Category: MLB

Mets lineup

A.J. Ewing – LF
Francisco Lindor – SS
Bo Bichette – 3B
Jared Young – 1B
Luis Robert Jr. – CF
Brett Baty – RF
Marcus Semien – 2B
Jorge Polanco – DH
Francisco Alvarez – C

SP: Robert Stock (RHP)

Pirates lineup

Jake Mangum – CF
Brandon Lowe – 2B
Bryan Reynolds – DH
Spencer Horwitz – 1B
Nick Gonzales – 3B
Endy Rodríguez – C
Esmerlyn Valdez – LF
Jacob Gonzalez – SS
Ronny Simon – RF

SP: Bubba Chandler (RHP)

Broadcast info

First pitch: 6:40 PM EDT
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

New York Mets vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, August 8, 2026, 6:40 p.m. ET

The Pittsburgh Pirates are in the middle of a three-game set against the New York Mets at PNC Park this weekend.

Bubba Chandler is making his 22nd start for the Pirates this season. In his last appearance on August 3 against the Milwaukee Brewers, Chandler had one of his better outings of the season, pitching 5.2 innings and giving up two earned runs as the Buccos won 4-3 at American Family Field. It was his first win since June 25, and it was the Pirates’ only win in the four-game set.

The Mets are handing the ball off to 36-year-old right-hander Robert Stock, who is making just his second appearance for the team this season. In his last start on August 2 against the Miami Marlins, Stock pitched five innings, giving up three hits and one earned run, but his offense did not support him. The team lost 2-0 to the Miami Marlins at Citi Field.

Stock was a second-round pick by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2009 MLB Draft. He spent his first nine professional seasons in the minor leagues before being called up in 2018 by the San Diego Padres. He has pitched for the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs and even had stints in Korea and Mexico before returning to the big leagues.

Location: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA

Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh

Pitching Matchup: Robert Stock (0-1, 1.80 ERA) vs. Bubba Chandler (4-8, 4.49 ERA)

BD community, chime off in the comments section below for the game day thread. Enjoy!

Game Two in Philadelphia.

The news for the game is that Springer is scratched because of shoulder tightness. And Vlad is back in the lineup.

Beyond that, Zack Wheeler was whining about the Jays wanting him to, you know, follow the rules:

You know, they’ve lost a lot of games over there, so they’re probably trying to pick some things up to complain about.

Well, seemed to work, because they hit him pretty good. You know that teams are going to be pushing the umpires on this for the rest of the season. From Sportsnet:

According to the MLB rulebook, a pitcher must touch the rubber while beginning his throwing motion. However, Wheeler appears to pitch with his right foot on the front edge of the rubber, nearly off the mark.

Tonight, Max Scherzer tries to build on his best start of the season, against the Cardinals last week. Hopefully, tonight will be a step better. Aaron Nola (3-9, 5.55 ERA in 23 starts, leading the league with 28 home runs allowed). But then the Jays know how to make any pitcher look good.

Lineups, sans Springer:

Go Jays Go

Ahead of the Mets' game against the Pirates on Saturday evening, interim manager Andy Green spoke to the media and hit on a number of topics...

Brett Baty in right field

Baty is starting in right field for the second straight game and Green was asked whether he feels the utility player has improved his outfield defense.

"He’s played a very solid right field. There’s been a few tough, tailing plays that tend to get the spotlight when you’re a guy that moves around positionally," Green said. "Brett’s made a lot of good plays out there as well."

Green pointed out that when the plays Baty doesn't make happen to an outfielder like Tyrone Taylor who is known for his defense, it doesn't make headlines, but Baty has taken it in stride.

One reason for that is the pride Baty has in his defense and wanting to be better.

"He takes extreme ownership. Every single time something comes up short, he owns it, he knows it and moves forward and goes out and makes the best possible play the next time," Green said. " He’s done a nice job of bouncing all over the diamond and every team has players like that. And allowing somebody to evolve into a valuable, versatile player is important for us as well."

It's been somewhat of an adventure for Baty in right field this season. There have been misplays in the outfield this season, including a notorious one in right against the Brewers back in July that cost the Mets a win. But Baty was solid in right on Friday, and Green hopes it'll be the same on Saturday.

Gabriel Arias' role

The Mets made one roster move ahead of Saturday's game, calling up Arias and optioning Eric Wagaman to Triple-A. 

Green was asked what Arias will bring to the team, and the skipper said simply Arias allows more defensive versatility, and with the return of Jorge Polanco, the number of 1B/DH opportunities -- which Wagaman was used for -- are limited.

"He provides us with a measure of defensive versatility than Wags does," Green said of Arias. "It’s hard to find him consistent opportunities. Gabriel gives us an opportunity to rest regulars on the left side.

"He’s a really good defender at a lot of positions. He’s done that really well for a long time, and he has some pop. Those are nice pieces to add to your team. How much opportunity he gets is predicated on how everyone else maintains his health and how well he plays when he gets his chances."

When asked if he'd use Arias in the outfield, Green said while he views Arias as an infielder first, if he had to, he'd use him in the outfield. In his career, Arias has played 27 games in the outfield.

The Mets claimed Arias earlier this week from the Guardians and, in 42 games this year, has hit five home runs, 11 RBI with a .244/.284/.386 slash line and a .669 OPS. 

Wagaman, 28, hit two home runs and drove in four runs across 23 games while slashing .190/.291/.378 with an OPS of .669.

The Twins beat the Brewers in the first game of this weekend’s series in a wild game, one in which Milwaukee took an early four-run lead but couldn’t hold on to it. Tonight, they’ll look to even the series, though the on-paper pitching matchup favors the Twins: Robert Gasser will take the mound for the Brewers, while Taj Bradley will be his opponent.

Gasser is working on a string of solid outings. He’s given up three runs or fewer in seven of his last eight outings, excepting only the stinker in the team’s last game before the All-Star break. Throw that one out, and in the other seven outings he’s got a 2.41 ERA in 41 innings going back to June 16th. Even with the bad one, Gasser has a 3.68 ERA and 3.41 FIP over what basically amounts to the last two months.

His opponent is no slouch, though, and with Joe Ryan on the injured list, Bradley slots in as Minnesota’s de facto ace. In 22 starts covering 126 2/3 innings this season, Bradley has pitched to a solid 3.69 ERA (114 ERA+) and 3.91 FIP, and while his walks are higher than you’d like (3.8 per nine), he’s striking out 10 batters per nine innings this season. Bradley, who was traded straight up for Griffin Jax at last year’s trade deadline, seems to be finding his own with the Twins in his age-25 season.

Speaking of pitching, the Brewers made a logical but still somewhat surprising move today: after pitching well in six outings for the Brewers, including three really good innings last night, Bryse Wilson has been designated for assignment. Recalled in his place is right-hander Lyon Richardson, who has made 41 mostly sub-par appearances for the Reds over the last four seasons (most of which came in 2025, when he had a 4.54 ERA in 34 outings). Richardson was designated for assignment by the Reds in early June and joined Triple-A Nashville; in 13 outings there since his acquisition, Richardson has a 4.20 ERA, 8.4 K/9, and a troubling 5.4 BB/9 in 30 innings.

It’s tough on Wilson, who did as well as one could’ve asked for in his short reunion with the Brewers. At this point, it’s a numbers game: the Brewers need fresh arms somewhat desperately during this run of 17 straight days with a baseball game, and Wilson is the sort of journeyman that is deemed expendable in a situation like this (the Brewers were already the third team he’d pitched for in 2026 alone). It should also be said that, for the most part, Wilson’s stats in every stop he’s made except for Milwaukee have been quite bad, so it does seem like the Brewers understand that whatever they’ve been getting from him has been at least partially aided by luck and/or good fortune.

Note also in that transaction: Sal Frelick is on his way to Nashville for a rehab assignment. Things are going to get a bit crowded when he returns, and Luis Lara’s good play has complicated things. It will be interesting to see what ends up happening, but Brandon Lockridge may find himself on the outside looking in.

BCB readers, rejoice! Joey Ortiz is starting at third base against a right-handed pitcher after David Hamilton had started five in a row at the hot corner against righties (Ortiz started the first of those five at shortstop). It is, of course, somewhat amusing that this is when Hamilton goes to the pine, given that he actually had a good game last night. (The Brewers say they have a plan with Ortiz, honest.) Andrew Vaughn also gets a start against the right-hander tonight, with Jake Bauers back in right field and Christian Yelich again playing DH; down in the seven spot tonight, this will officially be the lowest Yelich has started in the batting order since 2015.

First pitch tonight is at 6:10 p.m. on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network.

Here are the lineups. For the Phillies:

For the Blue Jays:

Today’s roster move: Here

Saturday notes…

• UNDER THE LIGHTS: The Cubs are 42-26 in night games, a winning percentage of .618. They finished last season 49-38, .563. At night on the road, they are 26-14, .650. They finished last season just 28-27, .509. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• SATURDAY IN THE PARK: At 11-7, the Cubs already have lost as many games on Saturday as they did all of last season, when they were 20-7. They are 5-3 on the road on Saturday this year. Last year, they were 11-2. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• NOT SCORING FIRST: The Cubs have given up the first run in six consecutive games, each in the first three innings, including the first inning of the the last three. They have not scored first in eight of nine games, after having done it in five straight, seven of eight and 11 of 13. The Cubs have taken the first lead in 55 games and fallen behind in 62. They are 40-15 when they score first and 28-34 when they do not. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: Jim Edmonds homers twice, including a game-tying blast in the seventh, and Henry Blanco’s walk-off single wins the game over the Cardinals 3-2 at Wrigley Field. It happened 18 years ago today, Friday, Aug. 8, 2008.

Cubs lineup:

Royals lineup:

Clay Holmes, RHP vs. Seth Lugo, RHP

Clay Holmes was having a fine year with the Mets when he suffered a fractured fibula on this play against the Yankees May 15:

He has made three rehab starts. In the most recent one, Aug. 2, he threw 43 pitches for the Mets’ High-A affiliate. He’d thrown 59 pitches in the rehab start before that.

So I’d think he’ll be on a pitch limit tonight, maybe 75 or so? The Cubs do have Colin Rea and Javier Assad ready for long relief.

Below you’ll find Holmes’ pitch mix. As you’ll note, he relies on a sinker which, we hope, will induce lots of ground balls to the excellent Cubs defenders.

Seth Lugo was a big Royals free-agent signing before the 2024 season. He was very good that year (second in AL Cy Young voting), a bit worse last year, and not very good this year, especially over his last eight starts (5.82 ERA, 1.477 WHIP, eight home runs in 43.1 innings). He’s also walked a lot of guys in those eight starts (8.9 percent walk rate).

He has, however, held current Cubs to a .167 BA (14-for-84) with one home run (Seiya Suzuki). Hopefully Cubs bats are ready for him tonight.

Here is the weather forecast for the area around Kauffman Stadium.

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network.

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Royals site Royals Review. If you do go there to interact with Royals fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.

You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.

The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.

You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

If ever the Cincinnati Reds are going to sneak their way into the playoff race, they’re going to need every last good thing than ace Chase Burns can give them – especially now that they’ll be without Hunter Greene for the remainder of the season.

Problem is, Burns is going to slam into an innings limit at some point in the very near future. He’s already at 118.2 IP so far in the 2026 campaign, already outpacing the 109.1 IP he threw across all levels just last year. Given that he only touched 100 IP exactly in his final college season, there’s not a ton of ‘build up’ on his prized right arm just yet, and letting him blow past 150 IP likely isn’t in the designs of the Reds front office this season.

So, they need to maximize his opportunities while they have them, and one comes around again on Saturday against the Washington Nationals.

Burns starts opposite Nats lefty Andrew Alvarez with first pitch slated for 6:45 PM ET, and the Reds have done what they can to stack the lineup against the southpaw accordingly.

Here’s how both clubs will line up to begin:

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Coming off an 8-2 beatdown on Friday, the Cleveland Guardians look to pull within one game of the AL Central lead on Saturday. 

While Friday’s win was just their second in seven tries, my MLB picks are laying the juice on the road favorites.

Read on to see why Gavin Williams is primed for a dominant outing in my Guardians vs. White Sox predictions for Saturday, Aug. 8.

Who will win Guardians vs White Sox today: Guardians moneyline (-137)

Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams has been a strikeout machine this year.

Williams ranks in the 96th percentile in K%, thanks to elite extension and a filthy sweeper generating a 44.3% whiff rate. Since the All-Star break, he leads the majors with a 1.26 xFIP. 

The Chicago White Sox are struggling against righties. Since the All-Star break, they rank 26th in BA (.218) and 25th in BABIP (.267) against RHP, with the fifth-highest K% (25.5%) of any team.

Add in their league-high 31.8% K% the past week, and it’s a great spot to back another strong outing from Williams. 

I’m backing them to take victory down to -145.

COVERS INTEL: Gavin Williams leads the majors with a 48.4% K% since the All-Star break among SP with at least 70 batters faced—nearly nine percentage points higher than the next-best pitcher. 

Guardians vs White Sox Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (-126)

Anthony Kay is coming off a strong outing against the Rays, and has looked improved since the break. He’s also posted a home ERA of just 3.24 this season, compared to a 4.88 road ERA.

That’s largely driven by Kay’s home HR/9 of just 0.62 which is a full dinger less than his road metric.   

The Guardians have hit the ball well the past week, but their ISO of .121 and HR/FB rate of 9.3% since the break make it unlikely they’re going to post crooked numbers.

Cleveland will win a lower-scoring contest. 

Back the Under to -135.

Guardians vs White Sox weather

Hitters will be dealing with temps in the upper 70s and winds blowing from left field towards first base at up to 10 mph, which will help both pitching staffs limit the damage on big flys. 

Guardians vs White Sox odds

• Moneyline: Guardians -137 | White Sox +124
• Run line: Guardians -1.5 (+134) | White Sox +1.5 (-148)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (+114) | Under 7.5 (-126)

Guardians vs White Sox trend

The Cleveland Guardians have covered the Run Line in 9 of their last 12 away games (+5.55 Units / 32% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Guardians vs. White Sox.

How to watch Guardians vs White Sox and game info

Guardians vs White Sox latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The enterprise of selecting the top 50 Seattle Mariners in the franchise’s history is a fun and challenging one. As such, we let our staff take a few cracks at it. Some folks leapt at it, while others are more eager to pick through the official list in the next few days when it’s revealed Saturday night. Below, we’ve got a few lists, each with variable criteria, along with some explanations and tiers from a few members of the staff, and we’ll be glad to hear your thoughts as well.

Grant:

So here’s the thing: if you’re reading this, you know that the Seattle Mariners just haven’t been that good over 50 seasons. We’ve had three different high points (1995, 2001, 2025), a few other playoff seasons, and lots of mediocrity sprinkled in.

Perhaps, then, it doesn’t surprise you that putting together a top 50 list leans on the nostalgia. There are some genuinely great players on this list; there are also some who played 3 seasons with the team or who have <= 8 WAR. We have five different batting title winners, and we have kinda mid second basemen/utility men.

My list isn’t in order outside of my top 10, and if you try this on your own, you will also find out how challenging it is once you hit #30 or so. But as you go down this list, no matter what, you’ll stumble across some players who make you smile, who lifted your spirits on summer weeknights driving home after a long shift, who drove you just a little crazy, who made you stand and applaud, who made you cry. You might find your kid’s first ever favorite player or the one who you’d bond over with your parents.

Yes, this team has been bad for much of its existence, and yes, baseball is nearly unbearable right now if you’re a Mariners fan. But as Dave Niehaus said, it fills our days and brightens our nights, and these 50 folks epitomize this team.

Welcome back, baseball. Stay forever.

Top 10

1. Ken Griffey Jr.
2. Ichiro
3. Felix Hernandez
4. Edgar Martinez
5. Randy Johnson
6. Dave Niehaus
7. Alex Rodriguez
8. Rick Rizzs
9. Julio Rodriguez
10. Lou Piniella

Honorable Mention

11. Kyle Seager

Amazing, but not known as elite for the Mariners

12. Robinson Cano
13. Edwin Diaz
14. Adrian Beltre

Close but no cigar…yet

15. Cal Raleigh
16. Logan Gilbert
17. George Kirby
18. Bryan Woo
19. Andres Muñoz
20. Jerry Dipoto

Simply, Truly Good Players

21. Mitch Haniger
22. Nelson Cruz
23. Hisashi Iwakuma
24. James Paxton
25. Marco Gonzales
26. J.P. Crawford

Early Days

27. Mark Langston
28. Alvin Davis
29. Mike Moore
30. Phil Bradley
31. Harold Reynolds
32. Floyd Bannister
33. Bruce Bochte
34. Dave Valle

2001 Immortality

35. Jamie Moyer
36. Bret Boone
37. Freddy Garcia
38. Kazuhiro Sasaki
39. Mike Cameron
40. John Olerud

1995 Immortality

41. Jay Buhner
42. Dan Wilson
43. Jeff Nelson

Nostalgia in Some Way or Another

44. Jose Lopez
45. Franklin Gutierrez
46. Mike Zunino
47. Mark McLemore
48. J.J. Putz
49. Luis Castillo
50. Diego Segui

John:

I love a list. It’s one of the delightful parts of prospect writing, gathering all the names together to consider what sets one player apart from another and whether they deserve clear demarcation. For my list, I’ve only selected players, and while I considered exclusively ruling on players I’ve seen myself, I ultimately opted to follow my heart and those I’ve read about enough to feel a connection to. I’ve broken them out in tiers that made sense to me in the moment, but they are hardly steadfast in terms of their true ordering.

The Hall of Famers

1. Ichiro Suzuki
2. Edgar Martinez
3. Félix Hernández
4. Ken Griffey Jr.
5. Randy Johnson

Seattle Royalty

6. Kyle Seager
7. Jamie Moyer
8. Jay Buhner
9. Julio Rodríguez
10. Alvin Davis

Meteoric

11. Alex Rodríguez
12. Cal Raleigh
13. Mike Cameron

Held it Down When Things Were Grim

14. Harold Reynolds
15. J.P. Crawford

Me and Félix’s Favorite Pitcher

16. Freddy Garcia

Era-Defining Stars With Warts

17. Bret Boone
18. Robinson Canó

Game 161

19. Nelson Cruz

Game 163 (sorry Mark, you were great here too but it was too easy)

20. Mark Langston

Boron Rods in the Reactor

21. Dan Wilson
22. Logan Gilbert
23. Raúl Ibañez

Free Agents That Worked Out

24. John Olerud
25. Adrian Beltré
26. Hisashi Iwakuma

Mike Zunino

27. Mike Zunino

Pitchers I Never Saw But Made the Early Mariners Less Awful

28. Mike Moore
29. Erik Hanson

The Guys Who Were Luckier Than Kyle Lewis

30. Mitch Haniger
31. Franklin Gutierrez

Relievers Who Fuck

32. Arthur Rhodes
33. Kazuhiro Sasaki
34. Andrés Muñoz
35. J.J. Putz
36. Edwin Díaz
37. Mike Jackson

Era-Defining Starting Pitchers

38. Luis Castillo
39. James Paxton
40. Marco Gonzales

Hitters I Never Saw But Made the Early Mariners Less Awful

41. Phil Bradley
42. Tom Paciorek
43. Ken Phelps
44. Bruce Bochte

Good Vibes Iron Men

45. Eugenio Suárez
46. Dave Valle

I Am Tired Of Everyone Trying To Trade You

47. George Kirby

The First Mariner (Julio Cruz should get to be here too)

48. Ruppert Jones

Relievers I Joked About Putting On But No, They Actually Deserve It

49. Jeff Nelson
50. Tom Wilhelmsen

Kate:

This is a vibes-based list, hand-written and transported with haste to the world wide web for you all to enjoy. It leans on going through year after year and seeing the top performers in each individual season, which was an interesting exercise in seeing what had to sustain many, many years of this club.

1. Griffey
2. Ichiro
3. Edgar
4. Felix
5. Randy Johnson
6. Alvin Davis
7. A-Rod
8. Jay Buhner
9. Ruppert Jones
10. Dan Wilson
11. Nelson Cruz
12. Kyle Seager
13. Dave Henderson
14. Ken Phelps
15. Freddy Garcia
16. Hisashi Iwakuma
17. Mark Langston
18. Harold Reynolds
19. James Paxton
20. Julio
21. Cal
22. Bret Boone 
23. Jamie Moyer
24. Kaz Sasaki
25. Brandon League
26. Norm Charlton
27. Logan Gilbert
28. Mike Moore
29. Phil Bradley
30. J.P. Crawford
31. Julio Cruz
32. Robinson Canó
33. Mike Cameron
34. Franklin Gutierrez
35. Spike Owen
36. Bruce Bochte
37. Tom Wilhelmsen
38. Adrian Beltre
39. Tom Paciorek
40. Joel Pinero
41. Joey Cora
42. Scott Bankhead
43. Erik Hanson
44. Kenji Johjima
45. Mark McLemore
46. Bill Swift
47. Dave Valle
48. Henry Cotto
49. Raúl Ibañez
50. Eugenio Suárez

The San Diego Padres looked to upgrade their depleted starting rotation at Monday’s trade deadline. In the final hours, the front office acquired Robbie Ray from the San Francisco Giants and Casey Mize from the Detroit Tigers.

However, both pitchers were less than impressive in their first start in new surroundings. Ray’s control betrayed him in last night’s 6-3 defeat. The southpaw allowed four runs on seven hits, walked five batters and struck out two in five lackluster innings.

With this loss, the Padres fall two games behind in the National League Wild Card race.

Taking the mound: Peter Lambert (HOU) vs Michael King (SD)

San Diego will turn to Michael King (6-8, 3.45 ERA) to get the team back on their winning ways in the second game of the three-game set. He has been solid all season, but King put together his best statistical month in July. 

In five starts, he went 1-0 with a 2.79 ERA. But one stat that should bring a smile to the Friar Faithful is that King went six innings in four of the five starts. His pitching repertoire is finally coming together and becoming an effective arsenal. 

King’s mix of the changeup, four-seam fastball, and sweeper has kept batters off balance during at-bats. You can tell the right-hander is pitching well when he induces ground-ball outs. King is near his normal career rate (43.3%).

If he can generate swing-and-misses or weak contact, it will be a long day for the Stros hitters.

The Astros are sending out Peter Lambert (8-5, 3.06 ERA) to secure a series victory today. The right-hander has been the one constant in an ever-changing starting rotation, as Spencer Arrighetti, Lance McCuller Jr., and Tatsuya Imai were either dealt away or shuffled out of the rotation this season.

The road to becoming a quality starting pitcher has not been easy for Lambert. He struggled with the Colorado Rockies after they drafted him in the second round of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft. The right-hander went 8-19 with a 6.28 ERA before the organization released him after the 2024 season. 

His return to the majors began with a season in Japan. Lambert made some adjustments to his delivery and began working from a different spot on the rubber. He has been outstanding, as lowering his arm angle has made his sinker and cutter more effective in the strike zone. 

The results increased his innings pitched, from 89.1 with the Rockies to 124.1 in Japan, and improved his strikeout numbers (111 batters in 24 starts). In 2026, Lambert has struck out 108 batters and held opposing teams to a .206 batting average in 19 starts. 

His signing may have been the best under-the-radar move this winter. 

Today’s lineup

The Mets and Carson Benge received the results of the imaging on his wrist Saturday and things look encouraging.

Although Benge isn't in the Mets' starting lineup for the second of their three-game set with the Pirates, the youngster gave an update on his status and how he's feeling.

"Everything came back positive. Should be back in there within a few days," Benge said. "Nothing too serious, thankfully."

Benge said he's still a little sore, but is feeling better than he did in Friday's series opener. And who could blame him?

In the third inning, Benge made a feet-first slide into the left field corner at PNC Park. Benge stuck his glove out and caught the ball, but jammed his wrist against the wall. Benge was hunched over for a few seconds before finishing up the half-inning. 

Benge said he knew something didn't feel right, but after about 10 seconds the pain went away and he was able to finish. But once he got back to the dugout, the adrenaline was gone and he felt the pain again. The Mets then pulled Benge from the game and the X-rays after came back negative.

"He’s in a good spot. He has a bone bruise, don’t believe it’s significant," interim manager Andy Green said Saturday. "We’re going to let him breathe today, see where he’s at tomorrow. Make determinations on how quickly we can get him back. We do believe at this point in time we’ve avoided an IL stint. That can change once he starts hitting again and feels it more, but we expect him to be in a good spot in a day or so." 

Benge was already 2-for-2 with a pair of RBI before he was pulled and has picked up his offense of late.

Over his last 15 games, Benge is slashing .328/.371/.517 with two home runs and eight RBI. 

So while he wants to be in the lineup, he understands he can still help the team in other ways.

"I always want to be in there every single day…I feel like this isn’t going to be something that’s going to take me a long time to come back from," Benge said. "Everyone plays a part, no matter who it is; if you're on the bench, just being a good teammate. Everyone feeds off each other. Being able to pick up on that is pretty big."

Carson Benge makes the catch at the wall and gets the out! 😱 pic.twitter.com/gaS5jMgp2O

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 8, 2026

Earlier today, the Mets added Gabriel Arias to the big league roster. The newest Met will wear number 25, which was most recently worn by the since-traded Brooks Raley. To make room on the roster, the club sent Eric Wagaman down to Syracuse.

The Mets claimed Arias off waivers from Cleveland on Friday after his former club designated for assignment earlier this week. The 26-year-old has appeared in parts of five seasons for the Guardians and has experience at all four infield positions, making him a versatile option for New York. In 42 games this year before being DFA’ed, he hit .244/.284/.386 with five home runs, 13 runs scored, an 84 wRC+, and 0.5 fWAR.

Wagaman has been on the big league roster since being recalled to replace Juan Soto when the team’s star was placed on the IL back on July 26. However, he has only appeared in two big league games since then, going 1-for-3 in the team’s 1-0 loss to the Braves back on July 29 and picking up a hit and a run in two at-bats in the team’s 13-6 win over the Guardians on August 6. Wagaman is hitting .190/.277/.333 with a 74 wRC+ and -0.1 fWAR in 23 games for New York this season.

Friday, the Cubs got an excellent outing from one of their new starting pitcher acquisitions, Kevin Gausman.

Today, they will hope to get another such start from Clay Holmes, who was acquired from the Mets Monday. Holmes was activated from the 60-day injured list and added to the 26-man active roster to make the start against the Royals Saturday evening.

To make room for Holmes on the active roster, Braxton Garrett was optioned to Triple-A Iowa. Garrett was acquired from the Marlins in a deadline deal and had been added to the active roster Thursday, but did not appear in a game. Garrett is coming off Tommy John surgery and has not appeared in a major league game this year. The consensus is that Garrett will compete for a rotation spot in 2027.

The Cubs’ 40-man roster is now full, and as always, we await developments.

How bad are the Los Angeles Dodgers right now? Let us count the ways.

Los Angeles has now dropped seven consecutive games, which coincides with the team making a huge acquisition in pitcher supreme Tarik Skubal.

This streak is the longest since the team dropped seven in a row back in July 2025. As a reminder, the Blue Crew lost 11 consecutive games in September 2017. But there is no way this iteration of the team can slide so far, right?

With so much promise on the mound and stars in the lineup, the Dodgers look perfectly inoculated from such a slump. But let's diagnose the issues from least troublesome to most glaring.

Dodgers slump: Panic time for Dodgers? Losing streak reaches 7 after Edwin Diaz blows save