Sports
A 22-run clobberfest! Plus: 7 AL teams still alive
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The Brewers and Mariners did some extreme run-differential skewing last night. Plus: The latest on Ketel Marte, a big night for Fernando Tatis Jr. and the Blue Jays are the latest team I have to UN-declare as “cooked.” I’m Levi Weaver — welcome to The Windup!
Brewers wallop Mariners 22-0
It’s no surprise the Brewers are good. They have the best record in the sport (78-48) and (well, now) also the best run differential in the sport, at +158, thanks to a 22-0 blowout of the Mariners.
In retrospect, the most unbelievable thing about last night’s game was the 1-0 score in the middle of the fifth inning. Because a half-inning later, it was 6-0. Then 11-0, 13-0 … by the time catcher Gary Sánchez pitched a scoreless ninth inning, it was 22-0.
It tied the MLB record (since 1900) for largest margin of victory in a shutout. Only Cleveland (2004 @ NYY) and Pittsburgh (1975 @ CHC) matched it. Notably, both of those games were won by the visiting team, meaning the Brewers are the first to do it while only batting eight times.
I checked, and they’re also the only team that was gifted at least one run (probably eventually two) when an outfielder (Julio Rodríguez, in this case) forgot how many outs there were and threw a ball into the stands.
It was just that kind of night for the Mariners. They’re now 59-67 — 3-8 in their last 11 games. But because the Mariners play in the AL (more specifically, the AL West), they’re still not really out of contention just yet.
Speaking of which …
Playoff Picture: Blue Jays refuse to die
Take a look at these very silly AL wild-card standings, particularly the GB (Games Behind) column!
Starting with Texas and working our way down, you’re looking at seven teams that share these traits:
- They have losing records.
- I have said, publicly or privately, that they’re cooked.
- They are, actually, not cooked.
That’s on me. How could anything be cooked in this tepid mudhole?
Today, let’s take a look at the Blue Jays, since they’re the only one of those Texas-through-Seattle teams with a winning record in their last 10 games. On July 28, they were 10 games under .500 and 5 1/2 games out of the final wild-card spot. They “threaded the needle” at the deadline, trading veterans on expiring contracts while loading up for the near future.
Was that future nearer than expected?
Beginning July 29, the Blue Jays are 13-6 (this count starts before their win over the Nationals that day), and their last 15 games have come against the Astros, Cubs, Phillies, Red Sox, Yankees and Rays — all playoff teams.
The surge has been fueled largely by their pitching and defense. As Mitch Bannon tells us today, Toronto entered Tuesday’s game with a league-best 2.87 ERA and AL-best +8 OAA (Outs Above Average) in August.
Hopefully last night’s 10-5 win over the Rays means the bats are joining the party. Before that, only Andrés Giménez (.756) and Alejandro Kirk (.970) — had an OPS over .700 this month (min. 25 PA).
They’ve been lingering around that last AL wild-card spot for a few days now. Given the quality of the competition, I suspect they’ll get a day or two in the (… what’s the third-place equivalent of a catbird seat?) but I’m not making any other predictions about how this is gonna play out.
Middle Relief: Latest on Ketel Marte
Last night was day two of Ketel Marte’s disappearance from the team. Today, we have less an “update” and more a “what we know right now” from Stephen Nesbitt and Johnny Flores Jr. Here’s an excerpt.
Marte’s absence from the Diamondbacks grew only more mysterious as it dragged into day two.
A day after the Diamondbacks placed Marte on the restricted list for failing to show up to Arizona’s series opener at Fenway Park, manager Torey Lovullo said Tuesday he thinks Marte returned to Phoenix to get imaging on his left knee. Lovullo also said he has not heard from Marte, and he’s unsure whether anyone in the organization is currently in contact with him.
“I’m still hoping he’s OK,” Lovullo said. “Looking forward to having a connection with him at some point as soon as possible. Overall, I feel like if you don’t show up to work, something is on your mind (and) something’s not right, and we’ve got to get it right.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, Marte’s locker in the visiting clubhouse at Fenway Park remained intact. His stuff arrived at the ballpark. He didn’t.
Left to publicly explain Marte’s unexcused absence, Lovullo had few concrete answers. He said he didn’t know whether the knee injury had anything to do with Marte not showing up Monday. He said he didn’t know why Marte hadn’t gotten imaging in Boston instead of Phoenix. He said he didn’t know whether to expect Marte back in the lineup for the stretch run.
“I hope so,” Lovullo said. “We need him. He’s a good player. One of the best players in the National League, as far as I’m concerned.”
Marte, 32, is a three-time All-Star with two top-five finishes in NL MVP voting. He’s not having a typically superb season at bat, yet he still has 21 homers and a 107 OPS+. He is in the second season of a seven-year, $116.5 million contract signed in April 2025. Of that $116.5 million, $41 million is deferred, and the payouts do not begin until 10 years after the money is earned.
Marte tweaked his left knee and exited Friday’s game in Atlanta, then sat Saturday before playing Sunday. On Monday, he was supposed to serve as designated hitter. It doesn’t seem the position change rankled Marte; Lovullo said that conversation would have happened after Marte got to the park.
The Diamondbacks entered play Tuesday with a 66-60 record, one game out of a wild-card spot in a tightly packed NL playoff picture.
For the rest, click here.
Look At This: Fernando’s big night
Remember April 30? Fernando Tatis Jr. was in the 99th percentile for hard-hit baseballs, but still hadn’t hit even one home run. It was perplexing!
He did get that first home run, but not until May 30.
Well, he has course-corrected. Last night, he hit homers Nos. 14 and 15. If he had been hitting them in April and May as he has since June 1, he’d be somewhere around 25 (his season total from 2023 and 2025).
In the meantime, his defense has not slumped. That was on display last night too, as he robbed Francisco Lindor of a grand slam with this catch to end the second inning.
That’s a phenomenal catch, and the pose made every highlight reel. But what makes the GIF, for me, is the cap flip at the end. Launched off his head, completely out of frame, then dropping out of the sky, as if to taunt the ball: “I land wherever I want.”
The Padres beat the Mets 5-2. That catch was the difference in the game, and San Diego gained a game on Arizona; they now hold a two-game lead for the third NL wild-card position.
Handshakes and High Fives
Pete Crow-Armstrong and Shohei Ohtani both homered again last night. It was Ohtani’s 30th, and Crow-Armstrong’s 31st. Jon Greenberg takes another look at PCA’s MVP case, and Rustin Dodd says the outfielder’s “mind-wandering” is maybe not a bad thing!
Meanwhile, after a lengthy rain delay, the Cubs walked off the White Sox for the second night in a row.
Great news for the Yankees: Aaron Judge has been cleared to “start his hitting progression” this week. Meanwhile, Giancarlo Stanton is “toward the end of his running program,” and Cody Bellinger will start a rehab assignment Thursday.
Other injury reports: Joe Ryan (Twins) threw a successful bullpen. In Pittsburgh, Oneil Cruz came off the IL and homered in his first game since June 7. And Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz is back on the IL, this time with neck inflammation.
Chandler Rome doesn’t think Tatsuya Imai is returning to the Astros rotation from the bullpen any time soon.
The Phillies might need someone to snub Zack Wheeler for another All-Star Game soon.
Who’s your pick for NL Rookie of the Year? C. Trent Rosecrans compares JJ Wetherholt and Sal Stewart, two of the favorites.
Trey Mancini, who authored two inspiring comebacks to the big leagues, has announced his retirement at age 34.
The situation with Dodgers owner Mark Walter gets curiouser and curiouser.
It doesn’t seem great that ratings are down for Netflix’s baseball broadcasts. The last time MLB played at the Field of Dreams, 3.10 million people watched it. This year: 1.66 million.
That’s still more people than will watch me play there … which … I am doing soon! I’m taking the next two weeks off to go play some sandlot baseball games in, among other places, the Field of Dreams (I’m pretty psyched, to be honest). I’ll be back on Sept. 2, but you’re in good hands with our MLB crew filling in.
Most-clicked in our last Windup: Sam Blum’s investigation into how Macombs Dam Park — a public space with a baseball field where the original Yankee Stadium once stood — has fallen into disrepair.
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Need help with today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle? You’ve come to the right place.
Welcome to Connections: Sports Edition Coach — a spot to gather clues and discuss (and share) scores.
A quick public service announcement before we continue: The bottom of this article includes the answers — and hints — for the four categories. So if you want to solve the board hint-free, we recommend you play before continuing.
You can access today’s game here. And when you’re done, try out our limited-edition Connections: Soccer Edition for an extra challenge.
Today’s difficulty
Game No. 695’s difficulty: 3 out of 5
Connections: Sports Edition hints for Aug. 19, 2026
Scroll below for one answer in each of the four categories.
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Yellow: GRIZZLIES
Green: MIZZOU
Blue: AZZI
Purple: AZZURRI
Connections: Sports Edition answers for Aug. 19, 2026
Scroll below for the full answers to each of the four categories.
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Yellow
Tennessee pro teams: GRIZZLIES, NASHVILLE SC, PREDATORS, TITANS
Green
SEC teams, familiarly: A&M, BAMA, MIZZOU, VANDY
Blue
First names of Dallas Wings players: ARIKE, AZZI, ODYSSEY, PAIGE
Purple
Associated with Italian soccer: AZZURRI, ROSSONERI, SAN SIRO, SCUDETTO
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Kyle Tucker has needed something to go right.
Tucker, who has endured the worst season of his career in the first year of his four-year, $240 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, had been in the midst of the longest hitless stretch as a big leaguer. He’d gone 26 at-bats without a hit by the time he came up in the fourth inning Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies.
Then he got a two-strike changeup in on his hands and grounded it down the first-base line, past first baseman TJ Rumfield and into right field for a run-scoring double against Ryan Feltner.
It was Tucker’s first hit in nine days. The Dodgers dugout erupted. Manager Dave Roberts went to the top step of the dugout and raised his fist in celebration.
Kyle for the lead! pic.twitter.com/2qE8MnQvts
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 19, 2026
One swing cannot erase what has been a disappointing season for Tucker, who set a record for average annual value with his contract with the reigning back-to-back World Series champions. Still, it was a much-needed result.
Tucker produced an 0-for-19 homestand, plunging his extreme home-road splits down even further, as he ranks dead last in the majors among hitters at home with a 55 OPS+. Roberts sat him for Saturday’s game, he said, partially because he felt that Tucker’s struggles at home were getting to him. Tucker dropped fly balls in consecutive games on Sunday and Monday, leading one of the Dodgers’ commentators, Eric Karros, to discuss on the broadcast whether it would be best to send Tucker to the club’s spring complex in Arizona to reset.
It has felt like rock bottom for Tucker’s season, which has never really gotten going.
Eric Karros suggests the Dodgers should send Kyle Tucker to Arizona for a reset.
“This is just not ideal, and it’s not working.” pic.twitter.com/KdttdTIqky
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) August 18, 2026
“He just hasn’t caught that … long hot streak,” Dodgers hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc told The Athletic this weekend. “You’ve seen it maybe for a series or a couple of games, but not for an extended period like he’s capable of.”
Tucker’s struggles have been hard to pin down at home or on the road (where he entered Tuesday with an .822 OPS — essentially his career-level production). Tucker has tinkered with his swing. Roberts and the coaching staff have hammered home the principles of Tucker’s approach. Nothing has quite clicked.
“It’s been probably a little bit of both, probably a bit of mechanics and consistency with that,” Tucker said. “Pitch selection at times has been up and down. I think probably at times it’s easy to get focused on one and lose track of the other.”
Tucker’s contract and struggles have made him an avatar for the Dodgers’ underachieving offense. Rather than be a floor-raiser for the group, he has contributed to their overall inconsistency. The offense has been faltering lately, with Roberts calling out the group’s collective approach and pitch-to-pitch focus on Sunday after dropping a series against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Dodgers’ offense has struggled for a while now, ranking 20th in the majors with a 94 wRC+ since the start of July.
Tucker entered Tuesday striking out 18.2 percent of the time, his highest rate since 2020. He’s walking less often (12.2 percent) than in any season since 2023. Neither is too far away from the league’s norms, however.
Tucker simply isn’t impacting the baseball. His barrel rate, per Baseball Savant, is 6 percent, nearly half of the 10.8 percent he averaged a year ago with the Chicago Cubs and his lowest rate of any full season of his career.
“I feel like I’ve tried just about everything,” Tucker told the California Post before Monday’s game. “And every time I feel like I’m turning a corner, I get hit with a roadblock.”
His double on Tuesday was hardly the type of contact Tucker is seeking. His grounder down the line traveled just 85.8 mph off of his bat.
Given the week that preceded it, though, it was much needed.
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2022 Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios has tested positive for cocaine at an ATP Tour event and has been provisionally suspended.
Kyrgios, 31, provided a sample at June’s Mallorca Championships, which was confirmed to contain a metabolite of cocaine July 17 after testing.
The suspension has been in place since August 4, and Kyrgios, 31, has not appealed it, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said Wednesday.
He lost his opening match at the Mallorca Championships to countryman Adam Walton in straight sets.
In a statement Wednesday, Kyrgios said that he “made a huge mistake and I take full responsibility for it.
“I’m sorry to my fans, my family, my sponsors and everyone close to me. Above all, I’m sorry to the kids who follow me. I know the example this sets and I’m deeply disappointed in myself.”
Nick Kyrgios tests positive for cocaine
Amelie Claydon
Other tennis stars have tested positive for cocaine in recent history. Britain’s Dan Evans, who retired from tennis earlier this summer, was banned for a year after testing positive in 2017. In 2009, France’s Richard Gasquet, a former world No. 7, tested positive and was provisionally banned for 12 months, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) accepted his defense that he had been contaminated after kissing a woman in a nightclub.
The duration of Kyrgios’ ban will depend in part on whether he is found to have deliberately taken the drug, and in part on whether the incident happened before the tournament started.
The Australian has played just four matches in 2026, as he navigates a late career defined by persistent and serious injuries. Kyrgios underwent a full wrist reconstruction in September 2023, after suffering a full rupture of a key ligament that stabilizes the joint, and has struggled to generate any kind of momentum since. He did not play his home Grand Slam in 2026, after losing in the first round the previous year while playing through abdominal discomfort.
“Seeing the fans line up for four, five hours, just the amount of people that were there supporting me, it was hard to throw the towel in,” he said in a news conference at the time.
In his statement, Kyrgios said: “I’m not going to make excuses, but I do want to give some context about where I’ve been. The last couple of years of injuries have taken a huge toll on me, both physically and mentally. My body hasn’t been able to do what my mind expects it to do, and coming to terms with being near the end of my career has been harder than I ever imagined.
“I’ve always said that I didn’t choose tennis — tennis chose me. But letting go of something that has been my whole life is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to face. At times I’ve felt helpless and alone.”
Kyrgios has spoken about how he has had to manage his mental health during his career. In an interview with the Sydney Telegraph in 2020 and an Instagram post in 2022, he discussed managing depression and the loneliness of tennis, stating in the latter that he had abused alcohol and drugs.
The best period of his career also came in 2022, when he reached the Wimbledon final, losing to Novak Djokovic, and the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open. An almost unreadable, lightning-fast serve backed up by creative all-court tennis made Kyrgios both a formidable opponent and a compelling watch, and he remains one of a select group to have recorded a win over each of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Kyrgios’ on-court behavior was often combustible and his off-court behavior has drawn heavy criticism from some tennis fans. In 2023, he pleaded guilty to common assault of his then girlfriend Chiara Passari two years earlier, before the charge was dismissed in an Australian court.
He has also been criticized for his commentary about women in tennis. The following year, Kyrgios was admonished for writing “second serve” under a picture of himself and another ex: fellow ATP Tour star Jannik Sinner’s by-then girlfriend, the top-40 WTA player Anna Kalinskaya.
When Sinner and six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Świątek tested positive for clostebol and trimetazidine respectively, in cases which anti-doping authorities found to be caused by contamination, Kyrgios labeled the impact as “disgusting” for tennis.
In his statement Wednesday, Kyrgios said that he would be taking time away from social media and the public eye to work on himself.
“I’m sorry. I’ll do the work and come back better,” he said.
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Connections: Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for Aug. 19, 2026, puzzle No. 695
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