Category: Baseball

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Toronto owns the pitching matchup today as it looks to win its seventh straight series, so I'm riding with them as part of my Blue Jays vs. Rays predictions.

The Toronto Blue Jays walk into their final game at Tropicana Field as +145 underdogs at BET99, and have a strong chance to cash against Ian Seymour.

Let’s dive into my MLB picks for Thursday, Aug. 20, and cash another same-game parlay, shall we?

Blue Jays vs Rays predictions

Blue Jays vs Rays best bet: Blue Jays moneyline (+145)

This is a good spot to take a shot.

The Toronto Blue Jays have all the momentum after coming just a run short of completing a seemingly insurmountable comeback following a couple of mind-numbing errors from Jesus Sanchez in left field. This type of resiliency should carry over against Tampa Bay Rays SP Ian Seymour, whom the Jays own a .325 average and .439 xSLG against across 40 at-bats.

On the other side is Shane Bieber, who's rocking a much more respectable 3.63 ERA in August after two strong starts against the New York Yankees and Houston Astros.

With the Rays owning just a .290 xwOBA over 52 plate appearances against the right-hander, I'm riding the Jays to win their seventh straight series.

I'd play this up to +120 at BET99.

COVERS INTEL:George Springer will need a big game if the Jays are going to take two of three at the Trop. He's 5-for-9 vs. Seymour with a .447 xBA and .669 xSLG, while owning an average exit velocity of 95.2 mph. That'll play.

Blue Jays vs Rays same-game parlay (SGP)

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Blue Jays +1.5 has cashed for us in five straight games. I expect much of the same today.

Elsewhere, the offense has quietly come on, scoring 21 runs over its last three games while cashing this team total Over in five straight as well.

Springer has been a big part of that injection of offense — let's see him have another big game against Seymour.

Blue Jays vs Rays SGP

• Blue Jays +1.5
• Blue Jays team total Over 2.5
• George Springer 2+ total bases

Blue Jays vs Rays home run pick: Alejandro Kirk (+575)

If we're looking into homers, we might as well rock with the hottest hitter in the Blue Jays lineup.

Yes, Alejandro Kirk has 14 hits and three bombs across his eight-game hit streak, and he owns a home run alongside a .857 SLG against Seymour in his career. Let's ride with the big man one more time.

Blue Jays vs Rays odds

• Moneyline: Toronto (+145) | Tampa Bay (-170)
• Run line: Toronto +1.5 (-145) | Tampa Bay -1.5 (+125)
• Over/Under: Over 7 (-120) | Under 7 (+100)

Blue Jays vs Rays trend

The Over is 7-0 in the Blue Jays' last seven games as a road underdog. Find more MLB betting trends for Blue Jays vs. Rays.

How to watch Blue Jays vs Rays and game info

Blue Jays vs Rays latest injuries

Blue Jays vs Rays weather

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Good morning, folks…

I’m apparently doing the links again this morning…

The Texas Rangers fell to the Washington Nationals yesterday by a score of 6-0.

Evan Grant’s game story highlights the difference in the Rangers’ record when they score first.

Jeff Wilson writes that if the Rangers want to make the playoffs, they’ll need to take advantage of a remaining schedule that is heavy on home games.

The good news is that Jacob deGrom is feeling good and slated to start for the Rangers tonight.

Evan praises the work of Cal Quantrill, calling him the Rangers’ most reliable starting pitcher of late.

Jake Burger has a daughter with Down’s Syndrome, which has inspired he and his wife, Ashlyn, to start the Burger Family Foundation.

Josh Jung announced his engagement to Kaylee Brown.

Cade Cunningham, who has an ownership stake in the Rangers, offered up some advice for the team yesterday.

Sometimes we get so focused on our own bubble we don’t pay attention to the outside world.

That can cause us to lose perspective and not see the forest for the trees. So, for a moment, let’s zoom out. While the Phillies have had a dizzying 2026 season thus far, they are not the only National League team to go through its own series of ups and downs.

The Atlanta Braves, for example, are suddenly struggling once again. After beating the Mets last Wednesday, August 12, they were up 9 1/2 games in the NL East. This week, they lost a series against the Diamondbacks and were swept by the Twins in Minnesota.

Out of the blue, the Braves’ lead over the Phils is just 4 1/2 games. While it’s unlikely the Phillies will catch them and win the division, the fact it’s suddenly a horse race once again is staggering. But Atlanta has not been immune to slumping, as evidenced by their 9-14 record in June. They are only 9-8 in August.

But the biggest surprise in baseball right now are the struggles of the Dodgers, MLB’s Evil Empire, the unstoppable behemoth whose financial dominance undoubtedly means they will never not win a World Series ever again.

While it’s fair to continue calling them the favorites to win it all, things are not going at all well in Los Angeles. They are 8-10 in August, thanks mainly to a three-game sweep of the Rockies in Colorado. Prior to that, the Dodgers had lost 10 of their last 15.

As it is, L.A. has been just a .500 ballclub since July 1 (21-21). During that time, they are just 17th in runs scored, 18th in OPS, and 20th in OBP. Their starting rotation’s 4.02 ERA is 14th over that stretch, while the bullpen’s 4.60 ERA is 23rd.

Off the field, the future of the franchise is clouded in uncertainty. Owner Mark Walter is currently being investigated for alleged tax fraud among his insurance companies, and reports indicated he is trying to raise as much money as possible to rectify his financial issues. He’s already sold his majority stake in the Los Angeles Lakers less than a year after buying it, and is reportedly preparing to sell his stake in the Chelsea Football Club. A sale of the Dodgers could affect the team’s ability to continue funding their massive payroll long-term, but likely doesn’t have much impact this year.

Still, the distractions cannot be helpful for a team trying to do something that hasn’t been done in nearly 30 years.

As I mentioned on my latest Hittin’ Season podcast, powered by WHYY, there’s a reason no team has won three straight World Series titles since the 1998-2000 Yankees.

It’s been a nightmare season for free agent outfielder Kyle Tucker, who is hitting just .232 with 11 HRs in his first season in L.A.

Will the Dodgers recover and go on another run? It’s certainly possible.

Right now, they look human. And that opens a window of opportunity for a Phillies team that is playing as well as it has all season.

Last night Cade Cavalli twirled yet another gem. As the season has gone on, Cavalli is reaching another level. That is so encouraging to see given the fact we have had plenty of pitchers regress as the season goes along in the past. With how Cavalli has been pitching lately, he has put himself into down-ballot Cy Young consideration.

Obviously he is not going to win the award, Jacob Misiorowski and Cristopher Sanchez are fighting for that honor. However, with how he is performing, he should be in the top 10. Even former Nats play-by-play announcer Bob Carpenter remarked that Cavalli should be in consideration.

For the season, Cavalli has put together an impressive resume. In 142.2 innings, Cavalli has an 11-5 record with a 3.22 ERA and 162 strikeouts. Those strikeout numbers are highly impressive in particular. He is tied for 5th in the NL in strikeouts and tied for 9th in all of baseball. Cavalli’s swing and miss stuff is undeniable, and that is such an important part of modern pitching.

In terms of fWAR, Cavalli is tied for 8th in the NL among qualified starters. These numbers, along with a very strong ERA suggest at least a top 10 finish in Cy Young voting. For a guy in his first full MLB season, that is wildly impressive. I had high expectations for Cavalli entering the season, but he is shattering even those.

He is not going to win the Cy Young, but over his last 10 starts, Cavalli has pitched like a Cy Young. In that time he has a 2.12 ERA with 73 strikeouts to just 13 walks in 59.1 innings. The most impressive number for me is that he has 8 straight quality starts. That shows an ability to go deep into games, not just dominate for shorter spurts.

For Cavalli to go from a Cy Young outsider to someone who can truly challenge for the award next year, he will need to keep that up. In the first three months of the season, Cavalli was mostly effective, but he tended to only go about 5 innings. He also had these starts where the pitch count got out of control, and he had to leave in the third or fourth inning. Cavalli has not had one of those since the Pirates start in the beginning of July.

Lately, he has been an absolute rock at the top of the Nats rotation and dare I say an ace. That ace crown is one that many fans do not give out easily, and understandably so. The likes of Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg have worn that crown in the past. Cavalli might not be there yet, but it is time to have a conversation. In this 10 start stretch, he has undeniably been an ace.

For a guy whose career looked to be on the ropes just 18 months ago, this has been such a terrific story. It goes to show that you should never bet against elite stuff and an elite mentality. He was struggling to get on the mound at that time, and now the numbers firmly point to a top 10 Cy Young finish.

Just to put his resume in one place, Cavalli is 5th in the NL in strikeouts, 9th in ERA, tied for 8th in WAR, 8th in FIP and 9th in innings. That points to a top 10 Cy Young finish, a truly remarkable accomplishment for the 28 year old.

For a minute, I also want to dive into how Cavalli has had so much success. He has a fastball that averages around 97 MPH, but his best pitches are his breaking balls. Cavalli has exceptional power and break on his curveball and sweeper. Both pitches get whiffs at over a 30% clip and grade out as elite on stuff models.

What makes those pitches so unique is the velocity he gets on them. Both the curveball and the sweeper average 86 MPH, but have been closer to 87 the past couple months. That power, combined with how much movement he can get on the pitches makes him so devastating. He has also started featuring a cutter, which helps bridge the gap between his breaking balls and his fastball, making everything even better.

The Nats pitching coaches have not had a ton of success stories this season, but Cavalli is certainly one of them. Adding the sweeper has helped him out a ton against right handed hitters, who he really struggled against last year. In 2025, righties hit .381 against him but that number has dropped to .222 this season. The midseason addition of the cutter has also proven to be a wise move.

It makes me want to see what this staff can do with more talented arms, especially a guy like Connelly Early. Cavalli has excelled this season, and is getting better by the start. That is something all Nats fans love to see. We have not had a Nats pitcher on a Cy Young ballot in a while, but that should change this year with the rise of Cade Cavalli.

The Cardinals did not take advantage of a worn out Reds bullpen. They pretty much let their starters go as deep as starters end up going nowadays. They let their starter for hire Kent Emmanuel survive through 5 innings despite about two baserunners per inning, but that’s fine because they won anyway. I was definitely more annoyed they let Rhett Lowder get two outs in the 7th inning. The Reds bullpen exited Monday less taxed than the Cardinals somehow. They also let Andrew Abbot pitch into the 7th inning as well. Meanwhile the Reds offense did basically what I wanted the Cardinals offense to do, at least with regards to working the starters.

So I think they bungled their advantage. If they win later today, that’s okay, I will take 3 out of 5 against any team. It could have been a much better series, but while the Reds offense hasn’t been that good, they’ve been very good at making the Cardinals use every bit of their bullpen, leading to Matthew Libertore needing to stay in to allow a three-run homer, because Luis Gastelum was the only functioning right-handed arm and he threw 40 pitches in the past 3 days! Riley O’Brien, George Soriano, Ryne Stanek, and Gordon Graceffo were all required on both Monday and Tuesday. We saw how Justin Bruhl did yesterday. Peter Strzelecki threw 46 pitches on Monday, so he was still unavailable today I’m sure.

So you’re going to have to miss me with the “Oli blew it” calls. He had no choice. They had gotten to the point where they needed length from a starter and he just made a bad pitch on 1-2. Not sure why they called a fastball there, but whatever. On a day where he had 9 strikeouts and no walks. A starting pitcher throwing 6 innings with 3 ER at Great American Ballpark should still win most of those games. The offense has been a huge disappointment this entire series in my honest opinion. After a great Cubs series, they have not come through, scoring 2, 3, 4, and 5 runs which I don’t know why we are surprised that resulted in a 2-2 series tie at a huge hitter’s park. Anyway rant over.

The Schedule Ahead

It feels like a lost cause to ask for this, because it does not feel like the Cardinals ever hit well on getaway day games, but Brady Singer is a bad pitcher. He has had a huge home run problem this year, no doubt due to the park he plays in. The offense really needs to show up. 2-3 runs and letting Singer go 6 – I mean that might work because it’s not like the Reds offense is good either, but come on guys please take advantage of this ballpark at least once. This feels like an identical series that we would have if this was played at Busch Stadium more or less.

Michael McGreevy is pitching which I like. But I consider today’s game about as close to a must-win as a game can be in this time of year. It is not literally must-win, because they have enough time to make up for it, but 66-63 and 65-64 is a mighty big difference and the Reds are not a good team. Feel like you kind of have to win these series.

Past the Reds, the Cardinals have a very difficult series in Philadephia. Like if they win today and then they win the series in Philly, I’m going to become a true believer in this team. They have to face Jesus Luzardo and Christopher Sanchez. They are also facing Andrew Painter again and I actually think seeing him for a second time will help the offense. But very clear strategy in this series. Win the Painter game and find a way to win one of the others.

Then they head back to St. Louis and face the Baltimore Orioles for three games. Orioles are an underperforming, but talented team, so I don’t want to overlook them. But they are five games under .500 and have a -31 run differential, so certainly a series you need to win. Then Pittsburgh comes into town for three games. They actually have a +31 run differential, so they may actually be a good team. Let’s hope there’s some unforeseen reason they are badly underperforming there and win that series as well.

You’ll notice, as I go through these series, I’ll never say sweep. That is an unreasonable expectation. My goal is to win every series until the end of the season. I firmly believe if that happens, they make the playoffs. What a sweep allows you to do is give you wiggle room in case you lose a series, which is almost inevitable. But for a particular series, I think you’re setting yourself up for failure to expect a sweep, because they are hard and they don’t happen often. The Cardinals have swept just three teams all year and they’ve been swept twice. It might happen a fourth or fifth time, but I’m not going to predict the team.

After that, the Cardinals head to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers. Let’s hope that the Dodgers continue coasting on the fact that they know they’ll make the playoffs, because aside from winning two straight against the Rockies, they haven’t really played all that well in the 2nd half. Facing the Dodgers in September is not the worst thing honestly, especially if they just take it for granted that they’ll win their division. Still a tough series to win.

And then they head to Colorado to face the Rockies at Coors Field. Unfortunately, Coors Field is always a tough place to play so despite the Rockies being bad, it’s not a sure thing they win this series. I mean we’ve seen this in recent years. The Rockies have played pretty well against the Cardinals. They then have three games in San Francisco, which I want to pencil down as a series win, but I am forever scarred by the 2010 Giants teams and I think they might have a voodoo doll of every Cardinals player.

They then head back to St. Louis to face the surprising White Sox. I confess I don’t know much about the White Sox this year, so I’ll just trust their record and say they’re going to be a hard team. There is a part of me that views them as the anti-Blue Jays though where in the back of my mind, I’m thinking “they aren’t actually this good and some team is gonna show them.” Why not the Cardinals?

And then the Giants meet us in St. Louis. After that, the Nationals play the Cardinals for three games in St. Louis. This is quite the extended stretch of bad teams, and also the White Sox in the middle of it. Ignoring the White Sox, let’s say the two Giants series, the Rockies series, and the Nationals series. The Cardinals need to figure out a way to win three of them and sweep the fourth. So I don’t care how they do it, it would be extremely helpful to the Cardinals playoff chances if they could take advantage of this weak stretch and go 9-3 in those four series. That’s asking a lot, but they may need a lot.

So you have to like the Cardinals’ odds honestly if they manage to survive through the next few series with series wins. That’s why I’m emphasizing series wins. Philly, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and LA is not a tremendously difficult stretch, but if they can come out of it with the equivalent of four series wins – if one is a sweep and one is a series loss, I don’t care – then they are really well-set up, because it’s a bunch of weaker teams after that. And the White Sox, who again I don’t know anything about but because they won 60 games last year, I kind of find it hard to fully buy into their record. My only point is that if the White Sox is the difficult team in a stretch of 15 games, that’s a pretty easy stretch. And they’re at home against the White Sox too, though that’s bad for the offense.

They do finish the season with two difficult opponents, albeit one of them will likely have zero to play for. They face the Pirates in Pittsburgh for three games. The Pirates might be out of it at this point, but they’re a young team and they’re going want to knock the Cardinals out of the playoffs I’d think. So I am worried about this series. And then they finish the season in Milwaukee. Which I am not as worried about because there’s a very good chance Milwaukee will have absolutely nothing to play for, so they’re going to hold back their toughest starters for the playoffs. Milwaukee is of course good enough that they can still win, but the last series of the year being against a team who has already locked up a playoff spot isn’t the worst thing. Same logic as my Dodgers comments, but even more so here.

Weirdly, going over the schedule has somehow made me more optimistic about making the playoffs. Not that i expect it, but there’s a route to it for sure. The next week is going to be critical. Today is going to be critical. Their toughest opponents are arguably in the next week and a half. I say they need to win the series, but they just need to make sure they’re still in it really. Don’t get swept. Maybe some teams ahead of us help us out and we still look okay after the Dodgers. So some of it is in the Cardinals’ control and some of it isn’t. The Phillies are our direct competitor so that one is in the Cardinals control, although it won’t be easy.

But really, the main reason I’m more optimistic is because I feel like a sweep or two might actually happen? As a fan, I will not expect a sweep when the Cardinals face a bad team. But if they face 6 bad teams in a row, you have great increased the chances of one of them being a sweep. And the Cardinals are facing enough bad teams the rest of this year that it would almost be weird if they didn’t pull off one more sweep. They might bungle the playoffs in other ways and probably will, but one of the bad teams is surely going to stink it up and the Cardinals can’t let them off the hook like this series.

So win today, survive the next week and a half to get to a weaker part of the schedule, profit?

Meet the Mets

The Mets took the rubber game of their series with the Padres yesterday afternoon at Citi Field, giving them their eleventh win in their past fifteen games. Carson Benge got the Mets on the board with a two-run home run in the fourth, and a couple of insurance runs in the eighth proved to be the difference in the 4-2 win.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, Newsday, New York Post

Before the game, the Mets placed Jorge Polanco on the injured list as he prepares for season-ending ankle surgery.

Steve Cohen spoke to the press ahead of the game and acknowledged that the Mets might have taken on too much risk with the 2026 team.

With Cohen continuing to express confidence in president of baseball operations David Stearns, Abbey Mastracco writes that Stearns has to learn from his mistakes.

Will Sammon wonders if Stearns could benefit from adding another voice or two to the front office.

David Lennon wonders when Steve Cohen’s Mets will stop needing to turn the page on their seasons.

Andy Green hasn’t yet indicated that he’d be interested in managing the Mets beyond this season, but he’d be considered for the job if he were to express interest.

Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing continue to enjoy playing their guitars off the field.

There’s a new MLB Network documentary coming out about baseball’s post-9/11 return.

Around the National League East

The Twins completed a sweep of the reeling Braves.

Aaron Nola and the Phillies beat the Marlins, leaving Philadelphia just 4.5 games back of the first-place Braves in the National League East.

The Phillies signed Nestor Cortes to a major league deal.

The Nationals blanked the Rangers, and Federal Baseball wonders what Washington should do about Dylan Crews.

Around Major League Baseball

Dodgers owner Mark Walter is the subject of a federal probe.

On the field, Los Angeles completed a sweep of the Rockies with an extra-inning win.

In a game between a pair of sub-.500 teams that are in the mix for postseason spots, the Pirates came back late to beat the Tigers.

Ahead of that win, Bucs Dugout looked at three things that would keep Pittsburgh from making the playoffs.

And last but not least on the Pirates front, the team acquired catcher Christian Bethancourt from the Yankees.

The White Sox shut out the Cubs to win their series finale.

The Diamondbacks avoided a sweep as they beat the Red Sox in extra innings.

Pete Alonso hit his 29th home run of the season and now has a 141 wRC+, but his Orioles fell to the Yankees.

Speaking of first basemen, there’s new data to compare which players at the position are the best at scooping throws.

The Giants shut out the Guardians, one of the very many American League teams that have a real shot at making the playoffs despite their losing record.

The Reds scored five runs—with a little help from the Cardinals—in a victory over St. Louis.

Houston’s bullpen shined as the Astros beat the Angels.

The Rays notched a 7-6 win over the Blue Jays.

The Royals came back to defeat the A’s.

Coming off an embarrassing 22-0 loss the night before, the Mariners beat the Brewers yesterday.

Here are eight players who’ve soared past expectations in 2026.

This Date in Mets History

Doc Gooden and Howard Johnson notched some milestone stats on this date in years past.

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Here are my MLB moneyline predictions for tonight's slate, which include the White Sox at plus money on the road against the Braves.

Before we dive in, be sure to check out all of our MLB picks for Thursday, Aug. 20.

MLB moneyline picks for August 20

Matchup	Pick
Cardinals vs Reds	-107
Giants vs Guardians	-191
Blue Jays vs Rays	-161
Athletics vs Royals	-137
Braves vs White Sox	+105
Mariners vs Brewers	+119
Yankees vs Orioles	+105
Nationals vs Rangers	+146
Angels vs Astros	+158

Prices courtesy of Polymarket as of 8-20.

Expert MLB moneyline picks for Aug. 20

Cardinals vs Reds: Cardinals (-107)

Cardinals win probability: 52%

The Reds may be coming off a 5-4 win over the Cardinals last night, but their offense has been pretty cold over the last six, 12, and 21 games. Over their last 12, Cincinnati owns just a 50 wRC+, 27.2% strikeout rate, and .549 OPS. Brady Singer takes the rubber tonight, coming off three starts in which he has posted a 4.50 ERA and 1.50 WHIP.

The Cardinals, on the other hand, will send Michael McGreevy to the mound. He's turned things around over his last three starts, posting a 2.81 ERA and 1.38 WHIP while allowing just a 6.12% barrel rate. St. Louis' offense has also been scorching hot over its last 12 games.

At -107, the Cardinals are a great look.

Giants vs Guardians: Guardians (-191)

Guardians win probability: 66%

The way Gavin Williams has been pitching lately makes it hard not to back the Guardians against a struggling Giants offense. Landen Roupp, meanwhile, has been pretty brutal in his most recent outings, making it even easier to lean on Williams in this matchup.

Neither the Giants' nor Guardians' bats have been particularly hot lately, but at least Cleveland isn't striking out at a high rate and has continued to draw walks.

It's heavy juice, but I trust the Guardians here.

Blue Jays vs Rays: Rays (-161)

Rays win probability: 61%

Blue Jays right-hander Shane Bieber has been allowing far too much hard contact to be trusted over his last three starts. The veteran owns a 4.94 xERA during that span, allowing a 51% hard-hit rate and nearly a 13% barrel rate to opposing hitters.

Rays left-hander Ian Seymour owns a 4.50 xERA over his last three starts, but he has held things down at home this season, posting a 3.32 xERA.

On top of that, the Rays' offense continues to hum despite Toronto finally sparking some life offensively. This is a full fade on Bieber.

Athletics vs Royals: Royals (-137)

Royals win probability: 57%

The Royals have been looking strong as of late, and with Randy Dobnak on the bump this evening, he should be able to hold down the Athletics' offense.

The right-hander does have some concerning underlying metrics, but he has done a phenomenal job limiting hard contact, allowing us to overlook his 4.03 xERA over his last three starts.

Plus, the Royals own a .338 wOBA, 116 wRC+, and .759 OPS over their last six games, making them worth paying the juice for this evening.

Braves vs White Sox: White Sox (-103)

White Sox win probability: 50%

Mariners vs Brewers: Mariners (+119)

Mariners win probability: 45%

After nearly blowing a 7-0 lead last night, the Mariners still came out on top, beating the Brewers 7-5. Tonight, they find themselves as +119 underdogs against southpaw Robert Gasser, who owns a 5.29 xERA over his last three outings.

Seattle sends George Kirby to the mound, and he has been very solid over his last three despite his strikeout and walk rates looking nearly identical. Kirby has done a great job limiting hard contact, unlike Gasser, who has allowed nearly a 50% hard-hit rate and 10.2% barrel rate to opposing hitters.

Despite the near choke last night, the Mariners as an underdog are the more appealing look here.

Yankees vs Orioles: Orioles (+105)

Orioles win probability: 47%

Despite the Yankees managing to come out on top game after game with lifeless offensive numbers, the Orioles are the more attractive play as a home underdog.

Gerrit Cole takes the mound tonight for New York and has looked lights out, but there is a slight concern with how much hard contact he has been allowing. That could come back to bite him against a red-hot Orioles offense that should be able to get on top of his offerings.

Take the hungry dog!

Nationals vs Rangers: Nationals (+146)

Nationals win probability: 40%

Simple and sweet.

Both lineups are ice cold, while one team sends out a pitcher going through a rough patch at the moment. That team is the Texas Rangers. Jacob deGrom has looked pretty bad over his last five starts, posting a 6.30 ERA and 1.95 WHIP while allowing a 52.38% hard-hit rate and 9.52% barrel rate to opposing hitters.

The Nationals at nearly +150 are an enticing look.

Angels vs Astros: Angels (+158)

Angels win probability: 38%

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.

Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below. Check out the previous day’s recap here.

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (64-57) won 2-1 (BOX SCORE)

Alexander started for Sugar Land and pitched well tossing 5 scoreless innings with 3 strikeouts. The offense got on the board in the 6th inning on a Delgado groundout. They got another run in the 7th inning on a bases loaded walk to Spence. The bullpen was solid tossing 3 scoreless innings and then in the 9th, Munoz allowed a run but he was able to hold on for the 2-1 win.

Note: Knorr has a 0.61 ERA over his last 12 outings.

• Jake Meyers, CF: 1-for-4, 2B
• Ray Delgado, 2B: 0-for-4, RBI
• Zach Dezenzo, DH: 1-for-2, 2B, BB
• Collin Price, C: 0-for-2, R, BB
• Lucas Spence, LF: 0-for-2, RBI, BB

• Jason Alexander, RHP: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• Trey McLoughlin, RHP: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Michael Knorr, RHP: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (WIN)
• Miguel Ullola, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Roddery Munoz, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K (SAVE)

AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (54-62) lost 6-2 (BOX SCORE)

The Hooks got on the board in the 2nd inning on a sac fly. Hertzler got the start and went 4 innings allowing 2 runs while striking out 8. Guedez relieved by Hertzler but struggled allowing 4 runs. The offense got another run back in the 7th inning on an error but that was it as the Hooks fell 6-2.

Note: Hertzler has 96 K in 78 innings this season.

• Walker Janek, C: 1-for-4, R
• Will Bush, 1B: 1-for-3, R, BB
• Max Holy, SS: 0-for-2, RBI

• Cole Hertzler, RHP: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
• Jose Guedez, RHP: 0.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Joey Mancini, RHP: 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• Nic Swanson, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

A+: Asheville Tourists (40-74) won 7-6 (BOX SCORE)

Asheville got on the board in the first inning when a run scored on a steal. Perez started for Asheville and struck out 8 batters over 4 innings while allowing 2 runs. Ogando pitched in relief and allowed 3 runs. Asheville responded in the 5th scoring 3 runs on a Powell solo home run and Gomez 2 run home run. The offense would rally again in the 7th scoring 3 runs on an error and 2 runs on a Vasquez 2 run double. The pen was solid the rest of the way as Asheville won 7-6.

Note: Perez has 103 K over 89.1 innings this season.

• Xavier Neyens, 3B: 1-for-3, 2 R, 2B, 2 BB
• Caden Powell, RF: 1-for-5, R, HR, RBI
• Jack Moss, 1B: 0-for-3, R, 2 BB
• Kenni Gomez, CF: 1-for-4, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, SB
• Zach Daudet, SS: 2-for-3, R, BB
• Yosweld Vasquez, C: 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI
• DJ Newman, LF: 2-for-4, SB

• Javier Perez, RHP: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
• Joan Ogando, RHP: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• Max Martin, RHP: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• Francisco Frias, RHP: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (WIN)

A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (59-53) won 19-1 (BOX SCORE)

The Woodpeckers got on the scoring started in the first inning scoring 3 runs on a bases loaded walk to Nowak and Flores and a hit by pitch to Soto. In the 2nd inning, Alvarez connected on a 2 run home run. Durnin continued the scoring with a solo home run in the 4th. In the 5th inning, the offense added 3 runs on an error and Hughes 2 run home run. Fraide got the start for the Woodpeckers and was really good tossing 5.2 scoreless innings with 7 strikeouts. The offense exploded for 8 runs in the 8th inning on a Luciano 2 run home run, Soto walk, Ramirez RBI single, Durnin walk, Hughes groundout, Alvarez RBI single and Luciano RBI single. The offense would add 2 more in the 9th on a Hughes 2 run triple. Serrano closed it out allowing a run in the 9th as the Woodpeckers won 19-1.

Note: Nowak is hitting .381 in Single-A.

• Kam Durnin, DH: 3-for-6, 4 R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, BB
• Logan Hughes, 1B: 3-for-7, R, HR, 5 RBI
• Kevin Alvarez, CF: 2-for-4, 3 R, HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB
• Waner Luciano, 3B: 2-for-4, 2 R, HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB
• Owen Nowak, LF: 0-for-4, R, RBI, 2 BB
• Arturo Flores, C: 0-for-2, 2 R, RBI, 3 BB
• Petey Soto Jr., SS: 2-for-3, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB
• German Ramirez, 2B: 1-for-5, R, RBI, BB

• Juan Fraide, RHP: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K (WIN)
• Jose Serrano, RHP: 3.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K (SAVE)

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: Mike Burrows – 7:05 CT

CC: Nolan DeVos – 6:35 CT

AV: Adam Shoemaker – 5:35 CT

FV: TBD – 6:05 CT

Two seasons ago, the Chicago White Sox were 41-121 with the worst record in baseball. In 2026, the White Sox are 66-60 and currently lead the American League Central Division.

It’s one of the biggest two-year rebounds among modern-era teams that lost at least 110 games.

USA TODAY analyzed ballclubs two seasons after a 110-or-more-loss season and found that Chicago currently has the third-best, year-2 winning percentage in the modern era (1901 or later).

Better than the White Sox’s current .524 winning percentage is the Baltimore Orioles, who went 52-110 in 2021 and then posted a 101-win, .623% season in 2023.

The 2013 Houston Astros also held a better second-year season: After going 51-111 in 2013, Houston went 86-76 in 2015, good for a .531 winning percentage.

All told, only four of the 21 previous 110-loss teams with a completed second season finished above .500.

Chicago could be the fifth to join that subset if it doesn’t suffer a collapse in the final weeks of the season. To surpass .500, the White Sox will need to go at least 16-20 the rest of the way.

The other two clubs that improved to a winning record were the Boston Braves/Bees in 1935-37 and the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2021-23. The 1932 Boston Red Sox also managed to reach .500 in 1934 but did not pass it.

Every other team had a losing record in year two.

However, it’s notable that 20 of the 21 teams analyzed did improve upon their 110-loss record two years later. The one that didn’t: the New York Mets, who went 51-111 in 1963 and then 50-112 in 1965.

In terms of postseason success, only the 2023 Diamondbacks went on to win a multi-game playoff series; Arizona went on to lose the World Series to Texas that year.

The 2015 Astros and 2023 Orioles also reached the postseason, but neither won a multi-game series (Houston did win the AL Wild Card game, however).

So, if the White Sox were to make a deep playoff run reminiscent of their 2005 World Series win — the last time Chicago won a postseason series — they’ll need to buck another trend. But, as it turns out, this team is already used to ignoring historical precedent.

Methodology: Modern era (1901 or later) teams with 110 losses or more and their corresponding record two seasons later were pulled from the MLB Stats API. The 2025 Colorado Rockies team that went 43-119 were excluded from the analysis because they have yet to reach their year-2 season. The 2026 White Sox record is current through August 19 games.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How the White Sox went from 121 losses to rare MLB company

Happy Thursday everyone! Friday is right around the corner.

Things have gone south of south recently for our A’s. Alone in first place in the American League West as late as May 26th, the club has since cratered. With how bad the AL was this year even hovering around .500 would have been enough to be playing meaningful baseball in September. Instead the club is the last team in the sport still looking for their 50th win as the Athletics own the worst record in the sport. Calling a minor league stadium their home add insult to injury, and currently they’re hoping to avoid a four-game sweep to the Royals this afternoon.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. The team had the bones of a good squad. The A’s were a darkhorse playoff contender in many people’s minds, but what happened? Let’s briefly look back at the fate of all of our Opening Day starters.

• Catcher Shea Langeliers: All-Star starter, now out for the year
• First baseman Nick Kurtz: All-Star “starter”, now out for the year
• Second baseman Jeff McNeil: 14% worse than league average, now playing first base part-time
• Third baseman Max Muncy: struggled, demoted, returned, demoted again, now learning the outfield
• Shortstop Jacob Wilson: took a step back this year, now injured and likely heading for shoulder surgery
• Left fielder Tyler Soderstrom: was having a solid season, now out for the year with hip surgery
• Center fielder Denzel Clarke: struggled before injuries cost him majority of season
• Right fielder Lawrence Butler: hitting .211 after rushing back from double knee surgery
• DH Brent Rooker: struggled before injuries cost him majority of season

If you had told me at the beginning of the year that that would be the ultimate fate for the Opening Day starting nine, I’d have called you a pessimistic jerk. That couldn’t happen to all of them by August. Alas, we’re living in the worst reality concerning our A’s. While the pitching was always suspect the offense was supposed to be a massive strength this season. Instead the club is middle of the pack in the league in most offensive categories.

There’s room for optimism though! We know how talented this position player group is when they’re healthy and firing on all cylinders. That evidently wasn’t in the cards this year with injuries affecting nearly every single Opening Day starter. Injuries are apart of the sport and every team deals with them, but the injury bug would not leave the A’s clubhouse this year. That just compounded the problem areas of the team and made the weaknesses much harder to overcome.

It’s going to come down to how lucky are the A’s. None of the injuries seem to be cause for long-term concern but you never know. No team is this unlucky back-to-back years so just getting all of our guys back next season should improve the club. The new general manager would be smart to remember how bad the injuries got this year though and act accordingly. Just because the A’s are a young team doesn’t mean they don’t need serious major-league quality depth.

We got the game starting here soon with first pitch at 11:10. Have a great day A’s fans.

A’s Coverage:

• Amidst The Despair: The Position Player Talent Is There
• What Are The Next Steps For The A’s? ($)
• A’s Bullpen Collapses Again in 9-7 Defeat
• A’s Blow Late Lead, Fall To Royals 4-3
• A’s Drop Road Trip Opener 9-5
• A’s Take Series Against Rangers, Win 5-2
• A’s place Soderstrom on 10-day IL with left hip impingement; Hernaiz recalled
• Where Each A’s Player’s Contract Stands Entering Offseason
• Red-hot Bolte looking to build on lessons from rookie season
• A’s prospect Winkler thriving in ‘fresh start’ with Aviators
• Late Blast Lifts Rangers Over Athletics
• Why The New GM Needs To “Clean House”
• 111 games, zero errors: Wilson sets MLB record at shortstop
• A Seemingly Rock Bottomless Glass
• MLB Trade Grades: A’s Have Quiet Trade Deadline
• A’s Top Prospect Jamie Arnold Sets Career High in One of His Best Double-A Starts
• Fustercluck 2026: The Real Reasons For A Disappointing Season
• Signs Of Hope And Signs Of Hopeless
• Athletics prospect Ryan Lasko says feeling in his legs returning
• Cuban’s investment group purchases minority stake in Athletics
• Could last-minute buyer purchase rights to Bally’s project around A’s Las Vegas ballpark?
• Chan Ho Park joins A’s group; 1st Korean to buy stake in MLB club
• Blogfather Saves The Day With Pearls Of Most Excellent Advice

MLB News and Interest:

• Jorge Polanco To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery
• Ketel Marte back in Phoenix for knee testing after no-show
• With Díaz sidelined, Dodgers see Scott as ‘our best and most consistent reliever’
• Phillies Sign Nestor Cortes
• Rangers’ deGrom to start Thursday with 2,000 K’s in reach
• Braves Temporarily Move To Six-Man Rotation
• Nola continues resurgence with 7-inning gem to extend Phils’ win streak to six
• Murphy downplays Brewers buzz: ‘Don’t think we’ve played great’
• Pirates’ Skenes sees room to grow amid recent pitching struggles
• Dad catches son’s 1st pro HR after predicting it was about to happen
• The 10 biggest breakouts on the new Top 100 Prospects list
• Pirates Acquire Christian Bethancourt
• Which 1B are best at receiving throws? New data has the answer
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Almost certainly won’t be seeing De Vries make his big league debut this season now:

Won’t be long until we see Arnold at the big league level:

Recent first rounder Drew Burress is looking legit so far:

Would he really provide a spark though?

Serious question. How many?

More from down on the farm:

Between Easton Shelton’s record-breaking performance and Tyler Glasnow demolishing Triple-A hitters, there is plenty for us to talk about in action on this past Wednesday across the Dodgers’ minor league affiliates.

Player of the day

What do you say of a hitter with more runs batted in than games, one who broke a team’s record with time to spare? Easton Shelton had another one of his dominant performances, now reaching 105 RBI on the season, putting him past Cody Bellinger’s 2015 campaign for the most ever by an Ontario Tower Buzzers player.

For the second time this month, Shelton homered in back-to-back games. Even though the batting average has taken a hit as of late, no pun intended, the production is still very high given the amount of power he brings to the table.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Tyler Glasnow made it clear he is ready to return to the big leagues, as he toyed with the Space Cowboys in an outing in which he allowed just a lone hit and run. Pulled after 5.1 innings and short of 80 pitches, Glasnow struck out nine, but that one run was enough for him to be the losing pitcher of record in a 2-1 defeat.

On the other side of the pitching matchup, Jason Alexander might not have been as dominant, but he was even more effective with five scoreless. The only run the Comets would score came on a Hyeseong Kim solo shot in the ninth inning.

As ready as Glasnow is to be back in the bigs, reliever Ben Casparius is not, once again allowing multiple walks in an outing, responsible for the other run the Space Cowboys scored.

Double-A Tulsa

Holding the Sod Poodles to just one run through nine, with multi-inning scoreless appearances out of the bullpen from Carson Hobbs and Jacob Kmatz, the Drillers still couldn’t avoid the 4-1 loss in extras. Starter Zach Root had a knack for navigating through trouble, allowing just one run in four innings despite a 2.00 WHIP in the game.

What’s unsettling about this loss is that even though the Drillers had a terrible offensive performance as a team, it’s not as if the whole lineup was lost all the way through. Each one of the nine hitters reached safely at least once; they just failed to do so when it mattered most.

High-A Great Lakes

The Loons scored more runs than the Drillers and Comets combined, but they also found a way to be underwhelming through the vast majority of the game in a 6-5 loss. Each side had a five-run rally early in the game, and in the seventh, an RBI single allowed to cleanup hitter Kerrington Cross cost the Loons the win.

Virtually all of the Loons’ scoring came from shortstop Emil Morales, with a grand slam in the fourth, one of four hits Morales recorded in the game. Meanwhile, none of the other batters in the top five of the Loons’ order recorded a hit in this one.

Class-A Ontario

Need an RBI? Call 0800-Easton Shelton, and he’ll provide immediate assistance. The young first baseman now sits alone with the most runs driven in for a Dodger player in the California League, overcoming one of the more notable Dodger prospects of the last 15 years, Cody Bellinger.

Leading the way as the Tower Buzzers overcame an early 3-0 deficit, Shelton hit a solo shot in the fourth and then added a couple more RBI in the fifth to hand Ontario their first lead in this one.

Getting a day off from the field, Joendry Vargas shined as the team’s designated hitter as well, the only other player besides Shelton to record a multihit game.

Transactions

The Tulsa Drillers placed left-handed pitcher Luke Fox on the IL.

Wednesday’s scores

• Sugar Land 2, Oklahoma City 1
• Tulsa 1, Amarillo 4
• Fort Wayne 6, Great Lakes 5
• Ontario 7, Inland Empire 3

Thursday’s schedule

• 4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Will Gagnon) at Fort Wayne (Carson Montgomery)
• 5:00 p.m. PT: Tulsa (Aidan Foeller) vs. Amarillo (Avery Short)
• 5:05 p.m. PT: Oklahoma City (Gavin Stone) at Sugar Land (Mike Burrows)
• 5:35 p.m. PT: Ontario (TBD) vs. Inland Empire (Jack Bowery)

The Yankees kept pace in a crowded American League playoff picture Thursday, felling the Orioles 5-3 on the strength of an eighth-inning rally to take their third straight. It was a mixed bag for their competition, with an intra-division matchup between the first place Rays and a Blue Jays squad still very much in the mix the marquee showdown.

Among the (many) other AL Wild Card hopefuls not listed below, Tigers closer Kenley Jansen blew a save opportunity and was walked off by the Pirates, Kody Clemens led the Twins to a sweep of the first-place Braves, and the Rangers were shut out by the Nationals, ceding the ever-changing last Wild Card spot to Minnesota in the process.

Tampa Bay Rays (76-50) 7, Toronto Blue Jays (62-66) 6

The AL-best Rays continued their torrid pace Wednesday, squeaking out a one-run victory against the Blue Jays, who still sit within a game of the third AL Wild Card spot despite the loss. It was not a banner day for two name-brand starting pitchers. Drew Rasmussen, the Rays’ ace who earned his second consecutive All-Star nod this year and carried a 2.78 ERA into play Wednesday, allowed just one run entering the fifth before imploding. After starting the frame with a strikeout, he allowed six of the next seven batters to reach first base in a textbook station-to-station rally that scored four more.

Fortunately for him and his Rays, Rasmussen was staked to a 7-1 lead before that inning got out of hand. Max Scherzer, the 42-year-old future Hall of Famer in the midst of a lost season, was torched yet again. Yandy Díaz started the party in the first with a two-run blast that traveled 414 feet out to center. The Rays’ offense exploded in the fourth, tacking on five more runs with some small ball of their own that ended Mad Max’s night. Wednesday’s game brought his ERA to 7.40 through 11 starts, calling into question the viability of inserting him every fifth day for a team clinging to its playoff hopes.

Nine-hole hitter Charles McAdoo brought the Blue Jays to within one with an RBI double in the sixth, but that’s where the score would stay. Three Rays relievers combined to throw 3.1 scoreless innings after McAdoo’s double, with Bryan Baker working around his own leadoff error in the ninth to secure his 36th (and a Rays record 25th straight) save of the season.

The two teams will face off in a rubber match at 1:10 ET Thursday, with Ian Seymour and Shane Bieber slated to start for the Rays and Blue Jays, respectively.

Other Games

Chicago White Sox (66-60) 3, Chicago Cubs (74-54) 0

The White Sox blanked the Cubs to avoid a sweep at the hands of their crosstown rivals. After Sean Newcomb pitched two innings to open the game, José Urquidy was the star of the show, holding the Cubs to two baserunners across six innings of work.

The South Siders struck first in the sixth on an RBI single off the bat of Andrew Benintendi, adding a pair of insurance runs in the eighth on a double from rookie Braden Montgomery. The pair of former Mets acquired by the Cubs at the deadline were their bright spots, with Tyrone Taylor recording both of their hits and Clay Holmes limiting the White Sox to one run in 5.1 innings.

Up next, the White Sox will keep their interleague run going, hosting a scuttling Braves squad for a one-game makeup before the Mets come to town for a three-game weekend set.

Arizona Diamondbacks (67-61) 7, Boston Red Sox (68-59) 6

The Red Sox came within a run of sweeping the Diamondbacks, falling just short in extras. After they were staked to an early 2-0 lead on homers by Nick Sogard and Jarren Duran, starter Payton Tolle and reliever Greg Weissert allowed five unanswered runs, punctuated by a two-run homer off the bat of the newly acquired Lars Nootbaar in the sixth. Mickey Gaspar answered back in the bottom half of the inning, swatting a three-run dinger to knot things up at five. That’s where the score would stay until the 10th, when Arizona scored two off Jovani Morán before the Red Sox were able only to plate their Manfred Man as old friend Jonathan Loáisiga closed things out.

After a day off Thursday, the Red Sox will continue their homestand, hosting a feeble Giants squad for a three-game series.

San Francisco Giants (52-74) 1, Cleveland Guardians (61-66) 0

Those feeble Giants toppled a playoff hopeful Wednesday, riding their much-maligned pitching staff to a shutout victory. Adrian Houser pitched five innings of bulk relief, with rookie Victor Bericoto knocking in San Francisco’s only run while Willy Adames collected three hits.

Parker Messick was excellent for Cleveland, holding the Giants to a single score in 6.2 innings of work to drop his season ERA to an exemplary 2.54. But his offense went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position, dooming his strong showing. The two teams will decide the series tomorrow.

Houston Astros (64-63) 3, Los Angeles Angels (50-77) 2

The Astros surged above .500 with a narrow win against the Angels. The scoring kicked off with a third-inning homer off the bat of Houston’s Christian Vázquez. After the Halos took a one-run lead in the top of the fourth, Houston answered back with a pair of their own runs in the bottom half of the inning, taking a 3-2 lead they would not relinquish. A series of five Houston relievers twirled 5.1 innings of scoreless ball to secure the victory, with Josh Hader pitching around a leadoff walk to notch his 18th save of the year.

The two teams will square off again Thursday to decide the series.

So much feast and so much famine in 2026. 10-game winning streaks, a 10-game losing streak. A few prolonged winning periods. A few prolonged losing periods. On the net, the winning has significantly outweighed the losing, but still frustrating. The Cubs have dropped four of seven. A speed bump not particularly notable. But it is exactly the kind of reason why I haven’t gotten overly excited as the Cubs got within striking distance of the Brewers. It’s been a long time since the Brewers have had an extended downturn. Probably a few years. Maybe I’m forgetting a stretch or two. They aren’t going to come back to us. We have to run them down.

A week like this. The Cubs have scored 22 runs over seven games is why we have trouble keeping up with them. You might have noted the Brewers scored 22 runs in a game this week. It happens. It happens. It happens. I could fill a jar with donations every time I have to type those words. A journeyman not quite starter shut the Cubs down for six innings in this one. He wasn’t particularly stretched out, but the Cubs got no traffic and really didn’t make him work. And he was able to get deep into the game. It happens.

It always feels like either the Cub offense is completely overmatched or everyone is running for the bat rack looking to get some swings in while they are routing someone. The nine games before this seven, the Cubs were 8-1 and scored 67 runs. That stretch includes a series against the back-to-back champs. Wild. It comes. It goes. It’s gone right now.

Off day Thursday, then gotta gear back up. The Fangraphs team schedule feature shows upcoming probabilities. I’m amused looking ahead with them. They aren’t particularly accurate. Though in fairness, they are probabilities and if you really understand probability, a 60/40 matchup can look like a huge edge, but of course there is a lot of variance in there. Anyway, this upcoming six game trip to Seattle and Arizona looks at best like two wins. That’s taking a 50.6 percent game as a win when that’s basically a coin flip. Two teams fighting for playoff spots. They aren’t going to go away easily. It’ll be into September probably before anyone might show any amount of let up. Maybe the Reds series at Wrigley right before the end of the month, but I’m not banking on that.

I didn’t talk much about this game. But the team didn’t accomplish much of anything. I’m still impressed with Clay Holmes. And Alex Bregman played a good shortstop third base, to be sure. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a third baseman field so many balls in front of the shortstop. But it was a day where you saw all of the skills that have led to a previous gold glove there. Actually, you would expect that maybe he’d have won one or two more.

Let’s hit the numbers and then turn the page and try to forget this one.

Three Positives:

• Tyrone Taylor had a single and a double (and a baserunning blunder) before leaving the game.
• Seiya Suzuki took two walks.
• Clay Holmes was less sharp than the last time, but allowed only one run over 5.1 innings.
• Mini hat tip to one of my favorite pitcher accomplishments. Caleb Thielbar faced one batter and recorded two outs thanks to a pickoff.

Game 128, August 19: White Sox 3, Cubs 0 (73-53)

Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Tyrone Taylor (.135). 2-2, 2B
• Hero: Clay Holmes (.117). 5.1 IP, 23 BF, 6 H, 2 BB, R, K (L 1-2)
• Sidekick: Caleb Thielbar (.057). 0.2 IP, 1 BF, K

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Pete Crow-Armstrong (-.243). 0-4
• Goat: Ryan Rolison (-.179). 0.2 IP, 5 BF, 2 H, BB, 2 R
• Kid: Alex Bregman (-.121). 0-4

WPA Play of the Game: Pete Crow-Armstrong batted with a runner on second and no outs in the sixth inning, the Cubs trailing by one. He lined out to right field and Tyrone Taylor was out trying to advance to third. (.177)

Cubs Play of the Game: Colson Montgomery batted with a runner on first and no outs in the fourth. He struck out and Braden Montgomery was caught trying to steal second. (.090)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 127 Winner: Alex Bregman 69 of 82 votes.

Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)

The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.

• Pete Crow-Armstrong +27
• Alex Bregman +21
• Shōta Imanaga +14
• Trent Thornton/Carson Kelly +13.5
• Phil Maton -10
• Edward Cabrera -12.5
• Jameson Taillon -13
• Dansby Swanson -17
• Caleb Thielbar -18.5

Scoreboard Watching: (will return following Friday’s game)

Up Next: The Cubs face the Mariners (59-67). As crazy as it is, the Mariners are only three games out of the last wild card spot. No caps here as the Twins are presently holding that third slot at two games under. I wasn’t sure we’d see a wild card with a losing record at three wild cards, but here we are. Almost everything that could go wrong for the Mariners has this year. But they are still 33-29 at home. So, no real push over.

Matthew Boyd (8-2, 4.02) will be next up for the Cubs. He got rocked last time out against the Cardinals, allowing seven runs over 5.1 innings. He’ll look for a bounce back here. Emerson Hancock should be due for the Mariners. Hancock (7-7, 3.30) has been quite good. Even better over his last seven (2-3, 2.89, 37.1 IP). So this is a tough matchup. He won his last game at Houston, allowing two runs over seven.

When the Cubs get into the Mariner pen in this series, the Mariner pen is 20th in team ERA (4.24). They’ve converted just 28 of 48 save opportunities. The Mariners have used fewer innings out of the bullpen than any other team, by a comfortable margin. The Cub bullpen, for instance, has thrown about 80 more innings (in three more games). So expect the Mariners to be patient with their starters.

The Mariner offense is 27th in team OPS. So this is where you rely on your pitching staff to shut it down.

It’s not going to be easy, but go find a couple of wins.

On Monday here at Over The Monster, Jake Reiser already asked “how do the Red Sox incorporate Roman Anthony, Trevor Story, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa?” But as we’re learning from this roller coaster Red Sox season, roster construction is both a complex and fluid beast that evolves by the day, and yesterday was a particularly interesting one.

So much of the focus so far has been on the guys returning, and rightfully so. I mean, did you see that home run Roman Anthony hit on Monday? Or how about Keagan Stiefel’s article here on Tuesday questioning the speed at which Trevor Story will return?

But as compelling as it is to focus on all the guys coming back, something really interesting happened yesterday with all the guys who don’t want to leave. Namely, Nick Sogard, Jarren Duran, and Mickey Gasper all hit a home run. This is pretty amusing because you could argue that all three of these guys are at the top of the list in terms of people about to lose playing time when the cavalry comes back.

Gasper feels like the first man off the roster when somebody gets added. So what does he do this week? Hits a home run in every game of a three game series after have only having two major league home runs in his entire career (and none with the Red Sox). How about Jarren Duran? Do you think he feels Roman Anthony breathing down his neck? He went deep in the third inning yesterday.

And then there’s Nick Sogard, who is under pressure from the return of both Story and Kiner-Falefa, and led off the scoring with a home run of his own in the bottom of the first inning. But even before that long ball, Tyler Milliken was noting how much of a winning ballplayer Sogard has become, and I agree. At this point, Sogard needs to survive the upcoming roster tsunami. He does way too many little things to not be included as the bench/utility guy when all the dust settles.

Either way, isn’t it fascinating how human beings work? The guys on paper who all stand to get less playing time soon (or even get completely displaced off the roster) end up swinging the hottest sticks.

So with rehab assignments underway and a roster reshuffle immanent, where do you guys in the OTM community stand on this ever changing topic today? Use this thread to talk about that and whatever else you’d like, and as always, be good to one another.