The Red Sox amazing turnaround continues following their seventh straight win last night, 4-0, over the White Sox. Boston has now won 25 of their last 28 games and nine consecutive series. Despite dropping the first two games of the series, the White Sox remain comfortably atop the AL Central, three games clear of the Guardians. The Red Sox are now within one game of the Yankees for the top Wild Card spot in the American League and are 5.5 games behind the AL East-leading Rays.
Sonny Gray was the story Wednesday night. The veteran tossed six innings of shutout ball allowing just three hits while striking out eight to earn his fourteenth win of the season. Boston's bullpen trio of Tyson Guerrero, Garrett Whitlock, and Jovani Morán finished the four-hit shutout, Boston's 11th of the season. It was the eighth time this season the White Sox were blanked.
Chicago is expected to hand the ball to Luis Castillo (3-9, 5.06 ERA) who will be making his White Sox debut after a trade deadline deal with Seattle. July was a rough month for the veteran righthander. Castillo threw 23 innings in the month spanning four starts and he allowed 29 hits and 14 runs (5.48 ERA).Ranger Suarez (4-3, 3.15 ERA) takes the mound to start for Boston. The southpaw has been inconsistent in his two starts since returning from the injured list. Last Friday, Suarez allowed three runs over 4.2 innings in Los Angeles against the Dodgers but his previous start was a gem as he threw four shutout innings at Fenway against the Blue Jays.
The Red Sox have outscored the White Sox 18-2 through the first two games of this series and their opponents during this seven-game winning streak, 47-18.
Lets dive further into tonight’s game and find a sweat or two.
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Game Details and How to Watch: White Sox vs. Red Sox
Date: Thursday, August 6, 2026
Time: 7:10PM EST
Site: Fenway Park
City: Boston, MA
Network/Streaming: MLB.TV, CSN, NESN
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The Latest Odds: White Sox vs. Red Sox
The latest odds as of Thursday courtesy of DraftKings:
Moneyline: Chicago White Sox (+173), Boston Red Sox (-187)
Spread: White Sox +1.5 (-131), Red Sox -1.5 (+108)
Total: 9.0 runs
Probable Starting Pitchers – White Sox vs. Red Sox for August 6
White Sox: Luis Castillo Season Totals: 99.2 IP, 3-0, 5.06 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 86K, 32 BB
Red Sox: Ranger Suarez Season Totals: 100.0 IP, 4-3, 3.15 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 105K, 28 BB
Who’s Hot? Who’s Not! White Sox vs. Red Sox
Wilyer Abreu has homered 4 times in his last 3 games.
Luisangel Acuna is 1-2 in his career vs. Ranger Suarez with 1 HR
Willson Contreras is 10-22 including 1 HR in his career against Luis Castillo
Masataka Yoshida is 5-8 in his career against Castillo
Jarren Duran has hit in 5 straight games (8-18) including 2 HRs
Miguel Vargas is 3-14 in August
Munetaka Murakami has struck out at least once in 4 straight and 8 of his last 9 games (18 strikeouts in total)
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Top Betting Trends & Insights: White Sox vs. Red Sox
The White Sox are an MLB-best 67-46 on the Run Line this season
The Red Sox are 57-56 on the Run Line this season
The OVER has cashed 63 times in Chicago’s 113 games this season (63-48-2)
The OVER has cashed 49 times in Boston’s 113 games this season (49-60-4)
Expert picks & predictions: White Sox vs. Red Sox
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Here are the best bets our model is projecting for tonight’s game between the White Sox and the Red Sox:
Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
Spread: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Red Sox on the Run Line.
Total: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Game Total OVER 9.0
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CLEVELAND, OH - AUGUST 05: New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) and New York Mets third baseman Bo Bichette (19) celebrate following the Major League Baseball interleague game between the New York Mets and Cleveland Guardians on August 5, 2026, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Meet the Mets
The Mets scored the tying run in the ninth to force extras and then won it in the tenth. Christian Scott was solid in his start, and both Jefry Yan and Chayce McDermott threw scoreless innings in their Mets debut. Jorge Polanco hit his first home run since his return from the IL to help the team win its series against the Guardians.
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 04: Ryan Weathers #40 of the New York Yankees pitches during the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Yankee Stadium on August 4, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Up until July 20th, Yankees trade acquisition Ryan Weathers was sporting a disappointing 4.40 ERA in 102.1 innings. His four-seam fastball was getting battered, and he was allowing too many home runs to have a chance at sustained success. Baseball, however, is a game of adjustments. The talented left-hander has allowed just one earned run in his last three starts and 18.2 frames, with 13 hits, no homers, five walks, and 17 punchouts. He seems like a completely different pitcher, much less vulnerable, and has dropped his season ERA to 3.79 over that span.
What changed? Well, if you have a fastball that has surrendered a .628 xSLG (expected slugging percentage) and a .408 xwOBA, you just don’t throw it very often, as our own Peter Brody suggested a few weeks ago. The writer prescribed more sinkers and fewer four-seamers as the recipe for success. Let’s see Weathers’ pitch mix in his last start on Tuesday, when he held the St. Louis Cardinals scoreless for six frames, conceding just four hits and a walk while fanning six:
Changeup: 30 percent
Sinker: 25 percent
Sweeper: 24 percent
Slider: 14 percent
Four-seam fastball: 8 percent
That’s right, Weathers went from throwing 45.3 percent four-seamers last year (his most frequently used offering in his last season with the Marlins) to just eight percent in his most recent outing with the Yankees. For reference, he threw nine percent heaters on July 30th and 10 percent on the 25th. You can easily see the trend.
New York Daily News reporter Gary Phillips asked Weathers why he is throwing fewer four-seamers, and his response left us with an all-time quote: “The other pitches stay in the ballpark.” Sometimes, the best way to grow is not necessarily trying to improve a pitch, but instead, getting to know one’s limitations and being open to embracing change. And that’s precisely what Weathers is doing.
Yes, he can throw the ball very hard on his day, but sheer velocity is far from the only factor behind a solid fastball these days. Deception, ride, command… There are just so many variables, and it’s clear that the pitch wasn’t cutting it for Weathers.
The red line in this graphic indicates Weathers’ four-seamer usage through the years, including the 2026 campaign. It’s easy to see how it tumbles this season:
You can expect the trend to continue, especially because the secondary pitches are working. Sometimes, you will see Weathers featuring more changeups, and other times, it will be his sinker or his sweeper. It will depend on his feel for his repertoire that day, and especially on the foe: certain teams are more susceptible to changeups, others suffer more with sweepers.
It needs to be pointed out, however, that Weathers’ changeup is looking better than ever, and so is his slider. Both pitches had a 40 percent whiff rate in his last start, and with this combo working, he can attack lefties and righties with confidence, as he did on Tuesday:
It will be very interesting to see if this extreme no-fastball approach (well, no four-seamers, at least) can be sustainable over time and if it can lead to a full-fledged breakout in the second half. It’s important to note, however, that a few heaters per start can effectively help him keep hitters honest. On Tuesday, Weathers threw seven of them, earning a whiff (on two swings) and two called strikes for a solid 43 percent CSW%.
Weathers is clearly a candidate to be moved to the relief duties when everybody is healthy in the Yankees’ staff. He would be open to such a move, saying that his job is “when Boonie hands me the ball, that’s when I’m supposed to go pitch. When he takes it out of my hand, that’s when I’m done pitching.” However, if he keeps giving the Bombers six or seven scoreless frames every five days, perhaps they will have to reconsider.
WICHITA, KS - JULY 01: Christian Zazueta #26 of the Tulsa Drillers pitches during the game between the Tulsa Drillers and the Wichita Wind Surge at Equity Bank Park on Wednesday, July 1, 2026 in Wichita, Kansas. (Photo by Lathe Cobb/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
Of note in the six Dodgers prospects in the BA top 100 are Christian Zazueta, who launched up to 24th overall after not named to any top-100 lists in the offseason, plus Zach Root and Charles Davalan, the Dodgers’ first two draft picks in 2025 out of Arkansas, picked 40th and 41st overall.
Dodgers in Baseball America updated top 100 prospects
“Even after a quick rise in our last update, Zazueta is still on a rocket to the top,” wrote Josh Norris at Baseball America on Wednesday. “The righthander hasn’t missed a beat since moving from High-A to Double-A, where he’s struck out 39 and walked just two over his first 24 innings.”
Davalan is notable as he thrives in High-A Great Lakes, hitting .292/.410/.525 with a 140 wRC+ on the season, including an eye-popping .370/.457/.790 with a 203 wRC+, eight home runs and 16 extra-base hits in 20 games in July.
“Over the course of the month, Davalan showed all of his tools, hitting for a high average, walking at a high rate and hitting for power,” Geoff Pontes wrote last week at Baseball America. “As of July 30, Davalan is in the midst of a streak of eight games in which he’s had multiple hits. He’s showing signs of a potential 60-plus-grade hit tool, even if he’s stuck at his current level due to the outrageous outfield talent in Tulsa.”
That multi-hit streak for Davalan got to nine games on Saturday.
On Wednesday, Davalan was named Midwest League player of the month for July.
MESA, AZ - MARCH 22: Josiah Ragsdale #89 of the Milwaukee Brewers rounds third base to score in the eighth inning during the game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Athletics at Hohokam Stadium on Sunday, March 22, 2026 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Soon after the deadline was over, Jake Wood gave his grades for how the Cardinals fared. I wanted to dig a little deeper into each of the prospects, not saddled with the time crunch Jake was under. I’m glad I did too, because I think I liked these returns even more than I did on Monday – and I liked the deadline a lot.
Scouting (FG): 20/45 Hit, 35/60 Game Power, 55/70 Raw Power, 50/50 Speed, 40/50 Fielding
The Brewers signed Alexander Frias in January of 2025 to a $350,000 bonus. Listed at 6’2 and 177 pounds, the then 17-year-old was signed out of the Dominican Republic and later reported to the Brewers DSL team that summer. He did okay. I’m not sure he was considered much of a prospect entering this season and I can kind of see why. Though just 17, he had a 116 wRC+ with no power and he needed a .392 BABIP. Even the 12.5 BB% isn’t especially impressive with the control displayed by DSL pitchers.
However, the Brewers are obviously good at what they do, and despite a performance that would have justified repeating a level at the DSL, they saw something in him and promoted him to rookie league ball in the states this season. And then, as you can see by the stats above, he became a full-fledged prospect. When the Cardinals first signed him, I just glanced at his Low A stats and this is really the first time I saw his complex league stats and that’s just video game numbers. If the Brewers didn’t already consider his placement in rookie ball to be an aggressive jump, I think he would have been in Low A a lot sooner.
And though middling numbers, those are fairly impressive numbers in Low A for an 18-year-old too. He’s got solid power, not striking out much, good walk rate, and despite a low BABIP, he’s barely below league average. Depending on how he finishes the year, it’s not at all hard to imagine him beginning next season in High A. He’s taking the Rainiel Rodriguez path essentially.
It is widely agreed from the sources I found that Frias has some serious power potential, as evidenced by his current 55 raw power grade and 70 future potential, not to mention his max exit velocity of 117 mph, which is extremely rare for an 18-year-old. Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but his swing doesn’t produce as much power as you’d hope, not that it’s an issue in the lower levels, but something to watch out for. I mean we literally saw this with Jordan Walker, so you probably get it. Pipeline grades his arm as a 60, but doesn’t think he has the speed for centerfielder. But his bat-to-ball skills are good and oh yeah he’s 18-years-old. I cannot emphasize this enough. Here are some selected quotes from disparate scouting sites about Frias:
Baseball Prospectus: “Frias’s 6-foot-2 frame is very projectable, and that combined with his age-relative-to-league performance is going to light up most models, but he’s only a solid runner at present, and while I think he has a good shot to stick in center there is some tweener risk depending on how the bat develops. However, you could argue Frias has the most upside of any non-Top 101 prospect dealt at this deadline.”
Fangraphs: “Frias is a freak with crazy bat speed and physical projection, the guy on the list with the best shot to have a Junior Caminero type of rise.”
Baseball America: “The massive left-handed hitter showed off an intriguing combination of physicality, hittability and power before earning an early bump to Low-A Wilson. He showed scouts a high hitting acumen combined with the ability to send balls out of any park this side of Yosemite. Frias’ double-plus arm strength is ideal for right field, but his body is already massive, and he has below-average speed, meaning any further growth might push him to first base in the long run.”
Scouting (FG): 30/40 Hit, 30/45 Game Power, 50/55 Raw Power, 70/70 Speed, 45/55 Fielding
Drafted in the 7th round of the 2025 draft out of Boston College, Ragsdale was drafted for his speed and outfield defense originally. He hit 49% of his balls in play on the ground in college and nearly 63% of his batted balls were on the ground last season. He still managed a 130 wRC+, but had a minuscule .014 ISO, which would absolutely not play at the MLB level. Luckily, again the Brewers development team is very good, so they helped him tweak his swing and suddenly he can’t stop hitting homers.
With a combined 14 homers in three seasons of college ball with a high of 7, he has 19 homers already at two different levels this season. There is some question about how for real this is, namely because everyone seems to be hitting homers right now. When Won-Bin Cho and Jesus Baez are seeing insane, huge power surges, I certainly don’t think you can take these stats at face value. However, I don’t think it’s too controversial to suggest he has MLB caliber power, which was very much in doubt last year. I’m pretty sure those scouting numbers are updated and I’m pretty sure 45 is higher than what it would have been ranked at the beginning of the year. We can work with 45. And it might be better than that.
Oh that’s the other thing. You don’t gain power without trade-offs and in Ragsdale’s case, he’s developed more swing-and-miss. Last season, he struck out just 16.3% of the time and walked 17.4% of the time. He’s still walking a lot, but you can see his strikeouts have risen quite a bit. And the speed hasn’t left him, or at least the base stealing hasn’t left him. There are some disagreements on his speed. FG appears high with 70 grade speed, his Prospect Savant speed says he’s only 56th percentile. Not sure he can stick at CF, but he absolutely can steal bases. He has 38 stolen bases to 3 caught stealing overall this year.
It’s also worth noting that Fangraphs is maybe the low guy on him (and the high guy on Frias). Although they’re maybe the only site that sees him as an actual CF too? It’s confusing. Thomas Nestico has him as the 91st prospect in baseball, and Baseball Prospectus notes that he will be a strong candidate for their list next spring (along with Frias). So it’s not quite accurate to say the Cardinals netted two top 100 prospects, because no one site agrees both are top 100, but top 200 seems to apply pretty easily.
Baseball America: “Scouts who’ve seen Ragsdale this year note a player who is doing a better job getting the ball in the air, which, when combined with the added thump, has led to a power spike. Ragsdale has been deployed in center field but might fit best on the corners, where his speed and average arm strength would fit nicely.”
Pipeline: “The New Jersey native is a ready, willing and efficient basestealer — a skill that’s carried over from college to pro ball — and his impressive closing speed makes him a quality defensive outfielder despite limited arm strength.”
Baseball Prospectus: “More of a speedy outfielder type in college, our draft team pegged him as a prospect who could use a bit more intent in his swing, and boy has he shown that in 2026. Ragsdale still doesn’t have a particularly sluggish setup, using a simple toe tap and early hip fire before looking to lift the ball. The additional power has come with a lot of swing and miss, but he’s still a speedy outfielder who can go get it gap-to-gap”
Drafted in the 3rd round – 102nd overall – of the 2024 draft by the Diamondbacks, Eagen definitely made an impression immediately. He made 19 starts in High A last year and he struck out 132 batters in 97 innings. It made for a 34.1 K%. He also had four less successful starts at AA to finish his season, although he had a very respectable 24.7 K% and held his own.
This year, it’s very easy to get excited about hitting prospects, because offense is insane, so pretty much everybody has eye-popping numbers, especially the “real” prospects.” The opposite is true of pitchers. You just can’t look at their stats, or at least their triple slash line, because offense is insane. I focus on three things a pitcher can more or less control – striking hitters out, not walking hitters, and getting groundballs. Eagan is very good at striking out hitters and pretty much average at the other two. That normally would result in much better numbers, but – and this is a nice follow-up on why not to trust these power numbers – Eagen allows a homer 21.7% of the time a ball is put in the air. Which is simply ridiculous. It’s double the rate of an average HR/FB% in the majors. Everything is leaving the park in the minors and especially so in Arizona’s AA stadium.
As you can see, the scouting is very encouraging for Eagen to start. But from a fan perspective, the most exciting element of Eagen is his curveball, because it kind of moves more like a screwball than a curveball. Well, it doesn’t move enough to be called a screwball, I guess, but it definitely leans in that direction. So that’s a fun outlier pitch. He’s a high slot pitcher too, and pitches north-to-south which is more or less the opposite of the pitchers the Cardinals have been targeting. But variety is good, you don’t want hitters to see the exact same type of pitcher in a game.
Baseball America: “The righthander throws five pitches in a four-seam fastball, slider, cutter, curveball and changeup. Eagen sits 92-94 mph on his fastball with average ride and armside run. His gyro slider at 86-88 mph is a plus bat-missing pitch with a 24.9% swinging-strike rate in 2026. Eagen has a deep arsenal and starter’s traits, profiling as a No. 5 starter long term.” (Ugh, this site does one of my pet peeves: almost certainly this writer thinks of a better pitcher than a 5th starter actually is when they say this; people collectively overrate how good a 5th starter, 4th starter, etc. actually is)
Fangraphs: “Will he throw enough strikes to start? He tends to run stuff out of the zone an awful lot, and while the delivery is clean enough, it’s also not so fluid to think that he’s going to have great command. Eagen projects as a backend starter, and could still fit in some kind of impactful multi-inning relief role if the split sputters or strike-throwing issues preclude a true rotation fit.”
Baseball Prospectus: “His fastball features average velocity but good ride from a near over-the-top slot and he has two solid breaking balls. His command has never quite been fine enough to make me sure he’s a starter long term, but get him into a (slightly) better home park (yeah it’s Springfield) and have him work on his little split change some more and the Cardinals might be able to develop a no. 3 or 4 starter.”
Pipeline: “His high arm slot helps him generate really good carry out of the hand with induced vertical break up to 20 inches. His 81-83 mph curveball complements that nicely with its sharp downward action that makes it effective against batters from both sides, and a mid-80s gyro slider can be equally good as a weapon versus righties. Eagen has folded in an 85-88 mph splitter too, and it shows flashes of being a future average MLB offering.”
Santana was signed for a mere $15,000 out of the Dominican Republic back in January of 2023 at the age of 18. He was kind of used as a starting pitching prospect in his first season – he only started three games, but 25.2 IP out of 9 appearances is fairly similar to a starter’s workload at that level. He made it stateside, but struggled at the complex league in 2024. The starting dream seemed to be dead, so I don’t know if the Diamondbacks had any high hopes for Santana when he repeated the level and struck out 36% of batters purely in relief. He saw an additional 21 games as a multi-inning reliever in Low A, but was significantly less impressive, though he wasn’t bad. He threw over 2 innings per appearance last year and as you can see, he still qualifies as a multi-inning reliever, but maybe 4 outs per appearance instead. And he has struck out everybody.
If yesterday’s game is any indication, the Cardinals are not messing with success. He came into the game for four outs and struck out 3 batters. I don’t see much indication that he will be more than a reliever, even though one could argue he has four pitches. He has a fastball that I don’t think is considered anything special. He has a deadly slider, and Baseball Prospectus says he has two variations on this slider – one that is 81-85 mph and one that is upper 80s with more pure sweep. He also has a workable changeup. Probably can’t start, but very well suited to be a multi-inning reliever.
Pipeline: “His 95-97 mph fastball has some zip but pops more for its velocity than its movement. It can still be an effective pitch though when it sneaks up on hitters sitting on his best offering: an 83-86 mph sweeping slider that has generated elite whiffs in the first half of 2026. The breaking pitch works against batters from both sides, and while Santana is overall more dominant against lefties, even righties find it hard to touch the slider as it breaks in toward their shins and ankles with big horizontal movement.”
Baseball Prospectus: “It’s functionally a four-pitch mix that would be the envy of many big-league starters, but given his slight frame Santana is suited for shorter stints. And yet, with such a versatile repertoire, Santana is capable of working a multi-inning role, which is just what he’s done this year while generating whiffs on all his offerings. All of this has been done while showcasing perfectly plausible control and an athletic, repeatable delivery. Most of the improvement on Santana’s walk rate this year seems tied more to getting more whiffs as opposed to living precisely at his targets, but the stuff is good enough to be a big leaguer imminently.”
ALTOONA, PA - AUGUST 02: Wehiwa Aloy #1 of the Chesapeake Baysox bats during the game between the Chesapeake Baysox and the Altoona Curve at Peoples Natural Gas Field on Sunday, August 2, 2026 in Altoona, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bryce Mosmen/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
Oof. This one was a heartbreaker for the Tides, who carried a four-run lead into the bottom of the ninth and then coughed up five for a walkoff loss. Poor Yaqui Rivera was charged with all five runs, giving up four singles, a double, and two walks while recording just two outs. The game ended when Cam Sanders uncorked a wild pitch with the bases loaded.
Long before that, starter Nestor German gutted through 5.2 innings, putting nine runners on base but limiting the Bisons to two runs. Newly acquired reliever Codi Heuer pitched a perfect inning in his organizational debut, and lefty Nick Raquet retired all four batters he faced.
The Tides were pretty productive offensively. Reed Trimble continued to impress with a hit, two walks, and two RBIs. Payton Eeles had a pair of hits and even Sam Huff got in on the action, reaching base thrice. Unfortunately not joining the fun was Enrique Bradfield Jr., who went 0-for-5 to drop his OPS to .663. He also committed a throwing error.
In the opener of a doubleheader, the Baysox busted out the bats early and often, putting up crooked numbers in the first, third, and fourth innings. The top of the lineup did the bulk of the damage. Brandon Butterworth, Wehiwa Aloy, and Anderson De Los Santos were a combined 5-for-9 with all eight RBIs. What’s more, all of them hit home runs — and Aloy hit two. Those were his first two dingers at the Double-A level. He’s pretty good!
With ample run support, starter Sebastian Gongora cruised to victory, holding Harrisburg to one run in five innings. Of note, Joe Glassey, who just pitched for the Baysox four days earlier, pitched against them in this game. (The O’s traded him to the Nationals on Monday for Christian Franklin.) He worked a scoreless inning against his former teammates.
Double-A: Chesapeake Baysox 2, Harrisburg Senators 1 — Game 2
In a makeup of a June rainout, Chesapeake completed the doubleheader sweep in the nightcap. The Baysox had just three extra-base hits but strung them all together in the third inning, with doubles by Frederick Bencosme, Tavian Josenberger, and Aron Estrada plating their only two runs of the game. Aloy was 0-for-1 but walked twice.
The Chesapeake pitching staff made the slim lead stand up. Christian Heberholz worked five scoreless innings, and after Keagan Gillies gave up a solo homer in the sixth, Brock Moore worked a scoreless seventh for the save in his organizational debut. The O’s acquired Moore from the Mariners as part of the Taylor Ward trade.
High-A: Frederick Keys 10, Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies) 9
Frederick let a six-run advantage slip away in the seventh, but rallied back to score the go-ahead run in the ninth. All’s well that ends well. The Keys could’ve given themselves a lot more breathing room if they hadn’t committed four errors and a passed ball in the game, which led to a staggering seven unearned runs.
Third baseman Randal Diaz committed two of those errors, but he also went 3-for-4 at the plate and drove in five runs, so I suppose he can be forgiven. Center fielder Enddy Azocar, part of the Adley Rutschman trade — a phrase that I still can’t get used to typing — went 2-for-5. Azocar has five hits in his first two games in the O’s organization, so he’s made a good first impression. The Keys also wreaked havoc on the basepaths with seven stolen bases.
Boston Bateman, who left his previous start with right hip flexor discomfort, was limited to two innings in his return. He certainly made the most of them, striking out six of the seven batters he faced. Christian Rodriguez handled the next four and was tagged for six runs, but only two earned. Todd Kniebbe struck out the side in the ninth for the save.
You know what’s weirder than losing on a walkoff wild pitch, like the Tides did? Well, how about losing on a walkoff balk? That’s exactly what happened to the Shorebirds in the 10th inning in Fredericksburg. With runners at the corners, Zac Lampton was charged with a balk to bring the winning run home. You can’t just be up there and just doin’ a balk like that.
It was a well-balanced offensive attack for the Shorebirds, as eight of the nine batters had at least one hit. Leadoff man Jaiden Lo Re had a particularly nice night, doubling twice, and Jordan Sanchez homered. On the mound, starter Andrew Herbert gave up three runs in five frames, and long reliever Adrian Heredia worked four innings of one-run ball.
DENVER, CO - JULY 21: Members of the Colorado Rockies celebrate in the dugout after Mickey Moniak #22 of the Colorado Rockies hits a solo home run in the sixth inning during the game between the Washington Nationals and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Tuesday, July 21, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Casey Paul/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Since the Colorado Rockies new front office took the reins of the organization, I have assumed they have been operating with an eye towards building a contention window starting in 2029 at the absolute earliest.
However, their actions at the trade deadline earlier this week seem incongruous with that assumption.
It wasn’t until reading the following from Paul DePodesta’s post trade deadline comments that a possible explanation started to crystalize: “We had a set price in mind of what it would take to acquire any of our players. We think we got a lot of good players here. We think we have the foundation of something that has a chance to be pretty good.”
It would seem that the front office believes the players they have in house are better than the outside consensus and that the potential for the foundation of a competitive club is already in place. Their actions lend credence to this assertion about what their thinking is.
#Rockies POBO Paul DePodesta on trade negotiations for the likes of Hunter Goodman, Jake McCarthy and Mickey Moniak:
“I don’t think we got particularly close on any of those players because I think our internal price was going to be higher than what the market would bear.” pic.twitter.com/jRufeP7Bk3
The only impending free agent they traded this week was Antonio Senzatela. All four starting pitchers on expiring contracts were retained. I don’t think we can read too much into this given the specifics of those starting pitchers.
Kyle Freeland and Michael Lorenzen both have an ERA of nearly seven.
Jose Quintana has been injured for most of the season.
Tomoyuki Sugano has solid surface level production, but his underlying metrics continue to look rough.
Given that, it’s not shocking that none of these pitchers attracted a return worth pursuing even for a fully rebuilding club.
What didn’t make sense if the team were in full sell mode was this:
Keeping all three players set to be a free agent after next season (Mickey Moniak, Willi Castro, & Jimmy Herget).
Keeping three corner outfielders aged 28 or older (Moniak, Jake McCarthy, and Troy Johnston) despite having another four potentially interesting players at Triple-A for those positions (Charlie Condon (No. 1 PuRP), Zac Veen (No. 9 PuRP), Sterlin Thompson (No. 13 PuRP), and Jordan Beck).
To top it off, the only players other than Senzatela that the Rockies did move were under team control for three or more seasons and coming off poor recent play. Instead of getting what they could for a year-and-a-half of Moniak, they sold low on three-and-a-half years of Brenton Doyle. Instead of getting what they could for a year-and-a-half of Herget, they instead found teams interested in tinkering with the raw upside of three-plus years of Seth Halvorsen and Victor Vodnik.
The Rockies didn’t operate like a team attempting to maximize total talent in the organization by punting on the next couple seasons. Instead, they operated as if they see a path to a competitive window opening within the two seasons that they have Moniak and McCarthy under contract.
The immediate reaction to that possibility is, instinctively, incredulity.
Whether or not that initial reaction is warranted, or purely ingrained by almost a decade of the franchise seeming directionless, is up for debate. It’s worth considering what it would take for this team to be plausibly fighting for a wildcard spot before McCarthy and Moniak are set to become free agents after 2028.
In his post-trade deadline presser, DePodesta said, “In June, we were a very good offensive club, one of the best in baseball. I think the best maybe offensive club we’ve had here in a month in a long period of time. So we do feel like it’s coming together,” which isn’t too much of an exaggeration. The lineup was fifth in runs scored June and tenth in July. There are a number of encouraging signs offensively on the big league club and some more percolating in the high minors.
It is possible to squint and see a lineup capable of competing for a third wild card over the next couple seasons if things break right.
The pitching, on the other hand, is another story entirely.
The draft netted the Rockies a couple of the higher-ceiling arms in the organization with Logan Reddeman and Tyler Putnam.
The Doyle trade brought back a nearly major-league-ready starter in Mason Adams.
A handful of potential back-of-the-rotation-type prospects (Jack Mahoney, Konnor Eaton (No. 28 PuRP), and Eiberson Castellano) have continued to put up strong numbers in the high minors.
It’s possible that the Rockies will have enough in-house options available to field a full starting rotation over the next two seasons barring injuries. That rotation would have an incredibly low ceiling, but you can squint and see a baseline of at least enough potential innings to muddle through.
Even given the most optimistic view of the rotation, however, it’s hard to envision a version that is genuinely able to be fighting for a playoff spot at the end of either 2027 or 2028 using only in-house options. If the team wants to win before players like Moniak and McCarthy are gone, they will need to invest a lot of money into luring impact free agents to Colorado within the next year and a half.
The idea of that happening seems far fetched given the Rockies recent track record but, when considering their payroll commitments beyond this year, it’s not actually that unthinkable.
Kris Bryant is the only player the Rockies have slated to make more than $8.5 million next year. They only have four guaranteed major-league deals for players who are beyond their arbitration years. Their total estimated payroll in 2027, other than arbitration-eligible players, is just $71 million. This is a club that has run a payroll between $119 and $170 million dollars every season this decade.
They will have a significant amount of money to spend this offseason and/or the next.
Given the way the Rockies approached the deadline and the comments about thinking that the foundation of the lineup is pretty good, it suddenly seems reasonable to assume that the DePodesta-led front office intends to spend aggressively much sooner than previously expected.
With Rockies owner Dick Monfort a key figure on the league’s side of negotiations, however, it is entirely conceivable that he would want to make a show of investing into the team’s payroll after a deal is struck. Essentially that exact thing happened after the lockout in 2022 when the Rockies shockingly splurged on Bryant’s seven-year deal.
If a similar pattern unfolds this go around, let’s hope that the current front office is able to use the financial flexibility afforded to them much more effectively than the previous one. The last time a Rockies front office thought to spend their way out of a questionable major league roster the return was three straight 100-loss seasons.
In Rockies Land, we have a knee-jerk reaction that assumes the team is making mistakes. In fairness, the team earned that reaction but it’s worth remembering that the past doesn’t always need to be the future.
The Rockies not acting like a fully rebuilding team right now seems out of step with how many “smart” teams have approached situations like this… but not every good team tanked in order to build their talent pipeline.
Before the Los Angeles Dodgers current dynasty started, they threw money at the major league roster while also building the developmental system underneath it. It’s not impossible to do both at once. It’s just much more difficult. It requires either a ruthless diligence in trading every player at the peak of their value like the Tampa Bay Rays and the Milwaukee Brewers, or a willingness to spend money to a degree that those teams can’t or simply won’t.
In the comments of yesterday’s Rockpile, OhioRockie alluded to “building the plane while flying it.” In effect, that’s exactly what I think DePodesta and Byrnes are trying to do: rebuild the farm system for long-term sustainability while simultaneously trying to put together a wildcard-capable roster for the short-term. If the Rockies are willing to commit to pumping money into both projects, they could accomplish both with smart investments.
If they are going to try that, though, they need to commit to it fully despite the cost and difficulty. Attempting to go down that road and then balking at the combined cost of players and infrastructure would cause them to fall back into the familiar pattern of misguided attempts to paper over fundamentally bad rosters while also stunting the potential growth of the farm system.
After pitching to a 1.99 ERA over 68 innings at Double-A, Jack Mahoney took the mound for the Isotopes for the first time since being promoted to Triple-A. His first start was a success as he got through five PCL innings while only allowing two runs both of which came on as a result of a fourth inning home run from Space Cowboy CJ Alexander. The same can not be said for Mark Manfredi’s debut for the team after having been traded for Senzatela earlier in the week. Manfredi came in to pitch the eighth inning but did not manage to finish it on his own after allowing the Sugar Lands final four runs of the game.
At the plate Connor Norby made his debut for the team after coming over in the Vodnik trade on Monday. Norby made a great first impression on the Isotopes with a walk in the first and then a home run in the third. Not to be outdone by someone who just arrived, Veen (No. 9 PuRP) added a double and home run of his own bringing his season totals to 32 and 21 respectively. Overall the Isotopes combined for 11 hits, six of them for extra bases, and three walks to plate seven runs en route to their 56th victory.
A low scoring affair in Binghamton. Sam Weatherly acted as the opener and managed to get through two innings on 35 pitches. He allowed all three runs that the Rumble Ponies would score before giving way to Cade Denton who pitched five scoreless innings.
The real story was Binghamton starter R.J. Gordon mowing down Yard Goats. Gordon collected ten strikouts in just six innings of work and only allowed a single run, via a home run from right fielder Braylen Wimmer. Other than that home run the Yard Goats bats were largely silent collecting a total of four hits and a single walk.
Angel Jimenez’s struggled again in his third start at High-A. He threw 75 pitches and allowed three home runs in just four innings before being pulled. The trio of relievers that came in after Jimenez managed to keep the game relatively close as the only other run scored was a solo shot allowed by Seth Clausen. The solid relief pitching was not enough to make up for a dearth of offense as the team scattered only three hits, one of which was a double from Tanner Thach, and scored only a single run.
Brady Parker kept the Rawhide at bay by tossing six innings of one run ball while striking out five. This was more than enough leeway for the Grizzlies lineup to hit their way to victory. The lineup as a whole combined for ten hits and four walks though only Juan Martinez’ fourth inning triple went for extra bases. No one exemplified this death by a thousand cuts style offense more than Ashly Andujar (No. 20 PuRP) who led off and collected four hits and a pair of RBI.
Mario Delgado Genzor digs through the Rockies trade deadline transactions as a whole and tries, as I just did, to make sense of what the plan moving forward is. It’s absolutely worth reading even if you’ve seen my thoughts above as it includes much more in-depth takes on each of the individual transactions.
Now that the trade deadline is over it’s time to actually move on to talking about the actual baseball on the field. Here’s another piece from Thomas Harding digging into lineup construction and what McCarthy brings to the leadoff spot.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - AUGUST 05: Michael Massey #19 of the Kansas City Royals is congratulated by teammates after hitting a home run during the 7th inning of the game against the Minnesota Twins at Kauffman Stadium on August 05, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Zion Rose, the Royals 1st round pick last month, debuted last night in Quad Cities, the Royals High-A affiliate, he went 0-5 with a pair of strikeouts.
Michael Lombardi (4.2 IP) and Jhon Reyes (2.1 IP) threw a combined no-hitter in the second game of the Columbia Fireflies doubleheader last night, the Royals Low-A affiliate.
Michael Massey played hero last night with his go-ahead homer in Royals 2-1 win over Minnesota, making up for a fielding blunder earlier in the game.
Kansas City Royals second baseman Michael Massey made an uncharacteristic defensive blunder Wednesday night. In the fourth inning, Massey got caught in between while fielding a groundball from Twins outfielder Kody Clemens. As Twins designated hitter Josh Bell, who walked to begin the frame, barreled toward second base, Massey attempted to tag him in the basepaths.
Blair Kerkhoff of the Kansas City Star wrote about some seemingly unbreakable Royals records.
Noah Cameron was once again unhittable last night, throwing 8 innings of one-run ball against the Twins.
This version of Noah Cameron is what he and the Royals have wanted to see all year, what they hope to see the rest of this season – and what they need to see next season. Cameron tossed eight innings of one-run ball in the Royals’ 2-1 win over the Twins on Wednesday night, matching his career high in innings that he set last week against this same Twins team and matching his career high in strikeouts (nine) that he set on July 11 against the Orioles.
It also marked back-to-back starts of eight innings for Cameron and just one earned run in his last 23 innings since July 24.
Michael Wacha didn’t get traded on Monday, here is what Anne Rogers wrote about it.
Even though it would have taken an offer that “wowed us and knocked our socks off,” for Wacha, as general manager J.J. Picollo put it, it can still be unnerving for a player to see their name in trade rumors. There’s uncertainty that this time of year can bring on and off the field with so many players on the move.
“I never really let myself dive into those rumors too much,” Wacha said. “It just feels good to still be here in Kansas City. We’ve grown to love this city, and we feel like it’s where we need to be. Extremely excited to still be here with these guys. I feel like we still have a great group of guys in here that know how to compete and know how to play baseball at a high level. That’s what I’m expecting moving forward.”
Wacha said he talked with Picollo “a little bit” leading up to the Deadline, with Picollo letting him know of any developments. But the Royals were as transparent with Wacha as they were with other teams and publicly: It was going to take a lot for them to move on from the starter. They were looking for Major League talent in return, and it was a high enough bar that conversations didn’t move forward much, if at all.
The Red Sox and Sonny Gray are unstoppable currently, as Gray wins 14th decision, Red Sox win 7th straight
Mets reliever Jefry Yan is pure entertainment on the mound
Former Tigers starter, Casey Mize had a tough debut in San Diego
Miles Mikolas came through in the clutch at the plate ahead of scheduled Thursday start for the Nationals
CLEVELAND, OHIO - AUGUST 5: Angel Genao #17 of the Cleveland Guardians singles on a line drive to right field for his first major league hit during the third inning of his major league debut against the New York Mets at Progressive Field on August 5, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Russell Lee Verlinger/Cleveland Guardians/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Well, the Guardians lost to the Mets last night in extra innings. The offense fought back all night, the outfield made some great plays, and Bibee pitched pretty well with 10Ks. The bad news is the same old, same old. This team cannot score with runners in scoring position. Until that is fixed, the rest of this season is looking bleak at best. The good news is that Nathaniel Lowe seemed to slot into the line up quite well and Angel Genao was above and beyond all expectations. Genao went from the second youngest player in franchise history to have three hits in his debut to being the only player in franchise history to have four hits in his debut.
Quincy has the write up on Genao’s promotion here and Nick has the game recap here, if you feel like reliving the pain. Also, for everyone asking why they went with Festa in the 10th, according to Stephen Vogt, Colin Holderman has been “under the weather” the last few days. With yesterday’s loss the Guardians have fallen one game below .500.
In order to make room for Angel Genao, the Guardians designated Gabriel Arias for assignment. Since Angel Genao was already on the 40 man roster, it does leave an open spot on the 40 man.
Around the Central
By some sort of miracle both the Twins and White Sox also lost last night. The Guards are 3.0 games behind the first place White Sox and only 1.0 game ahead of the Twins and Tigers. At the time of the writing the Tigers, who are playing west coast games against Seattle, are tied with the Twins and starting to claw their way back.
What was all the talk about needing big trade moves to beat the Dodgers???!?
Yes, the three big wins were almost entirely without contribution from trades prior to the deadline (the perfect eighth inning Tuesday by Ryan Jeferjahn the exception). The moves prior to the deadline had to provide some spark to the Cubs’ team, but adding a trio of wins against the Dodgers almost without the benefits of the deadline acquisitions has to be a huge morale booster. It says that they definitely belong in the World Series picture now. Maybe just peaking in from just out-of-frame, but they are there.
The big bat for Chicago in the first two games was Dansby Swanson. He hit for a combined 5-for-7 with a walk, three runs, and an RBI on a home run, plus a double.
Pete Crow-Armstrong was, for him, quiet for the first two games until his big game Wednesday. He went 3-for-8 with a walk, three runs, an RBI and a pair of stolen bases Monday and Tuesday.
Seiya Suzuki was part of the four home-run club Monday night. In the two games, he went 2-for-6 with three walks, two runs scored and three RBI in addition to his homer. Carson Kelly had a big Monday, going 1-for-4 with a walk, a home run and three RBI. Michael Busch added another home run, going 2-for-4 with three RBI. And Kevin Alcantara hit his first major-league home run with a runner on.
Tuesday night, Nico Hoerner was right there with Swanson, going 2-for-4 with a walk and a two-run homer.
In the two games, Alex Bregman did add a double and a run scored in each game.
Monday, Matthew Boyd didn’t pitch the game we are used to seeing from him, having allowed a three-run home run in the first inning, But he battled to get the Cubs into the seventh inning, pitching 6.2 innings, before handing it over to the bullpen who went scoreless the rest of the way.
Javier Assad is a beast. The Cubs have called on him for five years to both start and relieve, both to success. Tuesday, he made his 19th appearance and 10th start of 2026. Assad gave up the usual complimentary Cubs Starter solo home run, but that was it, holding the Dodgers to six baserunners over 5.2 IP. Four Cub relievers went the rest of the way in scoreless fashion. When Assad’s turn comes around next time, will he start, or will he be in the bullpen?
It won’t matter to Assad — it’s his job.
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Andy McCullough, Stephen J. Nesbitt and Grant Brisbee (The Athletic {$}): MLB trade deadline rankings: the winners, losers and snoozers. “A trading frenzy that began with a Curtis Mead-for-Connelly Early swap last week and went into warp speed over the weekend when back-to-back Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal joined the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers mercifully ended Monday evening.”
Tommy McClennan (c. 1905-1961) was one of America’s most successful down-home blues recording artists during the period when he recorded 20 singles for the Bluebird label (1939-1942). Among McClennan’s most notable numbers were “Bottle It Up and Go,” “Cross Cut Saw,” “Travelin’ Highway Man,” and “New Highway No. 51 Blues.” McClennan, famed for his raucous, uninhibited singing and guitar playing, frequented this section of Yazoo City when he lived on the nearby J. F. Sligh plantation.
McClennan was best known around Greenwood, where Booker Miller, a protege of Charley Patton, knew him as “Sugar,” and Yazoo City, where local resident Herman Bennett, Jr., and others called him “Bottle Up,” after his most popular song, “Bottle It Up and Go.”
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.
Red Sox top prospect Franklin Arias warms up at Polar Park ahead of his first game with Triple-A Worcester on July 25, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
Life’s so fun in Summer 2026! The Red Sox are winning almost nightly and finding ways to come out on top has even made its way to Worcester, where the WooSox are 12-1 in their last 13. Last night against the IronPigs (Phillies AAA), it was a five-run fifth inning and consistent scoring throughout the night that guided Worcester home. Of course, four scoreless out of John Holobetz in another awesome start since the 24-year-old was promoted doesn’t hurt. And what a night for Franklin Arias! After starting off the night with a single, he hit his third home run in the week since his promotion (and 22nd of the year) in the third, and then Nate Eaton took over in the RBI category, with his triple and double driving four runs home. With domination on both sides, this one was never in any doubt.
And speaking of domination, the Sea Dogs won by 11 runs in New Hampshire (Blue Jays AA) and had nine hits with runners in scoring position. The usual suspects were held hitless, but that didn’t stop Tyler McDonough from smacking two home runs into the seats. At the bottom of the lineup, Matt Fraizer had yet another awesome night as the 28-year-old emerges out of the shadows in his second attempt at cracking a roster. The Pirates’ 2019 3rd round draft pick appears to have fixed the strikeout problem that plagued him in that organization. On Tuesday, he went 4-for-5 with five RBI’s. I don’t see him cracking the Major League roster here, but I’d say give him some reps in Triple-A.
Some ugly defensive ball as the Drive committed three errors in a rain-shortened game against Hudson Valley (Yankees High-A) and Marcus Phillips and PJ Labriola both churned out a couple regrettable performances, and it didn’t get much better at the plate despite the team as a whole striking out only five times, and twice by guys that aren’t named Maximus Martin. Martin, though, did get one of the team’s two extra-base hits on the night along with catcher Gerardo Rodriguez who was the lone Drive player (Drive player? is he just a Drive?) with multiple knocks on the night. Overall, this was decidedly a Renegade win in a hurry.
However quickly the Greenville game was decided, though, the RidgeYaks put away the Woodpeckers (Astros A) just as quickly, hanging six in the first and sending nine to the plate. The key moment was a grand slam by shortstop Avinson Pinto that you can watch right here. I laughed when the call was “does it have enough to leave the track?” when it clearly wasn’t going to run out of steam, but the dramatic drop the ball made after clearing the fence signified how different a game it may have been otherwise. Four RidgeYaks had multuple hits on the night, and Christian Foutch and Luis Cohen had effective nights on the mound.
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - MAY 24: Andrew McCutchen #4 of the Texas Rangers runs during the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 24, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates were busy at the trade deadline and made several moves to help them move towards a postseason berth but there’s still one player in particular that could sign with the team and that fans would love to see in Pittsburgh.
Andrew McCutchen was recently released by the Atlanta Braves after signing a minor league contract with the club back in early July. Although the 39-year-old is far from his former-MVP form, there could be some intrigue from the Pirates’ organization to bring him back to where he started his major league career. Despite the several stops he made over the course of his career, ‘Cutch is synonymous with Pittsburgh, and one more chance at a reunion should at least be considered.
After signing with Pittsburgh as a free-agent in 2023 and then playing with the club through 2025, McCutchen and the Pirates were not able to come to terms on one more contract for the 2026 season. After a long winter with what was described as little communication with the Pirates ‘Cutch was signed by the Texas Rangers on March 6 to a Minor League contract and was invited to their Spring Training. He made the team out of camp and remained with Texas before being designated for assignment and ultimately released at the end of May. McCutchen finished his stint with the Rangers with one home run while hitting .192/.277/.537 in 73 at-bats.
McCutchen’s time with the Atlanta Braves organization was spent entirely in their minor league system. Between their FCL team and Triple-A Gwinnett he finished with a line of .275/.370/.450 with an .820 OPS and one home run. It was Cutch’s first time back in the minor leagues in 17 years.
Now again, McCutchen is past his prime, and is certainly looking at the end of his career. With that being said the time feels right for him to return to Pittsburgh for one last ride before his time as a pro is over. The Pirates just released designated hitter Marcell Ozuna who was viewed in the offseason as a replacement for McCutchen. With Ozuna’s release it certainly has to open the conversation for bringing ‘Cutch back. The team is promoting Ronny Simon from Triple-A Indianapolis who is having a great season with the Indians. There still is an opportunity to bring McCutchen back home though.
93.7 the Fan’s Andrew Fillipponi took to X and had an interesting thought on how to make a Pirates reunion with McCutchen realistic.
“The Pirates should consider signing Andrew McCutchen to a minor league contract,” Fillipponi writes. “If he hits lefties. Call him up to replace Ozuna. If he doesn’t. Let him hang out there. And call him up for the last series of the year. For a proper send-off.”
There is no harm at this point in the minor league season that could be done by signing McCutchen to a minor league contract that sees him with Altoona or Indy. Even at his age there’s no hitter in baseball that knows PNC Park quite like McCutchen, so he does have some value to bring to a team that is trying to make the postseason for the first time in 11 years. If this ends up being a team that slips out of playoff contention, then they could at the very least do the right thing and give one of their franchise greats a proper send off and have him on the major league roster to close out the year.
Do you think Andrew McCutchen has enough left to helps the Bucs in their playoff hunt? https://t.co/17n7itKbkM
Baseball at the end of the day is a business, and difficult decisions need to be made when it comes to building a winning team. Our favorite players are not always going to play for our favorite teams forever because after all Father Time is undefeated. Wit that being said, Pirates’ fans over the last 30 years or so have not had a whole lot to cheer for, until a scrawny high school kid from Florida named Andrew McCutchen was drafted 11th overall in 2005. When he made his debut in 2009, the organization was still a long way off from being a contender, but it was clear that the team had a special talent growing before them.
With the team as a young player McCutchen blossomed into one of the most exciting players in baseball, leading the Pirates to the postseason for the first time after a 21-year drought. He reignited the love for baseball in Pittsburgh and inspired countless kids to pick up a bat and glove in the neighborhoods around the city. Ultimately his time in Pittsburgh did not result in a World Series championship, but McCutchen did establish himself as one of the all-time greats in franchise history, and undoubtedly the greatest Pirate of the 21st century.
Life isn’t fair and no one is owed anything, but if the opportunity is there to honor a legend then the Pirates’ organization should jump at it! McCutchen will go down as one of the best players in the team’s history and nothing would make fans happier than for him to get his proper sendoff in the city that saw him become a star. One day they will retire his jersey and maybe even erect a statue in his honor, but for right now the time is right to bring Pittsburgh’s favorite son back home where he belongs donning the black and gold and raising the Jolly Roger! It’s not often the Pirates do the right thing, but they could right a lot of wrongs with this one decision; please bring McCutchen back home!
On Friday night, the Phillies will honor Chase Utley with a place on their prestigious Wall of Fame.
It is a moment he almost seemed destined for from the time he debuted with the club in April 2003 in a long-gone place called Veterans Stadium.
Seriously, who belts a grand slam for their first big-league hit?
Chase Utley did.
He also became a six-time All-Star second baseman, a World Series Champion, a fan favorite and a most respected teammate for his will to win, his commitment to the game, his hard-nosed style of playing it and the toughness he showed battling through knee injuries that the people who love him most feared would end his career.
“It’s like an out-of-body experience,” Dave Utley, Chase’s dad said more than 20 years ago when he described the feeling of coming to a game in Philadelphia and seeing scores of fans wearing his son’s name on the back of their jerseys.
All these years later …
“It still is,” Dave Utley said in a conversation earlier this week. “It still is.”
There is a storybook feel to all of this. A kid from Long Beach, California passes on a chance to chase his dreams with his hometown team and goes across the country to become one of the most beloved athletes in the history of sports-crazy Philadelphia, right up there with Bernie Parent, Brian Dawkins, Julius Irving and a few others.
“Chase’s mom and I are amazed by it,” Dave Utley said. “I mean, he was the kid whose diapers we used to change.
“There have been so many prideful moments over the years, but this one Friday night will be like the cherry on top of the sundae.”
THE DECISION
Dave and Terrell Utley and their daughter, Taylor, will all be at Citizens Bank Park to see their son and brother receive the ultimate Phillies honor.
They wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for a decision Chase made after his senior year of high school.
He had been selected in the second round of the 1997 MLB draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team he grew up rooting for.
With an assist from noted agent Arn Tellem, Dave Utley, an attorney, handled negotiations with the Dodgers. He felt pretty good about himself when the team pushed its offer close to $1 million.
But deep down inside, he and Terrell hoped their son would choose to go to college.
They were careful not to influence his decision and were thrilled when he chose to accept a baseball scholarship to UCLA.
“At the end of the day, both my wife and I stressed to Chase that it was his decision,” Dave said. “And he made the right decision.
“I remember it like it was yesterday. We were happy with it because my wife had sensed from Chase’s body language that he was uncomfortable, that he was torn over what to do. The only thing I asked was that he personally call the Oklahoma coach and tell him of his decision. It had come down to Oklahoma and UCLA if he was going to go to college.”
It’s not an exaggeration to say the decision that Chase Utley made as an 18-year-old was life-defining.
He became an All-American at UCLA and a first-round draft pick of the Phillies in 2000.
During his time at UCLA, a teammate on the baseball team named Freddie Mitchell – yes, that Freddie Mitchell – introduced Chase to Jen Cooper. They married in 2007 and are the parents of two sons.
“Thank goodness Freddie introduced them,” Dave said with a laugh.
And thank goodness for Freddie’s hands. (Sorry, Dave. Inside joke.)
THE PAIN
As a young player, Chase was extremely guarded with the media. But eventually, if he got to know you, he’d let you in, tell you about his boyhood, the hours spent in the local batting cage, the ferocious Wiffle Ball games in neighbor Denny Mayfield’s yard, where the out didn’t count unless it left a welt on your body. No wonder those 204 career hit-by-pitches never bothered him. Well, all but the one that broke his wrist in 2007, costing him a serious run at the National League MVP award.
But there were a couple of areas Chase would never go with a media member. He would never betray a clubhouse confidence, never run down a teammate or the organization. And he would never talk – at least specifically – about an injury. And with his intense playing style, he racked up a number of them. When it came to matters inside the clubhouse or matters of his health, he was fiercely private.
In spring training 2011, he was beset with patellar tendinitis in his right knee that was so excruciatingly painful it prevented him from participating in workouts. That ate him up because he was a grinder, a field rat who loved working at the game. At Chase’s insistence, the condition was described publicly as “leg soreness.”
He didn’t even tell his parents what was going on.
“That was tough for Terrell and I,” Dave said with a sigh. “In fact, when we started reading that he was taking ground balls in a chair, she insisted I go back there and talk to him and find out what was going on. He was very private about it.
“I took a red eye and showed up at the ballpark in Clearwater and they were sold out. So, I called him and when he answered I asked him if he still had any clout and could get me a ticket. His reaction to me being there was W-T-F.
“We went out to dinner that night and he ran through what was happening and what his plan was. Shortly after that, he went to Arizona and worked with Brett Fischer, a physical therapist who helped him a lot.”
Chase missed the first 46 games of that 2011 season but made it back to help the Phillies win a team-record 102 games. He missed even more time in 2012, when the condition cropped up in his left knee. Eventually, Fischer helped him get his knees aligned and Phillies athletic trainer Scott Sheridan oversaw a daily maintenance plan that allowed him to keep playing. Hours before first pitch every day, Sheridan worked with Utley, getting him ready for that night’s game. Not once did Utley leave the trainer’s room without saying, “Thank you.”
Dave Utley was asked if his very private son was ever fearful that the knee issues would end his career.
“He never put that into words, but you know he had to be,” Dave said. “He was equally frustrated that he couldn’t play and help the team.”
One thing is for sure. Dave and Terrell feared the knee problems could end their son’s career.
“Sure, we did,” Dave said. “He couldn’t play. And nobody, at least we didn’t appreciate, and the general public didn’t appreciate, how bad his knees hurt. He couldn’t power through it.
“He researched his options. He went to Germany to see doctors. He opted not to have surgery. He used special orthotics instead that helped correct things that were going on with his legs and eventually got through it.”
THE MOMENTS
As parents, Dave and Terrell felt everything their son did during his playing career.
The pain of career-threatening injury.
The triumph of a World Series Championship in 2008.
They were in Citizens Bank Park when Chase cut down that run at the plate with the heads-up defensive play that’ll be talked about forever in Philadelphia. It came in the seventh inning of the clinching Game 5 win over Tampa Bay.
“That was one of many moments I remember so well from that World Series,” Dave Utley said. “Another that I remember so well is Joe Blanton’s home run (in Game 4).
“It was a thrill to be there. As that season wore on, the enthusiasm of the Phillies fans was tremendous. The place just went berserk. Then it was berserk on steroids during the World Series. That was a magical experience.”
It was also a wet experience. Rain pushed the series back a couple of days. Needing to get home to California, Dave and Terrell were not able to stay for the victory parade and one of their son’s signature moments as a Phillie.
“We flew home the morning of the parade,” Dave said. “We heard afterward about Chase’s choice words during his presentation at the stadium. We weren’t sure how to process that at the moment but I think at the end of the day it has become something endearing to Phillies fans rather than something objectionable.”
Oh, it has become endearing, for sure.
“I guess I viewed it two ways,” Dave said. “One, I knew he was speaking from his heart. And two, he probably got some of that language from his dad anyway.
“He thought there might be some pushback, but he seems to have come out of it OK.”
THE PEOPLE
Dave Utley rattles off the names of close to a dozen coaches, mentors and family friends who had an impact on his son’s development as a person and a player.
He mentions Joel Wolfe, who worked as a young agent under Tellem and became Chase’s adviser, confidant and close friend. Wolfe “ushered Chase through the minors,” and was with him every step of the way, putting together a plan to conquer the knee problems.
He mentions John Vukovich, Larry Bowa and Charlie Manuel.
“Their professionalism wore off on him.”
He mentions Jimmy Rollins, Chase’s double-play partner at shortstop.
“What a tag team they were.”
He mentions the fans of Philadelphia.
“We’re so grateful to them.”
He mentions Jen.
“So many good people have had an influence on Chase,” he said. “But the secret sauce was Jen. I think she broadened his perspective on life. She was the furthest thing you could find from a baseball groupie. She held their life together and kept things going on the home front while he was traveling and playing.”
And what about Mom and Dad?
“Chase lived with us until he was 18 and then he was off to college and pro ball,” he said. “Terrell and I take credit for not screwing him up for 18 years.”
THE HONORS
Chase Utley’s enshrinement on the Phillies’ Wall of Fame could be a preview of something even bigger.
He’s been on the Hall of Fame ballot for three years and is up to 59.1 percent of the necessary 75 percent. He’s on a strong course for Cooperstown.
Dave admitted that he follows the voting. How could a dad not?
“Whether that is in his future or not, he’s still a success,” Dave said. “If that didn’t happen, it’s not going to diminish his accomplishments in our eyes.”
And those accomplishments are grand. Dave and Terrell will see – and hear — the proof of it all Friday night when the kid whose diapers they used to change is honored at Citizens Bank Park. It won’t be an out-of-body experience. It’ll be real. And well-deserved.
Having Nicolas Raskin available to face Jagiellonia Bialystok is "positive for Rangers", says former Ibrox goalkeeper Cammy Bell.
Belgium midfielder Raskin, 25, could make his first Rangers appearance of the season in Poland in Thursday's Europa League third qualifying round first leg.
He has been linked with a move this summer, while Rangers have recruited in the central midfield area with Cammy Devlin and Vanja Dragojevic joining.
"It's a player that's come off the back of playing a lot of minutes at the World Cup for a top side as well," Bell told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.
"Having Nico Raskin available is positive for Rangers. Again, we don't know what sort of condition he is. He only had a few weeks off. Hopefully he's fully fit.
"We'd expect him to play a part in the game because he is a quality player. You don't play for Belgium if you're not a good player.
"He is a Rangers player at this moment in time. Whether he will be at the end of the transfer window, I probably doubt that he will be there, I think he'll move on for probably a good sum of money. But while you've got him, you've got to use him.
"This is a massive match. Rangers need to progress through this, they really do. They need to get a positive result to make it an easier job back at Ibrox. There's that negativity from the start of the season, that game against Dundee United."
Andy Halliday believes that 1-1 draw at United has motivated further recruitment at Rangers, with winger Daisuke Yokota signed from Hannover on Wednesday.
"It was obviously a really poor opener against Dundee United," said former Rangers midfielder Halliday. "I thought it was a game that really highlighted the deficiencies that Rangers have in certain areas of the pitch.
"That result on Friday almost kicked them into overdrive. Rangers have obviously signed one winger. They've been linked by another three or four with reports being quite strong. They've submitted bids on a couple of others."
