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Here’s the Guardians’ lineup:

Guardians 8/26

S. Kwan CF
T. Bazzana 2B
J. Ramírez DH
J. Adell RF
N. Lowe 1B
A. Martínez LF
A. Genao 3B
A. Hedges C
B. Rocchio SS

J. Cantillo SP

— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) August 26, 2026

Here’s the Angels’ lineup:

Angels 8/26

Z. Neto SS
M. Trout DH
V. Grissom 1B
C. Moore 2B
J. Siri LF
J. Lowe RF
D. Guzman 3B
T. Heineman C
B. Teodosio CF

G. Rodriguez SP

— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) August 26, 2026

Let’s go, Guardians! Go for seven in a row!

Can the Mariners break out the brooms? They look to sweep away the Phillies and close out a 5-1 homestand Wednesday afternoon.

Bryan Woo returns after taking an additional few days between starts to resolve shoulder discomfort that cropped up during his last outing on August 16. He’ll get the ball in the friendly confines of T-Mobile Park, where he has put up a 2.45 FIP and .208 opponent wOBA this season.

The Phillies will trot out lefty Jesús Luzardo to try to preserve a game from their trip to the Pacific Northwest. Luzardo is turning in a fantastic season for Philadelphia; you can read more about that and Wednesday’s pitching matchup in the series preview.

Lineups

The Mariners are rolling out…a lineup for Wednesday afternoon’s series finale (the lovely graphic is courtesy of Bee). Cole Young is not starting for only the second time this season; Brock Rodden will shift over to second base in his absence, with Weston Wilson, Jhonny Pereda and Patrick Wisdom all getting starts in the field. Cal Raleigh, riding a hot streak on this homestand, moves back up to the cleanup spot as the designated hitter.

Game Information

First Pitch: 1:10 p.m. PDT

TV:Mariners.TV

Radio: Ol’ Reliable

The Yankees shook up their roster today, sending Fernando Cruz to the IL with right elbow discomfort and signing veteran Michael Fulmer to a major-league deal. They also recalled Elmer Rodríguez to start tonight’s game, and optioned Bradley Hanner to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

The IL trip comes after a period of declining effectiveness for Cruz. The right-hander coughed up a lead in two of his last three appearances, including giving up a game-tying home run as a part of last night’s bullpen fiasco, and has a 5.17 ERA since the All-Star Break. It’s unclear how serious this ailment is, but in any case it’s obviously a major concern with the Yankees fighting for playoff position.

In steps Fulmer, somewhat shockingly. Perhaps best known around these parts for robbing beating Gary Sanchez in the 2016 AL Rookie of the Year race, Fulmer had faded into obscurity, missing the 2024 season after undergoing elbow surgery and making just six appearances in the majors since. He was last seen with the Angels, contributing 3.2 scoreless innings. He can still run his fastball above 95 mph, to go along with a sweeper, curve, and change. Maybe Matt Blake can wring something out of the 33-year-old, or, maybe he’s just here to occupy space until the Yankees can get the likes of Max Fried and Clarke Schmidt back.

Fried looks like he could be back this weekend to face Boston, but until then, the Yankees needed another starter, so up comes Rodríguez for at least one spot start. The top pitching prospect has had a slightly uneven season, looking respectable but shaky in four major league starts, and posting a sparkling 2.59 ERA in the minors but with a surprisingly poor 4.3 BB/9 rate. Hopefully, he can hold things down while the Yankees pray that their injured arms recover and return.

There is no sugarcoating it, the Atlanta Braves have been struggling on offense this month. Only three teams have scored fewer runs in the month of August and only five teams have a lower wRC+. The Braves will need to change course if they want to win their division because they have a tough remaining schedule.

Tonight could go a long way in proving the offense is not dead if they could tag tonight’s starter, Roki Sasaki, with a decent amount of runs.

There have only been four Braves players with a wRC+ above league average in the month of August, and interestingly Walt Weiss continues to bat two of them low in the lineup. Austin Riley has a wRC+ of 110 this month, and Mike Yastrzemski has a 123, yet they are nowhere near the heart of the order. It may behoove Weiss to consider shaking up the lineup and shift the hot hands up to secure more at-bats and help knock in more baserunners. Almost a full month of a struggling offense should be enough data to make a change.

The Braves are scheduled to face Roki Sasaki who has only faced five hitters on the roster in his young career and none of them in more than three at-bats. Ozzie Albies has done well having two hits to include a solo HR. Austin Riley is 1-2. Matt Olson, Sean Murphy, and Michael Harris have yet to record a hit against Sasaki in very limited action, although Olson has walked twice.

With Jim Jarvis being optioned it has taken away the daily question of who would get the start at SS. The main question these days is who is going to get the start at DH.

Midweek matchup on the way! pic.twitter.com/oZGBR9hFM2

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 26, 2026

For some reason Riley and Yastrzemski are still low in the order despite being in the top four in wRC+ on the team over the past month. Another interesting move is that Harris has been moved down for Mauricio Dubón to hit cleanup.

The Dodgers will be coming in blind against AJ Smith-Shawver as only two of them have ever faced him. One is backup catcher Ben Rortvedt who is hitless in two at-bats, and Alex Call who has a .400 average in five at-bats.

Fortunately for Smith-Shawver and the Braves, the Dodgers have not exactly been hot offensively either this month. They are nineteenth in runs scored and twentieth in wRC+.

Turns out neither of the two players on the Dodgers that have faced Smith-Shawver will be getting the start tonight. The only difference in the lineup from last night is that Alex Call will be replaced with Teoscar Hernández in left field with Alek Thomas jumping up one spot to seventh in the order.

It is surprising to say the least that there will be a Dodgers lineup this late in the season with only three hitters with an OPS over .750.

First pitch is at 7:15 EDT.

The Yankees announced a handful of roster moves prior to Wednesday night's game against the Houston Astros, highlighted by placing reliever Fernando Cruz on the 15-day IL. 

Following the team's 9-3 win, Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed that Cruz has a partial tear of his UCL. The right-hander will get a second opinion, but Tommy John surgery is on the table.

"He's going to go through and get second opinions and stuff," Boone said. "That's what we got right now."

Cruz allowed a game-tying two-run homer to Jeremy Peña on Tuesday night, and has had his struggles since late July. In his last 16 games, Cruz has allowed nine earned runs and five home runs in 13.2 innings, seeing his season ERA rise from 2.20 to 3.13 during that span.

He was seen leaving the clubhouse following Tuesday's loss with a trainer.

Here's the full list of moves: 

• Placed Cruz on the 15-day injured list with right elbow discomfort
• Optioned RHP Bradley Hanner to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
• Recalled RHP Elmer Rodríguez from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
• Signed RHP Michael Fulmer to a major league contract and selected him to the active roster
• Transferred RHP Kervin Castro to the 60-day injured list

The Yankees announced earlier in the day that Rodriguez would make the start on Wednesday. The 23-year-old has made four starts in the majors this season, pitching to a 4.76 ERA.

Fulmer, a former Mets first-round pick, spent his first six seasons with Detroit before bouncing around the league a bit. Most recently, he pitched in three games for the Los Angeles Angels this season without allowing a run. 

In my mind, I had this game in the loss column even before first pitch.

The Rays offense looked half asleep yesterday against a lesser pitcher, and today they would be facing Troy Melton, he of the 1.86 ERA. Those of you with good memories will recall that Melton had pitched a gem against the Rays back in June, going eight innings and scattering a few hits. He’s a pitcher, Brian Anderson reminded us, who is good across the game but actually gets better second and third time through the line up, so it’s not like you can just wait until he tires out to get your offense going.

And for the Rays, Freddy Peralta had looked a little better in recent starts but you really had to squint to see the effective pitcher he’d been prior to this year.

So just based on the pitching matchup, this game had the worst win chances for the Rays of the series.

Of course, then, they won. Because you never know with baseball.

The Rays first got on the board in the second inning. Simpson singled, and DeLuca doubled him home. DeLuca got to third on a sac bunt and scored when Cedric Mullins hit a ball down the line for an RBI and what looked like a double for the speedy Mullins. Alas, though, Mullins overshot the base, and was tagged out.

The Rays got their third run in the sixth inning. Jonathan Aranda doubled, and Junior Caminero singled, to put men on the corners.

Liam Hicks seemed to get all of a pitch but it fell just short of a home run. But the park contained it, and he had to settle for a very long sac fly that scored Aranda. Rays 3, Detroit 0

Peralta got through 6 innings and wow was he good today. No runs, no walks, two harmless hits, and ten whiffs. I don’t know whether this is Rays finding tweaks or the Tigers not matching up well against him or just the randomness of baseball but whatever the explanation, more of this please. It was a really effective, efficient, keep your fielders engaged as you mow through batters kind of outing. If this version of Freddy Peralta is sustainable then I will maybe allow myself to think this team could get somewhere in the postseason (if they make it there of course, let’s not court the evil eye with overconfidence).

Maybe good pitching is contagious; after Peralta left the game the final three innings were covered by Kevin Kelly and Tyler Wells, who preserved the two-hit, no walk game. And the whole thing done in just a blink over two hours! Be still, my heart!

In sum, the Rays come away with a series win, thanks to perfect pitching, sharp defense and just enough offense

Terry Francona opted to shuffle his lineup for Wednesday’s series finale against the San Francisco Giants, and the Cincinnati Reds will have a new leadoff hitter in rookie Hector Rodriguez. Each of Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart have been pushed down the batting order, for whatever reason, because apparently that’s going to jump start the otherwise putrid offense.

Lefty Nick Lodolo gets the start on the day for the Reds looking to bounce back after being bonked around good by the Arizona Diamondbacks in his most recent outing. He’s got a 5.04 ERA for the season and man, would it ever be good to see him finish strong so there’s at least a modicum of optimism about the 2027 starting rotation heading into a winter of consternation.

First pitch will be thrown by Giants starter Logan Webb at 3:45 PM ET.

Here’s how both clubs will line up to start:

On Wednesday afternoon the Detroit Tigers looked to continue their recent success and extend their winning streak to… well, two games is still a streak, right? Unfortunately, they were stymied by some return-to-form pitching and just enough offence from the best team in the American League as they lost 3-0. Also, it’s really, really tough to win a game when you can only eke-out two singles in an entire game.

Making his 12th start of the year for the Tigers was Troy Melton, and he has been sensational so far. His previous two starts have been a little shaky, though, surrendering three runs apiece in each and not going as deep into games as he had been in late July and early August. But overall his WHIP was a touch above 1 and his ERA was below 2 coming into today’s start, and I can’t wait to see how he continues to develop and refine his craft.

Freddy Peralta, the longtime Milwaukee Brewer, started for the Rays. He came to Tampa at the trade deadline after a disappointing first half with the Mets, who had traded for him in January. His previous five seasons in Milwaukee were very good, with an ERA typically in the mid-3’s, more than ten strikeouts per nine innings, and severely limiting home-run power. But this season the walks were up, the whiffs were down, and especially since coming to the Rays, his home-run rate has skyrocketed. He’d have a great game today, however.

In the top of the first Melton had a bit of trouble settling down, as has been the case this year: with one out he clipped Jonathan Aranda with a pitch and Junior Caminero followed with a single. But a ground ball to Spencer Torkelson at first base resulted in an inning-ending 3-6-1 double play, with Melton covering first.

The Rays got on the board in the second: the speedy Chandler Simpson’s grounder ticked off Melton’s glove for an infield single, and Jonny DeLuca’s double scored him all the way from first. A bunt pushed DeLuca up to third, and Cedric Mullins’ single scored him to make it 2-0.

Both Peralta and Melton then started mowing down batters, one after another, with Melton featuring lots of ground-ball outs and a boatload of different pitches. But a leadoff double and a single, at 101 and 110 mph off the bat respectively, put runners at the corners for the Rays in the top of the sixth. A fly ball to right, probably knocked down a bit by the wind, served as a sacrifice fly to put the visitors up 3-0. Melton got a lineout and groundout to limit the damage, though.

Here’s a nice sliding catch by Max Clark. (Look, this game was a little light on highlights.)

Meanwhile, Peralta allowed only his second baserunner in the bottom of the sixth, with a Brett Callahan single with two out. Did the Rays fix him? Perhaps.

Analyst Lance Brozdowski had thoughts last week, and some of this came to fruition today.

The Rays are trying some things with Freddy Peralta.

No more windup, and his four-seam extension jumped to 6.9' yesterday, his highest mark of the season.

Changeup usage is also up against lefties. Results aren't there yet, but they clearly had some ideas on how to fix him. pic.twitter.com/z5qjqXqo7Y

— Lance Brozdowski (@LanceBroz) August 17, 2026

Peralta departed after six innings for tough sidearmer Kevin Kelly, who continued to be tough to the Tigers. Melton had a nice, easy seventh inning, after which his day was done with the following line: 7 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 4 K. Tyler Kinley made his Tigers debut after being cut loose from Atlanta and signed by the Tigers, getting a popout and a pair of groundouts.

Kyle Finnegan came in for the eighth and looked pretty good, allowing a single but getting the next three batters.

Tyler Wells, a tall, tough righty, came in for the bottom of the ninth and got the Tigers to meekly go 1-2-3 to end the game.

The Tigers have a day off on Thursday and then welcome Tarik Skubal and the Dodgers to town for a three-game weekend series. Skubal is scheduled to pitch Friday night, and that is going to be absolute bedlam down at the ol’ ball yard.

Final score: Rays 3, Tigers 0

Notes and Numbers

• With his second-inning single, Dillon Dingler got a hit in his fourth consecutive game. That might not sound like much, but it’s been a rough go of it lately: before this modest streak began, he was 2-for-45 in his previous 11 games.
• Rays pitchers walked exactly one (1) Tiger this entire series: Colt Keith, in the eighth inning on Monday night.
• There’s a YouTube channel that has posted old All-Star games, and I watched a bit of the 1975 one here. The number of truly great players in this game is fantastic, of course, but what struck me was Jim Kaat’s lack-of-a-windup. The link points to the start of his appearance in the game, and it is… well, I’ll just let you watch it. Joe Morgan is completely befuddled, and Johnny Bench’s smile of confusion tells you all you need to know.
• Antoine Lavoisier was born on this day in 1743 in France. He was one of the most important chemists of history, discovering the element oxygen and proving that it was a key component of combustion. He also helped to build the metric system, which is the superior system of measurement, no matter what nutter says otherwise. Alas, in the wake of the French Revolution, and with his prominent status as part of the prior ruling-class, he met his fate at the guillotine’s blade in 1794.

Excitement is at a high in Tallahassee during the last week of August. School is back in session, Florida State football kicks off this weekend, and the annoyance of move-in is over. The start of the school year also marks an important day for the FSU athletic department, as rosters can be officially announced with student-athletes enrolled in classes.

On Tuesday, head coach Link Jarrett and FSU baseball released its 2027 fall ball roster, with six weeks until the Noles hit the road to take on Auburn in a scrimmage in Pensacola.

The Seminoles will bring eight freshmen to campus after their top two high school prospects, Kaden Waechter and Landon Thome, signed with their pro clubs after being selected in the MLB Draft in July. Jarrett also added eight college transfers and five players from the JUCO ranks to supplement the rest of his returning roster.

Not listed on FSU’s roster, but reported by Brett Nevitt, is the addition of AJ Nessler, a LHH outfielder from Pitt. Nevitt reported that Nessler is one of a few athletes who benefited from a court ruling in California that allowed class of 2022 players an extra year of eligibility. Nessler, a graduate of, where else but, Jesuit High School in Tampa, slashed .304/.417/.468 in 2026 while playing in 59 games for the Panthers.

Florida State baseball’s entire fall ball roster, courtesy of Seminoles.com, can be found below:

• 1B So. Nick Barron
• 1B/LHP Sr. Jackson McKenzie
• C Sr. Kaden Frommelt
• C Jr. Coy Clements
• C So. Marvin Montenegro
• INF So. Will Bavaro
• INF Jr. Jace Estes
• INF Sr. Cal Fisher
• INF Fr. Deacon Avery
• INF Fr. Gavin Byrd
• INF Jr. Cooper Malamazian
• OF Sr. Brody DeLamielleure
• OF So. John Stuetzer
• OF Fr. Ben Kuglitsch
• OF So. Isaac Pamaran
• OF So. Ty Peeples
• OF Fr. Genson Veras
• LHP Sr. Payton Manca
• LHP 5th Jacob Marlowe
• LHP 5th Kevin Mebil
• LHP Sr. Cooper Whited
• LHP Fr. Spencer Krasner
• LHP Fr. OB Osceola III
• LHP Jr. Cayden Suchy
• RHP Sr. John Abraham
• RHP Sr. Chris Knier
• RHP Jr. Cade O’Leary
• RHP So. Cam Odom
• RHP Jr. Braxton Varnes
• RHP Jr. Rhett Vaughn
• RHP Jr. Emery Dawkins
• RHP So. Otto Espinoza
• RHP Fr. Brayden Harris
• RHP Jr. Sebastian Lippman
• RHP Jr. Jordan Martinez
• RHP So. Isaiah Shayter
• RHP Fr. Donovan Thiery

The San Francisco Giants wrap up this series against the Cincinnati Reds this afternoon from Oracle Park.

Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Logan Webb, who enters today’s game with a 3.75 ERA, 3.33 FIP, with 112 strikeouts to 35 walks in 141.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 6-4 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Friday, in which he allowed five runs on six hits with two strikeouts and three walks in two and two thirds innings.

He’ll be facing off against Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo, who enters today’s game with a 5.04 ERA, 5.40 FIP, with 59 strikeouts to 31 walks in 75 innings pitched. His last start was in the Reds’ 9-0 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks last Friday, in which he allowed six runs on 10 hits with two strikeouts and two walks in three and a third innings.

Game #133

Who: San Francisco Giants (54-78) vs. Cincinnati Reds (62-71)

Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California

When: 12:45 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: n/a

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM