The Phillies had one of the worst extra innings ever

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 5: Brandon Marsh #16 of the Philadelphia Phillies checks on Derek Hill #49 after in injury in the top of the 11th inning against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park on August 5, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Nationals defeated the Phillies 10-4 in 11 innings. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images

On the Phillies’ last trip to Washington, DC back in June, they forced the Nationals to endure one of the worst series in that franchise’s history.

Three straight 9th inning victories against a beleaguered Nationals bullpen, all of them in crushing fashion. Too add more insult to insult, the Phillies staged another late-game comeback in Monday night’s 6-3 win.

So, last night, perhaps the bill came due.

The Phils’ ugly, 10-4, 11-inning loss to the Nationals had a little bit of everything.

Wasted at-bats. Awful relief pitching. Questionable managerial decisions. Potential injuries. And yeah, some flat-out extra inning weirdness, too.

It was a pretty normal baseball game for a little while there.

Sure, Andrew Painter had to leave early with a hamstring issue, but after nine innings of baseball, the Phillies and Nationals entered extra innings tied 3-3 in mostly normal fashion.

But after scoring a run in the 10th, Washington erupted for a 6-run outburst in the 11th, marking just the third time in franchise history the Phillies had give up at least six runs in the 11th inning of a baseball game. It was also the fourth-most runs surrendered by the Phils in any extra frame (stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and Schmenkman).

  • 05/28/1995: 9 runs (10th inning) vs. Padres
  • 08/24/1947: 9 runs (10th inning) vs. Cincinnati
  • 07/16/1937: 8 runs (10th inning) vs. Cardinals
  • 06/20/2017: 7 runs (10th inning) vs. Cardinals
  • Last night: 6 runs (11th inning) vs. Nationals
  • 06/08/1979: 6 runs (10th inning) vs. Braves
  • 08/10/1932: 6 runs (11th inning) vs. Cardinals

It was a total and complete meltdown.

In the top of the 10th, reliever Jose Alvarado began by inducing a fly out from Dylan Crews, but then hit left-hander Daylen Lile with a pitch, putting runners on 1st and 2nd. Catcher Harry Ford lined out to center for the second out. Alvarado then walked Andres Chaparro to load the bases and forced in a run with another walk to Nasim Nunez.

So, thanks to two walks and a hit-by-pitch, the Nationals had the lead. Ugly.

But, the Phils responded. Sorta.

With Derek Hill starting the inning on second base and Kyle Schwarber at the plate, Hill stole third base to put him in prime position to score the winning run on a fly ball or well placed grounder. Schwarber, who is hitting .198 with a .655 OPS and just three home runs in his last 29 games, fouled off several hanging breaking balls before being called out on strikes.

At this point, it’s pretty clear to see Schwarber’s back is an issue. One has to wonder if an IL stint is coming at some point. This just isn’t the guy we’ve all come to see over the last five years.

Trea Turner then slashed a liner to right field that seemed destined for extra bases until Dylan Crews made an unbelievable diving catch.

Instead of Turner on 2nd or 3rd with one out, the bases were empty with two outs, although the sacrifice fly tied the game 4-4. Bryce Harper followed with a walk, bringing up Luis Arraez.

Arraez’ arrival in Philadelphia has been a rousing success through his first two games. An unconventional clean-up hitter, Arraez had two run-scoring singles in Tuesday night’s win and led off the second inning on Wednesday night with his first home run as a Phillie.

Harper was not in scoring position, but with his athleticism and Arraez’ bat-to-ball skills, there was hope an extra base hit from the league’s leader in batting average could bring the Phils’ a walk-off victory.

But on a 1-0 count, Harper tried to steal second. He was out.

Oh, and he also appeared to hurt his hand on the slide.

Harper stayed in the game, so the injury appears none too serious. After the game, manager Don Mattingly explained Harper was not running on his own.

There is some logic to the decision. Having a runner on second with two outs allows for a single to score the go-ahead run. The Nationals likely would have intentionally walked Arraez with Harper on second, bringing up Alec Bohm with a chance to win the game. That’s a prospect Phillies fans would have dreaded, but perhaps unfairly so.

For all his faults, Bohm has been one of the team’s best hitters with runners in scoring position, with a .303 batting average and .847 OPS that ranks third on the Phils. Instead, the inning ended with the scored tied 4-4.

Enter Caleb Kilian, the newly acquired right-handed reliever from San Francisco in the Arraez deal. Tasked with keeping the score tied 4-4, he faced five batters, retired just one of them and allowed five runs (four earned) on one hit and two walks.

But it wasn’t just that he imploded.

With Brady House starting the inning at second base, Kilian walked Jacob Young. C.J. Abrams’ booming blast to center turned Derek Hill around. Hill and the ball slammed up against the center field fence.

The ball caromed away to right field, where Harper, who was not backing up on the play as he reacclimates to being a full-time right fielder again, recovered and held Abrams, who did not run out of the box, to a two-run triple.

In a scary few moments, Hill laid prone on the ground, moving little, before getting up and leaving the field under his own power. After the game, Mattingly called Hill’s injury a bruised shoulder. It’s unclear if he will miss any time.

Now, for the weirdness.

With the score 6-4 and a runner on 3rd with no outs, the Nationals sent starting pitcher Miles Mikolas to the plate to bunt.

Yes, old school National League baseball was back, if only for a fleeting moment. Mikolas laid down a sacrifice squeeze to Kilian, who threw home late, making it 7-4. Kilian walked Dylan Crews, struck out Lile and his evening was done. Chase Shugart allowed a walk, a two-run double and an RBI groundout to round up the six-run outburst.

The wheels had officially come off.

In all, the Nationals scored 7 runs in extra innings last night on two hits. Phillies pitchers walked five batters and hit a guy, too.

Knowing defeat was imminent, the Phillies went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 11th, putting fans out of their misery.

For one night, Washington exacted a little payback.

Why the vitriol for the Dodgers' Kyle Tucker was so thick at Wrigley Field

Los Angeles Dodgers' Kyle Tucker runs back to the dugout after hitting a home.
The Dodgers' Kyle Tucker runs back to the dugout after hitting a home run during Tuesday's game against the Chicago Cubs. (Melissa Tamez / Associated Press)

The boo birds were active at Wrigley Field this week, as the Dodgers were swept by the Cubs in a three-game series.

The vitriol for the World Series favorites, days after they traded for the best player available at the deadline (two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal) touched almost every player in the Dodgers lineup. But Cubs fans’ boos were by far the most enthusiastic for the right fielder who’d departed their team in free agency this past winter.

Kyle Tucker, for his part, dodged the first question that mentioned the hostile reception he received in his first series back at Wrigley Field since signing a four-year, $240-million contract with the Dodgers over the offseason.

“I liked playing here last year,” Tucker said after the game Monday. “There were some really great guys over there, and they have a good team. So it’s nice being back and playing here. I liked it.”

Read more:Shohei Ohtani, Pete Crow-Armstrong put on a show as NL MVP talk heats up: 'He's a great player'

When pressed on whether he understood the boos, Tucker said: “I don’t know. I tried my hardest last year. I tried playing through a hand fracture and calf thing, just trying to get back to the playoffs for them and trying to do what I could to help out the team last year with them. Hit really well in the first half, and second half didn’t go as great, and kind of didn’t end up great at the end of the year. But I had a good run.”

Let’s unpack that.

This year, Dodgers fans have mostly seen a version of Tucker who’s on pace for one of the worst offensive seasons in the four-time All-Star’s career. But when the Cubs landed Tucker in a blockbuster trade with the Astros before the 2025 season, hoping he’d elevate their offense, he did just that for the first three months of the season.

His best month was June (.982 OPS), when, unbeknownst to the public, he was playing through a small fracture in his right hand.

Not being able to grip the bat properly eventually took a toll on his swing mechanics, sending him into an extended slump. When he finally seemed to be coming out of it in late August, a left calf injury sidelined him in early September.

When the injury lingered far longer than initially expected, hoping to return in time to contribute in the postseason, Tucker made the unorthodox decision to travel to Tampa to work with the physical therapy group that helped him recover from a fractured shin the year before.

Unable to completely eradicate the symptoms of his strained calf, Tucker returned to the Cubs lineup as the designated hitter the last weekend of the regular season and through the playoffs, where he went seven for 27 with a home run in Game 4 of the NLDS against the Brewers.

Through the ups and downs of the season, Tucker still came out of it with a 2025 Silver Slugger award. He had the second-highest OPS on the team (.841) among players with at least 100 plate appearances, behind former Dodger Michael Busch (.866).

In response to Tucker’s comments Monday, Cubs fans on social media said they were upset with Tucker for playing through his hand injury, and for leaving the team to address his calf injury — which seemed to set up a no-win situation for his relationship with the fan base.

Tucker’s union with the Cubs was always expected to be short term. That was always the case from the moment they acquired him one season away from what was projected to be a lucrative free agency. Nothing had changed by the last out of the team’s 2025 season, as they fell one win shy of meeting the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.

With the Dodgers, Tucker has yet to put together a real hot streak at the plate. He’s hit far better in away games (.828 OPS) than at home (.601) this year.

Read more:Dodgers drop sixth straight game, also lose Dalton Rushing to UCL tear

On the road again, Tucker went five for 11 in three games against the Cubs this week — perhaps a sign of good things to come, in a season full of false starts.

“Just working every single day, just trying to be consistent with my work and what I do in the cage and everything and trying to translate it out onto the field,” he said Monday. “Felt pretty good today. Had good at-bats the past couple days and stuff. So just trying to continue that moving forward into tomorrow’s game and so forth.”

His biggest moment of the series came Tuesday. In his first at-bat of the game, he lifted a solo home run into the left-field bleachers and trotted around the bases to a chorus of boos.

It was the Dodgers’ only run of the game.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Sonny Gray feeling more like himself with Red Sox and matches career high with AL-best 14th win

BOSTON — Sonny Gray and the surging Boston Red Sox are on quite a roll together.

Gray pitched three-hit ball and struck out eight over six innings for his American League-leading 14th victory, with the crafty 36-year-old right-hander also matching his career high, as Boston beat the Chicago White Sox 4-0. The Red Sox have won seven in a row and 30 of 35.

“He was awesome, very locked in. ... Executed his pitches, had his spin. Pretty much had spin whenever he wanted to,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said. “Looked like vintage Sonny. He was really good.”

The Red Sox acquired Gray (14-2) from St. Louis in a trade early last offseason. The three-time All-Star, who was left off this year’s AL squad, is providing the veteran presence Boston was hoping for.

After allowing nine runs over his previous two starts, Gray got 17 swing-and-misses from the White Sox, including the third strike on each of his strikeouts. He needed only seven pitches in a 1-2-3 second inning, then struck out the side in the fourth.

“I just felt like I was, you know, a little closer to just being myself, and that’s a good feeling,” said Gray, who has a 2.78 ERA in 21 starts.

He matched Philadelphia left-hander Cristopher Sánchez (14-4) for the major league lead in wins. Gray also had 14-win seasons for Oakland in 2014 and 2016, and was 14-8 in 32 starts for the Cardinals last season.

Gray gave up four runs over seven innings in a win over the Athletics his previous start. The came five days after allowing 10 hits and five runs — both season highs — against Toronto in his only loss in 16 starts since early May after coming back from being on the 15-day injured list with a right hamstring strain.

Asked what he had focused on between starts, Gray said it was attention to detail and creating an edge.

“Finding an edge, spinning the ball, that’s who I am,” he said. “There’s a lot of little things that add up, I don’t think it’s one thing.”

Blue Jays @ Cubs Game Thread

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JULY 04: A general view of fireworks prior to the game between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field on July 04, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Daniel Bartel/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images) | Getty Images

I’m in Edmonton for the next couple of days, visiting my son and his girlfriend and some friends. So I’m getting the Game Thread up early. We may be light on content for a couple of days. It has been a week. We were at a funeral yesterday. Today we visiting a friend of mine whose wife is not well and has decided to do MAID in September and tomorrow visiting a friend who has been in hospital for the last mount or so. It seems like an ‘all bad news’ week. They happen now and then.

The nice part is we are going to ‘Blowers & Grafton’ for supper with friends that I don’t get to see often enough.


Today’s game is a make up game of a rain out back on June 21st. For some silly reason they haven’t put a roof on Wrigley Field yet. You’d think with all the years they’ve had that ballpark, they’d have a roof on it by now. Oh, someone is telling me they just got lights a few years ago. Things move slow on the north side of Chicago.

It is a 2:20 Eastern start.

I see there is rain in the forecast this afternoon, hopefully they will get the game in. I’d hate it, if I was a player, to have given up a rare off-day to fly to Chicago and then not get that game in. Then fly off to Philadelphia tomorrow.


Shi Davidi tells us that Kevin Gausman didn’t ‘ask’ not to start against the Blue Jays, but to me it sounds like he did (which I can understand):


Today’s lineup, Vlad is still out.

Today’s Lineups

BLUE JAYSCUBS
Myles Straw – CFPete Crow-Armstrong – CF
Kazuma Okamoto – 1BSeiya Suzuki – DH
Alejandro Kirk – CMichael Busch – 1B
George Springer – DHAlex Bregman – 3B
Nathan Lukes – RFIan Happ – LF
Ernie Clement – 3BNico Hoerner – 2B
Luis Urias – 2BMichael Conforto – RF
Davis Schneider – LFDansby Swanson – SS
Andres Gimenez – SSMiguel Amaya – C
Dylan Cease – RHPDavid Peterson – LHP

Gausman also said nice things about what the Jays did at the deadline. He really is a class act.


Go Jays Go. I think we are going to go find a bar to watch the game.

After coming up empty at the trade deadline, the Braves get sterling starts from Bryce Elder, Grant Holmes

ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves faced plenty of criticism after they failed to pick up a top-line starting pitcher at the trade deadline.

Bryce Elder and Grant Holmes have pitched like they didn’t need one.

Elder threw one-hit ball over seven innings a night after Holmes pitched six scoreless innings to lead a pair of victories over the Miami Marlins.

First-place Atlanta has won a season-high seven in a row and leads the Philadelphia Phillies by 8 1/2 games in the NL East.

“One of our messages to players, especially young players, is you’ve got to find something that puts a chip on your shoulder in this league or the rest of the league will chew you up,” manager Walt Weiss said after Elder’s sterling performance in a 4-1 victory. “Maybe that’s their response to the narrative over the last several days.”

The only hit off Elder was a soft liner that fell in front of left-fielder Lane Thomas and would up a double when Jakob Marsee hustled to second to beat the throw. Owen Caissie, who had walked with one out, raced around to third on the play, putting Elder is his first serious trouble of the night.

Joe Mack grounded out to drive in a run, but Elder retired Javier Sanoja on a flyout to end the threat.

That was it against Elder, who breezed through the next two innings with just one other base-runner on third baseman Austin Riley’s throwing error.

Mixing his cutter with a highly effective changeup, Elder turned in perhaps his most dominant start of the season and a big upgrade over a June slump that raised questions about his spot in the rotation.

After going 1-3 with an 8.10 ERA in that discouraging month, the right-hander has turned in four straight excellent starts, surrendering just five runs in 24 inning while posting a 3-0 record.

“That was probably the best command I’ve had in a long time,” said Elder (8-6), who was making the 100th start of his up-and-down career. “The changeup was really good. I was pleased with that. I like where I’m at.”

Elder made the All-Star Game during a surprising 2023 season, but he spent much of the following year in the minors. Lacking the sort of velocity that is the hallmark of today’s top pitchers, he’s always walked a fine line to maintain his effectiveness.

But the 27-year-old Texan never seems to get flustered, even when things aren’t going his way.

“He’s very level-headed,” Weiss said. “You can never tell if he’s dealing or he’s struggling. He’s literally the exact same guy. He’s a good thinker on the mound. He can put together a game plan. He knows how to execute pitches. He knows how to put together sequences. He’s got a good feel for the pitch. His velocity will fluctuate a little bit here and there, but it doesn’t really matter with him because of the movement and the command and the variety of pitches. He’s got a lot of pitches he can throw at you.”

Even so, the Braves were expected to make a strong bid for additional starting pitching ahead of the deadline. But the only newcomer to their rotation was Tyler Mahle from the Giants, a 31-year-old journeyman who is 3-9 with a 5.13 ERA this season.

He’ll go at the back end of a group that has faced big losses with Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach both likely to miss the rest of the season with injuries and Reynaldo López on the injured list.

Chris Sale, a Cy Young winner and 10-time All-Star, is the only big name among the starters, with Elder, Holmes and Martín Pérez filling the other spots, joined by a host of youngsters still trying to make their mark.

Elder shook off the disgruntled fans and unimpressed pundits who figured the Braves would make a bigger splash on the trade market.

“We heard what people said the last week or so,” he said. “But all we can do is control what he can control. Our job is to give these guys a chance to score some runs, and keep it close enough so that when they do score runs, we win ballgames.”

For the last two games at least, that plan has worked to perfection.

Red Sox News & Links: Injury updates on Roman Anthony, Garrett Crochet, Triston Casas

FORT MYERS, FL - FEBRUARY 17: Triston Casas #36 of the Boston Red Sox poses for a photo during the Boston Red Sox photo day at JetBlue Park at Fenway South on Tuesday, February 17, 2026 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

Craig Breslow clearly did not go into this season counting on getting significant production from Triston Casas. That’s the whole reason why Willson Contreras is here. But still, did anyone predict that the team would get no production from him at all? Earlier this spring, as he was still rehabbing from last May’s knee injury, Casas suffered an abdominal injury that set his timeline back. In July, he was shut down with a wrist injury. And, yesterday, he had surgery on that wrist. There is no timeline for his return. (Lauren Campbell, MassLive)

Thankfully, Casas’ replacement at first has been better than Casas ever was. And healthy, too. Willson Contreras did leave last night’s game early, but after the game the team confirmed it was due to illness, not to any injury issues. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)

And while the Casas news remains depressing, at least there are other positive developments on the injury front:

Now we turn our attention to Adley Rutschman as he works to return from his wrist injury and make his Red Sox debut. While the injury is not considered serious, the Red Sox do not want to rush him. “I talked to him earlier [Monday], and at this point, I am not going to try to put a timetable on what his return might look like,” Craig Breslow said. “I think it’s best for him to get under our care and get our medical staff, our athletic trainers, our doctors’ hands on him, and from there we’ll figure out what the right course of action is here. But in talking to him, he’s very optimistic and he is saying he feels quite a bit better.” (Ty Anderson, 98.5)

When Rutschman does return, will it be difficult for him and the pitching staff to build up some on-field chemistry? “It’s not nothing, but also wouldn’t want to overstate it,” said Breslow. “These guys are professionals, and they’ve thrown to different catchers, whether that was because of injury or performance or whatever the case is. I think what it comes down to is building relationships and trust. And, like I said, everything that we’ve learned about Adley is he is fantastic at doing that.” (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)

Rutschman is known as a fantastic defensive catcher, much in the same way that Ceddanne Rafeala has always been known as a fantastic outfielder. But if the rest of the league still thinks of Ceddy as a glove man, they’re not seeing that he’s turned himself into one of the best all-around players in the game. Rafaela is currently third in all of baseball in position player bWAR, behind only Pete Crowe-Armstrong and Yordan Alvarez. (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)

MLB Home Run Props & Predictions Today: Best HR Picks & Parlay for August 6

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Friday Junior has arrived! It is time to get down and dirty looking for some guys to go yard on this slightly smaller slate. 

Here are my favorite MLBhome run props for today's slate, headlined by Boston Red Sox slugger Wilyer Abreu and Kansas City Royals sophomore Jac Caglianone.

Here are my favorite MLB picks for Thursday, Aug. 6.

  • UPDATE: Added another HR pick + parlay.

MLB home run props for today

Player to hit a HROdds
Brewers Jake Bauers +250
Red Sox Wilyer Abreu+276
Royals Jac Caglianone+344
💲Today's HR parlay+7049

Home run prediction: Jake Bauers (+344)

A lot of Milwaukee Brewers bats find themselves in a great matchup against Pittsburgh Pirates right hander Braxton Ashcraft, but only one guy really stood out to me. First baseman Jake Bauers.

The 30-year-old has been on fire as of late, posting a .371 BA, .464 wOBA, .629 SLG and 1.079 OPS over his last 10 games. During that stretch, Bauers also owns a 198 wRC+, 53.3% hard hit rate and 28.6% HR/FB rate.

Ashcraft has allowed plenty of hard contact and elevated baseballs to left-handed hitters on the road this season. The last 60 lefties he has faced have posted a .351 xBA, .584 xSLG and .377 xwOBA against him.

With Bauers covering more than 61% of Ashcraft's pitch mix, I think he's a great look to leave the yard. I'd be comfortable taking this prop down to +300.

  • Time: 2:10 p.m. ET
  • Where to watch: BREW, SNP

Home run prediction: Wilyer Abreu (+250)

I'm fully expecting the Boston Red Sox and Wilyer Abreu to give Luis Castillo a warm welcome in his Chicago White Sox debut this evening. By that, I mean they're going to torch him, with Abreu leading the charge.

The Red Sox outfielder enters with an elite Batters-Box rating, covering nearly 91% of Castillo's pitch mix. On the other side, Castillo owns the third-worst pitcher rating in Batters-Box's current season dataset.

Over his last 10 games, Abreu owns a .667 SLG, 1.008 OPS and 173 wRC+. During that stretch, he has posted a 16.7% barrel rate while elevating the baseball 66.7% of the time.

Castillo has struggled tremendously against left-handed hitters. Most recently, the last 60 lefties he has faced have produced a 14.6% barrel rate, 70.8% elevation rate, .406 ISO, .698 xSLG, and .333 xwOBA against him.

I would try to snag this prop around +250. I'd hate to pay anything shorter than that for Abreu this evening.

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

Home run prediction: Jac Caglianone (+276)

Kansas City Royals young slugger Jac Caglianone finds himself in a mouth-watering matchup this evening against Minnesota Twins right-hander Bailey Ober. Not only does the big fella own an elite Batters-Box rating, but he also covers nearly 100% of Ober's pitch repertoire. On top of that, through 21 elite Batters-Box ratings this season, Caglianone has left the yard in nearly 30% of those games.

So far this season, left-handed hitters on the road have been Ober's biggest kryptonite, batting .322 with a .586 SLG and .407 wOBA. They are also generating a 35.6% hard hit rate and a 71.4% elevation rate against him.

The Royals' future star has been a tad cold over his last few games, but his expected batting average suggests positive regression could be on the way, as he continues to generate plenty of hard contact.

I'd be comfortable taking this prop down to +250.

  • Time:7:40 p.m. ET
  • Where to watch: ESPN
Colby Marchio's 2026 Transparency Record
  • HR picks: 90-338, +3.7 units

Best home run combo for August 6

Red Sox Wilyer AbreuTrade Now
+7049
Royals Jac Caglianone
Brewers Jake Bauers

Want more baseball parlays? Check out our MLB parlay picks page!

Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.

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.

Nationals vs Phillies Prediction, Picks & Odds for Today's MLB Game

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The Washington Nationals sold off key players at the trade deadline and lost seven straight before winning Wednesday night. They now face one of the frontrunners to win the NL Cy Young Award in Cristopher Sanchez as +291 moneyline underdogs vs. the Philadelphia Phillies tonight.

My Nationals vs. Phillies predictions and MLB picks for Thursday, Aug. 6 don't believe things are as bleak as they look for Washington, and I'll try for a potential huge payday.

Who will win Nationals vs Phillies today: Nationals moneyline (+291)

The Washington Nationals’ odds say they only have about a 25% chance of beating the Philadelphia Phillies and ace starter Cristopher Sanchez. It’s certainly a mismatch on paper with Miles Mikolas toeing the rubber for the Nats, but the line is too skewed.

The Nationals lead MLB in runs and have a better run differential than Philly. Philadelphia used nine pitchers on Wednesday, and Sanchez has tossed seven full innings in just one of his last five starts.

Philly's bullpen ranks 27th by bullpen ERA (5.17) over the last 30 days, instilling no confidence in its ability to protect a late lead vs. Washington's offense even at full strength.

Play to +270.

Covers COVERS INTEL: Sanchez has pitched a total of 24 1/3 innings in his last four starts, an average just over a six-inning outing, but he’s reached the 99-pitch mark in all of them. The Nationals are ninth in MLB in number of pitches seen.

Nationals vs Phillies Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (-121)

The Phillies have scored 4+ runs in each of their last seven games. That trend should continue against Mikolas, who has a 5.67 ERA and 5.84 FIP.

Mikolas has as many home runs allowed as strikeouts since the start of July.

Sanchez has just two scoreless outings in 11 starts since the beginning of June. Washington can get a couple across early, then have about three innings against a Philly pen that has an 8.74 ERA in the last three games.

After a marathon game on Wednesday, the relievers Philadelphia is expected to have available Thursday own a combined 5.52 ERA and 1.64 WHIP on the year.

Play to -125.

Shawn Krest's 2026 Transparency Record
  • ML/RL bets: 28-36, -4.68 units
  • Over/Under bets: 38-21, +4.74 units

Nationals vs Phillies weather

Batters will get a boost from the conditions, with 89-degree temperatures at first pitch and winds blowing out to center at 8 mph.

Nationals vs Phillies odds

  • Moneyline: Nationals +300 | Phillies -317
  • Run line: Nationals +2.5 (-117) | Phillies -2.5 (+108)
  • Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-117) | Under 8.5 (+113)

Nationals vs Phillies trend

The Nationals have hit the moneyline in 25 of their last 45 away games (+10.75 Units / 23% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Nationals vs. Phillies.

How to watch Nationals vs Phillies and game info

LocationCitizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA
DateThursday, August 6, 2026
First pitch6:05 p.m. ET
TVNationals.TV, NBC Sports Philadelphia
Nationals starting pitcherMiles Mikolas
(3-8, 5.67 ERA)
Phillies starting pitcherCristopher Sanchez
(14-4, 2.61 ERA)

Nationals vs Phillies latest injuries

Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.

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.

Moving on up: A look inside what happens when minor league prospects get promoted

The MLB Trade Deadline is now in the rearview mirror, and while much of the focus is on the players who are putting on new big league uniforms, the ripple effects are felt throughout an entire organization. As prospects change teams, the spots they leave behind need to be filled, which means dozens of minor leaguers across the league are being moved to new levels over these last couple of weeks. While that represents a step forward in their on-field growth, it can also be a challenging off-field adjustment for a young player.

"I think it's not as easy as it may seem," said Pirates top prospect Seth Hernandez, who began this season in Single-A Bradenton before being promoted to High-A Greensboro after six starts. "Obviously, you know everybody through spring training, but going to a new squad, you got to learn the vibe, you got to learn the coaching staff, how they go about things. You definitely don't want to be the guy to mess up a locker room, so you want to be a good teammate."

Stepping foot in a new locker room, much like transferring to a new school or showing up on the first day of college, can either be an overwhelming feeling of starting over or an exciting feeling of getting a new opportunity with new people.

"You meet so many new guys throughout the season," explained Nationals prospect Eli Willits, who was the first overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. "Just to be able to have new guys come in, it's such a cool opportunity to meet new people and make new friends."

Many of these young players learn quickly that the key to adapting to a new environment is simply trusting what got them there in the first place.

"Just be yourself," said Hernandez. "Not trying to be anybody you're not. I think that's the most important part." That was a sentiment echoed by Mets outfielder A.J. Ewing, who has already played at three different levels this season, after playing at three different levels during the 2025 season as well. "Just be yourself. Don't change. The organization made that decision for a reason. Just understand that you belong and your game will work."

To help young players with the transition to a new team, all MLB organizations lay the groundwork for these promotions before a season even begins. While Major League players are participating in spring training in their own part of the complex, all of the minor leaguers have spring training together. That means all the players in Single-A will be in meeting rooms and on-field drills with the players in Double-A or Triple-A. Those weeks together pay dividends in the future when a player changes levels.

"I would say it was an easy transition into that clubhouse because the Guards do a great job with keeping everyone really close," said Guardians' prospect Ralphy Velazquez, who was promoted from Double-A Akron to Triple-A Columbus in May. "We have a lot of camps in the off-season with a lot of players, and you spend time with those guys every day in the off-season. So to jump to a new level and get in a new clubhouse, you already know most of the guys and have hung out with them a ton. So they're all great guys, and it's super easy for sure."

"I think there's hardly ever a scenario where somebody's walking into a clubhouse and doesn't know anybody," said Stosh Hoover, the Director of Minor League Operations for the Rangers. "You're going to walk into familiar faces there that are going to help you out. Veteran players do a really good job of bringing young guys who are up there for the first time under their wing and helping them out, but I think all those connections are made during spring when these guys spend so much time with each other."

In addition to making sure the players all know each other, organizations also ensure that the players have access to all the coaches during spring training.

"Hopefully the organization's done everything they needed to make sure the coaches are around the players throughout spring training," continued Hoover," so I do not think there are times where the coaches aren't already familiar with the player or the player isn't already familiar with the staff there."

That familiarity not only helps the player but also helps the coaches, who not only already know the player but are constantly kept in the loop on that player's strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies.

"A lot of it comes down to the departmental communication," said Sean Buchanan, the Assistant Pitching Coordinator and Triple-A Pitching Coach for the Astros. "Our pitching coaches are in constant contact with one another about the things that are going on at their affiliate. Guys are bouncing ideas off each other. We're sharing video or sharing data. There's systems in place where everything that's going on is pretty much monitored, or is at least being talked about, so that if you do get a player sent your way, you can go back and see what they've been working on."

Those systems Buchanan mentions involve not only on-field instruction but also the seemingly mundane aspects of schedules, meetings, and documentation.

"We try to make sure schedules are similar, and practice plans and everything from a daily standpoint are similar across the board," explained Hoover, "so the transition is easier because you're going through a lot of the same stuff, just in a different city and a different ballpark. We expect messaging about how schedules are sent out, the timing on the date when things are going to occur, to largely be similar across the board, so there isn't a lot to get used to on that end. It's just, 'I'm putting on a new uniform, and I'm at a higher level, and everything else is the same.'"

The process of adapting to a new clubhouse then becomes secondary to focusing on their continued development on the field.

"I think it's great to have that opportunity to switch levels in the middle of the year," said Willits. "It means you're doing things right. You're playing the game well. So just to continue to go out there and grind each day, try and win every game."

"It's not always easy for everybody, but I think that when the game starts, and you go between the lines, there has to be a switch flip," echoed Ewing. "That this is what matters right now, and nothing else outside of this is going to affect how I play."

The ease of a transition can also be impacted by the suddenness of the move. Most players have no inkling that a promotion is coming, even if they've been producing at a high level.

"I don't think players have an idea that a promotion is going to come," said Buchanan. "The picture is just a lot less clear at the lower levels because of the trickle-down effect" of other promotions, demotions, playing time concerns, etc. "There are just so many layers to a promotion."

"It's kind of just out of the blue," admitted Ewing about most of his promotions. "I was not expecting it at that time, but I was really grateful for the opportunity that was presented to me."

Even if the news can come out of the blue for a player, on the front office side, those conversations have likely been ongoing for weeks.

"When it comes to a prospect or somebody who you're being really intentional about their development, they're conversations that happen for a bit," revealed Hoover. "You're looking for, does their performance merit it from whatever a specific organization's KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are, right? Every organization is going to be a little bit different in what they're looking for and what they measure that tells them that, from a performance standpoint, a player is ready for the challenge of the next level... Then there's constant conversation with the staff and getting an idea if they're ready from a maturity standpoint. Are they ready from a physical standpoint? And discuss it with the performance staff, medical, and strength and conditioning. What have the [minor league] coordinators heard and seen if they've gone around? Then obviously you're having discussions within the front office about what the plan is for him when he does get moved up, and what are we looking to see?"

"I think it can generally be something that's discussed over weeks leading up to it, as you see the performance continue to progress and remain consistent. We try to look for windows where you feel like they've hit everything you need them to hit to move up to another level, and it's a good moment to get them up."

That means that not all promotions occur when the stats indicate that a player should be moved. Oftentimes, the surface-level stats are not the primary concern of the front office.

"It's really easy to look at the numbers and say, 'How is this guy not promoted yet?'" admitted Buchanan. "But so much of it has to do with things like, how old is the player? How many more years of club control do they have? What is their contract situation? What does the depth look like at that position above them? Those all become factors in whether this guy's going to get promoted by now or not."

Teams also often care more about those individual performance indicators, or KPIs, for a player than their surface-level stats.

"From a pitching standpoint, you're looking at, if they're coming up as a starter, are they covering the innings that they need to?" explained Hoover. "Are they working out of situations to make sure they get their innings and pitch counts for that night? Are they doing it on a consistent basis? Are their pitches and the characteristics that they're trying to achieve remaining consistent throughout? You could have a guy whose ERA might not look great, but his walk percentages are low, his strikeout percentages are high. Some of the underlying pitching numbers look good. His velocity remains consistent. His breaking ball has gotten better. Maybe the defense didn't play well around him, or he got hit around a little bit in Amarillo because a pop-up goes out for a home run. So you have park-adjusted numbers, and every organization is going to have their own internal analytics and systems running, so you can eliminate as much of the noise to make sure that the metrics under the hood match with the performance you're expecting."

"People are sometimes like, really, this is the guy they promoted?" laughs Buchanan. "And sometimes that's because we need to see, 'Can this guy play at the next level right now?' Because decisions need to be made about their future."

Then, once the decision is made to promote a prospect to another affiliate, an entirely different system of pulleys and levers begins

"The managers deliver the news, so we bring in the manager, and we'll let them know that [the player] is getting called up to the next level," details Hoover. "We'll give the player everything they need to know about the new coaching staff and what to expect, and then I begin to handle the travel. So is it something where we need the guy there tomorrow? Some guys will drive, depending on how far away the affiliate is."

That's what happened to Velazquez, who was driving to a road trip for Double-A Akron when he found out. "I got a phone call ahead of time on our off day. I was on the road to our away series in Double-A, and I had to turn the car around and head right back to Columbus."

While Velázquez was driving to Columbus, the Guardians' minor league operations staff was likely already working behind the scenes to facilitate his move. A collection of clubhouse employees, travel coordinators, and housing coordinators at the two minor league affiliates work together to coordinate the player's move from one team to the next.

"They take care of you," admitted Ewing. "I knew exactly where I needed to be at what time, and they got me here, and I didn't have to worry about anything."

"It's always cool to get a glimpse and see the inner workings of the clubhouse guys and travel people and everything like that," explained Buchanan. "It's a pretty seamless process. The player gets pulled into the office and gets told he's promoted. Within the hour, he's got a plane ticket in his email. His stuff has been and been shipped overnight for him, and he's given instructions that, at this time, he has to Uber to the airport and get on a plane. When you land, call this person and take an Uber to this location, and your stuff will be waiting for you."

"We cover housing," detailed Hoover, "so if a player is home, they've got to pack up all of their stuff and get everything ready. They travel with it. Then I've got to get them into a new apartment at their new location. There's a whole lifestyle change, right?"

That lifestyle includes moving to a new city, living in a new home, and familiarizing yourself with new surroundings. Some players, like Ewing, focus "more so just on the field stuff." But others, like Velazquez, like to take the time to get to know their new neighborhoods: "I try to make it feel like home as much as I can, for sure," revealed Velazquez. "Definitely going out, exploring, trying new restaurants with my buddies."

However, sometimes it's not only the player adjusting.

"What if they have a fiancé or a wife that's living with them?" asked Hoover. "What if they have a child? What if they have a dog? They're now picking up and moving a family potentially across the country. So we've got to coordinate all of that on the back end. Is their wife traveling with them? Are they going to come later? Were they promoted while the team was on the road, so we need to have somebody else pack up their stuff at home and mail it... We specifically allow spouses and significant others to live with players in the apartment, so, to me, it's even more important on that end to know that they have somebody coming with them and have empathy for that and make sure that I've got an apartment ready for them whenever they get to the next town. It's an adjustment, so the goal is to try and make it as comfortable as possible because it can be difficult."

The empathy that Hoover mentions is necessary in many aspects of a prospect promotion. While some of it is necessary for the player, and potentially family, being moved to a new level, we often lose sight of the fact that a promotion to a new level can often mean another player is being demoted.

"A lot of times, when one player is going up, it means that somebody else is coming off a roster," explained Hoover, "so you never know what that's going to do. I think there's a little sensitivity in keeping everything as private as we can until the actual transaction is announced, or maybe the organization decides to bring it up and let the press go with it."

There are also the instances where a player sees his teammates promoted while he remains at the same level. Or a player feels that his on-field performance warrants a promotion, but one just never seems to come. Sometimes they might be blocked by another prospect at the position, or the organization wants to see one specific approach change a little more consistently.

"It can be difficult to sit in the dugout with a player who feels like they should have gotten that opportunity," revealed Buchanan. "You just try to keep their mind on being successful with the opportunity that they have in front of them, like, this is not your fault that you're still here. You're doing your job. You're doing what's expected of you. There are a lot of other things that are out of your control that are just going to be a waste of time and energy if you focus on those. So be present where your feet are. Control what you can control, and trust the process, and your opportunity will come.

That potential for change and upheaval, whether positive or negative, is ever-present in the minor leagues. The constant transitions can be a valuable part of the process. They allow players to learn how to deal with change and help solidify confidence in their abilities to fit in with any clubhouse. Yet, even if the players begin to learn not to change, as Ewing and Hernandez mentioned, they still know that a change of scenery is always lurking around the corner until that one day when the big league club comes calling.

"I've gotten comfortable in Columbus," admitted Velazquez, "but you never know when your time's gonna come to go up, so you always gotta be ready."

Chicago Cubs vs. Toronto Blue Jays preview, Thursday 8/6, 1:20 CT

Today’s roster move: Here

Thursday notes…

  • STREAKING, PART 1: Since they were 34-34 on June 10, the Cubs have gone 32-15. Their last 32-15 stretch was July 19-Sept. 7, 2023. They also were 32-15 from July 17-Sept. 5. They were 33-14 from July 18-Sept. 6. Their last 32-15 span before 2023 was Aug. 13-Oct. 1, 2017. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
  • STREAKING, PART 2: The Cubs will be trying for a fourth consecutive win today. Their last streak of more than three in a row was five games, June 27-July 1: two at Milwaukee, then three at home vs. the Padres. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
  • PLAYING THE CHAMPS: Today’s game will be the third time that the Cubs have played back-to-back games against the teams that met in the previous year’s World Series. In 2005, the season after the White Sox swept the Astros, the Cubs hosted the Sox on June 30-July2, then visited Houston the next three days. In both series, the Cubs lost the first two games and won the third. They outslugged the Sox, 15-11, then nipped the Astros, 1-0. In 2023, the season after the Astros beat the Phillies in six games, the Cubs lost three games at Houston on May 15-17. After a day off, they won at Philadelphia, 10-1, then lost, 12-3 and 2-1. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
  • TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: The Cubs sweep a doubleheader from the Expos at Jarry Park in Montreal, winning 6-5 in 13 innings in the opener and 1-0 in the nightcap. Rick Monday’s 13th-inning homer wins the first game. It happened 50 years ago today, Friday, Aug. 6, 1976.

Cubs lineup:

Blue Jays lineup:

David Peterson, LHP vs. Dylan Cease, RHP

David Peterson, last four starts: 1.52 ERA, 0.845 WHIP in 23.2 innings. That’ll play, even if there were a few too many walks (seven). His ground ball out percentage is very good — 35 ground ball outs of 71 total outs in those four starts.

Current members of the Blue Jays are a small sample size 8-for-36 (.222) against Peterson with no home runs.

Dylan Cease is having a very good year and in particular, had an excellent July: 1.00 ERA, 0.722 WHIP, 46 strikeouts and only 11 walks over 36 innings.

He has not faced the Cubs this year. Current Cubs are batting .198 (21-for-106) against him. Michael Conforto is 6-for-19 (.316) and Michael Busch has homered twice against him.

Here is the weather forecast for the area around Wrigley Field.

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. It’s also streaming on Peacock (outside the Cubs and Blue Jays market territories).

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Blue Jays site Bluebird Banter. If you do go there to interact with Jays fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.

You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.

The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.

You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

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Pittsburgh Penguins make big bet on Ville Koivunen despite lack of NHL production

The Pittsburgh Penguins have handed out an unusually lucrative and lengthy contract extension to a young forward who has had limited NHL production so far in his career. 

The team announced on Thursday, Aug. 6 that it had reached an eight-year contract with Ville Koivunen worth an average of $4 million per season. Koivunen was a restricted free agent. 

The 23-year-old was drafted 51st overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2021 and was acquired by the Penguins in the deal that sent Jake Guentzel to Raleigh in 2024. He had seven assists in eight games after the trade.

Last season, Koivunen scored two goals and tallied five assists for the Penguins at the NHL level and had 13 goals and 28 assists in 34 games for their Wilkes-Barre/Scranton American Hockey League affiliate. He helped the AHL Penguins reach the conference finals with four goals and five assists in 15 playoff games. 

It appears that late-season surge was enough to give general manager Kyle Dubas the confidence that Koivunen could be a significant contributor at an affordable rate for the foreseeable future. Koivunen, however, did not appear in any of the Penguins’ first-round Stanley Cup playoff games against the rival Philadelphia Flyers or score in any of his last nine NHL appearances. 

Widening the lens, Koivunen’s total minor league resume does show some promise with 35 goals and 63 assists for a total of 98 points in 109 games between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. 

Still, the urgency to make such a commitment is a bit of a head scratcher for a team that has no other players signed past 2029-30 as franchise legends Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin wind down their careers.

While Dubas has repeatedly signaled a focus beyond their immediate window to win one more championship, he will face questions about whether Koivunen has earned this bet to be a big part of both the team’s present and distant future.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pittsburgh Penguins make big bet on Ville Koivunen despite lack of NHL production

Padres vs Diamondbacks Prediction: Odds, recent stats, trends, and best bets for August 6

The Diamondbacks (61-54) poured on 10 runs in a win over the Padres (59-56) Wednesday night to go up 2-1 in the series. Thursday's matchup marks the series finale. The two teams will meet for a three game series to end the season and that could determine who makes the Wild Card and who doesn't.

Arizona is 2.0 games up on San Diego as the Diamondbacks extend their record to 6-2 over the past eight games, plus 16-7 in the previous 23. Ildemaro Vargas drove in four runs in Wednesday's win as the offense stayed hot. The Diamondbacks are hitting .281 to start August (4th) and have seven home runs (T-6th) over five games.

San Diego is 9-3 in the last 12 games and has not lost back-to-back outings since July 22-23. The Padres followed up their last two losses with wins of five and seven runs. In August, San Diego's pitching rotation has a 5.86 ERA (27th).

Let’s dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game details & how to watch Padres at Diamondbacks

  • Date: Thursday, August 6, 2026
  • Time: 9:40 PM EST
  • Site: Chase Field 
  • City: Phoenix, AZ
  • Network/Streaming: MLB TV / ESPN

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Odds for the Padres at the Diamondbacks

The latest odds as of Thursday:

  • Moneyline: San Diego Padres (-104), Arizona Diamondbacks (-104)
  • Spread: Diamondbacks +1.5 (-180), Padres -1.5 (+149)
  • Total: 9.0

Probable starting pitchers for Padres at Diamondbacks 

  • Thursday's pitching matchup (August 6): Walker Buehler vs Kohl Drake  
  • Diamondbacks: Kohl Drake

2026 stats: 13.0 IP, 0-0, 5.23 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 12 K, 5 BB

  • Padres: Walker Buehler  

2026 Stats: 104.1 IP, 6-5, 4.85 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 92 K, 44 BB

Who’s Hot? Who’s Not

  • The Diamondbacks’ Gabriel Moreno is hitting .296 with 89 hits, 8 home runs and 49 RBI over 301 at-bats
  • The Diamondbacks’ Tim Tawa is hitting .232 with 35 hits and 35 strikeouts over 151 at-bats
  • The Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. is hitting .280 with 124 hits, 9 home runs, and 50 RBI over 443 at-bats
  • The Padres’ Jake Croneworth is hitting .216 with 45 hits and 51 strikeouts over 208 at-bats

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Padres at Diamondbacks

  • San Diego is 62-53 ATS, ranking tied for fifth-best
  • Arizona is 62-53 ATS, ranking tied for fifth-best
  • San Diego is 61-53-1 to the Under, ranking eighth-best
  • Arizona is 60-49-6 to the Under, ranking sixth-best
  • San Diego is 31-25 ATS on the road, ranking fourth-best
  • Arizona is 30-24 ATS at home, ranking fourth-best

Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Padres and the Diamondbacks

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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Wednesday’s game between the Padres and the Diamondbacks:

  • Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Padres on the Moneyline.
  • Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Padres at -1.5.
  • Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Under on the Game Total of 9.0

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Game Discussion: Milwaukee Brewers (71-43) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (57-59)

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 05: Esmerlyn Valdez #55 of the Pittsburgh Pirates is out at second base as Brice Turang #2 of the Milwaukee Brewers turns a double play in the seventh inning at American Family Field on August 05, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Milwaukee Brewers are looking to lock up a series victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday afternoon at American Family Field, as trade deadline acquisition Dustin May will make the start opposite Braxton Ashcraft for Pittsburgh.

After dropping Monday’s series opener by a 4-3 final, the Crew has rattled off a pair of 4-2 wins the last two nights with some solid pitching and timely hitting. They’ll look to make it three straight victories today.

May, 28, was a third-round pick by the Dodgers back in 2016 before debuting with them in 2019. He had a few solid albeit injury-riddled seasons to begin his career before struggling mightily in 2025 between the Dodgers and Red Sox. In 2026, he agreed to a one-year deal with the Cardinals, where he pitched to a respectable 4.38 ERA, 3.14 FIP, and 106 strikeouts across 109 innings before being shipped to Milwaukee on Monday. May made two starts against Pittsburgh while with the Cardinals this season, totaling 11 1/3 innings with six runs allowed and nine strikeouts.

On the other side, Ashcraft, 26, is a former second-round pick in his second major league season. He’s been solid this season, with a 3.96 ERA, 3.52 FIP, and 140 strikeouts over 127 1/3 innings, earning an All-Star selection as the replacement for Paul Skenes. Ashcraft faced the Brewers less than a month ago in Pittsburgh, pitching five innings with five runs allowed on five hits and two walks, striking out six in a no-decision as his offense bailed him out.

In the lineup, Brice Turang, Jackson Chourio, and Garrett Mitchell fill the top third of the order. Andrew Vaughn, Christian Yelich, and Luis Lara bring up the middle, with Gary Sánchez batting seventh as the catcher. David Hamilton and Cooper Pratt round things out.

First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m. on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network.

Trying to make sense of the Penguins Ville Koivunen contract

PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 24: Ville Koivunen #41 of the Pittsburgh Penguins in action during the game against the Colorado Avalanche at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 24, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images

If you had any doubts as to whether or not the Pittsburgh Penguins believe in Ville Koivunen, you can forget about it.

At least for now.

The Penguins showed everybody on Thursday morning that they do, in fact, believe in Koivunen, at least to some degree, by signing him an eight-year, $32 million contract extension with a $4 million salary cap number per season.

It’s a stunning bet that comes with some serious sticker shock.

It’s a max-term deal for a guy that’s played less than 50 games in the NHL and has scored only two goals.

You didn’t have that on your radar today. Nobody did. It is one of those deals where I had to read the press release five times and check the social media account with intense scrutiny to make sure it was real before I commented on it. Remember back when fake Twitter accounts posting fake trades and signings were a thing? The “Perguins” acquired every player in the NHL one summer.

I thought this was the Perguins.

But, no, it was in fact the actual Pittsburgh Penguins, and it is in fact a real contract.

So let’s try to make some sense of this.

It’s a gamble. That’s it. They are gambling that Koivunen realizes his potential, becomes an NHL regular, and slots somewhere into the middle of the lineup (or higher). If he does, it would become an insanely team-friendly contract in the future under the rising cap.

A $4 million cap-hit in 2026-27 would be the equivalent to a $3.3 million contract under the $88 million cap from a couple of years ago.

Under next year’s $113 million cap it would be the equivalent of a $3.1 million deal.

Assuming the cap goes up into the $120 million range after that, and every year beyond that, the value keeps going on that same trajectory. I don’t think you’re prepared for how small a $4 million cap hit is going to be in the future.

Honestly, the dollar amount isn’t even close to the main concern. Not now, and probably not even in the future. Not only because of the cap around the league and the way it is climbing, but also because the Penguins have almost nobody signed long-term. I said this about the Tommy Novak deal as well; this team has NOBODY signed. That doesn’t mean you just throw money at anybody, but at some point you’re going to have to fill out a roster and pay somebody. Even if Koivunen busts a $4 million cap hit in six or seven years is going to be on the low end of NHL contracts.

Koivuen also doesn’t need to be a top-line player for this contract to pay for itself long-term. I honestly think everybody is setting too high of a bar for what Koivunen has to be for this to be worth it. Your brain is still instinctively working on a sub-$90 million salary cap from the past two decades.

He really just needs to be a capable middle-six player.

If he becomes anything more than that, it’s a steal.

His ability to actually become even THAT level of player, as well as the term itself, are the big parts of the gamble.

In some ways, I can kind of see why the Penguins have that level of faith in Koivunen.

There is obvious talent. He is still only 23 years old. He has been wildly productive in the American Hockey League. He is also coming off a season where he posted some of the best underlying and possession-metrics in the league. And that is not an exaggeration or hyperbole.

There were 397 forwards that played at least 450 minutes in the NHL this season.

Koivunen ranked 16th in that group in expected goal share, 25th in total shot attempt share, 11th in scoring chance share, 26th in high-danger scoring chance share and 84th in expected goals per 60 minutes.

He played a lot of sheltered minutes in terms of offensive zone starts, but he didn’t really have the highest quality linemates at times. Even so, when he was on the ice the puck was typically in the offensive zone and they were typically out-chancing their opponents.

It just never translated into actual goals. For him, or the team. And that became frustrating. But it’s also still a ridiculously small sample size.

The biggest thing I kept going back to is he always just seemed to be a half-second slow in releasing his shot. There were countless times he had himself in a good spot, but ended up having his shot blocked or deflected away because he couldn’t get it off in time. Maybe that’s a red flag for his ability to turn his AHL production into NHL production.

But there is still something to be said for being in the right spots, and in potential scoring spots.

Honestly, given that profile, his age, talent and the numbers, he is probably the exact type of player the Penguins would be looking to trade for if he played on another team. He fits that profile of a talented player with strong underlyings that simply hasn’t put everything together to produce results.

In this case the Penguins are not gambling future draft picks, they are gambling future salary cap space.

I am not sure where Koivunen slots in this season. I am not sure if there is another trade to happen that moves out a forward to open a more secure roster spot for him. I also don’t know how his career is going to develop, if he will keep posting great underlying numbers, or if it will turn into actual, tangible production. The Penguins seem to at least have some level of faith that he is going to take some sort of a step forward, if not this season, than in the seasons ahead.

Mets at Guardians, 8/6/26: McLean vs Griffin

NEW YORK, NY - JULY 30: Nolan McLean #26 of the New York Mets pitches during the game between the Miami Marlins and the New York Mets at Citi Field on Thursday, July 30, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Phebe Grosser/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

Mets lineup

Francisco Lindor – SS
Bo Bichette – 3B
Luis Robert – CF
Carson Benge – RF
Francisco Alvarez – DH
Marcus Semien – 2B
Eric Wagaman – 1B
Luis Torrens – C
Cristian Pache – LF

SP: Nolan McLean – RHP

Guardians lineup

Travis Bazzana – DH
Chase DeLauter – RF
Jose Ramirez – 3B
Nathaniel Lowe – 1B
Angel Martinez – LF
Brayan Rocchio – SS
Petey Halpin – CF
Patrick Bailey – C
Angel Genao – 2B

SP: Foster Griffin – LHP

Broadcast info

First pitch: 1:10 PM EDT
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2