New York Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin was at it again in 2025-26, finishing as a Vezina finalst for the second time in his NHL career.
Sorokin, 31, posted a 2.68 GAA and a .906 SV% with a league-leading seven shutouts in 55 games, with a 29-24-2 record. His GSAE sat at 25.3, which was the best in the NHL behind Boston Bruins' netminder Jeremy Swayman (28.8) and Washington captains netminder Logan Thompson (29.3).
He comes in at No. 4 on NHL Network's Top 10 Goalies Right Now list:
Another year, another spot on NHL Network's Top 10 Goalies Right Now list for Ilya Sorokin (@NYIslanders), coming in at #⃣4⃣!
The three goalies ahead of him are New York Islanders netminder Igor Shesterkin at No. 3, Winnipeg Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck at No. 2 and coming in at No. 1 is the goaltender who beat Sorokin out for the Vezina, Tampa Bay Lightning's starter Andrei Vasilevskiy:
Introducing NHL Network's Top 10 Goalies Right Now!
It's a debatable list and had Sorokin willed the Islanders into the playoffs -- he did all he could behind a questionable defense -- he likely finishes higher on the list, especially ahead of his Russian pal Shesterkin.
The players in this ranking do not have extensive NHL experience and are all under 23. Therefore, players such as William Villeneuve, Artur Akhtyamov and Easton Cowan, among others, won't feature in this ranking for either or both of those particular reasons.
In terms of where these players fall in the rankings, it is a mix of their ceiling and potential, as well as how they've performed in the past year with their respective clubs.
The Maple Leafs selected Nansi at the 2025 NHL draft with the 153rd overall pick in the fifth round. He is coming off his third season with the OHL's Owen Sound Attack, and his second straight campaign of featuring in all but one regular-season outing.
This past year, the 6-foot-4 right winger scored 13 goals and 56 points in 67 appearances for Owen Sound. His playmaking in 2025-26 notably excelled from the 2024-25 campaign. All he provided was 16 assists - along with seven goals for 23 points - compared to the 43 helpers he registered this past year.
It's likely that Nansi does have more in his locker than he's been able to display to this point in his junior hockey career. A lot of that has to do with the Attack, and how they haven't been one of the stronger teams in the OHL for the past little while. In fact, since Nansi debuted for the team in 2023-24 as a 16-year-old, Owen Sound have finished each year with a losing record, but made the playoffs.
This past year, the Attack finished with a 27-32-9 record, winding up sixth in the Western Conference. They ended the campaign with 63 points, which is 21 points fewer than the fifth-place team in the Western Conference, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
In each of the three playoff campaigns that Nansi featured in, Owen Sound have been swept in the first round. Nansi played in all four games of the 2024 and 2026 series, finishing without a point in those contests. In 2025 against Easton Cowan's London Knights, Nansi was able to record one assist in the two games he played.
Regardless of the team he has around him or the circumstances of the team through the years, what's important is Nansi's growth and progression, particularly the 33-point increase from 2024-25 to 2025-26, which should please the Maple Leafs' front office.
In that regard, one area that Nansi has clearly improved in is his skating. At the Maple Leafs development camp in early July, he said that was something he had worked on for quite some time.
"Especially down low, I think my skating has evolved," Nansi said. Forward, backward, it helped me a lot, being stable on the ice and being able to make plays out there."
He said that he worked all summer with Paul Matheson, who is a part of the Maple Leafs' development team as a skating coach.
This coming season will be a big one for Nansi.
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On the heels of an improbably good breakout campaign, Philadelphia Flyers goalie Dan Vladar has earned himself a nice slice of national recognition from NHL pundits around the league.
Vladar, 28, was Mr. Right for the Flyers last season, always showing up when the stakes were the highest.
The longtime Calgary Flames backup emerged as the Flyers' starting goalie in his first year in Philadelphia, going 29-14-7 in 52 appearances and 51 starts to the tune of a 2.42 GAA and .906 save percentage.
While the raw stats aren't all that impressive on their own, Vladar also finished 10th in the NHL in goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck, with 13.8.
In the playoffs, Vladar was even better, stopping 8.5 goals above expected in just 10 games. Only Montreal's Jakub Dobes (13.3) was better, and he played in nine more games for the Eastern Conference semifinalist Canadiens.
All in all, Vladar was able to parlay his stunning season into some deserved national recognition, impressively ranking as the eighth-best goalie in the entire NHL in the eyes of NHL Network producers and analysts on the heels of coming in sixth place in Vezina Trophy voting earlier in the summer.
The 6-foot-5 Czech netminder ranked ahead of Minnesota's Jesper Wallstedt and Dobes, but behind all the names you would come to expect to see on a list like this one: Jake Oettinger, Logan Thompson, Jeremy Swayman, Ilya Sorokin, Igor Shesterkin, Connor Hellebuyck, and Andrei Vasilevskiy.
The question for Vladar and the Flyers going forward is whether or not the breakout star can repeat his performance next season and in the years beyond.
Before signing with the Flyers, Vladar had recorded a save percentage greater than .898 in a season just once, and had never started in 30 or more games in a single campaign.
If Vladar can put on an encore and more in Philadelphia, though, the Flyers will have a top-10 goalie in the NHL locked down for the foreseeable future.
The Flyers tied down their newfound starting shot-stopper to a five-year, $27.5 million ($5.5 million AAV) contract extension back on July 1.
That kind of investment tells us that the Flyers certainly believe Vladar can do it again, and the national analysts and producers over at NHL Network seem to agree.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 16: Logan Henderson #43 of the Milwaukee Brewers celebrates after fielding a ball hit by Kyle Tucker #23 of the Los Angeles Dodgers and then forcing him out at first base to end the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium on August 16, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Last Week’s Results
Monday: Padres 3, Brewers 2
Tuesday: Padres 11, Brewers 2
Wednesday: Padres 4, Brewers 3
Thursday: Brewers 5, Dodgers 4
Friday: Dodgers 3, Brewers 1
Saturday: Brewers 4, Dodgers 1
Sunday: Brewers 6, Dodgers 2
Division Standings
Brewers 77-48
Cubs 72-53 (5.0 GB)
Cardinals 63-61 (13.5 GB)
Pirates 61-65 (16.5 GB)
Reds 59-64 (17.0 GB)
Last Week
Brewers: 3-4
Cubs: 3-3
Cardinals: 4-2
Pirates: 3-3
Reds: 3-3
Top Pitching Performance of the Week
If it’s one thing the Brewers will be consistent at, it’s pitching. This week, they desperately needed it as they completed the final stretch of 17 games in a row. After being swept by the Padres, which featured a pair of games where the bullpen fell apart, the pitching staff was lights out against the Dodgers. Of course, the series with the Dodgers was critical, as it will likely determine a number of playoff scenarios.
Even though there are a few different performances we could choose this week, it’s clear that there’s one that stands alone, and it was Logan Henderson’s seven-inning masterpiece to silence the Dodgers. While the headlines were about Tarik Skubal, Logan Henderson, and the trade that never was, Henderson dominated to secure the tiebreaker over the Dodgers, and helped create a nice cushion for the best record in baseball. Henderson threw seven innings of three-hit ball, allowing one run, one walk, and striking out six.
Top Hitting Performance of the Week
There’s no team more thankful than the Brewers to have finally finished up their last West Coast trip of the regular season. Furthermore, there’s no doubt that this past week featured one of the roughest showings of the offense all season. So, picking who had the best hitting performance of the week wasn’t easy, but Jake Bauers certainly eased any troubling thoughts with his four-hit performance in the series finale against the Dodgers. Bauers was the heart and soul of the offense in the series against the Dodgers, with the go-ahead hit on Thursday night to go with that four-hit day on Sunday. His double, three singles, walk, and two RBIs propelled the Brewers to a 6-2 victory.
Some honorable mentions for top hitting performances of the week:
Jackson Chourio quietly had a solid week with a pair of three-hit performances on Monday and Sunday.
William Contreras perhaps earns the biggest honorable mention of the season with his two-hit outing to snap his 0-for-20 streak, including a two-run homer.
Injury Notes & Roster Moves
Brice Turang continues to be day-to-day, as he was out of the lineup for a fourth straight game on Sunday. He hopes to return to the lineup in the series opener against the Mariners on Tuesday.
Sal Frelick is eyeing his return sometime in the near future as he recovers from a right shoulder sprain. He played four games as part of his rehab assignment in Nashville and hit a three-run home run on August 14.
Abner Uribe hit the injured list with a right forearm flexor strain and isn’t expected to be back until the end of the month. Grant Anderson was recalled from Triple-A to replace Uribe.
Cooper Pratt looks to begin a rehab assignment as soon as Tuesday, according to Pat Murphy, and we could see him return in the next couple of weeks.
Newly acquired JoJo Romero threw his second bullpen a couple of days ago and is expected to make his Brewers debut sometime in the next two weeks.
Jihwan Bae was designated for assignment on Saturday as the Brewers acquired Jonathan Ornelas for cash from the A’s. Ornelas got the start on Saturday and Sunday.
Lyon Richardson, who was designated for assignment earlier in the week, re-signed to a minor league contract and was assigned to Triple-A Nashville.
Bryse Wilson, who was also designated for assignment, refused his assignment to Triple-A Nashville before signing another contract. He’s back in Milwaukee’s bullpen.
Drew Rom, who was designated for assignment last weekend, was claimed off waivers and acquired by the A’s.
On Deck
Monday: Off Day
Tuesday: vs. Mariners (6:40 p.m.)
Wednesday: vs. Mariners (6:40 p.m.)
Thursday: vs. Mariners (1:10 p.m.)
Friday: vs. Braves (3:10 p.m.)
Saturday: vs. Braves (1:10 p.m.)
Sunday: vs. Braves (6:10 p.m.) — MLB Little League Classic in Williamsport, PA
Sunday’s we-have-Tarik-Skubal-and-you-don’t game against the Brewers — Milwaukee also sought his services but refused, reportedly, to part with winning pitcher Logan Henderson in a deal — didn’t go as planned for the Dodgers.
Skubal threw a career-high 109 pitches through six innings, gave up two runs and took the loss for the second time in three starts with the Dodgers, who were trailing 2-1 when he left the game.
Skubal is new here and it’s already a familiar story: They trailed 2-1 when he left the game after six innings in his debut and they were down 3-2 when he exited after five innings in his second start with the club.
It’s not personal. The Dodgers have scored the sixth-fewest runs (50) in baseball this month, when they’ve gone 5-10. They have an OPS of .672, which is 21st in baseball in that span.
They’re not just scuffling, they’re sleepwalking, this team that previously had a .773 OPS through the end of July.
They’re getting every team’s best shot, as they knew they would, and they’re ... shrugging.
Freddie Freeman reacts to hitting a foul ball during the ninth inning of the Dodgers' 6-2 loss to the Brewers on Sunday. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
“The results are hard,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Hitting’s hard. But I do think that fighting and winning pitches, spoiling pitches, that’s care, hunger.
“That’s the reason why you look at four and a half months in a season, the Brewers have outscored us. It’s a team that’s young and hungry. It’s certainly not talent. I say this because, this has been four, five, six weeks of below-average production from our offense. It’s the truth.”
Presumably, when the games mean more and the three-peat-dreaming Dodgers — who scored only 10 runs in four games against the Brewers, three of which they lost — will care enough to wake up.
It’s just that it’ll take more, apparently, for the Dodgers to stop hitting the snooze button and start hitting the baseball than the prospect of locking up a potential tiebreaker against the Milwaukee Brewers on a pleasant Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.
Clearly it’ll take more, too, than wanting to make a good first impression on Skubal, the two-time Cy Young-award winner and free agent-to-be.
The Dodgers acquired Skubal in an abundantly predictable bombshell trade with the Detroit Tigers in exchange for a trio of prospects, wanting to test the idiom that a ballclub can never have enough pitching.
His new colleagues haven’t done anything to make him miss his best friends on the Detroit Tigers any less, but Skubal hasn’t exactly issued a dominant first impression, either.
It hasn’t been the nightmare pairing so many predicted — at least not for opponents.
In each start, Skubal has been inefficient, he’s been searching for his command. In his 17 innings over three games in Dodger blue, he’s given up 15 hits and seven runs (six earned), 19 strikeouts and six walks.
So, yeah, we can totally table the debate about who should be the Dodgers’ first starter in the postseason: In Yoshinobu Yamamoto we trust.
But credit Skubal for gritting it out each time, keeping the Dodgers in those three games against the Chicago Cubs, the Kansas City Royals and Brewers.
On Sunday, after settling down in the third and fourth innings, he went back to work in the sixth inning, fired up — and struck out the side with the help of a 99-mph fastball and sinker.
Dodgers pitcher Tarik Skubal yells into his glove while walking off the field during the fifth inning against the Brewers on Sunday. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
“I was just frustrated with the pitch count through five,” Skubal said. “I’m glad Doc gave me an opportunity to go back out there for the sixth, just save some innings from the bullpen.
“My last outing was five. The one before that was six. That’s just, it’s not acceptable. It’s not the standard of what I think I’m capable of in this league. So, you know, I just need to be better.”
So too do the Dodgers’ big name free-agent signings from last offseason: $240-million man Kyle Tucker went 0 for 19 on the homestand and dropped a ball in right field Sunday; high-profile closer Edwin Díaz is making every save opportunity a high-wire tightrope act, blowing three opportunities in his past five appearances.
Maybe there’s a lesson there: Buyer beware?
Still, Roberts likes what he’s learned about Skubal so far.
“Wants to win; prepared; great competitor,” Roberts said. “We certainly haven’t seen his best yet, but man, it feels good every time he’s out there. It really does.
“I just still don’t think we’ve seen his best, which is a good thing for us.”
If Skubal can fight to get up off this floor — if that is what this is, the low point for both the pitcher and his new club — L.A. will love him for it.
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - AUGUST 14: Christian Encarnacion-Strand #32 of the Baltimore Orioles celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a sacrifice fly to score Tyler O'Neill #9 in the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on August 14, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
This is not a drill. As we wake up this morning, your Baltimore Orioles are currently in playoff position.
In a turn of events that would’ve been nearly impossible to believe just three days ago, the O’s have claimed a half-game lead for the third and final AL wild card spot. Yesterday, every single one of the other wild card contenders was defeated. The Rangers, who had been in possession of the third spot, lost to the Athletics. The Blue Jays lost. The Tigers lost. The Guardians lost. The Twins lost, blowing a 5-0 lead, as Dean Kremer melted down in the sixth after throwing five scoreless innings. Every one of these sub-.500 teams did their usual thing, as the staggering mediocrity of the American League has never been more apparent.
Of course, all of their competitors losing wouldn’t have made much difference if the Orioles hadn’t handled their own business. But boy, did they ever. The O’s bagged their third straight win over the Rays, and this one was an absolute beatdown, 10-2. Check out Mark Brown’s recap to soak in every glorious detail.
It was the latest incredible result in a series that has blown away the expectations of even the most optimistic Orioles fans. A mere three days ago, the O’s stumbled into Tampa Bay as a team on the brink of irrelevance. They’d just squandered a pair of opportunities to make some noise in the playoff race, losing series to two of their direct wild card opponents, the Rangers and Twins. And they were about to face a scalding hot Rays team that had the best record in the American League, the best home record in baseball, and was riding a nine-game winning streak. This could have been the series that finished off the Orioles’ 2026 playoff hopes for good.
Instead, the O’s have delivered their most impressive series performance of the season. They gutted out back-to-back, hard-fought, one-run victories in the first two games, stealing the momentum away from the Rays with quality pitching performances and a few key hits. And yesterday, the Orioles played a dominant brand of baseball that was almost unrecognizable from what we’ve seen from this team for most of the year. Their offense erupted for double-digit runs for just the eighth time in 124 games. Most impressively, for a team that has so often struggled to get timely hits, they came through in the clutch over and over again. I can’t stop being amazed by their seven-run, sixth-inning rally in which eight consecutive batters reached base after there were two outs and nobody on. A guy could get used to this.
The Orioles’ 10-game gauntlet that started last Friday, featuring two series against the Rays and one against the Yankees, is off to a sensational start. I was expecting the Orioles to go something like 3-7 during that stretch. (And technically that’s still possible, but don’t harsh my buzz, okay?) They’ve collectively stepped up their game against the toughest competition in the league, and they’re firing on all cylinders at the right time.
Not all days are going to go as perfectly as yesterday’s from here on out. It’s not often you can count on the exact combination of an Orioles win and losses for every single one of their competitors. With six teams all within 1.5 games of that third wild card spot, there’s going to be quite a bit more jostling for position before all is said and done. The only thing the Orioles can do is to keep playing good baseball and control what they can control.
The Birds have one game remaining at Tropicana Field tonight, with Tampa Bay ace Shane McClanahan coming off the IL to start the finale against the Orioles’ Brandon Young. The Rays of all teams certainly aren’t going to suffer a four-game sweep without a fight. But right now, the Orioles are playing like the kind of club that might just be able to pull it off.
Among the heroics by O’s hitters yesterday were Jackson Holliday’s left-on-left RBI single and Colton Cowser’s left-on-left two-run homer. Are the Orioles actually…good against lefties now?
The Orioles’ lineup is showing signs of life, and they’ll be getting a massive upgrade real soon. No offense, Carlos Narváez, but you, well, provide no offense.
Probably yes, sorry. That doesn’t mean we can’t have some good times along the way.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! And happy 85th birthday to Orioles Hall of Famer and eponymous barbecue master Boog Powell. The left-handed slugger bashed 303 homers in his 14-year Baltimore career, third-most in franchise history, and is one of just four Orioles to tally more than 1,000 RBIs. Powell was named the AL MVP in 1970 after hitting .297/.412/.549 with 35 homers and 114 RBIs, and was an integral part of the Birds’ World Series championships in 1966 and 1970. Enjoy your day, Boog!
Other former Orioles with Aug. 17 birthdays include left-hander Chris Waters (46) and the late righties John Buzhardt (b. 1936, d. 2008) and Vern Bickford (b. 1920, d. 1960). Bickford, a former Brooklyn Dodgers All-Star, pitched a single game for the inaugural 1954 Orioles.
On this date in 1989, Cal Ripken Jr. played his 1,208th consecutive game, passing Steve Garvey for the third longest streak in major league history. Spoiler: he ended up getting a lot further than that.
In 1999, O’s lefty Jesse Orosco broke Dennis Eckersley’s MLB record by pitching in his 1,072nd career game, retiring the one Twins batter he faced. Orosco, who ultimately pitched until he was 46 years old, finished his career with 1,252 appearances, still the most in major league history.
And in 2009, the Orioles traded Aubrey Huff to the Tigers, a prime example of addition by subtraction. Even better, the prospect they got for him, Brett Jacobson, was one of two players the O’s later traded for eventual Orioles Hall of Famer J.J. Hardy.
Random Orioles game of the day
On Aug. 17, 1958, the Orioles eked out a 2-1 win over the Washington Senators at Memorial Stadium. O’s right-hander Connie Johnson, a former Negro Leagues star, went the distance with a three-hit, one-run complete game, the 54th (and final) of his career. Johnson also helped his own cause by hitting a sacrifice fly, and Gene Woodling drove in the other O’s run with a first-inning RBI single.
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: Suspended, 0-0 in the top of the second (game will be resumed on Sept. 1st)
2B Anthony Volpe 0-1 LF Jasson Domínguez 0-1 SS Max Schuemann 0-1
Alexander Cornielle 1 IP, 0 R, 2 K
Double-A Somerset Patriots:L, 1-7 vs. New Hampshire Fisher Cats
2B Connor McGinnis 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K, throwing and fielding errors C Omar Alfonzo 1-4, 1 RBI, 2 K SS Roderick Arias 0-4, 1 K, fielding and throwing errors 3B Coby Morales 1-4 LF Jackson Castillo 0-3, 1 BB 1B Josh Moylan 0-4 DH Manuel Palencia 0-3 CF Cole Gabrielson 0-3 RF Luis Durango 1-3, 1 R, 1 SB
Rory Fox 7 IP, 5 R, 4 ER, 9 H, 1 BB, 5 K (loss) — ate it and provided seven innings, his longest outing since getting promoted at the end of July Tony Rossi 1 IP, 0 R, 2 K Kevin Stevens 0.2 IP, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K Harrison Cohen 0.1 IP, 0 R, 1 K
The Detroit Tigers failed to make up ground in the American League Central race this past weekend, getting swept by the division-leading Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park after a 7-5 loss on Sunday afternoon. All series long, the Pale Hose found ways to outscore the good guys and were able to shut down the home team’s offense when it mattered most.
Next up for the Olde English D is a trip to take on its “designated interleague rivals,” the Pittsburgh Pirates, at PNC Park starting on Monday evening. Left-hander Framber Valdez will get the start in the opener looking to get back on track after a subpar showing his last time out.
The 32-year-old had thrown two straight seven-inning quality starts before facing the Cleveland Guardians in Detroit last week. Instead of maintaining that level of play, Valdez regressed, allowing four runs on six hits (one home run) and five walks while striking out three over 5 2/3 frames, hitting a batter and throwing a wild pitch to earn his eighth loss in a 6-4 final.
For the Bucs, right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski will be making his 12th start of the season as he bounces between the starter and reliever roles. The 27-year-old has struggled immensely his last two times out — both starts — to the tune of a mind-boggling 15.19 ERA and 7.02 FIP over just 5 1/3 innings of work, allowing 12 hits (one home run) and four walks while striking out just two, earning a pair of losses in the process.
Over the course of Mlodzinski’s first 11 appearances this season — which includes nine starts and all but one lasting 4 1/3 innings or more — he posted a 3.76 ERA and 3.32 FIP stretching across 55 frames of work, allowing 58 hits (three home runs) and 20 walks while striking out 46, plus a pair of hit batters. Those numbers suggest that he is much better as a starter than his most recent appearances demonstrated, but those outings were also much earlier in the season.
Last season, the Pirates swept the Tigers at PNC Park. Here is a look at Monday’s starters’ stats as Detroit looks to buck that trend this week.
Detroit Tigers (60-64) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (61-55)
Time (ET): 7:05 p.m. Place: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania SB Nation Site:Bucs Dugout Media: ESPN, Tigers Radio Network
Game 125: LHP Framber Valdez (7-8, 4.26 ERA) vs. RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (6-5, 3.79 ERA)
Aug 16, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Alec Bohm (28) celebrates his three-run home run against the Minnesota Twins with outfielder Brandon Marsh (16) during the sixth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
A sweep on the road is great, but the Phillies haven’t played particularly well at home. They need to come home and actually start taking care of business, particularly against teams like the Marlins and Cardinals. There needs to be some distance put between them and the rest of the wild card contenders.
1909 – Walter Johnson gives up four hits in topping the A’sCharles Bender in 12 innings. The Nats win, 1 – 0, but the overwork will take its toll on the young ace. He will develop a sore arm and in his next two outings he will give up 27 hits.
1923 – After 111 games, Babe Ruth is hitting .401 with 31 homers. He’ll wind up with his highest batting average, .393. With 205 hits, a major league record 170 walks, and four times hit by pitches, Ruth will reach base a record 379 times.
1969 – The Tigers tie a club record with six homers, and Denny McLain wins his 19th, beating the A’s at Oakland, 9-4. Al Kaline homers in the 7th and 9th off relievers, but the first three Bengal homers come off starter Catfish Hunter.
1987 – Bunt single gives Milwaukee Brewers’ Paul Molitor the longest MLB hit streak of the 1980s at 39 games.
1990 – In Chicago’s 4-2 win over Texas in the second game of a doubleheader, Carlton Fisk homers off Charlie Hough to become the White Sox’s all-time home run leader (with 187) and the all-time leader in home runs by a catcher (328).
1907 – A match-up of Three Finger Brown and Christy Mathewson attracts a crowd of 20,000 at the Polo Grounds. Matty is unhittable for eight innings, with only a bunt single for the Cubs. But Chicago scores two in the 9th to tie as reliever Jack Pfiester matches Matty for the last three innings. Johnny Kling wins it, 3-2, for the Cubs in the 12th with a drive into the LF bleachers.
1915 – Lefty Rube Benton pitches a 3-2 win for Pittsburgh over Chicago, but both the Cubs and Giantsprotest the win, claiming Rube belongs to New York. A week later, National League directors agree with them, upholding his purchase by the Giants from the Reds.
1932 – The Cubs and the Braves play 19 innings, the longest game of the season, with Chicago winning 3-2. Guy Bush wins in relief. The following day he will again beat the Braves with a brief extra-inning outing.
1940 – Stan Hack‘s fourth hit of the game, a two-out single in the 13th, gives the Cubs a 6-5 win over the Pirates. Claude Passeau, the last of five Cub pitchers, is the winner.
2018 – The Cubs tie a major league record by turning seven double plays in a 1-0 win over the Pirates. Fittingly, the game ends when David Freese hits a grounder to 3B David Bote who starts the record-tying twin killing. They are the third team to achieve the feat in a nine-inning game.
1807 – Robert Fulton‘s steamboat Clermont begins its first trip up the Hudson River.
1903 – Joseph Pulitzer donates $1 million to Columbia University and begins the Pulitzer Prizes in the United States.
1946 – George Orwell publishes “Animal Farm” in the United Kingdom.
1959 – Columbia Records releases “Kind of Blue,” a studio album by American jazz trumpeter and composer Miles Davis, leading a sextet featuring saxophonist John Coltrane and pianist Bill Evans; the work is widely considered a masterpiece and is one of the most influential and best-selling albums of Davis’ long career.
1982 – First compact discs (CDs) released to the public in Germany.
1987 – Muhammad Ali is elected to “Ring” magazine’s Boxing Hall of Fame.
2008 – The US team of Michael Phelps, Aaron Peirsol, Brendan Hansen, and Jason Lezak wins the 4 x 100 m medley relay at the Beijing Olympics in a world record time of 3:29.34; Phelps’s eighth gold medal of the Games breaks Mark Spitz’s 1972 record of seven.
2025 – Bodhana Sivanandan (10) defeats grandmaster Pete Wells (60) in final round of 2025 British Chess Championships in Liverpool, England, becoming youngest female player to beat a grandmaster
MONTREAL, CANADA - APRIL 05: Timo Meier #28 of the New Jersey Devils skates during the third period against the Montréal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on April 5, 2026 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The New Jersey Devils defeated the Montréal Canadiens 3-0. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Here are your links for today:
Devils Links
“It wouldn’t be a stretch to say the Devils need more from Meier, though. The underlying metrics remain excellent, but he finished with 24 goals and 44 points last season, which doesn’t cut it for someone making $8.8 million per year. If the Devils are to rebound and make the playoffs next season, Meier will have to be a key part of it. What should fans expect from him?” [Devils on the Rush ($)]
“The New Jersey Devils have restocked their cupboard a fair amount this off-season, enjoying a well-regarded draft, accumulating future assets, and trading for the likes of Amadeus Lombardi. With that, let’s talk about the cream of the crop – the top three prospects in the system – entering the 2026-27 season.” [Infernal Access ($)]
“The New Jersey Devils come in at No. 19 on TheHockeyNews.com’s NHL off-season ranking. The Devils have a new GM and a new No. 1 goalie, but are they a Stanley Cup playoff lock?” [The Hockey News]
FWIW:
Joe Lorincz is no longer listed on the NJD website.
He was the team's Strength and Conditioning Coach since 2015-16.
“Saturday will mark one month until the maximum term for NHL contracts will drop from eight years when re-signing with a team to seven. It’s possible that the last-ever eight-year deal has already been inked, with the most recent max-term deal surprisingly going to Pittsburgh Penguins winger Ville Koivunen, who signed for a cap hit of $4 million.” [TSN]
“Which teams are heading into a cap crunch next summer? Who’s sitting pretty and under budget? How much will the game’s next big stars command on their next deals, and what might that mean for teams’ second-best scorers? With all that in mind, we’re looking at a handful of intriguing franchises — each facing different questions and approaches to salary cap management — in the year ahead, and beyond.” [Sportsnet]
“There are blockbuster trades, massive free-agent contracts and acquisitions that immediately become central to a team’s Stanley Cup aspirations. But for every major move, there are several quieter additions that could ultimately prove just as important. Some teams found value in players coming off down seasons. Others targeted specific areas of need, while a few took chances on players who could have considerably more responsibility in their new surroundings. Here are 12 under-the-radar acquisitions who could make a bigger impact than the attention they’ve received this summer:” [Sportsnet]
“What hockey game had you sitting in complete silence for 30 minutes after the fact?” [r/hockey]
Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.
In this death march of a Major League Baseball season, the term “meaningful series” can mean just about anything you want.
And as another week of quasi-important games get underway, two distinct categories – tightly bunched playoff teams collide vs. two actually good squads measure up against each other – are well in play.
A fun and relevant crosstown rivalry and a handful of key intra-divisional squabbles mark a week that probably won’t bring any clarity to a playoff quagmire that’s still six weeks from getting settled. But here’s five series worth watching this coming week:
Key matchup: Wednesday – Marlins RH Sandy Alcantara vs. Phillies RH Aaron Nola
Outlook: Just when you think the Phillies are in real trouble, they patch together enough sentient baseball to assure rational onlookers that they’ll be OK. For now, anyway. A sweep of the Twins contested between Iowa and Minnesota did the lads some good, but now here’s the Marlins, who have split 10 games with Philly this year. You know what that means: The winner of this series wins the season series – and the tiebreaker should the teams finish with the same record. And with the Marlins just three games behind the Phillies, that’s a distinct possibility. Who’da thunk that back in April?
Outlook: They call this the Crosstown Something-Or-Other, but there’s not much you need to know: North Side vs. South Side, bleacher bros vs. hard-bitten ChiSox fans. Fairly self-explanatory. A little crazy to think this could be a World Series preview, but it’s not totally far-fetched. The White Sox’s sweep of Detroit last weekend gave them a 5½-game edge in the AL Central and should they hold on to win it, a first-round bye would almost certainly come with it. The White Sox, a first-round bye. Wild times. Meanwhile, the Cubs fortified themselves nicely at the trade deadline, and no pickup might’ve been bigger than Holmes, who pitched 6⅓ innings of one-hit ball in his first start at Wrigley.
Key matchup: Wednesday – Diamondbacks RH Brandon Pfaadt vs. Red Sox LH Payton Tolle
Outlook: Probably the last team the Red Sox needed to see. Arizona comes in winners of 11 of its last 18 games, just took two of three from NL power Atlanta and is in an NL wild-card dogfight. Meanwhile, Boston seems a bit hung over from its wild 31-4 run to climb out of the cellar and into the No. 2 wild card spot. Not saying the Red Sox won’t get well. Just saying it will be difficult to do against the always pesky D-backs.
Outlook: The Orioles have been in the left-for-dead file for a few weeks now, but taking three over the weekend at Tampa Bay (they finish the four-game wraparound Monday) revived their hopes significantly. And, you guessed it, they’re now one game out of playoff position (Isn’t everybody?). Outfielder Tyler O’Neill has an .861 OPS since the All-Star break, while the rest of the lineup seemed invigorated with the move of Gunnar Henderson from leadoff to fifth. The Yankees have been wobbling but upright as they await returns of Cody Bellinger (off on a rehab assignment Thursday) and Aaron Judge (hey, at least he’s playing catch).
When: Friday-Sunday, Miller Park/Williamsport, Pa.
Key matchup: Saturday – Braves LH Martín Pérez vs. Brewers RH Jacob Misiorowski
Outlook: Take these regular season “showdowns” with a grain of salt, as we’re sure the Brewers do. They just took three of four from the Dodgers, yet realize they went 6-0 against L.A. last year only to go 0-4 against them in the NLCS. Still, it’ll be a fun matchup and always appointment viewing when The Miz makes his weekly appointment on the mound. Just a bummer the Brewers will miss Chris Sale, though they probably aren’t fretting.
Don't like your team very much this season? Just wait a week.
So it goes in the slog known as the 2026 Major League Baseball season, where nobody's really out of it and anyone can get back in it just by winning a few games.
They dealt away starter Dustin May and reliever JoJo Romero and respected outfielder Lars Nootbaar at the trade deadline and promptly won four consecutive series and eight of their past 12 games. That's lifted them above .500 and within three games of a playoff spot.
Talk about addition by, well, addition: Nootbaar's trade helped open some space for rookie Joshua Báez, who merely had the greatest debut in major league history. Phenom? He is now, it seems.
As such, the Cardinals have leaped three spots in USA TODAY Sports' power rankings, with more upward mobility in the offing. They have eight games this week, including a five-gamer against the Cincinnati Reds, against whom they've won five of eight. They head to Philadelphia next weekend, by which time they could possibly climb into playoff position with a good series against the Phillies.
Or not. Twenty-four of 30 teams are living week-to-week, and there's no telling how the road ahead may treat the Cardinals. For now, it's good living.
Just six more weeks remain in the Major League Baseball regular season, and there's still so much to be decided.
The Tampa Bay Rays, Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers seem to have their divisions well in hand, but any winning or losing streak among the rest of the playoff contenders could shake things up in a major way.
Of course, the wild-card races will be the focus of attention down the stretch, with the second and third spots in each league seemingly changing hands on a daily basis.
Here's where things stand in the American and National League playoff races as the new week gets underway.
Current MLB playoff picture
All records and stats are as of the start of play on Monday, Aug. 17.
The division winners with the two best records in each league earn byes into the division series. Currently, the top seeds are the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox in the AL, and the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL.
The third division winner in each league will have home field advantage in their division series and will host the wild-card team with the worst record. Three teams in each league qualify for wild-card playoff berths.
Note: If two or more teams tie for a division title or a wild-card spot. Ties are broken by head-to-head record first, followed by intradivision record. Beyond that, things can get complicated.
TORONTO, ON - AUGUST 16: José Caballero #72 of the New York Yankees celebrates with teammate Heliot Ramos #34 after scoring a run in the third inning during the game between the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Sunday, August 16, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Colton Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Yankees got a much-needed reprieve in their series finale against Toronto, winning an extra-inning affair on the road for the first time in ages. Ben Rice reprieved himself of his error earlier in the ninth inning that allowed the Jays to tie the game up by launching a two-run homer in the 10th, providing just enough of a cushion to survive the bottom half. They’ll enter an off day before continuing their road trip in Baltimore, needing better results than the two of three they ultimately dropped against Toronto, but the O’s have entered the conversation as a playoff “contender” (if you can call a team under .500 that) by claiming sole possession of the third Wild Card.
While we don’t have any Yankees baseball being played, we’ve got plenty to go over on the site. Jonathan starts us off with a look back at Aaron Boone’s five most memorable ejections in honor of him collecting his 50th career ejection. Kevin has a double-feature, first covering the Rivalry Roundup and then reliving some of Jorge Posada’s most iconic moments on his 56th birthday. Estevão looks into how Ryan Weathers has been able to ditch the four-seamer thanks to his sinker excelling, and later on I’ll be back to open up the mailbag for your latest questions.
Today’s Matchup:
Off-day
Questions/Prompts:
1. How badly did Ben Rice need that two-run home run yesterday?
2. How insane is it that Baltimore is currently holding a playoff spot? Will the third Wild Card race ever get unclogged from mediocrity?
