Category: Baseball

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I'm firing two units on the Atlanta Braves at -137 today. Forget the pedigree—this comes down to current form and matchup edges.

While Gerrit Cole remains a big name, his fly-ball and hard-contact tendencies give Atlanta’s heavy hitters a prime launchpad.

On the bump for ATL, Chris Sale brings a far superior whiffs-and-chase profile to keep New York guessing in my Braves vs. Yankees predictions and MLB picks for Aug. 8.

Who will win Braves vs Yankees today: Braves moneyline (-137)

I'm on the Atlanta Braves in this spot for two units down to -155. The New York Yankees were lucky to get a win last night.

The offense has remained dreadful for a few weeks now (just look at a wOBA near the bottom of the league over the last 30 days), and this is a strength-on-weakness matchup against Gerrit Cole. 

Cole has allowed a 9.5% barrel rate, 42.6% hard-hit rate, and 67% air-ball rate this season, which is not ideal against an Atlanta lineup that ranks fourth in baseball in barrel rate. 

We could debate who's the better pitcher long-term, but there's no doubt Chris Sale has had a better season than Cole on the other side. 

His strikeout-heavy profile matches up well against a lineup that is whiffing more than ever lately at a 26% strikeout rate over the last seven days. 

COVERS INTEL:Cole’s four-seamer is the specific pitch Atlanta can attack. He throws it 47.1% of the time, and it has allowed a 45.2% hard-hit rate this season.

Braves vs Yankees Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (-116)

I'd play the Under to 7. 

Both starters can control the shape of this game. Sale gives Atlanta strikeout upside against a Yankees lineup that has been flat-out bad, while Cole is still more than capable of limiting traffic even if his barrel profile creates some concern.

If Sale handles the Yankees’ cold stretches and Cole avoids the multi-run homer, this profiles more like a lower-scoring road favorite script than a full offensive eruption. In fact, it could look a lot like last night.

Braves vs Yankees weather

The Bronx forecast is hot, with thunderstorm risk around the game window, so delay risk matters more than any clear wind-based run adjustment

Braves vs Yankees odds

• Moneyline: Braves -137 | Yankees +124
• Run line: Braves -1.5 | Yankees +1.5
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 | Under 7.5

Braves vs Yankees trend

The New York Yankees have hit the Team Total Under in 24 of their last 30 games at home (+17.35 Units / 48% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Braves vs. Yankees.

How to watch Braves vs Yankees and game info

Braves vs Yankees latest injuries

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

15 Years Ago

Brandon Morrow pitched 8.2 no-hit innings, leading the Blue Jays to a 1-0 victory. It was likely the best pitching performance I have ever witnessed.

With two outs in the ninth, Evan Longoria hit a ground ball between second and first. Aaron Hill made an outstanding effort to reach the ball and got his glove on it, but it deflected into right field. Even if he had fielded it cleanly, he wouldn’t have had a play at first. Hill hoped the official scorer would call it an error, but it was ruled a hit.

Morrow struck out 17 batters—just one shy of Roger Clemens’ franchise record—and walked only two, facing four batters above the minimum. His 100 Game Score tied for the fourth-best since the start of the lively ball era in 1920. Only Kerry Wood (105), Nolan Ryan (101, vs. the Blue Jays), and Sandy Koufax (101) have posted better scores. That’s remarkable company.

He threw 137 pitches—risky for a pitcher with his injury history. I would have taken him out after the hit, but instead, he struck out Dan Johnson to end the game. Most managers would have pulled him after the single (and 132 pitches), but Cito Gaston wanted him to finish the complete game on the mound.

The no-hitter was nearly broken up in the top of the ninth when Jason Bartlett hit a fly ball to deep center, but Vernon Wells made a spectacular catch at the wall. If not for the no-hitter, I’m sure Vernon would have played it off the wall instead. He ended up with a dislocated toe but missed only one game. With 17 strikeouts, our defense wasn’t often tested, but Vernon’s catch was as good as any you’ll see.

Offensively, the Jays managed just five hits. Their lone run came in the first inning: Yunel Escobar drew a one-out walk after DeWayne Wise lined out, moved from first to third on a groundout, and scored on a single by Vernon Wells. Morrow made that early run hold up.

Another memorable moment was Jose Molina’s stolen base—his only steal of the season. He would go on to steal two more the following year and finished his 15-year career with 20 stolen bases.

Ultimately, it was Morrow’s day. In my recap, I wrote:

For Morrow, it was his first complete game and his first shutout. And he is just 26; he’ll have more days like this.

I was wrong.

Brandon went on to pitch in 100 games for the Blue Jays, making 93 starts and posting a 34-31 record with a 4.40 ERA over five seasons. After Toronto, he played for the Padres, Dodgers, and Cubs. Notably, he appeared in all seven games of the 2017 World Series with the Dodgers.

His final season was 2018. Over his career, he appeared in 334 games (113 starts), with a 51-43 record, 40 saves, a 3.96 ERA, 368 walks, and 877 strikeouts.

The Hill play:

Drake Baldwin leads off again, as Ronald Acuna gets a day off in the field, batting second and DHing. Mike Yastrzemski and Mauricio Dubon man the corner outfield spots around Michael Harris. Jim Jarvis returns to the starting lineup, batting ninth and playing shortstop.

Meanwhile, the Yankees lineup is as follows.

Join us as the teams face off in Yankee Stadium at 3:05 PM ET on BravesVision

Nats first round pick Chris Hacopian will be making his minor league debut tomorrow. Interestingly, it will not be in Fredericksburg. Instead, the local kid will be skipping over Low-A and will join the Wilmington Blue Rocks. The old regime would always send draft picks to Low-A first, even if it were only for a few games, but that has changed.

After being drafted 11th overall last month, it will be exciting to see Hacopian get started. That Wilmington team was already loaded, and now they are getting another top prospect. The likes of Eli Willits, Ronny Cruz and Miguel Sime Jr. are some of the players currently in Wilmington. Now, Paul Toboni’s first draft pick will join them.

This assignment is interesting for a couple reasons. First is that it is another change from the new regime. Even when Dylan Crews was drafted second overall, he played 14 games in Fredericksburg. After that, he skipped High-A and went to Harrisburg. Playing for the Fred Nats was like a rite of passage for Nationals prospects.

Wilmington is known as a bad place to hit, and the old regime was hyper-aware of that. The new regime has been more willing to send guys to Wilmington and let them stay there. It is a pitchers park, but if you can hit, you can thrive there. We saw that with the likes of Ethan Petry, Devin Fitz-Gerald and now Eli Willits.

Hacopian will be the next big bat in Wilmington. Toboni and the front office must have felt that the infielders bat was just too advanced for Low-A. There is certainly evidence for that, as Hacopian was seen as one of the best college hitters in the class. He has walked more than he has struck out wherever he has played. Now, he will take on Wilmington.

Getting to see the 2026 draft picks will be fun for fans of the Nats farm system. So far, the only player who has debuted is 9th rounder Cashel Dugger, who has played a couple games in Low-A. Now, we will get to see Hacopian.

I would imagine that second rounder Chase Brunson is next in line to make his debut. There is a chance he also goes to Wilmington, but I think a quick stop in Low-A is more likely. 5th rounder Daniel Cuvet is another exciting bat to watch down the stretch.

The high school duo of Luke Williams and Cooper Harris are unlikely to debut this year. High school pitchers almost never pitch in their draft years and Williams is still too raw to throw straight in Low-A. We saw Eli Willits go straight to Low-A and shine, but he was uniquely polished.

It will be very interesting to see how Hacopian does in his pro debut. I think he will hold his own at the very least, but this is an aggressive assignment in a tough place to hit. If he does struggle, it would not be time to panic just yet. However, with how polished the bat is, the front office clearly thinks he has the hitting chops to succeed right away.

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The red-hot Boston Red Sox enter Saturday’s matchup against the Athletics as a heavy -257 moneyline favorite, with first pitch scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET.

With Jake Bennett in solid form, my Athletics vs. Red Sox predictions expect Boston to roll to another convincing win against a shaky Gage Jump.

Read more in my MLB picks for Saturday, Aug 8.

Who will win A's vs Red Sox today: Red Sox -1.5 (-131)

The Athletics send Gage Jump to the mound at Fenway Park, and he’ll face a Boston Red Sox offense carrying a 158 wRC+ over the last week.

Jump is not in ideal form, posting a 4.55 xERA over his last two starts. While he has not allowed a homer during that span, the rookie has walked 9.31 BB/9, which is dangerous against a Red Sox lineup that is rolling.

Jake Bennett counters for Boston, and he continues to deal. The left-hander owns a 3.84 FIP over his previous two appearances while holding opponents to a 33.3% hard-hit rate and 2.6% barrel rate.

Boston should capitalize against Jump, while Bennett limits the damage.

I’ll play this pick up to -150.

COVERS INTEL: The Red Sox have thrived against left-handers, posting a 113 wRC+ this season. That's compared to a 94 mark vs righties. 

A's vs Red Sox Over/Under pick: Under 9.5 (-131)

The total is set high at 9.5, and I’m predicting the Under. The Athletics are doing very little offensively right now, and Boston’s bullpen has been lights out. Over its last 26.1 innings, the Red Sox relief corps owns a 1.93 xERA while surrendering just 0.34 HR/9.

I expect Boston to do most of the scoring, but Oakland’s bullpen is not in complete collapse mode, posting a 4.41 FIP across the last week. If the A’s pen can limit damage once Jump departs, this game can stay under 10 runs.

I’ll play this pick up to -140.

A's vs Red Sox weather

Weather looks warm at Fenway Park today, with partly cloudy skies and temperatures holding in the mid-to-upper 80s through first pitch. Winds should be moderate early, then ease later, and rain chances remain relatively low. The warm air could slightly help carry, but conditions should not be a major factor.

A's vs Red Sox odds

• Moneyline: A's +245 | Red Sox -237
• Run line: A's +1.5 (+127) | Red Sox -1.5 (-133)
• Over/Under: Over 9.5 (+122) | Under 9.5 (-127)

A's vs Red Sox trend

The Boston Red Sox have covered the Run Line in 27 of their last 40 games (+19.65 Units / 41% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for A's vs. Red Sox.

How to watch A's vs Red Sox and game info

A's vs Red Sox latest injuries

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

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year, we ask questions of the most plugged-in Kansas City Royals fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Earlier this week, we asked you to grade how Royals General Manager J.J. Picollo’s trade deadline went:

Honestly, I’m a bit baffled by these results. Back when we asked how many players the Royals needed to trade away by the deadline, almost everyone agreed they needed to trade at least three, with five or more coming in just behind three to four. The Royals ended up trading only one player from the 40-man roster. And yet, 22% of respondents to this poll thought they managed at least a C at this trade deadline. 4% of you gave them a B! Please, I’m begging you, if you gave a B, I’d love for you to tell me why in a comment.

I’ve already written extensively about why I think this trade deadline is an F. So even the 54% majority of you who gave them a D are significantly higher on the Royals’ performance at the deadline than I am. To summarize my thoughts, it seems to me that the Royals made a massive mistake by not trading every expiring contract they have, including John Schreiber and Starling Marte. I also don’t think Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo are going to be the difference between next year’s team being a contender and not, and whatever trade value they have now will likely be greatly diminished by this time next season.

It’s possible the Royals talked to all of those players and came away with the impression that none of them wanted to be traded and the team didn’t get offers large enough to override those preferences. And I have some sympathy for the players involved, certainly. But if I were offered a few hundred thousand to do my job somewhere else for a few months, I think I’d probably figure it out. These guys can, too.

Anyway, what’s done is done. And, frustratingly, it seems like we are going to be stuck watching these veterans play out the string on the current MLB roster before departing for other homes this offseason instead of getting a look at anyone else who might offer more now or in the future. I guess that means we have the offseason spending spree* and lockout to look forward to instead. How exciting.

*If the Royals want to even pretend like they’re going to compete next year, they’re going to have to throw a lot of cash at a lot of players just to fill out the roster.

These survey results are sponsored by FanDuel.

Diamondbacks News

Diamondbacks Win Most Playoff-like Game of Season
The Diamondbacks took the series opener in tis final series against the Los Angeles Dodgers with playoff rankings for both teams still on the line.

Kelly’s Cramping Issue Resurfaces Versus Dodgers
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly signaled to the dugout with two outs in the sixth inning after giving up a RBI single on Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, asking to be taken out of the game. The team later confirmed it was due to cramping in Kelly’s right leg, making this the fourth straight season the issues have flared up.

Waldschmidt’s Wild Walk-off Night
After the Diamondbacks lost starter Merrill Kelly to yet another cramping issue, they then lost the hard-earned lead over the division rival Dodgers. That brought Ryan Waldschmidt to the plate in the ninth with a runner on and Edwin Diaz looking to close out the game and earn the save for the Dodgers. Waldschmidt had other ideas and launched his second home run of his young career.

Other Baseball News

PCA has Real Shot to Win NL MVP
The debate is far from settled and Shohei Ohtani is not exactly just giving up on the award either.

Inside the Trade: Why the Tigers Chose the Dodgers
The Tarik Skubal controversy won’t go away, but things are starting to make a bit more sense at least.

A’s Part with David Forst
The embattled GM is out ahead of the inaugural season in Las Vegas.

Catching Lightning in a Bottle: The Adley Rutschman Trade
No offense to Tarik Skubal, but Adley Rutschman going to the Boston Red Sox was the big blockbuster deal of the deadline.

Hunter Greene to Undergo Elbow Surgery
The Reds announced that right-hander Hunter Greene will undergo elbow surgery, per Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. The extent of the procedure isn’t known just yet, but president of baseball ops Nick Krall tells the Reds beat that the surgery will pertain to Greene’s elbow ligament (via Pat Brennan of the Cincinnati Enquirer).

The Mets carry a four-game win streak headed into the second game of the team's three-game road series against the the Pittsburgh Pirates.

First pitch on Saturday night is set for 6:40 p.m. on SNY.

Mets Notes

• Robert Stock will take the mound for the Mets. The 36-year-old journeyman was rock solid in his first start of the season against the Miami Marlins on Aug. 2, allowing one earned run on three hits while striking out four and walking none across five full innings.
• In the series opener on Friday night, Mets rookie outfielder A.J. Ewing reached base in four of his five plate appearances, increasing his OPS on the season to .743.

Today's Lineups

Since Don Mattingly’s retirement after the 1995 season, the Yankees have generally filled the first base spot by bringing in an established veteran. First it was Tino Martinez, then it was Jason Giambi, before Mark Teixeira filled that role from 2009 through 2016. For five years after him, the position became a turnstile, with Greg Bird (the only homegrown player to man the position regularly in two decades), Chris Carter, Chase Headley, Luke Voit, Edwin Encarnación, and DJ LeMahieu tagging in, to mixed success. Finally, looking to improve the offense as the 2021 squad stumbled through the first half, the Yankees swung a deal with the Chicago Cubs, bringing in one of the legends that broke the 108-year curse: Anthony Rizzo.

Anthony Rizzo
Born: August 8, 1989 (Parkland, FL)
Yankees Tenure: 2021-2024

Born and raised in Parkland, Florida, Rizzo was selected out of high school by the Boston Red Sox in the sixth round of the 2007 MLB Draft. He made a cup of coffee in rookie ball that season, before starting the 2008 campaign with Single-A Greenville. Baseball, however, quickly became of secondary importance, as that May, the 18-year-old Rizzo was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He did not return to the playing field until the end of the summer, when the Red Sox front office permitted Rizzo — recently declared cancer-free — to take one plate appearance; he doubled.

He spent two more years in the Boston system before being traded, along with Casey Kelly, Reymond Fuentes, and Eric Patterson, to the San Diego Padres for first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. He made his major league debut on June 9, 2011, tripling in his second time at the plate.

Two days later, he recorded his first big league home run.

Those would be his only true highlights as a member of the Padres, however. He generally struggled in his first run in the Show, slashing .141/.281/.242 in 49 games. When San Diego traded for Yonder Alonso that December, Rizzo became expendable and was traded again, this time to the Chicago Cubs for pitcher Andrew Cashner and outfielder Kyung-Min Na. Rather amusingly, both times Rizzo was traded as a youngster, Jed Hoyer was the general manager acquiring him (although in Chicago, Hoyer reported to President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein, who had final say on the deal).

Rizzo started 2012 with Triple-A Iowa, as Bryan LaHair began the year as the team’s first baseman. He quickly proved ready for the limelight, however, and made his Cubs debut on June 26th. Over the next three and a half seasons, he established himself as one of the Senior Circuit’s premier first baseman, slashing .268/.361/.480, receiving two All-Star nods, and finishing as a finalist for the Gold Glove Award at first base.

All of that would be a prelude to the highlight of his career, the 2016 season. His production was impressive in and of itself, as he slashed .292 /.385/.544, hit 32 homers and 43 doubles (the first Cubs left-handed hitter to do so!), and drove in 109 runs. And he piled on the regular season accolades, earning his first Gold Glove, his first and only Platinum Glove (to this day, the only first baseman to have won the award), his first and only Silver Slugger, and his first starting nod in the All-Star Game. More importantly, despite a slow start to the postseason, he went 17-for-50 with three homers, five doubles, and six walks between the NLCS and World Series. Thanks to Cleveland scoring once in the bottom of the tenth, his run in the top of the inning would prove to be the winning run, and rather fittingly, the player who had become the face of the Cubs would catch the final out of the 2016 World Series.

The Cubs never climbed the mountain again, but that was through no fault of Rizzo’s. From the start of the 2017 campaign until he was traded to the Yankees in July 2021, his 128 wRC+ ranked 28th in baseball among 92 qualified hitters, and his 14.0 fWAR ranked 34th; additionally, he won three Gold Gloves. Across that span, arguably only Freddie Freeman and Paul Goldschmidt were definitively better, with Joey Votto and Matt Olson also falling right around the same spot in the rankings as Rizzo.

Looking to shore up their infield defense and add another lefty bat in one swoop (remember, the 2019-2023 Yankees were notoriously heavy on right-handed bats), the Yankees spun a deal for Rizzo at the 2021 deadline, sending Kevin Alcántara and Alexander Vizcaíno to Chicago in order to steal him away from the Boston Red Sox. While Joey Gallo was the bigger name acquired at the time, Rizzo made an immediate impact, homering in his Yankee debut.

While the 2021 season ended in disappointing fashion, the Yankees saw enough in Rizzo — who slashed .249/.340/.428, provided great defense, and most importantly, slid right into a leadership role in the clubhouse — to make him a priority signing once the lockout ended that March (they did make a run on Freddie Freeman, but it was clear that Freeman preferred to either stay in Atlanta or head out to LA). Hitting behind Aaron Judge, Rizzo had his best season since 2019, with a 130 OPS+ and a career-high 32 homers in just 130 games. Unsurprisingly, he opted out of his contract, and equally unsurprisingly, he re-upped with the Yankees again, signing another two-year deal with a team option for 2025.

Rizzo’s career resurgence continued at the start of 2023, as through May 27th, he had a .303/.376/.507 slash line (149 wRC+) with 11 home runs in 52 games. Then, Fernando Tatís Jr. hip-checked Rizzo on a pickoff play, and while nobody knew until August 3rd, gave him a concussion. From that point on, the first baseman struggled, slashing just .174/.272/.227 with only one homer until he was finally shut down for the year in August.

The 2024 season wasn’t any better for Rizzo, as he struggled out of the gate, slashing .223/.289/.341 (82 wRC+) before breaking his arm in mid-June in a collision at first base. He returned to the lineup when rosters expanded on September 1st, and while he didn’t exactly light up the world, his 98 wRC+ gave the Yankees a definitive upgrade at first base over the rookie Ben Rice. Unfortunately, he was plunked on September 28th and fractured multiple fingers. After the Yankees managed to fake their way through the ALDS with Oswaldo Cabrera and Jon Berti learning first base on the fly, Rizzo returned for the ALCS and World Series, during which he went 6-for-14 in the ALCS and 2-for-16 in the World Series.

The Yankees declined Rizzo’s team option for 2025, and while he tried to latch on with a team, he ultimately decided to retire, joining the Cubs in an ambassadorial role. Rather famously, while hanging in the bleachers during his first game as a fan, a home run was hit right at him.

At the end of the day, Rizzo will always be remembered as a Cub, not as a Yankee. Even so, despite his lackluster performance towards the end of his career, he nonetheless managed to worm his way into Yankee fans’ hearts. Even so, he is only the second most popular member of his family:

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

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

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (59-52) won 18-10 (BOX SCORE)

Nezuh started for Sugar Land and went 3.2 innings allowing 4 runs, 3 earned. The offense got on the board in the 4th scoring 3 runs on a Spence RBI single, Guillemette sac fly and Delgado RBI single. In the 7th the offense scored 4 runs on an Alexander 2 run single, run on a wild pitch and a run on a Brooks sac fly. Santa struggled in relief allowing 3 runs in the bottom of the inning as the Isotopes tied it up. The game went to extra innings and in the 10th the Sugar Land offense blew it open. Delgado broke the tie driving in 3 runs on a bases clearing triple. A Dezenzo 2 run single, Spence 2 run double, Guillemette RBI single, Delgado RBI single, Whitcomb walk, and an Alexander walk extended the lead. The pen allowed a few more but held on for the 18-10 win.

Note: Delgado is hitting .382 for Sugar Land.

• Cavan Biggio, 2B: 1-for-5, 3 R, 2B, 2 BB
• Ray Delgado, SS: 5-for-6, 3 R, 3B, 5 RBI, BB
• Joey Loperfido, RF: 1-for-4, R, 2 BB
• CJ Alexander, DH: 2-for-6, R, 2B, 3 RBI, BB
• Zach Dezenzo, LF: 1-for-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB
• Trenton Brooks, 1B: 1-for-3, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB
• Lucas Spence, CF: 2-for-6, 3 R, 2B, 3 RBI
• Garret Guillemette, C: 3-for-4, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI

• Jackson Nezuh, RHP: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
• Michael Knorr, RHP: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• Logan VanWey, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• Alimber Santa, RHP: 0.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• Christian Roa, RHP: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Miguel Ullola, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (WIN)
• Julio Rodriguez, RHP: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
• Roddery Munoz, RHP: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (50-56) lost 3-1 (BOX SCORE)

DeVos got the start for the Hooks and pitched well allowing one run on one hit while striking out 6 over 5 innings of work. The pen allowed a couple of runs as the Hooks went down 3-0. The offense got a run back in the 9th inning on a Nunez RBI single but that was it as they fell 3-1.

Note: DeVos has a 2.33 ERA in Double-A.

• Will Bush, 1B: 0-for-2, R, 2 BB
• Alejandro Nunez, 3B: 2-for-4, RBI
• Max Holy, SS: 1-for-3
• Kenni Gomez, CF: 1-for-3

• Nolan DeVos, RHP: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
• Alex Santos II, RHP: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• Ramsey David, RHP: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• Jack Dashwood, LHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

A+: Asheville Tourists (34-69) SUSPENDED

A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (53-51) lost 4-3 (BOX SCORE)

Ardines got the start for the Woodpeckers and went 4 innings allowing 2 runs while striking out 7 in his Single-A debut. The Woodpeckers got on the board in the 5th inning on a Hughes 2 run single. Baez pitched in relief allowing 1 run over 3 innings. The offense tied it up again in the 8th on a Luciano RBI double. The game was tied in the 9th but Salem walked it off on a bases loaded walk.

Note: Luciano is hitting .362 over his last 27 games.

• Kam Durnin, SS: 0-for-2, R, 2 BB, SB
• Logan Hughes, 1B: 1-for-4, 2 RBI
• Kevin Alvarez, CF: 0-for-3, R, BB
• Waner Luciano, 3B: 2-for-4, 2 2B, RBI
• Juan Sierra, RF: 2-for-4, RBI, SB
• Owen Nowak, LF: 2-for-4, R, 2B
• Aaron Piasecki, 2B: 1-for-4

• Adrian Ardines, RHP: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
• Jhoster Baez, RHP: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 1 K
• Leomar Rosario, RHP: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: Bryce Mayer – 7:35 CT

CC: Andrew Taylor – 7:05 CT

AV: Javier Perez – 5:30 CT

FV: TBD – 5:35 CT

Last night Nats fans saw something odd and unique. We saw the back end of the Nationals bullpen come in and lock down a game. The trio of Yovanny Cruz, Orlando Ribalta and Clayton Beeter were lights out last night. They did not allow a single hit in their three innings of work.

It was only one game, but for the first time all season I felt like the Nats had a back end of the bullpen that could bring real success. Cruz, Ribalta and Beeter all have filthy stuff and have the ability to get out of tight situations. We saw Cruz bail out Cade Cavalli last night with some help from Nasim Nunez.

That trio, at least last night, is what a back end of a bullpen is supposed to look like. All three of them throw in the upper 90’s, or triple digits in Cruz’s case. However, they also have elite secondary pitches to back up those heaters. Beeter and Cruz have electric sliders that just drop off the table. Meanwhile, Ribalta also has a good slider, but throws a nasty changeup as well.

Of the three, Yovanny Cruz has the best stuff in my opinion. The slider he throws is legitimately one of the nastiest I have ever seen. It is 90-93 but gets real slider movement instead of being a glorified cutter. The pitch he struck out Matt McLain with was just unfair.

For Cruz to reach his closer ceiling, his fastball needs to make some improvements. That is a weird thing to say about a guy who averages over 100, but it is true. Cruz’s fastball command has been less than impressive in his two outings. Even when he is in the zone with it though, it has not really been fooling anyone.

The pitch is 100, which helps him out. However, it is straight as an arrow and is not deceptive. In 2026, big league hitters can handle a straight 100 MPH pitch. Cruz has thrown 37 heaters at the big league level this season, and has not gotten a single whiff. If I were the Nats, I would heavily consider replacing his 4-seamer with a power sinker.

For now, Cruz is a good 7th inning guy with big stuff, but he still has room to grow. He can devastate right handed hitters with the slider, but lefties have given him more issues. I wonder if he should mix in that splitter a bit more often against them. However, to reach his ceiling, Cruz needs to refine that heater.

One pitcher who does not have any fastball issues is Orlando Ribalta. Despite averaging “only” 96.8 instead of 100, his heater is much more effective. Ribata gets a 28.7% whiff rate on his riding 4-seam fastball. A lot of times he uses his slider to get ahead of hitters before putting them away with the heater or changeup.

The other day I wrote about how Ribalta has quietly been a highly effective reliever for the Nats. He has not been perfect this season, but he has come through more often than not. Ribalta avoids hard contact, gets a decent amount of strikeouts and throws strikes. That is a good combination.

Lastly, let’s get to the closer Clayton Beeter. Honestly, Beeter is not a guy who fills me with a ton of confidence due to his erratic nature. However, when he is hitting his spots, he is a real weapon. That is what he did last night to close the show in routine fashion.

Beeter basically throws his fastball and slider the same amount. It is a very simple package with just two pitches. However, the offerings tunnel very well off each other and the slider works well against lefties and righties. 

This season, batters are just hitting .108 off the slider. It is a pitch he can manipulate and use in all situations. Beeter’s slider is at least a 70 grade pitch and devastates hitters. When hitters get the heater, it can be an issue. However, he is throwing more sliders lately and hitters just are not picking it up.

The Nats do not exactly have the 2015 Royals bullpen now, but these three are a solid way to close out games. They will not get it done every time, but I think we will see more games like last night down the stretch. If you give these guys a couple runs to work with, we will not see games be blown like they were earlier in the season.

Games like last night are why Paul Toboni brought in the likes of Cruz. He can be a real fireman and clean up those first and third with nobody out jams. With the likes of Ben Grable also coming next year, this bullpen can go from a disaster to a solid unit without a ton of spending. That is how you build a sustainable bullpen, which the Nats have not had for a long time.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Orioles fans and fans across the country.

The Orioles entered trade deadline day earlier this week with a 2.5 game deficit to the third wild card spot in the American League. We have seen the myriad flaws of the team through the year and on a rational level understand the case not to push aggressively to make something happen this season.

I don’t think I was the only one hoping the Orioles would decide to just let it ride with the roster, maybe add a piece or two who will be able to help next year too while thinning out the mid-range prospect depth that has to be added to the 40-man roster so it’s not lost in the Rule 5 draft. Mike Elias had other ideas, trading away three players who figured to be a part of next year’s team, headlined by Adley Rutschman. This is still a tough one to stomach.

In our poll this week, I asked Orioles fans, clearly feeling raw in the aftermath of the Rutschman trade, when they think that our favorite baseball team will make it back into the postseason. These were the results:

Optimism often reigns in these polls, but it seems the post-Rutschman trade was not inspiring a lot of optimism for the near future. The 34% plurality for 2029 or later isn’t too strong, but we’re talking 59% who think the Orioles won’t make the postseason this year or next year either.

Three years out of the postseason in a row would be pretty bad! I think that Elias should be fired after this season if it gets to two years. It is not clear that the owner agrees.

While this poll was open, the Orioles made it as close as within half a game of the wild card spot. They’ve since lost their series finale to the Angels and their series opener against the Rangers, the team they’re now chasing for that third wild card. They can pull back ground if they can win the other two games this weekend. That’ll take them scoring some more runs, which they kind of… aren’t doing. The team has scored ten runs in six August games. Yikes.

Baseball Reference gives them a 10.4% chance of making the postseason. FanGraphs has them at 10.8%. They probably need to go 28-16 from here.

This week’s survey is sponsored by FanDuel.

Hi there!

As you know, Thomas Smith is away on vacation.

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

Game 117, Aug. 7: Cubs 6, Royals 4

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

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Pete Crow-Armstrong (.215). 1-3, 2 BB, SB, 2 R
• Hero: Kevin Gausman (.174). 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 4 K
• Sidekick: Seiya Suzuki (.116). 2-5, 2 RBI

PCA just keeps making his MVP case, in so many different ways.

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Caleb Thielbar (-.144). 0.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R
• Goat: Nico Hoerner (-.078). 0-5
• Kid: Ian Happ (-.064). 0-4, 4 K

Happ is in a serious slump, one of the worst of his career.

WPA Play of the Game: PCA’s single in the second that scored two runs, the second coming in on an error. (.176)

Royals Play of the Game: Isaac Collins’ RBI double in the first (.104).

Up next: Clay Holmes makes his Cubs debut, with Seth Lugo his Royals opponent.

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

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The first-place Tampa Bay Rays are short road underdogs for the middle game of a weekend series against the sub-.500 Seattle Mariners.

Tampa Bay is on a four-game winning streak, all on the road, while Seattle has dropped three of the last four, all at home.

My Rays at Mariners predictions and MLB picks have Tampa winning as +101 road underdogs.

Who will win Rays vs Mariners today: Rays moneyline (+101)

The Tampa Bay Rays are 14 games better than the Seattle Mariners on the season. Tampa has gone 45-24 (.652) against losing teams and is .500 on the road.

Seattle is 8-12, .400, since the All-Star Break, and this is just their fifth game since then against a winning team—they've won once.

So why are the M's favored? Not because of the pitching matchup. Tampa's Griffin Jax has a slightly better ERA (3.63) and WHIP (1.21) than Seattle's George Kirby and better metrics (strikeout rate, chase rate, whiff rate and run value).

The Rays as a dog is a no-brainer. I'd keep Tampa until -110.

COVERS INTEL: After throwing two curveballs all last year out of the bullpen, Jax has been throwing it more than 9% of the time as a starter. Opponents are hitting .154 against it, and the threat of it has also lowered the average against for his fastball and sinker by more than 40 points each. Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez, Josh Naylor, Colt Emerson and Cole Young all have negative run value against the curve this year, so it's a bad matchup for Seattle.

Rays vs Mariners Over/Under pick: Under 6.5 (+119)

The Under isn't the obvious bet it should be, because they've lowered the cutoff to 6.5 runs. Seattle hasn't seen a totals cutoff of 8.5 or higher in seven games.

This is its sixth game with a total of 6.5 or lower. Only Cleveland (7 games) has more. It's their 87th below 8.5, most in MLB.

Tampa has been Under two straight and seven of 10. The Rays have the sixth-worst Over record in MLB while the Mariners have scored 0 or 1 in three of the last four games.

Getting plus odds for Under, even at such a low cutoff, is automatic.

Rays vs Mariners weather

Winds blowing in from centerfield will make it difficult to score runs tonight. 

Rays vs Mariners odds

• Moneyline: Rays +104 | Mariners -108
• Run line: Rays -1.5 (+186) | Mariners +1.5 (-194)
• Over/Under: Over 6.5 (-127) | Under 6.5 (+122)

Rays vs Mariners trend

The Seattle Mariners have hit the Team Total Under in 29 of their last 45 games. The Tampa Bay Rays have hit the Team Total Under in 30 of 50. Find more MLB betting trends for Rays vs. Mariners.

How to watch Rays vs Mariners and game info

Rays vs Mariners latest injuries

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Here's what happened in Mets Land on Friday, in case you missed it...

• At Double-A Binghamton, top Mets prospect Jefferson Rojas notched his first hit for the organization, and Mitch Voit had a big night as well.
• Mets infielder Bo Bichette discussed his looming contract opt-out option this coming offseason.
• Injury rehab updates were provided for star outfielder Juan Soto and infielder Mark Vientos.
• Mets claimed shortstop Gabriel Arias off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians
• The Mets won their fourth straight game, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates on the road by a score of 6-4.
• Carson Benge, one of a few Mets rookies who have lead the charge during this win streak, exited Friday's game with left wrist soreness, but X-ray scans came back clean.
• Relief pitcher Luke Weaver revealed that he told the Mets he wanted to stay before he was dealt to the Pirates at the trade deadline.
• Danny Abriano identified 5 Mets whose play down the stretch of this season could impact the team's 2027 roster in a big way.
• The Mets Pod: Can we call the trade deadline a success for the Mets?
• WATCH: Mets vs Pirates (8/7/26) | Mets Highlights
• WATCH: Andy Green, Marcus Semien and Zac Thornton on Mets fourth straight win
• WATCH: Mets prospect highlights
• WATCH: Todd Zeile delivered a technical breakdown of Mets reliever Jefry Yan and his viral jumps.
• WATCH: Can Bichette be a key contributor for the Mets in the future?