Category: MLB

A lot of movement in the system tonight.

Iowa right-hander Paul Campbell was released.

Right-handers Noah Edders and Anhuar Garcia were promoted to High-A South Bend from Low-A Myrtle Beach.

The following players were all promoted to Myrtle Beach from the ACL Cubs.

Shortstop Juan Cabada

Right-hander Chase Meyer

Left-hander Victor Zarraga

Right-hander Luis Mata

Right-hander Jubrayker Salaya

Right-hander Luis A. Reyes

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs expelled the St. Paul Saints (Twins) from heaven, 6-3 in the minor league Field of Dreams game.

Jordan Wicks gave up a home run on the first pitch of the game. After that, Wicks was pretty effective and ended up getting the win. Wicks allowed two runs on just two hits over five innings. The non-home run run was unearned. Wicks struck out two and walked one.

Jaxon Wiggins pitched the sixth inning in relief of Wicks. He walked the first batter, Walker Jenkins, on five pitches. But then he got two strikeouts and a ground out. It was just Wiggins’ second relief appearance of his career, and the other one was a “tandem start” situation last year in which Wiggins threw three innings.

Gabe Klobosits threw the ninth and gtot the save. Klobosits gave up no runs on no hits. He walked one and struck out one.

Every Iowa run came on a home run. In the second inning, shortstop Greg Jones connected with the bases empty for his second home run of the year and first in the Cubs’ organization. Jones went 1 for 3.

The I-Cubs scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth thanks to to three home runs. The first two home runs were back-to-back solo blasts by third baseman Ben Cowles and DH Jordan Nwogu. The third one was a three-run blast that came later in the inning by first baseman BJ Murray.

It was Cowles sixth home run this year. He was 1 for 3.

The home run by Nwogu was his first career Triple-A home run and his second overall. Nwogu was also 1 for 3.

Murray was 1 for 4 with his 13th home run on the year.

Right fielder Kevin Alcántara went 2 for 4.

The Jones home run.

Greg Jones ties the game! pic.twitter.com/zIORn3Ou7l

— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) August 12, 2026

The back-to-back home runs by Cowles and Nwogu.

Cowles goes deep!🚀 pic.twitter.com/uHs2hCEbQN

— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) August 12, 2026

First Triple-A home run for Jordan Nwogu! pic.twitter.com/M8cw0TTisZ

— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) August 12, 2026

Murray’s three-run blast.

Three-run shot from BJ Murray! pic.twitter.com/eiOSVQvcNq

— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) August 12, 2026

A great defensive play by Jones on his knees.

What a play from Greg Jones! pic.twitter.com/wB5Ff3jFWy

— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) August 12, 2026

Fireworks.

queue the fireworks

the @IowaCubs win the MiLB at Field of Dreams game! pic.twitter.com/s7z2EYTzrG

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) August 12, 2026

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies were picked dry by the Rocket City Trash Pandas (Angels), 6-1.

Edward Cabrera started this game on a rehab assignment and completely dominated the Trash Pandas for five innings. He gave up no hits and no runs. The only baserunner was a two-out walk in the first, after which Cabrera retired 13 in a row. He struck out seven. Cabrera threw 64 pitches, of which 43 were strikes.

Things did not go as well for Daniel Palencia’s rehab assignment. Palencia relieved Cabrera to start this sixth and didn’t make it out of the inning. He took the loss after allowing four runs on no hits, three walks and one hit batter over two-thirds of an inning. Palencia struck out one. Only 11 of his 24 pitches were strikes.

Third baseman Dom Krupinski was 1 for 2 with two walks and the only Smokies run. He also stole a base.

Cabrera highlights.

Edward Cabrera threw 5 innings of no-hit baseball in his rehab start in Knoxville tonight 🔥 5 IP | 0 H | 0 ER | 1 BB | 7 Ks 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/QQYAisXqHM

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) August 12, 2026

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs were short-changed with Canadian money by the Great Lakes Loons (Dodgers), 6-3.

Solid start for Jostin Florentino, who went four innings and surrendered two runs on four hits. Both runs scored on a fourth-inning home run. Florentino walked three and struck out five.

Brayden Spears pitched the final three innings and took the loss. Spears was tagged for four runs on five hits, including a two-run home run. Spears walked two and struck out one.

Third baseman Matt Halbach hit a solo home run in the third inning, his ninth on the season. Halbach went 2 for 4 and scored twice.

Center fielder Alexey Lumpuy was 2 for 4 and scored one run.

Here’s a two-run double by catcher Logan Poteet. He was 1 for 4.

Po brings in a pair!#SBCubspic.twitter.com/vwvokrkD3E

— South Bend Cubs (@SBCubs) August 11, 2026

Halbach’s home run.

All he does is go yard on the road. 💣@HoosierLottery Home Run | #SBCubspic.twitter.com/laPVJ9bILB

— South Bend Cubs (@SBCubs) August 12, 2026

A nice outfield assist at the plate by right fielder Jose Escobar.

Trying to score the tying run? No way, Jose!#SBCubspic.twitter.com/9rz7BoDSQt

— South Bend Cubs (@SBCubs) August 12, 2026

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans were driven mad by the noise of the Hill City Howlers (Guardians), 9-4.

Edwardo Melendez pitched the first three innings and allowed just one run on two hits. Melendez walked two and struck out three.

Freddy Rodriguez was up next, and he took the loss after getting pummeled for four runs on four hits over 1.1 innings. Rodriguez walked one and struck out one.

Right fielder Ethan Conrad went 2 for 4 with a two-run triple in the eighth inning. Conrad scored one run.

DH Jhoander Irigoyen singled home Conrad in the eighth. He was 2 for 4.

Third baseman Corey Nunez singled home a run in the second inning. He was 2 for 4.

Left fielder Eli Lovich was 2 for 4 with a double and a run scored.

Highlights.

The LL comments stopped working right about the time that Michael Rucker turned to watch his bases-loaded mess become a lead-losing base hit. Small mercies. Tonight’s 4-1 loss had the decency to come before sundown in Seattle, but the winter equinox is approaching far quicker for the Seattle Mariners than it is for the rest of us.

Bryan Woo was nails, albeit for just five frames, racking up his third shutout appearance in four appearances at Yankee Stadium, with the lone outlier last year’s 7.1 inning gem spoiled late by two big flies. Similarly to a season ago, the M’s bullpen coughed up a loss on a night that could’ve been put away earlier by a more competitive offense. Instead, they had Randy, end of list, for the umpteenth time this year. An opposite field homer was nice for a time, as left-handed man Ryan Weathers bamboozled Seattle’s bats by spraying his offerings around the area of the plate and allowing the limp-batted M’s to design and furnish their own mausoleums.

Unable to adjust or demonstrate knowledge of the prior existence of the pitcher they were facing, Seattle gave Weathers the courtesy of 5.2 frames before allowing a pair of southpaws continue going right at Seattle’s ideal lineup to face lefties. Tim Hill took 10 pitches for his frame and a third, Brent Headrick needed just nine. A misplay by Jazz Chisholm Jr. gave the M’s a shot with Dom Canzone aboard and just one out in the 9th, but Chisholm made up for it with a stellar ranging snag and throw to deny Cole Young a hit on the very next at-bat, giving Cal Raleigh three more elevated fastballs to add to his scouting report as he punched out and ended it.

Tonight’s moment is about Dan Wilson, of course, because it must be. Wilson reported postgame that despite an off day following serving his two-game suspension for throwing at Gleyber Torres back in the Tigers series, which forced Seattle to be shorthanded for most of the Rays series, Gabe Speier was unavailable due to back soreness. Following Woo, José Ferrer worked a clean sixth with 16 pitches, carving through the 1-2-3 of the Yankees. With LHHs Luis Garcia Jr. and Chisholm up, both sporting significant splits on the year and for their careers, Wilson opted for RHP Michael Rucker. Speier’s absence at the time was unknown externally, but even still it was a surprising choice ahead of time. Eduard Bazardo’s performance of late hasn’t earned immense trust with a 1-0 lead, and newly arrived Seranthony Domínguez is far from famed for easy innings. Lefty Josh Simpson has had next to no high-leverage experience in the bigs.

And so it was Rucker Wilson opted for, facing nine straight against three playoff teams, not wishing to extend Ferrer to a second frame either. A double, a single, a punchout, and a four-pitch walk to another lefty later, Rucker stood bases loaded against Ryan McMahon, squaring up from the left side as well. McMahon scalded a breaking ball for a single, an xBA of .500 evoking a coin that will even out eventually, if not necessarily in the Holocene. Eduard Bazardo arrived at last, hoping to hold a 2-1 lead he needn’t have bothered with. A chip-swing grounder from Austin Wells crawled through the 5-6 hole like it’d been rolled there to triple New York’s lead. On a night only Julio Rodríguez managed a ball hit at an expected batting average above .500, Seattle started their road trip from hell exactly where they expected to be.

The Orioles blasted a pair of two-run homers in the first two innings against Bailey Ober to jump out to an early lead. The damage was done by Pete Alonso and Gunnar Henderson.

The Twins loaded the bases in the 2nd inning with no outs and only got one run out of it. In the top of the 3rd, Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit a solo homer to make it a 5-1 game.

In the bottom of the 3rd, Brooks Lee’s 19th double scored their 2nd run of the game. Later, Alan Roden would strike out with the bases loaded to end the inning.

The final chance for the Twins came in the 8th, with Luke Keaschall and Royce Lewis getting on base. Unfortunately, Kaelen Culpepper would strike out looking to end the inning.

It was a pretty uneventful game after the 3rd inning, with the exception of Culpepper getting his first hit at Target Field in the 4th inning. Ober managed to settle down and go 6 innings, with the bullpen trio of Funderburk, Nance, and Rogers keeping the game within reach. The lineup just couldn’t reach very far, or at all.

The loss drops the Twins down to 59-62, with the rubber match of this series coming tomorrow at noon. Following that, the next 9 are against the Phillies, Braves, and Padres. That will certainly be a tough test.

Studs:

Royce Lewis: 2-4, R

Brooks Lee: 2-4, 2B

Duds:

Alan Roden: 0-4, RBI

Trevor Larnach: 0-5

Bailey Ober: 6 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, BB, 3 HR

Team: 1-11 w/ RISP

“A pitcher’s nightmare, this game,” pronounced Kevin Brown as we headed into the fourth inning. It was true, we’d played six half-innings at that point and seen a run or more score in five. There were no easy ABs or quick outs. And while the runs dried up eventually, truly neither the Twins’ Bradley Ober nor the O’s Brandon Young looked particularly skilled tonight. If you like good starting pitching, this was one to skip.

But this was also an Orioles win—and what a relief, given that this team entered tonight two games out of a Wild Card, having dropped two of three to Texas and Game One of this series in tragic fashion after getting silenced by former friend Dean Kremer, dealt just last week.

I’m thrilled to report that offense was not a problem for the Orioles tonight. Kind of the opposite: they were up 2-0 after two batters, 4-0 after two innings, and despite an offensive slowdown after that, they stayed on top for an easy 5-2 win in the end.

Gunnar Henderson, still in the leadoff spot despite a tough .215 average, turned on the second pitch he saw from Minnesota starter Bradley Ober, a fastball down the middle. Henderson walloped it into the right-field corner for a leadoff double. Pete Alonso was even ruder to the Minnesota righty: he got an 88-mph fastball down the middle and launched it into the seats. 2-0, Orioles, before the Twins had an out.

(The inning could have gone even worse for Ober, who then allowed a single to Christian Encarnacion-Strand and walked Coby Mayo, hitting .444 in his last seven games. But Ober retired Christian Franklin to get out of it down just two.)

After the home team posted a zero against the O’s Brandon Young, the Birds’ hitters returned to the task of hitting Ober. The O’s No. 9 hitter, catcher Yohel Pozo, hit a soft ground ball up the middle that confused the Twins’ infield, with neither Kaelen Culpepper (at short) nor Kody Clemens (at second) able to scoop it up.

That brought back up the leadoff hitter, Gunnar Henderson. Gunnar was fouling off Ober offerings while the MASN booth reported how Gunnar had gone 18 straight games without a multi-hit game. Then, boom. The shortstop got a low-and-inside fastball and ripped it, loudly, into the stands. “The Birds are bashing it right now!” exulted analyst Ben McDonald. It was 4-0 Orioles.

We were onto the bottom of the second, and Brandon Young had himself a cushion. He’d need it, because that inning was dicey. Considering Young loaded up the bases for himself with no outs, it could have been much, much worse. He surrendered back-to-back singles to Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee, then hit second-year center fielder Luke Keaschall, who trotted to first. The Twins scored a run on a groundout to second. But another groundout did not go their way: the ball rolled right to Encarnacion-Strand, who fired home with ample time to get the runner at home. One groundball later, and Young was out of trouble with a three-run lead still.

The O’s had one more left in them, too. Ober served CES a meatball, and the O’s third baseman hit an absolute tank, 460 feet away, the longest homer by an Oriole this year. It was a terrible pitch, but a beautiful swing. Wow. 5-1 Orioles.  

After his team had given him a homer in each of the first three innings, Young wanted a shutdown third… but it wouldn’t be so easy. Minnesota catcher Ryan Jeffers reached on an infield single, then Josh Bell, too, on a strange catcher’s interference call. (In reality, Bell swung late on a sinker and caught a chunk of Yohel Pozo’s mitt. The O’s backstop left in pain, and was promptly replaced by another new O’s backstop, Carlos Narváez.) After two quick outs, Young was one strike away from ending the inning, but Brooks Lee doubled off a sinker, making it now 5-2. Then it looked like Young had struck out young Luke Keaschall, but the CF challenged, and the call was overturned. While the MASN booth proclaimed this “another stressful outing,” Young finally got a strike three swinging. It’d taken him 62 pitches, but he was through three.

Gunnar next doubled with two outs, making him 3-for-3 on the day, but the Orioles didn’t score, and Young teetered in the fourth. He allowed a leadoff single to rookie Kaelen Culpepper but, with two outs, fell down 3-0 to slugger Josh Bell. “I would pitch Josh Bell extremely carefully here,” said McDonald from the booth. Young was up to the task: a groundball to second kept it 5-2.

The O’s made solid contact against Ober in the fifth and sixth (with three deep flyouts), but both ended up 1-2-3 innings. Brandon Young did not have a 1-2-3 fifth or sixth inning—and frankly, it was a miracle he got this deep in the game, period, given his pitch count was up around ninety before either. In the fifth, he walked the leadoff man, but got a miraculously timed double play. He came back out for the sixth—and it felt scary. But after a leadoff single, he got two quick flyouts. Then, a ground ball took Gunnar well to his backhand; he picked it, slung his arm across his body, and got the third out at first! For Young to complete six and get a quality start tonight (his tenth of the season!) felt like a miracle; what a gutsy effort by the Texan.

The Orioles had a chance to make it 6-2 against Twins lefty Kody Funderburk, but a Pete Alonso single, Jackson Holliday walk, and Tyler O’Neill produced only an out at the plate—feels like the Orioles have more than their fair share of those.

Josh Walker had a lightning-fast seventh inning—it took him just eight pitches. I wasn’t in a hurry or anything tonight, but still, what a breath of fresh air.

Yennier Cano was much messier, allowing a hit and a walk, but he held the line.

The O’s took their swings off lefty sidewinder Taylor Rogers in the ninth, but didn’t score (once linked to the O’s as a bullpen target, Rogers has a twin brother, also a pitcher, named Tyler, and just imagine the havoc if this team had a Tyler, a Taylor and a Trevor Rogers on the same staff).

That left only the bottom of the ninth, and Andrew Kittredge. The veteran righty has been a little shady of late, but tonight he was nails. Not only did he get two quick groundball outs, he whiffed Josh Bell convincingly, with a little dipping dart of a sinker. Cool.

Tonight was a much-needed win. It doesn’t fix all the Orioles’ flaws, but they made it look pretty easy tonight.

So, Birdland, who is your vote for Most Birdland of tonight? Brandon Young, who gutted out his tenth quality start of the season with imperfect stuff? Pete Alonso, 3-for-4 with a 2-run home run and a walk? Gunnar Henderson, who came a triple away from the cycle and played some great defense? Christian Encarnacion-Strand, a recent callup who hit a 460-foot monster of a home run?

If the Wrigley Chewing Gum company weren’t so deeply associated with the arch-rivals of the St. Louis ballclub, they’d probably offer the Cardinals the opportunity to be the new face of Doublemint Gum, on account of all the double killings they turned tonight. In the absence of an endorsement deal, the Redbirds will have to settle for winning the game.

The Phillies put runners on the corners on the first, but didn’t convert them into runs. And the same was true in the second, as the Phillies put runners on the corners and saw the inning end on a Justin Crawford 6-4-3 GIDP. The Cardinals soon found themselves in a comparable situation, putting runners on first and third against Cristopher Sánchez on singles from José Fermin and Masyn Winn. And the Redbirds, wanting to be gracious and considerate hosts, chose not to upstage their visitors and promptly hit into a 5-4-3 twin killing. The Phillies, however, misunderstood this kind gesture, thinking that home team was trying to upstage them with a GIDP slightly fancier than the standard 6-4-3. “We can match that,” said the Phils. And so it was that in the next inning they did indeed replicate the 5-4-3 DP, via grounder from Bryce Harper.

The assembled masses, Philadelphia Phaithful and toasted ravioli-eating St. Louis partisans alike, cried “stop! No more!” But their calls went unheeded. The Cardinals, their dander up and their ire drawn, one-upped the Phillies by hitting into a 4-6-3 version of the pitcher’s best friend. to conclude the bottom of the third. The arms race was on. Your faithful recapper sprinted to his bookshelf, removed his copy of the Dickson Baseball Dictionary, flipped to the entry on double plays, and groaned upon realizing that only four synonyms were listed; one was used two sentences ago, and the others weren’t distinct enough to be of use (technically you can shorten double play to just double, but isn’t that confusing?)

In the fourth inning, the first two Phillies batters, Luis Arraez and J.T. Realmuto, made outs, thus ensuring the chain of double plays would at last be broken. But while the double plays ended, offense was still hard to find. In the top of the fifth, Alec Bohm sent a slider flying to center, where Everson Pereira leapt and came down with it elegantly; poetry in motion, and frustration in action for the Phillies. The Cardinals proved no more adept at scoring in their portion of the fifth, and then in the sixth the double play chain began again, with the Phillies matching the 4-6-3 their avian foe hit into earlier.

The Phillies faced the Redbird bullpen in the seventh, with Brady Pallante departing after six scoreless, with four hits and just two Ks. His replacement, George Soriano, quickly induced two outs, then allowed a single to Brandon Marsh and a walk to Bohm. That brought up Justin Crawford, who lined out. The scoring drought continued.

The Phillies, too, turned to their bullpen, with Alex McFarlane taking over for Sánchez (6 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 7 K). He walked his first batter, who then promptly stole second. Had he not, the subsequent grounder would’ve resulted in yet another double play; as it was, it was just one out. Winn lined to right, and the game finally had its first run.

Kyle Schwarber walked to lead off the eighth, with Derek Hill called in to pinch run. Hill promptly made the most of his role, stealing second. Trea Turner worked a walk as well. That brought up Bryce Harper, who battled across nine pitches before earning his free pass. Thus, Luis Arrarez had the bases loaded, no outs, and the perfect opportunity to break his hitless streak. Though the opportunity couldn’t have been better, the result could have been: Arraez grounded gently to first, whereupon the ball was tossed to home for the first out, and then back to first for the second. Yet another double play, and one exceptional enough that the Cardinals certainly wouldn’t top it.

Tim Mayza took over for the bottom of the eighth, facing Pereira first. Not content to have robbed what was almost a homer, Pereira decided to hit one of his own, sending it out to center to put the Cardinal lead at 2-0.

The Phillies had Stott-Marsh-Bohm for their final stand in the ninth. Stott struck out, Marsh lined out, and Bohm grounded out.

The Phillies are 64-57. The final game of the series will commence tomorrow at 2:15.

Red Sox 3 Blue Jays 5

Despite Dylan Cease not having his usual great start, it turned out to be a good game. Cease went 5 innings, allowed 5 hits, 4 walks, and 7 strikeouts, but gave up 2 home runs. Neither one was crushed; one just barely cleared the wall. For anyone else, it would be pretty good, but we’ve come to expect more from Cease.

We used a lot of guys in the pen:

• Chase Lee got five outs, giving up a hit and two walks.
• Brandon Little got the last out of the seventh, striking out the lefty.
• Braydon Fisher pitched a quick eight, giving up just a walk.
• Spencer Miles got the save, giving up a double on a ball I expected Myles Straw to catch, but I think Straw thought the wall was closer than it was.

On a day they rested Louis Varland and Tyler Rogers, our pen was terrific.

Our offence? Well, we did get five runs, which is like other teams scoring 12.

We had 10 hits. No homers, just two doubles for extra-base hits. Bateman, Straw and Kirk had two hits each. Clement was the only Jay not to reach base, and he hit into two double plays. It just wasn’t his day. But he did get an RBI.

We scored:

• One in the third: With two outs, Lukes singled, McAdoo walked, and Bateman doubled in Lukes.
• Two in the fifth: Andrés Giménez started it with a single. Straw hit into a force at second. Lukes put down a nice bunt. And McAdoo hit a sac fly. And Bateman in another.
• One in the sixth: Springer led off with a walk. Kirk singled him to third. Clement hit into a force at second (but not a double play) and Springer scored.
• One in the eighth: Springer again led off, this time with a single. Kirk hit into a force at second. Josh Smith came in to pinch run. After Clement popped out, Giménez was hit by pitch, right on the knee. It looked very painful. And Straw doubled home Smith.

We should have scored more, but the double plays hurt. And Vlad, with Bateman on first, lined one into the right field corner, but Wilyer Abreu did a great job getting to it before it made the back wall and made a perfect throw into second, getting Vlad. I thought it was a double off the bat, but the play in the corner was great. Likely Vlad had turned at first and didn’t see the pickup, but we’d have been gett off with him sticking at first.

And there was some amazing Jays defense. In particular, Giménez made a super play on a ground ball to his right, diving, popping up and throwing a perfect bounce throw to first—just an amazing play. Charles McAdoo looked far better at third than I expected. Kirk threw out a runner stealing, terrific throw.

Jays of the Day: Bateman (0.26 WPA, I thought he did a great job in the post-game interview with Hazel), Kirk (0.17, plus the throw), Straw (0.16, maybe subtract a little for the missed catch in the ninth), Lee (0.12) and Fisher (0.12). Honourable mention to Spencer Miles for the save.

Other Award: Clement (-0.15), Vlad (-0.12) and Cease (-0.12).

Tomorrow is game 3 with the Red Sox—another 7:00 Eastern start. Ranger Suarez (4-3, 3.32) vs. José Soriano (9-6, 3.24), making his second start for the Jays.

The Yankees are struggling offensively. The Yankees do not hit with runners in scoring position. The Yankees have been too homer-reliant. All three of these tenets are true, especially since the injury bug swept through the Bronx and left them more vulnerable than they’ve been in several years.

All of their wins and losses are decided by one or two runs. They get excellent pitching, but regardless of the quality of the opposing starter, they often fail to dent home plate due to their middling healthy power options and their woes with RISP. Since June 18th, they have been batting an absolutely dreadful .170 in these situations, by far the worst in baseball. They are also striking out a league-high 29.4 percent in these spots, limiting opportunities for productive outs.

This game was going like all the others. They squandered three massive opportunities with runners in scoring position off Bryan Woo early on before going down in order in three consecutive innings. Now trailing 1-0 after one measly run scored off a sharp Ryan Weathers, they got one more chance in the seventh and didn’t let it go to waste. Two unlikely sources provided two great pieces of hitting to small ball their way to a four-run inning and a 4-1 win.

Weathers started this one out looking to continue the good vibes he’s had on the bump lately and quickly retired the first two he faced before jumping ahead 0-2 on Julio Rodríguez before throwing four straight balls and walking him. Things might’ve gotten hairy with a Dominic Canzone grounder that hit the second base bag if not for a stellar barehanded play by George Lombard Jr., who continues to be a savant defensively.

Woo’s always done well against the Yankees, but he labored to put up a zero in the first. A one-out walk by Ben Rice and a two-out double by Luis García Jr. set things up for Jazz Chisholm Jr., who worked a nine-pitch at-bat that included a 400-foot foul ball, but he flew out to the warning track in left-center field. Woo threw 32 pitches, allowed three batted balls of at least 101 mph, and didn’t get a single whiff, yet didn’t allow a run. Maybe the fact that he threw the five hardest pitches of his entire career that inning helps.

An infield single and a two-out walk to Weston Wilson gave Seattle a chance with a runner in scoring position in the second, but a nice stab by García at first on a Colt Emerson grounder ended a lengthy top of the second. Lombard led off the second with a single but was stranded after Taylor Ward’s leaping catch robbed Ryan McMahon of extra bases and the rookie was gunned down by Cal Raleigh trying to steal his first MLB bag.

A much quicker 1-2-3 third inning by Weathers gave the offense another chance to work off Woo, who they continued to get good swings off of. Austin Wells just yanked a long foul ball before grounding out, and Trent Grisham doubled into the corner at the end of a long at-bat, but the RISP woes continued as Rice struck out and Heliot Ramos grounded out to strand the runner.

Both offenses had their chances in the first few innings as the two starters labored, but once they got in a groove, neither threatened. Weathers retired 10 in a row, while Woo went from throwing 73 pitches in three tough innings to coasting through the final two, settling in after looking doomed early. Two struggling offenses certainly looked the part on Tuesday night.

By the laws of the game, someone had to score first, and the first blow was struck in the sixth on an opposite-field home run by longtime Yankee killer Randy Arozarena, one of the only hitters not currently loathed in Seattle for lack of production. After a week full of balls dying on the warning track, seeing a swing like that get out felt like a bigger gut punch than we actually saw on the scoreboard. Weathers departed after walking Dominic Canzone, finishing 5.2 strong innings but being in line for the loss.

Tim Hill got the last out of the sixth before Seattle went to their bullpen, going to José A. Ferrer against the top of the order, who went down quietly. Hill got through the seventh quickly in what’s been maybe his best outing since April, allowing the offense to wake up in the seventh.

García roped a leadoff double off Michael Rucker and was singled to third by Chisholm. Lombard struck out, Spencer Jones walked to load the bases with one out, and you just sat there wondering if they could finally break through. McMahon, likely still steaming from the robbery earlier, answered.

His two-run single made it 2-1 and chased Rucker. With two on and one out, Eduard Bazardo gave up a first-pitch blooper to Wells that Ward seemed terribly positioned for, setting up Grisham for a two-run knock of his own to left field to make it 4-1. Rice and Ramos stranded the remaining runners, but the Yanks finally did their jobs at the plate.

Brent Headrick was the first to come out and protect the newfound lead, doing so expeditiously. Seranthony Dominguez got this game to the ninth with a weird 1-2-3 inning that saw Chisholm overturn a strikeout before getting picked off a solid 15 seconds later. That’s been his season in a nutshell. Lombard also worked a long, 12-pitch at-bat for good measure.

David Bednar came on for the save against the heart of the order with a three-run cushion. He K’d J-Rod, allowed Canzone to reach on an infield single, got a nice force out from Jazz on a redemption play, and K’d the once-MVP candidate Raleigh to lock down his 17th consecutive save. With the loss by Boston, the Yankees are now three games clear of their rivals to the north, but would need a favor from the lowly A’s to gain ground in the AL East.

The Yankees go for the series victory tomorrow night at 7:05 pm in the middle game of this three-game set against the Mariners. It’ll be Will Warren against Bryce Miller on ESPN.

Box Score

Tuesday night was a good ole pitchers duel at Busch Stadium with St. Louis Cardinals Andre Pallante matching the Phillies Cristopher Sanchez nearly pitch-for-pitch, but it would a couple of dramatic Cardinals late inning at-bats (and clutch relief appearance, too) that would eventually win the day for St. Louis.

The first 4 innings were a dead heat between Sanchez and Pallante. The Phillies had only managed 3 hits and the Cardinals only had 4. Both teams were bailed out by double plays that ended scoring chances. It reminded me of some classic National League games I remember growing up as a kid in the 70’s and that’s not a complaint. In the top of the 5th inning, Pallante received a major defensive assist from new centerfielder Everson Pereira. Alec Bohm of the Phillies connected with an 88 mph Palante slider and blasted it to deep center when Pereira hit the wall at full stride, slammed into the wall and held onto the ball. I fully expected his next move would be to reveal a big “Superman” emblem on his chest.

To give credit where credit is due, Cristopher Sanchez of the Phillies was as good as advertised. The Cardinals had a lone scoring chance in the bottom of the 2nd inning when José Fermín and Masyn Winn singled giving St. Louis runners at first and third with just one out, but a double play ended that opportunity. For the first 6 innings, neither pitcher was budging. It’s a major compliment to Andre Pallante to say that he was a worthy competitor with the nasty stuff that Sanchez was dealing Tuesday night. Manager Oli Marmol removed Andre after 6 full innings and his stat line was solid. 6 innings allowing just 4 hits, no runs while striking out 3 and walking 2. Not exactly the equal of Sanchez performance, but close where it mattered which is on the scoreboard.

The St. Louis Cardinals bullpen took over in the top of the 7th when George Soriano entered the game. He got off to a good start striking out Realmuto and Stott, but allowed a hard single by Marsh past JJ’s glove into right field followed by a walk to Bohm. The Cardinals were fortunate that the bullet that came off of Crawford’s bat went straight to Jordan Walker’s glove in right field to end the Phillies scoring threat in the 7th.

The Phillies called on their depleted bullpen in the bottom of the 7th as Alex McFarlane took over for the excellent Sanchez. Jordan Walker gave St. Louis some hope as he drew a leadoff walk to start the Cardinals 7th and then he stole second. Alec Burleson struck out, but José Fermín moved Walker to third as he grounded out to short for the second out. It was Masyn Winn’s turn to play the role of potential hero as he stepped into a 100 mph sinker and drove it into right-center for a RBI single giving the Cardinals a precious 1-0 lead.

After George Soriano escaped the top of the 7th inning, it was Caleb Ferguson’s turn to tackle the top of the 8th inning with Kyle Schwarber and the rest of the top of the Phillies lineup coming to bat. He gave up a leadoff walk and that groan you might have heard at that moment was from ALL OF US. The Phillies pinch-ran for Schwarber with Hill who stole second base even though Pages had a rapid release and JJ Wetherholt made a nice swipe tag that barely missed getting him out. Ferguson then walked Trea Turner and the collective scream you might have heard was ALL OF US. Unbelievably, Caleb managed to walk Bryce Harper to load the bases with no outs. Hold on a second, I need to go sign up for some anger management classes. Back in a sec.

After a very ticked off looking Oli Marmol unceremoniously removed Ferguson from the game, Ryne Stanek was brought in to try and douse the developing dumpster fire. He managed to miraculously get Arraez to ground into a double play to Alec Burleson who fired the ball to home for a force with Pages firing it back to him. Wonderful! When Realmuto flied out to deep center for the final out of the Phillies 8th, all was right in the (Cardinals) universe again.

Here’s something I haven’t been able to say often enough this season. The Cardinals actually added an insurance run in the bottom of the 8th inning. Everson Pereira gave a long ride to an 87 mph slider from Phillies reliever Tim Mayza that landed in David Freese land in dead center field giving the Cardinals a 2-0 lead.

In the 9th inning, it was Riley O’Brien’s baby as he had to shut down the Phillies to close out an unexpected victory for the Cardinals. He had the bottom half of the Philadelphia lineup to deal with starting with Stott who Riley struck out with no difficulty. Next up was Brandon Marsh who ripped a line drive that conveniently landed in Alec Burleson’s glove. Alec Bohm’s meager groundout to Masyn Winn ended the game for a huge St. Louis victory.

The St. Louis Cardinal wrap up their homestand before heading off to Chicago with a game Wednesday afternoon against the Philadelphia Phillies. Kyle Leahy gets the nod from the Cardinals while Zack Wheeler will start for the Phillies. First pitch scheduled for 1:15pm central time at Busch Stadium and game TV broadcast will be available via Cardinals.tv.

Yankees 4, Mariners 1

Eastbound and Down: Bryan Woo, 0.28 WPA

Weston and Wilson: Michael Rucker, -0.47 WPA

Game thread comment of the day:

Alright Fritz. Fine.

It’s Tuesday night here at BCB After Dark: the grooviest hang for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in out of the heat. There are cool people in here. There’s no cover charge. We have a few tables still available. The hostess will seat you now. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

Last night, I asked you which team was most likely to claim the second National League Wild Card? The vote wasn’t too close as 50 percent of you picked the Phillies. The Diamondbacks just snuck past the Padres for second place, 23 percent to 22 percent.

On Tuesday nights, I don’t generally do a movie essay. But I always have some time for jazz, and that time is now.

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Tonight we are honored to have trumpeter Freddie Hubbard in 1989 performing “The Night has a Thousand Eyes.” Peter Washington is on double bass, James Williams plays piano and the drummer is Tony Reedus.

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Welcome back to everyone who skips all that jazz.

Rick Sutcliffe said something on social media a couple of weeks ago that’s stuck with me.

Counsell https://t.co/4QB1kEoFpI

— Rick Sutcliffe (@Sut_40) July 26, 2026

I’m the kind of person who thinks that managers get too much credit when things go well and too much blame when things go poorly. I do believe that managers make a difference, both good and bad, but the influence is normally small. I do think a bad manager can do a lot more damage to a team than a good manager can help one. Sometimes what we think is a good manager is just someone who isn’t quite as crappy as the guy before him.

But in this case, I gotta agree with Sut. I don’t need to tell you that this year’s Cubs team was decimated by pitching injuries. Things were ugly in May. But Counsell kept the boat afloat through the storm and managed to find some starters and relievers who could keep games close enough for the offense to win. When Pete Crow-Armstrong struggled early in the year, he didn’t bench him against left-handers. Bregman did get off to a poor start to his Cubs career (at least by his standards), but Counsell stood by him and now he looks like his same old self. Hoerner’s mid-season struggles seem to be over. I know a lot of you wanted the Cubs to bench Ian Happ and yes, Counsell did give him an off-day here and there. But the rested and refreshed Happ is starting to look like his old self as well.

Everyone says Counsell is a wizard with the bullpen. Except Counsell. He thinks that’s overstated. But he’s been forced to use 13 different pitchers to record saves this year. He’s put together a bullpen with chewing gum and piano wire.

Now, with the Trade Deadline passed, the Cubs have several reinforcements for those injured players just as the injured players returned. And over the past several weeks, the Cubs have been the best team in the National League, at least as far as wins and losses go. And I don’t think any other metric really matters.

So I’ve got to give Counsell an “A.” But what do you give him?

Thank you for coming in. We always enjoy having you stop by. Get home safely. Call a ride if you need one. Recycle and cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow for more BCB After Dark.

Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing went through the second-opinion carousel — “opinions on opinions,” as he put it — after his elbow started bothering him on Aug. 2 while playing catch in the outfield before a game against the Red Sox.

“We then come to an agreement that surgery is not necessary,” Rushing said Tuesday. “So, we’re going to rehab the muscle on the inside of my forearm. And the details as to timeline, I don’t really have any for you. But at the same time, I can say it feels 10 times better than it did a week ago. And as soon as I can be throwing a baseball, I will be.”

Rushing said that Sunday was the first time he’d felt pain while throwing — “didn’t feel a pop or anything, but felt pretty serious as it kind of tightened up on me a little bit.”

Manager Dave Roberts said last week that Rushing’s MRI scan showed a slight ulnar collateral ligament tear. Rushing added Tuesday that something similar had appeared on previous scans, without symptoms.

“It’s something we’ve known about, but it hasn’t gotten worse over the years,” Rushing said. “And so it puts my arm in just a fine spot, and obviously, we just worry about the muscle.”

Strengthening the surrounding muscle and addressing the inflammation in the area should help stabilize and take pressure off the inside of his elbow.

On Monday, Rushing started swinging, which he said didn’t bother his elbow. His eventual throwing progression will give him and the Dodgers more information on his availability the rest of the year and any potential offseason interventions — “I don’t think [surgery] will be necessary,” Rushing reiterated when asked specifically about the offseason.

While Roberts said last week that he thought the chances of Rushing catching again were “very small,” Rushing was more optimistic.

Read more:Shaikin: The Shohei Ohtani Economy: A two-mile ride to Dodger Stadium, for $85

“Yeah, if I can throw, I’m going to be able to catch,” he said. “So I’m not too worried about it. And two months at least of playing baseball, and that’s what I’m going to worry about at the moment. And when the season’s over with, and we have another World Series, then we can worry about what the next step is.”

Klein hopes to avoid surgery

Dodgers reliever Will Klein hopes to avoid surgery to remove the loose bodies in his right elbow.

“We’re going to rehab and let the inflammation calm down and get back to where it’s manageable this year and try to build back up and see where that puts us,” he said. “It’s feeling a lot better right now. So that’s encouraging.”

Klein has been on the injured list since the start of the month, with what the Dodgers called right elbow discomfort. The Athletic was the first to report a more specific diagnosis.

Klein said he’d known about the small pieces of bone in his elbow, which had previously been manageable. But they’d calcified and become larger, causing inflammation.

His exact timeline to return is in flux, but Klein is scheduled to start throwing weighted plyo balls this week.

“I’m going to do everything I can to get back and pitch again this year,” he said.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Yankees offense was held in check for six innings before exploding for four runs in the seventh en route to a 4-1 win over the Mariners on Tuesday night.

Here are the takeaways...

-Weathers was dealing again. The southpaw mowed down the Mariners lineup, allowing just one hit and two walks in the first five innings, even retiring 10 straight batters at one point. 

The game changed in the sixth when Randy Arozarena took Weathers deep with a one-out short-porch homer. It's Arozarena's 18th career home run against the Yankees.

Weathers went 5.2 innings (106 pitches/62 strikes), allowing the one run on two hits and three walks while striking out four. 

-Bryan Woo came into Tuesday's game with a 4.31 ERA (a 6.27 ERA on the road), and those numbers improved because of the Yankees' lifeless offense. 

To the Yankees' credit, they were on Woo's pitches early, narrowly missing home runs on a number of at-bats, but the right-hander threw five scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out five. 

-The Yankees' best chance came in the seventh. A leadoff double from Luis Garcia Jr. and a single from Jazz Chisholm Jr. put runners on the corners with no outs. George Lombard Jr. struck out and Chisholm stole second. Spencer Jones walked in front of Ryan McMahon and the Yankees third baseman hit an opposite-field single to drive in two. Austin Wells dropped a single in to load the bases for Trent Grisham. The veteran outfielder did his best McMahon impression, going opposite field to drive in two more.

-After Weathers, the Yankees bullpen kept the Mariners bats down. The combination of Tim Hill, Brent Headrick and David Bednar pitched 3.1 scoreless innings. Here's how it broke down:

• Hill: 1.1 IP
• Headrick: 1.0 IP, 2 K
• Bednar: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 K

-Lombard went 1-for-4 and continued to show his major league-level defense. 

Game MVP: Ryan McMahon

McMahon's two-run single gave the Yankees the lead they wouldn't relinquish.

Highlights

George Lombard Jr. with the barehand! pic.twitter.com/gxgFmsM48H

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) August 11, 2026

BIG MAC.

Ryan McMahon gives the Yankees the lead! pic.twitter.com/4bJK82tLxc

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) August 12, 2026

Trent Grisham brings home two more! pic.twitter.com/0wXb61cAcX

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) August 12, 2026

What's next

The Yankees and Mariners continue their three-game set Wednesday night. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.

Will Warren (8-6, 4.18 ERA) takes the mound against Bryce Miller (4-6, 3.08 ERA). 

 

Pope Leo XIV was famously in the stands at the 2005 World Series, back when the Chicago White Sox were a team that won things. He's kept the faith since, which for a Sox fan is saying something.

The Dolton native turned first American-born pope got his tribute Tuesday night when the White Sox hosted the Cincinnati Reds. There were over 40,000 pope hats, enough for the fans and even players, handed out before the game. There was even a special one made for the White Sox mascot South Paw. The pointed mitre in black and green with a Sox logo on it were such a popular idea they had to expand it. Initially it was a typical "first 1,500 fans," but ticket sales tripled withing a day of the announcement.

The White Sox made a whole night of it.

Sister Mary Jo Sobieck, whose 2018 first pitch is still the best anyone has thrown on the South Side, came back to do the honors. There was a fifth-inning "Peace Be With You," for those who celebrate and fans lined up to take pictures of themselves in their pope hats with the mural of Pope Leo the White Sox unveiled this season.

This is a club that has resurrected itself from a laughing stock to vying for the division title. They bought at the deadline and they are not above courting favor with one of their fans who might have the big guy upstairs' ear.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The pope wore a Chicago White Sox hat. The Sox returned the favor

Blake Snell looks for his first win of the season, facing the Royals and veteran Michael Wacha.

Tonight's #Dodgers lineup vs. Royals: pic.twitter.com/hqt8jezJ3t

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 11, 2026

Game two in LA. pic.twitter.com/d85ihZq4Tr

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) August 11, 2026

Tuesday’s game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Royals
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles
• Start time: 7:10 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

The Atlanta Braves lost a disappointing game one to the New York Mets last night and we looking for a rebound behind Martín Pérez who struggled against the Mets in July. Interestingly, Pérez faced the same opponent he did last month, Nolan McLean who pitched a great game.

Pérez had a solid first inning. In the past Francisco Lindor had absolutely dominated him, and so had Bo Bichette. Lindor singled but Francisco Lindor got Bichette to ground into a double play to end the top of the inning. The first did not go any better for the Braves as McLean sat them down in order.

For some reason the Mets had Luis Robert hitting cleanup, so he led off the second with a pop up. Initially it looked like Jim Jarvis made a great play to get Benge out, but after review he hit a single. After another induced pop up, things got a little messy with a walk to Alvarez. Pérez was able to settled down and strike out off-season acquisition Polanco to end the top of the second. It looked like the Braves may get something going in the second when Harris led off with a single, but then he was caught stealing followed by two more outs.

Pérez got through the third unscathed in terms of runs. He walked his nemesis Lindor, but that was the only offense by the Mets. The third was another inning much like the second. Yastrzemski led off with a walk to look like the Braves may get some offense, but then that was the only base runner.

Pérez continued to look sharp in the fourth. Benge had his second single of the night off of him, but Pérez sat down the rest of the hitters to include a strikeout to Alvarez, avenging the walk he gave up earlier. The Braves continued to look anemic in the fourth. Even Harris, the only payer with a hit to this point for the Braves, struck out. The side was retired. Pérez avenged his teammates in the fifth though, and did he exact same thing. The Mets were sat down in order.

The Braves finally broke through with a single swing of the bat when Albies smoked a no doubter to the chop house on the second pitch he saw to make the score 1-0. It was the only offense of the inning, but it was all that was needed.

Ozzie gets the scoring started!#BravesCountrypic.twitter.com/gCoW4rYRv1

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 12, 2026

In the sixth, we saw some more strand rate magic for Martín Pérez. After a Lindor groundout he gave up a walk followed by a single to put runners on the corners, but then got Benge to ground into a double play, preventing any runs. It is a good thing he did, because yet again the Braves were sat down in order in the sixth.

Didier Fuentes came in to pitch the seventh. Martín Pérez avenged his last start against the Mets with 6.0 innings of four hit ball that were all singles and lowered his season ERA to 2.96. Fuentes sat down all three hitters to include a strikeout. The Braves finally looked like an offense that wanted to win in the seventh after McLean was removed. Olson walked and then advanced on a wild pitch, Harris moved him over to third on a groundout. Albies then walked. Dubón then did what he does best, have clutch contact by recording a sac fly to make the score 2-0. Lane Thomas then came in to pinch hit and walked. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch, but then Robert made a fantastic leaping grab at the wall to rob Riley of a two RBI double.

Dylan Lee came in to pitch the eighth and did Dylan Lee things by retiring the side to include a strikout to lower his ERA to 1.99. The eighth inning is where the Braves iced it. Jarvis was retired but then Baldwin walked. Acuña hit the balled extremely hard, but Robert made another fantastic read on the ball. Then, Matt Olson stayed red hot and hit an absolute tank of a two-run bomb to make the score 4-0. His HR went 423 feet.

4️⃣2️⃣3️⃣ feet for Matt Olson!#BravesCountrypic.twitter.com/UbzjQT4X5R

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 12, 2026

Harris singled and Albies did his signature pop up to end the eighth. Iglesias came in the game and had no problem sitting down three hitters with a four run lead. He had struggled some this season in those situations so it was nice to see him come through.

The key to the game was Martín Pérez limiting hits and the offense coming through against the bullpen. The Braves look to do it again tomorrow.