MLB Daily Edition for August 21, 2026 Featuring Games from Yesterday August 20, 2026
Player of the Day
Zach Neto, Los Angeles Angels — Neto went 5-for-6 with a three-run home run, a two-run double, a career-high seven RBI and two runs in the Angels’ 18-3 rout of Houston. His 21st homer of the season capped a four-run fifth inning and pushed Los Angeles’ lead to 14-2.
Top Stories
- Neto drives in seven: Zach Neto collected five hits and a career-high seven RBI as the Angels scored a season-best 18 runs in Houston.
- DeGrom reaches 2,000: Jacob deGrom recorded his 2,000th career strikeout while throwing six one-hit innings in Texas’ 2-0 victory.
- Cardinals survive a wild ninth: St. Louis scored six unearned runs in the top of the ninth and held off Cincinnati’s four-run response to win, 10-9.
- New York completes the sweep: Gerrit Cole struck out eight over six strong innings as the Yankees won their fourth straight and swept Baltimore.
- Atlanta flirts with history: Grant Holmes carried a no-hit bid into the seventh before the Braves finished a combined one-hit shutout.
- Kansas City keeps rolling: Bobby Witt Jr. homered as the Royals completed a four-game sweep and won their fifth consecutive game.
Last Night’s Scoreboard
Cardinals 10, Reds 9 — St. Louis scored six unearned runs in the ninth and stranded the bases loaded after Cincinnati answered with four.
Guardians 5, Giants 2 — Gavin Williams struck out 11 and Patrick Bailey had two hits and an RBI against his former team.
Blue Jays 5, Rays 1 — Toronto hit three home runs and Shane Bieber allowed one run over seven innings.
Royals 6, Athletics 2 — Bobby Witt Jr. homered and scored three times as Kansas City completed a four-game sweep.
Braves 2, White Sox 0 — Grant Holmes took a no-hit bid into the seventh and Atlanta finished a combined one-hitter.
Brewers 7, Mariners 4 — Garrett Mitchell had three hits, a home run and three RBI as Milwaukee scored six times in the first.
Yankees 6, Orioles 1 — Gerrit Cole struck out eight over six innings, while Spencer Jones and Luis García Jr. homered.
Rangers 2, Nationals 0 — Jacob deGrom reached 2,000 career strikeouts during six one-hit innings.
Angels 18, Astros 3 — Zach Neto went 5-for-6 with a homer and a career-high seven RBI.
Game of the Day
Cardinals 10, Reds 9 — Cincinnati carried a 5-4 lead into the ninth and was one out from victory when JJ Wetherholt’s routine fly ball was dropped, allowing the tying and go-ahead runs to score. St. Louis turned the error into a six-run inning, but the Reds answered with four in the bottom half. Cincinnati loaded the bases before Riley O’Brien retired Matt McLain on a line drive to preserve the win.
Big Bats
- Zach Neto, Angels: Five hits, a three-run homer, a two-run double, seven RBI and two runs.
- Jordan Walker, Cardinals: A home run, four RBI and two runs.
- Matt McLain, Reds: A grand slam, four RBI and two runs.
- Garrett Mitchell, Brewers: Three hits, two doubles, a home run, three RBI and two runs.
- Spencer Jones, Yankees: Three hits, a home run, two runs and a stolen base.
- Luis García Jr., Yankees: Three hits, a home run and two runs.
Dealing
- Jacob deGrom, Rangers: Six scoreless innings, one hit, one walk and 10 strikeouts.
- Grant Holmes, Braves: Six scoreless innings with one hit allowed as part of a combined one-hitter.
- Grayson Rodriguez, Angels: Seven innings, no earned runs and six strikeouts.
- Gerrit Cole, Yankees: Six innings, one run and eight strikeouts.
- Shane Bieber, Blue Jays: Seven innings, one run, four hits and seven strikeouts.
- Gavin Williams, Guardians: Five and two-thirds innings with a season-high 11 strikeouts.
Who’s Hot
- Philadelphia Phillies: Carry MLB’s longest active winning streak at six games into tonight’s series opener.
- Kansas City Royals: Five consecutive victories after completing their first four-game sweep of the Athletics since 1994.
- New York Yankees: Four straight road wins, including a three-game sweep of Baltimore.
- Minnesota Twins: Three consecutive victories and only 3 1/2 games behind the White Sox in the AL Central.
- Los Angeles Dodgers: Three straight wins and a nine-game lead in the NL West.
Who’s Not
- Baltimore Orioles: Four consecutive losses after being swept at home by the Yankees.
- Athletics: Four straight defeats and 31 runs allowed during the sweep in Kansas City.
- Miami Marlins: Three consecutive losses and four games outside the final NL Wild Card position.
- Colorado Rockies: Three straight losses after being swept at home by the Dodgers.
- Houston Astros: Lost consecutive home series to sub-.500 opponents and surrendered a season-high 18 runs Thursday.
Team Trends
- Royals: Have won five straight and outscored the Athletics 31-19 during their four-game sweep.
- Yankees: Completed a three-game sweep in Baltimore and moved within four games of Tampa Bay in the AL East.
- Blue Jays: Have won nine of their last 13 and sit only a half-game outside the final AL Wild Card position.
- Brewers: Own baseball’s best record at 79-49 and have won four of their last five.
- Astros: Their AL West lead over Texas has narrowed to one game.
Standings Watch
Milwaukee owns baseball’s best record at 79-49 and leads the NL Central by five games. Atlanta also holds a five-game advantage over Philadelphia in the NL East, while the Dodgers lead San Diego by nine in the NL West. Tampa Bay’s AL East lead over New York is down to four games. The White Sox lead Minnesota by 3 1/2 in the AL Central, and Houston is only one game ahead of Texas in the AL West.
Injury & Transactions Report
- Ketel Marte: Arizona activated the second baseman from the restricted list and placed him on the 10-day injured list with left-knee inflammation.
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: Toronto sent the first baseman on a rehabilitation assignment to Dunedin.
- Cody Bellinger: The Yankees sent the outfielder on a rehabilitation assignment to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
- J.P. Crawford: Seattle sent the shortstop on a rehabilitation assignment to Tacoma.
- Jack Leiter: Texas sent the right-hander on a rehabilitation assignment to Frisco.
- Keaton Winn: San Francisco placed the right-hander on the 15-day injured list with right-elbow neuritis.
- Samy Natera Jr.: The Angels placed the left-hander on the 15-day injured list with lower-back muscle spasms.
Today’s Games
- Braves at Brewers — 4:10 p.m. ET — Chris Sale vs. Jacob Misiorowski
- Cardinals at Phillies — 6:40 p.m. ET — St. Louis starter TBD vs. Jesús Luzardo
- Blue Jays at Yankees — 7:05 p.m. ET — Toronto starter TBD vs. Cam Schlittler
- Giants at Red Sox — 7:10 p.m. ET — Logan Webb vs. Sonny Gray
- Nationals at Marlins — 7:10 p.m. ET — Brad Lord vs. Ryan Gusto
- Rays at Orioles — 7:15 p.m. ET — Freddy Peralta vs. Trevor Rogers
- Mets at White Sox — 7:40 p.m. ET — Sean Manaea vs. Sean Burke
- Tigers at Royals — 8:10 p.m. ET — Troy Melton vs. Noah Cameron
- Athletics at Astros — 8:10 p.m. ET — J.T. Ginn vs. Hayden Wesneski
- Angels at Rangers — 8:15 p.m. ET — Reid Detmers vs. MacKenzie Gore
- Guardians at Rockies — 8:40 p.m. ET — Joey Cantillo vs. Tanner Gordon
- Reds at Diamondbacks — 9:40 p.m. ET — Nick Lodolo vs. Eduardo Rodriguez
- Twins at Padres — 9:40 p.m. ET — Connor Prielipp vs. San Diego starter TBD
- Pirates at Dodgers — 10:10 p.m. ET — Bubba Chandler vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto
- Cubs at Mariners — 10:10 p.m. ET — Matthew Boyd vs. Emerson Hancock
All times Eastern. Probable pitchers are subject to change.
Today’s Matchups to Watch
- Chris Sale vs. Jacob Misiorowski: The NL East leaders open a marquee series against the team with baseball’s best record.
- Logan Webb vs. Sonny Gray: Rafael Devers returns to Boston as the Giants begin a weekend series at Fenway Park.
- Freddy Peralta vs. Trevor Rogers: Tampa Bay tries to regain momentum against an Orioles club carrying a four-game losing streak.
- Bubba Chandler vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Two power right-handers meet as the Dodgers begin a six-game homestand.
- Matthew Boyd vs. Emerson Hancock: The Cubs and Mariners open an interleague series with both clubs chasing playoff position.
Stat of the Day
2,000: Jacob deGrom became the latest member of MLB’s 2,000-strikeout club when he fanned Abimelec Ortiz in the first inning.
Quick Hitters
- Zach Neto’s seven RBI established a new career high.
- The Angels’ 18 runs were their most in any game this season.
- Jacob deGrom tied his season high with 10 strikeouts.
- Grant Holmes carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning.
- Gavin Williams recorded a season-high 11 strikeouts.
- Kansas City completed its first four-game sweep of the Athletics since 1994.
- The Yankees swept all three games of their road series in Baltimore.
Yesterday at a Glance
- Games completed: 9 of 9
- Total runs: 83
- Highest-scoring game: Angels 18, Astros 3 — 21 combined runs
- Extra-inning games: None
- One-run games: One
- Shutouts: Braves 2, White Sox 0; Rangers 2, Nationals 0
- Largest margin: Angels 18, Astros 3 — 15 runs
- Best power performance: Zach Neto — five hits, a home run and seven RBI
- Best pitching performance: Jacob deGrom — six scoreless one-hit innings with 10 strikeouts