Things shouldn’t have gone in the WooSox’s favor. They started 8-year MLB veteran in John Brebbia, who’s in the waning phases of his career. Their bullpen is thin; given the fatigue the Major League club is putting it through lately; they had to turn to Hobie Harris for three innings. The Bison shouldn’t have had that much trouble scoring runs, but they did, stranding ten. The WooSox also had just one hit with runners in scoring position, but Jason Delay’s grounder into left field was bar none the most important hit of the night, giving them the lead for good and boosting the WooSox’s winning percentage to over 80 percent. Franklin Arias also sported a sacrifice grounder that scored Delay in the WooSox’s other run on the night.
The Sea Dogs have now allowed 29 runs in the last two days to the Rumble Ponies (Mets AA). Overall, it was just a rough start for Jeremy Wu-Yelland, but I’m not sure if too many other pitchers would be able to stop this red-hot Binghamton lineup this week. Joe Vogatsky and Morgan McSweeney also fell victim to this onslaught. The Sea Dogs weren’t completely stagnant offensively, as Yoelin Cespedes is now up in Double-A and introduced himself with a home run, and Nelly Taylor left the yard, as well.
After starting this one in the third up 5-0 in Spartanburg (Astros High-A) the Drive were outscored 6-2, but they were saved by the bell as “Hub City” simply ran out of time. Jake Schaffner had a two hit day after going 2-for-2 Tuesday … er, I mean BEFORE THE DELAY WEDNESDAY. Silly rain postponement logic! Also busy at the plate was Marcelo Mayer acquisition piece Carlos Guiterriez. I think Craig Breslow may have won the trade simply by acquiring Erik Miller, so this outfielder is additionally one to watch.
Marcus Phillips did his job in this one, striking out six and allowing just three hits, and even went all but three innings. Let’s not discuss how the game was only seven innings, though… and let’s also not discuss how Isaiah Jackson, the return for Vaughn Grissom, technically hit one of his two home runs last night on Tuesday before the delay. The former Arizona Sun Devil (as pictured!) left the yard in two consecutive games nonetheless, and for the sixth time in five weeks. The Drive did enough to win the game, but still got walked off.
In the decisive win in Delmarva (Orioles A) Franklin Primera had another convincingly good day at the plate. The 19-year-old catcher is slugging .652 in the month of August, and added onto his impressive month with a four-hit night. Primera is known for his power and got a triple Wednesday. And, hey! Remember that ancient trade that sent Alex Verdugo to the Yankees and logged the Red Sox Richard Fitts (so technically Sonny Gray, if you want to be optimistic, or pedantic, unsure which) and Greg Weissert? The other piece of that is back from a lengthy elbow injury. Nicholas Judice got the decision win after Christian Foutch didn’t go five innings, but the 6’8” righty’s fastball touched 100 before his injury and he can go multiple innings. This lands him squarely in the “watch him too” category.
Thursday has arrived! It's a super small slate tonight, but there are still a ton of guys in great spots to boom.
Join me as I break down why I expect a big day at the dish from Wilyer Abreu against an old-timer and Kyle Schwarber in my three favorite MLB player props for Aug. 13.
Best MLB player props today
Player
Pick
Odds
Wilyer Abreu
Over 1.5 hits+runs+RBI
-114
Kyle Schwarber
Over 1.5 hits+runs+RBI
-118
Teoscar Hernandez
To record 1+ hit
-150
Wilyer Abreu Over 1.5 Hits+Runs+RBI (-114)
I am finding it very hard to pass up backing a guy who is not only slugging .824, but also owns a .500 ISO while generating a 64.5% hard-hit rate and 19.4% barrel rate over his last 10 games. That guy is Boston Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu, who enters with the fifth-highest matchup rating on Batters-Box and covers more than 80% of Toronto Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer’s pitch mix.
In Abreu’s last 30 at-bats vs. right-handed pitchers, he's batting .476 with a 1.238 SLG and 1.805 OPS while producing a 66.7% hard-hit rate and 23.8% barrel rate. He is so hot that the -114 price tag has me completely blind to the falling knife that is him eventually cooling off.
However, Scherzer has struggled against left-handed hitters this season, allowing them to own a .309 BA, .574 SLG, and .412 wOBA. On top of that, those left-handed hitters have generated a 32% hard-hit rate and 70.4% elevation rate. The last 30 he's faced have posted a .394 xBA, .673 xSLG, and .332 xwOBA.
This is a fantastic price for an elite-rated hitter to go over his HRR prop. I would take this down to -120 at the most, or pivot to his bases at around +120.
Time: 3:07 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Sportsnet, NESN
Kyle Schwarber Over 1.5 Hits+Runs+RBI (-118)
The guy we have all been waiting on to get back to destroying baseballs is Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber, and he has started heating back up. Over his last 10 games, he owns a .500 SLG and .235 ISO while generating a 47.6% hard-hit rate and 14.3% barrel rate.
On top of that, Schwarber owns the No. 1 matchup rating on Batters-Box tonight while covering more than 90% of Minnesota Twins right-hander Taj Bradley’s entire pitch mix. Over the last three seasons, the big fella has recorded at least a hit 61.13% of the time, hit a home run 26.5% of the time, and gone over this prop 52.3% in a sample size of 283 elite-rated games.
Bradley has done a great job reviving his career in Minnesota, but he has struggled against left-handed hitters. Overall, he has allowed a 45.2% hard-hit rate, 13.7% barrel rate, and 33% ground-ball rate.
This is a great spot for the slugger to show off at the "Field of Dreams" game. Take this prop down to -120, but if you can find his hit prop better than -150, take that instead.
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Netflix
Teoscar Hernadez to record 1+ hits (-150)
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez has an elite rating on Batters-Box and a great opportunity to do the bare minimum for us this evening. The veteran slugger draws Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Shane Drohan, against whom Hernandez covers nearly 75% of his pitch mix.
Over the last 60 right-handed hitters faced, Drohan owns a 7.43 ERA while allowing a 12.5% barrel rate and a 70% elevation rate. On the other side, Hernandez is batting .310 with a .552 SLG and .242 ISO over his last 30 plate appearances against southpaws.
In 115 elite-rated games over the last three seasons, Hernandez has recorded at least a hit nearly 67% of the time. At -150, this is a price worth paying the juice. If you are not in the juice-paying business, take his hits, runs, and RBI prop at +119.
Time: 10:10 p.m. ET
Where to watch: SNLA, BREW
Colby Marchio's 2026 Transparency Record
Prop picks: 392-760, -14.8 units
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
DUNEDIN, FL - MARCH 19: Randal Grichuk #15 of the Toronto Blue Jays poses for a photo during the Toronto Blue Jays Photo Day at TD Ballpark on Saturday, March 19, 2022 in Dunedin, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Today marks Randal Grichuk’s 35th birthday.
Across five seasons as a Blue Jay, Grichuk played 479 games and slashed .243/.289/.461, belting 90 home runs—good for 26th on the franchise’s all-time list. He was worth 4.2 bWAR during that time, providing solid offensive power and stretches of exciting play.
The Blue Jays acquired Grichuk from the Cardinals in May 2019, trading Conner Greene and Dominic Leone to St. Louis. Greene went on to appear in 24 major league games and is currently pitching in the Astros’ minor league system. Leone, now with the White Sox—his seventh team since leaving Toronto—continues to pitch in the majors.
Grichuk was a polarizing player in Toronto. He often started seasons strong, prompting optimism that he had adjusted his approach at the plate. However, after his hot streaks faded, he typically settled into a level of performance just below what was needed for a regular outfield role.
He played four seasons with the Jays. In 2022, he played 128 games, hitting .243/.289/.461 with 90 home runs before departing as a free agent at season’s end.
Grichuk was later traded to the Rockies for Adrian Pinto and Raimel Tapia. Tapia hit .265/.292/.380 in 128 games for Toronto before leaving as a free agent. Since then, he’s played for the Red Sox, Brewers and Rays. He’s playing in Mexico now.
Pinto is currently playing for the Fisher Cats, hes’s hitting .243/.345/.427 with 2 home runs in 29 games. He’s only 23, so he still has time to make it to the majors.
Since leaving the Blue Jays after the 2020 season, Grichuk has played for the Rockies, Angels, Diamondbacks, Royals, Yankees and now the White Sox. He’s having a very nice career.
For some reason I often confuse him with Kevin Pillar.
Happy birthday, Randal.
Today is Corey Patterson’s 47th birthday. I have a hard time believing he’s that old.
Patterson played 89 games for the Blue Jays in 2011, hitting .252/.287/.379 with six home runs and 13 stolen bases (caught eight times).
He played the outfield in a style reminiscent of Gurriel, though without the benefit of a strong arm.
At the plate, Patterson was known for chasing high pitches, and when he managed to connect, it was always entertaining—perhaps encouraging him to keep trying.
He had a costly habit of attempting to steal third base, going 0-for-3 in those attempts despite a solid success rate when stealing second.
Patterson was traded to the Cardinals as part of the Colby Rasmus deal at the 2011 deadline. He hit .157/.189/.235 in 44 games for St. Louis, marking the end of his MLB career.
In total, Patterson played 11 MLB seasons across seven teams, compiling a .252/.290/.400 line with 34 home runs and 218 stolen bases. His best season came in 2006 with the Orioles, when he hit .276/.314/.443 and stole 45 bases.
Patterson profiled as a capable fourth outfielder: a left-handed hitter with some power and speed, able to handle all three outfield positions. By the time he joined Toronto, however, he had lost some speed, which had previously helped compensate for his unconventional routes to fly balls.
Patterson did, however, make a memorable catch for Toronto:
Today is Taijuan Walker’s 34th birthday.
Walker joined the Blue Jays in 2020 via a trade with the Mariners for Alberto Rodriguez, who is now in the Royals system.
Walker made six starts for Toronto, helping the team secure a Wild Card berth that season.
He posted a 2-1 record with a 1.37 ERA in 26.1 innings.
Following that season, Walker signed with the Mets as a free agent and spent two years in New York. He was with the Phillies for four seasons, posting a 5.12 ERA in 89 games, 67 starts. They released him this seasons. He was signed by the Angels (twice) and released (twice) but never played with them.
Over 14 MLB seasons, Walker has compiled a 78-75 record with a 4.27 ERA in 256 games.
Happy birthday, Taijuan.
It is also Mason Fluharty’s 25th Birthday
At 25 he’s pitched in 118 games (and, at the moment leads the league in appearances this season at 63). He has a 4.20 career ERA. In his two seasons, he’s held lefties to a .536 OPS (right-handers .769).
Chase Lee turns 28 today
Chase has pitched in 6 Jays games this year. Last year he pitched in 32 games for the Tigers.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 12: Daniel Lynch IV #41 of the Kansas City Royals reacts after a pitching change by manager Matt Quatraro #33 during the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on August 12, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Royals spent the first half of the season trying to figure out how to win in 2026. With the team far back in the standings and the season effectively lost, the final two months should be about figuring out how to win in 2027.
The team still has nearly 40 games left to play, and they aren’t totally meaningless. These games will help the Royals determine what course of action they need to take to truly compete in 2027. They are an extended audition for young players, an opportunity to answer questions about this roster, and a chance to identify which problems can be fixed internally and which will require outside help.
So what should the Royals be evaluating over the final two months?
Cobbling together a bullpen
Royals relievers have a 5.31 ERA, second-worst in baseball, giving them perhaps the worst bullpen in club history. This comes despite the front office spending a lot of resources on the pen, both in salary and in trade assets. Owner John Sherman said this week he thinks the team can “cobble” together a bullpen without spending too much money. This will mean identifying and developing pitchers who could improve their performance with a move to the bullpen or through tweaking their arsenal.
The Royals have already begun implementing this plan, perhaps in desperation, by acquiring any cheaply available arm they can find. Pitchers like Connor Seabold, Jose Cuas, Easton McGee, Nate Pearson have already gotten opportunities in the bullpen, and you could see recently acquired pitchers like Carlos Duran and Luke Little called up soon.
More puzzling however, is the decision to bring in 38-year-old Craig Kimbrel. Desperate times call for desperate measures, but there are pitchers under the age of 35 available all the time – Cody Lawyerson, Matt Sauer, Konnor Pilkington, Elieser Hernández, and Ron Marinaccio are just some of the pitchers let go in the last week.
The point isn’t that any of these pitchers would necessarily be a good addition. It’s that the Royals should be constantly searching for talent, rather than assuming the only way to improve the bullpen is to add established veterans. Cade Smith, Brent Headrick, Juan Morillo, Paul Blackburn, and Michael Petersen have all been among the best relievers in baseball this year, and all were picked up by their teams after someone else let them go. The Royals need to go shopping in the bargain bin to see if they can find a hidden gem.
Can young players help out?
The Royals are playing games that aren’t meaningful in terms of winning a pennant, but could be very valuable to evaluate talent. The farm system may not be top-ranked and what talent they do have is mostly in the low minors, but baseball is full of non-prospects – guys like former Royals All-Star Whit Merrifield – exceeding expectations when given playing time.
And yet, the Royals are squandering some of their available playing time to a player who is not part of the future. The hitting equivalent of Craig Kimbrel is 37-year old outfielder Starling Marte, who is batting just .247/.303/.320 with poor defense. Why give him playing time when you could evaluate 25-year-old Matthew Lugo, who was picked up off waivers and is hitting .263/.320/.532 with 11 home runs in 48 games for Omaha? Why not see if the hot streak by former first-round pick Gavin Cross is for real before you have to make a decision on whether or not to protect him from the Rule 5 draft? Why not call up Carson Roccaforte, whose 29 home runs are more than all but eight players in all of the minors? The Royals need to find out if any of these players might be useful pieces before they spend money or trade prospects to fill those same roster spots.
Are there redundancies on the roster?
Putting together a roster means putting pieces that will fit on a baseball diamond. Having several players who can do roughly the same thing isn’t necessarily a bad problem to have, but the Royals need to figure out whether some of their players are competing for the same roster spot rather than filling different needs.
The final two months should give them a chance to sort through some of those redundancies. Is Jac Caglianone the better option at first base, or should they stick with Vinnie Pasquantino with Cags in right? At second, is Michael Massey the guy going forward, or does Nick Loftin deserve more of a look? Is Kyle Isbel entrenched as a starter or is Tyler Tolbert an option for centerfield?
Players like Massey and Isbel are at pivotal points in their career where their salaries will begin to be more expensive, so they will need to do more to justify their spot on the roster. Even Pasquantino, who is under contract for next year, could become a trade piece if the Royals want to turn to Caglianone at first. One goal for the final two months should be to figure out which combination of players makes the most sense together.
Who is the leadoff hitter in 2027?
Royals leadoff hitters have a .305 on-base percentage, fourth-worst in baseball. Maikel Garcia opened the season in the leadoff spot, but when he slumped, the Royals turned to Carter Jensen, who has a .299 on-base percentage. The table-setter has been a problem for the Royals the last few years, and it doesn’t appear they have found the answer. They spend considerable resources to bring in Jonathan India, only to see it blow up in their face. Before they go out and seek another external option, they need to exhaust their in-house possibilities.
The last stretch of games could be an opportunity to see if someone like Isaac Collins – whose .332 on-base percentage is second on the team only to Bobby Witt Jr. – can handle leadoff duties. And if not, it could signal that the team needs to look outside the organization to find a better option.
Can the Royals rebuild their starting pitching depth?
The team came into this season thinking their starting pitching depth was a strength. By mid-season, injuries had depleted their pitching staff. Now, Kris Bubic is with the Dodgers, Cole Ragans is likely out at least the first half of next season, and Luinder Avila, Ryan Bergert, and Stephen Kolek are all likely to miss most of next season.
The team held onto Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo, for better or for worse, and they will anchor next year’s rotation. Noah Cameron has turned his season around after calling his own pitches. But the Royals will have to figure out not just how to fill the final two spots in next year’s rotation, but finding another 4-5 pitchers that can serve as depth when pitchers inevitably get hurt.
Randy Dobnak has gotten off to a sensational start with the Royals with a 2.00 ERA in his first seven games. The Royals will get an extended look at him to see if his low strikeout rate (12.4%) and high xERA (4.79) mean he’s doing it with smoke and mirrors, or if he is able to exceed expectations.
The Royals are also making the right call to see if Daniel Lynch IV can transition back to being a starting pitcher after a successful run the last two years in the bullpen. The 29-year-old lefty is posting a career-high 49 percent groundball rate, and he has made some notable adjustments this year that may give him better success than when he was a starter to begin his career.
The team should also be on the lookout for more available young starting pitchers. Newly acquired Lucas Braun could get some starts down the stretch, and if there other opportunities to pick up arms as depth, the Royals need to seize upon them.
The Royals have a lot of questions to answer before they can figure out how to fix this roster. The final two months won’t provide all the answers, but they should give the front office enough information to know which problems it can solve from within and where it needs to go shopping this winter.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - AUGUST 10: Alec Burleson #41 of the St. Louis Cardinals turns a double play after tagging out Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies in the first inning at Busch Stadium on August 10, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After losing two of three in St. Louis, the Phillies are on the outside looking in at the postseason for the first day since June 4th. They’re on a 85-win pace currently. The Fangraphs Playoffs Odds are slightly more bullish on Philadelphia at 86.1 wins. Right now, the odds give them a 68.7% chance at fun games in October.
I guess 68.7 percent seems about right. They recovered from their April swoon to take the second wild card spot in June and have been there for nine weeks. Cooked would be over the top. So would singed be better? They’re right above the drop currently. On our masthead chat, we had a conversation about what is tilting these playoff odds numbers toward the Phillies. The main driver seems to be that the roster as constructed looked much better in April. But currently, they’re 27th in position player WAR despite being 2nd in pitching WAR. We assumed the Phillies would pitch well. The hitting has been disappointing for them.
The Braves might be able to keep them out. The pair have seven dates in September. Winning five of those would put enormous pressure on the Phillies. But the bigger news is that the Padres are surging. They have won five in a row and seven of their last ten. They were active at the trade deadline, grabbing Casey Mize, Robbie Ray (lol we don’t need divisions anymore) and also grabbed old friend Hunter Stratton for Triple-A depth. Mize was great in his second start after a very shaky first one. Robbie Ray has been, well, Robbie Ray which ain’t nothing. But the Padres are 7th in position player WAR and wRC+ this month and 11th in pitching WAR this month. So they’re gonna keep pushing. Meanwhile Arizona is 6th in position player WAR and 10th in pitching WAR this month as well.
Outside of a 2014-Braves-season-style collapse, it’s difficult to see the Braves blowing this. They certainly could, but a 3.7% chance of that seems about right. But at 9.5 games up, it’s getting late early. I’m not giggling, you’re giggling. OK, we’re both giggling, but you started it. So are the Phillies in the process of being cooked? I don’t know, but they have 40 games to figure it out.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 08: Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees reacts during the game against the Atlanta Braves at Yankee Stadium on August 08, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There have been many legendary pitchers to don the pinstripes. From Mariano Rivera to Whitey Ford, Andy Pettitte to Ron Guidry, the franchise history is rich with Hall of Famers, Cy Young winners, and record holders. Gerrit Cole can certainly count himself among their ranks, and tallied a special milestone last Saturday against the Braves. He became the fastest player to tally 1,000 strikeouts in pinstripes, achieving the mark in 139 games and 837.2 innings to surpass CC Sabathia (162 games) and Roger Clemens (1,087.1 innings). Of course, that 1,000th strikeout had to be showcased on Sequence of the Week, but that wasn’t the only sequence worthy of mention from that game.
We join Cole with in the top of the fifth. He cruised through the first four innings unscathed but hit a brick wall to open the fifth, giving up a pair of doubles followed by a pair of singles to start the frame. Just like that, the Yankees’ 1-0 lead had turned into a 2-1 deficit, and given the impotence of the Yankees offense over the previous week-plus, it became essential that Cole stop the bleeding there. That was no easy task with the top of the Braves order coming to bat for the third time and even less so with runners on first and second with no outs.
There’s no messing about here, Cole going right at Drake Baldwin with a first pitch four-seamer at 97 mph.
This is what’s called in the industry an “F* you” fastball, Cole hoofing a heater right down Broadway and daring the batter to catch up with it. In all seriousness, you’d like to be a little more precise against a hitter as capable as Baldwin, and Cole’s a bit fortunate that Baldwin take a pitch right down the middle for strike one.
Given that Baldwin just took that center-cut pitch for a called strike, you have to figure that he is hunting something breaking or off-speed. Therefore, there’s an opportunity to steal another called strike with an inside fastball.
Cole does just that, executing this four-seamer perfectly to the inside edge of the zone. The pitch starts in off the plate before tailing back for a front door called strike, Baldwin once again leaving the bat on his shoulder.
It’s clear at this point that Baldwin is hunting something soft out over the plate. As a pitcher, once you identify what the hitter is looking for, you can beat him by either throwing to that spot and letting the stuff beat the hitter or making a pitch look like it’s heading for that area before movement moves it elsewhere to fool the hitter. Cole goes with the former approach attempting to gas a heater by Baldwin.
He almost throws this 98 mph four-seamer past Baldwin, who is just barely able to fight it off foul the other way with a super late emergency hack.
After three straight heaters, perhaps Cole feels that Baldwin will switch to sitting dead red, because he climbs the ladder with another four-seamer hoping that the hitter will get himself out by chasing up out of the zone.
Baldwin almost offers at this high heater as Cole again nails his spot, but is able to halt his swing in time for ball one.
Despite not getting the chase, that fastball was the perfect setup pitch. It reset Baldwin’s eye level for an elevated heater, which primes the situation for a back foot slider.
Cole isn’t quite able to bury this slider down and in and catches more of the zone than I reckon he was intending. He gets a bit lucky that Baldwin swings underneath it — unusual for a low slider — almost as if the hitter is ready for the slider and swings in the spot he’s anticipating a nastier pitch to brake, only for this one to essentially cement mix above his bat. You can see the look of bemusement from Baldwin after the whiff — he feels he did everything right with that swing but got beat by what ended up being a not-so-great backup slider from Cole.
Here’s the full sequence:
After a line out by Ronald Acuña Jr., the Braves are still threatening with their most dangerous hitter Matt Olson stepping to the plate with two outs. He’s the NL leader in home runs with 33 at that point, so despite a strikeout looking and fly out to that point in the game, Cole still has to be at his sharpest to escape the frame without further damage.
Cole starts things off here with a knuckle curve that nips the top of the zone for called strike one.
You don’t always want to leave your curveball elevated in a spot like this, but I think this was a totally intentional decision from Cole. He had thrown first pitch heaters to Olson in the first two at-bats, setting up this AB to steal the first pitch called strike by landing the knuckle curve on the top shelf of the zone. Indeed, you can see the way Olson is frozen by the pitch having given up on it early as it looks like a high fastball out of the hand.
Earning a first pitch called strike with the breaking ball opens a variety of options for Cole. He can try to bury another knuckle curve below the zone looking for a chase or attack the top of the zone with the heater, the elevated aiming point fooling the hitter into diagnosing another breaker and thus resulting in a late swing.
Cole chooses the latter approach, but Olson is right on time against this 97 mph four-seamer. Rather than the velocity, it’s the location that beats Olson, who fouls the high heater straight back to the backstop.
With Olson’s timing matched to the heater, you might expect Cole to throw something off-speed here to get Olson whiffing out in front.
Instead, he opts for precision over deception, dotting this 99 mph four-seamer right on the corner low and away. It’s a perfect pitch in a hard to barrel location, aided by Olson hunting a secondary pitch. He can only leave the bat on his shoulder as he watches the home plate ump punch him out for the 1,000th strikeout of Cole’s Yankees career. It’s fitting in a lot of ways that Cole achieve the feat on this pitch — a fiery fastball against a feared slugger to neutralize a threat and keep his team in a position to win the game.
Here’s the full sequence:
Despite some stumbles in his first handful of starts, Cole has been everything you could have asked for from a 35-year-old starter making just his 14th start since the end of the 2024 season after a long and arduous road back from Tommy John surgery. He has pitched to a 3.35 ERA and 3.37 FIP with 87 strikeouts in 80.2 innings, his fastball impressively sitting a tick above its average velocity in 2024. He’s going about things a little bit differently, leaning heavily on the four-seamer to post the highest called strike rate but also lowest swinging strike rate since his days in Pittsburgh. But that is the kind of evolution I expect from a pitching professor of Cole’s ilk, understanding that because his slider command isn’t all the way back, he can still record those outs with improved precision with the fastball instead. His ability to execute to the corners and edges of the zone seems to be getting better with age, which along with the intact velocity is a reminder that Cole is still absolutely capable of ace-caliber performance on any given day.
DYERSVILLE, IA - AUGUST 12: A general view of the Welcome to MLB at Field of Dreams sign during the media batting practice at Field of Dreams movie site on Wednesday, August 12, 2026 in Dyersville, Iowa. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
After a four-year hiatus, MLB returns to “baseball heaven,” and they’re bringing the Phillies with them.
For the first time since 2022, a Major League baseball game will be played at the site where the hit 1988 movie “Field of Dreams” was filmed, Dyersville, Illinois.
This will be the third iteration of the Field of Dreams game. The first, in 2021, featured a dramatic walk-off win by the Chicago White Sox over the New York Yankees, 9-8.
The following season, the Chicago Cubs edged the Cincinnati Reds, 4-2. That year, Ken Griffey Jr. and his father, Ken Griffey Sr., re-enacted the iconic scene at the end of the movie in which Kevin Costner’s character ***SPOILER ALERT RIGHT HERE*** played catch with the ghost of his deceased father.
When Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. walked out of the cornfields together to have a catch at the MLB Field of Dreams Game… pic.twitter.com/2eg1craSNB
The Phils have been featured prominently in some of the sport’s biggest tentpole events of late, including the London Series against the Mets in 2024 and, of course, this year’s All Star Game festivities at Citizens Bank Park. Tonight’s game in Iowa is yet another, although it will test an exhausted team coming off a brutal series in miserably hot and humid St. Louis where the Phillies lost two of three and fell out of the NL’s third wild card spot.
Perhaps a little corn field magic is what the Phillies need right now.
The game returns after the owners of the land and facilities spent millions of dollars revamping the setup to accommodate staging a Major League Baseball game. Previously, pop-up stadiums had to be created on the fly, an unsustainable situation if the league planned to return on a yearly basis. Now, a complex of multiple stadiums has been created, while also maintaining the original field that made the location famous.
Tonight’s game will have a much different feel to it than normal. The current, more intimate setup, holds a maximum of 8,000 spectators. And there will be one additional quirk. The stadium is not set up to facilitate the new ABS challenge system, meaning teams will not be able to challenge balls and strikes, which is fine when you consider J.T. Realmuto is among the most infrequent challengers in the Majors and baseball has been played this way for about 150 years prior to this season.
The Phillies and Twins will emerge from the cornfields tonight wearing throwback uniforms from 1938.
The uniforms the Phillies will wear for the Field of Dreams Game on August 13 pic.twitter.com/vnnEie0izZ
First pitch is slated for 7:30pm ET and will be broadcast exclusively on Netflix, although there is a chance the game could be impacted by rain. The forecast calls for potential thunderstorms in the area this evening. MLB announced if the game is rained out, it will be played the following evening, on Friday night.
The Phils are scheduled to leave Iowa for the final two games of their series with the Twins in Minneapolis this weekend, but inclement weather could throw those plans into a tizzy.
The worst case scenario would be starting a game and burning pitchers only for it to be postponed and played the following evening, robbing the Phils of a much-needed day off and further stretching an already depleted bullpen.
Still, even in the rain, tonight’s Field of Dreams game should provide some breathtaking views and pangs of nostalgia for Phils fans watching.
On the latest Hittin’ Season podcast, I talked a bit about the Field of Dreams game as well as the Phillies’ miserable week in St. Louis, Bryce Harper’s knee, Zack Wheeler concerns and much more!
Max Scherzer gets the nod today, and I'm riding with him in my Red Sox vs. Blue Jays predictions.
The Toronto Blue Jays have narrowed the gap to just 1.5 games for the final Wild Card spot and are coming into this one as +135 underdogs against the Boston Red Sox at BET99. It's time to ride the wave and back the Blue Jays to finish the four-game sweep at the Rogers Centre.
Let’s dive into my MLB picks for Thursday, Aug. 13, and cash a same-game parlay, shall we?
Red Sox vs Blue Jays predictions
Red Sox vs Blue Jays best bet: Blue Jays +1.5 (-130)
Max Scherzer has a history of showing up in big games (look no further than last year's Game 7 of the World Series), and has actually been pretty serviceable for the Toronto Blue Jays of late after struggling out of the gate.
The veteran has allowed just three earned runs across his last 11 1/3 innings, and the stage might be the brightest of the season tonight as Toronto looks to sweep Boston and continue its ascent in the Wild Card standings.
He's looked good in this specific matchup, too, limiting Willson Contreras, Adley Rutschman, and Jaren Duran to a .165 xBA or worse across 25 combined at-bats. The Jays have won 10 of their last 14 games, and the offense has scored five or more runs in five of their last six. Sign me up.
I'd price this closer to -145, so I'm taking this type of value and running with it.
COVERS INTEL: Looking for damage against the Red Sox? Andres Gimenez has had Payton Tolle's number so far in the pitcher's young career. The shortstop is 3-for-4 with a double and a homer against him, sporting a .458 xBA and 1.070 xSLG. He could be your unsung hero tonight.
Red Sox vs Blue Jays same-game parlay (SGP)
The Blue Jays will make this one close, and Scherzer has a good history against these Red Sox, limiting them to a .268 xwOBA across 45 plate appearances — that'll play.
George Springer gets the tap on the shoulder offensively: his splits are slightly better against lefties, he's cashed this play in two straight games he's started in, and he's rocking an .820 OPS following the All-Star break. After a day off last night, let's see him locked in today.
Red Sox vs Blue Jays SGP
Blue Jays +1.5
Max Scherzer Under 2.5 earned runs
George Springer Over 1.5 hits+runs+RBI
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Red Sox vs Blue Jays home run pick: Andres Gimenez (+1100)
Why not take a shot at this price? As mentioned above, Gimenez has Tolle's number so far and could absolutely be the hero the Blue Jays need tonight. He has a higher OPS at home and post-All-Star break, and owns the team's highest xSLG in this specific matchup. Fire up a long-shot home run pick at no more than .2u, and let's see the defense-first shortstop hit his ninth homer of the year.
Dustin Saracini's 2026 Transparency Record
Best bets:2-1, +1.95 units
SGPs: 0-3, -0.6 units
HR picks: 0-3, -0.6 units
Red Sox vs Blue Jays odds
Moneyline: Boston (-155) | Toronto (+135)
Run line: Boston -1.5 (+110) | Toronto +1.5 (-130)
Over/Under: Over 8 (-110) | Under 8 (-110)
Red Sox vs Blue Jays trend
Looking for a total play? The Under is 6-0 in the Blue Jays' last six games during Game 4 of a series. With this pitching matchup, it might not hurt to buy up the defense. Find more MLB betting trends for Red Sox vs. Blue Jays.
How to watch Red Sox vs Blue Jays and game info
Location
Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON
Date
Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026
First pitch
3:07 p.m. ET
TV
NESN, SN
Red Sox starting pitcher
Payton Tolle (7-6, 3.20 ERA)
Blue Jays starting pitcher
Max Scherzer (1-4, 7.25 ERA)
Red Sox vs Blue Jays latest injuries
Red Sox vs Blue Jays weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
LOS ANGELES — Freddie Freeman apparently avoided serious injury when the Los Angeles Dodgers’ first baseman took a frightening tumble down the stairs and into the visitors’ dugout while trying to catch a foul popup in the eighth inning.
Freeman isn’t sure whether he’ll play when the Dodgers begin an important four-game series with the MLB-leading Milwaukee Brewers, but he’s grateful his freefall to the dugout floor wasn’t worse.
“I didn’t hit my head, so that was the key part there,” Freeman said. “I am sore. Kneecaps are sore. Shoulder is sore. Hand sore. Wrist sore. I mean, I fell. (But) I’m in good spirits.”
Freeman stayed in the game and finished the top of the eighth, but Tommy Edman pinch hit for him in the bottom of the inning before Los Angeles closed out a 4-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals, its fourth in five games.
The right side of Freeman’s body took the punishment, but the 2024 World Series MVP apparently didn’t break any bones. He’ll wait to see how he feels in the morning before he decides whether to play when the back-to-back World Series champion Dodgers welcome Milwaukee in a rematch of last year’s National League Championship Series.
Freeman said he simply miscalculated the location of the dugout railing while he tracked Isaac Collins’ foul pop.
“I went to lean, like I was going to lean against the rail to catch the ball — and obviously there was no rail,” Freeman said with a smile.
Freeman, who turns 37 in one month, said he was fortunate to fall all the way into the dugout, missing the top flight of stairs entirely. That’s because when he landed, his head stuck out into the open space above the second flight of stairs that goes down into the visitors’ clubhouse instead of banging on the ground.
“Luckily, I was tall, so I missed everything else,” the 6-foot-4 Freeman cracked.
This wasn’t Freeman’s first fielding misadventure: He said he fell into the seats in Arizona roughly a decade ago while he was with the Atlanta Braves.
The Orange County native and childhood Angels fan also said he still remembers the infamous 1999 opening-day dugout fall by Mo Vaughn, who got hurt on the first play of his first game with the Halos.
The Royals rushed to Freeman’s side after the fall, urging him to stay on the ground. Freeman decided to get up anyway, and the Dodgers’ training staff rushed across the field to check on him.
“I think that we really dodged a bullet,” Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. “Very scary visually. For right now, he’s in good spirits, which I think is a good sign. Just kind of total body soreness.”
Philadelphia (64-58) and Minnesota (60-62) meet each other for the first time this season when the two gather for The Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa. The game is being threatened by rain, but shapes up for an interesting matchup to kick off a three-game series.
The Phillies have dropped two consecutive games to the Cardinals as Philadelphia only scored one combined run. Philadelphia is hitting .210 in the last six games (23rd) with 23 runs scored (T-15th). The Phillies have four homers in that span (T-25th), but is top five in stolen bases (7). The Phillies are tied with the Diamondbacks for the final NL Wild Card spot after the Padres passed both teams.
Minnesota is hot offensively over the past week. The Twins are hitting .282 (5th) in the last six games with the third-most runs (32), plus top 10 ranks in OBP, OPS, and SLG. However, in August, Minnesota's pitching ranks 20th in ERA (4.53), 24th in WHIP (1.43) and OBA (.258). Minnesota has allowed at least four runs in six-straight games entering this matchup.
Let’s dive into tonight’s 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 the 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 Phillies at Twins
Date: Thursday, August 13, 2026
Time: 7:30 PM EST
Site: Field of Dreams
City: Dyersville, Iowa
Network/Streaming: Netflix
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 Phillies at the Twins
The latest odds as of Thursday:
Moneyline: Philadelphia Phillies (-103), Minnesota Twins (-104)
Spread: Phillies -1.5 (+151), Twins +1.5 (-184)
Total: 8.5
Probable starting pitchers for Phillies at Twins
Thursday's pitching matchup (August 13): Aaron Nola vs Taj Bradley
Josh Bell is hitting .375 in August (15/40) with three home runs
Brooks Lee is hitting .282 in August (11/39)
Royce Lewis is hitting .413 in August (19/46) with nine RBI
Kyle Schwarber is hitting .225 in August (9/40) with two home runs
Bryce Harper is hitting .270 in August (10/37) with three home runs
Trae Turner is hitting .239 in August (11/46) with four RBI
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!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Phillies at Twins
Philadelphia is 47-75 ATS, ranking second-worst
Minnesota is 66-56 ATS, ranking seventh-best
Philadelphia is 61-53-8 to the Under, ranking eighth-best
Minnesota is 64-50-8 to the Over, ranking fourth-best
Philadelphia is 23-37 ATS on the road, ranking second-worst
Minnesota is 31-29 ATS at home
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Phillies and the Twins
Rotoworld Bet 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 Thursday's game between the Phillies and the Twins:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Phillies on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Phillies at -1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Over on the Game Total of 8.5
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
WASHINGTON — Alex Bregman wasn’t worried even as he grinded through an unremarkable first half in his opening months with the Chicago Cubs. He validated that attitude.
Bregman hit three homers in a game or the first time in Chicago’s 12-6 rout of the Washington Nationals, continuing a torrid stretch in recent weeks.
The 32-year-old, who signed a five-year, $175 million deal in January, is hitting .388 (26 for 67) with six homers and 17 RBIs in 16 games since July 27, and he has the most hits in the majors in that span. He’s homered four times in the first two games of the series at Washington, and six of his 16 homers this season have come against the Nationals.
“Feel like the last month or so has been a step in the right direction, but really the last two days have been a real step in the right direction,” said Bregman, whose seven RBIs were also a career high.
The Cubs only scored in three innings, but Bregman was a significant part of each rally.
After walking in his first two plate appearances, Bregman lofted a sweeper from Jake Bird into the visitors’ bullpen in left for a three-run blast to cap a four-run fifth.
In his next trip, he pulled a two-run shot to left off Yovanny Cruz as the final blow in a five-run sixth that made it 9-4.
In the eighth, Bregman homered in his third consecutive at-bat, sending a fastball from Trevor Williams into the Cubs bullpen to drive in Seiya Suzuki.
“We watched it in spring, with what he’s capable of doing, and you’ve seen it his whole career,” said shortstop Dansby Swanson, who also homered in the eighth. “He’s a special player when he’s going right.”
It was Bregman’s ninth career multi-homer game and his second against Washington this season. He also is the second Cub to hit three homers in a game, joining Swanson’s effort against San Diego on July 1.
Bregman has nine homers in 26 games since July 11 after hitting seven in his first 92 games as a Cub.
“I think that’s why this is a good team,” manager Craig Counsell said. “We have a different guy who can do that any day, maybe. Dansby’s done it. Pete (Crow-Armstrong)’s certainly done it. Ian (Happ)’s done it. Seiya’s done it. It’s pretty cool and that’s a great game. He definitely drove the bus today.”
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 11: Alex Bregman #3 of the Chicago Cubs rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the sixth inning during the game between the Chicago Cubs and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Tuesday, August 11, 2026 in Washington, District of Columbia. (Photo by Alyssa McDaniel/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
After Alex Bregman’s three home run game, I thought about how many veteran players have given the Nats issues this year. Obviously the likes of Bryce Harper, Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto have had big moments, but they are some of the best players in the league. I am going to take a look at three guys having otherwise mediocre seasons who have owned the Nats.
The first player we will talk about is the aforementioned Bregman. Despite being a star for most of his career, Bregman really has not put up superstar numbers in his first season in Chicago. He is hitting .256 with 16 homers and a .759 OPS. This is not bad, but pretty underwhelming for a guy like Bregman.
These numbers would be even more unimpressive if he did not play the Nats. Six of Bregman’s 16 homers have come against Washington. Last night he put the Cubs on his back, hitting three homers in a game for the first time in his career.
Alex Bregman Explodes for 3 Home Runs and 7 RBIs Against Washington 💣🔥
It has always felt like Bregman does well whenever he plays the Nats, especially in DC. He is one of those players I feel like Ted Lerner would have gone after if he were still owning the Nats. Bregman would have been a great veteran in this clubhouse and a good mentor for players such as Wood and Abrams. However, he is now in Chicago and owns the Nats whenever he plays us.
Bregman is far from the only player 30 or older to own the Nats this year though. Perhaps the most obvious example of this is Derek Hill, who has broken our hearts multiple times this year. Hill was a Nat at one point, but made zero impact on the team.
Honestly, I thought Hill would be out of baseball by now. Thanks to his speed, defense and improving offensive ability, the center fielder has stuck around. For the season, he is hitting .233 with a .708 OPS, 9 homers and has 0.8 WAR. That is a nice season for a journeyman like him.
However, a lot of that production has come against the Nats. He is hitting .368 against us in 19 at bats, and honestly that is lower than I thought. The 30 year old has 3 homers against the Nats, with two of them being complete backbreakers.
Back in June, he took Brad Lord deep in the 9th inning of a wild game that the Phillies ended up winning. It was just a total gut punch to get beat by Hill of all people. When the two teams squared off again in August, Hill hit a go-ahead grand slam off of Tom Cosgrove to extend the Nats misery.
When the Nats get beat by the likes of Bryce Harper or Kyle Schwarber, it is easy to shrug it off because those guys are elite players. This year it has been Derek Hill who has been killing this team. It is both very annoying and shows the struggles of the Nats pitching staff.
There have honestly been plenty of instances where the Nats do a solid job shutting down the best player on teams, but let other guys destroy them. That happened against Yordan Alvarez when we played Houston. It also is happening this week against the Cubs. Outside of one homer, PCA has been fairly quiet, but Bregman and Seiya Suzuki are feasting.
The last player on the list is also a veteran who is not his team’s best hitter. Like Bregman, Matt Chapman is having an underwhelming season by his standards. He was only hitting .235 with 7 homers and a .692 OPS before going down with season ending surgery.
However, he went 14 for 26 with 2 homers and 8 RBI against the Nats. The 33 year old was just hitting rockets all over the field whenever he played against the Nats. He played a big role in that horrible Nats meltdown, hitting two homers in that game to get the Giants back in it. Chapman also had the game winning hit in a 12 inning game. Despite the rough season, he has been a thorn in the Nats side.
It feels like players like Chapman and Bregman are the ones who really have owned the Nats this year. Simon Mathews and Sean Doolittle have come up with solid game plans for the stars, but the lack of pitching talent really shows up against these guys. You cannot spend as much time preparing for the sidekicks, and those guys have punished the Nats.
Throughout this season, experienced teams and players have had the Nats number. Alex Bregman, Derek Hill and Matt Chapman are just three examples of that. Hopefully the Nats learn from this season and continue to improve, especially on the mound. However, there will always be guys who are Nats killers, and these are a few of them.
On this day 42 years ago, the White Sox shipped away a future Cy Young winner for 47 games of Roy Smalley. | (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
1906 The White Sox ended their first and greatest homestand with a 0-0 tie against New York. While the Highlanders were held to three singles by Doc White, the White Sox somehow failed to score in spite of six hits and three New York errors. The homestand ended a record 15-1-1. (Two subsequent White Sox homestands finished 15-1.)
This game was also the only blemish on the 19 consecutive victories the White Sox ran off, setting the all-time modern (1901-on) MLB mark. The record, still recognized in spite of a tie in Game 12, was broken 10 years later by the New York Giants but remains tied for the fifth-longest in modern baseball and tied for eighth overall in major league baseball.
1933 The White Sox lost in 17 innings, 6-5, against Detroit. The loss is notable in that it remains tied for the 15th-longest game in White Sox history. However, it also saw the end of eight consecutive hits and 10 consecutive trips on base for journeyman second baseman Hal Rhyne.
Rhyne’s streak had started two games earlier, when he replaced Jackie Hayes and singled twice in two at-bats while finishing out a 2-0 win over the Tigers. The next game, Rhyne went 4-for-4 with four singles in an 11-2 win over the Tigers. In this third game, Rhyne singled in the second and fourth innings before finally failing to get a hit — however, in the sixth, his fielder’s choice grounder still got him safely on base. In the eighth, Rhyne got on base again, with a bunt single. Only in leading off the 10th inning of this third game did Rhyne finally fail to get on base, by tapping back out to the pitcher; Rhyne in fact would not get a hit at all in extras, making the final out of the game, ending the 17th.
A combination of his sparse play and those uncanny, eight straight hits saw Rhyne’s batting average raise 110 points over the three games, from .265 to .375 (in fact, in-game during this 17-inning marathon, Rhyne’s batting average got as high as .405).
The second sacker would play in just 15 more games after this one for the White Sox, and those would also be his final 15 MLB games; Rhyne was dealt to the San Francisco Seals of the International League after the 1933 season and would never see the majors again. However, he would play in the minors until 1940, when he was 41 years old.
1943 White Sox shortstop Luke Appling collected his 2,000th hit. It came against the Red Sox, helping the White Sox to a 3-2 win. The hit drove in a run in the first inning, off of Cecil “Tex” Hughson, as Wally Moses scored.
1948 In front of an overstuffed Comiskey Park brimming with 51,013 fans, Negro League legend and newly-christened Cleveland hurler Satchel Paige spun a masterpiece, 5-0, over the White Sox. It was Paige’s second career MLB start and just his 12th game pitched overall. The White Sox managed just five singles off of Paige. The whitewash moved Cleveland 28 games ahead of Chicago in the American League, with the South Siders falling to 36-70 in what still stands as the third-worst season in team history.
1954 White Sox pitcher Jack Harshman, who is tied for the franchise mark for most strikeouts in a game, notched another milestone. On this date against the Tigers, Harshman pitched all16 innings in a 1-0 win at Comiskey Park.
The Sox finally plated a run in the last of the 16th, on a triple by Minnie Miñoso scoring Nellie Fox.
Harshmanallowed nine hits and seven walks, facing a total of 65 hitters. Incredibly, Detroit’s Al Aber also went the distance in the contest! Harshman’s effort ties him for the sixth-longest pitching appearance in White Sox history.
The franchise mark is held by Ted Lyons who threw 21 innings in a game in 1929.
1967 All season long the White Sox battled the big boys — the Tigers, Twins and Red Sox — in the greatest pennant race in American League history. But for the White Sox, this game marked the beginning of the end of the dream.
The Sox lost a controversial game to the Twins, 3-2, when Tommie Agee doubled to center to lead off the ninth inning but was called out at third on a close play when he tried to stretch it into a triple. The Sox dropped out of first place for the first time in two months, as the Twins swept them in the series and moved atop the American League standings.
Afterwards, manager Eddie Stanky kept Vice President Hubert Humphrey waiting outside the Sox locker room, along with reporters. Stankylater said, ”What do I need Humphrey for? Can he hit?”
1984 The White Sox were having a terrible year on the field, but on this day they ensured a bad one off the field as well, sending left-handed reliever Kevin Hickey and minor-leaguer Doug Drabek to the New York Mets to complete a July deal for Roy Smalley. Two years from now Drabek would commence a stellar starting career that would end with him compiling 27.6 WAR and earning the 1990 Cy Young, making this a horrendous what-if deal.
Smalley played 47 games for the 1984 White Sox, and only 28 more from this day forward, earning -0.1 WAR.
1996 Robin Ventura clubbed his team-record ninth grand slam, leading the White Sox to an 8-4 victory over the Yankees. It came in the fifth inning off of David Weathers, and erased a 4-1 New York lead.
2002 White Sox infielder José Valentín homered from both sides of the plate in the same game. It was the fifth time in White Sox history this feat had occurred. Valentín did it in Texas off of Rangers hurlers Dennys Reyes and Todd Van Poppel, and the shot off of Reyes was a grand slam.
Valentín drove in six runs in the 12-3 win, with the home runs being his only two hits. He first did this two-homer trick in 2000, and would do it a third time in 2003!
Los Angeles (47-74) is going for the sweep over Texas (60-61) after winning 3-2 and 5-2 over the last two days. Mike Trout recorded three hits in Wednesday's win and George Klassen earned his first MLB win.
Texas is 1.5 games back of Houston for the AL West lead and sit in the final AL Wild Card spot. There are five teams within 2.0 games of Texas for the final playoff spot. In August, Texas is hitting .220 (22nd) with the eighth-fewest runs scored (39) over 11 games.
Los Angeles has one sweep this season and coincidentally enough, it came against Texas (May 22-24). The Angels' longest winning streak on the year is four games. In August, the Angels have the second-fewest runs scored (27) and second-worst batting average (.197) over 11 games.
Let’s dive into tonight’s 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 the 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 Rangers at Angels
Date: Thursday, August 13, 2026
Time: 10:10 PM EST
Site: Angel Stadium
City: Los Angeles, CA
Network/Streaming: MLB TV
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 Rangers at the Angels
The latest odds as of Thursday:
Moneyline: Texas Rangers (-148), Los Angeles Angels (+138)
Spread: Rangers -1.5 (+109), Angels +1.5 (-131)
Total: 7.5
Probable starting pitchers for Rangers at Angels
Thursday's pitching matchup (August 13): Walbert Urena vs Jacob deGrom
Mike Trout is hitting .231 in August (9/39) with 16 strikeouts
Zach Neto is hitting .149 in August (7/47) with 18 strikeouts
Vaughn Grissom is hitting .162 in August (6/37) with nine strikeouts
Jake Burger is hitting .200 in August (7/35) with zero home runs
Corey Seager is hitting .263 in August (10/38) with one home run
Joc Pederson is hitting .231 in August (6/26) with two home runs
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!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Rangers at Angels
Texas is 56-65 ATS, ranking sixth-worst
Los Angeles is 59-62 ATS
Texas is 61-54-6 to the Over, ranking seventh-best
Los Angeles is 69-51-1 to the Under, ranking second-best
Texas is 26-36 ATS on the road, ranking third-worst
Los Angeles is 32-29 ATS at home
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Rangers and the Angels
Rotoworld Bet 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 Thursday's game between the Rangers and the Angels:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Angels on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Angels at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Under on the Game Total of 7.5
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NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 14: The facade of Yankee Stadium prior to Game 1 of the ALCS presented by loanDepot between the Cleveland Guardians and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Monday, October 14, 2024 in New York, New York. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Ten billion dollars.
Supposedly that’s what Yankees Global Enterprises, the consortium that controls the New York Yankees, Legends Hospitality, owns a controlling interest in the YES Network and partial stakes in New York City FC and AC Milan, is worth. That valuation was an agreed-upon sum as YGE received a $2.5 billion cash injection from Apollo Global Management, a private equity fund that stepped in last week to help the Yankees refinance their debt, as well as purchase an as-yet undisclosed equity share in the Enterprise.
MLB hates when companies own stakes in their teams. They hate that Liberty owns the Braves and Rogers owns the Blue Jays, for a number of reasons. Having to publicly report earnings, massaged though they may be, undermines the greatest trick the league ever pulled — publicizing player salaries while privatizing the return owners enjoy. Companies have shareholders that demand the arrow only ever go up and to the right, where individual owners can be assuaged with the prestige and status that comes with owning one of 30 very shiny toys.
True to this form, league rules mandate that PE firms cannot own more than 15 percent of a club, which if Evan Drellich’s reporting on that $10 billion valuation is true — and Evan’s very good at this stuff — gives us a pretty clear breakdown of the maximum financing vs. equity split. Private equity, in its most vampiric form, is a big part of the reason your life might suck. Fast food used to be cheap, quick, with dubious quality. Now Roark, Inspire and 3G have made it pricey and slow, while maintaining dubious quality. The inheritance you expect from your parents will instead likely be burned away in assisted living and end-of-life care, an industry so dominated by PE that it burps revolvers. Sears was so big it had the naming rights to the tallest building in the richest nation on earth, now it’s a footnote in an accounting textbook.
These are the worst case scenarios, orchestrated by the worst people to exist in the history of capitalism. I am cautiously optimistic that this will not happen, to the same degree, to the New York Yankees. Part of that optimism comes from the arrogance of the folks who still run the team — there’s far more value in calling it Yankee Stadium than Amazon Field, simply because of the legacy other people helped build before Hal received the keys to the kingdom.
Still, the entry of Apollo signals a change that has been coming around for a while, but is here all the same. The business of baseball has always been about making money. To us, Babe Ruth is the greatest player to ever step on a field because of 714, because of 14 WAR seasons, because of the called shot. To the business of baseball, Ruth is the greatest because nobody, past or present, sold as many tickets just with his name. To us, Jackie Robinson is a hero because of the moral courage, determination, and grace he showed in breaking baseball’s segregation. To the business of baseball, Jackie is a hero because he unlocked a brand new customer base — see AM Glimmitz’s excellent The Metropolitans.
You used to have to be good, or at least be interesting, to make money in baseball. You used to have to sell tickets and ad space on the back of your actual accomplishments. Even rights fees from regional TV deals, the lifeblood of baseball, was at least a little dependent on Winning Baseball Games. Revenue sharing socialized all of that, the rich subsidizing the poor and allowing the poor to continue to drag themselves along the bottom, which I’m pretty sure I was told is against the ethos of American capitalism. Anyway.
Private equity doesn’t particularly care about the quality of your product at time of buy-in. Private equity cares whether there is something that can be cut away, or something that can be fertilized, in order to recognize an outsized return with a very quick turnaround. PE found its legs in distressed assets, companies that did have fat or inefficiencies or, yknow, pensions. Strip away that fat, those inefficiencies, those employees, temporarily boost profit, and spin off the now-crippled asset is the name of the game. It won’t work with the Yankees and that MLB rule still holds, but one wonders about the actual distressed assets in the league — what this mindset could do to the Pirates, the Rockies, the Angels.
That the New York Yankees seemingly no longer have to worry about being good, about having a Babe Ruth or a Jackie Robinson, that they can sign a document that injects $2.5 billion into various numbered accounts and solves a debt issue that otherwise might have made them think about how to grow the business and increase quality, is that canary keeled over when the worker returns. PE will reach into your wallet at every opportunity, your diet, your parents, your mechanic. It has now come for your leisure.
Wilyer Abreu
Kyle Schwarber
Teoscar Hernandez
COVERS INTEL: Looking for damage against the Red Sox? 
