The Columbus Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski is really good and has been for years. Sadly, it took years for the rest of the league to take notice, though. In the last two seasons, Werenski has shown that he is arguably the top defenseman, as shown by the Norris Trophy he earned last season.
NHL Network recently released its "Top 20 Defensemen Right Now" list, and to no one's surprise, Zach Werenski is very high on the list.
Werenski comes in at #3 on the list, with only Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes ahead of him.
"Werenski was voted the Norris Trophy winner as the best defenseman in the League last season, after he led the Blue Jackets and was second among NHL defensemen, with 81 points (22 goals, 59 assists) in 75 games. That was one off of the NHL career-best 82 points he had in 2024-25, making him the ninth defenseman in NHL history to have consecutive 80-point seasons. His 59 assists matched the single-season Blue Jackets record, set by Artemi Panarin in 2018-19 and equaled by Werenski in 2024-25, and his 22 goals were one off the mark for a Blue Jackets defenseman, which he had set with 23 goals in 2024-25. The 29-year-old had a plus-9 even-strength goal differential while finishing third in the NHL with an average even-strength ice time of 22:21. Werenski also helped Team USA win the gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics. He had six points (one goal, five assists) in six games, including the primary assist on Jack Hughes' overtime goal in the 2-1 win against Team Canada in the championship game."
The rest of the top-5 is Rasmus Dahlin and Miro Heiskanen.
There is some uncertainty surrounding Werenski with the drama that took place this summer, and many wonder if it will affect his performance next season as a member of the CBJ. Werenski is a pro, so don't expect him to just glide along next season waiting for a trade to happen.
Expect more stellar play from Zach Werenski.
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A fresh week is in front of us as we look to back a pair of players and fade a pitcher on today's MLB slate.
Here are my three favorite MLB player props for Monday, Aug. 10.
Best MLB player props today
Player
Pick
Odds
Jameson Taillon
Over 2.5 earned runs
-113
Sonny Gray
Under 2.5 earned runs
-166
Francisco Alvarez
Over 0.5 hits+runs+RBI
-168
Jameson Taillon Over 2.5 earned runs (-113)
I find it hard to pass up backing the Boston Red Sox here when they are this hot, especially when this matchup only adds fuel to the flame. Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Jameson Taillon has posted a 7.78 ERA, 6.65 xERA and 1.73 WHIP while allowing a 45% hard-hit rate and 16.13% barrel rate over his last five starts.
On top of Taillon's recent struggles, he owns the worst pitcher rating on Batters-Box's current-season dataset from today's slate. Taillon also carries poor matchup ratings in wOBA, ISO, and hard contact, while drawing four elite-rated Red Sox bats and another with a strong rating.
If you have been living under a rock for the last month and a half, the Red Sox have been on fire, posting a 120 wRC+, .348 wOBA and .790 OPS over their last 21 games.
I find it tough to pass up backing the Red Sox here. I would take this prop down to -120, or see if the Red Sox first five team total is available at a better price.
Time: 7:07 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Sportsnet, NESN
Sonny Gray Under 2.5 earned runs (-166)
Sticking with that game, Sonny Gray is in another great spot to add to his 2026 resume, as he draws one of the most lifeless offenses in baseball. The Blue Jays own a 79 wRC+, .282 wOBA, and .106 ISO while producing just a 4% barrel rate over their last 21 games.
Not to mention, Toronto has zero hitters with an elite or strong rating on Batters-Box's current-season dataset, while Gray owns the second-highest pitcher rating. Gray also sports strong matchup ratings in wOBA, ISO, and ground-ball rate.
Using the default setting that goes back the last three seasons, Gray has some strong trends. In 22 strong ratings, the right-hander has stayed Under this prop 63.64% of the time with fewer than two earned runs 59% of the time. On top of that, he has allowed fewer than six hits 68.18% of the time and fewer than five 54.55% of the time.
The price is juicy but reasonable, given how underwhelming the Blue Jays have been this season. I would take this down to -170 at the most, or pivot to his Under 5.5 hits if the price gets too out of hand.
Time: 7:07 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Sportsnet, NESN
Francisco Alvarez Over 0.5 hits+runs+RBI (-168)
If you are not in the juice-paying business, take New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez to get a hit at roughly -135, or look toward his alt 1.5 HRR prop. Regardless, getting this prop at that price is a steal given the number of ways Alvarez can cash it.
Alvarez has an elite rating on Batters-Box while covering over 90% of Bryce Elder's pitch mix. Through 35 elite ratings over the last three seasons, the 24-year-old has gone over this prop 57.14% of the time. He has also gone over this prop in six of his last 10 elite ratings.
The young catcher has been tearing apart right-handed pitching. Over the last 60 right-handers he has faced, Alvarez owns a .306 BA, .433 OBP, .612 SLG, and .306 ISO, while generating a 47% hard-hit rate and 23.5% barrel rate.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Braves starter has allowed a 47% hard-hit rate, 12.1% barrel rate, and 2.25 HR/9 with a 5.32 xERA against the last 60 right-handed hitters he has faced. Those hitters own a .317 xBA, .554 xSLG, and .371 xwOBA.
I would take this prop down to -170 at the most, or pivot Alvarez to get a hit or go Over 1.5 HRR.
Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
Where to watch: BravesVsn, SNY
Colby Marchio's 2026 Transparency Record
Prop picks: 373-738, -21.8 units
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
Last year, even though the Celtics knew they were going to be without Jayson Tatum for most of the upcoming season, guard Payton Pritchard remained optimistic that his team was still going to be good.
Now a year later, the Celtics certainly know they won’t have Jaylen Brown anymore. Unsurprisingly, Pritchard’s outlook for the coming season remains the same.
“I feel the same way. I feel like we have another year that we have to prove it,” Pritchard told Chris Forsberg on the Celtics Talk Podcast. “I thought regular season we did a great job last year. … But obviously in the playoffs, we didn’t have the playoff run we wanted, let a 3-1 lead slip, which, you know, [ate] away at at a lot of us this summer. So, added extra motivation going into the summer to attack it and come back better and just try to improve.”
Speaking at his youth summer camp in Walpole, Pritchard was also asked about what Celtics life will be like without his longtime teammate.
“I mean, it’s the NBA at the end of the day. It’s part of the business. Things change,” Pritchard said. “You lose close friendships, brotherhoods. We won the championship together, and I’m very grateful for the relationship I’ve had with JB, because he kind of took me under his wing, pushed me, made me better. And he’s just a phenomenal player, so he’ll be missed mightily. But at the same time, you have to turn the page and get ready for this next year and have a great year and go to war.”
Pritchard, who’s expecting a baby girl with his wife, joked that he’s now entered an “adulting” stage of his life. With that in mind — and with Pritchard now being the second-longest-tenured Celtics player behind Tatum — the 28-year-old was asked if he’s focused on signing an extension with Boston now that he’s eligible.
“No, I don’t really think about it. It’s just not something I’m really looking at,” Pritchard answered. “I have two years on my contract and it’s just, there’s no rush on it. We’ll talk, obviously, but we have a whole next year to talk about an extension. For me, it’s like, just focus on getting better and becoming the bestbasketball player I can possibly be.“
Also in this episode:
What Pritchard hopes to learn from new teammate Mike Conley
How Pritchard’s golf struggles differ from shooting slumps
Expectations for Paul George and Mitchell Robinson
Omaha won the series, 4-2, but Toledo took the final game on Sunday.
It was a pretty strong pitching day for the Mud Hens. Austin Gomber made his first start with the Tigers organization after being signed Wednesday. He gave up a solo homer in the first but only allowed one other hit through four innings of work.
Jackson Wolf, who came over in the Casey Mize trade with San Diego, also threw four innings. He only gave up one hit, a double to Jacob Berry, who has been hitting everything all week. Wolf does some funny moves in his pre-pitch setup, but the stuff is sound. His 79-80 mph sweeper gets some good swing-and-miss (5/13; 38%), and Omaha only had one hard-hit ball off him on 30 swings.
Tigers minor league LHP Jackson Wolf, acquired in the Casey Mize trade with San Diego, made his org debut in AAA Toledo today:
Troy Watson closed out the win in the ninth, notching his first save of the year with Toledo.
As far as offense, it was an average day for the Hens. Justice Bigbie and Andrew Navigato each had two hits. Bigbie sparked a second-inning rally and scored on a follow-up double from Trei Cruz. Brett Callahan and Navigato hit back-to-back singles to put Toledo ahead right after.
Cruz also had a sac fly in the third to make it 3-1, and that’s all of the offense worth talking about in this one. Good win, solid baseball to close out what was a pretty rough week for the Tigers’ Triple-A squad.
Erie came into Sunday with a chance to win the series against Altoona, but the Curve took the finale, 4-1, to end the week in a tie. Josue Briceno was not in the lineup today as he’s being called up to Triple-A. Left-hander Andrew Sears is also being promoted.
Rogelio was in Erie and didn’t see Briceño in the dugout. Still no official word…but we can confirm Josue Briceño is heading up to Toledo. The Doctor strikes again. https://t.co/gcq0RejeY6
Everyone’s favorite knuckleballer, Kenny Serwa, was back with the SeaWolves after making a start for the Mud Hens on Tuesday. Altoona jumped on him quickly, starting the game with three straight singles. Serwa almost got out of the first without allowing another run, but a two-out base knock made it 2-0 early.
Serwa’s command wasn’t great. He walked three batters, the last of which ended up scoring in the third. Despite taking the loss, Serwa finished things on a high note, retiring the last nine batters he faced.
Yoniel Curet, Johan Simon, Dariel Fregio and Tanner Kohlhepp each threw an inning in relief. All four pitchers gave up a hit, and Fregio gave up the fourth run to Altoona in the eighth. Fregio had a brief meltdown, walking a batter and hitting the next two, all in search of a third out. Brutal.
Erie’s lone hit of the game came off the bat of Patrick Lee in the third. He was caught stealing third to end the inning, a cardinal sin in baseball. The SeaWolves had a few more opportunities to score, thanks to four walks, but an 0-for-5 day with runners in scoring position led to eight shutout innings.
Thayron Liranzo scored in the ninth after reaching on a fielder’s choice. He took second on defensive indifference and came home on a throwing error, so it’s a bit of a hollow stat.
Serwa (L, 5-8): 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 2 K
Coming Up Next: The SeaWolves are in Hartford next week against the Yard Goats, starting Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. ET.
West Michigan Whitecaps 8, Fort Wayne TinCaps 2 (box)
West Michigan finished off a 5-1 series win over the Fort Wayne TinCaps with an 8-2 victory on Sunday. More importantly, the Whitecaps remain tied for first place in the East Division of the Midwest League.
Connor Fenlong was brilliant, striking out six batters over 5.1 innings while allowing just one baserunner. You can’t ask your starter to do much more, and the bullpen could afford to make a few mistakes behind him without jeopardizing the win.
Moises Rodriguez took over and got the final two outs of the sixth. He hit a batter and walked another in the seventh. The lead runner wouldn’t have scored on an infield single, but a bad throw from Woody Hadeen brought him home.
Fortunately, the offense scored consistently through the first four innings to build up a six-run lead. Roberto Campos drove in Hadeen with a two-out single in the first; Hadeen had a two-run double in the second, also with two outs; Beau Ankeney had an RBI single in the third; and Edian Espinal drove home two with a base hit in the fourth.
Ankeney also homered in the ninth for some extra insurance. It’s the third for him in 10 games with West Michigan, so that promotion is working out well.
Preston Howey pitched the final two innings of the game for the Whitecaps. He went 1-2-3 in the eighth, but ran into some trouble in the ninth. West Michigan could afford to give up a run, though, and he closed it out right after that score.
Hadeen: 1-3, 2B (15), R, 2 RBI, 2 BB
Rainer: 0-4, R, BB, 2 K
Ankeney: 2-3, HR (3), R, 3 RBI, 2 BB
Fenlong (W, 2-1): 5.1 IP, 0 R, H, 0 BB, 6 K
Coming Up Next: The Whitecaps are at home against the Lansing Lugnuts next week, starting Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. ET.
Dunedin Blue Jays 2, Lakeland Flying Tigers 1 (box)
Lakeland dropped the series finale against Dunedin, 2-1, on Sunday to lose the week, 3-2. Saturday’s game wasn’t rescheduled after getting rained out.
Both teams hit the ball fairly consistently, but runs were at a premium in this one. Kelvis Salcedo threw 45 pitches over 2.2 innings, but he left the game in line for the loss after giving up a leadoff double and a sac fly in the second.
The good news is that Salcedo drew four whiffs (33%) on his cutter and touched 96 mph with his heater in the first. He’s only been back from injury for about two weeks, so a one-run outing with one walk is good to see.
Donye Evans got the final out of the third, and Owen Hall worked the next two frames for the Flying Tigers. Hall had a rough welcome to Single-A in July, giving up six earned runs in his first outing, but he’s been sharp in his last two outings. Through four innings of work in August, Hall has allowed just one hit, with seven strikeouts and no walks. His sinker is missing bats at a good rate (71% today).
It’s been a slow start to pro ball for Owen Hall, but he appears to be making a leap. He’s pounding the zone at 94-96, locating his secondaries, and getting whiffs – 7 on 12 swings today. His last two outings: 4IP | H | 0R | 0BB | 7K | 48% whiff pic.twitter.com/py5L1PDy9b
Anibal Salas tied the game up in the fifth with a base knock to score Nick Dumesnil, who led off with a single. Dumesnil and Salas each had two hits on the day, but that was the only run Lakeland scored in the loss.
Nick Dumesnil hustles to beat out an infield single, steals 2nd, and then scores on a 2-out knock from Anibal Salas to tie the game for Lakeland. @AaronArnstein calls it. pic.twitter.com/0CZdInXmlp
Cash Kuiper took over for Hall in the sixth. He hit a batter but retired the other three without much trouble. Kuiper struggled in the seventh, though. He gave up the go-ahead run on a pair of doubles, but the more concerning part of that is that he left the game with some apparent discomfort in his right shoulder immediately after. It’s wait-and-see for now, but Kuiper only threw three pitches in his last outing. The facts don’t add up to anything positive.
Hate to see this – Cash Kuiper gives up a double, calls out the trainer, and the leaves the game after just 16 pitches. pic.twitter.com/ftApESp3fn
Luke Hoskins was the next man up. He struck out a pair of batters and then faced the minimum in the eighth, thanks to a double play. Yendy Gomez got the ninth. He worked around a pair of two-out singles. Lakeland’s offense couldn’t make anything happen in the bottom half, though.
Yost: 0-4, K
Dumesnil: 2-4, R, K
Salas: 2-3, RBI
Salcedo: 2.2 IP, ER, 2 H, BB, 5 K
Hall: 2.0 IP, 0 R, H, 3 K
Coming Up Next: The Flying Tigers are at home against the Bradenton Marauders next week, starting Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. ET.
EASTLAKE, OHIO - MAY 06, 2026: Eduardo Quintero #46 of the Great Lakes Loons bats during the seventh inning against the Lake County Captains at Classic Auto Group Park on May 06, 2026 in Eastlake, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Quintero was getting on base early on in the year and still productive, but only hit three home runs in his first 61 games. But since June 27 the outfielder is hitting .355/.516/.763 with eight home runs, 18 extra-base hits, 26 RBI and 30 runs scored in his last 29 games.
Triple-A Oklahoma City
Ronan Kopp and Jerming Rosario allowed two runs to score in the ninth to tie things up, but the Comets scored in the 10th and held on to beat the Salt Lake Bees (Angels).
James Tibbs extended his hit streak to nine games with a two-run home run, his first home run since all the way back on June 27. He was still productive in the interim, just minus the power, hitting .307/.427/.406 in the 29 games between long balls.
Alex Thomas had three more hits, giving him four multi-hit games during the series, during which he had 13 hits in 31 at-bats (.419) with three doubles, a triple, and 10 RBI.
Catcher Griffin Lockwood-Powell doubled, singled, and drove in three runs.
Double-A Tulsa
Josue De Paula had an RBI single and two-run double in the Drillers’ win over the Corpus Christi Hooks (Astros). The double was De Paula’s team-high 30th of the season, 13 more than his previous career high for doubles in a season. De Paula also stole his 29th base, three shy of his career high set last season.
Patrick Copen struck out seven in five innings, and allowed only an unearned run to earn the win.
High-A Great Lakes
The Loons won a back-and-forth affair thanks to Quintero’s home run to beat the Dayton Dragons (Reds).
Charles Davalan, another top-100 outfield prospect in the system, nearly hit the go-ahead home run himself in the ninth inning right before Quintero, but instead settled for a triple off the right field wall, and scored on Quintero’s homer. Davalan also doubled on Sunday, giving him four straight multi-hit contests.
Mairo Martinus had a rough start in his first week in Triple-A, with just two singles and nine strikeouts in his first 15 at-bats with Great Lakes. But the 21-year-old infielder/outfielder provided extra on Sunday with a home run and triple. Martinus this week has played two games at second base plus one each at first base, third base, and right field for the Loons.
After four weeks on the injured list, Brooks Auger returned to start on the mound for Great Lakes. Sunday was only an abbreviated outing for Auger in his first game back, pulled after 32 pitches and four outs. Auger allowed a walk in the first inning and a double in the second, which scored after his departure. He struck out a pair.
Emil Morales didn’t homer on Sunday, but did walk twice after homering four times in the first five games of the series. The Dayton broadcast mentioned that the eight home runs by Morales against the Dragons are the most in one season by any opposing player against Dayton, dating back to its franchise inception in 2000. Morales this season against Dayton is hitting .323/.400/785 with eight home runs, six doubles, and 27 RBI in 16 games.
Class-A Ontario
The Tower Buzzers came within two outs of finishing off a clean sweep for Dodgers affiliates on Sunday, but gave up two runs in the ninth inning in a loss to the Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres).
Jecsua Liborius pitched a perfect eighth inning with two strikeouts, but started the ninth with two walks. Both came around to score despite two more strikeouts in the frame. A throwing error on a double steal brought home the tying run, then a walk-off single scored the game-winner for Lake Elsinore.
Oswaldo Osorio had two hits, including a three-run home run in the first inning, and his first stolen base of the season. The 21-year-old played first base on Sunday but has also played third base and second base for both Ontario and in the Arizona Complex League this season.
Transaction
Class-A: Catcher/infielder Bryan Gonzalez Garcia rejoined Ontario from the Arizona Complex League. He started at third base on Sunday.
Aug 9, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez in the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Recaps
[AP] Rodriguez strikes out 9 as Diamondbacks beat struggling Dodgers – Eduardo Rodriguez struck out nine in seven strong innings and the Arizona Diamondbacks clinched their first season series over the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2018 with a 4-2 victory Sunday. The Dodgers snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 2-1 win over Arizona in 10 innings Saturday. Rodriguez (11-4) shut them down most of the afternoon in the series finale, allowing two runs and five hits.Ketel Marte hit a two-run homer off Justin Wrobleski (11-4) in the first inning and Kevin Ginkel worked a perfect ninth for his first save this year, clinching Arizona’s 7-6 win in the season series. The NL West-leading Dodgers have lost three consecutive series for the first time since Aug. 29 to Sept. 7, 2025.
[Dbacks.com] E-Rod’s 115-pitch gem helps D-backs secure season series vs. LA for 1st time since ’18 – There’s more than a month and a half until the playoffs begin, but if the D-backs needed a Game 1 starter, it would almost surely be Eduardo Rodriguez. The 2026 All-Star was again in top form Sunday, stymieing the star-studded Dodgers lineup for the fourth time this season. He yielded just two runs across seven frames and turned in a season-high nine punchouts, throwing 115 pitches, his most in a start since Sept. 9, 2019, as a member of the Red Sox. But this isn’t just any lineup. It’s the Dodgers, who boast the second-highest team OPS (.766) in baseball. Rodriguez gave up eight runs (six earned) against the club in two starts last year, but has completely flipped the script on them in 2026, posting a 1.88 ERA across his four outings.
[Arizona Sports] Diamondbacks win season series vs. Dodgers for 1st time since 2018 – The series was tense. The D-backs outscored the Dodgers 9-7 over three games, winning the first on a walk-off home run from rookie Ryan Waldschmidt and losing the second in extra innings. It was played in front of a packed house for all three games at Chase Field, a split crowd that created a high-stakes atmosphere. “We always play the Dodgers well,” Ketel Marte said via Spanish interpreter. “It’s a tough game. I like that type of adrenaline. We are doing the little things well, this is going to help us out.” In that environment, Arizona’s starting pitchers Merrill Kelly, Brandon Pfaadt and Rodriguez held the Dodgers to three runs over 19.2 innings, and Rodriguez put forth a Herculean effort in the finale.
[AZ Central] Diamondbacks to sign veteran starting pitcher, sources say – The Diamondbacks have agreed to sign veteran right-hander Zack Littell, a source said, in a move that gives them additional rotation depth less than a week after they were unable to land another starting pitcher ahead of the trade deadline. Littell, 30, has a 4.97 ERA in 112 1/3 innings this season for the Washington Nationals. He split time in the rotation and logged bulk innings in relief. He could end up in a similar role with the Diamondbacks. Littell was designated for assignment by the Nationals last week and cleared waivers, ostensibly because he had a $4 million buyout on a 2027 mutual option, thus becoming a free agent. The Diamondbacks will be on the hook only for a prorated portion of the league minimum.
[SI] Torey Lovullo Sends a Message to D-backs Fans After Beating Dodgers – “I want to say something about our fans. They’ve been present, and they’ve been posting up, and it’s been great. This crowd here [Sunday] was very engaged. I always judge the seventh inning stretch [chants] ‘D-backs’ or ‘Dodgers.’ And I think we got them today. I heard more D-backs over Dodgers. So they brought it. I love our fans. We need them. Keep coming.” The energy has been palpable all series, reaching a particularly high volume in game one, thanks to Corbin Carroll’s home run-robbing catch and Ryan Waldschmidt’s eventual walk-off home run. Lovullo said he’s felt the fan support, even when playing in opposing cities. “Even on the road; we go on the road, and there’s a large crowd behind our dugout. Every single city we go into. I haven’t necessarily seen that a lot over the ten years that I’ve been here. I want to say thanks to those fans that come out and rock it for us on the road, too.”
[Arizona Sports] Diamondbacks keep winning while best players are slumping – Carroll’s batting stance looks a bit different, as the perennial workhorse continues to try putting himself in better hitting position.He moved his hands down in an effort to be more streamlined to the baseball.“Just trying to fix my direction, basically,” Carroll said. “That’s what feels good right now, but I’m just trying to make sure that my hands don’t kind of get buried behind me and keep them showing to the pitcher a little bit more. I’d say just working and trying to find the points of emphasis where when I go in the game, it keeps it simple,” he added. “Hopefully things take off from there. … I would say there’s been some positive signs in the games recently, just in terms of hitting a few more balls on a line. Just gotta keep working.”
[Yahoo] Craig Kimbrel signing with 12th MLB team moves veteran reliever closer to history – Once Kimbrel does get on the mound in Kansas City, he will then have pitched for more organizations than all but five pitchers in MLB history. Edwin Jackson and Rich Hill both toed the mound for 14 teams each, while Octavio Dotel and Roosevelt Davis pitched for 13 teams apiece. Kimbrel, a nine-time All-Star, turned 38 back in May and has made 33 Major League appearances in relief this season for the Mets and Rays.
[MLB] How the hot springs in Arkansas became the original Spring Training destination – Although Spring Training has come to be heavily associated with its permanent homes of Florida and Arizona, where this tradition formally began may surprise you. To call Albert Goodwill Spalding an influential baseball figure would be an understatement. As a player, he was an early adopter of the baseball glove and a co-organizer of the NL itself. Within a decade, he was the president of the Chicago White Stockings (later the Cubs), and in that role he stumbled upon another innovation. Ahead of the 1886 season, Spalding decided to find a more suitable preseason training site for his team. He landed, ultimately, on Arkansas.
The Furious (2025)
Rating: B
Dir: Kenji Tanigaki
Star: Miao Xie, Joe Taslim, Yang Enyou, Joey Iwanaga
Yeah, believe the hype. Okay, much of it. This is not quite as good as The Raid: Redemption. But the number of films deserving even of a credible comparison there are few. Simply being in the conversation is high praise, reserved for the very top tier of action cinema. Might be limited to not many more than The Night Comes for Us – and it’s hardly a coincidence both those, like this, starred Taslim. He may be the best, least-known action actor in the world. Make no mistake though: it’s a banger, which likely provoked more audible reactions from Chris and myself than any other film this year. Mostly of the “Oh, shit!” variety – and in a good way at that.
VENICE, FLORIDA - MARCH 16, 2025: Owen Carey #30 of the Atlanta Braves bats during the second inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Detroit Tigers at CoolToday Park on March 16, 2025 in Venice, Florida. (Photo by George Kubas/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
It was a very rough game for the Stripers as the game was first delayed due to rain, and then called due to rain after just five innings.
Cedric De Grandpre got the start and struggled with his control, walking five over just three innings of work. He gave up just two earned runs despite the control problems which was the positive, but ultimately he needed 62 pitches to get through three innings, throwing only 31 strikes (50% strike rate). Cedric was able to work around walks in the first and second inning, but they caught up to him in the third when with two outs he went BB, 1B, HBP, BB to drive in the second run of the game. He was removed from the game after the third inning and was replaced by Ray Kerr (1IP 1H 1ER 0BB 1K) who gave up a solo shot for his run. The recently acquired Bailey Falter made his first appearance for the Stripers, working what ended up being the final inning, and gave up an unearned run following a throwing error by catcher Jair Camargo.
Offensively, there is pretty much nothing to recap as the Stripers were no-hit through those five innings. Patrick Clohisy was the only player to reach base and that came in the first inning via a throwing error. Outside of that one play, the Stripers had the minimum come to plate where they were overmatched by starting pitcher Jace Beck.
In what was a wildly entertaining back-and-forth game the Clingstones were able to strike late to secure the win against an extremely strong Biloxi Shuckers team that features quite a few prominent prospects for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Ian Mejia got the start for Columbus who was strong at the start, facing the minimum through the first three innings. Unfortunately things changed immediately in the third inning where he allowed three extra-base hits including a two run home run. He would allow back-to-back singles to start the fifth inning before he was replaced by Owen Hackman (1IP 2H 2ER 2BB 1K) who struggled, allowing a pair of runs on two walks and two hits. Shay Schanaman (2.2IP 0H 0R 1BB 1K) replaced Owen and provided stability to the Clingstones, getting through 2.2 scoreless innings of work. Samuel Strickland (0.1IP 0H 0R 0BB 0K) came in, in the 8th inning and needed a total of six pitches to face his one batter, ending the eighth. Luis Vargas (1IP 1H 0R 0BB 1K) worked a scoreless ninth inning, picking up his fourth save of the season.
Offensively, this was a wildly entertaining game featuring several big hits and offensive contributions. The Clingstones put up three runs in the first inning including back-to-back home runs by Owen Carey (2R HR), and Jordan Groshans on back-to-back pitches.
This made it back-to-back games with a home run for Owen who is adapting to Double-A pitching quite well. After losing the lead in the top of the fourth, the Clingstones offense responded and took the lead back in the bottom of the fourth when Jordan Groshans tripled in Owen Carey who singled to start the inning. The Clingstones would fall behind again in the fifth inning, Kevin Kilpatrick Jr., responded once again in the bottom half of the inning with a lead off solo home run. They would then close the lead to just one in the bottom of the sixth on a Luke Waddell RBI double. Two innings later in the decisive 8th, the Clingstones would re-take the lead following a Will Verdung two run single, and Kevin Kilpatrick Jr., would add the cherry on top with a run scoring ground out that scored Luke Waddell for the games final run.
A return to form for Aiven Cabral, along with strong offensive contributions from some of the systems top prospects led to the Emperors taking the final game of the series against an extremely strong Grasshoppers squad. The Emperors stadium lost power so there was no MiLB.tv.
Aiven got the start and it was a return to form for him. He utilized tons of weak contact to quickly make his way through the Grasshoppers lineup. Unlike the past couple of starts, he was able to stay away from the long inning by simply inducing weak contact and being in the zone. Jacob Kroeger (2.1IP 2H 2ER 0BB 2K) came in for Aiven and pitched solidly despite the two runs scored. Those runs came on a fly ball that found space and fell for a double – allowing two runs to score. Drew Christo (1.1IP 2H 0R 0BB 1K) recorded the final four outs, picking up his third save of the season – he did so by being aggressive and being in zone with his pitch mix.
Offensively, it was an unfortunate game to miss as there were multiple contributions by some of the organizations top prospects, but it was a strong game for a lot of the team. Colin Burgess drove in the first run of the game in the first inning with a sacrifice fly that drove in Dallas Macias. The Emperors would re-take the lead on a Colby Jones home run in the the fourth inning with a solo shot. Conor Essenburg connected on his first home run as an Emperor and it was a BANG (HR coming at 49 second mark)
The GreenJackets ran into the buzzsaw that is the Hickory Crawdads falling 7-2 on Sunday.
Brody Fowler got the start for the GreenJackets and put together one of his better professional careers. He attacked the zone with his fastball, especially early, setting himself up well later in his start where he sequenced in his breaking pitches a bit more (slider, splitter). He allowed a pair of runs scattered across five innings – including a solo shot in the second inning. After his solid outing, Brody was replaced by Logan Forsythe (2.2IP 1H 2ER 1BB 2K) who kept the game well within reach for the GreenJackets before a disastrous eighth inning did them in. Logan was removed from the game with two outs and runners on first and second and replaced by Styven Paez (0.1IP 4H 3ER 0BB 1K) who simply could not get it done – allowing both inherited runners to score, and allowing three more additional runs to score all before he could secure a single out. He was un-done by his inability to land his breaking pitches in the zone, instead turning into a single pitch pitcher and getting hit hard and continually.
The GreenJackets offense struggled for a majority of the game, collecting just six total hits. They were held scoreless in all but one inning and as a team went just 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position. The lone two runs came in the sixth inning thanks to a first – as Braves 8th round draft pick Jacob Jarrell out of Clemson collected his first professional double, doubling in Parker Brosius for Augusta’s first run of the game.
One batter later Cooper McMurray drove in Jacob on a grounder to right field to tie the game at 2-2 at the time. Matt Scannell would double right after that to put runners on 2nd and 3rd with just one out, but the GreenJackets were unable to drive them in. After that, the GreenJackets failed to really threaten – picking up just a single and a walk in the games final two innings.
Change can be hard to come by in the NHL. The cliche of the “200 hockey men” way of thinking is a cliche for a reason. The NHL is an old boys club, where men who are already connected to the inner circle in one way or another have a massive advantage over everyone else. Not only this, but this insular group also has a band of media allies eager to do their bidding and serve as mouthpieces and shields for them, all to get a little access. This media version of the old boys club has some degree of separation from the group that is actually inside the league, but they are, for the most part, hand-in-glove with one another. Granted this is also the case in many, many industries across the world, but at least as far as sports go, the NHL is among the worst in this regard.
The sons of former NHLers are making it to the league at a crazy rate. The same 35-40 men keep getting all the head coaching jobs. Front offices keep getting staffed with the same candidates too, although I do think there is a little more variety in GM hirings than head coach hirings. The hockey media keeps churning out new, interesting people every year, but the newbies are mostly kept to the fringes unless they toe the company line, so to speak. It’s all so incestuous, and while other sports are guilty of this to a certain degree as I mentioned, the NHL really does feel like they’re behind the rest of them.
But with the Carolina Hurricanes finally getting over the hump and winning their elusive championship in the Rod Brind’Amour era, a question has started to bounce around in my head: Are we, at long last, about to see the Moneyball revolution in the NHL that we have seen in other sports?
The Moneyball Revolution?
I suppose the first thing I should do is define what I mean by the “Moneyball revolution”. For those who don’t follow baseball, Moneyball is a reference to Michael Lewis’ 2003 book, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. The book is about the 2002 Oakland Athletics, and more specifically, their general manager, Billy Beane. Oakland was one of the lowest-revenue teams in MLB back then, and with franchises like the Yankees and Red Sox buying all the best players, including Oakland’s own Jason Giambi and Johnny Damon, Beane and the A’s had to get creative in order to stay competitive. By moving away from traditional baseball thinking and embracing the sabermetrics pioneered by people such as Bill James, Beane and the Athletics were able to find value in places where nobody else in baseball was looking, helping them to yet another monster season in 2002, even if it did end disappointingly in the ALDS.
Granted, while the focus on the market inefficiency of on-base percentage and the diamonds in the rough such as Scott Hatteberg certainly helped, the team was also loaded with big time stars. You wouldn’t know it from watching the movie adaptation of the book, but the A’s also employed these guys named Barry Zito, Mark Mulder, and Tim Hudson back then. Not to mention Miguel Tejada and Eric Chavez. Those guys were pretty good! But I’m getting off on a tangent here. The point is, while the 2002 A’s had their homegrown stars, it was the Moneyball ethos that helped them build depth and give them those all-important edges that can push a team over the top.
As mentioned, those 2002 A’s didn’t win it all, but they perhaps did something even more important: they changed the game. In the wake of Oakland’s embrace of Moneyball, the rest of MLB started to embrace analytics. Now, almost a quarter century later, Major League Baseball is completely unrecognizable from how it was when Beane was signing the Hattebergs of the world. Nowadays, the standard operating procedure for MLB front offices is to hire analytics-minded GMs, build a massive analytics department, and incorporate advanced stats into every decision. Depending on who you talk to, this isn’t necessarily a good thing. But whether it’s good or bad is almost besides the point. The real point is that Moneyball changed the game forever.
Look around MLB today, and you would be hard pressed to find a general manager/president of baseball operations who was a former player or manager. It’s mostly longtime scouts with a specialty in analytics, or Ivy League guys with degrees in data science or something similar. In fact, one of the very few former player GMs, the Texas Rangers’ Chris Young, is a Princeton grad himself. As far as I can tell, only Buster Posey and Jerry Dipoto are leading men in an MLB front office that are former players without an accompanying high-level education. For better or worse, baseball is run by the nerds these days.
Eric Tulsky, Sunny Mehta, And The Value Of Iconoclasm
Thanks to Billy Beane and the Oakland Athletics, Major League Baseball has had it’s Moneyball revolution. But while analytics has certainly become more prominent in the NHL in recent years, it is still a far cry from what baseball has accomplished in this regard. Do that same test of NHL GMs/POHOs, and you will find that the vast majority of the league’s top decision makers were former players, even if only briefly. And that doesn’t even count legacy cases (or nepo-babies, depending on how cynical you’re feeling) such as Stan Bowman or Chris Patrick. Once again, the NHL is very insular and obsessed with not rocking the boat.
Despite this, the reason I wonder if the NHL is on the edge of an analytics upheaval is pretty simple: the recent 1-2 punch of Eric Tulsky winning the Stanley Cup, and our New Jersey Devils hiring Sunny Mehta as their own general manager.
We’ll start with Carolina. Tulsky’s origin story from blogger to GM is a familiar one at this point, so I won’t get into the finer details here. The broad strokes are that he is a brilliant man with degrees in chemistry and physics from Harvard University, who worked in nanotechnology for a decade, and then entered the world of hockey through writing about the NHL for SB Nation. He parlayed those credentials into part-time consulting/analyst work for a few NHL clubs, and then eventually a full-time role with the Carolina Hurricanes. While in Raleigh, he worked his way up from the analytics department to assistant GM to, finally, general manager in the summer of 2024. Two years later, he became the man who brought the Cup back to North Carolina.
Tulsky’s existence is almost a direct affront to the 200 hockey men that uphold NHL orthodoxy. I know I sound like a broken record, but it really does bear a lot of repeating: these men do NOT like outsiders coming in and changing things. The 200 hockey men are very, very, VERY concerned with making sure nobody rocks the boat, lest there be significant consequences. And yet, Tulsky was able to break through the firewall and reach the NHL mountaintop. Obviously there have been front offices in recent years that have relied significantly on analytics to build championship rosters, but they were usually fronted by much more traditional hockey men. Think Colorado with Joe Sakic. But Tulsky is the first person that truly embodies the Moneyball spirit to be the leading figure of a club that won the last game of their season in June.
And now, as Tulsky hoists the Cup, in comes Sunny Mehta. A native son of New Jersey, Mehta is cut from the same cloth as Tulsky as a brilliant outsider of sorts. Much like Tulsky, I won’t go deep into Mehta’s biography here since everyone is probably familiar with it. Suffice to say, Mehta’s unique path from musician to poker player to hockey analytics firebrand has landed him the top job with his childhood team, and with his hiring comes a heavy emphasis on analytics. Once again, this does not mean the New Jersey Devils organization was devoid of any sort of analytics prior to Mehta’s arrival. In fact, the franchise employs one of the bigger analytics departments in the league, running seven employees deep with Matt Cane at the top as Vice President, Hockey Analytics and Strategy according to the Devils front office directory.
That being said, that analytics department used to be led by Tom Fitzgerald, who was the epitome of the stale, cowardly hockey mind who was scared of taking even the tiniest risk in his later years as Devils GM. I’m not going to say that Fitzgerald made zero good moves, because that would be unfair and inaccurate. I’m also not going to say that he took zero risks either, because that also wouldn’t be true. But after the team’s magical 2022-23 season, Fitzgerald definitely became way more risk-averse. He was a conformist who was already inclined to lean into his hockey man instincts, and after the failures of 2023-24, he fully retreated into the safe, bland, traditional way of doing things in his last few seasons at the helm. The Devils might have had a relatively large analytics department, but with Fitzgerald running things, it was sort of like giving a trained jiu jitsu fighter a sniper rifle and expecting him to know how to use it.
By the end, Devils fans, myself included, were so unbelievably sick of Fitzgerald’s complete aversion to doing anything. We were desperate for change, and tons of us wanted the Devils to bring Mehta home. To be fair, it wasn’t just because he was an analytics guy. No, it was mostly because Mehta proved that his data-based approach was extremely effective in Florida, where he helped lead the Panthers to back-t0-back championships as Bill Zito’s assistant general manager. And it wasn’t just Devils fans who wanted him. Every team that was in the market for a new GM this offseason seemed to have Mehta at or near the top of their wish list. I seem to recall the Toronto Maple Leafs fanbase especially clamoring for him before he signed on with the Devils. Leafs fans were in a very similar situation as Devils fans, having suffered through the unbelievably stale, traditional tenure of Brad Treliving. They wanted a fresh mind with new ideas. They wanted winning analytics. They wanted Mehta.
So now Mehta has secured the top job in New Jersey. And before his team has played a single game with him at the wheel, he’s already shown a willingness to spit in the eye of the traditional way of doing things. Offer sheets are very rare in the NHL. We have seen a slight uptick in offer sheets in recent years, such as the Sebastian Aho-Jesperi Kotkaniemi saga from a few years back, and the dual St. Louis Blues offer sheets of 2024 for Dylan Hollaway and Philip Broberg. But by and large, they are still an underutilized tool, largely because traditional hockey lifers view them as some sort of significant breach of decorum. But Mehta didn’t care one bit about that, signing Utah’s Barrett Hayton to an offer sheet after Bill Armstrong backed out of a trade that would’ve sent Hayton to New Jersey at the draft. To be fair, this offer sheet failed, and even if it didn’t, it’s not like this alone would be proof that Mehta is doing a great job. But it’s just so refreshing to see a GM think outside the box while seeming to lean on his data to make smart player acquisition moves. Mehta didn’t care that there was decorum to uphold or that he was the new kid on the block. He came in and immediately tried to improve his club by whatever means necessary.
But of course, this was a slap in the face to the old ways of doing things. And as a result, a couple of those 200 hockey men found it necessary to wag their fingers at Mehta:
Meanwhile, those same media insiders laughed at Tulsky and the Hurricanes for shipping Mikko Rantanen out just a handful of games after they traded for him from the Colorado Avalanche during the 2024-25 season. But Tulsky didn’t care what the stuffy old hockey media thought, he did what was best for his team. Once he learned that he wouldn’t be able to sign Rantanen long-term, Tulsky pivoted, took the PR hit, and acquired a ton of draft capital and a player in Logan Stankoven that became absolutely indispensable to the Hurricanes run to a championship this spring.
This is the value of being an iconoclast. Like Beane with on-base percentage, Tulsky and Mehta are looking for market inefficiencies wherever they can find them, without worrying about decorum or tradition or being mocked by those in and around the game. Mind you, being different just for the sake of being different is not a great approach. There’s a difference between being an effective iconoclast and a shallow contrarian. It’s not enough to go against tradition, you have to actually have a plan. Tulsky did, and his reward was 16 playoff victories in 2026. Despite being brand new to the job, I feel confident in saying that Mehta has a solid plan. By his own admission, the roster still needs some work. But The Rock wasn’t built in a day after all, and I have faith that Mehta can play the long game well.
Time Will Tell
For as hostile as the NHL can be to change, the NHL is also a copycat league. This paradoxically makes the league one filled with people who don’t want anything to change, yet who constantly change some things in order to chase the latest winning trend. It happens with styles of play, it happens with which player archetypes are valued, and it happens with front office structure.
Before Eric Tulsky was promoted to GM in Carolina, there was another sort of shift taking place in front offices: the rise of the former agents. Entering this upcoming season, you could argue that the two best general managers in the league are Bill Zito and Kent Hughes, two former player agents. In Edmonton, Jeff Jackson, another former agent, is the CEO and President of Hockey Operations. This isn’t anywhere close to the level of upheaval as the arrival of the analytics nerds, as agents occupy some of the same space in the inner circle as those 200 hockey men. But it’s at least a little different than normal.
So the NHL was already on its way to changing who runs things, and Tulsky was the first one to successfully kick in the door as a true outsider. I use the word “successfully” very deliberately there, as I would argue the then-Arizona Coyotes hiring John Chayka was an analytics-oriented move that predated Tulsky. The problem was, that hire didn’t work out all that much, and Chayka was fired and left the game before returning this offseason in Toronto. But whereas Chayka didn’t really have much of a track record to justify his hiring, Tulsky did, and he backed it up by winning a championship. Now Mehta comes in with a pretty sparkling resume of his own. I’m not going to say that a Moneyball revolution is riding on whether Mehta sinks or swims. That would be reductive and shortsighted, especially considering the analytics movement didn’t die with Chayka. But I will say this: If Mehta succeeds in the same way Tulsky did, I think even the 200 hockey men are going to be way more inclined to believe in analytics. For now, they have the luxury of viewing Tulsky as a one-off anomaly since no one else with his type of background has achieved anything in the NHL. But if Mehta succeeds, people would be forced to see this as a viable, repeatable, dependable option, not just a passing fad or a lucky outlier.
For now, I don’t think Devils fans, myself included, care all that much about leading a revolution in how the game of hockey is managed. We just want to win. Still, it might be worth at least a passing thought on what Mehta’s hire means in the larger context of hockey history. If Mehta really does go on to become a general manager who, dare I say, brings some Stanley Cups to New Jersey and builds himself a hall of fame career as a builder, I think there’s a real possibility that his hiring is looked back on as the spark that ignited the Moneyball revolution in the NHL. And wouldn’t that just be the coolest thing ever to know that it was our guy who revolutionized the game we all know and love?
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 08: Andrés Chaparro #87 of the Washington Nationals celebrates with Abimelec Ortiz #81 after scoring in the eighth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Nationals Park on August 08, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
When the Nats traded Luis Garcia Jr. to the Yankees, they were losing the NL leader in slugging and one of the more unique hitters in the game. Garcia’s combination of contact skills and power was thrilling to watch. However, the Nats decision to move Garcia might have made them a better team this season.
This is no knock on Garcia at all. He was having a great season and is a very good hitter. However, the Nats got multiple bullpen arms for Garcia while having an in-house replacement at first base. Right now, the Abimelec Ortiz and Andres Chaparro duo is making sure the Nats aren’t losing any production at first base.
As you can see, both Ortiz and Chaparro are heavy hitters at first base. Both of them have the power and bat speed you want to see from that position. There is a high barrier for entry offensively at the first base position. However, both of these guys have the tools to mash.
Chaparro’s offensive explosion in the second half has been equal parts surprising and exhilarating. Even in the first half when Chaparro was not producing at all, some of his underlying numbers were still solid. However, seeing him mash the way he has is still shocking for a guy with a .167 average and .586 OPS in the first half.
In the second half, Chaparro is hitting .318 with 5 homers and a 1.173 OPS in 18 games. With three righties on the mound this weekend, Chaparro did not make any starts, but he still had a huge impact. He pinch hit on Saturday and Sunday, driving in five runs on the weekend. These hits helped the Nats blow games open and secure comfortable victories.
While Chaparro has gotten the vast majority of his reps against lefties, he has looked comfortable against right handed pitching when given the opportunity. He is 7 for 17 with 2 homers and 12 RBI against righties and came up with a big knock against Tejay Antone yesterday. After missing a home run by inches, Chaparro ripped a 2-run double in the gap to put the nail in the Reds coffin.
However, Chaparro has been around for a while now and is the weak side of the platoon. Rookie slugger Abimelec Ortiz is the first baseman against righties, and he has been mashing. The Nats received Ortiz as part of the MacKenzie Gore trade, and the former Rangers farmhand has mashed in AAA this year. Despite an underwhelming .244 average, Ortiz had an .845 OPS and 18 home runs. Importantly, Ortiz also struck out under 20% of the time.
His skills are likely a reason why the Nats pulled the trigger on the Garcia trade. With the bullpen help they received and Ortiz waiting in the wings, the idea was that the Garcia trade would not really hurt them this season. So far, that theory is looking smart. Yovanny Cruz and Jake Bird both made impacts out of the bullpen while Ortiz had great at bats all weekend.
Ortiz is known for his power, but his pure hitting ability has been very impressive. He fell behind Chase Burns 0-2 before guiding a single the other way to drive in two runners. Against a strikeout artist like Burns, staying in that AB is so impressive, especially for a young hitter. The 24 year old is hitting .273 with an .895 OPS in 8 games so far.
We saw the pure hitting ability on Saturday, but yesterday we got to see some of that big power. Ortiz drove a well placed sweeper to the opposite field for a home run off of Brady Singer. It was a pitch that was executed well, but Ortiz was able to drive it out of the ballpark anyways.
The results have been there, but the overall quality of the at bats have been even more impressive for me. He has not looked overmatched at any point in his big league career so far, even when he had to pinch hit against Jhoan Duran. It is too soon to say if he can completely make up for Garcia’s loss, but at the very least, he should be a solid piece in the Nats lineup.
When you think of elite first baseman, you envision the likes of Matt Olson, Pete Alonso or Freddie Freeman. However, the Nats have gotten that kind of production from the position without having a star player like that. The Nats have done a lot of platooning this season, but it has worked the best at first base. With Luis Garcia, and now Abimelec Ortiz hitting against righties while Andres Chaparro mashes lefties, it is a great formula.
Seeing that platoon not really miss a beat with Ortiz thrown in the fire has also been great to see. If Ortiz stays hot, that Garcia trade could honestly help us this season. Yovanny Cruz looks like an electric arm and has helped stabilize the bullpen. Also, Jake Bird looked good in his first outing. He struggled with the Yankees, but he had some solid seasons with the Rockies and there are plenty of examples of players who just can’t make it work in pinstripes.
The Luis Garcia Jr. trade looked like a huge blow for the offense, but right now the machine is rolling on. They are not household names, and were never really big name prospects, but the duo of Abimelec Ortiz and Andres Chaparro looks like a productive first base platoon. Those two certainly played a massive role in the Nats first sweep since April.
The Red Sox (64-53) open a four-game series at Rogers Centre against the Blue Jays (56-63) tonight looking to get back on track after losing two in a row over the weekend to the Athletics. The Jays return home after taking two of three in Philadelphia against the Philles.
Despite dropping their last two games, the Red Sox have still won 27 of their last 32 contests and remain firmly in the American League postseason hunt. Toronto sits 3.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot.
Boston's weekend series against the Athletics was an unusual stumble for one of baseball's hottest teams. After routing Oakland 13-1 on Friday, the Red Sox dropped the final two games of the series, losing 7-3 on Saturday before falling 4-3 yesterday. The Saturday defeat snapped a nine-game winning streak, and Sunday's loss marked the first time since July 1 that Boston had lost back-to-back games. Toronto spent the weekend in Philadelphia and nearly came away with a sweep. The Blue Jays won Friday's opener 5-4 and followed with an 11-inning, 7-5 victory on Saturday. Yesterday, however, Toronto fell 7-6 in 12 innings.
Tonight, the Red Sox will hand the ball to veteran right-hander Sonny Gray (14-2, 2.78 ERA). Few are talking about his season, but Gray has been outstanding for the Sox. His most recent outing came on August 5 against the White Sox, when he tossed six scoreless innings, allowed just three hits, walked two, and struck out eight in a 4-0 Boston victory. Prior to that, he beat the Athletics despite allowing four runs over seven innings. Gray has faced Toronto twice this season and owns an 0-1 record with a 6.00 ERA against the Blue Jays.
Toronto counters with Jameson Taillon (2-6, 5.96 ERA), who is making just his second start since being acquired from the Cubs. In his Blue Jays debut on August 5 against Houston, Taillon allowed three runs on six hits over four innings, walking two and striking out four. He threw 80 pitches and was fortunate to escape with a no-decision as Toronto rallied for a 5-4 extra-inning win. Despite his struggles this season, Taillon has historically pitched well against Boston, posting a career 3-1 record and 2.59 ERA in eight starts against the Red Sox.
Lets dive further into tonight’s game and find a sweat or two.
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Game Details and How to Watch: Red Sox vs. White Sox
Date: Monday, August 10, 2026
Time: 7:07PM EST
Site: Rogers Centre
City: Toronto, ONT
Network/Streaming: MLB.TV, NESN, Sportsnet
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The Latest Odds: Red Sox vs. Blue Jays
The latest odds as of Monday courtesy of DraftKings:
Moneyline: Boston Red Sox (-164), Toronto Blue Jays (+153)
Spread: Red Sox -1.5 (+102), Blue Jays +1.5 (-122)
Total: 8.5 runs
Probable Starting Pitchers – Red Sox vs. Blue Jays for August 10
Red Sox: Sonny Gray Season Totals: 119.2 IP, 14-2, 2.78 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 106K, 32 BB
Blue Jays: Jameson Taillon Season Totals: 80.0 IP, 2-6, 5.96 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 72K, 29 BB
Who’s Hot? Who’s Not! Red Sox vs. Blue Jays
Ernie Clement has hit safely in 4 of his last 5 games (6-24)
Caleb Durbin is just 2-9 in his career against Jameson Taillon but 1 of the 2 hits is a HR
Andres Gimenez is riding a 4-game hitting streak (7-17)
Kazuma Okamoto has struck out at least once in 10 straight games
George Springer is 10-32 with 2 HRs in his career against Sonny Gray
Ceddanne Rafaela is 10-37 in August with 3 HRs
Jarren Duran is 1-16 over his last 4 games
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Top Betting Trends & Insights: Red Sox vs. Blue Jays
The Blue Jays are an MLB-best 67-46 on the Run Line this season
The Red Sox are 57-56 on the Run Line this season
The OVER has cashed 59 times in Toronto’s 119 games this season (59-56-4)
The OVER has cashed 52 times in Boston’s 117 games this season (52-61-4)
Expert picks & predictions: Red Sox vs. White Sox for August 10
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Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for tonight’s game between the Blue Jays and the Red Sox:
Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Red Sox on the Moneyline.
Spread: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Red Sox on the Run Line.
Total: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 8.5
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SEATTLE, WA - AUGUST 09: Ian Seymour #61 of the Tampa Bay Rays pitches during the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on Sunday, August 9, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Eric Hiller/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Rays swept the Seattle Mariners with death by a thousand cuts on Sunday, dominating the Mariners who had the look of a team ready to go home, tallying 14 hits on a sunny day in the pacific northwest.
Hicks proved his worth when the Rays had runners on the corners in the sixth inning and the Mariners opted to intentionally walk Junior Caminero to load the bases and hope for an easy groundball. Normally this might expose the small-ball elements of the Rays offense, but with Hicks hitting fourth there is protection in a way the AL leaders in wins did not have before the deadline.
Hicks sliced it the other way, scoring two as former Rays star Randy Arozarena seemingly jogged over to the ball.
Ian Seymour, in his fourteenth career start, settled in against the Mariners, allowing one early run but otherwise cruising through six full innings, taking the burden off the bullpen that had to cover for Griffin Jax’s elbow injury before yesterday’s game, and allowing him to overcome the blemish from July 12 where hi allowed six runs and only picked up ten outs.
With those demons excised, Seymour struck out seven:
Since stretching into a starter’s workload on June 20, Seymour has a 3.46 ERA and 3.09 FIP with a 31.1% strikeout rate and 5.3% walk rate. That amounts to a contribution of 1.3 fWAR, which is 15th highest among all pitchers as of that same date, and his K-BB% ranks ninth.
Cam Booser, Casey Legumina and veteran Steven Matz — who picked up the save! — cruised through the final nine outs, allowing just one hit combined. Matz worked his sinker more than 70% of the ninth, needing only an occasional change to cruise through his second day of relief work in a row on 14 pitches.
Other Notes:
Yandy Diaz had his fourteenth career four-hit game, listen to his post-game interview here.
Rays No. 14 Chandler Simpson also picked up four hits on the day, with his only missed opportunity to get on base coming just before Caminero’s intentional walk in the sixth
Your moment of zen: Simpson lives rent free
Josh Naylor, doing headsy stuff again to get the speedy Chandler Simpson off the bases. pic.twitter.com/BtqPN1F0x1
Aug 9, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers second baseman Nicky Lopez (33) hits a triple during the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Good morning.
Shawn McFarland writes about what we’ve learned about the Texas Rangers over the last week as they climbed their way back to .500.
Jeff Wilson writes that the Rangers couldn’t complete a sweep of Baltimore on Sunday but they enjoyed a successful homestand to remain contenders.
Evan Grant writes that it was a mental lapse that started Kumar Rocker on the path to a bad outing in Sunday’s finale loss.
Kennedi Landry writes that the Rangers are hoping to ride more positive vibes as they take on a couple of AL West rivals this week.
Aug 9, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk (30) tags out Philadelphia Phillies catcher Garrett Stubbs (21) at home during the eleventh inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Phillies found themselves in two extra innings games over the weekend, and they seemed to deploy a new strategy. Multiple times in yesterday’s contest, Don Mattingly elected to have his players attempt to bunt the ghost runner over to give the Phillies a chance to score the run without needing a base hit.
The first attempt came in the bottom of the tenth, when Bryson Stott successfully bunted what would have been the winning run in J.T. Realmuto to third base after the Blue Jays stranded their ghost runner in the top half of the inning. This is despite Stott coming into the game as one of the hottest Phillies hitters, hitting .409 since the start of August with a 1.185 OPS. He did his job moving the runner over with the bunt, but Toronto then elected to intentionally walk Brandon Marsh to face Alec Bohm who has struggled with hitting into double plays. He didn’t do that here, but he didn’t get the run in either, as Bohm popped out to foul territory. Then with two outs, Derek Hill lined out to strand the runners.
The Phillies attempted another bunt in the 11th inning in a similar situation. Their bullpen held the Blue Jays scoreless in the top half of the inning again and gave them another chance to win the game by scoring the ghost runner. Kyle Schwarber was intentionally walked to begin the inning to put runners on first and second and Trea Turner attempted a bunt. His was not as successful as Stott’s, as it was popped back to the pitcher Braydon Fisher. However, Fisher dropped the ball but recovered enough to throw Hill out at third, essentially having the Phillies waste an out to have the same scenario they had before the bunt but with one out. Bryce Harper then drew a walk to load the bases before Luis Arraez hit a shallow fly ball to right fielder Jesús Sánchez who gunned down the pinch runner Garrett Stubbs at home for a double play to end the inning.
Finally, the Phillies bunted again to lead off the 12th, this time down a run after their bullpen could not keep Toronto’s ghost runner off the board. This was the most successful of the three, as Realmuto’s bunt ended up being a base hit that put runners on the corners with no outs. Stott then singled in the tying run before Hill drove in the game winning run three batters later.
Bunting with the ghost runner has its own positives and negatives. If you are successful, it allows you to score the run without a base hit. However, even if you are successful in sacrificing, it essentially gives you one less chance to score because you are giving away an out. So, what do you think about bunting the ghost runner over in extra innings?
ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 11: Michael Harris II #23 of the Atlanta Braves bunts during extra innings of the MLB game between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies on April 11, 2025 at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
I don’t know if this weekend actually had an unusual volume of extra-inning games, but with the Braves engaged in two, it sure felt like it.
The free runner extra inning rules have never sat all that well with me. To the extent that long extra-inning games were a problem, there were more than a handful of other solutions I’d have preferred. But, I think everyone involved generally prefers this form of aggressive shortening, so it’s probably not going anywhere in the near term. That creates its own weird discontinuity given that the rule suddenly disappears in the playoffs, but this doesn’t seem to perturb MLB, so it is what it is.
My question is whether you think that we’ll ever get to a point where the current extra-inning “rule” goes away. On the one hand, never say never. On the other hand, I’m not really sure what would force anyone’s hand regarding extra innings. What do you think?
The road to the MLB playoffs is more crowded than ever as the sprint to October picks up.
While division leaders continue to jockey for position, the biggest drama is unfolding in the wild card races, where contenders are fighting for the last of the postseason berths. Several clubs remain separated by only a handful of games, which makes every series crucial.
Here's the latest playoff picture, updated with MLB wild card standings and the teams on each side of the postseason cut line heading into action on Monday, Aug. 10.
MLB playoff picture: Who would make playoffs if season ended today?
Last half of intraleague games: These are the records from intraleague games after the All-Star break.
Last half of intraleague games plus one: Previous intraleague game on the schedule before All-Star break is used and process is repeated until tie is resolved.
When do MLB playoffs start?
The first day of the MLB postseason is expected to be Tuesday, Sept. 29, two days after the regular season ends. The dates for the division series and championship series have yet to be determined, but the World Series is set to begin Friday, Oct. 23. If necessary, Game 7 of the World Series will be on Halloween (Saturday, Oct. 31).
Jameson Taillon
Sonny Gray
Francisco Alvarez
