WILLIAMSPORT, PA - AUGUST 23: Sean Murphy #12 of the Atlanta Braves bats during the 2026 Little League Classic presented by New York Life between the Atlanta Braves and the Milwaukee Brewers at Journey Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field on Sunday, August 23, 2026 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Sean Murphy is not having a great time — he apparently suffered through a debilitating hip injury for years, and finally decided to call it quits in a lost season and get surgery. He returns, and a week later, has his finger fractured by a swing. Fast forward right about three months, and he’s re-activated, but this time to serve as a very platoon-y bat amidst a stretch of the team not facing that many southpaws.
On top of that, his stats this season are super-gross: a .138 wOBA and a .159 xwOBA. It’s only 42 PAs, but it’s probably not helping him have a great time.
To say that he’s not in any sort of rhythm is an understatement. In those 42 PAs, he’s running by far the highest chase rate of his career, but also the lowest rate of swinging at strikes. Put those together and woof. But, I also noticed something else, partly due to the fact that Murphy only has one hard-hit ball in his last 11 balls in play. To summarize:
That’s a… very slow swing now. It’s been declining as it is, amid injury, but in this tiny-sample 2026 we have so far, that’s a collapse.
I can think of three big-picture reasons:
There’s still some lingering injury-related stuff that’s preventing him from taking the hacks he used to, except in limited situations.
Either in combination with his lack of “sync” and horrible pitch recognition thus far, or separately for whatever reason, he’s slowing things down (to little avail).
The bat speed collapse isn’t deliberate, but just an extreme reflection of Murphy not being “ready” at the plate. (The thing I don’t like about this one is that his swing rate on pitches nowhere near is so high that it doesn’t seem to make sense, but it’s a possibility.)
If Murphy were doing his usual massive cuts thing, and missing the pitch by a bunch, that’d be one thing. And, if he were doing that while not really recognizing balls versus strikes, yeah, okay, he’s had a long layoff and is barely playing these days. But the lack of bat speed suggests something physical or deliberate, and that’s on its own plane of concern.
I will also say, unrelated to this, that even if bat speed concerns were allayed, he’s got a long road to go, as evidenced by his looking strikeout last night. Two outs, some guys on base, Murphy takes four pitches and gets a 3-1 count. Walking won’t help that much because the Brewers can make a pitching change to preserve the platoon advantage. Murphy has already seen the sinker from Grant Anderson, it was two of the last four pitches. There’s another one on 3-1, and it’s a good pitch on the bottom edge, but… Murphy takes it. And then, on 3-2, Anderson changes to a four-seam grip and fires a ball in the exact same location and… Murphy takes it. Yeah, that’s not bat speed, but it might be related — why isn’t Murphy swinging on 3-1, but also not on 3-2 when he gets a very similar pitch?
May 27, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50), Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17), and Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (16) meet on the mound during the fourth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Slowly but surely, the Dodgers are getting the band back together.
Ohtani could still build up to five-inning starts by October, Roberts said. If Ohtani keeps his standard once-per-week pitching schedule, he could get up to four or five (if he starts Sunday, with the regular season ending Sept. 27) starts in actual games before then.
“To then have the opportunity, the flexibility to insert Shohei to build up like he did last year, I think, is of huge benefit both ways,” Roberts said.
Eric Lauer figures into this week’s plan by being available out of the bullpen during the Tigers series, possibly following Glasnow on Tuesday. Then Lauer will likely follow Ohani on Sunday in Detroit. Bill Plunkett at the Orange County Register has more.
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Will Smith last caught for he Dodgers on June 5, missing nearly four months with neck inflammation. But after ramping up baseball activities, including facing Ohtani in a simulated game on Saturday at Dodger Stadium, Smith will start a minor league rehab assignment with Oklahoma City on Tuesday, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com.
When Edwin Díaz returns from the injured list after neck inflammation, he won’t be in the closer role, and will have to work his way back into high-leverage roles. “I’m good with the decision because I know I haven’t done my job,” Díaz told Dylan Hernández of the California Post. “If I’d done my job, I’d be pitching in the ninth inning.”
Even analytical fans can be overcome with emotions. The last ten days have been brutal. If we remove the opener of the Mariners series, we saw the Astros got a combined 2-6 in the span of eight days. That was against a collection of teams where they probably were hoping for a 6-2 run. They blew late leads, the offense sputtered at times, and the starting pitching continued to struggle to get through the fifth inning. Even the normally reliable Yordan Alvarez seemed to hit a snag throughout much of the run.
I hate to boil things down to simple math, but this is usually where my brain goes. There are essentially six months in a baseball season. It’s obviously grossly simplified to assume four weeks in a month, but we could probably add one week in there to account for the extra days. That means there are 25 weeks in a season. The last homestand accounts for slightly more than a week’s worth of games. 162 divided by nine equals 18. 18 is a nice round number.
To put this in perspective for most Houston fans, 18 essentially corresponds to the number of weeks in an NFL season. So, imagine if the Texans’ offense failed to show up for a particular game. I know that’s not hard to imagine. Imagine if they had held a lead into the fourth quarter and squandered it. Imagine if their defense simply got torched on a particular Sunday. What would the conversation be like?
Obviously, the conversation would likely depend on when that particular loss occurred. If it occurred in a random regular season game in October it would likely be a cause for concern, but no one would be quitting on the season quite yet. If it were the opening week of the season there would be some doom and gloom, but most people would realize it was just one game in a long schedule. If it occurred in January then obviously the season would be over.
This is where we find ourselves as Astros fans. We have experienced one terrible week of baseball. They have had worse this season. It doesn’t seem like it but the first road trip was an unmitigated disaster. There have been stretches at home that have looked just as awful. So, the key to sound analysis is to take a step back and keep a level head about these things.
The question we should ask is whether there is anything from these nine games that we can extrapolate to the much larger whole. I think there are a few through lines we can look at and pencil them in as areas of concern moving forward. These are things the next general manager and manager need to consider when the 2027 season opens (yes, I am assuming they are both gone).
The lineup is too shallow
Let’s do the math. We know Yordan Alvarez is great. We know Jeremy Pena is an all-star level player. We know Christian Walker overall has had a nice bounce back season. Isaac Paredes is also approaching career highs in OPS. That’s it. This lineup has four average to above average hitters when compared to the league average (as defined by 100 OPS+). That simply ain’t going to get it done.
Certainly, others have shown flashes of brilliance. Jose Altuve is a Hall of Famer in waiting, so he will have stretches where he looks like one. Cam Smith is obviously a physically gifted player and he will have stretches where he looks like a future all-star. Yainer Diaz even had a stretch earlier where he looked like his former self. That is why this offense can look great at times. Yet, on a nightly basis you are counting on the same four guys to hit. What happens when one or more of them aren’t hitting?
Moreover, if you have four guys that are clearly head and shoulders above everyone else then shouldn’t those four guys be the top four in your lineup? There are too many games when random people like Daulton Varsho are batting cleanup. Again, this is simple math. Who are your best hitters? Where they can hit in the lineup to get more opportunities?
The rotation is too shallow
Everyone here remembers the Jake Odorizzi days. Most fans would not remember them fondly, but they likely are misremembering things. Odorizzi was famously very effective two times through the order. The third time through things all went to crap. When Dusty Baker finally realized what he had then Odorizzi became a lot more effective. The Astros have a couple of those guys in their current rotation. Cristian Javier looks like one of those guys. Kai-Wei Teng was one of those guys when he was a starter. You could say Hayden Wesneski looks like one of those guys too.
Tatsuya Imai is also one of those guys as a starter. When more than half of your potential rotation are guys that are only effective two times through the order you are going to tax your bullpen. In my last lab, I suggested leaning into that. Obviously, that is a short-term solution to a long-term problem. You can’t go through a 162 game schedule without that blowing up in your face. You could credibly claim that it did on the last homestand.
Javier’s overall effectiveness has actually surprised me. I thought he was cooked earlier in the season. However, you are setting yourself up for problems if most of your starters are not capable of going beyond five innings. Heck, just getting to the fifth lately has been a struggle. In terms of short-term fixes, the answer is only Mike Burrows and hoping Ethan Pecko can go deeper than he did last time out. Neither of those are appetizing solutions. Still, when you do nothing at the deadline, your options are going to be limited.
The future is unwritten
If we have learned anything as Astros fans it is never to write them off in any situation. They taught us that in 2005 and throughout the current dynastic run. They are going up against the New York teams this week and that seems like a recipe for disaster. Still, this is when they usually have played their best baseball in the past. We can hope for it again. 3-6 is a horrible nine game stretch at home, but it is essentially one game’s worth of action in NFL terms. We wouldn’t write the Texans off after one week and we shouldn’t do that with the Astros even if the last nine games really makes us want to.
Aug 23, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga (34) walks off the field after Chicago White Sox center fielder Tristan Peters (29) hits a walk-off home run during the ninth inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Meet the Mets
If you didn’t enjoy the first walk-off loss of the weekend, I have very bad news for you.
Sep 17, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A young Toronto Blue Jays fan enjoys the seventh inning stretch on her fathers shoulders as the Jays defeat the Baltimore Orioles at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
The Jays have this Monday off (and next Monday). Having Monday off is a good thing. I’ve always liked holiday Mondays.
They have 30 games left (and fortunately enough, no 17-game streaks without a day off.
They are a game and a half back of the last Wild Card spot. And would have to jump two teams to get there. I don’t know how many they would need to win to get there. I figure 20-10 would do it pretty easily. 18-12? Likely. Maybe even 17-13. Much worse than that? I don’t know.
They have three against the Rangers and three against the Guardians. Winning those series would help.
I’m mostly hoping it is a fun ride.
Anyway, use the thread, as always, to discuss anything you’d like.
Maybe long movies. I saw The Odyssey and Spider-Man this week. I guess they want you to feel you got your money’s worth. I enjoyed both and made it through without needing the washroom. I’ve hit that fun age that if I drink anything within like 6 hours of going to bed, I’m up three times during the night.
Or a favourite moment of the season up to this point. I’ve enjoyed seeing the young guys come up—Bateman, McAdoo, Valenzuela, Cameron, even Tiedemann for his 1.2 innings.
Or talk about what you plan to do with the last month of summer. Me? I don’t know. I tell myself I’m going to pick up my guitars more, but, with baseball and this place, my sitting on the couch time is pretty much filled. So, it is tough to add more ‘sitting on the couch time’.
Anyway, use the thread to talk about almost anything.
And….we could really use another voice or two on the site. What would be nice is if we could find someone or someones who could do a morning post on weekdays to take some of the morning pressure off me. When you are out here in Calgary, well, a morning post is up around noon Eastern. There is always a point in the season when burnout starts to show. Anyway, if you think you would like to help out, let me know. My email is in my profile.
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 23: Michael Harris II #23 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates after hitting a solo home run during the ninth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Bowman Field on August 23, 2026 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Braves are likely very glad Monday is finally here and an off-day can be used as a needed break and reset. Thankfully, the Braves were able to get a badly needed win in the 2026 Little League Classic on Sunday night. This allowed for Atlanta to avoid a sweep to the Brewers, and also have a positive note to end on after a wild last few days. After ending the road trip playing in four different cities in five days, Atlanta can now return home for another big series against the Dodgers.
Braves News
As the Braves switched up the lineup a bit, Michael Harris II proved to be huge from the leadoff spot, including the final run of the game coming via a home run that was clearly wanted from the Little League crowd.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JULY 20: The crowd reacts after Ceddanne Rafaela #3 of the Boston Red Sox scores off a double hit by Wilyer Abreu #52 (not pictured) in the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park on July 20, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Saturday night, the Red Sox were down 2-0 heading into the bottom of the ninth against the Giants. The crowd had been anxious all game—understandably—but something shifted when Caleb Durbin led off the inning with a walk. The noise inside a 114-year-old stadium started to rise and crescendoed in a walk-off that encapsulates the luck and magic of the 2026 Boston Red Sox.
The walk-off itself wasn’t just something the crowd watched, though. It felt like something they willed into existence.
That’s what’s been happening at Fenway Park this summer. A building and a fanbase that has decided it’s part of this team.
Sellouts, near-sellouts, 37,000-plus on a regular Friday night in August. You can cite the attendance figures, but the number that actually matters is decibels. Jerseys are coming off—the tarps-off phenomenon sweeping the bleachers, people yanking their shirts over their heads and spinning them in the air like rally towels. People in apartments on Boylston Street are posting videos of themselves hearing the roar from inside their living rooms. That’s not a normal August at Fenway, or at least hasn’t been for quite some time.
I was at last Monday’s game against the Diamondbacks, and the crowd there had that same edge—that sense that nobody in the building was treating this as a casual summer night out. Even in a blowout, it’s beyond apparent how engaged and just purely fun the stands at Fenway are right now. Yankees Suckchants breaking out unprompted, everyone screaming their heads off at Mr. Brightside during a pitching change, every single person leaping to their feet the moment Sweet Caroline came on. It was infectious. The energy is different this year. You can feel it the moment you walk through the gates.
Friday night was the purest version of it. Rafael Devers walked out for his first at-bat back at his old ballpark and Fenway didn’t just boo—it rained boos on this man, 37,000 people making sure he knew exactly where he was and what this series meant. Whether you wanted boos or cheers, the crowd made its distain pretty well known, even to the chagrin of some other media pundits who were shocked there were so many jeers. Devers struck out. Later on, Willson Contreras hit one 450 feet over the Monster and the building became the loudest it’s been all year.
After a stretch of Red Sox baseball where the question was whether anyone was going to bother showing up—the pandemic years, the “rebuilding years” with Chaim Bloom, the quiet Septembers, the half-filled sections and the general sense of waiting for something to happen—this summer has felt like a reset, not just in the standings, but in the relationship between this team and this city. For the years of apathy that permeated from ownership and the front office on down to Red Sox Nation, there’s finally a well-earned feeling that everyone has bought in all at once.
The Red Sox are 25-11 since the All-Star Break, the best record in baseball over that stretch. They’re back over .500 at home for the first time since April 17th. They have strong footing in the Wild Card hunt. And Fenway has responded the way Fenway responds when it actually believes in something—which is with everything it has, every night, from the first pitch to the ninth inning comeback.
The crowd needs the team to keep giving them reasons. The team needs the crowd in September. Right now, both sides of that deal are holding up their end. And it has been one of the most raucous, engaged, alive stretches this ballpark has seen in a very long time.
Go outside and stand on Lansdowne Street some time. You’ll hear it.
BALTIMORE, MD - JULY 08: Félix Bautista #74 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches during the game between the New York Mets and the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Tuesday, July 8, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Alyssa Howell/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
This will be super quick, because there was really little offense over Game One’s seven innings. The Tides got no-hit, alas, and only a walk to Rece Hinds with one out left in the game kept it from being a combined perfecto.
On a positive note, starter Michael Forret kept it scoreless through four innings, though he allowed two runs in the fifth on a homer, single, and a double. Cameron Weston and José Espada tossed clean innings after him.
One bad inning sunk the Tides in Game Two of the makeup doubleheader. Starter Trace Bright (1-9, 7.46 ERA) threw just 1.2 innings today and allowed five runs in the second inning alone—on two walks and four hits, including a three-run homer to cap things off. After him, Dietrich Enns pitched a good 2.1 innings, followed by talented prospect Luis de León, Codi Heuer and Yosver Zulueta. De León gave up a run on a walk and a double, and Zulueta on a walk and a pair of singles.
The Tides’ lone run came on a double by catcher Silas Ardoin and a single, plus a run-scoring groundout, by Enrique Bradfield Jr. and Jeremiah Jackson, respectively. Bradfield, Ardoin and Jud Fabian had the Tides’ lone hits on the day.
A weird result, as Richmond scored three in the first inning, then nothing until the three winning runs in the tenth inning. Those initial three, by the way, come off a rusty Félix Bautista, making his first appearance on a gametime mound since August ’25. Yes, The Mountain faced just five batters and walked three of them. But who cares? Great to see him, although also a fun thought to imagine the Double-A hitters learning they’d be facing him. Anyway, Tyson Neighbors relieved Bautista, but did him no favors, allowing another run-scoring walk and a sac fly.
The Baysox evened up the score with a snazzy double steal in the second, Colin Tuft taking second and Vance Honeycutt scoring the Baysox’s first run. Later on, Chesapeake got back-to-back homers by Wehiwa Aloy and Aron Estrada.
Regrettably, Brock Moore allowed three runs in the tenth inning, on a single and a couple of walks. The Baysox made it interesting in the bottom half with a two-out rally: Honeycutt walked and Thomas Sosa singled him home, along with ghost runner Dom Keegan. But they fell just short. Still, Honeycutt, Aloy and Estrada each had two hits today, and all three are OPS’ing over .800 currently. All aboard the hype train.
High-A: Frederick Keys 7, Wilmington Blue Rocks (WAS) 2
The lone winner on the day, the Keys racked up 17 strikeouts across five pitchers. That included opener Boston Bateman, who tossed three scoreless with six strikeouts (!!). The 6’8” lefty has a 3.63 ERA/1.39 WHIP with 107 strikeouts in 79.1 innings at High-A this season. Those K numbers will do! After him, Jack Crowder, Teddy Sharkey, Zac Lampton, and Cohen Achen combined for six innings of two-run ball, the two opponent runs scoring on a Wilmington home run off Lampton.
The Keys got big contributions from the middle of the order, especially in a five-run seventh inning. Enddy Azocar had three hits. Catcher Ethan Anderson doubled to put his team up 2-0. Leandro Arias and Jordan Sanchez each homered. And Braylin Tavera singled home a run.
Delmarva got out to a 2-0 lead, courtesy of a Stíven Martínez home run and a throwing error by the Crawdads, but gave up the lead on a three-run homer in the fifth, surrendered by reliever Francisco Morao. Morao also let in a fourth run on a balk. Tough day. The 20-year-old lefty, called up from the FCL in late July, has a 4.67 ERA in just under a month at Low-A Delmarva.
As for the offense, Martínez, DH’ing, had a nice 2-for-4 line including that homer. Jhomnardo Reyes reached base three times. Miguel Rodríguez (C/1B), Carlos Sánchez (C) and Félix Amparo (LF) had a hit apiece. Ty Head and Jaiden Lo Re went hitless in the game.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - AUGUST 22: Vinnie Pasquantino #9 of the Kansas City Royals congratulates Salvador Perez on his home run against the Detroit Tigers during the fourth inning at Kauffman Stadium on August 22, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Reed Hoffmann/Getty Images) | Getty Images
“When you are giving up one run, you are going to have a pretty good chance to win,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “And two runs yesterday. That’s usually the name of the game. When your pitching is solid, you’ve got a better chance to win.”
Wacha allowed just one run in seven innings. He scattered three hits while registering six strikeouts against the Tigers’ potent lineup. It was his seventh victory and 17th quality start — most in the American League.
“Wacha’s the best, man,” Perez said. “Wacha’s been doing that all season long. And every time he is going to pitch, he’s going to give everything he has for us.”
Isbel was just one of the heroes in the Royals’ win on Saturday. After Isbel put them on the board, Salvador Perez clobbered his 17th home run in the fourth inning to pad the lead. Jac Caglianone doubled in the sixth, moved to third on Perez’s groundout and scored on a wild pitch for insurance. By his celebration, Perez seemed more fired up for moving the runner than his home run.
“As soon as they changed the pitcher, Vinnie [Pasquantino] and I talked, like, ‘I’m going to try to move him,’” Perez said. “Bring him in by moving the other way. He threw me a curveball that backed up and jammed me a little bit, but I still hit it to second base. Sometimes things happen. Don’t have the opportunity to bring him in, but the wild pitch scored that run. We’re doing the little things like that, and it’s good for the team.”
On Sunday, Salvy had his first stolen base in five years.
Salvador Perez channeled his inner Jarrod Dyson after recording his first stolen base since 2021! pic.twitter.com/ATBb9jJICm
“You get the final out,” Kimbrel said, “I think that’s one of the things that’s so enticing and fun about closing out games. It’s when you throw the last pitch and the last out is made, you can take a breath and everybody gets to go home happy.”
Royals 2026 first-round pick Zion Rose hits his first pro home run.
Rose has been a mixed bag thus far. He’s made an immediate impact with his speed, stealing eight bases in his first ten games with the River Bandits. The power, however, has been absent, however. Rose did hit his first home run with the Bandits as I’m typing this on Saturday afternoon, but still mid-game action, it isn’t included in the above stat line. Rose has walked at a healthy rate and limited strikeouts enough, but in all it’s been a middling debut for the sixth-overall selection in this year’s draft. That isn’t to say it’s time to sound the alarm bells. Jac Caglianone posted just a 98 wRC+ with a .388 SLG in his small-sample debut with Quad Cities in 2024.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 10: A general view as Hayden Wesneski #39 of the Houston Astros pitches during the game between the Houston Astros and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Monday, August 10, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Bryan Kennedy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Good morning, baseball fans!
A new week of San Francisco Giants baseball begins today, so it’s time to take a look at what’s on deck for the week.
The Giants head back to Oracle Park for the week, welcoming the Cincinnati Reds to town tonight to begin a three-game series. After that, the Arizona Diamondbacks come to town for a four-game series over the weekend.
Personally, I don’t really have a preference between the two opponents. But the Reds are sitting in last place in the NL Central. They’re still doing better than the Giants, but they might be the less formidable opponents. So I’ll go ahead and pick them as the series I’m most interested in this week. Since we only have to see them twice a year instead of the nine billion times we see the Diamondbacks.
Which series are you most interested in this week?
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants begin their series against the Reds tonight at 6:45 p.m. PT.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 21: Jacob Misiorowski #32 of the Milwaukee Brewers pitches against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at American Family Field on August 21, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to week 22 of our 2026 NL Central Power Rankings — let’s rank some teams!
1. Milwaukee Brewers (81-50); 4-2 this week; 100.0% chance to make postseason (FanGraphs)
The Brewers had another strong week with a pair of series victories over the Mariners and Braves, including a 22-0 romp of Seattle in Tuesday’s series opener. Milwaukee became the first team in the majors to guarantee at least a .500 season with their 81st win on Saturday afternoon.
Jake Bauers led the team with a pair of homers and a double this week, while William Contreras led the team with 10 hits this week. Luis Lara added nine hits, including his first career homer, and Garrett Mitchell had eight hits with a homer and two doubles. Joey Ortiz added six hits, including a homer and a double with five RBIs.
Logan Henderson, Kyle Harrison, and Jacob Misiorowski continue to shine atop Milwaukee’s rotation, as the three combined to allow just one run (by Henderson) across 17 innings in their appearances this week, striking out 18. DL Hall, Trevor Megill, Chad Patrick, and Bryse Wilson had scoreless weeks for the bullpen, totaling 13 2/3 innings with 16 strikeouts.
Milwaukee gets another off day on Monday as they head to New York to face the Mets for three games beginning Tuesday night. They’ll then return home to host the Rangers for three games over the weekend.
2. Chicago Cubs (75-56); 3-3 this week; 97.8% chance to make postseason
The Cubs had a .500 week, taking two of three against the White Sox behind a pair of walk-off wins before dropping two of three to the Mariners over the weekend in Seattle.
Pete Crow-Armstrong had another big week with five homers and two doubles as part of nine hits, while Alex Bregman also had nine hits with three homers and eight RBIs. Nico Hoerner picked up eight hits, and Ian Happ and Michael Busch both homered twice.
David Peterson and Clay Holmes turned in the best starts of the week for the Cubs, as Peterson went 7 1/3 innings across a start and relief appearance, allowing two runs and striking out nine. Holmes went 5 1/3 innings with one run allowed despite picking up just one strikeout. Aaron Civale shined out of the bullpen with four strikeouts and no runs allowed across 5 1/3 relief innings.
Chicago now heads down to Phoenix to take on the Diamondbacks for three games before an off day on Thursday. They’ll then host the Reds for three games over the weekend.
3. St. Louis Cardinals (66-66); 3-5 this week; 2.2% chance to make postseason
The Cardinals had a long, disappointing week, as they took three of five against the Reds before being swept by the Phillies, including a tough 6-4 walk-off loss after leading 4-0 in the ninth on Sunday.
Jordan Walker continued to rake, with 12 hits, including three homers and two doubles, driving in eight. Five other players also homered, including rookie JJ Wetherholt, who added a double as part of a nine-hit week. Alec Burleson added 10 hits, driving in six and picking up a pair of doubles.
While the starting rotation as a whole didn’t have a great week, Kyle Leahy shined. He made a pair of starts, totaling nine innings with no runs allowed on five hits and two walks, striking out a team-high 10 batters. Peter Strzelecki was solid out of the bullpen with five innings of one-run ball, striking out five, and Gordon Graceffo went 2 2/3 scoreless innings over three appearances.
St. Louis gets Monday off before a homestand featuring matchups with the Orioles and Pirates begins on Tuesday.
4. Cincinnati Reds (62-69); 3-5 this week; 0.0% chance to make postseason
The Reds dropped three of five to the Cardinals at home this week before dropping two of three to the D-backs, and their once promising season is all but done at this point.
Matt McLain and Dane Myers both slugged a pair of homers, while Sal Stewart homered as part of an 11-hit week, driving in a team-high seven runs. Elly De La Cruz also had nine hits, and JJ Bleday added eight hits.
Chase Burns and Kent Emanuel had the best starts of the week for Cincy, as both pitchers went five innings with two runs allowed (Burns struck out eight and Emanuel struck out four). Tejay Antone, Julian Garcia, and Zach McCambley combined for 7 2/3 innings out of the bullpen, allowing no runs and striking out four.
Cincinnati will continue the road trip with three games in San Francisco to begin this week. After an off day on Thursday, they’ll wrap up their trip with three games at Wrigley against the Cubs.
5. Pittsburgh Pirates (63-69); 2-4 this week; 1.0% chance to make postseason
The Pirates took two of three at home against the Tigers to begin the week but were swept by the Dodgers in L.A. to finish with another sub-.500 week.
Oneil Cruz and Rafael Flores both slugged a pair of homers to lead Pittsburgh’s offense, while Brandon Lowe led the team with six hits, including a homer and double in what was an overall down week offensively for the Pirates.
Braxton Ashcraft turned in another strong start, totaling eight innings with one run allowed and four strikeouts to pick up the win. Lake Bachar went three total innings in a start and a relief appearance, allowing one run and striking out a pair. Khristian Curtis, Camilo Doval, Antwone Kelly, Mason Montgomery, Luke Weaver, and Kirby Yates combined for 15 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, striking out 16.
Pittsburgh continues the road trip with three games in San Diego before an off day on Thursday. They’ll then wrap up the trip with a three-game set in St. Louis.
That’s as good a place as any to start paying the butcher’s bill. Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages is out for 4-to-5 weeks after surgery on a fractured hand after getting hit by a pitch. So that’s pretty close to the rest of the regular season.
Good news and bad news for the Brewers. The good news is that right-hander Brandon Woodruff does not need shoulder surgery. The bad news is that Woodruff is probably out for the season anyway. But at least he should be ready for Opening Day, whenever that is.
Tim Britton examines the hottest team in baseball since the Trade Deadline: The Binghamton Rumble Ponies, the Mets’ Double-A team. (The Athletic sub. req.) The Rumble Ponies’ surge is led in part by former Cub Jefferson Rojas. Interestingly enough, Rojas said the Cubs told him that he was likely to be traded at the deadline, which I think is pretty classy of the Cubs.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 09: Ezequiel Tovar #14 of the Colorado Rockies warms up prior to the game between the Colorado Rockies and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Thursday, July 9, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Bryan Kennedy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
In the Friday night game discussion, when the Colorado Rockies were being blown out by the Cleveland Guardians, there was some conversation about the effect the Rockies defense had on their overall record.
Although I lack the skills to make that correlation, I did wonder how this year’s defense compared to some of the teams we’ve seen. Are the Colorado Rockies really that bad defensively?
All caveats about the limits of defensive metrics apply here, though I would add that, regardless of accuracy, defensive metrics create a common measure by which to compare players. In this discussion, I want to explore a number of defensive metrics: errors, defensive runs saved, outs above average, and fielding run average. Also, keep in mind this this year’s numbers are a work in progress while the numbers from previous years are for a full season.
In terms of my comparison pools, I went with this year’s team, last year’s 2025 (historically bad) team, and the 2018 team, which was the last season the Rockies went to the postseason.
All numbers were current as of Saturday.
Errors
According to MLB.com, “A fielder is given an error if, in the judgment of the official scorer, he fails to convert an out on a play that an average fielder should have made.”
Team errors
In 2026, as a team, the Colorado Rockies have committed 84 errors, which ties them with the San Francisco Giants for second most errors in MLB. (The Boston Red Sox have the most with 90 errors, and the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago Cubs have the fewest with 48 while the Los Angeles Dodgers have slightly more with 52. Also worth noting, the Chicago White Sox are 12th with 69.)
For comparison, in 2025, the Rockies had the second-most errors with 110. (The Red Sox had the most with 116 while the White Sox were third with 100.)
And the 2018 team? That postseason-bound team had just 74 errors, the third fewest in MLB.
Individual errors
That leads to the question of which players are committing those errors, and for that, I went to FanGraphs.
Clearly, Hunter Goodman and Kyle Karros led the team in errors with 10. Willi Castro is on the leaderboard as well since the sum of errors he has committed is 10. Add to that Ezequiel Tovar’s nine errors, and those four players are responsible for almost half of the errors. (Connor Norby’s three errors in eight games seems like a bad sign.)
Defensive runs saved
Now consider defensive runs saved (DRS), another defensive metric. As a refresher, MLB.com defines DRS as “DRS quantifies a player’s entire defensive performance by attempting to measure how many runs a defender saved. It takes into account errors, range, outfield arm and double-play ability. It differs only slightly from UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating) in its formula, but the concept is the same.”
Team DRS This season in terms of DRS, the Rockies rank 25th with -11. (Notably, the Cubs are first with 89 followed by the Tampa Bay Rays with 61, which shows just how good the Cubs defense is this year. The worst DRS number goes to the Minnesota Twins with -37.)
Last year, the Rockies had -59 DRS, which was the worst number in baseball.
By this metric, the 2026 Rockies are significantly better than the 2025 squad.
And the DRS number in 2018? That would be 45, which was the eighth most in baseball.
Individual DRS
Here are the individual numbers, again per FanGraphs:
What’s notable here?
TJ Rumfield is the best in terms of DRS, and it’s not close. He has become a solid defender at first base. Meanwhile, Tyler Freeman looks on track to repeat as the Rockies worst defender as measured by DRS. This metric is less brutal on Karros and Goodman than errors, but the fact remains that only eight players have positive DRS numbers, and three of those where pitchers while Chad Steven’s only spent 63.0 innings with the Rockies.
In short, overall, this is not a very good team defensively.
Outs Above Average
According to MLB.com, “Outs Above Average (OAA) is a range-based metric of skill that shows how many outs a player has saved.”
Team OAA
The 2026 Rockies are a bit more respectable by this metric by which they are ranked 20th with a -10. (Once again, the Cubs demonstrate this defensive dominance by putting up 62 OAA while the D-backs are second with 33, almost half as many.)
For comparison’s sake, the 2025 Rockies were 26th with -26 OAA. So, again, this is a better defensive team than the Rockies were last season. Believe it or not, the 2018 Rockies finished the season with -5 OAA, which put them at 18th.
Individual OAA
Below are the individual numbers for the Colorado Rockies, again courtesy of of FanGraphs.
This is another metric that indicates the deficiencies of the Rockies defense. Rumfield has a clear lead with six, but only five Rockies have an OOA score of higher than zero. Ten players have negative totals with Freeman and Edouard Julien tallying the lowest scores.
The good news is that 10 players have a zero OAA number, which means that they are average. A team with average defenders and improved hitters is a good trade off for a Rockies team that has struggled to get hits.
Fielding Runs Value
The final metric to consider is fielding run value, which MLB.com defines as follows: “Fielding Run Value (FRV) combines all of Statcast’s individual defensive metrics into one stat that measures a player’s overall defensive value.”
Team FRV
The 2026 Rockies are 25th at -19. Surprising no one, the Cubs are first with 63 while the Toronto Blue Jays come in second with 37.
Last season, the Rockies were 23rd with an FRV score of -20. It seems likely the 2026 squad will surpass that number before the season ends.
The 2018 team came in 10th with a four FRV score, which suggests the Rockies have never done very well by this metric.
Individual FRV
Here is how individual Rockies stack up:
Once again, Rumfield has surpassed his teammates, but having only five players with positive FRV’s seems like a bad sign. It is notable, however, this Tovar fares better by FRV.
Closing thoughts
So what does it all mean?
In compiling this, mostly I wanted to put together all of the numbers to provide a basis for a larger discussion.
But here are a few things I took away.
First, TJ Rumfield is as good defensively as we thought he is — and he is easily the best defender on this Rockies team.
Second, the defensive numbers are worse, but this team shows improvement over the 2025 Rockies. I suspect the still-below-average numbers are attributable to a few things. The Rockies have young players and new free agents who are learning the nuances of playing at Coors Field.
In addition, the Rockies are moving to a more “optionality-focused” defense, which is going to drive down numbers. So far, this front office is valuing a player’s utility over his expertise — though it’s worth noting that one of their defensive specialists, Rumfield, is the defensive leader.
Those are a few ideas I’m thinking through, and I look forward to reading your thoughts.
Former Isotopes pitcher Geoff Hartlieb escaped a two-on, one-out jam in the bottom of the ninth by striking out the final two hitters, as the Las Vegas Aviators took the series-closing game 10-8 from Albuquerque on Sunday at Rio Grande Credit Union Field. The Aviators claimed five of six contests in the set.
Sterlin Thompson led off the ninth inning with a single, then an out later, Vimael Machin roped a single off the wall in right, sending Thompson to third. Hartlieb then fanned Chad Stevens swinging and caught Roc Riggiolooking to end the ballgame.
Thompson was 3-for-4, the third time he has picked up three hits in the last eight games he has played. Meanwhile, Adael Amador was 2-for-4 with a double, and is slashing .333/.421/.636 with five doubles, five homers and 13 RBI over his last 15 games. Charlie Condonwas 1-for-4 with a single and hit by pitch. He is slashing .202/.311/.287 with three doubles, a triple, two homers and 16 RBI over his last 33 games. Condon has been hit by 16 pitches this year, most in the Pacific Coast League.
The Isotopes issued at least nine walks in a game for the 11th time this season.
With 24 games remaining in the season, Albuquerque must go a minimum of 14-10 down the stretch to finish with a winning record for the first time since 2013.
In the series finale, the Somerset Patriots scored five runs in the ninth inning to come from behind and defeat the Hartford Yard Goats 9-6 in Hartford. Although the Yard Goats had a 4-0 lead in the sixth inning and a 6-4 lead in the ninth inning, the Patriots rallied to win the series. Dyan Jorge mashed a two-run homer, his first of the season, and Jared Thomas and Skyler Messinger each had two hits.
The Yard Goats scored the game’s first run in the first inning against Somerset starter Sean Paul Linan. Thomas singled, stole second base, and scored on a hit by Jack O’Dowd to make it 1-0. Then the Yard Goats plates three more runs in the fourth inning to give them a 4-0 lead. After Jorge’s homer, Zach Kokoska scored on a wild pitch to give Hartford a 4-0 lead.
In addition, Yard Goats starter Konner Eaton allowed just two hits over the first five innings, completed six innings, surrendered two runs on three hits, and left with a 4-2 lead. Eaton retired the first five batters of the game before working out of bases-loaded jams in both the second and third innings. The lefty handled the fifth inning before allowing a two-out, two-run home run to Manny Palencia in the sixth inning make it a 4-2 game.
Somerset made it 4-3 on Jace Avina’s RBI single in the seventh inning against reliever Fidel Ulloa and then tied the game in the eighth inning on a throwing error. The Yard Goats took a 6-4 lead with two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.
But it wasn’t enough. The Patriots scored five runs in the ninth off reliever Victor Juarez to take a 9-6 lead. The inning began with back-to-back doubles and a walk to load the bases. Jace Avina then walked with the bases loaded to make it 6-5, and DJ Gladney’s sacrifice fly tied the game at 6-6. then, Manny Palencia’s RBI single scored Avina and Somerset grabbed a 7-6 lead. The Patriots added two more runs on an error and hit batsman.
Today, the Indians dropped their series finale with Hillsboro as the Hops pummeled the Indians.
The Hops hit four home runs, including two from Kenny Castillo and a grand slam from Carlos Virahonda. In the course of the game, Hillsboro batted around twice (first and seventh innings) and tallied 13 runs in those innings.
In the bottom of the second inning, Robert Calaz hit a solo homer to get the Indians on the board. It was his ninth of the season and fifth in his last eight games.
Spokane tried to mount a comeback in the fifth inning with no outs when they loaded the bases. With one out, Wilder Dalis singled followed by an Ethan Hedges walk that forced in a run, making the score 9-3. After a pitching change, Tanner Thach hit into a double play to end the inning.
The Indians tried again in the sixth and got the score down to 9-5. But things pretty much ended in the seventh when the Hops took a 13-5 lead on a pair of homers, including a grand slam.
It was a back-and-forth affair, but the Grizzlies were the only Rockies affiliate to win their game today against the Stockton Ports (A’s).
Stockton got out to an early lead when they drew a bases-loaded walk in the second inning. They then tacked on in the second with a sac fly, and then an RBI single in the third to go up 3-0. Then, Gavin Turley hit a grand slam to put the Ports up 7-0. Fresno finally broke through in the fourth when Carlos Renzullo walked, Cristian Arguelles (No. 5 PuRP) singled, and then Daniel Jackson (No. 12 PuRP) singled to score Renzullo.
However, things got interesting in the sixth.
Renzullo singled to lead things off, and then Arguelles tripled to score him. Jackson ten singled to score Arguelles, and Ronny Ugarte doubled. A wild pitch moved up Ugarte, and then Jack Natili walked. Upon a pitching change, Juan Martinez grounded into a 4-6 force out, but Ugarte was able to score and put Fresno within two. Cort MacDonald popped out to short, but then Aidan Redahan singled to push Martinez to third. Ashly Andujar singled to score Martinez, and made the score 7-6. Renzullo flew out to end the inning.
In the seventh, Gavin Turley homered to make it 8-6. But then Fresno came alive again in the ninth when Arguelles walked and Jackson doubled to score him. Then, Ugarte singled and Daniel Jackson scored on a fielding error by the left fielder to tie the game 8-8.
It went back-and-forth in extras, but Fresno had the last laugh. In the 11th inning, Juan Martinez singled to move Jack Natili, the ghost runner, and then Cort MacDonald singled to walk it off 10-9.
Jackson went 4-for-6 with a double, three RBI and two runs scored. Arguelles went 3-for-5 with a triple, two RBI, two runs scored and a walk. And Ugarte went 3-for-5 with a double, a run scored and two strikeouts.
On the pitching side, Bryson Van Sickle took the brunt of it — pitching just four innings and allowing seven runs (five earned) on six hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Sam Larson and Tanner Sagouspe combined for two scoreless innings, while Wilmis Paulino gave up one earned run — a homer — in his one inning of work. Ethan Cole earned the win, pitching the final four innings and allowing one unearned run on two hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
Patrick Saunders (recently of the Denver Post) stood in for Thomas Harding today and covered the unveiling of the Larry Walker statue. “To have a statue outside of this ballpark, that’s an honor that’s pretty tough to put into words,” Walker said. “When I came here, my job was to keep moving — hit the ball, run the bases, chase fly balls in the gap, do anything I could to help us win. And now, here I am, frozen in bronze. I guess that’s a way to slow me down.”
DENVER, CO - AUGUST 23: Nathaniel Lowe #46 of the Cleveland Guardians hits an RBI single in the fourth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on August 23, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Guardians swept the Rockies and will now try to keep their four-game win streak going in Anaheim.
Nicole has your game recap here. It is so great to win baseball games. But… the Rockies are awful. I am waiting to hope until I see how the Guardians do vs. two far more frisky teams in the Angels and Royals this week to get excited. The Royals, incidentally, have won eight in a row and are about to be listed in our wildcard update section soon.
AROUND MLB:
The Orioles, Blue Jays, Tigers, Astros and Twins lost, while the White Sox and Rangers won. The Guardians and Rangers are tied for the third wildcard (Rangers have the tiebreaker). The Astros are also tied with both teams but Houston holds the tiebreaker over both.
Iowa closed out the series with its fourth straight win after dropping the first two games in Toledo. The Mud Hens’ offense finally woke up in the eighth, but a four-run deficit proved too much to overcome.
Beau Brieske got the start on a planned bullpen day. He walked a pair in the first but ended up striking out the side. He ended his day after two scoreless innings with four strikeouts and no hits allowed. Brieske landed 20 of his 34 pitches for strikes, inducing six whiffs on 12 swings. The slider was the primary source of the swing-and-miss (4), while his four-seamer and sinker both averaged 95 mph.
Luke Taggart was next out of the bullpen. He went 1-2-3 in the third and worked around a one-out single in the fourth. Taggart drew eight whiffs, with six coming on his secondary pitches. He ended the day with three strikeouts.
Yilber Díaz took over in the fifth and surrendered the first run of the game. Jackson Cluff hit a two-out triple and came home on a Justin Dean single. Díaz worked around a pair of walks in the sixth to keep it a one-run game.
Eric Silva, transferred from Erie before the game, ran into trouble in the seventh. He walked the leadoff man, and Matt Shaw’s two-out double brought the run home. Chas McCormick hit a two-run homer right after, making it a 4-0 game. Silva worked through the eighth, finishing the day with three strikeouts — all coming on his curveball — but the damage made it an outing to forget.
The Hens couldn’t do much offensively against Braxton Garrett, striking out seven times over five scoreless innings. They finally put together a rally against Iowa’s bullpen in the eighth, but it wasn’t enough.
Max Burt opened the frame with a double, and Trei Cruz walked. Jace Jung advanced Burt to third with a flyout, and Max Anderson broke the shutout with a sacrifice fly. Justice Bigbie drove home Cruz with a double to left. Unfortunately, that’s all the scoring Toledo did on the day.
Andre Granillo pitched the ninth. He struck out a pair while working around a two-out walk and a single.
Anderson: 2-3, 2B (20), RBI
Bigbie: 1-4, 2B (2), RBI, K
Burt: 1-3, 2B (10), R, 2 K
Brieske: 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 BB, 4 K
Coming Up Next: The Mud Hens open a series in St. Paul on Tuesday at 8:07 p.m. ET.
Erie SeaWolves 6, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 3 (box)
Erie closed out a 4-2 series win with another power display Sunday. Izaac Pacheco homered for the second straight day, and Clayton Campbell launched his first Double-A home run in just his second game with the SeaWolves.
Pacheco opened the second with a 463-foot solo shot, his 17th Double-A homer of the year. Pacheco hit 17 last year with West Michigan, so it’s nice to see the power tool stay consistent up a level.
E.J. Exposito doubled to start the third, and Zyhir Hope walked — one of three on the day for him. A double steal set up a sac fly from Thayron Liranzo. Clayton Campbell led off the fourth with his first home run with the SeaWolves. It only took him two games.
Joe Miller held New Hampshire scoreless through 3 2/3 innings in his third start back from the IL. Miller wasn’t particularly efficient, using 73 pitches to record 11 outs. He walked three and struck out three while allowing two hits. Still, a goose egg is a goose egg.
Colin Fields got the final out of the fourth and went 1-2-3 in the fifth. Johan Simon wasn’t as fortunate in the sixth, giving up a solo homer to the first batter he faced. Alexis Hernandez followed with a single, eventually scoring on a passed ball. Simon escaped the inning with a 3-2 lead by striking out the last two batters.
Dariel Fregio held the one-run lead with a pair of perfect innings. The SeaWolves pulled away in the bottom of the eighth with a two-run single from Woody Hadeen. Campbell and Luke Shliger both scored after leading off the inning with back-to-back singles. Exposito grounded out to bring Patrick Lee home, too, making it a 6-2 game.
Wandisson Charles closed things out, but not before giving up a run on a pair of singles and a sac fly.
Campbell: 3-4, HR (1), 2 R, RBI
Pacheco: 1-4, HR (17), R, RBI, 3 K
Hadeen: 1-4, 2 RBI, BB
Hope: 0-2, 3 BB, 3 SB
Miller: 3.2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 3 BB, 3 K
Coming Up Next: The SeaWolves open a series in Altoona on Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET.
South Bend Cubs 3, West Michigan Whitecaps 2 (box)
West Michigan couldn’t escape South Bend with a series split, losing on a walk-off single in the ninth. The Whitecaps dropped four of six but still hold a half-game lead over Great Lakes in the Midwest League East with two weeks remaining.
Zack Lee got the bullpen-game start, hurling two perfect innings. He filled up the zone, landing 20 of his 29 pitches for strikes but came away with only one punchout.
Eliseo Mota wasn’t as sharp after taking over in the third. Mota walked the leadoff man, botched a pickoff attempt and gave up a run on a sac fly. The next two batters reached (walk, single), but Mota got out of it before allowing another run.
Beau Ankeney hit his eighth homer with West Michigan in the top of the fourth, a game-tying solo shot.
Beau Ankeney crushes a solo homer to left center to tie the game for the Whitecaps. It’s his 8th home run with West Michigan, and his 23rd overall this year. pic.twitter.com/u4gfgXx4e0
Mota returned for the fourth only to walk the bases loaded before recording an out. Fortunately, he induced a grounder for a forceout at home, buying enough time for Donye Evans to warm up. Evans gave up the lead on a sac fly, but the run goes on Mota’s record — and deservedly so. Mota threw just 15 of his 45 pitches for strikes. You don’t have to be great at math to know that throwing 2/3 of your pitches for balls is bad.
Evans worked through the fifth without any damage. Luke Hoskins was next out, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out three through two scoreless innings.
Edian Espinal tied the game in the seventh, scoring on a wild pitch. He doubled with one out and tagged up to get to third.
The Whitecaps’ best chance to win came in the eighth. Andrew Sojka led off with a single, Carson Rucker walked and Nolan McCarthy doubled. That should have produced a run, but Sojka got picked off at first before the extra-base hit, and Rucker was thrown out at home. Jackson Strong walked to get Bryce Rainer to the plate, but he struck out to end the threat.
Jalen Evans worked around a walk in the eighth but couldn’t get an out in the ninth. Jose Escobar walked, Josiah Hartshorn singled to put men on the corners and Angel Cepeda ended the game with a walk-off liner to left. Rainer was also lifted from the game in the ninth.
Ankeney: 1-4, HR (8), R, RBI, K
Espinal: 2-4, 2B (2), R, SB
Lee: 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, K
Hoskins: 2.0 IP, 0 R, H, BB, 3 K
J. Evans (L, 4-4): 1.0 IP, ER, 2 H, 2 BB, K
Coming Up Next: The Whitecaps host the Peoria Chiefs on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. ET.
Lakeland bounced back from Saturday’s walk-off loss with a blowout victory in the series finale. The Flying Tigers trailed 2-1 through five before scoring 11 unanswered runs to secure a 5-1 series win.
Grayson Grinsell gave up three doubles the first time through St. Lucie’s lineup. The last came from the No. 9 hitter, Wyatt Vincent, to open up the third. Grinsell walked Jeremy Rodriguez and gave up an RBI single to Bohan Adderley to put Lakeland behind.
Grinsell recovered, retiring the next three batters in a row, and Anibal Salas doubled home Zach MacDonald to tie the game back up.
The Mets rallied with back-to-back two-out singles in the fourth, retaking the lead, but that was the last run they scored. Jake Ogden singled with two outs and reached second on a throwing error by Salas before Wyatt Vincent drove him in with another single.
Grinsell prevented any further damage. He completed four innings, allowing two runs — one earned — on six hits and a walk while striking out five. St. Lucie jumped on his four-seamer, putting seven in play with an average exit velocity of 99.1 mph. His changeup drew some swing-and-miss, though, producing three whiffs at a 60% rate.
Yendy Gomez took over in the fifth and delivered two scoreless innings. Lakeland busted the game wide open with a six-run sixth, putting Gomez in line for the win.
Angel De Los Santos started the rally with a single and a pair of swiped bases. Jesus Pinto and MacDonald walked before a passed ball tied the game up. Salas drove in Pinto and MacDonald with a liner into right field.
Anibal Salas’ second hit of the game is a 2-run single scorched into right field to give Lakeland a 4-2 lead. pic.twitter.com/qyg9ym5gCd
The fun didn’t stop there. Enderson Delgado walked, and Hunter Dobbins homered, bringing the score to 7-2. Jack Goodman doubled later in the inning but didn’t score.
Hunter Dobbins smashes a 3-run homer to left center to give the Flying Tigers a 7-2 lead. It’s his 7th home run of the year. pic.twitter.com/8sFmCROZ8e
Carlos Rodriguez worked around a two-out single for a scoreless seventh. He spammed sliders and generated three whiffs.
The Flying Tigers added four more runs in the eighth. Javier Osorio and Delgado hit back-to-back doubles for the first run, and Goodman got the next RBI with a single. Pinto doubled in the remaining two runners, pushing Lakeland into double-digit runs.
Back-to-back automatic doubles from Javier Osorio and Enderson Delgado put Lakeland up 8-2. pic.twitter.com/mQGe86RWmG
The final run of the day came off the bat of Goodman as well. Osorio reached on an error in the ninth and moved into scoring position on a walk before scoring.
Jack Goodman picks up his 2nd RBI knock of the game to give Lakeland a 12-2 lead. pic.twitter.com/5yhJv9g98t
Johnathan Rogers finished the rout with two hitless innings. He walked two but struck out three as Lakeland’s bullpen combined for five scoreless frames.
Dobbins: 1-3, HR (7), 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K
Salas: 2-5, 2B (14), R, 3 RBI
Goodman: 3-5, 2B (7), R, 2 RBI
Pinto: 1-3, 2B (16), R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, SB
Gomez (W, 6-3): 2.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 3 K
Coming Up Next: The Flying Tigers host the Clearwater Threshers on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. ET. Lakeland won the series 5-1.
