MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 28: Danny Jansen #9 of the Texas Rangers catches a bunt in front of home plate for an out against the Milwaukee Brewers in the sixth inning at American Family Field on August 28, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Texas Rangers scored one run but the Milwaukee Brewers scored six runs.
I did not have much hope for the Rangers to beat the Brewers tonight and they lo and behold, they did not.
In fact, the Rangers trailed 2-0 after one inning and the writing was pretty much already on the wall. That the game remained close through much of the evening was only a mirage as the Rangers didn’t collect their second hit of the night until the eighth inning, which is also when they had their one and only at-bat with RISP.
Despite being one mighty speculative swing away from tying the game for many innings, it never really felt like Texas was close to eclipsing the early scant deficit they found themselves in against baseball’s best club. Eventually Milwaukee made even running into one a moot proposition as they displayed their superiority in the late innings.
After scoring their one run of the night on their first hit via a solo home run from No. 9 hitter Danny Jansen in the top of the third, the next Ranger to reach was Justin Foscue on an infield single with an out in the eighth inning. Following an out and a walk, Jansen grounded out to end Texas’ first and only threat.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee had 14 hits. Perhaps the best thing you can say is tonight’s starter Cody Bradford and the Rangers walked a tightrope to prevent this from turning into a disaster until much later than it seemed it would as the Brewers left eleven on base while going just 4-for-15 with RISP while Texas had two non-Jansen dinger base runners all night.
Player of the Game: Jansen’s fifth home run of the season prevented the ignominy of a shutout loss.
Up Next: The Rangers and Brewers are back at it tomorrow evening with staff ace Cal Quantrill set to take the mound for Texas against LHP Shane Drohan for Milwaukee.
The Saturday evening first pitch from American Family Field is scheduled for 6:15 pm CDT and will be aired nationally on FOX.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 28: First baseman Paul Goldschmidt #48 of the New York Yankees hits the ball while playing the Boston Red Sox in the first inning at Yankee Stadium on August 28, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Benjamin B. Braun/Getty Images) | Getty Images
How many scoring chances can two teams accumulate without actually driving in runs? The Yankees and Red Sox played a game hellbent on figuring that out. In the end, one timely homer from Paul Goldschmidt was enough to supplement the effort from Cam Schlittler, the Yankees’ bullpen, and left fielder Cody Bellinger to earn a shutout win, beating Boston 1-0.
More than either lineup, failing to get anything going in the early innings of this matchup, no one was having a worse time than the umpire, Edwin Moscoso, seeing both offenses asking for challenges every other at-bat. The Yankees and Sox combined to get five challenges right in a row before Boston lost its first in the top of the third on a Schlittler curve to Willson Contreras, nicking the top of the zone—eventually punching out the first baseman.
With multiple changes in premium spots in the order against a left-handed starter, the Yankees needed those players to perform in favorable matchups, and in tonight’s game, they were 1-for-2 in that department. First came the frustration in the opening inning, seeing Heliot Ramos punched out on three pitches to strand Ben Rice at second, but a few frames later, the power of Goldschmidt showed up to give the Yankees the lead.
Goldy was looking hard in and ambushed a sinker right at the edge for a home run worthy of this team’s top sluggers.
Facing Schlittler for the fourth time this season, the Red Sox came up with a plan to be patient as a team, working five walks against him. While it is arguable that those free passes were as much his fault as Boston genuinely executing a patient approach at a high level, they managed to really drive up his pitch count, even if the zeroes remained on the board. By the time Schlittler completed the fourth inning, he was already well over 70 pitches and destined for a short start.
Although they had gotten players on before, the Red Sox had their biggest threat against Schlittler in the top of the fifth. A Ceddane Rafaela single—then Boston’s only second hit of the game—set up a two-on-one-out situation for the third-hole hitter. Wilyer Abreu hit a sinking liner to center that Trent Grisham caught, reading it well, certainly far better than Rafaela, who was left in no man’s land and thrown out at first for the double play to end the frame.
The Yankee starter was one out away from grinding out six innings, but a two-out walk not only led to a hook but nearly created a blowup inning. In continuity with the self-imposed challenges of handing out free baserunners, Brent Headrick faced a sequence of three pinch-hitters as the Sox turned over the bottom of the order against a lefty—Headrick allowed a walk and an infield hit to load the bases before narrowly escaping the inning, inducing a lineout to left from Andruw Monasterio.
It’s one thing to be leading a game, but another entirely to be in control of it. And with a 1-0 lead, the Yankees had the chance to seize that control with an opportunistic inning after escaping that bases-loaded threat in the top of the sixth, only to fall flat like the Red Sox offense in their scoring opportunities. New York loaded the bases with just one out against Sandoval, leading the Sox to bring in the righty Greg Weissert. The former Yankee retired George Lombard Jr. with a lineout too short for a tag play and then bullied Jazz Chisholm Jr. into a strikeout, whiffing on nothing but heaters.
Speaking of control, with the bullpens coming into play, the momentum of this game seemed to be continuously shifting all without the actual score moving. In the seventh, Paul Blackburn came in after Headrick retired the inning’s leadoff hitter and then experienced both sides of the coin when it comes to defensive impact. First, a jam was formed courtesy of a lousy read by Ramos on a softly-hit fly ball that dropped in down the right-field line—that double would’ve driven in a run had it not gone over the wall and out of play.
Much like the Yankees, the Sox also hit a sinking liner with a runner at third and fewer than two outs—Rafaela defied his third-base coach and tried to score on Cody Bellinger, an ill-advised move, and was gunned down at the plate to preserve the 1-0 score. At 99.7 mph, it was the third-fastest throw of Bellinger’s superb career and the third-fastest by a Yankee since they started tracking via Statcast in 2015.
After the seventh inning, the relievers on both sides actually started working clean innings, including the case for Blackburn himself in the eighth and David Bednar in the ninth, securing his 31st save of the season with three consecutive popups. It was a nailbiter, but the Yanks left with the 1-0 triumph.
Making up for a postponed game over two months ago, the Yankees and Red Sox will play a southpaw showcase split-admission doubleheader on Saturday. Carlos Rodón gets the ball in the opener against fellow lefty Jake Bennett, while Max Fried starts the nightcap against an unknown Boston starter (Brayan Bello is expected to at least get a chunk of those innings). Fried will be making his first start back after returning from an IL stint that turned out to be way shorter than expected. The first game will start at 1:05pm ET, while the second one has its first pitch at 7:05pm ET.
The preseason is officially in the rearview mirror for the Los Angeles Rams, and now the attention shifts toward the games that actually count. After wrapping up their preseason slate, the Rams have plenty of reasons to feel encouraged, but there are also several major questions that must be answered before the regular-season opener.
With the roster deadline approaching and the first game less than two weeks away, here are four takeaways from the Rams’ final preseason game.
First Down: Rams Put Together a “Historic” Offensive Performance
The Rams’ offense provided plenty of reason for optimism throughout the preseason, but the most impressive aspect may have been what happened — or didn’t happen — up front.
The Rams did not concede a single sack in any of their preseason games.
No team since at least 1999 has gone through the entire preseason with no sacks or turnovers until the Rams this year.
That’s an impressive accomplishment regardless of the competition, especially considering how many different combinations of offensive linemen typically receive playing time during the preseason. Protection is one of the biggest concerns for any offense entering a new season, and Los Angeles appears to have established a strong foundation with their starters but also their depth in this case.
Keeping quarterbacks upright has been a consistent priority for Sean McVay, and the Rams’ ability to avoid giving up sacks throughout the preseason could be an early indication that the offensive line is ready for the regular season. Kudos to Ryan Wendell.
Second Down: Tight Squeeze for Rams Draft Picks
The Rams’ 2026 draft class has generated plenty of excitement, but the final roster could tell a different story for some of the team’s rookies.
Wide receiver CJ Daniels and defensive tackle Tim Keenan III appear to be on the bubble as the Rams make their final roster decisions.
That would be notable considering Los Angeles entered the draft with limited draft capital. If Daniels and Keenan don’t make the 53-man roster, two of the Rams’ five draft picks would fail to make the initial team.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the draft class was unsuccessful. Players can develop on the practice squad and eventually work their way onto the active roster. Still, it would be an unusual outcome and shows just how difficult it is for rookies to immediately establish themselves in a competitive NFL roster.
Third Down: Ty Simpson May Have Been the Right Pick
There were plenty of analysts who believed the Rams reached when they selected quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick.
The preseason, however, has provided some evidence that Los Angeles may have identified a potential gem.
Simpson has shown enough to make the Rams’ decision look increasingly defensible. His physical tools, poise and ability to operate within McVay’s system have stood out, particularly for a young quarterback making the transition to the NFL.
It’s obviously far too early to declare Simpson a franchise quarterback based on preseason performances. But if he continues developing, the Rams could eventually look back at No. 13 of the 2026 draft as one of the more important picks of the McVay era.
Fourth Down: Potential Suspensions Loom
Perhaps the biggest uncertainty surrounding the Rams isn’t even related to the roster.
With the regular-season opener now less than 14 days away, questions remain regarding potential suspensions for Alaric Jackson and Puka Nacua.
The possibility of either player missing time continues to be a major talking point as Los Angeles prepares for the regular season. Jackson’s potential absence would impact the offensive line, while losing Nacua would create an even more significant challenge for an offense expecting him to be one of its primary weapons.
The Rams can prepare for several possibilities, but until the NFL makes its decisions, there remains a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the roster.
The preseason is over. Now, the Rams have to turn their attention toward making the final cuts, preparing for potential absences and getting ready for the games that matter most.
Aug 28, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays left fielder Jesus Sanchez (12) reacts as he gets hit by a Seattle Mariners pitch during the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Mariners 1 Blue Jays 8
Today’s game was soooo much more fun than yesterday’s.
First, Dylan Cease was excellent—six innings, just four hits, one walk and eight strikeouts. The run against was a home run by the second batter of the day. We were a little worried for a moment. But just a moment. He came out at 92 pitches. I’m happy that John didn’t have him go 100+
And we scored early and often. It’s been 10 days since we’ve scored 8 runs (10 really, against the Rays). Today we scored:
Three in the first: Brett Bateman singled and stole second. Nathan Lukes ground out to the pitcher, who tagged him, but hurt something while doing it. They talked for a bit, but left him in the game. Vladimir Guerrero followed with a double down the right-field line, scoring Bateman. George Springer singled. Jesús Sánchez was hit by pitch. Kazuma Okamoto drove Vlad in with a sac fly. And Andrés Giménez singled home Springer.
Two in the fifth: Lukes homered and an out later Springer homered.
One in the sixth: Okamoto homered.
Two in the seventh: Lukes walked, and an out later, Springer singled. And Myles Straw singled, bringing in run #7. Okamoto reached on an error by J.P. Crawford, bringing in the 8th run.
We had 11 hits, but, even better, we had 3 home runs. Springer had 4 hits, bringing his average up to .251 from .243. Bateman had 2 hits. Sanchez (0 for 2, hit batter), Clement (0 for 4, k), and Valenzuela (0 for 3, walks) had the 0-fors.
Valenzuela made a great throw to second to catch Randy Arozarena stealing in the third inning, when the game was still close.
Jays of the Day: Cease (0.19 WPA) and Springer (0.13).
No one gets the Other Award. The low mark was Valenzuela at -0.02, but then the caught stealing would have erased that.
Tomorrow, we have a 3:00 Eastern start time. Kade Anderson, making his second MLB start, goes for the Mariners. He went 5.2 innings, giving up 3 earned runs in his first start. José Soriano (1-1, 4.22 in four starts with the Jays) is our guy.
The Yankees emerged from Friday's series opener against the Boston Red Sox with a 1-0 win to start this
Takeaways
Evenwhen RHP Cam Schlittler does not have his best stuff, he owns Boston. Schlittler (12-6, 2.09 ERA) allowed a season-high-tying four walks, issuing three or more free passes for the third straight start, but kept the Red Sox (73-61) scoreless with two hits in 5.2 IP. Throwing 63 strikes on 102 pitches, Schlittler fanned eight, becoming the fourth-youngest Yankee to 200 strikeouts in a season. He has a 0.56 ERA across five games against Boston in the regular season and playoffs, allowing two earned runs over 32.2 IP.
His dominance was necessary on an evening in which the Yankees (76-58) once again struggled offensively after Thursday's 5-1 loss to the Houston Astros. Leadoff-batting 1B Paul Goldschmidt's one-out solo shot in the third inning on a 1-0 fastball at 97 mph against Patrick Sandoval was a home run to left field that the Yankees desperately needed. Goldschmidt's 17th homer of the season broke a scoreless tie and gave Schlittler a lead to work with, putting New York ahead and turning into the decisive offense by either team. Goldschmidt's first long ball since July 24 was the difference in a 1-for-4 night that brought his slash line to .247/.311/.455 with 45 RBI through 91 games this season.
Despite New York's disappointing offense, the defense made a pair of game-saving plays. With one out in the fourth inning, 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s heads up play -- turning CF Trent Grisham's throw to the infield into a toss to first, doubling up Ceddane Rafaela after Wilyer Abreu's lineout -- got Schlittler out of a potential jam. In the seventh inning with one out and the bases loaded, LF Cody Bellinger's perfect throw to the plate sniped Rafaela at home and doubled up the Red Sox on Willson Contreras' flyout, keeping the Yankees' 1-0 lead into the eighth.
With the win, the Yankees even the season series with the Red Sox at 5-5 and go up three games on Boston in the Wild Card standings. The Rays' 9-4 win over the San Diego Padres keeps Tampa Bay (80-54) ahead of New York by four games in the division, but the Yankees rebounded after dropping 2 of 3 against the Astros this week. Will they make the most of their one-score survival entering a pivotal weekend?
Who's the MVP?
Schlittler, whose scoreless start paved the way for the bullpen of LHP Brent Headrick, and RHPs Paul Blackburn and David Bednar -- who earned his 31st save -- in a game that the Yankees needed.
New York and Boston continue their four-game series Saturday when they return to Yankee Stadium for a 1:05 p.m. start, the first of two games for a doubleheader in the Bronx. The Yankees have not announced a starting pitcher, but LHP Max Fried(4-4, 2.81 ERA) will start one of Saturday's games as he returns from his left elbow bone bruise. The Red Sox, meanwhile, are set to start LHP Jake Bennett (8-6, 3.49 ERA).
Aug 28, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown (58) pitches against the New York Mets during the fifth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Though the Mets struck first in this game, they ultimately fell to the Astros 3-1, as Hunter Brown out-dueled Christian Scott, who was let down by the usually solid Nate Lavender in the sixth.
Technical difficulties with both television broadcasts due to a power outage in the truck meant that just like everybody else, I did not see the first four outs of this game, but both teams went quietly in the first inning. This repeated itself in the second inning; Christian Scott induced three ground ball outs in the top of the frame and Francisco Lindor made a very nice play to his right on one of them. Hunter Brown struck out six Mets in the first three innings, while Scott still had no strikeouts through four, but was still efficient.
The Mets finally managed to break through against Hunter Brown in the bottom of the fourth. Francisco Lindor led things off with a single. Bo Bichette was then retired on a fly out, but Carson Benge then doubled off the center field wall and Lindor scored on an aggressive send by Tim Leiper. Luckily for the Mets, the relay throw was off line to an almost absurd degree and Lindor scored easily, giving the Mets a 1-0 lead. Brown avoided further damage in the inning and then wriggled his way out of a jam in the fifth when Marcus Semien hit a leadoff single and Luis Torrens advanced him to third with one out. This was another situation where the Astros had a chance to nab a Met on the base paths with an accurate throw, but again the throw—this time by Daulton Varsho from center—was comically inaccurate. But Brown rendered this irrelevant by getting A.J. Ewing, who continues to struggle mightily at the plate, to ground into a double play, as his month without any runs batted in continued.
The sixth turned out to be the decisive frame for the Astros. Scott, who had been cruising, struck out Jeremy Peña to lead off the inning, but then issued three straight walks, the third of which to Jose Altuve on nine pitches. That ended Scott’s evening just shy of 100 pitches and Andy Green turned to Nate Lavender to navigate out of the bases loaded jam. Unfortunately, Lavender—who had been so steady since being called up—cracked this time. Daulton Varsho muscled a low pitch into right field for a single to give the Astros a 2-1 lead. Yanier Diaz followed with a single of his own off the end of the bat to plate the third run of the inning. All three runs were charged to Scott, but they ended Lavender’s spotless record with inherited runners.
Jonathan Pintaro pitched a scoreless seventh for the Mets, thanks in part to an excellent stab by Bo Bichette on an Isaac Paredes hot shot to third, which Bichette was able to convert into an inning ending double play. In the bottom of the frame, Marcus Semien laced a single with two outs, which finally ended Hunter Brown’s night. Brown did what other Astros pitchers have mostly been unable to do this season: go deep into the ballgame. He made way for Bryan Abreu, who allowed Semien to advance into scoring position on a wild pitch, but he bounced back to strike out Brett Baty to end the threat.
Both Dedniel Núñez and Kodai Senga kept the Mets within striking distance with dominant innings in the eighth and ninth, respectively, each notching a pair of strikeouts. But the Mets were retired in order in the eighth by Abreu and in the ninth by Josh Hader, who earned his 20th save of the season.
Big Mets winner: Christian Scott, +12% WPA Big Mets loser: Nate Lavender, -26% WPA Mets pitchers: -6% WPA Mets hitters: -44% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Carson Benge’s RBI double in the fourth, +14.7% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Daulton Varsho’s go-ahead RBI single in the sixth, -24.4% WPA
TORONTO, ON - AUGUST 28: Dylan Cease #84 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches in the first inning during a game against the Seattle Mariners at Rogers Centre on August 28, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Despite working with some of his worst stuff of the season, Dylan Cease carved through the Mariners’ lineup tonight. The Cy Young frontrunner did it the same way he did when he faced Seattle two months ago: sliders and changeups tumbling, pushing the Mariners to chase the fastball high. The meanest pitch was the one sinker he threw, a beauty that started out of the zone and snuck back in, freezing J.P. Crawford like a statue. Frankly, it was excessive.
Across two starts against the Mariners this season, Cease now has 17 strikeouts in 13 innings, against two walks and seven hits. For a guy who’s more of a whiff generator, the 33 called strikes stand out as a master class in getting what should be a good offense utterly puzzled as to what’s happening.
But even while he’s been locked in, he has not mastered his own humanity. And a classic human failing is hubris. So when he got Dominic Canzone to just stare helplessly at a middle-middle fastball in the first inning, Cease thought he could do no wrong. He tried it again. It didn’t go as well. A 113-mph rocket to right field gave Dom his 20th home run of the season. He’s gone yard off of four-seamers, two-seamers, cutters, sliders, curveballs, changeups, and splitters. He’s hit ‘em on the road and he’s hit em’ at home, on native soil and abroad, against righties and against lefties. It’s been a minute since we got a Dom bomb, but he’s been looking just fine, and you cannot sneak the same pitch by him twice, even if you’re one of the best pitchers in the game. This big fly, essentially the Mariners only offense in a blowout, and a salve from the barrage of hits off the bat of George Springer, gets Canzone his third Sun Hat Award.
The Mets offense couldn't muster much of anything in a 3-1 loss in the team's home series opener against the Houston Astros.
Here are the takeaways...
-- Right-handed flamethrower Hunter Brown didn't allow a single Mets baserunner until the third inning, when Marcus Semien drew a walk to lead off the frame.
-- Francisco Lindor led off the following inning with a single to notch the first Mets hit of the night. With one out, Carson Benge drove Lindor all the way home from first base with a double which clattered off the wall in center field. Benge moved up to third base on a Luis Robert Jr. ground out, but Jared Young flied out to left field to leave him on base with the Mets leading 1-0.
-- Brown escaped a jam in the fifth, with the Mets putting runners on first and third with one out. A.J. Ewing grounded into a double play.
-- Mets starter Christian Scott held the Astros to just one hit through five innings. However, in the sixth inning, after striking out Jeremy Pena to open the inning, Scott lost control, walking three straight batters to load the bases. Interim skipper Andy Green took the ball from his starter and called in lefty Nate Lavender from the bullpen. Lavender allowed his first runs (inherited, not earned) of 2026 when Daulton Varsho golfed a low breaking ball on an 0-2 count into right field to drive in two runners. The Astros tacked on a third run in the inning after Yainer Diaz poked a soft line drive into right field to beat New York's defensive shift. The inning ended with the Mets trailing 3-1.
-- After the wheels fell off in the sixth inning when all three Astros batters he walked came around to score, Scott's final line was stamped in as 5.1 IP, one hit allowed, five walks allowed, two strikeouts, and three earned runs across 96 pitches.
-- Semien's second single of the night finally knocked Brown out of the ballgame in the seventh inning. Houston's ace pitched to the tune of 6.2 innings, 10 strikeouts, one walk, five hits, and one earned run allowed. Bryan Abreu came in to relieve Brown with two outs away, and his wild pitch allowed Semien to advance to second base, but Abreu battled back to strike out Brett Baty and end the seventh inning.
-- Astros closer Josh Hader notched his 20th save of the season to put the nail in the coffin on a 3-1 Mets loss.
Game MVP: Hunter Brown
Brown was dominant all night, delivering a much-needed performance for an Astros team that is clinging onto a narrow lead in the AL West.
TORONTO, ON - AUGUST 28: George Springer #4 of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrates after hitting a solo home run in the fifth inning during a game against the Seattle Mariners at Rogers Centre on August 28, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Blue Jays 8, Mariners 1
Notes from a secret admirer: Dominic Canzone, +0.03 WPA Keeping secrets: Emerson Hancock, -0.26 WPA
TAMPA, Fla — The Tampa Bay Rays got county approval Friday on a financing plan that will allow them to build a new stadium, a day after city officials approved their part for the $2.3 billion ballpark project that will replace the domed Tropicana Field.
The Hillsborough County Commission voted 5-2 on Friday to approve its $796 million share of the mixed-use entertainment district that includes a new 31,000-seat stadium that will be near Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Rays’ new stadium is expected to open in 2029. The Tampa City Council city voted 4-3 on Thursday to approve $80 million.
Rays CEO Ken Babby said the team’s partnership with the county and city on the project secures the long-term future of Major League Baseball in Tampa Bay.
“We now look forward to celebrating before breaking ground with Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa on a future that has long been doubted, but will indeed happen,” Babby said. “By making the Forever Home a reality, the Rays are now home forever in Tampa Bay.”
The Rays have committed to contributing at least $1.3 billion, plus any cost overruns. Another $30 million will come from federal disaster recovery funds.
The Rays ownership reached an agreement earlier this year with Hillsborough College to build the stadium and entertainment district on the campus and to renovate some of the school’s buildings. The property is located next to the New York Yankees’ spring training facility and across a highway from the NFL stadium.
Since the team’s inception in 1998, the Rays have played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, except for moving home games to the Yankees’ George M. Steinbrenner Field in 2025 following hurricane damage at the Trop. The Rays’ lease runs through at least the 2028 season. The team returned to the Trop last month for the start of this season.
A proposed $1.3 billion redevelopment deal for a new ballpark adjacent to the Trop fell through last year, raising new questions about the future of the team, which was bought last September by Patrick Zalupski’s ownership group.
“This has been a long and challenging process, and we know that transformational projects rarely come easily,” Zalupski said Friday. “Today’s vote represents an extraordinary milestone, not simply for the Rays or for a ballpark, but for the future of Tampa and the entire Tampa Bay region.”
BOSTON, MA - AUGUST 22: Blade Tidwell #46 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the game at Fenway Park on August 22, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants continue this four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight from Oracle Park.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Blade Tidwell, who enters tonight’s game with a 3.58 ERA, 3.51 FIP, with 27 strikeouts to 12 walks in 32.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 3-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, in which he allowed just three hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in five and two thirds innings.
He’ll be facing off against Diamondbacks left-handed rookie Kohl Drake, who enters tonight’s game with a 5.40 ERA, 5.48 FIP, with 13 strikeouts to six walks in 16.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Diamondbacks’ 5-1 loss to the San Diego Padres on August 6th, in which he allowed three runs on six hits with one strikeout and one walk in three and two thirds innings.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - AUGUST 28: Tarik Skubal #29 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws a first inning pitch against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on August 28, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers (81-54) snapped their mini losing streak with a 2-1 win over the Tigers (62-72) Friday night in Detroit.
Tarik Skubal wasn’t involved in the decision, but his return to Comerica Park was a success. He allowed one run on four hits with seven strikeouts and no walks over six innings of work.
The Dodgers had tons of traffic all night, but they failed to cash in a whopping 15 men left on base. Skubal and the bullpen did a solid job in taming the bats of some good young players in the Detroit lineup.
Skubal returned to the mound at Comerica Park to a mixed response and weak ovation. Gleyber Torres welcomed him back with a booming double to center field to start things off for the Tigers.
Skubal struck out the side in the bottom of the fourth, picking up six strikeouts. Max Clark whiffed against the change to open the third. Skubal came back to strikeout Javier Baez with his fastball for strikeout no. 5, and Gleyber Torres looked at a changeup for strike 3 and another Skubal strikeout.
The Dodgers loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth, chasing Anderson from the game a bit early. Teoscar Hernández opened the inning with a single, and Ohtani walked.
Drew Sommers relieved his fellow Drew (Anderson) out of the Detroit bullpen to face Muncy with the bases loaded. Sommers got the job done, striking out Muncy with the four-seamer to strand another three runners. The Dodgers already left seven men on base through five innings to that point.
Skubal was perfect after the leadoff Torres double to start the game, but Eduardo Valencia broke up the streak with a leadoff double in the bottom of the seventh.
The Tigers’ No. 1 prospect Clark figured out Skubal in his second at-bat against him. His RBI triple lit up the crowd and put the Tigers ahead 1-0 against their old friend Skubal and his new team.
Kiké Hernández singled to right after Tucker reached second on an error, but Dino Ebel gave Tucker an aggressive wave home. Ben Malgeri threw him out at the plate from right field. Even when they managed a hit with runners in scoring position, the Dodgers failed to score.
Miguel Rojas was the one who came up with the game-tying pinch-hit single against Sommers.
The Dodgers loaded the bases in the seventh against the Detroit bullpen, but they failed to capture the go-ahead run.
Evan Phillips took over for Skubal out of the Dodgers bullpen and struck out the side on 10 pitches. Phillips has been back on track in his last 4-5 relief appearances.
Teoscar opened the eighth inning with a single and advanced to second on a Ben Rortvedt sac bunt. Teoscar moved to third on Ohtani’s groundout.
Freeman’s two-out base hit to center finally gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.
The Dodgers finally put together a key double play of their own in the bottom of the eighth behind Brock Stewart. It got Stewart off the hook for a leadoff walk to Clark and Brett Callahan base hit.
Tanner Scott got the ball in the ninth and shut the door on the Tigers for his 20th save of the season and halted the mini losing skid.
Friday particulars
Home runs: none
WP — Evan Phillips (2-2): 1 IP, 3 strikeouts
LP — Jacob Waguespack (1-2): 1 1/3 IP, 2 hits, 1 run
S — Tanner Scott (20): 2 strikeouts in 1 IP
Up next
The Dodgers and Pirates continue the series on Saturday (10:10 a.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Blake Snell (2-1, 2.57 ERA, 1.05 WHIP) counters Keider Montero (9-8, 3.30 ERA, 1.00 WHIP).
In his first game back in Detroit since being traded to the Dodgers, Tarik Skubal held the Tigers to four hits and one run in the Dodgers' 2-1 victory. (Paul Sancya / Associated Press)
As Tarik Skubal crossed the field from the bullpen, he had to crane his neck to catch part of the tribute video playing on the massive screen behind him.
By the time he reached the Dodgers dugout, the crowd rose to give him an ovation. Skubal controlled his expression and wiped his face with the towel draped over his neck.
Less than four weeks ago, he said goodbye to the only organization he’d known — the Detroit Tigers drafted him in 2018 out of Seattle University. Now, he was back in the ballpark he’d called home for six years.
In the Dodgers’ 2-1 win Friday, Skubal showed why he was widely considered the best player available at the trade deadline, holding the Tigers to one run and four hits over six innings. The Dodgers’ offense continued to scuffle but did just enough to bounce back from a three-game sweep in Atlanta — the 14th time this month they played a game decided by a single run.
Skubal’s reception included some boos (and “Scuuuub”s) as he took the mound. Even though the trade was out of Skubal’s control, a faction of the Tigers fan base — including this reporter’s rideshare driver from the airport — was upset Skubal never reached an agreement for a contract extension with Detroit (62-72).
The Tigers’ last publicly discussed extension offer was four years and $75 million at the end of 2024 — which drastically pales in comparison to the contract he’s expected to garner in free agency this offseason.
The mutual affection between the player and Detroit, however, took center stage Friday, even as Skubal tamed the Tigers’ offense.
He quickly reined in his emotions. After a delay for a PitchCom malfunction, Skubal gave up a leadoff double to Detroit’s Gleyber Torres on a fastball down the middle. But then the left-hander retired the next 12 batters.
Skubal struck out the side in the third inning, getting Max Clark to swing through a changeup, Javier Báez to chase a high fastball and Torres to watch an off-speed pitch clip the bottom of the zone.
That streak ended with a double up the left-field line from Eduardo Valencia, who turned on an inside slider to lead off the fifth. Then with two outs, Clark stayed back on an outside fastball and sent it the other way for a triple that drove in the game’s first run.
Skubal induced Báez to fly out to center field and punched the palm of his glove on his way off the field.
The Dodgers (81-54) missed a chance to tie with one out in the sixth, when Kyle Tucker was thrown out at home trying to score on a pinch-hit single by Kiké Hernández. But they salvaged the inning when Teoscar Hernández drew a walk and Miguel Rojas smoked a single through the infield to tie the score.
In the seventh, the Dodgers loaded the bases with two outs and failed to squeeze in a run.
Evan Phillips took over on the mound in the bottom of the inning. Skubal’s pitch count stood at only 83, but he had thrown 100 pitches in each of his previous two starts.
The Dodgers finally took the lead in the eighth, manufacturing a run with singles from Teoscar Hernández and Freddie Freeman on either side of a sacrifice bunt from Ben Rortvedt.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - AUGUST 28: Starting pitcher Michael Wacha #52 of the Kansas City Royals pitches during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on August 28, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
What is there to say about Michael Wacha at this point? Do you think any teams are regretting not blowing the Royals away with an offer for him at the trade deadline? All I can say for sure is that the Royals and Royals fans can be very happy he’s still in KC, as he led the team to a 3-0 victory over the Guardians tonight.
Prior to tonight, Wacha’s best start of the season was back on April 11 when he pitched eight shutout innings against the White Sox. Tonight he matched that but struck out more, walked fewer, and allowed the same number of hits. To be specific, he gave up four hits (all singles), walked none, and struck out ten. Pretty damn good.
Early on, he looked fine but not utterly dominant. He got the first six outs in order, but only struck out one. The third inning was the first (and, as it turns out, only) inning he allowed multiple baserunners. In the bottom of the fourth, that all changed when he got José Ramírez to pop out to Carter Jensen, then struck out Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe. From then on, he struck out six while allowing only two more baserunners, including a strikeout looking of Steven Kwan to record his final out in the eighth. That made the first time Michael Wacha had struck out double digits in a game since he struck out 11 against KC for the Padres back in 2023.
The Royals’ offense appreciates the heck out of him for it because it was not a good night for them. They had multiple scoring opportunities, but struggled to get any of them home. Tanner Bibee got a lot of soft flyouts and popouts. The Royals’ only run of the night was scored in the fifth inning. Bobby Witt Jr. torched a ball over 110 MPH off the top of the high wall in left field. Jac Caglianone had gone 2-for-2 with a pair of singles prior to that point and hit a jam shot into right that Petey Halpin managed to run down, advancing Bobby to third. Then Salvy smoked a grounder that required Bryan Rochio to dive for it to keep it on the infield, but allowed Bobby to score easily.
The ninth inning was shaping up to be a disaster for the offense. Isaac Collins led off with a line drive into right that clanked off the glove of Jo Adell. Josh Rojas bunted him over to third, then the Royals pinch-ran Tyler Tolbert for him. The broadcast speculated that Kyle Isbel might attempt to squeeze him home, but instead Kyle swung away and struck out on a nasty Craig Yoho changeup. With two strikes, Carter Jensen seemed doomed to offer an encore of Isbel’s performance, and longtime Royals fans could just feel the Guardians gearing up for a walk-off win in the ninth off of Steven Cruz. But Yoho chose to offer a cutter to Carter instead of the changeup, and Carter got just enough of it to get it off the top of the wall and over.
The Missile still came on for the save in the ninth. He allowed two singles and a hit by pitch, but struck out a pair, including Ramírez, and got a soft ground out to end the game. So no harm was done.
Coming into tonight, both teams had been extremely hot and hitting the tar out of the ball. So naturally we had a low-scoring contest. But the good guys came out on top, and that’s what matters. They’ve got two more games in Cleveland and in August. Winning both of them would go a long way toward letting the dreamers dream.
The Royals will have a very tough matchup tomorrow afternoon. Seth Lugo (4.61 ERA, 4.51 SIERA) will go for KC. Foster Griffin (3.19 ERA, 3.86 SIERA) will go for Cleveland. The game will be at 3:10 Royals time. See you then.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - AUGUST 28: Tarik Skubal #29 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts walking to the dugout prior to playing the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on August 28, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Tigers were unable to spoil Tarik Skubal’s homecoming. The now Dodgers ace had a pretty normal, excellent but nothing special start, while Tigers pitching dealt with a ton of traffic on the bases all night long. They held up enough to make it close, but the offense couldn’t cope with Dodgers pitching, losing 2-1 in front of a big Friday night crowd at Comerica Park.
Drew Anderson took the mound against Tarik Skubal on Friday night in front of a pretty packed crowd out to welcome the former Tigers’ ace home, and hopefully beat him. Anderson started off well, quickly retiring the first two batters he faced, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman on swinging strike threes.. He then walked Mookie Betts and Max Muncy, but escaped by getting Tommy Edman to ground out to first.
At that point it was Skubal time, and the former Tigers’ ace was clearly feeling overwhelmed by emotion as he entered from the visitor’s bullpen to cheers and a video tribute on the scoreboard. He saluted the fans and his old teammates in the Tigers dugout as he wiped his eyes with a towel. He got a standing ovation as he took the mound in the bottom of the first, and then everyone got down to business again.
A first pitch Skubal heater was smoked for a double by Gleyber Torres, but the big lefty dialed in and punched out Hao-Yu Lee and Kevin McGonigle, with Dillon Dingler flying out to Alek Thomas in center field to end the first.
Anderson held serve in the second with a quick 1-2-3 inning to get his pitch count back in order. He dusted Teoscar Hernandez with a good high fastball in that tied him up. Skubal whiffed Eduardo Valencia and got Ben Malgeri and Spencer Torkelson, the latter of which lined out to Betts at shortstop .
Anderson gave up a leadoff walk to Hunter Feduccia to start the third, but erased him on a double play ball from Ohtani. He then walked Freeman, but dusted Betts to end the inning. Skubal tore through Max Clark, Javy Báez, and Torres, striking out the side.
Anderson gave up one out singles to Edman and Tucker in the top of the fourth, but Thomas grounded into a double play to end that threat. Lee lined out to Edman in right to start the bottom of the third. McGonigle and Dingler grounded out, and we were quickly on to the fifth.
Hernandez lined a single to left to open the fifth. Feduccia flew out, but Anderson walked Ohtani. A long at-bat against Freeman followed, in which Freddie fouled off a bunch of good pitches and Dingler wasted a challenge. Eight foul balls in the at-bat had Anderson frustrated, but Dingler called for a change of pace with the curveball, and a perfect one whiffed Freeman. Still, Anderson was at 85 pitches. Betts lined a one-hopper to Lee, who couldn’t handle it, but fortunately the ball didn’t bounce far away and everyone had to hold up with one base. The bases were loaded, and Anderson’s day was done. Drew Sommers entered, looking to keep this a scoreless deadlock.
A pair of heaters got him ahead 0-2 against Max Muncy. He missed high with a fourseamer, and Muncy fouled off the next one. He missed with another one away trying to catch him fishing. The next one jammed him and was fought off for a foul. Sommers wasn’t giving in and trying to mix in the slider. He fired a perfect 96 mph heater up and in but still in the zone and Muncy swung through it. Great job working through that inning, and the score was still tied 0-0, but there was a long way to go and a lot of outs for the Tigers bullpen to collect.
First, the Tigers needed to get Skoobs out of the game. Valencia gave them a shot with a leadoff double to left. Malgeri grounded out, and Skubal locked up Torkelson with a perfect backdoor slider. Tork blew the Tigers’ last challenge on a pitch fully in the zone, which didn’t help matters. Fortunately, Max Clark was there, and he smoked a 1-2 heater at 99 mph right down the left field line at 105 mph off the bat to plate Valencia. The ball rattled around and Hernandez couldn’t retrieve it immediately as Clark roared into third with an RBI triple. 1-0 Tigers. Báez drilled a ball deep to center, but Thomas had it without issue, and we were onto the sixth.
Sommers locked up Edman in a 2-2 count with a heater right down the gut to start the sixth. Tucker grounded one to McGonigle at shortstop with a broken bat, and McGonigle collected the slow roller and threw it over Torkelson into the Dodgers dugout, putting the runner on second. The right-handed Enrique Hernandez pinch-hit for Alek Thomas at that point. Hernandez fell behind 0-2, but then rifled a fastball on a line to right field for a single, but Malgeri picked it and fired a strike home to Dingler to cut down Tucker at the plate. Heck of a play by Ben Malgeri there.
Of course, that was only two outs, and Hernandez battled Sommers into a 3-2 count, and the lefty missed away to walk him. So there were runners on first and second, and Miguel Rojas entered to pinch-hit for Feduccia. He got a first pitch sinker and smoked it past McGonigle on a line to tie the game 1-1. That brought Ohtani to the plate, and the situation was far from ideal. However, Sommers got him to foul off a pair of heaters and then locked him up high and away in the corner of the strike zone to turn the Dodgers away. The McGonigle error was costly, but it was still a tie game at 1-1. Sommers was at 27 pitches and likely done. Chris Fetter was seen holding Sommers by the shoulders and pumping him up after a good outing. However, figuring out how to get the next nine outs was the issue.
Torres was still seeing Skubal well, and after battling him for a while, lined a leadoff single to start the bottom of the sixth. Lee bounced one to Betts, who got Torres at second, but they couldn’t turn the double play as Lee beat feet down the line. McGonigle was having less fun with Skubal, and flew out to Hernandez in left. Dingler got a good pitch to hit and drilled a drive to right field, but Tucker was there to turn the Tigers away.
Tyler Holton took over in the seventh, but Freeman greeted him with a sharp single. A good fading changeup away whiffed Betts, and Holton quickly popped Muncy up to McGonigle for the second out. An 0-1 changeup to Edman’s was in the dirt and bounced away from Dingler to get Freeman to second. Edman’s chased a changeup well away to get the count to 1-2, but Holton yanked a cutter and hit him on the leg. Kyle Tucker, who is going through a nightmarish season after signing a huge deal with the Dodgers, got ahead 2-0, but Holton worked back to 3-2 as Jacob Waguespack was warming up. Then the lefty missed and walked Tucker to load the bases. A.J. Hinch bounced out of the dugout to make the change as Hernandez came to the plate. The right-hander did the job, popping up Hernandez to again strand the bases loaded.
The Tigers were playing with fire all game long, but they’d escaped so far and a couple of runs could put the Dodgers in a tight spot. With Skubal out of the game, their odds looked a little better.
Dave Roberts turned to right-hander Evan Phillips to start the bottom of the seventh, and Hinch countered with Colt Keith batting for Valencia. Keith struck out swinging, and Phillips stayed with the heat and blew away Malgeri as well. Torkelson took a first pitch heater for a strike, was approximately five minutes late swinging at the next one, and a sweeper down and away in the dirt drew a feeble whiff to end the inning.
Waguespack gave up a leadoff single to Hernandez, and once again in the eighth the Tigers would have to dig themselves out of an inning. Ben Rortveldt, catching after Feduccia was lifted, dropped down a successful sacrifice bunt to move the runner to second. That brought Shohei to the dish. Waguespack fell behind 3-1, and walking him didn’t seem like the worst idea. A high fastball was fouled off, and Ohtani pulled a curveball foul down the right field line. Waguespack, whose teal glove contrasted nicely with the orange alternate jerseys, came back with a good heater at the bottom of the zone, and Ohtani pulled a ground to Torres for the second out. That brought Freeman to the plate, and as Benetti discussed walking him to pitch to Betts, Waguespack fired a first pitch heater and Freeman lined an RBI single for a 2-1 lead. Betts lined out to Clark, but the Tigers were now down a run and would face a really tough right-hander in Brock Stewart in the bottom half.
Max Clark coolly took three straight balls to get in a great hitter’s count. Stewart countered with a pair of strikes, but missed away with the 3-2 to put the speedy Clark on first to start the bottom half of the eighth. Brett Callahan pinch-hit for Javy Báez and ripped an 0-1 changeup to right for a sharp single. Torres, who had two hits already…grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. So, Clark was at third with two outs as Lee stepped to the dish. Stewart missed with three straight as Lee stayed patient, and Dave Roberts decided to give Lee an intentional pass. He then called on lefty Alex Vesia to try to get Kevin McGonigle in a bat that would likely decide the game. Vesia fired a first pitch fastball and McGonigle drove one high and deep into the right center field corner, but he lifted it a bit too much and Enrique Hernandez hauled it in just before the warning track.
Tyler Kinley handled the top of the ninth for the Tigers. Claimed off waivers from the Braves on Monday, Kinley quickly collected the first two outs, but then walked Kyle Tucker. That was the eighth walk issued by Tigers pitchers on the night. Tucker stole second, and it didn’t matter as Kinley walked Enrique Hernandez as well. Surely this wouldn’t become an issue, right? Teoscar Hernandez was up next. A pair of good sliders drew whiffs, and they tried again but Hernandez just held up. In a 1-2 count, Kinley missed away with a fourth straight slider, and a fifth over the middle was popped into the seats. Would he try to sneak a fastball past Hernandez? Nope. Another slider drew a foul pop-up that Lee charged in and handled to end the inning. The Dodgers were now 4-for-12 with runners in scoring position, with 15 LOBsters.
Southpaw closer Tanner Scott took the mound in the bottom half to close it out against Dingler, Keith, and Malgeri. Dingler took a nasty 2-2 slider down for a ball, but a second one up in the zone locked him up and he swung late to strike out. Corey Julks entered to hit for Keith against the lefty and grounded out to Betts. Malgeri was also locked up by Scott’s heavily tilting fastball and whiffed to end this one.
The Tigers put up a fight but while the Dodgers struggled to score in this one, the Tigers lineup got a good dose of elite caliber pitching in this one and managed just five hits and two walks drawn, while the Dodgers had nine hits and nine walks. It could’ve been worse, but either way it’s an L in the record books.
The Tigers are now 62-72 and 2-8 in their last ten to finally put any lingering playoff hopes to bed. RHP Keider Montero will take the mound against LHP Blake Snell on Saturday at 1:10 p.m. ET.
