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

The San Diego Padres are one of the hottest teams in baseball, posting an 8-3 record over the last 10 games. It has allowed them to secure a slim one-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the chase for the last National League Wild Card berth. 

The roster seems set; everyone understands their roles. But there is still one move to make. It is not so much for the remainder of this season, more for the 2027 campaign.

The Padres need to promote Ethan Salas as one of their September call-ups. 

Outstanding minor league season forces call-up conversation

It should not come as a surprise, as Salas is the organization’s prized minor league possession. He has played in two levels (Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A El Paso) this season. You would expect a September promotion is the final step in his development.

After suffering through an injury-plagued 2025 season, Salas has been on fire at the plate. In 72 games with the San Antonio Missions, the 20-year-old batted .286 with seven home runs and 37 RBI. It earned him a promotion to Triple-A, where Salas continued to rake. Currently, he is hitting .315 with three home runs, 35 RBI and a mouth-dropping 1.076 OPS in 15 games. 

His play has opened some eyes within the organization. Usually, major league clubs bring up their top prospects when rosters expand, rewarding them for an outstanding minor league season.

In Salas’ case, it would give the youngster a taste of being around big-league players during the stretch run. He can observe and learn from players like Manny Machado on how to prepare for pressure-packed games that could decide a team’s postseason fate.

Granted, the young catcher will not be eligible for the postseason, but summoning him to San Diego will prepare Salas to compete for a starting job next spring. 

Fermin and Campusano raising the level of their game

The Friars have a good mix behind the plate. Freddie Fermin and Luis Campusano share the catching duties. Both players have spent time on the injured list this season, but their return to the lineup has provided a much-needed spark to the offense. 

Fermin is batting .312, and Campusano is hitting .310 for August. It is the type of offensive production that has allowed the Padres to own an MLB-best 18-7 record since late July. Salas would not replace either catcher in the lineup, but does add depth as a left-handed bat off the bench.

Since the All-Star break, the Friars have been a wonderful story. The club has picked itself off the mat to surge back into contention for a postseason berth. But the job is not done. 

If the Padres fail to play October baseball, all was for naught. 

Calling up Salas to bolster the September roster is the right move. 

After finishing off a 5-1 homestand, New York Mets (58-70) head out on the road for a three-game series with the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox (66-61). The Mets last faced the South Siders in May 2025, taking two out of three from them at Citi Field. The Mets last traveled to Rate Field in summer 2024, when they swept the ChiSox on the road. In fact, the Mets have swept the last two series they’ve played in the South Side of Chicago. The Mets sport a seven-game road winning streak against the White Sox, with their last loss coming all the way back on June 25, 2013.

The Mets cooled off the Padres, who came in as baseball’s hottest team and left as losers of two out of three games. The Mets could have had a sweep, if not for Fernando Tatis Jr. and his heroics on both sides of the ball in the 5-2 loss on Tuesday night. Tatis Jr. robbed Francisco Lindor of a grand slam and hit two home runs, driving in three of San Diego’s five runs in the process. The Mets got a small measure of revenge with a 2-1 win on Monday and a 4-2 victory in the rubber match to leave home with the series win. In Monday’s win, Benge was the shining star, throwing out runners at home on back-to-back play, with the latter throw clocking in at 103.9 mph (the third-hardest outfield throw in the Statcast era). A.J. Ewing, who has been struggling at the plate, contributed with an outfield assist of his own in the second inning, and each of those three runs proved critical. On Wednesday, Benge’s two-run homer to left field put the Mets ahead, and they were able to do just enough to hold on.

Benge really shined in this series and solidified his case as a potential NL Rookie of the Year contender alongside frontrunners Sal Stewart and JJ Wetherholt. With his two OF assists on Monday, he now leads all NL right fielders with nine assists. He also continues to excel with his glove beyond just his arm, posting 3 DRS in RF (and 1 DRS in LF) in 2026.

What’s most impressive about Benge is how well he’s recovered from a slow start. There was talk in April of sending him back to AAA, but Juan Soto’s initial injury gave him extra life in the lineup. After starting the season hitting .179/.235/.263 with a 41 wRC+ in his first 29 games through May 2, he’s hit .297/.359/.459 with a 130 wRC+ in 92 games since this point in the year. Among qualified NL hitters, that wRC+ is good for 14th, while his 3.1 fWAR is seventh among NL hitters, trailing Pete Crow-Armstrong, Gabriel Moreno, Bryson Stott, Luis Arraez, Shohei Ohtani, and James Wood. Safe to say Benge has been really good, and it stands to reason that he’ll only get better.

The White Sox enter this series on a bit of a rut, having lost three of their last four contests leading into the weekend. They dropped their first two games against the crosstown rival Cubs before salvaging the finale on Wednesday. Then, in what was supposed to be a day off on Thursday, they played a makeup game against the Braves and fell 2-0. The White Sox maintained their lead over the Twins in the AL Central, which is now 3.5 games, as they look to become the first team in MLB history to make the postseason after back-to-back 100-loss campaigns.

Chicago lives and dies by their offense. They are 10th in MLB and 5th in the American League with a 103 wRC+ and a .726 OPS. They have the third-most home runs in the AL (167) and have scored the most runs in the league (605), 13 clear of the second-place Twins. Their bullpen has also enjoyed a solid year, posting a 3.76 ERA (4th in the AL). Their rotation is their biggest weakness, posting a 4.39 ERA (1oth in the AL) and a 4.35 FIP (13th in the AL).

Unsurprisingly, Munetaka Murakami has been the standout star for the White Sox (shoutout Tokyo Yakult Swallows). The rookie has blasted 29 home runs (tops on the club) and would probably be chasing down Pete Alonso’s rookie record had he not missed six weeks with an injury. He is still very much in consideration for the AL Rookie of the Year award and leads White Sox hitters with a 146 wRC+ and an .893 OPS in 92 games. Miguel Vargas is also enjoying a breakout season for Chicago, posting 3.8 fWAR (a career best and tops on the White Sox) and leading the entire AL in runs scored (86) while hitting 28 homers and posting a 131 wRC+ in a team-leading 125 games. Vargas’ year earned him his first ever All-Star game nod. Colson Montgomery rounds out the White Sox hitters with 25+ homers, as he enters play with 26 dingers and a 101 wRC+ with 2.5 fWAR in 120 games.

Friday, August 21: Sean Manaea vs. Sean Burke, 7:40 PM EDT on WPIX

Manaea (2026): 111.0 IP, 113 K, 37 BB, 16 HR, 4.22 ERA, 4.27 FIP, 104 ERA-

Manaea was cruising in his last start against the Nats, but an ill-timed three-run home run quickly flipped the game on its head and made his line look worse than it was. He ended up being charged with four earned runs on six hits over 6 1/3 innings and settled for a no decision as the Mets ended up coming back late. He struck out seven, walked two, and surrendered two home runs in the start. It remains encouraging that Manaea, who began the year in the pen, continues to give the team solid length and save the bullpen. He’s pitched into the seventh inning in two consecutive outings and has completed at least six innings of work in five straight and in six of seven starts. He has been looking a lot more like 2024 Manaea as the season has gone on.

Burke (2026): 140.0 IP, 154 K, 42 BB, 16 HR, 3.15 ERA, 3.44 FIP, 75 ERA-

Burke is enjoying a breakout season for Chicago. The 26-year-old has already eclipsed a career-high with 140 innings pitched and has set a career mark with 154 punch outs in his second full season in the majors. His 3.15 ERA is about a run less than the mark he set in his rookie season, and his 3.44 FIP is about a run and a half less than last year. It’s been a really positive year for the former third round pick, and he’ll look to finish things off on a high note. He is coming off a start in which he allowed four earned runs on five hits over 4 1/3 innings against the Tigers. Prior to that, he had a really strong start against the Reds, allowing one earned run on three hits with eight strikeouts over seven innings.

Saturday, August 22: Christian Scott vs. Luis Castillo, 7:10 PM EDT on SNY

Scott (2026): 84.2 IP, 105 K, 35 BB, 8 HR, 3.51 ERA, 3.35 FIP, 87 ERA-

Scott turned in a really strong effort his last time out against the Nationals, resulting in his fourth win of the season. The right-hander went 6 1/3 innings and allowed three earned runs on five hits to pick up the victory. He struck out seven and walked two while giving up one home run and hitting a batter. It was his longest start of the year and also the first time he has thrown a pitch in the seventh inning since his second major league start—he did so in each of his first two big league outings. At 84 2/3 innings pitched, he is now three innings away from his career high of 87 2/3 innings, which he accomplished in 2023 across St. Lucie, Brooklyn, and Binghamton. After missing all of last year and with the team out of the playoff picture, it does stand to reason that he could be shut down at some point in September to preserve some innings on his right arm.

Castillo (2026): 115.1 IP, 102 K, 36 BB, 19 HR, 4.99 ERA, 4.52 FIP, 127 ERA-

Castillo has had a brutal 2026 season, but his past was at least enough to convince the White Sox to take a chance on him and pick him up from the Mariners ahead of the trade deadline. Since arriving in Chicago, he’s had two rough starts and one great start—in fact, probably his best start of the year. In that outing against the Reds, where he picked up his fourth win of the season, he allowed just one hit and two walks while striking out 10 over seven scoreless innings. In the other two starts combined (both of which resulted in no decisions), he went 8 2/3 innings and allowed nine runs (eight earned) on 14 hits, with two walks and six strikeouts.

Sunday, August 23: Nolan McLean vs. Erick Fedde, 2:10 PM EDT on SNY

McLean (2026): 142.2 IP, 162 K, 54 BB, 15 HR, 3.34 ERA, 3.61 FIP, 83 ERA-

McLean picked up his ninth win of 2026 in the team’s series opener against the Padres on Monday. The victory was heavily aided by three outfield assists over the first two innings, while allowed him to skirt some early-game trouble and allowed him to pitch deeper into the game. He ended up going six innings and allowing just one earned run on six hits. He only struck out three and walked four, which is less than ideal, but he was able to limit the damage thanks to his defense.

Fedde (2026): 114.1 IP, 82 K, 42 BB, 22 HR, 4.33 ERA, 5.33 FIP, 104 ERA-

The Mets are plenty familiar with Fedde, who spent his first six seasons with the Nationals and also had a cup of coffee with the Braves in 2025. He signed a one-year deal in February 2026 with the White Sox and has bounced back and forth between Chicago’s rotation and bullpen. This will be his first start in August after making five relief appearances and allowing 10 runs (nine earned) on 14 hits in 12 innings. His last start came against the Rays on July 31, when he earned the win after allowing one earned run on four hits with six strikeouts over five innings. He has historically struggled against the Mets, posting a 6.78 ERA in 74 1/3 innings against New York.

Hello everyone and happy Friday!

The Mariners dropped the series finale to the Brewers yesterday 7-4.

More importantly, the M’s are calling up top pitching prospect Kade Anderson to make his MLB debut on Saturday against the Cubs. This should be a fun one!

In Mariners news…

• The Mariners agreed to a minor league deal with veteran infielder Andy Ibáñez.
• J.P. Crawford began a minor league rehab assignment with Tacoma yesterday and could be activated off the injured list soon.
• Don’t look now, but Mariners 2026 first rounder Ace Reese is off to a torrid start to his professional career.

Around the league…

• The Diamondbacks are transferring star infielder Ketel Marte to the injured list after he no-showed the team in Boston to visit a knee specialist in Phoenix.
• Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña is “pretty sore” after being hit on the hand by a 100 mph pitch, but X-rays came back negative.
• Longtime utilityman Jon Berti has decided to retire.
• The Royals released veteran outfielder Starling Marte.
• The Kansas City city council approved a $600 million commitment to build a new downtown ballpark for the Royals.
• After 2023 rule changes successfully brought back the stolen base, steals are down for the second year in a row. Michael Baumann at Fangraphs investigates.
• Ryan Blake penned a piece at Fangraphs digging into CJ Abrams’ defensive metrics and his future as an infielder.
• Jay Jaffe at Fangraphs checked in on the state of the crazy AL Wild Card race.

Hickory starter Evan Siary went seven innings, allowing two runs and striking out three.

Paulino Santana homered. Pablo Guerrero homered and walked twice. Yolfran Castillo had a double and a walk. Dewar Tovar had a hit. Josh Springer was 2 for 3 with a homer and a walk. Jeremy Owens and Seong-Jun Kim each had a hit.

Hickory box score

Hub City starter Case Matter threw two shutout innings, striking out one. Kamdyn Perry allowed five runs in three innings, walking three, hitting two batters and striking out one.

Evan Morrison was 2 for 4 with a double. Chandler Pollard doubled.

Hub City box score

Rehabbing Jack Leiter allowed five runs in three innings for Frisco, including a homer, walking two and striking out five. Joey Danielson allowed a run in an inning, striking out one. Dylan MacLean struck out three and walked three in four innings, allowing two runs. Eric Loomis struck out three in a shutout inning.

Yeison Morrobel homered. Arturo Disla was 2 for 4 with a double.

Frisco box score

Round Rock starter David Davalillo allowed two runs, including a homer, in 5.2 IP, striking out two and walking one. Ben Peoples allowed three runs in 0.1 IP, walking one and giving up a homer. Ryan Lobus allowed a homer to former Ranger Dustin Harris in one inning, walking one and striking out two. Michel Otanez struck out one and walked one in a scoreless inning.

Alejandro Osuna was 3 for 5 with a pair of doubles and a stolen base. Cam Cauley had a hit, a walk and a stolen base. Logan O’Hoppe had a pair of hits. Aaron Zavala was 2 for 4 with a homer.

Round Rock box score

The San Diego Padres finished a .500 road trip after dropping the final game of the series to the New York Mets by a score of 4-2. It was a disappointing end to a two-city trip that felt like it could have been much better. San Diego took two of three from the Cleveland Guardians and went into New York looking to replicate that success.

The Padres opened the series with the Mets with a 2-1 loss that saw four outs recorded at the plate in the first two innings. Three of those outs came on outfield assists and caused a lot of the Friar Faithful to question whether the team needed to make a change at the third base coach position. Of course, those were more heat of the moment discussions and they quickly dissipated the next night.

The second game of the series will forever be known as the Fernando Tatis Jr. Game. The star right fielder led off the game with a solo home run on the very first pitch. He later went on to add a two-run home run which was a welcome sight considering his slow start to the season in regard to his power numbers. But the home runs took a back seat to his defense which helped Robbie Ray maintain a lead and eventually earn a win.

With two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the second inning Tatis leaped high above the wall in right field to take away what would have been a grand slam home run from Francisco Lindor. The Padres would go on to win the game, 5-2.

In the final game of the series, the Frair Faithful were hoping for the Padres to ride the momentum from Tuesday night to a second consecutive win and a series win. However, they were unable to provide starter Michael King with any run support and they were unable to come through with a clutch hit in the final at-bat of the game. With runners on the corner with one out, pinch-hitter Austin Hays bounced into a double play and San Diego dropped the game and the series to New York with a 4-2 loss.

The Padres have little room for error in the win-loss columns and need to get back on track in the series opener against the Minnesota Twins tonight at Petco Park. The Twins are coming off a sweep of the Atlanta Braves and are engaged in their own playoff hunt in the American League. The sweep in Atlanta followed Minnesota getting swept in a three game set against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Padres have improved their starting rotation and have been getting consistent 6-plus-inning outings from their starters. They have an offense that has shown it can put up a big number on the scoreboard but the problem has been consistency. San Diego will be rested after a day off on Thursday and will get energy from what is likely to be another sellout crowd, but can they turn that into a win? That will be determined tonight at 6:40 p.m.

Padres News:

• It was announced on Thursday that the Padres have plans to reward their employees for the dedication and service to the organization.

• Samad Taylor began his rehab assignment with a bang, recording a home run in his first game back.

• Despite their small market moniker the Padres became the most expensive MLB franchise ever sold, according to a report from Dennis Lin in The Athletic.

Baseball News:

• Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom reached 2,000 strikeouts in a win over the Washington Nationals.

• Gerrit Cole helped the New York Yankees earn their fourth consecutive win with an eight-strikeout performance against the Baltimore Orioles.

• After a strange trip to Boston, Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte was removed from the restricted list and placed on the 10-day IL.

• The Cincinnati Reds handed the St. Louis Cardinals a 10-9 win.

It’s a simple question. And for me it’s a simple answer. I watch the game for the players and for the moments they create on the field. For 8 years Rafael Devers wowed me with his bat, his flare for the dramatics, and with the attitude of boyish fun he brought to the field. I don’t want to be the type of person who cares about anything more than that.

Talk about Rafael Devers and whatever else you want in this space and, as always, be good to one another.

The Guardians won a series yesterday against the Giants. Now, time to see if they can win a second straight series against the Rockies this weekend.

The plan is to get Chase DeLauter, fully functional Jo Adell and Colin Holderman back for this series. We will see.

Jeff McNerny and I recorded a Disgusting Baseball Podcast last night. It was fun.

Around MLB:

White Sox, Astros and Orioles lost, Rangers and Blue Jays won.

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The Milwaukee Brewers (-140) have flexed their muscles against quality competition this season, posting a 41-21 record against teams over .500.

With Milwaukee starting the heavy favorite to win the NL Cy Young, my Braves vs. Brewers predictions and MLB picks see the Brewers earning another victory against a good team on Friday, Aug. 21.

Who will win Braves vs Brewers today: Brewers moneyline (-140)

The Milwaukee Brewers are better positioned for success at the dish.

Eight of their projected batters have been posting double-digit walk rates against lefties over the last 30 games. That will not only help them get on base, but it'll pester Chris Sale and increase his pitch count.

They’ve also hit for a lot of power, producing an 11.8% barrel rate (99th percentile) and 41.4% hard-hit rate (89th percentile) during that span.

The Atlanta Bravessit 29th in OBP vs. righties over the past 30 games, which will make life even harder against Jacob Misiorowski.

Bet this to -150.

COVERS INTEL: The Braves have struck out at the seventh-highest rate against righties in August. That doesn't bode well going up against Misiorowski and his 100th percentile K%.

Braves vs Brewers Over/Under pick: Over 6.0 (-110)

This total is too low.

Sale is exceptional, but he's pitched into the seventh inning just once over his last 10 starts, and Milwaukee’s patience at the plate should chase him in six innings or fewer. 

That would give Milwaukee plenty of opportunities to scratch together runs against a bullpen sitting 25th in xFIP over the last month.

Misiorowski isn't immune to power, allowing multiple homers in three of his last seven starts. He gives up a lot of fly balls, and the Braves boast the sluggers to capitalize.

I’d play the Over to -122.

Braves vs Brewers home run prediction: Gary Sanchez (+510)

Sale attacks right-handed bats with a steady dose of fastballs, and that’s good news for lefty-masher Gary Sanchez.

He's gone nuclear against four-seamers from southpaws, barreling up that pitch more than 22% of the time while posting a .684 ISO.

Sanchez has the ability to make Sale pay if he fails to locate his fastball, and that’s more likely if the Brewers can force the veteran into longer at-bats with their patience.

Bet this down to +480.

Braves vs Brewers weather

This game will be played in a dome.

Braves vs Brewers odds

• Moneyline: Braves +120 | Brewers -140
• Run line: Braves +1.5 (-190) | Brewers -1.5 (+160)
• Over/Under: Over 6.0 (-105) | Under 6.0 (-115)

Braves vs Brewers trend

Milwaukee has hit the moneyline in 34 of their last 50 home games (+9.25 units, 11% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Braves vs Brewers.

How to watch Braves vs Brewers and game info

Braves vs Brewers latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Good morning, LSB.

The Rangers beat the Nationals last night behind a dominant performance from Jacob deGrom.

Skip Schumaker says it was “vintage deGrom” in Shawn McFarland’s game story.

The win also featured deGrom’s 2,000th strikeout.

Jeff Wilson writes that the milestone wasn’t the most important part of the night for the Rangers’ ace.

Elsewhere the Rangers are planning to use the DH spot for load management for Wyatt Langford and Corey Seager.

Jack Leiter knocked out another rehab start in Round Rock.

One of the Rangers’ two-way players in Hickory struck out four in two innings in his A-Ball debut.

And Rangers Sports Network will be offering a delay-free in-park radio broadcast available through the BZZR app while inside GLF. Neat.

That’s all for this morning. Happy Friday!

The Phillies have been calling upon the services of Johan Duran a lot lately. The fire balling closer has appeared in four games over the last week and has seen his rest days start to shrink in number as the postseason race tightens. 

Look no further than his appearances earlier this week for evidence of how much the Phillies will lean on him the rest of the year. Duran collected a save on Sunday but needed 33 pitches to do so. He was then immediately called upon again on Monday in another save situation, however this time he only needed 10 pitches. Duran received some rest on Tuesday, but he was back at again for his third save in four days on Wednesday. In those appearances, Duran threw a total of 61 pitches.

Duran has for the most part been durable. He did miss time earlier this season due to an oblique strain, but has been otherwise extremely reliable since arriving in Philadelphia at last year’s trade deadline. Still, it’s always worrying to put this much mileage on a reliever’s arm, as you run the risk of overworking him and sacrificing effectiveness. 

But in Duran’s case, his earlier injury may actually be a bit of a blessing in disguise at the current moment, as he’s only thrown 45.1 innings this season so far, way down from the 70 he tossed last year. There’s obviously still a month to go in the regular season, but Duran is behind his 2025 innings pace due to missing that time earlier, as he was up to 55 innings by August 19th of last season. Therefore, it should give the Phillies at least some confidence that he should be able to hold up over an increased workload down the stretch. 

Of course, total innings is only one worry. The other is general lack of rest in the day-to-day workings of a reliever. The rest of the Phillies bullpen is a prime example of what can happen when relievers are called upon in rapid succession with little time off. Duran hasn’t seen any velocity bleeding yet and his fastball has actually slightly ticked up as the season has progressed, but it will be something worth monitoring as he sees his usage increase.

The Phillies are going to ride Duran as much as possible while they look to secure a postseason berth, especially if they keep up their tendency of playing close games. But how do you feel about Jhoan Duran’s workload? 

Two months before the season even started, the Colorado Rockies made one of the best moves for 2026 and, hopefully, beyond.

That’s when the Colorado front office brought in a promising first baseman named TJ Rumfield — a prospect who’d never played in MLB — from the New York Yanakees for right-hander Angel Chivilli.

Entering Friday’s series with the Cleveland Guardians, Rumfield leads the Rockies in rWAR at 3.0. He is tied for second in doubles (25), third in RBI (60), tied for fourth in homers (13), and his line puts him among team leaders in every category: .292./372/.447 with an .820 OPS.

His eye at the plate is a key part of his effectiveness. Rumfield leads the team in walks with 48 (9.7% walk rate), while registering an extremely low strikeout rate of 14.3% (71 strikeouts in 497 plate appearances). All of his numbers are making him a strong candidate for the National League Rookie of the Year. He already won NL Rookie of the Month for May and June.

There’s no doubt that Rumfield is an excellent hitter, but a new stat from Statcast also could reveal more about his defense.

He’s an above-average defender by the basic stats as he’s only committed three errors in 893.1 innings. The 26-year-old Rumfield leads the Rockies in 10 defensive runs saved. In addition, Rumfield’s outs above average is tied with Atlanta’s Matt Olson with an MLB-leading six. He also has a Fielding Run Value of six.

Here’s one example of his skills on the right side of the infield.

As the first baseman, it’s no surprise that he leads the team in putouts at 826. However, a new stat gives more insight into how well a first baseman is able to catch the throws that come his way.

Until now, fans didn’t have many options to measure how well a first baseman receives throws. There are scoops, which record how many times first basemen catch throws in the dirt, but the stat doesn’t capture total scoop attempts. Instead, fans mostly used their eyeballs to gauge a player’s Go-Go-Gadget-like abilities to catch high, wide and low throws, indicating whether or not a first baseman was above-average at their position.

The new Statcast metric, simply called first base receiving, is calculated to factor in expected catches for on-target throws as well as those that make the first baseman reach, in addition to the speed of the runner. According to Baseball Savant, “Each throw from 2B/SS/3B is given an out probability based on inputs including throw location (high/low, wide/on-target, bounce/in-air), runner speed on play, and runner location from first base at the point the 1B catches the ball. Only throws within an 8 foot perimeter of the 1B bag are considered in the model.”

Here’s a look at the visual:

Rumfield’s two receiving outs above average puts him in a five-way tie for eighth, five behind MLB leader Alec Burleson of St. Louis. Rumfield is tied for first on one of the factors that makes up the stat — height, which makes sense with his 6-foot-5 frame.

Baseball Savant has the stat going back to 2021, which gives us a chance to look at how Rumfield measures up against the Rockies other first basemen over the last five years. While Rumfield’s sample size is small, with just 107 games at first in his rookie campaign, it’s interesting to see how he stacks up against the main first basemen in Colorado for the last few seasons: Michael Toglia, Elehuris Montero and CJ Cron.

While this is a new stat and Toglia, Montero and Cron have different seasons to compare, the thing that jumps out from this table is the variance from year to year. In 2021, Cron had a four receiving OAA, but the next year he was at -2. Toglia jumped from zero in 2024 to three in 2025. Montero is the only consistent player who had one in both his seasons at first in Colorado.

For the average expected out rate calculation, a ground ball that is thrown right on the money is 0.99, like this throw from Kyle Karros in March against Miami.

A throw that is hard to reach or scoop could measure a 0.01, like this one from Willi Castro on Aug. 4 against Tampa Bay.

For bounce, scoops, low, high and wide, going off a baseline of zero, positive numbers are obviously more favorable than negative. To better understand how high is high and how low is low, as well as the difference between a bounce and a scoop, here’s a diagram.

It helps to have examples to compare it to. Here’s a table with the receiving OAA leader Burleson, 2025 Gold Glove winner Matt Olson, and outfield convert Bryce Harper, who is in last place in ROAA.

However, if you look at the cumulative stats from 2021-2026, Olson is second at 28 ROAA, just behind Freddie Freeman’s 29. So far, ROAA seems to be a stat that can fluctuate from year-to-year and might be best assessed with multiple years of data. Like WAR, it also accumulates over time with greater potential to increase and heavily favors longevity.

In terms of a lifelong baseball career, Rumfield is relatively new to first base. Rumfield was the third-ranked third baseman in the state of Texas as a high schooler before moving to the other side of the infield. He switched to DH and 1B in college at Virginia Tech, where he redshirted in 2019, had a shortened season in 2020 and only played one full year of college ball.

The Phillies drafted him in the 12th round of the 2021 MLB Draft and traded Rumfield to the Yankees later that year. As he worked his way through the minors, Rumfield played 364 games at first base and 63 as DH. All of this is to say that Rumfield could be the type of player who gets better and better at first base, especially with more and more MLB experience.

While ROAA is just one factor in a first baseman’s fielding, if Rumfield is the first baseman of the Rockies future, it will be an interesting number to keep an eye on.

On the farm

Triple-A: Las Vegas Aviators 10, Albuquerque Isotopes 7 (11)

The Isotopes carried a 6-4 lead into the ninth inning, but the Aviators rallied back to tie it in the ninth and then win it in the 11th. Jose Cordova hit a solo homer, doubled and walked, Charlie Condon added two hits and scored a run, Ryan Ritter also pitched in two hits, while also driving in two and scoring one and Sterlin Thompson scored two runs on two walks and one hit. Roc Riggio and Nic Kent each chipped in sac flies. After Las Vegas took a 7-6 lead in the top of the 10th, but Kent scored on a passed ball to send the game to the 11th. That’s when Aviator Brayan Buelvas hit a two-run triple, which ended up being the game-winner.

Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats vs. Somerset Patriots, Postponed

Weather made this one a late scratch, but it will be made up on Friday as part of a doubleheader.

High-A: Hillsboro Hops 9, Spokane Indians 0

Spokane was out-hit 9-3 and gave up all nine runs in the fourth and fifth in a shutout loss on Thursday. On the bright side, Gabriel Hughes entered the game in the seventh and tossed three scoreless, hitless innings with five strikeouts. Jacob Hinderleider doubled, Tommy Hopfe and Robert Calaz each singled and the Indians drew three walks while striking out six times in the loss.

Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies 10, Stockton Ports 8

When Cort MacDonald tripled on a line drive to right field to score Daniel Jackson and Juan Martinez in the eighth inning, the runs put the Grizzlies up 10-7. In the end, that was enough to win the high-scoring game in the Rockies lone affiliate victory of the night on Thursday. On the night, MacDonald went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, while Daniel Jackson went 3-for-3 with a homer, a double, two RBIs, three runs scored and two walks. Ronny Ugarte scored two runs and drove in another two. All in all, Fresno combined for 15 hits.

The Purple Row Mailbag: August 2026 | Purple Row

Purple Row’s Skyler Timmins takes questions from the Purple Row community from all over the world about Rockies prospects, Ezequiel Tovar, front office operations, Rockies fans origin stories and more.

Everything you need to know about 2026 MLB Players’ Weekend | MLB.com

Celebrating players’ personalities and lives off the field, MLB Players’ Weekend will be back in action this weekend. Friday will showcase the players’ off-field interests, Saturday will highlight causes players are supporting and Sunday will feature players’ appreciation of the people who helped them reach The Show. The content will be on social media, local broadcasts and MLB Network throughout the weekend.

Rockies legend Larry Walker statue unveiling | 9News

The bigger news this weekend for Rockies fans will happen when the organization reveals the statue for Hall of Famer Larry Walker on Sunday. The statue will be located outside of Coors Field at the corner of 20th and Blake Street.

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Welp. What a difference four days makes. On August 16, the O’s were clobbering the Rays 10-2 to complete three straight wins in St. Petersburg, vaulting into sole possession of the third American League Wild Card spot. As of last night, they’d dropped four in a row, including a home sweep by the Yankees, tumbling back out of a playoff spot in the process and falling to six games under .500.

This is who the 2026 Orioles are: a team that can look like the best club in baseball for three days and the worst for four, sometimes in the same week. The question this week of baseball raises for is not whether Baltimore is erratic (that’s not much of a question); it’s whether last week’s high was real, and whether this week’s low means the season is effectively over, even if the math says otherwise.

After three days in Tampa, we were riding high. It wasn’t expected, against the AL’s best team by record—far from it. On August 14, the Orioles won 6-5, buoyed by home runs by Colton Cowser and Gunnar Henderson and a two-run Dylan Beavers single. That night, Chris Bassitt, returning for action after two months on the shelf, pitched a stalwart 5 1/3 innings, and although Yennier Cano gave up three runs in the ninth, Cam Sanders and the team hung on for a narrow win. The next day, they won by a narrow 4-3 margin, in ten innings behind a solid Kyle Bradish, who went six innings with two runs allowed, and homers by Pete Alonso and Christian Encarnacion-Strand. Andrew Kittredge allowed the game-tying run in the ninth, but the Birds rallied in extras and Cam Sanders shut the door. Then came the laugher: on August 16, Jackson Holliday drove in three runs, Colton Cowser added a two-run homer in the sixth, and Trevor Rogers turned in six innings of two-run ball to close out the series, 10-2. Manager Craig Albernaz summed up the mood afterward: “For us, we really believe we can play with anyone.”

The series win pushed Baltimore to 61-63—sub-.500, yes, but nonetheless good enough in a jumbled Wild Card picture for the third and final spot, a half-game up on Texas and a full game up on Toronto, Cleveland, and Detroit. After a disheartening Trade Deadline that had you question whether this Orioles front office believes in the team anymore, it was a great moment.

Alas, the wheels soon came off. The Rays got the series finale back on the 17th, 7-6, in a game the Orioles should have had. Coby Mayo hit a 468-foot homer, Christian Encarnacion-Strand drove in four runs, and Baltimore led 6-4 into the seventh before Yennier Cano failed to get an out and the bullpen surrendered the lead.

A couple days later, the Yankees came to Camden Yards and swept. New York took Game 1 3-1, due to the offense’s total failure to back up a stellar Shane Baz, who struck out a season-high ten batters. The Yankees took Game 2, 5-3 on Wednesday in a game Baltimore arguably should have led in the seventh—that inning, a Pete Alonso fly ball down the left-field line was (wrongly) ruled foul, and the Yankees broke the ensuing tie with two runs in the eighth off Cam Sanders. Then, they got a lopsided 6-1 defeat on Thursday, with Gerrit Cole cruising and Kyle Bradish getting tagged for a pair of solo homers in the sixth. Dylan Beavers’ homer was the lone offensive highlight in that finale, much as as Coby Mayo’s had been two days earlier, with Baz on the mound.

It seems to me that the how of the wins and losses matters here, because this a specific, recurring failure mode. In three of the four losses, Baltimore’s offense either went cold against a plus starter (Cole, Rodón, and Yankees pitching generally), simply lacking thump besides a single big swing. In the other, a shaky bullpen turned a winnable game into a loss. Those are exactly the two questions that were hanging over this roster before the winning streak ever started, and the win streak didn’t dispositively answer either one. In fact, the team nearly lost the lead in Tampa in two of the three games; it was just well-timed hitting and a blowout that, in retrospect, obscured those weaknesses.

So: was the Tampa series a mirage or not? Truthfully, yes and no: this Orioles team is capable of exactly what Albernaz said, beating anyone on a given night, not to mention hanging with the pack in a decidedly mediocre AL Wild Card chase. But those wins ultimately were not proof that the team is good. A sub.-500 club that needs a hot week to sneak into a Wild Card spot in a weak field is, definitionally, a bubble team, and bubble teams have patent, obvious weaknesses.

As for whether Baltimore is really out of it: not numerically, not with more than five weeks left and half the AL still hovering within a couple of games of a playoff spot. But practically speaking, if the team’s ceiling is “beat a good opponent by doing just enough to cover for the weak bullpen” and their floor is “fail to hit decent starters, then blow leads,” they simply aren’t built for anything like a real playoff run. It seems that most of us in Birdland are well aware of this unfortunate fact.

It’s been thirty plus years since I have been able to watch every single pitch of the season. From 1991 to around 1997 I saw practically every game. I got used to all the subtleties of each interaction. I heard every cliche. Watched the ups and downs of the season. In those days the Braves got to be so automatic that if they lost three or four in a row, I really started to wonder what in the world was going on. And then one of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, or John Smoltz would take the bump. After that, they would win like 14 out of 18 and it would be like that losing streak didn’t happen.

It’s fair to say, I was spoiled like a lot of us. But one thing started happening over the years. I lost to ability to care about one particular regular season game. And then I started learning about expected stats in places like this one, I lost it a little more. I just can’t get that up or down over one game.

Oh sure, there are exceptions. This happened right around 12:30 am after a long rain delay. It’s Danny Young pitching in a tie game in the eighth inning, the pitcher the Braves gave up on to bring Ray Kerr back. There was no reason for Young to even sniff this game. Yet there he was, and the Braves were within 1.5 games of the Phillies. This was pretty infuriating.

This one was so delicious. This lit everybody up. Matt Olson actually displayed emotion. The bullpen fell apart, in a good way. It put the Braves up seven games and ready to crush for another five weeks. It took four hours for me to come down from that.

But for the most part, I have my eye on October. Maybe I shouldn’t but I do. The Braves could still mess this up, but there’s a 0.7% chance of that per Fangraphs. They could lose the division, but my spoiled fandom has seen a lot of divisions. I want them to beat the Dodgers and win it all. So I spend a lot of time watching this team and piecing together how the Postseason might take shape. The next week has my attention for that.

So are you living every single win and loss? I can’t do it much anymore. Baseball feeds the soul for six months and it’s a steady stream for me. Baseball broadcasts are the original podcasts, and are great for listening while enjoying the outdoors or watching the little ones in the pool. I’m too old for any other way.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates (+213) stroll into Chavez Ravine for a weekend series with the Los Angeles Dodgers (-223). Bubba Chandler duels Yoshinobu Yamamoto in a tantalizing starting pitching matchup for Friday's opener. 

My Pirates vs. Dodgers predictions for August 21 think Chandler isn't getting enough respect, and will back Pittsburgh at a fair price.

Who will win Pirates vs Dodgers today: Pirates moneyline (+206)

The market is not accurately pricing in how effective Bubba Chandler has been lately. The flame-throwing youngster has allowed no more than three earned runs in any of his last six starts while turning in a 2.56 ERA and 2.39 FIP.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have also been the better-hitting team against RHP in the last 14 days (104 wRC+ to the Los Angeles Dodgers' 91 mark), so it would appear we have some value on the visitors. 

Play the Pirates down to +190.

COVERS INTEL: Chandler has surrendered a 2.3% barrel rate over his last six starts. That would rank third among all starters on the season.

Pirates vs Dodgers Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (-131)

Chandler has been tremendous, and L.A. is slumping. He's not the only starting pitcher who could find success in this matchup, however.

The Dodgers have cashed the Under in four consecutive Yoshinobu Yamamoto starts. Pittsburgh ranks just 23rd in runs above average per 100 splitters seen (-0.67), so he should be able to use his patented offering with aplomb. 

Both bullpens rank Top 10 in FIP over the last 14 days (L.A. 3.37, Pittsburgh 3.53) and are refreshed after Thursday's off day, so run suppression is a likely outcome of tonight's ballgame.

Pirates vs Dodgers weather

The mild wind blowing out to left field could be a factor, but otherwise the weather isn't of much note.

Pirates vs Dodgers odds

• Moneyline: Pirates +213 | Dodgers -223
• Run line: Pirates +1.5 (EVEN) | Dodgers -1.5 (-104)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+117) | Under 8.5 (-122)

Pirates vs Dodgers trend

The Pirates are 5-2 in Chandler's last seven starts. Find more MLB betting trends for Pirates vs Dodgers.

How to watch Pirates vs Dodgers and game info

Pirates vs Dodgers latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The Mets open a three-game series against the White Sox in Chicago on Friday night at 7:40 on PIX11.

Mets Notes

• Carson Benge is hitting .295/.355/.461 (.816 OPS) in 265 plate appearances dating back to June 7
• Francisco Lindor has an .802 OPS with 10 homers in 204 plate appearances since returning from the IL on June 24
• Bo Bichette is hitting .312/.355/.466 (.821 OPS) with seven homers and 13 doubles in 256 plate appearances dating back to June 11
• Sean Manaea has a 3.71 ERA in 12 starts since returning to the rotation on June 13

Today's Lineups