The San Francisco Giants added another name to the list of injuries that derailed their season.
Giants third baseman Matt Chapman will likely miss the remainder of the season with an abdominal strain that he suffered in the sixth inning of an 8-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 30.
Chapman saw a specialist Monday, Aug. 10 in Philadelphia, who confirmed the core muscle injury, the team announced. The 33-year-old will have surgery Tuesday, marking an official end to his 2026 season as he joins Harrison Bader, Casey Schmitt and Trevor McDonald as players whose seasons ended early to injury.
Chapman finished the year batting .235 with 72 hits, seven home runs, 42 RBI and 35 runs in 84 games.
Matt Chapman contract
Chapman is in the midst of a six-year, $151 million contract extension he signed with the Giants in 2024. He is owed $25.1 million per year through 2030, becoming a free agent in 2031.
Matt Chapman career
Chapman is in his 10th MLB season, having previously played for the Oakland Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays before joining San Francisco.
Throughout his career, he's compiled 1,073 hits and accounted for 696 runs, including 210 homers. His career-batting average is .240, while his splits are .330 on-base percentage and .452 slugging percentage.
More injured Giants players
The Giants injury list didn't stop with the Chapman update.
Daniel Susac was placed on the 10-day injured list after suffering a left knee patella fracture. He had an MRI earlier on Monday, Aug. 10, that showed a LJ fracture. He will meet with doctors Monday evening to determine his prognosis, the Giants said.
Matt Gage is dealing with a left elbow strain but he's working his way back slowly. The team announced Gage is going to throw a bullpen today and continue his progression throughout the week.
Marcelo Mayer suffered a left ulnar bone stress reaction but is continuing to ramp up his baseball action over the next few days.
Joel Peguero has a left hamstring strain and will start a rehab assignment on Tuesday, Aug. 11 with the Triple-A affiliate, Sacramento River Cats in Las Vegas. He is scheduled to throw for an inning, the club said.
Jesús Rodriguez who suffered right elbow neuritis is still on rehab-only at the time and will be re evaluated at the end of the week.
Aug 10, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Charles McAdoo (26) celebrates in the dugout after hitting a home run during the fifth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Red Sox 0 (in reality) Blue Jays 2
All that’s worth talking about happened in the top of the seventh. Red Sox down 2-0. Game is going along quickly. All is well.
Anthony Seigler singled off Simeon Woods Richardson to lead off the inning. Connor Wong also singled. Nick Sogard lined one at Vladimir Guerrero, who got the ball on a hop and got the first out on a force at second.
Then…..true weirdness. The scoreboard, apparently showed two outs. Truly that’s really neither here nor there, as my dad would say. It is a none issue.
Ceddanne Rafaela hit a fly ball to center field. Both the runner on first and the runner on third took off before the catch. Brett Bateman threw the ball in to second, and, after a bit of confusion, the Jays threw to first to double up the runner that left first. Everybody left the field. Sportsnet went to commercial.
When they came back from commercial, the umpires were talking to the managers. And then they called ‘New York’, to get a ruling from ‘the Gods above’.
Apparently the Gods decided that the Red Sox deserved a run because the Jays took the out at first, but the runner from second crossed the plate first. It didn’t matter that he ‘tagged up’ before Bateman made the catch, which, of course, is illegal.
So the Jays couldn’t appeal because they left the field after the called third out. They didn’t know they should have stayed on the field through the commercial break, so that they could appeal a run that wasn’t put on the board until ten minutes after the inning ended.
If you can give a team a run, ten minutes after the inning ends, the other team should be able to appeal the run ten minutes later.
Umpires is so stupid (as Yosemite Sam would say).
I’m a fan of playground justice and that wasn’t playground justice. No kids would come up with that crap.
Anyway, Jameson Taillon started and looked good, until he left the field after the end of the fourth, and told Pete Walker and John Schneider that he had a pain in his forearm. Words you don’t want to hear from a starter. Taillon allowed one hit, with three walks and three strikeouts in his four scoreless innings. I don’t think we’ll see him on the mound in again in five days.
Simeon Woods Richardson pitched the next three innings, and he was very good too. Allowed four hits, one walk, with two strikeouts and got the earned run against, which really isn’t fair. He got the win.
Tyler Rogers pitched a quick eighth, allowing a walk, and getting a strikeout.
Louis Varland got the ninth. He gave up a leadoff double and I was worried. A sac bunt move Jarren Duran to third. But Varland got a strikeout and a ground out (nice play Vlad) to get his 25th save.
On offense we got just seven hits. We scored:
One in the fifth: Charles McAdoo led off the inning with a home run.
One in the six: George Springer had a one-out single. And he stole second (we needed to challenge the play to overturn the umpire’s bad call). With two outs, Andrés Giménez singled to right and Springer scored. Thankfully, the Red Sox catcher, Connor Wong, couldn’t handle the throw from right, or George would have likely been out.
Jays of the Day: Taillon (0.21 WPA), Varland (0.16), McAdoo (0.13), SWR (0.12) and Rogers (0.12).
Other Award: Nathan Lukes (-0.09).
Tomorrow we have Patrick Sandoval (1-0, 3.38) vs. Dylan Cease (7-5, 2.28). It is another 7:00 Eastern start. What will happen that will piss us off in that game?
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - AUGUST 10: Dean Kremer #13 of the Minnesota Twins pitches against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning of the game at Target Field on August 10, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Orioles traded seven-year veteran Dean Kremer to the Twins in exchange for 18-year-old outfield prospect Jhomnardo Reyes on July 31. The move subtracted a major league player from the roster, but it did not clearly identify the Orioles as sellers. Kremer missed a significant amount of the season with injury, and he struggled when healthy. Even if the Orioles planned to chase down a playoff spot, it felt like they were willing to proceed without Kremer in the rotation.
The Orioles ultimately sold at the trade deadline, while the Twins acquired Kremer and a few relievers. Minnesota entered tonight’s game only a half game above the Orioles in the wild card hunt, and they sent Kremer to the mound against his former team.
Kremer delivered his best and longest start of the season. The prized piece from the Manny Machado trade (by default) limited Baltimore to only one hit and one run over seven strong innings. Kremer struck out seven, walked one, and made the Orioles look silly for parting with him two weeks ago. Meanwhile, Baltimore starter Trevor Rogers struggled. The bullpen gave up five runs in the seventh, and the Twins bested the Orioles 9-5.
Trevor Rogers did not have his best stuff tonight. The lefty managed to hold the Twins to only two runs, but he only lasted four innings. Rogers allowed the leadoff batter to reach in all four frames. He allowed four hits, walked two, and plunked two batters. The Twins rarely chased his pitches out of the zone, and Rogers threw only 45 of 79 pitches for strikes.
Rogers allowed the first two batters to reach in the first and second innings but managed to escape the frames without allowing a run. After watching his teammates leaver runners on base, Austin Martin decided to start the third inning with a solo homer. The blast got the Twins on the board, but Baltimore answered in the top of the fourth.
Gunnar Henderson worked a leadoff walk. Henderson advanced to second on a groundout by Pete Alonso, and the struggling shortstop moved to third on an infield single by Jackson Holliday. Cleanup hitter Tyler O’Neill fell behind in the count, and Holliday broke for second on a 1-2 pitch. O’Neill went down swinging for the second out, but Holliday stopped running before he reached second base. Holliday got hung up long enough for Henderson to race home, and the Orioles tied the game before Holliday was tagged out.
Unfortunately, Rogers gave the run right back in the bottom of the inning. The lefty plunked leadoff hitter Luke Keaschall before coughing up a double to Brooks Lee. Kaelen Culpepper drove in the second run with a sacrifice fly, but Rogers managed to strand Lee with a pop up and a fly out to the warning track.
The Orioles recalled Cam Sanders before the game and put the reliever to work right away. Sanders represented the only real bright spot of the evening with a pair of clean innings. Craig Albernaz went to Rico Garcia in the seventh, and things quickly spiraled out of control.
Ryan Kreidler ripped a hard grounder up the middle. Jackson Holliday managed to get the ball but wisely declined to rush a throw to first. Martin followed with a quality bunt, but Carlos Narváez failed to follow Holliday’s lead. Narváez never really had a chance to get Martin, but he sailed a throw into right field anyway. The throwing error put runners at second and third and forced the Orioles to play the infield in.
Garcia generated a ground ball to the left side of the infield, but the ball perfectly passed by Henderson and Coby Mayo. Both runners came into score, and the Twins led 4-1. Garcia walked Royce Lewis, and Albernaz summoned Grant Wolfram to face Josh Bell.
Wolfram fell behind 2-1 before firing a middle-middle fastball to the power hitter. Bell skied the ball 407 feet, and the Twins led 7-1.
The Orioles scored a pair in the seventh behind a Leody Taveras triple, a double by Coby Mayo, and a run-scoring groundout by Christian Encarnacion-Strand.
The Twins added a few more in the bottom of the eighth. The Orioles brought the tying run to the on-deck circle after a two-run single by Coby Mayo in the ninth. You can check out the box score if you want the details. I’ve had enough.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 10: Brett Baty #7 of the New York Mets reacts with Jared Young #29 after hitting a grand slam in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on August 10, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The post-trade deadline Mets continue to roll. At a time in a lost season when fans of the orange and blue are more likely to be looking at draft lottery odds than playoff standings, the Amazins are now in the midst of their most successful stretch of 2026. Following a sweep of the Guardians and winning two out of three to the Pirates, the good times continued tonight in Atlanta, where the Mets faced off against the NL East-leading Braves and secured an 8-5 victory over their division rivals.
The bats gave Braves starter Bryce Elder a rude hello in the first inning of tonight’s game. A.J. Ewing led off the game with a double (originally ruled a ground-rule double, then just ruled a regular double after several minutes of umpire deliberation for… reasons). After Francisco Lindor moved him over to third base on a groundout to second base, Bo Bichette delivered the first run of the evening with a single to left. The Mets subsequently loaded the bases thanks to a walk to Carson Benge and a single by Jared Young, respectively. Marcus Semien struck out for out number two, giving Elder the chance to get out of the inning having given up just the one run. Instead, Brett Baty deposited the first pitch he saw beyond the right-center field wall for a grand slam, giving the Mets an early 5-0 lead and making Ron Darling look like a genius.
The Braves responded with their own first inning rally against Christian Scott. Like Ewing before him, Drake Baldwin led off with a double, and he would move to third on a one-out single from Matt Olson. After striking out Michael Harris II, an eleven-pitch plate appearance from Ozzie Albies concluded with him getting hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs. Mauricio Dubón then capitalized with a ground ball through the third base hole, scoring two runs to make it a 5-2 ballgame. Scott struck out Austin Riley to end the frame, but he had already expended 31 pitches in just one inning of work.
The Mets continued the offensive barrage in the top of the second against Elder. For a third straight time, the inning started with a double—this time off the bat of Lindor. Elder got the next two outs on a groundout and strikeout, respectively, but Young then got his second hit in as many innings, this one an RBI single to right field to make it 6-2 Mets. That would prove to be the only run the team would score in the frame, though Semien did get a single for the team’s ninth hit in just two innings. The tenth hit would come in the third inning, after Elder recorded the first two outs of the inning to come on the verge of finally tossing a clean frame. Instead, Lindor socked a monstrous shot to deep right field, giving the Mets a five-run lead once again.
But the Braves would fight back once again. Scott held Atlanta off the board in the second and third innings, but faltered once more in the fourth. After recording the first out of the inning, a single and a walk put runners on first and second. A strikeout of Sean Murphy put Scott one out away from another scoreless frame. Instead, back-to-back two-out singles from Baldwin and Ronald Acuña Jr. brought home two runs, cutting the lead down to 7-4. Scott struck out Matt Olson to end the inning, but Andy Green elected to have that be the end of his night. Not the best line for the young Mets’ starter (4 innings, 7 hits, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts, 4 earned runs).
Jonathan Pintaro—who had just been recalled to the Mets’ active roster following the placement of Devin Williams on the injured list—came on for the fifth inning, and the Braves continued to chip away. He allowed the first two batters of the inning on via a single and walk. A double play off the bat of Dubón put a runner on third base with two outs, but that runner would come around to score thanks to a wild pitch from Pintaro. With that, the lead was cut to just two runs.
The Mets’ bats, meanwhile, had gone silent; Elder managed to make it through five innings of work despite his early struggles, and Brent Suter then came on and threw three scoreless innings. Thus, the Braves gave themselves a chance to continue erasing the deficit, but the rest of the Mets’ bullpen was up to the task. Following Pintaro’s inning of work, Nate Lavender came on for the bottom of the sixth and tossed a scoreless frame. He came back on for the seventh, but quickly left after giving up a leadoff double to Harris. Daniel Duarte came on and proceeded to throw two hitless innings—thanks in part to some good defense in his second inning of work, including Francisco Alvarez making a catch against the netting in foul territory and Ewing making a diving catch on a line drive to end the eighth.
The Mets finally added on in the top of the ninth when Victor Mederos came on for the Braves. He quickly loaded the bases on a single, walk, and hit-by-pitch, and Young proceeded to get his second RBI of the game by hitting a sacrifice fly to center field. That would make it an 8-5 game, and while it would prove to be the only run the Mets would score in the inning, it would be enough. With Williams now on the injured list, Kodai Senga came on for the bottom of the frame to try to secure his first career save. He did so without much trouble, striking out the first two batters he faced and issuing only a two-out walk in his hitless inning of work to close the door.
So the Mets are now 6-1 since selling at the deadline. Will these good times continue? Eh, probably not. But on the bright side, the Mets have now won the season series against the Braves for the first time since 2017. Would not have expected that in this particular season, but beating Atlanta always feels good. Game two of the series tomorrow evening.
Big Mets winner: Daniel Duarte, +27% WPA Big Mets loser: Christian Scott and Marcus Semien, -8% WPA Mets pitchers: +32% WPA Mets hitters: +18% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Brett Baty grand slam in the first, +24.9% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Mauricio Dubón two-run single in the first, -10.2% WPA
The Mets defeated the Braves, 8-5, in an offensive showcase on Monday night in Atlanta.
Here are the takeaways...
-- Braves starter Bryce Elder had been on pace for a career year heading into this game with a 3.69 ERAm but the Mets were able to jump all over him in this one, tallying seven runs and 10 hits over the first three innings.
-- A.J. Ewing led off the proceedings with a ground-rule double, and Bo Bichette singled him home two batters later. With the bases loaded and two outs, Brett Baty sent a moonshot over the right-center field fence for his eighth homer of the season and first career grand slam.
-- The five-run inning saw every member of the Mets lineup take an at-bat. The Braves responded in the bottom half of the frame, loading the bases on Mets starter Christian Scott before Atlanta's Mauricio Dubón brought home two runs with a two-out single.
-- The Mets added another leadoff double -- this time off the bat of Francisco Lindor -- to kick off the second inning. Lindor came around to score thanks to a Jared Young liner which found the outfield grass with two outs to increase the lead to 6-2 Mets. With two outs in the top of the third, Lindor tallied another hit, this one a 420-foot no-doubter to pad the Mets lead to a five-run advantage. Lindor finished the game 3-for-5, his fourth game with at least three hits this season.
-- Atlanta's standout sophomore DH Drake Baldwin notched his second hit of the game in the fourth inning, singling home Austin Riley to cut the lead to 7-3. Ronald Acuña Jr. then ripped Scott's hanging slider into left field to bring home Jim Jarvis, but Scott battled back, striking out Matt OIson to limit the damage with the Mets still leading by three runs.
-- Scott allowed four earned runs on seven hits, striking out six batters and walking one across 82 pitches. He was pulled after the fourth inning, increasing his ERA and WHIP on the season to 3.45 and 1.30, respectively.
-- Michael Harris II scored from third base on a wild pitch thrown by Mets reliever Jonathan Pintaro with two outs in the fifth. Pintaro finished the inning with the Mets still in front, 7-5. He was relieved by southpaw Nate Lavender, who spun a scoreless sixth inning.
-- Right-handed reliever Daniel Duarte handled two full innings of high-leverage relief work in the seventh and eight innings, allowing just one baserunner and zero runs to hold the Mets lead.
-- With the bases juiced and nobody out in the ninth, Mets first baseman Jared Young drove in a run via sacrifice fly, his sixth RBI in the last six games he's played.
-- In the stead of injured closer Devin Williams, Kodai Senga entered the game with three outs to seal a Mets win and the score 8-5. He struck out both Olson and Harriswith his signature forkball, walked Ozzie Albies, and retired Dubón via flyout to earn the first MLB save of his career.
Game MVP: Brett Baty
Baty clobbered the first grand slam of his career, providing the Mets with an ample cushion to cruise the rest of the way, the team's sixth victory in their last seven games.
Highlights
A.J. Ewing opens the game with a leadoff double.
The Mets challenged the play, alleging that the ball was not stuck in the right field wall.
The call on the field was overturned, but Ewing was still only awarded second base. pic.twitter.com/GEcx7980dn
TORONTO, CANADA - AUGUST 10: Nick Sogard #20 of the Boston Red Sox reacts as he takes a walk in the first inning of their MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on August 10, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Whatever else can be said about tonight’s game, it had one of the most “you can’t predict baseball” moments of all time. It was the only run the Sox scored, and it was utterly ridiculous, and they lost anyway.
The short story is this: Both Sonny Gray and Jameson Taillon were on point, with the first damage coming on a solo homer from Charles McAdoo, his second ever. Really can’t be allowing that stuff, says smart guy:
The Jays added another run on garden-variety stuff before the shit hit the fan in the top of the seventh. And my sisters, I promise I’m not exaggerating when I say this is one of the most fucked baseball moments of all time.
Here’s what happened:
Ceddanne Rafaela comes up with runners on first (Eric Sogard) and second (Anthony Siegler) with one out. Only, and this is important, the scoreboard in center says there are two outs. Which apparently all the players watch, because when Ceddy flies out to center, no one is really moved by it, and the Blue Jays throw it in and tag first in the perfunctory way teams do when they’re just sort of going on muscle memory. During all this, Sogard crosses second and Siegler crosses home.
Come back from commercial, and Blue Jays manager-for-life or so it seems John Schneider is talking to the umps for a good five minutes. He’s not losing his mind, but he’s not happy. Then the umps talk to Chad Tracy, who dramas a bit, and then the head ump gets on the mic and is like: “New York, tell us what to do.”
Which is this: The Red Sox score. For the dumbest possible reason: Since the only way to successfully protest an incorrect run-scoring call in this instance is to challenge it at third base, and the Jays instead went to first, the run counted. Chances are you’ll never see this again in your life, tbh. Too many weird things had to happen at once for it to come to pass. But it did happen:
But whatever. Jarren Duran led off the ninth with a double and was moved to third on a bunt and couldn’t tie it. The shine is gone. It’s over. It’s never been more over. The only question is: Are we back? I think we’re back.
Every Major League Baseball park has its own distinct personality, but if you're talking history, Fenway Park (1912) and Wrigley Field (1914) sit in a league of their own as the meccas of the sport.
What's wild though, is the massive drop-off after those pre-World War 1 masterpieces. The third-oldest venue in baseball isn't some classic turn-of-the-century structure – it’s Dodger Stadium, which didn't open until 1962. On the flip side of the timeline, Texas broke in MLB’s newest venue, Globe Life Field, back in 2020. In fact, stadium construction has slowed down so much lately that Atlanta’s Truist Park (2017) is the only other park to debut over the last decade.
That’s a stark contrast to the massive boom sparked by Camden Yards in 1992, which kicked off a "retro-classic" wave that saw an incredible 12 new ballparks open between 1994 and 2004.
So, what’s next on the horizon? The Athletics are officially set to open baseball’s newest venue when they make their move to Las Vegas, while the Tampa Bay Rays might finally end their endless saga and secure a new ballpark.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JULY 31: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers doubles during the fourth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Dodger Stadium on July 31, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The first of hopefully many outstanding starts for Tarik Skubal at Dodger Stadium in 2026.
KANSAS CITY, MO - AUGUST 05: Noah Cameron #65 of the Kansas City Royals looks on during the game between the Minnesota Twins and the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Wednesday, August 5, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Sydney Schneider/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Well I don’t think the Dodgers were expecting this. The Dodgers are 2-8 in their last 10 games as shiny new acquisition Tarik Skubal is set to make his first home start for the champs. They’re still 7.5 games up on the DBacks though. I don’t think their division crown is in jeopardy.
The Royals should be familiar with Skubal since he pitched for the Tigers – his pitch mix in his lone start for the Dodgers so far revealed no changes in pitch preference from his new team. He hasn’t pitched as much as usual this season but is still a top pitcher by all the metrics. He’s a tough guy to face. The Dodgers also still have guys like Ohtani. They’re still going to be favored despite the recent losses.
But hey, maybe the Royals can catch them mid-tumble and steal a few wins here.
To counter Skubal, the Royals will send surging Noah Cameron to start. Cameron has himself been pitching as well as Skubal recently, having given up only 1 run in 23 innings pitched over 3 starts. Yes…those 3 starts were against the Twins twice and the Tigers once. A bit of an AL Central bias in those numbers. But he’s looked good. He gives the Royals as good a chance as any right now. Partially because maybe he can get the game to the end with minimal bullpen exposure. We’ll see.
The game starts at 9:10pm US Central time. It’s gonna be an all-nighter as far as west coast baseball goes. You can watch on Royals.TV or 96.5 The Fan/Royals Radio Network. If you live in LA I guess you’re screwed since apparently no one can ever watch SportsNet LA. Or maybe they fixed that. I don’t know.
DENVER, CO - AUGUST 03: Freddy Peralta #51 of the Tampa Bay Rays is interviewed prior to the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Monday, August 3, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Ray Bahner/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 28: Logan Henderson #43 of the Milwaukee Brewers pitches during the game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Tuesday, July 28, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Bryan Kennedy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
After last night’s extra-inning heroics, the Brewers have now won three straight series to start the month of August. They’re in San Diego tonight for the first of three against the Padres, who enter having won seven of their last 10.
On the mound for Milwaukee will be rookie right-hander Logan Henderson, who’s pitched to a 6-1 record and 2.70 ERA over 10 starts this year. He’s allowed more than two earned runs in just one of them. San Diego will counter with right-hander Casey Mize, who’s made one start for the Padres since they acquired him just before last week’s trade deadline. Mize’s Padres debut didn’t go particularly well, as he was tagged for eight runs in 3 1/3 innings. He’ll look to bounce back against a Brewers lineup that has scored more than four runs just twice this month.
As for tonight’s lineup, manager Pat Murphy has elected to shake things up. Veteran stars William Contreras and Christian Yelich, both of whom have struggled at the plate for well over a month, will hit sixth and seventh. Murphy clarified before the game that the move isn’t “meant to be motivating, it’s meant to be what’s best for our team right now.” Both Contreras and Yelich will get the opportunity to keep trying to break out of their slumps, but they won’t be doing it from the heart of the order.
Brice Turang leads off tonight, followed by Jackson Chourio, Jake Bauers, and Andrew Vaughn, who’s playing third base in the absence of Joey Ortiz. Batting fifth, just ahead of Contreras and Yelich, is Garrett Mitchell, who’s been struggling himself lately (.122 average over his last 49 at-bats). Rounding out the lineup are Luis Lara, who made two incredible catches in last night’s game, and David Hamilton.
You can catch tonight’s game on Brewers.TV, WTMJ 620, and the Brewers Radio Network. First pitch is set for 8:40 p.m.
ARLINGTON, TX - AUGUST 04: Blade Tidwell #46 of the San Francisco Giants pitches during the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on Tuesday, August 4, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Kelcee Skoug/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants welcome the Houston Astros to Oracle Park tonight to begin a three-game series.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Blade Tidwell, who enters tonight’s game with a 3.18 ERA, 3.20 FIP, with 13 strikeouts to four walks in 17 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 5-4 loss to the Texas Rangers last Tuesday, in which he allowed two runs on six hits with three strikeouts and a walk in five innings.
He’ll be facing off against Astros right-hander Hayden Wesneski, who enters tonight’s game with a 3.86 ERA, 3.00 FIP, with eight strikeouts to four walks in 11.2 innings pitched. His last start (his second for the Astros this year) was in their 7-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays last Tuesday, in which he allowed two runs on four hits with four strikeouts and two walks in six innings.
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani has continued to be available as a designated hitter, but is still working his way back for another potential appearance on the mound this season.
He hasn’t pitched since July 3, unable to take the mound due to an inflamed knee.
It remains unclear when Ohtani will have his first bullpen session, according to manager Dave Roberts, but the team is hopeful he can return to the rotation in September and be ready for a postseason run.
Ohtani had previously brought to light that he was also dealing with right biceps discomfort.
Ohtani had a bullpen session postponed on Saturday, July 25, in New York. There’s an expectation that the organization would be cautious with the superstar’s workload for the rest of the regular season.
Roberts had previously stated that Ohtani is not expected to throw 100 pitches whenever he does make his return to the mound.
While the Dodgers continue to wait for Ohtani to get back on the mound, he’s managed to still make a difference at the plate, leading the team with 26 home runs and is second on the squad with 71 RBIs.
Shaquille O’Neal sees a couple of major problems with the NBA’s slumping dunk contest these days.
Too many non-stars. And too many missed dunks.
“In the last 15 years, we haven’t had a real top guy like LeBron [James], Zion Williamson, participate in a dunk contest,” O’Neal said on Boardroom Cover Stories. “And then you’ve got guys missing three or four dunks.”
Former Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal criticized the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock
The NBA’s annual dunk contest, which takes place over All-Star Weekend and is now officially branded as AT&T Slam Dunk, has grown flat and stagnant following its history of stars either competing against each other (think Michael Jordan versus Dominique Wilkins) or being born in the dunk contest itself (think Dee Brown).
Consider that some of the winners over the last 15 years have included Keshad Johnson (2026), Mac McClung (the three previous seasons), Hamidou Diallo (2019), Glenn Robinson III (2017) and Jeremy Evans (2012). Not exactly big names.
The winner of O’Neal’s DUNKMAN will receive $500,000, the largest prize in professional dunk history. O’Neal said on the podcast that the money could increase during the competition, depending on how well the talent does.
Utah Jazz center and forward Jaxson Hayes of the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA dunk contest. Getty Images
“If you look online, there are kids who are not good enough to be in the NBA, but they’re unbelievable dunkers, and they’ve got a lot of views [on social media],” O’Neal said. “They get a lot of eyes on them. I was like, maybe we need to put a league together and compensate these guys.”
O’Neal added that DUNKMAN will be a diversified event, as it will feature athletes from England, China, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Ukraine and the United States.
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PARADISE VALLEY,AZ - CIRCA 1946: A view of guests from the Camelback Inn having a picnic on top of Mummy Mountain in Paradise, Arizona. (Photo by Ivan Dmitri/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today’s Lineups
ROCKIES
DIAMONDBACKS
Jake McCarthy – CF
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Cole Carrigg – SS
Corbin Carroll – RF
TJ Rumfield – 1B
Gabriel Moreno – C
Hunter Goodman – C
Ketel Marte – 2B
Mickey Moniak – LF
Lars Nootbaar – DH
Kyle Karros – 3B
Nolan Arenado – 3B
Willi Castro – 2B
Max Kepler – LF
Troy Johnston – DH
Tim Tawa – 1B
Jordan Beck – RF
Ryan Waldschmidt – CF
Gabriel Hughes – RHP
Michael Soroka – RHP
With the Dodgers put away and in the rear-view mirror, at least until the post-season, the D-backs schedule now presents them with a bit of a palate-cleanser. Three games at home against the Rockies, currently locked in a tussle with the Angels, as Colorado seek to repeat as the worst team in baseball? I don’t mind if I do. As usual, the Rockies are particularly woeful away from home, where they are just 19-40. This feels like a series where taking two out of three is the absolute minimum for the D-backs. Ideally, all three. Well, I feel we should be looking to win four of three, but suspect that might be a little too much to ask, even against Colorado.
Having crossed off the Dodgers certainly helps Arizona’s strength of schedule. Here, how the teams in the wild-card standings currently rank, along with their position and the win percentage of their remaining opponents.
Cubs, +6.0 – .528 (2nd)
Phillies, +0.0 – .518 (7th)
D-backs, +0.0 – .493 (16th)
Padres, -1.0, – .504 (12th)
Marlins, -3.0 – .519 (6th)
Cardinals, -3.5 – .500 (13th)
It’s promising that Arizona has the easiest schedule of the teams currently in the picture. The Cubs still have six games left against the Brewers, who have the best record in the National League, and six more against the second-best Braves. It’s not hard to imagine them going 4-8 there and dropping back significantly towards the pack. It’s also worth noting the difference between the NL and AL this year. The only National League teams in the bottom half by strength of remaining schedule are the D-backs (16th, .493), the Nationals (19th, .492) and the Dodgers (23rd, .489). The last-named obviously benefit, like us, from not having to face the Dodgers.
