Continuing Coverage of Major League Baseball (MLB)
August 11, 2026 MLB Players of the Day
Junior Caminero tied Houston’s Yordan Alvarez for the AL home run lead, smacking his 35th of the season in the first inning of Tampa Bay’s 12-4 rout of the A’s Tuesday in Sacramento, California, the A’s temporary home.
Caminero’s two-run shot got the Rays off to an early lead from which they never looked back, notching their eighth straight win. They hold a six-game lead over the Yankees in the AL East and have the best record in the AL by far.
Caminero not only tied Alvarez for the home run lead, but also evened up with National League leaders, Kyle Schwarber (Philadelphia) and Matt Olson (Atlanta). Alvarez, on track for the AL triple crown, hasn’t hit a home run since July 28. Olson cracked his 35th Tuesday in Atlanta’s 4-0 win over the Mets.
Te Rays will be looking for the series sweep and their mint win in a row on Wednesday.
AL Streaks: Rays, won 8; Mariners, lost 5.
Luis Rengifo hit what was just his third home run of the season, but it was a big one, a second-inning grand slam that sent the Padres to an 11-2 romp over the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday in San Diego.
Rengifo’s blast put the Padres up 5-0, en route to their second straight win over the Brewers. The win tied the Padres with Arizona for second place in the NL West, 8 1/2 behind the runaway Dodgers, but also tied for the second and third wild card, along with the Phillies.
San Diego will be looking for a sweep of the Brewers, whose lead in the NL East has shrunk to four games over the oncoming Cubs.
NL Streaks: Padres, won 4; Brewers, Pirates, lost 2.
Nolan Arenado’s first-inning grand slam sent the Diamondbacks on their way to a 9-0 win over the visiting Rockies, Monday in Phoenix, keeping them tied with the Phillies for the second and third wild card spots, 5 1/2 behind the Cubs.
Arizona continues to chase the Dodgers in the NL West, though they are still 7 1/2 games behind, with San Diego one game further back.
The three-game series with the Rockies continues Tuesday.
NL Streaks: Padres, Nationals, won 3; Giants, Reds, lost 3.
Yandy Diaz singled, doubled, and stroked a leadoff, first-inning home run Monday night, propelling the Tampa Bay Rays to a 10-6 victory over the A’s at Sutter Heath Park in Sacramento, California.
The win was the seventh straight for the Rays, putting them six up on the Yankees and eight better than the Red Sox in the AL East. Diaz was 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in a pair of runs, raising his batting average to .302. Junior Caminero socked his 34th home run, a three-run dinger in the 8th as the Rays erased a 6-2 deficit, scoring eight times in the frame.
The three-game series continues Tuesday.
AL Streaks: Rays, won 7: Mariners, lost 4.
Despite being 14 1/2 games out in the AL East, the Baltimore Orioles are still very much alive in the wild card race after taking down Texas, 10-5 on Sunday in Arlington.
Leading Baltimore’s 15-hit assault was slugging first baseman, Pete Alonso, who singled and scored in the opening frame before launching a pair of two-run homers, one each in the second and fourth innings, giving the O’s an overwhelming lead that would hold up. After Alonso’s early outburst, the Rangers decided to walk him in the sixth and eighth innings, producing a perfect night at the plate, 3-for-3, three runs, two homers, four RBI and a pair of walks.
With the win, the Orioles crept to within two games of the third wild card, currently in possession of the Rangers, who are also just 1/2 game behind Houston in the AL West after the Astros lost at San Diego, 7-2, Sunday night.
Looking forward, the Orioles head out Monday to Minnesota for three games, and then on to Tampa Bay for a four-game weekend series extending into next Monday. The Rangers may be able to pick up some wins at LA, with four games against the Angels starting Monday and three at the A’s after that.
AL Streaks: Rays, won 6; Mariners, lost 4.
In the “better late than never” department are the New York Mets and third baseman, Bo Bichette, who was acquired from Toronto in the off-season to provide a steady stroke in New York’s lineup.
While Bichette hasn’t produced the season envisioned, he managed to go 5-for-5 Sunday, as the Mets continued their revenge tour, slamming the Pirates, 11-1, at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park.
Bichette singled three times and smacked a pair of doubles, driving in three and scoring three times in the rout. The Mets took two of three in the series, sending Pittsburgh deeper down the wild card ladder, now 5 1/2 behind Philly and Arizona, holders of the second and third wild cards.
Hoping to get back on track, the Pirates, losers of 10 of their last 13, open a three-game set in Miami Tuesday. The Mets will try to take out some of their frustration against the NL East’s first place Braves, with three games in Atlanta starting Monday.
NL Streaks: Nationals, won 3; Reds, lost 3.
The Cubs were cruising right along, winners of five straight, until they ran into Jac Caglianone and the Royals Saturday in the second of their three game series at Kansas City.
Not exactly an unknown quantity, Caglianone, a first round pick by the Royals in 2024 in his second full season, went 4-for-4 with a pair of home runs and two doubles, driving in four runs in the Royals’ 6-3 victory over the Cubs.
Caglianone stroked a solo shot in the first, doubled in another run in the third, and capped off his game with a two-run homer in the seventh that secured the win. He’s batting .264 with 20 home runs and 49 RBI.
The game meant little to the last place Royals, and left the Cubs 5 1/2 behind the Brewers in the NL Central and six to the good in the wild card standings. Game three of the series is Sunday afternoon in Kansas City.
AL Streaks: Rays, won 5; Orioles, Mariners, lost 3.
Jake McCarthy singled twice, and swatted a pair of home runs in five at-bats, scored four runs and drove in three as the Rockies out-slugged the Cardinals, 8-6, Saturday night in St. Louis.
McCarthy led off the game with his 12th home run, singled and scored in the third, smashed his 13th dinger in the sixth - a two-run shot - and singled and scored the Rockies’ final run in the ninth. The Rockies’ leadoff hitter also stole two bases, giving him 20 on the year. McCarthy is batting a robust .305, fourth-best in the NL.
The loss left the Cardinals 3 1/2 out of the third wild card with time running out. The Rockies continue to hold last place in the NL West with the rubber match of the three game series Sunday in St. Louis.
NL Streaks: Nationals, won 2; Braves, Phillies, Reds, lost 2.
Cleveland’s Angel Martinez drove in a pair of runs in the first inning and socked a grand slam in the fifth, leading the Guardians to an 8-2 win over the White Sox in the opener of a critical tree-game series Friday in Chicago.
The big jolt by Martinez blew the game wide open, sending the Sox to their fourth straight loss, reducing their AL Central lead to just two games over the Guardians and Twins. Detroit, losers on Friday, fell 3 1/2 off the pace.
Game two of the series is Saturday at 7:15 pm ET. Many TV viewers will get the game on FOX.
AL Streaks: Red Sox, won 9; Athletics, lost 9.
Entering the bottom of the ninth with a 3-2 lead, the LA Dodgers seemed to be on the verge of ending their season-high six-game losing streak.
Then, disaster struck.
Closer Edwin Diaz, who had missed all of May, June and most of July, came on to close out the Diamondbacks, but Arizona had different ideas. After walking Max Kepler to open the inning, who was replaced by pinch-runner Jorge Barrosa, Diaz struck out Tim Tawa, Barrosa stealing second. The next batter, rookie center fielder, Ryan Waldschmidt took a 2-2 slider from Diaz deep to center with the game-winning homer, sending the Dodgers to their seventh straight loss, the Diamondbacks closer than they have been in months to the front-runners in the NL West, 7 1/2 games back, while also tying the Phillies for the second wild card spot withthe 4-3 walk-off win.
Game two of the three-game series is Saturday at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona.
NL Streaks: Cubs, won 5, Dodgers, lost 7.
It took 13 innings, but the Red Sox completed their three-game sweep of the White Sox at Fenway Park Thursday, extending their latest winning streak to eight straight as
Caleb Durbin stroked a walk-off single to score Nick Sogard with the winning run in a 12-11 extra inning slugfest.
Third baseman, Durbin, who was 3-for-6 (two singles, double) on the night and scored twice, got the winning hit off the eighth White Sox pitcher, part-time starter Erick Fedde (6-7). The Red Sox used nine pitchers in the marathon, four-hour, 23-minute event.
Boston’s win left them a half game behind the idle Yankees in both the AL East and wild card standings. New York currently holds the top wild card, and trails Tampa Bay by 4 1/2 games. The White Sox, despite losing three games, continue to lead the AL Central, though the race is becoming tighter. Cleveland and Minnesota are both three off the pace, with Detroit 3 1/2 back.
The Red Sox will look to get their ninth straight win when they host the Athletics Friday in the first of a three-game set. The White Sox hope to regroup at home in the opener of their three-game series with Cleveland Friday.
AL Streaks: Red Sox, won 8; Athletics, lost 8.
With the 2026 season already a lost cause, the New York Mets may become one of the more dangerous teams down the stretch for those still seeking the post season.
On Friday, the Mets completed a three-game sweep of one of those contenders, smashing the Guardians, 13-6, at Progressive Field in Cleveland.
The Mets banged out 18 hits, seven for extra bases. Three of those hits belonged to Marcus Semien, who singled, doubled and homered in six at-bats, scoring twice and driving in one run.
The win means little to the Mets. They’re stuck in last place in the AL East and have no post-season prospects. For Cleveland, however, the three straight home losses leave them three behind the White Sox (also losers of three straight), tied with Minnesota in second place with the Tigers lurking, just 1/2 game back.
Cleveland opens a three-game series in Chicago with the White Sox Friday. The Mets play three in Pittsburgh over the weekend, looking to upset another opponent with wild card possibilities.
NL Streaks: Braves, won 8; Dodgers, lost 6.
Boston won its seventh straight, topping the visiting White Sox, 4-0, Wednesday night at Fenway Park.
Sonny Gray limited Chicago to three hits, walking two and striking out eight over six scoreless innings for his 14th win against two losses. Gray needed just 83 pitches (53 for strikes) to get through six frames, putting Boston just a game behind the Yankees for the top wild card and 5 1/2 behind the Rays for the lead in the AL East.
Boston has been fantastic the past few months. Since June 25, they are an incredible 30-5, and have propelled themselves from last place in the division to a serious contender for the post-season.
Boston has taken the first two in the series, which wraps up Thursday. They are 5-0 against the White Sox this season.
AL Streaks: Red Sox, won 7; Athletics, lost 7.
The two leading candidates for NL MVP Shohei Ohtani and Pete Crow-Armstrong put on a display Wednesday at Wrigley Field in Chicago, as the Cubs completed a three-game sweep with a 7-6 win, sending the Dodgers to their sixth straight loss.
The afternoon contest features leadoff home runs by both stars, and follow-up dingers as well. Crow-Armstrong doubled in a run in the second before connecting for his 26th, a two run shot in the fourth. Ohtani singled and smacked a two-run homer in the eighth, but it only managed to get the Dodgers to within a run.
The Cubs have a firm grip on the top wild card and trail Milwaukee by 5 1/2 in the NL Central. The Dodgers, despite the recent string of losses, still maintain an eight-game lead over Arizona in the NL West.
On Thursday, the Cubs play a makeup game with the Blue Jays in Chicago before heading to Kansas City for a weekend series Friday. The Dodgers get a day off before their three-game series in Arizona.
NL Streaks: Braves, won 7; Dodgers, lost 6.
Tarik who?
While Tarik Skubal, recently traded fro Detroit to the Dodgers, lost his first start in the National League, 5-1, in Chicago, Troy Melton cruised to his seventh win against one loss, as the Tigers dumped the Mariners, 8-0, Tuesday night in Seattle in the opener of a three-game series between AL contenders.
Melton blanked the M’s on three hits over seven innings, giving up a pair of walks while fanning four. Melton lowered his ERA to 1.58 with the effort, extending Detroit’s winning streak to four games. The Tigers are 55-58, having gone 11-6 since the All-Star break. They are just 4 1/2 behind the White Sox in the AL Central, with Minnesota four back and the Guardians 3 games down.
Seattle (7-10 since the break) fell to 3 1/2 off the pace in the West, trailing division-leading Houston. Texas holds second place, 2 1/2 back. The series continues Wednesday and Thursday at T-Mobile Park.
AL Streaks: Red Sox, won 6; Athletics, lost 6.
The four-game series between San Diego and Arizona is a big deal in the NL wild card race, and
Manny Machado knows it.
After dropping the opener in Phoenix Monday, 5-1, the Padres roared back in game two with a 9-4 triumph, Machado providing much of the Pardes’ 8-0 lead through the seventh. Machado doubled in the Padres’ first run and scored in the first, singled in a pair in the second, and singled in another run in the sixth, going 3-for-5 with four RBI.
The result left the Padres a game behind the Diamondbacks in the NL West, both teams trailing the runaway Dodgers by 10 and 9 games, respectively. San Diego is 11-7 since the break, but has won one of its last 11, and are now just one game behind Arizona for the third wild card. Both teams are also within reach of the #2 slot. The Phillies are one up on Arizona and two ahead of San Diego.
The Series continues Wednesday and Thursday at Chase Field.
NL Streaks: Braves, won 6; Nationals, lost 7, Dodgers, lost 5.
Junior Caminero slugged his 31st and 32nd home runs of the season and the Tampa Bay Rays cruised to a 13-9 win at Colorado Monday, in the first of a three-game series.
Caminero struck in the first inning with Jonathan Aranda on base and stroked a mammoth solo shot to left in the fourth. Aranda went 4-for-5 for the game.
With the Yankees losing at home to St. Louis, 13-7, the Rays increased their AL East lead to 3 1/2 games and look to make it two straight in Denver on Tuesday.
AL Streaks: Red Sox, won 5; Rangers, lost 6.
Alec Burleson launched three balls into the chip seats over right field at Yankee Stadium Monday, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 13-7 win over New York in the opener of a three-game series.
All three of Burleson’s homers were with a man aboard, the first two helping St. Louis to a 6-0 lead after four, but the Yankees responded with five home runs of their own to take a 7-6 lead into the eighth.
The lead was short-lived, however, as St. Louis responded with three more homers, the last by Burleson, in the eighth. It was Burleson’s first three-homer game of his career. He finished 3-for-5 with six RBI.
The result left the Yankees 3 1/2 behind Tampa Bay in the AL East and the Cardinals clinging to fading wild card hopes. They are four games out from the third wild card, held by Philadelphia, but they have the Marlins, Pirates and Padres ahead of them. Game two of the series is Tuesday in the Bronx.
NL Streaks: Braves, won 5; Nationals, lost 6.
Eduardo Valencia came to the plate twice with the bases loaded in Detroit’s 11-0 blowout win over the A’s in Sacramento Sunday, and while he didn’t register a grand slam in either situation, he did double both times, driving in four runs for the game.
Vlaencia’s big hits came in the fourth and eighth innings. He came around to score in the eighth as the Tigers tallied four runs in both frames.
The victory resulted in a sweep of the A’s. The Tigers have won three straight and are 5 1/2 behind Chicago in the AL Central. Now operating without Tarik Skubal - traded to the Dodgers Saturday - Detroit remains in the hunt for the division or a wild card, despite still bing under .500 (54-58). The A’s (45-67) are out of post-season contention.
The Tigers are 10-6 since the break and continue their road trip with visits to Seattle and San Francisco starting Tuesday.
AL Streaks: Astros, won 6, Red Sox, won 5; Rangers, Athletics, lost 5.
While the Reds have sunk to the bottom of the NL Central, one bright spot in Cincinnati has been the mound performance of Chase Burns, who improved to 13-1 with six innings of two-hit ball Sunday in the Reds’ 10-2 victory over visiting Pittsburgh.
Burns needed just 88 pitches (56 for strikes) to throttle the Pirates as his teammates piled on the runs. Burns, who was 0-3 last season, hasn’t lost since April 10, his third start of the season. He’s won 12 straight, taking no decision in six of this starts. In 188.2 innings, he’s struck out 137, including nine in the win over Pittsburgh. He remains a rookie, as he didn’t reach the 50 inning threshold in 2025.
The Reds took three of four in the series and inflicted serious damage to the Pirates’ post-season hopes, sending them 3 1/2 back for the final wild card.
Pittsburgh opens a four-game series in Milwaukee Monday. The Reds host the A’s for three, starting Tuesday.
NL Streaks: Braves, won 5; Nationals, lost 5.
Randy Aronzarena went 2-for-4, with a solo homer and a ninth-inning double that resulted in him scoring the game-winner in a 4-3 Mariners’ win over visiting Minnesota Saturday.
Arozarena walked in the first inning and scored the second of Seattle’s four runs, adding a second-inning homer before capping the night off with his 23rd double of the season.
Seattle evened the series with the rubber match Sunday. Both teams are three games back in their respective divisions.
AL Streaks: Astros, won 5; Angels, lost 5.
In a battle of bottom-dwellers, the Rockies took a second straight home field win from the Royals, thanks to a pair of home runs from catcher Hunter Goodman who went 4-for-5 with five RBI in a 12-6 Colorado win.
With the August 3 trade deadline looming, Goodman would appear to be on the want lists of most of the contenders. A catcher who hits right-handed, with power, Goodman’s 33 homers is tied with Philly’s Kyle Schwarber for the league lead. He may not be wearing a Rockies’ uniform for long.
In a blockbuster trade deal, the La Dodgers secured Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers, sending pitcher River Ryan and a pair of minor league prospects, Brady Smith and Zyhir Hope, to the Tigers.
NL Streaks: Diamondbacks, Braves, won 4; Nationals, lost 4.
Dillon Dingler’s eighth inning grand slam capped off a seven-run frame for the Tigers Friday, leading to a blowout, 13-1 victory for Detroit over the A’s at Heath Sutter Park in Sacramento, California.
While Dingler’s big blow - his first career grand slam - was one for the highlight reels, the Tigers have reason to believe they will be in the wild card and/or the AL Central race for the rest of the season. That means speculation over the immediate future of ace hurler, Tarik Skubal, may come to an abrupt end at the trading deadline on August 3rd.
The rationale for the Tigers remaining competitive is that they recently welcomed Javier Baez back from injury. Baez had been missing since the end of April. Having his bat back in the lineup is a major development. Since his return three games ago, he’s batting .571 (8-for-14) with five RBI, three of them coming in Friday’s win over the A’s.
Friday’s debut of rookie Matt Clark was impressive, as the highly-touted outfielder went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs and an RBI. Barring injury, and a healthy Skubal, the Tigers appear poised to make a run at the division crown or the wild card, where they trail by 3 1/2 games for the final spot.
While the Tigers are still 6 1/2 out in the AL Central, they will have plenty of opportunities over the final 50 games of the season, with seven games each against the Guardians and White Sox, and six against Minnesota. A sweep of the stumbling A’s over the weekend would go a long way toward the Tigers remaining a serious contender in the AL while putting to rest trade deals for Skubal.
ESPN gives Skubal a 90% chance of being traded to either the Dodgers, Braves, Brewers, Cubs, Phillies or Rays. Detroit’s front office - to say nothing of the players on the field - might have other ideas.
AL Streaks: Astros, won 4; Angels, lost 4.
With their fourth straight loss, Pittsburgh’s season may be coming to an early end.
Sal Stewart crushed a two-run homer in the fourth inning and singled home two more runs in the eighth before scoring the game-winner in an 8-7 Cincinnati win over the visiting Pirates Friday night. Stewart has 23 home runs on the season and leads the majors with 84 RBI.
Pittsburgh fell to 2 1/2 games off the last wild card spot and may be either a buyer or seller heading into the trade deadline. It’s hard to tell. A total of eight teams remain in the hunt for the second and third wild card. The Cubs, +5 in the standings, seem to have the #1 spot sewn up. Even the Reds, in last place in the NL Central, are just two games behind Pittsburgh, so the outcome of their weekend series, with games Saturday and Sunday, may be a determining factor for both.
The Reds have taken the first two games.
NL Streaks: Braves, Diamondbacks, won 3; Phillies, Pirates, lost 4.
American League
National League
August 10, 2026 MLB Players of the Day
National League
American League
August 9, 2026 MLB Players of the Day
American League
National League
August 8, 2026 MLB Players of the Day
American League
National League
August 7, 2026 MLB Players of the Day
American League
National League
August 6, 2026 MLB Players of the Day
American League
National League
August 5, 2026 MLB Players of the Day
American League
National League
August 4, 2026 MLB Players of the Day
American League
National League
August 3, 2026 MLB Players of the Day
American League
National League
August 2, 2026 MLB Players of the Day
American League
National League
August 1, 2026 MLB Players of the Day
American League
National League
July 31, 2026 MLB Players of the Day
American League
National League
|
|||
| search engine by freefind |
Your ad could be in the next issue of idleguy.com for as little as $6 per month. Contact Fearless Rick using the form on page 15 for more information.
is the official online marketplace for idleguy.com and dtmagazine.com, featuring vintage magazines and other merchandise for sale.