MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JUNE 26: Christian Yelich #22 of the Milwaukee Brewers hits a double against the Chicago Cubs at American Family Field on June 26, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Make that three straight wins for the Crew after their 6-1 victory over the Texas Rangers. Tonight’s win adds another to their MLB-leading 84 wins while also extending their division lead to eight games with less than a month to play.
All around the diamond, there were standout players tonight for the Brewers, and while the likes of William Contreras, Jake Bauers, and Jackson Chourio stay hot, there’s one bat that has awakened: Christian Yelich. Yelich finishes the night with three hits and an RBI with a double. After tonight’s showing, he’s now batting .391 with a .462 OBP over his last seven games.
Sticking with the train of hot offense, Contreras came through with two men on in the bottom of the first inning to give the Brewers an early 1-0 lead. In the very next at-bat, Yelich hit his 21st double of the season, driving in Bauers to extend their lead to 2-0.
Then, the Rangers were introduced to one of the best upcoming pitchers in all of baseball in Logan Henderson, as he picked up his first of seven strikeouts. In fact, going forward, the Rangers were only able to pick up one hit, and that came on a solo home run from former Brewer Danny Jansen in the bottom of the third inning. Henderson went the rest of the way, only facing one of the minimum, finishing the night with only 91 pitches thrown.
With the number of records that this edition of the Brewers has racked up to this point in the season, Henderson continued to pile on his accolades tonight as well. Following tonight’s start, he now has the second-lowest ERA in his first 19 career starts with a 2.30 ERA. The only man above him is Bill Parsons with a 2.27 ERA.
The Brewers’ offense went silent after the first inning until Yelich kicked things off with a weak base hit. After a two-out walk from Sal Frelick, David Hamilton went the other way with it to drive in Garrett Mitchell to extend the Brewers’ lead to 3-1.
After the final 1-2-3 inning from Henderson in the top of the seventh, Contreras picked up his second RBI of the game with a base hit to center field to make it 4-1. Then, for no particular reason, the Brewers decided to play a little small ball in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Frelick and Hamilton both reached base via the drag bunt, but it was Brice Turang who bunted one foul on the third pitch of the at-bat to strike out. Chourio then poked a ball through the left side of the infield to make it 5-1, then, for good measure, Contreras added one final run for his third RBI of the night to cap it at 6-1.
After Henderson provided another stellar outing, Aaron Ashby and DL Hall shut down the Rangers in the final two innings. Hall capped off the series opener win by striking out the side.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - AUGUST 28: Quinn Mathews #60 of the St. Louis Cardinals delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first inning at Busch Stadium on August 28, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Watching the Cardinals for the past week has been similar to that meme where the stick figure pokes the stick at an object saying “do something”. Many of us who witnessed the early season version of the St. Louis Cardinals have been anxiously waiting for the team to do something and they did some of that Friday night against the Pirates. Fortunately, those “somethings” included a big blast from Jimmy Crooks and a stellar effort from Quinn Mathews.
Quinn Mathews got off to an efficient start limiting his pitch count by getting pounding the strike zone and allowed the defense behind him to help out. Great example of that happened in the top of the 2nd inning when he handed out a one-out walk to Gonzales, but got a ground ball out of Flores Jr. which turned into a nifty double play thanks to some fancy glovework by Nolan Gorman at third.
Gorman helped out with the bat, too, in the bottom of the 3rd inning when he waited on a 94 mph changeup and smacked it into the right-centerfield gap for a double that turned into a triple with Cruz couldn’t get a handle on the ball. He was able to take a leisurely stroll to home plate when Jimmy Crooks followed that with a 90 mph slider he launched 416 feet for a 2-run homer deep into the right field stands for a 2-0 Cardinals lead.
To sum up the Cardinals pitching start Friday night, Quinn Mathews was DEALING! The Pirates didn’t have a real scoring chance until the top of the 4th inning when he gave up a leadoff single to Triolo. Two batters later, O’Neil Cruz hit a hard grounder off of Alec Burleson’s glove at first giving Pittsburgh runners at first and third with two outs, but the Pirates were held scoreless when JJ Wetherholt made a nice play on a sinking line drive for the final out of the Pittsburgh 4th. Quinn was at 65 pitches going into the top of the 5th inning which is a big improvement over his last couple of outings.
The Cardinals offense seemed determined to give Mathews some more run support as Jordan Walker started the bottom of the 5th with single he smoked into left field from a 96 mph four-seam fastball. Jose Fermin then poked a single into right field which moved Walker to third. Nathan Church took advantage of that as he lifted a sacrifice fly to center scoring Walker and upping the Cardinals lead to 3-0. Joshua Baez kept the party going as he ripped a double into the left field corner giving St. Louis runners at second and third with just one out as Fermin was held up at third. It was then Nolan Gorman’s turn. He had a very effective at bat as he came back from a 1-2 count to draw a walk which loaded the bases for the Cardinals. Jimmy Crooks had a prime opportunity to break the game wide open, but he was called out on a check swing for the second out of the inning. It was up to JJ Wetherholt to come through with some two out magic, but all he could manage was a first-pitch dribbler out to the pitcher. Humongous missed opportunity.
The top of the 5th inning has been the land of baseball danger for the Cardinals during the second half of the season. How many games with promise have come apart at the seams in the infamous 5th? Too many to count is the answer. Quinn Mathews ran into a bit of trouble in the 5th inning of Friday’s game, too, but fortunately it did not doom the Cardinals to a sudden deficit. With one out, he hit Mangum with a pitch. Yorke then singled to right giving the Pirates runners at first and second. It looked like Mathews might get out of it without damage when he got a ground ball out of Davis that looked like it might turn into a double play, but the Wetherholt to Fermin to Burleson turn only got the force out at second since injured Masyn Winn was not a part of it. Triolo hit a 2-out single just in front of Baez in left to drive in the first Pirate run of the night making it 3-1 Cardinals. Fortunately, Quinn struck out Valdez to end the threat and maintain the Cardinals advantage.
The Cardinals knocked Pirates starter Jared Jones out of the game in the bottom of the 5th inning when Jordan Walker and Jose Fermin hit back-to-back two out singles. It ended up being fruitless as Nathan Church bounced a ball off of Pirates reliever Evan Sisk, but could not beat the throw to first to end the Cardinals 5th.
Quinn Mathews first Busch Stadium start was a memorable one. He got the Cardinals through 5 2/3 and was in position for a win after Ryan Fernandez got the last out in the top of the 6th. Mathews left the game with a pitch count of 102 allowing 5 hits, 1 earned run while striking out 7 and walking only 1.
Ryan Fernandez stayed in the game to handle the Pirates in the top of the 7th and handle them he did 1-2-3. No runners and no drama. He was also the Cardinals answer for the top of the 8th inning after St. Louis failed to mount any kind of offensive momentum in the bottom of the 7th. Fernandez was able to lock down the Pirates for the first two outs of the 8th inning before he walked Reynolds bringing up O’Neil Cruz as the potential tying run. That brought manager Oli Marmol out of the dugout to bring in Caleb Ferguson for a lefty-on-lefty matchup. That led to a huge break for the Cardinals as Cruz hit a hard ground ball that appeared to go into right field for a single that would have given the Pirates runners at first and third, but the ball hit Reynolds for the final out of the inning. We’ll take it!
The Cardinals tried to add to their lead in the bottom of the 8th inning when Jordan Walker led off with a single into right for his third hit of the night. Jose Fermin was drilled in the chest by a pitch that he squared around to bunt on, but on replay challenge it was overturned after video showed it hit the bat first. Fermin did end up grounding out to the pitcher, but he did move Walker up into scoring position at second on the play. Jordan moved over to third on a ground out to first by Nathan Church. He would score when Joshua Baez grounded out, but shortstop Gonzalez hurried his throw which pulled Horwitz off first base giving the Cardinals a valuable insurance run increasing the lead to 4-1. Three errors on the night by the Pirates helped the St. Louis cause.
Ryne Stanek was brought in to lock down the game for the Cardinals and win for Quinn Mathews. Ryne got Gonzalez to fly out to right for the first out. Next up was Flores Jr. who Stanek struck out with 99 mph HEAT. Mangum was the final Pirates hope which turned out to be no hope at all as Ryne got him out to seal the deal for St. Louis.
The St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates will convene again Saturday afternoon for game 2 of their weekend series. Kyle Leahy is the scheduled starter for the Cardinals while the Pirates have yet to announce who they’ll send to the mound. First pitch is 1:15pm central time with the game broadcast available via Cardinals.tv.
The main story of the game for the Mets was starting pitcher Christian Scott, who had an up-and-down outing in the strangest possible terms.
Scott was spotless through five innings, allowing just one hit and two walks and keeping Houston off the scoreboard.
However, after recording the first out in the fifth inning, Scott issued three straight walks to Yordan Alvarez, Isaac Paredes,and Jose Altuve. Having lost control of the strike zone, interim manager Andy Green pulled his starter for Nate Lavender, who surrendered two hits which drove in all three baserunners, tagging Scott with three earned runs on his final line.
Speaking with the media postgame, Green expressed no regrets with his decision to let Scott push past the fifth inning.
"Today was a good day to test him," Green said. "He had been efficient through five innings, so I wanted to give him [the chance to face] the third time through [the batting order]."
Both Green and Scott were asked if the right-handed pitcher is feeling any arm fatigue in his first season back from Tommy John surgery and, if so, whether it was a factor in his control issues.
"I'm sure he's feeling it more as the season goes on," Green said. "I think you see it often in their first game back from Tommy John...when he gets further and further from that, the walks will dissipate."
Scott, in contrast, refused to pin the blame on anything but his own performance.
"I wouldn't say I did [feel any arm fatigue] tonight," Scott said. "I just didn't execute, didn't get a lot of whiffs, didn't throw the ball well in the sixth ... need to do a better job filling up the zone."
"Physically, I feel fine," Scott said. "I feel like I'm pitching very well right now, but I need to do a better job executing, especially later in the game."
Whatever the case, Green has the 27-year-old's back.
"It was a learning experience today," Green said. "I have a ton of confidence that the next time he is staring down the middle of the order in the sixth inning, he's going to succeed in that situation."
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 28: Zac Veen #13 of the Colorado Rockies slides into third base during the fifth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on August 28, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After splitting a series against the Washington Nationals, the Colorado Rockies looked to start the series in Atlanta on a high note. Despite a solid night offensively, the Rockies left a small village on the base paths as the big hit eluded them and couldn’t keep pace with a dangerous Braves offense.
A tough night in Atlanta for Tomo
Hoping to break a string of difficult starts, the cards were not in Tomoyuki Sugano’s (菅野 智之) favor against the Braves. Things looked promising as Sugano worked a quick 1-2-3 first inning, a far cry from the 45 pitches he threw in his last outing. Unfortunately for Sugano, the Braves picked away at him in the second inning to build a 3-0 lead.
Ronald Acuña Jr. led off with a walk and came in to score on a double from Michael Harris II. After Maricio Dubón flew out, advancing Harris to third base, and Mike Yastrzemski struck out, Sean Murphy delivered an RBI double down the line to score another run. Ha-Seong Kim was then hit by a pitch, setting the table for Drake Baldwin to shoot a ball up the middle to score a third run.
Dubón added another RBI single in the third inning to increase the lead to 4-0. Sugano managed a harmless fourth inning, and his offense closed the deficit in the top of the fifth inning, but his night would be over after just three batters when he came back out to pitch. Acuña smoked the first pitch he saw all the way to the wall for a double, and then Harris launched a two-run home run on the second pitch of the inning to give the Braves a 6-3 lead. Dubón’s single delivered the final blow to knock Sugano out of the game.
Once again, Sugano’s command eluded him. Due to the Atlanta heat and humidity, he struggled to grip the baseball and ended up having to rely on his fastball much more than usual. As a result, he threw 91 pitches, 58 strikes, and allowed six runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts and one walk. He wasn’t able to dip into his secondaries and was often working behind hitters, and the contact started to get harder and harder by the time that fifth inning rolled around.
“He got behind in the count again,” manager Warren Schaeffer said. “Not a lot executed tonight. Got hit pretty hard there. It’s just been a tough couple of times out for Tomo.”
Bullpen boys keep it in reach
The Rockies bullpen has continued to do their job and pick up quite a bit of slack from the rotation and this game was no different.
Mark Manfredi relieved Sugano in the fifth inning and continued to impress in his young career. He ended up throwing two solid innings, giving up just three hits and striking out one batter. He was then replaced by Juan Mejia, who tossed a scoreless inning, allowing just one hit. Brennan Bernardino then faced the minimum in the eighth inning.
They combined for just four hits over four innings on 49 total pitches.
The quest for the big hit
Once again, the Rockies found themselves searching for the big hit in the game on offense. In the second inning, the Rockies had something promising after TJ Rumfield walked and Willi Castro singled to put runners on first and second against Grant Holmes. Mickey Moniak smoked a liner to first base that was snagged by Matt Olson for the first out. Connor Norby then grounded into a double play to end the inning.
In the fourth inning, Rumfield singled and was then replaced on the bases by Castro after he grounded into a fielder’s choice. Moniak singled to put men on the corners, but Norby grounded out to end the threat once again.
They finally broke through in the fifth inning against Holmes when Zac Veen, who recorded his first multi-hit game, singled to lead off the inning and advanced to third on a base hit from Ezequiel Tovar. Jake McCarthy got the Rockies on the board with a sacrifice fly to center field. Cole Carrigg tallied a base hit and Tovar came in to score the Rockies’ second run on a single by Hunter Goodman. The third run of the inning came when Rumfield grounded out to the shortstop, allowing Carrigg to score from third.
The string of hits made it a one-run game at the time before the Harris home run in the bottom half of the inning. It also ended Holmes’s night after the fifth inning as he allowed three runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and one walk.
“All year… we pass the baton,” Schaeffer said. “That’s why our offense is so much better this year. Selfless baseball, just trying to get on for the next guy, that’s what we do.”
Facing the dangerous Braves bullpen, the Rockies threatened Ray Kerr in the seventh inning, but couldn’t get the big hit to shift the momentum of the game. McCarthy was hit by a pitch, Goodman singled, and Rumfield walked to load the bases with one out. Castro sent the first pitch he saw to center field for a sacrifice fly to give the Rockies their fourth run of the game. Unfortunately, the Rockies couldn’t get more as the left-on-left matchup for Moniak resulted in a strikeout to end the inning.
The eighth inning continued the theme on offense. Veen drew a one-out walk and moved up to third on a two-out single by McCarthy. With men on the corners and two outs, Carrigg ripped a ball to second base that was gathered by Ozzie Albies. Carrigg flew down the line, forcing a bang-bang play at the bag, and was called out. The Rockies challenged, but the call was upheld, ending the inning.
Goodman secured his third hit of the night with a single in the ninth off of Raisel Iglesias, but was quickly erased on a double-play. Castro then lined out softly courtesy of a diving catch by Albies to end the game. That was a common trend on the night as well, as the Braves continued to make some impressive defensive plays to rob the Rockies of hits that could have drastically altered the game for them.
Despite the 12 hits, the Rockies ended up going 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position, leaving 10 men on base. They have now gone 2-for-20 over the last two games. They only struck out five times and had three walks, with the only extra-base hit being Moniak’s double in the sixth.
“We had chances all night; I thought we swung the bats well, ” said Schaeffer. “We got after it offensively; we came back, kept the foot on the gas. Just didn’t get the job done.”
Up next
The Rockies and Braves continue the series Friday, with Ryan Feltner (5-8, 6.08 ERA) facing veteran lefty Martín Pérez (8-8, 3.12 ERA).
First pitch is scheduled for 2:10 pm MDT. See you then!
Aug 28, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (13) celebrates with center fielder Michael Harris II (23) after a two-run home run against the Colorado Rockies in the fifth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
You can’t get a high-octane, 1-0 complete game every night. The series opener for Braves-Rockies was always bound to feel different than this last few nights versus Los Angeles, and boy, did it deliver on that front.
The swing-happy Rockies collected eleven singles and one double off of the Braves pitching staff. But the Braves weren’t going to be outdone Friday at home, where they’ve been dominant. They outhit and outscored the Rockies by two for fourteen hits and a final score of 6-4 to secure their 80th win of the season.
It was a quiet first frame as each starter began the game with a 1-2-3 inning. Grant Holmes issued a leadoff walk to TJ Rumfield followed by a single to Willi Castro, but got out of it with a Mickey Moniak lineout and a Connor Norby double play.
“Cleanup man” may just be the psychological trick needed to get Ronald Acuña Jr. going. He led off two innings anyway, but the reset / new mentality seemed to make all the difference as he ended up 3-for-3 on the evening. His great night began with a leadoff walk in the second. He then scored from first on a double off the bat of Michael Harris II, giving the Braves a 1-0 lead.
Mauricio Dubón’s productive out moved Harris to third before Mike Yastrzemski battled for nine pitches before he whiffed for strike three. But Harris wouldn’t be stranded – Sean Murphy, in a bit of deja vu from Wednesday, laced one down the third base line juuust fair for a double to make it 2-0.
Don’t look now, but Ha-Seong Kim has now reached base three straight games after being hit by a pitch. We take those.
Drake Baldwin drove in his fellow catcher on a single to center field to extend the lead to 3-0 before Ozzie Albies flew out to end the inning. A crooked number for the Bravos? Is that allowed?
Holmes worked around a Zac Veen leadoff single in the top of the third before setting down the next three Rockies in order.
Ronald’s first hit of the night came in the bottom of the third with a single to center field. He advanced to second on a Harris sac bunt and scored on a Dubón single.
Holmes allowed a couple more singles in the top of the fourth, but a nice Ozzie/Kim play and two other groundouts helped him escape.
Grant was not so fortunate in the top of the fifth. Consecutive singles by Veen (again) and shortstop Ezequiel Tovar set the table for Jake McCarthy’s sac fly to end the shutout and make it 4-1.
Two more singles by Cole Carrigg and Hunter Goodman kept the line moving. Seemingly aware it was not our usual infielders and alignments, there was a weird vortex that appeared between Dubón at third and Ha-Seong Kim at short. Goodman’s hit deflected off of both of their gloves before rolling into left field.
All of a sudden, Colorado had chipped away enough to make it a one-run ballgame at 4-3. Holmes settled down to get Castro to fly out and end the fifth, closing the book on tonight’s outing: 8 hits (all singles), 3 earned runs, 1 walk, and 3 strikeouts on 84 pitches.
But the Braves would get some of those runs right back. Our outfielders combined for our first multi-run home run in a while: Ronald doubled to right, and once again got to trot home to score on a blast to the Chophouse by Money Mike. Dubón’s single prompted Warren Schaeffer to make a pitching change.
Tomoyuki Sugano exited to the dulcet tones of Ke$ha proclaiming that this place was “about to blow”. With the field awash in red light, Mark Manfredi entered to stop the Braves from adding on any further. He struck out pinch-hitter Lane Thomas, got Murph to fly out sharply to center, and Kim to pop out to short to end the rally with the Braves leading 6-3.
Dylan Dodd allowed a leadoff double to Moniak to start the sixth, but put up another zero with a swinging strikeout and two flyouts.
After a Baldwin lineout and Ozzie taking a risk on a hustle double that did not work out, Matt Olson finally decided to join the party with a single to right, followed by Ronald’s second single. But Manfredi got Harris to line out sharply to left to end the sixth, keeping the Braves off the board for his two innings of relief.
Ray Kerr entered to face the top of the Rockies order in what ended up being an eventful seventh inning. He hit McCarthy and got Carrigg to fly out. But a single to Goodman and a walk by Rumfield loaded the bases, prompting a mound visit from Jeremy Hefner. Castro’s sac fly made it 6-4 before Moniak’s strikeout ended the inning.
Murphy hit a two-out single off new reliever Juan Mejia in the bottom of the seventh, but nothing else of note occured.
Victor Mederos jogged out of the bullpen for the eighth inning. Veen worked a walk between Norby groundout and flyout by pinch-hitter Troy Johnston. But a McCarthy single put runners at the corners. A diving play by Ozzie / flip to Olson on a ground ball hit by Carrigg was challenged by Colorado. We all braced for the replay center to overturn the out call and allow the Rockies to add another run, but New York was on our side for this one (!) and we moved right on along. The home half of the eighth ended expeditiouisly as Brennan Bernardino set down our top three in order.
Raisel Iglesias came into the ninth with the two-run lead and set to face the heart of the Rockies order. Team home run leader Goodman did not hit a dinger, thankfully, but a freak single off his bat allowed him to reach. But our own home run leader can also pick it with the best of them – Olson started a beautiful double play to send Goodman and Rumfield back to the visiting dugout and bring Castro up as the last hope for the Rockies.
More defensive magic in the form of an Ozzie Albies diving play for out number three sealed this one for the Braves.
With a final score of 6-4, that extends Atlanta’s win streak to five games, is the 80th win of the season, and improves the Braves’ home record to 46-23, which is the best in baseball. Most excitingly? Every Brave except Lane Thomas (who had two ABs after hitting in Yaz’s spot) and Ha-Seong Kim had a hit tonight. Here’s hoping that this upward offensive trend continues.
The Braves will return to action tomorrow afternoon with Martín Pérez on the mound for the 4:10 pm ET start.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 28: Danny Jansen #9 of the Texas Rangers catches a bunt in front of home plate for an out against the Milwaukee Brewers in the sixth inning at American Family Field on August 28, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Texas Rangers scored one run but the Milwaukee Brewers scored six runs.
I did not have much hope for the Rangers to beat the Brewers tonight and they lo and behold, they did not.
In fact, the Rangers trailed 2-0 after one inning and the writing was pretty much already on the wall. That the game remained close through much of the evening was only a mirage as the Rangers didn’t collect their second hit of the night until the eighth inning, which is also when they had their one and only at-bat with RISP.
Despite being one mighty speculative swing away from tying the game for many innings, it never really felt like Texas was close to eclipsing the early scant deficit they found themselves in against baseball’s best club. Eventually Milwaukee made even running into one a moot proposition as they displayed their superiority in the late innings.
After scoring their one run of the night on their first hit via a solo home run from No. 9 hitter Danny Jansen in the top of the third, the next Ranger to reach was Justin Foscue on an infield single with an out in the eighth inning. Following an out and a walk, Jansen grounded out to end Texas’ first and only threat.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee had 14 hits. Perhaps the best thing you can say is tonight’s starter Cody Bradford and the Rangers walked a tightrope to prevent this from turning into a disaster until much later than it seemed it would as the Brewers left eleven on base while going just 4-for-15 with RISP while Texas had two non-Jansen dinger base runners all night.
Player of the Game: Jansen’s fifth home run of the season prevented the ignominy of a shutout loss.
Up Next: The Rangers and Brewers are back at it tomorrow evening with staff ace Cal Quantrill set to take the mound for Texas against LHP Shane Drohan for Milwaukee.
The Saturday evening first pitch from American Family Field is scheduled for 6:15 pm CDT and will be aired nationally on FOX.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 28: First baseman Paul Goldschmidt #48 of the New York Yankees hits the ball while playing the Boston Red Sox in the first inning at Yankee Stadium on August 28, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Benjamin B. Braun/Getty Images) | Getty Images
How many scoring chances can two teams accumulate without actually driving in runs? The Yankees and Red Sox played a game hellbent on figuring that out. In the end, one timely homer from Paul Goldschmidt was enough to supplement the effort from Cam Schlittler, the Yankees’ bullpen, and left fielder Cody Bellinger to earn a shutout win, beating Boston 1-0.
More than either lineup, failing to get anything going in the early innings of this matchup, no one was having a worse time than the umpire, Edwin Moscoso, seeing both offenses asking for challenges every other at-bat. The Yankees and Sox combined to get five challenges right in a row before Boston lost its first in the top of the third on a Schlittler curve to Willson Contreras, nicking the top of the zone—eventually punching out the first baseman.
With multiple changes in premium spots in the order against a left-handed starter, the Yankees needed those players to perform in favorable matchups, and in tonight’s game, they were 1-for-2 in that department. First came the frustration in the opening inning, seeing Heliot Ramos punched out on three pitches to strand Ben Rice at second, but a few frames later, the power of Goldschmidt showed up to give the Yankees the lead.
Goldy was looking hard in and ambushed a sinker right at the edge for a home run worthy of this team’s top sluggers.
Facing Schlittler for the fourth time this season, the Red Sox came up with a plan to be patient as a team, working five walks against him. While it is arguable that those free passes were as much his fault as Boston genuinely executing a patient approach at a high level, they managed to really drive up his pitch count, even if the zeroes remained on the board. By the time Schlittler completed the fourth inning, he was already well over 70 pitches and destined for a short start.
Although they had gotten players on before, the Red Sox had their biggest threat against Schlittler in the top of the fifth. A Ceddane Rafaela single—then Boston’s only second hit of the game—set up a two-on-one-out situation for the third-hole hitter. Wilyer Abreu hit a sinking liner to center that Trent Grisham caught, reading it well, certainly far better than Rafaela, who was left in no man’s land and thrown out at first for the double play to end the frame.
The Yankee starter was one out away from grinding out six innings, but a two-out walk not only led to a hook but nearly created a blowup inning. In continuity with the self-imposed challenges of handing out free baserunners, Brent Headrick faced a sequence of three pinch-hitters as the Sox turned over the bottom of the order against a lefty—Headrick allowed a walk and an infield hit to load the bases before narrowly escaping the inning, inducing a lineout to left from Andruw Monasterio.
It’s one thing to be leading a game, but another entirely to be in control of it. And with a 1-0 lead, the Yankees had the chance to seize that control with an opportunistic inning after escaping that bases-loaded threat in the top of the sixth, only to fall flat like the Red Sox offense in their scoring opportunities. New York loaded the bases with just one out against Sandoval, leading the Sox to bring in the righty Greg Weissert. The former Yankee retired George Lombard Jr. with a lineout too short for a tag play and then bullied Jazz Chisholm Jr. into a strikeout, whiffing on nothing but heaters.
Speaking of control, with the bullpens coming into play, the momentum of this game seemed to be continuously shifting all without the actual score moving. In the seventh, Paul Blackburn came in after Headrick retired the inning’s leadoff hitter and then experienced both sides of the coin when it comes to defensive impact. First, a jam was formed courtesy of a lousy read by Ramos on a softly-hit fly ball that dropped in down the right-field line—that double would’ve driven in a run had it not gone over the wall and out of play.
Much like the Yankees, the Sox also hit a sinking liner with a runner at third and fewer than two outs—Rafaela defied his third-base coach and tried to score on Cody Bellinger, an ill-advised move, and was gunned down at the plate to preserve the 1-0 score. At 99.7 mph, it was the third-fastest throw of Bellinger’s superb career and the third-fastest by a Yankee since they started tracking via Statcast in 2015.
After the seventh inning, the relievers on both sides actually started working clean innings, including the case for Blackburn himself in the eighth and David Bednar in the ninth, securing his 31st save of the season with three consecutive popups. It was a nailbiter, but the Yanks left with the 1-0 triumph.
Making up for a postponed game over two months ago, the Yankees and Red Sox will play a southpaw showcase split-admission doubleheader on Saturday. Carlos Rodón gets the ball in the opener against fellow lefty Jake Bennett, while Max Fried starts the nightcap against an unknown Boston starter (Brayan Bello is expected to at least get a chunk of those innings). Fried will be making his first start back after returning from an IL stint that turned out to be way shorter than expected. The first game will start at 1:05pm ET, while the second one has its first pitch at 7:05pm ET.
The preseason is officially in the rearview mirror for the Los Angeles Rams, and now the attention shifts toward the games that actually count. After wrapping up their preseason slate, the Rams have plenty of reasons to feel encouraged, but there are also several major questions that must be answered before the regular-season opener.
With the roster deadline approaching and the first game less than two weeks away, here are four takeaways from the Rams’ final preseason game.
First Down: Rams Put Together a “Historic” Offensive Performance
The Rams’ offense provided plenty of reason for optimism throughout the preseason, but the most impressive aspect may have been what happened — or didn’t happen — up front.
The Rams did not concede a single sack in any of their preseason games.
No team since at least 1999 has gone through the entire preseason with no sacks or turnovers until the Rams this year.
That’s an impressive accomplishment regardless of the competition, especially considering how many different combinations of offensive linemen typically receive playing time during the preseason. Protection is one of the biggest concerns for any offense entering a new season, and Los Angeles appears to have established a strong foundation with their starters but also their depth in this case.
Keeping quarterbacks upright has been a consistent priority for Sean McVay, and the Rams’ ability to avoid giving up sacks throughout the preseason could be an early indication that the offensive line is ready for the regular season. Kudos to Ryan Wendell.
Second Down: Tight Squeeze for Rams Draft Picks
The Rams’ 2026 draft class has generated plenty of excitement, but the final roster could tell a different story for some of the team’s rookies.
Wide receiver CJ Daniels and defensive tackle Tim Keenan III appear to be on the bubble as the Rams make their final roster decisions.
That would be notable considering Los Angeles entered the draft with limited draft capital. If Daniels and Keenan don’t make the 53-man roster, two of the Rams’ five draft picks would fail to make the initial team.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the draft class was unsuccessful. Players can develop on the practice squad and eventually work their way onto the active roster. Still, it would be an unusual outcome and shows just how difficult it is for rookies to immediately establish themselves in a competitive NFL roster.
Third Down: Ty Simpson May Have Been the Right Pick
There were plenty of analysts who believed the Rams reached when they selected quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick.
The preseason, however, has provided some evidence that Los Angeles may have identified a potential gem.
Simpson has shown enough to make the Rams’ decision look increasingly defensible. His physical tools, poise and ability to operate within McVay’s system have stood out, particularly for a young quarterback making the transition to the NFL.
It’s obviously far too early to declare Simpson a franchise quarterback based on preseason performances. But if he continues developing, the Rams could eventually look back at No. 13 of the 2026 draft as one of the more important picks of the McVay era.
Fourth Down: Potential Suspensions Loom
Perhaps the biggest uncertainty surrounding the Rams isn’t even related to the roster.
With the regular-season opener now less than 14 days away, questions remain regarding potential suspensions for Alaric Jackson and Puka Nacua.
The possibility of either player missing time continues to be a major talking point as Los Angeles prepares for the regular season. Jackson’s potential absence would impact the offensive line, while losing Nacua would create an even more significant challenge for an offense expecting him to be one of its primary weapons.
The Rams can prepare for several possibilities, but until the NFL makes its decisions, there remains a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the roster.
The preseason is over. Now, the Rams have to turn their attention toward making the final cuts, preparing for potential absences and getting ready for the games that matter most.
Aug 28, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays left fielder Jesus Sanchez (12) reacts as he gets hit by a Seattle Mariners pitch during the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Mariners 1 Blue Jays 8
Today’s game was soooo much more fun than yesterday’s.
First, Dylan Cease was excellent—six innings, just four hits, one walk and eight strikeouts. The run against was a home run by the second batter of the day. We were a little worried for a moment. But just a moment. He came out at 92 pitches. I’m happy that John didn’t have him go 100+
And we scored early and often. It’s been 10 days since we’ve scored 8 runs (10 really, against the Rays). Today we scored:
Three in the first: Brett Bateman singled and stole second. Nathan Lukes ground out to the pitcher, who tagged him, but hurt something while doing it. They talked for a bit, but left him in the game. Vladimir Guerrero followed with a double down the right-field line, scoring Bateman. George Springer singled. Jesús Sánchez was hit by pitch. Kazuma Okamoto drove Vlad in with a sac fly. And Andrés Giménez singled home Springer.
Two in the fifth: Lukes homered and an out later Springer homered.
One in the sixth: Okamoto homered.
Two in the seventh: Lukes walked, and an out later, Springer singled. And Myles Straw singled, bringing in run #7. Okamoto reached on an error by J.P. Crawford, bringing in the 8th run.
We had 11 hits, but, even better, we had 3 home runs. Springer had 4 hits, bringing his average up to .251 from .243. Bateman had 2 hits. Sanchez (0 for 2, hit batter), Clement (0 for 4, k), and Valenzuela (0 for 3, walks) had the 0-fors.
Valenzuela made a great throw to second to catch Randy Arozarena stealing in the third inning, when the game was still close.
Jays of the Day: Cease (0.19 WPA) and Springer (0.13).
No one gets the Other Award. The low mark was Valenzuela at -0.02, but then the caught stealing would have erased that.
Tomorrow, we have a 3:00 Eastern start time. Kade Anderson, making his second MLB start, goes for the Mariners. He went 5.2 innings, giving up 3 earned runs in his first start. José Soriano (1-1, 4.22 in four starts with the Jays) is our guy.
The Yankees emerged from Friday's series opener against the Boston Red Sox with a 1-0 win to start this
Takeaways
Evenwhen RHP Cam Schlittler does not have his best stuff, he owns Boston. Schlittler (12-6, 2.09 ERA) allowed a season-high-tying four walks, issuing three or more free passes for the third straight start, but kept the Red Sox (73-61) scoreless with two hits in 5.2 IP. Throwing 63 strikes on 102 pitches, Schlittler fanned eight, becoming the fourth-youngest Yankee to 200 strikeouts in a season. He has a 0.56 ERA across five games against Boston in the regular season and playoffs, allowing two earned runs over 32.2 IP.
His dominance was necessary on an evening in which the Yankees (76-58) once again struggled offensively after Thursday's 5-1 loss to the Houston Astros. Leadoff-batting 1B Paul Goldschmidt's one-out solo shot in the third inning on a 1-0 fastball at 97 mph against Patrick Sandoval was a home run to left field that the Yankees desperately needed. Goldschmidt's 17th homer of the season broke a scoreless tie and gave Schlittler a lead to work with, putting New York ahead and turning into the decisive offense by either team. Goldschmidt's first long ball since July 24 was the difference in a 1-for-4 night that brought his slash line to .247/.311/.455 with 45 RBI through 91 games this season.
Despite New York's disappointing offense, the defense made a pair of game-saving plays. With one out in the fourth inning, 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s heads up play -- turning CF Trent Grisham's throw to the infield into a toss to first, doubling up Ceddane Rafaela after Wilyer Abreu's lineout -- got Schlittler out of a potential jam. In the seventh inning with one out and the bases loaded, LF Cody Bellinger's perfect throw to the plate sniped Rafaela at home and doubled up the Red Sox on Willson Contreras' flyout, keeping the Yankees' 1-0 lead into the eighth.
With the win, the Yankees even the season series with the Red Sox at 5-5 and go up three games on Boston in the Wild Card standings. The Rays' 9-4 win over the San Diego Padres keeps Tampa Bay (80-54) ahead of New York by four games in the division, but the Yankees rebounded after dropping 2 of 3 against the Astros this week. Will they make the most of their one-score survival entering a pivotal weekend?
Who's the MVP?
Schlittler, whose scoreless start paved the way for the bullpen of LHP Brent Headrick, and RHPs Paul Blackburn and David Bednar -- who earned his 31st save -- in a game that the Yankees needed.
New York and Boston continue their four-game series Saturday when they return to Yankee Stadium for a 1:05 p.m. start, the first of two games for a doubleheader in the Bronx. The Yankees have not announced a starting pitcher, but LHP Max Fried(4-4, 2.81 ERA) will start one of Saturday's games as he returns from his left elbow bone bruise. The Red Sox, meanwhile, are set to start LHP Jake Bennett (8-6, 3.49 ERA).
Aug 28, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown (58) pitches against the New York Mets during the fifth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Though the Mets struck first in this game, they ultimately fell to the Astros 3-1, as Hunter Brown out-dueled Christian Scott, who was let down by the usually solid Nate Lavender in the sixth.
Technical difficulties with both television broadcasts due to a power outage in the truck meant that just like everybody else, I did not see the first four outs of this game, but both teams went quietly in the first inning. This repeated itself in the second inning; Christian Scott induced three ground ball outs in the top of the frame and Francisco Lindor made a very nice play to his right on one of them. Hunter Brown struck out six Mets in the first three innings, while Scott still had no strikeouts through four, but was still efficient.
The Mets finally managed to break through against Hunter Brown in the bottom of the fourth. Francisco Lindor led things off with a single. Bo Bichette was then retired on a fly out, but Carson Benge then doubled off the center field wall and Lindor scored on an aggressive send by Tim Leiper. Luckily for the Mets, the relay throw was off line to an almost absurd degree and Lindor scored easily, giving the Mets a 1-0 lead. Brown avoided further damage in the inning and then wriggled his way out of a jam in the fifth when Marcus Semien hit a leadoff single and Luis Torrens advanced him to third with one out. This was another situation where the Astros had a chance to nab a Met on the base paths with an accurate throw, but again the throw—this time by Daulton Varsho from center—was comically inaccurate. But Brown rendered this irrelevant by getting A.J. Ewing, who continues to struggle mightily at the plate, to ground into a double play, as his month without any runs batted in continued.
The sixth turned out to be the decisive frame for the Astros. Scott, who had been cruising, struck out Jeremy Peña to lead off the inning, but then issued three straight walks, the third of which to Jose Altuve on nine pitches. That ended Scott’s evening just shy of 100 pitches and Andy Green turned to Nate Lavender to navigate out of the bases loaded jam. Unfortunately, Lavender—who had been so steady since being called up—cracked this time. Daulton Varsho muscled a low pitch into right field for a single to give the Astros a 2-1 lead. Yanier Diaz followed with a single of his own off the end of the bat to plate the third run of the inning. All three runs were charged to Scott, but they ended Lavender’s spotless record with inherited runners.
Jonathan Pintaro pitched a scoreless seventh for the Mets, thanks in part to an excellent stab by Bo Bichette on an Isaac Paredes hot shot to third, which Bichette was able to convert into an inning ending double play. In the bottom of the frame, Marcus Semien laced a single with two outs, which finally ended Hunter Brown’s night. Brown did what other Astros pitchers have mostly been unable to do this season: go deep into the ballgame. He made way for Bryan Abreu, who allowed Semien to advance into scoring position on a wild pitch, but he bounced back to strike out Brett Baty to end the threat.
Both Dedniel Núñez and Kodai Senga kept the Mets within striking distance with dominant innings in the eighth and ninth, respectively, each notching a pair of strikeouts. But the Mets were retired in order in the eighth by Abreu and in the ninth by Josh Hader, who earned his 20th save of the season.
Big Mets winner: Christian Scott, +12% WPA Big Mets loser: Nate Lavender, -26% WPA Mets pitchers: -6% WPA Mets hitters: -44% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Carson Benge’s RBI double in the fourth, +14.7% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Daulton Varsho’s go-ahead RBI single in the sixth, -24.4% WPA
TORONTO, ON - AUGUST 28: Dylan Cease #84 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches in the first inning during a game against the Seattle Mariners at Rogers Centre on August 28, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Despite working with some of his worst stuff of the season, Dylan Cease carved through the Mariners’ lineup tonight. The Cy Young frontrunner did it the same way he did when he faced Seattle two months ago: sliders and changeups tumbling, pushing the Mariners to chase the fastball high. The meanest pitch was the one sinker he threw, a beauty that started out of the zone and snuck back in, freezing J.P. Crawford like a statue. Frankly, it was excessive.
Across two starts against the Mariners this season, Cease now has 17 strikeouts in 13 innings, against two walks and seven hits. For a guy who’s more of a whiff generator, the 33 called strikes stand out as a master class in getting what should be a good offense utterly puzzled as to what’s happening.
But even while he’s been locked in, he has not mastered his own humanity. And a classic human failing is hubris. So when he got Dominic Canzone to just stare helplessly at a middle-middle fastball in the first inning, Cease thought he could do no wrong. He tried it again. It didn’t go as well. A 113-mph rocket to right field gave Dom his 20th home run of the season. He’s gone yard off of four-seamers, two-seamers, cutters, sliders, curveballs, changeups, and splitters. He’s hit ‘em on the road and he’s hit em’ at home, on native soil and abroad, against righties and against lefties. It’s been a minute since we got a Dom bomb, but he’s been looking just fine, and you cannot sneak the same pitch by him twice, even if you’re one of the best pitchers in the game. This big fly, essentially the Mariners only offense in a blowout, and a salve from the barrage of hits off the bat of George Springer, gets Canzone his third Sun Hat Award.
The Mets offense couldn't muster much of anything in a 3-1 loss in the team's home series opener against the Houston Astros.
Here are the takeaways...
-- Right-handed flamethrower Hunter Brown didn't allow a single Mets baserunner until the third inning, when Marcus Semien drew a walk to lead off the frame.
-- Francisco Lindor led off the following inning with a single to notch the first Mets hit of the night. With one out, Carson Benge drove Lindor all the way home from first base with a double which clattered off the wall in center field. Benge moved up to third base on a Luis Robert Jr. ground out, but Jared Young flied out to left field to leave him on base with the Mets leading 1-0.
-- Brown escaped a jam in the fifth, with the Mets putting runners on first and third with one out. A.J. Ewing grounded into a double play.
-- Mets starter Christian Scott held the Astros to just one hit through five innings. However, in the sixth inning, after striking out Jeremy Pena to open the inning, Scott lost control, walking three straight batters to load the bases. Interim skipper Andy Green took the ball from his starter and called in lefty Nate Lavender from the bullpen. Lavender allowed his first runs (inherited, not earned) of 2026 when Daulton Varsho golfed a low breaking ball on an 0-2 count into right field to drive in two runners. The Astros tacked on a third run in the inning after Yainer Diaz poked a soft line drive into right field to beat New York's defensive shift. The inning ended with the Mets trailing 3-1.
-- After the wheels fell off in the sixth inning when all three Astros batters he walked came around to score, Scott's final line was stamped in as 5.1 IP, one hit allowed, five walks allowed, two strikeouts, and three earned runs across 96 pitches.
-- Semien's second single of the night finally knocked Brown out of the ballgame in the seventh inning. Houston's ace pitched to the tune of 6.2 innings, 10 strikeouts, one walk, five hits, and one earned run allowed. Bryan Abreu came in to relieve Brown with two outs away, and his wild pitch allowed Semien to advance to second base, but Abreu battled back to strike out Brett Baty and end the seventh inning.
-- Astros closer Josh Hader notched his 20th save of the season to put the nail in the coffin on a 3-1 Mets loss.
Game MVP: Hunter Brown
Brown was dominant all night, delivering a much-needed performance for an Astros team that is clinging onto a narrow lead in the AL West.
TORONTO, ON - AUGUST 28: George Springer #4 of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrates after hitting a solo home run in the fifth inning during a game against the Seattle Mariners at Rogers Centre on August 28, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Blue Jays 8, Mariners 1
Notes from a secret admirer: Dominic Canzone, +0.03 WPA Keeping secrets: Emerson Hancock, -0.26 WPA
TAMPA, Fla — The Tampa Bay Rays got county approval Friday on a financing plan that will allow them to build a new stadium, a day after city officials approved their part for the $2.3 billion ballpark project that will replace the domed Tropicana Field.
The Hillsborough County Commission voted 5-2 on Friday to approve its $796 million share of the mixed-use entertainment district that includes a new 31,000-seat stadium that will be near Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Rays’ new stadium is expected to open in 2029. The Tampa City Council city voted 4-3 on Thursday to approve $80 million.
Rays CEO Ken Babby said the team’s partnership with the county and city on the project secures the long-term future of Major League Baseball in Tampa Bay.
“We now look forward to celebrating before breaking ground with Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa on a future that has long been doubted, but will indeed happen,” Babby said. “By making the Forever Home a reality, the Rays are now home forever in Tampa Bay.”
The Rays have committed to contributing at least $1.3 billion, plus any cost overruns. Another $30 million will come from federal disaster recovery funds.
The Rays ownership reached an agreement earlier this year with Hillsborough College to build the stadium and entertainment district on the campus and to renovate some of the school’s buildings. The property is located next to the New York Yankees’ spring training facility and across a highway from the NFL stadium.
Since the team’s inception in 1998, the Rays have played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, except for moving home games to the Yankees’ George M. Steinbrenner Field in 2025 following hurricane damage at the Trop. The Rays’ lease runs through at least the 2028 season. The team returned to the Trop last month for the start of this season.
A proposed $1.3 billion redevelopment deal for a new ballpark adjacent to the Trop fell through last year, raising new questions about the future of the team, which was bought last September by Patrick Zalupski’s ownership group.
“This has been a long and challenging process, and we know that transformational projects rarely come easily,” Zalupski said Friday. “Today’s vote represents an extraordinary milestone, not simply for the Rays or for a ballpark, but for the future of Tampa and the entire Tampa Bay region.”
