CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 15: Joshua Báez #22 of the St. Louis Cardinals hits his third home run during the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on August 15, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jessie Alcheh/Getty Images) | Getty Images
For a long time, Americans thought baseball started around the middle of the 18th century near Cooperstown, New York, but in recent times, baseball historians have pushed the origins back to England, perhaps as early as 1744.
It has been documented in the United States since at least the 1830s, although not in the form we currently enjoy.
The National League was founded in 1876, and the American League in 1901.
More than 25,000 players have gone through the Majors, and we’re not sure if that counts the Negro Leagues, so it seems reasonable to add at least 5-10,000 to that.
In his first at-bat in the majors – shoot, in his first pitch – Baez launched a home run. Then he did it again in his second at-bat, and again in his third.
He could become a footnote. He could flame out like Raleigh native Josh Hamilton, who lost much of his career to cocaine and alcohol. Any number of things might keep him from reaching his potential.
Whatever happens, though, he will leave the game doing something that Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Mickey Mantle, Jackie Robinson, Joe DiMaggio, and thousands upon thousands of other players never did. And that’s pretty cool.
We've got a full Sunday slate of MLB action to parse through, and whether you're looking to parlay every game or are searching for one best bet to make, my MLB moneyline picks are here to help.
See why my MLB picks for August 16 are topped by the San Diego Padres.
MLB moneyline picks for August 16
Matchup
Pick
Orioles vs Rays
-144
Diamondbacks vs Braves
+122
Red Sox vs Pirates
+100
Yankees vs Blue Jays
-108
White Sox vs Tigers
+104
Marlins vs Reds
-113
Padres vs Guardians
-104
Nationals vs Mets
-156
Phillies vs Twins
-104
Cardinals vs Cubs
-156
Rockies vs Giants
-122
Rangers vs A's
-127
Royals vs Angels
-117
Brewers vs Dodgers
+144
Mariners vs Astros
-127
Prices courtesy of Polymarket as of 8-16.
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Expert MLB moneyline picks for August 16
Orioles vs Rays: Rays (-144)
Rays win probability: 59%
Rays SP Freddy Peralta rebounded with a quality start vs. the A's after getting roughed up by the Rockies at Coors Field in his Tampa debut.
Orioles SP Trevor Rogers coughed up seven earned runs over 3 2/3 innings in his lone 2026 outing vs. the Rays, who are swinging it as well as anyone right now (third in OPS in August).
Diamondbacks vs Braves: Diamondbacks (+122)
Diamondbacks win probability: 45%
I'm more interested in playing the Over 8.5 in a battle of two mediocre starters with xERAs above 4.00, but I'll give the nod to the Diamondbacks. Their lineup has simply been better in August, ranking fifth in OPS vs. the Braves' 11th.
Red Sox vs Pirates: Red Sox (+100)
Red Sox win probability: 50%
Both bullpens should get plenty of work in, with Paul Skenes getting scratched late by the Pirates and Patrick Sandoval toeing the rubber for the Red Sox. Each relief corps is Top 5 by xERA in August, so the Under is worth a look.
The lineups will make the difference for moneyline bettors. Boston is second in OPS this month, while Pittsburgh is 21st.
Yankees vs Blue Jays: Blue Jays (-108)
Blue Jays win probability: 52%
Both the Yankees and the Blue Jays are struggling at the dish right now, but only one team has a Cy Young odds candidate on the hill, and that's Toronto and Dylan Cease.
The Jays also have the bullpen advantage based on August xERA, so roll with the home side.
White Sox vs Tigers: White Sox (+104)
White Sox win probability: 49%
This is a tough one, but Chicago gets the call behind the arm of Sean Burke. He's authored a 2.47 FIP over his last 10 starts.
Marlins vs Reds: Marlins (-113)
Marlins win probability: 53%
The gulf in xERA between Eury Perez (3.65) vs. Nick Lodolo (6.18) is too large to ignore. Back the Marlins in a battle of two fairly punchless offenses.
Padres vs Guardians: Padres (-104)
Padres win probability: 51%
Tanner Bibee has a 6.00 ERA through two starts in August, and the Padres are batting .423 against him as a team all-time (65 at-bats). Casey Mize exits his first quality start in a San Diego uniform, and has both a terrific bullpen and a red-hot offense to back him up.
Nationals vs Mets: Mets (-156)
Mets win probability: 61%
Jake Irvin's ERA is 5.79 and climbing because teams are barreling him up early and often (third percentile). The Mets (sixth in barrel rate) will tee off on him and Washington's dismal bullpen, which ranks dead-last by xERA this month.
Phillies vs Twins: Phillies (-104)
Phillies win probability: 51%
Both Andrew Painter and Dean Kremer are due for some positive regression based on xERA, but I don't like Kremer's chances on Sunday afternoon. He faces a Phillies lineup that's Top 10 in both OPS in fewest Ks in August, and Kremer is reliant on fanning the opposition.
Cardinals vs Cubs: Cubs (-156)
Cubs win probability: 61%
I don't like the starting pitching matchup for the Cubs given Edward Cabrera's issues with hard-hit balls, but Chicago's got the edge in August OPS (sixth vs. 12th) as well as bullpen xERA (13th vs. 23rd).
Rockies vs Giants: Giants (-122)
Giants win probability: 55%
The Giants' lineup is nothing to write home about, but they should figure out Gabriel Hughes seeing him for the second time this season. Hughes sports an 11.57 ERA in August.
Rangers vs A's: Rangers (-127)
Rangers win probability: 56%
Jacob Lopez has been brutal for the A's this season, and the Rangers are seventh in OPS vs. lefties in 2026. Texas will also get a crack at the A's bullpen, which ranks 27th in xERA this month.
The Dodgers' lineup is in rough shape right now (17th by OPS this month), and Logan Henderson and his 96th percentile K-rate and walk-rate is not what the doctor ordered.
Back the Brewers and their third-ranked bullpen by xERA in August to lock down an upset win over Tarik Skubal.
Mariners vs Astros: Astros (-127)
Astros win probability: 56%
I think both Bryan Woo and Hunter Brown will have their way with the offenses early. However, the Astros have a huge edge in the bullpen battle (sixth vs. 24th in xERA in August) and at the plate (seventh in OPS vs. 28th).
Roll with the home team in the nightcap.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
Well, unlike Major League Baseball games − which are typically nine innings long − Little League World Series games are normally six innings in duration for a regulation game.
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This makes every single pitch, hit and defensive play count as a game can have a dramatic turn of events at any moment. A game could be cut short due to the "run-rule" and a game can most certainly go to extra innings (if still tied after six regulation innings).
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In the Little League World Series, an opponent must advance after each game leading up to the overall championship game. So there is plenty of drama to see if you love watching youth baseball players give it their all on each play.
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While you are watching the Little League World Series games, here are some basic rules that every youth baseball fan should know.
A game becomes a standard regulation game when six full innings have been played, and the visiting team has completed its half of the sixth inning. If the home team is ahead, the game ends exactly when they secure the lead in the bottom of the sixth or after five and a half innings.
According to Rule 4.10(c) of the Official Little League Rulebook, a game is considered legally official if it is stopped early (due to weather, darkness, or curfew) after four full innings have been completed. If the home team is ahead, the game becomes official after three and a half innings.
If an umpire halts a game before reaching the exact thresholds described in Rule 4.10(c) of the Official Little League Rulebook, the game is declared a suspended game. It does not start over from scratch; instead, the rulebook requires the game to be resumed at a later date from the exact point of interruption, with all statistics, pitches, and lineups remaining intact.
Yes. If a regulation Little League baseball game is still tied after six innings, the game proceeds to a seventh inning and beyond until there is a winner. According to Little League, starting with that seventh inning, the tiebreaker will begin immediately in the seventh inning by placing the player who is scheduled to bat last in that respective half inning on second base to begin each extra inning.
A total of 20 teams compete in Williamsport, Pennsylvania each year.
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Those teams compete in identical brackets − one for the United States teams and one for the International teams − in a modified double-elimination format until those teams reach the United State championship game and the International championship game.
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The final two teams in each bracket play a single-elimination game to advance to the World Series, meaning even an undefeated team can be eliminated with one loss at that juncture of the tournament. Finally, the U.S. and International champions meet in a winner-take-all game for the world championship title.
The "Run Rule" is the rule Little League uses to shorten baseball games when the run differential gets too large to continue. It is often mistakenly called the "mercy rule" by fans, but you'll hear the TV broadcasters refer to its proper name as the "Run Rule." A Little League World Series game can end before the sixth inning under what Little League calls the “Run Rule." For tournament play the "15-Run Rule" and the "10-Run Rule" are observed.
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The 15-Run Rule: If a team has a lead of 15 runs or more after three complete innings (or two and one-half innings if the home team is ahead), the manager of the team with fewer runs must concede the victory, according to Little League.
The 10-Run Rule: If a team has a lead of 10 runs or more after four complete innings (or three and one-half innings if the home team is ahead), the game is officially ended and the trailing manager concedes, according to Little League.
Team managers get up to two unsuccessful video replay challenges during a regulation six-inning game in the Little League World Series. Also, managers are granted one additional video replay challenge specifically for use during extra innings, regardless of whether they used their challenge allocation during regulation play.
According to Little League International Tournament Play Guidelines, managers can challenge objective plays such as safe/out calls at a base, force plays, tag plays, catcher interference, and whether a ball was caught cleanly. Subjective calls like balls and strikes or check swings cannot be challenged.
Unlike Little League Softball, which takes a more innings thrown approach, Little League Baseball doesn’t have a strict per-game pitching innings limit.
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Instead, Little League does monitor how many pitches a player can throw in a baseball game and there are corresponding days of rest tied to how many pitches a player throws in each game. The maximum number of pitches a player can throw in a Little League World Series game is 85 pitches. However, a pitcher can go over the 85-pitch threshold to finish an at-bat that started under 85 pitches, but that batter would be the last one before the pitcher must be removed from the mound.
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Here's what the corresponding days of rest would look like depending on how many pitchers were thrown
The continuous batting order (CBO) in the Little League Baseball World Series is a tournament mandate where every eligible player on a team’s roster must be placed in the batting order to hit sequentially throughout the entire game. It replaced traditional 9-player baseball/softball lineups for all World Series divisions below the Senior Division level.
A courtesy runner is used strictly for the pitcher or catcher of record. That courtesy runner can enter only when there are exactly two outs in the half-inning. Also, the courtesy runner is in the continuous batting lineup and must be the player who made the last official out.
Anyone can check the Little League rule book for baseball or softball right from your phone by downloading the Little League Rulebook App.
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Sherlon Christie is a USA TODAY Sports senior trending editor and an expert on Little League Baseball and Little League Softball. You can reach him by email at schristie@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @sherlonchristie, on Bluesky at @sherlonchristie.bsky.social.
Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts has been on an upswing in the last nine games, and the team needs him to continue that pace to help deliver a World Series three-peat. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Program a reminder into his phone. Tie a string around his finger. Chant his name like a mantra: Moo-kie! Moo-kie! Moo-kie!
Whatever it takes to jog Mookie Betts’ memory, to remind him he’s Mookie freakin’ Betts.
Because this Dodgers’ three-peat campaign won’t succeed without his contributions at the plate.
The Dodgers lose the plot without the swagger they’re used to from the four-time champion in their midst.
They need Betts to be that right-handed hitter who will keep opposing pitchers honest in a lineup of lefty stars. To help them compensate without Will Smith’s dependable bat and without being able to depend on $240-million-man Kyle Tucker in games at home.
“I’m always trying to remind him who he is,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday before the Dodgers began a four-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers. “The guy standing 60 feet, 6 inches from him understands the baseball card, knows who’s in the box. And it’s important that [Betts] can’t forget that, regardless of what the scoreboard might say.”
That scoreboard has really not been helping.
All it’s been doing is serving an oppressive, jumbo-sized reminder every time Betts goes to bat of how un-Mookie-Betts-like he’s been for much of this season. Going into Saturday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers, he has career lows in batting average (.239), on-base percentage (.295) and on-base-plus-slugging percentage (.709).
Unless, of course, this is Betts, now at 33, in his — unlucky? — 13th major league season and seventh as a Dodger? Father Time is inevitable.
But let’s remind ourselves: It’s better to be lucky than good, and that Betts has been unlucky, which is bad.
There was the oblique strain in early April that sidelined him for more than a month. Misfortune that brought back bad memories of last season’s mystery illness that caused Betts to lose nearly 20 pounds.
Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) celebrates with teammates after hitting a home run against the Royals on Wednesday. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
And there’s the data since his return this season, Baseball Savant’s evidence of Betts’ bad rolls: His .278 expected batting average — the Statcast metric measuring the likelihood that a batted ball will become a hit — is .039 points higher than his actual batting average. That’s the third-largest discrepancy in the big leagues.
Also, Betts’ HardHit% this season — measuring the rate of hard-hit balls — of 38.8%, nearly a 3% increase from last season. His exit velocity (90.5 mph) is a mile and a half more than last season.
The game honors you, and the game tests you.
Early this month, a dejected Betts had as tough a time explaining to reporters why, despite hitting the ball hard and stacking disciplined at-bats, he’d had little to show for it. He hit only .205 in July, with a slugging percentage of .313.
“I’m gonna have to help the team at some point,” Betts said on Aug. 4. “It’s really hard, I’ve just never done this so I don’t really know how to get through it. Everyday I show up and try to restore that hope meter.
“But this is very hard.”
Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts throws the ball to first base for an out against the Royals on Wednesday. (Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)
That’s why Roberts has stayed on him, he said, reminding him who he is. And who Betts is, of course, is a former MVP and eight-time All-Star, a seven-time Silver Slugger and former batting champion. He’s a scratch-level bowler who made a virtually unprecedented shift from right field to shortstop in Year 11. There’s not a lot Betts hasn’t been able to do.
We got a glimpse of that guy in this recent nine-game stretch, when Betts hit .387 (12 for 31) with a .645 slugging percentage.
“For me,” Roberts said, “it’s just kind of how he’s carrying himself, really. … He’s always been good with not swinging at balls, swinging at strikes. So those components have been consistent. But, yeah, for me, it’s just I like the swagger, the demeanor.”
More like Mookie.
“He’s crucial,” Roberts said. “He’s got the experience, the talent, and he’s an emotional guy. I say that in the sense that when he’s going well, guys feed off that energy. And, when he’s not, you’re sort of trying to find it in him and get it in him.
“So when he’s going well like he has been this past series, guys feel good about it. So, it’s important … that he’s kind of found something to kind of hang his hat on.”
Put a sticky note in Betts’ locker. Better yet, stick his baseball card in there. Because the guy in the box should understand who the guy in the box is — regardless of what the scoreboard might say.
The Mud Hens only needed three hits to win this one. Max Anderson’s three-run homer in the sixth was the most impactful. Louisville had a no-hitter up to that point.
Josue Briceno and Jace Jung had the other two hits, both coming in the eighth for the deciding run. Briceno got the RBI single after Jung hit a one-out double.
On the mound, Jackson Wolf was sharp through the first three innings. The only baserunner he allowed in that span came on a wild-pitch third strike, but everything fell apart in the fourth. Wolf gave up five hits in the inning, including three in a row to start. The Bats came out of the fourth leading 3-0.
Tyler Mattison faced the minimum in the fifth. Brenan Hanifee got five outs but came out for Beau Brieske in the seventh. Brieske gave up a double and intentionally walked a batter before ending the inning. He pitched through the eighth, and Dariel Fregio went 1-2-3 in the ninth for the save.
Briceno: 1-3, R, RBI, BB, K
Anderson: 1-4, HR (13), R, 3 RBI
Jung: 1-4, 2B (17), R, 2 K
Wolf: 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, BB, 5 K
Coming Up Next: Toledo leads the series 3-2 heading into a 1:05 p.m. ET start on Sunday.
Max Alba battled it out with Connor Staine to a 1-1 tie through five innings, but both starters had a shaky sixth. Thayron Liranzo broke the tie with a two-run double, but Hartford responded with four straight hits to take the lead in the bottom half. Erie’s earlier run came on an E.J. Exposito home run — his team-leading 21st of the season.
E.J. Exposito smashes his 21st home run of the year to tie the game for Erie in the 2nd. pic.twitter.com/ywb14Z6HMV
Alba may not have been able to get the win or quality start, but he was sharp for those first five frames. He struck out six and walked two before that. Eric Silvagno got the last two outs of the sixth and pitched through the seventh.
Two late runs in the eighth got Erie the win on Saturday. A pair of wild pitches brought the first one around, and Roberto Campos lined a single into left field to score Izaac Pacheco.
And Roberto Campos puts Erie ahead 5-4 in the 8th with a 2-out RBI single to left. pic.twitter.com/3RC5abS4Rl
Hayden Minton struck out the side in the bottom of the eighth, earning his second hold of the season. Yosber Sanchez got the save despite walking the leadoff man and allowing his pinch runner to steal second and third.
Hayden Minton (9th round, 2023) has been a starter until this week. He works a perfect inning out of the bullpen here, with 3 strikeouts. pic.twitter.com/eEUs4nwUUf
Coming Up Next: It’s a 1:10 p.m. ET start on Sunday with the SeaWolves holding a 4-1 lead in the series.
West Michigan Whitecaps 10, Lansing Lugnuts 6 (box)
The good news is that West Michigan scored 10 runs and won the game. The bad news is that Brady Smith, who came over from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Tarik Skubal trade, left the game in the second with an apparent arm injury. It’s not worth speculating now, but while he didn’t appear to be in any extreme pain, it didn’t look great either…
Hate to see this. Brady Smith, acquired in the Tarik Skubal trade, appears to suffer some arm discomfort and leaves the game. pic.twitter.com/U0Cf2luv8C
The Whitecaps piled up runs in a hurry, scoring nine of their 10 in the first three frames. Bryce Rainer got things going with a solo homer in the first. Jackson Strong followed Carson Rucker’s double and Nolan McCarthy’s single in the second with a sac fly, making it 4-0.
Lansing had an answer in the top of the third, scoring three on a Little League home run. It was a tall fly ball off the wall in center and a couple of bad relay throws, so the official scorer ruled it a triple and a throwing error by Andrew Sojka. Eliseo Mota was charged with all three runs despite the error.
All was forgiven in the third when Sojka helped spark a five-run frame, hitting the second of four straight singles for Lakeland. Samuel Gil and Juan Hernandez got the RBIs — one and two, respectively. Strong made it 9-3 with a two-run single before the inning ended.
Ethan Sloan pitched and took over for Mota in the fourth. He gave up another three-spot in the fifth, allowing four consecutive hits, including two doubles. Ryan Harvey had to get the last out of the inning and pitched through the seventh. Harvey walked a pair and gave up just one hit while striking out three.
Sojka continued to make amends in the sixth with a solo home run, putting West Michigan into double figures.
Zack Lee worked around a pair of singles over the final two innings to close out the win.
Rainer: 2-5, HR (12), R, RBI, 2 K
Sojka: 2-4, HR (7), 2 R, RBI, BB, K
Strong: 1-3, 3 RBI, BB
Coming Up Next: It’s a 2 p.m. ET start in West Michigan on Sunday with the Whitecaps up 4-1 in the series. They remain tied with the Great Lakes Loons atop the East division standings.
Michael Oliveto had the only two hits for Lakeland in Saturday’s shutout loss to Bradenton. Nick Dumesnil and Angel De Los Santos both walked and Ronald Ramirez reached on an error, but they were the only other baserunners for the Flygers today.
Kelvis Salcedo worked 3.2 innings, which is the deepest he’s gone all year. Despite allowing four earned runs on six hits and a walk, Salcedo’s stuff looked good. His cutter drew nine whiffs, and he landed five more called strikes for a 46.7 CSW%.
Salcedo gave up a solo homer in the second and watched the bases clear on a throwing error after a single in the fourth. It never should have gotten to that point, though. Salcedo induced an inning-ending grounder, but it hit the umpire to keep the inning going. The error just completed the minor debacle that cost him another inning of work.
He was pulled after that, but Leonardo Rossell put an unearned run on Salcedo’s record with a wild pitch before getting the final out of the inning.
Rossell pitched through the fifth in his Lakeland debut. He’s an international signee who has spent the last three years in the Dominican Summer League. He came over stateside to play with the FCL club this year and carried a 4.29 ERRA through 21 innings and 16 appearances. Rossell gave up two more runs in the fifth, but one of them goes unearned thanks to a catcher’s interference call.
Owen Hall continues to do good things. He struck out five and worked around three hits over three frames in relief. That first start meltdown continues to skew his numbers, but he has yet to allow a run or walk over seven innings in August.
Owen Hall with his 3rd consecutive scoreless outing. This time it’s 3 innings, with 4 Ks and 8 whiffs on 18 swings. pic.twitter.com/S0ETKEr5t5
TORONTO, CANADA - AUGUST 15: George Lombard Jr. #96 of the New York Yankees celebrates after advancing to second base on his RBI single during the second inning of an MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre on August 15, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Yankees’ ten-run outburst from Wednesday night is already feeling like a distant memory. The team’s moribund bats have gone back to sleep, registering three consecutive woeful efforts that have returned just two runs total. Their obstacle today as they attempt to avoid a sweep at the hands of the suddenly surging Blue Jays? A date with Dylan Cease, the Toronto ace locked in a battle with Cam Schlittler for the AL Cy Young award.
On the site today, Matt will get you caught up with this morning’s Rivalry Roundup, while Maximo will opine on the deleterious effects of unreasonable expectations on Ben Rice and George Lombard Jr. Later, John will recognize Gene Woodling, an unheralded figure from the Yankees’ golden years, before running the through the week in Yankee social media.
Today’s Matchup:
New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays
Time: 1:37 p.m. EST
TV: YES Network, Sportsnet, TVA Sports
Venue: Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON
Questions/Prompts:
1. Can Ryan Weathers keep up his stellar run of form today?
2. Joshua Báez hit a home run in the first three plate appearances of his MLB career yesterday. Can you think of any comparable debuts in any sport?
BRONX, NY - AUGUST 04: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees in the dugout during the game against the St. Louis Cardinals on August 4, 2026 at Yankee Stadium in the Borough of the Bronx, New York. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
New York Post | Greg Joyce: On a day where once again the offense looked lifeless, the New York Yankees finally got some good Aaron Judge news. This past Friday, the Yankees right fielder, out since the end of May with a rib fracture, was cleared to throw the baseball, nine days after imaging revealed that the injury had healed enough for him to start baseball activities. While Judge still has a ways to go before he can return to the diamond, at this point, any little bit of reassurance that he actually can make it back this season is welcome.
The Athletic | Tyler Kepner: (subscription required) Yankees starter Gerrit Cole sits at 159 career wins, just three short of a season’s worth of victories. While that is not exactly a famous milestone — 200, 250, and 300 wins are the real milestones we like to talk about — that would tie him for 226th all-time, and rather surprisingly, set the record for most wins by a first overall pick.
NJ.com | Randy Miller: Between a couple of trades and some promotions, the Yankees minor league teams have seen their rosters shuffled quite a bit over the last two weeks. In light of that, Mike Fransoso, the hitting coach of the Somerset Patriots, the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate, spoke with Miller about several of the hitters on his team. Most notably, this included Roderick Arias, the former top prospect who signed for $4 million in 2022 but who had struggled to find his footing in professional baseball.
The mystery around Paul Skenes' 2026 struggles just keeps growing. The reigning National League Cy Young winner will not start Sunday as scheduled. Pittsburgh Pirates manager Don Kelly said that his ace will get three extra days of rest and will start Wednesday instead.
Pittsburgh is not calling it an injury, but there is no denying that something is clearly off with Skenes this year.
He threw just 65 pitches over five innings Tuesday in Miami and came out anyway, having allowed two runs, one of them earned, on five hits with a walk and four strikeouts. His four-seam fastball averaged 95.7 miles per hour that night, the lowest single-game mark of his career and more than a full tick under his season average. Hitters put eight balls in play at 95 mph or harder and he got just four swings-and-misses.
The velocity has been a red flag. He is at 96.8 mph on the four-seamer, down from 98.2 last year and 98.8 as a rookie. Kelly said the bigger issue is command. The league is adjusting back, he said this week, and Skenes has to adjust with it.
Skenes had a 1.98 ERA in early May after back-to-back eight-inning shutout starts. In 16 starts since May 17 it is 5.00, with 10 home runs allowed in 84⅔ innings. (He gave up 11 home runs all of last season in 187⅔ innings.)
Pittsburgh is 3-13 in that stretch. His walk rate has climbed up to 6.8%.
Skenes, 24, has discounted the velocity questions all summer, and he did not argue with the early hook Tuesday. If he were the manager, he said, he would probably have made the same call.
The Pirates are 60-65, 6.5 games out of the last National League wild card and in last place in the National league Central. They were tied for a playoff spot four weeks ago. They don't get there without Skenes.
Aug 15, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Texas Rangers left fielder Wyatt Langford (36) reacts after hitting a two-run home run against the Athletics during the sixth inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Texas Rangers scored five runs while the Sacramento Athletics scored three runs.
After the Rangers missed out on delivering on an early RISP opportunity in the top of the first, an inning later someone named Henry Bolte, a person I’m not sure family could pick out of a lineup, hit a ball with two on that just barely glanced off the base of the left field foul pole at the A’s temporary minor league home.
Suddenly down 3-0, it would have been easy to think, “Here we go again.”
That feeling permeated as the lineup didn’t really get anything else going through the first handful of innings and, just when it seemed like the Rangers were headed for a fifth straight loss to the two worst teams in baseball, Nicky Lopez followed a Jake Burger double with an RBI single in the top of the fifth.
The Rangers have been desperate for anything from the bottom of the order and Lopez provided a run out of the nine spot. Maybe that helped lift the spell a little from this freefall that Texas has found itself in on the West Coast, or maybe pride finally gurgled up to put a purposeful taste in the mouths of the Rangers batters.
An inning later, down 3-1, the middle of the order was due and Brandon Nimmo, Corey Seager, and Wyatt Langford went double, RBI single, two-run home run to ambush the A’s and take a 4-3 lead in a matter of moments.
MacKenzie Gore allowed the three-run home run that put Texas in that early hole, so count that as his weekly Gore Inning. After that seemingly ruinous second inning, Gore eventually managed to make it through 5 2/3 innings with just the three runs allowed, just barely missing a quality start.
Thankfully, Chase Silseth cleaned up for Gore in the sixth and then Jakob Junis made his first appearance in over two weeks, a scoreless seventh inning. It was curious to see Junis come in in the seventh but that ultimately meant Jacob Latz was called upon for one of his patented two-inning saves.
The Rangers decided to wait all the way until the top of the ninth to score again and give Latz a little breathing room. Following an Evan Carter double, Jarred Kelenic came off the bench and provided the insurance with an pinch-hit RBI single.
Latz, who was pitching in just his fourth game all month, worked around a leadoff walk in the eighth but never allowed another baserunner. With his lead doubled by his second frame, Latz was able to comfortably claim his 24th save of the year to snap the losing skid.
Further good news, since Houston was walloped by Seattle earlier in the day, the Rangers gained a game in the standings where they now sit just two back of first place. Despite being two games below .500, the Rangers are also ahead of three other teams by a half game for the final American League Wild Card spot.
Weird year.
Player of the Game: The Rangers have really, really, really needed Langford to break out of his lengthy August slump and that finally came about tonight as he collected three hits including the big eventual game-winning two-run dong.
Up Next: The Rangers and A’s conclude this series in the road trip finale with LHP Cody Bradford next up for Texas opposite LHP Jacob Lopez for the Northern California squad.
First pitch Sunday’s finale is set for a more reasonable 3:05 pm CDT and you can watch it on the Rangers Sports Network.
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 15: Reid Detmers #48 of the Los Angeles Angels throws a pitch in the second inning against the Kansas City Royals at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on August 15, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Michael Massey and Jac Caglianone powered the lineup last night. They did it again tonight, with the only two hits KC had – both singles – in a 1-0 loss to the Angels.
When your team falls by a score of 1-0, it would be easy to place the blame on the offense. But this was really Reid Detmers flashing some of that brilliance I wrote about before the game. When he’s on, there’s not a whole heck of a lot you can do, and baby, he was on tonight. Detmers struck out 11 over 8 scoreless innings and required only 92 pitches to do it. He didn’t walk anyone, and he allowed those two singles mentioned at the top. That’s it. The Angels asked closer Ben Joyce to finish it off and, wielding a fastball that easily tops 104 MPH, he did just that with a pair of strikeouts.
Randy Dobnak, known more for his sweeper, threw the Angels a healthy dose of changeups in his 5.2 innings tonight. He figured out early that the sweeper wasn’t working and the Angels could do nothing to the changeup, so he threw it more than any of his other pitches. Ultimately, he struck out six while allowing 4 hits and 2 walks in 5.2 scoreless innings. He had some good defense behind him, but Dobnak Time continues unabated as we inch ever closer to the end of the season.
Craig Kimbrel was tasked with escaping the sixth inning with two runners on and managed to do so when a deep flyball from Josh Lowe died just in front of the track, landing in Starling Marte’s glove. Kimbrel relied again on the marine layer as well as a fantastic play from Tyler Tolbert in the seventh.
Nate Pearson got the eighth and, unfortunately, his control issues from most of his career popped up again when he allowed a leadoff walk to Wade Meckler. Jose Siri pinch-ran for him and promptly stole second. Pearson got Mike Trout to pop out, but a groundball at 102.6 off the bat of Nolan Schanuel managed to deflect off of Caglianone’s glove into right, and that was all she wrote. Pearson recovered to get a strikeout and a groundout, but the winning run was already in.
Cags just missed a home run to center field in the first inning. According to Baseball Savant, it was barreled, the third-hardest hit ball in the game, and would have been a home run in 6/30 parks, including UNIQLO in Los Angeles. Jac’s single in the fourth was hit at 105.5, the hardest-hit ball for either team all night. When he stole second (his sixth of the season!) a few moments later, it was the first and only time a Royal made it past first all night. He did look pretty silly striking out in the seventh, but you can only do what you can do. The lack of offense meant he did not get a fourth at-bat.
That was the first time in five contests the Angels managed to beat the Royals. KC can’t have a .500 road trip anymore, but they could at least escape Anaheim of Los Angeles with a series victory if they can win tomorrow. Noah Cameron (4.45 ERA, 4.13 SIERA) will try to rebound from the off-kilter start in LA. The Angels will counter with a right-hander, thankfully, rookie Ryan Johnson (6.71 ERA, 5.17 SIERA). The game is the Royals’ last one on the West Coast this year and will start at 3:07 PM Central time.
NEW YORK, NY - JULY 29: AJ Smith-Shawver #32 of the Atlanta Braves enters the dugout prior to the game between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets at Citi Field on Wednesday, July 29, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael Urakami/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Danny Young this season has an ERA over 8, a FIP over 7, and an xFIP over 6. He has at times in his 5 season, 73.0 inning major league career been an acceptable major league reliever and even has acceptable career numbers over that time, but he has simply not given the Braves a compelling reason to keep him on their roster this year. Meanwhile, the Braves are reportedly contemplating how to bring AJ Smith-Shawver onto the roster. My proposal is to simply get rid of Danny Young, perhaps bring up a stopgap arm for a few days and then have AJ replace Grant Holmes in the rotation. Holmes can be a good arm out of the bullpen and while he has done admirably to perform the job of a back end rotation starter, he can impact the Braves the best for the remainder of this season out of the bullpen.
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 15: Nolan Arenado #28 of the Arizona Diamondbacks looks on after hitting a solo home run in the seventh inning during the game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on Saturday, August 15, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Brett Davis/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
I hope you all will forgive me for spending a portion of my Saturday mornings sorting through various somewhat bleak baseball things in preparation for the coming recap. For instance, today I found myself roaming around looking at the recent game logs for Harrison Grant Holmes and comparing them those of Eduardo Rodriguez (Holmes had a better run recently, at least until today), and then looking at how the Braves as a team hit versus left-handed pitching (10th in the majors, as opposed to 8th vs. right-handers). The Diamondbacks, incidentally, are 2nd in the majors facing lefties, at least in terms of OPS, which was nice to see. But Grant Holmes is not a lefty, so I scrolled down to see how we do against righties, and discovered the rather depressing fact that we rank 29th in the majors in OPS against right-handed pitching. I tend to try to look for something interesting that I could touch on and organize my thinking around, in case a Saturday game goes badly for us, as it feels like they often do.
Anyway. As it turns out, I didn’t really need to, though it certainly didn’t look like it was going to be that way in the early going. Holmes caught leadoff man Lars Nootbaar looking to start off the game, then got Corbin Carroll to pop out on the infield and Geraldo Perdomo to strike out swinging on three pitches to make short work of the Snakes in the top of the first. Everyone’s favorite hologram then came on for the bottom of the frame and gave up hits to the first three batters he faced: a home run to absolutely straightaway center field to Ronald Acuña, Jr., followed by a double to Drake Baldwin and a maddening bloop single just behind shortstop that fell in and advanced Baldwin to third. ERod finally recorded his first out on an Ozzie Albies pop fly to shallow right, but Baldwin crossed the plate on a grounder to second. That wound up being all the damage done, but we were already in a hole and Rodriguez had already thrown 24 pitches. 2-0 Atlanta
Given our dismal 0 for 14 performance last night with runners in scoring position, and given how easily Holmes had disposed of the top of our lineup in the top of the first, it seemed like we were in a very deep hole. But the bottom two thirds of the lineup, perhaps shamed by yesterday’s aforementioned dismal performance, were having none of it today. Gabriel Moreno drewa five-pitch walk to lead things off, and was promptly advanced to third by a Max Kepler double into the alley in right center that rolled to the wall. Nolan Arenado grounded out slowly to third, allowing Moreno to score. Then Tim Tawa grounded a single to left, driving in Kepler and tying things back up. But we weren’t done! Ildemaro Vargas, starting at second today due to Ketel Marte’s gimpy knee, rolled over to second for the second out, but then Ryan Waldschmidt hit an opposite field liner to right that dropped for a single and scored Tawa from second. 3-2 DBACKS
And it was basically off to the races after that. ERod surrendered a leadoff double to Atlanta left fielder Lane Thomas to start the bottom of the second, but then sat down the next three batters to leave Thomas stranded there and put up a very reassuring zero. Corbin Carroll led off the top of the third with a double to right. Perdomo launched a fly ball to deep center that allowed Corbin to tag and take third. Moreno then doubled off the wall in right center, plating Carroll. Kepler popped out the infield, which was unfortunate and frustrating, marking as it did the second out of the inning, but Nolan Arenado came to the plate for the second time in two innings and launched the third pitch he saw from Holmes into the seats in left center field:
Tim Tawa flied out to end things, but Nolan’s 29th of the season had extended the lead substantially. 6-2 DBACKS
Things kind of cooled down after that for both teams, at least for awhile. Holmes walked Nootbaar and Carroll on five pitches apiece with two outs in the top of the fourth, which earned him an early end to his night, but the Braves bullpen got involved and put up three straight zeros in the fourth, fifth, and sixth. Eduardo Rodriguez, however, had settled down nicely, and was doing the same. He retired Altanta in order in the third and fourth, pitched around a two-out Acuña single that just trickled in and out of the glove of a diving Perdomo, and then recorded a 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth to end his night on a very satisfactory note.
But our offense still wasn’t done. In fact, Arenado himself wasn’t done. He stepped to the plate with two outs in the seventh against Atlanta lefty Brent Suter and launched his 20th home run of the year to pretty much the same place that he’d deposited his 19th:
The game was mostly in the bag at this point, with Jonathan Loaisiga and Kevin Ginkel each pitching a pristine inning in relief, while the Braves relievers continued to toil along haplessly. Corbin Carroll tripled with off the wall in right with two outs in the eighth, but wasn’t able to score. In the top of the ninth, Moreno singled to lead things off, Arenado drew a one-out walk, and then with two outs Ildemaro Vargas, who’d been quiet all evening up to this point, sent a third souvenir over the wall in left to pad things a little more. 10-2 DBACKS
With an eight run lead, Torey Lovullo opted to go with Philip Abner, an admittedly low-leverage arm, out of the bullpen for the final three outs, and Abner got it done, though he did cough up one more run thanks to a Matt Olson leadoff double and then a couple of infield groundouts that allowed Olson to come around and score. But no harm done, and we had a very emphatic second win of the series! 10-3 DBACKS
Heroes: Nolan Arenado (4 AB, 2 H, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR, 1 BB, +13% WPA), Cabriel Moreno (4 AB, 3 H, 3 R, 1 2B, 1 BB, +11% WPA) Zeros: None! Lars Nootbaar, Geraldo Perdomo, and Ildemaro Vargas each contributed negative WPA, but at ultimately negligible levels. Everyone played real good ball tonight! Good job, Snakes!
It wound up being a nice and well-populated Gameday Thread tonight, with 289 comments at time of writing. Our Fearless Leader got the most rec’s for his observation regarding how helpful it might be for tomorrow to chew through some more of Atlanta’s bullpen, but I’m giving today’s Comment of the Game to piratedan for this early comment that aptly captures the whiplash many of us felt seeing the offense go off like this less than 24 hours after last night’s Dismal Performance (TM):
Didn’t have this in my bingo card going into last night’s game, but I hope you can join us tomorrow as we go for the three-game sweep against the runaway leaders in the NL East! Michael Soroka goes for us, Bryce Elder goes for Atlanta. Elder got lit up last time out with 7 earned runs allowed to the lowly Mets on August 10, so with any luck we can make his month of August even worse. First pitch is scheduled for 10:35 AZ time, TheRealRamona will have the guest recap, so we hope to see you with all of your favorite morning baseball snacks tomorrow as we go for the sweep!
As always, thanks for reading, and as always, go Diamondbacks!
“It’s fantastic,” Roberts said. “I hope that we can give Jacob as much credit and publicity as possible. He’s a great kid and he’s great for the game. What he did today, what they see every time he pitches, you just don’t see it. Guys like him, and obviously guys like Shohei, the game’s in a great spot.”
As Shohei Ohtani’s manager, Dave Roberts knows how much a singular talent can mean to baseball. CHRIS TORRES/EPA/ShutterstockRoberts described Milwaukee Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski in such terms following the Dodgers’ 4-1 loss on Saturday. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Roberts was awestruck by how Misiorowki attacked Ohtani in his six-pitch at-bat in the first inning, which resulted in a popup to third base.
Misiowowki threw him only fastballs.
The pitch velocities that flashed on the Dodger Stadium scoreboard: 104, 104, 104, 103, 104, 104.
“I’ve never seen the first [three] pitches of a game 104,” Roberts said.
The Dodgers’ first hit against the Cy Young Award frontrunner came in the third inning when Alex Call reached base on an infield single. Call scored on a triple by Ohtani.
Behind by a 4-1 margin, the Dodgers loaded the bases in the fifth inning, only for Misiorowski to get out of the jam by striking out Ohtani and Freddie Freeman in succession.
“I’ve never seen the first [three] pitches of a game 104,” Roberts said. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Considering what the Dodgers were up against, Roberts considered it a minor victory to be able to force Misiorowski out of the game after six innings. The Dodgers collected five hits and a walk against Misiorowski, who struck out six batters. Misiorowsk improved his record to 12-5 and lowered his earned-run average to 1.75.
“I thought we did a nice job in the sense of shortening up, competing, getting him out in the sixth inning,” Roberts said.
In doing so, the Dodgers were able to force left-hander Aaron Ashby to pitch two innings in relief, which will likely make him unavailable for the series finale on Sunday.
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Before going 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts Saturday in a 4-1 loss to the Blue Jays, the slugging first baseman still came into the game with the fifth-highest OPS in the American League at .883 and the third-most home runs with 32. But over his past 21 games, he was hitting just .130 (10-for-77) with a .494 OPS and two home runs, coinciding with a team-wide slump.
Going back even further, over his past 46 games, he was batting .193 with a .694 OPS and 10 home runs.
“Definitely been going through it here in the second half,” manager Aaron Boone said before Saturday’s loss. “Just getting under some balls or getting on top of balls. Just got to make sure he gets on a line.”
Rice hit a 105.4 mph flyout to center field in his first at-bat Saturday and later flew out to the warning track in right field, a day after barreling up four balls in another 0-for-4 effort.
Ben Rice reacts in frustration after flying out during the eighth inning of the Yankees’ 4-1 loss to the Blue Jays on Aug. 15, 2026 in Toronto. AP
“I’ve felt increasingly good,” Rice said after their latest defeat. “Over the last couple series, I feel like the swing has felt good and I’m hitting some balls hard, not getting rewarded for it. Just got to keep going. That’s literally the only thing you can do is just keep going. It’s all you can do in this game.”
Saturday was a grind for Cam Schlittler, but he still turned it into 5 ¹/₃ innings of one-run ball while striking out seven and walking three.
He finished the day with a 2.19 ERA, keeping pace in the AL Cy Young race before his biggest threat — Blue Jays ace Dylan Cease — takes the ball for Sunday’s series finale. Cease enters the start with a 2.40 ERA in 20 ²/₃ fewer innings than Schlittler.
While Cody Bellinger (hamstring strain) is on track to begin a rehab assignment next week, Boone was mum on when that might be the case for Giancarlo Stanton (calf strain).
The veteran DH did not make the trip to Toronto, instead staying back at Yankee Stadium to continue his running progression, which now includes the bases — the stage where Stanton re-injured himself in June.
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“I know he hit out on the field [Friday] again,” Boone said. “But I don’t know when he would be ready to start something.”
Boone said he spoke to the league on Friday night and Saturday morning about his ejection in the series opener — tossed by home plate umpire Vic Carapazza for arguing balls and strikes — which appeared to be among the tamer (at least initially) of his 50 career ejections.
After Friday’s loss, he called it a “tired toss” by Carapazza.
“Look, I said what I was going to say [Friday] night,” Boone said. “At the end of the day, that’s just one little part of the game, and it had nothing to do with us winning or losing last night. We got to find a way to score more. I’ve had my conversations with the league and we move on to a fresh day today.”
Aug 15, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants center fielder Drew Gilbert (left) is doused by third baseman Christian Koss (right) after defeating the Colorado Rockies at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Drew Gilbert had never hit lead-off before. The vast majority of his plate appearances this season have come out of the 8th and 9th spots in the batting order. There’s plenty of reasons why Gilbert wouldn’t be seriously considered to bat first when constructing a Major League line-up. Mainly, he doesn’t hit for average, he doesn’t hit for power, nor does he inflate his on-base percentage with walks. Gilbert’s barely the same species as a Kyle Schwarber or Shohei Ohtani, the 21st century take on the top spot. Considering he’s swiped only 2 bases in 137 Major League games, Gilbert is pretty far from Vince Coleman and the more old-school, light-and-fast model too, aimed at wrecking havoc on the bases after beating out an infield single.
The lead-off man has been a revolving door for the Giants all season. It’s been dependent on the opposing starter’s arm, who’s healthy, or the hot hand. No one has been particularly good at it. San Francisco’s lead-off men have posted a .279 OBP — by far the lowest in the Majors. Their overall production, with a 89 wRC+, is well below league average.
The point of the offensive spear being not that pointy could explain some of the team’s frustrating inconsistencies and overall struggles.
Game 123 of this doomed season, Tony Vitello is throwing spaghetti against the wall and seeing what sticks. Dating back to July 30th, in which the Giants have gone 4-10 while dropping four straight series, seven different players have hit lead-off. Pencilling Gilbert’s name into the top spot — because why not? — made him the 13th player to serve in the role this year, which is the most in any Giants season since 1901.
13 might be a lucky number because Gilbert transformed himself to fit into the role. The middle schooler hyped-up on Mountain Dew Baja Blast energy he typically emanates at the plate was completely gone. In its place, a stoic figure, a discerning eye. The new number-1 went 3-for-4, with a walk, 3 runs batted in, and 2 runs scored. He worked a lead-off walk, taking six straight pitches, and didn’t lift his bat off his shoulder. The Number- 9 hitter Gilbert probably would’ve swung a dozen times. But that Gilbert is dead now; or at least, repressed, stuffed in the locker of his subconsciousness (for the day at least), because when he came up again in the 3rd, nothing had changed. Gilbert was just as calm and disciplined. He took a first pitch fastball in the dirt for ball one, and an elevated curveball at the letters for ball two. Being ahead in the count matters, and Gilbert specifically needs that breathing room. He’s hitting .300 with a 1.014 OPS (70 AB) when he’s swinging with count leverage. When he’s backed into a corner: .224 with a .585 OPS (85 AB).
Up 2-0, Gilbert was cool and collected. Hecould sit on a specific pitch in a specific location. Starter Michael Lorenzen’s best bet of getting in the zone was with his fastball, he put it on the inside corner and Gilbert beat him to the spot, lining it onto the arcade for a game-tying solo shot.
Turning an 0-2 count into a base-on-balls was good, the solo homer was obviously better, but Gilbert out-did himself as the lead-off man his third time up. With the bases loaded and two out in a tight 2-1 game, Gilbert didn’t let the situation rush his approach. The prospect of knocking in runs didn’t cause him to devolve back into his previous hacker state in which he was liable to take a cut at any moving object within feasible reach of his bat. He maintained control and put himself in a good count by taking two fastballs off the plate. He fouled off a cutter, only his second swing of the day, but didn’t succumb to swing-mode when Lorenzen dotted another just above the letters. With the count back in his favor, he got his fastball — this time a sinker decently located low-and-away — and the ball found a hole.
This is how the number 1 hitter has to operate, especially in the middle of a game. When the line-up flips back over to the top, that shift should be felt by the opposing arm. The pitcher should be thinking Again? Didn’t I just pitch to this guy? They need to be a nuisance. They need to extend and prolong and act as a gateway to the heart of the order. Gilbert did exactly that — he picked up number-9 man Christian Koss after he rolled an ineffectual comebacker for the second out of the inning. Even with the bases loaded, Lorenzen approached him with care. He made his pitches and Gilbert still got the best of him. His single was the Giants’ first hit with a runner in scoring position, and it led to two more in quick succession from Devers and Eldridge.
It was opposite day for the Giants in many ways. Gilbert set the tone in this bizarro world with his disciplined approach. 5 of San Francisco’s 6 runs in the 4th came with two outs. They worked three walks while the pitchers Logan Webb, Carson Seymour, and Dylan Smith gave out none. The offense went 3-for-6 with runners in scoring position, a situation that had been their collective bugaboo of late. Two of those clutch hits from Devers and Eldridge came in a disadvantaged split against lefty reliever Parker Mushinski.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Turner Hill, who made his Major League debut in left field today. While it may not be as noteworthy as Joshua Baez’s three homer debut (a first in baseball history), Hill gave the Giants the lead with a bases-loaded sac fly, a key situational at-bat that kicked off their back-breaking rally. Overall, Hill went 0-for-3 with a couple of routine put-outs recorded in the field.
Logan Webb turned in another excellent outing albeit an abbreviated one. After six complete, with a 7-1 lead and Webb dealing with the inevitable aches that a 100+ MPH line-drive off the shoulder would cause, Vitello decided to pull him out of an abundance of caution. Webb had more in the tank. He had only thrown 80 pitches while striking out 7 (his season high is 8).
The four-seam, not typically called on to bear a heavy load, served as the workhorse in this one. Webb used it 30% of the time, a season high — a necessary adaptation to face the seven lefties in the Colorado line-up. It worked well. The Rockies appeared caught off guard by Webb’s willingness to push the straight fastball up in the zone. The pitch punctuated four of his strikeouts and generated a 50% whiff-rate (8 of 16) along with 9 called strikes. Not bad for an offering that typically scoots in around 92 MPH.
When contact happened, it was quick and pretty weak. Webb held Rockies hitters to four singles, unfortunately three of them came on three consecutive pitches in the 3rd. Three doinky donks which gave Colorado the early lead. Both Ezequiel Tovar and Jake McCarthy found grass with 60 MPH bloops, and Cole Carigg’s grass cutter, which looked like a tailor made double play ball off the bat, proved to be an RBI single thanks to the defensive alignment of the shortstop. A meek rally made up of the kind of contact that keeps Webb up at night, and ironically, it’s the kind of contact he’s built a career on. This is the bargain Webb has made: the doinks giveth, and they taketh away.
Thanks to Gilbert, Webb didn’t have to sweat the run for long. He’d take the mound in the 4th with the game tied and again in the 5th with a comfortable lead. Though the liner off the bat of Brett Sullivan probably didn’t feel too good, it didn’t take the veteran out of his rhythm. Koss would handle the deflection easily, just one of the 11 Webb would record in order to end his afternoon.
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