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At the end of April, the Astros were 12-20, the worst team in the American League. Since then, they have gone 63-55, the fourth-best AL record over that time. They have climbed back into contention in a laughably weak Western Division, and actually begin this series in first place, despite a .500 record.

Kansas City Royals (66-84) vs. Houston Astros (75-75) at Daikin Park in Houston, TX

Royals: 4.23 runs scored/game (23rd in MLB), 4.85 runs allowed/game (25th)

Astros: 4.46 runs scored/game (16th), 4.81 runs allowed/game (24th)

The Astros have hit slightly worse at home than they have on the road, with just 47 percent of their home runs coming at Daikin Park. They have the fewest stolen bases in baseball, and the highest caught stealing rate (31 percent) in baseball.

Who’s hot:

• Isaac Paredes is hitting .298/.403/.512 with six home runs over his last 34 games.
• Salvador Perez has begun to heat up, batting .326/.383/.512 with two home runs in his last 11 games.

Who’s not:

• Jeremy Peña is batting just .149/.200/.191 in 12 games in September.
• Isaac Collins is batting just 2-for-28 (.071) in September, although he has drawn a team-high eight walks.

Interesting splits:

• Yordan Alvarez is hitting .362/.472/.687 at home, by far the best home numbers by any hitter.
• Jac Caglianone is third in the AL in OPS since the All-Star break, hitting .323/.352/.551.

Michael Wacha has given up three runs or fewer in nine of his ten starts since the All-Star break, with a 2.29 ERA in that time. Hunter Brown has a 8.82 ERA in four career starts against the Royals, including a start in 2024 where he gave up nine runs while recording just two outs.

Daniel Lynch IV has a 6.37 ERA as a starter in seven games. Cristian Javier has struggled this year, but had his best start in his last outing, giving up just one run in six innings against the Phillies.

Seth Lugo has a 5.76 ERA since the All-Star break, second-worst among qualified starters, but with a 3.79 FIP over that time. The Astros have not yet announced a starter for Thursday, but rookie Ethan Pecko is likely to pitch. He has given up just four earned runs in 15 innings over his last three starts.

The Astros have a 4.12 ERA from their relievers this year, with the eighth-best strikeout rate. The Astros have just 11 blown saves, the fewest in baseball. Josh Hader has 25 saves and has given up just one earned run since July 21, good for a 0.38 ERA in 21 innings over that time. AJ Blubaugh is just ten innings away from becoming the first reliever to throw 100 innings in a season since 2006. Bryan Abreu has a 1.65 ERA in 27 games since the All-Star break.

The Astros have dropped six of eight and are coming off a losing road trip. They are just 37-38 at home, a worse home record than the Royals.

BONUS EPISODE! Two great episodes for the price of, well, none, but it was a privilege to sit down with Cardinals 2025 4th round pick Cade Crossland and I was also very thankful to be joined by prospect evaluator Kyle Reis of thecardinalnation.com who really helped fill in some of the cracks where my prospect knowledge lacks.

I am also thrilled to say that I expect to have MORE player interviews in the coming weeks and months as the player representitive agency “Bellangee Group” reached out to me recently and selected our show as one to help highlight some of their young players, we, of course, will humbly oblige, and you, the listener, will be the beneficiary of all the great content planned in that regard. So, this isnt just a random one off, this is the begininng of something really exciting and we’re happy to be able to bring that to all of you!

00:00 Introduction to Viva Elberto’s Podcast
00:12 Meet the Hosts: Jake, Gabe, and Scott
00:23 Introduction to the Podcast and Guests
01:33 Cade Crossland’s Journey to Pro Ball
04:56 Pre-Draft Process and Emotions
07:12 College Experience and Technology in Baseball
10:36 Cade’s Pitching Style and Mental Approach
12:47 Changeup Success and Pitch Development
15:34 Analyzing Performance and Learning from Mistakes
18:32 Teammate Impressions and Opponent Challenges
21:04 Reflection on July Struggles and Promotion to Peoria
24:42 Offseason Goals and Training Plans
26:27 Quickfire Questions and Personal Insights

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-Thanks for listening

With only 11 games to go and the Nats officially eliminated from playoff contention, we are officially in the home stretch. It would be easy to just play out the string here, but I do think there is one major goal the Nats should look to accomplish. They should make it their mission to beat the Mets to the 4th place spot and stay out of last place.

Right now, the Nats are 70-81, 0.5 games ahead of the Mets who are 69-81. I think that getting that 4th place spot would be a good way to spring board into the 2027 season. For most of the season, the Nats have been well above the Mets. Holding them off would be a good way to finish the year.

Since the Nats won the World Series in 2019, they have been in the basement of the NL East in 5 of the past 6 seasons. Nats fans have truly been in the trenches for a long time now. This season has been a step forward despite a disappointing last couple months. However, it would be a blow to the psyche to finish last again.

This epic battle for 4th place should truly come down to the wire. It is likely to be decided on the final days of the season. The Nats play the Mets in a 3 game series to finish the season from the 25th to the 27th. Blake Butera needs to pull out all the stops in order to get his team over the line here.

It would also be cool if the crowd got into it as well. We should back the team and help the boys get over the line. They deserve some love to close out this season. While it has not been perfect, this has been the most entertaining season of Nats baseball since 2019. The offense has been electric and Cade Cavalli has established himself as a top of the rotation arm.

How great would it be to send this highly paid Mets team into last place to close out the season? It would be quite the way to close out the season. The Mets have not been a last place team in a while. This stat surprised me, but the Mets have not had sole possession of last place in the division since 2003. It is time to change that over these next two weeks.

At this point in the season, you have to find meaning in these games. This is true both for the fans and the players. I am sure all these players’ bodies are aching and they can see the finish line. However, as we saw in the Angels series, they have not given up yet, especially at home.

Despite being out of the playoff race, there is still a lot to play for. They are two wins away from having the most wins since 2019 and three wins away from avoiding a 90 loss campaign. If they go 5-6 down the stretch, this team could get to 75 wins. Back in April, I would have 100% taken a 75 win season.

As we wrap up this season, there is still a lot on the line. There are milestones to be reached. It is time to fight to stay out of last place! Let’s keep the Mets in the basement where they belong.

The Mets made a roster move on Tuesday, claiming infielder/outfielder Christian Cairo off waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies. 

Cairo was designated for assignment by the Phillies on Sunday. 

The 25-year-old Cairo was a fourth-round pick of Cleveland in the 2019 MLB Draft and signed a minor league contract with the Phillies this past offseason. 

In 128 games with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Cairo had a .676 OPS with four home runs, 35 RBI, 66 runs scored, and 25 stolen bases.

Cairo, the son of longtime former MLB player Miguel Cairo, has played shortstop, second base, third base, center field, and left field for this season. 

A league owned and operated by Major League Baseball that plays for a few weeks in October and November, the six teams of the Arizona Fall League are rostered by minor league players from all 30 affiliated MLB clubs. This season, the Mets will be supplying players to the Surprise Saguaros, along with the Cleveland Guardians, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, and Kansas City Royals.

Players are selected to play in the Arizona Fall League for a variety of reasons. Commonly, parent clubs send their minor league players to get more at-bats or accrue more innings due to injury or other issues that prevented them from playing during the regular season. Players are also sent to better evaluate changes that were made at the plate or on the mound. In some cases, it gives players who are being considered for spots on the 40-man roster additional time to showcase their abilities in front of the scouts and executives who will be making those decisions and in other cases, players are selected simply to showcase their abilities against the upper echelon of minor league prospects.

This season, the Mets will be sending three infielders, Bruin Agbayani, Boston Baro, and Cole Mathis, and five pitchers, Irving Cota, Brendan Girton, Ryan Lambert, Peyton Prescott, and Calvin Ziegler.

Bruin Agbayani, who was acquired earlier this season from the Minnesota Twins, spent much of the season injured and only appeared in 13 games for the entire season, 10 with the Fort Myers Miracle and 3 with the St. Lucie Mets. Likewise, Boston Baro, who was ranked the Mets’ 25th top prospect coming into the season, had a season beset by injuries and setbacks and only appeared in 11 games, all during a pair of rehab assignments. Mathis, who was acquired by the Mets from the Chicago Cubs, appeared in just 7 games for the Mets, and 21 in total.

Right-hander Irving Cota spent much of the early 2026 season bouncing up-and-down between the Brooklyn Cyclones and the Binghamton Rumble Ponies before effectively having his season end in mid-May. He appeared in 8 games in total for the two teams combined, 7 with the Cyclones and 1 with the Rumble Ponies.

Peyton Prescott, who was drafted in the 5th round of the 2025 MLB Draft, made just a single appearance this past season, with the right-hander throwing a single inning for the St. Lucie Mets at the end of the season. He underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2025, just prior to being selected in the draft.

Calvin Ziegler, who was a top prospect in the system as recently as 2023, has lost most if not all of his prospect cache since undergoing Tommy John surgery in April 2024. After missing all of the 2025 season, the right-hander returned to the mound in rehab games at the beginning of the summer and then appeared in 12 games total, 11 with the Brooklyn Cyclones and 1 with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

Ryan Lambert, who was ranked 19th on the 2026 Amazin’ Avenue Top 25 Prospects List, dealt with some minor injuries that may or may not have affected him throughout the season. The right-hander appeared in 26 games for the Syracuse Mets in total and posted a 7.61 ERA in 23.2 innings, allowing 18 hits, walking 25, and striking out 31.

Brenden Girton also experienced limited injuries, mostly at the end of the season. He spent the entirety of the 2026 season with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies and appeared in 33 games, making 15 starts. He posted a 6.72 ERA in 83.0 innings, allowing 81 hits, walking 57, and striking out 81.

MLB announced the rosters for the Arizona Fall League Tuesday and here are the seven Cubs prospects who will play there beginning in early October.

Pitchers (5)

RHP Jhon Cabral
RHP Anhuar Garcia
RHP Yoendris Gonzalez
RHP Dominick Reid
RHP Luis Rujano

Infielders (3)

1B Myles Bailey
2B/3B Juan Cabada

Outfielders (1)

Kade Snell

You have likely not heard of many of these prospects, as most of them have not played above the lower levels of the system.

I noted Myles Bailey in the headline because he was the Cubs’ second round pick this year out of Florida State, where he batted .363/.582/.913 with 13 home runs in 26 games. He suffered a leg injury that ended his college season in April and he did not play in the Cubs system at all this year.

The Cubs clearly want Bailey to get some playing time this year, and that’s the story for many of the prospects listed above. That’s apparently the current organizational philosophy behind the Cubs sending players to the AFL, guys who they want to get more playing time due to injury or other issues that kept them out during the regular season.

I’ll let Josh weigh in on these players as he knows more about them than I do.

The AFL is comprised of six teams, each of which have prospects from five MLB organizations. Cubs prospects play for the Mesa Solar Sox, who have home games at the Cubs spring ballpark, Sloan Park. The other four teams that will send prospects to the Solar Sox are the Angels, Athletics, Blue Jays and Red Sox.

Here are the other five AFL teams and the MLB teams sending prospects their way:

Glendale Desert Dogs: Braves, Dodgers, Marlins, Pirates, White Sox
Peoria Javelinas: Cardinals, Mariners, Orioles, Padres, Reds
Salt River Rafters: D-backs, Nationals, Rockies, Twins, Yankees
Scottsdale Scorpions: Astros, Brewers, Giants, Rays, Tigers
Surprise Saguaros: Guardians, Mets, Phillies, Rangers, Royals

The AFL begins play Saturday, Oct. 3 and concludes with the championship game at Peoria Sports Complex on Saturday, Nov. 14. There will also be a Fall Stars Game at Salt River Fields on Sunday, Nov. 8. The Fall Stars Game and AFL championship game are generally televised on MLB Network, if you need a baseball fix in November (and who here doesn’t?).

Here’s the complete AFL schedule:

If you are in the Phoenix area during this time, attending an AFL game is fun and inexpensive ($14, or $12 for seniors 60+ and teens 11-17; kids 10 and under with an adult are free, get tickets here). There are usually a few hundred people at each game, many of whom are family members of the players. It’s an enjoyable baseball experience.

Every day, Pinstripe Alley offers updates on what the Yankees’ top American League opponents are up to through the Rivalry Roundup. The AL East is well-trodden ground there, but with the Trade Deadline behind us, we’re going to take a peek around MLB as a whole and check in with each of the other five divisions. Who’s surprising? Who’s underwhelming? Who’s simply mediocre at the moment? Read on and find out.

We’ve reached the halfway point of September, several teams have now clinched postseason spots, and several more will soon. With just a couple weeks of regular season baseball left, let’s check in on the NL Central.

Note: Records and stats are through games played on September 13th.

First Place: Milwaukee Brewers (93-57)

Top Position Player: Brice Turang (5.2 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Jacob Misiorowski (6.0 fWAR)

The Brewers won the race to be the first team to clinch a playoff spot over the weekend, and they’re now closing in on the NL Central title. They’re in a good position to finish with the best record in all of baseball as well.

They have an obvious absolute star in Misiorowski, but the most remarkable thing about the Brewers is that they’re just generally solid at almost every spot. Only one of their hitters with over 400 plate appearances has a wRC+ below the 100 average, and that’s Christian Yelich, who’s still in the 90s. You could’ve said similar things about last year’s Brewers, and they ended up getting shoved aside by the Dodgers in the NLCS, so we shall see.

Second Place: Chicago Cubs (83-67, 10 GB)

Top Position Player: Pete Crow-Armstrong (9.8 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Ben Brown (2.0 fWAR)

Going into Monday, the Cubs would have the third best record were they an AL team. Instead in the NL Central, they’re way off the pace of the division lead. As of now, the Cubs are safely in the NL playoffs, but not so safe that they can rest on their laurels. They lost five of their last seven games going into Monday, so they can’t afford to let that skid continue.

As a team, the Cubs are incredibly reliant on their hitting and defense, while pitching has been a massive struggle for them. The two facets of the team are on such opposite poles that they’re going to go down as one of the most unbalanced teams of all time. They have the possible NL MVP in Crow-Armstrong, but can he and the rest of the lineup overcome that pitching? It’ll be fascinating to see play out.

Third Place: Pittsburgh Pirates (75-75, 18 GB)

Top Position Player: Brandon Lowe (4.1 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Paul Skenes (4.8 fWAR)

It was wild to realize when putting together this post that the Pirates are basically in need of a miracle run to get into the playoffs in the NL, but they would be a game out of contention with that record in the AL.

It’s probably too late for Pittsburgh to rally and make the playoffs, but there are some things they can take away from this season. They’ve gotten some good seasons out of some of their young, up and coming players. One of those players is Skenes, who has only been merely “good” instead of “Cy Young Award great.” It’s somewhat worrying that he’s taken a step back, but if the Pirates figure that out, they could be a team that is intriguing next year.

Fourth Place: St. Louis Cardinals (74-76, 19 GB)

Top Position Player: JJ Weatherholt (4.4 fWAR)
Top Pitcher(s): Andre Pallante and Kyle Leahy (2.6 fWAR)

You can copy and paste some of what was said above about the Pirates and apply that to the Cardinals. Seven different St. Louis hitters aged 27 or younger have put up above average OPS+es on the season. Pallante and Michael McGreevy are both younger pitchers who’ve had pretty good years. They’re also gone nowhere in the standings, really.

Fifth Place: Cincinnati Reds (70-79, 22.5 GB)

Top Position Player: Elly De La Cruz (5.7 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Chase Burns (4.4 fWAR)

The good news for the Reds is that Burns looks like a possible stud worthy of the No. 2 overall pick that he was in 24. More good news is that De La Cruz remains an absolute freak of nature and a genuine star. Not a ton else has gone right for Cincinnati, though. Their 22.5-game deficit in the division is the most of anyone in the league besides the Rockies and Giants in the NL West, both of whom are very bad.

The Los Angeles Dodgers became the latest team to clinch their place in the postseason with their win in Cincinnati on Monday, Sept. 14. But as we enter the final two weeks of the MLB regular season, plenty of postseason spots are still up for grabs in what should be a heated race to the finish.

The Tampa Bay Rays, Milwaukee Brewers and New York Yankees have all punched their tickets along with the defending back-to-back World Series champions, and though all three National League divisions are about as close to wrapped up as you can get with the Brewers, Dodgers and Atlanta Braves all leading by comfortable margins, the American League is still anyone's game.

Postseason berth clinched. ✅ pic.twitter.com/9tqDXvL6RI

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 15, 2026

Tampa Bay holds the largest lead in any of the AL divisions with a 3.5 game cushion over the red-hot Yankees, but the Bronx Bombers also clinched their playoff berth on Monday night to set up a climactic series beginning Tuesday, Sept. 22. While the Boston Red Sox are far behind in the AL East picture, they comfortably hold the second wild card spot.

The third American wild card is where things get interesting.

The Cleveland Guardians currently hold the third and final spot, but also trail the Chicago White Sox for the AL Central lead by 1.5 games. They're currently facing each other in a crucial three-game series that could have major implications in both the division and the wild card. The Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers are also right on their tails, trailing the Guardians by less than two games for that coveted third spot, with the Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers further down in the mix as they sit three and 4.5 games behind, respectively.

The National League wild card picture might be even blurrier at the top.

The three current frontrunners - Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres - are all within one game of each other, so there's plenty of room for those cards to be shuffled around in the bracket. The Padres have been locked in a heated battle with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the third and final wild card spot for most of the second half of the season, but the Friars are starting to pull away down the stretch as they enter Tuesday with a 2.5-game lead over their NL West foe.

Those two will finish off the regular season with a three-game series at Petco Park starting Sept. 25 that could end up being "win and get in."