws, going five innings and only giving up one run, striking out eight for his troubles, but Micah Ottenbreit had a rough sequence in the seventh in which he allowed a double, RBI single, wild pitch then another RBI single to give Frederick two more runs that they needed for the win.

Tampa 4, Clearwater 2

Completing the sweep of the organization, the Threshers lost to the Tarpons by only five hits on the night, two from Matthew Ferrera, not nearly enough to back a pitching staff that actually, all things considered, wasn’t too bad. Matthew Fisher was on the mound to start and gave up only a solo home run over four innings, striking out six. A cavalcade of relievers allowed the remaining three runs, but without an offense that wasn’t doing much, it didn’t really matter. The two runs they did score came in the eighth when Romeli Espinosa tripled, scored on a single by Victor Cardoza, who then scored when he made his way to third and came in on a sacrifice fly by Jack Hopko.

Not the greatest showing for the Phillies system.

The Mariners celebrated 50 years of mostly mediocre baseball by playing yet another mediocre baseball game. They will attempt to appear more competent tomorrow at 1:10 PST.

In Mariners news…

• During last night’s 50 Seasons celebration, John Stanton surprised an emotional Rick Rizzs with the news that he will inducted to the Mariners Hall of Fame next season, joining his old broadcast partner Dave Niehaus.
• Last nights 50 Years of Mariners Baseball Celebration was a delight, and you can look at the full list of honored players right here, along with player bios and the beautifully drawn portraits that were up on the jumbotron. Who do you think got snubbed? Hint: it’s Mike Zunino.
• Kade Anderson, coming to a T-Mobile Park near you, hopefully very soon.

Around the league…

• Future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer further solidified his first ballot credentials by tying, and then subsequently passing Walter Johnson to officially become one of the ten best strikeout pitchers ever.

• The Cubs activated newly acquired Clay Holmes from the IL yesterday to make his first start with the Cubs against the Royals. He lost.
• Former Mariner Yimi Garcia was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome on Friday and will “most likely” miss the rest of the season, though Garcia has not decided whether or not he will get surgery to repair it yet.
• Former Mariner Seby Zavala signed a minor league with the Tigers on Friday, ending a short stint in the Mexican League.

Saturday was a busy day in the Atlanta Braves farm system, with a total of six games played, that the Braves affiliates split. The headliner had to be Owen Carey hitting his first Double-A home run just a handful of games into his promotion. However we also got to see JR Ritchie throw five innings of one unearned run baseball, exciting DSL arm Martires Polanco with a big start, and positive performances from Alex Lodise, Eric Hartman, John Gil, Patrick Clohisy, and Carter Beck among the notables.

Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 8, Gwinnett Stripers 4

• Patrick Clohisy, CF: 1-4, 2B, .403/.465/.649
• Rowdy Tellez, 1B: 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, .262/.362/.488
• Drue Hackenberg, SP: 4.2 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 6.16 ERA
• Duncan Davitt, RP: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 6.23 ERA

Box Score

Statcast

Drue Hackenberg started the first half of the doubleheader and struggled in this one. Hackenberg allowed six runs on eight hits and a pair of walks, though did strike out seven and had 12 whiffs. Hackenberg allowed a run in the first, four in the third, and then the final run came during the fifth inning. Duncan Davitt, the return in the Joey Bart deal at the deadline, made his first appearance with the Braves organization and allowed a run in his inning and a third, but did strike out two with three whiffs. Rolddy Munoz pitched the final inning and also allowed a run to score.

The offense was led by Rowdy Tellez and Cal Conley in the first game. Tellez had a single, double, and two runs batted in during his four plate appearances, while Conley singled twice, stole a base, batted in a run, and scored two runs. Brewer Hicklen was the third Striper to reach base multiple times, as he walked, singled, and batted in a run. Patrick Clohisy was one for four, but that hit was a double.

Gwinnett Stripers 4, Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 1

• Patrick Clohisy, CF: 0-1, 2 BB, R, 2 SB, .397/.472/.641
• Rowdy Tellez, DH: 2-2, BB, .268/.369/.492
• JR Ritchie, SP: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 3.52 ERA

Box Score

Statcast

In a second game that was already being shortened to seven innings, JR Ritchie got credit for a complete game when the game was called at five innings. Ritchie allowed a pair of hits and walks with one unearned run, striking out six and getting six swings and misses. It took him 80 pitches to get through five innings, with 47 of them for strikes.

The offense saw seven of the nine guys in the lineup reach base despite this being a five inning game. Patrick Clohisy walked twice, stole two bases, and scored a run to reach base three times between the two games. Rowdy Tellez also continued his strong day by going two for two with a walk, making him four for six on the day. Sandy Leon added a home run, while Brett Wisely had a pair of singles.

Columbus Clingstones 7, Biloxi Shuckers 0

• Eric Hartman, LF: 1-4, BB, R, SB, .211/.348/.263
• John Gil, SS: 0-2, 2 BB, R, SB, .222/.318/.333
• Owen Carey, RF: 1-3, HR, BB, R, 3 RBI, .176/.333/.353
• Garrett Baumann, SP: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 9 K, 4.95 ERA

Box Score

Columbus got a dominant pitching effort as three pitchers combined to strike out 15 hitters in a shutout. Starter Garrett Baumann did the bulk of the work, going five innings and giving up just one hit and three walks with nine strikeouts and 22 whiffs. Then two relievers went two scoreless innings apiece. First was Isaac Gallegos, who allowed a hit and a walk as he struck out three to go with six whiffs. Then came Blane Abeyta, who allowed one hit with three strikeouts and eight whiffs. Biloxi hitters managed just three hits and four walks on the day, despite having a strong lineup led by the game’s top prospect in Jesus Made.

The bottom of the order led the way, but the recently promoted trio at the top certainly had their moments in this win. Owen Carey hit his first Double-A home run, going one for three with a walk and batting in three runs, while John Gil walked twice and stole a base, while Eric Hartman singled, walked, stole a base, and scored a run. The leaders at the bottom of the lineup included Will Verdung going three for three with a double, walk, and two runs scored, Kevin Kilpatrick Jr. homering for the second straight day and batting in four on a two-hit night, and Luke Waddell also having a two-hit game that included a double.

Greensboro Grasshoppers 3, Rome Emperors 2

• Alex Lodise, SS: 2-4, 2B, BB, RBI, .282/.383/.487
• Dixon Williams, 2B: 0-3, 2 BB, SB, .219/.326/.410
• Conor Essenburg, RF: 0-4, BB, R, .200/.304/.250
• Cade Kuehler, SP: 4.2 IP, 0 H, 1 ER, 7 BB, 1 K, 5.76 ERA

Box Score

Rome lost this one in the 11th inning after blowing a lead in the ninth inning. Cade Kuehler got the start and it was a bit of a weird one for him. On one hand he pitched four and two thirds no-hit innings, and allowed one run. However he also walked seven and struck out only one with three whiffs on his 81 pitches. Mathieu Curtis followed with two scoreless innings. Tyler Schoff went the next two and a third, and he was the pitcher who gave up that run in the top of the ninth. The 10th and 11th went to Jarret Whorff, who allowed only the inherited ghost runner to score in the 11th.

Alex Lodise put together another solid game, going two for four with a double, walk, and run batted in. That gives him an .870 OPS with four walks and only five strikeouts over 47 plate appearances through his first 10 games since being promoted. Dixon Williams was hitless in three at bats, but drew a pair of walks and stole a base, while Conor Essenburg walked and scored a run during his five plate appearances. Archer Brookman added a double and walk, while Dallas Macias had a single and a walk. Luis Guanipa was hitless in five at bats, while Cody Miller went one for five.

Hickory Crawdads 10, Augusta GreenJackets 1

• Carter Beck, CF: 2-4, .471/.526/.471
• Juan Mateo, SS: 1-4, 2B, RBI, .253/.332/.349
• Caden Merritt, LF: 1-3, BB, SB, .200/.348/.273
• Carter Lovasz, RP: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 3.26 ERA

Box Score

This game didn’t start until almost 8:30 due to rain, and I’m guessing Augusta came away wishing this one never started as they lost 10-1. Luis Arestigueta got the start in what was a bullpen game, and went one inning allowing a pair of runs. Yander Pinero came in for the next inning and also gave up two runs. The next two and a third innings went to Lewis Sifontes, who allowed three runs (two earned). Then came Cristobal Abreu for an inning and a third, and he allowed three unearned runs. The only Augusta pitcher not to allow any runs to score was Carter Lovasz, who went the final two and a third innings in this loss.

The Augusta offense struggled to get anything going in this one, scoring just one run on five hits and four walks. Two of those five hits came from Carter Beck, who continues to be red hot to start out his professional career. Two more were doubles, from the bats of Juan Mateo and Cooper McMurray. The other came from Caden Merritt, who singled, walked, and stole a base, having him join Beck as players to reach base multiple times. It’s also worth noting that due to the recent promotions and sudden rash of injuries (Patrick Engskov and Manuel Campos this week alone), Juan Mateo played in just his third game of the season at shortstop defensively.

DSL Braves 4, DSL Red Sox Blue 2

• Edelson Cabral, SS: 0-2, 2 BB, R, SB, .261/.412/.380
• Jose Nelo, 1B: 1-2, 2B, BB, R, 3 RBI, .298/.388/.411
• Martires Polanco, SP: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 2.67 ERA

Box Score

Martires Polanco continued his excellent season in the first year of his professional career with another strong outing on Saturday. Polanco allowed just one unearned run on three hits and two walks over five innings, striking out eight. Diego Ramirez allowed a run over an inning and two thirds of relief, with Darren Pereira coming on to pick up the save by getting the final out of the game.

Catcher Jose Nelo was the leader today, playing first base and going one for two with a walk and double as he accounted for all four runs via one run scored and three batted in. Edelson Cabral was hitless in his two at bats, but walked twice, stole a base, and scored a run. Joan Hernandez also stood one as he singled in his only official at bat and also walked twice to reach base in all three plate appearances. The only other hit was a Luis Fortunato single.

Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below. Check out the previous day’s recap here.

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (59-53) lost 10-1 (BOX SCORE)

Mayer made his Triple-A debut but got roughed up a bit allowing 6 runs over 3 innings of work. The pen allowed another four runs as the Isotopes opened up a big lead. The offense got on the board in the 8th on an Alexander RBI double but that was it as Sugar Land fell 10-1.

Note: Loperfido is hitting .301 in Triple-A.

• Cavan Biggio, 2B: 2-for-3, BB
• Joey Loperfido, LF: 2-for-5, R, 2B
• CJ Alexander, RF: 1-for-4, 2B, RBI
• Zach Dezenzo, 1B: 1-for-3, BB
• Lucas Spence, CF: 1-for-3, BB

• Bryce Mayer, RHP: 3.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• Trey McLoughlin, RHP: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
• Kai-Wei Teng, RHP: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• Julio Rodriguez, RHP: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (51-56) won 3-1 (BOX SCORE)

Taylor made his Double-A debut and was solid allowing 1 run over 4 innings while striking out 5. The Hooks got on the board in the third inning on a Holy solo home run, and another in the 4th inning on a Schiavone RBI double. In the 6th, the offense added another run on a wild pitch. The bullpen was great tossing 5 scoreless innings as they closed out the 3-1 win.

Note: Encarnacion has 48 stolen bases this season.

• Yamal Encarnacion, CF: 1-for-3, R, SB
• Jason Schiavone, C: 1-for-3, 2B, RBI
• Max Holy, 3B: 1-for-2, R, HR, RBI, BB

• Andrew Taylor, RHP: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
• Railin Perez, RHP: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K (WIN)
• Nic Swanson, RHP: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• Amilcar Chirinos, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
• Joey Mancini, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K (SAVE)

A+: Asheville Tourists (34-69) SUSPENDED

A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (53-52) lost 6-2 (BOX SCORE)

The Woodpeckers got on the board in the 2nd inning scoring on a wild pitch. Pichardo got the start for the Woodpeckers and allowed 5 runs over 3 innings of work. The Woodpeckers got one back in the 5th on a Ramirez RBI single. Carrera went the final 5 innings allowing just one unearned run with 8 strikeouts but the offense was unable to score again as they fell 6-2.

Note: Ramirez has 30 stolen bases this season.

• Waner Luciano, 3B: 1-for-3, 2 BB
• Josh Wakefield, CF: 2-for-2, R, BB
• Luis De Leon, 1B: 1-for-3, BB
• Jadyn Fielder, LF: 2-for-4, R, 2B
• German Ramirez, SS: 1-for-4, RBI, SB

• Jank Pichardo, RHP: 3.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
• Jesus Carrera, RHP: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: TBD – 2:35 CT

CC: James Hicks – 5:05 CT

AV: TBD – TBD

FV: TBD – 3:05 CT

MOOSIC, Pa. — It wasn’t about the results. What mattered was how Carlos Rodón felt after making a rehab start Saturday night for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders against the Rochester Red Wings at PNC Field.

Since he felt good, the New York Yankees’ left-hander was satisfied with the outing despite allowing three runs and three hits — including a home run — in 2.2 innings.

“I’m happy with how I feel healthwise,” Rodón said. “Barring the results, I just feel good about how I came out of the game.

“It was good to get back on the mound and compete. The goal was to get out there and get 48 pitches in. So I’m happy with how I feel.”

RailRiders manager Shelley Duncan said that Rodón may not have had his best stuff, but did show some good glimpses.

“You’re not going to see his best in the process of building up to where he wants to be and that’s understandable,” Duncan said. “It’s a journey when you come back from anything and develop a pitch count. But he was attacking the zone, his slider looked good, his fastball looked good.”

On the injured list retroactive to June 30th with left elbow inflammation, Rodón threw 48 pitches Saturday, 29 for strikes. He walked two, struck out four and topped out at 93.8 mph on a pitch to Seaver King in the top of the third inning.

Rodón was fine with his velocity.

“I think it will tick up when I get on the mound at Yankee Stadium,” he said.

“I had a good mix. Obviously, I was working on fastball command mostly. Mixing some sliders and changeups, a couple of sinkers. Just normal work.”

Things got off to an inauspicious start when King whacked Rodón’s third pitch past the 408-foot mark in center field to the grassy area beyond the fence for a home run, giving the Red Wings a quick 1-0 lead.

“It was just a fastball middle down and he put a good swing on it,” Rodón said. “Tip of the cap, that’s good for him.”

He retired the next seven batters after yielding the home run. He got Phillip Glasser and Yohandy Morales on groundouts and Trey Lipscomb on a strikeout to end the first inning. In the top of the second, he threw just nine pitches and got Riley Adams on a flyout, caught Sam Petersen looking at strike three and Cayden Wallace on a groundout.

After whiffing Maxwell Romero Jr. on three pitches to start the top of the third, things soured for Rodón. Leandro Pineda dunked a double inside the right-field foul line. After King walked, Glasser punched a triple into the right-field corner to score both Pineda and King and give Rochester a 3-0 lead on its way to an 8-0 victory.

“Sinkers in, I’m not upset with the pitches,” Rodón said. “I think the exit velo on both of them was pretty low. One was 78, the other was 80-something. Obviously, the results for them were good. If I’m nitpicky, I’m probably a little more down with the sinker. But they were three balls inside. I think I broke one bat.

“I’m not too caught up in the results. There’s more important games to be pitched.”

Morales walked and Lipscomb struck out for the second out of the inning. With the count 1-1 to Adams, Rodón reached his 48-pitch limit and Duncan came out of the RailRiders dugout to get him.

“It’s not like you can say he got shelled. He didn’t,” Duncan said. “The only really well-hit ball was the home run. It was right into the guy’s bat path.

“It was good. He got his work in, got what he needed to get done. Just keep moving forward. Looking forward to him getting healthy and helping that big-league team.”

When that is remains uncertain. Rodón doesn’t know what his next step is. It could be another rehab start. He could also rejoin the Yankees and “piggyback” in starts with another pitcher—-like Ryan Weathers or Will Warren—while he builds up his pitch count.

“It’s beyond my control,” Rodón said. “Just looking forward to getting back on the mound whether it’s here or Double-A, maybe in the big leagues I don’t know. I’m assuming it will be one more rehab start, but I’m not sure. It’s not up to me.

“It might be a pitch-count thing. Obviously I need to get the pitch count up. If it’s another rehab start, we’ll work on a couple more things and I’ll be happy with it.”

Whatever the case, Rodón is eager to get back to pitching for the Yankees.

“It’s pretty frustrating having to be in this situation once again, not being able to compete and trying to help the team win,” he said. “We’ve struggled as of late, but I feel like we’ve played some pretty good baseball considering a lot of close games — 2-1, 2-0 — that we’ve had to learn how to win. I think that will make us better down the stretch.”

In his second game with the RailRiders since being sent down by the Yankees, Anthony Volpe started at second base Saturday night. It was just the third time he played the position in the minors and the first since 2021 when he did it twice: once with Low-A Tampa and once with High-A Hudson Valley.

With a runner on first in the top of the eighth inning, Volpe made a nice play going to his right to field a ball hit by Glasser. He shoveled it with his glove to shortstop Oswaldo Cabrera for the force at second. Cabrera then threw to first to complete the 4-6-3 double play.

Volpe finished with three assists and two putouts, including applying the tag when left fielder Jasson Domínguez threw out Glasser trying to stretch a single into a double leading off the top of the fifth.

“He’s so athletic and quick,” Duncan said of Volpe. “He can be good anywhere. Throw him anywhere and I expect him to be good, no matter what the position is.”

Offensively, Volpe was 1-for-4 with two strikeouts. He ripped a two-out double into the left-field corner in the third inning, but unfortunately Tyler Hardman was thrown out at the plate trying to score from first base.

One night earlier, in his first game back with the RailRiders, Volpe was 1-for-5 with three strikeouts. However, the hit was a two-run home run.

All four Dodgers affiliates lost on Saturday.

Player of the day

Alek Thomas drove in four runs on Friday, then plated another four runs on Saturday for Oklahoma City. He tripled, doubled, and had two singles against Salt Lake.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

The Comets were on the wrong end of an offensive battle, falling 14-13 to the Salt Lake Bees (Angels). Each team had one five-run inning, one three-run frame, and two two-run innings. Salt Lake had two one-run innings to Oklahoma City’s one to come out on top.

This was the highest-scoring game of the series that has thus far seen a combined 82 runs through five games.

Ryan Ward had three more hits and a walk. Eliezer Alfonzo had two hits, a walk, and drove in three runs.

Emmet Sheehan’s first start back in Triple-A was a planned short outing, as Jerming Rosario was already warming up to follow Sheehan when Sheehan was pulled after two outs, 22 innings, and two runs in.

Jackson Ferris started pitching in the second inning and allowed nine runs in 4 2/3 innings.

Double-A Tulsa

The Drillers scored just once in a close loss to the Corpus Christi Hooks (Astros).

Shortstop Elijah Hainline had two of Tulsa’s four hits. Josue De Paula singled and walked.

Left-hander Luke Fox returned after nearly 16 weeks on the injured list to strike out two in his three innings. He allowed a run on a solo home run, his only hit given up, and also walked a batter.

Jacob Kmatz, part of the Monday trade with the Rays that also brought Hunter Feduccia to Los Angeles, struck out one in a perfect inning of relief. Kmatz has two scoreless innings in his two appearances with Tulsa.

High-A Great Lakes

The Loons scored the first five runs of the game but still trailed by the third inning in a loss to the Dayton Dragons (Reds).

Starter Isaac Ayon allowed seven runs in his 3 1/3 innings.

Emil Morales and Samuel Munoz each homered for Great Lakes. Morales has four home runs in five games during this series.

Class-A Ontario

The Tower Buzzers walked seven times but only collected five hits and scored once in a loss to the Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres).

Left fielder Ching-Hsien Ko had two of Ontario’s five hits.

Devin Bell, the Dodgers’ 10th-round pick out of Oregon in July, made his professional debut with a perfect eighth inning, with one strikeout.

Saturday scores

• Salt Lake 14, Oklahoma City 13
• Corpus Christi 3, Tulsa 1
• Dayton 8, Great Lakes 5
• Lake Elsinore 5, Ontario 1

Sunday schedule

• 10:05 a.m. PT: Great Lakes (Tyler Gough) at Dayton (Ovis Portes)
• 3:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Patrick Copen) at Corpus Christi (James Hicks)
• 5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Christian Romero) at Salt Lake (Yusei Kikuchi)
• 6:05 p.m.: Ontario (TBA) at Lake Elsinore (TBA)

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

The AL Central-leading White Sox snapped a four-game losing streak on Saturday to even the three-game weekend series with the second-place Cleveland Guardians.

The Guardians have lost seven of their last 10, yet are -108 moneyline favorites in the MLB odds.

My Guardians vs. White Sox predictions and MLB picks will back Chicago at home on Sunday, Aug. 9.

Who will win Guardians vs White Sox today: White Sox moneyline (+101)

The Chicago White Sox continued a streak of erratic offense on Saturday. Over the last 11 games, they’ve scored six or more five times, and two or fewer six times — none in between. 

Facing curveball-happy (28.8%) Joey Cantillo on Sunday, there’s a good chance the hard-hitting Sox appear. Five members of Chicago’s lineup hit at least .348 with a .530 SLG or better against the curve.

The Cleveland Guardians have made their run in the AL Central by beating up on weak teams. The Guardians are 24-33 against foes with a winning record.

Chicago is 35-22 at home, making them an easy underdog pick. I’d take Chicago to -120.

COVERS INTEL: Cantillo is throwing the curve more, but that may be out of necessity, as the other pitches haven’t been effective. Foes are hitting .297 and slugging .531 against the fastball, up 60 and 70 points, respectively, from last season.

Guardians vs White Sox Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (-103)

While Chicago against Cantillo seems likely to help push this game Over, the White Sox against Cleveland’s pen may provide even more offense.

Cantillo has averaged 4 2/3 innings since the start of July and hasn’t made it into the sixth over that span. The Guardians pen has a 10.80 ERA and 2.60 WHIP over the last three games and has allowed more earned runs (12) than the starters (nine).

Chicago starter Davis Martin has a 10.64 ERA and 1.727 WHIP over the last month, rising to 16.20 and 2.400 in the last two weeks, leading to concerns that he’s tipping his pitches.

Guardians vs White Sox weather

82F and sunny, with winds blowing from right to left at 11 mph. Fairly neutral conditions.

Guardians vs White Sox odds

• Moneyline: Cleveland -108 | Chicago +104
• Run line: Cleveland -1.5 | Chicago +1.5
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 | Under 8.5

Guardians vs White Sox trend

The White Sox have hit the moneyline in 31 of their last 45 games at home (+18.25 Units / 36% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Guardians vs. White Sox.

How to watch Guardians vs White Sox and game info

Guardians vs White Sox latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The Mets face the Pittsburgh Pirates in a rubber match on Sunday afternoon at 1:35 p.m. on SNY.

Mets Notes

• Sean Manaea has been very good in each of his last three starts, going at least six innings while allowing two earned runs or fewer
• Carson Benge has continued his excellent rookie season by hitting .328 with two homers and eight RBI over his last 15 games
• Xzavion Curry has been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse, while righty Jack Weisenberger has been selected to the major league roster

Today's Lineups

For years the Red Sox hoarded prospects the way my old upstairs neighbor hoarded newspapers. Piles and piles of newspapers, each one somehow too precious to part with. But after a stunning hot streak legitimately vaulted the Sox into the playoff race, the front office flipped the script. Ownership finally remembered they’re a big-market team, and pushed their chips into the middle of the table.

Was Craig Breslow’s performance at the deadline a shock? You bet. Pre-deadline, I predicted in this very space that Breslow and John Henry would run back a tired line from recent years: they’d do some buying, some selling, and wait for reinforcements to return from the Injured List.

In my entire life, I’ve never been so happy to be wrong.

A Massive Philosophical Shift

Craig Breslow didn’t just nibble around the edges of the trade market, either; he blew up the entire narrative that Boston is afraid to make big trades. Because others have already written in depth about it, I won’t analyze what has been called the “blockbuster” trade for catcher Adley Rutschman—other than to say I’m in favor of it. I won’t lament the departure of Marcelo Mayer because personally, I never warmed up to him—but I won’t talk about that right now either. We wanted the front office to do something, and they did it. This is what doing something looks like.

And it’s glorious.

The front office and the clubhouse have turned what looked like a bad hand into a hot hand. Contrast where they were in June with where they stand now.

What a Difference a Month Makes

They recently wrapped up a sweep of the White Sox, scoring 12 runs on Thursday and coming back five times from scoring deficits to finally win in walk-off fashion in the 13^th inning. All this after having swept the Dodgers—the Dodgers! I also wrote that there was no way (I literally wrote “No way.”) that they could out-play the Dodgers. But the Red Sox showed it can be done. They provided such a teachable moment that the Cubs went and swept the Dodgers in the very next series; how about that?

After the 12-11 win to sweep the White Sox, they came in hot against the Athletics, kicking off that series on the following night with a resounding 13-1 win. What happened to the team that couldn’t hit to save their lives in March, April, May, and June?

They just ended a nine-game winning streak and are aiming for a tenth consecutive series victory—a feat the franchise hasn’t accomplished since 1912.

This team is historic in so many ways. Let’s revel in it for a moment (again), shall we?

• 15-Game Winning Streak: which tied the franchise record for consecutive wins, matching the mark set 80 years ago when the team was led by Ted Williams.
• Nine Consecutive Series Wins: Boston has clinched nine straight series victories—a feat not accomplished by the franchise in 114 years, matching a stretch last seen during their 1912 World Series championship season. With Friday’s win against the A’s, they’re working on their tenth. (With Saturday’s loss, they will need to win on Sunday.)
• Sweeps of First-Place Teams: The 2026 Red Sox became the first team in the modern expansion era (post-1961) to sweep six series against teams who entered the series at the top of their division. Notably, the Rays in their own AL East, the Dodgers who are heavily favored to three-peat in the World Series, and most recently, the White Sox.
• Record Monthly Win Percentage: They posted a ferocious 21–4 record in July, with the highest monthly winning percentage (.840) in team history.
• Historic Across Leagues: With Friday’s win, the Sox became the first team across the MLB, NHL, and NBA to win 27+ games in a 30-game stretch, while entering that stretch 10+ games below .500
• And then maybe my favorite:

They are the best team in baseball! But they got thereby relying on players who were never supposed to be out there.

Superstar IL and Other Chaos

It’s absurd that this team is succeeding despite an IL that is chock-full of players who were supposed to be real contributors. The team had expectations (to varying degrees of course) of Garrett Crochet, Roman Anthony, Trevor Story, Johan Oviedo, Triston Casas, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, Zack Kelly, and formerly Marcelo Mayer. All of them are on the shelf. Romy González began the season there too before coming back quickly, then heading back to Worcester. Am I forgetting anyone? It’s hard to keep track of.

Even newcomer Curtis Mead, who was supposed to be a timely offensive upgrade, took less than a couple of hours to sustain an injury that allowed him to claim his spot on this elite roster we now call the IL. These injuries have allowed players like Anthony Seigler, Andruw Monasterio, and Nick Sogard to shine. Payton Tolle and Jake Bennett have stepped up in a big way, but without the unforeseen depletions to the pitching staff, they may not have been given such an opportunity at this point in the season, or in their young careers. Caleb Durbin, another new hero, felt almost like an afterthought when he joined the team, a reaction to the need to fill the Alex Bregman-sized hole at third base rather than a well executed plan.

For all the chaos this club has been through—including offseason hits like Bregman’s departure, beginning the season 32-46, and the firing of Alex Cora and five coaches before the end of April—they sure have become rock-steady.

The deadline deals and the complete philosophical shift have sent a huge message to a clubhouse that was declared dead in June: the front office believes in them. They added players who could help tip the scales and ensure there’s October baseball in Boston.

But here’s the paradox. Boston traded for a very good catcher who, at the time of the trade, was sidelined with wrist inflammation. [He has since debuted for Worcester on a rehab assignment, hitting a double and throwing out a runner on Saturday.] The 2026 Red Sox are playing so insanely well that they have the luxury of looking on this All-Star addition to the roster as a simple reinforcement, rather than a savior. Inconceivable!

This team has learned to thrive in chaos, amid injuries, and the depths of the off-season and early going of 2026 have accidentally engineered the most resilient locker room in modern Boston history. Are they next-gen idiots? They have come off the bench or otherwise—seemingly—out of nowhere to win games and hearts. They have been explosive, fun, team-first, and unpretentious.

The Sox finally have a roster that works, with or without Adley Rutschman, who will be joining the big-league team soon. Let’s go.