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Longtime readers of Purple Row may recall a silly little article I did back in 2022 while we waited for the MLB lockout to end. I’m very much an enjoyer of superhero movies, and I was eagerly waiting for the release of The Batman at the time. I also love Rockies baseball, so I married the two concepts and researched how the Rockies did each year a new Batman movie was released.

I recently went to see Spider-Man: Brand New Day and thoroughly enjoyed my time watching Tom Holland swinging around New York doing whatever a spider can. So, while I have to wait until 2028 for the sequel to that Batman movie to come out, tonight I figured I could look back on another one of my favorite superheroes, Spider-Man, and see how the Rockies have done each year a new theatrical movie has come out.

Spider-Man (2002)

The film that catalyzed the rise of the modern era of superhero films into the cultural zeitgeist, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, starring Tobey Maguire, earned a massive $825 million globally in 2002. As far as origin stories go, this is pretty good as we hit all the notes of Peter Parker becoming Spider-Man while he ends up facing off against Willem Dafoe’s incredible performance as the Green Goblin.

As for the Rockies, they went 73-89 during the 2002 season. Hall of Famers Larry Walker and Todd Helton each delivered seasons worth over 6.0 bWAR to carry the team offensively. Jason Jennings also won the first, and so far only, Rookie of the Year award in franchise history after he posted a 4.52 ERA in 185.1 innings over 32 starts. Mike Hampton also won the pitcher Silver Slugger award.

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Raimi’s second Spider-Man film is still considered one of the best superhero films ever made, and earned $797 million globally. Based on the Spider-Man No More! storyline from 1967, our titular hero finds himself struggling with a conflict of being Spider-Man but also wanting to have a normal life as Peter Parker. This causes his powers to malfunction while he also has to deal with the threat of Doctor Octopus.

The Rockies weren’t as successful in 2004, posting a record of 68-94. This season marked more of a transition for the Rockies as “Generation R” started to take form with the arrival of players like Matt Holliday, Garrett Atkins, and Brad Hawpe. Helton did his thing, putting up 8.3 bWAR, while the Rockies traded Walker to the St. Louis Cardinals. Often forgotten, Jeromy Burnitz hit 37 home runs and drove in 110 RBI during his lone season in Colorado at the age of 36.

Spider-Man 3 (2007)

The end of the Raimi trilogy was a huge financial success, earning $890.9 million at the box office, while receiving mixed reviews from critics and audiences. Spider-Man is dealing with a troubled relationship with Mary Jane Watson while facing multiple threats on the villain front, including the Venom symbiote that enhances the rage he’s been feeling. It’s looked at more fondly nowadays, like the rest of the trilogy, partly because of meme culture like Bully Maguire.

The Rockies also had a great time in 2007, despite not exactly being the best overall team on paper, as they made a run to the World Series, where they were unfortunately swept by the Boston Red Sox. Troy Tulowitzki burst onto the scene as a rookie, Matt Holliday put up an MVP-caliber season, and Jeff Francis was an unlikely ace on the mound. It was a well-rounded team that just ran out of steam, but it is still one of the greatest stories in Rockies history.

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

Sony decided to reboot the Spider-Man franchise after they couldn’t agree on a story for another Raimi-directed Spider-Man film. So, they turned to director Marc Webb and cast Andrew Garfield as the new titular hero. The movie wanted to focus on Peter Parker’s feelings as an outcast and add more drama into the story, while rehashing his origin story. He ends up having to face off against the Lizard while courting Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy. The film earned $758 million at the box office.

For the Rockies, 2012 was a forgettable season. Injuries decimated the team while pitching was some of the worst in team history. Despite strong campaigns from Carlos González, Dexter Fowler, and Michael Cuddyer, the team lost 98 games, and it remains one of the worst seasons ever for Colorado, even if things would get much, much worse in the future.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

If people thought Spider-Man 3 was messy with too many villain plotlines, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 turned that dial up to 11. Despite making $716.9 million globally, the film wasn’t well received, as its plot was a mess and Sony tried too hard to launch an expansive cinematic universe with it. Despite Garfield and Stone being excellent in their roles, the film just didn’t have the legs to sustain further installments, and a deal was cut to share character film rights with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reboot the character again.

The Rockies also had a bad time in 2014, losing 96 games. Overall, the offense was solid, but not always great, while the pitching struggled quite a bit as usual. Injuries also played a part in forcing the Rockies to throw anything and everything at the wall to see what stuck, and it just didn’t pan out.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

After making his MCU debut in Captain America: Civil War, Holland’s first solo film as Spider-Man kicked off an extremely successful era for the character. The film follows a young Peter Parker doing everything he can to impress Robert Downey Jr.‘s Iron Man and prove he should be an Avenger. This causes him to cross paths with Michael Keaton’s Vulture and forces him to learn that the suit isn’t what makes the hero. The movie earned $880.9 million worldwide.

The Rockies also had a coming-of-age story as well in 2017 as they went 87-75 and reached the playoffs for the first time since 2009. Sneaking into the playoffs as a Wild Card team, Colorado faced off against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Wild Card one-game playoff and lost in a back-and-forth affair. Led by a rookie starting rotation and an incredible core of position players, the Rockies seemed to finally have the makings of a team that could compete for years to come.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

In 2018, Sony released an animated film that would focus on fan-favorite character Miles Morales as he becomes Spider-Man and ends up interacting with other multiverse variants of Spider-Man. The film was meant to rehabilitate the Sony Spider-Man brand after The Amazing Spider-Man 2’s failure. It grossed $395 million worldwide against a $90 million budget and became the first non-Disney film in seven years to win Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards.

Building on the success of 2017, the Rockies won 91 games in 2018 and almost won their first division title with a Game 163 playoff against the Los Angeles Dodgers. They lost and settled for a Wild Card spot, heading to Chicago to face the Cubs in a marathon victory. They were then swept in three games in the Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers. The offensive core continued to mash while the young rotation, led by an incredible year for Kyle Freeland, delivered on the mound all season. Unfortunately, they just ran out of steam.

Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019)

Holland’s second solo venture as Spider-Man served as the epilogue to 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. It sees Peter Parker feeling the pressure of following in the footsteps of Iron Man and just wanting a simple European vacation with his friends. He ends up running into Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio, who appears as a friend at first but turns out to be a disgruntled former employee of Tony Stark. Spidey saves the day, but Mysterio has the last laugh, revealing Spider-Man’s identity to the world.  This movie became the first Spider-Man film to gross $1 billion at the box office.

The Rockies fell from grace in 2019 as they lost 91 games. Failure to improve in the offseason and major regressions from the pitching staff negated any positives that the offense was able to provide throughout the season. Nolan Arenado belted 41 home runs and finished sixth in MVP voting at least.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

There is reason to believe that the third Tom Holland-led Spider-Man truly helped save the movie theater business in 2021. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, theaters were struggling as studios started putting things directly on streaming services on release day. Spider-Man: No Way Home became the highest-grossing film of 2021 with a box office take of $1.910 billion. The film focuses on Peter Parker enlisting the help of Doctor Strange to make the world forget that he is Spider-Man; however, the spell goes awry and inadvertently draws in legacy villains from the previous Sony Spider-Man films as well as the previous iterations of the hero. Spidey saves the day by making everyone forget that Peter Parker exists, setting the scene for his next adventure in 2026.

2021 was another lackluster season for the Rockies as they were never quite in contention, but not bad enough to inspire change. They ended up going 74-87. Arenado had been traded before the season, and both Jon Gray and Trevor Story would be free agents after the season. The offense had its moments, but the pitching was mediocre enough that it just didn’t move the needle enough in either direction.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

The sequel to the 2018 animated film ended up grossing $690.9 million and also won Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards. It follows Miles Morales as he struggles with figuring out who he is supposed to be and also forging his own destiny. He runs into more multiverse shenanigans with other Spider-people while the villain The Spot poses a big threat to the multiverse. The sequel to this film is supposed to come out next summer.

The year 2023 is etched in the mind of every Rockies fan as it was the first time the team had ever lost 100-games in a season. Going 59-103, the Rockies couldn’t hit, and they couldn’t pitch. Despite drastic changes needing to be made, the plan was to stay the course and hope the players just played better. They would not play better, and things would get worse over the next two seasons.

Keep swinging

Across the board, I’m sure the Rockies would love to have the financial success of every Spider-Man movie that has come out. It’s a beloved character that has featured in generally solid films as well as other types of media. I wish I could say a good Spider-Man film correlates with a good Rockies team, but that just isn’t the case, especially over the last couple of years. The newest film is doing quite well at the box office, and the current Rockies have been improved, but there is still a long way to go in Colorado.

So tonight, let’s shift away from baseball for a second and talk Spider-Man. What is your favorite Spider-Man movie? Do you have a favorite comic book storyline? Is there any other piece of Spider-media that is near and dear to your heart?

Have some fun chatting about it below!

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Gavin Stone was the team’s workhorse two seasons ago.

In 2024, Stone led the Dodgers in starts and innings. But he missed the 2025 season while he recovered from shoulder surgery.

On Thursday, Stone made his first start in nearly two years.

The right-hander hasn’t taken the mound in a regular-season game since Aug. 31, 2024. Stone made his 2026 debut with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday.

He allowed one run in 1.2 innings. Stone allowed two hits and recorded three strikeouts against the Salt Lake Bees.

Stone joined OKC after rehabbing his injury all season, which points to a potential return for the pitcher this year. The Dodgers are cautiously optimistic about Stone’s recovery with the right-hander possibly returning to the starting rotation in September.

Stone sported a 3.53 ERA with 116 strikeouts across 140.1 innings in 2024, emerging as quite the workhorse for the Dodgers that season. He became the first Dodgers rookie pitcher to throw a complete game since Hyun Jin Ryu in 2013.

His successful rookie season was derailed by a shoulder injury, which he sustained in September 2024. Stone missed the Dodgers’ postseason and hasn’t pitched for the team since.

Now, it appears Stone is set to make his long-awaited return to the Dodgers down the stretch. While LA’s starting rotation is crowded, Stone could be a placeholder for one of the Dodgers’ stars including Shohei Ohtani.

Ohtani hasn’t made a start for the Dodgers since early July and inserting Stone back into the rotation would give the two-way star more time to rest before the postseason. Additionally, if Stone doesn’t skip a beat in his return to LA, he could very well make a case to make the Dodgers’ postseason roster.

Cubs All-Star Pete Crow-Armstrong is feeling the bite of one Mad Dog. 

Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo went off on Crow-Armstrong during a Wednesday segment on “First Take,” where the sports talk personality addressed the conspiracy that PCA repeated on Kristin Cavallari’s “Let’s Be Honest” podcast, claiming that Babe Ruth never existed. 

The Cubs superstar took it a step further when he also said that if the legendary Yankee did exist and hit 714 career home runs, then he did it against pitchers who were essentially throwing to him underhand. 

Russo was outraged by the take and responded as such, saying that “this drove me nuts” and labeled it “derogatory.” 

“Hey Pete, you’re talking to me now about Ruth!” Russo said as he ran through Ruth’s historical numbers. “Nobody hit home runs like Babe Ruth. Say what you want about Ohtani, we understand that he’s a unicorn. Babe Ruth is so good it’s mindboggling. Did you know, Peter Crow-Armstrong, that Babe Ruth hit 27 home runs over 500 feet? Bonds? Never. Not one. … Ruth owned baseball, nobody hit home runs like Ruth! He out-homered leagues! To sit there and say they were pitching underhand, well why didn’t anybody else hit the home runs hitting underhand? 

“Outside of Gehrig, nobody hit home runs! It drives me crazy, especially in baseball, it drives me crazy when I hear today’s athletes and media guys who are 30 years old, who disparage the old-time guys.”

Russo acknowledged that one argument he would give credence to would be the fact that prior to 1945, baseball was segregated and that could have inflated some of baseball’s records. 

Crow-Armstrong, in the midst of another terrific season for the Cubs, went on the podcast and discussed where he first heard the theory.

“This is gonna be crazy,” he acknowledged. “Babe Ruth never existed is one that I like. I heard some pitcher with the Mariners … I think he did some podcast on Zoom where he was going down the rabbit hole with somebody about how Babe Ruth never existed.

“We always talk about how the game is evolving, people might as well have been like underhanding the ball to that guy,” he continued. “And he’s regarded still as one of the best players ever. Might as well dive further into it and be like, well, maybe he just never existed.”

The ESPN talking head later said he did not like how people think that players from 1927 are not nearly as good as players today. 

“Are you crazy?” Russo continued. “He would have been a Hall of Famer as a pitcher, forget as a hitter. There’s only one Babe Ruth. He hit anywhere, any place, any time. He’s that good. And when you start to knock Ruth…pay attention, do your homework. That was a disgrace what he said this week.”

It was a great day for the Mets prospects down in Double-A on Thursday.

The Rumble Ponies exploded for 23 runs in their 23-3 win over Hartford. The 19 runs set a franchise record for Binghamton and many of the Mets' top prospects -- most arriving at the trade deadline -- contributed to that score.

None more than Mitch Voit. 

Voit, No. 5 in Joe DeMayo's list of Mets prospects, went 5-for-6 with a walk and two RBI. In eight games since being promoted to Double-A, Voit is 19-for-27 with a home run and eight RBI. He tied Binghamton's single-game record with five hits. 

Jefferson Rojas, the centerpiece in the Clay Holmes deal and the Mets' new No. 1 prospect, got off the schneid, picking up his first hit in his second game in the Mets' system. The shortstop finished 1-for-4 with a walk and a run scored.

Billy Amick, who came over from the Twins in the A.J. Minter deal, was the big run producer in this one. The third baseman went 3-for-4 with a walk and six RBI. Two of Amick's three hits were home runs. 

Thursday was Amick's fifth game with Binghamton and he is 6-for-18 with three home runs and eight RBI since arriving in the Mets system. 

On the pitching side, Gary Gill Hill, who was traded to the Mets from the Rays in the Freddy Peralta deal, had a solid Binghamton debut.

The right-hander pitched five scoreless innings, allowing three hits and walking two while striking out four to pick up the win. Entering Thursday's game, the 21-year-old pitched to a 7-3 record, a 4.49 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP across 20 starts.

Mets prospect Billy Amick crushes a 3-run home run on a 3-0 pitch for Double-A Binghamton 🙌 pic.twitter.com/2GPdlDYcnW

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) August 6, 2026

Mitch Voit, the Mets #6 prospect, drives in another run for the Rumble Ponies! pic.twitter.com/d3gjcCOPj1

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) August 6, 2026

The Phillies offense pounded out eight doubles on 16 total hits to dispatch the Nationals and take the four-game series with a final score of 7-3. It was the most doubles Philadelphia has had in a game since September 6th of 2024 when they also had eight in a game against Marlins. Bryson Stott led the way with two doubles while Luis Arraez, Alec Bohm, J.T. Realmuto, Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, and Brandon Marsh rounded out the collection. Meanwhile on the mound, Cristopher Sánchez wasn’t his sharpest but was able to finish five innings and allowed just two runs.

Double your fun

The first two bagger came in the first inning courtesy of Luis Arraez, who continues to make an impact offensively in his first few games with the Phillies. He doubled in Trea Turner and moved Bryce Harper to third after they had reached on a single and a walk respectively.

Alec Bohm quickly followed with the Phillies second double of the night, driving in Harper to push the lead to 2-0. Arraez tried to score from second, but despite hurdling the tag attempt by Washington catcher Keibert Ruiz, was not able to touch home plate and was called out.

The next double came to lead off the third, with J.T. Realmuto ripping one down the third base line off of Nats’ starter Miles Mikolas. Bryson Stott then grounded out to third to advance Realmuto before Justin Crawford bounced a worm burner over the head of the drawn in first baseman for a base hit and an RBI, extending the then lead to 3-1.

Double number four came two batters later, when Turner hit a ball off the wall that Crawford likely should have scored on, but the rookie appeared to hesitate going into second base and was ultimately thrown out at home to end the inning, becoming the second runner to be gunned down at the plate in as many innings for the Phillies.

Harper got in on the fun to begin the third inning, lining the Phillies’ fifth double of the game down the right field line. Arraez then hit a fly ball to the warning track that should have allowed Harper to tag up and go to third, but Harper appeared to misread it and did not advance. Bohm then lined out putting the run in jeopardy, but Brandon Marsh came through with double number six, a sharp 105 MPH line drive to right that scored Harper and pushed the lead to 4-1.

Realmuto knocked in Marsh with a run of the mill two-out single before Stott notched double number seven to right to give the Phillies a 6-1 lead. Stott later led off the sixth inning with his second and the Phillies’ eighth double of the night and eventually came around to score after a Crawford bunt set up a Kyle Schwarber RBI single to give Philadelphia it’s seventh run of the ballgame.

Not your best but good enough

Cristopher Sánchez struggled with command all night despite only issuing two walks. He needed 98 pitches to get through five innings and had to escape multiple jams. The first such instance came in the third when Esteury Ruiz and Dylan Crews led off the inning with back-to-back singles when the score was 3-1 Phillies. But Sánchez was able to bear down and get Andrés Chaparro to ground into a double play before striking out Brady House swinging to extinguish the threat.

Sánchez ended his night with another tightrope act in the fifth, when the Nats loaded the bases on a Brady House walk with one out in a 6-2 game. But once again, Sánchez was able to settle down and prevent further damage by striking out CJ Abrams and inducing a groundout against Harry Ford to end the inning. The Phillies southpaw ended his night with five innings pitched, two runs, six hits including a home run, two walks, and six strikeouts.

Not TOO stressfull

Sánchez’ early exit required the Phillies taxed bullpen to once again throw four innings a night after eight relievers pitched in an extra-innings game. Orion Kerkering was first up and allowed one run on two hits but collected three strikeouts. That would be all the bullpen allowed, as José Alvarado, Jonathan Bowlan, and Jhoan Duran would combine to throw three perfect innings with three total strikeouts in relief to preserve the series win.

Tomorrow’s matchup

The Phillies will send Zack Wheeler (10-2, 2.49) to the mound against the Blue Jays and newly acquired starter José Soriano (9-6, 3.29). First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 PM. Chase Utley will be inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame with a pre-game ceremony to begin Alumni Weekend.

Like everyone else, Paul Blackburn was following the Yankees’ moves at the trade deadline. He heard the noise about them potentially adding arms to the bullpen. 

It didn’t happen. 

“The trade deadline is always a weird time. As players, you do what you need to do. I feel like, as a whole down there, we’ve all thrown the ball really well,” the veteran right-hander, who has emerged as a key piece to the bullpen, told The Post. “We feed off each other, we give each other a lot of confidence down there, just a really tight group. For us, it’s about taking the ball and getting outs.” 

“I think [the front office is] confident in our group and we’re all confident in our group to go out and get the job done.” 

General manager Brian Cashman was active at the deadline, but only added offensive help in Heliot Ramos from the Giants and Luis García Jr. from the Nationals. There were no additions made to the bullpen, although there will be reinforcements of some kind at some point. 

The expectation is that when Clarke Schmidt returns from Tommy John surgery, it will be as a reliever.

And once Carlos Rodón is back from the injured list — he makes his first rehabilitation start Saturday — either Ryan Weathers or Will Warren will be moved to the pen. 

For now, the onus is on the current group. That is led by closer David Bednar and surprising success stories Brent Headrick and Blackburn, along with up-and-down righty Fernando Cruz.

The Yankees pen has the best ERA in the sport at 3.33, and over the last 55 games, that number is down to 2.56. 

Blackburn could turn out to be pretty important, not only because of how well he has pitched — he has a 2.02 ERA in 41 games — but because of his experience making the transition.

He can be a sounding board for the starters making the change.

When he made the move last year, Luke Weaver helped him significantly. 

“There is a little bit of challenge there, just going through it,” he said. “It’s still pitching, but it is different, as far as mentality and your day-to-day, things like that. 

“I feel like in the game now you see a lot of starters going to the pen and pen guys going back to starting. There’s a lot of guys that have gone through it, that can help each other out.” 

Time, once again, for the Most Important Game™ in the Most Important Series of the Year™ – collect the set! Hyperbole aside, last night’s unexpected demolition job of Casey Mize in his Padres debut has made this one more a “nice to win” than a “must win” for the Diamondbacks. Worst case scenario, a loss would split the four-game series and leave us exactly in the same spot against the Padres as we were going in: one game up, and with the season series even. The plus side = four games fewer on the schedule for San Diego to overtake us. The down side = any tiebreaker will be determined at Petco, by the final series of the season from September 25-27.

A win would thus be helpful. It’d leave us three games clear of any team in the wild-card race, and additionally, give us a 6-4 advantage in the season series, with those three left to play. San Diego would therefore need to sweep Arizona at Petco to own the tiebreaker, if that were to come into operation. Oh, it’d also put the D-backs 7.5 games back of the Dodgers. That’s still some way, but considering Los Angeles were 14 games up less than a month ago, on July 8… You have to go back to June 14 to find their lead that small. But I won’t be getting excited until Fangraphs shows odds for them winning the division considerably less than the current 99.4%. Mind you, it was literally 100% a month ago.

A couple of thoughts on Mitch Bratt’s stellar performance last night. As already noted, at 81, it was the highest Game Score by a pitcher his age or younger in franchise history. That broke a record which had stood for over 13 years, being set by Tyler Skaggs in 2013, when he threw eight shutout innings against the Rockies. Asterisk there, of course, with it being the Rockies. Though at the point, they were merely bad, rather than being Teh Suck. Also, Bratt struck out nine of the 24 batters he faced. That equaled his K total for the entire month of July, when he faced 85 batters. It made a strong case for why he should remain in the rotation when Michael Soroka returns. Over to you, Kohl Drake…

The Los Angeles Angels traded five players at Major League Baseball’s trade deadline — Zach Neto wasn’t one of them.

The 25-year-old remains under team control for three more seasons after the conclusion of the 2026 campaign, which is part of the reason the Angels didn’t part ways with Neto this summer.

So, does that mean the Angels intend to build around Neto for the foreseeable future?

Neto wouldn’t answer, according to MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger.

“But Neto wouldn’t say if the front office led by interim general manager John Mozeliak gave him any assurances that they plan to build around him going forward and not trade him this offseason,” Bollinger writes.

There’s no telling whether the Angels plan to trade him once the season ends, but Neto’s silence speaks volumes.

However, his name being brought up in trade rumors wasn’t the only thing Neto had to worry about this summer. Since mid-July, the infielder has endured a brutal slump at the plate.

In the series finale against the Baltimore Orioles, Neto hit his first home run since July 5. The three-run dinger powered the Angels to a 4-1 win.

Prior to Thursday’s performance, Neto had struggled the last 10 games. He averaged .125 with no extra-base hits, one RBI, 16 strikeouts and a .330 OPS.

Neto’s future in Los Angeles remains uncertain even with the deadline over, but it’s clear the Angels are in rebuild mode.

For now, Neto appears to be breaking out of his offensive slump after a tough few weeks leading up to Aug. 3.

CLEVELAND — Carson Benge’s bid for a home run in each game of this series fell a few feet short with his shot off the fence in left-center in Thursday’s third inning. 

But it didn’t change the fact the rookie outfielder is on a tear. 

That RBI triple was part of a 3-for-6 day for Benge, who helped lead the 13-6 victory over the Guardians. 

Benge’s three-hit game was his ninth this season, leading the club. Benge homered in victories Tuesday and Wednesday. 

“He’s doing a good job shooting the ball to all parts of the ballpark right now,” interim manager Andy Green said. “Professional at-bats. It’s like he’s been around for a while now instead of just four months, so it’s a good start to a career.” 

Benge’s 112 hits are the third most by a rookie this season, trailing only Detroit’s Kevin McGonigle (118) and Colorado’s T.J. Rumfield (116). 

“See ball, hit ball,” Benge said. “It’s about that simple.” 

A day after he was unavailable due to arm fatigue, Devin Williams was available to pitch, according to Green. But the closer wasn’t needed with the Mets ahead by seven runs in the ninth inning. 

The Mets received a second straight scoreless outing from Nate Lavender to begin the lefty reliever’s major league career. Lavender pitched a scoreless sixth inning with two strikeouts. 

Kodai Senga had a second straight appearance in a one-inning high-leverage role and fired a scoreless seventh with two strikeouts. Senga hit 100 mph with his fastball. 

Luis Torrens homered for the second time in three days and finished the series with seven RBIs. It was the highest RBI total for a Mets player in a three-game series this season and most since Juan Soto had seven against the Tigers in September last year. All four of Torrens’ homers this season have been go-ahead blasts. 

The nine homers the Mets hit were their second most in a three-game series this season. The Mets hit 10 homers against the Cubs over three games in June.

The Mariners played a baseball game Thursday. They lost, 11-0.

Heading into the series with the Detroit Tigers, the Mariners were slightly favored on paper to take two of three games. After all, the Mariners managed to avoid Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize, who were both traded away by the Tigers at this week’s trade deadline. Detroit was also without notorious Mariners killer Kerry Carpenter, who is currently on the injured list. With the series being played at home, and the Mariners boasting a couple of modest deadline additions of their own, an opportunity to get back on track was there for the taking.

In reality, however, the Mariners were running into a team that had been playing (and specifically, hitting) well of late. To make matters worse, they weren’t running out their best squad for an important rubber game. Three of the team’s ideal starters — Cal Raleigh, Josh Naylor and Brendan Donovan — were all out of the lineup for either rest or scheduled days off. They were without their everyday manager in Dan Wilson, who was suspended a game after last night’s bench-clearing incident; bench coach Manny Acta was tasked with the managerial duties. On top of all of that, they were facing Framber Valdez, having struggled mightily against lefties all year long.

Not exactly the best set of circumstances to try to win a game! But it’s baseball, and the Mariners would have Bryce Miller on the bump, even if he has cooled off from his late, albeit productive start to the season. There was hope.

That hope was short-lived.

From the get-go, Miller didn’t have his best command. After he surrendered a leadoff walk to rookie sensation Kevin McGonigle and worked from behind to force a Gleyber Torres flyout, Dillon Dingler took a 2-1 cutter to the opposite field for a two-run homer. He homered in every game of the series.

The hits kept coming for the Tigers, with Riley Greene depositing a ground-rule double over the wall in the right field corner. Colt Keith then produced a double of his own to drive in Greene.

Miller, with the help of an ABS challenge by Jhonny Pereda to secure a strikeout of Max Clark, was able to hunker down and get the final two outs and prevent further damage. But when all was said and done, Miller threw 40 pitches in the first inning, the most for any Mariners starter in the first inning all year, and had the 3-0 deficit to accompany.

“Just a really, really frustrating way to start the game,” Miller said. “Just immediately put us in a hole, and we’re on defense for — it felt like 30 minutes. But it felt like we settled in and made a lot of good pitches after that…But I know I can’t start the game like that. We have to be more competitive.”

“Walks are bad — not only him, but the rest of the guys — and it seemed like whenever we ended up walking a guy, a long ball followed,” Acta said.

Randy Arozarena reached with a walk in the bottom half, but the Mariners were unable to do anything with it despite hitting a couple of balls hard.

In the top half of the second, McGonigle was again able to get on base, this time with a one-out single up the middle. And even though Miller was able to get Torres to ground out for the second out of the inning, Dingler haunted the Mariners once again, shooting an RBI single down the right field line to extend the lead to 4-0.

From that point forward, it never felt like the Mariners were really in the game. Even though Miller was able to settle in and get through five innings, Mariners baserunners were frequently erased when they looked to chip away. The Mariners grounded into four double plays over the course of the afternoon.

The floodgates opened later on in the seventh with Cole Wilcox pitching. He allowed a two-run homer to McGonigle to fall behind 6-0. Two additional runs would score as well — one of which coming on a throwing error by Taylor Ward, who missed his cutoff man. Ward was making his first start of the year in right field, but it didn’t stop the boo birds from coming out from an increasingly restless T-Mobile Park.

Wilcox would leave that game in that seventh inning after grabbing at his side. Official word from the team is left oblique tightness.

I will not lie, I did not enjoy having to watch this game by the second inning. It felt like a chore. Even Víctor Robles making his first pitching appearance provided little consolation — three runs came across in his ninth inning to cement an embarrassing 11-0 loss. A short memory will be imperative for the Mariners with the top team in the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays, coming to town Friday.

I don’t need to wax poetic any further. Thursday’s game was a clunker. The Mariners need to find some answers with a quickness.

Acta said it best. “Overall just not a good game.”

San Diego Padres (59-56) at Arizona Diamondbacks (61-54), August 6, 2026, 6:40 p.m. PST

Watch: Padres.TV

Location: Chase Field – Phoenix, Ariz.

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

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Apologies for the late Minor League Baseball roundup, but the Mike Krukow news set me back a bit today, both emotionally and in terms of labor. So let’s speed run Wednesday’s games from the San Francisco Giants affiliates … it was a great day for players whose name starts with a J!

Link to the 2026 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.

News

Four pieces of news, all good: LHP Esmerlin Vinicio has been promoted from High-A Eugene to AA Richmond. And Richmond RHP RJ Dabovich, who has had awful injury luck, has been given a rehab assignment with Low-A San Jose.

And finally, AAA Sacramento outfielder Turner Hill was named Player of the Month in the Pacific Coast League, while outfielder Franco Willias earned those honors in the Dominican Summer League.

AAA Sacramento (62-45)

Sacramento River Cats lost to the Round Rock Express (Rangers) 13-10(11 innings)
Box score

A fantastic day in the batter’s box for the River Cats, especially for the outfielders. It was a day that ends in “day,” so center fielder Turner Hill put on a show, hitting 3-5 with a home run and a double, though he had the ultra-rare (for him) strikeout as well.

With that, the 27-year old lefty’s hitting streak is up to 21 games, during which time he’s 39-87 with 10 extra-base hits, 8 walks, and just 7 strikeouts. My word, Turner! The undrafted free agent is doing everything in his control to ensure that he’s not just a feel-good story, but someone who could be helping a Major League roster … it’s now a .926 OPS and a 144 wRC+ for Hill, with 23 stolen bases and super solid defense. What a prospect he has become!

He was flanked by some exciting performances in the grass. Right fielder Scott Bandura had another stellar day, hitting 3-5 with 2 doubles, a walk, and a stolen base. After a slow start to his AAA campaign, Bandura has caught absolute fire: since June 26, the just-turned 25-year old lefty, taken in the 7th round of the 2023 draft, has hit 44-119 with 5 home runs, 8 doubles, and 28 walks. 28 walks!

That’s brought him up to an .838 OPS and a 121 wRC+, with 15 stolen bases. He’s now pretty much a slam dunk Rule 5 protection, in my eyes … which might mean he gets added to the roster before then.

And on the other side of Hill, in left field, was Victor Bericoto (No. 35 CPL), who began a rehab assignment! That was great to see, and Bericoto hit 1-3 with a double before getting subbed out. He probably won’t need too many rehab games before he’s manning left field for San Francisco on a near-daily basis.

Jonah Cox doesn’t technically get to join the outfielders for this game, as he was the designated hitter, but he’s always an outfielder in spirit, and he gets clumped with that trio due to his performance: Cox hit 3-5 with a walk, 2 stolen bases, and a strikeout. He’s done nothing but hit since making his AAA debut last week, first as a rehab assignment and now after being optioned. It’s important development for Cox after he looked overmatched in the Majors, but if he keeps hitting like this, he’ll be back soon enough.

Second baseman Diego Velasquez (No. 31 CPL) made his long-awaited AAA debut, and it went quite well, as he hit 2-4 with a hit by pitch, though he also struck out twice. Fantastic seeing him the switch-hitter finally get to test himself in the Majors.

Rough days for the top prospects, though, as left fielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) replaced Bericoto and hit 0-2 with a sacrifice fly, while third baseman Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL) went 0-4 with 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, and an error. Davidson has really struggled since getting promoted, while Harber was red hot but has since cooled down.

In exciting news, LHP Joe Whitman (No. 26 CPL returned to the rotation following a brief and confusing foray in the bullpen. Unfortunately, that’s where the good news ends, as Whitman did not follow the theme of the day, and was one of the few J names who struggled: he only made it through 2 innings, while giving up 5 hits, 4 extra-base hits, 2 walks, and 3 runs, with just 1 strikeout. It does seem like the River Cats were going to use him an as actual starter, though, as he threw 43 pitches (only 21 strikes, though).

Whitman’s day was better than RHP Alex Carrillo’s was, though. Carrillo, a 29-year old, made his organizational debut after signing on a Minor League deal a few weeks ago, and it was so rough that catcher Zach Morgan was called in to finish the inning (which he did without allowing a hit!). Carrillo registered just 1 out, while giving up 4 hits, 1 walk, 5 runs, and 4 earned runs.

But RHP Braxton Roxby had another great day, and was more than perfect. He didn’t allow a single baserunner, and needed to face just 8 batters to get 9 outs! Roxby entered in the 3rd after Whitman departed with 2 on and 0 outs, and got out of the inning cleanly, thanks in part to a caught stealing by he and catcher Thomas Gavello.

Roxby, who struck out 1 batter, has overcome his very slow start to the season. He had an 11.00 ERA after his May 1 outing, but since then has pitched 38.2 innings while giving up just 27 hits, 14 walks, and 10 earned runs, lowering his season ERA to 3.97, though his FIP is just 5.08.

AA Richmond (61-40)

Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Reading Fightin Phils (Phillies) 6-5
Box score

Well, a pretty awesome performance on the mound from LHP Greg Farone. He had a dominant showing, giving up just 4 hits (all singles), 2 walks, and 1 run in 5.2 innings, while striking out 10 batters. 10!

It’s been a bit of a rough 2nd season for Farone, who has a 5.78 ERA and a 5.54 FIP, but he’s been so much better lately, with excellent outings in 4 of his last 5 starts. He’s slowly starting to get the contact in check: on the year he’s allowed 87 hits in 85.2 innings, with 16 home runs, and those numbers need to keep coming down.

RHP Dale Stanavich had a nice game, giving up just 1 hit in 1.1 scoreless innings, with 2 strikeouts. Stanavich, a 27-year old Minor League free agent, is also giving up too many home runs, and has a 4.23 ERA and a 4.79 FIP … but he sure strikes people out!

A quartet of offensive performances to highlight: catcher Jancel Villarroel (No. 42 CPL) only hit 1-4, but connected for his 1st AA home run. Villarroel has taken a while to adapt to AA — he only has a .495 OPS and a 33 wRC+ through 9 games — but he’s just 21. And he’s a catcher!

Also leaving the yard was third baseman Charlie Szykowny, who hit 1-3 with a walk and a solo blast. Szykowny had a brutal July, posting a .186/.220/.233 slash line with 26 strikeouts in 86 at-bats, but so far in August he’s 5-11 with 2 extra-base hits, 2 walks, and 0 strikeouts. Love to see it!

Center fielder Trevor Cohen (No. 15 CPL) continues to look so comfortable in AA, as he went 3-5 with a stolen base. Since going 0-10 with a strikeout in his 1st pair of games at the level, last year’s 3rd-rounder has hit 26-61 with just 4 strikeouts. My goodness! That’s brought him up to an .877 OPS and a 134 wRC+ in AA, as he continues to fly up prospect lists.

And finally, second baseman Maui Ahuna (No. 33 CPL) went 1-2 with 2 walks, a stolen base, and a strikeout. Ahuna had a dismal slump over the summer, but has been much better lately, though his season numbers sit at just a .689 OPS and an 89 wRC+.

High-A Eugene (63-41)

Eugene Emeralds beat Spokane (Rockies) 5-1
Box score

Ahh, and now we arrive at the 1st pair of star showings from the quartet of J names who shone on Wednesday: shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL) and LHP Jacob Bresnahan (No. 11 CPL). The pair entered the year as highly ranked prospects, and have only added to how highly they should be ranked. And my goodness was that the case on Wednesday!

Bresnahan was the starter and tossed 6 shutout innings, allowing just 2 hits, 2 walks, and a hit batter, while striking out 5. Just a dominant showing from an increasingly dominant pitcher. Despite the 2 walks, Bresnahan was basically allergic to going outside the zone, as he threw a stunning 61 of 86 pitches for strikes.

What we’re seeing from the recently-turned 21-year old is downright special: over his last 8 starts, the southpaw has throw 47.1 innings and allowed just 25 hits, 12 walks, and 7 earned runs, with 57 strikeouts. He’s thrown at least 5 innings in all 8 of those starts, and at least 6 innings in 6 of them. If I didn’t know better, I would say it’s AA time for the 2023 13th-rounder, who has a 2.72 ERA and a 3.91 FIP on the year, with 10.7 strikeouts per 9 innings.

As for Level, he had one of his best games since getting promoted, hitting 2-3 with a home run, a triple, and 2 walks. The switch-hitter has been extremely hot and cold since getting promoted, which is to be expected given that he’s only 19 years old, competing against players much older than he is. Despite the cold stretches, he has an .820 OPS and a 115 wRC+ with Eugene, which is remarkable … and should earn him a spot inside the top 50 on a lot of offseason lists.

While Level’s day was stunning, it wasn’t the only superstar showing, as third baseman Walker Martin hit 2-5 with 2 home runs and a strikeout. Martin’s season has been a little disappointing, but he’s been heating up a bit lately: in his last 7 games, the lefty is 8-28 with 4 homers and 3 walks, bringing him up to a .746 OPS and a 95 wRC+. The power is finally firmly on display for Martin, though the contact ability remains a big concern.

Center fielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 32 CPL) rounded out the dinger party, hitting 1-4 with his 19th home run of the year … that ties him with Bo Davidson for the organizational lead!

Low-A San Jose (58-46)

San Jose Giants lost to the Stockton Ports (A’s) 11-6 (10 innings)
Box score

If you were hoping that one of the star Js of the day was Josuar González (No. 2 CPL), well … sorry to disappoint. The top prospect in the organization didn’t play in this game.

But you know who did? First baseman Jeremiah Jenkins. And a day after hitting a walk-off home run, Jenkins was back at it with a stunning day, hitting 3-3 with a home run, a double, and 2 hit by pitches. Wowee!

With that, the 14th-round pick in 2024 has a .879 OPS and a 118 wRC+. The power is other-worldly — he has a .253 isolated slugging, with 15 loud home runs — but he continues to have contact troubles, as he’s rocking a 29.6% strikeout rate, and a .245 average.

Also going deep was left fielder Oliver Tejada, who hit 1-5 with a solo bomb. Tejada, a 19-year old righty, has struggled since a recent promotion, as he’s hitting below the Mendoza Line, with a 32.7% strikeout rate. But he’s hitting bombs, as he already has 4 homers in 24 games at the level.

Shortstop phenom Luis Hernández (No. 6 CPL) had a lovely game, hitting 2-5 with a double and a walk. The 17-year old has poor numbers through 9 San Jose games (.651 OPS, 58 wRC+), but it’s just exciting seeing him at the level.

Nothing good on the mound, really. RHP Argenis Cayama (No. 13 CPL) made his 2nd start since returning from the IL, and didn’t have his trademark command, as he walked 4 batters in 2.2 innings, while also giving up 3 hits. On the bright side, he limited the damage to 1 run, while striking out 4 batters.

Dominican Summer League Black (30-17)

DSL Giants Black lost to the DSL Tigers 1, 6-3 (7 innings)
Box score

And now we arrive at our final “J” of the day: shortstop Joniel Hernandez. The 17-year old phenom, who came over in the Robbie Ray trade, starred in his 1st game with the organization on Tuesday. And on Wednesday? Just a casual 1-2 with a home run and a walk. Between his 2 teams, Hernandez — who had a $1.4 million signing bonus — has a .994 OPS and a 135 wRC+, making him one of the top performers in the DSL … despite being a 17-year old shortstop. He is so exciting.

RHP Delvis Heredia had the best pitching performance, throwing 2 shutout frames with 1 hit and 4 strikeouts. The 21-year old has had a tough 3rd season, so nice to see a good outing.

Home run tracker

19 — Lisbel Diaz — [16 in High-A; 3 in Low-A]
17 — Walker Martin x2 — [High-A]
16 — Jhonny Level — [6 in High-A; 10 in Low-A]
15 — Jeremiah Jenkins — [Low-A]
12 — Charlie Szykowny — [AA]
8 — Turner Hill — [AAA]
8 — Jancel Villarroel — [1 in AA; 7 in High-A]
5 — Oliver Tejada — [4 in Low-A; 1 in ACL]
5 — Joniel Hernandez — [DSL]