Texas Rangers @ West Sacramento Athletics
Friday, August 14, 2026, 8:40 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / CW33)
Sutter Health Park
RHP Kumar Rocker vs. LHP Gage Jump
Go Rangers!
Game 123 Game Day Thread – Texas Rangers @ West Sacramento Athletics
Juan Soto admits his injury-filled year ‘sucks’ — but Mets’ star, Devin Williams both want to return
Juan Soto played at least 150 games in every full major league season he had appeared in before this season.
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Try it freeNow deep into his second IL stint because of a calf strain this season — this one to his left calf — Soto said again Friday he expects to be back this year.
He added that dealing with these calf issues actually will pay dividends down the road.
“It sucks,’’ Soto said before the Mets’ Friday’s series opener against the Nationals at Citi Field. “It’s tough for me, tough to lose so many games [to injury]. I’ve never been on this side of it.”
But he noted the potential silver lining: “It’s good for me, for my career, for the long [term]. It will teach me a lot of things to adjust in training [and] conditioning, to keep moving forward in a positive way.’’
Still just 27, Soto was productive while healthy with the Mets this season, but it wasn’t enough to keep them in contention.
Soto did some pregame agility work at Citi Field and said that as he gets older, he will have to treat his body differently.
And even with the Mets opening Friday 11 ½ games back of the final NL wild-card spot and with the third-worst record in the National League, Soto and another veteran on the IL, Devin Williams, expressed a strong desire to get back on the field before the end of the season.
“We’re playing really good baseball right now,” Soto said of a Mets team that won six of seven after the trade deadline before dropping their last two in Atlanta. “Why not join this team? I think it’s going to be really fun. It’s going to be really great for me and the team.”
A playoff run is out of the question, but Soto said the goal is to “finish strong and keep the momentum for next year.”
It remains to be seen what kind of momentum the Mets are able to maintain over the final month-plus of the regular season, especially without Soto and a bullpen that was decimated at the deadline and then lost Williams.
Williams said his shoulder strain was “something that had been nagging [and] needed to be addressed.”
Still, the closer also said he intended to return in 2026, though he has yet to begin throwing.
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“It would be nice to come back and go into the offseason with some positivity,’’ Williams said. “And have some good outings before the inevitable.”
The right-hander’s first season in Queens has looked more like his lone season with the Yankees, which was marred by inconsistency, than his dominance in Milwaukee.
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Williams would like to close the first season of a three-year, $51 million deal on a high note.
“I just want to get back and contribute a little bit, at least, and have a better taste in my mouth going into next year,’’ Williams said.
And Williams continues to lament how poorly this season has gone for a team that entered with high expectations.
“We’ve had the pieces to be a really good team,” Williams said. “We just haven’t put it all together.”
As for the future, Williams says there’s cause for optimism.
“Obviously, there’s going to be some moves made this offseason,” Williams said. “I think we go into next year with the same goal: to be competing to win the division, hopefully make the playoffs and have a chance to win the World Series.”
NBA Offseason News/Trade/Free Agent Rumors 2026: Klay Thompson to a contender? Curry extension.
We've reached the point of the offseason where there is minimal movement on the free agency and trade market — outside of Cleveland trading Dennis Schroder to clear a little cap space to make another move later — but there is some. Here is some of the latest chatter.
Klay Thompson seeks contender
It's been reported for months that the Dallas Mavericks have been looking for a trade for Klay Thompson, while at the same time denying they plan to buy him out (because teams would rather get him for nothing on the cheap than have to give up players and picks to land him).
What does Thompson want? He talked about that on a Twitch stream with PlaqueBoyMax (hat tip via Kevin Gray Jr. of DLLS Mavs).
"I want to compete for a championship, not necessarily win one, but... have the chance to go and try and get another one. I want to play a role on a team. Whether it's this season or next season, that's really my only goal."
Dallas, while trying to build toward that around Cooper Flagg, is not there yet. Some contenders may like the idea of him on the roster, but Thompson, 36, is set to make $17.5 million this season in the final year of his contract, and that's more money than contending teams want to spend considering Thompson's production at this point in his career.
Maybe something happens closer to the start of training camp or at the deadline, but for now things are quiet.
Warriors expect deal with Curry
Warriors governor Joe Lacob made it clear recently that the Warriors aren’t trading Stephen Curry. They want him to finish his career in the Bay Area.
Along those lines, team general manager Mike Dunleavy told reporters he expects the sides to reach a deal on an extension.
Mike Dunleavy's quotes today on Steph Curry's future and extension eligibility with the Warriors.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) August 11, 2026
On the extension: "I'm pretty confident Steph will finish his career (with the Warriors). Ultimately it's his call, his decision, whether that's allowing his contract to run out and…
Curry is in the final year of his contract, making $62.6 million. The only real question is whether Curry and the Warriors would agree to delay signing the extension to give the franchise more cap room next offseason to make aggressive roster changes. But expect the deal to happen.
Is Cleveland closer to Peyton Watson deal?
A few days ago, NBA insider Marc Stein called the Cleveland Cavaliers a "team to watch" in the chase for Nuggets restricted free agent wing Peyton Watson. As Stein noted, to make that happen the Cavaliers would have to clear out cap space by trading Dennis Schroder and likely also Max Strus.
Well, half of that is now done, Schroder is headed to Charlotte. Does that move Cleveland closer to a move for Watson? Yes. Him or Jonathan Kuminga (also a free agent).
The Cavaliers continue to look at potential Strus trade options, however, at this point in the offseason it's generally difficult to get trades done. Rosters are largely locked in, and teams want to see what they have, not make another big move before training camp.
Still, this is something to watch. Watson is reportedly seeking a deal close to the $25 million a year Christian Braun got from Denver last season, and for Cleveland to pay him and re-sign James Harden gets expensive, so the trades are needed. The Clippers and Bucks also remain interested in Watson, and Denver would like to re-sign him but would need to trade Braun or Cam Johnson to clear out cap space themselves (the Nuggets are currently over the second apron).
Other news, rumors
• Last summer it was hanging with Shaolin Monks. This summer, Victor Wembanyama seems to be practicing with a rugby team.
Victor Wembanyama has been training with a pro rugby team in the south of France this week, according to @RugbyramaFR.
— Maxime Aubin (@MaximeAubin1) August 14, 2026
“To everyone’s surprise, the Frenchman took part in several drills during on-field training sessions, but also fully immersed himself alongside the Provence…
• Several teams are open to signing Ben Simmons and bringing him into training camp, reports Jake Fischer in a Bleacher Report stream. Maybe that happens, but it would be on a non-guaranteed contract. The other unfortunate reality: Any team that brings Simmons into camp will face a daily question from the media for the coach and other players about Simmons, and it will soak up much of the conversation around that team. Do teams want to deal with that?
• Sacramento is looking for a veteran point guard to play behind rookie Darius Acuff Jr. Victor Oladipo would like that role and in an appearance on Yahoo Sports Daily said there is mutual interest between him and Sacramento. Just something to monitor.
Shohei Ohtani takes massive step in process to rejoin Dodgers rotation
Shohei Ohtani has taken the biggest step yet (or, at least, as of late) in his process to return to the mound from an ongoing left knee injury.
Before Friday’s game at Dodger Stadium, the two-way star threw his first bullpen session in more than three weeks, using his full mix over 35 pitches a couple hours before the Dodgers’ 3-1 win against the Milwaukee Brewers.
“He felt encouraged,” manager Dave Roberts said of Ohtani afterward.
For the first time in a while, it was a tangible step in his progress.
Ohtani hasn’t made a pitching start since July 3 because of a knee injury that first began affecting him in mid-June. During the All-Star break, he received a lubricant injection in his knee that the team hoped would allow him to quickly return to its rotation. However, he suffered “regression” with his knee following a July 22 bullpen session in Philadelphia, prompting the Dodgers to shut him down from all on-field throwing activities for the following two weeks.
Ohtani resumed pregame catch play in the outfield last week, throwing three such sessions in recent days.
Earlier this week, Roberts also indicated that Ohtani was getting closer to a bullpen session, bolstering the team’s hopes of having the four-time MVP return to pitching before the end of the season.
Now that Ohtani has checked off that important box, his road map to returning to the Dodgers’ rotation should be clearer.
According to Roberts, the right-hander’s next step will involved “a few” more bullpen sessions. Then, he will need to face hitters in at least two rounds of live batting practice. After that, he could be ready to return to game-action, where he will be built up one inning at a time –– similar to his midseason ramp-up last year when he was returning from a second career Tommy John surgery.
“Any inning is additive,” Roberts said, especially at a time the Dodgers are a man short in the bullpen because of their six-man rotation. “And it was a formula that worked [last year].”
The only real question now is whether Ohtani’s knee will flare up again. But even by Friday night, Roberts was optimistic there wouldn’t be a setback again.
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“I’m pretty confident that if we stay the course, he’ll throw a pen in a couple … days,” Roberts said. “And then if we get out of that, I think we’ll be out of the woods.”
Six weeks removed from his last time atop the mound, Ohtani is finally making progress in his long-awaited return.
Nationals star CJ Abrams changing position in late-season surprise
The Nationals are shaking up their infield.
Washington manager Blake Butera announced the team is planning to move All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams to second base in the near future in hopes of improving the team defensively.
Abrams, who was still at shortstop for Friday’s game against the Mets, appeared mum about the move when speaking to reporters.
“We’ll see how it goes,” Abrams said, according to The Athletic.
Butera, however, insisted that Abrams took the decision well and was a “total pro.”
“But he kept saying, like, ‘If this is what’s best for the Nationals, I’m all for it,’” Butera said. “And that was what really made me and made us feel really good, when he said that a few times.”
Despite being one of the best offensive players in MLB — posting a slash line of .284/.357/.541 with 29 home runs and a league-leading 91 RBIs headed into Friday’s contest — Abrams, 25, has struggled defensively, ranking last in baseball among all position players in outs above average and runs prevented, according to Baseball Savant.
Abrams will remain at shortstop roughly once a week, with defensive specialist Nasim Nuñez shifting over from second base.
Although the switch has not happened yet, the two-time All-Star was seen taking reps at second base at Citi Field on Friday.
“I play shortstop today, so I’ll be ready to go,” Abrams said ahead of Friday’s game. “That’s where I’ve been. Can take charge of the infield when I can, and play my game.”
With under two months left in the regular season, the timing of the position change comes as a surprise, but Butera said that decision was to help the Nationals win more games down the stretch.
“There is no perfect time to do this,” Butera said. “I think you can make an argument like, ‘Why didn’t we do it coming out of spring training?’ It’s like, well, then we’re not giving him a chance to show if he can do it or not. Then why not do it now or next year?
“We think now is probably the best time because, one, we wanted CJ to be able to play shortstop, and especially with new coaches here and have some run to do that. But then also I think doing it now allows him a chance to, like, get some real feedback before the offseason to know what this looks like and what he’s going to have to really hone in on during the offseason to make 2027 better.”
Entering Friday’s game, the Nationals held a 60-63 record and sit five games out of the final National League wild-card spot.
Mets' Juan Soto expects to return before end of season: 'Why not try to rejoin this team?'
Juan Soto, the Mets' biggest bat and their biggest star, has been out with a calf injury since late July, but wants to return to the team before the end of the 2026 season.
With New York's playoff chances dwindling after being sellers at the trade deadline, it would be understandable if Soto was shut down for the rest of the year as he recovers, but the Mets' lone All-Star this season vows to be back with this team.
“We are playing really good baseball right now,” Soto told MLB.com ahead of Friday's series opener with the Nationals. “Why not try to rejoin this team? It would be really fun. It would be great for me and the team. [I want to] finish the season strong and keep the momentum for next year, too.”
Entering play Friday, the Mets are 5-3 since the Aug. 3 trade deadline and are getting major contributions from the young kids and some recent call-ups.
But New York could use an infusion of Soto. Before this latest injury, Soto was having a Soto-like season. However, being available has been a challenge for Soto. The slugger has missed 38 games entering Friday between his first stint on the IL with a right calf strain and this current injury to his left leg.
Soto called his 2026 injuries "tough" and hopes to learn from this experience and stay healthy for his team moving forward.
“It’s tough for me to lose so many games. I’ve never been on this side of it,” Soto said. “I think it’s good for me -- for my career -- because it will teach me a lot of things. I have to adjust in my training [and] conditioning to keep moving forward in a positive way. I have to learn about my body a little bit more, learning how it works and go from there.”
In 84 games this season, Soto has slashed .283/.408/.539 with 21 home runs and 52 RBI en route to another All-Star Game selection.
And while the Mets have yet to give a timeline for Soto's return, the outfielder was doing pregame workouts at Citi Field, in good spirits.
Juan Soto does some work pregame and runs at Citi Field pic.twitter.com/UFxUYw1D0z
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) August 14, 2026
Inside Lakers mega-deal: Mark Walter made a shocking decision. Bob Iger, Joshua Kushner jumped at the chance
Mark Walter said he loved owning the Lakers but decided recently it was time to sell.
Bob Iger and Joshua Kushner wanted to own an NBA franchise and had the money for a big purchase.
The framework for a deal was consummated in a matter of days, Iger said, although the sale needs to be approved by the NBA Board of Governors.
Iger and Kushner paid $12.5 billion for the Lakers. Walter’s flipping of the franchise netted him a $2.5-billion profit after only 14 months of ownership. It is the highest-ever price paid for a sports team and comes as Walter’s business is facing a federal probe.
Kushner, whose older brother Jared is President Trump’s son-in-law, founded the Thrive Capital firm in 2009 and has amassed a net worth estimated by Forbes at more than $5 billion.
One of Thrive’s subsidiaries, Thrive Eternal, focuses on sports acquisitions, purchasing and selling a stake in the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies before acquiring stakes in the Miami Heat and the MLB’s San Francisco Giants , among others.
Read more:Buying the Lakers cements Bob Iger's longtime dream of owning major sports franchises
Kushner and Iger were also championing a potential NBA expansion team in Las Vegas through Thrive Eternal until the opportunity to simply pay cash for the league’s most iconic franchise presented itself.
Iger befriended the Lakers’ current head coach JJ Redick when Redick played for the L.A. Clippers from 2013 to 2017. Iger has long been a Clippers fan, telling Redick on a podcast in 2021 that he grew up a New York Knicks fan and their rivalry with the Lakers made rooting for the purple and gold when he moved to L.A. in 2000 “not in my DNA.”
Why would he, without hesitation, become keen on the Lakers?
The Lakers are the “epitome of an eternal asset,” Iger told Bloomberg this week.
A spokesperson for Iger and Kushner said neither were available to speak to The Times until the sale of the Lakers is completed.
In April, Kushner wrote on social media that Iger “leads with boldness and conviction because he knows what he is building and why.” Their mutual admiration began in 2018 when their wives — former models who went on to have successful business careers — became friends.
Iger joined Thrive for a short time in 2022 after resigning from the Walt Disney Co., and returned to Kushner’s firm in March after serving a second stretch as Disney’s chief executive from late 2022 to earlier this year.
Iger is a close friend of NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who introduced Iger to his wife, Willow Bay, in the 1990s when she hosted the television show “NBA Inside Stuff.” Bay is now dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
Iger and Bay married in 1995 and moved from New York to Los Angeles in 2000. Soon, he was regularly attending Clippers home games. Owning the Lakers may never have crossed his mind until a week or so ago. Now he’s all in.
Read more:Bob Iger, Joshua Kushner to buy Lakers from Mark Walter's ownership group for $12.5 billion
“Grateful, appreciative, excited to own something that’s as iconic as the L.A. Lakers,” Iger told the California Post. “Josh and I are avid NBA fans. And [to] have an opportunity to own not just any NBA team, but the L.A. Lakers is extraordinary from a life experience perspective and business perspective. It’s still sinking in. We’re very excited.”
Iger acknowledged it is too soon to articulate a strategic plan.
“We are fans,” Iger told the outlet. “We respect the value that’s been created, both on the court and off. Our intention is to build this great franchise from a position of strength in many respects as an organization.
“It’s just premature to speculate at all about what we plan to do, because frankly, we haven’t made any plans yet. Again, we go into this with an appreciation of who the Lakers are. And we just want to build value from today on.”
Walter’s decision to sell the Lakers shocked the sports world. In his short tenure as owner, the team said goodbye to LeBron James, gave Austin Reaves a long contract extension, traded for impact center Walker Kessler and signed several complementary players.
Read more:Plaschke: Too many questions, not enough answers. Lakers sale doesn’t pass smell test
Walter is also majority owner of the Dodgers and the L.A. Sparks of the WNBA. He owns minority stakes in professional soccer teams Chelsea FC and RC Strasbourg Alsace and the Cadillac Formula One team. And he owns the entire Professional Women’s Hockey League, which named its championship trophy after Walter.
It became public recently that federal officials were investigating his business empire. The investigations by the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Delaware insurance regulator are focused on $21 billion in possibly fraudulent loans made by two Delaware life insurers that Walter owns to companies also tied to him. Such potential conflicts of interest must be reported to regulators.
Walter and his firm have denied any wrongdoing. He has declined to answer questions about the sale and whether it was connected to the probe.
The Dodgers have said Walter has no intention of selling that team.
Iger, in interviews this week, described the deal as happening very quickly.
“We were involved in pursuing the new franchise in Vegas,” Iger told the California Post. “And while that happened, it was suggested to us that maybe Mark Walter would be interested in selling his stake in the Lakers. And we immediately decided that given the value of the franchise and the iconic nature of the team, that we would be really smart to pursue it. The deal came together in three days. It’s that simple.”
Simple, yet shocking.
“I love surprising the world,” Iger said.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Astros vs Mariners Game Discussion: 8/14/2026
TONIGHT’S GAME: The first-place Houston Astros (62-60) will open a huge nine-game homestand tonight as they welcome in their division rival, the Seattle Mariners (57-65), for a three-game weekend series at Daikin Park.
RHP Peter Lambert (8-6, 3.09 ERA), the Astros most consistent starter this season, will start the series opener for Houston opposite Astros nemesis RHP George Kirby (8-9, 3.68 ERA) and the Mariners.
HALL OF FAME WEEKEND: The Astros are celebrating Hall of Fame Weekend beginning tonight at Daikin Park. Astros legends Alan Ashby and the late Phil Garner will be inducted into the Astros Hall of Fame in a pregame ceremony tomorrow, scheduled for 5:35 p.m. Ashby and members of the Garner family will be available to the media in the press conference room at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow.
THE TURNAROUND: After a slow start to the season, the Astros are 42-29 since May 22, which is the second-best record in the AL in that span. On that date, the Astros were 20-31, 11 games under, which is their low water mark for the season.
THE LAMBO: Today’s Astros starter RHP Peter Lambert leads the club in wins (8), starts (20), innings (113.2) and strikeouts (111)…among AL pitchers with at least 110 IP, Lambert ranks seventh in opponent average (.208) and 10th in ERA. A minor league signing by Houston this offseason, Lambert pitched last year for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in the NPB, posting a 3.98 ERA (55ER/124.1IP) with 111 strikeouts in 23 starts.
FAMILIAR FOE: RHP George Kirby has been at his best against the Astros in his career, going 6-1 with a 2.14 ERA (15ER/63IP) in 11 regular season starts opposite Houston, numbers that do not include his 7.0 shutout innings in the 2022 NLDS. The Astros with the most career success vs. Kirby: 3B Isaac Paredes (.438, 7×16, 3RBI), SS Jeremy Peña (.300, 6×20, 4RBI) and C Yainer Diaz (.273, 6×22, RBI).
VS. THE MARINERS: It’s been three months since the Astros last played the Mariners, as they last saw them in a four-game series in Houston from May 11-14. The Astros have gone 1-7 against the Mariners this season with five games left to play.
ROAD WARRIORS: The Astros closed out their six-game road trip on Wednesday with a win, giving them a 3-3 trip thru San Diego (1-2) and San Francisco (2-1). Houston has gone 25-16 (.610) on their last five road trips and are 31-22 (.585) on the road since going 1-9 on their first road trip of the season. Houston is 32-31 overall on the road in 2026.
ON THE MEND: The Astros have four players on the Major League Injured List. Here are updates on three:
RHP Mike Burrows (rt. elbow neuritis) is scheduled to pitch for Triple A Sugar Land tonight in what will be his first affiliate rehab start since the injury.
IF Carlos Correa (lt. ankle tendon injury) has began a hitting progression while also participating in light on-field baseball activity and a running progression.
OF Brice Matthews (lt. knee sprain) is participating in on-field baseball activity and a running progression.
THAT’S OFFENSIVE: The Astros lead the AL in SLG (.411), while ranking second in OPS (.730 and home runs (162). In the Majors, the Astros rank fourth in homers, trailing only the Nationals (177), Yankees (169), and Braves (164).
MVP-CALIBER: Yordan Alvarez holds at least a share of the lead in all AL Triple Crown categories, ranking first in average (.322), first in RBI (87) and tied for first in HR (35). Additionally, he leads MLB in OPS (1.057), OBP (.436), SLG (.621), and TB (270). In the AL, he ranks first in hits (140), XBH (60) and runs (80), and is second in BB (84).
CHIPPING IN: A couple Astros are on mini hot streaks, including OF Taylor Trammell, who’s posted a .991 OPS (.400 OBP/.591 SLG) with 11 runs, one double, one triple, four home runs, eight RBI and nine walks in his last 14 games (since July 26). RF Cam Smith is batting .386 (17×44) with three home runs, eight RBI and a 1.095 OPS in his last 12 games dating back to July 29.
PEÑA’S PALS: SS Jeremy Peña will host kids from Hidalgo Little League tonight for August’s Peña’s Pals…in its fourth year, Peña’s Pals is a program developed by Peña in partnership with the Astros Foundation. The program celebrates kids and their development in academics, character building and making healthy choices.
HADERADE: LHP Josh Hader has been stellar since returning from injury in early June, going 4-1 with a 0.96 ERA (3ER/28IP), 38 strikeouts, a .106 opponent batting average (10×94) and a 0.71 WHIP, while also converting all 17 of his save opportunities, through 29 appearances.
TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 2020 – The Astros explode for nine runs in the 1st in an 11-1 win over the Mariners in Houston. In his first at-bat of the 2020 season, DH Yordan Alvarez hits a three- run homer in the opening frame, which ended up as his only homer on the season. 1B Yuli Gurriel also homers in the inning, going back-to-back with Alvarez.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Friday, August 14, 7:10 p.m. CT
Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
TV: Space City Home Network
Radio: KTRH 740AM; KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
Warriors’ Splash Brother gets ripped for leaving Michael Jordan out of his top-5
When it comes to basketball conversations about who is the greatest of all time, it’s often a debate between Michael Jordan and LeBron James. But when it comes down to top five of all time, both of them are usually a sure thing to be in it.
The X account, @MindOfBron, showed a live video of former Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson during a live stream with streamer PlayqueBoyMax, where Thompson revealed his shocking top-5 all-time NBA players and left Jordan off the list.
Thompson began the list by listing former Lakers great Shaquille O’Neal as his center, then put Tim Duncan and LeBron James as his two forwards.
Struggling to decide with his hand rubbing against his head, Thompson ended up choosing Kobe Bryant over Jordan at shooting guard.
“I gotta go with Kobe at the two,” Thompson said. “I love Mike, but I just grew up watching Kobe. I got to play against him. 81 [point game,] twelve threes, you know, gold medals. God, I love MJ, but Kobe is like a carbon copy of Mike. Imma go, Kobe just cause that’s my era.”
Thompson then said he would put Steph Curry at point guard, and added that he is “loyal to my PG of the past.”
Immediately after Thompson’s top 5 was revealed, basketball fans across the internet commented on the post that had over 457.7 thousand views in a day and had mixed reactions about Thompson’s list.
The X account @Kypsiw responded to the video and said: ” ‘Stayed loyal to steph’ no he just has common sense and knows steph is the greatest player ever at the position and it’s not relatively close.”
The account @GrindHard0990 commented, “NO JORDAN FOR A REASON…DUDE A– FR…”
The backlash on Thompson continued when the account @ThehoopCentral reposted the video, and the account @ItsMichaelJ commented a GIF of Jordan hysterically laughing with a tablet in his lap.
@AriiKruse1 commented, “Great lineup, but who takes the final shot in clutch moments?”
Thompson wasn’t the only one receiving backlash, as the account @Jay_Jay9517 commented on it, and took a shot at PlaqueBoyMax by saying, “These streamers are so lame, dude looks like he would rather be anywhere else than sitting next to one of the greatest NBA players of all time. .. not even engaged in the conversation.”
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Texas Rangers lineup for August 14, 2026
Texas Rangers lineup for August 14, 2026 against the A’s: starting pitchers are Kumar Rocker for the Rangers and Gage Jump for the A’s.
Texas will try to get the Angels funk off of them and break their three game losing streak. There’s a lefty going so the Rangers have the righty-heavy lineup out. Kumar Rocker will hopefully cover first base tonight if the occasion demands it.
The lineup:
Langford — LF
Nimmo — RF
Seager — SS
Duran — 3B
Burger — 1B
Foscue — DH
Freeman — 2B
Diaz — C
Carter — CF
8:40 p.m. Central start time. The game is a pick ‘em.
Rangers add Gonzales, Freeman
The Texas Rangers have recalled infielder Cody Freeman and purchased the contract of Marco Gonzales from AAA Round Rock. To make room on the active roster for the pair, the team has optioned infielder Cam Cauley and pitcher Ben Peoples to AAA Round Rock. To make room for Gonzales on the 40 man roster, the Rangers designated pitcher Luis Curvelo for assignment.
After Jacob deGrom went just two innings yesterday, the Rangers need someone in the pen who can give them length. Peoples has options so he goes down, and Gonzales returns to the Rangers for his second stint with the club this season.
The motivation behind the decision to swap out Cody Freeman for Cam Cauley isn’t quite as clear. Freeman was in the mix for an Opening Day roster spot, but has missed much of the year do to back and neck issues. The Rangers reportedly like the energy that Freeman brings, however, and with the lineup currently feeling very flat, it may be that he’s viewed as being able to provide a shot in the arm.
Curvelo, meanwhile, will end up on the waiver wire, and I’m guessing he’ll clear waivers. He has regressed from last year, with a 9.58 major league ERA and 8.42 AAA ERA, and has been both wild and homer prone.
Mariners Game #123 Preview and Discussion: 8/14/26, Mariners at Astros
I have recapped literally hundreds of Mariners games over the years and I’m not sure there’s one I’ve approached with more dread than tonight’s. Like, woke up this morning with a stone in my stomach, counting down the hours (derogatory), looming final/dentist appointment/“we have to talk” kind of dread anticipation. So, that’s fun.
Lineups:
News:
If you missed it yesterday, Colt Emerson was optioned to Tacoma; super-utility infielder Brock Rodden, who is in the lineup tonight, will take his place. But Emerson won’t be going to Tacoma; he’ll instead be going to the IL with the same wrist issue that’s been bothering him since before his call-up. The team has not ruled out the possibility of season-ending surgery, per Adam Jude of the Times.
In encouraging injury news, Matt Brash was with the team today as he nears a return to play. He’s scheduled to throw a bullpen tomorrow; after that he’ll progress to throwing to live hitters, and then to a rehab assignment.
Tonight’s game information:
Game time: 5:10 PT
TV: Mariners TV with Aaron Goldsmith, Dave Valle and Jay Buhner
Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports, with Gary Hill Jr. and Ryan Rowland-Smith
Regretfully, there is no info on which innings Buhner will be on TV vs. radio, so let me offer you this vintage DivishTweet™ in penance:
Should Chris Paul be part of Lakers’ front office?
No.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
Bucks Reacts Survey Results: Majority of fans agree with Horst waiting on Giannis
This week, we finally touched on the elephant in the room re. Giannis: the notion that Bucks GM Jon Horst waited too long to trade him. This week’s polling results were fascinating because, to me, they showed how being a team fan and having a deeper connection to its players can change how people view the choices the team makes, compared with how an outsider views those choices.
Outside the fanbase, the prevailing view is that Horst messed up by waiting too long and losing much of his leverage when he traded Giannis. But inside the fanbase—while many accept that, in a nutshell, Horst could have done better strategically—most fans (59%) were fine with the Bucks GM waiting because they preferred he try everything to keep Giannis and fail than not exhaust all options. That said, a substantial portion of the fanbase (41%) still thought he waited too long. Each to their own!
Many of the fans who sat in the majority had other critiques of Horst—along with nuances they pointed out—but were ultimately steadfast that he did the right thing in his handling of Giannis, specifically:
BenDranklin3000: I will always stand by the opinion that when you have an absolute generational talent, you do everything you can to try to build around him. Even more so when he is actually a good dude and also actually likes the city of Milwaukee. Watching Giannis get teary-eyed while watching videos of fans thanking him and wishing him well while he is adjusting to his new surroundings is unheard of… And while there were some ugly moments, I will always love him, and that is all the justification I need to say we did the right thing in trying to make things work
LombardiStanleyO’Brian: Looking back at this… 100% yes. But at the present moment of that summer, equally 100% no. The Bucks were coming off a slim playoff exit at the hands of a magical Pacers run. After that, we waived and stretched Dame to steal a massive piece of their team in Myles Turner, and within a weak East, we looked like on paper title contenders. Sadly, a combination of bad Doc Rivers, Giannis’ injury, and just plain poor basketball doomed us. At the moment then, it looked like a great move on the surface, but like so many of Horst’s moves, it didn’t end up panning out.
Now for those who stood more toward the opposing opinion:
Harms: I voted No. I agreed with Sam Vecenie on the Game Theory podcast that Giannis should have been traded a year ago to extract more value. I can’t really fathom, with the benefits of hindsight, why anyone would choose the route we took as being better than potentially getting a better package and a quicker start to moving on. I get the sentimental feelings about it, but had I known that Giannis had been that aggressive with wanting out of Milwaukee, I would have moved him last year.
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The best Citi Field Fridays vs. the Nationals
I know what you’re thinking. Fridays against the Nationals at Citi Field. Isn’t that a bit of a narrow category for a “best of” list? That’s a tremendously fair point, but for whatever reason, it seems a disproportionate number of the most memorable games in recent Mets history have come on Fridays against the Nats — whether jumpstarting hot streaks, announcing the arrival of new stars, or simply providing a moment of joy in otherwise bleak times.
There are a variety of good options to choose from, as the Mets have won six of their last eight and 14 of their last 22 Friday contests at home against Washington. I’ve selected a quartet that I believe stand above the rest as true classics. With another weekend series with the Nats upon us in 2026, it felt fitting to revisit the unique circumstances that led to these games, the actual on-field events that went down, and the legacy they’ve left behind. So without further ado, here are the top Friday nights at Citi Field vs. the Nats (so far):
4. deGame – April 23, 2021
Setting the scene: After over 18 months of covid-induced absence (not counting cardboard cutouts), fans were finally back in the stands at Citi Field — but things weren’t exactly back to normal. Seating was spaced out, tickets were limited, and the sport was settling into a transitional season before the expanded playoffs and universal DH, after the automatic extra-inning runner, with seven-inning doubleheaders and mounting concern about “sticky stuff.” But the Mets had promise, fresh off the acquisition and long-term extension of Francisco Lindor, out to a respectable 8-7 start, and featuring a two-time Cy Young Award winner who only seemed to get better with age. Thus far in 2021, Jacob deGrom held a 0.45 ERA with 35 strikeouts and three walks over three starts. As he warmed up in the bullpen before this Friday night start against the Nationals (only the seventh home game and third home night game since fans returned to the stadium), he felt so good that it made him “a little nervous.” So we have a small but remarkably hungry crowd of 8,130 fans starved for something good to cheer, and a one-of-one ace nervous about just how good he might be. Sounds like a pretty good recipe.
Play ball: deGrom set the tone with a three-pitch strikeout of leadoff hitter Andrew Stevenson, each offering coming in at over 99 mph. One would think it could only get better for the Nats from that point on, but…not exactly. After five innings, they had struck out nine times and reached base only twice (on a well-placed grounder and a misplayed fly ball). The game was still scoreless, but that changed in the bottom of the frame when deGrom himself came to bat against Erick Fedde, slashing an RBI double to left and later scoring on a single by Brandon Nimmo.
The right-hander kept cruising, striking out the side in the sixth and seventh innings to reach a total of 15 on the night. Unfortunately, his pitch count was also climbing. With 92 pitches thrown by the end of the seventh, it was clear that deGrom’s only shot at a complete game was quick and soft contact, tricky for someone who hadn’t allowed a ball in play for two innings. But in his video-game-like way, deGrom miraculously managed an eight-pitch eighth. When he appeared on deck in the bottom of the inning, the fans scattered throughout the crowd made their voices heard. And, of course, he rewarded them with another single. He needed just nine pitches to cruise through the ninth, stepping on first base to complete the final 3-1 putout and seal the second complete-game shutout of his career. deGrom had retired 19 in a row. He had struck out 15 batters, none of them in the final two innings after he seamlessly shifted to pitching to contact. He had allowed only two baserunners, and he had reached base twice himself.
The legacy: Game Score is a metric developed by Bill James that attempts to quantify a pitcher’s performance with a single number. deGrom’s gem had a Game Score of 98. In Mets history, the only pitching performance of nine innings or fewer to have a higher Game Score is David Cone’s 19-strikeout shutout of the Phillies on October 6, 1991.
deGrom generated 29 whiffs, the third-most in a game by any Met in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008) with the top two spots also occupied by deGrom. He became the first (and only) Met to strike out 15 or more batters in the 21st century. Only 17 pitchers have recorded a game with 15 or more strikeouts and 2 or fewer baserunners allowed, and the only one to do it since deGrom was Jacob Misirowski on June 12. In other words, this game’s legacy is that of one of the greatest pitching performances in baseball history.
3. Harvey’s Better – April 19, 2013
Setting the scene: He had only made 13 major league starts, but Matt Harvey was already becoming something of a phenomenon. After an impressive rookie showing in the second half of 2012, Harvey burst out of the gate with a trio of gems in his sophomore season, allowing two runs over 22 innings of work while striking out 25. Mets fans were dreaming big on the 24-year-old right-hander, but now he faced perhaps his biggest challenge yet: A meeting with fellow 24-year-old sensation Stephen Strasburg. A No. 1 overall draft pick who had made an All-Star team and started Game 1 of a postseason series the year prior, Strasburg in a sense represented what Harvey might hope to become.
Play ball: The Mets got to Strasburg early, scoring a pair of unearned runs with the help of an error and a wild pitch in the bottom of the first, but the Nats’ ace quickly found his groove. Harvey allowed only one hit in the first five frames, and that was a double to Strasburg in the top of the third. The score held at 2-0 Mets until the bottom of the sixth, when Ike Davis led off with a first-pitch moonshot to left-center field. Two batters later, Lucas Duda launched a homer to right-center.
That’s when it started, rising from a faint, unintelligible rumble to an unmistakable, unified chorus: chants of “Harvey’s Better,” echoing throughout the stands and piercing the audio of the SNY broadcast as it displayed a split-screen of Strasburg, trying to regroup on the mound, and Harvey, waiting in the dugout to continue his masterpiece. Harvey would end up allowing a run in the seventh, but hardly anyone seemed to care. A fanbase longing for signs of life after four straight fourth-place finishes had finally found it. Their prospect looked like an ace. Their ace looked like a star. Their star had won the night. Dreaming big on Harvey was no longer a fool’s hope.
The legacy: Matt Harvey’s stardom flashed and faded far sooner than Mets fans would have hoped, but at its peak it burned as bright as any Mets player’s has. The “Harvey’s Better” game seemed to officially announce his arrival and kick off that memorable rollercoaster ride, one which led him to an All-Star Game start three months later and effectively ended with a World Series start thirty months later, all occurring on that same Citi Field mound.
Though their successes took on different forms — and though they certainly had different styles on the mound — Harvey and Strasburg are in some ways forever linked. The two represented a generation of starting pitchers at a threshold between eras, ushering in a new wave of high-velocity hurlers who emerged into an environment less equipped to handle the growing health risks associated with that velocity. Both pitchers underwent Tommy John surgery, but Strasburg adhered to strict innings limits — even amidst a playoff run — while Harvey blew past them in his pursuit of a World Series title. Assessing those choices is something of an impossible exercise. Strasburg played the long game, and Harvey chased greatness when he saw the opportunity. When Strasburg was on his way to a World Series MVP Award in 2019, Harvey was on the Los Angeles Angels, pitching to an ERA above seven. The question of who won the actual pitchers’ duel between Harvey and Strasburg — the one that lasted almost a decade, and not just on that Friday night in April — is one that defines a unique period of pitching in baseball history.
2. Down (the line) Goes Frazier – August 9, 2019
Setting the scene: Between the magical National League Champions in 2015 and the 101-win powerhouse squad in 2022, there were the 2019 Mets, riding the relatively-intact rotation of the mid-2010s and the youthful energy of a new offensive core. They missed the playoffs, in large part held back by their unreliable bullpen. But for a period of several weeks that summer, the ’19 group was firing on all cylinders. They entered this series-opener against Washington having won 13 of their last 14 games, including six straight, carrying them from nine games below .500 to four games above. In the middle of that stretch, they also made the surprising decision to buy at the deadline, adding All-Star Marcus Stroman, who was set to make his home debut opposite Strasburg. To make the stakes even higher, the Nats were sitting in the top NL Wild Card spot, 3.5 games above the Mets.
Play ball: It seemed a pitchers’ duel was in the making, as Stroman and Strasburg traded zeros for three innings. But the Nats got to Stroman, with Anthony Rendon tripling in a run and 20-year-old Juan Soto clobbering a two-run shot to put the Mets in a 3-0 hole. The resilient lineup instantly responded, with Pete Alonso and J.D. Davis hitting back-to-back homers in the bottom of the frame to even the score. Stroman found himself in a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the top of the sixth, but struck out Strasburg swinging — his ninth strikeout of the night — and walked off the mound to a roar from the raucous crowd. The Mets had all the momentum, but the Nats stole it right back, putting the Mets down 6-3 entering the bottom of the ninth via an Anthony Rendon homer and run-scoring wild pitch.
With their backs against the wall and their winning streak in jeopardy, the Mets mounted yet another rally. Davis pulled a double over the third-base bag and Wilson Ramos lined a base hit. That brought Todd Frazier to the plate as the tying run. The veteran torqued a moonshot down the left-field line, and the only question was whether the blast would stay fair. It tucked itself just inside the foul pole as the Mets leapt out of their dugout, Alonso jumping up and down in foul territory. After singles by Joe Panik (playing in his first game as a Met) and Amed Rosario, Michael Conforto scorched a ball that flew beyond the reach of right fielder Adam Eaton to notch his first career walk-off hit. The streak stayed alive. The same cannot be said for Conforto’s jersey.
The legacy: The 2019 Mets are something of a forgotten group, but their distinct “LFGM” attitude reached its unbridled peak that night in August, when their postseason hopes seemed more tangible than ever before. They won the next night on an unforgettable pinch-hit homer from Luis Guillorme (his first in the big leagues), but they lost the finale on Sunday afternoon. Somewhere deep down, I’ve always believed that if they’d managed to sweep that series from the Nationals, it could have been them instead of Washington still playing in late October. Such sweeps have been known to have that effect for the Mets, which brings us to…
1. Wilmer Flores Night – July 31, 2015
Setting the scene: It would be difficult to script a more action-packed homestand leading up to 7:10 pm on July 31, 2015. Eight days earlier, the Mets’ injury-riddled lineup was nearly no-hit by Clayton Kershaw. Seven days earlier, the team promoted first-round draft pick Michael Conforto and made a mid-game trade to bring Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe to Queens while their starting pitcher watched his wife give birth on FaceTime from the dugout. Six days earlier, Conforto went 4-for-4 and fellow newcomer Johnson homered in a 15-2 rout. Five days earlier, they broke Zack Greinke’s 45 2/3-inning scoreless streak before winning thanks to a walk-off hit from yet another newcomer in Uribe. Four days earlier, they swung a trade for two-time All-Star Tyler Clippard on an off-day. Three days earlier, Clippard made his debut by closing out a Mets win after Noah Syndergaard took a perfect game into the seventh. Two days earlier, word broke of another mid-game trade which would send Wilmer Flores, who had been a part of the organization since he was 16 years old, in a trade package to Milwaukee. He shed tears on the field as the crowd applauded him in what appeared to be his final game as a Met — except that it wasn’t. The deal was never completed, and Flores, suddenly having earned the sympathy of the larger Mets universe, was still in orange and blue. One day earlier, the team blew a six-run lead in their most devastating loss of the season. And just hours earlier, minutes before the trade deadline, they swung a deal to acquire Yoenis Céspedes.
All of that chaos brings us to the night in question, when the Mets kicked off a three-game set with the Nationals, who sat exactly three games above them in the NL East standings. The big three (Harvey-deGrom-Syndergaard) were lined up. Travis d’Arnaud was returning from the injured list. Céspedes was en route. And Wilmer Flores was batting sixth and playing second base.
Play ball: From the second play of the night, Flores’ burgeoning status as a folk hero became quite evident. He made a diving stop on a Yunel Escobar grounder, getting to his feet and firing to first as the crowd offered support far beyond the typical volume for a 4-3 putout. When Flores stepped to the plate for the first time in the bottom of the second, he received a standing ovation, though Escobar returned the favor by retiring him on a nifty barehanded play. When Flores returned to the plate with two out and two on in the bottom of the fourth, he ripped a liner off Gio Gonzalez that proved too much for Ian Desmond to handle, bouncing into the outfield as Uribe came home with the first run of the game.
Matt Harvey, in a largely-forgotten performance (reasonably overshadowed by the evening’s other memorable events), carried a perfect game into the sixth. He pitched all the way into the eighth, finally yielding a run when Escobar got revenge for his earlier robbery by drilling a two-out, two-strike, 98-mph fastball up the middle. The newly-acquired Clippard entered into a jam, but froze Jayson Werth on a 3-2 fastball thanks to a sweet frame by the returning d’Arnaud. The 1-1 tie held through the ninth. It held through the 10th. It held through the 11th, an inning which included a Bryce Harper ejection after yet another d’Arnaud frame. It held until the bottom of the 12th, when Flores came to bat for the fifth time.
“Well, this game began with the Wilmer Flores standing ovation chorus,” Gary Cohen said on the SNY broadcast as Flores stepped into the batter’s box, the crowd chanting his name as they had all night. “This is beautiful,” Ron Darling said. “All you gotta do, Wilmer, is hit it out of the park.” 42 seconds later, Flores was rounding first base as the baseball sailed majestically over the left-center-field wall. As Howie Rose later put it, “I swear when that ball went over the fence it turned into pixie dust.”
The legacy: One day later, Céspedes joined the Mets for yet another win over the Nats. Two days later, the Mets completed the sweep on national television thanks to a three-homer inning that sent Citi Field into a Shea-like frenzy. A month later, the Mets all but sealed the NL East title with yet another sweep, this time in Washington. Two and a half months later, Flores was playing shortstop and batting eighth in the ballpark’s first World Series game.
That storybook night infused the 2015 team with a sense of heart and purpose that they never really lost — at least not until they actually lost, with Flores taking a called third strike to end the Fall Classic. It infused the fanbase with a special love for a relatively uncelebrated utility infielder, and that love still hasn’t gone away (if you don’t believe me, try starting a “Wilmer Flores” chant anywhere in the stadium today and see what happens). It was three hours and 59 minutes which felt more like a fairytale than a baseball game. Those moments only happen once in a blue moon. And oh, by the way, there was one of those that night, too.