Category: MLB

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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 … 

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.”

Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 10, Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins) 9 — F/10

The Jumbo Shrimp struck for two in the top of the tenth, but Norfolk walked it off in the bottom half. José Barrero trimmed the lead to one with a base hit, and Brandon Butterworth stepped in with the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position. With the infield playing in, Butterworth lined a ball up the middle. Both runs scored without a throw, and the Tides bested the Jumbos 10-9.

Barrero went a game-best 4-for-5 with a two-run home run. Enrique Bradfield Jr. finished 2-for-5 with a double, and Bryan Ramos ended the day 2-for-4 with a solo shot. Jud Fabian singled, doubled and scored three of Norfolk’s 10 runs.

Starter Trace Bright continued to struggle at Triple-A. Bright allowed seven earned runs over the first three innings. Dietrich Enns limited Jacksonville to three hits over three scoreless innings. He struck out three and did not walk a batter.

Double-A: Portland Sea Dogs (Red Sox) 5, Chesapeake Baysox 4

On the night the Adley Rutschman returned to Camden Yards, Anthony Eyanson delivered six strong innings against his former team. Eyanson limited the Sea Dogs to one solo homer. He struck out eight batters without issuing a free pass and dropped his ERA to 2.00 through five Chesapeake starts.

Eyanson exited with the Baysox leading 4-1, but the bullpen let this one slip away. Richard Guasch coughed up two. Tyson Neighbors allowed the tying run to score, and Micah Ashman surrendered the fifth and final run.

Griff O’Ferrall and Vance Honeycutt both finished 3-for-5 from the top two spots in the order. Both Ethan Anderson and Anderson De Los Santos finished 2-for-4. Colin Tuft game Chesapeak a 2-1 lead with a solo shot in the second.

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets) 12, Frederick Keys 5

The Cyclones broke this one open with a five-run eighth. Starter Boston Bateman allowed three runs over three innings. Stephen Still allowed four more (three earned), and Cohen Achen gave up the big inning.

Enddy Azocar—another member of the Rutschman deal—finished 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored. Yasmil Bucce drove in three with a majority of the damage coming on a two-run home run. Ryan Stafford shined from the nine-hole going 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.

Low-A: Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 13, (White Sox) Delmarva Shorebirds 0

Delmarva was outhit 14-5 in an absolute dud. Looking for a bright spot? Stiven Martinez tripled in the sixth inning. Adriander Mejía had already reached base with a leadoff walk, but he was erased on a double play before Martinez delivered Delmarva’s only extra-base hit. Obviously the Shorebirds stranded Martinez at third.

The Shorebirds committed four errors during the game. Only seven of the 13 runs were earned.

Box scores

Friday’s Schedule

Norfolk: vs Jacksonville, 6:35. Starter: Michael Forret (1-4, 5.40 ERA)

Chesapeake: vs Portland, 7:05 pm. Starter: JT Quinn (1-0, 3.46 ERA)

Frederick: at Brooklyn, 6:40 pm. Starter: Twine Palmer (4-4, 3.91 ERA)

Delmarva: at Kannapolis, 7:00 pm. Starter: Braden Smith (0-0, 2.70 ERA)

One of the strengths of the Colorado Rockies this season has been their ability to come back and win games late. They’ve been able to come up clutch and overcome deficits, making baseball more fun this season.

Including Wednesday’s 11th-inning walk-off victory, the Rockies have come from behind to win 33 games (compared to 30 last season). It’s a big reason why the Rockies have 11 more wins than they earned in 2025 with 23 games left on the schedule.

However, August didn’t go as well. It wasn’t the worst month of the season record-wise, though. That distinction belongs to May when the Rockies went 8-20, but August was close behind at 9-19.

Because the Purple Row community is awesome, you gave us a great idea to break down:

ArkieRockie, you are 100% right.

The Rockies have been able to cash in with runners in scoring position this season, but that significantly dropped off last month. Overall, the Rockies are in the middle of the pack at No. 12 with a .256 batting average with RISP. They rank No. 13 in average runners left on base per game at 6.8. In August, the Rockies hit .210 with RISP, which was the worst in MLB for the month. Their average number of runners left on base in August jumped to 7.47 per game.

Month	Games	Team ABs	BA with RISP	MLB Rank	HRs	RBIs	BB	SO	GDP	Win-Loss Record
March/April	32	270	.274	5th	4	99	38	75	8	14-18 (.437)
May	28	231	.251	15th	6	83	18	55	4	8-20 (.286)
June	26	239	.272	T-7th	14	104	25	57	5	11-15 (.423)
July	24	187	.273	13th	6	84	19	44	4	10-14 (.417)
August	28	233	.210	30th	9	89	35	68	8	9-19 (.321)
Total	138	1,160	.256	12th	39	459	135	299	29	53-85

There’s no clear answer as to why production with RISP was so bad. Like most things in life, it’s complicated.

With runners at second and/or third, the Rockies walked more — which is good — but struck out more, too — which hurts. Hitting into eight double plays isn’t very helpful, either.

At the same time, if you examine when the Rockies couldn’t come up with that big hit to bring runners home, it happened a lot in close games. The Rockies lost eight games by two or fewer runs in August. In those close losses, the Rockies went 9-for-59 with RISP. That’s an absolutely abysmal .153 batting average. They also left 59 runners on base for an average of 7.5 per game.

Can you imagine a timely hit in three or four of those eight games? If that’s three more wins, perhaps it breaks up that gnarly seven-game losing streak in the middle of the month or the five-game skid to end the month.

When it comes to individual Rockies, it helps to see who has been the best Colorado batter to have at the plate when the team needs runs. The answer is three Rockies: TJ Rumfield,Jake McCarthy and Troy Johnston.

Player	G	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Hunter Goodman	87	119	24	4	0	9	40	12	40	.202	.274	.462	.736
TJ Rumfield	91	116	39	6	1	3	47	26	18	.336	.455	.483	.938
Ezequiel Tovar	80	112	18	6	0	1	27	5	35	.161	.184	.241	.425
Jake McCarthy	82	109	35	5	2	5	57	9	17	.321	.363	.541	.904
Willi Castro	71	95	25	6	0	4	41	15	33	.263	.365	.453	.818
Troy Johnston	73	88	29	8	0	1	40	12	15	.330	.418	.455	.873
Kyle Karros	72	85	20	7	0	2	32	18	27	.235	.364	.388	.752
Mickey Moniak	58	68	18	3	2	5	41	5	17	.265	.296	.588	.884
Tyler Freeman	50	66	16	0	0	1	19	2	11	.242	.306	.288	.594
Cole Carrigg	52	64	20	8	1	3	32	5	16	.313	.360	.609	.969

When it comes to RISP, Rumfield is tops with a .336 batting average and has the second most RBIs at 47. McCarthy has driven in the most runs with 57, with an impressive .321 average. Johnston is hitting .330 with 40 RBIs.

In August, Rumfield walked 19 times, seven more times than any other month this season. If he’s drawing more walks, then he’s also not driving as many in with hits. While McCarthy is still hitting well, his RBIs dropped from 22 in July to 11 in August. Johnston’s playing time has decreased in the past two months, giving him fewer at-bats, which could also hurt Colorado’s RISP performance.

There are likely dozens of other factors that came together to make a perfect storm of RISP despair.

The good news is that September is off to a better start. In the Rockies win over Baltimore on Sept. 1, Rumfield homered with Mickey Moniak on second and McCarthy singled with Veen on third. Colorado went 2-for-11 with RISP and left nine on base, but they held the Orioles to 0-for-3 with RISP and stranded eight runners.

In the walk-off win on Wednesday, McCarthy hit an RBI triple, Cole Carrigg singled with Goodman on third, Zac Veen doubled with Carrigg on second, and Rumfield, Adael Amador and Brett Sullivan were all clutch in the 11th inning. They went 4-for-11 with RISP, leaving eight runners on base.

If the Rockies want to avoid 100 losses and build momentum to carry into 2027, they’ll need to rebound in September and return to their above-average production with RISP.

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On the farm

Triple-A: Tacoma Rainiers 9, Albuquerque Isotopes 8 (10)

Roc Roggio hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th, but it wasn’t enough to complete a come-from-behind win on Thursday night. The game went back and forth from the beginning when Tacoma jumped out to a 1-0 lead and Albuquerque rallied back in the bottom of the frame to go up 3-1 when Drew Avans homered, Sterlin Thompson hit an RBI double and Roggio hit an RBI single.

When Thompson hit a two-run double in the eighth, the Istopes went up 8-6. But the Rainers tied it up in the ninth and scored three runs in the top of the 10th to come out on top. Roggio and Conner Capel finished with three hits each and Tyler Freeman doubled, walked and scored two runs.

Double-A: Reading Fightin’ Phils 10, Hartford Yard Goats 5

A six-run sixth inning gave Reading a 9-2 lead and the Yard Goats weren’t able to come back on Thursday night. Kyle Karros went 1-for-2 with a walk, an RBI and a strikeout in his first rehab start since going on his second stint on the IL after suffering a concussion on Aug. 12. Jack O’Dowd hit a two-run homer and doubled, Dyan Jorge hit an RBI single and drove in another run with a fielder’s choice and Roynier Hernandez added two hits.

High-A: Everett AquaSox 5, Spokane Indians 2

Everett’s Anthony Donofrio tripled with the bases loaded in the fourth inning to put the AquaSox up 4-0. After six innings, they increased the lead to 6-0, partially thanks to two Spokane errors. The Indians actually out-hit Everett 6-5, but only managed to score two runs. The first came in the eighth inning when Roldy Brito led off with a single and Robert Calaz doubled to prevent the shutout. Spokane got another base runner when Tommy Hopfe walked, but two strikeouts and a groundout ended the inning. In the ninth, Kelvin Hidalgo walked and Max Belyeu doubled to drive him in.

Low-A: San Jose Giants 8, Fresno Grizzlies 5

Completing a night when the Rockies farm system was swept, Fresno got behind 7-1 after three innings and wasn’t able to rally enough to come back. Cort MacDonald hit a two-run home run, Daniel Jackson hit a solo homer, and Ashly Andujar added an RBI single and sac fly. Both Jackson and Andujar recorded two hits for the Grizzlies.

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Connor Norby finally faces foe from 2024 trade | Purple Row

Connor Norby is making a splash with the Rockies, despite just playing in 21 games since being traded to Colorado from Miami for RHP Victor Vodnik Aug. 3. He’s got an interesting backstory from his days with the Marlins, which includes the infielder recently playing against the player he was traded for in 2024: Trevor Rogers.

Ranking the 10 most impactful Trade Deadline moves, one month later | MLB.com

The Rockies don’t often make national, positive top-10 lists, but they did this time. And it’s for the trade in which Colorado acquired Connor Norby at the trade deadline. The infielder reached base in his first 16 games with the Rockies and has put up impressive numbers in all 21 games in purple.

Goodman already has history under his belt, but more is in reach | MLB.com

With 36 homers, Hunter Goodman could go beyond the Rockies homer record for a catcher in a single season, which he already owns, to join an exclusive club of National League catchers who hit or passed the 40-HR mark. He just needs four more before the season comes to a close at the end of this month.

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Good morning.

• The ESPN dot com baseball writers pick the winners and losers in August.
• You already know about Pete Crow-Armstrong, but Max Clark has the other award winners for August.
• Jordan Schusterman has ten September call-ups that could have an impact in September.
• One call-up was Padres catcher Ethan Salas, who at age 20 became the youngest player to catch a major league game since Ivan Rodriguez.
• Keith Law has a scouting report on Salas and some other top prospects (The Athletic sub. req.) making their major league debuts this month.
• Jim Callis and Sam Dyskstra have each team’s hottest pitching prospect.
• One month after the Trade Deadline, people are looking back to see which moves are the best. Brian Murphy has the ten most impactful trade deadline deals.
• Bradford Doolittle has the trade deadline winners and losers, one month later.
• Dayn Perry has the best and worst deals of the trade deadline. Note that all three of them praise the Cubs’ acquisition of Clay Holmes.
• Bob Nightengale takes time to praise the Phillies acquisition of Luis Arráez and how he’s helping turn the Phillies season around.
• ESPN spoke anonymously to several current players about the CBA talks and their feelings about a salary cap. No one is out singing “The Internationale,” but the players are mostly united in their support of their union and its goals.
• Speaking of unions, the New York Times union demanded that The Athletic abandon talks to partner with the prediction market Kalshi.
• Returning to the biggest news of last time, Rhett Bollinger has answers all your questions about the Angels sale.
• Sam Blum has ten questions about the Angels sale. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Marcus D. Smith looks at the possibility that the Angels sale will lead to a new stadium.
• Sam Blum and Chris Kirschner talks to former Angels players about their reaction to the sale. (The Athletic sub. req.) It’s not in the article, but Arte Moreno made former Angels players pay their own way to the ceremony on the 20th anniversary of the 2002 World Series team.
• Ben Clemens offers his take on the sale and Arte Moreno’s disastrous reign as Angels owner.
• Jake Mintz believes that the FBI investigation into Dodgers owner Mark Walter will have a negative impact on the team, no matter what the outcome.
• Mike Axisa has some current trends in MLB as we approach the end of the season.
• Jay Jaffe notes that the Tigers have a chance to be the team that underperformed their Pythagorean Record by the most in the Wild Card era. He also tries to figure out why.
• The Nationals are approaching a major league record for most blown saves in a season. Gabe Lacques has the details.
• Jake Mintz asks if Braves outfield Ronald Acuña Jr. has finally returned to his superstar self.
• Michael Baumann looks at Braves ace Chris Sale’s dominating season and how he resurrected his career since coming to Atlanta.
• Sale is challenging Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski for the NL Cy Young Award, since Misiorowski has come back to earth recently. Kristie Ackert examines what’s been different lately for Misiorowski.
• Jason Foster notes that the favorites for the AL and NL Rookie of the Year Award are separating themselves from the pack.
• Jackson Stone argues that Reds first baseman Sal Stewart should run away with the NL honors.
• Ken Rosenthal agrees and backs Stewart for Rookie of the Year. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is playing through and injury and struggling. Fabian Ardaya asks how much longer can the Dodgers keep Ohtani in the lineup. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Jay Jaffe has some thoughts about position players pitching.
• Jared Greenspan has ten of the greatest seasons in major league history.
• And finally, check out this amazing high school baseball field carved into a mountainside in Kentucky.