Pitcher Tyler Glasnow made his return to the Los Angeles Dodgers, taking the mound for the back-to-back World Series champions on Tuesday, Aug. 25.
He was activated Tuesday after dealing with back spasms since May.
“I like where he is at; he had a good rehab and threw the ball really well,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told SportsNet LA before the road game against the Atlanta Braves. “Seeing him get into the sixth inning is our goal. Our bullpen is in a good spot, and I know Tyler’s anxious to get back.”
Glasnow allowed five hits and three earned runs while striking out seven in five innings pitched.
He quickly got reacquainted with the big-league setting, allowing three runs in the first inning. He settled in, though, and left the game with the score tied at 3.
Glasnow made four rehab appearances, including his last with the Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets. The right-handed pitcher allowed one hit, one earned run and a walk while striking out nine in 5.1 innings that game.
Tyler Glasnow stats vs. Braves
Innings: 5
Hits: 6
Runs: 3
Earned runs: 3
Walks: 0
Strikeouts: 7
Home runs: 0
Pitches: 89 (55 strikes)
Tyler Glasnow's impact for Dodgers
Glasnow will help bolster a star-studded pitching rotation that includes Blake Snell, Tarik Skubal and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The pitching core will try to lead the organization to a third straight World Series title.
Glasnow did not have an opportunity to participate in the 2024 World Series run due to right elbow tendinitis, but he played a vital role in winning the title in 2025.
DETROIT, MI - AUGUST 25: Detroit Tigers center fielder Max Clark (15) hits a two run homer in the fifth inning during the game between the Detroit Tigers versus the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday August 25, 2026 at Comerica Park in Detroit, MI. (Photo by Steven King/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Detroit Tigers looked to stop their six-game losing streak in their Tuesday-night tilt against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays. They did exactly that by hitting a timely home run and taking advantage of some shaky defence in a 4-1 win to even the three-game series at a win apiece.
Jackson Jobe made his fourth start of the year for the Tigers. The previous three had alternated good, bad and good, and the pitch count has been gradually ramping-up; his previous start saw him throw 86 pitches. He hasn’t been striking out many so far — heck, Framber Valdez didn’t strike anyone out on Monday night — but, like Valdez, he succeeds when he gets hitters to bash the ball into the ground.
Casey Legumina, a lefty, opened for Ian Seymour, a lefty. Both Legumina and Seymour have started some and relieved some, although Legumina is more of a reliever and Seymour is more of a starter and/or “bulk guy.” Seymour has generally been pretty solid, mostly in a starting role for the past two months. Strikeouts are not a problem for him; he tends to get more fly balls hit than the average pitcher, although he generally limits hard contact and has kept his hard-hit percentage below average. Would that play out well in cavernous Comerica National Park? Mostly, but not entirely; decidedly, even.
Things started off pretty quietly for both teams, with Jobe looking generally good but having trouble with his control. As we’ve discussed before, the recovery from Tommy John surgery often sees pitchers taking a little longer to get that control back… and that’s what’s happening here. Gleyber Torres made a nice play, though.
In the bottom of the third, Spencer Torkelson led off with a double, and after Javier Báez flew out, that was the end of Legumina and Seymour took over, who got another pair of flyouts and Torkelson was left on second.
The top of the fourth brought trouble for Jobe and the Tigers: a leadoff single and double put runners on second and third, and after a foulout, an infield single to Hao-Yu Lee at third base which carried him into foul territory allowed the first run to score. A walk loaded the bases as Jobe’s pitch count was rising, and the Rays were one solid base hit from really opening up a lead, but fortunately a called third strike and a soft grounder to first limited the score to 1-0.
In the bottom of the inning Dillon Dingler singled sharply with two out, and Eduardo Valencia did the same, putting runners on the corners for Zach McKinstry. Alas, he struck out and the Tigers stayed off the board for the time being.
Jobe stuck around to get the first out of the fifth inning and then exited in favour of Drew Sommers. His final line: 4 1/3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 K. Conceringly, Jobe threw 86 pitches but only 49 were strikes (57.0%). Sommers has been a force out of the bullpen lately, though: he had a 1.56 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings coming into tonight’s game, dating back to early July. Sommers came in and got a swinging strikeout and an infield popup, which is pretty much exactly what you’d expect of him these days, isn’t it?
The Tigers took the lead in the bottom of the fifth: Torkelson led off with a single, and a Báez grounder forced Torkelson at second base. No matter, though: Max Clark turned on a sweeper and deposited it into the seats for his second career home run, putting Detroit up 2-1. Nice to see that off a lefty in particular.
Some uncharacteristically sloppy play gifted the Tigers another run: a Torres pop-up to short right field fell between a pair of fielders, and he was balked over to second. Kevin McGonigle’s grounder to first base clanked off Jonathan Aranda’s glove and into right field, with Torres scoring on the play for a 3-1 lead. I’ll take it!
Sommers carried on into the sixth and got three gloriously-uneventful groundouts in that all-important shutdown inning. You love to see that… and, you know what else I’d love to see? Sommers pitching late in games, in higher-pressure situations. Jacob Waugespack came on for the seventh; with two outs he gave up a walk but got Yandy Díaz to ground out to shortstop for the third out.
Báez led off the bottom of the seventh with a triple to the wall in right-centrefield, and was still there with two out. Would he be stranded ninety feet (roughly 380 Big Macs, stacked vertically) from home? As the French would say, “Non!” Lee singled to left to let Báez score and make it 4-1.
Tyler Holton entered the game in the eighth and gave up a single, but it was an otherwise easy inning for him and the fans. After a quiet bottom of the eighth…
…yep, Kenley Jansen came out for the save. It was a pretty tough outing last time, but this one? Flyout, strikeout, foulout. No problem! Career save #493 for the veteran, and a Tigers win.
Starting play today, the Tigers were 4.5 games behind Cleveland for the final Wild Card in the American League. Nice!
Five teams were between Cleveland and Detroit in said Wild Card standings. Ouch.
Entering tonight’s play, the Tigers still had a +70 run differential, third-best in the American League. That means an expected won-loss record of 73-58, as opposed to their actual 61-70. Oof.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the passing of the legendary Dolly Parton at age 80 earlier today. She was impossible not to like, and has fans with as broad a spectrum, any way you care to measure it, as anyone else you’d ever find. A true gem, and probably one of the best liked people on Earth. Rest in peace, Dolly.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - AUGUST 19: Adrian Houser #12 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on August 19, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Kuno/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants continue this three-game home series against the Cincinnati Reds tonight.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Adrian Houser, who enters tonight’s game with a 4.08 ERA, 4.59 FIP, with 73 strikeouts to 34 walks in 108 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 1-0 win over the Cleveland Guardians last Wednesday, in which he allowed just four hits and two walks with three strikeouts in five innings.
He’ll be facing off against Reds right-hander Brady Singer, who enters tonight’s game with a 4.72 ERA, 5.16 FIP, with 107 strikeouts to 43 walks in 131.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Reds’ 10-9 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals last Thursday, in which he allowed four runs on five hits with three strikeouts and a walk in six innings.
1974: Country singer Dolly Parton performs onstage with an acoustic guitar in circa 1974. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Today’s Lineups
CUBS
DIAMONDBACKS
Pete Crow-Armstrong – CF
Lars Nootbaar – DH
Seiya Suzuki – RF
Corbin Carroll – RF
Michael Busch – 1B
Gabriel Moreno – C
Alex Bregman – 3B
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Ian Happ – LF
Max Kepler – LF
Nico Hoerner – SS
Nolan Arenado – 3B
Pedro Ramirez – 2B
Tim Tawa – 1B
Michael Conforto – DH
Ildemaro Vargas – 2B
Miguel Amaya – C
Jordan Lawlar – CF
Clay Holmes – RHP
Brandon Pfaadt – RHP
The words “national treasure” get thrown around a lot, and not just in reference to the Nicolas Cage movie of the same name (a film for which I harbor a deep hatred). There are a few people who likely deserve the label. Mel Brooks in the US. Sir David Attenborough in the UK. But today we lost one person for whom the label is entirely appropriate, with the sad announcement of Dolly Parton’s passing. Now I am as far from a country music fan as can be imagined (and do not get me started on “New Country”). But even I have an affection for its undeniable queen. That the “Philanthropy” section on her Wikipedia page is almost as long as that about her career says all you need to know.
Anyway, back at Chase Field, the D-backs will be hoping for better performances all round compared to last night, where just about every single aspect of the team’s game was found wanting. Though I’m also curious to see whether Merrill Kelly will be back on the top step at the far end of the dugout, staring at the Cubs third-base coach… Though it appears Torey Lovullo apologized to Craig Counsell today for the spat, after getting clarification that the Cubs were within the rules. The fix will be to stop Kelly giving away pitches: “It’s up to us to fix it, and we’re doing that right now.”
Another dose of scoreboard watching in prospect, with the Padres and Phillies games both getting under way at exactly the same time as the D-backs. Hopefully, Brandon Pfaadt will be able to put some pressure on them, rather than us being left to cross our fingers and hope the Pirates and Mariners will do us a favor. Brandon’s renaissance hit a bit of a bump in Boston as his eight-game homerless streak came to an abrupt end with a trio of long balls. Arizona still scratched out the win in extras, but if he can get back to form, that’d be helpful. He did pitch against the Cubs earlier in the season but that was 2.2 innings in relief, so hard to say if that’s relevant.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 19: Paul Skenes #30 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in the first inning during the game against the Detroit Tigers at PNC Park on August 19, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates are looking for a chance to win their series against the San Diego Padres in the second game of the three-game set at Petco Park.
The Pirates won 3-2 in 12 innings late last night, and they used seven pitchers. This means the Pirates would love to have Paul Skenes go pretty deep in this start. Skenes has been up and down all season long, but he has not pitched more than five innings in any of his last four starts. In his most recent appearance against the Detroit Tigers on August 19, Skenes pitched 4.1 innings, giving up four hits and three earned runs. The Pirates went on to win 4-3, but Skenes did not factor into the decision.
Skenes won in his last start against the Padres back on April 7, when he pitched 6.1 innings, giving up two hits and one earned run in a 7-1 victory.
The Pirates are going with Michael King, who is making his 27th start of the season. In his last appearance on August 19 against the New York Mets, King pitched 6.2 innings, giving up four hits and two runs in a 4-2 loss at Citi Field.
Location: Petco Park, San Diego, CA
Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh
Pitching Matchup: Paul Skenes (9-11, 3.95 ERA) vs. Michael King (8-9, 3.38 ERA)
BD community, this is your gameday thread for today’s game. Chime off in the comments section below.
Jul 23, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Taj Bradley (26) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
First Pitch: 8:40 PM CDT
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN, WCCO 830, The Wolf 102.9 FM, Audacy App
For game two in Sacramento the Twins will send out Taj Bradley against the Athletics’ rookie lefty Gage Jump. Will the mostly right handed lineup of the Twins make Gage Jump look like Chris Sale? Almost certainly.
San Diego, CA - August 24: Jake Cronenworth #9 of the San Diego Padres throws out Jake Mangum #28 of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the ninth inning at Petco Park on August 24, 2026 in San Diego, CA. (Photo by K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
Pittsburgh Pirates (64-69) at San Diego Padres (71-61), August 25, 2026, 6:40 p.m. PST
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Last night, the Athletics fell to 19-39 at Sutter Health Park after dropping the series-opener against the Minnesota Twins, 9-6. Starter Jeffrey Springs struggled once again, and the offense’s last-ditch rally came a few runs short. Tonight presents an opportunity for the last-place A’s to earn their 20th home win and force a rubber match tomorrow.
Rookie left-hander Gage Jump will be on the bump this evening for the home team. The 23-year-old enters his 17th start of the season with a 5-8 record, a 4.83 ERA, a 1.51 WHIP and 88 strikeouts over 82 innings. Jump has endured some turbulence lately, going 2-4 with a 6.75 ERA and a 1.83 WHIP over his past seven starts. In his most recent outing against the Kansas City Royals, Jump took the loss after allowing five runs on eight hits over four innings.
This evening, the A’s would greatly appreciate a quality start from Jump in his first career appearance against the Twins. Through his first several MLB starts, Jump has alternated between stellar outings that have the team envisioning a future with him near the top of the rotation and poor performances that highlight the youngster’s areas for growth as he adjusts to major league hitters. It would be beneficial for Jump to finish the season strong, although the team must be mindful of his workload to avoid increasing the southpaw’s injury risk.
From the jump, this lineup sets the A’s up well defensively. Tommy White is a better fit at first base, as last night’s bunt debacle showed he is a bit stretched at the other infield corner.
The top four hitters in the A’s starting nine all recorded multi-hit games yesterday. Right fielder Lawrence Butler and center fielder Henry Bolte are both scorching hot, with Butler batting .417 and Bolte hitting .357 over their past seven games.
It was nice to see Zack Gelof snap out of his slump with two hits in the series opener. Speaking of slumps, struggling catcher Jonah Heim is on the bench, with Brian Serven behind the plate for this game. Birthday boy Max Muncy is also on the bench, with shortstop Alika Williams making his first start of the series.
As for the visiting Twins, they have right-hander Taj Bradley going for them today. The 25-year-old is in the midst of a solid season in his first year with this franchise. Bradley enters his 26th start of the season with a 9-5 record, a 3.90 ERA, a 1.28 WHIP and 158 strikeouts over 140 2/3 innings. He received a no-decision in his last start against the Atlanta Braves after allowing one run on two hits over five innings.
The Athletics have limited history against Taj Bradley, as he did not pitch when these teams squared off in Minnesota around a month ago. The right-hander is 0-1 with an ERA of 4.35 and 13 strikeouts in two starts against the A’s, both of which came when he with the Tampa Bay Rays. Will the Twins starter add another quality start to his resurgent campaign, or will the A’s offense get to him?
Minnesota’s offense will look to take advantage of these hitter-friendly conditions for a second straight night following Monday’s offensive explosion. It is noteworthy that Josh Bell is not playing after his strong performance yesterday.
Jump will need to be especially careful when facing superstar center fielder Byron Buxton and one of Minnesota’s top prospects, shortstop Kaelen Culpepper, as they combined for seven hits last night. Will Jump shut down the Twins’ bats, or will it be another early exit for an A’s starting pitcher?
We can do this. A win tonight plus some help from the Guardians down south in Los Angeles and we can climb out of the cellar of the league. Let’s go A’s!
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 13: Luis Arráez #1, Willy Adames #2 and Carson Whisenhunt #88 of the San Francisco Giants talk during Spring Training at Scottsdale Stadium on February 13, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Suzanna Mitchell/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images) | Getty Images
For a while, the San Francisco Giants seemed to have uncanny good fortune with pitcher health, at least in regards to major surgeries. Sadly, that string of luck has come to an end.
Roughly a year after Randy Rodríguez underwent Tommy John surgery, half a year after Hayden Birdsong did the same, and a month after Trevor McDonald made it three young pitchers, Carson Whisenhunt is, it seems, making it a quartet.
Whisenhunt was pitching very well on Monday, but left the game in the third inning with elbow soreness. That’s never a good thing, and far too often results in a UCL tear. And that’s exactly what it was. On Tuesday, the Giants announced that Whisenhunt’s MRI showed a tear in his UCL, and that surgery was recommended. It’s possible that Whisenhunt will seek a second opinion, but this is one of those situations where all roads lead to Tommy John surgery.
Tommy John would not just end Whisenhunt’s season, but almost certainly wipe out all of 2027 as well. The timeline should set him up to be fully healthy for the start of 2028 Spring Training.
Needless to say, it’s a brutal blow for Whisenhunt, who was in the process of trying to earn a job in the rotation next year. Even though he wasn’t pitching particularly well this year, he figured to be a big part of next year’s team, either as part of the starting rotation, depth for the rotation, or in the bullpen. Now the southpaw will have to wait a while to earn one of those roles.
In addition to Whisenhunt, Willy Adames — who was placed on the 10-Day Injured List on Monday — has a partially-torn UCL in his left (non-throwing) elbow, which, needless to say, isn’t good. Adames is headed for a second opinion, so we’ll have to wait a few days to see what happens with him. It’s worth noting that hitters can come back from Tommy John far more quickly than pitchers (as Shohei Ohtani has shown us), so even the worst case scenario for Adames isn’t horrible. But I would guess that, at the very least, his 2027 is over.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - AUGUST 4: Brady Singer #51 of the Cincinnati Reds throws a pitch during the first inning of the game against the Athletics at Great American Ball Park on August 4, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cincinnati Reds failed to score so much as a single run in Monday’s series opener against the San Francisco Giants in the heavy air of northern California, losing 5-0 on a night where Chase Burns simply didn’t have it for one of the very few times we’ve seen such a thing in his big league career.
On Tuesday, they’ll send struggling starter Brady Singer to the mound to try to rectify things. I’d be far more optimistic about that concept if they weren’t also sending out a lineup that features Hector Rodriguez, Ke’Bryan Hayes, and TJ Friedl in it (hitting back to back to back), but here we are regardless.
It’s once again a late-night start, so you’ll have to pry your eyes open with toothpicks to stay up and indulge in all of the scintillating action between these two going-nowhere rosters.
First pitch is slated to be chucked by Houser at 9:45 PM ET.
NIGHT MOVES: The Cubs’ win last night made their record 29-16 under the lights on the road. They wound up 29-20 in such games a year ago. They now have as many wins this year on the road as at home: 38. They have lost 29 on the road and 27 at home. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
WINNERS AND LOSERS: The Cubs are 35-26 in games against opponents who had a winning record going into the game. They are 41-30 against those who were .500 or below. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
RUN DIFFERENTIAL UPDATE: The Cubs have outscored the Mariners and Diamondbacks by a combined 26-0 over the last 16 innings. They have raised their run differential to a season-high +122. Only two teams are better: the Brewers, +161, and Dodgers, +151. The Braves are fourth, at +110. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
BATTING AVERAGE UPDATE: In their last 54 games, one third of a full season, the Cubs have raised their batting average with runners in scoring position by 32 points, to .249, which is tied for seventh highest. They now have scored the second-most runs, made the third-most hits, hit the most home runs and earned the second-most walks. With two outs and RISP, they rank 14th in average, at .233. They have scored the most runs, made the second-most hits, hit the most home runs and earned the third-most walks. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: Ryne Sandberg’s 12th-inning single gives the Cubs a 4-3 walk-off win over the Braves. They lead the NL East by two games. It happened 37 years ago today, Friday, Aug. 25, 1989.
After a bit of a rough outing in his Cubs debut, Clay Holmes has been lights-out over his last two: 12 innings, one run, 26 ground-ball outs out of 36 total outs recorded (and 45 batters faced).
That’s exactly who the Cubs thought they were getting.
He has not faced the Diamondbacks since a relief appearance in early 2024 and current D-backs are batting a small sample size .216 (8-for-37) with no home runs.
Keep it going, Clay.
Brandon Pfaadt has a 1.79 ERA and 0.912 WHIP in 10 starts since June 30, though he did get hit hard (five runs in 5.2 innings) by the Red Sox in his most recent start Aug. 19.
He allowed the Cubs two runs in 2.1 innings in a relief appearance at Wrigley Field May 3.
Current Cubs are batting just .165 (14-for-85) against him, though Michael Conforto has homered twice.
Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. It’s also streaming on Peacock (outside the Cubs and Diamondbacks market territories).
Please visit our SB Nation Diamondbacks site AZ Snakepit. If you do go there to interact with D-backs fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.
The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.
You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.
The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.
You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - AUGUST 12: JJ Wetherholt #26 of the St. Louis Cardinals bats against the Philadelphia Phillies at Busch Stadium on August 12, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The St. Louis Cardinals return home for a brief homestand starting Tuesday night as they play host to the Baltimore Orioles. According to MLB.com, the Orioles will start RHP Chris Bassett. MLB.com confirms it will be Matthew Liberatore starting for the Cardinals. First pitch scheduled for 6:45pm central time and the game broadcast will be available via Cardinals.tv.
Aug 19, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Chris Bassitt (40) delivers during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
If the Orioles are going to make a push for the playoffs in this final month or so of the season, they are gonna have to win a bunch of games. That means beating solid teams like these Cardinals on the road. It’s not gonna be easy.
It’s a left-handed starter on the mound for St. Louis, Matthew Liberatore. That might be good news for the Orioles. They have been much improved against southpaws in recent months. As usual, Coby Mayo takes a prominent spot in the lineup, batting clean-up. He has a 1.105 OPS against lefties this year and has been pretty darn good overall in the second half, owning an .854 OPS since the all-star break.
Chris Bassitt will look to make it a third straight decent start since being activated from the IL. He has given up five runs over 11 innings since he returned from his back problems. After the off day on Monday the entire Orioles bullpen should be available, but it would still be nice to see Bassitt go a bit deeper here.
Let’s start this nine-game road trip on a high note!
Miguel Vargas has posted a 1.253 OPS with four doubles and five homers over the past 15 days. | (Isaac Wasserman/Getty Images)
A blowout loss is a tough way to start a series at home in a playoff race, but the South Siders hope to flush Monday’s game and come out strong behind Anthony Kay today. After defeating the Sox yesterday, the Rangers now hold a half-game lead over the Houston Astros in the AL West, while Chicago’s lead in the AL Central has shrunk to just 2 1/2 games over the Cleveland Guardians. The Guardians have rebounded from their rough stretch, winning seven of their last 10 and riding a five-game winning streak after defeating the Los Angeles Angels yesterday. The Angels, of course, had opportunities to come back but naturally didn’t.
The South Siders are 5-5 in their last 10, and the offense has been struggling as a whole lately, basically living and dying by the long ball as we’ve seen in the last several games. In August, the White Sox are hitting just .208 with runners in scoring position as a team — the second-worst average in baseball over that stretch — while also racking up the most strikeouts (70). It also probably doesn’t help that both Colson Montgomery and Munetaka Murakami are building Strikeout City from the ground up, with Colson leading MLB in Ks over the last two weeks (24 in 51 ABs) and Mune’s 21 ranking third in baseball. Woof.
With both the rotation and bullpen continuing to struggle, the pitching staff took another hit when the White Sox announced that Huascar Brazobán is headed to the IL with a left lat strain. Righthander Jonathan Cannon is being called up from Triple-A Charlotte to help fill the hole. Jonathan Cannon is most certainly not the answer, but at this point, the front office seems ready to try anything.
Prior to tonight’s game vs. Texas, the Chicago White Sox placed right-handed pitcher Huáscar Brazobán on the 15-day injured list with a left lat strain and recalled right-handed pitcher Jonathan Cannon from Class AAA Charlotte.
The only other roster update for today is that our sweet (mostly) clutch Andrew Benintendi has been placed on the bereavement list, and Rikuu Nishida will rejoin the team in his absence. We send our thoughts to Andrew and his family during this time.
Prior to tonight’s game vs. Texas, the Chicago White Sox placed outfielder Andrew Benintendi on the Bereavement/Family Medical Emergency List and recalled infielder/outfielder Rikuu Nishida from Class AAA Charlotte.
Regardless of what the masses may think, lefthander Anthony Kay has been solid for the Good Guys and is probably the second-best starter they currently have behind Sean Burke. Kay will make his 25th start of the season and has a 3.96 ERA and a 1.327 WHIP over 127 1/3 innings. He seems to keep improving, and in August alone, Kay has allowed just seven earned runs over 23 2/3 innings (four starts), good for a cool 2.66 ERA and a 2-1 record. If you ask me, his great outing against the Atlanta Braves last week went unrewarded because the offense was nowhere to be found.
Hopefully, the bats — or really anybody not named Miguel Vargas or Tristan Peters — can wake up to provide some early run support for Kay, but they will have a tough matchup with righthander Jacob deGrom on the mound. Peters has homered in three straight games, however, so let’s see if he can make it four.
With Benintendi unavailable and a righty on the mound, Sam Antonacci is taking over as the DH and leading off today. Peters will shift to left field in Benintendi’s place, while Brenton Doyle slots into center field and bats eighth. With those changes, today’s lineup is almost identical to Monday’s, and as we know, Will Venable loves the righty-lefty matchups. Still, I would be remiss not to mention Randal Grichuk’s career performance against deGrom: In 14 plate appearances, Grichuk has dominated. He’s slashed .385/.429/1.000 with two home runs, amassing a 1.429 OPS.
deGrom is also making his 25th start of the season and holds a 3.77 ERA across 126 2/3 innings. The 38-year-old still has zero problems striking guys out and has rung up 157 batters this season. His 30.3% strikeout rate ranks in the top 8% of MLB pitchers. deGrom’s fastball averages around 97 mph, though his off-speed pitches — slider, curveball and changeup — all fool batters, with all three pitches generating a whiff rate above 40%. His slider seems to be his most effective pitch, with opponents batting just .163 and slugging a measly .227 against it.
After being ejected from yesterday’s game for heckling the ump, Joc Pederson will get another day off, with Justin Foscue remaining in the leadoff spot after a decent performance Monday. Corey Seager has been swinging a hot bat lately, and after two doubles and three RBIs yesterday, that is now apparent. In the past two weeks, Seager has the third-highest batting average in MLB (.419) and the sixth-highest OPS (1.164), and he’s actually hit lefties better this year (.256 BA vs. .222 against righties).
First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. CDT, and it should be a beautiful night for a ballgame: 78º with partly cloudy skies. Watch on CHSN or listen on ESPN Chicago 1000 AM.
May 3, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) reacts after hitting a three run home run against the Atlanta Braves during the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
