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

Jazz Chisholm Jr. wavered between downcast and confident that his season from hell would turn around in its final six weeks following a rancid day at the plate against the Mariners, but one solution the Yankees infielder didn’t want to entertain was sitting on the bench for a few days. 

“I don’t think that would help,” Chisholm said Thursday after striking out three times, including for the last out in a 1-0 loss to the Mariners. “That’s the only way I know how to get through anything is to keep going through it. I feel like to sit and just sit on it is not a good move either.” 

Chisholm was pinch hit for against a lefty last Friday against the Braves, and though the Yankees could look for similar opportunities to do so, he doesn’t like that idea either. 

“My numbers are better [compared to last season] against lefties,” he said. “I don’t think — like, why.” 

Chisholm’s batting average is similar against lefties and righties, but his OPS is nearly 90 points lower against left-handed pitching.

The Yankees have also built some right-handed depth after trading for Heliot Ramos, who pinch hit for Spencer Jones in the eighth inning Thursday. 

As for how to fix his own season-long hitting woes — his .687 OPS is down massively from his .813 mark a year ago, as are most of his numbers — Chisholm sounded out of ideas.

When it was put to him that he has a 40 percent whiff rate against breaking pitches, Chisholm replied, “I’m at a 40 percent whiff rate on every pitch right now.” 

“Missing fastballs down the middle. Missing sliders down the middle. I can’t tell you why,” he said. “Or else I would be hitting.” 

Chisholm said he’s talked to Paul Goldschmidt a couple of times about the pressure of being a pending free agent, but claimed that’s not weighing on him so much as his struggles are in general. 

Given the Yankees’ bigger-picture hitting issues, which were at the forefront again Thursday, the club desperately needs Chisholm to solve what’s ailing him sooner rather than later. 

“I feel like overall, he’s making good swing decisions,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s not chasing. There’s some patience in there. But probably, whether it’s just missing, maybe a foul off, maybe swinging through more pitches than he’s used to, just hasn’t gone on that hot streak at any point.” 

That might be coming, Chisholm said. Although, whether he truly believes it is probably an open question. 

“Forty-one good games can turn a season around. And that’s what I’m planning on doing,” he said. “… I feel like mentally, I’m not defeated. So if I was mentally defeated, I think it would have been a different story in my eyes, but I’m not. I feel like I’m still as good as I am.”

Davis Martin was tossed from the White Sox’s loss to the Reds on Thursday after throwing at Sal Stewart’s head, not once, but twice and hitting him in the helmet during the third inning. 

The incident caused both benches to clear, although nothing beyond that went down as the umpires regained control and eventually ejected the White Sox right-hander. 

“I thought that was extremely blatant, and you can’t throw two balls like that head high. You can kill somebody. I thought that was terrible,” Reds manager Terry Francona told reporters, according to MLB.com.

Martin did appear to be having control issues during the outing before he hit Stewart in the head, having hit Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson in the first inning and hitting the backstop with several pitches.

Things took a turn in the top of the third when Martin fired a 0-1 pitch that sailed way over the head of Stewart, who ducked down to avoid being hit. 

Martin did seem to motion a non-verbal apology after the throw and Stewart could be seen giving him a thumbs-up in acknowledgement. 

However, that didn’t last long when the very next pitch hit the bill of Stewart’s helmet and the Reds’ player angrily gestured toward Martin. 

While it wasn’t directly known what Stewart said, he gestured about it being the second pitch that Martin had thrown near his head. 

“More than anything, it was just kind of a scary moment,” Stewart told reporters. “I’m not sure exactly what happened, but it’s scary when two balls are coming up and in, so that’s all I have to say about it.” 

Martin was eventually thrown out of the game after the umpires met on the field. 

The Reds went on to win the game 9-8. 

It was bound to happen. The Cubs offense has been so good lately that you knew if they ran into a good, hot pitcher they’d probably get stymied.

And that was what happened Thursday afternoon at Nationals Park. It took until two out in the seventh for Cade Cavalli’s no-hit bid to be broken up. Michael Busch’s little flare single into left field did it. But that was the only Cubs hit of the afternoon as they lost the last game of the road trip to the Nats 7-0. I don’t usually put photos of Cubs opponents at the top of recaps, but Cavalli is the story of this game, and so he gets the photo spot. It was the second time this year the Cubs were one-hit — also by the Braves May 12.

The game began quietly. Cavalli and Kevin Gausman both retired the first nine hitters they faced — just the second time this year that had happened.

Gausman got touched up for a run in the fourth on a single by Abimelec Ortiz and RBI double by Dylan Crews. Still, this felt like a game the Cubs could get back into until the Nats exploded for a five-run fifth off Gausman, highlighted by a three-run homer from Ortiz, who looks like a pretty good major-league hitter.

So Gausman has had one good start and one not-so-good as a Cub, and his next outing — presuming the Cubs remain on rotation and don’t add Edward Cabrera back — should be next Tuesday at Wrigley Field against the White Sox.

Once the Nats were up by six, all attention turned to what was at that point a perfect game bid, as Cavalli had retired the first 15 Cubs in order. The perfecto ended when he walked Dansby Swanson leading off the sixth, but the no-hitter was still intact. Could the Cubs potentially get back into the game?

Nope. Michael Conforto hit into a double play and Miguel Amaya struck out, Cavalli’s seventh, so the no-hitter was intact through six innings.

Pete Crow-Armstrong struck out leading off the seventh and Seiya Suzuki flied to right, so seven outs stood between Cavalli and a place in the history books.

Busch took care of that with his single [VIDEO].

And that kept the Cubs’ current no-no-hit streak going (Bluesky link):

That means the Cubs have been no-hit just once in their last 9,628 games dating to Sandy Koufax’s perfect game against them Sept. 9, 1965 at Dodger Stadium. That, of course, was Cole Hamels’ no-hitter against the Cubs at Wrigley Field July 25, 2015, ending their MLB record streak of not being no-hit at 7,920 games, 80 games short of 8,000 and a few weeks short of 50 years. And, of course, three years later Hamels became a Cub.

Aaron Civale relieved Gausman and, as was the case with Javier Assad Wednesday, he saved the rest of the bullpen by finishing the game with 3.1 innings on only 37 pitches, allowing one run. This resets the bullpen well for the upcoming homestand.

As for Cavalli, he was removed after eight innings and just the one hit by Busch. Clayton Beeter finished up for Washington and retired the Cubs 1-2-3 in the ninth to wrap things up.

Fortunately, this offensive blackout only counts as one loss, and the Cubs still had a successful 4-2 road trip. If they keep winning series like this, two of every three the rest of the year, they’d win about 26 games, giving them 97 wins for the year — which would match that 2015 team.

More on Cubs and no-hit streaks from BCB’s JohnW53:

The Cubs’ current streak of 1,707 games without being no-hit is the 86th longest since 1901.

There are 10 longer active streaks. These are the top five, including games by teams that played this afternoon.

4,252: Angels (13th longest; began Sept. 12, 1999)
2,892: Royals (May 20, 2008)
2,416: White Sox (May 4, 2011)
2,264: Twins (May 4, 2012)
2,233: Cardinals (June 2, 2012)

The Cubs’ MLB-record streak was 7,920 games, Sept. 10, 1965-July 24, 2015. It is 811 games, 11.4 percent longer, than the second-longest 7,109 by the Reds, June 24, 1971-April 20, 2016. That one was ended by Jake Arrieta, in his second no-hitter.

The Cubs also have the sixth-longest streak ever, 5,412 games, May 3, 1917-June 18, 1952.

The Cubs’ 9,628 games while being no-hit once also is the MLB record.

The Cubs are 3.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central after this loss, pending the Brewers game against the Dodgers in Los Angeles tonight. If you’re going to follow that game, it’s at 9:10 p.m. CT and Shane Drohan pitches for Milwaukee against Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki.

As for the Cubs, they return to Wrigley Field to open a six-game homestand with a three-game series against the Cardinals. Clay Holmes will make his first start at Wrigley as a Cub, and Matthew Liberatore will go for St. Louis. Game time is 1:20 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Apple TV (how to watch).

Good evening, folks.

All off days are much-needed, but they are especially welcome this month where we will lose two of them to makeup games. So today is probably especially sweet for the Bravos before a grueling 10-game stretch:

• Finishing this homestand with three games vs. AZ
• A series vs. MIN
• The one makeup vs. CHI from 6/11
• A Player’s Weekend series vs. MIL, including the Little League Classic on Sunday, 8/23

That’s right, the only other day you’ll see an off day thread in August is on Monday the 24th. Yay for us, the baseball sickos. Not as yay for the players, probably.

What to Watch

There’s a thin slate of games tonight, but let us know if you’re tuning into the Field of Dreams game (on Netflix? sure?) to see the Twins and Phillies square off starting at 7:30 pm ET.

Alleged Braves-spurner Jacob deGrom is starting tonight as the Rangers take on the Los Angeles Angels. Also happening on the West Coast is one that could have implications for us and our chances for a postseason bye: Brewers and Dodgers is at 10:10 pm ET.

The floor’s yours for anything on your mind! Thank you all for bearing with us with the sitewide updates to comments, etc. Hopefully things are mostly ironed out. As a token of our appreciation, here’s a fun Dubie interview.

Phillies rout Twins 7-1 in 2026 Field of Dreams game originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

DYERSVILLE, Iowa — It is hard to put into words how special Thursday night felt in the Iowa cornfields.

Whether you care deeply about baseball history or not, whether you were there for the Phillies or the Twins, Philadelphia’s 7-1 win at the Field of Dreams pulled the sport’s past and present into the same frame.

That was clear from the start.

Just like in the 1989 film Field of Dreams, figures emerged from the cornfield beyond right field. In this case, they were not ghosts.

They were living Hall of Famers.

Twenty-six of them walked out during the pregame ceremony, wearing old-school uniforms as they made their way from the corn to the field.

It was the most Cooperstown representation at a single game since the 2008 All-Star Game at the old Yankee Stadium. Before that, it had not happened since the 1999 All-Star Game at Fenway Park.

A few of the current faces in Dyersville could one day join that kind of company.

Bryce Harper. Kyle Schwarber. Dave Dombrowski. Maybe even Don Mattingly, depending on how the next chapter of his baseball life unfolds.

Former Phillies Mike Schmidt and Jim Thome know what those nights feel like.

In 1999, Thome was an American League All-Star. Schmidt was honored as part of MLB’s All-Century Team, a 30-player roster filled with legends like himself and Ted Williams.

That night became one of the sport’s lasting images. Williams was brought to the mound in a wheelchair before throwing out the first pitch. The All-Stars gathered around him, shook his hand, hugged him and took in a moment that cut across generations.

Schmidt called it “very touching.”

“It’s another one of those things about baseball and its effect on people, the history of the game, that connects generations,” Schmidt said. “That’s what it’s all about.”

Thome remembers it through his father.

“I remember having a moment where I locked in with my dad and how special that was to be able to watch the greatest players,” Thome said. “That night I was able to meet Ted Williams.”

Then came the part that fit Thursday night just as well.

“This great game gives us memories, friendships, the fraternity that ballplayers are so lucky to be in and be a part of,” Thome said. “It’s just a gift.”

That fraternity is part of what Terence Mann’s famous speech in Field of Dreams was built around. Baseball as the constant through all the years.

You could feel that in Dyersville Thursday.

The Phillies and Twins greeted members of Cooperstown before first pitch. The throwback uniforms gave the night a different texture. The cornfield made every look toward the outfield feel like a scene.

Then, as the Hall of Famers emerged from the corn, the Phillies’ offense came out with them.

A group that had been mostly dormant since the All-Star break sent eight hitters to the plate in the first inning. They blended the modern game with a more traditional brand of pressure.

Kyle Schwarber led off the game and homered on the third pitch from Twins right-hander Taj Bradley.

What would Shoeless Joe Jackson have made of a leadoff hitter with 36 home runs?

The Phillies did not stop there.

They made Bradley throw 29 more pitches in the inning, kept traffic on the bases and manufactured another run on Bryson Stott’s RBI single.

Shoeless Joe probably could have appreciated that part, too.

Then it was Aaron Nola’s turn.

A two-run lead must have felt unfamiliar. Nola entered the night having received five total runs of support over his last five starts.

This time, he had room to work.

And he dealt.

Maybe it was the vintage uniforms that brought out “Vintage Nols.” Maybe it was the absence of ABS, which made the night feel more traditional and gave him more freedom with the edges of the zone. Maybe it is just that Nola has looked like a different pitcher since the start of July.

The last explanation is probably the truest.

With no Statcast in the ballpark and no advanced metrics on the scoreboard, it felt right to track the start the old-fashioned way.

Five innings. Five hits. One run. Nine strikeouts.

Nola generated 14 swings and misses. All nine of his strikeouts were swinging.

That might be a simple way to explain it, but it still tells the story.

He gave the Phillies a chance to win. With real run support, including another Schwarber homer, a two-run shot, and a Bryce Harper RBI single, that kind of start looked even better.

Nola has now completed at least five innings in eight straight starts. He has allowed three or fewer earned runs in seven of those eight.

For a pitcher who has spent so much of this season trying to find the version of himself the Phillies have known for years, this was another step in the right direction.

It came in the right place. A night built on appreciation.

And franchise surrounded by its past, getting a needed win from its present…

… at the Field of Dreams.

In the Iowa corn, Phillies find past, present and a needed victory originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

DYERSVILLE, Iowa — It is hard to put into words how special Thursday night felt in the Iowa cornfields.

Whether you care deeply about baseball history or not, whether you were there for the Phillies or the Twins, Philadelphia’s 7-1 win at the Field of Dreams pulled the sport’s past and present into the same frame.

That was clear from the start.

Just like in the 1989 film Field of Dreams, figures emerged from the cornfield beyond right field. In this case, they were not ghosts.

They were living Hall of Famers.

Twenty-six of them walked out during the pregame ceremony, wearing old-school uniforms as they made their way from the corn to the field.

It was the most Cooperstown representation at a single game since the 2008 All-Star Game at the old Yankee Stadium. Before that, it had not happened since the 1999 All-Star Game at Fenway Park.

A few of the current faces in Dyersville could one day join that kind of company.

Bryce Harper. Kyle Schwarber. Dave Dombrowski. Maybe even Don Mattingly, depending on how the next chapter of his baseball life unfolds.

Former Phillies Mike Schmidt and Jim Thome know what those nights feel like.

In 1999, Thome was an American League All-Star. Schmidt was honored as part of MLB’s All-Century Team, a 30-player roster filled with legends like himself and Ted Williams.

That night became one of the sport’s lasting images. Williams was brought to the mound in a wheelchair before throwing out the first pitch. The All-Stars gathered around him, shook his hand, hugged him and took in a moment that cut across generations.

Schmidt called it “very touching.”

“It’s another one of those things about baseball and its effect on people, the history of the game, that connects generations,” Schmidt said. “That’s what it’s all about.”

Thome remembers it through his father.

“I remember having a moment where I locked in with my dad and how special that was to be able to watch the greatest players,” Thome said. “That night I was able to meet Ted Williams.”

Then came the part that fit Thursday night just as well.

“This great game gives us memories, friendships, the fraternity that ballplayers are so lucky to be in and be a part of,” Thome said. “It’s just a gift.”

That fraternity is part of what Terence Mann’s famous speech in Field of Dreams was built around. Baseball as the constant through all the years.

You could feel that in Dyersville Thursday.

The Phillies and Twins greeted members of Cooperstown before first pitch. The throwback uniforms gave the night a different texture. The cornfield made every look toward the outfield feel like a scene.

Then, as the Hall of Famers emerged from the corn, the Phillies’ offense came out with them.

A group that had been mostly dormant since the All-Star break sent eight hitters to the plate in the first inning. They blended the modern game with a more traditional brand of pressure.

Kyle Schwarber led off the game and homered on the third pitch from Twins right-hander Taj Bradley.

What would Shoeless Joe Jackson have made of a leadoff hitter with 36 home runs?

The Phillies did not stop there.

They made Bradley throw 29 more pitches in the inning, kept traffic on the bases and manufactured another run on Bryson Stott’s RBI single.

Shoeless Joe probably could have appreciated that part, too.

Then it was Aaron Nola’s turn.

A two-run lead must have felt unfamiliar. Nola entered the night having received five total runs of support over his last five starts.

This time, he had room to work.

And he dealt.

Maybe it was the vintage uniforms that brought out “Vintage Nols.” Maybe it was the absence of ABS, which made the night feel more traditional and gave him more freedom with the edges of the zone. Maybe it is just that Nola has looked like a different pitcher since the start of July.

The last explanation is probably the truest.

With no Statcast in the ballpark and no advanced metrics on the scoreboard, it felt right to track the start the old-fashioned way.

Five innings. Five hits. One run. Nine strikeouts.

Nola generated 14 swings and misses. All nine of his strikeouts were swinging.

That might be a simple way to explain it, but it still tells the story.

He gave the Phillies a chance to win. With real run support, including another Schwarber homer, a two-run shot, and a Bryce Harper RBI single, that kind of start looked even better.

Nola has now completed at least five innings in eight straight starts. He has allowed three or fewer earned runs in seven of those eight.

For a pitcher who has spent so much of this season trying to find the version of himself the Phillies have known for years, this was another step in the right direction.

It came in the right place. A night built on appreciation.

And franchise surrounded by its past, getting a needed win from its present…

… at the Field of Dreams.

Freddie Freeman has long been loathe to off days.

And on Thursday, not even a frightening tumble down a set of dugout stairs the night before managed to keep him out of the Dodgers’ lineup.

After escaping his scary-looking fall on Wednesday with only general body soreness from his shoulder to his foot, Freeman was indeed good to go for Thursday’s series-opener against the Milwaukee Brewers, playing first base and batting fourth in the Dodgers’ order.

“I didn’t hit my head, so that was the key part,” Freeman said Wednesday night.

“Kneecaps are sore, shoulder is sore, hand is sore, wrist is sore,” he added. “I mean, I fell. But I’m in good spirits. I’ve already cold-tubbed. I’ve done everything I needed to do to put myself in a position to be able to hopefully play tomorrow.”

When Freeman went crashing into the visiting dugout on Wednesday, an immediate return to the lineup hardly seemed certain.

The 36-year-old remained down for several moments, as Dodgers players and trainers came racing over to check on him.

The crowd held its breath, before breaking into chants of “Fredd-ie! Fredd-ie” as he got back to his feet.

Somehow, Freeman emerged from the freak incident largely unscathed, initially staying in the game and playing out the rest of the eighth inning on defense.

He was removed thereafter, but was feeling good enough postgame to not even warrant an X-ray.

“Really dodged a bullet,” manager Dave Roberts said.

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Author’s note: Earlier this season, Purple Row began a series exploring how Spanish-speaking players learn about English and American culture while working their way through the Colorado Rockies system. English instructor Dr. Paul Worley asked if we would interview some of this students to allow them to practice their English, and we were happy to agree.

The following interview with Francis Rivera is one of those interviews. Francis did have some of the questions in advance so that he could practice with his teacher, though some unexpected questions were asked during the course of the conversation.

At Purple Row, we believe these interviews are important for two reasons. First, they help players develop skills they will use later. Second, we’re committed to providing more information about players in the Rockies farm system. Too often, Spanish-speaking players are reduced to their baseball statistics. We’re interested in helping provide a fuller picture.

—

Francis Rivera, a right-handed pitcher for the High-A Spokane Indians, has always loved baseball.

“I played baseball when I was like four or five years old,” Rivera said, “and I want to be in baseball for my whole life.”

Rivera, 25, grew up in a big family in his native Azua, Dominican Republic, and he has two uncles who were MLB players. Milciades Santa spent time in the Toronto Blue Jays system while Sergio Santa was in the St. Louis Cardinals system. He also grew up close to a baseball field, so it was natural that he quickly grew to love the game.

Although his uncles were position players, Rivera’s baseball career took a different track.

“I was position player when I was younger,” he said, noting that he played every position. “But when I was 17, I felt better on the mound. So that’s why I’m a pitcher right now.”

He signed with the Rockies on July 2, 2018, after attending a showcase in Santo Domingo where he got to attention of Martin Cabrera, a Rockies scout. Since then, Rivera’s been working his way through the Rockies system. In 2019, he made relief appearances with the DSL Rockies and tied for second-most appearances in the league. However, he did not pitch in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rivera got back on track in 2021 when he made 23 appearances with the ACL Rockies and DSL Colorado. During that time, he struck out 35 through 23.2 IP.

In 2022, he spent time with the ACL and Low-A Fresno where he had a combined 4-2 record with a 3.47 ERA in 36.1 IP. He logged a 1.32 ERA in 13.2 innings pitched, allowing two earned runs through his final 11 games of the season with the Grizzlies, holding opponents to .192/.269/.213.

However, 2023 found Rivera sidelined as he recovered from Tommy John surgery.

Like many other players who’ve gone through rehab, Rivera says of the experience, “It was boring.”

But he was back on the mound in 2024. That season, Rivera totaled 7.2 IP through eight appearances with the ACL Rockies. His progress continued in 2025 when made 35 relief appearances for the Indians. He went 3-2 with a 5.31 ERA in 39.0 IP.

Rivera has spent 2026 with Spokane as well. This year, he’s appeared in 28 games and has a 4.03 ERA (1.17 WHIP).

During the first half of the season with Spokane, Rivera had a 4.68 ERA in 25.0 IP; in the second half, however, that has improved to a 3.42 ERA in 26.1 IP.

Currently, he likes how his four-seamer is working.

“My fastball is really good right now,” Rivera said. “It’s getting a little harder, so I feel more comfortable.” His intention for the rest of the season is to continue working to improve his velocity.

He’s also pleased with his slider though it’s evolved a bit this season.

“When last year ended the season, (my slider) was really nasty,” Rivera said, “and beginning the season in spring training, they changed my grip a little bit.” However, he’s returned to his original grip.

And he likes his slider because he is confident he can throw it in any count.

But back to Rivera’s Tommy John rehab.

During that period when he had plenty of time on his hands, Rivera focused on two things.

First, he worked on his English, and he would encourage his fellow language learners not be discouraged, even though the work is challenging.

“If you want to do it, you can do it,” Rivera said. “If you want to learn, if you want practice, if you want to be better, you just want to be consistent and practice.”

Then he added, “I know it’s hard, a different language, but if you want to learn, you can learn.”

Second, he worked on his cooking, specifically making Dominican food and mangú, his speciality.

If Francis Rivera could tell Rockies fans anything, it would be this: “I love baseball. It’s my passion. It’s everything for me.”

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

Background favorite baseball player is Edwin Diaz. And favorite food is chicken and rice.

This was inspired by a comment in Monday’s Gameday Thread, where I joked about the horror of pitchers discovering they’d been drafted by the Rockies. kilnborn asked, “Aren’t players traded away from the team that drafted them far more often than they play for that team in the bigs?” I wasn’t able to find out the answer to that question in the obvious places, and it bugged me. In the end, there was only one solution. Dig into the question myself. Fortunately, Baseball Reference lists all the players that debut for each year – here’s the 2026 list. Particularly helpful, it also lists their original status: drafted or signed as a free-agent, and by which team.

By chance, there have been exactly 200 players this year to have reached the majors for the first time. Arizona have certainly had more than their fair share, with eight debutants (far and away exceeding the over-under expected at the beginning of the season). These have been evenly split between pitchers and hitters. All four of the hitters have been “D-backs since birth”, compared to just one pitcher. At the plate, we’re seen Ryan Waldschmidt, Tommy Troy and LuJames Groover – all AZ draftees – plus free-agent Jose Fernandez. But free-agent Jose Cabrera is the only “native” pitcher. Mitch Bratt, Kohl Drake and Gerardo Carrillo all got started elsewhere.

It is probably worth separating free agents from draftees for a couple of reasons. Free agents include players like Munetaka Murakami, who signed with the White Sox just before Christmas. He clearly wasn’t going anywhere before making his debut. But it also includes the youngest of Latin American players. Rodolfo Durán made his debut with the Padres almost twelve years after signing with the Phillies. He also went through the Yankees and Royals organizations on his way, eventually landing in San Diego. The odds of sticking with any organization for more than a decade are probably lower than average.

So, I split them into two groups: free agents (62) and draftees (138) – six actually had a blank status on the page, but digging deeper on them showed one free agent and five draft picks. Three free agents were originally inked by Arizona. In addition to Fernandez and Cabrera, there’s also Deyvison De Los Santos, who signed for the D-backs in 2019, and was dealt to the Marlins at the trade deadline in 2024, as part of the deal for A.J. Puk. All told, 33 of the 62 free agents did debut for the team which signed them – 53%. There were wide differences between teams. Of the six free-agents initially inked by Pittsburgh, only one did so elsewhere.

But the Dodgers, Yankees and Mets combined to sign five players, all of whom debuted for other teams – including Carrillo, originally a Dodger. So, maybe it’s a payroll thing? The theory here would be that large-budget teams are more likely to trade the possibility offered by prospects, for established major-league players, because they don’t have to worry so much about keeping their payroll down. “Poorer” franchises will hold on to these young players because (for the first few years of service time, anyway), they can provide cheaper production than sources such as MLB free agents. Probably needs a deeper dive. While I’m interested, I’m not that interested!

Moving onto the draftees, we see a larger percentage sticking with the team. Of the 138 drafted players to make their debuts in the majors this year, 84 did so for the team who picked them, compared to 54 who arrived with somebody else. That’s a 61% rate for draftees. But I’m not seeing quite the same obvious difference in behavior among the rich teams. The Yankees, Mets and Dodgers all retained fifty percent or better of their draft picks to arrive in the majors. Perhaps draft picks are seen as more valuable than international free agents? Certainly, I imagine the former tend to be more expensive to sign.

But one thing I did notice was that earlier draft picks are much more likely to be retained. 27 players who were picked in the first round have made their debuts in 2026. But only four were for another team than the one who drafted them, led by Braden Montgomery. He was the 12th overall pick in the 2024 draft by the Red Sox, but was traded to the White Sox just a few months later, as part of the Garrett Crochet deal. The other 23 first-round picks, which is an 85% rate, debuted for their drafting clubs, including Tommy Troy and Ryan Waldschmidt. Though less extreme, the same went for second-round picks: 76% (13 of 17) stayed in-house.

Overall, the average draft round for those who remained with the drafting franchise was 4.95. For those traded or left otherwise, it was 9.28. This makes sense. The value of a player increases sharply at the top end of the talent bell-curve, and you need to make the most of them. Of course, don’t tell former Arizona GM Dave Stewart that. He traded away our 2014 (Touki Toussaint) and 2015 (Dansby Swanson) first-round picks before the played in the majors, and then his 2016 selection (Anfernee Grier) never made it above the High-A level. Say what you like about Mike Hazen, the vast majority of his 20 first-round picks since taking over, are still in the organization.

So, what have we learned? Well, bear in mind this is based on a single year of debuts – and not even a full year at that. Expanding the range to cover multiple seasons might tell a different story. But, again: not that interested! If I’d to guess, I think teams are now more aware of the value of prospects, so I think the percentage being held is likely higher now. It also makes a difference that there now are only twenty rounds, not forty or fifty, there’s far less of a long “tail” of prospects who can be traded without much fear, or simply released. But now at least we have some figures, and I’ll be able to sleep tonight…

If you build it…how’s the rest of that go?

The Phillies and Twins will venture to the cornfields of Dyersville, Iowa to take place in MLB’s special Field of Dreams game on Thursday night. Or at least they will be if the weather holds up.

The Phillies will start Aaron Nola. The righthander has had an overall down season, but has been fine lately, giving up three or fewer runs in six of his last seven starts.

The Twins will go with righthander Taj Bradley who is 9-4 with a 3.76 ERA this season.

Game time is 7:30 Eastern and will be televised exclusively by Netflix.

The White Sox came from four runs down to have the winning run at the plate in the ninth, but the tale of this game came in the third inning.

The first pitch was moved up an hour to beat expected rainstorms, but somebody forgot to tell the players they were supposed to be in a hurry, so the game stretched over three hours, mostly thanks to some pretty awful pitching by both teams, as you might have guessed by the score.

Still, the biggest game lengthener came early. The Reds had taken a 3-0 lead in the first on two homers. The Sox got one run back when their first two batters, Chase Meidroth and Randal Grichuk, doubled to the left-field wall. Then they took the lead 4-3 in the second with four hits after two outs and no one on — singles by Sam Antonacci and Luisangel Acuña and doubles (again) by Meidroth and Grichuk.

Which brings us to the top of the third, with Sal Stewart, who had one of the first-inning dingers, leading off. Davis Martin threw one pitch a foot over Stewart’s head, then didn’t miss with the next one:

Being a typical baseball team confrontation, it was more a benches-clearing chat than a brawl, with any former teammates getting to exchange pleasantries, but Davis got the heave-ho.

Was Davis intentionally throwing at Stewart? Very doubtful. Do you have to toss him after two such head shots? Yep.

That brought in Erick Fedde, it being handy to have a usual starter in the pen for such an occasion. Stewart scored on a sac fly to tie the game, but the big damage to Fedde was done in the fourth, when two singles, a walk and a three-run blast by Tyler Stephenson made it 8-4 Reds.

Light rain started falling in the fifth, and the Sox made it pour on two Reds relievers, cutting the deficit to 8-5 on a clutch RBI single by Edgar Quero, who had a great day challenging pitches even if his teammates didn’t.

In came Tanner McDougal for his major league debut in the sixth. He got Elly De La Cruz to ground out, but then suffered from waaaay too much adrenaline, walking three in a row on 16 pitches and giving Eugenio Suarez, who’d homered in the first, the rare HBP RBI which made it 9-5, Reds.

Things then quieted until the home eighth, when singles by Quero (his third of the day) and Antonacci and a Meidroth walk led to a two-run Andrew Benintendi base hit to cut the lead to 9-7.

The Reds produced another pitcher not sure where the plate might be in the ninth, and the Sox came, oh, so close. Braden Montgomery drew his third walk of the day, but Munetaka Murakami pinch-hit and struck out on balls around his ankles. Colson Montgomery drilled one 105 mph to right but not quite far enough for a warning track out; Quero plated Braden with a single, then Sam Antonacci grounded hard, but balls don’t often get by De La Cruz, and that was that.

White Sox pitchers still managed to issue more walks than the Reds staff, six to five, and also hit three batters — by odd coincidence, the three who had homers. Both sides tossed a whole lot of hanging breaking pitches and middle-of-the-plate fastballs when they weren’t issuing free passes. Blame it on the rain if you like.

Losing the series to the Reds makes the White Sox 62-58 on the year, and they head to Detroit with a 2 1/2-game lead on the Tigers, who beat the Guardians this afternoon. The Tigers may have traded Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize at the deadline and lost Riley Greene to the IL this week, but they’re somehow 7-3 in their last 10 games.

MVP
Edgar Quero: 3-for-5, R, 2 RBI

Runners-Up
Randal Grichuk: 2-for-3, 3 RBI
Chase Meidroth: 2-for-3, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB, K
Andrew Benintendi: 1-for-2, 2 RBI, K
Sam Antonacci: 2-for-5, 2 R, 2 K
Trevor Richards: 2 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K

Cold Cat
Davis Martin: 2 IP, 2 H, 4 R (3 ER), BB, 3 K, 2 HBP
Erick Fedde: 3 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 BB, K, L
Tanner McDougal: 1/3 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 3 BB

Red Sox 7 Blue Jays 0

If you had told me, going into this series, that we would win 3 of 4, I would have been happy. I knew we weren’t going to run the table. As Meatloaf never said, 3 out of 4 ain’t bad.

But…..when you win the first three, you get greedy. I wanted four. I wanted, at very least, an effort.

Max Scherzer can’t be faulted. He had a great game. He might be the only Jay to have a great game, but he was very good. Five innings, three hits, two walks, one earned, four strikeouts. You really couldn’t ask better from Max.

He is now at 3004 innings pitched. He’s 139th all time.

You could have asked better from the offense. Just two hits. And really not many good at at bats. The threw eight innings, likely could have gone nine, but why push it when it is 7-0. There was no offense to speak of. I don’t know that Payton Tolle was all that great, but we seemed to be in a hurry to get it over with.

Vlad and Nathan Lukes had a hit each.

Spencer Miles gave up two hits, but got out of his inning.

Braydon Fisher had a quick seventh.

Chase Lee….well, not so quick. Four hits, Four earned (a grand slam). And that was the game.

Lazaro Estrada gave up two more.

Jay of the Day: Max Scherzer (0.14).

Other Award: Lee (-0.23), Clement (-0.12), Valenzuela (-0.11, plus he picked the wrong pitch to challenge in the first inning. Why?), and Okamoto (-0.10). and Springer (-0.09).

I don’t know that a first inning challenge is ever a good idea, but a first inning challenge on a pitch that wasn’t even close to a strike is never a good idea. Maybe not the reason the Jays lost, but it really didn’t help.

Tomorrow the Yankees are in town. Let’s win another series.

Sal Stewart smashed a homer off Chicago White Sox starter Davis Martin in the Top 0f the 1st inning, a homer that was later followed in the same inning with a 2-run shot by Eugenio Suarez. It was the first salvo in a game the Reds would eventually win 9-8, a game that featured Andrew Abbott getting bounced early and some pretty epic back and forth lead changes.

Nothing, though, got the fireworks going like the Top of the 3rd.

Stewart stepped in to face Martin for a second time, and after Martin hummed a four-seam fastball over the outside part of the plate to get ahead 0-1 a pair of 93 mph heaters nearly domed Sal right in his helmet.

Sal seemingly shrugged off the first one, surely knowing that it would be quite odd for Chicago’s starter to be intentionally putting a runner on in a 1-run game while they’re mired in a playoff chase. The second one, though, clipped his helmet, and the benches cleared as the Reds clearly weren’t having any more of that nonsense on the day.

Whether intentional, or not, Martin was ejected from the game. Even if he didn’t mean it, you simply can’t have a guy that wild still on the mound.

Sal later added another RBI on a day that saw him go 2 for 4 with a walk, said HBP, 4 runs scored, and a pair of ribbies, and he’s pushed his season OPS all the way back up to .817. The homer was his 26th, by the way, and sounded like it couldn’t have been hit more on the screws.

The win gave the Reds the series victory and keeps them 5 games back of the final National League Wild Card spot, albeit in a position where they still need to leapfrog 5 teams to get into position. The odds of that are long, obviously, but when Sal’s in the lineup everyday seemingly anything is possible.

The Red Sox came back down to Earth from the historic July stretch over their last five consecutive losses. Being swept into Toronto would’ve begun the calls for valid concerns. 

Instead, two key contributors from the summer success turned in exactly what the Red Sox needed to put their August sprint back on track in a 7-0 win Thursday. 

Here’s three takeaways from Thursday afternoon’s win. 

TOLLE TERRIFIC

Garrett Crochet isn’t available to be the stopper right now. Luckily for the Red Sox, Payton Tolle is. 

He didn’t have true strikeout stuff Thursday afternoon, but Toronto could not figure him out. The southpaw set down the last 17 hitters he faced in eight shutout innings with just two hits allowed.

In a stretch where worries swirled about his workload, Tolle has allowed just three earned runs in his last 20 innings of work with 25 strikeouts. 

THE DURBINATOR
Caleb Durbin might play with nine functioning fingers the rest of the season with consistent treatment of his pinky, but he delivered the most consequential swing of the week. 

Boston got two on before a Willson Contreras sacrifice bunt and an intentional walk issued to Masataka Yoshida. Durbin made the most of a bases-loaded opportunity with his second grand slam of the summer and his career-best 12th homer of the year. He added an RBI knock for insurance in the ninth inning. 

While the Red Sox failed to do much against Max Scherzer (entered with 5.77 lifetime ERA vs. Boston), Durbin brought the run support needed to avoid the sweep. 

BYE BYE, BIRDIES

The Red Sox will be thrilled to be rid of the Blue Jays for the remainder of the regular season. Even after Thursday’s victory, Boston went just 4-9 against Toronto in 2026. 

The Blue Jays would have work to do to jump one of the three AL East playoff contenders in the Red Sox, the Yankees and the Rays. 

Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. said at spring training he had a "gut feeling" he was on the precipice of an amazing year. 

After going hitless in four at-bats with three strikeouts in Thursday's 1-0 loss to the Seattle Mariners, Chisholm's slash line dipped to .216/.296/.391 on the year for a .687 OPS, down .126 points from his mark a season ago. And that gut feeling has become a season-long stomachache as things have been particularly bad of late: He has just five hits in his last 36 at-bats (.139) over his last 11 games with 16 strikeouts.

Asked after Thursday's loss why he thought it has been a struggle for Chisholm offensively, manager Aaron Boone said, “Don’t know.”

After a long pause of nearly 10 seconds, the skipper attempted to give a better answer for the second baseman’s struggles: “Missing his pitch a fair amount. Some of the balls that he’s hit well have kinda been that one-hopper to second base when maybe he gets a good pitch to drive and do something with. That’s the subtlety of this game and baseball. You gotta make hay when you get your pitches.”

Entering Thursday's game, Chisholm has seen his xwOBA dip from .346 to .289 (13th percentile), expected slugging drop from .481 to .364 (23rd percentile), and his barrel percentage go from 15 percent (91st percentile) to nine percent (56th percentile).

“Because I feel like overall, he’s making fairly good swing decisions,” Boone continued. “He’s not chasing; there’s patience in there. But probably whether it’s just missing, maybe a foul off, maybe swinging through more pitches than he’s used to. Again, just hasn’t gone on that hot streak really at any point.”

To that end, Chisholm's chase rate has ticked up a hair, but not changed relative to his position in the league, and his whiff rate has actually gone down, but that is of no comfort in the midst of a slump.

“Missing fastballs down the middle. Missing sliders down the middle. I can’t tell you why,” Chisholm said after the game, via The New York Post. “Or else I would be hitting.”  

Boone also pointed to the slow start Chisholm went through – 22-for-109 (.202) with 35 strikeouts and a .611 OPS in his first 30 games – but mentioned he has had some clutch moments during the year.

“He’s had some big hits for us but hasn’t gone on that long stretch where he’s really capable of impacting the game in a big way,” the manager said.

In spring training, Chisholm publicly stated some very lofty expectations for himself: 50 home runs and 50 steals. Through 112 games, he has 17 home runs and 31 stolen bases on 38 attempts.

Is it a matter of failing to meet that high bar that has weighed on him?

“Well, I don’t know, he expects to be great, but that’s part of this game,” Boone said. “You gotta handle that. And, look, different guys say different things publicly. [But] they’re just that. It’s a grind of a season for everyone involved, and you gotta be able to handle all the things, and he is.

“But he certainly hasn’t found that stretch of play that he’s done with us the last couple years that he’s accustomed to and that he expects.”

With 41 games left in the regular season and the postseason looming, a few clutch hits could be enough to wash out the bad taste of a grinding season.

“Forty-one good games can turn a season around. And that’s what I’m planning on doing,” Chisholm said. "I feel like mentally, I’m not defeated. So if I was mentally defeated, I think it would have been a different story in my eyes, but I’m not. I feel like I’m still as good as I am.”