Category: MLB

There is something happening in the National League MVP race. For the first time in what feels like recorded history Shohei Ohtani isn’t the betting favorite to win the award. While there is still a lot of season left, the man who is arguably still the best player in the world looks like he will fail to win an MVP award for the first time since 2022 and only the second time this decade.

To be completely fair, this has almost nothing to do with Ohtani. The Dodgers do-everything superstar is having a great season. He is leading the N.L. in OPS and OPS+ while sporting a 1.79 ERA and .946 ERA. Looking at the full picture of his career this is far from a step back in his surefire Hall of Fame career. But an injury suffered in early July has kept him off the mound for more than a month and may prevent him from pitching again until the postseason. For now the Dodgers will just have to settle for him being an outrageously elite hitter.

But with that tiniest of cracks, a new contender has emerged. Pete Crow-Armstrong, the 24-year old centerfielder for the Chicago Cubs, is having a career year. The All-Star has an MLB-leading 7.5 WAR and will almost certainly reach the 30/30 mark again this season (needing only four more home runs, he could do it this week) with the 40/40 club still an outside possibility. But like Ohtani, PCA isn’t in poll-position for MVP just because of his work at the plate. He is an elite outfielder. He set the record this season for most five-star outfield catches, a stat counting each time an outfielder makes a catch with a 25% or worse catch probability. The defending Gold Glove winner will likely win his second award this season.

What Ohtani and Crow-Armstrong are doing is nothing short of historic. There are other players who would be in the MVP conversation in a normal season, including Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber who leads the N.L. in home runs and Milwaukee Brewers ace pitcher Jacob Misiorowski who looks like a lock for Cy Young.

In this week’s Reacts question, we want to know who you think will actually win the award this year? Will PCA pull it off and take the crown or will the weight of Ohtani’s excellence hold court? Be on the lookout for results to this and all Reacts surveys later this week.

As I watch the Guardians slide down the W-L column, my drive to write these gets smaller. However, these are the times when focusing on the positives is most important! So somehow, some way, I’ve dug up three positive moments from the week that was.

Genao Makes Immediate Impact

Called up to make his Major League debut on August 5th, Angel Genao has already been making a huge impact at the plate – literally and figuratively. In just five games, he is hitting .368/.429/.526 with a home run and a walk. This includes his very first game in which he became the first player in franchise history with four hits in his debut. While the rest of the team hasn’t quite been there to pick him up, he hasn’t let that get to him and is continuing to produce every time he steps up to the plate. Yes, it’s only been five games, but it’s clear that the kid has talent and has worked hard to get to Cleveland. He could be a key contributor in getting this team to the postseason.

Trades Galore

When last week’s positives came out, I wrote about the team’s acquisition of Craig Yoho and Blake Perkins. Little did I know, that was not the only big move the Guardians would make prior to Monday’s trade deadline. After the Yoho/Perkins trade, the Guardians received outfielder Jo Adell from the Los Angeles Angels for catching prospect Jacob Cozart. Think they’d be done after that? You’d be wrong. They then traded Juan Brito and Alejandro Rivera to the Cincinnati Reds for Nathaniel Lowe. To round out the day, the team said goodbye to Will Dion, Josh Hartle, Nick Mitchell, and Kendeglys Virguez to make room for pitcher Foster Griffin from the Washington Nationals (imagine the shock that came with the “Griffin to Cleveland” notification). While we have yet to see many positive effects from these trades, it’s still very exciting to have some new faces on the team without having to give many up.

Messick Continues to Impress

In just his second season (first full season) Parker Messick has been lights out. A 2.72 ERA across 23 starts has been exactly what this team has needed in Tanner Bibee’s up-and-down season. He has struck out 136 hitters across 136.2 innings and has gone six or more innings nine times this season. With a bullpen as rocky as the 2026 Guardians’, this is a much-needed statistic. Here’s hoping he can continue to go late into games as the season progresses, especially if he is needed in a playoff situation.

According to Spencer Nusbaum, LHP Jackson Kent will be making his MLB debut this week. Kent has had a very strong season which saw him promoted from Double-A, and now the southpaw will get his second promotion of the year. The 23 year old is the top left handed pitcher in the Nats system according to MLB Pipeline and Baseball America.

The Nationals will promote lefty Jackson Kent for his MLB debut this week, per sources.

Jarlin Susana is also headed to High-A Wilmington and will pitch in an MiLB game for the first time in 11 months, per source.

More on two of the org’s top arms: https://t.co/oDJAxk4fVQ

— Spencer Nusbaum (@spencernusbaum_) August 10, 2026

Kent is not the most exciting pitching prospect in the world, but he projects to be in a big league rotation for a long time. While he does not light up the radar gun, Kent has enough velocity to keep hitters honest, sitting in the 93-95 MPH range. However, his best pitch is a nasty changeup that generates whiffs over 40% of the time. He sells it really well out of the hand and consistently fools hitters.

Honestly, Kent’s profile is a lot like Jake Bennett’s. As we know by now, Bennett was traded to the Red Sox in a deal that sent back Luis Perales. With Bennett having a lot of success as a rookie, this deal has been relitigated a lot these past couple months. Kent has a chance to make fans forget about Bennett though.

He has a polished four pitch mix, with a slider and curveball to go with the fastball/changeup combo. Kent has also shown very solid command in the minors throughout his minor league career. The 2024 4th rounder has walked 2.82 batters per 9 since entering pro ball. 

For a guy with solid but not elite stuff, Kent has also been quite the strikeout artist. This season he has 105 strikeouts in 94.1 innings. Between his deceptive delivery, the nasty changeup and having enough juice on his heater, Kent can really rack up the strikeouts when he is on his game.

Jackson Kent is going to be a very, very fun Nats debut

A lefty starting pitcher who has a high K and ground ball rate

Should stick in the rotation for the future https://t.co/Q4ddGQltYepic.twitter.com/OxWeF11g9u

— Kev (@klwoodjr) August 10, 2026

However, one problem I have noticed with Kent is that when he is off his game, it can get really ugly. That is a big reason why his ERA in Triple-A is an unspectacular 4.38. In his 13 AAA starts, he has allowed 5 or more runs three times. On the flip side, he has also gone at least five innings while allowing 2 or fewer runs 7 times in AAA.

When you have average stuff, it can be tough to survive when you are not executing. However, as Kent gains more experience, I do think he will limit those blowup starts. Kent’s ability to get whiffs, limit hard contact and keep the ball on the ground are all traits that should give him a long big league career.

Last month, I wrote about how I wanted to see Kent in the big leagues rather than veterans such as Littell and Mikolas. A month later, Kent is taking Littell’s spot in the rotation. Even if there are bumps along the way, it will be more interesting at the very least.

With vets like Mikolas and Littell under performing, I would like to see the Nats insert some fresh blood and give Jackson Kent a shot at some point https://t.co/FZmq0Gk0zL

— federalbaseball (@federalbaseball) July 19, 2026

Kent may not have top of the rotation upside, but his ceiling is much higher than Littell. A mid-90’s heater and a nasty changeup from the left side is an exciting package. The former high school football player from Illinois is going to get his shot at the big leagues. Hopefully the lefty brings that same bulldog mentality to the mound this week.

For a while, Kent got overshadowed by other pitchers in the organization. However, he beat most of those guys to the big leagues and is now a true top 10 prospect in the system. He is a meat and potatoes middle of the rotation arm, but there is plenty of value in that. I am excited to see the Nats top left handed pitching prospect on the mound in the big leagues.

Every series this time of the year is important, but even more so for the St. Louis Cardinals as they prepare to host the Philadelphia Phillies who currently possess the final Wild Card spot in the National League that the Cardinals are chasing.

Here are the pitching matchups according to MLB.com:

Monday, August 10: Andrew Painter (RHP 1-8, 6.48 PCL, 63 SO) vs Hunter Dobbins (RHP 2-2, 3.60 PCL, 36 SO)

Tuesday, August 11: Cristopher Sánchez (LHP 15-4, 2.65 ERA, 174 SO) vs Andre Pallante (RHP 12-6, 3.63 ERA, 90 SO)

Wednesday, August 12: Zack Wheeler (RHP 10-3, 2.69 ERA, 132 SO) vs Kyle Leahy (RHP 8-4, 3.45 ERA, 99 SO)

Andrew Painter is 1-8 for the season and winless in his past 3 starts. His most recent outing was on August 5 vs the Nationals where he tossed 4 innings allowing 3 hits and 1 earned run in a no-decision. Cristopher Sánchez has been dominant with a 15-4 record including 3 wins in his last 3 starts including August 6 vs the Nationals where he completed 5 innings allowing 6 hits and 2 earned runs with 6 strikeouts in the victory. Zack Wheeler is 10-3, but no victories in his past 3 starts. His last appearance against the Blue Jays was interesting as he was accused by the Blue Jays of using an illegal delivery.

Who are the Philadelphia Phillies players to watch?

Kyle Schwarber – Currently leads the Phillies with 35 home runs, 68 RBI’s and a .247 average

Bryce Harper – Bryce is tops in RBI’s with 71 along with 25 home runs and a .256 average

Trea Turner – Currently has 17 home runs, 47 RBI’s with a .249 average

Brandon Marsh – Marsh has 16 home runs, 52 RBI’s with a .274 average

Who’s on the Philadelphia Phillies injured list?

Tanner Banks (LHP): 60-day IL with a left forearm strain.

Brad Keller (RHP): 60-day IL recovering from right elbow UCL surgery.

Johan Rojas (OF): 60-day IL after undergoing season-ending right elbow UCL surgery.

Rafael Marchán (C): 10-day IL with left knee patellar tendinitis.

Aaron Nola (RHP): Day-to-day with a right knee contusion after being struck by a comebacker, though X-rays were negative and he hopes to avoid an IL stint.

Andrew Painter (RHP): Day-to-day due to left hamstring tightness, but expected to make his Monday start vs the Cardinals

Derek Hill (OF): Day-to-day with a shoulder issue

There’s no way to overemphasize how crucial this 3-game series vs the Phillies is for St. Louis if the Cardinals have any aspirations at post-season play this season. Going into Sunday play, the Cardinals trail the Phillies by 3.5 games for the final NL Wild Card spot with the Padres and Marlins also ahead of St. Louis. The Phillies are 5-5 in their last 10 games going into Sunday and the same can be said for the Cardinals. St. Louis needs to take advantage of Painter’s start Monday as he’s returning from hamstring issues. Winning Monday night’s game before the tougher pitching matchups on Tuesday and Wednesday is essential. Anything less than at least a series victory vs the Phillies will make any Wild Card hopes an even bigger uphill battle.

The Jays start a four-game series against the Red Sox tonight and then three games with the Yankees, all at home. So it is a tough week. Of course they play the Rays and Yankees on the road next week, so it doesn’t get easier.

Starting Pitchers:

• Today: Sonny Gray (14-2, 2.78) vs. Jameson Taillon (2-6, 5.96).
• Tuesday: Patrick Sandoval (1-0, 3.38) vs. Dylan Cease (7-5, 2.28).
• Wednesday: Ranger Suarez (4-3, 3.32) vs. José Soriano (9-6, 3.24).
• Thursday (an afternoon game, 3:00 Eastern): Payton Tolle (7-6, 3.20) vs. Max Scherzer (1-4, 7.25).

I’d think the Jays would need to, at very least, split the series to continue to think they could make the final Wild Card spot, but 3 of 4 would be better.

---

Trey Yesavage talks to a doctor about his knee today. I don’t want to guess what is going on, but I would think that he’s either going to need to rest it for a bit, or there will be surgery. If surgery, I doubt he’ll be back this year.

He’s had some bad luck, this year, missing some time at the start of the season. He’s started 18 games. Hopefully, all the injury stuff will get out of his system this year and he’ll have a long healthy career from here on out.

---

Here’s a stat I wasn’t ready for this season:

Clutch* leaders since 2020 via @fangraphs…#BlueJays Andres Gimenez: 6.19
Bryson Stott: 4.83
Joc Pederson: 4.58
Alex Verdugo: 4.54
Jorge Polanco: 4.09

*how much better or worse a player does in high leverage situations than he would have done in a context neutral environment pic.twitter.com/h6uRGa9pkA

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) August 10, 2026

I tend not to think of these things as an ‘ability’. I mean, if you could hit great, why would you not do it all the time. Andres has a .238/.281/.363 batting line. If you can turn it on and off, I’d think you’d want to have a little more space between your numbers and the Mendoza Line. But then, keep it up Andres and, you know, if you would like to hit better with bases empty too, I’m all for that.

Career he is some better with RISP (.756 OPS) than his career numbers (.691) but then most guys are some better with RISP..

---

Johnny King is a step closer to the majors, the Jays moved him up to the Fisher Cats (he’s just turned 20). In Vancouver he had a 3.21 ERA with 50 walks, 112 strikeouts in 84 innings.

---

The Blue Jays posted this picture of Max Scherzer and Steve Carlton together. Max is 10th all-time in strikeouts, Carlton 4th. Together they have 7652 strikeouts.

7,652 Ks in this picture 🤯

Celebrating Steve Carlton (Number 4) and Max Scherzer (Number 10): Two of the top 10 strikeout leaders in @MLB history! pic.twitter.com/AB9DoRj8DM

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 10, 2026

---

They haven’t all been wins, but the Jays games have been more fun to watch in the last week or so. Having the new guys to watch doesn’t hurt. One of my favorite things about baseball is watching young players come up to the majors. Bateman has a shot to show he deserves a chance to be the center fielder next year. Smith really looks like he can be a useful bat in the outfield. And I”m interested to see how Soriano and Taillon can do after they get some more time with Pete Walker.

It was long ago etched in the Red Reporter constitution that the writer of any particular article was encouraged – obligated, even – to cherry pick some stats to support their argument. Today, that’s no different, and the Cincinnati Reds once again got to wake up with the worst offense in all of Major League Baseball on Monday morning.

Their collective 90 wRC+ ranks last, ahead of (behind?) the Toronto Blue Jays (91) and Colorado Rockies (92). Similarly, they also rank dead last in OFF (Offensive Runs Above Average), a metric that combines their collective work at the plate and on the bases – they check in at a robustly negative -54.9 on the season.

If you cut the PA threshold for individual players at 170 for the season, you’ll find that the Reds have not only the worst hitter in the sport by wRC+ (Ke’Bryan Hayes at 12), they also have the two worst hitters in the sport as TJ Friedl ranks 2nd worst at 36. Noelvi Marte checks in with a mark of 52 that earns him spot #8 on that leaderboard, meaning the Reds account for three of the eight worst hitters in the sport among that robust 332 player sample.

Pair that with the poor grades that FanGraphs gives their overall team defense, and it’s unsurprising to find that their total 7.0 fWAR from position players is also the worst among the 30 MLB franchises so far this season. Only the lowly Rockies (7.3) rank anywhere close, while some of Cincinnati’s NL Central rivals rank 1st (Chicago Cubs, 26.4), 7th (Milwaukee Brewers, 16.8), and 8th (Pittsburgh Pirates, 15.7).

And if you’re still one of those baseball fans who doesn’t give a hoot about any of those stats, just know that their team batting average of .229 also ranks – you guessed it – as the lowest in the sport, too.

Frankly, it’s a wonder that the people in charge of building this roster still get the opportunity to do it again day after day.

It’d be wrong to say that the Pittsburgh Pirates’ collapse during the past couple of weeks is unprecedented because, let’s be honest. This particular franchise’s losing ways are almost always precedented. It has four winning seasons since 1992.

That reality doesn’t make the sudden fade from MLB postseason contention any less stunning after months of building legitimate buzz. 

Just 15 days ago, Fangraphs gave the Pirates 47.6% odds to qualify as a likely wild-card team. The path was crowded with National League foes such as the Washington Nationals, Miami Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres all within two games in the standings for the final NL wild-card spot. But manager Don Kelly’s club seemed set up to play meaningful games down the stretch. 

Required reading MLB wild card standings: Which teams hold final playoff spots?

As of Monday morning, that number has plummeted to 7.7% following four consecutive series losses to the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets. The Pirates are now four games under .500 and 5½ games back of the final playoff spot with five teams ahead of them in that race. 

All this despite GM Ben Cherington acting as a buyer for once at the MLB trade deadline, notably adding dominant reliever Luke Weaver in a trade with the Mets. 

Weaver has barely seen the mound. His only appearance since his Aug. 3 acquisition came Friday night with the Pirates trailing. He allowed a hit and a walk but kept a run from crossing in his debut, which became a 6-4 loss to his former team. 

Why 2012 still haunts Pirates

The slide is starting to become evocative of 2012, when fans awoke on Aug. 1 to their team sitting third in the National League overall with a 60-44 record. Then-GM Neal Huntington had just acquired reliever Chad Qualls, first baseman Gaby Sanchez and outfielder Travis Snider to make a postseason push. Spirits were high. 

By Aug. 15, they’d fallen to the second wild-card spot at 64-53. And by the end of the month, they were out of playoff position entirely. 

The swoon continued into September until manager Clint Hurdle’s club finished 79-83. It was Pittsburgh’s 20th consecutive losing season, which still stands as the longest such skid for any team in the NFL, NHL, NBA or MLB. 

The 2026 team didn’t start from quite as high a perch – it was just 54-52 before this tumble began in earnest. Still, the hope was that even that relative mediocrity would be enough in MLB’s expanded postseason bracket that includes seven teams in each league. 

No dice. The previously dangerous offense has scored two or fewer runs in seven of the 15 games since July 26 amid injuries to key contributors Ryan O’Hearn, Oneil Cruz and Konnor Griffin. And the pitching staff gave up at least four runs in five of seven games during the past week since the deadline. 

Reigning Cy Young winner Paul Skenes will make his latest attempt to right the proverbial ship Tuesday night in Miami, but it’s been months since he’s been a stopper consistently. The Pirates have lost 12 of his 15 starts since May 12. 

That will have to change if this team is going to get back into it and avoid that 2012 team’s fate. 

Either way, the good news from history for Pirates fans is that their two decades of nightmares ended the following year. Andrew McCutchen led the team to 94 wins, a memorable wild-card victory against the Cincinnati Reds and a hard-fought NLDS loss to the Cardinals in five games. 

Today’s club could use a similar shot in the arm. It hasn’t posted a winning season since 2018 and hasn’t appeared in the playoffs since 2015. 

Pirates playoff odds

Postseason odds per Fangraphs:

• Monday, July 27: 47.6%
• Monday, Aug. 10: 7.7%

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pirates' playoff odds are collapsing. It's bringing back memories of 2012.

After a quick jaunt up to the Bronx, the Atlanta Braves are now back at home to play the team from Queens again. Despite the fact that the New York Mets have been mired in the cellar for most of this season, they have continued to give the Braves fits and it’s to the point now where this can’t possibly be considered a “gimme” series for the Braves. It sure would be nice if they can take it but as we’ve seen before, it’s likely not going to be easy!

Meanwhile, the homestand will continue with the Braves welcoming in an Arizona Diamondbacks team that’s well and truly in the thick of the Wild Card race to the point where this could be a potential Postseason preview if the Braves don’t end up with the bye in October. There’s definitely a very interesting week ahead of the Braves.

---

August 10-12: New York Mets

Current Record: 52-67 Projected Record (via FanGraphs): 74-88

Depending on your outlook, you’re either annoyed that this’ll be the final series of the season against the Mets or relieved that they won’t have an opportunity to trip up the Braves in September. Either way, the season series wraps up this week and the only way that the Braves can end up winning the season series is if they pull off a sweep this week.

A sweep sure would be lovely but at the same time, it doesn’t help matters that the Mets are actually on a nice run of form in recent days. They’re coming off of a successful road trip where they swept the Guardians (most of the AL is a hot mess) and then took a series over the Pirates (who are starting to fade, themselves), so the Mets are surely feeling pretty confident about their chances heading into this series. In fact, the Mets are actually a game over .500 since the break, so they’ve certainly began to figure things out a bit. It’s still much too late for their Postseason hopes but the team with the second-highest payroll in baseball has to have something to hang their hats on, right?

Anyways, the Mets will be sending the trio of Christian Scott, Nolan McLean and Zac Thornton to the mound this week in order to match up with Bryce Elder, Martín Pérez and Tyler Mahle, respectively. None of these pitchers have exactly dominated the Braves but they’ve been frustrating enough to where Atlanta has only one two of the five games that these guys have collectively started against them — with both wins coming in games that Christan Scott started. That hasn’t meant that things were easy street against Scott either — one of those wins was a 1-0 nailbiter. Even when the Braves do manage to knock these guys off, it’s tough.

As far as hitting goes, you’ll be “pleased” to hear that the Mets have also been hitting the ball pretty well lately. Since the last time these two locked horns, the Mets have collectively hit .251/.315/.430 with a 108 team wRC+. For comparison’s sake, the Braves have been hitting .254/.301/.474 with a 109 wRC+ since these two had their most recent encounter.

As usual, the names to watch are Francisco Lindor, Marcus Semien, Jared Young, Francisco Alvarez, Carson Benge and the sleep paralysis demon known as Bo Bichette. If the Braves can keep most of those guys quiet then they should be fine — or in typical Braves/Mets fashion, the Mets will probably absolutely clamp down on Atlanta’s lineup with their pitching and make it a moot point. It’s all on the table. Please win this series, Braves.

(P.S.: Jefry Yan is coming. He’s gonna throw serious heat and he’s going to do his little wacky celebration. Hopefully the Braves get hits off of him so we don’t have to see it against Atlanta but just be prepared for it! I think it’s hilarious but I can see how the traditionalists might be going on a rant this week. Let the guy celebrate.)

Monday, August 10 at 7:15 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
Tuesday, August 11 at 7:15 p.m. ET (BravesVision, Gray TV)
Wednesday, August 12 at 7:15 p.m. ET (BravesVision)

August 14-16: Arizona Diamondbacks

Current Record: 63-56 Projected Record: 85-77

Hoo boy, it’s been a hot minute since the Braves have seen the Diamondbacks. You have to go all the way back to early April in the third series of the season, which is when Atlanta went into the desert and claimed a split of a four-game series. It was the first sign that this was probably going to be a good team since it sure felt like Atlanta could’ve come away with more than just a split (and maybe even a sweep if things had bounced differently), so it sure felt like a good omen that the Braves would eventually go on the heater that they did to start the season — though nobody could’ve predicted the extended heater that helped propel the Braves into a massive lead in the NL East.

As far as the Diamondbacks go, they’ve played themselves into a pretty good spot to where they’re currently a game ahead of the Padres for a Wild Card spot and tied with the Phillies on win percentage when it comes to owning one of those wild card spots. They’re also very similar to the Phillies in multiple ways — they’re both 6-4 in their last 10 games, they both have paltry run differential numbers (the Diamondbacks are +5, the Phillies have a completely even run differential, amazingly), they’re both 60-59 in Expected Win/Loss record and they’re both under .500 against teams with winning records this season.

They’re both similar in that their hitting has been a bit underwhelming while their pitching staff has been keeping them alive for the most part. Brandon Pfaadt and Eduardo Rodriguez have been standout performers for the D-Backs so far since the break and they both played a big role in helping to keep the Dodgers quiet over this past weekend series. They’ll both likely be pitching against the Braves during this weekend’s series so the Braves will have to be prepared for some fierce competition from the mound once Arizona comes to town.

Despite pitching being this team’s calling card, the Dimaondbacks can still hit the ball. Nolan Arenado has been pretty productive since the All-Star break and he’s been joined by guys like Ildemaro Vargas, Geraldo Perdomo, Gabriel Moreno and Ryan Waldschmidt. It’s been a hot-and-cold season for Arizona at the plate during this season and right now it appears that they’re closer to the hot side than not.

The only other weird quirk right now is that Arizona’s essentially been spinning their wheels in the mud since the calendar flipped to August. Sure, they just got done beating the Dodgers over a three-game series but at the same time, they’ve alternated between a win and a loss for their past eight games. If the pattern holds up, they’ll drop a home series against the Rockies but then proceed to come to Atlanta and win this series. Hopefully the Braves will be able to break the pattern (and take the series no matter what type of form the Diamondbacks happen to be in heading into this series) but we all know that baseball is a goofy sport, so don’t be shocked if that pattern is still in play coming into this series.

Friday, August 14 at 7:15 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
Saturday, August 15 at 7:15 p.m. ET (FOX)
Sunday, August 16 at 1:35 p.m. ET (BravesVision)

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

It's a fresh week with a pretty appetizing slate to kick things off.

Here are my favorite MLB home run props and predictions from tonight's schedule, with Junior Caminero joining the party that already included Matt Olson and Wilyer Abreu.

Below, I'll explain why Caminero is an appealing pick against the A's in Sacramento with my MLB picks on Monday, Aug. 10.

MLB home run props for today

Home run prediction: Matt Olson (+344)

Atlanta Braves slugger Matt Olson finds himself with an elite rating on Batters-Box this evening, while also carrying 72.2% arsenal coverage against New York Mets right-hander Christian Scott. The Mets starter owns poorly rated matchup marks in hard contact and ground-ball rate.

Scott has had more issues with left-handed hitters this season. The last 90 he has faced own a .500 xSLG, .287 xBA, and are elevating the baseball nearly 61% of the time.

Meanwhile, Olson has been absolutely punishing the baseball. Over his last 10 games, he is producing a 50% hard-hit rate, 30.8% barrel rate, and 80.8% elevation rate, all while owning an .865 SLG, .568 ISO and 42.9% HR/FB rate.

I expect a big boom from the dish this evening from the Braves slugger.

Take this down to +300.

• Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: BravesVsn, SNY

Home run prediction: Wilyer Abreu (+325)

I am 100% taking a Boston Red Sox bat to go deep against the Toronto Blue Jays' pitching machine, also known as Jameson Taillon.

The veteran right-hander has the worst pitcher rating on the day, according to Batters-Box's current season dataset. Taillon also owns a poorly rated matchup in wOBA, ISO, and hard contact, allowing over 41% on the year.

Wilyer Abreu stands out the most in this Red Sox lineup. He carries an elite rating, covers nearly 70% of Taillon's below-average pitch mix and is generating a 20% barrel rate over his last 10 games. During that same stretch, Abreu owns a .730 SLG, .433 ISO, 212 wRC+ and 29.4% HR/FB rate.

Taillon has been getting crushed by lefties all season long. His last 60 left-handed hitters have produced a near 17% barrel rate and 76.2% elevation rate, while owning a .739 xSLG and .428 xwOBA.

This is a great spot for the Red Sox to continue their winning ways, with Abreu starting things off with a nuke.

Take this down to +285.

• Time: 7:07 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Sportsnet, NESN

Home run prediction: Junior Caminero (+226)

I think it is a great day to back a guy who has homered in nearly 30% of his elite-rated games this season, and that guy is Tampa Bay Rays star Junior Caminero. The highest-rated Ray on the day over at Batters-Box, Caminero covers 80.5% of Athletics left-hander Jacob Lopez's pitches.

Over his last 60 plate appearances against southpaws, the Rays slugger owns a .580 SLG, 1.013 OPS, and .260 ISO while generating a 51.3% hard-hit rate and 12.8% barrel rate. The third baseman has been even better in his last 10 games, producing a 54% hard-hit rate and 23.1% barrel rate.

Lopez, on the other hand, has fared fairly well against right-handed hitters, but he is still allowing nearly a 70% elevation rate over his last 60 batters faced. At home, right-handed hitters are elevating the ball 70.2% of the time while producing a 34% hard-hit rate.

The weather in Sacramento should be perfect for Caminero, with near 10-MPH winds blowing toward left-center and temperatures reaching the upper 80s.

Do your best to boost this one, but I would not take it lower than +225.

• Time: 9:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NBCSCA, RAYS

Best home run combo for August 10

Want more baseball parlays? Check out our MLB parlay picks page!

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

I wouldn’t blame anyone if they needed a break from the Phillies. Their weekend series against the Blue Jays was one of the worst displays of baseball I’ve seen in a while, with both teams seemingly trying to hand games to their opponents. The Phillies’ extra inning win on Sunday was one of the most “felt like a loss” wins in a while.

At least the Phillies will give the home fans a break and take their act to St. Louis where they’ll go against another mediocrity in the form of the St. Louis Cardinals. Is it too much to ask that they start to look like a competent baseball team again?

Opposition research: Riley O’Brien

It took a long time for Riley O’Brien to encounter success. The grandson of a former major leaguer, the early part of his career was wasted as he tried – and failed – to develop as a starting pitcher. After being converted to relief, he missed most of the 2024 season with an elbow injury. But after a solid 2025 season, the Cardinals made him their closer for 2026, and at age 31 he made the All-Star Game for the first time.

Mariners star Junior Caminero probably wishes he hadn’t because O’Brien threw the pitch that hit him in the hand during that game.

Junior Caminero just took 98 off the hand from Cardinals closer and former Reds minor leaguer Riley O’Brien.

He left the game. pic.twitter.com/F7vtDmTrrO

— Chatterbox Sports (@CBoxSports) July 15, 2026

There was a decent amount of buzz surrounding O’Brien at the trade deadline. The Cardinals are a longshot to make the playoffs, so why not sell high on a 31-year-old closer with a history of elbow problems?

Ultimately, the deadline passed and O’Brien remains on the Cardinals’ roster, and he’s been at his best lately. Since his last blown save on July 20th, O’Brien has made seven appearances and allowed a grand total of one hit.

Hating on the Cardinals

For one of baseball’s supposed “glamour” franchises, the Cardinals have been irrelevant for a little while now. You may recall when the Phillies beat them in a 2022 Wild Card series, sending franchise legends Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina into retirement. Since then, the Cardinals have missed the playoffs three straight seasons, and things aren’t looking too great this year either.

For a franchise that used to regularly have rosters filled with household names, the Cardinals don’t have much star power on hand this season. Phillies fans are now well familiar with Jordan Walker, but you’d probably be surprised at how few current Cardinals you could name.

Remembering a guy who played for both teams

There were times when it looked like “Hard Hittin” Mark Whiten was going to become a star. He had all the power in the world, which made him an appealing trade target, but he was too inconsistent with it, which is part of why he was traded five times in his career.

He arrived in St. Louis before the 1993 season and delivered a memorable moment on September 7 of that year:

Today in 1993: Mark Whiten has one of the greatest offensive games in MLB history. He hit 4 home runs & had 12 RBIs, becoming the only player ever to accomplish both feats in one game. pic.twitter.com/N3WNYWGZ6E

— Stirrups Now! (@uniformcritic) September 7, 2024

He followed up that 25-home runs season by recording an .849 OPS in the shortened 1994 season.

But the Cardinals deemed him expendable and traded him to the Red Sox before the 1995 season. Whiten was awful in Boston, so the Sox traded him to the Phillies in exchange for Dave Hollins who had fallen out of favor with Phillies management.

Whiten rebounded in Philadelphia, with a .846 OPS and eleven home runs in 60 games. But despite putting up decent numbers in the early part of 1996, the Phillies released him. Of course, in 1996, batting .236 was considered bad, even though he had a .356 on-base percentage.

The Braves picked him up for the stretch run, one of four teams he’d suit up for over the next four seasons. In 1997, he was arrested for sexual abuse, which might go a long way toward explaining why he changed teams so often.

Additional thought about the series

It seems clear that both Jose Alvarado and Orion Kerkering could use a break from high leverage situations. Alvarado has been a mess all year, and while Kerkering was doing well earlier in the season, he’s been a disaster lately.

Orion Kerkering over his last ten outings:

7.2 IP
11.74 ERA (10 ER)
2.09 WHIP

— Cole Weintraub (@WeintraubCole) August 9, 2026

If there’s a high leverage spot and it makes sense to use a lefty, there is absolutely no case for using Alvarado over Tim Mayza or Brooks Raley. (Why trade for the guy if you’re not going to use him in key spots?) And Jonathan Bowlan should get the remainder of the setup opportunities, although he’s been used a lot lately, and it wouldn’t shock me if his effectiveness suffers as a result.

There’s a lot of blame to go around for the Phillies’ current relief malaise: Don Mattingly is not good at managing a bullpen, there have been a lot of close games, the starters haven’t been going deep enough into games, especially recently (although Jesus Luzardo went seven innings, and it still didn’t matter), and Brad Keller’s injury hasn’t helped. But for better or worse, the team was counting on guys like Alvarado and Kerkering to be viable, and they simply haven’t been.

The Guardians lost another disappointing game and held a team meeting after the game.

After Sunday’s rain delay-impacted 5-3 loss to the division-leading White Sox, dropping Cleveland to 3-6 in the season series, Paul Hoynes reported that Stephen Vogt led a team meeting.

The game lasted one inning before entering a rain delay. No word from White Sox pitcher Anthony Kay on if his own grounds crew is guilty of shenanigans or not.

The White Sox had a grueling 12-inning loss to the Red Sox and then a terrible blunder from their manager on Friday, and still found a way to win this series against the Guardians which is incredibly disappointing. The Guardians do not seem to be able to find a way to hit bullpen-day pitchers.

Cleveland will get a chance to turn it around against the Tigers starting tomorrow. It’s hard to feel optimistic at the moment.

AROUND MLB

The Tigers won and the Twins lost.

The Diamondbacks did the World a favour.

For every Series Preview, there is good news and bad news.

The good news is that the Diamondbacks just owned the Dodgers.

Dodgers fans shrug about the loss, they say. They still have a huge lead in the NL West, they say. Making the post-season is as easy as pie, they say. The string of losses is no reason for concern, they say.

But they won’t say that it hurt that the Diamondbacks planted their shoe in the Dodgers faces. They won’t say the Diamondbacks silenced Dodger stadium this past weekend. They won’t say that they were planning the past weekend on making fun of Arizona after beating the shit out of the them.

Beating the Dodgers is the best news you can have. And we not only did ourselves a favour and give ourselves moments of joy. The Dodgers have become the “Argentina” of baseball. They are the Patriots and the Cowboys combined. Everyone hates their guts. And everyone wants them to lose. In the name of the entire world, I thank you, Arizona Diamondbacks, for serving the entire world.

The bad news is, this is all part of the past now.

Sweep needed.

Arizona is 6 games behind the Cubs, who hold the first Wild Card. The Cubs will be the team to beat in the Wild Card, because they are 5.5 games behind their league leader, Milwaukee Brewers. That leaves Arizona batting for two of the remaining wild cards. Enter the conversation the Phillies and Padres, who, just like Diamondbacks, have a positive balance over their final 10 games. Marlins and Cardinals should not be forgotten either, Nationals and Pirates are some games below .500 and remain on the outskirts, hoping for a huge winning streak.

The remaining schedule is lots of fun for Arizona, with so many important series against direct opponents or other strong opponents. Only few series are against teams that have nothing left to play for. Like the Giants, who we will meet at the end of the month, or the Royals, who we will fight against at the beginning of September. With so much left to play for and many good opponents waiting to take the venom out of the Snakes, a series against the Colorado Rockies becomes a must-win and a need for sweep. It feels like too often we have failed to reach the play-offs because of some games in which we utterly failed to capitalize on weak opponents. Let’s hope we don’t make that mistake again in the upcoming series.

We met the Rockies mid May. The doctor told us to heal in Colorado. The team was 20-22 at that moment, so you can imagine how our state of mind. We got some good doctor’s advice, helped by the MLB, who set us up for 13 consecutive games in 4 series against the Rockies and Giants. The Diamondbacks went 11-2, the two losses against the Rockies, and boosted themselves back into the Wild Card battle.

Colorado dropped 4 against Arizona and since that second series, on May 22, the Rockies have gone 26-38. That leaves them with a 46-72 record, just one game better than MLB’s worst team: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. You would say, this team, we need to sweep em.

The past trade deadline the Rockies were quiet. Despite the terrible record, they see some good stuff in their position players, where most of them are to be on the roster for the years to come. They even extended designated hitter Mickey Moniak to buy out his first free agency year (2028).

They traded away Antonio Senzatela, who was playing in the final year of a previous extension. Senzatela, now exclusively deployed as a reliever, has joined the almighty Brewers. The other three moves did not get much media attention. Seth Halvorsen, a 26-year old reliever with 71 major league innings this and the past two seasons, was acquired by the Dodgers in a below-the-radar-trade. Another reliever, Victor Vodnik, joined the Marlins. The White Sox trading for 2023 and 2024 Golden Glover Brenton Doyle, who is no longer blessed with an average hitting tool, was more surprising and will not hurt the Rockies. In all trades the Rockies added to their farm and depth, with Nick Frasso, acquired from the Dodgers, the only one added to the major league roster.

The Rockies head to Phoenix after losing 2-1 against the Cardinals in St. Louis. They took 5 from the Diamondbacks last season and 4 the year before, so let us improve on that. Currently Arizona wins the season series 5-2.

Matchups.

Game #1 Mon 08/10 6:40 PM MST, Michael Soroka (ARI) vs Gabriel Hughes (COL).

• Michael Soroka. 15 GS, 82.0 IP, 8 W-3 L, 3.07 ERA, 2.92 FIP, 1.09 WHIP, 79/17 K/BB. $6,750,000.
• Gabriel Hughes. 6 G, 5 GS, 29.2 IP, 0 W-3 L, 4.25 ERA, 2.65 FIP, 1.18 WHIP, 28/9 K/BB. $406,394.

Though he still needs to be added to the active roster at the time of writing, Soroka is scheduled to return to the major leagues after almost two months, getting injured against the Twins on June 19, tearing a muscle. Soroka made just one rehab appearance, in Reno, throwing 57 pitches in 4 innings, allowing a run on 3 hits and 2 walks, against just one strikeout. I suppose he will be on a pitch limit.

By the time Soroka leaves the game, the Diamondbacks will surely hope that the Rockies are far behind, though early results indicate that Gabriel Hughes might be a tough nut to crack. Hughes made his first major league start in July, against the Dodgers, allowing 3 runs over 6 innings and striking out 7. He then continued to excel against the Reds and Nationals, before running into a bit more trouble against the Padres. However, it wasn’t until his latest appearance, against Tampa Bay, before he had more problems, allowing 5 runs (1 homerun) over 5.1 innings. Hughes was taken by the Colorado Rockies with the 10th pick in the 2022 draft and, according to FanGraphs, projects as a back-end starter. He wasn’t dominating the PCL for Albuquerque nor has he dominated the minors until now, so his early success might be smoke and mirrors. The righty relies heavily on a 93-mph fastball and complements it with a sweeper and a slider. Left-handed batters also are served a changeup and curve.

Game #2 Tue 08/11 6:40 PM MST, Mitch Bratt (ARI) vs Tomoyuki Sugano (COL).

• Mitch Bratt. 6 GS, 27.2 IP, 1 W-1 L, 3.90 ERA, 5.51 FIP, 1.52 WHIP, 21/18 K/BB. $366,251.
• Tomoyuki Sugano. 20 GS, 107.2 IP, 11 W-5 L, 4.51 ERA, 5.39 FIP, 1.26 WHIP, 61/26 K/BB. $5,100,000.

Most sites write him out of the rotation, but truth is that in his last two performances, Bratt has been excellent for the Diamondbacks, allowing just 1 run in 12 innings against Cleveland and San Diego. Against the Rockies Bratt will have another opportunity to add some major league experience, hoping to provide enough to cement his name in the rotation for yet another week.

Like I wrote in a previous series preview, Sugano was an unfamiliar face for the Snakes, because 2026 is only the second season for the 36-year old Japanese pitcher in the MLB. Last season he was a back-end starter for the Baltimore Orioles.

Sugano can make use of a huge amount of 7 different pitches: 4-seamer, split finger, cutter, sinker, slider, sweeper and curveball. All that off-speed and breaking ball arsenal is to hide a weak fastball collection (his 4-FB averages below 93 mph). Sugano has good command and hardly walks a batter.

It has been a recipe for success for Sugano against the Diamondbacks this season. He already faced Arizona twice and although he gave up 2 runs in each of his performances against the Snakes, it was good for a win and no-decision, despite giving up 13 hits in 11.2 innings. Third time’s a charm, they say.

Game #3 Wed 08/12 12:40 PM MST, Merrill Kelly (ARI) vs Ryan Feltner (COL).

• Merrill Kelly. 21 GS, 120.0 IP, 8 W-9 L, 4.88 ERA, 5.57 FIP, 1.47 WHIP, 80/50 K/BB. $18,000,000.
• Ryan Feltner. 17 GS, 82.0 IP, 4 W-6 L, 5.71 ERA, 5.75 FIP, 1.45 WHIP, 59/33 K/BB. $2,450,000.

Last time Merrill pitched against the Rockies, he was able to pitch a complete game, allowing just one (home)run. Needless to say more.

A 4th round pick in the 2018 draft, Feltner has been pretty much part of the major league team since 2022, though not much more than a fringe back-end starter, except for a fine 2024 season, taking into account Rockies and Coors Field standards. This year Feltner is struggling heavily, especially away from Coors Field, with a .295 BA against, with BABIP at an average .300. Especially July was a tough month, allowing a 1.100 OPS and 20 runs in just 4 games.

His changeup and sweeper are his best pitches, the first one for left-handed batters, the other for right-handed batters. The rest of the arsenal (four-seamer, slider, sinker, curve) is graded poorly by statcast.

Last time Feltner pitched against the Diamondbacks was in 2024. In total he has give up 16 runs against Arizona, in 4 games (18.2 innings). The last time, though, he got his first win, at Chase Field.

While he might be a name that you associate with the good years of the 1990s Yankees, Gerald Williams never played on a Yankees’ championship team. (He was on the 1996 Yankees, but was traded away during the season, although he was awarded a ring.) He had some good seasons, but he was never an outstanding player, putting up 6.5 career rWAR with an 82 OPS+. However, between his friendship with several beloved Yankees and by all account him generally being a really good guy and teammate, he’s a name that resonates with a lot of fans.

Were it not for his sad passing, Williams would be celebrating his 60th birthday today, so let’s give some love to “Ice.”

Gerald Floyd Williams
Born: August 10, 1966 (New Orleans, LA)
Died: February 8, 2022 (Sarasota, FL)
Yankees Tenure: 1992-96, 2001

Williams was born in Louisiana as one of 13 kids. After his time at East St. John High School in Reserve, Louisiana, he earned a spot on the baseball team at Grambling State University. Williams was a star at Grambling, hitting .409 in 1987. That got him on the pro radar, as he was then selected by the Yankees in the 14th round of the ensuing MLB Draft.

Slowly but surely, Williams worked his way through the minors, and was even considered a top 100 prospect by Baseball America before the 1993 season. Along the way, he also developed a close friendship with several future Yankee teammates. The most notable among them were Bernie Williams and Derek Jeter.

No relation to Bernie, but the two often roomed together in their minor league days. He also became a dear friend and something of a mentor figure to Jeter. Their relationship began in spring training 1993, when Williams helped put a stop to some hazing of the young shortstop. Williams then took Jeter out to dinner, cementing their friendship. In his book, Jeter said “I felt like I had been the last kid on the playground waiting to be picked for a game, and finally someone had selected me.”

Williams eventually made the majors as a September call-up in 1992. He hit well enough in that cameo, but he spent the next couple years going up and down to the minors and being a bench player. He started to get more playing time in 1995, appearing in 100 games and posting a 105 OPS+.

As mentioned earlier, Williams would end up traded during the 1996 season was over, but he did produce a couple memorable moments before then. On May 1st, in a 15-inning win against the Orioles, Williams recorded six hits. That’s tied for the most in franchise history in one game, even with Myril Hoag on June 6, 1934 and Johnny Damon on June 7, 2008. Then on May 14th, he made a running, over the shoulder catch to rob Alex Rodriguez and preserve Dwight Gooden’s no-hitter.

However, the Yankees did include him in a trade with the Brewers that August, that sent a couple players to New York, most notable of which was Graeme Lloyd. Williams spent that year and the next in Milwaukee before being traded to the Braves ahead of the 1998 season. He produced arguably his best career year there in 1998 and helped Atlanta to the 1999 World Series, where they fell to his former Yankee teammates.

Williams became a free agent after ‘99 and signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. In 2000, he partly kicked off a brawl against the Red Sox, when he charged the mound after being hit with a Pedro Martínez pitch.

Williams struggled at the plate in 2001, leading to his release by Tampa Bay. He then returned to the Yankees, serving as a backup on the 2001 and ‘02 teams. He again left after that season, and was on the 2003 Marlins. While Williams again didn’t appear when the team won the World Series, he did win a second World Series ring with Florida. Williams spent two last seasons with the Mets before retiring.

Following his baseball career, Williams remained close friends with several Yankees teammates. He was notably among those invited to the 2014 game where the Yankees retired Jeter’s number as part of his retirement tour, and was also in attendance alongside Bernie, Tino Martinez, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, and Joe Torre when Jeter hit a walk-off during his final game in the Bronx. Williams had settled in Florida, where he resided with his wife, Liliana. He lived there until 2022, when he passed away from cancer at the far-too-young age of 55. His death brought forward a lot of tributes, as Williams was clearly loved by those who played with him.

Remarking on his friend, Jeter said “If I had to make a model out of the type of person to have as a friend, a person you can lean on or joke with, it would be Gerald.”

---

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

Charlotte Knights
Record 4-2 (last week), 20-21 (second half), 62-52 (overall)

Knights Player of the Week
Korey Lee .333/.375/.800, 15 at-bats

Mario Camilletti .368/.429/.632, 19 at-bats
Dru Baker .429/.429/.571, 14 at-bats
Ryan Galanie .286/.375/.524, 21 at-bats
Andy Weber .333/.400/.500, 18 at-bats
Eric Haase .333/.538/.333, nine at-bats
Rikuu Nishida .167/.250/.167, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 18 at-bats

Jonathan Cannon 6 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 3 K
Tyler Schweitzer 4 2/3 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 2 K
Jaden Woods 4 1/3 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 5 K
Shane Smith 4 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 4 K
Jairo Iriarte 3 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 3 K

The Knights put a solid series together against the Bulls (52-61), winning four of six to improve to 10 games over .500 on the season.

Catcher Korey Lee, 28, had an excellent series to pick up his third Knight of the Week award this season. Lee went 5-for-15 with two homers, a double, a walk, and four RBIs to lead the team in OPS (1.175). After this great performance, Lee’s season slash line is .243/.329/.486 in 81 games, all with the Knights. Lee has been a stable presence behind the plate for the Knights, and his bat has been solid while playing a premium position. Given that Joey Bart is expected to miss more than a month after being hit by a pitch, Lee has a decent case to get his first chance of the season in the majors.

2026 Charlotte Knights Players of the Week
Korey Lee (March 27-April 5)
Oliver Dunn (April 6-12)
Shane Smith (April 13-19)
Jarred Kelenic (April 20-26)
Oliver Dunn (April 27-May 3)
LaMonte Wade Jr.(May 4-10)
Jacob Gonzalez(May 11-17)
LaMonte Wade Jr.(May 18-24)
Jacob Gonzalez(May 25-31)
Braden Montgomery(June 1-7)
Ryan Galanie(June 8-14)
Kyle Teel(June 15-21)
Korey Lee(June 22-28)
Caden Connor(June 29-July 5)
Nolan Jones(July 6-12)
Andy Weber (July 13-26)
Ryan Galanie(July 27-August 2)
Korey Lee(August 3-9)

---

Birmingham Barons
Record 2-4 (last week), 17-22 (second half), 43-65 (overall)

Barons Player of the Week
Samuel Zavala .444/.545/1.000, nine at-bats

Caleb Bonemer .217/.357/.565, 23 at-bats
Colby Shelton .278/.435/.389, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 18 at-bats
James Taussig .286/.412/.357, 14 at-bats
Ryan Burrowes .292/.370/.292, 2-for-3 stolen bases, 24 at-bats
Dylan Campbell .250/.379/.375, 2-for-3 stolen bases, 24 at-bats

Shane Murphy 6 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 6 K
Dylan Cumming 6 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 4 K
Jackson Kelley 4 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 6 K
Drew Thorpe 4 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 3 K
Connor McCullough 3 2/3 IP, 6 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 4 K

The Barons came down to earth after an impressive 5-1 series last week by settling for a 2-4 series in Rocket City against the Trash Pandas (56-51).

This week, it was a tough call in terms of who should be Baron of the Week. Before discussing the winner, let’s get to a couple of players who fell just short. Left-handed pitcher Shane Murphy, 25, had a terrific game pitching, six shutout innings while only allowing four hits. Overall, in two August starts, Murphy has only allowed one run on seven hits in 12 innings. In addition, in his past four starts, Murphy has only allowed four earned runs in 21 1/3 innings (1.69 ERA).

Infielder Caleb Bonemer, 20, also deserves honorable mention. Bonemer, who already has four weekly awards, only went 5-for-23, but those five hits were impactful. Bonemer launched two homers, two doubles, and he drew five walks to finish the week with a .922 OPS. That .922 OPS led the way among Barons with more than 10 plate appearances.

However, in a tight race, outfielder Samuel Zavala, 22, took home his second weekly award of the season and his first since opening week. Although Zavala only played in three games, he made that time count. Zavala went 4-for-9 with a homer, two doubles, and a walk. Remember how Bonemer’s .922 OPS led the team among players with more than 10 plate appearances? Zavala had exactly 10 plate appearances, and his weekly OPS (1.545) made him stand out from the crowd. Overall, Zavala’s season slash line is .219/.353/.363 (100 wRC+), as he has found ways to contribute despite having a subpar batting average and a .276 BABIP.

2026 Birmingham Barons Players of the Week
Samuel Zavala (April 6-12)
Braden Montgomery (April 13-19)
Alec Makarewicz (April 20-26)
Wilfred Veras (April 27-May 3)
Jake Palisch(May 4-10)
Wilfred Veras(May 11-17)
Alec Makarewicz(May 18-24)
Drake Logan(May 25-31)
Dylan Cumming(June 1-7)
Anthony DePino(June 8-14)
Grant Magill(June 15-21)
Alec Briley(June 22-28)
Colby Shelton(June 29-July 5)
Dylan Campbell (July 6-12)
Caleb Bonemer (July 13-26)
Colby Shelton(July 27-August 2)
Samuel Zavala(August 3-9)

---

Winston-Salem Dash
Record 2-3 (last week), 20-21 (second half), 58-49 (overall)

Dash Player of the Week
Derek Cerda .556/.714/.778, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 9 at-bats

Roch Cholowsky .278/.381/.556, 3-for-3 stolen bases, 18 at-bats
Nick McLain .316/.480/.474, 19 at-bats
Javier Mogollón .300/.348/.700, 2-for-2 stolen bases, 20 at-bats
Wes Kath .375/.444/.875, 1-for-1 stolen bases, eight at-bats
Kyle Lodise .125/.391/.438, 2-for-2 stolen bases, 16 at-bats
George Wolkow .118/.211/.118, 17 at-bats

Justin Sinibaldi 10 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 10 K
Jake Curtis 5 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 2 K
Grant Umberger 4 1/3 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 3 K
Dylan Carmouche 4 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 3 K
Caedmon Parker 3 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 5 K

Weather was an issue in Winston-Salem, as the Dash were unable to complete one of their scheduled games against Asheville (36-70). Overall, it was a disappointing week for the Dash, who only won two out of five against the Tourists.

Outfielder Derek Cerda, 23, was unstoppable across 14 plate appearances. Cerda went 5-for-9 with two doubles, five walks, and a stolen base in his only attempt. Cerda has played 47 games (six with the Complex Sox, 32 with Kannapolis, and nine with Winston-Salem). Overall, Cerda is slashing .302/.397/.451 (126 wRC+), and he is off to a fast start with the Dash. Cerda made an especially large impact on Wednesday, when he drove in the go-ahead run with a single and reached base four times.

2026 Winston-Salem Dash Players of the Week
Caleb Bonemer (April 6-12)
Colby Shelton (April 13-19)
Colby Shelton (April 20-26)
Caleb Bonemer(April 27-May 3)
Colby Shelton(May 4-10)
Boston Smith(May 11-17)
George Wolkow (May 18-24)
Morris Austin(May 25-31)
Caleb Bonemer(June 1-7)
James Taussig(June 8-14)
Kyle Lodise(June 15-21)
George Wolkow(June 22-28)
Kaleb Freeman(June 29-July 5)
Ryan Burrowes (July 6-12)
Ely Brown (July 13-26)
Calvin Harris(July 27-August 2)
Derek Cerda(August 3-9)

---

Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
Record 4-2 (last week), 23-19 (second half), 56-52 (overall)

Cannon Ballers Player of the Week
Grant Cleavinger 4 1/3 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 10 K

Matthew Boughton .333/.417/.429, 4-for-5 stolen bases, 21 at-bats
Steven Lancia .467/.467/.667, 15 at-bats
Grayson Fitzwater .273/.333/.273, 22 at-bats
Braden Holcomb .240/.321/.440, 25 at-bats
Efren Teran .375/.412/.438, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 16 at-bats
Billy Carlson .278/.458/.333, 18 at-bats
Jaden Fauske .190/.346/.333, 2-for-2 stolen bases, 21 at-bats

Gabe Tanner 5 IP, 1 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 1 K
Fabian Ysalla 5 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 2 K
Alexander Martinez 4 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 2 K
Anthony Patterson III 4 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 5 K

The Cannon Ballers had a terrific weekend in Charleston to wrap up an impressive series victory against the RiverDogs (60-48). After this 4-2 week, the Cannon Ballers are four games above .500 in the second half and overall this season.

Left-handed pitcher Grant Cleavinger, 22, has been impossible for hitters to solve during his extremely young professional career. Cleavinger, who attended the University of Nebraska, entered the 2026 draft but did not get drafted. However, it appears that some teams should have taken a closer look at him. This week, Cleavinger faced 13 hitters and retired all of them, striking out 10 of them. Cleavinger made his professional debut with the Cannon Ballers on July 25, and since then, he has pitched 6 2/3 innings, and incredibly, he has not allowed any hits.

2026 Kannapolis Cannon Ballers Players of the Week
Stiven Flores (April 6-12)
Abraham Núñez (April 13-19)
Javier Mogollón(April 20-26)
Arxy Hernández(April 27-May 3)
Javier Mogollón(May 4-10)
Max Banks(May 11-17)
Riley Eikhoff(May 18-24)
James Taussig(May 25-31)
James Taussig(June 1-7)
Derek Cerda(June 8-14)
Matthew Boughton(June 15-21)
Ryan Schiefer(June 22-28)
Christian Gonzalez(June 29-July 5)
Jaden Fauske (July 6-12)
Steven Lancia (July 13-26)
Anthony Patterson III(July 27-August 2)
Grant Cleavinger(August 3-9)

---

DSL White Sox
Record 1-4 (last week), 17-30 (overall)

DSL White Sox Player of the Week
Félix Lebron .400/.538/.800, 2-for-2 stolen bases, 10 at-bats

Ronald Cardozo .462/.500/.846, 13 at-bats
Orlando Patiño .417/.500/.667, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 12 at-bats
Fernando Graterol .250/.400/.833, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 12 at-bats
Samuel Luis .250/.308/.250, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 12 at-bats

Yordany Marte 4 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 K
José Taveras 4 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 1 K
Ronald Kelly 3 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 3 K
Roderic Ramírez 3 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 5 K
Erlyn Lauriano 2 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 4 K

Although the DSL White Sox went 10-8 in July, they cooled off again this week, dropping four out of five games.

Shortstop Félix Lebron, 17, was on fire, going 4-for-10 with a homer, a double, three walks, four RBIs, and two stolen bases without getting caught. Lebron, who is still very young, got off to a cold start to his career in affiliated baseball, but he has turned that around in a big way. In June, Lebron slashed .121/.327/.121; in July, he slashed .235/.400/.294; this month, he is slashing .429/.529/.929.

2026 DSL White Sox Players of the Week
Carlos Vielma(June 1-7)
Sebastian Romero(June 8-14)
Sebastian Romero(June 15-21)
Ronald Kelly(June 22-28)
Orlando Patiño(June 29-July 5)
Ronald Cardozo (July 6-12)
Nestor Pérez(July 13-26)
David Colmenares(July 27-August 2)
Félix Lebron(August 3-9)

Tacoma Rainiers

Tacoma unfortunately dropped this one to Las Vegas by a score of four to two, unable to take down a very solid Aviators squad that’s been excellent all year. Despite their losing record on the week, there were tons of great individual performances from some of the brightest stars on this roster; the typical performers continued to show up, but guys who’ve scuffled at times this season have really started to pick it up as of late. The Rainiers aren’t likely to be making much noise in the playoff race this season, but hopefully these performances are indicative of a stronger end to the season to build on as we head into an offseason filled with uncertainty.

Brock Rodden crushes his 5th HR this week & 19th on the season. pic.twitter.com/Ai2Z4xOeds

— Mariners Minors (@MiLBMariners) August 10, 2026

It was a fantastic week for utility man Brock Rodden, a great sign for the 26 year old who’s had an up-and-down year in the PCL. Gathering nine hits across five games this series, Rodden’s two-homer game on Wednesday night headlined his monstrous week that saw him collect a double, a triple, and five homers. Rodden’s monthly slash currently sits at .313/.333/.906, good for a gaudy 1.239 OPS. Rodden’s versatility in the field and sneaky good bat make him a strong candidate for utility man of the future; if he can keep this level of production up, he’s sure to figure into the competition for a bench role come next spring.

Both Lazaro Montes and Michael Arroyo continue to impress in the PCL. Having adjusted almost immediately to the increased level of competition, the tandem has been lighting up the PCL offensively and are helping buoy this lineup to a more competitive level. Arroyo (.327/.395/.582) is finding a ton of success at the plate by attacking aggressively in the zone, and Laz (.284/.368/.560), who’s prodigious power plays incredibly well in the offense-happy PCL, has mashed his way to some incredibly impressive numbers. The pair are still just 21 years old and figure to major pieces of this club moving forward.

Arkansas Travelers

The Travs continue to falter ever so slightly and dropped the series to an Amarillo team that’s admittedly been very solid in the second half. Despite the oodles of talent up and down this roster, much of it is new to the level and still going through an adjustment period against the far superior stuff. Guys like Jonny Farmelo, Felnin Celesten, and Josh Caron are all premiere prospects, but until they’ve settled in against Texas League competition, the Travs may struggle to produce enough umph at the plate to consistently remain in the win column.

Boston Smith's massive week continues, now with his five homers in five games, including two today!@Mariners | @ARTravs | @MsPlayerDevpic.twitter.com/HwvLKcmaSe

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 9, 2026

The newest member of this Travs team, Boston Smith, decided he’d show his teammates just how good of a player he’s been all season and absolutely torched Sod Poodles pitching all week. Acquired in the Luis Castillo trade, Smith launched five homers in his first week in the organization and raised his OPS to 1.553, an obviously otherworldly mark for the 23 year old. The young backstop employs a pull-happy approach that elevates the ball consistently and allows him to reliably get to his power in game settings, and this has led to some gaudy production all year. Smith has run an OPS just south of 1.100 across three different levels this year and looks like yet another fantastic pickup by this front office. Given his meteoric rise this past season, he’s a strong candidate for a big league look next season.

Kade Anderson was awesome again. Final line: 5.1IP, 3H, 0R, 0BB, 9K, 19 whiffs, 78 pitches, 58 strikes.

12th start without allowing a run.

Anderson in his first professional season:
17G, 1.13ERA, 87.2IP, 45H, 12BB, 128K. pic.twitter.com/YshHD76jle

— Mariners Minors (@MiLBMariners) August 8, 2026

The weekly Kade Anderson report is exactly what you’d expect: extremely good. Working 5.1 scoreless innings, Anderson punched out nine and allowed just three hits and no walks on the afternoon. There’s not much to say that hasn’t already been said; he’s entirely too good for the minor leagues, but given the wealth of pitching the M’s have at the big league level and unwillingness to move him to the bullpen (a smart move, in my opinion), he’s likely to remain in Double-A for the remainder of the season. Perhaps he’s called up for a cup of coffee once his rookie eligibility for next season would remain in tact, but it seems closer to a toss up than a surefire bet at this point in time.

Everett AquaSox

The Frogs dropped four of six this week against Vancouver this week, unable to best an opponent that’s really struggled to get things going this year. The AquaSox have a bunch of new faces on this roster, and despite some very strong performance out of the newcomers, they’ve been unable to get too far off the .500 line. Hopefully a strong end to the season can push them to the top spot of the second half standings and give them a shot at the title series.

Wild one in Everett. Aiden Taurek mashes a go ahead 3-run double! pic.twitter.com/s8kMhtzzuO

— Mariners Minors (@MiLBMariners) August 9, 2026

Aiden Taurek continues to mash in his new home and has been the best AquaSox batter for the past several weeks. Taurek, a corner outfielder with a line-drive approach at the plate, is presently slashing .340/.429/.566 in High-A and has been a doubles machine all season. Though it’d be aggressive, if he’s able to keep this level of production up through the end of the season, there’s a world where he earns his way to a debut in Double-A out of the gates in 2027.

Inland Empire 66ers

The 66ers had a fantastic week against Rancho Cucamonga, taking five of the six contests in the series. Though they’ve struggled all year, there’s a lot of fresh talent on this roster, and some new faces may be just what this team needs for a positive end of the season. Now just three games out of first place, IE has positioned themselves well to make a run for a spot in the postseason, a truly remarkable feat that seemed implausible just a week ago.

Jake Brown crushes his first professional HR! pic.twitter.com/l0mvaUZ22Z

— Mariners Minors (@MiLBMariners) August 7, 2026

Now making up a healthy chunk of this team, the recent draftees coming out of the SEC have worked wonders for this IE lineup and have them operating as a well-oiled machine. Fourth rounder Hayden Yost (1.046 OPS) and sixth rounder Henry Ford (1.345 OPS) have been outstanding atop this lineup, and Ace Reese, who’s logged just five AB’s, has taken quickly to the level and already has three base hits. Jake Brown and Ryan Wynn have each contributed admirably as well; its frankly been tough to nitpick any one of the bats in this 2026 class of draftees, and several of, if not all of these guys figure to make up a strong core in Everett come next season.

DSL Mariners

Though the offense has slowed just a hair for this DSL squad, they’ve still performed incredibly well on the year and remain the most interesting version of this team in the last handful of years. In particular, the lesser-heralded Jarvis Gomez has been fantastic this season; the young outfielder has more walks than strikeouts, 13 stolen bases, and an OPS of 1.015 through 42 games on the year. He’s been a great get for this organization and looks like a riser heading into his inevitable stateside debut next spring.