Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith was seen taking live batting practice on Friday, Aug. 21.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters that the team is targeting Smith to be activated from the injured list during the first week of September.
Smith was dealing with an inflamed disc in his neck that’s kept him out of action since June 5.
“Today was a good day for Will taking at-bats,” Roberts said. “He’ll catch a couple bullpens today.”
Smith is not expected to join the team on the road for a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves and Detroit Tigers.
“He’s going to play in the postseason,” Roberts said. “I think it’s helpful knowing that there’s no other alternative. He is going to prepare his mind and his body to get ready to go.”
The Dodgers have been playing without their two top catchers due to injuries.
Catcher Dalton Rushing was recently diagnosed with a partial ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) tear in his right elbow. While there is hope he can avoid surgery, he is unlikely to catch for the remainder of the 2026 season.
Rushing could still return as a left-handed batting option off the bench for the team at the end of the season.
Hunter Feduccia and Ben Rortvedt both shared time in the Dodgers' starting lineup recently. Feduccia is expected to start for the Dodgers, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound, against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday.
Rafael Devers of the San Francisco Giants made his return to Fenway Park on Friday, Aug. 21.
The three-time All-Star played for the Boston Red Sox from 2017 to 2025 before he was traded to San Francisco.
Devers was seen smiling as he walked toward the plate for his first at-bat of the game. He was met with a mixed reaction from the crowd. Some boos were heard for Devers on the broadcast, but some fans were also seen standing up and clapping for the 2018 World Series champion.
In his third plate appearance, Devers hit a home run to center field to pull the Giants within one run of the Red Sox, 5-4, in the top of the fourth inning. It was his 26th home run of the season.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 11: Bubba Chandler #36 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in the first inning of game two of a doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park on July 11, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Los Angeles Dodgers, August 21, 2026, 10:10 p.m. ET
The Pittsburgh Pirates are heading out to the West Coast to start their nine-game road trip to close out the month of August. They start with the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-game weekend set.
Bubba Chandler is taking the mound for the Pirates, and he is pitching some of his best stuff all year long. He has won all three of his previous starts in the month of August, including his last appearance on August 14 against the Boston Red Sox. He pitched five innings, giving up four hits and two earned runs in an 8-4 victory at PNC Park. Now, he’ll have to go up against the Dodgers, who hold a nine-game lead over the San Diego Padres in the NL West standings.
The Dodgers are going with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who just celebrated his 28th birthday earlier this week. The third-year pro from Japan has already matched his win total from the previous season, which was an accomplishment. He made it happen in his last start against the Milwaukee Brewers on August 14. He pitched six innings, gave up four hits, and allowed one earned run in a 3-1 victory at Dodger Stadium.
BURSA, TURKIYE JUNE 19: A veterinarian bottle-feeds an orphaned brown bear cub at the Ovakorusu Celal Acar Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Bursa's Karacabey district, Turkiye, on June 19, 2025. The cubs, named "Bulut" and "Yagmur," were found in rural areas of Karabuk and Bingol and are now being cared for at the facility. (Photo by Sergen Sezgin/Anadolu via Getty Images) | Anadolu via Getty Images
What’s got 52 thumbs and a -46 run differential? The Seattle Mariners. But don’t worry, they’re only facing off against one of the best teams in baseball tonight. The Cubs come to town in dominant position for the NL’s first wild card spot. The Mariners are limping home after a road trip that felt more mortifying than the 4-5 record suggests.
The Mariners will pin their Friday night hopes on Emerson Hancock, who’s coming off one of his best starts since the early days of the season. He pitched seven innings in Houston on Saturday, striking out eight and allowing just two runs in the Mariners’ victory. He’ll face off against Mercer Island’s own Matthew Boyd. He’s in the middle of a comedown year after a career-best season in 2025. He never really left. I know he was only on the Mariners for a hot minute, but his ability to speak to how much breaking the drought meant to Seattle was a highlight of the 2022 post-clinch lockerroom coverage. The fact that he was tearfully talking to Angie Mentink while Ty France very seriously poured beer on Freddy Llanos is one of the images from that night that lives in my head rent-free.
Lineups
If you’re wondering why Cole Young is batting eighth, I believe it’s to give him all the time he can get to recover from a pre-game brawl between his face and a routine grounder.
Game Info
First pitch: 7:10 PDT TV: Mariners TV, simulcast on KING 5 Radio: Old Reliable
For the second time in the last two weeks, Dodgers president Stan Kasten went out of his way to try and calm the choppy waters surrounding his franchise on Friday.
“I wanted to make sure everyone understood one thing very clearly: The Dodgers are not being sold,” Kasten told reporters before Friday night’s game at Dodger Stadium, in a press availability that had been scheduled by the team earlier in the afternoon.
“They’re not gonna be sold. They’re not for sale. There’s no process that has been started to sell it, period,” Kasten continued. “We are planning only to win. That is what we are always doing. And we are still continuing to do that.”
Los Angeles Dodgers president Stan Kasten listens during a ceremony celebrating the Los Angeles Dodgers’ MLB World Series championships in the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, DC, on Thursday, July 23, 2026. The Dodgers were joined by numerous members of Congress as they celebrated back-to-back World Series championships. (2026 Getty Images) Getty Images
“I just wanted this to be clear, because this question keeps coming up,” Kasten said. “I understand the questions, I do. But as I said to you last time we met, the Lakers thing was what we lawyers call ‘sui generis.’ It was just one of those one-of-a-kind things that really has nothing to do with what’s happening with us.”
Kasten also went on to defend Walter’s track record as the Dodgers’ owner, and said his confidence in such declarations came from his conversations with Walter directly.
“This comes from Mark,” Kasten said. “He’s gung-ho about continuing to try to win.”
Los Angeles Dodgers owner and chairman Mark Walter walks on the field after the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on Thursday, March 26, 2026. (Imagn Images) IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Kasten first addressed reporters the day after the Lakers’ $12.5 billion sale last week, saying then that the transaction had no impact on the Dodgers ownership situation –– Walter’s Guggenheim Baseball Management group has owned the team since 2012 –– and was not expected to alter its operations or financial resources, either.
Kasten declined to address those reports specifically on Friday, other than to claim that some of the reporting surrounding Walter had been “mischaracterized” publicly.
He later added that while he’s not “contending anything about the investigation,” he did “know nothing involving the Dodgers is part” of it.
“I’m promising you, when it’s over, you’re going to realize [some things being reported] are being mischaracterized,” Kasten claimed. “You don’t have to trust me, but I’m telling you.”
Members of the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, including Clayton Kershaw (from left), Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Miguel Rojas, Shohei Ohtani, Stan Kasten and Bobby Patton, await the arrival of U.S. President Donald Trump during an event hosting the 2025 MLB World Series champions in the Rose Garden of the White House on Thursday, July 23, 2026, in Washington, DC. The Dodgers defeated the Blue Jays in seven games to win their second consecutive World Series title and ninth overall. (2026 Getty Images) Getty Images
Kasten then reiterated that Walter is not exploring a sale of the Dodgers, nor the other sports properties he has ownership in (a portfolio that includes the WNBA’s Sparks, TWG Motorsports and all of the Professional Women’s Hockey League).
“One thing we are all certain about: The sports portfolio is going to remain intact,” Kasten said. “It’s important to Mark. And I can’t tell you how important the Dodgers are. The Lakers thing, the Lakers were important to him too, but it was kind of an extraordinary opportunity, which he took.”
CAREFREE, AZ - JULY 1: Firefighters from the Lassen National Forest in California (in blue) and Mike Hallen, (in orange), Arizona representative of the National Register of Big Trees, walk down a hillside past the Saguaro cactus called the "Grand One," (third from right) in the Tonto National Forest on July 1, 2005 35 miles north of Phoenix, near Carefree, Arizona. The cactus, estimated to be more than 200 years old, measures a circumference of 7 feet, 10 inches (2.4 meters) and stands 46 feet high (14 meters). The cactus was burned in the Cave Creek Complex fire and may not survive. It was once the largest Saguaro in the world, two others have been found recently that have tied it's measurements. The fire has burned more than 214,000 acres of the Sonoran desert since June 21 and is being fought by approximately 1,700 firefighters. Hundreds of Saguaros were burned by the fire and it will not be known for months as to how many may die. Heavy spring rains created a growth of vegetation, some non-native grasses, (from Asia, Australia and Africa), like Red Brome introduced in the early 1900's that dried quickly during May and June creating fuel for quick burning fires. More than one million acres are burning in 23 fires across Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and Utah. (Photo by Jeff Topping/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today’s Lineups
REDS
DIAMONDBACKS
Elly De La Cruz – SS
Ildemaro Vargas – 2B
Sal Stewart – 1B
Corbin Carroll – RF
Dane Myers – CF
Gabriel Moreno – C
Eugenio Suarez – DH
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Matt McLain – 2B
Nolan Arenado – DH
JJ Bleday – RF
Tim Tawa – 1B
Jose Trevino – C
Jordan Lawlar – CF
Michael Toglia – LF
Jose Fernandez – 3B
Ke’Bryan Hayes – 3B
Ryan Waldschmidt – LF
Nick Lodolo – LHP
E. Rodriguez – LHP
Roster moves
The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves. The D-backs’ 40-man roster is now at 40.
Reinstated from the Restricted List and placed on the 10-Day Injured List: INF Ketel Marte (left knee inflammation)
Yeah, that happened on the off-day, following a lengthy discussion between Marte and management. The details of the discussion remain between them, and at this point, I kinda feel like I’ve gone through the Five Stages of Grief regarding the situation, and have finally reached acceptance. Me knowing or not knowing what went on in Boston and/or before and/or after, isn’t going to make the slightest difference. It’s the team – from Mike Hazen down through Torey Lovullo to his colleagues on the roster – who are the ones it impacts, and will have to come to terms with it (whatever that means). Me? I’m over it, and am literally drawing a line under the matter.
Probably be a fair bit of scoreboard watching going on tonight. We start play with the Phillies in the second wild-card spot, and two up on the Padres, with the D-backs a further game back. All three teams are at home this weekend, and are also playing teams below them in the standings. Philadelphia are playing against St. Louis, while San Diego host Minnesota. At time of writing, the Phillies are 5-4 up against the Cardinals so that’s a close one. Realistically, it feels like the Diamondbacks need to take at least two of three in this series to keep up. Hopefully it does not end up being another “trap” series like the one against the Rockies.
After a rough outing against San Diego, Eduardo Rodriguez has bounced back with quality starts against good opponents, in the form of the Dodgers and, last time up, the Braves. He held Atlanta to two runs over six innings, allowing five hits and walking none. Hopefully, this one will go a little bit better than the last time E-Rod saw the Reds. That was the infamous start in June where he couldn’t complete the third inning, but still ended up throwing 85 pitches while recording only eight outs. The D-backs did end up winning that one, but if they can do so without requiring 6.1 innings from the bullpen, that would be the preferred option!
Tonight’s Padres starter, Randy Vásquez, grew up playing “vitilla” in the Dominican Republic — a form of backyard/street baseball that uses water jug caps for balls and broomsticks for bats. (There’s a Wiki page about vitilla here.) Throwing those caps gave his hands/arms a instinct for spinning baseballs, and he’d build his arm strength with a homemade ball made of rags and black tape, which he’d throw against a wall over and over. It’s an inspiring, literal rags-to-riches story of perseverance.
Now lets hope the Twins pummel him, since he’s probably the weakest starter the Padres have. Vásquez throws a 94-ish fastball, a cutter, sinker, slider/sweeper, curve and change; amazingly, with all this gunk flying around, he doesn’t walk a ton of guys or give up a ton of homeruns. He’s kind of a “pitch to contact” guy in the mold of the 2000s Twins not named Johan or Brad, averaging a very low 5.76 K/9… so watch him mow down Twins hitters tonight, just because.
The history of long-lost Twin Cities entertainment venues fascinates me — read about Diamond Jim’s in Mendota Heights sometime, that place sounds like it was wild (live trapeze above the dining room!). Another, far less wild joint was the Criterion on University Avenue. Where the Trung Nam French Bakery is today. (I’ve heard it’s really good, just never made it there yet.) The Criterion seems to have been kind of the sparkly-teeth dream world of the Mad Men era, with a ScandiGerman twist added. Plus, um, parrots:
They also had live music, I’m not entirely sure what kind, but it did involve one Joan Smith from West St. Paul for awhile. Here’s one person’s memories of the restaurant and Joan Smith:
“I grew up at the Criterion during the ’50s and ’60s. Besides their fantastic popovers, they were famous for their Criterion salad. The Criterion was owned by the Sandler family and Mickey was the parking lot attendant who could converse with you in Yiddish. When you would walk in the restaurant their was a lobster tank by the entrance. As a kid, I would sometimes sit on Joan’s lap when she played the organ (when she wasn’t at the piano in the bar) and that is how I learned to play my Hammond B-3 organ. The Criterion was much more than just a Saint Paul supper club, it was an institution.” (From this site, dedicated to the history of live music in the Twin Cities.)
In 1957, a traveling businessman named Ray was in town to check on a local venture, and he wound up in the Criterion, and he was immediately smitten by Joan Smith. Alas, he was 26 years older, and both of them were married. But some connection must have formed, because Ray & Joan would eventually both divorce their spouses and marry in 1969.
What local venture was Ray checking on? The one that would run ads like this:
You see, Ray was Ray Kroc. The founder of McDonald’s. And Jim Zien, by then the owner of the Criterion, was trying to open that very McDonald’s in St. Louis Park (the local city officials were kinda hesitant). Scarily, Jim Zein’s daughter would later be kidnapped for ransom by a family friend. She fortunately escaped, but that goes to show you, never have family friends.
Anyways, Ray Kroc married Joan Smith. And, after he retired from McDonald’s in 1973, Ray Kroc bought the San Diego Padres. He’d always been a baseball fan (the Cubs, specifically, he grew up in Illinois), and had read that the Padres’ owner was looking to sell; a new owner might move the team. I guess Ray Kroc wanted to support teams staying in their communities.
(You can read about the Padres’ almost-move to Washington D.C. at SABR here. The story tangentially involves songwriter Burt Bacharach. Who may not know the way to San Diego, but he does to San Jose.)
Now Ray Kroc was nothing special as a baseball owner; in his ten years as owner, the team averaged 72 wins and finished above .500 once. During the Padres’ first home game with their new owner, the team was down 9-2 in the eighth inning. Kroc waltzed into the P.A. booth and demanded the mic. He said “ladies and gentlemen, I suffer with you. I have good news and bad news. The good news is that the Dodgers drew 31,000 for their opener and we’ve drawn 39,000 for ours. The bad news is that this is the most stupid baseball playing I’ve ever seen.” Although this had also been interrupted by Kroc yelling “get that streaker off the field, throw him in jail!”
(Players’ union rep Wille McCovey did not take kindly to the “stupid” comment, and nobody let Ray Kroc near the P.A. mic again.)
After Kroc died in 1984, the Padres made their first World Series appearance (losing 4-1 to the Tigers and the dominant Jack Morris). That was a heckuva team; Steve Garvey, Graig Nettles, Goose Gossage, Tony Gwynn, and a backup infielder named Tim Flannery who had a kinda of Punto-esque energy; the team organist would play Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkries” whenever Flannery came up to bat.
Following Kroc’s death, the Padres were inherited by his widow, Joan Smith (now Joan Kroc). She immediately moved them to her hometown of West St. Paul, where all the players died while cave spelunking. No, that’s not what happened. She owned the team for a few more years, and seemed to have a decent time at it:
Joan would eventually sell the Padres in 1990, at which point she was 71 and looking to focus on her charity work (she donated upwards of $2 billion). However, before selling the team, she met with the mayor of San Diego, Maureen O’Connor. Kroc intended to GIVE the team to San Diego. With a $100 million trust fund to help it through the transition. Needless to say, O’Connor was excited about the idea, and wanted to set up a non-profit corporation to own/operate the team.
And then MLB said “hell no, we’ll tell you who you can give a team to.”
The eight-member “owners’ screening committee” chaired by Peter O’Malley nixed the idea. O’Malley, but the way, owned the Dodgers (inherited from his dad Walter). Isn’t that a bit of a conflict of interest? Not wanting your division rival to spend 100% of revenue on salaries forever?
Besides, it’s crazy that MLB gets to pick/choose who gets to own a team and who doesn’t. If when I die, I want to give my strip club to the city of Saint Paul, the other strip club owners don’t get to band together and stop me. But, that’s what having an antitrust exemption means. MLB is a legalized monopoly. They have a kind of owner they prefer. As Craig Normandin points out, in 2008 the Padres were sold to a guy who bought the team with so much leveraged debt that he spent years repaying the debt by slashing payroll. That’s the sort of owner the league wants.
Could the city-owned Padres have worked? I don’t see why not. There’d always be temptation for the city to take team revenue and use it for the general fund, but a non-profit corporation set up in Joan Kroc’s lifetime (and she oversaw the set-ups of several) could have had pretty ironclad rules about where the money went.
It’s neat to imagine an alternate universe where the money from naming a stadium “Petco Park” (or “Target Field”) went into team salaries and not in owner’s pockets. Where “how important is it to maximize payroll” versus “how important is it to keep games affordable for fans” was actually a subject of serious discussion.
In any case, the organ-playing lady from West St. Paul ended up doing a lot of good with her husband’s money, and tried to do some good for the baseball fans of San Diego. And was hers a happy marriage? I dunno — I wouldn’t have wanted to be married to crotchety Ray Kroc. But she chose to be buried next to him in San Diego’s El Camino Memorial Park:
CLEVELAND, OHIO - AUGUST 16: Gavin Sheets #30 of the San Diego Padres celebrates after hitting a solo home run during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on August 16, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Minnesota Twins (63-65) at San Diego Padres (68-60), August 21, 2026, 6:40 p.m. PST
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Kyle Tucker has spent his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers searching for answers. On Friday night at Dodger Stadium, loyal fans will try and give him one.
Not with boos. He’s already experienced plenty of those. Not with another debate about whether or not his $240 million contract is justified. But with a standing ovation.
On Thursday, a social media campaign among Dodgers fans called for Tucker to receive a prolonged ovation before his first at-bat against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It’s an unusual show of support for a player whose nightmare debut season in Los Angeles has gone from disappointing to downright awful.
Tucker is batting .232 with 11 home runs, 55 RBIs and seven stolen bases. His OPS has hovered below .700, his defense ranks among the worst of MLB’s regular right fielders, and until collecting three hits over this final two games at Coors Field this week, he had recently endured an 0-for-26 skid.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Kyle Tucker singles off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland in the second inning of a baseball game Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, in Denver. AP Photo/David Zalubowski
Tucker’s struggles are magnified at home. He’s heard boos from the crowd on several occasions. He’s dropped routine fly balls. On Monday night in Colorado, cameras captured a visibly emotional Tucker appearing to cry in the dugout after another hitless performance and another error in right field.
The frustration was no longer hiding inside his stats. It was written across his entire face.
Eventually, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts decided Tucker needed a break, benching him at home in hopes of clearing the static from a season in which seemingly everything has gone wrong.
“He’s probably never struggled like this in his life,” Roberts said earlier this week.
Yet Roberts has never stopped believing in his newest superstar.
Los Angeles Dodgers fans cheer during the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, in Denver, Colorado. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
That was evident Thursday night at the Harold & Carole Pump Foundation’s 26th Anniversary Celebrity Dinner at the Beverly Hilton, where Roberts told the California Post exclusively that he hopes Dodgers fans follow through with Friday’s planned ovation.
“I hope the fans show up and support Kyle because, at the end of the day, you want to play well,” Roberts said. “He’s working hard. He’s going through it right now. But for him to get the fans encouraging him, I think that could really trigger something and build some momentum.”
If the past is any indication of what the future could hold, there is a precedent for the fans’ plan.
Dodgers fans did something similar for Mookie Betts during his struggles last season. Last August, a sellout crowd at Dodger Stadium showered the superstar with a standing ovation before his first at-bat. Betts later spoke about how much the gesture meant to him, a reminder that even players with MVP awards and World Series rings can occasionally find motivation in 50,000 strangers telling them they still believe.
In the Dodgers’ clubhouse, Tucker’s teammates are sending him the same message.
Miguel Rojas has grown close to Tucker this season, getting to know the person beneath the uniform and the expectations attached to that massive contract.
“Kyle is a player who’s been through it in the past, and I’m completely positive that he’s a guy who’s one swing away from turning things around,” Rojas told the California Post.
If anyone understands how dramatically one swing can rewrite a season, it’s the Dodgers’ Game 7 World Series hero.
Dodgers second baseman Miguel Rojas reaches first base in an MLB game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Kansas City Royals on Monday, August 10, 2026. CHRIS TORRES/EPA/Shutterstock
“We all know that with one swing of the bat, with one big play, you can change the narrative of everything,” Rojas said. “The year is not over yet.”
Another player that might understand Tucker’s predicament better than anyone is Kiké Hernández. Hernández has endured forgettable regular seasons only to become a different animal beneath October lights, repeatedly authoring postseason moments that transformed months of struggles into footnotes.
“Nobody has doubted him,” Hernández told the California Post. “Everybody struggles at some point. Some struggles last longer than others, but for him, it’s just a matter of — it’s all about one at-bat.”
Hernández knows from experience that it’s only how you play in October that ultimately matters in Los Angeles.
Kike Hernandez #8 of the Los Angeles Dodgers runs during the game against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on Monday, May 25, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images
“It doesn’t matter what type of season you have,” Hernández said. “You have a great October and you help win a World Series, it’s a good season, in my opinion.”
That’s the hope that Tucker can hold on to now.
He cannot reclaim the first five months of his budding Dodgers career. He can’t erase the dropped fly balls, the boos or the 0-for-26 skid. But with the Dodgers chasing a historic third consecutive World Series championship, he still has time to change what everyone remembers.
So on Friday night, when Tucker’s name echoes through the speakers at Dodger Stadium, the same crowd that booed him last week will rise to its feet and applaud instead.
Maybe a standing ovation won’t fix a broken swing or a lack of confidence.
But one swing can still fix a season and that’s what the Dodgers are betting on.
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CLEVELAND, OH - AUGUST 16: Cleveland Guardians right fielder Chase DeLauter (24) pops up to shortstop during the first inning of the Major League Baseball interleague game between the San Diego Padres and Cleveland Guardians on August 16, 2026, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
AN EVEN SPLIT: The Cubs are 10 games above .500 on the road (36-26) and 10 above at home (38-28). (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
UNDER THE LIGHTS: The Cubs already have won as many night games on the road, 28, as they did last season. They lost 27 a year ago. They have lost only 15 so far this year. Wins tonight and tomorrow would raise the Cubs’ record in all night games to 49-27. They finished last season 49-38. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
AFTER AN OFF DAY: The Cubs have won their last three games on the road following a day off, making their record in such games 4-3. They finished 3-9 in those games a year ago. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
FRIDAY ON MY MIND: And the Cubs are 6-4 on Friday on the road. They wound up 4-9 last year. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CRAIG COUNSELL: The Cubs manager turns 56 today.
TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: The Cubs trail 5-4 going to the bottom of the ninth when RBI singles by Henry Rodriguez and José Hernandez give them a 6-5 walk-off win over the Giants. It happened 28 years ago today, Friday, Aug. 21, 1998.
Matthew Boyd had been so good in his first nine starts back from his knee injury that his four-homer clunker against the Cardinals last Saturday was pretty shocking.
Even with that awful game he’s still at a 3.22 ERA and 1.179 WHIP over the 10 starts since his return, covering 67 innings, which is also good — he’s giving the team length. The 12 home runs allowed in that span are a bit concerning.
Last year when the Mariners came to Wrigley Field and pounded homers all over the place, Boyd held them to two runs in five innings.
Current Mariners are batting .226 against him in a small sample size (7-for-31) with one home run (Cal Raleigh).
Emerson Hancock is having the best year of his career, and over his last eight starts: 2.72 ERA, 1.279 WHIP. He doesn’t walk guys (6.2 percent walk rate) so the Cubs should look to put the ball in play.
Last year at Wrigley Field on June 21, the Cubs scored nine runs in four innings off Hancock, including a home run by Michael Busch and two long balls from Ian Happ.
Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. It’s also on MLB Network (outside the Cubs and Mariners market territories).
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You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
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Aug 18, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Detroit Tigers third baseman Kevin McGonigle (7) throws to first base for an out against Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter Bryan Reynolds (not pictured) during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Detroit Tigers (61-64) vs. Kansas City Royals (55-74)
The belief — for these two and the injured big bats (Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger) — is they will be fine for October.
“Not great news. Could have been worse,” said McMahon, who learned that the thumb he believed was jammed instead had suffered a grade 2 sprain that forced him to the injured list before Friday’s series opener in The Bronx against the Blue Jays.
McMahon still took ground balls and swung Friday but said taking cuts was “getting tough” after hurting the left thumb on a slide in Baltimore on Wednesday. If he must undergo surgery — a notion he said was not likely — the procedure can wait for the offseason. McMahon hoped that on the other side of an IL trip he believes will require the 10-day minimum, the swelling will be gone and he will be ready for the stretch run.
Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon (19) throws out Seattle Mariners pinch hitter Cole Young (2) (not pictured) after fielding a ground ball. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Even if this means the Yankees will be playing some combination of Amed Rosario (who started at third Friday), Max Schuemann (who was called up with the corresponding move) and José Caballero at the position against a couple of rivals.
“It sucks,” McMahon said about the timing. “I mean, we got Toronto coming in here. We got Boston [next weekend]. These are the fun games, man.”
The most fun will come in the postseason, presuming the Yankees avoid a September nosedive. The club’s best hopes in October will come from the front of their rotation, and Fried is confident the club will have three healthy aces.
Yankees pitcher Max Fried (54) reacts after he walks Seattle Mariners designated hitter Dominic Canzone. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Placed on the IL on Monday, Fried addressed reporters for the first time since the official return of his elbow bone bruise.
“We just decided that it was better to just take a little bit of a breather now,” Fried said, “so that the rest of the season hopefully goes accordingly.”
At least at the moment, he and the club do not believe this breather will be long. Manager Aaron Boone reiterated that Fried could miss the minimum 15 days, and the lefty has continued throwing and is set to return to pitching off a mound Saturday. If the bullpen session goes well, Fried would throw a live batting practice early next week, Boone said, and could be back by the end of the month.
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Fried said he had not felt the recurrence of what he called “soreness” of his elbow until his Aug. 13 start against the Mariners, after which he informed the team trainers. His previous bout with the bone bruise cost him more than two months, but he said the May injury “was definitely more intense, more pain.”
Fried blamed his own mechanics for the aggravation. According to the veteran, he has not found consistency in release and has not “given my arm a chance to follow through properly.”
“I’ve been fighting my mechanics a lot this year,” added Fried, who owns a 2.81 ERA in 15 starts. “[I will be] using this time to really focus on that, get better with the timing and kind of isolate the problem.”
He said surgery is not a concern or option for now or later. He anticipates using the winter to fully reset his elbow.
“Once the offseason hits and I have the ability to rest and not throw and get that area to heal, it shouldn’t be a problem,” said Fried, who with Gerrit Cole and Cam Schlittler could be the key to the Yankees ending their World Series drought. “But that’s kind of the thing: You don’t want it to get too bad to where it turns into a fracture.”
So he and McMahon are taking a break they don’t anticipate will be lengthy.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 21: Jacob Misiorowski #32 of the Milwaukee Brewers reacts against the Atlanta Braves in the sixth inning at American Family Field on August 21, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
When you have a matchup of Jacob Misiorowski and Chris Sale on the mound, you just know runs are going to be at a premium. Sure enough, they were.
Jacob Misiorowski did not have his best stuff from the jump in this game. His first at-bat fastballs were sitting 101 MPH, which is still ridiculous but below the usual level we see from Misiorowski at the beginning of ballgames.
He went to a more slider/cutter heavy arsenal in this game to compensate and struggled with location largely. But still, he managed to allow just four hits and no runs over his six innings of work.
“Body felt a little off, nothing weird. One of those days where it’s just a down day, gotta grind through it and make it work” Misiorowski said.
“I think today teaches him ‘I got to pitch a little bit, I got to make pitches’. And yeah he looked a little fatigued to me, he didn’t have his good rhythm, but again we’re talking about an elite level talent” Pat Murphy said.
The Brewers did all of their scoring in the 3rd inning, starting with a leadoff single from the 9-hole hitter Luis Lara. Jackson Chourio followed with a single of his own, then William Contreras delivered with his second of four singles on the afternoon. With runners at the corners and one out, Andrew Vaughn just barely beat out a double play to plate a second run and give the Crew a 2-0 lead.
Milwaukee was able to land eight hits off of Chris Sale, all of which were singles. Still, Sale buckled first before rebounding to throw scoreless frames over his final three.
Both Sale and Misiorowski threw six innings, both struck out six batters, Sale threw 94 pitches, Misiorowski threw 96, Sale gave up two runs while Miz gave up zero.
Then in the 8th inning, the Braves had their best chance of the day, facing Antonio Senzatela for a second inning as the Brewers are stretched thin in their bullpen with a couple of arms down. They were hitting the ball hard and were able to plate a run on an RBI single from Michael Harris II. The bases were loaded with two outs and Senzatela gave up a hard hit ball to Mauricio Dubon, but it found Luis Lara’s glove as the Brewers escaped the frame with a 2-1 lead.
Then Murphy turned the ball over to Trevor Megill for the 9th as he converted his 16th consecutive save opportunity. His streak of not allowing a base hit, which dated back to July 25th, came to an end on a two out single by Mike Yastrzemski. But Megill struck out Ronald Acuna to end the game and secure the series opening victory.
The Brewers will play the Braves in the afternoon again tomorrow before heading out to Williamsport for the Little League Classic.
For the first time since getting traded to the Mets in the offseason, Luis Robert Jr. returns to the South Side of Chicago, where he began his career and played for six seasons.
During his stint with the White Sox, Robert totaled 102 home runs, 115 doubles and 102 steals while slashing .259/.313/.455 for a .767 OPS in just 577 games as he struggled to stay on the field consistently.
“It was a time where there was a lot of highs and lows, both personally as a player but also for the team,” Robert said through an interpreter. “When I first got here, the team played really well, but those last few years we didn’t get the job done that we wanted to. But at the same time I can look back at it as a beautiful journey and a beautiful experience for me.”
Robert’s best season came in 2023 when he belted 38 home runs and 36 doubles to go along with 20 steals while driving in 80 runs and hitting .264. That year, the center fielder also played a career-high 145 games and was selected to his first and only All-Star Game.
In prime position for his career to take off from there, the 29-year-old had back-to-back disappointing seasons as injuries continued to pile up for him.
Traded to the Mets for Luisangel Acuña – in the White Sox lineup on Friday night batting seventh and playing shortstop – in the offseason as a potential high-ceiling player who could benefit from a change of scenery, Robert has once again been unable to stay on the field, playing in just 49 games.
“This season has been pretty similar to how other parts of my career have gone where I’ve been hurt, where I’ve been off the field,” he said. “But I think right now the most important thing for me is to finish the season strong and just go out there and try to be the best version of myself.”
While Robert has been hitting the ball better over his last 15 games, he’s still hitting just .215 with a .652 OPS and has even been plucked from his center field position to a foray in left field to give way to the rookie A.J. Ewing’s development.
Robert, who missed a significant amount of time this year due to a lumbar spine disc herniation, admitted that it’s been a difficult, albeit familiar, season.
“It’s difficult when you prepare yourself all offseason to be healthy, you work on your body and for it to happen the way that it did this season is just really disappointing,” he said.
As for his return to Chicago, Robert said it’s exciting but also a weird feeling coming back as a visitor and is unsure how the fans will react to him in the game, although he hopes it’s a positive reaction.
He also mentioned he’s not surprised that the White Sox (66-61, first place in the AL Central) have played well this season following three consecutive seasons of 100 or more losses.
“It doesn’t surprise me at all,” Robert said. “Before I got traded in the offseason, I saw the moves that they were making and the necessary moves to improve the team and that’s what they were doing, so seeing how they’re playing right now doesn’t surprise me at all.”
