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Astros fans, take a minute to consider what just happened and ask yourself a potentially uncomfortable question:

Did Jim Crane just pull the plug on General Manager Dana Brown, or did he potentially pull the plug on the Astros’ chances of winning the division and making the playoffs, too?

That may sound dramatic, but consider the timing.

With a little more than 30 games remaining in the season and the Astros still sitting in first place, the organization announced what was described as a mutual parting of the ways with Brown.

We knew something like this was probably coming.

The writing had seemingly been on the wall for Brown for quite some time, and there had also been plenty of speculation surrounding the future of manager Joe Espada. With the way the Astros have performed this season, combined with some questionable roster decisions and the organization’s gradual decline over the past few years, significant changes this offseason wouldn’t have surprised anyone.

But making those changes now is a completely different story.

That’s why the consequences of Crane’s decision are going to be fascinating to watch over the final month of the season.

We have seen situations in professional sports where a major change can galvanize a team. Sometimes firing a manager or making a dramatic organizational move wakes everybody up. Players rally together, the clubhouse finds new energy and a team that appeared to be going nowhere suddenly takes off.

We’ve also seen the exact opposite.

Sometimes uncertainty creates more uncertainty.

Sometimes players don’t respond well when people they respect are removed from their positions. Sometimes a clubhouse that is already struggling begins to fracture even more.

That’s what makes Crane’s timing so intriguing—and potentially so dangerous.

According to reports, the Astros also informed Espada that he would not return as manager next season. If that’s the case, you now have a team trying to win a division championship while knowing the man leading them isn’t going to be their manager once the season ends.

Think about that dynamic.

Espada is expected to walk into the clubhouse every day, manage games and lead a team through a pennant race while everybody in the room knows the organization has already decided he won’t be back.

How will the players respond?

If there are players in that clubhouse who have strong relationships with Espada—and presumably there are—does this bring them together and motivate them to win for their manager?

Do they rally around him and say, “Let’s finish this thing together”?

Or does it have the opposite effect?

Does it create an awkward environment where everybody understands that major changes are coming and begins wondering who else might not be around next season?

Those aren’t insignificant questions with roughly a month of baseball remaining.

That’s why I keep coming back to the timing.

If Crane had already determined that Brown wasn’t going to return, I understand wanting to get a head start on finding the next general manager. The Astros are facing an incredibly important offseason, and the organization can’t afford to get the next decisions wrong.

But was making the move right now worth potentially disrupting a team that was still sitting atop its division?

After a disappointing homestand, was this a carefully calculated organizational decision, or was there at least some element of a knee-jerk reaction from an owner frustrated by what he had just watched?

We may find out very quickly.

Starting with this series against the Yankees, pay close attention to the Astros.

Don’t just watch the standings.

Watch their body language. Watch their energy. Watch how they respond when something goes wrong. Watch how Espada manages knowing his future has apparently already been determined. Most importantly, watch the results.

Because we could eventually look back at this homestand, this weekend and Crane’s decision as the moment that changed the Astros’ season.

The only question is in which direction.

Maybe this becomes the boiling point that finally causes everything to unravel. Maybe Houston falls out of first place, misses the postseason and we spend the offseason wondering whether Crane should have simply allowed Brown and Espada to finish the season before making wholesale changes.

But there’s another possibility.

Maybe this brings the clubhouse closer together.

Maybe the players rally around Espada. Maybe they take the criticism personally and decide they’re going to prove everybody wrong. Maybe knowing their manager won’t be back becomes motivation to send him out with another division championship and one more postseason run.

Sports can be funny that way.

That’s what makes Crane’s decision such an enormous gamble.

The question isn’t necessarily whether moving on from Brown was the correct long-term decision. You can believe the Astros needed a change in the front office and still question whether August was the appropriate time to make it.

The same applies to Espada.

If Crane had already decided he wanted a different manager in 2027, that’s his prerogative as the owner. But informing Espada of that decision while he’s still managing a first-place team through the final month of a pennant race introduces an entirely different set of variables.

And it wasn’t necessary.

Crane could have allowed the season to play out.

He could have let Brown and Espada finish what they started, evaluated everything once the Astros’ season ended and then made whatever changes he believed were necessary.

Instead, he chose now.

That makes the final 30-plus games about much more than whether this Astros team is good enough to win the American League West.

They’ve also become a referendum on Crane’s decision.

If the Astros respond by playing inspired baseball and winning the division, Crane’s gamble will look much different.

If they stumble, lose their grip on first place and ultimately miss the postseason, it’s fair to wonder whether an organization already struggling to find consistency created another unnecessary obstacle for itself.

So what do you think, Astros fans?

Did Jim Crane make the right decision?

And perhaps more importantly, even if it was the right decision, did he make it at the wrong time?

Because when you’re sitting in first place with a little more than 30 games remaining, changing the direction of your organization isn’t just an offseason decision.

It could change the direction of your season.

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We've got all 30 MLB teams in action today, spanning the entire afternoon and evening!

See why our MLB expert picks for Wednesday, Aug. 26 are calling for both Los Angeles-based teams to triumph.

MLB expert picks for today

Pick	Odds
Josh Inglis: LAA ML	+127
Jon Metler: LAD ML	-127
Dustin Saracini: CHC ML	-104

Prices courtesy of Polymarket.

Josh Inglis' expert pick: Angels moneyline

Price: 44¢ (+127) at Polymarket

Cleveland is riding a six-game winning streak, but this afternoon sets up as a great spot to fade the Guardians.

Cleveland has the starting-pitcher edge with Joey Cantillo, but that’s already priced into the market. Grayson Rodriguez has been good-to-great over his last five starts, and his underlying metrics suggest the results are legitimate.  

The bigger concern for Cleveland is the bullpen. The Guardians have heavily taxed their relief corps over the first two games of this series, and after Cade Smith and several other arms were used Tuesday, their late-inning options are limited. Smith actually recorded the save in Tuesday’s 8-6 extra-inning win, so his availability Wednesday is a key factor.

There’s also a major schedule spot working against Cleveland. They’re wrapping up a long COL/LAA road trip before heading home to open a massive series against Kansas City on Friday. With the Guardians sitting in the AL playoff picture, this is a natural letdown spot after winning six straight.

The Angels are trading around 44 cents, and while they’re still the underdog, I make the fair price closer to 48-49 cents.

• Time: 4:07 p.m. ET
• How to watch: CleGuardians.TV, ABTV

Jon Metler's expert pick: Dodgers moneyline

Price: 56¢ (-127) at Polymarket

AJ Smith-Shawver gets the start for Atlanta, and there are plenty of red flags in this matchup against the Dodgers.

Los Angeles is expected to stack seven left-handed bats, including some of the most feared hitters in baseball. One of Smith-Shawver's best off-speed pitches is his curveball, which breaks into the barrels of the Dodgers' left-handed hitters. He also doesn't have a changeup in his arsenal to give those hitters a pitch that moves away from them.

On top of that, Smith-Shawver hasn't shown the ability to work deep into games, topping out around 75 pitches in his first two starts. If he starts nibbling against a patient Dodgers lineup, he could exit early and force Atlanta's middle relief to cover a significant number of outs.

The Dodgers are trading at 56 cents, but I make them closer to a 60-cent favorite, giving us a meaningful edge at the current price.

• Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
• How to watch: SNLA, BravesVision

Dustin Saracini's expert pick: Cubs moneyline

Price: 51¢ (-104) at Polymarket

Matthew Boyd goes for the Cubbies today, and after Chicago got walked off in the bottom of the ninth on Tuesday, he'll put them in a great spot to bounce back.

The lefty has limited the D-backs to a .209 xBA, .314 xSLG, and .256 xwOBA across 68 at-bats, which is a sample size we can get behind.

Chicago's splits look good against Eduardo Rodriguez, too, owning an .809 OPS against lefties this season. The power surge in August has been palpable, hitting more homers in August (43) than any other month of the season by nearly 10. 

Let's see the best offense in baseball get the job done. I'd play this up to 55 cents at Polymarket

• Time: 3:40 p.m. ET
• How to watch: MARQ, DBacks.TV

More MLB best bets for today

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The Red Sox are expecting reinforcements in the coming days in the form of Trevor Story, Isaiah Kiner-Falefa, and Roman Anthony. Neither Story or Anthony repeated their performance from last season when healthy early in the year, while Kiner-Falefa was a pleasant surprise, posting a 101 wRC+ in 47 games.

Their returns come at an interesting time because their replacements have been so effective. Nick Sogard has been one of the most productive players on the team for a few weeks, while Mickey Gasper continues to be a difficult out from the left side. Andruw Monasterio doesn’t grade out well defensively, but he also had a six-week stretch where he was an offensive force.

What do you expect from the bats returning to the lineup? Do you think they’ll hit the ground running, or will they struggle out of the gates. They don’t have much time to find a rhythm before the postseason begins, so the next few weeks could be crucial for not only those players, but for the players who are losing at bats at their expense. What role do you think they should play? Should Trevor Story play every day? Should Roman Anthony play left field, or stay at designated hitter? Answer these questions, talk about what you want, and as always, be good to one another.

The plan that was apparent to anyone watching the game, was Adrian Morejon would pitch a scoreless eighth inning and he would be followed by Mason Miller for a scoreless ninth. If the San Diego Padres scored in the bottom of the eighth inning, Miller would be in line for the save and if they did not, he would ensure they got an opportunity to win the game in extra innings. Everything was going according to plan until Oneil Cruz hit a two-out solo home run to right field that gave the Pittsburgh Pirates a lead and eventually a 1-0 win. The win gave the Pirates the series win as well have taken the first two of the three-game set.

It was bitter end to a game that was tied 0-0 to that point after San Diego starter Michael King and Pittsburgh starter Paul Skenes engaged in an old-fashioned pitchers duel. Both starters were dominant and allowed little traffic throughout their time on the mound. King pitched seven scoreless innings, scattering five hits with two walks and seven strikeouts. Skenes pitched just as well, completing six scoreless innings allowing just three hits with no walks and four strikeouts.

Three Pittsburgh relievers, Camilo Doval, Gregory Soto and Mason Montgomery combined to cover the final three innings of the game and none of them allowed a hit to a San Diego batter. The only blemishes on the stat line for those three was a walk by Doval in the seventh and a walk by Montgomery in the ninth.

Ty France worked the two-out walk in the ninth off Montgomery and that brought Jackson Merrill to the plate with a chance to play hero. At the very least he had a chance to tie the game. Merrill was given that opportunity when Jase Bowen came on to pinch-run for France and stole second base. Merrill eventually lost the six-pitch at-bat when a swung at a ball up in the zone and missed for strike three.

Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts and Dustin Harris were the only Padres to record hits in the game. San Diego has managed just two runs in the first two games of the series and that comes after the lineup produced 21 runs in the three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins.

The Padres will have an opportunity to salvage the series in the final game against the Pirates today at 1:10 p.m.

Padres News:

• It’s no secret the Padres will need pitching for the 2027 season and Thomas Conroy of Gaslamp Ball believes one of their targets should be trade deadline acquisition, Robbie Ray.

• Nick Pivetta gets back to work with a three-inning appearance at Lake Elsinore.

• Padres minor league catching coordinator Oswaldo Pirela was finally released from ICE custody.

Baseball News:

• The Atlanta Braves opened their series against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a win.

• The Boston Red Sox got a grand slam home run in the 11th inning to beat the Miami Marlins.

• The Arizona Diamondbacks mount a comeback to beat the Chicago Cubs.

• The Philadelphia Phillies manage one run in loss to the Seattle Mariners.

Hickory played a pair, with the first being a continuation of a game that was suspended last month.

In the first game, Daniel Keaney had given up six runs in 0.1 IP, walking three and striking out one, before being pulled right before the game was suspended. Geury Rodriguez struck out three in 1.1 shutout innings.

Josh Owens (I typed Jeremy at first but caught myself) was 2 for 3 with a walk. Curley Martha had a grand slam. Jay McQueen had a hit and a walk. Dewar Tovar had a hit.

In the second game, Louis Marinaro struck out two in two scoreless innings.

Paulino Santana had a hit and a walk. Marco Argudin had a triple, a walk and a stolen base. Yolfran Castillo had a hit and a walk. Seong-Jun Kim had a double and a walk. Sebastian Baquera, Daniel Flames and Curley Martha each had a hit apiece.

Hickory Game One box score

Hickory Game Two box score

Hub City starter Ismael Agreda struck out six and walked one in six innings, allowing two runs. J’Briell Easley allowed a walk-off two run homer in the 11th inning

Maxton Martin was 3 for 4 with a pair of homers. Evan Morrison had a hit.

Hub City box score

For Frisco, Thomas Ireland allowed five runs in 2.1 IP, walking four and striking out three. Joey Danielson struck out one in 0.2 scoreless.

Sebastian Walcott doubled and walked twice. Yeison Morrobel was 3 for 4 with a pair of stolen bases. Dylan Dreiling was 2 for 5. Ian Moller was 1 for 2 with a pair of walks and a stolen base.

Frisco box score

Round Rock starter Dalton Pence threw four shutout innings, striking out two and walking two. Joe Ross allowed a run in two innings, striking out one. Marc Church walked two and allowed three runs in 0.2 IP. Emiliano Teodo struck out one and walked one in 1.1 shutout innings. Michel Otanez walked one in a scoreless inning.

Alejandro Osuna was 2 for 5 with a double. Cam Cauley had a hit. Aaron Zavala was 2 for 4 with a triple.

Round Rock box score

Morning, all!

Logan O’Hoppe was thankful to get optioned to AAA, saying it gave him a chance to reset and “find himself.”

Jack Leiter has been experiencing fatigue in later innings during his rehab outings, opening the possibility that he will be used out of the bullpen when he returns to the big league club.

Jacob deGrom threw the worst inning of his career last night, leading the Rangers to an 11-7 loss to Chicago in the game immediately following Texas’ best offensive outing of the season.

It appears that deGrom’s slider just wasn’t working, with no swings and misses on 21 thrown and only 4 being thrown for strikes.

Simply showing that he can pitch won’t suffice.

If Shohei Ohtani wants to be a two-way player for the Dodgers in the playoffs, he will have to show something over the remainder of the regular season.

Or at least show enough to justify moving Tyler Glasnow to the bullpen.

Glasnow is the current benchmark for the fourth and final place in the postseason rotation.

Ohtani has to clear it.

Doing so will require Ohtani to do more than pitch well. He will also have to remain healthy and convince the Dodgers that his work on the mound won’t negatively affect him in the batter’s box. 

The additional value that Ohtani provides by playing both ways will have to be greater than whatever would be lost by forcing Glasnow out of his customary role.

That’s certainly within Ohtani’s capabilities – but not automatic.

Ohtani is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Wednesday or Thursday in Atlanta, which opens the possibility for him to pitch on Sunday in the Dodgers’ series finale against the Tigers in Detroit.

Ohtani hasn’t pitched since July 3 because of problems with his left knee, and whether he returns on Sunday or some time after, he is expected to be on the mound for only one inning. But Dave Roberts said the process of stretching out Ohtani won’t be as deliberate as it was last year and that he could “in theory” be a full-fledged starter by the start of the postseason.

Now that he’s almost two months removed from his last start, what will this look like?

Whether it was because of his knee, the absence of regular catcher Will Smith, or a combination of the two, Ohtani was pitching well below his usual standards when he was shut down. In his last four starts leading up to his removal from the rotation, he posted a 4.38 earned-run average.

Ohtani said at the time that his knee bothered him only when he pitched, but he later acknowledged that it limited how fast he could run. 

And this is where the cost of sending Ohtani back to the mound will have to be considered.

Ohtani said he chose to stop pitching through the discomfort to give his knee a chance to heal, but he jogged gingerly back to the dugout when grounding out in the seventh inning of the Dodgers’ 4-3 loss to the Braves on Tuesday night.

“It looked a little funny,” Roberts said.

Then again, Ohtani stretched a double into a triple two innings later.

The coming weeks will not only test Ohtani’s knee, but also whether he can remain a productive hitter while taking on a two-way workload.

Coincidentally or not, Ohtani’s offensive numbers have plunged since he started ramping up his pitching efforts. On Aug. 14, Ohtani threw his first bullpen session in more than three weeks. From that point on, he’s batted only .231.

So, unless Ohtani is absolutely lights out on the mound – which, it should be stressed, is entirely possible – what’s the point of him pitching if it will take away from how he can most impact the Dodgers?

Because as spectacular as Ohtani can be as a pitcher, he’s more important to the Dodgers’ lineup than he is to the rotation. If Ohtani can’t pitch, the Dodgers can turn to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell and, yes, Glasnow.

Glasnow might not have the public profile of the four other All-Stars in the Dodgers’ rotation, but that’s primarily because of how often he gets injured. When Glasnow is healthy, he’s one of the best pitchers in baseball. His return from the injured list on Tuesday was the latest testament to his talent.

In his first major league game in 3 ½ months, Glasnow gave up three runs in the first inning but settled down after. He limited the Braves to two hits over the next four innings.

“Feel healthy and strong,” Glasnow told reporters in Atlanta.

Of the Dodgers’ five Cy Young Award-caliber starters, Glasnow figures to be the most likely to move the bullpen, as he was a reliever earlier in his career and made three relief appearances in the playoffs last year. Pitching out out of the bullpen isn’t a realistic option for Ohtani, as he wouldn’t be able to warm up during a game if he’s hitting or on base.

Glasnow was the hero in Game 6 of the World Series, as he was called into the game after Roberts pulled the ripcord on Roki Sasaki before the Japanese right-hander could record an out in the ninth inning. Glasnow inherited runners on second and third base but didn’t allow either of them to score to preserve the win. He came back a day later to pitch 2 ⅓ innings in Game 7.

But if the experience qualifies Glasnow to pitch as a reliever, it’s also part of the argument why he should be a starter. 

“Coming into spring training, he just seemed like another level of confident that I just felt was palpable,” Roberts said. “That translated into the season.”

Glasnow made seven starts before he landed on the injured list with back spasms and was 300 with a 2.72 earned-run average and 49 strikeouts in 39 ⅔ innings. 

With Glasnow as an option, is it really worth starting Ohtani in the playoffs when doing so could affect his health and offensive performance?

The Dodgers have five weeks to answer that question.

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The Chicago White Sox will be looking to finish their series with the Texas Rangers on a high note tonight at Rate Field as they'repriced as a -126 home favorite. The first pitch is set for 7:40 p.m. ET. 

However, Sean Burke is showing vulnerability lately while MacKenzie Gore is throwing the ball well, which has my Rangers vs. White Sox prediction targeting the visitors as an underdog. 

Read more in my MLB picks for Wednesday, Aug. 26. 

Who will win Rangers vs White Sox today: Rangers moneyline (+114)

MacKenzie Gore has settled in for the Texas Rangers lately, and that matters tonight. The left-hander owns a 3.17 FIP over his last two starts while limiting walks and home runs, and he's held opponents to a 35.1% hard-hit rate across the last month.

The Chicago White Sox have been average offensively, posting a 99 wRC+ over their last seven games. Sean Burke, meanwhile, draws a Texas lineup with a 111 wRC+ over the last week, and he has been vulnerable lately, allowing eight earned runs and 1.74 HR/9 across his previous two outings.

With Gore in better form and Texas carrying the stronger offensive profile, the Rangers are a live underdog.

I'd play this pick down to +100.

COVERS INTEL: The Rangers have shown up offensively on the road, posting a 101 wRC+ this season. That's right in line with their 102 overall mark, giving Texas a stable offensive profile away from home.

Rangers vs White Sox Over/Under pick: Over 7.5 (-121)

I’m leaning Over 7.5 because both offenses are in respectable enough form to pressure a low total. Texas has been swinging it well over the last week, while Chicago has been closer to league average recently.

That may not scream fireworks, but it's enough offensive stability to like run-scoring upside at this number.

The bigger separator is the White Sox bullpen. Chicago owns a 3.88 xERA over its last 36.2 innings, but it has allowed 1.47 HR/9 with a 44% hard-hit rate during that span. That gives Texas a clear late-game scoring path.

The Rangers’ bullpen has been solid, but 7.5 still feels attackable.

Play this pick up to -125.

Rangers vs White Sox home run prediction: Corey Seager (+344)

Corey Seager has smacked just one home run in the last week, but he’s hitting nearly .400 during that span with loud contact numbers and a respectable .214 ISO.

The veteran owns a 57.1% hard-hit rate, 9.5% barrel rate, and 93.4 mph average exit velocity over his previous seven games. In other words, Seager is consistently squaring up the baseball, and that matters against Sean Burke, who's having problems with the long ball. 

The White Sox bullpen has also allowed hard contact and home run damage lately, giving Seager another path late.

Play this pick down to +300.

Rangers vs White Sox weather

Weather at Rate Field looks mostly manageable tonight, with partly cloudy skies and temperatures falling from 81°F to 75°F. Rain chances start at 21% but fade quickly, and winds ease from 11 mph to 7 mph. Slight early shower risk, but no major delay concern.

Rangers vs White Sox odds

• Moneyline: Rangers +114 | White Sox -126
• Run line: Rangers +1.5 (-178) | White Sox -1.5 (+170)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-121) | Under 7.5 (+105)

Rangers vs White Sox trend

The Rangers have cashed the moneyline in four of their last six games for +1.35 units and a 16% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Rangers vs. White Sox.

How to watch Rangers vs White Sox and game info

Rangers vs White Sox latest injuries

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After over a year of rehab and recovery, Jackson Jobe made his triumphant return to the mound on Saturday, August 8 against the Giants. Then he got lit up by the White Sox on August 14. His outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates on the 19th, went much better as he allowed just one earned run over 5.1 innings. Truthfully, this all feels like the young right-hander is picking up right where he left off. He’s a very talented young pitcher, but there is still developmental work ahead to finally become more consistent and start racking up the level of swing and miss that his raw ability says he should be able to produce. That is exactly where things stood at the end of May 2025, when the Tigers announced that Jobe would undergo Tommy John surgery.

That first start back showed what Jobe can do, and was impressive after nearly 15 months on the shelf. The second showed off the issues he still needs to work on, as the White Sox handled his fourseamer without too much trouble and weren’t chasing his power slider-curveball combo. The third saw him pivot more to his sinker against the Pirates, with better results.

This is all still a work in progress, as right now Jobe is still just knocking the rust off. There was plenty of work ahead of him when he was first called up in September of 2024 after skipping through Triple-A in only two starts, and while he’s made progress in the interim, the same issues with fourseam swing and miss and the ineffectiveness of his high spin breaking stuff remain intact. Ultimately, hitters are the testing ground, and improving his pitch mix will be the focus as the now 24-year-old Jobe looks to fulfill his potential and develop into a frontline starter.

On Tuesday, Jobe faced his toughest test yet against a dominant Rays lineup that strikes out less than any team in the league. Their only weakness is a minor lack of home run power, but they’re still generally middle of the pack in that department, and it may just be a trade-off they’re happy to make to put the ball in play more often. Things went reasonably well as Jobe tossed 4.1 quite inefficient innings of one-run ball. He showcased why he’s still very much a young and inexperienced work in progress who just needs steady major league time in which to work with Chris Fetter and Robin Lund and figure things out, but he also illustrated why he’s not easy to hit either.

One thing we noticed in his Jobe’s rehab work in the minors was a nice post-TJ velocity bump. That’s carried through to the major leagues so far, as Jobe is averaging 98 mph with his fourseamer, a full 1.5 mph more than in 2025. The other obvious element is a distinct drop in Jobe’s arm angle. In 2024-2025, Jobe’s arm angle was 43-44 degrees. So far this season he’s generally around 39 degrees. With a path that is a little less over the top, typically, though certainly not always, the result is less riding action and more horizontal movement. We’re seeing the former, as Jobe is down from 17.8 inches of induced vertical break to 16.5 inches. He isn’t actually getting more run on the fourseamer in concert with that change, however.

That may have precipitated the move to using his sinker more instead, or maybe lowering his arm slot was part of the plan. Mixing the two fastball types is always a good idea to help keep hitters uncomfortable. It’s probably still a little too early to tell, but for one reason or another, the fourseamer just doesn’t get many whiffs in the zone. Jobe’s clean, rhythmic mechanics don’t give him any deception, his extension is somewhat below average, and despite his high spin rate, he doesn’t often get the type of high spin efficiency ride that say, Justin Verlander always did. Using the sinker much more in the zone, and saving the fourseamer mainly to try and induce chase above the zone may be the way to go here, but one way or another, mixing the two types is usually a positive, as it’s been for Troy Melton.

Jobe’s lower arm slot may be great for his breaking stuff, however. In 2025, Jobe’s best secondary pitch was clearly his changeup, and he’s still got that pitch in his pocket for left-handers especially. Where he’s struggled, even in the minor leagues, is with his breaking stuff. Jobe has always had very high spin rates, to such a degree that his slider and curveball needed to start at the top or even above the zone, just to end up close to the bottom of the zone rather than practically in the dirt. That much break and those high sightlines gave both pitches a distinctive “pop” out of his hand that made them too easy to pick up. They move too much, too early, instead of tunneling off his two fastball types and then producing that late snap at the plate. With the lower arm slot and more velocity, Jobe may have started to crack the code finally.

On Tuesday, he was pumping curveballs in at 85 and even 87 mph, which is elite velocity even for a knuckle curve. Entering the game, Jobe had averaged 81.1 mph, 2858 rpms of spin, and 56.3 inches of drop through his first three starts. Against the Rays, he averaged 85.1 mph and 49 inches of drop after tinkering with his grip and release a bit. Typically, if you can throw your breaking balls harder, they’re going to be nastier for hitters to handle with all else being equal. And coming from a lower arm slot, with less drop, they may be less obvious out of hand.

Of course, you still have to locate them consistently, but this is a really interesting development to track. Notably his slider was also up a mile per hour. Whether this sticks or not, we’ll have to wait and see, but it’s pretty indicative of both the talent level and the fact that Jobe is still a work in progress, making adjustments and seeing what works best for him.

We’ll have to see how well this velocity surge holds up over time. Jobe knows they aren’t going to push his pitch counts right now. He can just air it out freely with minimal conservation of energy. Some of this may naturally change as Jobe fatigues during a longer start or over the course of the whole season, but there’s reason to think he’ll keep some of these gains, too.

For another change, Jobe is on the record saying he shifted from the 3B side of the mound more to the center during his rehab, which helped keep him more streamlined to the plate. Some pitchers really like the cross-bodied deception, but for a power pitcher like Jobe, an efficient, linear drive towards the batter is probably best for maximizing velocity, though it wouldn’t hurt him to have a little more of a pause or hitch in his motion to help throw hitters’ timing off a bit. It’s also possible that this more straightforward delivery helps keep him in the zone a bit more than 2025, when he was in the bottom 20 starting pitchers in ‘zone percent’. That’s not automatically a death sentence, but it does require hitters chasing, and they haven’t done that too much yet.

Still, just watching his start against the Rays, it’s easy to see why he wasn’t getting as many whiffs as he could, and it doesn’t have that much to do with the quality of his pitches. He only threw 49 of 86 pitches for strikes. The issue is still more command than raw stuff. When ahead early in a count, he struggled to spot his breaking stuff close enough to the zone to consistently force hitters to chase. There are too many pure waste pitches that let hitters back into counts rather than forcing them into swing mode against pitches they don’t really want to swing at. Jobe often got ahead and had hitters set up, only to let them back into counts. Suddenly he’s in a situation where he has to turn to the fourseamer or sinker in swing counts while needing to throw a strike. Not a great recipe for success. He has the raw stuff, and there are tweaks they can make to the movement patterns, but the far bigger element to develop is the ability to work in and out, up and down, with more precision than we’ve seen so far. For a starting pitcher, just about everything else follows from fastball command.

Most of these points were true in 2025 as well, and it’s well worth remembering that the Tigers basically skipped him through Triple-A quickly in 2024 to get him on the postseason roster. He had barely turned 22 years old at the time, and while he was certainly talented enough, he had a lot of work ahead of him to refine his stuff and approach against major league hitters. Only in 2025 did he get a normal spring training camp and then a spot in the Opening Day rotation. Jobe made some nice progress in May of 2025 after a shaky start. He’s really just now picking up where he left off, but doing so in the wake of major arm surgery and a long grueling rehab over the past year.

The potential here is outstanding, and the new curveball is exciting, but some patience is going to be required. In the wake of losing Tarik Skubal, it’s just great to have Jobe back on the mound to continue his development. The Tigers are going to need him if they’re going to get back into contention in 2027 and beyond. The explosive bump in velocity, particularly on Tuesday with his curveball, the changes to his arm slot and position on the rubber, as well as the ongoing tweaks between fourseam and sinker-based approaches, all speak to the constant tinkering still going on. There is an awful lot to like in Jackson Jobe as he finally embarks fully on his major league career. He’s just getting started.

It’s at times like this that I have to remind myself that the Cubs still hold the top wild card spot in the National League (by three games) and are still within shouting distance of first place in the NL Central.

Because now, in addition to all the other issues facing this ballclub, they appear to have a closer problem.

Jacob Webb, who was so good for two solid months, has now blown saves in his last two appearances — with two-run walk-off homers both times, that’s now two of those in the last four days.

This one ruined an excellent starting outing from Clay Holmes. And if Webb’s not going to close anymore, can the Cubs trust Daniel Palencia again in that role? Because he got hammered for three runs in his inning of work in this one.

Sigh. Here’s your recap of the second soul-crushing loss on this road trip, 5-4 to the Diamondbacks.

Holmes and D-backs starter Brandon Pfaadt matched zeroes for the first three innings. In the top of the fourth, Seiya Suzuki led off with a single and went to third on a double by Michael Busch.

One out later, Ian Happ launched his 23rd home run [VIDEO].

Happ, last 16 games: .304/.381/.625 (17-for-56) with three doubles, five home runs, 13 RBI and 11 runs scored. His season OPS is up to .755, the highest it’s been since July 28. I think that qualifies as one of Happ’s late-season hot streaks. More on Happ’s blast from BCB’s JohnW53:

Ian Happ’s home run was the Cubs’ 27th of the season with two runners on base. That is as many as they hit all of last season, and just two short of the team record of 29, set in 2017. They hit 28 in 2008.

The Cubs tacked on one more run in the sixth. Suzuki led off with a double and scored on this single by Michael Busch [VIDEO].

As noted on the Marquee broadcast, at that point the Cubs set a franchise record of scoring 30 consecutive unanswered runs: the last 19 on Sunday, seven on Monday and the four in this one. The previous record of 29 was set May 11-13, 1969, when they posted three straight shutouts: 8-0 vs. the Giants, then 2-0 and 19-0 vs. the Padres. They gave up a run in the top of the third on May 14 vs. the Padres..

Holmes continued to baffle D-backs hitters through seven. He allowed just two hits, both singles, walked two and struck out five [VIDEO].

Here’s more on Holmes’ outing [VIDEO].

More from John:

The last time back-to-back starters for the Cubs pitched at least 7.0 innings, as Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes did Monday and Tuesday, was June 6-7 of last season, at Detroit.

Ben Brown gave up two runs on five hits, walked one and struck out seven in a 3-1 loss.
Jameson Taillon gave up one run on four hits, walked one and struck out five in a 6-1 win.

Both pitched 7.0, as did the last pair with back-to-back scoreless starts, on Sept. 27-28, 2024, at home vs. the Reds, in 1-0 and 3-0 wins.

Taillon allowed four hits, walked two and struck out two.
Kyle Hendricks allowed two hits, walked two and struck out two.

Ten of Holmes’ 21 outs were on ground balls. In four starts with the Cubs, Holmes now has a 1.96 ERA and 0.957 WHIP and has allowed just one home run in 23 innings. That’s looking like a really good trade.

Craig Counsell sent Palencia out for the eighth, his second appearance after returning from his rehab assignment. He’d been very good against the Mariners over the weekend. This time… not so much. With one out, he hit Jordan Lawlar in the head. Fortunately, Lawlar was okay. Then Palencia issued a walk. One out later, Gabriel Moreno doubled in two runs and Geraldo Perdomo singled in Moreno to make it 4-3. That prompted Counsell to summon Webb, who got out of the inning with a ground ball.

The Cubs didn’t score in the ninth, so Webb came back out to try to protect the one-run lead. He got a pair of outs sandwiched around a walk. Webb, who at this point had thrown 17 pitches, ran a 2-1 count on Ryan Waldschmidt, who then smashed his game-winning homer.

Sigh. Had Palencia done his job better in the eighth, Webb could have come in for a clean inning in the ninth and not had to clean up Palencia’s mess in the eighth.

Does this mean Webb shouldn’t close anymore? Well… not necessarily. Again, he was lights-out for two months. And if not Webb, then who? Palencia? Trent Thornton? Ryan Zeferjahn? I think you can see the issue here. Perhaps when Ben Brown returns — and we already know he won’t be stretched out to start — Brown should be given some closing opportunities.

That’s now two losses in four days for the Cubs in games they led after eight innings. Prior to Saturday, the Cubs were one of seven teams to not have a loss this year when leading after eight. Now they’re 60-2 in that situation. It should be noted that most teams do pretty well in that situation — as you can see here, this year 15 of the 30 teams have two or fewer losses when ahead after eight innings. Hopefully that “2” doesn’t change the rest of the year.

As noted, fortunately for the Cubs the two teams chasing them in the wild-card race besides the D-backs — the Phillies and Padres — also lost Tuesday. The Cubs remain three games ahead of Philadelphia and five games ahead of San Diego.

Here are Counsell’s postgame remarks [VIDEO].

The Cubs still have a chance at a series win and a .500 road trip Wednesday afternoon in Phoenix. Matthew Boyd will start for the Cubs and Eduardo Rodriguez goes for Arizona. Game time is 2:40 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network. The BCB game preview will post at 12:30 p.m. CT.

The Braves have a bunch of injured arms on their 40-man roster:

• Joe Jimenez
• Reynaldo Lopez
• Spencer Schwellenbach
• Spencer Strider
• Robert Suarez
• Joey Wentz

Hurston Waldrep isn’t on the major league Injured List, but is also an injured pitcher on the 40-man.

It doesn’t look like there’s any reason that Lopez won’t return, so that’s one… though you never know. No one’s even talking about Joey Wentz, so not him.

The other starters have no updates, and time is running out… so probably not them? Time is also running out for Robert Suarez, but he doesn’t need to get stretched out, at least. And then Joe Jimenez is the ultimate wild card in the sense that it seemed like his career might be over. It’d be funny if he came back and made an impact, because it would be so random.

For more non-detail, see the embedded Feed post.

What do you think happens?

The Orioles placed Samuel Basallo on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation back on July 22. At that time, Baltimore was 50-53. The Birds were only a few games removed from a seven-game win streak that had the potential to save their season. Adley Rutschman, Taylor Ward and Tyler Wells were still on the team.

Basallo returned from the IL on August 19. Plenty of things had changed in Baltimore over the last month, but one thing remained the same—The Orioles were only a few games out of the final wild card spot.

Rutschman’s departure had a profound effect on the roster and the fan base, but the move affected the injured rookie as much as anyone. Basallo shifted from a timeshare situation to being the primary option behind the dish. Baltimore made a clear investment in Basallo’s future by inking him to an eight-year extension in 2025, but it was always difficult to imagine Rutschman leaving before the end of 2027.

Rutschman’s departure had to make Basallo’s stay on the IL even more painful. Now healthy, the 22-year-old has an opportunity to make a sizable impact in his first stretch as the primary option.

Pete Alonso has been just about everything the Orioles could ask for in year one of his five-year, $155 million deal, but the majority of the offense has struggled to turn in consistent performances. The loss of Rutschman and Ward took away two of Baltimore’s best on-base guys, and Gunnar Henderson’s struggles have been felt all season.

Despite all of that, things could still click at the right time. Jackson Holliday is delivering quality at bats at the top of the order. Coby Mayo is destroying left-handed pitching. Dylan Beavers and Tyler O’Neill are making their presence known. Colton Cowser’s pop is still there, and Craig Albernaz has found a way to deploy the right hitters at the right time.

The Orioles still need more from their offense, and Basallo’s big bat can make a world of difference. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 250 lbs, Basallo provides a presence in the heart of the order. He helped steal a valuable win with a late-game homer on Saturday, and he should provide valuable protection to other players in the order.

The team has attempted to ease their franchise player back into action, but the time for that has come and gone. Carlos Narváez has earned praise for his early work with pitchers, but the bat simply isn’t there right now. Basallo provides much needed power and credibility to a lineup that needs to fire on all cylinders if the team hopes to make the playoffs.

It always felt like possessing two plus-hitting catchers was a cheat code. The Orioles forfeited that privilege when they shipped Rutschman to Boston. Narváez is capable of more than he’s shown, but he’s hitting like a backup catcher right now. Designated hitter slots are limited with Alonso entrenched at first base and Mayo emerging as a must-start against lefties. At the same time, this lineup can reach a different gear with Basallo taking the place of Narváez or Yohel Pozo.

Basallo entered last night’s game with a 110 OPS+. That number may not jump off the page, but it’s good for second on the team with Blaze Alexander sidelined and both Rutschman and Ward out of the picture.

Fortunately, multiple players are capable of performing above their season totals. Holliday slashed .368/.500/.421 in July before falling back off over the last two weeks. Henderson entered last night’s game slashing .311/.404/.533 over the last two weeks. Guys like Christian Encarnacion-Strand have stepped up, and Beavers has proven that he’s not afraid of the moment. The offense put its potential on full display with a 13-1 win last night without any help from Basallo (0-5, 4 K).

Some of that may feel like a stretch, but that only strengthens the opportunity for Basallo. The rookie became one of the best hitters on the active roster the day that he was activated. It may feel like an odd time to say this after his struggles last night, but the lineup just looks different with the big guy penciled into the heart of the order.

Basallo will not be defined by his performance if he struggles over the final month of the season, but he has the opportunity to transform the offense with a 30-game hot streak. The Orioles need several things to break right if they hope to play baseball in October, but Basallo emerging as an X-factor could provide the power surge that the team needs.

The Mets continue a three-game series against the Brewers at Citi Field on Wednesday night at 7:10 on SNY.

Mets Notes

• Carson Benge is hitting .319/.378/.491 in 238 plate appearances dating back to June 18
• Bo Bichette is hitting .310/.347/.477 (.823 OPS) with nine homers and 15 doubles in 300 plate appearances since June 3
• Robert Stock allowed one run on two hits while walking three and striking out six in 4.1 innings during his last start on Aug. 19 against the Padres

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