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New York Post | Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman: Late last night, Sherman and Heyman dropped a report that the Tarik Skubal sweepstakes seems to be coming to a head, and while the Dodgers appear to be the favorites, the Yankees and the Brewers have also been in hot pursuit of the back-to-back American League Cy Young winner. According to the report, the Tigers initially asked for a package that contains two majors leaguers (including a starting pitcher) and two prospects — but which lacked George Lombard Jr., the Yankees’ top prospect. As it turned out, though, they would wind up falling short, as less than a half hour after their article went live, Jeff Passan tweeted that the Dodgers had finalized a trade for Skubal. While I never quite thought that the Yankees would reel in the former Tigers ace — their needs in the starting lineup vastly outshine their needs in the rotation — this nonetheless stings.

MLB.com | Aiden Stepansky: While the Yankees will most certainly be buyers at this year’s Trade Deadline, their first move this year was to in fact unload a player. Prior to yesterday’s game against the Chicago Cubs, the Bombers sent Camilo Doval to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for a pair of prospects in Omar Alfonzo and Luis Cruz. Yovanny Cruz was promoted from Triple-A as the corresponding move for the MLB roster. Doval, who was acquired from the San Francisco Giants at last year’s deadline, never really settled in with the Yankees, and now, looks to bounce back away from the Bronx, where he had been downright horrendous this season (7.08 ERA at home).

MLB Trade Rumors | Charlie Wright: It’s no secret that the Yankees need some help at the plate, and although their attention has primarily been on right-handed bats (last night’s awful performance against David Peterson is a prime example as to how weak they are against southpaws), they simply need bats, period. As such, the team has apparently checked in on Nationals first baseman Luis Garcia Jr., who is in the midst of a career year in his age-26 season. A left-handed bat who is, realistically, a platoon bat at first base, Garcia is not exactly the ideal fit for a Yankees squad that, when fully healthy, has the first base and DH spots already covered in Ben Rice and Giancarlo Stanton. The thing is, though, they have never really been fully healthy this year, and, well, a 137 OPS+ is a 137 OPS+; sometimes, you swing for the bat and figure out the details later — like when the Yankees added Edwin Encarnacion in 2019 while Aaron Judge and Stanton were on the shelf.

MLB.com | Rob Terranova: Every year, an unknown prospect emerges who can throw triple digits and suddenly finds himself on everybody’s radar. This year, that player is Allen Facundo. Signed out of Venezuela five years ago, Facundo has battled arm injuries his entire professional career, missing 2022 with shoulder issues and undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2024. Now healthy for the first time, uh, ever, the 23-year-old has skyrocketed up prospect risks, jumping from the organization’s 26th prospect to eighth as he has struck out more than a batter an inning with Hudson Valley. While he’s probably too far away to help this season, the left-hander profiles as a future bullpen arm — and, well, southpaws who can sling it 100 mph aren’t exactly a dime a dozen.

Newsweek | Jon Paul Hoornstra: Gil Blanco, who made 17 appearances with the Yankees in 1965 during his age-19 season, passed away in July, at the age of 80. We send our condolences to his family.

The Guardians are just a rough watch night in and night out. Messick and Holderman were great tonight, as they have been all season, and then Gaddis and Aleman decide to implode. The offense did put some runs on the board in the last couple innings once the game was already over so I guess that is one positive takeaway from this game. It just feels like this team is missing something. They aren’t the worst Guardians team in recent memory, but they may be the most boring.

The Guardians will try to avoid the sweep tomorrow. It will be Merrill Kelly vs Gavin Williams at 1:40 pm ET.

Editor's note: Read more about Tarik Skubal being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Los Angeles Dodgers continue to assemble the strongest collection of pitchers in MLB.

Tarik Skubal became the latest addition to the Dodgers’ pitching rotation after he was traded by the Detroit Tigers on Saturday, Aug. 1.

The two-time Cy Young Award winner was the No. 1 option for the Tigers and had continued to make his case as the league’s best pitcher.

Skubal was brought to Los Angeles with the intention of helping the Dodgers secure a third consecutive World Series title. 

If manager Dave Roberts and the Dodgers can achieve the feat, they would become just the third organization to do so.

Here’s how Skubal will factor into the Dodgers’ starting rotation:

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs got run over by the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Yankees), 7-4.

Grant Kipp started and allowed four runs on just two hits over 4.2 innings. Kipp walked three and struck out two.

Two of those four runs allowed by Kipp came after he was relieved by Eduarniel Nuñez in the fifth inning. Nuñez took the loss after he surrendered two runs on three hits over 1.1 innings. One of those hits was a three-run home run to the first batter he faced. Nuñez walked one and struck out one.

Hoby Milner pitched 1.1 innings in a rehab start. Milner gave up a solo home run to George Lombard Jr., the first batter he faced and the only run he allowed. Milner gave up two hits total. Milner struck out one and walked no one.

Ethan Roberts pitched the top of the ninth on another rehab assignment. Roberts hit the first batter he faced, but he faced the minimum after that runner was thrown out stealing. Roberts struck out one.

Second baseman Ben Cowles went 2 for 3 with a walk and a two-run single in the fourth inning.

Right fielder Brett Bateman was 2 for 4 with a walk. He scored once.

Catcher Moisés Ballesteros was 2 for 4 with an RBI single.

You need to see Mo Baller’s RBI single.

RBI double for center fielder Chas McCormick. He went 1 for 3 with a walk.

A great throw by Ballesteros to nail a runner trying to steal. Ballesteros threw out two of three runners trying to steal.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies were drenched by the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Marlins), 3-2 in ten innings.

Brooks Caple gave up a two-run home run in the third inning, but little else. His final line was two runs on five hits over five innings. Caple walked two and struck out four.

Tyler Schlaffer gave up an unearned run in the top of the tenth inning and got the loss after the Smokies failed to score in the bottom of the inning. Schlaffer allowed one run on four hits over three innings. Schlaffer struck out three and walked no one.

Both Smokies runs came on a two-run home run in the fourth inning by catcher Ariel Armas. It was Armas’ third home run on the year. Armas went 1 for 3 with a walk.

The Armas home run.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs sunk the Lake County Captains (Guardians), 10-3.

Starter Alfredo Romero surrendered two runs on two hits over 3.2 innings. Romero struggled with control as he walked five and struck out three.

Jackson Brockett was given the win because Romero didn’t go five, but Brockett earned it by three scoreless innings of relief without allowing a single hit. Brockett did walk two while striking out five.

Second baseman Michael Hallquist hit two home runs tonight. The first came with a man on in the second inning and the second one was a solo shot in the fifth. Halbach went 2 for 4 with two walks.

Center fielder Kade Snell stayed hot, going 3 for 5 with a walk and two runs scored. Snell also stole two bases.

First baseman Michael Carico doubled twice in a 2 for 5 night. He also walked once. Carico scored twice and had one run batted in.

Left fielder Jose Escobar went 3 for 4 with a walk and a hit-by-pitch.

Shortstop Angel Cepeda was 3 for 6 with a double. He scored one run and had one RBI.

Third baseman Matt Halbach was 2 for 5 with a walk. He scored once and drove in one.

Right fielder Geuri Lubo went 2 for 6. He had two RBI and scored one run.

Hallquist’s first home run.

Hallquist’s second home run.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans muzzled the Charleston RiverDogs (Rays), 6-0.

Three Pelicans pitchers combined on a two-hit shutout. Noah Edders started and got his first professional win after giving up just one hit over five innings. Edders struck out seven and walked just one.

Edwardo Melendez gave up just one hit over the next three innings. Melendez struck out five and walked just one.

Sam Mettert retired the side in order in the ninth in a non-save situation. Metter struck out one.

Center fielder Alexey Lumpuy hit a three-run triple as part of a five-run second inning. Lumpuy went 2 for 4 with a walk.

In his first professional game, DH Jhoander Irigoyen was a perfect 3 for 3 with a walk. He scored on Lumpuy’s triple.

Catcher Jose Silva went 1 for 3 with a walk and an RBI double. He scored one run.

Highlights.

Your team could have done this.

Is baseball headed for a lockout this winter? Yes.

Because the Dodgers traded for Tarik Skubal? No.

The Dodgers play a video before each home game, which includes these words from a sinister-sounding voice: “You need teams like us to point your finger and say, ‘That’s the bad guy.’ ”

In this case, “you” means the owners of the other 29 teams. You can hear them wailing now: Baseball is rigged, and only a salary cap can unrig the sport. The Dodgers are the back-to-back champions, and they just picked up the best player on the trade market.

They. Have. Too. Much. Damn. Money.

Read more:Plaschke: Tarik Skubal trade brings Dodgers hate, envy ... and another championship

But here’s the thing: All the money the Dodgers lavish upon their major league roster isn’t what made the trade for Skubal possible.

Oh, all that money helped put them in position to where Skubal could help them in October, but Skubal could have helped the Milwaukee Brewers or the Chicago Cubs or the Tampa Bay Rays or the Atlanta Braves or the New York Yankees or the Philadelphia Phillies.

When the Detroit Tigers took bids for Skubal, they liked the Dodgers’ offer the best. And here is what the Dodgers offered: three prospects, none a first-rounder, none ranked among baseball’s top 20 prospects.

Outfielder Zyhir Hope was drafted in the 11th round, by the Cubs. When the Cubs needed a corner infielder, the Dodgers shipped them a surplus major leaguer, Michael Busch, in exchange for two prospects. One was Hope, whose professional experience was limited to 11 games of rookie ball.

Pitcher River Ryan was drafted in the 11th round, by the San Diego Padres. When the Padres needed a left-handed bat that could play the outfield, the Dodgers shipped them a surplus major leaguer, Matt Beaty, for a prospect that had yet to make his professional debut, Ryan.

Pitcher Brady Smith was drafted in the third round, by the Dodgers. This is his second professional season.

The Dodgers developed Hope and Ryan from minor leaguers into top prospects, and the Tigers hope some of that Dodgers development dust has rubbed off on Smith.

For now? The prospect rankings on the league website put Hope at No. 25 and Ryan at No. 68. The Baseball America prospect rankings put Hope at No. 55, with Ryan outside the top 100. Neither ranking includes Smith among the top 100.

As Baseball America editor-in-chief J.J. Cooper wrote, Hope was the third-best outfielder on the Dodgers’ double-A team.

That might be the greatest testament of all to the Dodgers’ player development system, particularly considering all of their winning means they draft at the end of every round, every year.

Maybe the trio of prospects never pans out, at least not the way the Tigers hope. Two of three prospects traded at the deadline never do, according to Baseball America research.

Will money come into play here? Yes, but not yet. Skubal is a free agent at the end of the season, and not every team could afford $300 million or $400 million or so to sign him to a long-term contract.

But, for these final months of the season, the cost to pay Skubal is $9 million. Any team can do that. And, if the owner of your team tells you he could not have done that, the proper response would be to laugh, and then chant “Sell the team!”

And, as the Brewers and Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays prove just about every year, any team can afford to build an excellent player development system.

Look, I am not going to try to tell you that every team could sign Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts and Edwin Díaz and Kyle Tucker.

Read more:Dodgers acquiring pitcher Tarik Skubal from Detroit Tigers in blockbuster trade

But the New York Mets, in the largest market in the major leagues, certainly could. Their Saturday was not spent trading for Skubal. It was spent taking trade offers for players on their last-place team and commemorating the 40th anniversary of their 1986 World Series championship team — their last championship team.

In Anaheim, the last-place team in the second-largest market in the major leagues lost to the Brewers, the team in the smallest market in the major leagues — and, as of Saturday, the team with the best record in the majors.

Market size need not be destiny, if you can scout and sign and coach and develop players. The owners could learn from that, but it’s easier to point at the Dodgers and say, “That’s the bad guy.”

Instead, some poor league employee probably stayed up late Saturday night, planning how to splice clips of Skubal wearing a Dodgers uniform into the “Level the Playing Field” ad campaign the owners are running to persuade fans to take their side in collective bargaining. Imagine what they could do with clips of Skubal waving to fans in a championship parade.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Editor's note: Read more about Tarik Skubal being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired pitcher Tarik Skubal on Saturday, Aug. 1.

The Dodgers traded away outfielder Zyhir Hope and a pair of right-handed pitchers — River Ryan and Brady Smith — to bring Skubal to town.

Skubal will arrive in Los Angeles with some momentum after several productive outings for the Tigers.

The Hayward, California, native received a standing ovation after recording his 1,000th career strikeout on July 29. He allowed four hits and three earned runs in that game while striking out six and walking one batter in 6.2 innings pitched in what is now his final game with the Tigers.

On Saturday night, just a little before midnight, Jeff Passan of ESPN broke the news that the Detroit Tigers and the Los Angeles Dodgers were finalizing a trade for ace left-hander, Tarik Skubal. In return, the Tigers receive 21-year-old corner outfielder, Zyhir Hope, 28-year-old right-hander River Ryan, and 21-year-old right-handed pitcher Brady Smith.

First reaction? This is a pretty good return, but the Dodgers managed to hold back their top couple of prospects. That’s alright, as they were loaded with top 100 prospects, but you can’t call this a fleecing of their system by any means. It’s just a good return in the range we expected. Perhaps if Tarik Skubal had been healthy and dominant all year as usual, the Tigers could’ve held out for a bit more. I would’ve preferred outfielder Mike Sirota instead of Hope, and I would’ve love to land right-handed pitching prospect Christian Zazueta rather than River Ryan or Brady Smith, but we’re splitting hairs to a degree. The Tigers got three talented players here, two of whom are comfortably top 100 caliber talents, with Smith as a fast-rising, but still young, pitching prospect. The main issue overall is that the two pitchers acquired have a lot to prove in terms of durability, and come with significant relief risk.

Let’s take a deeper look at all three players coming back to Detroit.

RHP River Ryan

We’ll start with Ryan, because he’s the one who can potentially help the Tigers this season. The 28-year-old was one of the top pitching prospects in baseball back in 2024, when he blew out his UCL and required Tommy John surgery. Ryan returned in 2026, but suffered a hamstring injury in April that cost him a month. He again injured the right hamstring in late June and is currently on the injured list but expected to return this season.

Ryan’s fourseam fastball averaged 97.6 mph this season with average extension. His best fastball of the year topped out at 100.9 mph. The movement profile looks a bit pedestrian and may need some tweaking, but it’s been better in the past and as he’s just returning from major arm surgery, he might just need some time to dial that back in.

His most used secondary pitch is a power slider at 91-92 mph. He also uses a sinker, cutter, curveball, and will flash a quality changeup as well, though it isn’t consistent. Ryan gets a lot of ground balls, rarely gives up homers at the Triple-A level, and throws plenty of strikes. His walk rates have been consistently solid, although it’s more control than high end command.

The big issue, and the reason this is a particularly risky acquisition, is Ryan’s injury history and minimal pitching experience considering his age. A middle infielder and closer at UNC-Pembroke, the Padres drafted him in the 11th round back in 2021. The Padres scout who signed him came to work for the Dodgers, and convinced them to acquire Ryan in trade, which they quickly did. His development in the Dodgers organization was rapid as he became a notable prospect and a priority for the first time. He was quickly throwing three breaking balls that flashed plus as well as a developing changeup. However, the Dodgers were pretty careful with his in-game workload early on, and Ryan averaged about 100 innings in 2022 and 2023, with very good results. However, as they let him stretch out in his outings in 2024, Ryan had a little shoulder trouble. He made four starts for the Dodgers in 2024 with solid results, but ultimately blew out the UCL and didn’t return until this spring.

So, there’s a ton of upside, but plenty of risk here as well. There are some who think Ryan would be better served as a closer. Others think the starting upside is high enough to stick with it. We’ll see how the Tigers handle him, but Ryan is undeniably quite talented. Were everything to finally break right for him, Ryan has ace potential. There are just way too many question marks to expect that much right now.

OF Zyhir Hope

This 21-year-old, left-handed hitting outfielder has pretty huge secondary tools, but questions about the swing and miss have kept him in the 50 FV tier per most top public evaluators, though others like MLB Pipeline have a 55 FV on him, currently ranking him the 25th best prospect in baseball.

Hope was drafted in the 11th round out of Colonial Forge High School in Virginia by the Chicago Cubs, getting roughly fifth round money to pass on his college commitment to North Carolina. The Dodgers acquired him in a trade for outfielder Michael Busch in the 2023-2024 offseason.

Initially, Hope drew pretty average power grades but he quickly added a lot of muscle and batspeed, and currently draws 65-70 grades for his raw power, essentially double plus or very close to it. He has enough footspeed to play center field, but he profiles better in right field, where his strong left arm was enough to get him scouted as a pitcher as well as an outfielder in high school.

Hope is currently playing his first full season at the Double-A level for the Tulsa Drillers, where he has 23 home runs in 425 plate appearances, with 18 steals, a 10.6 percent walk rate, and a 24.9 percent strikeout rate. While the Texas League can elevate home run totals, the power here is extremely legit, and Hope’s short-levered swing has some natural loft that helps him cash in on his power with a lot of regularity.

His swinging strike rate is a little on the high side, but nothing egregious, and he makes a solid amount of contact. Hope hangs in there pretty well against left-handed pitchers, and his quick hands allow him to square up balls in all parts of the zone. The Tigers will want him to be a little more selectively aggressive as he continues to face tougher pitching, and to develop more of a contact oriented two-strike approach. However, Hope has developed quite rapidly, so the development curve is decisively headed in the right direction.

You could argue for Bryce Rainer, but Hope will draw plenty of consideration as the Tigers new top prospect once Max Clark officially graduates.

RHP Brady Smith

The 21-year-old Smith was the Dodgers third round pick in the 2023 draft out of Grainger HS in Tennessee. He immediately blew out his UCL after the draft, got Tommy John surgery, and didn’t debut until 2025, when he threw 21 innings with some control issues. This season, he dominated Low-A ball with a 37.5 percent strikeout rate with solid but unspectacular walk and home run marks allowed. He was recently promoted to the High-A level.

Currently, Smith’s fastball sits 93-96 mph, topping out at 98 mph with quality riding action. His best pitch is a nasty mid-80’s changeup that draws tons of whiffs in the low minors and will play even better if Smith’s fastball command continues to improve on the track it has this season. The changeup really falls straight off the table, and he tunnels it beautifully off the riding fourseamer.

Smith presents an athletic delivery with a quick arm, which bodes well both for developing command, but also for selling the changeup. He also has some physical projection remaining. His breaking stuff is still more of a work in progress. He has a high 70’s curveball that works well as an occasional strike stealer. His high-80’s slider and low 90’s cutter both flash above average but will need to be more consistent.

There’s a lot to like here. I would’ve preferred Christian Zazueta, partly just for major league proximity as his command is much more advanced, but Smith has frontline starter upside if everything goes well. More likely, he develops into a mid-rotation starter who has the weapons to handle all types of hitter. Until he proves he can hold up to a starter’s workload, there is a good amount of relief risk, but he’s well on his way to dispelling those concerns this season. He wasn’t that highly ranked coming into the season after the Tommy John surgery, but he’s been shooting up national rankings as a result of his performance in 2026.

First take at the overall value of the deal for Detroit

We all have opinions. MLB teams have far more experience and information to go on than the big prospect sites around the internet. My first takeaway here is that the Tigers did fine. At no point did I think Josue de Paula or Eduardo Quintero would be available, and while I hoped for Mike Sirota for a little older prospect with a bit more disciplined game, Hope is at least as talented, and probably more so. It’s just up to the Tigers to develop his approach at the plate and sand some rough edges off his game.

The pitcher I wanted was Christian Zazueta, but Brady Smith really isn’t that far behind in terms of talent level. He’s just more unproven in terms of command and durability, and needs to show that he can handle a starter’s workload over a full season while refining his command. He’s pretty nasty though, and really just getting started with his development this year as he’s made 21 starts and should get to 100 innings for the first time. That’s fine progress for a 21-year-old pitcher drafted from the prep ranks.

River Ryan is the real wild card here, and how much the Tigers can get from him will be a big factor in how this deal is viewed a few years down the road. Ryan is extremely nasty, and while the injury history is scary, he came to pro ball with really minimal experience, so while he’s 28 years old, he actually doesn’t have nearly as much experience as a lot of younger pitchers. We’ll just have to hope he’s a late bloomer. It would be a nice surprise if the Tigers could finally keep him healthy in a starting role. I tend to expect he’ll eventually move to the bullpen, but he seems on track to return in weeks, and will probably slot right into the rotation for now while the club is more careful easing Jackson Jobe back into the swing of major league ball following his own Tommy John rehab.

Ultimately this is a fine return for arguably the best pitcher in baseball’s final months before free agency. Had Skubal had a fully Skubal type year, perhaps the Tigers could’ve squeezed one of the Dodgers big three outfielders instead of Hope, or perhaps the Brewers may have thrown caution to the wind and traded the house for a chance to take down the Dodgers. They may well regret not going all out to match this package of talent, much like the Yankees failure to acquire Justin Verlander in 2017, but Skubal’s medicals may have just made them a little queasy about offering Luis Peña and multiple good pitching prospects. I’m not blown away, but the Tigers future beyond 2026 certainly looks much better with two good arms and a potential monster corner outfielder in Zyhir Hope added to the mix. The Tigers took the package with a little more risk/reward in terms of the pitching talent acquired, and we’ll have to see how that plays out for them over the next few years.

The Athletics took on the Detroit Tigers, looking to even the series and force a rubber game tomorrow afternoon. The A’s succumbed to their fourth straight defeat, 8-6, in another game where they had a chance to win with better pitching.

Perkins Struggles Early

Detroit jumped in front immediately against A’s pitcher Jack Perkins. The first batter of the game, Tigers third baseman Kevin McGonigle, hit his 11th home run of the season, a solo shot to left field. Three singles brought home the visitors’ second run of the first inning.

A’s Waste Early Opportunities

The A’s attempted to rally in the bottom of the first. Facing Tigers’ starter Framber Valdez, left fielder Tyler Soderstrom and third baseman Tommy White hit back-to-back two-out singles, only for Valdez to retire Lawrence Butler and complete a scoreless first inning.

A’s shortstop Alika Williams led off the bottom of the second with a single and then moved to second after Henry Bolte walked. Valdez escaped a jam for the second consecutive inning, getting a nice assist from his middle infield duo, which turned a nifty double play.

A’s Get One Back

In the third, Jacob Wilson and White hit singles, giving Butler an RBI chance with two on and two out. This time, Butler came through, lining an RBI single to bring home Wilson and cut the Tigers lead in half. Valdez rebounded by striking out Williams to preserve his team’s lead and strand two runners on base.

Meanwhile, Perkins settled down, throwing three straight scoreless innings to keep his team within striking distance.

Seeking to start a game-tying rally, Bolte led off the bottom of the fourth with a ground-rule double to right. The Athletics tied the game with some hustle. First, Jonathan Ornelas beat out a bunt single, and then Wilson beat out the double-play relay throw for an RBI force out, with Bolte scoring to tie the game at two.

Tigers Re-Gain Advantage

The next inning, the Tigers immediately retook the lead, courtesy of second baseman Gleyber Torres’ sixth home run of the year, a two-run shot to right-center against Perkins. After all the work his offense did to tie the game, it was frustrating how quickly Perkins allowed more runs, erasing his team’s momentum in the process.

The home run troubles continued for Perkins in the sixth inning. In his second MLB game, Tigers’ center fielder Max Clark hit his first-career home run, a two-run shot to put the visitors up 6-2.

The A’s starter allowed six runs on nine hits over 5 1/3 innings.The good of his outing (nine strikeouts) was offset by the bad (three home runs allowed). If Perkins can put it all together and limit the home runs, he can become a good starter. However, his development is clearly still a work in progress.

Tigers In Control

Valdez continued his dominance over the A’s. The left-hander allowed two runs over seven innings, most importantly throwing three scoreless innings after his team regained the lead. He struck out six and used his trademark sinker to generate ten groundouts.

Detroit scored its seventh run in the seventh inning, as first baseman Spencer Torkelson hit an RBI single against A’s reliever Scott Blewett. White should have made that play at third base to end the inning. They made it 8-2 in the eighth, scoring a second run off Blewett for their fourth consecutive inning with a run.

Bolte Blast: A’s Late Comeback Attempt

In the bottom of the eighth, facing Detroit reliever Kyle Finnegan, Bolte collected his third hit of the evening, a three-run home run to center field. His fourth long ball of the season cut the Tigers lead to 8-5. White also got three hits today, an encouraging sign, although the A’s would like to see his power emerge at some point.

Following that big swing, the hosts put two more runners on base, but new reliever Jacob Waguespack prevented the A’s from drawing any closer. Wilson’s aggressive approach hurt his team again, as he struck out chasing a pitch below the strike zone for the second out of that inning.

The Tigers brought in closer Kenley Jansen for the save opportunity, looking to win the game and the series. Soderstrom, who hit a leadoff double, scored the A’s sixth run on Jeff McNeil’s two-out RBI bunt single. That was as close as the A’s got.

The Green and Gold finished the game with 15 hits, yet went 5-for-19 with RISP, once again wasting countless opportunities to score runs in a hitter-friendly ballpark. Additionally, the A’s grounded into two more double plays, increasing the total to an MLB-leading 86 twin-killers this season.

The late comeback was not enough as the stretch of unanswered runs the A’s pitching staff allowed proved too much to overcome. The Athletics still have not won a series since their successful week playing at their Triple-A affiliate’s ballpark and will now try to avoid a sweep tomorrow afternoon.

The series and homestand finale’s pitching matchup will match A’s rookie left-hander Gage Jump against Tigers’ right-hander Keider Montero. Hope the A’s can avoid the sweep and at least enjoy a happier flight east, but with the way they have been playing, a Sunday victory is far from guaranteed.

Let the screaming and angst begin.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are landing Tarik Skubal.

The rich get richer.

You knew it was going to happen. The Dodgers weren’t going to let Skubal get away, and they certainly weren’t about to face him.

They had the money, and they had the prospects.

All it took was top pitching prospect River Ryan, outfielder Zyhir Hope and starter Brady Smith, and $9.93 million to convince the Detroit Tigers there was no need to delay their decision, and trade Skubal to the Dodgers.

So, go ahead and start the parade route.

The Dodgers are going to three-peat.

You know it. Their rivals know it. And those demanding a salary cap know it.

The Los Angeles Dodgers went out and did their thing, agreeing to a blockbuster trade with the Detroit Tigers for back-to-back Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal less than 48 hours before the MLB trade deadline.

Already the favorites to win a third consecutive World Series title, the Dodgers add the best player available in Skubal, who is a free agent at the end of the season and expected to command the biggest contract ever for a pitcher.

Los Angeles will send right-hander River Ryan, outfielder Zyhir Hope, and righty Brady Smith to Detroit in the deal.

Here’s a look at the trade that shakes up the balance of MLB power in 2026:

Tarik Skubal trade details

• Dodgers receive: LHP Tarik Skubal
• Tigers receive: RHP River Ryan, OF Zyhir Hope, RHP Brady Smith

Dodgers trade grade: A

Skubal will immediately join World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto and 2026 All-Star Justin Wrobleski in the Dodgers rotation, while Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell each try to make their way back from injury in the weeks to come. Shohei Ohtani also hasn’t pitched in weeks due to a knee issue, so the blockbuster takes a ton of weight off Yamamoto – and the currently sidelined pitchers – as the calendar flips to August.

Tigers trade grade: B

Not an awful return on a deal that had to come together quickly, landing one of the game’s top prospects in Hope. But the Detroit regime will face questions after settling for Ryan − rather than say, Emmet Sheehan, as the MLB-ready pitcher coming back.

This was the best they could do with so much time still left on the clock before Monday's 6 p.m. ET deadline?