Category: Sports News

Time: 6:40 Central

Weather: Muggy, chance of storms but They Have A Roof, 78°

Opponent’s hoppin’ SB site: Brew Crew Ball

TV: Twins TV. Radio: Still missing Bob Uecker

Uh-oh, it’s lefty time. Shane Drohan, a trade pickup for the Brewers this February, made his MLB debut this season, and has been a full-time member of the starting rotation since June. He’s primarily a fastball/sinker/cutter guy topping at about 95 MPH; he will throw a slider and some offspeed stuff, although that isn’t fabulous. He gets a good amount of strikeouts and isn’t prone to the long ball, so that sounds bad for the Twins, but we’ll see.

I don’t have a ton for you this week. Uh, if you want to, you can read this fawning SABR bio of Bud Selig by a longtime Brewers director of public relations. Which mentions Selig putting the team in a six-team NL Central for many years, but omits the reason why (the NL Central was weak at the time so that helped the Brewers). The post also lauds the glories of Miller Park, and does at least mention that three people died during construction.

Along those lines, as Neil deMause always tells us, stadiums don’t do crap for the local economy (and can actively hurt it). Sports economist J.C. Bradley has a new FAQ covering all the basic reasons why stadiums don’t do crap. Save it and bring up the points with your friends at parties! Like I do! This might be why I have no friends who would invite me to parties.

I found a strange/awful Brewers history post about this guy:

Dan Thomas was a first-round pick for the Brewers in 1972. Milwaukee author/historian Matthew J. Prigge has his story here.

Thomas struggled with the minors his first few years, and in one incident followed an umpire into the parking lot after the game and whomped on the guy. But Thomas did join the Brewers as a September call-up in 1976, and was expected to compete for a starting job the following season. He was sent to Venezuela for winter ball.

Something snapped in Thomas’s mind, and he ended up surviving an attempt to swallow too many pills; the team brought him back to Boston where he recovered in a hospital for three weeks (although at one point he wandered off and was picked up walking alongside a freeway). Thomas re-committed to the super-fundamentalist church his Mom had joined when he was a teenager; he hoped the church would help him stay clean from booze & drugs.

The only problem was, that church demanded strict observance of the Sabbath, which they defined as Friday at sundown to Saturday at sundown. That’s missing two games a week. Unless you’re Shohei Ohtani or something, that’s not something a team can afford a roster spot on. And Thomas had shown some promise (an .820 OPS in his 54 games), but he was no Shohei Ohtani. The Brewers let him go, which Selig said he regretted: “It’s just a tragic story. I know a lot of people are mad at us because of what they think we’ve done to him… He’s really a nice kid who wants to do the right thing.”

The tragic part came later; because after making some stabs at independent ball, Tomas ended up broke, and died in jail at age 29, accused of a truly awful crime. Who knows what it was that snapped in his brain. People can be a mess sometimes.

Since that’s SUCH A FUN STORY, let’s transition to Wisconsin whacking.

I don’t mean bagging on Wisconsin, which did have a remarkably stupid governor for some years recently, but otherwise has a lot in common with Minnesota. When I moved here, I instantly recognized the kind of culture that my Wisconsin-reared Mom came from (and escaped as soon as she was old enough to join the Air Force).

No, when I mean Wisconsin whacking, I’m talking about Wisconsin’s greatest-ever band, or the Wisconsin band with the greatest debut album, the Violent Femmes. And one tune that every sports fan in America knows by heart, or at least knows the opening few seconds to: the debut album’s very first track, “Blister in the Sun.”

At any sports facility in America, if the P.A. system cues up the opening guitar riff, everybody knows you do the “clap-clap, clap-clap” in response. I see kids doing it. Which is funny, because that album is NOT appropriate for kids. I mean, the song’s about… well, Wisconsin whacking, isn’t it?

Actually, writer Gordon Gano said he never even thought of that until some fans mentioned it to him in the 90s. Which… I actually believe. I wouldn’t believe him if he said “Add It Up” was about math, but I believe his explanation here.

I hate most rock writing, but this short post about the song by “schill” on the wesbite HistoryOfMusic is really well done. Here’s a paragraph on what the song’s “about”:

‘“Part of its enduring appeal lies in its universality. It’s not just about being young—it feels young. It feels like the inside of your head when you’re sixteen and horny and anxious and trying to figure out if you’re cool or a complete freak. The song gives permission to be awkward, to be unsure, to not have the answers. It doesn’t romanticize youth—it captures its absurdity. “Blister in the Sun” is what you hear when you walk down a hot sidewalk in sneakers you hate, wearing a shirt that makes you sweat, headed to a party where you know no one wants to talk to you. But still you go. Still you walk. Still you strut your stuff. Because that’s all you’ve got.”’

Yeah — I mean, Gordon Gano wrote it in high school. So that makes perfect sense. Good post about a song, schill!

And OK, f**k Wisconsin, but only when the Twins are in Milwaukee.

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It's been nearly a month since the Detroit Red Wings announced that GM Steve Yzerman was vacating his role and transitioning to a senior advisor to Governor and CEO Chris Ilitch. 

However, there have been no official reports from the club regarding specific names being mentioned as potential Yzerman successors. 

What are the chances that the Red Wings could be considering a familiar name already employed by the Detroit Tigers? According to top NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman, it's a distinct possibility.

While appearing on NHL Tonight, Friedman suggested current Tigers general manager Jeff Greenberg as a potential candidate. 

"(The new Red Wings GM) might not necessarily be a traditional 'hockey person' as we've come to define them. It might be different," Friedman said.

"There's one name I want to mention cause I don't think it's been out there a lot. It's a person with a bit of a different background. His name is Jeff Greenberg. He's the general manager of the Detroit Tigers. Jeff Greenberg worked for the Chicago Blackhawks a few years ago. I think it's wrong to say anybody is a lead contender or anybody's got the inside track."

"But I do think that he's somebody who's already in the organization who they have some interest in, and I think if he's interested in the job, it will be a factor."

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

Friedman then clarified that he wasn't saying Greenberg, who also previously worked for the Chicago Blackhawks, has become a favorite to land the position.

"I want to make it very clear, I'm not saying he's not the favorite or anything like that," he said. "But he's a name I haven't heard a lot about who will be part of this search if he's interested in the job."

As far as what the biggest priority for Detroit's new executive will be, Friedman pointed to the obvious goal of making the Motor City a free-agent destination once again.

"They've made it pretty clear they want whoever joins needs to come in with a plan," he said. "The candidate needs to show they can make Michigan and Detroit a destination."

Whoever takes over for Yzerman will have several challenges ahead of them, not the least of which is dealing with captain Dylan larkin, who requested a trade after the club missed the playoffs for the 10th straight year. 

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Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has shockingly overtaken Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani as the favorite to win the MLB National League MVP.

Ohtani, who was on the verge of tying an all-time record with four straight MVPs, began the season at -105 and was -235 last week at BetMGM Sportsbook.

Key Takeaways

• Crow-Armstrong is a two-time All-Star and has never won MVP.
  
  
• Ohtani would tie Barry Bonds’ MLB record with four straight MVPs if he won this year’s award.
  
  
• Dylan Cease passed Cam Schittler in AL Cy Young odds this week after a seven-inning shutout on Thursday.

Ohtani has dominated MLB with his wicked arm on the mound and enormous power at the plate. As of Tuesday, 34.6% of the money wagered in the NL MVP odds market at BetMGM was backing him to win his fourth straight piece of hardware. 

That momentum came to a screeching halt this week, and Crow-Armstrong crept to -120 to become the new odds-on favorite. That came immediately after he went 6-13 with two home runs, five RBIs, and two stolen bases in a three-game series sweep against the Dodgers.

He also went 2-5 with a stolen base and two runs – including the game-winning run – in Thursday's walkoff win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

#WALKOFF!

Pete Crow-Armstrong races home to complete a comeback W for the @Cubs! pic.twitter.com/JB9FEH7VKL

— MLB (@MLB) August 6, 2026

Crow-Armstrong is up to .289 at the plate (15th), with 26 home runs (tied-ninth), 69 RBIs (tied-21st), 29 stolen bases (fifth), and a .937 OPS (second). He’s also an overwhelming favorite to win the Golden Glove.

Ohtani – around +100 – has been excellent, but not quite up to his recent MVP standard at the plate. He’s at .297 (10th) at the plate, also has 26 home runs (tied-ninth), 70 RBIs (tied-15th), and a .954 OPS (seventh).

Ohtani is having the best pitching season of his career. He’s 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA and 0.95 WHIP, both career-bests, although he didn’t throw enough innings to qualify for the season leaderboard.

BetMGM bettors are backing Crow-Armstrong more than any other candidate. A leading 12.3% of tickets are supporting the Cubs’ star, while only 7.1% are backing Ohtani. Elly De La Cruz (+15,000; 7.4%) and Juan Soto (off the board; 7.3%) both have a larger share of bets than Ohtani.

Cease steals AL Cy Young lead

The other major awards market that changed this week was the American League Cy Young odds race. After New York Yankees ace Cam Schittler was a -135 favorite on Tuesday, Blue Jays star Dylan Cease (-115) crept ahead.

Cease is 7-5 with a 2.28 ERA (fourth), 184 strikeouts (second), and a 1.04 WHIP (ninth). Schlittler is 10-6 with a 2.26 ERA (third), 171 Ks (fifth), and a 0.95 WHIP (fourth). The odds change was influenced by Cease’s dominant start against the Cubs on Thursday, during which he only gave up two hits and one walk and struck out 10 batters in seven scoreless innings.

Dylan Cease records his EIGHTH 10+ strikeout outing this season 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Fm8O0l9Jdx

— MLB (@MLB) August 6, 2026

BetMGM bettors are hoping that Schlittler will surge back into the lead. A leading 9.2% of tickets and 22.4% of the handle are backing the 25-year-old, while 6.7% of bets and 11.7% of the pot are supporting Cease.

Former Detroit Tigers star Tarik Skubal is second in bets (9%) and handle (7.2%), respectively, although he is now in the NL after he was traded to the Dodgers.

Cease is easily enjoying the best year of his eight-year MLB career, crushing his previous-best marks that include a 3.47 ERA and 1.07 WHIP.

Schlittler is only in his second MLB campaign. He went 4-3 in 14 starts last year, producing a 2.96 ERA and 1.22 WHIP.

MLB awards odds

Looking at other MLB awards races, Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez (-1,000) is easily favored in AL MVP odds. He had 17.2% of the handle but only 6% (fifth) of bets backing him.

Milwaukee Brewers fireballer Jacob Misiorowski is crushing NL Cy Young odds at -500 and 8.5% of bets (fourth) and 17.7% of the money (second) are in his favor.

Kevin McGonigle (-275) is running away with the AL Rookie of the Year race. He leads bets (24.1%) and handle (33.9%) in the market. 

NL Rookie of the Year odds are closer, but still favor JJ Wetherholt (-160). He has 12.2% of wagers (third) and 15.7% of the pot (second) supporting him.

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.

I’m going to be in the car most of the afternoon, maybe getting home around game time, but never know. So getting the Thread together early.

There is a roster move:

• Brett Bateman is up and will be on the active roster tonight.
• Luis Urías is out with a quad strain. He didn’t look healthy yesterday.
• Rudy Martin was DFAed (I’m thinking he clears waivers.

Go Jays Go.

After a brutal road trip, the Nats are back home and finally playing a team from outside the division. They have actually had a good amount of success against the Reds in the past few years. However, the Reds are hot and the Nats are not.

Despite a righty being on the mound, Blake Butera is not going all-in on left handed hitters today. The likes of Dylan Crews, Brady House, Harry Ford and Jacob Young are all in the lineup. CJ Abrams will be the DH, something the Nats have been doing more often lately. That pushes Nasim Nunez to short and Jose Tena to second. Cade Cavalli will start this contest. 

The Reds have a strong top 3 of Elly De La Cruz, Sal Stewart and the resurgent JJ Bleday. Veterans like Eugenio Suarez and Tyler Stephenson also feature in the lineup. We will see young outfielder Hector Rodriguez for the first time. Another former top prospect in Chase Petty will be on the mound.

Game Info:

Stadium: Nationals Park

Time: 6:45 PM EST

TV: Nationals.TV and Fox 5 WTTG

Radio: 106.7 The Fan

The Nats needed to come home badly. Despite not having a great home record, it will give them an opportunity to find their bearings. Hopefully they can get back on track and make the end of the season less of a slog. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!

Are we all alive from last night? How do we even top that?

⚾️ First Pitch: 7:10pm EDT – Fenway Park, Boston MA

📺 TV: NESN

📻 Radio: WEEI

Today, the Athletics announced a mutual agreement to part ways with General Manager David Forst, who spent the past 27 years with the organization, serving as its general manager for the last 11 years. The A’s named Assistant General Manager Dan Feinstein as the Interim General Manager for the remainder of the season, while the team commences a thorough search for its next head of baseball operations.

Forst gradually ascended up through the team’s front office ranks, working as legendary general manager Billy Beane’s top lieutenant for many years. In November 2022, he took over as the A’s top baseball executive, as Beane shifted to a senior advisory role.

Forst’s Demise

Over the last few years, the duo of Forst and manager Mark Kotsey have failed to build and lead a winning team. Additionally, several of Forst’s trades and free-agent signings have failed to produce the desired results. For instance, this past offseason Forst signed free-agent pitchers Scott Barlow, Mark Leiter Jr. and Aaron Civale. Those three players are all no longer on the team’s active roster, with the injured Leiter Jr. the only one still employed by the A’s.

Yes, Forst’s job became difficult these past few years because of the challenge of convincing players to join a team playing in a minor-league ballpark. Much of the blame for that situation falls on Athletics owner John Fisher, who with the support of MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, orchestrated the A’s move out of Oakland—bringing an end to the goodwill the franchise had built in a city where it won four World Series championships. However, as the owner, Fisher is far harder to replace.

Names to Watch

The Athletics should have no shortage of interested candidates, as the team already has a solid young core in place. With the addition of several quality pitchers and better luck on the injury front, the A’s could re-emerge as American League contenders sooner rather than later.

The organization could look in several directions to find Forst’s successor. One option is to promote from within, with Assistant General Manager of Player Personnel Billy Owens arguably the strongest candidate. Such a promotion would reward a longtime club executive while making him the first African-American to lead the Athletics baseball operations department.

Alternatively, the team could turn to a familiar face by bringing Farhan Zaidi back to the organization where he first established himself in baseball operations. His tenure as the San Francisco Giants President of baseball operations did not meet expectations, but perhaps a second stint in the same role would produce better results.

Last but not least, the Athletics could hire someone new to the organization. If they go this route, it would make sense to choose an executive from the Cleveland Guardians, Tampa Bay Rays, Milwaukee Brewers, or Los Angeles Dodgers front office. Those four franchises have all demonstrated an ability to develop pitching and sustain long-term success.

What do you think of Fisher’s decision to part ways with Forst? Was it the right call, or should he have been given more time? Who do you think is the best candidate to replace him and help this team get back into playoff contention?

‘Getting a second opinion in Los Angeles from Dr. Neal El Attrache’ is thinly veiled code for a baseball player about to go under the knife for surgery. The only question at that point, of course, is the level of severity, but if it’s a second opinion odds are there has already been at least one medical professional who has recommended the deepest, darkest depths of surgical options.

That’s even more so when it’s a pitcher who’s undergone both Tommy John surgery once, already, as well as a ‘cleanup’ procedure within the last four months.

So, it should come as no surprise that the news about the prized right elbow of Cincinnati Reds starter Hunter Greene was not good on Friday afternoon. He’ll need elbow surgery, for sure, with the level between internal bracing and an outright second Tommy John surgery to be determined once the docs get in there.

MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon relayed the initial news.

Either procedure will dent Greene’s chances of making any sort of impact on the 2027 season. Internal bracing may get him back in a calendar year, while TJ typically takes a month or two longer than that. His 2026 season, obviously, is now kaput.

In other words, the news today is that the Reds officially get to not only try to navigate through a sea of landmines towards an outside shot at the last National League Wild Card spot without one of their co-aces this year, they also get to spend all winter trying to legitimately put together another one of those shots on a shoestring budget without one of the two players in whom they’ve actually invested money in over the last handful of seasons.

It’s backbreaking in many ways, since 4-5 WAR pitchers just don’t grow on trees. Even if the Reds have Greene’s contract insured for 2027 for the $15.33 million he’ll be owed, you can’t just go sign those guys – and definitely can’t for just that little. So, the Reds get to completely alter the way they approach the 2027 season strategically with today’s news, and I have little faith they’ll be able to pull that off.

Hell, even keeping Brady Singer around on a Qualifying Offer for ‘27 will set them back some $24 million, if there isn’t a lockout to shut everything down accordingly.

The good news, if there is any, is that there have been several MLB pitchers who’ve had Tommy John surgery twice and come back just fine. The likes of Nathan Eovaldi and Jameson Taillon are two, while Chris Paddack’s career at least didn’t completely flatline after his. Dustin May, similarly, has managed to get back to being big-league caliber even though he hasn’t yet reached the heights of when he first broke in.

So, maybe this is just another blip on Greene’s radar, even though it’s yet another injury that’s going to set the Reds roster back years in the process.

The start of Friday's game between the Yankees and Atlanta Braves has been delayed due to inclement weather in The Bronx. 

New York announced that it expects to start the series opener with Atlanta at approximately 9 p.m.

Left-hander Max Fried is expected to be the starter for the home side in the first game of the three-game weekend set. Fried enters with a 3.12 ERA and 0.987 WHIP with 68 strikeouts to 23 walks in 75 innings over 13 starts.

Fried is still working his way back to full health after missing all of June and most of July with an elbow ailment. In his three outings since his return from the IL, while working his way back under a pitch count, he has surrendered four runs on eight hits and four walks over 13.1 innings. The southpaw has tallied 18 strikeouts and manager Aaron Boone has been encouraged by what he's seen.

"I feel like the stuff has been really good; the second time out, struggled to get a little bit of a rhythm," Boone said on Friday, referencing a short outing in Chicago's southside. "But I feel like overall he’s throwing the ball really well. I feel like the stuff’s really good, so yeah, really encouraged."

However, Fried will once again be on a bit of a pitch count. "Almost," the skipper said. "He's not all the way up to like 100 [pitches], but he's getting there."

The visitors from Atlanta, who are riding an eight-game winning streak and are 15-5 since the All-Star break, are expected to turn the ball over to right-hander TylerMahle for his first outing with the club after coming over in a trade deadline deal with the San Francisco Giants.

In 18 starts with the Giants, the 31-year-old posted a 5.13 ERA and 1.394 WHIP with 89 strikeouts to 37 walks in 94.2 innings. 

Things are not going well for the A’s right now. Losers of eight straight, the A’s are getting awfully close to the Angels at the cellar of the American League. Ideally let’s stay out of worst place the rest of the season. The club has a tall task in front of them though as they travel to the home of the hottest team in the entire league. So naturally the A’s will sweep them, right?

It’ll be right-hander Jack Perkins getting the ball this evening looking to be the stopper for the squad. The young arm has had a tough overall year, whether in the bullpen or in the rotation. He got off to a decent start here in the second half before getting roughed up for six earned runs last time out. On the bright side, the start before that was against these same Red Sox and he had arguably his best start as a big leaguer, firing 5 2/3 innings while allowing just two runs in an eventual Boston win.

Here’s the Athletics’ lineup for the series opener:

The club is mixing things up a bit with Bolte/Wilson atop the lineup, followed by Heim and Soderstrom in their usual positions of catcher and left field.

We’ll see Tommy White at third base this evening, meaning Max Muncy is at the hot corner tonight. Brian Serven is serving as the DH tonight with Lawrence Butler in right, and the club will see a new face in Jonathan Ornelas at the keystone.

Meanwhile Boston has their own young starter on the bump tonight in Payton Tolle. Tonight’s contest is a rematch between these two pitchers from last week, when Boston took the win. The left-handed Tolle, in his first extended look in the Red Sox rotation, has a 3.18 ERA in 18 starts, which has been a huge reason why Boston looks postseason bound.

And Boston’s starting nine tonight:

Red Sox on a winning streak, A’s on a losing streak. You’d be a fool to bet against us tonight. Let’s go A’s!

Follow the Game:
Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA

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

Friday notes…

• STARTING A ROAD TRIP: The Cubs are 5-4 this year in first games of road trips. Last year, they finished 4-8. They are 5-4 on Friday on the road. Last year, they finished 4-9. They are 8-10 in first games of series on the road. Last year, they finished 9-17. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• THREE IS THE NUMBER OF THE COUNTING: With yesterday’s 3-2 win, the Cubs are 5-6 when they have scored exactly three runs and 63-19 when they have scored three or more. They are 4-30 with two or fewer: 10 shutout losses, 1-11 with one run and 3-9 with two. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• TRIPLE DIGITS: The winning run yesterday boosted the Cubs’ run differential for the season to triple digits for the first this at the end of a game this season. They are +100, 595-495. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: Ricky Gutierrez scores the winning run in a crazy ninth inning in a 5-4 Cubs walk-off win over the Rockies. During this game former Bear Steve McMichael was ejected from Wrigley Field by plate umpire Angel Hernandez for making comments dissing the umpires during the seventh-inning stretch. It happened 25 years ago today, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2001.

Cubs lineup:

Royals lineup:

Kevin Gausman, RHP vs. Daniel Lynch IV, LHP

It has been noted elsewhere that while Kevin Gausman’s ERA is high (4.38), his FIP (3.50) is right in line with his career norms, and now he has the Cubs defense behind him.

It also should be noted that Gausman’s worst start of the year (two innings, seven runs) came against Cubs hitters June 19 at Wrigley Field, and in his 22 other starts he has a 3.94 ERA.

His last start against the Royals was Aug. 1, 2025 in Toronto. He allowed five runs in six innings, not so great. Current Royals are batting .267 (20-for-75) against him, but a lot of that is Starling Marte (8-for-15, three doubles, a home run). So keep Marte down and this could be a good game for Gausman.

As you can see below, his repertoire is pretty simple: Four-seamer, splitter, slider. Seems to work well for him.

According to this, Daniel Lynch IV, who has been a reliever all year, is being given a full starting rotation shot due to injuries. More:

Lynch has been mostly a one-inning guy all year. The most pitches he’s thrown in any game is 32, and that was back in May. He last pitched on Tuesday, so who knows how long he will go. He has never faced the Cubs and the only Cubs who have seen him are Alex Bregman (1-for-1) and Michael Conforto (0-for-1), so that’s pretty meaningless.

Incidentally, if you are wondering about the “IV” after Lynch’s name, here’s the explanation.

Here is the weather forecast for the area around Kauffman Stadium.

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network.

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Royals site Royals Review. If you do go there to interact with Royals fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.

You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.

The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.

You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

Discuss amongst yourselves.