Apologies for not having a weekend Minor League Baseball roundup. With the San Francisco Giants being so active at the deadline, I just wasn’t able to find the time to cover the weekend’s games.

But I’m here to talk about what went down on Tuesday! Just five games for the Giants affiliates, as AA Richmond had their game postponed. They’ll play a doubleheader tomorrow.

Link to the 2026 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.

News

The big news on the farm, of course, is the infusion of talent that the Giants got at the trade deadline, which featured 6 prospects, plus 2 young rostered players. You can catch up on all the moves here. If you want to know where the new guys rank, well … ask 10 people and you’ll get 10 different answers. But MLB Pipeline has already adjusted their Giants top 30 to include the new prospects, and 5 of the 6 made the cut (it’s worth noting that the Pipeline top 30 doesn’t yet have the 2026 draftees).

LHP Ramon Marquez tops the list at No. 7 (the highest-ranked pitcher with Jackson Flora not yet included), with LHP Henry LaLane No. 9, RHP Miguel Mendez No. 14, shortstop Joniel Hernandez No. 21, and infielder Kaeden Kent (Jeff’s son!) No. 22. Hernandez has been assigned to the DSL Giants Black team, while Marquez, Lalane, Mendez, Kent, and RHP Marty Gair have been assigned to High-A Eugene. Rostered RHP Anthony Molina was optioned to AAA Sacramento.

In more exciting news, second baseman Diego Velasquez (No. 31 CPL) has, at long last, been promoted from AA Richmond to Sacramento. Very, very deserving. Outfielder Victor Bericoto (No. 35 CPL) is beginning a rehab assignment with Sacramento, while center fielder Jonah Cox was activated off the IL and optioned to Sacramento.

A pair of RHPs were released: Eugene relief prospect Austin Strickland, and Sacramento veteran Michael Fulmer.

AAA Sacramento (62-44)

Sacramento River Cats beat the Round Rock Express (Rangers) 6-4
Box score

Tuesday was center fielder Jonah Cox’s birthday, and it was perhaps a mixed bag of a cake day for him. On the downside, he was optioned to AAA after being officially activated off of the Injured List. On the upside, he had a lovely day at the outdoor office, hitting 3-5 and stealing 2 bases.

Tuesday’s roster moves — the Giants not only optioned Cox, but purchased the contract of Eddys Leonard, who is normally an infielder, to be the 4th outfielder in the Majors — paint a pretty clear picture that the team wants more development out of Cox. That really shouldn’t be even remotely surprising given that he was called up directly from AA, the result of numerous injuries and a desire for a right-handed hitting center fielder. The Giants presumably never felt Cox was fully ready for the Majors, or he wouldn’t have been in AA to begin with, especially as his teammate, Scott Bandura, had been promoted ahead of him.

Now Cox gets to develop at the appropriate level, and so far, so good. Through 5 games at the level, he’s 9-22 with a triple, a walk, and 4 stolen bases. Keep it up, Jonah … and if you do, we’ll see you in San Francisco again soon.

Left fielder Turner Hill — who was perhaps upset at being passed over for Leonard (though not surprising as that would have given the Giants 4 outfielders, all of whom are lefties), had another nice game, hitting 1-2 with 2 walks and a stolen base.

With that, Hill now has a stunning 20-game hitting streak, albeit one that was really helped out by the defense, as the video evidence reveals. His numbers during that time are fairly eye-popping: 36-82 with 8 extra-base hits, 8 walks, and just 6 strikeouts. He can’t stop hitting! The 27-year old is up to a .908 OPS and a 141 wRC+, with 23 stolen bases in 27 attempts. He continues to be one of the Pacific Coast League’s premier contact hitters: among the 125 PCL hitters with at least 150 plate appearances this year, he’s 4th in average (.343), 3rd in strikeout rate (8.3%), and 3rd in swinging strike rate (3.6%). What a season he’s having … perhaps it will end with an MLB debut.

Second baseman Thomas Gavello had a nice game, hitting 1-3 with a double, a walk, a stolen base, and a strikeout. He continues to be the do-everything player for Sacramento: he’s loved by coaches and players, and plays all over the diamond. The numbers aren’t very good for the Antioch native: he has a .191 average, a .645 OPS, and a 74 wRC+. But he’s a valuable piece to have in AAA.

Not great days for the higher profile players on the roster, as right fielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) went 0-2 with 2 walks and a stolen base; third baseman Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL) hit 1-4 with a strikeout; and Bandura, the designated hitter, went 0-4. But catcher Adrián Sugastey hit 2-4, as he continues to perform well in his 1st AAA stint.

LHP Cesar Perdomo had a kind of funny start. He went 6.1 innings into the game, which is the deepest he’s gone since getting promoted, and a rarity for a pitcher in the Giants system. That said … he wasn’t particularly strong, giving up 7 hits (including a home run to former big leaguer Jarred Kelenic), 3 walks, and 4 runs, and only striking out 2 batters.

The adjustment to AAA continues to be a struggle for Perdomo, who had a bit of a breakout in AA this year prior to his promotion. Through 5 starts in the PCL, the 24-year old has a 7.77 ERA and a 6.57 FIP, with just 19 strikeouts to 10 walks in 22 innings, and 5 home runs allowed. There’s a lot of work to be done, but then again, that’s what Minor League Baseball is all about!

The bullpen was perfect, as RHP Wilkin Ramos retired all 3 batters he faced, with a strikeout, while RHP Spencer Bivens set down all 5 hitters, with 3 strikeouts.

High-A Eugene (62-41)

Eugene Emeralds beat Spokane (Rockies) 13-1
Box score

A fantastic game for the Emeralds, who had great performances from seemingly everyone who stepped onto the field.

It started with a tone-setting performance on the mound from RHP Hunter Dryden, who had his 2nd phenomenal outing in a row. It’s been a tough 2nd season for the 2024 17th-rounder, who has a 4.98 ERA and a 5.50 FIP on the year. The low point was, hopefully, a July 23 start in which he gave up 12 baserunners and 9 earned runs while making it through just 3.1 innings.

But in his next start? 5 shutout frames with just 5 baserunners and 7 strikeouts. And this game? 6 brilliant innings with just 3 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run allowed, plus 5 strikeouts. What a showing!

Dryden needed just 81 pitches to get through those 6 innings, throwing 51 strikes along the way. His lone hiccup was a solo home run allowed, which has been his kryptonite this year: after ceding just 3 long balls in 93 innings in his debut with Low-A San Jose last year, Dryden has already given up 14 home runs this year, in 81.1 innings. He’ll need to work on that, as well as on his walks, but there’s certainly something intriguing in there, and he has 10.4 strikeouts per 9 innings this season.

An encouraging performance from RHP Liam Simon, who threw 20 of 32 pitches for strikes while recording 2 shutout innings, with 1 hit, 1 walk, and 2 strikeouts. Simon is still really struggling with finding the strike zone, so this was at least a step in the right direction. His stuff is nastier than nasty, as the 53 strikeouts in 36 innings suggests … but also wilder than wild, as evidenced by the 33 walks.

Now, onto the hitters. The biggest day belonged to third baseman Zander Darby, who hit 2-4 with a 2-run home run, while also drawing 2 walks and striking out once. Remarkably, Darby was 1 of 4 Emeralds hitters to draw multiple walks, as the team registered a whopping 12 on the day.

Darby, a 23-year old who was taken in the 12th round of the 2024 draft, has been red hot lately following a dismal June and a slow start to his July. In his last 16 games, the lefty is 22-66 with 8 home runs, 5 doubles, and 8 walks, albeit with 20 strikeouts. That remains the issue with Darby’s game: he has a .272 batting average and a .200 isolated slugging mark, leading to an .818 OPS and a 116 wRC+ … but he has a 32.0% strikeout rate.

Second baseman Zane Zielinski had a nearly perfect game, reaching base in all 5 of his plate appearances, with 2 singles and 3 walks. The only stain on his resume was that he was caught stealing. Zielinski, who just turned 25, is back in Eugene after being returned to High-A from AA Richmond following the promotion of Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL). Zielinski has done quite well with the Emeralds, but really struggled with Richmond.

A fantastic game for shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL), who hit 2-3 with 2 walks and a sacrifice fly. That’s a great recovery for Level, who had hit 0-10 with 7 strikeouts over his prior 2 games. In all, Level has been struggling a bit to find hits lately: in his last 10 games, the 19-year old switch-hitter is 8-40 with 9 strikeouts. But he’s finding other ways to do damage: 3 of those 8 hits were home runs, and he’s drawn 8 walks during that time span. There will always be bumps and bruises for someone so much younger than his peers … but on the whole, it’s a .781 OPS and a 106 wRC+ for Level, and those numbers are pretty awesome.

A pair of players with limited High-A experience hit well, as first baseman Hayden Jatczak went 2-5 with a double, a walk, and a strikeout, while left fielder Jose Ramos hit 1-2 with a double, 2 walks, and a sacrifice fly. Jatczak, a soon-to-turn 25-year old righty, has an .854 OPS and a 132 wRC+ through 9 games with Eugene; Ramos, a 23-year old righty, has an .891 OPS and a 153 wRC+ through a dozen games at the level.

Low-A San Jose (58-45)

San Jose Giants beat the Stockton Ports (A’s) 5-4
Box score

An exciting game for the Baby Giants, who used a 2-run 9th inning to come from behind and walk off the Ports. And they did it in extremely exciting fashion: after 2 outs were recorded, third baseman Dario Reynoso, who hit 1-4 with 2 strikeouts, drew a walk to bring the winning run to the plate. That winning run was first baseman Jeremiah Jenkins, who planted a ball over the wall to send everyone home happy.

That swing had to feel great for Jenkins, who went 1-4 with a walk and a strikeout. Not only was it his 1st hit of the day, but it was his 1st hit in his last 6 games … He had 5 straight donut games, and was nearing a 6th when he instead walked it off. That’s how you turn things around!

Jenkins, a 23-year old taken in the 14th round of the 2024 draft, oozes power but struggles with contact. His .241 isolated slugging ranks 12th out of the 94 Cal League hitters with at least 150 plate appearances this season, and his 14 home runs are tied for 8th. He also has a 16.7% walk rate that ranks 10th. A whole lot to love!

The contact brings it down quite a bit, though. Jenkins has just a .237 average and a 30.1% strikeout rate, which gives him an .850 OPS and a 111 wRC+. Not bad numbers, but not great ones for someone who is nearing the 700 plate appearance mark in Low-A.

As previously mentioned, Jenkins’ 14 homers are tied for 8th in the league. And the person they’re tied with? His teammate, right fielder Cam Maldonado (No. 34 CPL), who hit 2-3 with a solo blast and a walk. Maldonado, who was a 7th-round pick last year, really struggled when he returned from an IL stint in late July. In his 1st 9 games since coming back from injury, the righty hit just 3-33 with 1 home run, 0 doubles, 5 walks, and 16 strikeouts. But in 3 games since then, he’s recovered to hit 5-8 with 2 homers, 2 doubles, 3 walks, and 0 strikeouts. That’s much more like it! Still, he’s only floating around league average after that slump, as he has an .838 OPS and a 102 wRC+.

Second baseman Lorenzo Meola (No. 23 CPL) continued his doubles surge, as he went 2-5 with a pair of doubles and a strikeout. That gives him 32 doubles on the year, which is 3rd among all Minor Leaguers. Not 3rd among Cal League hitters or 3rd among Giants prospects … 3rd among all Minor Leaguers. And 1 of the 2 names ahead of him is another Giants prospect, Kilen! 13 of those doubles have come since the start of July, when Meola has been extremely hot (he has 36 hits and 20 total extra-base knocks during that time). Despite all of that, Meola is still hitting at a below average clip on the year, which is why he’s been passed over as the team has made so many promotions. He has a .785 OPS and a 94 wRC+ on the year.

A quiet day for the team’s super prospects, as Luis Hernández (No. 6 CPL) got the day off, while shortstop Josuar González (No. 2 CPL) went 0-4 with a walk, a strikeout, and an error. A nice game for center fielder Andy Polanco, though, as he hit 2-4 with a strikeout and stole 2 bases. The 2024 11th-rounder, who is 21, has just a .680 OPS and a 68 wRC+, but has stolen 31 bags.

A great strikeout day for the pitchers. It was a hot-and-cold start for RHP Trey Seeley, a recently-turned 24-year old taken last year in the 14th round. Seeley had a sensational strikeout-to-walk ratio, punching out 8 batters in just 4 innings, while only walking 1. But in those 4 innings he gave up 5 hits … 3 of which cleared the fence, tagging him for 4 runs.

Those home runs are, unfortunately, nothing new: Seely has given up a staggering 13 of them in just 24 innings with San Jose in his debut year (plus 1 in 9 innings in the Complex League). 13 of his 27 A-ball hits allowed have left the yard! You don’t see that every day. The strikeouts remain promising, though, as Seeley has K’d 13.1 batters per 9 innings with the Baby Giants. That’s about the only positive, though, as he has a 9.00 ERA and a 10.06 FIP. Might be bullpen time.

Speaking of bullpens, RHP Fernando Vasquez was sensational, striking out 5 batters in 3 no-hit innings, while only issuing 1 walk. Those numbers were great to see for the 24-year old, who has really struggled with his strikeout-to-walk ratio this year: prior to this game, he had 44 strikeouts to 41 walks in 41 innings. Vasquez has a 5.11 ERA and a 6.16 FIP, but this is just his 2nd season since returning from 3 years lost to injury.

Dominican Summer League Black (30-16)

DSL Giants Black beat the DSL Cubs Red 6-1 (7 innings)
Box score

A trio of excellent games on offense for the DSL Black team. Let’s start with the new guy, shortstop Joniel Hernandez, who came over in the Heliot Ramos trade. Hernandez, who signed this year for a $1.4 million bonus, has had a stellar year, and it hasn’t stopped since swapping teams. He made his debut for the organization in this game, and all he did was go 2-3 with a double, a walk, and 2 stolen bases. The right-hander, who turned 17 in March, has a .973 OPS and a 131 wRC+, with more walks than strikeouts, and 8 stolen bases. This is a name worth being excited about, folks … the organization’s abundance of riches at shortstop just grew!

The biggest hit, though, belonged to right fielder Vinicius Dos Santos, who only went 1-3, but smashed a home run, was hit by a pitch, and stole 2 bases (he was also caught stealing once). The recently-turned 19-year old has made some improvements this year, but is still really struggling in his 3rd year.

And rounding out the hitting was left fielder Boris Sarduy, who hit 2-4 with a pair of doubles and a strikeout. Like Dos Santos, Sarduy isn’t having a great year … he has a .735 OPS and a 104 wRC+, but has struck out 31.6% of the time.

A really nice outing on the mound from RHP Santiago Guerrero, a just-turned 19-year old in his debut season. Guerrero tossed 4 shutout innings with just 1 hit allowed, and struck out 5 batters … though he also walked 4 and hit a batter. Through 10 games, Guerrero has a 3.48 ERA and 10.5 strikeouts per 9 innings … but a 6.25 FIP and 9.3 walks per 9.

Dominican Summer League Orange (25-21)

DSL Giants Orange lost to the DSL Rangers Blue 13-6 (7 innings)
Box score

This game was called a little early due to lightning, but it was one-sided regardless. A pretty brutal day on the mound, though we’ll give some props to RHP Omar Calcurian, who gave up 2 hits and an unearned run in 2 innings of work, with 2 strikeouts. Calcurian has a nice 3.94 ERA on the year, but his FIP is 5.10, he’s only striking out 7.9 batters per 9, and he’s a 21-year old in his 3rd season.

Good hitting games for right fielder Brandon Vasquez and catcher Andrés Rivero. Vasquez, a 19-year old in his 3rd season, hit 2-4 with a double, a stolen base, and a strikeout, giving him an .829 OPS, a 113 wRC+, and 5 stolen bases. Rivero, a 17-year old in his debut year, went 1-3 with a double and a walk, though he struck out twice. Rivero has had a very difficult 1st season, with a .512 OPS and a 34 wRC+.

Home run tracker

14 — Zander Darby — [High-A]
14 — Cam Maldonado — [Low-A]
14 — Jeremiah Jenkins — [Low-A]
1 — Vinicius Dos Santos — [DSL]

Wednesday schedule

Sacramento: 6:45 p.m. PT vs. Round Rock (SP: Trent Harris)
Richmond: 4:05 p.m. PT vs. Reading (SP: Greg Farone)
Eugene: 6:35 p.m. PT at Spokane (SP: Jacob Bresnahan)
San Jose: 1:00 p.m. PT vs. Stockton (SP: Argenis Cayama)

Reminder that almost all MiLB games can be viewed on MLB TV.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs had a mini home run derby to start off their game on Wednesday, Aug. 5.

Los Angeles' Shohei Ohtani and Chicago's Pete Crow-Armstrong ended up with two home runs each in the 7-6 Cubs win.

Ohtani started the show at Wrigley Field as the first player at bat. He took six pitches from Chicago's Shota Imanaga and then watched a four-seam ball fly into the top of the strike zone and smacked it away. The ball flew into right field and Ohtani casually trotted the bases for his 25th home run of the season.

IT'S SHOTIME. pic.twitter.com/FMM67E9ZXR

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 5, 2026

Then, it was Crow-Armstrong's time to shine. All he needed at the top of the order for the Cubs was a single pitch from Eric Lauer to even the score. Lauer wound up and tossed the ball into the right of the strike zone and PCA smashed it above everyone's heads into center field. He raised his hand to the roaring crowd as he took his turn rounding the bases and made the score 1-1.

one pitch is all it takes! pic.twitter.com/sGPRcPE9up

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) August 5, 2026

The Cubs took a 6-1 lead after another home run from PCA. This one came in the fourth and also sent Tyrone Taylor home, and the 2025 Golden Glove winner had a second-inning RBI double. Dansby Swanson hit his own RBI double in the second inning and Alex Bregman had a single in the fourth that scored their last run.

The Dodgers, trailing 7-1 in the eighth inning, pulled to within one run when Max Muncy hit a three-home home run and Ohtani hit a two-run home run. But Los Angeles wasn't able to tie the game.

The Dodgers' losing streak has hit six games surrounding the trade deadline on Monday, Aug 3. Los Angeles made headlines before the deadline by landing one of the top players, two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shohei Ohtani, Pete Crow-Armstrong trade home runs to open game

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We’ll be backing Casey Mize in my Padres vs. Diamondbacks predictions as the right-hander makes his San Diego debut tonight.

The San Diego Padres come into this one as narrow -126 favorites at Polymarket, a price that’s giving us some tremendous value with Mize putting together a quality year.

Let’s dive right into my MLB picks for Wednesday, Aug. 5.

Who will win Padres vs Diamondbacks tonight: Padres moneyline (-126)

There are no two ways about it — Casey Mize is in the middle of the best year of his career. The newest San Diego Padres starter has a career-best K rate (24%), walk rate (5.6%), hard-hit rate (36%), xERA (3.07), xBA (.252), and xwOBA (.273) this season, giving me all the confidence in the world he’ll add a ninth quality start to his belt tonight.

He looks good against this Arizona Diamondbacks team, too, limiting them to a .256 xBA across 39 plate appearances, which includes a combined 2-for-10 mark between Nolan Arenado, Ketel Marte, and Geraldo Perdomo. 

On the other side is 23-year-old Mitch Bratt, who’s had a difficult time in the majors so far. Entering tonight with a 4.90 xERA, the No. 14 prospect owns just a 12.2 K rate across 20 ⅔ innings at the big-league level. I’m expecting a lot of barrels from the Padres — play this one all the way up to -145.

Don’t just take my word for it, either; our own Colby Marchio is on the Padres as well with his MLB predictions and moneyline picks today.

COVERS INTEL: The Padres' offense is clicking at the right time, scoring five or more runs in four of their last five games. They also feast on mediocre pitching, winning six straight games against a starter with a WHIP greater than 1.30.

Padres vs Diamondbacks Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (+105)

Yes, I’m riding Mize heavily, so you can understand why I’m on the Under tonight. And while Bratt has mostly been hit around this season, he did show some promise in his last start against Cleveland, going five innings and surrendering just one earned run.

The MLB trends are on our side on this one, too — the Under is 3-0-1 in the Diamondbacks’ last four home games, and it's also hit in four of the last five Padres’ road contests.

I’d price this play closer to -120, so we’re taking prime advantage of the line at Polymarket. Let’s sweep the board tonight.

Padres vs Diamondbacks weather

The Diamondbacks play at Chase Field, which features a retractable roof — meaning the weather won't have any impact on the playing conditions tonight.

Padres vs Diamondbacks odds

• Moneyline: Padres (-126) | Diamondbacks (+114)
• Run line: Padres -1.5 (+125) | Diamondbacks +1.5 (-150)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-116) | Under 8.5 (+105)

Padres vs Diamondbacks trend

Don't overlook the quality from Mize, who hasn't allowed more than three runs in a given start since June 23rd. Find more MLB betting trends for Padres vs. Diamondbacks.

How to watch Padres vs Diamondbacks and game info

Padres vs Diamondbacks 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.

Every day, Pinstripe Alley offers updates on what the Yankees’ top American League opponents are up to through the Rivalry Roundup. The AL East is well-trodden ground there, but with the Trade Deadline behind us, we’re going to take a peek around MLB as a whole and check in with each of the other five divisions. Who’s surprising? Who’s underwhelming? Who’s simply mediocre at the moment? Read on and find out.

As anyone even a little tuned into the baseball world knows, the rich got richer at this year’s deadline in the National League West. It was a busy deadline around one of baseball’s more competitive deadlines, with the Dodgers, of course, making the biggest splash of any team in the league.

As far as play goes, the D-backs leapfrogged San Diego to jump into second place, but other than that, the standings remained the same. The Dodgers, who actually had a mediocre month, remain in first with a solid lead, and it would certainly be fair to expect much bigger things on the horizon for what is likely baseball’s most talented roster.

First Place: Los Angeles Dodgers (69-45)

Top Position Player: Shohei Ohtani (6.4 combined fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (3.1 fWAR)

For the Dodgers, July was not the brightest month. Since the end of June, Los Angeles has gone just 13-14, but they maintained a solid nine-game lead in the West. Shohei Ohtani has since reclaimed his top spot among position players by fWAR, headlining a group that is realistically second to none. He is one of nine L.A. batters with at least 130 plate appearances and a wRC+ above 100, and one of five with a mark of at least 120. It is a star-studded group, and even a lackluster month can do much to diminish that.

On the pitching side, Yamamoto has stepped up with Ohtani not pitching since the beginning of July, tossing mostly excellent ball outside of a dud in the middle of the month. Justin Wrobleski has also remained solid, and will look to overcome a couple of rough starts in his most recent outings. Of course, beyond adding Kris Bubic to their cupboard of injured-but-talented arms, the staff will get a major boost from the acquisition of Tarik Skubal.

The Dodgers made the biggest splash of the deadline by acquiring perhaps the game most talented pitcher in the sport, much to the chagrin of almost every other fanbase. The lefty is a two-time Cy Young Award winner and a bona fide star, he makes any contender take a significant leap, and the Dodgers can count on getting plenty from their new superstar, who’s joining a roster already filled with them. His debut in blue, however, was a disappointing one as he took the loss against the Cubs.

Second Place: Arizona Diamondbacks (60-54)

Top Position Player: Corbin Carroll (3.4 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Michael Soroka (2.1 fWAR)

The Diamondbacks enjoyed the best July out of any team in the West, and have been rewarded with a jump to second place, as well as the final wild card berth in the NL as things stand. Five regulars are boasting a wRC+ above 100, including Gabriel Moreno, who’s posted a .402 OBP since the beginning of July. Top pitcher Michael Soroka hasn’t pitched since June 19th, but Eduardo Rodriguez has remained steady, with an excellent 2.48 ERA as one of the 10 pitchers in baseball with over 130 innings of work thus far.

Despite the nice surge before the deadline, the D-Backs were not major buyers, instead opting for a smaller move gearing up for the final months. Arizona acquired outfielder Lars Nootbaar from the Cardinals in exchange for a crop of prospects. The veteran outfielder has been solid this year, walking more than 13 percent of the time, though the power department (.354 SLG) leaves something to be desired. He’ll hope to turn on the jets as the D-backs try to make it back to October baseball for the first time since sweeping the Dodgers en route to a surprising pennant in 2023.

Third Place: San Diego Padres (59-55)

Top Position Player: Fernando Tatis Jr. (2.4 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Mason Miller (3.1 fWAR)

The Padres were not far off from Arizona, going 16-13 since the beginning of July, remaining just a couple games back from their division rivals. Fernando has continued to move past his early season woes, while Ty France has hit like an MVP over the past month, slashing .340/.384/.580.

Most notably, after seemingly sitting on the fence, the Padres elected to push the chips in at this year’s deadline. Instead of moving top-shelf bullpen arms in Adrian Morejon and Mason Miller, president of baseball operations A.J. Preller held on to them, and instead bolstered the starting rotation, which was severely lacking behind Michael King. The Padres added former Cy Young winner Robbie Ray and former number one overall pick Casey Mize to the mix, each of whom have had good 2026 seasons to this point. With those moves in mind, the Padres certainly have postseason aspirations. How much noise can they actually make, though?

Fourth Place: San Francisco Giants (48-66)

Top Position Player: Casey Schmitt (1.8 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Logan Webb (2.6 fWAR)

From wire-to-wire, the Giants have been mostly locked into fourth place in this division. After another unconvincing month of lifeless play, and a long hill to climb to any sort of contention, the Giants elected to sell big at this year’s deadline. They sent Luis Arraez to the Phillies, starters Ray and Tyler Mahle off to new squads, and of course, Heliot Ramos to the Yankees. It was likely not the deadline moves the front office would have expected at the beginning of the year, but was the right one in the big picture.

In a division as competitive as this one, the odds were stacked against the Giants, and their result at the deadline speaks to just that. Regardless, they will have plenty of opportunity to play spoiler as the season winds down.If nothing else, franchise legend Buster Posey’s front-office haul as POBO this deadline was met with acclaim.

Last Place: Colorado Rockies (45-69)

Top Position Player: Hunter Goodman (2.4 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Kyle Freeland (1.2 fWAR)

While the Rockies have inched closer to the Giants, their overall situation changed little over the last month. Clear-cut sellers at this year’s deadline, they hoped to build for the future by most ]trading away Brenton Doyle and Antonio Senzatela.

They did hole on to Hunter Goodman, who continues to mash opposing pitchers. He is tied for the second-most homers in baseball with 33, and has posted a 152 wRC+ since the beginning of July. He has been a very bright spot in an other wise tough season in Colorado.

1925
Southpaw Dickie Kerr, a two-game winner as a rookie in the 1919 World Series for the White Sox but inactive since 1921, was reinstated from the voluntarily-retired list in an attempted comeback at age 32. Kerr will pitch in just 12 games, to a 5.15 ERA, and retire for good after the season.

After a relatively poor 1921 season (19-17, 4.72 ERA, 4.16 FIP, 89 ERA+), the White Sox sent him a contract with a $500 pay cut for 1922, prompting him to quit and pitch as a semi-pro from 1922-25.

1977
In the first game of a key series with Kansas City, White Sox pitcher Bart Johnson and Royals catcher Darrell Porter got into a shoving match along the first-base line in the third inning after Porter slammed into Johnson’s back while he was covering first base. 

In the sixth inning when Porter was coming up to bat, Johnson stepped off the mound and yelled out ”Do you want it now?” and a brawl took place. Both players were ejected.

After the game, both Porter and George Brett came to the White Sox locker room to apologize. Johnson had undergone back surgery a few years before and didn’t appreciate being deliberately run into that area by Porter.

2022
It was the continuation of one of the most dominant stretches of pitching in baseball history.

Dylan Cease held the Rangers to one run in six innings of work in a 2-1 win. That meant he broke a record shared with Jacob deGrom for allowing one earned run or fewer in 13 consecutive starts (the pair had shared the mark at 12 starts).

It was the longest streak in baseball since earned runs became an official statistic in 1913.

2023
Maybe it was the frustration of an atrocious season coming to a head.

In the sixth inning of a game the Sox would win 7-4 in Cleveland, José Ramírez and Tim Anderson got tangled up at second base.

Ramírez had laced a double down the line and when he slid between Anderson’s legs appeared to slightly push one of them as TA stood over him in case the runner slid off of the bag. Anderson had already suffered a strained knee earlier in the season, and reacted angrily to Ramírez pushing him and getting up to point a finger in his face.

Anderson dropped his fielder’s glove and the two went at it. Anderson scored with a couple of punches before Ramirez dropped him with a right.

Well after the benched cleared Sox manager Pedro Grifol and Guardians manager (and former Sox minor league manager) Terry Francona exchanged words, and then Grifol and Cleveland third base coach Mike Sarbaugh appeared to raise their hands to each other in the midst of a second flurry. Anderson and Grifol were the only White Sox ejected while four Guardian players and coaches were tossed.

Suspensions were then handed out by the league after reviewing the video. In the aftermath, Ramírez was portrayed as an innocent victim policing the good of the game, while the downfall of Anderson’s career — he was already in free-fall in the midst of an atrocious 2024 season — was made complete with his embarrassing knockdown.

2024
With a 5-1 loss in Oakland, the White Sox tied the American League record for consecutive losses, with 21. It was another hapless effort by the offense, managing just four hits and a walk, against nine strikeouts. The loss dropped the White Sox to an astounding 61 games worse than .500, at 27-88, 41 ½ games out of first place in the AL Central — and 27 games out of fourth place!

Cincinnati Reds righty Rhett Lowder pitched out of the bullpen across the first two weeks of July, doing so as the team’s rotation was suddenly robust upon the return of Hunter Greene. He did pretty fine work there, too, but in his first start after a trio of relief appearances he was shelled for 11 hits and 8 ER in just 2.1 IP.

That was in Coors Field on a nearly 100 degree day against the Colorado Rockies, and perhaps that’s the tale that truly needs to be told. In two starts since that debacle, he’s fired 11.0 IP and allowed just 4 ER (3.27 ERA) while fanning 9 against just a pair of walks. He has also yielded just 6 hits in that span, and he once again looks like the guy who knows how to throw four pitches for strikes all up and down (and side to side) within the strike zone while keeping batters off-keel as good as anyone with his level of experience.

Lowder gets the ball for the Reds in the second game of the series against the A’s on Wednesday evening in Great American Ball Park, doing so a day after the Reds claimed the series opener 5-4 in pretty dramatic fashion. If he can lead the Reds to a win, that’ll mark the 5th series victory out of the 6 series they’ve played since the All Star break and will show at least a little more faith in the idea that keeping this club mostly together at this week’s trade deadline was a move honestly worth making.

First pitch is again set for 6:40 PM ET, and the Reds will be facing a southpaw to start in Jacob Lopez. They have arranged their lineup accordingly with JJ Bleday the only lefty in the starting lineup, meaning rookie Hector Rodriguez will start on the pine in his second game in the bigs.

Here’s how both clubs will line up to begin things:

The Atlanta Braves will be facing the Miami Marlins this evening in a matchup that brings two offenses on the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of runs scored.

The Braves are tied with the Chicago Cubs for the most runs scored in all of MLB since the start of July. They are also in the top seven since the All-Star break. The Marlins are twentieth in runs scored since the start of July and in the bottom three teams since the break.

The Braves will be facing Eury Pérez who sports a blistering 4-seam fastball that averages 98.1 MPH. The Braves have largely struggled against the 4-seam fastball as a team outside of Baldwin, Olson, and Harris who are all well above league average against the pitch. The interesting thing about this matchup is although the Braves as a whole struggle against Pérez’s best pitch, they have had his number. The sample sizes are small but the Braves have seven regular starters that have an OPS of .762 or better against him. Baldwin has two HRs against him and Acuña and Albies both have a HR against him. The caveat is all the seven players mentioned have between five and eight at-bats against him, making it a small sample to draft from.

The Braves were able to score three earned runs on Pérez in April in 4.0 innings, but Pérez has been on fire in his last five starts holding an ERA of 1.69 in that timeframe. It will come down to if the Braves actually have his number, or if he was just slow to start at the beginning of the season.

Lane Thomas already made his debut for the Braves, but with Pérez being a righty, one would have thought that Yastrzemksi would get the start in LF since Thomas has struggled against righties, but hits lefties well above average with Yaz being the opposite. That is not the case with today’s lineup. Now that Ha-Seong Kim and Sean Murphy are back, there was always going to be the question of how many starts they are going to get. We know Murphy is clearly the backup, but traditionally backup catchers get far more starts than backup shortstops. Kim seems to be in line to be a backup with how Jim Jarvis has been playing. Turns out, neither Jarvis or Kim is getting the start at SS today with super utility Dubón getting the nod. Sean Murphy is also making his return and will be at catcher batting ninth with Baldwin getting the start at DH.

Bryce Elder is pitching tonight and although his ERA since the start of July is 3.00, he has been one of the luckiest pitchers in MLB with a FIP of 7.14 and a BABIP against of only .208. There is no way his ERA is sustainable with those numbers. Hopefully the bubble does not burst tonight against a subpar offense.

Xaiver Edwards has nine ABs against Elder, Otto Lopez has eight, and Kyle Stowers has seven in their careers. Outside of those three, no other Marlin has more than five ABs against him. Lopez has been very successful against Elder with an OPS of 1.056 and Edwards has been almost as good with a .989. Stowers has an OPS of .821 due to a HR, but his average has been .143.

Looking simply at ERAs, one may think it will be a low scoring game. If we dig a little deeper, this may actually be a shootout.

First pitch is at 7:15 EDT.

The trade deadline was on Monday. But the Royals are still working out some deals!

Minor leaguers are not subject to the trade deadline, so the Royals have reportedly acquired infielder Jacob Berry from the Marlins, according to a report from Isaac Azout at Fish On First. Berry was hitting .251/.372/.362 with four home runs in 72 games at Triple-A and has yet to appear in the big leagues.

A third baseman with some experience in the outfield, Berry was a standout at LSU and was the #8 prospect for the 2022 draft, according to Baseball America. They wrote that the switch-hitter had advanced plate discipline and gap power to fall fields. There were some questions about his power from the right side, and his home run numbers have never materialized in the minors. The Marlins took him with the sixth overall pick – three picks before Gavin Cross, who will now be his teammate in Omaha.

The Royals are in full evaluation mode, and while fans shouldn’t expect too much out of these kind of trades, accumulating talent to see if anyone can break through is a good move. Berry was once a high upside prospect, and he demonstrates the kind of plate discipline this organization needs. It certainly beats signing some 30+ year-old hitter you thought retired two years ago to fill out your minor league roster.

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This evening, we're attacking nothing but arms! It may be leg day at the gym, but on the diamond, it's all about focusing on the starting pitchers.

Headlined by Reid Detmers, here are my three favorite MLB player props for Thursday, Aug. 5.

Best MLB player props today

Player	Pick	Odds
Bryce Elder	Over 2.5 earned runs	+100
Reid Detmers	Over 7.5 strikeouts	+119
Sean Burke	Under 6.5 strikeouts	-137

Bryce Elder Over 2.5 earned runs (+100)

The Miami Marlins roll into one of the better offensive matchups on the board. They feature four elite-rated hitters and two strong-rated hitters on Batters-Box's current season ratings.

They will face Atlanta Braves right-hander Bryce Elder, who has hit a few speed bumps over his last five starts. During that stretch, Elder owns a 4.32 ERA, 5.50 xERA, and 1.36 WHIP while allowing plenty of hard contact and barrels.

Four of Miami's six highest-rated hitters swing from the left side, and that's where Elder has really struggled. Across the last 60 left-handed hitters he's faced, he owns a 5.02 ERA while allowing a 48.7% hard-hit rate, 12.8% barrel rate, and just a 28.2% ground-ball rate. Those hitters have also produced a .393 xBA, .735 xSLG, and .360 xwOBA during that span.

The Marlins have started to turn things around after their July slump, and this is a great spot for the Fighting Fish to keep it rolling.

I'd play this down to -110.

• Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MIAM, BravesVision

Reid Detmers Over 7.5 strikeouts (+119)

One of the highest average strikeout rates on Wednesday's slate belongs to Los Angeles Angels left-hander Reid Detmers, who has put together an outstanding season.

Detmers carries a strong rating on Batters-Box's current season dataset while boasting an elite matchup wOBA and strikeout rating. Over his last five starts, he has maintained a strikeout rate north of 30%, and over his last three, that number has climbed to more than 36%.

The Baltimore Orioles present a favorable matchup for strikeout props. Baltimore has eight hitters above the league-average strikeout rate and has struggled to make contact against left-handed pitching. Over their last 60 at-bats against southpaws, seven hitters own at least a 23.3% strikeout rate, with four sitting above 30%.

Over the last week, Baltimore has a near-30% strikeout rate, so I'd play this down to even money.

• Time: 6:35 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MASN, ABTV

Sean Burke Under 6.5 strikeouts (-137)

Coming off a 10-strikeout performance against the New York Yankees last week, Chicago White Sox right-hander Sean Burke will look to replicate that success against one of the hottest offenses in baseball.

Despite the Boston Red Sox hanging two touchdowns on the scoreboard last night, I don't expect the Red Sox to completely fall apart at the plate tonight. Burke has been outstanding lately, carrying a strikeout rate near 30% over his last few starts, but this is a completely different challenge.

Over their last 12 games, the Red Sox own a 126 wRC+, .356 wOBA, .811 OPS, and just a 22.6% strikeout rate. They've been even tougher to punch out recently, posting a team strikeout rate below 20% over their last six games.

It's a tough ask for Burke to dominate in back-to-back starts against two completely different offenses.

I'd play this down to -140.

• Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: CHSN, NESN

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