BOSTON, MA - AUGUST 22: Blade Tidwell #46 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the game at Fenway Park on August 22, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants continue this four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight from Oracle Park.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Blade Tidwell, who enters tonight’s game with a 3.58 ERA, 3.51 FIP, with 27 strikeouts to 12 walks in 32.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 3-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, in which he allowed just three hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in five and two thirds innings.
He’ll be facing off against Diamondbacks left-handed rookie Kohl Drake, who enters tonight’s game with a 5.40 ERA, 5.48 FIP, with 13 strikeouts to six walks in 16.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Diamondbacks’ 5-1 loss to the San Diego Padres on August 6th, in which he allowed three runs on six hits with one strikeout and one walk in three and two thirds innings.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - AUGUST 28: Tarik Skubal #29 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws a first inning pitch against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on August 28, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers (81-54) snapped their mini losing streak with a 2-1 win over the Tigers (62-72) Friday night in Detroit.
Tarik Skubal wasn’t involved in the decision, but his return to Comerica Park was a success. He allowed one run on four hits with seven strikeouts and no walks over six innings of work.
The Dodgers had tons of traffic all night, but they failed to cash in a whopping 15 men left on base. Skubal and the bullpen did a solid job in taming the bats of some good young players in the Detroit lineup.
Skubal returned to the mound at Comerica Park to a mixed response and weak ovation. Gleyber Torres welcomed him back with a booming double to center field to start things off for the Tigers.
Skubal struck out the side in the bottom of the fourth, picking up six strikeouts. Max Clark whiffed against the change to open the third. Skubal came back to strikeout Javier Baez with his fastball for strikeout no. 5, and Gleyber Torres looked at a changeup for strike 3 and another Skubal strikeout.
The Dodgers loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth, chasing Anderson from the game a bit early. Teoscar Hernández opened the inning with a single, and Ohtani walked.
Drew Sommers relieved his fellow Drew (Anderson) out of the Detroit bullpen to face Muncy with the bases loaded. Sommers got the job done, striking out Muncy with the four-seamer to strand another three runners. The Dodgers already left seven men on base through five innings to that point.
Skubal was perfect after the leadoff Torres double to start the game, but Eduardo Valencia broke up the streak with a leadoff double in the bottom of the seventh.
The Tigers’ No. 1 prospect Clark figured out Skubal in his second at-bat against him. His RBI triple lit up the crowd and put the Tigers ahead 1-0 against their old friend Skubal and his new team.
Kiké Hernández singled to right after Tucker reached second on an error, but Dino Ebel gave Tucker an aggressive wave home. Ben Malgeri threw him out at the plate from right field. Even when they managed a hit with runners in scoring position, the Dodgers failed to score.
Miguel Rojas was the one who came up with the game-tying pinch-hit single against Sommers.
The Dodgers loaded the bases in the seventh against the Detroit bullpen, but they failed to capture the go-ahead run.
Evan Phillips took over for Skubal out of the Dodgers bullpen and struck out the side on 10 pitches. Phillips has been back on track in his last 4-5 relief appearances.
Teoscar opened the eighth inning with a single and advanced to second on a Ben Rortvedt sac bunt. Teoscar moved to third on Ohtani’s groundout.
Freeman’s two-out base hit to center finally gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.
The Dodgers finally put together a key double play of their own in the bottom of the eighth behind Brock Stewart. It got Stewart off the hook for a leadoff walk to Clark and Brett Callahan base hit.
Tanner Scott got the ball in the ninth and shut the door on the Tigers for his 20th save of the season and halted the mini losing skid.
Friday particulars
Home runs: none
WP — Evan Phillips (2-2): 1 IP, 3 strikeouts
LP — Jacob Waguespack (1-2): 1 1/3 IP, 2 hits, 1 run
S — Tanner Scott (20): 2 strikeouts in 1 IP
Up next
The Dodgers and Pirates continue the series on Saturday (10:10 a.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Blake Snell (2-1, 2.57 ERA, 1.05 WHIP) counters Keider Montero (9-8, 3.30 ERA, 1.00 WHIP).
In his first game back in Detroit since being traded to the Dodgers, Tarik Skubal held the Tigers to four hits and one run in the Dodgers' 2-1 victory. (Paul Sancya / Associated Press)
As Tarik Skubal crossed the field from the bullpen, he had to crane his neck to catch part of the tribute video playing on the massive screen behind him.
By the time he reached the Dodgers dugout, the crowd rose to give him an ovation. Skubal controlled his expression and wiped his face with the towel draped over his neck.
Less than four weeks ago, he said goodbye to the only organization he’d known — the Detroit Tigers drafted him in 2018 out of Seattle University. Now, he was back in the ballpark he’d called home for six years.
In the Dodgers’ 2-1 win Friday, Skubal showed why he was widely considered the best player available at the trade deadline, holding the Tigers to one run and four hits over six innings. The Dodgers’ offense continued to scuffle but did just enough to bounce back from a three-game sweep in Atlanta — the 14th time this month they played a game decided by a single run.
Skubal’s reception included some boos (and “Scuuuub”s) as he took the mound. Even though the trade was out of Skubal’s control, a faction of the Tigers fan base — including this reporter’s rideshare driver from the airport — was upset Skubal never reached an agreement for a contract extension with Detroit (62-72).
The Tigers’ last publicly discussed extension offer was four years and $75 million at the end of 2024 — which drastically pales in comparison to the contract he’s expected to garner in free agency this offseason.
The mutual affection between the player and Detroit, however, took center stage Friday, even as Skubal tamed the Tigers’ offense.
He quickly reined in his emotions. After a delay for a PitchCom malfunction, Skubal gave up a leadoff double to Detroit’s Gleyber Torres on a fastball down the middle. But then the left-hander retired the next 12 batters.
Skubal struck out the side in the third inning, getting Max Clark to swing through a changeup, Javier Báez to chase a high fastball and Torres to watch an off-speed pitch clip the bottom of the zone.
That streak ended with a double up the left-field line from Eduardo Valencia, who turned on an inside slider to lead off the fifth. Then with two outs, Clark stayed back on an outside fastball and sent it the other way for a triple that drove in the game’s first run.
Skubal induced Báez to fly out to center field and punched the palm of his glove on his way off the field.
The Dodgers (81-54) missed a chance to tie with one out in the sixth, when Kyle Tucker was thrown out at home trying to score on a pinch-hit single by Kiké Hernández. But they salvaged the inning when Teoscar Hernández drew a walk and Miguel Rojas smoked a single through the infield to tie the score.
In the seventh, the Dodgers loaded the bases with two outs and failed to squeeze in a run.
Evan Phillips took over on the mound in the bottom of the inning. Skubal’s pitch count stood at only 83, but he had thrown 100 pitches in each of his previous two starts.
The Dodgers finally took the lead in the eighth, manufacturing a run with singles from Teoscar Hernández and Freddie Freeman on either side of a sacrifice bunt from Ben Rortvedt.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - AUGUST 28: Starting pitcher Michael Wacha #52 of the Kansas City Royals pitches during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on August 28, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
What is there to say about Michael Wacha at this point? Do you think any teams are regretting not blowing the Royals away with an offer for him at the trade deadline? All I can say for sure is that the Royals and Royals fans can be very happy he’s still in KC, as he led the team to a 3-0 victory over the Guardians tonight.
Prior to tonight, Wacha’s best start of the season was back on April 11 when he pitched eight shutout innings against the White Sox. Tonight he matched that but struck out more, walked fewer, and allowed the same number of hits. To be specific, he gave up four hits (all singles), walked none, and struck out ten. Pretty damn good.
Early on, he looked fine but not utterly dominant. He got the first six outs in order, but only struck out one. The third inning was the first (and, as it turns out, only) inning he allowed multiple baserunners. In the bottom of the fourth, that all changed when he got José Ramírez to pop out to Carter Jensen, then struck out Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe. From then on, he struck out six while allowing only two more baserunners, including a strikeout looking of Steven Kwan to record his final out in the eighth. That made the first time Michael Wacha had struck out double digits in a game since he struck out 11 against KC for the Padres back in 2023.
The Royals’ offense appreciates the heck out of him for it because it was not a good night for them. They had multiple scoring opportunities, but struggled to get any of them home. Tanner Bibee got a lot of soft flyouts and popouts. The Royals’ only run of the night was scored in the fifth inning. Bobby Witt Jr. torched a ball over 110 MPH off the top of the high wall in left field. Jac Caglianone had gone 2-for-2 with a pair of singles prior to that point and hit a jam shot into right that Petey Halpin managed to run down, advancing Bobby to third. Then Salvy smoked a grounder that required Bryan Rochio to dive for it to keep it on the infield, but allowed Bobby to score easily.
The ninth inning was shaping up to be a disaster for the offense. Isaac Collins led off with a line drive into right that clanked off the glove of Jo Adell. Josh Rojas bunted him over to third, then the Royals pinch-ran Tyler Tolbert for him. The broadcast speculated that Kyle Isbel might attempt to squeeze him home, but instead Kyle swung away and struck out on a nasty Craig Yoho changeup. With two strikes, Carter Jensen seemed doomed to offer an encore of Isbel’s performance, and longtime Royals fans could just feel the Guardians gearing up for a walk-off win in the ninth off of Steven Cruz. But Yoho chose to offer a cutter to Carter instead of the changeup, and Carter got just enough of it to get it off the top of the wall and over.
The Missile still came on for the save in the ninth. He allowed two singles and a hit by pitch, but struck out a pair, including Ramírez, and got a soft ground out to end the game. So no harm was done.
Coming into tonight, both teams had been extremely hot and hitting the tar out of the ball. So naturally we had a low-scoring contest. But the good guys came out on top, and that’s what matters. They’ve got two more games in Cleveland and in August. Winning both of them would go a long way toward letting the dreamers dream.
The Royals will have a very tough matchup tomorrow afternoon. Seth Lugo (4.61 ERA, 4.51 SIERA) will go for KC. Foster Griffin (3.19 ERA, 3.86 SIERA) will go for Cleveland. The game will be at 3:10 Royals time. See you then.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - AUGUST 28: Tarik Skubal #29 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts walking to the dugout prior to playing the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on August 28, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Tigers were unable to spoil Tarik Skubal’s homecoming. The now Dodgers ace had a pretty normal, excellent but nothing special start, while Tigers pitching dealt with a ton of traffic on the bases all night long. They held up enough to make it close, but the offense couldn’t cope with Dodgers pitching, losing 2-1 in front of a big Friday night crowd at Comerica Park.
Drew Anderson took the mound against Tarik Skubal on Friday night in front of a pretty packed crowd out to welcome the former Tigers’ ace home, and hopefully beat him. Anderson started off well, quickly retiring the first two batters he faced, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman on swinging strike threes.. He then walked Mookie Betts and Max Muncy, but escaped by getting Tommy Edman to ground out to first.
At that point it was Skubal time, and the former Tigers’ ace was clearly feeling overwhelmed by emotion as he entered from the visitor’s bullpen to cheers and a video tribute on the scoreboard. He saluted the fans and his old teammates in the Tigers dugout as he wiped his eyes with a towel. He got a standing ovation as he took the mound in the bottom of the first, and then everyone got down to business again.
A first pitch Skubal heater was smoked for a double by Gleyber Torres, but the big lefty dialed in and punched out Hao-Yu Lee and Kevin McGonigle, with Dillon Dingler flying out to Alek Thomas in center field to end the first.
Anderson held serve in the second with a quick 1-2-3 inning to get his pitch count back in order. He dusted Teoscar Hernandez with a good high fastball in that tied him up. Skubal whiffed Eduardo Valencia and got Ben Malgeri and Spencer Torkelson, the latter of which lined out to Betts at shortstop .
Anderson gave up a leadoff walk to Hunter Feduccia to start the third, but erased him on a double play ball from Ohtani. He then walked Freeman, but dusted Betts to end the inning. Skubal tore through Max Clark, Javy Báez, and Torres, striking out the side.
Anderson gave up one out singles to Edman and Tucker in the top of the fourth, but Thomas grounded into a double play to end that threat. Lee lined out to Edman in right to start the bottom of the third. McGonigle and Dingler grounded out, and we were quickly on to the fifth.
Hernandez lined a single to left to open the fifth. Feduccia flew out, but Anderson walked Ohtani. A long at-bat against Freeman followed, in which Freddie fouled off a bunch of good pitches and Dingler wasted a challenge. Eight foul balls in the at-bat had Anderson frustrated, but Dingler called for a change of pace with the curveball, and a perfect one whiffed Freeman. Still, Anderson was at 85 pitches. Betts lined a one-hopper to Lee, who couldn’t handle it, but fortunately the ball didn’t bounce far away and everyone had to hold up with one base. The bases were loaded, and Anderson’s day was done. Drew Sommers entered, looking to keep this a scoreless deadlock.
A pair of heaters got him ahead 0-2 against Max Muncy. He missed high with a fourseamer, and Muncy fouled off the next one. He missed with another one away trying to catch him fishing. The next one jammed him and was fought off for a foul. Sommers wasn’t giving in and trying to mix in the slider. He fired a perfect 96 mph heater up and in but still in the zone and Muncy swung through it. Great job working through that inning, and the score was still tied 0-0, but there was a long way to go and a lot of outs for the Tigers bullpen to collect.
First, the Tigers needed to get Skoobs out of the game. Valencia gave them a shot with a leadoff double to left. Malgeri grounded out, and Skubal locked up Torkelson with a perfect backdoor slider. Tork blew the Tigers’ last challenge on a pitch fully in the zone, which didn’t help matters. Fortunately, Max Clark was there, and he smoked a 1-2 heater at 99 mph right down the left field line at 105 mph off the bat to plate Valencia. The ball rattled around and Hernandez couldn’t retrieve it immediately as Clark roared into third with an RBI triple. 1-0 Tigers. Báez drilled a ball deep to center, but Thomas had it without issue, and we were onto the sixth.
Sommers locked up Edman in a 2-2 count with a heater right down the gut to start the sixth. Tucker grounded one to McGonigle at shortstop with a broken bat, and McGonigle collected the slow roller and threw it over Torkelson into the Dodgers dugout, putting the runner on second. The right-handed Enrique Hernandez pinch-hit for Alek Thomas at that point. Hernandez fell behind 0-2, but then rifled a fastball on a line to right field for a single, but Malgeri picked it and fired a strike home to Dingler to cut down Tucker at the plate. Heck of a play by Ben Malgeri there.
Of course, that was only two outs, and Hernandez battled Sommers into a 3-2 count, and the lefty missed away to walk him. So there were runners on first and second, and Miguel Rojas entered to pinch-hit for Feduccia. He got a first pitch sinker and smoked it past McGonigle on a line to tie the game 1-1. That brought Ohtani to the plate, and the situation was far from ideal. However, Sommers got him to foul off a pair of heaters and then locked him up high and away in the corner of the strike zone to turn the Dodgers away. The McGonigle error was costly, but it was still a tie game at 1-1. Sommers was at 27 pitches and likely done. Chris Fetter was seen holding Sommers by the shoulders and pumping him up after a good outing. However, figuring out how to get the next nine outs was the issue.
Torres was still seeing Skubal well, and after battling him for a while, lined a leadoff single to start the bottom of the sixth. Lee bounced one to Betts, who got Torres at second, but they couldn’t turn the double play as Lee beat feet down the line. McGonigle was having less fun with Skubal, and flew out to Hernandez in left. Dingler got a good pitch to hit and drilled a drive to right field, but Tucker was there to turn the Tigers away.
Tyler Holton took over in the seventh, but Freeman greeted him with a sharp single. A good fading changeup away whiffed Betts, and Holton quickly popped Muncy up to McGonigle for the second out. An 0-1 changeup to Edman’s was in the dirt and bounced away from Dingler to get Freeman to second. Edman’s chased a changeup well away to get the count to 1-2, but Holton yanked a cutter and hit him on the leg. Kyle Tucker, who is going through a nightmarish season after signing a huge deal with the Dodgers, got ahead 2-0, but Holton worked back to 3-2 as Jacob Waguespack was warming up. Then the lefty missed and walked Tucker to load the bases. A.J. Hinch bounced out of the dugout to make the change as Hernandez came to the plate. The right-hander did the job, popping up Hernandez to again strand the bases loaded.
The Tigers were playing with fire all game long, but they’d escaped so far and a couple of runs could put the Dodgers in a tight spot. With Skubal out of the game, their odds looked a little better.
Dave Roberts turned to right-hander Evan Phillips to start the bottom of the seventh, and Hinch countered with Colt Keith batting for Valencia. Keith struck out swinging, and Phillips stayed with the heat and blew away Malgeri as well. Torkelson took a first pitch heater for a strike, was approximately five minutes late swinging at the next one, and a sweeper down and away in the dirt drew a feeble whiff to end the inning.
Waguespack gave up a leadoff single to Hernandez, and once again in the eighth the Tigers would have to dig themselves out of an inning. Ben Rortveldt, catching after Feduccia was lifted, dropped down a successful sacrifice bunt to move the runner to second. That brought Shohei to the dish. Waguespack fell behind 3-1, and walking him didn’t seem like the worst idea. A high fastball was fouled off, and Ohtani pulled a curveball foul down the right field line. Waguespack, whose teal glove contrasted nicely with the orange alternate jerseys, came back with a good heater at the bottom of the zone, and Ohtani pulled a ground to Torres for the second out. That brought Freeman to the plate, and as Benetti discussed walking him to pitch to Betts, Waguespack fired a first pitch heater and Freeman lined an RBI single for a 2-1 lead. Betts lined out to Clark, but the Tigers were now down a run and would face a really tough right-hander in Brock Stewart in the bottom half.
Max Clark coolly took three straight balls to get in a great hitter’s count. Stewart countered with a pair of strikes, but missed away with the 3-2 to put the speedy Clark on first to start the bottom half of the eighth. Brett Callahan pinch-hit for Javy Báez and ripped an 0-1 changeup to right for a sharp single. Torres, who had two hits already…grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. So, Clark was at third with two outs as Lee stepped to the dish. Stewart missed with three straight as Lee stayed patient, and Dave Roberts decided to give Lee an intentional pass. He then called on lefty Alex Vesia to try to get Kevin McGonigle in a bat that would likely decide the game. Vesia fired a first pitch fastball and McGonigle drove one high and deep into the right center field corner, but he lifted it a bit too much and Enrique Hernandez hauled it in just before the warning track.
Tyler Kinley handled the top of the ninth for the Tigers. Claimed off waivers from the Braves on Monday, Kinley quickly collected the first two outs, but then walked Kyle Tucker. That was the eighth walk issued by Tigers pitchers on the night. Tucker stole second, and it didn’t matter as Kinley walked Enrique Hernandez as well. Surely this wouldn’t become an issue, right? Teoscar Hernandez was up next. A pair of good sliders drew whiffs, and they tried again but Hernandez just held up. In a 1-2 count, Kinley missed away with a fourth straight slider, and a fifth over the middle was popped into the seats. Would he try to sneak a fastball past Hernandez? Nope. Another slider drew a foul pop-up that Lee charged in and handled to end the inning. The Dodgers were now 4-for-12 with runners in scoring position, with 15 LOBsters.
Southpaw closer Tanner Scott took the mound in the bottom half to close it out against Dingler, Keith, and Malgeri. Dingler took a nasty 2-2 slider down for a ball, but a second one up in the zone locked him up and he swung late to strike out. Corey Julks entered to hit for Keith against the lefty and grounded out to Betts. Malgeri was also locked up by Scott’s heavily tilting fastball and whiffed to end this one.
The Tigers put up a fight but while the Dodgers struggled to score in this one, the Tigers lineup got a good dose of elite caliber pitching in this one and managed just five hits and two walks drawn, while the Dodgers had nine hits and nine walks. It could’ve been worse, but either way it’s an L in the record books.
The Tigers are now 62-72 and 2-8 in their last ten to finally put any lingering playoff hopes to bed. RHP Keider Montero will take the mound against LHP Blake Snell on Saturday at 1:10 p.m. ET.
Apr 19, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of the batting helmet of Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Just be a better game than yesterday’s game. It is a simple ask. Admittedly, it would be hard to be worse.
The season has me thinking about the value of hitting coaches. The Jays had a disappointing 2024 season, and reshaped the hitting coaching staff. And last year they hit well. Lots of praise to the coaches.
This year, basically same hitting coaches and we aren’t hitting at all. Did the coaches suddenly get stupid? Or are hitting coaches overrated. Would the Jays be any worse with me as hitting coach? Oh likely. But would any hitting coach cause the Jays to hit better? Is there words you could use to get Vlad, Springer, Clement (92 OPS+), Giménez, Okamoto (100 OPS+), Lukes, Straw hitting better?
Should hitting coaches be fired at the end of every season? Maybe players tend to turn off the same voices, saying the same things.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 02: Cam Schlittler #31 of the New York Yankees pitches during the first inning against the Boston Red Sox in game three of the American League Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium on October 02, 2025 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The concept of a must-win game in the regular season is a flawed one 99.9 percent of the time. Acknowledging that, the context of this series opener against the Red Sox has enough sticking points for it not to be treated as just another game. Facing a team that seemingly came out of nowhere to join the top contenders in the AL, the Yankees can ill afford to contemplate what the standings might look like if the results don’t go their way this weekend.
What makes this specific Friday night matchup so pivotal to the Yankees’ goals in this series is the massive starting pitching advantage New York carries heading into it, sending the best they have in Cam Schlittler against Patrick Sandoval. For such a short sample against the Yankees’ biggest rivals, Schlittler is already racking up quite the resume versus Boston. The one time the Sox got the better of him, they relied on a lending hand from the Yankees’ defense with all four runs unearned in a loss in late June.
As one might expect with a left-hander on the mound for the Red Sox, the Yankees send out a much different lineup from last night’s defeat against the Astros. Patience is the name of the game for the Yankees against a pitcher in Sandoval who has walked multiple batters in each of his previous six appearances, still looking for his best form. Activated a little under two months ago, Sandoval spent over two years without appearing on a big league mound, having undergone Tommy John surgery with the Angels in 2024, then followed by multiple setbacks in his recovery the following year.
How to watch
Location: Yankee Stadium – Bronx, NY
First pitch: 7:15 pm ET
TV/Streaming: Apple TV
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 – NYY | WEEI 93.7, WCCM 1490 AM (SP), WESX 1230 AM (SP) – BOS
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 23: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres hits a home run to score a run against the Minnesota Twins during the third inning at Petco Park on August 23, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Mike Nowak/Getty Images) | Getty Images
ATLANTA, GA - JULY 31: Mauricio Dubón #14 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates after hitting a single in the second inning during the game between the Washington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on Friday, July 31, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kathryn May/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Get your Friday reds on – it’s nearly time for the Braves-Rockies series opener.
Dubie gets to be the featured photo on this today because of the time he left eyeblack on the wall at Coors the last time we faced the Rockies.
Join us in the comments this evening, won’t you? I’d originally said “lovely” evening, but then we got the Schwellenbach/Waldrep news (see below) so ain’t nothing lovely about my life.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 26: Ezequiel Duran #20 of the Texas Rangers hits a single during the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on August 26, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Zoe Davis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
TORONTO, ON - AUGUST 27: Jac Caglianone #14 of the Kansas City Royals hits a two-run home run in the ninth inning during the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Thursday, August 27, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Michael Chisholm/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Royals lost their winning streak since last we spoke, though not before they tacked two more onto it. They’ve also started their next winning streak, or at least it will be one if they can win again tonight. I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time over the past week wondering if there is any chance for the Royals to get back into the playoff hunt. If they’re going to, it almost certainly starts with a sweep of the Guardians. They might keep themselves from falling completely back off the cliff they’ve scaled if they at least win the series. Either way, they need a win tonight.
The good news for the Royals is that Michael Wacha, their most consistent starter, will take the hill. Wacha hasn’t really dazzled at any point this season, but he just keeps preventing runs from scoring and, importantly considering his bullpen, he keeps chewing innings. Tonight will almost certainly see him surpass his 2024 regular-season innings total, which was itself the most innings he had thrown in any season except his 2015 Sophomore campaign. Barring injury or sudden ineffectiveness, Wacha will surpass last year’s totals after his next start or the one after that. From there, it’s two more starts to surpass his career best. The Royals have 27 games remaining; he figures to start in at least 5 of them. It’s a real possibility.
The other good news, at least relative to the remainder of the weekend, is that the Guardians will counter with Tanner Bibee. Two years ago, Bibee was the Guardians’ ace. No longer. Now he’s on something of a Michael Wacha trajectory where he pitches better than you think, but not as well as anyone hoped after those first couple of seasons. And, importantly, he’s right-handed. That sets him apart from the other two starters the Royals will face this weekend.
The Royals will want to watch for his cutter. He throws it more than any other individual pitch, though he does a really good job of mixing up his pitches in general, and so he doesn’t even throw it quite a quarter of the time. It’s the one that he has the most consistent ability to get chases and whiffs with, but it’s also the one that is most likely to be punished if he doesn’t throw it well or the Royals are ready for it.
Lineups
Vinnie Pasquantino and Bobby Witt Jr. have both teed off on Bibee in their careers, combining for five home runs against him and each with an OPS well over 1.000. John Rave’s hitless night sends him back to the bench and gets Nick Loftin back in there at the keystone.
Derek McInnes has two wins, two draws and three defeats so far as Rangers manager [SNS]
Manager Derek McInnes says Rangers are "a long way away" from what he wants but backs himself to deliver success at Ibrox.
The 55-year-old oversaw a second exit from European competition this season with a Conference League play-off defeat on penalties by Czech side Jablonec.
Domestically, Rangers have progressed in the League Cup and will host Celtic in the quarter-finals next month but McInnes' side have picked up just one point from their opening two Scottish Premiership matches and visit Aberdeen on Sunday.
"I like to think I know what I'm doing as a manager, I'm a good manager, I back myself but at the minute, none of us are doing our job well enough," McInnes told Sky Sports.
"The players need a wee bit of help and support at the minute.
"We're a long way away from the Rangers team that I want us to be and the Rangers team that I intend us to be. The players are working extremely hard.
"There's a lot of uncertainty at the minute. Once the window closes, everything becomes a bit calmer."
Twelve players have been recruited already and McInnes hopes to sign "a couple more" and expects "one or two" to leave before the closure of the transfer window next week.
"We're not quite there," McInnes said.
"We've obviously missed big Youssef [Chermiti, who is injured], the type of striker to go and stretch teams.
"I don't expect us to be perfect at this stage. It's not been the start we wanted, I'm not the first Rangers manager to get off to a tough start but we are determined to follow this job through and it's the end that counts and I still believe we're going to be a success here."
After Thursday's match, McInnes lamented his side's struggle to be either possession-based, counter attacking or direct.
"My teams have always had some sort of identity," explained the former Aberdeen, Hearts, Kilmarnock and St Johnstone manager.
"I want us to try and be a team that puts more stress on teams defensively and I don't think that we are at the minute.
"We've got good ball players and I think we just need to relax a wee bit more in possession and be comfortable with what we're try to do. It's not as if we're not capable of being that but I do think with an extra one or two additions, it will help us become something.
"I want us to be able to be a team that goes full press but when you go full press and you're aggressive, you've got to be really aggressive with that and you've got to pick up second balls and win duels and turn the ball over and really impose yourself on the game.
"There's talented players here. You don't get in the door at Rangers unless you're a talented player."
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MAY 26: Cale Makar #8 of the Colorado Avalanche skates against the Vegas Golden Knights in the first period of Game Four of the Western Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena on May 26, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Golden Knights defeated the Avalanche 2-1 to win the series in four games. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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DENVER— Cale Makar and the Colorado Avalanche agreed to a $163.2 million, eight-year extension on Friday that will make him the highest paid player in league history.
The terms of the deal were confirmed by his agency, Bartlett Hockey.
Makar’s extension is set to be the the richest in NHL history, surpassing the eight-year, $136 million extension signed by Minnesota forward Kirill Kaprizov last September. Makar’s deal runs through the 2034-35 season.
With an annual average value (AAV) of $20.4 million that begins in 2027-28, Makar’s deal eclipses that of San Jose Sharks superstar Macklin Celebrini, who signed a five-year, $94 million extension in late July that has an $18.8 million AAV.
“I couldn’t be more excited to continue my journey here with the Avalanche in this amazing city of Denver,” Makar said in a video posted on social media by the team, calling it a historic day. “Here’s to another hopefully amazing nine years.”
The 27-year-old Makar is coming off a season in which he had 20 goals and 59 assists. He finished second to Zach Werenski of Columbus in the Norris Trophy voting, an award that goes to the league’s top defenseman. Makar has won the award twice over his career.
The cap hit for Makar for last season was $9 million after signing a six-year, $54 million contract in 2021. The new deal for Makar now sets the bar for fellow standout defensemen Quinn Hughes of Minnesota and Werenski.
Securing the long-term services of Makar was a high priority this offseason for president of hockey operations/general manager Joe Sakic, who maintained that Makar was “going to finish his career” in Colorado. Makar was taken fourth overall by Colorado in 2017 out of the University of Massachusetts.
Makar was banged up heading into a Western Conference Final where the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche were swept by the Vegas Golden Knights. An upper-body injury sidelined him for Games 1 and 2, but he returned for the final two contests. Sakic recently said that Makar is slated to be ready for training camp.
It’s been a busy offseason for Sakic, who’s stepping back into the role of GM after Chris MacFarland left to lead the front office in Nashville. Among the deals orchestrated by Sakic was sending Valeri Nichushkin to the Blue Jackets for draft picks. It was a way to free up space to negotiate the extension for Makar.
A native of Calgary, Alberta, Makar has turned in four 20-goal seasons in his career, one of just 12 defensemen in league history to post at least that many campaigns. He also notched his 500th NHL point on March 28 in his 467th career game. He’s the fourth-fastest defenseman to reach that milestone, behind only Hall of Famers Bobby Orr (396 games), Paul Coffey (422) and Denis Potvin (465).
The core of Makar, Nathan MacKinnon and captain Gabriel Landeskog helped Colorado to a Stanley Cup title in 2022. Makar had eight goals and 21 assists during the championship run to capture the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs.
Makar’s younger brother, Taylor, recently signed a two-year contract with the Avalanche that runs through the 2027-28 season. Taylor Makar made his NHL debut on Nov. 1 in San Jose, as the brothers became the first siblings to appear in the same contest while playing for the Avalanche. The Stastny brothers — Anton, Peter and Marian — accomplished the feat when the team was the Quebec Nordiques.
JACKSONVILLE, FL - AUGUST 17: Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) watches from the sidelines during a preseason NFL game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Jacksonville Jaguars on August, 17 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, FL.(Photo by Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Jacksonville Jaguars are home again, facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3 of the 2026 NFL preseason.
Kickoff is at 7:30 pm EST, and you can click here to learn how to watch/listen to the game. You can also find game updates on our X/Twitter, Bluesky, and Facebook.
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Throughout this season I have praised Cubs manager Craig Counsell for handling a bullpen devastated by injuries extremely well. He’s rested guys at the right time and used pitchers successfully who ordinarily would not have had any chance of being in the major leagues but were there of necessity due to injury.
In Friday’s 10-8 loss to the Reds, though, I did not understand why Counsell didn’t turn to Aaron Civale in the sixth inning with the Cubs actually ahead 3-2. Civale has been really good out of the pen for the Cubs, hadn’t pitched since Sunday, and with David Peterson having thrown five innings in which he struggled somewhat, it would have been useful to get some length out of the pen, maybe two innings from Civale.
Instead, Counsell called on Trent Thornton. In fairness, Thornton has also been pretty good this year, but on this day he was not, allowing five runs including a pair of home runs. Civale then came in and gave the Cubs that length, and yes, they nearly did come back. Civale did get charged with two runs — because of an error by Alex Bregman, not his fault.
Perhaps you disagree. That’s a subject for discussion here.
Okay, now here’s your game recap.
Peterson had a rough first inning, allowing a pair of baserunners but eventually striking out the side. Then the Cubs put a run on the board in the bottom of the inning. With one out, Seiya Suzuki doubled, and one out later, Bregman doubled him in [VIDEO].
Peterson struggled again in the second and third, allowing more baserunners but running up a high pitch count. The Cubs extended the lead to 3-0 in the third. Pete Crow-Armstrong led off with a single and then the Reds pulled the play Nico Hoerner has made a couple of times — deliberately dropping a popup by Suzuki to get the faster runner, PCA, forced at second.
This, perhaps, is a good sign for Busch, whose power numbers have been down this year. That’s three homers in his last nine games, and perhaps he can finish the year strong in that department. This was his 17th — only half as many as he hit in 2025.
The Reds scored one off Peterson in the fourth and Sal Stewart homered off him in the fifth to make it 3-2. So Peterson was done after five innings and 88 pitches, which I think was the right call by Counsell. As I noted above, in my view starting the sixth with Thornton was the wrong call, and it wound up with the Cubs trailing 7-3 after the end of that inning, the key blow a three-run homer by Tyler Stephenson. Civale had to come in to get the last out, then he would have been out of the seventh scoreless if not for the error by Bregman. That play didn’t score a run — but set up a two-run single by Elly De La Cruz that made it 9-3.
There was one other homer in the sixth, by Jose Trevino, that tied the game before Stephenson’s. About that, from BCB’s JohnW53:
Jose Trevino’s game-tying solo home run in the sixth inning was the 200th surrendered by Cubs pitchers this season. Going into today, only the Athletics had served up more, 204. The Cubs’ previous high through 135 games was 192, in 2021. They gave up 191 in 2000, 185 in 1999 and 181 in 2022. Last year, they allowed 169, their eighth most.
Credit to the Cubs, they did mount a comeback. With two out in the seventh, Carson Kelly walked, went to second on a wild pitch and took third on a single by PCA. This single by Suzuki made it 9-4 [VIDEO].
The Cubs still had the bases loaded after that, but Bregman struck out to end the inning.
That was Ramirez’s fourth home run, but first at Wrigley Field.
Okay! Now it’s a ballgame, the Cubs down just two runs. The Reds brought in lefty Sam Moll to pitch to Michael Conforto, and Counsell countered with Matt Shaw, just activated from the IL today. Shaw doubled, went to third one out later on a ground out, and scored on this double by Suzuki [VIDEO].
Now the tying run is in scoring position, but with two out, and Busch grounded to third to end the inning.
Daniel Palencia made his first appearance at Wrigley since being activated from the IL last weekend and struck out the first two Reds he faced, hitting 100 on the Wrigley pitch speed meter… but unfortunately, TJ Friedl homered off him to give the Reds a two-run cushion and that was that, as Reds closer Emilio Pagan set the Cubs down in order in the ninth.
Credit to the Cubs for mounting the comeback. But I can’t help thinking that the decision to bring Thornton in instead of Civale might have cost the Cubs this game. A couple more game notes from John:
Today’s game was Hoerner’s 12th of the season with at least three hits. Bregman and PCA have 10; Suzuki, eight, including today; Busch, seven; and six others from five to two, for a team total of 67. The Cubs began the day tied with the Brewers for second most. The Dodgers had 78. …. Pedro Ramirez’s three-run homer was the Cubs’ 28th of the season with two men on base. That ties them with the 2008 club for their second most in a season. They hit 29 in 2017.
At this point, I suspect the Cubs can forget about the NL Central title, now 7.5 games behind pending the result of the Brewers/Rangers game this evening. More important are the Phillies in the rear-view mirror, now 1.5 games behind and facing the Angels in Anaheim tonight. Fortunately, the Cubs have the tiebreaker over the Phillies — if those two meet in a Wild Card series, I do not want those games in Philadelphia.
The Cubs will try to even up the series Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field. Kevin Gausman will start for the Cubs and Andrew Abbott goes for Cincinnati. Game time is again 1:20 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.
