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Join me as I dive into why I'm also expecting big nights from Munetaka Murakami and Griffin Conine in my three favorite MLB player props for Aug. 12.

Best MLB player props today

Player	Pick	Odds
Griffin Conine	Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBI	+105
Carmen Mlodzinski	Over 2.5 Earned Runs	+123
Munetaka Murakami	Over 1.5 Total Bases	+131

Griffin Conine Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBI (+105)

I have to run back Miami Marlins outfielder Griffin Conine after flying out to the wall in his first at-bat last night, only to later be robbed at the wall. I think Conine is beyond due for a massive outing, and today he draws an even better matchup against Pittsburgh Pirates starter Carmen Mlodzinski.

The Pirates right-hander has allowed a 50% hard-hit rate and 11.36% barrel rate to opposing hitters over his last five starts. Against the last 60 left-handed hitters he has faced, they own a .352 xBA, .538 xSLG and .367 xwOBA. During that stretch, those hitters are generating a 47% hard-hit rate and 29.8% ground-ball rate.

With Conine carrying a .529 SLG and .264 ISO while producing a 50% hard-hit rate and 22.75% barrel rate over his last ten games, I think he is primed to go off this evening.

Plus money for a guy performing at the level Conine is right now feels like a steal. I would try my best to get this prop at plus money, but I’m comfortable playing it down to -105.

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MIAM, SNP

Carmen Mlodzinski Over 2.5 Earned Runs (+123)

I absolutely love the idea of the Miami Marlins popping off against Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski.

As mentioned above, he has been allowing a ton of hard contact and barrels to opposing hitters while struggling against left-handed hitters. The Marlins will have five hitters batting from the left side this evening.

Mlodzinski has allowed a 51.72% hard-hit rate and nearly a 14% barrel rate to opposing hitters over his last three starts, while sporting a 5.18 xERA against the last 60 lefties he has faced. It is going to be a long game for Mr. Mlodzinski.

The Marlins have posted a 138 wRC+, .366 wOBA and .823 OPS over their last 12 games at home, while also owning an 11% walk rate. On top of that, the Fightin’ Fish rank eighth in first-five scoring at home this season, averaging 2.84 runs.

The amount of hard contact Mlodzinski has been allowing should continue this evening, and the Marlins will feast on his offerings.

Take this down to +110.

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MIAM, SNP

Munetaka Murakami Over 1.5 Total Bases (+131)

We are getting a ton of value on Chicago White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami to go Over his 1.5 total bases prop this evening, with it sitting at +131.

Murakami owns the highest rating in this matchup on Batters-Box, while covering nearly 100% of Cincinnati Reds right-hander Rhett Lowder’s entire pitch mix. Through 47 elite ratings this season, the White Sox slugger has surpassed this prop 53.19% of the time, going over in seven of his last 10 elite ratings as well.

Over his last 10 games, the first baseman is slugging .512 while owning a 30% ground-ball rate, 61% hard-hit rate and 21.7% barrel rate.

Meanwhile, Lowder, on the road against left-handed bats, is allowing just a 32.6% ground-ball rate while allowing a 41.8% hard-hit rate.

I would take this down to +120, but +131 is a fantastic price.

• Time: 7:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: CHSN, CINR

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.

The Colorado Rockies managed to snag a 3-2 victory Tuesday night thanks to another inspired Tomoyuki Sugano start on the mound and a clutch two-run home run by Kyle Karros. Now, with the series tied, the Rockies face off against their most dreaded foe this season, the rubber match.

When a chance to win a series is on the line in the final game of a series, the Rockies have been, to be frank, abysmal. In 15 chances to win a series rubber match, the Rockies are 3-13. They previously lost a rubber match game last Sunday in St. Louis, 7-4.

The Rockies will try to change their luck by sending Ryan Feltner (4-6, 5.71 ERA) to the mound. He was solid in his last outing, going 5.1 innings and allowing three runs on four hits. His inconsistencies have been quite noticeable over the last two months as his command has waned, leading to a lot of contact and an uptick in walks, or he can work quickly and efficiently to cruise through a game. Home runs have been quite the issue this season, having given up 18 on the season, two shy of a career-high 20 in 2024. He has struggled to a 6.27 ERA over four starts against the Arizona Diamondbacks, including a 5.40 ERA in one start at Chase Field. He’ll need to be careful in hitting his locations and commanding his pitches because the Diamondbacks have shown they are ready to swing in this series.

The Snakes will send out Merrill Kelly (8-9, 4.88 ERA) to make the start. The veteran righty hasn’t been as crisp this season, as his walks are up and his strikeouts are down. He’s also been stung by the home run ball at a higher clip as well. Still, he is not one to be taken lightly, especially since he’s come back into form a bit over the last month. In his last outing, he allowed just one run on two hits over 5.2 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In his previous start against the Rockies this season, he tossed a complete game at Coors Field in May, allowing just one run on four hits on 100 pitches. In his career, he has a 3.08 ERA over 18 starts against the Rockies with 105 strikeouts and 24 walks in 117 innings. In 90 starts at Chase, he has a 3.50 ERA.

In roster news, the Rockies have recalled Adael Amador from Triple-A Albuquerque and placed Kyle Karros on the 7-day concussion injured list.

First Pitch: 1:40 pm MDT

TV: Rockies TV

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)

Lineups:

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Walker Buehler played spoiler to the Milwaukee Brewers’ hopes of evening the series at a game apiece. He allowed one run and three hits over six innings in a 11-2 victory.

The San Diego Padres continue their hot streak with a 17-hit attack. Luis Rengifo’s grand slam set the tone of the evening. Luis Campusano added a two-run home run, and Fernando Tatis Jr. blasted a solo shot.

Today’s daytime affair is the final game of the three-game set. The Padres are looking to sweep and climb in the competitive National League Wild-Card standings. Currently, they’re tied with the Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks for the final two playoff berths. 

Taking the mound: Dustin May (MIL) vs Robbie Ray (SD) 

This afternoon’s starting pitching matchup features two trade-deadline acquisitions that are expected to bolster each team’s rotation. Dustin May (6-7, 4.30 ERA) is facing off against Robbie Ray (10-7, 3.24 ERA). 

May is having a rebound season after a disastrous 2025 campaign; he posted a 4.96 ERA, splitting time between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox. His troubles were allowing 138 base runners. 

This season, the right-hander has been impressive with attacking the strike zone. He regained his elite velocity after enduring several arm injuries. His four-seam fastball, slider, and cutter have registered over 96 MPH on the gun this summer. May should surpass his career strikeout total of 123 before Labor Day. 

Today, he is put in a tough situation, but May has past success against the Friars. The right-hander threw an impressive one-hit shutout for the St. Louis Cardinals in June. Some believe it was the best start of his seven-year major league career.

The Padres have razor-thin starting rotation depth and desperately needed to add another arm at the trade deadline. Ray was the Friar Faithful’s desired choice because they love his confidence whenever he faced San Diego. 

Few starters were as dominant as Ray over the last two months. Before his debut with the Brown & Gold, the left-hander was 7-0 with a 1.09 ERA in 12 starts. Ray allowed one run or less in nine of those outings. 

His anticipated debut was disappointing, but could it have lived up to expectations? Ray’s command betrayed him, as he issued five walks over five innings. The only good news was that his velocity was still clocking in at 93 MPH for the four-seam fastball and 86 MPH for the slider. 

Ray has the pedigree to out-duel his pitching counterpart in today’s contest. 

Today’s lineups

The Colorado Rockies announced this afternoon prior to their game against the Arizona Diamondbacks that third baseman Kyle Karros has been placed on the 7-day concussion injured list.

Karros, who has largely been the Rockies’ everyday starting third baseman this season, suffered a head injury during Tuesday night’s game against the Diamondbacks at Chase Field. In the bottom of the sixth inning he collided with shortstop Ezequiel Tovar while attempting to field a ground ball of the bat of Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte.

The 24-year-old has been enjoying a breakout season during his second year in Major League Baseball. In 112 games, Karros is hitting .265/.361/.424 with 20 doubles, two triples, ten home runs, and 44 RBIs while being worth 1.6 wins above replacement per Baseball Reference. He also leads the Rockies in walks with 47.

In a corresponding roster move, infielder Adael Amador has been recalled from the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes.

Amador, 23, was once a top prospect in the Rockies organization but has experienced limited success over multiple call-ups in 2024 and 2025. In 164 big league plate appearances, he has hit .176/.242/.250 with eight doubles and a home run.

In 86 games with the Isotopes this year, he is hitting .261/.370/.432 with 19 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs, and 58 RBIs while drawing more walks than he has struck out. Amador has largely been the starting second baseman in Albuquerque, but has recently begun expanding his skill set to left field. He is also capable of playing shortstop.

In addition, right-handed reliever Jeff Criswell (right shoulder strain) has been activated from the 15-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Criswell, 27, returned from Tommy John surgery this season and has appeared in three games for the Rockies and has given up two earned runs on four hits and three walks over four innings. He has struck out three batters.

The Rockies’ 40-man roster currently sits at 38.

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The Dodgers arrived back home on fumes, having lost eight of their previous nine games. They’ve eked out two one-run wins over a last-place Kansas City Royals team, and on Wednesday have a chance to do something that’s been a long time coming: sweep a team.

Last time the Dodgers swept a team was June 22-24 against the Twins in Minnesota, and are just 20-19 since. Their last sweep of a team at home was June 15-17 against the Tampa Bay Rays, and the Dodgers are just 10-11 at Dodger Stadium since, and have been swept twice themselves.

Last season was a more sweep-heavy season at home, with 10 sweeps in 26 series at Dodger Stadium — eight for the good, two times getting swept — en route to a 52-29 home record.

So far in 2026, the Dodgers played 18 home series before this week, and swept four teams. They were swept twice at Dodger Stadium — by the Arizona Diamondbacks from July 10-12 and by the Boston Red Sox from July 31-August 2.

That all adds up to a 35-23 home record, a perfectly fine mark that’s sixth-best in baseball. That .603 winning percentage translates to 49 wins in 81 games. This is going to sound like someone complaining about the brand of caviar at a fancy party, but the Dodgers haven’t been this “bad” at home in eight years.

Dodgers recent home records

• 2018: 45-37 (.549)
• 2019: 59-22 (.728)
• 2020: 21-9 (.700)
• 2021: 58-23 (.716)
• 2022: 57-24 (.704)
• 2023: 53-28 (.654)
• 2024: 52-29 (.642)
• 2025: 52-29 (.642)
• 2026: 35-23 (.603)

Three previous times this year the Dodgers had a chance to sweep at home but lost the final game — against the Texas Rangers (April 10-12), Angels (June 5-7), and Padres (July 2-5). On the road the Dodgers left unfinished sweeps in Toronto (April 8), West Sacramento (July 1), at Yankee Stadium (July 19), and at Citi Field (July 26).

Dodgers have a chance to finish the job against the Royals on Wednesday night.

Wednesday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Royals
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Start time: 7:10 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

The Athletics enter this afternoon’s series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays, facing the threat of being swept once again at home. After gaining momentum from Monday night’s crazy comeback victory, the Rays crushed six home runs on Tuesday night in a blowout series-clinching victory. Now, it is up to the A’s to salvage the series finale and avoid potentially falling to last place in the American League, capping the team’s swift fall from grace.

Roster Move

Before today’s game, the team shook up its bullpen as it continues tinkering to find the best possible group of relievers.

Hayden Juenger returns to the majors four days after he was optioned to Triple-A in the wake of a bad relief appearance. Left-hander Drew Rom, whom the A’s claimed off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers yesterday, joins him. Rom, the team’s latest scrap-heap acquisition, will look to carve out a role in the A’s bullpen over the rest of the season.

Rom replaces Josè Suarez, who landed on the injured list with a right hip strain. Juenger takes the spot previously held by right-hander Yunior Tur, who allowed a three-run home run over two innings of relief yesterday before being optioned back to Triple-A.

Game Preview

Taking the ball for the home team will be right-hander Jack Perkins, who will face the Rays for the first time in his career. The 26-year-old enters his 29th appearance and 11th start of the season with a 2-8 record, a 7.04 ERA, a 1.45 WHIP, three saves and 92 strikeouts across 76 2/3 innings pitched.

Last night, Athletics right-hander Mason Barnett turned in a poor start, allowing six runs on five hits, three of which were home runs, over just four innings. If the A’s want to have a chance at salvaging this series finale and avoiding another embarrassing defeat, they will need Perkins to step up and post a quality start, giving his team a chance to win.

Perkins enters this start in the midst of a rough stretch, as his last two outings did not go well. In his last start against the Boston Red Sox, Perkins allowed five runs on five hits over just three innings. He has not won any of his last seven games, compiling an 0-5 record with an 8.22 ERA.

Here’s how the Athletics’ lineup stacks up tonight for the series finale against the AL East foe:

Last night, Tyler Soderstrom rested to protect his ailing hip. Today, it’s banged-up Jacob Wilson’s turn to get the day off, with Donovan Walton starting at shortstop in his place. Zack Gelof starts at second base, his third position in three games since returning from the injured list. Right fielder Lawrence Butler, who hit a two-run home run yesterday, seeks to have another productive day offensively this afternoon.

The bottom third of this lineup stick out, which means the A’s need offensive contributions from one or more of them to have a shot at ending this series with a win. Wilson’s hitting approach has rubbed off on Tommy White, who has gone from a power-hitting slugger in college to a swing-at-everything singles hitter in the majors.

Tampa Bay meanwhile has Drew Rasmussen getting the start for them. The longtime leader of the Rays’ rotation earned a well-deserved second AL All-Star nod last month. The 31-year-old right-hander is having another excellent season, as he enters his 23rd start with an 11-5 record, a 2.75 ERA, an exceptional 0.91 WHIP and 130 strikeouts across 124 1/3 innings pitched.

Unlike Perkins, Rasmussen comes into his start today in unhittable form. He has not allowed a run in any of his past three starts, pitching at least six innings in all three games. Most recently, he tossed seven shutout innings against the Seattle Mariners, allowing only two hits while striking out eight.

Taking into account his dominance and the fact that the A’s lineup is missing several injured starters, this will be a difficult test for the A’s offense, which will have to capitalize on any mistake pitches Rasmussen leaves over the plate and any errors the Rays’ defense makes behind him.

And Tampa’s lineup:

The Rays lineup has certainly enjoyed the hitter-friendly confines of Sutter Health Park, scoring double-digit runs in both games of this series so far. Third baseman Junior Caminero has shown why he is one of the best power hitters in the league, blasting huge home runs in each game.

The strategy for Perkins is simple: He must throw strikes while avoiding middle-middle fastballs and hanging breaking balls. If he struggles for a third straight start, A’s manager Mark Kotsay will be forced to go to his bullpen earlier than expected for a second consecutive game.

Let’s get back to our winning ways and play some spoiler. Let’s go A’s!

Follow the Game:
Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA

Listen:
Athletics -Talk 650 KSTE, A’s Cast

TONIGHT’S GAME: The first-place Astros finish up their six-game West Coast road trip this afternoon as LHP Bryan King will make his first career start in the rubber match at Oracle Park.

The Giants will sending out former Astro RHP Adrian Houser (3-7) to start the series finale.

THE TURNAROUND: After a slow start to the season, the Astros are 41-29 since May 22, which is the second best record in the AL in that span.

On that date, the Astros were 20-31, 11 games under, which is their low water mark for the season.

THAT’S OFFENSIVE: The Astros lead the AL in SLG (.412), while ranking second in OPS (.732), home runs (162) and hits (996).

In the Majors, the Astros rank third in homers, trailing only the Nationals (174) and Yankees (167).

OPENING FESTIVITIES: LHP Bryan King will work as an opener for the Astros this afternoon, marking his first career Major League start.

Today marks the second use of an opener by the Astros this season, as LHP Steven Okert started and tossed 0.2 of an inning on May 4 vs. LAD.

King last pitched on Sunday at SD and ranks third on the Astros with 47 appearances this season.

Today’s start will also be King’s first professional start, as all 86 of his career minor league games have also been in relief.

ROAD WARRIORS: The Astros close out their six-game road trip this afternoon needing a victory to go 3-3 on their visit to the West Coast, which also included a stop in San Diego.

Houston has gone 24-16 (.600) on their last five road trips and are 30-22 (.577) on the road since going 1-9 on their first road trip of the season Houstonis 31-31 overall on the road in 2026.

THE LINEUP: The Astros have used 119 different lineups in their 121 games, repeating a lineup just twice on the season.

DH Yordan Alvarez has the most starts at any spot in the lineup among Astros, hitting second 108 times.

LAST NIGHT’S GAME: The Astros had their three-game series in San Francisco evened last night with a 4-1 loss to the Giants at Oracle Park.

DH Yordan Alvarez (0x1, RBI, BB, HBP) drove in the Astros’ run with a sacrifice fly in the 2nd inning.

3B Isaac Paredes (2×4) logged his third multi-hit game through five games this road trip…RHP Hunter Brown (5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO) made his 12th start of the season and was dealt just his second losing decision of the year.

VS. THE GIANTS: The Astros have a long history with the Giants, having played them 743 times, their second-most against a single opponent, trailing only the Reds (860g).

This series marks the Astros’ first trip to Oracle Park since June 10-12, 2024 (Giants went 2-1).

The Astros have a pair of players who spent portions of their Major League careers with the Giants in LHP Steven Okert (2016-18) and OF LaMonte Wade Jr. (2021-25).

CAM JAM: RF Cam Smith has homered three times and logged two three-hit games through his first four appearances of this current road trip, including his fourth career multi-homer game last Friday at SD.

So far this road trip, Smith has batted .467 (7×15) with six runs, three homers and four RBI…he has also hit safely in nine of his last 11 games (since July 29 at LAA), batting .425 (17×41) with 11 runs, two doubles, one triple, three home runs, eight RBI and a 1.174 OPS over that stretch.

In the AL since July 29, he ranks first in OPS and third in batting average (min. 40 AB).

YESTERDAY’S MOVES: OF Nelson Velázquez (No. 30) reported to the Major League team yesterday and made his Astros debut with a start in LF.

To make room for Velázquez on the active roster, the Astros optioned OF Jake Meyers to Triple A Sugar Land following Monday’s game.

Velázquez, 27, has played in 229 career games at the Major League level, appearing with the Cubs (2022-23), Royals (2023-24) and Cardinals (2026), along with the Astros.

Velázquez owns a career .731 OPS vs. left-handed pitching in the Majors.

MVP-CALIBER: Yordan Alvarez holds a share of the lead in all AL Triple Crown categories, ranking first in batting average (.322), T-1st in HR (35), and RBI (87).

Additionally, he leads MLB in OPS (1.058), OBP (.435), SLG (.623), and TB (269).

In the AL, he ranks first in hits (139), extra-base hits (60) and runs (80), and is tied for second in walks (83).

HADERADE: LHP Josh Hader has been stellar since returning from injury in early June, going 4-1 with a 1.00 ERA (3ER/27IP), 38 strikeouts, a .110 opponent batting average (10×91) and a 0.74 WHIP, while also converting all 16 of his save opportunities.

Since being reinstated from the IL on June 3, he ranks second in opponent batting average (.110), third in SO/9 (12.67) and fifth in ERA among AL relievers (min. 25 IP).

THREES COMPANY: 2B Jose Altuve enters today’s game with 224 career games of 3+ hits, which is just one game of 3+ hits from tying Hall of Famer Craig Biggio (225) for the most in Astros franchise history.

Altuve has multiple hits in six of his last 13 games (since July 28 at LAA), batting .319 (15×47) with a .781 OPS in that span.

BEET RED HOT: OF Taylor Trammell has posted a .965 OPS (.404 OBP/.561 SLG) with 10 runs, one double, four home runs, eight RBI and nine walks in his last 13 games (since July 26 at CWS).

His .965 OPS since July 26 ranks eighth among AL players in that span (min. 50 PA).

BIG WES: RHP Hayden Wesneski parroted the first two successful outings of his season by matching his career high of 7.0 innings in Monday’s win, allowing three runs on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts.

Wesneski has gone 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA (8ER/18.2IP) through his first three starts of the season after missing 14 months due to Tommy John surgery.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Wednesday, August 12, 2:45 p.m. CT

Location: Oracle Park, San Francisco, CA

TV: Space City Home Network

Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

Yesterday we took a closer look at the Clay Holmes part of this transaction that brought a sinkerball throwing, extreme ground ball pitcher to the Cubs rotation in return for one of their top prospects, Jefferson Rojas. You can read about the Rojas part of the trade in the link above, however today I want to focus on the second piece the Cubs got in this deal: outfielder Tyrone Taylor. Here is his first hit as a Cub [VIDEO].

The bat

Taylor is a 32-year-old righthanded outfielder whose overall slash line doesn’t really jump off the page. In 174 plate appearances this season he’s hit .241/.294/.481 with ten home runs and zero stolen bases. He has an above league average strikeout rate of 19.5 percent and a below league average walk rate of 5.7 percent. His wRC+ of 113 indicates he’s about 13 percent better at run creation than the league and park adjusted average.

However, digging into the stats a bit reveal the reason Taylor is a Cub. He has a much better .295/.304/.564 slashline with five home runs and a wRC+ of 137 in 82 plate appearances against lefties. Below you can see the Cubs hitters with at least 20 plate appearances against lefties sorted by wRC+ with some additional key stats:

To be clear, hitting against southpaws is a strength of the Chicago Cubs. Their team wRC+ of 124 is seven points higher than the next best team, their wOBA of .353 is nine points higher than the second place team (in both cases it’s the Washington Nationals). But there is a glaring outlier at the bottom of that table in left fielder Ian Happ. Happ has really struggled against lefties this year and it seems pretty clear that Taylor was brought to the Cubs at least in part as a short-side platoon partner for Happ.

Interestingly, that isn’t how the Cubs have played it so far. Taylor has started three games in centerfield to allow Pete Crow-Armstrong to DH on those days while Happ is still starting against left- and right-handed pitching. Admittedly, one of those lefty starters was an opener, but it’s worth keeping an eye on how Counsell deploys Taylor.

The glove

It’s a bit difficult to measure a part-time outfielder based on counting stats like Outs Above Average or Defensive Runs Saved. Taylor doesn’t really jump off the page by either metric this season. He’s got zero OAA this season and one DRS this season in 393.2 innings played in the outfield so far this season. He’s committed two errors this season and they were both fielding errors for a fielding percentage of .979. Again, not really a stat that screams excellent defender.

However, in looking at the rate at which he makes plays by difficulty Taylor compares favorable to Ian Happ in left field:

Obviously we’re looking at pretty small sample sizes here given Taylor’s part-time role. But I did glance back at these leaderboards for each of the last few seasons and the slight edge Taylor has over Happ also existed in 2024 and 2025 as well. Taylor consistently makes slightly more difficult plays than Happ. He’s also just a smidge better in terms of total percentage of plays made. It’s less clear who has the stronger arm as both have a handful of assists each season. The bottom line is Taylor makes the outfield a lot deeper and since he can play center field he upgrades the Cubs’ bench options considerably.

Here’s a nice grab he made against the Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman last week [VIDEO].

Takeaways

One of the items on Craig Counsell’s wish list heading into the trade deadline was a better right-handed bat off the bench who could play the outfield. Taylor certainly fits that bill. He’s been solid defensively so far with the Cubs and has a track record that backs that up. His familiarity with Wrigley Field is a bonus given his time with the Brewers. This is the type of move that makes a contender deeper down the stretch and while the cost of Rojas for two rentals is incredibly steep, I imagine we’ll all be fine with it if Taylor saves a run with his glove or delivers a key hit off a lefty in October.

The St. Louis Cardinal wrap up their homestand before heading off to Chicago with a game Wednesday afternoon against the Philadelphia Phillies. Kyle Leahy gets the nod from the Cardinals while Zack Wheeler will start for the Phillies. First pitch scheduled for 1:15pm central time at Busch Stadium and game TV broadcast will be available via Cardinals.tv.

The Atlanta Braves losing the season series to this iteration of the New York Metropolitans is some pure and unadulterated NL East silliness.

This hilariously frustrating run between division rivals comes to a close this evening. The Braves and Mets will face off for the final time this season at 7:15 pm ET.

Bryce Elder and Martin Perez had some diametrically opposed starts in Games 1 and 2 – so what will Tyler Mahle bring to Game 3 in his first start in front of the home crowd?

Mahle (3-9, 4.83 ERA) went toe-to-toe with old friend Max Fried in the Yankees series opener. In a battle of #54s, Mahle spun six scoreless innings of three-hit ball. He tossed 92 pitches, walked two batters, and struck out nine. Other than receiving a no-decision in the extra-innings loss, there was a lot to like about Mahle’s first start in a Braves uniform. Sean Murphy turning Mahle into an ace? Sign me up.

The Mets have little history against Mahle – Francisco Lindor leads the team with 10 ABs (.200 AVG, .473 OPS). Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert Jr. are tied with 6 ABs and matching .167 averages. Second baseman Marcus Semien and catcher Francisco Alvarez have a homer apiece. 

The Braves have even less experience against Mets lefty Zac Thornton (3-2, 2.52 ERA). The rookie last faced Atlanta on July 27 and was the winning pitcher in the Connor Thomas sacrifice game. Thornton only needed 81 pitches to get through 6.1 innings. He was tagged for six hits and all three Braves runs of the game, including an Ozzie Albies two-run homer. Ozzie was also responsible for driving in the other run, which accounts for his .667 AVG in team-leading 3 ABs. Ronald Acuña Jr., Drake Baldwin, and Michael Harris II also have singles against him. 

Thornton’s outings since have been against Miami (4.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R (3 earned), 3 BB) and Pittsburgh (5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB). 

Series finale, rubber match, final matchup with the Mets – it’d be a sweet one to win before the off day tomorrow. 

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Wednesday, August 12, 7:15 p.m. ET

Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA

TV: BravesVision

Streaming: MLB.tv

Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan, La Mejor 1600/1460/1130 AM

Diamondbacks News

Diamondbacks Need to Jumpstart Offense to Take Series
After Tomoyuki Sugano continued his ownership of the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, they find themselves needing to get back to firing on all cylinders at the plate so that they can take this series against the lowly Rockies before heading out on the road for a string of series against competitive teams.

Diamondbacks Injury Return Tracker
With all the numerous setbacks the team has had with injured players this season, this writer is not holding his breath for any of these players to make any meaningful appearances this season until after they actually do so and are still healthy a week later.

Diamondbacks Expecting Major Martinez Injury Boost on Road Trip
Will Justin Martinez be able to find his command and control again in time to make any sort of meaningful contribution in August and September? Assuming no further setbacks, Arizona could start seeing an answer to that question within the next week or so.

Other Baseball News

Which Teams are Built to be Most Dangerous in the Playoffs
Interesting to see that Arizona is ranked competitively against the Dodgers for this, despite Los Angeles adding Tarik Skubal at the deadline.

10 Storylines that will Shape Rest of 2026 Season
Are the Diamondbacks, sitting in the thick of the playoff race, a solid team? Or are they doing all this with smoke and mirrors?

Brewers Have Most Underrated Bullpen Duo in MLB
Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe are going to be key to essentially any and all success Milwaukee is expecting to have in October.

Paul Skenes Leaves After 65 Pitches and Velocity Drop
No updates yet from the Bucs about this concerning development.

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Momentary panic swept through Los Angeles on Wednesday morning when news broke that Mark Walter was selling the Los Angeles Lakers only 10 months after being approved as the team's owner, wondering whether the Dodgers are next.

Well, as it turns out, nothing is expected to change.

The Dodgers are not being sold, a high-ranking official familiar with Walter’s plans told USA TODAY Sports, and that it will be business as usual with Walter retaining control of the club and remaining chairman.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity ahead of Walter issuing an official statement Wednesday.

So, yes, even when the Dodgers win their next World Series, they can still afford to have a parade and celebrate with Dom Perignon.

The Dodgers are still going to be the Dodgers. Oh, they won’t have the crossover in advertising and marketing with the Lakers any longer, but Walter and the Guggenheim ownership group will have an extra $2.5 billion in their pockets – although they’ll be paying significant taxes on the short-term capital gain.