Miguel Vargas feasted on the Tigers all weekend. | (Photo by Zack Belsky/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
The lopsided pitching matchup didn’t materialize, but it turned out not to matter, as big bats beat big arms.
As he crossed into more innings than he had pitched all of last season (134) Sean Burke had his worst start since June 13, giving up four earned runs on five hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings that took him 72 pitches. His velocity was off a couple of ticks and his command wasn’t terrific, either. The first and biggest blow was a two-run triple in the second on Brett Callahan’s first major league pitch. Callahan then was knocked in on a Max Clark single to make it 3-0 (Callahan’s next time up he was called out on strikes by home plate umpire Adam Beck on a clear ball, but his attempt at a challenge was declared too late by Beck, who had a terrible day overall.)
The Sox got one run back on a Tristan Peters opposite-field pop-up ground-rule double (those corners in Comerica are really short) and two grounders. The Tigers got it back to 4-1 on an opposite-field homer off Sam Antonacci’s glove by Colt Keith in the third, then in the fifth they learned why the dreaded leadoff walk is so dreaded: Tigers starter Drew Anderson, at his highest pitch count all year, pinned Peters down 0-2 then threw four straight balls, followed by a slider that didn’t slide that Drew Romo slid 386 feet to right to make it 4-3.
A Randal Grichuk pinch-double and Colson Montgomery broken-bat single in the sixth tied the game. Next, Tigers lefty reliever Todd Holton again proved the dreaded-leadoff-walk rule by giving Antonacci (who doesn’t hit lefties well) a five-pitch pass and following that by setting one on a tee for Munetaka Murakami, only to see it land 393 feet away. Make it 6-4, White Sox.
The Tigers cut it to 6-5 in the seventh when Dillon Dingler broke an 0-for-29 slump with a double to score Gleyber Torres, at which point Mune proved he’s not just another pretty bat:
That kept it a one-run game, and Miguel Vargas added a solo shot in the ninth for a little insurance. Sean Newcomb, who did the heavy lifting on the relief side with 2 1/3 innings of scoreless work, had an easy 1-2-3 ninth for a 7-5 win. Hagen Smith had also had a solid 1 2/3 innings of scoreless tossing, with the only reliever to blot his copybook (can you tell I watch Britbox a lot?) being Huascar Brazobán, knocked for two hits and a run in two-thirds of an inning.
Oh, you want to see all the nice long balls? Well, here they all are!
The sweep sends the White Sox to 65-58 and drops the Tigers to 5 1/2 back and dreaming about next year (we hope, anyway). Next up is a trip north on the Red Line, beginning tomorrow night with Luis Castillo (who has spent one game in a Sox uniform making Chris Getz look dumb and one making him look brilliant) vs. Shota Imanaga.
MVP Sean Newcomb: 2 ⅓ IP, BB, 2 K, SAVE (4), 31% WPA
Runners-Up Hagen Smith: 1 2/3 IP, BB, K, WP, WIN (2-0), badass putout on a line drive off his belly, 12% WPA Munetaka Murakami: 1-for-5, R, RBI, HR, 2 K, 19% WPA Miguel Vargas: 1-for-4, R, RBI, HR, BB, K, 11% WPA Randal Grichuk: 1-for-3, R, 2B, K, Braden Montgomery: 1-for-4, BB, K Colson Montgomery: 2-for-4, RBI, 2 K Tristan Peters: 1-for-1, 2 R, 2B, BB
Cold Cat Sean Burke: 4 ⅓ IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, HR, -23% WPA
Runners-Up Sam Antonacci: 0-for-4, R, RBI, BB Chase Meidroth: 0-for-3, BB, K, GIDP Brenton Doyle: 0-for-2, K Huascar Brazobán: 2/3 IP, 2 H, ER, HOLD (10), -11% WPA Colson Montgomery: 2-for-4, RBI, 2 K just kidding Vaughn
TORONTO, CANADA - AUGUST 16: Brett Bateman #21 of the Toronto Blue Jays runs to third base in the sixth inning of an MLB game against the New York Yankees at Rogers Centre on August 16, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Yankees 4 Jays 3 (10 innings)
Well, I didn’t expect a sweep, not that it wouldn’t have nice.
Tied in the tenth the Yankees scored two in the top of the inning. After a sac bunt, to move the Manfred Man to third base, Ben Rice homered off Braydon Fisher.
We got one in the bottom of the inning, Andrés Giménez singled home the Manfred Man, but we couldn’t bring him home to tie the game.
As usual, our offense didn’t do enough, just two runs in regulation time.
One in the fifth: With one out, Kazuma Okamoto doubled and Daz Camerson followed that with a double. Unfortunately that’s all we got.
One in the ninth: Josh Smith reached on an error by Ben Rice at first. Alejandro Kirk walked. A wild pitch moved Smith to third and a Ernie Clement sac fly sent the game to extra innings.
We had just seven hits and three walks. Charles McAdoo and Andrés Giménez had two each. But then Brett Bateman, George Springer, Ernie Clement, and Myles Straw/Nathan Straw had 0 fors.
2 for 9 with RISP wasn’t enough.
Dylan Cease had a good start, 6.1 innings, just 2 hits, 3 walks with 10 strikeouts. But two earned runs were too many.
Brendon Little finished the seventh, allowing an inherited run to score. There was a weird play in there Jose Caballero singled to left, Daz Cameron threw home (too late), Kirk threw to second and Ernie Clement made a tag that the second base umpire didn’t see, but on challenge it was corrected.
Paul Sewald got into his first game as a Blue Jay, going 1.2 innings giving up just one hit.
And, of course, Braydon Fisher gave up the home run in the tenth.
Tomorrow is an off-day (I don’t know about the players, but I need a day off), and then we start a three game series with the Rays in that Godforsaken park in St. Petersburg. We are a game back from a Wild Card spot at the moment which is much better than where we were two weeks ago. This next week, with game in Florida and New York, is going to be important.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 16: Matt Olson #28 of the Atlanta Braves hits a three-run home run in the seventh inning of a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Truist Park on August 16, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Edward M. Pio Roda/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Sometimes you roll snake eyes and the Atlanta Braves very nearly did end up doing so against the Snakes, themselves. The Arizona Diamondbacks may have been coming into town following a series loss to the Colorado Rockies (in Arizona, mind you) but they were entering this series with two monsters getting starts for them in their rotation. Brandon Pfaadt and Eduardo Rodriguez have both been lights-out recently and Michael Soroka has also been very solid as well.
As such, this wasn’t going to be an easy task for the Braves — especially after they completed the monumental task of finally beating the New York Mets in a three-game series. As such, a bit of a letdown was always on the cards and that’s what happened in this particular series. Fortunately, some timely hitting from one of baseball’s top power hitters helped Atlanta avert a disastrous sweep. Let’s get into how everything went down over the weekend, shall we?
So this was one of those games where there wasn’t much the Braves could do — the Diamondbacks and their pitching was just too much to handle. Brandon Pfaadt has been on a heater since late-July, as he hasn’t given up an earned run since the first inning of his start against the Cardinals back on July 22 — and funnily enough, his current teammate Lars Nootbaar was the one who brought in that run against him.
Anyways, Pfaadt was absolutely nightmarish for the Braves to deal with and this one was essentially set in stone once Arizona managed to take advantage of some shaky defense from Atlanta in the first inning in order to plate the only run that Chris Sale ended up surrendering. Once Pfaadt was done, Arizona called upon both Juan Morillo and Brandyn Garcia to finish things off and they’ve both been lights out on the road lately so the Braves were essentially walking into a snake pit (for lack of a better term) in this situation. Atlanta only mustered up three hits and this was pure dominance from Arizona’s pitching staff.
Chris Sale was excellent, as usual, it must be noted. Despite the fact that the Braves once again had a tough time dealing with the other team’s top guy in this matchup, Sale remained upbeat about things and even expressed a bit of excitement about matchups like this when I asked him about it after the game. “You take this one on the chin,” explained Sale. “What these guys have done throughout the year and what they’re going to continue to do, you certainly don’t expect that. But it happens — I’ve had blow-up starts where I’m sure they thought they were going to get six innings of one-run ball and it’s not. We pick each other up and we keep moving forward.”
This time, Arizona’s lineup asserted dominance. Despite the fact that Ronald Acuña Jr. led things off with a home run and the Braves got out to a two-run lead after one inning, things went sideways from that point forward. Grant Holmes ended up having his worst start of the season, as he couldn’t even get through four innings as the Diamondbacks tagged him for three runs in both the second and third innings. Nolan Arenado’s two run dinger in the third put Arizona up 6-2 and they didn’t look back from there. In fact, Arenado made it a two-homer night later on in the seventh as his solo shot off of Brent Suter made it 7-2.
Danny Young then got the ball for the top of the ninth inning and that ended up being ugly as well, as Ildemaro Vargas capped off a great night at the plate for Arizona with a three-run shot on a hanger from Young that made it 10-2. This only notable thing that happened for Atlanta outside of the first inning was when Ha-Seong Kim came in as a pinch-hitter and promptly picked up his fourth (4th) RBI of the season (on August 15) on a productive out. Progress!
Other than that, Eduardo Rodriguez also proved to ultimately be too tough for Atlanta to handle and Arizona’s bullpen dominated once he left the game ahead of the seventh inning. Once the smoke had cleared, the Diamondbacks now had a five-game winning streak at Truist Park and had won seven of their last ten games here in Cobb County. Oof!
The task for Atlanta didn’t get much easier in the series finale on Sunday, as the Braves were set to do battle against old friend Michael Soroka with Bryce Elder looking to stop the bleeding. Fortunately, Elder returned to form after getting demolished by the Mets earlier this week and he bounced back to the tune of tossing six innings with just one run allowed. Unsurprisingly, the sole run came on a dinger but outside of that, Elder once again managed to deftly make his way through Arizona’s lineup and bring them back down to Earth following their extremely productive Saturday performance.
Once Elder was done, the Braves were holding on to a slender 2-1 lead after Drake Baldwin’s RBI single in the third put them ahead and then Ronald Acuña Jr.‘s double down the left field line with two out in the fifth put them back in front after that solo homer from Gabriel Moreno had tied things up again. Michael Soroka pitched well but he found himself facing a recorded loss once he stepped out with two outs in the fifth.
The seventh inning proved to be the decisive one, though. That was when Arizona once again tied things up after Ildemaro Vargas got a favorable pitch from Didier Fuentes on a 3-1 count and bopped it on top of the right field fence and into the Chop House for a solo shot. Fortunately, Atlanta got to work quickly in their half of the second as Austin Riley doubled to lead off the seventh and then Drake Baldwin joined him on the basepaths with a walk. Matt Olson eventually came to the plate with two out and Brandyn Garcia finally had a road slip-up while facing Olson. Garcia threw Olsona. sinker that didn’t sink enough and Olson crushed it to dead-center for a game-changing three-run dinger that put Atlanta back in front.
Raisel Iglesias got the ball for the ninth inning and while he took us all on another rollercoaster ride that saw a balk and Arizona scoring a run to cut the lead to two, Iggy was able to eventually get the three outs that Atlanta needed to at least avoid getting swept in their own building. Phew!
With the way that both Brandon Pfaadt and Eduardo Rodriguez are currently going, I don’t think that there’s a team in baseball that is really looking forward to any series where both of those guys are going. Their performances helped propel them to a series win over the Dodgers last weekend and they played a major role in keeping Atlanta quiet for the first two games of this series. Sometimes you just run into a buzzsaw and it was Atlanta’s turn to face the blade.
The good news is that the Braves were at least able to avert disaster with a win on Sunday. Bryce Elder’s been good more often than he’s been bad lately and his performance on Sunday is the type of start that Atlanta’s going to need from him as they continue to get closer and closer to the home stretch of the season. Matt Olson has also continued to heat things up at the plate and his dinger on Sunday was another example of Olson coming up big in big situations.
The rest of the weekend series was pretty rough but ultimately, averting a sweep at this stage in the season is still worth something. With that being said, it’s especially nice that the Braves are getting on the plane on a winning note because they have an insane week coming up ahead of them. THey’ll start in Minneapolis, head to Chicago for a make-up game, head to Milwaukee for two games and then finish the Brewers series in Williamsport for the Little League Classic before coming back to Atlanta for a much-needed off day. Things are about to get really hectic in terms of travel and this’ll certainly be a test for the Braves following an even-steven homestand. We’ll see what happens!
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - AUGUST 16: Ryan Vilade #26 of the Tampa Bay Rays rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the fourth inning during the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Sunday, August 16, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Carlee Calfee/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Rays defense kept the first inning from escalating into disaster. With Pete Alonso on first base, Ryan Vilade made this catch to save a run. But that’s not all! Pete Alonso was so sure this would be a hit that he was moseying around second base and even with Vilade having stand up and spin around Alonso still couldn’t get back to first. Double play of the year!
In the bottom of the inning the Rays pulled their all-too-common this series act of getting several men on base and then leaving them there. It’s a reminder that while small ball has its place, it’s very hard to score runs on a bunch of singles. Could someone please hit the ball out of the park?
Just as frustrating: Orioles Trevor Rogers threw a first pitch strike in nearly every at bat, yet only once or twice were Rays batters swinging.
Finally, Ryan Vilade, fixing to be today’s hero, does hit one out of the park, giving the Rays a 1-0 lead.
After that, however, came the fifth inning, which was inexplicably awful. Peralta, who had been effective enough to get through four innings unscathed although he wasn’t particularly dominant or efficient, walked two batters. There were two outs, but I guess Kevin Cash wasn’t confident that Peralta could get out of the inning.
Here comes the inexplicable part: he brought in Cleavinger. Cleavinger’s 3 point something ERA belies how ineffective he’s been lately. His August ERA is over eight, and he’s given up runs in his last two outings. Also should he fail to get Holliday to end the inning, he would have a very unfavorable match up against the right-handed Pete Alonso.
So, of course he gives up a single to Holliday, which tied the game.
And then, the least surprising things of all, he gives up a two run double to Alonso. Oh wait I guess it was a little surprising, I was sure he’d give up a home run. Baltimore 3, Tampa Bay 1.
Then it was Steve Matz’s chance to help turn a winnable game into a blow out. He also got two outs, before giving up a single followed by a home run. Baltimore 5, Tampa Bay 1. And then two more runs, to make it 7-1. He was replaced by the recently called up Joe Boyle, who managed to give up another three runs. ALL THIS WITH TWO OUTS. How did the Rays get this far into the season and not be able to bring in a pitcher who can get one lousy out?
The Rays scored one more run and I mention it only because newly signed Jorge Mateo got the RBI. Yippee.
This has been an altogether dispiriting series, to be sure, but at least the Rays seemed in it until the last out in the first two losses. I don’t know how you punt a game this badly in the fifth inning.
I guess this is a reminder that it’s a long season and still a lot more has to happen before the Rays make it to October.
Aug 16, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Alec Bohm (28) hits a three-run home run against the Minnesota Twins during the sixth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Phillies haven’t swept an opponent since the first week in June. That’s a long time to go without taking all the games in a series from the opposing team, particularly for a team that considers itself a good one.
They had an opportunity to do so today against the Twins, sending Andrew Painter to the mound after his good start against the Cardinals earlier this week. And let’s just say – it didn’t start well. For one, Painter seemed allergic to the strike zone to begin the game, throwing six straight balls to open his game. After getting a groundball double play, the next three hitters reached base to bring Brooks Lee to the plate. Lee pulled a hanging curveball foul, then got a hanging slider in the same spot and did not miss.
To his credit, Painter settled down quite a bit after that, only allowing a solo home run to Kody Clemens as the other stain on his sheet on the day. Previous versions of Andrew Painter might have melted down and needed a relief pitcher after the slam, but this newer version actually was pretty good.
As for the offense, for the majority of the game, they seemed perfectly content to let Dean Kremer do his thing and get out of Minnesota with a series win. Through five innings, they weren’t able to do much, but in the sixth, they suddenly woke up. The top of the lineup all reached thanks to a walk, a single and a walk. Luis Arraez grounded out softly to score Kyle Schwarber and leave runners on second and third for Alec Bohm. Fresh off his five hit night, Bohm continued his torrid weekend, launching a three-run home run to bring the Phillies within one.
There the score remained until the eighth when the Phillies threatened again. With one out, Bryce Harper singled and Arraez followed with a ground rule double, bringing Bohm up again with runners in scoring position. He must have sacrificed something to the baseball gods as his flare over the first baseman dropped and tied the score.
After an intentional walk to load the bases, J.T. Realmuto popped up for the second out, sending Bryan de la Cruz to the plate. Having come in as a pinch hitter in the previous hitter, de la Cruz singled to bring home two runs and give the Phillies the lead.
Surprisingly, with the bullpen called into action for four innings of work, this lead held up. Tim Mayza, Orion Kerkering, Jonathan Bowlan and Jhoan Duran combined for four innings of work, one hit, two walks and seven strikeouts to preserve the victory and the sweep.
After receiving public criticism for his physical condition, young Philadelphia Flyers star Matvei Michkov has left no doubts about his offseason training heading into Year 3 of his fledgling NHL career.
Michkov, 21, has trained relentlessly this summer, working out with fellow Russian standouts like Artemi Panarin, while also revealing a workout regimen that, at times, consisted of multiple sessions a day with the oversight of a Flyers coach.
The 2023 No. 7 overall pick has clearly taken the way his sophomore season went to heart, and there is some added motivation, we can assume, with Michkov heading into the last year of his entry-level contract.
In a new social media post made by Michkov, we can see the fruits of his labor thus far. Seriously, the kid is looking good!
It should be noted, too, that Michkov led the Flyers in scoring after the Olympic break, dedicating his time off to further training and catching up to his teammates in terms of physical conditioning and game conditioning.
Things came to a screeching halt in the Stanley Cup playoffs with one point in eight games, but without Michkov, there may not have been any playoffs for the Flyers to begin with.
With little in the way of offseason additions, the Flyers are hoping that the 21-year-old phenom, rejuvenated and even more experienced than before, can serve as one, in a way.
The Flyers and Michkov each have a lot riding on this season from their respective sides, and a strong season on the ice will reap mutual rewards.
Fortunately, things seem to be trending in the right direction, with Michkov impressively taking initiative to correct his perceived his lack of fitness.
Olympic tennis event begins three days after Wimbledon
Rybakina: ‘It’s crazy … hopefully something will change’
Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and a number of top tennis players have called for changes to the calendar in light of the “crazy” and “ridiculous” news that the tennis competition in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will begin just three days after Wimbledon ends.
The LA28 Olympics announced last month that the tennis event will take place between 19 and 28 July. With the Wimbledon 2028 men’s final on 16 July, the best performers at the tournament will have minimal time to fly to a different continent and adapt from grass to hard courts.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - AUGUST 16: Alec Bohm #28 of the Philadelphia Phillies (R) celebrates his three-run home run with Brandon Marsh #16 during the sixth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on August 16, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Matt Krohn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
I didn’t see much of today’s action, what with my five year old nephew demanding some birthday attention this afternoon. But after checking in on Gameday early-on and seeing a big lead I thought “good—at least we’ll salvage one game from this series”. Alas, there was no more joy in Mudville to be found as Dean Kremer collapsed and the bullpen squandered the rest of the lead.
One would be hard-pressed to draw up a better beginning to this contest. After a Trevor Larnach walk and singles from Josh Bell & Kody Clemens, Brooks Lee launched one 353 ft and beyond the rim for a grand slam! 4-0 MIN.
Not content with just the four-bagger, B3 saw Clemens crank his 21st tater of the season. 5-0 MIN.
Through the first five innings, Twins SP Dean Kremer was really sharp. The 6th? A disaster. BB—1B—BB started the frame, then a Luis Arraez ground-out got the Phillies on the board. The third Kremer offering to Alec Bohm: a three-run home run. 5-4 MIN.
Kody Funderburk & A.J. Minter would hold Philly scoreless for the rest of the 6th & 7th, but the Twins had by then apparently gone into “no more offense” mode (a common occurrence these days). Alas, the Fightin’s did not respond in kind.
In T8, RP Andrew Morris had an exceedingly-rare-and-at-the-worst-possible-time meltdown: 1 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 3 ER. RBI knocks from Bohm (again) and Bryan De La Cruz were the culprits this time. 7-5 PHI.
As per legal obligations this 2026 season, the Twins staged a bit of a 9th inning rally. But after a Victor Caratini walk and Kaelen Culpepper single, Phils closer Jhoan Duran buckled down to whiff Ryan Jeffers and Byron Buxton—both waving—to bunny-hop off the mound victorious like he did so many times “on our side”.
Your Final: Philadelphia Phillies 7, Minnesota Twins 5.
To quote Dr. Suess: “We cannot beat them here (Target Field) or there (Field of Dreams), we cannot beat them anywhere”. The Twins are swept by the Phillies and continue to sink once again to the fringes of both the AL Central and Wild Card races.
Zach’s Zealot
Me: For having a birthday party distract from what would have been a “grumbling to myself in the recliner” sort of loss.
Zach’s Zombie
Morris: As much as I hate to give the young man the blame today, his inning was what turned the tide in the wrong direction.
From one NL East team to another, the Twins stay home for three games with the division-leading Atlanta Braves (Mon. night, Tues. night, Wed. afternoon).
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Colton Cowser hit a two-run homer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand had a three-run double in a seven-run sixth, Trevor Rogers allowed two runs in six innings and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Tampa Bay Rays 10-2 on Sunday.
Jackson Holliday also drove in three runs for Baltimore, which has won three consecutive games as it chases the final wild-card spot in the American League.
Rogers (8-8) scattered seven hits while striking out six.
The teams will conclude a four-game series on Monday.
Freddy Peralta (5-10) allowed just one hit through 4 2/3 innings but allowed two runs to take the loss in his first start at home for Tampa Bay since being acquired from the New York Mets on Aug. 3. Peralta has not recorded a victory since June 14.
Ryan Vilade fell a triple short of the cycle for the Rays, who have lost three consecutive games after winning nine in a row.
The Orioles broke open the game with seven runs in the sixth after eight consecutive hitters reached base — all with two outs. Cowser homered, Holliday followed two batters later with a two-run double and Encarnacion-Strand, who started the inning with a lineout to third, doubled with the bases loaded to make it 10-1.
Vilade hit a solo home run in the fourth to give the Rays the lead. But the Orioles followed in the top of the fifth for three runs on an RBI single from Holliday and a two-run double by Pete Alonso.
Up next
Baltimore will start RHP Brandon Young (9-3, 3.33 ERA) on Monday while LHP Shane McClanahan (9-6, 3.09 ERA) will be activated off IL and is scheduled to start for Tampa Bay.
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 10: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 10, 2026 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
If there was one certainty about the Lakers’ offseason, it was that change was coming. But no one could have expected change to this degree.
With several players going out — namely team cornerstone LeBron James — and several coming in, the roster looks drastically different from what it did this time last year. Even with the known probability that a makeover was looming, what was startling was that it was a teardown, not a renovation.
After only a little over a year since taking over the team from the Buss family (who previously controlled it for the past 46 years), Mark Walter sold the Lakers to former CEO of Disney Bob Iger and venture capitalist Josh Kushner.
Understandably, the news sent shockwaves throughout the NBA. It also raised serious questions. The suspicious timing of the sale amidst Walter’s ongoing FBI investigation was one thing, but seeing the league’s crown jewel flipped like a piece of real estate was another.
Before the sale, the Lakers seemed to have a fresh direction. They had clarity. With Walter and the ongoing Dodgerfication of the organization, the team seemed on track to finally catch up to the rest of the league in terms of modernization. The roster changes also supported this, with a clear emphasis on building directly around the new face of the franchise, Luka Dončić.
What was meant to be the first chapter of a new book suddenly was scrapped just months before it was set to hit shelves. And with new authors now in charge of the rewrite, the team’s fans are once again left uncertain about what comes next.
Natural questions such as: How invested will Iger and Kushner be in day-to-day operations? Is this just another business coup for a new set of wealthy investors? How deep actually are their wallets? What happens to the changes Walter began to implement? And perhaps most important for the fanbase, what impact will the new ownership have on the on-court product?
The Lakers were already heading into the year at a continuity deficit before all the changes at the top. With likely three new starters, a revamped bench, and a younger-leaning group overall, the team will have to find stability on the court in the face of all of the changes off of it.
While easier said than done, there may be optimism they will be able to expedite the chemistry process faster than a typical team of new players.
For one, the team’s new star duo remains intact with Dončić and Austin Reaves. Losing James obviously hurts, but he already began to take on a smaller role compared to his younger peers as the season progressed. Also returning are head coach JJ Redick and the rest of his staff, who have already shown an impressive ability to generate buy-in from new players previously.
Speaking of the new set of Lakers, it’s worth noting how many of them will arrive with some degree of built-in chemistry. Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton spent three seasons together in Utah. Quentin Grimes and Jaden Hardy both played with Dončić. And when looking further down the bench, Ziaire Williams and Bronny James were high school teammates at Sierra Canyon.
The importance of building chemistry right away seems to be a point of emphasis as Dončić is organizing a team-wide mini-camp in Slovenia this month. While not an uncommon occurrence in the offseason, it is an encouraging step towards bringing the group together, especially given how many of the new players signed multi-year deals.
For better or for worse, this is the core going forward. And if successful, it will be the backbone of bringing stability back to a franchise currently in limbo.
Ultimately, the fastest way to build cohesion and block the outside noise will be getting onto the court and, hopefully, winning.
There is no understating the sheer magnitude of the ripple effects that this summer will have for years to come. Time will reveal more details, and time will reveal the results. Yet for this group of Lakers players and their fans, shifting the focus back onto basketball itself will help make things feel less slimy than they currently do.
Owners, while important, should not be the beginning of a basketball conversation. The sooner we can get back to talking about the intricacies of a Dončić and Kessler pick-and-roll or the impact of Sexton’s driving ability instead of yet another rich person’s ROI the better.
All stats courtesy of Cleaning the Glass unless otherwise stated. You can follow Alex on Bluesky at @alexregla.bsky.social.
Aug 16, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice (22) hits a two run home run and celebrates with catcher Ali Sanchez (39) against the Toronto Blue Jays during the tenth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Sunday afternoon finale between the Yankees and Blue Jays included more spectacular pitching from a Yankee starter, inadequate hitting from the lineup, and unwanted late drama. Ryan Weathers continued to be nigh-untouchable force, allowing one run over 7.1 innings. The Yankee offense in turn continued to scuffle, grabbing a pair of runs in the first nine innings and forcing David Bednar to complete a five-out save. A crucial error from Ben Rice in the ninth sparked a Toronto rally that brought the tying run home, sending the game to extras.
But miracle of miracles, those slip-ups did not spell doom for the Yankees on this day. Rice came right back up in the 10th and crushed a go-ahead two run home run to give the Bombers another advantage—which this time they would not relinquish—for a 4-3 extra-innings win on the road which probably gave most onlookers heartburn. I confess, I didn’t think they had it in them to emerge victorious today. I and various other doubters must eat our crow. Let’s dig into how we got there.
Like the first two games of this series, the Yankees scored first, though they again only managed to scratch across a single run. José Caballero essentially had to manufacture the single tally in the third out of whole cloth against Toronto ace Dylan Cease, first working a walk (thanks to two successful challenges of home plate ump Hunter Wendelstedt, who had a rough day), taking second on a weak tapper in front of the plate from surprise leadoff hitter Rice, stealing third, and dashing to the plate on a Luis García Jr. sac fly. The Bombers had to burn two outs from two of their best hitters to do it, but they had a lead.
It took a bit longer than the previous two games for the Blue Jays to equalize, but they ultimately did. Kazuma Okamoto and Daz Cameron thumped back-to-back doubles off Weathers to tie the score in the fifth inning. But Cameron showed why Sunday’s game was his first back in the majors this year when he got himself thrown out at third base in an unconventional 5-3-5 double play.
Weathers, entering action with five straight starts allowing either one or zero runs, continued to perform with aplomb. He was perfect the first time through the order before scattering a few hits in a scoreless fourth. He surrendered those doubles and lost the lead, but left it at that to get through five. He allowed another pair of runners aboard in the sixth before inducing a critical twin killing against the slow-footed Alejandro Kirk.
Cease did not have have to lobby his manager too hard to go back out for the seventh inning, but George Lombard Jr. ultimately sent him back to the dugout two batters into the frame. The rookie shortstop gave the Toronto faithful a fright with a booming double to left which barely missed clearing the wall. It wasn’t a homer, but it was the end of Cease’s day.
Lefty Brendon Little entered, and Aaron Boone countered by pinch-hitting Paul Goldschmidt for McMahon. John Schneider countered the counter by intentionally walking Goldy; Jazz Chisholm Jr. pinch-ran for him at first.
An unsuccessful at-bat off the bench from Amed Rosario marked the second out, meaning it was up to Caballero. Undeterred by the Yankees’ previous missed opportunities throughout the weekend, he got the job done by cracking a base hit to left field to score Lombard and put the Yankees ahead.
Then he hit the deck. And it nearly scored another run.
See, after bringing home that go-ahead run, Caballero got himself caught in a rundown and was compelled to stay in that rundown to allow Jazz to score. With the first baseman McAdoo barreling straight at him, Caballero channeled his inner Keanu Reeves, tumbling to the ground and somersaulting in a desperation attempt to avoid McAdoo’s glove. The umpiring crew ruled that the tag missed him, which meant Jazz’s run scored and the Yankees were up 3-1. Caballero even got to scamper back to first, somehow safe after all that.
Naturally, Schneider immediately challenged, and after a lengthy review the replay cameras revealed that McAdoo’s mitt had grazed an armband Caballero was wearing on his left forearm. By the thinnest of margins, the call was overturned and the score reverted to 2-1. The Yankees would sorely miss not having that extra run in their pockets.
Weathers, energized by the twin killing he got to end the sixth, made quick work of the middle of the Jays’ order in the seventh. With his pitch count in good shape, the lefty came right back out in the eighth to face the bottom third of Toronto’s order for the third time. But a one-out, two-strike single from Andrés Giménez put the tying run aboard and brought Boone to the mound.
Still, what an outstanding performance from Weathers, who has followed a so-so first half by putting on a show for his sixth consecutive turn in the rotation. You’ll have to drag him outta that rotation yourself at this point.
Boone opted to skip the setup men and turn directly to his rested closer with five outs to go and a Monday offday soon to come. Bednar took the hill and completed the first part of his task, grabbing the last two outs of the eighth and preserving the lead. Obviously, we knew he would be unable to rely on getting additional cushion from his offense today, so on he went into the ninth a one-run game.
The inning began about as foolishly as you could imagine. Pinch-hitter Josh Smith came on and rolled an easy grounder toward first base that Rice completely flubbed, giving the Jays an undeserved opportunity—and you know what Toronto often does with undeserved opportunities.
Bednar compounded his problems, walking Kirk to put two on with nobody out. After Springer fouled out, the Yankee closer dirted a two-strike offering which eluded Ali Sánchez and allowed both runners to advance. A sac fly from Ernie Clement tied the game and forced the Yankees to start over. Oy vey.
There’s plenty of blame to go around for that blown save, but it was clear that Rice had some atonement to perform. His error, after all, is what started that whole snafu. So he stepped up to the plate in the 10th against Braydon Fisher and took out all his frustration against a 2-0 slider. Benny barreled it up for a 438-foot go-ahead two-run home run.
Tim Hill entered to pitch the 10th with one down allowed Toronto’s Manfred Man to score on a bleeder from Giménez. To the veteran’s credit, he kept Giménez on first, getting Nathan Lukes to line out to Ramos and Brett Bateman to hit a comebacker, shutting the door on a much-needed 4-3 victory for the Yankees.
Find something relaxing to do Monday night—watching the Yankees will thankfully not be an option. They get a travel day as they head down to Charm City, then on Tuesday night they’ll face their second straight division rivals. The Orioles just swept the Rays so they, like the Jays, are entering a meeting with the Yankees riding on a high (and right in the Wild Card mix in this sad American League). Will Warren gets the ball in the opener; we await word on who the O’s will pitch in that game, which starts at 6:35 PM on YES.
The Montreal Canadiens should be open to the possibility of bringing in a player on a professional tryout (PTO) agreement for training camp. There are some free agents left who could be interesting players for the Canadiens to take a look at with a PTO.
One specific UFA forward who could make sense for the Canadiens to sign to a PTO is winger Michael Bunting.
When looking at Montreal's current roster, it would not hurt for them to add more depth on the wing. A player like Bunting would be an intriguing player for them to take a chance on, as he has shown during his career that he can provide decent secondary offensive production. He is also known for his pesky style of play, so he could give Montreal's lineup more bite, too.
If Bunting impressed on a PTO with the Canadiens and earned a contract for the season, he could offer them another solid option for their bottom six. He could provide Montreal with more depth scoring, which would not be a bad thing in the slightest for the Original Six club.
Bunting appeared in 74 games during the 2025-26 season, where he recorded 14 goals and 33 points. This was after he posted 19 goals and 38 points in 79 games during the 2024-25 campaign. With numbers like these, he could give Montreal's bottom six a bit of a boost if signed to a short-term deal.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 08: A general view of the field during Old Timer's Day prior to game between the New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves at Yankee Stadium on August 08, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s Sunday once more, and you know what that means — it’s time for our weekly social media roundup! Over the past week, the baseball world looked to its history, as the Yankees celebrated the 2026 edition of Old Timers’ Day, while the Phillies and Twins took part in this year’s Field of Dreams game. With so much to cover, let’s get started!
Old Timers’ Day
We lead this week off, of course, with last weekend’s main event, Old Timers’ Day. The day began with a roster move that dated back to last year’s Old Timers’ Day, when Mariano Rivera tore his Achilles while playing the outfield.
This year was, in many ways, a monumental Old Timers’ Day, as for the first time, multiple players from the Aaron Judge era — namely, Dellin Betances, Todd Frazier, and Adam Ottavino — were in attendance (Ottavino despite the fact that he played only last season!). Rather amusingly, all three got big hits in the game — yes, including the two relievers!
Although the Yankees were not playing in this year’s Field of Dreams Game, they were well represented among the legends, with Joe Torre, CC Sabathia, Andruw Jones, Carlos Beltrán, Iván Rodríguez in attendance.
The offense has struggled lately, which means that most of the recent game belts have not gone to the pitchers — who, arguably, have the real MVPs of the team — but to the batters who come up with the big hits that secured the win.
This week, Alex Rodriguez looked back on his career. First, he attended the Seattle Mariners’ Alumni Day, as they celebrated their 50th season; then, he honored the ten-year anniversary of his final game.
This week, the Royal Oak Leprechauns to their first championship in franchise history. Why does that matter to us, you may wonder. Well, their manager is DJ LeMahieu!
With the release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Tom Holland (aka, Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man) revealed his favorite cardio workout. Naturally, the YES Network asked the Yankees how well they could do…and honestly, the only one who I think was truly realistic about their abilities was Michael Kay.
Buffalo Sabres prospect Stiven Sardarian was thought to be headed to unrestricted free agency. The 2021 third rounder did not sign an entry-level deal with the Sabres before August 15, but according to Puckpedia, the 23-year-old has to submit paperwork to NHL Central Registry “indicating that he is no longer an undergraduate college student”, which would allow him to sign with another NHL club.
There are no indications that Sardarian has filed the paperwork with the NHL, and that means the club retains his rights until he does.
The 23-year-old Russian winger played in the USHL after being selected 88th overall and two years at the University of New Hampshire before using the NCAA transfer portal to go to Michigan Tech, where he led the club with 35 points (11 goals, 24 assists) in 35 games as a junior and 44 points (12 goals, 32 assists) in 37 games as a senior.
Who had the best and worst offseason in the Atlantic Division?
It is possible that the Sabres could sign Sardarian to an AHL deal, which would not take up an NHL contract slot, as they did with current Amerk forward Matteo Costantini after his senior season at Western Michigan. Clubs are limited to 50 pro contracts, but currently Buffalo has 44 players signed to NHL deals, so taking up a slot would not seem to be a concern.
The Amerks are in need of replenishment in terms of forward prospects since 2021 first rounder Isak Rosen and 2023 second rounder Anton Wahlberg were traded, and both Noah Ostlund, and Konsta Helenius are expected to be playing in the NHL full-time next season, so it is possible that Sardarian could be added before training camp. It is also possible that the former CSKA Moscow product could head back to Russia to play professionally.
New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice (22) celebrates a two-run home run with catcher Ali Sanchez (39) against the Toronto Blue Jays during the tenth inning at Rogers Centre on Sunday, August 16, 2026, in Toronto, Ontario.
TORONTO — Ben Rice taketh, Ben Rice giveth.
After his brutal fielding error allowed the Blue Jays to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth inning, the slugging first baseman quickly made up for it with the kind of big swing that has been missing too often of late.
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Rice crushed a two-run shot in the top of the 10th before the Yankees held on in the bottom of the frame to stave off the sweep and secure a 4-3 win over the Blue Jays at a sold-out Rogers Centre on Sunday afternoon.
After David Bednar had thrown 1 ²/₃ innings in relief of a terrific Ryan Weathers, Tim Hill entered for the bottom of the 10th and, after allowing the automatic runner to score on a bloop single, nailed down the save for a win the Yankees needed to have.
“Really proud of Ben,” said Weathers, who has pitched to a 0.85 ERA over his past five starts. “Obviously the ninth inning didn’t go how he wanted it to, but staying within the game and putting a big swing on the board for us, that’s huge for him, I think it’s huge for the team. You always love to see stuff like that.”
New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice (22) celebrates a two-run home run with catcher Ali Sanchez (39) against the Toronto Blue Jays during the tenth inning at Rogers Centre on Sunday, August 16, 2026, in Toronto, Ontario. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It was by no means easy — nothing has been lately for Aaron Boone’s club — but thanks to Rice’s 33rd home run, the Yankees (69-55) picked up a game on the Rays in the division for the first time since Aug. 2, moving within 5 ¹/₂ games of them while cooling off the Blue Jays (61-65), who have surged into the periphery of the third AL wild card.
“Look, this season has tested our character and our resilience and I think we have a lot of that in that room,” Boone said. “It’s games like this that we continue to find ourselves in and we just got to keep fighting and know we’re an incomplete team, but we have a chance to be who we want to be. Love the fight, and a good way into the off day.”
Yankees first baseman Ben Rice catches a pop flyout during the first inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday, August 16, 2026, in Toronto. Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP
Weathers delivered one of his best starts of the season to outduel Dylan Cease, throwing 7 ¹/₃ innings of one-run ball, while José Caballero — making an increasingly rare start for the slumping Jazz Chisholm Jr. — provided a spark offensively.
He walked and scored a run in the third inning before putting the Yankees ahead 2-1 on a single in the seventh inning — scoring George Lombard Jr., who had knocked Cease out of the game with a one-out double on his 104th pitch.
Then, with the Yankees clinging to the one-run lead entering the bottom of the ninth, Rice whiffed on a ground ball to first base, allowing the leadoff man to reach.
Bednar followed by walking Alejandro Kirk before getting the first out on George Springer’s pop-up.
But on an 0-2 pitch to Ernie Clement, Bednar spiked a curveball that got past Ali Sánchez, allowing the runners to move up to second and third.
Two pitches later, Clement hit a sacrifice fly to tie it 2-2.
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Rice made no excuse for the error — “Play’s got to be made,” he said — but did not let it linger in his head, instead flushing it so he could come up with one out in the 10th and clobber a pitch from Braydon Fisher into the right field seats.
“Honestly, the way baseball is, you don’t really have any time to think about anything,” Rice said. “Especially you have that tough error and then right away there’s another batter coming up and you got to be ready for that situation. Then we get back on offense, I’m hitting second that inning, you don’t really have time to think about it. So you just got to get ready.”
Rice had hit the ball hard the last few games with nothing to show for it, and then started Sunday 0-for-4 — meaning when he walked to the plate in the 10th, he was in a 10-for-85 skid over his past 23 games.
While he and the Yankees continued to trust that their batted-ball luck would eventually turn — Rice was one of a number of hitters in the lineup that had been stinging the ball lately to no avail — that was becoming harder to live with as the Yankees’ offensive malaise dragged on.
And even still, the Yankees were in a position to win a 2-1 game before Rice’s error gave the Blue Jays life, only for him to respond in a big way with his bat.
“I know no one’s feeling worse at that point than Benny,” Boone said. “To come up there and essentially win the game for us in the 10th was massive. Credit to him. And that’s this game — that’s being a big leaguer, that’s the major league season. You got to handle everything and keep going, and Benny was an example of that today.”
