Category: MLB

Mark Manfredi did not speed.

This is worth establishing up front because he had every reason to. He he ducked out of the clubhouse in Albuquerque the night before to FaceTime his wife and his seven-month-old son before bedtime, and he was back at his apartment when his pitching coach called with a message that was less a request than a summons.

“He goes, ‘Hey, Skip wants to see you,’” Manfredi said. “I was like, ‘Well, I’m saying good night; I’m at the apartment.’ And he’s like, ‘Well, you better want to get back here as soon as you can. He wants a word with you.’ So I rushed back, trying not to speed for whatever reason it may be.”

It was a 10-minute drive. He was asked, later, whether it felt longer than that.

“Longest 1o minutes of my life.”

Then he walked in, and Isotopes manager Pedro Lopez asked where he’d been. Manfredi told him the same thing.

“And he was just like, ‘Well, you better call them back and tell them that their dad and husband is going to be a big leaguer.’ And I was just like — I am at a loss for words.”

The road to the 26-man

Manfredi’s route here was not linear, and he does not pretend otherwise. A ninth-round pick in 2023 out of the University of Dayton — 272nd overall, a $27,500 bonus — he spent 2024 in High-A as a swingman, moved to the bullpen full-time in 2025, and broke out this spring: a 39.2% strikeout rate across 16 games in Double-A, then 18 more with Triple-A Nashville, where he ran a 3.09 ERA and a 31.3% strikeout rate over 23.1 innings.

Then on August 3, Milwaukee traded him to Colorado. He found out the way most players do — his name scrolling across a television.

“That was the first thing that I had in mind when I saw my name on the TV, and I got the calls,” he said of the chance to reach the majors. “The Brewers are a fantastic organization, but I love it here already.”

The Albuquerque line that followed does not look like a promotion case: four appearances, five innings, six walks, six earned runs. The peripherals were kinder — a 4.76 FIP against a 10.80 ERA — and so was the context. He was learning to pitch a mile up in real time.

“Everyone talks about the PCL and elevation,” Manfredi said. “The only way I can describe it is you don’t really know until you experience it for yourself. Pitching in game, everything is different — besides maybe a pitch or two. And then you go back to non-elevation, and your pitches move the way they have your whole life.”

The data backs the complaint precisely.

His four-seamer averaged 14.1 inches of induced vertical break in Nashville. In Albuquerque, it averaged 11.9. For a pitcher that throws the fastball nearly 60% of the time, that is not a rounding error; that is the pitch he built a career on, arriving flatter than he had ever seen it.

His adjustments followed the shape of the problem. Start two-strike pitches further off the plate, because they won’t chase as far. Get ahead early. And lean on the one thing altitude can’t take.

“I knew that in altitude, the gyro slider is going to play,” he said. “It’s the pitch that’s least affected by altitude.”

He threw it 31.7% of the time in Albuquerque, up from 24.1% in Nashville — partly by design, partly because the two weeks in the PCL brought him more left-handed hitters than he’d seen all season, which also gave the developing sweeper a workout it badly needed. He picked up the grip in spring training from former Milwaukee Brewer-turned-Rockie, Sammy Peralta.

And then, in a touch-and-feel session in Albuquerque the day before he was called up, he found something.

“I threw a two-seam a couple weeks ago in Nashville and never really visited it again. And then I threw one yesterday, and it was my exact four-seam metrics in non-elevation with my two-seam,” he said. “Me and [Craig Bjornson], the pitching coach in Albuquerque, we were just like, we might be onto something here.”

Wednesday night

Kyle Freeland’s neck tightened up, and Manfredi knew what was coming next before anyone told him.

“When I saw the injury, and he was walking off, I was just like, ‘This is 100% going to be me.’ So I ran frantically and started throwing plyos as fast as I could, and then my name got called.”

What he walked into was a two-out, bases-empty situation against the Dodgers with Shohei Ohtani due up first. Warren Schaeffer, who watched him take the ball with what the manager described as a big smile, got a five-word scouting report from his own reliever.

“He said, ‘This is the perfect spot,’” Schaeffer recalled. “I’m glad his family was here to see that. I thought he threw that ball exceptionally well. His first at-bat against Shohei — I thought that was perfect. He’ll never forget that.”

Manfredi’s plan for Ohtani was the same plan he’d described that afternoon, before he knew he’d be using it that night: go right at them, don’t pitch around them. He also, finally, got to run his experiment. He threw the two-seamer — one to Ohtani, he thinks, and maybe one to Freddie Freeman.

“And it sank.”

The full debut line: 1.1 innings, one hit, one walk, two strikeouts, no runs, on 19 pitches. Eleven four-seamers averaging 94.0 mph, four sliders, two sinkers, and one each of the sweeper and changeup. He landed a first-pitch strike on five of six hitters.

The second inning of work was where he felt himself arrive — “coming back in, winding down, and starting to be like, okay, this is where I’m at, and I’m here” —and it opened with a strikeout of Freddie Freeman. Which very nearly cost him his first career strikeout ball.

“No, not at all,” he said, when asked whether he’d realized what it was. “I was just kind of in the moment and just rolling with it. And then when he asked me for a new ball, I was like, I want this ball. And then it kind of clicked.”

The people who would want to see that ball were all in the building: his wife Madison, his son MJ, his parents, his grandparents from Cleveland, his college head coach at Dayton, a buddy from Dayton, and both his agents. On less than a day’s notice, across a two-hour time difference.

“That was all orchestrated at like two or three in the morning,” Manfredi said. “I can’t express how grateful I am.”

Prior to his debut, he’d been asked how he processes a season that took him through two organizations, three levels, and a first child in January.

“Me and my wife always say it’s God’s plan; it’s not our timing,” he said. “All I’ve got to do is just throw the ball to the best of my ability and kind of ride the wave. Because in this profession, you’ve got to be like that. If you’re not, you’re not going to last very long.”

To Read: Rockpiles

• Monday: Kyle Karros, Cole Carrigg, and the Power of Friendship | Sam Bradfield
• Tuesday: As Zac Veen and Cole Carrigg show, these aren’t your mother’s Colorado Rockies | Renee Dechert
• Wednesday: Taking stock of the Rockies’ current starting depth | Skyler Timmins
• Thursday: What is fueling the Rockies offensive improvements? | Cory Cohen
• Friday: A look into a new 1B receiving stat and how TJ Rumfield measures up | Joelle Milholm
• Saturday: What Are the Rockies Actually Trying to Build on the Mound? | James Riggenbach

To Read: PuRPs

Full Stream | Jeff Aberle

• Nos. 25-21
• Nos. 20-16
• Nos. 15-11
• Nos. 10-7
• Nos. 6-4

To Read: News

• Roster News: Rockies DFA Michael Lorenzen, recall TJ Shook | Renee Dechert
• Weekly Pebble Report: Jared Thomas lost six months. He never lost his belief. | Eli Whitney
• Roster News: Rockies place Hunter Goodman on the injured list; recall Braxton Fulford | Skyler Timmins
• Roster News: According to reports, Rockies to call up Mark Manfredi | Renee Dechert
• Staff Feature: The Purple Row Mailbag: August 2026 | Skyler Timmins
• Staff Feature: Colorado Rockies 2026 walk-up songs 2.0 | Renee Dechert
• Purple Row After Dark:The Rockies have 50 wins. Let’s celebrate! | Sam Bradfield

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

Good morning, baseball fans!

Another week of San Francisco Giants baseball comes to an end today, so it’s time to find out what everyone’s favorite highlights of the week were.

Arguably, the highlight of the week was Willy Adames hitting his 200th home run on Thursday. But I posted about that on Friday, so I’m going to pick Rafael Devers hitting Splash Hit #110 in Sunday’s 13-7 loss to the Colorado Rockies. Anytime there’s a splash hit, it’s always going to be in consideration for my highlight of the week because it’s just such an iconic part of getting to watch baseball at Oracle Park.

What was your favorite highlight of the week?

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants conclude this weekend series against the Boston Red Sox this afternoon at 12:15 p.m. PT.

Today’s Reflections

What a winnable mess that was in Seattle Friday night.

And Matthew Boyd created it. The lefthander allowed just six home runs in his first 12 games this season. In four August games, Boyd has allowed eight home runs in the last four starts, including two three-run and three two-run blasts.

Boyd called it part of the gameplan to throw Cal Raleigh a juicy high heater because he’s struggled with them this season. If you are a guy that hits 100+ with your fastball, maybe. But when yours is mid-90s at best, (not that I was a pitcher, but) it seems like you would set it up with something off-speed. In general, throwing a fastball at the top of the zone isn’t a bad idea, but it is when it’s right in the middle of the plate. Same thing a few batters later against Brendon Donovan — Boyd got the ball to the bottom of the strike zone, but it also was in the middle of the plate. Two pitches turns a 3-0 lead to a 4-3 deficit.

Suddenly Boyd’s fastball dropped 2.5 miles per hour from his maximum pitch between the third and fourth innings. It looked like Boyd was trying to pitch around it, though, in the bottom of the fifth. After the “Balk Heard ‘Round the World”, Boyd threw a 78 mile per hour curve to Donovan to move the runner to third. That was followed by a 72 mile per hour curve to Randy Arozarena to make the score 5-3. His curves were all well below its fastest pitch late in his outing. Something was off.

NOTE: The article below by Evan Altman by Cubs Insider came out after I wrote this, but has some addition deep stats and opinion on Boyd.

None of that was related to the balk call. But my thought on it — I’ve thought it was balk nearly every time he throws over to first. Friday may be the best example of it. His step toward first is no more than a shoe-length, and the rest of his motion sends his body more toward home plate than normal. In other words, he had decreased his move toward first to almost zero. It will be interesting to see next time if he has made his move more traditional. It doesn’t have to be a lot more — just a more definite move toward first than home. I think a balk call (other than a twitch) should normally be made by the field umpires, but in this case, it was most obvious from home plate.

And if the Raleigh blast was just a one-off mistake and the Cubs won 5-3, little would be said about the RISP. Which is unfortunate, because this stat is just as important in a win as it is in a loss. As I’ve said before, continuous contributions from the entire offense (just a bunch of singles is fine) is at least as important as the 2-3-4 guys that hit solo home runs. As we saw last year, failing in all RISP situations is contagious. Its head has peaked above water a few times lately. The hitters need to avoid that.

Okay, positives. Alex Bregman’s 3-for-5 night with two home runs and three RBIs was huge. Ian Happ and Michael Busch both went 2-for-5 with Happ adding a solo homer, and Busch two doubles and a run scored. And PCA started the game with his 32nd home run of the season.

Despite the poor RISP numbers and being struck out 11 times, seven of the nine starters did get a hit. The rest just weren’t timely. And the lack of production set the Cubs up to lose in the 10th inning, as with two outs, Cubs righty Ryan Zeferjahn allowed a walk-off single to Leo Rivas, at .130 hitter, to lose, 6-5.

The main highlight from the pitching staff was the return of Daniel Palencia. He pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts on 10 pitches and seemed no worse for wear.

*means autoplay on, (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled real sarcasm font in the comments.

Friday’s Game Stories:

• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): Bregman homers twice, but Cubs fall in extras. ‘The North Siders were unable to push a run across in the top of the 10th, ending the night 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position and giving the Mariners the opening they needed.“

• Megham Montemurro (Chicago Tribune {$}): Matthew Boyd allows big HR and is called for costly balk as Chicago Cubs waste early lead in 10-inning loss. “The Chicago Cubs finished an ugly 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position and left 11 on base Friday night in a 6-5, 10-inning loss to the Seattle Mariners.“

• Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): Matthew Boyd called for balk on pickoff try, Craig Counsell ejected in Cubs’ loss: ‘The umpire got fooled’. “Boyd led the majors in pickoffs last year, but an attempt Friday was deemed a balk. Counsell disagreed to the point of getting ejected from the Cubs’ extra-inning defeat.”

More about Friday’s game:

• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider): Matthew Boyd’s Recent Struggles Underscore Concern About Cubs’ Postseason Viability. “Unless they pull some 1969 BS, the Cubs will be in the playoffs after the regular season concludes.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): Happy Birthday, you’re outta here! Counsell tossed over balk call. “One of Matthew Boyd’s specialities is his pick-off move — a bit of deception that has caught plenty of baserunners by surprise over the years.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): A Lousy, Frustrating, Annoying Loss, Boyd’s Fastball, Missing Swanson, and Other Cubs Bullets. “The reason the word annoying comes to mind for me with last night’s loss is watching Matthew Boyd have costly, big misses with his fastball in the middle of the plate time and time again.”

Assorted Stories:

• Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): Slow start behind him, Alex Bregman piling up big moments, looking capable of carrying Cubs deep into October. “Bregman, who signed a $175 million contract last offseason, has emerged from a sluggish start at the plate and has caught fire in the second half, looking like the player who was promised, capable of starring in the postseason.”
• Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib): Explaining why the Cubs keep sending a successful Javier Assad to Triple-A. “As Craig Counsell noted, it’s certainly not because he hasn’t pitched well.”
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Big picture, Cubs are thinking World Series: Explaining the Assad decision, plan for Palencia. “”We’re getting to a point in the year where … we’re trying to do something that’s really hard to do,” Craig Counsell said.”
• Chris Pownall (DaWindyCity): The Cubs are experimenting with a fascinating postseason possibility. “The Chicago Cubs are preparing for the postseason, even if they have not officially secured their place yet. One subtle choice during Matt Shaw’s return to game action revealed a fascinating option the club could carry into October.”
• Randy Holt (North Side Baseball): Weighting Cubs’ Historically Good Defense By Position. “The 2026 Cubs are turning in a historic defensive season. But where in the field is such prowess being compiled?”

Food For Thought:

Muddy Waters (born April 4, 1913?, near Rolling Fork, Mississippi, U.S.—died April 30, 1983, Westmont, Illinois) was a dynamic American blues guitarist and singer who played a major role in creating the post-World War II electric blues that typified the Chicago blues style. His music profoundly influenced many rock artists, especially British blues-based bands of the 1960s. Waters, whose nickname came from his proclivity for playing in a creek as a boy, grew up in the cotton country of the Mississippi Delta.

He taught himself to play harmonica as a child and took up guitar at age 17. He eagerly absorbed the classic Delta blues styles of Robert Johnson, Son House, and others while developing a style of his own. As a young man, Waters drove a tractor on the sharecropped plantation, and on weekends he operated the cabin in which he lived as a “juke house,” where visitors could party and imbibe moonshine made by Waters. He performed both on his own and in a band, occasionally earning a little money playing at house parties. He was first recorded in 1941, for the U.S. Library of Congress by archivist Alan Lomax, who had come to Mississippi in search of Johnson (who had already died by that time).

World’s fastest motorized clog shoe exceeds 70 mph

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.

Triple-A: Norfolk vs Nashville (MIL) – PPD

The Tides and Sounds were scheduled to play a doubleheader today, but it never happened. The first game was suspended for rain in the top of the first, and the second was canceled. They’ll try again today with another doubleheader. The first game will pick up where the suspended game left off, with a 3-1 count on the first batter of the game.

Double-A: Chesapeake Baysox 4, Richmond Flying Squirrels (SFG) 3

The Baysox took a 2-0 lead in the third inning on back-to-back doubles by Fernando Peguero and Wehiwa Aloy. Peguero homered in the fifth inning, so a big day for him. Colin Tuft also homered, his first since being promoted to Double-A 12 days ago. Aloy also walked twice in the game, a good table setter. The red-hot Aron Estrada went 0-for-4.

JT Quinn started and gave up two runs in five innings. He allowed five hits without a walk, one of which was a home run. He only struck out two.

Box Score

High-A: Wilmington Blue Rocks (WAS) 1, Frederick Keys 0

Twine Palmer pitched four innings with just one unearned run allowed. Yeremy Cabrera of the Blue Rocks singled, moved to second on a passed ball, to third on a balk, and then stole home. Carson Dorsey followed Palmer with four scoreless innings on four hits.

The Keys were held to just five hits, two from Randal Diaz. Enddy Azocar singled, and Colin Yeaman had a single and a walk.

Box Score

Low-A: Hickory Crawdads (TEX) 7, Delmarva Shorebirds 2

Starting pitcher Brayan Orrantia pitched four good innings and one lousy one. In the fourth, he allowed three runs on a hit-by-pitch, three singles, and a wild pitch. In his other four innings, he allowed one hit, one walk and one HBP. He hit the same guy twice, which just seems mean.

One offense, Miguel Rodríguez singled in Carlos Sanchez in the fourth inning. In the sixth, Hector Campusano walked, went to second on a bad pickoff pitch, and scored on an Adriander Mejía single. Jaiden Lo Re went hitless in the game. Stiven Martinez singled and walked. Both Eric Booth, Jr. and Ty Head had the day off.

Box Score

Today’s Schedule

• Norfolk vs Nashville, 12:05. Game 1 starter: TBD; Game 2: Trace Bright
• Chesapeake vs Richmond, 1:05. Starter: Sebastian Gongora
• Frederick @ Wilmington, 1:05. Starter: Boston Bateman
• Delmarva @ Hickory, 2:00. Starter: Collin McKinney

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

I never thought I’d be saying this, but I wish the Orioles could play every game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Birds’ inexplicable dominance against the American League’s best team continued last night with a dramatic, come-from-behind, 3-2 walkoff victory in 10 innings. The Orioles, given up for dead after being shut out into the eighth, put on a thrilling display for the Camden Yards crowd thanks to Samuel Basallo’s pinch-hit game-tying homer and Dylan Beavers’ pinch-hit walkoff double, besting a stunned Rays team yet again. Check out all the lovely details in Alex Church’s recap.

The Orioles are now 8-4 against the Rays this year and eight games under .500 against everyone else. Conversely, the Rays, 4-8 against the Orioles this season, are 27 games over .500 against everyone else. It defies explanation, but that’s baseball, I suppose.

At a time of the season where every game takes on extra importance, this was one of the Orioles’ best wins of the year. Besides the obvious off-the-bench heroics of Basallo and Beavers, there were plenty of other O’s stalwarts on this night. Tyler O’Neill made up for a poor offensive showing by flashing the leather in right field, making a cannon of a throw to cut down at a runner at third and then making two outstanding catches in the ninth, the second one robbing the Rays of a would-be go-ahead hit.

Brandon Young struggled with his command but battled to work 5.2 solid innings, and the O’s improved to 17-5 in his starts. The bullpen was dominant, with scoreless outings both from high-leverage guys — Andrew Kittredge and a resurgent Rico Garcia — and from lesser known names like Josh Walker and Alex Hoppe. Pete Alonso had two hits on his bobblehead day to extend his career-best hit streak to 14 games.

Even much-maligned manager Craig Albernaz deserves credit for striking gold with his in-game tactics. I was silently screaming when he decided not to pinch-hit for the soft underbelly of the lineup in the seventh inning, and then when he did pinch-hit in the eighth for Coby Mayo, who’d been scalding the ball. But it worked out brilliantly. Basallo, batting for Mayo, delivered the tying homer, and Albernaz unleashed Beavers against Bryan Baker in the 10th with delightful results.

Don’t look now, but thanks to their win and the Rangers’ loss, the Orioles are just one game back for the third wild card spot — albeit with the Blue Jays, Twins, and Guardians also ahead of them, and now Seattle only a game behind the Birds. This race of mediocre teams is going to go right down to the wire if none of them can bust out of their mediocrity. The Orioles are helping their own cause with exciting wins against a top-quality opponent like the Rays, but they’ll need to avoid stumbling into the quicksand that inevitably seems to trap them every time they start to build a little momentum.

Today, the Orioles play the Rays for the final time this season. I’m gonna miss them. The perpetually unlucky Shane Baz will take the mound against his former team, with Nick Martinez going for the Rays. Can the O’s do what they failed to do last week and complete the series sweep? If the Orioles can pull out a victory and a few other games break the right way, the Birds could find themselves back in a tie for a postseason spot by the end of the day.

Links

Orioles’ Shane Baz has 13 losses, but that doesn’t tell the whole story – BaltimoreBaseball.com

Shane Baz’s 2026 season is example #1,000 of why pitcher win-loss records are pretty much meaningless.

The pop has arrived: At Chesapeake, Aron Estrada is youngest ever to hit 20 HRs – Steve Melewski

I, for one, am more than ready to jump aboard the Aron Estrada bandwagon. Join us, won’t you?

Orioles ride outstanding defense and 2 big pinch hits to comeback win over Rays – The Baltimore Banner

I love this picture so much. Of course Pete would be right in the middle of the celebration.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You probably played for the Orioles at some point, because there have been nine (9!) players in O’s history who were born on Aug. 23. The most prominent of the bunch is Orioles Hall of Famer Mike Boddicker, who turns 69. Boddicker, a sixth round pick in 1978, spent his first nine MLB seasons with the Birds, finishing fifth in the AL Rookie of the Year vote in 1983, when he helped the O’s to their third World Series championship. Boddicker was a 20-game winner and All-Star the following year, and finished his Orioles career with a 79-73 record and a 3.73 ERA. The O’s traded him to the Red Sox in 1988 for Brady Anderson and Curt Schilling, a deal that turned out quite well.

The many other former Orioles born on Aug. 23 include right-hander Denny Bautista (46); infielders Alejando Freire (52), Casey Blake (53), and Jeff Manto (62); catcher Raúl Casanova (54); and the late righty Ed Barnowski (b. 1943, d. 2017), lefty John Morris (b. 1941, d. 2025), and Hall of Fame third baseman George Kell (b. 1922, d. 2009), who was Brooks Robinson’s mentor when he broke into the bigs in the 1950s.

On this date in 1958, the Orioles claimed knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm off waivers from Cleveland. A former relief ace for the New York Giants, Wilhelm was a 35-year-old journeyman by the time the O’s got him, but he revitalized his career in Baltimore. In four full seasons with the Orioles, Wilhelm made the All-Star team three times and won the ERA title in 1959, and he went on to pitch for another decade in the majors until age 49. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1985.

Random Orioles game of the day

On Aug. 23, 1992, the O’s lost to the Oakland Athletics, 7-3, in Baltimore. With 45,479 in attendance for the inaugural year of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the Birds trailed by just one until the top of the seventh, when the A’s rallied for four runs and six hits against starter Ben McDonald and two relievers. José Canseco drove in four runs, and future Oriole Harold Baines tagged McDonald for a solo homer. Athletics starter Mike Moore came within one out of a complete game before the O’s rallied in the ninth, prompting Oakland to call on Hall of Fame closer Dennis Eckersley to get the last out. With the loss, the second-place Orioles remained three games back of the AL East-leading Blue Jays.

The Detroit Tigers’ woes continued on Friday night, losing for the fourth straight time and seventh of the last eight games in a 3-1 final against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. The offense has been arctic cold of late, scoring just seven runs over those four straight losses, which left no breathing room for Drew Anderson’s modest three runs allowed.

Alas, that playoff spot is looking further and further out of reach.

On the mound for the Tigers to try and salvage a win is left-hander Framber Valdez, who has had two straight rough outings after posting a pair of quality starts to open up August. Over the 32-year-old’s last 11 1/3 innings, he has put up a 6.35 ERA and 5.47 FIP, allowing 11 hits (one home run) and nine walks while striking out eight, hitting a batter and throwing a wild pitch.

Valdez has faced Kansas City twice this season — both in Detroit — with varying results. On April 14, he tossed seven frames of one-run ball on four hits and two walks with a strikeout for a no-decision in a 2-1 team win; on July 26, he served up three runs (two earned) on four hits (0ne home run) and three walks with four strikeouts over five frames, also failing to figure in the decision in an eventual 5-4 loss.

For the Royals, fellow southpaw Daniel Lynch IV will climb the hill in the series finale for his fourth start of the 2026 campaign after appearing in relief 46 times. The 29-year-old has struggled in the starting role, throwing 1 2/3, 2 1/3 and four innings, respectively, over his three previous outings, with subpar results that include a 7.88 ERA and 6.33 FIP, surrendering eight hits (two home runs) and four walks while striking out six to earn a pair of losses.

“We’re going to probably take a shot at putting him there (and) see how it goes,” manager Matt Quatraro said before his first start against the Chicago Cubs. “He’s thrown a couple of innings before. We’ll see how far he can get tomorrow. But we’ll do it responsibly. With the injuries we’ve had, we have a spot in the rotation.”

So despite the limited innings, it does not appear that Lynch is serving as a true opener — he has just struggled in the few frames he has started in. He did look much better last time out against the Athletics at Kauffman Stadium, giving up just one run on a pair of hits, walks and strikeouts in his four frames of work.

Here is how the two match up for Sunday afternoon’s matinee.

Detroit Tigers (61-68) vs. Kansas City Royals (57-74)

Time (ET): 2:10 p.m.
Place: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
SB Nation Site:Royals Review
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 130: LHP Framber Valdez (8-8, 4.35 ERA) vs. LHP Daniel Lynch IV (4-4, 2.83 ERA)

VALDEZ

LYNCH

Triple A: Syracuse Mets (63 – 61)

SYRACUSE 3, WOOSTER 0 (BOX)

Three runs in the second were enough for Syracuse in this one, with RBI singles from Zack Short, Emilien Pitre, and D’Andre Smith. Jonah Tong got the win, though he wasn’t exactly impressive. It’s been a lost season as he continues to search for a viable breaking ball as well as the good version of his fastball. Hopefully an offseason reset can get him back on course for 2027 – if he’s still even in the org at that point, that is.

• 2B Émilien Pitre: 1-4, RBI, K
• CF D’Andre Smith: 2-4, 2B, RBI, K
• SS Ronny Mauricio: 1-4, 2 K, SB (12), CS (3)
• RF Jose Ramos: 1-4, CS (1)
• LF MJ Melendez: 0-4, 3 K
• 1B Nick Lorusso: 1-3, 2B, K
• C Hayden Senger: 0-2, R, BB
• DH Shawn Ross: 1-3, R, K
• 3B Zack Short: 2-3, R, RBI
• RHP Jonah Tong: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, E (4), W (4-6)
• RHP Chris Devenski: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, H (2)
• RHP Tobias Myers: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, S (1)

Double A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (53 – 66)

BINGHAMTON 4, ALTOONA 0 (BOX)

Binghamton scored four runs in the first four innings, and the pitching made it stand up. Jacob Reimer had three htis and a steal and Vincent Perozo homered to pace the offense. R.J. Gordon had another solid outing as well as he pitches better here down the stretch.

• DH Marco Vargas: 0-3, R, BB, 2 K
• SS Jefferson Rojas: 1-3, BB
• 3B Jacob Reimer: 3-4, 2 RBI, SB (14)
• CF John Bay: 0-2, RBI, 2 BB, 2 K
• 1B Corey Collins: 0-4, K
• C Kevin Parada: 0-4, K
• RF JT Benson: 0-4, K
• 2B Jamari Baylor: 1-4, R, K
• LF Vincent Perozo: 1-3, 2 R, HR (8), RBI, BB
• LF Branny De Oleo: 0-0
• RHP R.J. Gordon: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, W (4-7)
• LHP Felipe De La Cruz: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• RHP Brendan Girton: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• RHP Carlos Guzman: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (52 – 65)

BROOKLYN 15, ASHEVILLE 3 (BOX)

The Cyclones scored 16 last night and added 15 more today. Somehow they did it today without a home run – 10 walks will go a long way, particularly alongside 13 hits. Every starter except Daiverson Gutierrez had at least one hit, and all nine reached base at least once. Aidan Smith had two hits and a walk (surprisingly, he didn’t homer) and Elian Pena managed a single in five at bats.

• 2B Sammy Stafura: 1-2, R, RBI, 3 BB, K, E (7)
• SS Elian Peña: 1-5, 3 R, 3 RBI, BB, K
• CF Aidan Smith: 2-5, 2 R, RBI, BB, 2 K, E (2)
• 1B Ronald Hernandez: 2-4, R, 3 RBI, 2 BB, K
• LF Trey Snyder: 2-4, R, 2 RBI, K
• 3B Yonatan Henriquez: 2-6, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI, SB (21)
• RF John Spikerman: 2-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K
• DH Colin Houck: 1-5, R, K
• C Daiverson Gutierrez: 0-2, 2 R, 2 BB, K, E (14)
• RHP Jose Chirinos: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
• RHP Ryan Dollar: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, W (3-1)
• RHP Parker Carlson: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
• RHP Joe Scarborough: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Low-A: St. Lucie Mets (51 – 67)

ST. LUCIE 6, LAKELAND 2 / 10 (BOX)

A walkoff grand slam is always fun. With the score tied at 2-2 in the tenth (after the Mets had already scored once to tie it), Jack Toomey stepped to the plate and hit a bomb over the left field fence to send the St. Lucie fans home happy. The only recently healthy Boston Baro went hitless in three at bats, as did Jeremy Rodriguez. Zack Mack got the win.

• 2B Boston Baro: 0-3
• 2B Vladi Gomez: 0-1, RBI
• C Ryan Tayman: 1-3, R, 2 BB
• LF Eli Serrano III: 0-4, 3 K
• CF Bohan Adderley: 1-1, R
• DH Kuhio Aloy: 0-2, R, BB, K
• RF Jack Toomey: 2-5, R, HR (1), 4 RBI
• 3B Jeremy Rodriguez: 0-3, BB, K
• SS Dylan Carey: 0-4, 3 K
• 1B Reed Stallman: 1-4, R, 2 K
• PR Jake Ogden: 0-0, R
• CF-LF Wyatt Vincent: 0-2, BB, 2 K
• RHP Aidan Keenan: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• RHP AJ Krodel: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• RHP Joel Lara: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
• RHP Ernesto Mercedes: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
• RHP Zack Mack: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, W (7-2)

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Jacob Reimer

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

None, system sweep!

Andrew Painter?

Andrew Painter.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• The win streak the Phillies had may mean we have to reconsider some things, including Alec Bohm and his place on the roster ($).
• Luis Arraez had to leave the game with cramps in his lower body. They were likely just being cautious with him.

MLB news:

• Seems that Fangraphs is starting a series to challenge old baseball adages with math. These are the kinds of pieces that are interesting.
• Andy Pages has a broken hand and will be shelved for 4-5 weeks. Alek Thomas will take his spot on the roster.
• The Yankees may have suffered another shot to their starting rotation with Ryan Weathers leaving his start with forearm discomfort.

Sunday marks another fine day at the Little League World Series. It also welcomes the big leaguers, as the MLB Little League Classic caps off the day's action.

It will be an early start from Williamsport as the winner's bracket continues play with Nevada taking on Washington at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN. It starts a full day of coverage across ESPN, with the 1 p.m. game between Iowa and New Jersey getting the limelight on ABC.

Sunday also marks MLB's time to shine, as the Atlanta Braves take on the Milwaukee Brewers in a clash of two of the league's best playing at Historic Bowman Field.

USA TODAY Sports will have live coverage with updates, scores and highlights from all of Sunday's Little League World Series action.

Good news: Cody Bellinger is back today! Bad news: The Yankees’ winning streak was snapped, Ryan Weathers left with forearm tightness, and Giancarlo Stanton might be officially toast. So… 1-for-4? But call some of those non-hit ABs tough ones, like a double play with the bases loaded.

Today on the site, Scott will have the live report from the past couple days of Cody Bellinger’s rehab assignment at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, I’ll have the Rivalry Roundup, Jonathan will pay tribute to the first-ever DH for his 78th birthday, and John will have the weekly Social Media Spotlight.

Today’s Matchup:

New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays

Time: 1:35 p.m. EST

TV: YES Network, Sportsnet, TVA Sports

Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

Questions/Prompts:

1. On a scale of 1-10, how confident are you that Max Fried is back in the rotation by the first week of September? (He started throwing again yesterday.) And same question, but with Clarke Schmidt in the bullpen, post-Tommy John rehab? Let’s say “by mid-September” for Clarke.

2. Without going purely by record (it’s a minor morass at the bottom), who do you think has been the worst team in baseball in 2026?

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Cody Bellinger is slated to return from the IL today. The outfielder had a short rehab stint at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as he recovered from a Grade 2 left hamstring strain that’s kept him off the field since late July. “I’ve been wanting to get back for a while,” Bellinger said. “You always want to be realistic, and for me, I want to come back and stay. You don’t want to make anything worse. I’m itching to get back, but I’ve got to continue to play it safe and make sure I’m 100 percent ready.” In his second year with New York, Bellinger was an All-Star this season and figures to fortify an outfield that’s also been without Aaron Judge in right.

New York Post | Andrew Crane: Giancarlo Stanton strained his left calf earlier this week, calling into question whether he’ll be able to return this season, Aaron Boone revealed Saturday. The DH was working back from multiple strains to his right calf when he fell while running the bases, leading to a moderate strain in his left. “We’re at a point in the calendar where it gets challenging,” said Boone, acknowledging the reality that Stanton’s return this season is in jeopardy. Big G has appeared in only 24 games this season, adding to the struggles to stay on the field that have plagued his Yankees tenure.

(As a related aside, you should read Josh’s editorial, “Giancarlo Stanton and outrunning the sunset.” It’s quite good.)

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: In other injury news, Ryan Weathers exited his start Saturday in the fourth inning with left forearm discomfort. He’s scheduled for imaging on Sunday. In his first season in the Bronx, the left-hander had been a strong contributor to the rotation, including during a recent stretch in which he posted a 1.94 ERA in his last seven starts. For more on Weathers’ departure and some musings on short- and long-term implications, check out Andrew’s breaking news post.

The Athletic | Brendan Kuty: ($) There was a world where Bellinger’s return could have cost Spencer Jones his roster spot. The rookie outfielder has been playing well of late, though, going 12-for-41 with two homers and four stolen bases in his last 12 games.“(He’s) certainly proved that he can play up here,” said Boone. “I think there’s a lot more in the tank for him to continue to go and learn, but he’s showing the ability to do that, and that’s been really encouraging.”

With Ryan McMahon hitting the IL Friday, the Yankees ultimately choose to send down his replacement, Max Scheumann, instead, at minimum giving them a left-handed platoon option in Jones to pair with the struggling Heliot Ramos. The Schuemann demotion was made official after the game on Saturday.

On a dark afternoon for the Yankees, who revealed Giancarlo Stanton had again strained a calf and then watched Ryan Weathers exit with injury in the fourth inning, there were Cody Bellinger and Max Fried silver linings.

Bellinger is set to be activated Sunday, and Fried’s return to the mound went well.

First Bellinger: The left fielder survived two rehab games, including playing six innings in the outfield for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday, and said his hamstring was tested on a few plays and passed each.

“For me, come in, help the team win as much as I can and play my best ball,” Bellinger said before the Yankees lost, 4-3, to the Blue Jays in The Bronx on Saturday.

After four weeks sidelined, Bellinger will return to a club that has been changed by the trade deadline and Spencer Jones’ emergence as a useful player. The Yankees have been playing Heliot Ramos — a righty hitter brought in to do damage against lefties — most days in left and the lefty-hitting Jones most days in right.

It is possible that the two become a right field platoon tandem until and if Aaron Judge returns, though manager Aaron Boone did not want to tip his hand regarding right field.

“Wait and see,” Boone said before the team officially optioned utilityman Max Schuemann to the minors, which ensures Jones — who might have been on the bubble — will remain in the majors.

Fried, meanwhile, threw a bullpen session before the game for the first time since hitting the injured list with a recurrence of his elbow bone bruise. Fried threw 26 pitches, and his whole repertoire, and said he felt encouraged by his afternoon.

“Hopefully we’re moving in a good direction there,” Boone said of Fried, “and we’ll see what’s next if that’s a live [batting practice] or another side.”

Already a major piece, the lefty’s importance probably grew as Weathers left the loss with forearm discomfort and was sent for tests.

Judge’s rehab is going “well,” Boone said, and the team’s captain remains hitting. He graduated Friday to tee-and-toss and has not yet faced machine or live pitching.

There are no definitive updates regarding Judge, who has said he will return this season from his fractured rib.

“He’s throwing, running, lifting,” Boone said. “He seems to be in a good place and moving. For him now, it’s about just getting the body built up.”

Luis García Jr.’s two-run shot in the eighth inning was his career-high 26th homer of the season and third as a Yankee. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers will have to regroup after seeing their talented roster lose another key player to injury.

Center fielder Andy Pages suffered a left hand fracture after he took a 100.2 mph sinker, thrown by Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed pitcher Bubba Chandler in the third inning Friday night, to his hand.

Manager Dave Roberts announced after the Dodgers’ 5-4 win against the Pirates on Aug. 21 that Pages' injury was "not season-ending," but he expects the first-time All-Star to be out 4-5 weeks.

Pages is considered the team’s top defensive player, leading the team in Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and outfield assists.

Offensively, Pages has produced 80 RBI, 21 home runs and 72 runs this season.

The Dodgers will have to explore options that will not only help the team defensively but also provide another solid bat in the lineup.

CHICAGO — Luis Robert Jr.’s visit to his old stomping ground undoubtedly will be remembered as a highlight of his season.

Saturday night, the veteran outfielder blasted two homers against his former team to help the Mets beat the White Sox 10-5.

Robert heard boos from the home crowd after hitting both homers.

“It feels good to hit homers against any team at home,” Robert said through an interpreter. “But I will say it felt good to hit the home runs here, just because it was a stadium I played so many games over my career.”

Robert, who spent seven seasons with the White Sox, hit a two-run homer in the third that gave the Mets a 4-1 lead. He also delivered a solo blast in the seventh.

Overall, the Mets hit five homers.

“[Friday] it felt a little weird here and a little strange,” Robert said. “Today, it was pretty normal.”

Francisco Alvarezsnapped an 0-for-14 with a single in his first at-bat, but his frustration level has mounted lately in inverse proportion to his OPS.

The Mets catcher had an outburst on Friday after a strikeout, returning to the dugout and snapping his bat in half. Alvarez finished 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.

“The frustration was from [Friday], because it only matters the day we played,” Alvarez said before the game. “What happened before is in the past. It’s more about the day.”

Alvarez began play 8-for-52 (.154) in August with an anemic .536 OPS. He had strikeouts in 25 of those at-bats.

“He’s incredibly passionate — he wants to be great for the team,” interim manager Andy Green said of Alvarez’s emotional display. “He wants to be great because he puts a lot of work in.”

Green said Alvarez’s issue simply hasn’t just been chasing pitches outside the strike zone.

“I think chase usually shows up after you have missed your pitch,” Green said. “He’s had some pitches to hit but he hasn’t necessarily squared up. When that happens he’s found himself outside of the strike zone.”

Mark Vientos, who began a minor league rehab assignment as the DH on Friday for Double-A Binghamton, will see action at first base and third base before returning to the Mets, according to Green. Vientos is rehabbing a right-hand fracture that has kept him sidelined since July 10.

Jo Adell has been everything the Guardians were hoping for and more. His mammoth 3 run HR tonight completely changed the game. He also singled and scored in the 6th inning from a Patrick Bailey single, so he was involved in all four of the Guardians runs tonight. He is now slashing .243/.323/.526 in 16 games as a Guardian. If we are able to get back into this playoff race, Jo Adell will be a huge part of it.

It’s also noteworthy that we have seen Angel Genao start two games in a row at SS, considering the season that Brayan Rocchio has had. Rocchio has had a rought stretch offensively as of late, but he has still been one of the best SS defenders in the MLB this season. As long as Rocchio is healthy I imagine he will be in the lineup tomorrow.

The Guardians will go for the sweep tomorrow at 3:10 pm ET. It will be Foster Griffin vs Tomoyuki Sugano.