Author: MLB Baseball News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games

This has been a painful run of Nats baseball, and things only got worse with James Wood hitting the shelf. However, the grind of the season continues, and these Nats need to get back on track. Beaten up and with many key names gone, the Nats need to trudge on down the stretch.

Without James Wood, this lineup looks very different. With a lefty on the mound, Dylan Crews will be leading off and playing right. Daylen Lile and Jacob Young are the other outfielders. Nasim Nunez plays shortstop as CJ Abrams gets a day off his feet at DH. Brady House is at third, which moves Jorbit Vivas to second. Harry Ford is behind the dish. Carson Palmquist will open for Zack Littell.

The big news in the Phillies lineup is the arrival of Luis Arraez. This comes with a lot of shuffling around the diamond. Arraez will play second, shifting Bryson Stott to third, Alec Bohm to first and Bryce Harper to right field. Harper has not played right in many years now, so that could be something to watch. Jesus Luzardo is on the mound for the Phillies.

Game Info:

Stadium: Citizens Bank Park

Time: 6:40 PM EST

TV: Nationals.TV

Radio: 106.7 The Fan

These Nats need to stop the bleeding ASAP. The hitting with RISP has to take a step forward or else the winning simply won’t come. Hopefully the Nats can finally get a curly W tonight. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!

San Diego Padres starter Nick Pivetta abruptly walked off the mound three batters into his first rehab appearance with High-A Lake Elsinore on Tuesday afternoon.

The right-hander took the mound for the top of the fourth inning and drew two flyouts to center field before giving up a first-pitch single to Oswaldo Osorio. On the next at-bat against Conner O'Neal, Pivetta wound up, fired a pitch that hooked outside of the plate for a called ball and immediately turned and walked towards the dugout.

The 33-year-old was visibly frustrated as he left the mound after throwing just 14 pitches. Rordy Mejia entered the game in his place.

Padres pitcher Nick Pivetta abruptly walks off the mound after two batters. pic.twitter.com/1A3T8TgFKr

— Marty Caswell (@MartyCaswell) August 4, 2026

But there is optimism, both from the Padres and Pivetta himself, that he avoided any kind of serious setback on his recovery from a right elbow flexor strain that's kept him on the IL since April. Per the San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee, Pivetta threw over 20 pitches in the bullpen after his early exit and didn't feel the discomfort he felt on the mound.

Joe Musgrove also pitched in Tuesday's game for Lake Elsinore in his latest rehab start. He allowed one earned run on two hits with three strikeouts and two walks on 39 pitches across 2.2 innings. San Diego's rotation has been decimated by injuries this season, so the impending returns of both Musgrove and Pivetta are crucial as the Friars begin a late season push for a postseason spot.

Pivetta, now in his 10th big league season and second with the Padres, is reportedly targeting a late August return.

This story has been updated with new information.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nick Pivetta injury update: Padres pitcher abruptly leaves mound during rehab start

Well, Trade Deadline Monday has come and gone, and ultimately, the Orioles’ “buy and sell” approach meant a really deflating sell-off, especially with Adley Rutschman departing for AL East rival Boston for a passel of prospects (I mean, great prospects haul, but a hard day to lose the face of the franchise, if you feel me). The remaining 50 games of the Orioles’ 2026 season feel to me like the post-credits scene in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, where Ferris emerges from the bathroom in a robe, looks right at the camera, and says, “You’re still here? It’s over. Go home. Go.”

But technically, it’s not over. So here we are, the rubble having settled, trying to find something to play for. Presumably there are tougher rivals than the Angels, who at 43-69, aren’t pretending to be contenders anymore either. The Halos shipped off a ton of pitchers at the deadline, but not one Grayson Rodriguez, the onetime O’s top prospect. Ah, how innocent we were then. This year, Rodriguez has struggled with bone spurs, but the Angels claim he’s healthy now. Maybe, but he’s still got a 7.98 ERA in 10 games so forgive me if I’m not seeing G-Rod of 2024 quite.

The Orioles initially went into this one with TBD for a starting pitcher, but it’s since been clarified that they meant Cade Povich, called up today from the Minors. The 26-year-old lefty has spent most of the season with Triple-A Norfolk, posting not-great ERA there of 6.30. His WHIP of 1.45 is too high; his .268 opposing average doesn’t make me feel great, either. This season, Povich made four appearances (three starts) with the big club during April and May, allowing eighteen runs in 11 innings. It’s not ideal.

Already some of the newest Orioles are in the lineup: Christian Franklin in the outfield and catcher Carlos Narváez is the backstop. Ain’t it… great. First pitch is 6:35 ET.

Orioles lineup

1. Dylan Beavers LF
2. Pete Alonso 1B
3. Gunnar Henderson SS
4. Christian Encarnación-Strand 3B
5. Jackson Holliday 2B
6. Coby Mayo DH
7. Christian Franklin LF
8. Colton Cowser CF
9. Christian Narváez C
   

Angels lineup

1. Zach Neto SS
2. Mike Trout CF
3. Nolan Schanuel 1B
4. Vaughn Grissom 2B
5. Denzer Guzmán 3B
6. Moisés Ballesteros DH
7. Travis d’Arnaud C
8. José Siri LF
9. Wade Meckler RF

After a bit of a dud on Monday night, the Brewers will, for the third day in a row, go for their 70th win tonight as they attempt to even this four-game series against Pittsburgh at one game apiece. With a 6-1 record, the Pirates have had Milwaukee’s number this season, a stark change over the modern history in this divisional rivalry; over the last 20 years, the Brewers have an overall record of 194-126 against the Buccos.

Tonight’s pitching matchup features two bright young stars, both 24 years old, though not the first two who might come to mind when considering these two teams. For the Brewers, Logan Henderson—still a Brewer after many a speculative fan had linked him to a Tarik Skubal trade before the deadline yesterday—gets the nod, while the Pirates send Jared Jones.

By rate stats, Henderson has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season. A back injury has limited his innings, but this will be his fifth start since missing about a month and a half between late May and early July. In the nine starts that Henderson has made, he’s pitched to a 2.66 ERA and 2.80 FIP, a 0.909 WHIP, and 11 strikeouts to just 1.8 walks per nine innings. You’d expect that the league will adjust to Henderson at some point, and he’s averaged less than five innings per start this season, but in his limited sample as a big leaguer he’s been outstanding.

Jones, who is right-handed and a few months older than Henderson, is back on track after missing all of the 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery. Jones, who was a top-100 prospect prior to his debut in 2024, has pitched to a 3.81 ERA and 3.48 FIP in 52 innings across 11 starts this season with impressive peripheral numbers of his own (10 K/9, 2.6 BB/9). In contrast to Henderson, and like last night’s starter, Bubba Chandler, Jones is a high velocity guy; his 98.4 average fastball velocity is in the top five percent of the league. Jones relies heavily on that fastball but gets a ton of whiffs with the slider he plays off of it. Jones is primarily a fastball/slider pitcher but mixes in a changeup every now and then and, a few times a game, a curveball.

With yesterday’s trades, the Brewers have made some adjustments to their roster. Garrett Stallings’ heroic outing on Monday night was rewarded with a demotion to Triple-A Nashville (life is tough for fringey pitchers), but the headline—not unexpected—is that Brandon Sproat will join him there.

NOTE/UPDATE: Jake Bauers was a late scratch with abdominal soreness, which invalidates what I wrote below, because Christian Yelich is, instead of batting seventh, batting fifth instead. But I’m going to leave what I wrote initially, because the intention of batting Yelich seventh does matter.

There’s also a notable change in the lineup: Christian Yelich has been dropped to seventh, the first time all season he’s hit below the five spot in the batting order; a quick scan of game logs tells me that it’s the first time that Yelich has started a game below the fifth spot in the batting order since 2015, when he was on the Marlins and playing in his second full season. Pat Murphy had some thoughts on the move:

With the move down in the order from Yelich, lefties Jake Bauers and Garrett Mitchell move up to third and fifth, respectively. Brice Turang leads off tonight, and the rest of the lineup consists of Jackson Chourio, William Contreras, Luis Lara, Cooper Pratt, and David Hamilton. Note: the updated lineup has Andrew Vaughn in for Bauers, batting sixth.

Of note for the Pirates: the three pitchers they acquired yesterday, Luke Weaver, Lake Bachar, and Kirby Yates, have all been activated and will be available tonight.

First pitch tonight is at 6:40 p.m. on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network.

Tuesday notes…

• UNDER THE LIGHTS: The Cubs are 40-26 in night games this year, for a winning percentage of .606. They finished last year at .563 (49-38). In the second of back-to-back night games this year, they are 26-16, .619. Last year, they were 29-20, .592. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• LOTS OF RUNS ALLOWED, BUT WINNING ANYWAY: The Cubs won last night despite giving up five runs. They are only 12-31 when they have allowed at least five and 52-18 with no more than four. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• WALK WATCH, PART 1: Cubs pitchers walked one batter last night, as they had Sunday afternoon. They have walked no more than three in 13 consecutive games, with a total of just 30, for an average of 2.31. Their season average is down to 2.98, its lowest since it also was 2.98 after a loss at home to the Giants on June 7. They have played 47 games since then. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• WALK WATCH, PART 2: The Cubs walked seven times in Monday’s game. That gives them 491 walks for the season, by far the most in MLB (Brewers are second with 465). That is an average of 4.36 per game. If they maintain that pace they will walk 704 times this year, shattering the franchise record (656 in 2016). NL record: 732, by the 1947 Dodgers.

The Cubs lineup was not available at posting time. Please check BCB social media for the Cubs lineup.

Here’s one thing we do know:

Also:

Dodgers lineup:

Javier Assad, RHP vs. Tarik Skubal, LHP

Well, here we go. Tarik Skubal’s first Dodgers start comes at Wrigley Field.

He’ll face Javier Assad, who’s really done everything the Cubs could have asked as a fill-in starter and multi-inning reliever.

In five games (three starts) in July he posted a 1.50 ERA and 1.278 WHIP in 18 innings, with 17 strikeouts.

Assad faced the Dodgers April 25 at Dodger Stadium as a multi-inning reliever. You do not want to look at that boxscore link. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Tarik Skubal missed several weeks earlier this year with an elbow issue on which he had what was termed “NanoScope surgery.” It appears to have been a success, as he’s posted a 2.87 ERA and 0.881 WHIP over nine starts since returning, with a K rate of 34.1 percent and walk rate of 3.8 percent, both of which are outstanding.

Skubal’s last start against the Cubs was June 6, 2025 in Detroit, and he allowed one run in 7.2 innings, with no walks and six strikeouts. He just doesn’t walk guys, so Cubs hitters should look to put the ball in play.

This one won’t be easy, obviously. It will certainly be highly-watched — it’s on national TV, as noted below.

Here is the weather forecast for the area around Wrigley Field.

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. It’s also on TBS (outside the Cubs and Dodgers market territories).

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Dodgers site True Blue LA. If you do go there to interact with Dodgers fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.

You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.

The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.

You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

With the trade deadline in the books and on field action resuming tonight, it’s a good time to address a pair of odd but compelling scheduling items that will help define the final two months of the season:

1) Starting with the just completed series against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, the Red Sox began a run in which they play 17 straight series against 17 different opponents to close out the season. We’ll see a couple of familiar and recent opponents like the White Sox, A’s and Blue Jays in the next ten days, but nobody left on the schedule appears on it again.

2) And, on a somewhat related note, tonight’s game against the White Sox begins a stretch of series at Fenway Park in which seven straight opponents are not from the eastern time zone. In fact, the only east coast opponent left on the schedule this year is Cleveland, who doesn’t come in until September 22nd through the 24th.

Baked within that second point is perhaps an even more important nugget: The next five straight Fenway opponents after this series with the White Sox are against teams west of the Rockie Mountains (A’s, D-Backs, Giants, Mariners and Angels).

In other words, if the Red Sox can keep their scalding hot streak alive and win another series against the surprisingly solid White Sox, things set up pretty favorable for them to remain hot at Fenway Park right into the final week of the year.

As far as tonight goes, the pitching matchup has another small scheduling oddity. Specifically, it’s a pair of pitchers who each started a game in the series in Chicago last month, but not against each other. For the Red Sox, Patrick Sandoval made his Boston debut back on July 9th in the 2-1 win, and Davis Martin pitched for the White Sox the previous day on July 8th’s 5-0 win.

We’ll have to see which Davis Martin shows up for the White Sox tonight. He was excellent in his first nine starts of the season (to the tune of a 1.61 ERA), but has been considerably less so in his last twelve (5.46 ERA).

Lastly, before we get to the lineups, the Red Sox also made several roster moves this afternoon to balance things out after yesterday’s trade deadline. Below are three additions and two subtractions from the 26-man roster (with the third subtraction being Carlos Narvaez, who was included in the Rutschman trade).

⚾️ First Pitch: 7:10pm — Fenway Park, Boston, MA

📺 TV: NESN

📻 Radio: WEEI

Join us below in the game thread!

Mets interim manager Andy Green met with the media for the first time since the 2026 trade deadline to discuss a number of topics...

How Mets will deploy new-look bullpen

The Mets traded quite a few household relievers at this year's trade deadline. Luke Weaver, A.J. Minter, Brooks Raley and Huascar Brazoban are now with other clubs and that leaves a lot of roster spots to fill.

New York activated a number of relievers, including Dedniel Nunez and Jefry Yan, and Green was asked how he plans to use his new relievers. 

"We know where we want to pocket guys to give them the best opportunity to be successful; at the same time, we want to get feet wet as quickly as possible," Green said. "The hardest thing to do to a young player is to leave them on ice in the bullpen for three, four, five days. If the game opportunity presents itself today, we’ll try to get some debuts in. If it doesn’t, we’ll try to get it done as soon as possible."

While there are a few notable returns like Nunez, Yan will be making his major league debut when he hits the mound. The 29-year-old has become known for his strikeout celebrations and Green sees potential with the southpaw.

"The stuff is there. Really comes down to how often he can gets that stuff in the zone," Green said of Yan. "When he’s done that, he’s shown he’s a unique left-handed pitcher, who jumps really high."

Kodai Senga's role

The last time Senga took the mound, he made an emergency start for Freddy Peralta after coming out of the bullpen the last few times. Senga showed flashes of brilliance, but Green made it clear the Mets want Senga to be a leverage reliever for them.

"I want to see him as a leverage reliever," Green said. "See him in a one-inning burst. We talked about it, the construction of our pen did not allow it when we had Minter and Brazo, and Weaver and Raley. It does now. We’re aware with his traditional workload as well, I don’t expect him to pitch three out of four at this time. I do think, that his right arm has 100 mph and a nasty forkball. That profile plays for a late-inning reliever."

Green was asked if they want Senga to eventually become a reliever that can pitch in three of four days, and the interim skipper said that they want to see how Senga responds in this role over the next few weeks. They also reserve the right to pivot and put him back in the rotation if they think that's what's best for the organization.

Stock making another turn

With the departure of Peralta, Green was asked who will be the rotation's No. 5 starter, and he confirmed that Robert Stock will make another start with the team.

Stock, 36, allowed one run across five innings Sunday against the Marlins. It was the right-hander's major league debut and his performance stuck with the team.

"I think for him, where he’s at in life, a four-day commitment feels pretty good," Green said. "He took that news pretty positively today. He did a great job last time."

Green said he hasn't committed to anything beyond when Stock pitches next.

How OF will be used

Luis Robert Jr. was one of the Mets not traded at the deadline, which gives New York another outfield for their lineup. However, with Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing needing reps, Green made it clear that Ewing will not start in the infield in the meantime.

"I don’t know if we’re leaning toward A.J. in the infield at all," Green said. "As we look at the outfield, We’ll try to look at different alignments as we move forward. Luis is going to get an opportunity to play baseball. He’s a very good baseball player, brought him here to help us win baseball games. Will love to see him going in a really positive way."

Robert will see consistent reps in center field, but there may be opportunities to play him in one of the corners. 

The A’s are set for their first post-Trade Deadline matchup this evening, in Cincinnati to take on the Reds in the first of three games. The Athletics had a quiet deadline but so did the Reds. The calendar has turned and now it’s time to start playing some winning baseball again and be the spoiler for our upcoming opponents. Time to snap this five-game losing streak with a big night tonight.

Taking the ball this evening for the Green & Gold will be right-hander J.T. Ginn, who the club is welcoming back after a brief stint on the IL with a blister on his pitching hand. Ginn has had a great season to date but could be showing signs of slowing down. He has after all surpassed his career-high in innings pitched already and we still have two months to go in the season. Considering he’s a Tommy John survivor the hope is that the club doesn’t push him too hard in the last weeks of a lost season.

Here’s how the Athletics’ lineup looks this evening courtesy of manager Mark Kotsay:

The squad is mixing things up a bit at the top of the lineup with Lawrence Butler leading things off tonight. Makes sense as he’s in a groove right now, going eight for his last 23. It’s the usual suspects behind Butler though as Jacob Wilson, Tyler Soderstrom, and Jonah Heim round out the top half of the lineup.

With Nick Kurtz out it’ll be Jeff McNeil drawing another start at first base. Tommy White is back at the hot corner as the club continues to assess his glove at third base. Veteran journeyman Donovan Walton is handling the keystone this evening while Carlos Cortes is at DH and Henry Bolte is back in center field.

That starting lineup will be going up against Reds right-hander Brady Singer. The 30-year-old veteran was considered a possible trade candidate a couple days ago but finds himself remaining in Cincy for the remainder of the season. He’s had an up-and-down year to date but he’s on a roll coming into tonight with a 3.67 ERA over his last seven starts.

And here’s Cincy’s starting lineup for the series opener:

Cincy was mostly silent at the trade deadline so just about all of their hitters (outside of first baseman Nathaniel Lowe) are in the lineup tonight. We have a notable big league debut for the Reds this evening as their #3 prospect Hector Rodriguez makes his debut. And we’ll also see old friend JJ Bleday in the lineup tonight batting third. He’s had a resurgent year for the Reds.

Let’s get back in the win column. Let’s go A’s!

Follow the Game:
Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA

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

Mets lineup

A.J. Ewing – LF
Francisco Lindor – SS
Bo Bichette – 3B
Francisco Alvarez – DH
Carson Benge – RF
Luis Robert – CF
Marcus Semien – 2B
Jared Young – 1B
Luis Torrens – C

SP: Sean Manaea – LHP

Guardians lineup

Steven Kwan – CF
Jo Adell – RF
Chase DeLauter – DH
Rhys Hoskins – 1B
Angel Martinez – LF
Travis Bazzana – 2B
Gabriel Arias – 3B
Austin Hedges – C
Brayan Rocchio – SS

SP: Joey Cantillo – LHP

Broadcast info

First pitch: 6:40 PM EDT
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

Both Will Smith and Dalton Rushing are on the injured list, and Ben Rortvedt has come to the Dodgers rescue yet again, this time from not only off the 40-man roster but also from a different team. One day after the Dodgers’ acquired Rortvedt from the New York Mets, they selected him to the major league roster to catch Tarik Skubal’s Dodgers debut on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field.

Hunter Feduccia, who was also acquired on Monday in a separate trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, was also recalled from Triple-A. Eliezer Alfonzo was optioned to Oklahoma City and Chuckie Robinson was designated for assignment on Tuesday, completing the full catching tandem swap.

Last season with both Smith and Rushing sidelined, Rortvedt started 15 of the final 21 games of the regular season and also started the first four postseason games too, until Smith returned from his hand injury. Looks like it’s going to be the same for now, at least for the next few weeks.

“Given what Ben did for us last year, us knowing him, him being with a lot of our guys, being more of a guy that’s been around for a while,” manager Dave Roberts told reporters Monday in Chicago, “I could see him taking the lion’s share for the foreseeable future.”

Rortvedt had been with Triple-A Syracuse all season, starting 39 games behind the plate. He hit .235/.391/.414 with six home runs in 167 games.

Feduccia this season started 51 games behind the plate for the Rays, and hit .234/.306/.340 with seven doubles and two home runs in 160 plate appearances.

Smith is expected to miss at least three or four more weeks with his neck inflammation, and Rushing will miss at a minimum of 10 days on the injured list.

“It’s protecting the downside with the catching,” Roberts said Monday. “We’ve always liked [Feduccia], so obviously with the catching, losing Rush and not having Will back, kind of just making sure — coverage is important.”

Alfonzo started nine games and caught 74 innings for the Dodgers in his first stint in the major leagues. Robinson caught 59 innings and started six games behind the plate. Alfonzo had five hits, including two doubles in 27 at-bats, while Robinson had two singles in 23 at-bats this season.

Much more so than on the position player side, this meter will look completely different the next time it is posted as a good chunk of the players in the table below are no longer on the roster because they were traded at the deadline. The Mets dealt starters Freddy Peralta and Clay Holmes (not listed because he never took the mound in a Mets uniform in the second half), as well as relievers Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley, Huascar Brazobán, and A.J. Minter. Moving forward, many young Mets pitchers will be given a chance to see if they can be part of the solution moving forward, but for now let’s see how these departing Mets finished their tenure in Queens.

Player	Last week	This week
Huascar Brazobán, RHP
Xzavion Curry, RHP
Daniel Duarte, RHP	—
Kevin Herget, RHP	—
Sean Manaea, LHP
Nolan McLean, RHP
A.J. Minter, LHP
Freddy Peralta, RHP
Cionel Pérez, LHP
Jonathan Pintaro, RHP	—
Brooks Raley, LHP
Christian Scott, RHP
Kodai Senga, RHP
Robert Stock, RHP	—
Zac Thonton, LHP
Luke Weaver, RHP
Devin Williams, RHP

Unfortunately, Freddy Peralta’s already unsuccessful Mets tenure ended on a sour note. He got knocked around by the Brewers on July 20 to the tune of seven earned runs in 5 1/3 innings of work, taking his ninth loss of the year. He struck out six and walked only two in the outing, but he gave up eight hits, including two home runs. His last start before the trade deadline was a little bit better—and the Mets won the game—but he only lasted four innings, so he was not able to factor into the decision. In that outing, he gave up three runs (only two of them earned) on six hits, striking out three batters and walking two. He was the Mets’ biggest offseason acquisition on the pitching side and unfortunately it didn’t work out how either he or the Mets would have wanted. He was dealt to the Tampa Bay Rays for a package of three prospects and the return is undoubtedly not as good as it would have been if he had pitched to his career norms; though if Peralta had pitched to his career norms, it’s possible the Mets would not have been in the position they are in today.

It was Cionel Pérez who earned the win in the series finale against the Dodgers that Peralta started with two scoreless innings of work and three strikeouts. Pérez’s second half was off to an excellent start, as he went five straight appearances without allowing a run out of the break. Unfortunately, he hit the injured list on Friday with a left forearm strain, which is never a good thing to hear about a pitcher.

At the same time as Pérez hit the IL, A.J. Minter became the first Mets reliever to be dealt. Minter had a mix of good and bad outings in the second half prior to the trade. He gave up a solo homer to Alec Bohm in the series finale against the Phillies, but the Mets had the game pretty well in hand at that point. He had a good outing in the series finale against the Brewers in a close game that the Mets ultimately lost, but then he gave up a crucial two-run homer to Kyle Tucker in the Dodgers series two days later. His final outing as a Met came in Game 2 of Wednesday’s doubleheader, in which he pitched a scoreless seventh inning to keep the Mets within a run.

In Pérez and Minter’s places, the Mets recalled Jonathan Pintaro and Xzavion Curry. Curry was the hero of Friday’s game, soaking up the final five innings of that game to save the rest of the pitching staff. He was sent back down to Triple-A after that, but he is already back in the aftermath of all of the other trades the Mets have made. In that outing, he gave up two runs on six hits, striking out two. He’s had two other outings in the second half so far—both multi-inning appearances. In Philadelphia right after the All-Star break, he twirled two scoreless frames in the only loss of that series. Then he pitched the final 2 2/3 innings in relief of Peralta in Milwaukee and gave up a home run to Joey Ortiz in an already lopsided game—charging one run to Peralta and one run to Curry. Pintaro’s only appearance since being recalled was a multi-inning one as well; he pitched two scoreless innings in Saturday’s loss to the Marlins. Kevin Herget, freshly recalled from Triple-A, pitched a scoreless inning in that game as well when he was called up to replace Curry on the roster.

Zac Thornton started Saturday’s game and struggled, taking the loss for giving up four runs—only three of them earned—in 4 2/3 innings of work. A guy who usually doesn’t walk many, he issued three free passes in the outing and struck out only two. It was Thornton’s first mediocre outing since his major league debut in Washington DC, ending a run of dominance that carried into the second half to start with. In the Mets’ only win of the Brewers series, Thornton pitched six scoreless innings in what ended as a shutout victory. He followed that up with another quality start and another win against the Braves, giving up three runs on six hits in 6 1/3 innings, striking out five and walking only one.

Saturday’s game also featured Daniel Duarte giving up his first two earned runs all season in his eighth appearance of the year. Prior to that outing, Duarte appeared in four games in the second half of July and was unscored upon across 6 1/3 total innings, striking out eight batters and walking only one across those four appearances. He remains on the active roster and will likely be a major contributor in the Mets’ bullpen over the final couple of months.

If there’s one reason to believe the future is bright, it’s that Nolan McLean has been great. He hasn’t given up more than two earned runs in any start in the month of July. He was excellent in his first start of the second half in the series finale in Philadelphia, in which he struck out a whopping ten Phillies in six scoreless innings of work, yielding just two hits and earning the victory. McLean took a tough luck loss in a close game against the Dodgers in his next start. He allowed four runs, but only two of them were earned. He struck out seven and walked two in six innings of work. He was good, but Yamamoto was just better. He did not factor into the decision in his most recent start against the Marlins in which the Mets broke through for two runs in the eighth to win the game. McLean gave up two runs on six hits in 6 1/3 innings of work, striking out six batters and walking two.

It was Brooks Raley who earned the win in that game, getting out of a jam for McLean in the seventh and then pitching a scoreless eighth as well. That was Raley’s penultimate appearance as a Met and he ends his Mets tenure with the second-highest ERA of any Mets pitcher with more than 100 appearances. Overall, in six appearances totaling six innings of work in the second half prior to the trade, Raley was scored upon in only one of those appearances, taking the loss for allowing the go-ahead run in the seventh inning in the series opener against the Dodgers. Otherwise, he went out on a high note.

Sean Manaea started that series opener against the Dodgers and pitched really well, limiting the damage to just one run on six hits in six innings of work. He struck out three and walked one in the outing, in which he ultimately took a no-decision. It was Manaea’s best result of his three starts so far in the second half. Manaea pitched the only game the Mets lost in Philadelphia in the first series out of the break, allowing four runs on seven hits, including two home runs in just 4 2/3 innings of work. He struck out seven and walked two. Kodai Senga helped Manaea navigate his way through the fifth, but then came back out for the sixth and allowed two additional runs to put the game far out of reach. Senga didn’t pitch again until he was forced into emergency starting duty on Friday when Freddy Peralta was scratched in anticipation of a trade. He was pretty good, giving up three runs on two hits in four innings of work, striking out four and walking two. Curry pitched the rest of the game and Senga took the loss, falling to a brutal 0-8 on the season. Manaea pitched Game 1 of Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Braves and held Atlanta to just two runs on five hits in six innings of work.

Devin Williams earned the save in that game and in the victory over the Marlins that McLean started. Williams went 3-for-3 in save opportunities in the second half of July and didn’t give up any runs in his five total appearances over that span. He was unscored upon in the second half until he pitched the ninth inning of Sunday’s game with the Mets down a run and gave up an insurance run to the Marlins in the form of a single, a stolen base, and another single.

That helped ensure a very tough luck loss for Robert Stock in his season debut with the Mets. Stock was battling for a roster spot out of spring training when he went down with thoracic outlet syndrome, requiring surgery. He finally returned on Sunday to a team with the roster spot to welcome him and he was fantastic, giving up just one run on three hits in five innings of work. He struck out four and walked none in the outing. Stock may very well just be part of the Mets’ rotation moving forward.

Sunday’s game marked the final appearance as a Met for multiple relievers, including Huascar Brazobán, who was traded just hours later. Brazobán led Mets relievers with seven appearances in the second half prior to the deadline. He was only scored upon in one of those appearances; he gave up what turned out to be a crucial insurance run to the Brewers in the rubber game loss. He gave up a two-out double and then made way for A.J. Minter, who allowed that run to score, charged to Brazobán.

Christian Scott started that game and took the loss, allowing four runs on three hits and lasting just 3 2/3 innings. He struck out an impressive six batters, but walked three. His other two starts in the second half thus far were much better. In the first game after the break, Scott shut out the Phillies for 5 2/3 innings, striking out seven batters and walking none. He allowed just three hits and earned the win. His clunker in Milwaukee pushed his season ERA above three briefly, but he snuck it down to 2.99 with six one-run innings against the Braves at Citi Field in Game 2 of Wednesday’s double header. One run was all the Braves would manage, but it was enough to hand Scott the loss, as the Mets were shut out by Chris Sale and the Braves bullpen. Scott struck out seven and walked only one in the outing.

Sunday’s game also represented Luke Weaver’s final game as a Met. Given that he is under contract for next year, Weaver was arguably the Mets’ most valuable trade chip and in his five appearances in the second half prior to the trade, he demonstrated why. He appeared in relief of Scott in the first game of the second half and allowed a run on a Trea Turner solo homer that was ultimately meaningless; Weaver still earned a hold anyway and Williams earned the save in the ninth. That was the only run Weaver gave up in five innings across his five appearances. He ends his Mets tenure with a spectacular 1.84 ERA—one of the lone bright spots in an otherwise miserable season.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are heavy -210 favorites in Tarik Skubal's team debut.

With Skubal at the top of his game and likely to get plenty of run support from an offense that's heating up, I'm backing the road team to win by margin.

Find out more in my Dodgers vs. Cubs predictions and MLB picks for Tuesday, Aug. 4.

Who will win Dodgers vs Cubs tonight: Dodgers -1.5 (-125)

Tarik Skubal is in peak form as he begins a new chapter with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He's posted a stingy 2.03 ERA and 2.41 xFIP, and punched out nearly 12 batters per nine innings over his last five starts. 

While the Chicago Cubs have hit lefties well over the past month, Skubal is almost untouchable when he’s pitching like this.

Javier Assad has almost no strikeout ability, and that will get him into trouble against a Dodgers squad leading the majors in wOBA and OPS vs. righties.

Play to -135.

COVERS INTEL:Skubal leads all of today's projected starters with a 34.2 K% over the last month.

Dodgers vs Cubs Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (+100)

Skubal limits runs effectively no matter the opponent. He's started six games against teams ranking Top-10 in OPS vs. left-handed pitching and managed a sparkling 1.95 ERA along the way.

His 0.93 HR/9 rate combined with elite control and a high strikeout percentage should help him navigate through a tough Cubs lineup without too much damage.

The Dodgers could score their fair share against Assad and a bullpen in middling form. Even so, it’ll be tough for this contest to go Over with the Cubs unlikely to contribute much against Skubal.

Bet to -110.

Dodgers vs Cubs weather

The forecast calls for temperatures in the low 80s with 7 mph winds blowing out. Boost to the bats.

Dodgers vs Cubs odds

• Moneyline: Dodgers -210 | Cubs +170
• Run line: Dodgers -1.5 (-125) | Cubs +1.5 (+105)
• Over/Under: Over 9 (+100) | Under 9 (-120)

Dodgers vs Cubs trend

Los Angeles owns a 53-60 O/U record this season. Find more MLB betting trends for Dodgers vs. Cubs.

How to watch Dodgers vs Cubs and game info

Dodgers vs Cubs latest injuries

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.

As if this no good, very bad week for the Nationals could not get any worse, now they are losing their best player. James Wood is headed to the IL with a minor oblique strain. For an offense that has already lost two high level hitters in trades, this injury makes things even worse.

This is obviously not great, but thankfully we seem to have avoided the worst case scenario here. It is only a mild oblique strain and the team is optimistic that Wood will be back after the minimum 10 days. That is a relief because more severe oblique strains can take months to heal.

Last season, Dylan Crews missed about 3 months with an oblique strain of his own. That will not be the case here for Wood. Blake Butera stressed that it was very minor, with the doctor having to look pretty hard to find a problem. However, it is still enough to put him on the IL. The Nats seem to be playing it safe here, and that is the smart move.

In his place, the Nats are calling up Andrew Pinckney, a 25 year old outfielder with an electric combination of power and speed. He has hit balls as hard as 119 mph in the minors this season. Not even James Wood has hit a ball that hard in the big leagues.

Pinckney’s poor hit tool limits his profile, but he is still a fun addition to the roster. I would love to see him run into one at least once in his big league stint. However, it is still a massive drop off from Wood.

Everything that can go wrong is going wrong for the Nats at the moment. It has been a real reversal of fortunes for a team that has had a lot go right for them. In fact, this is the first starting position player to go on the IL for the Nats all season.

That injury luck is part of the reason for this offensive success. Now with the injuries and trades, the Nats are fighting an uphill battle. Hopefully, the guys we have can hold down the fort until Wood is back.