Category: MLB

Today’s Reflections

I hope you enjoyed the holiday weekend. I’m sure the baseball writers did, given the paltry number of articles written that weren’t repetitive ones about PCA’s 40th.

Obviously, Pete Crow-Armstrong joining Billy Williams as the only Chicago Cubs lefthanded hitters to hit 40 home runs in a season was the highlight of the weekend. It should have pumped up the Cubs on the road to a sweep of the Marlins, but while the team held on to win Saturday and the series, the loss Sunday highlighted the moderate success of the offense, and the lukewarm-to-poor showing of the starting pitching this weekend.

PCA became the 10th Cub in history to hit 40 home runs in a season when he hit an 85 mile per hour sweeper down the right-field line in the top of the fifth. He stood at the plate and watched at the ball screamed down the line into the right field corner to tie the game at three.

The rest of weekend wasn’t as explosive. Michael Conforto was 3-for-5 with a walk, two runs scored and a home run, which was the 200th HR of the season for the Cubs. Nico Hoerner was 4-for-8 with an RBI. Seiya Suzuki was 2-for-6 with three walks, a double and a run scored. PCA finished going 2-for-7 with a walk, three RBI and the home run.

On Saturday, Ian Happ was 2-for-4 with a walk and two RBI, while Michael Busch was 2-for-5 with a run scored and a double. And Miguel Amaya was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a double. Sunday, Carson Kelly went 1-for-4 with a run scored, and Tyrone Taylor 1-for-3 with a double and a great defensive play.

On the pitching side, there wasn’t a whole lot of very good over the two games. Javier Assad got the recall for the Saturday start. The start wasn’t horrible. He threw 88 pitches and lasted 4.2 innings. He had allowed three hits and struck out three, but he limited the damage of five walks. To start the fifth inning, Assad allowed a single before having chalked up a strikeout and a pop-up and left with game with a 5-2 lead. Caleb Thielbar entered the game and promptly gave up a two-run home run, one of those runs charged to Assad.

A pair of relievers carried the game into the eighth, where with one out, Ryan Jeferzahn entered the game, Cubs still up, 6-5. It took him just 19 pitches to get the last five outs for his first save as a Cub and his fifth for the year.

Clay Holmes just didn’t have it on Sunday, having allowed eight runs in 4.1 innings of work in the 10-3 loss. Chris Rea pitched 2.2 innings and allowed the other two runs. The only plus? Daniel Palencia pitched a scoreless eighth inning, having allowed just a walk while he added a strikeout. However, only six of his 16 pitches were for strikes.

Complimentary Starting Pitcher Solo Home Run*

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Sunday Afternoon’s Game Stories:

• Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): Pete Crow-Armstrong is 10th Cubs hitter with 40-homer season, but Clay Holmes allows eight runs in loss. “Crow-Armstrong hit his 40th home run of the year Sunday, joining elite company in franchise history, but a Cubs team with eyes on a deep playoff run found out how slim the margin for error can be on an atypically rough day for Holmes.”

• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune {$}): Pete Crow-Armstrong hits 40th home run, adding another milestone to the Chicago Cubs star’s MVP-caliber season. “The memorable moments keep piling up in Pete Crow-Armstrong’s magical season.”

• Perla Paredes (MLB.com): PCA belts 40th homer, joining list of Cubs greats. Is 40-40 next?. ““The thought is always just be ready to hit every pitch,” Crow-Armstrong said after the Cubs’ 10-3 loss to the Marlins on Sunday at loanDepot park.“

• Elias Schuster (Chicago Cubs On SI): Pete Crow-Armstrong Joins 40 HR Club, Makes Tons More Cubs History in the Process. “After hitting 14 home runs in August alone, it was only a matter of time for Pete Crow-Armstrong.”

Saturday Night’s Game Stories:

• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune {$}): Javier Assad battles through season-high 5 walks and bullpen does enough to seal Chicago Cubs’ 6-5 win. “Even when Javier Assad doesn’t possess his best command, the right-hander finds a way to put the Chicago Cubs in position to win.”

• Perla Parades (MLB.com): Zeferjahn records 1st Cubs save, Conforto notches club’s 200th HR in win over Marlins. “Part of that is continuing to let his defense work behind him and not chasing strikeouts.”

• Field Level Media (Yardbarker): Michael Conforto, Ian Happ lead Cubs past Marlins. “Ryan Zeferjahn got the final five outs without allowing a run to earn his first save with the Cubs and fifth of the season.”

Assorted Pitching Stories:

• Jeff Agrest (Chicago Sun-Times): Cubs reliever Ryan Rolison heeds advice from wife, who said he was ‘boring to watch’. “If you’ve enjoyed watching the emotion Rolison has shown lately, you can thank his wife, Lauren.”
• Nick Deeds (Cubbies Crib): Checking in on Braxton Garrett after Cubs took intriguing project away from Marlins. “There’s work still to be done in the final weeks of the minor league season.”
• Elias Schuster (Chicago Cubs On SI): Cubs Injury Update: Justin Steele Watch, Edward Cabrera Concerns Grow, More. “The Chicago Cubs’ Edward Cabrera continued to allow tons of contact in his most recent rehab outing.”
• Matt Ostrowski (North Side Baseball): Cubs Shouldn’t Panic About Jacob Webb’s Slump, But He Can’t Lose Confidence In Himself. “Jacob Webb hasn’t looked right since taking a line drive off his throwing arm, but the Cubs’ closer should be okay, so long as he doesn’t lose confidence in what got him here in the first place.”
• Rich Eberwein (Cubbies Crib): Cubs may finally be seeing Ryan Zeferjahn isn’t the trade deadline bust fans feared. “Ryan Zeferjahn might be fixed.”
• Patrick Mooney (The Atlantic {$}): Cubs pitcher Kevin Gausman playing with ‘house money’ as he chases World Series ring. “The flashes of dominance and overall body of work have left little doubt that Gausman should be operating near the front of Chicago’s potential playoff rotation.”
• Ryan O’Rourke (Cubbies Crib): David Peterson has become the perfect low-cost Cubs reunion candidate for 2027. “The former Mets hurler has become a godsend on the North Side.”

Assorted Hitting (or PCA-MVP-HR-WAR) Stories:

• Alexander Rosquez (LastWordOnSports): Pete Crow-Armstrong Chases Rare 10-fWAR Season Last Seen With Barry Bonds. “The Pete Crow-Armstrong WAR chase has already entered Cubs history, but his next potential milestone could be even more unusual.”
• Matt Sullivan (Sporting News): Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong receives bold MLB HR prediction that could actually happen. “This bold prediction could actually happen for PCA this season.”
• Rich Eberwein (Cubbies Crib): 5 no-brainer stats that make Pete Crow-Armstrong’s National League MVP case unstoppable. “No matter what happens in the playoffs, Pete Crow-Armstrong is giving Chicago Cubs fans a season that will go down as one of the best in team history.”
• Patrick Mooney (The Atlantic {$}): Why is Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong becoming ‘the face of baseball’? A former coach’s perspective. “Pete Crow-Armstrong is one home run away from tying Billy Williams as the franchise’s only left-handed hitters with 40 or more in a season.”

Assorted Stories:

• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Cubs’ Labor Day snapshot: A 2nd-place team that believes it can win the World Series. “This Labor Day snapshot still shows the Cubs looking up at the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central standings.”
• Steve Greenberg (Chicago Sun-Times): Craig Counsell or Pat Murphy? We went to Whitefish Bay for the answer. “Is there at least one place in Brewerland where fans still rate Counsell — Milwaukee’s all-time winningest manager — ahead of his popular successor?”
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune {$}): Column: How the brotherhood among Chicago’s young stars fuels our great sports town’s next wave. “Seeing Caleb Williams, Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson supporting Pete Crow-Armstrong at Wrigley Field reminds us of what a great sports town Chicago is.”

Food For Thought:

Based in Lucerne, Switzerland, Biscuit Jack is a driven and charismatic band with a unique approach to their blend of blues, country and rock. The combo has been around since 2005, when some friends got together to play gigs for the love of music. Led by passionate frontman Sascha Koch, the band is all about personal lyricism and unforgettable hooks.

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.

Jaylon Thompson writes about a statistical oddity that occurred in yesterday’s loss to the Diamondbacks.

The Royals and Arizona Diamondbacks dueled at Kauffman Stadium. Neither side scored through nine innings, and it set up for a fantastic finish.

The teams combined to score nine runs in the 10th frame. According to MLB researcher Sarah Langs, it was the third time since 1969 that a scoreless game (through nine innings) saw both teams score at least four runs in extras.

I’m not sure I would have called that fantastic.

Chris Higgins and Dylan Larsen at the Kansas City Star compared the proposed Royals stadium funding mechanism to the Power & Light District.

Famously in local lore, financial projections for a similar funding plan at the Power & Light District did not pan out, and the city has kicked in money from the general fund to pay off bonds — $15.3 million in the last budget for the KC Live! entertainment district, according to city documents — which has sparked fears that the same could happen with the Royals plan.

City Council member Johnathan Duncan of the 6th District has called the Royals plan “Power & Light on steroids.”

While the Power & Light project didn’t go as projected, city officials say they have been conservative in their financial models for the Crown Center stadium and will work to ensure the same thing doesn’t happen again.

Jaylon Thompson got details on how the Royals will proceed with Jac Caglianone.

On Sunday, the Royals received the test results. Caglianone has a Grade 1 flexor strain, but he isn’t expected to be placed on the injured list.

“We’ll have a couple of days with no throw and no activity today,” Quatraro said. “Then, we’ll see where he is come Tuesday or Wednesday. And hopefully, we dodged a bullet there.”

This is a new injury for Caglianone. He had previously dealt with right ankle soreness that sidelined him for a few games. However, he managed to return and play through the injury in August.

Now, the Royals say they are confident he can overcome his elbow injury. The club will build a recovery plan in the next couple of days.

“Now that we know it’s low grade, we can progress a little more aggressively when the time comes,” Quatraro said. “But definitely a day today (Sunday) with no activity.”

Anne Rogers wrote about Vinnie’s home run during Sunday’s game.

On Saturday, there were two at-bats Pasquantino wanted back, grounding out in the first inning and hitting into a double play in the eighth with the tying and go-ahead runs on base in the Royals’ eventual one-run loss.

But such is the beauty of baseball: The next day, you’re probably getting another chance.

“That’s what my dad always said, and it’s something I kind of repeated here, which is: The only one that matters is the next one,” Pasquantino said. “You might hit a homer in one at-bat, but you still have to go up there the second time. You might strike out your first time, and you still got to go up there for your second one. It’s kind of like trying to erase the past a little bit and just focus on where your feet are and trying to go compete because it’s all you can do — is get to the next one.”

She also wrote about Noah Cameron’s continued hot stretch after yesterday’s brilliant start.

There are lots of reasons for Cameron’s turnaround this year. From calling his own pitches to increasing his slider usage to being in the zone more, Cameron has brought his season ERA down from 5.27 on July 19 to 3.93 after Monday. Heck, there even might be something to what glove he’s using in the second half, as he ditched the tan one he used early for the blue one he used for most of last year. (He doesn’t call himself superstitious, but … c’mon.)

All of it showed up Monday. Cameron threw a lot of strikes (67%), particularly early with a 68% first-pitch strike percentage, per Statcast. He befuddled the D-backs with his pitch mix and generated weak contact.

“I thought we were just attacking guys that are notorious for taking early,” Cameron said. “It was just kind of like, ‘Get in the zone, try to stay ahead, try to throw [fewer] pitches.’”

David Lesky recaps the weekend’s games.

Yirsandy Rodríguez at Royals Keep thinks Seth Lugo’s problems lie with his fastball.

The Yankees have activated Aaron Judge off the IL.

Thomas Pannone threw a perfect game last night in the minors, the first since 2017.

Shohei Ohtani is not likely to pitch again this season.

Nate Rasmussen has a neat tool for examining pitch grips.

In a surprise announcement, the KC Current and Sporting Director Vlatko Andonovski mutually agree to part ways.

SMU vs. FSU last night was played in unusual conditions due to a power outage.

The Atlanta Falcons have selected Tua Tagovailoa as their week 1 starter. Woof.

Nate Christensen has game-by-game predictions for the Chiefs.

This guy has trouble finishing books. I dunno, sounds like a skill issue.

Your song of the day is Sarah and the Safe Word with Old Gods of Television.

The San Francisco Giants are one of just three teams in Major League Baseball to be eliminated from playoff contention already. They’re one of five teams that has no chance whatsoever of having a winning season. They’re one of four teams that has no chance of having a .500 season.

But one thing is still in play: fewer than 100 losses.

Since moving to San Francisco in 1958, the Giants franchise has lost triple-digit games just one time, when they lost exactly 100 in 1985. If you’re looking for reasons for optimism, the Giants responded to that 62-100 campaign with five consecutive winning seasons in the following years. That would be a welcome sight for this Giants squad, given that it’s been a decade since they posted even two straight winning seasons.

After Monday’s walk-off victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, the Giants are 60-85. They need to win just three of their final 17 contests to avoid the second 100-loss campaign in San Francisco history. Even for the Giants, that seems very doable, though it’s worth noting that six of those games are against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the other 11 are against teams in the playoff race.

Still, the quest for a loss total in the 90s is not only on, but achievable, and the Giants are even in pole position. Sometimes you just have to aim low.

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants host the Cardinals tonight at 6:45 p.m. PT.

Not many things have gone right for the Orioles in 2026. And yet, the development of Coby Mayo is easily one of the biggest wins of the season.

Early in the season, the 24-year-old Mayo was viewed as another one of Baltimore’s talented young players who couldn’t translate that talent into major league production. Much of that initial skepticism was warranted. Through the first month of the season, Mayo slashed .169/.244/.325 with more strikeouts (25) than hits (13). The young 3B’s early defining moment was a negative one, as an error against his hometown team cost the Orioles a loss to the Marlins back in May.

We saw a brief uptick in his play after the error, with Mayo putting up a .876 OPS over 15 games the rest of May. As we saw in September of the 2025 season, the mammoth home runs and more consistent play provided us with a brief proof of concept that Mayo could succeed in the big leagues. However, another boom-or-bust period from the beginning of June to the All-Star break (.183 average, .698 OPS, 41.7% strikeout rate) brought back those questions about whether the holes in Mayo’s game were too big to ever become an every-day player.

The second half of his season has put a lot of those questions to bed. In 42 games since the All-Star break, Mayo has put up a triple slash of .279/.331/.574. His .905 OPS in the second half only trails Pete Alonso among Orioles regulars. Mayo also ranks second in post-All-Star home runs (9) and third in RBIs (24), all while cutting down his strikeout rate to a more respectable (but still high) 32.6%.

And while his performance has improved across the board over the last two months, the young 3B is still a drastic-splits player. Against LHPs, Mayo, simply put, is the best hitter in all of baseball. Against lefties, he leads MLB in home runs (16), slugging percentage (.752) and OPS (1.136). If you gave Mayo 500 ABs against southpaws at his current rates, he’d hit 60 home runs and put up numbers that rival Aaron Judge’s MVP seasons.

Against right-handers, it’s a different story. His season-long totals are about as good as Colton Cowser vs. changeups. In 219 ABs against RHPs this year, Mayo is hitting .163 with a .513 OPS, while striking out in 37.9% of his ABs.

However, like the rest of his numbers, that performance has gotten better in the second half of the season. Across April, May and June, Mayo had a .148 average with a .235 slugging percentage. Across July, August and the early bit of September, those numbers have jumped up to a .203 average and a .391 slugging percentage. Perhaps most impressive in his improvement against right-handers is Mayo’s increased discipline, with his strikeout rate dropping from 40.3% across April-June to 31.9% across July-September. And as we saw yesterday, he can turn on pitches from pitchers on both sides.

Mayo’s second-half surge should be enough to guarantee him more playing time in 2027. His profile—as a player with elite raw power—is one that often needs a longer runway to adjust to major league pitching. I’ve often viewed Mayo’s ceiling as that of former All-Star Troy Glaus. In Glaus’ first full season, he hit .240 with a .781 OPS and 29 homers in 551 ABs. The next season, Glaus led the AL with 47 home runs while posting a 1.008 OPS en route to his first All-Star appearance.

With a .224 average, .748 OPS and 21 homers in only 352 ABs, Mayo is in line with Glaus’ first full season. However, if the Orioles want to see a similar jump from their 24-year-old power hitter, they’ll need to give him a more regular role instead of just a super-platoon role.

However, fitting Mayo into the lineup on an everyday basis could require some flexibility from the rest of Baltimore’s infielders. Assuming Jordan Westburg comes back healthy from his Tommy John surgery, the Orioles will have five players to split time between 2B, 3B and DH. Westburg and Alexander can play at both 2B and 3B, whereas Mayo and CES only play the hot corner and Holliday has spent the vast majority of his career at second.

However, creative solutions may be what’s needed to revamp the Orioles order going forward. Alexander has played 120 innings in the outfield this year. As one of the few consistent on-base threats in the lineup, Alexander might need to take some of the ABs from Leody Taveras and Tyler O’Neill going into next year.

Alternatively, Mayo could find himself as a semi-permanent DH next year. Manager Craig Albernaz has rotated players like Pete Alonso, Taylor Ward and Adley Rutschman in the DH spot this year to try and keep them fresh. However, the best option going forward could be an even split with Mayo and Samuel Basallo at DH, instead of this year’s DH-by-committee approach.

We may also see a Grayson-Rodriguez-style trade to alleviate the infield surplus. Any one of Westburg, CES or even Holliday could be on the move this offseason if the right upgrade opportunity arises. This front office has shown a recent ruthlessness in trading away players who no longer fit their long-term goals, and a trade of any of those three would open up more ABs for Mayo.

The failures of this Orioles’ season will largely be pinned on an offense that often couldn’t carry its weight. If the O’s want to avoid that fate again in 2027, Mayo needs to play more, starting now. How Albernaz and the front office create that playing time will be something to watch throughout September and into next season.

This has been a year of rebuilding for the Colorado Rockies.

Understandably, the tendency is to focus on personnel, but don’t overlook the technology rebuild that’s happening as well. Prior to the Rockies decision to bring on president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta, reporters documented extensively how the Rockies were behind their peers in terms of using technology to improve player performance. It’s an area in which the current front office is working to correct.

When Purple Row spoke with Rockies bullpen coach Matt Buschmann about bullpen usage, he mentioned the team was using Catapult, a wearable device that allows pitchers to track their work.

Manager Warren Schaefer noted that the Rockies were one of the last MLB teams to adopt this technology, but it’s become a significant factor in helping the organization manage pitcher workloads.

We wanted to know more about Catapule, so I spent last weekend asking coaches and players to explain what Catapult does and how it’s affected their approach to the game.

What do the numbers show?

Let’s start with the obvious: Bullpen management is key to any successful baseball team. A big part of that involves tracking pitcher workload.

“I think it’s more important here in Denver than it is anywhere,” Schaeffer said.

As a starting point, consider how many innings Rockies relievers have thrown over the last three seasons.

• 2024: 601.0 IP (13th in MLB), 5.41 ERA (30th in MLB), -0.3fWAR (29th in MLB)
• 2025: 631.0 IP (6th in MLB), 5.18 ERA (29th in MLB), -0.7 fWAR (30th in MLB)
• 2026: 579.2 IP (5th in MLB), 4.72 ERA (26th in MLB), 3.3 fWAR (15th in MLB)

So, yes, the 2026 Rockies bullpen is significantly better than it was in the previous two years. Although it is on track to throw more innings than most other teams, the ERA is lower than that of previous Rockies teams, and the fWAR is significantly improved.

(I realize this leaves out many significant factors, but given that Catapult is primarily focused on workload management, that’s the factor I am most interested in examining.)

Here are the heaviest throwers in those seasons:

• 2024: Victor Vodnik (73.2 IP), Tyler Kinley (64.0 IP), Justin Lawrence (59.2 IP)
• 2025: Jimmy Herbert, (83.1 IP), Juan Mejia (61.1 IP), Angel Chivilli (58.2 IP)
• 2026: Zach Agnos (69.2 IP, ), Juan Mejia (58.0 IP), Brennan Bernardino (56.0 IP)

Given Agnos’ status as a bulk reliever, it makes sense that his innings count would be so high. Notably, Mejia and most of the Rockies heavy-use relievers will exceed their 2025 numbers. But they are still being effective.

That’s where Catapult comes in.

What is Catapult?

Baseball teams know how many pitches a player throws in a game. That data is easily tracked.

Buschmann wanted to know how many pitches a pitcher throws outside the context of a game because all of those throws contribute to a pitcher becoming fatigued.

Think about it.

Pitchers are throwing all the time. They play catch with a teammate. They work on pitches. They warm up. And, as Schaeffer puts it, “It’s a ridiculous high amount of throws to get themselves feeling right.”

But all those throws add up over the course of the season.

“The majority of the throws are made outside the game,” Buschmann said. “So once we track that, we get a full idea of the throwing.

Plus, the intensity varies, and it’s not possible for a pitcher to accurately measure how much he has exerted himself over the course of a day.

“I’m a guy that always used to throw a lot,” Rockies closer Jordan Romano said, “and I didn’t even really know that. I would say, ‘Oh, I’m throwing light today.’ But my light day would actually be super heavy compared to everyone else, so (Catapult) kind of helps monitor you, keeps the arm feeling good, makes sure you’re not overdoing it.”

A visit to Catapult’s website shows this is an Australia-based company involved with many sports. It provides “[c]omprehensive baseball data & video analysis tracking technology to capture, analyze, plan, and share every aspect of team & player performance.”

A Catapult vest has a GPS system with an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a magnetometer that measures a variety of activities.

When a player who has been wearing a Catapult vest finishes a throwing session, Buschmann uploads the data. Catapult then has a program that extracts each throw and determines how hard each throw was.

“So that gives you a score,” Buschmann said. “Then every day, we kind of add up all those scores to understand and make sure we’re kind of rolling a wave where you have high days and you have low days and mediums in between. But you want to make sure that you’re actually doing that, so kind of staying in one place throughout.”

The result is a visual report that he discusses with pitchers.

After a player has worn a Catapult vest long enough, the Rockies are able to establish a baseline, which guides, according to Buschmann, “What you should throw that day to make sure you stay within a certain throwing load to make sure we don’t spike it.”

Knowing this information provides additional data Buschmann and the Rockies can use in load management.

“Essentially, if we understand how much they’ve thrown, know what they did in the game,” Buschmann said, “it really comes down to what your workload was, what your output was in that workload, and then your response to it. So when we measure those three things, we get a really good idea of where that player is relative to their baseline.”

“But it kind of takes the guesswork out of what to do pregame throwing,” Romano said.

What do the pitchers say?

Romano is a Catapult enthusiast.

He first began using the technology in 2021 when he and Buschmann were with the Toronto Blue Jays.

“Then I then I got off it just because other teams didn’t have it,” Romano said.

That changed when he signed with the Rockies.

“I got here — I think a week or two in — Buschmann’s like, ‘Hey, do you want to get back on the Catapult?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I think that’d be a great idea just for myself.’ So I started wearing it, and then I think a lot of other guys are wearing it, too. And I think just talking with them, they’re finding it very helpful as well.”

For Romano, it’s taken a lot of the guesswork out of his training program.

“I just found it really helpful. It helps you understand what you’re supposed to do pregame. So if you’re throwing a lot pregame, then you get in the game, Catapult will tell you, ‘Hey, today needs to be within these parameters. It needs to be a light day.’”

For the last month, starter Gabriel Hughes has also been experimenting with Catapult while playing catch.

“The (measures) that I look at are the amount of throws and the intensity building up in the throws,” Hughes said. “And so I think it’s allowed me to manage my workload a lot better, both in the number of throws and the way that I’m throwing, the manner that I’m throwing.”

Like Romano, Hughes appreciates having an additional information source.

“I think it’s been very valuable because it’s given me an objective measure to how much I’m throwing. That’s what I’m very bad at estimating,” Hughes said. “So I think, in the same vein, it’s helped me manage my workload better because it gives me an accurate number for how much I’m throwing and the intensity that I’m throwing at.”

Not all Rockies pitchers are experimenting with Catapult.

As Brennan Bernadino put it, “I’m just old school.”

And, to be fair, the numbers indicate that Bernadino’s current system is working just fine for him. It’s tough to beat a 2.09 ERA in 56.0 IP.)

(Per the Major League Baseball Players Association, players’ decisions to use wearable technology “shall be wholly voluntary.” Moreover, teams must be explicit about the data that will be collected and those who will have access to that information, which is considered highly confidential.)

Final thoughts

It can be easy to focus on roster and staffing decisions and lost sight of the fact that the Rockies are not only rebuilding but also trying to solve baseball at elevation.

Catapult is one tool the Rockies hope will help them do that.

They are also exploring other kinds of sports technologies, but that’s a subject for a separate discussion.

This week on the internet

Speaking of technology, in case you missed the recent feature on Rockies TV about Trajekt, here you go:

Improvements point to brighter future | MLB.com

This week in his Rockies Beat newsletter, Thomas Harding spoke with Rockies hitting coach Brett Pill about what he’s seeing in terms of hitting improvements on the part of a young Rockies team.

MLB Power Rankings: A top-5 shake-up; How do each team’s trade deadline moves look now? | The Athletic ($)

By this point in the season, I’ve generally stopped reading power rankings but this one caught my attention given that it factored in teams’ trade deadline moves. The good news is that the Rockies are not last. Instead, they have moved into a less-basement-y 27th place. However, they received a “C” from the evaluators based on the Rockies decision not to trade Mickey Moniak, especially in light of his terrible August. That’s a fair criticism, but to focus on Moniak as opposed to the pitchers the Rockies brought in seems to me to be missing the forest for the trees. The Rockies have already put some of those pitchers to work with promising results.

‘This is home’: The lights shine bright in the inaugural WPBL season | SB Nation

I wanted to be sure that Joelle Milholm’s terrific article on the WPBL didn’t get lost.

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

Do you remember when the Red Sox weren’t gonna have any player in 2026 who would hit 20 home runs?

I’m not gonna be gaslit by this by being told that I’m imagining things, because I know you remember this discourse leading up to Opening Day as well. FanGraphs’ ZiPS model said it themselves in the spring: Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu were going to lead Boston with 19 homers this season. Even if you wanted to be charitable and incorporate mid-season addition Adley Rutschman into the equation, his ZiPS projections still only accounted for 18 round-trippers.

This idea was (at least anecdotally) a consistent-enough of a conversation leading up to that first series in Cincinnatti. There’s a whole Reddit thread about it (yeah, one whole Reddit post!!!! WOW!!!!). Hell, we here at Over The Monster poised the question back in early March!

Here we are about a half a year later, and the Red Sox now have a trio of guys who have notched at least 20 dongs. Willson Contreras leads the way with 26 (compared to his projected 17 from FanGraphs) followed by Abreu’s 23. Duran logged his 20th on Labor Day, while the currently-injured Ceddanne Rafaela has an outside chance of hitting four more homers to get to 20 if he’s taken off of the injured list sooner rather than later. Hell, with the way he’s been hitting, maybe Mickey Gasper can get to 20 before the Pats begin their season tomorrow night.

As Mista Secatore pointed out in that March article here on OTM, baseball projections are inherently an exercise where there’s not going to be any bold takes. It’s just easier to project, say, 25 homers for a guy as opposed to 40. These models are never gonna stick their neck out for many players, so to speak. ZiPS projected that just eight players in MLB would reach the 35 homer mark by the end of the 2026 season—eight players have already done so as I’m writing this on Labor Day, while a handful of other guys could easily get to 35 by the time game 162 is played.

The point is: You can only take so much away from projections. They can maybe help give you a baseline, but they aren’t to be taken as bible. You know this, of course.

It’s just funny to look back at the noise regarding that talking point. This team, even at their worst, was not gonna play over half of their games in hitter friendly environments by proxy of calling Fenway Park home and not have at least one guy reach 20 homers. When you’ve got the benefit of hitting balls…….over the monster……….or towards Pesky’s Pole about 300 feet away, you almost have to go out of your way to not have even one guy with at least something resembling a modest power output. It was just a matter of who was going to do it, not if it was going to happen in the first place.

At the same time, though, this power output has to be something that’s addressed moving forward.

I commend Craig Breslow and Co. for building a legit American League contender, and I think we here at OTM have done more than enough to praise the hard work the players and coaching staff have put in to get themselves out of the early season hole that was dug. I don’t want to poo poo what’s sure to be an interesting end to the regular season and a fun postseason (HOPEFULLY, KNOCKING ON WOOD, DO NOT YELL AT ME ABOUT A JINX).

Yet the Red Sox rank in the bottom third of the league in terms of total home runs. Their team slugging is still pretty good—just over .400—but I’m talking pure old school taters here, baby. Boston hasn’t ranked worse than 20th in total team home runs in a full season since 2017 (and they even finished 12th in the COVID-shorted season in 2020, in spite of how stinky that team was). Not that home run output is the be-all-end-all for a championship team, but just to put this in perspective: three of the four World Series-winning Boston rosters this century have finished within the top-10 in total team homers in their respective seasons (guess which of the four title-winning teams was the exception in the comments below, and don’t cheat by looking it up!!!!!).

The 2026 Red Sox can absolutely succeed without someone like a Manny Ramirez, or a David Ortiz, or a J.D. Martinez. There are enough guys who, when healthy, can give us enough pop to make this fall a memorable one—even if no one is gonna confuse them with Barry Bonds or Hank Aaron (well, maybe outside of Gasper). Homers aren’t even the key part of the Red Sox’s current DNA; it’s the pitching and the defense that serves as the backbone of this iteration of the club. Even then, there are enough guys in the fold right now—as has been proven since late June—who can carry us to the promised land if things break our way.

With all of that said, I’m just curious to see how this matter of power is addressed moving forward. The Sox play 81 games at one of the most consistently hitter-friendly environments in the sport. Three of our four divisional opponents rank within the top-12 of the league in terms of park factor over the past three seasons (read as: the Orioles, Yankees, and Jays play in at least marginally hitter-friendly environments). Only six parks in the American League have ranked out as “pitcher-friendly” yards over the past three years if Savant’s park factor is to be believed. You can’t go wrong with more juice in the Junior Circuit. It’s too early to try and specifically predict how more power can be brought into Boston, but it’s something to think about moving forward.

In the meantime, let’s just be thankful that the ZiPS projections was wrong about the 2026 version of the Sox’s power output.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:L, 1-3 at Rochester Red Wings — both teams entered tied for first place, now Scranton is down a game with 11 games left (and five more head-to-head)

CF Jarred Kelenic 1-4, 1 RBI, 2 K, 1 CS
2B Anthony Volpe 0-4, 2 K
C J.C. Escarra 2-3, 1 BB
DH Marco Luciano 0-2, 2 BB, 1 K
SS Oswaldo Cabrera 1-4, 3 K, 1 SB — struck out with the bases loaded in the eighth
3B Max Schuemann 0-4, 1 K
RF Yanquiel Fernández 0-3, 1 BB, 2 K
1B Tyler Hardman 0-4, 1 K
LF Kenedy Corona 0-2, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB, 1 HBP, throwing error

Alexander Cornielle 6 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 4 BB, 7 K (loss)
Chris Kean 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 K
Danny Watson 1 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 2 K

Double-A Somerset Patriots: Off-day

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades: Season over

Low-A Tampa Tarpons: Off-day, playoffs start today

Florida Complex League Yankees: Season over

Dominican Summer League Yankees: Season over

Dominican Summer League Bombers: Season over

The Dodgers should clinch the National League West within the next week. That will make 14 consecutive postseason appearances, and no team in major league history has more.

To the record books, the Dodgers can say hi. To their chances of getting the best version of their best hitter for the run toward a third consecutive World Series championship, the Dodgers must say bye.

You could argue the Dodgers would benefit from a postseason bye because they have the oldest position players in the league, but pretty much the same group won the World Series without a bye last season.

You could argue the Dodgers would benefit because they could line up their starting pitching just the way they like for the division series, but there are no bad choices among the four aces: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow.

No, the Dodgers absolutely need the bye because it would provide five days of rest for Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers just gave him four, before he returned to the lineup Monday, and his roster of ailments will be managed rather than resolved for the rest of the season.

Without a bye, the Dodgers would get just one day between the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs. Too much risk for too little reward?

Between now and the start of the playoffs, the Dodgers have a critical and conflicting mission: Get Ohtani enough at-bats to get him back in the swing and preserve him in bubble wrap as much as possible.

Step one, as Ohtani acknowledged Monday, is for him to stop pitching this season. That should help with the healing of Ohtani’s battered body: knee, arm, neck, hip. But, for all the blessings of a two-way superhero, the Dodgers can’t shut him down entirely, at least not until he gets his swing right.

Read more:Plaschke: No two ways about it — Shohei Ohtani should not pitch again this season

“As long as I’m playing in games, it’s not exactly the best way to recover and heal,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “Of course, the best mode of recovery is to completely not play. But right now I just want to make sure that I’m playing, playing well and just focusing on the now.”

Can the Dodgers win the World Series without Ohtani in the starting rotation? They did last year, when he lost Game 4 of the World Series and was dismissed in the third inning of Game 7 — and that was without Skubal on their roster.

Can the Dodgers win the World Series without Ohtani dominating at bat?

In the wild-card round, he hit two of the Dodgers’ five home runs. In the National League Championship Series, he hit three of the Dodgers’ six home runs, with a .500 on-base percentage. In the World Series, he led the Dodgers in home runs (three), doubles (three) and walks (nine), with a ridiculous 1.278 OPS.

Now? Ohtani has six extra-base hits in the past 25 days. His last home run: Aug. 18, and since then he has six hits in 49 at-bats (.122), with 21 strikeouts.

Ohtani believes he can return to form as a hitter despite the injuries.

“I should have enough experience to be able to address any kinks or injuries or anything like that with the swing,” he said. “I’m going to use this as an opportunity to add on to the experience that I’ve had previously and be able to address it regardless.”

For all his recent hard times, Ohtani is one of five players in the majors with a .900 OPS. The Dodgers will not only take that, but build around it. For the Dodgers, Job 1 is to make sure he can hit in October.

“It is,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Him being in the lineup, optimally, is the best for the Dodgers.”

So long as the Dodgers can get him into the lineup, they’re willing to consider anything else.

Read more:Shohei Ohtani returns, Teoscar Hernández stays hot in Dodgers' fifth straight win

“We can be successful with him at the top,” Roberts said. “I’m not blind, if there’s something dynamic that might be better, whether he’s hitting second or third, then I’m open to it. But I don’t want to make that decision quite yet.”

To Ohtani, it isn’t as simple as “stop pitching, hit better.” But, then again, maybe it can be.

“I’m confident that my overall performance should be better moving forward,” Ohtani said. “I think the thing that I was more focused on was making sure that the pitching wouldn’t cause the worse scenario, which was for me to not be able to play at all.”

That still could be at risk with a flareup or recurrence of an injury, which is why the Dodgers need to juggle getting Ohtani back into his swing with minimizing his playing time before the Dodgers’ real season starts.

The Dodgers have a two-game lead over the Atlanta Braves in the race for the second and final NL playoff bye. The Dodgers also boast a 50-16 record against teams with losing records, with 15 of their final 18 games scheduled against teams with losing records.

On Monday, Ohtani played, for the first time in five days. He got no hits, but he reported no discomfort. That was progress.

The date that counts the most: Sept. 29, three weeks from Tuesday. If the Dodgers are off that day, proud owners of a playoff bye, that should give them the best chance at another magical Ohtani October.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

And now, the Astros come to town. This is actually going to be an important series as it’s one of those that the Phillies really should be winning. There cannot be a letdown from seeing Atlanta leave town, nor can there be anything about looking ahead to this weekend.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Pitching Jesus Luzardo in relief in a potential Game 1 of a Wild Card round? ‘Tis an interesting proposition that is made ($).
• Tanner Banks is nearing a return from the injured list and is being built up as a potentil multi-inning reliever ($).

MLB news:

• Aaron Judge returned to the Yankees yesterday from a lengthy injured list stay. He’ll be in the lineup against the Rockies tonight.
• Sounds like Andy Pages is beginning to swing a bat again in the hopes of returning to the Dodgers lineup sooner.
• Shohei Ohtani will not pitch again this season for the Dodgers. Aww, too bad for them that they won’t have him as a weapon in the playoffs.

The Detroit Tigers opened up their six-game homestand on Labor Day with a narrow 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins. Troy Melton had some hiccups, but the bullpen held strong this time, while the offense had just enough juice to outlast the visitors.

Taking the mound in Game 2 for the Olde English D is right-hander Drew Anderson, who will be making his ninth start of the season. The 32-year-old has been solid since his permanent promotion to the rotation, posting a tidy 2.57 ERA but a less-impressive 4.92 FIP in those six games stretching across 28 innings of work.

Anderson’s last start also came against Minnesota in Minneapolis, where he spun 5 2/3 frames of two-run (one earned) ball on three hits and two walks while striking out five for a no-decision in a game that Detroit ultimately won, 11-6, in 12 innings.

A familiar face will toe the rubber for the Twins on Tuesday night — fellow righty Dean Kremer, who will be making his third start against the Motor City Kitties this season and second as a member of Minnesota’s staff. The 30-year-old was on the hill in that same 12-inning battle as Anderson, coughing up four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five plus a wild pitch over four frames, also failing to figure in the final decision.

If the Tigers prevail, they will clinch their first series win since taking two of three from the Cleveland Guardians from Aug. 11-13. Here is how the two hurlers match up for their second face-off in a week.

Detroit Tigers (66-78) vs. Minnesota Twins (68-76)

Time (ET): 6:40 p.m.
Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
SB Nation Site:Twinkie Town
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 145: RHP Drew Anderson (4-5, 3.73 ERA) vs. RHP Dean Kremer (2-5, 5.81 ERA)

ANDERSON

KREMER

Welcome back to the Minor League Roundup!

As a reminder, you can find this roundup — covering everything you need to know about each of the Brewers’ minor league affiliates — every Tuesday morning right here on Brew Crew Ball. For consistency, all organizational prospect rankings will reference MLB Pipeline unless otherwise noted.

Before getting into the usual roundup, here’s some good news and some bad news:

The Good News:

32-year-old left-hander Thomas Pannone made history last night by throwing the first nine-inning perfect game in the minor leagues since 2017, retiring all 27 batters he faced on just 94 pitches. In doing so, he became the first pitcher to throw a nine-inning perfect game in the minor leagues since 2017 and just the fifth to do so in International League history (so, almost 150 years).

Awesome to see for the 32-year-old left-hander, who has appeared in 51 major league games with the Blue Jays and Brewers. How can you not be romantic about baseball?:

The Bad News:

Infielder Luis Peña, the Brewers’ No. 2 prospect and No. 21 overall, fractured his fibula sliding into third base and will miss the rest of the season. I’m not going to attach the video here, but the injury looked, for lack of a better word, gross. He was put in an air cast on the field and taken straight to the hospital, where he was diagnosed not with a broken ankle, as initially reported, but with multiple fractures in his left leg.

In some ways, it feels like the season couldn’t have gone much worse for Peña; this was actually the second time this season he’d been taken to the emergency room straight from a game. The first came after he passed out in the dugout, reportedly due to severe dehydration. He missed over a month before returning, only to end his season with a broken leg.

The Silver Lining:

At least he’s still good at baseball. Peña posted an .804 OPS in 188 High-A at-bats, then started his first stint in Double-A by going 15-for-56. That kind of production from a 19-year-old isn’t anything to sneeze at.

As weird as it is to say, breaking his fibula was probably about the best-case scenario given how bad the injury initially looked — no compound fracture, no broken ankle or tibia, no torn ligaments. In short, nothing that appears to be career-threatening. I say that with the caveat that the organization hasn’t provided many updates on Peña since the injury; if they do, you can find coverage right here at Brew Crew Ball.

With that out of the way, let’s get into the roundup:

Triple-A Nashville Sounds

Current record: 76-59
Record this week: 5-1
This week’s opponent: vs. Louisville Bats
Next week’s opponent: @ Durham Bulls

Standout performances:

Brock Wilken: 6-for-20, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 0 BB, 7 K
Tyler Black: 5-for-17, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K
Ethan Murray: 5-for-17, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Ramón Rodríguez: 3-for-14, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 0 BB, 1 K
Akil Baddoo: 4-for-19, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 0 BB, 5 K
Thomas Pannone: 13.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 13 K (including his start on 9/7/2026)
Garrett Stallings: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Tyson Hardin: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Coleman Crow: 7.0 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Colton Gordon: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K

Thomas Pannone’s previous start, on Tuesday, Sept. 1? Four innings, zero earned runs, five strikeouts. Not a bad week at all.

While Pannone’s perfecto is obviously the story of the week, a few other Sounds also put together outings worthy of mention. Tyson Hardin has struggled at times, but he put together his best outing in over a month, pitching seven innings of one-run ball while allowing only three hits. Coleman Crow and Colton Gordon also pitched well, as has been par for the course for both of them.

Among position players, Brock Wilken probably had the best week, but he hasn’t had a great year. He’s hitting .197 even after this week’s 6-for-20 showing, with only a .382 slugging percentage to go along with it. However, Wilken has still managed to hit 16 home runs, and he went from posting an even worse line in Double-A in 2024 to recording an .876 OPS in 2025.

Wilken, the Brewers’ first-round pick in 2023, probably doesn’t have a future with the organization given the amount of corner infield talent in Milwaukee’s farm system. Andrew Fischer and Blake Burke, just to name two, are better prospects with similar profiles. With that being said, Wilken is still only 24 and has tons of power — he’ll be eligible for the Rule 5 draft after the season, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see another team take a flier on him.

Tyler Black, who also had a solid week at the plate, is eligible for this December’s Rule 5 draft as well. Like with Wilken, injuries, underperformance, and positional depth have made him pretty much expendable for the Brewers. He’s older (26) and isn’t a defensive upgrade anywhere, but he also has a .771 OPS in 313 at-bats this year, an .838 OPS in 27 big-league at-bats, and was considered a fringe top-100 prospect heading into last season.

Double-A Biloxi Shuckers

Current record: 62-65
Record this week: 4-2
This week’s opponent: vs. Birmingham Barons
Next week’s opponent: @ Pensacola Blue Wahoos

Standout performances:

Matthew Wood: 6-for-13, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 5 BB, 3 K
Mike Boeve: 7-for-18, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 7 BB, 4 K
Andrew Fischer: 6-for-16, 4 HR, 11 RBI, 10 BB, 7 K
Josh Adamczewski: 6-for-21, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 6 BB, 4 K
Braylon Payne: 4-for-12, 1 3B, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K
Wande Torres: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
J.D. Thompson: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Bishop Letson: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 9 K

Biloxi’s position players were led this week by catcher Matthew Wood, who hit nearly .500, and Andrew Fischer, who hit four home runs — again — to bring him to 46 on the season. His 46th, a monster home run in the bottom of the fourth, brought him into a tie with former MVP and two-time MLB home run leader Ryan Howard for the most homers in any minor league season this century. If he hits one home run this week against Pensacola, he’ll move into sole possession of first place.

At this point, I’m running out of things to say about Fischer’s power. He drove in 11 runs this week and somehow managed to draw 10 walks in just six games, meaning he reached base 16 times despite recording only six hits. He also struck out seven times, but that’s a tradeoff you’ll happily accept when a player is doing this much damage. Fischer did struggle in August, but one slump doesn’t erase 46 home runs.

Wood had a pretty ridiculous series of his own, going 6-for-13 with two homers, five RBIs, and five walks. Mike Boeve actually reached base even more frequently, collecting seven hits and seven walks in 25 plate appearances. Josh Adamczewski also walked six times to go along with six hits and a home run, while Braylon Payne went 4-for-12 with a triple and five RBIs.

Jesús Made, baseball’s No. 1 prospect, had been struggling at the plate in August — hitting just .204 with a .579 OPS — but bounced back a bit with a 6-for-24 showing. All told, it was an impressive week for a Biloxi lineup that features a significant chunk of the Brewers’ top prospects.

Wande Torres — who threw five one-hit innings this week — was again the best pitcher the Shuckers started. Earlier this week, Torres was named the Brewers organization’s Pitcher of the Month for the second straight month. He went 3-0 with a 1.75 ERA in August and didn’t allow a single earned run over his final three starts of the month.

J.D. Thompson also turned in an excellent start, allowing just one earned run and two hits across six innings while striking out six. Bishop Letson didn’t go quite as deep, but he missed plenty of bats, striking out nine over 4 2/3 innings while allowing two runs. It’s great to see two of the Brewers’ better pitching prospects putting together strong outings as the season winds down.

High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

Current record: 66-58
Record this week: 3-3
This week’s opponent: @ Beloit Sky Carp
Next week’s opponent: None

Standout performances:

Daniel Dickinson: 8-for-19, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 4 BB, 1 K
Tayden Hall: 6-for-21, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 4 BB, 5 K
Eric Bitonti: 5-for-23, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 5 BB, 6 K
Juan Ortuno: 4-for-22, 1 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K
Miqueas Mercedes: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
Jarrette Bonet: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Joshua Quezada: 4.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
Ethan Dorchies: 9.0 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 5 BB, 9 K

Both of the Brewers’ A-ball affiliates — the Wilson Warbirds and Wisconsin Timber Rattlers — wrapped up their regular seasons on Sunday. I’ll have plenty more on the Timber Rattlers — and what this season means for players like Dickinson, Bitonti, and the rest of a prospect-heavy roster — in the season recap coming later this month.

Daniel Dickinson, the Brewers’ sixth-round pick in the 2025 draft, really came on strong after starting the season somewhat slowly. He was consistently one of Wisconsin’s better hitters over the second half, but especially in August. Dickinson was named the organization’s (and the Midwest League’s) Player of the Month after batting .343/.452/.581 with a 1.033 OPS in 27 games while leading the entire Midwest League in batting average, hits, and stolen bases.

Dickinson carried that momentum into the final week of the season, going 8-for-19 with a home run and four walks while striking out just once. He finishes his first full professional season hitting .282 with an .898 OPS in more than 400 plate appearances.

Eric Bitonti also ended his bounce-back season on a solid note. He went just 5-for-23 against Beloit, but homered, drove in three, and drew five walks. Tayden Hall also had himself a nice week, going 6-for-21 with a double, a homer, and four walks.

On the mound, Miqueas Mercedes picked up right where he left off following his promotion to the Timber Rattlers. Mercedes tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits while striking out four. He finishes his season with a 2.61 ERA — although with a 1.40 WHIP — in 21 appearances.

Joshua Quezada also shoved this week, striking out eight over 4 1/3 innings while allowing only one hit. Jarrette Bonet, who’d given up at least three earned runs in each of his previous three starts, bounced back nicely, tossing four shutout innings while allowing only one baserunner. Ethan Dorchies got tagged for five runs on six hits and walked five, although he also struck out nine.

Single-A Wilson Warbirds

Current record: 64-65
Record this week: 0-6
This week’s opponent: @ Fredericksburg Nationals
Next week’s opponent: None

Standout performances:

Moises Polanco: 8-for-22, 1 RBI, 0 BB, 3 K
Rylan Mills: 6-for-22, 3 HR, 4 RBI, 4 BB, 10 K
Tyler Renz: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Luke Roupe: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
Enderson Mercado: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
Joey Broughton: 4.0 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 4 BB, 4 K

Wilson’s inaugural season ended on a sour note, as the Warbirds were swept in six games by Fredericksburg to finish the year at 64-65. The results obviously weren’t what they wanted, but there were still a few individual performances worth highlighting.

Catcher Rylan Mills provided most of the power, going 6-for-22 with three home runs, four RBIs, and four walks. It was the second consecutive three-homer week for Mills, who also went deep three times against Hickory last week. The strikeouts are something to keep an eye on — he struck out 10 times in 26 plate appearances this week — but 14 home runs in 209 at-bats as a 19-year-old is nothing to sneeze at.

Moises Polanco had Wilson’s best week in terms of batting average, going 8-for-22 while striking out only three times. Pedro Ibarguen reached base eight times in 15 plate appearances, collecting four hits and four walks, and finishes his first full season in Single-A with a .733 OPS.

There wasn’t nearly as much to highlight on the pitching side. Tyler Renz turned in easily the best start of the week, allowing one earned run on two hits across four innings without issuing a walk. The rest of Wilson’s pitching staff had a considerably tougher time keeping Fredericksburg off the scoreboard, as reflected by the stat lines of Enderson Mercado (4.2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K) and Joey Broughton (4.0 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 4 BB, 4 K).

After the offseason exits of Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan from the Cardinals organization, it opened up a pathway for Nolan Gorman to take advantage of everyday opportunities. However, that hasn’t quite come to fruition. The Cardinals optioned Gorman to Triple-A Memphis in June and put him through a vigorous rework of his swing and approach at the plate. Since his recall on August 25th, Gorman is 4-for-31 with a slashline of .133/.161/.300 -> .461 OPS, .248 xwOBA, and a 22 wRC+. Gorman’s overall season numbers look like .186./.265/.316 -> .581 OPS, .275 xwOBA, and a 61 wRC+. I was someone who advocated for Gorman’s recall after a really encouraging hot streak from the middle of July to Gorman’s return in late August. Of course, as I write this sentence, he hits a home run in Colorado.

Overall, it would appear as though Gorman is not a preferred option moving forward. He has shown positively on the defensive side of the ball, posting a +2 DRS (defensive runs saved) and a +1 OAA (outs above average), which both measure impactful defense and range. The Cardinals could potentially look to recoup some value for Gorman from a 3rd-base-needy club that would be willing to bet on the power potential and the improved defensive acumen at a 5 million-ish rate for 2027.

In 2026, the Cardinals hoped to gain clarity and answers on their controlled big-league players to find out if they’re long-term pieces. Sometimes a negative answer is still an answer, and it appears Gorman isn’t one. So, who could be next to throw their hat in the ring of fire, or hot corner, or whatever euphemism you’d like to use?

Blaze Jordan

Almost certainly, a severe sprained ankle suffered in the Baltimore series has ended Blaze Jordan’s season prematurely, even though he was starting to show positive signs of improvement at the plate. If that is in fact the case, Jordan finishes the season with a .247/.276/.382 -> .658 OPS, .284 wOBA, and a 79 wRC+. Blaze Jordan showed that he is currently a capable platoon option, producing a 124 wRC+ against LHP and, unfortunately, a 51 against RHP. Manager Oliver Marmol noted that his career minor league numbers didn’t indicate any severe platoon splits, which likely means he will see opportunities against all types of pitching in 2027. Jordan also posted a +2 DRS and +1 OAA, like Gorman, though that number was a +4 through his first 30 or so games and began to backslide during the month of August. Jordan is most likely a 1B/DH long-term, but for 2027 he can probably continue to get opportunities at 3rd if no one else can take hold of the opportunity.

Thomas Saggese

Since Saggese’s recall, all he’s done is hit! Coming into Sunday’s performance .550/.577/.1.100 in his last 7 games. 11-for-26 this past week with 3 HR, 2 doubles, 8 RBI, and 2 SB. He then followed last week up with another 2-hit game in Sunday’s finale in Colorado, with another 2-hit performance including another double and 2 runs scored. Still at only 24 years old, I think a lot of fans had already written off what Saggese was capable of. If you think back to 2023, the season he won the Texas League MVP, he slashed .306/.374/.530 -> .903 OPS in 139 Games between Double-A and Triple-A. That season also included 26 HR, 34 doubles, 111 RBI, and 12 stolen bases. When you consider not only Saggese’s age, but also some of his minor league pedigree, it’s not a stretch to conceive that he walks into 2026 as the favorite to take the first chunk of the season at minimum with the 3rd base spot and his name penciled in there.

Jesus Baez

When you think about what JOSHUA Baez has accomplished in his short time in the big leagues and how impressive his flashes of excitement have been, he might not even be the best BAEZ in the system. Jesus Baez, acquired from the New York Mets in the Ryan Helsley trade in 2025, has made an absolute mockery of Double-A and should begin 2027 at the Triple-A level; his electric play will be knocking on the big-league door. With Gold Glove SS Masyn Winn entrenched at the position, Baez will likely need a near-term move to the hot corner for a quicker route to the big leagues. This season, in 54 games at Double-A, Baez has 23 HR and 62 RBI and is slashing .316/.353/.674 -> 1.027 OPS with a 148 wRC+. Baez has a slick glove and the ability to make all the throws from the left side of the diamond, as well as the ability to flash well above average thanks to his raw athleticism. If the other two mentioned options above fail to take the opportunity and run with it for the full season, expect Baez to get his shot sometime in the last half of the season as the future of Cardinals baseball continues to evolve and the excitement of young athleticism continues to ascend.

Outside addition?

Until we know more. I do want to leave open the idea that perhaps the Cardinals could pursue an outside addition. I wouldn’t dream of getting your hopes up over some Jose Ramirez-level player that’s not realistic, though he’d be extremely fun to add to this Cardinals group, don’t ya think? If Gorman is moved out of St. Louis and all of these ascending bats primarily hit right-handed, one could posit that a little bit of balance might be required to help Manager Oliver Marmol to navigate a 162-game season. I present an interesting outside option for your consumption. Detroit Tigers 3B/1B/DH Colt Keith. In 129 Games this season, Keith has a .260/.321/.402 slash -> .723 OPS .319 wOBA, and is a 103 wRC+ on the season. Colt would be a really solid platoon partner for Blaze Jordan, producing a 111 wRC+ in 368 PA against RHP in 2026. Keith signed a pre-debut extension before the 2024 season and will be owed 4.3 million in 2027, 5.3 million in 2028, and 5.3 million in 2029, before he has 3 consecutive club options that gradually increase to $ 10 million in 2030, 13 million in 2031, and $ 15 million in 2032. Allowing for cost certainty and little long-term risk, consider that the real weight of the contract is in the club options, thus giving the team the majority of the power in the situation. Probably a comparable defender to Gorman/Jordan, grading as a -1 DRS and a 0 OAA at 3rd base in 2026; he is, however, rated as a +2 in baserunning value. He is capable of doing some things really well and could be another quality piece of the mix if the Cardinals wanted to go this route.

The Cardinals will maintain flexibility and options for this spot on the roster going into 2027. The good news is that they aren’t forced to one thing over another and can be afforded the opportunity to be opportunistic if something that really fits becomes available. If they chose to go the Saggese route, I’d be in favor of it. If they chose to give Blaze Jordan more run next season and to see what adjustments he could make in the offseason, I’d understand it. If they went out and brought in a Colt Keith to work alongside a Blaze Jordan, I’d be really intrigued to see what that would look like, and if none of those options panned out and Jesus Baez ascends and is just an electric factory of play on the field, I’d be really amped to watch that play out as well! I think ultimately any route that doesn’t include running it back with Nolan Gorman, now that we all should probably know better, would be a welcome direction at the hot corner.

-Thanks for reading

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

The 2026 Orioles may be teetering precariously over a cliff, but they haven’t fallen into the ravine just yet. They kept their flickering playoff hopes alive, and at least temporarily found their bats again, with a 6-4 win to open a three-game series against the Guardians. The victory snapped the Birds’ season-worst six-game losing streak and gave them their 70th win of the year, their first since the Colton Cowser Catch in Colorado. Check out Andrea SK’s recap for all the lovely details.

The win doesn’t get the Orioles out of the hole they’ve dug for themselves, but it keeps them relevant at least for another day. They’ve assured they won’t get swept by Cleveland, a circumstance that would’ve stuck a fork in their season for good. But they can’t stop there. The Orioles have to win at least one of the next two games to avoid losing precious ground. And even if they split the next two, they’d still finish the series trailing the Guardians by three games. So frankly, only an Orioles sweep would have us feeling even the tiniest bit optimistic about their chances, and that’s without even considering the two other teams that the O’s also need to surpass, the Blue Jays and Rangers.

At this point, with only 17 games remaining on the schedule, pretty much every one of them feels like a must-win if the O’s hope to make a miraculous charge back into the playoff race. The Orioles would need to play nearly perfect baseball down the stretch, something they haven’t remotely shown they’re capable of this season. But it would help if they can sustain the signs of life they saw from their offense yesterday, which included a pair of Coby Mayo dingers and some brilliant at-bats like Blaze Alexander’s 11-pitch bases-loaded walk. Even still, the Orioles need to do better with runners in scoring position; they were just 1-for-11 in RISP situations and stranded 12 runners on base.

It’s nice that the Orioles remembered that they can, in fact, win a game from time to time. Now they just need to string together, oh, 12 or 13 more of those and then we’ll be in business. How hard could it be?

Links

Walks and Mayo’s mashing move Orioles past Guardians to end six-game losing streak (updated) – School of Roch

Don’t look now, but Coby Mayo is rocketing up the Orioles’ OPS leaderboard. Is it possible that the Orioles have one homegrown hitter who is actually living up to expectations?

Orioles apologize to fans, offer tickets after Zay Flowers miscommunication – The Baltimore Sun

No, Zay Flowers did not bail on being the guest splasher on Saturday. It seems like the Orioles just decided not to have him do it, even though they’d told the fans he would. Oops.

Why did the Orioles trade Tyler Wells? | MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com

This is perhaps the most frequently asked question on Camden Chat these days. Nobody but Mike Elias really knows the answer, and his answer would probably be unsatisfying, too.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! And happy 28th birthday to current Orioles outfielder Leody Taveras. Taveras, who wasn’t even a sure thing to make the O’s Opening Day roster, has been a mainstay on the team all year long and was one of the Birds’ hottest hitters in April. Because it’s his birthday, I won’t mention how his season has gone since then.

Former Orioles born on this day include catchers Nick Hundley (43) and Al Pardo (64); right-hander Don Aase (72); and the late righty George Werley (b. 1938, d. 2013) and lefty Lou Sleater (b. 1926, d. 2013). Sleater grew up in Maryland, attending Mount St. Joseph HS, Towson University, and the University of Maryland.

On this date in 2012, the O’s defeated the Yankees at Camden Yards, 5-4, to pull back into a first-place tie with New York. Mark Reynolds, J.J. Hardy, and Lew Ford all homered for the Birds to back a solid Joe Saunders start. Unfortunately, the win was marred in the bottom of the fifth inning when the Yankees’ CC Sabathia drilled Nick Markakis in the hand, ending his season with a broken thumb. That may well have cost the Orioles a chance to go further in the postseason, as the Markakis-less O’s later lost the AL Division Series to the Yanks, three games to two. Fourteen years later, I still haven’t forgiven Sabathia.

Random Orioles game of the day

On Sept. 8, 1972, the Orioles lost a low-scoring game to the Tigers in Baltimore, 2-1. In a pitcher’s duel between the Orioles’ Pat Dobson and Detroit’s Woodie Fryman, it was the Tigers lefty who prevailed by throwing a complete game, while Dobson worked seven innings for the Birds and gave up two runs. The O’s scored their only run on a seventh-inning homer by Don Buford. Baltimore-born Hall of Famer Al Kaline, nearing the end of his stellar 22-year career, made a pinch-hitting appearance and popped out.

The Yankees announced the biggest news of their season on Monday, activating Aaron Judge from the IL ahead of today’s series at home against the Colorado Rockies. The Captain’s return has been deeply anticipated ever since he was placed on the IL back at the start of June, as the offense largely disappeared once he departed from the lineup. Even though Judge was, with the benefit of hindsight, playing injured for most of May, the difference he made simply by standing in the batter’s box was night and day — now, with the final 19 games of the regular season in front of them, Judge will be back in that box for most of them and hopefully do some damage with the lumber as well.

It’s fair to note that while Judge is at long last returning, he’s definitely not 100 percent as he’ll get penciled into Aaron Boone’s lineup card later tonight. Judge has foregone a minor league rehab assignment to get back to the team as quickly as possible, and only took batting practice for the first time a few days ago. The rib injury that has held him out for multiple months isn’t fully healed and won’t be for the remainder of the season, limiting how explosive he can be in the outfield (not that the Yankees would want him to push himself as much as he has out there, given it’s how the injury occurred in the first place). Boone has even mentioned that it’s likely Judge will only play for seven innings or so in tonight’s contest and could sit out a couple of games as the team eases him back into the fold. It’s the smart thing to do, especially with the lack of prep games under Judge’s belt, but it begs the question of just what will he look like jumping into MLB action for the first time in 100 days?

Colorado is starting Gabriel Hughes on the mound, a rookie pitcher that Judge has never faced in his career and the owner of a 6.19 ERA entering tonight. He utilizes a low-90s four-seamer over half the time and sprinkles in a sinker a little under 10 percent while also mixing in a slider and changeup in the mid 80s with a 78 mph curveball as his last offering. All in all, that’s about as good of a first matchup as you can hope for, the Yankees’ tendencies to make mediocre rookies look like aces aside. Judge will probably only get two at-bats against him, perhaps three, but there’s a decent chance that he collects a hit to get the ball rolling once more.

Where his impact will be felt immediately, however, will be with the hitters surrounding him. Ben Rice has had a fine 2026 season altogether, but he looked like a superstar emerging when he was hitting alongside Judge in April and May. Now reunited, perhaps Rice gets on a heater with some better looks as pitchers will have a 6-foot-7 slugger on their minds when the designated hitter steps up. Luis García Jr. wasn’t even on this team when Judge last played a game, but one of the best sluggers in the game this year will certainly benefit from a deeper lineup and the threat that Judge’s mere presence provides.

Defensively, as previously mentioned, Judge’s impact will be more limited. In an ideal world Judge would probably slot in as a DH for the remainder of the year, but that spot is already filled with Rice and García on the roster. Add onto that the Trent Grisham injury taking him out of center field, and the outfield depth necessitates Judge man his usual right field while Cody Bellinger and Spencer Jones help him patrol the outfield. Judge’s range may not be close to what we expect as he’ll have to avoid risking any more diving stops and it may take him a bit longer to get a full steam charge chasing down balls, but his arm strength should still be enough of a threat to any would-be sacrifice flies or baserunners trying to stretch a single into a double.

It may not be the most ideal state, but the Yankees won’t be complaining at all that they’re getting Judge back at long last. The team’s potential without him felt extremely limited, and though they’ve been hanging in the division race and maintaining a hold on the top Wild Card spot without him it felt like October was going to be a wash if he couldn’t return. Now all the cards are on the table, and it all begins with him stepping onto the Yankee Stadium outfield grass for the first time in three months tonight. What do you think his box score will read like when he inevitably gets pulled late, and how will the bats around him do?

While we’re all eagerly awaiting No. 99’s rollcall, there’s still plenty to look over before the game starts. Jeremy starts us off with a look at the pitching matchups to expect in this series with the Rockies, and Andrew follows up with the Rivalry Roundup as the Red Sox stayed hot in pursuit with the Yankees inactive. Sam highlights Gerrit Cole’s career thus far on his 36th birthday, Michael goes over the past week down on the farm, Peter breaks down Austin Wells’ clutch extra-inning single in the At-Bat of the Week, and Josh will opine on the experience of missing Judge’s incredible feats now that he’s officially returning.

Today’s Matchup:

New York Yankees vs. Colorado Rockies

Time: 7:05 p.m. EST

TV: YES Network, Rockies.tv

Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

The Bucs made a move before Sunday’s game with the Los Angeles Angels, recalling switch-hitting outfielder Ronny Simon and optioning infielder Nick Yorke to Triple-A Indianapolis.

Simon has only played in 9 games at the big-league level this season, but he’s hitting .290 over just 34 plate attempts. He did not get to play in the Angles series.

Simon was tearing up the International League, however, leading the league with a .344 average and also second overall with 33 doubles. Simon also hit 7 homers, knocked in 72 RBIs and stole a whopping 35 bases. He was also second on the league with a .426 on-base percentage. Suffice it to say, the 26-year-old Simon earned the call up.

Yorke has played 40 games with the Pirates this season, hitting just .212 with 1 homer and 12 RBIs. He had just 3 hits in his last 10 games played for the Bucs. The 24-year-old Yorke is in his third season with the Pirates. He hit .232 last season and then .216 before that.

As for the Pirates, they are coming off of a series win against the Angels and have battled back to within two games of .500 at 71-73. They are certainly playing a bit better of late, yet still stand 5.5 games back of the Wild Card. Playoffs are not an impossibility. Only unlikely.

The Bucs are back in action tonight after taking off Labor Day, when they will return to action for the thre-game series with the Chicago White Sox. The Sox are currently leading their division, so this will be no easy series for the Bucs, but if they can keep it rolling, they can at least finish strong regardless of their playoff status.