Author: MLB Baseball News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games

On September 6th, both the Palm Beach Cardinals and the Peoria Chiefs played their last game of their seasons. Palm Beach ended with a 13-5 win, finishing with a 67-65 record. This was not good enough to make the playoffs. The Chiefs ended their season with a 3-2 loss and a 63-68 record. Obviously this was not good enough to make the playoffs. The Springfield Cardinals season ended yesterday, however they were good enough to make the playoffs. For some reason, minor league playoff stats don’t count which I think is dumb, but I will still wait to share the Springfield stats for the end of the Memphis Redbirds season, which doesn’t end until the 24th. In case you missed it, I covered the rookie leagues earlier this month.

Palm Beach Cardinals

Yairo Padilla, SS – 29 G, 128 PAs, .281/.354/.474, 10.2 BB%, 18.8 K%, .193 ISO, .333 BABIP, 118 wRC+

Padilla got off to a very late start since his season didn’t start until late June. Technically, I could put Padilla in the Peoria section, because that’s where he ended his season, but he only played in 4 games and the stats weren’t good, so felt more appropriate for him to be in this section. Nice thing is that, although the injury was inconvenient, I’m not sure it actually delayed his progress much. I don’t think he’s promoted after just 128 PAs if he never got injured. I’m not sure he would have gotten promoted a whole lot quicker and he’s still starting next season in High A next season.

Ryan Mitchell, OF – 19 (VEB’s #20 prospect)

Stats: 107 G, 496 PAs, .231/.389/.365, 20.2 BB%, 33.1 K%, .135 ISO, .353 BABIP, 112 wRC+

There are very few batting lines you could conjure up that are a less exciting 112 wRC+ than what Mitchell has put together. With that said, context is important. For starters, I imagine most players in his position get a trial run in the complex leagues first. I don’t know how many games are in a high school season, but it is a lot, lot less than 107 games. The Cardinals threw him into the fire and he came out with an above average hitting line. I would say there’s a fairly good chance the Cardinals will repeat him at this level. If he looks like a different hitter, a quick promotion may be in order, but I’d certainly want him to strike out less than 33% of them before a promotion.

Alexander Frias, OF – 18 (acquired in Dustin May trade)

Stats (CPX): 32 G, 137 PAs, .441/.518/.678, 11.7 BB%, 15.3 K%, .237 ISO, .516 BABIP, 189 wRC+

Low A: 236 PAs, .240/.339/.397, 11 BB%, 23.7 K%, .157 ISO, .301 BABIP, 96 wRC+

It probably goes without saying, but his complex league stats were with the Brewers and a little more than half of his Low A stats were with the Brewers as well. I didn’t feel the need to separate his Low A stats with the Brewers and Cardinals because I really don’t think the Cardinals made any changes in the middle of the season. But he was both better and worse as a Cardinal. Better, because his 101 wRC+ was an improvement over the 92 wRC+. Worse, because he struck out more (27.3%) and had less power (.129), but did carry a much higher BABIP. So BABIP was the only reason he was better here. It’s all a small sample size anyway, and I’ll much less certain of his placement to begin next season than I am for Mitchell.

Trevor Condon, OF – 18 (1st round pick, 13th overall, 2026 draft)

Stats: 7 G, 31 PAs, .321/.387/.536, 9.7 BB%, 19.4 K%, .214 ISO, .214 ISO, .381 BABIP, 142 wRC+

Well alrighty then. If you’re like me, this is the first time you were aware of how Condon did in Low A. It’s weird, because I knew he was down there, and yet I never checked his progress. Honestly, kind of unfortunate that the season has ended in his case, I want more. Very, very good start though. Probably not good enough to start next year in High A, because you know it’s seven games, but can’t ask for more.

Dee Kennedy, 2B – 21 (4th round, 2026 draft)

Stats: 21 G, 92 PAs, .143/.283/.208, 14.1 BB%, 21.7 K%, .065 ISO, .179 BABIP, 47 wRC+

Not the greatest start I’ve ever seen, but given the small sample, that Kennedy was playing more baseball than he’s ever played in his life and that his K/BB numbers were still really good, I don’t think we can read anything into this. I also have no idea how to handle super low BABIPs in the minors, especially with less than 100 PAs. For what it’s worth, his xwOBA was .284 which suggests he was unlucky, though still not great.

Owen Henne, IF – 21 (6th round, 2026 draft)

Stats: 16 G, 67 PAs, .218/.358/.509, 13.4 BB%, 16.4 K%, .291 ISO, .200 BABIP, 127 wRC+

I let the stats surprise me and I transcribe them the way you read them, so I first saw that Henne was batting .218 and then saw the .358 OBP and thought, okay another high BB guy with no power. Then I saw the slugging percentage. Probably not gonna have a player’s stats surprise me as much as this. He hit 4 homers in 16 games. He didn’t have a set position, so I think he just kind of played his way into playing as much as he did.

Jayden Lobliner, C – 22 (9th round, 2026 draft)

Stats: 14 G, 54 PAs, .220/.278/.460, 5.6 BB%, 44.4 K%, .240 ISO, .318 BABIP, 89 wRC+

Okay, I stand corrected. Immediately. Lobliner’s batting stats are a real rollercoaster. He hit four homers in 14 games, but unlike Henne, he didn’t walk. Also he struck out almost half the time. This is a line you can only get when you have a 14 game sample. His college stats suggest he’s not much of a walker. Feels like he was probably drafted for his defense.

Jacob Haley, RHP – 20 (11th round, 2026 draft)

Stats: 5 G (3 GS), 11 IP, 18.8 K%, 18.8 BB%, 35.7 GB%, .148 BABIP, 4.91 ERA/8.13 FIP/6.57 xFIP

Haley presumably pitched, unlike most other pitchers drafted, because he threw just 27.2 IP between his college season at South Alabama and in a summer league. The year before, he threw 33.1 IP. So his 11 innings gives him a career high of 37.2 IP, and I’m not entirely sure if the Cardinals want to attempt a starter route with him, but clearly next year would still be more of a first time through the order approach anyway. He can probably throw 60-70 innings next season, whether entirely in relief or not.

Dallis Moran, RHP – 21 (16th round, 2026 draft)

Stats: 9 G, 13.2 IP, 22.4 K%, 17.2 BB%, 37.1 GB%, .176 BABIP, 3.29 ERA/5.01 FIP/6.02 xFIP

Moran missed pitching in live games entirely in 2025, and pitched 28 innings in his collegiate season. Whatever formula the Cardinals used, they determine Moran could throw about 40 innings this season, which is why his season continued. Like Haley, he wasn’t very good, but I suppose it would be stranger for a 16th rounder to dominate right away (or at all).

Andrew Dutkanyvch, RHP – 22

Stats: 11 G (7 GS), 40.2 IP, 26.7 K%, 13.6 BB%, 39 GB%, .293 BABIP, 5.09 ERA/4.41 FIP/4.73 xFIP

I’m ignoring his complex league stats, which are absolutely dreadful, but I’m pretty sure those are rehab appearances, which are just about making sure your arm doesn’t fall off. With that said, I am comfortable calling this a step back for Dutkanych, a player some VEBers wanted to put in the top 20. I kind of thought he already figured out Low A last season, but these are worse stats than last year. The one positive is that his innings did jump from 17.2 IP to 46 IP, so from an innings standpoint, he’s probably on track. I’m hoping he’s in Peoria next year though.

Sebastian Dos Santos, SS – 18

Stats: 55 G, 255 PAs, .246/.400/.437, 17.3 BB%, 23.5 K%, .191 ISO, .295 BABIP, 129 wRC+

Dos Santos began his season in the complex league and dominated there for a 142 wRC+. I only shared Frias’ stats because he was in the Brewers system. You already knew Dos Santos dominated the complex league. It’s pretty cool how many teenagers I’ve covered in full season ball. Not just teenagers either, these are teenagers who will certainly be on next year’s top 20 list.

Jonathan Mejia, 2B – 21

Stats: 76 G, 321 PAs, .220/.368/.424, 18.4 BB%, 27.4 K%, .204 ISO, .277 BABIP, 114 wRC+

Unfortunately, Mejia’s season ended about a month early, as he played in his last game on August 5th. Though it has taken him much longer than I think the Cardinals hoped for when they first promoted him to Low A back in 2023, Mejia has played well enough to be in Peoria next season finally.

Miguel Hernandez, SS – 18

Stats (CPX): 49 G, 191 PAs, .270/.435/.534, 20.4 BB%, 20.9 K%, .264 ISO, .313 BABIP, 137 wRC+

Low A: 25 G, 103 PAs, .304/.466/.494, 19.4 BB%, 26.2 K%, .190 ISO, .440 BABIP, 163 wRC+

In Hernandez’s case, I’m pretty sure he hadn’t been promoted to Low A the last time I did a minor league update, so you get his complex league performance too. Happily though, you can see that he hit much better after being promoted, albeit entirely BABIP-related. So I’m pretty sure he’ll still be in Low A when next season starts, although it will be an extremely good sign if the Cardinals deem him ready for High A right at the start.

Ethan Young, RHP – 22

Stats: 10 GS, 31 IP, 25.3 K%, 11.3 BB%, 35.2 GB%, .407 BABIP, 7.26 ERA/4.32 FIP/4.79 xFIP

Young’s season got derailed very early on in the season. He got injured midseason, not pitching in a game from May until late August. He only pitched in two games at the end of the season. Who knows how long he pitched injured and he didn’t pitch particularly well in his last two games either. So it’s very nearly the same as if he missed this entire season to injury.

Payton Graham, RHP – 22

Stats: 16 (15 GS), 53.2 IP, 21.6 K%, 12.7 BB%, 35.7 GB%, .320 BABIP, 5.70 ERA/5.28 FIP/5.64 xFIP

Graham did not pitch particularly well, although he showed flashes, but I imagine from the Cardinals’ perspective, the fact that Graham stayed healthy all year is the most important thing. If you remember, the Cardinals drafted Graham last season knowing he was, at the time, recovering from Tommy John surgery. He had thrown just one game in college before getting injured. He threw an additional 9.2 IP in the complex league, utterly destroying the competition, so he threw 63.1 IP in all this season.

J.P. Cabrera, C – 19

Stats (CPX): 39 G, 136 PAs, .257/.341/.363, 9.6 BB%, 19.1 K%, .106 ISO, .315 BABIP, 76 wRC+

Low A: 25 G, 100 PAs, .213/.278/.315, 7 BB%, 22 K%, .101 ISO, .273 BABIP, 61 wRC+

I honestly probably didn’t even share Cabrera’s stats in the last update, because they most likely didn’t stand out to me. I don’t like to share bad stats. But the fact that this 19-year-old catcher was promoted to Low A despite poor hitting stats is worth pointing out. They clearly think highly of his defense.

Brannelli Franco, RHP – 19

Stats CPX: 9 G (5 GS), 22 IP, 16.7 BB%, 21.7 K%, 51.5 GB%, .426 BABIP, 10.64 ERA/8.14 FIP/7.28 xFIP

Low A: 4 G (2 GS), 15 IP, 22.7 K%, 7.6 BB%, 46.7 GB%, .256 BABIP, 3.00 ERA/5.50 FIP/5.00 xFIP

This is… confusing! Franco was unimaginably bad in the complex league, not missing any bats and walking a ton. His one positive was that he induced groundballs, but he probably allowed a lot of hard contact. Behind-the-scenes though, the Cardinals saw something shift in him, and he was promoted to Low A and… he pitched fairly well! The groundballs stayed and the K/BB significantly improved. No idea how this happened.

Jake Shelagowski, RHP – 22

Stats: 11 G (2 GS), 34.2 IP, 24.7 K%, 11 BB%, 43.8 GB%, .344 BABIP, 5.71 ERA/4.12 FIP/4.95 xFIP

Last year’s 13th round pick, Shelagowski pitched okay, actually pretty damn close to how I imagine a 13th round college pick to perform in Low A. Given his age, you’d hope for better though. He is currently injured.

Peoria

Leonel Sequera, RHP – 20

Stats: 18 GS, 79.2 IP, 23.8 K%, 10.2 BB%, 49.8 GB%, .366 BABIP, 7.23 ERA/5.91 FIP/4.59 xFIP

Well I certainly don’t know what to make of this line. He’s actually striking out more batters than last season and though he has more walks, it’s not a lot more. He’s getting a smiliar amount of groundballs. However, he did not allow homers last year. He allowed a ton this year. He allowed 17 homers in his 18 games pitched, with 25.8% of flyballs turning into a homer. He was a victim of the home run insanity that occurred in the minors this season.

Cade Crossland, LHP – 22

Stats Low A: 20 G, 72 IP, 34.3 K%, 17.9 BB%, 38.8 GB%, .324 BABIP, 5.38 ERA/4.49 FIP/4.55 xFIP

High A: 5 GS, 25.1 IP, 29.3 K%, 12.1 BB%, 41.1 GB%, .268 BABIP, 1.42 ERA/3.20 FIP/4.92 xFIP

Crossland seems to be following the Braden Davis track. Don’t ever allow hitters to make contact, even if it means you will walk a lot of batters. Granted, significant improvement in his five starts at the High A level in terms of walks, even if you want it still lower. I’m not sure how positively I’d look at his season without those 5 starts, but well it’s a harder level and he acted like it wasn’t.

Jack Martinez, RHP – 23 (Acquired in Nolan Arenado trade)

Stats (Low A): 16 GS, 60.2 IP, 32.6 K%, 12.9 BB%, 30.8 GB%, .280 BABIP, 4.30 ERA/4.03 FIP/4.76 xFIP

High A: 8 G, 33 IP, 23.2 K%, 11.3 BB%, 34.1 GB%, .273 BABIP, 5.18 ERA/6.07 FIP/5.88 xFIP

Now this, this is what I expect when someone gets promoted to a higher level. I will commend Martinez for also improving upon his walk rate, but he missed a lot less bats and didn’t get better results. Martinez is a bit like found money though as I really didn’t envision a future MLB player in return for Nolan Arenado with his contract.

Brayden Smith, OF – 22 (acquired for Nic Raquet)

Stats (Low A): 81 G, 356 PAs, .247/.363/.402, 14 BB%, 26.1 K%, .155 ISO, .328 BABIP, 109 wRC+

High A: 24 G, 101 PAs, .261/.327/.457, 7.9 BB%, 32.7 K%, .196 ISO, .375 BABIP, 98 wRC+

Raquet was released by the Orioles two weeks ago, so even though Smith might not become anything, I think the Orioles wish they could take this trade back. It does sort of seem like strikeouts will be a problem, maybe his biggest problem to making the majors.

Andrew Williamson, OF – 20 (2nd round, 2026 draft)

Stats: 20 G, 88 PAs, .189/.295/.419, 11.4 BB%, 29.5 K%, .230 ISO, .200 BABIP, 78 wRC+

Sort of a mixed debut pro season for Williamson, who was rather aggressively placed in High A to begin his career. He had plenty of power with 5 homers in his 20 games. But BABIP was very much not his friend, resulting in a well below average line. This was considered his age 20 season, but he did turn 21 on July 11th, so he’s among the oldest “20”-year-olds.

Caden Ferraro, OF – 21 (3rd round, 2026 draft)

Stats: 21 G, 85 PAs, .216/.306/.405, 10.6 BB%, ,22.4 K%, .189 ISO, .245 BABIP, 80 wRC+

Oddly similar to Williamson, but not as much power and a higher BABIP. But the same general concept is there. Ferraro had power and actually didn’t strike out that much, but lots of baseballs found gloves.

Jacob Odle, RHP – 22

Stats: 15 GS, 33 K%, 17.6 BB%, 39.1 GB%, .283 BABIP, .283 BABIP, 3.86 ERA/5.37 FIP/5.11 xFIP

Odle also made 9 appearances in Low A at the beginning of this season, striking out 36% of batters with a 1.91 ERA. The walks kind of exploded in High A and he sort of stopped getting grounders, but he still struck out a third of the hitters he faced. Better yet, he increased his innings from 51.2 IP to 96 innings, putting him in a good position by the time he’d be ready for the big leagues.

Brian Holiday, RHP – 23

Stats (Three Levels): 19 G (17 GS), 26.4 K%, 5.1 BB%, 48.3 GB%, .302 BABIP, 4.95 ERA/4.76 FIP/3.86 xFIP

Holiday pitched in 12 of those 19 games at Low A, and an additional four games in the complex league, and his stats are actually fairly similar at those two levels. The rookie league stats are a bit better, but it’s close. And he finished with three games at High A, which are a step down, although he still carries a low walk rate. I didn’t feel like listing the stats to three different levels, just know the High A stats drag it a down a bit (although he had a 3.94 ERA)

Josh Kross, C/1B – 23

Stats: 86 G, 375 PAs, .252/.341/.438, 10.9 BB%, 25.1 K%, .185 ISO, .314 BABIP, 99 wRC+

Kross’ season actually ended in early August to injury and he hasn’t played since. If you’re wondering how much he played at catcher, he started 31 games. 38 games were at 1B and 16 games were at DH. Given his defensive status, I suspect he’ll have to hit better than this.

Ryan Weingartner, IF – 21

Stats. (Low A): 85 G, 382 PAs, .226/.366/.384, 16.5 BB%, 22 K%, .158 ISO, .269 BABIP, 108 wRC+

High A: 15 G, 52 PAs, .182/.308/.227, 15.4 BB%, 25 K%, .045 ISO, .258 BABIP, 51 wRC+

Last year’s 8th round pick is on schedule even with his struggles at Peoria. His performance at Palm Beach wasn’t terribly exciting, but it was an overall good showing and you hope that the low BABIP was partially unlucky, because that line with a good BABIP would actually be an exciting batting line.

Patrick Galle, RHP – 22 (acquired in the trade for Sonny Gray)

Stats: 37 G, 41.2 IP, 20.9 K%, 18 BB%, 40.2 GB%, .339 BABIP, 6.91 ERA/5.51 FIP/6.55 xFIP

Well his utter dominance in Low A did not really carry over to Peoria, although you can’t blame the Cardinals for promoting him. He struck out 60% of batters and that is not a typo.

Ty Van Dyke, RHP – 22

Stats: 16 G, 70.2 IP, 23.2 K%, 11.3 BB%, 39.3 GB%, .332 BABIP, 5.60 ERA/5.10 FIP/5.35 xFIP

Van Dyke was last year’s 10th round pick and he actually had zero issues at Palm Beach, throwing in 5 games to end last season and 7 starts to begin this season. In his second attempt, he managed to strike out a bunch of hitters. As you’ve probably picked up, the offensive environment is rather high, so his stats are not as discouraging as normal.

Sammy Hernandez, C – 22

Stats: 65 G, 253 PAs, .279/.411/.529, 17 BB%, 18.6 K%, .250 ISO, .311 BABIP, 140 wRC+

A season after posting a .064 ISO all year, Hernandez hits 11 homers and 18 doubles in 65 games this season. I don’t know what to make of this dude, because the Cardinals refuse to promote him. He seemingly excelled in 2024 at the Low A level, but then repeated the level in 2025. Then his power disappeared. Confusingly, he saw High A both at the end of 2024 and 2025. So I would assume he’s in Springfield next year, but maybe not!

And I’m going to stop there. Even with a more expansive list, I know I’ve chosen to omit some players who could be posted, but at a certain point, I have to pay attention to the clock.

Happy Monday, everyone! Hope you had a great weekend. Some players might not be feeling so good this week, as they are seeing their seasons end early as the need for rest or surgery has forced them into an early offseason. As we’ll read below, both Byron Buxton and Rafael Devers are out for the remainder of their seasons due to injury. We’ve also recently seen superstar Shohei Ohtani hit the bench to hopefully recover so he can help the Dodgers in the postseason. This is not a general statement on the grind of baseball, or how players are pushing themselves too hard, but it is always interesting to see players wait until their teams are out of postseason contention before allowing themselves to be taken off the roster for much-needed recovery or surgery.

We look at that and more below, including how one injured player — Justin Verlander — is hoping to come back in time to pitch one last time before he retires.

So let’s get into today’s links!

• Jay Jaffe looks at the timely revival of Teoscar Hernandez.
• Keegan Matheson shares that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has finally gotten his first home run at home for the season. It just took until September.
• Molly Burkhardt reports that Willson Contreras has been activated from the IL by the Red Sox.
• David Schoenfield looks at the 10 players who made the biggest positive difference for their team.
• Dan Hayes reports that Byron Buxton will undergo season-ending hip surgery. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Love to see things like this.

• Former MLB player Jonathan Schoop has been sentenced to 30 months for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. (Curaçao Chronicle)
• Five things Ben Clemens liked (or didn’t like) this past week.
• Brent Maguire shares the six teams who most defied expectations this season… for better or worse.
• Karl Rasmussen looks at which players have been the most disappointing this season.
• Rafael Devers’ season is over due to a core muscle injury. (AP)
• Tyler Kepner assesses why Walt Weiss deserves to be manager of the year. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• I don’t think he intended for this to work so well.

• White Sox scouting director Mike Shirley has resigned amid verbal harassment allegations. Story by Brittany Ghiroli and Keith Law. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• David Laurila talks to several starting pitchers about the decline in starting innnings and what it means for baseball.
• Max Ralph shares that the Diamondbacks have designated Lourdes Gurriel Jr. for assignment.
• Stephen J. Nesbitt talks to MLB players about the positives and negatives of being a father while also being a professional ballplayer. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Ryan Phillips revisits the trade deadline five weeks later.
• Tigers’ starter Justin Verlander is on the path to make at least one final start before he retires. (AP)
• Brendan Kuty looks at how the Yankees honored 9/11 during the Subway Series. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• A really touching moment.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.

Tanner Houck’s last appearance for the Boston Red Sox was July 9, 2025.

That was more than 14 months ago. A month after that start, he underwent hybrid right-UCL reconstruction and flexor tendon repair—Tommy John surgery, with the flexor tendon thrown in on top. That’s the kind of procedure that doesn’t just end your season, it rewrites your timeline entirely. Pitchers come back from Tommy John. They come back from flexor tendon repairs. Coming back from both at once is its own thing, and doing it in a little over a year is fast.

The plan from here: two more rehab outings on Tuesday and Saturday, and a potential activation window around the Cubs series to close out the regular season. If that holds, Houck gets back on a big-league mound sometime in the last week of September—maybe two appearances before October.

So the question isn’t whether Houck is coming back. It’s what the Red Sox actually do with him when he gets here.

The case for being careful

This is a pen that has worked. Erik Miller, Garrett Whitlock, Justin Slaten when healthy, Greg Weissert (begrudgingly), and Aroldis Chapman give you everything you need at the back of a bullpen. Alec Gamboa and Jovani Moran soak up the slop innings, Wyatt Olds pops up when needed. The roles are defined, the trust chart makes sense, and hitters have no idea what’s coming next. You don’t throw a new arm into that mix without thinking about it, especially when he hasn’t thrown more than 50 pitches in a professional game since the All-Star Break of last season.

And Houck himself is a factor. He’s been through a brutal rehab to get back to this point. The last thing you do to a pitcher in that situation is drop him into a tie game in the seventh inning of a September game that actually matters, with no ramp-up, no rhythm, no feel for what he has right now. One bad outing at the wrong time can get in a pitcher’s head in ways that outlast the outing itself. The Sox don’t need that.

The case for using him

An extra arm is always better than not having an extra arm. That’s just true, especially this late. And Houck isn’t some random September call-up—he’s a legitimate starting-caliber pitcher coming back with something to prove and a reason to be sharp. Whatever version of him shows up, he’s still Tanner Houck.

The Cubs series also isn’t nothing. Chicago is 81-62 and fighting for NL Wild Card position. They’ll be playing real baseball in those three games. Getting Houck live innings against a good team in meaningful contexts—not a blowout, not a dead game—is exactly the kind of tuneup you want going into October.

The right way to use him

There are two spots where Houck fits, and neither of them require forcing it.

First: open for Brayan Bello. Two or three innings, hand it off. Reliever Bello is one of the best pitchers in baseball and having a competent opener for him is just as important. Houck gets his legs under him in a real game, and the workload splits naturally.

Second: long reliever when Patrick Sandoval starts. Sandoval has a habit of looking decent through four innings and then hitting a wall. When that happens, you’re burning three or four bullpen arms to get through the game. Plug Houck in for innings five through seven and suddenly those guys are available for something that actually matters. In September and October, that’s a big deal.

These aren’t mutually exclusive. Both roles make sense. And frankly, the question of whether Sandoval even makes the playoff roster is still open—which would solve some of this on its own, but also makes Houck’s value as a multi-inning arm even more obvious.

The other piece: Houck was a starter before the surgery, and he’ll go back to being a starter this offseason and into 2027. What he’s doing right now—coming out of the pen, staying in the 50-pitch range—is about getting back on a mound, not reinventing his role. Don’t mistake this for his ceiling or his future. He’s a starter who’s doing what makes sense for the moment.

Handle it the right way and the Red Sox enter October with one more quality arm than they had a week ago, Houck’s confidence intact, and a bullpen that just got deeper. Don’t overreach and blow it.

That’s the whole ask.

Six divisions, four runaways, one battle to see which club proves less feeble.

Thank goodness for the American League Central.

Never thought you’d be hearing that, eh? Yet, that’s where most of the tension will be focused over the final two weeks of this Major League Baseball season – beginning with a long-anticipated head-to-head battle.

The surprising Chicago White Sox are hanging by a thread, taking a half-game Central lead to Cleveland where the always-resilient Guardians aim to steal off with their third consecutive division title.

The clash on the Cuyahoga highlights four series with significant playoff ramifications this week:

Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Guardians

When: Monday-Wednesday, Progressive Field

Key matchup: Tuesday – White Sox RH Davis Martin vs. Guardians LH Foster Griffin

Outlook: A consequence of the more-balanced schedule that features beaucoup interleague play is that division rivals often do not play each other in September. Not this time, baby!

The White Sox have held at least a share of the AL Central lead since July 4, with the Guardians yapping at their heels the whole time. Now, the dog has caught up to the car: Chicago holds just a half-game lead entering this tussle. And on paper, all the pitching matchups favor Cleveland.

Lefty Sean Newcomb will try to battle Cleveland right-hander Gavin Williams, whose 228 strikeouts are tied for the major league lead, on Monday, Sept. 14. The Martin-Griffin matchup is also intriguing; they strike out 7.6 and 8.1 batters per nine, respectively, and require exquisite command to be effective. Not much margin for error.

Parker Messick, the Guardians left-hander who’s a worthy Rookie of the Year candidate, will face a TBD White Sox starter in the Wednesday afternoon finale (ESPN). The Guardians would need a sweep to win the season series, which of course may loom large.

If the season ended now – and it does not – both teams would make the playoffs; Cleveland has a one-game lead over the Toronto Blue Jays for the final wild card spot. The Guardians also lost the season series to the Blue Jays. Speaking of which…

Toronto Blue Jays at Texas Rangers

When: Friday-Sunday, Globe Life Field

Key matchup: Friday – Blue Jays RH Dylan Cease vs. Rangers RH Kumar Rocker

Outlook: Ah, isn’t this the life: A 75-75 team just a game out of a wild card spot, and a 74-76 squad just a game out of the division lead. Welcome to Blue Jays-Rangers, where a winning record may not be a prerequisite to make the playoffs.

The Blue Jays, at least, are trending positively, not only winning a de facto elimination series against Baltimore but also learning that 2025 playoff hero Trey Yesavage will likely return to the rotation this week – probably Tuesday – after August arthroscopic knee surgery. That will be a big boost to their rotation as they can likely skip Spencer Arrighetti’s turn.

Either way, the Rangers will get both Cease and trade deadline prize José Soriano, giving Toronto a significant edge in this series. The Blue Jays haven’t been two games over .500 since April 1, the Rangers since July 28. The odds are stacked against Texas this week, with the Red Sox preceding the Blue Jays into Arlington.

MLB POWER RANKINGS: Can Vlad Jr., Blue Jays wake up in time for playoffs?

Atlanta Braves at Houston Astros

When: Friday-Sunday, Daikin Park

Key matchup: Friday – Braves LH Chris Sale vs. Astros RH Hayden Wesneski

Outlook: There’s a chance the Braves may soil the carpet in the visiting clubhouse with champagne this weekend, as they take a magic number of four to clinch a playoff berth and seven to clinch the NL East into this week. It’s more likely they’ll wrap up the playoff spot at Wrigley Field, while the division may have to wait until early next week. That said, the Braves could be closing in on a marginally competitive situation: The division salted away and a first-round bye too far out of reach.

Last Week’s Results:

• Monday: Brewers 4, Cubs 3
• Tuesday: Brewers 4, Cubs 3
• Wednesday: Brewers 8, Cubs 6
• Friday: Brewers 20, Reds 0
• Saturday: Brewers 13, Reds 9
• Sunday: Reds 4, Brewers 3

Division Standings:

• Brewers 93-57
• Cubs 83-67 (10 GB)
• Pirates 75-75 (18 GB)
• Cardinals 74-76 (19 GB)
• Reds 70-79 (22.5 GB)

Last Week:

• Brewers 5-1
• Cubs 2-4
• Pirates 4-2
• Cardinals 2-4
• Reds 1-5

Top Pitching Performance of the Week

This week was not short on solid pitching performances, so it’s really difficult to pick just one. Dustin May went six shutout innings against the Reds, Logan Henderson allowed just an unearned run over five innings, and Jacob Misiorowski turned in another strong outing with 6 1/3 innings, allowing one run and striking out nine. But how about Robert Gasser? While he didn’t provide a ton of length, Gasser totaled 9 2/3 innings in his two starts this week, allowing two runs (1.86 ERA) and recording a team-high 10 strikeouts.

Several bullpen arms also deserve shoutouts, including Chad Patrick (3 IP, 0 R, 6 K), DL Hall (3 2/3 IP, 0 R, 2 K), JoJo Romero (3 2/3 IP, 0 R, 2 K), and Garrett Stallings, who pitched three scoreless innings to close out Milwaukee’s 20-0 victory over the Reds, becoming the first pitcher to record a save in a shutout win of 20 runs or more. Stallings is off to a great start in his major league career, totaling 11 innings in relief for Milwaukee, allowing no runs and striking out 11.

Top Hitting Performance of the Week

How about another 20-run shutout? After beating the Mariners 22-0 in August, the Brewers took down the Reds 20-0 on Friday night, becoming the first team to ever have two 20-plus run shutout wins in a single season. With that and four other solid wins, the Brewers’ offense has no shortage of stars to shout out this week. William Contreras led the squad with three homers and 12 RBIs, but Jake Bauers, Jackson Chourio, Garrett Mitchell, and Brice Turang all added two homers, and Joey Ortiz and Christian Yelich each had one. All those homers also mean the Brewers no longer rank last in the majors (they’re now 28th with 146, one more than the Angels and four more than the Guardians)! Chourio led the team with 13 hits for the week, slashing .481/.517/815. Turang had 10 hits, Mitchell and Ortiz added eight hits, and six Brewers batted over .300 for the week.

Injury Notes & Roster Moves

• Milwaukee placed reliever Grant Anderson on the 15-day injured list with right biceps inflammation on Monday, as he’ll look to get healthy before the team’s playoff run. Right-hander Brandon Sproat replaced him on the active roster and, in his return to the majors, went 1 1/3 innings, allowing four runs without allowing a hit as he walked four and hit another. Pat Murphy was obviously upset by the performance, and Sproat was quickly sent back to Triple-A Nashville, with the aforementioned Garrett Stallings replacing him.
• Left-handed reliever Rob Zastryzny, who hasn’t pitched in a major league game this year as he’s dealt with multiple injuries and setbacks, began another rehab assignment with Triple-A Nashville on Wednesday. He pitched twice, totaling 1 2/3 innings with two runs allowed.

On Deck:

• Monday: Off Day
• Tuesday: @ Pirates (5:40 p.m.)
• Wednesday: @ Pirates (5:40 p.m.)
• Thursday: @ Pirates (11:35 a.m.)
• Friday: @ Orioles (6:05 p.m.)
• Saturday: @ Orioles (3:05 p.m.)
• Sunday: @ Orioles (6:20 p.m.)

The Detroit Tigers have been on a little run recently, having won four straight games and two straight series as the regular-season schedule quickly wanes. Perhaps it is too little, too late, but it is still great to see this team show some life even if the playoffs are all but mathematically out of the question.

Next up on the docket is a trip to Toronto to take on the Blue Jays in a three-game weekday series starting on Monday night. Right-hander Troy Melton will start in the opener looking to get back on track after a rough five-game stretch in which his team has lost four.

The 25-year-old has put up a 5.14 ERA and a 5.21 FIP over that span, having surrendered 20 runs — but only 16 were earned — on 35 hits (five home runs) and six walks while striking out 18 and hitting four batters over 28 innings of work. Detroit did win Melton’s last outing against the Minnesota Twins at home, but he still coughed up a four-spot over 5 2/3 frames, which is a far cry from his nine-game run that saw him allow two or fewer runs over 42 1/3 innings.

For the Blue Jays, fellow righty José Soriano will take the mound for his eighth start for Toronto since being traded by the Los Angeles Angels at the deadline. Since arriving north of the border, the 27-year-old’s numbers have declined, with his ERA increasing from 3.29 to 4.05, while his FIP got a bump from 3.79 to 4.33 and his WHIP jumping from 1.25 to 1.38.

Soriano did earn a quality start his last time out against the Athletics in Sacramento, however, tossing seven innings of two-run ball on six hits (two home runs) and a walk while striking out three and uncorking a wild pitch for his 12th win of the 2026 campaign in a 4-2 final.

Take a look below at how the two match up on paper for the series opener on Monday night.

Detroit Tigers (70-79) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (75-75)

Time (ET): 7:07 p.m.
Place: Rogers Center, Toronto, Ontario
SB Nation Site:Bluebird Banter
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 150: RHP Troy Melton (8-4, 2.42 ERA) vs. RHP José Soriano (12-7, 3.48 ERA)

MELTON

SORIANO

Who would have thought that in the year of our Lord 2026, we’d see a pitching matchup of Bailey Falter against Tanner Banks. What a crazy world that we live in.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Trea Turner is having his worst year of his career. His teammates still think there is time to turn it around ($). Sure.
• Tanner Banks was activated from the injured list and pitched pretty well yesterday. Maybe he’ll be useful again?

MLB news:

• The White Sox scouting director has resigned after reports of verbal abuse allegations have surfaced about him ($).
• The A’s need a general manager and are now looking at retreads and current employees to maybe fill the spots.
• Rafael Devers is done for the season after going on the 60-day injured list with a core muscle injury that might need surgery.

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the Orioles are done. Cooked. Finito. The miraculous run to the postseason ain’t happening. Start planning accordingly.

The Birds haven’t yet been mathematically eliminated, but there’s no feasible path to the final wild card spot at this point. They made it all but official with yesterday’s futile 8-1 defeat in Toronto that capped a lackluster series loss. It was a game that featured a nonexistent Orioles offense, a bullpen blowup, and the kind of shoddy defensive play to which O’s fans have become all too accustomed.

The Orioles are now four games behind the Guardians — essentially five, since Cleveland holds the tiebreaker — as well as three games behind the Blue Jays and two behind the Rangers, both of whom also hold tiebreakers over the Birds. In short, stick a fork in ’em. The O’s needed nothing less than a series win in Toronto, and preferably a sweep, to have any chance of staying alive. Instead, they crumbled.

I would say, Well, at least the Orioles had a good run, but…did they? The O’s were nominally involved in the postseason race into September, but only because of the American League’s historic mediocrity, not because the team itself was ever particularly good. The Orioles haven’t been an above-.500 team since April, and they’re not going to reach a winning record again this year.

The Orioles’ ineptitude has invited Baltimore sports fans to fully turn their attention to the NFL. It seems only appropriate that at the same time the Ravens won a 41-23 beatdown to begin their season, the O’s were limping through one of their most uninspired losses of the year. It’s as if the Orioles themselves were asking fans, “Why are you watching us instead of football right now?”

With the 2026 season now a lost cause, the Orioles should shift their focus to 2027 for the final two weeks. Give everyday playing time to the hitters who will still be on the team next year, and forget about those who won’t. Let Heston Kjerstad get regular at-bats. Play Samuel Basallo, Colton Cowser, and Dylan Beavers against left-handers. We don’t need to see Leody Taveras in the lineup anymore. Normally I would advocate for calling up Enrique Bradfield Jr. just to get his feet wet in the majors, too. But with a lockout looming this offseason, the O’s might not want to add him to the 40-man roster because then he’d be ineligible to play if MLB games are wiped out next year, whereas the 2027 minor league season will be unaffected.

While they’re at it, the O’s should protect the health of their homegrown pitchers who are showing visible signs of fatigue. Yesterday they finally shut down Kyle Bradish for the season by placing him on the 15-day IL. It would also be a good idea to call it a wrap on Brandon Young, who has set a career high in innings pitched. Call up Cade Povich or go with a few bullpen games to finish the season. As with Bradish, there’s no reason to push Young’s arm any further.

It stinks that the Orioles are once again playing out the string in late September, with nothing to play for but pride. But that’s where we are. It’s an organization in need of drastic changes this offseason, if the lockout allows. For now, let’s just hope they can play somewhat entertaining baseball for these final 12 games.

Links

Blue Jays hit 3 straight homers off Trevor Rogers to capture series win vs. Orioles – The Baltimore Banner

I understand why the Orioles keep saying things like, “We’ve just got to turn the page and go on a hot streak.” But those words ring hollow when you’ve been hearing them for three months with the O’s continually failing to follow through.

Do Orioles platoon too much? | MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com

Every team platoons to a certain extent, but the O’s seem to be particularly obsessive about it. The world won’t end if you let your $67 million, 22-year-old catcher face some southpaws from time to time.

Bradish placed on injured list – School of Roch

This probably should have been done weeks earlier. But Bradish’s dud of a birthday outing was the last straw.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Two former Orioles were born on this day: right-hander Chad Bradford (52) and outfielder Delmon Young (41), which means I am obligated to post this video:

Never gets old.

On this day in 1980, the Orioles’ Eddie Murray bashed three solo home runs against the Blue Jays, including a game-tying blast in the ninth and a go-ahead shot in the top of the 11th. Unfortunately, he was the only Orioles hitter who showed up that day; Murray had four hits and the rest of the team combined had just three, and Eddie’s three homers accounted for the Birds’ only runs in an eventual 4-3 walkoff loss.

And on this date in 1987, Cal Ripken Jr.’s record consecutive innings streak of 8,264 ended when his father, O’s manager Cal Ripken Sr., took him out of the eighth inning in an 18-3 loss to the Blue Jays. The early exit, of course, didn’t affect his consecutive games streak, which was five years deep and continued for another 11 years.

Random Orioles game of the day

The random number generator has given me the number…2025. So I guess we’re only going back one year for this one. On Sept. 14, 2025, the Orioles were blasted in Toronto, 11-2. (Why is every Orioles game on Sept. 14 against Toronto?) The O’s held their own in a bullpen game for a while until reliever Carson Ragsdale, making his major league debut, coughed up eight runs in three innings. It was one of just two MLB appearances for Ragsdale, who is currently pitching for the Hanshin Tigers of the Japan Farm League. Solo homers by Coby Mayo and Colton Cowser provided the only runs for the Orioles, who dropped to 69-80.

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (38-37/38-30)

ST. PAUL 6, SYRACUSE 5 (BOX)

Coming into this one, Syracuse was 1 game behind the second place RailRiders (38-28) and 1.5 games behind the first place Redwings (40-28). With the two teams playing each other, Syracuse was guaranteed to gain ground on somebody. The Mets got on the board first, with Hayden Senger launching his twelfth home run of the season in the top of the third to drive in himself and Ryan Clifford, who was on third base on a triple. An inning later, Eric Wagaman drove in a pair to double Syracuse’s lead to 4-0. Justin Hagenman had been pitching well, allowing just a single run in the fourth before being removed from the game, but Ryan Lambert had no such luck. The right-hander allowed a three-run homer to tie the game up and then walked another batter before being taken out of the game having recorded just two outs. His replacement, Brian Metoyer, allowed a home run before getting out of the inning, and just like that, Syracuse trailed 6-4. Billy Amick brought Syracuse within one with two out solo shot in the ninth, but Ryan Clifford grounded out weakly to short to end things. With their loss, combined with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s, Syracuse is now 2 games behind the RailRiders and 2.5 games behind the Red Wings. They will finish up the season at home taking on the 32-25 Lehigh Valley IronPigs while Rochester will be playing the 31-35 Buffalo Bisons and the RailRiders will be playing the 29-39 Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.

·  CF D’Andre Smith: 0-3, BB, K

·  2B Émilien Pitre: 0-3, BB, K

·  3B Ronny Mauricio: 0-4, K

·  RF MJ Melendez: 0-3, R, BB, K

·  SS Vidal Bruján: 0-3, R, BB, K

·  1B Eric Wagaman: 1-4, RBI, K

·  DH Billy Amick: 1-4, R, HR (8), RBI, K

·  LF Ryan Clifford: 1-3, R, 3B, BB, K

·  C Hayden Senger: 1-3, R, HR (12), 2 RBI, 2 K

·  RHP Justin Hagenman: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

·  RHP Ryan Lambert: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, HBP, L (3-2)

·  RHP Brian Metoyer: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

·  RHP Zach Franklin: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

·  LHP Jefry Yan: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

·  RHP Saul Garcia: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (27-42/34-34)

NO GAME (INCLEMENT WEATHER)

And just like that, folks, the 2026 Binghamton Rumble Ponies season comes to and end not with a bang but a whimper.

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (25-40/32-34)

NO GAME (SEASON OVER)

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (33-33/25-39)

NO GAME (SEASON OVER)

Rookie: FCL Mets (24-33)

NO GAME (SEASON OVER)

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Hayden Senger

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Ryan Lambert

Free of charge for the discerning reader.

Happy birthday to Dave Hillman, and a mighty host of others.

Today in baseball history, in 2003 – Homering in his final at-bat, Vladimir Guerrero hits for ‘Le Carrousel’ at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium. Facing Mets’ southpaw Tom Glavine, the Expos right fielder doubles (second), singles (third) and hits a triple (fifth) and completes the sixth cycle in team history by going deep off Dan Wheeler in the seventh. and other stories as well.

Today in baseball history:

• 1915 – Babe Ruth fires a two-hitter, as the Red Sox beat the White Sox, 2-1, for their seventh win in a row. Ruth has two of Boston’s three hits. Boston will win four of five in the series with Chicago.
• 1916 – MLB Cincinnati Reds pitcher Christy Mathewson pitches and wins his final game
• 1921 – Washington’s Walter Johnson gives up three hits but still faces just 27 batters in edging the Browns 1 – 0.
• 1936 – Pittsburgh’s Paul Waner ties Rogers Hornsby‘s modern National League record, reaching 200 hits for the seventh time.
• 1983 – Behind Marty Bystrom‘s five-hit win in the nightcap of a doubleheader, the Phils sweep the Expos, 9-5 and 5-0. Mike Schmidt and Joe Morgan hit homers to back Steve Carlton‘s 298th career win in the opener, while Schmidt and Len Matuszek, with his first in the majors, homer in the second game. The two losses virtually eliminate the Expos from contention in the NL East.
• 1990 – The Mariners’ Ken Griffey, Sr. and his son, Ken Griffey, Jr., become the first father and son to hit homers in the same major league game.
• 1997 – Sandy Alomar hits a bases-loaded single to key a bizarre seven-run eighth and Cleveland defeats Chicago, 8-3. Jim Thome nails his 40th homer for the Indians.
• 2013 – Jon Lester brings the Red Sox closer to a division title with a 5-1 win over the Yankees, pitching eight solid innings and allowing only three hits in defeating CC Sabathia.

Today in Cubs history:

• 1902 – Chicago’s infield combo of Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers, and Frank Chance pull off their first double play, but they lose 8-6 at home to the Reds.
• 1905 – Joe Tinker and Johnny Evers engage in a fist fight on the field during an exhibition game in Washington, IN, because Evers took a taxi to the park, leaving his teammates in the hotel lobby. The pair will not speak to each other ever again.
• 1907 – At the West Side Grounds, Chicago beats the visiting Reds, 12-5. The Cubs collect 19 hits to the Reds’ ten hits – all 29 are singles.
• 1913 – In front of the largest crowd of the season (22,000), Cubs hurler Larry Cheney hurls a 14-hit shutout against the visiting Giants, defeating them 7-0 while setting a major-league record for most hits allowed in a nine-inning whitewashing. Milt Gaston of Washington will duplicate the feat on July 10, 1928. Cheney wins his 20th over Rube Marquard, also seeking his 20th.
• 1923 – The Cubs’ Vic Keen stops the Giants, 7-1, cutting the National League leaders lead down to a half-game. The lone Giants score is a George Kelly homer.
• 1935 – The Cubs outlast the Dodgers, 18-14, for their 11th straight win and go into first place. In winning, the Cubs use a relief pitcher for the first time in 11 games. Chicago scores five in the 2nd and eight in the 6th in outhitting Brooklyn, 18 hits to 15. Johnny Babich starts and goes a third of an inning to take the loss. Starter Charlie Root is the Chicago winner.
• 1965 – Five days after pitching against each other, the Cubs’ Bob Hendley and LA’s Sandy Koufax hook up again. No no-no this time as Hendley allows four hits and wins, 2-1.
• 2008 – Carlos Zambrano* of the Chicago Cubs pitches a no-hitter against the Houston Astros, winning 5-0 at Milwaukee’s Miller Park. The game was shifted from Houston to Milwaukee due to Hurricane Ike. It is the first no-hitter pitched at a neutral site in modern major league history, although the crowd is composed almost exclusively of Cubs fans who have made the short trip from Chicago.

Cubs Birthdays:Dave Hillman, Jim Fanning, John Bottarini, Nick Allen, Reggie Richter. Also notable: Kid Nichols HOF.

Today in history:

• 1814 – Francis Scott Key pens the poem “Defence of Fort M’Henry,” later known as “The Star-Spangled Banner,” while witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry from a ship in Baltimore Harbor.
• 1901 – Theodore Roosevelt is sworn in as the youngest man to serve as US President, after William McKinley finally dies after an anarchist shoots him in Buffalo.
• 1913 – Route for the Lincoln Highway is announced, the first paved coast-to-coast highway across the United States, with terminal points in New York City and San Francisco.
• 1923 – In his fourth heavyweight boxing title defence Jack Dempsey recovers after being sent through the ropes to KO Argentine challenger Luis Firpo in the 2nd round at the Polo Grounds, NYC.
• 1939 – World’s first practical helicopter, the VS-300, designed by Igor Sikorsky, takes a short tethered flight in Stratford, Connecticut.
• 1956 – IBM introduces the RAMAC 305, the first commercial computer with a hard drive featuring magnetic disk storage, which weighs over a ton.
• 1968 – Jimmy Ellis beats Floyd Patterson in 15 for heavyweight boxing title.
• 1979 – The film “Quadrophenia”, loosely based on The Who’s 1973 rock opera of the same name, is released.
• 1986 – NFL Bears running back Walter Payton scores his 100th career rushing touchdown, and gains 177 yards, surpassing 15,000-yard career plateau in 13-10 overtime win over visiting Philadelphia Eagles, at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois.
• 2022 -Procession of Queen Elizabeth II‘s coffin from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster to lie in state, with queues of people paying their respects forming 2.4 miles (3.8km)

*pictured.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. achieved what started to look impossible. Can his Toronto Blue Jays follow suit?

The defending American League champions have underperformed all season, following the lead of their superstar and $500 million man, who, entering Sunday, Sept. 13, had not hit a home run at Rogers Centre this season – a 75-game power outage for a man who once hit 48 in a season.

But Guerrero got off the schneid with his first Canadian longball this season, the middle of back-to-back-to-back shots off Baltimore's Trevor Rogers that had the home crowd chanting his name and his teammates giddy with joy.

And now, after spending almost the entire season on the wrong side of .500, the Blue Jays are just one game out of a playoff berth and up to No. 13 in USA TODAY Sports' power rankings.

Just like Vladdy, who now has eight home runs this season, can the Blue Jays prove it's never too late?

They have a golden opportunity to make up ground this week, trailing the Cleveland Guardians by one game and the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox by 1½. Those two meet in a three-game series, while Toronto takes on the Detroit Tigers. Now 75-75, the Blue Jays haven't been two games above .500 since April 1, when they were 4-2.

If they can reach those "heights" in the final 12 games, a very unlikely playoff spot may be in the offing.

Here's a look at our updated MLB power rankings entering the week of Sept. 14:

1. Milwaukee Brewers (-)

• Will clinch NL Central this week and should break franchise record for wins (97) next week.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers (-)

• Edwin Diaz looking a lot closer to getting shut down than returning from rehab assignment.

3. Tampa Bay Rays (+1)

• Victor Mesa (.845 OPS) gives them another power bat for the postseason.

4. Atlanta Braves (-2)

• Never a bad week when you essentially clinch the division. But a first-round bye might be too much to ask.

5. New York Yankees (-)

• Cam Schlittler closing in on Cy Young Award, but let's pump the brakes a tad on MVP talk.

6. Chicago Cubs (-)

• Get a potential glimpse of playoff series with three games against Atlanta this week.

7. Boston Red Sox (+1)

• Wiped the floor with the AL Central this year, going 19-9.

8. Philadelphia Phillies (-1)

• Jesus Luzardo's shoulder inflammation is, at least for now, a significant concern.

9. San Diego Padres (-)

• Jackson Merrill, 23, is a 25-25 man.

10. Arizona Diamondbacks (+1)

• Now three games behind the Padres; need to make sure that final-weekend series isn't simply a lottery ticket.

11. Chicago White Sox (-1)

• Have held at least a share of first place in the AL Central since July 4. Will take a half-game lead into Cleveland.

12. Cleveland Guardians (-)

• For the second consecutive year, they can seize control of division on last homestand.

13. Toronto Blue Jays (+2)

• Dylan Cease in dead heat with Brewers' Jacob Misiorowski for major league strikeout lead.

14. Houston Astros (-1)

• They still might win the AL West, but sweep at hands of Tampa Bay shows playoff stay might not be long.

15. Miami Marlins (-1)

• Somehow won the season series against Dodgers.

The Pittsburgh Pirates made a move over the weekend, assigning rookie outfielder Esemerlyn Valdez to the 10-day IL with a hamstring injury sustained running to first base. The Pirates will bring outfielder Ronny Simon back from Triple A as a replacement. Simon was brought up last week but sent back down on Ryan O’Hearn’s return.

The 22-year-old Valdez has been a pleasant suprise this season for the Pirates, hitting .232 with 17 homers and 47 RBIs over 72 games played. But with just 14 games left in the season, we’ve likely seen the last of Valdez this year.

Simon has been having a great year at Indianapolis, hitting .334 with 7 homers and 72 RBIs, and he’s played in 10 games at the big-league level, going 9-for-35 (.282) on the season with 2 RBIs.

Until Valdez went down, the Bucs were finally looking mostly healthy again, and they responded by going 4-2 on their Chicago road trip. The team is back to .500 but still stand 5.5 games back of a Wild Card spot and are unlikely to make the playoffs.

The Bucs are off today but will return to action tomorrow when they start a three-game set at home against the Milwaukee Brewers. They then have two more series at home, with three each against the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals, before wrapping up the 2026 MLB season on the road against the Detroit Tigers. So finshing strong is still a possibility, but the playoffs only happen with a complete collapse of the teams in front of them.

So with Steelers season underway and off to a 1-0 start, the Bucs kept it interesting almost all the way until football season, and that’s more than we can say for years past.

NJ.com | Bob Klapisch ($): Gerrit Cole has been stung by the largest home run bug I’ve seen in a while, seven long balls over two starts against the Padres and Mets. The Yankees have lost both of those games, unsurprising when your starter spots his opponent that many runs. The presumptive #3 in a playoff rotation, figuring out what’s eating at Cole is necessary should the team still want him to start what could be a decisive Wild Card win-or-go-home game. Klapisch brings a couple possible causes to the current problem, and that’s what needs to be identified before anything can be fixed.

New York Daily News | Peter Sblendorio: After taking two of three from the Mets, the Yankees control their own playoff destiny to a point. Their magic number is down to one, a win over the Twins on Monday or a Blue Jays loss to Detroit would send New York back to the postseason. While a division title is improbable, but not impossible, the first Wild Card slot seems all but ensured, giving the club home field in a best-of-three series.

New York Post | Mark W. Sanchez: The Yankee bullpen has ranked amongst the best in baseball, but the eighth and ninth guys in your relief corps are always going to be borderline — see Hanner, Bradley. Clarke Schmidt, an established MLBer, has completed his rehab assignment returning from Tommy John surgery, and is set to be activated during this week’s series in Minnesota. Schmidt is likely a much better option to fill in one of those bullpen slots, boosting the floor of a squad that boasts a pretty high ceiling.

Gothamist | Catalina Gonella and Jill Webb: The South Bronx is dealing with a breakout of Legionnaires’ disease that has infected eight and killed one New Yorker, and the Yankee Stadium cooling tower appears to be one of the possible sources. Ten different towers have tested positive for Legionella bacteria, and the City has ordered all of them to be cleaned and sanitized by Monday morning. Hopefully this will be enough to quell this outbreak, and nobody else will be at risk of being sick.

How Phillies could get creative with Andrew Painter if they reach October originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Andrew Painter’s path back to the Phillies was supposed to answer whether he could help their rotation down the stretch.

Nine starts into his second major league stint, he has done that — and created another question in the process.

If the Phillies get where they want to go in October, what is the best way to use him?

Painter has a 3.58 ERA and 1.15 WHIP since returning on July 31, holding opponents to a .690 OPS, the 11th-lowest mark among qualified starters over that span.

It has been a drastic turn from his first 14 major league outings, when he posted a 7.06 ERA, 1.66 WHIP and allowed a .901 OPS.

The stuff has changed, as have the results.

Painter spent time in the minors after being demoted in June, working on the shape of his four-seam fastball. The pitch has carried noticeably more ride since his return, averaging 18.2 inches of induced vertical break in one recent start after sitting much flatter earlier in the season.

Its velocity hasn’t gone anywhere, either. Painter has reached 99.6 mph with the four-seamer this season.

During his first stint, hitters missed on just over 10 percent of their swings against the fastball. Since his return, that number has climbed to just under 22 percent. The added ride makes it harder for hitters to get on top of the pitch, while his hard changeup gives him another offering that can come out of a similar tunnel before separating late.

It’s a much more complete repertoire than the one hitters faced earlier in the year.

The Phillies aren’t making October plans for Painter just yet. Don Mattingly made that clear when asked recently whether the rookie could eventually be deployed differently in the postseason.

“We don’t want to put the cart in front of the horse,” Mattingly said on Sunday.

He and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski have more immediate business to handle with the Phillies still trying to secure a postseason spot and position themselves once they get there.

Still, Mattingly didn’t dismiss the possibility.

“I think we have to look at all options,” he said. “Try to put your best guys together.”

Painter isn’t attached to one, either.

“I trust what this organization wants,” Painter said. “I’m bought in on whatever they want, so if that’s something that’s gonna help the team win, I’m willing to do it.”

If the Phillies get there, there are a few ways that could look.

THE RANGER ROLE

The most intriguing possibility might be turning Painter into a gun for hire.

Stay ready. Don’t attach him to a particular inning or even necessarily a particular start. When an October game reaches the point where the Phillies need one of their best arms, use him.

They’ve done it before.

Ranger Suárez became exactly that type of weapon during the Phillies’ 2022 run. He started Game 3 of the NLCS, then returned two days later to record the final two outs of the pennant-clinching Game 5. In the World Series, Suárez recorded two critical outs in relief in Game 1 before coming back four days later to throw five scoreless innings as the Game 3 starter.

Painter could give the Phillies a right-handed version of that flexibility.

Maybe a starter runs into trouble in the fourth inning and they need someone capable of taking the game through the sixth. Maybe they have a lead and don’t trust the middle of the bullpen with the most dangerous part of an opposing lineup. Maybe Painter works two innings in one game and remains an option to start later in the series.

His improved fastball makes the shorter bursts particularly interesting.

Painter wouldn’t need to manage his workload for five or six innings or worry about seeing a lineup for a third time. He could be focused on just two or three outs.

Painter has already thought about what that could feel like.

“I’d be able to rear back a little bit and let it eat a little bit more,” he said. “I’m sure velo would tick up a little bit. We’ll just be able to empty the tank early.”

That is essentially the Ranger role — don’t worry about defining the job before the series. Have one of your better arms ready when the game tells you it needs him.

THE FOURTH STARTER

The simplest option remains letting Painter do what he’s doing now.

Start.

He wouldn’t enter a three-game Wild Card Series as one of the Phillies’ first three rotation options. But advancing out of that round creates an entirely different puzzle because rest, usage and the opponent suddenly matter more than a regular-season rotation order.

The Phillies have dealt with that before. In 2022, they considered leaving their No. 4 starter off the Wild Card roster altogether so he would remain available to start Game 1 of the NLDS if the Wild Card Series went the full three games.

Painter could find himself in a similar opening.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be the fourth game of a series. Depending on how many Wild Card games the Phillies play and which starters they use, their fourth arm could be needed almost immediately in the next round.

Matchup and familiarity could become part of the calculation, too.

Aaron Nola, who’s throwing the ball well right now as well, has years of postseason experience and would likely own the trust advantage if both pitchers were available on equal rest. But October pitching decisions aren’t always as simple as lining up a depth chart. How recently has an opponent seen Nola? How many times has it faced him? Has it seen Painter at all? Which repertoire provides the better matchup?

Painter’s second stint has at least made that a legitimate conversation.

If his next few starts continue on the same track — especially with sharper command — there may be no need to get particularly creative.

THE PIGGYBACK

There is a third possibility that falls somewhere between giving Painter his own start and waiting to deploy him as a Ranger-style stopper.

Build a game around two pitchers from the beginning.

The Phillies did exactly that last October against the Dodgers.

Facing elimination in Game 3 of the 2025 NLDS, they started Nola but never intended to treat it like a conventional start. Nola attacked the Dodgers as if he only needed to see them once, facing eight hitters across two scoreless innings before Suárez took over to begin the third.

Suárez handled the bulk from there, allowing one run over five innings in an 8-2 Phillies win.

It was a planned one-two punch rather than a reaction to a starter struggling.

The Phillies could create something similar with Painter.

Left-hander Nestor Cortes presents one possibility if he’s built up enough by October. The veteran left-hander is only beginning to stretch back out, pitching an inning Tuesday with Single-A Clearwater and another Saturday with Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Stylistically, the contrast would be difficult to miss. Cortes can disrupt timing with deception, angles and a completely different velocity band before handing the game to Painter’s upper-90s fastball and power changeup. The Phillies could also reverse them depending on the opposing lineup, allowing Painter to attack early before changing the look completely.

Nola could theoretically be part of a piggyback again, too. His current trajectory makes another intentionally abbreviated start less obvious than it was last October, when he entered that Dodgers game coming off an injury-riddled regular season. But the precedent is key.

They don’t have to make any of these decisions yet, though.

Painter still has two starts left in his regular-season rookie campaign. Cortes is still building up. The Phillies still have to earn their way into October before deciding how the pitching staff should look once they get there.

If they get there, they are no longer wondering whether Andrew Painter can help them.

They can decide how.

All three of Burnes, Gallen, and Soroka returned from the IL this week. Which do you expect to have the biggest positive impact on the team?

James Attwood: Probably Soroka. Burnes is still pitch-limited and is still looking for the feel and timing on his breaking pitches, especially the curve. Gallen has had a rough go of things for two years now. Soroka has at least been mostly good when healthy. If he can get stretched back out to 80 pitches and if he can find most of his form from earlier this season, he could help the team save the bullpen somewhat during the run-in to October.

Spencer: Burnes and it isn’t close. I think having Gallen “start” is telling of how they’ll be used. I think that deflates both Gallen and Soroka’s value. Plus we need Burnes or it’s over for this entire window. That might need to wait for 2027*, but it’d be nice to see it this year too.

Makakilo: My view is Soroka will have the biggest positive impact. Looking at their first games back, Sokoka had the best FIP and best expected statistics (xOBP allowed and xSLG allowed). My view is Burnes will have the second biggest positive impact.

Justin: I think Soroka will, but I want Burnes to. I don’t want to be a pessimist, but Burnes hasn’t pitched in essentially over a year. Other than whatever rehab stints or bullpens he has done.

Ben: I lean towards Soroka because he can either start or work as a longman out of the bullpen. My faith in Gallen has been thoroughly destroyed where I worry about how effective he can truly be in the rotation. And while Burnes looked pretty good in his first start, I worry that he’ll be on such a strict pitch count that his impact will be limited as well. So by default, I think the guy who was an excellent number-two in the rotation behind Eduardo Rodriguez should be a huge impact player down the stretch.

Justin Martinez seems to be rounding in to form nicely. Is there a way for him to force himself into high leverage innings before April of next year?

James Attwood: If the team makes it to the playoffs, he may well be in high leverage in October. It seems quite likely that, should everyone remain healthy and should there be a season in 2027, Martinez may enter April penciled in as the team’s closer.

Spencer: Probably but I’d be hesitant. Let him just have success without adding extra stress. He and Nelson (when back) would be my top choices for high leverage innings should one of the current group falter.

Makakilo: Pitching decisions will likely be decided on by game situations and data about batter/pitcher matchups. A few weeks may not be enough time to significantly change the data.

Justin: I want to make a smartass comment about baseball not being played in April, but….

I would go into ST with a competition for the closer role, but J. Mart has a leg up on everyone else. Please no signings of the next Brad Boxberger or Fernando Rodney.

Ben: He’s looked great in his first few games back, but it’ll be tough for him to force his way into those leverage positions while the team has an embarrassment of riches in the bullpen with Taylor Clarke, Kevin Ginkel, Juan Morillo, Brandyn Garcia, and Jonathan Loaisiga all providing tremendous value. Unless one of those pitchers falters, I suspect the team will slow roll Martinez back into the fold rather than throwing him right back into the high leverage role he clearly can occupy.

What’s your best prediction for the three NL Wild Card teams? Bonus points for how many wins the team on the outside looking in will have

James Attwood: Let’s get a bit optimistic. I could see the Padres being the one left without a seat. They might finish with 87 wins and still be on the outside looking in.

Spencer: I expect Chicago takes the top spot. Philly and AZ tie for the second and third with 86 wins. Padres will be first out with 85.

Makakilo: Predict Cubs, Phillies, and Dbacks. Predict the team on the outside will have 88 wins.

Justin: Unfortunately, I think it will be the Phillies, Padres and Cubs. We finish with 86 wins. I do think it is very possible that the final series against the Padres will be essentially a playoff series, though. In the preseason wins prediction article, I had the team at 84 wins. Blake 92 and Wes at 95 as the high water marks, with the low win total being 79 by Spencer and DBE. The average was 84.2 wins.

Ben: I think the three current holders (Phillies, Cubs, Padres) are the most likely finalists unfortunately. The race for the third spot will almost assuredly come down to that final series between the Padres and the D-Backs unless the Padres somehow stumble down the stretch or the D-Backs go on a huge run. Between now and then, the D-Backs face off against the Marlins, Rockies, and Yankees while the Padres go against the Rockies, Marlins, and Dodgers. So we’ll all become Dodgers fans for a couple days and hope they don’t have everything sewn up already by that point and roll over to San Diego.

Justin Martinez threw the second immaculate inning this season for the Diamondbacks. What’s the coolest moment in Diamondbacks history you’ve seen in person?

James Attwood: Way too many fun experiences over the years. With over 25 years of attending games, I have been to over a thousand of them. One moment that does really stick out to me is a VERY OLD memory. Micah Owings was just coming onto the scene as a pitcher with pop in his bat. Owings, a pitcher at the time, was tabbed to enter the game as a pinch hitter. The opposition actually made a pitching change to help the team face off against a pinch-hitting pitcher. It didn’t matter. Owings went deep and had the entire stadium laughing at and jeering the opposition manager.

Spencer: I don’t live in Phoenix so my in person Diamondbacks options are slim to say the least. Home opener 2019 was cool. As a kid I was at the game where Mark Grace had to pitch. Does that qualify as cool?

[Ed. note] Yes, yes it does

Makakilo: In 2017, I was at an exciting game in person. The following quote is from my article that posted on 1 December 2017.

“First let’s set the scene. It’s the Wild Card elimination game against the Rockies, bottom of the seventh inning. The D-backs have a 1-run lead. The two teams have scored 11 runs so far; the game is too close to call. An outstanding pitcher, Pat Neshek is on the mound. His statistics are impressive! (2017 regular season ERA of 1.12 with Phillies and 2.45 with Rockies. 2014-15 post-season ERA of 2.08.)”

“Lovullo makes a bold move by not pinch hitting for Bradley. Archie Bradley walks to the plate with two outs and men on first and second. He works the count to 2 balls and 2 strikes. The crowd is extremely loud. He spits out a sunflower husk. He hits that next pitch into the outfield gap and the ball bounces to the wall. Cheering is felt more than heard. The third base coach windmills wildly as Lamb and Descalso race home. Archie Bradley rounds second base with long strides and slides into third base with a triple.”

Justin: In terms of being physically at Chase Field, I saw Andy Green’s first MLB home run. I know he was just a cup of coffee AAAA player, but I still think that is kind of neat.

Most uncool moment was Rusty Ryal hitting a comebacker and knocked out Hiroki Koroda. He had to be stretchered off.

On TV, I watched Edwin Jackson’s no hitter, JD Martinez’ 4 homer game and others.

One of the Snakepitfests just happened to be the game that the Dbacks retired Gonzo’s number. IIRC, it was already preplanned that we would have the Snakepitfest on whatever date it was and it was a great coincidence that the team announced it would be the day they retired Gonzo’s jersey. Chris Young hit a walk off home run to win it….after Aaron Heilman blew a save allowing 2 home runs in the top of the 9th.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ARI/ARI201008070.shtml

Ben: I haven’t been privileged enough to see that many moments in-person, but watching the no-hitter from Tyler Gilbert back in 2021 during his first major league start was an extremely cool moment. But I could also pick out basically any single moment from that 2023 postseason run as well.