DETROIT, MI - JULY 27: Kyle Bradish #38 of the Baltimore Orioles examines a baseball while pitching against the Detroit Tigers during the second inning at Comerica Park on July 27, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Orioles are back on national television for the second straight game. Last night was Apple TV. Tonight, it’s FOX. Perhaps it is my own neurosis, but it feels like the O’s rarely do well on the big stage. Hopefully that isn’t the case tonight.
If this team wants to stay close in the playoff race, they need to win these games with the Rangers. The short-term schedule will only get tougher with series against the Rays and Yankees looming.
Kyle Bradish will be on the bump. His last appearance was brief as the rain washed him out of the game against the Phillies on Sunday. He will be raring to go since he hasn’t turned in a “good” start since July 22, when he held the Red Sox to one run over six innings.
Jacob deGrom starts for Texas. That isn’t ideal for the Orioles. The veteran righty has dominated them in his career, to the tune of a 1.88 ERA over six starts. He has never taken a loss against the O’s and has piled up 46 strikeouts over 38.1 innings against them.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - JULY 27: Matthew Liberatore #32 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches against the Chicago Cubs in the first inning at Busch Stadium on July 27, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s game 2 of the St. Louis Cardinals 3-game series hosting the Colorado Rockies Saturday night. Matthew Liberatore will start for the Cardinals while the Rockies will give the ball to Kyle Freeland. First pitch is scheduled for 6:15pm central time and the game broadcast will be available through Cardinals.tv.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JULY 28: Seth Lugo #67 of the Kansas City Royals looks on against the Minnesota Twins in the second inning at Target Field on July 28, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins defeated the Royals 3-2. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Royals fell to the Cubs in the opener thanks to a terrific start from the Cubs’ newest acquisition, Kevin Gausman, but they get a chance at revenge against the Cubs’ newest acquisition, Clay Holmes, tonight.
I wrote about Holmes a bit last week when I pondered how the Royals could try to replace Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo if either or both were traded this year.
Clay Holmes is on the opposite side of the spectrum from most of the guys we’ve discussed so far. His 2.39 ERA is probably a performance a bit beyond his skis. That said, if you can pay him like the 4.00 SIERA guy he’s actually been, it could work!
I stand by that; his results have outpaced his efforts. But that doesn’t mean he can’t keep it going against the Royals tonight. Only time will tell.
Holmes threw six different pitches for the Mets this year ahead of the trade, though he only threw two four-seamers all year. He gets a fair amount of chase, but very few whiffs on anything but his sweeper. He throws his sinker more than half the time and gets a lot of groundballs with it. The Cubs have a tremendous defense, so the Royals will want to figure out how to avoid that fate.
Seth Lugo will go for KC in a matchup of former Mets now wearing blue who never played with each other. Lugo’s last start, against Colorado, saw him tie his career high in walks while also getting hit around. It ruined a stretch of three straight quality starts. He’ll try to get back on the horse against the Cubs tonight.
Lineups
Isaac Collins, cleanup hitter. Josh Rojas, Designated Hitter. Salvador Perez, a day off while slashing .280/.296/.480/.776 over the last week when he couldn’t buy one while OPSing in the .400s earlier this year. All you can do is laugh. To be clear, these aren’t criticisms. Salvy should get a day off; he hasn’t had one in about a month. Collins is as good a cleanup hitter as you’re likely to find in the current roster construction. And the remaining options for DH would be Luke Maile, Tyler Tolbert, and Starling Marte. They’re not really any better than Rojas.
It really just drives home, again, how laughable it is to me that the Royals are going to compete next year because they have a core. Sure, yes, they have Bobby Witt Jr., Jac Caglianone, Carter Jensen, and Maikel Garcia, plus Noah Cameron, Seth Lugo, and Michael Wacha as a core. But they have barely any supporting cast, and finding enough guys to do that competently in a single offseason sounds like sheer lunacy to me. I hope I’m wrong. Until then, I’ll be regularly checking out Zion Rose, David Shields, and friends in Quad Cities.
A Saturday afternoon dedicated to nostalgia for the past might have transitioned into a display of hope for the present and future.
The Old-Timers — including members of the 1996 World Series team celebrating the 30-year anniversary and plenty of representatives from the 2009 champions, the last link to Yankees greatness — put on a show for 45,222 in The Bronx who came to pay tribute to yesterday’s heroes.
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And a few hours later, a pair of exciting rookies on the 2026 Yankees offered some hope that tomorrow’s — and maybe today’s — Yankees can reclaim some of that glory.
On Old-Timers’ Day, it was George Lombard Jr. and Spencer Jones — who have played a combined 48 major league games — who carried a previously silent Yankees offense in a 5-4 victory over Chris Sale and the Braves.
“I didn’t think about that,” Jones said about the rookies shining in front of the franchise alumni. “That’s pretty sweet. I think those guys lay the foundation of what this organization is.”
The Yankees (66-51), who have seen 18 of their past 24 games get decided by one or two runs, will try to sweep a series against the class of the NL East on Sunday after moving 1 ¹/₂ games clear of the Red Sox for the top AL wild-card spot.
New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice rounds the bases on his solo home run in the eighth inning on Aug. 8, 2026. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
They survived another nail-biter in part because Gerrit Cole (seven innings, two runs) continued what has been a remarkable run for Yankees starting pitchers, who sport a 1.67 ERA (64 ²/₃ innings, 12 earned runs) in their past 11 games.
But Cole was dented in the fifth, which meant he needed some support. He found it mostly through a pair of rookies who are untested but have undeniable ability.
Jones and Lombard finished a combined 4-for-6 with two walks, a homer, a triple, three runs scored and three RBIs. The rest of the lineup went 4-for-24.
Yankees rookie George Lombard Jr. hits a solo home run in the seventh inning. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
The game was ultimately decided in the fifth, in which the Braves tagged Cole for two runs in the top half of the inning to take a 2-1 edge before the Yankees provided an immediate answer.
Lombard — who seemingly does everything well — appeared to strike out on two consecutive pitches to lead off the frame, but in both instances he used challenges to earn balls three and four of the plate appearance.
After the walk, up stepped Jones, who against Sale — a big lefty famously dominant against same-sided hitters — cranked an RBI triple that split the outfielders in right-center to tie the game.
New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole got the start on Saturday. Robert Sabo for NY Post
“Excellent, really excellent,” manager Aaron Boone said of Jones, who had snapped an 0-for-19 skid with a first-inning RBI single against Sale. “He’s shown here over the last 10 days, I feel like he’s gaining experience and you can see it up there — you can see some adjustments he makes.”
A Yankees team that has scored more than five runs just four times in its past 45 games needs to score any way it can, and so it will not apologize for the go-ahead run then coming on a balk from Sale, who was irate but less outraged than his manager, Walt Weiss, who was ejected from the game.
The next Yankees runs came more traditionally: Lombard visited the short porch in the seventh inning for his second career home run and Ben Rice added one of his own in the eighth, both solo shots mattering because Brent Headrick (who let up a dinger to Ronald Acuña Jr. in the eighth) and David Bednar (one run on a hit and a walk in the ninth) were not perfect.
For too long, just about perfection has been required from the Yankees staff, so inept have been the bats. Jones, cartoonishly talented but with extreme swing-and-miss weaknesses in the minors, showed enough to replace Jasson Domínguez on the roster. Lombard, just 21, is asserting on a daily basis that his glove is not just ready but elite and his bat seems to be improving.
New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells (28) and pitcher David Bednar (53) celebrate after the win. Robert Sabo for NY Post
“We were confident that he’s ready for this,” Boone said of Lombard, who is just the fifth Yankee in the past 46 years to record a hit in each of his first four games. “He’s certainly shown that here through his first … [four] games.”
HOUSTON, TX - AUGUST 05: Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker (8) swings and misses in the bottom of the first inning during the MLB game between the Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros on August 5, 2026 at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
TODAY’S GAME: The first-place Houston Astros (60-57) continue their six-game road trip with the second game of three-game series against the San Diego Padres (60-57) at Petco Park.
RHP Peter Lambert (8-5, 3.06 ERA) will be on the mound for the Astros for his 20th start of the season today, opposite RHP Michael King (6-8, 3.45 ERA) and the Padres.
THE TURNAROUND: After a slow start to the season, the Astros are 40-26 since May 22, which is the second-best record in the AL in that span. On that date, the Astros were 20-31, 11 games under, which is their low water mark for the season.
THAT’S OFFENSIVE: The Astros lead the AL in SLG (.418), and OPS (.740), while ranking second in runs scored (546), home runs (159), OBP (.323) and hits (976). In the Majors, the Astros rank third in homers, trailing only the Nationals (170) and Yankees (164).
THE LAMBO: Today’s Astros starter RHP Peter Lambert leads the club in wins (8), starts (19), innings (108.2) and strikeouts (108). Among AL pitchers with at least 100 IP, Lambert ranks fourth in opponent average (.206) and seventh in ERA. In July, he recorded a 1.88 ERA (6ER/28.2IP) with 32 strikeouts, a .204 opponent batting average and a 1.05 WHIP. Lambert pitched last year for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in the NPB, posting a 3.98 ERA (55ER/124.1IP) with 111 strikeouts in 23 starts.
ROAD WARRIORS: The Astros continue a six-game West Coast road-trip with the second game of a three-game series against the San Diego Padres. Following their series with Padres, the Astros will travel to San Francisco for a three-game series against the Giants. The Astros went 5-1 on their last road trip. Houston is also 23-13 (.639) on their last five road trips and are 29-19 (.604) on the road since going 1-9 on their first road trip of the season. Houston is 30-28 overall on the road in 2026.
THE LINEUP: The Astros have used 115 different lineups in their 117 games, repeating a lineup just twice on the season, which includes using the same lineup on Monday and Tuesday. DH Yordan Alvarez has the most starts at any spot in the lineup among Astros, hitting second 104 times.
VS. THE PADRES: The Astros and Padres have faced off vs. each other 616 times with the Astros leading the series 322-294. The Astros last faced the Padres in a three-game series at Daikin Park from April 18-20, 2025 (Astros went 2-1). The last time the Astros were at Petco Park was from Sept. 16-18, 2024 at SD (Padres went 2-1).
MVP-CALIBER: Yordan Alvarez leads the AL in all three Triple Crown categories, ranking first in batting average (.328), HR (35), and RBI (86). Additionally, he leads MLB in OPS (1.078), OBP (.442), SLG (.636), and TB (266). In the AL, he ranks first in hits (137), extra-base hits (59), and runs (79), and second in walks (82).
HEAVY TRAFFIC: DH Yordan Alvarez has reached base safely in 22 straight games (since July 10), batting .405 (32×79) with 17 runs, eight doubles, six home runs, 19 RBI, 23 walks, a .544 OBP and a 1.278 OPS during the streak. Alvarez also has on-base streaks of 25 games (May 22-June 19) and 22 games (April 4-28) this season.
STREAKING: 1B Christian Walker has hit safely in season-high 10 consecutive games at a .325 (13×40) clip with seven runs, four doubles, two home runs, six RBI and a .988 OPS during the streak. It is his second-longest hitting streak of his career, behind a 13-game hitting streak from June 16-29, 2023, as a member of the Diamondbacks.
DOWN ON THE FARM: The Astros 2026 first-round pick 1B Logan Hughes went 1×4 with two RBI in his minor league debut last night with Single A Fayetteville. SS Kam Durnin (0x2, 2 BB, R), LF Owen Nowak (2×4, 2B, R) and 2B Aaron Piasecki (1×4) also made their minor league debuts with the Woodpeckers.
MULTI-HOMER MADNESS: RF Cam Smith went 3×4 with two solo home runs last night at SD. Marked his fourth career multi-homer game (last, June 29 vs. MIN). Was also his second career multi-homer game against the Padres (also, April 18, 2025).
ON THE DEFENSIVE: 1B Christian Walker has not commited an error in his 111 games at first base this season, which is the longest errorless streak in the Majors this season.
HEART & HUSTLE: Yesterday, OF Cam Smith was named the Houston Astros 2026 Heart and Hustle Award winner. This prestigious honor, which is awarded by the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA), is presented yearly to players who exemplify a passion for the game and who best embody the values, spirit, and traditions of the game.
BRYAN’S BACK: RHP Bryan Abreu has a 1.02 ERA (2ER/17.2IP) in his last 17 apps. with just seven hits allowed and 22 strikeouts in that span. Additionally, since May 1, he has a 1.93 ERA (7ER/32.2IP) in 34 apps., and is 6-for-6 in save opp. in that span. Prior to May 1, Abreu had a 12.54 ERA in his first 11 apps. of the season.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS: 2B Jose Altuve went 2×5 with a solo home run on Wednesday vs. Toronto. This marked his 247th career home run as a second baseman, surpassing Joe Gordon and Ian Kinsler for the 8th-most home runs by a second baseman in MLB history.
TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 1986 – In the Dome, longtime fan favorite Jose “Cheo” Cruz collects his 1,000th career RBI in a 5-0 win over the Padres. Cruz went 2×4 with 2 RBI on the night. RHP Mike Scott goes the distance for the CG shutout.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Saturday, August 8, 6:15 p.m. CT
Location: Petco Park, San Diego, CA
TV: SCHN
Radio: KTRH 740 AM; KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
Well before he became the San Francisco Giants' president of baseball operations, Buster Posey helped the club become recognized as one of the rare dynasties in baseball's modern era.
Posey, along with Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, Joe Panik and Pablo Sandoval were enshrined into the club's esteemed Wall of Fame.
Inductions were held before the Giants' contest against the Detroit Tigers on Saturday, August 8. The Wall of Fame ceremony began at 3 p.m. PT (6 p.m. ET), the team announced. The first pitch of the game is at 4:15 p.m. (7:15 p.m. ET).
In a five-year span, the Giants captured three World Series pennants from 2010 to 2014, winning in 2010, 2012 and 2014. Here's everything you need to know about the Giants' Wall of Fame inductees.
Buster Posey career stats
Posey was the starting catcher, and played some first base, in each of his seasons in San Francisco, helping them to reach the pinnacle of baseball.
He played 12 seasons with the Giants, where he appeared in 1,371 games, posting a .302 batting average with 663 runs, 293 doubles, 158 home runs, 729 RBI, 540 walks, a .372 on-base percentage, and a .460 slugging percentage.
His defensive career includes .995 fielding percentage in 1093 games played as a catcher and a .995 fielding percentage in 229 games played at first base.
He really took off in postseason play with a .252 batting average with 18 runs, 6 doubles, 5 home runs, 25 RBI and 23 walks.
Brandon Belt career stats
Belt wasn't a part of the 2010 championship, but was around in 2012 and 2014. He played first base and left field at times for San Francisco. He put together a 13-year career where he tallied a .261 batting average with 194 home runs, 681 runs, 627 RBIs, and 47 stolen bases. His hit splits were .357 on-base percentage and a .460 slugging percentage.
He played with the Giants from 2011 to 2022. His final season played in the MLB was with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2023.
Brandon Crawford career stats
Like Belt, Crawford was not a part of the 2010 title, but was on the team for the other two. He wasn't just on the team; he was a major part of the Giants' victory. He became a three-time All-Star in San Francisco.
After 14 MLB seasons, Crawford recorded 1,404 hits, 674 runs, 147 homers and 748 RBIs. His batting stats included a .249 average, .318 on-base percentage and a .395 slugging percentage.
Crawford played shortstop in all his prime years with the Giants. He remained in San Francisco from 2011 to 2023. He joined the St. Louis Cardinals in 2024.
Pablo Sandoval career stats
Pablo Sandoval, affectionately known as "Kung Fu Panda", or simply "Panda", put together a solid MLB career that spanned across 14 seasons and included two All-Star appearances in 2011 and 2012. He was named the 2012 World Series MVP.
He played third base, and sometimes first. Mostly third.
Sandoval recorded a career .278 batting average with 1,279 hits, 153 home runs, 548 runs and 639 RBIs. As for hitting numbers, Panda threw up a .330 on-base percentage and .443 slugging percentage.
Sandoval left the Giants after the 2014 title, joining the Boston Red Sox from 2015 to 2017. He returned to San Francisco for another four seasons from 2017 to 2020 and finished his career playing two seasons with the Atlanta Braves in 2020 and 2021.
Joe Panik career stats
Joe Panik spent time at second and third base in his eight MLB seasons. Panik wasn't around for the first two World Series wins, but he joined the Giants just in time to earn a ring in 2014, where he played a huge role and helped make one of the most spectacular World Series plays ever.
It was Game 7 of the World Series against the Kansas City Royals where Panik made a diving stop on a ball up the middle. He flipped the ball using his glove, getting it to Crawford to tag the lead runner out in the bottom third inning. Crawford then threw to first to try to get a sliding Eric Hosmer out.
It was his only championship. Panik also became an All-Star in 2015 and won a Gold Glove award in 2016.
Panik suited up for the Giants (2014–2019), New York Mets (2019), Blue Jays (2020–2021) and Miami Marlins (2021).
His career stats include 733 hits, 42 home runs, 340 runs, 258 RBIs, 22 stolen bases and an overall batting average of .264. He carried a .328 on-base percentage and .372 slugging percentage.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 07: Manny Machado #13 of the San Diego Padres advances home to score a run during the fourth inning against the Houston Astros at Petco Park on August 07, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Houston Astros (60-57) at San Diego Padres (60-57), August 8, 2026, 4:15 p.m. PST
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DENVER, COLORADO - AUGUST 02: Kyle Freeland #21 of the Colorado Rockies warms up on the mound prior to the first inning of a game against the Kansas City Royals at Coors Field on August 02, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Kyle Cooper/Colorado Rockies/Getty Images)
The Colorado Rockies (45-71) and St. Louis Cardinals (58-58) meet again tonight at Busch Stadium after the Cardinals took the series opener 3-2.
Colorado is tied for the worst record in baseball and sits four games behind the San Francisco Giants for fourth place in the NL West.
St. Louis has worked its way back to an even .500 despite carrying a minus-9 run differential. The Cardinals are 14 games behind in the NL Central, but remain just 3.5 games out of the final National League Wild Card spot.
The standings suggest a fairly wide gap between these teams. The matchup itself is a little more interesting.
Colorado has been the better offensive team, while St. Louis has been more complete and efficient defensively. Neither bullpen has been a particular strength.
The Cardinals frustrated the Rockies throughout Friday’s opener. Colorado finished with 10 hits but went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position, allowing St. Louis to win despite collecting only four hits of its own.
That puts some added weight on a starting pitching matchup featuring two left-handers coming off excellent outings.
Kyle Freeland will try to even the series for Colorado.
Freeland enters at 3-10 with a 6.81 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 93 strikeouts across 108.1 innings.
Those numbers look nothing like his last start.
Freeland threw the first complete game of his career against the Kansas City Royals, allowing one run on five hits while striking out eight in an 8-1 victory.
The way he did it was also notable.
Freeland generated 19 whiffs on 55 swings, well above his season norm. His knuckle curve did most of the damage, producing eight misses on 12 swings and accounting for five of his eight strikeouts.
He also changed his pitch distribution.
Freeland threw his sinker 22% of the time after using it only 7% this season. His four-seamer and sweeper usage both came down, while the cutter remained his most frequently used pitch.
Freeland has used six pitches this season, mixing the four-seamer, cutter, sinker, knuckle curve, changeup and sweeper. His fastball results have been poor overall, but his command has remained a strength. His 4.7% walk rate ranks among the best in baseball.
The question tonight is whether some of what worked against Kansas City carries into St. Louis.
Liberatore enters at 5-8 with a 4.97 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 107 strikeouts across 108.2 innings.
He is also coming off one of his best performances of the season.
Liberatore held the Toronto Blue Jays scoreless for six innings, allowing one hit and striking out seven.
Like Freeland, the shape of the outing was a little different from his season-long profile.
Liberatore’s four-seam fastball has been one of his least effective pitches this year, but Toronto missed five times on 11 swings against it. Four of his seven strikeouts came on four-seamers.
He also leaned more heavily on his slider and convinced Toronto hitters to chase 40% of his pitches outside the strike zone, well above his 29.8% season chase rate.
Liberatore works with six pitches, led by a 94.4 mph four-seamer and slider. He also mixes in a curveball, changeup, sinker and cutter.
The arsenal gives him ways to miss bats, especially when hitters help him outside the zone. The season results have been less convincing. His fastball and breaking-ball results have both been poor, while his offspeed pitches have been the strongest part of his profile.
Liberatore’s arsenal can still make the Rockies uncomfortable, particularly if they expand the zone and let his secondary pitches dictate the at-bat. But his season numbers also suggest opportunities if Colorado can force him back over the plate and handle the fastball when it comes.
That was the missing piece Friday. The Rockies created traffic but could not turn it into enough offense.
Tonight, the larger question sits on the mound. Does Freeland look more like the pitcher who dominated Kansas City, or the one who has struggled for much of the season? And does Liberatore carry over the version that overwhelmed Toronto, or fall back toward the uneven profile his season numbers suggest?
ATLANTA, GA - JULY 18: Texas pitcher Jacob Degrom (48) reacts during the MLB game between the Texas Rangers and the Atlanta Braves on July 18th, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 07: Daylen Lile #4 of the Washington Nationals celebrates with CJ Abrams #5 and Brady House #12 after hitting a three-run home run in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Nationals Park on August 07, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After a big win last night, the Nats will look to build on that performance tonight. It will be a tough task though. The Nats are facing one of the best young pitchers in the game in Chase Burns. However, the offense has started to look a bit better the last three games.
The Nats are making a couple tweaks to the lineup. CJ Abrams is back at shortstop which means Nasim Nunez slides to second base. Jose Tena will take the DH spot tonight. Jorbit Vivas will be the third baseman in this one. Andrew Alvarez is looking to build on a good start last time out.
With a lefty on the Reds are making some lineup changes. Dane Myers is the big one, with the center fielder moving into the 3 hole. They will also make a change behind the plate, with Jose Trevino getting the nod. Eugenio Suarez is hitting higher in the lineup. As mentioned, Reds ace Chase Burns is on the mound. He has a 13-1 record with a 2.35 ERA.
After a brutal road trip, the Nats have a chance to shake that off here at home. Getting a quick series win would be a great way to do that. They can get that done tonight but with Burns on the mound it will be tough. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 08: George Lombard Jr. #96 of the New York Yankees reacts after hitting a solo home run during the seventh inning against 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
Baseball’s a funny sport. Old-Timers’ Day activities had us awash in the nostalgia of past Yankee greatness. Chris Sale and Gerrit Cole were starting today, two of the defining pitchers of their rapidly-closing era. Yet as our attention turned to the past, then to the ever-fleeting present, it was the future of the Yankees that delivered a win today; George Lombard Jr., Spencer Jones, and Ben Rice paced New York to a Saturday afternoon victory over the Braves, 5-4 your final.
Trent Grisham got us started in the second, with a booming double over Michael Harris II’s head in center field. Spencer Jones knocked the Yankee centerfielder in to put the Yankees up early, the first of three strong plate appearances for the hulking rookie.
We really missed Cody Bellinger in this one, though. Heliot Ramos plays a very shallow left field as it turns out, and a soft fly ball off the bat of Mauricio Dubón leading off the fifth ended up over Ramos’ head. A more competent outfielder would make the catch, but Dubón was on and Atlanta followed with three more hits to go up 2-1. This isn’t to take the blame off Cole, who started to leave some pitches out over the zone and was hit hard all four times, but starting the inning with an easy out rather than a runner on is a significant difference.
The Yankees picked up their dad in their half of the frame though, with the kids on the squad acting as chaos agents. Lombard had a great plate appearance to lead off the bottom of the fifth, challenging two consecutive called third strikes to work a walk instead:
Up next, Spencer Jones, recalled to the plate after a challenge overturned what could have been a hit by pitch, drilled his first career triple to bring Lombard in:
Maybe that set something off in Sale — who famously plays with, uh, emotion — as the lefty balked to bring Jones in to score (much to the chagrin of both the ace and his skipper, Walt Weiss). Austin Wells knocked a double to left field with the bases empty, and while he was stranded, it was the kind of high-energy inning the Yankees have sorely been lacking over the last six weeks or so.
Given the lead again, Cole tossed consecutive eight-pitch shutout innings, although he was helped a little bit by defensive specialist Amed Rosario:
All told Cole threw seven innings, allowed a pair of runs, and struck out nine including getting slugger Matt Olson twice, the second time for his 1,000th Yankee strikeout. Unsurprisingly, doing it in his 139th game makes Cole the fastest in franchise history to do so. The Yankees have their three best starters lined up for this big series, and both Max Fried and Cole have delivered in their outings.
Lombard continued to impress, knocking his second home run of his short career to give the team an insurance run, going deep against his father’s original team.
It had been 11 games Rice was sitting on 31 home runs, and after breaking the RBI-less streak last night with that clutch single, you had to imagine a major weight is off his shoulders now. I’ve felt like Rice has been pressing for a couple of weeks as often the only representative MLB-level offensive threat, so maybe having contributions from guys hitting in the back half of the lineup has the lefty slugger a little more relaxed. If that’s the case, it’s a big plus for a Yankee team that finally looked like they could control their at-bats.
David Bednar had a bit of a rocky ninth, walking Mike Yastrzemski who later scored on pinch-hitter Dom Smith’s single. Stellar catcher Drake Baldwin put up a fight with two out, finally flying out to none other than Spencer Jones in right to end the game. The Yankees have taken two out of three against a very good, very likely playoff team, and it feels as though the momentum from Friday night’s heroics followed New York into this one — even if the last two innings were a little hairier than we’d like.
As they say, momentum is only as good as the next day’s starting pitcher, but the Yankees have a pretty good next day’s starting pitcher. Cam Schlittler will look to keep pace with Dylan Cease atop the AL Cy Young race, and managing an emerging home/road split will be key for him against a good Atlanta lineup (and opposing starter Grant Holmes). First pitch in tomorrow’s series finale comes at 1:35pm Eastern.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 8: Houston Astros GM Dana Brown is interviewed during the annual Houston Astros media luncheon at Minute Maid Park on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, in Houston. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
As Dana Brown works through the final year of his current contract as Astros general manager, it’s fair to start evaluating his tenure the same way you would any executive in professional sports.
Create a ledger.
Put the good decisions on one side, the questionable ones on the other, and determine whether the positives outweigh the negatives.
There have certainly been positives.
Perhaps Brown’s biggest success came when the Astros realized they weren’t going to sign Kyle Tucker to the massive long-term contract he was eventually going to command. Rather than allowing another star player to simply walk out the door, Brown acted.
The Astros traded Tucker and received Isaac Paredes, Cam Smith and Hayden Wesneski in return.
Whatever you think about losing a player of Tucker’s caliber, Brown deserves credit for recognizing the situation and maximizing the return while he still could. Paredes has become an important piece, Smith has enormous upside, and Wesneski gave the organization another young arm with potential.
Put that one firmly in the win column.
Unfortunately, the other side of Brown’s ledger has become increasingly concerning.
After the Astros allowed Framber Valdez to leave in free agency, Brown suddenly had money available to reshape the pitching staff. Houston brought in six pitchers for the 2026 season.
Three have already been designated for assignment.
That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement of the organization’s offseason evaluation process.
Then there’s Tatsuya Imai.
At roughly $19 million per season, Imai was supposed to help stabilize the rotation after Valdez’s departure. Instead, his first season in Houston has been an absolute roller coaster.
Between adjusting to Major League Baseball, adapting to a new country and dealing with the cultural challenges that come with pitching in the United States, the transition clearly hasn’t been easy. But eventually, baseball becomes about production.
Imai has been erratic and largely ineffective, and now he’s pitching out of the bullpen.
That creates an even bigger question for the organization: What exactly is the return on that investment going to look like over the remaining years of his contract?
It’s one thing to miss on a short-term acquisition. It’s another when you’re talking about significant money committed for multiple seasons.
Then there’s Mauricio Dubón.
For several years, Dubón was one of the most valuable complementary players on the Astros roster. He could play virtually anywhere on the field, gave the team a professional at-bat, provided Gold Glove-caliber defense and was exactly the kind of versatile player championship teams need.
Yet Houston moved him, in part because of concerns about his salary and the flexibility the Astros believed they needed to add elsewhere.
Fast-forward to today.
The Astros reportedly have approximately $9 million in financial flexibility remaining, while Dubón’s roughly $6 million salary would have fit comfortably within that number.
Considering how inconsistent Houston’s offense has been and how frequently the Astros have searched for answers at multiple positions, wouldn’t Dubón look pretty good on this roster right now?
That brings us to the trade deadline.
For a team that fought its way back from a terrible start and put itself in position to contend for another division championship, the deadline was underwhelming.
The Astros did acquire center fielder Daulton Varsho, but the price was significant: Spencer Arrighetti, a starting pitcher with three additional years of team control.
Meanwhile, Varsho can become a free agent after the season.
Maybe the gamble works.
Maybe Varsho rediscovers the player he was a year ago, becomes a difference-maker down the stretch and helps Houston make another deep postseason run. Maybe he enjoys Houston enough to re-sign and becomes part of the team’s future.
If those things happen, the trade will look considerably better.
But that’s a lot of maybes.
Right now, Houston surrendered years of control over a starting pitcher for a player who could potentially be gone in a matter of months.
That’s not a sure thing.
That’s a gamble.
And when you combine that decision with some of Brown’s other recent moves, it’s fair to wonder whether a general manager working without a contract beyond this season is beginning to feel the pressure.
If Brown truly is fighting to keep his job, then he shouldn’t be finished.
The trade deadline may have passed, but other opportunities have emerged.
Marcell Ozuna, Jorge Soler and Austin Hays are among the veteran bats who could potentially provide more offensive upside than some of the options Houston continues to run into its lineup.
Are any of them perfect solutions?
No.
But we’re well beyond searching for perfect.
We’re searching for better.
If Houston can add a veteran hitter without sacrificing another prospect or young pitcher, why wouldn’t Brown investigate every possible avenue? Wheter his future is yet to be decided or already sealed, finish the job by finishing the year strong. Go for it! It’s in everyone’s best interest, even Brown’s, even if it’s not in Houston next season. This team deseves every opportunity to make a run and finish the season strong.
As always, Astros fans, I want to hear from you.
How do you evaluate the job Dana Brown has done? Have the good moves outweighed the bad ones? And with the trade deadline behind us, what, if anything, should he still do to give this team its best chance to win before it’s too late? Can he save his job?
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 07: Kaelen Culpepper #12 of the Minnesota Twins reacts while crossing home plate after getting his first major league hit, a solo home run, in the fourth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on August 07, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
First Pitch: 6:10 pm CDT TV: Twins.TV Radio: TIBN / WCCO 830 / The Wolf 102.9 FM / Audacy
Armed with their latest weapon — unstoppable rookie Kaelen Culpepper — the Twins aim to take the series against baseball’s best team. They already got one; what’s one more? After all, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from watching baseball, it’s that if something happens today, the exact same thing will probably happen tomorrow. The same is true for life!
Taj Bradley struggled to miss bats in his last outing, unless you count walks as missing bats. Either way, two strikeouts against the Mariners was a far cry from 10 strikeouts against the Royals, although both starts were quality and four of Bradley’s last five outings have met the same criteria. One of Bradley’s tougher recent tests will come in the form of Milwaukee’s first-place lineup, who showed everything they can do and then some in the first game of this set.
Milwaukee will start relative newbie Robert Gasser, a lefty making his 20th start tonight despite appearances in three big-league seasons. Gasser likes him his sweeper/sinker mix and has been able to limit hard-hit balls while staying in the zone, walking only three total hitters across his five most recent appearances.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 08: Home plate umpire Dan Merzel #3 talks to manager Walt Weiss #22 of the Atlanta Braves after a balk call during the fifth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on August 08, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We were treated to a fun pitching matchup between Chris Sale and Gerrit Cole in the Bronx on Saturday.
Sale blinked first in the second, allowing a run on a double and a single, despite pumping upper 90s heat with his fastball. After a couple more quiet innings, the Braves flipped the script in the fifth, as doubles from Dubon and Yaz, followed by singles from Riley and Jarvis scored two runs, giving Atlanta a 2-1 lead. An Acuna liner nearly scored another two, but instead was caught for an out.
An ABS strikeout-turned-walk and a triple tied the game up in the bottom of the frame. Chris Sale struck out the next batter but was called for a balk to give the Yankees the go-ahead run. A fired-up Sale was arguing with the ump and Walt Weiss interdicted, getting ejected himself, but saving Sale from receiving what I would guess would have been an ejection. Things spiraled a bit with one out, as Sale allowed a double and issues a walk, but a double-play ended the inning with the one run deficit held at just that, as a visibly frustrated Sale walked to the dugout. The sixth held 1-2-3 frames for both starting pitchers, but spelled the end for Sale, while Cole remained in the game. Sale had 6.0 innings of 3 run ball on 8 strikeouts and 2 walks.
Mederos was first out of the bullpen for Atlanta after Cole shut down the Braves’ offense in the seventh. Mederos allowed short porch homer to lead off the frame. His command was shaky as he issued a walk and hit the next batter, but struck out the final two to end the inning there. Ronald Acuna crushed a solo homer against the Yankee’s pen on a full count after a long at-bat in the eighth.
Michael Harris reached with two outs, prompting a pitching change to prevent Ozzie from being able to bat right-handed. Ozzie fouled off a few pitches on a 2-2 count before ultimately grounding out and leaving the Braves with 3 outs and down 1 run. Danny Young gave back the run on a solo shot to dead center to lead off the ninth, as his existence on the roster continues to be perplexing. Young funnily enough ended up striking out the side, with a single and walk in there as well. Yaz walked to put the tying run at the plate with one out for the 8 and 9 spots. Riley struck out, but Dominic Smith brought Yaz home with a ground ball single up the middle, after Yaz took second on defensive indifference. That brough Drake Baldwin to the plate, representing the winning run. Baldwin struggled with Bednar’s splitter and ultimately lined out softly to right field, ending the game.
That’s a series loss and tomorrow will be a rough matchup, with Grant Holmes vs Cam Schlittler. Join us as the Braves look to avoid a sweep at 1:35 PM ET.
On a beautiful Old-Timers' Day at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees beat the Braves, 5-4 the final score, to clinch the series victory.
Here are the takeaways...
-Gerrit Cole and Chris Sale faced off against each other for the third time in their illustrious careers.
-The Yankees opened the scoring in the second inning, when Spencer Jones singled home Trent Grisham - who had doubled a few batters earlier - with two outs. Sale wasn't fazed, however, and the southpaw retired each of the next seven Yankees batters he faced.
-The Braves roared back to take the lead in the fifth inning, scoring two runs before Cole could record a single out. The first RBI came off the bat of Mike Yastrzemski, who doubled over the head of an ill-positioned Heliot Ramos in left field to bring home Mauricio Dubon. Austin Riley then singled to put Atlanta runners on the corners, before rookie shortstop Jim Jarvis roped a line drive into right field to bring home Yastrzemski and make the score 2-1 Braves. Yankees skipper Aaron Boone kept the faith in his veteran right-hander, and Cole battled back to retire the next three batters in order to escape the jam, including two strikeouts. Cole's strikeout of Braves slugger Matt Olson was his 1,000th in just 139 games with the Yankees, making him the fastest to reach that milestone in franchise history.
-Leading off the bottom of the fifth inning, George Lombard Jr. successfully challenged two straight pitches to turn a strikeout into a walk. Jonesgot the best of Sale yet again, driving a front-door slider into the gap for a triple, which easily brought home Lombard to tie up the game. The next batter, much to the chagrin of Sale and Braves manager Walt Weiss, the umpire ruled that Sale balked, and Jones was allowed to walk home from third base. Weiss was ejected in the ensuing argument. Austin Wells kept the momentum rolling for the Yanks with an opposite-field double, but two batters later, Ramos grounded into a double play to end the inning with New York leading 3-2.
-Cole faced the minimum of nine total batters as he cruised through innings five, six, and seven. He finished his start having allowed two earned runs on six hits, tallying nine strikeouts and zero walks across 82 pitches.
-Sale was relieved by right-hander Victor Mederos in the seventh inning, who promptly surrendered a leadoff solo shot to Lombard, who clubbed his hanging cutter the opposite way and over the short porch in right field. Later in the inning, Wells was issued a strike after the umpire judged that Jose Caballero - who had just been walked - took too long to get to first base. The umpire got an earful from an irate Boone. Wells was subsequently hit by a pitch, and the Yankees baserunners executed a double steal to put two runners in scoring position, but Mederos struck out Paul Goldschmidt and Ramos to strand them both.
-Lefty setup man Brent Headrick relieved Cole in the eighth inning. Ronald Acuna Jr. launched a solo shot to cut the Yankees' lead to 4-3, and Michael Harris II slapped a two-out single to extend the inning and force the Yankees to call upon right-handed reliever Paul Blackburn to record the final out and hold the lead entering the final frame.
-Facing left-handed reliever Danny Young, Ben Rice broke his 11-game long ball drought with a leadoff bomb to straightaway center field. His 32nd homer of the season extended the lead to 5-3 for the Yankees. Lombard and Jones stayed hot to ignite a two-out rally with a single and a walk, respectively. They each reached base in three of their four at-bats on Saturday, combining for three of the team's five RBI.
-After issuing a one-out walk to Yastrzemski and a two-out RBI single to pinch-hitter Dom Smith, Yankees closer David Bednar persevered to seal the 5-4 win, his 26th save of the season.
Game MVP: Spencer Jones
The rookie right fielder notched the fourth multi-hit game and second multi-RBI game of his young career, a much-needed showing as the Yankees offense looks to get back on track.
Highlights
Spencer Jones gives the Yankees a 1-0 lead with a two-out RBI single off Chris Sale, scoring Trent Grisham pic.twitter.com/F9bCS1Zzvs
