Good morning, folks…it appears I’m doing the links today…

The Texas Rangers beat the Washington Nationals last night by a score of 5-0.

Evan Grant’s game story talks about the Rangers being more aggressive on the basepaths in an effort to kickstart a somnolent offense.

Taylor Sheridan, creator of “Yellowstone,” threw out the first pitch before yesterday’s game.

Prior to the game, the Rangers activated catcher Danny Jansen from the injured list.

The Rangers also had positive updates on Jacob deGrom, Jack Leiter and Josh Jung.

Kennedi Landry writes that it is crunchtime for the Rangers after their unpleasant road trip.

Evan Grant looks at why the recent skid has the Rangers in a difficult spot.

Sebastian Walcott is expected to play in the field this season, not just DH, with the question being whether that will be in AA, AAA or the majors, and someone owes Jared Sandler an apology.

MLB Pipeline runs down some prospects who could be called up to the majors in the near future, with Walcott being included on the list.

The Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Mansfield’s Miracle League Field.

Oswaldo Pirela, former Ranger minor leaguer and current San Diego Padres minor league catching instructor, was detained by ICE in El Paso as part of the federal government’s crackdown on the scourge of minor league baseball coaches.

Detroit Tigers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, August 19, 2026, 12:35 p.m. ET

The Pittsburgh Pirates are finishing off their home stand with a Wednesday matinee contest against the Detroit Tigers at PNC Park.

Paul Skenes is getting the ball for the Pirates after the team scratched him from his start on Sunday against the Boston Red Sox. The Pirates opted to run a bullpen game to give Skenes more rest in hopes of fixing his recent struggles. Skenes has been winless in each of his last four starts and only pitched five innings, giving up five hits and one earned run in his last appearance on August 11 against the Miami Marlins on the road. Perhaps a return to PNC Park will help his chances at getting back on track.

The Tigers are handing the ball to Jaxson Jobe, who, like Skenes, was a former top prospect. Jobe has only made two starts for the Tigers this season, replacing Tarik Skubal in the rotation after he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the beginning of the month.

Jobe underwent Tommy John surgery and missed most of the 2025 campaign and 2026, but he is healthy and ready to go. It’s been a slow start for Jobe, who gave up nine hits, six runs, and 3.20 ERA in his last start on August 14 against the Chicago White Sox. He also pitched five innings of one-hit, scoreless baseball in his 2026 debut on August 8 against the San Francisco Giants.

Location: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA

Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh

Pitching Matchup: Jackson Jobe (1-1, 6.23 ERA) vs. Paul Skenes (9-11, 3.88 ERA)

BD community, chime off in the comments section below.

The Guardians desperately needed an offensive spark, so they sent a request for an Angel in their infield who has worked out incredibly well so far.

Angel Genao, coming back a year removed from a shoulder injury, put up a 133 wRC+ with a .300/.401/.474 slashline and 16.2/14.3 K/BB% playing short, third and second base in the minors before getting the call-up. He had a 45.2% hard-hit rate, a 7.3% swinging-strike rate, a 25.6% chase rate, a 92% zone contact rate (82% contact rate overall) and a 22%/56%/22% line drive/ground ball/fly ball rate.

In the small sample size of 11 games, Genao’s skills as a hitter have translated well. He has a 150 wRC+ with a .324/.405/.459 slashline, and a 7.1/9.5% K/BB%. His metrics match up well, also, with a 50% hard-hit rate, a 6.9% swinging strike rate, a 30.4% chase rate, a 91% zone contact rate (85% contact rate overall) and a 18%/58%/24% line drive/groundball/flyball rate. He’s also looked solid in the field mostly at second and third base in limited opportunities.

This is an exciting start, but, of course, we have seen Travis Bazzana start his first month with a 148 wRC+, Bo Naylor put up a 199 wRC+ during his third month, Angel Martinez a 111 wRC+ during his first six weeks, and Kyle Manzardo a 147 wRC+ in his second month. While plenty of hope remains for all three to find their way as big league hitters (especially Bazzana) all have struggled as the league began to adjust their pitching attack with further information from analyzing their limited success periods. The big question for any hitter is how they will adapt and adjust to the league “getting a book on them.” What should we believe about Genao’s ability to make these adjustments?

First, one big deal for Genao is his age. Bazzana, Manzardo and Naylor were each 23 for their first stints, and Martinez was 22. Genao is also 22 but 4 months younger than Martinez was during his first stint, and, obviously, outperforming his Angel counterpart so far. It’s a really big deal to be this young and demonstrating a mature approach at the plate. Genao’s .333 BABIP doesn’t seem at all unusual given his speed (fastest sprint speed on the team with Petey Halpin), and his .343 xwOBA so far is under his .384 wOBA but still excellent. His chase rate is elevated, but not alarmingly so, and he will have a chance to lower it as he gets used to the shapes and velocities of major league quality pitches, while, so far, his ability to avoid strikeouts and take walks have shown a promising ability to translate.

Soon, we will see major league pitchers begin to test how much they can get Genao to expand the zone and see what he will do with a steady diet of pitches on the outer half of the zone (as they have done in pounding Bazzana). Genao will have to be willing to chase less and to poke some pitches outside to the opposite field in order to earn himself pitches middle-in where his exit velocities will be best. Teams will also get a good sense of where to position their infielders optimally to make plays on the tremendous amount of groundballs Genao hits, and he will need to start elevating at least a small percentage of those into line drives to compensate. But, again, nothing in his profile indicates he isn’t capable of making these kind of adjustments. Instead, he looks like the kind of young hitter every team dreams of finding and giving run.

Where Genao eventually plays is certainly an open question. Does he bump Travis Bazzana to left field? Or first base? Does he supplant Brayan Rocchio and move the fielding savant to a utility role (and would Rocchio take better to that challenging role than Gabriel Arias did)? Would the team consider testing Genao’s elite speed and cannon arm in a centerfield role? All open questions, but if Genao can continue to develop and sustain what he is doing as a hitter, a starting role will be found somewhere and the Guardians may have finally found their next star switch-hitting infielder.

One of the most exciting things about the remainder of the 2026 season will be seeing what our newest Guardian Angel does with the opportunities afforded him with the big league club. Here’s to hoping we have the answer to our prayers in this latest rookie to descend on our baseball team.

Fernando Tatis Jr. hit one of the more majestic home runs of the season for the San Diego Padres in the first inning of their Tuesday night showdown with the New York Mets. The mammoth 452-foot shot to left center put San Diego up 1-0, but it won’t be the play anyone remembers most from the game. That’s because Tatis Jr. made a web gem for the ages one inning later that saved so many more runs.

The New York Mets loaded the bases for star shortstop Francisco Lindor in the second inning, and he mashed a pitch on the outer edge of the plate down the right field line for a deep fly ball. It looked like it was going to be a grand slam, but Tatis had other plans. He jumped, reached over the wall, and came away with the third out of the inning in his glove.

Tatis’ reaction after the catch was even better. Watch the play here:

When Tatis landed with the ball in his glove, he hit an absolutely perfect pose that looked like a pro wrestler after a finisher. No notes.

The Padres beat the Mets, 5-2, to keep their wild card hopes alive. San Diego is two up on the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final spot in the NL playoff picture entering Wednesday’s action.

Tatis seemed quite proud of his catch. He posted this GIF on Twitter after the game.

Honestly, he looked exactly like that. The baseball playoffs are better when the Padres are involved, because Tatis is a must-see star even if this hasn’t been his best season by the numbers. His flair for the dramatic is always there, and San Diego can hope he’s just started to peak at the right time.

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

It was a clean sweep here yesterday as the pitching board was as clear as glass. I'm looking to keep that heater rolling into an all-day slate loaded with pitcher predictions and MLB player props.

Chris Bassitt's strikeout market is moving to the Over for a reason. Sandy Alcantara's 100-pitch leash is perfect for his plus-money Over, and Drew Rasmussen's short leash has me reaching for a plus-money Under prop.

These are my favorite MLB pitcher props for Wednesday, Aug. 19.

Best MLB strikeout props and starting pitcher picks today

Player	Pick	Odds
Chris Bassitt	Over 4.5 strikeouts	+105
Sany Alcantara	Over 4.5 strikeouts	+127
Drew Rasmussen	Under 17.5 outs	+150

Strikeout prop: Chris Bassitt Over 4.5 strikeouts (+105)

The market is moving on Chris Bassitt’s Over Ks prop, and deservedly so. Bassitt rejoined the rotation off the IL in his last start and went 88 pitches against the Rays, so he is fully stretched out and ready for one of the best strikeout matchups in baseball.

The Yankees are the highest K% team in baseball this summer. In August, their 27.2% K% paces the league, and Bassitt has a solid track record against this lineup from his time with the Blue Jays.

Last season, Bassitt faced the Yankees four times and struck out 25 over 23-plus innings with a solid 1.141 WHIP. His strikeout stuff has dropped this year, but he was a K-per-inning pitcher during his rehab and can get to five Ks in 18 outs today with a 90-plus-pitch leash.

The K% matchup is what gets this across the line, and the 5.23 Ks projected on 91 pitches puts the fair price all the way at -150.

• Time: 6:35 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MLB Network

Strikeout prop: Sandy Alcantara Over 4.5 strikeouts (+127)

Sandy Alcantara is averaging 100.3 pitches per start over his last 10 games and has gone beyond 18 outs in 70% of those. His projections show value on the Under today, but that's based on a 92-pitch projection that could be short by 10 pitches.

The Miami starter's strikeout stuff is the same on the road as at home and better against lefties than righties. Since the start of June, Alcantara is 10-4 to the Over on this prop, but the real chase here is that plus money. He's also faced Philadelphia twice this year and gone Over in both games, allowing just two earned runs over 13 innings.

There aren't a ton of angles here other than the longest-leashed pitcher in baseball with a great price and a profitable record.

This is a bet to +105.

• Time: 6:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NBCSP, Marlins.TV

Pitcher out prop: Drew Rasmussen Under 17.5 outs (+150)

Drew Rasmussen is a great pitcher, but he's a great pitcher with an 88-pitch leash over his last 10 games and has seen the Blue Jays three times this season. He's hit the Over at a 61% clip over the last three months but is priced at 66% probable today in a matchup that should be tougher than average.

The Jays don't strike out a lot and can run up pitch counts. Yesterday, I faded Nick Martinez in a similar spot at plus money for a winner, and I'm going back to the well today. The Rays also used just two bullpen arms yesterday, so there are plenty of fresh arms available to cover the fifth and sixth innings.

I'd play this down to +120. Rasmussen has thrown more than 90 pitches just four times over his last 10 starts, and this lineup is very familiar with him.

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Rays.TV, Sportsnet

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The lineups are out for Wednesday afternoon’s getaway day game between the Atlanta Braves and the Minnesota Twins. If the Braves are going to get out of this mini-funk that they’re currently in, then they’re planning on doing it with most of the familiar faces.

Here’s today’s lineup for Atlanta:

Dominic Smith is making his first start of the series in the series finale and he’ll be the third different player to serve as DH during this series, as Ronald Acuña Jr. took on the role in the series opener and Drake Baldwin got the nod in the middle matchup. Meanwhile, Jim Jarvis returns to the lineup at shortstop, which means that Mauricio Dubón will be starting this game on the bench. Outside of that, everybody’s in their usual spots both in the field and in the lineup.

We’ll update this post once the Twins reveal their lineup but for now, how are we feeling about the lineup today? Let’s see some runs this afternoon, please.