Here’s the Guardians lineup:
Here’s the Tigers lineup:
Let’s go, Guardians!
GUARDIANS AT TIGERS: Anderson vs Bibee, discussion
Tuesday Jays Notes
There is a little bit of news from the Jays:
- Trey Yesavage had surgery to repair the meniscus in his left knee. They are not saying he is out for the season (but I would be amazed if he came back this year). If they don’t make a move towards getting into the playoffs, I can’t see any reason to rush him.
- Jameson Taillon has right forearm tendinitis. I remember Bill James having this weird thing about insisting it should be spelled tendonitis. As you get older it is always good to fixate on weird things.
- Chase Lee is back in his spot.
- And Spencer Arrighetti is unlikely to be back anytime soon.
- Simeon Woods Richardson and a handful of others are options to fill Taillon’s spot.
- Kazuma Okamoto has been removed from tonight’s lineup again. I can imagine it would be tough to swing the bat with the thumping his knee took.
- That has caused a lot of movement in the lineup, that was posted like this:
But now will look like this:
I’m interested in moving Bateman into center, when Straw was originally there. I’d love to hear the wherefore and the why, one of my favorite Gordon Lightfoot songs.
I’m interested in seeing how the umpires will manage to award a run to the Red Sox tonight. They used a lot of imagination yesterday.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Miami Marlins: Paul Skenes vs. Eury Pérez
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Miami Marlins, August 11, 2026, 6:40 p.m. ET
The Pittsburgh Pirates are taking their talents to South Beach as they take on the Miami Marlins in the first game of a three-game set this week at loanDepot Park.
Paul Skenes is on the mound for the Pirates, and he’s coming off a loss in his last start against the Milwaukee Brewers on August 5. Skenes pitched five innings, giving up two hits and three earned runs, as the Bucs lost 4-2 against the first-place team in the NL Central at American Family Field.
Skenes started against the Marlins when they visited PNC Park back in June. He went six innings, giving up four hits and two earned runs, in an identical 4-2 loss. The hope is that fortunes turn around for Skenes as he looks for his first win since July 19.
Eury Pérez is drawing the start for the Marlins. Pérez is 5-9 with a 3.61 ERA so far this season in 20 starts. In his last appearance on August 5 against the Atlanta Braves, he went five innings, giving up seven hits and four runs in a 4-1 loss at Truist Park. He is looking for his first win since July 5 when he beat the Athletics on the road.
Location: loanDepot Park, Miami, FL
Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh
Pitching Matchup: Paul Skenes (9-10, 3.96 ERA) vs. Eury Pérez (5-9, 3.61 ERA)
BD community, this is your gameday thread for today’s game. Chime off in the comments section below.
Yankees’ Aaron Boone: ‘Probably’ reasonable to expect Cody Bellinger, Giancarlo Stanton to return before Aaron Judge
The Yankees are looking forward to getting their big three sluggers -- Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton -- back before the end of the season, and manager Aaron Boone shed some light on the order of returns, at least what the team is seeing so far.
Speaking with the media ahead of the Yankees' series opener with the Mariners, including the Daily News' Gary Phillips, Boone was asked whether they expect the order of returns to be Bellinger, Stanton and Judge. The Yankees skipper said that's "probably" the order.
Bellinger (left hamstring strain) was placed on the IL back on July 26. The diagnosis was a Grade 2 strain, so the team expects a 4-to-6-week stint on the IL. Boone said Tuesday that the All-Star outfielder is not "too far off" but is still dealing with some tightness.
Bellinger was slashing .259/.350/.420 with an OPS of .770 to go along with his 11 home runs and 53 RBI across 102 games this season.
As for Stanton, Boone said there's "a chance" that the slugger will need a rehab assignment. Stanton was placed on the IL with a right calf strain in late April. The slugger reinjured his calf in June, pushing his recovery time back.
Stanton has only managed 24 games, hitting three home runs and driving in 14 runs while slashing .256/.302/.422 with a .724 OPS.
However, Stanton has been doing more baseball activities of late, including running the bases before Tuesday's game.
Giancarlo Stanton is running the bases pic.twitter.com/yNO0ALixvz
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) August 11, 2026
So what's the timeline look like?
Well, Judge has begun "light activity" as he recovers from a right rib stress fracture that has kept him out of action since May 31. Judge told reporters on Aug. 5 that he still expects to play this season.
With how carefully the Yankees have handled Judge's injury, a return prior to September doesn't seem likely. Four weeks from Bellinger's 4-6-week timeline puts him at around Aug. 23.
Carlos Rodon rehab
Boone confirmed that the southpaw will need at least one more rehab start. And that start will come Thursday, Aug. 13, with Double-A Somerset.
Rodon tossed 2.2 innings (48 pitches) with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre back on Aug. 8. In that start, Rodon allowed three runs on three hits and two walks while striking out four batters.
With a full rotation, it's unclear how the Yankees will handle Rodon's return, but Boone previously threw out the idea that Rodon could be a piggyback situation when he pitches in the big leagues as he continues to build back up.
Kervin Castro lands on IL
Ahead of Tuesday's series opener, the Yankees placed Castro (right elbow neuritis) on the 15-day IL and called up right-hander Bradley Hanner.
Castro has appeared in five games with the Yankees this season, pitching to a 1.42 ERA while striking out eight batters across 6.1 innings pitched. Hanner, 27, has pitched to a 2.10 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP in his 40 appearances with Scranton this season. Whenever he gets into a game, it'll be Hanner's major league debut.
Chicago Cubs vs. Washington Nationals preview, Tuesday 8/11, 5:45 CT
Tuesday notes…
- ROAD WARRIORS: The Cubs are 20-7 in their last 27 road games, making their season record 34-26, for a winning percentage of .567. In the past 80 seasons, the Cubs have finished better than .567 on the road only twice: .593 in 2015 (48-33) and .575 in 2016 (46-34-1). From 2017-25, they were .480 (324-351), including .519 last year (42-39). (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
- WINNING BIG: In 41 of the Cubs’ 69 wins, 59.4 percent, their final margin of victory was their largest lead of the game. Twenty of the 41 have come during their current 35-16 surge. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
- SCORING FIRST: The Cubs have scored first in 56 of their 119 games. In 53 of the games, 44.5 percent, the first run has been scored in the first inning: 27 times by the Cubs and 26 by their opponent. They Cubs are 21-6 when they did it and 9-17 when their opponent did. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
- TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: Randy Hundley hit for the cycle and scored the winning run in the 11th inning as the Cubs win the first game of a doubleheader 9-8 over the Astros at Wrigley Field. The second game was suspended at 5:30 p.m. because both teams had to catch planes to the West Coast. That game was completed two weeks later in Houston. It happened 60 years ago today, Thursday, Aug. 11, 1966.
Cubs lineup:
Nationals lineup:
Shōta Imanaga, LHP vs. Jake Irvin, RHP
Shōta Imanaga continues his excellent run of starts. Last seven: 1.77 ERA, 1.180 WHIP, only six walks and five home runs in 40.2 innings.
He faced the Nationals at Wrigley Field March 29 and allowed four runs in five innings, striking out seven. Of course, that game was played in 59-degree temps, far different conditions than are expected tonight. Also, Joey Wiemer, who went 3-for-3 including a home run that day, isn’t on the Nats anymore.
I’m expecting Shōta’s great pitching to continue.
Jake Irvin missed two months with a shoulder issue and has made two starts since his return. He held the Phillies to two runs in 5.2 innings in his last outing Aug. 5.
He was Imanaga’s opponent in that March 29 game and held the Cubs to two runs in five innings. Both runs were solo homers, by Ian Happ and Alex Bregman.
Interesting note about that March 29 game — of the five Cubs pitchers who appeared in that game, only one — Imanaga — is currently on the active roster. (The others: Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey, Hoby Milner and Daniel Palencia.)
Here is the weather forecast for the area around Nationals Park.
Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network.
Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.
Baseball-reference.com game preview
Please visit our SB Nation Nationals site Federal Baseball. If you do go there to interact with Nationals fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.
The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.
You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.
The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.
You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.
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AZ Snake Pit Reacts Survey: A farewell to Sewald
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Diamondbacks fans and fans across the country.
Paul Sewald was designated for assignment by the Arizona Diamondbacks yesterday, likely ending the reliever’s tenure with the team. On the broadest level, his time here was nothing special. He pitched 107 times in the regular season for Arizona, posting an underwhelming 4.95 ERA. The resulting 86 ERA+ is more or less the same as the likes of Mark Melancon or Matt Peacock, players who are probably no more than footnotes in franchise history. Sewald is certainly not going to see his number retired by Arizona. But a couple of things likely elevate Paul’s place in the record, higher than those pitchers.
Firstly, he was a closer, reaching double digits for the D-backs in saves in three separate seasons. The only pitcher with more such campaigns is Jose Valverde’s four. He became only the sixth man to reach fifty saves for Arizona, and you have to go back a full decade to find the last to do so – Brad Ziegler in 2016. When he first arrived here, at the 2023 trade deadline, the D-backs had three different pitchers with at least seven saves – none of who reached even ten. He stabilized the position down the stretch run, saving 13 games in 15 opportunities, and was key as the Diamondbacks reached the post-season for the first time in six years.
Then there was his post-season exploits. There’s a good argument that, without Sewald, Arizona does not win the NL pennant. Through the end of the Championship Series in Philadelphia he pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk, while striking out eleven. Of the D-backs’ nine wins to that point, Paul saved six of them and got the win in another. None were likely more crucial than games 3+4 of the NLCS, after Arizona had lost the first two. In the first, he came into a game tied 1-1 in the ninth, and put up a zero before Ketel Marte’s walk-off. The next night, he came in to preserve a one-run lead, and fanned Brandon Marsh, Jake Cave and Trea Turner.
But the 2023 playoffs then showed the worst of Sewald. In game 1 of the World Series, a two-run lead in the ninth inning evaporated off the bat of Corey Seager. And in game 5, a 1-0 deficit became an unsurmountable 5-0 one, after Sewald coughed up four runs in only 20 pitches, becoming the last Arizona pitcher to throw in the post-season to this date. A World Series ERA of 27.00 illustrated how, even in a profession known for volatility, Sewald seemed particularly mercurial. We saw that again in 2024. Through the end of June, he was perfect as a closer, on a streak of 17 scoreless outings, and with a 0.54 (!) ERA. He didn’t reach the end of July, after a month where he allowed 12 earned runs in 10 innings.
He left as a free agent at the end of the year, and given the July cloud, his return to the team in 2026 was something of a surprise. He was cheap enough, at $1.5 million, and won the role of closer out of spring training – to the concern of many. Initially, Paul was seen as a bridge until established arms Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk were healthy. We’re still awaiting Martinez, and Puk won’t be back at all. Sewald kept plugging away and outperformed many, far more expensive closers. He had 22 saves at the break, a total passed only twice in Arizona history. Again, July proved the unkindest month and he was relieved of duties by the end of it once more.
A brief stint in low-leverage situations proved unsuccessful, and with the team needing a long reliever, Paul was found to be surplus to requirements. But, overall, looking at the entirety of his tenure back to July 2023, how do you rate Sewald’s time in Arizona? Do you look at the mediocre ERA and see a pitcher who was lucky to get as many saves as he did? Or do you weigh the run to the World Series in 2023 and see a man who got the job done, almost whenever the team needed it most? That’s what the poll below is for – as usual, feel free to explain your decision in the comments.
Yankees’ ABS challengers to watch down the stretch
The final stretch of the Major League Baseball season is upon us, and the race for division titles and better seeding within the postseason is as important as ever. For the Yankees, the goal is not just to catch the Tampa Bay Rays, who sit six games above them in first place, but also to fend off the Boston Red Sox, who have surged back into the American League East race. The Yankees’ archrivals are two games back for second place in the AL East, and every game from now until the final day of the regular season matters for potential postseason positioning.
With how important every game is, it also stands that every pitch is extremely important. MLB’s Automated Balls and Strikes system has allowed the players to take some power into their own hands and challenge pitches they believe were called wrong. A batter, catcher, or in a rare case, the pitcher, can challenge, and it has been somewhat of a revelation and, in some instances, a game-saving measure for teams. So with the end of the regular season fast approaching and divisional races tightening up, who should the Yankees constrict on challenges, and who should they trust when their hand taps the top of their helmet?
Top Three:
- Aaron Judge (+4.5, 6/8 challenges)
- José Caballero (+3.5, 14/24 challenges)
- Ryan McMahon (+3.0, 4/5 challenges)
Before starting an analysis of these three, it’s worth mentioning that Aaron Judge isn’t actually number one in the top three. In fact, he’s second. In first place is Max Schuemann, who last played for the Yankees on August 1st against the Chicago White Sox before being sent to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre outright just two days later. He has a Net Overturns For (a metric that measures how many more or fewer umpire calls a player or team successfully gets overturned compared to what an average player would expect when facing identical pitch locations/game situations) of 4.8 and won seven of the nine challenges he put into play for the 40 games he was up with the big club. However, seeing as he’s not with the major league club currently, it was worth a mention, but the focus is on those who play every day.
It’s not a surprise to see Aaron Judge at the top of this list. He’s the best player on the Yankees, he’s one of the best players in MLB, and even though he’s been hurt for a while, he is confident that he can return to the lineup and make a sizeable impact. And, as Yankees fans have seen since Judge’s meteoric rise, the guy knows his strike zone. With his stature, he almost has no other choice. Out of the eight challenges he used when at the plate, he won six of them, and all of the challenges came at the bottom part of the zone.
When Judge taps his helmet, an occurrence that doesn’t happen very often, even though he gets questionable calls in other areas than the bottom of the strike zone, it’s worth paying attention to. He commands the batter’s box, and he knows his strike zone better than anyone.
Caballero won’t be in the lineup as consistently anymore with the coming of 21-year-old George Lombard Jr., but in the at-bats that he will get, he loves to challenge. Fortunately, he’s good at it too. His 24 challenges are a team high, and at a 58 percent win rate, he’s doing about as much as he can in the box. Sixty-seven percent of Caballero’s pitch challenges are considered reasonable according to Baseball Savant, so while he doesn’t always get it right, most of them are within the margin of error to understand why he may think a ball is a strike or vice versa.
A name that many might not expect to be on here is Ryan McMahon. He’s not an above-average hitter (and never has been). His 82 OPS+ this season could be the lowest of his career in a year when he plays more than 100 games, but that hasn’t stopped him from challenging the strike zone when necessary. He has quietly had the highest success rate of anyone on the Yankees with five or more challenges. However, the caveat is that, while he’s successful, he doesn’t challenge often. Five is not a high number relatively speaking. He sits tied for 11th in challenge attempts, and of the seven players lower than him, three of them have only one challenge and two have two. So, for Yankees fans it might be worth remembering that McMahon doesn’t use the challenge system often, but when he does, he’s usually correct.
Bottom Three:
- Jazz Chisholm Jr. (-4.8, 7/21 challenges)
- Paul Goldschmidt (-4.4, 1/6 challenges)
- Cody Bellinger (-3.9, 1/7 challenges)
The feeling has been consistent regarding Chisholm’s work at the plate this season. He came into the year talking about a goal of reaching the 50-50 mark, and to this point, he only has 17 home runs, a slash line of .216/.295/.396, and an OPS+ of 92. His work in the field has been strong, at the very least. His 10 OAA at second base is the 10th best among all major league players and third amongst second basemen (JJ Wetherholt for St. Louis has 22 OAA and Luis Arraez, now with Philadelphia following a stint in San Francisco, leads him). However, the work at the plate has been subpar, and it’s not just the box score numbers; it’s the challenge numbers too.
Chisholm has been the worst Yankee all season long at challenging pitches. He sits with a 33 percent correct challenge rate, and while that’s not the lowest number on the team, he’s also challenged 21 times, the second-most on the team. According to Baseball Savant, Chisholm hasn’t challenged pitches that would be considered reasonable to challenge. Of 23 opportunities he had according to the model, he only challenged eight times, good for 38 percent.
Goldschmidt’s presence is a little less of a problem now that the Yankees found Luis Garcia Jr. to take over his role at first base. When he was in the lineup, he was still hitting at an above-average level, so the lack of successful challenges has less of a bad taste. The same could even be said for Bellinger, who is having another excellent year, but is still dealing with the hamstring injury that has left him out of the lineup since July 26th. He appears to be on a faster track than anticipated, and having him back in the lineup would do wonders for the Yankees’ offense. But his challenges to this point in 2026, even though there have only been eight, have not helped the Bombers get the offense moving or continue to move forward.
Bellinger’s challenge numbers are a bit of a concern considering just how important a cog in the Yankees’ offense he is. He has challenged seven times in 2026 and has only won once. For the most part, his challenges have come on the outside of the zone, and the pitches he’s challenging are so tight that they have low challenge probabilities. But Bellinger challenges them with the confidence that they are balls, and unfortunately, they have all ended up as strikes. So, for Yankees fans watching a Bellinger at-bat, look for opposing pitchers to linger on the outside of the zone, not just because that’s a hard place for any player to create power from. Still, it’s also a potential spot for Bellinger to make a mistake and waste a challenge.
Writing this article without mentioning Austin Wells would be an oversight, too. His challenges behind the dish have helped Yankees pitchers out of multiple jams, and while his season at the plate isn’t going well at all, of his 96 challenges, he has had 59 correct, good for a 61 percent correct rate. That puts Wells 12th-best amongst catchers with 55 or more challenges. So, while trusting him at the plate may be a foregone conclusion, Wells has still been strong behind it, and a tap of the helmet from him shouldn’t be much of a worry for Yankees fans.
The Yankees need their big guns not just to hit the ball well, but to use their challenges effectively. And while some of them have completed that mission so far this season, there are some players in the everyday lineup who need to fine-tune their understanding of how strike zones are going to be called, and, more importantly, when to use challenges in a given game. The postseason is called tighter, and there’s less room for error, so a World Series-winning team will take full advantage of the ABs, but it is also disciplined with its usage.
Angels fire pitching coach Mike Maddux and two assistants in staff shakeup
The Angels fired pitching coach Mike Maddux and two other major league pitching coaches Tuesday, the latest decision in interim general manager John Mozeliak’s aggressive push to revitalize the moribund franchise.
One week after trading eight players off the major league roster to launch a long-overdue rebuilding effort, Mozeliak fired Maddux, assistant pitching coach Darryl Scott and bullpen coach Dom Chiti.
The Angels have a 4.53 earned-run average, ranking 24th among the 30 major league teams. They lead the majors in walks, and they have blown 20 of 36 save opportunities. They posted a 4.89 ERA last season, ranking 28th.
The Angels have the worst record in the major leagues and are on pace for the first 100-loss season in franchise history. Their hitters have fared no better than their pitchers: The Angels rank 26th in the majors in runs scored.
Read more:Mike Trout's 20th homer can't save Angels from extra-innings loss to Rangers
The interim pitching coach, Tim Leveque, will be the Angels’ sixth in seven years.
The contract of manager Kurt Suzuki expires at the end of the season. If the Angels hire a new manager for next season, he would become the team’s sixth manager in eight years.
When Mozeliak joined the Angels in June, he said he had told Suzuki and the coaches “they’re all fine for this year.”
In a statement Tuesday, Mozeliak said: “After spending time discussing with Kurt where we are as a coaching staff and where we want to go in the future, we felt it was best to make a change. With seven weeks remaining, we plan to use this time to evaluate what additional steps are needed to elevate our entire pitching program and best position us for success moving forward.”
Maddux, a pitching coach for five major league teams, and Scott each was in his first season in Anaheim. Chiti is a longtime associate of Perry Minasian, fired as the Angels’ general manager in June.
The interim pitching coach: Leveque, the Angels’ double-A pitching coach and a longtime pitching instructor under Mozeliak with the St. Louis Cardinals. The interim bullpen coach: Michael Wuertz, the Angels’ assistant minor league pitching coordinator.
Mozeliak said last week that he had yet to discuss with the Angels owner Arte Moreno and team president Molly Jolly whether he would continue as the Angels’ top baseball operations official, although many baseball insiders believe he would like to do so. The Angels have committed only to filling that position by the end of the season.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Ronald Acuña to DH, Mike Yastrzemski in RF as Braves face Mets
The Atlanta Braves are looking to rebound a tough loss last night against the New York Mets as a clash between two top ten offenses since the All-Star break meet in game two at Truist Park.
The Braves have scored the seventh most runs in MLB since the All-Star break, and the Mets have scored the tenth most. That being said, the rankings are a bit skewed. The gap between the two teams is sixteen runs. If the Braves had sixteen more runs since the break, they would only be two runs behind the MLB leader.
The Mets seem to be getting it together offensively, even without Juan Soto, which means Martín Pérez and crew will need to be on their game tonight to ensure a victory against the Nolan McLean. McLean is having a solid year but has shown some weakness as of late.
McLean was able to hold the Braves to just two earned runs over six innings in early July when he faced off against Pérez the first time. However, over his last three starts he has struggled to an ERA of 4.67. This is largely due to four HRs in that span and an inflated BABIP of .370. The Braves may be facing McLean at the perfect time while he seems to need to make some adjustments or is wearing down after a long season. McLean only has 178.2 innings under his belt in his MLB career, and 130.2 of them are from this season.
With McLean being new to the league, the Braves do not have many at-bats against him. Michael Harris is tied with the most with eight but has struggled to an OPS of .250. Matt Olson is the other player with eight ABs and he is hitless against McLean. Ronald Acuña has a HR in three at-bats, and Drake Baldwin has .900 OPS in five at-bats.
The question of the day with a right-handed pitcher was who was going to be the DH with Dominic Smith’s magic running out.
Ronald Acuña will be the DH today which will slot Mike Yastrzemski into RF. Jim Jarvis is getting another start at SS and super utility Dubón will be in LF. Drake Baldwin is staying in the leadoff spot, which appears to be the norm at this point. It should also be noted that Walt Weiss seems to finally be making it common practice to have Albies out of the top four when facing a righty.
The Mets were able to tag Pérez for four earned runs in early July, but since that gave Pérez has a 1.42 ERA and 3.35 FIP over 19.0 innings with sixteen strikeouts, albeit with a BABIP of .184.
Francisco Lindor has faced Pérez in twenty-five ABs and has been successful with an OPS of 1.213. Another player to keep an eye on is Bo Bichette. He has an OPS of 1.100 and average of .467 against Pérez in fifteen ABs. Marcus Semien has a whopping forty-one ABs against Pérez and has a .707 OPS against him.
On paper it looks like the slight edge factoring in the trends of SPs and the lineups, but we all know that anything can happen in baseball.
First pitch is at 7:15 EDT.
Tigers 2026 first rounder RHP Cameron Flukey to debut in Lakeland
A wave of additions to the Low-A Lakeland Flying Tigers roster have been announced as the 2026 Detroit Tigers draft class receives their first assignments in pro ball. 2026 first round selection RHP Cameron Flukey heads the list, as he is slated to debut in the organization with a start for the Flying Tigers on Wednesday night. The 21-year-old right-hander, selected 22nd overall back in July, missed the early part of his college season with Coastal Carolina due to a stress fracture in his ribs. The Tigers have decided to try to make up some of those innings lost in his final college season, and sources have reported that Flukey has looked very good in his bullpen sessions as he prepares to start his pro career. If things go well, there’s a good chance he could begin his first full season in 2027 at the High-A level, putting him on a relative fast track towards the upper levels of the minor leagues.
Joining Flukey in Lakeland will also be 2026 sixth rounder SS Maddux Molony, and seventh rounder 1B Brady Ballinger. The Tigers have already made some additions to the Flying Tigers roster in recent weeks as former top prep picks LHP Paul Wilson and RHP Owen Hall have each made a few appearances. An exciting young shortstop prospect in Angel De Los Santos has been making waves after a strong showing in the Complex League and some good work in his first seven games for the Flying Tigers with a pair of home runs already. Fellow 19-year-old infielder Ronald Ramirez is also off to a strong start.
Shortstop Tyson LeBlanc, the Tigers second round pick this year, is currently on the 7-day IL with an undisclosed injury, but seems likely to return in time to start his pro career in Lakeland before the season ends.
The Bridge League, which is essentially an unofficial continuation of the Complex League on the backfields, has also had some interesting news as both RHP Michael Massey and RHP Zach Swanson, two high bonus picks who have spent most of their time in pro ball on the injured list, have made appearances. Massey was the Tigers’ 4th rounder out of Wake Forest in 2024, while Swanson was a prep pick in the same draft. The duo were among our favorite arms selected over the past four drafts under the Scott Harris front office, so it’s good to finally see them healthy and getting some work in.
Finally, 3B Carson Rucker, along with RHP Luke Hoskins, and RHP Maddux Long, have been promoted from Lakeland to High-A West Michigan.
Shortstop prospect John Peck is due to begin a rehab assignment tonight in Lakeland. However, in less happy news, outfielder Wenceel Pérez is still dealing with vision issues and headaches after suffering an orbital fracture back in early June. His rehab assignment has been temporarily shut down while he is re-evaluated.
Angels fire pitching coaches, including Maddux
The Anaheim Angels have fired pitching coach Mike Maddux, assistant pitching coach Darryl Scott, and bullpen coach Dom Chiti, per Jeff Passan, underscoring that the Anaheim Angels are an unserious organization that should continue to be relegated to clown car status in MLB.
The Angels came into the season with their general manager, Perry Minasian, entering the last year of his deal. Minasian hired first-time manager Kurt Suzuki on just a one year deal. Maddux, Scott and Chiti were all in their first season with the Angels in 2026, and it is believed that they were all working on one year deals, as well. Speculation was that owner Arte Moreno did not want to have folks under contract past 2026 that he would have to pay during a potential work stoppage.
Minasian was fired by the Angels six weeks ago, and was replaced by John Mozeliak, the former St. Louis Cardinals head guy who was eased out of St. Louis after almost two decades because of concerns that he was behind the times, particularly in the player development arena. Mozeliak actually traded away some players at the trade deadline, a departure from the past with Anaheim, leading some to wonder if maybe things were getting straightened out in Anaheim, especially given that Mozeliak previously publicly stated, right after he was hired:
“I met with Kurt and most of (the coaches) this morning, and I told them they’re all fine for this year,” Mozeliak, the former St. Louis Cardinals’ baseball operations head, said at a news conference before Saturday night’s game against the Athletics.
“There’s nothing they have to worry about. … They all have jobs moving forward. There’s no reason for massive change right away.”
Apparently not.
The Angels are 25th in the majors in runs allowed per game, at 4.87, just a hair behind the Pirates and Astros at 4.84. The Angels are tied for 24th in the majors in ERA+ with the Astros and the Giants. I’m pretty sure none of those teams have fired their pitching coaches this season, though all three of those teams were expected to have better pitching staffs this year than the Angels were.
What is kind of ironically amusing about this is that the Angels are firing their pitching coaches the day after they held the Rangers to just one run in nine innings. The Angels did give up three runs in the tenth inning, leading to a loss, though those runs were allowed by Luke Murphy, making his fourth major league appearance, and Blake Weiman, making his third, so I’m not sure what exactly they expected.
The Angels did allow a combined 19 runs in Miami on Saturday and Sunday, and I guess maybe that was the breaking point, but you’d think they’d have fired everyone after they returned home on Sunday, not after a game the first game of a homestand on Monday. Also, the Angels had allowed just 15 runs in their six games prior to that, so things were kinda looking up.
That said, the Angels came into the season with a couple of quality pitchers and a whole host of guys (and this describes both their newly acquired pitchers and position players) who were either once good, but aren’t anymore, or who were once supposed to be good but hadn’t panned out yet.
Among the success stories this year for the Angels pitching staff has been Jose Soriano, who rebounded from a down 2025 season and was traded to Toronto; 22 year old rookie Walbert Urena, who has put up a 2.83 ERA in 101 innings over 21 appearances; and Reid Detmers, who, after spending the 2025 season in the bullpen, returned to the rotation and has been a solid league average innings eater. Ryan Zeferjahn, Chase Silseth, Kirby Yates and Brent Suter all were varying degrees of decent in the bullpen, and were all traded at the deadline.
On the other hand, Alek Manoah was terrible and then released; Jordan Romano was terrible, was released in late April, signed with the Colorado Rockies, and currently leads both the Angels and Rockies in saves; Jack Kochanowicz was terrible (though marginally less terrible than last year) and is now on the injured list; Grayson Rodriguez, acquired from the pitching-starved Baltimore Orioles for a rental outfielder (which should be sending red flags up everywhere), has been terrible, although he’s at least healthy currently, for a change; Ryan Johnson, their 2024 2nd rounder out of Dallas Baptist (you can read our draft preview of him here), was rushed to the majors in a bullpen role last year, was terrible, was sent down to be a starter at high-A (!!!) to “work on his pitching skills,” according to 2025 manager Ron Washington, until missing six weeks with injury, has spent most of 2026 in the majors, and has been terrible; Yusei Kikuchi was bad and is now on the 60 day injured list; and Drew Pomeranz was bad and was released.
The 64 year old Maddux has a lengthy, and successful, resume as a pitching coach, including two stints with the Rangers, in 2009-15 and 2023-25. The 67 year old Chiti started his career as a coach in the Rangers’ minor league system all the way back in 1982, and has been a coach, a scout, or a front office guy in various capacities ever since, including four years in the Rangers’ front office under John Hart and three seasons as the team’s bullpen coach from 2006-08. The 58 year old Scott spent almost 20 years in the Rockies’ organization as a pitching coach, including being the bullpen coach from 2020-21 and the pitching coach from 2022-25.
I am, as y’all probably know, a skeptic when it comes to how much influence a pitching coach, or a hitting coach, has on a team, so maybe I’m not the best person to listen to in this regard. But if the Angels are blaming the fired pitching coaches for Alek Manoah’s continued failures, for Jack Kochanowicz continuing not to miss bats, for Grayson Rodriguez struggling and Jordan Romano continuing to flounder and Ryan Johnson being rushed, well, it just underscores the clown car nature of the franchise.
Maddux left for Anaheim after Bruce Bochy departed as the Rangers manager after 2025, with Skip Schumaker seemingly wanting his own person in the job. It seemed like, at best, a lateral move, especially on a one year deal. Whatever you think of Maddux, he deserves better than being shitcanned by a joke of a franchise that is currently sporting the worst record in the majors.
Maybe the Rangers fans who have been blaming the Rangers’ pitching problems this year on Maddux being gone will get their wish and see Maddux return in some capacity. After all, he wouldn’t even have to pack his bags to join the team right now. He could maybe have some sort of advisory role. Or maybe Maddux would prefer to take the rest of the year off, collect his Artebucks and listen to his brother Greg tell stories about throwing a changeup to a particular hitter when he had a big lead so that the hitter would be looking for that pitch in the future.
And if the Rangers score just two runs over the next three games in Anaheim, you all have permission to yell at me.
Nats’ grind to playoff contention continues as Cubs come to town
If there was ever a series to point to as the turning point for a playoff run for this Nationals team, it might just be their weekend sweep of the Cincinnati Reds. The Nats were scuffling through the start of August, but handled business against the Reds to put themselves close to striking distance of a playoff spot. The second test comes this week, as the scorching hot Chicago Cubs come to Washington, vying to tighten up their division race and bury the Nats in the standings.
If Washington wants to get closer than 5.0 games back of the last Wild Card spot, Chicago is certainly a team that would give them momentum if they can pull off a series win. The Cubbies are 7-3 in their last 10 games and sitting 19 games above .500, holding firm in the top Wild Card spot and sitting 5.0 games back of the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers.
Game One – Tuesday 6:45 PM EST
CHC: LHP Shota Imanaga (8-9, 3.60 ERA)
WSH: RHP Jake Irvin (2-5, 5.37 ERA)
The crafty Imanaga has been nothing but consistent since entering the MLB in 2024, and this year has been no different. Washington is catching him at a rough time as well, with the Japanese southpaw having allowed just 2 or fewer runs in every start dating back to June 24th.
Irvin has thrown twice since returning from the injured list, with 2 very different results. The Nats will hope for a similar result as his last time out, where he went 5.1 innings against the Philadelphia Phillies, allowing just 3 hits and 2 earned runs.
Game Two – Wednesday 6:45 PM EST
CHC: LHP David Peterson (6-7, 5.35 ERA)
WSH: TBA
It’s been a rough ride for Peterson this year, but, like Imanaga, the Nats are seeing him when he seems to be at his best. His first 2 starts of August were among the most productive he’s had in 2026, looking much more like the 2024 version of himself that emerged as a valuable starter for the New York Mets.
The Nats have yet to announce a starter for the middle game of the series, with one possible candidate being newly-called-up lefty Jackson Kent. In any sense, the Washington bullpen depth and effectiveness will be tested.
Game Three – Thursday 4:05 PM EST
CHC: RHP Kevin Gausman (6-10, 4.29 ERA)
WSH: RHP Cade Cavalli (2-5, 5.56 ERA)
Gausman was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays prior to the trade deadline as a proven veteran arm to fuel their playoff push, and he more than looked the part in his first start with Chicago. The 35-year-old is in the midst of his worst season since 2019 based on ERA, but he’s always a tough matchup for hitters.
Cavalli keeps on pushing through the dog days of summer, going another 6.0 strong innings against Cincinnati and finishing off his 6th quality start in a row. The Nats’ top arm is positioned to start in what could be a huge series finale to end the brief homestand.
Review of Guardians Minor League Standouts: June 10th – August 10th
It’s been a while, but it’s time to check in on what current Guardians’ minor league prospects have been doing for the past two months.
When we last checked in, one month had elapsed in the Guardians’ system. So, a lot has happened since then, including the promotions of Travis Bazzana, Cooper Ingle (back down now), Angel Genao, and Franco Aleman… and the injury of basically every pitching prospect worthy of interest (Kahl Stephen, Franklin Gomez, Braylon Doughty and the list goes on and on). So, let’s see what’s been happening over the past 60 days or so:
Triple-A Columbus Hitters:
Cooper Ingle, LHH – 156 wRC+, 21/12 K/BB%
Milan Tolentino, LHH – 145 wRC+, 26.3/18 K/BB%
Ralphy Velazquez, LHH – 107 wRC+, 21/10 K/BB%
Analysis: Back down in Columbus, Ingle deserves credit for responding to his demotion by continuing to post great numbers as a hitter while splitting time between left field/catcher/DH. He should get another chance to hit in Cleveland before long. Next, don’t completely ignore Tolentino; he’s great depth to have and if there is an injury or if Travis Bazzana or Angel Genao need to recalibrate in Columbus, I think Tolentino will get a look and has a chance to be a solid utility infielder in the Schneemann mold. Tolentino is still only 24 years old, as well. Meanwhile, Velazquez’s numbers have been carried by his recent performance, which could be a sign of his adjustment to Triple-A pitching. I think Ralphy will REALLY have to explode to force a call-up, because, as is, he can continue to play in 2027 if there is an extended lockout because he does not yet need to be on the 40-man. It’s exciting to see Velazquez begin to figure things out at the upper levels because he is still only 21 years old and has maintained mostly even splits against RHP/LHP.
Triple-A Columbus Pitchers:
Austin Peterson, RHP – 4.70 ERA, 4.04 FIP, 9.23/3.14 K/BB/9
Analysis: You will soon notice a theme here… Guardian’s minor league pitching prospects are STRUGGLING. Peterson still looks like a viable fifth starter. Hopefully, the Guardians will not need him and their top five starters will stay healthy, but Peterson and Logan Allen are definitely front of the line replacements now with Slade Cecconi on the IL with arm fatigue.
Double-A Akron Hitters:
Jonah Advincula, LHH – 201 wRC+, 12/12 K/BB%
Nolan Schubart, LHH – 177 wRC+, 29/18 K/BB%
Ryan Cesarini, LHH – 169 wRC+, 17/13 K/BB%
Aaron Walton, RHH – 144 wRC+, 22.5/18 K/BB%
Analysis: Advincula is old for his level (25), but he might have got a shot in Columbus had he not just gone down with an elbow strain. Schubart is such an interesting player; you can’t help but doubt if his extreme whiff issues will doom him, but he is lowering his K-numbers to a point where he looks like he could potentially be a Joey Gallo-type major league hitter. Cesarini’s numbers are probably small sample size but could be an interesting platoon bat for someone. Walton is the most exciting of this bunch as he has managed to cut his whiff-rates and still display some excellent power while looking viable in centerfield. He’s definitely a bat to monitor closely as the season ends; perhaps others will join FanGraphs in putting him on an MLB Top 100 list if it goes well.
Double-A Akron Pitchers:
Braylon Doughty, RHP 5.16 ERA, 2.21 FIP, 10.3/2.4 K/BB/9
Matt Jahec, RHP 0.86 ERA, 1.89 FIP, 14.5/4 K/BB/9
Jack Jasiak, RHP, 3.02 ERA, 3.45 FIP, 11.75/2.45 K/BB/9
Analysis: Doughty is thankfully scheduled to make a return to the mound this week from the ambiguous arm-fatigue before the season is over. He looks like a front of the rotation prospect. Jahec is 25 years old but is looking like a potentially viable major league relief arm at some point, likely for the middle innings, and should get a look in Columbus soon. Jasiak is also 25 but just got the promotion to Columbus, so we’ll see if he can show himself to be a solid middle relief option there.
High-A Lake County Hitters:
Tyler Howard, RHH 167 wRC+ 16/19 K/BB%
Dean Curley, RHH 157 wRC+, 26/23 K/BB%
Esteban Gonzalez, LHH 149 wRC+, 22/17 K/BB%
Welbyn Francisca, SH 136 wRC+, 20/12 K/BB%
Juneiker Caceres, LHH 108 wRC+ 24/9 K/BB%
Analysis: Pay attention to Howard as a catching prospect who can really hit. Curley is busy trying to figure things out in Akron now, but he definitely showed some promising signs in Lake County while running an absolutely unsustainable walk-rate. Gonzalex is a little old for the level and only 5 foot 6 but dude can hit a little. Francisca seems to be putting things together after a lengthy struggle (perhaps injury-driven) and showing not to give up on him being another short, switch-hitting infield success story for Cleveland as a 20 year-old, and should be in Akron soon. Caceres beginning by holding his own as an 18 year-old in High-A is very good news and makes him definitely a top-3-type prospect for the Guardians’ system at the moment. Hopefully, he finishes the season strong and could be pushing for a debut as a 20 year-old in Cleveland (rivaling Jose Ramirez for earliest recent debut??).
High-A Lake County Pitchers:
Izaak Martinez, 1.32 ERA, 3.74 FIP, 12/4.6 K/BB/9
Analysis: He’s up in Akron and things aren’t going well, yet, but given the state of this system, we better hope this is a potential matchup lefty in the bullpen for us. He’s 24 years old, though, so it’s not very likely.
Low-A Hill City Hitters:
Luis De La Cruz, SH 157 wRC+, 11/14 K/BB/%
Reiner Herrera, LHH 135 wRC+, 14/15 K/BB%
Analysis: De La Cruz is a corner infielder and I don’t know that he has enough power to really be something, but he’s only 19 and worth monitoring. Herrera is a catcher who makes great, quality contact. Worth watching to see what he does as the season ends.
Low-A Hill City Pitchers:
NONE
Analysis: The Guardians’ should probably be targeting minor league pitching if they trade a player like Steven Kwan, Kyle Manzardo or Gavin Williams in the offseason… just saying.
With all the promotions the Guardians have done this season, the minor league systems are looking a little bare. They should get a boost from their 2026 draft class and the Arizona Complex and Dominican Winter leagues soon, but there is some work to be done here. Still, having Ingle, Velazquez, Walton, Caceres and Francisca is good news for the Guardians’ continued miasma of offensive issues and there are some fun storylines to follow as the season ends.
And, here’s an update on some recent moves for the affiliates just as I hit publish:
MLB-worst Angels fire three coaches in latest Los Angeles upheaval
John Mozeliak, who was hired six weeks ago as the Los Angeles Angels interim GM, made his most sweeping changes yet Tuesday by firing three veteran pitching coaches.
The Angels fired well-respected veteran pitching coach Mike Maddux, bullpen coach Dom Chiti and assistant pitching coach Darryl Scott. They were all on one-year contracts along with manager Kurt Suzuki.
The new pitching coach will be Tim Leveque, who was in the St. Louis Cardinals organization for 20 years with Mozeliak with Michael Wuertz as the interim bullpen coach.
“After spending time discussing with Kurt where we are as a coaching staff and where we want to go in the future, we felt it was best to make a change,” Mozeliak said in a release. “With seven weeks remaining, we plan to use this time to evaluate what additional steps are needed to elevate our entire pitching program and best position us for success moving forward.”
The Angels’ pitching staff was yielding a 4.53 ERA, but Maddux and his staff also oversaw the breakout seasons of Reid Detmers, Rafael Soriano, Walbert Urena, Ryan Zeferjahn and Chase Silseth.
“I had a great time in Anaheim," Maddux said in a text message with USA TODAY Sports. “Pitching was our strong suit. Glad to see some improvement… The coaches room is a solid cast of characters."
Leveque was in his first year as the Angels Class AA Rocket City’s pitching coach. He worked in the Cardinals’ scouting department in 2025 after being a minor-league pitching coach and pitching coordinator for the previous 19 years with the Cardinals.
Wuertz is in his 11th year with the Angels, and was the Angels minor league assistant pitching coordinator.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB-worst Angels fire three coaches in latest Los Angeles upheaval
The Phillies are both mediocre and World Series contenders
The Phillies are both mediocre and the National League’s biggest threat to upset the Los Angeles Dodgers in this year’s playoffs.
How can both be true?
The 2026 Phillies enter Tuesday night’s game in St. Louis at 64-56, a .533 winning percentage, 7.5 games behind the Braves in the NL East and tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the 2nd wild card, both of whom are just one game up on the San Diego Padres for the NL’s final playoff spot.
Since the Phillies reached their high-water mark of 11 games over .500 on July 1 (49-38), they have gone 15-18 in their last 33 games. Over that stretch they are 15th in runs scored, 18th in OPS, 19th in batting average, and 22nd in home runs. Their 4.45 staff ERA is 22nd and their tied for 20th in walk rate, 22nd in home runs per nine innings, and 16th in batting average allowed. The rotation’s numbers are better than the bullpen’s, whose 5.46 ERA is 2nd-worst in baseball, and the defense’s -35 Defensive Runs Saved is also last.
That’s mediocre.
And yet, as The Athletic’s Jayson Stark wrote, there are those inside baseball who believe the Phillies remain the greatest threat to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ quest for a three-peat this October.
Should they get there.
So the team that got the most mentions as the Dodgers’ biggest threat was a surprise to me: the same Phillies team that just made a trade (for Arraez) that was so unorthodox they had to shake up half their defensive lineup just to fit him onto the field.
“I still think it comes back to the team, in the playoffs, with the best 1-2-3 starters,” said the former exec. “And that’s the Phillies.”
On the latest edition of WHYY’s Hittin’ Season, we discussed the seeming contradiction.
It is true the Phillies are both mediocre, and the National League team best positioned to knock the Dodgers off in a short postseason series.
You can listen to the FULL podcast below on Spotify, watch it on the WHYY YouTube channel, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts and anywhere else podcasts are free!
KLUGH: “Yes, having three awesome starting pitchers in playoff series is going to get you the advantage almost every time. But we’ve also seen how having three big horses like that in your rotation doesn’t get you all the way there all the time. I have my doubts that the Phillies are the best team to challenge the Dodgers when the Brewers have been playing so well and are cited for doing the things well the Phillies don’t do, which is the little things.”
Jesus Luzardo is in the midst of a hot streak reminiscent of what we saw earlier in the season from Cristopher Sanchez. And with Zack Wheeler continuing to roll right along, there is perhaps no team in baseball that can feature three pitchers this dominant in a playoff series.
Of course, there are teams who can counter with a pretty comparable 1-2 punch. The key is the Game 3 starter the Phillies can run out there in a playoff series. It’s a difference maker.
And while the Phils have a major issue with their bullpen right now, the Dodgers had a similarly leaky group of relievers heading into last year’s playoffs. They solved it by using their starters out of the ‘pen to secure key outs late in games. The Phillies won’t have quite that kind of ability, although Andrew Painter’s improvements over his last three starts makes him an intriguing bullpen add.
Still, unless some relief pitchers emerge over the final 40 games of the regular season, the Phils may not even make it to October, let along go on a run to the Fall Classic.
And in the postseason, the offense must come to play and perform under pressure in a way they haven’t since Game 2 of the 2023 NLCS.
There are other more well-rounded teams in the NL that could perhaps be a bigger threat. Milwaukee is once again playing at an elite level, with an ace pitcher that is just about as unbeatable as a person can be right now. The Chicago Cubs acquired pitching at the trade deadline that could make them very dangerous, and don’t count out the Atlanta Braves, who have been up-and-down.
Are the Phillies playing mediocre baseball right now? Yes. You know what other team played mediocre baseball late in the season?
The 2022 Phils, who went 11-14 in September and just barely squeaked into the postseason as the third wild card. Last year’s Phillies went 18-11 in August and 17-8 in September and went into the playoffs on an absolute roll.
So yes, it’s fair to say the Phillies are, right now, mediocre. And yes, it’s also fair to say they are the team with the biggest threat to the Dodgers in the playoffs.