Category: Sports News

The San Diego Padres finally found some offense in their series opener against the Washington Nationals. They slugged two homers and scored seven runs. It was the first time the Friars scored more than three runs in their last five games.

Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr.’s bats continued to heat up, with Tatis going 3-for-5 and Merrill hitting a go-ahead, two-run home run.

Starter Lucas Giolito had his first rough start, only making it through 2 2/3 innings before Yuki Matsui replaced him. Giolito gave up four runs but the Padres were able to back him up. The Friars will hope for a bounceback performance from Michael King in order to win the series in today’s game.

Taking the mound

Foster Griffin (WAS) v. Michael King (SD)

Griffin has had a great start to the season with Washington. He boasts a 3.63 ERA and a .219 opponent batting average. His recent outings have been rough, giving up 14 runs across his last three appearances.

The lone advantage he has against the Padres is their lack of experience against the young left-hander. Only Ramón Laureano has faced Griffin, with the plate appearance ending in a walk.

The Padres ace has had a resurgent season after King’s injury-plagued 2025. He’s off to a 2.76 ERA in 62 innings. King has been dominant for the Friars but has struggled with consistency.

After his best outing of the season—maybe his career—against the Los Angeles Dodgers (0 ER, 7.0 IP), King had the worst start of his season, going just 3 2/3 innings and surrendering four runs. He struggled with command and will hopefully be able to turn things around against the Nats.

Batter up!

The offense finally surged in Friday’s opener, with Manny Machado, Merrill and Tatis going a combined 5-for-13 with two walks and four RBI. Gavin Sheets also rebounded from his recent slump, hitting 2-for-3 with a walk.

1. Fernando Tatis Jr., 2B
2. Gavin Sheets, LF
3. Xander Bogaerts, SS
4. Manny Machado, 3B
5. Jackson Merrill, CF
6. Miguel Andujar, DH
7. Ty France, 1B
8. Nick Castellanos, RF
9. Rodolfo Durán, C

France had a similarly great game yesterday, going 2-for-3 with a homer. His offensive contributions have been major for the Friars in their hot start to the season. Hopefully he’ll able to continue that.

Relief corps

The bullpen picked up Giolito splendidly after his tough start, with Matsui pitched two innings while the Padres were down before giving way to the high-leverage relievers when the score got closer.

Jeremiah Estrada, Adrian Morejon, Jason Adam and Mason Miller covered the final four innings of the game. Adam was the lone struggler, only recording one out in the eighth inning before giving up two hits and being replaced by Miller. Miller pitched a four-out save but made things interesting with some command struggles trying to get out of the eighth.

That leaves Ron Marinaccio, Wandy Peralta and Bradgley Rodriguez available for Game 2 today. Only Rodriguez has been a traditional high-leverage reliever this season, but Peralta has performed just as well recently.

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The St. Louis Cardinals ended their four-game losing streak on Friday, but the Chicago Cubs will look to even things up in St. Louis.

The Chicago bats seem to be heating up, meaning the Cubs just need some help on the mound.

With Ben Brown, who has been effective starting and out of the pen, starting for the Cubs against Kyle Leahy, who has struggled for St. Louis, my Cubs vs. Cardinals predictions and MLB picks call for the Cubbies to get revenge.

Who will win Cubs vs Cardinals today: Cubs -1.5 (+127)

The Chicago Cubs scored 5+ runs for the third straight game, including one against Paul Skenes, and lost while scoring 5+ for the second time in six contests. 

Things should be different with Ben Brown starting.

A converted reliever, Brown started his last four, never allowing more than three runs. All Brown's stuff ranks in the top third of MLB, including a 99th-percentile breaking ball. He's up against a St. Louis Cardinals club that scored two runs in three games before Friday.

The Cardinals start Kyle Leahy, who ranks in the bottom third in every pitch and is worse than 92% of MLB pitchers in overall run value.

COVERS INTEL:The Cardinals shuffled the rotation to give Leahy an extra day of rest. His four-seamer is down 2 MPH, and all of his breaking stuff is shedding spin rate compared to last year. However, in two starts with extra rest, he's posted an 8.10 ERA and 1.900 WHIP.

Cubs vs Cardinals Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (-122)

The Cardinals broke out for six runs on Friday, but that performance looks more like an exception than a trend. Before that game, St. Louis had scored one run or fewer in five of its previous 10 contests, and the offense had struggled to generate consistent power.

Chicago should have opportunities against Leahy, but the Cardinals may have a tough time holding up their end of a high-scoring game. Brown gets the start for the Cubs, and Chicago's bullpen has posted a 0.66 ERA over its last three games. Expect St. Louis to continue to struggle at the plate tonight. 

Cubs vs Cardinals odds

• Moneyline: Cubs -127 | Cardinals +115
• Run line: Cubs -1.5 (+125) | Cardinals +1.5 (-145)
• Over/Under: Over 8 (-105) | Under 8 (-115)

Cubs vs Cardinals trend

The St. Louis Cardinals have hit the Team Total Under in 15 of their last 23 games at home (+5.40 Units / 19% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Cubs vs. Cardinals.

How to watch Cubs vs Cardinals and game info

Cubs vs Cardinals latest injuries

Cubs vs Cardinals weather

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.

1914
Leading off a doubleheader opener at Cleveland, Buck Weaver clocked the first leadoff home run in White Sox history, a deep blast to left field against Naps starter Willie Mitchell. It spurred the White Sox to a 6-3 win and supported Eddie Cicotte in his fourth win of the season.

Interestingly, Weaver hit just 21 career home runs in the majors — and in two weeks, would also became the first player with a leadoff home run in Comiskey Park history, just two weeks later.

1951
In front of 34,856 fans packing Comiskey Park for a Wednesday doubleheader, the White Sox swept the St. Louis Browns, 5-2 and 8-1, to win their 13th and 14thconsecutive games. It’s the second longest winning streak in franchise history. To commemorate the streak — which ran the team’s record to 26-9 and put it in first place in the AL by two games — Chicago mayor Martin Kennelly presented vice president Chuck Comiskey, manager Paul Richards and the White Sox the keys to the city in a ceremony. 

The Sox would go from “Rags to Richards” in 1951, ending their string of desultory seasons and pointing the way to the “Go-Go” 1950’s. The White Sox would end the year 81-73-1, good for fourth place and their first winning season since 1943.

1960
Outfielder Jimmy Piersall, who would later broadcast White Sox games and coach the club’s outfielders in the late 1970s and early 1980s, went on a rampage against the scoreboard and Comiskey Park during a doubleheader. 

In the opener, Piersall was on second base and felt home-plate umpire Cal Drummond made a bad strike call on a Cleveland hitter at the plate. Drummond tossed him — so Piersall tossed the contents of the Cleveland dugout on to the field. He then went into the Sox dugout, grabbed a bucket of groundskeeper Gene Bossard’s sand and dumped that on the field.

In the nightcap, Piersall didn’t move when a ball hit by Minnie Miñoso came right at him. It went over his head for a double, and adding insult to injury the White Sox stadium operations thought it was a home run and set off the scoreboard! As a result, when Piersall caught the final out of the game, he took the ball and threw it at the scoreboard (which he hated).

All in a day’s work, as Cleveland took the twin bill, 4-1 and 9-4. 

1966
White Sox pitcher Jack Lamabe fired a one-hitter at Comiskey Park, beating the Red Sox, 11-0. Lamabe didn’t allow a hit until Joe Foy singled leading off the eighth inning — after Lamabe shook off catcher J.C. Martin. Lamabe faced 30 batters, striking out six and walking two.

It was a sweep on the night for the White Sox, who shut out Boston in both games of a doubleheader. Chicago had won the opener, 1-0, behind pitcher Johnny Buzhardt’s five-hitter. 

In addition, this was the club’s third consecutive shutout, as the day before, Tommy John blanked the Yankees, 2-0.

1985
In a night game at Comiskey Park, Carlton Fisk belted a rooftop home run off of Kansas City’s Charlie Leibrandt. It helped Tom Seaver and the White Sox win, 4-3. It was the start of a four-game sweep of the Royals, and a week in which Fisk would hit five home runs and drive in 12. That season, Carlton would set career highs with 37 home runs and 107 RBIs.

1989
Exactly four years later, Dan Pasqua drove a ball 495 feet the other way against southpaw Frank Tanana, landing it on the left-field roof. It was the only roof shot of Pasqua’s career, and the 21st-ever by a White Sox player.

The blast, with the White Sox down, 6-2, in the bottom of the seventh, failed to turn the fortunes of the game — an eventual 10-3 loss dropped them to 18-32. Chicago was in the midst of losing 15 of 17 games, a stretch that would lock them in the AL West basement for the rest of 1989.

1993
In an era where complete games were becoming more and more rare, Jack McDowell thumbed his nose at the trend and completed his fourth straight game for Chicago, a 6-3 loss at Yankee Stadium. Despite a 2.83 ERA in the stretch, McDowell went 1-3 during his streak, losing its last three games by giving up 11 runs in those losses. He “couldn’t” really lose the first complete game of the streak, back on May 14 at Texas, having thrown a 4-0 shutout.

Despite the anomaly of losing these complete games in May, McDowell was the ace of the AL West-winning 1993 White Sox and won the Cy Young at season’s end.

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Two sub-.500 teams struggling to hit meet for the second game of a weekend series in Texas.

The Kansas City Royals have lost four straight and 14 of 17, managing just five runs in the last four games. The Rangers had lost six of seven, scoring just 23 runs, before breaking out in Friday's series opener.

Both teams have also struggled on the mound. The Rangers have the edge in Saturday's starter matchup. That's why my Royals vs. Rangers predictions and MLB picks call for Texas to roll.

Who will win Royals vs Rangers today: Rangers -1.5 (+178)

The Kansas City Royals have been losing big all season. K.C.'s runline and moneyline records are the same, meaning that giving up the 1.5 runs against them isn't a big risk.

The Royals have covered the spread twice in their last 22 losses and in just three losses all season. The Texas Rangers -1.5 is +178, and that's a strong price for spotting Kansas City 1.5 runs. 

The Royals' pitching allowed 41 runs in five games. While starter Seth Lugo started the year strong, May was rough, posting a 5.27 ERA and 1.68 WHIP in five starts. Rangers' starter Kumar Rocker has two scoreless outings in the last three.

COVERS INTEL:Lugo's two most thrown pitches are his sinker and four-seamer, and batters are hitting over .300 against both this year. He's lost about 50 revolutions on his sinker's spin and almost 100 off the four-seam. 

Royals vs Rangers Over/Under pick: Over 7.5 (-117)

This isn't a vote in favor of either offense as much as an indictment of both pitching staffs. Kansas City has the worst bullpen WHIP in baseball and the third-worst ERA. 

The pen allowed four homers in the last three games, posting an 8.71 ERA. The Rangers have been better in relief, but Texas allowed 5+ five times in the last eight games.

The Rangers have put up at least nine runs twice in the last five, while K.C. scored 5+ twice this week. So there are signs of life on both offenses. The weak pitching they'll be facing should help nurture that.

Royals vs Rangers odds

• Moneyline: Royals +108 | Rangers -113
• Run line: Royals +1.5 (-186) | Rangers -1.5 (+178)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-117) | Under 7.5 (+113)

Royals vs Rangers trend

The Texas Rangers have hit the Run Line in 13 of their last 23 games at home (+5.55 Units / 19% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Royals vs. Rangers.

How to watch Royals vs Rangers and game info

Royals vs Rangers latest injuries

Royals vs Rangers weather

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.

In the early, pre-Babe Ruth days of the franchise, the New York Yankees/Highlanders often featured great players who had or would go on to have championship success at the big league level. The issue was often that they just didn’t have the right combination of players, have them at the right age, or didn’t figure out how to correctly use them.

Case in point is Rube Oldring, who fits the second of those categories. The three-time World Series champion played the very first and then what would be the penultimate season of his 13-year career with the Yankees. The first time around, he was a victim of circumstance, and the second time around, he was past his best.

On what would have been Oldring’s 142nd birthday — were such a thing medically possible — let’s look back at the Yankees and MLB career of the outfielder.

Reuben Henry “Rube” Oldring
Born: May 30, 1884 (New York, NY)
Died: September 9, 1961 (Bridgeton, NJ)
Yankees Tenure: 1905, 1916

Oldring was born in New York City in 1884, as one of eight children. Like was the story of many of the era, despite being the children of immigrants, Oldring developed a love and skill for baseball, and soon became good enough to play for semi-pro teams all over the New York and New Jersey area. That eventually led him to be discovered by the professional ranks, and the Southern Association’s Montgomery Senators picked him up in 1905.

In Alabama, Oldring very quickly impressed, and his contract was purchased by the Philadelphia Athletics by the end of his first season in the pro ranks. Oldring reported to Philadelphia after the deal, but the A’s were in a battle for the American League pennant, and not in a position to try out a rookie. Manager Connie Mack told him to go find some semi-pro games to play in to stay in shape. Oldring did so, leading to a real “only in the early 1900s baseball” story.

Oldring went back to New York City and played for a semi-pro team in an exhibition game against the then New York Highlanders. He homered in the game as his team beat the Highlanders, impressing manager Clark Griffith. Despite him having a contract with the A’s, Griffith somehow managed to pick up Oldring, and he played for New York for the rest of the 1905 season. In eight games, he hit an impressive .300/.344/.467, which equated to a 146 OPS+. Impressed by the rookie, Griffith and the Highlanders attempted to sign Oldring for the following year, only for it to emerge that he was signed with the A’s, where he would return for 1906.

Impressing in spring training that year, Oldring eventually earned the Athletics’ third base spot in 1906. However, he had a strong arm and a tendency to airmail throws to first base. Mack decided to take advantage of that attribute and moved Oldring to center field, where he would play the majority of his career.

After some up and down seasons in his early career, Oldring settled became a key player for the A’s by the time the 1910s began. He had his best career year in 1910, putting up what added up to 4.3 fWAR and a 141 OPS+. He also helped the Athletics become a dynasty of the era, winning World Series titles in 1911 and ‘13. He became a fan favorite in Philadelphia, and even starred in a silent short film called “The Baseball Bug” in 1911.

Following an upset loss in the 1914 World Series, Mack began to tear down the A’s, which eventually led the likes of Home Run Baker, Bob Shawkey, and Herb Pennock to ioin the Yankees as they began their ascent. That tear down didn’t include the likes of Oldring at first, but after a slow start to the 1916 season, Philadelphia gave the outfielder his unconditional release. Oldring had already been considering retirement and elected to do that and settle on the farm he had bought with his wife. But later that season, the Yankees convinced Oldring to join them, as they were dealing with a host of outfield injuries. He struggled there too, leading to the Yankees releasing him in September. Mack later got Oldring to return to the A’s for the 1918 season before his major league career ended for good.

Oldring would spend some time as a player/manager at various minor league stops before leaving baseball for good after 1923. He settled back in New Jersey, where he lived until his death in 1961.

In two separate directions, the Yankees missed out on the best years of Rube Oldring. The Yankees have had plenty of successful player acquisitions over the years, but you can’t win them all.

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.