Category: MLB

Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below. Check out the previous day’s recap here.

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (58-52) lost 5-3 (BOX SCORE)

Alexander started for Sugar Land and went 4 innings allowing 3 runs. He was relieved by Weiss who allowed one unearned run over 2.1 innings. The offense got on the board in the 8th inning on a Delgado RBI double, Loperfido groundout and Whitcomb sac fly. The pen allowed one more run and the offense was quiet the rest of the way as Sugar Land fell 5-3.

Note: Teng has a 3.60 ERA in in Triple-A.

• Ray Delgado, SS: 2-for-4, R, 2B, RBI, SB
• Joey Loperfido, LF: 0-for-3, RBI, BB, SB
• Shay Whitcomb, DH: 0-for-3, RBI
• Marcus Brown, 2B: 1-for-3, R

• Jason Alexander, RHP: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• Ryan Weiss, RHP: 2.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• Kai-Wei Teng, RHP: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (50-55) lost 9-4 (BOX SCORE)

Gillis started for the Hooks and pitched well allowing 2 runs over 5.2 innings while striking out 7. The offense got on the board in the third inning on a Holy solo home run. In the 5th they scored 2 runs on a Call RBI double and Hernandez RBI single. The pen struggled allowing 7 runs as the Drillers took the lead. The offense got one back in the 8th on a Whitaker RBI single but that was it as the Hooks fell 9-4.

Note: Gillis has a 3.57 ERA this season.

• Tyler Whitaker, RF: 2-for-4, RBI
• Cameron Sisneros, 1B: 1-for-3, R, 2B, BB
• Chase Call, LF: 1-for-4, R, 2B, RBI
• Max Holy, SS: 1-for-3, R, HR, RBI, BB
• Alberto Hernandez, 3B: 1-for-3, R, RBI, BB

• Brett Gillis, RHP: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
• Hudson Leach, RHP: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
• Railin Perez, RHP: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Alejandro Torres, RHP: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 0 K
• Jose Guedez, RHP: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

A+: Asheville Tourists (34-69) lost 14-7 (BOX SCORE)

Asheville got on the board in the first inning scoring 2 runs on an error. Oakes started for Asheville and went 3 innings allowing 5 runs. The pen struggled too allowing another 7 runs as the Dash opened up a big lead. Asheville got 4 runs back in the 7th on a wild pitch, Powell groundout, Frey sac fly and Monistere RBI single. Batista added an RBI single in the 9th but the deficit was too much to overcome as Asheville fell 14-7.

Note: Thomas has a .852 OPS this season.

• Justin Thomas, RF: 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, BB
• Caden Powell, LF: 1-for-4, R, RBI, BB
• Ethan Frey, CF: 1-for-4, RBI
• Jack Moss, 1B: 0-for-3, R, RBI, 2 BB
• Nick Monistere, SS: 2-for-5, R, RBI
• Freuddy Batista, C: 1-for-3, R, RBI, 2 BB
• John Garcia, DH: 0-for-2, R, 2 BB

• Kellan Oakes, LHP: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 2 K
• Raimy Rodriguez, RHP: 0.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• Francisco Frias, RHP: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
• Colby Langford, LHP: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• DJ Newman, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 0 K

A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (53-50) won 10-9 (BOX SCORE)

The Woodpeckers got on the board in the first on a Wakefield groundout. They got 2 more runs in the third inning on a Wakefield 2 run double. Beck got the start and went 4 innings allowing 3 runs. In the 5th, Wakefield added a sac fly. The pen allowed a few runs but in the 7th, the Woodpeckers rallied for 6 runs on a Cauro hit by pitch, Flores 2 run single, Fielder RBI single and Ramirez 2 run double. The pen was able to hold on as the Woodpeckers won 10-9.

Note: Luciano has a .889 OPS in Single-A this season.

• Waner Luciano, DH: 1-for-3, 3 R, 2 BB, 3 SB
• Josh Wakefield, CF: 1-for-3, R, 2B, 4 RBI
• Carlos Cauro, 1B: 0-for-4, R, RBI
• Arturo Flores, C: 1-for-4, R, 2 RBI, BB
• Jadyn Fielder, LF: 2-for-4, R, RBI
• German Ramirez, SS: 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, SB
• Camilo Diaz, 2B: 1-for-4, R, SB
• Brandon Nigh, 3B: 1-for-4, R, SB

• Jagger Beck, RHP: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
• Ryan Mathiesen, RHP: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• John Carver, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (WIN)
• Carson Estridge, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
• Mick Uebelhor, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• Taz Butler, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (SAVE)

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: Jackson Nezuh – 7:35 CT

CC: Nolan DeVos – 7:05 CT

AV: Nick Potter – 5:30 CT

FV: TBD – 5:35 CT

Now that the dust has settled on the trade deadline and we’ve had some time to reflect on the Mets’ deals, let’s put a grade on how well they did.

Revising our priors

We discussed what the value on the Mets’ pieces was likely to be in our trade deadline primer in the week before the deadline. By and large, those assessments held up and serve as a good baseline for what the Mets should have received, with two notable exceptions.

Both Brooks Raley and A.J. Minter returned well below what was suggested in the primer, where I floated a lighter version of the Ryan Helsley deal from 2025. Upon further digging and conversations with other experts, that was far too aggressive a position. Neither Minter nor Raley rate well in either contact suppression or – more importantly – in-zone whiff generation at this juncture. Smarter teams were likely not valuing either as more than a 2nd lefty option, and the return for both players reflects that.

David Peterson to the Cubs

Mets receive:
1B Cole Mathis

News

Grade: A

This deal obviously came several weeks before the deadline, but it merits mention here as part of the Mets’ broader sell off. Peterson was absolutely terrible in New York this season, and that includes his peripherals. He was trending towards being DFA’d in order to clear room for better / more interesting / more long term-relevant arms. Somehow, the Mets managed to pull a legitimately exciting prospect in return for making Peterson available early, taking the risk on Cole Mathis’s injury history to capture the upside. Very nice move.

Freddy Peralta to the Rays

Mets receive:
2B Émilien Pitre
RHP Gary Gill Hill
OF Aidan Smith

News – Breakdown

Grade: A-

This is not a slam dunk return, but it’s a very nice one for what Peralta is. Pitre in particular has become significantly more interesting this year, improving his EVs despite no clear uptick in home run total (somewhat akin to A.J. Ewing in the minors). It’s quite possible the public consensus rankings are lagging behind a real improvement in true talent level. Aidan Smith might not be able to hit and Gary Gill Hill has an ugly ERA, but both have promising underlying traits of their own.

So again, not a robbery, but a nice package of players, and one that is indeed more valuable than what the players the Mets gave up have turned out to be for the Brewers. Not a bad place to wind up.

A.J. Minter to the Twins

Mets receive:
1B/3B Billy Amick
IF Bruin Agbayani

News – Breakdown

Grade: C

As discussed above, this return is broadly appropriate return for a reliever of A.J. Minter’s caliber. The shape of this return, however, is not something I’m a fan of. Billy Amick has far more name value than actual and isn’t actually much of a prospect. Agbayani is equivalent to your stereotypical, overslot mid-round prep pick. It’s not awful, but an interesting DSL flier (such as Jhomnardo Reyes, who was moved for 1+ years of Dean Kremer) or an intriguing traits arm (such as personal cheeseball Matt Barr) would’ve been more both better and potentially attainable.

Huascar Brazoban to the White Sox

Mets receive:
RHP Zach Franklin
RHP Gabe Davis

News – Breakdown

Grade: A-

Huascar Brazoban has not fundamentally changed as a pitcher, suggesting that his stronger top-line this year is more a small sample size aberration than a true jump. Getting a guy like Zach Franklin who has arguably better stuff and is a decade younger as well as a recently interesting college arm in Gabe Davis is a very nice move. There’s a reason the Mets linked up with the White Sox for this deal and not, say, the Dodgers or Brewers. Read into that what you will.

Brooks Raley to the Phillies

Mets receive:
RHP Luke Gabrysh
OF John Spikerman

News – Breakdown

Grade: B

As stated above, this is a fine return for what Brooks Raley is. Throw another interesting trait arm in the dev machine and let it churn, and add a gamble on an elite defender to boot.

Ben Rortvedt to the Dodgers

Mets receive:
RHP Chayce McDermott

News

Grade: A

This deal didn’t get a breakdown, but it was one of the better deals the Mets made even if it was a small magnitude one. Rortvedt is a 4th catcher the Mets’ had no utility but who is familiar with the Dodgers’ staff and clubhouse. McDermott is a few years removed from being a top pitching prospect and still has some crazy spin capacity. The Dodgers don’t have the playing time available to give McDermott the runway to iron out his control, but the Mets clearly do and he’s already up in the major league bullpen. He’ll either figure it out and become a potentially valuable relief arm or he’ll walk 8 batters per 9 and help the Mets’ tank – a win either way, and it cost nothing.

Luke Weaver to the Pirates

Mets receive:
SS Sammy Stafura

News – Breakdown

Grade: B+

Nice bit of work by the Mets here, and kudos to them for being willing to pay down some of Weaver’s contract to get a better return. Stafura has serious contact concerns that really lower the floor, but has the power, speed, and defensive abilities – as well as recent minor league performance – where you can dream on a really exciting player. He’s in the right range of prospect quality for a reliever of Weaver’s quality too.

Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor to the Cubs

Mets receive:
3B Jefferson Rojas

News – Breakdown

Grade: B

Repeating a bit of what we covered in the breakdown, Jefferson Rojas is a decently rated prospect that I suspect is overhyped publicly. There is no standout tool here, nothing exciting to hang your hat on, and guys like that often cap out as second-division regulars. This is also a broadly appropriate return for what Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor (who remains a marginal platoon bat on an expiring deal, recent HR binge notwithstanding) are. Totally fine, no real drama in either direction.

Conclusion

The overarching theme of the Mets’ deals is that they broadly aligned with the value they should have received. Yes, that value was often a bit lower than what fans might’ve expected (who can blame us for having rose colored glasses at times?), but that doesn’t change the reality of how major league teams evaluate players.

There were certainly a couple nice wins. David Peterson returned a better prospect than he had any right to. Scooping up Chayce McDermott was a tidy bit of business. The Peralta return looks good. All of these wins were either marginal or in smaller magnitude deals, however, meaning the impact on the overall grade is not huge.

It is also important to consider the broader market context, against which the Mets’ returns again look fairly reasonable. Most starters and relievers of similar quality were traded for similar packages, and the Mets’ arguably did a bit better in spots by targeting less intelligent teams. There is one notable exception, that being the Cardinals receiving at least one and likely two top-100 prospects from the Brewers in exchange for Dustin May and JoJo Romero. Now, Dustin May is a more valuable starter than either Peralta or Holmes, but it’s worth wondering if the Mets could’ve snagged one of those top-100 names (Josiah Ragsdale in particular would’ve been very exciting) by packaging one of their lefty rental relievers with a starter and routing them to Milwaukee.

Dinging the Mets because of one outlier deal this deadline is a bit unfair, particularly when we don’t know what conversations were had behind the scenes or what preferences other teams had. However, the bottom line is that the Mets did not do anything particularly creative, nor did the score any huge wins. By and large, they got what they were supposed to.

Final Grade: B

Coming home from a successful roadtrip going 6-4 against some tough competition, the Diamondbacks found themselves a couple of even tougher divisional opponents on the horizon in the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers. While the trade deadline didn’t go as most Dbacks fans had envisioned, they had to put that behind them and look ahead towards the rest of the season with as much optimism as we possibly can. This team is still a very talented group and with reinforcements on the horizon in the likes of Michael Soroka, Corbin Burnes and even Justin Martinez, the snakes would need to continue to play the same style of ball that had them go 15-10 throughout the month of July in hopes of staying in playoff contention and returning to October for the first time since their magical 2023 World Series appearance.

The Friar Split

Entering play on Monday the Diamondbacks and Padres found their season matchup tied even at 3 wins a piece, with a big 4 game set on the horizon. A series victory or even a sweep of the Padres would have been the most ideal outcome for the Snakes, splitting the series is far from the worst thing we could have asked for, as the fellas and I agreed that it might not be the most satisfying outcome, they avoided losing any ground in both the NL Wild Card race but also in the NL West standings.

There were some very good things to come from this series like Brandon Pfaadt continuing his dominant stretch or Mitch Bratt getting his first career MLB win behind a 10-Run offensive outburst, there were also some moments that were frustrating to witness like the sloppy defense (especially in Tuesday’s Game 2 defeat) or Kohl Drake failing to reach 5 innings for the third outing in a row.

Noot Noot De-boot

The Dbacks lone move from Monday’s trade deadline in Lars Nootbar got to have an impact throughout this whole series and immediately felt like he was going to fit this Dbacks scheme well and improve the team in ways that might not be the flashiest, but effective none the less.

Gabe and Brandon both mentioned that while the .200 batting average (only 10 at bats so obviously not anything to dive deep into) doesn’t appear on paper to be the most impactful, the 3 walks Nootbar worked along with the actual tape showed that Nootbar brought a refreshing approach from a DBacks hitter that we don’t really get to see outside of Geraldo Perdomo. Lars showed off his plate discipline and ability to make the pitcher really work to earn his out, especially in his first inning at-bat against Walker Buehler where he worked it full and made Buehler throw 8 pitches to him alone. The 3 of us agreed that he might not be the slugging bat that we all wanted at the deadline, if he can be a .250 hitter with an OBP around .350 or better then he will be a very solid addition to a lineup that at times has a tendency to have quick and unproductive outs that can lead to the opposing pitchers settling in and going deeper into games.

It’s A Bratt Summer

The fellas and I wanted to focus on the more positive results from this series split, and yes the big offensive outburst that saw the Dbacks spoil Casey Mize’s Padres debut and chase him before he could even finish the 4th inning, we agreed that the Player of The Game and one most deserving of praise was Mitch Bratt. Not only was this the most efficient outing in Bratt’s young MLB career (92 Pitches in his 7 IP of work), it was also his first (of hopefully many) career wins as a Major Leaguer!

The thing that was most impressive to us was the difference in fastball location in this start compared to the other starts in Mitch’s career. Brandon mentioned that his near perfect pinpoint location of his fastball helped his breaking stuff play more effectively and lead to the Padres offense being caught off guard by that low 90’s fastball multiple times, as even the Padres Manager Craig Stammen would admit to in his post game presser.

Gabe also brought up Bratt’s age (recently turned 23) and how with him being so young still, he still has so much potential to grow as a starter and this outing could be the spring board he needed to build that confidence and show himself that he has the stuff that will play at the big league level. Age is a big factor to keep in mind as young arms aren’t always going to break into the bigs on a Paul Skenes type of level and dominate, sometimes it takes them a few years to find their footing and what really works for them. Take new Dodgers lefty Tarik Skubal for example, the Kingman native’s first full season came in 2021 as a 24 year old and didn’t become a well known name to even the most casual baseball fans until his 1st CY Young season in 2024 at the age of 27. I’m not saying Bratt will be a Skubal 2.0 (Bratt doesn’t throw nearly as hard as Skubal) but just that young arms can sometimes need a year or two to really blossom into their true potential.

The Enemy in Blue

The fellas and I wrapped up our show with a look ahead as they have what could be a very important 3 game series against the NL West leading Los Angeles Avenge- uhhh I mean Dodgers come to town. Normally around this time of year we look at the divisional standings and see the Dodgers have a double digit plus lead and can basically just wrap up another divisional title for them, but this year it is not the same story. A mixture of both the Padres and Dbacks playing well alongside the Dodgers going on a season long 6-game losing streak and coming off a sweep at the hands of the Chicago Cubs, the Dbacks find themselves only 8.5 games behind the Dodgers for the NL West lead.

While the possibility of dethroning the Dodgers as NL West champions isn’t very high, it’s most definitely not zero and if there was ever a year to do it, this might be the best shot. It’s going to be a hostile environment this weekend at Chase and the matchups lean more in favor of LA, as the Dodgers not only have 2 splitter heavy starters in Roki Sasaki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto starting games 1 and 2 (The Dbacks struggles against the splitter have been well documented this year), The Dodgers also have had their way against the Mainstay Merrill Kelly in their matchups, with Merrill being 0-11 with a 5.56 ERA in 17 regular season starts against LA.

Even with a tough matchup ahead of the Snakes, Gabe believes that even if they don’t end up taking the divisional crown from LA, making the race to win the West take as much of the 162 game slate to do it could pay dividends in October as the Dodgers might not have the opportunity to rest their stars in hopes to keep them as fresh for their quest for a 3-peat.

Its A Dispatch Giveaway

We also revealed at the end of the show that the fellas and I have a special giveaway planned that includes bobbleheads, jersey giveaways, Dbacks trading cards and even a baseball bat signed by a DBacks legend and fan favorite. So make sure to stay till the end to get a sneak peak and also hear how and when to enter!

The Cincinnati Reds took down the A’s yesterday by the score of 6-5, in doing so wrapping up a series sweep at home. The win also dug them out of last place in the National League Central for the first time since the Republic of Sienna surrendered to the Florentine-Imperial army, and it clawed the club back to within 4.0 games of the final NL Wild Card spot.

They’ve won 5 of 6 series out of the gate after the All Star break. They have rediscovered the ridiculous form they had in 1-run games through the first electric month of the season. Elly De La Cruz is playing at an MVP level, Sal Stewart simply cannot miss, and the duo of Brady Singer and Rhett Lowder have gone from the afterthought 5th starters they performed like earlier in the season to viable, if not dependable upper-tier starting pitching options again. Even Tyler Stephenson has emerged as a legitimate force in the lineup again, the veteran backstop shrugging off weeks of trade rumors to blast his way back into a deserving role in the middle of the order.

The Reds are, quite simply, on a roll. All this despite being moderate sellers during this week’s trade deadline and realizing they’ll likely be without starter Hunter Greene for an extended period once again.

It is still a very imperfect club, to be sure. They’re also about to head out on a 6-game road trip, one that will test the very resolve they’ve displayed in the season’s second half thusfar.

Still, that’s a road trip where they could well find themselves with the upper hand. The Washington Nationals are up first, and they’ve stumbled to just a 2-8 record over their last 10 games while dealing starter Foster Griffin away at the deadline earlier in the week. Then, they head west to face a Chicago White Sox club that’s nominally a first place club (albeit in a sluggish AL Central), one that saw deadline addition Joey Bart hurt immediately after being acquired and who has also stumbled to just a 4-6 record out of the gate.

The Reds, as currently constructed, still aren’t a fully put together team. Thing is, there are still a ton of teams out there who can be described the very same way, yet the Reds have found a way to simply play a lot better baseball than the rest of them for several weeks in a row now. The results have been good enough to drag them back into the periphery of The Discussion, something that’s a direct byproduct of the playoff system being so damn inclusive these days.

I don’t expect this Reds club to go hang a banner this year. Let’s make that point quite clear. But if you can find a way to sneak into the playoffs at all, well, you technically have a chance to make a miracle happen, and the Reds have inched their way back to within screaming distance of the chance to do just that.

It’s been admirable, if nothing more, but the Cincinnati Reds have reeled us in just enough to break our hearts again, something that didn’t even seem on the table when they rolled into the All Star break at 9 games under .500 and buried in every standings available.

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We’re fading Texas Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi in my Orioles vs. Rangers prediction tonight - he’s struggled mightily against this Baltimore lineup over the course of his career.

The Baltimore Orioles walk into Globe Life Field as massive +133 underdogs at Polymarket, and while I think they have an opportunity to win, we’re going to keep it safe on the run line (-163).

Let’s get right into my MLB picks for Friday, Aug. 7, and try to fatten that wallet before the weekend.

Who will win Orioles vs Rangers today: Orioles +1.5 (-168)

The Baltimore Orioles have had an underwhelming season against expectations, but they’re in a solid get-right spot against Nathan Eovaldi and the Texas Rangers in a series they have to win.

Eovaldi has regressed this year, and it won’t get any easier against the Orioles, who own a .316 xBA (.447 AVG) and .386 xwOBA against him across 43 plate appearances. If you’re looking for damage, Pete Alonso is a good place to start - he’s a career 3-for-4 against the righty with a .852 xSLG.

On the other side is Shane Baz, and while he has a limited sample size against the Rangers (19 at-bats), he’s dominated, limiting the offense to a .173 xBA and .267 xSLG, which includes a 2-for-10 line between Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford.

Baz is on an absolute heater, too, allowing just five earned runs across his last 20.1 innings pitched. With the Orioles just one game back of the Wild Card, expect them to bring their best.

Looking for more plays for today? Our Colby Marchio drops his MLB moneyline picks for the entire slate tonight.

COVERS INTEL: Nathan Eovaldi has a problem with Gunnar Henderson, too. The stud shortstop is 7-for-13 with an xBA of .368 against the righty over the course of his career. If the Orioles win, he'll be the reason why.

Orioles vs Rangers Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 runs (-120)

Baz is coming off his best outing of the season against a potent Phillies offense (6.1 IP, 1 ER), and should be able to stifle the bats of the Rangers, a team he’s found tremendous success against. 

When looking at the MLB trends, it’s easy to see why the Under is a must-bet today - it’s hit in all six games when the Orioles play AL West opponents, and is 6-1 in Baltimore’s last seven road games. 

Globe Life Field is one of the most pitcher-friendly ballparks in the bigs, coughing up just 94 long balls this year - good for 21st in baseball. Let’s sweep the board before the weekend, shall we?

Orioles vs Rangers weather

Globe Life Field is a climate-controlled dome - the weather won't have any impact on playing conditions tonight.

Orioles vs Rangers odds

• Moneyline: Orioles (+129) | Rangers (-142)
• Run line: Orioles +1.5 (-168) | Rangers -1.5 (+146)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (+114) | Under 7.5 (-120)

Orioles vs Rangers trend

All signs are pointing toward the Under today - it's hit in the Rangers' last four games against the American League East, and six of seven in the Orioles' last seven road games. Find more MLB betting trends for Orioles vs. Rangers.

How to watch Orioles vs Rangers and game info

Orioles vs Rangers latest injuries

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How did the kids do?

Worcester 10, Lehigh Valley4

Remember Tommy Pham? I completely forgot that that guy was in Lehigh Valley with the Phillies. I know that they needed solid depth to help in the minors in case whatever they had at the major league level had a problem. Well, Pham homered last night, so he’s still got it apparently. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough as the pitching was bad enough (Drake Fellows: 5 2/3 IP, 6 H, 6 R) that any offense simply wasn’t going to be enough to overtake it.

Reading 6, Richmond 4
Reading 8, Richmond 3

Caleb Ricketts and Bryan Rincon had two hits a piece in game one, leading the offense to the win. Luke Russo had a solid pitching performance to help preserve a bullpen that had a doubleheader ahead of them, throwing 5 1/3 innings and only giving up four runs. In game two, the offense was a little bit better, Ricketts and Aroon Escobar have three hits a piece, Escobar sneaking a home run in there. Alex Binelas continued his solid season by homering as well while on the mound, Andy Seminaris had six innings in which he allowed only the three runs that Richmond scored. Sweeping a doubleheader is always a good day.

Frederick 9, Jersey Shore 7

Home runs by Robert Phelps and Mark Kolozsvary weren’t enough on this day as the Keys tagged a leaky BlueClaws bullpen for six runs, blowing a solid effort from Cody Bowker on the start of the game to give it away. The bullpen, in five innings, allowed six runs on only four hits thanks to nine walks allowed, something close to incomprehensible.

Clearwater and Tampa were rained out

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With the dominant Parker Messick taking the bump, the Cleveland Guardians sit as a clear -138 moneyline favorite tonight against the Chicago White Sox. 

With a vulnerable starter on the other side, my Guardians vs White Sox predictions and MLB picks expect Cleveland to walk away with a win here.

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

Parker Messick continues to have a terrific campaign. He owns an impressive 1.35 FIP across his last two starts, and he has not allowed a single barrel during that span.

The Cleveland Guardians lefty is set to face a cold Chicago White Sox lineup that has posted just an 83 wRC+ over its last six contests.

As for Chicago, it hands the ball to Noah Schultz. He has a 4.64 xERA over the last month, which isn't horrible. However, Schultz has given up a 45.6% hard-hit rate during that span.

The Guardians also enter in good offensive form, collecting a 104 wRC+ over the last week. Cleveland has the clear edge behind Messick.

I’ll play this pick up to -150.

COVERS INTEL: Chicago owns just an 89 wRC+ over the last two weeks, well below its season-long 102 mark. That cold stretch gives Messick a favorable matchup as he looks to keep missing barrels.

Guardians vs White Sox Over/Under pick: Over 7.5 (-112)

This total sits at just 7.5, and the Over has the better path. Cleveland is already swinging it well, and Schultz’s hard-contact issues give the Guardians a chance to create early offense.

Chicago’s lineup is also more dangerous at home, producing a 106 wRC+ compared to a 97 mark on the road. That matters against a Cleveland bullpen that has been awful lately, posting a 6.44 FIP over the last week while allowing 1.95 HR/9.

The White Sox bullpen has been steadier with a 3.88 xERA during that same span, but Cleveland’s current offensive form gives them enough of a path to contribute late.

With both lineups having realistic scoring lanes, I'd lean to the Over. 

I'll play this pick up to -130.

Guardians vs White Sox weather

The weather looks solid at Rate Field tonight, with partly cloudy skies and temperatures falling from the mid-80s to the upper 70s. Winds should sit around 7–8 mph, and rain chances remain low throughout most of the game. Conditions are warm enough to slightly help carry, but nothing extreme.

Guardians vs White Sox odds

• Moneyline: Guardians -138 | White Sox +133
• Run line: Guardians -1.5 (+122) | White Sox +1.5 (-127)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-112) | Under 7.5 (+101)

Guardians vs White Sox trend

The Chicago White Sox have hit the Game Total Over in 23 of their last 40 games at home (+5.35 Units / 12% 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.

Splitting four games on the road, the two higher levels took the win while the Loons and Tower Buzzers were both beaten.

Player of the day

Getting better at a higher level isn’t normal, at least not unless your name is Mike Sirota, who has taken his in-season promotion to Double-A in stride, absolutely thriving as one of the Drillers’ most dangerous hitters.

Sirota was heavily involved in an 8-4 win on the road, reaching base safely a team-high five times, including hitting his 10th home run in only 56 games with the Double-A squad.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Leaving all of their scoring until the final third of the game, the Comets came from behind to beat the Bees 6 to 3. This win came with crucial contributions from the bottom of the order, particularly shortstop Hyeseong Kim and designated hitter Ryan Fitzgerald, each with two RBI.

Returning from such a lengthy absence, nearly two full years without appearing in a game, Gavin Stone lasted only an inning and two-thirds, but he encouragingly punched out three batters.

Veteran reliever Charlie Barnes, who pitched three scoreless innings near the end of this game, ended up with the win. Recently acquired reliever Seth Halvorsen earned the save, punching out the side in the ninth to power his way past a hit and a walk.

Double-A Tulsa

Much like the Comets, the Drillers also left most of their scoring for the seventh and eighth innings—a grand slam from Jake Gelof and a solo shot from Frank Rodríguez helped them easily handle the Hooks in a victory away from home.

Making his second start in Double-A, Zach Root vastly improved on a short outing he had last time out, delivering six innings of three-run ball with double-digit strikeouts.

High-A Great Lakes

Should is a dangerous word in sports, but at the very least, a team loses a lot of sympathy when it commits an absurd six errors. Even though the Dragons didn’t fully capitalize on all of those gifts, the Loons hardly produced enough offensively to avoid an 8-to-2 loss away from home.

Half of those six errors came from first baseman Jose Meza, who had a miserable day on both sides of the ball, going 0 for 4 with the bat and striking out three times. Charles Davalan, who also committed an error, didn’t score a run or drive one in despite reaching base three times out of the leadoff spot.

For the third time this season, Jacob Frst had a 5+ BB performance, ultimately leading to a rally in the third inning that chased him out of this game, allowing six runs in 2.1 innings.

Single-A Ontario

When your leadoff batter strikes out three times and doesn’t reach safely once in five at-bats, that’s probably as big a sign of a lousy offensive performance as one might find—the case for Kellon Lindsey in a 5-2 loss against the Storm.

One of the few Tower Buzzers who had a productive day at the plate was ninth-hole hitter Javier Herrera. The right fielder recorded three hits in four at-bats and is now up to an .856 OPS in 46 games in Single-A.

While Luis Gamez had a great performance as Ontario’s starter, allowing just two hits, reliever Luis Carias couldn’t command the baseball and gave out five free passes to take the loss.

Transactions

Right-handed pitcher Gavin Stone began a rehab assignment with the Comets, who also activated veteran left-hander Cole Irvin. The Tower Buzzers were assigned shortstop Caleb Johnson and right-handed pitcher Devin Bell while releasing right-hander Jhonny Jímenez and Peter Bonilla.

Thursday’s scores

• Salt Lake 3, Oklahoma City 6
• Corpus Christi 4, Tulsa 9
• Dayton 8, Great Lakes 2
• Lake Elsinore 5, Ontario 2

Friday’s schedule

• 4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Sean Patick) at Dayton (Edgar Colon)
• 4:35 p.m. PT: Tulsa (Christian Zazueta) at Corpus Christi (Nolan DeVos)
• 5:35 p.m. PT: Oklahoma City (Cole Irvin) at Salt Lake (TBD)
• 6:05 p.m. PT: Ontario (TBD) at Lake Elsinore (Kruz Schoolcraft)

Hi there!

As you know, Thomas Smith is away on vacation.

To keep this feature going, I’m going to post simply the WPA numbers and plays of the game, and a poll so you can vote on your choice for Player of the Game. Thomas will update the Rizzo Award standings when he returns.

Game 116, Aug. 6: Cubs 3, Blue Jays 2

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

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Alex Bregman (.453). 2-4, 2B, 2-run HR
• Hero/Sidekick: Caleb Thielbar/Trent Thornton (.312). 1 scoreless IP each

It should be obvious to everyone that Bregman’s homer changed the win probability big time — just look at the WPA chart! The Jays were at a 95 percent chance of winning when Bregman came to bat.

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Dansby Swanson (-.274). 0-4, 2 K
• Goat: Nico Hoerner (-.175). 0-4, K
• Kid: Seiya Suzuki (-.169). 0-4, K

WPA Play of the Game: Isn’t it obvious? Alex Bregman’s two-run game-tying homer with two out in the ninth (.488).

Blue Jays Play of the Game: Alejandro Kirk’s RBI single in the seventh (.122).

Up next: The Cubs begin a six-game road trip in Kansas City. Kevin Gausman will make his Cubs debut. The Royals will go with a bullpen game, with left-handed reliever Daniel Lynch IV the opener.

The Cubs have won four straight and this trip would be a great time to keep stacking wins.

Good morning A’s fans. Happy Friday!

This week has not been kind to the Athletics, as going on the road did little to cure the team’s inability to win. They kicked off this road trip by dropping all three games against the Cincinnati Reds. Now, the deflated and demoralized squad begins a three-game weekend series against the Boston Red Sox tonight, a matchup between two teams heading in completely opposite directions.

On June 19, the A’s were 38-38. Since then, they’ve gone 7-32. That’s 6 games worse than anyone else in MLB during that stretch. Manager Mark Kotsay’s squad has also lost 12 straight series for the first time in 110 years, un unfathomable yet not surprising feat given the losing culture that has permeated this franchise since Kotsay took the helm. It is hard to determine if the baseball gods are real, but one has to wonder if all this losing is some sort of curse or punishment for the A’s leaving their devoted, passionate Oakland fanbase behind.

Nevada politician Steve Yeager notably said that “Vegas doesn’t tolerate losers” while discussing the Athletics’ relocation to that city. Well, unless something changes before 2028, Las Vegas may be getting exactly that when the A’s bring their brand of baseball to Southern Nevada.

Given this extended stretch of losing, it seems unlikely that Kotsay will be managing the A’s when they open their brand-new stadium. Heck, he should not make it beyond this season, as this will mark his fifth straight losing campaign.

The best thing the A’s can do right now is play spoiler against teams still in the playoff race. That begins this weekend. Right-handers Jack Perkins and J.T. Ginn will start the series opener and finale at Fenway Park, with left-hander Gage Jump in between. The Red Sox will counter with left-handers Payton Tolle and Jake Bennett, followed by a bullpen game in the series finale.

Will the Athletics snap out of this extended funk and bring the Red Sox back down to Earth, or will they suffer a 13th straight series loss? What are you hoping to see from the Green and Gold for the remainder of this season?

A’s Coverage:

• A’s Misery Continues in 6-5 Loss to Reds
• A’s Losing Streak Continues with 3-2 loss to Reds
• A Seemingly Rock Bottomless Glass
• A’s roster moves: Kurtz & Springs to IL, Ginn activated, Muncy recalled
• MLB Trade Grades: A’s Have Quiet Trade Deadline
• A’s Top Prospect Jamie Arnold Sets Career High in One of His Best Double-A Starts
• Fustercluck 2026: The Real Reasons For A Disappointing Season
• A’s Late Comeback Not Enough in 8-6 Loss to Tigers
• Signs Of Hope And Signs Of Hopeless
• Athletics prospect Ryan Lasko says feeling in his legs returning
• Cuban’s investment group purchases minority stake in Athletics
• Chan Ho Park joins A’s group; 1st Korean to buy stake in MLB club
• Blogfather Saves The Day With Pearls Of Most Excellent Advice

MLB News and Interest:

• Iconic Giants voice Mike Krukow announces retirement at end of season
• Rushing (partial UCL tear) unlikely to catch in ‘26; could return as bench bat
• Pirates To Release Marcell Ozuna
• 2026 Top 100 MLB Prospects
• Blue Jays Place Trey Yesavage On Injured List
• Mariners reliever Speier suspended three games, Wilson one
• Jefry Yan has high-flying celebration after striking out 1st batter
• Sources: Freddy Peralta initiated sitdown between Mets’ Soto and Lindor
• Latest Rookie of the Year poll features a TIE atop the National League
• How To Acquire Players After The MLB Trade Deadline
• Trade Deadline poll: Best deals, biggest surprises, more
• Luke Raley Expected To Miss Remainder Of 2026 Season
• Power Rankings, post-Trade Deadline edition
• Sho-starter! Ohtani closer to Dodgers history with 29th leadoff blast
• White Sox Designate Austin Hays For Assignment
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Worth a listen if you want to get a sense of how some of the A’s top minor league hitting prospects are doing.

This Reds fan’s opinion seems appropriate, given how poorly the A’s have played over the past couple of months.

A’s top pitching prospect Jamie Arnold seems to be figuring things out at Double-A, if his start earlier this week was any indication.

He’s the son of baseball royalty.    His father would play twenty seasons, capture eight batting titles and lead the Padres to a pair of World Series appearances.    Tony Gwynn Jr. joins us today exclusively at The Crawfish Boxes to preview the Astros upcoming series in San Diego.    Gwynn serves as color commentator for Padres baseball.   

Q: Do you personally relate to a guy like Fernando Tatis Jr., who’s also following in his dad’s footsteps with his baseball career?   

A: In some ways yes and some ways no.  We both grew up following the path of our fathers, so from that standpoint, I definitely can relate. The pressures of following a Hall of Fame father are tough no doubt.  That being said, I would say that having the responsibility of being the savior of an organization and having to live up to those expectations or something I never had to do.

Q: Is Tatis the future of Padres baseball?  

A: I believe Tatis is the future of this organization.  I think Jackson Merrill’s right behind him. Those two guys will lead this organization when Manny Machado’s time is done.

Q: Your dad never struck out more than 40 times in a season.    All these years later, he has so many stats, but that one is just crazy to think about.  Which of his numbers do you feel is indicative of his legacy? 

A: Yeah, my pops accumulated some crazy numbers in his career.  My favorite is he could go basically 1000 at bats without a hit and still be a lifetime .300 hitter.    That’s what hitting .338 for a career can do!

Q: How good is Mason Miller’s stuff?   Give Astros fans an idea of what he’s doing closing out games.  

A: Mason Miller is having a tremendous year.  He was 26 of 26 before blowing the save last Friday.   In that game the Padres asked him for five outs.  Outside of that one instance, he’s been flawless.  You’re looking at 103 mph fastball, but his equalizer is the slider which is probably one of the toughest pitches to hit baseball.

Q: We saw Jeremiah Estrada activated from the IL.    How crucial will he be for this club to remain in the thick of the wild card race the final several weeks of the season?      

A: Jeremiah will be extremely crucial down the stretch as will getting Jason Adam back sometime in September.  The padres expect to get David Morgan back before the end of the year as well.  All three of these guys will factor into this bullpen and will be a huge help once they get healthy.

Q: Craig Stammen took over in November.    What grade would you give him in his first regular season at the helm?  

A: I would give Craig Stammen a B grade.   If he had his players perform better in the first half, this grade would probably be higher.  I think as a first-year manager, no matter who it is, there’s going to be some misses along the way.  Despite this team not performing well offensively and having a ton of injuries to rotation and the bullpen, he’s helped keep this team close in the wildcard standings and they’ve started to play a lot better.

Hello folks and happy Friday!

The Mariners had a not-happy Thursday, dropping the series finale to the Tigers 11-0 yesterday.

Importantly, don’t forget that after today’s game with the Rays is the Mariners Alumni Home Run Derby, available to stream for free! Who is your pick to win the contest?

In Mariners news…

• In case you missed it, Major League Baseball issued Gabe Speier a three-game suspension for his role in the bases-clearing incident between the M’s and Tigers on Wednesday night.
• Everett AquaSox catcher Luke Stevenson was named the Northwest League Player of the Month.
• Adam Jude at The Seattle Times provided the latest updates on Carlos Vargas’ rehab progression. ($)

Around the league…

• Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas underwent wrist surgery yesterday. He has an unclear timetable for return.
• Twins right-hander Joe Ryan is likely headed to the injured list after an MRI revealed a mild left glute strain.
• Longtime Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow announced that he will retire at the end of the season.
• Former MLB players Nick Swisher and Adrían González will take on cricket stars in Mumbai this fall in a hybrid contest that merges the skillsets of both sports.
• Tania Ganguli at The New York Times wrote about how the election of Pope Leo XIV shifted the vibes in the south side of Chicago and resurrected the White Sox.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: the Orioles are about to play a hugely important series.

At this point, they’re all hugely important. With 47 games left and six teams within a game and a half of the third wild card spot, the O’s are going to need to start stacking wins if they have any hope of remaining in playoff competition. But more than that, they need to beat up on the teams they’re directly competing against.

Enter the Texas Rangers, who currently hold the coveted final wild card spot despite a sub-.500 record. They’re one game ahead of the Orioles, who could have tied Texas in the standings yesterday if they hadn’t botched their series finale against the Angels. So the Orioles have a golden opportunity to draw even with the Rangers with a series win or pull ahead with a sweep. But if the O’s get swept, well…let’s not think about that.

The Orioles haven’t faced the Rangers since March 30-April 1, the Birds’ first homestand of the year, before it was apparent how much of a slog this season would become for both teams. Texas took two out of three in that series, improving to 4-1 at the time, and it’s the last time they were three games over .500. Since then they’ve hovered around the .500 mark all year. For a while that was good enough to stay in first place in a lousy AL West, but they’re now 1.5 games behind the Astros. The Rangers are mediocrity personified — so, they’re a typical 2026 American League team.

The Rangers couldn’t decide whether to buy or sell at the trade deadline and ended up standing pat, other than acquiring ex-Angels reliever Chase Silseth. They could have used some more help if they plan on making a postseason push. Texas is basically a middle-of-the-pack team both in hitting and pitching.

Offensively, the Rangers are getting contributions from several guys, including Wyatt Langford and longtime Met Brandon Nimmo. Veteran Joc Pederson, who had an atrocious debut season with the Rangers a year ago (.181 AVG, .614 OPS), has rebounded in a big way with a team-leading 20 homers and .840 OPS. But a few hitters who were expected to play key roles have disappointed, including Corey Seager and Evan Carter, both of whom were prominent stars for the Rangers’ championship team in 2023.

The Rangers’ rotation, too, has underwhelmed. All of their primary starting pitchers have an ERA+ below 100, indicating they’ve been a tick below average but not disastrous. They’ll use their three best starters in this series. The O’s will not be doing the same. The Rangers’ bullpen, with a 4.31 ERA, is hittable, but it would behoove the Orioles to do their damage before the ninth inning. All-Star lefty Jacob Latz has emerged as a quality closer, posting a 1.94 ERA with 21 saves in 24 chances. He had saved 16 in a row before blowing a lead three days ago.

The Orioles and Rangers are evenly matched opponents, but if the O’s hope to win the series, they’ll need to put up a better offensive performance than the one they just showed against the Angels, MLB’s worst team. They’ve got a chance to make some real noise in the playoff race if they can take care of business in Arlington this weekend.

Game 1: Friday, 8:15 PM, Apple TV+

RHP Shane Baz (4-10, 3.86) vs. RHP Nathan Eovaldi (10-9, 4.31)

If ever there were a perfect example of how misleading win-loss records can be, Eovaldi has six more victories than Baz despite giving up more runs. The 36-year-old Eovaldi, now in his 15th major league season, is showing signs of age, with his hit rate, HR rate, and WHIP all at their highest levels in four years. His 90 ERA+ is his worst since an injury-plagued 2019 season with Boston. He’s coming off a particularly rough July in which he posted a 5.67 ERA in five starts. Eovaldi faced the Orioles on April 1 and they tagged him for six runs in four innings.

As for Baz, he hasn’t won a game since June 12, but that’s hardly his fault. Baz has held up his end of the bargain, throwing five quality starts since then, but he’s suffered from a criminal lack of run support. In Baz’s last eight starts, the O’s have scored two or fewer runs in six of them. At this point Shane might as well just pick up a bat himself and try to provide his own run support.

This game will air exclusively on Apple TV+, so if you don’t subscribe, enjoy your day off from watching the Orioles.

Game 2: Saturday, 7:15 PM, Fox

RHP Kyle Bradish (7-10, 3.79) vs. RHP Jacob deGrom (7-7, 3.96)

In another nationally televised game, this is one dynamite pitching matchup. The Orioles’ newly extended ace goes up against the two-time Cy Young winner in a game where runs might be at a premium.

While deGrom’s ERA+ is just 98, far lower than his career mark of 146, he’s still capable of dominance. There’s a whole lot of red (red is good!) on his Baseball Savant page, and his underlying numbers aren’t much worse than his previous seasons. He’s been fully healthy for two straight years now, a welcome change from his first two seasons in Texas — when he made only nine starts combined — and his injury-riddled Mets career. There was some buzz that the Rangers might field offers for deGrom at the deadline, but the veteran put the kibosh on that by invoking his no-trade clause to stay in Texas.

The Orioles’ Bradish got jobbed by the weather in his last start. He went only three innings against the Phillies on Sunday before an extended rain delay forced him out of the game. He didn’t get a chance to fully redeem himself from his 10-hit, five-run slog in Detroit in his previous outing. This will be Bradish’s first time facing the Rangers since Game 1 of the 2023 Division Series, when they tagged him for two runs in 4.2 innings. Only two hitters from that day’s lineup, Seager and Carter, are currently on the Rangers’ active roster.

Game 3: Sunday, 2:35 PM, MASN

LHP Cade Povich (2-1, 3.91) vs. RHP Kumar Rocker (4-8, 4.08)

I thought the O’s might activate Chris Bassitt from the IL to make this start, but Povich’s solid showing against the Angels on Monday has earned him another chance. Povich, in his first major league outing in almost three months, blanked the Angels over six innings despite giving up seven hits. A better offensive team might have made him pay for all that traffic on the basepaths, but Cade deserves credit anyway. Povich’s first major league win came against the Rangers on June 29, 2024, and he hasn’t faced them since.

A fellow 26-year-old, Rocker, will take on Povich. The former Vanderbilt standout was famously a top-10 draft pick in two consecutive years, failing to reach an agreement with the Mets when they selected him 10th overall in 2021, then getting picked third by the Rangers the following season. After a brutal introduction to the majors last season, Rocker is starting to live up to his potential this year, serving as a capable back-end starter. The big right-hander’s best pitch is his slider, which has held hitters to a .171 AVG and a .268 SLG. The only current Oriole who has ever faced him is Christian Encarnacion-Strand, who is 0-for-2.

**

What do you expect from the Orioles in this series, Camden Chatters? Let us know in the comments.

The Yankees were off on Thursday, along with the Rays and several other teams. That left the Red Sox as the center of attention for this roundup, and boy did they make the most of having the stage all to themselves. The Battle of the Sox went on for 13 long innings, featured nine runs combined in extra innings, and had plenty of drama to go around.

Boston Red Sox (63-51) 12, Chicago White Sox (59-55) 11 (13 innings)

Thursday’s pitching matchup of Ranger Suarez for Boston and Luis Castillo making his first start as a member of the White Sox probably had folks expecting an intense duel, even if Castillo’s been rather ineffective this year compared to his career numbers. They got the complete opposite, with both starters knocked out of the game by the fourth inning with nine runs (eight earned) on the scoreboard by the time they were both hitting the showers. The Pale Hose lit the first batch of fireworks with a four-run third inning punctuated by Chase Meidroth hitting a two-run blast, but Connor Wong got two of those runs back for Boston with a blast of his own in the bottom half.

Chicago pushed their lead to 5-2 in the top of the fourth against new pitcher Greg Weissert on a pinch-hit RBI double from Sam Antonacci, just to see the lead vanish as Castillo allowed a pair of run-scoring doubles to Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler. The White Sox answered right back in the fifth with a two-run single from Braden Montgomery, this time off of Justin Slaten and aided by a throwing error from the pitcher. The Red Sox got back-to-back doubles to lead off the sixth and cut the deficit in half, but despite getting a wild pitch to advance the tying run to third they couldn’t bring him home.

Both the seventh and eighth innings were quiet as both bullpens finally collected some outs without incident, but Boston had a rally in the ninth. Huascar Brazobán, a Trade Deadline addition from the Mets, had entered to get the final out of the eighth inning and stayed on to try and close out the game. Ahead 1-2 to the first batter of the inning in Wong, Brazobán hung a 90 mph changeup over the middle of the plate and Wong ripped it off of the Monster for a leadoff double. Eli White came in as a pinch-runner and got moved over to third on a sacrifice fly, but Ceddanne Rafaela struck out bringing Boston to their last out. Wilyer Abreu took a sinker down and out of the zone back up the middle for a base hit to tie the game and send it to extras, where the runs just kept coming.

Aroldis Chapman was summoned to start the 10th inning, and after getting a grounder for the first out Meidroth fought off four foul balls before crushing a middle-in splitter into the Monster seats for a two-run blast, his second of the night and the first multi-homer game of his career. The home run was Chapman’s first run allowed since July 5th, and the White Sox were in prime position to come away with a wild win. However, after a one-out walk put runners on for Monasterio in the bottom half, he delivered an RBI double to score the Manfred runner and make it runners on second and third with just one out. Anthony Seigler lifted a fly ball to center field and there was no throw to the plate as the runner advanced, tying the game again and sending us to an 11th inning.

There again the White Sox capitalized on the free man, advancing on a wild pitch from Garrett Whitlock before lifting a sacrifice fly of their own. And again the Red Sox answered, Rafaela singling to put runners on the corners before a sac fly tied the game once more. Rafaela then stole second base to get in scoring position and Caleb Durbin walked to pass the baton over to Jahmai Jones, who hit an infield single that loaded the bases. Monasterio couldn’t find another clutch hit this time, popping up to left, and Jarren Duran flew out to bring about a 12th inning.

Brayan Bello was on to handle this frame, and Tristan Peters greeted him with a single to put runners on the corners immediately. Braden Montgomery grounded into a forceout but managed to beat out the potential double play, and then Antonacci singled to left to put Chicago up for the fifth time in this game. Meidroth followed up with a single through the infield to left, but Montgomery wound up getting easily thrown out going for home for a crucial second out. After an intentional walk, Miguel Vargas grounded out to end the threat of a crooked number, and a wild pitch plus a sacrifice fly in the bottom half kept Boston alive for yet another inning.

In the 13th, Chicago’s luck finally ran out. They failed to convert their Manfred runner, hitting a pop up and groundout with a strikeout in-between as Bello stayed out for his second inning of work. Erick Fedde was the choice to pitch the bottom of the 13th, and though he got Rafaela to pop up for the first out, that was the last one he’d record. Abreu was intentionally walked to face Durbin with a potential force play, but he hit a grounder up the middle to walk it off. That makes eight straight wins for Boston, and they’ve now taken 31 of their last 36 games, an absolutely torrid streak that has them just a half-game behind the Yankees for the top Wild Card spot now.

Other Games

Cleveland Guardians (57-59) 6, New York Mets (50-66) 13: Our other game of note featured a hefty dose of offense as well, though they packed all of theirs into nine innings. The Mets absolutely bludgeoned the Guardians, collecting 18 hits and scoring 13 runs off of them, but it was Cleveland that struck first when a pair of walks and a single loaded the bases for Angel Martínez in the first. Martínez ripped a single up the middle to plate two of them, but Marcus Semien and Luis Torrens both homered in the second inning to take the lead for New York. The Mets added two more in the third when Carson Benge tripled a run in and later scored, and Jared Young singled in another in the fifth to make it 6-2 Mets.

Cleveland did have a big rally in the bottom of the fifth, Nathaniel Lowe crushing a three-run homer to bring the Guardians within a single run. From there though the Mets went back to bashing Cleveland’s pitching staff, scoring three in the seventh as Francisco Lindor launched a home run against his former team. They tacked on four more in the eighth via a parade of singles and walks to put it truly out of reach, and the Guardians managed only a single run in the ninth before bowing out.

The New York Mets (50-66) travel to the best stadium in baseball, PNC Park, to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates (57-60). The Pirates find themselves four and a half games out of the last Wild Card spot, but went hard after relief pitching at the deadline, acquiring four bullpen arms, including Luke Weaver from the Mets, in an effort to close the gap in the Wild Card race.

The Mets took the opposite approach, giving up on their (far fetched) postseason dreams and trading away (almost) everyone who wasn’t looking to be a part of their 2027 and beyond plans. The Mets traded eight players from their big league roster (and one minor leaguer) over the deadline long weekend, restocking their minor league rosters and admitting that 2026 just wasn’t their year.

Apparently, the players on both teams didn’t get the memo from their front offices.

Now, extremely small sample size caveats apply here, but the Mets haven’t lost since the deadline, scoring 25 runs in three games, sweeping the (presumably) playoff bound Guardians. The Pirates on the other hand, lost three of four and scoring just 12 runs in four games against the owners of the best record in baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers.

Do I think this trend continues? I do not; the Pirates are a much more complete team than the Mets, and the Mets are about to play a stretch where they are going up against much better teams. But it’s been fun to watch the Mets’ new, young bullpen be solid and see some of the bats lock in. I do not think that the Mets will lose their position in the basement of the NL East, but it is admittedly fun to watch them play better baseball.

Robert Stock’s second Mets’ start should be fun this weekend, and getting to watch Carson Benge continue to grow and impress has been a real treat. The rest of this season matters so little that we need to recalibrate our expectations beyond just wins and losses. The final 45 games of the season are an opportunity to answer some questions and get a sense of what the team has before looking to free agency and trades in the offseason to ensure that next August isn’t as pointless as this one.

Friday, August 7: Zac Thornton vs Carmen Mlodzinski,  6:40pm EDT on PIX11

Thornton (2026): 34.1 IP, 24 K, 10 BB, 3 HR, 2.88 ERA, 3.79 FIP, 71 ERA-

Watching Thornton pitch, at least up until now, has been watching someone work through and around his limitations in real time. Unlike his rotation makes Christian Scott and Nolan McLean, the stuff isn’t overpowering, but Thornton has proven himself fairly adept at the tight-rope walk thus far. His ERA, nearly a full run lower than his FIP, shows that some regression is likely, but even a mid-threes ERA for a soft-tossing lefty would be a good result for Thornton.

Mlodzinski (2026): 94.1 IP, 76 K, 31 BB, 7 HR, 3.15 ERA, 3.50 FIP, 74 ERA-

After nine starts earlier this season, Mlodzinski has been working primarily out of the bullpen since mid-May. He’s been a consistent and effective multi-inning reliever for Pittsburgh, but he’s not entirely stretched out, so it’s unclear how long he’ll be able to go tonight.

Saturday, August 8: Robert Stock vs  Bubba Chandler, 6:40pm EDT on SNY

Stock (2026): 5.0 IP, 4 K, 0 BB, 1 HR, 1.80 ERA, 4.10 FIP, 44 ERA-

It’s hard not to root for guys like Stock. A veteran, a guy who had Thoracic Outlet Syndrome treatment earlier this year, and a player dedicated to sticking around baseball as long as he can, Stock’s start on Sunday was the culmination of a dream. If he can have a strong start on Saturday, that dream changes and adapts yet again, from a one-shot deal to, maybe, someone who can sustain this success over a few starts. If he succeeds at that, well then who knows?

Chandler (2026): 110.1 IP, 98 K, 61 BB, 10 HR, 4.49 ERA, 4.29 FIP, 105 ERA-

With an average fastball velocity of 98.5 MPH, there’s a lot to dream on with Chandler. However, a high walk rate and sky high exit velocity has somewhat limited Chandler’s success this season. For a team with playoff ambitions that seem to be slipping away, Chandler racking up a string of good starts in a row would go a long way towards that postseason dream.

Sunday, August 9: Sean Manaea vs Jared Jones, 1:40pm EDT on SNY

Manaea (2026): 97.2 IP, 95 K, 35 BB, 13 HR, 4.33 ERA, 4.29 FIP, 107 ERA-

Manaea’s season has been so weird, but with the emptied ranks after the trade deadline, Manaea is the veteran presence in the starting rotation, and his ability to scrape and adapt this season is a great lesson for the kids trying to learn how to sustain a big league career. While his fastball velocity is (mostly) back, its more about how he’s been able to navigate that process than the results themselves. Whether or not Manaea has a role on the 2027 team remains to be seen, but for now, we should be grateful that he’s been able to turn himself into a cromulent starting pitcher for August and September, because it sure didn’t look like that in March and April.

Jones(2026): 56.0 IP, 62 K, 16 BB, 9 HR, 4.02 ERA, 3.83 FIP, 94 ERA-

Since his return from Tommy John Surgery in late May, ones has been solid for the Pirates. Another flamethrowing righty, what sets Jones apart from Chandler is his much better control. Jones is still working off the rust of not pitching in a professional game for a year, but he’s had a few fantastic starts that point towards what Jones has the potential to be, as he just turned 25 years old on Thursday (happy belated birthday, JJ).