Category: MLB

Failing to produce offensively at the level you’d expect, the Comets lost another low-scoring game. The Drillers took control of their game early and never relinquished, beating the Sod Poodles at home.

Player of the day

Not much can be said about Josue De Paula’s campaign that hasn’t been said already, with Thursday’s performance yet another decisive one for the Tulsa Drillers. Responsible for half of his team’s eight RBI, the talented outfield prospect hit his 24th home run of the season.

HOMER NO. 24 FOR JOSUE DE PAULA 🔥 pic.twitter.com/23jbVQvozn

— Tulsa Drillers (@TulsaDrillers) August 21, 2026

Those 24 homers represent a massive improvement in the slugging department for a hitter who had accumulated 22 long balls in over 200 games across the previous two seasons combined.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Alek Thomas’ inside-the-park home run drove in all the runs the Comets scored in yet another low-scoring defeat, this one at the hands of the Space Cowboys. Both teams combined for just seven hits in this 3-2 loss on the road.

Dominant, but not yet able to provide a lengthy outing, Gavin Stone tossed three perfect innings before handing it over to Christian Romero, who would let across all three of the Space Cowboys’ runs, two of them unearned thanks to an error.

Gavin Stone was unhitable tonight👌

3.0 IP | 0 H | 0 R | 0 BB | 5 K pic.twitter.com/2BzkAcsnaX

— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) August 21, 2026

Double-A Tulsa

We’re only about two-thirds into the month of August, and Josue De Paula has already made it his most powerful month of the season. One of the Dodgers’ top prospects, De Paula hit a three-run shot in an 8-5 win for the Drillers, his third one in the last four games.

While Chris Newell had the worst performance among hitters on either side, striking out in all four of his plate appearances, a different Comet outfielder managed to leave the park as well: Kole Myers with a sixth-inning solo shot.

Improving his form since a call-up to Double-A, pitcher Aidan Foeller struck out six in five innings and finally earned his first win in Tulsa, even if the bullpen nearly gave it away.

High-A Great Lakes

It was all about the left side of the infield for the Loons in a 7-2 win over Fort Wayne, whose pitchers are probably tired of facing Mairo Martinus at this point. Recently promoted to High-A ball, Martinus has accumulated 12 total bases in just three games against Fort Wayne. However important Martinus’ grand slam was, Emil Morales was first responsible for handing the Loons the lead, leaving the yard in the first, now with an incredible 108 RBI this season, number one across all minor league baseball.

Emil Morales (MLB No. 24) follows up a four-hit night with his 24th homer of 2026, giving him the MiLB RBI lead (108)!@Dodgers | @greatlakesloons | @DodgerPlayerDevpic.twitter.com/EV7PiQKZom

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 20, 2026

Completing five full innings for only the second time this season. Will Gagnon finally secured a win, holding the opposition to just one unearned run. Reliever Robby Porco ran into some trouble late in this one with three walks covering the final two frames, but nothing that would jeopardize the Loons’ win

Class-A Ontario

Walking the house with four free passes before he could complete three innings, starter Jack O’Connor set the tone negatively early on. The Tower Buzzers allowed a five-run third inning on their way to losing the game by a score of 12-5. The walks weren’t a problem exclusive to O’Connor, as three of the four relievers who followed him all gave out multiple free passes.

Offensively, catcher Brian Gonzalez Garcia had one of his finest performances of the season, even if, without much support, it didn’t come close to making this a proper contest. Ontario’s catcher recorded four RBI for only the second time this season.

Transactions

The Ontario Tower Buzzers activated shortstop Aidan West off the injured list. Right-handed pitcher Cam Leiter was promoted from the Ontario Tower Buzzers to the Great Lakes Loons.

Thursday’s scores

• Sugar Land 3, Oklahoma City 2
• Tulsa 8, Amarillo 5
• Fort Wayne 2, Great Lakes 7
• Ontario 5, Inland Empire 12

Friday’s schedule

• 4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Brooks Auger) at Fort Wayne (Matthew Watson
• 5:00 p.m. PT: Tulsa (Christian Zazueta) vs. Amarillo (Junior Sanchez)
• 5:05 p.m. PT: Oklahoma City (Cole Irvin) at Sugar Land (Ronel Blanco)
• 6:35 p.m. PT: Ontario (TBD) vs. Inland Empire (Jackson Steensma)

Hello everyone and happy Friday!

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

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

In Mariners news…

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

Around the league…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Outstanding minor league season forces call-up conversation

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

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

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

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

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

Fermin and Campusano raising the level of their game

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

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

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

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

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

Happy Friday everyone! The weekend is right around the corner.

The Athletics have once again failed to win a game this week, suffering their first four-game sweep against the Kansas City Royals since 1994. The team’s bullpen, which loomed as its biggest concern entering the season, has indeed been a season-long problem. In two of its past three games, the A’s makeshift bullpen failed to protect multi-run leads in the eighth inning or later. The team’s defense did its pitching no favors, as a defensive error played a major role in both of those game-altering rallies.

The 49-79 A’s enter this weekend’s series at the Houston Astros as the undisputed worst team in the league. Manager Mark Kotsay’s squad has gone 11-41 over its last 52 games, good for a .212 winning percentage. With a little more than 30 games remaining, the team needs two wins to surpass 2023’s miserable 50-112 season. While the A’s are likely to win more games this year, the team remains on pace for another embarrassing 100-loss campaign.

Before the Athletics fell apart in Kansas City, the team ended its homestand by playing spoiler, winning two of three against the Texas Rangers. Starting tonight, the Green and Gold will look to play that role again as they begin a three-game series against the Astros.

The American League West is so poor that the Astros lead the division despite hovering over .500. The A’s will have to contain AL MVP favorite Yordan Alvarez, who has single-handedly powered Houston’s ascent to the top of the division.

Right-hander J.T. Ginn and left-hander Jacob Lopez will start the A’s first two games in Houston, looking to get their team back in the win column. They will be opposed by Astros right-handers Hayden Wesneski and Hunter Brown. Neither team has announced its starting pitcher for Sunday’s series finale.

With playoffs well out of reach and the entirety of the team’s core out for the rest of the season, the A’s just need to end the season on a respectable note. At least 60 wins should be the goal, and things should be set in place on and off the field for a turnaround like the Chicago White Sox experienced this year.

How many wins do you think the Athletics will have at the end of the season? What can the team do to build some momentum and positive vibes over the final weeks of this fifth-straight losing season?

A’s Coverage:

• A’s Swept By Royals, Drop Finale 6-2
• Amidst The Despair: The Position Player Talent Is There
• What Are The Next Steps For The A’s? ($)
• A’s Bullpen Collapses Again in 9-7 Defeat
• A’s Drop Road Trip Opener 9-5
• A’s Take Series Against Rangers, Win 5-2
• A’s place Soderstrom on 10-day IL with left hip impingement; Hernaiz recalled
• A’s expect Wilson (shoulder) to miss rest of season (source)
• Athletics’ Johnathan Rodriguez: Claimed by A’s
• Where Each A’s Player’s Contract Stands Entering Offseason
• Red-hot Bolte looking to build on lessons from rookie season
• A’s prospect Winkler thriving in ‘fresh start’ with Aviators
• Why The New GM Needs To “Clean House”
• 111 games, zero errors: Wilson sets MLB record at shortstop
• A Seemingly Rock Bottomless Glass
• MLB Trade Grades: A’s Have Quiet Trade Deadline
• Why Athletics Messed Up at Trade Deadline This Summer
• A’s Top Prospect Jamie Arnold Sets Career High in One of His Best Double-A Starts
• Fustercluck 2026: The Real Reasons For A Disappointing Season
• Signs Of Hope And Signs Of Hopeless
• Athletics prospect Ryan Lasko says feeling in his legs returning
• Cuban’s investment group purchases minority stake in Athletics
• Could last-minute buyer purchase rights to Bally’s project around A’s Las Vegas ballpark?
• Clark County approves plans to build parking garage for A’s ballpark
• Chan Ho Park joins A’s group; 1st Korean to buy stake in MLB club

MLB News and Interest:

• Mariners to call up baseball’s top-ranked pitching prospect (source)
• Updated 2026 MLB top 100 prospect rankings: Made, Arias, more
• Awful Announcing’s 2026 MLB local broadcaster rankings
• Why MLB teams — and players — want ballparks to keep getting louder
• Kansas City council approves $600M pledge for Royals stadium
• Jorge Polanco To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery
• Ketel Marte back in Phoenix for knee testing after no-show
• Reds rookie in position for feat not seen in 76 years
• With Díaz sidelined, Dodgers see Scott as ‘our best and most consistent reliever’
• Phillies Sign Nestor Cortes
• Rangers’ deGrom to start Thursday with 2,000 K’s in reach
• Braves Temporarily Move To Six-Man Rotation
• Murphy downplays Brewers buzz: ‘Don’t think we’ve played great’
• Pirates’ Skenes sees room to grow amid recent pitching struggles
• Dad catches son’s 1st pro HR after predicting it was about to happen
• The 10 biggest breakouts on the new Top 100 Prospects list
• Pirates Acquire Christian Bethancourt
• Which 1B are best at receiving throws? New data has the answer
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Construction of the Athletics’ Las Vegas Ballpark continues to make progress:

2nd truss is complete ✅ pic.twitter.com/i5wvPhplSe

— Athletics (@Athletics) August 20, 2026

Not the way the A’s wanted this season to go. Three of these injured players are signed long-term, with Nick Kurtz also emerging as an extension candidate.

THE VEGAS CURSE‼️❤️‍🩹 pic.twitter.com/8izA9SL1Sl

— SleeperAthletics (@SleeperAth) August 20, 2026

Yikes

Most Wins
American League Since July 27

15 Blue Jays
14 Red Sox, Rays
13
12 Yankees, Astros
11 White Sox, Tigers
10 Twins, O's
9 Rangers, Royals
8 M's, Guardians, Angels
7
6
5 A's pic.twitter.com/FmBWrIkedf

— Chris Black (@DownToBlack) August 20, 2026

Should Mark Kotsay lead the A’s into Las Vegas or would the team be better served by replacing him?

Should the A's Keep Mark Kotsay? SI Writers Give Their Verdict

MARK KOTSAY: KEEP HIM OR MOVE ON? 👀

Should Mark Kotsay be the manager when the A's enter their Las Vegas era? SI's Andrew Ferguson @afergLV and Dylan Quinn @dylanq_2 joined Rants Live @AthleticsRants and gave…

— The House Always Wins Media Network/Las Vegas A's (@lasvegasaspod) August 20, 2026

The Columbus Clingstones went on a tear offensively, with Alex Lodise and Jordan Groshans each vying for the system lead in home runs with their output on Thursday night. Eric Hartman has yet to hit a home run in Double-A as those two have passed him up, but is showing some signs of life as well, while the pitching from top-to-bottom gave every level something to look at.

(61-61) Gwinnett Stripers 1, (56-66) Durham Bulls 3

Box Score

Statcast

• Patrick Clohisy, CF: 0-4, .374/.447/.539
• Lizandro Espinoza, SS: 0-4, .286/.286/.714
• JR Ritchie, SP: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, 3.22 ERA
• Rolddy Munoz, RP: 1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 3.74 ERA

JR Ritchie led the way in a well-pitched evening for the Gwinnett Stripers even though they choked the game away later on. Ritchie has been out of the zone too much in his recent starts and that did carry over for this game, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he commanded the ball poorly. He was elevating his fastball consistently even if he didn’t force a lot of chases above the zone, and was able to avoid his sinker getting battered around in the early innings. Once he settled into a groove late in this game and opened up the arsenal he hit the next level and his breaking stuff was at its peak for this outing. Ritchie had eight misses on his breaking ball which carried him to his seven strikeouts, and it was his ability to land the curveball at or below the strike zone that really stood out from this outing. Fastball and curveball placement being pluses doesn’t necessarily mesh with the walk rates we have seen from him recently but there really isn’t much to complain about with how he attacked on those two pitches. His changeup wasn’t where it needed to be which limited how effective he could be with the pitch as he left it up and on his glove side more often than not. He didn’t use it much at all until he got into the third trip through the order where he was mixing pitches well and hitters were off balance on much of what he was throwing, and he hit his peak in the fifth inning by striking out three batters with two men on base to protect a 1-0 lead.

While Ritchie was rolling the offense scuffled and got a bit lucky to get a run at all. Brett Wisely led off in the second inning by forcing a walk and then stole second base, so when Kyle Farmer’s chopped to the right side slid just past the first baseman Wisely was able to trot home and give Gwinnett a 1-0 lead. That lead held until the ninth inning. Neither pitching staff gave ground and Gwinnett turned to Rolddy Munoz. Munoz, unfortunately, had one of his blow up starts. Munoz had absolutely no clue where anything was going, and before you could blink he gave up a leadoff double, hit two batters, then walked home the tying run. Durham got two more in on sacrifices, but it should have been much worse. Munoz threw a slider dead center that got absolutely hammered into the right center field gap, but a diving play from Patrick Clohisy turned a bases-clearing hit into a sacrifice fly and kept Gwinnett in the game. The Stripers got two on in the ninth inning, but failed to score any of them. That diving catch from Clohisy was his lone contribution to the game, but it was a much improved version of Clohisy over some of his recent offensive outings. He made solid contact on a couple of occasions and put up a good approach at the plate, and if he can show more comfort with sliders like in this outing he should be able to put this recent meh stretch behind him. I’m really excited to see Lizandro Espinoza finally healthy again especially with the home run in yesterday’s game. He was not as successful last night with an 0-4 showing and I expect him to face an uphill battle trying to come back from injury and get a look at a new level, but he’s a player that is really worth a look. I was a fan of the changes to his approach that we’ve seen and increased impact he is making on the ball, and I thought prior to his injury he was on his way to a breakout season. He’s flown under the radar but steadily improved everything he needed to since joining the Braves, and the hit tool questions are a major concern but if he’s drawing walks, hitting the ball as hard as he has this season, and playing solid shortstop he’s going to get some major league looks at some point.

Swing and Misses

JR Ritchie – 14

(55-57) Columbus Clingstones 6, (61-56) Montgomery Biscuits 1

Box Score

• John Gil, 2B: 1-4, .293/.373/.397
• Eric Hartman, LF: 0-4, .211/.348/.228
• Alex Lodise, SS: 1-4, HR, .182/.250/.455
• Owen Carey, RF: 0-4, .232/.328/.411
• Garrett Baumann, SP: 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 4.26 ERA

Last week Garrett Baumann went nine innings and this week he cruised through another seven with a game that was even better than it looks in the final stat line. Baumann gave up a run in the first inning when a hitter managed to muscle a fastball up and in out to right field for a double, then scored on a wild pitch that bounced well away from Archer Brookman behind the plate. After that he was in complete control of the game. Baumann dominated the top of the strike zone with his fastball, and Baumann often lives and dies by fastball command so seeing him this sharp was a great outcome. He consistently threw his four seamer past hitters, and when he needed to his curveball and changeup both had the bottom of the zone and produced results. Baumann’s curveball has taken a step to being the breaking pitch he needed to get him over the hump, and with that the biggest step is going to be consistently finding the edge with his fastball. Much of the damage against him comes because he lets his fastball drift down and doesn’t really have the fastball traits to miss a lot of bats, so days like this are refreshing when projecting him to another shot at Triple-A. He still lacks a pitch that I project as a go-to bat misser at the major league levels, but he has the basic command building blocks and an average arsenal top-to-bottom which should be enough to push him to a future as a starter.

The offense was the Jordan Groshans show once again. Groshans had his third-multi home run game of the season, a performance that pushed his hitting streak to 11 games. in that 11 game span he has six home runs and only three strikeouts, and this game would have pulled him into a tie for the system lead with 25 home runs. It would have been a tie, except before he got the chance Alex Lodise hit his first Double-A long ball. Lodise. Lodise showed off his great pop by staying back on a sinker and shooting it over the wall to right center field, and so far he has looked solid in the adjustment to Double-A. He had a couple of aggressive hacks on fastballs too far up for him to reach and whiffed, and that’s still something he needs to tone down in his approach, but he has continued to look better against spin. There were a few hard hit near misses in this game as well. Eric Hartman is still looking for his first Double-A home run and had another near miss, driving a ball in the first inning to the deepest part of the park where it died for a fly out. John Gil did a similar trick a few innings later, crushing a hanging slider out to left field where it died just shy of leaving the yard. I think Hartman has done well in terms of his approach upon being promoted, he just isn’t getting fastballs in the zone and he’s not producing a ton of power on other pitches. He’s been making more contact than the strikeout rates suggest and he’s just a bit off from hitting his stride. The biggest issue I see is that pitchers are keeping the ball away from him and he is still trying to yank those pitches, which is leading to more rollover ground balls than anything. His swing is geared to the pull side and it’s what makes him successful so it’s nothing the Braves can really change, but an attack plan to have better success on the outer third is going to be a key stepping stone for him.

Swing and Misses

Garrett Baumann – 18

Owen Hackman – 3

(56-58) Rome Emperors 5, (53-64) Hub City Spartanburgers 4

Box Score

• Carter Beck, CF: 0-4, RBI, .182/.182/.182
• Conor Essenburg, RF: 1-4, RBI, .204/.405/.296
• Luis Guanipa, DH: 1-4, .224/.234/.355
• Ethan Bagwell, SP: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 3.83 ERA

I tried to watch this game and think of what went wrong for Ethan Bagwell, and the honest answer is that it wasn’t very much. He allowed four runs in the second inning but the Spartanburgers did not hit the ball hard against him, and there were some borderline pitches in two-strike counts that went against him that extended at least one at bat longer than it should have gone. Bagwell didn’t have the best feel for his slider in this game and that didn’t help his cause, and it’s why he struggled to miss bats, but his fastball command was strong throughout. Bagwell worked around the edges with his fastball and utilized the pitch to get weak ground balls and quick outs, but that also had the effect of him having one inning where all of those hits found grass at the same time. It wasn’t Bagwell’s best work, because without a secondary offering to carry the weight late in counts he struggles to finish at bats and is reliant on batted ball luck, but his command was good enough and the batted balls he allowed don’t really support the four runs he gave up. He left his last start with some back soreness, so him being healthy for this game was already a positive, and it’s not great to speculate but it wouldn’t be out of the question to say there is still a lingering issue there. He was not near as sharp with his breaking ball as he has been for the past two months and I don’t expect that to be a trend that holds.

There wasn’t a huge amount to write home about offensively as Rome just took care of their opportunities when they had them. The Spartanburgers issued a lot of walks and hit Cody Miller a couple of times, and that put the Emperors in position to score runs which they pulled off. It was just a 1-4 day from Luis Guanipa but he looked as good as I’ve seen him at this level and he’s definitely working through some changes that are affecting his swing. He was aggressive in his first couple of at bats but he was swinging at hittable pitches in the strike zone, and in both cases he attacked with the intent to hit it hard on the pull side. One of those turned into a hard hit single, and approach early in the count is exactly what I’m hoping to see more of as the season draws to a close. He had some decent takes in his third at bat and ended with a ground out, and the only at bat he really looked uncomfortable was against a side-armer in the 7th inning. Guanipa is always going to be aggressive, and I’m fine with that sacrifice as long as he’s taking those hacks with intent to do more than just make contact and he did so in this game. Conor Essenburg had a couple of hard hit balls in addition to a couple of strikeouts. On the first one he just got beat and didn’t approach the at bat well, but the second wasn’t fully his fault. The opposing pitcher got two borderline calls, neither of which Essenburg liked and both of which were probably out of the zone, and it led to him feeling he had to chase a fastball off of the edge 0-2. Carter Beck had a rough one, with weak contact in his three plate appearances before ending the game getting dominated by a guy with a good changeup. This is the first time I’ve seen Beck really look lost against a specific pitch and I’m going to be keeping a close eye in future games on how he looks against right-handed changeups.

Swing and Misses 

Jacob Shafer – 5

Ethan Bagwell – 5

(62-54) Augusta GreenJackets 3, (58-58) Columbia Fireflies 4

Box Score

• Patrick Brosius, RF: 2-4, 2B, .297/.413/.514
• Juan Mateo, SS: 1-4, BB, .254/.332/.356
• Davis Polo, SP: 6.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 3.25 ERA

Davis Polo had an interesting dynamic in this start. His slider was solid but he wasn’t pitching with his best changeup, and he had to make some adjustments to find success against left-handed hitters. To start with the three runs, he made a couple of bad pitches that led to the Fireflies getting a run on an RBI double, but the rest of the inning was just bad luck. The next hitter got rewarded with an infield single that could have been called an error, but in any case was a bad hop that got away from the second baseman and led directly to another run to no fault of Polo. Polo ran into some control issues in the fifth inning that led to a run, but otherwise he did a good job of locating his fastball. For much of the game Polo was feeding sinkers low and mixing in sliders, and he got a ton of ground balls as usual but his secondaries just weren’t getting the results he was used to. Polo doesn’t pitch up in the strike zone as often as a lot of Braves prospects, but when he turned to that the second time through the order he had his best innings of the night. He was consistently pumping 93-95 and hitting it on the top edge of the strike zone, and the Fireflies couldn’t get to it to fight it off. Polo doesn’t often miss bats like that with his fastball and it was nice to see that facet of his game, and it’s something I would like to see be part of his approach more often in the future. That is dependent on Polo being able to actually command the ball there, which isn’t always a given, but it gives a lot more depth to his arsenal.

There wasn’t a great offensive showing from anybody, as top-to-bottom the lineup struck out quite a bit and it prevented them from taking advantage of the opportunities they were given often enough. Parker Brosius was the exception with a single, a double, and a hard hit fly out late in the game, but that’s going to be the expectation for him moving forward. I am interested to see Brosius tested against better stuff, because I want to see if he is going to be able to handle pitchers that can land fastballs on the inner half and breaking balls away more consistently. Brosius’s swing path can get long to the ball and he’s gear to yank everything, but I don’t see enough bat speed there to get away with that against consistently good velocity. He also doesn’t have a swing that shows the athleticism to adjust to spin and he’s going to be on top of it with his approach, those these are early returns and also pretty picky complaints for a ninth round pick at this stage.

Swing and Misses

Davis Polo – 10

Cristobal Abreu – 3

The demise of the starting pitcher has been much-bemoaned in recent years (including by yours truly when discussing America’s pastime with friends). Don’t tell that to some of the men who toed the slab Thursday though. Shane Bieber, Jacob deGrom, Grant Holmes, and Gavin Williams all starred for their respective clubs. Holmes flirted with history while deGrom and Williams hit impressive milestones.

It was nice of the Jays to come through when they did, as Gerrit Cole (speaking of outstanding pitching performances) spun a gem of his own to lead the Yanks to victory Thursday night.

Tampa Bay Rays (76-51) 1, Toronto Blue Jays (63-66) 5

After falling to Tampa Wednesday, Toronto rebounded Thursday, giving the Yankees a chance to pick up a game on the division-leading Rays. For the Jays, Shane Bieber recorded his second straight excellent start after giving up one run over six innings against the Yanks last week. Thursday, he again surrendered one lone run. This time, he tossed seven innings. In the last six days, he’s brought his season ERA down from 5.48 to 4.53. Not bad.

Offensively, the Jays played home run derby early. Kazuma Okamoto, Nathan Lukes, and Daz Cameron all hit long balls to put Toronto up 3-1 through five. Old nemesis George Springer delivered the dagger blow on Thursday though. His two-run single extended the Toronto lead to 5-1 in the seventh, more than enough run support for Bieber and the Jays bullpen.

Other Games

Houston Astros (64-64) 3, Los Angeles Angels (51-77) 18: I guess not every game can have a masterwork pitching performance. It still had a spectacular stat line though, in the form of Zach Neto of the Angels. Neto went 5-for-6 Thursday night, scored two runs, and drove in seven as the Angels mercilessly battered the Astros in Houston. The loss knocks the Astros down to .500 and moves Texas to within a game of first place in the mire of mediocrity known as the American League West.

Texas Rangers (63-65) 2, Washington Nationals (61-68 ) 0: Another fantastic performance on the mound, this time from a usual suspect. Jacob deGrom was vintage Thursday night, spinning six innings of one-hit shutout ball, striking out 10. His second strikeout of the night gave him 2,000 for his illustrious career. When his candidacy comes up for Cooperstown, it is going to be fascinating, because counting stats (other than Cy Young Awards) will not be on his side. But what a dominant peak he had. Offensively, Corey Seager gave him all the help required with a third innings solo home run, as Seager continues a hot stretch over the last couple weeks.

Chicago White Sox (66-61) 0, Atlanta Braves (75-53) 2: Old friend Andrew Benintendi singled in the seventh inning of this game. That is particularly noteworthy because it was the first hit against Braves starter Grant Holmes. It also ended Holmes’ day, but was Chicago’s only hit, as Atlanta pitching completely stifled the White Sox. Austin Riley, with RBI singles in the third and seventh innings, provided the game’s only offense. Unsurprisingly, this one was over in a crisp 2:22.

Cleveland Guardians (62-66) 5, San Francisco Giants (52-75) 2: Gavin Williams is having himself a nice second half for the Guardians. Thursday, he delivered 5.2 innings, whiffing 11 Giants’ hitters. That makes six of his last eight starts where the righty has notched double-digit strikeouts. Yesterday’s performance also gives him 201 strikeouts on the season in only 154.2 innings. Offensively, “Guards Ball” was on full display, with four singles and a sacrifice fly accounting for all five Cleveland runs. Very on brand.

Diamondbacks news

(Arizona Sports) Ketel Marte headed for 10-day IL, will then rejoin Diamondbacks

Gambadoro added Marte’s MRI “showed inflammation on his upper hamstring and medial joint of his knee.” He received an injection Thursday afternoon, and the D-backs hope his IL stay will be short.

Marte, his agent Charisse Espinosa-Dash, Hazen and manager Torey Lovullo met at Salt River Fields at 1 p.m. Thursday and had a “productive” conversation, according to Gambadoro.

(ESPN) Diamondbacks moving Marte to 10-day IL after strange absence

Marte’s absence and apparent injury come at a difficult time for the D-backs, who are fighting to make the playoffs for the first time since a run to the World Series in 2023. Arizona has a 67-61 record and is one game behind the San Diego Padres for the final National League wild-card spot.

Marte is hitting .249 with 21 homers and 67 RBIs so far this season.

(SI.com) Diamondbacks Sign Former Dodgers Infielder

The Arizona Diamondbacks are adding to their infield depth, according to their latest transaction.

Per the Diamondbacks’ transaction logs, the team has signed former Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds and Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Santiago Espinal.

It will be a minor league deal for the veteran infielder. He’ll report to Triple-A Reno, joining the Aces’ roster for the time being.

MLB News

(Yahoo! Sports) What could stop the LA Dodgers from three-peating in the World Series?

The big, bad Dodgers have looked awfully beatable lately.

They lost seven in a row to start this month. Over the weekend, they lost three of four to the Brewers at home. And this week, they swept the Rockies, but they didn’t make it look as easy as sweeping the Rockies should be for the two-time defending champions.

So what’s up with this juggernaut? And what could stand in the way of a third straight World Series title for LA?

[Ed. Note] The Feds

(AP) Rangers’ Jacob deGrom reaches 2,000 strikeouts in 2nd-fewest games and innings pitched

Jacob deGrom reached 2,000 career strikeouts in the second-fewest games and innings pitched in major league history when the Texas Rangers right-hander fanned the first two batters among his 10 K’s in a 2-0 win over the Washington Nationals on Thursday night.

DeGrom struck out Daylen Lile and Abimelec Ortiz, both of whom chased sliders below the zone. He received a standing ovation and acknowledged the applause by tapping his cap over his heart.

(NBC Sports) Brewers’ Pat Murphy doesn’t think his team has played great. Milwaukee’s record suggests otherwise

“There’s so much that I see that needs to improve, yet you look up and everybody’s saying, ‘Wow, I love the way you play,’ “ Murphy said. “And I look funny and I look behind me, and I see if they’re talking to someone else. Really? Maybe I’m too critical. Maybe I’m missing something. I don’t know. I do trust the team.

When the Orioles left Tropicana Field four days ago, there was an air of hope around them—the feeling that comes from taking three out of four in the house of the AL East leader. Fast forward four days and the Orioles have come back to earth after being swept in Baltimore by the New York Yankees.

This Orioles team has become the equivalent of baseball’s Sisyphus, doomed to get so close to the final AL Wild Card spot but always falling back. The three wins in Tampa had the O’s a half game ahead for that coveted third spot. After three straight losses to New York and four straight losses overall, the Orioles are buried under five other teams in their quest for an unlikely playoff berth. And yet, Baltimore is only two games back of a spot in the postseason, despite their recent losing streak.

In an improbable turn of events, the Rays have turned out to be a favorable opponent for the Orioles. Despite going 9-16 against the rest of the AL East, the O’s are 6-4 against Tampa Bay. The last time the Rays visited Baltimore, the Orioles won all three games, outscoring Tampa 26-10. Before last Sunday’s 7-6 loss, the O’s were on a six-game winning streak against the Rays.

As has been the case for much of the season (and especially in the post-Trade Deadline era), Pete Alonso will have to carry the Orioles offense if they want to take another series from the Rays. The Polar Bear has destroyed his hometown team, posting a triple slash of .415/.489/.683 with three homers and nine RBIs against the Orioles’ southern division rivals. Colton Cowser and Gunnar Henderson have also dominated the Rays this year, with each posting a .300+ average, a .900+ OPS and three long balls against Tampa.

Game 1, Friday August 21st, 7:15pm ET

Probable pitchers: LHP Trevor Rogers (8-8, 4.15 ERA, 108 Ks) vs. RHP Freddy Peralta (5-10, 5.27 ERA, 123 Ks)

Where to watch: Apple TV

We saw this matchup playout last Sunday in Tampa, when the O’s scored a resounding 10-2 victory thanks to an offensive explosion against the Rays bullpen. Rogers was his usual sharp self, delivering a line of 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB and 6 Ks. It was reigning MVO’s eighth quality start since the beginnig of June, a stretch that has seen him put up 2.45 ERA and limit opponents to a .224 average. Rogers has been slightly worse in Camden Yards this season, posting a 4.31 ERA in Baltimore vs. a 3.95 ERA on the road.

Peralta was by no means bad last Sunday, setting down the first eight Orioles he faced and starting the game with four shutout innings. Everything started to fall apart for him and the Rays in the 5th, with Peralta walking two of the first three batters before being relieved by Garrett Cleavinger with two outs. Cleavinger allowed an RBI single to Jackson Holliday to tie the game at 1-1 before a Pete Alonso doubled to put Baltimore up 3-1. The Orioles then scored seven runs in the 6th to put the game out of reach.

And despite a less than stellar season overall, the Orioles have not been one for prolonged losing streaks. The recent skid is only the fourth four-game skid of the season. Baltimore has only lost five games in a row once this year, which means they should be in line for a Game 1 victory against Tampa.

Game 2, Saturday August 22nd, 7:05pm ET

Probable pitchers: RHP Brandon Young (9-3, 3.52 ERA, 96 Ks) vs. LHP Shane McClanahan (9-6, 3.25 ERA, 96 Ks)

Where to watch: MASN/MASN+

The Young vs. McClanahan matchup is another matchup we saw in Tropicana Field, with the two squaring off in the Monday game that the Rays won 7-6. Neither the Orioles’ breakout pitcher nor the Rays’ former All-Star were particularly sharp in the back-and-forth affair. McClanahan, in his first start off the IL, was limited to 3.1 innings, allowing 4 hits, 3 earned runs, 0 BB, 3 Ks and a Coby Mayo moon shot.

Young only last two outs longer than McClanahan, posting a final line of 4 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 1 BB and 3 Ks. It was BY’s shortest start since the middle of May and only the fourth time all season he’s allowed 4+ runs. It was the big Texan’s first time facing the Rays, so he’ll hope the rematch at home goes much better. Unlike Rogers, Young has actually been slightly better at home this year, holding a 3.39 ERA at Camden Yards vs. a 3.69 ERA away from Baltimore.

Game 3, Sunday August 23rd, 1:35pm ET

Probable pitchers: RHP Shane Baz (4-13, 4.02 ERA, 132 Ks) vs. RHP Nick Martinez (12-4, 3.05 ERA, 83 Ks)

Where to watch: MASN/MASN+

The fact that Shane Baz leads the majors with 13 losses is more a testament to his putrid lack of run support than his actual pitching performance. Among qualified starters, Baz has received the second least run support in all of baseball at 3.12 runs/game. Baltimore has lost six Baz starts in a row, despite the right-hander pitching to a 3.44 ERA over that stretch.

Being in front of the Baltimore faithful hasn’t made it any better. In his last five starts in Camden Yards, the 27-year-old has pitched to a 3.25 ERA while averaging 5.2 IP per start. However, in that same stretch the Orioles are only 1-4 and averaging 2.6 runs/game when Baz takes the mound in Baltimore.

All that being said, the former Ray has been particularly strong against the team that traded him. In two starts this year vs. Tampa Bay, Baz has a 1.38 ERA while limiting the Rays to a a .196 average. The last time he faced Tampa, the righty delivered his best start in Camden Yards all season, tossing 7 innings of 1-run ball while punching out 9 Rays.

On paper, it looks like run support would be hard to come by off Rays’ right-hander Nick Martinez. However, the sinker-baller has struggled of late, posting a 5.92 ERA and .303 BAA and six homers against in his last four starts. Martinez hasn’t made a start in Camden Yards since 2015 for the Rangers, when Jimmy Paredes and J.J Hardy each took him deep and his was outdueled by peak Wei-Yin Chen.

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Can the Orioles turn it around against the Rays? Or will it be another disappointing series against an AL East rival? Let us know in the comments.

As you know, the Cubs are the only MLB franchise to be in its original location since the National League was founded in 1876.

So that makes this the 150th anniversary of the team, and throughout the year the Cubs have been honoring that history in many different ways.

Thursday, the club announced a 150th anniversary celebration that will happen at Wrigley Field Saturday, Aug. 29 and Sunday, Aug. 30. The team says that the weekend celebration will honor the players, people, places and traditions that have defined Cubs baseball since 1876 while recognizing the organization’s enduring connection to the neighborhood it has called home for more than a century.

The celebration begins Saturday, Aug. 29, with the dedication of a new Founders’ Clock at the corner of Clark and Addison Streets, marking the organization’s latest investment at Wrigley Field — you can see what it will look like in the rendering above. The permanent four-sided clock will serve as a welcoming landmark for residents, visitors and fans while enriching the year-round experience in and around Wrigley Field.

If you were in Gallagher Way during the just-completed homestand, this is the area that was blocked off for construction:

The Cubs said in a press release:

The clock reflects the organization’s enduring commitment to the community it has called home for generations. Finished in Wrigley Field’s signature deep green, the clock features historic Cubs logos and inscriptions highlighting four eras of franchise history, connecting the club’s rich legacy with the millions of people who come to Wrigley Field each year.

In addition, the Aug. 29 game will include recognition of the Cubs 150th Anniversary Team, which is a collection of the most accomplished and influential players in franchise history. The team was selected online by fans and includes 40 players and three managers from 1876 to today. The complete roster will be announced Monday, Aug. 24 with the pregame recognition planned for Aug. 29 featuring over 20 members in attendance. A permanent plaque featuring the names of all members of the Cubs 150th Anniversary Team will be added to the Cubs Hall of Fame located in the left field bleacher concourse.

There will be other festivities over that weekend, culminating on Sunday, Aug. 30 with the inductions of Jody Davis, Jon Lester and Vince Lloyd into the Cubs Hall of Fame, with Lloyd as the recipient of the “Lifetime Achievement Award,” a new honor recognizing individuals who made a significant contribution to the Cubs organization over their lifetime.

If you are attending the Aug. 30 game, which is now a night game beginning at 6:20 p.m. CT, you’ll receive Hall of Fame pins honoring Davis and Lester (first 10,000 early arriving fans).

This all sounds like a great way to honor the century and a half of Cubs history. Perhaps this year’s team will add to that with a long postseason run.

The A’s have been in a free fall for months. Back on June 19th, they’d erase an 8 run deficit against the Angels, ultimately prevailing in extra innings in dramatic fashion, winning by a score of 12-11.    The victory evened their record at 38-38 and since then, it’s been a nose dive to last place.    

Cody Elias from A’s cast walks us through the future of this roster as the season approaches its finish line, which cannot come fast enough for the A’s.

Q: A’s have had some tough injuries but guys like Tommy White, Zack Gelof and Lawrence Butler have shown some flashes.    What’s your overall feel for those guys?

A: Let’s start with Lawrence Butler. After undergoing offseason knee surgery and spending most of Spring Training recovering, Butler naturally got off to a slow start to begin the 2026 season. Through the first half of the year, he struggled, slashing .196/.296/.296 with five home runs and 22 RBIs across 88 games. The second half, however, has been a different story: Butler is slashing .245/.314/.500 with six home runs and 14 RBIs in just 29 games.

Zack Gelof is another player the organization had high hopes for following a stellar 2023 rookie campaign, where he hit .268 with 14 home runs, 32 RBIs, 14 stolen bases, and an .840 OPS. Since then, injuries, contact issues, and a surge in strikeouts have plagued his progress. Gelof actually began 2026 in Triple-A Las Vegas after the team brought in Jeff McNeil to play second base, but injuries and slow starts elsewhere earned him a call-back to the big league club. He’s proven versatile ever since, making starts at second base, third base, left field, and center field. Better yet, his bat has returned—he’s posted 14 home runs, 34 RBIs, and an .827 OPS while slashing his strikeout rate from 34.4% in 2024 down to 24.9%.

Tommy White began the season in Double-A Midland before earning a promotion to Triple-A Las Vegas after 21 games. Combined across both minor league levels in 2026, White hit .303 with 10 home runs, 64 RBIs, and an .818 OPS. That production earned him his Major League debut on July 17 against the Washington Nationals in West Sacramento. In a small sample size with the big club, White is hitting .267 with two home runs—both coming in back-to-back games after going his first 27 MLB games without a homer. He’s also delivered two four-hit games while filling in at first and third base for manager Mark Kotsay.

Q: What’s the biggest thing you think manager Mark Kotsay is looking to see in the final 6 weeks of the season?

A: The obvious answer is pitching. The A’s currently carry the highest ERA in the American League at 5.49, driven by a 5.36 starter ERA and a 5.70 mark from the bullpen. Injuries have sidelined veterans Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs, while a disappointing start to the 2026 season landed top prospect Luis Morales back in Triple-A. As a result, A’s starters have thrown the third-fewest innings in the AL.

Still, it hasn’t been all bad news on the mound.

J.T. Ginn has been outstanding for the Green and Gold, pitching to a 3.53 ERA across 25 games. Ginn—who nearly threw a no-hitter against the Angels in June—has logged six or more innings 12 times this year. Ginn isn’t considered a flame thrower by today’s standards in Major League Baseball but his ability to get ground balls with his sinker is valuable at the ballpark in West Sacramento. The sinker is seeing its highest usage rate since 2018 (16.6% of the time) and Ginn doubles the usage rate at 35.7% and opponents are hitting .218 collectively vs the pitch. If Ginn can continue to use his sinker to his advantage and continue to develop his changeup, he has established himself as a potential top-of-the-rotation anchor.

Q: Gage Jump had some incredible moments during the first half of the season, what’s happened since? 

A: Gage has shown flashes of becoming the franchise’s next elite homegrown southpaw. Jump has struck out the third-most batters by an A’s rookie through his first 15 starts, trailing only Tim Hudson and Sonny Gray. In fact, you have to trace back to Gray’s 2013 debut to find the last time there was this level of excitement around a young A’s starting pitcher. As Jump takes the next step in his development, the key element to watch is his secondary usage—specifically his changeup, which he currently throws just 8.6% of the time. Because he relies on his fastball 47% of the time, refining that third offering will be crucial to unlocking his ceiling as a true top-of-the-rotation starter.

Q: Is it fair to say that Jacob Lopez has the potential to be a future star ?   

A: He’s been a bright spot. He was has optioned to Triple-A in early June, and when Lopez returned in July he’s posted a 2.36 ERA across seven starts since July 10. Coming off a solid 2025 campaign that was cut short by injury, Lopez is proving once again that he belongs in the big league rotation.

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

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

Hickory box score

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

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

Hub City box score

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

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

Frisco box score

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

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

Round Rock box score

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Padres News:

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

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

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

Baseball News:

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

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

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

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

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

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