Author: Passion MLB

Before the trade deadline, the Texas Rangers were on fire, the offense coming alive to give a boost to a pitching staff that had held down the fort all season.

But since then, nothing has gone right, with the bullpen starting to implode and the offense reverting to its bad habits. Only the starting rotation is currently getting the job done, finally seeing the version of Jacob deGrom that the Rangers had envisioned when they signed him to a five-year, $185 million pact before the 2023 season.

But it seems that even in this department, the chain will eventually land. Indeed, according to Rangers describer Jared Sandler, deGrom is likely to miss his next start.

The right-hander is suffering from shoulder fatigue and has even returned to Arlington to see the team’s chief medical officer, Dr. Keith Meister, for further evaluation.

https://twitter.com/mlbtraderumors/status/1958023872264929617

After starting just nine games in total with 41 innings completed over the past two years combined, it’s only natural that the gunner should feel some fatigue in his arm. However, we’ll have to keep an eye on how his arm reacts to this period of rest.

This health problem comes at the worst possible time for the Rangers, whose playoff chances are slipping away as they now sit six games out of the final best-of-second spot.

The 37-year-old has been excellent for the Rangers this season, and if they are to have any chance of fighting for a ticket to the next fall dance, they’ll need their ace pitcher in top form.

This content was created with the help of AI.

Let’s take a look at the American League standings.

The Detroit Tigers have officially passed the Toronto Blue Jays at the top of the standings. The Houston Astros are a game and a half ahead of the Mariners in their division…

And the Yankees are back in the first wild-card spot.

When you look at it, the Red Sox’s defeat (the tough one), which lacked opportunism against the Orioles, means that the Boston club is now officially behind its Bronx rivals in the standings.

The series between the two clubs, which starts tomorrow, will be very interesting.

But more than that: the Red Sox (and the Mariners) will have to keep an eye on each other. Why should they? Because the Royals are really pushing at the back of the last clubs to qualify for the playoffs.

The Royals are on a five-game winning streak. Clearly, KC is hungrier than the Mariners, Red Sox or even Guardians, who are half a game behind the Royals.

KC is currently two and a half games out of the playoffs.

In the Nationals, the Mets are still in a precarious situation. Their lead over the Reds is just one small game, and even though the New York club has won its last three games, nothing is certain.

Pitchers will have to hold on.

The Chicago Cubs, who won twice yesterday against the Brewers, and the San Diego Padres are in a better position. But what’s true now won’t necessarily be true a month from now.

After all, the Red (7-3 in their last 10 games) are hungry, too…

• Blue Jays pulled by veterans.

Living in a world in which both George Springer and Max Scherzer have turned back the clock and are playing integral roles in a likely division title is incredible. #BlueJays https://t.co/UbWFU8WJLD

– Jenn Smith (@Baseball_Jenn) August 20, 2025

• Astros: 28 straight scoreless innings.

The Astros have been shut out for 28 CONSECUTIVE innings pic.twitter.com/x0ZlAyJFkP

– B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) August 20, 2025

• Thursday off for Shohei Ohtani.

Shohei Ohtani will be off on Thursday, Dave Roberts said. Will Smith will likely DH. It’s Ohtani’s first true off day this season (missed two games in April while on the paternity list).

– Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) August 20, 2025

This content was created with the help of AI.

The New York Yankees went through a very long slump this season, allowing the Toronto Blue Jays to turn a large deficit in the American League’s Eastern Section standings into a comfortable lead at the top of the division.

But lately, things have been looking up for the Bombardiers, who seem to be back to the version they were at the start of this campaign. And last night (Tuesday) was no exception.

Indeed, after a rain delay of nearly two hours, the Yankees crushed the Tampa Bay Rays 13-3 in their first game of this short two-game series in their own practice camp stadium, hitting no fewer than nine home runs, tying a franchise record in a single game.

It was the second time this season that the Bronx representatives had hit nine long balls in a game. They also did so against the Milwaukee Brewers in the first series of the season. No team in the history of Major League Baseball has ever had two nine-home run games in the same campaign.

The @Yankees have two games with 9 HR in franchise history.

Both have come THIS YEAR pic.twitter.com/1ED7aUFldS

– MLB (@MLB) August 20, 2025

The Blue Jays hold the MLB record for most home runs in a game, with ten, a record set on September 14, 1987 against the Baltimore Orioles.

The first bombshell of the evening came from the bat of Aaron Judge, whose 40th home run of the season placed him once again in the company of Yankee legends. The captain now has four seasons with forty home runs, the others achieving this feat in the New York organization being Babe Ruth (11), Lou Gehrig (5) and Mickey Mantle (4).

Cody Bellinger, who made history as the first Yankee since Ichiro Suzuki to play all three outfield positions in a single game (Ichiro did it in 2012), hit two long balls.

Jose Caballero, an acquisition from those same Rays at the trade deadline, also cannoned two home runs against his former team with a two-run bomb in the second inning, and the ninth home run of the night in the final inning.

Giancarlo Stanton, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Ben Rice also joined the party. The Bronx Bombers are back.

This content was created with the help of AI.