DENVER, COLORADO - AUGUST 03: Michael Lorenzen #24 of the Colorado Rockies pitches in the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Coors Field on August 3, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Colorado Rockies have a chance to end their first series of this road trip on a high note. A victory against the St. Louis Cardinals this afternoon would put them one step closer to the 50-win mark in addition to cementing a series win—just their second since the All-Star break.
Right-handed veteran Michael Lorenzen will start for the Rockies today. The 34-year-old is looking to find his footing after falling into a skid. Despite a string of solid appearances in June and July, Lorenzen has a 13.50 ERA and 6.84 FIP over his last three starts. In those three starts he has given up six or more earned runs twice and made it through four innings just once.
Lorenzen’s last time out against the Tampa Bay Rays lasted just three innings. He gave up seven earned runs on seven hits—one of which was a home run—and three walks while failing to notch a single strikeout. It was just the second occasion this season that Lorenzen didn’t record any strikeouts, and the first time since mid-April.
26-year-old righty Michael McGreevy will toe the rubber for the redbirds in his 23rd start of the season. Now in his third big league year, McGreevy is enjoying the best results of his career. Through 22 starts he has an ERA of 3.59 with 81 strikeouts across 120.1 innings and he leads the Cardinals pitching staff with 2.3 wins above replacement per Baseball Reference.
McGreevy went 4.1 innings against the New York Yankees his last time out, giving up two earned runs on four hits and a walk with five strikeouts. His low-90s four-seam fastball anchors a pitch arsenal of seven different pitches and he gets whiffs from his changeup, curveball, and sweeper. He also throws a sinker, a traditional slider, and a cutter.
May 23, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; General view of the tarp on Citizens Bank Park before a game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Cleveland Guardians. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
I’m playing tennis tomorrow morning, so putting together the Game Thread after our Saturday night win. I should be able to finish tennis, shower and get up to the bar in time for first pitch. I was a non-drinker in my younger days. Maybe an occasional glass of wine, but beer didn’t interest me until craft beers started becoming good. And Scotch, well I didn’t have money to get anything that wouldn’t make you blind.
After some of the awful baseball we’ve seen this season, it is great to have some fun baseball to watch. I don’t mind watching the Jays lose. Generally there are enough good moments in losses that I’m happy to watch. I’ll always find moments I like.
I’ve been a Jays fan through some terrible seasons, so I’ve learned to appreciate the good moments. I’m looking forward to watching the new guys. And those moments (say a Vlad home run, or Springer scoring from second, Gimenez or Clements making a great play in the middle of the diamond, Lukes having one of those I don’t care what happens to my body defensive plays, a pitcher making the perfect pitch) are why I’m a baseball fan.
Also it is great if there is that moment to argue about. Should they have bunted? (never). Pinch hit? Left the starter in one guy too long/took him out too soon.
But a sweep would be great.
I’m not kidding myself that they are making a run for the playoffs, but I’m going to enjoy every win (and likely 60% of the losses).
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JULY 26: Connor Prielipp #61 of the Minnesota Twins looks on before the game against the Athletics at Target Field on July 26, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
FIRST PITCH: 110p Central TELEVISION: Twins.TV, presented by Flo and Dr Rick RADIO: WCCO 830 AM, KMNB 102.9 FM “The Fox”, Paul Molitor Radio Network, Audacy Application KNOW THE FOE:Brew Crew Ball
The Minnesota Twins have one more contest against the Milwaukee Brewers, and it’s the rubber match of the series. The Twins are embroiled in a race for either the American League Central or one of the Wild Card spots while the Brew Crew looks to continue staving off the Chicago Cubs for the National League Central pennant. A Twins win would be a positive, of course, but it would be great to take a series from the team who holds the best record in baseball, and they’ll have to do it against one of the best starters this year.
Jacob Misiorowski gets the call for the Brewers. If you’re unfamiliar with him, he throws heat. His four-seam fastball is consistently over the century mark while he also throws a cutter in the mid-90s, a curve in the upper 80s, as well as slider and change. The Miz has struck out 10 or more batters in four of his last five starts. He took the loss in his last start, giving up two earned runs against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim en route to a 3-0 Milwaukee loss.
The Twins will turn to Connor Prielipp, who’s had some extra rest as his last start was one week ago from yesterday. His last five starts have resulted in a 3.86 ERA/4.09 FIP over 28 innings of work. He’s struck out 30 and walked 10 batters while giving up four homers. Milwaukee batters saw him earlier this year when he threw a great start: 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, and 8 K. The Twins offense could only scratch across one run and lost the game.
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll (7) reacts after tying the game after sliding safely into third for an RBI triple against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the ninth inning during a game at Chase Field in Phoenix on Aug. 8, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
Saturday night’s game at Chase Field looked eerily similar to the night before. Tasked with a lead in the ninth inning after a low-scoring game, an ineffective Edwin Díaz surrendered the advantage.
This was going to be a loss, the Dodgers’ eighth defeat in a row.
Only Carroll never scored. A lineout right at Max Muncy, followed by an infield popout gave the Dodgers hope. Following an intentional walk, Ildemaro Vargas struck out, and the Dodgers somehow escaped having stared certain death straight in the face.
Los Angeles scratched together a run, and Jack Dreyer stranded the free runner in the 10th to give the Dodgers their first win of August, a sense of relief matched only by the promise that Díaz won’t pitch on Sunday after appearing in each of the previous two games.
Someone coming out of the bullpen and giving up two triples is not conducive to winning, as the Dodgers have lost 65 of the 70 games in which this has happened. The only other game a Los Angeles Dodgers team won despite a two-triple reliever was June 23, 1963, overcoming Bob Miller to beat the Cardinals in St. Louis.
Díaz got the win on Saturday night because baseball has a sense of humor sometimes. He’s the first Dodgers reliever to allow two triples and get a win out of it since George Jeffcoat for Brooklyn on July 18, 1936 to beat the Pirates in Pittsburgh.
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 03: Cam Schlittler #31 of the New York Yankees warms up in the bullpen before the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Yankee Stadium on August 3, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The first two games of this series against Atlanta, the NL East front-runner and a possible postseason opponent should the Yankees go deep in October, have gone almost as well as possible, considering the glaring holes in the New York lineup. Starting pitching has been a huge reason for that success. Max Fried and Gerrit Cole combined to allow two runs through 13.1 innings in the opening contests. Should similar events unfold today, a sweep is tantalizingly close.
The Yankees theoretically have the right guy on the mound to do it. Cam Schlittler is in the middle of a dominant season, one that has him at the head of the pack for the AL Cy Young (or at least neck-and-neck with Dylan Cease). He’s admittedly in a bit of a rough spell, with a 3.86 ERA over his last seven starts. But in his final two starts of July, he allowed one run in 13.2 innings prior to his bumpy outing against St. Louis, so let’s not fret he’s turned into a pumpkin.
Anyone who has been watching Cam knows what to expect. He brings the heat. His four-seamer, cutter, and sinker account for 90 percent of his pitches and he has been overpowering with them. When he does sprinkle in the curve, it is overwhelmingly to lefties. If you are a right-handed hitter, prepare for the gas.
The Braves turn to Grant Homes to prevent the sweep. Holmes is in the middle of a perfectly cromulent season of his own, for what it is worth. Today should be a juxtaposition of styles. While Schlittler attacks with the No. v1, Holmes will throw the kitchen sink at Yankee hitters. Righties can expect to see his slider, four-seamer, and sinker. He attacks lefties, meanwhile, with the slider, four-seamer, cutter, curve, and changeup. All told, he throws the slider more than any other pitch so expect to see it frequently today.
With a righty on the mound, the Yankee lineup is littered with lefties. In fact, it’s actually identical to the one that they deployed on Friday against Holmes’ fellow righty, Tyler Mahle. Heliot Ramos and beloved rookie George Lombard, Jr. are the only righties starting today. Ben Rice, fresh off ending an 11-game homerless streak, hits second. The aforementioned Lombard, who went oppo taco for a homer of his own yesterday, hits seventh. Newly acquired Luis García Jr. hits cleanup. Perhaps unsurprisingly as a former division rival of Atlanta, García has the most familiarity with Holmes of any Yankee batter, the erstwhile Nat possessing a 4-for-10 line against Holmes, including a longball.
After today is a well-earned day off, and then the Mariners come to town. Let’s end the weekend with a sweep.
How to Watch:
Location: Yankee Stadium — Bronx, NY
First Pitch: 1:35 pm EDT
TV broadcast: YES / BravesVision
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 / 680 AM/93.7 The Fan, La Mejor 1600/1460/1130 AM
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 08: Manager Walt Weiss #22 of the Atlanta Braves reacts to being ejected during the fifth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on August 08, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Braves are looking to avoid a sweep, while the New York Yankees are hoping for a successful outing with Schittler on the mound.
Tune in at 1:35 p.m. ET for the first pitch to watch how this contest unfolds.
It's been more than 25 years since the Ottawa Senators traded Alexei Yashin to the New York Islanders in one of the most important deals in franchise history.
Yashin was the Senators' first real star in the 1990s, and still the only player in team history to be nominated for the Hart Trophy.
Steve Warne and Gregg Kennedy discuss how the Senators now keep a much tighter lid on trade or signing information than they did just a few years ago..
But after many seasons of discontent, which included contract complaints, holdouts and claims of broken promises, the Senators, just as they did this summer, traded away their team captain.
And incredibly, it's a trade that still has a chance to pay dividends today.
On June 23, 2001, the Senators sent Yashin to the Islanders in exchange for Zdeno Chara, Bill Muckalt and the second overall pick in the 2001 NHL Draft.
Later that day, the Sens used that #2 pick to select Jason Spezza.
Chara emerged as one of the NHL's top defencemen during his four seasons in Ottawa, while Spezza developed into one of the most talented offensive players in franchise history.
Chara eventually left Ottawa as a free agent in 2006, and Muckalt spent just one season here, so two of the three branches of the Yashin trade tree came to an end a long time ago.
But the Spezza branch is still alive.
Spezza played 11 excellent seasons with the Senators, scoring 251 goals and 687 points in 686 regular-season games. He still ranks second all-time in Sens scoring.
In the summer of 2014, in the proud tradition of Sens captains wanting out, Spezza requested a trade, and Bryan Murray sent him to the Dallas Stars.
The Senators received Alex Chiasson, Nick Paul, Alex Guptill and a 2015 second-round draft pick.
That created four new branches on the Yashin trade tree.
Three eventually came to an end.
Chiasson spent two seasons in Ottawa before being traded to Calgary for Patrick Sieloff, who's best known for clobbering a recovering Clarke MacArthur in a preseason scrimmage. The Senators later flipped Sieloff to Anaheim for Brian Gibbons, who had 14 points in 20 games for the Sens before leaving as a free agent that summer.
Guptill was included in a multi-player trade with Buffalo in 2016 that brought Phil Varone, Jason Akeson and Jerome Gauthier-Leduc to Ottawa. It was strictly a minor league deal that never yielded another asset to the Senators.
The 2015 second-round pick acquired from Dallas also took an interesting path.
Ottawa packaged the 42nd overall selection with another pick to move up to No. 36 in the 2015 draft, where the Senators selected Gabriel Gagne.
Gagne was eventually traded to Toronto in 2019 for former first-rounder Morgan Klimchuk. Klimchuk played one full season in Belleville, then retired at 25.
That left Nick Paul, the fourth and final branch. Teammates would often say, "Nicky Paul does it all," and that apparently included nursing trade trees back to life.
The tree could have easily died at any point when the Sens exposed Paul to waivers on three separate occasions, but he went unclaimed and eventually became a very solid middle-six forward for the Senators.
In a trade that certainly hasn't aged well for Ottawa, the Sens deal Paul to the Tampa Bay Lightning at the 2022 trade deadline for Mathieu Joseph and Tampa Bay's fourth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Joseph spent two more full seasons with the Senators before Ottawa traded him to St. Louis in 2024 along with a third-round sweetener just to free up some cap room for some big changes in Ottawa that summer.
That ended the Joseph portion of the tree.
But there was still that 2024 fourth-round pick, a single remaining bud.
The Sens used it to select winger Blake Montgomery, and he's the sole reason why a trade tree that sprouted in 2001 is still alive today.
After falling in the NCAA Final with Wisconsin, the 21-year-old joined the pro ranks late last season, signing his entry-level contract and getting into three games with Belleville.
So, in a nutshell (I've decided the tree has nuts), the history of the Spezza branch looks like this:
Alexei Yashin → 2001 No. 2 pick → Jason Spezza → Nick Paul → 2024 fourth-round pick → Blake Montgomery.
It's one of the more intriguing trade trees in Senators history, and whether it ends with Montgomery or not remains to be seen.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - AUGUST 03: Yordan Alvarez #44 of the Houston Astros reacts after being intentionally walked in the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Daikin Park on August 03, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Houston Astros/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The latest news and notes about the Houston Astros:
Four times since 1920 has a player led all of MLB in AVG, HR, and RBI. The last player to do it was Mickey Mantle in 1956. 70 years later, Yordan Alvarez is challenging to be the next to do it:
After failing to land a quality right-handed outfield bat at the deadline, the Astros still find themselves in search of one. Recently released players like Austin Hays, Rob Refsnyder and Jorge Soler are reported to be on the target list:
After an underwhelming trade deadline, the Astros are still trying to add. According to sources, they're trying to sign a right-handed hitter to improve their bench and deepen their outfield. More here – https://t.co/Rxvf9lEQVN
Peter Lambert’s durability (and sustainability) will be key for Astros down stretch:
Peter Lambert's durability matters even more as questions surround the rest of the rotation after the Astros did not add pitching at the trade deadline. https://t.co/Ti6w4dGIkI
Can Cam Smith turn his recent hot streak into continued growth?
The Astros have needed outfield production all season. Smith's latest surge gives Houston a reason to hope he can sustain it down the stretch. https://t.co/2xAo6Znt8p
Astros owner Jim Crane reportedly refused to trade Bryan Abreu at the deadline. Abreu hasn’t allowed an earned run since July 12. He’s allowed only 7 earned runs since May 1 after allowing 13 earned runs in March/April. Abreu’s velocity also appears to be back to Abreu’s normal range:
Bryan Abreu averaged 97 mph on the 16 four-seam fastballs he threw tonight and touched 99.1 mph, which was his fastest pitch of the season.
After an off day on Saturday to recover from wrist soreness, Mets outfielder Carson Benge is back in the starting lineup for the rubber game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Benge jammed his wrist into the left field wall on a spectacular sliding catch in the third inning of Friday's game and left shortly after. After the game, interim manager Andy Green said the rookie's X-rays came back negative as New York avoided an injury scare.
Regardless, the team would wait and see how Benge felt the following day before deciding what to do and sure enough, out of an abundance of caution, Benge was on the bench in the second game of the series.
"Great," Green said regarding how Benge feels. "He’s mad he didn’t play yesterday. His swings look good, he’s moving around fine. Obviously recovered pretty quickly from the collision with the wall so we’re glad to have him back out there. We waited a while to let the lineup out [today], we wanted to see if he was gonna be good to go and he felt great."
Benge is batting cleanup and playing right field with A.J. Ewing sliding over to left field and Luis Robert Jr. in center field.
Not in the lineup is Jorge Polanco, who played the first two games of the series while going 0-for-7. Green said that's where the team is at with Polanco right now, not starting him for more than 2-3 days in a row.
"We’ve been doing that fairly repetitive with him," the skipper said.
Meanwhile, Green also spoke about the plan for Robert Stock, who pitched on Saturday and struggled mightily, going three innings and allowing eight earned runs on nine hits and five walks -- the complete opposite from his season debut against the Miami Marlins on Aug. 2 in which he allowed one run over five innings.
"I think more than likely we’re anticipating him making his next start for us," Green said. "Still kinda being a little bit patient before being fully committed to it, but I think we’re leaning that direction."
Despite having a day off on Thursday next week before hosting a six-game homestand at Citi Field, the Mets are reluctant to skip Stock's turn in the rotation entirely because of the heavy workload that their young starters have already been through this season.
"I don’t think that’s our best choice given the load a lot of the young guys have carried into their first full season in the big leagues," Green said. "So as much as we’d like to get those guys back on the mound quickly, the extra day is good for them."
CLEVELAND, OHIO - AUGUST 04: Sean Manaea #59 of the New York Mets throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on August 04, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Mets lineup
A.J. Ewing – LF
Francisco Lindor – SS
Bo Bichette – 3B
Carson Benge – RF
Luis Robert – CF
Jared Young – 1B
Marcus Semien – 2B
Brett Baty – DH
Francisco Alvarez – C
SP: Sean Manaea – LHP
Pirates lineup
Jake Mangum – CF
Ronny Simon – RF
Bryan Reynolds – DH
Nick Gonzales – 3B
Esmerlyn Valdez – LF
Brandon Lowe – 2B
Rafael Flores – 1B
Jared Triolo – SS
Henry Davis – C
SP: Jared Jones – RHP
Broadcast info
First pitch: 1:35 PM EDT TV: SNY Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
CLEVELAND, OHIO - JULY 18: Jared Jones #17 of the Pittsburgh Pirates throws a pitch during the first inning in game one of a doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on July 18, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates are back at home for a weekend series at PNC Park when they take on the New York Mets for the final contest of a three-game set.
Jared Jones is on the bump for the Buccos for the first time since August 4, when he pitched four innings, giving up eight hits and three earned runs as the Pirates lost 4-2 to the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field.
The Mets giving the ball to Sean Manaea, who is 3-5 with a 4.33 ERA so far this season. Manaea has gone back and forth between the bullpen and the starting rotation, but he has been consistently playing as a starter since the middle of June.
Manaea’s last start came against the Cleveland Guardians on August 4, when he pitched six innings, gave up seven hits, and earned a 6-2 victory on the road. Manaea pitched against the Pirates earlier this season on March 29, giving up one hit in 1.1 scoreless innings.
It’s the final matchup of a quick homestand for the Pirates, who will head back out to South Florida for a series against the Marlins in the middle of the week. They want to send the fans home happy with a win.
Location: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA
Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh
Pitching Matchup: Sean Manaea (3-5, 4.33 ERA) vs. Jared Jones (2-3, 4.02 ERA)
BD community, chime off in the comments section below.
BOSTON, MA - AUGUST 08: Jacob Wilson #5 of the Athletics looks on prior to the game between the Athletics and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Saturday, August 8, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Natalie Reid/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The impossible happened last night: the A’s won a game! The club snapped their 9-game losing streak, getting their first August win while snapping Boston’s winning streak. Fitting. Now the A’s need to prove it wasn’t a one-off and make it two in a row, something the team hasn’t done since before the All-Star Break.
Taking to the hill in this afternoon’s series finale will be right-hander J.T. Ginn, who is set to get the ball for his 21st start. Ginn spent a couple weeks on the IL recently with a blister issue but didn’t seem to miss a beat while he was on the shelf. In his first start back he fired six innings of three-run ball in an eventual loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Hopefully the bullpen won’t waste another fine start from the emerging righty.
Here’s how the Athletics will line up this afternoon for the finale:
Mostly the same lineup as yesterday and why mess with something that worked? The only changes at the top of the lineup are Jonah Heim is catching instead of DH’ing today while Tyler Soderstrom occupies that role with a half-day for the lefty slugger. Jonathan Ornelas will replace him on the grass and bat seventh this afternoon, ahead of third baseman Max Muncy and second baseman Jeff McNeil.
The Red Sox meanwhile have left-hander Erik Miller getting the ball for them today. A deadline acquisition from the San Francisco Giants, Miller is only expected to go an inning or two at most this afternoon before making way for the rest of Boston’s relief unit. Expect to see lots of pitching changes from Boston today.
And Boston’s starting lineup today shakes out like this:
Philadelphia was the biggest winner this offseason — landing Jaylen Brown and LeBron James to go with Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid — and with that, there are already a lot of news and rumors around the team heading into the season. Here are a few.
Brown threw phone when told of trade
Jaylen Brown is excited to be a 76er and chase a ring in Philadelphia.
That was not his initial reaction. Brown was drafted by Boston, won a championship there and had invested his time and money in the community. He didn't just show up to collect a paycheck. So, unsurprisingly, when he talked at his introductory press conference about getting the call that told him he was traded, he described frustration, with the quote via Noah Levick at NBC Sports Philadelphia.
"When I first (learned) I got traded, I just threw my phone across the room," he said with a laugh... "I think Maxey reached out to me first. He reached out and was like, 'I know it's a lot of stuff going on right now, but we're excited to have you.'"...
"There's been a lot of emotions," he said. "It's been a process. To be honest, I'm still processing to some degree. One, the excitement of coming to a new city, new place, new expectations, new energy. And then also leaving somewhere that you've been for a very, very long time."
One thing that will help with that will be workouts with teammates in the coming weeks, and eventually the start of training camp.
LeBron the connector
The expectation is that LeBron James will be the "point guard" for Philadelphia this season, although the better way to describe that may be that he will be the one initiating the offense.
"LeBron's a connector. That's the one thing about him. He fits every role you possibly can. He's gonna elevate everyone in the whole building...
"When LeBron was maybe a possibility, I went back and watched some of the Olympic tape with [Embiid] and LeBron. Those two played pretty well together. We have so many different options. Any given night anyone can be the guy. So I think once we get clicking and get gelling, it's gonna be fun to watch."
Gansey also was honest about needing the first domino to fall before LeBron would come.
"Without getting Jaylen, I don't think we get LeBron."
Veterans want to get in
The 76ers have 14 players on the roster heading into training camp, and that's likely where things will stay. Philadelphia is hard-capped at the first apron and is $1.8 million below that number as it stands, meaning they can't add even a veteran minimum deal right now.
Still, a couple of veterans are throwing their hats in the ring.
"Though the 6-foot-10 Love and James have remained close since teaming up for four seasons with the Cavaliers and even vacationed extensively together this summer, that bond doesn't necessarily mean there will be a roster spot for the former five-time All-Star by training camp."
Markieff Morris says that roster spot should be his.
Shiddd if it’s anybody getting that last Vet roster spot it’s gonna be me! Philly raised!!! https://t.co/QZPs25JKVR
Again, Philly would have to waive Jabari Walker, who is just partially guaranteed (that's not happening), or trade a player to have the cap space to sign anyone. Don't bet on it. This is the roster entering the season.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 02: Wyatt Mills #58 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium on August 02, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Playing some catch-up on roster moves in a busy week, we had resolution for three players were designated for assignment by the Dodgers in the last week.
Wyatt Mills was designated for assignment on Monday when the Dodgers needed to clear 40-man roster space after a flurry of trade deadline deals. On Thursday the right-hander was claimed off waivers by the Washington Nationals, who simultaneously optioned Mills to Triple-A Rochester.
The 31-year-old Mills pitched in six games for the Dodgers this season, his first time in the majors since 2022, after Tommy John surgery wiped out 2023 and 2024.
“A long road, it’s never a guarantee that you get fully healthy after that,” Mills told me after his call-up in May. “So it was more like a deep breath, kind of peaceful. I felt calm. I put in a lot of work, and my confidence came from that.”
Mills struggled in his stints with the Dodgers, with nine walks and five strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings, with five runs allowed, four of them earned. He had a 2.41 ERA and six saves in 33 games for Triple-A Oklahoma City with 52 strikeouts and 18 walks in 37 1/3 innings.
Oklahoma City got a battery back this week after two more players were designated for assignment.
Cole Irvin, who pitched six bulk innings in a reset game at Dodger Stadium on July 31, got designated for assignment one day later. He cleared waivers an was sent outright to Triple-A on August 3. He started and won again for the Comets on Friday night in Salt Lake.
Robinson cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A on Friday. The 31-year-old is hitting .229/.333/.440 in 126 plate appearances for Oklahoma City this season, with 32 games started behind the plate.
MESA, AZ - FEBRUARY 21: Jonah Bride of the Texas Rangers bats during a spring training game against the Chicago Cubs at Sloan Park on February 21, 2026 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Bailey Orr/Texas Rangers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Texas Rangers today purchased the contract of infielder Jonah Bride, the team announced today. To make room for Bride on the active roster, the Rangers optioned outfielder Alejandro Osuna to AAA Round Rock. To make room for Bride on the 40 man roster, the Rangers transferred pitcher Jake Leiter from the 15 day injured list to the 60 day injured list.
Bride is a 30 year old who played for Skip Schumaker in Miami in 2024, when he had a career best season, slashing .276/.357/.461 while playing first, second and third base. He has an overall career .221/.311/.313 line, however, which is why he signed a minor league deal with the Rangers this past offseason and has spent the year at Round Rock.
Bride’s overall slash line for Round Rock is a rather pedestrian .282/.401/.425 in 431 plate appearances this season. However, he has put up a very impressive .388/.473/.669 slash line against lefthanded pitchers, which is why the Rangers, who are kind of desperate for a righthanded bench bat, have brought him up. Interestingly, Bride has reverse splits in the majors for his career, slashing .194/.295/.228 against lefties in 272 plate appearances in the bigs, against .238/.321/.367 against righthanded pitchers.
Osuna has played sparingly as of late, getting just one start in the month of April and mainly being used for pinch hitting duties. He’s not a good fit for the roster, as currently constructed, given that he’s a lefthanded hitting outfielder on the bench, and the Rangers need a righthanded hitting bench outfielder, not a lefthanded hitting one. It seems like this might have been an area the team would have wanted to try to address at the deadline, were it not for the fact that Ray Davis is apparently claiming that the team is po’ like Kenny’s family.
Bride will presumably fill in until Josh Jung returns, assuming Jung does return at some point this season.
The move of Leiter to the 60 day injured list is purely procedural in nature, given that he’s spent close to 60 days on the injured list so far on this stint. He still would seem to be on track to return sometime in late-August or early-September.
