Worldwide Sports News

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

After last night's win, the Atlanta Braves (-175 moneyline favorites) look to secure the series win over New York Mets.

My Mets vs. Braves predictions and MLB picks for Wednesday, Aug. 12, see Atlanta pull off the win at home.

Who will win Mets vs Braves today: Braves moneyline (-175)

Not the sexiest price tag for the Atlanta Braves to come out on top, but I really like this spot.

Tyler Mahle has been lights out over his last five starts, posting a 2.73 ERA and 1.04 WHIP while doing a great job limiting hard contact and barrels.

On the other side, New York Mets southpaw Zac Thornton has some underlying metrics pointing toward regression. He owns a 2.52 ERA on the year, but his xERA sits at 4.11, according to HandiGraphs.

The Mets’ lineup has been seeing the ball very well over the last week, but with how well Mahle has been pitching, I think he can hold them down.

Plus, the Braves own a 114 wRC+, .333 wOBA and .762 OPS over their last 12 games.

I think this is a great spot for the Bravos.

COVERS INTEL: Five Braves hitters own an OPS above .956 over their last 30 plate appearances against left-handed pitching.

Mets vs Braves Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (+101)

I am expecting a pitching duel this evening in Atlanta between Mr. Thornton and Mr. Mahle, as both pitchers have done an excellent job limiting hard-hit balls and, especially, barrels. Across both pitchers’ last five starts, their opponents have stayed under an 8.5% barrel rate.

Even with my concerns about Thornton’s expected numbers this season, he has done a spectacular job of not allowing opposing hitters to generate much hard contact against him.

Both offenses have been outstanding over their last 12 games, but if these pitchers are hitting their spots this evening, I expect runs to be at a premium.

Mets vs Braves home run prediction: Matt Olson (+325)

Another game with slim pickings for long-ball looks, but we’ll go with a bat that has been barreling up lefties a ton over his last 30 plate appearances against them.

That would be Braves slugger Matt Olson, who owns a 26.35% barrel rate, .714 SLG and .464 ISO during that stretch.

Despite the lefty-on-lefty matchup, Thornton has been allowing left-handed bats to produce a ton of hard-hit balls and barrel up his offerings at a 12.5% clip over his last 30 faced. During that stretch, those bats have a .296 xBA, .495 xSLG and .522 wOBA.

“But he homered yesterday.”

Okay? Junior Caminero went back-to-back days with a home run over the last two days. It means nothing!

If you’re looking for a Met, I’m leaning Francisco Alvarez. His barrel rate has been through the roof lately.

Mets vs Braves weather

Mets vs Braves odds

• Moneyline: New York +158 | Atlanta -175
• Run line: New York +1.5 (-142) | Atlanta -1.5 (+124)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-112) | Under 8.5 (+101)

Mets vs Braves trend

The Atlanta Braves have covered the Run Line in 9 of their last 11 games (+9.75 Units / 78% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Mets vs. Braves.

How to watch Mets vs Braves and game info

Mets vs Braves latest injuries

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.

It feels cliche to ponder the possibility of the Pittsburgh Pirates shutting Paul Skenes down, even in what increasingly looks like another lost season for him and his team.

His overall numbers are far from bad relative to the rest of baseball. His 3.88 ERA is fine. His 2.99 FIP, which measures a pitcher’s effectiveness independent of the defense behind him, is very good. So is his 1.12 WHIP, which measures walks and hits per innings pitched. 

Yes, his velocity is down, noticeably. Skenes topped out at 96.5 mph on Aug. 11, and his season average is at 96.8 mph on his four-seam vs a 98.2 mph average in 2025. No, he doesn’t look like the dominant Cy Young-caliber ace he was his first two seasons. And yes, that reality raises existential questions about the club’s future, specifically his future with it. He also hasn’t fully turned into a proverbial pumpkin the way the narrative around this team would sometimes have one think. 

Required Reading: Pirates pull Paul Skenes from start vs. Marlins after just 65 pitches

It nevertheless became a lot harder to ignore the signs that Skenes may not complete the season Aug. 11 in Miami. Manager Don Kelly pulled Skenes after just five innings and 65 pitches against the Marlins, though he said after the game that the decision wasn’t injury related. 

The underlying stat line was deceptive. He allowed just one earned run while scattering five hits and a walk, but he needed Bryan Reynolds to rob Griffin Conine on his final pitch of the evening to avoid a two-run homer that would have given the night a very different feel. 

Before the game, Kelly made one of his frankest acknowledgements yet that something is wrong without pointing specifically to the physical element. 

“The league is adjusting back,” he told reporters. “Paul’s gonna have to fight to make the adjustment back to the league and find a way to adjust himself. Yes, the [velocity]’s down. I think command has been a bigger thing, at least for me. That could come from multiple things. From trying too hard to trying to be too perfect. Maybe trying to get that [velocity] back. You can’t just go get it. How does Paul make the adjustment back?” 

Much has been made locally about Skenes’ workload, which this year included the early ramp up to the World Baseball Classic coming off a career-high at all levels of 187 innings during his Cy Young campaign in 2025. 

He’d have to average more than seven innings per start the rest of the way to hit that number again, assuming he finishes at or near his total of 32 games started last year. 

Through that lens, Kelly’s decision could be seen as a further attempt to manage the number downward. Continuing to allow Skenes the space to work through the necessary adjustments without overexposing him in increasingly meaningless games. 

The Pirates didn’t score a single run of support Tuesday night, after all. The bullpen pitched four scoreless innings the rest of the way, so Skenes’ early departure made no practical impact on the outcome.

Perhaps we should expect more of that the rest of the way, as opposed to an outright shut down. Especially as the race for the final wild-card spot in the National League becomes increasingly bleak. 

The Pirates are now six games back of the San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies, who are tied for wild card spots. The Marlins, Cardinals, Nationals and Reds all remain in front of them. And playoff odds via Fangraphs have almost halved again since Aug. 10. They now sit at 4.4%. 

For his part, Skenes seemed to feel afterward that he’d made progress while demurring on the question of being pulled early. 

POSTGAME: Paul Skenes on tonight's 2-0 shutout loss to the Marlins.

Final line: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, BB, 4 K

Pulled after 65 pitches, third fewest of his season. pic.twitter.com/OX1F4s1afs

— Tyler Boronski (@TylerBoronski) August 12, 2026

“I thought it was better in terms of attacking guys,” he told reporters. “Kind of making pitches earlier in the count. 

“If I were the manager, I’d probably do it, too. [Kelly] walked me through everything and it all made sense. Yeah, wish I could have gone more, but it kind of is what it is.” 

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Are Pirates signaling a Paul Skenes shutdown? Or a more actively managed workload?

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

It's a getaway day for some, and that's a perfect day to find some MLB player props and dig into what's not priced into the pitcher prop markets.

Drew Rasmussen and Eric Lauer will face offenses looking forward to a day off tomorrow, and their Overs are projecting well, while Zack Wheeler was pushed heavily in his last start and should lose some efficiency and leash today.

These are my favorite pitcher strikeout, pitcher props & MLB picks for Wednesday, August 12.

Best MLB strikeout props and starting pitcher picks today

Player	Pick	Odds
Drew Rasmussen	Over 5.5 strikeouts	+120
Eric Lauer	Over 4.5 strikeouts	+130
Zack Wheeler	Under 17.5 outs	+140

Strikeout prop: Drew Rasmussen Over 5.5 strikeouts (+120)

Drew Rasmussen might not go 100 pitches every start, but even with that 90-95-pitch leash, he can rack em up, and he's done so of late. Over his last three starts vs. teams with a big array of K%, the Tampa Bay Rays starter has 27 Ks over his last 20 innings. He has gotten to 5+ Ks in all but two of his last 11 starts since the start of June.

Tampa got a complete game with Nick Martinez last night, as the Athletics lineup has been one of the worst over the last two weeks and a bottom-10 team in K% over that stretch. THE BAT will never like Rasmussen's Overs because of that leash, but his range of outcomes and ability to smash his Overs separates him from other starters.

This price is tough to ignore for a K/inning guy who can get to six frames on a team that hates its bullpen and is looking to win a division.

The All-Star break was perfect for the right-hander as he has allowed just two runs over his last 25 innings and hasn't allowed a run in three straight games. He also gets an Athletics team that might be looking ahead to a day off on Thursday.

• Time: 3:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NBCSCA, Rays.TV

Strikeout prop: Eric Lauer Over 4.5 strikeouts (+130)

Let's take a swing at another heavy plus-money Over K prop against a Kansas City Royals lineup that got carved up by another lefty last night in Blake Snell, who easily topped his 7.5 K prop with a 10-strikeout outing.

Eric Lauer is not Snell, but the Royals are a light-hitting lineup, and they're looking ahead to a day off tomorrow in California before heading to Anaheim.

THE BAT is projecting Lauer to go Over this number on 87 pitches with a fair price of +125, but the Dodgers should give him a six-inning leash with a pitch count that can reach the upper 90s. There’s a good chance he tops that projected pitch count today.

Lauer is also coming off a bad start at Wrigley, his worst as a Dodger, giving him some motivation on his side. The Los Angeles Dodgers could also be without three relievers today, including two lefties, which makes getting length from Lauer even more important.

I'm taking the Over and looking for Lauer to get through six innings with enough volume to cash this plus-money prop.

• Time: 10:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SportsNetLA, Royals.TV

Pitcher outs prop: Zack Wheeler Under 17.5 outs (+141)

Sticking with the plus-money on these, this is my favorite fade of the day. Zack Wheeler is coming off an 116-pitch outing against the Blue Jays, which was the most he has thrown in over five seasons. Making that even heavier is that he threw just 110 combined pitches in his two previous outings.

His form has also fallen off that Cy Young pace, as he owns a 5.71 ERA since the break and has gone Over this number just once.

Looking at the Philadelphia Phillies' bullpen, there could be a quicker hook than usual, as all but one arm is available and the high-leverage guys need some work.

There are also some lefties in that St. Louis Cardinals lineup who could end Wheeler's day, with JJ Wetherholt and Alec Burleson in the mix. There should be five lefties in the Cardinals' lineup today.

I love fading pitchers coming off massive workloads, and the distraction about Wheeler not touching the rubber is just another thing that works in this Under's favor. This isn't a coin flip, but 45%-47% looks like the outcome.

• Time: 2:15 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Cardinals.TV, NBCSP

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.

I got a few things going on today, and I’m kind wanting a day off, so lets do an open thread.

I saw a tweet for a post saying “How could the Jays pull it off?“ and I was thinking win a lot of games? That’s it right? Cause blowing up the other teams’ ballparks, with the teams in them, seems a bit over the top.

Of course, having two starting pitchers go on the IL in the past couple of weeks makes it all that much harder.

2.5 games back now but they have to leap over five teams to get there, which is the tough part. If one of those teams goes on a run, it becomes that much harder.

Anyway, use the thread to talk about anything you’d like. If nothing else give me something I can watch on streaming, because I’m watching ‘Heros’ and, as I remembered it, the first season was fairly compelling, but the second season is just a mess.

If Mark Walter is selling one of the crown jewels of Los Angeles sports, is he about to sell the other?

No, according to people familiar with the matter not authorized to discuss it publicly. Walter announced the sale of his controlling interest in the Lakers on Wednesday, but he is not looking to sell the Dodgers.

The decision to sell the Lakers is specific to the Lakers and is not a sign Walter is interested in dismantling a sports empire that includes the Dodgers, the Sparks, Chelsea of the English Premier League, the Professional Women’s Hockey League and various tennis and motor sports entities.

In 2012, Walter and his partners bought the Dodgers for $2.15 billion, then a record for a Major League Baseball team.

Read more:Bob Iger, Joshua Kushner to buy Lakers from Mark Walter's ownership group for $12.5 billion

Under his ownership, the Dodgers have won three of the last six World Series championships and invested record revenues in player contracts so generous that league owners are now pursuing a salary cap, in part to help teams other than the Dodgers win the Wold Series and in part to lift the value of all of its franchises.

Sportico now values the Dodgers at $9 billion.

Walter last year closed his purchase of the Lakers at a valuation of $10 billion and agreed to sell Tuesday at a valuation of $12.5 billion. The buyers: former Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger and Joshua Kushner, whose Thrive Eternal venture capital firm invests in sports and owns a share of the San Francisco Giants.

Kushner is the younger brother of Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law.

That Walter never put the Lakers up for bid echoes how he bought the Dodgers: An auction had been scheduled among three finalists for the Dodgers, including Walter and his partners. Walter put a take-it-or-leave-it bid on the table so high — hundreds of millions above where the other bidders had been in the process — that former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt called off the auction and congratulated Walter.

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Mark Walter stunned the sports world on Wednesday by selling his ownership stake in the Lakers at a $12.5 billion valuation to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner.

It is the largest sale of an American sports franchise in history.

However, the billionaire businessman’s ownership of the Dodgers is not expected to change, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed, with Walter planning to retain control of the franchise under his Guggenheim Baseball Management group and continue in his role as chairman of the club.

Unlike the Lakers –– whom Walter acquired through another one of his conglomerates, TWG Global, only a little more than a year ago –– the Dodgers have long been the crown jewel in his sprawling sports portfolio.

He spearheaded Guggenheim’s $2.15 billion purchase of the then-bankrupt franchise from Frank McCourt in 2012.

He has overseen a historic turnaround in which the Dodgers have become MLB’s preeminent organization, winning three World Series titles while smashing league spending records to compile a roster full of superstar talent in recent years.

He has also watched the club transform into a revenue-generating machine, becoming the first baseball team to eclipse $1 billion in annual revenue in the wake of Shohei Ohtani’s signing three years ago (on a contract, notably, the two-way star could opt out of if Walter ever reliquinshed ownership of the team).

Even though his day-to-day involvement is almost entirely hands-off –– “They make all the decisions,” Walter quipped after last year’s World Series, when asked how much he trusts his “baseball people” to run the franchise, “[and] I just tell them yes” –– his influence has nonetheless been profound.

In recent weeks, however, newfound speculation surrounding his business empire has started to sprout.

First came reports of a federal investigation into potential financial improprieties at insurance companies he owned.

Then, news emerged that the 66-year-old had suffered a stroke during the 2024 World Series.

Now, his sale of the Lakers, which was first reported by ESPN, serves as perhaps the biggest shock –– especially considering how recently he had bought the team, and how deep its ties with the Dodgers had already become.

Under Walter’s Lakers ownership, the NBA franchise hired Dodgers chief marketing officer Lon Rosen to become its president of business operations (while also allowing him to remain involved with the Dodgers).

Baseball operations executives Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi were also enlisted to serve in advisory roles for the Lakers’ front office, consulting with Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka in an effort to revamp the organization’s behind-the-scenes infrastructure.

The teams had even started attracting overlapping sponsorships, most notably with Japanese retailer Daiso (a pre-existing Dodgers sponsor that was announced as a Lakers global partner this summer).

Those moves, at least seemingly, portended a lasting era of partnership and collaboration for Los Angeles’ two most premier sports teams, all under the shared ownership of Walter and his vast resources.

Alas, with the Lakers now being sold, the Dodgers are back to being the foremost franchise in his control.

And for now, at least, there is no sign of that changing any time soon.