Wow. It took an extra inning for it to be decided but the A's came out on top thanks to some late-game heroics from an unexpected hero. The Athletics took the first game of the series against the Mariners, walking them off en route to a 6-5 victory. Seattle's playoff hopes are on life support.
Springs solid again
The A's had veteran southpaw Jeffrey Springs on the ***** p tonight. It's no secret he's in the final month donning the Green & Gold but there's no reason his tenure has to end on a low note.
Springs had literally just seen these guys, pitching against them within the past week. That start was in Seattle though and he's been much better on the road. How would he do against them in the hitters ballpark that is the Athletics' current home?
Seattle struck first tonight, going small-ball to bring in a run in the first against Springs to give the M's a quick lead. They'd go small-ball again in the second for their second run, pushing across that baserunner off a groundout. That was all the damage Seattle could muster tonight against the lefty though as he would toss three more innings without allowing another run.

#athletics #small #ball

As Justin Steele and the Chicago Cubs looked at how much time was left in the season and how much further the lefty had to go in his rehab, they came to the realization that starting was no longer an option for this season. If Steele was going to help the Cubs in the big leagues this season, it was going to have to come out of the bullpen.
"We just didn't have enough time to get built up to start," Steele said in an interview with the Des Moines Register on Sept. 10.
The Chicago Cubs ace allowed two runs on four hits with three strikeouts in two innings out of the bullpen against Toledo in a rehabilitation ****** ignment outing with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs at Principal Park on Sept. 10.
"I feel good," Steele said afterward. "Not giving up too hard of contact. I'd like my velo to be a little bit better but it's part of the process."
The process has been a long one for Steele, an All-Star for the Cubs in 2023. The southpaw, who hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2025, underwent Tommy John surgery and was originally slated to return to the mound sometime at the midway point of 2026.

#steele #season #going #leagues

On a stormy Sunday night in September, the Dodgers completed a three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals, winning the finale 7-5.
Both Justin Wrobleski and Nationals southpaw Andrew Alvarez kept the ice frozen until the bottom of the third inning, as a Max Muncy double and Tommy Edman infield single allowed Mookie Betts to bring home Muncy on a groundout to give the Dodgers their third consecutive early lead.
After three scoreless innings without six strikeouts, the Nationals struck back in the top of the fourth with a lead-off home run from CJ Abrams— his third in seven at-bats against Wrobleski— evening the score at one. Brady House immediately followed with a single, and a double from Daylen Lile put two men on, still with no outs. Teoscar Hernández was unable to track down a fly ball to left from Harry Ford, plating both baserunners and giving Washington a two-run lead. Jacob Young carried the frenzy with a single to center to plate four, ending the night for Wrobleski.
The second half of the regular season has not been kind to Wrobleski, as he has a 7.55 ERA across 31 innings over seven appearances (six starts). His three complete innings on Sunday were the fewest in any start this season.
Brock Stewart managed to clean up the mess made by Wrobleski, and Blake Treinen made his first appearance since June 19, working a scoreless fifth inning to keep the deficit at three runs. The Dodgers responded with a rally against Alvarez in the bottom half, as a Tommy Edman double plated Max Muncy to cut the deficit in half. Brad Lord came in relief and got Mookie Betts to ground out for the first out, but the Dodgers sprayed three consecutive singles to knot the game even at 4.

#wrobleski

It's kind of funny that once Manny Machado's 25th homer of the season landed in the seats in the fourth inning, we could have just fast-forwarded to the end of the game. That big fly made the score 5-1, that's where this game ended, and while the Yankees missed a few chances to add to their lead, but the bullpen completely iced out the Padres, and this series is knotted up at a game apiece.
I was a little bit worried about Carlos Rodón's start, as the southpaw struggled with his control in the first inning. He put two Padres aboard, one via a single and one a walk before working his way out of the jam, albeit throwing 26 pitches to do it. Then, the Yankees rewarded him with an offensive surge over the next two innings, and he delivered shutdown frames in the home half of the second and the third, exactly what you look for from a good starter.
Manny Machado tagged him for a solo shot in the fourth, the only earned run Carlos allowed on the day, and the control problems blossomed again in the fifth. 16 pitches, and a big two-out walk issued to Fernando Tatís Jr. ended up pushing Rodón past where the Yankees wanted him to be, and Aaron Boone went to the bullpen to start the sixth.
This is kinda what I mean when I talk about Carlos Rodón. Five innings, two hits, and one run allowed is not a bad start. The 7:3 K:BB ratio is fine, not great, but when the runners don't come around to score you can't really get mad at anything. But like tonight, and a frighteningly disproportionate number of his starts, it feels like he left an inning, a couple more outs, something on the table. I can't say he pitched poorly, but he could have pitched better, despite surrendering just the one run.
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#Padres

Paddy Donovan insists he is not "underestimating" Tyrone McKenna before they meet at Croke Park on Saturday with a second crack at world honours on the horizon.
Donovan bounced back from his first ******* le defeat by Lewis Crocker with an impressive victory over Karen Chukhadzhian in May to return to the mandatory slot for the IBF welterweight ******* le held by Australia's Liam Paro.
The Limerick man is aware of the risks in taking a fight in the interim, but felt this was too good an opportunity to turn down and plans to put on a show to elevate his status.
He and McKenna have sparred countless rounds over the years and the 27-year-old, whose record is 15 wins with two defeats, feels he is a level above his fellow southpaw.
"It's risky to take the fight being number one with the IBF but I couldn't turn down the opportunity to fight in front of 80,000 Irish fans," Donovan said at Thursday's news conference.

#title #Opportunity #tyrone

The Yankees (79-60) and the Angels (53-86) conclude their three-game series tonight in Southern California with the series tied at one game apiece following New York's 7-3 win last night.
Spencer Jones and Jazz Chisholm Jr. went yard back-to-back in the first inning and the Yankees never looked back. Jones has homered in back-to-back games and Chisholm is 6-11 over his last three games with six runs scored. Zach Neto (2-4) and Wade Meckler (3-4) were the lone bright spots at the plate for the Angels in the game. The win was the Yankees' fifth in their last six games. The Halos have now lost eight of their last nine games.
Two of the hottest pitchers in baseball take the mound tonight in this one as Cam Schlittler (12-6, 2.09 ERA) takes the ball for the Yankees opposed by Reid Detmers (4-8, 3.54 ERA) of the Angels. Schlittler was outstanding last Friday against the Red Sox silencing them over 5.2 innings. His previous three starts saw him allow just one run per game with Schlittler pitching at least into the sixth inning of each. Detmers has been at least as good over the same stretch of time. Last Friday, the southpaw pitched six innings and allowed one run. He blanked the Rangers and Royals in his previous two starts (14 innings).
While these teams live in alternate universes, the season series is tied at three games apiece.
Lets dive into tonight's matchup and find a sweat or two.

#last #yankees #Angels #series

Outhomering the Dodgers five to zip, the Cardinals had no trouble controlling this game right from the jump in a 13-8 blowout win. For the first time since joining the Dodgers, Eric Lauer delivered a bad enough start at home that helps illustrate why he was available in the first place, ready to be scooped up by one of baseball's strongest teams. Lauer ran into all kinds of issues, first crushed by the long ball and then dealing with a massive rally courtesy of nothing but singles, walks, and an HBP.
The bottom of the Cardinals' order first gave Lauer problems, with Ramón Urías and Thomas Saggese demolishing fastballs in the middle to upper part of the zone to leave the yard in back-to-back at-bats in the second. Saggese, in particular, was on an inspired night, later also crushing his second homer in the game to triple his total (1) before the start of play. Equally not known for his pop, Urías hit what was only his fourth long ball this season.
Still, both of those were solo shots, and only trailing 2-0, Lauer had a path to find himself once again, but in the third inning, it all quickly unraveled for the veteran southpaw. Six of the inning's first seven hitters reached safely; a little later, Nathan Church drove in the Cards' seventh run on an infield single—the runner from first was thrown out trying to go to third on the play, ending the inning with the score 7-0.
A seven-run deficit is a daunting challenge to overcome, but with six innings still to go, the Dodgers had nothing but time, and for a brief moment it looked like they'd get back into it. Back-to-back walks by Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman loaded the bases with two outs in front of Mookie Betts. And probably with more luck than skill, Betts cleared the bags on a fly ball to right that likely should've been caught but was aberrantly misplayed by the Cardinals' defense. The scoring in that inning stopped there, and as much as the end product was promising, you couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated at the lack of thump—by the end of three frames, the Dodgers had three runs and just two hits.
Understanding full well who they were going up against, the Cardinals made it so that the Dodgers weren't able to gain much momentum by scoring two of their own in the following frame to make it 10-3. Looking to get in on the fun alongside the bottom of the order, Jordan Walker took Alex Vesia deep in the fourth for a two-run shot, as Lauer got the hook after three dreadful innings of work.

#Dodgers #saggese

BENGALURU: In 118 minutes and 81 ******* , Vaibhav Sooryavanshi offered a glimpse of the raw talent that has made him one of Indian cricket's most sought-after prospects. The southpaw backs his big-hitting ability irrespective of the format and his fearless approach was on full display as the East Zone opener smashed 92 (7x4, 7x6) against Central Zone on Day 2 of their Duleep Trophy semifinal at the BCCI Centre of Excellence here on Monday.

At 15 years and 157 days, Sooryavanshi became the youngest player to score a 50 in the tournament, breaking Central Zone's Laxman Singh's record of 16 years and 23 days, set in January 1969.

The innings was more than just a record. Since his Ranji Trophy debut in 2024, the teenager had managed 215 runs from nine first-class matches. While he has built strong credentials in white-ball cricket, the longer format remains a stern test. Sooryavanshi was in no mood to let a red-ball challenge pass without making a statement.

The first session was all about his attacking display. After getting off the mark with a risky single, the left-hander struck his first boundary with a stylish square drive. That was merely an appetiser, as he repeatedly looked to score in the V against the pacers, including Yash Thakur, whom he deposited over the bowler's head for his first six. His 18 singles were as much a sign of maturity as his seven sixes were of his power.

His domination helped East Zone race to 64 in the first 10 overs. On 40, Sooryavanshi was handed a reprieve when Yash Rathod dropped a straightforward catch off Saransh Jain. The batter made the most of it, bringing up his half-century off 42 ******* with a six over long-on.

What stood out was not just the power, but the range. One particular ******* ault on pacer Aryan Pandey was striking. Charging down the track, Sooryavanshi smashed the ball straight back over the bowler's head for his fourth six.

Such was his command that it seemed to matter little who was bowling. Off-spinner Saransh Jain, who recently made his India Test debut, was dealt with equal confidence, conceding a four and a six as Sooryavanshi raced towards the nervous nineties in the 25th over.

However, he was left distraught when another attempt at a maximum landed in Arshad Khan's hands at deep mid-wicket off Harsh Dubey, leaving him eight runs short of his maiden first-class hundred.

Along with Abhimanyu Easwaran's 69, Sooryavanshi's 92 formed the backbone of a 161-run opening stand that helped East Zone reach 266, exactly matching Central Zone's first-innings total. Central were 45/3 at stumps.
Brief scores: Central Zone 266 & 45/3 in 20 overs (Mukesh ******* ar 2-14) vs East Zone 266 all out in 57 overs (Abhimanyu Easwaran 69, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 92; Aryan Pandey 3-43, Yash Thakur 3-66, Harsh Dubey 4-66).

#central

This was expected move, but there could be another shoe about to drop. The New Orleans Saints are waiving backup quarterback Hunter Dekkers ahead of Sunday's NFL roster cuts deadline, as first reported by Mike Triplett for NewOrleans.Football and confirmed by ESPN's Katherine Terrell. Dekkers was buried on the depth chart behind Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattler, and Zach Wilson which meant he didn't see a single rep in team drills at training camp. That didn't stop the Saints from throwing him into a two-minute drill during a preseason game to see if he could sink or swim. The left-handed quarterback almost pulled it off.
As we suggested, this may not be the end of the line for Dekkers in New Orleans. The Saints signed him to their practice squad last year as an undrafted rookie, waited for his injured shoulder to heal up during the season, and let him go to try his hand in the UFL. When the spring league wrapped up, he was welcomed back in time for training camp. Maybe the southpaw gets smore time to develop on the practice squad this year. Or maybe another team likes what they've seen from his UFL game tape and plucky preseason cameo enough to claim him off waivers. Stay tuned.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints shake up the depth chart, waive second-year quarterback

#depth

Chris Sale is a consummate ace. It seems unlikely that anyone would contest this at this point, but if they ever do… just point 'em at this game. In a marquee pitching matchup that featured Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the other side, it was Sale and the Braves that prevailed, as the grizzled southpaw gave Atlanta its first complete game shutout since Max Fried's performance in a 5-0 win over the Marlins in April 2024.
This one, though, was a lot tighter. In fact, there was only one run scored in this game… and it came on the first pitch Yamamoto delivered to a Braves batter. That pitch was a hanging splitter, and Drake Baldwin was either expecting a get-me-over or just did an excellent job if he wasn't, launching an absolute no-doubter Chop House-ward for a solo shot. No one else crossed the plate in this game, or even got close to crossing the plate.
That said, this game was about Chris Sale. It was kind of the Chris Sale Game, except that really, he gives you a superlative performance so often that many games are the Chris Sale Game. Against an offense that ranks first or second in pretty much everything, he showed up, showed out, and dominated. He was actually pretty close to a Maddux (shutout on fewer than 100 pitches) until some drama late.
He breezed through the first on nine pitches, with a strikeout, two first-pitch groundouts, and a soft single by Mookie Betts. He struck out two more in the second, working around an overcooked slider that grazed Alex Call on the toe with two outs. He struck out the side on 12 pitches in the third: two three-pitch strikeouts sandwiching a longer plate appearance by Shohei Ohtani. In the fourth, Betts led off with a no-man's land bloop that went for a double (and nearly got Betts thrown out as he took a big turn around second and had to scramble back to the bag). Not to worry, Sale threw just seven more pitches to end the inning, with a couple of easy flyouts chased down by his defense around a strikeout.
Two more quick outs started the fifth, before catcher Ben Rortvedt knocked a liner to left for a single. That brought up Shohei Ohtani, and Sale delivered his outing in microcosm against one of the game's best: he got ahead with a get-me-over fastball, then painted two perfect fastballs on the outer edge. Neither was called a strike, neither was challenged by Baldwin behind the dish. So, Sale got Ohtani to graze a slider, and then obliterated him with 100 mph about chin-high. Then he went back to business as usual in the sixth: another three-pitch strikeout, two other quick field outs.

#sale #game #pitches #plate

Tarik Skubal is poised to make his return to Detroit, albeit this time in a new jersey.
The left-handed ace hasn't pitched at Comerica Park since July 29, but that was as a member of the Detroit Tigers.
Skubal was traded ahead of the 2026 MLB trade deadline to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Tigers got back three minor league players: Zyhir Hope, River Ryan, and Brady Smith. The trade was criticized on social media after such a low return was announced for such a marquee player.
The southpaw is under contract only for the remainder of the 2026 season. Detroit knew that Skubal was approaching free agency and hadn't been able to come to terms with him. Rather than risking him walking for nothing, the Tigers opted to trade him.
Now, Skubal will hit free agency this offseason, barring a blockbuster extension with the Dodgers.

#tigers #trade #free

The Chicago White Sox have recently been in action against the Texas Rangers, but their clashes are not what many fans are talking about this week.
The White Sox beat the Rangers 11-7 on Tuesday after losing their previous meeting 11-2 earlier this week.
That result was obviously not ideal for fans, but they have instead been focusing much of their attention on how their mascot threw a pitch.
The official MLB X/Twitter account recently shared a video of the mascot throwing a pitch that flagged at 79 miles per hour.
In their post, the league stated: "The White Sox mascot looks like prime Randy Johnson. Also underrated that Southpaw is actually a southpaw…"

#rangers #southpaw #pitch #texas

Last night, the Athletics fell to 19-39 at Sutter Health Park after dropping the series-opener against the Minnesota Twins, 9-6. Starter Jeffrey Springs struggled once again, and the offense's last-ditch rally came a few runs short. Tonight presents an opportunity for the last-place A's to earn their 20th home win and force a rubber match tomorrow.
Rookie left-hander Gage Jump will be on the ***** p this evening for the home team. The 23-year-old enters his 17th start of the season with a 5-8 record, a 4.83 ERA, a 1.51 WHIP and 88 strikeouts over 82 innings. Jump has endured some turbulence lately, going 2-4 with a 6.75 ERA and a 1.83 WHIP over his past seven starts. In his most recent outing against the Kansas City Royals, Jump took the loss after allowing five runs on eight hits over four innings.
This evening, the A's would greatly appreciate a quality start from Jump in his first career appearance against the Twins. Through his first several MLB starts, Jump has alternated between stellar outings that have the team envisioning a future with him near the top of the rotation and poor performances that highlight the youngster's areas for growth as he adjusts to major league hitters. It would be beneficial for Jump to finish the season strong, although the team must be mindful of his workload to avoid increasing the southpaw's injury risk.
Here's the Athletics' lineup tonight:
From the jump, this lineup sets the A's up well defensively. Tommy White is a better fit at first base, as last night's bunt debacle showed he is a bit stretched at the other infield corner.

#runs #home

The Boston Red Sox (72-59) and the Miami Marlins (67-65) continue their respective postseason pushes tonight when they take the field at loanDepot Park in Miami. The Red Sox won the series opener last night, 4-2, to stay within six games of first place Tampa Bay in the AL East and further strengthen their hold on the second Wild Card spot in the American League. Miami is third in the NL East at 67-65 but they remain 9.5 games behind the Braves in the division race and four back of the final Wild Card spot in the National League.
Last night's game remained tight throughout primarily because Boston managed just a single hit in 14 at bats with runners in scoring position. Miami struck first in the second inning when Otto Lopez drove home Jakob Marsee with a sacrifice fly, giving the Marlins a 1-0 lead. Boston answered in the fifth when Jarren Duran doubled and later scored on Mickey Gasper's RBI double to tie the game. The Marlins regained the lead in the seventh on Xavier Edwards' RBI single, but once again, Boston answered. Wilyer Abreu doubled in the eighth and eventually scored on a wild pitch, knotting the game at 2-2. The game was decided in the ninth. Anthony Seigler, who entered the game with only 12 RBIs on the season, delivered the biggest hit of the night, lining a go-ahead RBI triple to right field. Nick Sogard followed with an RBI single to provide an insurance run and give Boston a 4-2 advantage. Aroldis Chapman closed the door for his 30th save of the campaign. The Sox have now won four in a row.
Rookie Payton Tolle (8-6, 3.08 ERA) gets the ball today for the Sox. The southpaw takes the mound after six days of rest. In four August starts, Tolle has allowed six earned runs (25 innings pitched). Boston lost against the Diamondbacks in his last start (5 IP, 3ER) after wining in his seven previous starts. Tyler Phillips (3-6, 3.67 ERA) will be on the ******* p for Miami. The righthander gave up one run in two innings in Philadelphia last Tuesday after giving up four in 5.1 innings in his previous outing. The Marlins have lost his last three starts.
Lets dive further into today's game and find a sweat or two.
We've got all the info and ******* ysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

#boston #last

Los Angeles Dodgers starter Blake Snell logged another quality start Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, but he isn't satisfied just yet.
Snell came back from a procedure on his elbow Aug. 11, and has been fantastic in all three of his starts since returning. In his first appearance off of the injured list, Snell allowed just one earned run through six innings while striking out 10 batters.
He only allowed one run in his subsequent outing, striking out five batters through six innings on his way to his first win of the season. The southpaw made his third appearance of the month on Sunday, shutting out the Pirates through six innings with six strikeouts.
Despite his dominant three-game run, though, Snell still expects better from himself.
"There were a couple innings there where you get two quick outs and then a full-count walk," Snell said. "It's not acceptable. Especially with [how] I feel good, know I can command the ball. Honestly, it's lazy. It's me trying to get strikeouts instead of trying to go seven, eight, nine. So I definitely got to clean that up."

#sunday #allowed #striking

Anthony Hernandez tips his cap to Gregory Rodrigues and his toughness in the UFC Fight Night 285 main event Saturday – but there's one thing he didn't appreciate.
For five rounds, Hernandez (15-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) and Rodrigues (20-6 MMA, 11-3 UFC) battled back-and-forth. Though he lost a unanimous decision, Hernandez displayed heart and unbreakable will in front of his home city fans at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif. The pair of middleweight contenders also earned Fight of the Night honors and the $100,000 bonus ***** ociated with it.
"A dream come true," Hernandez said at a post-fight news conference. "Obviously, I've got to get back to work and clean some ***** up. Next time I'll give you guys a win. I promise. ... (The crowd support) was f*cking ... a blessing. It was crazy. That's what kept me going. I couldn't give up. That sh*t hurt like a f*cking b*tch, man. It still hurts. It was a real f*cking blessing. I feel so honored to have that much love. Hopefully they come back to Sac so I can show out again. I'd love to give you guys more wars like that."
Hernandez became hobbled early as Rodriguez repeatedly chopped down his legs, causing him to shift from orthodox to southpaw. Hernandez rallied in Round 2 and nearly finished the fight, but "Robocop" hung tough.
One issue Hernandez took with Rodrigues was his grip around the glove area. According to Hernandez, Rodrigues had his fingers inside the glove – and he told referee Herb Dean as much mid-fight.

#fight

Second-half turnaround: Ashlyn Puerta scored only 45 seconds after entering the game and Baylee DeSmit netted two more goals to boost Sporting Club Jacksonville women's soccer to second place in the Gainbridge Super League, defeating Tampa Bay Sun FC 3-2 in the home opener on Aug. 22.
Puerta power: The league's player of the year in Sporting Jax's inaugural season, Puerta smashed a game-tying 25-yard laser in the 46th minute, moments after entering as a halftime sub for Maci Teater at the University of North Florida's Hodges Stadium.
DeSmit double: Two more goals for DeSmit pushed Jacksonville in front. In the 60th minute, Meg Hughes dribbled down the right wing and cut the ball back for DeSmit, who cracked a 20-yard shot off the hands of Tampa Bay goalkeeper Liz Beardsley and into the net. Ten minutes later, DeSmit stayed onside for a crisp finish after a headed ***** ist by Coco Thistle.
Dinosaur in the house: The club introduced its new mascot, orange dinosaur Sporting Rex, in a pregame presentation that also included appearances from the Jaguars' Jaxson de Ville and the Jumbo Shrimp's Southpaw.
Quick free kicks: Tampa Bay (0-1-1) scored twice on the break, with Shea Connors giving the visitors a first-half lead and Jordan Zade narrowing the gap to 3-2 late. … Sporting Jax goalkeeper Jamie Gerstenberg made six saves, preserving the edge amid a stoppage-time flurry from the Sun. … Thistle made her club debut in place of Melina Descary in the 60th minute. … First-team all-league forward Paige Kenton was unavailable due to illness.

#desmit #jacksonville #thistle #second

Left-hander Andrew Sears is reportedly on his way to Detroit. The Tigers 11th ranked prospect on our preseason rankings, Sears has shown out in two Triple-A appearances since being promoted from Double-A Erie back on August 11. The X account Dr. Degenerate, apparently the burner account for someone with good sources, reported on Saturday that Sears is being promoted to Detroit. That account has nailed several recent promotions in the Tigers' system. The report has been circulated by both Emily Waldon as well as the MiLB Central official account on X, and Chris McCosky of the Detroit News confirmed that Sears is with the team in Kansas City and will be used as a bulk reliever in Sunday's bullpen game.
The 23-year-old Sears, he'll turn 24 on August 30, was the Tigers 10th round pick in the 2023 draft out of Connecticut. That makes him the first pitching prospect drafted by Scott Harris to reach Detroit, and another later round success story to go with Brett Callahan. Sears received a $167,500 bonus to sign, just barely over the base bonus of $150,000.
Sears made his full season pro debut in 2024 at the Low-A Lakeland level, where his strikeout rate was good and he was rarely hit hard, but had some control issues. Those were resolved by 2025, and the southpaw continued to rack up good strikeout numbers and prevent home runs while throwing a lot more strikes for High-A West Michigan. Left-handers often thrive in A-ball and then struggle as more advanced hitters get used to seeing more southpaws against them, but Sears didn't miss a beat moving into the upper levels. He closed out the season with a nice run over six starts at Double-A Erie. The hope this year was that Sears would refine his changeup and overall command a bit more, reach Triple-A and become available in the second half of this season to help the major league club.
Ultimately, this all came to pass, but it was a wild ride for Sears this year. He had a bone spur fracture in his throwing elbow to begin the season, and spent a few months recovering and rehabbing, returning to Erie in mid-June. He made nine starts for the SeaWolves, compiling a 2.57 ERA/3.44 FIP combination, with a 24.3 percent strikeout rate and a 7.6 percent walk rate. In two starts for the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens, Sears has been a strikeout machine, punching out 41.2 percent of hitters he's faced. His walk rate has ticked up to 11.8 percent, but he also hasn't allowed a home run.
We've pegged Sears for two seasons now as the next lefty swingman for the Tigers. He can start, but he makes plenty of sense as a long reliever and spot starter who also works out of the bullpen. His deception, built on a bit of funky, crossfire delivery and a quick arm from a low slot, makes him tricky to deal with, and his stuff has routinely played up compared to the raw stuff metrics. The big task this season was to refine his changeup and get to using the offspeed more often to take pressure off his good sinker-slider combination, and

The New York Yankees announced that starting pitcher Ryan Weathers was pulled from Saturday's start against the Toronto Blue Jays due to "forearm discomfort."
The announcement added that the veteran southpaw would be undergoing imaging to determine the severity of the injury.
Weathers made it through only 3 1/3 innings. He threw 72 pitches and allowed two earned runs on eight hits. Weathers didn't issue any walks and struck out three.
The 26-year-old is in his first season with the Yankees. He has made 25 starts this year and has tallied a 5-7 record with a 3.60 ERA. The southpaw has struck out 143 batters in 137 1/3 innings of work.
Weathers is the latest Yankee to be banged up. It was announced on Saturday that Giancarlo Stanton, who is recovering from a right calf strain, suffered a new injury to his left calf during a fall while running.

#southpaw #injury #year #calf

NEW DELHI: "Arey nahi nahi!" Sanat Sangwan bursts into laughter when asked if his father was a fan of Sri Lankan batting legend Sanath Jayasuriya and whether that inspired his name.

The 25-year-old southpaw has been Delhi's most consistent batter in the last two domestic seasons. Sangwan managed only 385 runs in his debut Ranji Trophy season in 2024-25, but his stay at the crease gave Delhi's fragile batting line-up some ******* urance. The only problem was that he was not able to convert his starts. He turned that around in the 2025-26 season, amassing 828 runs at an average of 69, including three hundreds.

Sangwan explained the hard work behind those runs, which has earned him a spot in the North Zone squad for the Duleep Trophy, starting from Sunday (August 23) at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.

"You have to put a lot of effort into preparing for red-ball cricket during the off-season. Conditions are different, and as an opener, it is always difficult while facing the new ball. And sometimes you might have to walk out to bat in the afternoon or sometimes even when the lights are not good. So keeping all things in mind, I prepare more for red-ball cricket during the off-season," Sangwan said in a select media interaction organised by Delhi Premier League's (DPL) franchise South Delhi Superstarz.
"I prefer to go to the nets at around 8 am when there is a little moisture on the wicket. I try to replicate the conditions that I get in matches. I practise a little earlier because the more I practise in difficult conditions, the easier it becomes to adapt. I ask the net bowlers to start with a new ball. Then, after an hour, I give them another new ball. I try to face more new ******* in the nets so that the situation doesn't feel easy for me in a match," he explains his preparation.

While talking about his preparation for red-ball cricket, Sangwan goes into the details of his training and love for the format, and also explains why it gives him so much joy.
"I love this format. From the start, you see the opener go out to bat with the new ball. Then the conditions get better, and then the second new ball comes again. There is a lot in this format. It is a difficult format. It tests your skill, patience and fitness. The result is not in your hands. You can come back at any time. If you take two or three wickets quickly, or have a good partnership with the bat, you can change the game. I have worked a lot on my cricket since I was 19. Red-ball cricket is my favourite format," he says.
Sangwan isn't soothing to the eyes like other southpaws. His cover drives are not as elegant as any other left-handed batters, but he knows how to put a price on his wicket, has a great temperament and his batting mantra is pretty simple: "Tire the bowlers in the first hour."
"In red-ball cricket, I try to select my shots according to what I have prepared. I don't play the cover drive early in my innings. I try to avoid cutting the ball

ARLINGTON, Tex. - Baseball can be a funny thing. One night you can score 18 runs, and the next you can be held scoreless through nine full innings.
That's the situation the Los Angeles Angels found themselves in against the Texas Rangers on Friday, though they likely weren't laughing after taking a scoreless game into the 10th inning before falling 2-1 to the Rangers.
Reid Detmers was on the mound for Los Angeles and he delivered yet another stellar start, going six innings without allowing a run while allowing six hits and one walk while striking out five.
It was Detmer's seventh-straight start of allowing three earned runs-or-less, but in a recurring theme for the southpaw, the Angels offense didn't show up for him and he left the game once again with a no-decision.
While Detmers and the three Angels relievers that followed him through the ninth inning held the Rangers to a zero on the scoreboard, Mackenzie Gore and his staff did the same thing for the Rangers.

#Angels #scoreless

The first-place Tampa Bay Rays (76-51) open a crucial AL East series in Baltimore against the Orioles (61-67) tonight. With just five wins in their last ten games, the Rays have seen the Yankees cut into their lead in the division while the Orioles have dropped a full two games behind the Twins in the chase for the final Wild Card spot as the result of being swept by those same Yankees earlier this week.
The Rays dropped two of three earlier this week against the Blue Jays. The usually stingy Tampa pitching staff allowed 21 runs over the three games. As mentioned earlier, the Orioles are also looking to bounce back this weekend. The Yankees' hurlers held the O's to five runs in the series. These teams met last weekend in St. Petersburg with the Orioles taking three of the four games.
Freddy Peralta (5-10, 5.27 ERA) takes the ball for Tampa Bay tonight. After a brutal first start with the Rays (7 Earned Runs over 3.2 Innings), Peralta has been solid allowing three runs over six innings against the Athletics on August 10 followed by a stingy but short effort against these Orioles last Sunday in which he surrendered two runs over 4.2 innings. Trevor Rogers (8-8, 4.15 ERA) gets the start for Baltimore. He was on the winning end last Sunday against the Rays allowing just two runs over six innings. In 16 innings this month the southpaw has allowed six earned runs. Since June 1, Rogers has started 13 games and allowed more than two runs just twice – four earned runs July 29 at Detroit and three earned runs June 9 against the Mariners.
Lets dive further into tonight's game and find a sweat or two.
We've got all the info and **** ysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

#runs #orioles #tampa

The Yankees, on the strength of Trent Grisham, pulled out a 3-1 win over the Orioles on Tuesday night.
But the game could have been very different if not for ABS.
In the second inning with the game still scoreless, the Orioles loaded the bases thanks in large part to a fielding error by Jazz Chisholm Jr. after the second base umpire screened him on a groundball. What could have been an inning-ending doubleplay turned into a massive jam for Carlos Rodon and the Yankees.
Rodon would wind up striking out Carlos Narvaez before Jackson Holliday stepped into the batter's box with two outs. After Rodon got ahead 0-2, the southpaw threw a fastball away and a bit high. Holliday didn't bite, but Austin Wells hopped up to head into the dugout but stopped once he realized homeplate umpire Will Little didn't ring up the young Orioles infielder.
After a few seconds, ABS confirmed that it was a strike and the Yankees escaped.

#didn 't

After a rocky start to the 2026 season, there was a time that Cincinnati Reds lefty Andrew Abbott settled into a rather great groove. That time, though, has sadly evaporated, and he's been nothing more than mediocre – at best – for a little bit now.
Over his last 9 starts dating back to June 26th, he's pitched to just a 4.66 ERA/4.41 FIP with an extremely discouraging 38/25 K/BB in 48.1 IP. He was shelled for 5 ER in his most recent outing (in just 4.1 IP), and the month of August has seen him allow 11 ER with a brutal 8/10 K/BB in just 16.0 IP (6.19 ERA).
The Reds will surely hope he can find a way to flip that script on Tuesday night against the St. Louis Cardinals, who boast the second lowest K% against southpaws among the 30 MLB clubs (just 18.3%).
Kyle Leahy gets the starting nod for the Birds, and first pitch is set for 6:40 PM ET.
Here's how both clubs will line up to begin things:

#time #cincinnati #abbott #tuesday

Probable pitchers: RHP Chris Basssitt (4-4, 5.27 ERA, 37 Ks) vs. LHP Steven Matz (5-4, 5.46 ERA, 48 Ks)
Where to watch: MASN/MASN+
The Orioles had an opportunity in the immediate wake of yet another trade deadline sell-off. With series against bottom-feeder Angels and fellow Wildcard hopefuls in the Rangers and Twins, the O's had a chance to really make up ground in their quest for a playoff spot. Instead, Baltimore went 3-6 in those series and now stare down an AL East gauntlet.
Tonight starts a four-game set against the American League-leading Rays, and the first of nine straight games against the Rays and Yankees. The good news for Birdland is that Baltimore remains only two games out of the final AL Wild Card spot. That bad news is they'll now have to try to make up ground against a Rays team who enters on a nine-game winning streak.
The Rays will look to extending that winning streak by forcing the O's to face their biggest weakness: a mediocre left-handed starter. Baltimore ranks 25th in team OPS and 29th in average vs. LH starting pitchers. Coby Mayo and Christian Encarnacion-Strand are lefty mashers, but the rest of the lineup has been league average or worse against southpaw starters.

#baltimore #spot

The Yankees offense was held in check for six innings before exploding for four runs in the seventh en route to a 4-1 win over the Mariners on Tuesday night.
-Weathers was dealing again. The southpaw mowed down the Mariners lineup, allowing just one hit and two walks in the first five innings, even retiring 10 straight batters at one point.
The game changed in the sixth when Randy Arozarena took Weathers deep with a one-out short-porch homer. It's Arozarena's 18th career home run against the Yankees.
Weathers went 5.2 innings (106 pitches/62 strikes), allowing the one run on two hits and three walks while striking out four.
-Bryan Woo came into Tuesday's game with a 4.31 ERA (a 6.27 ERA on the road), and those numbers improved because of the Yankees' lifeless offense.

#yankees #innings #walks #tuesday

During the top of the third inning of Monday night's Royals vs. Dodgers game, the SportsNet LA broadcast flashed a leaderboard of the lowest starter ERA since the start of the 2023 season. Of the five names listed, four are currently employed by the back-to-back champs: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell and the star of this particular evening, Tarik Skubal. Some understandably pessimistic fans in western Pennsylvania surely harbor fear that the fifth figure, Paul Skenes, will end up in Dodger blue one day as well.
But if that list was a reminder — as if anybody needed another — of the preposterous talent gilding L.A.'s star-studded roster, Skubal's ordinary performance on Monday in his first home start as a Dodger emphasized that nothing in this wonky sport is preordained.
Pitching in front of a revved up, eager audience, Skubal was downright mediocre in L.A.'s 6-5 victory over the Royals.
His fastball command was, by his cathedral standards, scattershot. He struggled to locate the four-seamer consistently at and just above the top rail, right where the world-beating southpaw makes his bread. Skubal had similar issues with his sinker, a handful of which ended up catching far too much plate, including one that resulted in a first-inning RBI single from Royals first baseman Jac Caglianone.
But the hammer blow of Skubal's night came in the third, when he gifted Caglianone a hanging, piped 0-2 slider. The scalding-hot lefty didn't miss the miss, sizzling the breaker 110.8 mph into the right-field seats to give Kansas City an early 3-0 lead.

#four

During the top of the third inning of Monday night's Royals vs. Dodgers game, the SportsNet LA broadcast flashed a leaderboard of the lowest starter ERA since the start of the 2023 season. Of the five names listed, four are currently employed by the back-to-back champs: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell and the star of this particular evening, Tarik Skubal. Some understandably pessimistic fans in western Pennsylvania surely harbor fear that the fifth figure, Paul Skenes, will end up in Dodger blue one day as well.
But if that list was a reminder — as if anybody needed another — of the preposterous talent gilding L.A.'s star-studded roster, Skubal's ordinary performance on Monday in his first home start as a Dodger emphasized that nothing in this wonky sport is preordained.
Pitching in front of a revved up, eager audience, Skubal was downright mediocre in L.A.'s 6-5 victory over the Royals.
His fastball command was, by his cathedral standards, scattershot. He struggled to locate the four-seamer consistently at and just above the top rail, right where the world-beating southpaw makes his bread. Skubal had similar issues with his sinker, a handful of which ended up catching far too much plate, including one that resulted in a first-inning RBI single from Royals first baseman Jac Caglianone.
But the hammer blow of Skubal's night came in the third, when he gifted Caglianone a hanging, piped 0-2 slider. The scalding-hot lefty didn't miss the miss, sizzling the breaker 110.8 mph into the right-field seats to give Kansas City an early 3-0 lead.

#Royals #caglianone #inning #start

The San Diego Padres signed outfielder Austin Hays to a Major League contract on Sunday afternoon.
After San Diego signed Hays, Stammen almost predicted what would happen later in the game. The Padres manager said, "He's a good right-handed bench bat…one of those guys that, in his career, has hit lefty pitching really well. So he's somebody that we can bring in to pinch-hit against a tough lefty, or someone that we can start against a lefty."
A few hours later, Hays was pinch-hit to face left-handed pitcher Bryan King and hit his second home run of the season in his first plate appearance with San Diego, almost exactly as Stammen predicted when explaining the free agent signing.
Hays' number was called in the bottom of the eighth inning of Sunday night's game against the Houston Astros. There was a runner on first, and Hays hit a 371 ft. home run to left field to put his new San Diego team up 7-2, making quite the first impression.
Hays replaced designated hitter Gavin Sheets. Hays bats right-handed while Sheets hits lefty. Manager Craig Stammen made the substitution call with Houston bringing on southpaw Bryan King in relief.

#hays #Padres #sunday

Carlos Rodon was on the mound in live game action Saturday for the first time since going down with elbow inflammation.
The Yankees southpaw tossed 48 pitches (29 strikes) across 2.2 innings, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks while striking out four batters for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
It was an inauspicious start for Rodon. Seaver King took Rodon deep to lead off the game. Rodon bounced back to get the next three batters out to end the first inning. After a 1-2-3 second inning, Rodon ran into trouble in the third. After striking out the first batter of the inning, four batters in a row reached base (a double, two walks and a triple) as Rochester pushed across two more runs.
After Rodon struck out his fourth batter to get the second out of the third, he was pulled.
Rodon would have pitched deeper, but Yankees manager Aaron Boone said earlier this week that the plan was for the southpaw to throw around 50 pitches.

#rodon #inning #pitches