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The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox finish off their four-game set at Yankee Stadium this afternoon, where I’m taking the visitors to walk away with the win.

I’ll explain why Ranger Suarez will lead Boston to victory in my Red Sox vs. Yankees predictions and free MLB picks for Sunday, Aug. 30.

Who will win Red Sox vs Yankees today: Red Sox (52%)

For help understanding probabilities, see our odds calculator.

A mismatch on the mound gives the Boston Red Sox the edge today.

Ranger Suarez doesn’t have eye-popping numbers, but his underlying figures are impressive as he ranks in the 91st percentile in pitching run value.

New York Yankees starter Will Warren sits at the opposite end of the spectrum, ranking in the 4th percentile in pitching run value with a subpar 4.62 xERA (25th percentile), plus a 5.89 ERA over his last four outings.

Both teams have elite bullpens, so it’ll depend on which starter has the better showing, and Suarez is the easy pick.

Back Boston up to 55%.

COVERS INTEL: Since Aaron Judge left the lineup on May 31, the Yankees rank 28th in the majors in batting average (.224) and 26th in wOBA (.292) vs. left-handed pitching.

Red Sox vs Yankees Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (54%)

The line is a touch too high here with Suarez on the mound against an inconsistent Yankees offense that’s averaged just 3.88 runs over the last 16 games.

Boston (2.94) and New York (3.04) also own the top two bullpen ERAs in the majors.

The Under has cashed in four of the last six meetings between these clubs, and it’s 5-0-1 in their last six meetings at Yankee Stadium.

I’m playing the Under up to 56%.

Red Sox vs Yankees home run prediction: Willson Contreras (16%)

Willson Contreras has done damage vs. right-handed pitching this season with 19 dingers and a .513 SLG — placing him in the Top 25 in both categories across the majors.

His advanced profile is just as impressive, with the Red Sox slugger ranking in the top percentile in batting run value, 90th percentile in barrel rate, and 96th percentile in bat speed.

Nine of Contreras’ 23 home runs have come against the sinker, which Warren throws about 27% of the time.

Play this up to 18%.

Red Sox vs Yankees weather

Weather won’t be a major factor as Yankee Stadium will see temperatures in the mid-80s and light winds pushing out to left field this afternoon.

Red Sox vs Yankees odds

• Moneyline: Red Sox 52% | Yankees 49%
• Run line: Red Sox -1.5 (39%) | Yankees +1.5 (62%)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (46%) | Under 8.5 (54%)

Red Sox vs Yankees trend

The Yankees have hit the team total Under in 33 of their last 46 home games. Find more MLB betting trends for Red Sox vs. Yankees.

How to watch Red Sox vs Yankees and game info

Red Sox vs Yankees latest injuries

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.

The Yankees split a day-night doubleheader against the Red Sox on Saturday, losing the day portion in shutout fashion before winning the nightcap with a wave of singles sprayed across the field. That meant that effectively the day was as good as a day off for them in the standings, so Tampa Bay had the opportunity to move up a half-game if they were on their A-game down in the Trop.

Tampa Bay Rays (81-54) 7, San Diego Padres (72-64) 6

Nick Martinez has been a surprising find for the Rays’ rotation this year, pitching arguably the best he’s ever been at the start of the season with back-to-back sub-2 ERA months. He came back down to Earth in June allowing three or more runs in all but one start, and since then he’s been a bit more vulnerable. His latest start against the Padres continued that mortal stretch, lasting six innings with three runs crossing the board on seven hits to raise his ERA just a hair under three at 2.99.

He exited with his team down a run, but Junior Caminero bailed his starter out and gave him a no-decision when he launched a solo home run to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth. Garrett Cleavinger was the first man out of the ‘pen for Tampa Bay and he didn’t have it, letting the first three batters reach base before striking out the final man he faced. Kevin Kelly was the next man out, and Manny Machado greeted him with a single to right to score a pair. Then with Fernando Tatis Jr. and Machado on the corners, the Padres pulled off a delayed double steal to bring Tatis home and manufacture a third run.

Suddenly down a handful, the Rays answered right back. Bradgley Rodriguez entered the game and promptly walked the first batter before a trio of singles tied the game right back up. Adrian Morejon was called on to put out the fire and got two outs as he worked around Caminero intentionally walking him, but Chandler Simpson slapped one to the left side past the drawn-up third baseman to drive home the winning run. Kelly worked a 1-2-3 eighth inning to hand the baton over to Bryan Baker, who stranded Machado at first base to end it.

Other Games

Chicago White Sox (72-63) 3, Minnesota Twins (64-72) 2: Despite getting just three hits in this game, the White Sox managed to make them all count (and they got some help from the Twins’ defense). The Pale Hose worked two walks to start the game before Andrew Benintendi smacked a single to get them on the scoreboard first, but the Twins answered back with a sac fly in the bottom of the first and an RBI groundout in the second. Benintendi was again the catalyst for the Sox’ second run, leading off the fourth with a double and scoring after the Twins fumbled the last out of the inning, and the third was entirely on his shoulders as he lifted a solo shot in the sixth inning.

AL Wild Card Rock Fight

Houston Astros (68-68) 2, New York Mets (61-75) 6: The Astros got in the board in the first inning thanks to an error extending Jeremy Peña’s leadoff double into a triple setting up a Yordan Alvarez sac fly, but that was all they’d get against Nolan McLean. The Mets starter tossed seven strong innings with just the unearned run marring his line, and a three-spot in the fifth capped off by Jared Young’s two-run triple would be enough for the Metropolitans to outlast Houston.

Texas Rangers (66-70) 3, Milwaukee Brewers (85-51) 5: The Rangers faced a tall task facing the team with the best record in baseball, and they did themselves no favors falling behind 3-0 after two innings with homers from Jackson Chourio and William Contreras. Brandon Nimmo launched a two-run shot in the eighth inning to bring Texas within striking distance, but Anthony Senzatela and Trevor Megill closed the door on any further comeback.

Cleveland Guardians (68-68) 3, Kansas City Royals (62-75) 8: Angel Martínez got Cleveland on the board first with a two-run shot in the second, and that lead lasted until the fifth when it swung all the way in Kansas City’s favor. Isaac Collins doubled in a pair to tie the game, the Royals put up a four-spot in the sixth to claim the lead themselves, and Josh Rojas padded it with a two-run homer in the eighth. Martínez was the only offense for Cleveland as he knocked in their third and last run in the ninth, but no other Guardians could keep it going.

Baltimore Orioles (67-69) 5, Athletics (53-83) 3: Three Athletics errors made the difference for Baltimore, as they scored two unearned runs off of them to eke out a win. Leody Taveras was the engine for the O’s in this one, going 2-for-3 with three runs driven in on a pair of doubles, and a quintet of Baltimore relievers held the lead as Shane Baz tossed 5.2 innings of two-run ball.

Toronto Blue Jays (67-70) 4, Seattle Mariners (64-72) 3: Cal Raleigh has looked more like the MVP runner-up that he was this past week, with five of his last eight hits all leaving the yard including a solo shot in this game. The Mariners went up 3-0 on a Taylor Ward two-run single in the fourth inning but the Blue Jays flipped the script by scoring four unanswered, including two in the fifth inning when Eduard Bazardo fired off a wild pitch that walked in a run but also allowed Brett Bateman to fly all the way home from second. Bazardo could’ve potentially tagged the runner out at the plate, but he was seemingly unaware that Bateman was coming in and that mistake proved costly.

The wait is over. Roman Anthony, who hit .280 with 2 homers, 2 doubles, and 4 walks in an 8-game rehab stint, will be activated in time for today’s game against the Yankees. For some reason, though, the front office has decided to yoke Trevor Story to him. Story, who hit just .171 and appeared to be struggling more than ever with swing decisions, will be activated along with him. (Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic)

The corresponding roster moves have not yet been announced. But Willson Contreras has a message he wants to get out regarding whoever it is who will be sent down to make room for Anthony and Story: “I think it’s really important for us to get those guys back. We need them,” he said.“It’s also important to recognize the job or the work that the whole lineup has been putting in for the last three months. I think those are tough decisions to make. I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, but we do have to recognize the job that the guys are doing for this team, and we couldn’t have done what we’ve done without them.” (Christopher Smith, MassLive)

Anthony, in particular, should provide exactly what the lineup needs, as working counts and getting on base has been more of a struggle for the Sox lineup lately. “Not counting pinch hitters, Sox leadoff hitters are 2 for 18 without a run scored over the last five games.” (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)

Of course offense wasn’t the issue in last night’s loss to the Yankees. The bigger culprit was the fact that Brayan Bello had his worst relief appearance of the season by far. “Bad. I think I didn’t give the team the opportunity to win the game tonight,” he said. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)

The loss in last night’s double-header finale moved the record between the Red Sox and Yankees this year to an even 6-6. Today’s game, then, will be the tie-breaker between the two teams should they end the season with the same record. “Well, you want to win that [tiebreaker],” said Chad Tracy. “Come out [Sunday] and put your best foot forward and try to push hard to win that game, obviously.” (Ian Browne, MLB.com)

Regardless of what happens with the tie-breakers, though, this series feels like a mere warmup to an inevitable October clash. (Sean McAdam, MassLive)

Triple-A: Durham Bulls (TBR) 4, Norfolk Tides 0

Starting pitcher Michael Forret started off shaky but finished strong. He walked the bases loaded in the first and escaped with just a sacrifice fly. After a double and another walk in the second, he gave up another sac fly to make the score 2-0. Heston Kjerstad made a throwing error on the same play, which allowed a third run to score. After that, Forret settled in. He pitched three more scoreless innings with just one hit allowed. His final line: 5 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 6 K.

There wasn’t much to speak of, offensively. The Tides had just four hits, and Kjerstad had three. Jeremiah Jackson had the fourth.

Box Score

Double-A: Chesapeake Baysox 9, Harrisburg Senators (WAS) 8

It took a five-run bottom of the ninth for the Senators to make this a close game. Relief pitcher Brock Moore allowed all five runs and couldn’t finish the inning. That was after starter Patrick Reilly allowed one run in four innings. Reilly gave up a solo home run in the fourth. He had two walks and seven strikeouts.

The Baysox played a lot of longball last night. Victor Figueroa, Wehiwa Aloy, and Thomas Sosa all hit two-run homers. Dom Keegan hit a solo. Aron Estrada did not homer, but he was on base for two of them. Figueroa was on base four times with three hits and a walk. Vance Honeycutt was hitless but did take a walk.

Box Score

High-A: Frederick Keys 8, Asheville Tourists (HOU) 7

Through four innings, the Keys had a 5-0 lead. Boston Bateman started and had an outstanding four innings. He allowed just one hit and one walk, and struck out seven. He threw 77 pitches. Twine Palmer relieved him and gave up all seven Tourists runs over 2.2 innings.

Enddy Azocar continues to rack up the hits. He singled and scored in the first inning, knocked in by Yasmil Bucce. In the fourth inning, he singled again to drive in a run, then scored himself on a single from Braylin Tavera.

Tavera and Bucce both walked in the seventh, and both scored on a Braylon Whitaker triple. That tied the game. Then, in the bottom of the ninth, then walked off with a sac fly. They had loaded the bases on a single by Jordan Sanchez and walks to Bucce and Whitaker. Leandro Arias hit the walk off.

Box Score

Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 7, Fredericksburg Nationals 6

The Shorebirds have won two in a row! Collin McKinney, this year’s ninth-round pick, pitched three scoreless innings with one hit and three strikeouts. Relief pitcher Francisco Morao allowed five runs in 1.1 innings.

Stiven Martinez, Jhomnardo Reyes , Jimmy Anderson, and Carlos Sanchez all had two-hit games. Ty Head doubled and Eric Booth, Jr s v reached with a single and a walk. The game was tied 6-6 in the bottom of the eighth when Sanchez tripled in Anderson, who had been HBP.

Box Score

Today’s Schedule

• Norfolk @ Durham, 1:05. Starter: Cade Povich
• Chesapeake @ Harrisburg, 1:00. Starter: Sebastian Gongora
• Frederick vs Asheville, Doubleheader, 2:05. G1 Starter: Christian Rodriguez; G2 Starter: Carson Dorsey
• Delmarva vs. Fredericksburg, 2:05. Starter: KK Clark

Earlier this week, we asked where you think Kyle Freeland will pitch in 2027. He is in the final year of his contract, and currently on the injured list with a pinched nerve in his neck. While it was unlikely that he would hit 170 innings to vest his 2027 option, his future is even murkier now.

But the majority fans believe that the Denver kid will return to his hometown team in 2027:

The next-highest faction believe he’ll pitch for another MLB team, while 12% believe he’ll retire and only 5% believe he’ll pitch overseas.

Freeland should be eligible to come off the IL next weekend, so he could be able to make four or five more starts with the Rockies.

Do you agree with the results? Let us know in the comments!

To Read: Rockpiles

• Monday: How bad is the 2026 Colorado Rockies defense? | Renee Dechert
• Tuesday: Tomoyuki Sugano discusses his time with the Colorado Rockies | Sam Bradfield
• Wednesday: Is the platoon system still working for the Rockies? | Skyler Timmins
• Thursday: Hunter Goodman is the face of the Rockies franchise | Cory Cohen
• Friday: Eric Young Sr. reflects on his WPBL managing experience | Joelle Milholm
• Saturday: What the Rockies’ outfield defense is actually made of | James Riggenbach

To Read: PuRPs

Full Stream | Jeff Aberle

• Nos. 3-1
• Top 30 Summary
• The state of the Colorado Rockies farm system, August 2026

To Read: News

• Roster News: Rockies recall Ryan Ritter, place Kyle Karros back on IL | Renee Dechert
• Roster News: Rockies place Freeland on 15-day IL and select contract of Blake Adams | Sam Bradfield & Renee Dechert
• Weekly Pebble Report: Andrew Baker Found His Pitch — and a New Home | Eli Whitney

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Today’s Reflections

Obviously, since there is a special section for writers’ opinions regarding the state of the Cubs’ bullpen, that is the immediate issue. The return of some players from the IL, and the definitely adequate performance of the current bullpen up until the last week, had given the Cubs, and their followers, a false sense of security. No one expected a physical (and mental) breakdown all at once this week.

Friday’s game was a bizarre example. I did a completely random bit of research — I just glanced at box scores and just started with the beginning of the White Sox series (again, randomly). He didn’t pitch a lot, but when he did, he pitched in either the sixth or seventh, and pitched very well. But while those weren’t extremely high-leverage situations, it seemed like it was something he should have been able to handle. Looking at his season, he had been very erratic through July. Something clicked when the calendar turned to August, where he had not allowed a run in 11 appearances.

David Peterson pitched adequately, allowing two runs over five innings, despite six hits and three walks. He gave the Cubs a point to build on for a win. This seemed to be a good situation to have a door-slammer enter the game. The move certainly didn’t work, obviously. I don’t have a list of relievers who were available, so I’m just guessing. Obviously, Aaron Civale was available, but he gave up two runs himself, so he wasn’t the door-slammer. Chris Rea hadn’t pitched since the 21st. Ryan Rolison, Caleb Thielbar, Daniel Palencia, Ryan Zeferjahn all have had shaky recent performances. Thornton seemed like the right guy, but now he’s joined the “shaky” list.

Anyway. The Cubs did score eight runs Friday. Michael Busch and Pedro Ramirez only had one hit, but they were for two- and three-run home runs, respectively. Seiya Suzuki went 3-for-5 with two RBI doubles, and Alex Bregman added an RBI double. Most of the offense came after being down as much as 9-3.

Complimentary Starting Pitcher Solo Home Run*

*means autoplay on, (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled real sarcasm font in the comments.

Friday’s Game Stories:

• Sean Holland (Cubs Insider): Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (8/28/26): Reds 10, Cubs 8 – Bullpen Blasted Again. “Trent Thornton became the latest member of the North Siders’ bullpen to implode when he gave up five in the top of the 6th inning.”

• Cole Bair (Bleacher Nation): Brutal Loss, Bullpen Blues, Starting Pitching, Hartshorn Heater, and Other Cubs Bullets. “Even with the benefit of a sleep since yesterday’s miserable loss to the Reds, I’m still very bothered by what unfolded.”

• Sean Sears (Yardbarker): Cubs Bullpen Implosion Continues in Dramatic 10-8 Loss to Cincinnati Reds. “The Chicago Cubs bullpen is struggling, and it’s starting to cost them games.”

Maybe THE Story of Friday’s Game:

• Johnny Flores, Jr. (The Athletic {$}): Umpire’s ABS nightmare: Bill Miller has 8 pitches challenged, each one overturned. “It’s nearly impossible to 0-for-8 in a major-league baseball game, but that’s what happened to an umpire on Friday at Wrigley Field.”

A Few Uplifting Stories About the State of the Cubs Bullpen:

• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Is the Cubs’ bullpen a concern? Even if so, the team sees a path forward. “Perhaps it’s too early to suggest the Cubs are in full-blown crisis mode with their bullpen. But the Cubs are 2-5 in their last seven, and the bullpen has been a prominent concern in many of those losses.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): Cubs’ bullpen problems persist as furious rally falls short. “The Cubs’ trio of starting pitchers — Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes and Matthew Boyd — combined for a 0.45 ERA (one run allowed in 20 innings combined), but Chicago still lost two out of three in the desert. That was largely due to the 9.53 ERA posted by the bullpen in Arizona.”
• Jeff Agrest (Chicago Sun-Times): Cubs’ key relievers might be regressing to mean at worst time. “After David Peterson at least gave the Cubs a chance to win, Trent Thornton all but removed it, allowing five runs in the sixth inning of a 10-8 loss to the Reds.”
• Tyler Courtney (Last Word On Sports): Can the Cubs Bullpen Hold Up for a Postseason Run? “Early on in the year, things were rough. Eventually, they settled down, but recently it has been streaky.”

Assorted Stories:

• Andrew Carter (Chicago Tribune {$}): One Wrigleyville corner hangs on to its roots and ballhawks as Chicago Cubs mark 150th anniversary. “The Chicago Cubs are celebrating their 150th year, 110 at Wrigley, where the land beyond left field remains old-school.”
• Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Cubs Injury Update: Dansby Swanson recovery, What’s next for Shelby Miller, Edward Cabrera. “Dansby Swanson has resumed baseball activity and returns on track to return to the Chicago Cubs before the playoffs.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider): Cubs Hoping More Sinkers, Sliders Will Get Ryan Zeferjahn Right. “The hope was that he’d see a bump in performance by moving to a real organization. Instead, he’s gone the opposite direction as his fastball suddenly became very hittable.”
• Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball): Pete Crow-Armstrong Hasn’t Been an Elite Defender Lately. “This is so mean. You’re gonna hate me for this. Nitpicking nonsense. But you know what? It needs to be said. Pete Crow-Armstrong has been merely good in center field lately.”
• Zachary Draves (ClutchPoints): Edward Cabrera’s expected role once he returns to Cubs. “Edward Cabrera will be sent into the bullpen as he makes his return to the Chicago Cubs right before the playoffs.”
• Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Cubs need to line up playoff rotation this way to maximize October chances. “The rotation is coming into focus.”
• Danny Shapiro (Chicago Cubs On SI): Justin Steele on Why the Cubs Have the Best Clubhouse for Collecting. “A hobby shop across the street from the Cubs’ iconic Wrigley Field has given the team quick access to rip cards.”

Food For Thought:

Through the early 1980s Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble played the Texas club circuit, becoming one of the most popular bands in the area. In 1982 the band played the Montreux Jazz Festival and their performance caught the attention of David Bowie and Jackson Browne. After Double Trouble’s performance, Bowie asked Vaughan to play on his forthcoming album, Let’s Dance, which, with Stevie’s lead guitar on six of the eight songs, became Bowie’s best selling record to date. After an after-hours jam in the artists’ bar Jackson Browne offered the group free recording time at his Downtown Studio in Los Angeles. Shortly afterward, legendary producerJohn Hammond landed Vaughan and Double Trouble a record contract with Epic, and the band recorded its debut album in two days over the Thanksgiving weekend at Downtown Studios.

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.

Good morning, baseball fans!

Another week of San Francisco Giants baseball comes to an end today, which means it’s time to share our favorite highlights of the week!

As I mentioned in last week’s highlight of the week, hitting a Splash Hit will always make you a contender for highlight of the week, and Rafael Devers got in on the action during this week’s series against the Cincinnati Reds, hitting Splash Hit # 111!

What was your favorite highlight of the week?

What time do the Giants play today?

They do not play today, after yesterday’s double-header they’re hitting the road for a make-up game against the Atlanta Braves tomorrow.

• Listen to Sportsound commentary from Pittodrie
• Aberdeen 0-0 Rangers - unmarked Happe can't convert early opportunity
• Dundee v Hibernian (15:00)
• St Mirren v Motherwell (15:00)

Scottish Premiership: Rangers turning up the pressure at Pittodrie

The Detroit Tigers evened up their three-game home series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday afternoon with a narrow 2-1 walk-off victory. Keider Montero threw 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball and the bullpen did its job, while Kevin McGonigle drove in Javier Báez in the ninth to seal the deal.

Thanks to that triumph, the Olde English D has a chance to take the series from one of the best teams in the majors on Sunday with left-hander Framber Valdez on the mound. The 32-year-old is coming off a very borderline quality start last time out but has still put up an ugly 5.71 ERA and 5.74 FIP over his last three outings since throwing a pair of seven-inning gems to open August.

Against the Tampa Bay Rays in his last appearance, Valdez threw six frames of four-run ball (three earned) on eight hits (one home run) and two walks with nary a strikeout to speak of to take the L in a 4-1 final at Comerica Park.

For the Dodgers, right-hander Tyler Glasnow will toe the rubber after some discussion that Shohei Ohtani might get the start. According to reports, the Japanese phenom came out of yesterday’s bullpen feeling less than 100%, and it has yet to be determined if the four-time MVP will even pitch again this season.

As for Glasnow, the 33-year-old hurler will be making his ninth start of the 2026 campaign and second since returning from the injured list after missing nearly four months due to lower back spasms. He tossed five innings of three-run ball in his last outing against the Braves in Atlanta, allowing six hits while walking nobody and striking out seven for a no-decision in an eventual 4-3 loss.

Here is a look at the pitching matchup on paper for the series finale on Sunday afternoon.

Detroit Tigers (63-72) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (81-55)

Time (ET): 1:40 p.m.
Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
SB Nation Site:True Blue LA
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 136: LHP Framber Valdez (8-9, 4.35 ERA) vs. RHP Tyler Glasnow (3-0, 3.02 ERA)

VALDEZ

GLASNOW

Hello, friends.

The Orioles have managed to creep closer to a wild card spot yet again. Thanks to losses by the Guardians and Rangers yesterday and the O’s holding on to take down the Athletics, the team is now just a game back of the third wild card, with only Cleveland standing between the Orioles and a postseason position. The head-to-head tiebreaker will belong to the Guardians unless the Orioles sweep them next week. There are 26 games left to play this season.

Check out Andrea’s recap of the Saturday night game for more of the lovely totals. This link will probably appear after this article has posted due to the game ending late on the east coast.

Separate from the outcome of last night’s game, I’m feeling bad about Samuel Basallo after watching what he did in the game. In the middle of going hitless, he reacted to one of his at-bats by doing this in the dugout afterwards:

It’s rough to watch a guy showing that much negative emotion in the dugout. For all that there have been struggles from the team this year, we haven’t seen a ton of this. Gunnar Henderson has had some after at-bat reactions, of course, but nothing like this slamming and punching.

Seeing this is something that makes me down on manager Craig Albernaz more than any tactical choices he makes. It’s the skipper’s job to keep everybody on an even keel as much as possible so that they aren’t spiraling into negativity in a way that hurts their performance. The staff should be on top of how Basallo is feeling well enough that somebody can cut things off before it gets to that point, and once he started in on this, I think somebody should have intervened rather than view it as useful blowing off steam.

More concerning about something that might carry over into today is that Basallo ended up inadvertently blocking a pitch with his bare hand in last night’s game. Trainers checked him out and he stayed in the game afterwards, but after grounding out in the following inning, Basallo was removed in favor of Yohel Pozo. On MASN, Ben McDonald speculated that it could have been a benching after Basallo didn’t run out the ground ball. I’m not in a position to know as I write these words. I hope there’s not a broken finger.

Basallo would probably not be catching a day game after a night game anyway, so we might be waiting until Monday to get a clear idea of what’s really going on.

This three-game set in Sacramento is set to conclude starting at 4:05 Eastern today. Chris Bassitt is scheduled to pitch for the Orioles. As of this writing, the Athletics do not have a starting pitcher listed.

Orioles stuff you might have missed

Six players the Orioles could call up when rosters expand (The Baltimore Sun)
Yesterday’s Bird Droppings featured a different outlet considering the list of possible callups. The Sun takes a turn today.

Encarnacion-Strand goes from under-the-radar acquisition to unsung hero (School of Roch)
CES has already driven in more runs than more than one player who’s been around a lot longer than he has this season.

Possible Arizona Fall League prospects (Orioles On The Verge)
This week, MLB announced that Orioles prospects will be on the Peoria Javelinas alongside of prospects with the Cardinals, Padres, Mariners, and Reds. The Arizona Fall League begins on October 3. Rosters will be announced later; On The Verge guesses who the O’s might send.

Fully healthy in 2026, Caden Hunter’s velo ticks up and the strikeouts are coming (Steve Melewski)
On pretty much nobody’s radar going into the season, Hunter has raced through three levels this season and he’s gotten some decent results so far in Double-A too.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

Today in 2013, the Orioles traded Xavier Avery for Mike Morse, who had -1.0 bWAR in 76 games with the Mariners before this trade. He put another -0.5 on the board in just 12 games with the O’s.

One lone former Oriole was born on this day. Happy 52nd birthday to 2001 reliever Kris Foster.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: author Mary Shelley (1797), nuclear physicist Ernest Rutherford (1871), baseball Hall of Famers Kiki Cuyler (1898) and Ted Williams (1918), Maryland-born comedian Lewis Black (1948), and tennis player Andy Roddick (1982).

On this day in history…

In 1535, the pope of the time, Paul III, excommunicated England’s king Henry VIII, though since this was held in suspension, Henry had to be re-excommunicated several years later.

In 1836, the city of Houston was founded.

In 1967, Thurgood Marshall became the first African American Justice on the Supreme Court after being confirmed by the Senate. The vote was 69-11. Many Southern senators voted against him; many others abstained.

**

And that’s the way it is in Birdland on August 30. Have a safe Sunday. Go O’s!