Monday’s MLB slate brings 10 games, and with the playoffs creeping closer, a few wild-card contenders are front and center in the betting conversation.
The home-run market is always a tricky one. A single swing can cash the ticket, but the long season also reminds you how rare that swing really is.
Still, there are spots worth attacking when the matchup and the recent power trend line up. For Aug. 10, three bats stand out: Boston’s Wilyer Abreu, Baltimore’s Pete Alonso and Texas shortstop Corey Seager.
Abreu has been one of the hottest power bats in Boston’s lineup lately. He enters Monday with 20 home runs on the season and has gone deep three times in his last five games, while also putting together a .438 batting average and a 1.584 OPS over that stretch. The Red Sox outfielder gets the Toronto Blue Jays and right-hander Jameson Taillon, and that’s enough to make him a target.
Taillon has had major issues keeping the ball in the park this season, surrendering 26 home runs in 16 appearances. He also allowed a homer in four innings during his debut with Toronto earlier this month, and his ERA sits at 5.96 overall.
Abreu has not faced Taillon before, but the split data is encouraging enough: he has 15 homers against right-handed pitching in 2026. He’s been better against lefties in terms of batting average, hitting .326, but the current form and the matchup make him a live play.
Taillon has only three outings this year in which he didn’t allow a home run.
On the other side of the board, the Orioles are facing a familiar face in Dean Kremer, who was dealt to the Minnesota Twins at the deadline and is set for his second start with the club Monday night. Kremer has made eight appearances this season and owns a 5.93 ERA with 12 home runs allowed. He held the damage to one run in his debut with Minnesota, but that hasn’t changed the profile enough to trust him here.
That brings Alonso into the picture. The first baseman has delivered for Baltimore this season, hitting 25 home runs with an .818 OPS.
He’s also showing steady power form right now, with three homers in his last 12 games and a .951 OPS last week across six games, when he left the yard twice. Against right-handed pitching, Alonso has hit .260 and launched 19 of his 25 homers.
At +329, he offers strong value against a pitcher who’s been vulnerable to the long ball, especially with the Twins’ bullpen ranking in the bottom five in MLB in ERA this season.
Seager is the third name worth a look. Texas has not gotten the season it wanted from its shortstop, who is hitting under .200 and has appeared in only 59 games because of injuries.
Even so, he has still hit 11 home runs, which works out to roughly one every five games. Since coming off the injured list, Seager has looked sharper, batting .286 with a homer and a .783 OPS over eight games.
The matchup with the Angels and left-hander Reid Detmers is also appealing. Seager has seen Detmers plenty and has gone 5-for-20 with a home run against him, good for a .823 OPS in the matchup.
Detmers has struggled to suppress power this year, allowing 17 home runs in 23 appearances and nine homers in six starts since July 1. The Angels’ bullpen has also been shaky, carrying a 4.40 ERA and giving up 58 home runs in 2026.
Seager is still a volatile bat because of the batting average, but this looks like one of his better spots since returning from the IL.
In Other News...
Jordan Montgomery's Return Left Rangers Watching One Late-Season Question
Jordan Montgomery was back on a big-league mound for Texas for the first time since the end of the 2024 season, and the return came with the kind of work-in-progress feel the Rangers have been bracing for. In four innings against Baltimore, he gave up three earned runs, a reminder that even a familiar arm can take some time to settle in after a long layoff. For a club still trying to sort through its late-season picture, getting Montgomery back in the mix mattered as much as the line score.
Skip Schumaker did not sound discouraged afterward, pointing to the possibility of more coming as Montgomery builds back up. There is still other movement on the horizon, too, with catcher Danny Jansen expected to begin a rehab assignment soon and Jack Leiter likely to start one this week. For Texas, the bigger question now is not just whether Montgomery can round into form, but how quickly the roster around him starts to look more complete. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Are Betting On New Bullpen Arms To Fix A Lingering Problem
The Rangers moved on from Chris Martin on Aug. 8, ending a short and frustrating run for the veteran right-hander after he was designated for assignment and cleared waivers. Injuries had complicated his season from the start, and the results never matched the clubs hopes, with Martin struggling to a 9.00 ERA over 14 innings before his release.
Now Texas is trying to patch a familiar bullpen gap with a different look, turning to Chase Silseth and Peyton Gray for right-handed middle relief work. It is a low-profile move on paper, but for a Rangers staff that has been searching for dependable answers in the middle innings, these are the kinds of innings that can quietly shape a stretch run. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Face A Brutal AL West Test They Have To Pass
The Rangers left Baltimore with a series win, even if the trip ended on a sour note, and now the schedule turns back toward a division test that could shape the next stretch of their season. They are heading out for a seven-game road trip against the Angels and Athletics, two clubs already out of playoff contention, which on paper should be a chance to bank wins and keep their momentum moving in the right direction.
For Texas, though, the real issue is not the opponent as much as the setting. The Rangers have not played well on the road against AL West teams this season, and this stretch carries extra weight because every division game can matter when the standings tighten later on. If they are going to keep their playoff chase in good position, this is the kind of road trip they have to handle better than they have so far. [Read more 🡒]