Category: MLB

The Athletics took on the Cincinnati Reds in the series finale, seeking to avoid a sweep and end a seven-game losing streak. The Reds secured the series sweep by defeating the A’s 6-5, dropping the Green and Gold to their eighth straight defeat in a game that played out all too similar to several of the team’s previous losses. For the third straight day, the bullpen faltered, and the offense was unable to do enough to overcome the pitching struggles.

Reds Strike First

A’s starter Mason Barnett got off to a rough start. The first batter he faced, Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz, hit his 19th home run of the season, putting the hosts up 1-0.

His counterpart, Reds starter Andrew Abbott, pitched three scoreless innings to begin the game, consistently getting A’s hitters to chase pitches outside the strike zone and inducing strikeouts and soft-contact groundouts.

A’s Take the Lead

Athletics center fielder Henry Bolte and first baseman Tommy White led off the fourth inning with back-to-back singles, setting up the visitors first scoring opportunity of the game. Jonah Heim drew a walk, bringing up Tyler Soderstrom with the bases loaded and no outs. The A’s left fielder delivered, grounding a two-run single to center field to give his team a 2-1 lead.

After Max Muncy singled to re-load the bases, Lawrence Butler grounded into the A’s second double play of the game, bringing home the third run of the inning, but preventing the rally from extending further. That replay-aided play swung the momentum in the Reds’ favor and they never looked back.

More A’s Pitching Troubles

The Reds immediately responded. First baseman Sal Stewart led off the last of the fourth with his 25th home run of the season, a solo shot to center field that cut the A’s lead to 3-2. Later that inning, catcher Tyler Stephenson tied the game with his 10th home run of the season, another solo shot to center field.

The Reds had the chance to re-take the lead after drawing two walks, but Barnett recorded the final out of the frame to keep the game tied at three. Innings like these have been a major reason the A’s have struggled to win baseball games lately, as their pitching staff has repeatedly allowed opponents to score immediately after the offense provides a spark.

Same Story Every Game!

The Reds threatened to retake the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, loading the bases with one out against Barnett. After he walked JJ Bleday to load the bases, A’s manager Mark Kotsay made a pitching change, bringing in hard-throwing but erratic reliever Elvis Alvarado, a move that quickly backfired.

After striking out the first hitter he faced, Alvarado lost his command and walked in two runs, giving the Reds a 5-3 lead through five innings. It seems like a bases-loaded situation may not be the ideal spot to use Alvarado, raising the question of which pitcher the A’s should have turned to instead.

For the second time this series, the A’s bullpen gave the Reds free runs, with Alvarado’s walks fest coming two days after Hogan Harris’ wild pitch bonanza. No wonder this team has the worst bullpen ERA in the major leagues! Both of the runs scored were charged to Barnett, who allowed five runs on five hits over 4 1/3 innings. His seven strikeouts were encouraging, but allowing three home runs proved costly.

Reds Eying the Sweep

Unlike the A’s, the Reds can actually throw strikes and hold leads. Abbott completed his second straight scoreless inning, keeping the game’s momentum firmly on his team’s side. Cincinnati’s southpaw turned in a quality start, allowing three runs on seven hits over 6 2/3 innings.

New A’s reliever Seth Johnson made his first appearance in the eighth inning, and unfortunately, he fit right in with the rest of the A’s struggling bullpen. With one out, Bleday launched his 20th home run of the season and the Reds’ fourth of the game, turning the deficit into a three-run hole. Bleday, who struggled last season with the Athletics, has revitalized his career in Cincinnati, putting a spotlight on the A’s player development staff.

A’s Comeback Falls Short

Down by three, the A’s attempted to come back in the ninth. Facing Reds left-hander Brock Burke, Butler reached on an infield single and advanced to second on a throwing error by shortstop Elly De La Cruz. A’s catcher Brian Serven hit his second home run of the season, a two-run shot to left-center, field that cut the Reds’ lead to one.

That was as close as the visitors got. Burke retired the next two hitters to earn his second save of the season. The loss was the Athletics’ eighth straight, dropping them to 6-32 over their last 38 games as they were swept for the second consecutive series.

It could be more of the same this weekend as the A’s head to Boston to face a Red Sox team trending in the opposite direction. Right-hander Jack Perkins is scheduled to start for the Athletics on Friday evening, while the Red Sox have yet to announce their starter.

Things turned awfully testy during the late innings of Wednesday night’s 4-2 Mariners victory over the Detroit Tigers, which evened the pivotal series for both teams in an American League playoff race that is heating up more and more with every passing day. A half-inning after Cal Raleigh was drilled in the ribs with 95 mph four-seam fastball by Enmanuel De Jesus — and no warnings were issued — Gabe Speier pegged Gleyber Torres with a 96 mph four-seamer of his own, leading to an exchanging of words and the benches clearing. Speier and Dan Wilson both ended up ejected. As Kate said in the recap, we’ll see if this has any ramifications Thursday.

Speaking of throwing at people, Framber Valdez gets the start for the Tigers on Thursday. His first season in Detroit hasn’t gone quite to plan, with many of his numbers across the board taking a step back. His FIP has ballooned to 4.13 in 2026, having not exceeded 3.50 over his previous four seasons in Houston.

The Mariners will look to Bryce Miller to try to secure an important series win before the American League-leading Tampa Bay Rays come to town for 50 Seasons weekend. Big Tex had a much shakier month of July (4.93 FIP) after beginning his 2026 campaign with solid performance in May (2.86) and June (3.22). For more on the pitching matchup, check out the series preview.

Lineups

Taylor Ward is in the leadoff spot for his first time as a Mariner. Brendan Donovan and Josh Naylor both get scheduled days off, and Raleigh gets a rest day (unrelated to the hit-by-pitch last night). Jhonny Pereda will be behind the plate for the first time since being recalled from Triple-A Tacoma on Tuesday, while Weston Wilson and Leo Rivas make starts at first and third base.

News

In the aftermath of Wednesday’s bench-clearing incident, both Speier and Dan Wilson have been suspended by Major League Baseball. Speier’s discipline amounts to three games, which he is appealing. Dan Wilson, on the other hand, will serve his one-game suspension on Thursday afternoon. Manny Acta will be the Mariners’ acting manager for this important rubber game.

Game Information

First Pitch: 1:10 p.m. PDT

TV:Mariners.TV

Radio: Ol’ Reliable

Getting thumped by the jewelbox teams is never fun, but alas, on this off day, we revisit something that has been on my mind for a while. Eric Stephen has an excellent summary of the Dodgers’ skids over the past few years.

I have some firsthand experience on the subject. You know what’s worse than the Dodgers being walked off? Having the Dodgers be walked off on consecutive nights after they have just coughed up a no-hitter on the 26th out. I remember writing at one point that it should be a crime to be playing such bad baseball in such beautiful surroundings. C’est la vie – such is life.

Now, if you are unhappy right now, I get it. Even with the current skid, the Dodgers are still on a 97-win pace, which is still better than the 92-regular season wins I predicted at the start of the year. Arguably, the Dodgers are ruining baseball, not by all the emotional nonsense being spouted by those mad about the Tarik Skubal trade, mind you.

By treating the regular season as a de facto extended Spring Training, baseball is cheapened as the marathon campaign is its own beauty and beast. We revisit the wise, and lightly edited for clarity, words of Craig Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus from last year, who wrote an interesting paywalled essay that argued that the Dodgers were, in fact, ruining baseball even if just a little:

…The league has devalued winning the division, especially if you’re not a top-two seed. The Dodgers likely look at the benefits of being the third-seed division winner compared to the fourth-seed top Wild Card and…shrug. It’s home-field advantage in the Wild Card round either way, so why press things?

The difference between [now and previous seasons] is that the Dodgers had enough cushion within the division that whatever in-season experiments they wanted to run were basically irrelevant. That’s the kind of thing you can do without causing agita when you win 111 games and finish the season 22 up on your next closest competitor. …

But it’s the similarities that create the bigger problem. In both situations, Roberts and the Dodgers seem to just…not care all that much. Obviously, their preference is to win, you don’t spend what they’ve spent just to win in the playoffs, but to be good enough to sell lots of tickets and ads throughout the season, too. …

There’s nothing strictly wrong with prioritizing a World Series; it’s where the league and its culture have arrived, hand in hand. But the impact of taking the longest view available at every possible turn undeniably results in a diluted on-field product—again, much as we’ve seen with the league as a whole. …

The Dodgers sleepwalking through regular season series against potential playoff opponents, while looking comically inept? We have seen this figurative movie before. To the uninitiated, it is a crisis. To the experienced, it is a Thursday.

To summarize the sage analysis of Craig Minami, you might see a collapse in the making, but what you are likely seeing is some self-correction due to some probably entirely unsustainable portions of the roster, including, but not limited to:

• Justin Wrobleski pitching like an All-Star;
• Eric Lauer pitching like a mid-rotation arm;
• The bullpen pitching like a lights-out unit without peripheral stats to back it up, and so on.

Last year, the Dodgers lost a nine-game lead in 40 days. This year, over almost the same stretch, the lead has gone from 14 games to eight as of the start of play on Friday, which is not great, but not terrible.

So you should probably bear down and enjoy the ride, because it was so much worse last year. While the last week was bad, it wasn’t “look inept in front of last place teams who have nothing to play for” bad. Granted, if the team keeps losing and has to play in the Wild Card round again, then they will only have themselves to blame.

Several players are having down years in 2026. Today, we take notice of Kyle Tucker, but before we start any analysis, I must ask an unexpected question.

Why would they come just to boo him?

Generally, I do not pay attention to players not on the Dodgers unless they play in Japan. Even then, one has to be special to grab and hold my notice. Generally, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, and Munetaka Murakami. I knew Yamamoto, Sasaki, and Murakami; Kyle Tucker is not Yamamoto, Sasaki, or Murakami.

Putting that theme aside for a moment, there was a tidbit from my visit to Houston that I originally omitted, mostly because I forgot. At the time, I was struck by how absolutely hostile the Houston faithful were towards Kyle Tucker.

It was so visceral and obnoxious, I had to check midgame in Game 1 how Tucker left Houston. Considering how hostile the ballpark’s conditions were (terrible view, blinding lights, overly tight chairs, insufferable fanbase, among other demerits), it was a novel distraction.

At this point, Tucker had only been in my orbit for about a month. So Houston’s petty rage felt like it was directed towards a boiled potato or a stalk of celery, which feels like an apt comparison for our right fielder’s temperament, and it was absolutely confusing to the uninitiated.

The observation is generally not meant as an insult; if you put Tucker in a nondescript suit, put him at a desk, and said he was a certified public accountant (CPA), you would accept the image. As opposed to putting Enrique Hernandez or Freddie Freeman in the same situation, despite his public declaration of wanting to be a CPA if this whole baseball thing didn’t work out. (Author’s Note: That’s your side hustle when you retire, Mr. Freeman; no one should putter about the house.)

The Astros traded Tucker to the Chicago Cubs on December 13, 2024, for Isaac Paredes, Hayden Wesneski and Cam Smith. Tucker had the following to say to the Houston Chronicle after the trade:

“I appreciate everything that the Houston Astros team and the city itself has done for me and my family since I got drafted in ’15 until now,” Tucker said on a video conference call Tuesday. “And I don’t think I could have gone to a much better organization than the Cubs. So I’m excited to start playing in front of the fans and in the city and everything else…A lot of things in life and sports and everything kind of is what it is. Stuff happens and whatnot. Some stuff is out of your control, but you’ve just got to make the most with it.” …

Testing the open market after one season in Chicago would seem likely, though Tucker did not declare that his intention when asked multiple times Tuesday about the potential for extension talks with the Cubs.

“Kind of like I’ve always said, I’m always open to talks to see where that leads,” Tucker said. “You never know what the future’s going to hold. I’m still real close with everyone on the Astros. It’s not like we’re all enemies now or anything or I hate everyone over there — no, that’s not it. Obviously, whenever we play against them, I would prefer to win. But at the end of the day, I’m still close with a lot of those guys and some close friends of mine.”

[Emphasis added.]

If there was an opposite for bulletin board fodder, the above paragraphs would likely be it. I am not doubting the sincerity of the statements, but anodyne is the adjective that immediately comes to mind upon reading it. So, yes, the Houston faithful were largely being spectacularly unreasonable and petty. Shocking.

Life moved on. I forgot about the unjustified abuse, which brings us to the recently concluded “series” against the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs used a qualifying offer on Tucker last year, which he declined before signing his massive, record-breaking deal with the Dodgers.

Kyle Tucker returned to the Northside of Chicago for the first time since leaving, which begged the question of how he’d be received. More of a question of “how would it be?” versus “how will they react?” The fans let Tucker have it all series long.

Again, to put it kindly, it didn’t go well — again, either on or off the field, especially in Games 1 and 2, with blunders on the base paths and the outfield. Again, Tucker had nice things to say about his time in Chicago after Game 1.

“I tried my hardest last year. I mean, I tried playing through hand fracture and calf thing, just trying to get back to the playoffs for them, and trying to do what I could to help out the team last year with them. … Hit really well in 1st half, and 2nd half didn’t go as great, and kind of didn’t end up great at the end of the year. But had a good run. … They’re a good team, and it should be good for them for the rest of the year.”

Again, as bulletin board fodder, this interview fails miserably. Tucker in Chicago was not the same as Manny Machado in Los Angeles in 2018, who performed well enough on the field, but his style of play (dirty or otherwise) did not ingratiate himself with the fanbase.

In fact, local media was initially confused as to why Tucker was being treated so harshly by the crowd.

The accepted explanations were that Tucker did not act as if he wanted to be in Chicago and his signing in Los Angeles was emblematic of the perceived ills of the sport, which was a roundabout way to say sour grapes. Tucker played well on the whole and then signed elsewhere; the marriage was one of convenience, as clearly everyone was ready to move on, much like the Dodgers and Machado after 2018.

The latter point on Tucker is one for a later day, but the first point is idiotic and arguably applies to recent arrival Tarik Skubal. Tucker, like Skubal, was traded without a movement clause. It’s like flying a hot air balloon; one doesn’t steer it as one is at the mercy of the winds. Tucker played well in 2025, even while hurt, before the Cubs were unceremoniously bounced by the Milwaukee Brewers, which really was a historical footnote in the grand scheme of things.

For as much as everyone is glazing the Cubs now, the Brewers are still the defending NL Central Division champion until dethroned; never mind that they once again have the best record in baseball. Brewers/Cubs 2 Electric Boogaloo likely having a repeat result this October would be very funny.

Sometimes trades do not work out in that there is a mismatch between player and team. My position on booing is simple: go for it. It may say more about you than them, but have it as there are no sacred cows apart from family, injuries, and the late Vin Scully (or Mike Krukow, if you are of that particular fandom, who announced he is retiring at the end of the year).

Steamed Ham

Some guy on the Astros and Chicago Cubs generally does not pop up on my radar, even if he was averaging 5 fWAR/bWAR a year. While preparing this essay, I came across something that Jordan Bastian of MLB.com wrote last year, which just seems kind of mean now:

When Tucker is healthy and his swing is in rhythm, he is simply one of the best hitters on the planet.

“Look, it’s important,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “It’s part of why at times this has been a really, really good offense. He’s a big part of it.”

[Emphasis added.]

With respect to Mr. Bastian and Craig Counsell, I have no earthly idea who they are talking about, because the person they are speaking about is not the person I have seen in my travels or in my viewing of the 2026 campaign. I have yet to see the so-called King Tuck who merited this record contract and will be in Los Angeles for the next three years, at this rate.

I have recently taken to calling Tucker “Steamed Ham” because of the impromptu reaction I had to actual power being demonstrated by Tucker in Queens, NY.

Something occurred to me as the de facto Traveling Correspondent during my travels that I had to double-check once I got home from Philadelphia that I thought I might be imagining: Has Tucker been okay, if moderately underwhelming, on the road, but downright unwatchable when at Dodger Stadium?

I decided to put my observations to the test because I was genuinely curious whether I was falling victim to confirmation bias or recency bias. Tucker has played exactly 54 games at home and 54 games on the road in 2026, so any difference will likely show in the statistics by now.

Tucker at Home as of start of play August 7, 2026:

• 54 games, .209/.302/.300, 39 for 187, 2 HR, 11 2B, 17 RBI, 3 SB, 24 BB, 42 K, GIDP, HBP, 56 TB, 68 OPS+

Tucker on Road as of start of play July 31, 2026:

• 54 games, .276/.373/.454, 54 for 196, 8 HR, 7 2B, 2 3B, 35 RBI, 4 SB, 31 BB, 42 K, 2 GIDP, 2 HBP, 4 SH, 89 TB, 131 OPS+

Talk about a Jekyll-and-Hyde act.

On the road, Tucker compares to 2026-Max Muncy (.253/.347/.494, 131 OPS+). At Dodger Stadium, Tucker compares favorably to 2026-Nasim Nunez, currently ranked next to last in OPS+ for qualified players (.235/.318/.274, 68 OPS+).

Tucker was signed, in part, to shore up the Dodgers outfield, which was manned in part by now-Chicago Cub Michael Conforto. Last year, Conforto was generally bad in left field. It was generally painful to watch. However, I give Conforto credit in one regard: during his terrible 2025, he wasn’t publicly complaining about it.

Conforto did his best, but it just did not work out. Sometimes one’s reach exceeds one’s grasp. Moreover, the clubhouse rallied behind Conforto, and I can’t recall him making any public outbursts, even though he played poorly enough to show it.

Tucker’s facade was starting to crack in Los Angeles with public displays of frustration in the dugout after poor at-bats. This slow meltdown, compounded by his generally poor play in Chicago, led to mistakes on the basepaths and in the outfield throughout the series.

In Game 1, with the Dodgers down 3, Tucker was thrown out trying to extend a single, just before Teoscar Hernandez homered to cut the deficit to two.

While Tucker tipped his cap to the Cubs defense, Dave Roberts had a different view of the play:

“It’s just the scoreboard. [Cubs outfielder] Seiya [Suzuki] throws as well as anyone in baseball,” Roberts said. “It just doesn’t look good when you’re down three making the first out at second base.

“It just doesn’t.”

In Game 2, Tucker seemingly forgot how to play right field at Wrigley, which is a little bit awkward considering the year he played there, having a key miscue that both cut Skubal’s night short and triggered the events that tagged Skubal with the loss.

If Tucker is starting to press even further to try and overcompensate for his poor 2026, he needs to stop, because it clearly is not working. With the Summer Swoon now in full effect, if Tucker wants to change the narrative surrounding his inaugural campaign in Los Angeles, he has 48 regular-season games left to turn the tide.

When Anthony Volpe reports to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, manager Shelley Duncan anticipates the shortstop to see some action at second base and possibly third base.

“There’s a good chance of that,” Duncan said. “We’ll see when he gets here. Us as an organization, we’ll have a plan in place for him. Anthony will be a part of that plan. We’ll move forward accordingly for what’s best for him and what’s best for the organization.”

Volpe, Jasson Domínguez, and Max Schuemann were all sent down by the Yankees on Monday following the fallout of the Trade Deadline and the promotion of top prospect George Lombard Jr. Schuemann arrived and played for the RailRiders on Wednesday night. Duncan expected Volpe and Dominguez to join the team by Friday; they had 72 hours to report.

The trio will be joining an already-good RailRiders squad. Despite having their eight-game winning streak snapped Wednesday with an 8-1 loss to the Rochester Red Wings at PNC Field, the RailRiders are in first place in the International League second-half standings with a 23-10 record, one-half game ahead of the Durham Bulls. Overall, the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate is 60-47. They are one of four teams in the 20-team league with 60 or more wins. Rochester has 64, the St. Paul Saints 63, and first-half champion Memphis Redbirds 62. During the RailRiders’ six-game series sweep at Iowa last week, they batted .343 with 79 hits, including 11 home runs, and outscored the Cubs, 50-18.

Heading into Thursday’s action, the RailRiders rank fourth in the IL in home runs with 152. On the mound, they rank first in ERA (4.14), hits allowed (774), runs allowed (492), earned runs allowed (423), WHIP (1.33), and opponents’ batting average (.227). They’re also tied for first in shutouts (7), rank second in home runs allowed (104), and tied for third in saves (29).

Two big reasons for their pitching success are right-handers Brendan Beck and Elmer Rodríguez.

Beck, the Yankees’ No. 19 prospect, is 9-2 with a 2.69 ERA in 20 starts and 118 strikeouts in 110.1 innings. He is tied for first in the league in wins with Trenton Denholm of the Columbus Clippers, is first in ERA, innings, strikeouts, and WHIP (1.02) and second in opponents’ batting average (.201). He has not lost a game at the Triple-A level since April 26th. In 14 starts since then, he is 7-0 and he hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of those outings. Additionally, six of the starts have been scoreless, including Tuesday in the series opener against Rochester, when he tossed six shutout innings with four hits, one walk, and a career-high 12 strikeouts.

Meanwhile, Rodríguez, the Yankees’ No. 3 prospect, is 7-3 with a 2.77 ERA in 16 starts and 81 strikeouts in 81.1 innings. He is coming off a month of July that saw him go 4-0 in five starts with a 2.73 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 26.1 innings with eight runs (eight earned), 26 hits, and 10 walks.

Adding Volpe, Dominguez, and Schuemann makes the RailRiders even better. They potentially could be the team to beat in the International League second half.

“The sky’s the limit,” Beck said. “Those are great players and we’re going to be excited to have them join the team. Everyone wants to be up top; this isn’t anybody’s end goal. It’s nice that we’re playing well right now and hopefully can seamlessly slide them in. Those are guys everyone is going to look to take things away from. They’ve had huge experiences in the big leagues, played in huge games. That’s something I’m interested in taking things away from them and I know the other guys are probably going to do the same.”

Duncan cautions, however, not to think things automatically will be better. He said there could be an adjustment period adding the new players.

“You don’t know honestly,” Duncan said. “The group of guys in that clubhouse over the past two weeks or so have allowed me to sit back and plug and play almost the same lineup every day. They’ve gotten really comfortable together and the chemistry in there is phenomenal. A lot of times when you bring in new players, even when you bring in really good talent, it takes a little bit for everyone to really vibe and get to know each other. The expectation can’t be they’re going to come in and have a sense of comfort. Anytime there’s any movement on a team, there’s always a little time that chemistry builds.

“Over the course of a season, you have a team’s win-loss record. But over the course of that season, you see many different teams. When I talk about that, it’s players learning to play with each other, learning to support each other, learning to sacrifice a little bit of yourself for the guy next to you. The guys in there right now are doing that with each other. When one guy doesn’t come through, the next guy picks him up. They’re able to communicate real well between at-bats and doing the little things right. I don’t think it’s fair to expect the same chemistry right out of the get-go. It takes work. Having a good team takes work. It takes constant effort to pour into that team. We’ll need to do it again. When we do, you let the talent play for itself. It will be interesting, but it will be fun at the same time.”

At various points this season, Volpe, Dominguez, and Schuemann have all played for the RailRiders, so there is some familiarity. But Duncan said when they were here, it was a completely different team. For example, when Schuemann was last here in April, the infield included Paul DeJong, Jonathan Ornelas, Braden Shewmake, and Seth Brown. None of those players are with the team now.

“There’s going to be some level of comfort,” Duncan said. “But when the makeup on teams change, there’s always work that needs to be put in with everyone.”

Despite all that, Beck believes there won’t be any issues.

“Baseball is a hard game. It’s hard to continuously go out there and have success,” Beck said. “When people come and go from the locker room, you rely on the culture of the team and the culture of the clubhouse to keep those things moving along. Luckily, we have a good culture here, so I’m excited to see what we’re able to do.”

It certainly should be quite a wild ride over the final six weeks of the season.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

We’re looking for runs and more runs in tonight's Padres vs. Diamondbacks predictions, as both starting pitchers have struggled this season.

The San Diego Padres visit the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field as slight -107 favorites at Polymarket, looking to split the four-game series.

With two of three games going Over so far, we’ll see much of the same tonight. Let’s get right into my MLB picks for Thursday, Aug. 6.

Who will win Padres vs Diamondbacks tonight: Diamondbacks moneyline (-103)

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ offense has been as potent as they come over the last week, scoring five or more runs in five of their last six games.

Against a wild pitcher like Walker Buehler, who has a 4.45 xERA this season, you can rest assured there will be a lot of traffic on the base paths tonight.

On the other side is the Diamondbacks’ No. 12 prospect Kohl Drake, who’s run into some trouble of his own this season but has shown glimpses of becoming a serviceable pitcher in two of his last three starts.

Over those two games, he’s allowed just three earned runs across nine innings while striking out 11. Against a struggling Padres offense (24th in baseball with a .694 team OPS), I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt tonight.

I’d play this one up to -115.

Looking for more moneyline plays? Jason Wilson’s MLB predictions and moneyline picks for Thursday have you covered.

COVERS INTEL: Buehler has a problem this year, and that's his hard-hit percentage (40.6%) — the second-highest of his career coming into tonight; his .234 xBA against is the third-highest of his nine-year MLB tenure. That should play in our favor over the course of his start.

Padres vs Diamondbacks Over/Under pick: Over 9.5 (+119)

For as bad as Buehler has been, Kohl still gives up the long ball himself, allowing three home runs across his last three starts. His 15% barrel rate and .299 xBA against him should be enough for the Padres to help us get across the line.

Both Ketel Marte and Nolan Arenado have taken Buehler deep in their career, which means the righty’s 40.6% hard-hit rate should come into play tonight.

I’d play this up to -145 and am dropping a full unit here.

Padres vs Diamondbacks weather

The Diamondbacks play at Chase Field, which is a dome. The weather will have no impact on the game conditions tonight.

Padres vs Diamondbacks odds

• Moneyline: Padres (-107) | Diamondbacks (-103)
• Run line: Padres -1.5 (+152) | Diamondbacks +1.5 (-168)
• Over/Under: Over 9.5 (+119) | Under 9.5 (-131)

Padres vs Diamondbacks trend

These two teams have exchanged blows this series, scoring 33 runs across three games so far — flying Over the number in two of the three matchups. Find more MLB betting trends for Padres vs. Diamondbacks.

How to watch Padres vs Diamondbacks and game info

Padres vs Diamondbacks latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

1936
Twelve years before breaking a major-league record (see below), Luke Appling started a 27-game hit streak with a 2-for-5 game in a 9-6 win over at St. Louis in a doubleheader opener. Appling went 1-for-3 in a nightcap win over the Browns, and wouldn’t stop hitting for the rest of August.

Appling’s streak was snapped on September 3, in a 3-2 win at Boston. He went 0-for-2 with two walks in the game, and was on deck hoping for one more shot at extending the streak when Mule Haas flew out to center field to end the White Sox ninth.

During the streak, Appling hit .350, with 35 hits in 27 games and 18 walks against four Ks. Amazingly, the hit streak lowered Appling’s season average from .376 to .370. Appling would finish 1936 with a batting title, having hit a career-best .388. Appling would go hitless in just five games in September, as he pushed his batting average back up by 18 points.

Appling’s hit streak was the White Sox record for 61 years, until Albert Belle tied it in 1997. Seven years after that, Carlos Lee eclipsed Appling and Belle by one game to set the all-time record on the South Side.

1949
Luke Appling played his 2,154th game at shortstop, passing Rabbit Maranville for most in MLB history. He would play another 42 games there in the 1949 season and 20 in 1950 (at age 43) before retiring. Appling played all but one of his seasons (1948) as a primary shortstop, and 94% of his career games there.

Today, Appling sits at eighth all-time in games played at shortstop, his all-time record broken 20 years later by another White Sox shortstop, Luis Aparicio, on Sept. 25, 1970, his last game played that season. Interestingly, that marked not only the last game Aparicio played that season, it was the last game Aparicio ever played for the White Sox.

1955
From Sept. 11, 1953 through Sept. 4, 1960, Nellie Fox played 1,073 straight games — except for this one, an 8-1 loss in Baltimore. Manager Marty Marion felt his team, losers of three straight games but still tied for first in the AL, needed some rest — and in this game, Fox got it. So, Nellie would have had a streak of 1,073 heading into 1960; and with the momentum of a streak like that driving him, chances are Fox would have muscled through the virus that kept him out of that 1960 game and kept it alive. Worse (for both men), sitting the feisty, frustrated Fox on the bench next to him drove Marion crazy, and the manager vowed never to make that mistake again.

Jim Margalus wrote in greater detail on Nellie’s snapped streak for South Side Sox in 2012.

1959
It was the third and final marathon game of the 1959 season.

The White Sox battled the Orioles in Baltimore, and played for 18 innings before midnight curfew stopped the night game tied at 1-1. (Yes, it had only taken four hours to play 18 innings!)

There were two incredible performances on the pitcher’s mound. For Baltimore, Hoyt Wilhelm relieved Billy O’Dell to start the ninth inning and held the White Sox hitless for 8 2⁄3 innings, until Billy Goodman slapped a single with two outs in the 17th. Meanwhile White Sox starter Billy Pierce went 16 innings, allowing just one run and recording a 100 game score, before giving way to Turk Lown in the 17th. 

Billy faced 61 hitters, struck out seven and gave up 11 hits, 10 of them singles. The 100 game score is the eighth-highest in White Sox history.

The 18 innings still stand tied for the 10th-longest game in team annals.

1983
Before the game, the White Sox were 56-50, up 4 ½ games in a weak AL West. From this day on, however, the club went 43-13 to end the season at 99-63 and a record-breaking 20 games up in the division. The assault on the American League began with a 6-4 win in Baltimore, keyed by Carlton Fisk’s 4-for-5 effort, with a double and a triple. Floyd Bannister pitched seven innings for ninth win, Britt Burns earned a hold out of the bullpen (where he was demoted after losing his command) and Salomé Barojas pocketed his 10th save.

2010
Becoming the first member of the 2o1o draft class to reach the majors (yes, just TWO MONTHS after being drafted No. 13 overall) Chris Sale made his debut in a 2-1, 10-inning loss at Baltimore. It was a inconspicuous start, with a four-pitch walk to Brian Roberts and then an 0-2, jam-shot single from Nick Markakis. Just seven pitches and no outs — but the beginning of an illustrious career.

The 6´5´´, 170-pound lefty spent just 11 games in the minors, burning through High-A Winston-Salem (placed there to work with Dash pitching coach Bobby Thigpen) and Triple-A Charlotte to the tune of a 2.61 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 16.5 K/9. (In Charlotte alone, Sale sported an astronomical 21.3 K/9.)

Last summer, the Red Sox made a bold bid to bolster the rotation and acquire Joe Ryan from the Minnesota Twins. But of course, as we now know, they didn’t land their man.

What we didn’t know at the time – or at least didn’t know in detail – is that the Twins balked at an offer including both Payton Tolle and Franklin Arias. On one hand, most Red Sox fans are thrilled that puppy didn’t go through, and for good reason. But you know what? After this week’s deadline that included Adley Rutschman coming in and Marcelo Mayer going out, I’m still kind of fascinated by that potential blockbuster that fell apart the last trip around the sun.

When you couple the 2025 Joe Ryan deadline deal that didn’t happen with the moves this week that did, a pretty clear and wild pattern emerges: Craig Breslow is stunningly aggressive. Over the last year and a half, this trend has consistently manifested itself in two clear ways: One, he’s not afraid to put a haul of prospects on the table to get a player he covets. And two, if you’re not marching in tune of his vision for club, you’re going to be shown the exit, and quickly.

Let’s run through six examples here (three from each category) to underscore the point.

Since December of 2024, Craig Breslow:

• Traded Kyle Teel, Chase Meidroth, Braden Montgomery and Wikelman Gonzalez to the White Sox for Garrett Crochet.
• Offered to trade Payton Tolle and Franklin Arias to the Twins for Joe Ryan.
• Traded Anthony Eyanson, Kyson Witherspoon, Enddy Azocar and Carlos Narvaez to the Orioles for Adley Rutschman.

That’s eight top ten prospects (albeit not at the same time) that Breslow’s been willing to part with to acquire established major league pieces.

Secondly, we have the Breslow moves that purged certain guys from the organization. All three of these occurred in just the last 15 months:

• The Rafael Devers trade to the Giants last year.
• The Alex Cora firing in April.
• The Marcelo Mayer trade to San Francisco.

All three of those guys were involved in some level of friction within the organization, and when the front office saw their chance, they parted ways. That’s the complete opposite of how Chaim Bloom ran the show.

Now, to be fair, Bloom was in accumulation mode while he presided over the farm, but stop and ask yourself this: How many of those six moves would Chaim Bloom have made, and how many of those six moves would Dave Dombrowski have made? Regardless of your exact answer, it’s hard to imagine any scenario where Bloom’s number is higher.

The biggest difference between now and ten years ago is the Red Sox aren’t going to lead baseball in payroll anytime soon like they did at the end of the Dombrowski era. But that has nothing to do with Breslow; he’s operating inside the budget granted to him by ownership. What he’s proven in the last 20 months is he’s willing to spend the currency sitting in front of him, and spend it big.

Ideally, there will be more of a balance in the spending of prospects and dollars when everything shakes out, and who knows, perhaps that will come in the form of an Adley Rutschman extension soon. But in the meantime, it’s been quite a ride to watch Craig Breslow get this aggressive.

Looking forward along those lines, I anxiously wonder how much this is sustainable. One of the worst things about the last great core of Red Sox baseball is how little the group accomplished outside of 2018. They followed up that 108-win, World Series season by missing the playoffs in 2019, and then having that unmitigated disaster during the Covid season of 2020. The details of how that fell apart so fast are a topic for another day, but the discussion as to how to make sure that doesn’t happen again is very present.

So with that, I want to bring up another element that’s somewhat specific to Breslow’s vision, and may also be driving his actions.

Namely, all the prize pieces acquired in Breslow’s big deals have been under team control for at least two cracks at a World Series. Crochet was under control for two years (and then they extended him). Erik Miller, whom they got for Mayer, is under team control through the end of 2029. Curtis Mead is here through 2030. And Joe Ryan would have been here for three shots at a World Series. Even Adley Rutschman will be in Boston for at least two more Septembers, and if he ends up signing an extension, it really solidifies Breslow’s long-term vision and trade type.

The broader point here is the guys Breslow goes after are not rentals. He wants multiple bites at the apple, and that’s a big reason why he’s been willing to pay such a high price in terms of prospects. Perhaps the thinking there is that while long-term, expensive free agent contracts often turn sour on the backend, deals that include big payments in prospect hauls leave you time to rebuild the farm as long as what you get in return is under team control for multiple years.

It’s a great idea on paper, but let’s see how it plays out in reality.

Lastly, bringing it all back to the Joe Ryan deal that didn’t go through a year ago, not having Joe Ryan in that Wild Card series again the Yankees absolutely kneecapped this team. Even if you’re thanking whatever God you pray to that Payton Tolle and Franklin Arias are still here, it’s okay to admit that Brayan Bello starting Game 2 in New York completely derailed the Sox in that series. He faced eleven batters, failed to get five of them out, got bailed out by an Anthony Volpe double play, and put the Sox on a track where they had to use six relievers and ultimately stretch the high leverage part of the pen too thin.

Knowing this, I wonder if Breslow and company are still stinging from that experience, because they’ve certainly responded like it. In the last nine months, they’ve aggressively added to the rotation, started their trade deadline moves a week early with Curtis Mead (even though that blew up in their face), and then offered another huge package to land Adley Rutschman and ensure they weren’t left without their man again.

Maybe he’s a nerd, maybe he’s a stiff, maybe he’s still learning on the job, and maybe he still reminds you of Chaim Bloom — but make no mistake, Breslow is acting a whole lot more like the guy who was here ten years ago than the guy who was here five years ago. He just doesn’t have the same sized checkbook at his disposal. Now we’ll see how long he can make this run last.

Somehow, Martin Perez and I are inextricably linked in the shimmering web that is the universe. It could be worse, perhaps.

The Braves are on quite a roll, having won seven in a row. They’re also on quite a run prevention stretch as part of this winning streak (and a little beyond). Since letting the Mets raze Connor Thomas into the ground, the Braves have allowed four or fewer runs in their last eight games; they’ve allowed three or fewer in each of their last five. They’re not necessarily pitching all that well — despite the league’s best ERA going back to July 29 and its seventh-best FIP, they’re still firmly middle of the pack by xFIP — but great defense and a favorable HR/FB cures a lot of run prevention ills.

Perez has been deeply ensconced in this fortuitous stretch. Early last week, he had another underwhelming start against the Mets, his fifth outing in a row with meh to bad pitching. He departed a tie game after five innings; in came Thomas for his obliteration. After that, the Braves have kept opponents largely off the board, including Perez himself, who broke his extended stretch of poor pitching by dominating the Nationals last Saturday: six strikeouts, two walks, and all goose eggs in a season-high seven innings. It was Perez’ longest outing in nearly a calendar year, and his best since a generally more-successful stretch he had earlier in the year. The kicker was that Perez wasn’t even scheduled to start that day: he was tapped to perform less than an hour before game start after scheduled starter Reynaldo Lopez went down with a knee issue.

On the season, Perez is now at a 77 ERA-, 104 FIP-, and 99 xFIP-. It’s been a bit of a coup for about $3.5 million (which might be a high-end estimate given that he was DFAed by Atlanta earlier this season), considering how many worse-performing starters signed for “real major league money” in the offseason. While his aggregate performance isn’t any better than “fine” and it drives me crazy (maybe you too) by dint of his pitching style, he’s up to nearly 100 innings of decent starting pitcher production at this point. It remains to be seen whether his recent great start was the result of the Nationals being unprepared for the starter swap — it’d be lame if the Braves’ awesome run prevention streak ends tonight — but we’ll see some Perez pachinko either way (unless the game gets rained out or whatever).

A small note is that if this game does occur, it will be Perez’ second time facing Miami this season. The first was wild: he dominated to the tune of a 10/2 K/BB ratio achieved in just five innings, but was charged with four runs, including a leadoff homer, by the time he departed. (The Braves didn’t care, they stormed back with six unanswered runs in the final five frames.)

At 58-57, the Marlins are hanging out in the NL Wild Card race. They currently trail the Phillies and Diamondbacks by three games for that final spot. To avoid a sweep, they’ll send Janson Junk (108 ERA-, 100 FIP-, 102 xFIP-) to the hill. The Braves clobbered Junk back in May, with Austin Riley hitting a three-run homer early, and then Dominic Smith chasing him with another three-run homer in the middle innings. The Marlins and Junk probably hoped he’d build on a really nice 2025 where he posted 2.5 fWAR in just 110 innings, which was partly driven by a teeny-tiny walk rate and also highly influenced by a six percent HR/FB. However, the walk rate has increased and the HR/FB has jumped back to normal, hence Junk’s fairly generic stats. He’s been more or less the same guy month to month, too. He won’t strike a lot of guys out, whether he’s walk-prone seems to vary substantially from start to start, and yeah, you can hit homers off of him now. All of that lines up for another comfortable win… but that doesn’t mean it’ll happen that way.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Thursday, August 6, 7:15 p.m. EDT

Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA

TV/Streaming: BravesVision

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

Since Brady House has been back in the big leagues, the team’s plan for him has been very clear. They have been using him in a platoon role against left handed pitching. When you look at his numbers, the plan is quite logical. On the season, House is hitting .355 with a 1.009 OPS against lefties compared to a .177 average and .538 OPS against righties. 

However, with the Nats drifting away from contention, I would like them to prioritize House’s development. Right now, House is platooning with Jorbit Vivas, who only has a .666 OPS against righties himself. If House had a stronger platoon partner it would be one thing, but Vivas should not be playing more than a high pedigree guy like House.

We all know what House can do against left handed pitching. Last night he reminded us once again, coming off the bench to hit a homer off Brooks Raley. House looks very comfortable against lefties, letting the ball travel and using his big raw power to smoke balls all over the yard. His homer off Raley was a no-doubter the other way.

Sure he struggles against righties, but the only way he is going to get better is through reps. It would be harsh to label a guy who just turned 23 a couple months ago as a pure platoon guy. They are not doing that with Dylan Crews, who has similarly putrid numbers against righties, so why House.

If I am being honest, I do not think management is that high on House. The comparison with Crews is good evidence of this. House has slightly better offensive numbers this year, both on the surface and analytically. However, Crews is the one being hit higher in the lineup and not being platooned. In my opinion, the two are on a similar level, but it does not seem like the Nats braintrust agrees with that.

House was the one who started the year in the bigs, but in Mid-May Crews was called up for him. When House was in the minors, he hit over .300, but showed similar strengths and weaknesses. He hit for a decent amount of power, but most of it was against left handed pitching. House hit for the cycle in AAA, with three of the hits coming against lefties.

Long term, there is a good chance that House is just a platoon bat. However, this is the time where we should be experimenting and seeing if he can get anything going against righties. He is still such a young player who is rough around the edges. Most platoon guys are either lower ranked prospects fighting for a role or veterans who have proven for years they are only good against one side.

House is not either of those things. He is a former first round pick who was a fixture on top 100 lists for years. Usually guys like that get more of a leash for everyday playing time. 

The youngster has really struggled against righties, but he has also shown the ability to run into some homers. He has hit five homers off right handed pitching this year. However, most of them have come on hanging breaking balls like this one.

Honestly, House’s biggest red flag is his struggles against fastballs, particularly against righties. This season, House is hitting just .104 against righty fastballs. There is a chance that the front office sees that number and just thinks House is beyond saving against right handed pitching.

However, I would still give him a shot. If you like Vivas’ on base skills against righties, I would mix him in more at second base than third. Nasim Nunez has some exciting traits, but it feels like he is being overplayed this season. A player with Nunez’s skillset is a questionable fit in an everyday role, especially with some of the mental mistakes he has been making lately.

If House continues to struggle the rest of the way with righties, I would be fine to pigeon hole him as a platoon bat. However, I am not at that point yet. Letting House play as often as Curtis Mead did would be a smart move. 

Mead played always against lefties and most of the time against righties. However, he would get days off against some of the tougher righties in the league. With the rest of the season being about development, it is time to give Brady House that role and see how it goes.

Some say it’s ridiculous.

Some say it’s refreshing.

Some say it’s unprofessional.

Some say it’s all in good fun.

One thing is certain — Mets relief pitcher Jefry Yan got everyone’s attention with his high-flying, post-strikeout celebration during his MLB debut on Wednesday in Cleveland against the Guardians.

Read more:Shohei Ohtani, Pete Crow-Armstrong put on a show as NL MVP talk heats up: 'He's a great player'

Called up from triple-A Syracuse a day earlier, the 29-year-old Dominican left-hander took the mound to start the bottom of the sixth inning and faced Guardians pinch-hitter Ángel Martínez. Five pitches into the at-bat, Yan caught the hitter looking on an 88.7-mph slider for a called third strike.

Then came the celebration. Yan jumped up — way up — into the air, contorting his legs into somewhat of a split. He landed in a crouch position and slapped the ground before popping up, standing still with his hands up for a fraction of a second, then walking back up the mound with a bit of a leg slide to commemorate his first Major League strikeout.

Jefry Yan brings his energy to the majors 😮‍💨 https://t.co/nQYCljo0fgpic.twitter.com/26X3ZDuUyR

— MLB (@MLB) August 6, 2026

“Once I had him with two strikes I said, you know what, I’m going to throw that slider,” Yan said through an interpreter after the Mets’ 6-5 victory in 10 innings. “And if I freeze him, which is exactly what I did, I celebrated accordingly.”

Several batters later, however, Yan commemorated his second major league strikeout similarly. Yan had given up two singles and a walk to load the bases before getting Cleveland designated hitter Chase DeLauter on a 90-mph slider for strike three and the second out of the inning.

Once again, Yan did the whole jumping, landing, ground-slapping thing (no slide this time though). Later in the game, Cleveland’s José Ramírez was seen in the dugout apparently imitating Yan’s airborne style of rejoicing.

Read more:Two of Rob Reiner's children pay tribute to their late parents with Dodgers ceremonial first pitches

While most MLB fans might be seeing Yan’s post-strikeout air show for the first time, the celebrations have actually become a signature move for the player during his long, unconventional journey to the majors.

After initially signing with the Angels organization as a teenage international free agent in 2013, Yan eventually spent several years out of affiliated baseball, playing for semipro and amateur teams while also working odd jobs.

He was signed by the Miami Marlins organization in 2021, followed by the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball and the Colorado Rockies organization before the Mets last August.

The Jefry Yan Experience pic.twitter.com/yHbZ5r5rB4

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) February 25, 2025

Yan has other methods of celebrating during games as well. On Wednesday, after Guardians right fielder Jo Adell — playing his second game for Cleveland after being traded by the Angels earlier in the week — grounded into a fielder’s choice at shortstop to end the inning, Yan did a low slide move and slapped his chest, then smacked his glove emphatically several times and blew a kiss toward the sky while leaving the field.

Cleveland fans expressed their displeasure, but Yan wasn’t bothered.

“If they want to yell at me, if they want to boo me, they can do whatever they want,” Yan said. “I’m in my zone. And yeah, I’m going to enjoy my game any way that I want to.”

Read more:Shaikin: Angels finally play it smart and go on a franchise-jolting trading spree

Yan gave up two hits and no runs with two strikeouts and one walk in one inning pitched. Five of his pitches, all sliders, reached triple digits on the speed gun.

“It’s real stuff. It’s really impressive,” Mets interim manager Andy Green said. “To get out of a bases-loaded jam, get your first punchout, just excited for him. He deserves that.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

It’s been an awful season for the San Francisco Giants, in virtually every way imaginable. But on Thursday morning, arguably the hardest piece of news all season landed: Mike Krukow is retiring.

The beloved broadcaster announced on Thursday morning that the 2026 season will be his last in the booth. The news was shared via the team’s social media accounts, as well as in a press release. The organization also announced that there will be a celebration for Krukow on the final day of the season, September 27.

Here’s the full statement from the legendary broadcaster:

I just want to let everyone know that I will be retiring at the end of the season. I want to take this time to thank you for your incredible support.

Jennifer and I have been so blessed to be able to stay in the game for as long as we have and it’s really made it impossible to feel sorry for myself that my career is coming to an end.

We are bracing for the emotional hits we know we are going to feel in the next few weeks. Jennifer and I are wondering if it is even possible to let everyone know how deeply we love and respect our Giants family.

Our time together has been a gift.

When Green Day asked, “I hope you’ve had the time of your lives,” we certainly have.

Thank you.

— Mike Krukow

The news is gut-wrenching for any Giants fan, as Krukow’s voice has been synonymous with the team for more than three decades. It is, frankly, difficult to imagine the Giants without Krukow.

While the news is heartbreaking, it’s hardly surprising. Krukow has been dealing with a degenerative muscle disease, inclusion body myositis, for some time now. In recent years, he’s dramatically reduced the number of games he broadcasts, and has stopped traveling for road games. When he and his broadcast partner Duane Kuiper call home games these days, Kuiper does so from the ballpark, while Krukow is in the NBC Sports studios back in the Bay Area.

Unfortunately, that toll became too difficult for Kruk. In an interview with Alex Pavlovic, Krukow revealed that his reasons for retiring are entirely due to his health.

“I don’t want to quit,” the former All-Star pitcher told Pavlovic. “Unfortunately the rules change, first from year to year and then month to month and now it’s day to day. It’s becoming unsafe. My home in Reno is so much safer and it really is the determining factor in how I can’t do games anymore.”

It the coming days and weeks, we’ll pen lots of words about how great Krukow is, and how dearly he’ll be missed. For now, though, we’ll just let his words do the talking.

Thank you, Kruk.

Mike Krukow, a one-time All-Star pitcher who entertained San Francisco Giants fans alongside fellow broadcasting legend Duane Kuiper through the club's glory years, announced he will retire at the end of the season, ending a 36-year run behind the microphone.

Krukow, 74, and Kuiper have been the voice of Giants baseball during their most prosperous era in the Bay Area, their low-key musings and undeniable chemistry providing the soundtrack for runs to three World Series titles, along with the club's move to what's now Oracle Park and the record-breaking accomplishments of slugger Barry Bonds.

Krukow has been slowed in recent years by a degenerative muscle disease that has prevented him from traveling with the squad; he and Kuiper have called home games with road assignments parceled out among the rest of the Giants broadcasting crew.

"I just want to let everyone know that I will be retiring at the end of the season. I want to take this time to thank you for your incredible support," Krukow said in a statement released by the club. "Jennifer and I have been so blessed to be able to stay in the game for as long as we have and it’s really made it impossible to feel sorry for myself that my career is coming to an end.

Paul Skenes wobbled through another start for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday, Aug. 5, putting a sharp focus on the rotation as the biggest source of question marks for the team following the MLB trade deadline. 

Yes, the bullpen still needs to earn trust amid 20 blown saves this season, but GM Ben Cherington addressed it meaningfully with deals for veteran relievers Luke Weaver, Camilo Doval, Kirby Yates and Lake Bachar this week. 

Concerns about the offense are valid as well. Injuries to outfielder Oneil Cruz, first baseman/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn and shortstop Konnor Griffin will inevitably slow down an offense that enters Thursday ranked first in hits and third in runs scored across MLB this season. Cruz and O'Hearn have combined for 31 homers this season.

Skenes, however, is the reigning Cy Young winner in the National League, and manager Don Kelly’s starters were supposed to be the foundation of his team’s success. And yet, consistency has been hard to find in recent weeks.

Required Reading: Why Paul Skenes' latest start for Pirates can be seen as progress ... barely

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Milwaukee Brewers, August 6, 2026, 2:10 p.m. ET

The Pittsburgh Pirates are playing in a Thursday matinee for the series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field.

The Pirates will hand the ball to their All-Star starter Braxton Ashcraft, who has won his last two starts, including his last appearance on August 1 against the Cincinnati Reds on the road. He pitched five innings, giving up two hits and one run in a 4-1 victory. Ashcraft has been the Pirates’ most successful pitcher this season, and the team will need him to stay hot in order to stay in the wild card hunt.

Facing off against Ashcraft is Dustin May, who is making his debut with the Brewers after being acquired in a trade shortly before the deadline earlier this week. May went 5-7 with a 4.38 ERA in 21 appearances with the St. Louis Cardinals earlier this season. This will mark May’s third start against the Pirates this season, after pitching against them on the road at PNC Park in April and at Busch Stadium in May.

May struggled in his last start against the Pirates back on May 21 at Bush Stadium. He gave up six hits and four earned runs in 5.1 innings as Pittsburgh won 6-2.

Location: American Family Field, Milwaukee, WI

Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh

Pitching Matchup: Braxton Ashcraft (11-4, 3.96 ERA) vs. Dustin May (5-7, 4.38 ERA)

BD community, this is your gameday thread for today’s game. Chime off in the comments section below.