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Tyler Glasnow will rejoin the Dodgers’ rotation after making one more start in the minor leagues, manager Dave Roberts said on Saturday.

Glasnow, who hasn’t pitched in a major league game since May 6, retired 11 of 13 batters he faced on Friday night in a start for the Dodgers’ triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City.

The start was Glasnow’s third in a minor-league rehabilitation assignment.

“It was a good one yesterday,” Roberts said. “I think our thought is going to do another one, five (innings) and 75 (pitches), and then he’ll join us.”

Glasnow threw 67 pitches in 3 ⅔ innings on Friday night.

Glasnow was 3-0 with a 2.72 earned-run average in seven starts when he was placed on the injured list. 

The 6-foot-8 right-hander made a conscious effort to put on weight over the offseason in hopes that it could help him remain healthy. In his first season with the Dodgers, in 2024, his season was cut short by an elbow strain. He missed 2 ½ months last year because of a strained shoulder.

The Dodgers’ rotation is coming together. Two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal was acquired before the trade deadline. Blake Snell returned from the injured list on Tuesday night and Shohei Ohtani threw his first bullpen session in more than three weeks on Friday.

Roberts and the front office could be forced to make difficult decisions leading into the postseason. The Dodgers are expected to use a four-man rotation in October, and if Ohtani is able to pitch an inning or two per game as an opener, Glasnow could be asked to pitch out of the bullpen.

Glasnow started three playoff games on the Dodgers’ championship run last year, but he also pitched in three games as a reliever, including the Games 6 and 7.

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Boston Red Sox vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, August 15, 2026, 7:15 p.m. ET

The Pittsburgh Pirates are in the middle game of a three-game set, as they take on the Boston Red Sox at PNC Park.

Jared Jones will get the start for the Pirates, and he is hoping to get out of a recent funk. He has lost each of his last three starts, including his most recent appearance against the New York Mets on August 9, when he pitched only three innings and gave up six hits and eight earned runs in an 11-1 thrashing of the Pirates. Jones has not won in nearly a month, but his team has struggled to score on offense with him on the mound. During the last four games he has pitched in, the Pirates have scored a combined five runs and have not scored more than two in a single game.

It won’t be easy for the Pirates to score tonight as Sonny Gray takes the mound for the Red Sox. Gray has the most wins out of any pitcher in the American League with 14, but he is coming off a loss in his last start against the Toronto Blue Jays. He pitched six innings, giving up six hits and two earned runs, but the offense was not clicking like it normally does, resulting in a 2-1 loss at the Rogers Center.

Location: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA

Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, FOX

Pitching Matchup: Sonny Gray (14-3, 2.79 ERA) vs. Jared Jones (2-4, 5.03 ERA)

BD community, chime off in the comments section below.

First Pitch: 6:10 pm CDT

TV: Twins.TV

Radio: TIBN / WCCO 830 / The Wolf 102.9 FM / Audacy

The Twins have had a full Friday off to wash their nationally-televised Field of Dreams performance out of their mouths, and recenter focus onto the reality that they’ve still got two home games left against a strong opponent with playoff hopes. As Connor Prielipp takes the mound this evening, he does so for a team tied for the final Wild Card; with the Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers both losing already today, it’s a three-way, 60-63 tie for one playoff position.

If you’d asked me months ago, or truly even a few weeks ago, I’d have sure bet a lot of money that the Wild Card race would have separated itself by now. Sub-.500 playoff hopefuls are only really in the race for as long as it takes until a random team finally has a dominant two weeks. And yet, it’s mid-August, and that still hasn’t happened. The Twins, Tigers, Rangers, Blue Jays, Orioles, and Guardians all have nearly identical records, but none of the above have been able to take the reins, climb over .500, and create actual separation. In three weeks’ time, the playoff picture might look obvious. For now, it’s the same muddled mess it’s been all year, and while the vibes haven’t been spectacular in Minnesota lately, the Twins could end the evening alone in a playoff position.

Since we last saw the Twins, third catcher Alex Jackson has seen his roster spot finally dry up. Byron Buxton technically takes his spot, remaining on the roster after being activated as the neutral site’s 27th man on Thursday evening.

The talented lefty Jesus Luzardo will give the Twins another chance to solve their southpaw woes, although there are easier pitchers to try that against. Luzardo is a reigning All-Star, has put up 4.3 bWAR, an ERA+ of 135, and is probably the third-best starter in Philadelphia’s monstrous rotation that includes standout veteran Zack Wheeler and the dominant Cristopher Sanchez, last year’s Cy Young runner-up. Thankfully, the Twins will miss both Wheeler and Sanchez, but that means the big challenge of the series will lie in besting Luzardo tonight.

GO TWINS GO!

Join us in the comments below as the Braves look to even the series!

Game Info

Game Time: Saturday, August 15, 7:15 PM ET

Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA

Watch: FOX

Radio/Audio: 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan, La Mejor 1600/1460/1130 AM

Phillies' new identity, Luzardo's gem key in Twins beatdown — by the numbers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

MINNEAPOLIS — When you think of the Phillies’ offense, the thump usually comes first.

Kyle Schwarber. Bryce Harper. The hitters who can drive the ball out of any ballpark at any point in a game. Plenty of strikeouts have come with that, too.

But since the start of August, the Phillies have not looked so one-dimensional.

That is no coincidence.

It lines up with the deadline acquisition of National League batting leader Luis Arraez, and it was clear again Saturday evening in a 9-1 win over Arraez’s former team at Target Field.

Before August, the Phillies ranked eighth in the majors in home runs but had the lowest on-base percentage in baseball at .303. Their 7.8 percent walk rate was the third worst in the league, and their 33.8 percent chase rate was the second highest.

The power was there. The traffic was not.

That has started to change.

The Phillies still have the top-end starting pitching needed to carry a postseason run. Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler and Jesús Luzardo give them a dangerous front three. Aaron Nola has been better. Andrew Painter has shown signs of progress.

But the key at the deadline was getting more runners on base and finding a cleaner path to Jhoan Duran, another former Twin, at the back end of games.

Those two issues have hurt them in previous postseasons.

The first one has looked different so far.

After J.T. Realmuto pushed across a run with a sacrifice fly in the second inning Saturday, the Phillies broke the game open with seven runs in the fifth against Twins starter Connor Prielipp.

With one on and two out, they strung together six straight baserunners.

Trea Turner walked. Harper walked. Arraez walked. Alec Bohm followed with his third hit of the day, an RBI single, on his way to a career-high five-hit game. Edmundo Sosa added another run-scoring single. Then Bryson Stott cleared the bases with a three-run homer.

It was the kind of inning that showed what the Phillies have become capable of when they are not relying on one swing to carry them.

FLIPPED THE SCRIPT

The Phillies look like a different offense.

The numbers say the same.

Since the start of August, they have produced the second-lowest strikeout rate in the majors at 16.2 percent, down from 23.7 percent before the month began. Their .367 on-base percentage leads baseball.

They are not expanding the zone nearly as often, either.

Their chase rate has dropped to 28.4 percent, more than five percentage points lower than it was before August. Their walk rate now leads MLB, and that climbed again with six more walks Saturday.

The power is still there.

But the Phillies are no longer living only on it.

AND HARP?

One of the biggest beneficiaries has been Harper.

He extended his on-base streak to 18 games Saturday, and a lot of that has come with Arraez hitting behind him in the cleanup spot.

Before the Arraez trade, Harper had a 34.6 percent chase rate, one of the highest marks of his career.

Since then, he has drawn 18 walks, the most in baseball, compared with eight hits. His 35.9 percent walk rate leads the league by nearly 13 percentage points. His .510 on-base percentage trails only Stott for the league lead over that span.

Harper said before the deadline that he would like some protection in the lineup.

Arraez has given him that.

And with Stott’s emergence since June, the Phillies’ lineup suddenly has more ways to create offense than it did earlier in the season.

ZEUS AGAIN

It has been an incredible year for Luzardo.

Especially with the context.

He has had six starts this season in which he allowed five or more earned runs. Three times, he allowed five. Twice, he allowed six. Once, he allowed eight.

Outside of those outings, there have not been many pitchers in the game who have been more dominant.

That has been especially true over his last 12 starts.

Luzardo allowed one run over 6 2/3 innings Saturday, struck out nine and lowered his season ERA to 3.23. Since June 10, he owns a National League-best 1.98 ERA with a league-leading 105 strikeouts in 77 1/3 innings. His .183 opponents’ batting average over that span is the fourth lowest in baseball.

As the Phillies’ No. 3 starter, that says a lot about what this rotation can look like in October.

In a three-game or five-game series, Sánchez, Wheeler and Luzardo give the Phillies a serious front. And for a team that now does not have to rely solely on the long ball, that gives them a different feel as they chase their fifth straight playoff appearance.

HOT STOTT

Stott’s value has shown up on both sides of the ball.

According to the Phillies, Stott leads the club in fWAR since June 4 at 2.7, tied for second among all MLB players over that span behind only Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.

He showed why again Saturday.

His three-run homer came off a lefty. Stott leads the Phillies with a .318 average against left-handed pitching, nearly 100 points higher than where he finished against lefties in both 2024 and 2025.

It was his second homer against a lefty this season. It also came with runners in scoring position, where Stott is now hitting .344, the 12th-best mark in baseball.

That is part of a larger turnaround.

Stott finished April with a .576 OPS. After Saturday, that number had climbed to .763.

His game has become more complete. He is giving the Phillies contact, defense, speed, better production against lefties and more impact in scoring spots.

That kind of depth is what makes this version of the lineup look different.

The Phillies can still thump.

They just do not have to wait around for it anymore.

The Yankees' offense continued its sleepwalk of late, mustering just four hits in their 4-1 loss to the Blue Jays on Saturday afternoon in Toronto.

New York's only offense came in the second inning with Spencer Jones, who led off with a single, stole second and scored on a George Lombard Jr. single. Against the Blue Jays' bullpen game, seven Toronto pitchers allowed just four hits and walked two batters while striking out nine batters. 

The Yankees have now lost three games in a row while being outscored, 8-2. 

Here are the takeaways...

-Cam Schlittler worked in and out of trouble in the first inning, but couldn't in the third. After a walk and a single with one out, Alejandro Kirk tied the game with an RBI single. He now has three RBI in two games this series. Schlittler held the line. He'd keep the Blue Jays offense in check until the sixth, when a one-out walk and single forced Aaron Boone to pull his ace. 

Brent Headrick came in and got the next two outs (strikeout, groundout) to end Toronto's threat and put a bow on Schlittler's day. The right-hander tossed 97 pitches (56 strikes), allowing one run in 5.1 innings, on four hits and three walks while striking out seven batters. 

Saturday was Schlittler's 13th road game with five-plus innings pitched and one or fewer earned runs allowed. That's the second most in a season by any AL pitcher.

-Headrick came out for a second inning of work, but gave up a leadoff single to Ernie Clement and then Charles McAdoo -- starting at first base after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was placed on the IL (concussion) following Friday's game -- lined a double off the wall in left-center field to give the Blue Jays the 2-1 lead. A bunt single and a failed safety squeeze later, and Headrick was pulled. 

Paul Blackburn came on and intentionally walked Kirk to load the bases. Blackburn struck out Myles Straw before getting Kazuma Okamoto to line out to right field. 

Tim Hill was not effective in the eighth. A single, a hit-by-pitch and a single loaded the bases with no outs. McAdoo singled to put the Jays up 3-1. Hill would record two outs (a flyout and a groundout), but another run would come across home plate. Yerry De Los Santos came on and, after intentionally walking Kirk again, recorded the final out of the inning as the Yankees entered the ninth down three runs.

-Louis Varland mowed down the Yankees for the second night in a row, striking out Ben Rice (0-4 on the day), Heliot Ramos (0-4) and Luis Garcia Jr. (1-4) to end the game.

Game MVP: Charles McAdoo

McAdoo pushed across two of the Jays' four runs, which was more than enough. 

Highlights

George Lombard Jr. brings home Spencer Jones to open the scoring 💪 pic.twitter.com/aACBwNuscx

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) August 15, 2026

What's next

The Yankees and Blue Jays wrap up their series on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is set for 1:37 p.m.

Ryan Weathers (5-7, 3.69 ERA) takes the mound against Dylan Cease (7-5, 2.40 ERA). 

I don’t really like putting photos of Cubs opponents as the lead image on these recaps, but as I did after Thursday’s game in Washington, I felt I had to do that again for this one, even though it’s a Cardinal, because the story of this game is Joshua Baez, the top Cardinals prospect who made his MLB debut Saturday at Wrigley Field.

That’s quite the debut, Mr. Baez — three home runs in his first three MLB plate appearances. That’s never been done before by anyone, so at least those of us who saw the Cubs’ 8-4 loss to the Cardinals were witnesses to major league history, though not the sort of history we’d have liked.

I don’t really want to complain about Craig Counsell sitting Dansby Swanson for a day. Counsell is trying to get all his regulars some rest. But while Nico Hoerner and Pedro Ramirez are both good defenders, neither is quite as good at the position he was playing in this game. Nico’s a good shortstop but Swanson is better. Ramirez is a good second baseman but Nico is better.

And thus, the Cubs couldn’t turn a double play in the first inning that would have ended that inning with no scoring. Instead, a run scored on the second force play to give St. Louis a 1-0 lead. That brought up Baez, who otherwise would have led off the second inning.

Instead, he smashed Matthew Boyd’s first pitch for a 449-foot home run. Pretty impressive for a MLB debut, even though his power was known — 34 home runs in 103 games in Triple-A, and the Cardinals fans in the Wrigley Field crowd today cheered his name when lineups were introduced.

So the Cubs were down 3-0 before they came to bat, and then the first five Cubs were set down in order. Then Cardinals third baseman Blaze Jordan booted Nico’s grounder with two out in the bottom of the second, and Ramirez followed with a double, with Nico stopping at third.

Both scored on this three-run homer by Michael Conforto [VIDEO].

Okay, that’s good! The game is tied. More from BCB’s JohnW53:

Until Michael Conforto’s three-run homer, the Cubs had scored runs in just one of the previous 75 plate appearances, going back to the eighth inning Wednesday at Washington: Seiya Suzuki’s three-run homer in the sixth inning Friday.
…..
Conforto’s was the Cubs’ 26th three-run homer of the season, most by any team. The Nationals and Yankees began the day with 22. The combined average of the 29 other teams was 16.

The Cubs hit 27 all of last season, which ranked seventh. The Mets and Red Sox tied for the most, with 30.

It remained that way until the top of the fourth, when Baez took Boyd deep again.

That was the third time any player had hit homers in his first two MLB plate appearances, and the others were also connected with St. Louis teams. Bob Nieman, a St. Louis Browns player, did it in 1951, and Keith McDonald did it for the Cardinals in 2000.

Boyd managed to hold the Cardinals down and keep it a one-run deficit until the top of the sixth, when he walked Alec Burleson to lead off the inning.

Now, I ask you: Why on Earth would you throw Baez anything near the plate? He’s already taken you deep twice, Matthew Boyd. Honestly, I think I just would have walked him. Instead, he smashed pitch 2 here for his third homer of the afternoon:

Okay, not right down the middle, but still.

So it’s 6-3 Cardinals now and two batters later, Boyd served up his fourth home-run ball of the day to Jordan and his day was done. Boyd’s been so good lately that I think we can forgive him one clunker of a start.

More from John:

Today’s start was Matthew Boyd’s 46th as a Cub and 214th of his 12-season career. It was the third in which he allowed four home runs. The first two were Aug. 13 and 31, 2019, as a Tiger. He never has given up five.

Two previous Cubs served up at least four this year: Jameson Taillon, five, on the South Side vs. the White Sox on May 16, and Shota Imanaga, four, at home vs. the Athletics on June 4.

The Cubs were going down in order, with just one walk in the fifth and sixth, and also Miguel Amaya hit into a pair of double plays, in the fourth and seventh. The Cardinals added one more homer, by Burleson off Colin Rea in the eighth, and the Cubs did make an attempt to come back in the bottom of the inning. Seiya Suzuki led off with a double and Michael Busch singled, with Suzuki stopping at third.

Suzuki scored, but it was on a double-play ball by Alex Bregman [VIDEO].

So that ended that rally, and the Cubs went down 1-2-3 in the ninth to end the game.

Props to Baez, that is an impressive accomplishment for your first MLB game. Baez drove in five runs, which means the MLB record for RBI in a debut game still belongs to Starlin Castro, who drove in six in his debut for the Cubs May 7, 2010.

One more note from John:

This was the third game of the year in which the Cubs surrendered at least five homers. The first was five, on May 16, in an 8-3 loss at the White Sox. The second was seven, in an 18-3 drubbing at home by the Giants.

Fortunately, this game only counts as one loss and the Cubs still have a chance to meatloaf this series Sunday afternoon at Wrigley Field. Edward Cabrera will be activated from the injured list and make the start for the Cubs, and the Cardinals will counter with right-hander Hunter Dobbins. Game time Sunday — and note, it’s different! — is 2:15 p.m. CT. That’s because this game is being nationally televised on ABC (no blackouts) and also streamed on the ESPN App. The BCB game preview will post at 12 noon CT.

Cardinals' Joshua Báez hits 3 homers in his first 3 at-bats in historic major league debut originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Joshua Báez smashed the first pitch he saw in the majors about 450 feet, then flashed a grin to the St. Louis dugout as he began his home run trot.

“There was a calmness and a smile, like, ‘I’m here,’” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “It’s rare for me to pick my head up to enjoy parts of it. He didn’t exactly give us an option but to actually take a step back and enjoy the heck out of what was going on there.”

There has never been a show quite like it.

Báez became the first player to hit a home run in each of his first three at-bats in the majors, leading the Cardinals to an 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday.

Called up from Triple-A Memphis before the game, Báez had 30 members of his family in attendance at Wrigley Field. The traveling party, which included his mother, Yris, gathered on the field for photos afterward in spite of rain.

“It’s just unreal,” the 23-year-old Báez said. “To not only get a hit, but three home runs? It’s crazy.”

He did it with flair, too. The first came on the first pitch he saw from Matthew Boyd and landed an estimated 449 feet away in the bleachers in left-center. The left fielder’s next at-bat ended with a solo shot down the left-field line and the third, on his ensuing at-bat, went the opposite way, giving him five RBIs.

Major League Baseball said Báez was the first player in modern baseball history to hit three home runs in his debut. The league cannot say with certainty whether the feat happened before 1901 due to a lack of game logs.

“He hit three different pitches for home runs. He had a great game. He beat us for sure,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said.

Báez showed plenty of power in the minors this season. When he was called up, he was leading all Triple-A hitters with 34 home runs, including four multihomer games.

He’s the ninth player to make his major league debut for the Cardinals this season.

Báez also is the 11th St. Louis player to homer in his first career at-bat (the last was Lane Thomas in 2019) and sixth in club history to homer on the first pitch. Former pitcher Adam Wainwright last did it in 2006.

Cardinals' Joshua Báez hits 3 homers in his first 3 at-bats in historic major league debut originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Joshua Báez smashed the first pitch he saw in the majors about 450 feet, then flashed a grin to the St. Louis dugout as he began his home run trot.

“There was a calmness and a smile, like, ‘I’m here,’” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “It’s rare for me to pick my head up to enjoy parts of it. He didn’t exactly give us an option but to actually take a step back and enjoy the heck out of what was going on there.”

There has never been a show quite like it.

Báez became the first player to hit a home run in each of his first three at-bats in the majors, leading the Cardinals to an 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday.

Called up from Triple-A Memphis before the game, Báez had 30 members of his family in attendance at Wrigley Field. The traveling party, which included his mother, Yris, gathered on the field for photos afterward in spite of rain.

“It’s just unreal,” the 23-year-old Báez said. “To not only get a hit, but three home runs? It’s crazy.”

He did it with flair, too. The first came on the first pitch he saw from Matthew Boyd and landed an estimated 449 feet away in the bleachers in left-center. The left fielder’s next at-bat ended with a solo shot down the left-field line and the third, on his ensuing at-bat, went the opposite way, giving him five RBIs.

Major League Baseball said Báez was the first player in modern baseball history to hit three home runs in his debut. The league cannot say with certainty whether the feat happened before 1901 due to a lack of game logs.

“He hit three different pitches for home runs. He had a great game. He beat us for sure,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said.

Báez showed plenty of power in the minors this season. When he was called up, he was leading all Triple-A hitters with 34 home runs, including four multihomer games.

He’s the ninth player to make his major league debut for the Cardinals this season.

Báez also is the 11th St. Louis player to homer in his first career at-bat (the last was Lane Thomas in 2019) and sixth in club history to homer on the first pitch. Former pitcher Adam Wainwright last did it in 2006.

Go Rays!

I hope that St. Louis Cardinals fans will one day look back at this game as the start of a historic career. Not trying to be overdramatic, but Saturday’s Cardinals game vs the Cubs was the Major League debut of Joshua Baez and his impact was immediate. On the mound, it was the Cardinals Michael McGreevy doing battle with the Cubs Matthew Boyd, but it was Baez who would steal the show as he did something no player has ever done.

The St. Louis Cardinals came out of the gate fast in the top of the 1st inning as JJ Wetherholt drew a leadoff walk. Iván Herrera was then hit in the back foot by a pitch and Jordan Walker grounded into a fielder’s choice avoiding the double play and giving St. Louis runners at first and third with just one out. Alec Burleson drilled a ball up the middle which resulted in a force out at second, but he beat the throw at first which proved to be key for two reasons. First, it allowed JJ Wetherholt to score the first run to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead and it kept the St. Louis 1st going. That brought us the first Major League at-bat from Joshua Baez. How would he respond to the pressure of his first plate appearance in The Show? Answer – he absolutely destroyed a 93 mph four-seam fastball from Matthew Boyd and sent it into the stratosphere 449 feet over the centerfield wall for a 2-run home run making it 3-0 Cardinals. Hello world. Meet Joshua Baez!

After that truly electric debut moment from Joshua Baez, the Chicago Cubs jumped right back into the game with an unintended assist by the Cardinals defense. With two outs in the bottom of the second, Nico Hoerner hit a ground ball that Blaze Jordan simply missed at third base. That would end up being a costly error as Ramirez followed that with a double and then Michael Conforto lifted a sky high fly ball to right field that somehow ended up in the stands for a game-tying 3-run home run. Don’t get too excited, Cub fans. That tied game would only last until the next Joshua Baez at-bat.

In the top of the 4th inning, Joshua Baez led off and quickly fell into an 0-2 count. He would eventually work the count full when he waited on a 77 mph Matthew Boyd changeup and blasted it 382 feet into the left field stands. Ridiculous (in the best possible way)! 4-3 Cardinals!

Think about the following fact. Never in Major League history has a player ever hit a home run in his first three at-bats. Never. No one. EVER. Until today. After Alec Burleson walked in the top of the 6th inning, Joshua Baez strolled to the plate and did something that no one has ever done. Not Hank Aaron. Not Aaron Judge. Not Mark McGwire. Not Barry Bonds. No one has hit three home runs in their first three Major League at-bats except Joshua Baez who hit an 83 mph slider 368 feet into the right field stands for a 2-run homer. HISTORY and a 6-3 Cardinals lead!

It almost seemed like an afterthought after the historic Baez homer, but Blaze Jordan hit a big blast of his own 408 feet into the left field bleachers to give the Cardinals a 7-3 lead.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that many of us who make up Cardinals nation were so overwhelmed with emotions that it was hard to pay attention to details of the baseball game that was continuing as we all tried to soak in what we had witnessed. This was literally the kind of day where you will remember where you were when it happened. What I (and others) nearly overlooked was Michael McGreevy pitched a great game throwing 6 complete innings giving up no earned runs (we can blame those on Cardinals defensive errors) while striking out 6 and walking only 1. It was a quality start that was really more than that when you consider he threw it at Wrigley Field.

For Saturday’s game to be truly satisfying for Cardinals fans, the bullpen would have to hold the lead. Justin Bruihl entered the fray in the bottom of the 7th inning. He pitched an uneventful inning thanks to a well-turned double play by Winn/Wetherholt and a very weak flyout by Pete Crow-Armstrong.

I was telling my wife as the top of the 8th inning started that anyone batting in front of Joshua Baez would get better pitches to hit. That happened just as the words left my mouth as Cubs relief pitcher Rea threw a 95 mph four-seam fastball right down the middle of the plate to Alec Burleson who sent it flying 403 feet into the left-centerfield bleachers upping the Cardinals lead to 8-3. Something special happened in the fourth Joshua Baez at-bat even though this one did not leave the park. After he lined out to left field, the entire stadium gave Baez a standing ovation as he left the field. Imagine that. A St. Louis Cardinal getting a standing ovation from Cubs fans. That phrase “how can you not be romantic about baseball?” comes true again.

Ryne Stanek would run into trouble in the bottom of the 8th inning. He gave up a leadoff double to Suzuki to start it and then mishandled a dribbler from Michael Busch to give the Cubs runners at first and third with no outs. He gladly gave up a run on a double play turned again by Wetherholt and Winn to make it 8-4 Cardinals and that’s fortunately the only run Chicago would get.

After the Cardinals failed to add to their lead in the top of the 9th, it was up to Riley O’Brien to wrap up a historic baseball game with a St. Louis victory. He did so without drama which now allows all of us Cardinals fans to think about what we witnessed Saturday.

Where were you when Joshua Baez hit 3 home runs in his first 3 Major League at-bats? I’ll never forget. Will you?

The St. Louis Cardinals will wrap up their weekend series against the Chicago Cubs Sunday. Hunter Dobbins is the starter for the Cardinals. He’ll go up against Edward Cabrera who will start for the Cubs. First pitch is scheduled for 2:15pm central time and the game broadcast will be available via ESPN/ABC.

The Dodgers finish off their National League showdown series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.

Tarik Skubal is on the mound, making his third start for the Dodgers and looking for his first win for his new team.

Rookie right-hander Logan Henderson has started 11 times this season, interrupted only by seven weeks on the injured list with a low back strain. But Henderson in those 11 starts has yet to allow more than three runs, and has only allowed three runs twice, with a 2.88 ERA in 56 1/3 innings with 69 strikeouts and 11 walks.

Among major league pitchers with at least 10 starts this season, Tarik Skubal’s 7.11 strikeout per walk is tops, with Henderson third at 6.27. In second place is Jacob Misiorowski (6.80), Saturday’s starting pitcher for Milwaukee.

Sunday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Brewers
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Start time: 1:10 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)