FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 12: Mikey Romero #72 of the Boston Red Sox takes batting practice during a spring training workout at JetBlue Park at Fenway South on February 12, 2026 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It was close, but in a game that featured twenty-seven hits between the two teams, the WooSox fell just short against the Bison (Blue Jays AAA) after a late rally. Mikey Romero had a two-RBI single to score Mickey Gasper and Franklin Arias (both of whom looked good Tuesday, obviously good enough to get within scoring position) to add to his sac fly. The former first rounder has hit .364 with an OPS of 1.072 in the month of August. This one was decided early in retrospect, though; John Holobetz finally looked a bit too human after an awesome start to his Triple-A campaign, was pulled early, and the bullpen (mostly Eduardo Rivera) didn’t help matters on a night where the offense certainly did enough to win most other games.
By the time the Sea Dogs got a ball over the fence, Brooks Brannon’s 19th of the season that also scored Jack Winnay, the score was 16-4 and the expected winning percentage stayed securely at 0.1%. The Rumble Ponies (Mets AA) had an outstanding sixth inning off the mitt of Cooper Adams, beckoning seven runs and turning a 7-1 game into an absolute laugher. The game didn’t start off right as Dalton Rogers allowed a first-inning home run to Jefferson Rojas and the pitching staff then allowed two doubles to the young shortstop. That was just one indication of a night that would just not let up.
Greenville: PPD in 3rd, Make-Up Today
The Drive have a pretty good handle on this one as the rain came down too quickly in Spartanburg (Astros High-A) to continue. They’re up 5-0 in the third, having jumped to an early lead thanks to Isaiah Jackson’s 16th of 2026. “First” pitch at 5:00.
The bullpen held up their end of the bargain against Delmarva (Orioles A) on Tuesday night, allowing just one hit after the third, but the offense was extremely lackluster, getting just six total bases on the night and only drawing two walks. As a result, the RidgeYaks were unceremoniously walked off without recording an out in the bottom of the ninth. Franklin Primera had two hits as he and Skylar King remain maybe the two most intriguing batting prospects in Salem, but when you can’t get the ducks across the pond… I can’t think of an analogy to end this, but you get the point, it’s tough to win.
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - MARCH 19, 2026: Will Bush #56 of the Houston Astros in the field during the seventh inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Miami Marlins at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on March 19, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below.
AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (59-55) lost 9-8 (BOX SCORE)
Hendrickson started for Sugar Land but struggled allowing 7 runs, 4 earned, over 6 innings of work. The offense got on the board in the 4th inning on an Alexander 3 run home run. They got 2 more runs in the 5th on a Biggio RBI triple and Ferreras RBI double. An Alexander double in the 7th brought Sugar Land within a run. In the 9th, Sugar Land tied it on a Brooks walk. The game went to extras and in the 10th, Salazar drove in a run on a sac fly. Unfortunately Santa wasn’t able to hold the lead as Sugar Land fell 9-8.
Roddery Munoz, RHP: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Miguel Ullola, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Alimber Santa, RHP: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (52-57) won 3-2 (BOX SCORE)
Dombroski started for the Hooks and tossed 2.2 scoreless innings. The Hooks got on the board in the 2nd inning on a Call sac fly and Holy RBI double. In the 5th, Bush connected on a solo home run. Mancini went 2.1 innings in relief allowing 2 runs, 1 earned. He was followed by Perez who tossed 2 scoreless innings. The rest of the pen was solid as they closed out the 3-2 win.
A+: Asheville Tourists (37-70) won 14-9 (BOX SCORE)
Asheville got on the board in the first inning scoring 2 runs on a Moss RBI double and Garcia RBI single. They scored 5 more runs in the 2nd inning on a fielder’s choice, Neyens walk, Huezo walk, Moss sac fly and Walker sac fly. In the 3rd, the offense got 4 more runs on a Newman groundout and Huezo 3 run home run. Potter got the start and allowed one run over 3 innings of work. Santos pitched in relief and allowed 6 runs but the offense got another in the 4th on a Newman single and then 2 runs in the 7th on Newman and Thomas back to back home runs. Varela allowed a couple of runs in the 9th but held on as Asheville won 14-9.
Dinger Tuesday was good to me, with two of three cashing for +7 units and one step closer to digging out of what seemed like an impossible home run hole. MLB player props have been better for me in the summer months. Let's crush Wednesday.
In addition to targeting the two leaders in the NL MVP race, I'm adding the new Tampa Bay Rays catcher, Liam Hicks, to take advantage of a favorable situation in Sacramento.
These are my favorite MLB home run props for Wednesday, August 12.
UPDATE: Added another HR pick + parlay.
MLB home run props for today
Player to hit a HR
Odds
Shohei Ohtani
+276
Pete Crow-Armstrong
+344
Liam Hicks
+830
💲Today's HR parlay
+11684
Home run prediction: Shohei Ohtani (+276)
Shohei Ohtani for a homer at +250 or better is usually a price point for me, but it’s not something we see daily, with his average HR price closer to $2. I’m a Pete Crow-Armstrong guy all the way for NL MVP right now, but I’m willing to back Ohtani at this price against the Kansas City Royals and their bullpen.
Lefty Daniel Lynch is getting the start, which is why the price is higher with the lefty-on-lefty matchup. However, Lynch threw just 35 pitches and recorded five outs in his last turn, his first start of the season, before handing things over to the relievers. Kansas City currently has no left-handed options in its bullpen, which sets up well for Ohtani later in the game.
Since 2024, 71% of Ohtani’s home runs have come against right-handed pitching, so the matchup gets considerably better once the Royals go to their right-handed relievers.
Dodger Stadium is also a favorable home run environment, with some of the shortest fence distances in MLB. THE BAT has the fair price all the way down to +220.
Time: 10:10 p.m. ET
Where to watch: SportsNet LA, Royals.TV
Home run prediction: Pete Crow-Armstrong (+344)
This is a huge outlier price at Polymarket. I hit this winner last night at +325, and tonight’s matchup is just as good, with a fair price of +260.
Pete Crow-Armstrong launched a 111-mph missile last night and has moved to -125 as the NL MVP betting favorite. He saw Jake Irvin last night but can do some damage against the Washington Nationals and rookie left-hander Jackson Kent, who is making his first MLB start.
The southpaw started the year at Double-A and is getting the promotion after Zack Littell was finally designated for assignment. Kent was a strikeout-per-inning pitcher at Triple-A this year but also allowed eight home runs over 63-plus frames. He’s tough on lefties from a batting average perspective, but left-handed hitters have taken him deep at a rate similar to righties.
Nothing cute here — just backing a great bat in a great spot at a great price with my MLB picks.
Time: 6:45 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Nationals.TV, Marquee Sports Network
Home run prediction: Liam Hicks (+830)
The Tampa Bay Rays might have the best HR matchup on the slate today. They get Sutter Health Park, which is ranked as the best home run park by a fair margin, according to Ballpark Pal.
Jack Perkins is also one of the best HR starters to target. He ranks in the Bottom 20 of all MLB pitchers in HR/9 and the bottom 40 in HR/FB rate. He's allowed nine home runs over his last 28 innings at home.
Liam Hicks is projected to hit out of the cleanup spot and is paying a robust +830, with some books as short as +500. He has a solid .884 OPS since joining the Rays and gets to face a right-handed starter, with 14 of his 15 homers coming against RHPs. The A's are also down their best lefty middle reliever and are a bottom-three bullpen in terms of HR/9.
It's a buy to +650.
Time: 11:59 p.m. ET
Where to watch: One National or Two local
Josh Inglis' 2026 Transparency Record
HR picks: 29-149, -10.43 units
Best home run combo for Aug. 12
Shohei Ohtani
Trade Now +11684
Pete Crow-Armstrong
Liam Hicks
Want more baseball parlays? Check out our MLB parlay picks page!
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 2: Adam Silver, Joshua Kushner and Bob Iger are seen on Day 10 of the 2025 US Open Tennis Championships at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 2, 2025 in Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York City. (Photo by XNY/Star Max/GC Images)
In a completely unexpected and shocking move, the Lakers are reportedly being sold again.
On Wednesday morning, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN reported that the franchise was being sold for a record-breaking $12 billion to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger.
Shortly after the news came out, Kushner and Iger released a statement to ESPN confirming the sale.
Statement to ESPN from Josh Kushner and Bob Iger:
“As lifelong NBA fans, we are deeply honored for the opportunity to become stewards of the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the most iconic sports franchises in the world. We have immense respect for the leadership and vision of Jerry… https://t.co/IMvaW0Iolr
“As lifelong NBA fans, we are deeply honored for the opportunity to become stewards of the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the most iconic sports franchises in the world. We have immense respect for the leadership and vision of Jerry and Jeanie Buss. Our long-term commitment is to build on that foundation, compete at the highest level, and serve this extraordinary team, its fans, and the city of Los Angeles.”
Statement to ESPN from Mark Walter: “Owning the Los Angeles Lakers has been one of the great honors of my life – an extraordinary investment, but what I will carry with me is the community, the fans, and a city that treats this team as family. I am grateful to Jeanie Buss, the… https://t.co/IMvaW0Iolr
“Owning the Los Angeles Lakers has been one of the great honors of my life – an extraordinary investment, but what I will carry with me is the community, the fans, and a city that treats this team as family. I am grateful to Jeanie Buss, the Buss family, the players, and the staff for welcoming me into this chapter. The Lakers belong to Los Angeles, and I have every confidence the best is still ahead.”
For now, it’s unclear what caused this sale, but it’s not hard to look at the ongoing federal investigation into Walter and assume that had a role. Without knowing much about the investigation, many people will likely try to connect dots and assume something is going on with that investigation that prompted Walter to sell the team.
Even if that is the case, he sold the team for a profit after owning it for less than a year. When he purchased the Lakers, it was at a valuation of $10 billion. Fast forward to 2026 and he made $2.5 billion on the sale.
There’s certainly a lot to unpack from all this with lots of the answers we’re looking for not coming for some time. First, who are Kushner and Iger and what experience do they have in running a team?
Well, Josh Kushner is, in fact, Jared Kushner’s brother, which means the Lakers are alarmingly close to Donald Trump now. He is also a minority owner of the Miami Heat, a move he made back in early 2025 that he will now, obviously, have to divest from. To acquire a stake in the Heat, he sold his stake in the Grizzlies, which he acquired in 2019. That’s all to say he does have a history of being around the NBA.
Outside of basketball, sports fans more recently likely heard his name as part of the FIFA World Cup controversy in which FIFA President Gianni Infantino was attempting to sell stakes of competitions to private investors, specifically to an investment fund run by Kushner. The plan backfired spectacularly and might cost Infantino his job, so Kushner pivoted to buying the Lakers, it seems.
Iger is likely a name sports fans have at least heard before as he served as the CEO of Walt Disney Company for nearly 20 years. When it comes to sports ownership, he is the majority owner of Angel City FC, the LA-based National Women’s Soccer League franchise.
Another fair question from this is what happens to Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka. The answer is that we don’t know and likely won’t for some time.
With Jeanie, though, it wouldn’t be a surprise if this is the end of the road. Her agreement to stay with the team was with Walter. If he is no longer the controlling owner, that deal won’t exist. It was already a very unique deal that was hard to grasp, so it’d be a surprise if another set of owners agrees to a similar deal.
As for Pelinka, his immediate future is not in any imminent danger. It took months to finalize the deal last time around, so we’ll likely be well into the season once this move gains league approval and becomes official. It’s unlikely, as much as some Lakers fans may want it, that the new owners are going to come in and immediately clean house during the season.
To that point about the front office, though, this will end the partnership between the Dodgers and Lakers, which had grown throughout the last year. All of the expansion of the front office that was ongoing under Walter likely will be put on hold to some degree.
There are a lot of questions that won’t have answers for some time and a lot to unpack from this. But what a shocking bit of news that no one anticipated.
Duo are notable omissions from England’s 25-man list
Alex Coles and Asher Opoku-Fordjour both included
Ollie Lawrence and Elliot Daly have both lost their central contracts, with Steve Borthwick omitting the pair from his 25-man squad a year before England’s World Cup campaign begins.
Neither Lawrence nor Daly – who was nursing an arm injury – featured in the three Nations Championship matches this summer but both played during the Six Nations and are the standout exclusions from Borthwick’s selections which point towards his thinking for the World Cup squad next year.
The Los Angeles Dodgers took the first two games of this series against the Kansas City Royals, and they're -215 favorites to complete the sweep.
L.A.'s lethal offense is finally waking up, and I'm backing it to put forth another productive outing with my Royals vs. Dodgers predictions and MLB picks on Wednesday, Aug. 12.
Who will win Royals vs Dodgers today: Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 (-110)
The Dodgers have scored at least five runs in each of the first two games of this series, and I project them to do so again tonight.
Daniel Lynch conceded three runs in less than two innings of work in his first start. He will not give the Royals much length, and he’ll be backed by the league’s worst bullpen in FIP.
Back Dodgers bats to lead the way in a one-sided affair. Play to -115.
Royals vs Dodgers Over/Under pick: Over 9.5 (+120)
The Royals’ bullpen ranks dead last in HR/9, and that’s with Lynch, normally a staple out of the ‘pen, playing a regular role rather than starting things off.
The Dodgers sit second in OPS this season, and conditions are expected to provide a 14% boost to home runs.
I expect the Dodgers to score early and often in this game, and the Royals should chip in against Eric Lauer.
He has pitched better with the Dodgers but has still conceded 2.15 HR/9. Favorable hitting conditions in the forecast won’t help his cause, either.
Back to -120.
Royals vs Dodgers home run prediction: Shohei Ohtani (+245)
Shohei Ohtani is as good as anybody when he’s on, and it looks like he’s starting to heat up.
Ohtani has hit .417 over the past 10 games with a .333 ISO, .503 wOBA, and team-leading 17.6% barrel rate.
He will face poor pitching in this contest, and winds blowing out should only highlight the crazy power Ohtani possesses.
Ohtani has homered in 29% of home games, and 34.5% when seeing a HR boost of at least 10%.
I like his chances of taking the Royals deep, and would back him to +215.
Todd Cordell's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 75-69, -8.70 units
Over/Under bets: 78-61-6, +8.64 units
Royals vs Dodgers weather
The forecast calls for temperatures in the mid 70s with outward winds blowing near 10 miles per hour. Boost to the bats.
Royals vs Dodgers odds
Moneyline: Royals +175 | Dodgers -215
Run line: Royals +1.5 (-115) | Dodgers -1.5 (-105)
Over/Under: Over 9.0 (-120) | Under 9.0 (+100)
Royals vs Dodgers trend
The Over is 5-0-1 in Kansas City's last six games against teams with winning records. Find more MLB betting trends for Royals vs. Dodgers.
How to watch Royals vs Dodgers and game info
Location
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
Date
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
First pitch
10:10 p.m. ET
TV
Royals.TV, SNLA
Royals starting pitcher
Daniel Lynch (4-3, 2.46 ERA)
Dodgers starting pitcher
Eric Lauer (6-6, 4.89 ERA)
Royals vs Dodgers latest injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
NEW YORK, NY - JULY 29: AJ Smith-Shawver #32 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets at Citi Field on Wednesday, July 29, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Phebe Grosser/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
AJ Smith-Shawver has improved with every start he has made in Gwinnett, and reached new heights with his most complete outing yet in a dismantling of the Norfolk offense. Smith-Shawver’s improved command and ability to hold his stuff late into the game marked significant advances from his earlier games, and in total the Tides managed only one baserunner across 5 1/3 innings against Smith-Shawver.
AJ Smith-Shawver: 5.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 1.66 ERA
Blake Burkhalter, RP: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1.98 ERA
AJ Smith-Shawver is leaping towards his return to Atlanta and continues to up his performance with each start. Smith-Shawver had a bit of a buffer because he was facing the International League’s worst offense by scoring and OPS, and it was never really a fair matchup. Smith-Shawver dominated and allowed only one hard-hit ball, while managing to miss bats with all four of his pitches at a decent rate. Smith-Shawver didn’t have a huge peak velocity inning like in past starts but was able to hold his velocity across all 95 pitches, averaging 96.2 mph on his fastball in the first inning and 96.3 in the sixth. That and him holding his command for the full game checked off two significant boxes in feeling confident in his return, and the third came by him putting up his best work with his changeup to date. Smith-Shawver still had a problem with leaving the pitch to high up in the strike zone, but did well to land the pitch on his arm side consistently and the pitch featured heavily for him against this predominantly left-handed lineup. Smith-Shawver had some mid-zone misses with his fastball which is the biggest knock you could have on him from this game, but he really had success across the board and was able to move his pitches around the zone and hit spots for most of the outing. There is nothing you can point at in this outing and really criticize Smith-Shawver too heavily over, which is more a sign that he is finally showing off at the level he was prior to surgery. This start carries magnitude in getting Smith-Shawver over the hump and truly ready to contribute to the home stretch of the playoff run.
Patrick Clohisy continues to get on base at an extreme rate, though the conviction with which he is getting his hits continues to fall. He did somehow managed to hit a pitch well below the zone for a 105 mph single in the first inning, but that tendency to swing below the strike has been a consistent theme for him and pitchers are giving him fewer and fewer looks at fastballs. Clohisy is able to recognize and make solid contact with breaking balls and has been hitting them all over the place and finding holes, but in his last 13 games his only extra base hit is a lone double. His ability to make out of zone contact is bolstering his performance and it’s a repeatable skill for him, but there hasn’t seemed to be a shift on his part to adjust to the new approach from opposing pitchers yet. Behind Smith-Shawver the Stripers were able to take a 3-1 lead into the eighth inning of the game, and turned it over to Blake Burkhalter who coming into the game had yet to allow a run at Triple-A this season and only had a total of one earned run allowed all year. Since I’m mentioning all of that you can surely guess what happened next. Burkhalter really did not pitch poorly at least at the start of the inning. He jammed the leadoff guy with a fastball on the corner, but the hitter managed to fight off a bloop single into shallow center field. He then came back to get a strikeout and a soft tapper back to the mound that he made a play on despite slipping on the infield grass, but that slip may have thrown him off a bit. The trainer came out to check on him, and even though Burkhalter stayed in the game after a few tosses to home plate to check he was not the same guy after that. He could not locate anything and walked the next hitter, then left a fat fastball that got hit for a three-run home run. Burkhalter walked the next hitter on four pitches that all missed up and out of the zone and had to be pulled at that point. Burkhalter was cruising prior to the slip and it seems pretty obvious the culprit of the one bad game he has had all season.
Braden Scott, SP: 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, 2.14 ERA
The refreshed Columbus offense didn’t get off to a hot start in Birmingham, where they got shut down for most of the game and then choked away a two-run lead late with the assistance of three errors. It didn’t take long for Eric Hartman to make his mark on the game when he led off with a walk in the first inning. He stole second base and advanced to third on the attempt to throw him out, putting him in position to score the first run of the game on a ground out. Unfortunately both John Gil and Owen Carey struck out in the inning and had two strikeouts each in the game. Hartman walked again in his second plate appearance but was stranded and didn’t make an impact for the remainder of the evening. Hartman had a hard hit ball in the fifth inning that got knocked down by the second baseman for an out, and while that was the best contact from the trio it wasn’t the only solid hit. John Gil hit a sharp grounder to lead off the next inning, and even though the shortstop made a diving play he couldn’t get up in time to throw out Gil and sailed the throw allowing Gil to move into scoring position. Gil would eventually score the game’s second run on a gapper from Jordan Groshans with two outs, and headed into the latter half of the game Columbus had a 2-0 lead. In the ninth inning Carey finally joined the party and reached on an error, but after getting to third base with one out Adam Zebrowski struck out and Luke Waddell flied out to strand a key insurance run in scoring position. In the tenth inning Hartman struck out to end the inning with no runs scored and Birmingham went on to walk the game off in the bottom of the tenth.
It was a shaky game for Braden Scott, but he somehow managed to make it work and keep the Barons off of the scoreboard for five innings. Scott ran into bouts of trouble with his control and he missed fewer bats than he’s accustomed to due to his locations not working for him, but he didn’t give up much hard contact and that made the difference. Scott has enough movement on all of his pitches that hitters aren’t able to get a good look at him, especially with his funky delivery, and for five innings in this game it worked and he allowed no hits. In the sixth inning the Barons managed to push across a run, but going into the ninth the Clingstones had to feel confident with Tyler LaPorte on the mound and a one run lead. That faith was dashed by an abhorrent defensive showing. Gil got a bit in between hops on a backhand play and had trouble wrangling it, failing to get a clean transfer which allowed the leadoff hitter to reach on an error. LaPorte then hurt his own cause, turning and firing a throw on a bunt attempt to second which sailed wide and pulled Gil off of the bag. Gil made a terrific play to keep the ball from going into center field, but with the damage done it was going to be hard for LaPorte to protect the lead. A sacrifice bunt moved both runners up a base, and LaPorte uncorked a wild pitch that tied the game and put the winning run 90 feet away. Columbus got bailed out by a hard grounder finding its way right to Groshans at third base who cut down the runner trying to score, and Zebrowski gunned down the runner trying to steal to end a tumultuous inning. After a terrible effort in the top of the tenth LaPorte had to try to strand the runner, and didn’t get off to a bad start when he fielded a comebacker and got the leadoff hitter at first base. LaPorte then hit the next batter and issued an intentional walk to load the bases, both of which probably helped the Clingstones cause, but he left a slider middle-middle and of course the next hitter burned Dalton McIntyre on a deep line drive for a walk off hit.
Ethan Bagwell, SP: 1 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 5.66 ERA
The Emperors are in Asheville this week, so even though they’re facing an awful team things are going to get crazy in a way that isn’t going to be fun for Rome pitchers. Ethan Bagwell got hammered, though the park really wasn’t fully to blame for his troubles. Bagwell couldn’t throw strikes and he didn’t last long into the second inning, finishing out with six runs allowed over one official inning of work. Bagwell was removed in the second inning after a meeting with the trainer, though there wasn’t an obvious reason for the trainer to be out there at least from what can be seen on MiLB tv. Bagwell doesn’t pitch this poorly ever, really, and he could possibly have been hurt, so there isn’t really anything meaningful to glean from this start. He’s going to come out the next time around and not have nearly the amount of command issues he did in this game when he couldn’t land anything, and it’s one of those days that every pitcher is bound to have at some point. Bagwell has been terrific at Rome otherwise and this is the first time he didn’t pitch into at least the fifth inning since his start in Augusta on May 22nd that was delayed by rain after two innings. Realistically it’s the only time this entire season he hasn’t pitched well enough to get at least into the fifth inning, which is remarkable consistency for a player this young that was seen as a project when he was drafted.
The game didn’t get any better once Bagwell was out of there. Logan Samuels walked five hitters in 1 2/3 innings of work so Rome was staring down an 11-1 deficit and a ton of relief innings after just three frames. Offensively they at least made some interest out of the game, and it’s worth just going through every guy one-by-one. Starting with Luis Guanipa, he did have an opposite field single in the game, but it’s more of the same and I really don’t like where he is right now at the plate. He’s tumbled back into bad habits and is slow getting to contact, shooting everything up the middle or away and not really hitting it hard when he does. It’s still early at this level but there hasn’t been a meaningful adjustment to his approach, and while he is making a ton of contact and always will even when he chases he is already running into pitchers who are good enough to make his approach untenable. Conor Essenburg had a solid game at the plate and looked great in terms of his approach, though he did get frozen for called strike threes on borderline pitches twice. Both of these were deep counts, however, and he drew two walks to boot. Essenburg is having a bit of an adjustment to the jump in quality between levels but overall has looked fine at the plate and I’d expect him to have at least a couple of good stretches at the plate intermixed with times he strikes out too much. Alex Lodise added two more hits and a walk to his ridiculous streak at the plate, and once again he didn’t have a strikeout. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a player jump levels and suddenly stop striking out without really changing his approach or sacrificing power but Lodise is hitting everything and hitting it hard. He’s absolutely earning it and this is sort of who I expected him to be in Single-A where I was surprised pitchers at that level were able to get him to whiff so much. I don’t think he’s in the clear because this is a small sample and the approach issues are not going anywhere, but nonetheless these two weeks have been a huge positive development. Cody Miller had his first big day at the plate since being promoted, and he just missed a home run when he hit a double off of the top half of the wall to drive in two runs. Miller has not shaken the strikeout issues but the more patient approach at the plate he showed in Augusta has carried over and those swing decisions will hopefully lead to more consistent results from him in the final weeks of the year.
Swing and Misses
Jacob Shafer – 5
Tanner Bauman – 5
Ethan Bagwell – 4
(57-50) Augusta GreenJackets 5, (61-48) Charleston RiverDogs 7
Derek Vartanian, SP: 6.1 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 4.23 ERA
And we end the day with another ugly loss caused by a pitching implosion. Augusta pitchers shut out the RiverDogs through six innings of this game and held a 3-0 lead, then allowed seven runs in the final three innings. Derek Vartanian was decent in his start as it was one of the times he was able to find the strike zone with his sinker and get results early in counts. Charleston hitters were rolling over everything for six innings of this game, then in the seventh inning locked in and started mashing everything Vartanian had to offer. They had three line drive singles and a line out off of Vartanian, and even with this sudden increase in hard contact the GreenJackets didn’t budge and made Vartanian work it out. He did not do that. Vartanian threw one up in the strike zone at 88 mph, and even at this level you can’t make that mistake. Vartanian gave up a three run home run, and after six innings of dominance he walked off of the field trailing by a run. The bullpen didn’t help him much either, though the defense committing errors that led to three unearned runs didn’t help the team’s cause.
Surprisingly it was not Carter Beck doing a lot of the damage in this game, though Parker Brosius certainly had his say. Brosius had a two hit game and doubled, though his three strikeouts dampened what was an otherwise strong addition to his start of games. Mostly the offense just scraped together singles up and down the lineup, and when they had runners in scoring position they were able to come through with clutch hits. Beck had not gone a game without a hit prior to this, though there really isn’t anything worth taking away from his performance in Augusta. It has been nice to see him on the field and guys meeting expectations isn’t a small feat based on what the college hitters drafted last year have done, but Beck is just too good a pure hitter to not feast in Single-A. Beck is definitely going to have to get a primer on how to take more pitches out of the strike zone, but he can flat out hit and Single-A has not been a challenge.
Alex Binelas of the Reading Fightin' Phils hits the ball during a Minor League Baseball game at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, United States, on July 10, 2026. (Photo by Dan Squicciarini/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images
Lehigh Valley 5, Scranton/WB 4
The IronPigs score 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th for the walk-off win. Gabriel Rincones Jr. had the winning two-run double. Charles King with another decent start, going 6 innings of 6 hit, 3 run ball with 4 strikeouts. Old friend Max Lazar picked up his 4th win of the season with a scoreless 9th. Keaton Anthony had a multi-hit game, including an RBI double in the 9th. Catcher Payton Henry hit his 5th HR of the season, a solo shot in the 3rd.
Reading 9, Chesapeake 5
Jean Cabrera was back on his BS, giving up all 5 run in 4 innings of work. It included giving up 7 hits (2 HR) and 4 walks. Thankfully, the bullpen combined for 5 shutout innings. Mavis Graves had a scoreless inning and has taken to his new reliever role after struggling as a starter. He has given up 0 runs in his last 4 appearances (6 IP). The offense exploded for 6 runs in the 3rd inning, including a grand-slam from Alex Binelas. Binelas would also add a two-run shot in the 5th inning. The 26 year old former 3rd Round Pick from the Brewers is up to 25 HRs on the season with a season slash of .291/.405/.556 in 351 at-bats.
Brooklyn 4, Jersey Shore 1
Cade Obermueller started the game and gave up all 4 runs in 3.2 IP. He has had a rough go of it since being promoted to High-A after mixed results with Clearwater. That is now 10 runs given up in 7.2 IP with Jersey Shore. The offense did him no favors collecting just 3-hits in their shutout. The only real highlight was the inning of scoreless relief from 23 year old Kevin Warunek who had 3 strikeouts. In his first 2 games since being promoted to Jersey Shore, he has 6 strikeouts in 2 innings of work.
Fort Myers 2, Clearwater 1
Breakout starter Brad Pacheco picked up the loss despite giving up two runs in 5 innings (he also walked just one and struckout 4). 2026 2nd rounder Caden Pogenpohl had a two-hit game, including his 2nd double of the season. 2026 6th round pick Macon Winslow added his 1st double and 6th RBI of the season, accounting for the Threshers only run of the game.
CIRCA 1970's : Manager Whitey Herzog (R) of the Kansas City Royals talking with the homeplate umpire during an MLB baseball game circa late 1970's. Herzog Managed the Royals from 1975-79. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) | Getty Images
I have a client who just turned 104 years old. She was alive in the era of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Rogers Hornsby, Cool Papa Bell and Walter Johnson. She also would have been alive when the United States celebrated its 150th anniversary. It made me think how rare it is for someone to see three fifty-year anniversaries. I’ve witnessed the 200th and the 250th but won’t be alive for the 300th unless there is some yet-undiscovered medical miracle. Even if there is, I’m not sure I can stomach that much more bad Royals baseball.
Okay, that was kind of a cheap shot, but it is what it is. Watching the country celebrate the 250th anniversary got me thinking back to the glorious summer of 1976. Nostalgia is a powerful thing. Were things better in 1976 than they are today? Probably not. I can only say that our music and the Royals were better in 1976. I’m probably overlooking something that you’ll tell me about, but nostalgia has a way of making your brain forget about the bad things.
Sometimes we forget or take for granted some of the glorious things that make our lives easier today, such as medical advances and modern technology. Our houses are better. Our automobiles are better. Our food choices are more plentiful and better. Jet travel is faster and safer. I could go on, but you get the idea.
I thought of this often as the country hosted the World Cup this summer. I must give the United States a round of applause for the World Cup. Everything I’ve read from our visitors has been positive, eye-opening and refreshing. I loved hearing about the surprises our visitors encountered. Buc-ee’s! Waffle House! Stores open 24/7! Biscuits and gravy! Walmart! Ice in our drinks! Unlimited refills! Air conditioning! So many choices of beer! Ranch dressing! Barbecue! Over a million people came to the US for the games, and many raved about how friendly and hospitable Americans were. That warms my heart and makes me proud to be an American. I hope they come back for another visit.
1976 was a special year for the country and for baseball. Who can forget Mark Fidrych and his goofball antics on the mound? He was a pretty darn good pitcher that summer, winning 19 games, and became a national icon. Henry Aaron hit the 755th and last home run of his career off former Royal Dick Drago. The White Sox played some games in shorts. With free agency looming, Athletics owner Charlie Finley began to sell players. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn vetoed the sales “in the best interest of the game.” Nolan Ryan struck out 327 batters.
It’s hard to believe it’s been fifty years. What a time to be alive. I was just 15, working that summer pumping gas at Jensen’s Standard station and thinking about my upcoming junior year in high school. Our Cookie League baseball team was still wearing wool jerseys, which made day games under the scorching Kansas sun a miserable event. The wool jerseys were a leftover remnant from the 1960s. In the summer of ’77, the city leaders found a little cash to outfit us in more fashionable and cooler polyester jerseys.
We were poor kids, living in an impoverished small town. We scrounged around for extra bats, and most of us used hand-me-down gloves. Spikes were rarely seen. We never gave it a second thought; the teams we played against looked a lot like us. We just loved playing the game.
The year kicked off with the Steelers dynasty beating the Cowboys 21-17 in an exciting Super Bowl X.
A couple of guys named Steve founded a company they called Apple on April 1st and eventually changed the world.
The NBA and ABA merged on June 17th.
The big local news in June was the passing of Les Milgram on June 19th. The Milgram family were grocers and at one time owned 61 stores in the metro and surrounding area. Les Milgram, a name unknown to many younger fans, was a noted civic leader who was influential in getting the Philadelphia Athletics to relocate to Kansas City. He also played a large role in getting the Dallas Texans to relocate to Kansas City in 1963. He could often be found sitting a couple of rows behind the Athletics dugout.
After the Athletics left town, Milgram persuaded his childhood friend, Ewing Kauffman, to become the owner of the city’s new expansion baseball team.
Milgram served on the Royals Board of Directors and, through his love of baseball, played a large role in keeping the Ban Johnson League afloat after World War II.
Today, the Royals reward their best player each season with the Les Milgram Player of the Year Award. Milgram was truly a titan on the local civic scene, and his passing at the age of 58 left a huge void. He was survived by his wife, Ann, and children Betsy, Nancy, Sally and Nat.
July was a big month in the States. The United States celebrated its 200th anniversary on July 4th, which seemed like a much bigger deal than the recent 250th anniversary.
Family Feud made its debut on July 12th.
Son of Sam murdered his first victim on the 29th, setting off a year of angst and anxiety among New Yorkers.
On July 30th, Bruce Jenner captivated the nation by winning the gold medal in the decathlon at the Montreal Summer Olympics.
In November, Jimmy Carter upset incumbent Gerald Ford to win the presidency. On November 29th, the New York Yankees sent shockwaves through the baseball world when they signed Reggie Jackson to a five-year, $3 million contract. Imagine that. Five years of a superstar for $3 million.
Rocky was the movie of the year, while MASH, All in the Family, and Happy Days were the hit television shows. Culturally, 1976 was probably closer to the 1950s. With no internet or cell phones, kids still cruised Main Street on the weekends and went to school dances. The swimming pool was the nerve center of the community in the summer months. Life moved at a slower pace.
1976 was also the first year that the Royals won the American League West and, in just their eighth season of existence, made their playoff debut. The Royals were a young team, with only two starters, Freddie Patek and Hal McRae, aged 30 or over. The Royals had accumulated an impressive array of young talent. Royal hitters had 6,199 plate appearances that summer. Only 1,522 were taken by players age 30 or over, and the bulk of those were taken by Patek (age 31), McRae (30), Bob Stinson (30) and Cookie Rojas, the gray beard of the Royals at the age of 37. Even the pitching staff was young, with Al Fitzmorris, Marty Pattin and Steve Mingori being the only three age 30 or over who collected significant innings. That’s how you build a winner.
Whitey Herzog was in his first full season as manager, and George Brett followed up on his strong 1975 season with a season that announced him as a superstar. It was a great time to be a Royal fan.
Brett won the league batting title in his last at-bat of the final game of the season, edging out teammate Hal McRae, .333 to .332. George also led the league in hits (215), triples (14) and total bases (298), put up a 7.50 WAR season and still lost the MVP vote to Thurman Munson. Munson was a great player and had a decent season, but the voters blew this one.
McRae, the Butch Cassidy to Brett’s Sundance Kid, had some bitterness about losing the batting title but still had an outstanding season, leading the league in on-base percentage (.407) and OPS (.868) and infusing the Royals with a hard-nosed style of play.
The Royals offense was clicking early in 1976. They had a three-game stretch in May in which they scored 37 runs. They dropped 14 runs on Texas on consecutive nights in late May. They peaked on June 15th when they jumped out to a 20-0 lead against Detroit before settling in for a 21- 7 win. They lashed the Tigers with 24 hits. Tom Poquette had five. George had four.
The Royals’ division lead swelled to 12 games after they swept a doubleheader from the White Sox on August 6th.
The Royals and Sox played another doubleheader on August 8. This was notable because Chicago wore shorts for the first game. They took a lot of heat for the shorts, but I thought they looked kind of snazzy, and why not? July and August can be crazy hot, and if the shorts are more comfortable, let them wear them.
After the August 6th sweep, the young team battled injuries and the pressure of a pennant race and slumped to the finish line by losing 32 of their last 58 games.
Pitching ace Steve Busby was lost early in the season. Doug Bird lost significant time to elbow soreness. Tom Poquette, who had emerged as a solid force in left field, missed 58 games after he crashed into the wall in foul territory chasing a fly ball. He was briefly knocked unconscious and had to be carried off the field on a stretcher.
Patek, Rojas and Otis all missed games during the season due to injury. Fortunately, the Royals had built some depth, with guys like Dave Nelson, Jim Wohlford and Jamie Quirk stepping in. Frank White covered shortstop during Patek’s absence.
The Royals made one huge trade during the season, when they sent catcher Fran Healy to the Yankees for pitcher Larry Gura. Gura had fallen into Billy Martin’s doghouse and desperately needed a change of scenery. Gura only pitched 62 innings, toggling between starting and relief.
The second acquisition flew under the radar but was just as important. On July 5, they purchased the contract of pitcher Andy Hassler from division rival California. Hassler gave them 14 starts and almost 100 innings of work, which was desperately needed.
On September 29th, with the Royals clinging to a 2.5 game lead, Herzog surprised everyone by giving the ball to Gura. In what has become known as one of the most clutch performances in club history, Gura shut down the hard-charging A’s with a four-hit, complete-game shutout. The win gave the Royals a 3.5-game lead with three games to play and clinched their first American League West crown. The Royals lost nine of their last 11 games but still managed to win the division by 2½ games.
Two future Royal Hall of Famers, John Wathan and Willie Wilson, made their debuts in 1976, as did Ruppert Jones, a 21-year-old phenom. After the season ended, the Royals lost Jones, Al Fitzmorris, Stinson and Tom Bruno in the expansion draft.
It was a sad departure for Fitzmorris, who had been an original Royal and a fan favorite. Fitz had a fantastic 1976 season, making 33 starts, pitching 220 innings with a record of 15-11.
From 1974 to 1976, Fitzmorris was nails, making 95 starts and posting a 44 and 27 record with a 3.17 ERA. Despite being the Royals’ best starter in the regular season, Whitey Herzog did not pitch Fitzmorris in the Championship Series. It was a puzzling move and left many fans questioning the wisdom. I loved Whitey and will always have a soft spot for him, but this was a bad piece of managing. When Herzog informed Fitz that he wouldn’t be pitching against the Yankees, it sparked a heated argument between the two. Fitzmorris’ time with the Royals was over.
The magical summer soon came to an end at the hands of the damn Yankees. The teams split the first four games and were tied 6-6 going into the bottom of the 9th, thanks to George’s titanic three-run blast in the 8th off Grant Jackson. After a five-minute delay while miscreant Yankee fans had their moment, Chris Chambliss hit the first pitch from Mark Littell over the right-field wall to send New York to the World Series.
I always felt bad for Littell, who’d had a fantastic season and was one of baseball’s good guys. I spoke to him a few months before his untimely death, and he made no excuses. He said he’d cooled off a little while Yankee fans rioted, which delayed the start of the inning. Of the pitch, he said, “It was a high fastball, out of the strike zone. Chambliss just did a great job of hitting it.”
Despite the bitter ending, it was a great summer. Due to my own heavy work and baseball schedule, I was only able to attend two games but remember them fondly. The first came in early June against the Orioles. We arrived late to the game, and there were four young men sitting in our seats. Pop asked them to move. They refused. An usher showed up, looked at our tickets and told the guys to take a hike. The leader of the group told the usher to bleep off. The usher grabbed him by the nape of his neck and his belt, yanked him from the seat and hurled him down the steps. The other three meekly filed out. I loved every second of it. Can you imagine something like that happening today? The game was notable for being one of Steve Busby’s last great starts.
For younger fans, it’s hard to describe Busby’s greatness. The fact that he has two of the Royals’ four no-hitters should be some clue.
The game was also highlighted by a three-run bomb off the bat of Reggie Jackson. Brooks Robinson, nearing the end of his illustrious 23-year career, made a late-game appearance as a defensive replacement. Brooks’ appearance was brought on when future Royal manager Tony Muser took a bad hop to the cup, off the bat of John Mayberry. Muser went down like he’d been hit with a deer slug. He was carried off on a stretcher to a round of polite applause while the ground crew raked up what remained of his shattered sack.
The second game came in early September and wasn’t notable for anything other than Bert Blyleven stifling the Royals’ bats. It was a beautiful late-summer Sunday. My friend Dennis and I had ridden the bus from Salina to the stadium on one of those package deals, which was a bargain. Our seats were in the lower bowl, halfway up behind third base.
Before the game, we soaked up the sun while the PA system blared hit music from the summer. One of the songs they played was “Moonlight Feels Right,” which featured a fantastic marimba solo. Every time I hear that song, it takes me back to that day.
SACRAMENTO, CA - AUGUST 11: Taylor Walls #6 of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates after hitting a home run during the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on Tuesday, August 11, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Jacob Soriano/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Yankees were looking a little dire on Tuesday, getting blanked by Bryan Woo and his 6.71 road ERA for five innings and continuing those struggles against the Seattle bullpen until the seventh inning. After Ryan Weathers allowed a solo shot to Randy Arozarena in the sixth and it looked like that sole mistake was going to leave him with a loss, the offense rallied for four runs, Ryan McMahon and Trent Grisham driving in a pair each on singles to pull ahead. That outburst got them back in the win column after dropping the finale of their Atlanta series, and they’ve needed every win they can get to keep pace in an AL East race that is turning into a pressure cooker.
Tampa Bay Rays (73-46) 12, The Athletics (47-73) 4
The Rays stormed back to take Monday’s game against the A’s, scoring eight runs in the eighth, and they kept rolling from the get-go in Tuesday’s bout to win their eighth in a row. They got started with an error giving them a leadoff baserunner and Junior Caminero cashed them in with his 35th home run of the season for a 2-0 advantage. In the third they tacked on one more, with two walks and a wild pitch putting runners on second and third before a fielder’s choice cut down the lead runner. Chandler Simpson got a rare sacrifice double play marked down when he lifted a fly ball to center, getting the run in before the cutoff throw to home was redirected to second base and gunned down the trailing runner.
By the fourth inning the makings of a blowout were setting in, with Taylor Walls and Yandy Díaz both hitting home runs to double the lead to 6-0. The A’s got on the board in the bottom half with Lawrence Butler launching a two-run shot, but it was all the A’s would get for a while and the Rays were just getting started. The sixth inning saw Walls hit his second homer of the night (the only two homers he’s hit all year by the way), the seventh brought home two more Rays on a Victor Mesa Jr. blast, and in the eighth it was Carson Williams’ turn to hit a homer as he brought in three runs. At the end of that run it was 12-2 Tampa Bay, and their starter was still going strong.
Nick Martinez was on the mound for the Rays and he went the distance in this outing on 101 pitches. Never one to punch out batters at a high rate, Martinez only struck out five but managed to scatter eight hits and didn’t walk a single batter. The A’s did give him a fight in the ninth, stringing a trio of hits together to push across two more runs, but Martinez buckled down and got a pair of grounders to wrap up the complete game, the 15th pitcher to do so this year.
Other Games
Boston Red Sox (64-55) 3, Toronto Blue Jays (58-63) 5: This game had the two results that Yankees fans wanted to see: Cy Young competitor Dylan Cease had a mediocre night, but the Red Sox still lost. Adley Rutschman made his debut for the Sox after coming over at the deadline from Baltimore and going through a short rehab assignment, and the Sox catcher had a solid day going 1-for-3 with a pair of walks. It was Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela who did the damage for Boston though, hitting solo shots in the fourth and fifth respectively to put them up 3-1.
Toronto responded in the bottom of the fifth, however, tying the game up on a Charles McAdoo sac fly and a Brett Bateman RBI single. The sixth saw them take the lead as George Springer led off with a walk, moved to third on a single, and scored when Ernie Clement beat out a potential double play ball up the middle. Myles Straw brought in an insurance run in the eighth with an RBI double, but the Sox would strand Masataka Yoshida at second base in the ninth to make it redundant. Boston has dropped four in a row since winning 27 of 30, now sitting three back of the Yanks and nine behind Tampa Bay.
Chicago White Sox (61-57) 4, Cincinnati Reds (57-61) 5 (10 innings): The White Sox jumped out to a 4-0 lead powered by homers from Brenton Doyle, Edgar Quero, and Miguel Vargas, cruising behind Sean Burke as he pitched seven strong innings. The only blip on the radar came when Burke allowed a solo shot to Eugenio Suárez in the fifth inning, but he handed a solid lead to his bullpen just to watch it go up in flames. The Reds scored three in the eighth as soon as he left, Tyler Stephenson tying the game on a two-run single. In extras Elly De La Cruz lifted a sacrifice fly to drive in the Manfred runner, while Chicago was ineffective in the bottom half, striking out before lifting two weak pop ups and officially spoiling Pope Hat Night.
Texas Rangers (60-60) 2, Los Angeles Angels (46-74) 3: Cody Bradford lasted seven innings for the Rangers, but one inning would undo him. Up 1-0 in the third off of a Joc Pederson solo shot, Bradford was facing the bottom of the Angels’ order and allowed a leadoff single to Wade Meckler. Meckler got bunted over to second and then scored on a Zach Neto single to tie the game, before Mike Trout got aboard on a hit by pitch and the Angels ran a double steal to put them both in scoring position. Nolan Schanuel got Neto in on a sac fly and Vaughn Grissom scored Trout with a double out to left to give the Angels a lead they wouldn’t surrender. Texas got one back in the sixth as Jarred Kelenic singled a run in, but the backend of the Angels’ bullpen managed to strike out five of the last seven Rangers they faced to close the door on a comeback attempt.
Houston Astros (61-60) 1, San Francisco Giants (50-70) 4: In another case of no one being able to pull away with the AL West, Houston couldn’t capitalize on the Rangers’ downfall. Yordan Alvarez got the Astros a brief 1-0 lead in the second inning on a sac fly, but Drew Gilbert got it right back in the bottom half with an RBI single and from there it was all Giants. Drew Cavanaugh’s RBI single in the fourth put them ahead, Bryce Eldridge hit a solo homer in the fifth to extend the lead, and Christian Koss doubled in another run for good measure. As such, Houston remains half a game up on Texas for the AL West lead despite only sitting one win above .500.
SEATTLE, WA - AUGUST 05: Tyler Holton #87 of the Detroit Tigers looks on during the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on Wednesday, August 5, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Connor Jalbert/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
While the Detroit Tigers’ offense is drawing most of the attention during their epic run from June 1 to the present, their much maligned bullpen has also played a part in turning the season around. Some credit for this has to go to the team at large, as good starting pitching and plenty of run scoring makes it far easier to keep a bullpen in order. Another crucial element to good bullpen work is team defense, and the return of Gleyber Torres, Javier Báez, along with Zach McKinstry swinging a hot enough bat to play most days, has really solidified them as a defensive unit as well. Adding in Max Clark to play above average center field has been the final piece of that puzzle. Even so, several key members of the bullpen have clearly pitched better over the last 10 weeks going back to June 1, and none more than veteran lefty Tyler Holton.
In 2023-2024, Holton was one of the most valuable relievers in baseball. One could scoff at his mediocre strikeout rates, but his extremely low walk rate, along with keeping home runs in check, lent plenty of support to the idea that Holton wasn’t just getting lucky on balls in play. He was an absolute workhorse for the Tigers, appearing in 125 games and throwing 179.2 innings with a combined 2.15 ERA. That’s an ace caliber season for a starting pitcher, but Holton managed it while pitching two to three games per week on short notice, occasioally spot starting, and otherwise never knowing when his number would be called, or for how long he’d have to pitch once he was on the mound.
In 2025, things finally started to slip. Holton’s strikeout to walk ratio remained excellent, but he had a few stretches in which teams got to him for a lot more home runs. After posting a 0.80 HR/9 mark across 2023-2024, that mark skyrocketed to 1.72 HR/9 in 2025, Holton’s age 29 season. Of course, he wasn’t alone as many of the Tigers relief options went down with injury or struggled to re-create their 2024 performances. While Holton managed to pull it together enough to pitch well in September, it seemed as though the lack of strikeouts had finally come back to bite him, and that his run as an unconventionally great reliever was at an end. That impression was only strengthened when Holton struggled early in 2026 as well.
Through May 31st, Holton had posted a 4.50 ERA/4.36 FIP for a bullpen that crumbled to dust in May. His strikeout and walk numbers were still solid, but still the home runs were coming more frequently than they used to as right-handed hitters continued to tee off on him.
Holton has long drawn attention for having two distinct three-pitch mixes depending on hitter handedness. Against lefties, he jams them with sinkers and bends sweepers down and away into the right-handed batters box, while mixing in fourseamers up to change hitters’ eye level. Against right-handers, Holton mainly features cutters, with a mix of changeups and fourseamers, along with a bit of curveball away to steal strikes on the outer edge. The pitch that was really betraying him even as his sweeper improved was the changeup.
Right-handed hitters posted a gruesome .452 wOBA, .462 ISO combination against the changeup prior to June 1 of this year. The pitch was averaging 12 inches of horizontal run, and two inches of vertical movement. Whatever adjustment Holton made to the changeup, since that point he’s added almost three inches of arm side run, and two inches of vertical movement. It’s fading away arm side more, and dropping a little less. As a result it seems to be harder to see out of the his hand with a bit flatter shape, but then fades away arm side more than expected. The result has been a lot more weak contact.
Right-handers have posted just a .187 wOBA and a .087 ISO against the changeup since June 1. Whether it’s the change in movement to accentuate the horizontal break, or whether Holton is just setting it up and commanding the changeup more effectively, it’s completely turned his season around. His main weapon against right-handers, his cutter, was also getting hit harder than usual this year, but that may have simply been because it was the only pitch working for him and hitters were able to sit on it. Since June 1 hitters have done absolutely nothing against the cutter, despite the fact that the average movement on it hasn’t changed at all. Fixing the changeup fixed his whole approach to attacking right-handed hitters and turned him back into the versatile reliever the Tigers relied so heavily on in 2023-2024. Once again, he looks like one of the better relievers in the game, and the struggles of 2025 now look like a single season blip in his career numbers.
Season
IP
ERA
K%
BB%
HR/9
FIP
2023
85.1
2.11
22.8
5.6
0.95
3.56
2024
94.1
2.19
21.8
4.8
0.67
3.17
2025
78.2
3.66
20.5
5.4
1.72
4.64
2026
55
2.78
19.3
5.3
0.98
3.78
Good to have you back, Tyler.
Holton isn’t all the way back to his 2023-2024 numbers just yet, but considering how rough the 2026 season started off for him, it’s remarkable that his numbers are once again lining up so well with his peak seasons. The strikeouts continue to trend up, and the home runs continue to trend down. If he can keep that up for the next seven weeks or so to finish out the season, everything should line up nicely once again with his career numbers, with only that home run spike in 2025 to remind us that he fought through a rough stretch for over a season before finally getting everything back in form.
The Tigers bullpen still badly needs a real ace reliever down there, one capable of turning out the lights on good opponents with strikeouts and weak contact. It’s hard to have faith in Kenley Jansen managing it, although Drew Sommers has certainly provided an overall boost in stuff for the high leverage crew. That lack may once again be their undoing down the stretch or in the postseason, and the disinterest in adding relief help at the trade deadline remains a baffling oversight. But with Tyler Holton back to dealing like he did in 2023-2024 it’s once again a deeper, more flexible bullpen for A.J. Hinch and Chris Fetter to deploy. Whether it’s enough to get them into October where they can use their starting pitchers more flexibly, and perhaps find ways to make it work, remains to be seen.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 10: Pitching coach Mike Maddux #88 of the Los Angeles Angels looks on against the Minnesota Twins on July 10, 2026 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hello everyone!
The Mariners’ slide continued yesterday in a 4-1 series-opening loss to the Yankees. The team will attempt to find some semblance of positive momentum in the middle match today, with Bryce Miller taking the hill against Will Warren.
The Angels are cleaning house in the dugout, parting ways with pitching coach Mike Maddux, assistant pitching coach Darryl Scott and bullpen coach Dom Chiti.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 10: Seth Johnson #52 of the Athletics sits in the dugout after he pitched against the Tampa Bay Rays during the eighth inning at Sutter Health Park on August 10, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to Wednesday!
Last night, the Athletics’ struggles at home continued as they lost a second straight game to the Tampa Bay Rays. A’s pitchers allowed six home runs, while Rays’ starter Nick Martinez twirled his second career complete game.
With only a little over 40 games remaining in this season, the A’s once again find themselves looking toward the future. As a result, it is imperative that the team finishes this season strong while continuing to evaluate its players to determine who to keep and who to move on from.
If the 2027 season does not get wiped out due to this offseason’s looming lockout, it will usher in a wave of change, from a new league-wide CBA agreement to the A’s new general manager and potentially a new manager. That last part depends on whether owner John Fisher and the new head of baseball operations keep Mark Kotsay around for another season or make a change to better position the club for success.
Regardless of that decision, the A’s need to put more resources into upgrading their pitching staff, specifically the bullpen, which has been one of the biggest factors behind this disappointing campaign. At the moment, left-hander Hogan Harris and right-hander Luis Medina are the only two current relievers who deserve a spot in the bullpen moving forward.
Right-handers Elvis Alvarado and Seth Johnson have the stuff to pitch in high-leverage situations, but neither has fully harnessed his ability. Johnson began the A’s eighth-inning bullpen implosion on Monday night.
The A’s also must not forget about the rotation, which will be led by J.T. Ginn and Gage Jump. Luis Severino, who has missed most of this season with an injury, can opt out of his contract and enter free agency or accept a $22 million player option to remain with the A’s. In addition, the team needs to invest in more pitching coaches and support systems to foster better pitching development throughout the organization.
Alternatively, its offensive core is mostly in place. Top prospect Leo De Vries, who if healthy should join Triple-A Las Vegas for its playoff run, could join Jacob Wilson, Zack Gelof and Nick Kurtz on the infield sometime next season. Designated hitter Brent Rooker will return after undergoing season-ending knee surgery. Last but not least, the current starting outfield trio could carry over, with center field being a spring training battle between Henry Bolte and Denzel Clarke.
Mason Barnett, Jack Perkins, Tommy White and Max Muncy have the rest of this season to prove they deserve to remain key contributors for the A’s. Will they make the most of this opportunity or prove overmatched? What else are you looking forward to as the club plays out the rest of this season?
Are you excited for Thursday’s Field of Dreams Game? The third MLB game at the nostalgic baseball field will pit the Philadelphia Phillies against the Minnesota Twins. What is your favorite baseball movie of all time?
One iconic film and one magical game ⚾️🌽
MLB at Field of Dreams with Phillies vs Twins is LIVE on Netflix Thursday, August 13 at 7:30PM ET | 4:30PM PT. Special coverage begins at 6:30PM ET | 3:30PM PT.
After 17 NBA seasons, he's led the franchise to four NBA championships, becoming a Finals MVP, two league MVPs, two-time scoring champion and 12-time All-Star, along the way.
The consensus is that he'd retire with the Warriors.
"That's always been the message," Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy told reporters in an Aug. 11 virtual call. "That's always been sort of what we discussed, and I think that's you know tracking quite well. Obviously, he's eligible for an extension coming up at the end of this month, and you know we'll talk through all that stuff and can't speak on it much right now. But yeah, I'm pretty confident Steph will finish his career here."
There hasn't been any speculation that Curry would want to move on and play elsewhere. But it is ultimately his decision.
Curry's contract expires at the end of the 2027 season, provided there's not an extension agreement. Though he doesn't have a no-trade clause, it's essentially up to Curry if he wanted to be traded, Dunleavy said.
"Ultimately, it's his call, his decision," he said. "Whether that's allowing his contract to run out and move on, or you know, look, if he comes to me and wants to be moved, you know. Joe and I will talk it through it. We wouldn't love it, but he's earned the right to be where he wants and do those things."
The next thing Dunleavy said should ease anyone's mind that was thinking a Curry trade was even considered.
"As far as the the messaging or any idea that he would be anywhere else, that's not a thing we're looking at or he's looking at," Dunleavy said. He later added, "I think there's two things I'm confident about with Steph. He really, really wants to win, and he wants to finish his career as a Warrior. And I don't think that changes tomorrow, August 29, the start of the season, middle of the season, the end of next season. I think that's those things are going to be consistent."
The same thing goes for Draymond Green, who's been called the heart and soul of the Warriors during their dynasty run where he became four-time All-Star, four-time champion, Defensive Player of the Year and a nine-time all-defense selection going into his 15th season.
"You know he's he's no different than Steph in the sense of we we hope he retires a Warrior," Dunleavy said. "You know we want to make that happen. He wants to make it happen. So, you know we'll see where things go. Our number one priority right now, though, Draymond will say this, Steph will say this, everybody here will say this, is to win. And you know we're glad to have Draymond back."
Monday marked the first game in a stretch against a couple of cellar dwellers, and the Rangers capitalized by winning 4-1 in extras against the Angels.
Unfortunately, the offense was flacid last night despite ample opportunities, so the signs aren’t pointing to a momentum building road trip.
Cody Bradford was a bright spot, though, making it through seven innings on 75 pitches . His outing Tuesday night marks only the third time that feat has been managed by a Ranger pitcher since 1988.
Jonah Bride has been designated for assignment and Jared Kelenic has replaced him on the roster ahead of a stretch of right handed pitchers.
Robby Ahlstrom has been lights out out of the bullpen since the All Star break, making the most of his first major league opportunity this season.
Jordan Montgomery finally made it back to the mound on Sunday after an extensive rehab following elbow surgery, and may soon be back in the rotation to fill in for Nathan Eovaldi who just landed on the IL.
Shohei Ohtani
Pete Crow-Armstrong
Liam Hicks
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