Shōta Imanaga served up a two-run homer to CJ Abrams in the first inning. No shame in that, really; it was Abrams’ 29th homer of the year and while he’s not going to win the MVP award, he’ll get a lot of downballot votes.
The Cubs cut one run off that deficit in the top of the second. Alex Bregman led off with a walk and went to third on a single by Ian Happ.
So it’s 3-2 heading to the fourth, and that’s when the Cubs took the lead without the benefit of a long ball. Happ led off with a walk and Hoerner doubled, with Happ stopping at third.
Imanaga, though, could not make it through the bottom of the fifth. The Nats’ third homer of the night off Imanaga, by Dylan Crews, made it 6-4 and ended Shōta’s evening after 86 pitches. He hadn’t allowed more than two home runs in a game since June 24 against the Mets (and the Cubs won that game, too). Hopefully this was just a one-off rough outing for Imanaga.
Here’s more on Imanaga’s evening from BCB’s JohnW53:
This was the 11th of Imanaga’s 78 career start in which he has allowed at least three home runs: two in 204, four last year and five this year.
He gave up four once, on June 4, at home vs. the Athletics.
His 11 are tied with Ferguson Jenkins for the second most such games in a career by a Cub. Warren Hacker had 12 in 1950-56.
Two others reached double digits: Kyle Hendricks and Steve Trachsel, both with 10. Frank Castillo and Bill Hands are next, with 8 apiece.
Imanaga did not walk a batter. It was his fifth start with no walks, most among Cubs in starts of at least three innings. Javier Assad has three; Matthew Boyd, David Peterson and Colin Rea, two; and Ben Brown, Edward Cabrera and Jameson Taillon, one, for a total of 17 in 120 games — about one of every seven.
Suzuki’s defense has been vastly improved this year. It’s the first time in his five-year MLB career that he’s posted positive defensive bWAR. He’s probably not a Gold Glover, but could be one of the “finalists.”
That left it a two-run game, and Jacob Webb had to come on to get the last out of the eighth. He did so, and then retired the Nats without further incident in the ninth. Here’s the final out [VIDEO].
The win, combined with the Brewers’ second loss in a row in San Diego, moved the Cubs to within four games of first place in the NL Central. And by winning while the Phillies lost, the Padres moved into Wild Card position, tied with the Diamondbacks, 6.5 games behind the Cubs.
Wednesday evening, David Peterson gets the start for the Cubs. As for the Nats, you’ll note that Suzuki’s home run was hit off of Miles Mikolas, who originally was listed to start Wednesday’s game. Instead, the Nats will have left-hander Jackson Kent, their fourth-round pick in 2024, make his MLB debut. And Tuesday’s game might be it for Mikolas:
Jackson Kent will indeed make his MLB debut tomorrow night. The Nationals aren’t announcing any corresponding moves yet, but Miles Mikolas was saying goodbye to teammates and coaches in the clubhouse.
As Sam Antonacci well knows, there are a whole lot of batters being hit by pitches in White Sox games this year. | (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Chances are, if you’re even a casual White Sox fan, you share the incredible surprise at the team’s record. If you’re somewhat algorithm inclined, you may be aware that both FanGraphs and PECOTA now predict they’ll end the season with an 82-80 record, barely better than .500. But, since we’re talking about the AL Central, that’s enough to squeak by and win the division.
If you like a little more in the way of numbers, thanks to the barrage of shilling for sports books on every trivial event in order to promote problem gambling that the announcing staff does, you’re probably aware that the White Sox are eighth in the majors in runs scored per game, 4.76, and a hair better than average in runs allowed at 4.44.
Sixth in homers? You knew that. Only 22nd in batting average, but dead in the middle in on-base percentage and a skosh better than average in OPS? You knew all that.
The pitching staff is 11th worst in walks while the batters are average? The pitchers are 18th in strikeouts while batters have K’ed the sixth-most? Of course, you knew all that.
But, if we may, let us venture into territory seldom reviewed by anyone but stats addicts and retirees or the idle rich, who have lots of time on their hands, enough time to scroll to the right or down to a special category at Baseball-Reference.
First, the pitchers
ERA 4.11, 14th. check. FIP 4.20, 18th. Check.
Now for the stuff you may not have noticed:
White Sox pitchers are second in MLB in hitting batters, with 72, just one behind the Astros. And that’s even though they don’t get to add to the bruises on Sam Antonacci’s body, which has been whacked 15 times to lead the AL (though far behind Cardinal All-Star catcher/DH Iván Herrera, who has been plunked 25 times).
The White Sox lead the majors in balks with eight, though the lead is only one, so any team could take the crown. No individual pitcher has been charged with more than two, so it has been a team effort.
They also lead the majors in wild pitches, with 51. That’s just one more than the Cardinals, though double the MLB average. Of course, you have to give Sox catchers credit for failing to block pitches in the dirt that never should have gotten by, but are still blamed on the pitcher.
As for batted balls, Sox pitchers allow a very slightly worse-than-average 88.3 mph exit velocity (average is 88.1), and a ninth-worst hard-hit rate of 39.8%. They’re fifth-worst at getting ground balls, at 39%, largely because they surrender a ton of line drives, 25%, second-worst in the big leagues.
Given that line-drive rate, the staff has done well to be middling in ERA, helped by allowing a better-than-average 127 homers (average is 137) despite The Rate as home park.
And now the hitters
Peripheral stuff has helped the White Sox offense almost as much as all those dingers.
They hit very few line drives, by far the lowest liner rate in the majors. That should be a big negative, especially because they’re average in ground ball rate. But somehow despite being average in grounders, the Sox are the very best at staying out of double plays, by far, with 52 — barely half the number the mighty Dodgers have swatted into.
That, of course, leaves the White Sox toward the top in fly ball rate — ninth — which helps with the dinger data. Still, even the fly balls that stay in the park have fared well, be it good fortune or good location, with an overall BABIP of .285 — just shy of the MLB average of .289 (of course, that’s way down from before the Three True Outcomes era).
Bloop hits can continue indefinitely, right? Or at least for the rest of the 2026 season?
As for sense of direction, Sox batters pull the ball 34% of the time, tops in baseball, leaving them 26th to the opposite field and 29th up the middle. So much for liners up the middle being the ideal goal, no doubt inhibited by shifts these days.
As for some other stuff:
The Sox are tied for third at being hit by pitches, led by Antonacci. Combine that with hitting the second-most opponents makes for a whole lot of plunking going on.
They’re fifth in sacrifices. The four teams ahead of them are all very good, so maybe the overwrought hatred of bunting is a part of Moneyball that needs review, at least when Pedro Grifol isn’t managing.
And here’s one that may go a long way to explaining the team’s success — they’re 27th in leaving runners on base. Long balls do help.
As for baserunning, the Sox are 18th in stolen bases, with 68, but abysmal at stolen base success: Their 69% success rate (77 is the norm) bests only the Tigers. Still, the White Sox are slightly better than average — 44% to 42% — at taking the extra base.
And so …
There you have it, all the stuff you meant to look up but never got around to. Feel free to amaze your friends with your newfound knowledge.
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On this day 54 years ago, Ed Spiezio clubbed the White Sox into first place. | WTHB
1907 In a 5-3 loss to the Boston Americans, Ed Walsh had 11 assists over eight innings, becoming the first pitcher in history to have at least 11 assists in a game twice in one season. Walsh added one putout and made no errors. He dropped to 18-10 on the season in one of just nine starts he made of 46 total he didn’t complete. (Walsh’s 56 games, 46 starts, 37 complete games, four saves and 422 1⁄3 innings all led the entire majors in 1907.)
Walsh also gobbled up 11 assists in a 1-0 win over the St. Louis Browns on April 19.
1972 The White Sox trailed the Oakland A’s by 8 ½ games just six weeks earlier, but on this Saturday afternoon in California that deficit was completely erased — in dramatic fashion.
Joliet native Ed Spiezio had been acquired when regular third baseman Bill Melton was lost for the season on July 9 and filled in nicely playing in 74 games; his home run in a 3-1 win vaulted the Sox into first place. It was the latest the White Sox had held first in a season since 1967.
In the 11th inning of a tie game with Carlos May on first, Spiezio hammered a pitch from Rollie Fingers into the seats, giving the Sox a 3-1 lead. That was all Wilbur Wood needed, as he set down the Athletics in order in the 11th to collect his 20th win, going the distance and only allowing two hits. The Sox were 62-45, and in first place.
1984 In his sixth year on the ballot, longtime White Sox shortstop Luis Aparicio was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Aparicio was one of the most athletic shortstops to ever play, and he brought the lost art of the stolen base back to baseball in the 1950s, leading the AL in steals over nine straight seasons.
The former 1956 Rookie of the Year played 10 years with the White Sox. He was runner-up to teammate Nellie Fox in the 1959 MVP voting, won seven Gold Gloves while playing for the White Sox and represented the club in six All-Star Games.
1986 Future Hall-of-Famer Steve Carlton, picked up on waivers by the White Sox, made his American League debut.
“Lefty” only went three innings, giving up six runs in a 7-3 loss to the Tigers in Detroit. But over 10 games for the White Sox in 1986, Carltonwon four games, with a 3.69 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 63 innings.
He was released at season’s end.
1990 The White Sox set what was believed to be the longest wait in baseball history before calling a game because of rain. The team was slated to play the Rangers at Comiskey Park in an afternoon contest starting at 1 p.m. Central time. Persistent rains caused a delay before the first pitch was even thrown. Because this was the last trip into Chicago by Texas, the Sox asked the Rangers if they would fly back to Chicago on an off-day to make the game up — which Texas flatly rejected.
Not wanting to lose a home game, the Sox waited until the evening before “officially” calling it. The wait lasted seven hours and 23 minutes! As it turned out, the Sox had to play the makeup game in Arlington as part of a doubleheader the following week.
1993 Tim Raines didn’t just clout a leadoff home run in a White Sox 4-2 loss vs. the Royals : That homer became his 2,000th hit in the majors! Raines finished the game 2-for-4, with the eventual game-winning run coming in on, of all things, a Lance Johnson error in center field!
The White Sox nearly tied the game with one out in the bottom of the ninth, as Ellis Burks smacked a deep fly down the left-field line that did not leave the park, rendering it a sac fly rather than a two-run homer.
The Kansas City win drew the club to within 2 1/2 games of the White Sox, as despite leading the West Division (and eventually winning it) Chicago was just the fifth-best team in the AL at this moment, at 62-52.
1994 The unthinkable finally happened, as major league players struck for the rest of the season because of the unwillingness by owners to negotiate fairly on a new labor contract (a charge that later was validated by federal court judge and future Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor).
At the time of the strike, the White Sox were leading their division, had the second-best record in the AL and the fourth-best in all of baseball. They were on their way to back-to- back playoff appearances for the first time in franchise history.
Many Sox fans blamed owner Jerry Reinsdorf for forcing the strike, being a hard-line owner and sabotaging his own team’s chance to get to that elusive World Series.
Frank Thomas ended the season very close to the Triple Crown, hitting .353 with 38 home runs and 101 RBIs. He did get his second consecutive MVP award, though.
2007 White Sox closer Bobby Jenks tied a major league record when he retired his 41st consecutive hitter, in a game against the Mariners. Jenks’ streak had started back on July 17 at Cleveland.
Jenks tied a record originally set by San Francisco’s Jim Barr in 1972, and the shared record was broken in 2009 by Jenks’ teammate, Mark Buehrle,who retired 45 consecutive batters, sandwiched around his perfect game.
2017 When White Sox first baseman José Abreu went deep with one out in the fourth inning against the Royals, he became the first player in team history with four consecutive seasons of at least 20 home runs to start his career. Jermaine Dye and José Valentín opened the White Sox portion of their careers with five consecutive seasons of at least 20 homers, and Jim Thome, Paul Konerko and Carlos Quentin started their White Sox careers with four consecutive seasons of at least 20 homers. But Abreu’s achievement was unique in franchise annals.
Abreuhomered again in the sixth; marking his ninth career multi-homer game, with both coming off of Ian Kennedy.Later that season, Abreu became the first Sox player with 25 home runs in four straight seasons starting a career.
2020 For the fifth time in franchise history, the White Sox led off a game with back-to-back home runs. It was shortstop Tim Anderson and outfielder Eloy Jiménez who turned the trick in Detroit, staking the Sox to a 2-0 lead over Matthew Boyd and the Tigers. The Sox would go on to win the game, 7-5.
It was the first time the White Sox had back-to-back home runs to lead off a game since Aug. 12, 2018 — and it would happen again much sooner, on Aug. 17, 2020.
2021 It was a remarkable night in a remarkable location: The first “Field of Dreams” game, played at the location of the 1989 movie of the same name, in Dyersville, Iowa. The White Sox hosted the Yankees, with both teams wearing throwback uniforms.
An 8,000-seat stadium was built next to the field where the movie was shot, and the game was nationally televised by Fox Sports. Some of the original cast members, including baseball fan Kevin Costner, came out to take in the celebration.
José Abreu hit the first-ever home run for a big-league game in Iowa, when he connected in the first inning. The Sox would win, 9-8, after blowing a three-run, ninth-inning lead; Tim Anderson hit a walk-off, two-run home run, setting off fireworks in center field to recreate Comiskey Park.
Every February, all 30 MLB franchises begin spring training with a renewed sense of hope. Their bodies are rested, their eyes already on the fall with the dream of hoisting the Commissioner's Trophy as World Series champions.
It's an exclusive club ... but not as exclusive as you might expect. All in all, 25 out of 30 big league franchises have won at least one championship.
Out of the five who have yet to win one, only the Seattle Mariners have yet to appear in a World Series. That almost changed last October, but the M's fell in Game 7 of the 2025 ALCS to the Toronto Blue Jays in heartbreaking fashion.
The New York Yankees lead the pack by a wide margin with 27 World Series titles, the most championships in major American professional sports. They're followed by the St. Louis Cardinals, who have won the Fall Classic 11 times, while the back-to-back champion Los Angeles Dodgers have catapulted into the No. 3 spot with their ninth championship − and third in the last five years − in 2025. Also tied for third-most World Series are the Boston Red Sox and the Athletics. The A's former neighbors across the Bay, the San Francisco Giants, are fourth (eight championships).
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 11: New York shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) reacts after flying out during the MLB game between the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves on August 11th, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Meet the Mets
The Mets were held scoreless by the Braves in a 4-0 loss. Despite earning the loss, Nolan McLean had another fantastic start, going six innings and allowing just one run on an Ozzie Albies solo home run (the only hit McLean gave up as well).
Kodai Senga ended up getting the ball back from his first save, thanks to the hard work of some fans.
Francisco Lindor reiterated his desire to remain with the Mets, and he also discussed why his confidence in the team’s leadership has not wavered.
Around the National League East
After the controversy surrounding a video Bryce Harper made for a VIP gambler (and gambling addict), Congress has now asked the league to step in and take action.
The Marlins beat the Pirates in a 2-0 shutout. Esteury Ruiz drove in what ended up being game-winning run on a third inning solo home run.
The Nationals were outslugged 8-6 by the Cubs. Jake Irvin gave up five runs in 3.1 innings, walking two batters and striking out four.
The Phillies were shut down by the Cardinals in a 2-0 loss. Cristopher Sánchez had another great game despite the loss, throwing six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts.
Around Major League Baseball
The San Diego Padres could have new owners as soon as next week, with the owners vote scheduled to happen on Monday.
The Angels pitching coaching staff had a huge shake up, with the pitching coach, assistant pitching coach, and bullpen coach all being fired.
Tim Levesque has been named the interim pitching coach for the Angels.
Blue Jays starter Trey Yesavage had surgery on his left meniscus, but he could still return this season.
The Yankees have called up reliever Bradley Hanner, who is coming up to the major leagues for the first time.
Athletics first baseman and reigning American League Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz could be out for the rest of the season due to his still-injured thumb.
Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue
Steve Sypa published the twentieth edition of Mets Minor League Players of the Week for the year.
This Date in Mets History
The longest work stoppage in the history of professional baseball began on this date in 1994.
ST. PAUL, MN - JULY 13: Major League Baseball Executive Vice President of Business Tiim Brosnan addresses the crowd before the start of the Color Run MLB All-Star Game 5K presented by Nike at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds on Sunday, July 13, 2014 in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Taylor Baucom/MLB via Getty Images) | MLB via Getty Images
This past Monday, the Big East — a collegiate athletic conference that includes UConn, St. John’s, and, of course, Villanova — announced that it had hired Tim Brosnan as its new commissioner. Normally, news about the Big East would pass by Pinstripe Alley, and indeed, most baseball sites, without a mention. After all, since conference realignment in 2013, the best player to come out of the conference has been injured Rays starter Ryan Pepiot, whose claim to fame is being the top prospect chip from the Tyler Glasnow deal three years back.
What brings this news to our attention, though, is the fact that Brosnan worked for Major League Baseball in various high-ranking roles from 1991 to 2015. That’s right, despite the relevant weakness of its baseball programs, however, the Big East has tapped a former Major League Baseball executive — indeed, one of the three finalists to become commissioner after Bud Selig’s tenure was complete — to lead it.
To announce the news, Rev. Brian J. Shanley, the chair of the conference board of directors, released an official statement, which began:
“In our search for the next Commissioner of the BIG EAST, we prioritized finding someone with extensive experience in the area of revenue generation and who would best fit the mission and vision of our conference going forward…”
As a Villanova alum, and thus a fan of Big East sports in general, I had a lot of thoughts about the move, and this first statement is emblematic of them. Legally, the Big East is a non-profit, and in theory, the goals of the Big East — like all athletic institutions rooted in educational institutions, high school and college alike — prioritize the academic and personal growth of the student-athletes, because realistically, more of them are destined for careers in marketing than they are for professional sports.
Of course, we also know that “legally” and “in theory” are carrying the load in that sentence, that the NCAA and all its constituent conferences are predominantly in the business of making money, and that even before the NIL era, collegiate athletes were treated as if they were semi-pro or professional athletes. And yes, I understand that “revenue generation” is not only an important part of the job of a collegiate commissioner, but something that the Big East — which lacks the big money-maker that is football — needs to work on. However, by not only explicitly discussing it within your announcement, but also by making it the very first thing mentioned, you’re removing the facade a little.
So what exactly in Brosnan’s career brought him to the attention of the Big East? Over the course of his time working for MLB, he served as Executive Vice President for Business and President and CEO of Major League Baseball Enterprises, negotiated media contracts, helped found the MLB Network, and played an integral role in the creation of the World Baseball Classic. While it’s been a touch over a decade since he worked for the league, he, along with commissioner Rob Manfred, shaped the landscape of the game today.
This December, the collective bargaining agreement between Major League Baseball and the Players Association expires, and odds are, the two sides will fail to come to an agreement in time, the owners will vote to lock out the players, and we will spend the second winter in five years not talking about free agency, or trades, but on whether or not we will get to see baseball in 2027. But while most people will think about the negotiations as a battle between “rich players” and “extremely wealthy owners,” the truth is, the stakes are much, much higher.
Brosnan’s hiring reminds us that what happens in professional sports shapes the amateur game, both in terms of the play on the field (Steph Curry’s success has inspired a love of the three-point shot in kids over the last decade) and, unfortunately, off of it as well (MLB’s continued attempts to shorten the draft and shrink the minor leagues will undoubtedly alter how college, JUCO, and high school teams are constructed). Indeed, it can even trickle into other sports; Brosnan was almost certainly hired in part to improve the Big East’s media presence, bringing the lessons of the MLB Network well beyond the sport.
These developments can make positive change, when the league builds a culture built on growing the game and being a force for good in the community — focuses that can be taken outside the sport. But it can also institutionalize and instill within the amateur game a culture that will turn it into even more of a cash grab that it has already become.
The Philadelphia Phillies sit as a heavy -150 moneyline favorite this afternoon against the St. Louis Cardinals, with first pitch scheduled for 2:15 p.m. ET at Busch Stadium.
However, my Phillies vs. Cardinals predictions are backing St. Louis to win this contest as a home underdog behind Kyle Leahy's recent success.
Who will win Phillies vs Cardinals today: Cardinals (+140)
This isn’t an easy pick because both starters are in respectable form, but Zack Wheeler has been more vulnerable lately. The right-hander has a 4.35 FIP over the last month, and most notably, he’s allowed 2.08 HR/9 during that span.
As for Kyle Leahy, he is dealing. The St. Louis Cardinals righty owns a 2.95 FIP over his previous four outings, allowing just 0.78 BB/9 to showcase his strong command. Leahy also faces a Philadelphia Phillies lineup that is horrid on the road, posting an 80 wRC+ (league average being 100).
The Cards haven’t been fantastic at the dish at Busch Stadium, but Wheeler is prone to mistakes right now. There’s underdog value with St. Louis.
I’ll play this pick down to +120.
COVERS INTEL: Leahy has been substantially better at home, posting a 2.19 FIP compared to a 4.69 mark on the road. That matters against a Phillies lineup that struggles to produce away from Citizens Bank Park.
Phillies vs Cardinals Over/Under pick: Over 7.5 (-121)
With a relatively low total of 7.5, the Over has value. While both starters are capable of keeping this one in check, the bullpen profiles are not exactly lights out.
Philadelphia’s relief corps owns a 4.58 FIP over the last week while surrendering 1.15 HR/9. The Cardinals’ pen, meanwhile, has a 5.15 xERA during that same span while giving up more than six walks per nine innings. That is a recipe for trouble once Leahy exits.
Both offenses are in decent form, too. The Phillies have a 109 wRC+ over their previous 13 games, while the Cards sit at 103 over their last six.
Play the Over up to -130.
Phillies vs Cardinals home run prediction: Kyle Schwarber (+291)
Kyle Schwarber is one of the most feared power hitters in the sport, and he’s showcasing his pop lately. The slugger has a .333 ISO over the last week, smacking two homers during that span.
Schwarber also owns a 50% hard-hit rate and 18.8% barrel rate over his last seven games. Leahy has allowed a 40.6% hard-hit rate across his last four starts, and while the home run damage has been limited, the contact profile still stands out.
As for the Cards pen, it has allowed a 42.1% hard-hit rate over the last week, with 40% of its contact coming through the air. Schwarber has an identical fly-ball rate over the last seven days.
Play this pick down to +250.
Quinn Allen's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 48-58, -17.92 units
Over/Under bets: 58-45, +6.31 units
Phillies vs Cardinals weather
Weather at Busch Stadium looks very hot and humid this afternoon, with partly cloudy skies and temperatures climbing from 94 to 97 degrees. Winds are light around 6-7 mph, and rain chances stay modest at 16-17%. The heat could help the ball carry, giving a slight boost to offense.
Phillies vs Cardinals odds
Moneyline: Phillies -150 | Cardinals +144
Run line: Phillies -1.5 (+117) | Cardinals +1.5 (-122)
Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-117) | Under 7.5 (+113)
Phillies vs Cardinals trend
The St. Louis Cardinals have hit the Moneyline in 6 of their last 9 games (+4.25 Units / 39% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Phillies vs. Cardinals.
How to watch Phillies vs Cardinals and game info
Location
Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO
Date
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
First pitch
2:15 p.m. ET
TV
NBCSP, Cardinals.TV
Phillies starting pitcher
Zack Wheeler (10-3, 2.69 ERA)
Cardinals starting pitcher
Kyle Leahy (8-4, 3.45 ERA)
Phillies vs Cardinals latest injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 11: Matt Olson #28 of the Atlanta Braves reacts as he rounds first base after hitting a two-run homer in the eighth inning against the New York Mets at Truist Park on August 11, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Braves evened the series against the New York Mets after Tuesday’s 4-0 win. Martín Pérez got the start, lasting six innings with three walks and two strikeouts. He surrendered just four hits.
The Braves’ bats were relatively quiet with the team tallying just three hits. Two of those hits were home runs, courtesy of Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 11: Blake Snell #7 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the Kansas City Royals during the fourth inning at Dodger Stadium on August 11, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers are now on a two-game winning streak after securing a walk-off victory against the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday.
Although the bullpen nearly cost the Dodgers with a three-run implosion in the top of the eighth inning, the highlight early on was the return of two-time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell. Snell began his night by retiring the first 10 hitters in a row, ending his night having allowed just three hits, one run and one walk while striking out 10, becoming the first Dodger to reach double digit strikeouts in a start since Yoshinobu Yamamoto on July 4.
Snell spoke with Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA about his return following Tuesday’s walk-off win, noting that his poor outing against the Atlanta Braves back in May helped him find a better rhythm and sequence on the mound.
“I had a lot of information from that game to help me with this one on what I wanted to do differently, and how I wanted to start. Definitely happy that I was more aggressive, more in the zone and more just in control of my emotions in being the first one back.”
“He was fantastic tonight. We pushed him a little bit into the sixth and through the sixth, but just because he was so efficient, certainly that extra inning was huge for us.”
Mookie Betts had himself a monster game offensively on Tuesday, finishing a triple shy of the cycle while driving in the tying run that helped the game reach extra innings.
It’s been a struggling season with the stick for Betts, and moments like the one he had Tuesday have been sparse, as he spoke with Watson about trying to find consistency at the plate.
“We’ll just go with a good day at the plate. We seem to have the story over and over again, so we’ll see tomorrow if we can string something together.”
Max Muncy ultimately was the hero once again for the Dodgers on Tuesday, as he delivered the walk-off blow in the bottom of the 10th to seal the series victory against Kansas City.
The Dodgers are starting to make their seven-game losing streak an outdated talking point, having won three of their last four games, and Muncy noted to Watson postgame that these wins have been a whole-team effort.
“Everyone is coming together. We’ve been grinding a little bit lately, but each day is a new day. You show up with an opportunity to do something great. We just keep trying to focus on the day we have at hand, and we’re going to keep doing that tomorrow.”
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 08: Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, Joe Panik, Buster Posey, and Pablo Sandoval pose for a photo during their Wall of Fame induction ceremony prior to the game between the Detroit Tigers and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Saturday, August 8, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kavin Mistry/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Good morning, baseball fans!
Over the weekend, the San Francisco Giants celebrated five influential players from their 2010s World Series Championship runs with a Wall of Fame Ceremony. The team has not yet released the full video of the event, but our friends over at NBC Sports Bay Area interviewed the inductees: Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, Joe Panik, Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval. So I thought that we could take a look at that today and have some fond memories of folks we don’t see too often anymore (or in Posey’s case, remember that we did, in fact, used to love the guy when he was a player and not running the entire organization).
The video is roughly 15 minutes, so grab your coffee, settle in, and enjoy!
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants conclude this three-game series against the Houston Astros this afternoon at 12:45 p.m. PT.
DENVER, CO - AUGUST 02: Jake McCarthy #31 of the Colorado Rockies bats during the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Sunday, August 2, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Casey Paul/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
He may not have a bushy beard, the untamed mullet, and “Your Love” playing before every at-bat, but Jake McCarthy has invoked the spirit of Charlie Blackmon while batting leadoff for the Colorado Rockies.
Just don’t tell him that.
“I got to meet him. I played against him, obviously, over the last few years in Arizona here,” McCarthy said. “I mean, obviously a great player. I understand. He batted leadoff for these guys for a long time. He also hit lefty, and he had the long hair, too. But I’m a little hesitant to accept any comparison to that guy. You know there’ll be a statue of him in Denver one day. So as humbling as that comparison is, I’m gonna deflect.”
Since Blackmon’s retirement after the 2024 season, the Rockies have battled instability in the leadoff spot, starting 13 different players at the top of the lineup between 2025 and 2026. To put that in perspective, from 2014 to 2024, the Rockies started 26 individual players not named Charlie Blackmon in the leadoff spot.
Blackmon’s prowess as an elite hitter with a sharp eye at the plate to go along with devastating power at the top of the order is enough to make anyone shudder at the thought of being compared to him. Blackmon was, after all, perhaps one of the greatest leadoff hitters in the history of the game.
It’s been a revolving door of different attempts to install a leadoff hitter since his retirement, but McCarthy appears to be the answer the Rockies have been looking for, even if it’s not a one-to-one comparison.
Over that 26-game stretch, McCarthy has batted .315/.342/.523 with four home runs and 16 RBI. He has 35 total hits, including nine doubles and a triple, and has struck out 16 times with four walks in 117 plate appearances. The hot streak has boosted McCarthy’s numbers as he is now batting .306/.343/.516 with a career-high 13 home runs on the season. Out of the leadoff spot alone, he is batting .307/.338/.543 in 59 games.
He’s also been making an immediate impact in games this season. He is the first Rockie with multiple first-pitch leadoff home runs in a single season and the first Rockie with at least four leadoff shots in his first season with the club. While his numbers as the first hitter of the game aren’t as good as one would hope, the fact that he is still able to set the table and have an impact the rest of the game speaks volumes to his effectiveness.
Over the last week, McCarthy dominated against the Tampa Bay Rays and St. Louis Cardinals, earning National League Player of the Week honors. He led the NL in batting average (.519), OPS (1.352), hits (14), and total bases (23), while his eight runs scored tied for second. He even had a game against the Cardinals where he became just the second player since 1920 to have four hits, two homers, three RBI, and two stolen bases in a game, joining Shohei Ohtani.
For McCarthy, the mental approach for leading off involves several ingredients, but at the root of it all is one simple goal: get on base.
“It’s still something that I’m working on,” McCarthy said, “[being] someone who just gives a really ‘grinder’ at bat at the top. But I also want to slug. When I get on base, I want to steal bases. So I just think it’s a number of things, just trying to be dynamic. But again, I think the number one thing is if I’m standing on first for the guy batting second, I think that’s a win. So I just want to do that as much as possible.”
Thanks to his dynamic efforts batting first, the Rockies leadoff hitters lead all of baseball in batting average (.294), rank 10th in on-base percentage (.343), seventh in slugging (.462), sixth in RBI (69), 12th in runs scored (79), fourth in stolen bases (21), and 13th in wRC+ (107).
“I think we have a lot of depth in our lineup, and if I’m slugging, that’s great,” McCarthy continued. “But I just think if I get on first base and maybe take an extra 90 [feet] stealing a base, I just know the guys behind me are going to have good at-bats. So I think we all complement each other pretty well. It’s been a really fun offense to be a part of.”
Manager Warren Schaeffer also recognizes what a valuable tool a quality leadoff hitter like McCarthy can be for a ballclub.
“Jake has been so huge for our team. First and foremost, he sets the tone every day for us on both sides of the ball and base running,” said Schaeffer. “Having him in the leadoff spot has been huge for us — just a jolt every game. You know what you’re going to get. It’s a unique skill set. Not a lot of people in the league have what he has, and we’re so happy to have him. I’m just so happy for him that he’s having success and that he’s getting recognized.”
A scenery change for the better
When the Rockies acquired McCarthy from the Arizona Diamondbacks, there was no way of telling how he was going to respond in Colorado. In 2025, he saw a career-low as he slashed just .204/.247/.345 in 64 games with the Diamondbacks. He played much better with Triple-A Reno, but the big league performance and roster crunch made him expendable in the eyes of the front office.
Whether the change of scenery was all he needed or the Rockies coaching staff reinvigorated him, McCarthy took the struggles in stride from the previous season.
“Last year was pretty rough,” McCarthy said, “but I think when you don’t play well, you learn, and it’s an opportunity to sort of step back and say, ‘Here’s what went well, here’s what I do well’, and just reflecting on it,” he said. “And I think I’ve done a good job.”
“It’s just getting back to what makes me good. I think last year I just got away from doing what I do well, being competitive on a daily basis,” he continued. “A lot of at-bats ended in a pop-out, or early, weak contact. Now I’m just trying to hit as many line drives around the field as possible”
McCarthy has certainly achieved that goal as he carries a career-high 27.3% line drive rate this season, 10 points higher than in 2025. As a result, he has also dropped his 49.4% ground ball rate from last season to 38.6% this season, another career-best. While he acknowledges that the big outfield of Coors Field has likely helped, it has mainly been for stretching an apparent base hit into a double. In fact, he is batting .318/.345/.559 with eight home runs and 15 doubles at Coors Field while slashing .294/.342/.469 with five home runs and 10 doubles on the road.
What’s been a massive improvement has been the consistency of McCarthy’s platoon splits. Back in 2024, the best season of his career before 2026, McCarthy batted .284/.340/.358 against left-handed pitching. This season, he is hitting lefties with a .333/.366/.573 slash over 107 plate appearances. He’s doing that while also having a career year against right-handed pitching with a .297/.336/.496 slash line.
A stairway to heaven
In his first season with Colorado, McCarthy is putting up numbers that are reminiscent of Blackmon out of the leadoff spot. Since at least 2010, McCarthy’s 2026 has him placed in the top 10 in most offensive categories for leadoff hitters with at least 100 plate appearances in a season. He is surrounded primarily by Blackmon, which goes to show that the opportunities aren’t being wasted on him.
He may not have Blackmon’s mountain man appearance or his power bat, but McCarthy brings his own flair that makes you do a double-take to make sure it isn’t Chuck Nazty in the box. Between his dances after a double, pristine, flowing hair, “Stairway to Heaven” walk-up song, and a love of wearing the Rockies purple home run coat, McCarthy brings his own energy that the Rockies have sorely needed.
They never needed a Blackmon-clone; they just needed a player to step up and embrace the challenge. McCarthy has done just that with his new club.
“I’m very grateful for the opportunity [the Rockies] have given me here to sort of go out and play every single day,” he said. “I just want to make them look good and continue to play hard. We want to win more games. That’s the most important, and I think we have almost two months left here to do that. So I’m looking forward to it.”
After scoring just one run through the first four innings, the Albuquerque Isotopes scored 12 runs in the final five innings to take the opening game of the series in Oklahoma. Conner Capel had three hits, coming a single shy of the cycle, as he drove in a pair of runs. Adael Amador also had three hits while Nick Kent and Drew Avans each had two hits and drove in a combined five runs. Jack Mahoney started on the mound and went four innings, allowing four runs on eight hits. He then gave way to a parade of relievers who allowed just three runs on six hits the rest of the way.
Holding a 2-0 lead through the first four innings, Hartford’s offense went quiet as Erie rallied for five runs in the late innings to take the victory. Dyan Jorge and Braylen Wimmer led the team offensively, collecting two hits apiece to make up half of the team’s hit total. Zach Kokoska had a sacrifice fly in the second inning to drive in the first run, and Mike Antico had an RBI single in the fourth to account for the Yard Goats’ runs. Sam Weatherly started the game and went two scoreless innings. Cade Denton then took a bulk of 3.2 innings, allowing two runs on two hits with five strikeouts. Victor Juarez took the loss after allowing three runs, one earned, on three hits over his two innings of work.
It was a forgettable night for the Spokane Indians as it seemed pitching couldn’t buy an out and the offense couldn’t buy an out. The Indians had three hits, with Tanner Thach and Cameron Nelson each hitting a solo home run to account for their runs. Spokane used six pitchers on the night, with only Tyler Hampu being the lone pitcher to not give up a run, recording a single out in the eighth inning. The other five pitchers gave up at least two runs, with Ismael Luciano getting the brunt of the damage, giving up six runs in the sixth inning.
It was a great night for pitching for the Fresno Grizzlies, but may have been overshadowed by a solid offensive evening. Brady Parker started on the mound and fired six no-hit innings, striking out six while walking four, departing the game after 90 pitches. Wilmis Paulino took over in the seventh and couldn’t keep the no-hit bid going as he gave up a solo home run, but he ended up locking down a three-inning save by allowing just two runs on four hits. Offensively, Fresno had an influx of 2026 draftees join the team. Daniel Jackson had two hits, including a home run. Ryan Niedzwiedz had two walks and Cort MacDonald had two hits, including a triple. Christian Arguelles continues to hit well, as he had two hits, including a double.
This week, Evan Lang and I discuss the significance of trying to avoid 100 losses, what to do about Zac Veen, and touch on the struggles of Ezequiel Tovar.
The trade deadline may be in the rearview mirror, but that isn’t going to stop the trade speculation. Hunter Goodman’s name is still going to be a popular ask during the offseason, especially for the New York Yankees who had interest and are still unhappy with the catching situation in New York.
Happy Wednesday, everyone! I hope you’re all having a wonderful week and enjoying the waning weeks of summer. Are we in the “dog days”? Or is that September? What does that even mean, really? Anyway, in baseball news, we’ve got lots of little tidbits for you for a midweek news catch-up, and finally not all of them are about the Trade Deadline. Some of them are, I mean, there’s no escaping that completely, but we’ve got lots of other little goodies for you, too.
We look at Paul Skenes and what he might need to fix in order to get back on track; there were a bunch of new pitching milestones reached this week; we assess which returning players might make the biggest difference for their clubs down the stretch; and we check in on Yordan Alvarez’s climb to claim the Triple Crown.
The Los Angeles Angels fired pitched coach Mike Maddux, assistant pitching coach Darryl Scott and bullpen coach Dom Chiti, sources tell ESPN. Maddux joined them in the offseason and was working on a one-year contract. Angels pitchers have a 4.53 ERA and the most walks in MLB.
In the third inning, Skubal left an 0-2 slider down the middle to Caglianone, who made him pay by hitting a 110.8 mph laser into the seats in right field for a two-run home run.
Caglianone stayed hot at the plate, finishing 2-for-4 with three RBIs. He’s hitting .417 with at least one hit in all nine games in August.
One of the reasons why Caglianone has been finding his stride again recently is his ability to limit the strikeouts. His strikeout rate since returning from the All-Star break is 14.8%. In that span, he’s lowered his strikeout rate on the season from 29.2% to 26.5%
“Just trying to shrink the zone,” Caglianone said. “Once you get the two strikes, just battle your tail off.”
While [Mayor Quinton Lucas] pointed to a need for more robust conversations, one local leader said the delay was due to an attempt by the Royals to renegotiate certain parts of the deal.
The opposition has largely centered on the speed with which city leaders have pursued the project. The ordinance city leaders planned to debate Tuesday would have set aside $20 million and authorized City Manager Mario Vasquez to execute a series of agreements with the team.
The city’s Finance, Governance and Public Safety Committee was set to review the ordinance on Tuesday. While the vote was delayed, the project is still widely expected to move forward. City leaders could still discuss the proposal next week.
Final approval of those agreements would effectively kickstart the project and mark the next step in the Royals’ yearslong search for a new home. The team’s rough plans, unveiled in April, call for a $1.9 billion stadium in Crown Center as part of a more than $3 billion ballpark district.
Missouri Workers Power (MWP), a sibling organization of Missouri Workers Center or Stand Up KC, has its own plan that calls for a vote of the people before city funding is allocated to the project.
“Postponing this item at City Council makes all the more evident our point: that our decision makers can’t keep trying to rush this process without considering what we the people need, and without all of us having the final say when it comes to the question of how our tax dollars are spent,” MWP Service Industry Worker Jaeda Roth said in a statement sent to FOX4 Tuesday afternoon. “Our representatives should not stand in the way of the people they are supposed to represent.”
MWP met with Mayor Lucas on Monday. The council has until Aug. 31 to figure out what to do with the MWP petition.
“So, the city has many choices as to how it looks to proceed in connection with that, but no, the city does not have a deadline or a timeline at least as to how it would act on any ordinances either before us or in the future relating to the baseball stadium that are triggered by any outside petition efforts,” the mayor said.
Fellow outfielder Carson Roccaforte is another name in the system due for a promotion. He has 14 home runs over his last 50 games, the most in the Royals farm system in that span. His strikeout rate is down to 23.2% in that sample, and his 14 home runs since June 6 are good for sixth in all of Double-A. The power surge, paired with elite center field defense are worth a look sooner rather than later. Kyle Isbel isn’t extremely far from free agency. He enters another year of arbitration in 2027, and good starting center fielders rarely hit the free agent market. If Roccaforte factors in at all over the next few years, getting him up the system is something we should see soon.
Topa has signed minor league deals with both Toronto and Kansas City since being cut loose by Minnesota. He’s pitched well in both places — including 12 2/3 innings with just one earned run allowed during his stint with Kansas City’s Omaha affiliate. Overall, Topa has pitched 20 2/3 minor league innings this season (all at the Triple-A level). He’s logged a tidy 1.74 ERA but still has a concerning 14.1% strikeout rate. His 8.7% walk rate is sharp, but Topa’s typical ground-ball tendencies haven’t been on display (41.8%). He’s worked more off his four-seamer than in the past during this Triple-A run, but Topa has also noticeably scaled back his slider usage. That might help to explain both the downturn in grounders (more four-seamers, slightly fewer sinkers) and in whiffs (fewer sliders, slightly fewer changeups).
Two strikes should put the hitter on the defensive, but against the Kansas City bullpen, the exact opposite happens. The issue isn’t getting ahead; it’s finding the pitch to finish the plate appearance. A drop in secondary pitch effectiveness has completely eliminated the uncertainty in the batter’s box. Without a breaking or offspeed offering that threatens the zone, hitters get comfortable, extend at-bats, and drive the ball hard—wiping out late-inning leads in the process.
The numbers don’t lie about the collapse: the Royals bullpen sits at the bottom of Major League Baseball with a disastrous -3.5 WAR and the lowest xERA (4.93) in the American League. They surrender 1.49 home runs per nine innings—the highest rate in MLB—while opponents punish them with a 40.4% hard-hit rate. This isn’t a temporary slump limited to a couple of arms; it’s a structural flaw in how the unit attempts to close out games.
A year ago, a breaking pitch below the zone forced hitters to make split-second decisions. Today, they lay off with ease because they know the next pitch will have to come over the plate.
BOSTON, MA - AUGUST 9: Erik Miller #67 of the Boston Red Sox pitches against the Athletics during the first inning at Fenway Park on August 9, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Erik Miller was acquired in exchange for Marcelo Mayer to bolster the Red Sox bullpen. He’s exactly Craig Breslow’s type: 6’5” and left-handed. He has above-average extension at almost seven feet. He even has the same defect as many Red Sox reliever acquisitions: he struggles to find the zone at times. Against right-handed hitters in particular, he came to the Red Sox with a walk rate over 20%. Aroldis Chapman and Tyron Guerrero each joined the Red Sox with a tendency to lose the zone, and have since reined it in. Miller, through his first three appearances (15 batters faced), has walked one batter and hit another. While that’s a small sample, a few changes have already begun to appear in his repertoire.
First things first, against lefties, he needs no tweaking. He’s dominant. He uses two pitches, a sinker and a slider, and they get the job done. The sinker averages 97 mph and 17 inches of horizontal break. Of lefties with at least 100 sinkers thrown, that’s the seventh-highest average velocity and 18th-most horizontal break in baseball. Of lefties who average at least 16 inches of arm-side movement on their sinker, Miller’s arm angle trails only Martin Perez, who has much less velocity. The combination of high velocity, arm-side run, and a high arm angle creates an uncomfortable look for left-handed hitters, as evidenced by his 68% groundball rate and 13.8% ideal contact rate. Lefties have just one barrel on 28 balls in play, a single by James Wood on a 2-0 sinker down the middle. He’s up on the mound throwing 97-mph bowling balls, and unfortunately for lefties, their bats are made of wood, not whatever bowling alley bumpers are made of.
His other offering to lefties is a mid-to-high 80s slider. The shape varies, with some showing more lift and sweep while others are tighter with more depth. It’s not a huge outlier of a shape like the sinker, but it’s still incredibly effective. He rarely ever uses the pitch in the strike zone (32% zone rate), but hitters can’t resist (37.2% chase rate). Those chases convert to whiffs, leading to his massive 24.4% swinging strike rate against the slider, a 34% strikeout rate against lefties, and swings like this:
That’s all he needs against lefties. Against righties, however, is where the trouble comes in. Right-handed hitters are hitting just .197 against Miller, but the 20.2% walk rate leads to traffic on the bases. He’s only been with the Red Sox for about a week, but his approach already looks a little bit different. With San Francisco, he used a four-seam fastball against righties about 11% of the time. It was horribly ineffective, posting a 10% zone rate, just four chases, and two whiffs. He didn’t allow a hit with the pitch because most of the pitches were in locations where they couldn’t be hit.
Aside from the velocity and extension, there isn’t much to like about the pitch. Couple that with the fact that he doesn’t know where it’s going, and it’s been a complete waste. Since joining the Red Sox, he’s thrown the pitch just one time. It broke White Sox catcher Joey Bart’s hand. He has not thrown it since.
He also has a changeup that he used about nine percent of the time against righties with the Giants. Like the fastball, it was ineffective. It returned just six chases and three whiffs, along with a 24% zone rate. When he throws his changeup, his arm angle is about 12 degrees lower than his other three pitches, which might be helping hitters identify the pitch out of his hand. Those factors combined for a 40% strike rate, which contributed to that massive walk rate I mentioned. He’s only thrown 30 pitches to righties since joining the Red Sox, but none of them have been changeups.
This sample is miniscule, and I might be proven wrong the next time Miller comes out to pitch, but it does seem like the Red Sox nixed his two ineffective pitches. The lefty does call his own games, however, and it may just be a result of the particular matchups. Either way, the only run Miller has allowed since joining the Red Sox is unearned, thanks to a throw off the runner on a bunt play. If the changes stick, and Miller can cut his walk rate in half, he’ll be a major weapon for the Red Sox out of the bullpen down the stretch.
COVERS INTEL: Leahy has been substantially better at home, 
