ATLANTA, GA - MAY 13: A locked padlock and chain against two official MLB baseballs representing a potential lockout between Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) for the 2027 MLB season, as photographed on May 13, 2026 in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Giants fans and fans across the country.
The 2026 season has been full of bad news for the San Francisco Giants and their fans. And if you’re an optimist who sees a light at the end of the tunnel, well … that light will be dimmed very quickly, and not even because of anything the Giants do.
Yes, baseball is headed for a lockout, and while the last one was short, everything we’ve heard going into this one suggest it will be very long. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ spending and dominance and the altered landscape of regional sports networks and streaming platforms are large factors, and it seems like both sides will get bloody arguing over whether or not a salary cap should be introduced.
It will be ugly. You’ll get sick of hearing about it. I’ll get sick of writing about it.
But as long as it’s ugly, you might as well take a chance to be right, right? So give us your predictions as to how much baseball we are deprived of while watching billionaires argue with their (mostly) well-compensated employees.
There's a certain know-it-when-you-see-it moment when a baseball team goes from underperforming to checked out, from disappointing to joylessly headed nowhere.
Their 22-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday, Aug. 18 had it all: Managerial malfeasance, an embarrassing gaffe by a superstar and, in the end, an utter lack of fight that belies the fact the Mariners are actually in the playoff hunt.
Let's be clear: That doesn't mean they're a good team.
The Mariners are 59-67, have been outscored by 45 runs and have a 60-homer superstar batting .157 — nearly 50 points worse than the lowest-qualified hitter in the major leagues. In any other year, that would typically invite a housecleaning at the trade deadline and perhaps a few rolling heads in management.
In the American League in the year 2026, however, it gets you just four games out of first in the West and three games out of the wild card.
Yet Seattle's fortuitous positioning can't wash away how dismal this season has been, particularly since expectations were sky-high after the Mariners came within eight outs of their first World Series appearance ever in 2025.
That Game 7 loss — courtesy of George Springer's historic home run — would not be possible had Mariners manager Dan Wilson not pushed virtually every wrong button in the pivotal seventh inning. And 2026 has been one hell of a hangover.
The Mariners' location in the Pacific Northwest makes them the game's best-kept secret when things are going well. It can also serve to camouflage disappointments.
But you can't hide from 22-0.
The remarkable thing? It was just a 1-0 game going into the bottom of the fifth. That's when Mariners starter Bryce Miller got peppered — single-walk-single-walk-sacrifice fly — with a one-out rally. Even then, it was just 3-0.
Lefty reliever Josh Simpson was warming in the bullpen. Christian Yelich was striding to the plate. Wilson stuck with Miller, not unlike sticking with Eduard Bazardo to face Springer all those months ago in Toronto.
Like Springer, Yelich crushed a three-run homer. And then Wilson lifted Miller once again after the fact. But it was game over at that point.
The ignominy was just beginning, though, reaching a crescendo when position player Leo Rivas was peppered for nine hits and nine runs in the bottom of the eighth. Yet only seven were earned runs, because franchise center fielder Julio Rodriguez lost track of the outs, tossed the ball into the stands and two more runs scored.
Hey, brain farts happen. But combine that with all that's gone wrong with the squad — this was the Mariners' eighth loss in 11 games — and it's a massive spotlight on a bad team.
Up 22, the Brewers saw fit to throw their own position player on the mound — catcher Gary Sanchez — and still, the Mariners couldn't push across a run. So they joined the 2004 Yankees and 1975 Pirates for the worst shutout loss since 1888.
Nonetheless, they'll wake up Wednesday four games behind Houston in the West. The division is so bad that the Mariners' odds of winning it are 23.1%, per FanGraphs, compared to their 7.4% chance to snag the final wild card, which is just three games out of their reach.
But the Mariners would have to leapfrog six teams, not two, to claim the final wild card. That's just not happening.
Bad seasons happen, certainly. But this one seems like a continuation of all that went wrong when the Mariners held that 3-2 ALCS lead, only to go home empty-handed. It seems a lot likelier there will be consequences for this failure.
DENVER, CO - AUGUST 18: Willi Castro #3 of the Colorado Rockies celebrates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field on August 18, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There just wasn’t enough LoDo Magic for the Colorado Rockies as their comeback effort fell just short in a 7-6 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Despite a solid offensive night and bullpen performance, the Rockies couldn’t overcome another difficult starting pitcher outing.
Another labored night for Feltner
Hoping to replicate his successful outing last time facing the Dodgers at Coors Field, Ryan Feltner faced a tough test against the Dodgers lineup.
Feltner worked through the opening frames, keeping the game manageable. The Dodgers manufactured a run in the first inning and added a Shohei Ohtani two-run home run in the third inning. The Rockies managed to answer back both times to tie the game 3-3, but the Dodgers’ potent order eventually broke through in the fourth inning.
The Dodgers kicked off the inning with three-straight doubles to score two runs, including Kyle Tucker’s to snap an 0-for-26 streak at the plate. Hunter Feduccia then drew his second walk of the evening against Feltner before Ohtani grounded into a fielder’s choice. Freddie Freeman capped off the scoring with a sacrifice fly to put the Dodgers up 6-3.
Feltner navigated another double in the fifth inning and came out to start the sixth inning but immediately gave up a leadoff triple that eventually scored after he departed to give the Dodgers a 7-4 lead.
“Not a lot of feel for the spin today,” said manager Warren Schaefer. “I thought he competed well, probably without all of his weapons.”
On the night, he ended up allowing seven runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and three walks. Feltner filled up the strike zone, throwing 55 of his 83 pitches for strikes, but he struggled to locate within the zone and gave up a lot of contact
The offense tries to climb back
The Rockies offense did a good job answering back early on as the Dodgers took the lead. After Jake McCarthy led off the bottom of the first with a single and stole second, Cole Carrigg hit an RBI double to tie the game 1-1. Colorado made Eric Lauer labor through that first inning, throwing a season-high 29 pitches in the first inning.
After Ohtani’s home run in the third inning, the Rockies answered with a two-out rally in the bottom half of that inning. Willi Castro drew a walk and came around to score on a TJ Rumfield double. Connor Norby followed with a double of his own to score Rumfield and tie the game 3-3
The Rockies made it a two-run game in the bottom of the fifth when Castro hit his 14th home run of the season, a solo shot to make the score 6-4, before the Dodgers tacked on in the top of the sixth.
Despite the first-inning excess of pitches, Lauer settled in against the Rockies offense, allowing just four runs on six hits while striking out six and allowing just one walk. The Rockies put together some solid at-bats but Lauer’s crafty arsenal was enough to limit further damage and preserve the Dodgers’ lead.
Late game chances
After rough innings against Jack Dreyer and Edgardo Henriquez, the Rockies tried to chip away at the three-run lead in the eighth inning against Evan Phillips.
Castro led off the inning with a double and Rumfield followed with a bloop single. Zac Veen then came through with a pinch-hit single that dropped into right field, allowing Castro to score the Rockies’ fifth run.
Adael Amador was then called upon to pinch-hit but struck out, prompting the Rockies to turn to the red-hot Brett Sullivan off the bench. The Dodgers brought in Tanner Scott to face him, and he won the battle, getting Sullivan to ground out to third base.
Colorado then threatened in the ninth when McCarthy hit a one-out double. Unfortunately, Carrigg’s lengthy at-bat resulted in a stellar play by Max Muncy at third base for the second out, but Castro delivered another clutch hit with an RBI single to left field to make it 7-6. However, Rumfield then popped out to end the game.
Castro led the Rockies offense with two hits while scoring three runs, driving in two, and drawing a pair of walks.
“Willi’s consistent; he’s been consistent all year,” said Schaeffer. “He gives you strong at-bats, day in and day out; he’s reliable. That’s what you want out of a ballplayer.”
The Rockies matched the Dodgers in hits with 10, but struck out 11 times while going 4-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Meanwhile, the Dodgers struck out just five times and went 3-for-12 with RISP but had one more extra-base hit, the sixth-inning triple proving the difference maker.
The bullpen parade
The reason the offense had chances to chip away was because of a solid night from the bullpen. Parker Mushinski entered in the sixth inning and did give up a bloop single that scored the seventh run for the Dodgers, but was otherwise unscathed in that inning. Jimmy Herget and Zach Agnos both followed with 1-2-3 innings in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively, with each collecting a strikeout. Because the game was still close, Jordan Romano was called on to pitch the ninth inning and allowed just a single as he induced three fly balls.
Up next
The Rockies and Dodgers will close out the series with Kyle Freeland (4-10, 6.27 ERA) taking the ball for Colorado and Roki Sasaki (5-5, 4.46 ERA) going for Los Angeles.
But the game could have been very different if not for ABS.
In the second inning with the game still scoreless, the Orioles loaded the bases thanks in large part to a fielding error by Jazz Chisholm Jr. after the second base umpire screened him on a groundball. What could have been an inning-ending doubleplay turned into a massive jam for Carlos Rodon and the Yankees.
Rodon would wind up striking out Carlos Narvaez before Jackson Holliday stepped into the batter's box with two outs. After Rodon got ahead 0-2, the southpaw threw a fastball away and a bit high. Holliday didn't bite, but Austin Wells hopped up to head into the dugout but stopped once he realized homeplate umpire Will Little didn't ring up the young Orioles infielder.
After a few seconds, ABS confirmed that it was a strike and the Yankees escaped.
"I thought it was a little closer to the zone, but it was a strike. I was pretty confident," Wells said after the game. "It’s big time. ABS allows us to change the game both ways. Luckily, we have it and able to convert it there."
It was a risky challenge by Wells since the Yankees were down to their last one after an ill-timed challenge by Heliot Ramos in the first inning.
"I was confident it was a strike; it ended up barely clipping," Rodon said. "It was a great challenge in the situation since we were down to one. I was confident in the challenge and I’m gald he did to get out of the inning. It worked out."
Ramos wasn't the only ABS offender on Tuesday, as Spencer Jones wasted a challenge in the fourth. Manager Aaron Boone said they were not great challenges after the game, but had to praise Wells for his game-changing one earlier in the game.
"We might have had the best challenge of the season by Wellsy, if you think about it," Boone said. "Bases loaded, Jackson Holliday, we’re already down a challenge to get that one. It could be a completely different night if he doesn’t challenge that. And Jackson gets on and Rodon is shorter. A couple of not great ones, but one of the best ones of the season by Austin."
Tuesday was Rodon's first start since June after he was placed on the IL with elbow inflammation. While his pitch count was monitored -- Rodon tossed 66 pitches -- the southpaw gave the Yankees enough, allowing one run on two hits and two walks in four innings.
"Like to fill up the zone more, get ahead sooner. First-pitch strikes a little better, but I was able to compete," Rodon said of his start. "Limited pitch count, defensively we were good. Tough play by Jazz, getting screened by the umpire. It’s our job to pick each other up, he’s picked me up before. I was happy to be able to, to keep the game close."
"I thought he did really well and to give us four strong innings, hold them to one run there," Boone said of Rodon. "Set us up to win the game."
Kyle Tucker finally ended his lengthy hitless streak with a double against the Rockies on Tuesday. (David Zalubowski / AP)
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called right fielder Kyle Tucker into the visiting manager’s office at Chase Field a week and a half ago, just to catch up.
Roberts had run into Tucker’s wife Samantha and their 5-month old baby that morning in Arizona. And he saw it as a good time to check in.
“When you start to struggle and you internalize … you find yourself going dark, and that’s a lonely place,” Roberts said Tuesday, before the Dodgers’ 7-6 win against the Rockies. “So I think that for me, trying to proactively pull conversations out of him, talk about life, talk about baseball, it just kind of opens things up, and I think that it’s freeing.
“He’s a cerebral guy by nature, internalizes a lot. But still, for me, he’s with a new ballclub, he’s scuffling, so I want to get that out of him.”
Scuffling is a mild way of describing Tucker’s struggles this season. He described it as the “first time in [his] life” that he’s had a season with so many offensive false starts. After being named an All-Star in each of his previous four seasons, Tucker is on pace for the worst offensive year since his 2018 debut season with the Astros.
On Tuesday, he finally ended his career-high hitless streak at seven games, with a double up the right-field line in the fourth inning (although he grounded out once and struck out twice in his other plate appearances). He’d gone 26 straight at-bats without a hit.
So much about Tucker’s year has been head-scratching.
Take his plate discipline, for example. Traditionally known for his strike-zone control, Tucker’s chase rate has been up this season. But even when he trimmed it to 21.6% in July (not as low as the last two years but even with his 2023 season), his production at the plate didn’t respond accordingly.
One of the biggest mysteries has been his extreme home/road splits. Entering Tuesday, he had a solid .822 OPS on the road and a paltry .558 OPS at Dodger Stadium.
Asked about the contrast earlier this week, he said he didn’t have a theory.
“If I knew, I’d probably have figured it out by now,” he said. “But that’s just kind of how it’s gone.”
Recently, his woes have followed him into the outfield. The day after he failed to reel in a flyball in the right-field corner at Dodger Stadium, he had a far worse drop Monday at Coors Field.
In the seventh inning of the Dodgers’ 11-5 victory against the Rockies, Tucker seemed to camp right under a shallow fly. But as it fell, he twisted and put one knee down before dropping the ball.
“There’s indecision, and catching a baseball at your ankles kind of speaks to where his head is at right now,” Roberts said. “It’s not from lack of effort, or care. It’s just right now, I think he’s kind of fighting. So we’ve got to keep supporting him.”
Tucker isn’t the only player who’s struggling. Mookie Betts has been hot and cold at the plate. Teoscar Hernández hasn’t been slugging the way he’s accustomed to. And before arriving in Colorado, the team was in a collective slump.
Tucker, however, is in the first year of a four-year, $240-million contract. And so far the Dodgers haven’t seen the version of him that elevated the Cubs’ offense in the first half of last year and was a steady part of the Astros’ lineup during a run of sustained success.
“Whether it’s my first year or 10th year with a team, I think it’d be frustrating regardless,” Tucker said. “But it’s not like I’m frustrated just because I’m playing at home or anything. Whether it’s on the road or at home, it would be frustrating, just not helping the team win games.”
He slid into his most recent slump during the Dodgers’ last homestand, but the Colorado altitude didn’t immediately work its magic when the team went back on the road.
During Monday’s SNLA broadcast, analyst Eric Karros suggested sending Tucker to Arizona for a reset.
The less extreme version would be sitting Tucker for several games in a row.
“I’m not at the point where it’s like a three-day, three-game reset situation, something like that,” Roberts said Tuesday afternoon.
He did, however, give Tucker a day off Saturday, saying he saw Tucker’s frustration as he continued to struggle offensively at Dodger Stadium. And Tuesday, he said he hadn’t decided whether to start Tucker against Rockies left-handed starter Kyle Freeland the next day.
“It’s tough because, I mean, I feel like I’ve tried just about everything,” Tucker said. “And every time I feel like I’m turning a corner, I get hit with a roadblock. But, you can’t stop. You just got to keep going, try and at least pick out the positives, and just try and ride with that. Just keep on moving to the next day and hope for something to build.”
DENVER , CO - AUGUST 18: Shohei Ohtani (17) of the Los Angeles Dodgers is greeted by teammates in the dugout after he smoked a two-run home run during the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado on Tuesday, August 18, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post) | Denver Post via Getty Images
The Dodgers scored in four different innings, including a three-run fourth inning and held on to beat the Colorado Rockies 7-6 on Tuesday night at Coors Field in Denver.
If anything, the offense is exercising muscles that sat dormant for a while.
Shohei Ohtani hit a two-run lead to give the Dodgers a lead in the third inning, continuing a hot streak that included four extra-base hits on the homestand and two home run in Monday’s series opener. Ohtani’s sixth home run in his last 13 games was also his 30th of the season, just the seventh Dodger to hit 30 home runs in at least three consecutive seasons, and the first since Gary Sheffield from 1999-2001.
After two home runs on Monday and Tuesday’s blast, Ohtani since joining the Dodgers in 2024 has nine home runs in 19 games at Coors Field while hitting .407/.478/.840 with 25 runs scored and 23 RBI.
For Ohtani, he’s hit 30 home runs for six years in a row, dating back to 2021, encompassing his final three seasons with the Angels and first three with the Dodgers.
Doubling their pleasure
Kyle Tucker swung through four consecutive changeups and fouled off another to start his night. Ryan Feltner threw a sixth changeup, and this time Tucker lined a ball just inside the first base line in the fourth inning, the second of three consecutive doubles by the Dodgers to open the three-run frame. The double for Tucker snapped an 0-for-26 skid that dated back to August 9.
The other doubles in the fourth inning were by Tommy Edman, who also doubled in the fifth, and by Teoscar Hernández, who later tripled and scored in the sixth.
Freddie Freeman singled in the first inning, and was running on a full count when Andy Pages singled to left field, and Freeman was able to get to third easily. Freeman tagged up on a foul pop to third baseman Willi Castro well down the left field line, and scored the game’s first run easily after Castro made an overhead catch. Freeman also walked and stole second with one out in the third inning, taking third on an errant throw by catcher Braxton Fulford.
In the sixth inning, Freeman lofted a two-out single into left field for another run, and his second straight multi-hit affair.
Call to arms
Eric Lauer gave up a run in the first inning and two in the third, both times matching what the Dodgers scored in the top of the frame. Lauer kept the third lead provided in the top of the fourth inning, allowing only a solo home run to Willi Castro in the fifth before his night was finished. Lauer didn’t go six innings this time but did strike out six batters in his five frames.
Jack Dreyer and Edgardo Henriquez held serve with scoreless frames of relief, but Evan Phillips — working for a second straight night — allowed the first three to reach in the eighth inning, bringing home one run and leaving with two outs and the tying runs on base.
Tanner Scott entered as the fireman and induced a groundout to extinguish the rally, then allowed a double and single in ninth, cutting the lead to a single run. Scott stranded the tying run on base by getting TJ Rumfield to pop out to shortstop, finishing out the game.
Tuesday was Scott’s fifth appearance and third save longer than an inning this season.
Catch and release
Hunter Feduccia caught all nine innings on Monday and caught the first six and a third innings on Tuesday. But after a strike out to open the seventh inning, Feduccia appeared to throw up behind home plate and walked off the field into the clubhouse. There was a long delay before Ben Rortvedt put his gear on and relieved Feduccia behind the plate to finish out the inning and the game.
Dave Roberts confirmed that Hunter Feduccia was sick when he abruptly exited with one out in B7. Running theory is stomach bug/food poisoning. "He went as long as he could go, obviously. And he’ll be down tomorrow. But he gave us a great effort.”
The Dodgers go for their second sweep of a last-place team in the last two weeks on Wednesday night (5:40 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA), with Roki Sasaki on the mound against Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 17: Pete Crow-Armstrong #4 of the Chicago Cubs celebrates after hitting a two-run walk-off home run during the tenth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Wrigley Field on August 17, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s Tuesday night here at BCB After Dark: the coolest club for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. It’s so nice to see you tonight. Come on in and dry off. There’s no cover charge. The dress code is casual. The hostess will seat you now. Bring your own beverage.
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.
On Tuesday night, I don’t normally do any movie stuff. But I can scrounge up some tunes for you.
Tonight we have legendary vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater performing B.B. King’s signature song, “The Thrill is Gone” in Abu Dhabi for International Jazz Day in 2025. Bridgewater is backed by an all-star band that is too long to mention here, but you can go to YouTube and get them all if you wish.
Last night, Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a walk-off home run that sealed his second-straight season of 30 home runs and 30 steals. Tonight’s question is simple. There are 35 games left in the season. Crow-Armstrong has 31 home runs (after one more tonight as I write this) and 31 steals. Can he get nine more home runs and nine more steals to be a 40-40 player?
Only six players in MLB history have ever had 40 home runs and 40 steals in a season. They are
Jose Canseco (1988) 42 HR, 40 SB
Barry Bonds (1996) 42 HR, 40 SB
Alex Rodriguez (1998) 42 HR, 46 SB
Alfonso Soriano (2006) 46 HR, 41 SB
Ronald Acuña Jr. (2023) 41 HR, 73 SB
Shohei Ohtani (2024) 54 HR, 59 SB
Obviously Ohtani is the only member of the 50-50 club.
So when this season ends, will we be adding Pete Crow-Amstrong to this list of names?
Thank you for stopping by tonight. We were so glad to see you. Please tell your friends about us. Get home safely. Don’t forget any personal items. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow night for more BCB After Dark.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 18: Bryce Miller #50 of the Seattle Mariners is taken out of game in the fifth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on August 18, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
You want to empty your home, you want to empty your life, of the 2026 Mariners, and we here at Lookout Landing Lacuna are here to help.
Hopefully you enjoyed the brief interlude of the Mariners winning a series against the Astros, as we’re back to our regularly scheduled programming of soul-crushing road losses with a 22-0 debacle against the Brewers. This game was close until it wasn’t, on paper at least, but with the Mariners offense flat in the first five innings of this game, a 1-0 deficit felt about as large as the eventual 2-0 deficit…then 6-0…then 11-0…then 22-0. I might have missed some in there. Honestly I sort of stopped paying attention, in the way that sometimes at the dentist’s office you transport yourself elsewhere mentally somewhere more pleasant. To paraphrase John Green a little, this game fell apart the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.
Or to paraphrase Charlie Kaufman:
The Mariners could have gotten on the board first in this one, with Brendan Donovan – whose bat continues to slowly heat up as he gets more regular playing time – led off with a double off lefty Kyle Harrison. But despite Donovan moving to third on a wild pitch, the Mariners couldn’t get that run across with no outs, as the top of the lineup went down in order after that – Randy Arozarena struck out, Dom Canzone grounded out, and Julio Rodríguez struck out one pitch after a pitch he should have walked on, a slurve well below the zone that was called a strike.
Meanwhile, the Brewers came out swinging hard against Bryce Miller, making the kind of early loud contact that has unfortunately been a hallmark of Miller’s outings lately. He got lucky with a couple of deep flyouts – one tracked down by an excellent route by Julio in center – but then hung a splitter to Jake Bauers for a double, with Bauers narrowly safe at second thanks to a strong catch and throw by Robles in right. Unlike the Mariners, the Brewers were then able to score that run; William Contreras turned on a sinker inside and did just enough to get it into left field. The slow-footed Bauers should have been out at home, but the ball popped out of Cal Raleigh’s glove when Bauers ran into Raleigh, earning Cal a tough error.
(Hilariously, at one point it looked like we’d debate that one run all night. That was before Julio Rodríguez threw a ball into the stands with just one out, allowing a run to score, and it somehow wasn’t even the worst thing to happen that inning. We were so young here, in this part of the recap. How happy is the blameless recapper’s lot!)
It wasn’t much easier for Miller in the second as he labored through the bottom half of the Brewers’ lineup; he worked around back-to-back one-out singles but the Brewers just weren’t fooled by anything; he had just four whiffs by the end of the second with no strikeouts; meanwhile, the Mariners had struck out four times by the end of the third. The Mariners allowing a starter to settle in after making some noise early? Color me sadprised.
Harrison had retired nine in a row by the fifth when Victor Robles worked a two-out walk and Brock Rodden knocked a ball up the middle that the shortstop was able to smother but not make a play on. Robles and Rodden then executed a risky double steal but Rodden was tagged out at second. Like the missed catch at home, at one point this might have made a difference in the ballgame. When I was young and upset, my mom used to tell me that one day, whatever intense heartbreak I was suffering would feel like nothing at all, that I wouldn’t even remember it. What she didn’t tell me was that the reason that would happen is because that sharp pain would be dulled by a lifetime of other, worse ones.
Once again, in a cruel mirroring, the Brewers got some traffic in the bottom of the inning after Miller had retired nine in a row himself, with Hamilton eking out an infield single Cole Young couldn’t quite corral, followed by a steal where he was narrowly safe. Maybe losing the handle a little, Miller went on to walk Brice Turang on four pitches and then the Brewers executed a double steal of their own, as if to rub the Mariners’ faces in their own failure in the top of the inning. Jackson Chourio then hit a little flyball single that dropped right in front of Julio for a 2-0 Brewers lead, doubling up what already felt like an impossible 1-0 deficit. Miller then fell behind Jake Bauers 3-0 before walking him, loading the bases for the dangerous Contreras. Miller was able to keep Contreras in the yard, limiting the damage to a sac fly, but that brought up Christian Yelich. Miller made a mistake with his splitter, and Yelich – although not the fearsome hitter he’s been in years past – jumped on it, demolishing the splitter on the plate 396 feet to double up the Brewers’ lead.
Postgame, Dan Wilson took accountability for leaving Miller in despite the hard contact the Brewers had been making off him all game: “It’s on me. I didn’t make the right choice.”
That’s where in a merciful and just world this game would have ended, with each side trading half-hearted blows and the Mariners quietly limping to a shutout loss. But this game was not merciful despite how much fans might have wished for a mercy rule, as the Brewers went on to put the kind of hurting on the Mariners that brings national attention (derogatory). If the Mariners must be bad, can’t they just be bad in peace and leave us safely below the radar of fans with access to gif toolbars? But no, they must make a big, unignorable pile of mess. In architectural terms, they somehow created an unholy trinity of the J.Edgar Hoover building (depressing), Trump Tower in Vegas (tacky), and DIA (ugly, confusing, likely haunted by a malevolent spirit).
The one thing that sucked about this game is it crushed underfoot one of the tender green shoots of hope I’d been nourishing for the back half of this season, namely that Josh Simpson Is Interesting. This felt much more like a spring training Simpson appearance, when he struggled to throw strikes. Things got
bad worse
from
here
to the point where I don’t want to necessarily detail them any more, and I don’t think you want to read about them. How much deeper can a hole be dug? To the point where Leo Rivas was standing on the mound in the eighth. The numbers just kept ticking up in the runs column for the Brewers until it sort of just felt numb. Just tiny little rocks. The 2026 Mariners: technically it IS brain damage.
“Obviously, it’s an embarrassing loss. We got our ass kicked,” said Bryce Miller postgame. “But at the end of the day, dwelling on it isn’t going to do any good. We gotta go back to the hotel, sleep, and come back tomorrow and play again.”
“Blessed are the forgetful, for they get the better even of their blunders,“ said Fredrich Nietzsche post-Enlightenment. Meet me tomorrow in Montauk Milwaukee.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - AUGUST 18: Gabriel Moreno #14 of the Arizona Diamondbacks rounds the bases after hitting a grand slam against the Boston Red Sox during the third inning at Fenway Park on August 18, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dbacks fell once again for the second consecutive night in Boston 9-4. To make things worse, the Phillies and the Padres won so now the Dbacks are 2 games outside of the third wild card spot. They are losers of 3 in a row and are 4-6 over their last 10 games.
Despite everything happening off the field with this team and Ketel Marte, it was actually the pitching that let this team down for the second consecutive night. The Marte news is no doubt a distraction im sure for this team, however having Ketel Marte on the field isn’t going to change the fact that this pitching staff has given up 20 runs the past 2 games. You aren’t going to win very many games giving up that many runs no matter who you are running up there to bat.
Merrill Kelly continued his skid as his stuff has really regressed late into the season. Kelly allowed 6 ER in just 4 innings tonight including 4 walks. What has become especially alarming about Kelly is just how few of his pitches he is throwing in the zone. This was first brought to my attention weeks ago by Snakes Territory’s own Jesse Freidman, and tonight he noted that Kelly only threw 38.4% of his pitches in the strike zone. Last year, Kelly’s in zone rate was 47.8%. And it wasn’t just tonight for Kelly as he has had a sub 40% in zone rate for several of his last starts. Whatever is going on with him isn’t going to be a simple fix im afraid. He really has some issues he needs to iron out physically, mechanically, or perhaps both.
The offense was rather quiet again with the exception of a Gabi Moreno grand slam in the top of the 3rd inning. It was just like you drew it up too as with 2 outs Waldschmidt and Vargas each singled, and Carroll was hit by a pitch brining up exactly who you wanted at the plate in this situation, the teams hottest hitter Gabi Moreno. Moreno then proceeded to get ahead in the count 2-0 and then absolutely unloads on a mistake pitch 428 feet over the green monster for a grand slam. Like I said, just like you drew it up. Team baseball passing the baton to the heart of the lineup.
Unfortunately Merrill Kelly would hand the 4-3 lead immediately back to the Red Sox just 4 batters later. Terrible timing for a team desperate to get some momentum. Then the Dbacks offense would proceed to do almost nothing for the rest of the game outside of a Perdomo double in the 6th and a couple of singles gathered around.
Aside from the Gabi grand slam, the highlight of the game for me was seeing Justin Martinez back on the mound pumping 102mph fastballs. He did walk 2 guys in the inning and was far from perfect, but to be able to get him back out on the mound is huge for this team. What a bullpen these guys can theoretically run out there now that Martinez is back!
Like I said in the beginning, im sure the Marte situation is a distraction, but you aren’t going to win many games giving up 9 or more runs. The offense has not looked good since the Marte news broke with the exception of 1 swing from Gabi Moreno sure. However the Dbacks were not going to win either of these games with how poorly the pitching has shown up in this series.
Tomorrow will really be the test for this team as they send the red hot Brandon Pfaadt to the mound to try and avoid the sweep, but the offense will have to rebound against Payton Tolle and his power fastball. The Dbacks badly need to get some momentum back on their side and try and put this Ketel Marte situation behind them the best they can if they want to save their season. And hopefully tomorrow can also be some good news on the Ketel front if all goes well on his MRI.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - AUGUST 18: Adley Rutschman #31 of the Boston Red Sox hits a home run, his first in a Red Sox uniform, during the third inning of a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on August 18, 2026 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The runs came early and often for the Sox in this one as they scored in the five of the first seven frames, including three in the opening inning to set the tone. However, the most impressive baseball of the night came in the bottom of the third.
Right after Ranger Suarez served up a grand slam to erase an early 3-0 Sox lead, Boston counterpunched and posted a pair of runs on their own. Adley Rutschman got things started with this homer, his first in a Red Sox uniform.
That bomb was impressive for two reasons: First, Rutschman’s struggled out of the gate in his Red Sox tenure, going 0 for his last 18 before this series started. So getting him off the schneid is an encouraging sign.
But secondly, the way a guy breaks out of a slump tells you a little something about how useful he might be in a playoff push, and this shot checked a bunch of boxes. It was a home run, it was crushed, it tied the game, it came right after Arizona scored four runs. Lots to like there!
Later in the inning, the impressive baseball continued with this slide by Caleb Durbin.
Granted, a bunch of this is also bad baseball by Arizona. Merrill Kelly has oscillated between being excellent and terrible all season long (and the latter version clearly showed up tonight). They’re on a rough east coast road trip. Ketel Marte went missing yesterday before heading back to Phoenix for an MRI, and they made several boneheaded plays defensively over the last two games.
But still, the Sox are taking full advantage of it, and that’s what good teams do during the dog days of summer. When you’re on the right side of games like this, you can marvel at things like this Durbin slide on repeat all night long.
Three Studs
Adley Rutschman: In addition to his home run, Rutschman also got the scoring started in the first inning with this bases loaded single. (He ended up getting on base three times to go along with his three RBI.)
The Jimmy Fund: The annual radio-telethon broke a record and is now at $7 million and counting in donations. As a cancer survivor, Thank You to everybody who donated! Also, Thank You to all the fans who share their stories, the players who get active in the event, and the Red Sox and NESN for doing an awesome job hosting this thing every year. This one was especially outstanding!
(Also, more good news. The previous five years that were at the top of the list in donations were years the Red Sox ended up making the playoffs.)
Two Duds
Wilyer Abreu: Only guy in the lineup without a hit. He went 0-4, but did walk and score a run.
Bullpen management: Why are we using Erik Miller up five runs? With both Garrett Whitlock and Justin Slaten on the IL, the Sox need to use Tyron Guerrero and Miller as strategically as possible. They are the two best weapons to bridge the starter to Chapman in the ninth, and using Miller tonight in the eighth wasn’t a very productive use of resources.
Ranger Suarez:
He gets his own category here. I don’t want to give him a dud, because he did get the win and pitched well for most of the night (throwing more pitches than any outing since before going on the IL with a groin injury in July), but the top of that third inning wasn’t nothing.
The D-Backs strung a two-out rally together that culminated in a grand slam and temporarily gave Arizona the lead. On a night like this, it didn’t really matter because the Sox offense stayed on the attack. However, if Boston’s going to make a deep run in the playoffs, they can’t afford to have Suarez come off the rails like that for a random inning. We’re getting closer to the point in the calendar where they’re going to need him to lock in, and each start he doesn’t gets a little bit more concerning. Tonight was closer to what we’re looking for, but things are still not fully buttoned up. Maybe next week in Miami?
Play of the night:
Amazingly, the most encouraging effort of the night from a big picture standpoint didn’t even come from Fenway Park. Instead, it happened in Portland, Maine, where in the first game of his rehab assignment, Roman Anthony obliterated a baseball over the right field grandstand and completely out of Hadlock Field! Mercy!
Roman Anthony no-doubt home run 💪
He's reached base all 3 plate appearances in his first rehab appearance with Double-A Portland. pic.twitter.com/rxMxFb05B9
(We’re still working to get a distance on this home run, but it hasn’t landed yet.)
Anthony got on base in all four of his plate appearances, which included two walks and an opposite field base hit to go along with his mammoth home run. In some ways the opposite field 108mph single was almost as encouraging as the home run. (We’ll have more on this and the rest of that game tomorrow here at Over The Monster with Dean Roussel on Minor Lines.)
Looking Ahead:
Wednesday’s game is on a bit earlier at 4:00pm, and it serves as a mini get away day for Arizona. It also gives the Sox a bit more breathing room, as they have an off day on Thursday in the middle of this homestand, their first since way back on August 3rd.
Before the rest and recovery though, Payton Tolle will take the mound going for the sweep of the snakes.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - AUGUST 18: Cam Smith #11 of the Houston Astros hits a solo home run in the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Daikin Park on August 18, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Houston Astros/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Tuesday Night marked the fifth time this season that the last place Angels defeated the Astros.
Final Score LA 3 Houston 1
The Angels scored the first run of the night in the top of the third inning. Wade Meckler singled to center, stole second and came around thanks to a clutch two out RBI from Nolan Schanuel. The Astros had chances in the first. With two outs, Issac Paredes drew a walk and went to third on a single from Jose Altuve. However, each were stranded when Daulton Varsho struck out swinging.
Josh Lowe would add to the Angels lead, launching an opposite field home run in the fourth inning off Cristian Javier. It was Lowe’s 10th home run of the season. Javier would last four innings, allowing 5 hits, a pair of runs and striking out five on 87 pitches. The 87 pitches would be Javier’s highest total of the year. Bryan King would come on in relief and exit after a Nolan Schanuel single. King would give way to Enyel De Los Santos, who would promptly allow an RBI double to Zach Neto. Just like that, the Angels had posted runs in three consecutive innings.
In just his fifth major league start, George Klassen would pitch shut out baseball over seven innings, resembling Chuck Finley in his Halos prime. He’d earn the win. The Astros lone run came off the bat of Cam Smith who hit his 17 home run of the year of Jose Fermin.
One thing is for certain, the Astros are as flat as day old soda. The Mariners in 2024 sat 64-64 when they released manager Scott Servais in hopes of a jump start. That firing occurred on August 22nd of that year, so there is precedent for a late season managerial change. Of course, that move ultimately made little difference in the grand scheme of things as Seattle would miss the playoffs.
Who knows, perhaps .500 baseball or slightly above it will ultimately win the A.L. West. It’s happened before. In 2005, the Padres won their division with a mark of 82-80. Would it shock anyone if the Astros in their final stretch went 19-17, matching the mark of the Pads, albeit 21 seasons later?
Maybe newcomer Ethan Pecko can breathe some life into Daikin Park on Wednesday Night when he takes the mound. They are in need of a wakeup call. Walker’s heroics from last Friday Night already feels like a month ago.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 18: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres celebrates after hitting a lead off home run with David MacIas #46 during the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field on August 18, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Mets dropped the middle game of their three-game set with the Padres, 5-2.
The Mets’ string of good luck somewhat dried up tonight, although starter Zac Thornton gave them a perfectly cromulent start, five inning performance, allowing three earned runs on two home runs, while striking out seven and walking just one. Thornton has bent but not broke in many of his starts thus far, and this start continued that trend.
In fact, if Thornton had been able to control Fernando Tatis Jr., his start would’ve looked quite different. Tatis drilled two home runs in the first five innings, driving in three runs and putting the Padres up ahead enough that he didn’t need the insurance runs provided by his teammates. But alas, Tatis has woken up his bat in the second half, and Thornton was on the other side of that tonight.
The sole Mets’ offense came from solo home runs from Luis Torrens and Luis Robert Jr. The Torrens renaissance continues, and while Robert is more than likely not a Met next season, it’s nice to see the Mets producing up and down the lineup. Bo Bichette collected two hits, and first baseman [checks notes] Christopher Morel collected one hit as well. But aside from a few walks, that’s all folks.
Some of that can be credited to Robbie Ray, who looked really good over his six innings of work, allowing just three hits, three walks, and striking out four. He wasn’t overpowering, but he kept the Mets off-balance enough to limit their productivity.
Ty France singled home Jase Bowen in the seventh off of Jack Weisenburger and Manny Machado added a solo home run in the ninth off of Dedniel Nuñez, but overall the Mets’ bullpen was similarly fine tonight. After four games in a row where the Mets looked like they had some juice behind them, tonight just looked flat.
Tomorrow, Robert Stock makes his fourth start of the season, facing off against Michael King in the rubber game in a matinee at Citi Field.
Three of the recently acquired Mets prospects had big nights on Tuesday.
Third baseman Jefferson Rojas, acquired from the Chicago Cubs in the Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor trade, showed why he's viewed as the club's new No. 1 prospect. The 21-year-old went 3-for-5 with a game-tying double in the ninth, a HR, and three RBI for Double-A Binghamton.
Rojas now has two home runs in 11 games since joining the organization and is up to 17 home runs on the year (all in Double-A). Overall, he's hitting .273 with a .813 OPS over 102 games this season.
Over in Syracuse, Émilien Pitre and Billy Amick both made an impact in their Triple-A debuts after being promoted on Monday.
Pitre, who was one of three players the Mets got from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Freddy Peralta, led off and went 2-for-4 with a double and run scored. The 23-year-old has now played in four different minor league levels this season after starting the year in High-A and owns a collective .318 batting average.
Amick went 1-for-4 with an RBI double, but did strike out three times. He came to New York, along with Bruin Agbayani, from the Minnesota Twins in the A.J. Minter deal. The 23-year-old hit fourth in the lineup behind Ronny Mauricio (who went 3-for-3 with three RBI and a walk) and played first base, which he's split time at along with third base this season (48 games at 3B, 36 games at 1B).
Tuesday Tanks.
Jefferson Rojas (@Mets No. 1 prospect) launches a two-run home run. 🚀
📏405 FT 🔥106.7 MPH
It's his second home run as a member of the Mets organization.
Aug 18, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Joey Ortiz (3) congratulates Milwaukee Brewers third baseman David Hamilton (6) after hitting a home run against the Seattle Mariners int he sixth inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Brewers poured it on the Mariners tonight with 22 hits and 22 runs in a game that became a laugher late. But even discounting the nine runs that Milwaukee scored off of a position player, the offense showed real, positive signs against Mariners starter Bryce Miller and a series of ineffective relievers. On the other side of the ball, Kyle Harrison kept the Mariners off the board for five innings and the bullpen kept it going. What resulted was a historic night: the Brewers matched the largest margin of victory in a shutout in the last 126 years.
Brendan Donovan, the first batter against Harrison tonight, smacked a ball to the base of the wall in the right-field gap for a leadoff double. But Harrison locked in, and even with a wild pitch that advanced Donovan to third, Harrison got managed a scoreless inning with a strikeout, a ground ball to second with a drawn-in infield, and another strikeout. (William Contreras, unfortunately, burned a challenge on a 2-0 pitch with two outs that was almost three inches off the plate, putting Milwaukee behind the eight ball early in that respect.)
The Brewers got some good swings on Miller in the bottom of the first. Brice Turang, playing for the first time since last Wednesday, hit a solid line drive to left but it was caught by Randy Arozarena. Jackson Chourio nearly went yard; he hit one 102 mph and 402 feet to center, but Julio Rodríguez caught it on a leap at the wall. It wasn’t quite a home run robbery, but it kind of looked like it on TV. Jake Bauers was next, and he ripped a double into the right-field corner, just barely beating out Victor Robles’ throw at second. Three pitches later, William Contreras blooped a soft line drive just over shortstop. Bauers looked like dead meat at the plate—Arozarena’s throw beat him by a mile—but when Raleigh put a tag on the sliding Bauers, the ball was knocked loose. Bauers hadn’t touched the plate and didn’t immediately catch that Raleigh didn’t have the ball, but he realized in time to just beat the scrambling Mariner catcher back to home plate. Christian Yelich struck out to end the inning but the Brewers had an early lead.
Harrison got a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the second. The Brewers continued to hit it hard in the second; Luis Lara flew out to the warning track for the first out, and Garrett Mitchell and Joey Ortiz followed with back-to-back one-out singles that were both hit over 100 mph. Miller did manage to work his way out of it after a fielder’s choice from David Hamilton and a ball that just jammed Turang enough for him to fly out to deep right, but Miller was up over 40 pitches through two innings and still trailing 1-0.
Both pitchers started rolling after that, and after each had perfect innings in the third and fourth, Harrison had retired seven straight and Miller eight. Harrison got up to nine straight before walking Robles with two outs in the fifth, and an infield single from the number-nine hitter, Brock Rodden, followed. But the two-out rally was ended when, on a double steal attempt, Contreras threw Rodden out at second (with an assist from a Brewers challenge).
Miller also got to nine straight, but Hamilton ended the streak with one out in the bottom of the fifth on an infield single. With Turang batting, Hamilton stole second—barely—and Turang walked to give the Brewers two runners on with one out. On the first pitch to Chourio, both Hamilton and Turang took off and easily stole third and second with no throw made. Two pitches later, Chourio knocked a base hit to center that scored Hamilton, though Turang, who couldn’t tell if the ball was going to be caught, ended up needing to hold at second.
Bauers kept the rally going by drawing a walk, which loaded the bases for Contreras. The Brewer catcher hit a hard line drive to left—it was caught, but Turang was able to score from third to increase the Brewer lead. After that, the Brewers got the big hit that this offense has lacked lately. With two outs, Mariner manager Dan Wilson chose to stick with Miller rather than move to either of the two lefties who were ready in the bullpen. Yelich made him pay; his three-run homer to right center was his ninth of the season and first since July 24. Josh Simpson came in after Yelich’s homer, a batter too late, and retired Lara to end the inning. The Brewers put a five-spot on Miller in the fifth, and the lead was up to 6-0.
Harrison was done after five innings despite just 79 pitches—he’s still recovering, and it was apparently very hot and humid at American Family Field today. Harrison’s velocity was down a little compared to earlier in the season, and he didn’t appear to have his sharpest stuff, but he still carved up the struggling Mariners offense tonight: he finished with five scoreless innings while allowing two hits and two walks and striking out eight. Harrison was replaced by Shane Drohan, who has at least temporarily rejoined the bullpen; Drohan gave up a two-out double to Dominic Canzone, but Rodríguez flew out to left to end the inning.
After a 109.6 mph single in his fourth-inning at-bat, Mitchell did it again—109.6 mph—in the sixth, punching one through the right side. A walk by Ortiz put two runners on with nobody out, and Hamilton followed with a borderline shocking lefty-on-lefty home run, a three-run shot that made it 9-0 Brewers. It was just the second time Hamilton has homered off a lefty as a big leaguer, though he has only 18 career homers, so I guess that’s not all that crazy.
Simpson, who was quickly unraveling, walked Turang on four pitches. A strikeout of Chourio settled things for a moment, but Bauers got a 2-2 hanging sweeper and hit the Brewers’ third homer of the night, a two-run shot that made it 11-0. Simpson was pulled in favor of Nick Davila, who got Contreras and Yelich to end the inning, but the rout was on.
With their first huge lead in some time, the Brewers made some defensive changes in the top of the seventh behind Drohan, with Jonathan Ornelas, Andrew Vaughn, and Brandon Lockridge entering the game for Turang, Bauers, and Chourio, respectively. Vaughn immediately got to make a play, a pretty nice one on a grounder down the right-field line, and Ortiz followed with some fancy glovework for out number two. Drohan issued a couple of two-out walks, but a Rodden lineout ended the inning.
Things continued to go a bit sideways for the Mariners in the seventh. Lara started the inning with a single and Mitchell followed with another. An Ortiz fielder’s choice put runners on the corners with one out, and a Hamilton single made it 12-0. Lockridge hit a grounder back to Davila, but Davila, looking to start a double play, made a bad throw to second. The ball stayed close enough to the infield that a run didn’t score, but the Brewers had the bases loaded with one out for Vaughn. Vaughn hit into what should’ve been a tailor-made double play to end the inning, but Josh Naylor simply dropped the throw to first—there was nothing wrong with it whatsoever—and Vaughn was safe at first, allowing another run to score. Ornelas struck out to end the inning, but it was the third straight inning in which the Brewers scored multiple runs.
Grant Anderson came in to pitch the eighth for Milwaukee, and after a strikeout of Weston Wilson, he got the second out with the aide of some very slick fielding by Ortiz, who slid to his left and made a sharp throw to first just ahead of Arozarena. Canzone, on the first pitch, flew out to left to end a quick, easy inning for Anderson.
Utility infielder Leo Rivas was on the mound in the bottom of the eighth, offering some 40 mph heat. Contreras led off and missed a home run by a foot or two, settling with a double off the top of the center field wall. Yelich roped a single into center, and Lara followed with the first homer of his career. I’m not sure how he’ll feel about doing it off of Leo Rivas and his 36.9 mph lob, but hey, a homer is a homer.
Rivas proved incapable of getting the Brewers out, as the home batters did a little bit of stat padding. Bauers and Ortiz followed Lara’s homer with a couple of singles. Hamilton flew out to center for Rivas’s first out, but Lockridge kept the hit parade going with a single through the left side of the infield. Vaughn was up with the bases loaded, and he singled in about the exact same spot that Lockridge used, which scored the Brewers’ 17th run on their 20th hit. Ornelas got a hit on a fly ball to left, and for the third time in the game, the Brewers had scored five runs in an inning.
Contreras, who led off the inning, drew an RBI walk. If you didn’t think this game could get any weirder, Yelich then hit a fly ball to center, which Rodríguez caught… but he thought it was the third out, so he threw it into the stands, but it was just the second out, so instead of one run scoring on a sac fly, that run scored and the other batters got to advance two bases. Lara hit an RBI single before Mitchell finally, mercifully, flew out to right—with Robles doing a weird little impersonation of Willie Mays’ famous “Catch.” If you had trouble keeping up with the runs scored there, it was nine; Milwaukee led 22-0.
The Brewers also didn’t feel like letting this game end normally, so Gary Sánchez came out to pitch the top of the ninth. Sánchez was sitting in the high 30s but showed an ability to dial it up all the way to the low 70s. His ability change speeds kept the Mariner hitters off balance, and despite a couple of hits, Sánchez put a zero on the board in the ninth.
That was a historically important zero: with their 22-0 win, the Brewers matched the largest margin of victory in a shutout in the “modern era,” since the American League was founded in 1901. The feat was done just two other times: when the Pirates beat the Cubs 22-0 at Wrigley Field on September 16, 1975; and when the Cleveland Indians beat the Yankees 22-0 on August 31, 2004. In the former game, Pittsburgh leadoff hitter Rennie Stennett went 7-for-7, Hall-of-Famers Willie Stargell and Dave Parker combined for five hits and eight RBI (plus a homer from the Cobra), and John Candelaria went seven shutout innings. In the latter game, Omar Vizquel was 6-for-7 with four RBI, Travis Hafner hit a triple, and home runs came from Coco Crisp, Victor Marínez, and Brewers legend Jody Gerut, while Jake Westbrook went seven shutout while picking up his 12th win of the season.
A box score to remember, here. The Brewers had 22 hits; every player on the team, including the three subs, had at least one except for Turang, who was 0-for-2 with two walks. Yelich, Hamilton, Bauers, and Lara all homered, while Bauers and Contreras both hit doubles when the game was still contested. On the pitching side, Harrison was effective in five shutout innings, while Drohan, Anderson, and Sánchez finished things off.
The Mariners will look to flush this one and get back to good baseball tomorrow, while the Brewers will hope that there’s some real building blocks for their struggling offense in this one. Dustin May is back on the mound for Milwaukee tomorrow, while Seattle will counter with Logan Gilbert. It’s a 6:40 start, and we’ll see you then.
Aug 18, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers designated hitter Justin Foscue (14) follows through on his solo home run against the Washington Nationals during the second inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Texas Rangers scored five runs while the Washington Nationals scored zero runs.
Maybe all the Rangers needed was to play a team from the National League. Sure the American League is terrible this season but Texas obviously likes a challenge. Why put in your best effort against the likes of Anaheim and Not-Oakland when you can show up the Senior Circuit?
It’s probably just anecdotal but it feels like the Rangers have been cooled off a time or two by scheduled days off. However yesterday was a day off that was most welcome and allowed the club to reset after a well-documented unseemly trip out West.
Back home and with the trouble on the coast fully flushed, the Rangers scored a run in the first inning to grab the all important early lead. The run that scored following a couple of hits from Wyatt Langford and Corey Seager came after Cal Quantrill had worked around a leadoff CJ Abrams double in the top of the first.
An inning later, Texas didn’t need to manufacture a run as they turned to the long ball with a solo shot from Justin Foscue. One of many Rangers who have been slumping in August, Foscue collected his eighth dinger of the year as the night’s designated hitter against a left-handed starter for Washington.
Two early runs were nice but a run apiece in a couple of innings is hardly a crooked number. The Rangers fixed that in the bottom of the third when they put together a rally that produced three runs, including the first RBI base hit with the bases loaded in franchise history! (probably)
Cody Freeman’s infield single with the bags packed made it 5-0 Texas and from there, thanks to a great evening of pitching ignited by Quantrill, that score remained there until the final out as the Rangers returned home winners.
Player of the Game: Quantrill, who I likened to Dave Burba in a skeet to AJM earlier today, was out there looking more like Roger Clemens with seven shutout innings on four hits, zero walks, and five Ks.
With Nathan Eovaldi out and Jacob deGrom hurting, Quantrill has stepped up in a big way for a rotation that seemed on the verge of collapsing.
Up Next: The Rangers and Nationals will be back at it tomorrow with Texas not yet able or willing to list a starter while Washington will opt for RHP Cade Cavalli.
The Wednesday evening first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 7:05 pm CDT and you can catch it via the Rangers Sports Network.
