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MLB News & Moments You Should Know: 8/21/2025

How about those Phillies?

Pablo Figueroa
MLB Morning News 8/21/2025

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Today’s Headlines

 

Page Turner

Through six and a half innings, the Mariners and Phillies played a close game. Seattle took an early lead via a Julio Rodríguez first-inning homer, which was quickly erased as Philadelphia took a 3-1 lead by the middle frames. The M’s did not relent, inching closer in the seventh and threatening to tie the game. This is the point where the Phillies stopped fooling around, putting together an impressive five-run seventh that was followed by an affirming three-run eighth, turning a tight game into an 11-3 laugher. There were several heroes in this win, starting with Trea Turner’s five-hit, two-steal game, passing through Max Kepler’s homer and double, and culminating with Kyle Schwarber’s five-RBI total. All in all, every Philly starter had at least one hit, with the offense totaling 20 to earn a statement sweep over Seattle. As every day passes, this team looks scarier.

Rockie Road  

Despite the David-and-Goliath dynamic that can come with a 35-game difference in the standings, the Rockies have found a way to become a thorn on the Dodgers’ side and will enter today with a chance to earn a rare series win. This comes after Colorado completely dominated last night’s game, as the team cruised to a 5-0 lead and settled for a comfortable 8-3 win. Despite entering the contest with an ERA of 7.98, starter Tanner Gordon had his finest outing of 2025, limiting the mighty Dodgers to only four hits, a walk, and one run over six innings. Meanwhile, the Rockies’ offense did not homer but was relentless in its approach, with every starter collecting at least one hit as part of a 16-hit performance. With LA barely hanging on to their division lead, losing to the Rockies should be particularly painful.

The Big Hurston

With Atlanta having a season to forget, it is important that they find some silver linings as they play out the string. Enter Hurston Waldrep, a 23-year-old who had a quick cup of coffee in 2024 before joining the big league club a few weeks ago as Atlanta looked for pitching. Making his first start on August 2, Waldrep allowed one run and earned the win, followed by a similar performance in his second start. He has been even better since, and last night he had his best start yet, tossing seven scoreless innings to earn his fourth win in as many starts, lowering his ERA to 0.73. This kind of effort was extremely necessary for Atlanta, as the White Sox staff was almost as stingy, with lefty Martín Pérez taking a tough loss by allowing only one unearned run in this 1-0 affair. If Waldrep continues to churn out these types of starts, maybe 2025 was not a complete waste for Atlanta.

 

Bubba Pumped

With the Pirates looking towards 2026 and beyond, the team has announced that their top pitching prospect, Bubba Chandler, will make his MLB debut on Friday. The 22-year-old is expected to start his career out of the bullpen, probably being used as a bulk reliever, similarly to what Pittsburgh has done with Braxton Ashcraft. Chandler will likely be promoted to the rotation sooner rather than later, as he could eventually form a powerful trio with Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller. While he has not been as dominant in Triple-A, he has already reached 100 innings this season, as the Pirates will probably be cautious with his pitch counts and workload. The good news did not stop there for the Buccos, as they secured a series win by beating the Blue Jays 2-1 in an early-day game.

 

Best Moments From Yesterday

 

Rollercoaster

With the Yankees in the middle of a playoff race, games like last night’s are probably not what they need to feel comfortable, or at least keep their fans at ease. Facing the Rays on the road, New York went through every emotion in this contest. It all started with rookie Cam Schlittler, who retired the first 18 batters he faced, while the offense gave him early run support to create a comfortable 3-0 lead. After Schlittler exited with eight Ks and 6.1 innings to his name, the bullpen tried its best to bring the Rays back into the game, culminating in a two-out, two-run double from Hunter Feduccia that tied the game at three and sent it to extras. That is where it all looked rosy again, as Austin Wells and Giancarlo Stanton hit homers to restore the three-run lead. With erratic closer Devin Williams entrusted to protect the lead, the Rays went single-double to score a run and bring the tying runs to scoring position, only for Williams to suddenly rediscover his top form, striking out three straight Rays to shut the door. The 6-4 final score was nice for the Yankee faithful, but it is still hard to trust this team and its relief corps.

The Stars Were Bright, Fernando 

The San Francisco Giants looked primed to hit a first-inning homer for the third straight game in San Diego, as Rafael Devers hit a towering fly ball to right field that had the look and the distance. Enter Fernando Tatis Jr., who is undoubtedly one of the best defensive right fielders in the game. With the advantage of playing at home, Tatis timed his jump perfectly over the wall, expertly catching the would-be homer and then proceeding to make a dramatic pause as everyone in Petco Park realized he had the ball in his glove. The early momentum shift was evident, as Tatis would score the game’s first run in the bottom half of the frame, as the Padres cruised to another easy win over the fading Giants, with an 8-1 final score that included a couple of Gavin Sheets homers. It all started with this impressive catch.

 

Feeling Cheesy  

Despite being well behind the Brewers in the standings, the Cubs had a chance to secure the season series over their rivals, which could come in handy if they find a way to reach the top of the Central eventually. With a 3-1 lead in a pivotal moment in the game, Chicago’s broadcast crew attempted to conjure the famous announcer’s jinx, albeit with a positive twist. Boog Sciambi and Jim Deshaies started talking about a certain bar in Iowa, and how they would be up for buying mozzarella sticks for everyone there if William Contreras hit into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. As fate would have it, it is exactly what happened, as Contreras hit a textbook ground ball that saw the Cubs turn two, ultimately winning the game 4-3 and earning the tiebreaker over Milwaukee. Let’s hope there is a follow-up story that includes the mozzarella.

 

Injuries and Other Moves

 

⚾ Orioles closer Félix Bautista underwent major shoulder surgery aimed at repairing a torn rotator cuff and torn labrum, as announced by the organization. This means that Bautista will miss the rest of 2025 and most of 2026, just as he was recovering slowly from missing all of 2024. After a late MLB debut, the star closer will now probably return until his age-32 season, and he will be eligible for free agency after 2027.

⚾ Cincinnati placed catcher Tyler Stephenson on the 10-day IL with a thumb fracture. The injury had nagged Stephenson since last week, as his thumb was aggravated after catching a Hunter Greene fastball. While a return timetable is unclear, Jose Trevino will become the team’s primary backstop, while the Reds selected the contract of Will Banfield to serve as the backup. 

⚾ Yankees reliever Jonathan Loáisiga will seek a second opinion on what appears to be a flexor strain, suffered while he was rehabbing for an unrelated injury. Manager Aaron Boone expressed concern for this development, as it could mean that Loaisiga is lost for the year, and his availability for 2026 could also be impacted. With the Yankees struggling to put together a reliable bullpen, this loss could prove major for their playoff chances.

 

Articles You Should Read

 

Kyle Tucker Needs a Break — Mike Baumann, Fangraphs

Your Bubba Chandler Primer — Alex Stumpf, MLB.com

 

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Pablo Figueroa

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Pablo Figueroa is a Baseball Writer here at Pitcher List, with experience as a writer since 2013. He lives in Aguascalientes, Mexico - proud home of Los Rieleros. When he´s not thinking about baseball , he's a husband, owns two dogs, watches random episodes of The Sopranos , plays padel, and works on his day job to pay the bills.

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