SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 10: A general view as Hayden Wesneski #39 of the Houston Astros pitches during the game between the Houston Astros and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Monday, August 10, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Bryan Kennedy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Good morning, baseball fans!
A new week of San Francisco Giants baseball begins today, so it’s time to take a look at what’s on deck for the week.
The Giants head back to Oracle Park for the week, welcoming the Cincinnati Reds to town tonight to begin a three-game series. After that, the Arizona Diamondbacks come to town for a four-game series over the weekend.
Personally, I don’t really have a preference between the two opponents. But the Reds are sitting in last place in the NL Central. They’re still doing better than the Giants, but they might be the less formidable opponents. So I’ll go ahead and pick them as the series I’m most interested in this week. Since we only have to see them twice a year instead of the nine billion times we see the Diamondbacks.
Which series are you most interested in this week?
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants begin their series against the Reds tonight at 6:45 p.m. PT.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 21: Jacob Misiorowski #32 of the Milwaukee Brewers pitches against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at American Family Field on August 21, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to week 22 of our 2026 NL Central Power Rankings — let’s rank some teams!
1. Milwaukee Brewers (81-50); 4-2 this week; 100.0% chance to make postseason (FanGraphs)
The Brewers had another strong week with a pair of series victories over the Mariners and Braves, including a 22-0 romp of Seattle in Tuesday’s series opener. Milwaukee became the first team in the majors to guarantee at least a .500 season with their 81st win on Saturday afternoon.
Jake Bauers led the team with a pair of homers and a double this week, while William Contreras led the team with 10 hits this week. Luis Lara added nine hits, including his first career homer, and Garrett Mitchell had eight hits with a homer and two doubles. Joey Ortiz added six hits, including a homer and a double with five RBIs.
Logan Henderson, Kyle Harrison, and Jacob Misiorowski continue to shine atop Milwaukee’s rotation, as the three combined to allow just one run (by Henderson) across 17 innings in their appearances this week, striking out 18. DL Hall, Trevor Megill, Chad Patrick, and Bryse Wilson had scoreless weeks for the bullpen, totaling 13 2/3 innings with 16 strikeouts.
Milwaukee gets another off day on Monday as they head to New York to face the Mets for three games beginning Tuesday night. They’ll then return home to host the Rangers for three games over the weekend.
2. Chicago Cubs (75-56); 3-3 this week; 97.8% chance to make postseason
The Cubs had a .500 week, taking two of three against the White Sox behind a pair of walk-off wins before dropping two of three to the Mariners over the weekend in Seattle.
Pete Crow-Armstrong had another big week with five homers and two doubles as part of nine hits, while Alex Bregman also had nine hits with three homers and eight RBIs. Nico Hoerner picked up eight hits, and Ian Happ and Michael Busch both homered twice.
David Peterson and Clay Holmes turned in the best starts of the week for the Cubs, as Peterson went 7 1/3 innings across a start and relief appearance, allowing two runs and striking out nine. Holmes went 5 1/3 innings with one run allowed despite picking up just one strikeout. Aaron Civale shined out of the bullpen with four strikeouts and no runs allowed across 5 1/3 relief innings.
Chicago now heads down to Phoenix to take on the Diamondbacks for three games before an off day on Thursday. They’ll then host the Reds for three games over the weekend.
3. St. Louis Cardinals (66-66); 3-5 this week; 2.2% chance to make postseason
The Cardinals had a long, disappointing week, as they took three of five against the Reds before being swept by the Phillies, including a tough 6-4 walk-off loss after leading 4-0 in the ninth on Sunday.
Jordan Walker continued to rake, with 12 hits, including three homers and two doubles, driving in eight. Five other players also homered, including rookie JJ Wetherholt, who added a double as part of a nine-hit week. Alec Burleson added 10 hits, driving in six and picking up a pair of doubles.
While the starting rotation as a whole didn’t have a great week, Kyle Leahy shined. He made a pair of starts, totaling nine innings with no runs allowed on five hits and two walks, striking out a team-high 10 batters. Peter Strzelecki was solid out of the bullpen with five innings of one-run ball, striking out five, and Gordon Graceffo went 2 2/3 scoreless innings over three appearances.
St. Louis gets Monday off before a homestand featuring matchups with the Orioles and Pirates begins on Tuesday.
4. Cincinnati Reds (62-69); 3-5 this week; 0.0% chance to make postseason
The Reds dropped three of five to the Cardinals at home this week before dropping two of three to the D-backs, and their once promising season is all but done at this point.
Matt McLain and Dane Myers both slugged a pair of homers, while Sal Stewart homered as part of an 11-hit week, driving in a team-high seven runs. Elly De La Cruz also had nine hits, and JJ Bleday added eight hits.
Chase Burns and Kent Emanuel had the best starts of the week for Cincy, as both pitchers went five innings with two runs allowed (Burns struck out eight and Emanuel struck out four). Tejay Antone, Julian Garcia, and Zach McCambley combined for 7 2/3 innings out of the bullpen, allowing no runs and striking out four.
Cincinnati will continue the road trip with three games in San Francisco to begin this week. After an off day on Thursday, they’ll wrap up their trip with three games at Wrigley against the Cubs.
5. Pittsburgh Pirates (63-69); 2-4 this week; 1.0% chance to make postseason
The Pirates took two of three at home against the Tigers to begin the week but were swept by the Dodgers in L.A. to finish with another sub-.500 week.
Oneil Cruz and Rafael Flores both slugged a pair of homers to lead Pittsburgh’s offense, while Brandon Lowe led the team with six hits, including a homer and double in what was an overall down week offensively for the Pirates.
Braxton Ashcraft turned in another strong start, totaling eight innings with one run allowed and four strikeouts to pick up the win. Lake Bachar went three total innings in a start and a relief appearance, allowing one run and striking out a pair. Khristian Curtis, Camilo Doval, Antwone Kelly, Mason Montgomery, Luke Weaver, and Kirby Yates combined for 15 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, striking out 16.
Pittsburgh continues the road trip with three games in San Diego before an off day on Thursday. They’ll then wrap up the trip with a three-game set in St. Louis.
That’s as good a place as any to start paying the butcher’s bill. Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages is out for 4-to-5 weeks after surgery on a fractured hand after getting hit by a pitch. So that’s pretty close to the rest of the regular season.
Good news and bad news for the Brewers. The good news is that right-hander Brandon Woodruff does not need shoulder surgery. The bad news is that Woodruff is probably out for the season anyway. But at least he should be ready for Opening Day, whenever that is.
Tim Britton examines the hottest team in baseball since the Trade Deadline: The Binghamton Rumble Ponies, the Mets’ Double-A team. (The Athletic sub. req.) The Rumble Ponies’ surge is led in part by former Cub Jefferson Rojas. Interestingly enough, Rojas said the Cubs told him that he was likely to be traded at the deadline, which I think is pretty classy of the Cubs.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 09: Ezequiel Tovar #14 of the Colorado Rockies warms up prior to the game between the Colorado Rockies and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Thursday, July 9, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Bryan Kennedy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
In the Friday night game discussion, when the Colorado Rockies were being blown out by the Cleveland Guardians, there was some conversation about the effect the Rockies defense had on their overall record.
Although I lack the skills to make that correlation, I did wonder how this year’s defense compared to some of the teams we’ve seen. Are the Colorado Rockies really that bad defensively?
All caveats about the limits of defensive metrics apply here, though I would add that, regardless of accuracy, defensive metrics create a common measure by which to compare players. In this discussion, I want to explore a number of defensive metrics: errors, defensive runs saved, outs above average, and fielding run average. Also, keep in mind this this year’s numbers are a work in progress while the numbers from previous years are for a full season.
In terms of my comparison pools, I went with this year’s team, last year’s 2025 (historically bad) team, and the 2018 team, which was the last season the Rockies went to the postseason.
All numbers were current as of Saturday.
Errors
According to MLB.com, “A fielder is given an error if, in the judgment of the official scorer, he fails to convert an out on a play that an average fielder should have made.”
Team errors
In 2026, as a team, the Colorado Rockies have committed 84 errors, which ties them with the San Francisco Giants for second most errors in MLB. (The Boston Red Sox have the most with 90 errors, and the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago Cubs have the fewest with 48 while the Los Angeles Dodgers have slightly more with 52. Also worth noting, the Chicago White Sox are 12th with 69.)
For comparison, in 2025, the Rockies had the second-most errors with 110. (The Red Sox had the most with 116 while the White Sox were third with 100.)
And the 2018 team? That postseason-bound team had just 74 errors, the third fewest in MLB.
Individual errors
That leads to the question of which players are committing those errors, and for that, I went to FanGraphs.
Clearly, Hunter Goodman and Kyle Karros led the team in errors with 10. Willi Castro is on the leaderboard as well since the sum of errors he has committed is 10. Add to that Ezequiel Tovar’s nine errors, and those four players are responsible for almost half of the errors. (Connor Norby’s three errors in eight games seems like a bad sign.)
Defensive runs saved
Now consider defensive runs saved (DRS), another defensive metric. As a refresher, MLB.com defines DRS as “DRS quantifies a player’s entire defensive performance by attempting to measure how many runs a defender saved. It takes into account errors, range, outfield arm and double-play ability. It differs only slightly from UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating) in its formula, but the concept is the same.”
Team DRS This season in terms of DRS, the Rockies rank 25th with -11. (Notably, the Cubs are first with 89 followed by the Tampa Bay Rays with 61, which shows just how good the Cubs defense is this year. The worst DRS number goes to the Minnesota Twins with -37.)
Last year, the Rockies had -59 DRS, which was the worst number in baseball.
By this metric, the 2026 Rockies are significantly better than the 2025 squad.
And the DRS number in 2018? That would be 45, which was the eighth most in baseball.
Individual DRS
Here are the individual numbers, again per FanGraphs:
What’s notable here?
TJ Rumfield is the best in terms of DRS, and it’s not close. He has become a solid defender at first base. Meanwhile, Tyler Freeman looks on track to repeat as the Rockies worst defender as measured by DRS. This metric is less brutal on Karros and Goodman than errors, but the fact remains that only eight players have positive DRS numbers, and three of those where pitchers while Chad Steven’s only spent 63.0 innings with the Rockies.
In short, overall, this is not a very good team defensively.
Outs Above Average
According to MLB.com, “Outs Above Average (OAA) is a range-based metric of skill that shows how many outs a player has saved.”
Team OAA
The 2026 Rockies are a bit more respectable by this metric by which they are ranked 20th with a -10. (Once again, the Cubs demonstrate this defensive dominance by putting up 62 OAA while the D-backs are second with 33, almost half as many.)
For comparison’s sake, the 2025 Rockies were 26th with -26 OAA. So, again, this is a better defensive team than the Rockies were last season. Believe it or not, the 2018 Rockies finished the season with -5 OAA, which put them at 18th.
Individual OAA
Below are the individual numbers for the Colorado Rockies, again courtesy of of FanGraphs.
This is another metric that indicates the deficiencies of the Rockies defense. Rumfield has a clear lead with six, but only five Rockies have an OOA score of higher than zero. Ten players have negative totals with Freeman and Edouard Julien tallying the lowest scores.
The good news is that 10 players have a zero OAA number, which means that they are average. A team with average defenders and improved hitters is a good trade off for a Rockies team that has struggled to get hits.
Fielding Runs Value
The final metric to consider is fielding run value, which MLB.com defines as follows: “Fielding Run Value (FRV) combines all of Statcast’s individual defensive metrics into one stat that measures a player’s overall defensive value.”
Team FRV
The 2026 Rockies are 25th at -19. Surprising no one, the Cubs are first with 63 while the Toronto Blue Jays come in second with 37.
Last season, the Rockies were 23rd with an FRV score of -20. It seems likely the 2026 squad will surpass that number before the season ends.
The 2018 team came in 10th with a four FRV score, which suggests the Rockies have never done very well by this metric.
Individual FRV
Here is how individual Rockies stack up:
Once again, Rumfield has surpassed his teammates, but having only five players with positive FRV’s seems like a bad sign. It is notable, however, this Tovar fares better by FRV.
Closing thoughts
So what does it all mean?
In compiling this, mostly I wanted to put together all of the numbers to provide a basis for a larger discussion.
But here are a few things I took away.
First, TJ Rumfield is as good defensively as we thought he is — and he is easily the best defender on this Rockies team.
Second, the defensive numbers are worse, but this team shows improvement over the 2025 Rockies. I suspect the still-below-average numbers are attributable to a few things. The Rockies have young players and new free agents who are learning the nuances of playing at Coors Field.
In addition, the Rockies are moving to a more “optionality-focused” defense, which is going to drive down numbers. So far, this front office is valuing a player’s utility over his expertise — though it’s worth noting that one of their defensive specialists, Rumfield, is the defensive leader.
Those are a few ideas I’m thinking through, and I look forward to reading your thoughts.
Former Isotopes pitcher Geoff Hartlieb escaped a two-on, one-out jam in the bottom of the ninth by striking out the final two hitters, as the Las Vegas Aviators took the series-closing game 10-8 from Albuquerque on Sunday at Rio Grande Credit Union Field. The Aviators claimed five of six contests in the set.
Sterlin Thompson led off the ninth inning with a single, then an out later, Vimael Machin roped a single off the wall in right, sending Thompson to third. Hartlieb then fanned Chad Stevens swinging and caught Roc Riggiolooking to end the ballgame.
Thompson was 3-for-4, the third time he has picked up three hits in the last eight games he has played. Meanwhile, Adael Amador was 2-for-4 with a double, and is slashing .333/.421/.636 with five doubles, five homers and 13 RBI over his last 15 games. Charlie Condonwas 1-for-4 with a single and hit by pitch. He is slashing .202/.311/.287 with three doubles, a triple, two homers and 16 RBI over his last 33 games. Condon has been hit by 16 pitches this year, most in the Pacific Coast League.
The Isotopes issued at least nine walks in a game for the 11th time this season.
With 24 games remaining in the season, Albuquerque must go a minimum of 14-10 down the stretch to finish with a winning record for the first time since 2013.
In the series finale, the Somerset Patriots scored five runs in the ninth inning to come from behind and defeat the Hartford Yard Goats 9-6 in Hartford. Although the Yard Goats had a 4-0 lead in the sixth inning and a 6-4 lead in the ninth inning, the Patriots rallied to win the series. Dyan Jorge mashed a two-run homer, his first of the season, and Jared Thomas and Skyler Messinger each had two hits.
The Yard Goats scored the game’s first run in the first inning against Somerset starter Sean Paul Linan. Thomas singled, stole second base, and scored on a hit by Jack O’Dowd to make it 1-0. Then the Yard Goats plates three more runs in the fourth inning to give them a 4-0 lead. After Jorge’s homer, Zach Kokoska scored on a wild pitch to give Hartford a 4-0 lead.
In addition, Yard Goats starter Konner Eaton allowed just two hits over the first five innings, completed six innings, surrendered two runs on three hits, and left with a 4-2 lead. Eaton retired the first five batters of the game before working out of bases-loaded jams in both the second and third innings. The lefty handled the fifth inning before allowing a two-out, two-run home run to Manny Palencia in the sixth inning make it a 4-2 game.
Somerset made it 4-3 on Jace Avina’s RBI single in the seventh inning against reliever Fidel Ulloa and then tied the game in the eighth inning on a throwing error. The Yard Goats took a 6-4 lead with two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.
But it wasn’t enough. The Patriots scored five runs in the ninth off reliever Victor Juarez to take a 9-6 lead. The inning began with back-to-back doubles and a walk to load the bases. Jace Avina then walked with the bases loaded to make it 6-5, and DJ Gladney’s sacrifice fly tied the game at 6-6. then, Manny Palencia’s RBI single scored Avina and Somerset grabbed a 7-6 lead. The Patriots added two more runs on an error and hit batsman.
Today, the Indians dropped their series finale with Hillsboro as the Hops pummeled the Indians.
The Hops hit four home runs, including two from Kenny Castillo and a grand slam from Carlos Virahonda. In the course of the game, Hillsboro batted around twice (first and seventh innings) and tallied 13 runs in those innings.
In the bottom of the second inning, Robert Calaz hit a solo homer to get the Indians on the board. It was his ninth of the season and fifth in his last eight games.
Spokane tried to mount a comeback in the fifth inning with no outs when they loaded the bases. With one out, Wilder Dalis singled followed by an Ethan Hedges walk that forced in a run, making the score 9-3. After a pitching change, Tanner Thach hit into a double play to end the inning.
The Indians tried again in the sixth and got the score down to 9-5. But things pretty much ended in the seventh when the Hops took a 13-5 lead on a pair of homers, including a grand slam.
It was a back-and-forth affair, but the Grizzlies were the only Rockies affiliate to win their game today against the Stockton Ports (A’s).
Stockton got out to an early lead when they drew a bases-loaded walk in the second inning. They then tacked on in the second with a sac fly, and then an RBI single in the third to go up 3-0. Then, Gavin Turley hit a grand slam to put the Ports up 7-0. Fresno finally broke through in the fourth when Carlos Renzullo walked, Cristian Arguelles (No. 5 PuRP) singled, and then Daniel Jackson (No. 12 PuRP) singled to score Renzullo.
However, things got interesting in the sixth.
Renzullo singled to lead things off, and then Arguelles tripled to score him. Jackson ten singled to score Arguelles, and Ronny Ugarte doubled. A wild pitch moved up Ugarte, and then Jack Natili walked. Upon a pitching change, Juan Martinez grounded into a 4-6 force out, but Ugarte was able to score and put Fresno within two. Cort MacDonald popped out to short, but then Aidan Redahan singled to push Martinez to third. Ashly Andujar singled to score Martinez, and made the score 7-6. Renzullo flew out to end the inning.
In the seventh, Gavin Turley homered to make it 8-6. But then Fresno came alive again in the ninth when Arguelles walked and Jackson doubled to score him. Then, Ugarte singled and Daniel Jackson scored on a fielding error by the left fielder to tie the game 8-8.
It went back-and-forth in extras, but Fresno had the last laugh. In the 11th inning, Juan Martinez singled to move Jack Natili, the ghost runner, and then Cort MacDonald singled to walk it off 10-9.
Jackson went 4-for-6 with a double, three RBI and two runs scored. Arguelles went 3-for-5 with a triple, two RBI, two runs scored and a walk. And Ugarte went 3-for-5 with a double, a run scored and two strikeouts.
On the pitching side, Bryson Van Sickle took the brunt of it — pitching just four innings and allowing seven runs (five earned) on six hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Sam Larson and Tanner Sagouspe combined for two scoreless innings, while Wilmis Paulino gave up one earned run — a homer — in his one inning of work. Ethan Cole earned the win, pitching the final four innings and allowing one unearned run on two hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
Patrick Saunders (recently of the Denver Post) stood in for Thomas Harding today and covered the unveiling of the Larry Walker statue. “To have a statue outside of this ballpark, that’s an honor that’s pretty tough to put into words,” Walker said. “When I came here, my job was to keep moving — hit the ball, run the bases, chase fly balls in the gap, do anything I could to help us win. And now, here I am, frozen in bronze. I guess that’s a way to slow me down.”
PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 20: Erik Karlsson #65 of the Pittsburgh Penguins looks on before Game Two of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Philadelphia Flyers at PPG PAINTS Arena on April 20, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
As they do every summer, NHL.com had their day for Pittsburgh Penguins season preview information in setting the early stage for the upcoming hockey year. They had some questions, let’s discuss.
Production from their veterans and an emergence of a number one goalie among the questions facing the @penguins heading into this season. 🤔
1. Can Malkin shine in his potential final season?
Evgeni Malkin was resurgent last season, his 20th in the NHL. The forward had 61 points (19 goals, 42 assists) in 56 games to average more than a point per game after falling short of that mark each of the previous two seasons.
Some of that was aided by a shift from second-line center, where Malkin has played the majority of his storied career, to right wing on the same line. He also missed 26 games because of injury or suspension, which general manager Kyle Dubas said was a blessing in disguise.
“‘Geno’ is built differently, and I thought the different times off during the year really served him well,” Dubas said. “I think we were fortunate in that regard, and I don’t think you ever feel that during the year at the time. You think, ‘Jeez, he’s out. That stinks.’ But every time he came back from being out, he played his best hockey.”
Evgeni Malkin had to play to keep his Penguin career alive last year, almost literally campaigning to return. In the end, he got his wish – earned from a very productive 2025-26 coming off the prior year that was incredibly down by his standards (16 goals and 50 points in 68 games during 2024-25).
Malkin has never said yet that 2026-27 definitively will be his last season. He did just turn 40 this summer, and clearly there’s only so many more left for him to go. Whether or not that becomes a focal point – and maybe towards the end of the season if will be – remains to be seen.
For now, the Pens have Malkin in a good spot. His faceoff numbers were dropping off before his injury when he shifted to wing more permanently. Seeing how that second line will be built will be worth watching. The first starting point is where the placement of Egor Chinakhov will be. Likely at points, Chinakhov will be back with Sidney Crosby, which makes a lot of sense to have the best goal-scoring winger playing on the line with the best playmaking center.
If Chinakhov opens camp on the top line, Tommy Novak will be a player to watch. Malkin’s long enjoyed Novak’s style, and Novak does so much of the heavy lifting with puck touches in the defensive and neutral zones that stylistically makes it a good fit. Does the Novak-Malkin pair pick up a Rickard Rakell? Andrey Kuzmenko? Ben Kindel? Nick Robertson? There’s a lot of pieces in play and a long season to explore which combinations click the best.
2. Who is the true No. 1 goalie?
Arturs Silovs is likely to start the season as the primary starter after signing a one-year, $2.8 million contract to stay with the Penguins on July 5. Stuart Skinner, acquired in a trade that sent goalie Tristan Jarry to the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 12, signed a two-year, $7.5 million contract with the Winnipeg Jets on July 1.
Silovs was 19-12-8 with a 3.07 goals-against average, .887 save percentage and two shutouts in 39 games (38 starts) last season. In his NHL career, the 25-year-old has a 3.09 GAA and .885 save percentage.
It might only be a matter of time before Sergei Murashov, a highly touted prospect, takes over. The 22-year-old has been dominant with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League and was 1-1-2 with a 2.56 GAA, .897 save percentage and one shutout in his first five games (four starts) with Pittsburgh last season.
Fellow prospect Joel Blomqvist, who is 4-9-1 with a 3.81 GAA and .885 save percentage in the NHL, will also push for a spot with the Penguins.
“It’s an area of good strength and depth for us, but the guys have earned that. It hasn’t been given,” Dubas said. “Obviously, both (Murashov and Blomqvist) have gotten NHL time. … For us, it’s just ‘Continue to watch them, give them the opportunity.'”
Dan Muse’s goalie decisions were on point from the very beginning last season. The Pens started Silovs on opening night, he won via a 3-0 shutout and then didn’t play the next game to set the tone for the whole season where Pittsburgh almost exclusively rotated their starting goalie every-other-game throughout the season. A condensed schedule made that planning smart – and the Pens do indeed have an NHL-high 15 instances of back-to-back games so it would make sense that something close to a regular rotation will be in effect this year.
What won’t be around is a veteran. Silovs, who was officially considered a rookie last season, is 25-years old and has 58 NHL regular season games under his belt and he’s by far the most experienced player.
Murashov, as we noted, would be very young at 22 by goalie standards, considering only two 23-year olds (Jesper Wallstedt and Yarsoslav Askarov) played 25+ games last season. Sky is the limit but that’s a position with often unsteady progression paths and a lot of growing pains to transform from ‘top prospect’ into ‘established NHLer’.
Then there’s Joel Blomqvist, 24, who has 15 career NHL games, but none since March of 2025.
Silovs’ great playoff performance showed briefly that he could be something approaching ‘the guy’, but it certainly wouldn’t or shouldn’t be shocking to see both Murashov and Blomqvist get the opportunity to take the net and get substantial opportunities.
3. Can Karlsson have a repeat performance?
Last season, Erik Karlsson looked like every bit of the defenseman Pittsburgh felt it was acquiring from the San Jose Sharks in a three-team trade that also involved the Montreal Canadiens on Aug. 3, 2023.
After being relatively quiet in his first two seasons with the Penguins, the 36-year-old had 66 points (15 goals, 51 assists) in 75 games, second on Pittsburgh behind center Sidney Crosby (74 points; 29 goals, 45 assists in 68 games). Karlsson was also more responsible defensively, which was helped by his chemistry with defenseman Parker Wotherspoon on the top pair.
Wotherspoon is gone, however, traded to the Vegas Golden Knights for defenseman Kaedan Korczak on June 30.
Karlsson, who has been voted the winner of the Norris Trophy three times as the League’s top defenseman (2012, 2015, 2023), will need to put up the same numbers, if not better, with a new partner in the final season of an eight-year, $92 million contract ($11.5 million average annual value).
Erik Karlsson was so, so good in crunch time last season, his 24 points in the month of March was second in the NHL to only Nikita Kucherov’s 26. Repeating that would be a tall task, and perhaps an impossible one.
Still, the team’s MVP from last year is going to have to put on the Superman cape again given the state of the blueline. Kris Letang’s ability to impact the game has vanished rapidly, and the Pens lost arguably their two steadiest defensive players from the group with Wotherspoon and Ryan Shea departing.
The better question to ask might be which team is Karlsson on by mid-March? Is he even a Penguin? Does he have an extension? Whether it’s 60 or 70 points, the play driving and offensive brilliance is going to be there. How much longer that is going to be in Pittsburgh is a different but perhaps more intriguing outlook given that the player has a full no movement clause and is in the final season of his contract.
DENVER, CO - AUGUST 23: Nathaniel Lowe #46 of the Cleveland Guardians hits an RBI single in the fourth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on August 23, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Guardians swept the Rockies and will now try to keep their four-game win streak going in Anaheim.
Nicole has your game recap here. It is so great to win baseball games. But… the Rockies are awful. I am waiting to hope until I see how the Guardians do vs. two far more frisky teams in the Angels and Royals this week to get excited. The Royals, incidentally, have won eight in a row and are about to be listed in our wildcard update section soon.
AROUND MLB:
The Orioles, Blue Jays, Tigers, Astros and Twins lost, while the White Sox and Rangers won. The Guardians and Rangers are tied for the third wildcard (Rangers have the tiebreaker). The Astros are also tied with both teams but Houston holds the tiebreaker over both.
Iowa closed out the series with its fourth straight win after dropping the first two games in Toledo. The Mud Hens’ offense finally woke up in the eighth, but a four-run deficit proved too much to overcome.
Beau Brieske got the start on a planned bullpen day. He walked a pair in the first but ended up striking out the side. He ended his day after two scoreless innings with four strikeouts and no hits allowed. Brieske landed 20 of his 34 pitches for strikes, inducing six whiffs on 12 swings. The slider was the primary source of the swing-and-miss (4), while his four-seamer and sinker both averaged 95 mph.
Luke Taggart was next out of the bullpen. He went 1-2-3 in the third and worked around a one-out single in the fourth. Taggart drew eight whiffs, with six coming on his secondary pitches. He ended the day with three strikeouts.
Yilber Díaz took over in the fifth and surrendered the first run of the game. Jackson Cluff hit a two-out triple and came home on a Justin Dean single. Díaz worked around a pair of walks in the sixth to keep it a one-run game.
Eric Silva, transferred from Erie before the game, ran into trouble in the seventh. He walked the leadoff man, and Matt Shaw’s two-out double brought the run home. Chas McCormick hit a two-run homer right after, making it a 4-0 game. Silva worked through the eighth, finishing the day with three strikeouts — all coming on his curveball — but the damage made it an outing to forget.
The Hens couldn’t do much offensively against Braxton Garrett, striking out seven times over five scoreless innings. They finally put together a rally against Iowa’s bullpen in the eighth, but it wasn’t enough.
Max Burt opened the frame with a double, and Trei Cruz walked. Jace Jung advanced Burt to third with a flyout, and Max Anderson broke the shutout with a sacrifice fly. Justice Bigbie drove home Cruz with a double to left. Unfortunately, that’s all the scoring Toledo did on the day.
Andre Granillo pitched the ninth. He struck out a pair while working around a two-out walk and a single.
Anderson: 2-3, 2B (20), RBI
Bigbie: 1-4, 2B (2), RBI, K
Burt: 1-3, 2B (10), R, 2 K
Brieske: 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 BB, 4 K
Coming Up Next: The Mud Hens open a series in St. Paul on Tuesday at 8:07 p.m. ET.
Erie SeaWolves 6, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 3 (box)
Erie closed out a 4-2 series win with another power display Sunday. Izaac Pacheco homered for the second straight day, and Clayton Campbell launched his first Double-A home run in just his second game with the SeaWolves.
Pacheco opened the second with a 463-foot solo shot, his 17th Double-A homer of the year. Pacheco hit 17 last year with West Michigan, so it’s nice to see the power tool stay consistent up a level.
E.J. Exposito doubled to start the third, and Zyhir Hope walked — one of three on the day for him. A double steal set up a sac fly from Thayron Liranzo. Clayton Campbell led off the fourth with his first home run with the SeaWolves. It only took him two games.
Joe Miller held New Hampshire scoreless through 3 2/3 innings in his third start back from the IL. Miller wasn’t particularly efficient, using 73 pitches to record 11 outs. He walked three and struck out three while allowing two hits. Still, a goose egg is a goose egg.
Colin Fields got the final out of the fourth and went 1-2-3 in the fifth. Johan Simon wasn’t as fortunate in the sixth, giving up a solo homer to the first batter he faced. Alexis Hernandez followed with a single, eventually scoring on a passed ball. Simon escaped the inning with a 3-2 lead by striking out the last two batters.
Dariel Fregio held the one-run lead with a pair of perfect innings. The SeaWolves pulled away in the bottom of the eighth with a two-run single from Woody Hadeen. Campbell and Luke Shliger both scored after leading off the inning with back-to-back singles. Exposito grounded out to bring Patrick Lee home, too, making it a 6-2 game.
Wandisson Charles closed things out, but not before giving up a run on a pair of singles and a sac fly.
Campbell: 3-4, HR (1), 2 R, RBI
Pacheco: 1-4, HR (17), R, RBI, 3 K
Hadeen: 1-4, 2 RBI, BB
Hope: 0-2, 3 BB, 3 SB
Miller: 3.2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 3 BB, 3 K
Coming Up Next: The SeaWolves open a series in Altoona on Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET.
South Bend Cubs 3, West Michigan Whitecaps 2 (box)
West Michigan couldn’t escape South Bend with a series split, losing on a walk-off single in the ninth. The Whitecaps dropped four of six but still hold a half-game lead over Great Lakes in the Midwest League East with two weeks remaining.
Zack Lee got the bullpen-game start, hurling two perfect innings. He filled up the zone, landing 20 of his 29 pitches for strikes but came away with only one punchout.
Eliseo Mota wasn’t as sharp after taking over in the third. Mota walked the leadoff man, botched a pickoff attempt and gave up a run on a sac fly. The next two batters reached (walk, single), but Mota got out of it before allowing another run.
Beau Ankeney hit his eighth homer with West Michigan in the top of the fourth, a game-tying solo shot.
Beau Ankeney crushes a solo homer to left center to tie the game for the Whitecaps. It’s his 8th home run with West Michigan, and his 23rd overall this year. pic.twitter.com/u4gfgXx4e0
Mota returned for the fourth only to walk the bases loaded before recording an out. Fortunately, he induced a grounder for a forceout at home, buying enough time for Donye Evans to warm up. Evans gave up the lead on a sac fly, but the run goes on Mota’s record — and deservedly so. Mota threw just 15 of his 45 pitches for strikes. You don’t have to be great at math to know that throwing 2/3 of your pitches for balls is bad.
Evans worked through the fifth without any damage. Luke Hoskins was next out, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out three through two scoreless innings.
Edian Espinal tied the game in the seventh, scoring on a wild pitch. He doubled with one out and tagged up to get to third.
The Whitecaps’ best chance to win came in the eighth. Andrew Sojka led off with a single, Carson Rucker walked and Nolan McCarthy doubled. That should have produced a run, but Sojka got picked off at first before the extra-base hit, and Rucker was thrown out at home. Jackson Strong walked to get Bryce Rainer to the plate, but he struck out to end the threat.
Jalen Evans worked around a walk in the eighth but couldn’t get an out in the ninth. Jose Escobar walked, Josiah Hartshorn singled to put men on the corners and Angel Cepeda ended the game with a walk-off liner to left. Rainer was also lifted from the game in the ninth.
Ankeney: 1-4, HR (8), R, RBI, K
Espinal: 2-4, 2B (2), R, SB
Lee: 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, K
Hoskins: 2.0 IP, 0 R, H, BB, 3 K
J. Evans (L, 4-4): 1.0 IP, ER, 2 H, 2 BB, K
Coming Up Next: The Whitecaps host the Peoria Chiefs on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. ET.
Lakeland bounced back from Saturday’s walk-off loss with a blowout victory in the series finale. The Flying Tigers trailed 2-1 through five before scoring 11 unanswered runs to secure a 5-1 series win.
Grayson Grinsell gave up three doubles the first time through St. Lucie’s lineup. The last came from the No. 9 hitter, Wyatt Vincent, to open up the third. Grinsell walked Jeremy Rodriguez and gave up an RBI single to Bohan Adderley to put Lakeland behind.
Grinsell recovered, retiring the next three batters in a row, and Anibal Salas doubled home Zach MacDonald to tie the game back up.
The Mets rallied with back-to-back two-out singles in the fourth, retaking the lead, but that was the last run they scored. Jake Ogden singled with two outs and reached second on a throwing error by Salas before Wyatt Vincent drove him in with another single.
Grinsell prevented any further damage. He completed four innings, allowing two runs — one earned — on six hits and a walk while striking out five. St. Lucie jumped on his four-seamer, putting seven in play with an average exit velocity of 99.1 mph. His changeup drew some swing-and-miss, though, producing three whiffs at a 60% rate.
Yendy Gomez took over in the fifth and delivered two scoreless innings. Lakeland busted the game wide open with a six-run sixth, putting Gomez in line for the win.
Angel De Los Santos started the rally with a single and a pair of swiped bases. Jesus Pinto and MacDonald walked before a passed ball tied the game up. Salas drove in Pinto and MacDonald with a liner into right field.
Anibal Salas’ second hit of the game is a 2-run single scorched into right field to give Lakeland a 4-2 lead. pic.twitter.com/qyg9ym5gCd
The fun didn’t stop there. Enderson Delgado walked, and Hunter Dobbins homered, bringing the score to 7-2. Jack Goodman doubled later in the inning but didn’t score.
Hunter Dobbins smashes a 3-run homer to left center to give the Flying Tigers a 7-2 lead. It’s his 7th home run of the year. pic.twitter.com/8sFmCROZ8e
Carlos Rodriguez worked around a two-out single for a scoreless seventh. He spammed sliders and generated three whiffs.
The Flying Tigers added four more runs in the eighth. Javier Osorio and Delgado hit back-to-back doubles for the first run, and Goodman got the next RBI with a single. Pinto doubled in the remaining two runners, pushing Lakeland into double-digit runs.
Back-to-back automatic doubles from Javier Osorio and Enderson Delgado put Lakeland up 8-2. pic.twitter.com/mQGe86RWmG
The final run of the day came off the bat of Goodman as well. Osorio reached on an error in the ninth and moved into scoring position on a walk before scoring.
Jack Goodman picks up his 2nd RBI knock of the game to give Lakeland a 12-2 lead. pic.twitter.com/5yhJv9g98t
Johnathan Rogers finished the rout with two hitless innings. He walked two but struck out three as Lakeland’s bullpen combined for five scoreless frames.
Dobbins: 1-3, HR (7), 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K
Salas: 2-5, 2B (14), R, 3 RBI
Goodman: 3-5, 2B (7), R, 2 RBI
Pinto: 1-3, 2B (16), R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, SB
Gomez (W, 6-3): 2.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 3 K
Coming Up Next: The Flying Tigers host the Clearwater Threshers on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. ET. Lakeland won the series 5-1.
Former Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Egor Zamula has yet to begin his first season in the KHL since flaming out in the NHL, but he's already certain the fans and environment are better back home in Russia than here in North America.
In a recent interview he gave for his KHL club CSKA Moscow, the 26-year-old formerly undrafted Flyers prospect reflected on his most memorable game here in North America, as well as having to adapt to a new lifestyle.
"My most memorable game in America was against New Jersey in an outdoor stadium. The stands were packed, about 80-90 thousand people. But the atmosphere wasn't there like in Russia; there's no support section with drums and chants. I think we have the best fans," Zamula said.
The Flyers lost to the New Jersey Devils, 6-3, at MetLife Stadium back on Feb. 17, 2024, with Devils goalie Nico Daws making a record 45 saves in an outdoor game.
Zamula recorded one assist in 11:57 of ice time in the Flyers' loss, picking up a secondary helper on Owen Tippett's second-period goal to make the score 2-1 and get Philadelphia on the board.
That was arguably the biggest game of Zamula's NHL career, as the 6-foot-3 Russian defender was traded to Pittsburgh on Dec. 31, then ended up with Columbus on Jan. 6 after having his contract terminated.
The 26-year-old was on two playoff teams last season, but was cut loose by both, missed out with Columbus, and will now continue his playing career on a three-year contract with CSKA.
"I learned a lot about life in North America. I was there alone, without my family. I learned to cook, learned English, and got used to the culture," said Zamula.
"I also learned from the coaching staff how to make quick decisions and adjusted my approach to a more defensive game."
With his NHL career currently on pause, Zamula scored eight goals, 33 assists, and 41 points in 168 games with the Flyers with a -12 rating, and added two assists in a 20-game cameo with Columbus to finish last season, recording a +2 rating.
There’s not
much the Montreal Canadiens and their fans would like to remember about their
game against the Colorado Avalanche on November 29, 2025. On that day, Martin
St-Louis’ Habs were obliterated 7-2 by Nathan MacKinnon and co. But when the
Canadiens were down 4-0, the second line, formed by Juraj Slafkovsky, Oliver
Kapanen, and Ivan Demidov, conjured up some magic.
That beauty
of a play allowed Slafkovsky to land in 13th place in the top 15
assists of the last season. Demidov skated into the zone, made a drop pass to the big Slovak before skating around the net, while the big Slovak bought himself some time with a spin Orama, then headed to the net and fed Demidov, who had time to get to the other side, in his office.
That
fantastic play also reminds you how well the two can link up on the same line.
It’s no wonder the Canadiens would like to find another big power forward to
play on their top six. That mystery player could either skate with Demidov or
maybe even on Suzuki’s line if the Canadiens would rather re-create the
Slafkovsky-Demidov magic.
That play
was without a doubt the only redeeming part of that massacre against Colorado,
but the Canadiens would have the last laugh with a 7-3 win against the Avs at
the Bell Centre in January. On that day, the line scored the seventh and final
goal of a great passing play between Kapanen and Slafkovsky.
It will be
interesting to see what St-Louis will do with his top six this season. Clearly,
there’s some chemistry between Slafkovsky and Demidov, but one has to wonder
what would happen if the Russian sophomore were given an opportunity to play
alongside Suzuki and Caufield. It could be easier to mix-and-match if Kent
Hughes were able to land another top-six player.
Aug 23, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) celebrates his walk-off two-run home run during the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Have to admit: I had turned off the Phillies yesterday for quite a while and watched the Little League World Series. I pivoted quickly back to the Phillies once I saw that they had gotten runners on base and had a chance, but even the bright eyed optimist in me didn’t think they had a shot.
BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 23: Shane Baz #34 of the Baltimore Orioles reacts during the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 23, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: the Orioles lost because they couldn’t score any runs for Shane Baz.
It’s becoming a running joke, although not a very funny one. When Baz is on the mound, absolutely everything seems to go wrong for the Orioles, and through very little fault of the hurler himself. Defensive lapses rear their ugly heads — like yesterday, when Jackson Holliday turned a potential inning-ending groundout into a single to spark a three-run Rays rally — and, most maddeningly, the O’s offense simply vanishes.
After yesterday’s 3-1 loss, in which the Orioles were held scoreless for the six innings that Baz was on the mound, the O’s have scored a grand total of 15 runs for Baz in his last 12 starts. Read that again! Fifteen runs in 12 starts. Brutal. Four of those came in one game in Minnesota, in which Baz coughed up a 4-1 lead, but in nearly every other case the Orioles’ bats never gave him a chance to win. The O’s have lost 11 of Baz’s last 12 starts even though he has a 4.02 ERA and seven quality starts in that span.
What did Shane ever do to his Orioles teammates to make them scorn him so? Does he chew with his mouth open? Does he talk on speakerphone in public? Does he do that thing where he’s going through a door and there’s somebody right behind him but he doesn’t hold it open and it just slams in their face? There’s got to be some explanation here.
In any case, the Orioles have completed their grueling 10-game stretch against the Rays and Yankees by going 5-5. Ten days ago, if you told me that the O’s would break even over that span, I’d have taken it. And I still will, even if the Birds’ method of getting there — dominating the Rays and getting swept by the Yankees — was a bit unexpected. But there’s no denying that the postseason math is getting harder. The Orioles now find themselves two games behind both the Rangers and Guardians, who are currently tied for the third wild card spot. The O’s are also a half game behind the Blue Jays, tied with the Twins, and just a game ahead of the Mariners and 1.5 up on the Tigers.
The Orioles’ schedule gets a lot easier for the next week and a half…in theory, at least. Tomorrow they begin a three-game series in St. Louis against the .500 Cardinals, who just got swept by the Phillies and are slipping out of the NL postseason race. Then the Orioles’ next six are against the two worst teams in baseball, the Athletics and Rockies. On paper, it’s a great opportunity for the Orioles to string together a bunch of wins and leapfrog a bunch of teams in the wild card race.
But who are we kidding? We’ve seen enough of the 2026 Orioles to know that they rarely seem to win the games they’re “supposed” to win, and that they continually squander every opportunity to build some positive momentum for more than a few days. Would anyone be surprised if the O’s end up with a worse record in this upcoming nine-game stretch than they had during this Rays/Yanks gauntlet? Inconsistency just seems to be the name of the game for this year’s Orioles club.
The Orioles’ streak of drawing at least one walk in 121 straight games was snapped yesterday. The last time they didn’t walk was in their ninth game of the season, when Leody Taveras had a 1.171 OPS and Samuel Basallo .466. So yeah, it’s been a while.
If you were hoping to see a picture of The Mountain in his SpongeBob SquarePants Baysox jersey, you won’t be disappointed. As for his performance, well, let’s just say Félix looked rusty.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Only one Oriole was born on this day, but he was the greatest of them all: happy 66th birthday to Cal Ripken Jr.! The two-time AL MVP, 19-time All-Star, eight-time Silver Slugger, two-time Gold Glover, 1982 AL Rookie of the Year, 1983 World Series champ, and first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee also had a consecutive games streak that you might have heard about. Cal is now living his best life as a minority owner of the Orioles, frequently attending games at Camden Yards in seats right behind home plate. Enjoy your day, Cal!
Historically, Ripken actually wasn’t a very good hitter on his birthday. He batted .233 (17-for-73) in his career on Aug. 24, with one home run, four doubles, and eight RBIs.
Cal’s only birthday home run came in a crazy game in 1983 that’s best known as the Tippy Martinez Game. The O’s trailed the Blue Jays in the bottom of the ninth before rallying for two runs to send the game to extras, but their bench maneuverings forced them to use infielder Lenn Sakata as their emergency catcher for the first and only time of his career.
The Jays reclaimed the lead in the top of the 10th before Martinez entered the game with a runner at first. Blue Jays baserunners, trying to get big leads off first against the inexperienced Sakata, were left flat-footed by the southpaw reliever. Martinez picked off Barry Bonnell, then walked Dave Collins and picked him off, and then allowed a single to Willie Upshaw and picked him off, too. Martinez was the first pitcher in MLB history to pick off three baserunners in one inning. The O’s immediately tied the game in the bottom of the 10th — on the aforementioned Cal Ripken home run — and won it on a walkoff three-run blast by (who else?) Lenn Sakata.
And on this day in 2012, Chris Davis crushed three home runs to lead the Orioles to a 6-4 win, again over the Blue Jays. Davis powered a pair of solo blasts off Toronto starter Carlos Villanueva and a two-run shot against reliever Steve Delabar, backing a quality start from Zack Britton.
Random Orioles game of the day
On Aug. 24, 2004, the O’s dropped a 6-2 game in Oakland, the Orioles’ ninth straight loss in a streak that eventually reached 12. Starter Sidney Ponson coughed up home runs to Jermaine Dye and Eric Chavez as the Orioles found themselves in a 4-0 first-inning deficit from which they never recovered. The Birds’ offense had four doubles in the game but only one other hit, and went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. The defeat further buried the Orioles, who had been within one game of .500 before the losing streak began.
BRADENTON, FL - MARCH 02: Ty Johnson (82) of the Tampa Bay Rays delivers a pitch during a spring training game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on March 02, 2026 at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Florida. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Rays RHP prospect Ty Johnson was working as a starter for most of the season until he was placed on the Development list in mid-July. When he returned, Johnson was pitching out of the bullpen in anticipation of a big-league call-up later this season. Not only has his stuff ticked up when he transitioned to a relief role, but the command has been sharper too. Now, Johnson looks as ready as ever to contribute in the majors.
***
Johnson throws from a low three-quarter slot with fringy extension. His short, pushy arm action from a relatively low release height adds a layer of deception to his two pitches: a fastball and a breaking ball. The fastball gets above-average carry from his slot, and the breaking ball has a tight, cut-slider shape that tunnels well off the fastball. Since his move to the bullpen, Johnson has seen approximately a 2mph increase on the velocity of his shapes. His fastball now sits around 94mph (and he can reach back for 96-97 when needed) while his breaking ball sits around 86mph. The breaking ball plays more platoon neutral like a cutter than a traditional slider, helping him counter southpaws.
While the pure velocity on his fastball is unlikely to blow hitters away, Johnson creates a uniquely flat vertical approach angle (VAA) on it that helps him miss bats. In the month of August so far, he’s running a 50% whiff rate on the heater compared to just 28% heading into the month. Johnson has also seen a big jump in whiff rate on his breaking ball this month as it’s now over 55%. Of course, these rates likely aren’t sustainable across a full season, but that kind of swing-and-miss is something the Rays bullpen could use. At the major league level, the bullpen currently has the 6th lowest whiff rate during the second half. Some of this is skewed by their use of openers, but it’s still abnormally low for a Rays bullpen this late in the season.
Cleavinger, Baker, and Booser lead the way in whiff rate for Rays relievers so far this season, but even they all sit in the 25-26% range. Johnson and his 35% whiff rate this season would give Cash a relief weapon to help the team get out of a jam when even a ball in play could result in a run, in other words, he could certainly be pitching in high leverage pretty quickly.
Ty Johnson just had his best performance since moving to the pen.
2 IP | 0 H | 0 ER | 0 BB | 4 K | 8 Whiffs | 50 CSW%
His fastball averaged 93.7, and the slider was filthy. I think he’s close to being ready. He might not have a spot until September, but he can be a difference… pic.twitter.com/AOs8bcL1FF
The biggest barrier to him pitching meaningful innings in the majors is finding him space on the 40-man roster and in the current bullpen. Sulser, Jax, and Mesa Jr. all should be back from their respective IL stints relatively soon and should not be transferred to the 60-day IL. Ben Williamson, however, could be moved to the 60-day IL to create a 40-man spot for Johnson given the uncertainty of his hamstring.
The next step is finding a spot for him in the bullpen. This could be easier to do when rosters expand in September and they can simply add another chair in the bullpen. If the Rays wanted to get Johnson up sooner than that, they would likely need to DFA or option a current reliever. With Rodriguez back and Sulser and Jax due to return soon, it could be tricky to find a spot for everyone on the pitching staff and a tough decision might need to be made.
Regardless of how the Rays get Johnson into the Major League bullpen, I do expect it to happen before the postseason begins. His ability to miss bats and pitch to both sides of the plate makes him a valuable weapon to unleash on opposing lineups in September and October.
PORT ST. LUCIE, FL - MARCH 19: D'Andre Smith #6 of the New York Mets bats in the ninth inning during the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Mets at Clover Park on Thursday, March 19, 2026 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. (Photo by Scott Audette/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Atypical for the International League, which has averaged 5.16 runs per game this season, we had ourselves a pitching duel between Raymond Burgos and Xzavion Curry, with both starters putting up goose eggs during their time on the mound. Both bullpens were also on point, with Syracuse just narrowly edging out the Woo-Sox thanks to a D’Andre Smith two-run homer in the seventh.
Another win for Binghamton, their third in a row, their eighth in their last ten, and their eighteenth in twenty-one games in the month of August. The lead changed hands a few times early on, but Binghamton took the lead for good in the fourth on a three-run Corey Collins homer. In total, the Rumble Ponies hammered out 10 hits, with Mitch Voit, John Bay, and Collins all having multi-hit games. The blisteringly hot Rumble Ponies find themselves 2.5 games back in the Eastern League Northeast behind the Reading Fightin’ Phils, and wouldn’t you know it? They are playing those very same Reading Fightin’ Phils next week in a series that will have important playoff implications.
Daviel Hurtado logged another solid outing, allowing an unearned run over 5.2 innings, scattering 4 hits, walking two, and striking out 5. With this one in the books, the Cuban left-hander has lowered his ERA to 2.14, second in the South Atlantic League only to Jacob Kisting and his 1.67 ERA in 86.0 innings thrown with the Bowling Green Hot Rods. Yonatan Henriquez’ scorchingly hot week wrapped up with a nice bow, smacking his ninth homer of the season and his fourth this week, to put Brooklyn on the board and give them a lead they would not relinquish. The Cyclones supplementing Henriquez’ one run with eleven more, winning the game in a laughter and taking the series against the Tourists.
Another loss for St. Lucie, and this one was a rough one at that. Things actually started out fine, with Jose Lopez throwing 5 innings of one-run ball, but the game started going south for St. Lucie in the sixth. Lopez loaded up the bases before being removed from the game, and things didn’t get much better when the bullpen became a factor. All together, six runs scored in the sixth, and then an additional four in the eighth, and one more in the ninth for good measure. The narrow 2-1 lead that St. Lucie had coming into that doomed sixth inning was nowhere near enough, and the offense got shut down for the rest of the ballgame once the Flying Tigers took control of things. Thank God they won their Saturday evening contest, because if they hadn’t, St. Lucie would have a nine-game losing streak going right now; as it is, being 2-8 in their last ten isn’t much better, but at least it’s not a nine-game losing streak.
The Detroit Tigers have been struggling of late, having now lost five in a row and seven of their last eight after the Kansas City Royals completed a sweep at Kaufmann Stadium on Sunday afternoon with an 11-7 victory. There really is not much to say at this point as the team’s playoff hopes appear to be evaporating right before our eyes.
Things do not get easier this week, as the Motor City Kitties return home to host the American League East-leading Tampa Bay Rays for a three-game series starting on Monday. The Tigers swept the Rays in St. Petersburg to open up June to break out of their May funk, and maybe — just maybe — Detroit can find its groove again against their Sunshine State foes just like then.
Left-hander Framber Valdez, who has had two straight rough outings after posting a pair of quality starts to open up August, will get the start in the series opener after being pushed back a day. Over the 32-year-old’s last 11 1/3 innings, he has put up a 6.35 ERA and 5.47 FIP, allowing 11 hits (one home run) and nine walks while striking out eight, hitting a batter and throwing a wild pitch.
For the Rays, right-hander Drew Rasmussen will take the hill on Monday night looking to improve on one of his worst outings of the season in his last appearance. Against the Toronto Blue Jays, the 31-year-old gave up five runs on seven hits (one home run) and two walks while striking out five over five frames to take the loss in a 7-6 final.
This will be the first time either pitcher has faced the other team this season. Here is a look at how they match up for the series opener in the D.
Detroit Tigers (61-69) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (77-53)
Time (ET): 6:40 p.m. Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan SB Nation Site:DRaysBay Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 131: LHP Framber Valdez (8-8, 4.35 ERA) vs. RHP Drew Rasmussen (13-5, 3.01 ERA)
Happy birthday to Kurt Miller, and a mighty host of others.
Today in baseball history, in 1945 – Cleveland ace Bob Feller returns from the Navy and attracts a home crowd of 46,477, who watch him strike out 12 and yield only four hits in a 4-2 win over Detroit’sHal Newhouser. He will get nine starts during the remainder of the year, and his five wins will include a one-hitter and two four-hitters. With the war now over, fans are clamoring for entertainment and it is clear Feller is still baseball’s number one ticket seller, and other stories as well.
1945 – Cleveland ace Bob Feller returns from the Navy and attracts a home crowd of 46,477, who watch him strike out 12 and yield only four hits in a 4-2 win over Detroit’sHal Newhouser. He will get nine starts during the remainder of the year, and his five wins will include a one-hitter and two four-hitters. With the war now over, fans are clamoring for entertainment and it is clear Feller is still baseball’s number one ticket seller
1965 – In the first inning against Pittsburgh, the Giants’Willie Mays scoops up a double from Donn Clendenon at the base of the 406-foot sign, whirls and fires with the ball reaching catcher Tom Haller on one bounce. Haller then tags out the astonished Willie Stargell. What is described as the greatest throw ever made in ancient Forbes Field is a costly one as Mays hurt himself and leaves the game in the sixth with a pulled groin muscle.
1967 – While pushing a car, Philadelphia’sRichie Allen suffers a severe injury when he pushes his hand through the headlight. It will sideline him for the remainder of the season. The Phils will go 14-21 without him.
1996 – Atlanta defeats Chicago, 6-5, led by 1B Fred McGriff, who strokes five hits, including a double and two homers, and drives in four runs.
1999 – MarinerKen Griffey, Jr. becomes only the seventh player to hit 40 homers in four consecutive seasons.
2012 – Matt Harrison has a no-hitter until Trevor Plouffe singles with two outs in the seventh, but it’s Adrian Beltre who ends up with a feat, hitting for the cycle for the second time of his career in the Rangers’ 8-0 demolition of the Twins.
1904 – In Chicago, Christy Mathewson blanks the Cubs on three hits and the Giants defeat Buttons Briggs, 3-0. The second game is called after 10 innings with the score 2-2. Chicago fans show their feelings towards the Giants by tossing bottles onto the field. RF George Browne is hit on the leg and is almost hit in the head while chasing a fly ball. John McGraw tells ump Bob Emslie that he will not allow his team to continue play until all the broken glass is cleared, and by the time that occurs it is too dark to continue play.
1905 – In Philadelphia, the Cubs defeat the Phillies in 20 innings, 2-1, with Ed Reulbach going the distance for Chicago.
1914 – At Chicago, the Cubs trounce the Braves, 9 5, putting Boston back in second place.
1930 – New York’sFred Lindstrom has his 24-game hitting streak stopped as the Giants lose to the Cubs, 3-2. The game is tied 2-all in the bottom of the ninth, when the Cubs load the bases with two out. With the count 0 and 2, Danny Taylor the runner on third, races safely home as surprised Giant reliever Joe Heving watches and then completes his deliberate windup with a wide pitch.
79 – Believed until 2018 to be the date of the massive eruption of Mt. Vesuvius which buried the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis and Stabiae, killing untold thousands, latest evidence suggests the eruption occurred after 17 October.
1853 – First potato chips are prepared by chef George Crum at Moon’s Lake House near Saratoga Springs, New York.
1891 – Thomas Edison patents the motion picture camera.
1912 -Ticker-tape parade held in NYC for Jim Thorpe and victorious US Olympians.
1919 – Frank King’s daily comic strip “Gasoline Alley” is distributed nationwide by the Chicago Tribune Syndicate, appearing in The New York Daily News among other newspapers.
1979 – Rock band “The Cars” plays a concert at Wollman Rink in NYC’s Central Park.
2004 – Future 8-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt of Jamaica finishes 5th in his 200 m heat in 21.05 seconds, failing to qualify for the second round at the Athens Olympics.
2011– Steve Jobs resigns as CEO of Apple Inc. and is succeeded by Tim Cook due to his illness
