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Baseball feels more organic when Nancy Faust is in a booth with an organ. Her presence in the ballpark this afternoon, which precluded the usual barrage of pop songs, crowd-stimulating noises, and things that my dad would refer to as “canned bullshit,” set the tone for what turned out to be an improbably fun day at the ballpark as the White Sox staked themselves a season-high four-game lead in the AL Central with a 5-2 win over the Guardians.

This is a Sox team that has made its hay with youthful energy. But even without the thumping bass that typically blasts from Rate Field’s PA system, the action on the field and the feeling in the stands was as vibrant as ever. When it appeared that Cleveland would put a damper on the 30,000 strong crowd’s supportive push with three straight hits and two runs against Davis Martin to open the game, the Sox responded with three consecutive hits of their own to start their part of the action.

The Sox only managed to get one run out of their hit parade, though. For a moment, when Guardians starter Joey Cantillo punched out three consecutive hitters to escape the early jam, it seemed as if the building momentum had been stifled.

Then the tarps came out.

One two-hour rain delay later, it felt like it didn’t matter. When Tim Herrin took the ball for Cleveland in relief of Cantillo, it was a whole new ballgame. Herrin did his job, but his successor Craig Yoho couldn’t. For the second straight day, the Guardians had grabbed themselves a 2-0 lead before falling victim to a big crooked number from the South Siders. After taking an inning to warm up, Miguel Vargas, Randal Grichuk and Braden Montgomery all reached base in succession with two outs before the other Montgomery broke things open with one swing of the bat.

For most of the last half-decade, the thought of 20,000 Sox fans waiting out a two-hour rain delay while trailing would have been nigh-unthinkable. The ones who stood tall through the pause were also rewarded by witnessing Hagen Smith’s long-awaited big league debut. He lived up to every bit of the scouting report, throwing just 25 of 48 pitches for strikes (and even fewer in the zone) and walking four over two innings. He also struck out three, drew whiffs on 33% of the swings against him, and kept the opponent off the board long enough for the Sox offense to take control of the game.

That’s not a location chart that’s going to get it done long-term, but he got away with it today, which is hard to be mad about in a big league debut. Despite having all pitched just yesterday, Sean Newcomb, Bryan Hudson and Jordan Hicks once against answered the bell with aplomb, keeping Cleveland off the board for three more innings.

One critical piece of last night’s bullpen picture was missing, as Grant Taylor was clearly unavailable, leaving Trevor Richards to handle the ninth inning. As Richards walked two of the first three hitters he saw in the ninth inning, flashbacks circulated of the righthander’s two-for-one blown save(s) in Boston earlier this week.

Magnifying the unease was the man who stepped to the plate as the tying run as a wild pitch sent the baserunners to second and third.

They’re playing Cleveland. You already know who it was.

Maybe this Sox team really is different. Perhaps the ghosts of Josh Naylor have been exorcised. Richards stiffened his back and got José Ramírez to fly out to Brenton Doyle in center field, allowing a meaningless run to cross over in the process. It subsequently took just a single pitch to get Rhys Hoskins to sail one straight into Braden Montgomery’s glove, securing a 5-3 win for the good guys, and a four-game lead over both the Guardians and the Twins. Detroit now occupies second place alone at 58-60, 3 ½ games behind.

If the conclusion to this week’s series in Boston felt like a missed opportunity to make a statement that this isn’t a team that’s going to go away down the stretch, I’d gauge that this weekend did well to compensate. The Sox offense has been touch-and-go as the league enters a sudden dead-ball era, the way the offense and pitching alternated picking up each other’s slack over the course of these three games was encouraging in the big picture. Nobody’s going to mistake the White Sox for a juggernaut, but with Smith and Tanner McDougal — who appeared ready to make his own debut had Richards not been able to work out of his own jam — providing real bullpen upside, I’d have a pretty big pit in my stomach if I was a rival AL Central team.

The Sox have a rest day at home tomorrow before welcoming the Cincinnati Reds for three games on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. It would be prudent for them to use that rest day wisely, as this series also kicks off a stretch of 16 consecutive game days, a gauntlet that could very well decide the fate of the division.

The highly-anticipated Pope Hat giveaway set for Tuesday night has already sold out, and the thought of newly-minted ace Sean Burke toeing the rubber with 40,000 Catholics-for-a-night roaring behind them in pursuit of an extended division lead can’t help but tickle the imagination. That’ll be followed up on Wednesday with Luis Castillo’s second turn through the rotation on the South Side, with Thursday’s starter yet to be announced. The first two are set for 6:40 p.m. CT, while Thursday is a 1:10 matinee contest.

MVP
Colson Montgomery: 1-for-3, HR, 3 RBI

Runners-Up
The Bullpen: 8 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 7 BB, 8 SO
Brenton Doyle: 2-for-5, 2B, R

Cold Cat
Luisangel Acuña: 0-for-4, 2 K

Runners-Up
Davis Martin: IP, 2 H, 2 ER, BB
Braden Montgomery: 0-for-3, BB, 3 SO, 4 LOB

The Cubs activated right-hander Ethan Roberts off the injured list and assigned him to Iowa.

Right-hander Vince Reilly was moved from Triple-A Iowa to Double-A Knoxville.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were one-hit by Indianapolis (Pirates), 2-0.

Josh Fleming started for the I-Cubs and took the loss after allowing one run on four hits over three innings. Fleming struck out two and walked no one, although he did hit one batter.

Shelby Miller started a rehab assignment in his first appearance of the year. Miller pitched one inning and allowed one run on two hits. He struck out two and walked no one.

Hoby Milner then pitched the next two innings in another rehab appearance and was strong, giving up no runs on just one hit. Milner struck out one and walked no one.

Second baseman Ben Cowles had the only Iowa hit in the second inning. He was 1 for 2 with a walk and a steal.

Kevin Alcántara went 0 for 3, ending his 42-game on-base streak.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies were put out by the Chattanooga Lookouts (Reds), 6-5.

Kevin Valdez was outstanding for six innings, giving up just one unearned run on three hits. Valdez struck out six and walked just one.

The bullpen, however, was not outstanding. Marino Santy gave up three runs on the seventh and while Grayson Moore retired the side in order in the eighth, he opened the ninth with a single, a strikeout and a walk.

With runners on first and second, one out and a one-run lead, Frankie Scalzo Jr. was summoned from the pen. Scalzo retired no one, allowing a single, a bases-loaded RBI hit batter and then a walk-off RBI single.

Left fielder Carter Trice hit a solo home run in the fourth inning, his 13th on the season. Trice was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Shortstop Karson Simas went 2 for 4 with a steal. He scored one run and had one run batted in.

Center fielder Kane Kepley went 1 for 3 with two walks. He stole his first two bases in Double-A as well, giving him 52 on the year. Kepley scored twice and had one run batted in.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs creamed the Cedar Rapids Kernels (Twins), 13-1 in a game that ended in the eight inning because of “inclement weather.”

Ethan Flanagan pitched the first four innings and surrendered one run on three hits. Flanagan walked three and struck out five.

Adam Stone pitched a 1-2-3 fifth inning and got the win because Flanagan didn’t go five. Stone did not have a strikeout.

Cole Reynolds got the three-inning save, allowing no runs on two hits. Reynolds struck out one, walked one and hit one.

First baseman Josiah Hartshorn hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning. It was his 13th with South Bend and 18th overall. Hartshorn went 2 for 4 with a double, the home run and a walk. Hartshorn also stole a base. He scored two runs.

Center fielder Alexey Lumpuy was 3 for 5 with two steals and three runs scored.

DH Logan Poteet was 2 for 5 with two RBI.

Right fielder Geuri Lubo went 1 for 2 with a walk, a sac fly and three RBI. He scored one run.

Catcher (and 20th-round pick) Brennan Hudson got his first pro hit. Hudson doubled in a run in the third inning. He was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Everyone in the South Bend lineup had at least one hit.

Hudson’s first pro hit.

Hartshorn hammers it.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans netted the Columbia Fireflies (Royals), 10-1.

Starter Anhuar Garcia pitched four innings, allowing just one unearned run on two hits. He struck out seven and walked just one, but he did hit one batter.

Next, David Bracho pitched three scoreless innings and got the win. He allowed two hits. He struck out two and walked no one.

Right fielder Ethan Conrad hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning, his fourth with the Pelicans and fifth overall. He also had a three-run double in the fourth inning, giving him six total RBI in the game. Conrad was 3 for 6.

Second baseman Fernando Cruz doubled twice and had four hits in a 4 for 5 game. Cruz scored two runs and had one RBI.

Left fielder Derik Alcántara was 3 for 5. He scored twice and drove in one.

Center fielder Caden Sorrell went 2 for 5 with a double, a walk and a steal. He scored one run.

Conrad’s three-run double.

Conrad’s home run.

Billy Amick has already made a name for himself. 

The Mets prospect has continued his tear in Double-A since joining the Mets organization, hitting his fifth home run in seven games in the Rumble Ponies’ 4-3 win over the Hartford Yard Goats on Sunday. 

The infielder joined the Mets organization on July 31 when he was acquired as part of the deal that sent pitcher A.J. Minter to the Twins.

His three-run blast on Sunday came in the sixth inning and broke a 1-1 tie that put the Rumble Ponies up 4-1 at the time. He also has 13 RBIs for the Rumble Ponies.

The home run hit by the man they call “Billy Barrels” went far over the wall in left field and he now has 28 home runs at the Double-A level in 2026. 

“It was a fun week for sure. Everybody was getting on base and we were all having good at-bats,” Amick said while being interviewed on the field after the game. “Everything kind of came together. Ended up with six wins, so that’s all you can ask for.” 

Amick was given not one but two postgame Gatorade showers in celebration of his home run. 

The 23-year-old was been taken by the Twins in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft and he played for both Clemson and Tennessee in college. 

He was limited to just 59 games in 2025 due to injuries. 

The Rumble Ponies have won seven games in a row and will be off Monday before they start a six-game series with Portland.

Record: 63-56. Pace: 86-76. Change on 2025: +6.

Not sure if we have a guest recap today. I didn’t hear back from the scheduled recapper, and didn’t see them in the GDT either. So just in case, I’m going to throw up a quick one for now: if a proper recap shows up, this one can quietly wander off into the sunset. I think it’s definitely worth marking the fact that today was the first time since 2018 that the D-backs have won the season series over the Dodgers. Now, it’s still highly likely to be nothing more than a moral triumph. Los Angeles are still 7.5 games ahead of Arizona, so there’s unlikely to be any need for any tie-breaker. But it still indicates this team is certainly playing them tougher than some previous years.

And few players deserve that “tougher” label than Eduardo Rodriguez, who threw 115 pitches over seven innings of two-run ball. It was certainly needed, on a day where the team effectively had four relievers off the board. That was a full ten pitches more than any Arizona starter this year. The last time any D-back threw more was more than nine years ago, Robbie Ray tossing 122 on June 30, 2017. [Of course, Randy Johnson passed that number on an almost everyday basis: twenty-one times in both 1999 and 2001] E-Rod scattered five hits and two walks, with nine strikeouts and improved his record for the year to 11-4.

The offense jumped out on Justin Wrobleski early, putting up a crooked number in both the first and second innings. After a Geraldo Perdomo walk to start the game for the D-backs, Ketel Marte cranked his twentieth home-run of the year into the left-field bleachers, for a quick 2-0 lead. In the second frame, a Ryan Waldschmidt bunt [let’s take the arguments as read, shall we?] caused an error which brought home a run, and a Corbin Carroll double gave Arizona a 4-0 advantage. The offense largely shut up shop thereafter. They went 0-for-14 against the Los Angeles bullpen, and were 0-for-7 with RISP. But it was definitely a case of “good enough.”

The Dodgers pulled runs back in the third and sixth, but a Freddie Freeman double-play in the eighth, when he represented the tying run, was the end of their real threat. Kevin Ginkel, much-maligned in some quarters, came in for the ninth, notched a 1-2-3 inning with two K’s for his first save of the year, reducing his season ERA to 3.60 – pretty respectable, I’d say. There should be some relief (literally) arriving for the team, with the news the D-backs have signed Zack Littell, the former Nats pitcher, likely to act as a long-man in the bullpen. They just have to pay the prorated MLB minimum, Washington covering the rest.

Click here for details, at Fangraphs.com
Spiderman: Eduardo Rodriguez, +23 %
Mary Jane: Ketel Marte, +14%
The Green Goblin: Corbin Carroll, -11%

Comment of the Thread to Roy Batty, for his empathy with the lifestyles of the rich and famous.

We’ll be cheering on the Astros tonight, since they face the Padres. A win for Houston would put Arizona two games clear of San Diego, though just about everyone else involved in the NL wild-card race won today. Tomorrow, the Rockies come to town for a three-game set, with the first pitch at 6:40 pm. The game looks to see the return of Michael Soroka, so I hope he can continue the fine form he showed before having to go on the injured list. See you there!

TONIGHT’S GAME: The first-place Houston Astros (60-58) continue their six-game road trip with the third game of three-game series against the San Diego Padres (61-57) at Petco Park.

RHP Cristian Javier (1-2, 6.59 ERA) will be on the mound for the Astros for sixth start of the season tonight, opposite RHP Randy Vásquez (7-6, 4.19 ERA) and the Padres.

THE TURNAROUND: After a slow start to the season, the Astros are 40-27 since May 22, which is the second-best record in the AL in that span. On that date, the Astros were 20-31, 11 games under, which is their low water mark for the season.

THAT’S OFFENSIVE: The Astros lead the AL in SLG (.417), and OPS (.739), while ranking second in home runs (160), OBP (.322) and hits (981). In the Majors, the Astros rank third in homers, trailing only the Nationals (170) and Yankees (166).

EL REPTIL: Tonight’s Astros starter RHP Cristian Javier is making his sixth start of the season and his third since returning from the IL in early July. He has split time between being a starter and reliever since his return, making four relief appearances and two starts. Since returning from the IL, he’s recorded a 3.50 ERA (7ER/18IP) with 19 strikeouts, a .257 opponent batting average and a 1.33 WHIP. In his last start on Monday against the Blue Jays at Daikin Park, he allowed three runs on seven hits and no walks with two strikeouts in six innings, marking his first quality start of the season (last, Sept. 17, 2025 vs. TEX).

ROAD WARRIORS: The Astros continue a sixgame West Coast road-trip with the third game of a three-game series against the San Diego Padres. Following their series with Padres, the Astros will travel to San Francisco for a three-game series against the Giants. The Astros went 5-1 on their last road trip. Houston is also 23-14 (.621) on their last five road trips and are 29-20 (.591) on the road since going 1-9 on their first road trip of the season. Houston is 30-29 overall on the road in 2026

THE LINEUP: The Astros have used 116 different lineups in their 118 games, repeating a lineup just twice on the season, which includes using the same lineup on Monday and Tuesday. DH Yordan Alvarez has the most starts at any spot in the lineup among Astros, hitting second 105 times.

VS. THE PADRES: The Astros and Padres have faced off vs. each other 617 times with the Astros leading the series 322-295. The Astros last faced the Padres in a three-game series at Daikin Park from April 18-20, 2025 (Astros went 2-1). The last time the Astros were at Petco Park was from Sept. 16-18, 2024 at SD (Padres went 2-1).

MVP-CALIBER: Yordan Alvarez leads the AL in all three Triple Crown categories, ranking first in batting average (.325), HR (35), and RBI (86). Additionally, he leads MLB in OPS (1.069), OBP (.439), SLG (.630), and TB (266). In the AL, he ranks first in hits (137), extra-base hits (59), and runs (79), and second in walks (82).

MR. RELIABLE: LHP Steven Okert has recorded a 2.20 ERA (14ER/57.1IP) with 59 strikeouts, 12 walks, a 0.87 WHIP and a .189 opponent batting average in 57 appearances, including one start this season. Among AL relievers, he ranks first in WHIP (0.81), second in appearances (56), second in H/9 (5.56), second in opponent batting average (.179), fifth in opponent OPS (.546) and seventh in ERA (2.06).

STREAKING: 1B Christian Walker has hit safely in season-high 11 consecutive games at a .333 (14×42) clip with eight runs, four doubles, two home runs, six RBI and a 1.011 OPS during the streak. It is his second-longest hitting streak of his career, behind a 13-game hitting streak from June 16-29, 2023, as a member of the Diamondbacks.

MULTI-HOMER MADNESS: RF Cam Smith went 3×4 with two solo home runs on Fri. night at SD, marking his fourth career multi-homer game (last, June 29 vs. MIN). It was also his second career multi-homer game against the Padres (also, April 18, 2025).

ON THE DEFENSIVE: 1B Christian Walker has not commited an error in his 112 games at first base this season, which is the longest errorless streak in the Majors this season.

BRYAN’S BACK: RHP Bryan Abreu has a 1.02 ERA (2ER/17.2IP) in his last 17 apps. with just seven hits allowed and 22 strikeouts in that span. Additionally, since May 1, he has a 1.93 ERA (7ER/32.2IP) in 34 apps., and is 6-for-6 in save opp. in that span. Prior to May 1, Abreu had a 12.54 ERA in his first 11 apps. of the season.

CHIPPING IN: A couple Astros are on mini hot streaks, including OF Taylor Trammell, who’s hit four homers with eight RBI and a 1.038 OPS in his last 11 games. RF Cam Smith is batting .394 (13×33) with two home runs, six RBI and a 1.126 OPS in his last nine games.

TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY:1976 – In a 13-4 win over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, All-Star CF Cesar Cedeno hits for the cycle for the second time in his career. Cedeno secures the cycle with an 8th-inning single and ends up 4×5 with 5 RBI.

1965 – Future Hall of Fame RHP Robin Roberts hurls an 8-0 shutout over the Phillies in the Dome in what is his Astros debut. Roberts had started the season with the Orioles, but was released and then signed by Houston. He would post a 5-2 record with a 1.89 ERA in 10 starts for the Astros as part of his journey to Cooperstown.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Sunday, August 9, 7:20 p.m. CT

Location: Petco Park, San Diego, CA

TV: NBC/Peacock

Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

Outfielder Austin Hays, 31, has signed a major league contract with the San Diego Padres. Utility man Gage Workman was optioned to Triple-A El Paso to create a roster spot. 

Hays, a right-handed hitter, has only played in 12 games in the 2026 season. He was signed by the Chicago White Sox before the season but has spent most of the year on the injured list with leg injuries. Hays signed a $6 million one-year deal with Chicago on Feb. 4.

The White Sox activated him from the IL on Aug. 5, designated him for assignment, and released him on Aug. 7. In his 12 games and 43 at-bats, Hays is hitting .233 with a .576 OPS with a home run and seven RBI.

Over his nine-season career, Hays has played for the Baltimore Orioles (2017-2024), Cincinnati Reds, and the White Sox. He has excelled against left-handed pitchers with a career average of .319 against left-handers versus a .255 average against right-handers.

In 2025, with the Reds, Hays played in 103 games. He had a .266 average and .768 OPS with 16 doubles, five triples, 15 homers and 64 RBI. He played both corner outfield spots and served as DH for the Reds. For the White Sox, he played right field and was a DH.

Hays figures to be a bench player for the Padres, specializing as a starter/pinch-hitter versus lefties. 

Workman was acquired by the Padres at the trade deadline from the Detroit Tigers along with Casey Mize, in exchange for minor league prospects LHP Kash Mayfield and LHP Jackson Wolf.

The Padres have had a season-long weakness versus left-handed pitchers. The team has a .688 OPS against lefties. At the trade deadline, the Padres were reportedly trying to acquire a left-handed outfielder but were unable to make anything work.

Hays, though not left-handed, provides a valuable upgrade to the bench with Workman, 27, sporting a career .175 average and .558 OPS in his two partial major league seasons (57 at-bats).

Hays was activated before the Padres’ finale against the Houston Astros today. He made himself available to the media prior to the game and expressed a desire to go to the playoffs for the fourth season in a row.

The 50 Seasons Celebration weekend instead turned into Groundhog Day as the Mariners were swept away by the Rays. The same problems that have plagued the 2026 Mariners all season long plagued them again today: a lack of connection in the lineup, a lack of situational hitting, too much chasing out of the zone, and a starting pitcher with the audacity to be imperfect, all leading to a 4-1 loss to see the Mariners fall to seven games below .500.

To be fair, Hancock was pretty far from perfect, running a pitch count of 80 over just four innings, falling behind in counts and failing to command his secondaries. Hancock had to immediately work around a bases-loaded no-outs jam in the first. Some of it was his own misdoing: in a 1-2 count to Yandy Díaz leading off the game, Hancock left a four-seamer middle-middle that he’s lucky isn’t on Mercer Island currently, as Díaz settled instead for a hard-hit single. Hancock then left a sweeper in on Jonathan Aranda’s lefty loop zone, which he accordingly looped into center. Chandler Simpson tried to bunt the runners into scoring position and instead came up with a lucky weak base hit, made worse by Hancock deflecting it – let your infielders infield, Emerson! But to his credit, Hancock came back to get the next three outs and work out of the jam, striking out scary Junior Caminero on 97.5 elevated, getting Liam Hicks to pop out on a well-located fastball up in the zone, and then striking out Victor Mesa Jr. on a curveball that just nicked the bottom of the zone. Vibes were on the upswing!

The top of the Mariners lineup rewarded Hancock immediately: Taylor Ward checked in with his first extra-base hit as a Mariner, and a triple! at that, and then Cole Young went after the first pitch he saw from Rays starter Ian Seymour, a sinker, rapping a ground ball RBI base hit into right. Vibes were sky-high!

But as it so often has this season, the Mariners offense spluttered after that, and the vibes came crashing right back down: Randy Arozarena hit into a ground ball double play, and then Dominic Canzone went after the first pitch he saw and POPped it up, as Dave Sims would say. The Rays actually gave the Mariners second life by dropping that popup but Julio Rodríguez struck out swinging after a changeup.

After Hancock navigated around a leadoff walk in the top of the second, Josh Naylor continued to show signs of life with a leadoff single in the bottom of the inning, but again the offense machine broke down when Cal Raleigh struck out swinging after a changeup. Weston Wilson, in for the lefty Brendan Donovan against Seymour, worked a walk, but then Colt Emerson struck out, again on the changeup. That turned over the lineup for Taylor Ward, who worked more of his OBP magic and tapped a ball back to the pitcher, who mishandled it, allowing Ward to reach, but that put Cole Young into a tricky bases-loaded two-outs situation and the Youngster couldn’t come through, grounding out to end the inning. My kingdom for a hitter coming up with runners on and less than two outs. This on-out-on-out-on-out Morse Code of offense is just not it.

Hancock worked around some traffic in the third, but wasn’t able to escape damage in the fourth – his own fault, after hitting seven-hole hitter Cedric Mullins with a curveball with one out. Richie Palacios then rapped a ground ball past Weston Wilson at third, and then Yandy Díaz came up with the two-out hit the Mariners weren’t able to get in the previous inning, taking advantage of a poorly-located cutter on the plate for another hard-hit RBI single that tied up the game.

The Mariners offense, for their part, did exactly what they’ve been doing all season and did not answer back in the bottom of the inning, going meekly 1-2-3 on 10 combined pitches. The Rays, sensing a sweep, came out in the fifth with several innings of having seen Hancock struggle with his command combined with declining velocity on his sinker and four-seamer and got very aggressive. Chandler Simpson led off with yet another hit that should not have been a hit, as yet again Emerson Hancock put himself in between a ball and a defender. Stop doing that, Emerson! Hancock followed that up by really spraying it around in Caminero’s at-bat, which luckily ended with Caminero chasing up high again and popping out on the infield – smartly played by Josh Naylor, who let the ball drop and took the fielder’s choice out at second, wiping out the speedy Chandler in favor of Caminero.

But that heads-up play didn’t save the Mariners, as some more fluky BABIP luck cost them, with a flyball single from Liam Hicks dropping into no-man’s land in left field. A flyout from Victor Mesa Jr. moved the runner to third, and then Hancock served Cedric Mullins a sinker right on the plate that he was able to work for a broken bat RBI base hit. It’s a frustrating way for the runs to score but that’s what happens when a team makes a ton of contact.

Speaking of a ton of contact, with the Rays ahead 2-1, it was time for the patented Bullpen Swoon. The victim this time was Jose Ferrer, pressed into service as Hancock departed the game at the end of the fifth and coming back out for the sixth. Taylor Walls led off with a parachute single on a pitch located roughly on the ISS, followed by Díaz poking a pitch through the 5/6 hole. But Ferrer then made things harder on himself with a wild pitch to put two runners in scoring position with no outs. It looked like the Mariners might make another Houdini escape, as Ferrer got his next two outs – one an out at home, punishing Simpson for a bunt and the failure of the contact play, making at least Rick Rizzs happy today, and one must imagine Rick Rizzs happy – but a Liam Hicks double drove in two runs to put the game out of reach, 4-1.

From there it was pretty much what you’d expect. The Rays nipped and nibbled, racking up 14 hits, but not adding on to their lead again. The Mariners, meanwhile, drooled and dribbled, collecting a grand total of two singles and a walk from the end of the second inning through the rest of the game – even the traffic they got on in the ninth was via mistakes, a hit by pitch (Josh Naylor, on his already injured wrist, to add injury to the insult that was this game) and a misplay on a Cole Emerson ground ball.

The Rays are tough – they’re leading the AL for the reason, and they put a ton of pitches on Hancock just like they did on Kirby earlier in this series. But they also didn’t play the cleanest game of baseball today, and there were ample opportunities for the Mariners to at least steal one win out of this disappointing weekend. One run of offense is just not going to get it done. The Mariners need a spark, badly, and not from benches-clearing non-brawls or firing hitting coaches, but from their actual hitters who were supposed to carry this team. Over half the Mariners lineup didn’t record a hit today. That’s more than an off day for certain hitters, more than a rookie still trying to find his footing; it’s a lack of connection and a lack of committed at-bats, and until that changes, this team will continue to slip even further behind in the standings. But hey, at least it was at least a fitting tribute to 50 years of Mariners baseball.

The Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox faced off to determine if the Guardians go into the off day tomorrow 2.0 games back or 4.0 games back from first place.

Cleveland scored in the top of the first with Steven Kwan singling on a ground ball to left. Chase DeLauter drew a six pitch walk followed up by a single to right by José Ramírez. The right fielder fumbled the ball a bit, allowing Steven Kwan to score on the error and Chase DeLauter to reach third base. With runners on the corners, Nathaniel Lowe hit a sac fly to center to tack on another run for Cleveland.

Joey Cantillo was the starting pitcher for Cleveland and was struggling early in the first. A single and a double was all the White Sox needed to close the lead to one run. Cantillo ended up pitching 31 pitches in the first inning before the skies opened up and the game entered into a rain delay for about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Once gameplay resumed, the Guards turned to the bullpen to finish the game. Tim Herrin pitched the second inning, the first time in his major league career, and went scoreless for 1.2 innings of work. The Cleveland defense gave Herrin some highlight reel worthy help. Catcher Patrick Bailey turned a strike-’em-out, throw-‘em-out double play to end the second inning.

In the bottom of the third, right fielder Chase DeLauter turned what looked like a would be triple to an out with an incredible throw to José.

Craig Yoho finished out the third inning for Herrin and, unfortunately, imploded. Yoho allowed four runs on two hits and four walks before finally retiring the side. Colin Holderman went 1.2 innings, walking a batter and striking out two. Eric Sabrowski finished the fifth and started the sixth inning, recording two outs and walking three batters. Hunter Gaddis came on the finish the sixth and pitch the full seventh. He walked one and struck out two. Cade Smith, who desperately needed work with tomorrow’s off day, pitched the eighth, striking out one.

The Guards tried to put together a rally in the top of the ninth. Angel Genao drew a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. With one out, Chase DeLauter drew a walk to bring the game tying run to the plate in José Ramírez. During his at bad, another wild pitch allowed both runners to advance to scoring position. José hit a sac fly to center for the second out. That left the game resting on Rhys Hoskins’ shoulders. Rhys swung on the first pitch. The ball wasn’t hit hard enough to clear the yard and Chicago right fielder Braden Montgomery made the final out.

With this loss, the Guardians plummet to fourth in the division. The Detroit Tigers are now in second, 3.5 games behind Chicago and the Minnesota Twins are in third with the same record as Cleveland. Cleveland falls to 58-61 heading into tomorrow’s off day.

After moving the majority of their bullpen arms ahead of the MLB trade deadline, the Mets have given numerous minor leaguers the opportunity to show what they can do over the past week. 

Sunday, Jack Weisenburger became the latest to join the group. 

Weisenburger faced a long road to the big league level, making numerous different stops along his journey, including a stint in the Mexican League earlier this season. 

The 28-year-old signed on with the Mets and immediately reported to Triple-A. 

He pitched to a rough 7.22 ERA across his 14 appearances with Syracuse, but was able to find success during his first trip up to the majors. 

With a handful of family and friends in attendance at PNC Park on Sunday, Weisenburger tossed the final two innings in relief of Sean Manaea. 

He did give up a two-out single in the bottom of the eighth, but also picked up the first two strikeouts of his career and was able to keep the Pirates off the board.

“It’s a moment you dream of,” Weisenburger told Mets radio broadcaster Pat McCarthy postgame. 

“When they told me I was coming to the big leagues it didn’t hit me, and then I got here and I see my parents, my brother, and my wife -- it’s the best thing to happen to me.”

Weisenburger’s family was loving it as he put the finishing touches on the Mets’ victory, then they got to share a moment with him on the field postgame.

Jack Weisenburger has a moment with his family on field in Pittsburgh 🤗

He tossed two scoreless innings today in his MLB debut pic.twitter.com/bVGvv08NAG

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) August 9, 2026

It hasn’t always come easy this season for Sean Manaea, but the Mets starter turned in a masterful performance on Sunday to help New York beat the Pittsburgh Pirates and clinch another series win.

Staked to a big lead early on, the left-hander breezed through seven innings, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out a season-high 11 batters on 91 pitches (69 strikes) in what was easily his best start of the year.

“It was good,” Manaea said on his outing. “I’m just really proud of the amount of strikes I threw, getting ahead of guys. The offense did an amazing job of [going up] early, scoring runs and it was just my job to keep them at bay and I felt like I did a really good job of that today.”

Manaea was in control all day and had everything working for him, while continuing to see an uptick in velocity which has been climbing over his last few starts after beginning the season with a fastball in the high-80s.

While the 34-year-old was never concerned with the velocity dip which began in spring training but wasn’t improving during the season, even as a reliever, it’s nice to see Manaea have the same kind of life on his fastball that the Mets saw in 2024.

“Slow kind of work that we’ve been putting in over the last few months,” Manaea said about what has helped him regain his velocity. “That and just feeling good mechanically and just my body. I was never worried about the velo. As long as I stayed healthy I knew it would come back. Just everyday putting in work and now we’re seeing that velo increase.”

Manaea’s increase in velocity corresponds with his best stretch of the season on the mound. And while he was at his best on Sunday, the left-hander has been pitching extremely well since New York moved him from the bullpen to the rotation.

In 11 starts, Manaea owns a 3.50 ERA and has allowed more than two earned runs in a start just three times. As a reliever, generally used in long relief, the lefty pitched to a 5.02 ERA across 14 appearances. 

In fact, Manaea has been especially good over his last four outings where he’s given up six earned runs in 25 innings while completing at least six innings each time. He’s also managed to lower his ERA to 4.13 after it nearly reached 7.00 in early May.

“I take pride in taking the ball and trying to go deep into games and giving the team a chance to win and I feel like I’ve at least been able to do that the last few starts,” he said. “We got an incredible team here so just trying to help the boys win.”

With Manaea, who missed half of the 2025 season with a right oblique strain and struggled when he returned, seemingly back at full strength it gives the Mets another trusted arm in a starting rotation that is beginning to take shape for next season.

“You get excited,” said interim manager Andy Green about Manaea’s resurgence. “Any time you see the best version of a player it’s fun to watch and to know how much work he put in to get to where he is right now, it’s even more fun. He’s a great teammate, works incredibly hard and it’s fun to see him pitch like that.”

And although New York is still 15 games under .500 and well out of the playoff picture, with a pitching staff with that kind of potential, anything can happen. 

At the very least, the Mets, 5-1 since the MLB Trade Deadline, can finish the season strong.

“We’re pretty gritty and we’re good. I think we just gotta believe that,” Manaea said.

Houston Astros (60-58) at San Diego Padres (61-57), August 9, 2026, 5:20 p.m. PST

Watch: NBC/Peacock

Location: Petco Park – San Diego, Calif.

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

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The Tigers didn’t need eight runs in this one. Troy Melton spun another shutout performance, and great work from Kenley Jansen and Tyler Holton carried the day late. The Tigers broke a 1-1 tie in the top of the 10th inning with a clutch knock from Hao-Yu Lee, and Holton shut the door to wrap up a 7-9 road trip.

Right-hander Troy Melton has busied himself recently by staking a claim as the Tigers #1 starter. He came into this one looking to extend his scoreless innings run. Melton last allowed a run on July 23 against the Royals. He blanked the Orioles and the Mariners each for seven innings in his last two outings. He’d have some tough competition in Logan Webb.

The two starters really did lock up in an old fashioned pitchers duel. Spencer Torkelson singled in the second inning for the game’s first hit, but he was stranded. Drew Gilbert smoked a triple off of Melton with two outs in the bottom of the second, but Melton got Daniel Susac to ground out to Colt Keith at third to turn them away.

In the bottom of the fourth, Melton finally got into some trouble as Willy Adames led off with a single. Melton struck out Osleivis Basabe, but Drew Gilbert lifted a fly ball to Zach McKinstry dow the line in right field, and the versatile utilityman cut down Basabe at the plate with a perfect strike to end the inning. That play really took the wind out of the Giants sails. Haven’t seen much of a that from a Tigers right fielder in a long time.

Finally in the top of the sixth, McKinstry led off with a single, and Kevin McGonigle followed suit. McKinstry took third on the play, and that was well as Gleyber Torres grounded into a double play, but got the run home. Tigers 1-0. Melton cruised through the bottom of the sixth, retiring his eighth straight batter after the single from Adames in the fourth.

Finally in the seventh, Devers led off with a single and that was the end of Melton’s day. Kyle Finnegan took over and got Basabe to ground into a force of Devers at second, though the speedy second baseman avoided getting doubled off. Basabe then stole second and Eduardo Valencia’s throw was high and got into center field, allowing Basabe to take third. Gilbert hit a little dribbler to Keith, but his only chance was to barehand it and he couldn’t make the play. Basabe scored to tie the game up, but Finnegan dug in and struck out the next hitter. Drew Sommers entered and punched out Grant McCray to send us to the eighth.

Webb still wasn’t out of the game in the eighth. Valencia one-hopped one over the left center field wall for a two-out double, but he was stranded.

Christian Koss dumped a leadoff single into center field to start the bottom half. Bryce Eldridge pulled a ground ball deep in the hole with McGonigle playing up the middle, and there was no play available though McGonigle did manage to snare it. So, Sommers was in a real tight spot two on and no outs. The Giants did the Tigers a favor by having Jung Ho Lee, one of their best pure hitters, try to bunt. He failed and Sommers punched him out, but Willy Adames fought off a few tough pitches from the big lefty and walked to load the bases.

With many expecting doom, Sommers spotted a perfect first pitch sinker on the inner edge to Devers. A breaking ball right over the middle drew a ground ball to Torres, and he flipped to McGonigle and on to first to double off Devers as Sommers stranded the bases loaded. A huge play right there and Sommers was hype.

Old friend Dylan Smith had us wincing in the top of the ninth as he punched out the side, but Kenley Jansen entered looking to send this to extras and he too punched out the side, getting Basabe, Glbert, and Cavanaugh all swinging. Way to return serve there from the future Hall of Fame closer, who has only allowed one run since late June.

Lefty Sam Hentges took over for the Giants in the top of the 10th. Riley Greene was on second, and Hao-Yu Lee pinch-hit for Colt Keith. On a 3-2 fastball in, Lee inside outed a soft single over Devers at first, and Greene raced around to score with a good read on the ball.

Spencer Torkelson singled to center and Lee went first to third aggressively. Max Clark grounded one to Adames, but beat out the double play turn as Lee scored from third. 3-1 Tigers. Another old friend, Jason Foley, entered for Hentges and he punched out Valencia. Zach McKinstry drew a walk, but Foley punched out McGonigle to end the top half.

Tyler Holton entered to save this one, and he did so with emphasis. He whiffed Buddy Kennedy on a good changeup, then locked up Koss with a cutter to strike him out on three pitches. Last up with Eldridge, and once again, Holton needed just three pitches, whiffing him on a cutter to end it.

Great win on a day where this long west coast trip finally seemed to be taking a toll on the bats. Of course, Mr. Webb is pretty good as well. Troy Melton continued his outstanding season, and the bullpen came through with a big time performance.

The Tigers now have an offday Monday before a huge homestand begins on Tuesday against the Guardians and the AL Central leading White Sox.

The A’s have won an amazing two in a whole row so spirits are high and hopes higher with the team looking like an actual team for 18 consecutive innings. Realistically, though, David Forst was fired — I mean, mutually parted ways with the team — because of the 45-71 that preceded a pleasant weekend in Boston.

The casualty count is now 2 after pitching coach Scott Emerson was the fall guy for a woeful pitching staff that inflicted much woe by pitching in a woeful manner. A new GM and a new voice for the pitching crew is a start, but it is not nearly enough. Allow me to explain (or figure out how to control what I type)…

In many key areas of developing a winning team at the big league level, the A’s have fallen well behind the curve and whether it’s poor teaching or the inability to produce good listening, each deficit combines with the others to create a gap that becomes exponentially bigger.

Pitching Development

This occurs from the big league level all the way down to A-ball as pitchers are forever a “work-in-progress”. There is a noticeable area where A’s pitchers struggle from the minors to MLB and that is the ability to repeat, fix, tweak mechanics in order to throw strikes and quickly solve problems when command leaves them.

A glaring example is the Rick Ankiel like Luis Morales, who has become a 2-pitch pitcher: balls and center cut pitches that are launched. Every now and again the true “yips” infect a pitcher — Ankiel is an example — and this is not a coaching failure.

Perhaps Morales has caught this rare and deadly disease. More likely he is just a mess and when I say mess I mean “Hoo boy has he fallen apart sumpin’ fierce!” In his 16 big league innings, 27 hits, 7 of them HRs, 14 BBs, a 13.50 ERA. At AAA? 53.1 IP. 71 hits, 12 HR, 37 BBs, an 8.10 ERA.

But it’s not just Morales. Jack Perkins, Jacob Lopez, and Mason Barnett are 3 pitchers on the MLB roster who came up with control as their biggest vice and they have not been able to get over that hump. Prized prospect Jamie Arnold has started to pitch better, and his assignment straight to AA was aggressive, but he has walked 45 in his 96 IP. Helping or getting pitchers to repeat their deliveries and command the strike zone, and especially guiding them to plug the dam when it breaks, has been a weakness that is seen by the A’s issuing the 4th highest number of walks in all of MLB.

Other areas of pitching reflect poor coaching and preparation. It was spring training of 2025 that the Milwaukee Brewers ran roughshod on Jeffrey Springs and stole 7 bases in a Cactus League game. The opposition hasn’t stopped since and 2 years later A’s pitchers, collectively, simply don’t control the running game. As recently as last night the Red Sox stole 3 bases off of Gage Jump in which Jump gave his catcher no chance. It’s common place, including runners getting a walking lead and pitchers using long or slow leg kicks. Shea Langeliers, Jonah Heim, and now Brian Serven, have repeatedly been given no shot at runners who “stole it on the pitcher” and it’s been going on for so long you have to question why the same problems persist.

Hitting Approach

If the hitting coaches are saying the right things, the hitters are putting their fingers in their ears and shouting “La la la la la la la!!!!!” because it’s not penetrating. The A’s have too many batters who simply do not control the strike zone, lack patience and discipline, and bail opposing pitchers out far too often.

You would hope that younger players who begin their pro careers in A ball, advance to AA, then AAA, then arrive to the big leagues, would have enough time and tutelage to address any deep flaws that threaten to curtail their success. Yet here is a list of players who came up through the A’s system only to arrive hacking early and often, chasing far too many pitches out of the strike zone: Max Muncy (drafted in 2021), Colby Thomas (drafted in 2022), Jacob Wilson (drafted in 2023), Tommy White (drafted in 2024).

All 4 of these players were drafted in rounds 1, 2, or 3, and with the exception of Wilson they have all failed as hitters — and in Wilson’s case his 3.8% BB rate this season leads to a .301 OBP and his swing choices have helped to produce just a 91 wRC+. Joshua Kuroda-Grauer should take note before his “I only walk against position players” approach catches up to him.

There are other pedagogical ideals that if practiced could elevate a talented-but-not-that-effective core to elite status. You become a far more dangerous and potent hitter when you use the whole field, hit pitches the way they are moving, and embrace the ‘old school’ 2-strike approach to shorten your swing, hit more the other way, and emphasize contact over slugging. You score more runs when you are a dynamic offense that knows how to use “productive outs” to score here while “hunting middle-middle” ahead in the count and walloping a HR there.

The hitters need a new voice as much as the pitchers do, again up and down the organization. That doesn’t mean everyone involved in hitting instruction needs to be fired, but a lot of new voices are needed and the organizational philosophies need to reflect what actually works, not what hitters may think works.

Manager/Field Coaches

Again it’s not that everyone from Mark Kotsay to Ryan Christensen and Bobby Crosby to Darren Bush and Mike Aldrete, have to be laid off en masse, but there simply needs to be a new normal with regard to fundamentals, leadership, and strategy.

Twice on this road trip alone a player (Hogan Harris, Jonah Heim) lost focus holding the ball on a play that was still live, leading to disastrous results at the time. Fundamentals such as hitting the cut off man (which I will grant has seemed better recently), communication between fielders, not lunging to the bag trying to beat out a throw, sliding to a corner of the bag or plate — these are the areas where every player is capable of succeeding regardless of their talent level. And a small market team needs to do these things at a high level to compensate for a lack of payroll or resources.

What fans see from the outside is a team that is allowed to make the same mistakes over and over and does not have leadership that upholds high expectations — or else does not have the ability to effect change. Who stays and who goes is a question beyond my pay scale as someone not on the field or in the dugout/clubhouse daily. Personally, I think Crosby is an excellent 3B coach and I haven’t really seen anything to suggest he lacks competence in his lanes, but the broader point is that a GM coming in needs to look at the crew leading the A’s and its affiliates and bring in some superior — or if nothing else fresh — coaches and instructors who know what to teach, can teach it effectively, and will have the players’ ears.

The point is that from big league leadership to organization wide instruction to pedagogy and norms, the A’s are a combined mess right now leading to their 47-71 record. Injuries have been a factor, but they have also masked that the A’s had some serious deficits when most of their players were healthy, both at the MLB and MiLB level.

I’m interested to see who the next A’s GM will be, but I’m even more interested to see who they bring with them and how big the list is. I know this: if I were interviewing GMs I would be talking to them about a lot more than just themselves and what they personally bring. It’s time for some major change.