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Dixon Williams recorded an inside-the-park home run for the Emperors in their win, giving his a ridiculous stretch of six home runs in his past three games. However, it was not hitting that carried the weight on the farm. At every level the pitching showed out for Braves prospects, notably with incredible outings from Cam Caminiti and Luke Sinnard.

(60-59) Gwinnett Stripers, (54-65) Durham Bulls PPD

(53-57) Columbus Clingstones 4, (61-54) Montgomery Biscuits 10

Box Score

• John Gil, 2B: 2-5, .320/.407/.440
• Eric Hartman, LF: 1-4, .245/.393/.265
• Alex Lodise, SS: 0-3, BB, .000/.250/.000
• Owen Carey, LF: 1-4, RBI, .220/.304/.420
• Cam Caminiti, SP: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 2.51 ERA

The Double-A debut of Alex Lodise and the dominant start from Cam Caminiti is unfortunately lost to time for those not in attendance due to streaming difficulties from the Clingstones. After a hugely disappointing first half of the season Lodise got himself back on track with a torrid stretch in High-A and deservedly is getting a chance to close the season with Columbus. His first at bat didn’t got well as he was struck out quickly, but he did end up getting on base with a walk in the sixth inning. That up-the-middle combination with John Gil makes a talented team, and Gil may have taken over Lodise’s place as the hottest hitters among the top prospects in the system. Gil netted two more singles in thi game to extend his hitting streak to eight games, and he is far and away the player who has made the quickest adjustments among those that were part of the wave of movement. Gil’s swing decisions have been terrific, even a step above what he was doing in High-A, and he hasn’t yet had any major issue handling the increase in pitch quality at the level.

It’s taken just three starts and already Cam Caminiti has a breakthrough outing at Double-A. It’s unfortunate that there isn’t much to go off of in terms of breaking down exactly what made him click in this game, but even in his first two Double-A appearances Caminiti was showing signs of being ready for the level. Caminiti had some struggles with consistency, which has been somewhat of an issue for him in the early stages of his development, but showed the ability to miss the bats of even the most talented of Double-A hitters and he put together a full outing in this one. Almost all of Caminiti’s trouble came in the second inning when he walked two batters and allowed a hit over a four batter stretch, and from there the Biscuits were unable to muster any sort of success against him. The moment Caminiti left the game Montgomery started putting it on Columbus, scoring four runs in the seventh inning and then five more in the ninth inning.

Swing and Misses

Cam Caminiti – 17

Shay Schanaman – 3

(54-57) Rome Emperors 5, (52-62) Hub City Spartanburgers 4

Box Score

• Carter Beck, CF: 2-4, RBI, .500/.500/.500
• Conor Essenburg, RF: 0-2, 2 BB, .227/.460/.341
• Luis Guanipa, LF: 0-4, .200/.212/.308
• Dixon Williams, 2B: 1-3, HR, BB, 2 RBI, .235/.338/.474
• Luke Sinnard, SP: 4 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 2.73 ERA

Luke Sinnard is regaining his form as he is finally making starts down the stretch, and if he can only stay healthy he should have a ton of fun starts ahead of himself at this level. For the first couple of innings Sinnard was basically untouchable even with a few flaws in his game. His fastball was popping and sat in the low-to-mid 90’s throughout his outing, and he did a good job of elevating the pitch to keep it off of the barrel of Hub City hitters. As the game dragged he had more of a tendency to spray the pitch and miss out of the strike zone which led to a couple of walks late in the game, but even the run he allowed didn’t come on a solidly hit ball. He utilized both the slider and the curveball in this game during strikeout situations, but both had different effects. He had some sliders that slipped out glove side and did not look good at all, but for the most part when he went to that pitch with two strikes he was able to retire the batter. They tried to implement his curveball more earlier in the game, but even though he got some whiffs with the pitch and the shape and change of pace serves his arsenal well he didn’t have the best command of the pitch. Sinnard wasn’t able to consistently bury the curveball and it led to him extending at bats and not getting strikeouts efficiently, which hurt him until they made near full switch to using the slider for strikeout situations. He only had a couple of cutters early in the game that he didn’t really land. This outing was as good as Sinnard looked all season even with the command slips late in the game, but there hasn’t really been a single point at which his quality has been in question. Sinnard is too good for this level, but he really needs to finish the year on a stretch of healthy outings.

Carter Beck had two singles in his High-A debut, and looked solid patrolling center field in the limited action he had out there. Beck has been ultra-aggressive on fastballs in the zone and got both of his hits off of fastballs this game, and that’s not a bad trait at all as long as it’s paired with some discretion on other pitchers. Beck has shown the ability to spit on secondary offerings out of the zone, which is a great sign early on for a player whose profile will be driven by his on-base ability, though in this game he didn’t get many looks at non-fastballs. Beck has been impressive in the early going with his ability to make contact, though he does seem to struggle on pitches that are outside of his natural swing path. Beck is a bit stiff in his swing and with his current mechanics I expect him to only be able to produce consistent pop on the pull side, though he does have the ability to shoot line drives in all directions. He still hasn’t been challenged yet, but High-A will be a step up for him and will be more of a test of his patience once pitchers start feeding him breaking balls. Conor Essenburg looked good at the plate as he has the entire time he has been in Rome, and even the strikeout in this game I wouldn’t pin on him. Essenburg got rung up on a fastball that did not catch the corner despite the call of the umpire, and this has ben an incredible run for him. He has 13 walks in a five game streak with walks, and I’m honestly anxious to see him swing more and actually face more breaking balls. He has been ahead in the count so often he isn’t really being challenged much. We’ll skip over the Luis Guanipa at bats other than to say they were mostly ugly, which is unfortunate because I felt he looked better late last week. He did have a singular at bat when he got a third look at the same pitcher and was able to adjust to and handle his slider, and even if it ended in a fly out I liked the process behind his approach that time up. Dixon Williams had a home run for a third straight game, though this one wasn’t as happy an affair as his recent work. Williams hit the ball hard on the pull side, and the defender made a great play to track the ball down but crashed into the wall. Upon hitting the wall he lost the ball and stayed down on the track, giving Williams time to come around for an inside-the-park home run. You absolutely can’t take away that Williams smoked that ball, and fortunately the right fielder was able to get up and walk off of the field under his own power though he seemed shaky.

Swing and Misses 

Luke Sinnard – 12

Jacob Kroeger – 4

Tanner Bauman – 4

(61-52) Augusta GreenJackets 5, (56-57) Columbia Fireflies 3

Box Score

• Manuel Campos, SS: 2-3, HR, BB, .167/.211/.306
• Parker Brosius, RF: 0-3, .273/.390/.485
• Derek Vartanian, SP: 7 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 4.12 ERA

(62-52) Augusta GreenJackets 3, (56-58) Columbia Fireflies 0

Box Score

• Juan Mateo, SS: 1-3, 2B, .255/.332/.358
• Parker Brosius, RF: 1-2, 3B, BB, RBI, .273/.390/.485
• Daniel Brooks, SP: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K, 0.65 ERA

The GreenJackets got Manuel Campos back from the injured list and he immediately had the best game he has had this season at any level. Prior to hitting the injured list Campos was really struggling at the plate, but he looked absolutely terrific in the first game of the double header. He started by slicing a single the other way, then in the third inning mashed a low fly ball out to right field for a home run. He drew a four pitch walk the next time up and ended his day with a solidly hit fly ball to give him three well-hit balls this game. Campos has struggled and the approach is worth questioning, but he is a young player that clearly has enough pop in his bat to be a legit big leaguer and has plenty of room to add strength to his frame without needing to move out of the middle infield. Campos has a good swing, smooth and quick with the athleticism to make adjustments where needed, though he is a low ball hitter and probably always will be without major swing changes. It’s nice to see him finally look good enough at the plate to feel like we’re seeing the best of him. The pitching staff also brought it in both halves of the double header. It’s been awhile since Derek Vartanian really put together a complete outing, and it wasn’t entirely clear he was going to do so early on. He cruised through the first inning but he could not buy an out in the second. Vartanian allowed some solidly hit singles on pitches left a bit too far over the play, but also had a potential inning-ending double play dropped by the third baseman on what should have been a routine turn along with some soft contact that found a gap in the defense. Vartanian has struggled at times this season to avoid runaway innings and he couldn’t keep this inning from getting out of hand, but he was magnificent the whole rest of the way. The game could have spiraled further in the second with two runners on and no outs with three already in, but Vartanian closed out the inning with no further damage. Vartanian kept that momentum rolling and ended his day by retiring 18 straight hitters. In the eighth inning Lewis Sifontes broke the streak by issuing a walk, but got a huge strikeout of the second batter of the inning and was able to prevent Columbia from scoring and close out the comeback win.

Daniel Brooks may just deserve a full time starting role at this point, because even with the increase in workload this month he has only continued to set an already lofty ball even higher. Brooks struck out the first batter he faced in the game and that was a preview of what was to come as he cruised to a career-high 10 strikeouts and never really blinked. The carry on Brooks’s fastball is as explosive as I’ve seen a pitch look even if the velocity is below average, and mixed with a hammer slider hitters at this level just have no chance. Brooks finished the day off with three consecutive swinging strikeouts all on sliders, and it only took him 58 pitches. He pounded the zone all game and the Fireflies had absolutely zero chance against him, but that’s been the story of the entire league this season. Augusta put up a run on a sacrifice fly in the first inning, and given how well Brooks pitched that was all they needed. Parker Brosius added on with his lone hit of the double header in the third inning, though it was a huge swing. Brosius officially has an RBI triple, but that was 100% a two-run home run to the opposite field that hit off of the fence above the wall that counts as a home run at this park. In the end Brosius would score on a sacrifice fly so it all turned out the same, and the GreenJackets need for hitting is really the only thing even driving Brosius being in Single-A. Brosius has had quite a lot of strikeouts so far but he’s not swinging and missing enough to sustain a near 30% K mark, and given his age and how well he has hit the ball he has nothing to really prove at Augusta.

Swing and Misses

Daniel Brooks – 17

Derek Vartanian – 13

Logan Forsythe – 3

Lewis Sifontes – 2

Worcester: L, 1-5 (BOX SCORE)

The WooSox got just two hits on the first night in Syracuse (Mets AAA) and did not draw a walk, with a rehabbing Trevor Story going hitless. Only Romy Gonzalez and Allan Castro notched base hits, and that happened in back-to-back at bats where Romy would score. It’s tough to win baseball games with that offensive output, but the dreadful part is they probably could have with how serviceable the pitching was. And let’s not put makeup on a pig here: the WooSox staff is suffering from supplementing the Red Sox’s sudden lack of depth (maybe the other way around, too, as the Major League club has used a slew of mop up guys from the Triple-A club as of late…) and any other viable option for a promotion was dealt in the Adley Rutschman trade, as Rutschman starts to emerge as an offensive positive point. But Jedixson Paez going four (solid) innings had the WooSox marching out Patrick Halligan for three innigs in relief and veteran John Brebbia immediately after him. They pitched great, and maybe this just wasn’t a winnable game. But this is still a peculiar place for a team’s pitching depth to be in just a month after the trade deadline, despite Craig Breslow making several good moves for more offense.

Portland: W, 7-5 (BOX SCORE)

The biggest headline of the farm on Tuesday was the Sea Dogs starting a promoted Justin Gonzales, who’s still just 19, and Roman Anthony, who’s back after a lengthy finger injury, and placing them 1-2 in the batting order. This would come back to benefit the Sea Dogs in spades as they beat the Fightin Phils (Phillies AA) by two runs, thanks to Roman Anthony’s absolute mammoth shot that could have ended up in Presque Isle or Old Orchard Beach, whichever locale you prefer. Anthony also got on base in his other three plate appearances via a single and two walks.

Gonzalez looked pretty good too, going 2-for-5. A struggling Henry Godbout even got his first home run since his promotion to Double-A, and Brooks Brannon and Yoelin Cespedes both chipped in doubles (Cespedes’ first since being promoted.) This battering of the Reading pitcher allowed Dalton Rogers the flexibility to pitch into the sixth inning and strike out eight. I know Anthony’s presence on the Portland squad is not going to be long-lived and he’ll be back up at Fenway shortly, but even without him, Portland is about to be an exciting team to watch for the last month of 2026 and starting 2027.

Greenville: L, 4-7 (BOX SCORE)

While Greenville was not afforded particularly good pitching Tuesday facing the Dash (White Sox High-A), the Tar Heel duo from this year’s draft, Jake Schaffner and Owen Hull, reached base six combined times (three a piece) and the team had ten hits. However, it did take until the seventh inning for Greenville to drum up some runs, and by then, they were fighting an uphill battle, a 7-0 battle, to be exact.

Salem: W, 21-4 (BOX SCORE)

No, my keyboard didn’t accidentally hit the 2 instead of the 1 twice. The RidgeYaks put up 21 runs on the Warbirds (Brewers A) on 23 hits and 8 walks on the night where Wilson’s Major League club put up 22 runs of their own. They had all of this offense by the end of the fifth, benefitting from eleven hits with runners in scoring position. The scary part is, this game could have been even more lopsided had Salem not stranded eleven. I’d like to insert cliche saying about saving some runs for the next night here, but you get the point. Franklin Primera drove in seven runs including a home run, and Starlyn Nunez had 5 RBI’s including a home run of his own. The Salem pitching held the ball in the park for the entire game, which is impressive given that from Salem’s side of the box score, you’d think the game was played on the moon.

A recent business trip took me to San Diego for a few days, and I was able to squeeze in several baseball experiences.

First, we got a look at the site of old Lane Field, which is on the waterfront west of downtown. There’s nothing left of the old ballpark, which was home to the Pacific Coast League’s San Diego Padres from 1936 to 1957. There’s a marker where home plate once stood, as well as markings where the batter’s boxes were. The old ballfield is now a city park, and there are some hotels and other business buildings situated in what used to be right field. Lane was an oddly shaped park, 329 to left, 330 to right and 426 to dead center. It’s also the park where Ted Williams got his start, and in October of 1945, Jackie Robinson worked out for scouts from the Brooklyn Dodgers. You must use your imagination to picture the old park wedged into this space, back in a time when San Diego was a much smaller city.

The second baseball item was hearing a motivational talk by Jesse Cole, the founder of the Savannah Bananas. It was an energetic and moving speech as Cole talked about the sacrifices and risks he took to establish the Bananas. To call Cole energetic is a disservice. The guy has enough juice to power a couple of city blocks. Cole knows how to work a crowd as well as any entertainer or politician I’ve ever seen. His story about his relationship with former player Reggie Smith is one of the most heartwarming stories I’ve heard, and just another reason why we love this game so much.

In short, when Cole was a youngster, his parents divorced, which caused the already shy kid to become even more withdrawn. In an effort to pull him out of his shell, Cole’s father arranged for him to try out for a Red Sox bat boy job for a game. A withdrawn Cole sat in the Red Sox dugout, too afraid to move, when Smith noticed the youngster and spent over 20 minutes chatting with him. Cole showed a picture of the two together taken that day, then another taken recently. When Cole received an award from the Baseball Hall of Fame, who introduced him? Reggie Smith, of course. Very heartwarming stuff.

This made me think more about Smith, an outstanding player known as “the other Reggie.” More about Smith in a future story. It was the interaction with Smith that convinced Cole he wanted to become a major league ballplayer. His first stop was T-ball, where he could hear his father shouting, “Swing hard in case you hit it!”

That has become Cole’s business mantra: Swing hard in case you hit it. A few days later, Cardinal rookie Joshua Baez hit home runs in his first three at-bats, including one on the first pitch he saw. That brings up another story I once heard. I may have some of the characters wrong, so forgive me. A rookie’s father said the same thing to his son: “You only see one first pitch in the majors. Swing hard at it.”

The rookie did and also hit a home run.

Cole ended the speech by talking about Bananas Foster, the foundation that provides financial and educational support for foster children. If you’re looking for places to donate this year, take a look at Bananas Foster.

The third leg of this baseball journey was my wife and I taking in an excellent game between the Padres and the Milwaukee Brewers, two teams the Royals would be wise to emulate. I used to be a critic of Padres GM A.J. Preller, but no more. Love him or hate him, he works his tail off to keep the Padres competitive with the Dodgers, no easy task.

Over 40,000 Padres and Brewers fans packed the ballpark for a Monday night game. As I watched it unfold — two playoff teams, downtown stadium, high-energy scene — I thought, “Kansas City could have this if they play their cards right.”

The game gave me a chance to see one future Hall of Famer, Manny Machado, and another who is probably on the outside looking in: Christian Yelich. Both players are showing their age, though Machado is still stroking some home runs and his glove work remains as good as ever. Machado is currently at about 63 WAR and closing in on 400 career home runs. And Padre fans love the guy.

Casey Mize, a trade deadline acquisition, got the start for San Diego and did his job, only giving up two runs in six efficient innings of work.

Those two runs came off the bat of former MVP Yelich, who cranked an opposite-field home run in the second. People have talked about Mize being an offseason target for the Royals. He’d be an excellent addition, but I’d be surprised if San Diego lets him get away.

Down 2-0, the Padres answered back in the bottom of the inning when the Royals’ daddy, Ty France, smoked one into the left-field seats. France’s ball never got more than 15 feet off the ground. There’s something impressive about seeing a line-drive home run that’s absolutely ripped.

The score stayed 2-1 until the bottom of the seventh, when France hit a one-out single. Jackson Merrill, who has been blistering the ball since the All-Star break, blasted one 435 feet to dead center to put the Pads up 3-2 and send the locals into fits of hysteria.

One thing about San Diego fans: They dig their baseball.

Same for Brewer fans. I saw dozens of fans sporting Brewer garb and spoke to a couple that was spending their summer following the Brewers around the country, Grateful Dead groupie style. You gotta love baseball, right?

Once San Diego had the lead, they channeled the 2015 Kansas City Royals blueprint. First out of the pen was Yuki Matsui, a diminutive lefty who retired the side on 15 pitches.

The eighth belonged to Adrian Morejon, and wow, this guy was impressive. He hit 100 on the radar and rolled through the Brewers with just eight pitches.

The ninth, of course, went to Mason Miller. With Korn’s song “Blind” blaring, the stadium lights flashing and “The Reaper” on the scoreboard, Miller walks to the mound. Padre fans are absolutely losing their minds, and Miller didn’t disappoint, hitting 102 on the gun. He struggled a bit with his control, needing 19 pitches to get just two outs. You read that right, a two-out save.

Miller walked William Contreras with two outs, bringing the dangerous Yelich to the plate. Brandon Lockridge ran for Contreras, and with the count 1-1 on Yelich, broke for second.

Former friend Freddie Fermin gunned down Lockridge to end the game.

It was great to see Freddie playing again. He’s had a bit of a tough year, hitting in the .190s for most of the season, but on this night, he had a double and threw out two would-be base stealers. And the locals love him.

The game was clean, with neither team recording an error, and the only miscues were the Brew Crew running themselves out of two innings (and the game) with caught stealing. I had to check my scorecard to make sure it wasn’t the Royals on the field.

Royals brass would be well served by spending a week in San Diego taking notes on how the Padres do it. The concourses were packed prior to the game, but foot traffic before and after the game flowed easily. San Diego’s train system is as good as any in the nation, and that’s one area of concern for the Royals’ new stadium. Will Kansas City’s cutesy tourist rail system be able to handle game traffic without snarling pedestrian or motorist flow? I have my doubts.

Petco opened for business in 2004, and that blew me away. I would have never guessed the park was 22 years old. I spent one morning walking around the construction site in the summer of 2002. The stadium was just a hole in the ground with some beams being erected at the time. There was a chain-link fence surrounding the construction site. That part of town, just south of the Gaslamp Quarter, was kind of rough in those days. It’s since been transformed, with shops, bars, restaurants and multiple condo buildings taking root around the ballpark.

The visit got me excited for downtown baseball in Kansas City. I will miss the K. We all will. The K is a very special place and holds some great memories for most of us.

Downtown baseball is a different animal, and Kansas City needs to do this right. It won’t be an easy job for John Sherman and company. There will be community and political classes to satisfy. They must build a memorable stadium, one that’s better than the one we already have.

The city must get the infrastructure to work. And the biggest thing is the Royals must put a good product on the field. Nothing will kill downtown momentum like watching a rudderless team on its way to 100 losses. It’ll be an interesting few years as this develops.

It was a night of close games and late comebacks across the Phillies system last night. Some were successful in overcoming deficits and snatching victory while the valiant efforts of others fell short.

Lehigh Valley 5, Buffalo 1

It was a good night for Iron Pigs pitching, as they combined to allow one run on seven hits. Chuck King was most responsible, as the righty went six shutout innings and allowed just three hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Rafael Marchán started at catcher and went 0-4 with a walk and a strikeout as he works his way back to the Phillies on a rehab assignment. Kameron Misner launched a two-run homer in the fifth that put Lehigh Valley up 3-0. It was the 17th long ball of the year for the recent trade acquisition.

Reading 5, Portland 7

The Fightin’ Phils had two late rallies, but neither was enough to fully erase a 5-0 deficit. Luke Rosso started the game and was charged with five runs over five innings, including surrendering a home run to the rehabbing Roman Anthony. Raylin Heredia of Reading went 3-5 with a two-run homer and a two-run single, with the latter coming in the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate. But Alex Binelas lined out to center to end the potential comeback.

Clearwater 8, Dunedin 4

A huge five-run eighth inning lifted the Threshers to victory, erasing a 4-3 deficit. The damage primarily came from back-to-back home runs from Nolan Beltran and Will Vierling, with the former giving Clearwater the lead. They totaled six hits in the inning, four of which were for extra bases. One player that wasn’t involved in the offense however was second round pick Caden Bogenpohl, as the big outfielder went 0-5 with a strikeout.

Jersey Shore 5, Hudson Valley 10

The Blue Claws found themselves in a tight, seesaw contest that went into extra innings. However, they came up short after a wild pitch and a fielder’s choice allowed the Renegades to take the lead in the tenth off of Gabe Craig before they exploded for four more runs. Jersey Shore had a golden opportunity in the ninth, as Griffin Burkholder reached second base on an error as the winning run with no outs, but the next two hitters struck out before Robert Phelps lined out to send the game to extras where the Blue Claws went down quietly.

DSL Phillies 6, DSL Tigers 11

A five run fifth inning wasn’t enough for the DSL Phillies to hold off the Tigers, as the latter erased a 6-4 deficit in the sixth with a seven-run inning that included two home runs and a grand slam. Filippo Sabatini was charged with five of those seven runs and was saddled with the loss. Offensively, right fielder Elian Adames had a nice day with two hits including a double and two RBIs. Star prospect Francisco Renteria did not appear in the game, as it was the final on the schedule for the DSL regular season, but the Phillies had already clinched a berth to the playoffs by winning the DSL East title. The playoffs will begin on Thursday.

Carlos Rodón looked about as good as you could have expected in his first big league game back from an almost two-month injury absence, limiting the Orioles to a run on two hits and two walks in four innings. Trent Grisham continued his recent red-hot streak with a homer and a two-run single to drive in all three of the Yankees runs as they took the opener in Baltimore, 3-1, to become the second team in the AL to 70 wins.

It was a much-needed win to gain ground on the Rays and maintain their narrow cushion ahead of the Red Sox, so let’s see how those games as well as others around the AL transpired. This roundup does not include the still-departed Mariners, who suffered a 22-0 annihilation at the hands of the Brewers. (Remember when the M’s were a couple innings shy of their first World Series last year? Goodness.)

Toronto Blue Jays (62-65) 10, Tampa Bay Rays (75-50) 5

Nick Martinez has been a revelation for the Rays after signing a one-year deal in the offseason, but the Blue Jays handed him his worst start of the season — six runs on nine hits and two walks in just 3.2 innings. His opposing starter, Trade Deadline acquisition José Soriano, also got tagged for nine hits but managed to bend without breaking as he allowed three runs in 5.2 innings.

All six of the runs against Martinez came before the Rays managed a response, starting with a pair in the first as Alejandro Kirk doubled, George Springer singled him home, and Jesús Sánchez drove in Springer with a double, all with two outs. Kirk struck again with a two run homer in the third after Nathan Lukes drew a leadoff walk. Then in the fourth, Ernie Clement, Brett Bateman, and Kirk all singled, Kirk’s plating Clement for his third RBI before a wild pitch also allowed Bateman to score.

Tampa Bay cut that six-run deficit in half in the bottom of the fourth. Yandy Díaz, Ryan Vilade, and Cedric Mullins all singled to load the bases. A wild pitch brought home their first run and a Taylor Walls single plated a further pair. However, Toronto kept the pressure on in the fifth, Kazuma Okamoto leading off with a booming home run to set a new Blue Jays rookie record with 25 so far on the year. Clement then singled, advanced to second on a sac bunt, and scored on a Bateman single.

The Blue Jays pushed into double-digits in the seventh, Clement reaching on his third single of the game before Josh Smith left the yard with a two-run blast. Now trailing by seven, Tampa managed a pair of consolation runs in the eighth. Díaz, Liam Hicks, and Vilade opened the frame with three straight singles to load the bases, Mullins and Richie Palacios then lifting consecutive sacrifice flies. It certainly wasn’t a good day for the pitchers, the two teams combining for 30 hits. With the loss and the Yankees’ win, Tampa’s lead in the division was reduced to five games.

As for the Jays, they’re half a game back in the ever-bizarre Wild Card mix, which is so packed that the O’s went from holding a playoff spot to trailing three other teams and tied with the also-losing Tigers thanks to just one shaky inning. The Rangers’ Cal Quantrill-aided 5-0 shutout win over the Nationals has them at least temporarily in the pole position.

Other Games

Chicago Cubs (74-53) 4, Chicago White Sox (65-60) 3

Pete Crow-Armstrong left the yard in consecutive ABs, following his walk-off blast Monday night with a leadoff homer tonight, Michael Busch following with a solo shot of his own to spot the Cubs a two-run first inning lead. The White Sox responded with three unanswered, one each in the second, third, and fourth. Drew Romo got the Southsiders on the board with an RBI single, Munetaka Murakami led off the third with an absolute tank, and Tristan Peters gave them the lead with an RBI double the next inning.

Alex Bregman leveled the score at three apiece with an RBI single in the seventh, and that would not be his only clutch hit on the night. After an almost one hour rain delay interrupted the eighth inning, Carson Kelly led off the bottom of the ninth with a double, PCA was issued an intentional walk, and Bregman called game with a line drive single to center as the Cubs walked off their crosstown rivals on consecutive nights. Still, the Pale Hose are four games ahead of Minnesota in the AL Central.

Cleveland Guardians (61-65) 8, San Francisco Giants (51-74) 1

In his third start for Cleveland after joining from the Nationals at the deadline, Foster Griffin held the Giants to a run on five hits in six innings, the only damage a Bryce Eldridge solo shot in the second. However, the story of this game was their other big deadline acquisition, Jo Adell. He demolished a 455-foot, three-run homer in the first, drove another pair in with a single in the second, and plated his sixth run in the fourth with another single. Cleveland scored their final two runs on RBI groundouts by Angel Martínez and Patrick Bailey, both times with the bases loaded.

It should be noted that Cleveland remains a half-game back of the division rival Twins in both the AL Central and Wild Card races, as Minnesota won in Atlanta last night 4-1 behind a two-run Josh Bell homer and a double by Ryan Jeffers that also plated a pair. Neither Cleveland nor Minnesota are currently in a playoff spot, however.

Boston Red Sox (68-58) 9, Arizona Diamondbacks (66-61) 4

This game looked like it could be a wild back and forth affair, but only Boston could sustain pressure throughout the entire contest. Deadline blockbuster addition Adley Rutschman kicked things off with a two-run single with the bases loaded in the first, Caleb Durbin driving in the third run of the frame with a sac fly. However, Arizona responded by loading the bases themselves in the third to set up a monster grand slam by Gabriel Moreno to momentarily grab the lead, 4-3.

From there, the Red Sox scored six unanswered runs. Rutschman clubbed a no-doubter solo home run in the bottom of the third (his first with Boston) and Durbin manufactured the second run of the frame with a single, advance, stolen base, and scamper home on a wild pitch. Andruw Monasterio added an RBI single in the fifth, Mickey Gasper led off the sixth with a home run with Willson Contreras chipping in an RBI single later in the frame, and Gasper drove in Boston’s ninth and final run with an RBI single in the seventh.

Los Angeles Angels (50-76) 8, Houston Astros (63-63) 1

Angels rookie George Klassen authored by far the best start of his young career in just his fifth big league outing, tossing seven scoreless allowing just one hit and three walks against seven strikeouts. Houston managed just three hits on the day, their only run coming via a Cam Smith solo homer in the eighth. Los Angeles meanwhile scored one each in the third, fourth, and fifth. Nolan Schanuel opened the scoring with an RBI single, Josh Lowe hit one into the Crawford Boxes for a solo shot in the fourth, and Zach Neto smacked an RBI double an inning later. The aforementioned Rangers win over the Nats thus pushed the unassuming club to just one game behind the .500 Astros in the AL West.

Good morning friends. The Mariners dropped a stinker of all stinkers last night, with a 22-0 blowout loss at the hands of the Brewers. If you’re brave enough to watch the next adventure of this runaway train, first pitch is slated for 4:40pm PT.

In Mariners news…

• The Mariners are inviting fans to leave a farewell message for broadcaster Rick Rizzs in what they’re calling the “Holy Smokes” Hotline.
• The Lookout Landing staff discussed the possible ramifications of the Mariners not making the playoffs this year.
• Nathan Graham at Baseball Prospectus led off his weekly “The Heat Check” column by celebrating a scorching-hot week for Lazaro Montes in Tacoma. ($)

Around the league…

• Diamondbacks infielder Ketel Marte no-showed the team on their road trip to Boston. Apparently, he was in Phoenix getting his knee tested — though nobody (including the coaches) knew about it.
• Veteran infielder Trey Mancini announced his retirement from baseball.
• The Dodgers placed right-hander Edwin Díaz on the injured list with neck inflammation.
• Athletics outfielder Tyler Soderstrom will undergo hip surgery on Friday, taking him out of action for the rest of the season.
• Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet is hoping to be back with the club this year — though it would be in a bullpen role.
• San Diego Padres minor league catching coordinator Oswaldo Pirela was detained by ICE in Texas.
• It turns out Nationals infielder CJ Abrams is not pleased with the team shifting him to second base.
• Jeff Passan and Joey Votto at ESPN broke down lost footage of Ted Williams talking about the art of hitting and discussed how his insights translate to the modern game.
• Jay Jaffe at Fangraphs honored the legacy of Tommy John.

Anders’ picks…

• Your mileage may vary on this one, but I found it amusing (NSFW)

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After exploding for 15 runs last night, offense will be tough to find in Game 2 as part of my Blue Jays vs. Rays prediction.

Yes, the Toronto Blue Jays, who come into this one as +175 underdogs at BET99, will be in tough against Tampa Bay Rays ace Drew Rasmussen, but they should do enough to keep it close as they continue their tear toward the postseason.

Let’s dive into my MLB picks for Wednesday, Aug. 19, and cash another same-game parlay, shall we?

Blue Jays vs Rays predictions

Blue Jays vs Rays best bet: Under 8 (-120)

We all know Tampa Bay Rays ace Drew Rasmussen, but it's actually Max Scherzer of the Toronto Blue Jays who ultimately led me to hit this button.

After struggling to begin the season, Scherzer has found his footing over his last three starts, allowing just four earned runs in 16 1/3 innings.

He continues to shine while the Jays battle for the final Wild Card, and his chase rate has actually been elite, leaving hitters guessing at a 34% clip. He should do enough to limit the Rays' potent offense and keep us under the number here.

Rasmussen has pitched at a Cy Young level this season and has coughed up just two runs across his last 25 innings. Scary stuff if you're a Blue Jays fan.

Toronto will have to earn it today, as Rasmussen's 4.5% walk rate is the lowest of his career and puts him in the 98th percentile among pitchers. This is shaping up to be a pitcher's duel.

I'd play this up to -130.

COVERS INTEL: Can Alejandro Kirk be stopped? He's registered 12 hits, two homers, and seven RBI during his seven-game hit streak, and has some of the best numbers against Rasmussen in this lineup, owning a .278 xBA.

Blue Jays vs Rays same-game parlay (SGP)

You know my reasoning behind this potential pitcher's duel, but Kirk has been arguably the hottest hitter in baseball over the last couple of weeks — he sees a strong matchup for him tonight, too.

Rasmussen throws his sinker 22% of the time, a pitch Kirk loves to see, owning a .275 xBA and 42% hard-hit rate against it. With a low-scoring game on deck, I'll take the Jays to keep this one close as they aim for their seventh straight series win.

We cashed last night, so let's do it again.

Blue Jays vs Rays SGP

• Under 8
• Alejandro Kirk 2+ hits + runs + RBI
• Blue Jays +1.5

Blue Jays vs Rays home run pick: Kazuma Okamoto (+550)

Can Kazuma Okamoto stay hot? He's coming off a bomb last night, which set a new Blue Jays rookie home run record with his 25th of the season, breaking a tie with Eric Hinske. He's hit one of those against Rasmussen, against whom he owns a .544 xSLG. If we're looking for edges in this specific matchup, I'll run with Okamoto at this price.

Blue Jays vs Rays odds

• Moneyline: Toronto (+175) | Tampa Bay (-215)
• Run line: Toronto +1.5 (-120) | Tampa Bay -1.5 (+100)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-110)  | Under 7.5 (-110)

Blue Jays vs Rays trend

The Under is 4-1 in the Blue Jays' last five games vs. the American League East. Find more MLB betting trends for Blue Jays vs. Rays.

How to watch Blue Jays vs Rays and game info

Blue Jays vs Rays latest injuries

Blue Jays vs Rays weather

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Hump day means all-day baseball, with action starting just before 1 p.m. ET and the last game kicking off at 8:40 p.m.

Our MLB expert picks for Wednesday, Aug. 19, highlight an Under and three moneyline predictions, including an underdog Los Angeles Angels squad in a prime matchup against a Houston Astros pitcher making his big-league debut.

Dig in with today's MLB picks below.

MLB expert picks for today

Pick	Odds
Josh Inglis: SEA ML	+113
Jon Metler: NYY ML	-117
Dustin Saracini: TOR/TB u7.5	-113
Joe Osborne: LAA ML	+144

Prices courtesy of Polymarket.

Josh Inglis' expert pick: Mariners moneyline

Price: 47¢ (+113) at Polymarket

The Seattle Mariners are listed as 47% underdogs today, and that likely isn't pricing in one of the best motivating factors in professional sports: the humiliation factor.

The Mariners are trading at 47 cents after getting crushed 22-0 by the Milwaukee Brewers last night, tying the modern MLB record for the largest shutout margin.

The Mariners had to watch Gary Sanchez, Milwaukee's catcher, finish the game on the mound, which is about as big an insult as you can get in baseball. Professional players have pride, and when that's taken away, you can get the most motivated version of a team.

Seattle also has the pitching edge with Logan Gilbert facing Dustin May. Seattle's "A" bullpen also hasn't been touched since Sunday, giving it a significant late-game advantage.

With the Mariners three games back in the Wild Card and coming off that humiliating defeat, this should be one of the most focused and motivated lineups we've seen from Seattle all year.

That's worth an extra 10-15 points that isn't priced in.

• Time: 7:40 p.m. ET
• How to watch: Mariners.TV, Brewers.TV

Jon Metler's expert pick: Yankees moneyline

Price: 54¢ (-117) at Polymarket

Baltimore Orioles right-hander Chris Bassitt throws a deep arsenal, but few pitches are working in his favor this season. 

His sweeper has been the exception, serving as one of his best strikeout and put-away pitches with a +1 run value. Unfortunately for Bassitt, this is a difficult matchup for that pitch against a New York Yankees lineup that could feature as many as seven left-handed hitters.

The sweeper breaks into the barrels of left-handed bats, which could neutralize one of Bassitt's best weapons for putting away hitters.

The matchup gets even tougher at Camden Yards, where the dimensions favor left-handed power to right field more than right-handed power to left.

The Yankees are trading at 54 cents on Polymarket, but I make them closer to a 57-cent favorite. That's enough of an edge for me to hit the button.

• Time: 6:35 p.m. ET
• How to watch: Amazon Prime Video, MASN

Dustin Saracini's expert pick: Blue Jays vs. Rays Under 7.5

Price: 53¢ (-113) at Polymarket

After struggling to begin the season, Max Scherzer has found his footing over his last three starts, allowing just four earned runs in 16 1/3 innings.

He continues to shine while the Toronto Blue Jays battle for the final Wild Card, and his chase rate has actually been elite, leaving hitters guessing at a 34% clip. He should do enough to limit the Tampa Bay Rays' potent offense and keep us under the number here.

Drew Rasmussen has pitched at a Cy Young level this season, coughing up just two runs over his last 25 frames. Scary stuff if you're a Blue Jays fan.

Toronto will have to earn it, too, as Rasmussen's 4.5% walk rate is the lowest of his career and puts him in the 98th percentile among pitchers. Runs will be tough to come by in this pitcher's duel.

Check out Dustin's full Blue Jays vs. Rays predictions.

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• How to watch: Sportsnet, Rays.TV

Joe Osborne's expert pick: Angels moneyline

Price: 41¢ (+144) at Polymarket

The Los Angeles Angels are worth backing to pull off the upset tonight with Walbert Urena on the mound.

Urena has faced the Houston Astros four times this season and has been fantastic, posting a 0.71 ERA across those appearances.

The Astros will counter with Ethan Pecko, who makes his MLB debut after posting an unimpressive 4.57 ERA in 20 minor-league appearances. Those numbers won’t blow anyone away, and he walked five batters in his most recent Triple-A start.

Los Angeles also has a bullpen capable of protecting a lead, ranking inside the top seven in both ERA and FIP over the past week. That strong relief work has helped the Angels go 5-2 during that stretch.

• Time: 8:10 p.m. ET
• How to watch: ABTV, SCHN

More MLB best bets for today

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.

We have checked in regularly on the woes that plague the Cincinnati Reds, owners of the worst record in the National League Central. Namely, we have checked in regularly on just how absymal their ability to score runs has been all season long, and last night’s shutout loss to the St. Louis Cardinals prompted yet another check in on that status.

To date, the 509 runs they have scored on the season rank – you guessed it – last in the entire National League. Their -89 run differential is worsted in the senior circuit only by the lowly Colorado Rockies, the Savannah Bananas of Major League Baseball.

The Reds own a collective 87 wRC+ on the season. That’s the worst mark among any team in the sport, with the Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays, and perennially rebuilding Los Angeles Angels all tied in the next-worst spot at 91 each.

FanGraphs’ collective measure of offensive (Off) takes a particularly dim view of the work of the Reds so far this season. They grade Cincinnati at -72.6, which is not only dead last among the 30 MLB clubs, it’s light years worse than the Rockies (again) in second to last place. They sit at -55.3, which somehow feels like a Uranus-Pluto level gap.

If batting average is still your thing, well, don’t fret – the Reds rank last there, too. They’re hitting just .226 on the season, with the New York Yankees somehow checking in as next-worst at .229. Toronto is being nice by tying the Reds for worst on-base percentage, with the two clubs sharing dead last with a .305 OBP mark.

If you feel as if you’ve seen Cincinnati begin to strike out at a ridiculous rate, well, you aren’t wrong there, either. Their 25.4% K% also ranks as dead last, meaning no team in the sport strikes out with the proclivity that they do.

Running through a few more categories, you can even find the Reds ranking dead last in RE24 on the FanGraphs leaderboard. Their -91.33 mark there is light years behind Toronto’s second-worst mark of -69.71 in terms of ‘Run Above Average based on the 24 Base/Out States,’ and while I don’t actually have any idea of what that particular word salad means, I trust that a) them designing it and b) the Reds ranking dead last in it are two things that are established actionable events.

The Reds also rank last in Park Adjusted Runs Above Average and, perhaps most glaring, rank dead last by a large margin in overall fWAR by their position players. That latter mark of just 6.0 is one of just three that’s in the single digits by teams league-wide, and it’s worth pointing out that the Chicago Cubs lead the game with 28.4. They’ve put up 22.4 more fWAR from their position players than the Reds so far this year, while division mates in Pittsburgh have even found a way to post 16.0 fWAR so far on the season.

The Reds are in last. The Reds are last, they are the physical embodiment of it. That they don’t seem interested in making any tangible changes to the process or those that make the decisions seems to be more and more baffling by the minute.

The San Diego Padres minor league catching coordinator is in the custody of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and will remain so “pending removal proceedings,” a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday in a statement.

Oswaldo Pirela, a former Texas Rangers minor league player, was detained Sunday morning at El Paso (Texas) International Airport.

Pirela, 34, was flying to Phoenix, where he lives with his wife and two daughters. The Padres’ triple-A affiliate is the El Paso Chihuahuas, and Pirela was with the team during its home game Saturday night against the Salt Lake City Bees, an Angels affiliate.

The Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Pirela came to the United States from his native Venezuela in September 2014 and that his permission to remain expired Feb. 10, 2018.

Read more:The Sports Report: Edwin Díaz fails Dodgers again

DHS said Pirela was not carrying his work permit at the time he was detained. Pirela’s brother Juan Pirela presented Phoenix multimedia news organization Arizona’s Family with Oswaldo’s work permit, which indicated it was issued in 2024 and is valid until 2029.

“It’s very hard. He’s authorized to work in the United States,” Juan Pirela said. “So, the same department, Homeland Security, issues a work permit but then somehow it’s not enough.”

The DHS statement addressed the issue: “To be clear, work authorization or a pending application do NOT confer legal status in the United States.”

“In violation of our nation’s laws, [Pirela] overstayed his welcome. When approached by law enforcement officers, he was not in possession of legal documentation granting him status in the country. He will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings and will receive due process.

Read more:Kyle Tucker finally breaks hitless streak in Dodgers' win, searches for light in dark season

As a roving catching instructor, Pirela is based out of the Padres’ spring training complex in Peoria, Ariz., and travels to the organization’s minor league affiliates in San Antonio, Fort Wayne, Ind., and Lake Elsinore in addition to El Paso. He spent the 2024 season as bench coach for the class-A Lake Elsinore Storm and became the organization’s catching coordinator in 2025.

“We recently became aware of the detainment of minor league catching coordinator Oswaldo Pirela in El Paso, Texas,” the Padres club said in a statement. “We are working to gather additional information and will not have any further comment at this time.”

Pirela was signed by the Rangers at age 17 out of Barquisimeto, Venezuela, and played catcher, first base and the outfield from 2009-2011 for the team’s Dominican Republic Summer League affiliate.

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

With the Atlanta Braves falling into a bit of a recent funk, the attention now turns to the newly-returning AJ Smith-Shawver. After spending nearly a month in Triple-A biding his time and cooking up something serious (to the point where he was named International League Pitcher of the Week for his efforts last week), Smith-Shawver is back in the rotatio nand set to make his second start of 2026.

The first start came back on July 29, which is when he appeared as the 27th man in a doubleheader against the Mets. While his 4.1 innings and four strikeouts may look underwhelming at first glance, anybody who watched that performance could tell that Smith-Shawver certainly has the potential to provide plenty of value and production for Atlanta as they are firmly entrenched in the dog days of Summer at the moment. The obvious hope is that Shawver can at least improve upon the performances of Tyler Mahle and Martín Pérez, who were at least decent in their two starts before this one.

With that being said, the problem hasn’t necessarily been the pitching. Sure, Martín Pérez gave up four runs in the first inning of the series opener and that’s not a trivial hole to climb out for any team in any given game but Atlanta never really looked like they had more than four runs in them in Monday night. The same could be said for Tuesday, which is when they came a Drake Baldwin solo homer away from getting blanked by a Twins pitching staff that hasn’t exactly been lighting the world on fire so far this year.

The offense has clearly entered into another funk, as evidenced by the fact that they’ve scored two or fewer runs in three of their past five games. Five games in the grand scheme of things is a blip and hopefully the offense can come out agains Taj Bradley and make sure that it’s just a blip instead of something that might come to haunt the Braves during this winding road trip that they’re currently on.

Bradley himself has looked a bit vulnerable lately — he gave up five runs in four innings against the Phillies in his last outing and he’s given up at least three runs in each of his past three starts. While Bradley is still a perfectly fine starter (his 3.98 ERA, 95 ERA-, 4.05 FIP and 98 FIP- is proof of that) the Braves are in a situation where they’re going to have to find a way to make sure that Bradley continues to look (and be) vulnerable enough to give up some runs instead of this being a repeat of what we’ve seen for the past couple of nights and for most of the weekend as well.

Hopefully this won’t be another case of a Braves starter delivering a strong performance (or one that’s good enough to keep them in the game) while the offense sputters about in a low-scoring affair. It’s been tough enough sledding for the Braves over their past few games — let’s not exacerbate that with a sweep to start this weird road trip, folks!

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Wednesday, August 19, 1:40 p.m. EDT

Location: Target Field, Minneapolis, MN

TV/Streaming: BravesVision

Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan

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The San Diego Padres opened their series against the New York Mets with a confounding 2-1 loss where they had four outs made at home plate in the first two innings of the game. Mets right fielder Carson Benge threw out Jake Cronenworth and Manny Machado at the plate and left fielder A.J. Ewing threw out Xander Bogaerts at the plate as well. Luis Campusano was also out at the plate, but that came on a force out after Luis Rengifo grounded back to the pitcher with the bases loaded. Some questionable decisions in the first two innings of the series opener proved to be the difference in the game.

The Padres and Mets met for the second game of the series on Tuesday and the difference in that game was Fernando Tatis Jr. The right fielder opened the scoring with a solo home run on the first pitch of the game to give San Diego a 1-0 lead after the first inning. Padres starter Robbie Ray found himself in trouble in the bottom of the second inning when he issued three walks to load the bases while recording just one out. He then got one of the hottest Mets hitters to ground out to Machado at third base who threw home to get the force at the plate and keep New York off the scoreboard.

With the bases still loaded and two outs in the bottom of the second inning, Ray threw a 1-0 pitch to Francisco Lindor that he hit to right field. The ball traveled over the right field wall, but Tatis jumped up reached over the wall and caught the ball. He fell back toward the warning track, landing on his feet and held everyone in suspense until he produced the ball to left everyone know he took a home run and four runs away from the Mets.

If that was not entertainment enough, Tatis returned to the plate in the top of the fifth inning with Cronenworth on base after a leadoff single. Tatis hit a bullet to right field which resulted in a two-run home run, giving him his second long ball of the game, and gave the Padres a 3-0 lead. San Diego would add to its total over the next four innings and New York scratched across two runs on solo home runs by Torrens and Luis Robert Jr. and the Padres went on to even the series with a 5-2 win at Citi Field.

After his trouble in the second inning, Ray settled in and worked through six complete innings, allowing one run on three hits with three walks, which were all issued in the bottom of the second inning, and four strikeouts. Bradgley Rodriguez worked 0.1 innings, Adrian Morejon worked 1.2 innings and Mason Miller worked a scoreless ninth inning to secure the win for San Diego.

The Padres manufactured a run in the top of the seventh inning when Rengifo and Machado walked with one out in the inning. Ty France followed with an RBI-single which allowed pinch runner Jase Bowen to score from second base. The play brought back memories of Monday night as Bowen raced home and slid in, but this time Ewing did not get the throw to the plate in time and San Diego took a 4-1 lead. After New York added a run on Robert Jr.’s solo shot in the bottom of the eighth inning, Machado responded in the top of the ninth with a two-out solo home run to push the score to 5-3. It was the third hit of the night for the third baseman, who finished 3-for-4 in the game with an RBI, a run scored, a walk and a strikeout.

Tatis finished his day at the plate 2-for-5 with both of his hits being home runs. He had three RBI, scored two runs, and struck out once. Tatis was the difference for seven runs in the game. He drove in three for the Padres and took four away from the Mets with what might have been his best home run robbery yet. What will happen in the final game of the series today is anyone’s guess, but we will find out at 10:10 a.m.

Padres News:

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• Ethan Salas was recently promoted to Triple-A and after a lost season due to injury, he appears to be back on track as the rising star he was thought to be when he joined the San Diego system. Has he done enough to warrant a September call up? That is the question Gaslamp Ball would like readers to answer.
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• The San Diego offense has caught fire and has been the key to its success since the All-Star break.
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• Joe Musgrove has been the most talked about player with regards to reinforcements for the Padres, but they may have more help on the way as well after Samad Taylor began his rehab in an attempt to get back to the big-league roster.
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• Former Padres pitcher Robert Stock will face his old team today when he starts for the Mets.
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• A Padres minor league catching coordinator was detained by ICE in El Paso.
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Baseball News:

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• The Milwaukee Brewers embarrassed the Seattle Mariners, handing them a 22-0 loss.
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• Pete Crow-Armstrong gave the Chicago Cubs another walk-off win over the Chicago White Sox.
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• Shohei Ohtani hit another home run to help the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies.
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• The Boston Red Sox got a 9-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Fenway Park.
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• The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Miami Marlins to win their fifth consecutive game.
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• Jo Adell hit a 455-foot home run and helped the Cleveland Guardians beat the San Francisco Giants.
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Pete Crow-Armstrong got me to the window again last night for another winning night, and the big day to flip the record is happening this week, hopefully today, with a full slate of all-day MLB player props and dingers. 

It's Aaron Nola day, and Griffin Conine is the hot bat to target, and how is Pete Crow-Armstrong almost 200 points longer today to go deep? It makes little sense.

These are my favorite MLB home run predictions for Wednesday, August 19.

Best MLB home run props today

Player to hit a HR	Odds
Griffin Conine	+388
Pete Crow-Armstrong	+510

Home run pick: Griffin Conine (+388)

It’s another Aaron Nola angle, as his 30 home runs allowed pace the league. He’s also coming off a game he had circled on the calendar in the Field of Dreams game, and over his last 12 starts, he’s allowed a dinger in 11 of them. I will bet against him every five days.

Griffin Conine is the bat you want to back today. He’s gone deep five times over his last 16 games and leads the Miami Marlins in several offensive categories this month. His 28% Blast Contact% in August is the fifth-best mark in baseball, behind Wilyer Abreu, Austin Riley, Randal Grichuk, and Jac Caglianone. Conine also homered Tuesday, his fifth of August.

I’ll take almost any hot bat in the best HR matchup at +300 or better.

• Time: 6:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Marlins.TV, NBCSP

Home run pick: Pete Crow-Armstrong (+510)

Remain calm. This is not a drill. After two months of absolute raking, I thought the days of getting Pete Crow-Armstrong for a home run at +500 or better were long gone. I've had a price point of +300 or better to bet him, so when I saw +500 today, I had to do a double-take.

This is setting up like yesterday's game, with PCA facing a lefty opener, which is driving his odds up because of the lefty-lefty matchup. Well, even with a lefty opener last night, the MVP betting favorite opened the bottom of the first with a leadoff homer at +330.

So how is Sean Newcomb making his price almost 200 points longer? The wind is in at Wrigley, but nothing crazy enough to justify the prices we're seeing today.

I will back the MVP at +330 or better in almost any matchup.

• Time: 2:20 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Marquee Sports Network, Chicago Sports Network

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The Boston Red Sox (-160) will send Payton Tolle to the mound as they look to complete a sweep over the Arizona Diamondbacks this afternoon.

Tolle has allowed two runs or fewer in six of his last seven starts, and he's a key factor in why I'm backing the home team with my Diamondbacks vs. Red Sox predictions and MLB picks.

Who will win Diamondbacks vs Red Sox today: Boston Red Sox (-160)

The Boston Red Soxlead the majors in wOBA, OPS, and runs scored against right-handed pitching in August.

They’ll need to contend with a quality arm in Brandon Pfaadt, but a 4.74 SIERA indicates he’s not nearly as untouchable as his 0.54 ERA over the past month seems to show.

Payton Tolleleads all projected starters with a 2.51 SIERA during that time. The absence of Ketel Marte, and Nolan Arenado being banged up, will help Tolle limit the damage against a strong left-handed hitting Arizona Diamondbacks team.

Back the Red Sox to -165.

COVERS INTEL:Pfaadt's ninth percentile strikeout rate will lead to a lot of contact against a Red Sox team sitting second in line-drive rate vs. righties in August.

Diamondbacks vs Red Sox Over/Under pick: Under 8.0 (-110)

Pfaadt hasn’t allowed a home run since June 30, and he's only conceded multiple dingers in his first appearance of the season. His ability to limit power – aided by an 82nd-percentile ground-ball rate – helps him avoid blowup innings while keeping runs to a minimum.

Tolle posted an xERA below 3.0 in six of his last seven starts, including against quality offenses like what the Dodgers and White Sox field. He’s in excellent form, and the Diamondbacks missing Marte, their most powerful bat against lefties, will make Tolle's life easier.

Runs should be hard to come by, making the Under a bet to -120.

Diamondbacks vs Red Sox home run prediction: Wilyer Abreu (+400)

Wilyer Abreu is seeing the ball very well. Isolating Pfaadt’s pitch mix, Abreu is hitting .345 with a .379 ISO and leading the Red Sox in barrel rate over the last 15 games.

He's hit at least eight balls 350-plus feet during that span, more than double any other teammate. 

Pfaadt has been more susceptible to conceding homers against powerful offenses, allowing 1.61 HR/9 when facing top-10 teams in OPS vs. righties over the last 20 games. 

The Red Sox rank first in that regard, and Abreu has been driving the bus. Bet this to +375.

Diamondbacks vs Red Sox weather

Temperatures in the mid-80s are expected with some wind blowing out. There will be favorable hitting conditions.

Diamondbacks vs Red Sox odds

• Moneyline: Diamondbacks +140 | Red Sox -160
• Run line: Diamondbacks +1.5 (-145) | Red Sox -1.5 (+125)
• Over/Under: Over 8.0 (-105) | Under 8.0 (-115)

Diamondbacks vs Red Sox trend

Boston has hit the moneyline in 37 of the last 50 games (+19.30 units, 27% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Diamondbacks vs. Red Sox.

How to watch Diamondbacks vs Red Sox and game info

Diamondbacks vs Red Sox latest injuries

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Good morning! Haven’t had enough of historic win streaks this season? Good news! The Sox are currently on another one. With their win over the DBacks last night, the Sox won their 15th consecutive game against teams that entered the game with a record of .500 or better. The last time they lost to a team over .500 was all the way back on July 1 against the Nationals, aka their last lost before going on their historic 15-gamer.

According to CBS Sports, this is the longest such streak in MLB history, topping the 1933 Washington Senators (who, yes, were technically called the Nationals at the time, even if no one used that moniker):

Use this space to talk about what continues to be the weirdest regular season in Red Sox history and whatever else you want and, as always, be good to one another.