U.S. Sports Roundup: NFL Preseason Arrives, Brewers Stun Dodgers and Aces Clinch
Friday, August 14, 2026
The sports calendar is humming again. ⚾🏈🏀
Major League Baseball delivered everything from a Field of Dreams showcase to a ninth-inning shocker in Los Angeles, the WNBA playoff picture sharpened, and NFL preseason football gave fans their first extended look at rookies and new-look rosters.
Here’s what happened Thursday, August 13, and what’s coming up Friday.
Brewers Shock Dodgers With Ninth-Inning Rally
The Milwaukee Brewers walked into the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium trailing by two runs and walked out with a 5-4 victory over Los Angeles.
Milwaukee scored three times against Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz, stringing together four consecutive one-out singles as Los Angeles suffered another late bullpen collapse. Díaz has now blown three saves in his last four appearances.
The result was more than another win for Milwaukee. The Brewers entered the game leading the National League and once again showed why they have become one of baseball's toughest late-game opponents.
The two teams go right back at it Friday night.
Field of Dreams Delivers Another Big Baseball Night
Major League Baseball returned to Dyersville, Iowa, Thursday as the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Minnesota Twins 7-1 at the Field of Dreams site.
Kyle Schwarber embraced the stage, hitting two home runs as Philadelphia powered past Minnesota.
The event also featured a heavy dose of baseball history, including a pregame celebration involving 26 Hall of Famers at the famous Iowa location.
It was the kind of game that reminds baseball why atmosphere matters. Cornfields, legends, home runs and a real game in the standings. Baseball doesn't get much more cinematic than that.
Pirates Explode for 13 Runs
Pittsburgh delivered Thursday's biggest offensive beatdown.
The Pirates crushed the Miami Marlins 13-1, with Braxton Ashcraft throwing a complete-game three-hitter while Rafael Flores hit two home runs and drove in six runs.
For a sport obsessed with bullpen matchups, a complete game is becoming a rare bird. Ashcraft didn't need the revolving door.
Mariners Finally Break Through
Seattle ended a six-game losing streak with a 1-0 victory over the New York Yankees.
Logan Gilbert pitched six strong innings, and Seattle's bullpen completed a four-hit shutout.
The victory moved Seattle to 57-65, although the club also made news by deciding to send highly regarded rookie shortstop Colt Emerson back to Triple-A following his recent struggles at the plate.
MLB Final Scores — Thursday, August 13
Thursday featured nine MLB games.
Detroit Tigers 3, Cleveland Guardians 0
Cincinnati Reds 9, Chicago White Sox 8
Pittsburgh Pirates 13, Miami Marlins 1
Seattle Mariners 1, New York Yankees 0
Boston Red Sox 7, Toronto Blue Jays 0
Washington Nationals 7, Chicago Cubs 0
Philadelphia Phillies 7, Minnesota Twins 1
Los Angeles Angels 7, Texas Rangers 0
Milwaukee Brewers 5, Los Angeles Dodgers 4
NFL Preseason: Young Quarterbacks Take Center Stage
The NFL preseason moved into full gear Thursday with six games.
One of the strongest performances came from Pittsburgh rookie quarterback Drew Allar, who threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score as the Steelers defeated Green Bay 28-9. Allar completed 10 of 13 passes for 154 yards.
No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza also got his first taste of Raiders preseason football. Mendoza threw a touchdown pass, but Arizona defeated Las Vegas 27-14.
Tennessee quarterback Cam Ward had a tougher evening, struggling during his three drives, although the Titans still defeated San Francisco 19-13.
Elsewhere, Cincinnati edged Detroit 16-14, the Chargers handled Houston 27-7, and Indianapolis and New England finished in a 13-13 tie.
NFL Preseason Final Scores — Thursday
The NFL's official Week 1 preseason schedule confirms Thursday's six finals.
Cincinnati Bengals 16, Detroit Lions 14
Pittsburgh Steelers 28, Green Bay Packers 9
Indianapolis Colts 13, New England Patriots 13
Los Angeles Chargers 27, Houston Texans 7
Arizona Cardinals 27, Las Vegas Raiders 14
Tennessee Titans 19, San Francisco 49ers 13
Aces Clinch a WNBA Playoff Spot
Las Vegas officially punched its postseason ticket Thursday night.
Jackie Young poured in a season-high 32 points and hit five 3-pointers as the Aces defeated the Washington Mystics 83-76, securing a playoff berth. A'ja Wilson added 15 points.
Young took over when the game tightened, scoring 12 consecutive Las Vegas points during the fourth quarter.
Liberty Survive a Massive Sparks Comeback
New York appeared headed for a comfortable night against Los Angeles.
Then things got interesting.
The Liberty ultimately held off the Sparks 85-81, avoiding what could have become one of the largest collapses in WNBA history. Sabrina Ionescu finished with 20 points.
Los Angeles' Rae Burrell scored 28 points in the loss.
Dream Dominate Connecticut
Atlanta had considerably less drama.
Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray each scored 29 points as the Dream rolled past the Connecticut Sun 104-69. Howard buried five 3-pointers and had already scored 23 points by halftime.
WNBA Final Scores — Thursday
Atlanta Dream 104, Connecticut Sun 69
New York Liberty 85, Los Angeles Sparks 81
Las Vegas Aces 83, Washington Mystics 76
Women's Sports Audience Continues to Surge
Beyond individual games, one of the week's biggest sports-business stories is the continued growth of women's sports.
A Nielsen report found that women's sports generated 28.6 billion viewing minutes in the United States during the first half of 2026, an 18% increase compared with the same period last year. Nielsen also estimated that 122.5 million Americans are now interested in women's sports.
The WNBA alone generated 3.8 billion viewing minutes heading into its All-Star break, while sponsor valuation increased 71%, according to the report.
Those numbers suggest something bigger than a single superstar or season. Women's sports are becoming an increasingly significant part of the mainstream U.S. sports economy.
Upcoming Games — Friday, August 14
All times Eastern.
MLB
Friday brings a much fuller 14-game MLB schedule.
St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs — 2:20 p.m.
Miami Marlins at Cincinnati Reds — 6:10 p.m.
Boston Red Sox at Pittsburgh Pirates — 6:40 p.m.
Chicago White Sox at Detroit Tigers — 6:40 p.m.
San Diego Padres at Cleveland Guardians — 7:10 p.m.
Washington Nationals at New York Mets — 7:10 p.m.
Baltimore Orioles at Tampa Bay Rays — 7:10 p.m.
New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays — 7:15 p.m.
Arizona Diamondbacks at Atlanta Braves — 7:15 p.m.
Seattle Mariners at Houston Astros — 8:10 p.m.
Kansas City Royals at Los Angeles Angels — 9:38 p.m.
Texas Rangers at Athletics — 9:40 p.m.
Milwaukee Brewers at Los Angeles Dodgers — 10:10 p.m.
Colorado Rockies at San Francisco Giants — 10:15 p.m.
Games to Watch
Brewers at Dodgers immediately jumps off the page after Thursday night's ninth-inning Milwaukee comeback.
Yankees at Blue Jays opens another important divisional series, while Seattle heads directly from its shutout victory in New York to Houston.
WNBA
Two games are scheduled Friday as WNBA Rivals Week continues.
Dallas Wings at Indiana Fever — 7:30 p.m.
Portland Fire at Seattle Storm — 10:00 p.m.
The Dallas-Indiana matchup gives both teams another national showcase on ION, while Portland and Seattle close the night's WNBA schedule.
NFL Preseason
Three preseason games are scheduled Friday night, all kicking off at 7 p.m. ET.
Denver Broncos at Atlanta Falcons — 7:00 p.m.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New York Jets — 7:00 p.m.
Miami Dolphins at Washington Commanders — 7:00 p.m.
NFL Network is scheduled to carry Buccaneers-Jets, while the other two games are available through NFL+ subject to applicable viewing restrictions.
Saturday's NFL Slate Is Loaded Too
NFL preseason Week 1 continues Saturday with seven additional games, including Rams-Chiefs, Eagles-Ravens and Cowboys-Seahawks.
That weekend schedule will give coaches another chance to evaluate rookie quarterbacks, position battles and players fighting for the final spots on 53-man rosters.
The Bigger Sports Picture
August is entering one of those sweet spots on the American sports calendar.
Baseball's playoff races are getting more serious. The WNBA postseason picture is beginning to take shape. NFL football is back on television, even if the games don't count yet. Golf, tennis, NASCAR, soccer and other major events are filling out the weekend schedule as well.
Thursday's results also offered a little bit of everything: a dominant complete game, a one-run pitching duel, a Field of Dreams showcase, an ugly bullpen collapse, a playoff-clinching WNBA victory and a first look at some of the NFL's newest players.
The scoreboard is officially crowded again. That's usually a good problem for sports fans to have.
Sources and Full Links
MLB — Official 2026 Schedule
https://www.mlb.com/schedule
NFL — Official 2026 Preseason Week 1 Schedule
https://www.nfl.com/schedules/2026/by-week/preseason-week-1
NFL — Preseason Week 1 Scores
https://www.nfl.com/scores/2026/preseason-week-1
WNBA — Official Schedule
https://www.wnba.com/schedule
WNBA — 2026 Rivals Week Schedule
https://www.wnba.com/news/2026-wnba-rivals-week-faq
Associated Press — Brewers rally for three runs in ninth to beat Dodgers 5-4
https://apnews.com/article/dodgers-brewers-score-ohtani-sasaki-diaz-157b3c11da0e63b922df90d9ef7815d0
Associated Press — Phillies beat Twins 7-1 at Field of Dreams
https://apnews.com/article/phillies-twins-score-field-of-dreams-e356a2eea218ab2b61552406eb8a55d6
Associated Press — Pirates rout Marlins 13-1
https://apnews.com/article/pittsburgh-pirates-miami-marlins-score-14b3cc44591060353439dffdd47e08f8
Associated Press — Mariners shut out Yankees 1-0
https://apnews.com/article/mariners-yankees-score-0a202728a9db94336a00a6c386fd0e5a
Associated Press — Steelers beat Packers 28-9
https://apnews.com/article/packers-steelers-score-allar-d97e2ba4ff7c5910ba061cc9d112e3c1
Associated Press — Cardinals beat Raiders 27-14 in Fernando Mendoza's preseason debut
https://apnews.com/article/cardinals-raiders-score-mendoza-cc745909f54ebd584c371182fc92dee9
Associated Press — Titans beat 49ers 19-13
https://apnews.com/article/titans-49ers-score-4227faf01030feb66835a030cd5ea05b
Associated Press — Aces beat Mystics 83-76 and clinch playoff berth
https://apnews.com/article/mystics-aces-score-4c7f6d3432668f41fd5f5d9ef9c8cde2
Associated Press — Liberty hold off Sparks 85-81
https://apnews.com/article/sparks-liberty-score-f71b5d65a7314988a6f01824e34a984c
Associated Press — Dream beat Sun 104-69
https://apnews.com/article/dream-sun-score-f0591f4cf131110892abf926fd4cd741
Reuters — Women's sports viewership grows in the United States
https://www.reuters.com/sports/more-fans-are-tuning-into-womens-sports-nielsen-report-finds-2026-08-13/
Reuters — NFL preseason roundup
https://www.reuters.com/sports/nfl-preseason-roundup-raiders-fernando-mendoza-throws-td-pass-debut--flm-2026-08-14/