For just the second time in the last week and a half, Yankees fans got to wake up in the morning knowing that their team hadn’t embarrassed them in some grotesque manner the night before. Cam Schlittler was an ace! Ben Rice was an All-Star as well! And of course there was a surprise contributor as well too, with José Caballero delivering a pair of homers despite entering play in an 8-for-50 (.160) slump. They still need to do a little bit more—the three dingers between Caballero and Rice represented
their only hits—but every return to form has to start somewhere.
Here’s what else was going on in some of the notable American League action yesterday. Note that since all these teams are classified in “Other Games” for us while the Rays get the most detailed treatment, it’ll be a tidier Rivalry Roundup over the next four days. That’s especially true for this one since the Guardians and Mariners (and White Sox and Rangers) were all off.
Toronto Blue Jays (42-49) 1, San Francisco Giants (38-52) 10: I’ve been pretty persistent about keeping the Jays involved in the Rivalry Roundup all year long since they do remain the defending American League champions and could still well make it to October in an awful AL field. Even now, they’re just 3.5 back in the Wild Card; Texas, Houston, and Minnesota are all ahead of them for the last spot, but would it shock anyone to see those teams falter and bring the Jays back into this? Not really.
But everyone has a breaking point, and I’m almost there with Toronto, at least in terms of expectations. If this continues, it will likely be their last week for the time being. Nothing says “sobering” like getting your teeth kicked in by the disastrous 2026 Giants. Kevin Gausman was OK until faltering badly in the sixth, and the Jays mustered just three hits in eight innings against Landen Roupp. Heliot Ramos went oppo taco into the high right-field seats at Oracle Park and followed it in the eighth with a majestic 434-foot tater.
Houston Astros (45-48) 11, Washington Nationals (47-45) 12: The Astros haven’t been featured in the Rivalry Roundup since early in the season, but we can give them a cameo this morning since they’re in the Wild Card mix and not far off the underwhelming M’s in the AL West. And the Yankees are playing the Nationals after this Rays series, too, so why not?
This 2019 World Series rematch turned into a fun one at Nats Park, perfectly fitting two clubs that have struggled on the mound in 2026. Homers by Jose Altuve and Yainer Diaz off Miles Mikolas helped give Houston an early 6-1 lead, but the Nats came storming back because Houston starter Mike Burrows wasn’t any good either. NL All-Star starting shortstop CJ Abrams proved his bona fides with a three-run missile to right in the third, capping a five-run frame that suddenly tied the game. Curtis Mead delivered his third run-scoring hit of the day on a go-ahead solo shot in the fifth, an inning that would not end for the Astros until James Wood delivered a towering, 445-foot grand slam against AJ Blubaugh.
The Nats’ lousy bullpen made this one close again, Houston creeping back into it on the strength of a three-run jack from Brice Matthews in the eighth. It was a one-run game, so rookie skipper Blake Butera called on Clayton Beeter for the four-out save. The erstwhile Yankees prospect obliged, retiring the next four batters in order impressively including the ever-scorching Yordan Alvarez on a strikeout as the potential tying run. The Astros are now three games behind the Mariners in the AL West, in third place with the Rangers a game and a half up in second (Texas also presently holds the last Wild Card(.
