For the second time in as many series, the Atlanta Braves are going to have to figure out a way to not get swept. This long and winding week-long road trip has gotten off to an inauspicious start so hopefully we’ll see the bats come to life and AJ Smith-Shawver help to stop the bleeding in its tracks. Let’s see what happens, folks! First pitch is scheduled for 1:40 p.m. ET.

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Are you penciling Garrett Crochet into the Red Sox October bullpen? Getting back in time to contribute to the postseason is his goal, but he’s trying to maintain the right mindset. “I’m quite hopeful. I’m not gonna say [when], because I don’t know. The past couple times I’ve been like, ‘Oh yeah, I probably don’t even need to go on the IL and here I fucking am, four months later. Right now, I’m trying to practice delayed gratification with myself. Unless I’m crossing the finish line, I’m not going to start celebrating.” (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)

One player who probably won’t contribute down the stretch of the regular season, though, is Masataka Yoshida. The DH and sometimes-outfielder was diagnosed with a “significant” hamstring strain and while the team has not ruled out a return in time for the postseason, it doesn’t appear likely at this point. (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)

Thankfully, Roman Anthony is finally on rehab. The young star played in AA Portland last night and is thrilled to be back on the field. “I was driving here today, and it just felt weird to finally be here,” Anthony said. “It’s been a long, long process for me, and took a lot longer than I could have expected when I first did it. I’m happy that it’s all behind me, and I can just play baseball… You miss an extended period of time, and you realize how much you miss playing the game that you love to play so much. I landed yesterday, and it just [felt] like home.” (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)

But if a ballfield feels like home to Anthony, then naturally he’s teammates would feel like family. And he recently said goodbye to a teammate he was really close to, Marcelo Mayer. “I think anytime somebody goes, it’s sad. Obviously, Marcelo hit a little different. I came up with him and lived with him every day. And he was my roommate since I was 18, 19 years old. So seeing him go, I was excited for him to kind of get a new opportunity and almost like a refresh. And to be back close to home. I think it’ll be good for him. And hopefully get to see him come to Boston. That’d be pretty cool, right?” (Christopher Smith, MassLive)

When Anthony does return, he’ll find a new slugger in the lineup. Adley Rutschman took his time acclimating to a new team and returning to form after his wrist injury, but he showed what he can do last night. “I think whenever you’re coming off the IL, you just never know,” he said. “Sometimes you feel good and then you go out there and the swings that you’re taking don’t work in the game as well. And sometimes you feel good and they do.” (Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic)

Even if he does make it back to the big leagues soon, Anthony’s return won’t be the best thing that happens in Red Sox Nation this week. That’s because the annual Jimmy Fund Telethon raised more money than it ever has before. And, yes, there’s still time to donate. (WEEI)

Speaking to reporters in the Mets' dugout ahead of Wednesday's series finale against the Padres at Citi Field, owner Steve Cohen discussed the state of the team, touching on his hope for the future while looking back at why the 2026 season went sideways. 

While Cohen reaffirmed his commitment to president of baseball operations David Stearns, who is under contract through the 2028 season, he also went into detail about "mistakes" he felt were made as the 2026 team was being constructed.

"We might have taken too much risk as far as when you think about all the changes that were made," Cohen said. "Whenever there are significant changes, sometimes it takes a while to integrate. Those are the things I'm looking at. It's an example of where we can be better."

Cohen added:

"I just think when you add new players, when you add a coaching staff. Maybe adding players with an injury history. When you add risk upon risk upon risk -- one risk alone, but when you add enough risk to something, all of a sudden you can have a dispersion of results. It doesn't mean that it had to turn out bad. It just means that you have dispersion of results, and maybe the possibility of an undesirable result is more of a possibility because of the risk you're taking. 

"I equate it to running a portfolio. The more risk you take in a portfolio -- yeah, it can have major upside, but also your downside can be bigger. And so you can have bigger variance in results. I think that's what happened here."

The Mets underwent a drastic makeover during the offseason, with Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz leaving via free agency, while Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil were traded.

New York also turned over nearly the entire coaching staff aside from manager Carlos Mendoza (who was fired and replaced by interim manager Andy Green in late June). 

When it comes to the players who left, Diaz has been injured and ineffective for the Dodgers and McNeil has struggled for the Athletics. Meanwhile, the Mets' outfield seems set for the future with Juan Soto, A.J. Ewing, and Carson Benge as Nimmo puts up strong offensive numbers for the Rangers (while playing poor outfield defense).

The decision to not make a strong effort to retain Alonso, who signed a five-year deal with the Orioles worth $155 million, looms large given how Alonso is performing (.854 OPS and 28 homers in 126 games for Baltimore), his connection to the fan base, and who the Mets chose to help replace him.

Shortly before Cohen spoke, it was revealed that Jorge Polanco -- who was signed in part to replace Alonso at first base and in the lineup -- would be having season-ending surgery due to the left ankle bursitis that limited him to just 37 games this season as he hit .148/.201/.230 with two home runs in 145 plate appearances.

Before signing a two-year deal with New York, Polanco had been limited by injury each of the last four seasons, including issues with his knee, hamstring, and ankle.

Another key player the Mets brought in this past offseason was Marcus Semien, who was acquired in the trade for Nimmo, allowing New York to clear the final two years of Nimmo's contract.

Semien played through a hip injury earlier this season and has struggled badly offensively, hitting just .208/.269/.351 (.620 OPS) in 107 games.

The main risk when it came to Semien had to do with his performance at the plate, which sagged in 2024 and 2025 before cratering this season.

Stearns and the Mets also took a chance on oft-injured center fielder Luis Robert Jr., who has been limited to 48 games this season because of a back injury and has a .648 OPS.

The Mets took risk in the offseason with the rotation as well, banking on bounce backs from Kodai Senga, David Peterson, and Sean Manaea, who all struggled badly down the stretch in 2025.

Senga dealt with injuries, was removed from the rotation, and has been thriving lately in a high-leverage relief role, Peterson was traded to the Cubs in July, and Manaea (who dealt with a bone chip issue last season) was relegated to the bullpen for the first few months before returning to the rotation in June and finding success -- and his fastball velocity.

One of Stearns' major offensive moves in the offseason that is working out is the Bo Bichette signing.

But Bichette seemed to have a bit of an adjustment period early on as he put up a .583 OPS in 59 games through May. Since then, he is hitting .312/.350/.464 (.814 OPS) and playing strong defense at third base. 

Putting a bow on his thoughts regarding how too much risk might have hurt the 2026 Mets, Cohen summed it up:

"When I look at it as a whole, I see individual decisions that make perfect sense. But when you add it all up, then you get into a different realm of 'did we take too much risk?' It's kind of looking at it from a top down perspective as opposed to an individual decision."

Given Cohen's feelings and the lessons Stearns has learned, it's fair to believe the Mets will approach this coming offseason differently.

ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel is reporting that the Colorado Rockies are calling up LHP Mark Manfredi, a pitcher they acquired in the Antonio Senzatela trade with the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Brewers drafted Manfredi, 26, in the ninth round of the 2023 MLB Draft. The native of Highland Heights, Ohio, attended the University of Dayton. The lefty was a starter when drafted, but has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen since 2025.

He spent the 2024 season with the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers where he earned a 3.94 ERA over 76.0 IP with a 1.37 WHIP.

Last season, Manfredi pitched for the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers where he had a 3.30 ERA in 60.0 IP with a 1.27 WHIP.

This season, he started with Biloxi and was promoted in June to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds. During his time with the Sounds, he’s tallied a 3.09 ERA across 23.1 IP. This number includes 30 Ks and 11 BB.

He has struggled a bit since arriving at Triple-A Albuquerque where he has a 10.80 ERA over 5 IP, including six walks.

Manfredi is known primary for his fastball, of which FanGraphs Eric Longenhagen wrote, “Manfredi has a good fastball. He sits 93-97 with uphill angle. His secondaries aren’t especially nasty, but he has two different breaking balls that play up a little bit against lefties because of his arm slot, and he’ll throw the occasional changeup to keep hitters honest.”

As Jeff Aberle noted in his PuRPs evaluation, the Rockies would need to provide Manfredi protection from the Rule 5 Draft, so the promotion is not unexpected, especially in light of the organization’s decision earlier this week to DFA Michael Lorenzen.

Moreover, Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta foreshadowed the move when speaking with media immediately following the trade deadline.

“Manfredi is also a guy who I think has a chance to be here relatively soon,” DePodesta said. “We think he can factor into our bullpen for sure from the left side, and it’s a very different look than [Brennan Bernardino].”

Purple Row will continue to monitor this developing story.

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Mets owner Steve Cohen met with reporters prior to Wednesday’s series finale against the San Diego Padres and discussed a host of topics, including finding the club’s next manager. 

With Carlos Mendoza dismissed midseason, Andy Green moved from a player development role into the interim manager job. While the results have been promising (the Mets have gone 23-23 with Green), president of baseball operations David Stearns has said that Green will return to the front office after the season, and Cohen echoed that on Wednesday, though he did say he'd welcome Green changing his mind.

“Well, I’m going to take him at face value. He’s telling us that he wants to go back to the front office,” Cohen said. “We’re going to do a managerial search and if it turns out he wants to throw his hat into the ring, that would be great.”

Asked about what qualities he wants to see in the next skipper, Cohen said relating to the players in the clubhouse is near the top of the list.

“I want a manager that can really relate to the players. I love the idea of a manager that motivates the players,” said Cohen. “As we know, playing baseball is up and down. People have great moments and go into slumps. So how do you get the best out of your players? And I think that’s pretty important.”

Three of the last four full-time Mets managers – Mendoza, Luis Rojas, and Mickey Callaway – stepped into the managerial role with no prior experience as a major league manager. 

Cohen was asked if past experience was a prerequisite this time around, but deferred to Stearns when it comes to handling the upcoming search.

“I’m going to leave that to David. That’s a little bit in the weeds for me,” Cohen said. “What I really think is we’ll see quality candidates and then we can figure out what to do next.”

Of course, there are already names floating around for the Mets job, including Alex Cora, who was fired by the Red Sox earlier this season but has a proven track record.

“I’m sure there’s a bunch of names out there," Cohen said when asked specifically about Cora’s candidacy. “Once again, they’ll do a managerial search and they’ll figure it out then.” 

Wednesday notes…

• GOING FOR THE SWEEP, PART 1: This is the 18th of the Cubs’ 60 regular-season series against the White Sox in which they won the first two games. There was a third game in 10 of the previous series. The Cubs won five and lost five. The Cubs have won eight straight at home vs. the Sox: the final game of 2023, both played in 2024, three last year and the last two nights. Their previous longest home streak in the rivalry had been only four games. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• GOING FOR THE SWEEP, PART 2: This is the 13th of the Cubs’ 42 series in which they have won the first two games. They won the third game as well in seven series, most recently Aug. 3-5 at home vs. the Dodgers, and lost it in five, including last week at Washington. The win over the Dodgers completed their fourth three-game sweep. The others were over the Diamondbacks, Mets and Padres, all at home. They won a fourth game, too, at home vs. the Phillies and Pirates and at New York vs. the Mets. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• IN THE SUNSHINE: The Cubs are only 27-26 in day games, far worse than their 46=27 at night. They finished last season 43-32 in sunshine. They are 17-12 in day games at home, including 10-5 in day games following night games. They were 29-20 and 7-8 a year ago. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• PCA! PCA! PCA!: Pete Crow-Armstrong, 17 games in August: .278/.400/.611 (19-for-69) with four doubles, a triple, seven home runs, 16 RBI, 13 walks, 19 runs scored and five stolen bases (with no caught stealing).

Cubs lineup:

White Sox lineup:

Clay Holmes, RHP vs. Sean Newcomb, LHP

Clay Holmes was lights-out in his last start, last Friday against the Cardinals: 6.2 innings, one hit, one walk, 11 ground-ball outs.

The last time he faced the White Sox was May 26, 2025 at Citi Field and he had a similar outing: 5.2 innings, four hits, one run. Many of those White Sox aren’t on the team anymore and current Sox are a small sample size 3-for-18 against Holmes.

Just keep those ground balls coming.

Once again, the White Sox appear to be using an opener, this time Sean Newcomb. His last outing was Aug. 16 against the Tigers, when he was used to close things, posting his fourth save. He also faced the Tigers as an opener Aug. 14 in Detroit, throwing 1.1 scoreless innings. He hasn’t thrown more than 33 pitches in an outing since June, so expect at most two innings here.

He threw two scoreless innings against the Cubs May 17 at Rate Field and has generally been effective this year, posting a 2.51 ERA and 1.103 WHIP in 46 games covering 68 innings.

You might remember, or choose to forget, Newcomb’s 17 games with the Cubs in 2022, when he posted a 9.33 ERA and allowed seven home runs in 22.2 innings.

The last time Newcomb was an opener, José Urquidy was the “bulk guy,” and that’s the last time Urquidy pitched (Aug. 14), so I’d expect that to happen again today. Fun fact: Urquidy was supposed to come to the Cubs in 2022 from the Astros in a trade for Willson Contreras, but Astros owner Jim Crane personally blocked the deal that had already been agreed to by the teams.

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

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. It’s also on CHSN and WCIU-Ch. 26 with the Sox announcers.

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

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

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

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

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

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

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

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

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Detroit Tigers (61-64) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (61-66)

Time/Place: 12:35 p.m., PNC Park
SB Nation Site:Bucs Dugout
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: RHP Jackson Jobe (1-1, 6.23 ERA) vs. RHP Paul Skenes (9-11, 3.88 ERA)

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Baseball all day long! We have a full slate ahead, with plenty of value in the MLB player props market.

Join me as I break down three of my favorite MLB picksfor Wednesday, Aug. 19, including why I expect Pete Alonso to go nuclear.

For more props, Josh Inglis has you covered with his three favorite MLB home run predictions.  

Best MLB player props today

Player	Pick	Odds
Parker Messick	Over 6.5 strikeouts	+102
Griffin Conine	To record a hit	-154
Pete Alonso	Over 1.5 H+R+RBI	-138

Parker Messick Over 6.5 Strikeouts (+102)

One of the most exciting young pitchers in the game right now is Cleveland Guardians southpaw Parker Messick, who has the highest average strikeout rate on the slate over at Batters-Box. He also owns the No. 1 pitcher rating while facing a San Francisco Giants lineup that has struggled mightily against left-handed pitching.

So far this season, the Giants own a 23.1% strikeout rate, 76% contact rate and 33.4% swinging-strike rate. On the road against lefties, those numbers take a dive, with a 30.8% strikeout rate, 70% contact rate, and 34.2% swinging-strike rate. Over their last 60 at-bats against a left-handed pitcher, only three hitters have a strikeout rate below 13.3%. Everyone else is above 30%.

Messick has posted a near-30% strikeout rate across his last three outings, setting him up in an excellent spot to shove against an ice-cold Giants lineup. He has also recorded 6+ strikeouts in each of his last four starts.

Do not pay juice for this prop.

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: CLEG, NBCSBA

Griffin Conine To Record a Hit (-154)

Miami Marlins outfielder Griffin Conine to record a hit against Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola is mainly a price play.

For starters, Conine is the No. 1-rated hitter on Batters-Box's current-season dataset. Across 26 elite-rated matchups this season, he has recorded at least one hit 61.54% of the time.

The outfielder has been absolutely destroying the baseball lately. He homered last night, and hopefully he can go deep again, but we only need the floor here. Over his last 10 games, Conine owns an .833 SLG and .433 ISO while generating almost a 60% hard-hit rate and a 22.7% barrel rate.

Nola has been tormented by left-handed hitters at home this season, allowing them to hit .314 with a .583 SLG and .407 wOBA. On top of that, lefties are producing a 56% elevation rate and 36.8% hard-hit rate against him.

If you're not in the juice-paying business, take his hits + runs + RBI prop. However, the hit prop is playable to -160.

Check out Quinn Allen's full Marlins vs. Phillies predictions.

• Time: 6:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MIAM, NBCSP

Pete Alonso Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBI (-138)

It is hard to ignore just how hot Baltimore Orioles slugger Pete Alonso has been over his last 10 games, posting a .947 SLG, .824 xSLG, and .447 ISO while generating a 65.6% hard-hit rate and 22% barrel rate.

Alonso also enters today's matchup with an elite rating on Batters-Box. Across 60 elite ratings over the last three seasons, he has gone Over this prop 68.33% of the time.

Tonight, he draws New York Yankees right-hander Will Warren, who has been allowing a boatload of hard contact to opposing hitters over his last five outings. The last 60 right-handed hitters he has faced are producing a 56% hard-hit rate, 9.3% barrel rate, and 60% elevation rate, all while posting a .479 xBA, .662 xSLG, and .358 ISO.

The trends and recent numbers are too delectable to pass up. Take this down to -140, or grab his 2+ bases at plus money.

Check out Chris Hatfield's full Yankees vs. Orioles predictions.

• Time: 6:35 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: YES, MASN, AmazonPV 

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Today marks the 58th birthday of former Blue Jays pitcher Woody Williams.

I’ll admit, I often confuse Woody Williams with Chris Carpenter. Both left the Blue Jays and eventually landed in St. Louis—Williams with a stop in San Diego along the way. They each found greater success with the Cardinals (though Carpenter excelled even more), and they were teammates during their time there.

Woody was a 28th-round draft pick in 1988 out of the University of Houston (Joey Hamilton was chosen a few spots earlier by the Orioles in the same round). Expectations were likely modest, but he excelled in the minors. In May 1993, the Blue Jays called him up to help in the bullpen, where he pitched in 30 games with a 4.38 ERA.

He spent the next couple of seasons in the back of the bullpen. Then, in August 1996, he finally got his chance in the rotation. Paul Quantrill began the season as a starter, but was moved to the bullpen. With Marty Janzen and Huck Flener struggling, Williams earned a shot. He made 10 starts, going 4-5 with a 4.35 ERA.

The following season, Williams spent a full year in the rotation, finishing 9-14 with a 4.35 ERA. Over 31 starts, he pitched 194.1 innings, allowing 201 hits and 31 home runs (during the height of the PED era), with 66 walks and 124 strikeouts. While not spectacular, he held his own as the third starter behind Roger Clemens and Pat Hentgen. The game has changed a lot in the past twenty years—back then, Woody was a reliable third starter who nearly reached 200 innings.

In 1997, Williams went 10-9 with a 4.46 ERA. Over 32 starts, he pitched 209.2 innings, allowing 196 hits, 36 home runs, 81 walks, and recording 151 strikeouts.

Then came the trade—or, more accurately, the infamous trade. Williams and a few minor leaguers were sent to San Diego for Joey Hamilton. GM Gord Ash trusted the advice of newly hired assistant GM Dave Stewart, who had played with Hamilton and claimed to see star potential in him. Ash signed Hamilton to a three-year, $16.5 million contract (a hefty sum at the time), but Hamilton delivered a disappointing 14-17 record with a 5.83 ERA.

Williams went on to have a solid career. He spent five seasons with the Padres, posting a 51-45 record and a 4.32 ERA. The Padres later traded him to the Cardinals, where he flourished—going 45-22 with a 3.53 ERA over four seasons. His standout year was 2003, when he finished 18-9 with a 3.87 ERA in 34 games (33 starts).

As a Blue Jay, he compiled a 28-34 record with a 4.30 ERA over 166 games (76 starts). Overall, he finished his MLB career with a 132-116 record and a 4.19 ERA in 424 games, 330 of them starts. How many 28th-round picks can claim a career like that?

I read that he occasionally threw a knuckleball, though I don’t recall ever seeing it.

According to Wikipedia, Woody has five children and lives in Alvin, Texas.

Happy birthday, Woody. Hope it’s a great one.

Also celebrating birthdays today:

• Luis Gómez turns 73 today. He spent two seasons with the Blue Jays (1978–1979), playing shortstop in 1978 and serving as a utility infielder the following year. Gómez hit .227/.276/.282 in 212 games and played eight MLB seasons with the Twins, Jays, and Braves.
• Jeff Tam turns 54 today. In 2003, he appeared in 44 relief games for the Jays, marking the end of his six-year MLB career. Tam posted a 5.64 ERA and allowed opponents a .314/.396/.465 batting line. Most of his career was spent with the A’s, though he also played for the Mets and Cleveland.