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Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs fried the Toledo Mud Hens (Tigers), 8-3.

Andrew Wantz got the start and gave the I-Cubs four innings and gave the Mud Hens two runs on three hits. He walked three and struck out five.

Hoby Milner pitched the fifth inning in a rehab assignment. Milner gave up a one-out single, but nothing else. He struck out one.

Grant Kipp threw the next three innings, allowed no runs, and got the win because Wantz didn’t go five innings. Kipp surrendered two hits. He struck out seven and walked just one.

Matt Shaw played six innings at second base and went 2 for 4 with a two-run single in the fourth inning.

Catcher Owen Ayers was 2 for 4 and scored twice.

Everyone in the starting lineup had at least one hit.

Shaw’s two-run single.

Good game for Kipp.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies were extinguished by the splash of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Marlins), 6-3.

Jackson Brockett turned in a solid start, giving up just one run on four hits over four innings. The one run came on a fourth-inning home run. Brockett struck out five and walked just one.

Grayson Moore has had better days. Moore came in to pitch the fifth inning and he got hammered for four runs on five hits in his one inning. Moore struck out two and did not walk anyone.

Left fielder Carter Trice was 2 for 3 with a walk and an RBI double.

Right fielder Alex Ramírez went 2 for 4 with a double and a run scored.

First baseman Edgar Alvarez was 2 for 4. He scored one run and drove in one.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs’ levees held against the West Michigan Whitecaps (Tigers), 7-5.

Cole Reynolds pitched the first four innings and kept the Whitecaps scoreless on four hits. It helped that Reynolds struck out six and walked no one.

Alfredo Romero pitched the next 2.2 innings and got the win because Reynolds didn’t go five, but Romero did not pitch especially well. Romero gave up three runs on five hits and two walks. One of those hits was a two-run home run. Romero struck out four.

Ethan Bell pitched the ninth inning and got into trouble immediately with a single and a walk. But he retired the next three batters in order to end the game and collect the save. Bell struck out one.

Right fielder Alexey Lumpuy hit his first South Bend home run with the bases empty in the fourth inning. It was Lumpuy’s eighth overall home run. Lumpuy was 2 for 3 with the home run, a walk and a stolen base.

In the seventh inning, first baseman Brennan Hudson hit a three-run home run, his second on the season. Hudson was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Left fielder Kade Snell was 2 for 4 with a double.

Third baseman Matt Halbach was 2 for 4 and scored once.

This was ruled a triple bu Angel Cepeda. Cepeda went 1 for 4 with a walk.

Lumpuy’s home run.

Hudson’s home run.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans got their eyes pecked out by the Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Astros), 12-3 in a game that ended in the ninth inning because of rain.

Starter Luis Mata got the loss after surrendering three run on four hits over 3.2 innings. Mata walked three and struck out two.

Most of the Pelicans offense came on a two-run home run by second baseman Juan Cabada in the third inning. It was Cabada’s second Pelican’s blast and fourth overall. Cabada was 2 for 4.

First baseman Ivan Cespedes was a perfect 2 for 2 with a walk and two runs scored.

Cabada’s home run.

The Texas Rangers scored two runs while the Anaheim Angels scored one run in ten innings.

Down to their last strike after wasting endless chances in a game that was 0-0 through nine innings, the Rangers got a two-strike Wyatt Langford double to tie the game and enjoyed a walk-off victory on Ezequiel Duran’s fourth hit of the night.

It took the Angels throwing the ball away for Langford to score the winning run but whatever. We deserve our point and laugh at the Angels moment.

Was it frustrating to see the Rangers get only one hit — a bunt that did not score a run — with RISP in seven opportunities and out-hit the Angels 9-2 through the first nine innings only for them to trail 1-0 with two outs and two strikes in the tenth? Sure. The Rangers are often frustrating. We know this. It’s baked into the experience.

Nevertheless, they pulled it out so we can be happy for like 20 hours until the next one.

Player of the Game: Aside from Duran, tonight’s starter MacKenzie Gore gave Texas six innings of shutout ball allowing just a couple of hits and a walk while striking out seven.

Gore has had his ups and down this season but with Angels’ starter Reid Detmers keeping the Rangers off the board, even one Gore Inning would have been a killing blow for Texas tonight but Gore avoided trouble which gave the Rangers a path to an eventual win.

Up Next: The Rangers and Angels play the second game of this series with LHP Cody Bradford next up for Texas opposite RHP Ryan Johnson for the Anaheim squad.

The Saturday evening first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 6:05 pm CDT and the telecast will be back on the Rangers Sports Network.

The Athletics opened a three-game series against the Houston Astros, hoping to get back in the win column in the first game of Players’ Weekend. In a matchup between two teams desperate for a win, the Astros emerged victorious, winning the series-opener 4-0 in a game where the A’s never posed a threat.

Both Teams Squander Early Chances

After Astros starter Hayden Wesneski worked a scoreless first inning, the hosts immediately threatened to score as A’s starter J.T. Ginn failed to retire either of the first two batters he faced. The A’s right-hander escaped the jam, leaving Houston unable to capitalize on its golden opportunity to take the lead.

With one out in the third inning, shortstop Donovan Walton singled to record the Athletics first hit of the game. Walton stole second with two outs, putting himself in scoring position. Wesneski escaped the jam by getting Jeff McNeil to pop out, stranding two runners.

Astros Strike First

A leadoff walk followed by a double put the Astros in position to take the lead in the bottom of the fourth. First baseman Christian Walker’s sacrifice fly scored Isaac Paredes, putting the Astros up 1-0. Ginn limited the damage by retiring the next two hitters. A’s left fielder Carlos Cortes made a nice catch at the wall, robbing Astros catcher Yainer Diaz of a potential RBI extra-base hit.

The Astros scored two more runs against Ginn in the bottom of the fifth inning. Nick Allen, who had walked, scored on Yordan Alvarez’s two-out RBI double. Paredes followed with an RBI double of his own, extending the Astros’ lead to 3-0.

A’s Offense No Show

The Athletics’ injury-depleted offense did not give Ginn any run support. Wesneski tossed five scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and three walks. The right-hander consistently got A’s hitters to chase pitches outside the zone, resulting in four groundouts, several popouts and four strikeouts.

With a three-run cushion, the Astros turned to their bullpen, with left-hander Bennett Sousa replacing Wesneski. Singles by McNeil and Cortes brought Lawrence Butler to the plate as the potential game-tying run. Butler, who has struggled since signing his contract extension, struck out on three pitches.

Bullpen Time

Ginn allowed three runs on six hits over five innings. The two batters he walked both scored, spotlighting the importance of limiting free passes. Right-handed reliever Elvis Alvarado replaced him and tossed a scoreless bottom of the sixth inning.

RISP Difference Key to Score

Facing Houston reliever Bryan Abreu, Heim and Walton drew back-to-back walks with one out in the seventh. For a second straight inning, the A’s offense failed to capitalize. In the last of the seventh, A’s left-hander Drew Rom gave up Alvarez’s second two-out RBI double of the game, which put the hosts up 4-0.

Shoutout Complete

The Athletics had one final chance to get on the scoreboard in the ninth inning, but Walton grounded out to end the game, stranding Heim at second. The A’s recorded just three singles in the shutout, completing a winless week for the 49-80 club. The team struggled with runners in scoring position, going 0-for-5 and leaving eight runners on base.

The Green and Gold will look to snap their five-game losing streak tomorrow afternoon. A’s left-hander Jacob Lopez is scheduled to face Astros right-hander Hunter Brown. Will the team ever get above 50 wins, or will this misery last through the end of the season?

For a young team like the Chicago White Sox, where most of the players haven’t experienced a playoff race much less a wining season, the dog days can be too much for some teams to handle. With plenty of time left in August, no one game gives reason to push the panic button, but the first half of the game on Friday night showed that the White Sox had some growing up to do.

But the finishing kick of the contest — three straight homers in the sixth, and a two-out, walk-off home run by Jake Rogers to win, 6-4 — may have provided the burst of maturity that churns the White Sox to a division title.

After falling behind with some listlessness, 4-0, the White Sox got to work. Better late than never.

As they say, “Mets gonna Met” and Sean Manea absolutely unraveled in the bottom of the sixth inning. After a Meidroth fly out, the White Sox went white-hot at the plate. Munetaka Murakami was originally called out on strikes until he realized umpire Ramon De Jesus was having a terrible night behind the plate and challenged the call. It was overturned because of course it was, and Murakami got his free pass to first base.

The next batter was Miguel Vargas, and after benefiting from another bad De Jesus call, took a 3-1 count yard to trim the lead in half:

The next batter was Randal Grichuk. He could smell a pending Mets collapse like a shark can smell blood, and hit a laser of a home run out to left-center:

With a 4-0 deficit now cut to just one run, up stepped Colson Montgomery. Let’s just say it was clear that during the mound visit, New York’s pitching coach forgot to tell Manea to stop giving up nukes:

Unfortunately, all good things come in threes, so the White Sox could only string together three homers. But the score was now tied, 4-4, so it became anyone’s ballgame.

With the game now back on like Donkey Kong, it seemed almost a given what was going to transpire. After Marcus Semien singled to start off the seventh inning, nine of the next 10 Mets were retired in order. To their credit, New York limited Chicago’s offense as well, but they faltered at a key time.

Down 1-2 early in the count thanks to two awful swings, Colson Montgomery worked his way to a walk despite Mets reliever Jefry Yan hopping in misplaced delight after each one of his missed pitches. A sacrifice bunt and a ground out later, the White Sox had a runner 90 feet from a win … with defensive specialist (accents on both “defensive” and “specialist”) Jake Rogers coming to the plate:

It took just one swing to help etch Rogers onto the list of legends that is getting a little bit crowded on the South Side in 2026. He turned on a fastball that caught just too much of the plate and deposited it just far enough over the center field fence to sent everyone watching into a frenzy.

It was another incredible comeback for the South Siders, and there is plenty of reason to celebrate. There were certainly some cracks in their play, and there have been for long stretches of this season, but the club has proven resilient enough to snap into focus when needed. Here’s to hoping they can play like they did at the end of the game more consistently over the last month of the season.

MVP
Miguel Vargas: 2-for-3, R, HR, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K

Runners-Up
Jake Rogers: 1-for-4, GW 2-run HR, R, K
Randal Grichuk: 2-for-3, HR, R, RBI
Colson Montgomery: 1-for-3, HR, R, RBI, BB, K
The Bullpen (Hicks, Hudson, Taylor): 3 IP, H, BB, 5 K, 29-of-41 strikes

Cold Cat
Brenton Doyle: 0-for-3, SAC, K, CF misplay leading to two runs

Runners-Up
Sean Burke: 6 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 4 K
Luisangel Acuña: 0-for-4, K
Tristan Peters: 0-for-3, K

The Mets got off to a 4-0 lead, but the White Sox erased that lead with back-to-back-to-back home runs in the sixth and then hit another home run in the bottom off the ninth to walk it off.

Both starting pitchers, who both happened to be named Sean (Manaea and Burke), pitched scoreless innings to kick things off, but Manaea gave up a double off the wall and a couple of deep fly balls, which ended up being a harbinger of things to come with the wind blowing in at Guaranteed Rate Field.

The Mets got on the board first in the top of the second. Carson Benge sparked the rally by dunking a single over the shortstop’s head with two strikes after a really nice at-bat. Jared Young lined out to center for the first out and Luis Robert Jr. then struck out swinging on three pitches in his first at-bat back on the South Side. But Brett Baty and Marcus Semien then notched back-to-back singles to score Benge and plate the game’s first run. Manaea then settled into a groove, retiring seven White Sox hitters in a row.

In the meantime, the Mets were gifted a pair of runs in the top of the fourth. Jared Young singled with one out and then Luis Robert Jr. hit an easy fly ball to center field, but Brenton Doyle lost the ball in the lights and it dropped beside him for a double, advancing Young to third. Brett Baty then doubled down the right field line to score both runners and extend the Mets’ lead to 3-0. While the deep fly balls off the bats of White Sox hitters had mostly been to right and center field at this point and thus knocked down by the wind blowing in from right field across to left field, Bo Bichette launched a ball to left field with two outs in the fifth that sailed over a leaping Randal Grichuk and over the wall for a solo homer. That extended Bichette’s on-base streak to 11 games and gave the Mets a 4-0 lead.

Sean Manaea ran into his first jam in the bottom of the fourth when yet another fly ball to the warning track was followed by a Miguel Vargas walk and a Randal Grichuk single. Both runners tagged and advanced on yet another deep fly ball to center by Colson Montgomery, but then Manaea got a huge strikeout of Brenton Doyle to navigate through the inning unscathed.

Manaea retired the White Sox in order in the fifth and the Mets similarly went down 1-2-3 in the top of the sixth. But things escalated very quickly for Manaea in the bottom of the sixth. He issued a one-out walk to Munetaka Murakami and then Miguel Vargas cut the Mets’ lead in half with a two-run homer. Randal Grichuk and Colson Montgomery followed with a pair of solo homers and in the blink of an eye, the game was tied. The White Sox had been threatening against Manaea all night and in the sixth they finally broke through.

The bullpens took over from there with both starting pitchers having surrendered four runs in six innings of work and held firm through the late innings. Jordan Hicks pitched a scoreless seventh for the White Sox and Nate Lavender recorded four consecutive outs with Daniel Duarte recording the final two outs of the eighth. Bryan Hudson retired the Mets in order in the eighth and Grant Taylor worked around a leadoff walk to Luis Robert Jr. to keep the Mets off the board in the ninth. Jefry Yan was called upon to pitch the bottom of the ninth and thought he had Colson Montgomery struck out for the first out and prematurely leaped into the air, but the pitch was just off the plate and he ended up issuing a leadoff walk instead. Brenton Doyle laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance the winning run to second. Luisangel Acuña then bounced out to short to bring Yan within an out of sending the game to extra innings. But Jake Rogers rendered Doyle’s sacrifice useless by blasting a two-run walk-off home run to end the game.

SB Nation GameThreads

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South Side Sox

Box scores

MLB.com
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Win Probability Added

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Luis Robert Jr. and Nate Lavender, +13% WPA
Big Mets loser: Jefry Yan, -36% WPA
Mets pitchers: -32% WPA
Mets hitters: -18% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Brett Baty’s fourth inning RBI double, +11.6% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Jake Rogers’ walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth off Jefry Yan, -37.3% WPA

Noah Cameron pitched five scoreless, and the Royals swatted three home runs as KC beat Detroit 5-2.

Almost a month ago on July 23rd, the Royals faced Troy Melton and the Tigers in Detroit. Randy Dobnak did Randy Dobnak things, not allowing any runs, but not pitching deep into the game. Troy Melton did Troy Melton things, but gave up a two-run home run to Isaac Collins in the sixth. Unfortunately, once the bullpen got involved, the Royals blew the lead in the seventh, tied it again in the eighth, and then blew it again before Kenley Jansen shut them down.

So when the Royals, clinging to a three-run lead, saw the bullpen give up two runs in the seventh inning, you could absolutely see the team falling to same issues that cost them the previous game. The Royals, however, have made a variety of changes to the team since then, despite a quiet trade deadline. In that first game, the reliever parade included Matt Strahm, John Schreiber, and Steven Cruz. Without Strahm in this one, Cuas managed a scoreless inning before Schreiber gave up the two. Steven Cruz managed to not allow any of his own runners to score, and Nate Pearson was brought in for his second Royals save. It would be correct to say that none of the Royals relievers made it easy, but ultimately they got the job done.

There were some fears, I think, with Noah Cameron making his first start after throwing 115 pitches against the Angels. And, its true, he didn’t look nearly as sharp tonight. For one thing, he gave up his first hit of the game in the first inning. But he also walked three while striking out only two. But he battled and battled and made it through five innings on 84 pitches without giving up a run.

The Royals first run was a bit of a silly one. Vinnie Pasquantino, red hot since coming off the IL, doubled down the first base line with one out in the bottom of the fourth. He was able to score when Michael Massey smoked a groundball up the middle that evaded Melton and shortstop Kevin McGonigle’s attempts to corral it and ricocheted off of McGonigle into left field. From there, it was time for some dingers. Kyle Isbel got one in the bottom of the fifth, Vinnie heated up even more in the sixth, and then Carter Jensen came through in the seventh after the Royals’ lead had dwindled to just one.

Jensen’s and Pasquantino’s were no-doubters. But they were all beautiful in their own way.

In the bottom of the eighth, Michael Massey doubled into right field and Kyle Isbel lashed a double into left to give the Royals another insurance run. The Royals could have made it easier on themselves, but 10 hits and 5 runs will win a lot of games. Especially when the other team gets fewer hits and runs. That’s not to say they have all the answers they need for next year; they especially need pitchers to throw more strikes as they finished the night combining for seven walks and five strikeouts.

The Royals have won six in a row for the first time this year. Earlier this week I saw a social media post that made me chuckle. It suggested that the Royals would reach .500 if they won 28 of their last 35. Now they only need to win 25 of their last 32.

They can keep shoving that boulder up the hill tomorrow night. The game will be at 6:15 PM Central Time. It will be Drew Anderson (4.01 ERA, 3.38 SIERA) up against Michael Wacha (3.58 ERA, 4.38 SIERA). See you then!

He has been the Dodgers’ least-productive, most-disappointing and highest-scrutinized player all season long.

He has previously been booed both at home and on the road.

He has been criticized, chastised and critiqued endlessly, especially during a career-worst hitless streak recently.

But on Friday night, amid what has been the lowest stretch of his dismal debut season with the Dodgers, Kyle Tucker came to the plate in the bottom of the second inning and received the kind of reaction that has evaded him for most of the year.

In a pre-planned reception that gained traction on social media the day before, and garnered participation from much of the Chavez Ravine crowd, Dodgers fans offered a prolonged ovation to their $240 million outfielder –– giving him a coordinated show of support they hoped would help Tucker turn his campaign around.

“It’s been a struggle, in the sense that I’d like to help our team win and perform better for the guys in the clubhouse and the fans that come to the games,” Tucker said pregame, before grounding out in his sentimental at-bat.

“In that aspect, I wish I would’ve done better this year. But like I said, we’ve still got a month and a half left and the playoffs coming up, so it’s not over yet. Just gotta keep grinding every single day and just keep moving forward and just try to get better every single day.”

Indeed, for Tucker, the Dodgers and their fans, there was hope that Friday could represent the turning of a page.

During last week’s homestand, Tucker’s already frustrating year reached a new nadir, when he went 0-for-19 to continue his season-long struggles with hitting at Dodger Stadium specifically. 

Then, things somehow got even worse Monday night in Denver, when Tucker went 0-for-5, dropped a fly ball in right field, and looked despondent on the bench while the team’s television broadcast debated whether he needed some sort of mental “reset.”

In the days since, however, Dodgers coaches and players had gone out of their way to publicly back the offseason signing, who did get three total hits on Tuesday and Wednesday to raise his batting average to .232 and OPS to .694.

Manager Dave Roberts, in particular, has voiced confidence in the four-time All-Star, reiterating Friday his goal of making sure Tucker knows “he’s not on an island” and his plan to keep playing the 29-year-old on an everyday basis.

“We’re here to support him; I’m here to support him,” Roberts said, before making a declaration:  “I really feel we’ve turned a corner, I really do. I can’t speak to what he’s going to do tonight at the plate, but mentally and emotionally I think that he’s freed up. Don’t know what that looks like, but I’m encouraged.”

Tucker did make one change Friday by deciding to hit on the field during pregame batting practice, something he has done only a few times previously this year in lieu of cagework back in the clubhouse.

“I haven’t been hitting great this year, so I figured I’d try something else,” he quipped. “Hopefully it helps.” 

In the wake of the second inning ovation from the crowd –– which was similar to a reception then-slumping shortstop Mookie Betts received last season –– Dodgers fans will be hoping for the same, going to their own dramatic lengths in an effort to help Tucker rebound from what has been a nightmarish season to this point.

“I’m all right. I’m all good,” Tucker said. “Everyone here is super supportive of everything and everyone. So, regardless of how I feel or whatever, I’ve got to go out and play and perform regardless. So, just going to try and do that every single day.”

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The Tigers’ woes continue as they dropped their Friday game to the Royals 5-2.

After a, shall we say, unpleasant series against the Pirates, the Tigers had a day to rest and reflect before heading to Kansas City to take on the Royals. Hopefully a break in the city of Hallmark and BBQ would be just what the doctor ordered to get the Tigers back in a winning mindset. To open the weekend series, they had Troy Melton on the mound, and he was up against Noah Cameron for the Royals.

Kevin McGonigle got a two-out single in the first, but the Tigers weren’t able to convert the early baserunner. In the home half, Bobby Witt Jr. singled with one out, but Melton turned around to induce two outs in the next two at-bats to keep the Royals off the board.

In the second, Spencer Torkelson got a one-out walk. He was then eliminated in a force out off the bat of Ben Malgeri, and a lineout ended the inning. It was another one-out walk in the bottom of the inning, this time for Nick Loftin. With two outs, Isaac Collins singled. But even with two baserunners on, the Royals couldn’t convert a run.

The Tigers continued getting runners on, as Hao-Yu Lee got a two-out single, but as with the previous innings, they couldn’t manage to get him home. Melton managed to keep the Royals off the bases entirely with a 1-2-3 bottom of the inning.

In the fourth, the Tigers had their walking shoes on. With two outs, Torkelson and Malgeri got back-to-back walks. Unfortunately, despite being in their best position to score a run all game, a groundout ended the inning and left two runners stranded. Things got a little rough for Melton in the bottom of the inning as Vinnie Pasquantino got a one-out double, then with another out, Michael Massey reached on a fielding error from McGonigle, which allowed Pasquantino to score and put the Royals on the board first. A groundout ended the inning, and the run wasn’t an earned run for Melton, but still a rough time.

The Tigers didn’t do much to help themselves in the top of the fifth, going 1-2-3. Kyle Isbel kicked off the home half with a solo homer. Carter Jensen walked, then Bobby Witt Jr. singled. A bit of a shaky turn for Melton, who seemed a bit shaken after the fourth. Chris Fetter headed out to have a chat with him. The pep talk seemed to do him some good because he turned around and got a strikeout and then induced a double play.

Cameron was done and the Tigers were about to face the 29th-place bullpen in baseball, starting with Jose Cuas. With two outs, a pinch-hitting Colt Keith walked. Then Spencer Torkelson walked for the third time in the game. Sadly, the new rookie wunderkind Brett Callahan came in to pinch-hit and couldn’t come in clutch, popping out to end the inning. Melton stayed in for the sixth and Pasquantino pretty much immediately hit a home run. Melton got the next two outs before giving up a walk to Isaac Collins. That was it for Melton for the day and Enmanuel De Jesus came in to get the final out of the inning. Melton’s final line was 5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 2 HR on 94 pitches. It wasn’t the most ideal outcome from Melton, but he did get through most of six innings!

John Schreiber was the new Royals’ pitcher for the seventh. Max Clark took a leadoff walk. Gleyber Torres grounded out thanks to a super accurate toss from Pasquantino, who is on a mission to make me write his name as often as possible in this game. Zach McKinstry came in to pinch-hit and doubled, scoring Clark. A run! Steven Cruz came out of the pen and McGonigle singled to score McKinstry. Suddenly this was a one-run game. Dillon Dingler flied out to end the inning, he just wasn’t having a good game at the plate. In the bottom half, the Tigers gave back some of their advancements, as Tyler Holton gave up a leadoff home run to Carter Jensen. With two outs, Salvador Perez singled. But Pasquantino finally did the Tigers a favor and popped out to end the inning.

Colt Keith got the eighth started with a leadoff double. But three outs then followed to leave him stranded. Ty Madden was the new Tigers’ pitcher for the bottom of the inning. Michael Massey got a one-out double, then Isbel got a two-out double to score another run. Cool. Cool cool cool cool.

Nate Pearson was the next reliever out for the Royals. Javier Baez hit a leadoff double. With two outs, McGonigle walked. Jensen tried to challenge the ball call but it was upheld. McGonigle then advanced to second on defensive indifference. While they managed to get two runners into scoring position, the Tigers weren’t able to stage a comeback and the Tigers dropped the first game of the series.

Final: Royals 5, Tigers 2

The Mets blew a 4-0 lead and lost the series opener to the Chicago White Sox on Friday night in walk-off fashion, 6-4.

Here are the takeaways...

-- Sean Manaea’s night started great but ended on a sour note after allowing back-to-back-to-back home runs in the sixth inning that tied the game.

The left-hander had been cruising through the first five innings, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out four, although he was living on the edge with a number of flyouts to center and right field dying at the warning track because of the wind blowing in.

He also escaped out of a jam, his first all night, in the fifth when he struck out Brenton Doyle with runners at second and third to end the inning.

-- However, disaster struck in the sixth after Manaea retired the first batter he faced. He went on to issue a walk to Munetaka Murakami after initially striking him out on a pitch that was challenged and overturned on ABS. 

-- Miguel Vargas, already with a seed of a double off Manaea earlier in the game, followed with a two-run shot hit just as hard to get Chicago on the board and cut New York’s lead in half. Randal Grichuk cut into it even more with a solo shot to center and Colson Montgomery completed the trifecta with a bomb to right field that tied the game.

Manaea managed to limit the damage there and finished six innings, but he was surely not pleased with himself following the blowup inning.

-- After scoreless outings by Nate Lavender and Daniel Duarte, who both continue to look impressive out of the bullpen, Jefry Yan started the ninth. Yan walked the leadoff batter and then, with two outs, allowed the final blow to Jake Rogers, who smashed a walk-off two-run home run that completed the comeback.

-- Before all of that, the Mets struck first against Sean Burke in the second inning thanks to Marcus Semien’s RBI single, which drove in Carson Benge, who stayed hot with a single to lead off the inning. 

-- Two more runs came around to score in the fourth after a misplay by Doyle in center field allowed New York to pounce. With runners on second and third and one out, Brett Baty had his second hit of the night, a two-run double down the right-field line that put the Mets ahead, 3-0. Baty and Semien finished a combined 4-for-8 with three RBI out of the seven and eight spot in the lineup.

-- An inning later, Bo Bichette muscled a solo home run just beyond the reach of Grichuk in left field. It was Bichette’s 13th long ball of the season.

-- A.J. Ewing and Francisco Lindor were 0-for-8 at the top of the lineup, and Francisco Alvarez's struggles continue after an 0-for-4 performance, including three strikeouts.

Game MVP: Jake Rogers

Obviously.

Highlights

Marcus Semien gets the Mets on the board first in Chicago! pic.twitter.com/XDzcNsx5ss

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 22, 2026

A two-run double for Brett Baty! 💪 pic.twitter.com/Yt918LzfLR

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 22, 2026

Sean Manaea gets the strikeout and gets out of trouble in the 4th pic.twitter.com/8PjBcRm3Fo

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 22, 2026

Bo Bichette's 13th home run of the year! pic.twitter.com/86aHCQTCY7

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 22, 2026

What's next

The Mets and White Sox continue their three-game series on Saturday night with first pitch set for 7:10 p.m. on SNY.

RHP Christian Scott (4-3, 3.51 ERA) will face off against RHP Luis Castillo (4-9, 4.99 ERA).

It is possible that Ryan McMahon’s injured list trip, which prompted a possibly short-lived call-up of Max Schuemann, solved the Yankees’ upcoming roster crunch.

If Cody Bellinger is activated Sunday as expected, Schuemann likely would be heading back to the minors, and Spencer Jones probably would remain a major leaguer.

The Yankees likely will see more of Jones, who is demonstrating why that notion is increasingly appealing.

A top prospect with major intrigue and major risk seems to be getting more comfortable with every at-bat.

Yes, there are strikeouts, which has long been the concern, but there are also the eye-popping tools, a ceiling rivaled by the Guggenheim and monster swings.

One of those swings — a ferocious hack that sent a pitch to the sky, down the right field line and eventually to the second deck — made the difference in a 3-1, series-opening Yankees victory over the Blue Jays in The Bronx in front of 45,062, who witnessed the Yankees creep a game closer to the division lead.

On the backs of Jones’ two-run homer, solid work from Cam Schlittler and a typically excellent bullpen performance, the Yankees (73-55) closed to within three games of the Rays, the closest the two have been since Aug. 2.

“It’s wide open. Feel like it was wide open last year,” Schlittler said after somehow allowing just one run in six innings without his top stuff or command. “We got a lot of opportunities to win the division [last year]. I think we still got a lot of opportunities to win the division this year.

“I think we got to chase those goals.”

The Yankees have won five straight mostly through continued pitching excellence — Schlittler, Brent Headrick and Paul Blackburn pitching out of jams and David Bednar recording his 30th save kept the trend going — but also with the beginnings of life from their offense, which only needs to have a pulse to win games these days.

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And when Jones connects, the Yankees have life.

In the second inning of a scoreless game, Jones turned on an inside cutter from Spencer Arrighetti and demolished a pitch whose height was far more interesting than its distance.

Still, it no doubt had enough distance — enough that Jones remained in the batter’s box for several seconds as he stared more in curiosity than admiration to see if it was a go-ahead home run or a foul ball.

“It’s our week for that,” went through Aaron Boone’s mind, the manager said with a smile, after the Yankees benefited Wednesday from Pete Alonso’s skyscraper being ruled foul.

Jones kept staring, jogged halfway down the first base line and still did not have much clarity as the ball landed an estimated 385 feet away.

First base umpire Dan Iassogna dramatically signaled the ball was fair, and Jones allowed himself a smile.

After a replay review confirmed the call, the Yankees allowed themselves a two-run edge that would not be threatened and Jones had a second home run in as many games.

“That’s maybe the highest one I’ve ever hit,” said Jones, who is up to seven homers in the majors and has knocked 86 in his minor league career.

The 25-year-old rookie has volleyed up and down from the minors to the majors this season, and each trip to The Bronx has brought an added level of comfort to Jones’ at-bats.

After his 1-for-3 night, Jones is 18-for-73 (.247) with five homers, a triple, three doubles, 13 RBIs and six steals in his past 21 games, spiking his season OPS from .645 to .731.

“He’s been adaptable,” Boone said of Jones, who reminded of his tools both with a strong throw to third to prevent Jesús Sánchez from tagging up in the eighth and with a nearly remarkable grab that he couldn’t corral in the seventh, which instead went for a Brett Bateman triple. “The experience he’s gaining, I feel like it is very valuable, and he’s applying it well every day.”

The Yankees added an insurance run in the fourth when Jones’ pal, George Lombard Jr., singled, moved to second on a wild pitch, moved to third on a Jones ground out and scored on a José Caballero sacrifice fly.

On Players’ Weekend, Jones wore a belt with Ben Rice’s face on it. Lombard’s featured Jones’ smiling mug. Jones thought it was “hilarious.”

“I think the young guys that we have here are extremely close,” Jones said after one of the Yankees’ young guys brought the club a bit closer to the Rays.

Fenway booed Rafael Devers in his first at-bat. He struck out. That was probably the nicest part of the night for San Francisco.

The Red Sox beat the Giants 6-4 on a cool Friday night at Fenway Park, and the game’s defining moment was the bottom of the third. Sonny Gray had just spent part of the top of the frame grinding through a bases-loaded jam—the stuff ace starters have to handle in August—and escaped with only Bryce Eldridge’s RBI to show for it. Then Logan Webb walked out for the bottom half and things fell apart in about 22 pitches. Hit batters, walks, hits, runs, all of it cascading at once.

Willson Contreras is a baaaaaaad man.

Two outs. Two men on. Contreras drove one 450 feet at 116 mph over the Green Monster, over Lansdowne Street, probably onto the Pike. The longest Fenway home run of the 2026 season. Then Webb faced his own bases-loaded jam, with a walk and a hit by pitch driving in two more. Five runs for Boston in the third. Webb was pulled at 2.2 innings; Roarke Sanmartin inherited the mess and got out of it. Didn’t matter. Sox led 5-1. Mr. Brightside this early into a game was kinda wild.

The Giants didn’t roll over, though. Right away in the fourth, Tyler Gilbert hit a two-run shot off Gray, and then Devers—the villain the whole crowd had been waiting to boo all night—stepped up and went back-to-back. Solo homer, dead center, his 26th. Just like that it was 5-4. Fenway got a little uneasy. Raffy got his moment. That was pretty much it for the Giants, though.

Gray held it together through six innings, 97 pitches, and the bullpen didn’t give an inch. Erik Miller shut the door in the seventh for his 12th hold. Alec Gamboa followed with a clean eighth for his first. Aroldis Chapman struck out three of the four batters he faced in the ninth for his 28th save. Zero hits allowed, six strikeouts combined. Chapman’s ERA sits at 1.90. The late innings are locked in, and Garrett Whitlock and Justin Slaten working their ways back only makes this scarier.

Wilyer Abreu added insurance in the sixth with an RBI triple off Trent Harris to push the lead back to two. Jarren Duran kept up his hitting streak with a triple into the triangle. Sonny Gray goes to 16-3. I feel like the ship is finally stabilizing as we get through August after the rough road trip to Toronto and Pittsburgh.

Studs

Willson Contreras (2 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 3 RBI, 2 BB)

Four hundred and fifty feet. One hundred and sixteen miles per hour. Over the Monster, over Lansdowne, onto the Pike. Every now and then a home run isn’t just a home run—it’s the moment the whole night turns on. This was that. OB went nuts in the booth, the ball probably still hasn’t landed, and Webb never recovered. Two walks on top of it, Contreras did real damage in two of his four plate appearances. The cut to Devers after Contreras’ shot is honestly a nice shot of schadenfreude.

Wilyer Abreu (4 AB, 1 R, 3 H, 1 RBI, 1 BB)

Three hits and the sixth-inning triple that gave Gray’s bullpen actual room to breathe. Abreu has been one of the most consistent bats in this lineup since the break—his numbers against right-handed pitching look nothing like they did in April—and he was in the middle of multiple Boston rallies all night.

Sonny Gray (6.0 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, W 16-3)

Not a dominant outing—the back-to-back Gilbert-Devers shots in the fourth scared me a bit—but this was an ace doing what aces do. He navigated the early jam, absorbed some hard innings, and still gave six. Sixteen wins, three losses. Gray has quietly been the most consistent starter in the American League this year. Cy Young consideration? Are we far enough into the season to start that conversation?

The Bullpen (3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 6 K)

Miller, Gamboa, Chapman. Six strikeouts, no hits, nothing. Gamboa picking up his first hold. Chapman getting his 28th save with three punchouts on 20 pitches. After Gray handed them a two-run lead to protect, the three of them combined to make it feel like ten.

Duds

Andruw Monasterio (3 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 1 RBI, 1 BB, GIDP)

His RBI came on a bases-loaded walk, which is the whole story of his night. The Red Sox went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left nine on base, and Monasterio was in the middle of too many of those stranded-runner situations. One double play, zero hits. He’s been too good this season for one bad night to mean much, but this was a bad night.

Mickey Gaspar (3 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 1 RBI)

Reached on a hit-by-pitch to force in a run, but was otherwise invisible at the plate. The DH spot does not belong to him long-term. Roman Anthony’s rehab can’t end fast enough, even with the fun week Evil Mickey is having.

Play of the Game

Contreras. No other words needed.

All the Orioles needed to break their four-game skid was another game against the Rays. They took the opener of the weekend series with their division foe 5-3 on Friday night as Trevor Rogers twirled a gem, Pete Alonso hit the go-ahead homer, and the bullpen locked things down late.

The Orioles came out swinging, literally. Jackson Holliday doubled to left field on the very first pitch in the bottom of the first inning. And mere moments later he came in to score on a Pete Alonso single up the middle. Gunnar Henderson followed with a five-pitch walk, and it seemed like something big could be brewing for the Birds. But that momentum quickly dissipated when Tyler O’Neill struck out and Samuel Basallo hit into a double play to end the inning after just one run being scored.

Rogers was unable to put together a shut down inning in the top of the second. In fact, he put forth his only bad frame of the entire game. The Rays scored three times. Junior Caminero led off with a double down the third base line and then scored on a Chandler Simpson single. A few batters later, Kenny Piper hit his first career home run to put the Rays up 3-1.

That would end up being the only runs that Rogers gave up all night long. He got into a little trouble in the third inning, allowing three singles before escaping unscathed, but was otherwise pretty dominant. The lefty tied a season high with seven innings in which he gave up the three runs on six hits, a walk, and six strikeouts. It seemed as though he was getting stronger as the game wore on. His fastball got into the upper nineties in his seventh and final frame. That’s impressive for anyone, but particularly Rogers who has occasionally run out of gas late in a few of his other outings this season.

Baltimore chipped away at the Tampa lead in the bottom of the second inning. Dylan Beavers led off with a solo homer to center field, his sixth long ball of the season.

But most of the action came in the fifth inning. Coby Mayo was hit by a pitch to open the inning, then advanced to third on a Colton Cowser single followed by a Jorge Mateo throwing error. After a strikeout of Leody Taveras, Jackson Holliday came to the plate.

Holliday worked a 2-2 count against Rays starter Freddy Peralta. Then, it seemed like he failed to check his swing for strike three down and out of the zone. Holliday even started walking back to the dugout, but on the appeal to the third base umpire Dillon Wilson it was determine that Holliday had not swung. Rays manager Kevin Cash did not disagree, and after a chat with Wilson was ejected from the game. It was an understandable position to have since it did look like Holliday had gone too far, but the Orioles were due some favoritism after recent events. Holliday stayed in the game and drove in a run on a sac fly to center to tie the game.

Alonso made sure none of that really mattered anyway when he came up next and launched his 30th home run of the season to left-center. The two-run bomb to made it a 5-3 advantage for the Orioles, which would prove to be all they needed for the win here.

It wasn’t the busiest night on the bases for the O’s. They had just four at-bats with runners in scoring position, but that didn’t matter much thanks to the two long balls. As usual, when the Orioles hit home runs they win games. It’s how the team was built to win, it just hasn’t happened as often as they hoped it would this season.

Rogers was brilliant on the mound yet again. If the Orioles haven’t approached him about a long-term deal by now, they probably should. There is enough data to suggest he has figured something out about himself since joining the club. Maybe he would like to keep that going for a while longer. It’s something that will probably wait until the uncertain offseason that lays ahead.

Andrew Kittredge and Rico Garcia were called on out of the bullpen. They worked one scoreless inning each, striking out two apiece in the process. It’s been an up-and-down couple of weeks for the Baltimore relievers, but we will take the good performances when they come.

The Orioles continued success against the Rays is illogical. It’s also one of those oddities of sports. Perhaps having all of those former Orioles on your roster does make those matchups with their former team just a touch more difficult. The Rays are probably OK with that swap given their spot in the standings.

These two teams will be back in action on Saturday night. Brandon Young (9-3, 3.52 ERA) will be on the bump to face Shane McClanahan (9-6, 3.25 ERA). First pitch is set for 7:05.

Most Birdland Player, August 21. 2026

Who do you think was the Most Birdland Player in this Orioles win? Here are some nominees for your consideration, but feel free to name your own in the comments.

• Trevor Rogers (win, seven innings, three runs)
• Pete Alonso (2-for-4, home run, three RBI)
• Andrew Kittredge (mows down heart of Rays order in the 8th)