Category: MLB

Happy Wednesday A’s fans!

Last night, the Athletics evened the series against the Minnesota Twins with a 4-2 victory in the middle game of the three-game set.

With fewer than 30 games remaining this season and several of the team’s best players sidelined by season-ending injuries, the A’s goal should be to finish strong over the final month. As the club wraps up its fifth straight losing season, these final few weeks should focus on evaluating players for the future on the field and beginning the search for a new general manager off the field.

The A’s have an opportunity to play spoiler, as the Green and Gold have several series against playoff contenders over the next couple of weeks. Currently, none of the five teams in the American League West has a winning record, yet at least one will earn a playoff spot by finishing the season in first place. The last-place Athletics could play a major role in determining who wins the West, with seven games remaining against the Seattle Mariners, four against the Houston Astros and three against the Texas Rangers.

In the rotation, left-handers Jacob Lopez and Gage Jump, who started yesterday, will look to finish their respective seasons on a high note. Right-hander Kade Morris should also receive an extended opportunity to pitch in the majors, either in the rotation or out of the bullpen. Speaking of relievers, now is the time for those waiver claims to audition for a roster spot next season.

Switching to the offense, there is a slim chance rookie infielder Joshua Kuroda-Grauer can return from his ruptured testicle before the end of the season. Outfielder Denzel Clarke is the injured A’s player most likely to return. Clarke, who badly needs reps to improve his offensive ability, has been sidelined for most of the season. In his place, rookie Henry Bolte, who has been on fire at the plate this month, has seized the everyday center field job. If Clarke can get his offense to match his Gold Glove-caliber defense, he could be an All-Star, but that is a big if given how far his bat is behind his glove.

Who else besides these players are you looking forward to watching as the season winds down? How can the Athletics give their fans hope as the team concludes another miserable campaign?

A’s Coverage:

• A’s Even Series with 4-2 Victory
• Separating The Wheat From The Chaff Not So Easy
• Amidst The Despair: The Position Player Talent Is There
• A’s Smacked by Twins in 9-6 Loss
• What Are The Next Steps For The A’s? ($)
• A’s Blow Late Lead, Fall To Royals 4-3
• A’s Take Series Against Rangers, Win 5-2
• A’s place Soderstrom on 10-day IL with left hip impingement; Hernaiz recalled
• Where Each A’s Player’s Contract Stands Entering Offseason
• Why Athletics Will Have Scary Offense in 2027
• Red-hot Bolte looking to build on lessons from rookie season
• Underdog Athletics prospect Cole Conn playing like a big dog for Aviators
• Why The New GM Needs To “Clean House”
• 111 games, zero errors: Wilson sets MLB record at shortstop
• A Seemingly Rock Bottomless Glass
• MLB Trade Grades: A’s Have Quiet Trade Deadline
• This key change(up) could unlock big success for A’s prospect
• Fustercluck 2026: The Real Reasons For A Disappointing Season
• Signs Of Hope And Signs Of Hopeless
• Athletics prospect Ryan Lasko says feeling in his legs returning
• Cuban’s investment group purchases minority stake in Athletics
• Could last-minute buyer purchase rights to Bally’s project around A’s Las Vegas ballpark?
• Chan Ho Park joins A’s group; 1st Korean to buy stake in MLB club

MLB News and Interest:

• Astros Part Ways With GM Dana Brown
• Owners thrilled with ‘family investment’ of San Diego Padres
• TRACING SHOHEI OHTANI’S CAREER IN BASEBALL CARDS
• Ranking the top 10 free agents this offseason
• Top 100 MLB Prospects for 2026
• Pitcher Kinley Rasmus doing things at LLWS not seen since legend Mo’ne Davis
• Diamondbacks hoping Ketel Marte returns to lineup next week
• Michael Toglia To Undergo Shoulder Surgery
• There’s a seismic shift at the top of our latest MVP poll
• Marlins make significant cuts to their pro scouting department: Sources
• Top 10 farm systems by outfield prospects
• JJ WetherholtNolan McLeanSal Stewart
• Giants Announce 10 Roster Moves
• Rob Manfred, amid MLB labor talks, says ‘we want to play’ in ‘27
• Poll: Checking In On The NL Rookie Of The Year Race
• Kalshi partners with iconic Major League Baseball brands
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

The A’s are one step closer to assembling an entire bullpen of relievers claimed off the waiver wire.

Another planned feature of the Athletics’ in-construction Las Vegas ballpark raises a question: With the Raiders already established there and an NBA expansion team likely to arrive in the near future, will Vegas residents care enough to fill the stadium on a nightly basis or will attendance dry up after the novelty period?

The fact that the American League West is so awful makes the A’s collapse this season even more excruciating.

One of the A’s most iconic players celebrated a milestone birthday yesterday. Has anyone tried emulating his mustache?

Good morning everyone!

The Mariners have strung together series wins against likely playoff teams following a 4-1 victory against the Phillies last night. The M’s will look for the ever-elusive series sweep with Bryan Woo taking the ball today at 1:10pm PT.

In Mariners news…

• In case you missed it, the Mariners reinstated infielder J.P. Crawford from the injured list.
• Eric Sanford mused about whether this is the final hurrah for Crawford as a Mariner.
• Is Cal Raleigh back? Eno Sarris at The Athletic made the case for the Big Dumper’s return to glory. ($)

Around the league…

• Major League Baseball released its schedule for the 2026 Arizona Fall League.
• The Blue Jays added another injury to the ledger with right-hander Shane Bieber heading to the injured list with a shoulder ailment.
• Giants left-hander Carson Whisenhunt suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow and will likely require surgery to repair it.
• Padres minor league catching coordinator Oswaldo Pirela has been released from ICE custody.
• The Giants dealt themselves another self-inflicted PR wound by announcing an official partnership with the betting platform Kalshi.
• Ginny Searle at Baseball Prospectus tried to figure out what the hell happened to the Giants this season from a statistical perspective. ($)
• Ben Clemens at Fangraphs provided his thoughts on the head-scratching move from the Astros to fire general manager Dana Brown.
• Despite Brown’s firing, Astros owner Jim Crane says that manager Joe Espada will finish the season with the club. That’s not exactly reassuring for his long-term future with the organization, though.
• We’ve got another Jeff Passan banger, this one on the scandal plaguing Dodgers’ majority owner Mark Walter.

• In honor of the late Dolly Parton, go get yourself some merch.

The Columbus Clingstones are the most exciting team in the system and Tuesday night lived up to the billing in full. Cam Caminiti has had little trouble in making the jump to Double-A, with a couple of incredible starts consecutively and a pitch mix that has popped off of the page. Alex Lodise is having no trouble with the move either and has carried the momentum he had in Rome up a level thanks to his improvements in making consistent contact.

(63-63) Gwinnett Stripers 8, (57-68) Louisville Bats 1

Box Score

Statcast

• Patrick Clohisy, LF: 0-3, 2 BB, .357/.440/.512
• Jim Jarvis, SS: 1-3, 2B, 2 BB, .313/.409/.463
• David McCabe, DH: 2-4, 2B, RBI, .417/.357/.833
• Owen Murphy, SP: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 3.42 ERA
• Blake Burkhalter, RP: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 1.29 ERA

It was an off day for Owen Murphy, and in allowing only one run he had to feel fortunate after he left this outing. Murphy had a lot of trouble landing his fastball up in the strike zone, and across his arsenal he left way too many pitches in hittable locations. Murphy gave up a lot of loud contact, but Louisville didn’t get him squarely too often and he survived on fly outs for five innings. The one exception came in the second inning when Murphy through a middle-middle fastball that got tattooed for a 447 foot home run. This was quite a departure from where Murphy typically is on the mound and I’m inclined to chalk that up to a bad day for now. Over the past couple of months Murphy has been solid with his fastball location and has held his velocity deeper into games, so it could have just been an off day. He could also finally be reaching the ceiling of his stamina for the year, given that he’s well past his career-high and has made ten more appearances this season than in his prior two combined. Murphy’s velocity early in the game recovered a little bit from his prior starts but he couldn’t maintain that the second time through the order, and when combined with a drop in spin rate and command I’d suspect that fatigue wall to be coming up on him. Regardless of where the rest of the year takes him this has been a resounding success. He’s been healthy for most of the year and improved drastically, and anything beyond this point is icing on the cake. The biggest focus is keeping Murphy healthy, and I don’t see any reason to believe the Braves would take a risk if does start to wear down.

Gwinnett’s lineup has surged back to relevancy with the transactions over the past couple of weeks, and an eight-run opening to this series is nothing to sneeze at. Lizandro Espinoza put the exclamation on the game with a three-run home run to push his OPS over 1.000, though it wasn’t the most impressive of shots. He curled in a wall-scraper in the left field corner and otherwise had a bit of a rough day out there, but there is little to complain about what Espinoza has done so far. He’s definitely aggressive at the plate and is going to have to cool it a bit, but he’s shown the ability to adjust at the lower levels and I think he’s shown he can already handle being a depth piece as a utility player. David McCabe hasn’t played too many games since coming back but he has been a monster at the plate. He had two hits and four more hard hit balls in this game. The whiffs are there in a bad way and he just doesn’t seem to have enough overall value as a player to be valuable to keep at the major league level, but he has a good enough power/approach combination to keep some value as depth in the minor leagues. I’m also liking some of what we’re seeing from Patrick Clohisy. He’s not doing much damage on secondary pitches but has been a lot better the past week with his playte discipline and that showed with two more walks in this game. He’s shown a history in his career of being streaky with his power, but as long as he can make the adjustments to get on base and play defense as well as he does he’ll have a long professional future ahead of himself even if he’s never a starter-caliber option.

Swing and Misses

Owen Murphy – 7

James Karinchak – 3

(57-59) Columbus Clingstones 6, (53-68) Chattanooga Lookouts 7

Box Score

• John Gil, 2B: 1-4, 2B, BB, .293/.379/.413
• Eric Hartman, LF: 1-4, 2B, .247/.375/.370
• Alex Lodise, SS: 3-5, 2B, RBI, .286/.355/.429
• Owen Carey, RF: 1-5, .250/.325/.417
• Cam Caminiti, SP: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, 2.33 ERA

If you’re not excited about what Cam Caminiti is doing you might be dead inside, because this has been an outstanding sequence of games from him. He has immediately kept pace with the Double-A level without even blinking, and has found a way to integrate his entire arsenal better and better with each start. The command issues were still apparent in this game and that will remain a running theme for him, but it’s so much better than it was at the start of the season. That was something that was expected coming in from Caminiti but the process is working and the hope is that eventually his athleticism will take over and allow him to find more consistency. It’s absolutely a point of emphasis and he will need to bring his walks down before he’ll get a shot at the Triple-A level, but the pitch quality itself is already good enough to make the jump. It’s rare to find a 20-year-old with confidence in three different pitches and even if there is plenty of room for development there has already been a massive improvement. Caminiti is taking all of the steps necessary to be make it yet another quick ascension for a young Braves pitcher.

Alex Lodise keeps doing his thing, and it’s massively impressive to watch. Lodise had some hard hit balls in this game and came away with three hits, but even though he faced a number of two-strike counts he never struck out. Lodise hasn’t had much chance to draw walks since being called up as pitchers are attacking him in the strike zone, but Lodise has handled it much better than he did early in the season. He’s showing that he’s not going to chase sliders below the zone nearly as often as early this season, and when he does get a tough pitch in the zone he is fouling them off instead of swing through them. Lodise has only 11 strikeouts in his past 24 games, which is a phrase I would not have thought possible even a month ago. I like where Eric Hartman is still, and of course the two home runs last week helps that evaluation quite a bit. Hartman is overly aggressive on secondaries out of the strike zone and needs to pare that back, but he’s getting to hard pull-side contact again and that’s the key to his profile. Owen Carey has gone the other direction as of late and is struggling with his swing. He’s had an inconsistent path to the ball highlighted by a tendency to dive in with his back shoulder, and it’s robbing him both of the ability to get the barrel on the ball consistently and the bat speed to hit the ball with force. It’s nothing he can’t work through quickly and he has shown flashes of good play, but dialing back the aggression and keeping himself on balance will help flip my views of his recent plate appearances. I have zero complaints on John Gil right now. His approach has been top notch and he is turning on pitches well the past few games. He had a hard hit double this game and has been exactly the image of an on-base first hitter with enough power to keep himself in an everyday lineup. Gil’s biggest nit is that he has been wildly inconsistent throughout his career, but 20 year olds are just like that sometimes. He’s undergone a number of swing changes that have made keeping a consistent level across multiple years difficult but he’s in his best form at the moment even if the numbers are lagging a half step behind his actual talent and progression.

Swing and Misses

Cam Caminiti – 18

LJ McDonough – 1

(57-61) Rome Emperors 5, (53-65) Greenville Drive 6

Box Score

• Carter Beck, CF: 1-5, 2B, RBI, .231/.333/.346
• Conor Essenburg, RF: 1-5, .226/.410/.306
• Luis Guanipa, LF: 1-3, BB, .220/.234/.374
• Zach Royse, SP: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 3.86 ERA

Rome lost this game in tough fashion with a blown save and walk off in the ninth inning, though it’s hard to say they hit well enough as a team to deserve this game. The starter for Greenville had very little in the way of control and to Rome’s credit they did capitalize and put up three runs early thanks to his mistakes. They ended the game in a rut, however, as they weren’t finding solid contact in the strike zone. Connor Essenburg is in a small rut as of late with the walks and power drying up on him, though the command at the plate hasn’t gone away for him. He’s chasing a bit more in two-strike situations and that’s hurting him, but with as deep as he works into counts strikeouts are always going to be there. He isn’t elevating the ball on his pull side right now, which I really see as just sample size fluctation for him as he knows who he is as a hitter and will end up hitting for power in Rome. There was only a small flash of good news for Luis Guanipa last week, but that doesn’t mean that flash wasn’t backed up by real progress. Guanipa has had more good swings than bad, and even if that isn’t always coming with hard contact I think he’s still on the way. He’s been more forceful with his swings on mistakes in the strike zone and has been a bit more willing to let borderline pitches away from him go early in counts, and it’s leading to more swings that look like a Luis Guanipa who can have impact power. He’s due for one silly at bat every game it seems like, but I don’t think he’s stuck in the mud and he’s making the kind of adjustments that led to him going on a run in Augusta this season. Guanipa is getting a ton of breaking balls and he is not barreling them when they’re left in the strike zone, but I don’t see that as a pattern for Guanipa rather simply a fluctuation. He’s shown the ability to hit mistake breaking balls in the past and there is no reason to believe he won’t eventually start making High-A pitchers pay for bad locations.

Overall it turned out to be a solid start for Zach Royse. He threw a ton of strikes with his sinker, and with his velocity and the action of that pitch in the strike zone that predictably led to a slew of ground ball outs. Royse kept his momentum throughout the evening and had a never fell into bad counts, which kept the Drive having to swing at sinkers and pound them into the dirt. Royse didn’t have his slider in this game like he did last week, and it’s something I’ll have to take a closer look into because he’s been far more inconsistent with that pitch in High-A. This game he didn’t struggle to throw the pitch around the zone, but the electric bite it showed earlier this season isn’t coming through for him. That pitch is what made him an interesting relief option for me and maybe it’s just him being extremely deep into the season and showing signs of fatigue. He has had flashes of his peak form, like the seven strikeout performance last week, it’s just not a week-in and week-out spectacle like his stretch from May to June.

Swing and Misses 

Zach Royse – 9

Tyler Schoff – 4

David Rodriguez – 3

(64-56) Augusta GreenJackets 4, (46-72) Myrtle Beach Pelicans 5

Box Score

• Manuel Campos, SS: 0-5, .200/.226/.300
• Juan Mateo, 3-5, HR, 2B: 0-3, BB, .258/.338/.367
• Derek Vartanian, SP: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 4.14 ERA

This surge from Juan Mateo has been impressive. He started off his evening with a rocket liner for a double and then bookended a moonshot home run, and if this is the sort of power production that becomes standard for him that’s going to make a huge impact on his profile. Mateo has five home runs in his past 41 games after having one in his prior 176, and even with a severely repressed BABIP he has outperformed his overall season stats for the past two months. He’s done so without sacrificing the contact ability that is the cornerstone of his profile, and it’s all an approach change to just put the ball in the air more often. Mateo is going to face physical limitations in his profile, and of course the run environment factors in here so even this sort of home run pace is something I don’t think he’s capable of sustaining. However, hitting for even moderate power will make him a tenable option outside of the unlikely chance he develops into a major-league caliber shortstop. Mateo’s ball-strike approach could use a lot of work and he needs to add weight if and when he does shift off of shortstop, but seeing any power from him already creates more confidence in his future as a prospect. It was a rough game out there for Manuel Campos, which is unfortunate because he’s in the middle of a solid stretch of play otherwise. Like we’ve seen from other guys his age getting that first taste of full season ball Campos is a bit out of his depth right now because his approach is not at the level it needs to be. However he’s got some feel for barrel control and a chance to stick at shortstop so it will just take time to see the fruits of his development.

Derek Vartanian has had trouble consistently putting together a three-pitch arsenal this season, but when it’s working for him he can hang with anyone. His slider and splitter were both nasty this game and the Pelicans had an inconsistent time getting a read on Vartanian who was able to throw both of those pitches past the whole lineup. Vartanian was just in the strike zone a bit too much and gave up some hard hit balls, most notably a second inning home run. His curveball was a major weakness this game because he could not get it out of the top half of the strike zone, and even though it does have the potential to work well off of his splitter against left-handed batters he can’t make those mistakes especially on a pitch in the high-70’s. I’m surprised Vartanian hasn’t gotten a look at a higher level given his age, as his pitch quality and fastball command are good enough to warrant promotion even with him not often bringing his best game. He’s on a nice stretch here to end the season and has been a solid find for an undrafted guy, and I do think he’s got real back-end potential if he can find a rhythm across a full season.

Swing and Misses

Derek Vartanian – 18

Kade Woods – 4

The Yankees’ bullpen deserves a lot of credit for exceeding expectations in 2026. There was plenty of eye-rolling in the offseason when it became clear that they were going with pretty much the same bunch that ended 2026, minus Luke Weaver and Devin Williams. Minimal offseason improvements were made.

And yes, there were absolutely misses. Camilo Doval and Jake Bird were terrible; they’ve since been traded. But while David Bednar’s success was expected … Brent Headrick, Paul Blackburn, and Fernando Cruz 2: Electric Boogaloo? They’ve helped this pitching staff stand up and carry the team during a wretched stretch for the bats. The bad news is that because said bats were, again, so wretched for so long, the Yankees were always playing close ballgames, and Aaron Boone had to ride the bullpen’s best like mid-2000s Joe Torre or else risk close games falling into the hands of Doval, Bird, Ryan Yarbrough, or whoever the 26th man happened to be that day.

Well, now the worm has turned. It’s more apparent for Cruz, who has surrendered 11 runs and five homers across his last 13.2 innings, but Headrick got hit hard last night as well. There is very little wiggle room at this point in the AL East race for the Yankees to be giving away ballgames when the offense actually shows up, but that’s what happened. So … that’s swell.

Here’s what else was afoot while the Yankees beefed it on Tuesday night.

Tampa Bay Rays (78-53) 1, Detroit Tigers (62-70) 4

Yes, the Yankees could be 2.5 games back in the division now if they had held on to even one of their leads because the Tigers fully flipped the script from losing 4-1 to the Rays on Monday. The surrogate Bronx hero of the day was rookie Max Clark, the No. 3 overall pick from 2023 who debuted with Detroit just before they bid adieu to Tarik Skubal. The Rays were trying to steal a win with one of their Casey Legumina/Ian Seymour piggyback starts, but with the latter on for the fifth, Clark went yard in the Motor City for the first time:

A missed grounder by Jonathan Aranda allowed Gleyber Torres to scamper home with the Tigers’ third run, and they tacked on another in the seventh when Hao-Yu Lee drove in Javier Báez on a single to left.

Meanwhile, Detroit did a nice job of holding the Rays down. In his fourth start since his return from Tommy John surgery, Jackson Jobe kept them at one run in 4.1 innings on 86 pitches before Drew Sommers finished out the fifth (and the sixth). Jacob Waguespack, Tyler Holton, and Kenley Jansen made it a smooth night from the Tigers’ bullpen for a change, Jansen completing his 493rd career save.

Other Games

Boston Red Sox (73-59) 7, Miami Marlins (67-66) 3 (11 innings): The Fish had their shots in this one. They withstood a pair of solo shots from Baby Bomber alum Mickey Gasper to tie it up in sixth against Payton Tolle on a Heriberto Hernández homer, and they had 14 different at-bats with runners in scoring position on the night. But they only registered one hit in those 14 chances: an infield hit in the seventh where Jakob Marsee was thrown out at home (Connor Wong may have been overly blocking the plate, but the call held).

Boston Trade Deadline acquisition Erik Miller struck out the side in a perfect ninth to send it to extras in Miami. Marlins catcher Brian Navarreto allowed the Red Sox to score their zombie runner on a passed ball, but an Andruw Monasterio error helped set up a runners-on-second-and-third, one-out situation for Miami in the 10th. A clean hit from Javier Sanoja would have won it. He struck out, and though Wyatt Olds’ pitch sailed wide to plate the tying run and move the potential game-winner to third, Xavier Edwards grounded out against Alec Gamboa to strand it. Give too many chances to Boston, and they’ll take advantage. Enter Jarren Duran:

The 11th-inning slam broke it open, and that was all she wrote. Boston is within a game and a half of the Yankees for the top Wild Card spot, and five behind Tampa Bay for the AL East.

Chicago White Sox (69-63) 11, Texas Rangers (66-67) 7: When you match up with Jacob deGrom, you’re not normally expecting an 11-run game. But the Pale Hose and their Pontiff are living a blessed 2026, as evidenced by the sequencing of all this weak contact in an improbable six-run first:

The walks didn’t help and the Rangers were clearly sloppy in the field, but dang. The Rangers stayed in this one and eventually cut the deficit to 10-7 by the top of the sixth, but Chicago held on. Texas and Houston swapped places atop the ugly AL West, with the .500 Astros now leading by a half-game. Oh, and with the suddenly-surging Cal Raleigh homering in his fourth consecutive at-bat to kick off last night in Seattle, the Mariners’ 4-1 win over the Phillies has them two and a half back.

AL Wild Card Rock Fight

Cleveland Guardians (67-66) 8, Los Angeles Angels (52-81) 6 (10 innings): Cleveland continued to take advantage of a light August with their sixth win in a row to keep the pressure on Chicago, who they still trail by just two and a half games in the AL Central. The Guardians are now also a full game clear for the last Wild Card spot. Gavin Williams didn’t have it and fell behind 5-0 early, but fortunately for Cleveland, the Angels are still the Angels. A series of doubles and singles tied it back up at 5-5 in the fifth, and though Vaughn Grissom’s homer put the Halos up 6-5, José Ramírez hit a game-tying double in the eighth before burning The Big A again in the 10th with a two-run two-bagger that proved decisive.

Baltimore Orioles (64-68) 13, St. Louis Cardinals (66-67) 1: AL Player of the Month frontrunner Pete Alonso continued his surge with a three-run homer during a 4-for-4 night in St. Louis. The O’s obliterated Matthew Liberatore and company, plating eight in the fifth inning alone. They’re two and a half games back of Cleveland.

Minnesota Twins (64-69) 2, The Athletics (52-81) 4;
Toronto Blue Jays (64-69) 3, Kansas City Royals (59-74) 5: A great way for me to pay even less attention to you as fringe Wild Card contenders is to lose to a garbage team! Despite an immaculate inning from Taj Bradley, the Twins obliged, as did the ever-sinking Jays (Max Scherzer has a 7.02 ERA; this is so depressing). They’re both three games behind, tied with Seattle. Kudos to KC on its ninth win in a row, but the Royals are firmly in JoJo Territory.

Astros fans, take a minute to consider what just happened and ask yourself a potentially uncomfortable question:

Did Jim Crane just pull the plug on General Manager Dana Brown, or did he potentially pull the plug on the Astros’ chances of winning the division and making the playoffs, too?

That may sound dramatic, but consider the timing.

With a little more than 30 games remaining in the season and the Astros still sitting in first place, the organization announced what was described as a mutual parting of the ways with Brown.

We knew something like this was probably coming.

The writing had seemingly been on the wall for Brown for quite some time, and there had also been plenty of speculation surrounding the future of manager Joe Espada. With the way the Astros have performed this season, combined with some questionable roster decisions and the organization’s gradual decline over the past few years, significant changes this offseason wouldn’t have surprised anyone.

But making those changes now is a completely different story.

That’s why the consequences of Crane’s decision are going to be fascinating to watch over the final month of the season.

We have seen situations in professional sports where a major change can galvanize a team. Sometimes firing a manager or making a dramatic organizational move wakes everybody up. Players rally together, the clubhouse finds new energy and a team that appeared to be going nowhere suddenly takes off.

We’ve also seen the exact opposite.

Sometimes uncertainty creates more uncertainty.

Sometimes players don’t respond well when people they respect are removed from their positions. Sometimes a clubhouse that is already struggling begins to fracture even more.

That’s what makes Crane’s timing so intriguing—and potentially so dangerous.

According to reports, the Astros also informed Espada that he would not return as manager next season. If that’s the case, you now have a team trying to win a division championship while knowing the man leading them isn’t going to be their manager once the season ends.

Think about that dynamic.

Espada is expected to walk into the clubhouse every day, manage games and lead a team through a pennant race while everybody in the room knows the organization has already decided he won’t be back.

How will the players respond?

If there are players in that clubhouse who have strong relationships with Espada—and presumably there are—does this bring them together and motivate them to win for their manager?

Do they rally around him and say, “Let’s finish this thing together”?

Or does it have the opposite effect?

Does it create an awkward environment where everybody understands that major changes are coming and begins wondering who else might not be around next season?

Those aren’t insignificant questions with roughly a month of baseball remaining.

That’s why I keep coming back to the timing.

If Crane had already determined that Brown wasn’t going to return, I understand wanting to get a head start on finding the next general manager. The Astros are facing an incredibly important offseason, and the organization can’t afford to get the next decisions wrong.

But was making the move right now worth potentially disrupting a team that was still sitting atop its division?

After a disappointing homestand, was this a carefully calculated organizational decision, or was there at least some element of a knee-jerk reaction from an owner frustrated by what he had just watched?

We may find out very quickly.

Starting with this series against the Yankees, pay close attention to the Astros.

Don’t just watch the standings.

Watch their body language. Watch their energy. Watch how they respond when something goes wrong. Watch how Espada manages knowing his future has apparently already been determined. Most importantly, watch the results.

Because we could eventually look back at this homestand, this weekend and Crane’s decision as the moment that changed the Astros’ season.

The only question is in which direction.

Maybe this becomes the boiling point that finally causes everything to unravel. Maybe Houston falls out of first place, misses the postseason and we spend the offseason wondering whether Crane should have simply allowed Brown and Espada to finish the season before making wholesale changes.

But there’s another possibility.

Maybe this brings the clubhouse closer together.

Maybe the players rally around Espada. Maybe they take the criticism personally and decide they’re going to prove everybody wrong. Maybe knowing their manager won’t be back becomes motivation to send him out with another division championship and one more postseason run.

Sports can be funny that way.

That’s what makes Crane’s decision such an enormous gamble.

The question isn’t necessarily whether moving on from Brown was the correct long-term decision. You can believe the Astros needed a change in the front office and still question whether August was the appropriate time to make it.

The same applies to Espada.

If Crane had already decided he wanted a different manager in 2027, that’s his prerogative as the owner. But informing Espada of that decision while he’s still managing a first-place team through the final month of a pennant race introduces an entirely different set of variables.

And it wasn’t necessary.

Crane could have allowed the season to play out.

He could have let Brown and Espada finish what they started, evaluated everything once the Astros’ season ended and then made whatever changes he believed were necessary.

Instead, he chose now.

That makes the final 30-plus games about much more than whether this Astros team is good enough to win the American League West.

They’ve also become a referendum on Crane’s decision.

If the Astros respond by playing inspired baseball and winning the division, Crane’s gamble will look much different.

If they stumble, lose their grip on first place and ultimately miss the postseason, it’s fair to wonder whether an organization already struggling to find consistency created another unnecessary obstacle for itself.

So what do you think, Astros fans?

Did Jim Crane make the right decision?

And perhaps more importantly, even if it was the right decision, did he make it at the wrong time?

Because when you’re sitting in first place with a little more than 30 games remaining, changing the direction of your organization isn’t just an offseason decision.

It could change the direction of your season.

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We've got all 30 MLB teams in action today, spanning the entire afternoon and evening!

See why our MLB expert picks for Wednesday, Aug. 26 are calling for both Los Angeles-based teams to triumph.

MLB expert picks for today

Pick	Odds
Josh Inglis: LAA ML	+127
Jon Metler: LAD ML	-127
Dustin Saracini: CHC ML	-104

Prices courtesy of Polymarket.

Josh Inglis' expert pick: Angels moneyline

Price: 44¢ (+127) at Polymarket

Cleveland is riding a six-game winning streak, but this afternoon sets up as a great spot to fade the Guardians.

Cleveland has the starting-pitcher edge with Joey Cantillo, but that’s already priced into the market. Grayson Rodriguez has been good-to-great over his last five starts, and his underlying metrics suggest the results are legitimate.  

The bigger concern for Cleveland is the bullpen. The Guardians have heavily taxed their relief corps over the first two games of this series, and after Cade Smith and several other arms were used Tuesday, their late-inning options are limited. Smith actually recorded the save in Tuesday’s 8-6 extra-inning win, so his availability Wednesday is a key factor.

There’s also a major schedule spot working against Cleveland. They’re wrapping up a long COL/LAA road trip before heading home to open a massive series against Kansas City on Friday. With the Guardians sitting in the AL playoff picture, this is a natural letdown spot after winning six straight.

The Angels are trading around 44 cents, and while they’re still the underdog, I make the fair price closer to 48-49 cents.

• Time: 4:07 p.m. ET
• How to watch: CleGuardians.TV, ABTV

Jon Metler's expert pick: Dodgers moneyline

Price: 56¢ (-127) at Polymarket

AJ Smith-Shawver gets the start for Atlanta, and there are plenty of red flags in this matchup against the Dodgers.

Los Angeles is expected to stack seven left-handed bats, including some of the most feared hitters in baseball. One of Smith-Shawver's best off-speed pitches is his curveball, which breaks into the barrels of the Dodgers' left-handed hitters. He also doesn't have a changeup in his arsenal to give those hitters a pitch that moves away from them.

On top of that, Smith-Shawver hasn't shown the ability to work deep into games, topping out around 75 pitches in his first two starts. If he starts nibbling against a patient Dodgers lineup, he could exit early and force Atlanta's middle relief to cover a significant number of outs.

The Dodgers are trading at 56 cents, but I make them closer to a 60-cent favorite, giving us a meaningful edge at the current price.

• Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
• How to watch: SNLA, BravesVision

Dustin Saracini's expert pick: Cubs moneyline

Price: 51¢ (-104) at Polymarket

Matthew Boyd goes for the Cubbies today, and after Chicago got walked off in the bottom of the ninth on Tuesday, he'll put them in a great spot to bounce back.

The lefty has limited the D-backs to a .209 xBA, .314 xSLG, and .256 xwOBA across 68 at-bats, which is a sample size we can get behind.

Chicago's splits look good against Eduardo Rodriguez, too, owning an .809 OPS against lefties this season. The power surge in August has been palpable, hitting more homers in August (43) than any other month of the season by nearly 10. 

Let's see the best offense in baseball get the job done. I'd play this up to 55 cents at Polymarket

• Time: 3:40 p.m. ET
• How to watch: MARQ, DBacks.TV

More MLB best bets for today

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The plan that was apparent to anyone watching the game, was Adrian Morejon would pitch a scoreless eighth inning and he would be followed by Mason Miller for a scoreless ninth. If the San Diego Padres scored in the bottom of the eighth inning, Miller would be in line for the save and if they did not, he would ensure they got an opportunity to win the game in extra innings. Everything was going according to plan until Oneil Cruz hit a two-out solo home run to right field that gave the Pittsburgh Pirates a lead and eventually a 1-0 win. The win gave the Pirates the series win as well have taken the first two of the three-game set.

It was bitter end to a game that was tied 0-0 to that point after San Diego starter Michael King and Pittsburgh starter Paul Skenes engaged in an old-fashioned pitchers duel. Both starters were dominant and allowed little traffic throughout their time on the mound. King pitched seven scoreless innings, scattering five hits with two walks and seven strikeouts. Skenes pitched just as well, completing six scoreless innings allowing just three hits with no walks and four strikeouts.

Three Pittsburgh relievers, Camilo Doval, Gregory Soto and Mason Montgomery combined to cover the final three innings of the game and none of them allowed a hit to a San Diego batter. The only blemishes on the stat line for those three was a walk by Doval in the seventh and a walk by Montgomery in the ninth.

Ty France worked the two-out walk in the ninth off Montgomery and that brought Jackson Merrill to the plate with a chance to play hero. At the very least he had a chance to tie the game. Merrill was given that opportunity when Jase Bowen came on to pinch-run for France and stole second base. Merrill eventually lost the six-pitch at-bat when a swung at a ball up in the zone and missed for strike three.

Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts and Dustin Harris were the only Padres to record hits in the game. San Diego has managed just two runs in the first two games of the series and that comes after the lineup produced 21 runs in the three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins.

The Padres will have an opportunity to salvage the series in the final game against the Pirates today at 1:10 p.m.

Padres News:

• It’s no secret the Padres will need pitching for the 2027 season and Thomas Conroy of Gaslamp Ball believes one of their targets should be trade deadline acquisition, Robbie Ray.

• Nick Pivetta gets back to work with a three-inning appearance at Lake Elsinore.

• Padres minor league catching coordinator Oswaldo Pirela was finally released from ICE custody.

Baseball News:

• The Atlanta Braves opened their series against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a win.

• The Boston Red Sox got a grand slam home run in the 11th inning to beat the Miami Marlins.

• The Arizona Diamondbacks mount a comeback to beat the Chicago Cubs.

• The Philadelphia Phillies manage one run in loss to the Seattle Mariners.

The Red Sox are expecting reinforcements in the coming days in the form of Trevor Story, Isaiah Kiner-Falefa, and Roman Anthony. Neither Story or Anthony repeated their performance from last season when healthy early in the year, while Kiner-Falefa was a pleasant surprise, posting a 101 wRC+ in 47 games.

Their returns come at an interesting time because their replacements have been so effective. Nick Sogard has been one of the most productive players on the team for a few weeks, while Mickey Gasper continues to be a difficult out from the left side. Andruw Monasterio doesn’t grade out well defensively, but he also had a six-week stretch where he was an offensive force.

What do you expect from the bats returning to the lineup? Do you think they’ll hit the ground running, or will they struggle out of the gates. They don’t have much time to find a rhythm before the postseason begins, so the next few weeks could be crucial for not only those players, but for the players who are losing at bats at their expense. What role do you think they should play? Should Trevor Story play every day? Should Roman Anthony play left field, or stay at designated hitter? Answer these questions, talk about what you want, and as always, be good to one another.

Hickory played a pair, with the first being a continuation of a game that was suspended last month.

In the first game, Daniel Keaney had given up six runs in 0.1 IP, walking three and striking out one, before being pulled right before the game was suspended. Geury Rodriguez struck out three in 1.1 shutout innings.

Josh Owens (I typed Jeremy at first but caught myself) was 2 for 3 with a walk. Curley Martha had a grand slam. Jay McQueen had a hit and a walk. Dewar Tovar had a hit.

In the second game, Louis Marinaro struck out two in two scoreless innings.

Paulino Santana had a hit and a walk. Marco Argudin had a triple, a walk and a stolen base. Yolfran Castillo had a hit and a walk. Seong-Jun Kim had a double and a walk. Sebastian Baquera, Daniel Flames and Curley Martha each had a hit apiece.

Hickory Game One box score

Hickory Game Two box score

Hub City starter Ismael Agreda struck out six and walked one in six innings, allowing two runs. J’Briell Easley allowed a walk-off two run homer in the 11th inning

Maxton Martin was 3 for 4 with a pair of homers. Evan Morrison had a hit.

Hub City box score

For Frisco, Thomas Ireland allowed five runs in 2.1 IP, walking four and striking out three. Joey Danielson struck out one in 0.2 scoreless.

Sebastian Walcott doubled and walked twice. Yeison Morrobel was 3 for 4 with a pair of stolen bases. Dylan Dreiling was 2 for 5. Ian Moller was 1 for 2 with a pair of walks and a stolen base.

Frisco box score

Round Rock starter Dalton Pence threw four shutout innings, striking out two and walking two. Joe Ross allowed a run in two innings, striking out one. Marc Church walked two and allowed three runs in 0.2 IP. Emiliano Teodo struck out one and walked one in 1.1 shutout innings. Michel Otanez walked one in a scoreless inning.

Alejandro Osuna was 2 for 5 with a double. Cam Cauley had a hit. Aaron Zavala was 2 for 4 with a triple.

Round Rock box score

Morning, all!

Logan O’Hoppe was thankful to get optioned to AAA, saying it gave him a chance to reset and “find himself.”

Jack Leiter has been experiencing fatigue in later innings during his rehab outings, opening the possibility that he will be used out of the bullpen when he returns to the big league club.

Jacob deGrom threw the worst inning of his career last night, leading the Rangers to an 11-7 loss to Chicago in the game immediately following Texas’ best offensive outing of the season.

It appears that deGrom’s slider just wasn’t working, with no swings and misses on 21 thrown and only 4 being thrown for strikes.

Simply showing that he can pitch won’t suffice.

If Shohei Ohtani wants to be a two-way player for the Dodgers in the playoffs, he will have to show something over the remainder of the regular season.

Or at least show enough to justify moving Tyler Glasnow to the bullpen.

Glasnow is the current benchmark for the fourth and final place in the postseason rotation.

Ohtani has to clear it.

Doing so will require Ohtani to do more than pitch well. He will also have to remain healthy and convince the Dodgers that his work on the mound won’t negatively affect him in the batter’s box. 

The additional value that Ohtani provides by playing both ways will have to be greater than whatever would be lost by forcing Glasnow out of his customary role.

That’s certainly within Ohtani’s capabilities – but not automatic.

Ohtani is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Wednesday or Thursday in Atlanta, which opens the possibility for him to pitch on Sunday in the Dodgers’ series finale against the Tigers in Detroit.

Ohtani hasn’t pitched since July 3 because of problems with his left knee, and whether he returns on Sunday or some time after, he is expected to be on the mound for only one inning. But Dave Roberts said the process of stretching out Ohtani won’t be as deliberate as it was last year and that he could “in theory” be a full-fledged starter by the start of the postseason.

Now that he’s almost two months removed from his last start, what will this look like?

Whether it was because of his knee, the absence of regular catcher Will Smith, or a combination of the two, Ohtani was pitching well below his usual standards when he was shut down. In his last four starts leading up to his removal from the rotation, he posted a 4.38 earned-run average.

Ohtani said at the time that his knee bothered him only when he pitched, but he later acknowledged that it limited how fast he could run. 

And this is where the cost of sending Ohtani back to the mound will have to be considered.

Ohtani said he chose to stop pitching through the discomfort to give his knee a chance to heal, but he jogged gingerly back to the dugout when grounding out in the seventh inning of the Dodgers’ 4-3 loss to the Braves on Tuesday night.

“It looked a little funny,” Roberts said.

Then again, Ohtani stretched a double into a triple two innings later.

The coming weeks will not only test Ohtani’s knee, but also whether he can remain a productive hitter while taking on a two-way workload.

Coincidentally or not, Ohtani’s offensive numbers have plunged since he started ramping up his pitching efforts. On Aug. 14, Ohtani threw his first bullpen session in more than three weeks. From that point on, he’s batted only .231.

So, unless Ohtani is absolutely lights out on the mound – which, it should be stressed, is entirely possible – what’s the point of him pitching if it will take away from how he can most impact the Dodgers?

Because as spectacular as Ohtani can be as a pitcher, he’s more important to the Dodgers’ lineup than he is to the rotation. If Ohtani can’t pitch, the Dodgers can turn to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell and, yes, Glasnow.

Glasnow might not have the public profile of the four other All-Stars in the Dodgers’ rotation, but that’s primarily because of how often he gets injured. When Glasnow is healthy, he’s one of the best pitchers in baseball. His return from the injured list on Tuesday was the latest testament to his talent.

In his first major league game in 3 ½ months, Glasnow gave up three runs in the first inning but settled down after. He limited the Braves to two hits over the next four innings.

“Feel healthy and strong,” Glasnow told reporters in Atlanta.

Of the Dodgers’ five Cy Young Award-caliber starters, Glasnow figures to be the most likely to move the bullpen, as he was a reliever earlier in his career and made three relief appearances in the playoffs last year. Pitching out out of the bullpen isn’t a realistic option for Ohtani, as he wouldn’t be able to warm up during a game if he’s hitting or on base.

Glasnow was the hero in Game 6 of the World Series, as he was called into the game after Roberts pulled the ripcord on Roki Sasaki before the Japanese right-hander could record an out in the ninth inning. Glasnow inherited runners on second and third base but didn’t allow either of them to score to preserve the win. He came back a day later to pitch 2 ⅓ innings in Game 7.

But if the experience qualifies Glasnow to pitch as a reliever, it’s also part of the argument why he should be a starter. 

“Coming into spring training, he just seemed like another level of confident that I just felt was palpable,” Roberts said. “That translated into the season.”

Glasnow made seven starts before he landed on the injured list with back spasms and was 300 with a 2.72 earned-run average and 49 strikeouts in 39 ⅔ innings. 

With Glasnow as an option, is it really worth starting Ohtani in the playoffs when doing so could affect his health and offensive performance?

The Dodgers have five weeks to answer that question.

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The Chicago White Sox will be looking to finish their series with the Texas Rangers on a high note tonight at Rate Field as they'repriced as a -126 home favorite. The first pitch is set for 7:40 p.m. ET. 

However, Sean Burke is showing vulnerability lately while MacKenzie Gore is throwing the ball well, which has my Rangers vs. White Sox prediction targeting the visitors as an underdog. 

Read more in my MLB picks for Wednesday, Aug. 26. 

Who will win Rangers vs White Sox today: Rangers moneyline (+114)

MacKenzie Gore has settled in for the Texas Rangers lately, and that matters tonight. The left-hander owns a 3.17 FIP over his last two starts while limiting walks and home runs, and he's held opponents to a 35.1% hard-hit rate across the last month.

The Chicago White Sox have been average offensively, posting a 99 wRC+ over their last seven games. Sean Burke, meanwhile, draws a Texas lineup with a 111 wRC+ over the last week, and he has been vulnerable lately, allowing eight earned runs and 1.74 HR/9 across his previous two outings.

With Gore in better form and Texas carrying the stronger offensive profile, the Rangers are a live underdog.

I'd play this pick down to +100.

COVERS INTEL: The Rangers have shown up offensively on the road, posting a 101 wRC+ this season. That's right in line with their 102 overall mark, giving Texas a stable offensive profile away from home.

Rangers vs White Sox Over/Under pick: Over 7.5 (-121)

I’m leaning Over 7.5 because both offenses are in respectable enough form to pressure a low total. Texas has been swinging it well over the last week, while Chicago has been closer to league average recently.

That may not scream fireworks, but it's enough offensive stability to like run-scoring upside at this number.

The bigger separator is the White Sox bullpen. Chicago owns a 3.88 xERA over its last 36.2 innings, but it has allowed 1.47 HR/9 with a 44% hard-hit rate during that span. That gives Texas a clear late-game scoring path.

The Rangers’ bullpen has been solid, but 7.5 still feels attackable.

Play this pick up to -125.

Rangers vs White Sox home run prediction: Corey Seager (+344)

Corey Seager has smacked just one home run in the last week, but he’s hitting nearly .400 during that span with loud contact numbers and a respectable .214 ISO.

The veteran owns a 57.1% hard-hit rate, 9.5% barrel rate, and 93.4 mph average exit velocity over his previous seven games. In other words, Seager is consistently squaring up the baseball, and that matters against Sean Burke, who's having problems with the long ball. 

The White Sox bullpen has also allowed hard contact and home run damage lately, giving Seager another path late.

Play this pick down to +300.

Rangers vs White Sox weather

Weather at Rate Field looks mostly manageable tonight, with partly cloudy skies and temperatures falling from 81°F to 75°F. Rain chances start at 21% but fade quickly, and winds ease from 11 mph to 7 mph. Slight early shower risk, but no major delay concern.

Rangers vs White Sox odds

• Moneyline: Rangers +114 | White Sox -126
• Run line: Rangers +1.5 (-178) | White Sox -1.5 (+170)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-121) | Under 7.5 (+105)

Rangers vs White Sox trend

The Rangers have cashed the moneyline in four of their last six games for +1.35 units and a 16% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Rangers vs. White Sox.

How to watch Rangers vs White Sox and game info

Rangers vs White Sox latest injuries

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The Orioles placed Samuel Basallo on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation back on July 22. At that time, Baltimore was 50-53. The Birds were only a few games removed from a seven-game win streak that had the potential to save their season. Adley Rutschman, Taylor Ward and Tyler Wells were still on the team.

Basallo returned from the IL on August 19. Plenty of things had changed in Baltimore over the last month, but one thing remained the same—The Orioles were only a few games out of the final wild card spot.

Rutschman’s departure had a profound effect on the roster and the fan base, but the move affected the injured rookie as much as anyone. Basallo shifted from a timeshare situation to being the primary option behind the dish. Baltimore made a clear investment in Basallo’s future by inking him to an eight-year extension in 2025, but it was always difficult to imagine Rutschman leaving before the end of 2027.

Rutschman’s departure had to make Basallo’s stay on the IL even more painful. Now healthy, the 22-year-old has an opportunity to make a sizable impact in his first stretch as the primary option.

Pete Alonso has been just about everything the Orioles could ask for in year one of his five-year, $155 million deal, but the majority of the offense has struggled to turn in consistent performances. The loss of Rutschman and Ward took away two of Baltimore’s best on-base guys, and Gunnar Henderson’s struggles have been felt all season.

Despite all of that, things could still click at the right time. Jackson Holliday is delivering quality at bats at the top of the order. Coby Mayo is destroying left-handed pitching. Dylan Beavers and Tyler O’Neill are making their presence known. Colton Cowser’s pop is still there, and Craig Albernaz has found a way to deploy the right hitters at the right time.

The Orioles still need more from their offense, and Basallo’s big bat can make a world of difference. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 250 lbs, Basallo provides a presence in the heart of the order. He helped steal a valuable win with a late-game homer on Saturday, and he should provide valuable protection to other players in the order.

The team has attempted to ease their franchise player back into action, but the time for that has come and gone. Carlos Narváez has earned praise for his early work with pitchers, but the bat simply isn’t there right now. Basallo provides much needed power and credibility to a lineup that needs to fire on all cylinders if the team hopes to make the playoffs.

It always felt like possessing two plus-hitting catchers was a cheat code. The Orioles forfeited that privilege when they shipped Rutschman to Boston. Narváez is capable of more than he’s shown, but he’s hitting like a backup catcher right now. Designated hitter slots are limited with Alonso entrenched at first base and Mayo emerging as a must-start against lefties. At the same time, this lineup can reach a different gear with Basallo taking the place of Narváez or Yohel Pozo.

Basallo entered last night’s game with a 110 OPS+. That number may not jump off the page, but it’s good for second on the team with Blaze Alexander sidelined and both Rutschman and Ward out of the picture.

Fortunately, multiple players are capable of performing above their season totals. Holliday slashed .368/.500/.421 in July before falling back off over the last two weeks. Henderson entered last night’s game slashing .311/.404/.533 over the last two weeks. Guys like Christian Encarnacion-Strand have stepped up, and Beavers has proven that he’s not afraid of the moment. The offense put its potential on full display with a 13-1 win last night without any help from Basallo (0-5, 4 K).

Some of that may feel like a stretch, but that only strengthens the opportunity for Basallo. The rookie became one of the best hitters on the active roster the day that he was activated. It may feel like an odd time to say this after his struggles last night, but the lineup just looks different with the big guy penciled into the heart of the order.

Basallo will not be defined by his performance if he struggles over the final month of the season, but he has the opportunity to transform the offense with a 30-game hot streak. The Orioles need several things to break right if they hope to play baseball in October, but Basallo emerging as an X-factor could provide the power surge that the team needs.

The Braves have a bunch of injured arms on their 40-man roster:

• Joe Jimenez
• Reynaldo Lopez
• Spencer Schwellenbach
• Spencer Strider
• Robert Suarez
• Joey Wentz

Hurston Waldrep isn’t on the major league Injured List, but is also an injured pitcher on the 40-man.

It doesn’t look like there’s any reason that Lopez won’t return, so that’s one… though you never know. No one’s even talking about Joey Wentz, so not him.

The other starters have no updates, and time is running out… so probably not them? Time is also running out for Robert Suarez, but he doesn’t need to get stretched out, at least. And then Joe Jimenez is the ultimate wild card in the sense that it seemed like his career might be over. It’d be funny if he came back and made an impact, because it would be so random.

For more non-detail, see the embedded Feed post.

What do you think happens?

It’s at times like this that I have to remind myself that the Cubs still hold the top wild card spot in the National League (by three games) and are still within shouting distance of first place in the NL Central.

Because now, in addition to all the other issues facing this ballclub, they appear to have a closer problem.

Jacob Webb, who was so good for two solid months, has now blown saves in his last two appearances — with two-run walk-off homers both times, that’s now two of those in the last four days.

This one ruined an excellent starting outing from Clay Holmes. And if Webb’s not going to close anymore, can the Cubs trust Daniel Palencia again in that role? Because he got hammered for three runs in his inning of work in this one.

Sigh. Here’s your recap of the second soul-crushing loss on this road trip, 5-4 to the Diamondbacks.

Holmes and D-backs starter Brandon Pfaadt matched zeroes for the first three innings. In the top of the fourth, Seiya Suzuki led off with a single and went to third on a double by Michael Busch.

One out later, Ian Happ launched his 23rd home run [VIDEO].

Happ, last 16 games: .304/.381/.625 (17-for-56) with three doubles, five home runs, 13 RBI and 11 runs scored. His season OPS is up to .755, the highest it’s been since July 28. I think that qualifies as one of Happ’s late-season hot streaks. More on Happ’s blast from BCB’s JohnW53:

Ian Happ’s home run was the Cubs’ 27th of the season with two runners on base. That is as many as they hit all of last season, and just two short of the team record of 29, set in 2017. They hit 28 in 2008.

The Cubs tacked on one more run in the sixth. Suzuki led off with a double and scored on this single by Michael Busch [VIDEO].

As noted on the Marquee broadcast, at that point the Cubs set a franchise record of scoring 30 consecutive unanswered runs: the last 19 on Sunday, seven on Monday and the four in this one. The previous record of 29 was set May 11-13, 1969, when they posted three straight shutouts: 8-0 vs. the Giants, then 2-0 and 19-0 vs. the Padres. They gave up a run in the top of the third on May 14 vs. the Padres..

Holmes continued to baffle D-backs hitters through seven. He allowed just two hits, both singles, walked two and struck out five [VIDEO].

Here’s more on Holmes’ outing [VIDEO].

More from John:

The last time back-to-back starters for the Cubs pitched at least 7.0 innings, as Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes did Monday and Tuesday, was June 6-7 of last season, at Detroit.

Ben Brown gave up two runs on five hits, walked one and struck out seven in a 3-1 loss.
Jameson Taillon gave up one run on four hits, walked one and struck out five in a 6-1 win.

Both pitched 7.0, as did the last pair with back-to-back scoreless starts, on Sept. 27-28, 2024, at home vs. the Reds, in 1-0 and 3-0 wins.

Taillon allowed four hits, walked two and struck out two.
Kyle Hendricks allowed two hits, walked two and struck out two.

Ten of Holmes’ 21 outs were on ground balls. In four starts with the Cubs, Holmes now has a 1.96 ERA and 0.957 WHIP and has allowed just one home run in 23 innings. That’s looking like a really good trade.

Craig Counsell sent Palencia out for the eighth, his second appearance after returning from his rehab assignment. He’d been very good against the Mariners over the weekend. This time… not so much. With one out, he hit Jordan Lawlar in the head. Fortunately, Lawlar was okay. Then Palencia issued a walk. One out later, Gabriel Moreno doubled in two runs and Geraldo Perdomo singled in Moreno to make it 4-3. That prompted Counsell to summon Webb, who got out of the inning with a ground ball.

The Cubs didn’t score in the ninth, so Webb came back out to try to protect the one-run lead. He got a pair of outs sandwiched around a walk. Webb, who at this point had thrown 17 pitches, ran a 2-1 count on Ryan Waldschmidt, who then smashed his game-winning homer.

Sigh. Had Palencia done his job better in the eighth, Webb could have come in for a clean inning in the ninth and not had to clean up Palencia’s mess in the eighth.

Does this mean Webb shouldn’t close anymore? Well… not necessarily. Again, he was lights-out for two months. And if not Webb, then who? Palencia? Trent Thornton? Ryan Zeferjahn? I think you can see the issue here. Perhaps when Ben Brown returns — and we already know he won’t be stretched out to start — Brown should be given some closing opportunities.

That’s now two losses in four days for the Cubs in games they led after eight innings. Prior to Saturday, the Cubs were one of seven teams to not have a loss this year when leading after eight. Now they’re 60-2 in that situation. It should be noted that most teams do pretty well in that situation — as you can see here, this year 15 of the 30 teams have two or fewer losses when ahead after eight innings. Hopefully that “2” doesn’t change the rest of the year.

As noted, fortunately for the Cubs the two teams chasing them in the wild-card race besides the D-backs — the Phillies and Padres — also lost Tuesday. The Cubs remain three games ahead of Philadelphia and five games ahead of San Diego.

Here are Counsell’s postgame remarks [VIDEO].

The Cubs still have a chance at a series win and a .500 road trip Wednesday afternoon in Phoenix. Matthew Boyd will start for the Cubs and Eduardo Rodriguez goes for Arizona. Game time is 2:40 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network. The BCB game preview will post at 12:30 p.m. CT.