NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 11: Hunter Dobbins #40 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches during the second inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field on June 11, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s game 2 in the Big Apple Tuesday night as the Cardinals do battle with the Yankees. The St. Louis Cardinals have announced Hunter Dobbins will be their starter for Tuesday’s game while the Yankees will give the baseball to Ryan Weathers. First pitch scheduled for 6:05pm central time at Yankee Stadium and the TV broadcast will be available via Cardinals.tv.
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 02: Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson (28) celebrates with Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies (1) after hitting a home run during the MLB game between the Washington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves on August 2, 2026 at TRUIST Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Atlanta Braves will be looking to continue their NL East-beating ways coming off the momentum of a four-game sweep of the Nationals… here come the Miami Marlins.
Grant Holmes gets the ball for Atlanta’s first game after the trade deadline versus Ryan Gusto at 7:15 pm ET. Join us to chat about the game (and fine, any other trade deadline-related feelings you may have remaining) in the comments.
PITTSBURGH, PA - JULY 29: Jared Jones #17 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at PNC Park on July 29, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates are in the second contest of a four-game set against the Milwaukee Brewers, where they hope to make up some ground in the NL Wild Card standings.
Jared Jones is drawing the start for the Pirates so far this season. He is 2-2 with a 3.81 ERA in his last start against the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 29. Jones pitched six innings, giving up four hits and three earned runs in a 3-0 loss at home. Jones has pitched at least six innings in three of his last four starts.
The Brewers are countering with Logan Henderson, who is making his 10th start of the year. The Brewers are 7-2 in games where he pitches, and he has won five of those decisions. In his last start on July 28 on the road against the San Francisco Giants, Henderson pitched 5.2 innings, gave up two hits, and allowed zero earned runs in an 8-2 victory for the Brew Crew.
Henderson’s last loss came on May 3, so this will be a tough matchup for the Pirates. Henderson made five starts last season for the Brewers, including one against the Pirates, where he pitched five innings.
Location: American Family Field, Milwaukee, WI
Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh
Pitching Matchup: Jared Jones (2-2, 3.81 ERA) vs. Logan Henderson (5-1, 2.66 ERA)
BD community, this is your gameday thread for today’s game. Chime off in the comments section below.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - JULY 20: Starting pitcher Joe Ryan #41 of the Minnesota Twins reacts after the end of the fourth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on July 20, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
First Pitch: 6:40 PM CDT
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN, WCCO 830, The Wolf 102.9 FM, Audacy App, LosTwins.com
After getting some needed pitching help at the trade deadline, the Twins will face off against the Royals. On the mound this evening will be Joe Ryan and Randy Dobnak. Last time out, Dobnak stymied the Twins lineup, tossing seven scoreless innings. For Joe, he hasn’t looked like himself in his last two starts, allowing 18 hits and 12 earned runs over 10 innings.
ATLANTA, GA - JULY 17: Manager Walt Weiss #22 of the Atlanta Braves speaks with members of the media before the game against the Texas Rangers at Truist Park on July 17, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jack Casey/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s the day after the Trade Deadline and the Atlanta Braves are back at it. Again, it has to be mentioned that Atlanta is 22 games over .500 with a healthy-sized lead in the NL East at the moment, so it’s not all doom-and-gloom at the ballpark. With that being said, it’s totally understandable for the fans to have questions about what’s going on with the state of the squad after what turned out to be an underwhelming Trade Deadline day.
Still, manager Walt Weiss feels confident in his squad and also confident in the GM’s vision for the team going forward. He stated as much when he was asked about it in the pregame press conference ahead of their season opener with the Miami Marlins.
“I’m not going to call him and say ‘Hey, I need this…He knows,” stated Weiss. “We talk on a daily basis and over the course of the Trade Deadline […] he was keeping me in the loop of what was going on.” Weiss went on to make it very clear that he’s in favor of the job that AA is doing as GM. “Bottom line: I trust his judgment. I trust who he’s going to bring in the building and that they’ve been very well-vetted if they’re going to come in this building,” affirmed Weiss. “Whether it’s a player or a staff member or support staff. You know it’s going to be [good] people on board with you.”
On the shortstop situation
Ha-Seong Kim has finally returned from rehab assignment and while it’ll surely be nice to have Kim back (and hopefully productive), his return did spark a bit of speculation as to how the shortstop situation would unfold going forward.
Weiss has decided to stay the course with the rookie Jim Jarvis and he confirmed that Jarvis will be staying active with the squad. “Jarvis has earned some playing time. He’s going to get some reps,” said Weiss when he was asked about the shortstop situation. “You’re going to see me use [Mauricio] Dubón at short against some left-handed starters. [Ha-Seong] Kim’s back in the picture so we can see what that looks like.”
Weiss appears to see Kim’s return as a bit of an opportunity. “We got some versatility,” stated Weiss. “For the most part, I’m going to continue to look at that spot like I do everywhere else — who’s playing well, who gives us the best chance to win based on how they’re performing.”
Where does Mauricio Dubón fit in?
With shortstop being a bit crowded, that also opens up questions about where Mauricio Dubón fits into things. The obvious answer is “Wherever there’s a gap” since Dubón’s versatility has proven to be his most valuable asset as a player so far and Weiss confirmed that Dubón is still going to play a big role for the Braves going forward.
“When we first signed Dubón, [the versatility] is what we had in mind,” said Weiss. “I talked about giving these guys days and obviously Dubón was a major piece that allowed me to do that. He’s been one of our best performers. He started out as an infielder and then when [Ronald] Acuña [Jr.] went down, he’s been one of our most consistent performers — one of the guys that’s the heart and soul of our club. He’s going to continue to play a lot. I know he’s not in the lineup tonight but he’s going to continue to play a lot.”
On the catcher situation
Another sign that Weiss is starting to have some good problems to have when it comes to filling out his lineup card on a nightly basis is the return of Sean Murphy into the fold as well. When asked about where Murphy fits into things going forward, Weiss was pretty excited to talk about it.“
“At this position, I’ve caught Drake [Baldwin] against right-handed starters and DH’d him against left-handed starters. That makes the most sense obviously with [Sean Murphy] being a right-handed hitter, he gets to start against left-handed pitching. However, I don’t think he’s going to be exclusive to that,” explained Weiss. “We love what Murph brings to the table, especially on the defensive side. The game-calling, the ability to control the running game and the ability to handle a pitching staff, those are all strengths of his. It’ll look similar to where it’s been in the past with Murph getting the starts against lefties but I don’t think it’ll be that exclusive.
Weiss is clearly keeping his options open when it comes to his primary duo of catchers and again, it’s a good problem to have. “Like everything else, you’ve got to watch how it all plays out and things change every day […] If you try to look to October and what’s going to happen, that’s a million miles away as we sit here today,” proclaimed Weiss.
On Tyler Mahle being added to the pitching staff
I was able to ask about the addition of Tyler Mahle to the squad as well and how important it’ll be for him to eat some innings for the squad going forward. As usual, Weis was very effusive about having a new pitcher to utilize going forward and he made it clear how Mahle is going to fit in going forward.
“Looking [to have Tyler Mahle] protect the bullpen when we can. I think he helps us do that,” stated Weiss. “You’ve heard me talk about the importance of starting pitching as the most valuable commodity in the game […] I think that Mahle has shown that he can get deeper in games and he’s throwing the ball lately so he’s trending in the right way this year. I think he’s a very functional piece to work with.”
PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 04: Luis Arraez #4 of the Philadelphia Phillies warms up prior to the game between the Washington Nationals and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday, August 4, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Derik Hamilton/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
CINCINNATI, OHIO - JULY 29: Joey Cantillo #54 of the Cleveland Guardians throws a pitch during the first inning of the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on July 29, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Munetaka Murakami owns a 1.006 OPS with four home runs in the past two weeks, and is batting second tonight. | (Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
Both the White and Red Sox were active at Monday’s trade deadline as they chase their respective division titles. A three-game set on the road in Boston will be a good test for the South Siders against high-quality competition in a tough atmosphere away from home, giving a taste of what the playoffs could potentially be like down the line.
To make room for the newly acquired players from the trade deadline, the White Sox made seven corresponding moves to the 40-man and 26-man rosters today, with Edgar Quero and left-handed reliever Tyler Schweitzer optioned to Triple-A Charlotte.
Catcher Joey Bart and outfielder Brenton Doyle will make their White Sox debuts tonight, batting sixth and seventh in the lineup as Will Venable leverages a righty-heavy batting order against a left-handed pitcher. The good news is that the Sox have (likely) their three best pitchers tossing throughout the series, with righthander Davis Martin being tapped first. Martin is making his 22nd start of the season, and while he hasn’t been as dominant as the first half, he’s maintained a 3.62 ERA — the 13th-best in the AL — with a 9-5 record on the year. Martin leans on his fastball the most, but his off-speed pitches are producing lower opponent batting averages, with his curveball leading the way with a .163 opponent BA and a 40.4% whiff rate.
Martin will have plenty of power to support him throughout the lineup. However, the bottom half of the order is a bit of a wild card outside of Braden Montgomery, given these will be Bart and Doyle’s first at-bats for Chicago, and Luisangel Acuña is pretty much always a question mark. To be fair, Acuña is batting .352 over his last 54 at-bats, but he’s been cooling down in his last seven, only going two for his last 13 (.154). If we’re lucky, maybe someone will blast a moon shot over the big Green Monster.
The White Sox offense will go against lefthander Patrick Sandoval, who has only started four games since returning from injury about a month ago. In his 19 innings, he’s posted a 3.32 ERA, but his 1.579 WHIP could definitely use some work. Sandoval hasn’t walked many batters, holding a 7% walk rate, but he’s allowed 24 hits thus far, contributing to his elevated WHIP. The lefty seems to leverage his slider the most, 31.2% of the time, but opponents are batting .300 against it. In contrast, his changeup seems to be the more unhittable pitch, holding just a .130 opponent BA and slugging percentage while drawing a 36% whiff rate.
Thankfully for Sandoval, Ceddanne Rafaela is adding some strength at the top of the order, as he has been one of the hottest hitters in all of baseball these last couple of weeks. In the past 15 days (12 games), Rafaela holds the fourth-best OPS (1.134), the second-best SLG (.788), and has mashed seven homers in his last 12 games, the most in MLB during that time span. Though he’s batting eighth for Boston tonight, Andruw Monasterio has also been hot these past two weeks, boasting a .935 OPS with a .342/.409/.526 slash line. The Red Sox could make Martin work tonight, but ideally, he’s on his game and is up for the challenge.
Since the Good Guys are on the East Coast, game time is a bit earlier this week, with first pitch taking place at 6:10 p.m. CT. It should be a nice summer evening, with temperatures expected to be in the low-80s to upper-70s throughout the game. Tune into CHSN or ESPN Chicago AM 1000 on the radio, and let’s get a White Sox W.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 3: First baseman Abimelec Ortiz #81 of the Washington Nationals hits a home run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park on August 3, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bill Streicher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
This has been a painful run of Nats baseball, and things only got worse with James Wood hitting the shelf. However, the grind of the season continues, and these Nats need to get back on track. Beaten up and with many key names gone, the Nats need to trudge on down the stretch.
Without James Wood, this lineup looks very different. With a lefty on the mound, Dylan Crews will be leading off and playing right. Daylen Lile and Jacob Young are the other outfielders. Nasim Nunez plays shortstop as CJ Abrams gets a day off his feet at DH. Brady House is at third, which moves Jorbit Vivas to second. Harry Ford is behind the dish. Carson Palmquist will open for Zack Littell.
Nationals 8/4
D. Crews RF A. Chaparro 1B B. House 3B C. Abrams DH H. Ford C J. Young CF D. Lile LF N. Nuñez SS J. Vivas 2B
The big news in the Phillies lineup is the arrival of Luis Arraez. This comes with a lot of shuffling around the diamond. Arraez will play second, shifting Bryson Stott to third, Alec Bohm to first and Bryce Harper to right field. Harper has not played right in many years now, so that could be something to watch. Jesus Luzardo is on the mound for the Phillies.
These Nats need to stop the bleeding ASAP. The hitting with RISP has to take a step forward or else the winning simply won’t come. Hopefully the Nats can finally get a curly W tonight. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
San Diego Padres starter Nick Pivetta abruptly walked off the mound three batters into his first rehab appearance with High-A Lake Elsinore on Tuesday afternoon.
The right-hander took the mound for the top of the fourth inning and drew two flyouts to center field before giving up a first-pitch single to Oswaldo Osorio. On the next at-bat against Conner O'Neal, Pivetta wound up, fired a pitch that hooked outside of the plate for a called ball and immediately turned and walked towards the dugout.
The 33-year-old was visibly frustrated as he left the mound after throwing just 14 pitches. Rordy Mejia entered the game in his place.
But there is optimism, both from the Padres and Pivetta himself, that he avoided any kind of serious setback on his recovery from a right elbow flexor strain that's kept him on the IL since April. Per the San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee, Pivetta threw over 20 pitches in the bullpen after his early exit and didn't feel the discomfort he felt on the mound.
Joe Musgrove also pitched in Tuesday's game for Lake Elsinore in his latest rehab start. He allowed one earned run on two hits with three strikeouts and two walks on 39 pitches across 2.2 innings. San Diego's rotation has been decimated by injuries this season, so the impending returns of both Musgrove and Pivetta are crucial as the Friars begin a late season push for a postseason spot.
Pivetta, now in his 10th big league season and second with the Padres, is reportedly targeting a late August return.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - MAY 7: Cade Povich #37 of the Baltimore Orioles looks on during the second inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on May 7, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Well, Trade Deadline Monday has come and gone, and ultimately, the Orioles’ “buy and sell” approach meant a really deflating sell-off, especially with Adley Rutschman departing for AL East rival Boston for a passel of prospects (I mean, great prospects haul, but a hard day to lose the face of the franchise, if you feel me). The remaining 50 games of the Orioles’ 2026 season feel to me like the post-credits scene in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, where Ferris emerges from the bathroom in a robe, looks right at the camera, and says, “You’re still here? It’s over. Go home. Go.”
But technically, it’s not over. So here we are, the rubble having settled, trying to find something to play for. Presumably there are tougher rivals than the Angels, who at 43-69, aren’t pretending to be contenders anymore either. The Halos shipped off a ton of pitchers at the deadline, but not one Grayson Rodriguez, the onetime O’s top prospect. Ah, how innocent we were then. This year, Rodriguez has struggled with bone spurs, but the Angels claim he’s healthy now. Maybe, but he’s still got a 7.98 ERA in 10 games so forgive me if I’m not seeing G-Rod of 2024 quite.
The Orioles initially went into this one with TBD for a starting pitcher, but it’s since been clarified that they meant Cade Povich, called up today from the Minors. The 26-year-old lefty has spent most of the season with Triple-A Norfolk, posting not-great ERA there of 6.30. His WHIP of 1.45 is too high; his .268 opposing average doesn’t make me feel great, either. This season, Povich made four appearances (three starts) with the big club during April and May, allowing eighteen runs in 11 innings. It’s not ideal.
Already some of the newest Orioles are in the lineup: Christian Franklin in the outfield and catcher Carlos Narváez is the backstop. Ain’t it… great. First pitch is 6:35 ET.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 28: Logan Henderson #43 of the Milwaukee Brewers pitches during the game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Tuesday, July 28, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Bryan Kennedy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
After a bit of a dud on Monday night, the Brewers will, for the third day in a row, go for their 70th win tonight as they attempt to even this four-game series against Pittsburgh at one game apiece. With a 6-1 record, the Pirates have had Milwaukee’s number this season, a stark change over the modern history in this divisional rivalry; over the last 20 years, the Brewers have an overall record of 194-126 against the Buccos.
Tonight’s pitching matchup features two bright young stars, both 24 years old, though not the first two who might come to mind when considering these two teams. For the Brewers, Logan Henderson—still a Brewer after many a speculative fan had linked him to a Tarik Skubal trade before the deadline yesterday—gets the nod, while the Pirates send Jared Jones.
By rate stats, Henderson has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season. A back injury has limited his innings, but this will be his fifth start since missing about a month and a half between late May and early July. In the nine starts that Henderson has made, he’s pitched to a 2.66 ERA and 2.80 FIP, a 0.909 WHIP, and 11 strikeouts to just 1.8 walks per nine innings. You’d expect that the league will adjust to Henderson at some point, and he’s averaged less than five innings per start this season, but in his limited sample as a big leaguer he’s been outstanding.
Jones, who is right-handed and a few months older than Henderson, is back on track after missing all of the 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery. Jones, who was a top-100 prospect prior to his debut in 2024, has pitched to a 3.81 ERA and 3.48 FIP in 52 innings across 11 starts this season with impressive peripheral numbers of his own (10 K/9, 2.6 BB/9). In contrast to Henderson, and like last night’s starter, Bubba Chandler, Jones is a high velocity guy; his 98.4 average fastball velocity is in the top five percent of the league. Jones relies heavily on that fastball but gets a ton of whiffs with the slider he plays off of it. Jones is primarily a fastball/slider pitcher but mixes in a changeup every now and then and, a few times a game, a curveball.
With yesterday’s trades, the Brewers have made some adjustments to their roster. Garrett Stallings’ heroic outing on Monday night was rewarded with a demotion to Triple-A Nashville (life is tough for fringey pitchers), but the headline—not unexpected—is that Brandon Sproat will join him there.
NOTE/UPDATE: Jake Bauers was a late scratch with abdominal soreness, which invalidates what I wrote below, because Christian Yelich is, instead of batting seventh, batting fifth instead. But I’m going to leave what I wrote initially, because the intention of batting Yelich seventh does matter.
There’s also a notable change in the lineup: Christian Yelich has been dropped to seventh, the first time all season he’s hit below the five spot in the batting order; a quick scan of game logs tells me that it’s the first time that Yelich has started a game below the fifth spot in the batting order since 2015, when he was on the Marlins and playing in his second full season. Pat Murphy had some thoughts on the move:
Pat Murphy had a conversation with Christian Yelich about bumping him down to 7th in the lineup. Here’s what he said about the decision: pic.twitter.com/SqEHkOQRcx
With the move down in the order from Yelich, lefties Jake Bauers and Garrett Mitchell move up to third and fifth, respectively. Brice Turang leads off tonight, and the rest of the lineup consists of Jackson Chourio, William Contreras, Luis Lara, Cooper Pratt, and David Hamilton. Note: the updated lineup has Andrew Vaughn in for Bauers, batting sixth.
Of note for the Pirates: the three pitchers they acquired yesterday, Luke Weaver, Lake Bachar, and Kirby Yates, have all been activated and will be available tonight.
First pitch tonight is at 6:40 p.m. on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network.
Jake Bauers was scratched from tonight’s game with abdominal soreness
UNDER THE LIGHTS: The Cubs are 40-26 in night games this year, for a winning percentage of .606. They finished last year at .563 (49-38). In the second of back-to-back night games this year, they are 26-16, .619. Last year, they were 29-20, .592. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
LOTS OF RUNS ALLOWED, BUT WINNING ANYWAY: The Cubs won last night despite giving up five runs. They are only 12-31 when they have allowed at least five and 52-18 with no more than four. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
WALK WATCH, PART 1: Cubs pitchers walked one batter last night, as they had Sunday afternoon. They have walked no more than three in 13 consecutive games, with a total of just 30, for an average of 2.31. Their season average is down to 2.98, its lowest since it also was 2.98 after a loss at home to the Giants on June 7. They have played 47 games since then. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
WALK WATCH, PART 2: The Cubs walked seven times in Monday’s game. That gives them 491 walks for the season, by far the most in MLB (Brewers are second with 465). That is an average of 4.36 per game. If they maintain that pace they will walk 704 times this year, shattering the franchise record (656 in 2016). NL record: 732, by the 1947 Dodgers.
The Cubs lineup was not available at posting time. Please check BCB social media for the Cubs lineup.
Here’s one thing we do know:
Tyrone Taylor gets the start in left field tonight. He will play predominantly against lefties. He has a .900 OPS this season against LHP.
Well, here we go. Tarik Skubal’s first Dodgers start comes at Wrigley Field.
He’ll face Javier Assad, who’s really done everything the Cubs could have asked as a fill-in starter and multi-inning reliever.
In five games (three starts) in July he posted a 1.50 ERA and 1.278 WHIP in 18 innings, with 17 strikeouts.
Assad faced the Dodgers April 25 at Dodger Stadium as a multi-inning reliever. You do not want to look at that boxscore link. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Tarik Skubal missed several weeks earlier this year with an elbow issue on which he had what was termed “NanoScope surgery.” It appears to have been a success, as he’s posted a 2.87 ERA and 0.881 WHIP over nine starts since returning, with a K rate of 34.1 percent and walk rate of 3.8 percent, both of which are outstanding.
Skubal’s last start against the Cubs was June 6, 2025 in Detroit, and he allowed one run in 7.2 innings, with no walks and six strikeouts. He just doesn’t walk guys, so Cubs hitters should look to put the ball in play.
This one won’t be easy, obviously. It will certainly be highly-watched — it’s on national TV, as noted below.
Please visit our SB Nation Dodgers site True Blue LA. If you do go there to interact with Dodgers fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.
The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.
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).
At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.
The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.
You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.
BOSTON, MA - JULY 25: Masataka Yoshida #7 of the Boston Red Sox watches a hit during the game at Fenway Park on July 25, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With the trade deadline in the books and on field action resuming tonight, it’s a good time to address a pair of odd but compelling scheduling items that will help define the final two months of the season:
1) Starting with the just completed series against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, the Red Sox began a run in which they play 17 straight series against 17 different opponents to close out the season. We’ll see a couple of familiar and recent opponents like the White Sox, A’s and Blue Jays in the next ten days, but nobody left on the schedule appears on it again.
2) And, on a somewhat related note, tonight’s game against the White Sox begins a stretch of series at Fenway Park in which seven straight opponents are not from the eastern time zone. In fact, the only east coast opponent left on the schedule this year is Cleveland, who doesn’t come in until September 22nd through the 24th.
Baked within that second point is perhaps an even more important nugget: The next five straight Fenway opponents after this series with the White Sox are against teams west of the Rockie Mountains (A’s, D-Backs, Giants, Mariners and Angels).
In other words, if the Red Sox can keep their scalding hot streak alive and win another series against the surprisingly solid White Sox, things set up pretty favorable for them to remain hot at Fenway Park right into the final week of the year.
As far as tonight goes, the pitching matchup has another small scheduling oddity. Specifically, it’s a pair of pitchers who each started a game in the series in Chicago last month, but not against each other. For the Red Sox, Patrick Sandoval made his Boston debut back on July 9th in the 2-1 win, and Davis Martin pitched for the White Sox the previous day on July 8th’s 5-0 win.
We’ll have to see which Davis Martin shows up for the White Sox tonight. He was excellent in his first nine starts of the season (to the tune of a 1.61 ERA), but has been considerably less so in his last twelve (5.46 ERA).
Lastly, before we get to the lineups, the Red Sox also made several roster moves this afternoon to balance things out after yesterday’s trade deadline. Below are three additions and two subtractions from the 26-man roster (with the third subtraction being Carlos Narvaez, who was included in the Rutschman trade).
Mets interim manager Andy Green met with the media for the first time since the 2026 trade deadline to discuss a number of topics...
How Mets will deploy new-look bullpen
The Mets traded quite a few household relievers at this year's trade deadline. Luke Weaver, A.J. Minter, Brooks Raley and Huascar Brazoban are now with other clubs and that leaves a lot of roster spots to fill.
New York activated a number of relievers, including Dedniel Nunez and Jefry Yan, and Green was asked how he plans to use his new relievers.
"We know where we want to pocket guys to give them the best opportunity to be successful; at the same time, we want to get feet wet as quickly as possible," Green said. "The hardest thing to do to a young player is to leave them on ice in the bullpen for three, four, five days. If the game opportunity presents itself today, we’ll try to get some debuts in. If it doesn’t, we’ll try to get it done as soon as possible."
While there are a few notable returns like Nunez, Yan will be making his major league debut when he hits the mound. The 29-year-old has become known for his strikeout celebrations and Green sees potential with the southpaw.
"The stuff is there. Really comes down to how often he can gets that stuff in the zone," Green said of Yan. "When he’s done that, he’s shown he’s a unique left-handed pitcher, who jumps really high."
Kodai Senga's role
The last time Senga took the mound, he made an emergency start for Freddy Peralta after coming out of the bullpen the last few times. Senga showed flashes of brilliance, but Green made it clear the Mets want Senga to be a leverage reliever for them.
"I want to see him as a leverage reliever," Green said. "See him in a one-inning burst. We talked about it, the construction of our pen did not allow it when we had Minter and Brazo, and Weaver and Raley. It does now. We’re aware with his traditional workload as well, I don’t expect him to pitch three out of four at this time. I do think, that his right arm has 100 mph and a nasty forkball. That profile plays for a late-inning reliever."
Green was asked if they want Senga to eventually become a reliever that can pitch in three of four days, and the interim skipper said that they want to see how Senga responds in this role over the next few weeks. They also reserve the right to pivot and put him back in the rotation if they think that's what's best for the organization.
/ IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Stock making another turn
With the departure of Peralta, Green was asked who will be the rotation's No. 5 starter, and he confirmed that Robert Stock will make another start with the team.
Stock, 36, allowed one run across five innings Sunday against the Marlins. It was the right-hander's major league debut and his performance stuck with the team.
"I think for him, where he’s at in life, a four-day commitment feels pretty good," Green said. "He took that news pretty positively today. He did a great job last time."
Green said he hasn't committed to anything beyond when Stock pitches next.
How OF will be used
Luis Robert Jr. was one of the Mets not traded at the deadline, which gives New York another outfield for their lineup. However, with Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing needing reps, Green made it clear that Ewing will not start in the infield in the meantime.
"I don’t know if we’re leaning toward A.J. in the infield at all," Green said. "As we look at the outfield, We’ll try to look at different alignments as we move forward. Luis is going to get an opportunity to play baseball. He’s a very good baseball player, brought him here to help us win baseball games. Will love to see him going in a really positive way."
Robert will see consistent reps in center field, but there may be opportunities to play him in one of the corners.
