Tarik Skubal keeps shoving, the Marlins keep sliding, and the Rangers keep pulling away in the AL West.
Friday brought another electric outing from Skubal in a Tigers win over the Royals, and if this winds up being one of his final starts in Detroit, he’s leaving the stage the right way. The left-hander worked 7 1/3 innings, gave up one run on four hits and two walks, and punched out 12 Kansas City hitters in a 2-1 victory. Detroit has now won 15 of its last 20, which has the club at 50-54 and 3.5 games behind the last AL wild card spot as the deadline nears and the buzz around Skubal’s future grows louder.
Across the league, Miami’s downturn has turned into a full-blown skid. The Marlins dropped their 10th straight on Friday, falling 4-2 to the Padres in a loss that stretched their winless run past two weeks.
The frustrating part for Miami is that none of those 10 defeats has come by more than three runs. The club is now back at .500 at 52-52 and sits three games out of a National League wild card position.
A team that looked like a clear buyer earlier this month may be forced to rethink things if the slide doesn’t stop soon. Eury Perez is scheduled to start today against JP Sears and the Padres.
In Texas, the Rangers continued building on their grip on the division, extending their lead in the AL West.
In Other News...
Should Rangers Bet On A Familiar Deadline Fix For Rotation Woes
With the trade deadline approaching, the Rangers are still sorting through a rotation that has been hit by uncertainty and needs innings in the worst way. Jordan Montgomery, Cody Bradford and Jack Leiter have all added to the sense that Texas may need to look outside the organization for a starter, and the club is at least exploring the kind of low-cost move that could steady things without forcing a major long-term commitment.
One familiar name has surfaced as a possible fit because of the way the market and the Rangers needs line up. The pitcher in question has had a rough overall season with the Giants, but his recent run has been better, including a July stretch that suggests there may still be something usable there. For Texas, the appeal is obvious: a short-term fix, limited risk and a chance to patch a glaring hole without paying a premium, even if the final decision comes down to whether the front office believes the rebound is real. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Face A Deadline Gamble Fans Will Be Split On
With the trade deadline closing in, the Rangers are being pushed toward a familiar kind of decision: whether to spend prospect capital on help for a bullpen that needs another reliable right-handed arm for the middle innings and high-leverage spots. The idea is straightforward enough for a club trying to stay in the race, but it still comes with the usual cost of moving young talent before it has fully arrived in Arlington.
Corey Seager is the other part of the conversation, and it is the one that figures to split fans more sharply. Even with the slump and the injury questions hanging over him, the case against dealing him is clear enough: the Rangers should not be in the business of taking a low-end return on a player with that kind of track record and importance. For now, the deadline pressure is less about whether Texas should make a move than about how far it is willing to go without turning a short-term fix into a long-term mistake. [Read more 🡒]
Two New Rangers Arms Just Changed The Prospect Conversation
The Rangers 2026 draft class already looks like it could reshape how the organization is viewed on the prospect front, with both Gio Rojas and Brody Bumila landing on ESPN MLB insider Kiley McDaniels updated top 10 list. Rojas, the No. 16 overall pick, came in with the kind of pedigree that usually forces a quick adjustment in a farm system, while Bumila arrived as a later selection after the Rangers went well above slot to get him signed for $2.75 million.
For a club that has spent the past few years trying to keep its pipeline stocked, having two new arms jump into the conversation this quickly is a notable development. Rojas was a high-profile high school pitcher before turning pro, and Bumilas own prep resume made him one of the more intriguing additions in the class, giving Texas a pair of young pitchers worth tracking as they begin their pro careers. [Read more 🡒]