U.S. Sports Roundup: Rays Go Deep, Fever Stay Hot, NFL Preseason Arrives
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
Baseball delivered plenty of fireworks Tuesday night, the WNBA playoff race continued tightening, and NFL teams are preparing for a full slate of preseason action beginning Thursday.
Here’s a look at the biggest sports stories, Tuesday night’s final scores and the games ahead Wednesday.
Rays Blast Six Home Runs in 12-4 Rout
The Tampa Bay Rays supplied one of Tuesday night’s loudest performances, tying a franchise record with six home runs in a 12-4 victory over the Athletics. Taylor Walls homered twice, while Junior Caminero, Yandy Díaz, Victor Mesa Jr. and Carson Williams also went deep. Nick Martinez threw his first career complete game and improved to 12-3.
It was another strong result for a Tampa Bay club that entered the series having already swept Colorado and Seattle on its road trip.
Around the league, San Diego hammered Milwaukee 11-2, the Yankees beat Seattle 4-1, Toronto handed Boston its fourth straight loss with a 5-3 win, Atlanta shut out the Mets 4-0, and the Dodgers edged Kansas City 5-4.
Padres Make a Statement Against Milwaukee
San Diego’s 11-2 victory over Milwaukee stood out on Tuesday’s scoreboard as the Padres continue pursuing a postseason position. The Brewers entered Wednesday with one of baseball’s strongest records, making San Diego’s dominant result particularly notable as the teams continue their series.
The Padres and Brewers meet again Wednesday afternoon.
Fever Beat Liberty 106-92
Indiana continued its strong run with a 106-92 victory over the New York Liberty Tuesday night.
Caitlin Clark finished with 22 points and 10 assists, helping Indiana improve to 21-12. The Fever scored 64 points in the first half and held off New York after taking control early.
The result was important in an increasingly crowded WNBA playoff race, with several teams separated by only a handful of games as the regular season moves deeper into August.
Aces Stop Mystics’ Seven-Game Winning Streak
Las Vegas ended Washington’s franchise-record seven-game winning streak with an 86-76 victory.
A’ja Wilson produced 26 points and 13 rebounds, while Jackie Young added 26 points and eight assists without committing a turnover. Las Vegas improved to 23-11.
Washington fell to 19-13 but remains firmly involved in the playoff race.
Mercury Edge Sparks
Phoenix completed Tuesday’s WNBA slate by defeating Los Angeles 94-87.
Noemie Brochant scored a season-high 24 points as Phoenix pulled away late in a game that featured 12 ties and 16 lead changes.
Kelsey Plum missed the matchup against her former team because of left calf tightness.
Tuesday Night Final Scores
MLB
Tuesday featured a full 15-game Major League Baseball schedule.
- Marlins 2, Pirates 0
- Tigers 6, Guardians 4
- Cubs 8, Nationals 6
- Yankees 4, Mariners 1
- Blue Jays 5, Red Sox 3
- Braves 4, Mets 0
- Orioles 5, Twins 2
- Reds 5, White Sox 4, 10 innings
- Cardinals 2, Phillies 0
- Angels 3, Rangers 2
- Padres 11, Brewers 2
- Rockies 3, Diamondbacks 2
- Rays 12, Athletics 4
- Giants 4, Astros 1
- Dodgers 5, Royals 4
WNBA
Indiana, Las Vegas and Phoenix all earned victories Tuesday.
- Fever 106, Liberty 92
- Aces 86, Mystics 76
- Mercury 94, Sparks 87
MLB Games Today
All times below are Central Time. MLB has another full 15-game schedule Wednesday.
- Orioles at Twins — 12:40 p.m.
- Phillies at Cardinals — 1:15 p.m.
- Rays at Athletics — 2:05 p.m.
- Rockies at Diamondbacks — 2:40 p.m.
- Astros at Giants — 2:45 p.m.
- Brewers at Padres — 3:10 p.m.
- Guardians at Tigers — 5:40 p.m.
- Pirates at Marlins — 5:40 p.m.
- Cubs at Nationals — 5:45 p.m.
- Mariners at Yankees — 6:05 p.m.
- Red Sox at Blue Jays — 6:07 p.m.
- Mets at Braves — 6:15 p.m.
- Reds at White Sox — 6:40 p.m.
- Rangers at Angels — 9:10 p.m.
- Royals at Dodgers — 9:10 p.m.
One of the marquee national matchups is Seattle at New York, with the Mariners looking to respond after Tuesday’s 4-1 Yankees victory.
WNBA Games Today
The WNBA has three games Wednesday, including a matchup featuring league-leading Minnesota.
- Toronto Tempo at Dallas Wings — 7:00 p.m. Central
- Chicago Sky at Golden State Valkyries — 9:00 p.m. Central
- Minnesota Lynx at Portland Fire — 9:00 p.m. Central
The Minnesota-Portland matchup puts the Lynx back in action after becoming the first WNBA team to clinch a 2026 playoff berth. Minnesota recently improved to 27-7 and has been powered by a deep offense led by Napheesa Collier and Kayla McBride.
Dallas also has something to watch Wednesday: guard Azzi Fudd could return after missing two games because of right knee soreness. She participated fully in practice ahead of the matchup with Toronto.
NFL Preseason Week 1 Begins Thursday
There are no NFL games Wednesday, but the league returns Thursday with six Preseason Week 1 matchups. The official NFL schedule has Detroit-Cincinnati, Green Bay-Pittsburgh, Indianapolis-New England, Los Angeles Chargers-Houston, Arizona-Las Vegas and Tennessee-San Francisco opening the week.
One unusual storyline surrounds the Patriots. New England is replacing recently installed turf at Gillette Stadium after the surface failed to meet NFL laboratory testing standards. The work is being completed ahead of Thursday’s home preseason game against Indianapolis.
Training camps are also reaching the point where quarterback competitions, rookie performances and roster battles will begin moving from practice fields into actual games.
What to Watch Today
Baseball owns most of Wednesday’s sports calendar. With August moving quickly, every series carries more weight for teams chasing division titles and Wild Card positions.
The WNBA has its own pressure cooker brewing. Minnesota has already punched a playoff ticket, Golden State has emerged as one of the league’s strongest teams, Indiana is surging, and the middle of the standings remains packed.
Then Thursday, football joins the party.
The sports calendar is officially getting crowded again. 🏈⚾🏀
Sources and Full Links
Reuters — MLB roundup: Rays match team record with six home runs
https://www.reuters.com/sports/mlb-roundup-rays-match-team-record-with-6-homers-rout-as--flm-2026-08-12/
MLB — Official MLB news
https://www.mlb.com/news
ESPN — WNBA scoreboard
https://www.espn.com/wnba/scoreboard
WNBA — Official schedule
https://www.wnba.com/schedule
WNBA — Indiana Fever vs. New York Liberty
https://www.wnba.com/game/nyl-vs-ind-1022600245
WNBA — Las Vegas Aces vs. Washington Mystics recap
https://www.wnba.com/watch/video/game-recap-las-vegas-aces-86-washington-mystics-76-08-11-2026
WNBA — Minnesota Lynx vs. Portland Fire
https://www.wnba.com/game/min-vs-pdx-1022600250
NFL — 2026 Preseason Week 1 schedule
https://www.nfl.com/schedules/2026/by-week/preseason-week-1
Reuters — Patriots replacing Gillette Stadium turf
https://www.reuters.com/sports/patriots-replace-recently-installed-turf-field-before-exhibition-opener--flm-2026-08-09/
Reuters — Angels fire pitching coach Mike Maddux and two assistants
https://www.reuters.com/sports/woeful-angels-fire-pitching-coach-mike-maddux-2-others-staff--flm-2026-08-11/
Reuters — 2026 World Series Game 7 scheduled for Halloween if necessary
https://www.reuters.com/sports/spooky-times-2026-world-series-game-7-falls-halloween--flm-2026-08-10/