Armadillo Sports

September’s Too……..is a good bar
1165 Central Avenue in Colonie, just west of Osborne Road

Wednesday- Live music during lunch……..
Thursday- Open Mike Night, 7:00
Friday- Karaoke at 8:00
Saturday- Live music at 8:00…….

You can order food from them via Door Dash
There’s a pool table, only 25 cents/game.
Check it out, it’s a fun place

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Monday’s 6-pack:
Major League leaders in RBI:
91— CJ Abrams Wash/Sal Stewart Cin
90— Alec Burleson, StL
88— Yordan Alvarez, Hst/Jordan Walker StL
82— Dillon Dingler, Det
80— Pete Alonso, Balt
79— BLowe, Pitt/LGarcia, NYY/Caminero, TB

Quote of the Day
“I say this because it’s just been four or five, six weeks of below-average production in our offense. It’s just the truth, and I think we just haven’t played clean baseball for quite some time, and that speaks to the defense.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts

Monday’s quiz
Where did Detroit Lions’ QB Jared Goff play his college football? 

Sunday’s quiz
In the movie The Gambler, Jessica Lange played Mark Wahlberg’s mother. 

Saturday’s quiz
Since 1993, Green Bay Packers have had only three different QB’s start in Week 1 (Favre, Rodgers, Love). During that same time, 14 different QB’s have started for Chicago in Week 1.  

— Orioles 10, Rays 2
Leading 1-0 in the fifth inning, Rays took Freddy Peralta out with two men on base, two out. 10 of the next 13 Baltimore hitters reached base against Tampa’s relievers.

Right now, Orioles have a half-game lead for the last Wild Card slot.

— Royals 3, Angels 0
Noah Cameron threw a 9-inning, 115-pitch complete game.
In his last five starts, Cameron allowed only five runs in 37.2 IP.
Under is 6-1 in the Angels’ last seven games.

— Padres 5, Guardians 0
Casey Mize allowed three hits in six IP in his 3rd start for San Diego.
Rengifo/Sheets hit back/back home runs in the second inning.
Padres/Phillies are tied for the last two Wild Card slots in the NL.

— Cardinals 11, Cubs 4
Alec Burleson, Jordan Walker both had four RBI.
After hitting 3 HR’s in his MLB debut Saturday, Joshua Baez went 0-for-5.
Right now, Cubs hold a firm grasp on the #1 Wild Crd spot in the NL.

— Pirates pushed back Paul Skenes’ next start from Sunday to Wednesday; Pirates say this move is not injury-related. Skenes has a 5.00 ERA in his last 13 starts.

— Dodgers OF Kyle Tucker is making $60M/year; his home road splits:

Home: 203 AB……2 HR’s, 17 RBI, .566 OPS
Road: 207 AB…….9 HR’s, 37 RBI, .840 OPS…….big difference

— Washington Nationals are planning to move CJ Abrams from SS to 2B, but they haven’t done it yet; he is 1-for-17 in his last five games.

— RIP to Tommy John, who passed away this weekend at age 83.

From 1963-74, Tommy John was 124-106 as a big league pitcher, then he had this new operation on his elbow, and missed the 1975 season.

From 1976-1989, From 1963-74, Tommy John went 164-125 in the big leagues. The surgery he had on his elbow obviously became very prominent, and is still used today.

— Trivia: the second pitcher who had Tommy John surgery was Brent Strom, who went on to be a great pitching coach in the major leagues.

— Person who should be in the Hall of Fame: Dr Frank Jobe, who performed a lot of these operations, and extended a lot of major league pitching careers.

— Famous birthdays, August 17th:
Robert DeNiro, 83
Skip Lockwood, 80
Donnie Wahlberg, 57
Christian Laettner, 57

Ernie Conwell, 54
Antwaan Randle-El, 57
Dustin Pedroia, 43
Rudy Gay, 40

Victor Caratini, 33
Jesse Winker, 33
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 28
Cam Little, 23

NFC East
— Brian Schottenheimer, Cowboys
father Marty was a longtime NFL coach
Brian was a backup QB in college at Kansas/Florida.
Last year was his first year as a head coach.

— John Harbaugh, Giants
His father Jack was a longtime college coach.
John Harbaugh was a defensive back at Miami OH
He was 193–124 coaching the Ravens, 13-11 in playoff games.

— Nick Sirianni, Eagles
Sirianni’s father was a high school coach in western New York.
Sirianni played WR at a D-III school; they won three national titles while he played there.
He is 65-30 coaching the Eagles, 6-4 in playoff games.

— Dan Quinn, Commanders
Quinn is from New Jersey; he played defensive line at a D-III school.
Eight of his assistant coaches have gone on to become head coaches.
He is 65-62 as a head coach, 5-3 in playoff games.

NFC North
— Ben Johnson, Bears
His father was a high school principal in South Carolina.
He was a backup QB at North Carolina.
He was 12-7 in his first year as a head coach LY, 1-1 in playoff games.

— Dan Campbell, Lions
Campbell grew up in Texas; he played tight end in the NFL for 11 years.
He played college football at Texas A&M.
He is 54-45-1 as a head coach, 2-2 in playoff games.

— Matt LaFleur, Packers
His father was an assistant coach in college, in Michigan.
He played WR at Western Michigan, QB at a Division II school.
He also played two years as a backup QB in the Indoor Football League.
He is 79-46-1 as a head coach, 3-6 in playoff games.

— Kevin O’Connell, Vikings
His father was an FBI agent.
He played QB at San Diego State, and for five years in the NFL.
O’Connell was an assistant with the Rams when they won Super Bowl LVI.
He is 43-27 as a head coach, 0-2 in playoff games.

NFC South
— Kevin Stefanski, Falcons
His father has been an executive with several NBA teams.
Kevin Stefanski played safety in college for the Penn Quakers.
He was 46-58 coaching the Browns, 1-2 in playoff games.

— Dave Canales, Panthers
His father was pastor of their church.
He was a WR in college for an NAIA school, Azusa Pacific.
He is 13-22 in two years coaching Carolina, 0-1 in playoff games.

— Kellen Moore, Saints
His father was a successful high school coach in the state of Washington.
Moore played QB at Boise State, was an NFL QB for six years.
He was an assistant coach when Eagles won the Super Bowl two years ago.
Moore was 6-11 last year, in his first year coaching the Saints.

— Todd Bowles, Buccaneers
Bowles grew up in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
He played CB in college at Temple, for seven years in the NFL.
He is 62-77 as a head coach, 1-3 in playoff games.

NFC West
— Mike LaFleur, Cardinals
His father was an assistant coach in college, in Michigan.
He played QB, then safety for a D-III team in Illinois.
He was offensive coordinator for the Rams the last three years.

— Sean McVay, Rams
His grandfather coached the Giants, was an executive with the 49ers.
His father was a television executive for Cox Communications
McVay grew up in Atlanta, played WR in college at Miami OH.
McVay is 102-63 as a head coach, 10-6 in playoff games.

— Kyle Shanahan, 49ers
His father is Mike Shanahan, the great NFL coach.
Kyle Shanahan was a WR in college at Duke, Texas.
He is 91-72 as a head coach, 9-5 in playoff games.

— Mike MacDonald, Seahawks
He grew up in Boston, hurt his knee in high school, didn’t play college football.
MacDonald was an assistant HS coach while he was in college at Georgia.
He is 27-10 as a head coach, 3-0 in playoff games. 

— Cardinals 8, Cubs 4
Joshua Baez made his major league debut Saturday:
1st AB: home run
2nd AB: home run
3rd AB: home run

He is first major leaguer EVER to hit a HR in each of his first three at-bats.

— Mariners 10, Astros 5
Cole Young homered, had four RBI.
Brendan Donovan had three hits, scored three runs.
This was Seattle’s second win in their last nine games.

— Red Sox 4, Pirates 0
Sonny Gray got his 15th win, first time he has done that.
Wilyer Abreu had three hits, including a home run.
Pirates are 5-13 in their last eighteen games.

— White Sox 4, Tigers 3
Andrew Benintendi had the game-winning hit in 7th inning.
White Sox lead the AL Central by 4.5 games.
Eduardo Valencia has six home runs in first 50 MLB at-bats.

— Blue Jays 4, New York 1
Charles McAdoo had the tie-breaking double in the 7th inning.
Toronto has won 13 of its last 19 games.
New York lost its last three games, scoring a total of two runs.

— Orioles 4, Rays 3 (10)
Tyler O’Neill had the game-winning hit for Baltimore.
Pete Alonso hit his 27th home run for the Orioles.
Tampa Bay still leads the AL East by 6.5 games.

— Marlins 8, Reds 4
Marlins scored four runs in the 8th inning.
Jacob Marsee went 4-for-4, including a home run.
Marlins are 53-13 when they score 4+ runs. 

— Famous birthdays, August 16th:
Julie Newmar, 93
Lesley Ann Warren, 80
James Cameron, 72
(Madonna) Louise Ciccone, 68
Angela Bassett, 68

Timothy Hutton, 66
Steve Carell, 64
Daric Barton, 41
Yu Darvish, 40
Tyler Stephenson, 30

— Rams 20, Chiefs 12
Rookie QB Simpson was 21-25/190 passing, with two TD’s.
Chiefs led 9-6 after the third quarter.
Neither starting QB played in this game.

— Vikings 13, Giants 10
Minnesota outscored the Giants 10-0 in the second half.
Will Reichard kicked a 54-yard FG for Minnesota.
Jaxson Dart was sacked twice on his six drop-backs.

— Bills 29, Panthers 14
Bills outgained Carolina 396-201 in first game in their new stadium.
Buffalo QB’s were 26-33/245 passing, with one TD.
Carolina averaged only 3.8 yards/pass attempt.

— Bears 34, Browns 10
Game was tied 10-10 at half, while Watson played QB for Cleveland.
Case Keenum was 9-10/151 passing, with two TD’s.
Chicago averaged 8.3 yards/pass attempt.

— Case Keenum has had an interesting career:
2013-14- Texans 2-8 as a starter
2015-16- Rams 7-7 as a starter
2017- Vikings 11-3 as a starter

2018- Broncos 6-10 as a starter
2019- Washington 1-7 as a starter
2020-21- Browns 2-0 as a starter

2022- Bills- two games as a backup
2023-24- Texans- 1-1 as a starter
2025-26- Bears- He hasn’t played since 2023.

— Jaguars 24, Saints 20
Jaguars outscored New Orleans 18-0 in the second half.
Saints’ backup QB Zach Wilson was 11-16/145 passing, with a TD.
Jaguars QB Bradley (South Alabama) was 10-17/105 passing

— Ravens 24, Eagles 7
Rookie QB Fagnano (UConn) was 22-28/224 passing; he was undrafted.
Baltimore outgained the Eagles, 440-159.
Ravens were 5-11 on third down, Philly was 0-9.

— Cowboys 17, Seahawks 7
Seahawks averaged only 2.0 yards/pass attempt.
Cowboys outgained Seattle, 337-156
Neither starting QB played in this game.

—If the baseball playoffs started today (they don’t):
AL: Rays, White Sox, Astros. Wild Cards: Bronx, Red Sox, Rangers
NL: Braves, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, SD/Ariz/Phil

— Reds 1, Marlins 0
Alcantara vs Burns was an excellent pitchers’ duel.
Eugenio Suarez’ RBI double drove in the only run.
Marlins were shut out for the 7th time this year.

— Cubs 3, Cardinals 0
Clay Holmes allowed one hit in 6.2 IP.
Seiya Suzuki hit a 3-run homer in the sixth inning.
Neither team had a baserunner in the first four innings.

— White Sox 9, Tigers 5
Miguel Vargas homered twice, was 4-for-5 wit three RBI
Braden Montgomery was 3-for-5, with three RBI.
White Sox lead the AL Central by 3.5 games.

— Padres 7, Guardians 5
Bogaerts, Campusano both drove in three runs.
Cleveland led 3-0 after the third inning.
Padres are now the #2 Wild Card team in the NL.

— Astros 10, Mariners 7 (10)
Christian Walker hit a three-run homer in the 10th inning.
Yordan Alvarez hit his 36th homer this year.
Isaac Paredes had two hits, drove in three runs.

— Dodgers 3, Brewers 1
Yamamoto gave up a run on four hits in six IP.
This season, Yamamoto is 12-7, 2.60.
Edman, Pages homered for the Dodgers.

— Diamondbacks 2, Braves 0
Brandon Pfaadt is 7-0, 1.16 in his last eight starts.
Tim Tawa homered in the 9th for an insurance run.
This was Atlanta’s first loss in 11 Friday night home games.

— Pirates 8, Red Sox 4
Brandon Lowe hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning.
Bryan Reynolds had two hits, scored three runs.
Red Sox lost six of their last seven games.

— A’s 8, Rangers 3
Jeff McNeil was 4-for-5, with three RBI
A’s bullpen got 11 outs, didn’t allow a run.
Jake Burger hit a three-run homer for Texas.

— Famous birthdays, August 15th:
Kenny Carr, 71
Gary Kubiak, 65
Bubby Brister, 64
Jeff Huson, 62

Scott Brosius, 60
Debra Messing, 58
Eric Bieniemy, 57
Anthony Anderson, 56

Ben Affleck, 54
Oliver Perez, 45
Bruce Brown, 30
Luke Keaschall, 24

— Was watching a Canadian Football League game the other night; the CFL has a larger playing field (midfield is the 55, end zones are way bigger). Was doing something else while I listened to the game, and did a double-take when the announcer said: “Lions have the ball on the Calgary 53-yard line.” CFL games are fun to watch.

— All six NFL games Thursday night stayed under the total.

— Buccaneers 24, Jets 16
Rookie QB Cade Klubnik (Clemson) led two scoring drives.
Third-string QB Zappe threw a pick-6 in the 2nd quarter.
Jets led 13-10 at halftime; neither starting QB played.

— Broncos 27, Falcons 7
Jahdae Barron returned a pick-6 97 yards for a TD.
Denver led 24-0 at halftime.
Broncos outgained Atlanta, 359-192

— Commanders 20, Dolphins 7
Miami QB Willis led 14-play, 93-yard TD drive in his only drive this game.
Washington’s backup QB Marcus Mariota got hurt, left the game.
Commanders were 8-17 on third down, Dolphins 3-12.

So far this week, under is now 8-1 in NFL games.

— Field of Dreams Game in Iowa next summer: Red Sox vs Royals.

— 2028 All-Star Game is going to be in San Francisco.

— Reds’ DH Eugenio Suarez got his 1,500th career hit this week.

—If the baseball playoffs started today (they don’t):
AL: Rays, White Sox, Astros. Wild Cards: Bronx, Red Sox, Tigers
NL: Braves, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Padres, Ariz/Phil

— Phillies 7, Twins 1
Kyle Schwarber homered twice, had three RBI.
Schwarber now leads the major leagues, with 37 homers.
Phillies have a half-game lead for the NL’s last Wild Card spot.

They didn’t have the ABS pitch-challenge system in this game.

— Nationals 7, Cubs 0
Cade Cavalli didn’t allow a hit until the 7th inning.
Abimelec Ortiz homered, had three RBI.
Washington is five games out of the last playoff spot. 

— Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 0
Peyton Tolle allowed two hits in his eight IP.
Leading 1-0, Caleb Durbin hit an 8th inning grand slam.
Boston’s win snaps their five-game losing skid.

— Mariners 1, New York 0
Logan Gilbert gave up four hits in his six IP.
Weston Wilson homered in the second inning.
Win snaps Seattle’s six-game losing skid. 

— Reds 9, White Sox 8
Sal Stewart homered, had two hits, scored four runs.
Cincinnati led 8-4 in the fourth inning.
Eugenio Suarez hit his 18th home run of the season.

— Pirates 13, Marlins 1
Braxton Ashcroft threw a three-hit, complete game.
He is first Pirate to since 2017 to throw a CG in less than 100 pitches.
Jake Mangum went 3-for-4, with three runs scored.

— Tigers 3, Guardians 0
Keider Montero got 17 outs, allowed only three hits.
Eduardo Valencia homered for the Tigers.
Cleveland lost nine of its last 12 games.

— Famous birthdays, August 14th:
Steve Martin, 81
Susan Saint James, 80
Earvin Johnson, 67
Mark Gubicza, 64
Halle Berry, 60

Wayne Chhrebet, 53
Mike Vrabel, 51
Mila Kunis, 43
TJ Friedl, 31
Cade Cavalli, 28

— Bengals 16, Lions 14
Joe Burrow played one series; Jared Goff didn’t play.
Evan McPherson kicked a 56-yard FG for Cincinnati.
Rookie QB Altmeyer was 13-22/130 passing for Detroit.

— Steelers 28, Packers 9
Steelers completed 27-33 passes, for 313 yards.
Aaron Rodgers didn’t play in this game.
Total yardage was 385-160, Pittsburgh.

Tyrod Taylor is a backup QB for Green Bay; he’s had an interesting career:
2011-14 Ravens- 35 passes thrown, no starts
2015-17- Bills- 22-20 as a starter
2018- Browns- 1-1-1 as a starter
2019-20- Chargers- 1-0 as a starter

2021- Texans- 2-4 as a starter
2022-23- Giants- 2-3 as a starter
2024-25- Jets- 1-3 as a starter
overall- 29-32-1 as a starter, 0-1 in playoff games

— Colts 13, Patriots 13
Colts kicked a 61-yard FG with 1:16 left to tie the game.
There is no overtime in NFL exhibition games.
Anthony Richardson was 11-14/145 passing for Indianapolis.
Tommy DeVito was 13-22/138 passing for New England.

— Chargers 27, Texans 7
Trey Lance was 12-20/164 passing for the Bolts.
Neither starting QB played in this game.
Chargers outgained Houston, 379-209. 

— Cardinals 27, Raiders 14
Three Arizona QB’s were 26-30/212 passing.
#1 draft pick Mendoza was 10-16/97 passing, with one TD.
Teams combined to convert 15-29 third down plays.

—If the baseball playoffs started today (they don’t):
AL: Rays, White Sox, Astros. Wild Cards: Bronx, Red Sox, Tigers
NL: Braves, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Arizona. Phillies

— Heard a conversation on TV the other night about people eating hot dogs, and it reminded me of a story:

Long time ago, many moons ago, I was on a date, and it was going well. We wandered into a place that specialized in different kinds of hot dogs. We ordered and I put ketchup on my hot dog. Things…….well, things went downhill from there. Quickly.

My date, for a still unknown reason, disliked ketchup; she was insisting I put mustard on my hot dogs. Wasn’t going to happen; I was wondering why she would care so much about what I was eating, but the rest of the date was……it didn’t go well. Oy.

— Cubs 12, Nationals 6
Alex Bregman hit three home runs, had seven RBI.
Cubs have won eight of their last nine games.
Cubs are only three games behind Milwaukee in the NL Central. 

— Padres 4, Brewers 3 (11)
San Diego has won 15 of its last 19 games.
Milwaukee led 2-1 in the 8th inning.
Dustin May gave up four hits in seven IP for Milwaukee.

— Blue Jays 6, Red Sox 4
Tied 1-1, Toronto scored five runs in the 8th inning.
Blue Jays are 11-5 in their last sixteen games.
Red Sox lost their last five games, scoring 14 runs.

— Braves 6, Mets 3
Mike Yastrzemski/Austin Riley hit back/back home runs.
In two starts for Atlanta, Tyler Mahle has given up one run in 12 IP.
Mets lost the last six times they scored fewer than six runs.

— White Sox 5, Reds 0
Luis Castillo struck out 10 in 7 IP in his White Sox home debut.
Chase Meidroth, Drew Romo homered for Chicago.
White Sox lead the AL Central by 3.5 games.

— New York 10, Mariners 5
Trent Grisham homered twice, had four RBI.
Seattle led this game 5-3 in the third inning.
Mariners lost their last six games, outscored 34-10.

— Tampa Bay has won nine games in a row, leads AL East by six games.

— Famous birthdays, August 13th:
Kevin Tighe, 82
Gretchen Corbett, 81
Jay Buhner, 62

Mark Lemke, 61
Elvis Grbac, 56
Dallas Braden, 43

DeMarcus Cousins, 36
Randal Grichuk, 35
Samuel Basallo, 22

Today would’ve been my parents’ 71st wedding anniversary. I was lucky to have good parents.

— Cal Raleigh’s last two years:
2025- 60 home runs, 125 RBI, hit .247 with a .948 OPS
2026- 12 home runs, 43 RBI, hitting .161 with a .570 OPS

— Vladimir Guerrero’s home road splits this year:
Home: 206 AB, no home runs, 16 RBI, .644 OPS
Away: 212 AB; 7 homers, 30 RBI, .742 OPS

— Congrats to A’s utility guy Jeff McNeil, what got his 1,000th career hit a few days ago. McNeil is a .286 career hitter who won a batting title four years ago. 

— Rockies 6, Diamondbacks 4
Brett Sullivan hit a three-run homer in the second inning.
Arizona left 15 men on base, including bases loaded in 5th/6th innings.
Corbin Carroll hit his 100th career home run.

— Marlins 8, Pirates 2
Griffin Conine homered, got on base five times, scored three runs.
Jackson Junk allowed four hits in six IP.
Marlins are 38-24 at home, 24-35 on the road.

— Guardians 6, Tigers 4
Jo Adell’s 5th-innng home run was a game-winner.
Cade Smith got four outs, recorded his 31st save.
Cleveland is 7-1 against the Tigers this season.

—If the baseball playoffs started today (they don’t):
AL: Rays, White Sox, Astros. Wild Cards: Bronx, Red Sox, Rangers
NL: Braves, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Arizona. Phil/SD

Trends are thru August 11th

NL East
— Braves (72-48)
Atlanta won 10 of its last 13 games.
Braves are 40-21 at home, 32-27 on road.
Braves are 26-13 in divisional games.

— Marlins (61-59)
Miami is 37-24 at home, 24-35 on road.
Marlins are 50-42 vs righties, 11-17 vs lefty starters.
Marlins are 16-12 in in one-run games.

— Mets (53-68)
Over is 6-1-1 in the Mets’ last eight games.
Mets are 10-22 vs lefty starters.
Mets are 11-20 in in one-run games.

— Phillies (64-57)
Phillies are 21-11 in one-run games.
Phillies are 20-22 vs lefty starters.
Over is 6-1 in their last seven games.

— Nationals (59-62)
Nationals won three of their last four games.
Washington is 26-35 at home, 33-27 on road.
Nationals are 36-45 vs righties, 23-17 vs lefty starters.

NL Central
— Cubs (70-50)
Chicago won seven of its last eight games.
Cubs are 21-12 vs lefty starters.
Cubs are 18-13 in in one-run games.

— Reds (57-61)
Reds are 11-24 in divisional games.
Cincinnati is 8-4 in extra-inning games.
Reds are 18-12 in in one-run games.

— Brewers (74-45)
Brewers are 22-11 in divisional games.
Milwaukee is 22-11 vs lefty starters.
Under is 9-1-1 in their last 11 games.

— Pirates (58-63)
Pirates lost six of their last seven games.
Under is 5-2-1 in their last eight games.
Pirates are 10-26 vs lefty starters.

— Cardinals (60-60)
Cardinals won six of their last nine games.
St Louis is 20-16 vs lefty starters, 40-44 vs righties.
Cardinals are 8-5 in extra-inning games. 

NL West
— Diamondbacks (64-56)
Arizona is 19-9 vs lefty starters.
Snakes are 26-14 in divisional games.
Arizona is 21-17 in in one-run games.

— Rockies (46-73)
Rockies lost six of their last seven games.
Over is 5-2 in their last seven games.
Colorado is 27-32 at home, 19-41 on road.

— Dodgers (71-48)
Dodgers are 20-18 vs lefty starters, 51-30 vs righties.
Dodgers are 23-17 in divisional games.
Dodgers are 22-17 in in one-run games.

— Padres (64-57)
Padres won five of their last six games.
San Diego is 35-26 at home, 28-31 on road.
Padres are 22-17 in divisional games.

— Giants (49-70)
Giants lost eight of their last ten games.
Giants are 27-30 at home, 22-40 on road.
Giants are 10-20 in in one-run games.

— Famous birthdays, August 12th
George Hamilton, 87
Mel Farr, 60
Antoine Walker, 50/

Khris Middleton, 35
Ian Happ, 32
Kyle Harrison, 25

AL East
— Orioles (58-62)
Orioles are 15-20 vs lefty starters, 44-42 vs righties.
Under is 7-2 in their last nine games.
Orioles are 10-18 in in one-run games.

— Red Sox (64-55)
Red Sox lost their last four games, scoring 10 runs.
Over is 6-3 in their last nine games.
Red Sox are 29-31 at home, 35-24 on road.

— New York (67-52)
Bronx is 26-17 vs lefty starters.
New York is 30-26 at home, 37-26 on road.
Under is 5-1 in their last six games.

— Rays (73-46)
Rays are 23-11 vs lefty starters.
Tampa Bay is 41-18 at home, 32-28 on road.
Rays are 16-10 in in one-run games.

— Blue Jays (58-63)
Blue Jays won four of their last five games.
Toronto is 16-19 in one-run games.
Over is 6-2 in their last eight games.

AL Central
— White Sox (61-57)
Chicago is 36-23 at home, 25-34 on road.
White Sox are 20-13 in divisional games.
Chicago is 21-17 in in one-run games.

— Guardians (58-62)
Guardians lost eight of their last ten games.
Six of their last seven games went over the total.
Cleveland is 23-18 vs lefty starters, 35-44 vs righties.

— Tigers (59-60)
Tigers won eight of their last ten games.
Over is 9-3-1 in their last thirteen games.
Detroit is 12-20 in in one-run games.

— Royals (49-71)
Royals are 29-30 at home, 20-41 on road.
Kansas City is 9-25 vs lefty starters.
Royals are 16-20 in in one-run games.

— Twins (59-62)
Twins lost seven of their last ten games.
Under is 4-2-1 in their last seven games.
Twins are 14-19 in in one-run games.

AL West
— Astros (61-60)
Astros are 3-5 in their last eight games.
Over is 5-2 in their last seven home games.
Astros are 47-43 vs righties, 14-17 vs lefty starters.

— Angels (46-74)
Angels fired all their pitching coaches this week.
Under is 10-1 in their last eleven games.
Angels are 15-20 in in one-run games.

— A’s (47-73)
A’s are 11-38 in their last 49 games.
Five of their last six games went over.
A’s are 15-15 vs AL West, 32-58 vs everyone else.

— Mariners (56-64)
Mariners lost their last five games, outscored 24-5.
Seattle is 33-29 at home, 23-35 on road.
Mariners are 18-12 in divisional games.

— Rangers (60-60)
Texas won five of its last seven games.
Five of their last six games stayed under.
Rangers are 21-13 in in one-run games.

—If the baseball playoffs started today (they don’t):
AL: Rays, White Sox, Astros. Wild Cards: Bronx, Red Sox, Rangers
NL: Braves, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Arizona. Phil/SD

— Twins 9, Orioles 5
Dean Kremer allowed one hit in 7 IP against his old team.
Orioles traded Kremer to Minnesota nine days ago.
Austin Martin went 4-for-5, scored three runs.

— Blue Jays 2, Red Sox 1
Charles McAdoo hit his 2nd MLB home run in his 9th MLB game.
Louis Varland recorded his 25th save.
Boston lost its last three games, scoring seven runs.

— Dodgers 6, Royals 5
Freddie Freeman had the game-winning hit in the 7th inning.
Tarik Skubal gave up three runs in 5 IP in his second Dodger start.
Kansas City is 9-25 vs lefty starters this season.

— Mets 8, Braves 5
Brett Baty hit his first career grand slam.
Kodai Senga recorded his first major league save.
Mets won six of last seven games, scoring 50 runs.

— Phillies 6, Cardinals 5
Kyle Schwarber was 2-for-3, with two walks.
Last two games, Schwarber is 4-for-6, with five walks, two HR’s.
Cardinals didn’t get a hit until the sixth inning.

— Astros 6, Giants 3 (10)
Houston tied the game in the top of 9th.
Jeremy Pena had the game-winning hit in the 10t,
Astros are 61-59, lead the AL West by a game.

— Padres 3, Brewers 2
Jackson Merrill hit a two-run homer in the 7th inning.
Mason Miller got his 30th save of the season.
San Diego is only one game out of a playoff spot. 

— Craig Kimbrel signed to pitch with the Royals, who will be his 10th team in six years:

2021- Cubs, White Sox
2022- Dodgers
2023- Phillies
2024- Orioles
2025- Braves, Astros
2026- Mets, Rays, Royals

— Famous birthdays, August 11th:
Craig Ehlo, 65
Joe Germaine, 51
Pablo Sandoval, 40

Colby Rasmus, 40
Patty Mills, 38
Marvin Harrison Jr., 24

— Detroit backup QB Teddy Bridgewater retired from the NFL, weird time to do it; Lions replaced him by signing Joshua Dobbs, who has started 15 games (3-12) for six different teams in his six-year NFL career. Lions will be team #7 for Dobbs.

— Dallas Cowboys signed four-time Pro Bowl DT Quinnen Williams to a three-year, $105.9M contract extension.

— University of Illinois will have the largest video board in the country for its football games this fall; it is 17,300 square feet, much bigger than Auburn’s, which was the biggest.

— UCLA hired former Raiders QB Derek Carr as a special advisor to the head coach; Carr played in the NFL from 2014-24. He should be a good mentor for the Bruins’ quarterbacks.

— Movie of the Day: Tequila Sunrise (1988)- A former drug dealer in Los Angeles tries to go straight but his past and his underworld connections bring him into the focus of the DEA, the Mexican feds and the Mexican drug cartels.

Mel Gibson, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kurt Russell, Raul Julia, JT Walsh; tremendous cast, very good movie.

Trends for Mountain West football teams:
— Air Force won its last five bowl games, scoring 33.6 ppg. Problem is, they did’t play in a bowl game the last two years.

— Hawai’i coach Chang is 12-5-1 ATS as a home underdog.

— Last five years, Nevada is 17-9 ATS as a road underdog.

— Last three years, UNLV is 10-2 ATS as a road favorite.

— Last 10 years, New Mexico is 7-19 ATS as a home favorite. 

— In its last two years in MAC, Northern Illinois was 4-12 ATS in MAC games.

— Last four years, San Jose State is 0-5 ATS as a home favorite.

— Last 10 years, Texas-El Paso is 11-21 ATS as a home underdog.

— Wyoming is 12-4 ATS in its last 16 games as a home underdog.

— North Dakota State is in its first year as a I-A team.

—If the baseball playoffs started today (they don’t):
AL: Rays, White Sox, Astros. Wild Cards: Bronx, Red Sox, Rangers
NL: Braves, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Phillies, Arizona

— Baseball is heading towards a lockout next year; an on-line sports book has posted an ever-under total for how many games each team will play next year. 

That line is 99.5 games, meaning they expect the 2027 season to miss six weeks or so.

— Braves 2, New York 1 (10)
Michael Harris had the game-winning hit for Atlanta.
Matt Olson hit his 34th home run in the 7th inning.
Both teams had only four hits.

— Phillies 7, Blue Jays 6 (12)
Derek Hill had the walk-off single for the Phillies.
Kyle Schwarber homered twice, had 4 RBI, three walks.
Bryce Harper walked four times, for the first time since 2018.

— White Sox 5, Guardians 3
Colson Montgomery hit a three-run homer in third inning.
White Sox lead the AL Central by 3.5 games.

— Brewers 4, Twins 3 (10)
Jake Bauers had the walk-off hit for Milwaukee.
Luis Lara made a great catch against outfield wall in the top of the 10th

— Diamondbacks 4, Dodgers 1
Eduardo Rodriguez struck out nine guys in 7 IP.
Arizona wins the season series with LA, 7-6.
Dodgers have lost eight of their last nine games.

— Tigers 3, Giants 1
Detroit is 23-11 in its last thirty-four games.
Tigers are one game behind Texas for the last Wild Card slot.

— RIP to Basketball Hall of Famer Don Nelson, who passed away this weekend at age 86.

Nelson won five NBA titles while playing for the Celtics, then went 1,365-1,063 in 31 years as an NBA head coach.

RIP, coach.

— Famous birthdays, August 10th:
Ralph Simpson, 77
Don Buse, 76
Rosanna Arquette, 67

John Starks, 61
Gino Torretta, 56
Angie Harmon, 54

Samari Rolle, 50
Dalvin Cook, 31
AJ Ewing, 22

Saturday would’ve been Jerry Tarkanian’s 96th birthday; the legendary coach brought UNLV to four Final Fours, winning the 1990 national championship. 

— Braves P Chris Sale was thrown out of Atlanta’s game Sunday, before the game started; he was still steamed over a balk call in Saturday’s game.

— Washington Nationals are leading the MLB in both home runs and stolen bases; that hasn’t happened in the major leagues since the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers.

— Obscure trivia: Former Atlanta Brave Mark Lemke holds a major league record; he batted 3,664 times without ever being hit by a pitch.

— In 1982, OF Joel Youngblood got a hit for the Mets in a day game; he was traded after the game, and got a hit for the Expos in Philadelphia that night, making him the only player ever to get hits for two teams in two different cities on the same day.

— Modern college sports: Texas Longhorns poached a kicker from Memphis.

North Carolina’s basketball team poached a 7-foot center from the South Dakota Coyotes.

Gonzaga poached a 6-10 forward from Florida State.

— Murray State’s basketball team is on a two-week trip to Spain, which should help their team next winter.

— Indianapolis Colts signed RB Jonathan Taylor to a two-year, $44M contract extension.

— Last year, Green Bay Packers were the first NFL team in the last 60 years to lose three games in a season, when they didn’t punt in any of the three games.

—If the baseball playoffs started today (they don’t):
AL: Rays, White Sox, Astros. Wild Cards: Bronx, Red Sox, Rangers
NL: Braves, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Phillies, Arizona

— A’s last made the playoffs in 2020; from 2022-24, they lost 307 games but improved to 76-86 last year. This year, they’ve regressed and are having a dismal season, two years before they head to Las Vegas.

Few weeks ago, they fired the pitching coach. 

This week, they fired the general manager, who had been with the team for 27 years, back in the Moneyball era. He had been the GM for the last 11 years, but they’ve told him to take a hike.

Is there any way we can get the owner fired? How about he spend some money and try to win? Then he can start blaming other people.

— Padres 3, Astros 2
Jackson Merrill hit his 17th home run of the year.
Michael King allowed three hits in six IP.
San Diego is one game out of the last Wild Card spot.

— Blue Jays 7, Phillies 5 (11)
Nathan Lukes hit a two-run homer in the 11th inning.
Max Scherzer (3,516) moved into 10th place on the all-time strikeout list.
Aaron Nola recorded his 2,000th career strikeout.

— Rockies 8, Cardinals 6
Jake McCarthy hit two home runs, scored four runs.
McCarthy had a bunt single, also stole two bases. 

McCarthy is the first Colorado player since Charlie Blackmon in 2015 to have two homers and a bunt single in the same game.

— Marlins 7, Angels 0
Sandy Alcantara allowed three hits in 7 IP.
Alcantara’s last three starts: 20 IP, 9 H, no runs allowed.
Marlins are three games out of the last Wild Card slot.

— Brewers 4, Twins 3
Andrew Vaughn had the game-winning hit in the 8th inning.
Aaron Ashby pitched the 8th inning, got his 13th win, all in relief.
Brice Turang had three hits, drove in two runs.

— Nationals 8, Reds 2
Washington ended Reds P Chase Burns’ 12-game winning streak.
Daylen Lile has 11 RBI in five games against the Reds this year.
Nationals are 4.5 games out of the players, Reds are five games out.

— Famous birthdays, August 9th:
Bob Cousy, 98
Sam Elliott, 82
Ted Simmons, 77
Melanie Griffith, 69
Chris Miller, 61

Vinny Del Negro, 60
Bob Scanlan, 60
Deion Sanders, 59
Eric Bana, 58
Troy Percival, 57

Pat Mahomes Sr, 56
Liz Vassey, 54
Kliff Kingsbury, 47
Anna Kendrick, 41
Xavier Edwards, 27

— Dodgers 2, Diamondbacks 1 (10)
Win snaps the Dodgers’ seven-game losing skid.
Game was scoreless after seven innings.
Kyle Tucker homered for Los Angeles. 

— Pirates 9, Mets 0
Bubba Chandler allowed three hits in six IP.
Pittsburgh led 8-0 in the fourth inning.
Jake Mangum had three hits, scored two runs. 

— Bronx 5, Braves 4
George Lombard hit his 2nd home run in his 4th MLB game.
Gerrit Cole struck out nine, allowed six hits in seven IP.
Atlanta still leads the NL East by 8.5 games.

— Royals 6, Cubs 3
Jac Caglianone had four hits, four RBI, two home runs.
Ian Happ hit his 19th home run for the Cubs.
Chicago has a 5.5-game lead for the NL’s first Wild Card slot.

— Rangers 5, Orioles 1
Jacob deGrom struck out nine; Rangers have won four in a row.
Corey Seager hit a three-run homer in the 8th inning.
Orioles lost five of their last seven games.

— White Sox 6, Guardians 3
Chicago scored five runs in the sixth inning.
Win snaps Chicago’s four-game losing skid.
White Sox lead AL Central by three games.

— Tigers 8, Giants 0
Jackson Jobe allowed one hit in five IP in his first ’26 start.
Game was scoreless after five innings.
San Francisco didn’t get a runner past first base.

—If the baseball playoffs started today (they don’t):
AL: Rays, White Sox, Astros. Wild Cards: Bronx, Red Sox, Rangers
NL: Braves, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Phillies, Arizona

NFC East
— Cowboys
Dallas hasn’t been in an NFC title game since 1995.
QB Dak Prescott is 85-60-1 as a starter, 2-5 in playoff games.
Last three years, Cowboys are 11-6-1 ATS in divisional games.

— Giants
John Harbaugh was 193-124 coaching the Ravens, 13-11 in playoff games.
QB Jaxson Dart was 4-8 as a starter in his rookie season.
Last three years, Giants are 9-14 ATS as a road underdog.

— Eagles
Eagles have won two Super Bowls in the last nine years.
Sirianni is 65-30 as a head coach, 6-4 in playoff games.
QB Jalen Hurts is 63-29 as a starter, 6-4 in playoff games.

— Commanders
Washington has made the playoffs twice in last ten years.
QB Jayden Daniels is 16-11 as a starter, 2-1 in playoffs.
Dan Quinn is 65-62 as a head coach, 5-3 in playoff games.

NFC North
— Bears
Last year was Chicago’s first winning season since 2018.
QB Caleb Williams is 171-9 as a starter, 1-1 in the playoffs.
Last three years, Bears are 8-3-1 ATS as an underdog.

— Lions
Last four years, Detroit is 45-23 in the regular season.
QB Jared Goff is 94-65-1 as a starter, 4-5 in playoff games.
Last three years, Lions are 13-3 ATS as a road favorite.

— Packers
Green Bay has made the playoffs 14 of the last 17 years.
Since 2014, Packers are 0-4 in the NFC title game.
QB Jordan Love is 28-23-1 as a starter, 1-3 in playoff games.

— Vikings
O’Connell is 43-27 as a head coach, 0-2 in playoff games.
QB Kyler Murray was 38-49-1 as a starter in Arizona, 0-1 in playoff games.
Last four years, Vikings are 11-5-4 ATS as a road favorite.

— Famous birthdays, August 8th:
Connie Stevens, 88
Jose Cruz, 79
Donnie Most, 73
Bruce Matthews, 65
Howard Cross, 59

Rashard Lewis, 47
Craig Breslow, 46
Danilo Gallinari, 38
Yandy Diaz, 35
Cameron Payne, 32

NFC South
— Falcons
Stefanski was 46-58 as coach in Cleveland, 1-2 in playoff games.
QB Tua Tagovailoa was 44-33 as a starter in Miami, 0-1 in playoff games.
Last three years, Falcons are 6-13 ATS as a home favorite.

— Panthers
Carolina has had 8 straight losing seasons (made playoffs at 8-9 LY)
Canales is 13-22 as a head coach, 0-1 in playoff games.
QB Bryce Young is 14-31 as a starter, 0-1 in playoff games.

— Saints
New Orleans has missed the playoffs five years in a row.
QB Tyler Shough was 5-4 as a starter in his rookie year.
Last four years, Saints are 5-12 ATS as a home underdog.

— Buccaneers
Tampa Bay has made the playoffs five of the last six years.
QB Baker Mayfield is 60-65 as a starter, 2-3 in playoff games.
Todd Bowles is 64-77 as a head coach, 1-3 in playoff games.

NFC West
— Cardinals
Arizona has made the playoffs once in the last ten years.
QB Jacoby Brissett is 20-45 as a starter; when does rookie QB Beck start?
Last four years, Cardinals are 7-17 ATS in divisional games.

— Rams
Rams have made the playoffs seven of the last nine years.
QB Matthew Stafford is 127-124-1 as a starter, 53-31 with the Rams.
Sean McVay is 102-63 as a head coach, 10-6 in playoff games.

— 49ers
49ers made the playoffs five of the last seven years.
Since 1997, 49ers are 0-5 in NFC title games.
Kyle Shanahan is 91-72 as a head coach, 9-5 in playoff games.

— Seahawks
Seattle made playoffs 10 of last 14 years, winning two Super Bowls.
QB Sam Darnold is 52-42 as a starter, 3-1 in playoff games.
Mike Macdonald is 24-10 in two years as head coach, 3-0 in playoff games.

— Phillies 7, Nationals 3
Phillies hit seven doubles in the first three innings.
Cristopher Sanchez is the first 15-game winner this year.
Luis Arraez is 5-for-13 with four RBI in his first three games with Philly.

— Cubs 3, Blue Jays 2 (11)
Pete Crow-Armstrong stole third, scored walk-off run when throw went into LF.
Alex Bregman hit a two-run homer for the Cubs.
Cubs have a 5.5-game lead for the NL’s #1 Wild Card slot.

— Mets 13, Guardians 6
Mets had 18 hits; they swept this three-game series.
Foster Griffin allowed five runs in four IP in his Cleveland debut.
57-59 Guardians are half a game out of the last Wild Card spot.

Guardians have played 17 games this year starting all lefty/switch-hitters; they’re the only major league team that has done that this year.

— Brewers 5, Pirates 2
Dustin May gave up two runs in 6 IP in his Milwaukee debut.
Jackson Chourio/Gary Sanchez homered for the Brewers.
Pirates lost seven of their last ten games.

— Tigers 11, Mariners 0
Dillon Dingler homered for the third game in a row.
Detroit has scored 8+ runs in seven of their last eight games.
Mariners were shut out for the 11th time, tied for most in MLB.

— Angels 4, Orioles 1
Zach Neto hit a three-run homer in the first inning.
Four Angel relievers got the last 13 outs, allowing one hit.
56-59 Orioles are a game out of the last Wild Card spot.

— Red Sox 12, White Sox 11 (13)
Caleb Durbin had the walk-off single for Boston.
Boston has won 8 in a row, 31 of its last 36 games.
Luis Castillo allowed five runs in 4 IP in his White Sox debut. 

— Famous birthdays, August 7th:
Fred Brown, 78
Wayne Knight, 71
Joe Cocozzo, 56
Charlize Theron, 51
DeMar DeRozan, 37

Tommy Kahnle, 37
Mike Trout, 35
Josh Smith, 29
Kyler Murray, 29
Jalen Hurts, 28

— Modern baseball; Cardinals’ 1B Alec Burleson hit three home runs Monday, then didn’t start in Tuesday’s game. He doesn’t platoon; this made no sense.

— Pirates P Paul Skenes has a 6.26 ERA in his last eight starts.

— There are reports that part of the reason the Red Sox traded IF Marcelo Meyer was that there was personal tension between Meyer and OF Roman Anthony.

— Panthers 33, Cardinals 30
Rookie QB Haynes King ran for the winning TD as time expired.
Rookie QB Carson Beck was 15-19/188 passing for Arizona.
Lot of offense; total yardage was 425 for Arizona, 378 for Carolina.

— There are 10 NFL teams who have head coaches this season.

— Last three years, Tennessee Titans are 1-7 ATS as a favorite.

— Last four years, Indianapolis Colts are 8-4 ATS as a home favorite.

— Jacksonville Jaguars were +13 in turnovers last year, part of why they were 6-3 in games decides by 8 or fewer points. 

— Last three years, Houston Texans are 11-16 ATS as a favorite.

— If the baseball playoffs started today (they don’t):
AL: Rays, White Sox, Astros. Wild Cards: Bronx, Red Sox, Rangers
NL: Braves, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Phillies, Arizona

— Nationals 10, Phillies 4 (11)
CJ Abrams hit a two-run triple in the 11th inning.
P Miles Mikolas then knocked in a run with a safety squeeze bunt.
Phillies have a one-game lead for the last Wild Card slot.

— Orioles 5, Angels 2
Trevor Rogers allow three hits in 6+ IP.
Tyler O’Neill/Coby Mayo hit back/back home runs.
Baltimore is 17-10 in its last 27 games; they’re half-game out of the last Wild Card slot.

— Red Sox 4, White Sox 0
Wilyer Abreu homered for the fourth time in three games.
Sonny Gray gave up 3 hits in 6 IP; he is 14-2, 2.78 this season.
Boston has won 7 in a row, 30 of its last 35 games.

— Rays 4, Rockies 0
Tampa Bay swept a series for the 11th time this season.
Nick Martinez got 17 outs; he is 11-3, 2.55 this season.
Tyler Wells got four outs in relief, all strikeouts.

— Cubs 7, Dodgers 6
Pete Crow-Armstrong homered twice, had four RBI.
Shohei Ohtani homered twice, had three RBI.
Dodgers have lost their last six games.

— Blue Jays 5, Astros 4 (10)
Ernie Clement hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning.
Houston led this game 3-0 after five innings.
Astros still lead Texas by 1.5 games atop the AL West.

— Mets 6, Guardians 5 (10)
Mets tied game in 9th inning on a Cleveland error.
Bo Bichette knocked in winning run in the 10th inning.
Angel Genao went 4-for-5, in his first MLB game.

— Braves 4, Marlins 1
Bryce Elder allowed one hit in seven IP.
Drake Baldwin went 2-for-4 with two RBI
Atlanta has won seven in row, leads NL East by 8.5 games. 

— Famous birthdays, August 6th:
Jerry Golsteyn, 72
Stephanie Kramer, 70
Dale Ellis, 66
David Robinson, 61

Vera Farmiga, 53
Seneca Wallace, 46
Hunter Greene, 27
Jared Jones, 25

NFL trends……..
— Last three years, Dallas is 11-6-1 ATS vs NFC East opponents.

— Chiefs are 0-5 ATS in their last five visits to Denver.

— Lions are 13-4 ATS in last 17 games as a road favorite.

— Last two years, Eagles were 6-0 ATS as an underdog.

— Under Dan Quinn, Washington is 8-3 ATS as a home favorite.

— Last two years, Chargers are 10-1-1 ATS vs AFC Went opponents.

— Last two years, Raiders are 11-17 ATS as an underdog.

— Buffalo covered its last five games against the Jets.

— If the baseball playoffs started today (they don’t):
AL: Rays, White Sox, Astros. Wild Cards: Bronx, Red Sox, Tex/Clev
NL: Braves, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Phillies, Arizona

There were some familiar faces in unfamiliar places Tuesday, the first night after the trade deadline:

— Phillies 5, Nationals 0
Luis Arraez was 2-4 with two RBI in his Phillies debut.
Jesus Luzardo allowed four hits in eight IP.
Washington star James Wood (oblique) went on the IL.

— Cubs 5, Dodgers 1
Tarik Skubal gave up two runs in 6 IP (85 PT) in his Dodger debut.
Dansby Swanson/Nico Hoerner homered for the Cubs.
Javier Assad got 17 outs, allowed only four hits.

— Rays 9, Rockies 7 (11)
Freddy Peralta gave up 7 runs in 3.2 IP (71 IP) in his Tampa Bay debut.
Liam Hicks hit a grand slam in his Tampa Bay debut.
Colorado had bases loaded one out in bottom of 10th, but didn’t score.

— Red Sox 14, White Sox 2
Wilyer Abreu homered twice, Caleb Durbin hit a grand slam.
Red Sox have won six in a row, are 24-3 in their last 27 games.
Boston ended this one early, scoring six runs in the first inning.

— Rangers 5, Giants 4
Ezequiel Duran drove in four runs, had a walk-off double.
Corey Seager was 3-for-4, scored twice.
Texas is one game out of last Wild Card slot, 2.5 games out of AL West lead.

— Orioles 3, Angels 1
Cade Povich pitched six scoreless IP in his first start since May 7th.
Pete Alonso hit a two-run aingle.
Tyler O’Neill hit his third pinch-hit home run this year.

— Mets 6, Guardians 2
9th-place hitter Luis Torrens hit a three-run homer in the second inning.
Sean Manaea got the win, despite allowing 12 baserunners in six IP.
Cleveland is 57-57, three games out of first in AL Central.

— Famous birthdays, August 5th:
Bruce Coslet, 80
Bernie Carbo, 79
Maureen McCormick, 70
Patrick Ewing, 64

Otis Thorpe, 64
Jonathan Silverman, 60
John Olerud, 58
Mark Mulder, 49

Carl Crawford, 45
Nick Martinez, 36
Braxton Garrett, 29
Anthony Edwards, 25

— Tigers 8, Mariners 0
Troy Melton allowed three hits in seven IP.
Greene, Dingler, Torres all homered for Detroit.
Tigers are 54-58, but are only two games out of last Wild Card slot.

— Braves 1B Matt Olson played in his 895th consecutive game Tuesday, tied for the 8th-longest streak in MLB history:

2,632- Cal Ripken Jr
2,130- Lou Gehrig
1,307- Everett Scott
1,207- Steve Garvey

1,152- Miguel Tejada
1,117- Billy Williams
1,103- Joe Sewell
895- Stan Musial/Matt Olson

— Colorado Rockies signed OF Mickey Moniak to a two-year, $16.5 contract extension.

— Obscure trivia: There have been 464 sets of brothers who both played in the big leagues.

— Home plate ump Andy Fletcher had a rough night in the 13-7 St Louis-New York game Monday night; teams challenged six of his pitch calls. All six calls were overturned.

— On the other hand, home plate ump Jim Wolf had a very good game in Seattle Sunday; teams challenged only two of his 151 pitch calls. None of the calls were overturned.

— If the baseball playoffs started today (they don’t):
AL: Rays, White Sox, Astros. Wild Cards: Bronx, Red Sox, Guardians
NL: Braves, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Phillies, Arizona

Wrapping up baseball’s trade deadline:
— Phillies acquired 2B Luis Arraez from the Giants, along with P Caleb Kilian, for a couple of young pitchers.

As a result, Phillies’ infield defense is going to be re-shuffled:
1B- Alec Bohm
2B- Luis Arraez
SS- Trea Turner
3B- Bryson Stott
RF- Bryce Harper

— Arraez has won three batting titles, has a good chance for a fourth one this year, but he has also played on a lot of different teams, for such a good hitter:

2019-22: Twins
2023-24: Marlins
2024-25: Padres
2025-26: Giants
2026: Phillies

— Red Sox traded for C Adley Rutschman, hoping to upgrade behind the plate; they gave the Orioles three of their top five prospects. Lot of people on social media, including some baseball pundits, were wowed by how much Boston paid to get Rutschman.

Rutschman is hurt right now; he hasn’t played since July 18th.

— Mets traded away 8 major leaguers, plus a minor leaguer; in return, they acquired 13 minor league prospects. Monday they added six minor leaguers to their 26-man active roster. 

— Texas P Jacob deGrom exercised the no-trade clause in his contract, wouldn’t let the Rangers trade him away from Arlington.

Someone on ESPN suggested that deGrom gets taxed less than he would if he played home games in a different state (Florida? California?), which he why he put the kibosh on the trade.

— San Diego added a pair of starting pitchers, Robbie Ray from the Giants, Casey Mize from Detroit. Ray is 10-6, 3.08 in 21 starts this year; Mize was 4-6, 2.70 in 16 starts for the Tigers.

— Pirates fortified their bullpen, adding Luke Weaver/Kirby Yates. Weird seeing the team with the #2 payroll (Mets) trading a guy to Pittsburgh at the deadline.

— Cleveland added P Foster Griffin from Washington, OF Jo Adell from the Angels, and Nathaniel Lowe from the Reds. Little surprised to see the Nationals trade Griffin away; he is having a very good season.

— Cubs worked hard to hard to upgrade their pitching; they acquired starters Clay Holmes, Braxton Garrett and reliever Ryan Zeferjahn- they also acquired OF Tyrone Taylor.

— Tampa Bay improved its catching, adding Liam Hicks; they also acquired reliever Tyler Wells, as well as starter Freddy Peralta.

Rays now have a SS named Taylor Walls, and a P named Tyler Wells.

— Famous birthdays, August 4th:
Billy Bob Thornton, 71
Barack Obama, 65
Roger Clemens, 64
BJ Surhoff, 62

Clyde Simmons, 62
Abigail Spencer, 45
Brady Singer, 30
Henry Bolte, 23

— Cardinals 13, Bronx 7
Alec Burleson hit three home runs, had six RBI.
St Louis blew a 6-0 lead, then scored seven runs in the 8th inning.
New York’s bullpen gave up nine runs in six innings.

— Pirates 4, Brewers 3
Brewers are 1-6 vs Pittsburgh, 18-5 vs the rest of the NL Central.
Spencer Horwitz hit a three-run double for the Pirates.
Pittsburgh is three games out of the last Wild Card slot.

— Rays 13, Rockies 9
Junior Caminero hit two home runs, scored three times.
Rays had scored a total of 12 runs in their previous eight games.
Tampa Bay leads the AL East by 3.5 games.

— Phillies 6, Nationals 3
Trailing 3-0, Derek Hill hit a grand slam in the 7th inning.
Bryce Harper hit a two-run homer in the 8th inning.
Washington 1B Abimelec Ortiz hit his first major league HR.

— Cubs 10, Dodgers 5
Cubs hit four home runs; they led 6-3 in third inning.
Justin Wrobleski gave up seven runs in 4.1 IP.
Dodgers have lost four games in a row.

— Giants 5, Rangers 1
Jung Hoo Lee hit two home runs, had three RBI.
Logan Webb allowed five hits in six shutout IP.
Rangers have lost six games in a row.

— If the baseball playoffs started today (they don’t):
AL: Rays, White Sox, Astros. Wild Cards: Bronx, Red Sox, Guardians
NL: Braves, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Phillies, Arizona