Category: MLB

It has become clear over the last few months that a flawed team will make the playoffs out of the American League. The Orioles, along with several other teams, have found a way to remain in contention for the third and final wild card spot despite sitting on the wrong side of .500.

Reason would suggest that one of these teams will separate themselves at some point, but it hasn’t happened yet. Now, after an impressive series in Tampa Bay, fans are starting to wonder if the Orioles could be that team.

Why not? Nope. Not doing that. But, for real, is there any reason why the Orioles wouldn’t be capable of emerging from the pack? Actually, yes. There’s plenty of them. The bullpen marks a clear vulnerability. The defense could come back to haunt this team at any point, and the lineup is filled with inconsistent performers that could regress at any moment.

That being said, Baltimore has provided several reasons to look at the glass half full. Pete Alonso has been that dude. Jackson Holliday is swinging a hot bat, and Gunnar Henderson appears to have remembered who he is. Coby Mayo and Christian Encarnacion-Strand have provided some pop from the hot corner. The starting rotation looks like a unit that could go out and win a three game series. Samuel Basallo has already started a rehab assignment. Blaze Alexander should return at some point, and the Orioles have a pair of rehabbing closers that could return by the end of the season.

The American League refused to bury the Orioles when they had the chance. As dark as things seemed this season, Baltimore always maintained a legitimate chance to make the playoffs. At the time, it felt like Baltimore would need to luck into that spot. The team would need to fall upward into a position that every other team decided to run away from. Even if the Orioles made the playoffs, they wouldn’t have truly earned it.

That sentiment has changed. Baltimore entered last night’s game with New York tied for the third wild card spot. They also entered the series with the toughest remaining schedule in the American League. The Orioles still have five games remaining against New York, four against Boston, and three with Tampa Bay. That’s life in the AL East, but Baltimore will also play a three-game set against the National League leading Milwaukee Brewers.

If the Orioles hope to make the playoffs, they need to go out and earn it against the league’s best. If they do it—and that’s a big if—they should enter the postseason with a mindset that they can beat any team on any given night.

The tough schedule feels like bad luck, but it’s really a golden opportunity for Baltimore to recapture its mojo heading into the postseason. If the Orioles make the playoffs, they’ll have played above .500 baseball against some of the league’s best. That, or they’ll completely smoke the Mets, Rockies and A’s while treading water against the rest.

There are some easy ones coming, but this is a “go out and earn it” type of week. A homestand against the Yankees and Rays is exactly the type of opportunity this team needs to prove it’s for real. The players may or may not feel a need to prove it to the front office after a deadline sell off, and there’s no way of knowing whether they want to prove it to the fans, but this group should want to prove it to themselves. Recently, they’ve been playing like a unit doing just that.

It feels like we’re putting the cart before the horse here, but I’ve completely lost faith in the other AL teams. The question now becomes whether this team is capable of going out and taking it. One strong week and all bets are off when it comes to the 2026 Orioles. What a world.

We’re in the second half of August. There’s plenty of baseball left to play, but we are in the days where the schedule takes on a greater importance, where each series carries a greater heft. The Phillies are currently fighting to hold on to their playoff position, occupying the second wild card spot, one game ahead of San Diego and two ahead of Arizona.

The Phillies have a West Coast trip coming up, with visits to Seattle, Anaheim and Arizona. After that, the schedule returns to NL East play, with a brief interlude against Houston. Home against Atlanta, home against Houston, and then a road trip involving another series against Atlanta, a pair of games against Washington, and a series against the Mets.

Following that, the Phillies will finish up the regular season at home, with three games against the Brewers, and three against the Rays.

All of these will matter; any of them could be pivotal. So today’s question is: as the season approaches the finish line, which series do you have circled as the most crucial?

If I’ve heard anything about Ronald Acuña Jr. via the internet, it’s that Ronnie can’t hit the hot fastball. It’s not really true. He’s league-average via xwOBA (he’s striking 96+ MPH fastballs as good as your average hitter). He has less to show for it as the wOBA runs about 30 points lower for his career.

Do you know who isn’t hitting fastballs well since August 3rd (not including yesterday)? This collective Braves team, that’s who unfortunately. The Braves are dead last versus fastball per wOBA and on-base percentage, second-worst by batting average, and sixth-worst by xwOBA. Contrast this to before August 3rd when they were 12th by BA and wOBA, 18th by OBP, and ninth by xwOBA.

What’s weirder is lefties have been most affected. That’s a 59-point gap in xwOBA and a 107 point one in slugging. It’s really been Drake Baldwin, Ozzie Albies and Jim Jarvis that are most affected. Matt Olson is still chugging along with no issue, Michael Harris is down but outstripping his xwOBA and Mike Yastrzemski is chipping in.

Righties feeling it as well but not as deeply. The xwOBA is still okayish but they’re underperforming there. But the on-base percentage is down, which suggested that they’re chasing a fair bit. Regardless, it’s an issue that all the Braves have to solve soon. The Braves are seeing the eleventh most pitches in the zone since the trade deadline, versus 29th before. Opposing pitchers are hunting more strikes in the zone, because they can sense blood the same as we can.

So why have the Braves stopped mashing fastballs? Is this more Tim Hyers tinkering? Did the post-All-Star Break surge end as the team has tired? I don’t know, but they’re so much more fun when they’re killing fastballs.

Personally, I would not recommend winning games this way on a regular basis.

But the Cubs seem to have found the knack for taking leads, giving them up, coming from behind and winning in a walk-off. They did it again Tuesday night at Wrigley Field — including a long rain delay — defeating the White Sox 4-3, this time on an Alex Bregman single in the ninth inning.

Pete Crow-Armstrong began the festivities with another leadoff home run. Unlike Monday’s first-pitch blast, this one took him four pitches [VIDEO].

That was PCA’s sixth leadoff homer of the season and 31st of the year, which ties his career high, set last year.

More from BCB’s JohnW53:

Pete Crow-Armstrong has homered for the Cubs’ first hit in three straight games: in the third inning on Sunday, then leading off Monday and Tuesday.

The Cubs’ first hit has been a homer in 21 games, exactly one of every six.

Crow-Armstrong has done it seven times; Seiya Suzuki, four times; Alex Bregman, Ian Happ and Dansby Swanson, twice; and Michael Busch, Michael Conforto, Nico Hoerner and Matt Shaw, once. Six of PCA’s and Hoerner’s led off games.

Two outs later, Michael Busch went deep [VIDEO].

The White Sox used left-handed opener Bryan Hudson in the first inning to counter the lefty hitters at the top of the Cubs lineup. Hudson retired all three right-handed hitters he faced (Seiya Suzuki, Bregman and Nico Hoerner) and the two lefties homered off him. Go figure.

Kevin Gausman struggled through the early innings. He walked the first two Sox he faced, but got out of the inning with a double play. Then he allowed three hits resulting in a run after retiring the first two Sox hitters in the second, a monster home run to Munetaka Murakami in the third that hit the left-field video board, and another run in the fourth on a pair of doubles that gave the Sox the lead. During that inning Craig Counsell and trainer Nick Frangella visited Gausman and after quite a delay, he remained in the game. Gausman came out for the fifth, allowed a one-out single, then got the trainer visit again and left the game [VIDEO].

Here’s why:

Gausman’s outing was obviously not good, and a cramp on your non-pitching hand is a weird way to leave a ballgame. Hopefully, things will go better next time. Here’s Gausman explaining what happened [VIDEO].

The Cubs had two runners on leading off the second on singles by Pedro Ramirez and Ian Happ, but didn’t score, and after Happ’s single, Sox bulk guy Erick Fedde retired 13 of the next 14 Cubs in order, so they trailed 3-2 at the end of the fifth.

Meanwhile, Javier Assad had relieved Gausman and got out of the fifth inning with a double play. Then Assad threw two more scoreless innings and struck out Andrew Benintendi leading off the eighth. I don’t know what more Assad has to do to convince Counsell and the brass to put him back in the rotation. Three innings, two hits, no runs, a pair of strikeouts, 40 pitches, 28 strikes. In nine games since the beginning of July: 1.71 ERA, 1.137 WHIP in 31.2 innings. To quote the old Kyle Hendricks mantra: “All he does is get guys out.”

The Cubs tied the game in the bottom of the seventh. Miguel Amaya led off with a walk and Kevin Alcántara ran for him. Michael Conforto also walked, putting the tying run in scoring position. But the next two Cubs, PCA and Suzuki, struck out. (Suzuki didn’t have a good game on his birthday, going 0-for-5 with three K’s.)

Bregman redeemed the rally by singling in Alcántara to make it 3-3 [VIDEO].

After Bregman’s hit, it looked like Busch might have had a hit to give the Cubs the lead, but give a hat tip to Chase Meidroth for making this play [VIDEO].

After Assad had struck out Benintendi to begin the eighth, Counsell summoned Caleb Thielbar, who’s not had a good year. But Thielbar was effective on this night, allowing a two-out single but then getting Chase Meidroth to ground out to end the inning.

It wasn’t raining yet but the Cubs, knowing rain was imminent, had the tarp pulled right after that [VIDEO].

It rained hard for a while, then moderately for quite some time, and some fans provided some entertainment during the delay:

After nearly 90 minutes, the game resumed. The Cubs went out 1-2-3 in the bottom of the eighth and Jacob Webb, who has been outstanding for the last two months, entered to throw the ninth. He allowed a two-out walk but got out of the inning with a ground ball to Busch.

Carson Kelly, who had entered the game in the eighth, led off the bottom of the ninth with a double. Then Michael Conforto was called out on strikes. This time, unlike Monday, the Sox intentionally passed PCA to put runners on first and second. Suzuki popped up in foul territory to Murakami, who made a nice sliding catch [VIDEO].

That brought up Bregman. He hit Trevor Richards’ first pitch for the game-winner [VIDEO].

That was the Cubs’ 13th walk-off win this year. More from John:

The Cubs had consecutive walk-offs once this season before Monday and Tuesday. They won three straight vs. the Reds on May 4-6, the last two in 10 innings.

The Cubs now have 13 walk-off wins. Going into yesterday, no other team had more than nine.

The 13 walk-offs tie them with 1932 and 2015 for their second most in a season by the Cubs. They had 14 in 1930.

The MLB record for walk-off wins in a season is 17, set by the Pirates in 1959 and tied by them in 1977. Just in case, you know.

Here’s Bregman on the walk-off hit [VIDEO].

And here are Counsell’s postgame comments [VIDEO].

This team has shown resilience all year — after the rough losses over the weekend, to have two walk-offs in a row like this against a tenacious White Sox team is a really good result. As I mentioned at the top of this recap — this is not the recommended way to win games, but it’s certainly exciting and entertaining. The Cubs have again reached their season high at 21 games over .500 and since June 10 are 40-19, half a game behind the Red Sox for the best record in MLB over that span.

The Brewers destroyed the Mariners 22-0 Tuesday, matching the biggest shutout in MLB history, though the last nine runs were scored off a position player. So the Cubs continue to trail them by 4.5 games in the NL Central.

The Cubs will go for the series sweep Wednesday afternoon at Wrigley Field. Clay Holmes will start for the Cubs and once again, the Sox will use a left-handed opener, this time Sean Newcomb. José Urquidy will likely be the “bulk guy” after Newcomb. Game time is 1:20 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network (and CHSN and WCIU-Ch. 26 with the Sox announcers).

The Mets conclude a three-game series against the Padres at Citi Field on Wednesday afternoon at 1:10 on SNY.

Mets Notes

• Carson Benge is hitting .297/.361/.451 in 216 plate appearances dating back to June 18
• Francisco Lindor has an .809 OPS with 10 homers in 200 plate appearances since returning from the IL on June 24
• Bo Bichette is hitting .316/.357/.472 (.829 OPS) with seven homers and 13 doubles in 252 plate appearances dating back to June 11
• Robert Stock allowed one run (which was unearned) on three hits while walking three and striking out five in 4.1 innings against the Nationals in his last start

Today's Lineups

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

The Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins wrap up a three-game set this afternoon at Target Field, with the visitors sitting as a slim -104 moneyline favorite for the series finale. 

However, my Braves vs. Twins predictions see value in Minnesota, who have been in much better offensive form lately. 

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

Who will win Braves vs Twins today: Twins (-103)

The Atlanta Braves recalled right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver to start today after a couple of outings at Triple-A Gwinnett. Smith-Shawver made his 2026 debut in late July after recovering from injury and looked solid, allowing two earned runs in 4 1/3 frames.

That is still a tiny sample, and he faces a Minnesota Twins offense with a 118 wRC+ over the last week. I do not expect a long leash, which matters with the Braves bullpen owning a 7.21 FIP over its last 18 2/3 innings while giving up 2.89 HR/9.

Taj Bradley has been respectable with a 4.37 monthly FIP, and the Braves are ice cold with a 64 wRC+ over their last six games.

Play up to -130.

COVERS INTEL: The Braves have struggled offensively on the road with a 91 wRC+. At home, that number sits at 107. 

Braves vs Twins Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (+101)

I'm leaning toward the Under tonight, although it's not a slam-dunk angle. Atlanta's inconsistencies at the dish are a big reason for this play, and although Bradley isn't untouchable, he has been better at Target Field, and Minnesota's bullpen owns a 3.67 xERA over the last week. 

As previously mentioned, Atlanta's relief corps is getting hit around the ballpark, but Minnesota will have to do the brunt of the scoring here, which is why I like the Under. The Braves have scored just three runs in this series so far. 

Smith-Shawver was also decent in Triple-A, and I do not expect him to get completely lit up.

Play this pick down to -110. 

Braves vs Twins home run prediction: Josh Bell (+474)

Josh Bell has always had big-time power, and I’m eyeing him to go yard again today. While the slugger has just one homer in his last six games, he owns a 42.1% hard-hit rate during that span and a 44.2% fly-ball rate over the last two weeks. He also homered on Tuesday. 

It is hard to judge Smith-Shawver off his recent outings, but the Braves’ bullpen gives Bell a clearer path. Atlanta’s relief corps has allowed homers at an alarming rate while giving up nearly half of its contact in the air over the last week.

Bell is worth a look at this price.

Play this pick down to +450.

Braves vs Twins weather

Weather at Target Field looks excellent today, with mostly clear skies and temperatures climbing from 74°F to 78°F during the afternoon. Winds are very light around 2–5 mph, and rain chances sit at 0%. Overall, conditions look clean and neutral, with no delay concern or major weather impact.

Braves vs Twins odds

• Moneyline: Braves -104 | Twins -100
• Run line: Braves -1.5 (+150) | Twins +1.5 (-156)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-108) | Under 8.5 (+104)

Braves vs Twins trend

The Atlanta Braves have hit the Game Total Under in 16 of their last 21 away games (+10.75 Units / 48% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Braves vs. Twins.

How to watch Braves vs Twins and game info

Braves vs Twins latest injuries

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

The Yankees finally managed to score more than one run with a 4-3 extra innings victory in the series finale over the Blue Jays to avoid the sweep. In scoring just two runs in regulation, they were in danger of making 11 games out of 16 in which they scored two or fewer runs. That wasn’t the only skid they hopefully managed to snap, Ben Rice supplying the game-winning two-run homer in the ninth amid a serious slide for a player who powered much of their offense in the first half.

We join Rice with one out in the top of the tenth, automatic runner Ali Sánchez standing on third following a leadoff sacrifice bunt by José Caballero. Rice entered this contest eight for his last 64 with just one home run. He has not had the best of games to this point, 0-for-4 with a strikeout and coming off a critical error in the bottom of the ninth that led to the game-tying run to score off David Bednar to send it to extras. The pressure is on Rice to atone for his mistake, which can’t make his job at the plate any easier.

Blue Jays reliever Braydon Fisher throws his slider more than half the time. When you include the curveball, roughly 80-percent of the pitches that Fisher throws are breaking balls, so you can bet that Rice is sitting on a bender here.

Indeed, Fisher starts this AB with a slider in the dirt for ball one. If not for such an extreme breaking ball usage rate, you could see how a hitter might be tempted to chase this pitch given it exits Fisher’s hand centrally located over the plate aimed at the bottom of the zone. However, Rice can pretty much eliminate anything aimed thigh-high or lower as four out of five of those pitches from Fisher will end up breaking below the strike zone.

With his next slider, Fisher attempts to back-foot one hoping this time he can elicit a chase.

Once again, a hitter who hadn’t read the scouting report might have been tempted to swing at this given it looks like it could be a fastball that will tail front door across the inside edge of the plate. Rice sticks with his plan of hunting the slider, which lets him know immediately that this pitch that starts inside will stay inside for ball two.

There’s no deviation in plan from Fisher as he throws his third slider in a row, almost as if playing a game of cat and mouse with the hitter who must be thinking that surely he won’t throw three in a row to open an AB.

The problem with throwing the same breaking ball multiple times in a row is each has to be marginally better than the last as the hitter gets a better and better idea of the way the pitch will break and where it will therefore land given its initial aiming point. Instead, Fisher throws his worst slider of the AB, at the bottom of the zone but over the heart of the plate, and Rice does not miss it. He’s hunting a pitch that’s out over the plate and starts belt high, knowing exactly where to drop his barrel to do maximum damage. The ball rockets off his bat at 108.5 mph and travels 438 feet for the game-winning two-run home run.

Here’s the full AB:

Obviously, the Yankees woes on offense are rooted in the injuries Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Giancarlo Stanton. However, we cannot discount the effect that Rice’s extended slump has played on the team’s misfortunes. After genuinely placing among the league’s best hitters with a 168 wRC+ in the first half, Rice’s season nosedived to the tune of a 63 wRC+ since the All-Star break. The absences of the aforementioned trio placed a mountain of pressure on Rice’s shoulders to carry the offense as the lone slugging threat, and unfortunately the burden has proven too heavy to carry alone.

It must be said that he has been on the receiving end of some particularly rotten luck. His BABIP has fallen almost 100 points from the first half to the second and his wOBA has plummeted 150 points despite a deficit of just 40 points in expected wOBA in the second half vs. the first. However, we cannot blame the entirety of his slump on bad luck, with regression in certain key areas underlying the loss of form. His strikeout rate went from 23.3-percent in the first half to 31.1-percent in the second, his chase rate has jumped by almost six percentage points, and his in-zone contact rate plunged by nine percentage points, all of which to me feel like a classic case of a player who is pressing for results.

While one AB is hardly conclusive, there was still a lot to like from Rice’s approach. His knowledge of the scouting report on Fisher meant he wasn’t remotely tempted into chasing the first two sliders out of the zone. Then, when he got his pitch to hit, he didn’t miss it — something which has plagued the entire Yankees lineup during this extended stretch of punchless offense. He has talked about how one of the keys to his first half success was hunting a specific pitch in a specific location and letting everything else go by, and hopefully this AB is the start of a return to that approach for a player who is as important as anyone to the Yankees offense.

Meet the Mets

The Mets were beaten by the Padres 5-2. Luis Torrens and Luis Robert Jr. each hit solo home runs but the Mets were unable to overcome Fernando Tatís Jr.’s two home runs and grand slam robbery of Lindor.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, MLB.com, New York Daily News, New York Post

The Mets activated Austin Warren from the injured list and sent Chayce McDermott down to Syracuse.

Jose Iglesias returned to Citi Field last night to throw out the first pitch ahead of his Broadway debut.

After the conclusion of today’s game, the NYPD and FDNY will face off in the fifth annual Battle of the Badges game at Citi Field.

Luke Gabrysh, one of the players acquired in the trade that sent Brooks Raley to the Phillies, has been promoted to Double-A Binghamton.

Just over a month after being drafted, the Mets’ 19th round pick John Smith III has been promoted to High-A Brooklyn.

Joel Sherman compared the Mets rookie class this season to others around the league, as well as others in Mets history.

Carson Benge was been named the Mets Heart and Hustle Award winner for 2026.

Around the National League East

Casey Donovan spent five days with the Nationals in 2022, never appearing in a big league game, and has questioned his major league legitimacy ever since.

Josiah Gray finally began a rehab assignment last night, marking his first appearance in a game since last September.

The Phillies came from behind to beat the Marlins 6-4. Zack Wheeler allowed two runs in five innings, walking four batters and striking out seven.

The Twins beat the Braves 4-1. Ryan Jeffers and Josh Bell each drove in two runs to help the Twins secure the win.

The Nationals were shut out 5-0 by the Rangers. Jackson Kent gave up all five runs on eight hits in just 3.2 innings.

Around Major League Baseball

After being placed on the restricted list last night, Ketel Marte is reportedly heading back to Arizona for an MRI on his knee.

Trey Mancini, longtime Baltimore Oriole and 2022 World Series champion with the Astros, has announced his retirement from baseball.

Dodgers reliever Edwin Díaz is headed back to the injured list, though the reason has not been disclosed.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Steve Sypa put out the twenty-first edition of Mets Minor League Players of the Week for 2026.

Allison McCague published the latest Pitcher Player Meter for the last two weeks of Mets baseball.

This Date in Mets History

Former Mets pitcher and current Mets broadcaster Ron Darling turns 65 today.

The Atlanta Braves announced Tuesday that right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver was recalled to Atlanta, and fellow righty Tyler Kinley was designated for assignment. 

Smith-Shawver rejoins the Braves after spending the majority of the 2026 season in the minor leagues recovering from Tommy John surgery. He did have a brief outing at the big league level in July, where he threw 4.1 innings and gave up two runs on four hits. He was later optioned to the Gwinnett Stripers before eventually getting called on again. 

The Kinley move is a bit of a surprise, especially since he has been effective his last few outings. 

Smith-Shawver will get the start Wednesday, while we await to see if Kinley joins in on the DFA to minor league deal cycle. 

More Braves News:

The Braves were unable to salvage the series after Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins.

MLB News:

The Colorado Rockies have placed catcher Hunter Goodman on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder strain. The move is retroactive to August 15.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are placing closer Edwin Diaz on the 15-day injured list due to neck inflammation. He is going back to Los Angeles for further evaluation. 

After parts of eight major league seasons, Trey Mancini has announced his retirement. 

From the Feed:

The Braves added catcher Chuckie Robinson on a minor league deal. 

Rangers 5, Nationals 0

• It is a win. Woo-hoo!!!
• Was the time change the problem? Did the Rangers just need to get back to the Shed? To sleep in their own beds?
• It is nice to start the homestand off with a solid double-ya.
• Cal Quantrill continues to provide the Rangers with quality outings filling in in the rotation, logging seven shutout innings. Its the deepest he’s gone in a game since May of 2024, when he was pitching for the Rockies.
• C.J. Abrams led off the game with a ground rule double off of Quantrill. The Nationals didn’t get another runner as far as second base until the eighth inning, when another ground rule double, this one off of Robby Ahlstrom, put runners on second and third with two out.
• The Rangers scored all five of their runs in the first three innings.
• On the one hand, you’re a little frustrated, because there’s a lot of runs scored early, and then none after that, and you think, hey, what’s wrong, why did you stop scoring? I was looking forward to double digits in this game.
• On the other hand, scoring a bunch of runs early instead of spreading them out or scoring them late allows you to have a comfort level throughout the game. Less stress, owing to significant margin.
• A game you win 5-0 thanks to four runs in the eighth is much more anxiety-inducing than a game you win 5-0 thanks to all the runs scoring in the early going.
• Wyatt Langford, mired in a lengthy slump, came through with a pair of hits and a walk, scoring two of the Rangers’ runs, including their first run of the game, courtesy of a Jake Burger GIDP.
• Langford also scored the third run of the game, when he came home on an infield grounder by Brandon Nimmo. The throw beat Langford, but he was able to get his hand on the plate before the tag. The Nationals challenged, the call stood, and there was happiness and joy throughout the stadium, except in the field where the Nationals players were standing. And the Nationals dugout.
• Corey Seager, off of being out of the lineup Sunday and then having the Monday off day, had a single and a double, each of which moved Langford to third prior to Langford ultimately scoring. Give Seager an assist, if you will.
• Justin Foscue came into the game slashing .174/.208/.217 since the All Star Break. He took Nationals starter Jackson Kent deep for the Rangers’ second run. It was Foscue’s first home run since July 9.
• Brandon Nimmo had two hits! Cody Freeman had two hits! Texas had 11 hits in all, along with 4 walks, and maybe you’re saying, well, the Rangers should have scored more runs then, what with all those hits and walks, in which case I say, shut your damn piehole.
• Meanwhile, the Astros lost, putting Texas a game back in the West.
• Detroit and Baltimore, who were tied with the Rangers for the third Wild Card spot heading into Tuesday’s games, each lost, so Texas is now in sole possession of WC3.
• There are a whopping five teams within a game of WC3, however, so don’t get too comfy there.
• The Mariners are three back of the Rangers in the Wild Card race, having dropped a game back due to being beaten 22-0 by the Brewers.
• And yes, I mentioned how far back the Mariners are just to have an excuse to mention that they lost 22-0.
• Cal Quantrill touched 95.5 mph with his fastball, averaging 93.9 mph. Robby Ahlstrom’s sinker topped out at 95.2 mph. Jakob Junis’s changeup hit 87.3 mph. Tyler Alexander’s fastball maxed out at 92.2 mph.
• Corey Seager had a 107.6 mph double and a 103.7 mph single. Brandon Nimmo had a 106.1 mph single and a 102.9 mph single. Wyatt Langford had a 105.5 mph single. Justin Foscue had a 105.1 mph home run. Ezequiel Duran had a 104.3 mph single. Jake Burger had a 103.8 mph single.
• Can the Rangers build on this victory and start a winning streak? Tune in and find out!

In Payton Tolle’s season debut against the New York Yankees, he threw a 2-2 changeup to Giancarlo Stanton with the bases loaded. It was the first changeup he threw all season, and Stanton, like everybody else, never saw it coming and whiffed for the first out of the inning.

In the moment, I was impressed by the pitch call and execution. What I didn’t realize was that it was a sign of things to come.

Through 20 starts, Tolle’s registered a 2.97 ERA and ranks 15th in K-BB% among pitchers with at least 100 innings pitched. He’s allowed just three earned runs over his last 20 innings, giving the Red Sox length during a stretch in which their bullpen depth has been tested. Most recently, he went eight shutout innings against the Blue Jays to help the Red Sox snap an eight-game losing streak. If it looks like an ace, and it pitches like an ace, it’s probably an ace. Payton Tolle is becoming an ace.

Last season, Tolle’s emergence was due to his four-seam fastball. He dominated the Pittsburgh Pirates with it in his debut. After that start, his lack of a Plan B was exposed, seeing him demoted to the bullpen for the end of the season. This season, his four-seamer shape has shifted slightly, featuring less vertical and more horizontal movement, but it remains an elite pitch. The swinging strike rate (16.5%) is 4th among 93 pitchers with 500 thrown, while the ideal contact rate is low at 32.8%. It’s not due to just the raw stuff, either. He’s locating the pitch consistently at the top of the zone, where the approach angle helps it play up.

His four-seamer put him on the map, and it continues to anchor his arsenal. The massive strides he’s made in his second season aren’t due to his four-seamer, but his secondary pitches.

Tolle added a sinker this offseason, and it’s been a massive addition to his repertoire. He’s using it 32% of the time against left-handed hitters, and it’s been a huge source of strikes for him at a 70% strike rate. He spots it on the arm side decently enough, and the movement allows it to miss barrels. On top of the high strike rate, it’s returned a 71% groundball rate and a minuscule 22.9% ideal contact rate. Detractors might point to a 0.284 batting average against it, but that’s largely composed of jam-shot singles.

The sinker is a great weapon against lefties, and a solid supporting piece against righties. He’s using it about 18% of the time, which is enough to keep hitters from squaring up the four-seam. The ideal contact rate on his primary fastball has dropped from 50% all the way to 28%. Improved four-seam locations definitely help in that regard, but a second fastball shape is also probably contributing. Here it is in action:

And here’s that same sequence again:

Last season, at 3-2, he’d likely be challenging the hitter with a four-seam fastball in the zone. Hitters knew it and were able to gear up for it. This sequence isn’t some sort of magic cheat code, but rather one example of how more quality pitches give hitters different looks to worry about. With a new sinker (and other improved pitches), he’s been able to mitigate that issue, avoid barrels, and continue to rack up strikeouts.

With a four-seam and sinker to get ahead of hitters, Tolle has been able to use his cutter more effectively as well. Among pitchers with at least 150 cutters thrown, Tolle’s ranks third in swinging strike rate (19.2%) behind only Brayan Bello (huh???) and Jose Alvarado. He uses it against both sides of the plate, but the performance against righties has been particularly strong.

You’ll notice two hot zones for Tolle’s cutters to righties: on the glove side and at the top of the zone. Those at the top of the zone are primarily early in counts as Tolle looks to steal called strikes. Deeper in counts, he’s done a solid job at getting the pitch to the glove side, where he’s been able to rack up whiffs. He’ll miss on the arm side with some regularity, but those misses have mostly been fouled off rather than being punished. In addition to the whiffs, there’s been plenty of weak contact as the cutter gets in on the hands of righties, jamming them regularly. For a third offering, it’s been a great one.

So that’s three fastballs, ranging from 88 to 99 mph, each covering a different part of the plate. We’re done, right? Wrong. There’s a curveball, and it’s a surprisingly good one. Tolle’s strength has always been power. In the offseason, I was banging the drum for him to add a sinker to play off that strength, because I thought it was an easy enough way to add strikes to his repertoire. Improving his feel for the curveball was a development I didn’t see happening, at least not so soon, but it has.

His curveball only accounts for about ten percent of his pitches, but it’s the perfect surprise pitch with everything else being hard. The zone rate is about 40%, due to him occasionally dropping the pitch in to steal called strikes. Deeper in counts, he’s shown the ability to spot it down and away, and he’s only getting better.

Apologies for the tiny text, but these are Tolle’s two-strike curveballs by month. From March through June, he didn’t quite have a feel for it. Since the start of July, however, he’s hit that spot regularly. Here it is again if we look by season half.

Since the start of the second half, his curveball has a 30% swinging strike rate with two strikes. With the high-octane fastballs in his back pocket, the curveball can make hitters look ridiculous, like this:

And that changeup that I showed at the beginning? Well, he hasn’t figured that one out yet. Everything else has been so good, though, that a changeup at this point is just gravy.

Tolle’s next start is today against the Arizona Diamondbacks. If you remember last season, the Diamondbacks are the lineup that brought Tolle back down to earth after his electric debut, tagging him for five earned runs over just three innings. They pounced on his fastball as he couldn’t land anything else for strikes, citing the Trajekt machine as key in their preparations for the lefty. This time around, the D’Backs won’t have the Trajekt machine at Fenway, and Tolle has a host of new weapons to navigate the lineup with. Workload remains a concern for the second-year pro, but the Red Sox will need to lean on him down the stretch to remain in the playoff race. He hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down at this point and appears to only be getting better.

The rising cost of attending Major League Baseball games will always be a topic of conversation, with the prices of concessions and parking making a day at the ballpark cost a small fortune for many families.

Teams have begun presenting family-friendly ticket packages that include food and beverages, but things really add up beyond the staples including in such deals. It's hard to believe that parking cost less than $10 even in markets like New York less than 30 years ago.

Here's a look at the most expensive ballparks to visit for a family of four, according to Bookies.com's fan cost study, which includes four tickets, a parking pass, two beers, two sodas and four hot dogs.

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (38-37/22-23)

SYRACUSE 5, WORCESTER 1 (BOX)

Syracuse won their opening game against the Woosox, powered by good hitting and good pitching. On the hitting side, Ronny Mauricio was perfect at the plate and drove in three, and on the pitching side, Xzavion Curry and Tobias Myers combined to allow a single run on two combined hits.

·  2B Émilien Pitre: 2-4, R, 2B
·  CF Nick Morabito: 0-4, R, 2 K
·  SS Ronny Mauricio: 3-3, 2 R, 2B, HR (15), 3 RBI, BB, SB (11)
·  1B Billy Amick: 1-4, 2B, RBI, 3 K
·  DH Eric Wagaman: 0-3, BB, K
·  LF MJ Melendez: 0-4, 2 K
·  3B Nick Lorusso: 0-3, K, E (1)
·  C Shawn Ross: 0-2, K
·  RF Jose Ramos: 1-3, R, K
·  RHP Xzavion Curry: 5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, W (3-0)
·  RHP Tobias Myers: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, H (1)
·  RHP Ben Simon: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

ROSTER ALERT: SS Émilien Pitre assigned to Syracuse Mets from Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

ROSTER ALERT:3B Billy Amick assigned to Syracuse Mets from Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

ROSTER ALERT: New York Mets optioned RHP Chayce McDermott to Syracuse Mets.

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (27-42/23-23)

BINGHAMTON 4, ALTOONA 3 (BOX)

Jefferson Rojas put the Rumble Ponies on the board in the bottom of the first with a two-run homer, but Gary Gill Hill gave both of those runs back in the top of the second. The right-hander settled down after that, not allowing another run and tossing six innings in total. In the seventh, the newly reactivated Felipe De La Cruz allowed a run and it looked like that was going to be that, but in the bottom of the ninth, Binghamton rallied. Rojas was in the middle of things once again, driving in a run on a double and then Chris Suero ended things with a game winning sac fly.

·  2B Mitch Voit: 1-4, R, K, HPB
·  SS Marco Vargas: 3-5, 2 R, K
·  3B Jefferson Rojas: 3-5, R, 2B, HR (2), 3 RBI, K
·  1B Jacob Reimer: 0-4, BB
·  CF Chris Suero: 1-3, RBI, BB
·  RF John Bay: 0-4
·  DH Corey Collins: 0-2, 2 BB, K
·  LF D’Andre Smith: 0-4, 2 K
·  C Kevin Parada: 2-4, 2 K
·  RHP Gary Gill Hill: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, E (1)
·  LHP Felipe De La Cruz: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
·  RHP Carlos Guzman: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
·  RHP Bryce Jenkins: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, W (2-0)

ROSTER ALERT: Binghamton Rumble Ponies activated C Vincent Perozo from the Development List.

ROSTER ALERT: Binghamton Rumble Ponies activated LHP Felipe De La Cruz from the 7-day injured list.

ROSTER ALERT: Binghamton Rumble Ponies placed OF Yohairo Cuevas on the 7-day injured list.

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (25-40/25-23)

BROOKLYN 9, ASHVILLE 1 (BOX)

The top of the Brooklyn order struggled, with Sammy Stafura going 0-6 and Elian Pena going 0-4, but the bottom half of the line-up had their back, going a collective 8-22 with 7 runs driven in. The Cyclones offense really broke this one open in the later innings, scoring four runs in the seventh, two in the eighth, and one more for good measure in the ninth.

·  SS Sammy Stafura: 0-6, 3 K
·  2B Elian Peña: 0-4, 2 BB, 3 K
·  CF Aidan Smith: 2-3, 3 R, 3 BB, 4 SB (19, 20, 21, 22)
·  1B Ronald Hernandez: 0-3, 2 R, 3 BB, K, SB (22), E (17)
·  DH Trey Snyder: 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K
·  RF Yonatan Henriquez: 1-4, R, RBI, BB, K
·  LF John Spikerman: 2-5, 2 R, 2 HR (1, 2), 4 RBI
·  C Daiverson Gutierrez: 1-4, R, HR (8), RBI, BB, 2 K
·  3B Antonio Jimenez: 2-5, 2B, K, SB, E (5)
·  RHP Nicolas Carreno: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, WP, BLK, W (3-1)
·  RHP Rafi Vazquez: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, H (3)
·  LHP Gregori Louis: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, WP
·  RHP Hunter Hodges: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

ROSTER ALERT: SS Elian Peña assigned to Brooklyn Cyclones from St. Lucie Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Luke Gabrysh assigned to Binghamton Rumble Ponies from Brooklyn Cyclones.

ROSTER ALERT: SS Jamari Baylor assigned to Binghamton Rumble Ponies from Brooklyn Cyclones.

ROSTER ALERT: OF John Smith III assigned to Brooklyn Cyclones from St. Lucie Mets.

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (33-33/17-31)

LAKELAND 10, ST. LUCIE 1 (BOX)

Toeing the rubber for the first time since Spring Training, when he was placed on the 60-Day Injured List due to a fractured rib, Justin Hagenman threw 2.1 innings and allowed a run on three hits and a walk, striking out three. The right-hander threw 43 pitches, 25 for strikes, and got 9 swings and misses. Things quickly went downhill for St. Lucie as the bullpen was extremely leaky, with Owen Woodward, Jose Lopez, and Tyler McLoughlin combining to allow nine runs.

·  3B Vladi Gomez: 0-4, BB, K, E (6)
·  CF Aiden Robbins: 0-2, R, 2 BB, K
·  RF Eli Serrano III: 0-3, BB
·  C Ryan Tayman: 1-2, RBI, BB, E (2)
·  1B Julio Zayas: 0-3, BB, 2 K
·  SS Jeremy Rodriguez: 2-3, BB, E (6)
·  LF Jack Toomey: 1-3, BB, K
·  DH Reed Stallman: 1-4, 2B, 2 K
·  2B Jake Ogden: 0-4
·  REHAB ALERT RHP Justin Hagenman: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, WP, L (0-1)
·  REHAB ALERT RHP Owen Woodward: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
·  RHP Jose Lopez: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 1 K, WP
·  RHP Tyler McLoughlin: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
·  RHP Caden Wooster: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

ROSTER ALERT: OF Jack Toomey assigned to St. Lucie Mets from FCL Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: SS Jake Ogden assigned to St. Lucie Mets from FCL Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: St. Lucie Mets activated SS Jeremy Rodriguez from the Development List.

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Zack Mack assigned to St. Lucie Mets from Syracuse Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: New York Mets sent RHP Justin Hagenman on a rehab assignment to St. Lucie Mets.

Rookie: FCL Mets (24-33)

NO GAME (SEASON OVER)

ROSTER ALERT: 1B Carter Dierdorf assigned to FCL Mets from Brooklyn Cyclones.

ROSTER ALERT: SS Kooper Schulte assigned to FCL Mets from St. Lucie Mets.

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Ronny Mauricio

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Jose Lopez

The Detroit Tigers were unable to seal the deal on Tuesday night, falling to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-1, to even the weekday series at PNC Park. Brett Callahan hit his first major league home run, but that was all the offense the good guy got while Keider Montero was extremely mid on the mound for the Olde English D.

Toeing the rubber in the series finale for the Motor City Kitties is right-hander Jackson Jobe, who will be making his third start of the season after returning from Tommy John surgery. The 24-year-old looked good in his debut but got roughed up by the Chicago White Sox the last time out, coughing up six runs on nine hits (two homers) and a walk while striking out four over 3 2/3 innings to take the loss in a 9-5 defeat at Comerica Park.

Up against Jobe for the Bucs is fellow righty Paul Skenes, who has been great this season but a tick below the astronomic he set for himself during his first two years in the league. In the 24-year-old’s last four outings since his last quality start, Skenes has posted a bloated 6.52 ERA along with a very mediocre 4.22 FIP over 19 1/3 innings, allowing 20 hits (three homers) and 11 walks while striking out 18, hitting a batter and throwing a wild pitch, resulting in three personal losses and four for his team.

Here is a look at how the two 24-year-olds match up on paper for the rubber match of the three-game series on Wednesday afternoon.

Detroit Tigers (61-65) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (62-66)

Time (ET): 12:35 p.m.
Place: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
SB Nation Site:Bucs Dugout
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 127: RHP Jackson Jobe (1-1, 6.23 ERA) vs. RHP Paul Skenes (9-11, 3.88 ERA)

JOBE

SKENES

Good morning Birdland,

Those two days where the Orioles held a playoff spot were pretty cool, huh? We will remember them fondly.

The team has dropped back to one game out of the final wild card spot after their 3-1 loss to the Yankees on Tuesday night. The Rangers, Twins, Blue Jays, and Guardians all won, so it was not a good night for the O’s and their playoff hopes.

The loss falls at the feet of the offense. Coby Mayo’s solo homer in the third inning was all they could muster. Throughout the rest of the game they had just three hits and went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Tough to win games with only one run.

Side note: Mayo now has a 101 wRC+ on the season. Not just against lefties, or since June 1 or whatever, no crazy splits. None of that. The guy has now been a (slightly) above average hitter on the season. That’s pretty cool. Maybe the Orioles have something on their hands after all.

Shane Baz was quite good yet again. The guy just cannot get any run support. He struck out a season high 10 over his 6.1 innings, and the three runs he allowed was slightly elevated because Josh Walker came on and allowed both inherited runners to score. It doesn’t feel like the Orioles have any pitcher in their bullpen right now that you can trust all that much. They are all prone to implosions.

The O’s will give it another try on Wednesday night with Chris Bassitt (4-4, 5.11 ERA) on the mound to face Will Warren (8-6, 4.42 ERA). It’s another 6:35 first pitch.

Links

Orioles updates on Basallo, Alexander, Bautista and more | Roch Kubatko
There was some positive news yesterday. We know that Samuel Basallo is getting close to a return. He has played a couple of rehab games, and Craig Albernaz said he could be back later this week. Then the team relayed that Blaze Alexander and Félix Bautista (!!!) are expected to begin rehab assignments within a week. The Alexander news is expected, but Bautista!?! The team has been optimistic there, and it’s likely that they will take things slow. But boy would it be a boost to get his arm in the bullpen sometime in September for the final couple of weeks.

Former Oriole Trey Mancini retiring after making comeback in 2026 | Roch Kubatko
What a career and what a story for Trey Mancini. He came back from cancer to play baseball at a high level and win a World Series, then he came back a second time when it seemed like the league had totally moved on. The 34-year-old achieved his goal of getting back to the majors this season and should be darn proud of himself for doing so. I’m sure even bigger things await him beyond his playing career.

Jon Meoli: The Orioles are finally hitting, and that means they’re still worth our attention | The Baltimore Banner
The Orioles followed the posting of this article with a putrid one-run showing on Tuesday, but the larger point is true. The team is finally getting contributions from some of their biggest bats. If they really are going to make a playoff push, it needs to continue.

Orioles’ Jackson Holliday found his groove. Now he’s hitting lefties too. | The Baltimore Sun
It has taken more time than many of us wanted, but some of the Orioles younger hitters are finally finding success in the big leagues. The timing is helpful, and it may bode well for 2027 and beyond.

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• Brandon Young turns 28 today. The second-year pitcher has been a savior for the Orioles rotation this season, compiling a 3.52 ERA over 117.2 innings.
• J.J. Hardy is 44 years old. He brought a rare combination of power and slick fielding to the shortstop position during the Orioles return to relevance from 2011 through 2017. Hardy won three Gold Gloves, went to one All-Star Game, and took home a Silver Slugger during his time in Baltimore. The O’s added him to their team Hall of Fame in 2021.
• Lance Cormier turns 46. He worked out of the Orioles bullpen throughout the 2008 season.
• Rocky Cherry is 47 years old. His time with the Orioles spanned two seasons from 2007 through ‘08, when he was an up-and-down reliever for the club.
• Luis DeLeón is 68. The righty pitched in 11 games as a reliever for the 1987 Orioles.
• Paul Mitchell turns 77. His six-year MLB career began in Baltimore, where he played in 11 games for the 1975 Birds.
• The late Jim Lehew (b. 1937, d. 2016) was born on this day. A Baltimore native, Lehew played in parts of two seasons with his hometown Orioles from 1961 to ‘62.

This day in O’s history

1980 – Steve Stone becomes MLB’s first pitcher to get to 20 wins this season as the O’s beat the Angels 5-2.

2001 – The Orioles storm back from a 6-1 deficit to beat the Red Sox 13-7. Jeff Conine has five hits, three different Orioles have three RBI each, and the team steals five bases off of Hideo Nomo.

2016 – The Orioles set a modern record by hitting four home runs before making their first out in their first turn at-bat. Adam Jones, Manny Machado, Chris Davis, and Mark Trumbo all go deep in the first inning to take a 5-1 lead, but it wouldn’t be enough. The Astros score five of their own runs in the second inning and go on to win 15-8.