MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - AUGUST 18: Josh Bell #56 of the Minnesota Twins celebrates his two-run home run as he rounds the bases against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Target Field on August 18, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In the midst of a slump, especially at the plate, the Braves were hoping that Tyler Mahle could delicer another strong start to help the Braves tie up the series in Minneapolis.
There were 5 batted balls over 100 MPH across both teams in the first inning, but two of the three against Mahle produced two runs, on a loud Jeffers double and a mammoth Bell homer. After that, Mahle generally struggled to miss bats, but didn’t give up much loud contact and was extremely efficient, needing only 76 pitches to complete 6.2 innings, keeping the Twins at just the 2 runs with a little help from Dylan Dodd to strand a batter in the seventh. Only 3 strikeouts and 8 whiffs are well off of Mahle’s previous two outings, but
The offense was characteristically quiet with very few baserunners until a Drake Baldwin homer broke the shutout in the sixth.
Harris and Albies singled with two outs in the frame as well, but the Braves were unable to tie up the game, as the Twins went to their bullpen. The offense had nothing going in the seventh or eighth and Dylan Dodd gave way to Didier Fuentes in the eighth with a runner on first. Didier left a couple of pitches over the heart of the plate and the Twins took them for a single and a double, tacking on a big two insurance runs for a 4-1 lead heading into the ninth. Michael Harris led off the ninth with a double, but the Braves were unable to do anything else in the inning.
This continues a string of games during which the offense has generally not been good enough. Other than Matt Olson, none of their hitters are performing particularly up to their standards at the moment and the team is just not playing well. They built quite a cushion early in the season, but this next stretch of games is one that could turn that around quickly if they don’t step it up. Join us tomorrow at 1:40 PM ET, as the Braves look to salvage this series in the first of four consecutive day games.
Aug 18, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm (28) scores against the Miami Marlins during the sixth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Another so-so Zach Wheeler outing was salvaged by the continued August heat wave of Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott as the Philadelphia Phillies (69-58) won their fifth straight game by a score of 6-4 against the Miami Marlins (64-63).
Wheeler gave up two runs across five innings, striking out seven but issuing four walks as 41 of his 98 pitches were called balls.
Griffin Conine crushes a solo HR 109.4 MPH off the bat to tie it!
Bohm and Stott accounted for a combined three runs scored, three hits and four RBI, aided by a pair of walks issued to Bryce Harper and a trio of hits by Luis Arraez to set the table.
The new corner infield tandem’s torrid month included stellar play in the field to go along with the team-carrying offensive production, punctuated by an inning-ending unassisted double play by Bohm to end a threat in the seventh.
The Phillies were down 3-1 against the Marlins’ bullpen assemblage going into the bottom of the sixth and they came out the other end up 5-3 after sending nine men to the plate.
Kyle Schwarber tacked on an insurance run in the eighth on an RBI single, after narrowly missing a three-run home run that would have blown things open in the sixth that appeared to just miss the right field foul pole.
Alex McFarlane and Orion Kerkering both allowed a run in relief of Wheeler. Brooks Raley shut the door for his fist save of the season. Justin Crawford had a pair of hits in the nine hole.
Pending the results of the late games, the Phillies sit 5.5 out of the division lead and 1.5 games up on the Padres for the final wild card spot with 35 games to play.
Phils go for the sweep tomorrow night as Aaron Nola faces off against Sandy Alcantara.
This time, the scene unfolded 10 blocks north of the Garden, two months after OG Anunoby first took off from just inside the paint and tipped in a Jalen Brunson miss — with 1.2 seconds left in Game 4 of the NBA Finals — to form his forever Knicks moment.
This time, Anunoby was at Times Square — inside the mesh surrounding an Essentia-created court as part of the water company’s “Change the Equation” platform — taking shots as Gersh Park Basketball players cycled through a line, trying to flip Anunoby’s misses in.
A set of footprints on the court, with an “O” in one and “G” in the other, marked the approximate spot of Anunoby’s historic moment. Fans along the outside tried to capture his presence with their phones.
Knicks forward Og Anunoby takes part in an event sponsored by Essentia Water, featuring The Essentia Supercharged Court, an immersive basketball takeover in Times Square on Tuesday, August 18, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Less than three years ago, Anunoby was in Toronto, already with a championship ring but without much of a celebrity presence on the Raptors.
But now, two months removed from that iconic tip-in, Anunoby has become just that for the Knicks — a defining presence in the NYC sports lexicon and the main attraction of the takeover event in the tourist hub of the world.
OG Anunoby trying to recreate his iconic Game 4 tip-in but he can’t miss at Essentia’s Supercharged Court. pic.twitter.com/o5wqn8oOJh
“It’s been really fun,” Anunoby, near the end of his summer as a Knicks champion, told The Post.
The scene Tuesday, remembering the tip, was “really cool,” Anunoby said. He could “feel all the fans, all the excitement after the win, all together” on the Essentia court.
“OG, we’re going back-to-back,” one fan shouted as Anunoby posed for pictures.
The most stoic Knicks player even cracked smiles as the Gersh Park Basketball players kept trying to recreate his shot. Sometimes, they couldn’t tip it in. Other times, Anunoby made his attempts.
Knicks forward Og Anunoby takes part in an event sponsored by Essentia Water, featuring The Essentia Supercharged Court, an immersive basketball takeover in Times Square on Tuesday, August 18, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
But unlike some of his other public appearances that followed the title — when he won Best Play at the ESPYs with his Knicks teammates in attendance, when his reaction on a “Good Morning America” appearance alongside other players went viral, when he attended a World Cup match next to Mikal Bridges and Miles McBride — this spotlight belonged to Anunoby.
The challenge for the Knicks and their $212.5 million star, though, has already shifted to sustaining that success. In just over two months, their quest to repeat will begin. The 76ers, their Opening Night opponent, added Jaylen Brown from the Celtics via trade and LeBron James in free agency. The Heat won the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes. The Pacers will get Tyrese Haliburton back after he missed the entire 2025-26 campaign.
LeBron James will play of the 76ers this season Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesKnicks forward Og Anunoby takes part in an event sponsored by Essentia Water, featuring The Essentia Supercharged Court, an immersive basketball takeover, on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, in Times Square. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
“Every year, there’s turnover, player movement,” Anunoby said of the shifting landscape in the East. “So just usual.”
So much went right for the Knicks to etch their place in NBA history. So much went right for Anunoby to become a featured piece of that, too, with his Game 4 moment. He averaged 16.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game during the regular season, and those numbers rose to 20.3 and 6.1, respectively, in the playoffs.
And along the way, Anunoby became more than just a complementary piece alongside Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. Tuesday served as just the latest reminder of that.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - AUGUST 18: Shane Baz #34 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches in the third inning against the New York Yankees at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 18, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It was a good-looking Shane Baz that greeted New York tonight. Not only did the O’s starter make a big first impression, striking out three Yankees in the first inning (and on three different pitches!—curveball, heater, changeup), he also pinched into the seventh and struck out a season-high ten batters.
Alas, as my colleague Paul Folkemer put it in his preview of this series, through no fault of his own, Baz has been something of a bad-luck charm for this Orioles offense, and tonight, it was like that again. In total, the Birds managed just four hits (all but one singles). They scored just once, on a Coby Mayo solo homer (his second four-bagger in two nights), instead going 0-for-6 as a team with runners in scoring position, with seven men left on.
There’s probably blame to be allotted for the bad hitting, but let’s start with cheers for the good pitching. The box score says Shane Baz gave us 6 1/3 innings and three earned runs, but this is largely due to a Josh Walker stumble in the seventh. I’ll be darned if Baz didn’t look much better than that. So let’s give him his deserved kudos.
Baz whiffed the first three Yankees hitters he saw, plus two more in the second. It was a ruthless beginning. Four of his first five outs were by K. The fastball was zippy, the sinker was running, and the knuckle curve was unhittable.
For six innings, Baz made just one mistake, a hung changeup to leadoff man Trent Grisham, who somehow was well out front of the offspeed pitch, put a weird swing on it, and still managed to send it to the flag court. Baseball is full of random things like that, but seeing how the two starters looked it was a real surprise, truthfully, that the Yankees had struck first.
Lefty Carlos Rodón is a three-time All Star and has finished in the top six of the Cy Young voting three times. But he’s dealt with elbow soreness all year, and this was his first start back since June 28. Tonight, his command was off, as you might expect. Yet his changing of speeds kept the Orioles off-balanced over a short stint of just four innings, and the Orioles, who posted just two hits off him, didn’t take advantage of his slight wildness.
The only Oriole who seemed to like hitting Rodón tonight was Coby Mayo, the young slugger who’s kind of come into his own in the back half of the season. In the first inning, with Tyler O’Neill aboard and two outs, Mayo put a charge into one, but it only traveled 382 feet to deep center, not 468 into the second deck like the other day.
Jumping ahead to the bottom of the third, Mayo got a chance to do it again, and this time, he broke through. It was looking at this point like Rodón was heating up, starting to land the sinker against right-handers. But he threw one that didn’t sink to Mayo, who is OPS’ing 1.053 against lefties this year. Mayo launched it into the left-field corner, and from behind home plate Pat Sajak and Cal Ripken Jr. exchanged a celebratory handshake (cool, if random).
It was unfortunate that that was all the Birds could do against Rodón, a great pitcher who didn’t have his best stuff working tonight. Ultimately, yet another great Baz outing got wasted again.
Baz skated through four, already up to eight strikeouts. He had a bit of trouble in the fifth—Leody Taveras’ running grab in center staved off a leadoff double or something, and he put on two runners with a single and a walk. But then the Yankees’ catcher, Wells, popped out to Mayo, who looked happy to be starting at first base today. Baz threw Trent Grisham a curveball, but the Yankees’ centerfielder skied it to an easygoing Christian Franklin out in left. Baz was through five with just two hits and eight strikeouts allowed.
The O’s right-hander rolled through the sixth with two easy ground balls, plus his ninth strikeout. But then came the seventh, and a flawed end to his night. After 90-odd pitches, it looked a little like Baz was tiring, and two Yankees rookies made him pay: Spencer Jones singled on a hanging knuckle curve, one of the few Baz offerings that did (hang). Then, with one out, George Lombard Jr. singled the other way, and O’s skipper Craig Albernaz came out to give a pissed-off Baz the hook. Baz agreed, however, and Oriole Park got up to give him a deserved standing O.
Albernaz called on lefty Josh Walker (2.81 ERA, 13 SO in 16 IP) to clean up the mess. Alas, dear reader, he wouldn’t clean up the mess. Facing pinch-hitting righty Paul Goldschmidt, the Mark Hamill-esque Walker missed with a couple of balls inside, and the Yankees had the bases loaded, with one out. It was a stressful, crackling moment. It nearly worked out. Walker retired pinch hitter Amed Rosario on strikes: two outs. He went to 2-2 against leadoff hitter Trent Grisham, but alas, Walker left a sinker down the middle, and Grisham singled home two runs. It was now 3-1 New York, and now you know, these were the winning runs. Baz, sitting in the dugout, looked like he was trying not to be sick. Getting worse before he got better, Walker hit a batter, and fell down 3-0 to Heliot Ramos. But he got himself out of the inning with three straight fastballs. Ramos went down swinging, and the Yankees had left the bases loaded.
It would have been great if any of this had mattered. The O’s still needed two runs to get back in the game, and regrettably, those never came. New York brought in a lefty, Brent Headrick, to pitch the eighth, and the O’s wasted their best scoring chance in a while. They put the first two hitters on: Leody Taveras singled, and Christian Franklin, playing in just his 13th major league game, worked an excellent ten-pitch walk. But I’m sorry to say, there’d be no more runs: a pinch-hitting Jeremiah Jackson struck out. Holliday flew out. And Pete Alonso hit one on the screws, but into the glove of the Yankees’ right fielder.
Like I said, the O’s went 0-for-6 with RISP tonight. They looked particularly useless against sinkerballers, which includes Paul Blackburn and David Bednar, both righties, who pitched risk-free eighth and ninth innings for New York.
One of those games. As of now, the Orioles playoff hopes are far from dashed, but on nights like these you really have to squint to see a dangerous lineup.
Joe Musgrove (SP Padres): Rostered in 23 percent of Yahoo leagues
It's taken much longer than anyone expected, but Musgrove is finally ready to return from Tommy John surgery that took place in Oct. 2024. And, stunningly, given the struggles he's had in his comeback, he's currently throwing harder than ever. Musgrove has averaged 95.0 mph with his fastball in his two Triple-A starts. That's two mph better than when he posted a 3.21 ERA in 66 starts with the Padres from 2022-24.
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Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean it will immediately be smooth sailing for Musgrove in the majors. He just gave up five runs over 4 1/3 innings in his most recent effort for El Paso. Judging by the fact that he's thrown it a total of seven times in his last two starts, Musgrove has yet to find his trusty curveball, and he's been relying on his cutter as his primary secondary offering. That pitch, arguably his most effective in the couple of years before he got hurt, seems to have a little extra break now. Interestingly, its velocity is about the same as before he got hurt, making it five mph slower than his fastball, instead of the typical three mph.
We're moving into late August here, so Musgrove can't struggle for long and still be of use in mixed leagues. However, the stuff is there, and his situation in San Diego is pretty great; he'll mostly be asked to go five innings and then turn things over to the game's best bullpen. The Padres have yet to reveal whether he'll make another rehab start or come off the IL this weekend against the Twins, but he'll almost certainly be good to go next week.
Pedro Ramírez (2B/3B Cubs): Rostered in three percent of Yahoo leagues
The Cubs won't let Ramírez anywhere near shortstop — he's played just one game there since arriving in the U.S., that coming in the Florida State League in 2023 — but he is set to be the primary replacement for Dansby Swanson while Swanson sits with a strained oblique for the next month. With Nico Hoerner plenty capable of sliding over, Ramírez will step in at second base, and he should prove pretty helpful in fantasy leagues. Starting about half of the time as a utilityman, he's hit .290/.347/.427 with two homers and seven steals over 145 plate appearance since his callup in May.
The 22-year-old Ramírez hit .312/.395/.547 with nine homers and 19 steals in 43 games in Triple-A to force the Cubs to give him a shot three months ago, even though they lacked an obvious role for him. He mostly played second and third in the minors. Given that the Cubs were set with Hoerner and Alex Bregman at those spots, it would have made sense to give him a real look in the outfield before his callup. However, the thinking was that Matt Shaw would get the outfield opportunities, opening up some extra infield time for Ramírez. Since none of the team's infielders are going anywhere anytime soon, a corner outfield spot still seems the most realistic destination for Ramírez if the Cubs keep him. The switch-hitter offers more long-term offensive potential than Shaw. His 42 percent hard-hit rate since debuting is far better than Shaw's mark of 32 percent.
Ramírez's home run power still hasn't really manifested yet, since he's not pulling the ball in the air with much frequency. Still, he's making plenty of good contact and is a willing basestealer. Also, as Swanson can attest, one doesn't have to be all that productive to rack up nice run and RBI numbers from the bottom of the Cubs lineup. Ramírez should be a fine play in shallow leagues for now.
Henry Bolte (OF Athletics): Rostered in seven percent of Yahoo leagues
With Tyler Soderstrom and Nick Kurtz joining Shea Langeliers and Brent Rooker in being out for the season, it seems safe to say we no longer have to worry about the rehabbing Denzel Clarke potentially replacing Bolte in the Athletics' outfield. The A's are going to need all of their healthy bodies to try to get through the end of September, and Bolte has gone from hitting ninth against right-handers to batting second against one on Monday. He's hitting .339/.381/.542 with three homers and two steals in August.
That the A's have lost their four best hitters is obviously a disaster for the offense as a whole; runs and RBI are going to be hard to come by going forward. However, that does open the door for more aggressive baserunning, and Bolte is the team's player best equipped to take advantage. Blessed with 100th-percentile sprint speed, Bolte has tried 22 steals in 82 major league games. He's gotten caught on eight of his attempts, which definitely isn't great, but the break-even point for steals gets lower when it's Lawrence Butler and Zack Gelof batting third and fourth. Bolte was a terrific basestealer in the minors, going 44-for-46 last year and 17-for-19 in 37 games in Triple-A before debuting this season. If he just gets on a little bit of a roll now, there's an outside chance he could lead the league in steals over the remainder of the season.
Waiver Wire Quick Hits
- Félix Bautista seems on pace to return from shoulder surgery right around or just after Sept. 1. A setback is entirely possible, but if he gets through a rehab assignment fine, he'll probably be the Orioles' primary closer next month.
- AJ Smith-Shawver is starting for the Braves on Wednesday and is expected to remain in the rotation afterwards. I wouldn't expect him to work particularly deep into games, but the Braves are good enough to hopefully get him some wins down the stretch.
CLEVELAND, OH - AUGUST 18: Jo Adell #7 of the Cleveland Guardians rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the first inning during the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on Tuesday, August 18, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Sean Finucane/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Cleveland Guardians welcomed the San Francisco Giants into town with game one of a three game series. Foster Griffin had a quality start for Cleveland, going a full six innings of one run ball. He gave up five hits and two walks, but struck out six. The sole run was a solo home run given up in the top of the second.
Matt Festa came in with a sizable lead. He threw 1.1 innings of one hit ball, striking out three. Tim Herrin finished the eighth and started the ninth, striking out two. Craig Yoho got some work, closing out the game and trying to get the last two batters of the game. Yoho got the first out, but the next pinch hitter slapped a double along the right field line. Yoho got the strike out, to book it on the Giants.
The offense came alive against the Giants, as they well should. Eight runs scored on twelve hits. José Ramírez went 3-for-5 with two runs. Jo Adell stole the show and went 3-for-4 with a run and six RBI. Angel Genao had a great night too, going 2-for-3 with a double and a single. While he did go 0-for-4, it is worth noting that Travis Bazzana had a hard hit ball, a 103.9 mph line out to center. One can only hope that as José starts heating up again that the rookie second baseman is soon to follow.
Adell’s first run came in the bottom of the first. Steven Kwan drew a lead off walk and José hit a single to left to put two runners on. Adell fouled a ball of his leg then came back in the next pitch to absolutely demolish the baseball. Adell hit a three run home run 111.9 mph and 455 ft into the bleachers.
In the bottom of the second, with two outs, the trio at the top of the order gave the Giants pain again. Kwan singled to right and José doubled to left. With both runners in scoring position, Jo Adell singled to center to score Kwan. The center fielder didn’t get the ball in cleanly, allowing José to score too.
Brayan Rocchio and Steven Kwan lead off the bottom of the fourth with a single and walk. Adell came up to bat again and singled on a grounder to left to score Rocchio. Kwan advanced to third and Adell to second on a fielding error by the left fielder. Angel Martínez grounded out for the second out of the inning, but it allowed Kwan to score from third. In the bottom of the seventh, Angel Martínez hit a double to center followed by a single by Rhys Hoskins. Angel Genao drew a walk to load them up with no outs. It was looking like the Guardians curse was going to rear its ugly head again, but an untimely error by the first baseman allowed Patrick Bailey to reach on a forceout that would have been an inning ending double play. With the final out not recorded at first, Angel Martínez scored the final run of the night.
The two teams will face off again tomorrow night at 6:40PM EDT with Parker Messick taking the mound for Cleveland. The Giants, at the time of writing, do not have a starting pitcher named. Everything is pointing to Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson making his major league debut against his former organization. Tugboat was part of the trade with San Francisco for Patrick Bailey and reached Double-A Akron before being traded.
SAN ANTONIO, TX - JUNE 13: Julian Champagnie #30 of the San Antonio Spurs grabs the rebound during the game against the New York Knicks during Game Five of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 13, 2026 at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. 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 2026 NBAE(Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Champagne problems make for interesting offseason conversations. Coming off an NBA Finals run, the San Antonio Spurs are returning a stacked roster with some minor additions. The signing of Tobias Harris gives the Spurs another option in their starting lineup, alongside De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, and Victor Wembanyama.
But Julian Champagnie was a starter for 68 games last season and started every single NBA Playoff game. He has some claim to keeping his spot to start the season. Then there is Dylan Harper, who became a 19-year-old star in the postseason, at times looking like the best player on the court across multiple series.
So between Harris, Harper, and Champagnie, who gets the fifth spot? We want your input. Vote in the poll below, and we will be back later in the week to go over the results.
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Spurs fans and fans across the country.
Aug 18, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk (30) runs the bases after hitting a two-run home run against the Tampa Bay Rays in the third inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Blue Jays 10 Rays 5
A win at Tropicana. I always think I’m more likely to find a $20 bill on the ground than to see the Jays win at that House of Horrors.
The Jays, very democratically, scored two runs in each of five innings:
In the first: With two out, Alejandro Kirk doubled. A ‘hustle double’, just safe at second on ball hit into the right field corner. George Springer singled him home. A0nd Jesús Sánchez doubled him home. I wonder if we have ever scored in the first in St. Petersburg before?
In the third: Nathan Lukes led off with a walk. And Kirk homered (two at bats and six total bases).
In the fourth: Ernie Clements started this one with a single. An out later, Brett Bateman singled (and then stole second, his first MLB steal). After another out, Kirk singled home Clement (seven total bases). And a wild pitch scored Bateman.
In the fifth: Kazuma Okamoto homered (#25 of the season, setting a new Jays rookie record, sorry Eric Hinske). An out late, Clement singled. Josh Smite put down a sac bunt (up 7-3 and we can’t let the guy SWING THE BAT??). Bateman singled home Clement.
In the seventh: One out, Clement singled and Smith homered (see, let the man swing, good things happen).
We had 17 hits (let me double check, maybe that’s for the season, nope, tonight 17 hits). Kirk, Springer and Clement had three each. Bateman and Smith had two each. Every starter had at least one hit. Kirk’s average is up to .279. In a season where he broke a thumb, that’s very impressive.
On the pitching side, José Soriano looked terrific for three innings, then gave up three in the fourth (but we already had six). He ended up going 5.2, with the three runs against. Another out and it would be a Quality Start.
Mason Fluharty got the last out of the sixth.
Matt Waldron gave up two runs in his two innings.
Spencer Miles pitched a clean ninth.
Smith made a very nice play at third, I was a bit worried about his glove at third, but he looked good.
Jays of the Day: Kirk (0.16), Springer (0.11) and Soriano (0.09).
No one gets the Other Award.
Tomorrow, we have another 6:40 start. Max Scherzer (1-5, 6.59, but on a nice run of good starts) vs. Drew Rasmussen (12-5, 2.78).
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - AUGUST 18: George Springer #4 of the Toronto Blue Jays steals second base from under Richie Palacios #1 of the Tampa Bay Rays in the third inning at Tropicana Field on August 18, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Rays lost another blowout tonight, one in their starter could not complete four innings and the subsequent relievers didn’t offer much relief.
Nick Martinez….I don’t know, I love the guy for so many reasons, but after his amazing first couple of months, it seems like every three, maybe even two outings is a clunker. The only good news is that best I can recall he’s never had two clunkers in a row, so I look forward to him pitching 7 strong innings five days from now.
Tonight he put the Rays behind 4-0 early on, a homer, some doubles, yada yada yada
The Rays tried their “let’s hit a bunch of singles and see what happens” approach and what happened was little, ergo the bases loaded one out third inning that ended with a double play.
And as often happens, after the Blue Jays retired the Rays without letting them score, they came back the next inning and yada yada yada 6-0.
The Rays did manage to cut that lead in half in the bottom of the fourth. Again it was single, single, single, single with a wild pitch in the mix to score three runs. Can someone please hit a double? Please?
But then Steven Matz, who had replaced the struggling Martinez the previous inning, returned for inning two against the Blue Jays and yada yada yada 8-3 Blue Jays. Bottom of the fifth inning Rays again had an opportunity but it was single, single, double play. No runs home.
Seventh inning: Jesse Scholtens back from the IL. He pitched a scoreless sixth but in the seventh, yada yada yada Blue Jays up, 10-3.
The Rays did get another two runs in the eighth inning — again, a bunch of singles and a couple of sac flies, to make the score 10-5.
Now when your team gives up ten runs you naturally look at the pitching, and there was nothing to be proud of tonight. BUT. The Rays had 13 hits. Every single hit was a single. This happened the last time they had a bad stretch as well — it wasn’t that they weren’t hitting at all, but that no one was hitting for power. So yes I want to see a better pitching performance (looking at you, stopped Drew Rasmussen), but could someone please hit a ball out of the park?
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - AUGUST 18: Ben Rice #22 of the New York Yankees celebrates a solo home run by Trent Grisham #12 in the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 18, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We’ve seen this game a lot lately. The starting pitcher has himself a good day, the bullpen has arguably a better day, and the lineup just manages to scratch across enough runs for the club to win. Tonight it wasn’t even “the lineup” so much as it was “just Trent Grisham”, but every win counts the same. Critically, the win tonight came on a bad night for Tampa, and the Yankees took the series opener in Maryland, 3-1 over the Orioles your final score.
It’s felt like the Yankees haven’t scored in the first half of a game since June, so it was nice to see Trent Grisham give his team the lead relatively early for once:
We’ll have more to admire about Trent a little later.
I thought Carlos Rodón was…fine? in his return to game action. We got 66 pitches out of the veteran lefty, good for four innings after he threw 54 in his final rehab outing. A 2:1 K:BB ratio kinda highlights the problems he’s had with free passes all year, a likely symptom of him not yet being 100 percent stretched out between his two injuries.
I will give him his due on one play though. One of the things that’s troubled Rodón since signing with the Yankees is his tendency to get spooked — he’ll lose a guy in a tough AB or give up a big hit, and he seemingly can’t find a way to settle down. In the second inning, he walked Christian Encarnacion-Strand before Leody Taveras singled. Carlos got the groundball that he needed, ticketed right for Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Jazz bobbled it. Instead of an inning-ending double play, we had the bases loaded, one out.
Jazz seemed to have a case with second-base umpire Ryan Additon, who looked like he was standing in Chisholm’s line of sight. That’s something you learn in Little League though, that you can ask an umpire to shift position and as long as you’re not a complete hater or lunatic, they’ll probably acquiesce. For whatever reason that didn’t happen, and Jazz was dinged with an error, the latest example in a long season where he has done himself no favors.
This is exactly the kind of thing that would make you think Rodón would fall apart, but he didn’t. He got a pair of strikeouts — one a great challenge by Austin Wells — to get out of danger.
Coby Mayo did tag Carlos for a solo shot to make it 1-1, but that was the extent of the damage against the southpaw. With Max Fried going on the IL, the Yankees can’t really afford to baby Rodón back, but repeating this effort in five days, with another 10-15 pitches allowed, would be welcome.
Knotted at 1-1, Spencer Jones and George Lombard Jr. both singled to get the Yankees in business with one out in the seventh. Aaron Boone began pulling strings against lefty reliever Josh Walker, deploying both Paul Goldschmidt and Amed Rosario from the bench. Goldy walked but Rose couldn’t deliver with the bases loaded, turning the lineup over and leaving Grisham as the team’s best hope. He delivered:
That’s Trent Grisham 3, Orioles 1, and one of the league’s better bullpens just had to do their job.
Enter Brett Headrick, who was pretty rocky — not at all what we’re accustomed to. A leadoff single was followed by a titanic 10-pitch walk to put two on, and Headrick had already thrown more pitches to the two men than he often throws in an overall appearance. He did blow strikes past Jeremiah Johnson before getting Jackson Holliday to fly out, a rather lazy ball that Heliot Ramos seemed to struggle to find. With Pete Alonso looming, Boone went to Fernando Cruz, who gave up a liner that found Spencer Jones’ glove. Threat averted.
David Bednar rebounded well from a blown save Sunday, one that wasn’t his fault, and nailed down the save in the ninth. At the time the final out was recorded, the Blue Jays were up on the Rays 10-5 at the Trop, and if that score holds (editor’s note: the score held!) the Yankees all of a sudden would be just five games back in the loss column. We can see Cody Bellinger’s return, even if Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge are a little fuzzier, a little further toward the horizon.
Will Warren’s likely bullpen demotion was staved off by Fried’s injury, and the righthander will be tapped to start game two of this set tomorrow. Perhaps no pitcher in the entire division needs a good start as much as Warren does given his track record of late, so hopefully he can figure out what’s plaguing him in time for a solid outing. First pitch of that contest once again comes at 6:35pm Eastern in Baltimore.
DENVER, COLORADO - AUGUST 17: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits his second home run of the game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on August 17, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Gavin Liddell/Colorado Rockies/Getty Images)
Shohei Ohtani hit his 30th home run of the season on Tuesday night, his sixth consecutive season reaching the milestone, including all three years with the Dodgers. He’s the seventh Dodger to hit 30 home runs three seasons in a row, and the first to do so in 25 years.
Ohtani’s 30th home run came in the third inning on Tuesday against Colorado Rockies right-hander Ryan Feltner. He’s tied for eighth in the majors with 30 homers this season.
Ohtani is the first Dodger with at least 30 home runs in three consecutive seasons since Gary Sheffield from 1999-2001.
Player
Years
Total HR
Gil Hodges
1950-1954*
177
Duke Snider
1953-1957*
207
Mike Piazza
1995-1997
108
Eric Karros
1995-1997
97
Raúl Mondesi
1997-1999
93
Gary Sheffield
1999-2001
113
Shohei Ohtani
2024-2026
139
*Hodges and Snider hit 30 home runs in 5 straight seasons
Ohtani has the 62nd individual season of at least 30 home runs in Dodgers history, with these seven players accounting for 30 of those years. Gil Hodges and Duke Snider lead the way with six 30-homer seasons, and they are the only Dodgers with streaks longer than three seasons, each of them hitting at least 30 homers in five straight years. Snider from 1953-57 hit at least 40 home runs in five straight seasons.
There were near misses, including Roy Campanella (1950-53), Pedro Guerrero (1982-85), and Max Muncy (2018-2021) hitting 30 home runs in three out of four years. Muncy was robbed of the chance due to the 2020 season getting shortened by a pandemic to 60 games.
In his first two years with the Dodgers, Ohtani set a franchise record for home runs with 54 home runs in 2024 and 55 in 2025. He’s the only player in franchise history to hit 50 home runs in a season. His 139 home runs with the Dodgers are the most in any three-year period in franchise history, surpassing Snider, who hit 125 home runs in two overlapping three-year periods, from 1954-56 and 1955-57.
Ohtani’s 139 home runs since the start of 2024 are most in the majors, eight more than Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber.
Trent Grisham drove in all three Yankees runs in their 3-1 win over the Orioles in Baltimore on Tuesday night.
Here are the takeaways...
-The Yankees offense struggled mightily against Shane Baz to start. The Orioles right-hander struck out five of the first six batters he faced. The right-hander pushed that to six in the third, but Grisham got the best of Baz, slamming a 403-foot shot to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. It was Grisham's fifth home run in his last eight games.
Aside from the Grisham homer, Baz was in cruise control, striking out 10 batters and pitching into the seventh. But the right-hander allowed two singles and was pulled with one out.
Aaron Boone emptied his bench after Baz was pulled for a left-hander. Paul Goldschmidt, pinch-hitting for Ryan McMahon, walked to load the bases with one out. Amed Rosario, pinch-hitting for Austin Wells, struck out before Grisham hit a two-run single to retake the lead.
-Yankees had just five hits and three walks while striking out 14 times. They were 1-for-5 with RISP and left six on base.
Grisham and George Lombard Jr. (2-4, run scored) were the only Yankees with more than a hit.
-Carlos Rodon was making his first start since June 28 and was predictably lacking command. He walked two batters in the first two innings but was in trouble in the second. Jazz Chisholm Jr. botched a grounder that could have been a potential inning-ending doubleplay, but Rodon pitched out of trouble, striking out Carlos Narvaez and Jackson Holliday.
Rodon wouldn't get out of this game unscathed, as Coby Mayo smashed a game-tying solo shot with two outs in the third. But that's all the southpaw would allow, tossing 66 pitches (39 strikes) in his four innings of work. He allowed the one run on two hits and two walks while striking out four.
-Behind Rodon, the Yankees bullpen did its job. Yerry De Los Santos allowed one hit in two innings of work. Brent Headrick pitched into trouble in the seventh, allowing a single and a walk (on 10 pitches) before striking out the next batter and getting a flyout before Fernando Cruz came in to try and get the final out of the inning. Cruz got Pete Alonso to line out to Spencer Jones in right to end the threat.
Paul Blackburn walked a batter in a scoreless eighth before David Bednar pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.
Game MVP: Trent Grisham
Grisham's offense saved what would have been another lackluster offensive performance.
DENVER — The Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday placed scuffling closer Edwin Diaz on the injured list with inflammation in the right side of his neck while four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani progresses toward a return to the mound.
Diaz, who is 2-2 with an 11.85 ERA and seven saves in 11 opportunities in 16 games in his first season with the Dodgers, returned to Los Angeles on Tuesday and will have imaging on his neck.
“It’s kind of something that he felt (Monday) night,” manager Dave Roberts said. “We don’t know if it’s something that has been there, call it a week or whatever, but it kind of showed its head last night. So we’re going to kind of address it.”
Diaz was on the IL from April 20-July 29 with an elbow injury that required a procedure to remove loose bodies.
He has struggled since his return, going 1-2 with a 15.88 ERA and three blown saves in seven games. Diaz entered Monday night’s win at Colorado with an 11-2 lead in the ninth and allowed three runs on four hits.
“(We) know that there could be a reason why the stuff is not playing like it has in the past,” Roberts said.
Ohtani threw another bullpen session before Tuesday night’s game as he works his way back from left knee inflammation and right biceps discomfort. Roberts said he Ohtani was “around 35 pitches, and threw his entire pitch mix.”
“I asked him about his bullpen; he gave me a thumbs-up, so that was it,” said Roberts, who said Ohtani’s next step would be throwing live batting practice.
The two-way superstar last pitched July 3 against San Diego, when he gave up three runs on seven hits and struck out nine over six innings. He is 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts this season.
SACRAMENTO, CA - MARCH 15: Isaiah Collier #8 of the Utah Jazz looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings on March 15, 2026 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. 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 Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Utah Jazz are going into the season with a pretty clear core of five players that Jazz fans are looking most forward to watching: Darryn Peterson, Keyonte George, Jaren Jackson Jr., Ace Bailey, and Lauri Markkanen.
But winning teams can’t win only with their stars, they need role and bench players contributing as well. Utah has drafted a collection of interesting prospects who have each shown distinct elements of potential. Isaiah Collier has been impressive assisting the ball. Brice Sensabaugh has shown flashes of high-level scoring. Kyle Filipowski has shown a lot of skill for a 7-footer and Cody Williams has shown some nice two-way potential. But potential is all these players have shown, and potential doesn’t mean anything if they don’t eventually have a winning impact on the game.
That brings us to this week’s question. Of those players, who will have the biggest impact this upcoming season?
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Jazz fans and fans across the country.
St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) slides into home safely in the third inning of the MLB game between Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
Safe to say that many expected the St. Louis Cardinals vs Cincinnati Reds series to be some high-scoring affairs. Tuesday night was not that kind of game as both Kyle Leahy of the Cardinals and Andrew Abbott of the Reds were mowing down batters with only a few exceptions. The Cardinals bats would provide the necessary offense later in the game led by Masyn Winn’s 3 extra-base hits including a home run.
For the first half of the game, the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals only had 2 hits apiece. Fortunately for the St. Louis Cardinals, one of those hits cleared the left field wall as Masyn Winn connected on a 90 mph four-seam fastball from Abbott and sent it 368 feet over the left field wall for a line drive homer to make it 1-0 Cardinals.
Kyle Leahy held the Reds scoreless through 5 innings, but his pitch count hit 90 so the Cardinals solution for the 6th inning was Ryne Stanek. He set the Reds down 1-2-3 with a couple of pop-outs and a ground out in the bottom of the 6th inning. Kyle Leahy’s final stat line for Tuesday night was an impressive 3-hit shutout through 5 innings while striking out 6 and walking no one.
The Cardinals would double their lead in the top of the 7th inning and Masyn Winn would again play a role in that. He led off the inning with a double, but seemed to jam his left hand as he slid into second base which resulted in a visit from the training staff. He stayed in the game and scored two pitches later when José Fermín ripped a double off of the bottom of the left field wall giving St. Louis a 2-0 lead.
The Cardinals missed an opportunity to score even more after Pedro Pagés punched a single just over the head of Cruz into short centerfield for a single to give St. Louis runners at first and third with just one out. Unfortunately, JJ Wetherholt struck out and Iván Herrera grounded out to end the Cardinals half of the 7th.
The Cardinals asked Gordon Graceffo to handle the Reds in the bottom of the 7th inning. After he walked Suarez leading off the bottom of the 7th, he was helped by a strikeout and then a nice defensive play up the middle when JJ Wetherholt was able to snag a ball hit by Myers and turn it into a force out to Winn at second.
St. Louis would threaten again to extend the lead in the top of the 8th inning when Jordan Walker reached on an infield single to Elly De La Cruz followed by a double that Alec Burleson hit off of the left-centerfield wall which moved Jordan Walker to third. Joshua Baez then lifted a sacrifice fly to center which scored Walker and gave the Cardinals a 3-0 lead going into the bottom of the 8th inning.
George Soriano entered the game in the bottom of the 8th inning. He got Rodriguez out on a ground out, Hayes on a pop-out and then struck out Cruz. The Cardinals did not help their cause in the top of the 9th as Fermin, Pages and Wetherholt went down in order.
The bottom of the 9th would be handled by the National League saves leader Riley O’Brien. Sal Stewart was first up and he lined the first pitch he saw into JJ Wetherholt’s glove for the first out. JJ Bleday was next up and he flew out to short left field for the second out. Eugenio Suarez was the last hope for the Reds, but Riley struck him out to secure a St. Louis Cardinals shutout of Cincinnati.
It’s game 4 of the St. Louis Cardinals 5-game series vs the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday evening as Matthew Liberatore will hopefully be the best version of himself as he’s the scheduled starter. The Reds will force Chase Burns onto the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 5:40pm central time and the game broadcast will be available via Cardinals.tv.
