The Baseball Buffet for 8/8/2026

ATH 1, BOS 13 - This was game one in a series between two clubs going in opposite directions at the moment. And sure enough, the Red Sox clobbered the Athletics, scoring five runs in the second inning off ATH SP Jack Perkins (3 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K), and then adding eight more runs in the middle innings. They had 15 hits in all, with Jarren Duran hitting a 2-run HR, and Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Masataka Yoshida, Andruw Monasterio, Anthony Seigler, and Jake Rogers each collecting two hits. Meanwhile, BOS SP Payton Tolle was outstanding with 14 K in only 6 IP (2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB), giving up a solo HR to Tyler Soderstrom in the fifth. Red Sox reliever Raymond Burgos, making only his second major league appearance, pitched three scoreless frames for a long save. The game marked the Red Sox ninth win in a row, and the Athletics' ninth loss in a row.

MIN 8, MIL 6 - Jackson Chourio hit a solo HR in the first inning, and the Brewers scored three more in the second off MIN SP Zebby Matthews (5 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K). Meanwhile, the Twins got going in the third and scored two runs that inning, and two more each in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings. MIL SP Shane Drohan allowed six of those runs (5 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 4 K). Josh Bell went 4-5 with a HR, 2 runs, and 3 RBI and Royce Lewis was 2-5 with a double and 2 runs. Of note, 23-year-old prospect SS Kaelen Culpepper, the 21st overall pick in the 2024 draft, made his major league debut and went 1-4 with a solo HR.

LAD 3, ARI 4 - The Diamondbacks scored first, with two runs off LAD SP Roki Sasaki (6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K), including a solo HR by Nolan Arenado in the second inning. ARI SP Merrill Kelly had a no-hitter going through five, finally giving up a run in the sixth (5.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K). The Dodgers scored again in the seventh and eighth, including a solo HR by Andy Pages, his 19th of the year. Up 3-2, they brought in Edwin Díaz for the bottom of the ninth. He walked Max Kepler, struck out Tim Tawa, but then gave up a walk-off 2-run HR to Ryan Waldschmidt, only his second HR of 2026.

LAA 4, MIA 3 - Mike Trout hit a HR in the first inning, but then Tyler Phillips settled in for a solid four innings of work (4 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K). Rookie LAA SP George Klassen allowed some traffic but only one run over four innings (4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 3 K), with the Marlins scoring again in the sixth to take a 2-1 lead. But then the Angels scored three in the seventh, including Nolan Schanuel hitting a 2-run HR. The Marlins scored one more in the bottom of the ninth, but then Los Angeles reliever José Fermin was able to close it out. Miami outhit the Angels 12-6, but it is hard to win when you leave 13 runners on base. Kyle Stowers went 4-4 with a walk and 2 RBI in the loss. Of note, Trout's HR was his sixth on his birthday, which ties the major league record according to an article by Manny Randhawa at MLB.

NYM 6, PIT 4

CIN 3, WSH 5

CLE 8, CWS 2

CHC 6, KCR 4

COL 2, STL 3

BAL 1, TEX 2

ATL 2, NYY 3 (10)

TOR 5, PHI 4

TBR 2, SEA 1

HOU 6, SDP 3

DET 2, SFG 5

Game summaries for every game

Current MLB standings

Notable player transactions… injuries, call-ups, free agent signings, trades, etc.

Rotating statistical leader lists

Current hitting streaks of seven or more games

On this day in baseball history…

Career summaries for each of The Birthday Boys

Daily Hitter Watch and Pitcher Watch lists - who has historically done well or poorly against their matchup today?

Good Reads… my favorite recent baseball articles from other writers

… and the answers to the daily trivia questions!

… and during the offseason I still publish every day, covering trades, free-agent signings, and other hot-stove season news!

ATL Chris Sale vs. NYY Gerrit Cole - two top pitchers on two good teams

CHC Clay Holmes vs. KCR Seth Lugo - Holmes makes his debut since being traded from the Mets to the Cubs

DET Jackson Jobe vs. SFG Landen Roupp - The 25-year-old Jobe is making his 2026 major league debut after doing fairly well last season before needing Tommy John surgery. He has been effective in his minor league buildup, so it will be interesting to see how he does in the majors again.