Worldwide Sports News

Tuesday night was destined to be the George Lombard Jr. Show in the Bronx once news broke that he would be promoted following an ugly loss on Monday to St. Louis. The 21-year-old made an immediate impact, showing off some slick defense while also belting his first career homer off Hunter Dobbins in a still-all-too-familiar, tight 2-0 Yankees win. As it turned out, the Yanks needed what Lombard and the pitching staff provided because their biggest opponents kept the heat on them. The Rays remain 3.5 up on New York and Boston is a mere couple games behind.

Here’s what was going on around the Junior Circuit yesterday.

Tampa Bay Rays (67-46) 9, Colorado Rockies (45-69) 7 – 11 innings

Ah Coora, you beautiful bastard, you’ve done it again. The Rays were sitting pretty early on Tuesday night in Denver, thanks to in-state Trade Deadline acquisition Liam Hicks. Making his debut for Tampa Bay, the catcher crushed a pitch from Gabriel Hughes 402 feet for a grand slam that changed the score from a 1-1 tie in the third to 5-1, Rays.

Hughes did at least get back on track to get through 5.1 innings without surrendering another run, and then the odd trio of Brennan Bernardino, Parker Mushinski, and Juan Mejia held the Rays off the board into the ninth.

That was swell for Colorado because Freddy Peralta did not have nearly as good a debut as his batterymate. Perhaps it was just a tough draw for him to start a new chapter at Coors or perhaps he isn’t that different yet from the offseason prize who was awful for the Mets. Regardless, his 2026 ERA inflated to 5.37 as the Rockies mounted a comeback, hanging seven runs on nine hits off Peralta, who recorded just 11 outs. Ezequiel Tovar chipped away with an RBI knock in the home half of the third before the just-extended Mickey Moniak (alrighty then, Rockies) tied it up with a three-run bomb.

The next inning, Willi Castro put Colorado ahead with a two-run homer to make it 7-5, Rockies. Thanks to the yeoman work of the bullpen, the score stayed their until the ninth. Unfortunately, the Rockies’ closer is apparently Jordan Romano, who Yankees fans know all too well and has also been run out of town as a high-leverage guy in Toronto, Philadelphia, and Anaheim within the past few years.

A walk, an infield hit, two stolen bases, and a Jonathan Aranda laser later, the game was tied at 7-7. Romano did fan Junior Caminero and get a groundout by Ryan Vilade to strand Aranda in scoring position and keep the score even. The Rockies had multiple chances to walk this off. Tovas doubled against Kevin Kelly with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but Jake McCarthy hit a comebacker to force extras.

Jimmy Herget’s scoreless 10th opened the door for an easy game-winner. Tyler Freeman bunted the winning run to third with one out for All-Star catcher Hunter Goodman, who could win it with a hit or a deep fly ball. He didn’t hit it far enough to right, and the zombie runner McCarthy had to hold at third. T.J. Rumfield then lined out to left and it went to the 11th. There, the Rays stopped playing with their food and won the damn thing. A bunt and a wild pitch plated their zombie runner, and they tacked on insurance with a Yandy Díaz double and Caminero RBI single. Bryan Baker pitched a perfect 11th to put the Rockies away.

Other Games

Boston Red Sox (61-51) 14, Chicago White Sox (59-53) 2: This all-Sox battle got bad for the Pale Hose in a hurry. The Regression Monster continued to do a number on Davis Martin, as those scalding-hot Red Sox obliterated him with a six-run first inning that featured back-to-back homers from Caleb Durbin (a grand slam) and Jarren Duran. Wilyer Abreu hit one out off Martin as well, and he had nine runs to his name by the time he left the mound. Abreu homered again in the eighth, and he was one of seven Red Sox to register a multi-hit game. Cripes! Since losing a series in Coors in mid-June to fall to 32-46, Boston is 29-5. I don’t care for it, personally.

Cleveland Guardians (57-57) 2, New York Mets (48-66) 6: Don’t look now, but the Guardians might be squandering not only their absolutely-coveted spot in this daily feature, but also playoff position. The AL Central in general (see the White Sox score above) has been sagging to the point where it could be neck-and-neck between them and the AL West down the stretch for MLB’s worst division. A universe exists where there could be two sub-.500 division winners in October. I don’t think it will happen, but it’s quite sad that it’s plausible.

Despite getting José Ramírez back on July 21st, Cleveland has played horribly since then, dropping 9 of 12 games. You can’t be losing home games to the post-sale Trade Deadline Mets, and yet they did just that. Luis Torrens clobbered a three-run homer against Joey Cantillo to start the scoring in the second, and Bo Bichette played long ball in the third. A resurgent Sean Manaea spun six innings of two-run ball to hold off the Guardos. Cleveland is .500 but remains three games behind the White Sox in the AL Central, but they’re now only one up on the Twins and Rangers and a game and a half ahead of the Orioles and Tigers (yes, really to both) for the final Wild Card spot.

Houston Astros (59-56) 7, Toronto Blue Jays (53-61) 2: With an assist from the Giants’ Jung Hoo Lee, Baby Bomber alum Ezequiel Duran walked it off for the Rangers on Tuesday night, so the heat was on Houston to bounce back from a loss to Toronto on Monday and maintain their 2.5-game AL West lead. The Astros were up to the task, aided by the unfortunate news of Trey Yesavage leaving the mound for Toronto with left knee discomfort (an MRI is on deck). Perhaps appropriately, Houston was not intimidated by his replacement, Chad Dallas. The ’Stros scored six runs on seven hits in three innings against Dallas, with Taylor Trammell launching a three-run homer as part of the attack. One-time Yankees pitching prospect Hayden Wesneski tossed six innings of two-run ball in the win, his second MLB start since returning from Tommy John surgery.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have released designated hitter Marcell Ozuna amid months of poor performance with the team.

The Pirates signed Ozuna in the offseason to be their everyday DH following their decision to not resign Andrew McCutchen. The 35-year-old former Silver Slugger signed to a one-year, $12 million deal with Pittsburgh with a mutual option attached for 2027. Unfortunately for the Pirates Ozuna never found his stride with the Pirates.

PNC Park is notoriously difficult to adjust to for right-handed hitters, and Ozuna who historically struggled there throughout his career never seemed to come around at the plate. He ends his season with Pittsburgh with a line of .203/.286/.613 and just eight homers. Over the course of his career Ozuna has played in 65 games at PNC Park and has a .229 batting average with seven homers. As a Pirate the team went 28-42 when Ozuna was in the starting lineup.

As the season went on Ozuna was called upon less and less as his performance had not reached the full potential that the organization had hoped for. He played in his last game for the Bucs on Aug. 1 where he went 1 for 4 with a double in a Saturday contest against Cincinnati. His slash line was 31% worse than league average, by measure of wRC+ and had a career worst 28.6% strikeout rate. The leash was too long and this is an issue that should’ve been solved well before the second half of the season.

To replace Ozuna the Pirates are calling up prospect Ronny Simon to the active roster. This season Simon has been incredible at the plate with Triple-A Indianapolis. This year the switch hitter leads the International League with a .330 batting average. Simon has also knocked in seven home runs this season along with 63 RBIs and 33 steals as well. Simon is a versatile defender who has seen time at second base, as well as all three outfield positions for Indianapolis this year.

Given that the league has moved past the trade deadline period, Ozuna will be released and the Pirates will not be able to move on from his contract. He leave Pittsburgh with a -1.0fWAR.

Once again, there’s a chance of rain in Chicago Wednesday afternoon, though chances are decreasing. Just in case, here’s the local radar for you to keep handy:

Wednesday notes…

• GOING FOR A SWEEP: This is the 11th of the Cubs’ 37 series this year in which they won the first two games. They won the third game, too, in six of the previous 10. They last swept the Dodgers in three games at home in 2021. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• DAY vs. NIGHT: The Cubs are only 24-23 in day games this year. They are 17-13 at home, including 8-4 after night games. Last year, they were 43-32 in sunshine everywhere and 29-20 at home but 7-8 in day games at home after night games. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• COMING FROM BEHIND: Last night’s win was the Cubs’ 25th this season after their opponent scored first, one less than they had all of last year, when they won 26 and lost 52. They have lost 34 this year.
• They are 14-19 at home when they opponent scored first. They finished last year just 9-29. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• GOING DEEP: The Cubs have hit four and two home runs the last two games. They had not had back-to-back games with multiple homers in their previous 25 games, since they hit five and a team-record eight at home against the Padres on June 30 and July 1. They have hit at least two homers in two consecutive games five times. They did it in three straight games April 15-18 and June 20-24, and in five games in a row April 21-25. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)

Cubs lineup:

Dodgers lineup:

Shōta Imanaga, LHP vs. Eric Lauer, LHP

Shōta Imanaga, as you know, had a great start to his 2026 season, then had a horrific four-start run, then followed that with another great run. Currently over his last nine starts: 2.09 ERA, 1.065 WHIP, seven HR in 51.2 innings, excellent walk rate (4.5 percent).

He was charged with five runs (four earned) against the Dodgers April 26 at Dodger Stadium, though one of those runs scored after he left the game. Current Dodgers are batting .247 (20-for-61) against him with six home runs, three of those by Tommy Edman. Note to Shōta: Don’t feed meatballs to Edman!

Roki Sasaki was originally scheduled to start this game, but with the Dodgers’ addition of Tarik Skubal, Sasaki has been pushed back and instead, lefty Eric Lauer will go for L.A. this afternoon.

Lauer was pitching for the Blue Jays earlier this year and not well — 6.69 ERA and 1.486 WHIP in eight games (six starts). The Dodgers got him for cash considerations in May and poof! He’s throwing very well for them. In nine games (eight starts) he has a 2.69 ERA and 0.987 WHIP. In his last outing, July 29 vs. the Mariners, he threw six one-hit innings.

He hasn’t faced the Cubs since April 2, 2023 when he was with the Brewers and I post that boxscore link mostly for amusement value, because a lot of those guys aren’t on the team anymore. Current Cubs are batting .265 (18-for-68) against Lauer with two home runs (Nico Hoerner, Michael Conforto).

Here is the weather forecast for the area around Wrigley Field.

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. It’s also on MLB Network (outside the Cubs and Dodgers market territories).

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

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

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

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

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

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

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

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

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing went from minor arm irritation to the injured list with elbow inflammation, to now a slight tear in his ulnar collateral ligament that will sideline him for at least a month.

Manager Dave Roberts confirmed to reporters on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field that MRI results Monday showed a “slightly torn” UCL in Rushing’s elbow. From Jack Harris of the California Post:

Roberts expounded after Tuesday’s game by saying Rushing will remain on a hitting program, but is set to be shut down from throwing for up to potentially 4-6 weeks.

That could leave his status as a catching option in doubt for the stretch run of the year, and potentially the playoffs.

“Don’t know what that looks like for the rest of the season and throughout the postseason,” Roberts said. “Fortunately, it happened the day before the trade deadline. So… today we’re looking at two new catchers.”

An update from Wednesday morning:

Couple Rushing’s injury with Will Smith still needing at least three to four weeks at minimum before returning from a neck injury, the Dodgers’ catching is now in the hands of Ben Rortvedt and Dalton Rushing, both former Dodgers who were acquired on Mondaybefore the trade deadline. Both were activated on Tuesday, with Rortvedt starting behind the plate in Tarik Skubal’s debut and Feduccia catching Eric Lauer on Wednesday’s series finale in Chicago.

It’s similar to last September when Smith had a hand injury and Rushing injured his shin. Rortvedt went from relative obscurity to starting 19 out of 25 games, including four postseason games before Smith returned. Now, it’s Rortvedt and Feduccia for the foreseeable future behind the plate, perhaps until Smith might return in either late August or September.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

Nothing beats baseball from 2:20 p.m. ET, all the way to nearly midnight.

Let's dive into my three favorite MLBhome run props for Wednesday's slate, headlined by Astros superstar Yordan Alvarez.

Here are my favorite MLB picks for Aug. 5.

MLB home run props for today

Player to hit a HR	Odds
Yordan Alvarez	+262
Munetaka Murakami	+250

Home run prediction: Yordan Alvarez (+262)

I mean, how can I pass up Houston Astros superstar Yordan Alvarez against newly acquired Blue Jays right-hander Jameson Taillon?

The former Cub has been tormented by left-handed hitters all season long. Over the last 30 lefties he's faced, they've produced a 23.8% barrel rate and 76.2% elevation rate while posting a .405 xBA, .735 xSLG, and .400 xwOBA.

Alvarez enters today with one of the highest matchup ratings of the day on Batters-Box while covering 100% of Taillon's pitch mix. Through 37 elite-rated games this season, the big fella has gone deep in 29.73% of them.

At home, that number jumps to nearly 40%, homering in seven of his 18 elite-rated games.

No matter how obvious this spot may seem, you can't overthink it. Alvarez has been on an absolute tear all season, and this is one of the best home run spots on the board.

Play this down to +225. 

• Time: 2:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SCHN, Sportnet

Home run prediction: Munetaka Murakami (+250)

The most consistent and efficient bat in the Chicago White Sox lineup has easily been rookie sensation Munetaka Murakami.

Over his last 30 plate appearances against right-handed pitching, Murakami has posted an .852 SLG, 1.252 OPS, .523 wOBA, and .519 ISO. He's also generated a 70.6% hard hit rate and nearly a 30% barrel rate during that span.

Murakami draws veteran Red Sox righty Sonny Gray, who has hit a few speed bumps over his last three starts. During that stretch, Gray owns a 5.00 ERA while allowing a 45% hard hit rate.

The last 30 left-handed hitters he's faced have produced a 43.5% hard-hit rate and 43.5% line-drive rate while posting a .605 xSLG and .361 xwOBA.

The White Sox star enters tonight with an elite Batters-Box rating, covering more than 84% of Gray's pitch mix. In his 22 elite-rated road games this season, Murakami has gone deep in nearly 32% of them.

I'd play this down to +225.

• Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: CHSN, NESN

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.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

The Milwaukee Brewers are listed as a -126 favorite against Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight.

With Skenes reeling, my Pirates vs. Brewers predictions are eyeing Milwaukee to grab the win against their NL Central rivals. 

Read more in my MLB picks for Wednesday, Aug. 5. 

Who will win Pirates vs Brewers today: Brewers (-126)

It’s never easy to fade Paul Skenes, but he is in poor form right now. The Pittsburgh Pirates ace owns a 5.24 xERA across his last two outings, having allowed a 50% hard-hit rate and 18.2% barrel rate.

The Milwaukee Brewers counter with Kyle Harrison, who makes his first appearance since early July after recovering from injury. Harrison may be on a short leash, but Pittsburgh has struggled against lefties, posting just a 90 wRC+ compared to a 112 mark vs right-handers.

The Brewers’ home offense gives them enough upside to get to Skenes, while Harrison can keep Pittsburgh contained.

Playable to -140.

COVERS INTEL: The Brewers own a 111 wRC+ at American Family Field this season, compared to a 98 wRC+ on the road. They should be able to cause trouble for Skenes. 

Pirates vs Brewers Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (-131)

This total sits at 7.5, and the Under looks like the better angle. 

Harrison may not work deep in his return, but Milwaukee’s bullpen has been solid, posting a 3.03 xERA over its last 22 frames. Pittsburgh’s bullpen has also been reliable with a 2.97 FIP over the last week.

This profiles as a lower-scoring game, even if Skenes allows traffic.

I'll play this to -140.

Pirates vs Brewers weather

Conditions in Milwaukee look cool and damp tonight, with overcast skies early and temperatures falling from the low 70s into the upper 60s. 

There's a moderate chance of rain early, but conditions should improve later in the day with light winds throughout. 

Worst-case scenario, expect the retractable roof to be utilized at American Family Field.

Pirates vs Brewers odds

• Moneyline: Pirates +117 | Brewers -126
• Run line: Pirates +1.5 (-186) | Brewers -1.5 (+178)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (+122) | Under 7.5 (-131)

Pirates vs Brewers trend

Milwaukee has hit the game total Under in 30 of its last 50 games (+9.40 Units / 17% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Pirates vs. Brewers.

How to watch Pirates vs Brewers and game info

Pirates vs Brewers 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.

After dropping two series in a row, the Dodgers move on to face the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are fighting for a wild card berth.

Roki Sasaki takes the ball in the series opener on Friday night at Chase Field in Phoenix, where the roof will be appreciated with triple-digit high temperatures in the forecast all weekend in the desert.

The Diamondbacks, who swept the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium from July 10-12, enter Wednesday with 15 wins in their last 22 games and are 32-23 at home this season. The Dodgers won two out of three games at Case Field from June 1-3.

Friday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Diamondbacks
• Ballpark: Chase Field, Phoenix
• Start time: 6:40 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

As the clock ran out on the MLB trade deadline, the Rays made one final move by sending C Hunter Feduccia and minor league RP Jacob Kmatz to the Dodgers for Triple-A OF Jack Suwinski and international bonus pool money. The Rays have been linked to several popular IFA guys in the 2027 class (including an 80-grade name right-handed pitcher Mussumbay Navarro) so that bonus pool money will be valuable, but Suwinski immediately becomes one of the more intriguing outfielders in the organization and is not to be overlooked.

Suwinski is a left-handed hitting outfielder with nearly 400 games of MLB experience with the Pirates from 2022-2025. He was DFA’d by the Pirates before being claimed by the Dodgers in February of this year. He went to work with the Dodgers Triple-A affiliate to work on his swing without sacrificing power — and he succeeded.

Suwinski’s swing change has two main components: a shorter bat bath with less barrel movement and a flatter bat angle. First, we’ll look at the swing length. He has reduced the amount his hands needed to travel to get his bat on the ball. Suwinski previously employed a bit of a hitch and barrel tip that added length and power to his swing, but at times his swing was too long and it resulted in a lot of whiff. This is evident in his 72.8% contact rate in the majors and 69.0% in AAA prior to the 2026 season. Suwinski’s shorter swing this season has allowed him to maintain a much more playable 79.6% contact rate. While all of that nearly 11% increase is unlikely to translate to major-league pitching, most of it should given the underlying mechanical adjustments that have allowed him to get to this point. This isn’t a hot streak or luck; it’s meaningful adjustments that allow him to handle advanced pitching.

Next, well look at his bat angle. Suwinski tweaked it to be less vertical and more “flat.” This change further supports his ability to make more contact. A steeper bat angle does produce more loft so Suwinski could be susceptible to ground balls, but so far this hasn’t been an issue. The images below are both on pitches that were low in the zone, so we can see how drastic the difference is in his bat angle when he begins his swing as he plants his front foot.

The result is a more balanced ability to handle different pitch types. To compare apples to apples, we’ll look at just the difference in his AAA data between 2022-2025 and the 2026 season so far:

Of course the sample size is different, but the exact numbers here are less important than the trends. Suwinski seems to have meaningfully improved his ability to handle secondaries without losing his ability to punish velocity.

On the defensive side, Suwinski is a fine defender in a corner outfield spot. Both his arm and speed are roughly average. The Rays are one of the better teams at improving outfielder jumps, so I am interested to see if they could improve his defense. Although that point is secondary as his bat is what could get him in a lineup everyday against righties.

Suwinski appears to be a nice depth option for the Rays with a few more years of team control. Left-handed outfield depth is relatively thin with both Fraley and Melton battling injuries most of the year, so the team rightfully saw some risk with the major league outfield depth. Suwinski doesn’t need a 40-man spot at the moment, and will not become a free agent until 2030. His adjustments have helped him find a new level of his game, and now he just needs an opportunity. That could come in 2026, but may be more likely in 2027.

Today marks John Olerud’s 58th birthday.

John Olerud, born in Seattle, Washington, followed his father’s path—his father also named John—who played catcher for Washington State University and reached Triple-A in professional baseball. Olerud Jr. was picked by the Blue Jays in the third round of the 1989 draft out of Washington State, where he stood out as both a pitcher and a fielder, amassing a 26-4 record on the mound. Unusually, he started his pro career directly in the majors, only appearing in minor league games in 2005 while recovering form after joining the Boston Red Sox.

Olerud gained recognition for wearing his batting helmet while playing first base—a precaution after a health scare in early 1989, when he collapsed following a workout due to spinal column bleeding. A month later, he had surgery to remove a brain hemorrhage, leading him to wear the helmet in the field for extra protection.

After signing with the Blue Jays in late August, Olerud joined the major league roster as a September call-up, appearing in several games as a defensive replacement. In 1990, he made the team out of spring training, platooning at designated hitter while Fred McGriff played first base. Facing mostly right-handed pitchers, Olerud hit .265/.364/.430 in 111 games and finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting. That offseason, the Jays traded McGriff and Tony Fernandez for Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter, clearing the way for Olerud to become the starting first baseman.

In 1991, Olerud began the season in a platoon with Pat Tabler and later Ed Sprague. He posted a solid .256/.353/.438 line with 17 home runs. Bill James oncecompared him to a young Rusty Staub, though Olerud would go on to surpass that comparison. He played infive games during the ALCS loss to theTwins, collecting three hits in 19 at-bats.

In 1992, as the Blue Jays won their first World Series, Olerud became a full-time player, starting against both right- and left-handed pitchers. He played through a broken nose suffered during batting practice, yet improved at the plate, hitting .284/.375/.450. Olerud shined in the ALCS win over Oakland, batting .348 with a home run, and hit .308 in the World Series victory over Atlanta—though he appeared in only four of six games as Cito Gaston shifted Carter to first base when the designated hitter was unavailable.

Olerud’s breakout year was 1993, when he hit .363/.473/.599 with 24 home runs, 54 doubles, 200 hits, 114 walks, 109 runs, and 107 RBIs. He was batting over .400 as late as August 2. He led the league in batting average, on-base percentage, OPS (1.072), runs created (161), doubles, and intentional walks (33). That year, he was an All-Star, won the Hutch Award for competitive spirit, and finished third in MVP voting behind Frank Thomas and teammate Paul Molitor—though many believed Olerud deserved the honor. He also had a 26-game hitting streak and became just the 20th player in MLB history to record both 200 hits and 100 walks in a season. It remains one of the greatest single seasons by a Blue Jay.

Olerud remained productive in the postseason, hitting .348 with four walks in the ALCS win over the White Sox. Although he batted just .235 in the World Series win against Philadelphia, he contributed a home run and four walks. By age 24, Olerud already owned two World Series rings—a remarkable start to his career.

The next few seasons were disrupted by the lockout and strike, and the Blue Jays struggled to recreate their earlier success. Although Olerud didn’t replicate his 1993 numbers, he consistently posted an on-base percentage above .390 each year. He might have thrived as a leadoff hitter, but speed was considered essential for that spot at the time. In 1996, his final year with Toronto, Olerud hit .274/.383/.472 with 18 home runs in 125 games, as Cito Gaston increasingly favored Joe Carter at first base and Carlos Delgado emerged as a key player.

With Carter, Delgado, and Olerud all competing for playing time over two seasons, roster changes became inevitable. Delgado was young, inexpensive, and had a bright future, while Carter remained Cito Gaston’s favorite. Olerud was seen as not aggressive enough at the plate, and his stellar 1993 season had set expectations he couldn’t quite match. Despite being the youngest and arguably the best hitter and fielder of the trio, Olerud was the one the Jays decided to move.

If trading Olerud was a mistake, sending him to the Mets for pitcher Robert Person was an even bigger blunder by Gord Ash. Person went 8-13 with a 6.18 ERA in two-plus seasons with the Jays. Meanwhile, Olerud remained a terrific player for several more seasons, while Joe Carter did not. It was simply a bad trade, but Ash was a poor GM for the team.

Olerud enjoyed three great seasons with the Mets, then four and a half strong years with the Mariners. He later played half a season with the Yankees and wrapped up his career with the Red Sox in 2005. Over 17 seasons, he compiled a .295/.398/.465 batting line, 255 home runs, 1,230 RBI, and 1,275 walks (77th all-time).

Baseball Reference lists Olerud at 6’5” and 220 pounds—bigger than I remember. He had a picture-perfect left-handed swing and an excellent eye at the plate. He was strong defensively, winning three Gold Gloves as a Mariner. He probably deserved at least one Gold Glove as a Jay, but that’s how things go.

Matt noted that John hit better after leaving the Jays, even considering his one big season. This may have been because Cito insisted he become a pull hitter, even though Olerud’s real strength was hitting from foul line to foul line. Cito’s hitting philosophy worked for some players, but not for everyone.

John Olerud is married, lives in Fall City, Washington, and has a daughter. We saw him at the celebration for the World Series-winning teams in July. He looked like he could still play.

Happy birthday, John.

Today is Eric Hinske’s 49th birthday.

Eric Hinske was born in Menasha, Wisconsin. The Cubs selected him in the17th round of the 1998 draft from the University of Arkansas.

In March 2001, Hinske was traded to the A’s for Miguel Cairo. Later that year, he and Justin Miller were sent to the Jays for Billy Koch—a trade that clearly worked out in Toronto’s favor.

Eric’s rookie year in 2002 was outstanding. He racked up 99 runs, 84 RBI, 24 home runs, 77 walks, and 13 steals (caught just once)—almost all career highs and most setting team rookie records, except steals. He hit .279/.365/.481 with a 119 OPS+ and posted a 4.7 WAR per Fangraphs. His defense at third base was the main drawback, with limited range and 20 errors for a .946 fielding percentage, though Fangraphs gave him a 2.8 UZR/150. He made an early impression with a two-run single against Pedro Martinez in his first major game, and it seemed the Jays had found their third baseman for years to come.

After that season, JP Ricciardi signed Hinske to a five-year, $14.75 million deal, buying out his arbitration years—a move that seemed wise at the time. In 2003, Hinske hit just .243/.329/.437 (OPS+ 97) with 12 homers, but he tallied 45 doubles (fifth in the AL) in 124 games and stole 12 bases in 14 tries. His defense remained an issue, leading the league with 22 errors and a .930 fielding percentage. A broken bone in his hand cost him a month, which was blamed for his dip in offense—at least initially.

Hinske’s 2004 season was rough. He hit just .246/.312/.375 in 155 games (OPS+ 76), though he did have a 16-game hitting streak. The only highlight was his improved defense: just eight errors and a .978 fielding average, which led the AL. After the season, the Jays brought in Corey Koskie and Shea Hillenbrand for third base duties, moving Hinske over to first.

In 2005, Hinske improved at the plate, hitting .262/.333/.430 with 15 home runs, but made seven errors at first base. An OPS+ of 100 wasn’t enough for a first baseman or DH, so after the season, Ricciardi acquired Lyle Overbay for first and Troy Glaus for third.

At the start of 2006, Hinske platooned in right field with Alex Rios, but Rios soon won the job outright thanks to his strong play. When Rios went on the DL with a staph infection in June, Hinske filled in. Later, after Shea Hillenbrand’s departure, a spot at DH opened up for Hinske.

Hinske was enjoying his best season since his rookie year, hitting .264/.353/.513 with 12 homers in 78 games, when, on August 17, the Jays traded him to the Red Sox for cash.

Hinske developed a reputation as a good luck charm. In 2007, he earned a World Series ring with the Red Sox. The following year, he was on the losing side with the Rays, making the final out of the World Series on a strikeout—his second postseason at-bat, the first being a home run. In 2009, he won another ring with the Yankees, though he only had one plate appearance, drawing a walk. In 2010, his Braves lost in the NLDS to the Giants, but Hinske still managed two home runs in seven playoff at-bats. He remained with Atlanta through 2012, then played for the Diamondbacks in 2013.

After retiring, Hinske became a scout for the Yankees, then joined the Cubs as first base coach before becoming their hitting coach. He earned his third World Series ring with Chicago. This year, he’s serving as the assistant hitting coach for the Mets.

Happy birthday, Eric.

Today is Rick Bosetti’s 73rd birthday.

Bosetti played for the Blue Jays from 1978, the team’s second season, through 1981.

In 1978, as the Jays’ center fielder, he hit .259/.299/.347 with five home runs in 136 games. The following year, he played all 162 games, batting .260/.286/.362 with eight home runs, 13 steals, and 12 times caught stealing.

In 1980, after Toronto brought in Barry Bonnell for center field, Bosetti’s playing time dropped. He appeared in 53 games, hitting .213/.277/.324. In June 1981, he was traded to the A’s for cash. As a Blue Jay, he hit .252/.289/.348 over 376 games in four seasons.

Rick played for the Phillies and Cardinals before joining the Jays, and later appeared in 15 games over two seasons with the A’s after his time in Toronto.

Happy birthday, Rick.

It’s also Bobby Kielty’s 50th birthday.

The Jays acquired Kielty in exchange for Shannon Stewart midway through the 2003 season. He played 62 games in the outfield, hitting .233/.342/.376. After the season, Toronto traded him to the A’s for Ted Lilly.

Kielty played seven seasons in the majors, hitting .254/.348/.408 with 53 home runs in 599 games. He spent time with the Twins before joining the Jays, and later played for the A’s and Red Sox.

Happy birthday, Bobby.

Hey again, I’m Jon, and we’ve hit the seventh-inning stretch. This is a special, super-sized episode of The History of Charging the Mound, and unlike the others, it’s not about any particular mound-charging. Instead, I decided to call an intermission and take inventory of other once-hallowed baseball institutions that have faded from relevance like mound-charging has.

Something happened around 2010. That’s when mound-charges dropped off suddenly and precipitously. That’s also when players stopped posting ultra-high batting averages, hitting streaks became shorter, light-hitting ballplayers began to phase out, and pitchers would commonly get pulled from a game six or seven innings into a no-hitter. All these practices and achievements have something important in common: they do not perfectly correlate with the winning of baseball games. It seems that the turn of the 2010s was when optimization finally came for baseball.

Although it’s entirely possible that baseball is worse off for it – in at least a couple of ways in particular, I absolutely believe it is – I think the more honest framing is that baseball has entered a phase of accelerated evolution, and it is not finished evolving. Rather than worry too much about all that, though, I decided to have 45 minutes of fun slapping some numbers and charts on the wall.

If this is up your alley and you want even more, we’ve got you covered. Check out the latest feature-length episode right here: Nolan Ryan vs. Robin Ventura.

Ever since the Red Sox traded for Adley Rutschman on Monday, I’ve been fascinated by the debate over how much having a solid stick behind the plate matters. On one hand, the bat is not your primary focus at that position, and most of the league stinks offensively at catcher anyway, so even if you have a catcher with a slightly above average bat there, he’s still not a true slugger in the vast majority of cases.

But on the other hand, this also makes it the easiest position to get a leg up on everybody else, and in some cases, a huge leg up. For the 2026 Red Sox specifically — who are getting paltry production from their combination of crummy catchers — it screamed the most obvious path for improvement.

And no, I’m not just saying this now that the Sox landed Rutschman. I felt catcher should’ve been the target for the Sox even when most rumors were connecting them to a shortstop.

So in any case, I started looking back at all the World Series winners over the last several decades and what type of offensive production they got from their catching. And you know what? The results are pretty fascinating. Here’s the raw data going back for the last 50 World Series (1975 to 2025, with 1994 missing because of the strike) and each catcher measured by OPS+.

(For this exercise, I used whatever catcher got the most plate appearance for their team during that championship season and their regular season OPS+. It’s imperfect if you want details, but it gets the job done as a broad overview, and the OPS+ metric being park and league adjusted over time brings everybody onto a level playing field, which is a must in this type of comparison.)

Doing it chronologically makes it easy to find certain guys and seasons, but you can glean even more from the results when you take that same data and organize all the seasons by OPS+. Since this is where some real patterns start to emerge, let’s see what that looks like below:

A few things jump out here immediately. First off, the 2018 Red Sox are a complete anomaly. They had not one, but two completely useless bats at catcher on that roster between Sandy Leon and Christian Vazquez. Together they played 89 and 80 games respectively, and posted an OPS+ of 37 and 46. In other words, if you use either guy for this exercise, you end up with the worst hitting catcher on any World Series team in the last 50 years.

Secondly, the example closest to the 2018 Red Sox almost doesn’t even count, for several reasons. First, we know Yadier Molina is better than that 53 OPS+ he posted in the 2006 regular season, and this was specifically illustrated by the fact he hit .358 with a .971 OPS in 16 games for the Cardinals during the 2006 postseason. Additionally, that 2006 Cardinals team only won 83 regular season games, so they literally only started acting like a World Series team once October started, which is also the precise moment they started getting explosive offensive production from behind the dish. So this is pretty much the exception that proves the rule.

Taking a broader view, above average offensive production from catching compared to the rest of the league tends to be a pretty serious championship building block. For reference, the average OPS+ among catchers in 2026 is 89, and if we look at the second table up there, 33 of the last 50 World Series winning catchers posted an OPS+ of 89 or higher (so we’re talking two thirds of the batch).

If I had to take a guess as to why this is the case, I’d guess it’s because the MLB postseason becomes a game of outs even more than a game of runs, and while many of the catchers on that list weren’t big boppers, they also weren’t automatic outs either, meaning the opponent found it just a little bit more difficult to collect 27 outs against them each night, and ultimately couldn’t do it without cracking over a seven game series.

However, the really fascinating data starts when you look at the names near the top of the table above. Specifically, when you hone in on the guys who posted an OPS+ above 120 during a World Series winning season. If you go from Jason Varitek’s 2004 upwards (121 OPS+ and higher), you get seven names (spanning eleven seasons). Here they are in bulleted form:

• Buster Posey
• Will Smith
• Johnny Bench
• Jorge Posada
• Yadier Molina
• Thurman Munson
• Jason Varitek

Do you know what those seven guys all have in common? They all won the World Series more than once! And in Posey, Smith and Posada’s case, it was at least three times. So when you get to this level, not only does a big bat at this position help you win one World Series, it puts you in a hell of a position to eventually go for a second bite at the apple.

So now the question becomes, where does that leave the Sox with Adley Rutschman? Rutschman’s OPS+ right now is 115, and that’s true for both his 2026 season and his career mark. So if he can come back and get just a little bit of a bump from that number and start looking like the guy he was earlier in his career, you start playing with some extremely enticing numbers. (This is undoubtedly the vision the front office saw, and why they paid such a high premium for him.)

Then again, do you know what there’s almost no track record of on that list? A catcher as good as Adley Rutschman switching teams in the middle of a season and then leading that new team to a World Series title that same year. As far as that table is concerned, the biggest thing Monday’s deadline did was ship Carlos Narvaez’s 52 OPS+ out of town (a level of futility that only the 2018 Red Sox made work).

Then there’s also the concerning fact that Rutschman’s really only had two good months by OPS+ over the last two years (although both of those were downright excellent). Here’s his OPS and OPS+ numbers by month for the last ten months he’s tallied at least 50 plate appearances dating back to the middle of the 2024 season.

• July 2024: OPS of .482 with an OPS+ of 35
• August 2024: OPS of .625 with an OPS+ of 73
• September 2024: OPS of .578 with an OPS+ of 68
• April 2025: OPS of .694 with an OPS+ of 98
• May 2025: OPS of .561 with an OPS+ of 57
• June 2025: OPS of .890 with an OPS+ of 147
• August 2025: OPS of .616 with an OPS+ of 69
• April 2026: OPS of 1.067 with an OPS+ of 194
• May 2026: OPS of .636 with an OPS+ of 81
• June 2026: OPS of .717 with an OPS+ of 93

Outside of June 2025 and April 2026, that’s ugly stuff. So if the Red Sox don’t get some sort of bounce back here, they severely overpaid for Rutschman’s services. Then again, Rutschman’s been thrust into his best chance to win a World Series in years overnight, and we’ve seen situations time and time again in this sport where you put a dog in the kitchen where he can smell meat, and then all of a sudden they start to relearn old tricks.

So to bottom line all this, the stakes are extremely high. The Sox are in pretty uncharted territory trying to win with Rutschman as an in-season pickup, but history suggests there’s a pretty strong link between a good hitting catcher, and a good shot at a championship (maybe even multiple championships). So which guy did the Sox get? It will be fascinating to find out in the months ahead.

The San Francisco Giants were on the clock to improve their roster or create future spending flexibility before the MLB trade deadline on Monday, Aug. 3.

They did both.

San Francisco (48-66 entering Wednesday, Aug. 5) spent deadline season reshaping a roster that failed to meet expectations, moving veterans in exchange for younger talent and future upside.

Whether those moves ultimately pay off will depend on the development of the prospects acquired in those deals.

Here's a grade for every trade the Giants made before the deadline, along with an overall team grade of C+.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

The Boston Red Sox are modest -127 favorites over the Chicago White Sox today when Sonny Gray and Sean Burke go toe-to-toe at Fenway Park.

My White Sox vs. Red Sox predictions expect the chickens to come home to roost for fly-ball-prone hurler Burke, as Boston not only wins outright but also covers the run line in our MLB picks for Wednesday, Aug. 5.

Who will win White Sox vs Red Sox today: Red Sox -1.5 (+158)

Normally, I like to start with a breakdown of the pitching matchup, and while both Sean Burke and Sonny Gray have excelled this season, I'm keying in on the offenses a bit, specifically the Boston Red Sox.

Over the last 30 days, the Red Sox rank fifth in MLB in wRC+ at 116 (league average is 100), which has been a massive contributing factor toward their hot streak bringing them back from the brink of death in the AL race.

Caleb Durbin has rebounded from his poor start, hitting .321/.418/.464 in that span, while Andruw Monasterio has been even better (.359/.440/.656). The power stroke has been handled by Wilyer Abreu, who has countered his poor .204 batting average in the last month by blasting a team-leading nine home runs.

But it's Willson Contreras who has emerged as the real heart of this team and the lineup's potential, boasting a 177 wRC+ while hitting .296/.465/.519 with eight long balls in his last 106 plate appearances. 

With favorable weather conditions (more on that below, in the Over/Under section), I like Boston's offense to push the Red Sox to another statement win, especially since the Chicago White Sox have gone in the opposite direction, owning baseball's fifth-worst wRC+ (84) in the last 30 days.

I'd play Boston -1.5 to +130.

COVERS INTEL: Contreras is a heat-seeking missile for barrels. Despite being 34, his bat speed remains in the 96th percentile, while both his barrel rate and expected slugging percentage are in the 92nd. Swing hard, hit hard is the name of his game. 

White Sox vs Red Sox Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (+110)

On paper, this is a solid pitching matchup between Burke and Gray, but there's good reason to target the Over.

Fenway Park will experience fairly humid conditions tonight with wind blowing to left-center field. While Gray keeps the ball on the ground fairly well, Burke is an extreme fly-ball pitcher, with a 36.4% ground-ball rate (18th percentile). Despite that, he's kept the ball in the ballpark at a much better clip relative to 2025.

But even if the ball doesn't sail over the fence, the Green Monster will be in play, making Burke's night a tricky one at best.

And for as strong as Gray has been in his debut season in Beantown, he's been knocked around a bit of late, surrendering nine earned runs on 17 hits in 12 innings over his last two starts.

So even though the White Sox haven't been mashing of late, Munetaka Murakami & Co. can do enough damage in these conditions to help clear the Over. 

I'd play down to +100. 

White Sox vs Red Sox weather

As mentioned, the wind is blowing right at the Green Monster, which may not bode well for the pitchers in Boston tonight. There's no rain in the forecast, and it will be between 76 and 82 degrees, so warm but not insanely humid.

White Sox vs Red Sox odds

• Moneyline: White Sox +122 | Red Sox -127
• Run line: White Sox +1.5 (-170) | Red Sox -1.5 (+163)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+104) | Under 8.5 (-108)

White Sox vs Red Sox trend

The Boston Red Sox have covered the Run Line in 24 of their last 35 games (+18.20 Units / 43% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for White Sox vs. Red Sox.

How to watch White Sox vs Red Sox and game info

White Sox vs Red Sox 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.