Category: MLB

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

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

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

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

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

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What do you think happens?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More from John:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here are Counsell’s postgame remarks [VIDEO].

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mets Notes

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

Today's Lineups

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

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

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

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

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

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

Play this pick down to +100. 

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

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

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

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

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

Play this pick up to -130.

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

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

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

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

Play this pick down to +300.

Rays vs Tigers weather

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

Rays vs Tigers odds

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

Rays vs Tigers trend

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

How to watch Rays vs Tigers and game info

Rays vs Tigers latest injuries

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White Sox 11, Rangers 7

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meet the Mets

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

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

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

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

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

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

Around the National League East

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

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

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

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

Around Major League Baseball

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

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

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

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

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

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

A Pod of Their Own returned with a new episode.

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

This Date in Mets History

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Phillies vs Mariners weather

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

Phillies vs Mariners odds

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

Phillies vs Mariners trend

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

How to watch Phillies vs Mariners and game info

Phillies vs Mariners latest injuries

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.

Tuesday’s contest against the Atlanta Braves featured a disappointing ending where the Dodgers left the tying runner on third base in a 4-3 defeat, snapping their six-game winning streak.

Before the uneventful finish, Tyler Glasnow made his return to the mound, making his first start since May 6 against the Houston Astros. Although he allowed three earned runs in the first inning, Glasnow, like Tarik Skubal on Saturday, managed to settle in and didn’t allow another run the rest of the way. Glasnow ended his night tossing five innings against Altanta, allowing six hits and those three runs while striking out seven and not allowing a walk.

Glasnow discussed his change in sequencing after a laborious first inning, helping him settle into a groove where he struck out six over four shutout innings onward, per Courtney Hollmon of MLB.com.

“I think just switching up a little bit,” Glasnow said. “I think it was pretty fastball-heavy the first inning. A little bit predictable. Not a ton of hard-hit balls, but it’s just how it goes sometimes. But I think coming out in the second, I just felt more in rhythm and my slider was working a lot better. … The slider felt good today, too. So I just tried to start some guys off with it and throw it in middle counts and just not be so predictable.”

After spending parts of five seasons with the division rival Arizona Diamondbacks, Alek Thomas has had a nice start to his time as a Dodger. Thomas put the Dodgers on the board in the second inning of Tuesday’s matchup with an RBI single, and the outfielder has a .300 average with three RBI and a walk over his first three games with his new team.

Prior to the start of Tuesday’s game, Thomas spoke with Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA about getting acclimated with his new team and getting a first-hand understanding of how “next-level” the Dodgers really are.

“I’ve heard that everything is next-level, and it was very eyeopening to see that firsthand, even in the minor leagues. Everything has been just on another level to what I’ve been used to in the past. They’re in the future, it seems like. It’s been really great.”

Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times notes that Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to throw another bullpen either Thursday or Friday before he makes his return to the mound, which could be in a short start over the weekend in Detroit.

Ohtani is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Thursday or Friday, pitching coach Mark Prior said. Then Ohtani and the Dodgers will finalize next steps. But Roberts didn’t rule out the possibility of Ohtani making a short start Sunday in Detroit.

The Atlanta Braves won their second straight after Tuesday’s 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Atlanta jumped out front early, plating three runs in the first inning and later scoring the game-winning run in the eighth. Ozzie Albies came up big, knocking in Matt Olson to give the Braves the edge.

On the other side of the ball, Bryce Elder turned in a start that began shakily, but he ultimately settled in. Over six innings, he allowed three runs on eight hits. He recorded five strikeouts.

Tuesday’s win made for Atlanta’s 77th win of the year. They go for the series win tonight at 7:15 ET.

More Braves News:

The Braves currently have a 4.5 game lead over the division, but the NL East has taken some unexpected turns.

MLB News:

The Miami Marlins placed right-hander Pete Fairbanks on the 15-day injured list with right median nerve irritation. Lefty Dax Fulton was recalled in a corresponding move.  

The St. Louis Cardinals placed shortstop Masyn Winn on the 10-day injured list with a thumb fracture.The move is retroactive to August 22. 

The Toronto Blue Jays placed right-hander Shane Bieber on the 15-day injured list with right teres major inflammation. The move is retroactive to August 21.

From the Feed:

Cast your vote here for Braves Player of the Game.

There has been talk in the Purple Row comments of late about platoons. The 2026 Colorado Rockies have used the platoon system for a while, or at least it has been more apparent this season. Looking for every measure to gain an edge and win ballgames, the Rockies are using platoons as much as they can in the lineup, hoping to put forth the best matchups night after night.

Back in May, I asked: Is the platoon system working for the Rockies? For the most part, I concluded that it was working in theory, as the Rockies were getting the necessary production from players facing opposite-handed pitchers.

However, because the Rockies’ offense has struggled recently, it seemed worth asking a follow-up question: Is the platoon system still working for the Rockies?

For this article, we’ll be looking at the platoon splits since the start of June.

Team splits

Since June, the Rockies offense as a whole ranks

• fifth in batting average (.258),
• sixth in on-base percentage (.329), and
• second in slugging percentage (.443).

In addition, the Rockies have the

• ninth-most hits (623), and
• fifth-most runs scored (369).

In most positive cases, the Rockies are a top-10 team offensively across the board in baseball.

Facing right-handed pitching

As for facing right-handed pitching, Colorado is batting .261/.334/.467 with a league-leading .801 OPS since June 1. They also rank seventh in home runs (71) while being 13th in runs scored (245). Meanwhile, the strikeout rate is at a reasonable 21.1%, and the walk rate comes in at 8.9%, which is 10th-highest.

Those numbers have been fairly consistent over the summer months. The Rockies had a .268 AVG in June and are currently sitting at that mark in August. As for July, the average dropped down to .248 while the .298 OBP was noticeably lower than the other two months, which makes sense because that was a tough month for the Rockies. Still, the team has continued finding overall success against right-handed pitching.

Facing left-handed pitching

There have also been some positive developments since the start of June concerning production against left-handed pitching. Over the summer, the Rockies are slashing .251/.320/.399, which places them in the top 15 in all three categories. They have the fourth-most hits (213) and the second-most runs scored against lefties (124) while leading the league with 120 RBI. The strikeout total is sixth-highest in the league (218), but they have the fifth-most walks (79), and the actual strikeout rates (22.9%) and walk rates (8.3%) are roughly league average.

Now, the heavy lifting in that production came in June when the Rockies hit .286/.338/.435 against southpaws. In July, they hit .244/.333/.369 and are hitting .215/.280/.388 in August, while strikeout and walk rates have dropped to league average after being 25.5% and 6.1% respectively in June.

As we know, however, these stats tell only part of the story. While they look good on paper, do the individual players reflect the success?

The lefty hitters

The left-handed hitters have found plenty of success for the Rockies this season. On a given night, the Rockies typically have three regular left-handed hitters and the addition of two switch-hitters (more on them later). The current roster also has three additional lefties coming off the bench.

Across the board, the lefties are successful against right-handed pitching. Since the start of June, there have been nine players hitting .250 or better against righties, seven of whom are currently on the big league roster. Jake McCarthy (.301) and TJ Rumfield (.300) lead the qualified lefties in batting average and are regular contributors in most categories.

Since returning from injury that cost him a month of games, Mickey Moniak has settled in with a .492 slugging against right-handed pitching with eight home runs. One of the bigger surprises has been Brett Sullivan, who has just 76 plate appearances against right-handed pitching since June, but is slashing .289/.337/.605 with six home runs.

The same success can’t be said of the players when facing left-handed pitchers. McCarthy has continued to be phenomenal, batting .298/.359/.548 with four home runs. Rumfield has also continued to be steady, particularly in his ability to draw walks against left-handed pitching. However, the other regulars on the current roster are not doing much against same-sided pitching.

Moniak has a whopping 31.7% strikeout rate while hitting .216/.244/.351 with just one home run. He has been kept in the lineup out of necessity when facing lefties, but the production has still not come for him as it has against righties.

The lack of success for most of the lefties against same-sided pitching makes it understandable as to why the Rockies deploy platoons more often.

However, the plan is only as successful as the players doing the platooning.

The righty hitters

As expected, Hunter Goodman has been the Rockies’ best weapon against left-handed pitching. Among the right-handed options since June 1, he is slashing .309/.415/.529 with four home runs and 16 RBI. Losing him to injury has left a hole in the lineup that the other right-handed options haven’t been able to fill.Braxton Fulford has gotten opportunities but is still slashing just .190/.261/.286 against lefties since June, including .167/.167/.167 in August.

The other bright spot — who is also injured — is Kyle Karros. Coinciding with his breakout summer, Karros has batted .296/.405/.437 against southpaws with 10 walks against 12 strikeouts. Jordan Beck also tends to find his success against lefties, slashing .278/.381/.333, and has continued that role since being recalled. Newcomer Connor Norby has been a welcome surprise in his brief sample of playing time, batting .333/.429/.417 in just 16 at-bats against lefties.

However, Tyler Freeman and Ezequiel Tovar have mostly been empty at-bats against lefties and righties, making it hard to fill out and balance the lineup, a fact that extends to most of the right-handed hitters when facing the same side.

Outside of Karros’ excellent .313/.395/.554 slash and Norby’s .261/.346/.522 slash, the right-handers are struggling against righties. Goodman has an excellent .645 SLG, but that has correlated with a 33.1% strikeout rate. Strikeouts as a whole are rampant among the right-handed hitters not named Karros and Freeman.

With Goodman and Karros on the Injured List, Freeman in Triple-A, and the other options not exactly thriving on either side of the platoon, it’s showing cracks in the offense. More than ever, the Rockies need better right-handed hitters.

The switch-hitters

It’s worth pointing out how impactful it’s been having two switch-hitters in the lineup who are regularly consistent on both sides of the plate.

Willi Castro is having a career year, particularly in the power department, but his ability to contribute on both sides of the plate is especially useful. Castro is batting .240/.291/.417 as a right-handed hitter this season. It is the weaker side of his splits, but it’s passable enough to utilize him in the lineup. As a left-handed hitter against righties, Castro is slashing .281/.373/.525 and has nine home runs, which leads the lefties on the team. He tends to walk much more as a lefty, while the strikeouts are fairly similar on either side of the plate, albeit still a little higher than league average.

Since arriving in June, Cole Carrigg has played with his hair on fire since arriving in June, and his splits as a switch-hitter have been promising as well. When facing left-handed pitching, Carrigg — a natural righty — is batting .296/.324/.480 with two home runs and 17 RBI. When he flips to the more prevalent left side of the plate, Carrigg is still batting .252/.387/.432 with a 15.3% walk rate against a 17.5% walk rate.

The fact that both switch hitters are consistent and productive on both sides of the plate is a significant asset for the club. Castro and Carrigg have been a driving force for the offense all summer, and their ability to post up every night and compete regardless of the handedness of the pitcher is the type of switch-hitting production the Rockies haven’t had in a long time.

Is it working?

In general, there is still a viable reason for the Rockies’ utilization of the platoon system. The opposite-handed batters are finding success against their counterpart on the mound. However, the issue stems less from the actual act of match-up hunting through platoons but more from the platoon players not being effective hitters, especially against left-handers.

The Rockies offense is much better this year, but it has a lot of work to do that doesn’t necessarily involve the act of platoons.

So yes, the idea of platooning is still working for the team, especially when fully healthy. It’s the players themselves that have to start pulling their weight even more.

On the Farm

Triple-A:Round Rock Express 5, Albuquerque Isotopes 4

It was a heartbreaker for the Albuquerque Isotopes as they surrendered two runs in the bottom of the ninth to give Round Rock a 5-4 walk-off victory. Parker Mushinski started the game as the opener, tossing two scoreless innings; Jarrod Cande was responsible for the first two runs given up out of the bullpen, followed by Blas Castaño’s one run in two innings of relief. The pen held firm with two scoreless innings from Evan Shawver, but TJ Shook ended up with the loss after giving up a two-run double to end the game. Bryant Betancourt had another good night, going 2-for-4, while Sterlin Thompson also went 2-for-4 with two walks.

Double-A:Hartford Yard Goats 8, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 2

The Hartford Yard Goats had a quality offensive night, scoring eight runs on 12 hits en route to victory. Andy Perez and Jacob Humphrey each had three hits at the top of the order. Dyan Jorge had two hits and drove in three runs while the newly promoted Roynier Hernandez had two RBI as part of a 0-for-4 night. On the mound, Stu Flesland III made the start and allowed two runs through four innings before giving way to a bullpen that allowed just two hits and a walk with six strikeouts over five innings.

High-A:Vancouver Canadians 6, Spokane Indians 1

The Spokane Indians struggled to come through offensively all night but avoided the shutout by scoring a run in the ninth inning as they fell 6-1. Lorenzo Carrier had an excellent night, going 3-for-4 on the night. Not much else happened for the Indians as Blake Penso’s single in the ninth drove in the only run. On the mound, Everett Catlett kept things close after going five innings and allowing just one run. However, Justin Loer gave up three runs in the sixth inning, recording just two outs. Luke Hansel then took over and allowed two unearned runs in his 1.1 innings of work, giving up just one hit and allowing two walks.

Low-A:Inland Empire 66ers 8, Fresno Grizzlies 0

The Fresno Grizzlies had a tough night on offense, mustering just five hits as they struck out 12 times and were shut out. Cort MacDonald led the offense with two singles, but the team went 0-for-8 with RISP. The pitching didn’t fare much better as Sandy Ozuna started the game and went just 2.2 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits, followed by Manuel Olivares, who took the brunt of the damage. He worked 4.1 innings, but gave up five runs on seven hits.

Rockies Reacts Survey: Where will Kyle Freeland pitch in 2027?

Affected by Altitude Episode 222: Injuries In the Dog Days of Summer | Rocky Mountain Rooftop

This week, Evan Lang and I talk about the roster shuffling and promotions due to injuries as well as the removals of Michael Lorenzen and Edouard Julien.

Colorado Rockies Unveil Bronze Statue of Larry Walker: “I Don’t Deserve That” | Just Baseball

Patrick Lyons shares his viewpoints from the unveiling of the Larry Walker statue on Sunday.

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Good morning, baseball fans!

At least, I hope it’s a good morning. The best mornings start with a great night’s sleep. So today, I thought we’d watch a video that the San Francisco Giants’ social media team put out recently where Dave Groeschner (vice-president of medical and performance) sits down to discuss how the Giants’ medical staff helps ensure the team gets the best sleep possible.

It is, essentially, an ad for Macini’s Sleepworld, the sponsor of the video. But it’s pretty interesting to see how the medical team prioritizes sleep as an important aspect of player health and performance. Most interesting to me, personally, is the sleep room that Mancini’s put together for the players inside of the ballpark. My co-workers and I have often said we wish our office had a rest room. Because sometimes when you’re not feeling well at work all you really need is just to be horizontal for a little while.

The sleep room that the Giants have features a couple of bunk beds and a gosh darn floating bed. The bed doesn’t float, but apparently it feels like you are when you are using it, which removes gravity as a factor and allows your body to release stress on your joints.

Gonna need every employer to catch up to the Giants on this front and institute a sleep room with a float bed as an employee perk.

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants conclude this three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds this afternoon at 12:45 p.m. PT.

Happy Wednesday, everyone! As we barrel headlong towards the last month of the regular season, some teams are starting to take a look at their results and decide it’s time to make sweeping changes. We certainly haven’t seen the last big changes we’re likely to see over the coming weeks, but just in recent days, the Astros have parted ways with their GM Dana Brown, and the Marlins have parted ways with, well, their entire scouting department. As other teams (the Padres) are ready to tighten the purse strings for next season, the Dodgers might be doing shady things with their broadcast funds. Isn’t baseball fun?

Let’s just get right into today’s links, because there’s a lot to unpack.

• Jay Jaffe looks at why it’s been such a hard year for Giancarlo Stanton and other Hall of Fame hopefuls.
• Scott Chiusano recalls when the late, great Dolly Parton paid a visit to Yankee Stadium. RIP to a legend.
• Max Ralph offers a look at the updated frontrunners to claim the MVP titles this season.
• Ryan Phillips offers some insights into the goals of the new owners of the Padres. (hint: spending a lot less money)
• Karl Rasmussen ranks the top 10 pitchers in baseball at the moment.
• The Diamondbacks are hoping Ketel Marte will return next week. (AP)
• I’m no financial expert, but this doesn’t seem great.

• Dan Szymborski takes a look at some career milestones we’re tracking this season.
• Ryan Blake shares what’s going on with the Mariners as they pin their future hopes on Kade Anderson.
• Sam Dykstra assesses which farm teams have the best pitching prospects.
• Tom Verducci catches up with Paul Skenes, who has been making tweaks but hasn’t quite busted out of his downward slump.
• Another blow for the Giants as Carson Whisenhunt has torn the UCL in his pitching elbow. (AP)
• Bryan Hoch shares an update on Aaron Judge, who is apparently “looking good.” No definitive return date yet, though.
• Will Sammon and Ken Rostenthal dive into the gutting of the Marlins’ scouting department. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Anyone else remember when betting on baseball was a bad thing?

• Michael Baumann assesses what has made the Phillies so unexpectedly red hot this season.
• Speaking of the Phillies, their episode of Abbott Elementary has been nominated for an Emmy. Story by Aiden Stepansky.
• Cal Raleigh is finally swinging a hot bat again, so what went wrong? Eno Sarris tries to explain. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru spotlights Kinley Rasmus, the girl breaking records at the LLWS.
• Tom Verducci wonders what Jacob deGrom’s strikeout milestone means for his Hall of Fame chances.
• A member of the board of directors of the WPBL is citing concerns over mismanagement of funds and demanding to see finance records. Story by Matt Moret. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Going to be seeing a lot of changes over the coming months. Ben Clemens provides more details on the ousting of Dana Brown.
• Astros ownership has confirmed that manager Joe Espada will remain in his role for the duration of the season. (AP)
• Chandler Rome wonders where the Astros are headed now after parting ways with Dana Brown. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Karl Rasmussen looks at some of the biggest mistakes Dana Brown made during his time with the Astros.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.