MLB Daily Edition for August 23, 2026 Featuring Games from Yesterday August 22, 2026
Player of the Day
JJ Bleday, Cincinnati Reds — Bleday went 4-for-5 and hit for the cycle in Cincinnati’s 11-5 victory over Arizona. He doubled in the first, tripled in the third, singled in the fourth and completed the eighth cycle in Reds history with a two-run homer in the sixth, finishing with three RBI and two runs.
Top Stories
- Bleday completes the cycle: JJ Bleday collected four different kinds of hits as Cincinnati answered Friday’s shutout with a season-high 16 hits.
- Arozarena does everything: Randy Arozarena homered twice, robbed a home run and ended Seattle’s 5-4 victory with a two-run shot in the ninth.
- Philadelphia reaches eight: Bryce Harper homered and Andrew Painter delivered his best start of the season as the Phillies won their eighth straight.
- Cease flirts with history: Dylan Cease carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning as Toronto ended the Yankees’ five-game winning streak.
- Skubal settles in: Tarik Skubal recovered from a three-run first to strike out 11 over seven innings in the Dodgers’ fifth consecutive win.
- Kansas City stays perfect: Michael Wacha worked seven strong innings as the Royals won their seventh straight and improved to 6-0 on their homestand.
Last Night’s Scoreboard
Blue Jays 4, Yankees 3 — Dylan Cease carried a no-hitter into the seventh and Toronto collected 15 hits.
Brewers 4, Braves 1 — Logan Henderson allowed one run over six innings and Jake Bauers hit a two-run homer.
Marlins 4, Nationals 2 — Heriberto Hernández and Jakob Marsee homered as Miami won its second straight.
Phillies 12, Cardinals 3 — Andrew Painter struck out eight over seven innings and Bryce Harper hit a three-run homer.
Orioles 3, Rays 2 (10 innings) — Samuel Basallo hit a two-run homer before Baltimore prevailed in extras.
Angels 3, Rangers 0 — Ryan Johnson allowed one hit over seven scoreless innings and Zach Neto collected three hits.
Athletics 4, Astros 3 — Lawrence Butler’s RBI single highlighted a three-run eighth-inning comeback.
Mets 10, White Sox 5 — Luis Robert Jr. homered twice and Carson Benge added three hits and a homer.
Royals 3, Tigers 1 — Michael Wacha allowed one run over seven innings as Kansas City won its seventh straight.
Dodgers 4, Pirates 3 — Kyle Tucker’s two-run single completed the comeback and Tarik Skubal struck out 11.
Mariners 5, Cubs 4 — Randy Arozarena hit two home runs, including a two-run walk-off shot in the ninth.
Red Sox 3, Giants 2 — Boston scored three times in the ninth to erase a two-run deficit and walk it off.
Reds 11, Diamondbacks 5 — JJ Bleday hit for the cycle and Elly De La Cruz had four hits and a home run.
Guardians 4, Rockies 3 — Jo Adell homered and drove in three as Cleveland moved into a tie for the final AL Wild Card.
Padres 7, Twins 5 — San Diego scored four in the seventh to erase a three-run deficit.
Game of the Day
Mariners 5, Cubs 4 — Randy Arozarena opened the game with a home run, took a potential homer away from Miguel Amaya at the wall and saved his biggest swing for the ninth. With Seattle down 4-3 and two outs, Arozarena hit a two-run walk-off homer for his third hit of the game. The comeback also prevented prized prospect Kade Anderson from taking a loss in his major-league debut.
Big Bats
- JJ Bleday, Reds: Four hits, the cycle, three RBI and two runs.
- Elly De La Cruz, Reds: Four hits, a home run, two RBI and four runs.
- Randy Arozarena, Mariners: Three hits, two home runs, three RBI and two runs.
- Luis Robert Jr., Mets: Two home runs, three RBI and two runs.
- Carson Benge, Mets: Three hits, a home run, two RBI, two runs and a stolen base.
- Bryce Harper, Phillies: A three-run home run in Philadelphia’s 12-run attack.
Dealing
- Ryan Johnson, Angels: Seven scoreless innings, one hit, two walks and three strikeouts.
- Dylan Cease, Blue Jays: Six and two-thirds innings, one run, two hits and eight strikeouts.
- Andrew Painter, Phillies: A career-high seven innings, one run, no walks and eight strikeouts.
- Michael Wacha, Royals: Seven innings, one run, three hits and six strikeouts.
- Tarik Skubal, Dodgers: Seven innings and 11 strikeouts after allowing three runs in the first.
- Jacob Lopez, Athletics: Six innings, one run and nine strikeouts.
Who’s Hot
- Philadelphia Phillies: Eight consecutive victories and only three games behind Atlanta in the NL East.
- Kansas City Royals: Seven straight wins and a perfect 6-0 record on their current homestand.
- Los Angeles Dodgers: Five consecutive victories, their longest winning streak since May.
- Milwaukee Brewers: Three straight wins and an MLB-best 81-49 record.
- Cleveland Guardians: Three consecutive victories and tied with Texas for the final AL Wild Card position.
Who’s Not
- Colorado Rockies: Five consecutive losses and eight straight defeats at home.
- Detroit Tigers: Four straight losses and seven defeats in their last eight games.
- San Francisco Giants: Three consecutive losses and 25 games under .500.
- Chicago Cubs: Three straight losses after suffering consecutive one-run defeats in Seattle.
- Tampa Bay Rays: Three consecutive losses, though they continue to lead the AL East.
Team Trends
- Phillies: Have cut Atlanta’s NL East lead to three games during their eight-game winning streak.
- Royals: Are 6-0 on their homestand and have held opponents to three runs or fewer in three consecutive games.
- Dodgers: Have won five straight and maintain a nine-game lead in the NL West.
- Guardians: Moved into a tie with Texas for the final AL Wild Card while remaining 3 1/2 games behind Chicago in the AL Central.
- Blue Jays: Have won eight of their last 12 and sit one-half game outside the final AL Wild Card position.
Standings Watch
Milwaukee owns baseball’s best record at 81-49 and leads the NL Central by seven games. Atlanta’s NL East advantage over Philadelphia is down to three games, while the Dodgers lead San Diego by nine in the NL West. Tampa Bay remains three games ahead of New York in the AL East. The White Sox lead Cleveland by 3 1/2 games in the AL Central, and Houston holds a one-game AL West lead over Texas.
Injury & Transactions Report
- Andy Pages: The Dodgers placed the center fielder on the 10-day injured list with a fractured left hand.
- Ryan Weathers: The Yankees left-hander exited Saturday’s start with left-forearm discomfort and was scheduled for additional imaging.
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: Toronto activated the first baseman from the seven-day concussion injured list.
- Hunter Dobbins: St. Louis placed the right-hander on the 15-day injured list with right-forearm tightness.
- Nolan Schanuel: The Angels placed the first baseman on the 10-day injured list with a right-intercostal strain.
- Wade Meckler: The Angels placed the outfielder on the seven-day concussion injured list.
- Alek Thomas: The Dodgers activated the center fielder to replace Pages on the active roster.
- Kade Anderson: Seattle selected the left-hander’s contract before his major-league debut.
Today’s Games
- Rays at Orioles — 1:35 p.m. ET — Nick Martinez vs. Shane Baz
- Cardinals at Phillies — 1:35 p.m. ET — Kyle Leahy vs. Cristopher Sánchez
- Blue Jays at Yankees — 1:35 p.m. ET — José Soriano vs. Carlos Rodón
- Nationals at Marlins — 1:40 p.m. ET — Jackson Kent vs. Janson Junk
- Tigers at Royals — 2:10 p.m. ET — Detroit starter TBD vs. Daniel Lynch IV
- Athletics at Astros — 2:10 p.m. ET — Brady Basso vs. Cristian Javier
- Mets at White Sox — 2:10 p.m. ET — Nolan McLean vs. Sean Newcomb
- Angels at Rangers — 2:35 p.m. ET — Yusei Kikuchi vs. Cal Quantrill
- Guardians at Rockies — 3:10 p.m. ET — Foster Griffin vs. Tomoyuki Sugano
- Giants at Red Sox — 3:15 p.m. ET — Matt Wilkinson vs. Jake Bennett
- Pirates at Dodgers — 4:10 p.m. ET — Lake Bachar vs. Blake Snell
- Cubs at Mariners — 4:10 p.m. ET — Shota Imanaga vs. Bryce Miller
- Twins at Padres — 4:10 p.m. ET — Bailey Ober vs. Walker Buehler
- Reds at Diamondbacks — 4:15 p.m. ET — Andrew Abbott vs. Mitch Bratt
- Braves at Brewers — 7:10 p.m. ET — Tyler Mahle vs. Shane Drohan
All times Eastern. Probable pitchers are subject to change.
Today’s Matchups to Watch
- Kyle Leahy vs. Cristopher Sánchez: Philadelphia goes for a ninth straight victory and a series sweep.
- José Soriano vs. Carlos Rodón: The Yankees try to restart their momentum against a Toronto club closing on the final Wild Card.
- Shota Imanaga vs. Bryce Miller: Chicago tries to avoid a sweep after two consecutive one-run losses in Seattle.
- Bailey Ober vs. Walker Buehler: Minnesota attempts to remain close in the AL Wild Card chase against San Diego.
- Tyler Mahle vs. Shane Drohan: Milwaukee goes for a sweep and its 82nd victory in the Sunday night finale.
Stat of the Day
Four: JJ Bleday became the eighth player in Reds history to hit for the cycle, collecting all four types of hits in Cincinnati’s 11-5 victory.
Quick Hitters
- JJ Bleday completed the first Reds cycle since Elly De La Cruz in June 2023.
- Elly De La Cruz finished a triple short of giving Cincinnati two cycles in the same game.
- Randy Arozarena homered to begin and end Seattle’s victory.
- Kyle Schwarber hit his MLB-leading 38th home run.
- José Ramírez moved into fifth place on Cleveland’s franchise hits list with 1,752.
- Craig Kimbrel earned his first major-league save since 2024.
- Seven of Saturday’s 15 games were decided by one run.
Yesterday at a Glance
- Games completed: 15 of 15
- Total runs: 123
- Highest-scoring game: Reds 11, Diamondbacks 5 — 16 combined runs
- Extra-inning games: One
- One-run games: Seven
- Shutouts: Angels 3, Rangers 0
- Largest margin: Phillies 12, Cardinals 3 — nine runs
- Best power performance: JJ Bleday — hit for the cycle with three RBI
- Best pitching performance: Ryan Johnson — seven scoreless one-hit innings