Mets right-hander Frankie Montas had another rough outing on Sunday against the San Francisco Giants, with manager Carlos Mendozanon-committal after the game as to whether or not Montas would make his next start.
Speaking on Monday afternoon, Mendoza explained that Montas will indeed pitch on Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers, but his role is still to be determined, as the Mets could potentially opt to use an opener in front of the veteran.
“We’re having those discussions here. He is going to pitch against the Brewers,” Mendoza explained. “So, [Kodai] Senga is going to go Friday after the off day, but because we have an off day in between that series, we could get creative.
"So, maybe an opener in front of him, but as of right now, on Saturday, he’s going to play a part in that game. Depending on how we get through on Friday, we’ll see, but like I said, on Saturday he’s pitching.”
Mendoza spoke with Montas about that decision, saying that Montas will prepare as if he’s making the start, whether or not an opener is used.
“He’s willing to do whatever it takes,” Mendoza said.
After missing the bulk of the first half of the season due to a lat strain suffered in spring training, Montas has struggled since returning to the mound. In seven starts, the veteran has pitched to a 6.68 ERA and a 1.545 WHIP. He’s allowed 4+ earned runs in four of those starts, and is yet to go 6.0 innings in any outing.
With Montas’ issues front and center, there’s been plenty of chatter about whether the Mets should promote one of their top pitching prospects from Triple-A Syracuse, namely Brandon Sproat or Nolan McLean.
Asked on Monday if he’s been watching those two any more closely of late, Mendoza said he’s always keeping an eye on the minor leaguers, though he did note that both players are seemingly ready, or at least very close to being ready, to pitch in the majors.
“I’ve been watching those guys for a long time,” said Mendoza. “Every time they pitch, I read the reports, I watch some of the outings, a couple innings, but nothing changes as far as my routine goes. … I know they’ve been pretty good down there, and that’s all they need to do. Continue to do what they’ve been doing.”
“They continue to put themselves in a position where, like, ‘Alright, we’re going to have that conversation.’ They’re knocking at the door. … We like where they’re at in terms of their development.”
Paul Blackburn Update
Elsewhere on the rotation front, the plan is for Paul Blackburn to make one more rehab outing for Triple-A Syracuse on Friday. After that, the Mets will have a decision to make on how to use the veteran right-hander.
Blackburn has been on the IL since early July with a right shoulder impingement. In his first three outings for Syracuse, Blackburn has allowed four runs on 14 hits with 14 strikeouts to four walks in 16.2 innings
Seattle’s Cal Raleigh — better known by the catchy nickname “Big Dumper” — has lived up to the moniker, dropping baseball into the outfield seats all over the big leagues this season.
Manager Dan Wilson has been in awe of his talents.
“That’s what you get from Cal,” Wilson said. “Night in, night out, blocking balls, calling the game, leading a pitching staff, throwing runners out — that’s what Cal does and he does it very well.”
Oh ... wait a second. Wilson obviously wasn’t taking about Raleigh’s prodigious power — he’s talking about how the 28-year-old handles the most demanding defensive position on the baseball field: Catcher.
Raleigh has smashed 42 homers this season, putting him on pace for 60, with a chance to catch Aaron Judge’s American League record of 62. That would be fun to watch under any circumstance. The fact that the All-Star and Home Run Derby champion is also responsible for guiding the Mariners’ pitching staff on most nights makes it even more impressive.
Seattle is currently in the thick of the American League playoff race with a 60-53 record, and the Mariners are relying on Raleigh’s bat and his brain to try and make the playoffs for just the third time since 2001.
There’s the mental side of the job — meetings, film study, calling pitches — but there’s also the wear and tear of the physical side. The 2024 Gold Glove winner is also squatting, handling the run game, taking painful foul tips off all parts of his body, putting his 6-foot-2, 235-pound frame through the ringer four or five nights a week.
All while hitting those homers.
Catching is demanding and can wear on power hitters
The fact that it took Raleigh a few years in the big leagues to emerge as a true superstar — this is his fourth full season with the Mariners — isn’t surprising. The learning curve for young catchers can be severe and the defensive part of the job takes precedence. There’s a long list of backstops who couldn’t hit a lick yet carved out long MLB careers.
Raleigh is a man of many talents and his power was always evident. He hit 27 homers in 2022, 30 in 2023 and 34 last season. Now he’s on pace for 50 long balls and maybe more. There are only five other players in big league history who have hit at least 40 homers while primarily playing catcher: Salvador Perez, Johnny Bench (twice), Roy Campanella, Todd Hundley and Mike Piazza (twice). Bench, Campanella and Piazza are Hall of Famers.
It’s evidence of a player at the top of his game — and one who has come through plenty of experience.
“I don’t think I’m trying any harder or doing any more than I have in the past,” Raleigh said. “Maybe a little more focused on the right things, and not constantly trying to tweak or change something that I have been in the past. So, I think that’s been the biggest part to the success, and just trying to keep that consistent and steady.”
Wilson was more direct, putting into perspective what Raleigh has accomplished through the first four months of the season.
“It’s pretty staggering,” Wilson said.
Raleigh’s big numbers are part of an offensive surge for MLB catchers: Will Smith, Hunter Goodman, Logan O’Hoppe, Shea Langeliers, Alejandro Kirk, Salvador Perez and William Contreras are among roughly a dozen at the position who are more than holding their own at the plate.
Veteran catcher Carson Kelly is on pace to have his best offensive season in the big leagues at 31, batting .272 with 13 homers and 36 RBIs for the Chicago Cubs. He’s been in the big leagues for 10 years and said the balance between offense and defense is tough for young players.
“It’s almost like you’re drinking from a firehose with how much information you have,” Kelly said. “And I think, as you see catchers, as the years go on, you get smarter.
“You get smarter in your routines. and you’re able to focus on the little details,” he continued. “When you get called up as a young guy, there’s so much going on. And as the years go by and as the days go by, you get more comfortable. ‘OK, I know this, I know that, how do I really funnel this down into a couple points?’
“I think that’s, you know, when you see catchers kind of take off.”
Some adjustments are helping catchers stay fresh
One major factor for the increased offensive production for catchers could be the one-knee down defensive stance that’s been adopted by nearly every MLB catcher over the past five years.
The argument for the stance is its helpful for defensive reasons, including framing pitches on the corners.
But there’s also the added benefit that it’s a little easier on the knees than squatting a couple hundred times per game.
“A hundred percent,” said Goodman, the Rockies primary catcher who is hitting .279 with 20 homers. “You think about back in the day when everybody was squatting … being in a squat for that long can be can be hard on your legs. Getting on a knee gives your legs a little bit of rest for sure.”
Statistical trends suggest he has a point. Catchers have accounted for 12.2% of all MLB homers this season, making a slow climb from 10% in 2018.
Raleigh’s been the best of the bunch and fans — along with his catching peers — are noticing.
“It just seems like on both sides of the ball, when he’s behind the plate he’s really focused on his pitchers and calling a good game and all the things that a catching position entails, and then when he comes up to the plate, he can do damage,” Kelly said.
The Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani has been hitting .230 since resuming pitching duties this season, a stretch of 40 games. (Chris O'Meara / Associated Press)
The Dodgers are leading the majors in on-base-plus-slugging percentage as an offense this year. They are second in the National League in scoring, and third in team batting average.
They have the league’s top players in hitting (Will Smith batting .324 and Freddie Freeman batting .306) and OPS (Shohei Ohtani at .982 and Smith at .963).
They figure to have several players who will get MVP votes at the end of the season, including the odds-on favorite for the award in Ohtani.
And yet, as the club enters the stretch run of the season, their lineup might be the biggest question mark in their bid to defend last year’s World Series championship. Since the start of July, they have scored the third-fewest runs in the majors, have the second-lowest team batting average and the fourth-lowest OPS.
They stayed relatively quiet at the trade deadline, hopeful a number of struggling superstars would get things going over the campaign’s final two months. But to this point, only Freeman (who endured a two-month slump before heating up again on their recent nine-game trip) has shown tangible signs of a late-season revival.
“If you look at it from the offensive side, as far as our guys, they’ll be the first to tell you they’ve got to perform better and more consistently,” manager Dave Roberts said this past weekend, after utility outfielder Alex Call became the team’s only deadline addition to the lineup. “That’s something that we’re all counting on … Now it’s up to all of us to go out there and do our jobs.”
While that’s true of most hitters in the lineup, all the way down to Andy Pages and (even before his most recent ankle injury flare-up) Tommy Edman, there are three star-level players in particular the Dodgers have been waiting to round back into form.
Here’s a look at the problems plaguing each of them:
Mookie Betts
First 15 games: .304 average, .554 slugging percentage, .954 OPS
Last 87 games: .222 average, .327 slugging percentage, .616 OPS
When asked on Sunday for the umpteenth time this season if he knew what was wrong with Mookie Betts' swing, Roberts failed to come up with an answer.
"Honestly, no,” Roberts said. “I know that he and the hitting coaches have been working diligently, consistently, intentionally. I think that the first thing, the easiest thing, to say is it's a mechanical thing. So I guess kind of that's where he's at. But also, I do believe that there's a mental part of it, too, which is sort of beating him down a little bit.”
When Betts was presented with the same question later Sunday afternoon, after running a season-long hitless streak to 17 at-bats and watching his batting average dip to .233, he was left searching for divine intervention.
“I’ve done everything I can possibly do,” he said. “It’s up to God at this point.”
Betts’ struggles are not for a lack of effort. He spends hours in the batting cage before (and sometimes after) almost every game. He has tried mechanical tweaks and mental cues and fundamental drills that in the past would get him back on track.
His approach has largely remained sound, as he ranks in the top 20% of big-leaguers in chase rate, whiff rate and strikeouts percentage, per Baseball Savant’s Statcast data.
And while his bat speed is in the 11th percentile of MLB hitters (and down almost two mph from his 39-homer season in 2023), it’s also about the same as he had last year, when he was still a .289 hitter with 19 home runs (in just 116 games) and a .863 OPS (which only trailed Shohei Ohtani for the best on the team).
“I really don’t know what else to do,” he said. “I don’t have any answers.”
Perhaps the most confounding metric: Betts is in the 99th percentile in “squared-up” rate, a metric that effectively determines when a ball is hit off the sweet spot of the bat.
But, even when Betts does make solid contact, he simply isn’t generating as much power as he usually does — ranking among the bottom third of big-league hitters in average exit velocity and hard-hit percentage; and watching fly balls that used to leave the yard die at the warning track, if they even make it that far.
While he has been a victim of some bad luck (his expected .252 batting average is almost 20 points higher than his actual mark), he has had no choice but to “go back to the drawing board” time and time again this year — gradually grating on his confidence as answers continually fail to appear.
“I don’t know anybody in the world that would have confidence in the stretch that’s going on [for me],” he said. “It sucks when you don’t get stuff done.”
Betts can be a streaky hitter. And the Dodgers’ hope is that, at some point over these final two months, he’ll find something that unlocks more pop in his bat, and go on the kind of heater that can make him an effective producer at the top of the lineup again.
Until that happens, however, questions will persist. About whether his shortstop play is to blame for his offensive decline (a theory multiple rival evaluators have increasingly pointed to of late as a reason for his struggles). About whether age is simply catching up to the soon-to-be 33-year-old veteran. And about whether he will ever be the same hitter he was once, amid a season-long slump almost no one saw coming.
Shohei Ohtani
First 70 games (before resuming pitching): .297 average, 1.034 OPS, 24% strikeout rate
Last 40 games (since resuming pitching): .230 average, .886 OPS, 31% strikeout rate
The easy demarcation line for Ohtani this year has been before and after he returned to pitching in mid-June, with offensive production dropping even as his stuff has ticked up on the mound.
Ohtani has still been a relatively productive hitter since then, continuing to hit home runs at a league-leading pace (he is tied with Kyle Schwarber for the NL lead with 38 on the year).
But he has become a much easier out the last couple months, as well, epitomized first and foremost by his climbing strikeout rate.
An over-aggressive approach would figure to be the easy explanation here. And there have been times, Roberts noted, the slugger appears to get into a “swing mode” that prevents him from laying off bad pitches.
But on the whole this season, Ohtani is actually swinging less often than he did last year, chasing pitches at an almost identical rate and continuing to draw more walks than almost anyone in the majors (his 71 free passes are seventh-most this season).
Ohtani’s problem has been an increase in swing-and-miss, with the reigning MVP coming up empty on more than one-third of his hacks.
It might simply be a byproduct of the added physical workload he has taken on since resuming two-way duties. But he has insisted such problems remain fixable, citing a lack of balance and consistency in his swing mechanics.
Like Betts, Ohtani can also be prone to more extreme highs and lows over the course of a year. Last season, for example, he hit just .235 with an .886 OPS in August, before turning around in September and batting .393 with a 1.225 OPS.
The Dodgers could use another late-season tear like that again this term. Whether he can do it while also ramping up as a pitcher looms as one of the biggest questions facing the Dodgers down the stretch this year.
Teoscar Hernández
First 33 games (pre-groin strain): .315 average, nine home runs, .933 OPS, 18% strikeout rate
Last 57 games (post-groin strain): .211 average, seven home runs, .619 OPS, 28% strikeout rate
Hernández's midseason drop-off is perhaps the easiest to explain of any recently scuffling Dodgers hitter.
Before suffering a groin/adductor strain in early May, he was on an All-Star (and potentially even MVP-caliber) pace after re-signing with the Dodgers in the offseason.
Since then, however, the 32-year-old simply hasn’t looked the same — both at the plate, where he hasn’t been able to drive the ball as he usually does, and in the field, where his range has been clearly limited.
To that end, a foul ball he took off his foot last month hasn’t helped matters either.
There have been some recent signs that Hernández is getting healthy again. His slugging percentage has started to tick back up since getting a week off for the All-Star break. He has had more hard contact, especially to center and the opposite field.
“At the beginning [after my injury] it was a little hard,” Hernández said after hitting home runs in consecutive games at Fenway Park last week. “First I got my groin, then I got the foul off my foot. Couldn’t put a lot of weight [on it] for like two weeks. Thank God there was the break in there. I got those four days off, going through that and getting some treatment, getting some rest. And finally feel like myself again.”
But, it still hasn’t resulted in a total reversal of fortunes, with Hernández finishing the road trip going just five-for-25 with nine strikeouts and only one extra-base hit.
Last year, Hernández’s ability to be a run-producer behind the Dodgers’ star trio of hitters was crucial to both their regular-season and postseason offensive success. Lately, though, he has been more strikeout-prone and less opportunistic at the plate, contributing to a string of frustrating recent defeats marked by squandered chances in leverage opportunities.
“He's bearing down, and he's not trying to give at-bats away,” Roberts said. “He's grinding.”
Much like the Dodgers’ other scuffling stars, the team will need him to fully snap out of it, and live up once again to the expectations the club had for him and the lineup at large.
The Pirates scored two runs off new closer Randy Rodriguez, getting a 5-4 walk-off win. The tying run came on an RBI single by former Giants top prospect Joey Bart, and the winning run came a batter later on a slow roller to first. Jack Suwinski, the runner at first, slid home safely just ahead of the throw.
Rodriguez’s rough outing — and the poor night for the bullpen overall — cost Justin Verlander his 264th win. Verlander looked like a 35-year-old Verlander, but the Giants gave up four runs after he departed.
Coming off a series win in New York, the Giants initially found a soft landing in Pittsburgh. They were up against right-hander Johan Oviedo, who was making his season debut after missing two years with injuries, including Tommy John surgery.
Oviedo lasted just one inning, and the Giants left him off the hook. He needed 43 pitches in the first and walked three, but the lineup pushed just two runs across. That was it until the sixth, when Jung Hoo Lee made it a 4-1 game with a two-run triple, but the lead wouldn’t last.
The Pirates had Verlander on the ropes in the fourth, with an error putting runners on second and third with one out. A groundout erased the runner on third, and J.P. Martinez came out for a meeting to let Verlander catch his breath. He responded with his most impressive sequence of the season.
Old friend Joey Bart fell behind in the count and then took a 98.3 mph fastball. On 2-2, Verlander went back to the heater, freezing Bart with a perfect 97.8 mph fastball on the outside corner.
The pitches were the two fastest of the season for Verlander, and the 98.3 mph bolt was his first at 98-plus since Aug. 16, 2022. Not too bad for a 42-year-old.
Climbing The Charts
With his five innings, Verlander reached 3,510 for his big league career. That moved him past a Giants legend on the all-time leaderboard.
Verlander passed Juan Marichal (3,507) and moved into 71st in MLB history. Next up is Adonis Terry, who last pitched in 1897 and is four innings ahead of Verlander. (Terry once pitched 476 innings in a season; it truly was an entirely different era.)
Verlander only has thrown 94 1/3 innings this year, but in his prime he was as durable as anyone in the game. He reached 200 innings 12 times and led the majors in innings four times.
A New Look
Without Tyler Rogers (Mets) and Camilo Doval (New York Yankees), the Giants have to experiment in the late innings. That led to some new faces as they were trying to hold on for Verlander on Monday night.
Rookie Carson Seymour had a quick sixth, striking out a pair, but manager Bob Melvin sent him out for the seventh and paid for it. Seymour gave up a two-run blast to Suwinski, giving him five homers allowed in 11 innings this year.
Spencer Bivens got the eighth, which belonged to Rogers for four months.
Bivens retired a pair and gave up a single to Nick Gonzales. When Rodriguez entered for a four-out save attempt, Gonzales was thrown out trying to steal second on Patrick Bailey.
With the Yankees in need of adding some pitching depth, the club has signed right-hander Kenta Maeda to a minor league contract.
Maeda, 37, was designated for assignment and later released by the Detroit Tigers in early May and had been pitching in the Chicago Cubs organization before being released on Saturday.
In seven games this season with the Tigers, the right-hander pitched to a 7.88 ERA over 8.0 innings.
Maeda has had mixed success during his major league career, finishing third in NL Rookie of the Year voting with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016 and then finishing as the AL runner-up for Cy Young in the shortened 2020 season, when he pitched to a 2.70 ERA.
If Maeda were to sign and make the big-league roster, it’s unclear if the Yankees would use him as a starter or a reliever. He hasn’t started a game this season, but does have 172 career big-league starts.
The Yankees saw Luis Gil make his season debut on Sunday in Miami, but the right-hander looked rusty in his first start following a lat injury. The Yankees also recently released Marcus Stroman, leaving them with a current five-man rotation of Carlos Rodon, Max Fried, Will Warren, Cam Schlittler, and Gil.
A day after Austin Warren pitched 4.0 scoreless innings in relief during the Mets' blowout loss to the Giants, New York is calling up a fresh arm.
Right-hander Dom Hamel is getting promoted from Triple-A Syracuse, with Warren getting optioned.
Hamel, 26, will be making his major league debut if/when he appears in a game with manager Carlos Mendoza confirming he'll be used out of the bullpen where the one-time starting pitcher has been pitching from lately in the minors.
"Obviously proud of him," Mendoza said. "It’s not easy. This was a guy that as a prospect came up as a starter and then when you get the news that you’re not gonna start, we’re gonna put you in the bullpen – he understood and kept working and put himself in a position when there was a need at the big league level, his name came up and here he is. (He can) provide length, he’s got pitches, (can go) multiple innings so I’m excited to have him."
In 22 games (eight starts) this season for Syracuse, Hamel has a 4.73 ERA and 1.26 WHIP with 59 strikeouts in 53.1 innings.
In five minor league seasons, he has a 4.63 ERA and 1.37 WHIP.
With the Mets' bullpen recently bolstered by trades that brought in late-inning arms Ryan Helsley, Tyler Rogers, and Gregory Soto -- joining Edwin Diaz, Reed Garrett, Brooks Raley, and Ryne Stanek -- the eighth spot in the 'pen has been a revolving door of sorts lately.
Rico Garcia held the spot last week before being DFA'd before Warren was called up.
Red Sox pitcher Liam Hendricks told reporters today that Alex Cora had a “slip of the tongue” on Sunday when the Sox manager said that the veteran reliever’s season is likely over due to a hip injury.
Hendriks said he’s discussed the matter with Cora and added that he fully expects to pitch again this season.
In the interest of making matters entirely clear, the loquacious Australian issued a rather memorable update of his own on the second opinion he received.
“I saw a different guy and he was like, ‘You’ve got the body of a gorilla but you’ve got the hips of a cheerleader.’ I didn’t like that euphemism as much. I like, ‘Your body is a brick s—house and your door is made out of a sheet,'” Hendriks said, via MassLive’s Chris Cotillo.
The 36-year-old righty has missed more than two months with a hip injury, which is the latest in a long run of bad injury luck for the three-time All-Star.
The Red Sox signed Hendriks to a two-year, $10 million contract before the 2024 season while he was recovering from Tommy John surgery, with the hope that he could return to the mound late in the season. But he never saw the field in 2024, and was placed on the injured list with right elbow inflammation just hours before Opening Day back in March.
After he was activated from the IL in April, Hendriks struggled in 14 appearances, posting a 6.59 ERA. He’s been sidelined since late May with the hip injury and was transferred to the 60-day injured list in early July.
Just months after submitting an All-Star season for the White Sox in 2022, Hendriks underwent treatment for stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He returned to the big leagues in May of 2023 and pitched in just five games before suffering the elbow injury that led to Tommy John surgery.
Following the Phillies’ win over the Detroit Tigers Sunday, catcher J.T. Realmuto was asked if he’d ever caught a pitch as hard as new closer Jhoan Duran. After all, Duran had just finished off the Tigers with consecutive fastballs that were clocked at 103 mph.
“I don’t know,” Realmuto said. “If Alvy has thrown it maybe he’s the hardest thrower I’ve caught. I don’t know if Alvy’s touched that or not, if not then no.”
Realmuto was talking about suspended reliever Jose Alvarado, who will be joining the team in the next couple of weeks after serving his 80-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. It must be quite intriguing when manager Rob Thomson can think about closing out a game with two guys throwing that hard in the last couple of innings.
“It’s been a long 80 days without him,” Thomson said. “Not only is he talented but he brings so much energy to the field and the clubhouse. It’s really good to have him around. He’s certainly going to bring more energy and he’s going to bring another really, really good arm.”
As for the availability of Duran, fans will be happy to hear what the gameplan is.
“He’s available tonight,” Thomson said before the Phillies faced the Baltimore Orioles. “So he hasn’t gone three days in a row, he’s gone four out of five three or four times this year. I’d be very careful with him going three in a row. It all depends on how he feels and he feels good today, so he can go back in there.”
As for using Duran four times in five games, Thomson said: “I’d feel really comfortable if he tells me he feels good. He’s done it a few times now, so he’s used to it, anyway.”
The entrance and performance of Duran in his two outings and saves have been the talk of the town since he was acquired last Thursday. It doesn’t appear to be changing any time soon.
Getting closer
Sunday and Monday seemed to be very big days in the progression of third baseman Alec Bohm as he amped up his hitting and throwing routines.
“Supposed to be a full day,” Thomson said before Monday of Bohm’s workout schedule. “Hit off the machines, will reevaluate tomorrow. Very good. I talked to him after his workout yesterday and he said it was the best day yet. Really good. In fact, he went in, got some treatment and went back down to the cage after I talked to him and did some more hitting, so that’s a good sign.”
Bohm was on the field throwing Monday and even threw an off-balance, one-footed souvenir high into the stands. That doesn’t seem like something someone with sore ribs would do. Thomson has said that his return time is a play-it-by-ear type of thing.
It's Monday, August 4 and the Padres (62-50) are in Phoenix to take on the Diamondbacks (53-59). JP Sears is slated to take the mound for San Diego against Brandon Pfaadt for Arizona.
San Diego is one of the hottest teams in the league with seven wins in the last eight games and held eight of the last nine opponents to three or fewer runs scored.
Arizona has won two straight games after losing the past six and are 5-9 over the last 14 contests San Diego is 4-3 against Arizona this season with one series win and one 2-2 split.
Let's dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two. We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Padres at Diamondbacks
Date: Monday, August 4, 2025
Time: 9:40PM EST
Site: Chase Field
City: Phoenix, AZ
Network/Streaming: SDPA, ARID, MLBN
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Odds for the Padres at the Diamondbacks
The latest odds as of Monday:
Moneyline: Padres (-142), Diamondbacks (+120)
Spread: Padres -1.5
Total: 9.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Padres at Diamondbacks
Pitching matchup for August 4, 2025: JP Sears vs. Brandon Pfaadt
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Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Padres and the Diamondbacks
Rotoworld Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
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Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Monday’s game between the Padres and the Diamondbacks:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the San Diego Padres on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Arizona Diamondbacks at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the over on the Game Total of 9.0.
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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Padres at Diamondbacks
San Diego is 7-1 in the last eight games
Arizona is 2-6 in the last eight games
The Padres' record in their last 5 games stands at 4-1
The Over is 14-11-1 in the Padres' matchups against NL West teams this season
The Padres have covered in 4 of their last 5 games showing a profit of 3.53 units
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It's Monday, August 4 and the Brewers (67-44) are in Atlanta to take on the Braves (47-63). Quinn Priester is slated to take the mound for Milwaukee against Erick Fedde for Atlanta.
The Brewers are coming off a sweep of the Nationals and are 6-1 in the last nine games as they continue to heat up.
Milwaukee is 8-1in the past nine road games — all since the All-Star break. Atlanta is 5-10 since the break and 3-8 over the last 11.
Let's dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two. We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.
Game details & how to watch Brewers at Braves
Date: Monday, August 4, 2025
Time: 7:15PM EST
Site: Truist Park
City: Atlanta, GA
Network/Streaming: FDSNWI, FDSNSO
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Odds for the Brewers at the Braves
The latest odds as of Monday:
Moneyline: Brewers (-140), Braves (+118)
Spread: Brewers -1.5
Total: 9.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Brewers at Braves
Pitching matchup for August 4, 2025: Quinn Priester vs. Erick Fedde
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Brewers and the Braves
Rotoworld Best Bet
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Monday’s game between the Brewers and the Braves:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Milwaukee Brewers on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Atlanta Braves at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 9.0.
Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC.
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Brewers at Braves
Milwaukee is 6-1 in the past seven games
Milwaukee is 8-1 in the last nine road games
Atlanta is 5-10 since the All-Star break
The Brewers have won 4 of their last 5 matchups against NL East teams
The Under is 29-19-4 in the Braves' home games this season
The Braves have covered the Run Line in their last 3 games with a rest advantage over their opponents
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
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It's Monday, August 4 and the Rays (55-58) are in Anaheim to take on the Angels (54-58). Adrian Houser is slated to take the mound for Tampa Bay against Yusei Kikuchi for Los Angeles.
Tampa Bay enters on a slide, losing six of the past seven and nine of the previous 11. For Los Angeles, while they have dropped three of the past four, their second half has gone a little better than the Rays (7-9 record vs 5-11).
The Rays are 1-6 in the last seven road games, including three straight losses, plus this marks their first west coast trip since April 25-27 when they swept the Padres and took two out of three against the Diamondbacks before that.
Let's dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two. We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.
Game details & how to watch Rays at Angels
Date: Monday, August 4, 2025
Time: 9:38PM EST
Site: Angel Stadium
City: Anaheim, CA
Network/Streaming: FDSNSUN, FDSNW, MLBN
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
Odds for the Rays at the Angels
The latest odds as of Monday:
Moneyline: Rays (+108), Angels (-128)
Spread: Angels -1.5
Total: 8.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Rays at Angels
Pitching matchup for August 4, 2025: Adrian Houser vs. Yusei Kikuchi
Rays: Adrian Houser, (6-2, 2.10 ERA) Last outing: 4.05 ERA, 3 Earned Runs Allowed, 5 Hits Allowed, 3 Walks, and 3 Strikeouts
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Rays and the Angels
Rotoworld Best Bet
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Monday’s game between the Rays and the Angels:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Tampa Bay Rays at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0.
Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC.
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Rays at Angels
The Angels won two out of three games in Tampa Bay this season
Tampa Bay is 1-5 over the last six games and 5-11 since the All-Star break
Los Angeles is 1-3 in the past four games and 7-9 since the All-Star break
The Rays have won 4 of their last 5 road series against the Angels
The Over is 59-48-5 in Angels' games this season
The Angels have covered the Run Line in 7 straight matchups against the Rays
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
It's Monday, August 4 and the Blue Jays (65-48) are in Denver to take on the Rockies (30-81). Eric Lauer is slated to take the mound for Toronto against Tanner Gordon for Colorado.
Toronto enters with a 2-6 mark over the last eight games after going 8-1 to open the second half of the season. The Rockies impressed in a three-game series versus the Pirates with two wins and 30 runs scored. The Rockies are quietly 6-3 in the last nine home games.
Let's dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two. We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.
Game details & how to watch Blue Jays at Rockies
Date: Monday, August 4, 2025
Time: 8:40PM EST
Site: Coors Field
City: Denver, CO
Network/Streaming: Sportsnet, COLR
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
Odds for the Blue Jays at the Rockies
The latest odds as of Monday:
Moneyline: Blue Jays (-200), Rockies (+168)
Spread: Blue Jays -1.5
Total: 11.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Blue Jays at Rockies
Pitching matchup for August 4, 2025: Eric Lauer vs. Tanner Gordon
Blue Jays: Eric Lauer, (6-2, 2.68 ERA) Last outing: 3.60 ERA, 2 Earned Runs Allowed, 5 Hits Allowed, 1 Walks, and 4 Strikeouts
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Blue Jays and the Rockies
Rotoworld Best Bet
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Monday’s game between the Blue Jays and the Rockies:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Toronto Blue Jays on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Colorado Rockies at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the under on the Game Total of 11.0.
Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC.
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Blue Jays at Rockies
Toronto is 2-6 in the last eight games
Colorado has scored 30 runs in the last two games
Colorado is 6-3 in the last nine home games
The Blue Jays have won 4 of their last 5 matchups against NL West teams
The Rockies' last 3 home games have gone over the Total
The Rockies are up 3.03 units on the Run Line in their last 5 at home
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
ATLANTA — Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley was placed on the 10-day injured list for the second time in two months with a strained lower abdominal muscle on Monday.
Riley suffered the injury while tagging out Cincinnati’s Elly De La Cruz near home plate in the Braves’ 4-2 win on Sunday in the rain-delayed MLB Speedway Classic at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Riley also landed on the IL on July 12 with a strained abdomen. He returned on July 25.
The Braves recalled infielders Nacho Alvarez Jr. and Jonathan Ornelas from Triple-A Gwinnett before opening a home series against Milwaukee on Monday night. The team optioned outfielder Jarred Kelenic to Gwinnett following Sunday’s game.
The 2025 regular season was supposed to be about Dodger dominance.
Instead, the race for baseball’s best record has turned into a free for all.
If there were any concerns about a Los Angeles behemoth running roughshod over the sport, that hasn’t materialized so far. In fact, eight different teams have spent the past three months passing baseball’s best record around like a hot potato.
The race for the top record in the major leagues is in many ways symbolic. Home field advantage in the postseason isn’t quite the prize it is in the NFL or NBA, and there’s no Presidents’ Trophy given for regular-season excellence like in the NHL. But the number of teams that have taken a turn at the top is noteworthy. Since May 1, the Dodgers, Tigers, Padres, Mets, Phillies, Cubs, Brewers and Blue Jays all have held the best record at some point.
Five of those teams have held the top spot in an even more recent span — since July 1.
Since the American League and National League began expanding significantly in 1961, this is only the fifth time at least eight teams have held (or tied for) the best record in baseball through games of May 1 or later, according to Sportrader. One of those seasons was 2020, when the whole 60-game schedule was after that date. The others were 1963 (eight teams), 1982 (eight) and 2021 (nine).
The largest lead any team has been able to open on the rest of the majors — all season — is when Detroit was three games up for a few days shortly before the All-Star break.
Here are the teams (or pairs of teams) that have led the major league standings at the end of each day since the start of May.
May 1-7: Dodgers
May 8-9: Dodgers and Tigers
May 10: Padres
May 11-12: Dodgers
May 13: Mets and Tigers
May 14: Tigers
May 15: Dodgers and Tigers
May 16-22: Tigers
May 23-27: Phillies
May 28-June 10: Tigers
June 11-12: Mets
June 13-24: Tigers
June 25-26: Dodgers and Tigers
June 27: Dodgers
June 28-30: Dodgers and Tigers
July 1-4: Dodgers
July 5: Dodgers and Tigers
July 6-18: Tigers
July 19: Cubs
July 20: Tigers
July 21: Brewers
July 22: Brewers and Cubs
July 23-24: Brewers
July 25-27: Blue Jays
July 28-Aug. 3: Brewers
Trivia time
Seven of baseball’s current franchises have never finished with game’s best regular-season record. Who are they?
LA’s story
For the first few weeks of the season, it looked like the Dodgers might indeed be on their way to well over 100 wins. The defending champs — who had added pitchers Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki in the offseason — won their first eight games, but since then Los Angeles has looked mortal. In early June, the Dodgers had 14 pitchers on the injured list, and although they’re in first place in their division, their current winning percentage of .580 would be their worst since 2018 if that’s where they finish the season.
Line of the week
Pittsburgh’s Liover Peguero hit three home runs in an 8-5 loss to Colorado. It was a tough defeat to swallow for the Pirates, who actually gave ace Paul Skenes some run support, only for him to allow four runs in five-plus innings.
Comeback of the week
On the topic of tough losses to swallow, the Pirates also fell to the Rockies — after scoring nine runs in the top of the first. Pittsburgh led 16-10 before allowing two in the eighth and five in the bottom of the ninth. Brenton Doyle hit a two-run homer to win it 17-16 for Colorado, which had a win probability of 0.5% in the eighth according to Baseball Savant.
The Rockies are the only team this season to win after falling nine runs behind, and they continue to make progress in their effort to avoid matching or breaking the modern record for losses set by the Chicago White Sox last year. Colorado went 3-3 this week and is now 30-81 on the season. The White Sox went 41-121
Trivia answer
Unsurprisingly, the seven are among the majors’ younger franchises — the Rays, Diamondbacks, Marlins, Rockies, Blue Jays, Padres and Rangers.
Of the teams that have finished with the best record in baseball, the one with the longest current drought is the Twins, who last did so in 1965.
Mets closer Edwin Diaz was virtually unhittable in the month of July, and he has now been named NL Reliever of the Month for his efforts.
Diaz appeared in 10 games this past month, pitching 11.0 innings while striking out 18 batters without allowing an earned run. He didn’t allow a hit in six of those outings, and picked up seven saves in the month.
An All-Star this season for the third time, Diaz has been one of the best relievers in the game this year, pitching to a miniscule 1.44 ERA with 65 strikeouts in 43.2 innings. Diaz’s 13.4 strikeouts per nine innings are the most for any NL pitcher who has faced at least 130 batters this season.
Diaz has not allowed an earned run since June 2 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and hasn’t allowed an earned run in 39 of his 43 appearances this season.
The Mets’ closer also took home the NL Reliever of the Month Award in May, when he tossed 11 scoreless appearances, and he’s likely the favorite to take home the Trevor Hoffman Award as NL Reliever of the Year (which he also won in 2022).
