Category: Baseball

Its a Thursday afternoon, and everyone is all grouchy after last night’s loss.

Seems like a good time to offer up a trivia question.

Once again, a couple of rules…

1 — Put a spoiler over your answer in the comments.

2 — Don’t go digging around on baseball sites to try to discover the answer. This is a trivia question, not a scavenger hunt.

Here is an alphabetical list of professional baseball pitchers:

Greg Maddux

Terry Mulholland

Chan Ho Park

Curt Schilling

John Smoltz

These pitchers are all tied for first place in a very specific category involving them doing the most of something.

Can you guess what category that is?

I will provide an update with the answer later on today.

When Edward Cabrera returned from his injury, Craig Counsell announced that he’d go back in the rotation and David Peterson would go to the bullpen.

Welp. As you know, Cabrera’s start was a disaster and he wound up back on the injured list with a blister. Earlier this week I had asked you in the SB Nation Reacts survey who you’d like to see in the rotation to replace Cabrera.

Here are the results:

The majority got their wish, as Peterson will be added back to the rotation this weekend. He’s now the scheduled starter for Saturday against the Mariners in Seattle.

Peterson did make one relief appearance during his “banishment,” 1.1 scoreless innings and 22 pitches during the Cubs’ win over the White Sox on Monday. So he’ll be going on normal rest in Saturday’s game and with that low pitch count Monday, should be able to (hopefully) go deep into the game.

The question remains: When Cabrera is eligible to return from the IL, should he go back in the rotation? I’m pretty sure the answer from most of you will be “no,” as Peterson has been quite effective since that awful start against the Cardinals in early July. In seven games since then: 2.06 ERA, 1.229 WHIP, 3.86 FIP and the Cubs won six of those seven games.

Cabrera might actually be quite effective out of the pen. He throws hard — up to 97 — and that 94 mile per hour changeup is a good out pitch when he has it working. And throwing one inning at a time might help him with his blister issue.

As always, we await developments.

Here are the results of the national question asked this week.

This is something with which I concur. The Diamondbacks, for example, made the postseason in 2023 with a negative run differential — 746 runs scored, 761 allowed. They were 84-78. Of course, with wild card teams you’re going to likely have some near-.500 teams in the postseason and in fact, this year there could be more than one with the American League Wild Card race currently with six teams within 1.5 games of the last wild card spot, every one of them under .500. And the AL West-leading Astros are only one game over .500.

All you have to do is get in and get hot for four weeks in October.

The Cubs, most likely, are a 92-95 win team and don’t have to worry about that — but still will have to have four hot weeks in October. Make it so.

This edition of SB Nation Reacts is sponsored by FanDuel.

After winning 22-0 in Tuesday night’s series opener, the Brewers dropped last night’s game 7-5 against the Mariners, as Dustin May got off to a very shaky start, but the bullpen did all they could to keep Milwaukee in the game.

The Crew will look to bounce back for a series victory in Thursday afternoon’s rubber match, as left-hander Robert Gasser gets the ball opposite George Kirby for Seattle.

Gasser, 27, has made 14 starts this season, with a 3-5 record, 4.54 ERA, 4.60 FIP, and 68 strikeouts across 73 1/3 innings. He went 6 1/3 innings against the Dodgers his last time out, allowing three runs on eight hits (two homers) and a walk while striking out seven in a 3-1 Brewer loss.

Kirby, 28, has made 23 starts this year, with an 8-9 record, 3.89 ERA, 3.78 FIP, and 114 strikeouts across 136 2/3 innings. He’s coming off a no-decision, as he went 4 2/3 innings against the Astros, allowing five runs on eight hits (one homer) and three walks, striking out two.

Brice Turang, Jackson Chourio, and Jake Bauers sit at the top of Milwaukee’s order, followed by Gary Sánchez, Christian Yelich, and Joey Ortiz, who moves up to the six spot in the order after a strong month and a half. Garrett Mitchell, David Hamilton, and Luis Lara round things out.

First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m. on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network.

The Braves are back in town for one game against the White Sox to finish a series from June 11. The White Sox have already taken the first two games and have a chance to sweep the Braves this afternoon. Atlanta was just swept by the Twins after losing two of three to the Diamondbacks, so ideally that trend will carry over today.

The Good Guys are back to their regular pitching rotation today with Anthony Kay on the mound. Since the team no longer has today off and went deep into the bullpen during the Crosstown Classic, a lengthy outing from Kay would give the relief corps a much-needed break. Sam Antonacci is back in the leadoff spot today, Drew Romo is behind the plate, and it’s Montgomery squared with Braden and Colson hitting back-to-back.

Grant Holmes (7-5) will be on the mound for the visiting team. Holmes is fresh off a poor start in which he gave up six hits, six earned runs and three walks in 3 2/3 frames in a 10-3 loss against Arizona. Holmes was also the starter for the June 9 game against the White Sox.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. CT. You can watch the game on CHSN or listen on ESPN Chicago 1000.

Back on July 7, with the Mets toiling at 38-53 and the writing on the wall ahead of an eventual trade deadline, sell-off, I wrote that the lost 2026 season seemed more like an isolated nightmare than the start of a prolonged downturn. 

That was a hard sell at the time, given the recent firing of manager Carlos Mendoza and the freshness of the failed campaign -- following an offseason where president of baseball operationsDavid Stearns engineered wholesale changes to the roster and coaching staff.

But the main thesis of my argument was that, while Stearns had seemingly miscalculated a number of things, nearly everything that could have gone wrong had gone wrong.

In April, there was a season-crushing, aberrational 12-game losing streak that coincided with Juan Soto's first calf injury of the year.

Freddy Peralta, acquired in the offseason to help lead the rotation, inexplicably posted a 4.99 ERA in 22 starts for New York before being traded to the Rays, where he has a 7.53 ERA in three starts. 

Major injuries hit not only the players who had checkered injury histories (such as Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert Jr.), but those who were almost always healthy (including Francisco Lindorand Soto). New York lost one of its most important pitchers and clubhouse leaders (Clay Holmes) to a freak injury when his leg was broken by a line drive in the middle of May, throwing the rotation into disarray. 

Nearly every bounce back candidate (Sean Manaea, Kodai Senga, and David Peterson) had flopped.  

Bo Bichette, potentially due to a bit of an adjustment period on a new team in a new city while learning a new position, started off very poorly at the plate, and didn't get his legs under him until June. 

Through July 7, the Mets had also been unlucky, including a 9-16 record in one-run games that was shocking given how good their bullpen was. In other words, it seemed like something that would revert to the mean -- along with their injury luck and some better performance from players who were too good to be that bad.

New York's BABIP to that point was the second-worst in baseball. And the difference between their wOBA (weighted on-base average) and xwOBA (expected weighted on base average) was also massive. The Mets' xwOBA was .322, which was 11th in MLB. Their actual wOBA was .299, which ranked 29th. That 23-point spread was tied with the Mariners and Reds for biggest gap between actual production and expected production.

To be clear, this is in no way meant to excuse the Mets' play over the first three months of the season, which was often uninspired and sloppy. But it was quite clear that all was not lost, that there was a foundation in place that could help New York turn things around quickly and -- with some offseason reinforcements -- contend again in 2027.

Since July 8, the Mets' record is 20-16. They are 17-13 since the All-Star break, and 11-4 since the Aug. 3 trade deadline.

Their record in one-run games during that span is 5-4, with the Mets' outcome in tight contests normalizing.

The Mets' wOBA since July 8 is .319 (11th-best in the majors), while their xwOBA is .309 -- a spread that is more indicative of their talent than the wild 23-point spread they had prior.

Bo Bichette looks like Bo Bichette, with a .313/.357/.457 triple slash since June 18, Lindor (whose career was left for dead by some because he had a rough 10 days to start the season) has an .802 OPS since returning from the IL, Manaea has a 3.71 ERA and has regained his velocity since returning to the rotation on June 13, and Senga is excelling in a late-inning relief role.

If you go all the way back to June 25, which was the day after Lindor was activated from a two-plus month IL stint, the Mets are a .500 team. And if they win on Friday against the White Sox, their record since May 1 will be 49-49. That's nothing to write home about given their initial expectations, but certainly not a hopeless disaster that is doomed for seasons to come.

So it's fair to say things have evened out.

But the most promising thing about the 2026 Mets has been the emergence of the homegrown players who look like they'll be mainstays.

There's Carson Benge coming into his own offensively while unleashing seeds from right field to nail runners at the plate, A.J. Ewing emerging as an answer in the outfield, Nolan McLean displaying moxie and often dominating near the top of the rotation, Christian Scott missing bats at an elite rate in his first season back from Tommy John surgery, and Zac Thornton impressing at the back of the rotation.

Since the trade deadline, which saw New York deal nearly one-third of its active roster (including four key bullpen members), the remade relief corps with Senga now at the back end hasn't missed a beat. Left-hander Nate Lavender's swing-and-miss stuff has translated, Daniel Duarte has emerged as a legitimate option, and jumping Jefry Yan is firing 100 mph fastballs.

Meanwhile, most of the prospects the Mets got back in their deadline deals have been on fire since joining the organization. That includes Jefferson Rojas, who could figure prominently in the second base mix next season. Another possible second base option in the near future is Mitch Voit, New York's first-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, who has been having an offensive breakout since being promoted to Binghamton.

With all of this as a backdrop, the Mets are playing a crisp, fun, exciting brand of baseball that has reignited the fanbase -- making these technically meaningless (barring a miracle) late-season games at Citi Field something to look forward to.

That's because when you squint just a bit, it's easy to see that this has been coming together for months, and that many of the players who are helping to author this change should figure prominently in 2027. While this season will not be remembered fondly, it might be a year that is eventually looked back on as the start of things coming together -- even if it took longer for the Mets to get there than they originally hoped.

Amid the summer heat, and on a Monday no less, the Yankees announced they were placing Max Fried on the injured list. The news broke with a very general release saying the move was retroactive to Friday and due to a left elbow bone bruise. The same injury that cost Fried two months already this year.

Since Monday was an off day, we had to wait a full night and day before we got to hear from Aaron Boone on the news. When he was finally in front of the cameras, the skipper downplayed the news and made it seem like Fried and the team, or a collective “we,” made the decision for an injured list stint. Us fans were then treated to four good innings from Carlos Rodón, which made the place start skipping his last rehab start like Fried did on his way back.

On Wednesday, Boone went on a podcast and said that Fried did not want to miss time and further downplayed how serious the injury appears to be at the current time. He doubled down on the idea that the team wanted to ensure they did not let a little thing become a big thing. The slight shift in message and the big shift in tone make it feel like a game of telephone.

However, this relatively consistent information and positive reassurance should make us feel better, right? But I cannot be alone in wondering why this does not make me feel any better.

After consideration, I have decided I, or the collective “we,” have some traumatic, or probably just dramatic, fan stress disorder. This can most realistically be traced back to the first time for many of us when the Yankees punted the season and sold off players at the deadline. One of those acquired players was Clint Frazier.

Many have their opinions on Frazier. The nuts and bolts of it are that he went on to have an injury-riddled career stemming mostly from a concussion suffered with the Yankees in 2018. The team pushed the star prospect narrative hard on us and then quickly blamed injuries as the cause for his washout. Frazier has since publicly criticized how the Yankees handled his injuries and given legs to the “we can’t trust the team” argument for many fans.

Frazier was really just the visible part of the iceberg. Anthony Rizzo is the big chunk and main cause of our still-prevalent angst. Remember watching Rizzo get absolutely trucked and then play like a shell of himself for over a month back in 2023? Rizzo was officially diagnosed with a concussion after playing 46 games.

I am not a medical doctor, but the eye test, numbers, and quick decline raised alarms in all of us, it seemed, other than the team itself. Before the collision, Rizzo had an .880 OPS. During that month-plus, his OPS was .496. It made many of us feel like they simply needed to save the player from himself, if nothing else.

In the 2025 season, we got essentially the combination of Frazier and Rizzo with Anthony Volpe’s injury. The former star prospect was clearly battling something for essentially the whole year. Boone pounded the table for his young shortstop all season, and they kept saying it was not the issue.

Then, following the season, surgery revealed Volpe’s shoulder injury was far more extensive than what their initial in-season MRIs had indicated. Cashman, in the most Cashman way, even admitted that it was likely part of the issue after all. So another player clearly fought through an injury for a large stretch of the season, with the team trying to tell us logic, data, and our own eyes were not adding up correctly. Volpe might not be much better than his performance in 2025, but the team should have given the young man a break instead of cortisone and hope.

Sebastian Junger himself could have written the perfect storm of injuries the Yankees have had during the 2026 season and how they directly contribute to the reluctance to accept the Yankees’ optimism on Fried. When Giancarlo Stanton goes down with soft-tissue stuff, it is hard to put a date on his return. Then you have the Yankees captain, who prefers to stay private in his affairs. Since the team likely lacks a true ETA on Stanton and has respected Aaron Judge’s wishes about return timetables, both situations only further fuel all of our stomach aches.

That brings us full circle back to Fried. A recurring injury. But not a big injury this time. A move meant to make sure a little thing does not become a thing, even though it was already once a pretty big thing not long ago and is usually a precursor for a really big thing. Ugh.

How the team has handled injuries in the past, and the way it communicates, has led us to this point. Will Fried, Stanton, or Judge come back this season? Will any of them end up having surgery in the offseason? Your guess is as good as any.

And if you feel hesitant to buy into the injury optimism with Fried, I am with you. I want to accept the optimism, but recent history makes it hard to take the positive news without at least a grain of salt.

Game three in the ballpark of the damned. This is game #129. It is starting to get serious.

I spent a fair bit of time, this morning, cleaning a fish tank. I had a few fish in it and then we went on holiday, with my son looking after the house. Well, the filter stopped working and he didn’t notice until way too late. I kept it going until the last fish died (he was a fighter) and now I’m trying to make it livable again.

I’m not sure I’m really a fish guy, but I’m going to refill it with water tomorrow and hopefully, in a week or two add fish.

Today’s lineup:

Worcester: W, 9-7 (BOX SCORE)

The entire farm won on Wednesday, but we’re seeing in real time what happens to the WooSox pitching staff when the Red Sox lose a portion of their arms to injury. The Triple-A club used six pitchers in Syracuse (Mets AAA), and only a pair of them – Sam McWilliams and Hobie Harris – came out of their inning of work unscathed. Early home runs allowed also had the WooSox scrapping early, but the lineup was up for the challenge. Trevor Story, in what may have been his last rehab game, went 2-4 and drove a run in, Romy Gonzalez hit a 3-run shot, and everyone in the starting lineup had a knock including a rehabbing Iaiah Kiner-Falefa. Story’s impending return to the Major League club now raises the question of who is returning to Worcester out of their cluttered infield. Most may point to Nick Sogard, who got his first Major League home run Wednesday, and some may opt to demote Anthony Seigler, as he’s on an option year anyway and has been slumping of late. Time well tell.

Portland: W, 6-4 (BOX SCORE)

The Sea Dogs also got less length out of their starter than desired, but their bullpen carried them to a pretty solid performance they could hit behind. Two first-inning home runs off of the Reading (Phillies AA) pitching staff set the tone. Those dingers were courtesy of Henry Godbout – again! – and Justin Gonzales, who certainly has made his hype viable as 2026 has progressed. Tyler McDonough essentially called game in the fifth inning with a 3-run shot, his sixteenth total between Double-A and Triple-A, and the bullpen held solid. Portland is now officially on a winning streak.

Greenville: W, 5-1 (BOX SCORE)

Have a night, Brady Tygart! Jacob Mayers dazzled in his start, striking seven Dash (White Sox High-A) batters out in his ten outs. The 23-year-old righty from Arkansas said “hold my gatorade”, went out and struck out ten. The Drive as a whole allowed just four hits and struck twenty out. It’s easy to win with pitching like that, and while Greenville had just five hits of their own, three were with runners in scoring position, including Jake Schaffner’s RBI knock. Schaffner is really seeing the ball well in his first month playing professional ball.

Salem: W, 8-0 (BOX SCORE)

The RidgeYaks now have 29 runs in the last 24 hours. Andrews Opata, the base stealing machine, showed he also has some power in him, taking the Warbirds (Brewers A) deep on a three-run blast. He’d get a fourth RBI by grounding into a sac double play later on. But, with this Salem pitching, it was never going to be close. Christian Foutch got his first professional win through five innings of one-hit ball, and Ethan Walker came in and wasn’t hit for the rest of the game. The pair allowed just one total base all the way back in the first inning and only walked three. Wilson did not have an at-bat with a runner in scoring position in the game; so far, this series has been a complete domination by the RidgeYaks.

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Games are going off all day long! Even with a small slate in front of us, there's still plenty of value in the MLB player props market.

Join me as I break down three of my favorite MLB picksfor Thursday, Aug. 20, including why I expect Pete Alonso to go nuclear again.

Best MLB player props today

Player	Pick	Odds
Taylor Trammell	Over 0.5 Hits, Runs, RBI	-148
Pete Alonso	Over 1.5 Hits, Runs, RBI	-109
Grant Holmes	Over 2.5 Earned Runs	+118

Taylor Trammell Over 0.5 hits, runs, RBI (-148)

HALF. HALF a hit, run, and/or RBI. HALF!!!

Right out the gate, you can get Houston Astros outfielder Taylor Trammell to record a hit at a great price, but for HALF an HRR, this is a great price to pay.

Trammell enters Thursday with an elite rating on Batters-Box's current season dataset. Over his last 60 at-bats against right-handed pitching, he owns a .500 SLG and 15% walk rate while generating a 51.6% hard-hit rate and 22.6% barrel rate. Over the last 10 days, the Astros' outfielder has been racking up a bunch of hard-hit outs, with one triple sprinkled in there.

If Trammell makes contact against Los Angeles Angels right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, he should be due for at least a base hit. Rodriguez has allowed left-handed hitters to produce a 49.1% hard-hit rate, 33% ground-ball rate, and 1.76 HR/9. Those lefties also own a .310 xBA, .506 xSLG, and .360 xwOBA against him.

Take this down to -150, or pivot to just a hit.

• Time: 8:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SCHN, ABTV

Pete Alonso Over 1.5 hits, runs, RBI (-109)

We're going right back to Baltimore Orioles slugger Pete Alonso after he cashed for us last night while nearly providing another home run late in the game. This evening against New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole he's in another great spot with an even better price tag.

So far this season, when rated elite on Batters-Box, Alonso has gone Over this prop 68.18% of the time, which comes from a 22-game sample size. Alonso also covers over 85% of Cole's arsenal, which is huge. On top of that, the big fella owns a 1.000 SLG and .500 ISO while producing a 67.7% hard-hit rate and 22.6% barrel rate over his last 10 games.

Cole, on the other hand, comes with some concerning underlying metrics against right-handed hitters that Alonso should be able to exploit. Over the last 30 right-handed hitters he's faced, Cole is allowing a 50% hard-hit rate and 36.4% ground-ball rate, while those hitters have produced a .445 xBA and .604 xSLG.

Even with Alonso going yard yesterday, the price for him to go over 1.5 HRR is simply too good to pass up this evening. Take this down to -120.

• Time: 6:35 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: YES, MASN

Grant Holmes Over 2.5 earned runs (+118)

Despite the Chicago White Sox's tough week at Wrigley, their bats have been red-hot. Over their last 12 games, the team's lineup sports a 131 wRC+, .361 wOBA, and .818 OPS. This afternoon White Sox enter with the third-highest-rated offense, according to Batters-Box, with two elite-rated hitters and four with strong ratings.

The Atlanta Braves send right-hander Grant Holmes to the mound, who owns the third-worst pitcher rating on the slate. On top of that, he get poorly rated matchup ISO, hard-hit, and strikeout rates. The Braves' hurler owns a 5.04 xERA and 1.38 WHIP while allowing a 43.59% hard-hit rate and 11.54% barrel rate over his last five starts. With the White Sox's lineup featuring seven left-handed hitters, combined with Holmes' 4.55 xERA against lefties, this matchup screams early runs for Chicago.

Take this down to +110 at the most, or pivot to White Sox first-five team total over 2.5.

• Time: 2:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: CHSN, BravesVsn

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

The St. Louis Cardinals wrap up the Cincinnati part of their road trip Thursday afternoon as they take on the Reds at Great American Ball Park. Michael McGreevy will start the game for the Cardinals while the Reds will turn to RHP Brady Singer. First pitch is scheduled for 11:40am central time and the game broadcast will be available through Cardinals.tv.

1928
White Sox rookie Art “The Great” Shires made a sensational debut, with four hits (including a triple) against the Red Sox in a 6-4 win. He’s one of only 11 players to ever get four or more hits in his first big-league game.

“The Great” nickname, by the way, was self-assigned!

1929
The White Sox honored pitcher Red Faber with a Day at Comiskey Park. The Hall-of-Famer won 254 games (all with the Sox), and had four seasons of 20 or more wins.

On this day, Faber threw 11 innings in a 5-4 loss to the Yankees. Before the game, he was given a check for $2,700, a Majestic radio, a diamond ring and several baskets of flowers.

1948
The White Sox played before the largest regular-season crowd in franchise history, on a Friday night in Cleveland. An amazing 78,382 were on hand to see the Tribe edge the Sox, 1-0, at Cleveland Stadium. The winning pitcher that night was none other than Satchel Paige, who only allowed the Sox three hits; it was his second shutout against the White Sox in the space of a week.

1957
Utilizing a new, “slow” pitching motion, Bob Keegan tossed the first night no-hitter in White Sox history, as he blanked Washington, 6-0, at Comiskey Park. It was the nightcap of a doubleheader, which the White Sox split. Keegan walked two Senators in the game, and only faced 28 men in a game that lasted just 1:55.

Only one ball was really hard-hit, and that came in the first inning when outfielder Larry Doby made a backhand catch of a drive by Herb Plews. Keeganalso drove in the last run of the night for the Sox, with an RBI single.

At 37, he became the oldest South Side pitcher to ever throw a no-hitter. Keegan would go 10-8 in a season that saw the Sox win 90 games and finish in second place. 

1964
Did you know that the White Sox played a key role in the downfall of the Yankees dynasty … thanks to a harmonica?

After the White Sox swept New York in a four-game set at Comiskey Park, the final win moving Chicago into first place by a half-game over Baltimore, Phil Linz started playing his harmonica on the team bus back to O’Hare Airport. In what became known as “The Harmonica Incident,” manager Yogi Berra told him to stop, as it made light of his team’s recent drubbing.

In Linz’s own words: “iI had this harmonica in my pocket for two days. We had Mickey Mantle, [Roger] Maris, [Joe] Pepitone, Tommy Tresh, we all kind of sat in one area, kidding around with each other. We were on the bus, waiting to go to Boston and I started thinking about ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb.’ It was my second day [learning to play] and I wasn’t too good. Yogi yelled back, “Shove that harmonica …,” which I didn’t know at the time. I knew he said something. I turned to Mickey and said, ‘What did he say?’ And Mickey said, ‘He said play it LOUDER.’ Yogi came back and we had a big argument, and the next day I apologized to him. And he fined me $250. I said ‘That’s fair,’ and he said, ‘I’ve got to do this for the writers.’ He never held that against me, ever. He never brought it up again.”

As Berra anticipated, The Incident became national news, and Linz got an endorsement contract with harmonica maker Hohner that well offset his fine. The Yankees responded to the conflict, winning 30 of 41 games to capture another pennant; the White Sox infamously finished the season 10-1 and won their final nine games, but couldn’t catch New York despite a 98-64 record.

However, The Harmonica Incident has been regarded as the tipping point that ended New York’s 17-year run of 14 pennants and 10 World Series titles. The 1965 Yankees would finish with their first losing season in 40 years and the 1966 team finished in last place.

For the White Sox, the first-place Orioles came to town next, and took three of four to knock Chicago out of first. Still, the White Sox would not fall farther than four games back for the rest of the season.

1977
The move didn’t make much of a difference for the fading South Side Hit Men, but would have interesting ramifications in the next season: Shortstop Don Kessinger was acquired from the Cardinals for minor league pitcher Steve Staniland.

Kessinger’s effectiveness as a major-leaguer was long over, but his veteran leadership saw owner Bill Veeck selected Kessinger as player-manager after the dismissal of Larry Doby as manager during the 1978 season. Kessinger remains the last player-manager ever in the American League, and most recent behind Pete Rose in all of baseball.

1989
After White Sox star Harold Baines was traded to Texas on July 29, the team retired his uniform number No. 3 when the Rangers returned to Chicago. He was only the third active player to have his uniform number retired by a club, joining Frank Robinson and Phil Niekro.

Knowing Baines’ reluctance to step into the spotlight, the White Sox kept the ceremony a secret. Jerry Reinsdorf felt the honor wasn’t announced in advance “because I felt Harold wouldn’t show up. He doesn’t like attention like that. He might have tried to talk us out of it.”

Baines was overwhelmed but understated: “As you know, I’m a man of few words. This is very gratifying. I had a great time in Chicago and made a lot of friends. Thank you very much.”

The White Sox gifted Harold a watch and some golf clubs, as well as a necklace for his wife, Marla.

The future Hall-of-Famer didn’t play in the 7-1 Texas victory, due to hamstring tightness. He was on-deck for a token pinch-hitting appearance when the Rangers were retired in the top of the ninth.

2007
After sitting idle in the bullpen for eight days, Bobby Jenks had his MLB record-tying 41 consecutive batters retired streak snapped, as Joey Gathright dribbled a single through third base leading off the ninth inning of a 4-3 White Sox win.

Brian Hendry is thrilled to be back on the mound again. 

The 26-year-old righthanded pitcher who was taken by the New York Yankees in the 10th round of the 2023 MLB Draft missed all of last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. 

But he has returned this season and, at three levels, he is a combined 1-0 with two holds, one save and a 3.00 earned-run average in 14 appearances. 

“Coming off Tommy John to end the 2024 season, it was a long 2025 rehab,” Hendry said. “Coming into 2026, I had to make sure my body was in a good spot. I’m here now, feeling great, so I’m really excited to be competing again. It’s been a while.”

This was the second time Hendry underwent Tommy John surgery. The first came in his junior year at St. John’s University in 2022. He went 3-3 with a 6.18 ERA in 20 appearances for the Red Storm (2019-22) with 46 strikeouts in 58.0 innings. Then, he went to Oklahoma State University for his final year of eligibility in 2023 and was 2-1 with a 6.63 ERA in 16 games with 51 strikeouts in 36.2 innings.

After being drafted by the Yankees, Hendry spent his first professional season in 2024 with High-A Hudson Valley. He started seven games for the Renegades and was 1-0 with a 0.48 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 18.2 innings. 

However, he started to have arm issues again. 

“We tried to go the rehab route early on; you don’t want to have to get a second surgery unless it’s deemed necessary,” Hendry said. “So we tried to rehab it and it would have days it was working, days it was not. I did get back to game action from that rehab, which was great. But I got maybe three or four starts in and that same pain came back. Got even worse than it was prior. Imaging revealed it was something we had to do something about at that point.”

Having to undergo a second Tommy John surgery was frustrating. Hendry said he felt sorry for himself for about a week, then accepted it.

Talk to players who go through that rehab process and they say it is very long, difficult and lonely.

“It comes in waves,” Hendry said. “Up until I started throwing, which was about 26 weeks, it’s really slow. Doing the progression of everything I have to do physical therapy-wise and getting my body moving again. What I love doing is throwing and when I can’t do that, it’s tough. After that 26th week, there was a bit of light at the end of the tunnel that I started seeing. That helps continue to press forward. But it’s long. There’s no easy way to put it. You’ve just got to take it day by day. When you start looking a year down the road, it’s too far out. You really just have to be where your feet are at and try to get better that day, knowing in the long run it’s going to add up to something you want.”

As he came back this season, Hendry said he was a little more conservative this time than he was after his first surgery.

“Making sure I took the right steps and coming back healthy,” he said. “I took it a little slower but in a way to make sure I’m coming back good.”

On June 11, he began his rehab assignment, pitching a combined nine games with the Florida Complex League Yankees and Single-A Tampa Tarpons. Then, he was assigned to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on July 21. That came as a pleasant surprise. 

“I wasn’t looking out in advance planning where I was going to be,” Hendry said. “I just tried to attack each day at whatever level I was at, whatever team I was facing. Put my best foot forward. I obviously was ecstatic when I came up here, but I wasn’t really planning out too far in advance where I was going to be. I was just trying to attack the guys in front of me and make sure I was in a good spot.”

He has made five relief appearances with the RailRiders and has no record and one hold. He has allowed five runs and six hits with three walks and six strikeouts in 4.1 innings. 

Besides working on his pitches, Hendry also is working on his endurance so he can build up his arm and his body to pitch on consecutive days. 

“I was a starter in the past, so going to a relief role now, there’s adjustments my body has to make compared to having a five-day or six-day routine,” Hendry said. “That’s the biggest thing I’m working on really: the bounce-back of my arm to be able to throw back-to-back days eventually. I’m working on different pitches as well, see what fits my arsenal. The fastball, the slider, the changeup, those are kind of staples. I had a curveball in the past, I’m toying with that, trying to get that to where that used to be. Toying maybe with a cutter, a sinker. As hitters give me information, I’ll make those adjustments.”

Growing up in Medford, New Jersey, about 25 miles from Philadelphia, Hendry was a big Phillies fan. 

“It’s like South Jersey people are Philly-represent and North Jersey people are New York-represent,” he said. “I’ve always had an admiration for New York sports. It’s a big market, a great fan base. But where I’m at, it’s Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, Philadelphia Union, the whole lot.”

He was 10 years old when the Yankees beat the Phillies in six games in the 2009 World Series. 

“I do remember 2009 pretty well. I would have been rooting for the Phillies,” Hendry said. “I think both franchises are awesome. The Yankees, I’m very happy to be with them.”

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The Chicago White Sox are -107 moneyline favorites in the MLB odds for today's makeup game against the Atlanta Braves, with first pitch scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET at Rate Field. 

With Grant Holmes struggling and Chicago raking, my Braves vs. White Sox predictions are backing the hosts to grab a victory today. 

Read more in my MLB picks for Thursday, Aug. 20. 

Who will win Braves vs White Sox today: White Sox moneyline (-107)

The Atlanta Braves send Grant Holmes to the hill this afternoon, and he's been in poor form. The right-hander owns a 6.02 xERA over his last two appearances while allowing a 43.6% hard-hit rate and 11.1% barrel rate over the last month.

He has his hands full against a Chicago White Sox lineup carrying a 135 wRC+ over its previous seven games.

Anthony Kay is not lights-out, but he is holding his own. The left-hander owns a 3.87 FIP across his last five starts while allowing 0.96 HR/9.

He faces an Atlanta lineup with a 96 wRC+ vs. southpaws and a 41 wRC+ over the last week.

Chicago has the clear edge. Play this pick to -130.

COVERS INTEL: The Braves haven't performed well on the road this season, collecting a 90 wRC+. At home, that number jumps up to 107.

Braves vs White Sox Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (-103)

With Atlanta practically invisible offensively, the Under is the better play.

I expect Chicago to score runs. The White Sox are thriving at the dish, and the Braves’ bullpen profile is concerning once Holmes exits. Atlanta’s relief corps owns a 5.67 FIP across the last week.

However, Kay should be able to limit the damage against the coldest lineup in baseball at the moment, and the White Sox’s relief corps is solid. Chicago’s pen has a 3.73 xERA across its last 42 frames while surrendering just 0.86 HR/9.

Chicago’s staff should keep Atlanta at bay, while the White Sox score a handful themselves.

Play this pick to -120. 

Braves vs White Sox home run prediction: Miguel Vargas (+350)

Miguel Vargas has been a home run machine this season for the Sox, and he's in great power form.

Vargas has clubbed three bombs in his last six contests, posting a .414 ISO during that span. The slugger also has a 54.2% hard-hit rate and 20.8% barrel rate over the last week. 

Holmes has given up 1.42 HR/9 across the last month, and the Braves' pen is extremely vulnerable to the long ball right now as well. They've allowed 1.80 HR/9 in their last 45 innings of work.

Vargas has multiple paths to leave the yard today. Play to +200. 

Braves vs White Sox weather

Weather at Rate Field looks excellent this afternoon, with clear skies, temperatures around 74–75°F, and rain chances at 0% throughout the game window. Winds sit around 7–8 mph before easing slightly later.

Braves vs White Sox odds

• Moneyline: Braves +100 | White Sox -107
• Run line: Braves -1.5 (+163) | White Sox +1.5 (-170)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-112) | Under 8.5 (-103)

Braves vs White Sox trend

The White Sox have hit the moneyline in 30 of their last 45 games at home (+15.35 Units / 30% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Braves vs. White Sox.

How to watch Braves vs White Sox and game info

Braves vs White Sox latest injuries

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It's a getaway slate today, but home run props are still popping.

Alec Burleson has had Brady Singer's number, and Great American Ball Park is the best setting on the board, while right-handed bats get a boost vs. Robert Gasser, and Julio Rodriguez is answering the call.

Plus, Cam Smith is the bat that stands out vs. the gift of Grayson Rodriguez.

These are my favorite MLB player props for Thursday, Aug. 20.

Best MLB home run props today

Player to hit a HR	Odds
Alec Burleson	+325
Julio Rodriguez	+442
Cam Smith	+575
💲Today's HR parlay	+13440

Home run pick: Alec Burleson (+325)

The big lefty bat has a plus-plus matchup today in the early game, and the price is still on the good side of three dollars.

Alec Burleson has taken Brady Singer deep twice in nine career plate appearances, and lefties have hit Singer hard this year. Left-handed hitters are batting .304 against Singer with 18 homers, compared to just six allowed to right-handed batters.

With the small slate today, it’s also a good time to pivot to the best HR setting on the board. Great American Ball Park is the best HR park in MLB and plays 17% better than the average park in terms of HR factors. The Reds’ bullpen also has the sixth-worst ERA in August, so the HR potential remains after Singer hits the showers.

Burleson has a great matchup and is 45 points above the fair price. He’s also swinging a great stick, with six homers and a 1.102 OPS in August.

• Time: 12:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Reds.TV, Cardinals.TV

Home run pick: Julio Rodriguez (+442)

I have a need today for a right-handed bat against Milwaukee starter Robert Gasser, and Julio Rodríguez at +400 or better fits that need.

Gasser is coming off a career-high 102 pitches but averages 87 pitches per start, and he’s already at 100 innings this year after throwing just 90 innings combined in 2024 and 2025. After Shane Bieber, Gasser has the highest HR/9 over the last two seasons among all starters today.

Right-handed hitters are batting .290 against Gasser this year and account for 85% of the homers he’s allowed. That’s where J-Rod comes in. He leads the team in xwOBA this month, has gone deep three times, and leads all Seattle batters in WAR this month despite a negative defensive rating.

All the right-handed bats, including Taylor Ward and Randy Arozarena, are projecting +EV today.

• Time: 2:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Brewers.TV, Mariners.TV

Home run pick: Cam Smith (+575)

Grayson Rodriguez is always a great pitcher fade. He ranks in the bottom 50 among MLB starters in HR/9 and HR/FB rate, but those numbers could be even worse considering he’s been a little lucky.

Only three other starters have a worse HardHit% than G-Rod’s 48.6%, while his 35% ground-ball rate is also one of the worst in baseball.

Rodriguez is a 7.00 ERA pitcher who gets barreled and gives up plenty of fly balls. Lefties have hit him at a better rate, but right-handed hitters have done just as much damage when it comes to home runs.

Cam Smith at +575 stands out as the best play on the Houston side. He’s been the team’s best hitter this month, pacing the Astros in homers (4), slugging (.600) and wOBA (.427), while ranking second in HardHit% behind Yordan Alvarez.

Most bats in this Houston lineup are good bets at +475 or better.

• Time: 8:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: ABTV, SCHN

Today’s HR combo

Alec Burleson	Trade Now +13440
Julio Rodriguez
Cam Smith

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The Dodgers just completed their third stretch this season playing 13 days in a row, going 8-5 in a stretch that was particularly taxing on a pitching staff in flux.

Getting Blake Snell back was a huge boon, and he pitched six innings and allowed just one run in each of hisfirst two starts back, totaling 15 strikeouts and looking very much like one of the starting pitchers the Dodgers will count on in October.

Snell’s return gave the Dodgers a true six-man rotation again, though that only lasted five days, until Justin Wrobleski got the rest that was expected when he was placed on the injured list Sunday with left forearm inflammation. But for those five days the Dodgers only had seven relievers on the active roster, which made for a particularly stressful time for the bullpen.

Landon Knack was called up for one day to eat innings, and he got the final eight outs last Wednesday against the Kansas City Royals in earning a save. Jonathan Hernández, who was designated for assignment on the first day of this 13-day stretch, became a free agent and signed a new deal with the Dodgers, and provided his own gift to the bullpen on Saturday, soaking up the final three innings of a loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.

The other relievers needed the rest. Edwin Díaz and Tanner Scott each pitched five times in an eight-day stretch, as did Evan Phillips in a span that started just before the 13 game days in a row. Alex Vesia and Jack Dreyer each pitched four times in six days. All five of those relievers pitched three times in four days during the 13-day stretch, Vesia doing so twice and Dreyer doing so three times if we count overlapping stretches.

“That’s the hard part, that a lot of people don’t have the information on availability and workload, and redlining guys, trying to keep guys healthy. I don’t have everyone available every single night, and what’s the cost of that night versus the next two or three games and looking also at the rest of the season,” manager Dave Roberts said last Friday. “Those things I gotta think through, and when you peel that layer back, then your options get a little bit smaller. Then you’re talking about lanes and what’s the best for a particular pitcher. All those things matter.”

In all, 17 different pitchers were used over the past 13 days. Vesia and Dreyer each pitched seven times in the 13 days, including three times in the last four days. Scott also pitched seven times in 13 days, including a season-high 27 pitches in a four-out save on Tuesday in Colorado followed by another save with a perfect 10th inning on Wednesday.

Seth Halvorsen was up for two days and impressed, pitching a scoreless 10th inning to earn the win on August 11, only to be optioned the next day in favor of a fresh arm. Same for Knack, who was optioned the day after his eight-out save. Much like Hernández, who was dispatched and then returned, Kyle Hurt was optioned on August 10 and returned six days later. Hernández got dispatched a second time during this 13-day stretch on Wednesday, when Brock Stewart returned from the injured list.

Charlie Barnes was not on the 40-man roster to start this 13-day stretch and he’s not on the 40-man roster now. But he was active for one game during the 13-day stretch, called up on August 10 only to be optioned the next day. It was the fourth time Barnes has been called up to the Dodgers this season, and the third time he’s been sent outright to the minors.

Emmet Sheehan was called up Tuesday but did not pitch in the last two days while active.

Even with the turnover, Dodgers pitching for the most part was pretty good during the 13-day stretch, going 8-5 with a collective 3.35 ERA.

Díaz is the exception, as he was terrible after returning from elbow surgery. He allowed nine runs in five innings during his six six games over the last 13 days, and blew three saves. The Dodgers were working on his mechanics to try to salvage what has otherwise been a lost season, but even that was derailed on Tuesday when he landed back on the injured list with neck inflammation.

Now the pitching staff can rest not only on Thursday, but the Dodgers have another off day on Monday as well, plus the following Monday, August 31.

Tyler Glasnow is also expected back off the injured list next week, adding another potentially stabilizing force to the pitching staff.

The Dodgers won’t play 13 days in a row the rest of the season, though they do follow up playing the first nine days of September with a 10-day stretch, making for 19 games in 20 days to open the regular season’s final month. But active rosters expand to 28 players and 14 pitchers on September 1, so they will have one more arrow in the quiver at their disposal.