Category: MLB

José E. Feliciano, the new controlling owner of the San Diego Padres, lives in Los Angeles. You know, that place at the end of the Padres’ incessant “Beat L.A.” chants.

No worries, Padres fans. Feliciano is — make that was — a longtime New York Yankees fan.

“The good thing is,” he told me after an introductory news conference Monday, “rooting against the Dodgers comes naturally to me.”

It was only 18 months ago that Padres fans wondered whether the good times might come to an end, with the widow of beloved owner Peter Seidler suing his brothers for control of the team. For their part, the brothers said they had “no plans to sell the Padres.”

That sounds a lot like what Dodgers president Stan Kasten said Friday, amid a federal investigation into alleged financial improprieties among insurance companies controlled by Dodgers owner Mark Walter.

“The Dodgers are not being sold,” Kasten said. “They’re not going to be sold.”

Read more:Dodgers president Stan Kasten reiterates 'Dodgers are not being sold'

What is true today might not be true tomorrow. What is true today, as potential bidders for the Dodgers lurk and coalesce amid L.A.’s turn at uncertainty, is that the Padres have an energetic and effervescent couple as their new principal owners.

Feliciano, a founder of Clearlake Capital in Santa Monica, took the mound at Petco Park on Monday afternoon, working out of a stretch and looking toward an invisible runner at second base before delivering a pitch. In spring training, he said, he stepped into the batting cage to try to hit simulated pitches from Padres All-Star closer Mason Miller.

His wife Kwanza Jones, an artist and entrepreneur, led her husband into the news conference amid the sounds of a song she co-wrote, she said, inspired in part by a catch made by Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr.

“My only musical talent is my name,” Feliciano said. “I humbly ask you to please add my middle initial so I never get confused with the singer.”

As the couple looks for a home in San Diego, Jones appealed to fans to share what they love about their neighborhoods. Later, the couple took selfies along the first-base line.

Their enthusiasm bubbled forth as the news conference proceeded, as their sense of whether the Padres might finally win a World Series got more and more optimistic.

Feliciano, three minutes into the news conference: “We cannot promise we are going to win.”

Jones, two minutes later, riffing off her lyrics, her voice rising: “We gonna win! We gonna win! We gonna win — win it all!” And then a pause, to lower her voice: “We hope it’s sooner rather than later.”

Feliciano, two minutes later: “We need to win a World Series. It’s that simple. That’s what we’re going to do.”

Jones, one minute later: “Multiples.”

Feliciano, one minute later: “The impossible becomes possible when somebody does it. So let’s do it.”

This is not Feliciano’s first foray into professional sports. Clearlake Capital is the majority owner of Chelsea, the storied soccer club.

“I’m missing the first game of the Premier League right now,” Feliciano said.

He said he could not comment on reports Walter is looking to sell his stake in Chelsea. Two weeks ago, Walter announced an agreement to sell controlling interest in the Lakers at a $12.5-billion valuation, the cash from which could help repay loans under scrutiny. The Dodgers could command a similar valuation, industry sources not authorized to discuss the issue publicly told The Times, should Walter decide to sell.

Read more:Plaschke: Beneath the Dodgers' latest sweep, the scary rumblings of a team sale persist

As part of a search for cash, Puck reported last week, Walter had talked with Charter Communications about whether the company would be interested in paying a lump sum now to get out of its SportsNet LA contract — a money-losing deal for Charter, but the primary source of the Dodgers’ financial advantage over the other 29 teams in the major leagues.

The talks “went nowhere,” Puck reported. Kasten declined to address the matter, as did a Charter spokesman.

In 2011, with the Dodgers headed toward bankruptcy, former owner Frank McCourt found what he believed would be his financial lifeline in a television rights deal with Fox Sports.

In a withering letter to McCourt, then-commissioner Bud Selig rejected the deal, criticizing McCourt for proposing a financial structure that would have foreclosed the Dodgers from pursuing more lucrative options “because of your desperate need for immediate cash.”

That precedent could inform how Rob Manfred, the current commissioner, would evaluate any proposed restructuring of the Dodgers’ television deal. Under the owners’ current collective bargaining proposal, to which Walter agreed, the Dodgers’ annual television riches — more than $500 million per year by the end of the deal in 2038 — would be fully contributed toward revenue sharing among all 30 teams.

I asked Feliciano whether the Dodgers’ uncertainty might make this a particularly opportune time to buy the Padres.

“You’ve got to look at these things on a generational, multi-decade basis, honestly,” he told me. “It’s like trying to time a great investment in the market. You can’t.

“What I can tell you is that this is the good time — the best time — for us. I think it also coincides with Peter’s legacy: The team is in a great place, the city is in a great place.”

Read more:The Dodgers are Mark Walter's crown jewel. Can he hold on to it amid federal probe?

The Dodgers’ revenue advantage remains significant, not just because of their SportsNet LA deal but because they fill the largest stadium in the majors almost every night and employ Shohei Ohtani.

In San Diego, however, where ticket sales represent the largest source of team revenue, the Padres sell more tickets than any major league team besides the Dodgers. Petco Park already is a year-round concert venue and event center, and the Padres could rekindle plans to develop a large parking lot near the ballpark.

And, if owners emerge from collective bargaining with a salary cap or other restraint on the Dodgers’ spending, that would be a win for San Diego.

On the field, the Padres entered play Monday with 21 victories in their past 28 games. The Padres acquired Robbie Ray and Casey Mize at the trade deadline to bolster a patchwork rotation, and they retained Miller and Adrian Morejon rather than break up a mighty bullpen. Tatis leads the National League with 12 home runs since the All-Star break; outfielder Jackson Merrill has 11.

“As we have seen the last few weeks, we are very competitive. I feel we are one of those teams — us and the Phillies, probably — that nobody wants to play,” Feliciano said.

“We want to keep it that way.”

The Phillies entered play Monday on a nine-game winning streak, in position for one of the National League wild cards. The Padres also are in position for an NL wild card, keeping alive the possibility that the Dodgers and Padres could meet in the NL Championship Series.

If that happens, it won’t matter how many games the Dodgers finished ahead of the Padres during the regular season.

“We’d just need to win four,” Feliciano said.

Beat L.A., indeed.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Ketel Marte will rejoin the Diamondbacks next week — they hope.

The All-Star second baseman mysteriously disappeared before a game in Boston two weeks ago, an absence the team has not fully been able to explain. The plan is for him to return on Aug. 31 against the Phillies in Arizona.

“That’s what we’re thinking about,” manager Torey Lovullo told reporters Monday. “I think that will be the 10th day or the 11th day, so there is definitely a strategy to get him back on the field, get him healthy.”

Marte was placed on the restricted list after he no-showed for an Aug. 17 game against the Red Sox, and he has since been moved to the 10-day IL with inflammation in his left knee.

He reportedly still has not addressed the bizarre absence with his teammates as they fight for a playoff spot — they entered Monday’s slate two games behind the Padres for the third Wild Card berth. On Friday, Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro reported Marte was at a Scottsdale casino “for hours” as the Diamondbacks faced to Reds.

“We’re trying to create the softest space for him to re-emerge back in this environment,” Lovullo said Monday . “That’s up to him however he wants to do it. I cannot force a human being to do something that I want to do, or anybody in this room wants to do, or a fan wants to do.

“One of the things that makes Ketel such an extraordinary player is he goes to the beat of his own drum. I respect that.”

Lovullo has offered plenty of support and emotional response to Marte’s disappearing act and is imploring fans to do the same when he finally takes the field again.

“Ketel is a very loving young man,” he said. “I don’t want (booing) to happen. I understand it’s a possibility it could happen, but we’ll all rally around him.”

Marte is slashing .249/.314/.446 over 118 games on the season with 21 home runs and 67 RBI this season.

It’s not the first time he’s gone AWOL on the Diamondbacks, having returned home to the Dominican Republic and missing three games after his house was burglarized in 2025 — an incident he apologized to this teammates for.

The Red Sox and Marlins played a tense, back-and-forth, entertaining game that our boys won, against a Cy Young Award winner still in his prime, in front of a crowd that the Marlins announcers nonetheless said was Boston supporters by more than half. Which okay but we all know how Florida works you’re the Marlins, even if somehow, this year, less so, and you’re above .500, and life is relatively good. So good that the game enters the 9th inning tied 2-2. It enters the bottom half down 4-2, because this was a textbook 2026 Red Sox game (complimentary), and it holds, because it’s a textbook 2026… you get it.

It was back and forth from the jump, tho, but with escalating stakes. The Marlins manufactured a run in the 2d and then the teams combined to go like 3-763 with RISP for the next few innings. The Sox tied it on a Mickey Gasper double in the fifth that scored Jarren Duran, who was all over the place (complimentary) tonight. They were then lucky to escape a scary situation that saw them get an out at home and limited it to 2-1 before scoring *on a wild pitch* to tie it in the 8th. Then they took the lead in the 9th after Mickey Gasper walked, Eli White pinch ran, and Anthony Seigler hitting a game-defining triple to make it 3-2:

Anthony Seigler’s first career triple puts the @RedSox ahead in the 9th inning! pic.twitter.com/zVdVHXoz8p

— MLB (@MLB) August 25, 2026

A Nick Sogard single made it 4-2. Then you-know-who came in to shut it down. He was sweating a lot and it was weird. But he did the thing. Labor Day is still two weeks away but September ain’t. Prepare thyselves:

Here’s the Guardians lineup:

Guardians 8/24

S. Kwan LF
C. DeLauter DH
J. Ramírez 3B
J. Adell RF
N. Lowe 1B
A. Genao 2B
P. Halpin CF
A. Hedges C
B. Rocchio SS

P. Messick SP

— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) August 24, 2026

Here’s the Angels lineup:

Angels 8/24

Z. Neto SS
M. Trout CF
V. Grissom 1B
M. Ballesteros DH
J. Siri RF
G. Campero LF
C. Moore 2B
D. Guzman 3B
T. d'Arnaud C

G. Klassen SP

— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) August 24, 2026

Let’s go, Guardians!

The Tigers continue to lose at the worst possible time, dropping the first game of their series against the Rays 4-1.

Let’s throw our memories back a ways, to the last time the Tigers squared off against the Rays. Detroit was down and out, and the Rays were red hot. That series defied all expectations as the Tigers triumphed and went on to continue winning for almost a month. The Tigers once again find themselves struggling, while the Rays are having an incredible season. Perhaps magic could strike twice, as the Tigers hoped to bust out of their present slump, and do it against a team that helped turn things around for them once this season already. To do it, they’d have Framber Valdez on the mound for the first game of the series, up against one of the hottest pitchers in the Rays’ rotation, Drew Rasmussen.

The Rays got things going with some early contact. Yandy Diaz singled. Ryan Vilade then singled, and thanks to a fielding error from Brett Callahan, both runners advanced into scoring position. A Junior Caminero groundout allowed the first run of the game to score. Jonny DeLuca then singled, bumping Vilade to third. A Jonathan Aranda groundout scored another run for the Rays. Jorge Mateo drew a walk before Valdez finally got the last out of the inning. In the home half, the Tigers went 1-2-3.

Valdez turned things around in the second, getting the side out in order, a much-needed adjustment. The final out of the inning was in thanks to an incredible throw from Kevin McGonigle.

KEVIN. McGONIGLE. 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/ulV5C2F50h

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) August 24, 2026

Unfortunately, the Tigers also went 1-2-3 again in the home half.

With one out in the third, Junior Caminero drew a walk. A Jonny DeLuca double then appeared to score Caminero, but the Tigers challenged the safe call at home, and after a review the call on the field was overturned. Depending on the view it didn’t even look like he touched the plate, but it definitely confirmed Dillon Dingler tagged him before he reached the plate. A groundout then ended the inning. With two outs in the bottom of the inning, Javier Baez singled, but that was followed by a Colt Keith strikeout to end the inning.

Jorge Mateo opened the fourth with a leadoff double. Then a Nick Fortes sac bunt advanced Mateo to third. Chandler Simpson then singled, scoring the third Rays’ run of the night. Two outs followed, but the Tigers had more work ahead of them if they were going to stage a comeback. In the home half, McGonigle got a one-out double. Dingler then singled, pushing McGonigle to third. Callahan then made up for his earlier error with a sac fly to bring McGonigle home and put the Tigers on the board at last.

Caminero got a one-out single in the fifth, but DeLuca then hit into a double play to end the inning. The Tigers went 1-2-3 in the home half.

Aranda opened the sixth with a solo home run. Three outs followed, but the Rays had boosted their lead to 4-1. The Tigers went three-up, three-down again in the home half.

Valdez was done after six, with a final line of 6.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 1 HR on 84 pitches. We haven’t seen a ton of consistency from Valdez in his recent starts, but him getting through six innings really helped the Tigers’ bullpen. He was replaced by Tanner Rainey. Rainey got the first strikeout of the game for the Tigers, then walked Yandy Diaz. Two outs followed, though, leaving the runner stranded. Garrett Cleavinger replaced Rasmussen in the bottom of the inning. The Tigers once again went down in order in the bottom of the inning.

In the eighth, Mateo drew a walk with two outs. He then stole second, but was caught stealing (after narrowly avoiding a tagout at first right beforehand). While Mateo did indicate he wanted a review, the Rays didn’t challenge the call. Manuel Rodríguez was the new Rays’ reliever in the bottom of the inning. Spencer Torkelson got a leadoff double. Two outs later, Keith walked. The Tigers were not able to take advantage of their baserunners, though, and a final out ended the inning.

Tyler Holton came in for the top of the ninth. He gave up a one-out single to Simpson, but the Rays weren’t able to capitalize on the baserunner or add to their lead. Bryan Baker was the final Rays’ reliever for the bottom of the inning. With one out, Dingler was hit by a pitch, then Ben Malgeri singled, sending Dingler to third. The Tigers were not able to take advantage of a perfect scoring opportunity and dropped the first game of the series to the Rays.

Final: Rays 4, Tigers 1

The last time the Rays faced the Tigers, it went very poorly for Tampa Bay. They went into the series looking to topple an easy opponent, and instead the series seemed to turn everything around for the Tigers, at least for a brief period of time. The Tigers once again find themselves down and out, so it remains to be seen if it will be an easy series for the Rays, or if it will once again be a surprise turnaround for Detroit. To open the three-game series, the Rays had Drew Rasmussen on the mound. The Tigers, meanwhile, had gutted much of their pitching core at the trade deadline, and had a groundball-heavy pitcher Framber Valdez up in the rotation.

The Rays got on the board right out of the gate with some early contact. Yandy Diaz got a leadoff single. Ryan Vilade then singled, and thanks to a fielding error from Tigers’ outfielder Brett Callahan, so both runners advanced into scoring position. A Junior Caminero groundout allowed the first run of the game to score. Jonny DeLuca then singled, bumping Vilade to third. A Jonathan Aranda groundout scored another run for the Rays. Jorge Mateo drew a walk before Valdez finally got the last out of the inning, but he was showing some obvious early signs of struggle, so the Rays would need to chip away and try to get to the Tigers’ struggling bullpen early.

Make it ✌️ pic.twitter.com/Dlx6ZKHoZG

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) August 24, 2026

In the home half, the Tigers went 1-2-3. Chandler Simpson had an ugly catch in the outfield and it appeared he might be injured, but he came up to bat at the top of the next inning.

Despite a rough first inning from Valdez, he turned things around to get a three-up, three-down inning. Thankfully, the Tigers did the same in the home half to keep the score even.

With one out in the third, Junior Caminero drew a walk. A Jonny DeLuca double then appeared to score an additional run, but it wasn’t a clear safe. The Tigers challenged the safe call at home, and after a review, the call on the field was overturned. Depending on the view it was possible Caminero might have missed touching the plate altogether, but it definitely confirmed Tigers’ catcher Dillon Dingler tagged him before he reached the plate. A bummer for the Rays, but they still held a two-run lead. With two outs in the bottom of the inning, Javier Baez singled, but that was followed by a Colt Keith strikeout to end the inning.

Jorge Mateo opened the fourth with a leadoff double. Then a Nick Fortes sac bunt advanced Mateo to third. Chandler Simpson then singled, scoring the third Rays’ run of the night.

How bunt dat? pic.twitter.com/YPUpLBdU3A

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) August 24, 2026

In the home half, McGonigle got a one-out double. Dingler then singled, pushing McGonigle to third. Callahan then made up for his earlier error with a sac fly to bring McGonigle home and the Tigers got their first run of the evening.

Caminero got a one-out single in the fifth, but DeLuca then hit into a double play to end the inning. The Tigers went 1-2-3 in the home half.

Aranda opened the sixth with a solo home run. Three outs followed, but the Rays had boosted their lead to 4-1.

AIRanda 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/d55JVJstbz

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) August 25, 2026

The Tigers went three-up, three-down again in the home half.

Tanner Rainey was the first reliever out of the Tigers’ pen and got the first strikeout of the game for Detroit. He then walked Yandy Diaz. Two outs followed, though, leaving the runner stranded. Rasmussen was also done for the day, going 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, on 103 pitches. A really nice outing from Rasmussen. Garrett Cleavinger replaced him. The Tigers once again went down in order in the bottom of the inning.

In the eighth, Mateo drew a walk with two outs. He then stole second, but was caught stealing (after narrowly avoiding a tagout at first right beforehand). While Mateo did indicate he wanted a review, the Rays didn’t challenge the call. Manuel Rodríguez was the new Rays’ reliever in the bottom of the inning. Spencer Torkelson got a leadoff double. Two outs later, Keith walked. The Tigers were not able to take advantage of their baserunners, though, and a final out ended the inning. The Rays just had to get through one more inning.

Tyler Holton came in for the top of the ninth. He gave up a one-out single to Simpson, but the Rays weren’t able to capitalize on the baserunner or add to their lead. Bryan Baker was the final Rays’ reliever for the bottom of the inning. With one out, Dingler was hit by a pitch, then Ben Malgeri singled, sending Dingler to third. The Tigers were not able to take advantage of a great scoring opportunity and the Rays held on to win the first game of the series.

Final: Rays 4, Tigers 1

The Mariners start this series today against the Phillies of Philadelphia fame (the city, not the cream cheese), coming off of a huge series victory over the Chicago Cubs. Granted, the victory also included a more-than-15-run loss in game three, but it was a series victory nonetheless. The Phillies come into today’s series on a huge 9-game winning streak, including three sweeps. The Mariners are still very much in play for the division and the Wild Card, so a couple of back-to-back series victories over two of the best teams in the NL could be just the momentum the Mariners need heading into the last month of the season. With the lowest-rated strength of schedule for their remaining games, the Mariners could easily put themselves back in the playoff picture.

Lineups

Game Info

First Pitch: 6:40 p.m. PT

Radio: Seattle Sports (710 AM) and Mariners.com

TV: Mariners.TV

Facts and Stats

• Randy hit his 20th home run of the season in yesterday’s game, recording his 6th consecutive 20+ home run, 20+ stolen bases season, becoming the 11th player in MLB history with at least 6 such seasons and the 5th to do it in at least 6-consecutive seasons, joining Barry Bonds (1990-98), Bobby Bonds (1969-75), Bobby Abreu (1999-2005) and Willie Mays (1955-1960).
• Logan Gilbert has registered a quality start in his last 6 home starts (June 16-c), going 4-1 with a 2.01 ERA (40.1 IP, 9 ER), 9 walks and 47 strikeouts during that span.
• Julio Rodriguez is six RBIs away from reaching the 400 career RBIs mark
• The Mariners announced Rick Rizzs will be inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame during the 2027 season, becoming the 12th member and joining longtime broadcast partner Dave Niehaus as the only non-uniformed members of the Mariners Hall of Fame.

After being shaken up on a diving play in the fifth inning, Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar left tonight’s game against the Washington Nationals in the sixth inning.

Prior to exiting, Tovar had a solo home run and a double in two at-bats.

The club confirmed that Tovar sustained a left wrist strain. Tovar was replaced by Ryan Ritter at short.

Officially a left wrist strain for #Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar. https://t.co/kGisktk0tk

— Eli Whitney (@eliwhtney17) August 25, 2026

More to come about the severity of Tovar’s injury and his timeline to return to the lineup.

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The San Francisco Giants welcome the Cincinnati Reds to Oracle Park tonight to begin a three-game series.

Taking the mound for the Giants will be left-hander Carson Whisenhunt, who enters tonight’s game with a 7.03 ERA, 5.65 FIP, with 23 strikeouts to 20 walks in 32 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 8-1 loss to the Cleveland Guardians last Tuesday, in which he allowed seven runs (six earned) on nine hits with one strikeout and two walks in four innings.

He’ll be facing off against Reds right-hander Chase Burns, who enters tonight’s game with a 2.51 ERA, 3.07 FIP, with 159 strikeouts to 48 walks in 136 innings pitched. His last start was in the Reds’ 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals last Wednesday, in which he allowed two runs on six hits with eight strikeouts and two walks in five innings.

Game #131

Who: San Francisco Giants (52-78) vs. Cincinnati Reds (62-69)

Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California

When: 6:45 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: Fox Sports 1

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

First Pitch (CT):8:40 PM
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN/830 WCCO/102.9 The Wolf /Audacy App
Know Yo’ Foe:Athletics Nation

Today in my weekly game thread pontification, let’s look at the Twins’ two top prospects in St. Paul who are banging down the door to get a shot: Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez.

Rodriguez had his best game as a pro with a two homer effort on Saturday. Aidan dove deep on him last week so I won’t spend too much time there. Jenkins is coming off his second multi-homer game in the past week and third this month. He is hitting .415/.493/.800 in August with 7 homers, 6 stolen bases, and an insane 225 wRC+, meaning he is hitting 125% better than league average. The only real remaining question for the 21 year old was his in-game power and fair to say that has arrived. Jenkins is beyond ready. 

The common argument against Jenkins or Rodriguez getting the call is, “where would we play them?” Well, that was a valid argument a month ago, not so much these days. For one or both of these outfielders to get time it will come at expense of one of the following players: Keaschall, Clemens, Lewis, Lee, Larnach, Bell, or Buxton. The outfielders are the most straightforward solution, but any of the infielders could be moved around with Bell getting more time at first base (ie: Lee to the bench, Lewis to 3B, Bell to 1B, DH opens up for one of the outfielders). 

Since July 1, here are the relevant batting figures for each of that group.

• Keaschall: .953 OPS, 169 wRC+, 1.5 fWAR
• Bell: .806 OPS, 127 wRC+, 0.7 fWAR
• Lewis: .755 OPS, 109 wRC+, 0.8 fWAR
• Clemens: .733 OPS, 99 wRC+, 0.5 fWAR
• Lee: .712 OPS, 97 wRC+, 0.6 fWAR
• Larnach: .674 OPS, 88 wRC+, 0.2 fWAR
• Buxton: .471 OPS, 35 wRC+, -0.4 fWAR

Larnach has already had his role diminished. After leading off for most of the past three months, he has hit sixth, seventh, and then was benched yesterday for Roden, who deserves an extended look of his own. But honestly, I would be totally comfortable benching anyone below Lewis on the list above. 

Unfortunately, the best answer right now is that Buxton needs to, at a minimum, play less often and potentially head back to the IL. He has been very clearly hurt for the past two months and while he deserves praise for fighting his way back and playing through pain, he’s hurting the team. They have two top prospects banging down the door in St. Paul who play Buxton’s position and it’s past time to give them a shot.

Even if Buxton doesn’t go on the IL, they’re wasting a roster spot on Alex Jackson who hasn’t sniffed the field since being re-added to the roster last week. Use that spot on Buxton who can still play 2-3 times per week and be used as a lefty pinch hitter late in games the rest of the way. The whole point of a manager is building relationships to have these tough conversations with your players. It’s time for Derek Shelton to earn his keep.

The Twins are slated to face lefties in their next two games, so maybe it doesn’t make sense to add either Rodriguez or Jenkins to the roster today. But if we don’t see one of them by this weekend, I would be very surprised at this point.

For now, let’s win this series against the worst team in baseball who is missing nearly their entire starting lineup and pitching numbers that even the Rockies scoff at. Nothing like some late night, late summer baseball in the beautiful city of Las Oakramento, Calivada!

Lineups

Twins	Opponent
SP: Zebby Matthews	SP: Jeffrey Springs (LHP)
1. Luke Keaschall, RF	1. Henry Bolte, CF
2. Byron Buxton, CF	2. Jeff McNeil, 1B
3. Ryan Jeffers, C	3. Zack Gelof, 2B
4. Josh Bell, DH	4. Lawrence Butler, RF
5. Kody Clemens, LF	5. Tommy White, 3B
6. Royce Lewis, 1B	6. Donovan Walton, SS
7. Kaelen Culpepper, SS	7. Max Muncy, LF
8. Brooks Lee, 3B	8. Carlos Cortes, DH
9. Ryan Kreidler, 2B	9. Jonah Heim, C

After having scratched our way to a series win against the Reds, albeit with the need of a late comeback, another NL Central team, in the shape of the Cubs come to town. They currently occupy the first NL wild-card spot, and with the Brewers enjoying a healthy lead (six games), the Cubs will probably be looking to solidify that position as we head toward the final month of the season. In the NL wild-card standings, they are two games up on the recently unstoppable Phillies, with the almost as immortal Padres two games further back, then the D-backs two more behind, and currently out of a playoff spot.

Of these teams, Arizona definitely has the toughest first half of the week. Philadelphia are in Seattle, who had an… interesting week. They went 3-3, but were outscored 24-62, due to 22-0 and 19-2 losses. With the Phillies on a nine-game winning streak, including that astonishing comeback yesterday to preserve the run (overturning a 0.66% Win Probability), they have all the momentum imaginable. Still, if the Mariners could do us a solid… Meanwhile, San Diego host Pittsburgh, who are basically the Reds. The Padres will have to face Paul Skenes tomorrow, but with his 3.95 ERA that’s not the same scary proposition it would have seemed on Opening Day.

Merrill Kelly starts. After an excellent July, with a 1.95 ERA across five starts, the regression has been strong in August. As in 0-3 over four starts with an ugly 8.24 ERA, so I’m approaching this recap more in hope that expectation. The three losses saw Kelly throw fourteen innings, and give up seventeen earned runs. As well as too many home-runs (four over 19.2 innings in August), he has walked more people (15) than he has struck out (13). For a command/control artist like Kelly, that’s uncharacteristic. His K:BB has cratered this year to 1.47, compared to 3.48 last year, and 3.04 for his career before this season. The Cubs are probably the last team you want to put on base.

Except for PCA. I’m probably fine with walking him…

Back at home in West Sacramento. The A’s escaped Houston with the series win and are riding high on a two-game winning streak. Can they make it three in a row with a victory in the series opener tonight against the Minnesota Twins?

It’ll be Jeffrey Springs on the bump this evening for the home team. The left-hander looked sharp in his return from the IL last week, pitching into the sixth inning and allowing just a pair of runs to the Kansas City Royals. He’s likely in the last stretch of his A’s career so hopefully he can wrap his tenure up on a high with a strong final month to end the season.

Here’s the Athletics’ lineup tonight:

A’s lineup vs. Twins (RH Zebby Matthews) pic.twitter.com/OA684f2XYI

— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) August 24, 2026

As for the visiting Twins, they have right-hander Zebby Matthews going for them this evening in the series opener. Outside of several implosions earlier this year Matthews has been a solid backend type of starter for the Twins. He comes into this contest on a high note as he pitched into the sixth last time out against the Braves, allowing just one run on five hits against the NL East leaders.

Here’s how the Twins look tonight:

New series

📺 https://t.co/UHffFx7FCspic.twitter.com/R58XOMWpD7

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) August 24, 2026

We can do this. A win tonight plus some help from the Guardians down south in Los Angeles and we can climb out of the cellar of the league. Let’s go A’s!

Follow the Game:
Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA

Listen:
Athletics -Talk 650 KSTE, KVMX 92.1/105.5, A’s Cast

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. San Diego Padres, August 24, 2026, 9:40 p.m. ET

The Pittsburgh Pirates are continuing their nine-game road trip, as they travel to San Diego to take on the Padres in a three-game series.

The Pirates were swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend, so they are hoping Braxton Ashcraft can help pick them out of their slump. Ashcraft has gone at least eight innings in each of his last two starts, including a win against the Miami Marlins on August 13 and a victory against the Detroit Tigers on August 18. In his last appearance, he gave up five hits and one earned run in a 4-1 victory for the Buccos.

Countering Ashcraft is Robbie Ray, who is making his fourth start with the Padres after being acquired in a trade from the San Francisco Giants earlier this month. Ray is coming off his first Padres victory in his last start against the New York Mets on August 18. He pitched six innings, giving up three hits and one earned run in a 5-2 victory.

The Padres have a two-game lead for the third wild card in the National League, so this is a big series for them as they look to build off of the momentum they got from sweeping the Minnesota Twins over the weekend.

Location: Petco Park, San Diego, CA

Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh

Pitching Matchup: Braxton Ashcraft (13-5, 3.68 ERA) vs. Robbie Ray (11-7, 3.20 ERA)

BD community, this is your gameday thread for today’s game. Chime off in the comments section below.

Pittsburgh Pirates (63-69) at San Diego Padres (71-60), August 24, 2026, 6:40 p.m. PST

Watch: Padres.TV

Location: Petco Park – San Diego, Calif.

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

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Happy Jackson Merrill Bobblehead Day to all who celebrate. pic.twitter.com/hhsTVzd688

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) August 24, 2026

133/162.

📺: @SNPittsburgh
📷: @937TheFanpic.twitter.com/daBastKIKK

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) August 24, 2026

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Los Angeles Dodgers fans have fallen in love with SportsNet LA sideline reporter Kirsten Watson. But it seems that Watson’s romantic love is elsewhere.

Watson, who has been on the Dodgers’ broadcast team as a reporter and host since 2021, made an Instagram post on Monday that included a mirror selfie video of her being held from behind by a man in a hat. At the end of the video, Watson breaks out in a big smile, indicating how happy she is to be showing her man to the world.

“one lucky girl ,” the post was captioned.

It’s unclear who this man is, but Watson had been soft-launching him (including not-so-subtle photos of them together without showing his face) for some time. But the couple appears to now have made their relationship official.

Watson has impressed both within the Dodgers’ organization and among Los Angeles fans since starting the broadcasting role. She has a prestigious background, including being awarded the Stuart Scott Internship-Scholarship from the National Association of Black Journalists.

She went viral earlier this year for delivering a no-look fist bump to a member of the Dodgers during a live report from the dugout, as viewers were amazed at how the distraction didn’t impact Watson’s delivery.

Spectrum SportsNet's Kirsten Watson with the no-look fist bump pic.twitter.com/ju4xRNdKZD

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 24, 2026

She also has a secret handshake with Mookie Betts, and fans have noticed that she can elicit a rare smile out of outfielder Kyle Tucker.

There were surely some Dodgers fans that were hopeful about a potential romance with Watson who don’t like seeing this hard launch. But the rest of Los Angeles’ faithful fan base will be happy for her.