Game 121: Red Sox at Astros lineups and notes
Advertisement
Lineups
RED SOX (65-55):
TBA
Pitching:
RHP Dustin May (6-8, 4.93 ERA)
ASTROS (67-52):
TBA
Pitching:
RHP Spencer Arrighetti (1-2, 7.43 ERA)
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
Enter Email
Sign Up
Time:
8:10 p.m.
TV, radio:
NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7
Red Sox vs. Arrighetti:
Wilyer Abreu 0-3, Jarren Duran 0-3, Ceddanne Rafaela 0-2, Abraham Toro 1-5, Masataka Yoshida 1-3
Astros vs. May:
Jose Altuve 0-2, Victor Caratini 0-2, Carlos Correa 1-5, Mauricio Dubón 0-3, Jesús Sánchez 0-2, Taylor Trammell 2-2, Christian Walker 4-10
Stat of the day:
Arrighetti struck out a career-high 13 batters against the Red Sox last August.
Notes:
Crochet allowed five earned runs for just the third time this season, turning in his shortest outing of the year in the process. ... The Red Sox last lost four in a row during a six-game skid in late June. ... Boston enters Tuesday 4 ½ games back of the Blue Jays in the AL East and 1 ½ games behind the Mariners for the first wild card spot. ... Alex Bregman went 2 for 4 with a first-inning homer in his return to Houston despite the loss. 'I feel like we're playing really good baseball,' Bregman said. 'Everyone in here is getting better and better every single game. I think we're going to be right where we want to be.' ... In his lone career start against the Astros, May allowed one run on three hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 3 ⅓ innings but did not factor into the decision of a 4-2 win on July 29, 2020, while pitching for the Dodgers.
Advertisement
Amin Touri can be reached at
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
Where does Heat stand in East? Veteran scout weighs in. And Kai Jones update
Where has a busy NBA offseason of transactions left the Heat in the Eastern Conference hierarchy? I explored that and looked at every Eastern team's rotation in this piece. On Monday, I asked a longtime Eastern Conference scout to offer his perspective on Miami's place in the East following the addition of Norman Powell. Some feedback: ▪ On where the Heat stands in the East after the Bucks added Myles Turner; the Pacers lost Turner to free agency and Tyrese Haliburton to a torn Achilles; the Magic added Desmond Bane; the Hawks improved significantly and the Celtics lost Jayson Tatum to a torn Achilles and parted ways with Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford and Luke Kornet for financial reasons: 'Let's start with who's better. I see six teams for sure: New York, Cleveland, Orlando, Atlanta, Detroit, Milwaukee. Philadelphia is better if they're healthy. So I would say the Heat's a solid play-in team, in the same ballpark as Indiana and potentially better than Boston. They're not 10 or 11; they're more like 7, 8 or 9. 'It's around a .500 team. If they won 45, it would be a great year. They're not bad, but they're not good. Chicago is mediocre; the Heat is maybe a little better than mediocre. They have three very good NBA players with [Bam] Adebayo, [Tyler] Herro and Powell. We'll see about Ware. Andrew Wiggins is meh at this point.' ▪ On acquiring Powell from the Clippers, at the cost of only Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love: 'That's a very good move. He's coming off a career year, and his shooting has been very good. The strange part is early in his career he was a defensive guy. 'His defense was not very good last year. He became much more of an offensive player. Can he really become a two-way player? Even if he can't, he can put the ball in the basket, and they needed scoring and shooting.' ▪ What about a potential starting lineup of Powell, Herro, Adebayo, Ware and Wiggins? 'That backcourt would be very shaky defensively. Herro as a primary ballhandler, I don't know. Herro as a No. 1 point guard is funky to me. Ideally Powell is your sixth man and finishing the game. Starting Davion Mitchell would give you a guy that can guard.' What about Powell sharing some of the ball-handling duties with Herro and Adebayo if Mitchell plays off the bench? 'Powell is not a handler,' the scout said. 'He's not a secondary ballhandler either, in my view. He is a scorer. He is laser focused on shooting and scoring.' ▪ On Simone Fontecchio, who was acquired from Detroit in a sign-and-trade involving Duncan Robinson: 'The year before last was good,' when he averaged 10.5 points and shot 40.1% on threes. 'He's not a great athlete and somewhat one-dimensional, but he's very competitive. 'I wouldn't call him a three-and-D guy. But he tries on defense. He struggled last season. He doesn't have much handle. But give him consistent minutes and he could be a guy that can make shots and a Heat culture guy. Not a great athlete. He's probably your ninth man [with Haywood Highsmith possibly out to start the season after knee surgery]. Is he even playing on a good team? Maybe.' ▪ On first-round pick Kasparas Jakucionis: 'NBA people I talked to in Las Vegas were killing him, didn't have anything nice to say about him. Quickness and shooting were my concern. Can he beat [skilled NBA players] off the dribble? He better be able to make shots. His play was disappointing, but I'm not ready to judge. He's [very young at 19].' Kai Jones is spending four days working out at Kaseya Center this week as the Heat evaluates whether to sign the veteran power forward/center. One involved source said the Heat long has shown an appreciation for Jones' skill set but is merely 'kicking the tires' to see if signing him would be something worth considering. Jones, 6-11, has played for Charlotte, the Clippers and Dallas in a three-year career and averaged 3.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, 0.5 blocks and 10.1 minutes in 107 games and six starts. He played well in 12 games (and six starts) for Dallas late last season, averaging 11 points and 6.4 rebounds in 21.7 minutes per game while shooting a remarkable 83.6 percent from the field (61 for 73). Jones — who attended Orlando Christian Prep and Brewster Academy in New Hampshire — was drafted 19th overall by the Knicks in 2021 and immediately traded to Charlotte. A native of the Bahamas, Jones, 24, played in 28 games off the bench for the Clippers last season before being released March 1; he joined the Mavericks on a two-way contract the next day. The Heat has 14 players under standard contracts; teams can carry no more than 15 once the regular season starts but aren't obligated to begin the season with 15 players. Miami, which could use one more backup in its power rotation, could opt to fill the 15th spot before training camp or sometime early in the season. Another option for the Heat would be signing Jones to an Exhibit 10 contract, allowing him to compete for the 15th guaranteed contract during training camp. ▪ The Heat will not be featured in any of the league's marquee television slots announced Tuesday, not a surprise for a team coming off a first-round playoff drubbing. As expected, ABC, ESPN and the NBA opted against showcasing the Heat on Christmas for a second year in a row. Miami also won't be featured in any national telecasts during the first week of the season or on Martin Luther King day. The NBA's Christmas ABC/ESPN games, in order, will be Cleveland-New York, San Antonio-Oklahoma City, Dallas-Golden State, Houston-Lakers and Minnesota-Denver. The first four of those games will compete with three NFL games on Christmas: Dallas-Washington and Detroit-Minnesota (both on Netflix) and Denver-Kansas City (on Amazon Prime). NBC, beginning an 11-year deal with the NBA, will carry Oklahoma City-Houston and Lakers-Warriors on opening night (Tuesday, Oct. 21). The Heat is expected to receive very few national telecasts this season. The NBA will announce each team's four group-play NBA Cup games on Wednesday and will release the full schedule on Thursday, with two of the 82 games to be determined after NBA Cup group-play is concluded.
NBC Sports
2 hours ago
- NBC Sports
Cubs at Blue Jays prediction: Odds, expert picks, starting pitchers, betting trends, and stats for August 12
Its Tuesday, August 12 and after a day of travel for each of these teams, the Cubs (67-50) are in Toronto to open a series against the Blue Jays (69-50). Ben Brown is slated to take the mound for Chicago against José Berríos for Toronto. The Jays sit atop the American League East by 4.5 games. A .500 team on the road, Toronto is dominant at home posting a record of 38-19 this season. One-time leaders in the National League Central, division hopes for the Cubs have been squashed by the white-hot Brewers. Chicago now trails Milwaukee by 6.5 games. Lets dive into the series opener and find a sweat or two. We've got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts. Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long. Game details & how to watch Cubs at Blue Jays Date: Tuesday, August 12, 2025 Time: 7:07PM EST Site: Rogers Centre City: Toronto, ON Network/Streaming: MARQ, Sportsnet, TBS Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out. Odds for the Cubs at the Blue Jays The latest odds as of Tuesday: Moneyline: Cubs (+106), Blue Jays (-126) Spread: Blue Jays -1.5 Total: 9.0 runs Probable starting pitchers for Cubs at Blue Jays Pitching matchup for August 12, 2025: Ben Brown vs. José Berríos Cubs: Ben Brown (5-7, 6.04 ERA) Last outing: August 4 vs. Cincinnati - 2.25 ERA, 1 Earned Runs Allowed, 2 Hits Allowed, 0 Walks, and 5 StrikeoutsBlue Jays: José Berríos (8-4, 3.89 ERA) Last outing: August 5 at Colorado - 5.06 ERA, 3 Earned Runs Allowed, 7 Hits Allowed, 1 Walks, and 5 Strikeouts Cubs: Ben Brown (5-7, 6.04 ERA) Last outing: August 4 vs. Cincinnati - 2.25 ERA, 1 Earned Runs Allowed, 2 Hits Allowed, 0 Walks, and 5 Strikeouts Blue Jays: José Berríos (8-4, 3.89 ERA) Last outing: August 5 at Colorado - 5.06 ERA, 3 Earned Runs Allowed, 7 Hits Allowed, 1 Walks, and 5 Strikeouts Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type! Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Cubs at Blue Jays The Cubs have won four of their last five at AL East teams When Jose Berrios takes the mound for the Blue Jays the Over is 14-8-2 (58%) The Blue Jays have covered in nine of their last 11 games with Jose Berrios on the mound Jose Berrios has struck out at least 5 in 3 of his last 4 starts Bo Bichette has hit safely in 8 of 9 games in August (15-40) If you're looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports! Expert picks & predictions for tonight's game between the Cubs and the Blue Jays Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700. Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts. Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager. Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Tuesday's game between the Cubs and the Blue Jays: Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline. Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Chicago Cubs at +1.5. Total: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 9.0. Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff: Jay Croucher (@croucherJD) Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Blue Jays have a good pitching problem, plus Dodgers' lead down to one
The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic's MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox. The Blue Jays have a 4.5-game lead in the AL East. And it looks like they'll be getting even better soon. Plus: Pete Crow-Armstrong and Matt Shaw trade places on the hot/cold spectrum, the Dodgers and Padres are close to trading places in the standings and hey — weren't there supposed to be more two-way players by now?! I'm Levi Weaver, and Ken Rosenthal is off this week — welcome to The Windup! To spoil this section: No. An eight-man rotation is … such a dumb idea that it doesn't warrant finishing the sentence. But does Toronto have room for incremental rotation improvement? Who doesn't? Going into last night's games, here's where their rotation has ranked in August: ERA: 3.60 (8th) FIP: 4.87 (20th) fWAR: 0.3 (T-19th) K/9: 7.74 (22nd) LOB (base runners stranded): 84.3 percent (3rd) Innings pitched: 50 (T-7th) It's all over the place. But they could be better, and soon, if for no other reason than this: They'll have more options to choose from. So … how could this work? The simplistic answer is: In the second half, Max Scherzer, Eric Lauer and Kevin Gausman have been very good, and José Berríos and Chris Bassitt have struggled. Bieber could bump one of the latter two. Alternately, as Bannon notes here, they could temporarily employ a six-man rotation to delay that decision. Advertisement Notably, Bannon mentions that Yesavage has worked in long relief lately. His most logical role with the big-league team (barring injuries) could be in relief, bolstering a top-heavy bullpen that recently added Seranthony Dominguez and Louis Varland. With so many options, the Blue Jays don't desperately need any of of Bieber/Manoah/Yesavage to hit. But if one or more do, it could make their entire pitching staff pretty scary in October. More rotation-juggling: Hunter Greene will be back with the Reds on Wednesday. That could mean a move to the bullpen for rookie phenom Chase Burns, who has struck out double-digit hitters in four of his last five starts (the lone exception being a rain-suspended game that limited him to one inning). On one hand, Pete Crow-Armstrong's recent struggles have been a little surprising. Sahadev Sharma has charts in today's story, showing that Crow-Armstrong's line of .091/.118/.121 (.239 OPS) in August hasn't been a matter of chasing outside the zone, but of simply missing his pitch when it arrives. Here, check out Crow-Armstrong's wOBA (weighted on-base average) on pitches in the heart of the zone, separated by month: But as Crow-Armstrong has found a frigid patch of Summer, the Cubs have essentially replaced his production with the ascension of a different 23-year-old: Matt Shaw. Shaw had a chance to seize the third base job out of spring training, and the result was being demoted to Triple A for a little while. Look at these splits, though: Sharma also has that story, telling us the dramatic shift came with a mental reset over the break, paired with some slight mechanical tweaks: starting with his hands a little higher, and opening his stance a bit. The Cubs are 10-11 in the second half (Crow-Armstrong hasn't been the only one struggling), but Shaw's emergence has been a welcome answer at the third base position as they try to climb back from what is now a 6.5-game deficit behind Milwaukee in the NL Central. I'm just old enough to remember when Brooks Kieschnick was supposed to be the first two-way star in baseball since Babe Ruth. He hit .360 with 43 home runs while posting a 34-8 record and 3.05 ERA over three years at the University of Texas. That didn't really pan out. Kieschnick only pitched in his last two years, and was worth 1.4 bWAR over six seasons. The 'next Babe Ruth' wouldn't come along until 2018, when Shohei Ohtani became, well, Shohei Ohtani. Advertisement Ohtani was supposed to kick the doors in for two-way players, wasn't he? So why hasn't it happened? As Dhani Joseph writes today, it's complicated. Most players — even those drafted as two-way players — are a bit better at one than the other, meaning there's a proverbial 'fast lane' to the big leagues. There's also the injury factor. Playing between starts makes a difference in a pitcher's rest routine, which impacts arm health. One UCL surgery does not a verdict make, but Ohtani hasn't been immune, either. But one prohibitive factor might be a rule that was created, in essence, for Ohtani. From Dhani's story: 'To earn the (two-way) distinction, a player would need to pitch in 20 MLB innings and play in at least 20 MLB games as a position player or DH, with at least three plate appearances in each game in either the current or previous MLB season.' Pair that with the rule about position players only pitching in blowouts or extra innings, and it becomes difficult for a position player to even be allowed to pitch regularly. And if a pitcher isn't quite big-league ready with the bat, what will a team keep them in the minors until they are, if they ever are? That would be the 'slow lane.' Allowing those qualifying rules to extend to the minor leagues would allow teams to call up a pitcher who might serve as a fourth outfielder or pinch-hitter, or a position player who could pitch in relief or spot starter duty. Until then, or until there's another Ohtani (allow me a hearty lol), it just doesn't make logistical sense to go through the rigamarole of qualifying as a two-way player. While our East Coast readers were sleeping, the Padres were creeping. With a 4-1 win over the Giants, San Diego has won 12 of its last 15 games. Meanwhile, last night's 7-4 loss to the Angels means the Dodgers are 10-12 in the second half. As a result, the Dodgers' lead in the NL West is down to one game. And the plot is thickening, as the two teams play a three-game series this weekend in Los Angeles, then turn around and do it again in San Diego the following weekend (Aug. 22-24). Advertisement Remember, L.A. had to win two straight games to come back and knock off San Diego in last year's NLDS. After winning the World Series, they loaded up on star power, bringing in Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Kirby Yates, Tanner Scott, Hyeseong Kim and Michael Conforto. Those five have combined for 1.6 bWAR, including 1.7 by Kim (and -0.6 by Conforto). Only Conforto and Snell are not currently on the IL (and Snell missed four months). More Padres: The Red Sox believed that Robert Suarez was tipping pitches. They weren't alone: Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla was already on it. Ben Rice has proven he can catch in the big leagues. With Austin Wells struggling at the plate, is it time for Rice to become the Yankees' primary catcher? When Pete Alonso next homers, he will be the Mets' all-time leader in the category. Tim Britton spoke to folks around the Mets organization about which ones they remember the most. We didn't believe in the Cardinals, and they got off to a hot start. We started believing, and they wilted into the deadline. We stopped again, and … are the Cardinals just being contrarians?! Byron Buxton is back from the IL. But the injury didn't stop him from being a calming force for his Twins teammates after a brutal trade deadline. The Astros can't afford any more injuries. But Josh Hader wasn't available last night due to shoulder discomfort. The team awaits the results of Monday's tests. Brewers win-streak counter: 10 games! Paired with their 11-game streak earlier this year, they're just the 10th team in the divisional era (1969-present) with multiple double-digit win streaks in the same season. On the pods: The Roundtable asks which slumping teams are in real trouble, while the Rates & Barrels fellas discussed the upcoming return of Hunter Greene in Cincinnati and ask if the Reds have found flyball pitchers to be undervalued. Most-clicked in our last newsletter: MLB's toughest remaining schedules. 📫 Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
