Good August?

August just came to an end. The final month of the 2026 regular season is coming. This might be a very interesting month because a lot of teams are fighting hard for a spot in the postseason. We can see which players will make a huge impact to help their teams clinch a berth in the playoffs. Nonetheless, before that, several players had done a good job in August.

Now, let’s focus on the mound. There are several pitchers who threw at least 40 strikeouts last month.

Strikeouts (August 2026)
Player	SO
Ian Seymour	48
Cade Cavalli	47
Jesus Luzardo	46
Cristopher Sanchez	45
Payton Tolle	44
Chase Burns	43
Dylan Cease
Matthew Liberatore	41
Tyler Mahle
Aaron Nola

Firstly, Ian Seymour threw 35 innings for the Rays in August and he struck out 48 batters. Well, the 2026 season isn’t a good one for the Washington Nationals. However, there’s still good news. Cade Cavalli has become a key pitcher in the rotation. Cavalli made his MLB debut in 2022. Last year, he made 10 starts. So far in the 2026 season, he has made 20+ starts for the Nationals. In August, he did pitch well, posting a 1.75 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP over 36 innings. Cavalli made 6 starts in August and struck out 47 batters. At the same time, Jesus Luzardo had a good month as well. In August, he made 5 starts, posting a 1.31 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP over 34.1 innings. Luzardo struck out 46 batters last month. In the meantime, another pitcher from the Phillies also pitched well in August. Cristopher Sanchez made 6 starts last month, posting a 1.72 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. Sanchez threw 45 strikeouts in August. In addition, Payton Tolle made 6 starts for the Red Sox. He struck out 44 batters in 36 innings. Meanwhile, Chase Burns threw 43 strikeouts over 32.2 innings last month. He made 6 starts in August. Furthermore, Dylan Cease has a good season in Toronto and he’s the ace of the Blue Jays. Cease had a good month of August. Last month, he made 5 starts and threw 43 strikeouts. In 31 innings, he owned a 2.03 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP.

Finally, Matthew Liberatore made 6 starts for the Cardinals in August and he threw 41 strikeouts in 32 innings. Additionally, Aaron Nola, who’s pitching for the Phillies, threw 41 strikeouts over 34 innings in August. Nola owned a 2.65 RA and a 1.24 WHIP last month. Meanwhile, Tyler Mahle was traded from the Giants to the Braves. In August, he made a start for the Giants and 5 starts for the Braves. In those 6 starts, he threw 36 innings, posting a 2.50 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. And he struck out more than 40 batters.

Looking at the month of August, Ian Seymour led the majors with 48 strikeouts. Nonetheless, we should also look at the Phillies. It seems that the Phillies fans might be satisfied with several pitchers’ performances. Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo had pitched well in the month of August. Aaron Nola threw 40+ strikeouts last month. Well, the Nationals are not a postseason contender. But Cade Cavalli did a great job for sure. And Dylan Cease did a good job as well. In the meantime, Tyler Mahle has pitched well for the Braves. In September, we can keep watching if those pitchers will still dominate on the mound and help their teams clinch a spot in the playoffs.