DENVER, COLORADO - AUGUST 17: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits his second home run of the game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on August 17, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Gavin Liddell/Colorado Rockies/Getty Images)
Shohei Ohtani hit his 30th home run of the season on Tuesday night, his sixth consecutive season reaching the milestone, including all three years with the Dodgers. He’s the seventh Dodger to hit 30 home runs three seasons in a row, and the first to do so in 25 years.
Ohtani’s 30th home run came in the third inning on Tuesday against Colorado Rockies right-hander Ryan Feltner. He’s tied for eighth in the majors with 30 homers this season.
Ohtani is the first Dodger with at least 30 home runs in three consecutive seasons since Gary Sheffield from 1999-2001.
Player
Years
Total HR
Gil Hodges
1950-1954*
177
Duke Snider
1953-1957*
207
Mike Piazza
1995-1997
108
Eric Karros
1995-1997
97
Raúl Mondesi
1997-1999
93
Gary Sheffield
1999-2001
113
Shohei Ohtani
2024-2026
139
*Hodges and Snider hit 30 home runs in 5 straight seasons
Ohtani has the 62nd individual season of at least 30 home runs in Dodgers history, with these seven players accounting for 30 of those years. Gil Hodges and Duke Snider lead the way with six 30-homer seasons, and they are the only Dodgers with streaks longer than three seasons, each of them hitting at least 30 homers in five straight years. Snider from 1953-57 hit at least 40 home runs in five straight seasons.
There were near misses, including Roy Campanella (1950-53), Pedro Guerrero (1982-85), and Max Muncy (2018-2021) hitting 30 home runs in three out of four years. Muncy was robbed of the chance due to the 2020 season getting shortened by a pandemic to 60 games.
In his first two years with the Dodgers, Ohtani set a franchise record for home runs with 54 home runs in 2024 and 55 in 2025. He’s the only player in franchise history to hit 50 home runs in a season. His 139 home runs with the Dodgers are the most in any three-year period in franchise history, surpassing Snider, who hit 125 home runs in two overlapping three-year periods, from 1954-56 and 1955-57.
Ohtani’s 139 home runs since the start of 2024 are most in the majors, eight more than Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber.
Trent Grisham drove in all three Yankees runs in their 3-1 win over the Orioles in Baltimore on Tuesday night.
Here are the takeaways...
-The Yankees offense struggled mightily against Shane Baz to start. The Orioles right-hander struck out five of the first six batters he faced. The right-hander pushed that to six in the third, but Grisham got the best of Baz, slamming a 403-foot shot to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. It was Grisham's fifth home run in his last eight games.
Aside from the Grisham homer, Baz was in cruise control, striking out 10 batters and pitching into the seventh. But the right-hander allowed two singles and was pulled with one out.
Aaron Boone emptied his bench after Baz was pulled for a left-hander. Paul Goldschmidt, pinch-hitting for Ryan McMahon, walked to load the bases with one out. Amed Rosario, pinch-hitting for Austin Wells, struck out before Grisham hit a two-run single to retake the lead.
-Yankees had just five hits and three walks while striking out 14 times. They were 1-for-5 with RISP and left six on base.
Grisham and George Lombard Jr. (2-4, run scored) were the only Yankees with more than a hit.
-Carlos Rodon was making his first start since June 28 and was predictably lacking command. He walked two batters in the first two innings but was in trouble in the second. Jazz Chisholm Jr. botched a grounder that could have been a potential inning-ending doubleplay, but Rodon pitched out of trouble, striking out Carlos Narvaez and Jackson Holliday.
Rodon wouldn't get out of this game unscathed, as Coby Mayo smashed a game-tying solo shot with two outs in the third. But that's all the southpaw would allow, tossing 66 pitches (39 strikes) in his four innings of work. He allowed the one run on two hits and two walks while striking out four.
-Behind Rodon, the Yankees bullpen did its job. Yerry De Los Santos allowed one hit in two innings of work. Brent Headrick pitched into trouble in the seventh, allowing a single and a walk (on 10 pitches) before striking out the next batter and getting a flyout before Fernando Cruz came in to try and get the final out of the inning. Cruz got Pete Alonso to line out to Spencer Jones in right to end the threat.
Paul Blackburn walked a batter in a scoreless eighth before David Bednar pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.
Game MVP: Trent Grisham
Grisham's offense saved what would have been another lackluster offensive performance.
DENVER — The Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday placed scuffling closer Edwin Diaz on the injured list with inflammation in the right side of his neck while four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani progresses toward a return to the mound.
Diaz, who is 2-2 with an 11.85 ERA and seven saves in 11 opportunities in 16 games in his first season with the Dodgers, returned to Los Angeles on Tuesday and will have imaging on his neck.
“It’s kind of something that he felt (Monday) night,” manager Dave Roberts said. “We don’t know if it’s something that has been there, call it a week or whatever, but it kind of showed its head last night. So we’re going to kind of address it.”
Diaz was on the IL from April 20-July 29 with an elbow injury that required a procedure to remove loose bodies.
He has struggled since his return, going 1-2 with a 15.88 ERA and three blown saves in seven games. Diaz entered Monday night’s win at Colorado with an 11-2 lead in the ninth and allowed three runs on four hits.
“(We) know that there could be a reason why the stuff is not playing like it has in the past,” Roberts said.
Ohtani threw another bullpen session before Tuesday night’s game as he works his way back from left knee inflammation and right biceps discomfort. Roberts said he Ohtani was “around 35 pitches, and threw his entire pitch mix.”
“I asked him about his bullpen; he gave me a thumbs-up, so that was it,” said Roberts, who said Ohtani’s next step would be throwing live batting practice.
The two-way superstar last pitched July 3 against San Diego, when he gave up three runs on seven hits and struck out nine over six innings. He is 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts this season.
St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) slides into home safely in the third inning of the MLB game between Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
Safe to say that many expected the St. Louis Cardinals vs Cincinnati Reds series to be some high-scoring affairs. Tuesday night was not that kind of game as both Kyle Leahy of the Cardinals and Andrew Abbott of the Reds were mowing down batters with only a few exceptions. The Cardinals bats would provide the necessary offense later in the game led by Masyn Winn’s 3 extra-base hits including a home run.
For the first half of the game, the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals only had 2 hits apiece. Fortunately for the St. Louis Cardinals, one of those hits cleared the left field wall as Masyn Winn connected on a 90 mph four-seam fastball from Abbott and sent it 368 feet over the left field wall for a line drive homer to make it 1-0 Cardinals.
Kyle Leahy held the Reds scoreless through 5 innings, but his pitch count hit 90 so the Cardinals solution for the 6th inning was Ryne Stanek. He set the Reds down 1-2-3 with a couple of pop-outs and a ground out in the bottom of the 6th inning. Kyle Leahy’s final stat line for Tuesday night was an impressive 3-hit shutout through 5 innings while striking out 6 and walking no one.
The Cardinals would double their lead in the top of the 7th inning and Masyn Winn would again play a role in that. He led off the inning with a double, but seemed to jam his left hand as he slid into second base which resulted in a visit from the training staff. He stayed in the game and scored two pitches later when José Fermín ripped a double off of the bottom of the left field wall giving St. Louis a 2-0 lead.
The Cardinals missed an opportunity to score even more after Pedro Pagés punched a single just over the head of Cruz into short centerfield for a single to give St. Louis runners at first and third with just one out. Unfortunately, JJ Wetherholt struck out and Iván Herrera grounded out to end the Cardinals half of the 7th.
The Cardinals asked Gordon Graceffo to handle the Reds in the bottom of the 7th inning. After he walked Suarez leading off the bottom of the 7th, he was helped by a strikeout and then a nice defensive play up the middle when JJ Wetherholt was able to snag a ball hit by Myers and turn it into a force out to Winn at second.
St. Louis would threaten again to extend the lead in the top of the 8th inning when Jordan Walker reached on an infield single to Elly De La Cruz followed by a double that Alec Burleson hit off of the left-centerfield wall which moved Jordan Walker to third. Joshua Baez then lifted a sacrifice fly to center which scored Walker and gave the Cardinals a 3-0 lead going into the bottom of the 8th inning.
George Soriano entered the game in the bottom of the 8th inning. He got Rodriguez out on a ground out, Hayes on a pop-out and then struck out Cruz. The Cardinals did not help their cause in the top of the 9th as Fermin, Pages and Wetherholt went down in order.
The bottom of the 9th would be handled by the National League saves leader Riley O’Brien. Sal Stewart was first up and he lined the first pitch he saw into JJ Wetherholt’s glove for the first out. JJ Bleday was next up and he flew out to short left field for the second out. Eugenio Suarez was the last hope for the Reds, but Riley struck him out to secure a St. Louis Cardinals shutout of Cincinnati.
It’s game 4 of the St. Louis Cardinals 5-game series vs the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday evening as Matthew Liberatore will hopefully be the best version of himself as he’s the scheduled starter. The Reds will force Chase Burns onto the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 5:40pm central time and the game broadcast will be available via Cardinals.tv.
Aaron Boone said Tuesday that Judge will be “introduced to his hitting progression this week.” Judge, according to the manager, has been doing “swing-related stuff” in the pool in recent days.
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“He’s progressing,’’ Boone said. “It’s all part of the process. Hopefully it goes well. The fact that he’s responded in this first week of added intensity, as far as being allowed to do some things upper-body-wise — playing catch, running — it’s all part of his buildup.”
Judge had been limited to lower-body and light resistance training before playing catch last week for the first time since hitting the IL.
Boone wasn’t sure exactly when Judge would start swinging, but it’s a sign that he at least hasn’t suffered any setbacks.
There remains no timeline for Judge’s return.
Cody Bellinger’s return from a strained left hamstring to a lineup that has collapsed without him and Judge — as well as Giancarlo Stanton — is more imminent.
Aaron Judge will be “introduced to his hitting progression this week.” Jason Szenes for New York Post
The outfielder was at Camden Yards Tuesday and said he will play a minor league rehab game with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday.
He anticipated needing more than just the one game before a return to the Yankees lineup, but didn’t rule out getting back to the majors.
He’s well aware of the lineup’s struggles without their big bats.
“I’ve wanted to get back for a while,’’ Bellinger said. “But you always want to be realistic. You want to come back and stay.”
As for Stanton, out since April with multiple calf strains, Boone said he was “towards the end of his running program. The intensity has picked up. He’s responded well.”
But it’s Judge’s absence that has hurt the most, as the Yankees entered Tuesday with the third-worst OPS and third-fewest runs scored since he’s been out.
George Lombard Jr. continues to impress with his glove and bat.
The Yankees lost two challenges by the top of the fourth, as Heliot Ramos challenged a call in the first on a clear strike and Spencer Jones missed on a pitch to end the top of the fourth.
“Those weren’t good ones,’’ Boone said.
But the manager noted Austin Wells’ challenge from behind the plate on a Jackson Holliday strikeout in the second “might have [been] the best challenge of the season.”
It ended a bases-loaded threat.
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Clarke Schmidt pitched off a mound Tuesday as he progresses in his comeback from Tommy John surgery, while Luis Gil ended his rehab assignment and is now at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Both right-handers are potential options to join the bullpen down the stretch.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. was back in the lineup after sitting against a right-hander Sunday in Toronto.
Boone said he considered putting José Caballero in the lineup again after Caballero sparked the offense in a victory against the Blue Jays.
BALTIMORE — Max Fried made just five starts after his return from a left elbow bone bruise before hitting the injured list again Monday with what Aaron Boone called “low-level inflammation as a result of the bone bruise.”
But because the Yankees believe they caught the recurrence of the injury early, they feel confident the left-hander won’t miss nearly as much time as they prepare for the stretch run.
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“I was told it was good news and this gives us the best chance to have him healthy the rest of the way,” Boone said before Tuesday’s game at Camden Yards.
Before Fried was placed on the 15-day IL Monday, the Yankees said they were considering having Fried make his scheduled start Wednesday.
Instead, an MRI exam showed inflammation and pitching coach Matt Blake said the organization decided to “err on the side of caution.”
And Boone added it’s “possible” Fried is back in the rotation by the end of the month, when he’s eligible to come off the IL.
He played catch again Tuesday in New York and depending on how the elbow responds, the Yankees will decide how to move forward. Fried could potentially throw off a mound in the coming days.
With Fried sidelined, Carlos Rodón returned Tuesday from his IL stint that was caused by elbow inflammation and Will Warren is set to start Wednesday.
The Yankees are hopeful Max Fried won’t be on the injury list for a long, extended period. Robert Sabo for New York Post
But the Yankees still need to determine why the injury popped up again.
“Any injury can be a precursor for another injury,” Blake said. “I don’t think anyone is shocked this cropped up again. Obviously, we didn’t want it to and we’ll try to mitigate it with workload and delivery management.”
Blake called it “a little frustrating it got to this point,” but added that since he wasn’t forced out of a game — like he was with the initial injury — Fried won’t be out long.
Dr. Spencer Stein, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist at NYU Langone, said the recurrence wasn’t unusual and the Yankees’ optimism could indicate a lack of severity of the injury.
When Fried suffered the injury in May, he was immediately shut down from throwing for weeks. That’s not the case this time around.
Initially, Fried said the injury was caused by “hyperextending” and “the banging of the two bones” around the elbow.
New York Post back page for Aug. 18, 2026
The Yankees hoped some mechanical adjustments might help avoid the issue arising again.
Since it hasn’t, Blake said he was unsure if Fried would have to deal with some kind of discomfort in the area the rest of the season.
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“I don’t know,’’ Blake said. “It’s something we have to be aware of and try to stay ahead of. He felt good throwing his side [session] the other day [but] there was too much question about if he went out there [Wednesday], would he make it worse?”
As long as Fried is out, it means the Yankees remain without all five of their top starters at the same time, with Ryan Weathers and Warren remaining in the rotation for now.
The plan is still for Fried — as well as Rodón, Gerrit Cole and Cam Schlittler — to be able to go in the playoffs.
But so far, the Yankees haven’t been able to keep their potentially fearsome rotation together.
Tatis denied Francisco Lindor a grand slam in the bottom of the second inning while the Padres had a 1-0 lead.
Tatis jumped up and caught the ball just before it could go over the fence in right field. He stared down toward the infield after making the catch while Padres pitcher Robbie Ray celebrated from the mound with a look of shock as the inning came to an end.
In addition to defensive prowess, Tatis excelled at the plate in the Padres' 5-2 win over the Mets, hitting two home runs.
DENVER, CO - AUGUST 17: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates his RBI double in the eighth inning as Connor Norby #35 of the Colorado Rockies looks on at Coors Field on August 17, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers and Rockies keep things going at Coors Field.
Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox fans fight in the bleachers during the eighth inning at Wrigley Field.
Three people were arrested and one man was charged with punching a fan at Wrigley Field during Monday’s game between the Cubs and White Sox — but none of them were involved in the viral eighth- inning brawl that happened at the same game.
Police arrested and charged 41-year-old David Cregan with felony cocaine possession and misdemeanor battery after he allegedly “sucker punched” a 26-year-old man near a Wrigley Field bathroom, court records viewed by the Chicago Tribune indicated.
Cook County prosecutors stated police discovered the drug on him during a search following his arrest, prompting Judge John Hock to ask, per The Tribune, “He was at the Cubs game with 25 grams of cocaine?”
Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox fans fight in the bleachers during the eighth inning at Wrigley Field. Getty Images
He has been ordered to stay away from the alleged victim and Wrigley Field after he was released pending trial.
Chicago police also told the outlet that two other people were arrested – a 29-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman – on Monday night.
Both face misdemeanor trespassing charges.
The arrests took place on the same night as a massive brawl occurred in the Wrigley bleachers that made the rounds on social media and showed a violent confrontation that included one man in a blue Cubs jersey being brutally beaten by one fan in a grey, sleeveless undershirt.
The brawl in the friendly confines of Wrigley shocked many and Cubs’ star Pete Crow-Armstrong called it “unfortunate and somewhat nauseating.”
CBS Chicago reported that extra security will be in place for Tuesday’s game when the crosstown rivals meet again after the Cubs’ 7-5 win on Sunday.
Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox fans fight in the bleachers during the eighth inning at Wrigley Field. Getty Images
“The safety of our fans is always a top priority,” the Cubs said in a statement on Tuesday. “We work closely with our public safety partners to respond to incidents at the ballpark and appreciate their partnership in addressing the situation last night.”
BALTIMORE — Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s season took another wrong turn Tuesday night.
With runners on first and second and one out in the bottom of the second of a 3-1 win at Camden Yards, Carlos Rodón got Christian Franklin to hit a seemingly routine ground ball toward Chisholm at second.
But second base umpire Ryan Additon appeared to block Chisholm’s view of the ball momentarily and the second baseman couldn’t handle the grounder.
Jazz is charged with an E4 on this play and is visibly upset because the umpire was in his way pic.twitter.com/w16eJfPCka
Instead of a potential inning-ending double play, everyone was safe.
With the bases loaded, Chisholm was visibly upset with Additon, complaining that he didn’t get out of the way in time.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. reacts after committing a fielding error that allowed runners to advance during the second inning of the Yankees-Orioles game on Aug. 18, 2026, in Baltimore. AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough
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“That was a tough play for Jazz, being screened by the umpire,’’ Rodón said.
No one else argued with Additon about the play, and Rodón made it a moot point by stranding all three runners with a strikeout of ex-Yankee prospect Carlos Narváez and then Jackson Holliday, preserving a one-run lead.
Apr 18, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Emmet Sheehan (80) throws during the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
After two weeks with Triple-A Oklahoma City, Emmet Sheehan is back with the Dodgers on his first day eligible to return after 15 days on optional assignment to the minors.
He replaces Edwin Díaz, who was placed on the 15-day injured list with neck inflammation.
Pitching out of the bullpen seems the best chance for Sheehan to make an impact in the postseason, as the Dodgers rotation currently has Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Blake Snell, and expect to have Tyler Glasnow back next week, with Shohei Ohtani working his way back to the mound, possibly in September. This gives Sheehan more of a runway to curve out a relief role, unlike last year when he was an integral part of a six-man rotation the last few months down the stretch before abruptly switching to relief in October, when he allowed seven runs in 7 1/3 innings in his six postseason appearances.
Aug 17, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Edwin Diaz (3) pitches in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Dodgers on Tuesday placed closer Edwin Díaz back on the injured list with neck inflammation after a disastrous three weeks back on the active roster. He’s headed back to Los Angeles, manager Dave Roberts told reporters Tuesday at Coors Field.
"I don't see a situation where he'd (Díaz) be out for the year."
Emmet Sheehan was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City to take Díaz’s roster spot.
Díaz missed three months after surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow, and was activated on July 29. He allowed runs in six of his nine appearances since returning, giving up 11 runs on 16 hits, five walks, and two hit batters in only 7 2/3 innings, with nine strikeouts, and has blown three saves in the Dodgers’ last 11 games.
After two shaky outings at home against the Milwaukee Brewers last Thursday and Friday, Díaz was unavailable the rest of the weekend while working on mechanics.
“The strength department and the pitching side of things, he’s kind of detected some things I think we could clean up, so that’s encouraging,” Roberts said on Saturday. “We started that process today. Hopefully with a couple days off to kind of work through that, we’ll see an even better version going forward.”
Díaz’s first appearance after the tweaks suggested otherwise. Entering with an 11-2 lead in the ninth inning on Monday, the lowest leverage one might find for such an appearance, Díaz allowed a double and three singles, and hit a batter, allowing three more runs to the Rockies.
The double Díaz allowed, to Zac Veen, was on a 93-mph four-seam fastball, the third-slowest fastball thrown this season by Díaz, who has averaged 96.3 mph on the pitch this season. That was the penultimate pitch of the game.
Bernie Brewer takes his first slide during an official game on April 6, 2001, at the inaugural opening day at Miller Park. Instead of a chalet with a simple slide to a mug of beer, Bernie in Miller Park has his own "dugout," with a corkscrew slide leading to a platform. This photo was published in the April 7, 2001, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Bernie Brewer's barrel and mug 2001 | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
Did you enjoy that series win over the Astros? Yes? Good, because you’re going to need to call on those happy memories as the Mariners face the playoff-bound Brewers. Jake already laid out for you how tough this series is going to be in the series preview, which you should revisit if you haven’t.
Lineups:
News:
No Taylor Ward in today’s lineup, but per Tim Booth, he worked out pregame and says he’s close to being ready to rejoin the lineup, and is available as an option off the bench tonight. Stuart Fairchild is with the team as a member of the taxi squad just in case, as Victor Robles continues to deal with a sore shoulder.
Victor Robles, who missed Sunday’s game with right shoulder soreness, is back in the Mariners’ lineup tonight.
Game information:
Game time: 4:40 PT
TV: Mariners TV with Rich Waltz and Ryan Rowland-Smith
Radio: Seattle Sports 710 AM, with Gary Hill Jr. and Shannon Drayer
Andrew Benintendi has been one of baseball’s most clutch hitters this season, and the White Sox will look for more of that magic from the cleanup spot tonight. | (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The White Sox are looking to rebound on the North Side after a heartbreaking, walk-off loss to the Cubs in extra innings Monday. With a chance to even the series tonight, they are turning to a (fairly) exhausted bullpen to handle Tuesday’s game, with lefthander Bryan Hudson getting the ball first for the seventh time this season.
Hudson has been excellent as an opener when called upon, holding a 1.29 ERA across seven frames while allowing just one run on three hits and five strikeouts — with a solo homer serving as the only major blemish in those outings. Hudson has amassed a 3.14 ERA in 51 2/3 innings, alongside a 1.277 WHIP, and has given up just two home runs all season in 54 games. He tends to thrive more in low- to medium-leverage situations and has the lowest ERA (0.34) with the bases empty (26 2/3 innings), making the lefty the perfect candidate for an opener.
Without any corresponding roster moves from the Good Guys, it seems that the White Sox will roll with either Erick Fedde or José Urquidy as the long reliever options, likely hoping to get deep enough in the game — with a lead, ideally — to turn to Sean Newcomb, Huascar Brazobán, and Grant Taylor, maybe even in that order.
Since the Cubs will have a righty on the mound with Kevin Gausman making the start, the lineup looks much more solid from the South Siders tonight, especially with Colson Montgomery returning to the batting order, hitting sixth and playing shortstop. With the right-handed matchup, Sam Antonacci will slot back into leadoff, followed by Munetaka Murakami, Miguel Vargas, and our clutch king, Andrew Benintendi. Tonight would be the perfect night for the Mune and Miguel combo to blast off with a pair of homers, but I’ll take anyone stepping up to be the hero if it means we don’t have to witness the Sox lose the way they did yesterday.
Gausman will have a whole bunch of lefties to face in the White Sox lineup, though his splits are similar against both right- and left-handed hitters. From the left side of the plate, batters are hitting .252 with a .697 OPS versus Gausman, who has a 1.28 WHIP against them. Righties are batting .262 with a .732 OPS, with essentially the same WHIP (1.27). This will be just the third start in a Cubs uniform for Gausman, who has struggled so far with a 6.17 ERA and eight runs allowed in 11 2/3 innings. With only two starts to work with, however, it’s probably best to take those numbers with a grain of salt.
Overall, Gausman holds a 4.53 ERA in 139 innings across 25 starts in 2026, though his 3.53 FIP suggests he has pitched better than that ERA would indicate. The righty isn’t necessarily a strikeout pitcher, but his 6.5% walk rate is one of his strengths to keep batters off the base paths. He still tends to get his opponents to chase pitches, and his splitter can be a weapon in his arsenal, racking up a 40.4% whiff rate.
As we know, South Side pitchers certainly need to watch out for Pete Crow-Armstrong in the leadoff spot. PCA has mashed six homers so far in August, trailing only Matt Olson, and two of those came last night — one on the very first pitch of the game and another on the very last. So far this month, PCA has slugged .636 with a 1.013 OPS and consistently comes through in clutch moments.
And that’s not to sleep on the rest of the Cubs lineup, who hold the third-highest SLG (.419) and second-most RBIs in MLB, also posting the highest WAR as a team at 28.2, 6.4 more WAR than the next team (the Los Angeles Dodgers). Seiya Suzuki is almost just as much of a threat as PCA is, and Nico Hoerner posted a four-hit night in the series opener, including the game-tying RBI base hit in the bottom of the ninth.
For once, there are all kinds of places to tune into Game 2 of the Crosstown Classic! If you’re in the Chicago market, you can still tune in on the usual spots with CHSN and Marquee Network; however, the game will also air locally on The U and nationally on TBS. On the radio, you can catch the White Sox broadcast at ESPN Chicago AM 1000, or the Cubs on AM 670 (or 104.3 FM). First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. CT at Wrigley Field. Hopefully, this one ends with a White Sox win.
Aug 17, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) shakes hands with Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia (11) after beating the Athletics at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The boyz are back, baby!!!! Jac, Vinnie, Maikel, Bob, everyone’s here—on offense, as it were. Yesterday, they scored a bunch of runs. It was delightful.
Today, they will need to score a bunch of runs. The Royals are inexplicably sticking Daniel Lynch IV in the rotation. Lynch’s career splits are super obvious: as a starter, he’s got a 5.31 ERA and a .349 wOBA against. As a reliever, he’s got a 2.47 ERA and a .278 wOBA against. This year is even more lopsided, albeit with only four innings as a starter. After Lynch, they’ll have more bullpen innings than normal, and we all know how well the bullpen has pitched this year.
But that just means we’re in for a high-scoring win, right?
