Category: Baseball

Old-Timers’ Day in The Bronx took on an unexpected somber tone when Tommy John released a statement through the Yankees in which he said “goodbye to everyone” as he battles health issues. 

“I want to thank the Yankees organization [and] the Steinbrenner family for giving me this opportunity to say goodbye to everyone, along with all the friends [and] fans who followed me throughout my 26-year career.” 

The former Yankee — best known for being the first to undergo the elbow surgery that now bears his name — was remembered fondly by his former teammates Saturday at the Stadium. 

“He had almost 300 wins, on top of everything else he did,’’ Ron Guidry said. “It was great having him on the team. He was so knowledgeable. When we were together, we were pretty much 1-2 on the staff and having him around gave me great comfort. He could talk and it was nice to have him around because he would answer any question you had and he did so much in the game.” 

John had been an All-Star with the White Sox and was a standout with the Dodgers by the time he injured his UCL in 1974. 

At the time, that was seen as a likely career-ending injury, but Dodgers team physician Dr. Frank Jobe performed the procedure on John, then 31, in which the lefty’s elbow ligament was replaced. 

John missed the entire 1975 season, but returned a year later and pitched 14 seasons with the reconstructed elbow. 

In his statement, John also credited Jobe, who “saved my arm [and] made it possible for me to continue pitching. That surgery has gone on to save the careers of countless pitchers, including many of the very best in the game today.” 

Of John’s 288 career victories — the highest total of anyone not in the Hall of Fame aside from scandal-scarred Roger Clemens — 164 came after his surgery. 

He signed with the Yankees for the first time prior to the 1979 season and was there until he was traded to the Angels midway through the 1982 season. 

John won more than 20 games in each of his first two years in The Bronx and returned in 1986. He remained with the Yankees through the rest of his major league career, which ended in 1989. 

John started 700 games in his career, the eighth most of all time, and his 4,710 ¹/₃ innings pitched are 19th on the all-time list. 

Rick Cerone played with — and caught — John and called him “a great competitor.’’ 

“He got better with age,’’ Cerone said. “That ball kept sinking and sinking.” 

Cerone also recalled John’s managing days, as John managed the Staten Island Yankees in 2004, as well as two seasons in the independent Atlantic League with Bridgeport. John also spent time as a broadcaster with the Yankees. 

“Tommy was tough to compete against and a terrific teammate,’’ Willie Randolph said. “We were just talking about him today. It’s shocking to hear he’s struggling and I’m praying for him.” 

The native of Terre Haute, Ind., also pitched for Cleveland, the Angels and A’s and finished second in the National League Cy Young vote in 1977 with the Dodgers, behind Philadelphia’s Steve Carlton, and in 1979 with the Yankees, trailing only Baltimore’s Mike Flanagan. 

John, in 2024, revealed he had bladder cancer, but it’s unclear if that is what he is dealing with now.

The Athletics have lost nine straight after getting blown out 13-1 by the Boston Red Sox in last night’s series opener. At 45-71, the A’s are tied for the worst record in the league. It wasn’t long ago that the team was sitting at .500, highlighting just how swift and extreme this collapse has been.

This afternoon, the A’s will look to stop the bleeding and avoid dropping their 10th in a row. Left-hander Gage Jump will get the start for the Green and Gold. The 23-year-old enters his 14th start of the season with a 4-7 record, a 4.59 ERA, a 1.47 WHIP and 73 strikeouts across 66 2/3 innings pitched.

The club’s top pitching prospect got off to a strong start, showcasing his tantalizing stuff during a dominant stretch to begin his major league career. However, Jump has struggled recently, perhaps running into a rookie wall as opposing teams have figured out how to attack the southpaw.

In Jump’s last outing against the Detroit Tigers, he took the loss after allowing six runs on four hits and six walks over just 3 2/3 innings. The start before that, he dominated these Red Sox hitters in Sacramento, striking out seven over six scoreless innings.

If the Athletics want to win a baseball game, they will need Jump to replicate that performance at Fenway Park, although the Red Sox will have a better idea of what to expect from the left-hander. A quality start would go a long way, especially after right-hander Jack Perkins’ short and poor start yesterday forced the team to ask more out of its struggling bullpen.

Speaking of the bullpen, the A’s shook things up down there.

Hayden Juenger returns to Triple-A after allowing four runs on five hits in the fourth inning of the series opener. Fellow right-handed reliever Yunior Tur takes his spot in the bullpen, looking to make the most of his second chance in the big leagues. It can only go up from here for Tur, who allowed 14 runs in his first two major league appearances a couple of weeks ago.

Here’s the Athletics’ lineup for this contest:

The Athletics will need more offense today, as keeping the Red Sox off the scoreboard will be a tall task for the pitching staff. For the third consecutive day, both of the team’s catchers are in the lineup, with Brian Serven taking over behind the plate.

Center fielder Henry Bolte’s speed and shortstop Jacob Wilson’s contact ability give the A’s a dynamic duo atop the lineup, but they have to actually get on base to make an impact. Meanwhile, will Lawrence Butler and Max Muncy continue being automatic outs, or will the two hitters finally make a positive impact for the team?

For the second straight day, A’s hitters will face a talented, young Red Sox left-hander whose stellar performance has been a significant factor in the team’s success. Jake Bennett enters his 13th start of the season with a 7-4 record, a 2.90 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP and 50 strikeouts over 71 1/3 innings pitched.

Bennett opposed Jump when these two teams squared off at the A’s home ballpark. In that game, the lone A’s win of the four-game series, the Red Sox left-hander took the loss after allowing three runs on six hits over 6 1/3 innings. This afternoon, Bennett will look to replicate the performance of his teammate Payton Tolle, who struck out 14 over six innings last night, while the A’s will look to beat him once again.

And Boston’s starting nine:

It is time to put an end to this misery and halt the Red Sox’s dream run. Let’s go A’s!

Follow the Game:
Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA

National – FS1

Listen:
Athletics – Talk 650 KSTE, A’s Cast

Set the clock back seven or eight years and this is the premier game of the weekend. Neither Gerrit Cole nor Chris Sale are fully the Cy Youngs they used to be, and yet they’re both still quite good in 2026. After a nailbiter of a win yesterday, Cole will look to give the Yankees another victory today, albeit one that doesn’t raise our collective blood pressure in the same way.

Let’s start with Sale, who is 37 with a 2.08 ERA and has been worth four wins already this season. The 15-year vet should be familiar to Yankee fans after stints with the White Sox and Red Sox, and indeed that back-foot slider to right-handed hitters is as good as it ever was. This is a tough assignment for MLB teams at the best of times, and the Yankee lineup isn’t much to brag about now. Scratching a run or two across against Sale is particularly important today.

Cole, meanwhile, has bounced back nicely after a few shaky starts in June. His last three outings, against the Pirates and both Chicago teams, have seen him post a 1.93 ERA and 2.82 FIP, and while we can’t necessarily expect that kind of pitching full time from the veteran, one more start along those lines would certainly be appreciated. A big part of Cole’s game was always controlling home runs — he fills the zone with so many pitches that fly balls are inevitable, but keeping those fly balls in play largely determines how his start will go. If he can avoid some of the thump in Atlanta’s lineup, he should be a good match against someone like Sale.

I was a little surprised to see Ben Rice in the lineup; I thought today would be a great excuse to give him what seems to be a much needed day off. Instead, he’s at DH, with the club rolling out their lefty specialist lineup of Paul Goldschmidt at first, Amed Rosario at third, and rookie George Lombard Jr. all the way up to sixth in the order.

It’s Old-Timers’ Day and the festivities are in full swing, coverage is on YES.

How to watch

Location: Yankee Stadium—Bronx, NY

First pitch: 3:05pm Eastern

TV broadcast: YES, BravesVision

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280, 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan, La Mejor 1600/1460/1130 AM

Online stream: MLB.tv

For updates, follow us on BlueSky, Twitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

Since Marcelo Mayer was traded by the Boston Red Sox to the San Francisco Giants during the MLB trade deadline, he’s been anxiously awaiting a new beginning.

Mayer’s girlfriend Camryn Bergman posted a video on her TikTok page, showing her and Mayer making their way back to his home state of California while soaking in the Bay Area.

Bergman’s video opened up with the caption “pov: your boyfriend got traded” which was followed up by a series of clips showing the two flying across the country from Boston to California.

When the two arrived in San Francisco, Mayer was seen taking his luggage to Oracle Park, which was then followed by clips of them exploring the Bay Area.

The two walked down the boardwalk and headed over to Pier 39, looking at a view of the water, with the famous Alcatraz prison staring directly back at them.

Their journey exploring the Bay continued with them eating at In-N-Out, then sitting near the Golden Gate Bridge.

The video ended with the couple entering an Uber and then receiving some gear from the Giants, where Bergman closed the video with herself working out in the gym, while wearing a white San Francisco hat.

Mayer was selected 4th overall by the Boston Red Sox in the 2021 MLB Draft, and quickly rose to the top of their farm system as Baseball America had him ranked as the No.10 overall prospect in 2024.

In May 2025, the Red Sox brought him up to their MLB roster, with hopes he would become their franchise shortstop of the future.

Through his two seasons in the big leagues, Mayer has struggled to stay healthy, as he’s been injured in both seasons, including last year when his season ended due to a right wrist sprain.

Right now, Mayer is working his way back from a bone stress reaction to his left ulna, but is expected to make a return this season.

As of Saturday, the Giants are in fourth place in the National League West with a 49-67 record, and the playoffs are likely looking like another miss for the fifth consecutive season.

With the team already eager to turn the page to next season, they’re hoping Mayer will turn into the big leaguer he was projected to be so that they can make a deep run next year.

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The trade deadline has come and gone, and we’ve had some time to reflect on the week. The Rockies made four total moves — three on Monday — and overall, the majority of the community gave the Rockies a passing grade for their moves.

81% of voters gave the Rockies a “good or satisfactory grade” for their performance. 4% gave them an A, which indicates excellent or outstanding work. 13% gave them a D, which indicates “below-average work,” while 2% gave them a failing grade.

Do you agree with the results? Do you still agree with your own vote? Let us know in the comments!

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The Dodgers will turn to Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Saturday in hopes to end their seven-game losing streak, a stretch in which nothing really seems to match up properly.

Yamamoto pitched quite well last Saturday at home, allowing three runs in eight innings to the Boston Red Sox, but that was a game in which the Dodgers offense could only score twice. Much like Friday night in Arizona, Roki Sasaki allowed only two run in six innings and the Dodgers took a lead in the eighth inning, but a bad Edwin Díaz slider turned that into a loss, too.

The loss on Tuesday at Wrigley Field turned lopsided later, but that was another strong start wasted, with Tarik Skubal allowing only two runs in six frames in his Dodgers debut.

Major league teams are 803-358 (.692) when their pitcher provides a quality start this season. The Dodgers lead the majors with 61 quality start this season, 11 more than any other team, and that’s not even including the six hitless, scoreless innings Eric Lauer provided in bulk relief following an opener on June 22.

The Dodgers are 44-17 (.721) when receiving a quality start, but have lost three such games in the last week on this losing streak.

Offense has been a big culprit during the swoon, even dating back to July when the Dodgers were outscored during the month for just the third time in nine years. Through the end of June, the Dodgers averaged 5.36 runs per game, most in the majors, and hit .266/.347/.443 with a 118 wRC+, tops in the majors in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and wRC+.

Since July 1, the Dodgers offense has been entrenched well into the bottom half of the league:

• 21st in runs per game (4.20)
• 20th in wRC+ (94)
• 19th in slugging percentage (.395)
• 18th in on-base percentage (.314)
• 12th in batting average (.251)

The Dodgers are also tied for 20th since the beginning of July with 32 home runs, with only nine of those home runs coming from outfielders, a collective group hitting just .225/.310/.346 with an 84 wRC+ over the last 30 games.

Home runs aren’t the only way to score, of course, and the Dodgers have weirdly done quite well with runners in scoring position during the seven-game losing streak, hitting .273/.333/.500 with a 125 wRC+. But they have just 48 plate appearances with runners in scoring position, fourth-fewest in the majors at just under seven such PA per game. MLB teams as a whole average over 68 PA with runners in scoring position over the last eight days.

Saturday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Diamondbacks
• Ballpark: Chase Field, Phoenix
• Start time: 5:10 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

At last Monday’s Trade Deadline, the Yankees had an opportunity to augment a bullpen that, despite ranking second in MLB in both ERA and xERA, seemingly had room for another high-end arm. Instead, GM Brian Cashman traded away Camilo Doval, Jake Bird, and Yovanny Cruz. The most charitable interpretation here is addition by subtraction. Doval and Bird — two of three relievers Cashman acquired at the 2025 deadline — had been major disappointments (while Cruz had made just four appearances this year and was more of a depth piece). Their ouster creates opportunities for others to take a step forward in the pecking order.

As I do each month in a given season, I’m going to take a look at the Yankees’ relievers to identify how manager Aaron Boone is deploying each and offer a verdict as to how much trust we can place in them moving forward using the following ranking system:

• 5: As confident as one can be in a reliever, the most fickle position in baseball
• 4: High degree of confidence, but some trepidation remains
• 3: Glass half full or glass half empty? The choice is yours
• 2: Major concerns here, though perhaps a glimmer of hope
• 1: Absolute zero — usually reserved for those with a minimal track record

Statistics below are from July 1-August 6.

The Closer

David Bednar

Recent stats: 14.2 IP, 1.23 ERA, 17 SO, 2.69 FIP, 9 Saves (in 9 opportunities)

Regardless of what happened at the deadline, with the possible exception of a Mason Miller acquisition, Bednar was going to remain the team’s closer, and for good reason. After an uneven start to the season, he’s allowed runs to score in just one of 25 outings since May 18th, a remarkable run of excellence that’s largely flown under the radar. In a bullpen that’s experienced some flux, he’s been low drama, exactly what you want out of your closer.

Confidence level: 5

Bednar is seventh among active players in saves, with everyone ahead of him older and longer tenured. The combination of his excellence this year and track record over his career makes him one of the most reliable closers in baseball.

The Set-Up Men

Brent Headrick

Recent stats: 18 IP, 1.00 ERA, 27 SO, 0.60 FIP

Over his first three seasons, Headrick pitched more at Triple-A than in the big leagues, appearing to be no more than a depth piece. This year? As Michael Baumann over at FanGraphs eloquently outlined on Thursday, he’s putting up one of the best reliever seasons in Yankees history. Among primary relievers, only Miller and Louis Varland have lower ERAs.

Confidence level: 5

I was skeptical of Headrick’s success early in the season, but he’s sustained this level of performance for long enough that it cannot be ignored. And his peripherals, including elite whiff and barrel rates, support that this is no fluke. He’s firmly entrenched in the late-inning mix, and rightfully so.

Paul Blackburn

Recent stats: 22.2 IP, 1.19 ERA, 23 SO, 4.24 FIP

Say what you will about the Yankees’ organization — they can take a washed up journeyman and turn him into a star reliever like no other team in baseball. Blackburn is the latest beneficiary of the Luke Weaver effect, transforming from a struggling swingman into a back-end option. After using him in long relief for most of the season, Boone has begun inserting him in the eighth, with strong early results.

Confidence level: 3.5

Blackburn deserves credit for his turnaround, but the jury’s still out on how sustainable it will be. While he’s not missing many bats, his 56.5 ground-ball rate suggests he may have a legitimate new formula. If he performs well in another month of high-leverage usage, I’ll feel much more confident he can be part of the path to Bednar moving forward.

The Middle Relievers

Fernando Cruz 

Recent stats: 14 IP, 3.21 ERA, 14 SO, 5.10 FIP

After working as a set-up man, Cruz has been deployed recently as the first man out of the bullpen to bail out a fading starter to get to the late innings. Wherever Boone uses him, he knows what he’s getting: a pitcher with a one-of-a-kind splitter who both misses bats and issues walks as much as anyone in baseball.

Confidence level: 4

Cruz is a known quantity at this point. His energy on the mound and ability to dominate on his best day more than make up for the days when he loses the strike zone and works himself into trouble. He remains very much in the high-leverage picture.

Tim Hill

Recent stats: 11.2 IP, 5.40 ERA, 5 SO, 9.10 FIP

After a remarkably consistent run through nearly two years in New York, Hill’s bag of tricks has begun to wear out its welcome. Since May 12th, his ERA has ballooned from 1.00 to 4.40 as he’s allowed 21 runs (19 earned) in 25 innings. Unsurprisingly, he’s slipped out of the inner ring of Boone’s circle of trust.

Confidence level: 2.5

Hill’s numbers remain strong against lefties, maintaining his value as a lefty specialist. Otherwise, though, his stock has taken a major hit.

The Long Reliever

Ryan Yarbrough

Recent stats: 10 IP, 1.80 ERA, 5 SO, 4.89 FIP

It’s been an odd season for Yarbrough, who has performed well despite intermittent usage. His hard-hit rate of 22.5 percent tops MLB (Cruz is second) despite — or, perhaps, because of — throwing one of the slowest fastballs in the game. Of note for his recent stats: Yarbrough has allowed six unearned runs this month.

Confidence index: 2.5

Yarbrough is perfectly suited for his long relief role, giving a different look than any other Yankees pitcher while eating some lower-leverage innings.

The Mop-Up Men

Yerry De los Santos

Recent stats: 9.1 IP, 5.79 ERA, 7 SO, 3.38 FIP (at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre)

This is where the Yankees’ bullpen starts to get scary. After moving Doval and Bird (and sending Angel Chivilli down to Triple-A), the Yankees promoted De los Santos, who had been getting absolutely torched at Triple-A. He does have a strong 2.84 ERA in 30 appearances with the Yankees over the past two seasons, but if the team had confidence that was indicative of his potential they’d have called him up earlier in the season.

Confidence level: 1

De los Santos has been useful as a Quadruple-A player, but the prospect of him becoming a mainstay in the bullpen is alarming. We’re one injury away from the 28-year-old starting to see action late in close games.

Kervin Castro

Recent stats: 3.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 5 SO, 1.90 FIP

Castro has earned his shot. After last pitching in the bigs for the Cubs in 2022, the Yankees took a flier on him last year and he excelled at Triple-A, a run of success he continued this year. Over both seasons, he posted a 1.63 ERA at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The early returns with the Yankees have been strong as well, with three scoreless outings since he was recalled in late July.

Confidence level: 1

I’d love to see Castro’s Cinderella story continue, but success at Triple-A does not always translate at the big-league level. He’ll need to show a lot more before he gains any trust in Boone’s bullpen pecking order.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cubs fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

The Cubs made three major acquisitions before Monday’s MLB Trade Deadline: starting pitchers Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes, and reliever Ryan Zeferjahn. These moves appear to be very positive in an effort to help bolster the oft-injured Cubs pitching staff.

Earlier this week I asked you to give a grade for Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer’s moves.

And in general, you approve:

That’s a huge vote of confidence in Hoyer, with 94 percent grading his moves at B or higher — and nearly a plurality with an “A” vote, very close to the number who chose “B”.

I can’t explain the one percent giving Hoyer a failing grade. Can you?

Here are the results of the two national questions asked in the SB Nation Reacts survey this week.

This vote, I presume, assumes that Tarik Skubal will somehow singlehandedly put the Dodgers over the top to win the World Series. Either that, or Dodgers fans stuffed the electronic ballot box.

The Cubs made a statement last Tuesday that they won’t be afraid of Skubal. They very well could face him again in October.

And again, Skubal carries the day in the individual player voting. Interestingly, voters picked Clay Holmes over Kevin Gausman for the Cubs acquisition who would have the most impact.

So far, Freddy Peralta hasn’t done much to warrant the deal that sent him to the Rays, as he got hit hard in his first start for Tampa Bay.

Thanks for participating in the survey this week, and let’s hope the voters are wrong about Skubal.

This edition of SB Nation Reacts is sponsored by FanDuel.

Monday’s trade deadline action didn’t exactly go on-script for the Cincinnati Reds. At least, it sure didn’t follow the script most everyone across the nation expected to see play out.

The Reds, mired in last place and with a New Jersey Turnpike full of teams ahead of them in the Wild Card race, looked like they should be sellers. Brady Singer is a pending free agent who’s been pitching lights out for months, and that always has value. Eugenio Suarez, though struggling this year after an oblique injury shut him down for a month and disrupted timing, was beginning to find his swing again, and some team surely would’ve taken a flier on him getting white hot again.

There was even a deep bullpen full of guys on expiring contracts. Still, the Reds made just minor moves of Nate Lowe and Caleb Ferguson, the latter not even bringing back an actual prospect (with international bonus pool cash coming to Cincinnati instead).

The Reds have been playing better of late, and even find themselves not in last place this morning by half a game. Still, the odds of making a miraculous playoff push seem outlandish, and now they’ve lost Hunter Greene (again) for the rest of this season and most, if not all, of next despite there having been significant interest in him pre-deadline.

All told, it sure doesn’t seem like the team navigated the deadline very well. And when we asked you to grade them on their work earlier in the week, well, you wholeheartedly agreed.

Most of you don’t just think they did poorly. Half of you think they flunked the test outright.

Perhaps more telling is that absolutely zero folks think they did a job worthy of an A, so that indicates that not even a single member of the Cincinnati Reds front office sneaks over to Red Reporter to skew polls anymore.

(Either that or they agree with you, too!)

The Reds have a long way to go to revamp both their roster and their front office, and they took precisely zero significant steps towards doing so at this trade deadline. That was obvious to us, and it’s sure looking obvious to you, too.

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I'm firing two units on the Atlanta Braves at -137 today. Forget the pedigree—this comes down to current form and matchup edges.

While Gerrit Cole remains a big name, his fly-ball and hard-contact tendencies give Atlanta’s heavy hitters a prime launchpad.

On the bump for ATL, Chris Sale brings a far superior whiffs-and-chase profile to keep New York guessing in my Braves vs. Yankees predictions and MLB picks for Aug. 8.

Who will win Braves vs Yankees today: Braves moneyline (-137)

I'm on the Atlanta Braves in this spot for two units down to -155. The New York Yankees were lucky to get a win last night.

The offense has remained dreadful for a few weeks now (just look at a wOBA near the bottom of the league over the last 30 days), and this is a strength-on-weakness matchup against Gerrit Cole. 

Cole has allowed a 9.5% barrel rate, 42.6% hard-hit rate, and 67% air-ball rate this season, which is not ideal against an Atlanta lineup that ranks fourth in baseball in barrel rate. 

We could debate who's the better pitcher long-term, but there's no doubt Chris Sale has had a better season than Cole on the other side. 

His strikeout-heavy profile matches up well against a lineup that is whiffing more than ever lately at a 26% strikeout rate over the last seven days. 

COVERS INTEL:Cole’s four-seamer is the specific pitch Atlanta can attack. He throws it 47.1% of the time, and it has allowed a 45.2% hard-hit rate this season.

Braves vs Yankees Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (-116)

I'd play the Under to 7. 

Both starters can control the shape of this game. Sale gives Atlanta strikeout upside against a Yankees lineup that has been flat-out bad, while Cole is still more than capable of limiting traffic even if his barrel profile creates some concern.

If Sale handles the Yankees’ cold stretches and Cole avoids the multi-run homer, this profiles more like a lower-scoring road favorite script than a full offensive eruption. In fact, it could look a lot like last night.

Braves vs Yankees weather

The Bronx forecast is hot, with thunderstorm risk around the game window, so delay risk matters more than any clear wind-based run adjustment

Braves vs Yankees odds

• Moneyline: Braves -137 | Yankees +124
• Run line: Braves -1.5 | Yankees +1.5
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 | Under 7.5

Braves vs Yankees trend

The New York Yankees have hit the Team Total Under in 24 of their last 30 games at home (+17.35 Units / 48% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Braves vs. Yankees.

How to watch Braves vs Yankees and game info

Braves vs Yankees 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.

15 Years Ago

Brandon Morrow pitched 8.2 no-hit innings, leading the Blue Jays to a 1-0 victory. It was likely the best pitching performance I have ever witnessed.

With two outs in the ninth, Evan Longoria hit a ground ball between second and first. Aaron Hill made an outstanding effort to reach the ball and got his glove on it, but it deflected into right field. Even if he had fielded it cleanly, he wouldn’t have had a play at first. Hill hoped the official scorer would call it an error, but it was ruled a hit.

Morrow struck out 17 batters—just one shy of Roger Clemens’ franchise record—and walked only two, facing four batters above the minimum. His 100 Game Score tied for the fourth-best since the start of the lively ball era in 1920. Only Kerry Wood (105), Nolan Ryan (101, vs. the Blue Jays), and Sandy Koufax (101) have posted better scores. That’s remarkable company.

He threw 137 pitches—risky for a pitcher with his injury history. I would have taken him out after the hit, but instead, he struck out Dan Johnson to end the game. Most managers would have pulled him after the single (and 132 pitches), but Cito Gaston wanted him to finish the complete game on the mound.

The no-hitter was nearly broken up in the top of the ninth when Jason Bartlett hit a fly ball to deep center, but Vernon Wells made a spectacular catch at the wall. If not for the no-hitter, I’m sure Vernon would have played it off the wall instead. He ended up with a dislocated toe but missed only one game. With 17 strikeouts, our defense wasn’t often tested, but Vernon’s catch was as good as any you’ll see.

Offensively, the Jays managed just five hits. Their lone run came in the first inning: Yunel Escobar drew a one-out walk after DeWayne Wise lined out, moved from first to third on a groundout, and scored on a single by Vernon Wells. Morrow made that early run hold up.

Another memorable moment was Jose Molina’s stolen base—his only steal of the season. He would go on to steal two more the following year and finished his 15-year career with 20 stolen bases.

Ultimately, it was Morrow’s day. In my recap, I wrote:

For Morrow, it was his first complete game and his first shutout. And he is just 26; he’ll have more days like this.

I was wrong.

Brandon went on to pitch in 100 games for the Blue Jays, making 93 starts and posting a 34-31 record with a 4.40 ERA over five seasons. After Toronto, he played for the Padres, Dodgers, and Cubs. Notably, he appeared in all seven games of the 2017 World Series with the Dodgers.

His final season was 2018. Over his career, he appeared in 334 games (113 starts), with a 51-43 record, 40 saves, a 3.96 ERA, 368 walks, and 877 strikeouts.

The Hill play:

Drake Baldwin leads off again, as Ronald Acuna gets a day off in the field, batting second and DHing. Mike Yastrzemski and Mauricio Dubon man the corner outfield spots around Michael Harris. Jim Jarvis returns to the starting lineup, batting ninth and playing shortstop.

Meanwhile, the Yankees lineup is as follows.

Join us as the teams face off in Yankee Stadium at 3:05 PM ET on BravesVision

Nats first round pick Chris Hacopian will be making his minor league debut tomorrow. Interestingly, it will not be in Fredericksburg. Instead, the local kid will be skipping over Low-A and will join the Wilmington Blue Rocks. The old regime would always send draft picks to Low-A first, even if it were only for a few games, but that has changed.

After being drafted 11th overall last month, it will be exciting to see Hacopian get started. That Wilmington team was already loaded, and now they are getting another top prospect. The likes of Eli Willits, Ronny Cruz and Miguel Sime Jr. are some of the players currently in Wilmington. Now, Paul Toboni’s first draft pick will join them.

This assignment is interesting for a couple reasons. First is that it is another change from the new regime. Even when Dylan Crews was drafted second overall, he played 14 games in Fredericksburg. After that, he skipped High-A and went to Harrisburg. Playing for the Fred Nats was like a rite of passage for Nationals prospects.

Wilmington is known as a bad place to hit, and the old regime was hyper-aware of that. The new regime has been more willing to send guys to Wilmington and let them stay there. It is a pitchers park, but if you can hit, you can thrive there. We saw that with the likes of Ethan Petry, Devin Fitz-Gerald and now Eli Willits.

Hacopian will be the next big bat in Wilmington. Toboni and the front office must have felt that the infielders bat was just too advanced for Low-A. There is certainly evidence for that, as Hacopian was seen as one of the best college hitters in the class. He has walked more than he has struck out wherever he has played. Now, he will take on Wilmington.

Getting to see the 2026 draft picks will be fun for fans of the Nats farm system. So far, the only player who has debuted is 9th rounder Cashel Dugger, who has played a couple games in Low-A. Now, we will get to see Hacopian.

I would imagine that second rounder Chase Brunson is next in line to make his debut. There is a chance he also goes to Wilmington, but I think a quick stop in Low-A is more likely. 5th rounder Daniel Cuvet is another exciting bat to watch down the stretch.

The high school duo of Luke Williams and Cooper Harris are unlikely to debut this year. High school pitchers almost never pitch in their draft years and Williams is still too raw to throw straight in Low-A. We saw Eli Willits go straight to Low-A and shine, but he was uniquely polished.

It will be very interesting to see how Hacopian does in his pro debut. I think he will hold his own at the very least, but this is an aggressive assignment in a tough place to hit. If he does struggle, it would not be time to panic just yet. However, with how polished the bat is, the front office clearly thinks he has the hitting chops to succeed right away.

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The red-hot Boston Red Sox enter Saturday’s matchup against the Athletics as a heavy -257 moneyline favorite, with first pitch scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET.

With Jake Bennett in solid form, my Athletics vs. Red Sox predictions expect Boston to roll to another convincing win against a shaky Gage Jump.

Read more in my MLB picks for Saturday, Aug 8.

Who will win A's vs Red Sox today: Red Sox -1.5 (-131)

The Athletics send Gage Jump to the mound at Fenway Park, and he’ll face a Boston Red Sox offense carrying a 158 wRC+ over the last week.

Jump is not in ideal form, posting a 4.55 xERA over his last two starts. While he has not allowed a homer during that span, the rookie has walked 9.31 BB/9, which is dangerous against a Red Sox lineup that is rolling.

Jake Bennett counters for Boston, and he continues to deal. The left-hander owns a 3.84 FIP over his previous two appearances while holding opponents to a 33.3% hard-hit rate and 2.6% barrel rate.

Boston should capitalize against Jump, while Bennett limits the damage.

I’ll play this pick up to -150.

COVERS INTEL: The Red Sox have thrived against left-handers, posting a 113 wRC+ this season. That's compared to a 94 mark vs righties. 

A's vs Red Sox Over/Under pick: Under 9.5 (-131)

The total is set high at 9.5, and I’m predicting the Under. The Athletics are doing very little offensively right now, and Boston’s bullpen has been lights out. Over its last 26.1 innings, the Red Sox relief corps owns a 1.93 xERA while surrendering just 0.34 HR/9.

I expect Boston to do most of the scoring, but Oakland’s bullpen is not in complete collapse mode, posting a 4.41 FIP across the last week. If the A’s pen can limit damage once Jump departs, this game can stay under 10 runs.

I’ll play this pick up to -140.

A's vs Red Sox weather

Weather looks warm at Fenway Park today, with partly cloudy skies and temperatures holding in the mid-to-upper 80s through first pitch. Winds should be moderate early, then ease later, and rain chances remain relatively low. The warm air could slightly help carry, but conditions should not be a major factor.

A's vs Red Sox odds

• Moneyline: A's +245 | Red Sox -237
• Run line: A's +1.5 (+127) | Red Sox -1.5 (-133)
• Over/Under: Over 9.5 (+122) | Under 9.5 (-127)

A's vs Red Sox trend

The Boston Red Sox have covered the Run Line in 27 of their last 40 games (+19.65 Units / 41% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for A's vs. Red Sox.

How to watch A's vs Red Sox and game info

A's vs Red Sox latest injuries

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