Opinion

When San Francisco Giants left-hander Matt Moore left the field in the sixth inning of Wednesday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the AT&T Park faithful stood and offered him a hearty cheer.

Past seasons have seen notable names from Josh Beckett to Chase Utley change teams during MLB's waiver trade window, as last-chance contenders have to add big league players who will be eligible for postseason play to their respective rosters. 

The day the Baltimore Orioles first called up Manny Machado, they were in a three-way tie for the American League wild-card lead, and third base was a problem.

With scarcely more than a month remaining in the regular season, MLB's divisional and wild-card tussles are getting real. That's equally true of the various awards races, some of which remain wide, wide open.

As we update odds for every major prize—Comeback Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and each league's Cy Young and MVP awards—there isn't much movement at the top of the leaderboard. In fact, only the National League Cy Young has a new front-runner.

The Los Angeles Dodgers didn't merely tread water in Clayton Kershaw's absence. They went full Michael Phelps and splashed into the lead.

LOS ANGELES — Where this Tim Tebow Fantasy Camp ends is not in the major leagues. Not in Yankee Stadium, or Fenway Park, or heck, whatever they’re calling the ballpark in Oakland these days.

But judging from a sunny Tuesday showcase workout at the University of Southern California, he’s going to be swinging away for quite some time.

Why is he picking up a baseball bat for the first time in more than a decade at the wizened old age of 29?

Tim Tebow worked out in front of 28 MLB clubs at the University of Southern California on Tuesday, making his bid to return to professional sports, this time as a baseball player.

During the 90-minute showcase, Tebow took part in a 60-yard dash, outfield drills, throwing drills, batting practice and faced live pitching. Afterward, he addressed the media.

Yoenis Cespedes is just one guy on a 25-man roster, and he's still feeling a quadriceps injury that put him on the disabled list Aug. 4. It's not fair to expect him to carry the New York Mets to October.

But darn it, he's going to try.

The Chicago Cubs are the best team in baseball by almost every measure.

They have the best record (82-47) and the best run differential (plus-217). They rank among MLB's top five in OPS (.777) and runs scored (655). They lead both leagues in ERA (3.12).

They can hit. They can pitch. Their rivals have plenty of reasons to fear them.

Now, there's another: Addison Russell, masher of baseballs.

The Baltimore Orioles' starting rotation is a mess bordering on a full-blown garbage fire. That's no secret, and it's certainly not hyperbole. 

Kevin Gausman to the rescue?

That sentence contains a question mark for good reason. Gausman's ERA hovered over 4.00 for most of August, and he's lost five of his last 10 decisions.