Category: MLB

After dropping a hard fought contest in game one, the Nats will look to even the series tonight against the Cubs. It will be a tough task, as the Cubs offense looked like a well oiled machine last night. The Nats will have a new face trying to shut down this offense, with Jackson Kent making his debut.

With another lefty on the mound for the Cubs, it will be the same nine guys for the Nats. However, Andrew Pinckney will move up in the lineup for this contest. The Nats have been strong against LHP this season, and will look to keep that up. As mentioned, lefty Jackson Kent will be making his debut. The Illinois kid will be making his debut against his hometown team.

With a lefty on the mound, the Cubs have made two tweaks. Tyrone Taylor will replace Ian Happ in left field. The other change is at DH, where rookie Pedro Ramirez will replace veteran Michael Conforto. After being traded mid-season, long time Met David Peterson is a Cub now. The Nats have seen a lot of Peterson over the years.

Game Info:

Stadium: Nationals Park

Time: 6:45 PM EST

TV: Nationals.TV and Fox 5 WTTG

Radio: 106.7 The Fan

Last night was a good battle between two elite offenses. I would expect more of the same in this one, though hopefully Kent has more success than Jake Irvin did. It is a tough opening assignment for the 23 year old lefty, and I am curious to see him in action. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Giants fans and fans across the country.

The San Francisco Giants employed one of the best second baseman in the Majors this year. They also traded that second baseman, Luis Arráez, at the deadline.

When the Giants made that trade, it seemed pretty clear who would be replacing Arráez next year: Casey Schmitt, who was in the midst of a breakout season before suffering a season-ending meniscus injury. And then, just a few hours later, the Giants swung a shocking trade for Marcelo Mayer.

And now I have no clue who the second baseman in 2027 will be.

It’s impossible to know right now, because the Giants don’t know right now. How Mayer, who is expected to debut in the next week or so, performs over the final weeks of the season will play a role. How both perform during Spring Training will play a role. Whether or not the Giants swing an offseason trade involving left-side infielders Matt Chapman or Willy Adames will play a role.

But it’s fun to speculate now, and see who you think has the inside track to the position, and who you think should hold down the role in 2027: Mayer or Schmitt?

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Miami Marlins, August 12, 2026, 6:40 p.m. ET

The Pittsburgh Pirates are hoping to bounce back from their 2-0 loss in last night’s game, as they take on the Miami Marlins for the second contest of a three-game set.

The Pirates are trotting out Carmen Mlodzinski, who recently returned to the rotation earlier this month after Mitch Keller suffered a season-ending injury in his first start back in the rotation on August 7 against the New York Mets. Mlodzinski pitched three innings, giving up seven hits and five earned runs in a 6-4 loss. Perhaps there was some difficult adjusting back to the rotation that has vanished between then and now that can help the Pirates get back in the win column.

After last night’s shutout and scoring just one run since Sunday, the Pirates will have to battle against Janson Junk.

Junk, 30, is coming off a rough start of his own on August 6 against the Atlanta Braves. He pitched three innings, giving up five hits and two earned runs in an 11-3 loss at Truist Park. Junk pitched against the Pirates in 2025, and Pittsburgh was able to get the best of him. In four innings during a game back on June 9, 2025, Junk surrendered nine hits and five earned runs as the Buccos won 10-3. Pittsburgh hopes to have similar luck this time around.

Location: loanDepot Park, Miami, FL

Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh

Pitching Matchup: Carmen Mlodzinski (6-4, 3.51 ERA) vs. Janson Junk (5-7, 4.63 ERA)

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

The Atlanta Braves may have lost the season series to the New York Mets, but a victory in tonight’s finale will earn them a much-needed series win following the series loss in the Bronx.

Take a look at today’s lineup – I don’t know about you, but I would’ve been pretty [heart eyes emoji] about this lineup on Opening Day:

Enough of the experiment (for now) – Walt Weiss has reinstated Ronald Acuña Jr. in the leadoff spot. He’ll also return to right field after DH’ing last night. He’ll trade spots with Drake Baldwin, who gets the day off from being behind the plate. Hitting third, Matt Olson could break the current four-way tie for the league’s HR lead with a couple more of his patented moonshots. Ozzie Albies hits cleanup followed by Michael Harris II. Mauricio Dubón gets the start at shortstop today and will bat sixth. LF Lane Thomas will hopefully live up to his lefty-crushing reputation as he bats seventh with Zac Thornton on the mound for the Mets. Austin Riley bats eighth, and Sean Murphy will serve as the battery mate for Tyler Mahle and hit ninth.

The New York Mets will also have last night’s catcher be their DH today – Francisco Alvarez remains in the lineup in the seven-hole. The top three in the order are also unchanged: AJ Ewing (LF), Francisco Lindor (SS), and Bo Bichette (3B). Carson Benge and Luis Robert Jr. swap so that Benge can hit cleanup. Jared Young and Brett Baty get the start at first and second base, respectively. Luis Torrens will bat ninth and catch for Thornton.

First pitch is at 7:15 pm ET.

Although it’s August, the divisional races are starting to heat up; with these last couple of wins for San Diego, they find themselves in the mix for a Wild Card. For the Brewers, the heat has intensified with these last two losses; the Chicago Cubs now find themselves 4.0 games behind for first place.

With arguably one of the biggest series of the year looming with the Los Angeles Dodgers this weekend, the Brewers look to salvage the final game of the series with the Padres with Dustin May on the mound.

May will be making his second start in a Brewers uniform after having a stellar first outing a week ago. He’ll try to build upon his six innings of two-run ball, with five strikeouts, in what feels like a must-need similar outing today.

Thankfully, the Brewers caught a break this afternoon as it came out that Pat Murphy misspoke when talking about injuries last night, stating that it was Jackson Chourio who hurt his thumb and not Brice Turang. With already a roughed-up infield, a blow to Turang on the right side would not have been ideal. However, Chourio is back in the lineup today, batting leadoff, and playing in left field. Also returning from injury is shortstop Joey Ortiz, who will look to fill a much-needed hole in the infield as Turang can slide back to second base.

Other notable moves in the lineup is Jake Bauers will be in left field today, as Andrew Vaughn takes over at first base, and Luis Lara and Christian Yelich will be riding the pine in today’s series finale.

First pitch is 3:10 p.m., and you can find the game on Brewers.TV and WTMJ 620.

With the most runs in all of baseball, the Nats have had a lot of offensive success stories this season. You could argue that Jacob Young made the biggest transformation out of anyone though. The defensive minded center fielder entered the season with just 5 career homers despite having near everyday reps the last two seasons. This year he has already hit double digits after a 427 foot bomb last night.

This offseason, adding power was a real focus for Young. He went to Driveline to improve his bat path and exit velocities. Between that instruction and the work by the Nats hitting coaches, Young has made tremendous strides at the plate while maintaining his elite defense. His OPS has gone from .583 to .719 thanks mostly to slugging. Young’s OBP is only up 16 points, but his slugging percentage has increased a whopping 120 points.

After yesterday’s game I asked Young if reaching double figures in home runs was a goal for him. Young said that was not really a goal he was looking at. Instead, he said he was working on “The internal goals of getting the ball in the air more, hitting it harder and chasing less. The home runs are just a byproduct of that”.

This is the ultimate Toboni era answer, at least in my opinion. Part of what the new regime is trying to instill is a process driven mindset. With the energetic Jacob Young, they have an eager Guinea Pig. The Nats center fielder is always looking to get better. Last season it was his infamous muscle gain before the season. However, with the new regime, he is now being led in the right direction.

On the broadcast Dan Kolko said something revealing after Young hit his home run. He said that Young reaching double digits in the home run column was “Pretty awesome for a guy who was told to hit the ball on the ground quite a bit”. This was pretty clearly a dig at the old regime who wanted Young to be a more prototypical slap hitter.

The data also backs up Kolko’s claim. Young’s average launch angle has risen from 3.8 degrees to 11 degrees. That means he is trying to lift the ball more and is up to do damage rather than slap ground balls. The steeper bat path has predictably lowered his ground ball rate significantly. In 2024 and 2025, Young had an identical 56.5% ground ball rate. Among qualified hitters, Young had the 7th highest ground ball rate last year, and that appears to be by design.

This season, that number has dropped to 40.6%, a nearly 16 point dip. Young is actually hitting the ball on the ground slightly less than the average hitter. A lot of Nats players have seen a dip in ground ball rate this year under hitting coach Matt Borgschulte. However, nobody has evolved as drastically as Young.

While Young is having a breakout offensive season, it has not been a totally linear progression. The Nats center fielder looked like his normal light hitting self through April, even if he had already hit two homers matching his 2025 total. However, the changes he made really seemed to click in May. He shockingly hit 5 homers that month and by May 20th, he had more homers in the 2026 season than he had his entire career before this year.

However, Young took a major step back at the plate in June, hitting just .186 with one homer. Young said the big problem that month was the fact he was chasing too much. The staff showed him the alarming data and talked to him about his approach right before the All-Star Break.

Something must have clicked during that conversation because since the break, Young is hitting .352 with a 1.057 OPS. Plate discipline has played a massive role in that with the 27 year old walking more than he is striking out in that time.

For the season, Young has been roughly a league average hitter with a 98 wRC+. That is more than enough for him to be an impactful starter though. In the field, Young is as good as ever, registering 12 outs above average in center. He has also been a better baserunner this year after being weirdly bad on the bases last year.

Young is 13 for 16 on steals this year. That is a major improvement on his abysmal 15 for 26 mark from 2025. His overall base running IQ has also been noticeably better this year. It is just another area where the former Florida Gator racks up value.

Overall, Jacob Young has been highly impactful for the Nats. He has 2.2 fWAR this season, which is actually tied for third on the team with the departed Luis Garcia. Young is ahead of names like Daylen Lile, Dylan Crews and Keibert Ruiz. 

With the offensive strides Young has made this season, he has turned into such a nice player. When you look at the Nats outfield, there are guys with more pedigree and more offensive upside. However, you cannot forget about Jacob Young because he has proven to be able to produce in multiple different ways.

The San Francisco Giants conclude this three-game home series against the Houston Astros this afternoon.

Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Adrian Houser, who enters today’s game with a 4.55 ERA, 4.83 FIP, with 65 strikeouts to 31 walks in 97 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 5-2 win over the Detroit Tigers on Friday, in which he allowed one run on six hits with four strikeouts and a walk in five innings.

He’ll be facing off against Astros left-hander Bryan King, who enters today’s game with a 3.83 ERA, 4.64 FIP, with 40 strikeouts to 17 walks in 49.1 innings pitched in relief. His last appearance was in the Astros’ 7-2 loss to the San Diego Padres on Sunday, in which he closed out the game, allowing two runs on two hits with three strikeouts in one inning.

Game #121

Who: San Francisco Giants (50-70) vs. Houston Astros (61-60)

Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California

When: 12:45 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: n/a

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

Milwaukee Brewers (74-46) at San Diego Padres (64-57), August 12, 2026, 1:10 p.m. PST

Watch: Padres.TV

Location: Petco Park – San Diego, Calif.

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

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41 games left, and there is a three-way tie for the second and third wild-card spots in the National League. The Diamondbacks, Phillies and Padres all go into play today with the same record of 64-57, so it’s how the trio perform over the remaining quarter of the season which will decide who reaches the postseason. There are a few metrics which we can look at, to try and gain some insight into how things might break down.

• Run differential: The D-backs actually lead the way here, at +13. The Padres are exactly even, and the Phillies are -1. Interestingly, there are “better” teams further back in the NL, led by the Nationals, who are +22 despite being three games under .500 in the standings.
• Strength of remaining schedule: With Arizona having crossed two games against the Rockies off the schedule, they have now dropped into a virtual tie with San Diego. Both sides face opponents with an average win percentage of .499 the rest of the way. Philadelphia have a tougher run, at .518.
• Projected record: Fangraphs gives the edge to the Phillies at 23-18, with the Padres and D-backs tied at 21-20. That would mean the third wild-card would be decided by whoever wins the final series of the season, when Arizona goes to San Diego. Baseball Prospectus concurs, having the Phillies finish at 88 wins, with the D-backs and Padres both at 84 (technically, the Padres are two-tenths of a win better).
• Playoff odds: Fangraphs: PHI 75.3%; SDP 51.9%; ARI 49.4%
  Baseball Prospectus: PHI 85.0%; SDP 49.7%; ARI 46.1%
  Baseball Reference: PHI 60.7%; ARI 50.9%; SDP 41.7%

Really, you pay your money and you take your choice. I’m not sure the extent to which any of the projection factor in the returns of players for Arizona like Corbin Burnes and Justin Martinez, which should provide a boost (although you can certainly argue the size) for the Diamondbacks down the stretch. For now, though – let’s just worry about finishing off the series today with a win.

Duke Ellis took a lead off first base in the seventh inning of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders’ game against Rochester on August 6th at PNC Field. He broke for second and when the throw from Red Wings catcher Maxwell Romero Jr. was high, Ellis safely slid headfirst into the bag.

It was Ellis’ 41st stolen base of the season and 83rd of his career, surpassing the franchise record of 82 set by Nick Punto from 2001-03.

Since then, he has extended the mark to 85 steals in 156 career games with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Ellis is on the brink of another franchise record, too. He ranks second in the International League with 43 steals in 49 tries; Braiden Ward of the Worcester Red Sox leads with 51 swipes. Ellis is one steal away from tying and two shy of breaking the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre single-season record of 44 set by Tommy Barrett in 1989 — the franchise’s inaugural season.

“I take a lot of pride in my baserunning. It’s kind of gotten me to where I am now,” Ellis said. “Individually, it’s a big accomplishment and really cool to get to that achievement.

“At the end of the day, though, I really don’t do it for me. I do it to win ballgames. I get to second so it’s a little easier RBIs for everybody else. That’s kind of the reason I do it. The achievement is awesome, but in the bigger picture it’s not just for me.”

Both Punto and Barrett played for the Red Barons when Scranton/Wilkes-Barre was affiliated with the Philadelphia Phillies. So did Ellis’ father Robert. In fact, he threw one of the franchise’s seven no-hitters on June 6, 2004, against Louisville in the second game of a doubleheader.

That connection made breaking the career stolen base record even more special.

“He called me and said, ‘I have a no-hitter there and now you have that record there,’” Ellis said. “It’s kind of cool to hear his stories and follow in behind it.”

In describing the art of stealing bases, Ellis said swiping second is like playing checkers and taking third is like playing chess.

“Stealing second is all about jumps and obviously how fast you are,” Ellis said. “Stealing third, it took me a lot of years to get where I am now. I wasn’t even close to it to where I’m at right now even last year. These guys have been pretty awesome here with my development on just stealing third. I have found there’s a small art to it, but it’s not like I do anything special. I play it more like chess. You have to look for little things in game and what the pitcher’s doing and everything else to be able to take third base.”

There is an added challenge, too, when Ellis comes into the game as a pinch-runner where the opposition — and everyone in the ballpark — knows he is going to steal.

“It’s a little more difficult, but not much more as stealing when I’m playing,” Ellis said. “When I come in a pinch-running situation to steal bags late, everybody obviously knows you’re stealing. You’re there to steal bags and get into scoring position. But I get to do a lot more studying on the tendencies of the pitcher and maybe what the catcher does that gives some things away. So there’s more studying thought-process into that situation than if I’m in the lineup that night.”

In six minor-league seasons, Ellis has 223 stolen bases and been caught 31 times in 439 games. He has played for four organizations: the Chicago White Sox, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees. He was claimed by the Yankees off waivers from the M’s on August 26, 2024.

Ellis also appeared in 11 MLB games in 2024 with the White Sox (8) and Yankees (3) and has five stolen bases without ever getting caught. His lone hit in the majors came with the Yankees on September 4th at Texas — a ninth-inning single off Grant Anderson.

With the RailRiders this season, Ellis is batting .237 (55 for 232) with 10 doubles, three triples, four home runs, and 21 RBIs.

“The team is doing solid and I feel like if the team is going good, then individually you’re going good,” Ellis said. “Me, as an individual player, I feel like it’s going solid. You have you’re ups and downs, just like what baseball is. But I have a good group of guys around me, so my lows aren’t that low and my highs aren’t that high. They keep me pretty even keel.”

This season is the final stop for the RailRiders.

Team officials announced that it will rebrand for the 2027 season. The new name has already been chosen and approved by Major League Baseball and will be unveiled in early November. In a statement, team officials said the new name will “celebrate the region’s beauty, heritage and outdoor legacy.”

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre began in 1989 as the Red Barons, Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. In 2007, when it became the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate, the team was known as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. After PNC Field underwent a season-long renovation in 2012, a “Name the Team” contest was held and RailRiders was the winner starting with the 2013 campaign, beating out five other finalists (Blast, Black Diamond Bears, Fireflies, Porcupines, and Trolley Frogs).

Along with the rebrand, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre also revealed its 2027 schedule. It will open next season on the road with a three-game series at the Worcester Red Sox on March 26-28, followed by a six-game series at the Buffalo Bisons on March 30-April 4. Its home-opening series at PNC Field is April 6-11 against the intrastate rival Lehigh Valley IronPigs. The season concludes at home Sept. 14-19 with a series against the Rochester Red Wings.

In the 150-game schedule, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre will face traditional northeast opponents Buffalo, Lehigh Valley, Rochester, and the Syracuse Mets 24 times each — two six-game home series and two six-game road series. It will play Worcester 18 times (9 home, 9 away).

One of the highlights of the schedule is the first-time meeting with the Memphis Redbirds, Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, on May 11-16 at AutoZone Park in Tennessee. Besides Memphis, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre again will make road trips to face the Indianapolis Indians (June 8-13) and Iowa Cubs (Sept. 7-12). It visited both those cities this season.

Other opponents coming to PNC Field next season include the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (June 15-20), Charlotte Knights (June 22-27) and Toledo Mud Hens (July 20-25).

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There’s a rookie making his debut on the mound for Washington tonight, so I’ll be fading him as part of my Cubs vs. Nationals predictions.

We’re not seeing much value on the moneyline, so I’ll be riding the Cubs at +101 on the run line over at Polymarket. Let’s take advantage of a rookie arm going up against one of the most potent lineups in baseball.

Time to dive into my MLB picks for Wednesday, Aug. 12.

Who will win Cubs vs Nationals today: Cubs -1.5 (+101)

Today’s analysis is simple: the Chicago Cubs have killed lefties to the tune of a .806 OPS this season, and they’re seeing a rookie pitcher on the mound. The term “fresh meat” comes to mind. 

The No. 8 prospect for the Washington Nationals, Jackson Kent, gets the nod. With a career 4.22 ERA in the minors, I’m not expecting him to mow down the team with the highest wRC+ in baseball (111).

Opposite Kent will be David Peterson, who’s held the Nationals to a .243 xBA and .302 xwOBA over 80 at-bats against him, which is a large enough sample size for me to know what we’re going to get tonight. That includes a 4-for-24 (.224 xBA) mark from CJ Abrams.

Looking for more plays? Dive into Colby Marchio’s MLB moneyline picks for Wednesday.

COVERS INTEL: Peterson’s bloated 5.35 ERA is largely due to one start from July, when he allowed 10 earned runs to the St. Louis Cardinals. Since then, he’s only been charged with five earned runs across 28.2 innings pitched.

Cubs vs Nationals Over/Under pick: Over 9.5 (-103)

While I expect the Cubs to feast on the young left-hander tonight, the Nationals will likely need some offense from someone other than Abrams. I’m keying in on Keibert Ruiz, who’s 6-for-17 against Peterson with a .315 xBA. 

It helps to know that the Over is 6-0-1 in the Cubs’ last six games as a road favorite — let’s see if that hits for the seventh time.

Cubs vs Nationals home run prediction: Seiya Suzuki (+365)

If you’re looking for a rock-solid home run prediction, it’ll be Seiya Suzuki. The outfielder absolutely rakes against lefties, owning a 1.007 OPS against them this year; coming off a 2-for-5 game with a double and home run, I'm expecting him to stay hot at the plate tonight.

With 103 long balls at Nationals Park this season — good for 11th among all ballparks — while going up against a rookie in his debut, I’ll give Suzuki the tap on the shoulder to hit one out.

Cubs vs Nationals weather

With temperatures nearing 86 degrees Fahrenheit for tonight, we should see a perfect night of baseball in Washington with minimal impact on game conditions.

Cubs vs Nationals odds

• Moneyline: Cubs (-150) | Nationals (+144)
• Run line: Cubs (+101) | Nationals (-108)
• Over/Under: Over 9.5 (-103) | Under 9.5 (-109)

Cubs vs Nationals trend

The Over is hitting at a 3-0-1 clip across the Cubs' last four games, and it's also hit four straight times when the Nationals are an underdog. Find more MLB betting trends for Cubs vs. Nationals.

How to watch Cubs vs Nationals and game info

Cubs vs Nationals latest injuries

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Go Rays!

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Join me as I dive into why I'm also expecting big nights from Munetaka Murakami and Griffin Conine in my three favorite MLB player props for Aug. 12.

Best MLB player props today

Player	Pick	Odds
Griffin Conine	Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBI	+105
Carmen Mlodzinski	Over 2.5 Earned Runs	+123
Munetaka Murakami	Over 1.5 Total Bases	+131

Griffin Conine Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBI (+105)

I have to run back Miami Marlins outfielder Griffin Conine after flying out to the wall in his first at-bat last night, only to later be robbed at the wall. I think Conine is beyond due for a massive outing, and today he draws an even better matchup against Pittsburgh Pirates starter Carmen Mlodzinski.

The Pirates right-hander has allowed a 50% hard-hit rate and 11.36% barrel rate to opposing hitters over his last five starts. Against the last 60 left-handed hitters he has faced, they own a .352 xBA, .538 xSLG and .367 xwOBA. During that stretch, those hitters are generating a 47% hard-hit rate and 29.8% ground-ball rate.

With Conine carrying a .529 SLG and .264 ISO while producing a 50% hard-hit rate and 22.75% barrel rate over his last ten games, I think he is primed to go off this evening.

Plus money for a guy performing at the level Conine is right now feels like a steal. I would try my best to get this prop at plus money, but I’m comfortable playing it down to -105.

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MIAM, SNP

Carmen Mlodzinski Over 2.5 Earned Runs (+123)

I absolutely love the idea of the Miami Marlins popping off against Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski.

As mentioned above, he has been allowing a ton of hard contact and barrels to opposing hitters while struggling against left-handed hitters. The Marlins will have five hitters batting from the left side this evening.

Mlodzinski has allowed a 51.72% hard-hit rate and nearly a 14% barrel rate to opposing hitters over his last three starts, while sporting a 5.18 xERA against the last 60 lefties he has faced. It is going to be a long game for Mr. Mlodzinski.

The Marlins have posted a 138 wRC+, .366 wOBA and .823 OPS over their last 12 games at home, while also owning an 11% walk rate. On top of that, the Fightin’ Fish rank eighth in first-five scoring at home this season, averaging 2.84 runs.

The amount of hard contact Mlodzinski has been allowing should continue this evening, and the Marlins will feast on his offerings.

Take this down to +110.

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MIAM, SNP

Munetaka Murakami Over 1.5 Total Bases (+131)

We are getting a ton of value on Chicago White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami to go Over his 1.5 total bases prop this evening, with it sitting at +131.

Murakami owns the highest rating in this matchup on Batters-Box, while covering nearly 100% of Cincinnati Reds right-hander Rhett Lowder’s entire pitch mix. Through 47 elite ratings this season, the White Sox slugger has surpassed this prop 53.19% of the time, going over in seven of his last 10 elite ratings as well.

Over his last 10 games, the first baseman is slugging .512 while owning a 30% ground-ball rate, 61% hard-hit rate and 21.7% barrel rate.

Meanwhile, Lowder, on the road against left-handed bats, is allowing just a 32.6% ground-ball rate while allowing a 41.8% hard-hit rate.

I would take this down to +120, but +131 is a fantastic price.

• Time: 7:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: CHSN, CINR

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The Colorado Rockies managed to snag a 3-2 victory Tuesday night thanks to another inspired Tomoyuki Sugano start on the mound and a clutch two-run home run by Kyle Karros. Now, with the series tied, the Rockies face off against their most dreaded foe this season, the rubber match.

When a chance to win a series is on the line in the final game of a series, the Rockies have been, to be frank, abysmal. In 15 chances to win a series rubber match, the Rockies are 3-13. They previously lost a rubber match game last Sunday in St. Louis, 7-4.

The Rockies will try to change their luck by sending Ryan Feltner (4-6, 5.71 ERA) to the mound. He was solid in his last outing, going 5.1 innings and allowing three runs on four hits. His inconsistencies have been quite noticeable over the last two months as his command has waned, leading to a lot of contact and an uptick in walks, or he can work quickly and efficiently to cruise through a game. Home runs have been quite the issue this season, having given up 18 on the season, two shy of a career-high 20 in 2024. He has struggled to a 6.27 ERA over four starts against the Arizona Diamondbacks, including a 5.40 ERA in one start at Chase Field. He’ll need to be careful in hitting his locations and commanding his pitches because the Diamondbacks have shown they are ready to swing in this series.

The Snakes will send out Merrill Kelly (8-9, 4.88 ERA) to make the start. The veteran righty hasn’t been as crisp this season, as his walks are up and his strikeouts are down. He’s also been stung by the home run ball at a higher clip as well. Still, he is not one to be taken lightly, especially since he’s come back into form a bit over the last month. In his last outing, he allowed just one run on two hits over 5.2 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In his previous start against the Rockies this season, he tossed a complete game at Coors Field in May, allowing just one run on four hits on 100 pitches. In his career, he has a 3.08 ERA over 18 starts against the Rockies with 105 strikeouts and 24 walks in 117 innings. In 90 starts at Chase, he has a 3.50 ERA.

In roster news, the Rockies have recalled Adael Amador from Triple-A Albuquerque and placed Kyle Karros on the 7-day concussion injured list.

First Pitch: 1:40 pm MDT

TV: Rockies TV

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)

Lineups:

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