Category: Baseball

The plan that was apparent to anyone watching the game, was Adrian Morejon would pitch a scoreless eighth inning and he would be followed by Mason Miller for a scoreless ninth. If the San Diego Padres scored in the bottom of the eighth inning, Miller would be in line for the save and if they did not, he would ensure they got an opportunity to win the game in extra innings. Everything was going according to plan until Oneil Cruz hit a two-out solo home run to right field that gave the Pittsburgh Pirates a lead and eventually a 1-0 win. The win gave the Pirates the series win as well have taken the first two of the three-game set.

It was bitter end to a game that was tied 0-0 to that point after San Diego starter Michael King and Pittsburgh starter Paul Skenes engaged in an old-fashioned pitchers duel. Both starters were dominant and allowed little traffic throughout their time on the mound. King pitched seven scoreless innings, scattering five hits with two walks and seven strikeouts. Skenes pitched just as well, completing six scoreless innings allowing just three hits with no walks and four strikeouts.

Three Pittsburgh relievers, Camilo Doval, Gregory Soto and Mason Montgomery combined to cover the final three innings of the game and none of them allowed a hit to a San Diego batter. The only blemishes on the stat line for those three was a walk by Doval in the seventh and a walk by Montgomery in the ninth.

Ty France worked the two-out walk in the ninth off Montgomery and that brought Jackson Merrill to the plate with a chance to play hero. At the very least he had a chance to tie the game. Merrill was given that opportunity when Jase Bowen came on to pinch-run for France and stole second base. Merrill eventually lost the six-pitch at-bat when a swung at a ball up in the zone and missed for strike three.

Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts and Dustin Harris were the only Padres to record hits in the game. San Diego has managed just two runs in the first two games of the series and that comes after the lineup produced 21 runs in the three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins.

The Padres will have an opportunity to salvage the series in the final game against the Pirates today at 1:10 p.m.

Padres News:

• It’s no secret the Padres will need pitching for the 2027 season and Thomas Conroy of Gaslamp Ball believes one of their targets should be trade deadline acquisition, Robbie Ray.

• Nick Pivetta gets back to work with a three-inning appearance at Lake Elsinore.

• Padres minor league catching coordinator Oswaldo Pirela was finally released from ICE custody.

Baseball News:

• The Atlanta Braves opened their series against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a win.

• The Boston Red Sox got a grand slam home run in the 11th inning to beat the Miami Marlins.

• The Arizona Diamondbacks mount a comeback to beat the Chicago Cubs.

• The Philadelphia Phillies manage one run in loss to the Seattle Mariners.

The Red Sox are expecting reinforcements in the coming days in the form of Trevor Story, Isaiah Kiner-Falefa, and Roman Anthony. Neither Story or Anthony repeated their performance from last season when healthy early in the year, while Kiner-Falefa was a pleasant surprise, posting a 101 wRC+ in 47 games.

Their returns come at an interesting time because their replacements have been so effective. Nick Sogard has been one of the most productive players on the team for a few weeks, while Mickey Gasper continues to be a difficult out from the left side. Andruw Monasterio doesn’t grade out well defensively, but he also had a six-week stretch where he was an offensive force.

What do you expect from the bats returning to the lineup? Do you think they’ll hit the ground running, or will they struggle out of the gates. They don’t have much time to find a rhythm before the postseason begins, so the next few weeks could be crucial for not only those players, but for the players who are losing at bats at their expense. What role do you think they should play? Should Trevor Story play every day? Should Roman Anthony play left field, or stay at designated hitter? Answer these questions, talk about what you want, and as always, be good to one another.

Hickory played a pair, with the first being a continuation of a game that was suspended last month.

In the first game, Daniel Keaney had given up six runs in 0.1 IP, walking three and striking out one, before being pulled right before the game was suspended. Geury Rodriguez struck out three in 1.1 shutout innings.

Josh Owens (I typed Jeremy at first but caught myself) was 2 for 3 with a walk. Curley Martha had a grand slam. Jay McQueen had a hit and a walk. Dewar Tovar had a hit.

In the second game, Louis Marinaro struck out two in two scoreless innings.

Paulino Santana had a hit and a walk. Marco Argudin had a triple, a walk and a stolen base. Yolfran Castillo had a hit and a walk. Seong-Jun Kim had a double and a walk. Sebastian Baquera, Daniel Flames and Curley Martha each had a hit apiece.

Hickory Game One box score

Hickory Game Two box score

Hub City starter Ismael Agreda struck out six and walked one in six innings, allowing two runs. J’Briell Easley allowed a walk-off two run homer in the 11th inning

Maxton Martin was 3 for 4 with a pair of homers. Evan Morrison had a hit.

Hub City box score

For Frisco, Thomas Ireland allowed five runs in 2.1 IP, walking four and striking out three. Joey Danielson struck out one in 0.2 scoreless.

Sebastian Walcott doubled and walked twice. Yeison Morrobel was 3 for 4 with a pair of stolen bases. Dylan Dreiling was 2 for 5. Ian Moller was 1 for 2 with a pair of walks and a stolen base.

Frisco box score

Round Rock starter Dalton Pence threw four shutout innings, striking out two and walking two. Joe Ross allowed a run in two innings, striking out one. Marc Church walked two and allowed three runs in 0.2 IP. Emiliano Teodo struck out one and walked one in 1.1 shutout innings. Michel Otanez walked one in a scoreless inning.

Alejandro Osuna was 2 for 5 with a double. Cam Cauley had a hit. Aaron Zavala was 2 for 4 with a triple.

Round Rock box score

Morning, all!

Logan O’Hoppe was thankful to get optioned to AAA, saying it gave him a chance to reset and “find himself.”

Jack Leiter has been experiencing fatigue in later innings during his rehab outings, opening the possibility that he will be used out of the bullpen when he returns to the big league club.

Jacob deGrom threw the worst inning of his career last night, leading the Rangers to an 11-7 loss to Chicago in the game immediately following Texas’ best offensive outing of the season.

It appears that deGrom’s slider just wasn’t working, with no swings and misses on 21 thrown and only 4 being thrown for strikes.

The Orioles placed Samuel Basallo on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation back on July 22. At that time, Baltimore was 50-53. The Birds were only a few games removed from a seven-game win streak that had the potential to save their season. Adley Rutschman, Taylor Ward and Tyler Wells were still on the team.

Basallo returned from the IL on August 19. Plenty of things had changed in Baltimore over the last month, but one thing remained the same—The Orioles were only a few games out of the final wild card spot.

Rutschman’s departure had a profound effect on the roster and the fan base, but the move affected the injured rookie as much as anyone. Basallo shifted from a timeshare situation to being the primary option behind the dish. Baltimore made a clear investment in Basallo’s future by inking him to an eight-year extension in 2025, but it was always difficult to imagine Rutschman leaving before the end of 2027.

Rutschman’s departure had to make Basallo’s stay on the IL even more painful. Now healthy, the 22-year-old has an opportunity to make a sizable impact in his first stretch as the primary option.

Pete Alonso has been just about everything the Orioles could ask for in year one of his five-year, $155 million deal, but the majority of the offense has struggled to turn in consistent performances. The loss of Rutschman and Ward took away two of Baltimore’s best on-base guys, and Gunnar Henderson’s struggles have been felt all season.

Despite all of that, things could still click at the right time. Jackson Holliday is delivering quality at bats at the top of the order. Coby Mayo is destroying left-handed pitching. Dylan Beavers and Tyler O’Neill are making their presence known. Colton Cowser’s pop is still there, and Craig Albernaz has found a way to deploy the right hitters at the right time.

The Orioles still need more from their offense, and Basallo’s big bat can make a world of difference. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 250 lbs, Basallo provides a presence in the heart of the order. He helped steal a valuable win with a late-game homer on Saturday, and he should provide valuable protection to other players in the order.

The team has attempted to ease their franchise player back into action, but the time for that has come and gone. Carlos Narváez has earned praise for his early work with pitchers, but the bat simply isn’t there right now. Basallo provides much needed power and credibility to a lineup that needs to fire on all cylinders if the team hopes to make the playoffs.

It always felt like possessing two plus-hitting catchers was a cheat code. The Orioles forfeited that privilege when they shipped Rutschman to Boston. Narváez is capable of more than he’s shown, but he’s hitting like a backup catcher right now. Designated hitter slots are limited with Alonso entrenched at first base and Mayo emerging as a must-start against lefties. At the same time, this lineup can reach a different gear with Basallo taking the place of Narváez or Yohel Pozo.

Basallo entered last night’s game with a 110 OPS+. That number may not jump off the page, but it’s good for second on the team with Blaze Alexander sidelined and both Rutschman and Ward out of the picture.

Fortunately, multiple players are capable of performing above their season totals. Holliday slashed .368/.500/.421 in July before falling back off over the last two weeks. Henderson entered last night’s game slashing .311/.404/.533 over the last two weeks. Guys like Christian Encarnacion-Strand have stepped up, and Beavers has proven that he’s not afraid of the moment. The offense put its potential on full display with a 13-1 win last night without any help from Basallo (0-5, 4 K).

Some of that may feel like a stretch, but that only strengthens the opportunity for Basallo. The rookie became one of the best hitters on the active roster the day that he was activated. It may feel like an odd time to say this after his struggles last night, but the lineup just looks different with the big guy penciled into the heart of the order.

Basallo will not be defined by his performance if he struggles over the final month of the season, but he has the opportunity to transform the offense with a 30-game hot streak. The Orioles need several things to break right if they hope to play baseball in October, but Basallo emerging as an X-factor could provide the power surge that the team needs.

The Braves have a bunch of injured arms on their 40-man roster:

• Joe Jimenez
• Reynaldo Lopez
• Spencer Schwellenbach
• Spencer Strider
• Robert Suarez
• Joey Wentz

Hurston Waldrep isn’t on the major league Injured List, but is also an injured pitcher on the 40-man.

It doesn’t look like there’s any reason that Lopez won’t return, so that’s one… though you never know. No one’s even talking about Joey Wentz, so not him.

The other starters have no updates, and time is running out… so probably not them? Time is also running out for Robert Suarez, but he doesn’t need to get stretched out, at least. And then Joe Jimenez is the ultimate wild card in the sense that it seemed like his career might be over. It’d be funny if he came back and made an impact, because it would be so random.

For more non-detail, see the embedded Feed post.

What do you think happens?

It’s at times like this that I have to remind myself that the Cubs still hold the top wild card spot in the National League (by three games) and are still within shouting distance of first place in the NL Central.

Because now, in addition to all the other issues facing this ballclub, they appear to have a closer problem.

Jacob Webb, who was so good for two solid months, has now blown saves in his last two appearances — with two-run walk-off homers both times, that’s now two of those in the last four days.

This one ruined an excellent starting outing from Clay Holmes. And if Webb’s not going to close anymore, can the Cubs trust Daniel Palencia again in that role? Because he got hammered for three runs in his inning of work in this one.

Sigh. Here’s your recap of the second soul-crushing loss on this road trip, 5-4 to the Diamondbacks.

Holmes and D-backs starter Brandon Pfaadt matched zeroes for the first three innings. In the top of the fourth, Seiya Suzuki led off with a single and went to third on a double by Michael Busch.

One out later, Ian Happ launched his 23rd home run [VIDEO].

Happ, last 16 games: .304/.381/.625 (17-for-56) with three doubles, five home runs, 13 RBI and 11 runs scored. His season OPS is up to .755, the highest it’s been since July 28. I think that qualifies as one of Happ’s late-season hot streaks. More on Happ’s blast from BCB’s JohnW53:

Ian Happ’s home run was the Cubs’ 27th of the season with two runners on base. That is as many as they hit all of last season, and just two short of the team record of 29, set in 2017. They hit 28 in 2008.

The Cubs tacked on one more run in the sixth. Suzuki led off with a double and scored on this single by Michael Busch [VIDEO].

As noted on the Marquee broadcast, at that point the Cubs set a franchise record of scoring 30 consecutive unanswered runs: the last 19 on Sunday, seven on Monday and the four in this one. The previous record of 29 was set May 11-13, 1969, when they posted three straight shutouts: 8-0 vs. the Giants, then 2-0 and 19-0 vs. the Padres. They gave up a run in the top of the third on May 14 vs. the Padres..

Holmes continued to baffle D-backs hitters through seven. He allowed just two hits, both singles, walked two and struck out five [VIDEO].

Here’s more on Holmes’ outing [VIDEO].

More from John:

The last time back-to-back starters for the Cubs pitched at least 7.0 innings, as Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes did Monday and Tuesday, was June 6-7 of last season, at Detroit.

Ben Brown gave up two runs on five hits, walked one and struck out seven in a 3-1 loss.
Jameson Taillon gave up one run on four hits, walked one and struck out five in a 6-1 win.

Both pitched 7.0, as did the last pair with back-to-back scoreless starts, on Sept. 27-28, 2024, at home vs. the Reds, in 1-0 and 3-0 wins.

Taillon allowed four hits, walked two and struck out two.
Kyle Hendricks allowed two hits, walked two and struck out two.

Ten of Holmes’ 21 outs were on ground balls. In four starts with the Cubs, Holmes now has a 1.96 ERA and 0.957 WHIP and has allowed just one home run in 23 innings. That’s looking like a really good trade.

Craig Counsell sent Palencia out for the eighth, his second appearance after returning from his rehab assignment. He’d been very good against the Mariners over the weekend. This time… not so much. With one out, he hit Jordan Lawlar in the head. Fortunately, Lawlar was okay. Then Palencia issued a walk. One out later, Gabriel Moreno doubled in two runs and Geraldo Perdomo singled in Moreno to make it 4-3. That prompted Counsell to summon Webb, who got out of the inning with a ground ball.

The Cubs didn’t score in the ninth, so Webb came back out to try to protect the one-run lead. He got a pair of outs sandwiched around a walk. Webb, who at this point had thrown 17 pitches, ran a 2-1 count on Ryan Waldschmidt, who then smashed his game-winning homer.

Sigh. Had Palencia done his job better in the eighth, Webb could have come in for a clean inning in the ninth and not had to clean up Palencia’s mess in the eighth.

Does this mean Webb shouldn’t close anymore? Well… not necessarily. Again, he was lights-out for two months. And if not Webb, then who? Palencia? Trent Thornton? Ryan Zeferjahn? I think you can see the issue here. Perhaps when Ben Brown returns — and we already know he won’t be stretched out to start — Brown should be given some closing opportunities.

That’s now two losses in four days for the Cubs in games they led after eight innings. Prior to Saturday, the Cubs were one of seven teams to not have a loss this year when leading after eight. Now they’re 60-2 in that situation. It should be noted that most teams do pretty well in that situation — as you can see here, this year 15 of the 30 teams have two or fewer losses when ahead after eight innings. Hopefully that “2” doesn’t change the rest of the year.

As noted, fortunately for the Cubs the two teams chasing them in the wild-card race besides the D-backs — the Phillies and Padres — also lost Tuesday. The Cubs remain three games ahead of Philadelphia and five games ahead of San Diego.

Here are Counsell’s postgame remarks [VIDEO].

The Cubs still have a chance at a series win and a .500 road trip Wednesday afternoon in Phoenix. Matthew Boyd will start for the Cubs and Eduardo Rodriguez goes for Arizona. Game time is 2:40 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network. The BCB game preview will post at 12:30 p.m. CT.

After over a year of rehab and recovery, Jackson Jobe made his triumphant return to the mound on Saturday, August 8 against the Giants. Then he got lit up by the White Sox on August 14. His outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates on the 19th, went much better as he allowed just one earned run over 5.1 innings. Truthfully, this all feels like the young right-hander is picking up right where he left off. He’s a very talented young pitcher, but there is still developmental work ahead to finally become more consistent and start racking up the level of swing and miss that his raw ability says he should be able to produce. That is exactly where things stood at the end of May 2025, when the Tigers announced that Jobe would undergo Tommy John surgery.

That first start back showed what Jobe can do, and was impressive after nearly 15 months on the shelf. The second showed off the issues he still needs to work on, as the White Sox handled his fourseamer without too much trouble and weren’t chasing his power slider-curveball combo. The third saw him pivot more to his sinker against the Pirates, with better results.

This is all still a work in progress, as right now Jobe is still just knocking the rust off. There was plenty of work ahead of him when he was first called up in September of 2024 after skipping through Triple-A in only two starts, and while he’s made progress in the interim, the same issues with fourseam swing and miss and the ineffectiveness of his high spin breaking stuff remain intact. Ultimately, hitters are the testing ground, and improving his pitch mix will be the focus as the now 24-year-old Jobe looks to fulfill his potential and develop into a frontline starter.

On Tuesday, Jobe faced his toughest test yet against a dominant Rays lineup that strikes out less than any team in the league. Their only weakness is a minor lack of home run power, but they’re still generally middle of the pack in that department, and it may just be a trade-off they’re happy to make to put the ball in play more often. Things went reasonably well as Jobe tossed 4.1 quite inefficient innings of one-run ball. He showcased why he’s still very much a young and inexperienced work in progress who just needs steady major league time in which to work with Chris Fetter and Robin Lund and figure things out, but he also illustrated why he’s not easy to hit either.

One thing we noticed in his Jobe’s rehab work in the minors was a nice post-TJ velocity bump. That’s carried through to the major leagues so far, as Jobe is averaging 98 mph with his fourseamer, a full 1.5 mph more than in 2025. The other obvious element is a distinct drop in Jobe’s arm angle. In 2024-2025, Jobe’s arm angle was 43-44 degrees. So far this season he’s generally around 39 degrees. With a path that is a little less over the top, typically, though certainly not always, the result is less riding action and more horizontal movement. We’re seeing the former, as Jobe is down from 17.8 inches of induced vertical break to 16.5 inches. He isn’t actually getting more run on the fourseamer in concert with that change, however.

That may have precipitated the move to using his sinker more instead, or maybe lowering his arm slot was part of the plan. Mixing the two fastball types is always a good idea to help keep hitters uncomfortable. It’s probably still a little too early to tell, but for one reason or another, the fourseamer just doesn’t get many whiffs in the zone. Jobe’s clean, rhythmic mechanics don’t give him any deception, his extension is somewhat below average, and despite his high spin rate, he doesn’t often get the type of high spin efficiency ride that say, Justin Verlander always did. Using the sinker much more in the zone, and saving the fourseamer mainly to try and induce chase above the zone may be the way to go here, but one way or another, mixing the two types is usually a positive, as it’s been for Troy Melton.

Jobe’s lower arm slot may be great for his breaking stuff, however. In 2025, Jobe’s best secondary pitch was clearly his changeup, and he’s still got that pitch in his pocket for left-handers especially. Where he’s struggled, even in the minor leagues, is with his breaking stuff. Jobe has always had very high spin rates, to such a degree that his slider and curveball needed to start at the top or even above the zone, just to end up close to the bottom of the zone rather than practically in the dirt. That much break and those high sightlines gave both pitches a distinctive “pop” out of his hand that made them too easy to pick up. They move too much, too early, instead of tunneling off his two fastball types and then producing that late snap at the plate. With the lower arm slot and more velocity, Jobe may have started to crack the code finally.

On Tuesday, he was pumping curveballs in at 85 and even 87 mph, which is elite velocity even for a knuckle curve. Entering the game, Jobe had averaged 81.1 mph, 2858 rpms of spin, and 56.3 inches of drop through his first three starts. Against the Rays, he averaged 85.1 mph and 49 inches of drop after tinkering with his grip and release a bit. Typically, if you can throw your breaking balls harder, they’re going to be nastier for hitters to handle with all else being equal. And coming from a lower arm slot, with less drop, they may be less obvious out of hand.

Of course, you still have to locate them consistently, but this is a really interesting development to track. Notably his slider was also up a mile per hour. Whether this sticks or not, we’ll have to wait and see, but it’s pretty indicative of both the talent level and the fact that Jobe is still a work in progress, making adjustments and seeing what works best for him.

We’ll have to see how well this velocity surge holds up over time. Jobe knows they aren’t going to push his pitch counts right now. He can just air it out freely with minimal conservation of energy. Some of this may naturally change as Jobe fatigues during a longer start or over the course of the whole season, but there’s reason to think he’ll keep some of these gains, too.

For another change, Jobe is on the record saying he shifted from the 3B side of the mound more to the center during his rehab, which helped keep him more streamlined to the plate. Some pitchers really like the cross-bodied deception, but for a power pitcher like Jobe, an efficient, linear drive towards the batter is probably best for maximizing velocity, though it wouldn’t hurt him to have a little more of a pause or hitch in his motion to help throw hitters’ timing off a bit. It’s also possible that this more straightforward delivery helps keep him in the zone a bit more than 2025, when he was in the bottom 20 starting pitchers in ‘zone percent’. That’s not automatically a death sentence, but it does require hitters chasing, and they haven’t done that too much yet.

Still, just watching his start against the Rays, it’s easy to see why he wasn’t getting as many whiffs as he could, and it doesn’t have that much to do with the quality of his pitches. He only threw 49 of 86 pitches for strikes. The issue is still more command than raw stuff. When ahead early in a count, he struggled to spot his breaking stuff close enough to the zone to consistently force hitters to chase. There are too many pure waste pitches that let hitters back into counts rather than forcing them into swing mode against pitches they don’t really want to swing at. Jobe often got ahead and had hitters set up, only to let them back into counts. Suddenly he’s in a situation where he has to turn to the fourseamer or sinker in swing counts while needing to throw a strike. Not a great recipe for success. He has the raw stuff, and there are tweaks they can make to the movement patterns, but the far bigger element to develop is the ability to work in and out, up and down, with more precision than we’ve seen so far. For a starting pitcher, just about everything else follows from fastball command.

Most of these points were true in 2025 as well, and it’s well worth remembering that the Tigers basically skipped him through Triple-A quickly in 2024 to get him on the postseason roster. He had barely turned 22 years old at the time, and while he was certainly talented enough, he had a lot of work ahead of him to refine his stuff and approach against major league hitters. Only in 2025 did he get a normal spring training camp and then a spot in the Opening Day rotation. Jobe made some nice progress in May of 2025 after a shaky start. He’s really just now picking up where he left off, but doing so in the wake of major arm surgery and a long grueling rehab over the past year.

The potential here is outstanding, and the new curveball is exciting, but some patience is going to be required. In the wake of losing Tarik Skubal, it’s just great to have Jobe back on the mound to continue his development. The Tigers are going to need him if they’re going to get back into contention in 2027 and beyond. The explosive bump in velocity, particularly on Tuesday with his curveball, the changes to his arm slot and position on the rubber, as well as the ongoing tweaks between fourseam and sinker-based approaches, all speak to the constant tinkering still going on. There is an awful lot to like in Jackson Jobe as he finally embarks fully on his major league career. He’s just getting started.

The Mets continue a three-game series against the Brewers at Citi Field on Wednesday night at 7:10 on SNY.

Mets Notes

• Carson Benge is hitting .319/.378/.491 in 238 plate appearances dating back to June 18
• Bo Bichette is hitting .310/.347/.477 (.823 OPS) with nine homers and 15 doubles in 300 plate appearances since June 3
• Robert Stock allowed one run on two hits while walking three and striking out six in 4.1 innings during his last start on Aug. 19 against the Padres

Today's Lineups

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The Detroit Tigers are -113 home favorites for today's series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays at Comerica Park, with first pitch scheduled for 1:10 p.m. ET. 

While neither starter is in great form, my Rays vs. Tigers predictions back Tampa behind trade-deadline acquisition Freddy Peralta. Find out more in my MLB picks for Wednesday, August 26. 

Who will win Rays vs Tigers today: Rays moneyline (+105)

The Tampa Bay Rays are worth backing as a small underdog, even with Freddy Peralta carrying some recent risk. The right-hander owns a 5.49 FIP over his last two starts, but he has still limited opponents to a manageable 37.5% hard-hit rate.

That matters against a Detroit Tigers lineup with a 68 wRC+ over its previous six games, which helps soften Peralta’s recent volatility. Troy Melton brings similar concerns for Detroit, posting a 5.49 FIP over his last two appearances while allowing 1.80 HR/9, a 45.9% hard-hit rate, and a 10.8% barrel rate.

Tampa’s offense is not exactly rolling, but its 96 wRC+ over the last two weeks gives the Rays a slight edge.

Play this pick down to +100. 

COVERS INTEL: Tory Melton has shown some vulnerability at home this season, posting a 4.43 FIP compared to a 3.40 mark on the road. 

Rays vs Tigers Over/Under pick: Over 7.5 (-112)

Despite the lack of offensive firepower for both teams right now, I’m eyeing the Over with this total sitting at 7.5.

Detroit’s bullpen has been a major liability lately, posting a 5.65 FIP over its last 23 frames while giving up 2.35 HR/9. Tampa Bay’s pen has been better with a 3.38 xERA over the last week, but it has still had some home run trouble.

Neither starter is exactly lights out, either, with both Peralta and carrying recent FIP concerns. With the inconsistency late in games, especially from Detroit, this contest can get Over the number.

Play this pick up to -130.

Rays vs Tigers home run prediction: Junior Caminero (+365)

Junior Caminero may not have gone deep lately, but he's still hitting .346 with loud contact numbers, and the matchup against Detroit gives him a real power path.

The youngster has a 52.2% hard-hit rate over the last week, while Melton has been giving up too much home-run damage. Detroit’s bullpen has also had serious long-ball issues, creating another route for Caminero to leave the yard.

Caminero’s power travels, too. He has clubbed 17 of his homers on the road with a .277 ISO, compared to 18 at Tropicana Field.

Play this pick down to +300.

Rays vs Tigers weather

Weather looks clean in Detroit, with partly cloudy skies and temperatures rising from 75°F to 78°F. Winds are noticeable at 14-15 mph, while rain chances sit at just 0-1%. There’s no delay concern, though the breeze could slightly affect carry if conditions are exposed.

Rays vs Tigers odds

• Moneyline: Rays +105 | Tigers -116
• Run line: Rays -1.5 (+178) | Tigers +1.5 (-186)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-108) | Under 7.5 (+104)

Rays vs Tigers trend

The Rays have cashed the moneyline in 14 of their last 21 road games for +6.80 units and a 25% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Rays vs. Tigers.

How to watch Rays vs Tigers and game info

Rays vs Tigers latest injuries

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White Sox 11, Rangers 7

• Well that was exciting (derogatory).
• Let me start out by saying that Jacob deGrom was not good on Tuesday.
• That being said, that six run first inning was bullshit.
• A bunch of dinks and dunks with a couple of walks mixed in.
• Here are the exit velocities on the five hits the White Sox got in the first inning off of deGrom: 69.0, 71.5, 78.1, 71.3, 74.3.
• A bunch of weak contact, a bunch of Texas Leaguers, and the Rangers are down a half-dozen runs.
• Its a traveshamockery.
• deGrom was, to be clear, not good. He walked five batters in all, which is very uncharacteristic of him. He ended up getting lifted for Cole Winn, who allowed a pair of inherited runners to score, then allowed a pair of his own runs to score.
• Winn faced 10 batters in all and retired four of them, which is not a good.
• Peyton Gray, behind Winn, struck out the side but also allowed a home run, the fourth he has allowed in his past five appearances.
• The Rangers were down 8-1 after four but still managed to come back and make a game of it, bringing the tying run to the plate in the 9th inning. I guess that’s something.
• Jake Burger, Danny Jansen and Justin Foscue all homered, so, you know, the Rangers got some offense from some not entirely expected places.
• Prior to Monday’s 11 run outburst, the Rangers hadn’t scored 7 runs in a game since July 27. They’ve now done it two games in a row.
• Its the first time the Rangers have scored at least 7 runs in a game in back-to-back games since July 9-10.
• Its only the second time all year the Rangers have lost a game where they’ve scored at least 7 runs.
• Overall, the Rangers are 22-4 when scoring six runs or more. They are 36-7 when scoring five runs or more.
• Sadly, the Astros and the Guardians both won, so the Rangers are now a half-game back in the A.L. West and a full game back for WC3.
• Jacob deGrom topped out at 99.1 mph with his fastball, averaging 97.2 mph. Cole Winn’s fastball touched 97.1 mph. Peyton Gray hit 95.0 mph with his fastball. Jordan Montgomery’s sinker reached 91.8 mph. Tyler Alexander maxed out at 93.5 mph with his fastball.
• Jake Burger’s home run was 110.2 mph. Danny Jansen’s homer was 106.6 mph. Justin Foscue had a 103.5 mph fly out, a 102.8 mph double, and a 100.8 mph homer.
• Its okay, Texas can still take the series with a win on Wednesday.

Milwaukee Brewers rookie Cooper Pratt learned a lesson the hard way Tuesday, Aug. 26, when he failed to run hard on a popup that dropped between three New York Mets fielders.

"You've got to be locked in if you're going to play at this level," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said in explaining his decision to remove Pratt for a pinch-runner immediately after the fifth-inning single.

Murphy said Pratt's lack of focus, coming after the 22-year-old failed to get a bunt down two innings earlier in a game the Brewers eventually lost 3-2 in 10 innings, was also a contributing factor in making the move.

It’s taken me a couple days to figure out what I want to say about Mark Walter, Guggenheim Baseball Management, and the ownership of the LA Dodgers. There’s plenty of people, including Jeff Passan, who have breakdowns of the facts and the allegations of the case. What we think we know is that Walter and Co., already enjoying an exemption in their TV deal following a bankruptcy judgement under previous ownership, further financialized themselves by taking loans from insurance companies also owned by W&C, then used the interest on repaying those loans to write off even more of their revenue sharing obligations, which are based around local TV revenue minus certain expenses.

In short, it seems the Dodgers borrowed money from themselves to lower the amount of money they owed the subsidized teams around the sport. They are under federal investigation but not really for anything baseball related, rather more inquiries into specific classifications of the various businesses Guggenheim controls. There isn’t even anything the Dodgers did that specifically goes against the Collective Bargaining Agreement — they seemed to have hired an army of accountants to find every gap in the rulebook and slip another $20 bill through it. It’s the same playbook that’s led the Ford Motor Company to be a lending service more than a car manufacturer.

At best it seems Bob Nutting might have been shorted a couple million dollars a year, but the object lesson you should be taking out of this is one of solidarity. Bob Nutting doesn’t care if Mark Walter cost him a couple million a year, if it means that together they can lower all MLB payrolls by a couple hundred million dollars.

I actually don’t think this is something that George Steinbrenner would have done. Capitalism has changed — you always bought an MLB team to make money off it, of course. But it used to be that you had to put a good product on the field to sell tickets and in-stadium ad dollars, or be the St. Louis Cardinals and take advantage of the country’s most powerful radio transmitter to reach farmers in 1960s Nebraska, or take on all the foreign currency risk of the Blue Jays and weigh it against the payoff of being the only game in the entire country.

Now, you inherit a court-ordered exemption from paying your fair share, and further financialize every element of the off-field operations to continually lower every possible obligation you have to the rest of baseball, and because those efforts will help champion the case for a salary cap, the 29 other men in your cohort will go along with it. Maybe, in March or May or August 2027, the knives will come out for Walter, but until the billionaire class has exacted every ounce of control they can over a new CBA, they’ll stand beside each other. What’s a few million when there’s a billion on the line?

This needs to be an object lesson for the union. Already, ownership has tried to drive a wedge between the young players who haven’t yet received their big multi-year deals and the veterans who have. The exact definition of labor in a baseball context is kind of tricky — once you sign for seven or eight hundred million dollars, the increasingly financialized world people who earn that much live in can’t really be classified as purely labor. Still, we pay for tickets and MLB.tv subscriptions and Substacks because of the players. I’m one of the few weirdos that cares about what the owners do. The value we seek in baseball comes from what the players provide.

It’s always easiest for the wealthiest cohort to stick together. There are fewer of them, and their interests are reasonably closely aligned already. If we think of who’s the least wealthy of the least wealthy baseball player cohort, we’d probably look at Latin players who grew up without the supports of Nice White Families and well-staffed prep schools. The backgrounds are not aligned, and the short-term interests aren’t either. But here we have the union’s equivalent of a couple million when a billion’s on the line.

The long term interests of the players, ones with nine-figure contracts and ones riding a shuttle between MLB and Triple-A, are the same, and that is preventing an artificial cap on the players’ share of baseball revenue. Yes, it’s easier for 30 men to stick together than 1200, but if Bob Nutting can forgive a few million dollars, the players need to learn from that example.

Meet the Mets

The Mets triumphed over the Brewers 4-3 in the tenth inning. The winning run scored when a throwing error by Brewers third baseman David Hamilton allowed Francisco Lindor to reach home safely.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, MLB.com, Newsday, New York Daily News, New York Post

There’s been a lot of discussion around Carson Benge as a serious Rookie of the Year contender, but it’d be unwise to sleep on Nolan McLean’s candidacy.

Laura Albanese examined the state of the Mets farm system after the roller coaster of a year it’s had.

Kodai Senga just might have what it takes to succeed as the new Mets closer.

Juan Soto remains on a deliberate running program but he’s still expecting to return next month.

Around the National League East

The Marlins were beaten by the Red Sox 7-3 after 11 innings. Cade Gibson gave up the go-ahead runs on a Jarren Duran grand slam.

The Nationals lost to the Rockies 3-1. Starting pitcher Andrew Alvarez gave up all three runs in his 4.2 innings, allowing five hits and issuing two walks while striking out six.

The Braves claimed a major victory over the Dodgers, winning 4-3. Ozzie Albies drove in the game winning run on an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning.

The Phillies were bested by the Mariners 4-1. Aaron Nola got the loss, allowing two runs six innings on three hits and three walks while striking out seven.

Around Major League Baseball

The Dodgers TV deal is an incredible competitive advantage that they further monetized with Mark Walter-owned insurers.

The late Dolly Parton visited Yankee Stadium nearly forty years ago as part of “Dolly”, her television series.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo apologized to Craig Counsell for the shouting match between the two teams during Monday night’s game.

Taj Bradley became a part of Minnesota Twins history Tuesday night, throwing what is believed to be the first immaculate inning in Twins history.

Despite parting ways with general manager Dana Brown, Jim Crane said Joe Espada will remain the manager of the Astros through the end of the season.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

A Pod of Their Own returned with a new episode.

Steve Sypa published another edition of Mets Minor League Players of the Week.

This Date in Mets History

The Bobby Valentine era for the Mets began when he was promoted from Triple-A to the major leagues on this day 30 years ago.

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Seattle Mariners starter Bryan Woo brings one of baseball’s best home splits into the series finale as the Philadelphia Phillies visit the Seattle Mariners this afternoon. Philadelphia is a -126 favorite behind Jesús Luzardo, with first pitch set for 4:10 p.m. ET at T-Mobile Park.

Woo’s dominance at home shapes my Phillies vs. Mariners predictions, which back Seattle as a home underdog, lean Under a low total, and target the hottest bat in the series to go deep.

Read more in my MLB picks for Wednesday, Aug. 26.

Who will win Phillies vs Mariners today: Mariners moneyline (+114)

Jesús Luzardo gives the Philadelphia Phillies a strong starter, but Bryan Woo’s dominance at T-Mobile Park and Seattle’s recent form make the Mariners worth backing as a home underdog. Woo has been a different pitcher in Seattle, striking out 69 batters against just 11 walks and allowing only four home runs across 64 1/3 home innings.

Philadelphia hasn’t solved Seattle’s pitching in this series, scoring only three runs through the first two games in losses of 9-2 and 4-1. Cal Raleigh is also scorching, with four homers over the first two games, giving the Seattle Mariners the hotter lineup.

Luzardo has been excellent, but at +114, I don’t need Seattle to hold the clear pitching edge. Woo’s home dominance and a struggling Phillies offense are enough to take the plus money. I’d play Seattle down to +105.

COVERS INTEL: Bryan Woo has been overpowering at home, posting a 1.96 ERA and 0.75 WHIP across 64 1/3 innings at T-Mobile Park, where he's 7-0.

Phillies vs Mariners Over/Under pick: Under 6.5 (+109)

Woo and Luzardo both have real paths to controlling this game, and the plus-money price makes the Under at 6.5 worth backing. Woo’s home numbers are the foundation, with a 0.56 HR/9 at T-Mobile Park, and Philadelphia has been held down all series.

Luzardo gives us reason to expect Seattle’s scoring to cool as well. The Phillies left-hander owns a 3.35 ERA with 194 strikeouts and has gone 7-1 with a 2.06 ERA over his last 13 starts, and Seattle has scuffled against left-handers lately.

T-Mobile Park is one of baseball’s more run-suppressing environments, adding another layer to the pitching edge. I’d play the Under down to even money.

Phillies vs Mariners home run prediction: Cal Raleigh (+350)

Cal Raleigh has rediscovered his power stroke in a big way, and I’ll back the hottest bat in this series to keep it going. Raleigh homered four times through the first two games against Philadelphia, including a three-homer game on Monday, and his fourth blast gave him home runs in four consecutive official at-bats on his way to 18 for the season.

The left-on-left label is misleading, too, because Raleigh is a switch hitter and will bat right-handed against Luzardo. He has six homers in 143 plate appearances against lefties, and 13 of Luzardo’s home runs allowed this season have come from right-handed hitters.

Raleigh’s path is Luzardo’s four-seam fastball and changeup, more hittable offerings than his tough sweeper, with opponents slugging .473 against the four-seamer. With Raleigh seeing the ball as well as anyone in baseball, I’ll take his surge continuing at +350 or better for a quarter unit.

Phillies vs Mariners weather

T-Mobile Park is one of the most run-suppressing environments in baseball (92 Park Factor since 2024), which supports the Under pick. The retractable roof also keeps conditions steady for the 4:10 p.m. start.

Phillies vs Mariners odds

• Moneyline: Phillies -126 | Mariners +114
• Run line: Phillies -1.5 (+140) | Mariners +1.5 (-161)
• Over/Under: Over 6.5 (-126) | Under 6.5 (+109)

Phillies vs Mariners trend

Seattle has produced just a .644 OPS against left-handed pitching over the last 30 days, a cold stretch against southpaws that backs the Under with Jesús Luzardo on the mound. Find more MLB betting trends for Phillies vs. Mariners.

How to watch Phillies vs Mariners and game info

Phillies vs Mariners latest injuries

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