Category: Baseball

A busy and exciting day for the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates. Let’s talk about what happened!

Link to the 2026 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.

News

Just a small bit of news. AA Richmond placed utility player Jack Payton on the 7-Day IL, and replaced him with infielder Zane Zielinski, who was promoted from High-A Eugene.

AAA Sacramento (71-49)

Sacramento River Cats beat the Tacoma Rainiers (Mariners) 2-1
Box score

Holding a team to 1 run in a PCL game can only mean one thing: some damn fine pitching. And some damn fine pitching is exactly what transpired in Sacramento, as LHP Cesar Perdomo had far and away his best outing since getting promoted to AAA.

Perdomo ripped through a Rainiers lineup that featured MLB veterans like J.P. Crawford, Nolan Jones, Connor Joe, and Patrick Wisdom with ease, allowing just 3 baserunners — 2 singles and a walk — in 7 shutout innings. It was more cruise control than dominance, as he only struck out 4 batters and threw just 57 of 96 pitches for strikes, but there’s a lot to be said for inducing weak contact against quality hitters in offensively-inclined ballparks.

Perdomo, a 24-year old from Venezuela, has hit some bumps in the road following a midseason promotion which came after a spectacular AA debut. In 8 starts with the River Cats, he has just a 5.31 ERA and a 5.29 FIP, and after striking out 11.1 batters per 9 innings with Richmond, has just 6.9 Ks per 9 with Sacramento. But this outing — which came after giving up just 2 runs in 6.2 innings his last time out — is a reminder of what he’s capable of as the adjustments start to take place.

San Francisco has a quartet of upper Minors pitchers that they figured to have difficult Rule 5 decisions regarding. They already made one of those decisions this week, when they added LHP Matt Wilkinson to the roster for his MLB debut. A 3rd AAA southpaw, Joe Whitman (No. 26 CPL) starts tonight, as the Giants continue to gather data on he and Perdomo for a decision. The 4th is in AA … we’ll get to him in a minute.

Despite only scoring 2 runs, Sacramento also had a great offensive performance, which came courtesy of — who else — designated hitter Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL). Davidson had yet another sensational game, hitting 2-3 with a home run, a double, a walk, and a strikeout.

Davidson once again proved that his AAA breakout wasn’t just due to playing in Las Vegas … his double in this game left the bat at 107 mph, while his home run was a mesmerizing 110.6 mph, and traveled 451 feet. That’s Rafael Devers territory!

Even more so than the average prospect, Davidson has developed a trend of really struggling at new levels, and then positively flipping the switch. Let’s see how that has played out in AAA since his summer promotion:

First 22 games: 17-86, 0 home runs, 3 doubles, 10 walks, 21 strikeouts
Next 8 games: 19-33, 5 home runs, 5 doubles, 4 walks, 3 strikeouts

My goodness, Bo! Suddenly he’s hitting .303, with a .878 OPS and a 128 wRC+.

Third baseman Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL) hasn’t had quite as dramatic of splits, but he has also had a AAA introduction that has been a tale of two stories, as he started hot and has since cooled down. He hit 0-4 with 2 strikeouts in this game, lowering his OPS to .859 and his wRC+ to 126. Still a fantastic debut with Sacramento!

Second baseman Nate Furman (No. 39 CPL) hit 2-4 with a stolen base, while center fielder Grant McCray went 1-4 with a double. Interestingly, Marcelo Mayer didn’t play for the 2nd day in a row, after leaving Tuesday’s game early. It would seem there’s some ailment of sorts there.

AA Richmond (68-47)

Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Chesapeake Baysox (Orioles) 2-0
Box score

In the Sacramento recap, I teased another Rule 5 pitcher decision. Well, you’ve arrived at that pitcher: RHP Yunior Marte (No. 25 CPL). Marte arrived with the Giants in the Mike Yastrzemski trade just over a year ago, and he came with a solid reputation. That reputation has grown emphatically this year, with a truly electric season.

Thursday was just the latest in a long line of data points. Marte was dominant in this game, tossing 6 shutout innings with just 3 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 7 Baysox hitters. He threw 56 of 87 pitches for strikes, was regularly ahead in the count, and was never in any sort of trouble.

There have been a few hiccups in his AA debut, but on the whole, it’s been a nearly seamless transition for the Dominican, who turned 23 earlier this month. In fact, following a midseason promotion, Marte has improved most of his numbers from his time in High-A: his ERA has admittedly gone up (3.74 to 3.92), but his FIP has gone down (4.05 to 3.98), his xFIP has gone down (4.87 to 4.04), his walks have gone down (4.0 per 9 to 3.1), and his strikeouts have gone up (8.5 per 9 to 10.1).

The biggest issue for Marte since moving to AA has been giving up too many hits and too many homers, but he’s made huge strides on that front. Check out the splits:

First 7 games: 31.1 innings, 41 hits, 6 home runs
Next 6 games: 33 innings, 23 hits, 2 home runs

Huge growth! While the Giants will certainly continue to develop Marte as a starter, he has all the skills to be a reliever in the Majors sooner rather than later, which is likely what will make him an intriguing option in the Rule 5 Draft, should the Giants leave him unprotected (and should there be a draft).

LHP Dale Stanavich and RHP Marques Johnson rounded out the shutout with a pair of strikeouts each, the former in 1.1 innings and the latter in 1.2. Stanavich, a recently-turned 27-year old, has a 4.73 ERA and a 4.91 FIP with Richmond; Johnson, a just-turned 26-year old, has a 3.95 ERA and a 3.68 FIP in AA, but struggled in AAA during an extended stint there.

It was a poor offensive game, with the Squirrels doing just enough to support the shutout. Center fielder Trevor Cohen (No. 15 CPL) and designated hitter Jean Carlos Sió (No. 44 CPL) had the best days, with Cohen hitting 2-4 with a strikeout, while Sió went 2-2 with a walk and a caught stealing. Both players have had their fair share of bumps in the road following midseason promotions, with Cohen sporting a .753 OPS and a 100 wRC+ through 30 games, while Sió has a .729 OPS and an 89 WRC+ through 57 games.

High-A Eugene (71-45)

Eugene Emeralds beat the Vancouver Canadians (Blue Jays) 10-7
Box score

Down in High-A, the Giants sneakily have another interesting Rule 5 decision: that of LHP Henry LaLane. The 6’7 LaLane isn’t a prototypical Rule 5 protection: he started this year in Low-A, and currently has a 3.26 ERA and a 4.59 FIP in High-A. But LaLane, who came over in the Heliot Ramos trade, is a deeply intriguing prospect who the Giants would be heartbroken to lose. In the most recent Baseball America rankings, LaLane came in as the No. 7 prospect in the Giants system, ahead of RHP Ramon Marquez, and behind only RHP Jackson Flora and LHP Jacob Bresnahan (No. 11 CPL) in pitcher rankings.

Still and all, it seems a little unlikely that LaLane would be selected given his relative inexperience. That, combined with the likelihood that the Rule 5 Draft never actually occurs, has me leaning towards the Giants leaving him unprotected. But it’s certainly going to be a discussion they (and we!) debate over.

Anyway, LaLane made his 3rd appearance since being traded to the Giants and it didn’t go all that well, as he struggled with command. LaLane made it through just 4 innings, and gave up 3 hits, 3 walks, 2 hit batters, 5 runs, and 4 earned runs, while striking out 4 batters. Yet even in a rough start, you can tell how dynamic of a pitcher he is, and how much potential he has to make high-quality hitters look silly.

Someone else who has that ability is RHP Gerelmi Maldonado (No. 22 CPL), who had an excellent game, striking out 2 batters in a perfect inning. If Maldonado — who has a 3.03 ERA but a 6.08 FIP — can harness his control as he did in this game, he will take off. He has 42 strikeouts this year, in just 29.2 innings … but 38 walks.

A fantastic game in the batter’s box for Eugene, with 15 hits on the day. The excitement came from the debut of second baseman Dalton Wentz, who became the 2nd Giants player from the 2026 draft to make his professional debut.

Wentz, a 21-year old switch-hitter from Wake Forest, was taken in the 16th round but given a slot bonus in line with a late 4th-round pick. He was also drafted as a third baseman, so it was interesting that he played second in this one, especially since they used a first baseman, Hayden Jatczak, at third base.

Either way, Wentz is now officially a pro, and that’s exciting. He only hit 1-5 with 2 strikeouts in this game, but hey … he’s got a professional batting average! He’ll be fun to follow over the rest of the season.

Center fielder Damian Bravo had an awesome game, hitting 2-4 with a walk and a strikeout, while homering for the 2nd straight game. This was only the 3rd game in High-A this year for Bravo, last year’s 15th-round pick. But he’s certainly hitting the ground running at the level.

Designated hitter Zander Darby continued his all-or-nothing season, hitting 2-5 with a home run and 2 strikeouts. Darby is up to 17 dingers on the year, but has a 31.5% strikeout rate … the total package is an .835 OPS and a 118 wRC+ for the 2024 12th-rounder. A lot to love if the 23-year old lefty can get his strikeouts in check at some point.

Right fielder Cam Maldonado (No. 34 CPL) continues to obliterate the Northwest League since a recent promotion, as he hit 2-4 with a double and a walk, though he was also caught stealing. Last year’s 7th-round pick, who doesn’t turn 23 until the offseason, has completely taken his game up a level since getting promoted … he’s improved his batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, isolated slugging, walk rate, and strikeout rate while with Eugene, and has a .979 OPS and a 149 wRC+ through 11 games. Impressive!

There are certainly things for Maldonado to work on — he had just a 100 wRC+ in Low-A San Jose — but his power numbers are truly impressive. Injuries have limited him to just 386 plate appearances this year, but he has 37 extra-base hits. His .229 isolated slugging across the 2 levels (plus a brief and mostly-powerless rehab stint in the ACL) is tied for 8th out of 84 Giants prospects with at least 100 plate appearances this year.

Really nice games for shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL), catcher Onil Perez, and left fielder Jose Ramos. Level hit 2-4 with a walk, though he committed 2 errors, and the 19-year old switch-hitter has an .844 OPS and a 123 wRC+ through 56 games with Eugene. Perez went 3-4, raising the 23-year old righty’s OPS to .736 and his wRC+ to 95 in 34 High-A games this year. And Ramos hit 2-3 with a walk, bringing the 23-year old righty up to an .802 OPS and a 136 wRC+ in 20 games at the level.

Low-A San Jose (67-50)

San Jose Giants beat the Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres) 9-5
Box score

A pretty uninteresting game for the Baby Giants but hey, they won!

The big news is bad news: third baseman Luis Hernández (No. 6 CPL) left the game early. Hernández didn’t seem to be in a large amount of pain, but didn’t seem to be moving perfectly, either. Hopefully it’s just a small ailment.

Ultimately it wasn’t a great day for the young stars of the team, as Hernández was 0-3 before his early exit, while shortstop Josuar González (No. 2 CPL) went 1-5 with a stolen base and 2 strikeouts.

A trio of hitters had nice games: second baseman Lorenzo Meola (No. 23 CPL) replaced Hernández and hit 2-2 with his Minor League-leading 39th double, bringing last year’s 4th-round pick up to an .809 OPS and a 100 wRC+; left fielder Oliver Tejada hit 1-2 with a double, a walk, and a hit by pitch, boosting the 19-year old’s OPS to .651 and his wRC+ to 66, as he chases the success he had in the Complex League earlier in the year; and right fielder Broedy Poppell went 2-4 with a double and 3 runs batted in, giving last year’s 13th-round pick a .718 OPS and an 85 wRC+.

Not a very good pitching game. 24-year old LHP Ricardo Estrada pitched decently as the piggybacking starter, allowing 3 hits, 2 walks, 2 runs, and 1 earned run in 5 innings, while striking out 3. Estrada has had a fairly consistent if nondescript season, and has given up 2 or fewer earned runs in 11 of his last 12 outings (though, unfortunately, the one outlier there was when he gave up 9 runs in 1 inning). Estrada has just a 4.32 ERA and a 5.89 FIP on the season, and his spot on the domestic reserve would seem to be in question.

RHP Chen-Hsun Lee had a funny game. He pitched a scoreless, no-hit inning with 2 strikeouts … but walked 3 batters. Lee, a 2023 international signing out of Taiwan who is healthy for the 1st time, has had a funny time in San Jose since getting promoted … in 14 innings he’s allowed just 7 hits and 0 earned runs, with 14 strikeouts. But he’s walked 10 batters and ceded 5 unearned runs. Go figure!

Dominican Summer League Black

DSL Giants Black beat DSL Brewers Gold 8-7
Box score

The Giants Black squad kicked off the postseason pool play with a win, which is critical.

A handful of good games, mostly on offense. First baseman Alessandro Duran only hit 1-4 with 3 strikeouts, but his hit was a home run. Duran, a 21-year old from Venezuela, finished his 4th DSL season with an .845 OPS and a 115 wRC+.

Center fielder Djean Macares hit 1-3 with a double, a walk, and an outfield assist, while shortstop Joniel Hernandez went 1-3 with a double, a hit by pitch, and 2 strikeouts. Macares, an 18-year old from Aruba who is in his 2nd season, finished the year with an .828 OPS and a 121 wRC+. Hernandez, a 17-year old from Cuba whom the Giants acquired in the Robbie Ray deal, finished his debut season with a .978 OPS and a 132 wRC+. Both players should be playing in the states next year.

Right fielder Vinicius Dos Santos, a 19-year old from Brazil, hit 2-3 and stole 3 basis. The righty really struggled in the batter’s box this year, but stole 22 bases.

Not much on the mound. The best outing came courtesy of RHP Abraham Utrera, a 21-year old from Venezuela. He gave up just 1 baserunner (a hit by pitch) in 1.2 scoreless innings, with a strikeout. Utrera had an intriguing 2nd season. He only had a 4.33 ERA, but he had a 3.34 FIP, and struck out 58 batters in just 35.1 innings

Home run tracker

24 — Bo Davidson — [5 in AAA; 19 in AA]
17 — Zander Darby — [High-A]
12 — Damian Bravo — [2 in High-A; 10 in Low-A]
3 — Alessandro Duran — [DSL]

Friday schedule

Sacramento: 6:45 p.m. PT vs. Tacoma (SP: Joe Whitman)
Richmond: 4:05 p.m. PT at Chesapeake (SP: Miguel Mendez)
Eugene: 6:35 p.m. PT vs. Vancouver (SP: Niko Mazza)
San Jose: 6:45 p.m. PT at Lake Elsinore (SP: TBD)

Reminder that almost all MiLB games can be watched on MLB TV

Good afternoon everyone, it’s time to dive back into the mailbag and answer some of your questions. Remember to send in your questions for our weekly call by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.

Michael G. asks:Among the free agents to be, do we re-sign any of them? What do they need to do down the stretch to change your mind?

The Yankees have eight players set to hit free agency after this season: Trent Grisham, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Paul Goldschmidt, and Amed Rosario among the position players, David Bednar, Tim Hill, Ryan Yarbrough, and Paul Blackburn from the pitching staff. It’s easiest to start with the extremes, so let’s quickly go over who is a slam-dunk to walk and who is an instant re-sign. Much as he’s been a delight to have up until this season, I think the magic has worn off of Hill’s arm and the team would be better off with a new lefty matchup specialist for next season. While Goldschmidt has had an admirable season stepping up as the first baseman/DH when the team needed him early in the year, this was more of a send-off year for the longtime vet as he was expected to be a bench bat and mentor to Ben Rice more than a significant contributor. And though I’m typically not a fan of giving relievers long-term deals, I have to imagine the Yankees will be interested in keeping their closer around as Bednar has been nails since coming over at last year’s deadline outside of a rough stretch to open this season.

That leaves us with five names with more foggy futures to ponder. Paul Blackburn has similarly been dominant in the bullpen this year, but this run stands out as an outlier from his recent history as he bounced around from the end of his Oakland run into a very poor stretch with the Mets before landing here. I can stand to believe the Yankees have helped him figure out how to best utilize his repertoire and would be interested in seeing him get a full year as a top option, but if he wants to cash in on what has easily been a career-year I both wouldn’t fault him and don’t think the Yankees would end up keeping him in the end. Ryan Yarbrough’s had a fairly quiet year as the long-relief option for New York, and that’s about where you want your long reliever to be — far from a hindrance to the team’s success, but not one of their go-to guys who sees regular use. He was a last-minute addition to the 2025 team and one of their first moves to re-sign last offseason, and I could easily see them going for a third run with Yarbrough, it just wouldn’t move the needle too much if they didn’t.

Then we get to the trio of Grisham, Chisholm, and Rosario. Rosario had a case to make for himself after the first couple months of the season where he supplanted a fair bit of Ryan McMahon’s playing time at third base by hitting the cover off the ball, but his production since June has fallen off of a cliff. Combine that with his poor defense and his platoon split, and it’s likely that Rosario walks, though I wouldn’t say it’s 100 percent. Chisholm has been one of the team’s most important bats since the Yankees traded for him at the 2024 deadline, but this year has been a bit of a nightmare for him as his bat has plunged from above-average to below and he’s been endlessly critiqued for mental mistakes in the field. The walk year and the pressure he put on himself talking about the 50-50 club before the season are likely factors in this becoming a frustrating campaign for Chisholm, but on the flip side it’s likely he isn’t going to get the offers he once envisioned. That means he could return on a one-year prove it deal to reset his market value, and though the Yankees are stocking their options in case he leaves I have to think they’d be interested in that scenario. He isn’t likely to get the qualifying offer though, and Grisham can’t get one after accepting it last season. Grisham’s a curious case — he’s had two extremely cold streaks that contributed to the lineup stalling out as much as it has, but his underlying metrics have remained decent. I think it’d be easiest to just part ways, especially as his defense looks more and more like he shouldn’t man center field for much longer and the team now has Heliot Ramos under contract for next year alongside Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger, but it’d be a bittersweet end for a player who broke out in his time in pinstripes.

Don H. asks:Simple question… when will we see George Lombard Jr. as the leadoff hitter in the Yankees’ lineup? Granted, he still has a small sample size, but he’s handled the promotion pressure to the Bronx with unaccustomed aplomb. For me, there is not a better leadoff hitter on this team.

The Yankees have been content to place Lombard at the bottom of the lineup card for most of his big league stint thus far, with a couple of games shifting into the middle of the order early on. Handedness has dictated the structure of Aaron Boone’s lineup for most of his run as manager, and I don’t think the team would be bold enough to shift Lombard into the leadoff batter just yet, but I do think he’s deserving of a shift up — just as much as other parts of the lineup could be shifted down for their inconsistent play. Lombard batted sixth in the lineup in the series finale against Baltimore, and I think that’s a fair spot to keep him in for now. You could easily argue that Ramos deserves to slide down among the top of the order options, but Bellinger’s imminent return should cover that spot and the rest of the team’s options for the top half are fairly entrenched. If he continues to rake as his exposure to the majors expands, then you could look to discuss where Lombard lines up in a potential playoff game, but for now gradually advancing the rookie shortstop’s spot seems to be the smart play.

Jmack175 asks:Stanton is under contract next year for $25 million, with $10 million of that being paid by the Marlins. As I understand it, his buyout of $10 million for 2028 will be covered by the Marlins because their salary relief is unconditional. So Big G is essentially owed $15 million by us next year with his buyout being a net zero for him not to play in 2028. Unless he comes back and rakes the rest of the way and in the post season, do you see the Yankees keeping him on the roster next year or releasing him and eating $15 million? Or do you see them keeping him until the trade deadline and then cutting ties?

I think the Yankees are loathe to allow big contracts to become dead money, as evidenced by how long they took to finally cut bait with DJ LeMahieu’s albatross play in his final season, but I can’t deny that I’ve pondered what the future looks like for Stanton. I don’t think they’d outright release him before next season starts, but I also don’t see where he fits into the lineup anymore with Luis García Jr. and Ben Rice both serving as first basemen and DH options mainly. His bat was electric in the short stint we saw of Stanton last year and he was fine from the month or so we got from him this season, but the health concerns are only continuing to mount. Perhaps that will push the issue down the road, as the team almost assuredly assumes Stanton will miss time again next season and will plug him in when they can. Eventually this is a crossroads the front office will have to make a decision on, but it’s not one they’ll have to make for now.

The injuries continue to pile up for Maikel Garcia. Less than a week after he returned to action, Garcia is back on the Injured List with a hamstring strain. He exited yesterday’s game against the Athletics after he injured himself rounding third base in the first inning. Outfielder Matthew Lugo was called up from Omaha to replace him on the roster.

Lugo was claimed off waivers from the Angels on June 2. He appeared in 31 games with them in 2025, hitting .232/.243/.464 with four home runs. He was hitting .265/.350/.473 with 14 HR in 100 games across Double-A and Triple-A for both the Angels and Royals organizations. The right-handed hitting outfielder is capable of playing all three outfield positions, and he is the nephew of former Royals outfielder Carlos Beltrán.

Garcia had just returned to action on Monday after missing nearly two months with a hand injury. It has been a tough season for the 26-year-old infielder who signed a five-year contract extension last winter. When healthy, he has been league-average hitter, batting .269/.324/.385, and his plus defense at third has made him a 2 WAR player in just 73 games. Nick Loftin has filled in most of the time at third base in Garcia’s absence.

The Royals also optioned pitcher Carlos Durán and recalled pitcher Jose Cuas from Omaha. Durán walked three and allowed two hits in 1.1 innings over two outings this week. Cuas had a 1.64 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 11 innings before being demoted earlier this week.

The Astros have recalled RHP Kai-Wei Teng from Triple A Sugar Land today after optioning LHP Bryan King to Triple A last night.

Teng, 27, is 5-6 this season with a 4.35 ERA and 1.35 WHIP for Houston across 25 games, including 10 starts. In 68.1 IP with the big league club, Teng has 67 K and has allowed 10 HR.

Teng was optioned to Triple-A following a rough start on 6/27 vs. Detroit, and was experiencing arm fatigue. He would later be placed on the IL with a right knee sprain.

Teng had a brief recall at the end of July in which he pitched in two games for the Astros, allowing 2 ER in 4.1 IP and collecting a win. He was optioned back to Triple-A after his appearance 7/24.

Teng has posted a 3.48 ERA in 10.1 IP at Triple-A Sugar Land across 7 appearances this season.

King, 29, is 2-3 with a 4.75 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 53 IP across 51 appearances. King’s season has completely fallen apart over the last 6 weeks.

On July 10, King entered play with a 2.03 ERA and was having an excellent season. He has made 13 appearances for the Astros since then and allowed runs in 9 of them. He has allowed 19 ER (including 7 HR) over 13 innings in that time, including 5 ER in an inning last night.

King had posted ERAs of 2.39 and 2.78 the past two seasons. His strikeout rate since 2024 has gone from 10.9 K/9 to 9.1 to 7.5 this season.

After exiting Wednesday's game early, the Yankees placed Ryan McMahon on the 10-day injured list on Friday (retroactive to Aug. 20) with a left thumb sprain.

McMahon was trying to stretch an RBI single into a double in the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles and jammed his thumb sliding as he was tagged out. 

The 31-year-old stayed in the game for two more at-bats before eventually getting pinch-hit for in the eighth inning. Manager Aaron Boone said that McMahon was good to play defense, but was struggling gripping the bat, so he opted to pinch-hit for him with Jose Caballero.

Following the game, McMahon said his thumb was "a little sore," but initial X-rays were "pretty positive." 

It's been a rough season offensively for the third baseman, as he's hitting just .216 with 10 home runs and 32 RBI over 106 games. This will now be his second stint on the injured list this year, having been placed on the 10-day IL at the end of June due to a throat infection.

Caballero got the start at 3B in McMahon's place on Thursday, going 0-for-4 with an RBI, and will likely see an increased role with McMahon sidelined.

In a corresponding move, New York recalled INF/OF Max Schuemann from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He's seen action in 41 games this year, hitting a tough .194, and last played in the big leagues on Aug. 3. With the RailRiders, Schuemann owns a .256 batting average with three homers and eight doubles in 35 games.

SEATTLE — Yes, I’ve made the trip to the Pacific Northwest for this three-game series. If you’re going to the games check BCB social media later, I’ll post my seat location.

The Mariners made the ALCS last year and came within an agonizing Game 7 of making their first World Series.

Now they’re struggling to stay near .500.

Also of interest, especially with all the rain in Chicago this summer: The Cubs’ next six games will be indoors, in Seattle and Arizona.

For more on the Mariners, here’s Kate Preusser, manager of our SB Nation Mariners site Lookout Landing.

There are a lot of bad Mariners seasons to compare it to, and obviously recency bias is a thing, but it’s hard to think of a worse season from a Mariners fan perspective. After advancing further in the playoffs than ever before last season, the Mariners — and their fans — came in to 2026 with understandably high expectations. The team had what most fans considered a solid off-season, as well, replacing Jorge Polanco and Eugenio Suarez with Brendan Donovan, coming to terms on a long-term deal with trade deadline acquisition and immediate fan favorite Josh Naylor, and adding depth to the bullpen. These improvements, along with a young core, strong farm system, and weakened AL West, made the Mariners early pre-season favorites for a repeat run into the postseason.

Instead, everything that could go wrong, has. Donovan has missed most of the year after re-injuring the same injury that kept him out last year. That and injuries to J.P. Crawford forced the promotion of top prospect Colt Emerson before he had significant seasoning at Triple-A, and the young shortstop struggled, eventually being returned to Triple-A last week (in happier news, so far his replacement, utilityman and unheralded minor leaguer Brock Rodden has been doing quite well). Injuries have been a bugaboo on the season – there isn’t a member of the starting lineup that hasn’t missed time with some injuries, including Cal Raleigh, going on the IL for the first time in his career. Raleigh has cratered a year after being runner-up for AL MVP, and the suspicion around Seattle is the oblique injury that held him out early in the season still isn’t quite right. Naylor, who’s been dealing with a wrist injury, also hasn’t been able to repeat his sterling start in Seattle. although his bat has heated up lately. The only member of the starting lineup who’s been consistently available and productive has been second baseman Cole Young, whose breakout season has been one of the only positive aspects of the 2026 season, along with a career year from Randy Arozarena, who will be a free agent at the end of the season.

The injury bug carries over to the pitching, as well; setup man Matt Brash has missed all of the season, straining an already-thinned bullpen, and even spring training standout Cooper Criswell has been out of action for months. Carlos Vargas, another late-inning arm, has also been on the IL all season. By contrast, the rotation has been healthy with the exception of Bryce Miller, whose return caused some difficulties with a six-man rotation/piggyback setup until the team dealt Luis Castillo at the trade deadline. But none of the starters, except  Logan Gilbert — and maybe Emerson Hancock, in the midst of a breakout year of his own after years of struggle — have been as strong and consistent as they have been in seasons past. They’ve looked pretty pedestrian at times this year, and that combined with the offensive struggles have made this season a very difficult watch for Mariners fans. Top prospect Kade Anderson remains waiting in the wings to help out when needed, but that probably won’t happen unless one of the starters goes down with an injury.

The biggest issue that’s plagued the Mariners is their inability to put together a consistent nine innings. The offense will score a pile of runs and the pitching will give up even more; a starter will have a solid outing only to have the bullpen blow it, or get no run support from the offense; the offense will score early and then not at all again. It’s been a disjointed mess to watch, and this late in the season, most fans have given up hope of a miraculous comeback, even with a truly dreadful AL West.

Fun facts

This series will be the Cubs’ last of the season in the Pacific Time Zone. Their next, at Phoenix, will be their last in the Mountain Time Zone (though since Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving time, Phoenix and Seattle are both on the same time during the baseball season). Six of their final nine series will be in the Central Time Zone and three in the Eastern Time Zone.
…..
The Cubs are 18-10 against the Mariners, for a winning percentage of .643. They have had more success against only two American League teams: .667 vs. the Athletics (18-9) and .679 vs. the Orioles (19-9). The Cubs are 9-5 at Seattle, the same as at home. That .643 also is third best vs. an AL team, after .786 at Baltimore (11-3) and .833 at Oakland and Sacramento (10-2).
…..
In their last trip to the Pacific Northwest, in April 2024, the Cubs lost the first game, 4-2, but won the next two, 4-1 and 3-2. They are 4-1 in series at Seattle, with the only loss by two games to one in 2010. The Cubs won both games played there in 2019.

(Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)

Probable pitching matchups

Friday: Matthew Boyd, LHP (8-2, 4.02 ERA, 1.235 WHIP, 4.64 FIP) vs. Emerson Hancock, RHP (7-7, 3.30 ERA, 1.109 WHIP, 3.72 FIP)

Saturday: David Peterson, LHP (4-1, 4.06 ERA, 1.353 WHIP, 4.26 FIP in nine games with Cubs; 7-7, 5.29 ERA, 1.531 WHIP, 4.00 FIP in 25 games overall) vs. Kade Anderson, LHP (MLB debut)

Anderson is the Mariners’ top prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 5 overall prospect and has dominated Double-A hitters in 18 starts in his first professional season.

Sunday: Shōta Imanaga, LHP (8-9, 3.77 ERA, 1.088 WHIP, 4.54 FIP) vs. Bryan Woo, RHP (9-8, 4.10 ERA, 1.084 WHIP, 3.30 FIP)

Times & TV channels

Friday: 9:10 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network, MLB Network (outside the Cubs and Mariners market territories)

Saturday: 6:15 p.m. CT, Fox-TV (regional — coverage map). A reminder that if you subscribe to MLB.TV or MLB Extra Innings, you can watch this game via those services even if it’s not on the Fox affiliate in your market. In the Chicago local market this game will be on WPWR-Ch. 50 because WFLD-Ch. 32, Fox-TV’s primary channel, is carrying the Bears preseason game.

Sunday: 3:10 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Prediction

As noted above, the Mariners have struggled this year. The Cubs are 13-6 on the road since the beginning of July. All of this should add up to another series win, two of three.

Up next

The Cubs travel to Phoenix for a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks beginning Monday evening.

The Atlanta Braves are taking on the team with MLB’s best record, best pitcher on the planet, and best bullpen since the start of August all in the same game as they travel to Milwaukee to face the Brewers.

This is a pitching matchup for lovers of rubber matches to drool over. One of the best pitchers of this generation in Chris Sale will be facing off against the current best pitcher on the planet in Jacob Misiorowski. Even without looking at the names, as 2.16 ERA (Sale) against a 1.75 ERA (Misiorowski) this late into the season is an intriguing game to watch.

The Braves will need to crack the Miz code if they want to start this tough schedule stretch with a bang. Get your popcorn ready and follow along in the comments.

Lineup

Preview

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Interleague action heads to Southern California tonight, and our Twins vs Padres prediction breaks down where to find the best betting value at Petco Park.

Let’s dive into my MLB picks for August 21, and fatten that wallet before the weekend.

Who will win Twins vs Padres today: Padres Moneyline (-121)

The San Diego Padres hold a clear edge in this matchup against Minnesota Twins starter Connor Prielipp, who's struggled with command away from home, carrying an elevated 6.15 ERA on the road.

Expect the Padres to capitalize on Prielipp's control issues early — he's walked 10 batters over his last three starts — build a lead, and turn the game over to their 28th-ranked bullpen to lock down the victory.

COVERS INTEL: San Diego is 8-3 in its last 11 home games against American League opponents, while Minnesota is 13-26 against National League opponents this year.

Twins vs Padres Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 runs (+105)

Petco Park may have a reputation as a pitcher's paradise, but this 7.5-run total is slightly too low with Prielipp on the mound.

Prielipp's 41.1 hard-hit percentage leaves plenty of room for San Diego to put up multi-run frames, while the Twins' lineup features enough middle-of-the-order power to scrape together runs against Randy Vasquez.

Expect both lineups to generate scoring opportunities and push this total past the line.

Twins vs Padres home run prediction: Manny Machado (+474)

Manny Machado continues to be a power threat when facing southpaws at Petco Park (.416 SLG).

Prielipp has surrendered high barrel rates to right-handed hitters all season, making Machado a prime candidate to lift one over the fence. 

The value on Machado clearing the outfield wall tonight is too good to pass up, let's ride with him as one of our best bets.

Twins vs Padres weather

It's a perfect night for baseball in San Diego tonight, with temperatures sitting at 78 degrees Fahrenheit prior to first pitch. 

Twins vs Padres odds

• Moneyline: Minnesota (+113) | San Diego (-121)
• Run line: Minnesota +1.5 (-178) | San Diego -1.5 (+170)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+105) | Under 8.5 (-113)

Twins vs Padres trend

The Over is 7-0-2 in Prielipp's last nine starts as an underdog. Find more MLB betting trends for Twins vs Padres.

How to watch Twins vs Padres and game info

Twins vs Padres latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

It was a tough series all around for the San Diego Padres. They fell to the New York Mets in the rubber match after Michael King pitched one of the best games of his season, giving up just two runs and working into the seventh inning. Instead, the Friars came up short, scoring just two runs in the finale. They scored just three total between their two losses.

That’s to be expected, though. There are always dips in offense. No one truly expected the Padres’ otherworldly second-half surge to continue all the way to the World Series. But it’s about how you come out of those dips in production that defines what kind of team you are. Hopefully, that will be on full display as the Friars take on the Minnesota Twins back in Petco Park.

Taking the mound

Connor Prielipp (MIN) v. Randy Vásquez (SD)

It’s been an up-and-down rookie campaign for Prielipp. The young left-hander has filled out the Twins’ rotation and has done a decent job of it. The lefty owns a 5.34 ERA through 17 starts this season. Prielipp has been consistent in that, posting an ERA over 5.00 in his last seven games and his last 15 games.

Those splits suggest that he won’t be a difficult opponent for the Padres to face. However, San Diego really struggled to score runs in their series against the Mets. If they can’t bounce back from that tonight, it might quickly become a tough weekend for the Friar Faithful back in Petco Park.

The Padres will likely employ an opener and deploy Vásquez in bulk relief. It’s a similar strategy to how they’ve utilized him in his last few outings. That’s seemed to work well. Vásquez owns a 3.00 ERA across his last seven starts despite a middling 4.30 ERA on the season.

Vásquez gave up four runs in his last start against the Cleveland Guardians. Prior to that, he had only given up a combined five runs in six previous starts. That’s good for a 2.05 ERA during that stretch. If Vásquez can rediscover that form tonight, it would make it abundantly easier for the Friars to win the series opener over Minnesota.

Batter up!

Despite a meager offensive showing during their series in New York, the Padres still have one of the best offenses in baseball down the stretch. Not to mention the fact that Fernando Tatis Jr. seems to have found his groove alongside Jackson Merrill. Should those two keep pace alongside Ty France and Manny Machado, it will be hard to stop this ball club.

1. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
2. Jake Cronenworth, 2B
3. Manny Machado, 3B
4. Ty France, 1B
5. Jackson Merrill, CF
6. Gavin Sheets, DH
7. Luis Rengifo, LF
8. Freddy Fermin, C
9. Sung-Mun Song, SS

Shortstop Xander Bogaerts exited the series finale in New York with an apparent injury. The Padres have assured that he is alright and that it was a precaution, but Bogaerts seems due for a rest day nonetheless. It’s possible that Song takes over for him at short for the day before he comes back in Game 2.

Relief corps

It’s quite impossible to say just how important King is to this Padres team. Despite the fact that San Diego lost the series finale, they did so on the backs of an absolute gem. King twirled 6 2/3 innings, surrendering just two runs to the Mets. After that, Jeremiah Estrada entered and immediately gave up two more runs. Those would end up being the difference in the eventual, 4-2, loss. Yuki Matsui relieved Estrada and finished out the game.

Regardless of the loss, King’s performance leaves the bullpen fresh for the series against Minnesota. That would have likely been the case either way (the team had a rest day on Thursday), but it gives them even more time to readjust. Griffin Canning, Kyle Hart, Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon, Wandy Peralta and Bradgley Rodriguez are all options for the Friars to turn to.

The A’s made several roster moves on Friday afternoon before kicking off their weekend series in Houston, starting by placing young shortstop Jacob Wilson on the 10-day IL among other roster moves:

Wilson’s IL placement wasn’t the only move but it was the biggest. The second-year infielder has battled shoulder issues since mid-May when he dislocated it diving for an infield single against the Orioles. He managed to work his way back to the team but a thumb injury and this continued shoulder soreness helped contribute to an injury-marred sophomore campaign for Wilson. He just hasn’t been the same guy who thrilled us all last year.

The 24-year-old will end his season with a .266/.298/.388 slash line with just seven long balls. That’s a major step down from his AL ROTY runner-up campaign last year but that shoulder injury could be a major part of the blame. Before his injury he was hitting .292/.311/.398 but post-All Star Break he’d hit just .229/.260/.385. There’s no official word on if he’s going to have surgery on that shoulder this offseason but if he is then the sooner the better. If the A’s are going to bounce back next year they’ll need Wilson in top form.

That wasn’t the only roster move today. Taking Wilson’s immediate spot on the active roster will be fellow infielder Michael Stefanic. This’ll be his second stint with the big league club this year after a very brief stint back in May when he played in two games and went 2-for-5. Capable of playing second, third, and left, he’s spent the majority of the year in Triple-A with the Aviators where he’s hit .296/.405/.414 with six home runs. Considering he’ll be 31 next year he’s mostly a depth piece at this point but maybe he can play his way into the backup infielder mix next year with a big showing down the stretch.

On the pitching side of things the A’s are swapping out one right-hander with another. Recent acquisition Taylor Rashi is heading back down to the minor leagues while prospect Kade Morris gets his second call up to the big leagues. Rashi only made it into one game for the A’s, pitching two innings and allowing one run against the Royals. He’ll head back to Triple-A and look to work his way back up for another crack in the big leagues. Morris meanwhile gets another chance at the majors. His first stint way back in June did not yield positive results and he’s only just returning from his own IL stint, but the A’s don’t have much to lose getting another look at a well-regarded prospect like Morris. Expect to see him out of the bullpen sometime in Houston, where he made his big league debut but got pummeled by the Astros for nine runs.

And the obvious of course: Nick Kurtz’s season is officially over with him being placed on the 60-day IL. The news was previously announced but this makes things official. We’ll see him next Spring.

The Nationals wrapped up a frustrating series in Texas with a 2-0 loss Thursday night, managing just one hit against Jacob deGrom and three Rangers relievers. DeGrom struck out 10 over six innings and recorded his 2,000th career strikeout, while Brady House collected the Nats’ only hit. Andrew Alvarez allowed one run over five innings, but the Nationals could not generate any offense without James Wood and CJ Abrams, who missed the game with a sprained ankle. Washington dropped two of three against Texas, was shut out in both losses, and has now lost five of its last six games to fall to 61-68.

The Nationals will continue their road trip with a three-game series against the 64-64 Miami Marlins, who return home after being swept by the Phillies. Miami had won three consecutive series against the Angels, Pirates, and Reds before its momentum stalled in Philadelphia, where the Marlins scored just one run in Wednesday’s 4-1 finale. Javier Sanoja provided the lone highlight with three hits and a solo home run, while Sandy Alcantara allowed three runs over six innings. The Marlins are 38-25 at home this season and have won five of their six meetings against the Nats.

Game One – Friday, 7:10 PM ET

WSH: RHP Brad Lord (5-2, 4.04 ERA)
MIA: RHP Ryan Gusto (0-3, 4.70 ERA)

Lord struggled in his most recent appearance against the Mets, allowing two runs and walking four while recording just two outs. Gusto allowed four runs, two earned, and struck out six over 4⅔ innings against the Reds in his last start.

Game Two – Saturday, 4:10 PM ET

WSH: RHP Jake Irvin (2-7, 5.80 ERA)
MIA: RHP Eury Pérez (6-9, 3.23 ERA)

Irvin allowed four runs and struck out six over six innings against the Mets on Sunday. Pérez delivered six scoreless innings against Cincinnati in his last outing and enters Saturday with a 15-inning scoreless streak.

Game Three – Sunday, 1:40 PM ET

WSH: LHP Jackson Kent (0-1, 9.39 ERA)
MIA: RHP Janson Junk (6-8, 4.37 ERA)

Kent allowed five runs on eight hits over 3⅔ innings against the Rangers on Tuesday, striking out three and walking three. Junk surrendered two runs over five innings against the Phillies on Monday and has posted a 3.21 ERA across three August starts.

The Diamondbacks are coming off a disappointing series where they dropped two out of three to the Red Sox, but did get a solid, extra innings win in the finale. Absolutely nothing else of any importance happened.

The Reds have faded from the conversation. After being semi-close by for a while, they have fallen to last place in the NL Central 18 games behind the Brewers, and seven games behind the Padres for the NL Wild Card. They’re 4-6 in their last ten and just kind of coasting.

Game 1 — 8/21, 6:40 PM: Eduardo Rodriguez (4.4 bWAR, 12-4, 2.71 ERA/155 ERA+, 1.21 WHIP) vs. Nick Lodolo (1.3 bWAR, 3-2, 4.52 ERA/95 ERA+, 1.42 WHIP)

After a (potentially very significant) hiccup against the Padres, normal service has resumed for Eduardo Rodriguez. He threw seven innings of two run ball against the Dodgers, recording a season high nine strikeouts, and then another six inning, two run performance against the Braves. He’s done well in a lot of statistics, but I think one that says a lot is the team’s 19-6 record in games that he starts. At the end of the day, winning baseball games is the goal, and Rodriguez has given the team a chance to do that in basically every start he’s had this season.

Lodolo missed a month due to a blister, and he has made two starts since coming back. His first start was rough, giving up four runs in four innings, but his second start was a good bounce back, holding the Marlins scoreless for five innings in his most recent start. This will be his second time facing the Diamondbacks this season, after he pitched 5.1 innings against them on June 12th, holding them two two runs on five hits and one walk.

Game 2 — 8/22, 5:10 PM: Michael Soroka (2.5 bWAR, 8-3, 2.93 ERA/143 ERA+, 1.10 WHIP) vs. TBD

There is always the concern that an extended lay off due to injury can cause rust to build up on a pitcher, but the 51 days between starts doesn’t seem to have been much of a hinderance for Soroka. That first start back was a little short, only 4.1 innings, but he held the Rockies scoreless and struck out four. The three walks weren’t great, but he worked around them. Next time out, he faced a much tougher level of opponent and held the Braves to just two runs in 5.2 innings. It wasn’t enough, but he did keep the team in the game. The bullpen just let it get away from them.

Game 3 — 8/23, 1:15 PM: Mitch Bratt (0.3 bWAR, 1-2, 4.17 ERA/101 ERA+, 1.47 WHIP) vs. Andrew Abbott (2.3 bWAR, 6-8, 4.07 ERA/105 ERA+, 1.40 WHIP)

Bratt is being basically the perfect definition of a #5 starter. He’s not going to be an all-star, and he’s going to have bad starts. His last time out against the Red Sox was one of those. He was only able to manage three innings and gave up three runs in them. He also gave up three walks, something he has struggled with. In his last five starts he has given up a whopping sixteen. If there is one thing he needs to reel in, it’s that. Other than that, if he can just keep up what he’s doing overall, he’s going to be just fine.

Abbott has been pretty consistent since the start of July. You’re going to get five or so innings out of him. He’s going to give up three runs, a handful of walks, and 4-6 strikeouts. That sums up approximately 75% of his games over the last month and a half. If it’s not that, it tends to err on the side of a worse performance, but there were a couple better ones. That said, I’d expect to see something pretty close to that hypothetical line I drew up.

Conclusion

I won’t insult your intelligence by saying this is a must win series. They all are from here on out until the magic or tragic number says 0. On paper the Diamondbacks should have a pretty good shot. The pitching matchups are strongly in their favor, especially. But the off-field clouds hang low, and it remains to be seen if Lovullo will be able to keep them at bay and keep the team on the field focused. I don’t envy him at all on this one, but if he can pull it off, I don’t think anyone will argue he deserves at least another season on the top step of the dug out.

As the 2026 MLB season has unfolded, everyone involved, front offices, players, and fans, has approached this season with a sense of urgency.

The reason? Most observers aren’t sure there will be a season in 2027.

There will be a work stoppage following the completion of the World Series once the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires, most likely through an owner’s lockout of the players that will last for months. Spring training will be affected and the likelihood that games will be missed next year is very real.

Owners want a salary cap. The MLB Player’s Union is dead set against it.

It is the Kashmir issue of MLB’s labor battle. It is the Taiwan. It is the Jerusalem. It is seemingly the one topic on which there can be no compromise.

Owners point to a vast disparity in payroll for the teams at the top to the ones at the bottom. According to Fangraphs, the projected payroll for baseball’s top-spending team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, is $407 million, with a luxury tax payroll of $417 million. The Mets’ $359 million payroll is next, followed by the Yankees’ $310 million and the Phillies’ $290 million.

The Dodgers’ payroll alone is more than the combined payrolls of the Marlins, Guardians, Rays and White Sox. The payrolls of the Dodgers, Mets and Yankees ($1.07 billion) is more than the four teams already mentioned, plus the A’s, Cardinals, Nationals, Pirates, Twins and Rockies ($967 million).

Not only that, but roughly $1.05 billion in deferred salary will be paid to eight players between 2028-46 (ESPN). The Dodgers have stretched the limits on how much a franchise can spend on its players, but all of it is allowed within the rules of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Baseball is pointing to the Dodgers and their wild spending as the problem and the dire need for new rules to be instituted in the next CBA to squelch it.

All of which makes the developments this week regarding the business practices of Dodgers owner Mark Walter very interesting.

Dual investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York are seeking to determine the details of financial dealings of Walter and two insurance companies he owns — Delaware Life Insurance Company and its affiliate Clear Spring Life and Annuity.

Regulatory filings released on Tuesday show Walter’s insurance companies shuffled billions of dollars in investments to businesses owned by Walter and other business partners. The filings also show a loan tied to the Dodgers has been almost entirely paid off.

Insurance companies like Delaware Life collect insurance premiums from ordinary people like you and me. Those premiums add up, and are then invested by the insurance company owners, like Walter, into other companies. Federal guidelines stipulate how much of an insurance company’s profits can be invested into other companies owned by the same person, in this case, Mark Walter. The allegations indicate Walter invested far more of those insurance company profits into other businesses he owns than is allowed, and that he mis-identified those loans/payments as being to outside entities.

It’s unclear how much of this, if any, is wrapped up in the Dodgers, and thus far, no charges have been brought against Walter. There is also no proof that the Dodgers’ sky-high payroll and hundreds of millions of dollars in deferred contracts is because Walters has funded his team’s payroll or TV cable deal with money from his insurance companies. The investigations will undoubtedly uncover where Walter’s profits went and how they were utilized.

But much of MLB’s incessant push for a salary cap is based on the notion that the Dodgers’ ability to outspend teams at the bottom of the income pool is unfair. That has been a winning argument in terms of public opinion. In March, The Athletic conducted a survey asking whether respondents were in favor of a salary cap system with a cap and floor. Nearly 7 in 10 (68%) said “yes.” Only a quarter (27%) said no.

That same survey found 67% said their fandom would be “significantly” (20%) or “somewhat” (47%) impacted by a potential lockout or strike, but one-third (33%) said they would be impacted “not at all.”

The argument that the Dodgers are destroying baseball is resonating with the fanbase, so from a public relations perspective, even the suggestion that the Dodgers’ payroll is what is due to shady or potentially illegal self-dealing undercuts MLB’s dire plea for help.

“The economics of baseball aren’t broken,” one could argue, “One of the owners was doing illegal, stuff!” will be the new mantra.

To be clear, there is no indication that Mark Walter did anything illegal or unethical with regards to his ownership of the Dodgers. The investigations are ongoing. But strictly from a public relations perspective, even the allegations are damaging because the success or failure of work stoppages in sports is oftentimes driven by fan support or opposition.

One other potential domino is whether Walter will sell the team he bought out of bankruptcy in 2012. He’s already sold his controlling interest in the Los Angeles Lakers and the Premiere League’s Chelsea franchise to raise money to pay off debts, and there is speculation the Dodgers could be next.

Could MLB really engage in a call for a salary cap and potentially blow up the economics of the game when the very franchise they’ve centered their arguments around is in the process of being sold?

The Athletic reported this week that Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten said the sale of the Lakers is “not related to the Dodgers and changes are not coming to the MLB organization.” Of course, things can change.

Even with the investigations looking into the Dodgers’ finances, a labor stoppage is still likely. The owners will still want a cap in the next CBA and the players will be dead set against it. But the argument MLB has been using to make their point has weakened considerably.

After a quick three game sweep of the Rockies in Colorado, the Dodgers are back home for a another quick three game set against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be on the mound for the Dodgers for his fourth start in what has been a phenomenal August for him – a 1.83 ERA in 19 2/3 innings, with 18 strikeouts and just six walks. He now sits at a 2.60 ERA, fifth lowest ERA in the National League.

Yamamoto is coming off a wobbly start against the Milwaukee Brewers, in which his first inning went 26 pitches with two walks, but he turned it around, allowing just one run over six innings and nine strikeouts. He told reporters afterwards that he had tried to be too fine in the first inning, but that he was able to reorganize his thoughts and dominate from then on.

While the Pirates are fourth in the NL Central and sit three games below .500, they still are not an easy lineup to face. They have the most hits and third most runs in all of MLB.

Yamamoto has faced the Bucs once before in his career in April of 2025 where he was outdueled by Paul Skenes and was given no run support and took the 3-0 loss.

On the other side of the ship the Pirates will send Bubba Chandler to the mound. The 23-year-old righty is 6-8 on the season with a 4.23 ERA.

One particular matchup to watch is Chandler vs Max Muncy. Chandler throws his fastball 51.1% of the time, and Muncy loves that particular pitch from righties. Muncy has three homers in his last seven games, and seven of his homers this season are on that righty fastball.

Chandler as a whole has great stuff, but can lose his command.

Oneil Cruz has just rejoined the team after having been out since the beginning of June with a left hand fracture. Before his injury, he was just six home runs shy of setting a new career high in homers in half the number of games.

Friday game info

Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Teams: Dodgers vs. Pirates

Ballpark: Dodger Stadium

Start time: 7:10 p.m.

TV: SportsNet LA