BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - AUGUST 22: Samuel Basallo #29 of the Baltimore Orioles celebrates with Jackson Holliday #7 after hitting a two-run home run in the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 22, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The St. Louis Cardinals will be able to enjoy a brief stint of home cooking as they’ll kick off a 2-series homestand Tuesday night as the Baltimore Orioles arrive in town. Both teams are in a similar situation with both still in the running for a Wild Card spot. The Cardinals, however, are reeling after a stunning defeat on Sunday after Riley O’Brien could not protect a 4-run lead in the 9th as they were swept by the Phillies.
The Baltimore Orioles are an interesting animal. Despite the fact that they’re near the bottom of the American League East, they’re only 1 game back of the final Wild Card slot. Similar to the Cardinals, they have several teams in front of them as there are currently 5 teams in the AL within a game of each other. The Cardinals starters are still a bit of a mystery, but MLB.com says these will be the starters for the Orioles:
Tuesday, August 25 – Chris Bassitt (RHP 4-4, 5.08 ERA, 46 SO)
Chris Bassitt is winless in his last 3 starts. His most recent effort was August 19 against the Yankees where he tossed 5 innings allowing 3 earned runs on 8 hits in a no-decision. Kyle Bradish is also winless in his last 3 starts. On August 20, he took the loss as he threw 5 2/3 innings against the Yankees allowing 3 earned runs on 5 hits while striking out 5 and walking 3. Trevor Rogers has won 2 of his last 3 starts. On August 21, the threw 7 innings against the Tampa Bay Rays allowing 6 hits, 3 earned runs while striking out 6 and walking just one as he got the victory.
I’ve heard some speculate that Tuesday night’s game will see Matthew Liberatore start for the Cardinals, but I have yet to find any confirmation of that at this point. Same with Wednesday and Thursday’s games vs the Orioles.
Who are the Baltimore Orioles players to watch?
Pete Alonso (1B): Leads the team in batting average (.271), hits (131), home runs (30), and RBIs (85).
Gunnar Henderson (SS): Gunnar is a major part of Baltimore’s offense with 20 home runs and 76 runs scored.
Samuel Basallo (C): Emerging strongly with 16 home runs and regular clutch performances in the lineup.
Coby Mayo (3B): Adds middle-of-the-order power with 17 home runs.
Whose on the Baltimore Orioles injured list?
Blaze Alexander (3B) – 10-day IL (fractured left hand; targeting a late-August return)
Ryan Mountcastle (1B) – 60-day IL (left foot fracture and significant oblique strain)
(3B) – 60-day IL (season-ending Tommy John surgery)
Félix Bautista (RP) – 60-day IL (recovering from right shoulder surgery; beginning a rehab assignment)
Ryan Helsley (RP) – 60-day IL (right elbow inflammation)
The Cardinals/Orioles series should be a fascinating one. Baltimore is coming off of a strong weekend performance against the Tampa Bay Rays while the Cardinals are returning home after getting swept by the Phillies. Injuries to Hunter Dobbins, Andre Pallante, Masyn Winn and Everson Pereira have given St. Louis big challenges on managing roster spots and lineups. The Cardinals are fighting with the Marlins, Diamondbacks and Padres for the final NL Wild Card slot. The homestand with the Orioles and then Pirates coming to town should give St. Louis an opportunity to make up some ground. It’s put up or shut up time regarding any playoff dreams this young Cardinals roster has. Let’s hope it’s the first option.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 19, 2026: Keyner Martinez #48 of the San Francisco Giants throws a pitch during the second inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Cincinnati Reds at Scottsdale Stadium on March 19, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
What a fun weekend for the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates! Here’s everything that happened.
All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.
News
Low-A San Jose RHP Argenis Cayama (No. 13 CPL) has been named the Pitcher of the Week in the Cal League!
AAA Sacramento (71-52)
Friday: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Tacoma Rainiers 6-5 [box score] Saturday: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Tacoma Rainiers 15-11 [box score] Sunday: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Tacoma Rainiers 3-1 [box score]
Well, Sacramento’s 5-game winning streak came to a screeching halt, and was replaced by a 3-game losing streak. But, as I often say, individual performances matter far more than team outcomes in the Minors, and there were still plenty of individual outings to make you smile.
Perhaps most notably, left fielder/right fielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) continued his tear through AAA. It was yet another strong string of games for the 24-year old lefty, who seems hell bent on earning an MLB debut before the season ends. Davidson hit 4-12 over the weekend, with a home run, 2 doubles, 3 walks, a stolen base, and outfield assist, and just 1 strikeout.
This is perhaps the most amateur way imaginable to scout, but you watch Davidson and he just looks like a Major Leaguer. I’m reminded of a Farhan Zaidi quote about disregarding numbers with young players and just watching how they look in the batter’s box to know they’re ready. Then again, Zaidi was talking about Luis Matos and Marco Luciano, so perhaps I should disregard that quote as well.
Anyway, here’s your update on when Davidson flipped the switch and seemingly figured out AAA:
First 22 games: 17-86, 0 home runs, 3 doubles, 10 walks, 21 strikeouts Next 11 games: 23-45, 6 home runs, 7 doubles, 7 walks, 4 strikeouts
Absolutely comical!
With that, the outfielder — who has been moved off of center since getting to AAA — is up to a .910 OPS and a 135 wRC+ through 33 AAA games, with 5 stolen bases in as many attempts. Equally encouraging is that he has just a 16.6% strikeout rate and an 8.0% swinging strike rate, which are phenomenal numbers. They’re also fairly dramatically better than the marks he was putting up in AA earlier this year, so that could point to some oncoming regression … or it could mean that he’s made dramatic strides.
Meanwhile, Davidson’s grassmate, center fielder/right fielder Scott Bandura is taking the same approach to AAA: he took a while to adjust following an early-season promotion (much earlier than Davidson’s), and now refuses to stop raking. It was just another brilliant weekend for Bandura, who hit 9-14 with 3 doubles, 1 walk, 2 stolen bases, and 0 strikeouts.
Bandura, a 7th-round pick in 2023 out of Princeton, who turned 25 earlier this month, is smoking hot. He has multiple hits in 11 out of 19 games this month, and his season is a true tale of adjustments, just like Davidson’s, but in a larger sample for both the struggles and the successes:
First 34 games: 31-129, 1 home run, 2 triples, 7 doubles, 8 walks, 28 strikeouts Next 44 games: 67-176, 7 home runs, 0 triples, 14 doubles, 30 walks, 25 strikeouts
What a remarkable adjustment! The lefty is up to an .877 OPS and a 130 wRC+ with 20 stolen bases in 21 attempts. Like Davidson, his contact numbers are encouraging: he has just a 15.0% strikeout rate and a 5.9% swinging strike rate, the latter of which is 91st percentile. The future is pretty darned exciting for the outfield!
It was a quieter weekend for third baseman Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL), though he did plenty to get excited about, as he hit 3-9 with 2 doubles and a walk, albeit with 3 strikeouts. Unlike Davidson and Bandura, Harber hit the ground running in AAA, though he’s cooled down a bit following a red-hot start. Still a great debut AAA stint for the 24-year old slugger, who has an .866 OPS and a 127 wRC+ through 31 games.
Catcher Adrián Sugastey continues to adjust well to life in AAA, as he hit 2-7 with a home run, 2 walks, and a strikeout. Sugastey has taken advantage of the offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League, as he’s posted an .812 OPS and a 114 wRC+ through his 1st 20 games. That’s a huge improvement over his .715 OPS and 91 wRC+ in AA, which was the best offense he’s posted in 3 years at the level.
The offense will regress eventually, but when it does, the defense will likely still be standing strong. The 23-year old showed off his impressive control of the run game in this one, throwing out 4 of the 5 runners who tried to steal on him.
A few other offensive performances of note: shortstop Shay Whitcomb hit just 2-9, but smashed a home run; center fielder Grant McCray continued his post-optioning struggles, hitting 2-11 with 3 walks, 3 strikeouts, and a stolen base; and designated hitter Jesús Rodríguez (No. 16 CPL) began a rehab assignment and hit 0-4 with a strikeout.
The best pitching performance came from LHP Joe Whitman (No. 26 CPL), who had an excellent start on Friday. It’s been a difficult transition to AAA for the comp-round pick in 2023, but this was his 2nd awesome start in a row. Whitman took down 6 innings while giving up just 4 hits, 0 walks, 1 hit batter, 3 runs, and 2 earned runs, while striking out 4 batters. He needed just 81 pitches to get through those 6 innings, and threw 54 of them for strikes. Whitman, who turns 25 next month, has just a 4.85 ERA and a 5.28 FIP since getting promoted, but he’s trending in the right direction and doing a strong job limiting walks. I don’t think we’ll see him debut this year, but since he’ll likely need to be protected in the Rule 5 Draft, it wouldn’t be a shocking thing if he strings together a few more good outings.
LHP Seth Lonsway pitched on Sunday and also went 6 innings deep, though his outing was a bit more clunky: 7 hits, 2 walks, 3 earned runs, 98 pitches thrown, and just 2 strikeouts. Lonsway has been good at eating innings for Sacramento, which has value of course, but isn’t really setting himself up for an MLB debut. The 27-year old, who was taken in the 6th round in 2021, has a 6.00 ERA and a 6.54 FIP on the year, with just 5.6 strikeouts per 9 innings (against 6.1 walks).
Saturday’s game was a bullpen affair, but it featured something exciting: a rehab appearance by LHP Matt Gage. It initially looked like Gage would be done for the year after being left to die on the MLB mound, but he’s working his way back. He wasn’t sharp in this game, giving up 2 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run in an inning of work, but it’s just great that he’s out there.
LHP Philip Abner made his 1st 2 appearances since getting claimed off of waivers by the Giants. He pitched 2 innings and allowed 2 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run in 2 innings, with 3 strikeouts.
AA Richmond (70-48)
Friday: Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Chesapeake Baysox 4-3 [box score] Saturday: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Chesapeake Baysox 4-3 [box score] Sunday: Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Chesapeake Baysox 6-5 (10 innings) [box score]
Excitement on the mound for the Squirrels, as RHP Miguel Mendez made his Richmond debut on Friday night. Mendez, a recently-turned 24-year old who came to the Giants in the Robbie Ray trade, made a single rehab appearance with Low-A San Jose before heading up to AA. As such, he wasn’t fully stretch out, and had a short outing … but it was a good one! Mendez, who has an excellent fastball and a strong slider to pair with it, tossed 2.2 scoreless innings, with 2 hits, 1 walk, and 5 strikeouts. Those strikeouts were great to see for Mendez, who racked up a large number of Ks last season, but had more modest totals this year (38 in 34.2 innings with San Diego’s AA affiliate). He had just a 4.93 ERA during that time, but a 3.20 FIP. Very much looking forward to seeing how he closes out the season with Richmond.
The other starts were less exciting, as LHPs Charlie McDaniel and Greg Farone took down innings, but without doing too much. McDaniel made it through 6.1 frames, but gave up 6 hits (including 2 home runs), 2 walks, and 4 runs, with 3 strikeouts. Farone pitched 5.1 innings with 4 hits (including 2 home runs), 4 walks, and 3 runs, though he did strike out 6. McDaniel, a 25-year old who was a UDFA in 2024, has a 5.27 ERA and a 4.73 FIP in 13 starts since getting promoted; Farone, a 24-year old taken in the 7th round in 2024, has a 5.65 ERA and a 5.73 FIP in 23 starts with the Squirrels.
Nice relief outings from LHP Jack Choate (No. 37 CPL) and RHP Tyler Vogel. Choate tossed 2 no-hit innings with 1 walk and 3 strikeouts, while Vogel, who pitched twice, allowed 1 hit in 2 scoreless frames, with 1 strikeout. Choate, a 25-year old taken in the 9th round in 2022, has a 3.12 ERA and a 3.92 FIP on the year, with 11.4 strikeouts and 6.0 walks per 9 innings; Vogel, a 25-year old taken 3 rounds later, has a 3.13 ERA and a 4.40 FIP, with 9.6 strikeouts and 5.3 walks per 9.
RHP R.J. Dabovich pitched for the 2nd time since returning to Richmond. He retired both batters he faced, with a strikeout. Great to see him healthy at long last.
No one had a great weekend on offense, but there were performances to highlight. Most notably was that center fielder/right fielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 32 CPL), who is tied with Davidson for the organizational lead in home runs, bopped his 1st AA bomb on Friday, and it was a glorious one, as it was a go-ahead 3-run shot in the 8th inning.
The adjustment to AA has been a slightly slow one for the 21-year old from Cuba, and understandably so. He finished the weekend 2-11 with a home run, a double, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts, and now has a .564 OPS and a 48 wRC+ through 6 games in the Eastern League.
Another player who had a stellar season in High-A but has been going through an adjustment period in AA is catcher Jancel Villarroel (No. 42 CPL) who, like Diaz, left the yard over the weekend. Villarroel, a 21-year old righty acquired in the Kai-Wei Teng trade, hit 1-6 with a solo home run, 2 walks, a sacrifice fly, and 2 strikeouts. He has just a .561 OPS and a 49 wRC+ through 21 games in the Eastern League, but growing pains are to be expected with new levels, especially for younger players.
Also homering was third baseman/right fielder Charlie Szykowny, who finished the weekend 4-10 with a solo shot, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts, and an outfield assist. Szykowny has cooled off after some strong player earlier in the year, and has a .739 OPS and a 95 wRC+. There’s definitely something intriguing in the lefty’s bat, though the 2023 9th-rounder is already 26.
A good weekend for left fielder/second baseman Jean Carlos Sió (No. 44 CPL), who was an on-base machine, hitting 3-7 with 5 walks, 2 strikeouts, and a stolen base. The 22-year old lefty is dealing with some bumps in the road following a promotion to AA, and has a .750 OPS and a 97 wRC+ through 60 games at the level. A lot to love about the versatile Sió, and hopefully his bat can continue to develop with more experience at the level.
Quiet weekends for shortstop Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL) and center fielder Trevor Cohen (No. 15 CPL), who have both cooled down a bit after blistering starts to their AA tenures. Kilen played in just 2 of the 3 games, and hit 0-8 with a strikeout, while Cohen went 1-13 with 2 walks, a stolen base, and 4 strikeouts. Kilen, last year’s 1st-round pick, has an .822 OPS and a 116 wRC+, while Cohen, a 3rd-rounder last year, has a .709 OPS and a 90 wRC+.
High-A Eugene (72-47)
Friday: Eugene Emeralds lost to the Vancouver Canadians 12-10 (10 innings) [box score] Saturday: Eugene Emeralds lost to the Vancouver Canadians 9-3 [box score] Sunday: Eugene Emeralds beat the Vancouver Canadians 6-5 [box score]
A lot of good hitting performances for Eugene, with none better than the effort put forth by left fielder/center fielder Damian Bravo, who is hotter than hot. Last year’s 15th-round pick had himself a weekend, hitting 5-12 with 2 home runs, 2 walks, 2 stolen bases, and 4 strikeouts.
Bravo had a decent year with Low-A San Jose (.860 OPS, 109 wRC+), before sustaining an injury in mid-June. 2 months later, he returned from the IL and was promoted to High-A, all in one fell swoop. And what has he done there? 4 home runs in 6 games (plus 4 singles and 4 walks). I’d say this is the right level for him!
Speaking of the right level, shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL) is, emphatically, the right Level … though one could make the case that he’s not at the right level, since he is making the Northwest League his personal playground. It was another sensational weekend for the 19-year old switch-hitter, who went 7-13 with 3 doubles, a hit by pitch, a sacrifice fly, 3 stolen bases, and just 1 strikeout. That’s just another day at the office for Level!
Level’s batting average in High-A is just a hair below what it was in Low-A (.325), while his strikeout rate and walk rate have both improved (16.6% to 16.4% and 7.8% to 8.6%, respectively). The only part of his game that’s still lagging behind what it was in San Jose earlier in the year is his power, as his isolated slugging dropped from an elite .251 to a still very good .177. But that will come with more reps and more growth at the level (and future levels). He’s been one of the top hitters in the league as is, with an .869 OPS and a 128 wRC+. He is the real deal, and then some.
Second baseman/right fielder/left fielder Jose Ramos continued a funny trend this year: despite awful numbers in Low-A, Ramos has been spectacular in High-A. It was a great weekend for the 23-year old, who hit 5-12 with a home run, 3 stolen bases, 3 strikeouts, and an outfield assist. The right-hander from Colombia now has an .852 OPS and a 141 wRC+ in 23 High-A games this year … after just a .592 OPS and a 52 wRC+ in 13 games with San Jose.
Second baseman Dalton Wentz continues to search for his footing after skipping Low-A for his professional debut. July’s 16th-round pick, who was given a 4th-round bonus, hit 4-13 with a double and 4 strikeouts, giving the just-turned 21-year old from Wake Forest a .611 OPS and a 59 wRC+ through 4 career games.
A pair of rough starting pitching outings on Friday and Saturday. First it was RHP Niko Mazza, who failed to make it out of the 1st inning, giving up a hit, a hit batter, 2 walks, and 2 runs, with 1 strikeout, while recording just 2 outs before getting pulled on account of having thrown 36 pitches. And then it was LHP Luis De La Torre (No. 14 CPL), who allowed 5 hits, 2 walks, a hit batter, and 6 runs in just 2.2 innings, though he did strike out 5 batters.
Thankfully, things were salvaged on Sunday courtesy of RHP Hunter Dryden, who had one of his best outings of the year. The 24-year old went 6 strong innings while allowing 7 hits (6 singles and 1 double), 0 walks, and 1 run, though he only struck out 3.
Dryden, who was taken in the 17th round of the 2024 draft, hasn’t had a very strong season, but he has been excellent lately. In his last 5 starts, the D3 Whitworth product has thrown 26.2 innings and allowed just 24 hits, 5 walks, and 5 earned runs, with 21 strikeouts. That’s lowered his ERA to 4.55, albeit with an FIP of 5.44, which is largely the result of having allowed 16 home runs in 97 innings this year.
Eugene employs a trio of high-octane, low-command RHP relievers, and all 3 of them pitched over the weekend. It didn’t go well for a pair of them, as Liam Simon allowed a double, 4 walks, and 2 runs, while recording just 2 outs, while Gerelmi Maldonado (No. 21 CPL) gave up 2 home runs, 3 walks, a hit batter, and 3 runs, while also recording just 2 strikeouts. Things went much better for Marty Gair, who retired all 4 batters he faced, with 1 strikeout.
Low-A San Jose (70-50)
Friday: San Jose Giants beat the Lake Elsinore Storm 21-2 [box score] Saturday: San Jose Giants beat the Lake Elsinore Storm 6-3 [box score] Sunday: San Jose Giants beat the Lake Elsinore Storm 5-0 [box score]
Well, the Baby Giants can’t be stopped! They not only swept the weekend by a combined score of 32-5, and they not only swept the series, but they’re now on a 10-game winning streak! Hot dang!
Needless to say, there were some phenomenal outings. And while the offense was absurd — on Friday, at least — I want to start with the pitching, because there were 2 outstanding performances to highlight.
The runner-up pitching performance of the weekend belonged to LHP Jordan Gottesman, who struck out 8 batters in 6 scoreless innings on Friday, while only giving up 1 hit. What a showing! Gottesman was effectively wild, as he did walk 4 batters and threw just 51 of 92 pitches for strikes, but still. Anytime you have an 8-to-1 strikeout-to-hit ratio, you’re doing something very, very right!
Last year’s 6th-rounder hasn’t had the strongest debut season, but he’s been lights out over his last 3 starts, so perhaps he’s figuring something out. On the year, the Northeastern product, who will turn 24 this weekend, has a 4.07 ERA and a 4.96 FIP, with 9.9 strikeouts and 3.1 walks per 9 innings.
But the star of the mound was Sunday’s starter, RHP Keyner Martinez (No. 10 CPL). It’s been an at-times difficult season for Martinez, who hasn’t built on his breakout 2025 campaign as much as we had hoped. But even in his struggles, the absurd level of talent has been on display.
On Sunday, it all came together. Martinez faced 16 batters. He retired 15 of them, with a double being the lone baserunner he allowed. Of those 16 batters he faced, he struck out half of them. And despite those 8 strikeouts, he needed just 66 pitches to get through his 5 innings.
Were it earlier in the season, Martinez probably would’ve been allowed to pitch deeper into the game, but he’s in winding down territory. He threw just 32.2 innings in his debut season in 2024, and 69.1 last year. This year he’s already at 83 innings.
Those 83 have been a roller coaster. We had higher hopes than a 5.10 ERA, a 4.94 FIP, and 4.8 walks per 9 innings. But 13.2 strikeouts and a .217 batting average against? Absolutely elite. There is a whole lot of gas in that tank.
In between it was LHP Leandro Rodriguez, a 20-year old who has only made 5 Low-A starts, but who opened a ton of eyes in the Complex League. Rodriguez is still trying to find his footing in Low-A, as he walked 5 batters in 4.2 innings, though he only gave up 2 hits (but that included a home run). He threw just 39 of 76 pitches for strikes, while giving up 2 runs and striking out 2.
Nice relief appearances from RHPs Samir Chires, Cooper McGrath, Evan Gray, Melvin Pineda, and Chen-Hsun Lee.
Now, onto that offense. And my goodness were there ever some dreamy performances on that side of the ball!
The best singular day belonged to center fielder/right fielder Broedy Poppell during Friday’s 21-run explosion, as he simply could not be stopped. The 2025 13th-rounder out of Florida A&M hit 3-4 with 2 homers and a triple, while also drawing a walk and getting hit by a pitch, with a strikeout. What a day!
The 24-year old switch-hitter went 1-5 with 3 walks, a stolen base, 2 strikeouts, and an error in the other pair of games, bringing him up to a .773 OPS and a 97 wRC+. Poppell had a fairly slow start to the season, and spent some time demoted to the ACL, but in his last 13 games has hit 15-46 with 10 extra-base hits and 11 walks. He’s starting to figure it out, it seems.
Also going deep twice was left fielder Oliver Tejada, who hit 5-12 over the weekend, and not only did hi hit 2 home runs, he hit 2 grand slams!
He also had a walk, a sacrifice fly, and an outfield assist, though he did strike out 4 times. The 19-year old from the Dominican Republic was mired in quite a slump for a while there, but this is one hell of a way to break out of it! He still has just a .719 OPS and a 79 wRC+, with a 29.9% strikeout rate, but he’s moving in the right direction.
Third baseman Dario Reynoso had an absurd game on Friday, hitting 3-6 with a home run, 2 doubles, a walk, and a strikeout, before hitting 1-4 on Saturday and getting Sunday off. Still a lot to love (.863 OPS, 118 wRC+) and a lot to fear (32.8% strikeout rate) in Reynoso’s profile.
And of course, it wouldn’t be San Jose baseball if it didn’t feature shortstop Josuar González (No. 2 CPL) reminding us that the world is his. González only played in 2 of the 3 games, but that was plenty enough for him to make an impression, as he hit 6-9 with a double, 3 walks, 2 stolen bases, and a strikeout.
On the one hand, the 18-year old switch-hitting phenom has only played 21 games in San Jose. On the other hand, he’s hitting .379/.476/.609 with a 170 wRC+, an 18.1% strikeout rate, and 7 stolen bases. He just might be the best prospect in baseball, friends. You can sure as hell make a case for it…
His running mate, Luis Hernández (No. 6 CPL), did not play over the weekend after suffering an injury on Thursday. Here’s hoping he’s able to get back on the field before the year ends.
A pair of players made their debuts over the weekend! That’s always exciting. It was a nice initial showing for center fielder Peyton Bonds (Barry’s nephew), who was taken in the 3rd round in July. Bonds went 0-4 with a walk and 2 strikeouts in his Saturday debut, but bounced back on Sunday to hit 2-5 with a strikeout. A slightly slower introduction for second baseman/shortstop Luke Nixon, who was taken in the 5th round. The 21-year old lefty went just 0-6 with 4 strikeouts, though he did draw 3 walks. Welcome to the pros, both of you!
Dominican Summer League Black (playoffs)
Friday: DSL Giants Black lost to the DSL Mariners 8-7 [box score] Saturday: DSL Giants Black lost to the DSL Padres Gold 5-3 [box score] Monday: DSL Giants Black beat the DSL Royals Ventura 15-1 [box score]
Shortstop Joniel Hernandez wanted to make sure that he eked as much performance as possible out of his debut season. The 17-year old, who came over in the Robbie Ray trade, played in all 3 of these postseason games, and hit 4-14 with 2 homers, a walk, a stolen base, and 2 strikeouts. That’s after ending the regular season with a .978 OPS and a 132 wRC+!
Designated hitter Diego Villegas hit 3-8 with a pair of home runs, a double, a walk, and a strikeout. The 22-year old had a tough season in which he didn’t hit any home runs, and then hit a pair in this game. Go figure.
20-year old RHP Luis Hernandez (not that one), tossed 5 shutout innings with just 4 baserunners and 5 strikeouts, which is a tremendous postseason showing. He had a very difficult year, with far more walks than strikeouts … so nice to see.
Home run tracker
25 — Bo Davidson — [6 in AAA; 19 in AA] 25 — Lisbel Diaz — [1 in AA; 21 in High-A; 3 in Low-A] 18 — Zander Darby — [High-A] 17 — Jeremiah Jenkins — [Low-A] 14 — Charlie Szykowny — [AA] 14 — Damian Bravo x2 — [4 in High-A; 10 in Low-A] 13 — Dario Reynoso — [Low-A] 12 — Shay Whitcomb — [2 in MLB; 10 in AAA] 11 — Broedy Poppell x2 — [8 in Low-A; 3 in ACL] 9 — Jancel Villarroel — [2 in AA; 7 in High-A] 9 — Joniel Hernandez x2 — [DSL] 8 — Keiberg Camacaro — [DSL] 7 — Oliver Tejada x2 — [6 in Low-A; 1 in ACL] 6 — Adrián Sugastey — [3 in AAA; 2 in AA; 1 in ACL] 2 — Jose Ramos — [1 in High-A; 1 in Low-A]
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - AUGUST 07: Jack Perkins #50 of the Athletics pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning at Fenway Park on August 07, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images) | Getty Images
At 38-38 it wasn’t just a “contending year” it was “on pace to win the AL West,” as it turns out. Then came a long and fugly spiral to the current 52-80 making it squarely a “see what we have” kind of second half.
What do we have, exactly, amongst the many reserves thrust into the spotlight thanks to injuries that have ended seasons early for Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers, Jacob Wilson, Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, Tyler Soderstrom, and Luis Severino? The answer is not as easy as it seems.
Several players are difficult to weigh including some who are important to the A’s fortunes in 2027…
Henry Bolte
Sliced into thirds, Bolte’s season has been “great/awful/great” and given that he is just turned 23 with all of 88 games under his belt one easy analysis would be “2 out of 3 ain’t bad!” What it has all added up to so far, statistically, is promising: .270/.345/.369, 103 wRC+ with 14 stolen bases, +4 DRS/+2 OAA in CF.
So why the uncertainty as to whether Bolte is a budding star you can build your outfield around? First off I think the notion that this is his floor is misguided: a player’s floor isn’t “what he has already shown he can do” as players can take big steps backwards, see Gelof, Zack or Butler, Lawrence. Bolte’s floor has him unable to consistently master lifting the ball, has his K rate creeping back up to the 30s, and renders him too close for comfort to Denzel Clarke.
But the ceiling is alluring for sure. I might give Bolte a 25% chance of becoming an “All-star caliber” every day OFer, a 50% chance of becoming a solid every day OFer, and a 25% chance of regressing to become more of a useful 4th OFer. Why the measured optimism?
Under the hood come some warning signs that the stats in aggregate aren’t necessarily indicative of a player who has proven he can thrive consistently over time.
Much of Bolte’s success at the plate has come at home (.313/.380/.422, 124 wRC+), but outside the friendly confines of Sutter Health Park he has hit just .226/.311/.315, 81 wRC+.
Also Bolte has started out with some L/R splits worth watching. Splits take a long time to stabilize but here they are so far: vs. LHP .274/.333/.442, 116 wRC+ and vs. RHP .267/.353/.322, 95 wRC+. The big gap comes in the slugging and is partly a result of so many of Bolte’s hits against righties being choppers on the infield he beat out.
Bolte’s potential is sky high. Much of it will depend on how he progresses with regard to hitting away from SHP, slugging enough against RHP, and cleaning up the many unnecessary errors from bobbles and the occasional flat out dropped fly ball. (Bolte has already been charged with 6 errors in CF, continuing a pattern from the minors.)
Jack Perkins
Talk about an enigma wrapped in a riddle. Perkins brings #2-#3 SP stuff to the mound but has only been able to parlay it into a 6.68 ERA in 90.1 IP. Why? Perkins’ control comes and goes and there is a sense he pitches best once the pressure is off — which has sometimes meant giving up a crooked number early before settling in.
There are plenty of positives to be found in Perkins’ 2026 season. One is that he has stayed healthy pretty much for the first time in his pro career. Another is that his K rate (10.36/9 IP) reflects his ability to miss bats and tie hitters up.
Consistency, however, is not his middle name. Witness yesterday’s “bulk” appearance in which Perkins threw 5 IP. In the first one he walked 4 batters, forcing in a run with the last one. Then he was unhittable for a couple innings. Then his defense betrayed him, an E-6 on Darell Hernaiz that prolonged the inning, which Perkins followed up by serving up a 2-run HR. Both runs unearned but realistically one falls on Hernaiz and the HR is on the pitcher.
Will Perkins’ plus stuff, combined with experience, get him over the hump to be a quality pitcher either in the rotation or bullpen? Or does he just not have the command and/or mentality to offer any semblance of reliability?
Donovan Walton
If I had to pick out one hitter I wish other batters would watch and emulate it would be Walton. His PAs have been that good in terms of process, grinding out at bats, being discerning even after falling behind 0-2, patient enough to produce an elite 16.9% BB rate since joining the A’s, spraying the ball to all fields.
If you’re thinking in terms of a utility infielder to complement Gelof, Wilson, and Kuroda-Grauer in 2027, Walton is tempting and offers the only LH bat in the mix (unless the A’s re-sign Jeff McNeil after undoubtedly declining his club option).
Trouble is Walton does not play good defense, which is a priority for a back up infielder. He has negative career marks at 2B, SS, and 3B, including -11 at 2B. He also is having an offensive season that belies his entire track record prior to 2026.
Here are Walton’s batting averages before this season, beginning in his rookie 2019 campaign: .188, .154, 206, .158, .136, .125. Did he, at age 32, suddenly figure something out in a big way? That’s a lot to bet on. I’d bet Alika Williams, smooth at SS with a plus glove at 2B as well, to win the utility infielder role for 2027 unless the A’s are dead set on a LH bat.
But Walton has been, for whatever reason, really impressive at the plate — the key question being “Who is the real Donovan Walton?”
LEADING THE LEAGUE: Thanks to their 19-2 throttling of the Mariners yesterday, the Cubs now lead all teams in runs scored per game, at 5.22, which is a quarter of a run more than the combined average of 4.47 by all teams. The Brewers are second, at 5.17. The Cubs also moved up to first in on-base percentage plus slugging, at .762, one point ahead of the Dodgers. They had trailed the Dodgers by six points before yesterday. The Cubs remain first in walks per game, with 4.26. They are third in slugging, percentage, at .423, and seventh in batting average, at .250. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
MONDAY, MONDAY, CAN’T TRUST THAT DAY: The Cubs are 8-6 in games on Monday but 1-4 in Monday games on the road. They lost at Tampa, Philadelphia and San Diego in April, then at Pittsburgh in May, before winning at St. Louis on July 27. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
FIRST THINGS FIRST: The Cubs or their opponent have scored in the first inning of three straight games and seven of eight. The Cubs did it three times; their opponent, four. The team that scored first won all seven games. For the season, the Cubs have scored first in 60 games, winning 44, and they have given up the first run in 71, winning 21. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: The Cubs homer four times (Michael Barrett, Angel Pagan, Aramis Ramirez and Phil Nevin) and blow out the Phillies 11-2 at Wrigley Field. Future Cub Cole Hamels, who was making his first-ever start at Wrigley, is pounded for nine of the 11 runs in just two innings. It happened 20 years ago today, Thursday, Aug. 24, 2006.
Kevin Gausman has made three starts as a Cub: One good, one mediocre, one bad. Hopefully the “good” category is added to this evening.
If this April 19 result is to be mirrored, that will happen. On that day Gausman held the D-backs to two runs in six innings. Let’s hope.
Merrill Kelly grew up in the Phoenix area, went to ASU and played his first six and a half MLB seasons for his hometown team. Then they traded him to the Rangers at the deadline last year, as he was a pending free agent. He made no secret of the fact that he wanted to return to the D-backs, the feeling was mutual, and so he signed a two-year, $40 million deal with a $12 million vesting option for 2028.
The results have not been good. Kelly is having the worst year of his career and this month in four starts: 8.24 ERA, 1.932 WHIP, a really high walk rate (16.3 percent) and low K rate (14.1 percent).
This, theoretically, should be good for Cubs hitters, especially Michael Conforto (5-for-14, three doubles) and Michael Busch (4-for-8, a double, a triple, a home run). Go get ‘em, guys.
Please visit our SB Nation Diamondbacks site AZ Snakepit. If you do go there to interact with D-backs fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.
The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.
You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.
The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.
You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.
José Urquidy will make his first MLB start since September 2023. | Getty Images
In a tale of two weak divisions, the White Sox will get another look at the Rangers, this time in Chicago. The Rangers are tied with the Astros atop the American League West. Neither team has a winning record (.496) in the AL West, and any meaningful baseball in October will likely be short-lived.
José Urquidy, who saw the Rangers often during his time with the Astros, will face a team he’s not only familiar with but also fairly good against: 5-0 with a 2.82 ERA vs. Texas in his career. The lineup tonight is similar to Sunday’s, just with a new pitcher. Tristan Peters is back and seems to be busting out of his slump after yesterday’s walk-off homer to win the series against the Mets.
Kumar Rocker will take the mound for the visiting team this evening. Rocker, who is 4-10 with a 4.46 ERA, for lack of a better word, avoided getting rocked in his last outing, giving up six hits and two earned runs over five innings. The Rangers, however, went on to lose 6-0in the game. We’ll also see our old friend Jake Burger tonight at first base.
First pitch is at 6:40 p.m., and it will be available on CHSN and ESPN Chicago 1000.
In an unexpected turn of events, San Jose Sharks goaltending development coach and scout Ryan Miller participated in the Colorado Avalanche's alumni game on Sunday, despite never playing for the Avalanche.
The Avalanche touted Miller as a "special guest" on social media, however the story behind how he ended up participating has not been confirmed:
Miller, 46, had a playing career that spanned across 18 seasons at the NHL level. The majority of his 796 career games were spent with the Buffalo Sabres, the organization that drafted him 138th overall in 1999. He also had stints with the St. Louis Blues, the Vancouver Canucks, and one of the Sharks' in-state rivals, the Anaheim Ducks.
At one point, Miller was the winningest American goaltender in NHL history with 391 career victories, but he has since been passed by long-time Los Angeles Kings netminder Jonathan Quick who retired with 410 wins.
Since retiring as a player at the end of the 2020-21, Miller took a few seasons off before spending the last three seasons with the Sharks organization acting as both the goaltending development coach and as a goaltending scout.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - AUGUST 21: Michael Toglia #48 of the Cincinnati Reds is helped off the field after making a diving catch against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of the MLB game at Chase Field on August 21, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Michael Toglia dove for a ball in left field over the weekend in Arizona while playing a position he really had no business playing. He’s a 1B by trade, albeit one with a bit of right field experience, but his time in the opposite corner of the grass came in part by necessity after option after option on the Cincinnati Reds roster simply couldn’t stick around long enough to perform.
The dive dislocated his shoulder, unfortunately. Yesterday the Reds placed him on the injured list (while recalling Ivan Johnson), and today Charlie Goldsmith relayed words from Terry Francona that Toglia will head for shoulder surgery to repair the problem.
Terry Francona said Toglia will have shoulder surgery.
Given how little time there is left in the 2026 season, that almost certainly means his time this season is done. And given that he’s arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter (with all signs pointing towards him being a non-tender candidate), his time as player for the Reds might well be over, too.
The list of corner outfielders/infielders the Reds have cycled through so far this year is borderline ridiculous. Toglia, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Rece Hinds, and Spencer Steer are all done as options for the Reds this year – two due to being DFA’d, two due to season-ending injury. Noelvi Marte failed so spectacularly that he not only got optioned in favor of keeping Toglia, but he wasn’t even the player recalled when Toglia got hurt. TJ Friedl has totally flamed out, Blake Dunn needed elbow surgery, and Will Benson is buried on the depth chart at AAA after being designated for assignment and going unclaimed.
Now, this.
Something’s clearly in the water in north-central Kentucky, and it’s not something that’s letting the Reds get lucky with any AAAA players this season.
Aug 23, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers left fielder Wyatt Langford (36) follows through on his double against the Los Angeles Angels during the fifth inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Was the maximum contract extension the Wizards gave Trae Young a smart bet? | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Sometimes Past Me annoys Present Me. Today is one of those times.
Past Me promised a statistical doppelgänger article about Trae Young. Present Me looked at the numbers and wants to write about Something Else. But…well…crap, a promise is a promise.
The first challenge is that Young didn’t play much last season. Just 10 games for the Atlanta Hawks and five for the Wizards. He totaled 384 minutes, which isn’t enough to say much of anything. Except, bright side: his on-court performance this past season was pretty similar to his 2024-25. And his 2023-24, for that matter.
<p>Trae Young’s historical comps have something in common, and that could be a problem.</p><br> | Getty Images
So, I used Young’s 2024-25 numbers in the statistical doppelgänger machine to find statistical comparisons. For the record, I tried using Young’s 2025-26 age with his 2024-25 stats, and it made no difference in his comps. I tried adding in his 2025-26 play, and it made basically no difference.
Why am I grumpy? Because the comps are giving me the same message they did when I did a similar analysis when John Wall was about to sign his maximum contract extension, which is basically the same message I delivered using an entirely different process when Young signed his extension earlier this summer.
The TLDR is that every way I look at things, I keep coming back to the same conclusion: the Young extension is a mistake. It has a high chance of ending up a blunder. Probably not as high as getting into a land war in Asia, but…I think it’s going to be one of the worst contracts in the NBA, if it isn’t already.
What makes this even more annoying is that I like Young. I’ve enjoyed watching him play, even when he grifted free throws so much the league literally changed the rules to make him stop. And by the way, new rules or not, Young’s free throw attempts per possession barely changed. Either he found new ways to grift, or he’s actually a pain in the butt to defend. (It’s the latter.)
Liking Young and appreciating his offensive game doesn’t replace analysis of his overall impact on the game. His defense has been a problem. His overall production has drooped the past few seasons. Still good, but not at the level of the mustache-twirling villain who tortured the New York Knicks. His old team was willing to trade him for the worst team in the NBA’s discards.
And the Wizards gave him the max. Despite there not being anyone else interested in paying close to that much.
Okay, enough with all that.
This is the fourth installment in the annual ritual of running players through the Statistical Doppelgänger Machine to see which player seasons are most like the reference player. The Machine uses 14 categories, which include per possession box score stats, playing time, and age. Factors like size and position are not included, but players tend to get comparisons similar in both.
So far this summer, we’ve looked at Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly, and Kyshawn George.
To the doppelgängers:
Deron Williams | 2011-12 | New Jersey Nets | Age: 27 — Williams was a major problem for opponents. From age 23 to 25 he had three straight seasons with a PPA of 167 or higher. The year he got traded, he rated over 150. This was his first full season with the Nets, and it was bad by his standards. He bounced back for a 151 PPA at age 28 and then declined fast. By age 30, he was basically average…and he dropped more from there.
Michael Adams | 1990-91 | Denver Nuggets | Age: 28 — This comp works for me — small guard, unorthodox and herky-jerky, shot tons of threes, didn’t defend. This was Adams’ best season (161 PPA). He returned to Washington the following season…and declined. He was decent at 29 and 30 (131 and 123 PPAs) and average by 31. He hung on for a couple more years as a seldom-used reserve with the Charlotte Hornets.
John Wall | 2016-17 | Washington Wizards | Age: 26 — My mental math on this is Young is kinda like Wall plus shooting, minus the strength, athleticism, and defense. This was Wall’s best season. Then, as predicted by analysis I did back in 2017, his performance dropped precipitously as he encountered a series of major injuries. He was out of the league after his age 32 season.
John Wall | 2017-18 | Washington Wizards | Age: 27 — YOU SEE WHY I’M ANNOYED? The Machine is saying the Wizards of today have just committed long-term to a player very much like the John Wall who got hurt and got worse…right after signing an expensive long-term contract!
Kemba Walker | 2017-18 | Charlotte Hornets | Age: 27 — Another small guard who was really good. Walker’s prime went from a 172 PPA at age 25 to a 166 at 29. Not bad. Except, after being an iron man in previous seasons, he started getting hurt at 29 — a pattern that persisted to the end of his playing career at 32.
There’s a trend here — quick guards who peaked early and declined quick. Guards who changed teams and got worse. Guards who started getting hurt and couldn’t stay healthy.
There are a few more hopeful comps further down the list. Names like Damian Lillard (though Lillard did eventually change teams and get worse), or Tim Hardaway who changed teams, did decline, but stayed fairly productive to age 34 — though with some injury issues after age 31.
The point here is one I’ve been making for years — smaller guards tend not to age well. As their quickness wanes, so does their production. And their health becomes an increasing issue as they approach and pass 30. When I’ve discussed this topic with coaches and executives around the league, I often hear variations on the idea that the “old” analysis of career trajectories isn’t applicable because guys take better care of themselves.
And maybe that’s true. It could be that it’ll be borne out in the data when we look back in 2036.
I’d still rather not have the Wizards staking a maximum contract on that idea.
SACRAMENTO, CA - AUGUST 12: Drew Rasmussen #57 of the Tampa Bay Rays pitches during the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on Wednesday, August 12, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Jacob Soriano/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Aug 23, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Detroit Tigers third baseman Hao-Yu Lee (50) celebrates in the dugout after scoring against the Kansas City Royals during the fifth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Detroit Tigers (61-69) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (77-53)
Time/Place: 6:40 p.m., Comerica Park SB Nation Site:DRaysBay Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network Pitching Matchup: LHP Framber Valdez (8-8, 4.35 ERA) vs. RHP Drew Rasmussen (13-5, 3.01 ERA)
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 23: Mauricio Dubón #14 of the Atlanta Braves takes a photo with fans prior to the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Bowman Field on August 23, 2026 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Braves are on a much-needed off day after taking a very tough trip across the midwest and getting put through the ringer by a trio of Central Division teams. The showdowns aren’t over, though, as the Braves will have to welcome the Dodgers into town for three games starting on Tuesday night.
For now, it’s time to go a night without Braves baseball before they embark on nine-straight days that’ll take them into September. What does the future hold? Hopefully enough wins to help carry the Braves across the finish line for the Divisional title and into the Postseason but we’ve got to cross that bridge before we get to it. Hopefully the offense can get back going soon, though!
What am I watching?
The Cubs and the Diamondbacks could be a potential Postseason preview, so that’s probably the most interesting game on the schedule tonight as far as October ramifications go. Meanwhile, Phillies games have once again gone past simply being hate-watches and they’ve gone back into the territory of being legitimate scoreboard watching. Philadelphia is on a West Coast swing starting tonight, as they’ll be facing the Mariners for three games before getting the Angels this weekend and then taking on the Diamondbacks this time next week. Maybe they’ll trip up heading out West like the Braves usually do? I don’t care man, someone please beat them.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - AUGUST 19: Chase Burns #26 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches during the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Great American Ball Park on August 19, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We simply do not know how the Cincinnati Reds are going to manage ace Chase Burns as he nears an arbitrary innings limit this season. What we do know, though, is that they’re almost 100% certain to have one, and that it’s rapidly approaching soon.
Burns is sitting on 136.0 IP so far during this breakout season of his, a good bit out in front of the 109.1 IP he logged across all levels last year. That’s on the back of a 100.0 IP season the year prior with Wake Forest, and as the Reds slip further and further into the standings abyss after dismal losses akin to the one from yesterday in Arizona, the reality is that they aren’t going to run him into the ground in an already-lost season.
Burns gets the ball tonight as the Reds begin their series against the San Francisco Giants on the west coast, so you’ll need to put on a pot of coffee and stay up late to catch him. However, there’s a very real likelihood that he’s on the mound for only two or three more turns this season, so forfeiting the chance to see a true ace at work becomes infinitely more important than a) sleep or b) any serious conversations you plan on having before 10 AM tomorrow morning.
First pitch this evening is set for a cozy 9:45 PM ET.
TORONTO, ON - AUGUST 12: Ranger Suarez #55 of the Boston Red Sox pitches during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on August 12, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Last week at this time, the Diamondbacks hadn’t yet posted their lineup because Ketel Marte was MIA. Today the Red Sox are in MIA, facing former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara and an uncharacteristically competent Marlins team at 6:40 p.m. Ranger Suarez is on the hill for the Sox, with Andruw Monasterio getting the day off as the Sox look to continue rolling after destroying the hapless Giants:
Here are da fish:
Go Sox. Enjoy these quiet days while they last. The real stuff gonna start as soon as that Labor Day grill fires up.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - AUGUST 22: Daylen Lile #4 of the Washington Nationals reacts to striking out in the third inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on August 22, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by JC Ruiz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Nats just finished up a brutal 1-8 road trip. Now they are back home and face a beatable opponent in the Rockies. However, with how they have played lately, there is no such thing as an easy win. This four game set will be a good test for the battered and bruised Nats.
CJ Abrams is back, but he is only able to DH today. It is still a huge boost for this team. He is leading off and Daylen Lile will be moved down to the 4 spot. Brady House is back at third and Keibert Ruiz is behind the plate. It is Cade day, as the red hot Nats ace takes the mound.
The Rockies have a lefty heavy lineup with only two true righties in Connor Norby and Ezequiel Tovar. This Rockies team has some firepower at the top of the order with Jake McCarthy, Mickey Moniak and TJ Rumfield having productive years. Ryan Feltner will be on the mound for Colorado.
If there was ever a time to get back on track, it would be tonight. You have Cavalli on the mound against a Rockies team who struggles on the road. Hopefully the Nats can make the end of this season at least somewhat watchable. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!