MLB Daily Edition for August 18, 2026 Featuring Games from Yesterday August 17, 2026
Player of the Day
Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs — Crow-Armstrong opened the Crosstown Classic with a leadoff home run and ended it with a two-run walk-off homer in the 10th inning. He finished 4-for-5 with three RBI, became the sixth player in MLB history to hit leadoff and walk-off homers in the same game and secured his second consecutive 30-homer, 30-steal season.
Top Stories
- Crow-Armstrong owns the Crosstown opener: Pete Crow-Armstrong homered to start and finish the Cubs’ 7-5, 10-inning victory over the White Sox.
- Ohtani powers a Dodgers rout: Shohei Ohtani collected four hits, homered twice and scored four runs in an 11-5 victory at Coors Field.
- Boston brings the bats: The Red Sox produced 16 hits and overwhelmed Arizona, 11-1.
- Philadelphia keeps rolling: The Phillies edged Miami, 6-5, for their fourth consecutive victory.
- Mets win with defense: New York threw out three Padres runners at home plate in a 2-1 victory.
- De La Cruz walks it off: Elly De La Cruz’s RBI double gave Cincinnati a 6-5 win and a doubleheader split with St. Louis.
Last Night’s Scoreboard
Cardinals 2, Reds 1 — Alec Burleson drove in both St. Louis runs in the opening game of the doubleheader.
Reds 6, Cardinals 5 (10 innings) — Elly De La Cruz delivered the walk-off RBI double as Cincinnati earned a split.
Rays 7, Orioles 6 — Tampa Bay rallied in the seventh inning to stop Baltimore’s three-game winning streak.
Phillies 6, Marlins 5 — Philadelphia survived Miami’s late rally to win its fourth straight.
Tigers 8, Pirates 5 — Detroit collected 14 hits, led by three-hit games from Hao-Yu Lee and Zach McKinstry.
Red Sox 11, Diamondbacks 1 — Boston piled up 16 hits, including three apiece from Ceddanne Rafaela and Caleb Durbin.
Mets 2, Padres 1 — New York’s outfield threw out three runners at the plate to protect a one-run lead.
Royals 9, Athletics 5 — Bobby Witt Jr. had three hits, homered, drove in three and scored four times.
Twins 4, Braves 2 — Josh Bell drove in two runs as Minnesota ended its three-game losing streak.
Cubs 7, White Sox 5 (10 innings) — Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a leadoff homer and a two-run walk-off shot.
Dodgers 11, Rockies 5 — Shohei Ohtani went 4-for-5 with two home runs, three RBI and four runs.
Game of the Day
Cubs 7, White Sox 5 (10 innings) — Pete Crow-Armstrong opened the game with a home run, but the White Sox twice fought back and carried a 5-4 lead into the ninth. Nico Hoerner’s fourth hit tied the game, setting up Crow-Armstrong’s two-run walk-off homer in the 10th. His second blast completed a four-hit night and gave the Cubs a memorable opening victory in the Crosstown Classic.
Big Bats
- Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs: Four hits, two home runs, three RBI and the walk-off winner.
- Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers: Four hits, two home runs, three RBI and four runs.
- Bobby Witt Jr., Royals: Three hits, a home run, three RBI and four runs.
- Nico Hoerner, Cubs: Four hits and the game-tying RBI in the ninth.
- Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Orioles: Three hits, a home run and four RBI.
- Kevin McGonigle, Tigers: Two hits, a home run, two RBI and two runs.
Dealing
- Blake Snell, Dodgers: Six innings, one earned run and five strikeouts.
- Cristopher Sánchez, Phillies: Six innings, one earned run and six strikeouts.
- Nolan McLean, Mets: Six innings, one run and three strikeouts.
- Shota Imanaga, Cubs: Six innings and 10 strikeouts.
- Quinn Mathews, Cardinals: Seven strikeouts over four innings in the doubleheader opener.
- Brayan Bello, Red Sox: One run over 4 2/3 relief innings.
Who’s Hot
- Philadelphia Phillies: Four consecutive victories and a one-game cushion atop the NL Wild Card standings.
- New York Mets: Four straight wins after holding San Diego to one run.
- Kansas City Royals: Two consecutive wins with 12 runs scored over the last two games.
- Los Angeles Dodgers: Rebounded from two losses with an 11-run performance at Coors Field.
- Boston Red Sox: Opened their homestand with 16 hits and an 11-1 victory.
Who’s Not
- Arizona Diamondbacks: Two straight losses and a 10-run defeat in Boston.
- Colorado Rockies: Allowed 11 runs one day after scoring 13 in San Francisco.
- Athletics: Twenty-seven games below .500 after allowing nine runs in Kansas City.
- Pittsburgh Pirates: Lost the series opener despite Nick Yorke’s second consecutive three-RBI game.
- Chicago White Sox: Their three-game winning streak ended after losing a ninth-inning lead at Wrigley Field.
Team Trends
- Phillies: Cut Atlanta’s NL East lead to 6 1/2 games while extending their winning streak to four.
- Mets: Have allowed only nine runs during their four-game winning streak.
- Cubs: Rebounded from consecutive losses to maintain a six-game advantage in the NL Wild Card standings.
- Dodgers: Scored 11 runs and moved nine games ahead of Arizona in the NL West.
- Royals: Scored nine runs one day after Noah Cameron’s complete-game shutout.
Standings Watch
Milwaukee remains baseball’s top team at 77-48 and leads the NL Central by 4 1/2 games over Chicago. The Dodgers hold an eight-game NL West advantage over San Diego, while Atlanta’s NL East lead over Philadelphia is down to 6 1/2. Tampa Bay leads the AL East by six games over New York. The White Sox hold a 4 1/2-game AL Central lead over Detroit, and Houston remains two games ahead of Texas in the AL West.
Injury & Transactions Report
- Max Fried: The Yankees placed the left-hander on the 15-day injured list with a left elbow bone bruise.
- Dansby Swanson: The Cubs placed the shortstop on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain.
- Edward Cabrera: The Cubs placed the right-hander on the 15-day injured list with a right middle-finger blister.
- Oneil Cruz: Pittsburgh activated the center fielder from the 60-day injured list.
- Jordan Lawlar: Arizona activated the outfielder from the 10-day injured list.
- Justin Martinez: Arizona activated the right-hander from the 60-day injured list.
- Austin Martin: Minnesota placed the outfielder on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain.
Today’s Games
- Yankees at Orioles — 6:35 p.m. ET — Carlos Rodón vs. Shane Baz
- Tigers at Pirates — 6:40 p.m. ET — Keider Montero vs. Braxton Ashcraft
- Giants at Guardians — 6:40 p.m. ET — Carson Whisenhunt vs. Foster Griffin
- Cardinals at Reds — 6:40 p.m. ET — Kyle Leahy vs. Andrew Abbott
- Blue Jays at Rays — 6:40 p.m. ET — José Soriano vs. Nick Martinez
- Marlins at Phillies — 6:40 p.m. ET — Cade Gibson vs. Zack Wheeler
- Diamondbacks at Red Sox — 7:10 p.m. ET — Merrill Kelly vs. Ranger Suárez
- Padres at Mets — 7:10 p.m. ET — Robbie Ray vs. Zac Thornton
- Athletics at Royals — 7:40 p.m. ET — Jack Perkins vs. Kansas City pitcher TBD
- Braves at Twins — 7:40 p.m. ET — Tyler Mahle vs. Zebby Matthews
- Mariners at Brewers — 7:40 p.m. ET — Bryce Miller vs. Kyle Harrison
- Nationals at Rangers — 8:05 p.m. ET — Jackson Kent vs. Cal Quantrill
- White Sox at Cubs — 8:05 p.m. ET — Chicago White Sox pitcher TBD vs. Kevin Gausman
- Angels at Astros — 8:10 p.m. ET — George Klassen vs. Cristian Javier
- Dodgers at Rockies — 8:40 p.m. ET — Eric Lauer vs. Ryan Feltner
All times Eastern. Probable pitchers are subject to change.
Today’s Matchups to Watch
- White Sox at Cubs: The Crosstown Classic continues one night after Pete Crow-Armstrong’s dramatic walk-off homer.
- Bryce Miller vs. Kyle Harrison: Seattle opens a road series against the MLB-leading Brewers after winning its weekend series in Houston.
- Cade Gibson vs. Zack Wheeler: Philadelphia goes for its fifth straight victory against an immediate NL Wild Card pursuer.
- Carlos Rodón vs. Shane Baz: New York visits Baltimore in a matchup between two teams currently holding AL postseason positions.
- Merrill Kelly vs. Ranger Suárez: Arizona tries to recover from an 11-1 loss against a Boston team fighting for AL Wild Card position.
Stat of the Day
Six: Pete Crow-Armstrong became the sixth player in MLB history to hit both a leadoff home run and a walk-off homer in the same game.
Quick Hitters
- Pete Crow-Armstrong secured his second consecutive 30-homer, 30-steal season.
- Shohei Ohtani scored four of the Dodgers’ 11 runs.
- Nico Hoerner collected four hits and tied the Crosstown opener in the ninth.
- Boston’s Ceddanne Rafaela and Caleb Durbin each produced three-hit games.
- Bobby Witt Jr. reached base four times and scored on each occasion.
- The Mets recorded three outfield assists at home plate.
- Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sánchez earned his 16th victory.
Yesterday at a Glance
- Games completed: 11 of 11
- Total runs: 114
- Highest-scoring game: Dodgers 11, Rockies 5 — 16 combined runs
- Extra-inning games: Cardinals–Reds, Game 2; White Sox–Cubs
- One-run games: Five
- Shutouts: None
- Largest margin: Red Sox 11, Diamondbacks 1 — 10 runs
- Best power performance: Pete Crow-Armstrong — leadoff and walk-off home runs
- Best pitching performance: Blake Snell — six innings with one earned run at Coors Field

