Category: MLB

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The Cubs Looking Toward the Future:

• Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball): To Win in 2027, Chicago Cubs Need to Join the 300 Club. “The 2026 Chicago Cubs were (by far) the most expensive team in franchise history. Next year, they’ll have to spend even more just to maintain their standing. It’s time to see whether the Rickettses really care.”
• Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): Four offseason questions facing Jed Hoyer, Cubs, who have pitching at top of lengthy to-do list. “The Cubs’ expectations won’t change for 2027; this will still be a team with World Series goals. But Hoyer’s front office has a lot to do to make next year’s team better equipped than the one that was rapidly bounced from the playoffs.”
• Doug Schwamb (Chicago Cubs On SI): Ranking the Cubs’ Biggest Offseason Needs After Wild Card Disaster. “Some changes need to be made, here are some of the biggest off-season needs the Cubs need to focus on.”
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune {$}): Where do the Chicago Cubs go after falling short in the playoffs again? ‘We let it slip away.’ “Now they must conduct an autopsy on their season and course correct the areas that contributed to their postseason demise.”
• Cole Bair (Bleacher Nation): Position Player Plan, Pitching Problems, Non-Tender Candidates, and Other Cubs Bullets. “We’re left with Jed Hoyer’s end-of-season press conference and wondering how much baseball there will even be in 2027 when the lockout inevitably begins on December 1.”
• Brandon Glick (Cubbies Crib): Alex Bregman’s blunt 2026 Cubs assessment should serve as wake up call for Jed Hoyer. “Don’t let this fall on deaf ears.”

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The Cubs Dwelling About the Past:

• Tony Andracki (CHGO): The most painful part of the early Cubs playoff exit. “In the wake of another Cubs playoff exit, we examine the painful part that will linger long after everything else.”
• Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib): Until Jed Hoyer and Tom Ricketts face hard truth, Cubs are destined to keep disappointing us all. “It’s time Cubs leadership acknowledges the elephant in the room.”
• Baseball Digest: PCA, Miz, Mason Miller honored by Baseball Digest. “Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs has been selected Baseball Digest’s 2026 MLB Player of the Year.

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The Cubs and What To Do in Free Agency:

• Doug Schwamb (Chicago Cubs On SI): One Cubs Free Agent They Can’t Afford to Lose (And One They Can). “The Chicago Cubs must decide who to keep and who to let walk in free agency. Here are some players to consider.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): Kevin Gausman Signing with Blue Jays “Seems Likely”. “They’re going to need to bring in multiple starting pitchers regardless, so retaining one or two, in addition to making a SIGNIFICANT external addition, could make sense.”
• Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Former Cubs bullpen project quietly elects free agency after brief turn as closer. “Yes, he was still around.”
• Justin Binkowski (Chicago Cubs On SI): Toughest Free Agent Decision Each Wild Card Loser Will Have to Make. “The offseason is now in full swing for these organizations.”

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Food For Thought:

Marion Walter Jacobs (May 1, 1930 – February 15, 1968), known as Little Walter, was an American blues musician, singer, and songwriter. His revolutionary approach to the harmonica had a strong impact on the succeeding generations, earning him comparisons to such seminal artists as Django Reinhardt, Charlie Parker and Jimi Hendrix. His virtuosity and musical innovations fundamentally altered many listeners’ expectations of what was possible on blues harmonica. He was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008, the first and, to date, only artist to be inducted specifically as a harmonica player. He was raised in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, where he learned to play the harmonica. He quit school, and by the age of 12 had left rural Louisiana and travelled, working odd jobs and busking on the streets of New Orleans, Memphis, Helena and West Helena, Arkansas, and St. Louis. He honed his musical skills on harmonica and guitar, performing with older bluesmen including Sonny Boy Williamson II, Sunnyland Slim, Honeyboy Edwards, and others.

Arriving in Chicago in 1946, he occasionally found work as a guitarist but garnered more attention for his already highly developed harmonica playing. According to Chicago bluesman Floyd Jones, Little Walter’s first recording was an unreleased demo recorded soon after he arrived in Chicago, on which Walter played guitar backing Jones. Reportedly frustrated with having his harmonica drowned out by electric guitars, Walter adopted a simple but previously little-used method: He cupped a small microphone in his hands along with his harmonica and plugged the microphone into a public address system or guitar amplifier. He could thus compete with any guitarist’s volume. However, unlike other contemporary blues harp players, such as Sonny Boy Williamson I and Snooky Pryor, who had also started using the newly available amplifier technology around the same time solely for added volume, Walter purposely pushed his amplifiers beyond their intended technical limitations, using the amplification to explore and develop radical new timbres and sonic effects previously unheard from a harmonica or any other instrument.

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.

Good morning, baseball fans!

The 2026 MLB Playoffs continue today with both NLDS games.

This is a rare time where I am not, necessarily, writing in the past. Which is pretty exciting for me. I mean, I am still writing this the day before, but there were no NLDS games on Monday so I can actually give up-to-date information for once! We gotta take our wins where we can.

So, let’s get into it!

First up, the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers will take on the Atlanta Braves at 3:00 p.m. PT. The series is currently tied 1-1. This game will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1/Fox One with national radio coverage on ESPN Radio. As of the time this is being written, the Dodgers intend to start right-hander and reigning World Series legend Yoshinobu Yamamoto against Braves left-hander Chris Sale.

After that, the visiting Milwaukee Brewers hope to knock out the San Diego Padres at 6:30 p.m. PT as they currently have a 2-0 series lead. All broadcast information is the same as above. The Brewers will start right-hander Dustin May against Padres right-hander Nick Pivetta.

Personally, I hate rooting for the Braves but I am contractually obligated to root for the not-Dodgers and they fit the bill. I’m also rooting for the Padres, because more baseball!

Who are you rooting for today?

It’s rare for the Mike Elias-led Orioles to use a moderately high draft pick on a pitcher. But that conventional wisdom went out the window a bit in the 2025 draft, when they selected Joseph Dzierwa and JT Quinn with a pair of second round picks just 11 slots apart. Based on how the duo has performed in the pro ranks to this point, maybe it’s something the organization should consider doing a bit more often.

Dzierwa is the better known player at this point. The lefty is the highest draft pitcher of the Elias era. His big year has vaulted him up the prospect charts, and it is possible that he could help the big league squad as soon as next summer.

Quinn came out of the draft as something of a developmental arm. The Tampa native began his college career at Ole Miss. There, he was a starter as a freshman, then a reliever as a sophomore. The talent was evident, but the outcomes were not (6.83 ERA in 2023, 8.84 ERA in ’24). He went looking for a new home going into his crucial junior campaign, and found a spot at Georgia, where he would nestle into a swingman role.

Transferring to another SEC school unlocked something for Quinn. He maintained his high strikeout (12.3 K/9) and walk (4.3 BB/9) rates, but this time was also limiting hard contact (5.8 H/9). That created a bit of buzz for him going into the Cape Code league that summer, where he boasted a fastball that sat at 95 mph just before the draft and struck out 25 batters across 14 innings. The Orioles liked what they saw, plucking him with the 69th overall pick.

Quinn’s first professional action had to wait until this year, and boy was it a good showing. Across two levels he had a 3.39 ERA while striking out 129 over 116.2 innings. He appeared as a starter in 25 of his 26 outings and seems poised to continue his development in the rotation, for a while anyway.

The Orioles skipped Quinn right over Low-A Delmarva, and instead sent him to High-A Frederick to begin the season. That was already a sign that they expected this guy to move fast through their system, regardless of the role he eventually locks down.

Things came pretty easily to him with Frederick. His ERA by month from April through June was 2.70, 3.77, and 2.73. His batting averages against were similarly solid: .224, 220, and .185. It was in July where he hit the skids a bit. He allowed 20 runs (17 earned) across 18.1 innings. That was the result of a .321 batting average against, including six home runs.

But clearly that was a moment from which Quinn was able to grow. He bounced back to start August, allowed one earned run across 11.1 innings in his first two starts of the month. That was all the proof the Orioles needed to give him a promotion to Double-A Chesapeake for the final few weeks of the season. Quinn’s season totals with Frederick were quite good. He struck out 10.19 per nine and (crucially for him) walked just 2.69 per nine. Home runs were an issue for him at one point, but it didn’t seem to be a continual problem.

After his promotion, the 22-year-old cruised through his final five starts of the season with the Baysox, never allowing more than two runs in any one outing and pitching to a 1.96 ERA over 23 total innings. The walks did creep back up (4.70 BB/9), but he kept the ball in the park (0.78 HR/9) and laid a nice base heading into 2027.

Quinn’s repertoire is electric. He sits 95-97 with the fastball and has flirted with triple digits. His mid-80s slider is considered his best pitch, breaking hard away from right-handed hitters. There is an upper-70s curveball that isn’t particularly effective at this point, but serves to keep hitters off balance. And he has been working on a changeup throughout the season that is still in its early stages.

There are questions about whether Quinn can stick as a starter moving forward. Command was a concern for him coming out of college, and he will likely need to prove that at every level. And while his arsenal of pitches shows promise, it is still largely a fastball/slider mix where his fastball isn’t as dominant as you would expect it be given the velocity on the offering. The introduction of that changeup is a big deal for him because if he can make it into a weapon, then he becomes more viable against left-handed hitting.

The 116.2 inning workload he took on in his first pro season is a big one. It appears he came out of it healthy as well. He didn’t hit the IL at all this year and consistently made his weekly start all season long. An ability to get out to the mound with regularity is as important to his development as the pitch shaping. Recurring trips to the shelf would be another sign that his future could belong outside of the rotation.

For now, the Orioles are treating Quinn like a starter, and he has shown enough development in 2026 to keep him in that role for the time being. But there are prospect experts that believe he fits better in a relief role long term, mostly due to his lack of a third legitimate pitch and history of limited command. That decision is something the Orioles will likely hold off on for as long as possible. This is the organization that successfully turned Kyle Bradish into a starter despite some scouts thinking he fit best in the bullpen, and they also held off on moving D.L. Hall to a relief role for years before it was evident that it needed to happen. They won’t be rushed here.

Quinn is likely slotted for a return to Double-A Chesapeake to begin the 2027 campaign. He threw just 23 innings at the level in 2026, and his 1.35 WHIP would indicate that he has more work to do. If he can impress and stay healthy for a few months there, then he should be ticketed for a promotion to Triple-A Norfolk at some point. There is an outside chance that the Orioles would consider a big league debut for Quinn late in ‘27 as a reliever, similar to what they did with Luis De León this past season, but that shouldn’t be considered likely. His main goals for next season will be changeup development, improved command, and a promotion to Norfolk.

The last weekend of the 2006 season was magical for the Minnesota Twins. After chasing the Detroit Tigers all summer, they final caught—and overtook!—the Kitties on the season’s final day. This afforded the 96-66 AL Central champion Twins the opportunity to stay home and welcome in the 93-69 AL West champion Oakland Athletics for the ALDS.

As I began getting into the swing of my junior year at the University of Minnesota-Morris, I rearranged my entire schedule to make sure I was in front of my 21” dorm room TV for every pitch.

Game 1 (10/3/06)

Enthusiastically energized by the wild finish, 55,542 Dome denizens came out for the postseason opener—a premiere Johan Santana vs Barry Zito pitching matchup.

Undergoing a career-revitalizing season (39 HR, 114 RBI, 140 OPS+) after leaving the Chicago White Sox, the “Big Hurt” Frank Thomas gave the A’s an early lead with a T2 solo home run, followed closely by a Marco Scutaro RBI double. 2-0 OAK.

Rondell White returned the dinger favor with a B7 blast off Barry—but before much momentum could materialize it was Thomas again crushing Jesse Crain to keep Homer Hankies in laps. 3-1 OAK.

Fighting back in B9, Michael Cuddyer led off with a triple. Alas, nothing further than a Torii Hunter RBI groundout materialized as the Athletics nabbed a 3-2 win a 1-0 series lead.

The pitching matchup certainly lived up to the billing—with Zito (8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K) just slightly better than Santana (8 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K) in the column that matters most.

Game 2 (10/4/06)

55,710 more of Twins Territory hermetically sealed inside the Dome for what would have been a Francisco Liriano bump turn if not for injury.

Instead, the baseball went to Boof Bonser—who coughed up RBI knocks from Scutaro (him again) & Jason Kendall in T5. 2-0 OAK.

This time, though, the Twins fought back almost immediately! In B6, back-to-back jacks from Cuddyer & Justin Morneau off A’s SP Esteban Loaiza knotted the score at two apiece.

But then came the moment that would define this series:

In T7 with one on and two out, Mark Kotsay roped a sinking liner into shallow CF. Torii Hunter raced in to snag it—the whole fanbase knew he would.

Until he didn’t…

In a short 5-game ALDS, this was the moment where it felt like things had slipped away. Oakland would add on another run for the 5-2 final margin.

Game 3 (10/6/06)

Shifting to the Coliseum, Minnesota sent Brad Radke to the bump. Gritting it out through a torn labrum, the longtime Twins vet gave it all he had—but it simply wasn’t enough (4 IP, 3 ER). Home runs from Eric Chavez and Milton Bradley proved the decisive blows.

A Hunter homer and White RBI single gave a gasp of hope—extinguished when the wheels came off in a 4-run B7 OAK inning off Dennys Reyes & Crain featuring a bases-loaded walk to Nick Swisher and a Scutaro 3-run double.

Athletics 8, Twins 3 was the last-out tally.

A season-long division title chase that lasted from Game 1 to Game 162 was snuffed out in just 96 hours.

The overriding feeling in Twins Territory at the time was “if only Liriano had been here” (and/or if Radke had a fully-intact shoulder) this would have been “the year”.

Adding insult to injury: the A’s would go on to be swept by the Detroit Tigers—the team the Twins eclipsed in the regular season—in the subsequent ALCS.

Having lost home-field advantage after a Game 2 defeat, the Dodgers head to Atlanta needing at least one win to bring the series back to Dodger Stadium. Following heavy bullpen involvement in the previous matchup, it is all about the starting pitchers—Chris Sale and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will meet each other for the first time since Sale’s complete-game win over the defending champs back in late August.

A hero in last year’s postseason, Yamamoto makes his 2026 playoff debut with his team already facing a tricky situation, especially if the offense can’t find a way to string hits together more successfully. The Dodgers visit Truist Park, having yet to record a hit with a runner in scoring position in the first two games of this National League Division Series.

One relevant factor in the decision to have Yamamoto pitch Game 3 of this series is just how dominant he has looked on the road this season, with a 1.77 ERA in 12 starts away from Dodger Stadium. Yamamoto’s only road loss since the start of June came in that pitcher’s duel against Sale, in a game in which there was really no way of beating the Braves’ left-hander, who held the Dodgers scoreless through nine.

Assessing potential lineup decisions, the Dodgers sat Muncy against a lefty opener in Game 2; he came in during the game and homered in his second straight playoff appearance. It’s also worth pointing out that Miguel Rojas got a hit in his only at-bat, likely leading to another instance of Muncy coming off the bench.

NLDS Game 3 info

• Teams: No. 2 seed Dodgers at No. 3 seed Braves
• Series: Tied at 1-1
• Ballpark: Truist Park, Atlanta
• Start time: 3:00 p.m.
• TV: FS1 (Joe Davis, John Smoltz, Ken Rosenthal)
• National radio: ESPN Radio (Dave O’Brien, Jessica Mendoza)
• Local English radio: AM 570 (Charley Steiner, Rick Monday)
• Local Spanish radio: KTNQ 1020 AM (José Mota, Luis Cruz)

As the postseason rages on, other teams like the Colorado Rockies are already looking ahead to 2027.

This offseason will bring a lot of reflection on how the current roster is constructed and potential moves to help the 2027 squad. A major part of that is looking back at how 2026 went and the right process forward. For the first time in a long while, the Rockies will take an important first step with a press conference today from the front office.

Over the last several years the Rockies hid from the public after the season. When there were having press conferences with general manager Jeff Bridich and manager Bud Black, things always boiled down to, “The players need to just play better.”

Not exactly a model of accountability.

Well, the improved communication from Paul DePodesta and company this year has been refreshing. Now, they have a chance to address the media about what went well, what went wrong, and what needs to happen next as part of the climb to contention.

Now, let’s get to some news from the Rockies and the league!

Rockies News & Links

6 Realistic MLB Trades That Could Happen In 2026-27 Offseason | Bleacher Report — The offseason will be full of hypotheticals and mock trades. Kerry Miller proposes that the Texas Rangers try to trade for Hunter Goodman. In Miller’s trade proposal, the Rockies would receive right-handed pitching prospects Caden Scarborough and AJ Russell, and catching prospect Malcolm Moore.

One Internal Candidate to Solve One of the Rockies Biggest Problems | Sports Illustrated — Maddy Dickens tries to make the case for who could fill in as the regular DH for the Rockies in 2027. The best option could be moving Charlie Condon into the position in order to get him more regular playing time next season.

2027 Rockies Will Have One Major Strength That Might Surprise You | Rockies on SI — Dickens also pinpoints the outfield as a major strength for the Rockies heading into 2027. With Jake McCarthy and Cole Carrigg locked in, along with Mickey Moniak, and the option of Condon as an outfield option, there is a chance for a lot of production.

The cancer club: How cyclist Lance Armstrong started an unlikely fraternity among MLB pitchers | The Athletic ($) — Former Rockie Chad Bettis managed to connect with Lance Armstrong after his cancer diagnosis and that has continued to turn into a support group for pitchers with cancer. The group also includes Jameson Taillon and Liam Hendriks and has been a nice resource for all involved.

Affected by Altitude Episode 228: What We No Longer Have Here Is A Failure To Communicate | Rocky Mountain Rooftop — This week Evan Lang and I talk about Cole Carrigg winning Rookie of the Month and the All-MLB nominations. We then talk about the better communication from the front office this season before chatting about the postseason so far.

Around MLB

A’s Athletic Club Sells Out 17 Months Ahead of 2028 Ballpark Opening | MLB.com — The Athletics are planning on finally moving into Las Vegas in 2028, and part of their stadium plan is a premier hospitality area located behind home plate. Per the reports, 76% of buyers are from southern Nevada.

Clutch hitting, brilliant relief in Game 2 have White Sox on cusp of ALCS | MLB.com — The Chicago White Sox are on the cusp of an appearance in the ALCS after another inspiring win against the Cleveland Guardians. The pitching continues to be on point for the White Sox alongside some timely hitting. The miracle season lives on!

MLB insider says Cubs are ‘unlikely’ to re-sign .841 OPS outfielder | Yahoo! Sports — The Chicago Cubs have a pair of outfielders becoming free agents. Unfortunately, they are likely to only be able to sign one of them. Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki will be popular free agents for teams and the Cubs are hoping to at least retain Happ if possible while potentially losing a bidding war for Suzuki.

Tampa Bay’s secret weapon? No outfield is harder to get a hit against | MLB.com — The Tampa Bay Rays do a lot of things right and one of the overlooked things is the spectacular outfield defense. As a unit the Rays outfield has +37 OAA, which is the best mark of any team in the Statcast era.

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Phillies News:

• A look at which Phillies Should Stay or Go
• A retrospective look at the team and what lays ahead from Baseball Prospectus ($$)
• ICYMI: Arbitration estimates are out for those eligible Phillies

MLB News:

• Yankees ace Cam Schittler is likely to win the AL Cy Young AND is developing a new pitch to make him even better
• Rumors are that Cubs are ‘unlikely’ to re-sign outfield Seiya Suzuki
• MLB is thankfully backing down from playing a baseball game in Grand Teton National Park

The Yankees have lost an ugly game in the ALDS yet again. As a result of another contest in which they were played off the field by a division rival, they are once again compelled to win three straight games facing elimination to keep their season alive. The Yankees have never won a postseason series under Aaron Boone as the underdog—and through two games their lifeless, gormless play has proven immune to the best-laid pitching plans of one of the most dominant pitching staffs in franchise history.

If you’re looking for a hero in this 5-2 loss at Tropicana Field, you’re going to have to keep looking. At least unlike Saturday there was a number above zero on New York’s side of the scorecard. Ben Rice provided those two tallies with a pair of home runs to right, the first of which provided a brief spark of hope that the Yankees might not totally butcher this thing—before they totally butchered it just two innings later.

Rice hit a flyout in his first at-bat, precipitating a perfect first time through the order for Rays starter Freddy Peralta. But his second time up promised a better future for this game and this series. Fastball Freddy, as the broadcast referred to him roughly a dozen times throughout the night, started Rice off with said fastball before abandoning it in favor of his changeup. He made three successive attempts to lure Rice into chasing the pitch—and his third try was successful to bring the count to 2-2.

That whiff seemed to further convince Peralta to stick with his change, especially knowing that Rice is one of the league’s best fastball hitters. So for the fourth straight time, he went changeup away—but he left this one in the strike zone, along the outside corner. Rice capitalized, shooting it over the right field wall for a game-tying solo blast.

Rice did his job effectively again when he came up for a third time in the fifth inning. With two outs, Austin Wells doubled off Peralta to spark a rally. Ryan McMahon followed by working a walk after falling behind 0-2, which ended Peralta’s night. Rice was the first man to face lefty reliever Cam Booser, and got nothing good to swing at. The southpaw pitched around Ben, who refused to expand the zone. He worked his walk to load the bases for Cody Bellinger, known for his track record of success against left-handed pitching. Bellinger very nearly found the go-ahead hit he was looking for with a long fly ball to center field, but Jonny DeLuca ran it down on the warning track.

Of course, the Rays benefitted from a Yankee pratfall routine immediately afterward, destroying all positive momentum and building a 5-1 lead. But Rice, outcome be damned, was gonna turn in another good at-bat. Facing Ian Seymour to lead off the eighth inning, he took a first-pitch sweeper for a strike, then unleashed a lightning-fast swing on an inside changeup. His line drive down the right field line snuck over the wall for his second homer of the night.

Rice could not spark a greater rally. The Yankees went down in order against Seymour right after that second homer, and put up no resistance against closer Bryan Baker. The Yankees are on the verge on another ignominious end to a strong season, but at the very least we can give a tip of the hat to their best hitter all year, who never gave in even as the rest of the team kept making the same familiar mistakes that routinely send this team home emptyhanded in October.

If a miraculous and frankly uncharacteristic series victory from down 2-0 is in the offing, no doubt Ben Rice will be one of the key reasons. The Yankees will need more than just him to hit, but his exceptional talent must also continue to be front-and-center for the Bombers to save their season.

Happy Tuesday, Camden Chatters!

The postseason continued last night with the American League teams back in action. In the AL Central ALDS, the Chicago White Sox staged a come-from-behind victory with three runs in the sixth inning to go ahead and stay there. Guardians’ starter Gavin Williams struck out 11 but lasted just five innings. The Guardians head into Chicago facing elimination, which is a shame. I don’t have a strong rooting interest for either team, but it would have been nice for the home team fans to see a win. I guess there’s always game five!

The AL East ALDS is not going well for the Yankees. After the Yankees were almost no-hit in game one and lost 1-0, they fell apart defensively in game two. Having watched a lot of Orioles baseball, I am familiar with bad defense, and I am confident in saying that the Yankees looked terrible. The Ray pulled off the win and have a 2-0 series lead. Tomorrow the Yankees could be swept in front of their home crowd.

While the AL is off to travel, the NL is back tonight. They’ve switched cities, so the Dodgers/Braves are in Atlanta with the Brewers/Padres in San Diego. The Padres are down 0-2, so they need a win to stay alive. The Dodgers and Braves have split the first two games.

Us Orioles fans have to settle for the Arizona Fall League. The Peoria Javelinas, the team hosting Orioles prospects, lost last night 10-7. But it wasn’t Vance Honeycutt’s fault. The center fielder had two hits, including a home run, and walk. He also stole a base.

Ike Irish and Brandon Butterworth are also off to a quick start. Irish, who missed much of the regular season with a torn meniscus, has three hits in two games, including a home run. And Butterworth has hit two doubles and has taken three walks in three games.

Two pitchers in the Orioles system have also appeared in the first three games. Do you remember Braxton Bragg? He had TJ surgery in July 2025 and didn’t pitch in 2026 until now. He pitched three shutout innings on Sunday with three hits and two strikeouts. And Kiefer Lord struck out four batters in two innings on Saturday.

The AFL continues through November 14th.

Links

Gunnar Henderson says he was ‘trying to force stuff to happen’ in 2026. Here’s what scouts saw. – The Baltimore Banner If the Orioles want a chance next year, he better figure it out.

Pulling seven questions from mailbag – MASN Sports
It’s the off-season, so Roch Kubatko answers some reader questions. He and I feel the same about Coby Mayo playing the outfield.

Birthdays and History

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have five Orioles birthday buddies. Matt Wotherspoon’s (35) two-game MLB career happened with the Orioles in 2019. Radhames Liz (43) pitched in 28 games for the Orioles from 2007-09, then got another chance in 2015 with the Pirates. “Sweaty” Freddy García (50) played for seven teams in his 16-season career, including 2013 with the Orioles. Greg Walker (67) played the first 841 games of his career with the White Sox and the final 14 games with the Orioles in 1990. And Joe Frazier (not that one) played for three MLB teams in 1956, including the Orioles.

On this day in 1966, the Orioles defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-0 to take a 2-0 World Series lead. Jim Palmer pitched a complete-game shutout with four hits and three walks. The Orioles scored four runs off Sandy Koufax, but only one was earned as the Dodgers made a whopping six errors.

In 1969, the Orioles defeated the Minnesota Twins 11-2 to sweep the ALCS. Once again, Palmer pitched a complete game. He scattered 10 hits and two walks. The offense had 18 hits, with every non-Palmer batter picking up at least one. Paul Blair had five hits, including two doubles and a home run.

In 1973, the Orioles won game one of the ALCS over the Oakland Athletics, 6-0. Would you care to take a stab at who pitched the complete-game shutout? The Orioles scored three runs against Vida Blue in the first inning on RBI hits from Tommy Davis, Earl Williams, and Mark Belanger.

In 1974, the Orioles again played the A’s. This time, they lost. Dave McNally allowed two runs in 5.2 innings and the bullpen allowed three more. Thanks to key errors, one from Bobby Grich and one from Frank Baker, four of the runs were unearned. Baker had come in to play shortstop after Belanger was pinch-hit for.

In 1979, the Orioles defeated the California Angels in game four of the ALCS to earn a World Series berth. This time it was Scott McGregor with the GGSO. Ken Singleton had three hits and two RBI. Pat Kelly hit a three-run homer.

In 1983, the Orioles tied the ALCS 1-1 with a 4-0 win over the Chicago White Sox. Mike Boddicker struck out 14 as he, you guessed it, pitched a CGSO. Gary Roenicke reached base four times with a home run. Cal Ripken had two hits.

Shohei Ohtani could break out of this slump and power the Los Angeles Dodgers to their third consecutive World Series.

That’s called fantasy baseball.

Then there’s reality baseball: Ohtani is a problem, not the solution, as the Dodgers head into Game 3 of the best-of-five NLDS tied with the Atlanta Braves at one game apiece.

In Game 2, which the Dodgers lost 3-2, Ohtani went 1-for-4 with an opposite-field single. The more alarming news: he had a chase rate of 53%, meaning more than half of the pitches he swung at were outside the strike zone.

His chase rate for the season is 30%, according to Baseball Savant.

Digging a little deeper into his performance in Game 2, Ohtani had 11 swings on 19 pitches, seven whiffs and a called strike and one hard hit, per Yahoo Sports.

GAME 2: Blake Snell's sluggish start was worst-case scenario for Dodgers

The Ohtani problem figures to be magnified Tuesday, Oct. 6 in Atlanta when the Dodgers are facing Braves ace Chris Sale.

In 16 plate appearances against Sale, Ohtani is 3-for-15 (.200) with only one extra-base hit (a double) and five strikeouts.

A potential bold move

Rather than play fantasy baseball – maybe Ohtani will look like himself in his next at-bat! – the Dodgers could act boldly.

That could mean pulling Ohtani from the lineup in favor of rookie Josue De Paula.

De Paula got his first postseason at-bat in Game 2, pinch hitting for Tommy Edman with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and the Dodgers trailing 3-2. He fouled out for the final out, but there’s reason to invest more at-bats in De Paula.

He made his MLB debut Sept. 11 and during the regular season went 10-for-31 (.323) with three doubles, a triple and a home run.

"He's just a special hitter," Roberts said last week, per the California Post. "(His skill set) lines up in the postseason. And no moment is going to be too big for that kid."

Ohtani jolt remains evasive

Knee soreness and bicep inflammation landed Ohtani on the 15-day injury list in September. He returned to the lineup Sept. 23, giving him five regular-season games to round into form.

But at the plate, the old jolt remains evasive.

During the final five games of the regular season, Ohtani went 5-for-21 (.238) with one extra-base hit (a double) and eight strikeouts. It’s been more of the same during the first two playoff games, with Ohtani going 2-for-8 with a couple of base hits and two strikeouts.

And what does Ohtani say about his physical condition?

"I haven't heard anything other than he feels fine,’’ Roberts told reporters after Game 2.

The sight of Ohtana at-bats calls that into question.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Do Dodgers have a Shohei Ohtani problem? MVP becomes issue, not answer, in NLDS

For the better part of a decade, Andrew Friedman and Stan Kasten have talked about a shared goal of making this the golden era of Dodgers baseball.

No team in major league history has more consecutive postseason appearances than these Dodgers. No National League team has won three consecutive World Series championships, but the Dodgers could complete that trifecta this month.

So, Mr. Friedman, mission accomplished?

“I don’t think I’m qualified to answer the question,” said Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, “but also, I don’t think I have the perspective for it right now. Look forward to after I get fired or whatever, and being able to look back on it and the specialness of this time.”

Read more:Move Shohei Ohtani down in the Dodgers' lineup? Dave Roberts is 'open' to it

Who, I asked him, might be qualified to answer the question?

“Bill,” he said, “I’d like you to answer that question, please.”

I will, but not without soliciting opinions first. Mr. Kasten, what say you?

“I’m not a historian,” said Kasten, the team president. “A historian, 10 years from now. That’s who you should ask. Go find someone.”

I don’t have 10 years to wait, plus artificial intelligence might kill us all by then. But I liked Kasten’s idea of finding a historian, so I found two, and I asked them each the same question: Do the Dodgers need to three-peat to clinch this time as the golden era of Dodger baseball?

Mark Langill, the Dodgers’ historian for the past 33 years, said he was “cracking up” when he heard Friedman’s words. He pointed to the 14 consecutive postseason appearances.

“What people don’t realize is,” Langill said, “the previous record was two.

“So, before, you’d have maybe the team of a generation: the Kirk Gibson year, the year of Fernando, the year of Drysdale and Koufax. But you never had the sustained part.”

And what did Langill find so funny about what Friedman said?

“Obviously, he’s just being modest, but this is one of the greatest executives you will ever see in the sport,” Langill said. “He’s doing the ‘aw shucks’ and everything like that. He may not feel comfortable saying this, but I’m feeling comfortable saying it’s one of the most amazing streaks, not only in the history of the Dodgers, but in the history of sports.”

So, with or without a three-peat, is this the Dodgers’ golden era?

Read more:Shaikin: Dodgers should stop overthinking and use Edwin Díaz as their closer

“It’s definitely the golden era,” Langill said.

The reply from John Thorn, the official historian of Major League Baseball, was far less conclusive.

“I do believe this is a golden era for Dodger baseball,” Thorn said.

A golden era, not the golden era, at least not yet.

Before Friedman and Kasten arrived, there was little dispute about the Dodgers’ golden era. It took place in Brooklyn, and it was immortalized in the book “The Boys of Summer.”

The 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers, the first World Series championship team in franchise history, featured eight Hall of Famers: infielders Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese and Gil Hodges, outfielder Duke Snider, catcher Roy Campanella and manager Walter Alston, plus cameo appearances from rookie pitchers Sandy Koufax and Tommy Lasorda.

The Dodgers of this era feature almost certain Hall of Famers in pitcher Clayton Kershaw, first baseman Freddie Freeman, shortstop and right fielder Mookie Betts, pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and manager Dave Roberts, plus perhaps closer Kenley Jansen and emerging candidate Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

What makes the Dodgers’ three championships in this era stand out is that they navigated multiple postseason rounds each time. In the Brooklyn era, the league champion advanced directly to the World Series. Those Dodgers won five National League titles within 10 years and lost two others on the final day of the regular season. These Dodgers are trying to win their sixth NL title in 10 years.

And, had the current percentage of teams that make the postseason been in effect in Brooklyn times, the Boys of Summer would have made the playoffs in every year from 1945 to 1957 — that is, 13 consecutive postseason appearances. That would have meant eight additional chances at a championship.

“I think this would be — with a third consecutive World Series — THE Golden Era for the Dodgers,” Thorn said. “Otherwise, if the Dodgers do not win it all, I would tilt to the Boys of Summer.”

Read more:Plaschke: Dodgers need to drop the entitlement and learn to fear the Atlanta Braves

My tiebreaker: The mythology and romance of the Boys of Summer live on to this day, and the annual Jackie Robinson Day celebrations help keep the memory of those Brooklyn teams alive. However, these Dodgers are global celebrities in a way that would not be possible without modern technology and, of course, Ohtani.

They win, relentlessly and unapologetically. Love them or love to hate them, these Dodgers smash attendance records home and away, drive their sport forward here and abroad, and stir passion beyond the eastern half of the United States, the only place that major league teams called home until the Dodgers moved west.

For me, this already is the golden age of the Dodgers, whatever happens this October notwithstanding. What say you?

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

When Edwin Díaz envisioned his first season with the Dodgers, it looked nothing like this. He was going to stay healthy all year, pitch like an All-Star. He certainly was going to throw in more than 21 regular-season appearances.

A slew of injuries, with mechanical issues layered on top, had other plans. But everything resets in the postseason. And against the odds, the right-hander is back in the closer conversation.

“It means a lot,” Díaz said in a conversation with the Times Monday. “Because I was nowhere, basically this season. They gave me the last week and a half of the season to come and pitch. And I was ready every day.”

Read more:Move Shohei Ohtani down in the Dodgers' lineup? Dave Roberts is 'open' to it

If he can keep pitching the way he has since returning from the IL in September, it’ll strengthen the Dodgers’ chances at a three-peat. They went into the postseason with a closer-by-committee approach. But manager Dave Roberts said before the Dodgers’ workout at Truist Park on Monday that they could get to a consistent closer by the end of the postseason.

“Certainly that last outing was as good as we’ve seen him throw, and it’s hard to imagine throwing any better,” Roberts said of Díaz’s perfect inning against the Atlanta Braves Sunday, which included three fastballs over 100 mph. “We built him up, regained the confidence in himself. So, I think that it’s certainly a viable option for [Tuesday] night. I feel very confident [with] him finishing a game.”

Though his first postseason outing for the Dodgers was in the sixth inning of Game 2 of the National League Division Series, Díaz has been mainly in high leverage in his playoff career — he owns a 2.19 ERA in nine postseason appearances. The former Mets closer even recorded a four-out save at Dodger Stadium in Game 2 of the 2024 National League Championship Series.

“I don’t try to think, ‘Oh, there’s many thousands of fans here,” he said. “Just me against the hitter, and I trust myself. And like I always tell myself, ‘You are a warrior, you are you are the best, and go and compete.’”

The Dodgers’ closer situation has been in flux all year. They had signed Díaz to a three-year, $69 million contract with that role in mind. And even when he missed three months for arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow, and lefty Tanner Scott took over in the ninth inning, the spot was open for Díaz when he returned.

That was not the case after his second IL stint. And it was during that month-long road back that he finally re-found himself on the mound.

“I was like this maybe in the [World Baseball Classic] and first couple games early in the year before I got hurt,” Diaz said. “But now I feel way better than everything. So I think this is the best I ever felt this year.”

Read more:Dodgers know they must break their reliance on home runs to beat Braves

The process started with treating his neck. Díaz was feeling tightness around the front side of his right trapezius muscle, which could have contributed to Díaz dropping his arm angle. He received medication and needling therapy to address the issue, he said.

Trainers used manual manipulation to find Diaz’ ideal arm slot and build muscle memory, and he was quickly cleared to resume throwing.

“I’ve been doing that for so long, I just lost it for a little,” Díaz said of his arm angle. “And we’ve got a really good group of coaches right here, and they found it right away.”

Díaz began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City in early September. But it wasn’t smooth sailing. In his fourth outing, Díaz issued three walks and surrendered five runs in just two-thirds of an inning.

“I got mad at myself because I knew I was better than that,” Díaz said. “I wasn’t able to control my fastball. So after that game, I talked to the pitching coaches in Triple-A to say, ‘We need to find something because I want to be back in the big-leagues, I want to help this team to win.’”

They dug into Díaz’ biomechanics and found that his hip position was different from last year. When he’s right, Díaz explained, his leg lift starts with his hip. But he’d begun to rush the move, which caused his arm to lag behind.

He threw a bullpen with the adjustment and then took it into one final rehab appearance, a one-hit outing.

“I told the team, ‘I’m ready to go,’” Díaz said.

Read more:Shaikin: Dodgers should stop overthinking and use Edwin Díaz as their closer

He sure was. Díaz posted a spotless ERA in six games down the stretch, limiting opponents to one hit combined. And that success carried into his Dodgers postseason debut.

“He’s put himself in a position to be the closer,” Roberts said. “And in October, I don’t pay too much attention to the long sample of a season in a lot of cases because in October things happen quickly, and you’ve got to be willing to read and react.”

For Díaz, the season may not have gone as planned, but his vision of the next few weeks is as clear as ever. He wants to record the final out of the World Series.

“I know how to control my emotions,” he said. “I learned that during my career, and I’m pretty good at that. I just can’t wait to be in that position, and if I’m in there, I will give my 100%.”

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

It’s rare that a hitter feels in full control of a plate appearance. Hitting is an inherently reactive activity, with the pitcher in control of what pitch is thrown, how it’s thrown, where it’s thrown, even when and why it’s thrown. It’s even more difficult for the hitter to feel in control when facing a dominant pitcher, with elite arms attacking the opposition and making them feel as if they’re on the wrong side of an avalanche.

Which makes Monday’s offensive performance from the Rays all that more impressive. Facing the presumptive AL Cy Young Award winner, Tampa’s hitters were in control all night. They made Cam Schlittler sweat, they made him work, and in the end, they made him bleed. The end result was a 5-1 Rays victory, a commanding 2-0 series lead, and another Yankees season on life support.

Schlittler was coming off a stellar performance in a season consisting almost exclusively of stellar performances. He diced up the Red Sox in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, leaning on his curveball in a surprise manuever that left Boston gasping for air. Schlitter’s strategy wasn’t quite as curve heavy this time around, using it 18 percent of the time compared to 27 percent versus Boston, electing to go after Tampa with his trademark high-heat, three-fastball approach.

The Rays were ready. Tampa’s hitters have the flattest swings of any team in the league, which in theory should make them a tough matchup for Schlittler, with their swing paths putting the bat right on plane to make contact with Schlittler’s fastballs. In practice, Schlittler proved unable to overpower them.

Schlittler managed only seven swings and misses, a total he failed to reach just once during this magnificent season. The Rays struck out twice versus the right-hander, the lowest mark all year for Schlittler. Tampa’s hitters just never seemed uncomfortable facing the best pitcher in the American League. They never expanded the zone, rarely found themselves in unfavorable counts, and made hard contact in nearly every inning against Schlittler. The Rays’ swings always seemed to be on time, fair or foul:

And even their takes exuded confidence:

It was a remarkable feat, to stare down the most intimidating pitcher in the league and to force him to blink, not vice versa.

On a day where his defense or offense backed him up, Schlittler still might have been able to make it work, to grind through five or six innings and eek out a win. Instead, New York played one of its sloppiest games ever, tallying a staggering four (later changed by the official scorer from five) errors in the span of six innings, three in the first frame alone. You can thank the Rays’ fast, aggressive play style in part, forcing the Yankee fielders to speed up:

George Lombard Jr. misses the ball and Chandler Simpson makes it 3-1 for the Rays 😳pic.twitter.com/FssNbFzLji

— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) October 6, 2026

But the Yankees just failed to execute on defense in the most important game of the year, something that has happened before. Ryan McMahon booted the first batted ball of the game, Jazz Chisholm Jr. threw a ball away on an ill-fated attempt to turn two in the first, and in the fifth, George Lombard Jr. a committed a fielding error and also a throwing error that was later changed to a fielder’s choice, helping the Rays along to their four-run outburst that ultimately sealed the game.

Played under the haunting dome of Tropicana Field, it felt like the quintessential Rays game. They refused to strike out, put the ball into the field of play, and put pressure on the Yankees to make plays, pressure the Yankees wilted under. This strategy doesn’t work all the time (remember, the Yankees both scored more and allowed fewer runs than the Rays this year), but when it does work, it can make the opponent look silly for trying to win any other way. If you squint, the Yankees really could have won their way; in a 1-1 ballgame with the bases loaded in the fifth, Cody Bellinger hit a ball 103 mph off the bat at a 27 degree angle, a combination that produced a home run 57 percent of the time in the regular season:

Cody Bellinger flies out to the warning track pic.twitter.com/nDdJ8Picbv

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) October 6, 2026

But Bellinger’s particular batted ball was to the deepest part of the park, and it settled into Jonny DeLuca’s glove a foot in front of the wall. If Bellinger could have pulled the ball just a little more, if he swung just barely harder, the Yankees could have been the team that surged ahead 5-1. Instead, Bellinger was left with nothing but a loud out, and the Yankees imploded in the next half-inning.

Outside of the continued brilliance of Ben Rice, there’s just not much to hang your hat on here. The Rays executed about as well as they possibly could given the circumstances, and the Yankees couldn’t have played much worse. New York returns to the Bronx deservedly trailing 2-0 in the ALDS for the second season in a row, having been undressed on the road by a division rival each time. As dire as it seems now, the season isn’t over; we all remember what happened in Game 3 last year. But we also remember what happened in Game 4, which underscores how deep of a hole the Yankees find themselves in yet again. They’ll need to find a minor miracle and pull out three in a row against Tampa Bay, or else find themselves trudging once more into the cold winter.

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On the site today, Jeremy names the Yankees player of the game from Game 2, which had only one possible choice. Also, Madison recaps the White Sox/Guardians matchup from yesterday, Jonathan profiles Ruben Sierra for our Yankee Birthday series, and Peter delivers his At-bat of the Week, which features George Lombard Jr.

Today’s Matchup:

Offday.

Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Mason Montgomery made the most of his first season with the team.

Montgomery made 70 appearances for the Pirates this season, recording a 6-4 record with a 2.88 ERA and 68.2 innings pitched. His efforts made him the biggest surprise of the year, according to Bleacher Report writer Joel Reuter.

“The Pirates acquired Brandon Lowe, Jake Mangum and Montgomery from the Rays last offseason in a three-team, six-player deal that sent Mike Burrows to the Astros. Montgomery pitched to a 5.67 ERA in 57 games as a rookie in 2025, but his 12.3 K/9 spoke to the quality of his stuff. A year later, he was one of the most overpowering bullpen arms in baseball, pitching his way into the closer’s role while setting a franchise record with 25 straight scoreless appearances,” Reuter wrote.

The trade turned out to be a massive win for the Pirates, who sent Mike Burrows to the Houston Astros in a three-team deal. Burrows was strong with the Pirates in 2025, but he struggled with the Astros in 2026, recording a 5.99 ERA in 17 starts with Houston. It’s clear the Pirates were on the right end of the deal with Montgomery alone, but Lowe and Mangum also each played over 130 games each for the Buccos.

If his first season was any indication on how his time will be in Pittsburgh, Montgomery could emerge as one of the best arms out of the Pirates bullpen.

BD community, how do you feel about Montgomery’s first season with the Pirates? Let us know in the comments section below.

MLB.com: Yesterday afternoon, Major League Baseball announced the finalists for this year’s Hank Aaron Award. Recognizing the two best offensive performances (one in each league), the award is conferred through a fan vote and a panel consisting of journalists and former players. Yankees first baseman/designated hitter Ben Rice finds himself as one of this year’s finalists, hoping to make it the three straight season (and fourth in five years) that a Yankees slugger takes home the award (Aaron Judge won it in 2022, 2024, and 2025). Other nominees include Baltimore’s Pete Alonso, Houston’s Yordan Alvarez (the likely favorite), and Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr.

The Athletic | Clark Gilmore: Clarke Gilmore, a current member of the Savannah Bananas and a former teammate of Ben Rice at Dartmouth, penned a guest article for The Athletic’s Peak newsletter, a series focusing on the mental side of sports. As you might have guessed based on the nature of the series, Gilmore spoke not about Rice’s physical prowess, but on his “consistency” that dated back to his college days — and could be seen not only on the diamond, but in much more mundane things, such as Mario Kart in the dorms.

FanGraphs | Matt Martell: Turning our attention from one Massachusetts boy to another, Cam Schlittler came out with a completely unexpected strategy against the Red Sox in Game 1 of the ALWC: the typically fastball-dominant youngster threw 32 curveballs — a whopping 27.4 percent of the time (during the regular season, he threw it just 9.8 percent of the time). The start was the culmination of a year-long process in which the Cy Young favorite working to turn his curveball into a veritable weapon, one that can can make him a dangerous pitcher not just now, but going forward.