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Texas Rangers lineup for August 8, 2026 against the Baltimore Orioles: starting pitchers are Jacob deGrom for the Rangers and Kyle Bradish for the O’s.
Texas will try to make it four games in a row and get back above .500 against the Orioles this evening.
The lineup:
Pederson — DH
Langford — LF
Seager — SS
Nimmo — RF
Duran — 3B
Carter — CF
Burger — 1B
Wynns — C
Lopez — 2B
6:15 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are -145 favorites.
The Texas Rangers have activated pitcher MacKenzie Gore from the paternity list, the team announced today. To make room for Gore on the active roster, the Rangers have optioned relief pitcher Ben Peoples to AAA Round Rock.
Today was the deadline for Gore to be reinstated from the paternity list, so the only question was in regards to who would be bumped to make room for him. Peoples ends up the odd man out, due in large part, I imagine, to the fact he can be optioned.
Peoples has appeared in 12 games since being acquired from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for A ball catcher Ben Hartl. In 12.1 innings he’s put up an impressive 2.19 ERA, though with a 6.25 FIP and 3.82 xERA. He has done a very good job avoiding walks, but he has just 6 Ks on the year, resulting in a 12.2% K rate, which is way below average. He’s also allowed three home runs this season.
I am sure that there will be complaints that the Rangers should have designated Cole Winn, who is out of options, for assignment. However, sending Peoples down allows the Rangers to keep both players in the organization for the time being, which is not insignificant, given the depth issues the Rangers have been dealing with in regards to their pitching staff.
Perhaps it’s appropriate that such a fiery and tumultuous personality as Ozzie Guillén will have his No. 13 jersey retired by the White Sox on the heels of Chicago’s first four-game losing streak of the season.
You almost have to wonder whether Ozzie will ask to speak to the team before he hits the field for his honor, because he’s not being immortalized by the White Sox today for his hitting or even his stellar defense, but his leadership and inspiration.
Because tonight is a Fox national broadcast, CHSN is throwing its full weight into honoring its pre- and postgame analyst. Kicking off at 3:30 p.m. CT is Honoring Ozzie, followed by Ozzie the Legend at 4:30 p.m and the retirement ceremony at 5:30 p.m.
Ashley Sanders will be writing up tonight’s game, but also providing coverage of Ozzie’s big day.
As someone who followed Ozzie as a player and covered him as a beat writer, allow me to share some memories. (All of you are encouraged to do the same, in the comments below.)
When Ozzie was acquired by the White Sox prior to the 1985 season, those of you who were around recall it was quite the controversial trade: Giving up a pitcher one year removed from the Cy Young, and a workhorse at that, for a scrawny, unknown shortstop who’d yet to sniff the bigs. But my enduring memory, as a young baseball player just entering his high school career, was my father highlighting a Tribune feature about Ozzie before he ever set foot on the field for the White Sox. The original may be lost, but here’s a microfilm version:
My dad became a White Sox fan because he chose Chico Carrasquel as his first baseball hero. (Carrasquel, of course, would become the first of a “Venezuelan connection” of shortstops on the South Side.) So perhaps seeing this young shortstop from the same country as Chico and Luis Aparicio stirred something in him, because he highlighted all of Ozzie’s quotes about the passion he has for the game. The effort my dad made, and Ozzie’s own words in the story, did inspire me, and I think I was a better player as a result.
Many years later, I wrote a book about Ozzie, after the 2005 title season. He was kind enough to contribute an introduction, although later in the process he asked me to hold it back. Given all the requests that were flooding his desk, he didn’t want to play favorites, certainly not to a relative unknown in the baseball writing world.
But I got to know Ozzie more as a person by covering him as part of the relentless march of the baseball season, where you are together with the players and even more so the manager for upwards of eight months of the year. For a man who was “the show” at all times, the leader of the White Sox despite no longer stepping between the lines, he had depth and caring. His surprising embrace and encouragement at the open of the Winter Meetings after the 2010 season I will never forget. His consideration of the work I was charged with doing on the beat (juggling quite a bit more than mere pregame notebooks and postgame recaps so common among my peers) was obvious. And his departure at the end of 2011, painful and still today a struggle to understand, was capped by an honest embrace, a promise to stay in touch, and an small exchange of gifts.
I have been lucky to engage with hundreds of athletes and coaches across baseball, basketball and hockey, among them a great many of my heroes. It’s fair to say that none of them impacted me professionally and connected with me personally more than Ozzie.
It is wonderful that Ozzie, with a nomadic personality but a heart that is all White Sox, receives this honor today.
As for the main feature tonight, Hagen Smith and Tanner McDougal will be in uniform on the South Side after getting the call from Charlotte late after Friday night’s game, with Noah Schultz and David Sandlin the corresponding demotions. To make room on the 40-player roster (Smith needed to be added), the White Sox designated Triple-A reliever and fourth piece of the Garrett Crochet trade Wikelman González for assignment.
Charged with snapping the season-long four-game losing streak will be Anthony Kay, and he’s got a mother of a matchup facing Cleveland’s Gavin Williams:
Here’s the lineup that the White Sox will roll out against Williams:
Here’s Cleveland, who cares, as a team they suck, they lost three straight at home against the Mets! (And yes, what does that make the White Sox, after the Guards manhandled them, but ease up, it’s Ozzie Day lemme rant.)
It’s a Fox national game tonight, so coverage there begins with a 6 p.m. CT pregame, followed by a first pitch at 6:15. ESPN 1000 AM has the radio broadcast, as usual.
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This has to be the latest I’ve been at T-Mobile Park in years, if not ever. It’s 11 pm, and I’m in my Yes We Canó t-shirt circa 2015, and people around me are cheering Stefen Romero.
It isn’t heaven, nor is it hell. Baby, it’s the Mariners Alumni Home Run Derby.
The whole thing is a fever dream, fueled by the fact they have yet to close the drink stands and DJ Pleno AKA Julio Rodríguez out in the ‘Pen. Many people, like me, have taken tonight as an opportunity to dig deep into their closets; I spot a Furbush jersey, a rogue Zunino, a DMo, multiple Ichiros and Randy Johnsons and Dave Valle himself, weaving lackadaisically through the concourse in the 4th inning. Between the 2-1 lackluster offense loss to the Rays and all these throwback tributes, it might as well be the early 2010s. Credit to the crowd, though, who seemed to almost universally hang around for the pomp and circumstance of the derby.
And say what you will about the Mariners on-field production, but they’ve always known how to put on a show. No expense was spared on pyrotechnics, with every homer getting the full home run treatment, alongside newly-installed flashing lights attached to all the walkway railings. The crowd roared increasingly loud for each contestant, coach and, of course, the commissioner (because obviously every derby needs a commissioner). My only quibble? No opportunity to stand and holler my head off for Nelson Cruz, one of said coaches. To call the assortment a who’s who of Mariners legends would do some a disservice, but it was definitely Some Guys of Remembering fame – Bucky Jacobsen, Stefen Romero, RyOn Healy, Ryan Rowland-Smith, Austin Nola – alongside legends like Mike Cameron and Ichiro.
The Derby itself was well-structured. Jacobsen was one of three pentagenarian participants, whose pro career was derailed by injury two decades ago. The one-time Banner Bank advertiser made good, scraping past the left field wall twice. It set the tone in the crowd and on the field, a combination of anxiety and relief coursing through the light-hearted nature. The fear of seeing true embarrassment from any of the participants was quelled one-by-one, with different standards for each hitter. For Jacobsen, a homer was enough, but he managed three big flies including an additional in the “Jackpot Round” where each homer was worth double.
For Nola, Healy, and Romero there were actual expectations. Nola was a big leaguer a season ago, and opted to coach the M’s bullpen instead of taking a minor league deal this spring. His swing looked much the same as it did nearly a decade ago in Seattle, lashing tasteful line drives over the fence with just enough pop to advance to the final round. Healy played in Korea in 2021 and was the youngest participant at 34, but was undermined in one of the night’s great surprises. Seeking an edge against a southpaw, the crowd erupted in delight as James Paxton trotted in to throw BP for what was quite clearly the first time in his life. Dealing in jeans, The Big Maple managed to generate a full whiff from Healy to the good-natured Oregonian’s chagrin. For his part, Romero was still a good hitter in the Mexican League in 2023, and is younger than current Triple-A Tacoma starter Casey Lawrence. As DJ Pleno grooved in The Pen, an increasingly giddy crowd delighted in big flies from the less-star-studded swingers. Sprinkled in was Crocodile Hunter cosplayer Ryan Rowland-Smith, who hammed it up to the extreme, tackling a stuffed crocodile on his way out and bat flipping two buzzer-beating homers to the glee of all attendees and his fellow broadcasters. He echoed the refrain so many of the contestants light-heartedly echoed: the joy of being able to do this in front of their families, including for many their children who’d been too young to see their playing careers. Mike Cameron has quite a different experience, having been able to watch his own son Daz reach MLB himself, but the 53 year old good-naturedly came up short.
The stage was set for the man everyone had stuck around to see, and Ichiro did not disappoint. Clubbing homers into the right field seats with the crowd willing every ball deeper, Ichiro came up just a single point short of advancing. And yet, even as many streamed to the exits while the final fly ball fell short, most stayed. The moment had earned itself. So often, Seattle has been denigrated rightly for drawing on nostalgia to a cloying, cynical degree. Empty rehashings of the magic of 1995 until the sweetness wears off like a cheap stick of gum. But silly as it felt, disappointing even, with a final between two role players from eras not likely to make many highlight reels, this event exceeded expectations. Bread and circuses get a bad rap, but this was at least bread, and folks, you can eat bread. With his back against the wall at a barrage of big flies by Nola, Stefen Romero ripped off homer after homer, building a crescendo of joy at something new from something old. No time taken, no bonus round needed, the former Oregon State Beaver elated his Portland-area youth team as they blasted through their bed-times to watch their coach take home the title.
As they presented Romero with his trophy, even I, who had held a grudge due to once being chastised by him on Twitter for saying he was bad, couldn’t help but cheer. It was a perfect distillation of what has always drawn me to the ballpark, regardless of the team’s record; the camaraderie and community of baseball.
Was it a perfect Home Run Derby? No, but it was a perfect(ly) Mariners night.
The 2026 Red Sox are now just the tenth team in MLB history to win 27 out of 30 games, and the first team in MLB history to have done so after being 10 or more games under .500 at the start of that 30-game stretch. This is unprecedented, unbelievable and… unterrible.
Can they keep it going tonight? The seemingly unstoppable Jake Bennett takes the mound against Gage Jump, whose name is much better than his stat line: 4.59 ERA, 66.2 IP, 73 K, 31 BB, 7 HR. Unfortunately, he got the better out of the Sox out on the West Coast, throwing six shutout innings in the only game the A’s would take from the Sox. Jarren Duran and Masatka Yoshida both take the bench against the lefty, with Jahmai Jones leading off at DH and Eli White making his first Red Sox start.
First Pitch: 4:10 PM
TV: NESN
Former All-Star pitcher Tommy John, whose innovative elbow surgery from more than 50 years ago has helped thousands of pitchers prolong their careers, sent an emotional message to the New York Yankees on Old-Timers' Day on Saturday, thanking the organization and the fans while acknowledging his failing health.
John, 83, who has battled bladder cancer and other ailments in recent years, reached out and expressed his gratitude to late Dr. Frank Jobe, late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and Yankees fans.
"I want to thank the Yankees organization & the Steinbrenner family for giving me this opportunity to say goodbye to everyone, along with all the friends & fans who followed me throughout my 26-year career."
He concluded the message saying, "The day I left for my first job as a pitcher, my father looked at me & said, 'Good luck, Tommy. Just remember one thing: whether you make it big in the big leagues or you don’t, you’ll always just be Tommy John from Terre Haute, Indiana.
"I’ve never forgotten those words. Thank you & God Bless."
On this 78th Old-Timers’ Day, Tommy John shares a message to his fans, former teammates, and the Yankees organization as he battles health issues from his home in Bradenton, Florida. pic.twitter.com/3lKUWHoaw0
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 8, 2026
John, a 288-game winner over a 26-year career, became synonymous with baseball elbow injuries when he underwent surgery performed by Dr. Jobe on Sept. 25, 1974, removing a tendon from John’s wrist, drilling four holes in the ulna and humerus bones of his left elbow, grafting the tendons together, and holding them in place with anchors.
It became one of the most innovative and influential surgeries in the history of sports medicine, performed on more than 3,000 pitchers.
It is now referred to simply as "Tommy John surgery."
"It’s amazing how many careers that surgery has saved," John told USA TODAY Sports two years ago. "It was just an experimental surgery. I would have tried many things to come back and pitch. I told Dr. Jobe, do whatever you can to fix it. If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, hey, we gave it our best.
"Thank God it worked. It was such a blessing. The only thing I hate is that 50 years later, it’s needed more than ever, and that’s sad. You would think with modern training and techniques, pitchers wouldn’t need that surgery as much."
John went on to pitch for another 14 years while winning 164 more games.
He has frequently been asked why the surgery was named after him and not Dr. Jobe himself.
"I asked Frank about that," John said. "He was such a humble guy, but he told me that he was tired of saying 'ulnar collateral ligament replacement surgery with the palmaris longus tendon.' It was easier for him to say, 'Oh, the surgery I performed on Tommy John.'
"It quickly just became, 'Tommy John surgery.'"
It soon became the surgery heard ‘round the baseball world.
Follow Bob Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tommy John says goodbye: Baseball icon shares emotional message on Yankees Old-Timers' Day
Old-Timers’ Day in The Bronx took on an unexpected somber tone when Tommy John released a statement through the Yankees in which he said “goodbye to everyone” as he battles health issues.
“I want to thank the Yankees organization [and] the Steinbrenner family for giving me this opportunity to say goodbye to everyone, along with all the friends [and] fans who followed me throughout my 26-year career.”
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Try it freeThe former Yankee — best known for being the first to undergo the elbow surgery that now bears his name — was remembered fondly by his former teammates Saturday at the Stadium.
“He had almost 300 wins, on top of everything else he did,’’ Ron Guidry said. “It was great having him on the team. He was so knowledgeable. When we were together, we were pretty much 1-2 on the staff and having him around gave me great comfort. He could talk and it was nice to have him around because he would answer any question you had and he did so much in the game.”
John had been an All-Star with the White Sox and was a standout with the Dodgers by the time he injured his UCL in 1974.
At the time, that was seen as a likely career-ending injury, but Dodgers team physician Dr. Frank Jobe performed the procedure on John, then 31, in which the lefty’s elbow ligament was replaced.
John missed the entire 1975 season, but returned a year later and pitched 14 seasons with the reconstructed elbow.
In his statement, John also credited Jobe, who “saved my arm [and] made it possible for me to continue pitching. That surgery has gone on to save the careers of countless pitchers, including many of the very best in the game today.”
Of John’s 288 career victories — the highest total of anyone not in the Hall of Fame aside from scandal-scarred Roger Clemens — 164 came after his surgery.
He signed with the Yankees for the first time prior to the 1979 season and was there until he was traded to the Angels midway through the 1982 season.
John won more than 20 games in each of his first two years in The Bronx and returned in 1986. He remained with the Yankees through the rest of his major league career, which ended in 1989.
John started 700 games in his career, the eighth most of all time, and his 4,710 ¹/₃ innings pitched are 19th on the all-time list.
Rick Cerone played with — and caught — John and called him “a great competitor.’’
“He got better with age,’’ Cerone said. “That ball kept sinking and sinking.”
Cerone also recalled John’s managing days, as John managed the Staten Island Yankees in 2004, as well as two seasons in the independent Atlantic League with Bridgeport. John also spent time as a broadcaster with the Yankees.
“Tommy was tough to compete against and a terrific teammate,’’ Willie Randolph said. “We were just talking about him today. It’s shocking to hear he’s struggling and I’m praying for him.”
The native of Terre Haute, Ind., also pitched for Cleveland, the Angels and A’s and finished second in the National League Cy Young vote in 1977 with the Dodgers, behind Philadelphia’s Steve Carlton, and in 1979 with the Yankees, trailing only Baltimore’s Mike Flanagan.
John, in 2024, revealed he had bladder cancer, but it’s unclear if that is what he is dealing with now.
The Athletics have lost nine straight after getting blown out 13-1 by the Boston Red Sox in last night’s series opener. At 45-71, the A’s are tied for the worst record in the league. It wasn’t long ago that the team was sitting at .500, highlighting just how swift and extreme this collapse has been.
This afternoon, the A’s will look to stop the bleeding and avoid dropping their 10th in a row. Left-hander Gage Jump will get the start for the Green and Gold. The 23-year-old enters his 14th start of the season with a 4-7 record, a 4.59 ERA, a 1.47 WHIP and 73 strikeouts across 66 2/3 innings pitched.
The club’s top pitching prospect got off to a strong start, showcasing his tantalizing stuff during a dominant stretch to begin his major league career. However, Jump has struggled recently, perhaps running into a rookie wall as opposing teams have figured out how to attack the southpaw.
In Jump’s last outing against the Detroit Tigers, he took the loss after allowing six runs on four hits and six walks over just 3 2/3 innings. The start before that, he dominated these Red Sox hitters in Sacramento, striking out seven over six scoreless innings.
If the Athletics want to win a baseball game, they will need Jump to replicate that performance at Fenway Park, although the Red Sox will have a better idea of what to expect from the left-hander. A quality start would go a long way, especially after right-hander Jack Perkins’ short and poor start yesterday forced the team to ask more out of its struggling bullpen.
Speaking of the bullpen, the A’s shook things up down there.
Hayden Juenger returns to Triple-A after allowing four runs on five hits in the fourth inning of the series opener. Fellow right-handed reliever Yunior Tur takes his spot in the bullpen, looking to make the most of his second chance in the big leagues. It can only go up from here for Tur, who allowed 14 runs in his first two major league appearances a couple of weeks ago.
Here’s the Athletics’ lineup for this contest:
The Athletics will need more offense today, as keeping the Red Sox off the scoreboard will be a tall task for the pitching staff. For the third consecutive day, both of the team’s catchers are in the lineup, with Brian Serven taking over behind the plate.
Center fielder Henry Bolte’s speed and shortstop Jacob Wilson’s contact ability give the A’s a dynamic duo atop the lineup, but they have to actually get on base to make an impact. Meanwhile, will Lawrence Butler and Max Muncy continue being automatic outs, or will the two hitters finally make a positive impact for the team?
For the second straight day, A’s hitters will face a talented, young Red Sox left-hander whose stellar performance has been a significant factor in the team’s success. Jake Bennett enters his 13th start of the season with a 7-4 record, a 2.90 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP and 50 strikeouts over 71 1/3 innings pitched.
Bennett opposed Jump when these two teams squared off at the A’s home ballpark. In that game, the lone A’s win of the four-game series, the Red Sox left-hander took the loss after allowing three runs on six hits over 6 1/3 innings. This afternoon, Bennett will look to replicate the performance of his teammate Payton Tolle, who struck out 14 over six innings last night, while the A’s will look to beat him once again.
And Boston’s starting nine:
It is time to put an end to this misery and halt the Red Sox’s dream run. Let’s go A’s!
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Set the clock back seven or eight years and this is the premier game of the weekend. Neither Gerrit Cole nor Chris Sale are fully the Cy Youngs they used to be, and yet they’re both still quite good in 2026. After a nailbiter of a win yesterday, Cole will look to give the Yankees another victory today, albeit one that doesn’t raise our collective blood pressure in the same way.
Let’s start with Sale, who is 37 with a 2.08 ERA and has been worth four wins already this season. The 15-year vet should be familiar to Yankee fans after stints with the White Sox and Red Sox, and indeed that back-foot slider to right-handed hitters is as good as it ever was. This is a tough assignment for MLB teams at the best of times, and the Yankee lineup isn’t much to brag about now. Scratching a run or two across against Sale is particularly important today.
Cole, meanwhile, has bounced back nicely after a few shaky starts in June. His last three outings, against the Pirates and both Chicago teams, have seen him post a 1.93 ERA and 2.82 FIP, and while we can’t necessarily expect that kind of pitching full time from the veteran, one more start along those lines would certainly be appreciated. A big part of Cole’s game was always controlling home runs — he fills the zone with so many pitches that fly balls are inevitable, but keeping those fly balls in play largely determines how his start will go. If he can avoid some of the thump in Atlanta’s lineup, he should be a good match against someone like Sale.
I was a little surprised to see Ben Rice in the lineup; I thought today would be a great excuse to give him what seems to be a much needed day off. Instead, he’s at DH, with the club rolling out their lefty specialist lineup of Paul Goldschmidt at first, Amed Rosario at third, and rookie George Lombard Jr. all the way up to sixth in the order.
It’s Old-Timers’ Day and the festivities are in full swing, coverage is on YES.
How to watch
Location: Yankee Stadium—Bronx, NY
First pitch: 3:05pm Eastern
TV broadcast: YES, BravesVision
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280, 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan, La Mejor 1600/1460/1130 AM
Online stream: MLB.tv
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Since Marcelo Mayer was traded by the Boston Red Sox to the San Francisco Giants during the MLB trade deadline, he’s been anxiously awaiting a new beginning.
Mayer’s girlfriend Camryn Bergman posted a video on her TikTok page, showing her and Mayer making their way back to his home state of California while soaking in the Bay Area.
Bergman’s video opened up with the caption “pov: your boyfriend got traded” which was followed up by a series of clips showing the two flying across the country from Boston to California.
When the two arrived in San Francisco, Mayer was seen taking his luggage to Oracle Park, which was then followed by clips of them exploring the Bay Area.
The two walked down the boardwalk and headed over to Pier 39, looking at a view of the water, with the famous Alcatraz prison staring directly back at them.
Their journey exploring the Bay continued with them eating at In-N-Out, then sitting near the Golden Gate Bridge.
The video ended with the couple entering an Uber and then receiving some gear from the Giants, where Bergman closed the video with herself working out in the gym, while wearing a white San Francisco hat.
Mayer was selected 4th overall by the Boston Red Sox in the 2021 MLB Draft, and quickly rose to the top of their farm system as Baseball America had him ranked as the No.10 overall prospect in 2024.
In May 2025, the Red Sox brought him up to their MLB roster, with hopes he would become their franchise shortstop of the future.
Through his two seasons in the big leagues, Mayer has struggled to stay healthy, as he’s been injured in both seasons, including last year when his season ended due to a right wrist sprain.
Right now, Mayer is working his way back from a bone stress reaction to his left ulna, but is expected to make a return this season.
As of Saturday, the Giants are in fourth place in the National League West with a 49-67 record, and the playoffs are likely looking like another miss for the fifth consecutive season.
With the team already eager to turn the page to next season, they’re hoping Mayer will turn into the big leaguer he was projected to be so that they can make a deep run next year.
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The trade deadline has come and gone, and we’ve had some time to reflect on the week. The Rockies made four total moves — three on Monday — and overall, the majority of the community gave the Rockies a passing grade for their moves.
81% of voters gave the Rockies a “good or satisfactory grade” for their performance. 4% gave them an A, which indicates excellent or outstanding work. 13% gave them a D, which indicates “below-average work,” while 2% gave them a failing grade.
Do you agree with the results? Do you still agree with your own vote? Let us know in the comments!
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The Dodgers will turn to Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Saturday in hopes to end their seven-game losing streak, a stretch in which nothing really seems to match up properly.
Yamamoto pitched quite well last Saturday at home, allowing three runs in eight innings to the Boston Red Sox, but that was a game in which the Dodgers offense could only score twice. Much like Friday night in Arizona, Roki Sasaki allowed only two run in six innings and the Dodgers took a lead in the eighth inning, but a bad Edwin Díaz slider turned that into a loss, too.
The loss on Tuesday at Wrigley Field turned lopsided later, but that was another strong start wasted, with Tarik Skubal allowing only two runs in six frames in his Dodgers debut.
Major league teams are 803-358 (.692) when their pitcher provides a quality start this season. The Dodgers lead the majors with 61 quality start this season, 11 more than any other team, and that’s not even including the six hitless, scoreless innings Eric Lauer provided in bulk relief following an opener on June 22.
The Dodgers are 44-17 (.721) when receiving a quality start, but have lost three such games in the last week on this losing streak.
Offense has been a big culprit during the swoon, even dating back to July when the Dodgers were outscored during the month for just the third time in nine years. Through the end of June, the Dodgers averaged 5.36 runs per game, most in the majors, and hit .266/.347/.443 with a 118 wRC+, tops in the majors in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and wRC+.
Since July 1, the Dodgers offense has been entrenched well into the bottom half of the league:
The Dodgers are also tied for 20th since the beginning of July with 32 home runs, with only nine of those home runs coming from outfielders, a collective group hitting just .225/.310/.346 with an 84 wRC+ over the last 30 games.
Home runs aren’t the only way to score, of course, and the Dodgers have weirdly done quite well with runners in scoring position during the seven-game losing streak, hitting .273/.333/.500 with a 125 wRC+. But they have just 48 plate appearances with runners in scoring position, fourth-fewest in the majors at just under seven such PA per game. MLB teams as a whole average over 68 PA with runners in scoring position over the last eight days.
At last Monday’s Trade Deadline, the Yankees had an opportunity to augment a bullpen that, despite ranking second in MLB in both ERA and xERA, seemingly had room for another high-end arm. Instead, GM Brian Cashman traded away Camilo Doval, Jake Bird, and Yovanny Cruz. The most charitable interpretation here is addition by subtraction. Doval and Bird — two of three relievers Cashman acquired at the 2025 deadline — had been major disappointments (while Cruz had made just four appearances this year and was more of a depth piece). Their ouster creates opportunities for others to take a step forward in the pecking order.
As I do each month in a given season, I’m going to take a look at the Yankees’ relievers to identify how manager Aaron Boone is deploying each and offer a verdict as to how much trust we can place in them moving forward using the following ranking system:
Statistics below are from July 1-August 6.
Recent stats: 14.2 IP, 1.23 ERA, 17 SO, 2.69 FIP, 9 Saves (in 9 opportunities)
Regardless of what happened at the deadline, with the possible exception of a Mason Miller acquisition, Bednar was going to remain the team’s closer, and for good reason. After an uneven start to the season, he’s allowed runs to score in just one of 25 outings since May 18th, a remarkable run of excellence that’s largely flown under the radar. In a bullpen that’s experienced some flux, he’s been low drama, exactly what you want out of your closer.
Confidence level: 5
Bednar is seventh among active players in saves, with everyone ahead of him older and longer tenured. The combination of his excellence this year and track record over his career makes him one of the most reliable closers in baseball.
Recent stats: 18 IP, 1.00 ERA, 27 SO, 0.60 FIP
Over his first three seasons, Headrick pitched more at Triple-A than in the big leagues, appearing to be no more than a depth piece. This year? As Michael Baumann over at FanGraphs eloquently outlined on Thursday, he’s putting up one of the best reliever seasons in Yankees history. Among primary relievers, only Miller and Louis Varland have lower ERAs.
Confidence level: 5
I was skeptical of Headrick’s success early in the season, but he’s sustained this level of performance for long enough that it cannot be ignored. And his peripherals, including elite whiff and barrel rates, support that this is no fluke. He’s firmly entrenched in the late-inning mix, and rightfully so.
Recent stats: 22.2 IP, 1.19 ERA, 23 SO, 4.24 FIP
Say what you will about the Yankees’ organization — they can take a washed up journeyman and turn him into a star reliever like no other team in baseball. Blackburn is the latest beneficiary of the Luke Weaver effect, transforming from a struggling swingman into a back-end option. After using him in long relief for most of the season, Boone has begun inserting him in the eighth, with strong early results.
Confidence level: 3.5
Blackburn deserves credit for his turnaround, but the jury’s still out on how sustainable it will be. While he’s not missing many bats, his 56.5 ground-ball rate suggests he may have a legitimate new formula. If he performs well in another month of high-leverage usage, I’ll feel much more confident he can be part of the path to Bednar moving forward.
Recent stats: 14 IP, 3.21 ERA, 14 SO, 5.10 FIP
After working as a set-up man, Cruz has been deployed recently as the first man out of the bullpen to bail out a fading starter to get to the late innings. Wherever Boone uses him, he knows what he’s getting: a pitcher with a one-of-a-kind splitter who both misses bats and issues walks as much as anyone in baseball.
Confidence level: 4
Cruz is a known quantity at this point. His energy on the mound and ability to dominate on his best day more than make up for the days when he loses the strike zone and works himself into trouble. He remains very much in the high-leverage picture.
Recent stats: 11.2 IP, 5.40 ERA, 5 SO, 9.10 FIP
After a remarkably consistent run through nearly two years in New York, Hill’s bag of tricks has begun to wear out its welcome. Since May 12th, his ERA has ballooned from 1.00 to 4.40 as he’s allowed 21 runs (19 earned) in 25 innings. Unsurprisingly, he’s slipped out of the inner ring of Boone’s circle of trust.
Confidence level: 2.5
Hill’s numbers remain strong against lefties, maintaining his value as a lefty specialist. Otherwise, though, his stock has taken a major hit.
Recent stats: 10 IP, 1.80 ERA, 5 SO, 4.89 FIP
It’s been an odd season for Yarbrough, who has performed well despite intermittent usage. His hard-hit rate of 22.5 percent tops MLB (Cruz is second) despite — or, perhaps, because of — throwing one of the slowest fastballs in the game. Of note for his recent stats: Yarbrough has allowed six unearned runs this month.
Confidence index: 2.5
Yarbrough is perfectly suited for his long relief role, giving a different look than any other Yankees pitcher while eating some lower-leverage innings.
Recent stats: 9.1 IP, 5.79 ERA, 7 SO, 3.38 FIP (at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre)
This is where the Yankees’ bullpen starts to get scary. After moving Doval and Bird (and sending Angel Chivilli down to Triple-A), the Yankees promoted De los Santos, who had been getting absolutely torched at Triple-A. He does have a strong 2.84 ERA in 30 appearances with the Yankees over the past two seasons, but if the team had confidence that was indicative of his potential they’d have called him up earlier in the season.
Confidence level: 1
De los Santos has been useful as a Quadruple-A player, but the prospect of him becoming a mainstay in the bullpen is alarming. We’re one injury away from the 28-year-old starting to see action late in close games.
Recent stats: 3.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 5 SO, 1.90 FIP
Castro has earned his shot. After last pitching in the bigs for the Cubs in 2022, the Yankees took a flier on him last year and he excelled at Triple-A, a run of success he continued this year. Over both seasons, he posted a 1.63 ERA at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The early returns with the Yankees have been strong as well, with three scoreless outings since he was recalled in late July.
Confidence level: 1
I’d love to see Castro’s Cinderella story continue, but success at Triple-A does not always translate at the big-league level. He’ll need to show a lot more before he gains any trust in Boone’s bullpen pecking order.
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cubs fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
The Cubs made three major acquisitions before Monday’s MLB Trade Deadline: starting pitchers Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes, and reliever Ryan Zeferjahn. These moves appear to be very positive in an effort to help bolster the oft-injured Cubs pitching staff.
Earlier this week I asked you to give a grade for Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer’s moves.
And in general, you approve:
That’s a huge vote of confidence in Hoyer, with 94 percent grading his moves at B or higher — and nearly a plurality with an “A” vote, very close to the number who chose “B”.
I can’t explain the one percent giving Hoyer a failing grade. Can you?
Here are the results of the two national questions asked in the SB Nation Reacts survey this week.
This vote, I presume, assumes that Tarik Skubal will somehow singlehandedly put the Dodgers over the top to win the World Series. Either that, or Dodgers fans stuffed the electronic ballot box.
The Cubs made a statement last Tuesday that they won’t be afraid of Skubal. They very well could face him again in October.
And again, Skubal carries the day in the individual player voting. Interestingly, voters picked Clay Holmes over Kevin Gausman for the Cubs acquisition who would have the most impact.
So far, Freddy Peralta hasn’t done much to warrant the deal that sent him to the Rays, as he got hit hard in his first start for Tampa Bay.
Thanks for participating in the survey this week, and let’s hope the voters are wrong about Skubal.
This edition of SB Nation Reacts is sponsored by FanDuel.