ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 30: Matt Olson #28 of the Atlanta Braves reacts with teammates after Olson hit a walk-off single during the tenth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Truist Park on August 30, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JULY 4: Mark Vientos #27 of the New York Mets celebrates after hitting a two run home run during the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on July 4, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Casey Sykes/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Everything clicked for Syracuse in this one. On the offensive side, the rehabbing Mark Vientos went yard not just once, not just twice, but three times, driving in five runs, and Ronny Mauricio and MJ Melendez both had multi-hit games with extra base hits. On the pitching side, Kevin Herget, Saul Garcia, Tobias Myers, Chayce McDermott, Joe Jacques, and Zach Franklin combined to throw a no-hitter, Syracuse’s first since 2018, their 5th shutout in their last 10 games, and the 176th no-hitter in International League history.
Having come into this series with the potential to upset the Reading Fightin’ Phils, the Rumble Ponies tripped over their hooves, dropping four of the five games leading to Sunday’s finale, giving Reading a 5.5 game lead over Binghamton for first place in the Northeast Division with 13 games to go. Both teams fought tooth-and-nail, with Binghamton taking the lead and Reading catching up and tying things up twice, but the Rumble Ponies finally jumped out to a four-run lead in the seventh that Reading wasn’t able to catch up to. The top of the Binghamton line-up remained hot, with Mitch Voit, Marco Vargas, and Jefferson Rojas going a combined 10-16 with four doubles and a pair of homers
The top half of the Cyclones order went 6-20 with two doubles, two homers, and three walks, while the bottom of the order went 0-13 with 3 walks. No one Cyclones pitcher looked particularly great, nor was anybody particularly terrible. With the win, Brooklyn moved to 5.5 games behind the first place Frederick Keys, the very same team they will be playing to close out the regular season this upcoming week. While I wouldn’t put money down on anything, never say never, either.
St. Lucie split their series with the Tortugas, closing things out almost identical to the way the series started, scoring double-digit runs against Daytona. The Mets’ pitchers were solid-if-unspectacular, with Christian Rodriguez, Ernesto Mercedes, and Jean Brito combining to allow 5 runs over six-plus innings and the rest of the bullpen limiting the Tortugas to three baserunners. Early on, the game was competitive, with the score tied 2-2 going into the fifth, but in the top of the inning, St. Lucie erupted for seven runs, with 2026 additions Ryan Tayman, Kuhio Aloy, Jack Toomey, Jake Ogden, and Aiden Robbins all driving in runs.
Happy birthday to Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, and a mighty host of others.
Today in baseball history, in 1960 – The Pirates come from behind yet again, defeating the Giants, 7-4. Roberto Clemente hits a two-out, two-run homer and Roy Face closes the game. For the Giants, Willie Mays does his best with a single, double and near-homer his first time up, but falls victim to Face in his final at-bat, a seventh-inning strikeout, representing the tying run at the plate, and other stories as well.
1914 – Walter Johnson relieves in the eighth inning with his Senators holding a 3-2 lead over the White Sox. On the first pitch, Jack Fournier hits a home run to tie the game. Fournier’s next at bat up comes in the 10th and he homers again to give the Sox a 4-3 win. This is the first time Johnson has been reached for two home runs in a game by the same batter (Lou Gehrig will match it August 13, 1926).
1959 – Sandy Koufax fans 18 Giants to set a National League mark in a 5-2 Dodger win. The game is witnessed by a crowd of 82,974 spectators (60,194 of whom have paid admission), the largest ever for a regular-season game.
1969 – Morganna(first-ballot, HOFer?), a well-endowed fan dressed in a mini dress, jumps onto the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium field and kisses the batter, Clete Boyer, on the cheek. The Braves’ third baseman then promptly ends a 1-for-17 slump with a RBI single and goes on an 8-for-15 tear.
2008 – CC Sabathia improves to 9-0 with a 1.43 ERA since joining the Brewers, with a one-hitter against the Pirates. The lone hit is a grounder back to the mound by Andy LaRoche which Sabathia bobbles. Brewer manager Ned Yost and LF Ryan Braun both say it was undoubtedly an error and that Sabathia had a no-hitter; an appeal is filed over the ruling, to no avail.
1947 – The Cubs overcome Ralph Kiner‘s 39th homer of the season to defeat the Pirates, 6-3, in Chicago. Doyle Lade goes the distance. Kiner’s homer, with one aboard, gives him 101 RBIs for the year.
1948 – Before 45,531 at Wrigley Field, the last-place Cubs beat the first-place Dodgers, 3-0 and 7-2. Hank Borowy stops Brooklyn on one hit in the opener – a single by Gene Hermanski – and faces just 27 batters. He hurls 100 pitches, while Bob Scheffing drives in all three runs. Doyle Lade wins the nitecap.
1837 – Ralph Waldo Emerson gives his famous “The American Scholar” speech to Phi Beta Kappa Society at Harvard College, Cambridge, Massachusetts, declares American literary independence from Europe.
1888 – The body of Jack the Ripper’s first victim, Mary Ann Nichols, is found in Whitechapel in London’s East End.
1897 – Thomas Edison patents the Kinetoscope (Kinetographic camera), a device that produces moving pictures.
1971 – Beatle John Lennon leaves England for the final time, moving to New York City.
1972 – Soviet gymnast Olga Korbut wins balance beam and floor exercise gold medals at the Munich Olympics; follows gold in the teams all-round.
1978 – Emily and William Harris plead guilty to 1974 kidnapping of American publishing heiress Patty Hearst.
2006 – Stolen on August 22, 2004, Edvard Munch‘s famous painting “The Scream” is recovered from a raid by Norwegian police; the painting was said to be in a better-than-expected condition.
Aug 30, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Baltimore Orioles players celebrate their 8-5 victory over the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
The Orioles, for all their trials and tribulations throughout this 2026 campaign, are on the brink of being a .500 team again. The Birds’ sweep in Sacramento has pushed them to a 68-69 record, the first time since April 30 that they’ve been within a game of .500. On six other occasions since then, they’ve climbed to two games under, only to immediately lose. This time the O’s got over the hump thanks to yesterday’s comeback win against the Athletics. Check out Alex Church’s recap of the exciting finale, which featured a vintage Gunnar Henderson performance and more lefty-mashing Coby Mayo magic.
Back in March, if you’d told me that we would finish August by celebrating the Orioles almost being a .500 team, well…that would have been my first clue that the 2026 season didn’t quite go as planned. Indeed it hasn’t, for reasons that we probably don’t need to rehash. At times the Orioles have appeared to be light years away from contention, sinking to a season-worst nine games under .500 by the of June. But they’ve shown plenty of gumption since then to rally back to where they are now. They’re not exactly steamrolling the league, and plenty of flaws on the roster still remain, but the O’s have been playing a better brand of baseball for nearly two months.
This road trip is a good example. The Birds haven’t been dominant, with their starting rotation in particular showing some cracks, but they’ve managed to get their offense clicking and tighten up their often-shaky defense. The bullpen is a perpetual enigma, constantly working themselves both into and out of jams, but they’ve gotten the job done more often than not.
The O’s absolutely needed to have a winning road trip against three teams that they should be able to beat, and at 5-1, they’ve already clinched that. They took the series in St. Louis and swept the atrocious A’s in three games decided by one or two runs. But the Birds can’t take their foot off the gas pedal now. Three games remain against the Rockies, who are tied with the Angels for the worst record in baseball, and it’s a chance for the Orioles to stack up two or three more wins if they stay focused. The Orioles avoided a letdown in Sacramento and will need to do the same in Colorado. A victory in tonight’s opener would get them back to .500 for the first time in four months.
Yesterday’s win didn’t gain the Orioles any ground in the wild card race but allowed them to keep pace with the Guardians, who routed the Royals earlier in the day. The O’s remain a game behind Cleveland for the third wild card spot. They’re also trying to hold off the Blue Jays, who are a half game back of the Birds, and the Rangers, who are one game behind Baltimore. The Twins, Mariners, and Tigers seem to be falling off the pace, each of them at least four games behind the Guardians, but none of them can be completely ruled out yet in this thoroughly mediocre American League.
The Orioles’ job is simple. Keep playing good baseball and, most likely, good things will happen.
I don’t particularly care for Gunnar’s new beard, but if it proves to be a good-luck charm for his hitting, then I hope he keeps that monstrosity on his face for the rest of the year.
Rich Dubroff names some of the players who are auditioning for 2027 roster spots, including Carlos Narváez. Watching Narváez hit, I’m at a loss as to how this guy hit 15 home runs last year.
The Polar Bear fortunately seems to be OK after a scary HBP off the helmet yesterday. If he weren’t, you could kiss goodbye to the Orioles’ playoff hopes.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Today would have been the 91st birthday of Orioles legend and Hall of Famer Frank Robinson (b. 1935, d. 2019). The Birds’ acquisition of Robinson from the Reds before the 1966 season was the single most impactful transaction the franchise has ever made. Frank famously won the Triple Crown and was named AL MVP in his debut season with the Orioles, launching them to their first World Series championship in 1966 (and a second in 1970) with his on-field excellence and clubhouse leadership. His legacy in Baltimore will never be forgotten.
Other former Orioles born on this day are outfielder Tim Raines Jr. (47) and five right-handed pitchers: Armando Gabino (43), Ramón Ramírez (45), Mike Hartley (65), Tom Dukes (84), and the Baltimore-born Steve Johnson (39).
Aug. 31 used to be the waiver trade deadline, so the O’s have made a bunch of deals on this date in history:
In 1987, the Orioles traded lefty Mike Flanagan, who’d spent his first 13 years with the Orioles and won the 1979 AL Cy Young Award, to the Blue Jays for righty Oswaldo Peraza and a player to be named. Peraza pitched only one season in the majors, but the PTBNL turned out to be José Mesa, who went on to a 19-year MLB career with 321 saves. Flanagan spent parts of four seasons in Toronto before returning to the Orioles to finish his career.
In 1988, the O’s made a fantastic trade, dealing veteran outfielder Fred Lynn to the Tigers for minor league catcher Chris Hoiles. Hoiles reached the majors a year later and became the best offensive catcher in Orioles history, hitting 151 homers and posting an .833 OPS while spending his entire 10-year career in Baltimore. He was inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame in 2006.
And in 2011, the Orioles made another nifty deadline deal, jettisoning failed closer Mike Gonzalez to the Rangers for reliever Pedro Strop. Strop became the top setup man for the Orioles’ dominant bullpen during their breakout 2012 season, posting a 2.44 ERA in 70 games, and went on to plenty more years of success with the Cubs after the O’s traded him in 2013.
Random Orioles game of the day
On Aug. 31, 1986, the Orioles dropped the finale of a rare six-game series in Oakland, 7-0. The series, originally scheduled as a four-gamer, featured two makeup games for a pair of postponements in Baltimore a couple of weeks earlier, which were shifted to Oakland as back-to-back doubleheaders. The Birds lost five of six, getting shut out in the finale by right-hander Joaquín Andújar. The Orioles managed only four hits against him, two by Eddie Murray, while starter Mike Boddicker gave up five runs in five innings. Dave Kingman and José Canseco homered for the A’s, dropping the Orioles to a .500 record at 65-65.
The Detroit Tigers played things close with the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers for most of the weekend, but came away with just one win in the three-game series after a 6-1 defeat on Sunday afternoon. Framber Valdez gave his team five frames of one-run ball, but a hung changeup in the sixth broke a 1-1 tie and opened things up for the eventual loss.
Next up for the Motor City Kitties is a six-game road trip against a pair of American League Central rivals starting on Monday night against the Minnesota Twins.
Opening the three-game series for the Olde English D is right-hander Jackson Jobe, who is still getting his feel back after returning from Tommy John surgery earlier this month. The 24-year-old has kept his team in the thick of things over his last two starts, posting a 1.86 ERA and 3.81 FIP across 9 2/3 innings, allowing eight hits and six walks while striking out seven and hitting a batter.
For the Twinkies, fellow righty Taj Bradley will take the mound looking to end a rough month of August on a high note. The 25-year-old put up a subpar 5.40 ERA but a decent 3.98 FIP over his last five starts stretching across 26 2/3 innings, allowing 28 hits (three home runs) and a whopping 14 walks while striking out 30, hitting a batter and uncorking a wild pitch, earning a pair of losses along the way.
Bradley has faced the Tigers twice this year already with very different results between the two. On April 7 in Minneapolis, he threw 6 1/3 frames of one-run ball on six hits, no walks and 10 strikeouts for his second win of the season; on June 9 in Detroit, he coughed up five runs on seven hits (three home runs) and three walks while striking out three for his third loss of the summer.
Take a look below at how the two match up for the AL Central battle starting on Monday night.
Detroit Tigers (63-73) vs. Minnesota Twins (65-72)
Time (ET): 7:40 p.m. Place: Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota SB Nation Site:Twinkie Town Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 137: RHP Jackson Jobe (1-1, 3.93 ERA) vs. RHP Taj Bradley (9-6, 3.97 ER)
Aug 28, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Logan Henderson (43) throws out Texas Rangers center fielder Evan Carter (32) in the fifth inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Last Week’s Results:
Tuesday: Mets 3, Brewers 2
Wednesday: Brewers 8, Mets 1
Thursday: Brewers 8, Mets 2
Friday: Brewers 6, Rangers 1
Saturday: Brewers 5, Rangers 3
Sunday: Rangers 7, Brewers 4
Division Standings:
Brewers 85-52
Cubs 77-60 (8 GB)
Cardinals 68-70 (17.5 GB)
Pirates 67-71 (18.5 GB)
Reds 65-72 (20 GB)
Last Week:
Brewers: 4-2
Cubs: 2-4
Cardinals: 2-4
Pirates: 4-2
Reds: 3-3
Top Pitching Performance of the Week
Four Brewers pitchers made starts of at least five innings with just one run allowed this week… and none of them was Jacob Misiorowski. So if you’re wondering if the Milwaukee rotation had a good week, yes, yes they did. But with a nod to Kyle Harrison, Robert Gasser, and Shane Drohan, this award must go to Logan Henderson, who pitched seven stellar innings on Friday night en route to a 6-1 Brewers win in the series opener with the Rangers. Henderson was just one over the minimum (his sole blemish was a solo homer to Danny Jansen) while striking out seven in what was, by game score, the best outing of his career.
There were several Brewers who swung the bat well this week. Could we be seeing a Christian Yelich renaissance? He was 7-for-17 with three doubles. Joey Ortiz continues to swing the bat and hit .375 with a triple in 16 at-bats. In his return to the lineup, Sal Frelick was 5-for-14 (.357) with a couple of RBIs. William Contreras was big: he hit .350/.417/.600 with a homer, two doubles, and five RBIs. Luis Lara hit .353 and felt like he had good at-bats almost every time up.
But let’s give some space here to Jackson Chourio. After an awful game on Tuesday, Chourio was benched on Wednesday… only to return to the lineup with a vengeance on Thursday. From Thursday through Sunday, Chourio was 7-for-18 with three homers, two of which came on a 4-for-5 night on Thursday. Chourio is up to 20 homers on the season, and as a guy obsessed with baseball history, this is notable to me and worth highlighting quickly. With three 20-homer seasons through his age-22 season, Chourio added his name to a remarkable list:
Mel Ott (511 career HR, in the Hall of Fame)
Ted Williams (521 career HR, in the HOF, arguably the greatest hitter of all time)
Eddie Mathews (512 career HR, in the HOF)
Mickey Mantle (536 career HR, in the HOF)
Al Kaline (399 career HR, in the HOF)
Frank Robinson (586 career HR, in the HOF)
Orlando Cepeda (379 career HR, in the HOF)
Ken Griffey Jr. (630 career HR, in the HOF)
Tony Conigliaro (166 career HR, hit in face by baseball that ruined his career when he was 22)
Bob Horner (218 career HR, basically done at age 28 because of injuries and collusion)
Alex Rodriguez (696 career HR, would be in the HOF if not for *gestures*)
Giancarlo Stanton (456 career HR, an MVP, outside shot at the HOF)
Mike Trout (424 career HR, a HOF lock)
Bryce Harper (390 career HR, two MVPs, a HOF near-lock)
Carlos Correa (203 career HR, would have a solid HOF case if not for injuries)
Juan Soto (265 career HR, still only 27, essentially a HOF lock)
Pretty good stuff.
Injury Notes & Roster Moves
Sal Frelick is back. After missing over a month, Frelick returned to the lineup on Thursday and had a pretty nice weekend. To make room on the roster, Jonathan Ornelas was designated for assignment, cleared waivers, and was assigned to Triple-A Nashville.
The big bullpen news this week: Abner Uribe and JoJo Romero both pitched twice with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on rehab assignments. Uribe’s return is presumably imminent, and Romero shouldn’t be far behind. Plus, their time in Appleton gave us this picture:
Double-A Somerset Patriots:L, 7-4 vs. Akron RubberDucks
DH Jace Avina 1-5, SB SS Core Jackson 1-5, 2B, K 2B Roderick Arias 0-3, BB C Omar Alfonzo 1-4, RBI, K — roped a 105-mph single RF DJ Gladney 0-1, 2 BB, K 3B Coby Morales 1-3, RBI, K, SF 1B Josh Moylan 0-2, BB, K CF Cole Gabrielson 0-3, RBI, BB, K LF Jackson Castillo 1-4, K
Bryce Cunningham 6 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 0 BB, 7 K, 3 HR (loss) — quite a strange line for Cunningham Geoffrey Gilbert 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R 0 BB, 1 K Yerry Rodríguez 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K Hueston Morrill 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
High-A Hudson Valley Renegades:L, 5-2 vs. Brooklyn Cyclones
DH Eric Genther 2-3, RBI, K, HBP SS Jackson Lovich 1-4, 2B, 2 K 1B Kyle West 0-4, 3 K CF Maika Niu 0-3, BB, K, SB C David McCann 0-4, 2 K RF Dean Toigo 1-4, RBI, K 2B Enmanuel Tejeda 1-2, BB 3B Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 0-3 LF Robbie Burnett 0-3, K, fielding error
Danny Flatt 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K Bryce Warrecker 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K Jose M. Rodriguez 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 K (loss, blown save) Hansel Rincon 1.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K Brady Kirtner 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Aug 30, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (10) watches his solo home run during the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Sweeping the Angels was needed, particularly as they head on to Arizona. We all know how well they play once there, so getting these three wins was a must.
September arrives kicking and screaming into this Major League Baseball season, with its dozens of mediocre teams still in contention and just 28 days left to find resolution.
No, we are not yet to the point of calling this week’s key matchups compelling. That day might never come. But we will say things are getting moderately more interesting.
That’s a start.
The coming week will produce a nearly full slate of games every day and just two to four series are virtually devoid of playoff ramifications, and fewer than that if you consider the Cardinals, Pirates and Twins still on the periphery of contention. The rest will have a scent of relevance – and a few are actually pretty important.
With that, a look at five of the bigger series this week:
Key matchup: Monday – Brewers LH Kyle Harrison vs. Cubs RH Clay Holmes
Outlook: The Brewers can more or less ice the NL Central title by taking three of four, which would push their lead to 10 games. And the Cubs likely need a sweep to trim their deficit from eight games to four, at which point they’d have 25 games to try and make up the difference. But the division largely seems like settled business; this one feels more like a couple fighters feeling each other out in the early rounds with larger stakes down the line, such as a repeat of their five-game NLDS last year, won by Milwaukee. In case you wondered, Jacob Misiorowski will pitch Wednesday night, opposed by Cubs lefty David Peterson.
Key matchup: Thursday – White Sox RH Luis Castillo vs. Astros RH Hunter Brown
Outlook: A clash of division leaders! A potential ALCS preview! Or, a 69-68 club that just fired its general manager taking on a team that lost 119 games two seasons ago. OK, let’s call the glass half full, at least: The White Sox have very much earned their 3 1/2-game Central lead, even if their 72-64 record would be useless in any other division except the West, where the Astros for now reign supreme over a cast of losers. This will be a good test for the Sox, though, getting out of the Central and taking on a club of playoff veterans in what can be a raucous place to play. A Sean Burke-Brown matchup would’ve been entertaining but instead, Castillo, who has a 6.45 ERA in five starts as a White Sox, will try to pull off a reverse lock.
Key matchup: Wednesday – Blue Jays RH Dylan Cease vs. Guardians LH Joey Cantillo
Outlook: Finally – finally! – a compelling matchup strongly tied to the AL wild-card race. It might take all September for this quagmire to shake free, but at least we have a showdown between two teams that are both playing well and firmly in the race. Cleveland enters the week with a one-game lead over Baltimore for the final wild card, with Toronto lurking 1 1/2 games back. So the Jays are just 68-70, you say? We say they’ve won 12 of their last 19 and are a different team since catcher Alejandro Kirk returned and solidified matters on both sides of the ball. When will the Guardians call up super prospect Ralphy Velazquez? Rosters will expand gently this week.
Key matchup: Saturday – Red Sox RH Sonny Gray vs. Orioles RH Kyle Bradish
Outlook: It’s getting interesting in Baltimore. The Orioles are beating up on inferior teams, finally, after not at all giving off “Don’t let them get hot!” vibes all year. Well, now they’re getting kind of hot, with Pete Alonso climbing into the nether reaches of MVP ballots and Gunnar Henderson starting to salvage what looked like a lost season. Losing three of four at Yankee Stadium was a heat check for the Red Sox, who increasingly look locked into that No. 2 wild card behind New York. Interim manager Chad Tracy returns to the site he grabbed the reins from fired Joey Cora back in April.
Key matchup: Sunday – Yankees RH Will Warren vs. Padres RH Michael King
Outlook: Just call this the Trent Grisham Bowl. The Michael King Cup. The Randy Vasquez Invitational. OK, you get the idea. Point is, the Juan Soto trade still resonates for both these teams and several participants will join the fray this weekend, even as Soto is two years removed from pinstripes. This series means a lot more to San Diego than New York, as the Padres’ wild card hopes took a hit with a sweep at Tampa Bay. They can’t afford another letdown against an AL East team, while the Yankees can start to sort out their rotation as they fold Max Fried back into mix.
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 30: Paul Goldschmidt #48 of the New York Yankees celebrates with third base coach Luis Rojas #67 after hitting a home run in the eighth inning during the game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, August 30, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael Urakami/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Yankees are heading West, and they do so after a pretty cathartic weekend. They played four games against their hated rivals with playoff seeding at stake, and after a tense first couple of matchups, New York awakened in the final two contests, unloading on the Red Sox for a combined 25 runs across two games. It was a triumphant showing, and on the heels of the news that Aaron Judge will traveling with the team to Anaheim, things are looking up.
There’s a real chance here to keep the momentum going, with the Yankees taking on the Angels for three starting tonight. Josh will have you covered with the series preview this morning. Later, Kevin recaps Sunday in the American League, and also profiles Claudell Washington as part of our Yankee Birthday series. And in the afternoon, John discusses the most recent CBA proposals that have been reported.
Today’s Matchup:
New York Yankees at Los Angeles Angels
Time: 9:38 p.m. EST
TV: YES Network, NESN
Venue: Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA
Questions/Prompts:
1. What was your biggest positive takeaway from this weekend’s series win over Boston?
2. Now that Aaron Judge is traveling with the team to California to ramp up on-field activities, do you expect him to be activated for the next homestand?
They were expansion partners in 1993 and have achieved some remarkable things in Major League Baseball: Two World Series titles, an out-of-nowhere run to a National League pennant and cultivating one loyal fan base that turns out even in the grimmest of times.
Yet as they complete their 34th seasons as major league franchises, the Colorado Rockies and Miami Marlins will once again take an embarrassing deficiency into the winter:
They’ve never won a division title.
That might sound a little pedantic, given that the Marlins won World Series championships in 1997 and 2003, both coming as a wild card and the latter a truly out-of-nowhere accomplishment. And the Rockies made the playoffs in their first season at Coors Field in 1995 and in 2007 staged a wild run to the World Series, winning 21 of 22 games to sneak in the playoffs and sweep the NL field.
So what’s the big deal if an NL East or West flag doesn’t droop amid the climate-controlled environs of loanDepot Park, or flap in the breeze a mile high in Denver?
Well, this particular dry spell of divisional futility is unprecedented in MLB’s expansion era.
You need only look at the two clubs that came to life five years after the Marlins (occupying the Miami Dolphins’ Joe Robbie Stadium) and Rockies (watching the ball carry in cavernous Mile High Stadium) played their first games.
The Arizona Diamondbacks, defying the slow build ethos expected of expansion teams, won the NL West in 1999, just their second season. They won a World Series championship two years later.
And the Tampa Bay Rays, woefully mismanaged in the years after their 1998 debut, were, thanks to future Hall of Fame GM Andrew Friedman, champions of the vaunted AL East by 2008, appearing in their first World Series that fall.
Every other major league franchise? They’ve all won championships since divisional play began in 1969 and all – with a couple caveats – in far less time than the Marlins and Rockies have failed to do so.
Sure, the former Washington Senators/Texas Rangers franchise needed 36 years to win a division, but they played eight seasons after their 1961 founding before the AL and NL cleaved into divisions. And the former Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals franchise didn’t win a division until 2012, when the Nationals broke in the franchise’s 44th season.
Yet the Expos had the most overall wins among NL East teams in the strike-interrupted 1981 split season and famously held the best record in the majors – 74-40 – and a six-game lead in the East when the 1994 strike shut down the season in August.
No, it is just the Rockies and Marlins who have eternally defied Ricky Bobby’s first commandment. And while there are many factors working against them – the NL’s West and East each have traditional powers and well-funded franchises in their ranks – this franchise defect has endured, even as the Marlins have turned wild cards into rings.
“Before (2020), it had been two trips to the playoffs – and both were World Series wins. I don’t think any team can say that,” Marlins slugger Griffin Conine, whose father Jeff was both an original Marlin and 1997 World Series champion, tells USA TODAY Sports.
“Those two trips, we really made them count. But we want to be a team that’s recurring in the playoff hunt. Every year, in the race. We’re getting there. We were there last year, right into the last week.
“I anticipate us being in that same boat this year.”
Indeed, the Marlins (69-68) have clawed back above .500 and are within four games of a still-unlikely wild-card berth. Yet they’re 12 ½ games behind Atlanta in the East, while the 52-85 Rockies are 29 games behind the behemoth Dodgers and last in the West.
As the 2026 season winds down, has either club taken baby steps in closing the gap with their divisional foes?
At altitude, knowledge becomes power
If you Frankensteined a team out of Rockies and Marlins parts, it would be difficult to beat.
“We feel we have a ton of arm talent,” says Marlins manager Clayton McCullough, “and can go out and pitch against anyone and that gives yourself a chance to win most every day.”
And then there are the Rockies, undergoing a long-overdue top-down rebuild led by new club president Paul DePodesta and GM Josh Byrnes.
“Our offense is top 10, top five in a lot of categories,” says Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer. “That’s a huge initial (improvement). The new product on the field is better. You can see it immediately.”
Those themes have largely defined each franchise since their inception, though the Rockies somehow bottomed out offensively in 2025, when they lost a franchise-record 119 games, one shy of the 1962 Mets’ NL record.
There was no need to park-adjust these numbers for Coors Field: The Rockies ranked last in the majors in on-base percentage (.279), 29th in runs, 27th in OPS (.679) and struck out 1,531 times, more than any team except the Angels.
The longtime image of the Rockies is a band of power-hitting, wail-and-bail galoots. But the “Blake Street Bombers” moniker aside, the Rockies are at their best utilizing Coors Field’s vast expanses and collecting hitters with adjustable swings that have a better chance to play on the road, too.
And so a pair of trades that went virtually unnoticed – first baseman TJ Rumfield arriving from the Yankees in exchange for pitcher Angel Chivilli, and outfielder Jake McCarthy acquired for pitcher Josh Grosz – paid significant dividends.
McCarthy’s game – good speed, gap power – is well-suited to Coors Field. He has an .804 OPS, 47 extra-base hits – 27 of them doubles – and 25 steals. Rumfield, who debuted on Opening Day, has just 13 homers yet an .820 OPS. Like McCarthy, he makes frequent contact, with a 13.2% strikeout rate and his 3.2 WAR leads the club.
Clustered around All-Star catcher Hunter Goodman – on track for a 40-homer season – the new-look offense is cooking.
“As far as position players go, I think we have a good young core of guys,” says center fielder Cole Carrigg, who debuted in June and has a .782 OPS in 68 games. “Other than Goodie, who’s got 30-odd homers, nobody’s got unbelievable stats. But everybody’s right there and could play on any given team on any given night.”
Cool, cool. As for the pitching?
It’s a saga going on three decades, from the first pitch Bryn Smith threw at Mile High Stadium in 1993, to the failed $121 million investment in Mike Hampton to the Coors Field humidor that can cool the home run balls but can’t help a pitch move the way a hurler expects.
Yet as time goes on, knowledge becomes power. And at least the Rockies know what they're up against, other than simply, “Pitching at altitude sucks.”
“The factors everybody talks about are definitely real. You lose 25% of your spin-induced movement,” says Nationals reliever Jake Bird, who pitched in Colorado from 2022 to 2025 before a trade to the New York Yankees. “So, if you’re a spin, four-seam guy throwing it with 20 inches of ride at sea level, you go to Colorado it’s going to be 15.
“So, you take an elite fastball and make it an average one. That’s a factor. The big outfield there. The elevation. There’s definitely ways to work with those and use them.”
Yet a problem hitters and pitchers alike face is the constant adjustments from home to road back to home, repeated dozens of times throughout a 162-game schedule.
“That’s probably the most difficult part of being a pitcher for them,” says Bird. “You’re home for seven days, you’re getting used to the way your stuff moves. And then you go on the road and your stuff is moving more. There’s never a time where everything’s the same.
“It’s the most difficult part, but kind of a fun challenge, too.”
One the Rockies have not yet overcome, though it can take a few decades to turn around a tugboat. This group ranks 30th in the majors in ERA, their 5.49 mark light years away from the No. 1 Yankees’ 3.21.
Every starter has an ERA north of 5, and potential ace Chase Dollander – who had a 3.89 ERA in 10 outings – underwent internal brace surgery on his right elbow in June.
Yet identifying one or three or five keepers right now isn’t as important as finding a process that works, as tired as that concept may be in this analytics era.
Still, for a Rockies franchise that famously promotes from within, often to its detriment – prior GM Bill Schmidt was hired as the club’s scouting director in 1999 – any reboot is significant.
“Our new regime is very smart,” says starter Ryan Feltner, who has a 5.21 ERA in 21 outings this season. “They’re analytically driven, which is super important given our environment. I think our environment can be an advantage to us, and I think we’re starting to make some moves that push it in that direction.
“I think they’re very aware of the environment and how to optimize it. I think there’s certain types of players that work at elevation and maybe others that don’t. I think they’re very aware of those things.”
Says Schaeffer: “Josh Byrnes is fantastic to work for. Paul DePodesta’s fantastic to work for. They have a clear plan. They’ve already made strides in the offseason.”
Cash calls
Yet the hills both clubs must climb in their divisions are so significant.
Since original Marlins owner Wayne Huizenga went on a spending spree that resulted in that 1997 wild card and startling World Series title, the franchise has run a largely skinflint operation. There was a brief investment in free agents Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle as the club opened its heavily taxpayer-financed ballpark, but they were soon shipped to Toronto.
The club locked up franchise player Giancarlo Stanton on a $325 million deal – then traded him after he’d been paid just $30 million of that deal. The Marlins are located in the 18th-largest market in the USA yet their $82 million payroll ranks second-to-last in the majors.
Fourth-year GM Peter Bendix is a skilled dealer and learned the fine art of arbitrage in Tampa Bay, and there’s little sign the club will come anywhere close to investing at a level that they can compete with the Atlantas and Philadelphias, to say nothing of the stupendously paid Mets, who for all their outlay have a fifth-place team this season.
Still, the Marlins will try, even if a likelier outcome is a win total in the mid-80s and a wild card berth – like their surprise 2023 playoff appearance - rather than besting all the East beasts.
“I love the division we’re in. I think nothing prepares you better,” says McCullough, who was on Dave Roberts’ Dodgers staff from 2021-2024. “We do talk about the postseason here and we don’t shy away from it. Because all of our expectations are building something here that will put us in a position, year after year, to be competing for postseason appearances and ultimately finding our way in.
“Playing against high-quality people, as many times as we do, in this division, sets us up really well. There are no easy matchups when you get beyond the regular season.”
It’s no different for the Rockies, who are chasing a club with, until further notice, a lease on first place. Beyond the Dodgers, the Giants and Padres are also big spenders and Arizona is just three years removed from a World Series appearance.
“It’s an unbelievable division,” says Schaeffer. “The two-time World Series champions. The style of play the Diamondbacks play, the Padres’ lineup.
“We gotta beat those teams to get where we want to go. We gotta do it different. Everybody knows it. We are making strides to get there. We need to beat our division rivals for sure. We need to make strides on that.”
Winning one more game off the Dodgers and losing six more by three runs or less may not look like progress, but the Rockies will take it. And unlike the Marlins, there is at least the hope of roster investment should the window of contention demand it.
The club signed Kris Bryant to a $182 million contract through 2028, but a back injury has likely ended his career. Yet they’ve made past nine-figure commitments to the likes of Troy Tulowitzki ($134 million), Nolan Arenado ($260 million) and, of course, Hampton way back in the day.
On their way to a fifth straight last-place finish, the Rockies nonetheless have never drawn fewer than 2.4 million fans in non-pandemic years since 2007. The potential is there.
And change is afoot. Even if it might take a good while longer to end a divisional drought going on four decades.
“Everybody needs to make adjustments going forward,” says Schaeffer, a member of the Rockies organization as a player, coach or manager since 2007, “because what we were doing in the past wasn’t working.
“The goal is to win. I think that everybody’s done that really well this year.”
Indianapolis Indians second baseman Termarr Johnson (2) reacts to being outed at first base during a game against the Toledo Mud Hens celebrating the Indians’ 30th anniversary Saturday, July 11, 2026, at Victory Field in Indianapolis. The Indians fell to the Mud Hens 4-3. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Pirates fans and fans across the country.
This week’s question asked you about Termarr Johnson. The second baseman in the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system hasn’t quite lived up to his first-round status and is hitting just .239 for his five years in the Minor Leagues and is now down with what is being termed a “serious” injury.
What we asked this week was do you think Termarr Johnson is going to be a bust? Here are the results:
A full 82 percent of Bucs fans are ready to give up on Termarr as a bust for the Pirates. I am definitely behind that. It’s interesting to think that the Bucs took Henry Davis and Termarr Johnson in back-to-back years with designs on improving their hitting, and now neither one of them can hit a lick. That’s an organizational development failure. But that’s a convo for another day.
Don’t forget to check out FanDuel as we head down the season’s home stretch. The Bucs currently sit a six games back in the Wild Card despite winning two games in a row, but you can still grab some MLB Playoff odds and props on home run hitters, leaders, etc…
Thanks for voting. We’ll be back soon with more Reacts!
The theory is things even out over a 162-game season. Yet in the American League West, everyone's finding out the only water level they're going to reach still has them submerged.
Major League Baseball's worst division could have restored some pride to the AL this weekend, when three teams played interleague series and another staged a rematch of the 2025 ALCS. Instead, the Astros, Rangers, Mariners, Athletics and Angels went a combined 3-12, the latter three getting swept.
And the Mariners continued their stunning downfall.
They got trucked in Toronto, where ill-timed pitching changes and an offense prone to disappearing - the Mariners were one-hit over seven innings by 42-year-old Max Scherzer - led to a sweep. The preseason AL favorites dropped to 64-73 and down to No. 25 in USA TODAY Sports' power rankings.
Are they out of the playoff picture? Of course not! They're still in the AL, which means 13 losses in 21 games barely puts a dent in your hopes. Seattle's five games back in both the wild card and West chases. And congrats to the Astros, who clawed above .500 and perhaps might win the division with a non-losing record.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 25: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees warms up prior to the game against the Houston Astros at Yankee Stadium on August 25, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images) | Getty Images
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: The Yankees are off to the West Coast, and Aaron Judge is coming with them. The plan is for Judge to really start ramping up this week, including taking on-field batting practice. “Hopefully out there, he’ll start to get on velocity and things like that,” Aaron Boone said. “He’ll be part of the pregame stuff and just get more entrenched into getting ready to come back.” Though it’d be a major surprise to see Judge play during this trip, it seems possible that the team’s next homestand could see him return.
ESPN | Jorge Castillo: Rookie George Lombard Jr. left Saturday night’s game after tweaking his knee, and though he’s avoided any structural damage, he’s could still hit the injured list. “It feels fine,” Lombard said. “It’s definitely better than yesterday. It felt a little stiff, and there’s still a little soreness, a little inflammation in there, but not terrible.” Jose Caballero, who was the starting shortstop for the first several weeks of the season, started at short on Sunday. Anthony Volpe is also biding his time at Triple-A, with the erstwhile starter at short having moved around the infield in the last month, taking several starts at second, and even starting at third over the weekend.
New York Post | Mark W. Sanchez: The Yankees called up Luis Gil yesterday, the 2024 AL Rookie of the Year giving the club a fresh arm and taking Yerry De los Santos’ spot on the roster. Things are set up for the Yankees to have something of a bullpen audition in September, as there’s plenty of room in Aaron Boone’s Circle of Trust. Gil could toss his name into the mix, as could Clarke Schmidt, who made a rehab appearance over the weekend. Most everything is up for grabs beyond David Bednar, Brent Headrick and Paul Blackburn, so anyone that performs well over the season’s final month could become a factor come October.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 21: Ty France #25 of the San Diego Padres hits a two-run home run against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning at Petco Park on August 21, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Padres fans and fans across the country.
In the end, it was not close. To be honest, that was to be expected.
Ty France was the overwhelming answer to the Gaslamp Ball Reacts Survey poll question this week. “Who has been more impressive so far this season?” Respondents had the choices of France, Luis Campusano, Walker Buehler or Bradgley Rodriguez. Looking back, it would have been appropriate to add Yuki Matsui to the list of candidates as well, but France would probably remain the top choice.
The right-handed slugger has been stellar defensively for the Padres this season, despite a bobble on a play on Saturday night. The fielders, Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts and Jake Cronenworth all seem to enjoy having a Gold Glove Award winner manning first base. It allows them to make throws without the pressure of having to make them perfect. France himself is not perfect, but more often than not, if he can get to a throw he does and that results in more outs and less traffic on the bases for San Diego pitchers.
France came into the 2026 season as a minor league invite, but he has taken full advantage of his second opportunity with the Padres. There is no reason to think he would not receive a multi-year contract offer that would start in 2027 if the season is not lost due to a lockout. France added to his season totals with a home run int the second game of the series against the Tampa Bay Rays. He is currently hitting .287 after 355 at-bats. He has 19 home runs with 59 RBI and 47 runs scored. France has also walked 30 times. He has been entrenched as the No. 4 hitter in the San Diego lineup and there have been calls from some fans the the Padres to slide him up to the No. 3 spot in front of Machado who has been struggling as of the late.
If France can continue his level of play he should be rewarded in the offseason, but for now his ability to maintain his level of play could be a key factor in whether or not the Padres make the postseason.
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