SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 21: Byron Buxton #25 of the Minnesota Twins makes a diving catch during the second inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on August 21, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Orlando Ramirez / Getty Images
First Pitch: 7:40 pm CDT TV: Twins.TV Radio: TIBN / WCCO 830 / The Wolf 102.9 FM / Audacy
Today, I report to you LIVE from San Diego. Such is my commitment to TWINKIE TOWN DOT COM. As I understand it, it’s a weird start time back in Minnesota, and it’s a weird start time here. I will be weathering the game nonetheless. Such is my commitment to TWINKIE TOWN DOT COM.
As you already know, the Twins swept the first-place Atlanta Braves at Target Field earlier this week, launching them back into sole possession of the third Wild Card. They’re calling it the dumbest Twins season of all time, and in just a few short weeks we may be rolling our eyes at the notion that Minnesota had a chance at October baseball this year.
But if the season ended yesterday in, say, the mid-afternoon, they would get that chance — and after beating the drum all season that one of these six middling playoff hopefuls will finally get hot and go on a run, it’s not totally out of question to think that Minnesota could be the one team to do it. After all, we’re still waiting on this year’s double-digit winning streak.
Today, it’s a battle of the acquistions; Dean Kremer gets the ball for the Twins, and familiar opponent Casey Mize has the mound for San Diego, having been shipped off from the Detroit Tigers just a few weeks ago. Outside of the tail end of his previous start, Kremer has been remarkably decent for Minnesota, given his back-end profile.
Meanwhile, Mize got rocked for eight earned runs in a 3.1-inning debut against the Arizona Diamondbacks, before settling in for back-to-back six-inning starts of two runs or fewer, though neither outing saw him reach otherworldly dominance. (That would be a bit much to expect, I suppose, given his mostly terrestrial status as a human being so far.)
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 22: Quinn Mathews #60 of the St. Louis Cardinals throws a pitch in the bottom of the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on August 22, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The St. Louis Cardinals have played some very tight one-run games lately. Saturday night was not one of those games as the Philadelphia Phillies jumped all over Quinn Mathews early and clobbered the Cardinals Saturday night in Philly.
The trouble for Quinn Mathews started in the bottom of the 1st inning when he walked Kyle Schwarber. Trea Turner followed that with a single to left. It looked like Mathews might escape with minimal damage when he struck out Bryce Harper and got Luis Arraez to fly out, but that was not to be. Alec Bohm singled in the Phillies first run and then Edmundo Sosa doubled to center scoring two more runs. By the time the bottom of the 1st was over, it was 3-0 Phillies.
The game started to get away from Mathews in the Cardinals in the bottom of the 3rd inning when with one out the Phillies got back-to-back-to-back singles from Arraez, Bohm and Sosa to load the bases. Bryan De La Cruz unloaded a couple of those bases with a single that scored two giving the Phillies a commanding 5-0 lead. Philadelphia wasn’t done as J.T. Realmuto lifted a sacrifice fly to right for another Phillies run and then Hill doubled to left to increase the Philadelphia lead to 7-0. By this time, we could sense this would be a long night.
Quinn Mathews night would end after 5 innings and his numbers were not pretty (unlike the string of pearls he wears). Quinn gave up 10 hits, 7 earned runs striking out 3 and walking 1. This was not what he and the Cardinals had in mind for an ideal outing. Ryan Fernandez would enter the game and wouldn’t fare much better, but more on that soon.
The Cardinals finally scored in the top of the 6th inning. Blaze Jordan led off with a double to right and then he was moved to third by a sacrifice fly from JJ Wetherholt. It looked like St. Louis might squander their opportunity when Herrera popped out to first for the second out, but Alec Burleson picked him up by singling to left scoring Jordan and giving the Cardinals a run – finally – making it a slightly less embarrassing 7-1 Phillies lead.
That lack of embarrassment would be short-lived as the Phillies would really pile on in the bottom of the 6th inning. It started with a J.T. Realmuto double to left followed by a Crawford single to left. Kyle Schwarber hit a sacrifice fly to right giving Philadelphia their 7-run lead back at 8-1. They weren’t done by a long shot. Turner singled to right which advanced Crawford to third. Bryce Harper, who had struck out 3 times earlier, destroyed an 84 mph Ryan Fernandez changeup launching it 390 feet into the right field stands kicking the Phillies lead into double digits at 11-1.
One of the few happy moments came in the top of the 8th inning when JJ Wetherholt barreled an 89 mph cutter from Phillies reliever Alvarado and sent it 403 feet over the centerfield wall for the second Cardinals run of the game. That gives JJ 17 home runs for the season. The score was still embarrassing, but at least St. Louis had 2 runs.
There was comedic relief in the bottom of the 8th inning when it was position player as pitcher time. Pedro Pagés was the guy who drew the lucky straw and nearly paid dearly for his sacrifice as Crawford drilled a ball directly up the middle that whizzed by Pedro’s head. He fared better than any of the Cardinals real pitchers Saturday night as he only gave up one run on a Kyle Schwarber hulk smash that made the score 12-2 Philly.
For scorekeeping purposes, I shall include the fact that Nathan Church hit a triple and scored in the top of the 9th inning and scored on a groundout by Fermin to make the final score 12-3.
The St. Louis Cardinals wrap up a long road trip on Sunday as they try again against the Philadelphia Phillies. Kyle Leahy is the scheduled starter for the Cardinals while the Phillies will give the ball to Cristopher Sánchez. First pitch is set for 12:45pm central time and the game broadcast will be available via Cardinals.tv.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has been encouraged by the updates he’s received regarding the two-way star.
“I didn’t check in with Shohei, but from the coaches, it’s been really positive,” Roberts said during his pregame media availability. “I think 30 pitches, six hitters. We’re getting there.”
Roberts believes Ohtani has a few more steps to take before he is ready to return to the mound as a starter for Los Angeles.
“If it was up to Shohei, he would be in a game (pitching) in a few days, but I would assume he’ll have another live BP,” Roberts said. “We are going to talk to him and get with the training staff as well.”
Ohtani hasn’t pitched in an MLB game since July 3, unable to take the mound due to knee inflammation.
“I think (the knee injury is) behind us,” Roberts said. “Certainly, given the build-up, I think we will be able to manage it; it's going to be a slow, one, two, three-inning situation.”
Roberts remained open to the idea of Ohtani making full-length starts during the postseason.
“The most important thing is how he’s feeling and how we get there,” Roberts added. “He has to pass some tests and markers.”
Ohtani’s return will also provide some flexibility for the Dodgers' rotation, which has dealt with adversity in recent weeks but has also gotten healthier with the addition of Tarik Skubal and the return of Blake Snell. Tyler Glasnow is also expected to return within the next week.
Ohtani is considered to be in a two-player race alongside Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs.
With the Dodgers’ star expected to return to the mound, it could help strengthen his resume, with his batting numbers similar to PCA's at this point in the season.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - JULY 30: Rhett Lowder #25 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches in the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park on July 30, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Unless you are one of the seven or so folks who managed to stay awake into the wee hours of the morning in the eastern time zone last night, you were forced wait until this morning to find that the mighty Cincinnati Reds managed to get four hits off of Major League Baseball caliber pitching last night!
They did! They really did – four whole times!
As it turns out, though, the Arizona Diamondbacks – who are actually mighty despite still playing without both Corbin Burnes and Ketel Marte – managed to get 15 hits off the Reds. And they scored 9 runs, which was 9 more than the Reds could muster on the day.
Cincinnati stinks right now. They stink bad. Their starting pitching is falling apart, their league-worst offense continues to get skunked in ways no other team does, and manager Terry Francona is consistently forced to roll out lineup after lineup devoid of any sort of threat. Hell, even Michael Toglia is now on the sidelines for at least a few days after dislocating his shoulder diving for a ball in a position he never should’ve had to be in last night – even though his numbers are awful, at least he’s a big galoot who looks moderately imposing in the batter’s box despite his foibles.
Now, the Reds are rolling out their short lineup, a moniker that’s both a) in direct reference to their physical size and b) indicative of what it’s lacking that it once had.
Anyway, Rhett Lowder gets the start for the Reds tonight against the Snakes down in the Sonoran, while veteran righty Mike Soroka goes for Arizona.
DENVER, CO - AUGUST 21: Braxton Fulford #37 of the Colorado Rockies receives the throw at the plate as Angel Genao #17 of the Cleveland Guardians slides in to score on a single off the bat of Travis Bazzana #37 of the Cleveland Guardians (not pictured) in the fourth inning at Coors Field on August 21, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - FEBRUARY 06: Anthony Davis #3 and Klay Thompson #31 of the Dallas Mavericks laugh during a timeout in the second quarter against the Boston Celticsat the TD Garden on February 06, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. 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. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Earlier this week, Klay Thompson’s rocky tenure in Dallas came to an end as he agreed to a buyout with the intention of signing with the Miami Heat once he clears waivers.
It puts an interesting sliding doors moment back into focus with the 2024 offseason. The Lakers aggressively pursued Thompson with LeBron open to taking a pay cut to help the team sign an impact player.
Back in the summer of 2024, Thompson’s representatives had discussions with the Lakers about him winding up there. It would have made sense on several levels. Thompson has deep ties to Los Angeles. He spent much of his childhood in the city and still owns a home there.
But one of the reasons Thompson chose the Mavericks over the Lakers was that he had concerns about Davis’ availability, a source with knowledge of his thinking said.
Obviously, Luka and Thompson only played about two dozen games together before the former was traded. In a bit of irony that ultimately may have proved Thompson right, he and Anthony Davis only played 27 games together across a season-and-a-half due to injuries to the latter.
AD was mostly healthy prior to being traded, playing in 42 of 47 games for the Lakers after playing 76 games the season prior. Lingering doubt has long surrounded AD and his availability, but he was in the healthiest stretch of his time in LA when Thompson opted not to join.
Ultimately, I don’t think the Lakers would have changed anything, given that they landed Luka in this timeline, but that makes it an even more interesting sliding-doors moment. How differently would things have looked for both teams if Klay was donning the purple and gold?
Would Dallas have still looked to trade Luka? Would LA still be the team they secretly negotiated with? It’s a butterfly effect we’ll never know about, but I think Lakers fans are happy with how things played out.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 21: Kody Clemens #2 of the Minnesota Twins slides into third base safely after hitting a two-RBI triple ahead of the tag by Manny Machado #13 of the San Diego Padres during the fourth inning at Petco Park on August 21, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Minnesota Twins (63-66) at San Diego Padres (69-60), August 22, 2026, 5:40 p.m. PST
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TOPSHOT - The sun shines through a saguaro cactus in Phoenix, Ariona, on June 7, 2024. Millions remain under heat alerts as Phoenix and Las Vegas break temperature records, with Phoenix reaching a sweltering 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 Celsius) on June 6, 20245, beating the previous daily record for this time of year of 111 degrees (43.8 Celsius) set in 2016. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images
Today’s Lineups
REDS
DIAMONDBACKS
Elly De La Cruz – SS
Lars Nootbaar – LF
Sal Stewart – 1B
Corbin Carroll – RF
JJ Bleday – LF
Gabriel Moreno – C
Tyler Stephenson – C
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Eugenio Suarez – DH
Nolan Arenado – DH
Matt McLain – 2B
Tim Tawa – 1B
Dane Myers – CF
Ildemaro Vargas – 2B
Hector Rodriguez – RF
Jose Fernandez – 3B
Ke’Bryan Hayes – 3B
Ryan Waldschmidt – CF
Rhett Lowder – RHP
Michael Soroka – RHP
After all the drama of the past few days, last night’s simple, straightforward and entirely drama-free victory was a much-needed palate cleaners. Okay, the Reds are well below .500 and occupy last place in their division for a reason. But as we saw with the Rockies, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be easy. There was a thorough competence about almost every aspect of the victory. Eduardo Rodriguez giving us almost six innings of shutout ball. The bullpen retiring 11 of the 12 batters they faced. The offense being remarkably productive in the clutch, going 6-for-13 with RISP. The last time we hit .450 there? June 29 – when we went 2-for-4 against San Francisco.
Dare we hope for more of the same today? With Michael Soroka on the mound, you have to be somewhat optimistic about the possibility. He has allowed two earned runs over ten innings, since coming off the IL. And those were against better offenses than the Reds, in the shape of the Rockies and Braves. Cincinnati are, at the time of writing, dead last in the National League with an OPS+ of just 90. They currently have eighty-two fewer hits than anyone else, and have also struck out more often. Interestingly, the D-backs’ hitters are last in K’s on 940 – seventy-two fewer than the next-fewest in the NL, the Cardinals.
Mind you, Arizona’s pitchers are also strikeout-averse. They are ahead of just the Rockies for K’s – that’s only by two, and Colorado has one fewer game. On the other hand, they have also walked fewer people than any other NL side. I guess the Diamondbacks’ staff are doing their bit for brighter baseball, with the fewest plate appearances ending in one of the “three true outcomes”, and instead generating more balls in play than anyone else. Oh, and who on Opening Day would have bet on tonight’s starter, Michael Soroka having the highest K-rate of anyone in our rotation? At 8.6 K/9, he is more than two strikeouts per nine innings ahead of the next best, E-Rod at 6.4. #YouCantPredictBaseball
Aug 11, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (7) delivers in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Dodgers finish things off with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.
Blake Snell makes his third start since returning from the injured list, having pitched six strong innings in each of his first two times out.
Los Angeles Dodgers player Shohei Ohtani walks to bat at the bottom of the first inning during a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif., on Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. Carlin Stiehl for CA Post
Dodgers stars Mookie Betts and Miguel Rojas spoke about how Ohtani’s return to pitching has altered his headspace for the better, which they discussed during an “On Base with Mookie Betts” podcast episode that aired on Thursday.
“Shohei is a different guy when he’s able to put his glove on and go out there and throw,” Rojas said.
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani prepares to throw a pitch against the Colorado Rockies during a baseball game Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in Los Angeles. Wally Skalij for CA Post
“Seeing him this year made me understand how much he loves pitching,” Betts added.
“I really believe it makes him happy. And if he’s happy, and he’s in a good headspace, he’s going to help the team. And that’s what we all care about,” Rojas added. “What I see in Shohei right now is that he’s happy because he’s able to put that glove [on] again… You always see him messing with that glove, and putting it right here, and starting to put a baseball in it, and started cleaning his glove.”
“He can be himself!” Betts said.
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Aug 18, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Detroit Tigers third baseman Kevin McGonigle (7) throws to first base for an out against Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter Bryan Reynolds (not pictured) during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Detroit Tigers (61-67) vs. Kansas City Royals (56-74)
Time/Place: 7:10 p.m., Kauffman Stadium SB Nation Site:Royals Review Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network Pitching Matchup: RHP Drew Anderson (4-4, 4.01 ERA) )vs. RHP Michael Wacha (6-8, 3.58 ERA)
Gabriel Hughes (43) pitches for the Rockies in the first inning as the San Francisco Giants played the Colorado Rockies at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. (Photo by Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
The Rockies will look to break their seven-game losing streak at Coors Field when they host the Guardians tonight at Coors Field. Be prepared for lots of lightsaber and Death Star references as Star Wars night takes over 20th and Blake Street.
Gabriel Hughes will start for the Rockies (50-78) in search of his first MLB win and hoping it will come on his 25th birthday. Hughes is 0-4 with a 6.69 ERA in eight appearances (seven starts). Hughes struggled in his last outing, surrendering seven runs on eight hits, including one homer, with one walk and two strikeouts in four innings in San Francisco on Aug. 16.
Tanner Bibee (4-13, 4.01 ERA) will be on the mound for Cleveland (63-66). The 27-year-old RHP has lost both of his last two games, giving up five earned runs with two walks and four strikeouts in 6.1 innings on Aug. 11 vs. Detroit and putting up a quality start against San Diego on Aug. 16 when he gave up only three runs in seven innings.
Scattered rain and thunderstorms peppered the Denver Metro area on Saturday afternoon, which will be interesting to watch as the evening progresses.
First Pitch: 6:10 p.m. MDT
TV: Rockies.TV
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM KOA Rockies Radio Network; KNRV 1150 AM (Spanish)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 22: Fans receive their Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers "Starter Series" Bobblehead before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium on August 22, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers try to pick up the pieces in the outfield without Andy Pages, trying for a fifth straight win on Saturday night.
On a mission: After Luis Castillo’s excellent home debut at Rate Field, he looks to shut the Mets down. | Photo by Joe Sullivan/MLB Photos via Getty Images
After a thrilling victory on Friday night, the White Sox (67-61) are back in action on the South Side against the Mets (58-71).
Trade deadline acquisition Luis Castillo, 33, will start on the mound for the South Siders. Castillo enters this game with a 4.99 ERA and a 4.52 FIP in 115 1/3 innings this season. It has not been the finest year for Castillo, who has only accumulated 0.8 fWAR in 2026. Since the White Sox acquired him, Castillo has had three starts, and Castillo’s numbers were not good in two of them. However, on August 12 against the Reds (61-68) Castillo was fantastic, only allowing one hit and striking out 10 in seven shutout innings. That masterful performance against Cincinnati was the only home game of the three, so perhaps Castillo really enjoys the home cooking on the South Side. Hopefully, Castillo manages to build on that excellent game.
The White Sox offense will be facing starter Christian Scott, 27, a right-handed pitcher. Scott enters this game with a 3.51 ERA and a 3.36 FIP in 84 2/3 innings, accumulating 1.9 fWAR on the season. This will be Scott’s first career appearance against the White Sox. The Mets drafted Scott in the fifth round in 2021, and he has been in the organization ever since.
Here are tonight’s starting lineups:
First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on CHSN, and ESPN Chicago WMVP 1000 AM will have the radio coverage. We look forward to discussing this matchup with you.
KANSAS CITY, MO - AUGUST 21: Vinnie Pasquantino #9 of the Kansas City Royals looks on during the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Friday, August 21, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Tanner Gatlin/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Royals are already riding their longest winning streak of the season and look to make it even longer tonight. The team’s most consistent pitcher, Michael Wacha, will take the mound for the Royals. Wacha is tied for the AL lead in Quality Starts and is fourth overall. So he’s not just consistent, but he’s been pretty dang good.
Drew Anderson will start for the Tigers tonight. I have to be honest, I couldn’t remember ever seeing him pitch before, so I wondered if he was a rookie. It turns out, however, that he’s been pitching in the big leagues for nearly 10 years, since 2017, and is 32 years old. Whoops.
Anderson was a reliever for most of the year, but with the Tigers still dealing with myriad rotation injuries and then trading away their two best starters at the deadline, he was summoned to action. In three starts since rejoining the rotation, he hasn’t pitched deep into games, but he’s been effective with a 2.84 ERA. That comes with a measly 7.8% K-BB% and a 4.90 FIP. So Tigers fans probably don’t feel super comfortable with him on the mound, However, as the Royals have seen with Daniel Lynch IV and Randy Dobnak, those kinds of results can last a handful of starts, at least.
As you can see in the above graphic, Anderson is a five-pitch pitcher. He gets at least some chase or some whiff on every pitch; his changeup is regarded very favorably and has the results to match. That’s of particular interest to me because it comes in at only 5 average MPH slower than the four-seamer, and generally you want more difference in the two pitches. Wacha, in contrast, features 13 MPH in his average velocities – one of the reasons his changeup does so well.
Lineups
I’m not really sure why Tyler Tolbert is in there instead of John Rave, but at least some of us will be happy about it. Either way, it’s a lineup that goes at least six deep, even if at least one player is batting higher than he would in a competitive team’s lineup. Fingers crossed the Royals can get things done tonight.
