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At one point, leading by a dozen runs in what was a blowout win over the Captains, the Loons had a magnificent day at the plate, which naturally included our Player of the Day.

Player of the Day

Even in the middle of an outstanding campaign, Emil Morales had an individual performance that stood out, recording five hits for the first time in his career, one of them a home run—his 20th in 78 games at the High-A level, 26 overall this season.

Adjusting seamlessly to the demands of a higher level, the teenage shortstop has been the star of the show for the Loons since his call-up, crushing baseballs alongside the likes of Charles Davalan and more recently promoted Eduardo Quintero.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Both sides couldn’t record more than a single hit with a runner in scoring position; the difference was that the Loons left over twice the number of runners on base, needing an 11th-inning rally to beat the Express by a score of 7 to 3.

Although he recorded an RBI, James Tibbs III had what could be described as a nightmare performance from the leadoff spot, striking out five times in six at-bats. Alek Thomas was the reason the Comets had the opportunity to win in extras in the first place, hitting two solo shots in the third and seventh innings.

The rally in extras to take the win was started by Zach Ehrhard, who hit his third triple of the season before the bottom of the order joined in on the fun. Lastly, Jake Cousins, on his first rehab assignment, and Bobby Miller were involved as part of a five-inning scoreless effort from the Comets’ bullpen.

Double-A Tulsa

It’s a rare feat to see your opponent record more than three times your number of hits and still find yourself on the winning side of a close matchup. Three hits were all the Drillers needed to beat the Wind Surge’s 10 in a 5-4 game.

Multiple errors by the Wind Surge defense in the third allowed the Drillers to score a pair of runs. Elijah Hainline secured a game-tying sacrifice fly in the seventh before Jake Gelof had the decisive knock of the game, a two-run shot in the eighth, his 30th long ball of the season—it was the only extra-base hit that Tulsa would record in this one, and the only one that they’d need.

High-A Great Lakes

The Loons hammered the Captains in a 13-7 win, with shortstop Emil Morales coming a triple shy of hitting for the cycle, securing a team-high five hits and four RBI. Morales took full advantage of a top of the order in Charles Davalan and Eduardo Quintero, who reached base in front of him consistently, three times each.

It was an even bigger win than the final score would suggest, given that when the Loons scored their 13th run, they led by a dozen. Since Will Gagnon only covered four innings in which he struck out seven, the win was given to Maddux Bruns. The young left-hander had the odd achievement of striking out more players (5) than outs he recorded (4) since one of them reached base on a wild pitch.

Class-A Ontario

The quickest path to overcoming defensive errors is to score a boatload of runs, something the Quakes did in a 10-7 win over the Tower Buzzers, moving past their three defensive mistakes to Ontario’s one. While starter Paul Nieves didn’t have a particularly dominant outing, he was solid enough to be in the lead after four; the real troubles came when reliever Dailoui Abad took the mound, as he was picked apart in a five-run sixth, overall allowing seven runs in just two innings of work.

There was a comeback spark in the ninth when Oswaldo Osorio hit a two-run shot before an out was recorded—the Tower Buzzers’ second homer of the game alongside a first-inning bomb from Ching-Hsien Ko—but the following three hitters were retired to keep the game from any real drama. While Osorio reached base all five times, the hitter behind him, catcher Conner O’Neal, finished the game with a golden sombrero.

Transactions

The Great Lakes Loons activated right-handed pitcher Alek Makarewich off the injured list and transferred fellow right-handed pitcher Reynaldo Yean to the development list. Lastly, Jake Cousins began a rehab assignment with the Oklahoma City Comets.

Wednesday’s scores

• Round Rock 3, Oklahoma City 7
• Tulsa 5, Wichita 4
• Lake County 7, Great Lakes 13
• Ontario 7, Rancho Cucamonga 10

Thursday’s schedule

• 1:00 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Sean Patick) at Lake County (Jackson Humphries)
• Game 2: Great Lakes (Brooks Auger) vs. Lake County (Will McCausland)
• 4:45 p.m. PT: Oklahoma City (Jackson Ferris) at Round Rock (Blake Townsend)
• 5:00 p.m. PT: Tulsa (Aidan Foeller) vs. Wichita (Cory Lewis)
• 6:35 p.m. PT: Ontario (TBD) vs. Rancho Cucamonga (Derek Clark)

Rise and shine A’s fans! We got a brand new series to get started today up in Seattle.

The organization has had some massive hits in the first round of recent MLB Drafts. The team’s 2019-2024 picks have all made it to the major leagues with varying success but they really hit it big in recent years with Tyler Soderstrom, Jacob Wilson, and Nick Kurtz. Those three are anchor players among the position player side of things.

While the team has done well drafting position players, they’ve lacked in the pitching department due to a lack of trying. The Athletics did not select a pitcher with their first round pick in the last nine years. No wonder the big league squad has had pitching problems.

That nearly decade-long streak was snapped last year when the club selected southpaw Jamie Arnold, the first pitcher selected with the A’s top pick since another lefty in A.J. Puk way back in 2016. A product of Florida State University, Arnold was widely considered one of the top pitching prospects and one that could move through the system quickly.

Arnold has looked as advertised so far and his ascent up the minor league ladder has been quick. He didn’t pitch after getting drafted last year and began his professional career at Double-A, where he’s spent most of the year. In 23 starts he posted a 3.27 ERA but he was especially dominant in four August starts where he allowed just four runs in 23 innings. That earned him a promotion to Triple-A, where he made his Aviators debut a couple days ago.

Now 23, the left-hander has now arrived at the final stop of the minor leagues and he looked like he hasn’t skipped a beat. Facing Triple-A hitters for the first time Arnold pitched five shutout frames while allowing just four hits. He also punched out five batters compared to just two walks. It doesn’t get much better than that for a top prospect reaching that level for the first time.

That’s now put him on the radar of a possible promotion over the final month. The A’s have been aggressive in recent years with some of their youngest players and if Arnold continues to look comfortable in Triple-A, then the A’s could feel comfortable getting his feet wet in the big leagues in a relief role, or heck even a start before the year is up. That sure would give A’s fans something exciting to watch.

The more likely scenario is that Arnold wraps the year where he is and contends for a spot in the rotation next Spring. As of right now he’d have a decent shot to crack that top five but we’ll have to wait and see what the A’s do to bolster the starting rotation this offseason. Either way, it’s not much longer before we see Arnold donning the Green & Gold in a regular season game.

Have a great Thursday everyone.

A’s Coverage:

• A’s Rally Too Late in 8-5 Loss to Rangers
• A’s Designate José Suarez For Assignment
• White exits with back tightness as A’s injury woes continue
• Your 2026 Hacktastic A’s
• Losing Streak Hits Four, A’s Lose To Rangers 8-1
• Athletics Considering James Click For GM Vacancy
• Get the best of Athletics Nation on the new SB Nation app
• How defensive whiz Clarke’s return will impact A’s
• How A’s catcher Bruce Maxwell brought taking a knee to MLB and what happened afterwards
• A’s Plan to Test Top Pitching Prospect Jamie Arnold at Next Level
• A’s Take Series With Finale Win Over Twins 7-4
• Separating The Wheat From The Chaff Not So Easy
• Amidst The Despair: The Position Player Talent Is There
• What Are The Next Steps For The A’s? ($)
• Where Each A’s Player’s Contract Stands Entering Offseason
• Why Athletics Will Have Scary Offense in 2027
• Red-hot Bolte looking to build on lessons from rookie season
• ’Kid has been grinding’: Butler’s resurgence, leadership fuel A’s
• Underdog Athletics prospect Cole Conn playing like a big dog for Aviators
• Behind the Plate, the A’s Face an Offseason Reckoning
• Why The New GM Needs To “Clean House”
• A Seemingly Rock Bottomless Glass
• MLB Trade Grades: A’s Have Quiet Trade Deadline
• This key change(up) could unlock big success for A’s prospect
• Fustercluck 2026: The Real Reasons For A Disappointing Season

MLB News and Interest:

• Rookie of the Year races in AL, NL coming to conclusion as favorites pull away
• New Rays Owner: Stadium Deal Should Lead To Significant Payroll Increase
• Dodgers get Will Smith, Rushing, Wrobleski back from IL
• Mike Trout on ‘needed’ sale of Angels: It’s a ‘fresh start’
• Angels Notes: Stadium, Trout, Front Office
• Rays, Austin Slater Agree To New Minor League Deal
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Arnold wasn’t the only one with a recent promotion to Triple-A:

Looking like it so far:

Very!

The injuries don’t stop:

Good morning friends!

The Mariners are coming off their second straight high-scoring victory in Boston, as the team triumphed 8-3 to remain perfect in September. The M’s are back home tonight for a series against the Athletics, with first pitch set for 6:40pm PT. How are we feeling coming off those two wins?

In Mariners news…

• The Mariners have reportedly agreed to a minor league deal with right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson.
• The Lookout Landing staff discussed the ramifications of a miserable series in Toronto and whether or not Dan Wilson will finally get canned for this.
• Zack Scott told the story of how the Red Sox very nearly acquired Félix Hernández during the summer of 2009.

Around the league…

• Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Shohei Ohtani remains without a timeline for a return to pitching after the two-way star felt discomfort in his knee during his bullpen session on Friday.
• In his MLB debut, Padres catcher Ethan Salas became the youngest player to catch a game since Iván Rodríguez.
• Joelle Milholm spoke to some WPBL stars to hear about their experience during this inaugural season for the league.
• The Awful Announcing staff unveiled voter rankings of all 30 local broadcast crews around the majors. Shout out to my former roommate Jake Eisenberg (Royals) for getting his flowers from the fans.
• Congratulations, Geno!

The Mets did their crosstown rivals a huge solid taking two out of three from the Rays, meaning the Yankees closed the gap to 3.5 games with their extra-innings win over the Angels. Cam Schlittler authored another dominant start and Austin Wells supplied the game winner to ensure the team enters the off-day on a positive swell of emotion before heading to San Diego for three.

Here’s how the rest of the games involving the AL playoff picture shook out:

New York Mets (63-77) 10, Tampa Bay Rays (83-56) 4

Neither team’s starting pitching plans went according to script. Griffin Jax was only able to give the Rays 2.2 innings in his first start off the IL, allowing six runs (three earned) on seven hits and two walks. The Mets meanwhile tried to get cute with a bullpen game, only to watch opener Justin Hagenman and reliever Chris Devenski combine to give up four runs on six hits and a walk in 3.2 innings.

New York scored the first six runs of this contest, starting with three in the first. Juan Soto singled and Carson Benge walked to set up a two-run single from Jared Young aided by a missed catch error by the catcher on a play at the plate. Marcus Semien then drove in Young with a double. Two innings later, they scored another three runs. Bo Bichette singled, Semien walked, and A.J. Ewing singled to load the bases with two outs. A Brett Baty double promptly unloaded them to make it 6-0.

Tampa Bay responded with four unanswered, starting with one in the third as Taylor Walls walked, Yandy Díaz singled, and Jonathan Aranda plated Walls with a single. Three more came the following inning, Chandler Simpson and Cedric Mullins reaching on singles to set up a three-run blast to right by Richie Palacios.

Then it was the Mets’ turn to score four unanswered. Three of those arrived in the seventh as Bichette doubled, Benge singled, and Semien was hit by a pitch to load the bases. They received their second bases-clearing double of the night, this one courtesy of rookie Nick Morabito, his first ever big league hit. Soto demolished a solo shot in the eighth to push the Mets into double digits.

Other Games

Seattle Mariners (66-74) 8, Boston Red Sox (75-65) 3

Bryce Miller was pulled after just 65 pitches despite no report of an injury — a curious decision given he had held the Red Sox to a run in 4.2 innings to that point. It was even more curious considering the Mariners had spotted hima 4-0 lead with a long rally in the third. Weston Wilson and J.P. Crawford hit a pair of leadoff singles and Dominic Canzone walked, Julio Rodríguez and Josh Naylor then following with their own back-to-back singles as Seattle plated four with the help of a wild pitch and a Jarren Duran throwing error.

The lone damage against Miller came in the fourth on a Trevor Story RBI double. However, Seattle responded with another four-run inning in the sixth. Cole Young got plunked, Wilson walked, and Crawford singled to load the bases with no outs. Jhonny Pereda singled home a pair, Randy Arozarena another, and a Canzone double made it 8-1.

Roman Anthony grabbed a consolation run with a solo home run in the seventh and Mickey Gasper and Eli White added another with back-to-back doubles, but that would conclude the scoring. With the loss and Yankees win, the Red Sox fall five games back of second place.

Houston Astros (71-69) 2, Chicago White Sox (73-66) 3

We had a true pitchers’ duel on our hands, Davis Martin giving the White Sox 5.2 scoreless allowing five hits and a walk while Hayden Wesneski was even better for the Astros — seven scoreless innings of one-hit ball with two walks and five strikeouts. Houston had the first real chance to score, with runners on the corners with no outs after Yordan Alvarez led off the fourth with a double and Isaac Paredes followed with a single, but Martin buckled down to strand them in place.

Chicago squandered a golden opportunity in the eighth after Tristan Peters led off with a triple and Drew Romo drew a walk to put runners on the corners with nobody out. However, Peters got thrown out at home on a groundball. Munetaka Murakami singled to load the bases, but Miguel Vargas killed the rally with the inning ending double play.

Houston capitalized in the bottom of the frame, Alvarez singling, Paredes walking, and Jose Altuve getting grazed by a pitch to load the bases with one out. Nelson Velázquez supplied the game winning hit with a two-run single off Sean Newcomb.

AL Wild Card Rock Fight

Toronto Blue Jays (69-71) 11, Cleveland Guardians (70-69) 0

The Blue Jays bludgeoned Joey Cantillo for nine runs (four earned) in 5.1 innings. Those five unearned runs all came in the second when a throwing error by shortstop Angel Genao allowed two runs to score. The very next batter was Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and he completed the humiliation with a booming three-run blast. Dylan Cease kept pace with Schlittler in the AL Cy Young race, twirling six shutout allowing four hits and no walks with four strikeouts. Vladito would collect another pair of RBIs late and finish with three hits in this rout of the Guardians.

Colorado Rockies (54-86) 6, Baltimore Orioles (69-71) 5

Luis Robert Jr. drove in a pair on his Orioles debut while Trevor Rogers struck out eleven across 6.2 innings of two-run ball. However, the Rockies kept chipping away until a Zac Veen RBI double with two outs in the bottom of the ninth sent the game to extras. In the 11th, Samuel Basallo and Blaze Alexander slapped a pair of RBI singles, but Colorado walked it off by scoring three in the bottom half on TJ Rumfield RBI single, Adael Amador ground-rule double, and the walk-off two-run single by Brett Sullivan.

Athletics (54-86) 9, Texas Rangers (69-71) 2

It was a home run parade for the Athletics in Arlington, four different players leaving the yard. Rookie Nick Bolte became the first player in franchise history to hit two home runs and steal a base from the leadoff spot as he went 3-for-4 with four RBIs. Zack Gelof and Jonah Heim both hit solo shots while Alika Williams provided pop from the bottom of the order with a two-run blast and an RBI double. This was all after Texas jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on solo homers by Ezequiel Duran and Justin Foscue.

When the Orioles made the controversial decision to trade Adley Rutschman to a division rival, it felt like they were throwing in the towel on 2026. Critics deemed the move to be an indictment of Mike Elias and his failure to establish a consistent winning window in Baltimore. The notion that Rutschman—a former first overall pick and top prospect in all of baseball—could leave the organization without a single playoff victory was unfathomable after the team won 101 games in 2023.

For many, that sentiment still rings true. But the narrative has evolved since last month. At the time of the deal, it felt like Rutschman’s return to Baltimore would mark one of the only meaningful events in September. That’s no longer the case. The Orioles will host the Red Sox with the third wild card spot still well within reach.

The Red Sox sent catcher Carlos Narváez along with prospects Anthony Eyanson, Kyson Witherspoon, and Enddy Azocar to Baltimore in the trade. The deal also included a player to be named later or cash considerations. Harold Rivas, and 18-year-old outfielder, was eventually named the PTBNL. The inclusion of Rivas was contingent on Rutschman returning from the injured list after missing three weeks with left wrist inflammation.

Rutschman returned but is clearly not 100 percent. The catcher missed the last three games for Boston, but Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said he was “hopeful” Rutschman could return Thursday, but noted that the team is trying to do their best due diligence. Rutschman has been bothered by a hyperextended right elbow. A recent MRI revealed swelling but no ligament damage.

Rutschman’s latest ailment adds another element to his emotional return. Fans want to wish the former Oriole well but don’t actually want his team to win. They’d like to see him healthy, but also want Baltimore to “win” the trade. At the end of the day, Orioles fans should cheer for their team while expressing appreciation for one of the greatest fan favorites since Cal. I’d expect a touching pre-game tribute and a warm reception at Camden Yards.

Boston will arrive in town with a firm grasp on the second wild card spot. The Orioles will return home after a nine-game road trip that started strong but ended with arguably their worst loss of the season. Baltimore will need to dig deep with a depleted bullpen that let the club down multiple times on Wednesday.

The Red Sox story is one of the more remarkable from the 2026 season. The team fired its manager and most of his staff after a disappointing start before winning 15 consecutive games in July. Baltimore eventually snapped the streak with a 5-1 win, but the Sox have remained hot in the second half of the season.

Game 1: Thursday, September 3, 7:15 — FOX

RHP Brandon Young (9-3, 3.38) vs. LHP Jake Bennett (9-6, 3.27 ERA)

If it weren’t for Pete Alonso, Brandon Young would be a favorite for Most Valuable Oriole. Young went from being assigned to minor league camp in spring training to Baltimore’s most consistent starter. He’ll take the mound in search of his 10th win of the season. Young delivered seven innings of one-run ball his last time out against the A’s, and the Orioles would absolutely love to see another deep outing from the 28-year-old.

Jake Bennett will be the first of three lefties that the Orioles face in this series. Bennett came to Boston in a prospect-for-prospect trade with the Nationals in December 2025. Boston optioned the lefty in May, but he’s been with the big club since June 10.

The Orioles will look to newcomer Luis Robert Jr. and lefty-masher Coby Mayo to do damage against Boston’s southpaws.

Game 2: Friday, September 4, 7:05 — MASN

RHP Shane Baz (5-14, 4.01 ERA) vs. LHP Ranger Suarez (5-4, 3.64 ERA)

The Orioles will look to provide Shane Baz some run support for the second consecutive outing. Baz picked up his first win of August last week when Baltimore scored five runs against the Athletics. The righty has been as advertised for the most part since arriving in Baltimore last offseason, but the O’s’ refusal to score has led to a lopsided record. Hopefully the offense will respond at Camden Yards after a disappointing series in Colorado.

The Orioles were linked to former free agent Ranger Suarez before he signed a five year, $130 million deal with the Sox. Suarez has impressed this season but has yet to face Baltimore in 2026.

Game 3: Saturday, September 5, 7:05 — MASN

RHP Chris Bassitt (6-4, 4.97 ERA) vs. RHP Sonny Gray (16-4, 2.82 ERA)

Veteran Chris Bassitt continues to occupy the fifth spot in Baltimore’s rotation since returning on August 14. Bassitt has looked slightly more crisp with his pitches during his latest stint with the Orioles. The organization signed the veteran in part because of his postseason experience, and the team will look for a big outing during some meaningful September baseball.

The Orioles will finally face a right-hander on Saturday, but he’s no slouch. Sonny Gray will enter the series with 16 wins an a sub-three ERA. Gray will take the ball on nine days rest after Boston elected to give the righty a few extra days. The 36-year-old said that he feels fine and that the scheduled layoff was planned to prepare him for “September and moving forward.”

Game 4: Sunday, September 6, 1:35 — MASN

RHP Kyle Bradish (7 -12, 4.01 ERA) vs. LHP Payton Tolle (8-6, 3.23 ERA)

Whether the Orioles are looking to take the series, salvage a split, or clinch/avoid a sweep, they’ll send out Bradish in Game 4. Bradish feels like the leader of the staff after signing a five-year extension in July. The Red Sox are obviously a tough opponent, but Baltimore cannot afford to drop this series. The organization will look for Bradish to deliver against another talented starting pitcher.

Bennett and Payton Tolle have both already surpassed their career highs in professional innings pitched. Maybe this will be the series that the talented rookies run out of gas? Tolle has won over the baseball community with his jovial personality and quality performance. The 23-year-old’s Baseball Savant page is littered with red, but he does allow batters to put the ball in the air. Look for the Orioles to swing for the fences in the series finale.

How many games will the Orioles win in this series against Boston? Let us know your prediction in the comments below.

With Clearwater’s game rained out, only three of the Phillies’ affiliates were in action on Wednesday. And of the three, only one emerged victorious, and that win required a late-inning comeback.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 9, Lehigh Valley 2

A rough first inning by pitcher Casey Lawrence put the IronPigs in an early hole from which they couldn’t recover. Lawrence gave up four runs in the first, and in total allowed seven runs on 12 hits – including two home runs – in his 4.1 innings. Lou Trivino also had a tough game, giving up two runs in his one inning of work.

Offensively, Keaton Anthony had a strong game with three hits including an RBI double in the first. Otto Kemp hit a home run as one of his two hits, while Kameron Misner, Alex Binelas, and Christian Cairo each had two-hit games.

Reading 5, Hartford 3

The Fightin’ Phils trailed for much of the game, but Bryson Ware hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning to tie it up, and then RBI hits in the eighth by Carson DeMartini and Aroon Escobar gave the Phils their margin of victory.

On the pitching side, Mavis Graves struck out five batters in two scoreless relief innings to earn the win, and Estibenzon Jimenez pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his seventh save of the season.

Hub City 11, Jersey Shore 4

The Spartanburgers jumped on BlueClaws starter Giussepe Velasquez for three runs in the first inning, and later Jake Eddington had a disastrous relief appearance, getting hammered for seven runs in 0.2 innings.

Offensively, Robert Phelps and Scott Mudler each had two hits, and Nathan Humphries had an RBI triple, but it wasn’t enough to make up for the poor pitching.

Casey Mize continued to struggle in his short tenure with the San Diego Padres. The most recent example came in a 7-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds in the final game of their three-game series, which also wrapped up a dismal 1-5 road trip. Mize was on the mound for San Diego in the rubber game against Cincinnati, looking to help his new team win the series, which would have sent them into an off day on Thursday before opening a series at home against the New York Yankees on Friday on a positive note.

Mize, who was throwing to Ethan Salas who was making his MLB debut, was given an early two-run lead when Ty France connected on a two-run home run that just made it over the left field fence to put the Padres ahead 2-0 in the first inning. San Diego added to that lead with another run in the top of the second inning when Fernando Tatis Jr. singled to score Austin Hays from second base. Mize entered the bottom of the second inning with a 3-0 lead and it looked like a promising day for a Padres team that is fighting with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final playoff spot in the National League.

The feeling of hope for a positive result was short lived thanks to Reds second baseman Juan Brito. He connected on a three-run home run to tie the game with one swing of the bat in the bottom of the second inning and seemed to take all momentum away from San Diego. Cincinnati added a second home run in the inning in the form of a solo shot by Hector Rodriguez. Mize watched his 3-0 lead become a 4-3 deficit over the span of six batters.

Mize navigated two more innings without allowing any additional runs but was replaced in the bottom of the fifth inning by Wandy Peralta. The Padres kept the Reds off the board until the bottom of the sixth inning when David Morgan allowed a bases loaded sacrifice fly to Matt McLain which put Cincinnati up, 5-3. The final gut punch came in the bottom of the seventh inning when recently added reliver Jhony Brito allowed a two-out, two-run home run to JJ Bleday which put the game away by the final of 7-3.

The Padres struggled once again with runners in scoring position. They finished the day 1-for-7 and failed to execute a bunt attempt, which resulted in a popout. Both facts are disturbing trends that have contributed to the poor performance of the Friars over the last handful of series. San Diego got two-hit games from Tatis, France and Xander Bogaerts, but Austin Hays was the only other batter to record a hit in the game for the Padres. Salas finished his debut 0-for-4 at the plate.

Mize has appeared in six games for the Padres and has amassed a record of 1-3 with a ghastly 6.67 ERA. Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta were both progressing in their rehab assignments before Musgrove was delayed with some arm soreness. Mize may have a limited number of opportunities with the San Diego going forward if one or both return in the near future. Considering what the Friars gave up to trade for Mize, he may remain on the roster, but could find himself as the new Griffin Canning, pitching out of the bullpen when Musgrove and/or Pivetta return.

San Diego will have an off day today and will resume play against the Yankees at Petco Park starting Friday at 6:40 p.m.

Padres News:

• Braedon Karpathios helped the San Antonio Missions get a win.

Baseball News:

• Ronald Acuna Jr. reaches 200 home runs and 200 stolen bases and leads the Atlanta Braves to a 9-0 win.

• The Arizona Diamondbacks ended their three-game losing streak with a 1-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

• The Seattle Mariners knocked off the Boston Red Sox, 8-3.

• The Colorado Rockies walked off the Baltimore Orioles.

Morning, all!

Robert Garcia was so excited about throwing a live bullpen session on Wednesday that he couldn’t sleep.

Cody Bradford gave up five runs yesterday, all of them via home run.

Bradford says that his command just isn’t there since his return from elbow surgery.

Victory + went dark yesterday, vindicating the Rangers’ midseason decision to change streaming providers.

Skip Schumaker says that the culture of baseball has created a development pipeline that produces players that don’t understand baseball fundamentals.

While yesterday was an ugly loss that once again thwarted the Rangers’ attempts to become a .500 team, they just need to keep winning series to close out the season.

Of course, the next series is against the AL best Tampa Bay Rays.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

I got one more crack this week before the big long weekend, and I'm not taking losing vibes into the end of the summer. Home run and MLB player props are taking notice today.

I'll grab Oneil Cruz in the opener and Alex Bregman to continue his torrid stretch against the Brewers. And just because I didn't cash Mickey Gasper yesterday doesn't mean I'll avoid him today in a better matchup.

These are my favorite MLBhome run props for Thursday, Sept. 3.

MLB home run props for today

For help understanding Polymarket probabilities, see our odds calculator.

Player to hit a HR	Chance
Oneil Cruz	21%
Alex Bregman	15%
Mickey Gasper	16%
💲Today's HR parlay	153.85x

Home run prediction: Oneil Cruz (21%)

Give me one Cruz missile to open the Thursday slate. The form is there with Oneil Cruz, who is hitting over .300 and slugging over .500 across the last two weeks with a couple of taters. His left-handed swing plays very well today against a Giants team dealing with a depleted rotation.

The Giants currently have four starters on the 60-day injured list, plus another seven relievers on the shelf. That means Blade Tidwell gets another turn after serving up three home runs in his last outing. Lefties are hitting more than 100 points better against him and doing their damage deep.

It's a warm one at PNC today, with 9-mph winds blowing out. I want Cruz in this spot at 23% or better. The lefty bats have the edge in this matchup.

• Time: 12:35 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SportsNet Pittsburgh, NBC Sports Bay Area

Home run prediction: Alex Bregman (15%)

Wrigley Field is one of three parks averaging three or more dingers per game this year. This series has seen more home runs than I can count on two hands, and despite some great numbers, Logan Henderson is not a bad name to fade on a small Thursday slate.

Since the All-Star break, 32% of Henderson's hits allowed have gone yard, and he has allowed nine homers across 48 innings. He's been a very lucky pitcher with a .178 BABIP in the second half while stranding 100% of his runners, per FanGraphs. His lefty-righty splits are pretty even, which puts Alex Bregman and his hot bat on the card at 18.2% or better.

Bregman is on a mission, and that mission took Jacob Misiorowski deep in his last outing. He has four homers in this set alone and has launched eight home runs over his last four series (12 games). Many Cubs hitters are projected as +EV at Covers.

• Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: FOX

Home run prediction: Mickey Gasper (16%)

Brandon Young has been one of the luckier pitchers in the second half of the MLB season. His HR/FB rate is the 30th-worst among all MLB starters and the worst on today's slate. His xERA is more than a point higher than his actual ERA, and the warmer temperatures and winds blowing out to right aren't going to help him.

Mickey Gasper is a switch-hitter who has been crushing right-handed pitching. It's been a small sample, but nobody has been a better power hitter than Gasper over the last two weeks, with a .964 SLG. He had an extra-base hit in each of the three games vs. the Mariners and homered in two.

I bet on him yesterday to no avail, but I'll happily go back to him in a better matchup that I'd play to 4.5x.

• Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: FOX

Best home run combo for September 3

Oneil Cruz	Trade Now 153.85x
Alex Bregman
Mickey Gasper

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A’s 9, Rangers 2

• Cody Bradford hit 90.6 mph with his fastball, averaging 88.6 mph. Robby Ahlstrom’s fastball topped out at 94.1 mph. Jordan Montgomery reached 91.7 mph with his sinker. Ben Peoples’ fastball maxed out at 95.5 mph.
• Justin Foscue had a 107.3 mph home run. Corey Seager had a 103.8 mph GIDP. Ezequiel Duran had a 103.1 mph home run.
• Yeah.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates head into today's series finale against the San Francisco Giants as a heavy 60% moneyline favorite, with first pitch at PNC Park scheduled for 12:35 p.m. ET. 

It will be a bullpen game for Pittsburgh, which has been shutting the door late in games lately. That has me backing the hosts in my Giants vs Pirates predictions. Find out more in my MLB picks for Thursday, Sep. 3. 

Who will win Giants vs Pirates today: Pirates moneyline (60%)

For help understanding probabilities, see our odds calculator.

The Pittsburgh Pirates will send reliever Lake Bachar to the mound today, and while he doesn't typically work more than two innings, the righty has allowed just two earned runs across his last three outings.

The Bucs’ bullpen also owns a 3.27 FIP over the last week with no home run damage, and the San Francisco Giants have just a .148 ISO over their last seven games.

The visitors counter with Blade Tidwell, who owns a 5.81 FIP over his previous two starts while surrendering 2.53 HR/9.

Pittsburgh has the offensive profile to capitalize, carrying a 111 wRC+ over the last week. The Bucs have the edge.

Play this pick up to 62%.

COVERS INTEL: PNC Park is where the Pirates thrive offensively with a 112 wRC+. On the road, they're much worse, posting a 91 wRC+. 

Giants vs Pirates Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (46%)

I’m leaning Under 8.5, even with San Francisco producing a 110 wRC+ over the last week.

The issue is power. Both lineups have been light in the ISO department, which makes it harder to trust either side to break this open with one big swing.

The bullpen profiles also support a lower-scoring game, with the Giants’ relief corps posting a 3.00 FIP over its previous 31 innings while allowing just 0.58 HR/9.

Pittsburgh’s bullpen is also in strong form, giving this game fewer late-inning scoring paths. With limited power and two steady relief groups, the Under is the play.

Play up to 50%.

Giants vs Pirates home run prediction: Rafael Devers (14%)

Rafael Devers is worth a look given his recent power output. The slugger has clubbed three homers over his last seven games while posting a .370 ISO during that span.

Devers also owns a 52.7% hard-hit rate and 14.3% barrel rate recently. He has put just 38.1% of his contact in the air over the last week, but 37.5% of those fly balls have left the yard.

The matchup against Pittsburgh’s bullpen is not perfect given its ability to limit homers, but Devers’ current form is hard to ignore.

I'd play this pick up to 25%

Giants vs Pirates weather

Weather at PNC Park looks warm but slightly unsettled, with partly cloudy skies and temperatures climbing from 83°F to 89°F. Rain chances sit between 16-33%, so there’s some shower risk, but nothing that screams major postponement concern. Winds are moderate around 8-11 mph, and the warm air could slightly help carry.

Giants vs Pirates odds

• Moneyline: Giants 41% | Pirates 60%
• Run line: Giants +1.5 (59%) | Pirates -1.5 (42%)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (55%) | Under 8.5 (46%)

Giants vs Pirates trend

The Pirates have cashed the moneyline in five of their last eight games for +1.60 units and a 17% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Giants vs. Pirates.

How to watch Giants vs Pirates and game info

Giants vs Pirates latest injuries

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