Category: Baseball

I hope that St. Louis Cardinals fans will one day look back at this game as the start of a historic career. Not trying to be overdramatic, but Saturday’s Cardinals game vs the Cubs was the Major League debut of Joshua Baez and his impact was immediate. On the mound, it was the Cardinals Michael McGreevy doing battle with the Cubs Matthew Boyd, but it was Baez who would steal the show as he did something no player has ever done.

The St. Louis Cardinals came out of the gate fast in the top of the 1st inning as JJ Wetherholt drew a leadoff walk. Iván Herrera was then hit in the back foot by a pitch and Jordan Walker grounded into a fielder’s choice avoiding the double play and giving St. Louis runners at first and third with just one out. Alec Burleson drilled a ball up the middle which resulted in a force out at second, but he beat the throw at first which proved to be key for two reasons. First, it allowed JJ Wetherholt to score the first run to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead and it kept the St. Louis 1st going. That brought us the first Major League at-bat from Joshua Baez. How would he respond to the pressure of his first plate appearance in The Show? Answer – he absolutely destroyed a 93 mph four-seam fastball from Matthew Boyd and sent it into the stratosphere 449 feet over the centerfield wall for a 2-run home run making it 3-0 Cardinals. Hello world. Meet Joshua Baez!

After that truly electric debut moment from Joshua Baez, the Chicago Cubs jumped right back into the game with an unintended assist by the Cardinals defense. With two outs in the bottom of the second, Nico Hoerner hit a ground ball that Blaze Jordan simply missed at third base. That would end up being a costly error as Ramirez followed that with a double and then Michael Conforto lifted a sky high fly ball to right field that somehow ended up in the stands for a game-tying 3-run home run. Don’t get too excited, Cub fans. That tied game would only last until the next Joshua Baez at-bat.

In the top of the 4th inning, Joshua Baez led off and quickly fell into an 0-2 count. He would eventually work the count full when he waited on a 77 mph Matthew Boyd changeup and blasted it 382 feet into the left field stands. Ridiculous (in the best possible way)! 4-3 Cardinals!

Think about the following fact. Never in Major League history has a player ever hit a home run in his first three at-bats. Never. No one. EVER. Until today. After Alec Burleson walked in the top of the 6th inning, Joshua Baez strolled to the plate and did something that no one has ever done. Not Hank Aaron. Not Aaron Judge. Not Mark McGwire. Not Barry Bonds. No one has hit three home runs in their first three Major League at-bats except Joshua Baez who hit an 83 mph slider 368 feet into the right field stands for a 2-run homer. HISTORY and a 6-3 Cardinals lead!

It almost seemed like an afterthought after the historic Baez homer, but Blaze Jordan hit a big blast of his own 408 feet into the left field bleachers to give the Cardinals a 7-3 lead.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that many of us who make up Cardinals nation were so overwhelmed with emotions that it was hard to pay attention to details of the baseball game that was continuing as we all tried to soak in what we had witnessed. This was literally the kind of day where you will remember where you were when it happened. What I (and others) nearly overlooked was Michael McGreevy pitched a great game throwing 6 complete innings giving up no earned runs (we can blame those on Cardinals defensive errors) while striking out 6 and walking only 1. It was a quality start that was really more than that when you consider he threw it at Wrigley Field.

For Saturday’s game to be truly satisfying for Cardinals fans, the bullpen would have to hold the lead. Justin Bruihl entered the fray in the bottom of the 7th inning. He pitched an uneventful inning thanks to a well-turned double play by Winn/Wetherholt and a very weak flyout by Pete Crow-Armstrong.

I was telling my wife as the top of the 8th inning started that anyone batting in front of Joshua Baez would get better pitches to hit. That happened just as the words left my mouth as Cubs relief pitcher Rea threw a 95 mph four-seam fastball right down the middle of the plate to Alec Burleson who sent it flying 403 feet into the left-centerfield bleachers upping the Cardinals lead to 8-3. Something special happened in the fourth Joshua Baez at-bat even though this one did not leave the park. After he lined out to left field, the entire stadium gave Baez a standing ovation as he left the field. Imagine that. A St. Louis Cardinal getting a standing ovation from Cubs fans. That phrase “how can you not be romantic about baseball?” comes true again.

Ryne Stanek would run into trouble in the bottom of the 8th inning. He gave up a leadoff double to Suzuki to start it and then mishandled a dribbler from Michael Busch to give the Cubs runners at first and third with no outs. He gladly gave up a run on a double play turned again by Wetherholt and Winn to make it 8-4 Cardinals and that’s fortunately the only run Chicago would get.

After the Cardinals failed to add to their lead in the top of the 9th, it was up to Riley O’Brien to wrap up a historic baseball game with a St. Louis victory. He did so without drama which now allows all of us Cardinals fans to think about what we witnessed Saturday.

Where were you when Joshua Baez hit 3 home runs in his first 3 Major League at-bats? I’ll never forget. Will you?

The St. Louis Cardinals will wrap up their weekend series against the Chicago Cubs Sunday. Hunter Dobbins is the starter for the Cardinals. He’ll go up against Edward Cabrera who will start for the Cubs. First pitch is scheduled for 2:15pm central time and the game broadcast will be available via ESPN/ABC.

The Dodgers finish off their National League showdown series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.

Tarik Skubal is on the mound, making his third start for the Dodgers and looking for his first win for his new team.

Rookie right-hander Logan Henderson has started 11 times this season, interrupted only by seven weeks on the injured list with a low back strain. But Henderson in those 11 starts has yet to allow more than three runs, and has only allowed three runs twice, with a 2.88 ERA in 56 1/3 innings with 69 strikeouts and 11 walks.

Among major league pitchers with at least 10 starts this season, Tarik Skubal’s 7.11 strikeout per walk is tops, with Henderson third at 6.27. In second place is Jacob Misiorowski (6.80), Saturday’s starting pitcher for Milwaukee.

Sunday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Brewers
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Start time: 1:10 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers are facing Milwaukee Brewers Jacob Misiorowski, who has been the best pitcher in baseball this season, the toughest right-hander in the game who throws 105 mph. But in the corner outfielders the Dodgers on Saturday are starting a pair of right-handed hitters Teoscar Hernández and Alex Call.

Hernández has slumped so badly that manager Dave Roberts said this week he would probably sit him more against right-handers. Call barely plays at all, so any start he gets his news. Left-handed batter Kyle Tucker is not in the lineup, not necessarily for matchup reasons, but for the simple reason that he hasn’t hit a lick at Dodger Stadium this season.

Tucker is hitting a execrable .192/.270/.276 with a 62 wRC+ at home this season. His batted ball numbers at Dodger Stadium are a little better — .241 expected batting average and .329 expected slugging percentage — but still bad.

“For Kyle, being at home right now, I see the frustration,” Roberts said. “I felt for him to kind of use today as a work day, then he’ll be back in there tomorrow, and he’ll play all three in Denver.”

Saturday is day nine of 13 game days in a row for the Dodgers, and every regular position player has been rested at least once during this stretch already, save for center fielder Andy Pages. Tucker already didn’t start on Monday at home, though he walked as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning and scored on Max Muncy’s three-run double.

Tucker only has five hits in his last 50 at-bats at Dodger Stadium, a 16-game stretch dating back to July 7. His last extra-base hit was on July 10, with 48 plate appearances since. His last RBI came on July 8, 51 PA ago. And Tucker hasn’t homered at home since a two-run shot off Nick Martinez of the Tampa Bay Rays on June 16, exactly 100 plate appearances ago.

When the Dodgers are on the road, Tucker is hitting .275/.371/.469 with a 131 wRC+, right in line with Tucker’s overall career line of .268/.355/.489 with a 133 wRC+, the very player they signed to a whopping four-year, $240 million contract in February, setting a record for highest average annual value for competitive balance tax purposes ($57.2 million).

“I don’t think he even realized it until recently when people brought it to light. But the fact is the split are stark, home and road,” Roberts said. “I don’t think we have a reason behind it. I wouldn’t say he’s fixated on it, but certainly he’s conscious of it.”

The Brewers and Dodgers are two teams with struggling offenses who have had to fight for every run they’ve earned through the first two games of this four-game series. The teams have split the first two, with a combined score of 7-6 in favor of the Dodgers. Things won’t get easier for the Dodgers’ offense, at least, as today the Brewers send Jacob Misiorowski to the mound to face the high-powered Los Angeles lineup. The Dodgers counter with an All-Star of their own, Justin Wrobelski, who is having a bit of a breakout season in his third season in the big leagues.

Before we get to the pitching matchup, we’ve got a roster move to report, as the Brewers continue to struggle to find a last guy on the bench. After less than a week, the Jihwan Bae era in Milwaukee as over, as the Brewers have acquired the recently-DFAd Jonathan Ornelas from the Athletics for cash. Ornelas, 26, is a right-handed hitting infielder who was a third-round pick of the Rangers way back in 2018. He first appeared in a major-league game in 2023, but has only had sporadic action since then—he has just 71 plate appearances scattered over 38 games in four major-league seasons. This year, Ornelas went 2-for-12 in six games with the Athletics, though he spent most of the season in the Yankees’ system, where he hit a solid .299/.362/.480 in 75 games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Back to the pitching matchup! Misiorowski is looking to bounce back off of a couple of starts that, while not remotely bad, weren’t as good as he surely would have liked. Miz pitched well on August 2nd against the Angels but his offense failed him, as the Brewers lost 3-0 in a game in which the young ace went seven innings, allowed two runs, and struck out ten. Last time against the Twins, Miz went six, struck out nine, and allowed three runs to the Twins, but the Brewers were able to win that game in ten innings. This will be Misiorowski’s first career start against the Dodgers, though he did of course throw five innings in game three of last year’s NLCS when he followed opener Aaron Ashby. In that game, Miz struck out nine and allowed only one earned run (and one further run of the unearned variety), but the Brewers could only score once.

Wrobleski, who turned 26 last month and is left-handed, is having a solid season: in 20 games (19 starts) and 120 1/3 innings, he’s got a 3.44 ERA and an 11-4 record. He isn’t striknig out a ton of batters this season (7.0 per nine innings), but he’s not walking them, either (2.0/9). That said, he does sport a FIP that’s quite a bit higher than his ERA (4.13) and his Statcast page has a lot of blue, so the Brewers will hope there’s some regression there. Wrobleski primarily uses a four-seamer/slider combination, though he’s got a bunch of other pitches that he’ll mix in occasionally.

Brice Turang remains out of the Brewers’ lineup, though Curt Hogg mentioned that he’ll do some work on the field today and is optimistic he won’t have to go on the IL. (That decision would likely come tomorrow, as they can only backdate an IL stint three days, and Turang has already missed three games.) Ornelas, the new guy, gets a start today—why not try anything to wake the offense up?—and will start at second base, giving Hamilton the evening off against the lefty. There are further shakeups to the batting order: Luis Lara, who is playing center field, moves up to the two-hole, while Andrew Vaughn (again at third base) bats third, Jake Bauers (in right field) hits fourth, and Gary Sánchez (first base) hits fifth. The lineup is rounded out by Christian Yelich, William Contreras, Joey Ortiz (at shortstop), and Ornelas.

First pitch is at 6:15 p.m., and recall that this game is being nationally televised on Fox rather than on Brewers TV. As always, it’ll be on the Brewers Radio Network as well.

Saturday’s contest brings another edition of the San Diego Padres “pitching chaos,” as Wandy Peralta will be the opener for this evening’s game. Randy Vasquez will be the bulk pitcher and go against Cleveland Guardians Joey Cantillo. It is a very intriguing matchup, as both young pitchers have shown promise on the mound this season.

The Padres will take the diamond riding a six-game winning streak. After losing the home series opener to the Houston Astros, the Friars responded with a blistering offensive attack that led to a 5-1 homestand.

The bats have carried the team through the starting rotation’s dry spell, masking the starters’ inability to record outs. The lineup is hitting a robust .324 since August 8, with Jackson Merrill, Luis Rengifo, and Fernando Tatis Jr. being the hottest hitters of the group.

Merrill has carried the offense with a .344 batting average and .615 slugging percentage to begin August. Rengifo has been the perfect addition to the roster. He posted a .321 batting average with three home runs during the six-game winning streak. Tatis Jr. has smacked four home runs over the last 10 games.

Taking the mound: Wandy Peralta (SD) vs Joey Cantillo (CLEV)

Arguably, Vasquez (8-6, 4.16 ERA) has been the Friars’ best pitcher since the All-Star break. He has found his groove and consistently shut down opposing lineups. Slowly, the right-hander has built his confidence with each positive outing. 

Vasquez has posted a 2.37 ERA since July, and over his last five starts, he has allowed five earned runs in 19.0 innings pitched. For the 2026 season, the four-year vet has posted a 1.37 WHIP. 

However, Vasquez is vulnerable to pitching to contact, but it has not affected him in recent appearances. But he has recorded four strikeouts over his last 15.2 innings pitched and holds a 66: 31 strikeouts-to-walks ratio.

The Guardians will send out Cantillo (8-7, 3.91 ERA) to even the series at a game apiece. But the team’s front office has concerns with his command of late. He has regressed a bit, pitching to a 5.74 ERA over his last 18.2 IP. 

Cantillo throws hard, as he recorded 132 strikeouts in 25 starts. But the left-hander is having trouble throwing his fastball and changeup consistently for strikes. 

It has not allowed him to pitch deep into starts, as opponents are hitting .263 off Cantillo. If the young pitcher can get his control in order, Cantillo’s repertoire should gain him more swing-and-misses in games. 

The Padres lineup must be patient and drive up his pitch count, which forces Guardians manager Stephen Vogt to use his bullpen early for the second straight night. 

Today’s Lineups

Despite struggling to find any manner of consistency since the All-Star break, the White Sox are winning the games that matter. Today’s slim, 4-3 win over the Tigers makes for their 64th on the season, and the fourth straight series won or split against an AL Central opponent. Chicago’s destiny is in its own hands in the Central, and to this point they’re doing their best to make sure they stay in control.

Tigers starter Troy Melton was all over the place this afternoon. His command hasn’t always been sharp despite elite results as of late, and today the batted-ball gods swung the other way on him. The Sox posted seven hits through the first two innings, and Melton finished with a final line of nine hits and three earned runs in just 4 1/3 innings, handily his shortest outing of his season.

The particular boogeyman for Melton was his breaking balls, which kept leaking out over the plate against a lefty-heavy Sox lineup. It resulted in a boatload of pulled hits through the right side, with a couple of extra-base hits coming from lefties sitting back on a breaking ball and shooting it the other way. No single Sox hitter stood out as a star, but eight of the nine hitters in the starting lineup recorded a hit, with Randal Grichuk providing two more off the bench, as well as the game-winning run in inning number seven. RBIs were spread between Colson Montgomery (2), Braden Montgomery and Andrew Benintendi.

Melton’s batterymate Eduardo Valencia, meanwhile, had quite a mixed bag of a game. He had a second straight multi-hit effort and launched his sixth home run in just 18 games, but he also cost his team both of their ABS challenge before the conclusion of the fifth inning. Sox catcher Jake Rogers was successful on the team’s only contestation of the day.

Back-to-back doubles to start the fifth looked like it might have been the beginning of the end for Kay, who also had far from his best control today. He threw a lot of pitches that both caught way too much of the zone and many that were way too far away from it. Still, when he missed, he tended to miss low in the zone or below it. Somewhat remarkably, he allowed seven batted balls of at least 95 mph, but none of them managed to break 98. So when Dillon Dingler lined into a tag-up double play to end the back-to-back doubles threat, it allowed Kay to bear down and work into the sixth inning, keeping the Sox bullpen relatively fresh for another day.

This brutal stretch of nearly three weeks without an off-day will in great part depend on how well the bullpen can endure what’s sure to be a lot of strain, and today, they pulled through. Jordan Hicks threw a fantastic 1 2/3 hitless innings of relief after taking over for Kay in the sixth. Two innings later, Grant Taylor looked excellent for the second day in a row, lowering his season ERA to 2.11. To cap off an impeccable day of relief, Bryan Hudson threw an all-too-rare, easy 1-2-3 ninth inning to pick up his fifth save of the year.

The Sox had multiple opportunities to extend or take the lead, leaving runners on third base in both the fifth and seventh innings, and leaving eight men on base in total. Nonetheless, that stellar job from the bullpen secured them the win in a lockdown manner that they’ve struggled to get on a consistent basis all season.

The win brings the White Sox to 64-58 on the year and, more importantly, extends their lead in the AL Central to a season-high 4 1/2 games at the moment. They’ll go for the series sweep tomorrow, putting the ball in the hands of Sean Burke, who certainly hopes that his hot stretch will last a little longer than Melton’s. That’ll be followed up on Monday with Luis Castillo’s third turn through the rotation on his new team, hoping that he can open a huge series at Wrigley Field looking more like his second start with the South Siders than his first. First pitch tomorrow is set for 12:40 p.m. CT, and we’ll see you there!.

MVP
The Bullpen (Jordan Hicks, Grant Taylor, Bryan Hudson): 4 2/3 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 5 SO

Runners-Up
Randal Grichuk: 2-for-2, 2B, R
Andrew Benintendi: 2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI

Cold Cat
Jake Rogers: 0-for-4, 2 K, GIDP

Runners-Up
Chase Meidroth: 1-for-4
Brenton Doyle: 3 pitches, 1 CS

The Braves are stacking right-handed bats with a lefty starter on the mound for Arizona. While Ha-Seong Kim is still mysteriously present on the bench without being used for…anything, Dubon does replace Jarvis in the more advantageous platoon situation.

Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks lineup can be found below, featuring Lars Nootbar at leadoff.

Game Info

Game Time: Saturday, August 15, 7:15 PM ET

Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA

Watch: FOX

Radio/Audio: 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan, La Mejor 1600/1460/1130 AM

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Three big-time sluggers highlight my MLB player props home run analysis for tonight's action. 

Pete Alonso starts things off, with Kyle Schwarber joining him in elite company.

Plus, I'll tell you why Jac Caglianone's bat will stay hot in my MLB picks and home run props for Saturday, Aug. 15. 

MLB home run props for today

Player to hit a HR	Odds
Pete Alonso	+365
Kyle Schwarber	+307
Jac Caglianone	+226
💲Today's HR parlay	+10572

Home run prediction: Pete Alonso (+365)

Pete Alonso is tearing the cover off the baseball lately. The veteran has smacked three bombs over the last week, and he has a mind-boggling .435 ISO during his last six games. Alonso cannot be stopped, and his underlying numbers are also insane. 

Alonso has a 73.7% hard-hit rate and 26.3% barrel rate during that span. He'll face Tampa Bay Rays lefty Ian Seymour tonight, who has allowed a 45.5% hard-hit rate in the last month and a 13.6% barrel rate. 

I'm also loving the profile for Alonso against a Rays bullpen with an FIP over five lately while they've allowed 2.10 HR/9 in their last 25.2 frames. 

Play this pick down to +300. 

• Time: 6:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Rays.TV, MASN

Home run prediction: Kyle Schwarber (+307)

How can we ignore the home run leader? Kyle Schwarber leads the big leagues with 37 bombs, and he has cracked four in his last six games while posting an ISO over .600. The hard-hit rate is otherworldly, and the barrel rate is just as ridiculous, sitting at 37.5% over the last week.

Schwarber will face a homer-prone starter tonight in Minnesota Twins lefty Connor Prielipp, who has allowed 2.61 HR/9 across his previous two appearances. Schwarber has also handled southpaws well enough this season, going deep 12 times against left-handed pitching.

He owns a 56.3% fly-ball rate over the last week.

Play this pick down to +200.

• Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Twins.TV, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Home run prediction: Jac Caglianone (+226)

Jac Caglianone is one of the most feared power hitters in baseball right now. The Kansas City Royals slugger has gone deep four times in his last six games, including two of his last four. Caglianone’s ISO over the last week sits at a ridiculous .583.

He also owns a 57.1% hard-hit rate and 23.8% barrel rate during that span. Caglianone will face left-hander Reid Detmers tonight, who has given up 1.80 HR/9 across his previous two outings. Caglianone has not had a ton of success against lefties, but his recent power profile is impossible to ignore.

The Los Angeles Angels’ bullpen is also allowing plenty of hard contact lately, giving the Royals slugger another path to leave the yard late.

Play this pick down to +200.

• Time: 9:38 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Royals.TV, ABTV

Best home run combo for August 15

Pete Alonso	Trade Now +10572
Kyle Schwarber
Jac Caglianone

Want more baseball parlays? Check out our MLB parlay picks page!

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Brady Singer’s rock solid run of form has run out of gas a bit of late. It’s enough to wonder if the entire spotlight of him being an obvious trade piece as the August 3rd trade deadline came, and went, and him still being on the Cincinnati Reds took a bit out of him.

Over his last four starts, he’s fired 23.0 IP and allowed 13 ER (5.09 ERA). His 3.25 FIP, though, suggests that maybe he’s been a bit unlucky even though his 18/9 K/BB in that span is mediocre by most (including his) standards.

Singer will look to get back on track on Saturday evening in Great American Ball Park when he toes the rubber to start the second game of the series against the Miami Marlins. He’ll fire the game’s first pitch at 6:40 PM ET, whereas the Fish will send out righty Ryan Gusto to start.

Gusto, to his credit, fired 6.0 IP of 1 ER ball against the mighty Atlanta Braves 11 days ago, his best outing as a member of the starting rotation after having been bumped to long relief for a stint in July bookending the All Star break. On the whole, he has pitched to a 4.78 ERA (3.90 FIP) in 49.0 IP across 15 games so far this season, and since he has only thrown more than 80 pitches once since June 21st, odds are we’ll be seeing a lot of the Miami bullpen in this one.

(Unless, of course, the Cincinnati bats go as cold as they often have this year.)

A close fought game did not go the Detroit Tigers way on Saturday as some of their biggest bats continued their recent struggles. The batted ball luck didn’t help matters, and Troy Melton finally had a bit of a rough start. Still, the Tigers had their chances as the White Sox held on to win 4-3. They will be hunting a sweep on Sunday.

Things did not start off auspiciously for Troy Melton in this one. Needing a good start to help even up the series, Melton had one of his toughest outings of the season. Sam Antonacci ripped a first pitch heater for a double to start the game, and Munetaka Murakami drew a walk. Melton bounced back, striking out Miguel Vargas, and getting Andrew Benintendi on a fly out. Unfortunately, Braden Montgomery singled through the right side, scoring Antonacci before Melton struck out Colson Montgomery to end the inning.

Facing lefty Anthony Kay, the Tigers got walks to Hao-Yu Lee and then Kevin McGonigle with two outs. Eduardo Valencia singled into center field to score Lee, but Spencer Torkelson struck out. So we had a 1-1 tie after one inning.

Melton got ambushed a bit again in the second, as Chase Meidroth and Tristan Peters led off with singles. The young right-hander just wasn’t getting ahead enough with first pitch strikes. Jake Rogers stepped into the box and got a nice ovation. He then grounded into a rare 1-5-4 double play, thanks Jake, and Melton whiffed Antonacci with a good curveball. However, Kay tossed a quick 1-2-3 inning, getting Ben Malgeri, Javier Báez, and freezing Corey Julks for strike three after Rogers correctly challenged.

Murakami got an 0-1 slider away to start the third, and ripped a line drive up the left center field gap for a leadoff double. Vargas grounded out, but Benintendi reached on an infield single. Braden Montgomery grounded one to Torkelson, who fired home to Valencia to get Murakami while Benintendi and Montgomery aggressively took second and third. Melton needed an out to escape but instead Colson Montgomery doubled to right, scoring both runs. 3-1 White Sox. Not ideal.

Gleyber Torres lined a single to right to start the bottom of the third, but the Tigers big bats were still quiet as Lee struck out, Dillon Dingler flew out, and Kevin McGonigle grounded out to end the inning.

Even in the fourth, Melton gave up a leadoff single to Peters, but he snuffed any further rallying by getting the next three in order.

Eduardo Valencia continued to provide the offense in the bottom of the fourth as Kay left a 2-2 changeup just up in the zone, and the rookie launched it into the Tigers bullpen to make it a 3-2 game. That was his sixth home run of the season. The Tigers went in order from there, though.

Melton’s struggles continued in the fifth as Vargas led off with a double. Melton got Benintendi on a grounder, but his day was done at that point as Drew Sommers took over. The big lefty did a nice job striking out both Montgomerys to strand Vargas, although Valencia blew the Tigers second challenge on a ball to Colson before Sommers bent a sweeper in there to lock him up. Having no challenges at this point of the game is scary.

Finally in the bottom half the Tigers did tie things up. Back-to-back doubles from Julks and Torres made it a 3-3 game. Lee grounded out, and Dingler’s frustrations over the last three series continued as he lined out to shortstop and Torres got caught leaning and was doubled off to end the inning. Still, we had a new ballgame at 3-3 heading into the final four frames.

Sommers got Meidroth to ground out to open the sixth. Peters tried to bunt for some reason and was thrown out. Sommers blew away Rogers, and finally the Tigers had another 1-2-3 inning and had a chance to seize control in the bottom half. It didn’t start off well, as Kay got McGonigle to ground out. That was the last batter Will Venable wanted his starter to face, and so Kay’s day was done, and hard-throwing sinkerballer Jordan Hicks took over.

Hicks has never really managed to get his control issues smoothed out for long, but he continues to strike out a good amount of hitters and doesn’t give up many home runs at all. Valencia nearly hammered an 0-1 breaking ball but he pulled it foul. A lengthy battle ended with a blooper for an out to Murakami at first, and Hicks blew away Torkelson at 99 mph to send us to the seventh.

Venable pinch-hit Randal Grichuk in for Antonacci, and he drilled a drive to center field for a leadoff double to start the seventh. We’ve seen too much of this. Sommers blew Murakami away for the first out, and AJ Hinch made the rare move of walking Vargas intentionally. The idea was to set up Sommers against Benintendi to get the ground ball, and they got it, but it was hit hard enough to get past a diving McGonigle at shortstop. He got a bit of glove on it, killing the speed of the ball as it bounced into left field, and Grichuk scored easily while Vargas went first to third. 4-3 White Sox.

That was the end for Sommers, and Kyle Finnegan took over against Braden Montgomery, and the Tigers really needed some good Finnegan here. They got it, as he whiffed Montgomery with a splitter, and Colson flew out to Javy Báez in center field.

Max Clark got the first part of the game off but entered to pinch-hit for Malgeri against Hicks in the bottom of the seventh. He hit one hard, but Colson Montgomery leapt to snare it for the first out. Báez struck out, and Zach McKinstry pinch-hit for Julks. Hicks whiffed him on a splitter, and we were on to the eighth.

McKinstry took over in right field, with Clark in center, and Báez over in left as the inning began. Finnegan faced Meidroth to start the inning. He got a ground out from him, and Peters lined out to McKinstry. Rogers grounded out and it was the Tigers’ turn.

Hard-throwing Grant Taylor took over for the White Sox, and Torres pulled a single to left to lead off. Unfortunately, Colt Keith pinch hit for Lee and grounded one to first for a double play. Dingler’s struggles continued as he struck out and we were on to the ninth.

Tanner Rainey entered for the Tigers in the top half. He gave up a leadoff single to Grichuk, and Brenton Doyle pinch ran for him and was cut down by Valencia trying to steal second. Nice throw. Rainey struck out Murakami and Vargas lined out to McKinstry. So, it was last call for the Tigers down 4-3.

Lefty Bryan Hudson took over to close this out for the White Sox. McGonigle put together a good AB, but a sharply hit ball to right field was run down at the warning track by Braden Montgomery. Valencia was frozen by a heater on the inner edge, and Spencer Torkelson flew out to center field to end it.

The White Sox extend their lead in the AL Central to 4.5 games in the process. Tough time for Dingler, Keith, and McGonigle to cool off, at least briefly, but we’re getting a good look at the fact that the White Sox are a legitimately good, deep team. The pitching matchup should’ve favored the Tigers with Melton vs. the lefty Kay, but it didn’t quite work out that way.

The Tigers weren’t going to run the table all the way to the end of the season. Some rough spots had to be expected, but there are 39 games remaining, and the Tigers have worked their way right into the thick of the AL playoff picture. They will look to salvage a game in the series and re-group on Sunday. RHP Drew Anderson will take on a tough opponent in RHP Sean Burke at 1:40 p.m. ET.

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The Milwaukee Brewers enter Dodger Stadium as the -117 road favorites tonight on the back of Jacob Misiorowski, who looks to continue his climb up the NL Cy Young odds.

I’ll break down why the Brew Crew is a good bet for a low-scoring win in my Brewers vs. Dodgers predictions and free MLB picks for Saturday, Aug. 15.

Who will win Brewers vs Dodgers today: Brewers moneyline (-121)

Jacob Misiorowski is running away in the NL Cy Young odds, and it’s easy to see why. 

The Milwaukee Brewers ace is in the top percentile among all pitchers in pitching run value, xERA (1.93), xBA (.163), and K% (40.6%).

Misiorowski has held his opponents to two runs or fewer in 14 of his last 16 starts going back to May, and that’s bad news for a Los Angeles Dodgers squad that’s averaging just 3.62 runs per game over its last 13 contests.

I’m playing Milwaukee up to -125.

COVERS INTEL: The Dodgers are hitting an MLB-worst .169 against the four-seamer vs. righties this month, a pitch that Misiorowski throws 64% of the time with an average velocity over 100 mph.

Brewers vs Dodgers Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (-121)

The Dodgers are ice-cold at the plate right now, and they won’t put many runs on the board against Misiorowski and the fourth-best bullpen in the majors.

Meanwhile, the Brewers are down three starting players and have averaged a measly three runs per game over their last seven outings.

Milwaukee also owns the eighth-worst average (.219) and highest K% (36.6) against left-handed pitching this month, and won’t enjoy tonight’s matchup vs. Justin Wrobleski.

The Under is the play to -130.

Brewers vs Dodgers home run prediction: Jackson Chourio (+414)

Jackson Chourio has been Milwaukee’s most consistent home-run hitter this year with 17 dingers in 89 games. The right-handed slugger has hammered left-handed pitching, with five homers in just 94 at-bats while carrying a .309 average and .521 SLG.

Breaking balls have been a weak spot for Wrobleski, who carries a -3 breaking run value according to Statcast. Wrobleski’s slider has been hit out of the park five times this season, and Chourio himself has hit nine of his 17 dingers off that pitch. 

Playable to +400. 

Brewers vs Dodgers weather

Dodger Stadium will see clear skies, mild temperatures, and light winds blowing out to center field throughout the night. 

Brewers vs Dodgers odds

• Moneyline: Brewers -117 | Dodgers +113
• Run line: Brewers -1.5 | Dodgers +1.5
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 | Under 7.5

Brewers vs Dodgers trend

The Brewers have hit the Under in 13 of their last 21 games (+5.55 Units / 24% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Brewers vs. Dodgers.

How to watch Brewers vs Dodgers and game info

Brewers vs Dodgers latest injuries

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Last night the bats just could not get going and the bullpen faltered. That led to a disappointing 4-1 loss. Now the boys will have to regroup and try to even the series. Hopefully the league’s highest scoring offense can figure out the Mets makeshift pitching staff.

With a lefty on the mound, there will be plenty of changes to the lineup. Dylan Crews will lead off and play right. CJ Abrams is at short again despite the announcement of his move to second base. Andrew Pinckney and Harry Ford are also back in the lineup. Brad Lord will start as his reintegration into the rotation continues.

The Mets have a couple new faces at the bottom of their lineup. Brett Baty will play left field and Jorge Polanco will DH. Otherwise it is the same group as last night. Francisco Lindor will lead the way without Juan Soto. Sean Manaea has been throwing the ball much better lately and will be on the mound today.

Game Info:

Stadium: Citi Field

Time: 4:10 PM EST

TV: Nationals.TV and FS1

Radio: 106.7 The Fan

Losing this series in New York would be a massive blow. This group needs to buckle down and do whatever it takes to win. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!

It’s time for Game 2 in the three-game series between the San Francisco Giants and the Colorado Rockies. All I’m hoping for is that it goes better than the first game did. And hey, we’re getting an MLB debut this fine afternoon, as Turner Hill is starting in left field!

Taking the mound for the Giants is their ace, righty Logan Webb. The three-time All-Star has made 21 starts this season, and is 7-7 with a 3.59 ERA, a 3.27 FIP, and 103 strikeouts to 32 walks in 133 innings. Webb was excellent his last time out, giving up just one run in eight innings against the Detroit Tigers.

For the Rockies, it’s veteran right-hander Michael Lorenzen. The 33-year old, who was an All-Star in 2023, has made 25 appearances in his first season with Colorado, and has gone 3-10 with a 6.83 ERA, a 5.09 FIP, and 81 strikeouts to 46 walks in 112 innings. He’s given up the most hits (164) and runs (85) in the Majors this year, so you can expect the Giants to be shut out. Lorenzen gave up four runs, two of which were earned, in 4.1 innings against the St. Louis Cardinals his last time out.

Enjoy the baseball, everyone!

Lineups

Giants

1. Drew Gilbert — CF
2. Rafael Devers — DH
3. Bryce Eldridge — 1B
4. Jung Hoo Lee — RF
5. Osleivis Basabe — 2B
6. Drew Cavanaugh — C
7. Turner Hill — LF
8. Buddy Kennedy — 3B
9. Christian Koss — SS

RHP. Logan Webb

Rockies

1. Jake McCarthy — LF
2. Cole Carrigg — CF
3. TJ Rumfield — 1B
4. Hunter Goodman — C
5. Mickey Moniak — DH
6. Willi Castro — 3B
7. Zac Veen — RF
8. Connor Norby — 2B
9. Ezequiel Tovar — SS

RHP. Michael Lorenzen

Game #123

Who: San Francisco Giants (50-72) vs. Colorado Rockies (49-73)

Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California

When: 1:05 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: n/a

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

Aaron Judge has not been seen in a baseball game since May 31. Yet on Saturday, Aug. 15, the New York Yankees got at least a glimpse of Judge both upright and participating in baseball activities.

Judge played catch and ran before the Yankees' game against the Blue Jays at Toronto's Rogers Centre as he begins his gradual climb back from a fractured right rib. He was cleared for baseball activities Aug. 5, but the Yankees have been deliberate in assessing test results and monitoring his injury.

"We expect him back, but we're in the early stages of baseball activity," Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters in Toronto. "Hopefully things continue to go well."

The Yankees were 36-23 and 1 1/2 games behind Tampa Bay in the American League East when Judge played his final game before going on the injured list. They've gone 32-31 since, losing All-Star Game MVP Cody Bellinger along the way, and now trail Tampa Bay by 6 1/2 games entering play Saturday. New York retains a three-game lead over Boston for the No. 1 wild card spot.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yankees get promising update on Aaron Judge injury return

Mets lineup

A.J. Ewing – CF
Francisco Lindor – SS
Bo Bichette – 3B
Carson Benge – RF
Jared Young – 1B
Marcus Semien – 2B
Brett Baty – LF
Jorge Polanco – DH
Francisco Alvarez – C

SP: Sean Manaea – LHP

Nationals lineup

Dylan Crews – RF
Andres Chaparro – 1B
Brady House – 3B
CJ Abrams – SS
Harry Ford – C
Jacob Young – CF
Daylen Lile – DH
Nasim Nunez – 2B
Andrew Pinckney – LF

SP: Brad Lord – RHP

Broadcast info

First pitch: 4:10 PM EDT
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2