Manager Dave Roberts announced after the Dodgers’ 5-4 win against the Pirates on Aug. 21 that Pages' injury was "not season-ending," but he expects the first-time All-Star to be out 4-5 weeks.
Pages is considered the team’s top defensive player, leading the team in Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and outfield assists.
Offensively, Pages has produced 80 RBI, 21 home runs and 72 runs this season.
The Dodgers will have to explore options that will not only help the team defensively but also provide another solid bat in the lineup.
Dodgers call up Alek Thomas
The Dodgers called up speedy outfielder Alek Thomas as a replacement for Pages.
“It felt good,” Thomas said before the game about being called up. “It’s been a little while, so I’m super blessed to be back and happy to help the team in any shape or form.”
Thomas recorded his first hit for the Dodgers and produced an RBI, bringing in Kyle Tucker to help make it a 3-2 game against the Pirates on Saturday, Aug. 22.
The Dodgers acquired Thomas in a trade for Jose Requena back on May 12. Thomas had an .855 OPS with the Oklahoma City Comets, the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate.
The Dodgers are expected to add another veteran bat to the lineup soon with the return of catcher Will Smith.
He participated in batting practice on Saturday against Shohei Ohtani.
Smith was dealing with an inflamed disc in his neck that’s kept him out of action since June 5.
Smith is expected to be activated from the injured list during the first week of September. He is not expected to join the team for its upcoming road trip against the Atlanta Braves and Detroit Tigers.
DENVER, CO - AUGUST 22: Cleveland Guardians right fielder Jo Adell (7) celebrates his run scored in the sixth inning during a game between the Cleveland Guardians and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on August 22, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Jo Adell has been everything the Guardians were hoping for and more. His mammoth 3 run HR tonight completely changed the game. He also singled and scored in the 6th inning from a Patrick Bailey single, so he was involved in all four of the Guardians runs tonight. He is now slashing .243/.323/.526 in 16 games as a Guardian. If we are able to get back into this playoff race, Jo Adell will be a huge part of it.
It’s also noteworthy that we have seen Angel Genao start two games in a row at SS, considering the season that Brayan Rocchio has had. Rocchio has had a rought stretch offensively as of late, but he has still been one of the best SS defenders in the MLB this season. As long as Rocchio is healthy I imagine he will be in the lineup tomorrow.
The Guardians will go for the sweep tomorrow at 3:10 pm ET. It will be Foster Griffin vs Tomoyuki Sugano.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - AUGUST 22: Manager Torey Lovullo #17 takes the ball from starting pitcher Michael Soroka #34 of the Arizona Diamondbacks for a pitching change during the fourth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Chase Field on August 22, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On paper, anyway, Michael Soroka was the better starting pitcher than Reds starter Rhett Lowder. Especially after the beatdown we put on Cincinnati last night, it seemed like pretty good odds that we’re stomp the Reds again. Sadly, however, that was not the case. Soroka sucked tonight, Lowder was good until he wasn’t so much, but by then the Diamondback were already in a hole that, despite some sporadic efforts by the offense, we couldn’t climb our way out of. Especially because the hole kept getting deeper.
In fact, it started to feel, at least to me, like it might be a foregone conclusion before we’d even gotten our offense involved. Elly De La Cruz lined a very hard-hit double into the right field corner to lead off the game, and one out later was driven home by a very hard-hit JJ Bleday grounder that got past Tim Tawa at first and rolled into the right field corner for another double. That was the only damage at first, it that was the start of the hole. 1-0 Cincinnati
Soroka managed to put up a zero in the second, though in some respects it was an even harder inning for him, and one that inspired even less confidence. There was a two-out hit-by-pitch. Then there was a ten-pitch at bat by the guy in the Red’s nine hole that ended in a walk. Soroka had thrown 18 pitches in the first, and he needed 22 more to get through the second, and he really looked like he had no idea where his pitches were going to land once he let them go.
The third inning was another bad one, as Sal Stewart blooped a single just behind second base to lead off the frame. JJ Bleday struck again, seeing six pitches before sending the seventh out to that notch in the wall just to the right of straightaway center field for an RBI triple. A fly ball to center scored him, and after an eight-pitch walk, Soroka finally got the final two outs. Two more runs in, though, and 27 more pitches thrown, putting him at 67 for the night. 3-0 Cincinnati
The top of the fourth sucked even more, thanks to a seven-pitch walk to kick things off, and then two one-out singles, the second of which brought another run home. That earned Soroka the hook with 84 pitches thrown total, and ten outs recorded. Zack Littell came out with his mop, and surrendered a sac fly and two walks as he worked to get the Reds back out onto the field. 6-0 Cincinnati
So, yeah. That’s the margin of victory right there. Meanwhile, we’d only managed a leadoff Lars Nootbaar double and a Tim Tawa bloop single against Lowder, who cruised easily through his first three innings of work. We managed to get to him a bit with two outs in the bottom of the fourth, thanks to Nolan Arenado sending his 21st home run of the year just over the left field fence. 6-1 Cincy
Didn’t really matter, though, as Littell gave the run back on a two-out De La Cruz to right in the top of the fifth. 7-1 Cincy
Andf so it proceeded from there. Ildemaro scored off a leadoff walk in the bottom of the fifth, thanks to some hits behind him, to close the gap to 7-2, but Littell gave the run back in the top of the sixth on a solo shot that completed JJ Bleday’s cycle and made it 8-2. Arenado reached on catcher’s interference to leadoff the bottom of the sixth, and crossed the plate again thanks to a Tim Tawa homer over the fence in left center, making things 8-4, but Littell gave back both runs in the top of the seventh to bring it to 10-4.
About this time, folks started dropping into the Gameday Thread to excoriate Torey Lovullo for having given up the game when we were only down by six and leaving Littell in there, etc, etc, and while I suppose I can sort of see the argument if I squint, the sad fact is that, even with the offense we were able to muster in the later innings, we still didn’t manage to score enough runs to surpass that initial 6-0 deficit that Soroka’s work created. Torey did pull Littell for Dennis Santana to start the eighth, though, and aside from giving up a leadoff solo home run to Matt McLain to bring things to 11-4, he did his job. We got another run off of the Reds’ bullpen in the bottom half, thanks to a couple of walks and a two-out Ryan Waldschmidt RBI single, but that simply gave us the last scoring in the game. 11-5 Cincinnati
Tonight’s GDT was a ghost town for the vast majority of the game, for good or ill, with us eventually limping to 153 comments at time of writing. I certainly hope that the folks who didn’t drop by found something better and more pleasant to do with their time. To be honest, I would likely have gone off to prune some thornbushes or practice body-blocking some cacti or perhaps exfoliating with a belt sander had I not been contractually obligated to sit through the whole nine innings. But I’m a professional, damnit. Precious few comments turned Sedona Red, but there is one hands-down winner that appeared from onedotfove at a point in the game where a turnaround still seemed like it might be possible:
Hope is always the better choice, so thank you for that. On the upside, Cabriel Moreno did manage to extend his hitting strreak with a one-out double in the bottom of the ninth, so while the huge comeback didn’t happen, there was a positive or two.
So, assuming you have a paid Peacock account, I hope you can join us for the rubber match tomorrow as we try to win the series against these pesky Reds. Andrew Abbott goes for them, Mitch Bratt goes for us, first pitch is scheduled for 1:15pm AZ time, and JustRonn will be your guest recapper. Come and keep him company if you can, and root us on as we try for a needed series win.
As always, thanks for reading, and as always, go Diamondbacks!
After the Mets' 10-5 win over the White Sox on Saturday night, interim manager Andy Green and the players broke down the 16-hit, five-HR performance...
It was so nice, he had to do it twice
Playing against his former team for the first time this weekend, Luis Robert Jr. made his presence felt on Saturday night. The outfielder blasted two of the team's five home runs, recording his first multi-homer game with New York, and said it was rewarding to do it in a place he played for six seasons.
"You know it feels good to hit home runs against any team to be honest with you," Robert said via an interpreter. "But I will say it did feel good to hit the home runs here just because it was a stadium that I played so many games in, especially my whole career."
Green said he was "really happy" to see Robert have a performance like he did, adding that "he deserves" it after working his way back from a long injury and rough season.
"Luis, I mean, the oppo home run is just so special from him," Green said. "Hardly anybody in baseball hits a ball that hard the other way the way he does that so well. And then obviously he turned on the last one and crushed it, so those are great swings."
He added: "He's just having great at-bats, he's put in a lot of work. He's been grinding really hard. It's fun to see somebody have success that works that hard."
Robert has only played in 51 games this year, as he was placed on the IL on April 27 and didn't return until July 20. Since coming back, the 29-year-old has struggled, but hopes Saturday's game will help get him back on track for the rest of the year.
"I feel good, I feel a lot better compared to where I was in the beginning when I first came back," Robert said. "But I think now, it’s just you got to continue to work, you got to continue to try to be as consistent as possible. I think that’s going to be the key for the rest of the season."
Carson Benge feeling 'pretty good'
Right fielder Carson Benge had a brief scare in the bottom of the third inning, as he crashed hard into the chain link fence and the ball popped out of his glove and over the wall for a HR.
The 23-year-old toughed it out to stay in the game and made up for it later in the fifth inning, launching a towering solo home run to go up 5-3. He finished 3-for-5 on the night and joked that getting the win helps make up for the collision.
"Pretty good, pretty good. After a win, that always makes it feel better," Benge said.
He added on the play: "I saw it hit, I didn't get the best read on it, can't always be perfect. Went back on it fast toward the wall. And then kind of caught it in my glove, and then it popped out as I hit that fence."
"First thing, I checked my glove and I saw it wasn't in there, so I was kind of mad at that. After the adrenaline kind of wore off there quickly, I knew I was OK."
Benge then explained why he wanted to keep playing after getting checked out by the trainers, and was proud he could get the run back for the team with the homer.
"I like playing the game," Benge said. "I don't want to be taken out for anything unless it's anything too serious. Being able to get back in there and kind of take away the one I let up is good."
Christian Scott hoping 'to learn from' tough outing
Scott had a tough outing Saturday night, allowing four runs on five hits over just 4.2 IP. His night ended after loading the bases in the fifth inning with two outs, and wishes he could have some of those at-bats back.
"Just didn’t really have it today,” Scott said. "Especially with the offspeed stuff, didn’t really locate the zone well. Thought the bullpen did a really good job coming in there and cleaning it up and obviously going the rest of the game. Thought the offense played really well.
"Just put us in a tough spot, especially after getting a lot of runs early. Wish I had a couple of those at-bats back. Bullpen did a great job, good to get the win."
Overall, Scott threw 94 pitches against Chicago and said he'll be able to use it as a learning experience, especially the fifth inning.
"Obviously hit a guy first pitch and then walk a guy, obviously want those at-bats back," Scott said. "Just had to battle after that. Didn't think I was locating my sweeper very well or my cutter very well. Something to learn from for sure, just grind it out."
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 22: Mauricio Dubón #14 of the Atlanta Braves is forced out at second base as Cooper Pratt #12 of the Milwaukee Brewers turns a double play in the fourth inning at American Family Field on August 22, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
While the Braves are perhaps not quite yet in a precarious position, they have put themselves in a position to be in a precarious position with their play over the last two weeks or so, facing down the barrel of another game against the Brewers and then a series against the Dodgers. Their division lead is down to 3.0 games and they have a 6.5 game cushion in the wild-card that is still strong, but no longer feels insurmountable. With six games remaining against the Phillies, the division title very much still hangs in the balance of these last 5 weeks of the season. While this team has found ways to win games, sometimes convincingly for stretches this season, the roster has never really had the feel of a dominant team after all of the pitching injuries early on and the continuing underperformance of their offensive talent. It would be a real shame for this team to squander what was such a commanding division lead to land in or even outside of the wild-card. If this season ends without a division title and/or some quality postseason performances, it could spur some serious changes this offseason.
Given that we are in the dog days of August, there is a whole lot of discussion regarding prospects and the best up-and-coming players in the NHL, as there is not much else to talk about right now.
Last week, The Athletic's Corey Pronman released both prospect pool rankings and a ranking of the best players under the age of 23. The highest-ranked Pittsburgh Penguins' young player was winger Rutger McGroarty at 80, but one of the biggest surprises on the list was center Ben Kindel being ranked 92nd on the list in Tier 6, which he deems a "middle of the lineup player."
On this list, 46 players above Kindel have not yet played an NHL game. Meanwhile, Kindel spent the vast majority of the season as an 18-year-old - he didn't turn 19 until Apr. 19 - holding down the third-line center position, playing solid two-way hockey, contributing on the power play, recording 17 goals and 35 points in 77 games, and showing off his hockey IQ and higher-ceiling puck distribution and playmaking skills. He also showed off a pretty nasty shot on several occasions, too.
Holy SNIPE by Ben Kindel to get the scoring started 🔥🚨
Unfortunately, this isn't the first time Kindel has been overlooked. When the Penguins selected him 11th overall in 2025, many thought it was a reach. He was not designated by most as a legitimate candidate to make the NHL team out of training camp as a young 18-year-old, either, but he did. He was not expected to last beyond his nine-game NHL trial run, but he did because his body of work in those nine games was impressive and transcended his age.
During the season, he was rarely talked about in national circles despite being one of three newly drafted players to stick in the NHL beyond nine games - the others being New York Islanders star defenseman Matthew Schaefer and San Jose Sharks rising star center Michael Misa. After the season concluded, most still weren't talking about Kindel even though he ended up with a few Calder Trophy votes.
Pronman wrote that Kindel profiles more as "a long-term third-liner, but he could be a top-six winger."
But anyone with eyes who watched Kindel all season - and, particularly, kept tabs on his work at the center position - would probably come out with a different outlook.
For starters, Kindel won 43.6 percent of his draws last season, which isn't a bad number for a rookie. For perspective, Penguins' captain and NHL legend Sidney Crosby had a 45.5 win percentage in the dot during his rookie season. He also, almost immediately, flashed keen two-way awareness and used the middle of the ice comfortably, something that doesn't happen right away for most rookie centers.
He was trusted enough by the coaching staff to man the third-line center position for the entire 2025-26 season - aside from a few games as second-line center and a handful on Crosby's wing - even though the Penguins had different options for that role at different times throughout the season. Kindel showed on many occasions his offensive upside, showcasing shootout prowess, being a one-time weapon on the power play, acting as an effective playmaker down low, and exposing the soft areas of the ice. He also won a fair amount of puck battles and added on size throughout the season.
11th overall pick Ben Kindel proved the doubters wrong... and the birthday boy is just getting started. pic.twitter.com/cF8HW12Elh
In other words, it seems many are underestimating and underscoring Kindel's NHL ceiling as a center and as a player in general. He may not ever be a first-line center, but to suggest his ceiling was, essentially, already met during his rookie season at age 18 borders on preposterous.
Kindel will continue to progress and grow, and so will his two-way game. Maybe he could have a higher ceiling on the wing, but his maturity as a center at this stage already suggests that being a career third-liner is a low bar to set for him.
In fact, there is a good chance that Kindel may just be the most underrated young player in the NHL. While others in his class - and many in this year's class - are already being showered with praise and projected as crucial parts of their respective organization's future, Kindel remains in the background, just as he had in his draft year, just as he had during last year's training camp, and just as he had over the course of the season.
Even if he's not a superstar, Kindel very well could be an All-Star caliber player in a few years, and he's the most untouchable young player in a Penguins' organization that has seen a nice pool of young players and prospects come into the fold over the last three years. His body of work speaks for itself so far, and the way he consistently outperforms expectations should almost, in turn, be an expectation until the day that he doesn't.
And, maybe a few years from now, Kindel's name won't be neglected and forgotten when the league's best young players are recognized.
Aug 22, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners left fielder Randy Arozarena (56) reacts after hitting a walk-off two-run home run against the Chicago Cubs during the ninth inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Today was the much-anticipated debut of Mariners pitching prospect Kade Anderson, but it was a more familiar face who stole the show. Randy Arozarena bookeneded the game with a pair of homers, peppering in a dramatic home run robbery and a clutch infield single, to deliver the Mariners an improbable 5-4 win, meanwhile racking up one of the highest WPAs I’ve ever seen for a position player in a single game: 1.08. It’s not Brandon Crawford’s seven-hit game from 2016, but it’s gotta be up there. Arozarena, in his free agency year, is having his best season by wRC+ as a big-league regular: 138 before today’s game is factored in. He’s been the most valuable Mariner in 2026 offensively, and has contributed to more than his fair share of wins while the rest of the team has struggled through injury and doldrums. He’s also been the author of more than his fair share of miscues, some outfield defense that at times looks indifferent, and an occasional inattention (like missing the team photo) that makes you wonder what planet Randy is living on.
The answer: Planet Randy. It’s Randy’s planet. And like Taylor Swift, he makes the rules. Today, Randy decided to orbit himself directly in front of what looked like a surefire Cubs win, repelling Chicago and their hefty dose of fans packed into a sellout crowd at T-Mobile Park and instead delivering the Mariners a series win. It might have been Kade Anderson Bump Day, but it was Randy Arozarena Precession Day (this is a science term that my science friend says means when a planet bumps how it spins on its axis. I am assured the joke works.).
Kade Anderson was as advertised in the first inning, living around the strike zone and challenging hitters. He got his first big-league out on his first big-league pitch, tempting Pete Crow-Armstrong into making weak contact on a well-located heater for an easy pop out. He struggled a little after that with locating the curve, and got into a long battle with Alex Bregman before getting him to chase after a changeup for his first big-league strikeout:
With the warm-up act out of the way, it was time for Planet Randy to take the stage. Arozarena gave his rookie pitcher some run support right away, jumping on the first pitch he saw from lefty David Peterson and driving it into a packed T-Mobile ‘Pen: 105.3 mph and 416 feet for Randy’s 18th on the season.
The only bad thing about that homer is that Brendan Donovan, the Mariners’ best OBP threat currently, wasn’t on ahead of him, as Donovan was a late scratch after being [consults Big Book of 2026 Mariners Curses]…hmm… hit in the head by a baseball pregame in the cages. No one mentioned that when we acquired Donovan we were getting the 27th Gashlycrumb Tiny.
Randy continued to snatch the glory on Anderson’s debut day with an amazing home run robbery in the third. In a 1-0 count, nine-hole hitter righty Miguel Amaya turned on an inside fastball, looking to loop it over the short fence in left. He would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn’t for that meddling Randy:
Postgame, Randy talked about how every time he robs a home run like this, he flashes back to his viral moment robbing a home run in the WBC back in 2023. This one I think is a more impressive snag, going over the wall, but it must necessarily come second to the WBC robbery, even though he says they’re both very special to him.
Randy then followed that up by working a one-out walk in the bottom of the third, but unfortunately was left straded at third by his free-swinging linemates, as Canzone and Julio each went down swinging, Julio on three straight pitches. Please, Brendan Donovan, our OBP, it’s very sick, come back.
Meanwhile, Anderson continued to fight through his first big-league start. Nothing looked particularly easy for Anderson, although he showed flashes of brilliance as he collected five strikeouts, at times showing the exciting ability to coax ugly swings from hitters he showed in the minors, and other times struggling to land his stuff in the zone. Particularly missing today was his big curveball, which seemed to sail up. This is just a lot more spray than a typical Anderson outing. Note the high curves (blue), the inconsistent location of the changeup, and the spray on the fastball (red). (NB: a bunch of these that Statcast labeled sliders are actually curveballs; you can check back tomorrow for an updated chart when they’ve fixed the issue.)
For his part, Anderson was clear-eyed about what he did and what he wants to do better the next time.
“I felt like early on I did a good job of getting in the zone. Lost it a little bit in the middle, but there’s always going to be something to build on. I felt like I didn’t have my best stuff today, but I gave the team a chance to win. Winning in the big leagues is a lot different than in the minor leagues. In the big leagues, all that matters is winning. Doesn’t matter what the stat book is. I just want to go out there and give the team an opportunity to win.”
The Mariners helped out their rookie by adding on in the fifth. Weston Wilson, fresh off a stellar double play turn to end the top of the inning, started things off with a line-drive single. Peterson then hit Leo Rivas, who was attempting to bunt, and then Planet Randy made an appearance in the early evening sky, beating out an infield single to load the bases with no outs. The Mariners did get a run out of this, as Dominic Canzone hit into what looked to be a double play but was able to beat out a poor turn by the Cubs, but Julio then struck out chasing after a changeup away, and Naylor also couldn’t deliver in a left-on-left matchup, swinging through a sinker that should have been in his hit zone.
That would turn out to be costly, because Anderson couldn’t dodge the Cubs offense after that. He started the sixth by giving up a double to Pete Crow-Armstrong, serving him a fastball middle-middle that thankfully stayed in the park. Even more thankfully, the Mariners defense again came to his rescue after that, catching PCA off second in a double play neatly turned by Wilson – Naylor – Young. But with two outs and the momentum seemingly on the Mariners’ side, Anderson left a first-pitch changeup right on the plate for Alex Bregman to destroy for a game-tying home run. Maybe, and I’m just spitballing here, but maybe Mariners fans could stop booing Bregman every time he comes to town. He’s a tiny angry creature fueled by spite and haters being his waiters and eats your boos like power-ups.
Dan Wilson gave Anderson another chance to get out of it and end his outing with some hope, but once again, Anderson didn’t execute a first-pitch slider that Michael Busch tattooed into center for a go-ahead homer. Welcome to the big leagues, kid. Wilson caught a lot of flack, both in-house and nationally (the curse of a national broadcast), for the decision to leave Anderson in. Wilson explained that the goal was to get Anderson up around 80-85 pitches, and once he had the two outs, the hope was he’d be able to finish off the inning, noting they still liked how he was throwing the ball, despite the leadoff double to PCA. Anderson’s unflappable demeanor and mound presence also swayed Wilson to keep Anderson – no stranger to pitching in big moments at the College World Series – in the game.
“I think he takes a lot of positives away from today,” said Wilson. “For a debut, it was just so impressive the way he handled it all, and the poise he showed.”
For Anderson, trying to get through the sixth was important to him to try to contribute to a team win – after all, solo homers aren’t supposed to kill you.
“Every out matters,” said Anderson. “The wins matter, and to be able to save the bullpen every chance you get matters, and every out matters. I’m really grateful that I got to go on through the sixth. It could have gone better, but at the end of the day, we got the win, and that’s all that matters.”
“The team was counting on me for a big game today. These games matter, especially as the season is getting shorter and shorter. I understood that going in. Obviously, it’s a big day for me, but it’s an even bigger day for this organization.”
Carlos Vargas, making his first appearance after missing all season on the IL, came in to try to stop the bleeding and instead gave up another run, partially not his fault (BABIP’d by a chip shot weakly hit double by Nico Hoerner) and partially his fault (a slider at the top of the zone for a ground-rule RBI double). To be nice to Vargas: he did open the seventh with a leadoff walk (bad Vargas!) but retired his next three hitters with two strikeouts to close up the inning tidily. Vargas sprayed the sinker around pretty badly but was able to land some pretty good sliders and placed a few well-located cutters; he’ll get a lot of heat because of giving up the extra run in the sixth and, you know, because he’s Carlos Vargas, but overall this was a solid first outing for someone who hasn’t pitched all year. The circumstances he made it under are not his fault.
With the Mariners scuffling against Peterson and unable to score against old friend Trent Thornton, it seemed like the writing was on the wall in the bottom of the ninth with two outs. Credit Weston Wilson, who didn’t hear no bell, for lacing a double off a pretty terrible pitch from Jacob Webb into the happy gap of right-center. Wilson is another one who has been a bit of a lightning rod for fan angst, but he quietly had a great game despite being told he was going to play about ten minutes before the game started, with a pair of really nice double play turns, the leadoff single that led to a run in the fifth, and this last-gasp double. Webb then made a crucial error, hitting Leo Rivas with a pitch (for the second time in the game! Please, our boy just got over a terrible case of vertigo, stop hitting him!), which flipped the lineup around to [studies sky] oh will you look at that. Planet Randy in the 9th house. Astrological forecast says: 100% chance of game-winning dingers.
I saw this happen live with my own eyes and I still can’t believe this happened.
“He put a really good swing on it,” said Dan Wilson. “Didn’t roll over on it, didn’t try to do too much, just drove that ball to center field, stayed on it and stayed through it. And good things happen when you take that approach.”
“I think if Randy were playing hockey, he’d get a plus-four,” said Wilson, a rare little window into Planet Dan, if we’re being honest.
Postgame Ryan Divish asked Randy if he thought PCA had a chance to pay the favor back and rob the homer. “Haha, no,” said Randy, and gathered his keys and wallet and left the room. Sui generis Randy, fully and only himself, subject only to his own gravitational force but somehow also able to alter the vector of a game.
Well, Luke Keaschall led it off with a quickly-blasted homer, Then Brooks Lee and rookie Kaelen matched his power blow for blow. But middle letters three were in fact a misnomer, ‘Cause the Twins couldn’t win tonight in San Diego.
Now, the Padres got a tally with a shot from Jackson Merrill, But then our starter Kremer settled with every throw. Got a clean quintet of innings ere he even entered peril, But the Twins couldn’t win tonight in San Diego.
There was a scare off of Minter: A slug off a splinter Hooked foul as we howl, and The batter strikes out!
But the Padres got one back, and in the seventh entered Morris: Early catcher’s interference was an omen, we know. A string of hits, some errant throwing, and a defense staying porous Meant the Twins couldn’t win tonight in San Diego. No, the Twins couldn’t win; Oh no, this game was a sin.
And Morejon, Miller, Are always a killer; They power, we cower; Goodbye, ‘cause it’s all through.
Blunders and chunders: oh my!
So another painful loss as they battle for October; Can they ever be consistent in a forward-moving flow? There’s another game tomorrow, and I wish I wasn’t sober, ‘Cause the Twins couldn’t win tonight in San Diego.
No, the Twins couldn’t win tonight in San Diego; No, the Twins couldn’t win tonight in San Diego; No, the Twins couldn’t win tonight in San Diego; No, the Twins couldn’t win tonight in San Diego; No, the Twins couldn’t win tonight in San Diego; No, the Twins couldn’t win tonight in San Diego; No, the Twins couldn’t win tonight in San Diego; Out of whack.
(a few more DUDS: Byron Buxton, Royce Lewis, Josh Bell, & Trevor Larnach — 0-4 apiece.)
In his second game back in Chicago against the White Sox, Luis Robert Jr. crushed two homers. | CHICAGO, IL - AUGUST 22: Luis Robert Jr. #88 of the New York Mets rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the seventh inning during the game between the New York Mets and the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on Saturday, August 22, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Kyle Sheridan/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
The White Sox (67-62) failed to build on their come-from-behind victory on Friday night, as the Mets (59-71) picked up a 10-5 victory against a pitching staff that struggled from start to finish.
Luis Castillo, 33, started on the mound for the South Siders, and things did not go as planned. In the first, A.J. Ewing led off with a single on the game’s first pitch. Castillo retired the next two batters he faced, but Ewing stole second to put himself in scoring position. That set the stage for Carson Benge, who hit a soft liner into left on a low changeup to drive in the game’s first run.
Mets starting pitcher Christian Scott, 27, did not have any trouble in the bottom of the first, but the White Sox got on the board against him in the second. With the bases empty and one out, Braden Montgomery stepped up to the plate and delivered a moonshot.
The blast was Montgomery’s fifth of his young MLB career, and it tied the game at one.
The good vibes did not last long, as the third inning did not go smoothly for Castillo and the South Siders, to say the least. Francisco Lindor led off with a ground out, but Bo Bichette put the Mets back in front with a solo homer, and New York was not done. Benge added another single, and although Jared Young flew out, Benge stole second, and up to the plate stepped Luis Robert Jr. On a crucial 1-2 pitch, Castillo appeared to escape further damage with a called strike three. However, Robert made a risky move by using a challenge as early as the third on a borderline call. When I say borderline, I am serious, as ABS showed the pitch missed outside by less than one-tenth of an inch. Given how close that pitch was, it likely was not a great idea to challenge it. However, Robert’s decision worked out, and two pitches later, he launched a two-run homer to make the score 4-1.
Castillo proceeded to walk Brett Baty, and he allowed a single to Marcus Semien to wrap up his day. Castillo threw 80 pitches in 2 2/3 innings, and 42 of those happened in the third, which he did not manage to complete.
The White Sox put a nice rally together in the bottom of the third, when Tristan Peters launched a deep fly ball that resulted in an interesting moment. On the first pitch Peters saw, he hit a fastball to right that Benge followed to the wall. For an instant, Benge seemed to have it, but he collided with the wall, and the ball popped loose and sailed over the fence for a solo homer.
Drew Romo followed with a single, but Sam Antonacci struck out looking before burning an early challenge. After that, Munetaka Murakami singled, and Miguel Vargas walked to load the bases. Incredibly, that was one of four walks for Vargas, who reached base safely in all five of his plate appearances. From there, Andrew Benintendi hit a sacrifice fly to narrow the deficit to one.
The score remained 4-3 until the top of the fifth, when Benge crushed a solo homer to add an insurance run against reliever Tyler Schweitzer. Jared Young followed with a double, and although Robert grounded out, Eric Wagaman and Semien hit back-to-back RBI singles to make the score 7-3.
The White Sox got one of those runs back in the bottom of the fifth, but they missed an opportunity to get a huge inning. Romo was hit by a pitch to open the inning, and Antonacci walked. Murakami struck out, but after a wild pitch and a walk, the South Siders had the bases loaded with one out. This time, Benintendi missed out on an RBI opportunity, as he struck out. However, Braden Montgomery worked a six-pitch walk after falling behind 0-2 to drive in a run and extend the inning for Colson Montgomery. With the score 7-4, Colson crushed a 1-0 cutter over the heart of the plate deep down the right field line. This swing nearly resulted in an enormous grand slam, but Colson barely failed to keep the ball fair, so it was merely a long strike. Colson would eventually strike out looking at a sinker near the middle of the zone.
In the bottom of the sixth, once again, the White Sox picked up a run, and tell me if you have heard this before, but they could have scored more. Chase Meidroth led off with a single, and Peters drew a walk. Romo followed with a sacrifice bunt that put two in scoring position. Next up was Antonacci, who hit a high chopper to third that was placed perfectly. That resulted in an RBI infield single, and the White Sox still only had one out. Murakami struck out looking, but Vargas walked to load the bases and put the potential tying run in scoring position. Benintendi stepped up to the plate and lined the first pitch he saw to left. Initially, that liner looked like it could be trouble, but Robert tracked it down to preserve New York’s 7-5 lead.
Deadline acquisition Huascar Brazobán struck out Young to open the top of the seventh, but Robert did not make things easy on Brazobán. Robert saw a 2-2 fastball over the middle of the plate and did not miss it, as he crushed it 417 feet for his second homer of the day and his ninth of the season.
The score remained 8-5 until the top of the ninth, when the Mets put the game completely out of reach. White Sox reliever Trevor Richards pitched a scoreless eighth, but the ninth was a struggle. Young led off with a double, and although Richards retired Robert with a ground out, Luis Torrens hit a two-run blast to extend New York’s lead to five. Meanwhile, although the White Sox had a solid offensive performance with five runs on nine hits, they finished 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Ultimately, the White Sox could not keep up with New York’s bats.
The rubber match is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. CT on Sunday. The probable starters are Sean Newcomb (2.44 ERA, 3.04 FIP, 1.5 fWAR in 70 innings) and Nolan McLean (3.34 ERA, 3.61 FIP, 2.6 fWAR in 142 2/3 innings). As usual, CHSN will televise the game, and ESPN Chicago WMVP 1000 AM will have the radio coverage. We hope to see you then.
DENVER, CO - AUGUST 22: Starting pitcher Tanner Bibee #28 of the Cleveland Guardians (R) touches first base ahead of Cole Carrigg #16 of the Colorado Rockies (L) for an out after receiving the throw from Nathaniel Lowe #46 in the fifth inning at Coors Field on August 22, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The force is not with the Rockies right now.
Despite matching the Cleveland Guardian’s hit total with seven, the Colorado Rockies went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left five runners on base, while also striking out nine times on Star Wars night on Saturday at Coors Field. In the end, the difference was a three-run homer for Jo Adell, while the Rockies went yard twice, but they were both solo shots from Connor Norby and Mikey Moniak.
The loss was the fifth in a row for the Rockies and eighth straight at home.
Not the start we were looking for
Through three innings, Gabriel Hughes was cruising. He only needed 32 pitches. He gave up one infield single, forced four ground outs and struck out one. He was effective because he was throwing strikes and not falling behind hitters. He led off the second by striking out Jo Adell.
That changed in the fourth when the Guardians as Hughes faced the lineup for the second time through, starting when he issued a five-pitch walk to Chase DeLauter. José Ramírez followed with a single, setting the table for a three-run, 450-foot homer to left field to put Cleveland up 3-0. Hughes gave up another walk and another single in the inning, but was lucky to avoid any further damage in the frame.
Hughes bounced back and sent the Guardians down in order in the fifth to help keep the Rockies in the game. He is now 0-6 in nine appearances and wasn’t able to get a win on his 25th birthday.
“I thought he battled. I thought he came out of the chute very efficient,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said. “Overall, it was just one inning, one bad inning. Steps forward for sure for Gabe. Attack right out of the zone.”
When he left the game after five innings, Cleveland was up 3-2 after Hughes gave up three runs on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
Trying and not enough doing
The Rockies got on the board in the fourth when Willi Castro hit a two-out single. Troy Johnston took advantage by hitting an RBI double to cut the Guardians lead to 3-1.
“Troy’s been doing it all year. He hit two balls hard tonight. Big RBI,” Schaeffer said. “He always takes good at-bats. You can always trust Troy.”
It helped make up for a wasted chance in the first inning when Jake McCarthy led off the game with a single and Cole Carrigg walked to put runners at first and second. But Tanner Bibee struck out TJ Rumfield and got Kyle Karros to ground out to end the threat.
“You play nine innings for a reason. The first inning is just as important as the ninth inning in terms of runs scoring,” Schaeffer said. “We made Bibee work tonight in the first inning, but nothing to show for it. The next step for us is to put something up there to get the game rolling and get momentum on our side. We just couldn’t do that tonight. Bibee kept us off balance. He was really good tonight.”
Moniak doubled the Rockies score in the fifth when he hit his 21st homer — a 407-foot line drive to left field — to make it 4-2.
Karros was forced out of the game after the fifth inning and it wasn’t clear why at first. In the postgame press conference, Schaeffer explained why and it’s definitely worrisome.
“[He had] symptoms similiar to his concussion. So we had to take him out,” Schaeffer said. “We’ll know more tomorrow.”
Castro moved to third base for Karros and Norby entered the game at second. He tried to help the Rockies come up with a much needed comeback in the ninth with a solo homer that was his first in a Colorado uniform.
For three innings, the bullpen was amazing. It was the one blimp that ended up being the difference in the game.
The ball just didn’t bounce Nick Frasso’s way when he entered the game in relief in the sixth. After giving up a hard-hit (114 mph) line drive up the middle, Nathaniel Lowe hit a comebacker to the mound that Frasso tipped and shortstop Cole Carrigg wasn’t able to make the play on the deflection. Frasso then got two quick outs before giving up an RBI single to Patrick Bailey to put Cleveland up 4-2.
Brennan Bernardino was next out of the bullpen and put up a three-up, three-down seventh. Juan Mejia did the same in the eighth and returned for the ninth. Despite giving up a two-out walk, he finished the game with two scoreless innings to keep the Rockies in the fight.
“I thought that was one of the biggest highlights of this game for us because everybody knows that Juan struggles when he goes back out [for a second inning], specifically his inability to find the strike zone,” Schaeffer said. “But it seemed like he overcame that hurdle tonight and he’s going to need to do that. That’s why in a down game he needs to go back out and do that. He went back out and attacked the strike zone. …That was a big step forward for Juan.”
Up next
The Rockies and Guardians will conclude their series on Sunday at 1:10 p.m.
Tomoyuki Sugano (菅野 智之) will get the start for Colorado and enters the game with a 12-6 record and 4.70 ERA. Cleveland will send LHP Foster Griffin (14-4, 3.18) to the mound.
Before the game, the Rockies will unveil Larry Walker’s statute at 9:30 a.m. The first 15,000 fans will get a replica of the statue.
Heading into the 2025-26 season, the San Jose Sharks were in no man's land with regard to defenseman Sam Dickinson. He wasn't quite ready for the NHL, but he had accomplished everything he could in the Ontario Hockey League, and he wouldn't develop any further at that level. As a 19-year-old, he was ineligible for the American Hockey League due to the rules at the time, which are set to change a season too late in this regard.
Given a lack of legitimate options to help Dickinson develop properly, the Sharks were forced to play him at the NHL level, even though he wasn't quite ready. While he wasn't bad at the NHL level, he did struggle quite a bit early on, and his offensive contribution, which is a key aspect of his game, wasn't up to par.
Per MoneyPuck, Dickinson had the second-most defensive zone giveaways, 65, by a Sharks defenseman, trailing just Dmitry Orlov. He had 3.5 goals below expected and an abysmal shooting percentage of 1.4%. With that being said, he played as well as can be expected for a 19-year-old defenseman at the NHL level. With the exception of Matthew Schaefer with the New York Islanders, defensemen are known to develop much slower than forwards and take longer to reach their prime. As a result, it's commendable that Dickinson was able to even hang at the NHL level given his age.
Now, Dickinson is heading into a key season for his development, one that could potentially affect the rest of his career. There's a very recent example that highlights exactly what the Sharks shouldn't do if they want to keep Dickinson on the right path.
The Chicago Blackhawks selected Kevin Korchinski with the seventh-overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, just two years before Dickinson was taken 11th overall. Like Dickinson, Korchinski spent one more year in the Canadian Hockey League after being drafted and seemingly reached a point where his development would stall if he remained in the junior ranks. At 19 years of age, Korchinski was ineligible for the AHL and jumped into the NHL right away.
Looking at the two players' rookie seasons statistically, they're very similar. Korchinski played 76 games for the Blackhawks, scoring five goals and adding 10 assists for a total of 15 points. Dickinson on the other hand, appeared in 72 games for the Sharks, scoring a single goal and finishing with 14 total points. Korchinski did play a slightly bigger role for the Blackhawks, though, as he averaged 19:37 of ice time while Dickinson had just 16:45.
Given his performance at the NHL level as a 19-year-old, it seemed Korchinski was in the fast lane to success. Instead, things rapidly fell apart. He was reassigned to the AHL's Rockford IceHogs to start the 2024-25 season, and he's never been the same since. He's played 109 games at the AHL level now, and appeared in just 29 NHL games over the last two seasons.
While there are, of course, differences between Korchinski and Dickinson, as the former has been essentially a purely offensive defenseman at the NHL level while Dickinson has been somewhat serviceable in his own end, Korchinski's fall off shows why the Sharks need to handle this season perfectly if they want to get Dickinson to reach his true potential. It's possible that the Blackhawks are able to save Korchinski's development, but at this stage, it seems that if he ever reaches his ceiling, it won't be with Chicago.
Given their desire for a true number one defenseman, the Sharks need to handle Dickinson's second professional season properly; otherwise, it could set the organization back massively. Given how Korchinski's game fell off after being sent to the AHL, the Sharks would be wise to double down on their decision last fall and keep Dickinson in the NHL to prevent a similar outcome.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 22: Luis Robert Jr. #88 of the New York Mets celebrates hitting a two-run home run during the third inning against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on August 22, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Luis Robert Jr. and his powerful bat got revenge against his former team in the Mets’ 10-5 win over the White Sox to even the series.
The offense, with the help of Robert, jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the third inning and chased Chicago starter Luis Castillo from the game after getting his pitch count up. Great at bats by Bo Bichette, Carson Benge, and Robert led to an early exit in the third inning for Castillo. Bichette hit a solo home run with one out that inning and then Robert blasted a two-run shot after an ABS challenge overturned a strikeout call against him. Castillo never recovered and departed two batters later having thrown 80 pitched in 2.2 innings pitched.
With the offense clicking unfortunately Christian Scott could not hold his end of the bargain. The White Sox fought their way back in the bottom of the third after Carson Benge ran into the wall attempting to make a catch that forced the ball over the wall for a home run. Scott would go on to give up another run that inning to make it a one-run game.
In the fifth, Benge reclaimed the home run he forced over the wall with his glove by blasting one with his bat to lead off the inning. Eric Wagaman and Marcus Semien also added RBI singles and the Mets held a more comfortable 7-3 lead when the inning was over.
Once again Scott could not keep Chicago off the board and was pulled when he walked in a run with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth. It was not a great outing for the young righty who couldn’t complete five innings on a night the offense provided plenty of run support. With both starters out of the game early this one came down to a battle of the bullpens. Jonathan Pintaro was the first man up out of the Mets bullpen, and while he was able to complete the fifth after entering for Scott without further damage, he did give up a run an inning later which allowed the White Sox to inch closer yet again. However, when Chicago turned to old friend Huascar Brazobán, Robert struck again with another home run to make it 8-5.
Throughout the game manager Andy Green seemeed to pull all the right strings. First he pinch hit Eric Wagaman for Brett Baty and Wagaman came through with an RBI single. Then in the ninth, with a runner on, he pinch hit Luis Torrens for Wagaman and Torrens continued his recent power streak with a two-run home run to give new closer Kodai Senga a five-run lead to work with.
Senga allowed the first two runners to reach base but he retired the next three batters in order to finish off the victory.
It was a good bounce back win for the team who suffered a heartbreaking loss in the series opener against the first place Sox. This team continues to play well against tough competition since the trade deadline and perhaps some positives will be found in an otherwise dismal season.
Big Mets winner: Carson Benge and Austin Warren, +23% WPA Big Mets loser: Christian Scott, -19% WPA Mets pitchers: -1% WPA Mets hitters: +51% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Luis Robert Jr. home run in third, +17.7% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Braden Montgomery home run in second, -11.2% WPA
BOSTON, MA - AUGUST 22: Wilyer Abreu #52 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates with Andruw Monasterio #32 after his ground ball scoreds the game winning run during the ninth inning of their 3-2 win over the San Francisco Giants at Fenway Park on August 22, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s the magical summer of 2026. Fenway Park was full and frenzied on a slightly cool August evening. And the Red Sox were wearing the City Connect yellows, which (to me, anyway) still glow with a corona of magic from that wonderful 2021 season. And so, even as the Sox sleepwalked through the first seven innings of the game, I felt pretty confident that they were going to find a way to pull out yet another memorable win.
They did. Somehow.
Patrick Sandoval was, once again, not all that good. In fact, had Jung Ho Lee’s sharply hit groundball with the bases loaded been just a foot or two to either the left or the right, this game might’ve been out of reach in the third inning. But that ball was snagged for the third out by Willson Contreras, and Sandoval did manage to keep the offense in the game as he labored into the sixth.
For most of the night, though, the offense didn’t really seem like it wanted to get into the game; they mostly seemed like they wanted to get home. The Sox put just one single runner in scoring position in the first seven innings: it was Nick Sogard in the third and he was stranded there one batter later when Willson Contreras struck out to end what little threat there was. This was one of those nights where the Sox just couldn’t get that one hit they needed.
Then came the eighth. Mickey Gasper doubled into the right field corner. Nick Sogard took a four-pitch walk. And Ceddanne Rafaela stung a single to left that was hit too hard to score a run but brought the ballpark to life nonetheless. The Sox had the bases loaded with no outs and the heart of the order up. Bases loaded/no outs situations result in runs so often that Bill James actually invented a stat (the Houdini) to track the rare times that it doesn’t. There’s an entire internetty acronym that flies around Twitter every time a team fails to score there. Any MLB team would be expected to score there. The 2026 Red Sox — in August, in the yellows, with Abreu, Contreras, and Adley Rutschman due up — would be expected to start a dance riot.
Instead, the Giants called on closer Dylan Smith for a six-out save. Abreu struck out for the fourth time, Willson Contreras was caught looking on an ABS challenge that wasn’t particularly close, and then Rutschman flew out to deep center to end the threat.
But reread the first sentence of this recap — summer 2026, Fenway, the yellows. This game wasn’t over yet.
Gassed by all those high-leverage pitches, Smith immediately issued a non-competitive walk to Caleb Durbin to leadoff the ninth. He was replaced by Sam Hentges, who immediately hit Jahmai Jones. Andruw Monasterio lucked out of a double-play on a booted soft grounder to second, putting runners on the corners. Then Eli White lucked into the Sox’ first RBI on a softly hit single up the middle. One hit away! Again!
This time they did get that one hit — from Nick Sogard, who roped a double to left to tie it. Wilyer Abreu strode to the plate with the bases loaded and a chance to redeem himself for what had been an awful night. And he did. I mean, he only barely did: he grounded to first and then the Sox got their third bit of ninth inning luck when a bad throw barely pulled Andrew Knizner’s foot off the plate to score White from third. (Frankly: he looked out to me. Still not sure how it wasn’t overturned.)
It was an incredibly lucky ninth inning, but by now it’s clear that the 2026 Red Sox specialize in that type of thing. Magic.
Studs
Nick Sogard: It wasn’t just the RBI double in the ninth. He’d already reached base three times and made a key defensive play in the game. How could you even consider sitting him in favor of Trevor Story right now?
Caleb Durbin: He didn’t hit the ball particularly hard tonight, but he reached base three times, including a hope-inducing leadoff walk in the ninth.
Wilyer Abreu: Abreu was terrible for most of the night. The Sox only put runners in scoring position on two separate occasions in the first eight innings and Wilyer Abreu subsequently struck out both times. He struck out four times overall. He went 0-5. And his game-winning RBI came the lamest way an RBI can: via a fielder’s choice combined with a very questionable call. But it was a game-winning RBI, damn it.
The Mets bats were on fire Saturday night in Chicago with five home runs and 16 hits, beating the White Sox, 10-5.
Here are the takeaways...
-- The rookies stepped up early to give the Mets a 1-0 lead in the first inning. A.J. Ewing hit a leadoff single and stole second base to get into scoring position, as he'd come around to score on Carson Benge's two-out RBI single to left field.
Although, New York's lead didn't last long as Christian Scott let up a solo homer to Braden Montgomery with one out in the second inning. Scott locked back in and recorded back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning.
-- Perhaps a sign of how the third inning would go -- Bo Bichette won an 11-pitch battle by blasting a solo home run off Luis Castillo to put the Mets back up 2-1. It's his second straight day with a solo HR, extending his on-base streak to 12 games. New York continued to make Castillo work as Benge, the next man up, singled in a 10-pitch at-bat to push the right-hander's total to over 60 pitches in the third inning.
Former White Sox Luis Robert Jr. took advantage of a flustered Castillo (including winning a challenge on what would've been strike three), launching a two-run homer on the eighth pitch of the AB to extend the lead to 4-1. After Brett Baty walked, Marcus Semien knocked Castillo out of the game with a two-out single. The star's day finished after just 2.2 IP, having thrown 42 pitches in the third and 80 pitches overall.
The wild third inning continued in the bottom half with Scott letting up a leadoff HR to Tristan Peters, making it 4-2. Benge got shaken up on the play, crashing into the chain link fence in right field with the ball ricocheting off his glove over the wall. Scott then loaded the bases and let up a sac-fly to Andrew Benintendi, cutting the Mets' lead to 4-3.
-- Benge showed his toughness, shaking off the hard hit and smashing a solo home run in the top of the fifth inning to make it a 5-3 game. Eric Wagaman kept it going with a pinch-hit RBI single and Marcus Semien then drove him in, pushing the lead to 7-3.
-- Scott tossed a much-needed 1-2-3 fourth inning to keep the score intact, but it unraveled for him in the fifth inning. He hit the leadoff man, walked two more to load the bases, and walked in a run to make it 7-4. RHP Jonathan Pintaro came in and struck out Colson Montgomery to escape the jam. Scott finished after 4.2 IP, allowing four runs on five hits with six strikeouts and four walks over 94 pitches.
Pintaro ran into trouble of his own in the sixth inning with two in scoring position, as a run scored on a chopper that Bichette couldn't handle. Austin Warren was able to hold the score at 7-5, striking out Munetaka Murakami and getting Benintendi to line out.
-- Robert put an exclamation point on his big night with a second solo homer in the seventh inning, this time against former Met Huascar Brazobán to go up 8-5. Luis Torrens joined in on the fun in the top of the ninth, launching a two-run homer to right field to make it 10-5 -- it's his sixth home run in his last nine games.
Warren, Dedniel Núñez, and Kodai Senga closed it out, tossing a combined 3.2 scoreless innings.
Game MVP: Luis Robert Jr.
In what's been a rough season for the outfielder, Saturday was easily his best game. It's his eighth career multi-HR game and first with the Mets, naturally against his old team.
Dodgers pitcher Tarik Skubal delivers during a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium on Saturday. Skubal earned his first win with the Dodgers. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Tarik Skubal hadn’t delivered a signature outing, nor had he earned a win, over his first three starts with the Dodgers.
And six minutes into Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the two-time defending American League Cy Young Award winner seemed on his way to his worst performance yet with his new club, giving up three runs on three hits.
Then, the left-hander that manager Dave Roberts has been waiting for finally arrived, giving up just two hits over the next six innings while striking out 11 in a 4-3 win.
“Obviously the first inning didn’t go great,” Roberts said after the series-clinching win. “But just seeing him on the attack after they got those two runners on in the second inning — from that point on, it was a different pitcher.
“Yeah, that’s the guy that we needed; completing seven innings, reset the bullpen; great outing.”
Skubal finally looked like himself, earning a standing ovation as he walked off the field in the seventh.
“It feels good, obviously, to get the first one out of the way,” said Skubal as “Scooby Doo Pa Pa” by DJ Kass blared in the clubhouse. “I didn’t do a good job early in the game, but the boys picked me up and were able to keep us in a game. The offense got going, and that’s all we needed to get a win today.”
Kyle Tucker was one of the Dodgers (79-51) who got going.
Riding an 0-for-26 drought and hitting below the Mendoza Line at home, Tucker delivered a go-ahead, two-run single off Yohan Ramirez in the fifth, giving the Dodgers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Kyle Tucker runs to first base after hitting a go-ahead, two-run single against the Pirates in the fifth inning Saturday.
Tucker gets a pat on the back from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts after the Dodgers' win.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“I don’t, like, keep up with the stats like that,” Tucker said. “I’m just trying to go up there ... try and have a quality at-bat, whether it’s working a long at-bat or drawing a walk, getting ahead [or] moving guys over.”
Roberts has been outspoken in his support of Tucker and was thrilled to see the four-time All-Star have a good moment in front of the 12th sold-out crowd at Dodger Stadium this season.
“Obviously, everyone’s talking about the splits and how much he struggled at home,” Roberts said. “But I do think that the fans, every at-bat, cheering for him — you gotta feel that as a player. ... It was really good for him to come through right there.”
Another Dodger who came through was Alek Thomas. Called up from triple-A Oklahoma City after center fielder Andy Pages sustained a hand fracture Friday, Thomas delivered an RBI single off Pirates starter Jared Jones, a Whittier native, in the fourth.
“It’s been a little while,” said Thomas, who made his Dodgers debut after spending 55 games in Oklahoma City. “So, I’m super glad to be back, and happy to help the team in any way, shape or form.”
Over parts of five seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Thomas heard his fair share of boos when playing in Dodger Stadium.
“It’s funny, because they always hated me whenever I came out there in center field,” said Thomas, who was acquired by the Dodgers in May. “I was, like, ‘Come on, guys, I’m Mexican too. You don’t have to yell at me; like, we’re on the same side here.’
“But, obviously ... it doesn’t matter where you’re from. ‘If you’re not a Dodgers guy, you’re not my guy.’”
Dodgers center fielder Alek Thomas points skyward next to first base coach Chris Woodward after hitting an RBI single in the fourth inning Saturday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Relievers Evan Phillips, Jack Dreyer and Tanner Scott combined for two shutout innings. Dreyer struck out Oneil Cruz looking to end the top of the eighth with a runner on third, fighting off the Pirates’ final gasp.
The Dodgers, who have won five straight for the first time since late May, will look to sweep Pittsburgh (63-68) on Sunday.
“I’m excited,” Skubal said. “You got a ton of really good arms here and a ton of talent. It’s just about us going out there and playing baseball and executing. And when we’re doing that, we’re the best team in the league.”
