ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - AUGUST 20: Shane Bieber #57 of the Toronto Blue Jays delivers a pitch in the third inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on August 20, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning everyone!
The Mariners have strung together series wins against likely playoff teams following a 4-1 victory against the Phillies last night. The M’s will look for the ever-elusive series sweep with Bryan Woo taking the ball today at 1:10pm PT.
Ben Clemens at Fangraphs provided his thoughts on the head-scratching move from the Astros to fire general manager Dana Brown.
Despite Brown’s firing, Astros owner Jim Crane says that manager Joe Espada will finish the season with the club. That’s not exactly reassuring for his long-term future with the organization, though.
We’ve got another Jeff Passan banger, this one on the scandal plaguing Dodgers’ majority owner Mark Walter.
In honor of the late Dolly Parton, go get yourself some merch.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 12: Henry Bolte #33 and Denzel Clarke #1 of the Athletics pose for a photo in the dugout before a game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Sutter Health Park on May 12, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Justine Willard/Athletics/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Happy Wednesday A’s fans!
Last night, the Athletics evened the series against the Minnesota Twins with a 4-2 victory in the middle game of the three-game set.
With fewer than 30 games remaining this season and several of the team’s best players sidelined by season-ending injuries, the A’s goal should be to finish strong over the final month. As the club wraps up its fifth straight losing season, these final few weeks should focus on evaluating players for the future on the field and beginning the search for a new general manager off the field.
The A’s have an opportunity to play spoiler, as the Green and Gold have several series against playoff contenders over the next couple of weeks. Currently, none of the five teams in the American League West has a winning record, yet at least one will earn a playoff spot by finishing the season in first place. The last-place Athletics could play a major role in determining who wins the West, with seven games remaining against the Seattle Mariners, four against the Houston Astros and three against the Texas Rangers.
In the rotation, left-handers Jacob Lopez and Gage Jump, who started yesterday, will look to finish their respective seasons on a high note. Right-hander Kade Morris should also receive an extended opportunity to pitch in the majors, either in the rotation or out of the bullpen. Speaking of relievers, now is the time for those waiver claims to audition for a roster spot next season.
Switching to the offense, there is a slim chance rookie infielder Joshua Kuroda-Grauer can return from his ruptured testicle before the end of the season. Outfielder Denzel Clarke is the injured A’s player most likely to return. Clarke, who badly needs reps to improve his offensive ability, has been sidelined for most of the season. In his place, rookie Henry Bolte, who has been on fire at the plate this month, has seized the everyday center field job. If Clarke can get his offense to match his Gold Glove-caliber defense, he could be an All-Star, but that is a big if given how far his bat is behind his glove.
Who else besides these players are you looking forward to watching as the season winds down? How can the Athletics give their fans hope as the team concludes another miserable campaign?
The A’s are one step closer to assembling an entire bullpen of relievers claimed off the waiver wire.
The A’s have claimed RHP Chris Roycroft off waivers from the Rays. To make room on the 40-man roster, SS Jacob Wilson has been transferred to the 60-day IL.
Another planned feature of the Athletics’ in-construction Las Vegas ballpark raises a question: With the Raiders already established there and an NBA expansion team likely to arrive in the near future, will Vegas residents care enough to fill the stadium on a nightly basis or will attendance dry up after the novelty period?
Introducing the Legends Lounge!
The Legends Lounge is a vibrant social destination featuring seats directly behind home plate and a lively setting designed to keep you connected to every pitch.
— A's Ballpark in Las Vegas (@VegasAthletics) August 21, 2026
The fact that the American League West is so awful makes the A’s collapse this season even more excruciating.
Facts. The Astros are mediocre, the rangers can’t keep a winning record for more than a week, the mariners are not consistent, the angels aren’t contenders and neither are the A’s https://t.co/e2AXRDmiGw
One of the A’s most iconic players celebrated a milestone birthday yesterday. Has anyone tried emulating his mustache?
Join us in wishing Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers a happy 80th birthday!
In addition to sporting one of the greatest mustaches of all time, the legendary relief ace won three World Series titles with Oakland and swept the 1981 AL MVP and Cy Young Awards.
Los Angeles, CA - August 14:Dodgers Will Smith throws before the start of the game against the Brewers at Dodger Stadium on Friday, August 14, 2026. (Photo by David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images) | MediaNews Group via Getty Images
A rare player who has been here for all three championships in this run of success, Will Smith got off on the right foot in his rehab assignment with the Comets—it was the highlight of a Tuesday of close games in the Dodgers’ minor league system.
Player of the day
Without any standout performers, and despite his team ultimately losing, Will Smith gets the Player of the Day vote for showing no rust in his first game back. The standout catcher needed just three at-bats to leave the yard in his first appearance with the Comets this season.
It had been nearly three months since the last time Smith took the field, and his return could not come a moment too soon. The next step will be for him to play a full game, having left this one after five innings behind the dish.
Triple-A Oklahoma City
Will Smith’s home run is far more important than a 4-3 defeat for the Comets, who still sit in first place in the East Division, dropping this close contest against the Chihuahuas. On top of leaving the yard, it should be noted that Smith also left his mark on the defensive side, throwing out Samad Taylor at second in one of two stolen base attempts against him.
By the time Smith homered in the fifth, the Comets already trailed in this one four to zip. Starter Landon Knack had his worst performance since getting demoted back to Triple-A, failing to finish three full innings, walking three and striking out just one.
Double-A Tulsa
Coming up to bat 15 times with at least one runner in scoring position and coming away with a mere two runs guaranteed a 5-2 defeat for the Drillers’ offense, leaving loads of chances on the table trailing right from the off. Starter Adam Serwinowski allowed a pair of runs in the first in what would be a troublesome outing, conceding five total in 5.2 innings.
Not recording a hit as the top two in the order reached base only once in 10 tries, Josue De Paula ended the evening with a .312 batting average on the season. It was only De Paula’s fourth hitless game out of 35 in which he had at least five at-bats. Equally impressive this season, Mike Sirota did record a knock and a walk but couldn’t make an impact on the scoreboard.
High-A Great Lakes
Doubling their opponents’ strikeout totals (16-8), the Loons narrowly beat out the Lugnuts thanks to a two-run eighth inning to come from behind and secure their 67th win. In a game in which extra-base hits were scarce, a wild pitch brought in the winning run for the Great Lakes, with Eduardo Guerrero crossing the plate in the eighth. The only Loons player to record multiple hits, Mairo Martinus carries on a seamless transition to High-A, with an .834 OPS in 19 games since the promotion.
After back-to-back six-plus-inning starts, Sterling Patick was held to a shorter appearance because of command problems, walking four in 4.1 innings. And providing the ultimate shutdown inning, the one right after taking the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning, Davis Chastain earned the save, striking out the side to wrap up this victory.
Class-A Ontario
For the symmetry fans out there, the Tower Buzzers had the rare event of each one of their nine starting hitters recording exactly one hit. It was not enough for the win, as the Ports made more out of their six hits to beat the Tower Buzzers 5-4.
Two of those nine hits from Ontario were solo shots, including teenage shortstop Aidan West’s first home run in Class A, only making his 11th start after starting his season in rookie ball. The other home run came from a more experienced Tower Buzzers hitter in Ching-Hsien Ko, now one short of 20 on the year.
The loss was a harsh fate for reliever Mason Estrada, who allowed just one hit in three innings of work. Estrada let in the winning run on a sac fly to the Ports’ cleanup hitter, Gavin Turley, who struck out in his other three at-bats in that game.
Transactions
Will Smith began a rehab assignment with the Oklahoma City Comets. Right-handed pitcher Jonathan Hernández was assigned to the Comets. Righty Nick Putnam was assigned to the Tulsa Drillers.
Tuesday’s scores
Oklahoma City 3, El Paso 4
Midland 5, Tulsa 2
Great Lakes 5, Lansing 4
Stockton 5, Ontario 4
Wednesday’s schedule
2:35 p.m. PT: Oklahoma City (Gavin Stone) vs. El Paso (TBD)
Game 2: Oklahoma City (Christian Romero) vs. El Paso (Evan Fitterer)
4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Will Gagnon) vs. Lansing (Jackson Nove)
4:30 p.m. PT: Tulsa (Aidan Foeller) at Midland (Nathan Dettmer)
7:05 p.m. PT: Ontario (TBD) at Stockton (Corey Braun)
Boston, MA - May 14: Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story strikes out in the eighth inning. The Boston Red Sox played the Philadelphia Phillies at Fenway Park on May 14, 2026. (Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
The excitement about the line-up in Worcester’s series opener against the Yankees’ Triple-A squad could not be contained as the upper third of the WooSox batting order read as follows: IKF, Roman Anthony, Trevor Story. That’s not even counting a guy who’d be a starter on a lot of other big league teams, Romy Gonzalez, and a guy who may be starting games for a long, long time up in Fenway in Franklin Arias (and a guy who, fingers crossed, gets his act back together so he may end up in some Major League line-ups in Kristian Campbell.) The timing is, of course, also important: we’re a week away from September call-ups and there’s reason to believe that one or both these call-ups are going to be guys on that aforementioned list of names completing their rehab to assist in the Red Sox’s mad dash towards October and all that comes with it.
The team was up for the task of scoring runs, but not until very late did a ball leave the park, and it was none other than Roman Anthony who hit a two-run shot; he had also gotten another RBI knock earlier in the contest. Arias would drive in 2, Story 1; Campbell and catcher Nate Baez each boasted one. Worcester’s beneficiary of such a mystical lineup had himself a fantastic night through five innings, allowing just one hit (a home run) all while striking out eight. The WooSox did let the game get to within the peramaters of a save opportunity for Hobie Harris, but the end result was never really in question.
The Sea Dogs allowed runs all night, but kept it close with six runs across the fifth and sixth innings. The comeback Portland mounted in Richmond (Giants AA) all started with another name we’ve been hearing a lot about lately, as Justin Gonzales hit a two-run bomb in the fifth to score himself and Miguel Bleis. The man behind him, Johanfran Garcia, also had a night to write home about, getting three hits of his own, but those behind him couldn’t drive him in as the team as a whole stranded ten. This would come back to haunt Portland as Richmond squandered just three runners.
How about them Tar Heels!? The UNC (that’s North Carolina, of course, not the recently memed term for uncle) duo again were the cause for celebration in Greenville, as the Drive pulled off an incredible upset against Rome (Braves High-A) in which they went into the bottom of the 9th with an 11 percent chance of a win and stormed back. Jake Schaffner and Owen Hull would cap a three-run inning off with each of their second hits of the game. None of this would have been possible without Brady Tygart shoving through six in relief, striking out nine; this is the second consecutive outing Tygart has struck out at least eight.
The RidgeYaks would get on the board early with Josue Brito’s first home run in A-ball. They would then fail to score for the remainder of the game and allow runs in the final three offensive innings Fayetteville (Astros A) would have. Salem would go hitless with runners in scoring position and manage just five hits on the night.
Former NBA forward and Duke men’s basketball star Kyle Singler posted a series of unsettling videos on Instagram on Tuesday, Aug. 25, alleging that his former Blue Devils coach, Mike Krzyzewski, and others in his life have “turned the other way” when he reached out to them.
In one of the videos, in which a disheveled Singler is pacing around a room, he says that he has no power and no house.
“Man, Coach K has set me up,” Singler said in one of the videos, captioned ‘Where u &.’ “Set me up, man. I have no power. I have no house. I’ve reached out to coach and everybody has turned the other way. I’ve reached out to Coach and he has fully dismissed the message. You guys are cutting my power off, breaking into my house, stealing money, ruining my life. I reached out to Coach K and all he did was sit me on the bench. Thanks, man. Is that what we’re doing at that school, sitting people down, teaching them up? Cool beans, man. Coach, where you at? Help a brother out. Thought we were on the same team, man.”
A McDonald’s All-American coming out of South Medford High School in Oregon, Singler played for Krzyzewski for four seasons at Duke. In 2010, he helped lead the Blue Devils to a national championship while earning Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors and as a senior the following season, he was a second-team All-American.
After playing in Spain for a year, he joined the Detroit Pistons in 2012 and played six NBA seasons, with the Pistons from 2012-15 and the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2015-18. He last played professional basketball in 2019, when he suited up for CB Canarias, a club in Spain.
Though he said in one video that he has no house, the 38-year-old Singler noted in another video that he’s stuck at his house, has people “watching my residence” and feels “imprisoned.” He later alleges that there are people “trying to kill me.”
“I’m stuck at my house and I can’t leave,” he said, while pacing in what appeared to be the same room from earlier videos. “I feel imprisoned. Where we at? Leaving people stranded. I’ve tried to share messages about where we’re at and back home, I’ve got people, my friends, family, devastated and gone, died.
“Again, my life’s on the line. I got people breaking into my house, jacking money, breaking into my accounts. And you know what? Duke’s all about it. I got Duke begging for my money. Everybody’s after my money, trying to kill me. What’s going on? What’s the deal? Seems like people got a lot of anger and a lot of violence and a lot of retribution on their mind. Coach, you got a former player being mistreated and abused and you ain’t doing nothing, man. Help out.”
Singler said that he “can’t even live anymore” in Oklahoma without getting arrested, kicked out of restaurants or “[expletive] checked” while out in public before again turning his attention to Krzyzewski.
“Coach, man, I’ve reached out to you many times and tried to share with you where I’m at and you’ve just been deflective, leaving people in the dust,” he said. “I don’t respect it.”
It’s not the first time in recent years that Singler has posted concerning content on one of his social media platforms.
In an Instagram video in Nov. 2024, he said that “I fear for my life every day,” which prompted the NBA Players Association, NBA All-Star and Singler’s former AAU teammate Kevin Love, and others to offer their support.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 26: Astros owner and chairman Jim Crane takes a photo with Dana Brown, after he introduced him as the new general manager of the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023 in Houston. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Astros fans, take a minute to consider what just happened and ask yourself a potentially uncomfortable question:
Did Jim Crane just pull the plug on General Manager Dana Brown, or did he potentially pull the plug on the Astros’ chances of winning the division and making the playoffs, too?
That may sound dramatic, but consider the timing.
With a little more than 30 games remaining in the season and the Astros still sitting in first place, the organization announced what was described as a mutual parting of the ways with Brown.
We knew something like this was probably coming.
The writing had seemingly been on the wall for Brown for quite some time, and there had also been plenty of speculation surrounding the future of manager Joe Espada. With the way the Astros have performed this season, combined with some questionable roster decisions and the organization’s gradual decline over the past few years, significant changes this offseason wouldn’t have surprised anyone.
But making those changes now is a completely different story.
That’s why the consequences of Crane’s decision are going to be fascinating to watch over the final month of the season.
We have seen situations in professional sports where a major change can galvanize a team. Sometimes firing a manager or making a dramatic organizational move wakes everybody up. Players rally together, the clubhouse finds new energy and a team that appeared to be going nowhere suddenly takes off.
We’ve also seen the exact opposite.
Sometimes uncertainty creates more uncertainty.
Sometimes players don’t respond well when people they respect are removed from their positions. Sometimes a clubhouse that is already struggling begins to fracture even more.
That’s what makes Crane’s timing so intriguing—and potentially so dangerous.
According to reports, the Astros also informed Espada that he would not return as manager next season. If that’s the case, you now have a team trying to win a division championship while knowing the man leading them isn’t going to be their manager once the season ends.
Think about that dynamic.
Espada is expected to walk into the clubhouse every day, manage games and lead a team through a pennant race while everybody in the room knows the organization has already decided he won’t be back.
How will the players respond?
If there are players in that clubhouse who have strong relationships with Espada—and presumably there are—does this bring them together and motivate them to win for their manager?
Do they rally around him and say, “Let’s finish this thing together”?
Or does it have the opposite effect?
Does it create an awkward environment where everybody understands that major changes are coming and begins wondering who else might not be around next season?
Those aren’t insignificant questions with roughly a month of baseball remaining.
That’s why I keep coming back to the timing.
If Crane had already determined that Brown wasn’t going to return, I understand wanting to get a head start on finding the next general manager. The Astros are facing an incredibly important offseason, and the organization can’t afford to get the next decisions wrong.
But was making the move right now worth potentially disrupting a team that was still sitting atop its division?
After a disappointing homestand, was this a carefully calculated organizational decision, or was there at least some element of a knee-jerk reaction from an owner frustrated by what he had just watched?
We may find out very quickly.
Starting with this series against the Yankees, pay close attention to the Astros.
Don’t just watch the standings.
Watch their body language. Watch their energy. Watch how they respond when something goes wrong. Watch how Espada manages knowing his future has apparently already been determined. Most importantly, watch the results.
Because we could eventually look back at this homestand, this weekend and Crane’s decision as the moment that changed the Astros’ season.
The only question is in which direction.
Maybe this becomes the boiling point that finally causes everything to unravel. Maybe Houston falls out of first place, misses the postseason and we spend the offseason wondering whether Crane should have simply allowed Brown and Espada to finish the season before making wholesale changes.
But there’s another possibility.
Maybe this brings the clubhouse closer together.
Maybe the players rally around Espada. Maybe they take the criticism personally and decide they’re going to prove everybody wrong. Maybe knowing their manager won’t be back becomes motivation to send him out with another division championship and one more postseason run.
Sports can be funny that way.
That’s what makes Crane’s decision such an enormous gamble.
The question isn’t necessarily whether moving on from Brown was the correct long-term decision. You can believe the Astros needed a change in the front office and still question whether August was the appropriate time to make it.
The same applies to Espada.
If Crane had already decided he wanted a different manager in 2027, that’s his prerogative as the owner. But informing Espada of that decision while he’s still managing a first-place team through the final month of a pennant race introduces an entirely different set of variables.
And it wasn’t necessary.
Crane could have allowed the season to play out.
He could have let Brown and Espada finish what they started, evaluated everything once the Astros’ season ended and then made whatever changes he believed were necessary.
Instead, he chose now.
That makes the final 30-plus games about much more than whether this Astros team is good enough to win the American League West.
They’ve also become a referendum on Crane’s decision.
If the Astros respond by playing inspired baseball and winning the division, Crane’s gamble will look much different.
If they stumble, lose their grip on first place and ultimately miss the postseason, it’s fair to wonder whether an organization already struggling to find consistency created another unnecessary obstacle for itself.
So what do you think, Astros fans?
Did Jim Crane make the right decision?
And perhaps more importantly, even if it was the right decision, did he make it at the wrong time?
Because when you’re sitting in first place with a little more than 30 games remaining, changing the direction of your organization isn’t just an offseason decision.
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Josh Inglis' expert pick: Angels moneyline
Price: 44¢ (+127) at Polymarket
Cleveland is riding a six-game winning streak, but this afternoon sets up as a great spot to fade the Guardians.
Cleveland has the starting-pitcher edge with Joey Cantillo, but that’s already priced into the market. Grayson Rodriguez has been good-to-great over his last five starts, and his underlying metrics suggest the results are legitimate.
The bigger concern for Cleveland is the bullpen. The Guardians have heavily taxed their relief corps over the first two games of this series, and after Cade Smith and several other arms were used Tuesday, their late-inning options are limited. Smith actually recorded the save in Tuesday’s 8-6 extra-inning win, so his availability Wednesday is a key factor.
There’s also a major schedule spot working against Cleveland. They’re wrapping up a long COL/LAA road trip before heading home to open a massive series against Kansas City on Friday. With the Guardians sitting in the AL playoff picture, this is a natural letdown spot after winning six straight.
The Angels are trading around 44 cents, and while they’re still the underdog, I make the fair price closer to 48-49 cents.
Time: 4:07 p.m. ET
How to watch: CleGuardians.TV, ABTV
Jon Metler's expert pick: Dodgers moneyline
Price: 56¢ (-127) at Polymarket
AJ Smith-Shawver gets the start for Atlanta, and there are plenty of red flags in this matchup against the Dodgers.
Los Angeles is expected to stack seven left-handed bats, including some of the most feared hitters in baseball. One of Smith-Shawver's best off-speed pitches is his curveball, which breaks into the barrels of the Dodgers' left-handed hitters. He also doesn't have a changeup in his arsenal to give those hitters a pitch that moves away from them.
On top of that, Smith-Shawver hasn't shown the ability to work deep into games, topping out around 75 pitches in his first two starts. If he starts nibbling against a patient Dodgers lineup, he could exit early and force Atlanta's middle relief to cover a significant number of outs.
The Dodgers are trading at 56 cents, but I make them closer to a 60-cent favorite, giving us a meaningful edge at the current price.
Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
How to watch: SNLA, BravesVision
Dustin Saracini's expert pick: Cubs moneyline
Price: 51¢ (-104) at Polymarket
Matthew Boyd goes for the Cubbies today, and after Chicago got walked off in the bottom of the ninth on Tuesday, he'll put them in a great spot to bounce back.
The lefty has limited the D-backs to a .209 xBA, .314 xSLG, and .256 xwOBA across 68 at-bats, which is a sample size we can get behind.
Chicago's splits look good against Eduardo Rodriguez, too, owning an .809 OPS against lefties this season. The power surge in August has been palpable, hitting more homers in August (43) than any other month of the season by nearly 10.
Let's see the best offense in baseball get the job done. I'd play this up to 55 cents at Polymarket
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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 06: Roman Anthony #19 of the Boston Red Sox (left) and Trevor Story #10 of the Boston Red Sox jog back to the dugout between innings against the Milwaukee Brewers at Fenway Park on April 06, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Red Sox are expecting reinforcements in the coming days in the form of Trevor Story, Isaiah Kiner-Falefa, and Roman Anthony. Neither Story or Anthony repeated their performance from last season when healthy early in the year, while Kiner-Falefa was a pleasant surprise, posting a 101 wRC+ in 47 games.
Their returns come at an interesting time because their replacements have been so effective. Nick Sogard has been one of the most productive players on the team for a few weeks, while Mickey Gasper continues to be a difficult out from the left side. Andruw Monasterio doesn’t grade out well defensively, but he also had a six-week stretch where he was an offensive force.
What do you expect from the bats returning to the lineup? Do you think they’ll hit the ground running, or will they struggle out of the gates. They don’t have much time to find a rhythm before the postseason begins, so the next few weeks could be crucial for not only those players, but for the players who are losing at bats at their expense. What role do you think they should play? Should Trevor Story play every day? Should Roman Anthony play left field, or stay at designated hitter? Answer these questions, talk about what you want, and as always, be good to one another.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 25: Mason Miller #22 of the San Diego Padres reacts after allowing a solo homerun by Oneil Cruz #15 of the Pittsburgh Pirates during the ninth inning of a game at Petco Park on August 25, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The plan that was apparent to anyone watching the game, was Adrian Morejon would pitch a scoreless eighth inning and he would be followed by Mason Miller for a scoreless ninth. If the San Diego Padres scored in the bottom of the eighth inning, Miller would be in line for the save and if they did not, he would ensure they got an opportunity to win the game in extra innings. Everything was going according to plan until Oneil Cruz hit a two-out solo home run to right field that gave the Pittsburgh Pirates a lead and eventually a 1-0 win. The win gave the Pirates the series win as well have taken the first two of the three-game set.
It was bitter end to a game that was tied 0-0 to that point after San Diego starter Michael King and Pittsburgh starter Paul Skenes engaged in an old-fashioned pitchers duel. Both starters were dominant and allowed little traffic throughout their time on the mound. King pitched seven scoreless innings, scattering five hits with two walks and seven strikeouts. Skenes pitched just as well, completing six scoreless innings allowing just three hits with no walks and four strikeouts.
Three Pittsburgh relievers, Camilo Doval, Gregory Soto and Mason Montgomery combined to cover the final three innings of the game and none of them allowed a hit to a San Diego batter. The only blemishes on the stat line for those three was a walk by Doval in the seventh and a walk by Montgomery in the ninth.
Ty France worked the two-out walk in the ninth off Montgomery and that brought Jackson Merrill to the plate with a chance to play hero. At the very least he had a chance to tie the game. Merrill was given that opportunity when Jase Bowen came on to pinch-run for France and stole second base. Merrill eventually lost the six-pitch at-bat when a swung at a ball up in the zone and missed for strike three.
Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts and Dustin Harris were the only Padres to record hits in the game. San Diego has managed just two runs in the first two games of the series and that comes after the lineup produced 21 runs in the three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins.
The Padres will have an opportunity to salvage the series in the final game against the Pirates today at 1:10 p.m.
JABLONEC, CZECH REPUBLIC - AUGUST 26: A General View of the City of Jablonec nad Nisou, on August 26, 2026, in Jablonec, Czech Republic. (Photo by Craig Foy/SNS Group via Getty Images) | SNS Group via Getty Images
Hickory played a pair, with the first being a continuation of a game that was suspended last month.
In the first game, Daniel Keaney had given up six runs in 0.1 IP, walking three and striking out one, before being pulled right before the game was suspended. Geury Rodriguez struck out three in 1.1 shutout innings.
Josh Owens (I typed Jeremy at first but caught myself) was 2 for 3 with a walk. Curley Martha had a grand slam. Jay McQueen had a hit and a walk. Dewar Tovar had a hit.
In the second game, Louis Marinaro struck out two in two scoreless innings.
Paulino Santana had a hit and a walk. Marco Argudin had a triple, a walk and a stolen base. Yolfran Castillo had a hit and a walk. Seong-Jun Kim had a double and a walk. Sebastian Baquera, Daniel Flames and Curley Martha each had a hit apiece.
Hub City starter Ismael Agreda struck out six and walked one in six innings, allowing two runs. J’Briell Easley allowed a walk-off two run homer in the 11th inning
Maxton Martin was 3 for 4 with a pair of homers. Evan Morrison had a hit.
For Frisco, Thomas Ireland allowed five runs in 2.1 IP, walking four and striking out three. Joey Danielson struck out one in 0.2 scoreless.
Sebastian Walcott doubled and walked twice. Yeison Morrobel was 3 for 4 with a pair of stolen bases. Dylan Dreiling was 2 for 5. Ian Moller was 1 for 2 with a pair of walks and a stolen base.
Round Rock starter Dalton Pence threw four shutout innings, striking out two and walking two. Joe Ross allowed a run in two innings, striking out one. Marc Church walked two and allowed three runs in 0.2 IP. Emiliano Teodo struck out one and walked one in 1.1 shutout innings. Michel Otanez walked one in a scoreless inning.
Alejandro Osuna was 2 for 5 with a double. Cam Cauley had a hit. Aaron Zavala was 2 for 4 with a triple.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 25: Jacob Degrom #48 of the Texas Rangers reacts against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Rate Field on August 25, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Morning, all!
Logan O’Hoppe was thankful to get optioned to AAA, saying it gave him a chance to reset and “find himself.”
Jack Leiter has been experiencing fatigue in later innings during his rehab outings, opening the possibility that he will be used out of the bullpen when he returns to the big league club.
Jacob deGrom threw the worst inning of his career last night, leading the Rangers to an 11-7 loss to Chicago in the game immediately following Texas’ best offensive outing of the season.
It appears that deGrom’s slider just wasn’t working, with no swings and misses on 21 thrown and only 4 being thrown for strikes.
Or at least show enough to justify moving Tyler Glasnow to the bullpen.
Glasnow is the current benchmark for the fourth and final place in the postseason rotation.
Ohtani has to clear it.
Doing so will require Ohtani to do more than pitch well. He will also have to remain healthy and convince the Dodgers that his work on the mound won’t negatively affect him in the batter’s box.
The additional value that Ohtani provides by playing both ways will have to be greater than whatever would be lost by forcing Glasnow out of his customary role.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani takes part in a bullpen session before a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, in Denver. AP Photo/David Zalubowski
That’s certainly within Ohtani’s capabilities – but not automatic.
Ohtani is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Wednesday or Thursday in Atlanta, which opens the possibility for him to pitch on Sunday in the Dodgers’ series finale against the Tigers in Detroit.
Ohtani hasn’t pitched since July 3 because of problems with his left knee, and whether he returns on Sunday or some time after, he is expected to be on the mound for only one inning. But Dave Roberts said the process of stretching out Ohtani won’t be as deliberate as it was last year and that he could “in theory” be a full-fledged starter by the start of the postseason.
Now that he’s almost two months removed from his last start, what will this look like?
Whether it was because of his knee, the absence of regular catcher Will Smith, or a combination of the two, Ohtani was pitching well below his usual standards when he was shut down. In his last four starts leading up to his removal from the rotation, he posted a 4.38 earned-run average.
Ohtani said at the time that his knee bothered him only when he pitched, but he later acknowledged that it limited how fast he could run.
And this is where the cost of sending Ohtani back to the mound will have to be considered.
Ohtani said he chose to stop pitching through the discomfort to give his knee a chance to heal, but he jogged gingerly back to the dugout when grounding out in the seventh inning of the Dodgers’ 4-3 loss to the Braves on Tuesday night.
“It looked a little funny,” Roberts said.
Then again, Ohtani stretched a double into a triple two innings later.
The coming weeks will not only test Ohtani’s knee, but also whether he can remain a productive hitter while taking on a two-way workload.
Coincidentally or not, Ohtani’s offensive numbers have plunged since he started ramping up his pitching efforts. On Aug. 14, Ohtani threw his first bullpen session in more than three weeks. From that point on, he’s batted only .231.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hits a triple against the Atlanta Braves in the ninth inning on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
So, unless Ohtani is absolutely lights out on the mound – which, it should be stressed, is entirely possible – what’s the point of him pitching if it will take away from how he can most impact the Dodgers?
Because as spectacular as Ohtani can be as a pitcher, he’s more important to the Dodgers’ lineup than he is to the rotation. If Ohtani can’t pitch, the Dodgers can turn to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell and, yes, Glasnow.
Glasnow might not have the public profile of the four other All-Stars in the Dodgers’ rotation, but that’s primarily because of how often he gets injured. When Glasnow is healthy, he’s one of the best pitchers in baseball. His return from the injured list on Tuesday was the latest testament to his talent.
In his first major league game in 3 ½ months, Glasnow gave up three runs in the first inning but settled down after. He limited the Braves to two hits over the next four innings.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow throws a pitch at Truist Park on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia. Mike Zarrilli/UPI/Shutterstock
“Feel healthy and strong,” Glasnow told reporters in Atlanta.
Of the Dodgers’ five Cy Young Award-caliber starters, Glasnow figures to be the most likely to move the bullpen, as he was a reliever earlier in his career and made three relief appearances in the playoffs last year. Pitching out out of the bullpen isn’t a realistic option for Ohtani, as he wouldn’t be able to warm up during a game if he’s hitting or on base.
Glasnow was the hero in Game 6 of the World Series, as he was called into the game after Roberts pulled the ripcord on Roki Sasaki before the Japanese right-hander could record an out in the ninth inning. Glasnow inherited runners on second and third base but didn’t allow either of them to score to preserve the win. He came back a day later to pitch 2 ⅓ innings in Game 7.
“Coming into spring training, he just seemed like another level of confident that I just felt was palpable,” Roberts said. “That translated into the season.”
Glasnow made seven starts before he landed on the injured list with back spasms and was 300 with a 2.72 earned-run average and 49 strikeouts in 39 ⅔ innings.
With Glasnow as an option, is it really worth starting Ohtani in the playoffs when doing so could affect his health and offensive performance?
The Dodgers have five weeks to answer that question.
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The Chicago White Sox will be looking to finish their series with the Texas Rangers on a high note tonight at Rate Field as they'repriced as a -126 home favorite. The first pitch is set for 7:40 p.m. ET.
However, Sean Burke is showing vulnerability lately while MacKenzie Gore is throwing the ball well, which has my Rangers vs. White Sox prediction targeting the visitors as an underdog.
Who will win Rangers vs White Sox today: Rangers moneyline (+114)
MacKenzie Gore has settled in for the Texas Rangers lately, and that matters tonight. The left-hander owns a 3.17 FIP over his last two starts while limiting walks and home runs, and he's held opponents to a 35.1% hard-hit rate across the last month.
The Chicago White Sox have been average offensively, posting a 99 wRC+ over their last seven games. Sean Burke, meanwhile, draws a Texas lineup with a 111 wRC+ over the last week, and he has been vulnerable lately, allowing eight earned runs and 1.74 HR/9 across his previous two outings.
With Gore in better form and Texas carrying the stronger offensive profile, the Rangers are a live underdog.
I'd play this pick down to +100.
COVERS INTEL: The Rangers have shown up offensively on the road, posting a 101 wRC+ this season. That's right in line with their 102 overall mark, giving Texas a stable offensive profile away from home.
Rangers vs White Sox Over/Under pick: Over 7.5 (-121)
I’m leaning Over 7.5 because both offenses are in respectable enough form to pressure a low total. Texas has been swinging it well over the last week, while Chicago has been closer to league average recently.
That may not scream fireworks, but it's enough offensive stability to like run-scoring upside at this number.
The bigger separator is the White Sox bullpen. Chicago owns a 3.88 xERA over its last 36.2 innings, but it has allowed 1.47 HR/9 with a 44% hard-hit rate during that span. That gives Texas a clear late-game scoring path.
The Rangers’ bullpen has been solid, but 7.5 still feels attackable.
Play this pick up to -125.
Rangers vs White Sox home run prediction: Corey Seager (+344)
Corey Seager has smacked just one home run in the last week, but he’s hitting nearly .400 during that span with loud contact numbers and a respectable .214 ISO.
The veteran owns a 57.1% hard-hit rate, 9.5% barrel rate, and 93.4 mph average exit velocity over his previous seven games. In other words, Seager is consistently squaring up the baseball, and that matters against Sean Burke, who's having problems with the long ball.
The White Sox bullpen has also allowed hard contact and home run damage lately, giving Seager another path late.
Play this pick down to +300.
Quinn Allen's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 57-69, -20.38 units
Over/Under bets: 69-54, +5.94 units
Rangers vs White Sox weather
Weather at Rate Field looks mostly manageable tonight, with partly cloudy skies and temperatures falling from 81°F to 75°F. Rain chances start at 21% but fade quickly, and winds ease from 11 mph to 7 mph. Slight early shower risk, but no major delay concern.
Rangers vs White Sox odds
Moneyline: Rangers +114 | White Sox -126
Run line: Rangers +1.5 (-178) | White Sox -1.5 (+170)
Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-121) | Under 7.5 (+105)
Rangers vs White Sox trend
The Rangers have cashed the moneyline in four of their last six games for +1.35 units and a 16% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Rangers vs. White Sox.
How to watch Rangers vs White Sox and game info
Location
Rate Field, Chicago, Ill.
Date
Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026
First pitch
7:40 p.m. ET
TV
RSN, CHSN
Rangers starting pitcher
MacKenzie Gore (7-9, 4.26 ERA)
White Sox starting pitcher
Sean Burke (7-6, 3.27 ERA)
Rangers vs White Sox latest injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 22: Assistant Coach Brett Brown of the San Antonio Spurs & Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers embrace after the game on January 22, 2024 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Eight years ago, Brett Brown memorably said that the Sixers were poised to go “star hunting.” Now they have a bunch of them – including the one he coveted back then.
Brown is 65 now, and six years removed from a seven-year run as the Sixers’ coach – a tenure that took the franchise through the depths of the Process (i.e., that lovely 10-72 finish in 2015-16) to the brink of a playoff breakthrough. (You know the rest. Kawhi. Four bounces. Heartbreak.)
Fired by the Sixers after the ‘19-20 season, Brown returned to his “Spurs life,” as he often called it, once again becoming an assistant coach for the team that had provided him with his first NBA opportunity years earlier.
He has since transitioned into a senior consultant role for the team, meaning he travels often from his Delaware Valley home to San Antonio during the season. At the same time he has the flexibility to go see his son Sam play at Davidson, the younger Brown’s landing spot after transferring from Penn when coach Steve Donahue was fired following the ‘24-25 season.
Oh, and that thing about “star hunting”? Brett Brown said that in June 2018, after a 52-30 season. He was the interim general manager at the time, as well as the coach, and in his mind the Sixers needed another marquee player to complement Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.
A month earlier, he hinted at who he wanted (as did Bryan Colangelo, who because of the Burner-gate scandal was fast approaching the end of his time as the team’s personnel chief).
Brown and Co. whiffed on that score, as James, having declined his player option at the end of his second go-round with his hometown Cavaliers, opted to sign a free-agent contract with the Lakers.
But now, all these years later, LeBron is here.
“I think it’s fantastic for the city,” Brown said over the phone Tuesday night, as he drove with his family to Ventnor, NJ, for some shore time. “I think it’s an endorsement to the players and Nick (Nurse) that LeBron chose them. There’s a lot of great things to be admitted with LeBron’s decision to come to Philadelphia, and Jaylen (Brown)’s trade. It’s real. They’ve got a team that is as good as anybody in the league. We’re always relying on health and luck and all that, but shoot, to start with, they put that group on the floor …”
His voice trailed off.
“And you know what?” Brett Brown said. “Down deep, I’m really happy for Joel. It’s an opportunity, maybe the last, that he can do what I know down deep he wants to do – and that’s to be remembered as a champion. There’s a side of me that thinks like that as it relates to my old days with Philadelphia, and Joel especially.”
Embiid is the only remaining Sixer coached by Brown here. The third overall pick in 2014, Embiid sat out two seasons with foot injuries before establishing himself as a star, and the franchise centerpiece.
Now he is 32, and deep into a career that has been marred by injury and postseason disappointment. He had an excellent team around him in ‘18-19, as Brown’s star hunting eventually led to the in-season acquisitions of Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris.
But Embiid now has more talent around him than he has ever had.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Brown said, “one that doesn’t come around very often, if ever.”
It was also a long time in coming. Eight years, in fact.
DETROIT, MI - MAY 28: Jackson Jobe #21 of the Detroit Tigers pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the second inning at Comerica Park on May 28, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After over a year of rehab and recovery, Jackson Jobe made his triumphant return to the mound on Saturday, August 8 against the Giants. Then he got lit up by the White Sox on August 14. His outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates on the 19th, went much better as he allowed just one earned run over 5.1 innings. Truthfully, this all feels like the young right-hander is picking up right where he left off. He’s a very talented young pitcher, but there is still developmental work ahead to finally become more consistent and start racking up the level of swing and miss that his raw ability says he should be able to produce. That is exactly where things stood at the end of May 2025, when the Tigers announced that Jobe would undergo Tommy John surgery.
That first start back showed what Jobe can do, and was impressive after nearly 15 months on the shelf. The second showed off the issues he still needs to work on, as the White Sox handled his fourseamer without too much trouble and weren’t chasing his power slider-curveball combo. The third saw him pivot more to his sinker against the Pirates, with better results.
This is all still a work in progress, as right now Jobe is still just knocking the rust off. There was plenty of work ahead of him when he was first called up in September of 2024 after skipping through Triple-A in only two starts, and while he’s made progress in the interim, the same issues with fourseam swing and miss and the ineffectiveness of his high spin breaking stuff remain intact. Ultimately, hitters are the testing ground, and improving his pitch mix will be the focus as the now 24-year-old Jobe looks to fulfill his potential and develop into a frontline starter.
On Tuesday, Jobe faced his toughest test yet against a dominant Rays lineup that strikes out less than any team in the league. Their only weakness is a minor lack of home run power, but they’re still generally middle of the pack in that department, and it may just be a trade-off they’re happy to make to put the ball in play more often. Things went reasonably well as Jobe tossed 4.1 quite inefficient innings of one-run ball. He showcased why he’s still very much a young and inexperienced work in progress who just needs steady major league time in which to work with Chris Fetter and Robin Lund and figure things out, but he also illustrated why he’s not easy to hit either.
One thing we noticed in his Jobe’s rehab work in the minors was a nice post-TJ velocity bump. That’s carried through to the major leagues so far, as Jobe is averaging 98 mph with his fourseamer, a full 1.5 mph more than in 2025. The other obvious element is a distinct drop in Jobe’s arm angle. In 2024-2025, Jobe’s arm angle was 43-44 degrees. So far this season he’s generally around 39 degrees. With a path that is a little less over the top, typically, though certainly not always, the result is less riding action and more horizontal movement. We’re seeing the former, as Jobe is down from 17.8 inches of induced vertical break to 16.5 inches. He isn’t actually getting more run on the fourseamer in concert with that change, however.
That may have precipitated the move to using his sinker more instead, or maybe lowering his arm slot was part of the plan. Mixing the two fastball types is always a good idea to help keep hitters uncomfortable. It’s probably still a little too early to tell, but for one reason or another, the fourseamer just doesn’t get many whiffs in the zone. Jobe’s clean, rhythmic mechanics don’t give him any deception, his extension is somewhat below average, and despite his high spin rate, he doesn’t often get the type of high spin efficiency ride that say, Justin Verlander always did. Using the sinker much more in the zone, and saving the fourseamer mainly to try and induce chase above the zone may be the way to go here, but one way or another, mixing the two types is usually a positive, as it’s been for Troy Melton.
Jobe’s lower arm slot may be great for his breaking stuff, however. In 2025, Jobe’s best secondary pitch was clearly his changeup, and he’s still got that pitch in his pocket for left-handers especially. Where he’s struggled, even in the minor leagues, is with his breaking stuff. Jobe has always had very high spin rates, to such a degree that his slider and curveball needed to start at the top or even above the zone, just to end up close to the bottom of the zone rather than practically in the dirt. That much break and those high sightlines gave both pitches a distinctive “pop” out of his hand that made them too easy to pick up. They move too much, too early, instead of tunneling off his two fastball types and then producing that late snap at the plate. With the lower arm slot and more velocity, Jobe may have started to crack the code finally.
On Tuesday, he was pumping curveballs in at 85 and even 87 mph, which is elite velocity even for a knuckle curve. Entering the game, Jobe had averaged 81.1 mph, 2858 rpms of spin, and 56.3 inches of drop through his first three starts. Against the Rays, he averaged 85.1 mph and 49 inches of drop after tinkering with his grip and release a bit. Typically, if you can throw your breaking balls harder, they’re going to be nastier for hitters to handle with all else being equal. And coming from a lower arm slot, with less drop, they may be less obvious out of hand.
Of course, you still have to locate them consistently, but this is a really interesting development to track. Notably his slider was also up a mile per hour. Whether this sticks or not, we’ll have to wait and see, but it’s pretty indicative of both the talent level and the fact that Jobe is still a work in progress, making adjustments and seeing what works best for him.
We’ll have to see how well this velocity surge holds up over time. Jobe knows they aren’t going to push his pitch counts right now. He can just air it out freely with minimal conservation of energy. Some of this may naturally change as Jobe fatigues during a longer start or over the course of the whole season, but there’s reason to think he’ll keep some of these gains, too.
For another change, Jobe is on the record saying he shifted from the 3B side of the mound more to the center during his rehab, which helped keep him more streamlined to the plate. Some pitchers really like the cross-bodied deception, but for a power pitcher like Jobe, an efficient, linear drive towards the batter is probably best for maximizing velocity, though it wouldn’t hurt him to have a little more of a pause or hitch in his motion to help throw hitters’ timing off a bit. It’s also possible that this more straightforward delivery helps keep him in the zone a bit more than 2025, when he was in the bottom 20 starting pitchers in ‘zone percent’. That’s not automatically a death sentence, but it does require hitters chasing, and they haven’t done that too much yet.
Still, just watching his start against the Rays, it’s easy to see why he wasn’t getting as many whiffs as he could, and it doesn’t have that much to do with the quality of his pitches. He only threw 49 of 86 pitches for strikes. The issue is still more command than raw stuff. When ahead early in a count, he struggled to spot his breaking stuff close enough to the zone to consistently force hitters to chase. There are too many pure waste pitches that let hitters back into counts rather than forcing them into swing mode against pitches they don’t really want to swing at. Jobe often got ahead and had hitters set up, only to let them back into counts. Suddenly he’s in a situation where he has to turn to the fourseamer or sinker in swing counts while needing to throw a strike. Not a great recipe for success. He has the raw stuff, and there are tweaks they can make to the movement patterns, but the far bigger element to develop is the ability to work in and out, up and down, with more precision than we’ve seen so far. For a starting pitcher, just about everything else follows from fastball command.
Most of these points were true in 2025 as well, and it’s well worth remembering that the Tigers basically skipped him through Triple-A quickly in 2024 to get him on the postseason roster. He had barely turned 22 years old at the time, and while he was certainly talented enough, he had a lot of work ahead of him to refine his stuff and approach against major league hitters. Only in 2025 did he get a normal spring training camp and then a spot in the Opening Day rotation. Jobe made some nice progress in May of 2025 after a shaky start. He’s really just now picking up where he left off, but doing so in the wake of major arm surgery and a long grueling rehab over the past year.
The potential here is outstanding, and the new curveball is exciting, but some patience is going to be required. In the wake of losing Tarik Skubal, it’s just great to have Jobe back on the mound to continue his development. The Tigers are going to need him if they’re going to get back into contention in 2027 and beyond. The explosive bump in velocity, particularly on Tuesday with his curveball, the changes to his arm slot and position on the rubber, as well as the ongoing tweaks between fourseam and sinker-based approaches, all speak to the constant tinkering still going on. There is an awful lot to like in Jackson Jobe as he finally embarks fully on his major league career. He’s just getting started.
COVERS INTEL: The Rangers have shown up offensively on the road, 
