August 4th, 2025

⚾ Headlines Around the League

Braves 4, Reds 2 — White’s Historic Homers Highlight Speedway Classic Win

Giants 12, Mets 4 — Devers Erupts as Giants Avenge Sweep, Take Series at Citi Field

Miami Makes History with First-Ever Sweep of Yanks, Climbs Back to .500

Turner’s Walk-Off Caps Storybook Win at Wrigley

Boston Completes Sweep Behind Six-Run Fourth

Phillies 2, Tigers 0 — Sánchez Dazzles Over Eight, Duran Brings the Heat to Seal It

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🎵 Hey, Chicago, what do you say? The Cubs are gonna win today! 🎵

Cubs’ fans you have to love how Sunday’s game ended. If you missed it, take a look here:

It’s incredible to see how much Justin Turner continues to impact this team, not just on the field, but in the clubhouse. Pure definition of a glue guy. Every team that makes a deep postseason run has one thing in common: chemistry. When the boys are having fun and picking each other up, it’s easier for everyone to buy in. That’s exactly what the Cubs are showing right now.

That said, I still have questions about the rotation. If they’re going to hold up down the stretch, they really need Cade Horton or Mike Soroka to step into a bigger role. Horton definitely has the stuff but it’s just a matter of how he finishes the season.

Tough days are still ahead, though. The Cubs are two games back of the Brewers, who just steamrolled the Nationals and continue to look unbeatable in a series. August doesn’t get much easier either as they open with the Reds today, then have 5 games against the Brewers, plus series with the Giants and Blue Jays. But they also get some room to breathe with matchups against the Pirates and Rockies, so there’s a real shot to gain ground.

This division race is shaping up to be electric and October can’t come soon enough.

Let’s have a great week ahead, and as always, thanks for reading First Pitch.
– Ryan

🔥 Notable Performances

Hitting

Pitching

📊 Final Scores and Highlights

Braves 4, Reds 2

Eli White smashed two homers and Hurston Waldrep earned his first MLB win as the Braves outpaced the Reds in the first-ever MLB game at Bristol Motor Speedway.

🔑 Key Moments

• Before the game suspension, The Reds got on the board first in the bottom of the 1st, stringing together three straight singles — capped off by an Austin Hays RBI knock — to take an early 1-0 lead.

• After the suspension, Eli White stepped into the spotlight. In the 2nd inning, he crushed a no-doubt three-run homer off Brent Suter, sending the ball 411 feet over the left-field wall to make history as the first player to homer at a NASCAR track.

• In the top of the 7th, White delivered again — this time leading off the inning with a 413-foot solo blast to left-center. It marked his second homer of the day and the first multi-homer performance ever recorded in a racetrack ballgame.

• One of the biggest defensive moments came in the 8th. With the bases loaded and two outs, backup third baseman Luke Williams made a full-extension diving stop on a rocket from Ke’Bryan Hayes, popped up to his knees, and fired to second for a dramatic inning-ending force out.

• The Reds didn’t go quietly in the 9th, putting two on with no outs. But Raisel Iglesias buckled down — striking out Elly De La Cruz and retiring Hays and Fraley to seal a memorable win in the Speedway Classic.

📊 Notable Stats

Braves

• Eli White: 2-for-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI

• Michael Harris II: 2-for-4, 1 R

• Hurston Waldrep: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

• Luke Williams: Game-saving force out in 8th

Reds

• Matt McLain: 2-for-4, 1 R, RBI

• Elly De La Cruz: 1-for-5, SB

• Ke’Bryan Hayes: 2-for-4

Giants 12, Mets 4

Editor’s Take: DON’T LET THE G-MEN GET HOT! GIANTS ARE SO BACK!!

Rafael Devers delivered a breakout performance with four RBIs, helping the Giants thump the Mets and secure a decisive series win in Queens.

🔑 Key Moments

• After Francisco Lindor gave the Mets an early lead with a solo homer in the 1st, the Giants immediately answered in the 3rd. Patrick Bailey tied the game with a sharp RBI single to center.

• Moments later, Rafael Devers crushed a go-ahead three-run blast into the upper deck in right, flipping a 1–1 tie into a 4–1 Giants lead — his 20th homer and a signature moment in a Giants uniform.

• Devers stayed hot in the 4th, tacking on an RBI single to highlight a second three-run rally as San Francisco extended its lead to 7–1.

• The Mets pushed back in the 5th with help from an error in center, as Jeff McNeil scored on a wild sequence following Francisco Alvarez’s double.

• In the 9th, the Giants put the game away for good. Casey Schmitt launched a three-run homer to left to cap a dominant day for San Francisco’s offense and secure the statement series win.

📊 Notable Stats

Giants

• Rafael Devers: 3-for-4, HR (20), 4 RBI, BB

• Jung Hoo Lee: 4-for-4, 2 R, 2B, BB, SB

• Casey Schmitt: 2-for-5, HR (6), 3 RBI

• Carson Whisenhunt: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 4 K, W (1st career win)

Mets

• Francisco Lindor: 1-for-3, HR (21), BB, RBI

• Francisco Alvarez: 2-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI

• Jeff McNeil: 2-for-4, 1 R

• Frankie Montas: 4 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, L

Marlins 7, Yankees 3

Behind a dominant Edward Cabrera and a four-RBI day from Kyle Stowers, the Marlins completed a historic sweep of the Yankees and reached the .500 mark for the first time in 94 games.

🔑 Key Moments

• Trent Grisham opened the scoring with a leadoff homer in the 1st, but that would be the Yankees’ only hit off Edward Cabrera until the 7th.

• Miami struck right back in the 2nd after two walks set the table — Troy Johnston doubled in a run for his first career RBI, Xavier Edwards added a sharp RBI single, and Kyle Stowers lifted a sac fly to give the Marlins a 3–1 lead.

• In the 4th, Stowers broke the game open with a three-run homer to right-center — his 25th of the season and first against a lefty — extending the lead to 6–1.

• Jazz Chisholm Jr. gave the Yankees a flicker of hope in the 7th with a two-run blast to center, but Miami’s bullpen quickly slammed the door with seven strikeouts over the final three frames.

• Lake Bachar ended it emphatically, blowing a fastball past Anthony Volpe to seal the franchise’s first-ever sweep of New York.

📊 Notable Stats

Marlins

• Kyle Stowers: 2-for-4, HR (25), 4 RBI

• Xavier Edwards: 2-for-5, RBI, R

• Troy Johnston: 1-for-2, 2B, RBI

• Edward Cabrera: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 7 K, W (ERA now 3.24)

Yankees

• Trent Grisham: 1-for-2, HR (20), 2 BB

• Jazz Chisholm Jr.: 2-for-4, HR (19), 2 RBI

• Anthony Volpe: 1-for-4, 3B

• Luis Gil: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, L

Cubs 5, Orioles 3

Justin Turner, known more for his leadership than box scores this season, stepped into the spotlight Sunday with a pinch-hit, walk-off homer that sent Wrigley into a frenzy and sealed a dramatic 5–3 win over the Orioles.

🔑 Key Moments

• Seiya Suzuki kicked off the scoring in the 1st with an RBI single, and Ian Happ followed with a run-scoring double — only to see Carson Kelly thrown out at the plate in a wild three-man relay by the Orioles’ Jackson trio.

• Colton Cowser answered in the 4th with a grounder that snuck past Busch at first, scoring Adley Rutschman and tying the game 2–2.

• In the 6th, Dansby Swanson delivered in the clutch with a two-out RBI single to center, pushing Chicago back in front 3–2.

• The Cubs were one out away from the win in the 9th, but Ryan Noda came through with a sharp RBI single to tie it after Cowser had doubled earlier in the inning off closer Daniel Palencia.

• Then came the storybook finish — after a Swanson infield single and an error, Justin Turner jumped on the first pitch from Keegan Akin, launching it deep into the bleachers for the first walk-off home run of his regular-season career.

📊 Notable Stats

Cubs

• Justin Turner: 1-for-1, HR (3), 2 RBI (walk-off)

• Seiya Suzuki: 2-for-4, RBI, R

• Dansby Swanson: 1-for-4, RBI, R

• Colin Rea: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4 K

Orioles

• Colton Cowser: 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, R

• Adley Rutschman: 1-for-4, 2B, R

• Ryan Noda: 1-for-1, RBI (game-tying single)

• Brandon Young: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R (0 ER), 4 K

Red Sox 6, Astros 1

Boston erupted for six runs in the bottom of the fourth and rode Lucas Giolito’s strong start to a statement sweep over the first-place Astros at Fenway.

🔑 Key Moments

• Carlos Correa opened the scoring with a solo home run to left-center in the top of the fourth, giving Houston a 1–0 lead with his eighth long ball of the year.

• In the bottom of the fourth, Trevor Story tied it up with an RBI single to right, scoring Roman Anthony and moving runners to second and third.

• Ceddanne Rafaela followed with a sharp RBI single to left, putting Boston ahead 2–1 as Romy Gonzalez crossed the plate.

• On Wilyer Abreu’s sacrifice bunt, a defensive miscue allowed Rafaela to score and extended the lead to 4–1.

• A Connor Wong sacrifice fly and another run scored on a fielder’s choice pushed the total to six runs in the inning.

• Lucas Giolito dominated in his start, tossing 8.0 innings of three-hit ball with just one run allowed.

📊 Notable Stats

Red Sox

• Trevor Story: 2-for-4, RBI, R

• Ceddanne Rafaela: 3-for-3, RBI, R

• Lucas Giolito: 8.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 K

• Rob Refsnyder: 1-for-4, RBI

• Wilyer Abreu: 0-for-2, RBI, R, sac bunt

Astros

• Carlos Correa: 1-for-4, HR (8), RBI

• Jesús Sánchez: 1-for-3, 2B

• Framber Valdez: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 6 R (5 ER), 3 K

Phillies 2, Tigers 0

The Phillies leaned on Cristopher Sánchez’s eight brilliant innings and a blazing save from Jhoan Duran to shut out the Tigers, win the series, and move into first place in the NL East.

🔑 Key Moments

• In the second, Max Kepler grounded out to second to bring home Nick Castellanos, giving the Phillies a 1–0 lead after Brandon Marsh’s double.

• Cristopher Sánchez induced a big double play in the fourth, fielding a comebacker from Riley Greene to start a 1-6-3 inning-ending twin killing.

• The Tigers threatened in the seventh, putting runners on second and third with no outs, but Edmundo Sosa gunned down Jahmai Jones at home on a grounder to third to preserve the 1–0 lead.

• With the tying run on base and two outs in the seventh, Trea Turner turned a grounder from Wenceel Pérez into a clean force out to end the threat.

• Kyle Schwarber gave the Phillies breathing room in the bottom of the eighth, crushing his 38th homer 435 feet to center to make it 2–0.

• In the ninth, Jhoan Duran fired 102.5 mph gas to strike out Riley Greene for the final out, locking down the save in front of a roaring home crowd.

📊 Notable Stats

Phillies

• Cristopher Sánchez: 8.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K (84 pitches)

• Jhoan Duran: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K (Save)

• Kyle Schwarber: 2-for-3, HR (38), RBI, HBP

• Max Kepler: RBI groundout

• Brandon Marsh: 1-for-3, 2B

Tigers

• Spencer Torkelson: 2-for-4

• Jahmai Jones: 2-for-3

• Charlie Morton: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 6 K

Other scores around the league:

Dodgers 3, Rays 0
Y. Yamamoto: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 6 SO
J. Boyle: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 SO, 2 BB

Brewers 14, Nationals 3
B. Turang: 2-6, 2 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI
A. Ashby: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 3 SO

Royals 7, Blue Jays 4
C. Bassitt: 6.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 5 SO, 3 BB
H. Harvey: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 SO

Twins 5, Guardians 4
K. Funderburk: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 SO
J. Ramirez: 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Pirates 9, Rockies 5
S. Horwitz: 3-5, 3 R, 2 HR, 6 RBI
M. Keller: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 4 SO, 1 BB

Diamondbacks 6, Athletics 4
E. Rodriguez: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 5 SO, 3 BB
J. Bleday: 4-4, 3 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI

Angels 8, White Sox 5
Z. Neto: 2-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI
C. Montgomery: 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI

Padres 7, Cardinals 3
D. Cease: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 9 SO, 1 BB
R. Suarez: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 SO

Mariners 5, Rangers 4
L. Evans: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 SO
A. Garcia: 3-3, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI

⚾ Must-Watch Games Today

🐻 Reds (58‑54) @ Cubs (65‑46) — NL Central Dogfight at Wrigley

🕗 8:05 PM ET | 📺 Marquee Sports Network, FDN Ohio
Nick Lodolo (8‑6, 3.09 ERA) vs Michael Soroka (3‑8, 4.87 ERA)
Looking forward to this pitching match up. Lodolo has been lights out and Soroka makes his Cubs debut.

🔥 Brewers (67‑44) @ Braves (47‑63) — NL’s Top Dog Hits the Road

🕖 7:15 PM ET | 📺 FDN South, FDN Wisconsin, FDN Southeast
Quinn Priester (10‑2, 3.27 ERA) vs Erick Fedde (3‑11, 5.33 ERA)
Milwaukee rolls into Atlanta aiming to increase their NL lead while the Braves look to play spoiler.

🌟 Cardinals (56‑57) @ Dodgers (65‑47) — Primetime at Chavez Ravine

🕙 10:10 PM ET | 📺 SportsNet LA, FDN Midwest
Sonny Gray (10‑5, 4.38 ERA) vs Tyler Glasnow (1‑1, 3.38 ERA)
Glasnow toes the rubber in a late-night West Coast battle as L.A. pushes to keep pace in the NL West.

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