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Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani took the bullpen mound at Dodger Stadium, with president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and pitching coach Mark Prior looking on, and began his first bullpen throwing session in more than three weeks.

Friday marked an important step in Ohtani’s throwing progression. He threw 34 pitches before the Dodgers’ game against the Milwaukee Brewers, appearing to mix in different pitch types.

Although Ohtani hasn’t landed on the injured list for lingering inflammation and soreness in his left knee, he hasn’t pitched in a game since July 3.

After Ohtani received a lubricating Orthovisc injection in his knee at the beginning of the All-Star break, the Dodgers hoped he would pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 22. But as they monitored his response, it became clear he wasn’t going to be ready.

Read more:Swanson: Dave Roberts and Dodgers need to stop using Edwin Díaz in high-leverage moments

Instead, Ohtani threw a 31-pitch bullpen. But his recovery regressed, and he was shut down from throwing.

“At the end of the day, he wants to be healthy,” manager Dave Roberts said earlier this week. “He wants to be there in the postseason. I think that did check him up. If you look at how we kind of paused things — we all want to be smart and careful. I’m happy that we’ve done that with him.”

Ohtani restarted catch play on Aug. 7. And after playing catch three more days this week, Ohtani and the Dodgers determined he was ready to throw off the mound again.

“Rather than rush the progression of this I would rather make sure we’re headed in the right direction,” Ohtani said last week. “Making sure we’re taking the right steps.”

Ohtani is expected to go through a bullpen progression and then advance to throwing live batting practice — although Roberts said earlier this week he didn’t know how many of each he’d need before returning.

Read more:Inside Lakers mega-deal: Mark Walter made a shocking decision. Bob Iger, Joshua Kushner jumped at the chance

Because the Dodgers want to keep Ohtani in the lineup, he’ll have to build up in games rather than going on a minor-league rehab assignment.

Ohtani did something similar last season, but then, he was returning to the mound for the first time since 2023 elbow surgery.

“Having kind of done that — an inning here, an inning there and then you sort of build up during the season, absolutely,” said Roberts when asked if 2025 could serve as a blueprint. “And I think he’s seen what that buildup can lead to and how it looks. I certainly feel that he’ll buy in.”

Injury updates

Catchers Will Smith (neck) and Dalton Rushing (elbow) each took steps in their hitting progressions. Both took batting practice before the game.

Smith has been out since early June. Rushing landed on the IL on Aug. 3.

Big day for injured catchers. Both Will Smith and Dalton Rushing are hitting on the field pregame. pic.twitter.com/FUN6Dtz6YG

— Maddie Lee (@maddie_m_lee) August 14, 2026

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Aaron Boone didn’t get to see the end of Friday’s Yankees-Blue Jays game from the dugout.

The Yankees skipper was ejected from the top of the sixth inning of the Bombers’ 3-1 loss by home plate umpire Vic Carapazza over a disagreement about balls and strikes.

Luis Garcia Jr. was up with two outs in the sixth and took a breaking ball from Blue Jays starter that appeared to be well below the strike zone, but Carapazza called it a strike.

Boone uttered something, and then Carapazza took off his mask and looked toward the first base dugout and said: “What’d you say? I didn’t hear you.”

“I think it was down,” Boone replied calmly.

However, that was seemingly enough for Boone to get tossed for the fourth time this season and the 50th of his managerial career, tying him for 25th all-time.

Boone then came storming off the bench and got in the home plate umpire’s face before exiting for the clubhouse.

The Detroit Tigers started another crucial series with a division rival, as the AL Central-leading (for now) Chicago White Sox came to town for the first of a three-gamer. The White Sox showed why they’re leading the league in runs scored as they pummelled the ball relentlessly on their way to a 9-5 win.

Jackson Jobe made his second start of the year for the Tigers, after spending time on the Injured List earlier this year recovering from last year’s Tommy John surgery. He looked great in his first start, in San Francisco: five innings, one hit, one walk and four strikeouts. Having him in the rotation for the rest of the year, contributing the quality innings of which we know he’s capable, sure would help the Tigers chase down a playoff spot.

The White Sox decided to put on a little Pitching Chaos themselves and have Sean Newcomb open; he’s done this a few times over the past few years, so this wasn’t going to be his first rodeo. Besides, for both of 2017 and 2018 he was a full-time member of the Atlanta rotation, acquitting himself decently well before moving to a relief role in a few stops around the major leagues between then and now. Staying healthy has been Newcomb’s main problem over the years.

Jobe started the game in a pretty unusual way: by hitting two batters on the back foot with consecutive off-speed pitches. That’s not what you want to do against the American League’s top run-producing lineup, obviously — and with two outs a single to left put Chicago up 1-0 with runners on the corners. But Jobe got Colson Montgomery to swing and foul-tip a 98-mph fastball into Dillon Dingler’s mitt and the damage was thusly contained. He threw 25 pitches in the first inning; given that he’s still building up to full strength that meant his outing was probably going to be on the short side anyway, but in the second he only needed nine pitches to get those three outs.

Newcomb got the first out of the bottom of the second, and Old Friend™ José Urquidy came in for him. Remember Urquidy, very briefly, at the end of last season? Well, former teammate or not, Spencer Torkelson greeted him with a single, and after a strikeout Ben Malgeri connected on a low changeup for a two-run home run, putting the Tigers ahead 2-1.

The Tigers added to that lead in the bottom of the third: with two out, Kevin McGonigle singled and Eduardo Valencia followed with yet another extra-base hit, a double that scored McGonigle and put the home team up 3-1.

Alas, the White Sox then did what they do better than anyone else in the league: score a bunch of runs. A single to lead off the fourth was followed by a Tristan Peters two-run home run to even the game at 3-3. They took the lead 4-3 on a Munetaka Murakami solo home run two outs later, and Miguel Vargas followed with a double. A walk ensued, then a Braden Montgomery triple scored another pair of runs to make it 6-3 and end Jobe’s day. Jacob Waugespack was brought in to douse the flames and thankfully he did, coaxing a fly ball out of the other Montgomery for the final out.

Jobe’s final line was not pretty: 3 2/3 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 4 K and a pair of home runs. On the radio broadcast, Andy Dirks said it looked like Chicago’s hitters knew what was coming, and I can’t help but wonder if he was tipping his pitches a touch. Also, remember, he’s still coming back from Tommy John surgery, and history has shown it takes a while to really regain your sharpness.

After that, things settled down for a while, and Enmanuel De Jesus took over in the top of the sixth. With one out Murakami walked and Vargas blasted a long home run to left for an 8-3 lead, though.

Things got quiet again until the bottom of the seventh when Malgeri struck again for another home run to lead off the inning, narrowing the lead to 8-4. Max Clark followed with a sharp line drive to right-centre; Braden Montgomery dove for it and missed, and Clark motored around the bases for a triple.

A Gleyber Torres groundout scored Clark to make it 8-5. Huascar Brazobán, who’d taken over for Urquidy to start the sixth, departed in favour of Grant Taylor; it’s been a rough week with a heavy load for the White Sox, so burning as many of their good relievers as possible may just help the Tigers the rest of the weekend, if nothing else.

De Jesus got the first out of the top of the eighth and Ty Madden stepped in to promptly give up another Vargas home run for a 9-5 score.

In the bottom of the inning, Colt Keith hit a double the opposite way with one out to show the Tigers weren’t quite finished yet. He advanced to third on a Torkelson groundout, but a Zach McKinstry groundout stranded him there. They didn’t do much in the ninth either against lefty Bryan Hudson, and that was the game.

Final score: White Sox 9, Tigers 5

Notes and Controversies

• As you might have seen, Thursday’s combined shutout victory against Cleveland was pretty unique, as it was the first time since 2014 that a team had shut out another without striking anybody out. Who was that previous team? You might know them as the Detroit Tigers; Rick Porcello went the distance, shutting out Oakland while throwing a Maddux.
• Keider Montero started Thursday’s whiffless masterpiece. His strikeouts-per-nine-innings has actually gone down this year, from 7.1 last year to 6.0 this year so far.
• You know what else has gone down by about one per nine innings this year for Montero, too? Walks. Last year, 3.1 (oooh); this year, 2.0 (aaah).
• Since pitches have been routinely counted in 1988, Greg Maddux has the most Madduxes, as you might imagine. Know who has the second-most? I sure didn’t, and I never in a million years would have guessed Zane Smith, but hey, there you are.
• On this day in 1901, Gustave Whitehead claimed to have flown an airplane in Connecticut. Did he beat the Wright Brothers by over two years? Not too many people seem to believe it. No photographic evidence of his machines being off the ground exist, nor did he keep detailed documentation about it.

The Brewers started their series against the Dodgers last night with a big comeback win. After being swept in San Diego, it was not looking good as they were down two in the ninth inning last night. However, a three-run inning capped a comeback for them as they took the series opener. The Brewers will try to build off that tonight in game two against the Dodgers.

Robert Gasser makes the start tonight for the Brewers. He’s coming off of a shorter start against the Twins, where he allowed three runs in 4 2/3 innings. This is Gasser’s second start this season against the Dodgers. In his first start against them, he allowed four runs on four hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings, striking out four. So far this season, he has a 4.57 ERA and 4.51 FIP. He hasn’t allowed more than three runs in a start since the All-Star Break, and has allowed three or fewer runs in 10 of his 13 starts.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers will turn to their top starter, Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Over 21 starts this season, he has a 2.65 ERA, 3.43 FIP, and 127 strikeouts compared to 32 walks. Yamamoto is coming off of a shorter start, pitching just 5 2/3 innings against the Diamondbacks. He did not allow any runs, but allowed three hits and three walks while striking out six. The Brewers faced him back in March, and scored just one run off of him in seven innings. He allowed seven hits and one walk in that start while striking out three.

There’s good news and bad news on the injury front tonight. The bad news is that the bullpen took another hit, with Abner Uribe being placed on the IL with a right forearm flexor strain. It’s not a serious injury, as the images on it came back clean. It will be a few days of rest for him before he returns to throwing. Grant Anderson was recalled to fill his roster spot.

Meanwhile, there are other positive injury updates. Brice Turang remains day-to-day and can hit, but tomorrow will be a critical day to decide if an IL stint is needed. Meanwhile, Sal Frelick is making progress on his rehab assignment and could return soon if play in the field goes well. Frelick is playing in right field for Nashville tonight and hit a home run in the game. Finally, Cooper Pratt is also recovering well and will only need a near minimum IL stint, but will need a rehab assignment.

Most of the same players are in the lineup, but it has been shifted around a bit. Garrett Mitchell is leading off with Jackson Chourio behind him. Jake Bauers is back at first base and batting first, while Andrew Vaughn remains at third base and bats fourth. Christian Yelich and William Contreras move up to fifth and sixth in the lineup, and Luis Lara is back in the lineup batting seventh. David Hamilton and Joey Ortiz fill out the lineup.

First pitch is at 9:10 p.m. It will be on Brewers.TV and the Brewers Radio Network.

Tyler Glasnow made his third minor league rehab start on Friday night for Triple-A Oklahoma City, and this was his best yet. Glasnow struck out eight batters in 3 2/3 innings against the Albuquerque Isotopes, a Colorado Rockies affiliate.

Glasnow only allowed three balls in play among his 13 batters faced, and didn’t allow a ball hit into the outfield until a harmless flyout in the fourth inning. He walked two and ran a few other deep counts, getting him pulled at 67 pitches, one out shy of the planned four innings.

Isotopes hitters had trouble with Glasnow’s secondary pitches. He threw his slider, knuckle curve, and curveball a total of 23 times, and induced seven of his 11 total swinging strikes on those pitches.

Despite the relatively short outing, Glasnow tied an Oklahoma City season high with eight strikeouts, last done by Emmet Sheehan on Wednesday.

This was the third rehab start for Glasnow, who has been out since May 8 with back spasms. The right-hander pitched two scoreless innings on August 4 with Class-A Ontario, then went 2 2/3 innings last Sunday with Oklahoma City. Thus far Glasnow has allowed only a run on two hits and three walks, with three strikeouts.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday at Dodger Stadium that Glasnow is expected to make one more minor league rehab start after this one, during which he will stretch out to roughly five innings and 75 pitches, before potentially returning to the Dodgers.

Much like when activating Blake Snell earlier this week, the Dodgers will need a corresponding move to make room on the 40-man roster, because Glasnow is on the 60-day injured list. But that return looks much more tangible now than it did two weeks ago.

Colorado enters Friday night at 48-73, two games behind the 50-71 Giants for fourth place in the NL West. The Rockies went 1-2 in St. Louis, then took two of three from Arizona before Thursday’s off day, leaving them 3-3 through the first six games of the trip.

This is also the final series between Colorado and San Francisco in 2026. The season series is tied 5-5, and the Giants have outscored the Rockies by only four runs across those 10 games.

San Francisco spent June and July hovering around .500, going 24-27 with a minus-3 run differential. August has looked different. The Giants are 3-8 this month, their injured list is crowded and the roster has thinned since the trade deadline.

Rafael Devers provides the most obvious threat with 24 home runs. His .467 slugging percentage ranks among the top 40 hitters in baseball, so there is real thump in the bat, but it comes with a less imposing .788 OPS. Beyond Devers, there is not much power in the lineup.

But there is still enough competence to turn mistakes and free baserunners into runs, which makes Kyle Freeland’s command especially important tonight.

Freeland enters at 3-10 with a 6.63 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 96 strikeouts across 112.2 innings.

In his last start against St. Louis, he allowed three runs across 4.1 innings, but only one was earned after a two-out passed ball extended the bottom of the first inning and led to a two-run double. From there, the contact was mostly manageable — five hits, three hard-hit balls and an 83.7 mph average exit velocity on 16 balls in play — but he also walked three hitters.

Freeland’s command has generally remained one of his strengths. His 5.1% walk rate ranks among the best in baseball, while his cutter and sweeper have been the strongest parts of his six-pitch arsenal.

While it would be great for Freeland to continue avoiding the hard contact that has so often plagued him, he must return to keeping walks off the board against a potentially pesky Giants offense tonight.

Taking the ball opposite Freeland is 27-year-old righty Landen Roupp.

Roupp enters at 7-11 with a 4.22 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 123 strikeouts across 123.2 innings.

Roupp allowed only one earned run across 5.1 innings in his last start despite walking five and striking out only three. Even with all that traffic, hitters produced just two hard-hit balls on 15 balls in play with a 79.6 mph average exit velocity.

That is, in part, how Roupp has survived the walks.

Roupp can absolutely strike hitters out, but he is not an overpowering strikeout pitcher. His 23.6% strikeout rate is only a little above league average, while his 25.3% whiff rate is almost exactly league average. He has still recorded 123 strikeouts across 123.2 innings.

His real separator comes when hitters do make contact. Roupp has allowed an 86.1 mph average exit velocity with a 29.0% hard-hit rate and 4.2% barrel rate, all comfortably better than league average, while generating ground balls at a 51.8% clip.

He works from a low arm slot and relies on movement. His sinker has strong arm-side run and drop, and he pairs it heavily with a changeup against left-handed hitters. Against righties, the curveball becomes a bigger part of the plan. It has generated a 34.9% whiff rate this season and gives Roupp a legitimate put-away pitch. He is also comfortable repeating pitches rather than falling into an obvious hard-soft pattern.

Recently recalled Zac Veen starts in right field after going 1-for-3 with a strikeout in his return to the major league lineup on Wednesday. His lone hit was not a quiet one: Veen drove a 104.7 mph home run 407 feet to right-center field.

Connor Norby makes his third straight start at second base and is still looking for his first hit with the Rockies. He is 0-for-5 with two walks and two strikeouts through seven plate appearances, but the contact has been better than the line, including balls hit at 99.4 and 101.6 mph.

Jake McCarthy leads the Rockies on Fridays with a .328 average, .949 OPS and .597 slugging percentage through 18 Friday games. His seven doubles and five stolen bases also lead the team on Fridays.

In a late-night tilt at Oracle Park, tonight’s game may come down not to who creates the most chances, but to who makes the most of them.

The details…

First Pitch: 8:15 p.m. MDT

TV: Rockies.TV

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM

Giants SB Nation Site: McCovey Chronicles

Lineups:

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks! 

Before the 2025 season even came to a close, there were a few things people around baseball knew.

• The Royals needed outfield help.
• The Royals coveted Taylor Ward
• The Angels were finally willing to part with him at a price the Royals could pay.
• The Royals “had depth” at starting pitching

Quickly, the rumored trade became Kris Bubic for Taylor Ward. It was only a matter of time. But then something weird happened. On November 19th, Taylor Ward was traded to a 2024 Wild Card team that had missed in 2025 for a pitcher who had shown flashes of brilliance but had been hurt far too often. Except it was to the Orioles for Grayson Rodriguez instead of to the Royals for Kris Bubic.

Rumor has it that the Angels had actually agreed to the latter deal but backed out of it when the Orioles offered Rodriguez. As a Royals fan, it’s easy to assume the Angels ended up making the better deal. But Bubic has actually been worth far more than Rodriguez this season as both have continued to deal with injuries; at least Bubic had a handful of high-quality starts before his problems began. Rodriguez has a 7.20 ERA thanks to a lack of command or control this season, leading to walks and home runs aplenty.

It’s difficult to say whether Taylor Ward would have been enough to keep the Royals afloat this year. It seems unlikely given that injuries overwhelmed the team after the rough start. But he wouldn’t have hurt the team. So, yeah, I’m hoping for a little revenge in Anaheim of Los Angeles tonight.

There’s very little in the way of positive results for Rodriguez so far this season. He throws a four-seamer that averages 96 MPH, a changeup, a slider, and a curveball. His changeup gets above-average whiffs, and that’s about it. All of his pitches get hit hard. He throws the fastball, which grades well even if the results aren’t there, more than half the time. The changeup mostly gets thrown to lefties, the slider mostly to righties, and the curveball barely gets used either way.

Seth Lugo, the Royals starter for tonight, couldn’t be more different if he tried. We all know what he’s about, but let’s check out the pitching summary page for him as a refresher anyway.

His summary includes more pitches than I’ve ever seen listed before. It’s just too bad there’s so much dang blue. He throws every single breaking pitch I’ve ever heard of, minus the screwball and knuckle-curve. And for all I know, the knuckle-curve gets folded into the normal curveball there. He also throws every variety of fastball. He doesn’t throw a splitter, a palmball, a vulcan-change, a kick-change, a knuckleball, or a forkball. And you almost have to wonder why he hasn’t folded variations on all of those pitches into his repertoire as well. Or, well, maybe he has, and he just doesn’t throw them often enough for them to be included on this already number-littered image.

Lineups

Facing a right-hander for the first time in nearly a week, the Royals have put Carter Jensen and his .299 OBP back in the leadoff spot. For what it’s worth, he leads the team with 4.12 pitches per plate appearance, 20th in MLB. He’s also in the 75th percentile for chase and 61st percentile in walk rate. The problem is that he’s only in the 19th percentile in whiff rate and 10th percentile in strikeout rate. So, basically, there are arguments on both sides of him batting leadoff. Since he enjoys it, the at-bats can only help his development, and wins and losses don’t matter at this point, I’m all for letting him do it.

With Salvador Perez out of the lineup after Wednesday’s injury, Carter Jensen is back behind the dish, and Josh Rojas will be the Designated Hitter. You all know I love me some Josh Rojas: Designated Hitter. Nick Loftin, who might have the least raw power on the team (it’s between him, Tyler Tolbert, and Luke Maile; the other two aren’t in the lineup), will bat cleanup.

The battle between the Dodgers and Brewers shifts to national television on Saturday afternoon, with a pair of All-Star starting pitchers on the mound on Fox.

Jacob Misiorowski is the National League Cy Young Award favorite, leading the majors in ERA (1.76), xERA (1.93), strikeouts (204), strikeout rate (40.6 percent) and strikeout-minus-walk rate (34.6 percent).

Justin Wrobleski is trying to turn around a rough three start stretch during which he has allowed nine home runs, leading to 16 runs allowed (15 earned) in 13 2/3 innings.

Joe Davis will call Saturday’s game for Fox, in the booth with John Smoltz and with reporter Ken Rosenthal also on the broadcast.

Saturday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Brewers
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Start time: 4:15 p.m.
• TV: Fox
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

TORONTO — Heliot Ramos knows why the Yankees acquired him at the trade deadline: to help lift up a scuffling offense. 

The outfielder has been eager to do just that. Except in his first handful of games with his new team, despite hitting the ball hard, he has not gotten much in the way of results, which is where human nature starts to kick in and perhaps work against him to an extent. 

“Probably just trying to do too much,” Ramos said Friday at Rogers Centre. “Because I see the ones that I hit not landing. I feel like you’re going to get out — things happen, baseball happens, you’re going to get out. So whenever that happens, I’ve tried to do too much and that’s when the strikeouts happen.” 

Entering Friday’s game against the Blue Jays, Ramos was batting 2-for-25 with two doubles, 10 strikeouts and three walks in his first eight games as a Yankee. That included being 0-for-6 with two walks against lefties, whom the right-handed hitter had been brought in to mash. 

In the extremely small sample size, Ramos has struck out at a higher rate (33.3 percent) than he did with the Giants (26.8 percent), which he was quick to point out. 

“That kind of sucks for me,” he said. “But when I hit it, I hit it. So I’ve been feeling pretty good. I just have to stay within myself. I haven’t been chasing a lot, so that’s something I like. I just want to stay positive, stay consistent with it.” 

The underlying numbers have been more encouraging. 

On the 15 balls he has put in play as a member of the Yankees, Ramos’ average exit velocity was 93.8 mph, a tick up from his season average (92 mph) that ranks in the 88th percentile. Of the seven balls he had hit at 95 mph or higher — registering as hard-hit balls — six had gone for outs. 

“OK, for not having any results, really,” manager Aaron Boone said of Ramos’ at-bats. “He’s squaring the ball up a fair amount. He’s just got to get some to fall and get him going, get him settled a little bit more. I haven’t felt like, ‘Oh man, he’s struggling,’ even though he obviously hasn’t gotten results. Because there’s been a number of balls he’s hit on the screws, lined out to right, lined out to center some. 

“He’s having competitive at-bats. He’s had some tough matchups in there along the way as well. He doesn’t feel like a guy that’s scuffling to me.” 

On the day he acquired Ramos, Brian Cashman indicated the outfielder was going to get everyday at-bats in August while the Yankees tried to get healthy. Cody Bellinger appears to be the closest (of himself, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge) to coming back, potentially going out on a rehab assignment by next week before a return, at which point Ramos could slide into a platoon role in right field. 

The Yankees have been playing Ramos in left field so far to help him get settled after the trade — since that is where he had predominantly played with the Giants this season — though he is expected to make the move to right field once Bellinger gets back. 

In the meantime, the 26-year-old Ramos is just trying to get his feet underneath him, 11 days removed from the trade that upended his baseball journey and threw him squarely into a playoff race. 

“It’s definitely strange,” Ramos said. “A lot going on, for sure. I feel like I haven’t had the time to sit back and just enjoy where I’m at right now. I have been trying to work and produce. I just want to bring the help. So everything has kind of been quick for me. But I’m getting there.”

After getting the day off yesterday, the Athletics are back in action tonight, opening a three-game weekend series against the Texas Rangers. The A’s enter the series with the worst record in baseball, a record highlighted by their dreadful 21-39 home mark—the second straight season in which the Green and Gold have failed to win games at Sutter Health Park.

A’s left-hander Gage Jump will face the Rangers for the first time in his young career, seeking to end his team’s losing streak for the second straight start. The 23-year-old enters his 15th major league appearance with a 5-7 record, a 4.46 ERA, a 1.46 WHIP and 84 strikeouts over 72 2/3 innings.

Over his last four starts, Jump has alternated between good and bad performances. In his most recent outing against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, the southpaw earned the win after allowing two runs on six hits over six innings while striking out 11. His previous start, which was his most recent home performance, did not go as well. Facing the Detroit Tigers, Jump allowed six runs on four hits and six walks in 3 2/3 innings.

That pattern could point toward another difficult outing from Jump tonight, which would put the Athletics in a tough spot. Following two consecutive poor starts from other members of the rotation, the Green and Gold need Jump to deliver a second straight quality start. The less the team has to rely on its league-worst bullpen, the better its chances of winning.

Here’s how the Athletics’ lineup stacks up for the series opener against their divisional foe:

The A’s lineup has been decimated by injuries, with sluggers Shea Langeliers, Nick Kurtz and Brent Rooker all on the injured list. That said, this lineup gives the A’s their best chance to score some runs and win tonight.

Third baseman Zack Gelof returned from injury like he never left, hitting home runs in two of his first three games back. Right fielder Lawrence Butler is also heating up, looking to make it three straight games with a home run.

If the A’s want to win today, they must get contributions up and down the order. Shortstop Jacob Wilson, batting second, needs to show more patience by waiting for pitches he can drive rather than swinging at everything. His aggressive approach is limiting his ability to make an impact, contributing to a batting average well below what he posted during his impressive rookie season last year.

Meanwhile, Kumar Rocker will make the start for Texas. The 26-year-old right-hander enters his 23rd appearance and 21st start of the season with a 4-9 record, a 4.46 ERA, a 1.38 WHIP and 103 strikeouts over 111 innings. Rocker struggled in his last start against the Baltimore Orioles, taking the loss after allowing six runs on seven hits in just three innings.

This will be Rocker’s third start against the Athletics this season. He faced the Green and Gold twice in April, going 0-1 and allowing two runs in each outing. The current Athletics roster has hit .378 against Rocker in a limited 43 plate appearances, reaching base 19 times on 14 hits and 5 walks. Will that success continue this evening, or will Rocker find a way to neutralize the Athletics’ offense?

And Texas’ lineup:

Having been shut out last night in Anaheim, the Rangers will look to push runs across against the A’s struggling pitching staff. Veterans Brandon Nimmo and Corey Seager are threats from the left side of the plate, while first baseman Jake Burger, who hit three home runs when the Rangers came to Sacramento earlier this season, will look to do more damage at this hitter-friendly ballpark.

Let’s get back to our winning ways and send the Rangers to their fourth straight defeat. Let’s go A’s!

Follow the Game:
Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA

Listen:
Athletics -Talk 650 KSTE, KVMX 92.1/105.5, A’s Cast

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!

Juan Soto played at least 150 games in every full major league season he had appeared in before this season. 

Now 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. 

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.”

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.