Knoxville Smokies outfielder Carter Trice (29) hits the ball during a minor league baseball game between the Knoxville Smokies and Biloxi Shuckers at Covenant Health Park in Knoxville, Tenn., on July 7, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
Another strong start from rising prospect Luis Martinez-Gomez, who gave up a solo home run in the first inning and not much else. Martinez-Gomez got the win after going five innings and allowing just one run on three hits. Martinez-Gomez struck out four, walked three and hit one batter.
The Smokies held a 5-1 lead heading to the top of the ninth, but Marino Santy couldn’t find the plate at all. He allowed three runs on one hit, three walks, one hit batter over just one-third of an inning. So Grayson Moore got summoned from the bullpen to get the save. Moore faced two batters and got two weak groundouts to get the save.
Left fielder Carter Trice connected with the bases empty in the sixth inning for his 14th home run of the season. Trice went 3 for 3 with the home run and a sacrifice fly for two overall RBI. He scored twice.
Center fielder Kane Kepley had a two-run double in the fifth inning. Kepley was 1 for 4.
Starter Alfredo Romero gave the Cubs five scoreless innings on just three hits. Romero got the win while striking out three and walking no one.
Shortstop Angel Cepeda, the second hitter of the game, hit a solo home run in the top of the first. It was Cepeda’s fifth home run this year and fourth with South Bend. Cepeda went 1 for 4 with a walk. He scored twice.
Second baseman Michael Hallquist hit his sixth home run with the bases empty in the sixth inning. Hallquist went 1 for 4.
Right fielder Jose Escobar was 2 for 5 and scored one run.
David Avitia gave the Birds a chance to win, as he did not allow a hit over his five innings of work. He did allow one run in the first inning (walk, steal, ground out, sac fly). Avitia walked two and struck out five.
The wheels came off for the Pelicans with a five-run seventh inning by the Howlers. Hayden Frank took the loss, allowing four runs on three hits over 1.2 innings. Frank walked two and struck out one.
Right fielder Derik Alcantara hit his first Myrtle Beach home run with a man on in the eighth inning. It Alcantara’s only at-bat of the game.
Third baseman Derniche Valdez was 2 for 3 with a two-run triple in the second inning. Valdez scored once.
Center fielder Ethan Conrad was 1 for 2 with three walks. He scored twice.
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - AUGUST 14: Gunnar Henderson #2 of the Baltimore Orioles celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run in the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on August 14, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Dylan Beavers’ pinch-hit single in the 7th and Gunnar Henderson’s homer in the 8th powered the Orioles to a 6-5 win in their series opener in Tampa Bay.
The AL-leading Rays came into Friday’s game riding a nine-game winning streak, but could never get ahead of the pesky Orioles. Baltimore and Tampa went into the 7th inning tied at two with Gunnar Henderson leading off the inning. Henderson has struggled for much of the season, but you wouldn’t have known it the way he lined a double into right field to kick off the decisive rally.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand then stepped up looking to move Gunnar over, and did so with a hard single to left. Things then got a little weird for the O’s and Leody Taveras. The outfielder stepped up looking to lay down a safety squeeze, but ended up chopping a ball down the third base line that caught Gunnar in a run-down. The Orioles’ SS was able to retreat back to third, with CES ultimately being tagged out as Taveras took second.
After the Rays brought in right-handed reliever Kevin Kelly and intentionally walked pinch-hitter Jeremiah Jackson, it set up the would-be showdown with No.9 hitter Carlos Narváez. Instead, Craig Albernaz countered with Beavers, who laced a single under the glove of Jonathan Aranda at first to score two and give Baltimore a 4-2 lead.
After starting the rally in the 8th, Henderson punctuated the win with his 20th homer of the season. With two outs in the inning, Tyler O’Neill lined a single up the middle to bring up Gunnar. The Rays’ Chris Roycroft quickly got ahead 0-2, but grooved a cutter down the center of the plate, which Gunnar gladly deposited in the right-center bleachers and gave Baltimore a 6-2 advantage.
Yenneir Cano nearly gave the game away in the 9th, as the usually reliable reliever delivered his worst outing of the season. The non-save situation started with back-to-back singles from Richie Palacios and Taylor Walls. Cano would strike out Yandy Díaz for the first out, but a wild pitch during the AB allowed both runners to move into scoring position. Rays’ 1B Jonathan Aranda then lined a single to right to score two and cut the Orioles’ advantage in half.
Cano then walked Chandler Simpson and allowed Simpson and pinch-runner Jorge Mateo to steal second and third. Junior Caminero would further cut into the Orioles’ lead, as an RBI groundout to third dropped Baltimore’s lead to one. Cam Sanders put an end to Cano’s nightmare, taking over needing just one out to seal the win. Rays’ outfielder Ryan Vilade attacked the first pitch he saw from Sanders, sending a lazy fly to left to end the game.
Despite the nervy situation in the 9th, the Orioles never trailed in Friday’s win. They took their first lead in the 2nd, as O’Neill led off the inning with a walk before moving to third on a softly-hit Henderson single to center. CES delivered the O’s first run of the evening, lining a sac fly to right that allowed O’Neill to score on a close play at the plate. After the Rays tied the game in the bottom of the 2nd, Colton Cowser restored the Baltimore lead in the 3rd with a solo homer into the Ray tank in center field.
The veteran righty Chris Bassitt made his first start for the Orioles since June 3rd and came out looking sharp early. He started the first inning by getting Díaz to ground out to second. He then struck out Aranda and Caminero looking, sandwiching the two Ks around a Simpson single.
The 2nd inning has often spelled doom for the Orioles with Bassitt on the mound this year, but tonight was a different story. The 37-year-old right-hander came into Friday’s game with a 9.75 ERA in the 2nd inning this season. With the O’s up 1-0, Bassitt started the bottom of the 2nd by giving up a single to catcher Liam Hicks. The 12-year vet rebounded by getting Víctor Mesa Jr. on a first-pitch fly out, but lost the battle to former Oriole Cedric Mullin when he flipped a single to right.
After getting ahead of Richie Palacios 1-2, a Bassitt curveball caught just too much of the plate, and the Rays 2B looped a double just out of the reach of O’Neill in right. The extra-base hit drove home Hicks, tied the game at one and put Bassitt in a jam with runners on second and third.
Earlier in the season, that jam would have snowballed into a crooked number, but instead, Bassitt locked in. After walking Taylor Walls to load the bases, he got former All-Stars Yandy Díaz and Jonathan Aranda to pop up and fly out, stranding all three runners.
Bassitt gave another leave back in the 3rd as the Rays got an assist from the umpire. After the Cowser homer put the O’s up 2-1, Bassitt started the frame by getting the speedy Simpson to ground out. He then surrendered a one-out walk to Caminero, which ended up spelling trouble for the O’s. With a full count on Hicks, Caminero took off for second just as Bassitt uncorked a curveball that was originally ruled ball four. Orioles’ catcher Narváez immediately challenged the ball call, and ABS overturned it to a strikeout looking.
However, manager Craig Albernaz tried to argue that Caminero should be sent back to first as Narváez’s reaction to challenge the incorrect call seemingly prevented him from throwing down to second. Home plate umpire Jordan Baker didn’t side with Alby and Caminero remained on second for Mesa Jr. The 24-year-old outfielder then lined a low curveball into center for an RBI single that tied the game at two.
From there, Bassitt turned on cruise control and started mowing down the talented Rays’ lineup. In the 4th, he started the inning by winning a seven-pitch battle against Palacios, getting the infielder to fly out softly to center. He then set down Taylor Walls on six pitches by getting him to bounce out to second, before closing out the inning with a Díaz 5-3 groundout.
The right-hander then flew through the heart of the Rays order in the 5th, setting down Aranda, Simpson and Caminero on just six pitches. After getting through five innings on 80 pitches, Bassitt went back out for the 6th. His control then began to slip, as he walked leadoff hitter Hicks on four pitches. He’d set down Mesa Jr. one last time on a fly out to left and then exited for Josh Walker. After the lefty reliever finished off the inning, it closed Bassitt’s line at 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB and 3K—a solid return after 2+ months on the IL.
The win not only snapped the Rays’ nine-game winning streak but brought the Orioles within one game of the AL’s final Wild Card. Baltimore will continue their push toward the postseason tomorrow as Kyle Bradish takes the mount in Tropicana Field.
TORONTO, ON - AUGUST 14: Kazuma Okamoto #7 of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrates the win with Charles McAdoo #26 after a game against the New York Yankees at Rogers Centre on August 14, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Yesterday our own Jeremy Nielsen described the Yankee offense no-showing like they were itching to just get on the plane and start their road trip already. Tonight felt like the bats somehow never left the tarmac, because aside from Trent Grisham poking one out of the stands there just wasn’t anything to show for their at-bats. The Yankees wasted another solid pitching performance and allowed a starter on the other side that has been struggling to cut right through them in a 3-1 loss to Toronto.
Shane Bieber was on the mound for the Blue Jays, and he entered this game with a gaudy 5.48 ERA — naturally, that was of little consequence to this lineup. Bieber sat down the Yankees in order in the first inning, picking up strikeouts from Grisham and Spencer Jones, and worked around a one-out Jazz Chisholm Jr. single in the second. The third brought the first real instance of a pulse, Austin Wells leading off with a walk before getting forced out at second. Grisham stepped up and provided a single that should’ve made it a rally, but George Lombard Jr. was caught in the middle of trying to go for third and didn’t get back to second in time, instead winding up in a rundown. A Ben Rice groundout ended the disappointing frame.
The fourth brought more opportunities to squander, as Jones led off with a double and advanced to third on a flyout from Luis García Jr. (Jones was briefly called out on the tag up, but a challenge overturned that call as he was clearly never tagged despite the throw beating him). Still, two more fly outs were all the Yankees managed, and the first one was too shallow for Jones to test with another tag up. It wasn’t until the sixth inning that the Yankees finally caught a break, Grisham crushing a middle-middle fastball out to right field to get them on the scoreboard.
Now holding the lead, the Yankees looked to break open the dam but couldn’t get anything else going in the inning. Rice flew out harmlessly and Jones grounded one out to first. García stepped up to the plate and took a low strike call that apparently drew a comment from Aaron Boone, because home plate umpire Vic Carapazza turned to instigate things with the manager and ultimately ejected him. Even then it wasn’t the classic fiery Boone tirade that drew it, as he almost looked surprised that things escalated to an ejection that quickly and went out onto the field briefly to get his money’s worth.
On the other side of the ball, Gerrit Cole had been pitching a solid game. He got a double play ball to erase a one-out walk he issued in the first, and then worked around a jam with runners on second and third with one out in the second by striking out Kazuma Okamoto and getting a groundout from Jesús Sánchez. The third and fourth innings were both breezes for Cole, sitting the Blue Jays down in order, and an Okamoto single in the fifth went nowhere either.
The bottom of the sixth proved to be a different story. Just as quickly as the Yankees got their lead it vanished, Brett Bateman leading off with a single and ceding his place to Nathan Lukes on a forceout. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled to put runners on first and second with one out, and then Cole induced a groundout to third that had double play potential. Ryan McMahon stepped on third for the force and then fired over to first, but García’s glove flew off his hand trying to scoop the throw. Fumbling around for the ball, he fired it back to third trying to get the lead runner but Lombard was the closest man to the bag and he still wasn’t anywhere close enough to catch it. Instead, the ball bounded for foul territory and Guerrero was able to score, tying the game up. The next batter, Alejandro Kirk, brought home the dagger lacing an RBI double out to left to put the Blue Jays ahead 2-1.
From there, the Nyquil had fully set in for the Yankees. Facing Toronto’s bullpen they got just a lone baserunner in their final three innings, a McMahon single with two outs in the seventh that went nowhere. Paul Blackburn relieved Cole for the seventh inning and stranded a pair of runners, but Bradley Hanner served up a solo shot to Kirk in the eighth to add an insurance run.
Two days after a 10-run outburst the Yankee offense is back to sleepwalking through games, having scored just a single run over their last 18 innings. The Red Sox and Rays both already lost today so no ground was lost there at least, but Tampa nearly rallied to come back from down four in the ninth and only lost by one. It sure would feel nice if the Yankees showed they could rally more than once a week at the rate they’re going.
Tomorrow will be a chance to get this series back on track, with Cam Schlittler going up against a to be determined starter for the Jays. First pitch is scheduled for 3:07 p.m. EST.
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - AUGUST 14: Christian Encarnacion-Strand #32 of the Baltimore Orioles celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a sacrifice fly to score Tyler O'Neill #9 in the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on August 14, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It is Friday night.
Chris Bassitt returned from the injured list with 5.1 decent innings, Gunnar Henderson was dropped to the #5 spot in the order and responded by coming a classic “triple shy of the cycle” over a four-hit game where he drove in two runs and scored two runs, Dylan Beavers had two hits off the bench, and the Orioles beat the Rays by a 6-5 score. (Don’t think about the ninth inning. It’s the GIF Party!)
As of right now, the Orioles are one game back of a wild card spot in the American League. This is subject to change based on the Texas result in Sacramento.
Aug 14, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Pfaadt (32) pitched the ball against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Game Summary
Full recap to post later this evening. For now, hit the comments and enjoy the W!
Win Probability and Box Score
Outside the Box Score
Ketel Marte came up with Corbin on 3rd and 1 out in the first. He couldn’t cash in the runner but it wasn’t any fault of Marte’s since he smoked a liner at 103mph but the Atlanta shortstop was able to dive catch the ball on the fly, holding Corbin at third.
Ketel allowed the Braves leadoff hitter to reach on a well-placed grounder between 2nd and 1st. Ketel was able to get to it but when he tried to throw while still in full run from shallow right, he dropped the ball from his hand. Official ruling was a single, though it probably could’ve been ruled an error. Marte later left the game with knee pain likely caused by that play.
Brandon Pfaadt’s first inning was pretty dominant. 2 grounders that had exit velocities under 75mph and 2 strikeouts on pitches out of the zone. Great start!
The D-backs were making solid contact against Sale early, even if the box score wasn’t showing it. Through the first 3 innings, 6/9 batted balls were classified as Hard Hit (>95mph). 5 of those were above 100mph.
Ronald Acuña hit a groundball right at Nolan Arenado at third in his second AB of the game and Nado made a surprising bobble. The grounder wasn’t hit particularly hard, but as Nolan brought the ball up off the ground with his glove, the ball popped up out of his glove. Nado kept his wits though and calmly found the ball, grabbed it out of the air fired across the diamond to complete to put out.
Ryan Waldschmidt followed up that questionable play from Arenado with an absolutely stellar play in left field. Matt Olson served a line drive toward the left field corner but Waldy made a great break on it and caught the ball in full sprint and full extension before tumbling to the earth. Huge play to save extra bases, especially when the next hitter got a single that likely would’ve scored Olson.
Domo looking a lot closer to his old self tonight after getting a double and single on a liner hugging the third base line in the 3rd and a single hugging the first base line in the 6th.
Ildemaro reached with an infield single on a little cue shot that rolled 75 feet. He then immediately stole second base which allowed him to advance to third on a sacrifice bunt by Tawa (not a great bunt but it did the job). Perfect small ball execution; runner at third with less than 2 outs and a ball hadn’t even been hit past third base.
Ryan Waldschmidt gave himself a chance to get Arizona’s first hit with RISP with 2 outs in the 7th, but the Braves center fielder made a great read on Waldy’s shallow humpback liner to center and made the catch at knee level in a full sprint as he ran in. So close.
Ildemaro made a fantastic leaping grab of a Matt Olson liner to rob him of a hit to lead off the 7th. Vargie reached full extension and still just got enough glove on the ball to snow-cone it. Even more impressive might’ve been the body control to keep the grip on the ball has his feet came back to the dirt. Awesome play!
Stepping up to the plate 3/3 in the 8th, Geraldo Perdomo dropped a surprise bunt perfectly hugging the third base line for a leadoff single.
Comment of the Game
A lighter GameDay Thread tonight, likely due to the earlier start time, only getting a total of 215 comments at time of publishing. There seemed to be quite a bit of rec rationing going on early (hat tip to Sighborg) but Timmy Tawa’s late insurance run dinger loosened the recs and kilnborn earned COTG:
Coming Up
The Diamondbacks face the Braves for the second game of this 3-game set tomorrow evening with a 4:15pm first pitch Arizona time and televised on FOX. Grant Holmes (7-4, 3.47 ERA) is the probable starter for the ATL and our favorite hologram, Eduardo Rodriguez (11-4, 2.70 ERA) will get the ball for the good guys.
Scoreboard Watching
Full scoreboard thread to follow but feel free to update in the comments.
Miguel Vargas left the yard twice, powering the White Sox past the Tigers, 9-5. | (Photo by Jessie Alcheh/Getty Images)
For a team like the Chicago White Sox looking to wrap up their division over the remaining weeks, winning the few series left against divisional opponents is crucial. Last week, the White Sox took care of the Cleveland Guardians and this week, they have a big test on the road against the Detroit Tigers.
With just 2 ½ games separating the two teams coming into this series, anything less than a series win would put Chicago in a really tight spot. Although the series is far from over, the White Sox got off to a great start with a massive 9-5 win over the Detroit Tigers.
It was your normal intradivisional game, with both teams trading blows left and right, all night. The White Sox landed the first punch in the very first inning when Sam Antonacci was driven in by Braden Montgomery after the first two batters of the night were hit by pitches.
Sean Newcomb did his job as an opener, as he allowed just one base runner over his first five batters faced. Unfortunately the Tigers landed a few punches of their own shortly thereafter.
The “Gritty Tigs” awoke from slumber off of José Urquidy, with a two-out, two-strike homer in the second and a two-out double in the third inning that had the White Sox reeling. It wasn’t the finest work from Urquidy, but his role was to eat innings, and with 52 pitches with three runs of damage he could very well see long relief work into September.
Fortunately, as they have all season, the White Sox refused to wave the white flag, tagging Detroit for two runs in the first seven pitches of the fifth inning, as a Tristan Peters two-run homer evened it up. Chicago fattened its lead from there, thanks to a Munetaka Murakami homer
For as much as Braden has struggled during the season, batting just .238 on the year coming into this game, he’s played a major role in multiple big wins this year. It was his fourth game in his short stint in the South Side this year driving in three or more runs. If he keeps it up, he may be the most popular Montgomery on the team before too long.
It looked like the White Sox landed a knockout punch in the sixth inning when Miguel Vargas clubbed a two-run homer, but much like Tyson Fury against Deontay Wilder, the Tigers found a way to rise off the canvas and show a little life.
They say “Mets gonna Mets” but apparently that saying still has some legs on former players, too, as Huascar Brazobán had another tough night. Although he only gave up two runs to Urquidy’s three, Brazobán also only made it through just 1 ⅓ innings, allowing the Tigers to make it a three-run game before Grant Taylor found a way to work out of the jam Brazobán left him.
Fortunately, Vargas showed off his power bat one more time, and the four-run lead was too much for the Tigers to make up, no matter how “gritty” they may be. With the win, the White Sox now have a 3 1/2-game lead over the Tigers, four over the Twins and five on Cleveland. Just as important, the White Sox now hold the lead in the season series against the Tigers, four games to three. Should these teams finish the season tied atop the standings, that tiebreaker would loom large.
With tonight’s game being the fourth in 16 straight days of games, a win without using too much of the bullpen is a massive help. If they can keep these good vibes rolling and leave this tough stretch with any type of lead atop the division, the White Sox will have a huge advantage over the rest of the division.
MVP Miguel Vargas: 4-for-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, two impressive pop-up catches
Aug 14, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) reacts as he rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Washington Nationals during the sixth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Mets were held to one baserunner through five but they broke out late in their 4-1 win over the Nationals.
Francisco Lindor had another tough day in the field which helped Washington get on the board first, but he made up for it when he tied the game in the sixth with a solo home run. That was the team’s first hit of the day but they tacked on another run that inning with Carson Benge’s RBI single to drive in Bo Bichette who reached base after striking out on a wild pitch.
The Mets scored two more in the seventh when Jared Young hit a solo home run of his own. After another wild pitch moved Luis Torrens into scoring position, Bichette added a RBI single off old friend Max Kranick to make it 4-1 Metsies.
Robert Stock got the start for the Mets and was much better than his last start against Pittsburgh but he failed to make it through five. He was lifted after pitching 4.1 innings and allowing just one unearned run. Nate Lavender entered with runners on first and second and one out, but was able to finish off the inning without any damage.
The Mets bullpen as a whole is what allowed the offense to come back and take the lead. Lavender, Jonathan Pintaro, Daniel Duarte, and Kodai Senga were all very good in this revamped bullpen. Pinarto picked up his first major league win and Senga picked up his second save of the season although he did allow two baserunners in the ninth. The Mets have now won seven of their last ten ballgames as they look for positives during a lost season.
Big Mets winner: Francisco Lindor, +16% WPA Big Mets loser: AJ Ewing, -10% WPA Mets pitchers: +34% WPA Mets hitters: +16% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Francisco Lindor home run, +20.1% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Brady House RBI single, -7.8% WPA
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 01: Yoshinobu Yamamoto #18 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning at Dodger Stadium on August 01, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers (73-49) look to bounce back and even the series against the Brewers after a stunning 5-4 collapse in the ninth inning during Thursday night’s opener.
Yoshi Yamamoto (11-7, 2.65 ERA, 0.89 WHIP) takes the ball for the Dodgers.
Robert Gasser (3-4, 4.57 ERA, 1.22 WHIP) starts for Milwaukee.
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 14: Atlanta Braves outfielder Mauricio Dubón(14) mislays a line drive to left field in the first inning of the MLB game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Atlanta Braves on August 14, 2026, at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by John Adams/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
There couldn’t have been a worse start to a series after coming off a high from the last one.
…Well, I guess there could always be worse.
The Atlanta Braves fell to the Arizona Diamondbacks in a 2-0 shutout to open their series on Friday night.
The first run was kicked off by Arizona’s Geraldo Perdomo on a Gabriel Moreno RBI at the top of the first inning. And the second was a homer hit by Tim Tawa in the top of the ninth to cap off the night.
Chris Sale pitched through his usual six innings, but gave up five hits and one earned run with a total of nine strikeouts. Besides the first run, Sale did a solid job at holding the rest of the offense off. Plus, it wasn’t his fault the Braves’ offense was quiet throughout the night.
It wasn’t until Tyler Kinley came in for Dylan Dodd that the next run would be scored beyond the fence.
Same story, different team. Not the best way to start, especially against a team that’s putting up similar results through the eye test.
But that’s why there’s always tomorrow.
Until then, rest well, Braves Country. We’ll return to gear up for tomorrow in hopes of turning things around.
TORONTO, ON - AUGUST 14: Alejandro Kirk #30 of the Toronto Blue Jays hits an RBI double in the sixth inning during a game against the New York Yankees at Rogers Centre on August 14, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Gerrit Cole was a tough assignment, but the pitching staff was more than up for the challenge of winning the pitching duel and the offence took advantage of their opportunities and did just enough.
There was bad news, though. Vladimir Guerrero jr. left the game after being kicked in the side of the head sliding into third. We haven’t recieved an update on his condition yet, but he looked shaken in the dugout after the play and went into the tunnel for concussion tests. Hopefully it’s minor, but they may be without their star first baseman for a little while.
Shane Bieber was very good today. He wasn’t missing many bats, but he kept the Yankees’ hitters off him for the most part and worked efficiently. He also got some sold defence behind him and benefited from mistakes like George Lombard jr. inexplicably rounding second advancing on a line single straight to Nathan Lukes and getting caught in a rundown at third.
The Yankees got their first chance in the fourth, when Spencer Jones doubled to centre field and advanced on a fly out to put a man on third with one out. Bieber got a pop out and a fly out to escape, though. He cruised through the fifth, picking up a his third and fourth strikeouts. He finally slipped in the sixth, though, catching too much of the plate with a fastball that Trent Grisham chipped just over the fence into the Yankees’ bullpen in right. He retired the next three batters to get through the inning. It was an excellent start, and it was justice that the Jays were able to take him off the hook for the loss.
The Jays could do nothing with Gerrit Cole. They manufactured one chance in the second. Alejandro Kirk worked a walk and Andres Gimenez lined a double into the right field corner. Kirk was only able to make it to third, though, and Cole struck Kazuma Okamoto out and got a ground out from Jesus Sanchez to end the inning. Cole then set the next seven Jays in order before a one out Okamoto single in the fifth. That was stranded.
Finally, the offence woke up in the sixth with the help of a bizarrer play. Brett Bateman hit a ground ball single to open the bottom of the sixth. After Nathan Lukes grounded into a fielder’s choice, Vladimir Guerrero jr. hit a ground ball single to advance Lukes to second and give the Jays their first runner in scoring position since the second. George Springer grounded to third. Ryan McMahon stepped on the bag and threw over to first for what would have been a double play except that the throw was a bit off and popped the glove off Luis Garcia jr.‘s hand. Vlad went for third and Garcia made the ill advised decision to throw it back across the diamond. McMahon, running back to the bag to try to catch it, had to jump to try to avoid a sliding Vlad and ended up kicking him in the side of the head and sprawling. Vlad had the presence of mind to get up and go home, but looked shaken in the dugout after the play. That tied the game at one. One pitch later, Alejandro Kirk lined a ball to the left field wall for a double that plated Springer to put Toronto in front 2-1.
Vlad went into the tunnel for a concussion evaluation and was replaced by Charles McAdoo. Tyler Rogers relieved Bieber for the seventh. He allowed just a ground ball single. Paul Blackburn took over for the Yankees. He retired the first two batters before Ernie Clement and Bateman reached on back to back singles. A pop out prevented the runners from scoring.
Rogers returned to get the first out in the eighth before handing it over to Mason Fluharty, who got two soft fly outs. In the bottom half, Bradley Hanner made his MLB debut. It started well, as he struck out McAdoo and Springer, but the Alejandro Kirk welcomed him to the show with a home run to right, extending the Jays’ margin to two.
Louis Varland came in for the save. He must be tired with all the work he’s gotten in the last week, so he was in no mood to mess around. The Yankees were set down in order on four pitches.
Jays of the Day: Kirk (0.27), Bieber (0.17), Rogers (0.15)
Less so: Sanchez (-0.11)
We’ll be back tomorrow at 3:07pm ET. Cy Young frontrunner Cam Schlittler (10-6, 2.21) will take the mound for the Yankees. The Jays haven’t announced a starter. This was to have been Jameson Taillon’s third turn with the club, but he’s on the IL with forearm tightness. That leaves Simeon Woods-Richardson (2-7, 6.23) as the logical next man up.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 08: Landen Roupp #65 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Detroit Tigers in the first inning at Oracle Park on August 08, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s time for a new series and we’ve got two very bad teams pitted against each other: in the orange corner, the San Francisco Giants, and in the purple corner, the Colorado Rockies.
Righty Landen Roupp takes the mound for the Giants for the 24th time this year. The 27-year old is 7-11 on the season, with a 4.22 ERA, a 3.52 FIP, and 123 strikeouts to 57 walks in 123.2 innings. Roupp bounced back from a mini slump in his last start, giving up just one run in 5.1 innings against the Detroit Tigers, though he walked five batters. He has the most losses in the league, currently.
For the Rockies, it’s left-hander Kyle Freeland, who makes his 22nd start. The 33-year old is having a tough year, as he’s 3-10 with a 6.63 ERA, a 4.65 FIP, and 96 strikeouts to 26 walks in 112.2 innings. He lasted just 4.1 innings in his last start, but in the start before that he threw a complete game against the Kansas City Royals, with just one run allowe.
The Yankees had a late lead with Gerrit Cole dealing, but a defensive blunder allowed a two-run inning, as New York fell to the Blue Jays, 3-1, on Friday night in Toronto.
Up 1-0 in the sixth, the Jays had two runners on and one out. George Springer hit a groundball to Ryan McMahon. McMahon stepped on third for one out, but the throw to Luis Garcia Jr. at first took his glove off as he tried to scoop. Garcia tried to get Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at third base, but he threw it into left field, not noticing that no one was covering. Guerrero and George Lombard Jr. collided at third, as the ball went into the outfield, but Vlad was able to score. Alejandro Kirk followed with an RBI double to give the Blue Jays a 2-1 lead. McMahon and Garcia were given errors on the play.
It was enough for the Blue Jays as the Yankees' offense. New York left four runners on base and went 0-for-3 with RISP.
Here are the takeaways...
-Cole pitched on a tightrope early, as Toronto had runners on second and third with one out in the second inning. Cole struck out Kazuma Okamoto and got Jesus Sanchez to ground out to end the threat.
After that defensive misplay pushed two runs across, Cole finished the inning, but that two-spot put a damper on the right-hander's night. He allowed two runs on five hits and two walks through his six innings, while striking out five.
-On the offensive side, the struggles continued. Lombard made a baserunning blunder, straying too far off second on a Trent Grisham single in the third, and the team wasted a leadoff double from Spencer Jones in the fourth. Jones was on third with one out before Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Heliot Ramos flew out to end the inning.
Grisham lined a home run (359 ft, 100.3 mph) over the right field wall for his 16th of the season. The blast put the Yankees up 1-0 in the sixth.
-The Yankees bullpen kept the Blue Jays off the board until the eighth. Bradley Hanner, making his major league debut, struck out the first two batters on the night, but Kirk launched his fifth home run of the season to give Toronto an insurance run.
-Shane Bieber held the Yankees at bay. Aside from allowing the Grisham homer, the former AL Cy Young winner allowed just four hits and one walk across six innings while striking out five.
-The Yankees had just five hits. Grisham had two with Jones, Chisholm and McMahon reaching base via the hit.
Game MVP: Alejandro Kirk
The Blue Jays backstop drove in two of the team's three runs.
The Mets had just one hit through five innings, but woke up in the sixth inning and would go on to beat the Washington Nationals, 4-1, on Friday night.
New York has now won seven of their last 10 games.
Here are the takeaways...
-- Francisco Lindor's season-long defensive issues continued Friday night. The SS misplayed a ball up the middle in the top of the third inning, allowing CJ Abrams to score and give the Nationals an early 1-0 lead. It's Lindor's ninth error of the season in just his 65th game (he had 13 errors in 2025 over 158 games).
-- Although Lindor made up for the mistake later in the bottom of the sixth inning, crushing a breaking ball to left field for a solo home run that tied the game at 1-1. The homer off of LHP Andrew Alvarez was just his fourth from the right side of the plate this year and 12th home run overall.
New York then found a way to take the lead as Bo Bichette reached first on a strikeout-wild pitch, Luis Robert Jr. singled against Jake Bird, and Carson Benge drove in the run to go up 2-1.
-- Robert Stock took the mound for the first time since his rough start against the Pirates (eight earned runs in 3.0 IP) and put together a solid outing. He allowed one unearned run on three hits with five strikeouts and three walks over 4.1 IP and a career-high 84 pitches.
The 36-year-old started strong, leaving two Nationals stranded in the first inning and tossing a quick 1-2-3 second inning. Washington got to him in the third, scoring an unearned run on Lindor's error, but he powered through to leave two runners stranded. Stock bounced back for a four-batter fourth inning and came back out for the fifth, but was pulled after a walk and hit-by-pitch.
-- LHP Nate Lavender cleaned up in the fifth, recording two flyouts on three pitches to keep it a 1-0 game. Jonathan Pintaro pitched a scoreless sixth inning thanks to a 4-6-3 double play with two Nats on base, and kept it going with a 1-2-3 seventh inning.
-- Jared Young gave the Mets an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh, blasting a hanging curveball 408 feet to right field to make it 3-1. The inning stayed alive after two walks and Bichette took advantage, tacking on another with an RBI single to push the lead to 4-1.
-- Pitching with a three-run lead, RHP Daniel Duarte breezed by the Nats in the eighth with a scoreless frame. Kodai Senga ran into some trouble in the ninth, allowing a single and hitting a batter, but was able to record his second career save by striking out Abimelec Ortiz on a ghost fork.
Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani throws in the outfield at Dodger Stadium before a game against the Kansas City Royals on Aug. 11. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani took the bullpen mound at Dodger Stadium, with president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and pitching coach Mark Prior looking on, and began his first bullpen throwing session in more than three weeks.
Friday marked an important step in Ohtani’s throwing progression. He threw 34 pitches before the Dodgers’ game against the Milwaukee Brewers, appearing to mix in different pitch types.
Although Ohtani hasn’t landed on the injured list for lingering inflammation and soreness in his left knee, he hasn’t pitched in a game since July 3.
After Ohtani received a lubricating Orthovisc injection in his knee at the beginning of the All-Star break, the Dodgers hoped he would pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 22. But as they monitored his response, it became clear he wasn’t going to be ready.
Instead, Ohtani threw a 31-pitch bullpen. But his recovery regressed, and he was shut down from throwing.
“At the end of the day, he wants to be healthy,” manager Dave Roberts said earlier this week. “He wants to be there in the postseason. I think that did check him up. If you look at how we kind of paused things — we all want to be smart and careful. I’m happy that we’ve done that with him.”
Ohtani restarted catch play on Aug. 7. And after playing catch three more days this week, Ohtani and the Dodgers determined he was ready to throw off the mound again.
“Rather than rush the progression of this I would rather make sure we’re headed in the right direction,” Ohtani said last week. “Making sure we’re taking the right steps.”
Ohtani is expected to go through a bullpen progression and then advance to throwing live batting practice — although Roberts said earlier this week he didn’t know how many of each he’d need before returning.
Because the Dodgers want to keep Ohtani in the lineup, he’ll have to build up in games rather than going on a minor-league rehab assignment.
Ohtani did something similar last season, but then, he was returning to the mound for the first time since 2023 elbow surgery.
“Having kind of done that — an inning here, an inning there and then you sort of build up during the season, absolutely,” said Roberts when asked if 2025 could serve as a blueprint. “And I think he’s seen what that buildup can lead to and how it looks. I certainly feel that he’ll buy in.”
Injury updates
Catchers Will Smith (neck) and Dalton Rushing (elbow) each took steps in their hitting progressions. Both took batting practice before the game.
Aug 14, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami (5) celebrates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run against the Detroit Tigers in the fourth inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Detroit Tigers started another crucial series with a division rival, as the AL Central-leading (for now) Chicago White Sox came to town for the first of a three-gamer. The White Sox showed why they’re leading the league in runs scored as they pummelled the ball relentlessly on their way to a 9-5 win.
Jackson Jobe made his second start of the year for the Tigers, after spending time on the Injured List earlier this year recovering from last year’s Tommy John surgery. He looked great in his first start, in San Francisco: five innings, one hit, one walk and four strikeouts. Having him in the rotation for the rest of the year, contributing the quality innings of which we know he’s capable, sure would help the Tigers chase down a playoff spot.
The White Sox decided to put on a little Pitching Chaos themselves and have Sean Newcomb open; he’s done this a few times over the past few years, so this wasn’t going to be his first rodeo. Besides, for both of 2017 and 2018 he was a full-time member of the Atlanta rotation, acquitting himself decently well before moving to a relief role in a few stops around the major leagues between then and now. Staying healthy has been Newcomb’s main problem over the years.
Jobe started the game in a pretty unusual way: by hitting two batters on the back foot with consecutive off-speed pitches. That’s not what you want to do against the American League’s top run-producing lineup, obviously — and with two outs a single to left put Chicago up 1-0 with runners on the corners. But Jobe got Colson Montgomery to swing and foul-tip a 98-mph fastball into Dillon Dingler’s mitt and the damage was thusly contained. He threw 25 pitches in the first inning; given that he’s still building up to full strength that meant his outing was probably going to be on the short side anyway, but in the second he only needed nine pitches to get those three outs.
Newcomb got the first out of the bottom of the second, and Old Friend™ José Urquidy came in for him. Remember Urquidy, very briefly, at the end of last season? Well, former teammate or not, Spencer Torkelson greeted him with a single, and after a strikeout Ben Malgeri connected on a low changeup for a two-run home run, putting the Tigers ahead 2-1.
The Tigers added to that lead in the bottom of the third: with two out, Kevin McGonigle singled and Eduardo Valencia followed with yet another extra-base hit, a double that scored McGonigle and put the home team up 3-1.
Alas, the White Sox then did what they do better than anyone else in the league: score a bunch of runs. A single to lead off the fourth was followed by a Tristan Peters two-run home run to even the game at 3-3. They took the lead 4-3 on a Munetaka Murakami solo home run two outs later, and Miguel Vargas followed with a double. A walk ensued, then a Braden Montgomery triple scored another pair of runs to make it 6-3 and end Jobe’s day. Jacob Waugespack was brought in to douse the flames and thankfully he did, coaxing a fly ball out of the other Montgomery for the final out.
Jobe’s final line was not pretty: 3 2/3 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 4 K and a pair of home runs. On the radio broadcast, Andy Dirks said it looked like Chicago’s hitters knew what was coming, and I can’t help but wonder if he was tipping his pitches a touch. Also, remember, he’s still coming back from Tommy John surgery, and history has shown it takes a while to really regain your sharpness.
After that, things settled down for a while, and Enmanuel De Jesus took over in the top of the sixth. With one out Murakami walked and Vargas blasted a long home run to left for an 8-3 lead, though.
Things got quiet again until the bottom of the seventh when Malgeri struck again for another home run to lead off the inning, narrowing the lead to 8-4. Max Clark followed with a sharp line drive to right-centre; Braden Montgomery dove for it and missed, and Clark motored around the bases for a triple.
A Gleyber Torres groundout scored Clark to make it 8-5. Huascar Brazobán, who’d taken over for Urquidy to start the sixth, departed in favour of Grant Taylor; it’s been a rough week with a heavy load for the White Sox, so burning as many of their good relievers as possible may just help the Tigers the rest of the weekend, if nothing else.
De Jesus got the first out of the top of the eighth and Ty Madden stepped in to promptly give up another Vargas home run for a 9-5 score.
In the bottom of the inning, Colt Keith hit a double the opposite way with one out to show the Tigers weren’t quite finished yet. He advanced to third on a Torkelson groundout, but a Zach McKinstry groundout stranded him there. They didn’t do much in the ninth either against lefty Bryan Hudson, and that was the game.
As you might have seen, Thursday’s combined shutout victory against Cleveland was pretty unique, as it was the first time since 2014 that a team had shut out another without striking anybody out. Who was that previous team? You might know them as the Detroit Tigers; Rick Porcello went the distance, shutting out Oakland while throwing a Maddux.
Keider Montero started Thursday’s whiffless masterpiece. His strikeouts-per-nine-innings has actually gone down this year, from 7.1 last year to 6.0 this year so far.
You know what else has gone down by about one per nine innings this year for Montero, too? Walks. Last year, 3.1 (oooh); this year, 2.0 (aaah).
Since pitches have been routinely counted in 1988, Greg Maddux has the most Madduxes, as you might imagine. Know who has the second-most? I sure didn’t, and I never in a million years would have guessed Zane Smith, but hey, there you are.
On this day in 1901, Gustave Whitehead claimed to have flown an airplane in Connecticut. Did he beat the Wright Brothers by over two years? Not too many people seem to believe it. No photographic evidence of his machines being off the ground exist, nor did he keep detailed documentation about it.
