Category: Sports News

Welcome back to Monday Stat Party, a weekly series showcasing some of the most curious and nostalgia-inducing statistical developments from the past week of Mets baseball. What unites each entry is the sense of intrigue which they aim to spark, and the unbridled love of the game’s anomalies from which they arise. Without further ado, let the stat party begin.

MONDAY

The Mets beat the Braves 14-3 after having lost to them 14-3 on July 4 in Atlanta. It’s the first time an MLB team has won 14-3 and lost 14-3 to the same opponent in the same season since 1996, when the Yankees lost to the Angels 14-3 on August 29 and beat them 14-3 on August 31. Prior to this season, the Mets had only played six games with a 14-3 final in franchise history, with three wins and three losses.

A.J. Ewing, Francisco Lindor, Bo Bichette, Tyrone Taylor, and Marcus Semien each recorded three hits, marking the first time five Mets recorded three or more hits in a game since August 22, 2025, when five Mets (including Lindor and Taylor) did it in Atlanta. The Mets have accomplished the feat on eight different occasions in their history, and four of those eight have come against the Braves.

Lindor, Semien, and Francisco Alvarez each reached base four times, marking just the third time three Mets reached base four or more times in a game at Citi Field. The previous two came on July 1, 2013, against the Diamondbacks (Eric Young Jr., David Wright, Josh Satin, Omar Quintanilla) and March 29, 2018, against the Cardinals on Opening Day (Brandon Nimmo, Adrián González, Kevin Plawecki).

Zac Thornton posted a 2.43 ERA over his first five career outings, ranking seventh-best among Mets pitchers with a minimum of five innings per outing, behind: Nolan McLean (1.42), Steven Matz (1.80), Mike Bruhert (1.82), Tom Seaver (1.91), Dillon Gee (2.18), and Jason Jacome (2.38).

Thornton also became one of eight Mets pitchers with four or more quality starts among their first five career outings, joining Ron Darling (5), Jacome (5), Gee (5), Seaver (4), Gary Gentry (4), Alay Soler (4), and Jacob deGrom (4).

Luis Robert Jr. has played in just 35 games this season, but he is tied for second on the Mets with six batted balls of 110 mph or higher, including Monday’s fifth-inning single off Martín Pérez which registered at 111.7 mph. Only Juan Soto (7) has more such batted balls for the Mets this year.

Lindor recorded three extra-base hits in a game for the 10th time in his career, and for the third time as a Met (after having done so on July 6, 2023, in Arizona, and September 12, 2021, in his three-homer game against the Yankees).

The Mets notched 19 hits in a game for the second time this season. They are one of only five teams with multiple 19-hit games this year, along with the Giants (3), Braves (2), Royals (2), and Pirates (2). Monday also marked the fifth time the Mets had 19 hits in a game at Citi Field, and the first since July 14, 2017, in a 14-2 win over the Rockies.

The Mets recorded nine hits with an exit velocity of 100 mph or higher, marking their most such hits in a game this season.

WEDNESDAY (GAME ONE)

A.J. Ewing stole two bases, marking the second time he’s done that in his short big league career. He’s the fourth Met with two multi-stolen-base performances in his first 68 career games, along with Bud Harrelson, Mookie Wilson, and and Darryl Strawberry.

WEDNESDAY (GAME TWO)

Christian Scott completed six innings for the first time this season. Prior to Wednesday, he had gone 14 consecutive starts without completing six innings to begin the season, currently tied with the Athletics’ Jacob Lopez (who has an active streak of 14) for the most in the Majors this year. The Nats’ duo of Jake Irvin (12) and PJ Poulin (11) also have active streaks close behind.

THURSDAY

With a first-inning strikeout of Heriberto Hernández, Nolan McLean recorded his 200th career strikeout in his 30th career game, making him the fifth-fastest Met to reach that total behind Dwight Gooden (25 games), Matt Harvey (27 games), Noah Syndergaard (28 games), and Kodai Senga (29 games). Jacob Misiorowski and Paul Skenes are the only other starters since Senga to debut and reach 200 strikeouts in 30 or fewer games.

McLean posted his sixth consecutive quality start, the most by a Met since Kodai Senga (8) from August 7-September 20, 2023. It was also McLean’s eighth consecutive start in which he completed six innings, the most by a Met since Sean Manaea (8) from August 16-September 21, 2024.

McLean had seven total chances in the field (three putouts, three assists, and one error), marking the most in a game by a Mets pitcher since Armando Reynoso’s seven on August 15, 1998, in Arizona. (source: SNY broadcast)

Kyle Stowers’ 112.8-mph home run was the hardest-hit homer the Mets have allowed since Shohei Ohtani’s 114.0-mph shot off Max Kranick on June 2, 2025 at Dodger Stadium.

FRIDAY

Francisco Lindor’s seventh-inning solo shot was his 150th home run as a Met, passing Carlos Beltrán for seventh on the franchise’s all-time leaderboard behind Pete Alonso (264), Darryl Strawberry (252), David Wright (242), Mike Piazza (220), Howard Johnson (192), and Dave Kingman (154).

With his fifth-inning single, Lindor extended his hitting streak against the Marlins to 21 games, setting a record for the longest hitting streak by any player against the Marlins. Tom Pagnozzi (1993-1996) and Quilvio Veras (1997-2000) were previously tied for the record at 20 games. Lindor got hits on Saturday and Sunday to make it a 23-game hitting streak against the Marlins. He’ll have the chance to extend it to 26 games later this season when the Mets play in Miami on September 7-9.

Kodai Senga completed four innings on just 33 pitches. That’s the fewest pitches a Mets starting pitcher has thrown to make it through the first four innings of a game since Bartolo Colon completed four innings on 32 pitches on September 23, 2015 against the Braves at Citi Field. (credit: PIX broadcast)

Senga took the loss on Friday night, giving him an 0-8 record on the season. He’s the fifth Met to begin a season with at least eight consecutive losing decisions, after Bob Miller (0-12 in 1962), Anthony Young (0-13 in 1993), John Franco (0-8 in 1998), and Shaun Marcum (0-9 in 2013).

SATURDAY

After Saturday, Tyrone Taylor had hit seven home runs over his past 19 games. Prior to this season, his previous career-high in homers during a 19-game span was five.

The Mets issued multiple walks for the 100th game this season, second-most of any team in MLB behind the Reds (101).

SUNDAY

Making his first Major League appearance in over a year, Robert Stock shattered his career high by racking up 12 whiffs, including at least three on three different types of fastballs (cutter, four-seamer, and sinker). His previous career high had been nine.

Stock has made 58 career appearances, and in only three of those has he completed at least four innings. All three have come at Citi Field, and in all three he has been pinned with the loss. The first was on June 16, 2021, when he started for the Cubs against the Mets. The second was on June 7, 2021, when he started for the Mets in the second game of a doubleheader against the Brewers. The third was Sunday, when he tossed five innings for the first time in his career while allowing just one earned run. (credit: SNY broadcast)

Luke Weaver recorded his 37th appearance with at least one inning pitched and no earned runs allowed this season, tied for fifth-most in MLB. Only Louis Varland (42), Tyler Rogers (41), Mason Miller (40), and Taylor Clarke (38) have more such appearances.

Sandy Alcantara made his 19th career start against the Mets, tying Tom Koehler and Dontrelle Willis for the second-most by a Marlin behind Ricky Nolasco (23).

The Mets suffered their eleventh shutout loss of the season, tied with the Pirates for the most in MLB.

The Mets scored two runs or fewer through nine innings for the 47th time this season. Only the Angels (48) have more such games in MLB.

Miscellaneous Mets stat of the week:

The last two Mets pitchers to record triples were Steven Matz and Dillon Gee, and both triples were hit against former Mets left-handers. Matz’s came on June 7, 2016, against Jon Niese in Pittsburgh, while Gee’s came on August 14, 2013, against Chris Capuano at Dodger Stadium.

The trade deadline has arrived. The final dots and crosses must made made to all the letters and all the agreements must be in to the Commissioner’s Office by 3:00 p.m. MST. As is often the case, there is an expectation that there will still be some contracts with wet ink at the time. However, as long as the paperwork is completed on time, smudged ink will not hold things up.

Saturday night saw the big deal happen that everyone had been fully expecting since last November. Finally, the Tigers admitted they were not going to be able to retain Tarik Skubal and that they were furthermore not contenders in 2026. As such, the Dodgers mad a move late on Saturday to acquire him. In exchange for two months plus the playoffs of one of the best pitchers in the game, Detroit receives right-hander River Ryan, outfielder Zyhir Hope, and righty Brady Smith. A fuller accounting of the move can be found over at MLB Trade Rumors.

Freddy Peralta
The Diamondbacks were one of many teams linked to the New York Mets’ struggling rental right-hander, Freddy Peralta. However, the Tamps Bay Rays struck first (and likely much harder than Arizona could). Freddy Peralta was shipped off to Tampa during the rain-lengthened affair between the Snakes and the Indians yesterday. If Arizona is going to find themselves a rental starter, it will have to be somebody else. (Frankly, this author is actually glad about that. Freddy Peralta had too many red flags similar to ones already residing on the Arizona roster in one form or another.)

Luis Garcia Jr.
While there was not much buzz linking the Diamondbacks with a move to acquire Washington’s Luis Garcia Jr, the slugging first baseman was very much the sort of help Arizona is in the market for. The Yankees have acquired first baseman Luis Garcia Jr. from the Nationals. Washington will receive four players in return, with right-hander Yovanny Cruz headlining a package that also includes right-handers Jack Cebert, Ben Grable, and Jake Bird. (Link to article at MLBTR)
Even slow trade deadlines still have flurries of minor activity. This projects to be a rather slow deadline. It also seems quite likely that Arizona will indeed make at least one of those various minor moves. Stay tuned to the Pit to see what happens and feel free to discuss today’s deadline moves below.

While most of you are focused on today’s MLB Trade Deadline, which comes up at 5 p.m. CT, I thought I’d take time to update you on some good — and not-so-good — Cubs performances over the past week.

Here’s who’s been hot and not for the Cubs over their seven games against the Cardinals and Yankees.

Three up

Nico Hoerner is on a hot streak

The Cubs second baseman batted .423/.444/.654 (11-for-26) over the seven games. He had a four-hit game in St. Louis and hit two home runs, his first since April. One of those homers was a key part of the win against the Yankees Saturday — it tied the game in the seventh inning.

Here’s that home run [VIDEO].

Since the All-Star break, Hoerner is batting .400/.409/.523 (26-for-65) with nine runs scored and 13 RBI in 16 games.

Alex Bregman is also heating up

Bregman’s bat began getting stronger just before the All-Star break and over the seven games against the Cardinals and Yankees he had three multi-hit games and overall batted .429/.484/.750 (12-for-28) with six doubles, a home run, three walks and eight runs scored.

Overall in 17 games since July 11: .304/.385/.580 (21-for-69) with seven doubles, four home runs, eight walks, 12 RBI and 16 runs scored.

Keep that up and he’ll be near his career norms by the end of the year.

David Peterson put together two outstanding starts

In his two starts against the Cardinals and Yankees, Peterson allowed three earned runs in 12 innings and struck out 11. The Cubs won both those games. Since Peterson’s awful start at Wrigley July 3 against St. Louis, he has posted a 1.52 ERA and 0.887 WHIP and has returned to being the ground-ball pitcher the Cubs thought they were getting — in those four starts, 35 ground-ball outs of 71 total outs recorded.

This was a very good trade by Jed Hoyer.

A hat tip to Pedro Ramirez, who started five of the seven games and batted .333/.474/.400 (5-for-15). That OBP is an eye-opener — Ramirez walked four times over the week and has a .370 OBP in 109 PA this season. Looks like a keeper to me.

Three down

Ian Happ remains ice cold

Despite a two-hit game in St. Louis, Happ batted just .148/.233/.259 (4-for-27) over the seven games. He did have three doubles and walked three times, but had eight strikeouts.

Craig Counsell has been giving his infielders rest from time to time. I think Happ could use a day off, too.

Dansby Swanson’s bat is also chilly

Swanson did get a day off during the week, but it didn’t seem to help, as he batted .048/.091/.048 (1-for-21) in the six games he did play, with eight strikeouts.

Swanson has become a real streaky hitter, much as Happ is. It would be nice for them both to go on hot streaks starting … right now.

Michael Busch is also not hitting

Busch had a rough week, batting just .161/.188/.161 (5-for-31).

He could probably also use a day off. The thing is, the Cubs don’t really have a backup first baseman — Carson Kelly played first for an inning Sunday after Counsell sent Justin Dean in to run for Busch. But I don’t think Counsell really wants Kelly to start at first base — he’s done that just once this year, April 13 vs. the Phillies.

If that happens, I doubt it would happen during the Dodgers series, anyway.

We’ve at last arrived at the MLB Trade Deadline. Once the clock strikes 6 p.m. EST this evening, teams will no longer be able to trade to reshape their rosters; what you have is what you’ve got the rest of the way. It’s the last chance for clubs around the league, and for Brian Cashman and the Yankees, to load up for a playoff push.

Though this deadline season took a while to heat up, we at last saw some marquee names exchanged this weekend. Yesterday, Freddy Peralta went to the Rays, Kevin Gausman went to the Cubs, and the Yankees made a major move with the acquisition of slugger Luis García Jr. Of course, the biggest news was the Dodgers’ addition of Tarik Skubal late Saturday night, a move that was expected by many but is still earth-shaking in its impact on the pennant race.

The Yankees laid in wait for some time leading up to the deadline, but after dealing Camilo Doval to the Pirates for prospects and then shipping out prospects for García, they’re out of the shadows and moving actively. Will they stay active on deadline day? Follow along with us as we keep you updated with every move and rumor from across the league all day.

Rumors of the Day (August 3)

• 3:45 PM EST: The Cubs made another addition to their pitching staff, picking up right-handed reliever Ryan Zeferjahn from the Angels. Zeferjahn has an interesting fastball/sweeper combo and has posted a 3.66 ERA on the year. We’ll see if that’ll do it from the Angels, who have moved Zeferjahn, Jose Soriano, Brent Suter, and Jo Adell, but still have some other big trade chips left (see: Zack Neto and Reid Detmers).
• 3:15 PM EST: A pair of starting pitching moves: Dustin May goes to the Brewers, and the Cubs grab Braxton Garrett. May had been lined up to start for the Cardinals against the Yankees this week. Instead, he’ll try to bolster Milwaukee’s rotation, while Garrett, who’s mostly spent the season in Triple-A, will augment a shaky Cubs staff.
• 3:05 PM EST: Cross another relief arm off the list: Luke Weaver is reportedly headed to the Pirates. There never seemed to be too much traction on a deal between crosstown rivals, but a reunion with Weaver and the Yankees would’ve made some sense. Instead, the Pirates pick up an arm as they try to make a playoff push, and the Mets continue to strip themselves for parts.
• 2:45 PM EST: The deed is done. The Orioles have traded Rutschman to the Red Sox, per Jeff Passan (old friend Carlos Narváez is apparently involved in this, as is pitching prospect Anthony Eyanson). On the bright (?) side, the Yankees officially optioned Max Schuemann to make room for Luis García Jr., and they revealed that he will be wearing No. 26, the first Yankee since DJ LeMahieu! And Kervin Castro is back in the Yankees’ bullpen!!! This is all great. It’s great. It’s even.
• 2:15 PM EST: The Dodgers aren’t done adding pitching, and they’ve gone with an old standby: the injury-ridded option. Kris Bubic is coming over from the Royals for righty Carlos Duran, per Mark Feinsand. The 2018 first-round pick broke out with an All-Star 2025 but is just never healthy. Even that year, he made just 20 starts. He has 213 total innings to his name since the end of 2022. Bubic is even on the IL right now with shoulder issues! But sure, the Dodgers can throw him in their shed of possible arms.
• 2:10 PM EST: This is almost already old rumor news at this point, but the Yankees’ discussions with the Orioles about Rutschman evidently included Elmer Rodríguez per Joel Sherman. There’s no word either way but hopefully the issue was on the Orioles’ end and not the Yankees prospect-clutching Elmer. My guess is probably not, but still. Anyway, the catching pivot may now just be the Reds’ Tyler Stephenson. Exciting, huh?
• 2:00 PM EST: It’s a double-batch of trades reported at the same time at two o’clock. Figures. More relevant of the two: the Rays are getting a big boost behind the plate while the Yankees still don’t have an answer beyond Austin Wells. Jeff Passan says that they’ve arranged an all-Florida swap with the Marlins for Liam Hicks, who has broken out with 2.5 rWAR and a 124 OPS+ in 101 games. He’s 27 but is under team control through 2030. Ack. 2023 first-round pick Brayden Taylor is among the three players going to Miami per Will Salmon Sammon. Ack. The other trade of the moment has the Giants sending Robbie Ray to the Padres, to which we say… “alrighty then.” You do you, Preller.
• 1:50 PM EST: Perhaps take it with a grain of salt, but Bob Nightengale reports that the expectation is that Tigers starter Casey Mize will be moved before the deadline, and that the Diamondbacks are among the teams interested. Whether the Tigers would go into full sell mode after dealing Tarik Skubal has been a major topic of conversation in the last two days, and so far, they’ve yet to trade off anyone other than their ace.
• 1:40 PM EST: Another interesting trade, with the Rangers sending infielder Josh Smith to the Blue Jays. You may remember Smith as a former Yankee farmhand that was traded to Texas as part of the Joey Gallo move (alongside fellow infielder Ezequiel Duran). Smith has struggled in 2026 but the move is still intriguing from Toronto’s perspective; Smith has two more years of arbitration remaining, as it appears the Blue Jays are actively moving now to try and add for the 2027 season and beyond.
• 1:00 PM EST:Buster Olney is reporting that the Red Sox and Orioles have a deal in place for Adley Rutschman but that nothing has been agreed to. In Olney’s words, the Red Sox “just need to say yay or nay”.
• 12:50 PM EST: A minor trade to note, with the Rockies trading center fielder Brenton Doyle to the White Sox. Once one of the best defensive outfielders in the game, the 28-year-old has struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness the last two seasons. Still, it’s notable to see the White Sox, enjoying a surprisingly strong year, continue to add at the deadline.
• 12:20 PM EST: And another possible Yankees target goes, as Jeff Passan reports that Orioles outfielder Taylor Ward is headed to Seattle. This one stings a bit, as Ward has a well above average bat and would have fit snugly in the Yankee lineup both as a holdover until Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge (hopefully) return, and as a quality right-handed option even after the Yankees get healthier.
• 12:15 PM EST: It looks like we’ve got a former potential Yankees target that’s gone off the board, as Jon Heyman is reporting that Jo Adell has been traded to the Guardians. The Yankees were never that seriously linked to Adell, but he made some sense as a right-handed bat who could start in a corner.
• 12:00 PM EST: There’s a lot of smoke surrounding Adley Rutschman right now, and not in a way that Yankees fans are going to like to hear. Multiple reports have surfaced linking the Red Sox to the Orioles catcher, with Joel Sherman saying that the Red Sox are “working hard” to acquire Rutschman.
• 11:45 AM EST: A couple of minor deals to note: the Dodgers acquired catcher Ben Rortvedt from the Mets for pitcher Chayce McDermott, and the Braves grabbed reliever Brent Suter from the Angels for infielder Nacho Alvarez Jr.
• 11:25 AM EST: Everything must go for the Mets, and they’re getting bites on pitcher Clay Holmes, with reports indicating the Brewers are in the market for Holmes’ services. Holmes has been very effective as a starter when healthy for the Mets but has had issues staying on the field, recently making a rehab start in his recovery from a leg fracture suffered pitching against the Yankees.
• 11:10 AM EST: The Yankees did not offer Will Warren for Padres reliever Adrian Morejon, at least according to Mark Feinsand. This has been a subject of some debate in the rumor-sphere, with some reporting that the Yankees offered the starter Warren for Morejon. Just based on how Brian Cashman and the Yankees typically value players, color me very surprised if they actually offered Warren as the main piece in a deal in which a rental reliever was the primary player coming back. Still, Heyman posits that Warren-for-Morejon was at least discussed.
• 11:00 AM EST: The Rangers are open for business. Jon Heyman reports that teams have been discussing pitchers Nathan Eovaldi, Mackenzie Gore, and Jacob Latz. Texas looked like they would be adding at the deadline when they traded for Chase Silseth and Logan O’Hoppe last week, but a recent downturn has left them below .500 and contemplating selling.
• 11:00 AM EST: Joel Sherman reports that the Padres are looking to add a starting pitcher today, and that Robbie Ray of the Giants is a possibility. After days of rumors surrounding players like Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon, it looks like San Diego may actually go in the other direction and buy at the deadline.
• 10:45 AM EST: The catching position is obviously one of interest for the Yankees, but it’s unclear what the catching market looks like, even at this late stage. Jon Heyman notes that the Mets don’t intend to move right-handed catcher Luis Torrens, a former baby bomber. Joel Sherman adds that Adley Rutschman is a player “of great interest” to the Yankees, and surely other teams.
• 9:50 AM EST: It’s an active morning for Dave Dombrowski, as the Phillies follow up their acquisition of Luis Arraez with the addition of reliever Brooks Raley from the Mets. The 38-year-old lefty has been stellar in New York this year, running a 1.96 ERA in 41.1 innings. In a matter of minutes, the Phillies have added a quality bat and two relief arms.
• 9:45 AM EST: Another significant trade has hit the wire, the Giants agreeing to send second baseman Luis Arraez to the Phillies. Philadelphia has limited prospect capital to spend, but it was always going to be tough for Dave Dombrowski to completely sit this one out. The Phillies now have a big upgrade for their infield, the impending free agent Arraez hitting .324 in a resurgent season, while the also-ran Giants continue to sell off pieces. Also headed to Philly in the deal is reliever Caleb Kilian, who could improve a shaky Phillies bullpen. The Phillies no. 4 prospect per MLB Pipeline Ramon Marquez goes to San Francisco, along with righty Marty Gair.

• 9:30 AM EST: We have a major trade! The Blue Jays have acquired Angels starter Jose Soriano reports Jeff Passan. No one expected the reigning AL champs to buy, not with Toronto mired in the middle of a miserable season, but Soriano makes more sense for a team that’s likely aiming for a rebound next year; the 27-year-old right-hander has two seasons of arbitration remaining. Minor leaguers Eddie Mitcheletti and Angel Rivero are part of the return for the Angels, but the main piece is 20-year-old shortstop Arjun Nimmala, likely the best prospect Toronto had to offer. 
• 9:00 AM EST: The Yankees and Padres were mixed up in rumors regarding reliever Adrian Morejon last night, but it appears that San Diego is leaning towards keeping their top arms, including Morejon and Mason Miller. Never say never when it comes to the Padres and AJ Preller, but if anything, it seems like San Diego will be more likely to buy than sell.
• 9:00 AM EST: After dealing Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize would seem to be the next domino to fall in Detroit, though it’s unclear whether the Tigers are going to go full fire sale, still just 2.5 games out of a playoff spot in a middling American League. The former top overall pick Mize will be a free agent after this season and has a 2.70 ERA on the year, making him an enviable potential rental for many teams, but the Tigers may end up holding if they want to try and make a late playoff push.
• 9:00 AM EST: The Mets continued their sell-off early this morning, sending reliever Huascar Brazobán over to the White Sox in exchange for minor league pitchers Gabe Davis and Zach Franklin. The Yankees’ crosstown rivals have been active sellers this deadline, and we can expect even more moves out of Queens today as the Mets trudge through another lost season.

Marcelo Mayer was the most-hyped prospect in Red Sox history. He was not the highest-ranked prospect the Sox have ever had, and other players like Roman Anthony, Mookie Betts, and, now, Franklin Arias, have all had their moments as the fanbase’s primo prospect darling. But Mayer represents the only time in Red Sox history when the organization landed a player who was viewed as potentially the single-best talent in the entire MLB Draft. Thus, what sets Mayer apart in terms of hype is the fact that, unlike pretty much any other Sox minor leaguer in history, he was widely known throughout the fanbase from the very moment he entered the org. So as prospects fly around the league today on deadline day, it’s worth keeping him in mind, because at this point, if the most-hyped prospect in Red Sox history “has any trade value at this stage, it would be as a throw-in.” (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)

And that’s why Criag Breslow is reportedly going into overdrive on the hunt for a new shortstop. “One exec, who spoke on the condition of anonymity so they could speak candidly about the Red Sox, said in a text, “That’s all I hear — Boston/SS.” (Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic)

Though don’t count the team out of the starting pitcher race, either:

Clay Holmes, Robbie Ray, Brady Singer, maybe Mize the primary SP rentals still on the board, with the Brewers, Phillies, Braves, Red Sox among possible buyers. It's a buyers' market with the SP.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) August 3, 2026

The Sox could use another arm in the bullpen, too, though thankfully they already have the closer’s spot locked down, as Aroldis Chapman was just named the AL Reliever of the Month for the fifth time in his career. (Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru, MLB.com)

Of course we know one starting pitcher who definitely won’t end up with the Sox: Tarik Skubal, who landed with the Dodgers over the weekend. “Looks like they’re going to be positioned to have a pretty good rotation, and we don’t play them anymore after today unless we get to the World Series,” said Chad Tracy. “So we’ll deal with it then.” (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)

The players seem to be just as nonchalant as Tracy when it comes to thinking about trade deadline help. “If somebody comes, we’ll welcome them with open arms,” said Ceddanne Rafaela. “If not, we will keep winning baseball games with this team. That’s what we’re doing.” (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)

Ceddanne has earned the right to believe in his own abilities. Has he also earned the right to enter the MVP conversation? (Scott McLaughlin, WEEI)

The deadline for Major League Baseball teams to make trades during the 2026 season is today – Monday, August 3rd – at 6:00 PM ET, and the Cincinnati Reds presumably have a lot of business to take care of between now and then.

The currently sit at 53-58, mired in last place in the National League Central some 16 games adrift of the Milwaukee Brewers. Despite their recent best efforts, they also sit 5.5 games out of the final NL Wild Card spot, with six teams they’d need to jump to earn their way into a playoff spot.

With seven guys who are set to reach free agency at season’s end, all signs point to the Reds being active sellers in the next few hours. Guys like Brady Singer, Tyler Stephenson, Eugenio Suarez, Caleb Ferguson, Brock Burke, Pierce Johnson, and Nate Lowe are all expected to be shopped aggressively, and there’s the off-chance that Nick Krall and Co. opt to cash-in on players with more team control (i.e. Hunter Greene or JJ Bleday) in order to help restock the farm.

We’ll be following all the developments here at Red Reporter HQ, and here will be the clearinghouse where you can follow with us.

Maybe, just maybe, the front office will find a way to unload Ke’Bryan Hayes!

Today’s the big day, folks. It’s Monday, August 3 and it’s time to get locked in since the deadline is officially at 6:00 p.m. ET. Will the Braves make a huge splash? Will AA surprise us? Will it all be a big dud? It’s time to figure it all out! Keep it locked here as we’ll be trying to parse all of the major rumors of the day, whether they’re Braves-related or just intriguing for the bigger picture. Let’s get into it, folks!

[3:49 p.m. ET]: The Angels continue their great firesale and the Cubs continue to be very active at the deadline. Chicago gets some relief pitching help in the form of RHP Ryan Zeferjahn.

The Chicago Cubs are acquiring right-handed reliever Ryan Zeferjahn in a trade with the Los Angeles Angels, sources tell ESPN.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 3, 2026

[3:47 p.m. ET]: Apparently the Braves are in on Mets starter Clay Holmes. Normally I’d say that this is a long shot (and it still might be considering that he’s garnering a lot of attention with a handful of other teams included in this report from Mark Feinsand) but considering all of the intra-divisional trade action that we’ve seen so far today, it certainly seems possible.

The Clay Holmes market is active with two-plus hours left until the Trade Deadline. Among the teams interested are the Diamondbacks, Brewers, Padres, White Sox and Braves. With a wide-ranging market, the Mets could take him down to the wire.

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) August 3, 2026

Holmes is also currently on the 60-Day IL and currently on rehab assignment, so you have to keep that in mind. Either way, it’s a Braves rumor! Do with that what you will.

[3:18 p.m. ET]:Another intra-divisional trade. The NL Central gets involved, as the Brewers are picking up right-handed starter Dustin May and lefty reliever JoJo Romero from the Cardinals. Ken Rosenthal is reporting this, so you can take it to the bank.

Brewers acquiring RHP Dustin May and LH reliever Jo Jo Romero from Cardinals, source tells me and @WillSammon

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 3, 2026

Meanwhile, our friend from Bleacher Nation is standing ten toes town on his reporting despite other reporters challenging it. I guess we’ll see what happens but for now, I’d just go ahead and assume that Reid Detmers is still available.

[3:10 p.m. ET]: Annnnnnd Luke Weaver comes off the board. The Mets are sending him out to Pittsburgh.

The Pirates are acquiring Luke Weaver from the Mets, a source tells ESPN.

— Jorge Castillo (@jorgecastillo) August 3, 2026

[3:00 p.m. ET]: Well, well, well: We have our first example of conflicting sources. Cerami says that the Cubs/Angels Detmers deal is done. However, Peter Appel of Just Baseball Media is saying that a deal is not close. It’s officially silly hours, folks.

Angels and Cubs are not close on a trade for Reid Detmers, sources tell @JustBB_Media

— Peter Appel (@PeterAppel23) August 3, 2026

Cubs/White Sox reporter Jesse Rogers of ESPN has come in and stated that his source is saying that the deal has not happened and that Detmers is on the board. I’d say that hope has officially been restored for the rest of us who may have our eyes on Detmers.

The Cubs have not acquired Reid Detmers in a trade with the Angels, per a source.

— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) August 3, 2026

[2:49 p.m ET]: Welp, you can take Reid Detmers off of the board. The Cubs acquired Kevin Gausman yesterday and today they’ll be getting Detmers from the Angels. I really would’ve liked having him here, so blah. Michael Cerami of Bleacher Nation is reporting this news.

SOURCE: The Cubs are acquiring Reid Detmers from the Los Angeles Angels. They get their controllable starter.

— Michael Cerami (@Michael_Cerami) August 3, 2026

[2:43 p.m. ET]: Apparently Jose Soriano might still be available despite having been traded from the Angels to the Blue Jays. Joe Sherman is reporting that the trade hasn’t stopped other teams from trying to acquire Soriano as they’ve simply moved from calling the Angels to calling the Blue Jays. Wacky!

Teams were calling the Angels on Jose Soriano and I have heard that has not stopped as now some are calling the Blue Jays. The trade deadline might get weirder.

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) August 3, 2026

[2:19 p.m. ET]: Kansas City is sending Kris Bubic to the Dodgers. Bubic had a breakout season for the Royals in 2025 but he was unable to build upon that and turn it into consistent above-average performance — which is why he’ll probably turn into an ace wearing Dodger blue instead of Royal blue, right? He is on the IL right now, so you can take that into consideration.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are acquiring left-hander Kris Bubic in a trade with the Kansas City Royals, sources tell ESPN

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 3, 2026

[2:05 p.m. ET]: Here are a few more rapid-fire updates. We have another intra-divisional trade, as the Padres have reportedly picked up Robbie Ray from the Giants in an effort to boost their rotation as they attempt to snatch a Postseason spot. A.J. Preller just likes being busy.

The San Diego Padres are finalizing a trade to acquire left-hander Robbie Ray from the San Francisco Giants, sources tell ESPN.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 3, 2026

Meanwhile, there’s an intra-state trade down in Florida as the Rays are getting Liam Hicks from the Marlins. Remember when the Marlins made a push for a moment there during June?

BREAKING: The Tampa Bay Rays are acquiring catcher Liam Hicks in a trade with the Miami Marlins, sources tell ESPN.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 3, 2026

Lastly, apparently The Athletic is reporting that Jacob deGrom has told the Rangers that he wants to remain with the team, so there’s that. Now, just because he wants to stay doesn’t necessarily mean that he won’t agree to leave if the Rangers do strike a deal with another team but at the same time, I’d say that it’s looking more likely that deGrom is staying put in Arlington.

[1:46 p.m. ET]: We’ve got a couple of AL East deals and one of them is a biggie. There’s another intra-divisional trade that’s close to happening that would see Baltimore send C/DH Adley Rutschman over to Boston in exchange for some prospects. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays are picking up UTIL Josh Smith from the Rangers.

Speaking of the Rangers, Jon Heyman is reporting that the Braves have, in fact, “checked in” on Jacob deGrom’s availability. Watch out for that, folks.

Braves checked on Jacob deGrom. Rangers listening on everyone. Unknown what chances are,

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) August 3, 2026

[12:59 p.m. ET]: Francys Romero of Beisbol FR is the first to report that Brenton Doyle would be getting freed from the Rockies and joining the fun on the South Side of Chicago with the White Sox.

Hearing outfielder Brenton Doyle is close to being traded, with the White Sox among the favorites to acquire him.

— Francys Romero (@FrancysRomero) August 3, 2026

The Rockies are reportedly getting INF Carlos Vielma and RHP Mason Adams in return. Jorge Castillo of ESPN had that news first.

Romero is also reporting that Luis Robert Jr. could be on the move before the deadline hits, so there’s that.

[12:30 p.m. ET]: Here’s a sign of the times: The 54-58 Orioles are selling to the 55-58 Mariners. Taylor Ward (and his sky-high walk-rate) is heading to Seattle. It may not be a huge needle mover but the Deadline is showing who still has hope and who’s deciding to punt with an eye towards next season* when it comes to the overly-crowded Wild Card race. The Mariners are only a half-game ahead of the O’s in the Wild Card but they’re only three back in the AL West compared to Baltimore being far behind the Rays for the AL East lead, so there you have it.

BREAKING: The Seattle Mariners are acquiring outfielder Taylor Ward in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles, sources tell ESPN.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 3, 2026

*^{_{That’s assuming there is a “next season” in 2027}}

[12:21 p.m. ET]: Jo Adell was a name that had been bandied about in rumors concerning the Braves. I think we all figured that that was out of the window once the Braves acquired Lane Thomas and sure enough, Adell is now heading to Cleveland. Everything must go in AnaheimLos Angeles, I guess.

Jo Adell to Guardians

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) August 3, 2026

[11:48 a.m. ET]: Here’s the graphic for Suter, so it’s official.

Welcome to #BravesCountry, Brent! pic.twitter.com/M3Phvm8X1R

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 3, 2026

[11:32 a.m. ET]: The Braves have made their first deadline day deal. They’ve linked up with the Angels (again) and reportedly lefty reliever Brent Suter is heading to Atlanta. We’ve got more on the trade here.

[11:05 a.m. ET]: Not a trade update but just a heads up that our very own Gaurav Vedak will be returning to BravesVision on Thursday, so stay tuned for that!

Will be live in studio this Thursday to talk more Braves MiLB over on @BravesVisionTV! Make sure to tune in.

— Gaurav (@gvedak) August 3, 2026

[10:37 a.m. ET]: In case you’re wondering how the Phillies are going to make all of this work, they’re definitely going to have to move some parts around. We’ll see how this goes.

And Alec Bohm will move to 1B https://t.co/d3KFUUr4hf

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 3, 2026

[9:55 a.m. ET]: Now we get an intra-divisional trade here in the NL East and (surprise, surprise) it’s the Phillies and the Mets doing a deal together. LHP Brooks Raley is heading to Philadelphia, according to Bob Nightengale. Nightengale also mentioned that the Phillies are looking for another starter, so that’s great.

The Philadelphia Phillies also are close to finalizing a deal to acquire Mets LHP Brooks Raley

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 3, 2026

[9:50 a.m. ET]: Well, the Phillies just got even more annoying. Luis Arraez is heading to Philly in a deal with the Giants, according to Jeff Passan.

BREAKING: The Philadelphia Phillies are acquiring second baseman Luis Arraez in a trade with the San Francisco Giants, sources tell ESPN.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 3, 2026

The Phillies will also be getting Caleb Killian as well. The Giants are putting it all up for sale, apparently.

I can confirm that Giants reliever Kaleb Kilian will also be going to the Phillies https://t.co/3QEhZjey4h

— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) August 3, 2026

[9:44 a.m. ET]: I was going to mention that Jose Soriano was going to be a name to watch just like Reid Detmers and then additionally, there have been rumors that the Braves may be in on Casey Mize and Jacob deGrom as well. deGrom in particlar has a no-trade clause and according to Evan Grant, he may be willing to waive that no-trade clause if a deal sends him here to Atlanta.

[9:33 a.m. ET]: Just a couple of moments after this tracker went live, we get a big one. According to Jeff Passan, Jose Soriano is on the move and heading to Toronto. Wait, Toronto?

The Angels will receive top shortstop prospect Arjun Nimmala, outfielder Eddie Micheletti and right-hander Angel Rivero from the Blue Jays for Jose Soriano, sources tell ESPN.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 3, 2026

---

Notable Moves from the weekend:

August 2 – Atlanta Braves acquire RHP Tyler Mahle from San Francisco Giants for RHP Anthony Molina

August 2 – Chicago Cubs acquire RHP Kevin Gausman from Toronto Blue Jays for INF Ty Southisene and OF Brett Bateman

August 2 – Tampa Bay Rays acquire RHP Freddy Peralta from New York Mets for OF Aidan Smith, INF Émilien Pitre and RHP Gary Gill Hill

August 2 – New York Yankees acquire INF Luis García Jr. from Washington Nationals for RHP Yorvanny Cruz, RHP Jake Bird, RHP Jack Cebert and RHP Ben Grable

August 1 – Atlanta Braves acquire OF Lane Thomas and LHP Bailey Falter from Kansas City Royals for LHP Carter Holton and RHP Lucas Braun

August 1 – Pittsburgh Pirates acquire RHP Camilo Doval and cash considerations for C Omar Alfonzo and OF Luis Cruz

August 1 – Chicago White Sox acquire Luis Castillo from Seattle Mariners for RHP Seranthony Dominquez, OF Nolan Jones and C Boston Smith

August 1 – Milwaukee Brewers acquire C Bo Naylor and RHP Codi Huer from Cleveland Guardians for RHP Craig Yoho and OF Blake Perkins

August 1 – Los Angeles Dodgers acquire Tarik Skubal from Detroit Tigers for OF Zyhir Hope, RHP River Ryan and RHP Brady Smith

Today might be the Trade Deadline (and check out Tracker if you haven’t already) and it’s an off day for our Atlanta Braves but there’s still news to discuss outside of all of that. We’re a few days into the month of August and now Atlanta’s ace hurler has received some recognition for what he did during July.

Chris Sale has been recognized as the National League Pitcher of the Month for July.

Your AL and NL Pitchers of the Month for July:

Dylan Cease: 36 IP, 46 Ks, 1.00 ERA, 0.72 WHIP
Chris Sale: 27 IP, 34 Ks, 2.00 ERA, 0.81 WHIP pic.twitter.com/BEqWytHSWO

— MLB (@MLB) August 3, 2026

Here’s more from Major League Baseball’s press release on the matter:

The 13th overall pick of the 2010 Draft posted three scoreless starts, dealing 7.0 innings on July 17th against Texas and 6.0 frames in Game 2 of a doubleheader at Citi Field on July 29th, along with a rain-shortened start of 3.0 innings on July 10th at St. Louis. He registered six strikeouts against the Rangers and nine at the Mets as he held both opponents to just two hits and did not issue a walk. Sale has three starts of at least 6.0 scoreless innings in which he allowed two-or-fewer hits and no walks (also: April 1st vs. ATH), matching Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes for the most such starts in the Majors this year.

Sale made five starts in total during the month of July (with 27 total innings pitched) and finished with a 2.00 ERA and a 2.21 FIP across those five starts. He racked up strikeouts at a pretty high rate, finishing with an 11.33 K/9 alongisde a 1.33 BB/9 and a 0.67 HR/9 over the month of July. Additionally, the Braves won all but one of those five starts he made — the only loss came when Sale was limited to three innings due to rain hitting Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

This is now the second time that Sale has been recognized as NL Pitcher of the Month with the Braves and it’s the sixth time overall — he pulled off the feat twice with both the Chicago White Sox and the Boston Red Sox. It’s just yet another accolade to add to the resume for the future Hall of Famer. Hopefully Atlanta will continue to thrive this season so more major honors of the team variety could be on the way for Chris Sale. We’ll see what happens.

The Dodgers last week beat the Mariners in two out of three games, securing a fourth consecutive series win out of the All-Star break. But then they got swept and outplayed at home by the Red Sox.

Manager Dave Roberts acknowledged the poor weekend on Sunday, but through the lens of someone who just welcomed ace pitcher Tarik Skubal to the team.

“A day later when all these talks have been kind of building up, it’s crazy. The front office did a great job,” Roberts said Sunday night. “I don’t think I’ve felt this good after getting swept, so that’s a silver lining, I guess.”

Batter of the week

Shohei Ohtani got a rest day Thursday while dealing with his left knee inflammation and right biceps troubles, but packed six games worth of production into five games, hitting .500 with two home runs and three doubles, extending his hit streak to six games.

Honorable mention goes to Freddie Freeman, who had 11 hits in 24 at-bats and extended his hit streak to 12 games, the longest by a Dodger this season. Freeman has 23 hits in his last 42 at-bats (.548), dating back to July 21.

Pitcher of the week

Eric Lauer might very well get traded by the 3 p.m. PT Monday trade deadline, but what he’s done so far with the Dodgers has been everything they’ve asked and more. That included six scoreless innings on Wednesday against the Mariners, allowing only three runners to reach base.

“Eric Lauer has been unbelievable for us,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said on Sunday.

Week 19 results

2-4 record
26 runs scored (4.33 per game)
31 runs allowed (5.17 per game)
.420 pythagorean win percentage

Year to date

69-43 record
572 runs scored (5.11 per game)
422 runs allowed (3.77 per game)
.636 pythagorean win percentage (71-41)

Miscellany

When a house becomes a home (run): Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy has signed four different extensions with the Dodgers, with whom is currently under contract through 2027 with a club option for 2028. It’s been a long journey for Muncy, who extended his arms on Tuesday against the Mariners for his 130th career regular season home run at Dodger Stadium, matching Eric Karros for most in the 65-year history of the ballpark. Counting postseason home runs with regular season efforts, Muncy’s 137 home runs at Dodger Stadium stands alone.

Third time’s a charm: Miguel Rojas on Friday got the start against Red Sox left-hander Ranger Suarez. Rather than move around other pieces in the lineup, Dave Robert penciled in Rojas batting third, the first such start for Rojas batting third in his career. That completed the batting order bingo card for Rojas, who has now started in each of the nine lineup spots in his 13-year career. His lone time batting cleanup came in 2022 with the Marlins.

Transactions

Tuesday: An oblique strain sidelined Kiké Hernández for 51 games, his second extending injured list stint this season, but he returned for the series against the Mariners. Alex Freeland was optioned after not starting in any of the previous 13 games.

Wednesday: Closer Edwin Díaz was activated three months and a week after arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow. Charlie Barnes was designated for assignment for the third time this season, and second with the Dodgers.

Friday: Reliever Brock Stewart landed on the injured list for the third time this season, this time with right shoulder discomfort. Veteran lefty Cole Irvin was called up to the Dodgers, and right-hander Chayce McDermott was designated for assignment.

Saturday: One day after eating six innings to reset the bullpen, Irvin was sacrificed to the fresh arm gods and designated for assignment. Kyle Hurt rejoined the Dodgers from Oklahoma City.

Saturday: A struggling Will Klein was placed on the injured list with elbow discomfort, and Wyatt Mills was called up.

Saturday: Barnes cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A, but elected free agency instead. But don’t worry because …

Sunday: Barnes re-signed another minor league deal with the Dodgers and rejoined Oklahoma City.

Sunday: The Dodgers acquired Tarik Skubal from the Tigers in exchange for River Ryan plus minor leaguers Zyhir Hope and Brady Smith.

Game results

• Tuesday: Mariners 7, Dodgers 6
• Wednesday: Dodgers 4, Mariners 2
• Thursday: Dodgers 6, Mariners 2
• Friday: Red Sox 9, Dodgers 4
• Saturday: Red Sox 3, Dodgers 2
• Sunday: Red Sox 8, Dodgers 4

Player	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BA/OBP/SLG
Ohtani	23	4	9	3	2	6	.500/.609/1.000
Call	2	0	1	1	0	0	.500/.500/.500
Rushing	14	4	5	1	1	3	.357/.357/.643
Pages	27	2	10	1	1	5	.385/.407/.538
T.Hernández	24	4	7	1	2	3	.304/.333/.609
Freeman	24	1	11	0	0	2	.458/.458/.458
Muncy	23	3	5	0	1	1	.238/.304/.381
Tucker	20	3	3	0	0	0	.188/.350/.188
Betts	22	2	5	1	0	2	.227/.227/.273
Rojas	7	0	1	1	0	1	.143/.143/.286
Edman	20	2	2	1	0	0	.111/.200/.167
Alfonzo	8	1	1	0	0	2	.125/.125/.125
K.Hernández	9	0	1	0	0	0	.111/.111/.111
Totals	223	26	61	10	7	25	.293/.341/.442

Pitcher	Record	IP	H	R	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
Lauer	1-0	6	1	0	1	4	0.00	0.333
Yamamoto	0-1	8	4	3	1	3	3.38	0.625
Sasaki	1-0	5.3	5	2	3	7	3.38	1.500
Wrobleski	0-0	6	7	5	0	7	7.50	1.167
Irvin	0-1	6	8	6	3	5	9.00	1.833
Sheehan	0-1	2.7	6	5	1	4	16.88	3.000
Dreyer	0-0	3.7	1	0	1	5	0.00	0.545
Phillips	0-0	1.7	0	0	1	0	0.00	0.600
Henriquez	0-0	1.3	2	0	1	1	0.00	1.500
Vesia	0-0	2.7	1	1	1	3	3.38	0.750
Hurt	0-0	2	1	1	1	4	4.50	1.000
Scott	0-0	2	3	1	1	2	4.50	2.000
Díaz	0-0	2	3	1	0	2	4.50	1.500
Mills	0-0	2	2	2	2	1	4.50	2.000
Stewart	0-1	1.3	1	1	0	0	6.75	0.750
Klein	0-0	1.3	3	3	1	3	6.75	3.000
Totals	2-4	54	48	31	18	52	4.67	1.222

Previous reviews: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11| Week 12 | Week 13 | no reviews for Weeks 14-15 | Week 16 | Week 17 | Week 18

Up next

The trade deadline comes at 3 p.m. PT on Monday, but the Dodgers on the field will be busy a few hours later at Wrigley Field, starting the Damian Miller gauntlet on the road to face the Cubs and Diamondbacks. Tuesday’s game is on TBS in addition to SportsNet LA.

Mon, 8/3	Tue, 8/4	Wed, 8/5	Thu, 8/6	Fri, 8/7	Sat, 8/8	Sun, 8/9
at Cubs	at Cubs	at Cubs		at D-backs	at D-backs	at D-backs
5:05	5:05	11:20		6:40	5:10	1:10
Wrobleski	Skubal	Sasaki		Yamamoto	Sheehan	Wrobleski
Boyd*	Assad	Imanaga*		Drake*	Kelly	Pfaadt
SNLA	SNLA/TBS	SNLA/MLB		SNLA	SNLA	SNLA

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Happy Monday!

A new week is here, and I'm ready to kick it off with three of my favorite home run props and predictions from tonight's MLB slate, highlighted by Rafael Devers and James Wood.

Here are my favorite MLB picks for August 3.

MLB home run props for today

Home run prediction: Rafael Devers (+344)

With Cal Quantrill expected to take the mound for the Texas Rangers this evening, it sets up San Francisco Giants slugger Rafael Devers for a big night at the plate.

The big fella is the third-highest-rated hitter on Batters-Box tonight, covering nearly 100% of Quantrill's pitch mix. Across 261 elite ratings over the last three seasons, Devers has homered 22.22% of the time.

Devers has also been seeing the ball extremely well lately, posting a .343 batting average, .455 wOBA, and .629 SLG, while generating a 53.3% hard hit rate and 10% barrel rate over his last few games.

Quantrill has been getting hit hard by left-handed batters. The last 30 lefties he's faced have produced a .340 xBA, .718 xSLG, and .450 xwOBA, along with a 40% hard hit rate and 10% barrel rate.

With the way Devers is swinging it right now, whoever takes the mound is in for a tough night, especially if it's Quantrill. Our Quinn Allen is backing San Francisco with his Giants vs. Rangers predictions tonight.

I wouldn't play this below +300.

• Time: 8:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: ESPN

Home run prediction: James Wood (+300)

I'm very high on the Washington Nationals tonight, which is why I'll be targeting the left-handed bats at the top of their lineup. Both James Wood and CJ Abrams find themselves in excellent spots against Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola.

Nola has struggled mightily against left-handed hitters. Over the last 30 lefties he's faced, he's allowed a 70.8% hard hit rate, 16.7% barrel rate, and a 75% elevation rate. Those hitters have also posted a .440 xBA, .817 xSLG, and .509 xwOBA.

Wood enters Monday with the highest matchup rating on Batters-Box, while covering the majority of Nola's pitch mix. He's also been squaring the ball up consistently over his last 60 at-bats against right-handed pitching, posting a .500 SLG and .867 OPS while generating plenty of hard contact and barrels.

I would do my best to grab Wood at +300 or better to leave the yard.

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NATS, NBCS-Philadelphia

Home run prediction: CJ Abrams (+344)

CJ Abrams owns the second-highest matchup rating on Batters-Box's current season dataset tonight. He's also seeing the ball extremely well over his last 60 at bats, posting a .438 batting average, .979 SLG, 1.496 OPS, and .541 ISO.

In 19 elite ratings this season, the Nationals shortstop has homered 26.32% of the time. In a smaller sample of nine elite-rated road games, he's gone deep 44.44% of the time.

I'm already expecting the Nationals to score early, and I believe those runs will come from one of these two hitters. Trying to pick between Abrams and James Wood feels nearly impossible, so I'd rather sprinkle both in outstanding spots tonight.

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NATS, NBCS-Philadelphia

Best home run combo for Monday, Aug. 3

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Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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For once, the Yankees made up some ground on Tampa. New York held on to win a nailbiter in Chicago Sunday afternoon and, in Tampa, the White Sox took down the Rays, enabling the Yankees to gain a game in the AL East standings.

The combination of the Yankee win and Rays loss moves the Bronx Bombers to within 2.5 games of first place in the division. But because we can’t have nice things, the Red Sox beat the Dodgers again Sunday night, meaning they’re hanging around a mere 2.5 games back of the Yankees. Sigh. Damned Dodgers can’t do anything right.

Tampa Bay Rays (65-46) 1, Chicago White Sox (59-52) 9

The Rays and ChiSox had split the first two games of this weekend set so the winner today was walking away with the series win as well. This game was never really close. The White Sox scored twice in the first, thanks in large part to blunders by Tampa starter Griffin Jax. A Jax throwing error allowed former Yankee Andrew Benintendi to scamper home with the game’s first run. Then, a wild pitch resulted in a second run scoring. In the end, that was all the offense Chicago needed.

They weren’t done there, though. Another former Yankee, Everson Pereira, was responsible for much of the damage. In the fifth, the former highly-touted prospect clubbed a two-run double. Not finished, he followed that with a two-run round tripper in the ninth. Speaking of the ninth, the Rays managed to get off the schneid with a run in the home ninth to avoid the shutout.

Other Games

Boston Red Sox (59-51) 8, Los Angeles Dodgers (69-42) 4: The rare time I (and most Yankee fans, I suspect) am cheering for the Dodgers, and they blow it. The reigning champs just got swept at home by the Red Sox, continuing the latter’s surge up the standings. Sunday, Boston jumped all over Dodgers starter Emmet Sheehan, hanging five runs on him and knocking him out after 2.2 innings. From there, a balanced Boston offense took over. By the time the game came to its end, five different BoSox had driven in at least one run. Please go away, Boston.

Texas Rangers (55-57) 3, Houston Astros (58-55) 7: “Dread it, run from it. Destiny arrives all the same.” The Houston Astros are in first place in the American League West. After their win over the second-place Rangers Sunday, their lead is 2.5 games. If they are inevitable, then Yordan Alvarez is playing the part of Thanos. The hulking slugger notched four hits on the day for the ‘Stros, including three doubles, driving in a pair of runs. He’s walking almost as much as he strikes out, hitting .330, and has a 196 wRC+ in the clubhouse after today’s game. Keep an eye on him as he has a realistic shot at an MLB Triple Crown. Some fellow named Mantle was the last to do that, 70 years ago. Yordan is currently 1st in BA, 1st in HR, and 3rd in RBI (one behind 1st place).

Cleveland Guardians (57-56) 5, Arizona Diamondbacks (59-53) 0: Gavin Williams, ladies and gentlemen. Sunday, the Cleveland ace threw 5.2 innings of nigh-perfect (one hit and one walk) ball while striking out 10. I know it is 2026 and everyone strikes out everyone – I’m a Yankee fan, I’m eminently familiar with hitters whiffing. But Williams is on quite the heater. In his last five starts he has struck out: 11, 11, 11, 12, and now 10. That will do. Offensively, Patrick Bailer gave Cleveland all they needed with a solo home run in the 3rd. To be safe though, Chase DeLauter knocked in three more to give the Guards some breathing room.

Minnesota Twins (56-57) 6, Seattle Mariners (55-58) 7: The stoppable force meets the moveable object. Though to be fair to both teams, with the state of the American League right now, both are “contenders” for the third and final wild card spot. Sunday, the Twins showed serious moxie, to give them credit. Down 6-0 entering the eighth inning, the Twins plated five on a two-run home run from Trevor Larnach and a three-run shot by Royce Lewis. That set the stage for the Twinkies to complete the comeback in the ninth, which they did on a solo home run off the bat of Luke Keaschall. Alas, that was where the magic ended. In the bottom of the ninth, Colt Emerson came to the plate with the bases loaded. His single plated the game-winner and rescued Seattle from what would have been a catastrophic loss.