August 5th, 2025

⚾ Headlines Around the League

Pederson Ties It, Jung Ends It: Rangers Stun Yankees in Extras

Phillies 13, Orioles 3 — Schwarber Slams His Way to 40-HR Milestone in Blowout

Red Sox 8, Royals 5 — Duran’s Blast, Abreu’s Cannon Lift Sox to Sixth Straight

Carpenter’s Moonshot Leads Tigers’ Power Surge in Win Over Twins

Cardinals 3, Dodgers 2 — Pozo’s Pinch-Hit Single Lifts St. Louis in 9th

Reds 3, Cubs 2 — Cincinnati's Bullpen Steps Up in Gritty Win at Wrigley

For the sake of not bashing the Yankees for the 19th straight edition, I’ll keep it short. If you’re interested in seeing the latest way they found to lose, here’s the link to the full game highlights.
Spoiler: it’s bad.

Two things I want to share from yesterday’s games.

First, Kyle Schwarber is putting the Phillies on his back right now, and honestly… he’s starting to make a pretty strong case for NL MVP.

Now I know what you’re thinking:
“But Ryan… what about Shohei Ohtani?!?”

And yeah, I said that to myself this weekend too when I first saw Schwarber’s name being thrown into the mix. I thought, okay… only an idiot would say that out loud.
And you know what? If that’s the case, I’ll proudly be that idiot.

Because I truly think the NL MVP race is wide open and also PCA is arguably making a stronger case than both of these guys. I suppose the only knock on Schwarber is that he literally only hits and does not play defense. It’s hard to compare him to Ohtani, who’s now back to also pitching, or to someone like PCA, who’s been a defensive star and a spark plug in every phase of the game.

I love it when you all vote on this stuff so help entertain me:

Check out Schwarber’s grand slam from last night with just the ballpark audio. It’s absolutely ELECTRIC.

Second Kerry (Bonds) Carpenter just hit one of the most insane, jaw-dropping home runs you’ll ever see. I’ve watched it 50 times and it somehow gets better every time.

I don’t know about you, but I’m all in on the bat flips and the energy players give off in today’s MLB world. This was the absolute epitome of all that.

Enjoy your Tuesday, I’ll sign you off with this absolute moonshot from the Tigers’ star:

🔥 Notable Performances

Hitting

Pitching

📊 Final Scores and Highlights

Rangers 8, Yankees 5

Joc Pederson tied the game with a dramatic ninth-inning pinch-hit homer, then Josh Jung crushed a walk-off three-run shot in the 10th as the Rangers stunned the Yankees 8-5 in Arlington. After squandering an early 4-3 lead, Texas stormed back to steal the opener behind clutch swings and a strong bullpen effort.

🔑 Key Moments

• Goldschmidt goes deep early — Paul Goldschmidt opened the game with a leadoff homer, and New York tacked on two more runs in the second to jump ahead 3-0.

• Rangers respond in bunches — A five-hit rally in the bottom of the second tied the game 3-3, capped by Ezequiel Duran’s two-run single.

• Stanton stings Corbin — Giancarlo Stanton crushed a two-run homer to center in the 4th, putting the Yankees back in front 5-4.

• Pederson comes through late — Down to their final two outs, Joc Pederson drilled a solo homer to right off Devin Williams to tie the game at 5.

• Coulombe escapes jam — Danny Coulombe induced a game-saving double play in the 10th to keep it even.

• Jung walks it off — With two on and two outs in the bottom of the 10th, Josh Jung blasted a 401-foot homer to left-center for the win.

📊 Notable Stats

Rangers

• Josh Jung: 2-for-4, HR (11), 3 RBI, BB

• Joc Pederson: 1-for-1, HR (3), 1 RBI

• Ezequiel Duran: 2-for-3, 2 RBI

• Wyatt Langford: 2-for-3, 2 R, 2B, 2 BB

• Jon Gray: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 5 K

Yankees

• Paul Goldschmidt: 3-for-5, HR (9), 2B, 1 RBI, 3 R

• Giancarlo Stanton: 1-for-3, HR (10), 2 RBI, 2 BB

• Cody Bellinger: 2-for-4, 1 RBI, SB

• Max Fried: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 7 K

Phillies 13, Orioles 3

Kyle Schwarber launched two home runs — including a sixth-inning grand slam for No. 40 on the season — as the Phillies demolished the Orioles with a season-best six homers at Citizens Bank Park.

🔑 Key Moments

• Bryce Harper got the party started in the first, blasting a solo shot to center for his 17th of the year.

• The Orioles briefly took a 3-1 lead behind homers from Tyler O’Neill (2-run) and Jordan Westburg, but Kyle Schwarber tied it up in the third with a 427-foot two-run blast to right, his 39th of the season.

• In the sixth, Harrison Bader delivered his first hit as a Phillie in style — a clutch three-run homer to left that broke a 3-3 tie and sent the crowd into a frenzy.

• Just minutes later, Schwarber one-upped the moment with a grand slam to right-center — his 40th home run of the season — capping off an eight-run inning and becoming the fastest Phillie ever to reach the 40-HR mark.

• In the eighth, Edmundo Sosa and Weston Wilson went back-to-back with solo homers, giving the Phillies six bombs on the night — their most in a home game since 2017.

📊 Notable Stats

Phillies

• Kyle Schwarber: 3-for-5, 2 HR (39, 40), 6 RBI, 3 R

• Harrison Bader: 1-for-4, HR (13), 3 RBI

• Bryce Harper: 1-for-4, HR (17), RBI

• Edmundo Sosa: 3-for-4, HR (5), RBI, 3 R

• Weston Wilson: 2-for-4, HR (2), 2 R, 2 RBI

• Jesús Luzardo: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 7 K (Win)

Orioles

• Tyler O’Neill: 1-for-3, HR (8), 2 RBI

• Jordan Westburg: 1-for-4, HR (13), RBI

Red Sox 8, Royals 5

Editor’s Note: Brayan Bello is an absolute dog and is exactly what the Red Sox needed to go alongside Crochet. This guy is nails.

Boston’s red-hot offense struck early and their outfield defense delivered late, as Jarren Duran’s monster homer and Wilyer Abreu’s clutch throw helped secure an 8-5 win over the Royals — the Red Sox’s sixth consecutive victory.

🔑 Key Moments

• First inning fireworks — With two outs and the inning teetering, Jarren Duran crushed a 419-foot, three-run homer to center field, capping off a five-run frame that set the tone

• Refsnyder strikes first — Rob Refsnyder got the scoring started with a two-run single after the Sox loaded the bases with no outs

• Duran robs a run — In the fourth, Duran turned into Spider-Man, leaping in front of the Green Monster scoreboard to snag a Kyle Isbel liner

• Eighth-inning escape — With the Royals rallying and the tying run on base, Abreu gunned down Nick Loftin at the plate on a single by Bobby Witt Jr., preserving the Sox’s lead

• Bello holds strong — With plenty of early support, Brayan Bello delivered six strong innings, allowing just one unearned run

📊 Notable Stats

Red Sox

• Jarren Duran: 1-for-4, HR (12), 3 RBI, game-saving catch

• Wilyer Abreu: 2-for-3, RBI, BB, outfield assist

• Rob Refsnyder: 1-for-4, 2 RBI

• Brayan Bello: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 5 K

• Aroldis Chapman: 1.0 IP, 1 K, 0 R

Royals

• Maikel Garcia: 2-for-5, HR (11), RBI

• Vinnie Pasquantino: 1-for-5, HR (19), RBI

• Adam Frazier: 1-for-3, 2 RBI

• Bailey Falter: 4.0 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 1 HR

Tigers 6, Twins 3

A haze hovered over Comerica Park, but Kerry Carpenter cleared the air with a no-doubt 437-foot blast — the longest of his career — to cap a comeback and power Detroit past the Twins in just 1 hour and 58 minutes.

🔑 Key Moments

• Carpenter's missile ignites the crowd — In the sixth, with the game tied and fans chanting his name, Kerry Carpenter demolished a 2-0 sinker deep to right for a two-run shot and signature bat flip

• Wenceel wakes up the bats — After a quiet start, Wenceel Pérez jolted the Tigers with a two-run homer in the fifth, snapping a 14-inning scoreless streak and tying the game

• Twins tee off early — Solo shots from Ryan Jeffers, Trevor Larnach, and Matt Wallner gave Minnesota a 3-2 edge by the sixth inning

• Dingler adds cushion — Catcher Dillon Dingler drilled a leadoff solo homer in the seventh to extend the Tigers’ lead

• Pitching holds the line — Despite giving up three solo homers, Casey Mize logged a quality start, and Kyle Finnegan closed the door for his second save

📊 Notable Stats

Tigers

• Kerry Carpenter: 2-for-4, HR (19), 2 RBI

• Wenceel Pérez: 1-for-2, HR (9), 2 RBI, BB

• Dillon Dingler: 1-for-3, HR (10), RBI

• Casey Mize: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 4 K, 3 HR

• Kyle Finnegan: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K, SV

Twins

• Matt Wallner: 1-for-2, HR (15), RBI

• Ryan Jeffers: 1-for-4, HR (8), RBI

• Trevor Larnach: 1-for-3, HR (14), RBI

• Travis Adams: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 7 K

Cardinals 3, Dodgers 2

A tense back-and-forth duel at Dodger Stadium ended with an unlikely hero once again delivering in the clutch for St. Louis. Yohel Pozo’s two-out, pinch-hit RBI single in the ninth sealed a 3–2 win for the Cardinals in a game dominated by stellar pitching and timely homers.

🔑 Key Moments

• Winn opens the scoring early — Masyn Winn turned on a Tyler Glasnow fastball and launched a solo shot in the second inning to give the Cards a 1–0 lead

• Freeman answers with a blast — In the fourth, Freddie Freeman tied it up with a 387-foot homer off Sonny Gray, the only run allowed by the righty over seven strong

• Herrera breaks the tie in the eighth — Iván Herrera crushed a 428-foot solo home run off Anthony Banda to give the Cardinals a 2–1 lead

• Dodgers respond in the bottom half — After a leadoff double by Teoscar Hernández, Esteury Ruiz scored on an Andy Pages groundout to even the game again

• Pozo plays hero again — With two outs and runners on the corners in the ninth, Yohel Pozo came off the bench and ripped a single into right to score Garrett Hampson, putting the Cards on top

• Nootbaar seals it with the glove — JoJo Romero secured the save in the ninth, helped by a brilliant diving catch in foul territory by Lars Nootbaar to rob Mookie Betts

📊 Notable Stats

Cardinals

• Yohel Pozo: 1-for-1, go-ahead RBI single (pinch-hit)

• Iván Herrera: 2-for-4, HR (10), RBI

• Masyn Winn: 1-for-3, HR (8), BB, RBI

• Sonny Gray: 7.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K

• JoJo Romero: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, SV (2)

Dodgers

• Freddie Freeman: 1-for-4, HR (13), RBI

• Teoscar Hernández: 1-for-3, 2B (21), R

• Tyler Glasnow: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K

Reds 3, Cubs 2

Despite a short start from Nick Lodolo and a draining weekend of travel, the Reds pieced together a gutsy 3–2 win over the Cubs thanks to a resilient bullpen, quirky hits, and a pivotal overturned call in the seventh.

🔑 Key Moments

• Stephenson starts the scoring — Tyler Stephenson got the Reds on the board early with a two-out solo homer in the second, a 389-foot shot to left

• Swanson answers loud — The Cubs quickly took the lead in the third when Ian Happ singled and Dansby Swanson crushed a go-ahead two-run homer

• Fortune favors the Reds — In the sixth, Matt McLain’s check-swing single barely stayed fair and set up Elly De La Cruz, who doubled home McLain and advanced to third on an error

• Fraley’s hustle, Hayes’ trickle, Friedl’s clutch — A two-out roller from Ke’Bryan Hayes that traveled just one foot kept the seventh inning alive, and TJ Friedl followed with a go-ahead single to center

• A huge review flips the script — In the bottom of the seventh, Swanson appeared to tie the game with an RBI single, but a challenge revealed he missed the bag at first, ending the inning

• Barlow and Pagán shut the door — Scott Barlow struck out four in two perfect innings, and Emilio Pagán closed it out with a 1-2-3 ninth to seal the win

📊 Notable Stats

Reds

• Tyler Stephenson: 1-for-4, HR (9), RBI

• Elly De La Cruz: 1-for-4, 2B (24), RBI

• TJ Friedl: 1-for-4, go-ahead RBI single

• Scott Barlow: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K

• Emilio Pagán: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K, SV

Cubs

• Dansby Swanson: 1-for-3, HR (17), 2 RBI

• Ian Happ: 1-for-3, R

• Ben Brown: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

Other scores around the league:

Astros 8, Marlins 2
J. Alexander: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 6 SO, 1 BB
J. Pena: 2-4, 1 R, 1 RBI

Pirates 5, Giants 4
J. Verlander: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 4 SO, 1 BB
J. Suwinski: 1-3, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Guardians 7, Mets 6
S. Cecconi: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 6 SO, 1 BB
P. Alonso: 4-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI

Brewers 3, Braves 1
Q. Priester: 7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 4 SO, 2 BB
T. Megill: 1.0 IP, 1 SO

Blue Jays 15, Rockies 1
E. Lauer: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 4 SO, 1 BB
B. Bichette: 3-6, 2 R, 2 HR, 6 RBI

Angels 5, Rays 1
Y. Kikuchi: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 7 SO, 2 BB
I. Seymour: 2.1 IP, 3 SO

Diamondbacks 6, Padres 2
B. Pfaadt: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4 SO, 3 BB
K. Backhus: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 SO

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