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

The New York Mets (63-77) welcome the San Francisco Giants (58-83) for a three-game series at Citi Field. The Mets, coming off a 2-1 roadtrip to Tampa Bay, won their first series in the last three, getting walked off twice in Chicago, and being relatively manhandled by both the Brewers and Astros.

That said, the Mets have not looked terrible over this stretch, and continue to figure out how to win games after selling off most of their bullpen and two of their outfielders. The most recent departure is of Luis Robert Jr., claimed off waivers by the Orioles a few days ago.

But as has been the way things have gone, the Mets seemingly aren’t missing Robert too much, and that’s not just because of Nick Morabito’s excellent game on Wednesday night. Morabito collected his first two big league hits, driving in three runs on a double and making a fantastic catch in left field.

As for that remade bullpen, a few of the newbies have struggled here and there, but overall, folks like Daniel Duarte, Nate Lavender, Austin Warren, and Dedniel Nuñez have all been stepping up. It will be very interesting to see which of these players will be a part of the Mets’ bullpen next season.

But the story has really been the three young starters, all of whom will start against the Giants. While Sean Manaea has wilted as of late and Robert Stock is pitching like a 36-year old journeyman, the trio of Nolan McLean, Christian Scott, and Zac Thornton look like rotation mainstays for the foreseeable future. With Jonah Tong’s last few starts looking far, far better than most of his 2026, he will likely be joining the rotation shortly.

While the Mets’ season has been a disappointment, the Giants season has been fairly close to disaster. They’d be in the basement of the NL West if not for the truly astoundingly bad Rockies. While Mets fans like my good friend Chris McShane will be looking forward to watching Drew Gilbert, there really aren’t too many bright spots for the Giants right now. Their best player by bWAR, Luis Arraez, no longer plays for them. Their second best player by bWAR, Rafael Devers, is reportedly miserable.

While the Mets have their problems, the Giants make the Mets look like a respectable, functioning ball club. Thanks?

Friday, September 4: Nolan McLean vs Matt Wilkinson,  7:10pm EDT on SNY

McLean (2026): 155.2 IP, 172 K, 61 BB, 15 HR, 3.06 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 75 ERA-

Nolan McLean is garnering some Rookie of the Year discussion, and while he has had a few rough patches over the season, it’s hard to argue that he doesn’t belong there. Since his shaky start on August 6th, McLean has been phenomenal. In four starts, he’s tossed 25 innings, allowing just three earned runs, ten hits, 13 walks and 16 strikeouts. The walks have been a little more of an issue later in the season and his strikeouts are down, but the results haven’t suffered at all.

Wilkinson (2026): 11.2 IP, 6 K, 2 BB, 1 HR, 4.63 ERA, 3.70 FIP, 114 ERA-

The 23-year old rookie only has three stars under his belt, and for the first start he was acting as an opener. In his most recent appearance, he notched a quality start, allowing just two runs over six innings.

Saturday, September 5: Zac Thornton vs  Anthony Molina, 4:10pm EDT on SNY

Thornton (2026): 61.1 IP, 45 K, 14 BB, 7 HR, 2.93 ERA, 3.89 FIP, 72 ERA-

Thornton’s starts tend to look a little more like a tightrope walk than the other young pitchers on the staff, but he’s settling into a really impressive rookie campaign. The biggest highlight might be his walk rate; he’s only walked 14 in 11 starts, while only walking one or fewer batters over his last four starts.

Molina (2026): 14.1 IP, 9 K, 5 BB, 2 HR, 3.77 ERA, 4.07 FIP, 92 ERA-

The 24 year old Molina is the veteran of this trio of Giants starters. He came over from the Braves mid-season, and has made two appearances thus far for San Francisco. In his only start, he went five, giving up three run and striking out six.

Sunday, September 6: Christian Scott vs TBA, 1:40m EDT on SNY

Scott (2026): 94.2 IP, 113 K, 44 BB, 10 HR, 3.80 ERA, 3.76 FIP, 93 ERA-

Scott’s August wasn’t pretty at times, though in every appearance there have been moments of transcendence. In his last start against the Astros, walks were an issue, with five free passes to only two strikeouts. But in his first year back from Tommy John, Scott is doing a lot to establish himself as piece of this rotation after a lost season.

As we enter September, the Nationals are out of the playoff hunt. However, that does not mean these games are meaningless. There are three players whose future could be shaped by what they do this month. Dylan Crews, Harry Ford and Abimelec Ortiz all need strong finishes to the season to secure a spot on the team in 2027 and beyond.

Dylan Crews is the highest profile example of a player who needs a strong final chapter to the season. So far, Crews’ career has been defined by taking one step forward before taking two steps back. He has had some big moments, but has never been able to follow those up with consistent play.

His walk-off against the Marlins is the perfect example of this. That could have been a real turning point for Crews where he gathered momentum. However, in the three games since that walk-off, Crews is hitless. Honestly, that is the story of his Nationals career.

Dylan Crews walks it off for the @Nationals! pic.twitter.com/7HJC5kicZR

— MLB (@MLB) August 29, 2026

You can see flashes of the talent that made him the number 2 overall pick. However, they are not consistent enough and the end result is not good enough. For the season, Crews is hitting just .216 with a .643 OPS. That is pretty much the hitter he has been his whole MLB career now. In 741 career at bats, Crews is a .213 hitter with a .638 OPS.

Unless he has a strong finish to the season, Crews should not be given the sort of everyday playing time he has gotten this season. James Wood, Daylen Lile and Jacob Young have all proven to be better than him so far. This month is a chance for Crews to finish strong and prove to the club that he belongs.

In July, Crews posted an OPS over .800. If he can do that again in September, it would go a long way for him. However, time is running out for the former LSU star. I could see him being a potential trade chip this offseason as a change of scenery candidate. It could be the best thing for all parties if things don’t get better quickly.

Harry Ford has not had as much time to prove himself in the big leagues as Crews, but he has also had a tough year. When the Nats traded for Ford in the offseason, many people including myself assumed he would quickly establish himself as the Nats starting catcher. However, that has not been the case as Keibert Ruiz has re-established himself while Ford has not shown the power he did last year.

The 23 year old started the year in Rochester and got off to a brutal start. He posted a .531 OPS in April and it was an uphill battle from there. To his credit, Ford got better every month. His OPS was over .800 in both June and July. That earned him a big league call up.

So far in the big leagues, it has been a mixed bag. On the positive side of things, his defense has been about average, which is better than expected. He has also shown off his trademark plate discipline, with a chase rate of just 18.7%. That number is in Juan Soto territory and it is why he is walking over 12% of the time.

Harry Ford has maybe the second best plate discipline I’ve ever seen. He has absolutely no power, but he’ll always have a job in the big leagues as long as he continues to play good defense. I put Soto’s 2021 season for reference of the plate discipline. pic.twitter.com/WeBXiYxefH

— Josh L. (@jowole1216) August 29, 2026

The plate discipline is the only thing propping up his offensive profile right now though. His .697 OPS is not terrible for a rookie, but the lack of slugging is a concern. Ford was seen as having average power before this year, but his quality of contact has fallen off a cliff.

In the big leagues, his average exit velocity is just 83.5 MPH. That is problematic for a player whose contact skills are just average. Right now, there is a lot of blue on his Baseball Savant page. He will need a strong finish to the season in order to establish himself as a full time big leaguer. At the moment, he is closer to Drew Millas than Keibert Ruiz.

I also think this offseason is very important for Ford. He needs to find a way to hit the ball harder and improve his bat speed. The plate discipline is great, but he needs to show more thump to keep pitchers from just pounding the zone.

For Abimelec Ortiz, thump is not the issue. The 24 year old first baseman has big power and bat speed. Those qualities, along with a solid hit tool helped him get off to a fantastic start in the big leagues. He burst onto the scene, hitting 5 homers and batting over .300 in his first 14 games.

Abimelec Ortiz hits HR No. 5

Ortiz in 14 career games:
.316 BA
5 HR
9 RBI
1.070 OPSpic.twitter.com/9zwBoatru7

— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) August 16, 2026

However, Ortiz’s flaws have been brutally exposed lately. Right now he is chasing way too much and not working quality at bats. In the big leagues, Ortiz’s chase rate is 37.4%. That is way too high for a hitter of his profile. It leads to quick outs and causes him to do less damage than he should. 

Ortiz will never be a guy who takes a ton of walks, but he needs to walk more than 5% of the time. In AAA, Ortiz’s swing rate was just 45.6% but that has jumped to 51.4% in the show. This month, Big Abi needs to show an ability to make the proper adjustments if he wants to stick around long term.

After the way he started his career, the 1B job seemed like his to lose. However, he seems to be losing it right now. Ortiz can reclaim that spot if he can bounce back. The talent is there, he just needs to stop swinging so much.

Overall, there are a lot of players who have points to prove this month. Dylan Crews, Harry Ford and Abimelec Ortiz are on the top of the list though. All three are talented, but they need to show that talent more consistently down the stretch.

The Guardians are 6-1 against the Tigers this season. To have a good shot at the playoffs, they’ll need to make that 9-2 or 10-1 by Monday (weather-permitting).

Since August 4th, the Tigers are 29th in MLB in team wRC+ at 85, 19th in baserunning runs above average at -0.7, tenth in Defense at -0.9, ninth in starting pitcher ERA at 3.64 (4.67 FIP), and 26th in bullpen ERA at 4.88 (4.99 FIP).

Since August 4th, the Guardians are 12th in MLB in team wRC+ at 100, 19th in baserunning runs above average at -0.7, eighth in Defense at 1.2, 12th in starting pitcher ERA at 3.92 (4.25 FIP), and eighth in bullpen ERA at 3.28 (3.74 FIP).

Need to get into the Tigers’ pen early and take advantage.

Matchups:

Game One, Friday, 2:10PM ET: Montero RHP 3.24 ERA (3.86 FIP) vs. Allen LHP 3.77 ERA (4.98 FIP)

Game Two, Friday, 7:15PM ET: Sears 6.75 ERA (4.30 FIP) vs. Griffin LHP 3.96 ERA (4.42 FIP)

Game Three, Saturday, 6:10PM ET: Valdez LHP 4.36 ERA (4.24 FIP) vs. Messick LHP 2.46 ERA (3.06 FIP)

Game Four, Sunday, 1:40PM ET: Jobe RHP 4.63 ERA (5.37 FIP) vs. Williams RHP 3.81 ERA (3.58 FIP)

The Tigers have been playing lifeless baseball for a while but don’t be surprised to see them get fired up for this series. They have hit LHP much better than RHP as well lately (though still not particularly well), so Allen, Griffin and Messick will need to be careful.

Over the past month, the Tigers have been led by Hao-Yu Lee at 121 wRC+ and Brett Callahan 107 wRC+. Yep, it’s been bleak. Meanwhile, during that time period, the Guardians have been led by Chase DeLauter 166 wRC+, Angel Martinez 148 wRC+, Steven Kwan 133 wRC+, Patrick Bailey 129 wRC+, Jo Adell 118 wRC+ and Jose Ramirez 101 wRC+.

Today is the day the Guardians have to figure this thing out. This weekend is the series they have to win or sweep to start a run to the playoffs. If they do not, then we will definitively know what kind of team this is.

Diamondbacks News

(Arizona Sports) Diamondbacks’ Corbin Burnes expected to make return vs. Royals

Burnes pitched two 1-2-3 innings for the Reno Aces on Aug. 23 and in a bridge camp game on Thursday. There was discussion of Burnes potentially returning from the injured list for the Diamondbacks’ weekend series against the Houston Astros, but manager Torey Lovullo said Tuesday the organization opted to build him up for one more rehab start to increase his pitch count.

(Burn City Sports) Diamondbacks expected to get Corbin Burnes back during Royals series

The right-hander was previously slated to return to the rotation earlier this season, but a right teres major (shoulder) strain delayed his expected mid-summer return. Now, it appears Burnes is finally ready to rejoin the team at a critical point in Arizona’s season as the Diamondbacks continue to fight for a spot in the postseason.

(SI.com) Ketel Marte Likely to Resume Play in Tough Series vs Astros

The Arizona Diamondbacks are in Houston this weekend to face the Astros for a three-game interleague series at Daikin Park.

The D-backs (74-67) will enter play on Friday, September 4 with a half-game lead over the San Diego Padres for the third and final NL Wild Card spot.

Arizona narrowly avoided a sweep at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday with a 1-0 victory in which they used seven pitchers in a shutout bullpen game.

MLB News

(Royals Review) Hook, line, and Wacha: Royals sink Marlins in series finale

Despite falling behind early, the Royals fought back thanks to the arm of Michael Wacha and timely hits by Carter Jensen and Jac Caglianone to win the third and final game of their series against the Miami Marlins, 7-3. The win improves the Royals record to 63-78.

(Yahoo! Sports) Rutschman homers twice in return to Baltimore, and the Red Sox rally for a 6-5 victory

A month after the Orioles traded the three-time All-Star catcher to Boston, Rutschman went deep in the first and sixth innings. He received a standing ovation from the Baltimore crowd before his first-inning drive to right gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead. Alonso tied it with a sacrifice fly in the bottom half.

(CBS Sports) Best and worst MLB trade deadline moves one month later: Adley Rutschman, Clay Holmes, Luis García Jr., more

With the 2026 Major League Baseball trade deadline exactly one month behind us, it’s time to look back at some of the more notable deals and highlight which headliners have thus far been major successes … or major disappointments. There’s still the month of September left to correct or reinforce these performances thus far, but here’s where things stand one month out. Bad news first, in keeping with therapeutic best practices … 

Good morning everyone and happy Friday!

The Mariners dropped the first game of the Athletics series last night by a 7-4 score as the M’s pitching staff couldn’t quite stem the flow of A’s runs. They’ll get another opportunity to notch a win today with first pitch scheduled for 7:10pm PT.

In Mariners news…

• In case you missed it, right-hander Matt Brash suffered a setback in his rehab from a lat injury. Kate Preusser has the latest on that and other Mariners injury updates.
• Outfielder Connor Joe and right-hander Nolan Kingham cleared waivers and were outrighted to Tacoma.
• Joe Posnanski wonders what the heck is going on in Seattle this season.
• If you’d like to reminisce, the 1998 Turn Ahead the Clock night is available in full on YouTube.

Around the league…

• Twins outfielder Byron Buxton will undergo hip surgery but still hopes to be back in time for the playoff race, should they get that far.
• Andy McCullough at The Athletic checked in on several managers who are on the hot seat as the season draws to a close — including our own Dan Wilson. ($)
• David Schoenfield at ESPN discussed the 12 most disappointing players in 2026.
• The Tigers have been one of the unluckiest teams in recent memory. Jay Jaffe at Fangraphs marveled at the difference between their actual record and Pythagorean record.
• Lindsay Dial explains why a salary cap wouldn’t actually bring competitive balance to baseball.
• Hannah Keyser went to Driveline to learn what it’s actually like to be trained as an athlete at their complex.

Anders’ pick…

• In case you missed it, the Los Angeles Clippers were handed down several punishments for circumventing the salary cap to sign star Kawhi Leonard — an investigation initially launched by podcaster Pablo Torre. Matt Yoder wrote about the importance of unbiased journalism in an era where basically everyone is bought and paid for.
• Ray Ratto at Defector is highly amused by the billionaire class turning on itself over the Clippers scandal.

With a mostly successful series against the Angels behind them, the Yankees had the benefit of a day off on Thursday, before heading down the coast to San Diego. As the American League playoff picture remains clustered, New York was able to make up some free ground in the division, while several other playoff hopefuls duked it out on a busy night of baseball.

Let’s take a look at what went down around the Junior Circuit.

Texas Rangers (70-71) 6, Tampa Bay Rays (83-57) 0

In case the title didn’t spoil anything, the Tampa Bay bats went cold in Texas on Thursday. They managed just three hits in their scoreless effort, as the Rangers earned a good all-around win to crawl closer to .500.

Things were scoreless through three innings in this one, before singles from Justin Foscue and Ezequiel Duran in the fourth and fifth respectively put the Rangers up 2-0. Later on in the fifth, Corey Seager delivered the big blow when he mashed a two-run shot for his 14th homer of the season.

While the bats had built a 4-0 lead, Cal Quantrill was giving it his all on the mound. The veteran right-hander ultimately tossed seven scoreless frames, allowing just a pair of hits while striking out five Tampa Bay hitters.

Quantrill’s efforts, along with a pair of scoreless innings from Jakob Junis and Chase Silseth, kept the Rays out of the run column all night, as they dropped one on the road. For good measure, a triple from Evan Carter and a sacrifice fly from Jake Burger plated the final runs of the night, as Texas cruised to a 6-0 victory. Despite sitting a game under .500, they are still just a half-game out of the final AL wild card spot.

Other Games

Houston Astros (72-69) 6, Chicago White Sox (73-67) 2

It was a busy night in the West, as the Astros maintained their lead with a win as well. After a Jose Altuve two-run homer had them up early, a pair of RBI knocks from the Sox had things squared up after two innings. In the bottom half of the fourth, extra-base hits from Isaac Paredes and Daulton Varsho scored three runs, before a Christian Walker single plated the fourth run of the inning. From that point, both squads were done scoring on the night, as Hunter Brown settled in to his solid six-inning outing, before the Houston ‘pen secured things in the latter portion of this one. With the win, the Astros maintain their two-game lead out west.

Boston Red Sox (76-65) 6, Seattle Mariners (66-75) 5

In an AL East battle, the Red Sox held on for a big win over the O’s in a close affair. Both squads plated a run in the first, before Baltimore jumped ahead in the third inning, with solo home runs coming from Luis Robert Jr. and Pete Alonso. From there, however, the Sox began to chip away. Adley Rutschman swatted his second homer of the game in the sixth (in his return to Baltimore), before Isiah Kiner-Falefa tied the game with a single an inning later. Finally, it was homers from Nick Sogard and Roman Anthony that decided this one, which put Boston up 6-3. The O’s fought hard, including another homer in the ninth that got them to within one run again, but it wouldn’t be enough.

AL Wild Card Rock Fight

Toronto Blue Jays (70-71) 6, Cleveland Guardians (70-70) 3

A four-run fifth inning was the difference-maker for the Jays on Thursday. A two-run double from Nathan Lukes was the big hit in the inning, and was part of his solid night that saw him tally a pair of hits. It was a shaky outing for relative newcomer José Soriano, who gave up three runs in 4.2 innings, but the Jays bullpen kept the game scoreless over the final 4.1 innings. The Guardians stay at three games back in the Central, while Toronto is fully entrenched in the hectic AL wild card picture.

Happy Friday A’s fans!

Last night, the Athletics kicked off a four-game series against their division-rival the Seattle Mariners with a 7-4 victory.

With 21 games remaining, the team’s focus should be on building for next season while trying to avoid the dreaded 100-loss mark. The Athletics have a golden opportunity to play spoiler in upcoming matchups against the Mariners, Cleveland Guardians and Houston Astros, three teams vying for playoff berths. Given how tightly contested the American League West is, how the Mariners and Astros fare against the A’s could help decide who represents the division in the postseason.

When assessing what went wrong, individuals will justifiably single out the pitching staff, which for a second straight season failed to pitch effectively during home games at Sutter Health Park. That resulted in the dismissals of pitching coach Scott Emerson and general manager David Forst, while manager Mark Kotsay remains employed for now.

However, the A’s have enjoyed some positives. Top prospects Henry Bolte, Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, Tommy White and Gage Jump have made their MLB debuts, with Bolte and Jump particularly proving they have the ability to be pivotal pieces of the team’s roster moving forward. Right-hander J.T. Ginn emerged as the most consistent member of the club’s starting rotation, while Hogan Harris and Luis Medina became the most reliable members of the below-average bullpen.

Down on the farm, the Athletics’ top two picks of the 2025 MLB Draft, left-handed pitcher Jamie Arnold and outfielder Devin Taylor, showcased their vast potential in their first professional season. Additionally, fellow left-hander Wei-En-Lin’s Double-A dominance earned him a spot among MLB Pipeline’s Top-100 prospects before he suffered season-ending Tommy-John surgery.

Finally, in the low minors, recent international signing Breyson Guedez put his name on the map with a standout first season in the U.S., while this year’s first-round pick, Drew Burress, began his professional journey with a flourish at Single-A Stockton.

Despite all the losing, there remains hope that improved roster construction and better injury luck could help the Green and Gold return to prominence next season. That is, of course, if there is a season. How many games do you think will be missed because of the looming lockout?

A’s Coverage:

• A’s Outlast Mariners 7-4 in Wild Clash
• A’s Escape Texas With A Win, Beat Rangers 9-2
• A’s Designate José Suarez For Assignment
• White exits with back tightness as A’s injury woes continue
• A’s Rally Too Late in 8-5 Loss to Rangers
• Your 2026 Hacktastic A’s
• Athletics Considering James Click For GM Vacancy
• Get the best of Athletics Nation on the new SB Nation app
• How defensive whiz Clarke’s return will impact A’s
• How A’s catcher Bruce Maxwell brought taking a knee to MLB and what happened afterwards
• A’s Plan to Test Top Pitching Prospect Jamie Arnold at Next Level
• Separating The Wheat From The Chaff Not So Easy
• Amidst The Despair: The Position Player Talent Is There
• What Are The Next Steps For The A’s? ($)
• Where Each A’s Player’s Contract Stands Entering Offseason
• Why Athletics Will Have Scary Offense in 2027
• Red-hot Bolte looking to build on lessons from rookie season
• ’Kid has been grinding’: Butler’s resurgence, leadership fuel A’s
• Underdog Athletics prospect Cole Conn playing like a big dog for Aviators
• Behind the Plate, the A’s Face an Offseason Reckoning
• Why The New GM Needs To “Clean House”
• A Seemingly Rock Bottomless Glass
• MLB Trade Grades: A’s Have Quiet Trade Deadline
• This key change(up) could unlock big success for A’s prospect
• Fustercluck 2026: The Real Reasons For A Disappointing Season

MLB News and Interest:

• MLB players on salary cap, CBA talks, potential lockout, more
• 250 for 250: Top 10 individual seasons
• MLB hot seat: Which managers and execs have jobs on the line this month?
• Rookie of the Year races in AL, NL coming to conclusion as favorites pull away
• Cheers, then TWO homers! Rutschman makes memorable Camden return
• New Rays Owner: Stadium Deal Should Lead To Significant Payroll Increase
• Each team’s hottest pitching prospect right now
• Ranking the 10 most impactful Trade Deadline moves, one month later
• Dodgers get Will Smith, Rushing, Wrobleski back from IL
• Mike Trout on ‘needed’ sale of Angels: It’s a ‘fresh start’
• Angels Notes: Stadium, Trout, Front Office
• Rays, Austin Slater Agree To New Minor League Deal
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

What do you think of this person’s take? If there is a season next year, which pitcher should the A’s target in free agency this offseason to strengthen their rotation?

Next years rotation out of spring training in my eyes going into the offseason:

Guaranteed spot:

Severino
Ginn

Not a guaranteed spot, but almost a guaranteed spot

Jump
Lopez

Fighting for the 5th spot

Perkins
Hoglund
Barnett
Morales

Dark horse

Arnold

Depth

Morris
Estes

— Straight A’s (@StraightAs123) September 3, 2026

Quite the Triple-A introduction for Devin Taylor. His rapid ascent through the minor leagues puts him firmly on the A’s radar as a potential impact call-up next season. Taylor could replace Brent Rooker as the team’s designated hitter, take over one of its corner-outfield spots or even be used as trade bait to acquire a talented pitcher for the Green and Gold.

In just his second Triple-A game, @Athletics No. 7 prospect Devin Taylor has a career day for the @AviatorsLV:
4 H
2 HR
7 RBI
3 R pic.twitter.com/vPH6nqoY0f

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 2, 2026

An impressive turnaround for the southpaw.

Jacob Lopez’s last 10 starts:

51.1 IP | 2.28 ERA | 61 K’s | 1.05 WHIP

He’s emerged as a very good arm for the A’s lately! 💪 pic.twitter.com/g366GXl5nB

— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) September 2, 2026

Wood you believe that a pitcher in his first full professional season could strike out 10 in four innings? That’s one way to Gage a prospect’s progress.

Scranton/Wilks-Barre 4, Lehigh Valley 3

The RailRiders walked off the IronPigs on an Oswaldo Cabrera single. Alan Rangel went 5.1 innings with four hits, two runs (one earned), and six K; Kyle Backhus had a blown save, and Kirby Snead took the loss. Gabriel Rincones Jr. was two for four with a double, and Carter Kieboom was two for two with a double after coming in to replace Alex Binelas, removed with an injury, at first base.

Reading 10, Hartford 5

The Fightin Phils had 14 hits on the night against the Yard Goats. Pedro León and Caleb Ricketts had three apiece, Dante Nori, Raylin Heredia, and Aroon Escobar had two each. Bryan Rincon had a rough night (0 for five, three K) in a rough stretch (his fifth consecutive game without a hit). Gage Wood had a whopping 10 strikeouts in just 4 innings, walking two and allowing two runs on four hits.

Hub City 2, Jersey Shore 1

The BlueClaws capitalize both halves of their compound name, but the Spartanburgers don’t. That’s not really important. What is important is turning your hits into runs. Both Hub City and Jersey Shore had six hits, but the Spartanburgers eked one more run out of their half-dozen knocks. Four of those six BlueClaw hits came from the duo of Nathan Humphreys and Daunte Stuart, who had two each; Humphreys also reached base on an HBP. Starter Ryan Dromboski allowed all six Hub City hits and both runs over five innings of work; though one of those runs was unearned thanks to an error from Scott Mudler at first. He struck out five and walked one.

Clearwater 9, Fort Myers 3

In game one of this doubleheader, the Threshers got the better of the Mighty Mussels thanks to a six-run fourth. Eight of the Clearwater nine had hits, with Reece Moroney and Matthew Ferrara having two each; the former also reached twice via the free pass. Tyler Spangler and Jonathan Hogart matched Moroney for walks, and Will Gasparino outdid them by taking three. Starter Sean Youngerman went five inning with three hits, one ER, and three K. Interestingly, all of the Thresher hits were singles; they had to push their baserunners home the old fashioned way (though with the aid of copious free passes and a few HBPs).

Clearwater 6, Fort Myers 5

Clearwater went into the seventh (and final, given the MiLB doubleheader rules) inning down five. They then proceeded to score six. A parade of singles, aided by a walk, a wild pitch, and an error, spelled victory for the Threshers. Jack Hopko’s single to center ended the memorable affair. As in the first game, Reece Moroney and Matthew Ferrara both had two hits. Starter Zuher Yousuf went four innings with five hits, 3 ER, and 4 K, surrendering two homers. Richie Cortese got the win thanks to pitching a hitless inning in the top of the seventh.

The Guardians lost another series yesterday, dropping the finale to the Blue Jays 6-3. Yet, in a weak American League and American League Central, there is still room to hope.

The Tigers come to town today, starting with a doubleheader at 2:10PM and 7:10PM ET today.

Jeff McNerny and I commiserated about this mediocre Guardians team on the Disgusting Baseball Podcast last night.

Around MLB:

The White Sox, Orioles and Mariners lost, and Astros and Rangers won.

Good morning! Roman Anthony has been on fire since finally finishing his rehab assignment. In his five games since returning he has slashed .455/.500/.909 with 2 homers, 2 doubles, and a triple. He is so good that he is somehow 5th on the team in position player bWAR despite being 16th in games played.

But there is one stat he’s lagging behind on this week: he has just 2 RBI, both of which came on his two solo shots.

This raises the question: should the Sox consider batting him somewhere other than leadoff?

On one hand, you don’t want to mess with what’s working. And it goes without saying that a hitter who gets on base as much as he does is exactly what you want at the top of the order. But it is worth considering the obvious fact that production with the bases empty doesn’t help the team as much as production with someone on.

Moreover, the Sox do have a pretty good candidate to take that leadoff spot: Nick Sogard has posted a .368 OBP since returning to the big leagues in late July, with 21 walks and 9 doubles in 34 games. It’s hard not to salivate at the thought of Anthony hitting with Sogard already on second ahead of him.

Talk about the batting order and whatever else you want in this space and, as always, be good to one another.

The San Diego Padres dropped two of three games to the Pittsburgh Pirates before going on the road to face the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cleveland Guardians. They return to Petco Park battered and bruised after a 1-5 road trip to host the New York Yankees and the Washington Nationals.

Despite the struggles the Padres will still play meaningful games over the final 22 games of the regular season thanks in large part to the Philadelphia Phillies who took two of three from the Arizona Diamondbacks over the weekend. San Diego is a half game out of the final Wild Card position and holds their postseason fate in its hands. The most glaring area of need after their trip to Cincinnati was hitting with runners in scoring position. Over the final two games against the Reds, both losses, the Padres went 1-for-17 in that category. Between the lack of timely hits and the untimely inability to play fundamental baseball the current potential playoff berth picture could and probably should look much worse.

San Diego will have to improve in all three phases of the game if it is going to put an end to its current streak of poor play. At times, the offense has looked unstoppable, but then it just disappears. The same could be said for the starting pitching, which had back-to-back poor outings from Randy Vasquez and Casey Mize. The bullpen, which has been the strength of the team throughout the season, has been hittable and no one outside of Yuki Matsui has been immune.

Hopefully the hometown crowd and the friendly confines of Petco are just what the Padres need to get right, but if for some reason they are not, it could be a slow and agonizing end to the season. We should have a feeling one way or the other when San Diego opens its series against New York tonight at 6:40 p.m.

Padres News:

• Padres manager Craig Stammen has some decisions to make and could have more if Nick Pivetta and/or maybe Joe Musgrove return from the IL. Fair or not, his first year and how it will be remembered hinges on how he manages the next 22 games.

• There are probably questions from the Friar Faithful about what went into the decision to call up top prospect Ethan Salas. AJ Cassavell of Padres.com has the answer.

• Brent Honeywell Jr. returned to the San Diego minor league system after leaving the organization and is getting comfortable with El Paso.

• The last catcher to make a name for himself with the Padres was Benito Santiago. Could Ethan Salas be next?

Baseball News:

• Adley Rutschman hit two solo home runs to lead the Boston Red Sox over the Baltimore Orioles.

• Pete Crow-Armstrong connected on his 39th home run and the Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers.

• The Houston Astros topped the Chicago White Sox, 6-2.

For the first eight innings of Thursday’s contest against the St. Louis Cardinals, the absence of Shohei Ohtani in the starting lineup was emphatically felt.

Ohtani had went 0-4 with four strikeouts during Wednesday’s 8-6 extra-inning loss to St. Louis, and the Dodgers decided to give him the night off. Although the offense floundered throughout most of Thursday, they were able to string together a ninth inning rally to walk off St. Louis 3-2.

As the Dodgers prepare to host the Washington Nationals for three games, the question of whether Ohtani will be back in the lineup or not remains undecided. Sonja Chen of MLB.com notes that a move to the injured list for the two-way superstar is unlikely, but the team will monitor his health over the final 22 games of the regular season.

“Right now, I would consider it unlikely,” Roberts said. “Unlikely, but not impossible.”

“I think it’s up to us to kind of figure out how we navigate these next three and a half, four weeks,” Roberts said. “But I’m very confident that we’ll see the guy we all expect to see.”

Teoscar Hernández was the one to send the Dodgers to a walk-off victory, with his two-run double helping the Dodgers avoid a sweep at the hands (or wings) of the Cardinals. Hernández capped off the series going 6-13 with two doubles and two RBI, and he spoke with Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA about what he was looking for from All-Star closer Riley O’Brien.

“First, I was just trying to be more patient. He was a little wild in that inning. Just trying to get focused on the middle of the plate and get a good pitch to hit… We know we’re not playing the best baseball that we know we can play. We know we’re not hitting we know we can hit. One thing they should know is that we’re going to go out, we’re going to battle, fight every at-bat and just try to win every game.”

Tarik Skubal helped the Cardinals collect a season-high 10 hits against him, but he held them in check for just two runs allowed over 5 2/3 innings, walking one and striking out six in another no-decision. Skubal spoke with Watson following the walk-off win about not having to adjust as much while fending off traffic and dealing with calls going against him.

“I think, early, the changeup was a little bit elevated. They put some good hits on it. At the end of the day, they were all singles, so it’s not like I needed to change my approach. It’s not like they were slugging anything. Just gotta stay true to myself. I bet there was 10-15 throws that were less than two inches off the plate both ways. If those were over the plate, then that’s 10-15 more strikes.”

The San Francisco Giants spent much of the year acting as though the waiver wire did not exist. But they’re now ending the season by trying to make up for lost time.

On Thursday, the team announced that it had claimed infielder Brett Harris off of waivers. Harris had been designated for assignment by the Boston Red Sox two days prior. To make space for Harris on the 40-man roster, pitcher Keaton Winn was moved from the 15-Day Injured List to the 60-Day Injured List.

Harris, a 28-year old right-hander, was a seventh-round pick by the Athletics in 2021, out of Gonzaga. He made his MLB debut in 2024 and has played in the Majors for the A’s in each of the past three seasons, while also appearing in games for the Red Sox this year.

He’s never really been able to find his bat in the Majors, as he holds a career .192/.307/.286 slash line in 216 MLB plate appearances. But he’s done a good job working counts, and he plays very strong defense at third base, while also being able to handle first and second. He’s spent most of this year in AAA, where he’s hit .293/.405/.459 for a 119 wRC+ with both the A’s and Red Sox affiliates. The Giants optioned him to Sacramento, so he’ll get a chance to lace up cleats for three different AAA teams this year.

While Harris could find himself in the Majors with San Francisco this year, especially if Christian Koss, Osleivis Basabe, Shay Whitcomb, or Nate Furman were to suffer an injury, it’s highly unlikely that he survives the upcoming offseason roster crunch. The Giants have a whopping 14 players on the 60-Day IL currently, meaning their 40-man roster has 54 names on it. That number will have to get trimmed down to 40 when the season ends, and lower still when the team wants to make Rule 5 protections and sign free agents. And not only is Harris unproven, but he’ll be out of options after this season.

But adding Harris now gives the Giants some extra depth in the infield for the rest of the season. And it also gives them a good chance of slipping him through waivers in the offseason, and then outrighting him to Sacramento to keep him in the system.

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants kick off a three-game road series against the New York Mets today at 4:10 p.m. PT.

Though the current ultra-humid atmospheric soup we call “air” belies this observation, autumn is right around the corner. Before embarking on Labor Day plans later today, let’s widen the aperture from the Minnesota Twins and look around Major League Baseball to see how each division is shaping up for the stretch run…

AL Central

• We know the drill: the current 1st place club (Chicago White Sox) could technically still finish 5th while the current 5th place club (Kansas City Royals) could technically still finish 1st. Shake the container and maybe the Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers, or our Twins could sort to the top. Your guess is as good as mine.

AL West

• The Houston Astros & Texas Rangers have spent the majority of summer’s dog days slightly leapfrogging each other for the top spot. But now after struggling all season long, the Seattle Mariners have re-emerged as a potential threat (5.0 GB). The rub: none of these teams are all that good. There is a very real chance the West crown could be captured with a sub-.500 record. Yuck.

AL East

• The American League has two solid squads—maybe three—and they all reside on the Eastern Seaboard. The Tampa Bay Rays have been the Junior Circuit’s premiere club all year, with the New York Yankees consistently 3-5 games back. The Boston Red Sox are probably a little too far out—7.5 GB—to make a division run, but they are locked into a Wild Card berth and will be a tough out in the tournament.

NL Central

• The Milwaukee Brewers have this one in the bag—the only remaining drama being whether they will procure the #1 National League seed and be able to unleash The Miz (Jacob Misiorowski) at home. The Chicago Cubs are also cruising to a WC slot thanks to Pete Crow-Armstrong’s MVP push.

NL West

• As per usual at this time of year, the Los Angeles Dodgers are not battling fellow West teams—they are trying to maul Milwaukee for that top bunk. Meanwhile, the San Diego Padres & Arizona Diamondbacks—two teams nearly 10 games above .500—are in a dogfight for the final Senior Circuit WC entry.

NL East

• As per their usual pattern, just when you think “the Atlanta Braves’ window has probably closed”, they make a legitimate title run (in the hunt with LAD & MIL for the top NL spot). However, those ever-pesky Philadelphia Phillies lurk just 4.0 GB. Whether as a wild card or division champ, the Fightin’ Kyle Schwarber’s will be a pernicious postseason opponent.

Have an enjoyable and safe holiday weekend. When you return to reality, the weather may cool down but one thing will be for certain: the pennant races will only be heating up!

Max posted the big news yesterday. A pair of Royals were given “of the month” titles: Jac Caglianone, Noah Cameron win AL honors for August

At The Star, Jaylon Thompson wrote about Caglianone:

On Thursday, Caglianone was recognized as the AL Player of the Month. He is the 13th different Royal to receive the monthly honor. Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. was the last player to do so. In 2024, he was named the AL’s top player for his July surge. Now, Caglianone joins him — alongside other Royals Hall of Famers such as George Brett, John Mayberry and Mike Sweeney.

And about Cameron:

On Thursday, Cameron was named the AL Pitcher of the Month for August. He joins Royals teammate Jac Caglianone — who was named AL Player of the Month.

It’s the fourth time a pair of Royals have swept the monthly awards. The last time was July 1985 when George Brett and Brett Saberhagen were recognized by the league.

He also profiled Nate Pearson:

“We’ve pursued him for a couple of years just because of the power,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. “There’s stuff and if you look at our advanced analytics, there are things that jump off the page. … The fastball has always been an outlier and the slider is consistent. When he can be in the zone with his fastball, you can see what he can do.”

Michael Massey also got an award:

And there were also Queens of the Diamond:

Women leaders from across Kansas City came together this morning for Queens of the Diamond, a softball tournament supporting our efforts at the Urban Youth Academy! pic.twitter.com/FBYBMTIJgm

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) September 3, 2026

Blog time!

Royals Keep named their Hitter of the Month and Pitcher of the Month. Considering the news above, those awards went to, you guessed it: Frank Stallone.

Also at Royals Keep, Kevin O’Brien lists their Royals Minor League Pitchers of the Month:

Albus is not a pitcher who’s going to generate much fanfare at first glance. He’s a 19th-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of Abilene Christian, a Mid-Major school. He doesn’t cast an intimidating presence on the mound at 5’11, 180 pounds. Furthermore, the numbers have been fine, but not impressive, for a Minor League reliever.

Last season, he posted a 3.54 ERA in 61 IP with the Fireflies. This season, he has a 4.39 ERA in 26.2 IP with the River Bandits. Thus, it is easy to dismiss him as just “organizational bullpen depth.” However, he had an impressive August that should put Royals fans on notice.

In nine outings and 16.2 IP in August with Quad Cities, he posted a 1.08 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 1.84 FIP, and 29% K-BB%. He has looked in control on the mound, and his quick and efficient style is starting to pay dividends in High-A ball after an initial slow start. For context, Albus made some noise last year in Columbia with an eight-pitch immaculate inning back in late July.

Blog Roundup:

• Darin Watson at U.L.’s Toothpick: This Date In Royals History–1976 Edition: September 3 – Another quiet night on offense means a fifth straight loss
• Brian Burrows at Kings of Kauffman: 3 Royals with the most to prove in the final month of the season
• Trey Donovan at Kansas City Royals on SI: The Kansas City Royals Have Intriguing Relief Prospect in L.P. Langevin

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It’s been a while since we’ve done “one-liner” movie reviews. They’re usually a lot longer, of late. However,  I haven’t had a lot of time to write up the movies I’ve watched over the summer. So here are the quick hits.

Casablanca (1942) – An excellent movie that is still very watchable today. What more can I say about it that hasn’t already been said over the last century? Amusingly, I watched this and the next one on a the same airplane trip.

The Day the Earth Blew Up (2024) – If you told competent people to make a Looney Tunes movie in 2024, this is what you’d get. It’s a little out of date, it takes a little liberty with the source material, and it’s a little looney. But I think the creative team loved the originals and did a good job modernizing it for a new audience. I want to see Coyote vs. Acme.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) – I’ve seen it a number of times, but never really watched it with a critical eye. Broderick and Ruck are great. It’s such an 80s movie in so many ways. The movie plays Ferris as the hero, despite him basically just being all ego and justifying it by saying he’s all doing it for Cameron (when he’s really not). The Chicago love letter is nice.

The Odyssey (2026) – Worth seeing in a theater, though we didn’t see it in IMAX or whatever. Feels kindof like Gladiator did when it came out back in 2000. Hand an excellent director good source material and a blockbuster budget and they deliver a blockbuster. Bonus points to Nolan for doing it with an “unfilmable” story.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) – This is the first MCU Spider-Man movie that felt like a Spider-Man movie rather than Peter Park, Junior Avenger (and Iron Man protege). As a Spider-Man fan, this was a nice new start after No Way Home was a celebration of the entire big screen franchise.

Clue (1985) – Have also seen it many times. For as big a cast as it has, it’s not quite as funny as it should be. But it’s really buoyed by Tim Curry’s manic energy. RIP.

Wicked (2024) – Deserving of its plaudits. Looks great, acted great, sounds great, and directed great.  Deserved to win more than 2 Oscars. I’m not a big musical guy, but that aspect only drags the movie a little in this half.  And it’s more than made up for by the spectacular bookend duo of “No One Mourns the Wicked” and “Defying Gravity”.

Wicked: For Good (2025) – There’s nothing terribly wrong with it. However, the payoff isn’t as satisfying or as clean as you hoped from the great setup.  Perhaps there was just too much going on in the first part and too much padding in the second part. You could cut it as they get on the train to Oz.  But if you did that, it would come at the cost of the there-aren’t-enough-superlatives “Defying Gravity” finale.

The Wizard of Oz (1939) –Like Casablanca, what more can I say about a classic that’s nearly a century old?Saw it twice this summer. The first time was at The Sphere in Las Vegas. I loved being able to see the scene where Oz bursts into Technicolor on the big screen. The second time I watched it was after we watched Wicked.

Masters of the Universe (2026) – I thoroughly enjoyed it. The comedy was good, it looked pretty, and there was a great earnestness in the whole endeavor. The plot was a little clunky and I’m not sure who thought it was a good idea to invest $200m on a mostly dormant and forgotten franchise. But if they make a She-Ra sequel, I’d watch

Masters of the Universe (1987) – Did not get to see because it was not on Amazon and I’m not paying for it. C’mon, Bezos – it can’t cost that much.

The Martian (2015) – This feel-good celebration of science is also deserving of its accolades. I think it would be impossible to not cut a few corners with science for the drama, but I think there’s an honest attempt to be mostly realistic.  Also, I thoroughly enjoy the problem-solving genre of “competence porn”, as this has been described.

Project Hail Mary (2026) – It’s hard to not compare this to “The Martian”. I think I liked the former a little more – it’s a bit more tangible, a bit less Treknobabble. However, this has the wonderful buddy pic dynamic that you don’t see as often in science fiction.

FYI: We started the MCU with our son last week. So expect those reviews to start trickling out over the next year, probably in phases.

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Idina Menzel is an amazing singer who had kids singing “Let It Go” for a decade.  Her version of “Defying Gravity”, the initial well-known version, is a Broadway classic that has quotes like “silliest, most inspiring, most enduring song in recent Broadway history” splashed all over its Wikipedia page.  To reinvent it enough to make it a new classic for a new generation – it’s an amazing performance by Cynthia Erivo, accompanied by Ariana Grande. I wasn’t exaggerating when I called it superlative-defying above. I can’t get through the song without getting goosebumps at least a time or two from the raw vocal power.