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Three big-time sluggers highlight my MLB player props home run analysis for tonight's action. 

Pete Alonso starts things off, with Kyle Schwarber joining him in elite company.

Plus, I'll tell you why Jac Caglianone's bat will stay hot in my MLB picks and home run props for Saturday, Aug. 15. 

MLB home run props for today

Player to hit a HR	Odds
Pete Alonso	+365
Kyle Schwarber	+307
Jac Caglianone	+226
💲Today's HR parlay	+10572

Home run prediction: Pete Alonso (+365)

Pete Alonso is tearing the cover off the baseball lately. The veteran has smacked three bombs over the last week, and he has a mind-boggling .435 ISO during his last six games. Alonso cannot be stopped, and his underlying numbers are also insane. 

Alonso has a 73.7% hard-hit rate and 26.3% barrel rate during that span. He'll face Tampa Bay Rays lefty Ian Seymour tonight, who has allowed a 45.5% hard-hit rate in the last month and a 13.6% barrel rate. 

I'm also loving the profile for Alonso against a Rays bullpen with an FIP over five lately while they've allowed 2.10 HR/9 in their last 25.2 frames. 

Play this pick down to +300. 

• Time: 6:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Rays.TV, MASN

Home run prediction: Kyle Schwarber (+307)

How can we ignore the home run leader? Kyle Schwarber leads the big leagues with 37 bombs, and he has cracked four in his last six games while posting an ISO over .600. The hard-hit rate is otherworldly, and the barrel rate is just as ridiculous, sitting at 37.5% over the last week.

Schwarber will face a homer-prone starter tonight in Minnesota Twins lefty Connor Prielipp, who has allowed 2.61 HR/9 across his previous two appearances. Schwarber has also handled southpaws well enough this season, going deep 12 times against left-handed pitching.

He owns a 56.3% fly-ball rate over the last week.

Play this pick down to +200.

• Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Twins.TV, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Home run prediction: Jac Caglianone (+226)

Jac Caglianone is one of the most feared power hitters in baseball right now. The Kansas City Royals slugger has gone deep four times in his last six games, including two of his last four. Caglianone’s ISO over the last week sits at a ridiculous .583.

He also owns a 57.1% hard-hit rate and 23.8% barrel rate during that span. Caglianone will face left-hander Reid Detmers tonight, who has given up 1.80 HR/9 across his previous two outings. Caglianone has not had a ton of success against lefties, but his recent power profile is impossible to ignore.

The Los Angeles Angels’ bullpen is also allowing plenty of hard contact lately, giving the Royals slugger another path to leave the yard late.

Play this pick down to +200.

• Time: 9:38 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Royals.TV, ABTV

Best home run combo for August 15

Pete Alonso	Trade Now +10572
Kyle Schwarber
Jac Caglianone

Want more baseball parlays? Check out our MLB parlay picks page!

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Brady Singer’s rock solid run of form has run out of gas a bit of late. It’s enough to wonder if the entire spotlight of him being an obvious trade piece as the August 3rd trade deadline came, and went, and him still being on the Cincinnati Reds took a bit out of him.

Over his last four starts, he’s fired 23.0 IP and allowed 13 ER (5.09 ERA). His 3.25 FIP, though, suggests that maybe he’s been a bit unlucky even though his 18/9 K/BB in that span is mediocre by most (including his) standards.

Singer will look to get back on track on Saturday evening in Great American Ball Park when he toes the rubber to start the second game of the series against the Miami Marlins. He’ll fire the game’s first pitch at 6:40 PM ET, whereas the Fish will send out righty Ryan Gusto to start.

Gusto, to his credit, fired 6.0 IP of 1 ER ball against the mighty Atlanta Braves 11 days ago, his best outing as a member of the starting rotation after having been bumped to long relief for a stint in July bookending the All Star break. On the whole, he has pitched to a 4.78 ERA (3.90 FIP) in 49.0 IP across 15 games so far this season, and since he has only thrown more than 80 pitches once since June 21st, odds are we’ll be seeing a lot of the Miami bullpen in this one.

(Unless, of course, the Cincinnati bats go as cold as they often have this year.)

A close fought game did not go the Detroit Tigers way on Saturday as some of their biggest bats continued their recent struggles. The batted ball luck didn’t help matters, and Troy Melton finally had a bit of a rough start. Still, the Tigers had their chances as the White Sox held on to win 4-3. They will be hunting a sweep on Sunday.

Things did not start off auspiciously for Troy Melton in this one. Needing a good start to help even up the series, Melton had one of his toughest outings of the season. Sam Antonacci ripped a first pitch heater for a double to start the game, and Munetaka Murakami drew a walk. Melton bounced back, striking out Miguel Vargas, and getting Andrew Benintendi on a fly out. Unfortunately, Braden Montgomery singled through the right side, scoring Antonacci before Melton struck out Colson Montgomery to end the inning.

Facing lefty Anthony Kay, the Tigers got walks to Hao-Yu Lee and then Kevin McGonigle with two outs. Eduardo Valencia singled into center field to score Lee, but Spencer Torkelson struck out. So we had a 1-1 tie after one inning.

Melton got ambushed a bit again in the second, as Chase Meidroth and Tristan Peters led off with singles. The young right-hander just wasn’t getting ahead enough with first pitch strikes. Jake Rogers stepped into the box and got a nice ovation. He then grounded into a rare 1-5-4 double play, thanks Jake, and Melton whiffed Antonacci with a good curveball. However, Kay tossed a quick 1-2-3 inning, getting Ben Malgeri, Javier Báez, and freezing Corey Julks for strike three after Rogers correctly challenged.

Murakami got an 0-1 slider away to start the third, and ripped a line drive up the left center field gap for a leadoff double. Vargas grounded out, but Benintendi reached on an infield single. Braden Montgomery grounded one to Torkelson, who fired home to Valencia to get Murakami while Benintendi and Montgomery aggressively took second and third. Melton needed an out to escape but instead Colson Montgomery doubled to right, scoring both runs. 3-1 White Sox. Not ideal.

Gleyber Torres lined a single to right to start the bottom of the third, but the Tigers big bats were still quiet as Lee struck out, Dillon Dingler flew out, and Kevin McGonigle grounded out to end the inning.

Even in the fourth, Melton gave up a leadoff single to Peters, but he snuffed any further rallying by getting the next three in order.

Eduardo Valencia continued to provide the offense in the bottom of the fourth as Kay left a 2-2 changeup just up in the zone, and the rookie launched it into the Tigers bullpen to make it a 3-2 game. That was his sixth home run of the season. The Tigers went in order from there, though.

Melton’s struggles continued in the fifth as Vargas led off with a double. Melton got Benintendi on a grounder, but his day was done at that point as Drew Sommers took over. The big lefty did a nice job striking out both Montgomerys to strand Vargas, although Valencia blew the Tigers second challenge on a ball to Colson before Sommers bent a sweeper in there to lock him up. Having no challenges at this point of the game is scary.

Finally in the bottom half the Tigers did tie things up. Back-to-back doubles from Julks and Torres made it a 3-3 game. Lee grounded out, and Dingler’s frustrations over the last three series continued as he lined out to shortstop and Torres got caught leaning and was doubled off to end the inning. Still, we had a new ballgame at 3-3 heading into the final four frames.

Sommers got Meidroth to ground out to open the sixth. Peters tried to bunt for some reason and was thrown out. Sommers blew away Rogers, and finally the Tigers had another 1-2-3 inning and had a chance to seize control in the bottom half. It didn’t start off well, as Kay got McGonigle to ground out. That was the last batter Will Venable wanted his starter to face, and so Kay’s day was done, and hard-throwing sinkerballer Jordan Hicks took over.

Hicks has never really managed to get his control issues smoothed out for long, but he continues to strike out a good amount of hitters and doesn’t give up many home runs at all. Valencia nearly hammered an 0-1 breaking ball but he pulled it foul. A lengthy battle ended with a blooper for an out to Murakami at first, and Hicks blew away Torkelson at 99 mph to send us to the seventh.

Venable pinch-hit Randal Grichuk in for Antonacci, and he drilled a drive to center field for a leadoff double to start the seventh. We’ve seen too much of this. Sommers blew Murakami away for the first out, and AJ Hinch made the rare move of walking Vargas intentionally. The idea was to set up Sommers against Benintendi to get the ground ball, and they got it, but it was hit hard enough to get past a diving McGonigle at shortstop. He got a bit of glove on it, killing the speed of the ball as it bounced into left field, and Grichuk scored easily while Vargas went first to third. 4-3 White Sox.

That was the end for Sommers, and Kyle Finnegan took over against Braden Montgomery, and the Tigers really needed some good Finnegan here. They got it, as he whiffed Montgomery with a splitter, and Colson flew out to Javy Báez in center field.

Max Clark got the first part of the game off but entered to pinch-hit for Malgeri against Hicks in the bottom of the seventh. He hit one hard, but Colson Montgomery leapt to snare it for the first out. Báez struck out, and Zach McKinstry pinch-hit for Julks. Hicks whiffed him on a splitter, and we were on to the eighth.

McKinstry took over in right field, with Clark in center, and Báez over in left as the inning began. Finnegan faced Meidroth to start the inning. He got a ground out from him, and Peters lined out to McKinstry. Rogers grounded out and it was the Tigers’ turn.

Hard-throwing Grant Taylor took over for the White Sox, and Torres pulled a single to left to lead off. Unfortunately, Colt Keith pinch hit for Lee and grounded one to first for a double play. Dingler’s struggles continued as he struck out and we were on to the ninth.

Tanner Rainey entered for the Tigers in the top half. He gave up a leadoff single to Grichuk, and Brenton Doyle pinch ran for him and was cut down by Valencia trying to steal second. Nice throw. Rainey struck out Murakami and Vargas lined out to McKinstry. So, it was last call for the Tigers down 4-3.

Lefty Bryan Hudson took over to close this out for the White Sox. McGonigle put together a good AB, but a sharply hit ball to right field was run down at the warning track by Braden Montgomery. Valencia was frozen by a heater on the inner edge, and Spencer Torkelson flew out to center field to end it.

The White Sox extend their lead in the AL Central to 4.5 games in the process. Tough time for Dingler, Keith, and McGonigle to cool off, at least briefly, but we’re getting a good look at the fact that the White Sox are a legitimately good, deep team. The pitching matchup should’ve favored the Tigers with Melton vs. the lefty Kay, but it didn’t quite work out that way.

The Tigers weren’t going to run the table all the way to the end of the season. Some rough spots had to be expected, but there are 39 games remaining, and the Tigers have worked their way right into the thick of the AL playoff picture. They will look to salvage a game in the series and re-group on Sunday. RHP Drew Anderson will take on a tough opponent in RHP Sean Burke at 1:40 p.m. ET.

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The Milwaukee Brewers enter Dodger Stadium as the -117 road favorites tonight on the back of Jacob Misiorowski, who looks to continue his climb up the NL Cy Young odds.

I’ll break down why the Brew Crew is a good bet for a low-scoring win in my Brewers vs. Dodgers predictions and free MLB picks for Saturday, Aug. 15.

Who will win Brewers vs Dodgers today: Brewers moneyline (-121)

Jacob Misiorowski is running away in the NL Cy Young odds, and it’s easy to see why. 

The Milwaukee Brewers ace is in the top percentile among all pitchers in pitching run value, xERA (1.93), xBA (.163), and K% (40.6%).

Misiorowski has held his opponents to two runs or fewer in 14 of his last 16 starts going back to May, and that’s bad news for a Los Angeles Dodgers squad that’s averaging just 3.62 runs per game over its last 13 contests.

I’m playing Milwaukee up to -125.

COVERS INTEL: The Dodgers are hitting an MLB-worst .169 against the four-seamer vs. righties this month, a pitch that Misiorowski throws 64% of the time with an average velocity over 100 mph.

Brewers vs Dodgers Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (-121)

The Dodgers are ice-cold at the plate right now, and they won’t put many runs on the board against Misiorowski and the fourth-best bullpen in the majors.

Meanwhile, the Brewers are down three starting players and have averaged a measly three runs per game over their last seven outings.

Milwaukee also owns the eighth-worst average (.219) and highest K% (36.6) against left-handed pitching this month, and won’t enjoy tonight’s matchup vs. Justin Wrobleski.

The Under is the play to -130.

Brewers vs Dodgers home run prediction: Jackson Chourio (+414)

Jackson Chourio has been Milwaukee’s most consistent home-run hitter this year with 17 dingers in 89 games. The right-handed slugger has hammered left-handed pitching, with five homers in just 94 at-bats while carrying a .309 average and .521 SLG.

Breaking balls have been a weak spot for Wrobleski, who carries a -3 breaking run value according to Statcast. Wrobleski’s slider has been hit out of the park five times this season, and Chourio himself has hit nine of his 17 dingers off that pitch. 

Playable to +400. 

Brewers vs Dodgers weather

Dodger Stadium will see clear skies, mild temperatures, and light winds blowing out to center field throughout the night. 

Brewers vs Dodgers odds

• Moneyline: Brewers -117 | Dodgers +113
• Run line: Brewers -1.5 | Dodgers +1.5
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 | Under 7.5

Brewers vs Dodgers trend

The Brewers have hit the Under in 13 of their last 21 games (+5.55 Units / 24% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Brewers vs. Dodgers.

How to watch Brewers vs Dodgers and game info

Brewers vs Dodgers latest injuries

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Last night the bats just could not get going and the bullpen faltered. That led to a disappointing 4-1 loss. Now the boys will have to regroup and try to even the series. Hopefully the league’s highest scoring offense can figure out the Mets makeshift pitching staff.

With a lefty on the mound, there will be plenty of changes to the lineup. Dylan Crews will lead off and play right. CJ Abrams is at short again despite the announcement of his move to second base. Andrew Pinckney and Harry Ford are also back in the lineup. Brad Lord will start as his reintegration into the rotation continues.

The Mets have a couple new faces at the bottom of their lineup. Brett Baty will play left field and Jorge Polanco will DH. Otherwise it is the same group as last night. Francisco Lindor will lead the way without Juan Soto. Sean Manaea has been throwing the ball much better lately and will be on the mound today.

Game Info:

Stadium: Citi Field

Time: 4:10 PM EST

TV: Nationals.TV and FS1

Radio: 106.7 The Fan

Losing this series in New York would be a massive blow. This group needs to buckle down and do whatever it takes to win. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!

It’s time for Game 2 in the three-game series between the San Francisco Giants and the Colorado Rockies. All I’m hoping for is that it goes better than the first game did. And hey, we’re getting an MLB debut this fine afternoon, as Turner Hill is starting in left field!

Taking the mound for the Giants is their ace, righty Logan Webb. The three-time All-Star has made 21 starts this season, and is 7-7 with a 3.59 ERA, a 3.27 FIP, and 103 strikeouts to 32 walks in 133 innings. Webb was excellent his last time out, giving up just one run in eight innings against the Detroit Tigers.

For the Rockies, it’s veteran right-hander Michael Lorenzen. The 33-year old, who was an All-Star in 2023, has made 25 appearances in his first season with Colorado, and has gone 3-10 with a 6.83 ERA, a 5.09 FIP, and 81 strikeouts to 46 walks in 112 innings. He’s given up the most hits (164) and runs (85) in the Majors this year, so you can expect the Giants to be shut out. Lorenzen gave up four runs, two of which were earned, in 4.1 innings against the St. Louis Cardinals his last time out.

Enjoy the baseball, everyone!

Lineups

Giants

1. Drew Gilbert — CF
2. Rafael Devers — DH
3. Bryce Eldridge — 1B
4. Jung Hoo Lee — RF
5. Osleivis Basabe — 2B
6. Drew Cavanaugh — C
7. Turner Hill — LF
8. Buddy Kennedy — 3B
9. Christian Koss — SS

RHP. Logan Webb

Rockies

1. Jake McCarthy — LF
2. Cole Carrigg — CF
3. TJ Rumfield — 1B
4. Hunter Goodman — C
5. Mickey Moniak — DH
6. Willi Castro — 3B
7. Zac Veen — RF
8. Connor Norby — 2B
9. Ezequiel Tovar — SS

RHP. Michael Lorenzen

Game #123

Who: San Francisco Giants (50-72) vs. Colorado Rockies (49-73)

Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California

When: 1:05 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: n/a

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

Aaron Judge has not been seen in a baseball game since May 31. Yet on Saturday, Aug. 15, the New York Yankees got at least a glimpse of Judge both upright and participating in baseball activities.

Judge played catch and ran before the Yankees' game against the Blue Jays at Toronto's Rogers Centre as he begins his gradual climb back from a fractured right rib. He was cleared for baseball activities Aug. 5, but the Yankees have been deliberate in assessing test results and monitoring his injury.

"We expect him back, but we're in the early stages of baseball activity," Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters in Toronto. "Hopefully things continue to go well."

The Yankees were 36-23 and 1 1/2 games behind Tampa Bay in the American League East when Judge played his final game before going on the injured list. They've gone 32-31 since, losing All-Star Game MVP Cody Bellinger along the way, and now trail Tampa Bay by 6 1/2 games entering play Saturday. New York retains a three-game lead over Boston for the No. 1 wild card spot.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yankees get promising update on Aaron Judge injury return

Mets lineup

A.J. Ewing – CF
Francisco Lindor – SS
Bo Bichette – 3B
Carson Benge – RF
Jared Young – 1B
Marcus Semien – 2B
Brett Baty – LF
Jorge Polanco – DH
Francisco Alvarez – C

SP: Sean Manaea – LHP

Nationals lineup

Dylan Crews – RF
Andres Chaparro – 1B
Brady House – 3B
CJ Abrams – SS
Harry Ford – C
Jacob Young – CF
Daylen Lile – DH
Nasim Nunez – 2B
Andrew Pinckney – LF

SP: Brad Lord – RHP

Broadcast info

First pitch: 4:10 PM EDT
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

After taking the first game of the series behind another deep Kyle Freeland start and Zac Veen firepower, the Colorado Rockies (49-73) try to continue their three-game road winning streak with a Saturday afternoon contest by the bay against the San Francisco Giants (50-72). A win would give the Rockies their 50th victory of the season and bring them even with the Giants for fourth in the division.

Leading the way for the Rockies is Michael Lorenzen (3-10 across 24 starts, 6.83 ERA, 1.875 WHIP, 81 strikeouts). Lorenzen’s performances have ebbed and flowed throughout the season. He has consistently given up a fair number of hits each game and has varied in his ability to limit the run damage. In his last start, he gave up eight hits but only surrendered two earned runs. In the start before that, however, he allowed seven earned runs on seven hits, only lasting three innings in a 13-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. Over his last handful of games, his longest outing was just 4.1 innings pitched.

Lorenzen has squared off with the Giants twice this season. Back at the end of May, he went 3.2 innings with three earned runs on five hits, as the Rockies beat the Giants 8-6. More recently, he went five innings and gave up just one earned run on five hits in a 3-1 loss in July. He’ll aim to keep traffic on the basepaths to a minimum and limit San Francisco’s offense as he did in his other outings against the club.

Logan Webb gets the start for the Giants (7-7 across 21 starts, 3.59 ERA, 1.083 WHIP, 103 strikeouts). Webb has been extremely strong as of late. He’s notched two wins in his last three starts and kept runs at two or fewer in that stretch. He’s also gone deep into games, going six or more innings in his last six starts. Although San Francisco took the loss in his last game, Webb did his part, allowing just one run over eight innings of work.

Good news for the Rockies: Webb hasn’t been at his best in his two starts against Colorado this season. He was better in the first of the two, allowing only one run on three hits in 4.1 innings as the Rockies beat the Giants 8-6. His second start against Colorado, though, is his worst of the season. In a July matchup at Coors Field, Webb allowed 11 hits resulting in 7 runs and took the loss as the Giants fell 15-3.

As Colorado did with Zac Veen, the Giants are turning to a prospect tearing it up in the minors, with recently promoted outfielder Turner Hill making his MLB debut today after building a 26-game hitting streak with the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats.

Both teams are in very similar positions late in the season. The Rockies carry a good bit of momentum on their side into today’s matchup. With a slew of hot bats in the lineup, they hope to add to the win column.

First Pitch: 2:05 p.m. MDT

TV: Rockies.TV

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

Giants SB Nation Site: McCovey Chronicles

Lineups:

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks! 

Joshua Báez made sure his major league debut somehow exceeded the wild expectations that preceded it.

Báez's emotional journey to the St. Louis Cardinals' lineup culminated Saturday, Aug. 15 when he made major league history by homering three times in his first three major league at-bats, including a towering two-run home run on the first pitch he saw from Chicago Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd at Wrigley Field.

It's the first time any player has homered three times in his MLB debut.

That first homer, a 449-foot blast to dead center field, sent the visiting dugout into padding-pounding pandemonium and the more than two dozen family members on hand from around the USA and Dominican Republic into unabashed glee. Yet it was only the beginning of a power show that drove the Cardinals to an 8-4 victory over the Cubs.

Báez Bombs are here, St. Louis! 💣 pic.twitter.com/TENioKu6gr

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) August 15, 2026

In his second at-bat, Báez led off the fourth inning by clubbing a full-count Boyd changeup 382 feet into the third row of Wrigley's left field bleachers. He battled back from an 0-2 count and didn't see a single fastball from Boyd, who'd hoped to mix up the lefty with a mix of off-speed pitches.

Until he hung one.

TWO HOMERS FOR JOSHUA BÁEZ IN HIS BIG LEAGUE DEBUT! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ojdN2pyy4x

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) August 15, 2026

Báez, 21, came into the game the Cardinals' No. 3 prospect, yet that designation might have to be updated after his debut.

That's because on his third trip to the plate - with Boyd, amazingly, still on the hill, increasingly becoming a more significant footnote to history - Báez found his third set of bleachers.

This time, it was to right field, off a Boyd slider, a two-run shot that gave the Cardinals a 6-3 lead. At this point, the giddiness gave way to utter disbelief. Cardinals DH Ivan Herrera simply clutched the sides of his head with his two hands, a reaction echoing Thomas Hill's tearful gratitude when Duke's Christian Laettner hit that shot back in 1992.

MAJOR LEAGUE HISTORY!!

THREE homers for Joshua Báez in his MLB debut! pic.twitter.com/aaxFwtSQku

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) August 15, 2026

Báez was a third-round pick of the Cardinals in 2021, out of Dexter School in Brookline, Mass. He was midway through his second full pro season, at Class A Palm Beach, when his father, Jose Manuel, who'd had a profound impact on his baseball development, passed away.

Báez continued climbing the Cardinals' system and the prospect charts, rising to No. 56 in Baseball America's top 100 ratings this summer. And then came June 16, and the third anniversary of his father's death.

The Cardinals outfield prospect marked the occasion by hitting four home runs for Class AAA Memphis, pointing to the sky after each of them.

"I was just trying to push through, and it's just insane I was able to hit four home runs in one night," he said then.

It was a significant step in doubling down on his 2025 power breakout, when he hit 20 homers and got on the Cardinals' big league radar. This year, he's crushed 34 home runs and driven in 90 runs for Memphis, all but daring the Cardinals to ignore him.

That's proven impossible with every level Báez climbs. And now, he's reached the highest in historic fashion.

Many roster moves happened today, check the post below this one for the details.

Rickey (no e) Tiedemann (two e’s) sounds thrilled to be up with the Jays:

Today’s Lineup:

Low-scoring affairs have dominated the scoresheet in recent Yankee games, and with Cam Schlittler on the mound, we might very well be in line for another one. None of these low-scoring losses were more curhsing than the last time Schlittler appeared in a game, seeing his seven magnificent innings of one-run ball with double-digit strikeouts go to waste as the Yankees fell to the Braves 2-1.

Responsible for a 10-6 record on the season, Schlittler comes into this game hoping to avoid a fourth straight Yankees loss in his start, something that hasn’t happened since he first came up to the big leagues last season. It should be noted he hasn’t taken the loss in any of them, twice deserving a lot more than what he got in offensive support.

One of the aspects that has limited the Yankees’ regular-season goals has been this team’s struggles inside the division. After yesterday’s loss to the Jays, the only team against which the Yankees hold a winning record in the AL East is the Baltimore Orioles, playing .500 ball in their eight games versus Toronto, outscoring them by just a single run.

Don’t look now, but having won four out of their last five against the Red Sox and Yankees, the Blue Jays—who seemed to be in a lost season not so long ago—are now only one game back of the last AL Wild Card spot. Benefiting from an egregious lack of depth in the AL playoff picture, and despite having sold at the deadline, the Jays carry more than enough of a core to be a more dangerous club than the ones fighting for these final Wild Card spots.

Lastly, in a coincidence that doesn’t spark good memories, Schlittler will be opposed by a bullpen game just like in Game 4 of last year’s ALDS, this one with Brydon Fisher as the opener.

How to watch

Location: Rogers Centre — Toronto, ON

First pitch: 3:07 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES, Sportsnet, TVA Sports

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY), SN590 THE FAN (TOR)

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Aaron Judge still has a long road ahead to returning to the Yankees from a fractured rib injury, but the slugger recently took a step in the right direction. 

According to manager Aaron Boone, who spoke to reporters before New York continues its series against the Blue Jays in Toronto on Saturday, Judge played catch for the first time during his rehab process Friday.

While it's certainly good news for Judge and the Yanks, the outfielder still has a ways to go in building up to full baseball activities. Regardless, it's good to hear that he has at least begun that process and is getting closer to a return.

Judge hasn't played in a game since May 31, although the fractured rib can likely be traced back to April when he made a diving attempt in the outfield. Before his injury, the 34-year-old was having a bit of a down season for his standards but still had 17 home runs and a .907 OPS. 

More importantly, with Judge in the lineup, New York's offense was in a groove, but since landing on the IL, the Yankees have struggled to score runs consistently, including in their 3-1 loss to the Blue Jays on Friday night.

LOS ANGLES — Edwin Díaz likely won’t be available to pitch for the remainder of the weekend against the Milwaukee Brewers, after pitching on each of the last two nights, with extended outings both nights. He walked a tightrope on Friday night, loading the bases in the ninth inning, but somehow survived to earn the save. It wasn’t a good outing by any means, but all parties believe Díaz is at least heading in the right direction.

Díaz since returning from the injured list has one clean outing in six tries, with seven runs allowed in 4 2/3 innings. One night after allowing three runs in a blown save to the Brewers, he walked two batters and hit another, loading the bases in the ninth inning. This time he escaped without damage, helped by a fantastic play by second baseman Tommy Edman for the second out of the frame. A grounder to shortstop Mookie Betts ended it.

“It was good for him to work his way out of it, and obviously he was a hitter away,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Even with that last hitter, I wanted to see him try to fight through it and get through it. I was happy that he finished what he started.

Díaz said his posture on the mound was something he was working on, that his misses were more off the plate than in the middle of the strike zone to get punished.

“I’m leaning too much toward the right-handed hitter. Instead of straight down the plate, today was way better,” Díaz said. “My fastball ride was way batter than yesterday. I’m going in a good direction, so keep getting better and keep getting better.”

There’s still a lot to work on for Díaz, who threw only 11 strikes in his 26 pitches on Friday.

“It wasn’t pretty, I watched the inning too,” Roberts said.

“The strength department and the pitching side of things, he’s kind of detected some things I think we could clean up, so that’s encouraging,” Roberts added. “We started that process today. Hopefully with a couple days off to kind of work through that, we’ll see an even better version going forward.”

Recent Dodgers relief usage

Díaz and Tanner Scott have each pitched five times in the last eight days, something that happened only four times this season in the Dodgers bullpen before this stretch — by Scott (April 21-28, May 23-30), Alex Vesia (June 10-17), and Evan Phillips (August 2-9). If Vesia, Phillips or Jack Dreyer pitch on Saturday, they will have also pitched five times in eight days.

It’s been a busy time for the Dodgers bullpen.

“That’s the hard part, that a lot of people don’t have the information on availability and workload, and redlining guys, trying to keep guys healthy. I don’t have everyone available every single night, and what’s the cost of that night versus the next two or three games and looking also at the rest of the season,” Roberts said. “Those things I gotta think through, and when you peel that layer back, then your options get a little bit smaller. Then you’re talking about lanes and what’s the best for a particular pitcher. All those things matter.”

To Roberts’ point, it’s likely that Scott wouldn’t be available on Saturday either, in addition to Díaz, as no Dodgers reliever has pitched on three consecutive days this season. And if Vesia pitches Saturday, he’d be the first Dodger in 2026 to pitch four times in five days.

That’s a long way of saying Saturday is a day for Justin Wrobleski to eat as many innings as possible, whether he turns around his recent funk or not.

Saturday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Brewers
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Start time: 4:15 p.m.
• TV: Fox
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

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The Arizona Diamondbacks and Atlanta Braves continue their weekend series Saturday night at Truist Park, with Eduardo Rodriguez facing Grant Holmes.

Both starters carry respectable ERAs, but their underlying profiles point to more offensive upside than the surface numbers suggest. We are backing Atlanta while also targeting the Over and a Corbin Carroll long ball.

Read on for our Diamondbacks vs. Braves predictions and MLB picks for Saturday, Aug. 15.

Who will win Diamondbacks vs Braves today: Braves moneyline (-137)

The Atlanta Braves are my moneyline pick behind the better offensive matchup. I'd play them down to -150.

Eduardo Rodriguez's 2.70 ERA looks strong, but his .336 xwOBA and .445 xSLG allowed suggest hitters have made better contact than the results indicate.

The Braves also bring significantly more power than the Arizona Diamondbacks, entering the series with 164 home runs and a .420 SLG. Rodriguez has survived some of that contact, however Atlanta has the power profile to turn it into extra-base damage.

Grant Holmes carries his own contact concerns, but the Braves' lineup gives him more run support to work with. This could be a bit of a slugfest and I generally favor the ATL in such scenarios.

Give me the Braves for my tenth two-unit of the year. 

COVERS INTEL: Eduardo Rodriguez throws his four-seam fastball 39.2% of the time, making it easily his most-used pitch. Opponents have a .473 xSLG against it with a 42.9% hard-hit rate.

Diamondbacks vs Braves Over/Under pick: Over 9 (-110)

The starter ERAs point toward a pitchers' game, but the underlying contact suggests otherwise.

Grant Holmes owns a 3.47 ERA despite a 4.76 xERA, bottom 20 percentile 42.1% hard-hit rate, and 9.1% barrel rate. Rodriguez has his own separation between results and expected production, with opponents carrying a .445 xSLG against him.

The Braves should get the best of the Arizona DBacks but it won’t come without allowing runs. Both starters have allowed enough damaging contact to make a total of 9 playable, especially with temperatures near 90 degrees at first pitch.

I’d play this up to 9.5.

Diamondbacks vs Braves home run prediction: Corbin Carroll (+414)

This is a rare situation where the pitching we're backing could be the most homer vulnerable As mentioned, that's because of the 42%+ hard-hit rate that Holmes carries coming into this matchup. Corbin Carroll is poised to take advantage of that.

Holmes throws his slider, four-seamer, and cutter 74.8% of the time, led by a slider at 36.3%.

Carroll owns a .573 xSLG and 58.8% hard-hit rate against sliders, along with a .400 xSLG against four-seamers and .487 xSLG against cutters. He has also generated positive run value against all three pitch types.

Holmes will have to live in areas of his arsenal that match Carroll’s strongest contact profile, making him the best Arizona power target.

Diamondbacks vs Braves weather

First-pitch temperatures are forecast around 90 degrees, with readings staying in the upper 80s through most of the game and a chance of thunderstorms later in the evening. That kind of heat is a mild boost for offense because warmer air is less dense, giving well-struck fly balls a little more carry.

Diamondbacks vs Braves odds

• Moneyline: Arizona +125 | Atlanta -132
• Run line: Arizona +1.5 | Atlanta -1.5
• Over/Under: Over 9 | Under 9

Diamondbacks vs Braves trend

The Atlanta Braves have hit the 1st Five Innings (F5) Run Line in 18 of their last 23 games at home (+13.00 Units / 48% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Diamondbacks vs. Braves.

How to watch Diamondbacks vs Braves and game info

Diamondbacks vs Braves latest injuries

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