MLB Daily Edition for August 20, 2026 Featuring Games from Yesterday August 19, 2026
Player of the Day
Cade Cavalli, Washington Nationals — Cavalli struck out a career-high 11 over six scoreless innings in Washington’s 6-0 victory at Texas. He allowed three hits and one walk on 84 pitches, extended his scoreless streak to 17 innings and posted double-digit strikeouts for the second consecutive start.
Top Stories
- Cavalli dominates Texas: Cade Cavalli struck out 11 over six scoreless innings as Washington blanked the Rangers, 6-0.
- Pittsburgh walks it off with power: Rafael Flores Jr. hit his second home run of the game to tie the score in the ninth before Brandon Lowe followed with the winning homer.
- Philadelphia stays hot: Aaron Nola struck out eight over seven strong innings as the Phillies won their sixth consecutive game.
- Dodgers complete the sweep: Freddie Freeman’s sacrifice fly broke a 10th-inning tie before Mookie Betts added an RBI single in Colorado.
- Seattle answers emphatically: One day after a 22-0 loss, the Mariners scored seven runs to beat baseball-leading Milwaukee.
- South Side shutout: José Urquidy struck out eight over six scoreless innings as the White Sox blanked the Cubs.
Last Night’s Scoreboard
Pirates 4, Tigers 3 — Rafael Flores Jr. and Brandon Lowe homered in the ninth to turn a one-run deficit into a walk-off victory.
Mets 4, Padres 2 — Carson Benge homered and drove in two runs for New York.
Twins 6, Braves 4 — Kody Clemens drove in three runs and Kaelen Culpepper collected three hits.
White Sox 3, Cubs 0 — José Urquidy struck out eight over six scoreless innings and Braden Montgomery drove in two.
Diamondbacks 7, Red Sox 6 (10 innings) — Arizona prevailed in extras after Boston hit three home runs.
Phillies 4, Marlins 1 — Aaron Nola allowed one run over seven innings and Luis Arraez homered.
Yankees 5, Orioles 3 — George Lombard Jr. drove in two and Ben Rice homered as New York won its third straight.
Giants 1, Guardians 0 — Adrian Houser and the San Francisco bullpen combined on a five-hit shutout.
Reds 5, Cardinals 4 — Sal Stewart homered and drove in three, while Matt McLain supplied three hits.
Rays 7, Blue Jays 6 — Yandy Díaz homered and drove in two as Tampa Bay scored seven runs against Max Scherzer.
Royals 9, Athletics 7 — Vinnie Pasquantino had three hits, a home run and three runs as Kansas City won its fourth straight.
Mariners 7, Brewers 5 — Josh Naylor had three hits and two RBI as Seattle rebounded from Tuesday’s historic loss.
Nationals 6, Rangers 0 — Cade Cavalli struck out 11 in six scoreless innings and Andrés Chaparro drove in three.
Astros 3, Angels 2 — Christian Vázquez homered as Houston edged Los Angeles.
Dodgers 6, Rockies 4 (10 innings) — Freddie Freeman put Los Angeles ahead with a sacrifice fly before Mookie Betts added insurance.
Game of the Day
Pirates 4, Tigers 3 — Pittsburgh entered the ninth inning down a run before its bench supplied a remarkable finish. Rafael Flores Jr., who entered as a pinch hitter and had already homered, tied the game with his second shot. Brandon Lowe then followed with another home run to give the Pirates a walk-off victory and their second straight win.
Big Bats
- Rafael Flores Jr., Pirates: Two home runs, two RBI and two runs after entering as a pinch hitter.
- Andrés Chaparro, Nationals: Three hits, a home run, three RBI and three runs.
- Vinnie Pasquantino, Royals: Three hits, a home run, two RBI and three runs.
- Mookie Betts, Dodgers: Three hits, a home run, two RBI and two runs.
- Sal Stewart, Reds: A home run and three RBI.
- Josh Naylor, Mariners: Three hits and two RBI.
Dealing
- Cade Cavalli, Nationals: Six scoreless innings, three hits, one walk and 11 strikeouts.
- José Urquidy, White Sox: Six scoreless innings and eight strikeouts.
- Aaron Nola, Phillies: Seven innings, one run and eight strikeouts.
- Parker Messick, Guardians: Six and two-thirds innings, one run and 10 strikeouts in a tough-luck loss.
- Adrian Houser, Giants: Five scoreless innings before the bullpen completed the shutout.
- Taj Bradley, Twins: Five innings, one run and seven strikeouts.
Who’s Hot
- Philadelphia Phillies: Six consecutive victories and only 4 1/2 games behind Atlanta in the NL East.
- Kansas City Royals: Four straight wins after outscoring the Athletics in a 9-7 slugfest.
- New York Yankees: Three consecutive wins and a nine-game cushion in the AL Wild Card race.
- Minnesota Twins: Three straight victories and four games behind the White Sox in the AL Central.
- Los Angeles Dodgers: Three consecutive wins after completing a sweep at Coors Field.
Who’s Not
- Atlanta Braves: Three consecutive losses have reduced their NL East lead to 4 1/2 games.
- Baltimore Orioles: Three straight losses and 1 1/2 games outside the final AL Wild Card position.
- Miami Marlins: Three consecutive losses, all in Philadelphia.
- Athletics: Three straight losses and 25 runs allowed during that span.
- Colorado Rockies: Swept at home by the Dodgers and now on a three-game losing streak.
Team Trends
- Phillies: Own MLB’s longest active winning streak at six games and have gained three games on Atlanta in less than a week.
- Dodgers: Scored 24 runs during their three-game sweep at Colorado and lead the NL West by nine games.
- Yankees: Have won three straight and remain five games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East.
- Twins: Their three-game run has moved them within four games of the AL Central lead.
- Pirates: Consecutive victories over Detroit have lifted Pittsburgh within three games of .500.
Standings Watch
Milwaukee still owns baseball’s best record at 78-49 and leads the NL Central by 4 1/2 games. Atlanta’s NL East advantage over surging Philadelphia is also 4 1/2, while the Dodgers lead San Diego by nine in the NL West. Tampa Bay holds a five-game AL East lead over New York. The White Sox lead Minnesota by four in the AL Central, and Houston’s AL West margin over Texas is two games.
Injury & Transactions Report
- Jorge Polanco: The Mets placed the designated hitter on the 10-day injured list with left ankle bursitis.
- Rhys Hoskins: Cleveland placed the first baseman on the 10-day injured list with lower-back inflammation.
- Samuel Basallo: Baltimore activated the catcher from the 10-day injured list.
- Cooper Pratt: Milwaukee activated the shortstop from the 10-day injured list.
- Nestor Cortes: Philadelphia signed the left-hander and optioned him to the Clearwater Threshers.
- Christian Bethancourt: The Yankees traded the catcher to Pittsburgh for cash.
- Brock Stewart: The Dodgers activated the right-hander from the 15-day injured list.
- Jeffrey Springs: The Athletics activated the left-hander from the 15-day injured list.
Today’s Games
- Cardinals at Reds — 12:40 p.m. ET — Michael McGreevy vs. Brady Singer
- Giants at Guardians — 1:10 p.m. ET — Landen Roupp vs. Gavin Williams
- Blue Jays at Rays — 1:10 p.m. ET — Shane Bieber vs. Ian Seymour
- Athletics at Royals — 2:10 p.m. ET — Gage Jump vs. Randy Dobnak
- Braves at White Sox — 2:10 p.m. ET — Grant Holmes vs. Anthony Kay
- Mariners at Brewers — 2:10 p.m. ET — George Kirby vs. Robert Gasser
- Yankees at Orioles — 6:35 p.m. ET — Gerrit Cole vs. Kyle Bradish
- Nationals at Rangers — 8:05 p.m. ET — Andrew Alvarez vs. Jacob deGrom
- Angels at Astros — 8:10 p.m. ET — Grayson Rodriguez vs. Peter Lambert
All times Eastern. Probable pitchers are subject to change.
Today’s Matchups to Watch
- Gerrit Cole vs. Kyle Bradish: New York seeks a four-game sweep in Baltimore behind its ace.
- Andrew Alvarez vs. Jacob deGrom: Texas turns to deGrom after being shut out in the middle game of the series.
- George Kirby vs. Robert Gasser: Seattle tries to build on Wednesday’s rebound against the team with MLB’s best record.
- Michael McGreevy vs. Brady Singer: Cincinnati can take the series and continue its push toward .500.
- Grant Holmes vs. Anthony Kay: The division-leading White Sox open a new series against the NL East-leading Braves.
Stat of the Day
Seventeen: Cade Cavalli extended his scoreless streak to 17 innings while recording a career-high 11 strikeouts against Texas.
Quick Hitters
- Cade Cavalli reached double-digit strikeouts for the second consecutive start.
- Rafael Flores Jr. hit two home runs after entering Pittsburgh’s game as a pinch hitter.
- Philadelphia’s six-game streak is the longest active run in the majors.
- Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts produced both Dodgers runs in the 10th inning.
- José Urquidy and two relievers combined to hold the Cubs scoreless.
- Seattle scored seven runs one day after absorbing a 22-0 defeat.
- Six of Wednesday’s 15 games were decided by one run.
Yesterday at a Glance
- Games completed: 15 of 15
- Total runs: 124
- Highest-scoring game: Royals 9, Athletics 7 — 16 combined runs
- Extra-inning games: Two
- One-run games: Six
- Shutouts: White Sox 3, Cubs 0; Giants 1, Guardians 0; Nationals 6, Rangers 0
- Largest margin: Nationals 6, Rangers 0 — six runs
- Best power performance: Rafael Flores Jr. — two home runs after entering as a pinch hitter
- Best pitching performance: Cade Cavalli — six scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts