Category: MLB

Good morning, folks…it appears I’m doing the links today…

The Texas Rangers beat the Washington Nationals last night by a score of 5-0.

Evan Grant’s game story talks about the Rangers being more aggressive on the basepaths in an effort to kickstart a somnolent offense.

Taylor Sheridan, creator of “Yellowstone,” threw out the first pitch before yesterday’s game.

Prior to the game, the Rangers activated catcher Danny Jansen from the injured list.

The Rangers also had positive updates on Jacob deGrom, Jack Leiter and Josh Jung.

Kennedi Landry writes that it is crunchtime for the Rangers after their unpleasant road trip.

Evan Grant looks at why the recent skid has the Rangers in a difficult spot.

Sebastian Walcott is expected to play in the field this season, not just DH, with the question being whether that will be in AA, AAA or the majors, and someone owes Jared Sandler an apology.

MLB Pipeline runs down some prospects who could be called up to the majors in the near future, with Walcott being included on the list.

The Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Mansfield’s Miracle League Field.

Oswaldo Pirela, former Ranger minor leaguer and current San Diego Padres minor league catching instructor, was detained by ICE in El Paso as part of the federal government’s crackdown on the scourge of minor league baseball coaches.

Detroit Tigers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, August 19, 2026, 12:35 p.m. ET

The Pittsburgh Pirates are finishing off their home stand with a Wednesday matinee contest against the Detroit Tigers at PNC Park.

Paul Skenes is getting the ball for the Pirates after the team scratched him from his start on Sunday against the Boston Red Sox. The Pirates opted to run a bullpen game to give Skenes more rest in hopes of fixing his recent struggles. Skenes has been winless in each of his last four starts and only pitched five innings, giving up five hits and one earned run in his last appearance on August 11 against the Miami Marlins on the road. Perhaps a return to PNC Park will help his chances at getting back on track.

The Tigers are handing the ball to Jaxson Jobe, who, like Skenes, was a former top prospect. Jobe has only made two starts for the Tigers this season, replacing Tarik Skubal in the rotation after he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the beginning of the month.

Jobe underwent Tommy John surgery and missed most of the 2025 campaign and 2026, but he is healthy and ready to go. It’s been a slow start for Jobe, who gave up nine hits, six runs, and 3.20 ERA in his last start on August 14 against the Chicago White Sox. He also pitched five innings of one-hit, scoreless baseball in his 2026 debut on August 8 against the San Francisco Giants.

Location: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA

Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh

Pitching Matchup: Jackson Jobe (1-1, 6.23 ERA) vs. Paul Skenes (9-11, 3.88 ERA)

BD community, chime off in the comments section below.

The Guardians desperately needed an offensive spark, so they sent a request for an Angel in their infield who has worked out incredibly well so far.

Angel Genao, coming back a year removed from a shoulder injury, put up a 133 wRC+ with a .300/.401/.474 slashline and 16.2/14.3 K/BB% playing short, third and second base in the minors before getting the call-up. He had a 45.2% hard-hit rate, a 7.3% swinging-strike rate, a 25.6% chase rate, a 92% zone contact rate (82% contact rate overall) and a 22%/56%/22% line drive/ground ball/fly ball rate.

In the small sample size of 11 games, Genao’s skills as a hitter have translated well. He has a 150 wRC+ with a .324/.405/.459 slashline, and a 7.1/9.5% K/BB%. His metrics match up well, also, with a 50% hard-hit rate, a 6.9% swinging strike rate, a 30.4% chase rate, a 91% zone contact rate (85% contact rate overall) and a 18%/58%/24% line drive/groundball/flyball rate. He’s also looked solid in the field mostly at second and third base in limited opportunities.

This is an exciting start, but, of course, we have seen Travis Bazzana start his first month with a 148 wRC+, Bo Naylor put up a 199 wRC+ during his third month, Angel Martinez a 111 wRC+ during his first six weeks, and Kyle Manzardo a 147 wRC+ in his second month. While plenty of hope remains for all three to find their way as big league hitters (especially Bazzana) all have struggled as the league began to adjust their pitching attack with further information from analyzing their limited success periods. The big question for any hitter is how they will adapt and adjust to the league “getting a book on them.” What should we believe about Genao’s ability to make these adjustments?

First, one big deal for Genao is his age. Bazzana, Manzardo and Naylor were each 23 for their first stints, and Martinez was 22. Genao is also 22 but 4 months younger than Martinez was during his first stint, and, obviously, outperforming his Angel counterpart so far. It’s a really big deal to be this young and demonstrating a mature approach at the plate. Genao’s .333 BABIP doesn’t seem at all unusual given his speed (fastest sprint speed on the team with Petey Halpin), and his .343 xwOBA so far is under his .384 wOBA but still excellent. His chase rate is elevated, but not alarmingly so, and he will have a chance to lower it as he gets used to the shapes and velocities of major league quality pitches, while, so far, his ability to avoid strikeouts and take walks have shown a promising ability to translate.

Soon, we will see major league pitchers begin to test how much they can get Genao to expand the zone and see what he will do with a steady diet of pitches on the outer half of the zone (as they have done in pounding Bazzana). Genao will have to be willing to chase less and to poke some pitches outside to the opposite field in order to earn himself pitches middle-in where his exit velocities will be best. Teams will also get a good sense of where to position their infielders optimally to make plays on the tremendous amount of groundballs Genao hits, and he will need to start elevating at least a small percentage of those into line drives to compensate. But, again, nothing in his profile indicates he isn’t capable of making these kind of adjustments. Instead, he looks like the kind of young hitter every team dreams of finding and giving run.

Where Genao eventually plays is certainly an open question. Does he bump Travis Bazzana to left field? Or first base? Does he supplant Brayan Rocchio and move the fielding savant to a utility role (and would Rocchio take better to that challenging role than Gabriel Arias did)? Would the team consider testing Genao’s elite speed and cannon arm in a centerfield role? All open questions, but if Genao can continue to develop and sustain what he is doing as a hitter, a starting role will be found somewhere and the Guardians may have finally found their next star switch-hitting infielder.

One of the most exciting things about the remainder of the 2026 season will be seeing what our newest Guardian Angel does with the opportunities afforded him with the big league club. Here’s to hoping we have the answer to our prayers in this latest rookie to descend on our baseball team.

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The red-hot Philadelphia Phillies are priced as -122 moneyline favorites tonight against the Miami Marlins as they look to complete the sweep. 

Philly has historically swung it well vs Sandy Alcantara, which has my Marlins vs. Phillies predictions confidently backing the hosts. 

Read more in my MLB picks for Wednesday, August 19. 

Who will win Marlins vs Phillies today: Phillies (-126)

Miami Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara isn’t in bad form, posting a 3.67 FIP across the last month. However, the Philadelphia Phillies have historically had success against him.

Across a whopping 324 at-bats, the Phillies are batting .299 vs. the right-hander.Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, and Alec Bohm are all raking against Alcantara, and the Phillies also have a 122 wRC+ across their last six contests.

Aaron Nola, meanwhile, has started to calm down lately. The right-hander sports a 3.38 xERA over his previous two outings while holding opponents to a 4.3% barrel rate.

The Phillies have the clear offensive edge, and Nola’s recent form gives them stability on the mound.

Play this pick up to -140.

COVERS INTEL: Alcantara has had issues on the road this season, compiling a 4.44 FIP. At home, his FIP sits at 3.04. That vulnerability gives Philly another advantage. 

Marlins vs Phillies Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (-121)

I’m eyeing runs tonight. The Marlins are also in respectable offensive form, carrying a 100 wRC+ over the last two weeks. While the Phillies’ pen has been dominant, Nola is never untouchable, and his numbers at home aren't elite. 

As for Miami’s relief corps, it is incredibly shaky at the moment, posting a 5.07 FIP over its last 24.2 frames while allowing 1.46 HR/9. That gives the Phillies a chance to tack on more runs when Alcantara exits.

If the Phillies produce offensively as I expect, the Marlins will not need to chip in much to push this one Over 8.5.

Play this pick up to -130.

Marlins vs Phillies home run prediction: Kyle Schwarber (+238)

Kyle Schwarber has clubbed two home runs in his last six games, and over the last week, he owns a 44.4% hard-hit rate and 16.7% barrel rate.

More importantly, his average launch angle during that span sits at 24.3 degrees. Schwarber is consistently getting lift on the baseball, with a 55.6% fly-ball rate over the previous seven days.

Schwarber has never homered against Alcantara, but his track record against him is respectable, and the righty has allowed 1.30 HR/9 on the road. The Marlins’ pen has also allowed a 41.4% hard-hit rate and plenty of homer damage lately.

Play this pick down to +200.

Marlins vs Phillies weather

Weather in Philadelphia looks clean tonight, with partly cloudy skies and temperatures falling from 85 degrees around 6 p.m. ET to 78 by 9 p.m. Winds are light, dropping from about 7 mph to 3-4 mph, and rain chances sit at just 1%. Warm conditions could slightly help carry, but weather should not be a major factor.

Marlins vs Phillies odds

• Moneyline: Marlins +117 | Phillies -122
• Run line: Marlins +1.5 (-178) | Phillies -1.5 (+163)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-117) | Under 8.5 (+113)

Marlins vs Phillies trend

The Philadelphia Phillies have hit the Moneyline in their last 5 games (+5.00 Units / 60% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Marlins vs. Phillies.

How to watch Marlins vs Phillies and game info

Marlins vs Phillies 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.

Fernando Tatis Jr. hit one of the more majestic home runs of the season for the San Diego Padres in the first inning of their Tuesday night showdown with the New York Mets. The mammoth 452-foot shot to left center put San Diego up 1-0, but it won’t be the play anyone remembers most from the game. That’s because Tatis Jr. made a web gem for the ages one inning later that saved so many more runs.

The New York Mets loaded the bases for star shortstop Francisco Lindor in the second inning, and he mashed a pitch on the outer edge of the plate down the right field line for a deep fly ball. It looked like it was going to be a grand slam, but Tatis had other plans. He jumped, reached over the wall, and came away with the third out of the inning in his glove.

Tatis’ reaction after the catch was even better. Watch the play here:

When Tatis landed with the ball in his glove, he hit an absolutely perfect pose that looked like a pro wrestler after a finisher. No notes.

The Padres beat the Mets, 5-2, to keep their wild card hopes alive. San Diego is two up on the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final spot in the NL playoff picture entering Wednesday’s action.

Tatis seemed quite proud of his catch. He posted this GIF on Twitter after the game.

Honestly, he looked exactly like that. The baseball playoffs are better when the Padres are involved, because Tatis is a must-see star even if this hasn’t been his best season by the numbers. His flair for the dramatic is always there, and San Diego can hope he’s just started to peak at the right time.

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It was a clean sweep here yesterday as the pitching board was as clear as glass. I'm looking to keep that heater rolling into an all-day slate loaded with pitcher predictions and MLB player props.

Chris Bassitt's strikeout market is moving to the Over for a reason. Sandy Alcantara's 100-pitch leash is perfect for his plus-money Over, and Drew Rasmussen's short leash has me reaching for a plus-money Under prop.

These are my favorite MLB pitcher props for Wednesday, Aug. 19.

Best MLB strikeout props and starting pitcher picks today

Player	Pick	Odds
Chris Bassitt	Over 4.5 strikeouts	+105
Sany Alcantara	Over 4.5 strikeouts	+127
Drew Rasmussen	Under 17.5 outs	+150

Strikeout prop: Chris Bassitt Over 4.5 strikeouts (+105)

The market is moving on Chris Bassitt’s Over Ks prop, and deservedly so. Bassitt rejoined the rotation off the IL in his last start and went 88 pitches against the Rays, so he is fully stretched out and ready for one of the best strikeout matchups in baseball.

The Yankees are the highest K% team in baseball this summer. In August, their 27.2% K% paces the league, and Bassitt has a solid track record against this lineup from his time with the Blue Jays.

Last season, Bassitt faced the Yankees four times and struck out 25 over 23-plus innings with a solid 1.141 WHIP. His strikeout stuff has dropped this year, but he was a K-per-inning pitcher during his rehab and can get to five Ks in 18 outs today with a 90-plus-pitch leash.

The K% matchup is what gets this across the line, and the 5.23 Ks projected on 91 pitches puts the fair price all the way at -150.

• Time: 6:35 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MLB Network

Strikeout prop: Sandy Alcantara Over 4.5 strikeouts (+127)

Sandy Alcantara is averaging 100.3 pitches per start over his last 10 games and has gone beyond 18 outs in 70% of those. His projections show value on the Under today, but that's based on a 92-pitch projection that could be short by 10 pitches.

The Miami starter's strikeout stuff is the same on the road as at home and better against lefties than righties. Since the start of June, Alcantara is 10-4 to the Over on this prop, but the real chase here is that plus money. He's also faced Philadelphia twice this year and gone Over in both games, allowing just two earned runs over 13 innings.

There aren't a ton of angles here other than the longest-leashed pitcher in baseball with a great price and a profitable record.

This is a bet to +105.

• Time: 6:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NBCSP, Marlins.TV

Pitcher out prop: Drew Rasmussen Under 17.5 outs (+150)

Drew Rasmussen is a great pitcher, but he's a great pitcher with an 88-pitch leash over his last 10 games and has seen the Blue Jays three times this season. He's hit the Over at a 61% clip over the last three months but is priced at 66% probable today in a matchup that should be tougher than average.

The Jays don't strike out a lot and can run up pitch counts. Yesterday, I faded Nick Martinez in a similar spot at plus money for a winner, and I'm going back to the well today. The Rays also used just two bullpen arms yesterday, so there are plenty of fresh arms available to cover the fifth and sixth innings.

I'd play this down to +120. Rasmussen has thrown more than 90 pitches just four times over his last 10 starts, and this lineup is very familiar with him.

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Rays.TV, Sportsnet

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The lineups are out for Wednesday afternoon’s getaway day game between the Atlanta Braves and the Minnesota Twins. If the Braves are going to get out of this mini-funk that they’re currently in, then they’re planning on doing it with most of the familiar faces.

Here’s today’s lineup for Atlanta:

Dominic Smith is making his first start of the series in the series finale and he’ll be the third different player to serve as DH during this series, as Ronald Acuña Jr. took on the role in the series opener and Drake Baldwin got the nod in the middle matchup. Meanwhile, Jim Jarvis returns to the lineup at shortstop, which means that Mauricio Dubón will be starting this game on the bench. Outside of that, everybody’s in their usual spots both in the field and in the lineup.

We’ll update this post once the Twins reveal their lineup but for now, how are we feeling about the lineup today? Let’s see some runs this afternoon, please.

It just keeps on going. The Cubs complete another walk-off win. Consecutive walk-off wins, consecutive PCA lead-off homers. I could get used to this. That’s 13 of them and that ties 1932 and 2015 for the second most in franchise history (14 in 1930). I keep seeing echoes of that 2015 season. That’s a really special season for what it was and what it led to. I’d be over the moon if this season is either part of or a bridge to the next Cub championship. But it won’t tarnish the fun that this summer has been. The walk-offs. The further ascendency of Pete to baseball royalty. A really gutsy trade deadline. So much to love this season. (Even if those trade deadline moves have so far produced uneven, at best, results.)

Before we dissect another fun win, let’s rewind a bit. There is a lag now between the WPA numbers I see at the time I’m writing and what is there when Al edits and posts what I write. So it is hard for me to put in perspective the season long implications of a WPA score. That is doubly true with extra-inning games. When the ghost runner became a thing, it broke the standard WPA calculators. I’m not a coder, so I don’t understand why there isn’t some “easy” fix for that runner. But the initial numbers always get confused as to how that baserunner is there. I’m imagining some casual fans are too, right? Trying to understand why baseball changes its rules at the end. I mean hockey and football also have different rules in their overtime. So it’s not insane. But still. It’ll always be weird to me.

Nico Hoerner’s .797 WPA for the Monday night game was indeed the highest WPA score of the season. Noting back to the prior paragraph, it originally posted over the .800 mark. As we get into that rare air, when was the last higher score by a Cub? In 2018, the Cubs produced two scores higher. One is essentially impossible in the modern game. Who remembers Eddie Butler? I remember him throwing a ball to my daughter in spring training of 2017. On March 30, 2018 Butler threw seven innings of one run ball. In relief. That one run? It lost the Cubs the game 2-1.

But that wasn’t even the highest WPA score of that season. That belongs to the ultimate WPA event. On August 12, 2018 David Bote batted with the bases loaded and two outs, the Cubs down three. He hit an ultimate grand slam, flipping a 3-0 loss to a 4-3 win. As it was pinch hitting, his WPA game score was the whole .901 event. That nudged out Butler’s .898.

One other fun WPA note. They tweak it. All of the time. I assume between seasons, but I’m not really sure. While the Butler game was .898 at the time I recorded it, it’s a mere .850 now. As they tweak it, it effects what you’ll see on a site like baseball reference. David Bote’s now shows as .904. So even a little more remarkable with time. That’s the ultimate event score. In theory, you could register a game score over 1.000. If you kept getting clutch hits and your pitching kept giving it up, you could amass a lot of WPA. An easy example for Cub fans is the “Sandberg game.” Homer to tie it in the ninth, homer to tie it in the 10th, five hits and seven RBI in total. That was a 1.088 WPA game.

So needless to say, Nico’s game was an almost once in a decade WPA score. If you said that PCA absolutely HAD to be the Player of the Game, I think you probably are underselling Nico’s game. I always hesitate to tell someone their opinion is wrong. But if you don’t see the two of those as 1 and 1a for the game, you are probably under valuing Nico a bit.

For this game, Tuesday night, Alex Bregman appears to have checked in with the fourth highest WPA score of the year. Alex isn’t what he once was as a player. We’re talking about a guy who was a real decisive offensive force in the game for a while. He’s not that anymore. But his defense is exceptional, guys who are often credited as leaders on this team look to him for leadership and the bat is slowly coming around to be pretty darn productive. I tend to like hitters who were first round picks and have been All-Stars before. Even when you get them in the twilight of their career. To be fair, I don’t think Alex (or Dansby Swanson) have reached their twilight. But, I love guys like them, because they don’t shy from the big moment. To use basketball language, they used to be the guy who hit the shot. Granted almost all of these guys were THAT guy in high school. But I think it is something different when you’ve done it on the biggest stage. I’ve seen Dansby be in a horrid slump, stand in with the game on the line and have a super high quality plate appearance. And now I’m seeing Bregman do it. Obviously, if you could get an army of this year’s Pete Crow-Armstrongs, you’d do that. I mean, how fun would it be to see him playing all over the diamond. But seriously, you grab in their prime stars when you can. But guys who have well rounded skillsets and aren’t one foot into retirement yet are pretty darn valuable too.

My last narrative of the game is going to be about Javier Assad. Can a player both be overrated and underrated? I think Cub fans tend to over rate Javier. The Cubs know he’s a valuable piece but also one that can be overexposed if he’s given a very long leash. Non Cub fans probably significantly under rate Javy. That guy has accepted every role they’ve given to him and he’s clearly pouring his heart out with every appearance. There aren’t many guys on the team that I want to see succeed more than him. I can’t think of too many guys in recent years who have gotten more of a percentage of their possible production than him. The last one I can think of was the run Albert Almora Jr. got on for a while until he was ultimately overexposed. And he didn’t do it for as long as Assad has. I truly don’t believe you could hand him a major role and have it work. But he’s really excelled in two long stretches over different seasons for this organization. I love that he’s under control for at least one more year. He’s so valuable in that utility role.

One last, last note. Jacob Webb. He threw a scoreless ninth to set up the heroics. There he is collecting both wins in this series. Between Webb and Michael Conforto, they’ve really carried last off-season’s acquisition class. Oh heck, why don’t I give everyone a hat tip. This is a good handful of huge runs I can remember Kevin Alcántara scoring for this team. The bat hasn’t worked yet, but the wheels play.

Three Positives:

• Sure, why not sneak in another one here. One at bat for Carson Kelly, he doubles and scores the winning run off of the bench. I was a little scared with a catcher running on a line drive single with the outfielder charging it.
• Pete Crow-Armstrong, just the one hit. But leading off the game with a homer is a big deal. He did draw two walks, though one was intentional. He had to start picking up intentional walks eventually.
• I’m going to give a little love to Michael Busch here too. He had a solo homer in the first off of a lefty. He added a walk. He missed two homers by maybe 10 total feet on Monday. Feels like he’s getting the power stroke going for the stretch run. Sure would love to see him get on a heater.

As is always the case in a one-run win, there are a number of guys who played a key role in the win. I think I hit most of them somewhere along the way.

Game127, August 18: Cubs 4, White Sox 3 (74-53)

Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Alex Bregman (.537). 2-5, 2 RBI
• Hero: Javier Assad (.214). 3 IP, 10 BF, 2 H, 2 K
• Sidekick: Carson Kelly (.173). 1-1, 2B, R

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Seiya Suzuki (-.289). 0-5
• Goat: Kevin Gausman (-.129). 4.1 IP, 7 H, 2 BB, 3 R, 5 K
• Kid: Pedro Ramirez (-.112). 1-4

WPA Play of the Game: Alex Bregman’s walk-off single in the ninth inning. (.390) For the second straight night, the same Cub was responsible for the two biggest plays of the game. His game-tying single in the seventh was the second. (.233)

White Sox Play of the Game: Tristran Peters doubled with a runner on second and one out in the fourth, giving the Sox the lead. (.125)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 126 Winner: Pete Crow-Armstrong received 84 of 115 votes.

Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)

The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.

• Pete Crow-Armstrong +30
• Alex Bregman +22
• Shōta Imanaga +14
• Trent Thornton/Carson Kelly +13.5
• Phil Maton -10
• Edward Cabrera -12.5
• Jameson Taillon -13
• Dansby Swanson -17
• Caleb Thielbar -19.5

Notes: Javier Assad is now sixth at +12 and Seiya Suzuki is next on the negative at -9.

Scoreboard Watching: Phillies win (five back). Diamondbacks lose (eight back). Padres win (six back). Braves lose (even). Brewers win (4.5 up). Dodgers win (two up). So, at least for one day, there are only three teams in baseball with better records than the Cubs and one of those is the Rays in the AL, just one ahead. Regardless of what you think of them, this Cub team isn’t going away. They are on a 94-win pace. 94 probably doesn’t win the division.

Up Next: An afternoon game Wednesday as the Cubs go for a sweep. It was fortunate catching the White Sox at the back of their rotation while the Cubs were in good position. We’ll take it. Clay Holmes (5-5, 2.56) starts for the Cubs. His last Wrigley start was awesome. One hit, one walk over 6.2 innings against the Cardinals. It’ll be interesting to see how he bounces back from that. Sean Newcomb will be the opener for the Sox, followed by José Urquidy as the “bulk guy.” Urquidy is 1-1 with an 8.10 ERA and was the bulk pitcher behind an opener last time through. He threw 3.2 innings against the Tigers and picked up a win in doing so. He hadn’t actually started games at the major league level since 2023 with the Astros. There’s no way he’s fully stretched. The Sox bullpen isn’t crazy taxed out of these first two games though, getting good work from the main pitcher in each game.

Get greedy and finish the sweep. Deliver the bitter pill to a pesky young team and worry about them in a year or two as they develop.

The DSL Braves season has come to a close. On paper it wasn’t a good year at just 16-39, but this was the strongest DSL Braves roster we have seen in at least a decade – particularly on the hitter side of things. This article will highlight some of the successes and failures of the team’s season, as well as picking the team’s hitter and pitcher of the year.

DSL Hitter of the Year: Sherrintely Da Costa Gomez, OF

This ended up being a pretty easy choice after Sherrintely Da Costa Gomez slashed .248/.409/.440 with five homers and seven steals over 44 games played in his age-17 season. The main competitors for this were Jorwin Pulido (promoted after 22 games), Starlyn De La Cruz (injured after 16 games), and Edelson Cabral (his stat line fell off a bit towards the end of his first professional season). SDCG filled the box score all year, recording five doubles, two triples, 30 RBI, and 33 walks, which helped him be selected to the All Star Game. Really the only area of question was the fact he struck out 56 times over 164 plate appearances. He led the Braves in homers, RBI, and slugging percentage among qualified players. Sherrintely is looking like a possible steal, signing for just $250k this year – making him the 8th most expensive signing in this year’s Braves class.

DSL Pitcher of the Year: Martires Polanco, RHP

While the DSL pitching staff struggled this year, to put it mildly, Martires Polanco was a revelation. Sure he is already 19-years-old and pitching in the DSL, but this kid has potentially plus grades on both his fastball and slider, and he is only in his first professional season – so I wouldn’t look at him in the same lens as an older player who puts up big DSL stats while repeating the league. Polanco posted a 2.89 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 14.0 K/9, and 4.3 H/9 over 37.1 innings in his 10 starts and made the All Star Game. The only red flag with him is he also walked 6.8 per nine innings, suggesting that the control is going to need to be worked on as he moves up. Polanco did have some competition for this spot, as 17-year-old Cesar Navarro posted a slightly better ERA (2.47) and WHIP (1.20) over more innings (47.1) – though he only struck out 6.8 per nine. Polanco technically signed last year, but not until mid-December, for an undisclosed amount – which usually means a smaller sized bonus, while Navarro cost $80k.

Hitting

This was one of the most fun DSL lineups we have seen in a long time, though the lineup looked very different at the end of the season as injuries started to add up and a promotion occurred. Still it was a positive year for most of the Braves top international signees. We already got into Sherrintely Da Costa Gomez, but the top three signings this year were shortstop Jose Manon ($1.5M), outfielder Starlyn De La Cruz ($1.2M), and infielder Edelson Cabral ($600k). Manon slashed .302/.400/.396 with one homer, seven doubles, and 19 steals as he walked 14 times to 22 strikeouts over 125 plate appearances – but his season ended on July 16th due to injury.

Starlyn was off to an insane start, slashing .300/.500/.560 with two doubles, a triple, two homers, and nine steals to go with his 14 walks and 14 strikeouts in 64 plate appearances – but his season ended due to injury on June 23rd. Cabral made it the whole season and hit .236/.397/.344 with three doubles, four triples, two homers, 13 steals, and 39 walks to 41 strikeouts over 204 plate appearances.

Though Cabral actually saw his numbers dip from an .849 OPS on July 27th after slashing just .036/.333/.107 over his last 42 plate appearances. It’s less of a concern and probably more of a 17-year-old in hitting a wall in his first professional season, especially considering he didn’t even turn 17 until July.

Beyond the big three signees and the emergence of Sherrintely, a couple more first year guys stood out. Catcher Jorwin Pulido hit .324/.402/.437 with six doubles and a triple with 10 walks to only five strikeouts in 87 plate appearances. His time here was cut short because he earned a promotion to the FCL, something the Braves almost never do for a player in his first pro season, let alone for a 17-year-old. Then there was catcher Jose Nelo, who came on late and slashed .296/.392/.428 with 12 doubles and three homers to go with 25 walks and 37 strikeouts in his 189 plate appearances. Pulido was signed for $350k, while Nelo was a $50k signing this year.

Among the other six-figure bonus players were Osmar Torrealba ($400k), Durban Arnedo ($275k), Elioberto Mondesir ($197.5k), and Luis Fortunato ($150k). Fortunato had the best year of this group, slashing .265/.392/.302 with four extra base hits, followed by Mondesir’s .221/.345/.287 with seven extra base hits. Torrealba (.449 OPS) and Arnedo (.468 OPS) both struggled in their pro debuts, but Arnedo did reportedly have some flashes of his talent.

In terms of guys repeating the league the Braves third, fourth, and fifth most expensive signings from the 2025 class were all back. Angel Carmona, who received $447.5k last year, was the most anticipated, but he didn’t see game action as he spent the entire season on the restricted list after a .827 OPS in 20 games here last year. Outfielder Elias Reyno, a $297.5k signing, went from slashing .178/.397/.271 here last year to posting a line of .208/.406/.292 in 10 games before being promoted to the FCL. The former Yassel Garcia, now Yassel Pena, who signed for $247.5k and posted a .686 OPS here a year ago would slash .246/.424/.336 with a homer among his eight extra base hits. It is worth noting that Pena played exclusively at third last year, and this year he played mostly first base with five games at third and one in left field – though he still had the speed to steal 13 bags in 17 attempts.

Among other players who flashed something were 17-year-old outfielder Luis Consoro (.665 OPS), and 18-year-old outfielder Elisandro Ramirez, who was repeating the league. Ramirez saw his OPS jump from .663 to .836 this year, posting an OPS mark above .915 in both July and August, though he played only 20 combined games in those months. Consoro didn’t sign and make his debut until mid-July, but did show some speed and on base ability in the 19 games he spent here.

Pitching

It’s safe to say that things were a mess here, as the 23 pitchers and three position players used this year combined to pitch to an 7.41 ERA and 1.90 WHIP. Out of the 13 guys who pitched 10+ innings, only five had an ERA below 5.04 – a number that includes one 21-year-old in a league that is filled with 16-18 year-olds. Things are usually bleak in terms of the quality of DSL pitching, but this staff struggled more than most. Polanco and Navarro were the two most productive arms, but two more first year pitchers also had good seasons. Jesus Cova, an 18-year-old, pitched to a 3.07 ERA and 0.96 WHIP with 7.7 K/9 over 29.1 innings, while 17-year-old Geowin Gomez had a 3.09 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and 7.9 K/9 over 32 innings.

Gomez was actually a reliever who only made two starts among his 11 appearances, but based on his innings total might get a shot at starting in the future. The fifth guy with a strong year was Charlis Medina, who while also in his first year is a 21-year-old. Medina put up a 3.76 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 10.6 K/9 over 40.2 innings.

Among the other players who posted a strikeout rate of better than 9.0 per nine were three relievers in 17-year-old Giovanni Medina (6.08 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 10.6 K/9), 17-year-old Diego Ramirez (9.49 ERA, 2.51 WHIP, 9.5 K/9), and 18-year-old league repeater Ernesto Meza (5.04 ERA, 1.76 WHIP, 9.4 K/9).

The only two pitchers who signed for $100K+ this year were Jonathan Hechavarria and Efrailin Caminero, and neither was able to do much. Hechavarria, who signed for $340k, didn’t pitch at all this year due to injury, while Caminero, who got $150k, went 0.2 innings over three relief appearances and walked eight guys.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers picked up high-scoring victories in each of their first two games against the Colorado Rockies, and I'm expecting a similar formula from the -200 favorites tonight.

Their offense is well-positioned to score early and often against Kyle Freeland, which is why I'm targeting the road team to win by a margin with my Dodgers vs. Rockies predictions and MLB picks on Wednesday, Aug. 19.

Who will win Dodgers vs Rockies today: Dodgers -1.5 (-125)

Roki Sasaki has posted a 3.5 xERA or better in six of his last seven starts, with the lone exception coming against the league-leading Milwaukee Brewers.

His strikeouts are up, his hard-hit rate is down, and he’s held opponents to a 28.6% fly-ball rate over the last month. That will play well at Coors, where keeping the ball on the ground is crucial.

The Los Angeles Dodgers scored 18 runs over the first two games of this series, and should provide Sasaki with all the support needed against Kyle Freeland and a bad Colorado Rockies bullpen.

Play the RL to -135.

COVERS INTEL:Freeland sits in the ninth percentile in barrel rate, which is a recipe for disaster in favorable hitting conditions at Coors.

Dodgers vs Rockies Over/Under pick: Over 11.5 (+105)

The Dodgers have averaged nine runs over the first two games of the series, and I trust them to do some serious lifting for the total in this one.

Freeland has gotten crushed by quality offenses all season long. He has posted an abysmal 10.85 ERA and allowed 2.91 HR/9 over seven starts vs. Top-10 offenses in ISO against left-handed pitching.

The Colorado Rockies are a very good offense at home — it’s hard not to be — and they won’t need to score much to push this total Over.

Play to -115.

Dodgers vs Rockies home run prediction: Andy Pages (+365)

Andy Pages is a beast against left-handed pitching, hitting .288 with a .252 ISO and eye-popping .911 OPS in the split.

He not only draws a lefty tonight, but a poor one at that. Freeland has bled power to righties, ranking in the fifth percentile in xSLG and 11th percentile in HR/9. The matchup is about as good as it gets.

When you factor in that this game will be played at Coors, with the environment projected to provide a 26% boost to homers, and it’s hard not to get excited about Pages in this spot.

I’d back him to +340.

Dodgers vs Rockies weather

With temperatures comfortably in the 80s, the hitting conditions will be very favorable at Coors.

Dodgers vs Rockies odds

• Moneyline: Dodgers -200 | Rockies +165
• Run line: Dodgers -1.5 (-125) | Rockies +1.5 (+105)
• Over/Under: Over 11 (-120) | Under 11 (+100)

Dodgers vs Rockies trend

Colorado has hit the Game Total Over in 14 of the last 21 games (+6.10 units, 26% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Dodgers vs. Rockies.

How to watch Dodgers vs Rockies and game info

Dodgers vs Rockies latest injuries

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The Seattle Mariners were one game away from a trip to the World Series last season. This year, everything has fallen apart. Catcher Cal Raleigh went from baseball’s best power hitter with 60 home runs to someone with a .570 OPS this year. Raleigh’s struggles are emblematic of an entire team that just can’t seem to get right. Seattle is dead-last in baseball in runs per game (3.88), and no amount of pitching skill is going to save a team when the offense is that bad.

The Mariners were already out of the playoff race when they came to Milwaukee for a three-game series this week, but Tuesday night will be remembered as the low-point in their lost season. The mighty Brewers pounded Seattle, 22-0, in a game that was actually more embarrassing than the final score.

Seattle was only down 13-0 when third baseman Leo Rivas came on to pitch the eighth inning. He gave up nine runs in his one inning of work, but only seven of them were earned. Star outfielder Julio Rodriguez contributed the most humiliating error possible in baseball when he caught a long fly ball for the second out of the inning, and tossed it in the stands like it was the third out. Watch the video here:

If that doesn’t sum up the Mariners’ season from hell perfectly, I don’t know what does.

This is the worst mistake you can make on a baseball field, I think. There’s no excuse for not knowing how many outs there are. Obviously, Seattle was already getting blown out when this happened, and maybe it’s understandable in this situation for Rodriguez to let his mind wander. It immediately went viral, and made an awful game even worse. This is no way to be a professional, and someone as good as Rodriguez simply can’t make this error.

Larry Walker did this in 1994, and it’s still talked about.

This season has reached “sim to end” status for the Mariners. When fans think back to the disappointment of the 2026 campaign, Rodriguez throwing the ball into the stands with two outs, down 19-0 in Milwaukee, will be one of their first and worst flashbacks.