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After a four-year hiatus, MLB returns to “baseball heaven,” and they’re bringing the Phillies with them.

For the first time since 2022, a Major League baseball game will be played at the site where the hit 1988 movie “Field of Dreams” was filmed, Dyersville, Illinois.

This will be the third iteration of the Field of Dreams game. The first, in 2021, featured a dramatic walk-off win by the Chicago White Sox over the New York Yankees, 9-8.

The following season, the Chicago Cubs edged the Cincinnati Reds, 4-2. That year, Ken Griffey Jr. and his father, Ken Griffey Sr., re-enacted the iconic scene at the end of the movie in which Kevin Costner’s character ***SPOILER ALERT RIGHT HERE*** played catch with the ghost of his deceased father.

The Phils have been featured prominently in some of the sport’s biggest tentpole events of late, including the London Series against the Mets in 2024 and, of course, this year’s All Star Game festivities at Citizens Bank Park. Tonight’s game in Iowa is yet another, although it will test an exhausted team coming off a brutal series in miserably hot and humid St. Louis where the Phillies lost two of three and fell out of the NL’s third wild card spot.

Perhaps a little corn field magic is what the Phillies need right now.

The game returns after the owners of the land and facilities spent millions of dollars revamping the setup to accommodate staging a Major League Baseball game. Previously, pop-up stadiums had to be created on the fly, an unsustainable situation if the league planned to return on a yearly basis. Now, a complex of multiple stadiums has been created, while also maintaining the original field that made the location famous.

Tonight’s game will have a much different feel to it than normal. The current, more intimate setup, holds a maximum of 8,000 spectators. And there will be one additional quirk. The stadium is not set up to facilitate the new ABS challenge system, meaning teams will not be able to challenge balls and strikes, which is fine when you consider J.T. Realmuto is among the most infrequent challengers in the Majors and baseball has been played this way for about 150 years prior to this season.

The Phillies and Twins will emerge from the cornfields tonight wearing throwback uniforms from 1938.

First pitch is slated for 7:30pm ET and will be broadcast exclusively on Netflix, although there is a chance the game could be impacted by rain. The forecast calls for potential thunderstorms in the area this evening. MLB announced if the game is rained out, it will be played the following evening, on Friday night.

The Phils are scheduled to leave Iowa for the final two games of their series with the Twins in Minneapolis this weekend, but inclement weather could throw those plans into a tizzy.

The worst case scenario would be starting a game and burning pitchers only for it to be postponed and played the following evening, robbing the Phils of a much-needed day off and further stretching an already depleted bullpen.

Still, even in the rain, tonight’s Field of Dreams game should provide some breathtaking views and pangs of nostalgia for Phils fans watching.

On the latest Hittin’ Season podcast, I talked a bit about the Field of Dreams game as well as the Phillies’ miserable week in St. Louis, Bryce Harper’s knee, Zack Wheeler concerns and much more!

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Max Scherzer gets the nod today, and I'm riding with him in my Red Sox vs. Blue Jays predictions.

The Toronto Blue Jays have narrowed the gap to just 1.5 games for the final Wild Card spot and are coming into this one as +135 underdogs against the Boston Red Sox at BET99. It's time to ride the wave and back the Blue Jays to finish the four-game sweep at the Rogers Centre.

Let’s dive into my MLB picks for Thursday, Aug. 13, and cash a same-game parlay, shall we?

Red Sox vs Blue Jays predictions

Red Sox vs Blue Jays best bet: Blue Jays +1.5 (-130)

Max Scherzer has a history of showing up in big games (look no further than last year's Game 7 of the World Series), and has actually been pretty serviceable for the Toronto Blue Jays of late after struggling out of the gate.

The veteran has allowed just three earned runs across his last 11 1/3 innings, and the stage might be the brightest of the season tonight as Toronto looks to sweep Boston and continue its ascent in the Wild Card standings. 

He's looked good in this specific matchup, too, limiting Willson Contreras, Adley Rutschman, and Jaren Duran to a .165 xBA or worse across 25 combined at-bats. The Jays have won 10 of their last 14 games, and the offense has scored five or more runs in five of their last six. Sign me up.

I'd price this closer to -145, so I'm taking this type of value and running with it.

COVERS INTEL: Looking for damage against the Red Sox? Andres Gimenez has had Payton Tolle's number so far in the pitcher's young career. The shortstop is 3-for-4 with a double and a homer against him, sporting a .458 xBA and 1.070 xSLG. He could be your unsung hero tonight.

Red Sox vs Blue Jays same-game parlay (SGP)

The Blue Jays will make this one close, and Scherzer has a good history against these Red Sox, limiting them to a .268 xwOBA across 45 plate appearances — that'll play.

George Springer gets the tap on the shoulder offensively: his splits are slightly better against lefties, he's cashed this play in two straight games he's started in, and he's rocking an .820 OPS following the All-Star break. After a day off last night, let's see him locked in today.

Red Sox vs Blue Jays SGP

• Blue Jays +1.5 
• Max Scherzer Under 2.5 earned runs
• George Springer Over 1.5 hits+runs+RBI

Red Sox vs Blue Jays home run pick: Andres Gimenez (+1100)

Why not take a shot at this price? As mentioned above, Gimenez has Tolle's number so far and could absolutely be the hero the Blue Jays need tonight. He has a higher OPS at home and post-All-Star break, and owns the team's highest xSLG in this specific matchup. Fire up a long-shot home run pick at no more than .2u, and let's see the defense-first shortstop hit his ninth homer of the year.

Red Sox vs Blue Jays odds

• Moneyline: Boston (-155) | Toronto (+135)
• Run line: Boston -1.5 (+110) | Toronto +1.5 (-130)
• Over/Under: Over 8 (-110) | Under 8 (-110)

Red Sox vs Blue Jays trend

Looking for a total play? The Under is 6-0 in the Blue Jays' last six games during Game 4 of a series. With this pitching matchup, it might not hurt to buy up the defense. Find more MLB betting trends for Red Sox vs. Blue Jays.

How to watch Red Sox vs Blue Jays and game info

Red Sox vs Blue Jays latest injuries

Red Sox vs Blue Jays weather

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After Alex Bregman’s three home run game, I thought about how many veteran players have given the Nats issues this year. Obviously the likes of Bryce Harper, Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto have had big moments, but they are some of the best players in the league. I am going to take a look at three guys having otherwise mediocre seasons who have owned the Nats.

The first player we will talk about is the aforementioned Bregman. Despite being a star for most of his career, Bregman really has not put up superstar numbers in his first season in Chicago. He is hitting .256 with 16 homers and a .759 OPS. This is not bad, but pretty underwhelming for a guy like Bregman. 

These numbers would be even more unimpressive if he did not play the Nats. Six of Bregman’s 16 homers have come against Washington. Last night he put the Cubs on his back, hitting three homers in a game for the first time in his career.

It has always felt like Bregman does well whenever he plays the Nats, especially in DC. He is one of those players I feel like Ted Lerner would have gone after if he were still owning the Nats. Bregman would have been a great veteran in this clubhouse and a good mentor for players such as Wood and Abrams. However, he is now in Chicago and owns the Nats whenever he plays us.

Bregman is far from the only player 30 or older to own the Nats this year though. Perhaps the most obvious example of this is Derek Hill, who has broken our hearts multiple times this year. Hill was a Nat at one point, but made zero impact on the team.

Honestly, I thought Hill would be out of baseball by now. Thanks to his speed, defense and improving offensive ability, the center fielder has stuck around. For the season, he is hitting .233 with a .708 OPS, 9 homers and has 0.8 WAR. That is a nice season for a journeyman like him.

However, a lot of that production has come against the Nats. He is hitting .368 against us in 19 at bats, and honestly that is lower than I thought. The 30 year old has 3 homers against the Nats, with two of them being complete backbreakers.

Back in June, he took Brad Lord deep in the 9th inning of a wild game that the Phillies ended up winning. It was just a total gut punch to get beat by Hill of all people. When the two teams squared off again in August, Hill hit a go-ahead grand slam off of Tom Cosgrove to extend the Nats misery.

When the Nats get beat by the likes of Bryce Harper or Kyle Schwarber, it is easy to shrug it off because those guys are elite players. This year it has been Derek Hill who has been killing this team. It is both very annoying and shows the struggles of the Nats pitching staff.

There have honestly been plenty of instances where the Nats do a solid job shutting down the best player on teams, but let other guys destroy them. That happened against Yordan Alvarez when we played Houston. It also is happening this week against the Cubs. Outside of one homer, PCA has been fairly quiet, but Bregman and Seiya Suzuki are feasting.

The last player on the list is also a veteran who is not his team’s best hitter. Like Bregman, Matt Chapman is having an underwhelming season by his standards. He was only hitting .235 with 7 homers and a .692 OPS before going down with season ending surgery.

However, he went 14 for 26 with 2 homers and 8 RBI against the Nats. The 33 year old was just hitting rockets all over the field whenever he played against the Nats. He played a big role in that horrible Nats meltdown, hitting two homers in that game to get the Giants back in it. Chapman also had the game winning hit in a 12 inning game. Despite the rough season, he has been a thorn in the Nats side. 

It feels like players like Chapman and Bregman are the ones who really have owned the Nats this year. Simon Mathews and Sean Doolittle have come up with solid game plans for the stars, but the lack of pitching talent really shows up against these guys. You cannot spend as much time preparing for the sidekicks, and those guys have punished the Nats.

Throughout this season, experienced teams and players have had the Nats number. Alex Bregman, Derek Hill and Matt Chapman are just three examples of that. Hopefully the Nats learn from this season and continue to improve, especially on the mound. However, there will always be guys who are Nats killers, and these are a few of them.

1906
The White Sox ended their first and greatest homestand with a 0-0 tie against New York. While the Highlanders were held to three singles by Doc White, the White Sox somehow failed to score in spite of six hits and three New York errors. The homestand ended a record 15-1-1. (Two subsequent White Sox homestands finished 15-1.)

This game was also the only blemish on the 19 consecutive victories the White Sox ran off, setting the all-time modern (1901-on) MLB mark. The record, still recognized in spite of a tie in Game 12, was broken 10 years later by the New York Giants but remains tied for the fifth-longest in modern baseball and tied for eighth overall in major league baseball.

1933
The White Sox lost in 17 innings, 6-5, against Detroit. The loss is notable in that it remains tied for the 15th-longest game in White Sox history. However, it also saw the end of eight consecutive hits and 10 consecutive trips on base for journeyman second baseman Hal Rhyne.

Rhyne’s streak had started two games earlier, when he replaced Jackie Hayes and singled twice in two at-bats while finishing out a 2-0 win over the Tigers. The next game, Rhyne went 4-for-4 with four singles in an 11-2 win over the Tigers. In this third game, Rhyne singled in the second and fourth innings before finally failing to get a hit — however, in the sixth, his fielder’s choice grounder still got him safely on base. In the eighth, Rhyne got on base again, with a bunt single. Only in leading off the 10th inning of this third game did Rhyne finally fail to get on base, by tapping back out to the pitcher; Rhyne in fact would not get a hit at all in extras, making the final out of the game, ending the 17th.

A combination of his sparse play and those uncanny, eight straight hits saw Rhyne’s batting average raise 110 points over the three games, from .265 to .375 (in fact, in-game during this 17-inning marathon, Rhyne’s batting average got as high as .405).

The second sacker would play in just 15 more games after this one for the White Sox, and those would also be his final 15 MLB games; Rhyne was dealt to the San Francisco Seals of the International League after the 1933 season and would never see the majors again. However, he would play in the minors until 1940, when he was 41 years old.

1943
White Sox shortstop Luke Appling collected his 2,000th hit. It came against the Red Sox, helping the White Sox to a 3-2 win. The hit drove in a run in the first inning, off of Cecil “Tex” Hughson, as Wally Moses scored.

1948
In front of an overstuffed Comiskey Park brimming with 51,013 fans, Negro League legend and newly-christened Cleveland hurler Satchel Paige spun a masterpiece, 5-0, over the White Sox. It was Paige’s second career MLB start and just his 12th game pitched overall. The White Sox managed just five singles off of Paige. The whitewash moved Cleveland 28 games ahead of Chicago in the American League, with the South Siders falling to 36-70 in what still stands as the third-worst season in team history.

1954
White Sox pitcher Jack Harshman, who is tied for the franchise mark for most strikeouts in a game, notched another milestone. On this date against the Tigers, Harshman pitched all 16 innings in a 1-0 win at Comiskey Park.

The Sox finally plated a run in the last of the 16th, on a triple by Minnie Miñoso scoring Nellie Fox.

Harshman allowed nine hits and seven walks, facing a total of 65 hitters. Incredibly, Detroit’s Al Aber also went the distance in the contest! Harshman’s effort ties him for the sixth-longest pitching appearance in White Sox history.

The franchise mark is held by Ted Lyons who threw 21 innings in a game in 1929.

1967
All season long the White Sox battled the big boys — the Tigers, Twins and Red Sox — in the greatest pennant race in American League history. But for the White Sox, this game marked the beginning of the end of the dream.

The Sox lost a controversial game to the Twins, 3-2, when Tommie Agee doubled to center to lead off the ninth inning but was called out at third on a close play when he tried to stretch it into a triple. The Sox dropped out of first place for the first time in two months, as the Twins swept them in the series and moved atop the American League standings.

Afterwards, manager Eddie Stanky kept Vice President Hubert Humphrey waiting outside the Sox locker room, along with reporters. Stankylater said, ”What do I need Humphrey for? Can he hit?”

1984
The White Sox were having a terrible year on the field, but on this day they ensured a bad one off the field as well, sending left-handed reliever Kevin Hickey and minor-leaguer Doug Drabek to the New York Mets to complete a July deal for Roy Smalley. Two years from now Drabek would commence a stellar starting career that would end with him compiling 27.6 WAR and earning the 1990 Cy Young, making this a horrendous what-if deal.

Smalley played 47 games for the 1984 White Sox, and only 28 more from this day forward, earning -0.1 WAR.

1996
Robin Ventura clubbed his team-record ninth grand slam, leading the White Sox to an 8-4 victory over the Yankees. It came in the fifth inning off of David Weathers, and erased a 4-1 New York lead.

2002
White Sox infielder José Valentín homered from both sides of the plate in the same game. It was the fifth time in White Sox history this feat had occurred. Valentín did it in Texas off of Rangers hurlers Dennys Reyes and Todd Van Poppel, and the shot off of Reyes was a grand slam.

Valentín drove in six runs in the 12-3 win, with the home runs being his only two hits. He first did this two-homer trick in 2000, and would do it a third time in 2003!

Ten billion dollars.

Supposedly that’s what Yankees Global Enterprises, the consortium that controls the New York Yankees, Legends Hospitality, owns a controlling interest in the YES Network and partial stakes in New York City FC and AC Milan, is worth. That valuation was an agreed-upon sum as YGE received a $2.5 billion cash injection from Apollo Global Management, a private equity fund that stepped in last week to help the Yankees refinance their debt, as well as purchase an as-yet undisclosed equity share in the Enterprise.

MLB hates when companies own stakes in their teams. They hate that Liberty owns the Braves and Rogers owns the Blue Jays, for a number of reasons. Having to publicly report earnings, massaged though they may be, undermines the greatest trick the league ever pulled — publicizing player salaries while privatizing the return owners enjoy. Companies have shareholders that demand the arrow only ever go up and to the right, where individual owners can be assuaged with the prestige and status that comes with owning one of 30 very shiny toys.

True to this form, league rules mandate that PE firms cannot own more than 15 percent of a club, which if Evan Drellich’s reporting on that $10 billion valuation is true — and Evan’s very good at this stuff — gives us a pretty clear breakdown of the maximum financing vs. equity split. Private equity, in its most vampiric form, is a big part of the reason your life might suck. Fast food used to be cheap, quick, with dubious quality. Now Roark, Inspire and 3G have made it pricey and slow, while maintaining dubious quality. The inheritance you expect from your parents will instead likely be burned away in assisted living and end-of-life care, an industry so dominated by PE that it burps revolvers. Sears was so big it had the naming rights to the tallest building in the richest nation on earth, now it’s a footnote in an accounting textbook.

These are the worst case scenarios, orchestrated by the worst people to exist in the history of capitalism. I am cautiously optimistic that this will not happen, to the same degree, to the New York Yankees. Part of that optimism comes from the arrogance of the folks who still run the team — there’s far more value in calling it Yankee Stadium than Amazon Field, simply because of the legacy other people helped build before Hal received the keys to the kingdom.

Still, the entry of Apollo signals a change that has been coming around for a while, but is here all the same. The business of baseball has always been about making money. To us, Babe Ruth is the greatest player to ever step on a field because of 714, because of 14 WAR seasons, because of the called shot. To the business of baseball, Ruth is the greatest because nobody, past or present, sold as many tickets just with his name. To us, Jackie Robinson is a hero because of the moral courage, determination, and grace he showed in breaking baseball’s segregation. To the business of baseball, Jackie is a hero because he unlocked a brand new customer base — see AM Glimmitz’s excellent The Metropolitans.

You used to have to be good, or at least be interesting, to make money in baseball. You used to have to sell tickets and ad space on the back of your actual accomplishments. Even rights fees from regional TV deals, the lifeblood of baseball, was at least a little dependent on Winning Baseball Games. Revenue sharing socialized all of that, the rich subsidizing the poor and allowing the poor to continue to drag themselves along the bottom, which I’m pretty sure I was told is against the ethos of American capitalism. Anyway.

Private equity doesn’t particularly care about the quality of your product at time of buy-in. Private equity cares whether there is something that can be cut away, or something that can be fertilized, in order to recognize an outsized return with a very quick turnaround. PE found its legs in distressed assets, companies that did have fat or inefficiencies or, yknow, pensions. Strip away that fat, those inefficiencies, those employees, temporarily boost profit, and spin off the now-crippled asset is the name of the game. It won’t work with the Yankees and that MLB rule still holds, but one wonders about the actual distressed assets in the league — what this mindset could do to the Pirates, the Rockies, the Angels.

That the New York Yankees seemingly no longer have to worry about being good, about having a Babe Ruth or a Jackie Robinson, that they can sign a document that injects $2.5 billion into various numbered accounts and solves a debt issue that otherwise might have made them think about how to grow the business and increase quality, is that canary keeled over when the worker returns. PE will reach into your wallet at every opportunity, your diet, your parents, your mechanic. It has now come for your leisure.

Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below. Check out the previous day’s recap here.

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (60-55) won 10-2 (BOX SCORE)

Sugar Land got the scoring started in the second inning scoring 5 runs on a Price 2 run home run, Ferreras 2 run double and a run on a wild pitch. McPherson started fro Sugar Land and went 2.2 innings allowing 2 unearned runs. The offense got another run in the 5th on an Alexander solo home run. Weiss tossed 3.1 scoreless innings in relief. The offense got some insurance in the 9th scoring 4 runs on a Price 2 run home run and Salazar 2 run home run. The rest of the bullpen was solid tossing shutout innings as they closed out the 10-2 win.

Note: Alexander has a .874 OPS this season.

• Pascanel Ferreras, SS: 2-for-5, R, 2B, RBI
• CJ Alexander, LF: 2-for-5, R, HR, RBI
• Trenton Brooks, 1B: 2-for-3, 2 R, BB
• Collin Price, C: 2-for-5, 2 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI
• Lucas Spence, RF: 0-for-2, 2 R, 3 BB
• Cesar Salazar, DH: 2-for-4, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, BB

• Brandon McPherson, RHP: 2.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
• Ryan Weiss, RHP: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K (WIN)
• Logan VanWey, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• Michael Knorr, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• Christian Roa, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (52-58) lost 9-3 (BOX SCORE)

Hertzler started for the Hooks but struggled allowing 8 runs, 7 earned, over 2 innings. The Hooks got on the board in the 5th inning on an Austin 2 run home run. They picked up another run in the 9th on a Call groundout but that was it as they were unable to overcome the early deficit and fell 9-3.

Note: Austin has 14 home runs this season.

• Trevor Austin, LF: 1-for-3, R, HR, 2 RBI, BB
• Tyler Whitaker, CF: 0-for-1, R, 3 BB, SB
• Chase Call, RF: 0-for-3, RBI, BB
• Marcus Brown, SS: 1-for-4, R

• Cole Hertzler, LHP: 2.0 IP, 6 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
• Alejandro Torres, RHP: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Ramsey David, RHP: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• Hudson Leach, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

A+: Asheville Tourists (37-71) lost 4-1 (BOX SCORE)

Perez got the start for Asheville and allowed 2 runs over 4.1 innings while striking out 7. Asheville got a run in the 5th inning with a run scoring on a double play. The bullpen allowed a couple of runs as the Emperors extended their lead. The Asheville offense qwas quiet the rest of the way as they fell 4-1.

Note: Thomas has 32 stolen bases this season.

• Justin Thomas, DH: 1-for-4, SB
• Xavier Neyens, 3B: 1-for-4
• Zach Daudet, SS: 1-for-3, R
• DJ Newman, LF: 1-for-3

• Javier Perez, RHP: 4.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
• Max Martin, RHP: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
• Andrew Marrero, RHP: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
• Colby Langford, LHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (55-52)

Game One – won 5-4 (BOX SCORE)

Weber started this game on Tuesday and went 3 innings allowing 1 run. The game was suspended due to rain and picked up on Wednesday. The offense got on the board in the third when a run scored on a double play. Smith came into the game in the 4th and went 4.2 innings allowing 3 runs. The offense got a run in the 6th on a Piasecki walk and then 2 runs in the 8th inning to tie it on a Piasecki groundout and a run on an error. The bullpen tossed a scoreless 9th and in the bottom of the inning the Woodpeckers walked it off on a Luciano RBI single.

Note: Weber has a 3.17 ERA this season.

• Kam Durnin, SS: 1-for-4, R, BB
• Logan Hughes, 1B: 2-for-5, R, 2 2B
• Waner Luciano, 3B: 1-for-4, RBI, BB
• Owen Nowak, RF: 1-for-4, R, 3B
• Aaron Piasecki, SS: 0-for-2, 2 RBI, 2 BB
• Arturo Flores, C: 2-for-4, R

• Charlie Weber, RHP: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
• Aubrey Smith, RHP: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
• John Carver, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
• Mick Uebelhor, RHP: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K (WIN)

Game Two – won 4-0 (BOX SCORE)

Fraide started for the Woodpeckers and pitched well tossing 6 scoreless innings with 5 strikeouts. The Woodpeckers got on the board in the 2nd inning on a Tryon solo home run. In the 4th, the offense added 3 runs on a Flores RBI single and De Leon 2 run single. Butler tossed a scoreless 7th inning to close out the 4-0 win.

Note: Fraide has a 2.96 ERA in Single-A.

• Owen Nowak, CF: 1-for-3
• Kevin Alvarez, DH: 1-for-3
• Waner Luciano, 3B: 0-for-2, R, BB, SB
• German Ramirez, SS: 1-for-3
• Arturo Flores, 1B: 1-for-3, R, RBI
• Ben Tryon, RF: 1-for-3, R, HR, RBI
• Jadyn Fielder, LF: 1-for-2, R, 2B
• Luis De Leon, C: 1-for-2, 2 RBI

• Juan Fraide, RHP: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K (WIN)
• Taz Butler, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: Jason Alexander – 6:45 CT

CC: Brett Gillis – 6:35 CT

AV: Adam Shoemaker – 5:35 CT

FV: TBD – 5:35 CT

I lead off with my overriding impression of this game and, in fact, the first two games of this series. Future me is not looking forward to playing this Nationals team a year or two from now. I mentioned yesterday that I had picked up the stat during the broadcast just how young this Nationals team is on the offensive side of the ball. Despite that, that offense just keeps coming and I’m very much aware that their most productive hitter isn’t even in the lineup. If they keep things on track, they are going to be a real handful. For now, it is 2026 and I feel the dawning of the Nationals’ “Wait ‘til Next Year Day” is not super far off into the distance.

My next thought is that I am hereby suspending the reality check. I will return my scoreboard watching feature instead. Today is the day that I have elected to start dreaming dreams. Spoiler alert, though you probably already know, the Brewers got swept by the Padres and suddenly the Cubs are within three games of first place and showing no signs of slowing down. I warned you all probably a hundred times by now to not get carried away. This was going to be a simple season. The team was surprisingly good despite largely having no pitching staff and so it was readily apparent that they would make the playoffs and that winning a series would be a fantastic accomplishment and probably an overachieve with the remaining healthy team. Certainly, the absolute season.

Acknowledging that reality is buzz-killing this incredibly fun team that is on a truly remarkable run. They had that 20-3 stretch earlier this year that was bookended by the two 10 game winning streaks they had early on. Right now? They’ve won 18 of 26. I said it yesterday, this team is reminding me of the 2015 Cubs. This has that same feeling like they are just basically going to win every day. Because of the thud ending to the 2015 season coupled with the third-place finish in the division that year, that season is occasionally overlooked as one of the best seasons any Cub team has ever had.

By straight regular season wins, that year is tied for the 10th best regular season in Cub history. For a long and distinguished franchise, that’s a pretty lofty rating. It is the best Cub team ever to finish third in its existing grouping. Among the nine teams that won more games, only the 1907, 1908 and 2016 teams won any postseason series. So 97 or more wins and a postseason series win? One of only four such Cub teams. So I respect the weight of history when I say this team reminds me of that one.

Ironically, this Cub team FINALLY feels like the team I originally thought the Cubs were creating when I watched all of their early drafts. I thought that they were drafting a team focused on pounding you into oblivion, much more so than a run prevention team. That 2016 team and even back to 2015, was focused on great pitching, with a lean towards contact management and elite defense. This team is designed around elite position players. All across the diamond they feature plus players. It’s absurd to me that in a just world, Seiya Suzuki would probably be a Gold Glove finalist in right field. That figured to be one of their weaknesses. I wouldn’t look at you as if you were insane if you invited seven Cubs to be Gold Glove finalists. It’s remarkable.

Now, Alex Bregman has hit blistering hot and this lineup is just so long. Good pitching is generally going to beat good hitting. So I still harbor no delusions about the ceiling of this team. But man, you better execute your plan, because this team is waiting to pounce if you don’t. This is now 17 times with double digit runs and 22 with nine or more. 31 with eight or more. 30 wins in 31 games. Yeah, I can do math, this team is actually under .500 if it doesn’t score eight runs. That stat is just wild in magnitude. In basically a quarter of their games, they score eight or more runs. When things start sliding for you against this Cub offense, the team runs to the bat rack to pour it on.

So don’t mind me, I’m entertaining delusions of division titles and World Series runs. And hey, look at that, the team in closest geographical proximity to me (the Rays) just travelled west and swept nine games. Neat. In 2016, both my parents died and I moved into a new home perfectly sandwiched between that. I was in no position to go to a World Series game. Give me a Rays/Cubs series for early Christmas. I’ll be there! So you are all now on your own to reality check yourself. I warned you early and often. I’m just going to go for the ride and crash hard some time later. See ya at the end.

Three Positives:

• I’d ask you if you remember the previous Cub to hit three homers in a game. But I suspect your memory reaches to July. Alex Bregman, three homers and seven runs driven in. I’m never going to tell you that you have to vote unanimously. But really… Alex’s season line is up to .256/.347/.412 (wRC+ 113). Those first two numbers are gravitating towards his career numbers. Also, he improved his OPS by .030 in mid-August. Wild. That’s a 24 point slugging jump in a game this late in the year.
• Dansby Swanson had two hits, a double and a homer. He also drew a walk. He drove in two and scored three.
• Pedro Ramirez had a single, double and a walk. He scored twice and stole two bases as well. When I say this offense is really long, I mean it. The fifth infielder is a really potent bat. The 4th outfielder and 2nd catcher have both been terrific as well.
• Fun note, Javier Assad threw four innings for another multi-inning save in a lopsided Cub game. That’s two of those for Assad, Colin Rea has one, and Jordan Wicks has one. Without digging, the Cubs have almost as many more than three-out saves as three outs or fewer. This team is just different.

Game 121, August 12: Cubs 12, Nationals 6 (71-50)

Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Alex Bregman (.369). 3-3, 3 HR, 2 BB, 7 RBI, 3 R
• Hero: Dansby Swanson (.230). 2-4, HR, 2B, BB, 2 RBI, 3 R
• Sidekick: Pedro Ramirez (.158). 2-4, 2B, BB, 2 R, 2 SB

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: David Peterson (-.231). 5 IP, 9 H, 3 BB, 4 R (3 ER), 6 K (W 4-1)
• Goat: Nico Hoerner (-.159). 1-5, DP
• Kid: Carson Kelly (-.077). 0-4, BB

WPA Play of the Game: Daylen Lile batted with the bases loaded and two outs, the Cubs up by two. He singled, driving in two to tie the game. (.243)

Cubs Play of the Game: Alex Bregman’s first homer, a three-run shot in the top of the fifth with one out. (.212)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 120 Winner: Jacob Webb received 57 of 91 votes.

Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)

The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.

• Pete Crow-Armstrong +29
• Alex Bregman +22
• Carson Kelly +14.5
• Shōta Imanaga +14
• Trent Thornton +13.5
• Phil Maton -10
• Nico Hoerner -11
• Jameson Taillon -13
• Dansby Swanson -19
• Caleb Thielbar -19.5

Up Next: The Cubs get a chance to go for a road sweep. Get greedy. Last road sweep was June 23-25, when the Cubs beat the Mets four times in three days. Kevin Gausman (6-10, 4.29) makes his second Cub start. He allowed two runs over seven in his debut. 27-year-old Cade Cavalli (9-5, 3.57) starts for the Nats. He’s finishing strong in his first full major league season. He’s 4-1 with a 3.29 (38.1 IP) over his last seven. He doesn’t go particularly deep in games. About six when things are going well. Keep it close and beat their bullpen again.

Scoreboard Watching: In games with implications for the Cubs, the Diamondbacks and Phillies each lost, extending the Cubs lead for the first Wild Card spot to 7.5 games. The Brewers lost, bringing the Cubs within three games. The Dodgers and Braves each won, staying two ahead of the Cubs. On Thursday, the Brewers travel to LA to play the Dodgers. Keep winning, there are games to be gained.

Good morning A’s fans!

But not a good morning for the A’s squad. After getting swept by the Tampa Bay Rays yesterday afternoon the club is officially in the cellar of all of MLB with a 47-74 record. At least they aren’t alone there as the Los Angeles Angels also have a 47-74 record. The goal over the final few weeks needs to be to finish better than the Angels, who sold off some pieces at the trade deadline. For as good as our young core is, are we really reaching these depths?

The team did just face the club with the best record in the sport. So how does the rest of the schedule look? Well first we have our off day today, then the home stand continues tomorrow against the Texas Rangers, who are both below .500 and also fighting for the AL West with their Texas rivals. This would be an excellent chance to put our spoiler hats on for a division rival.

Then the A’s will head to Kansas City for four games against the Royals, four very winnable games. Then to Houston to take on the Astros so hopefully we keep those spoiler hats ready after the Rangers series. After that the road trips ends with the A’s welcoming the Twins to Sacramento for three games. We just saw them last month and perhaps helped them become buyers at the trade deadline after losing two of three. Then we wrap the month with three against the Baltimore Orioles. Very winnable series.

September should be much easier for the Athletics. While all the other teams in the league are duking it out for playoff spots the A’s will have a fairly easy schedule. After starting the month with three against the Rangers the A’s will then face the Mariners, Blue Jays, and Mariners again for nearly the first two entire weeks of September. The Blue Jays are one of the biggest disappointments in the league this year after nearly winning the World Series last season, and like the A’s they’re in their own fight to avoid last place in their division. The M’s are also a letdown for fans across the sport after their improbable run to the AL West crown last year.

And then the final road trip of the year. Three in Tampa and three in Cleveland. Those games are going to be hard with the Rays and Guardians likely battling for their division leads. Afterwards we wrap the year with a long homestand against the Angels and Astros. That Angels series might end up determining who spend the winter in the basement of the AL West while the Astros could be resting starters in preparation for the playoffs.

How did it come to this? The club was riding high the first few weeks of the season and we were in first place in mid-May. Pitching, pitching, pitching. Injuries didn’t help but the focus this offseason needs to be pitching. Playing in a minor league ballpark doesn’t help but that’s the reality of the situation for the club right now. No knowing how the Las Vegas ballpark plays until we get there so we had better be ready for whatever comes.

No baseball today folks. You’ll have to wait until tomorrow. Until then! Have a great day everyone.

A’s Coverage:

• Perkins confident he can be the pitcher he wants to be in season’s final weeks
• A’s Swept Again in 8-4 Series Finale Loss
• Athletics Outright Jonathan Ornelas
• A’s Blown Out By Rays 12-4
• Wilson’s errorless streak survives a scare after further review
• A’s Bullpen Chokes in 10-6 loss Against Rays
• Why The New GM Needs To “Clean House”
• Feinstein discusses new role as A’s interim GM
• Sage-burning A’s cope with departure of GM as spiraling season continues
• 111 games, zero errors: Wilson sets MLB record at shortstop
• Mason Edwards Headlines Athletics’ Pitching Play In 2026 Draft
• Late Comeback Helps A’s Beat Red Sox 4-3
• Athletics Claim Taylor Rashi
• A’s Claim Drew Rom
• Miracles Happen: A’s Win 7-3
• A Seemingly Rock Bottomless Glass
• MLB Trade Grades: A’s Have Quiet Trade Deadline
• A’s Top Prospect Jamie Arnold Sets Career High in One of His Best Double-A Starts
• A’s First-Round Pick Drew Burress Already Showing Prodigious Power in Single-A
• Fustercluck 2026: The Real Reasons For A Disappointing Season
• Signs Of Hope And Signs Of Hopeless
• Athletics prospect Ryan Lasko says feeling in his legs returning
• Cuban’s investment group purchases minority stake in Athletics
• Chan Ho Park joins A’s group; 1st Korean to buy stake in MLB club
• Blogfather Saves The Day With Pearls Of Most Excellent Advice

MLB News and Interest:

• Everything to know about tonight’s MLB at Field of Dreams Game on Netflix
• Paul Skenes exits after 65 pitches amid latest velocity drop
• Tigers Place Riley Greene On Injured List
• Blue Jays claim Paul Sewald after veteran DFA’d by Diamondbacks
• Freeman smiles through ‘total body soreness’ after scary tumble into opposing dugout
• Alex Bregman’s first 3-homer game helps Cubs rout Nationals
• Yandy Díaz Reaches Vesting Option Threshold
• Rays, Jorge Mateo Agree To Major League Deal
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Worth the read from Ken Rosenthal:

ICYMI:

Future ace:

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