Category: MLB

Good morning.

• In a stunning move, Los Angeles Rams owner (among many other teams) Stan Kroenke has agreed to purchase the Los Angeles Angels for a record $4 billion. Rhett Bollinger reports.
• Gabe Lacques writes that with ownership of both the Rams and the Angels, Dodgers owner Mark Walter is no longer the king of LA sports.
• Ryan Phillips believes that Kroenke is the best owner that Angels fans could have hoped for.
• Besides the Rams and Angels, Kroenke owns Arsenal in the Premier League, the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, the NBA’s Denver Nuggets and other teams. Here’s is a list of his sporting portfolio.
• Brittany Ghiroli notes that with Kroenke buying the Angels, Mets owner Steve Cohen is no longer the richest owner in MLB. (Free The Athletic reg. req.)
• Josh Peter calls soon-former Angels owner Arte Moreno as the “Worst Owner in Baseball.” Yet, as he notes, he bought the team for $183 million in 2003 and is selling it for $4 billion today, so even the worst owner in the game is making out like a bandit.
• Alden Gonzalez and Buster Olney explain what the sale means for the Angels and MLB.
• Russell Dorsey says brighter days are ahead for the Angels and their fans.
• Ken Rosenthal looks at several issues for Kroenke to deal with the Angels (The Athletic sub. req.) but tells Angels fans that the new boss can’t be as bad as the old one.
• Angels star Mike Trout says he’s eager for the “fresh start” that new ownership will bring. (The Athletic sub. req.) He also said he has four years left on his contract and he intends to remain an Angel.
• J.P. Hoonstra has five questions facing the Angels after the sale.
• It’s ironic that shortly before the Angels sale was announced yesterday, The Athletic writers Melody Gutierrez, Evan Drellich and Ken Rosenthal released about the Dodgers sale to Mark Walter 14 years ago. (The Athletic sub. req.) Walter’s finances have been under question with his sale of the Lakers, and this article claims that MLB owners had questions and were “unlikely” to have approved Walter as owner with his sketchy financing, but their hands were mostly tied by the bankruptcy court judge.
• Matt Snyder thinks that we should all just stop doomcasting. Both the owners and the players have too much to lose for there to be a long, extended work stoppage.
• Following up on a story from Monday, Red Sox radio announcer Will Flemming apologized for calling Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. “bush league” and arguing that Boston should throw at players and start a fight with Chisholm. Sort of. First he took time to complain about all the “calls and threats” he was getting over what he said. Ian Browne reports.
• Chisholm said that he had no desire to talk to Fleming and that not only did he not know who Fleming was but that “I’m still not going to remember who he is after today.”
• Speaking of apologizes, Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte apologized to manager Torey Lovullo for the way he handled his absence last week. Marte was still booed by the home fans at Chase Field.
• Now to games. Brent Maguire explains what is at stake in September.
• Sarah Langs looks at what it means to be in first place on September 1.
• Anthony Castrovince has the ten most iconic records in baseball.
• Ben Clemens is impressed with Mets reliever Nate Lavender, who just made his major league debut on August 4.
• Jay Jaffe looks at how White Sox outfielder Tristan Peters has totally defied (low) expectations in his rookie campaign. Much has been made of how Peters is a former Savannah Banana, although he played for the Bananas when they were still a college wooden bat league team, although they did do a lot of wacky stuff before games and between innings.
• The White Sox also traded for outfielders Tommy Pham and Jake Cave. Both were still eligible to be traded because they were on minor league contracts. Scott Merkin reports.
• Likewise, the Orioles claimed former Mets outfielder Luis Robert Jr. off of waivers. Michael Baumann looks at why Baltimore did this and what they can expect from Robert.
• Bradford Doolittle wants to keep teams with losing records out of the postseason and offers some rules changes to prevent that from happening.
• Despite a terrible season from the Giants, team president Buster Posey announced that first-year manager Tony Vitello will be back next season.
• Guardians right-hander Carlos Hernández has missed all of 2025 after an off-season car accident in his native Venezuela. Hernández now reveals he was texting and driving when the accident happened and wants to serve as an example to others of what not to do.
• I wish it could have happened when the Reds were playing the Cubs, but Cincinnati third baseman Eugenio Suárez will miss two games as he takes his US citizenship test. Good luck, Geno!
• Beloved French “Voice of the Expos” Jacques Doucet has passed away at 86. Our sympathies go out to his friends, family, and all of you who still consider yourselves an Expos fan.
• And finally, if you want to feel old, 27-year-old Darren Baker has signed a minor league deal with the Giants. (Free The Athletic reg. req.) For those of you too young to remember, don’t rub it in. Also, Baker is the son of Dusty Baker who, at age 3, served as the Giants’ team batboy in the 2002 World Series and almost got run over at the plate were it not for a quick-thinking J.T. Snow. Baker is asked about that incident all the time but he always has the same response—he was too young to remember it.

Good morning Birdland,

Being a .500 team was cool while it lasted! The Orioles dipped right back to a losing record with their 4-2 loss on Tuesday night in Denver. Kyle Bradish labored, only getting through five mediocre innings. Luis De León debuted out of the bullpen and gave up a two-run homer, which proved to be the difference. And the Orioles offense was disappointing against a Rockies starter that entered the game with an ERA approaching seven.

Jackson Holliday had three of the teams seven hits, including his seventh home run of the season, which tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the seventh, but he also made a bad error with the debutant De León on the mound. Tough to complain too much about him when the rest of the offense did so very little.

As a team, the Orioles created just three at-bats with a runner in scoring position. They went 0-for-3 in such situations. The only other run they scored came in the third inning, when Gunnar Henderson hit into a double play that saw the first baseman make the force out at first, and throw to second for the tag out. Pete Alonso smartly stopped and ran back towards first base, which bought just enough time for the run to score.

Despite the reputation of Coors Field as an offensive haven, the Orioles haven’t had much success in the first two games of this series. They have scored just four runs over 18 innings of baseball. The streakiness of this lineup cannot even be healed by the thin Colorado air.

Elsewhere, the Guardians beat the Blue Jays 6-1, the Mariners beat the Red Sox 9-6, the Twins beat the Tigers 15-2, the Rangers beat the Athletics 8-5, and the White Sox beat the Astros 5-1.

All of that leaves the Orioles 1.5 games back of the Guardians for the AL’s final wild card spot.

The Orioles and Rockies will wrap up their three-game series this afternoon. First pitch is set for 3:10 p.m. with Trevor Rogers (9-9, 4.38 ERA) on the mound to face old friend Tomoyuki Sugano (12-8, 5.23 ERA). Then the Birds fly home for a big four-game set with the Red Sox.

Links

Luis Robert Jr. joins the Orioles, a sign the owners ‘believe in this team’ | The Baltimore Banner
It just made too much sense for the Orioles to not try and get Robert for the stretch run. It’s going to be an expensive month, but don’t forget that the team dumped a bunch of salary at the trade deadline, so they have some wiggle room. Robert, a right-handed hitter that can play a decent center field, should see regular playing time against left-handed pitching.

Looking back at flurry of Orioles roster moves | Roch Kubatko
The decision to call up Heston Kjerstad instead of someone like Enrique Bradfield Jr. is an interesting one. Perhaps with Robert also coming in, the Orioles didn’t feel like they needed the speed or the glove of Bradfield. This feels like Kjerstad’s last chance to prove to this organization that he can be productive at the big league level.

Kjerstad became a dad. De León missed 10 calls. Now, both are in MLB with O’s | Orioles.com
August 31 is always going to be an important day for Kjerstad. Not only could it be a turning point in his career, but it’s when he became a dad for the first time. Pretty cool!

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• Dusten Knight turns 36 today. Perhaps known best for his celebratory backflips in the minors, Knight made his big league debut with the Orioles in 2021, pitching in seven games that season.
• Jason Hammel is 44 years old. Acquired from the Rockies prior to the 2012 season, the righty emerged as, arguably, the staff ace of the team that brought winning back to baseball. He had a 3.43 ERA over 118 innings in 2012, followed by a less enjoyable campaign in 2013.
• Rex Hudler turns 66. His 13-season MLB career included a 14-game pit stop in Baltimore during the 1986 season. After his playing career came to an end, he became a well-regarded broadcaster for the Angels and now the Royals, plus being the color commentator in several versions of the video game, MLB The Show.
• The late Drungo Hazewood (b. 1959, d. 2013) was born on this day. He played in five games for the Orioles in 1980.
• John Flinn is 72 years old. The pitcher had two short stints in Baltimore. He appeared in 17 games between 1978 and ‘79, and then five more in 1982.
• Nate Snell turns 74. He began his big league career with three seasons pitching out of the Baltimore bullpen, from 1984 through ‘86.
• Dave Criscione is 75. The seven games he played for the 1977 Orioles were the only time he played in the big leagues.
• A posthumous birthday for Marv Throneberry (b. 1933, d. 1994). He spent parts of two seasons with the Orioles from 1961-62.

This day in O’s history

1960 – The Orioles beat the Yankees 5-0 thanks to a strong pitching performance from Milt Pappas. The O’s now trail the Bombers by mere percentage points in the standings, .003 to be exact.

2012 – Mark Reynolds hits two home runs and Randy Wolf gets the win on the mound with 3.1 solid innings of relief as the O’s beat the Yankees 8-3 and move to within two games of the AL East leaders.

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (38-37/31-26)

BINGHAMTON 7, ROCHESTER 4 (BOX)

Jonathan Santucci was solid, throwing five-innings of two-run ball, both runs coming on a pair of solo homers in the fourth, but Mets had built up a solid lead by that point, scoring six runs in the game’s first three innings. The southpaw ended up getting his first Triple-A win and 40th rounder Brian Metoyer locked down his first Triple-A save. With their win against the division-leading Red Wings, the Syracuse Mets now find themselves 3.5 games back in the standings.

·  CF D’Andre Smith: 1-5, K, 2 SB (6, 7)

·  LF Jose Ramos: 0-4, 2 K

·  SS Ronny Mauricio: 1-4, R, HR (17), RBI, K

·  RF MJ Melendez: 1-4, R, 2B

·  1B Eric Wagaman: 1-4, R, HR (5), RBI, K

·  DH Billy Amick: 1-2, R, HR (5), 2 RBI, BB

·  3B Nick Lorusso: 3-4, 2 R, SB (4), E (2)

·  C Hayden Senger: 3-4, R, 2B, RBI

·  2B Zack Short: 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI, K

·  LHP Jonathan Santucci: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, W (1-3)

·  RHP Matt Seelinger: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

·  RHP Ben Simon: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, H (3)

·  RHP Brian Metoyer: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, S (1)

ROSTER ALERT: New York Mets recalled RHP Dylan Ross from Syracuse Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: New York Mets recalled LF Nick Morabito from Syracuse Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: Syracuse Mets sent RHP Ryan Lambert on a rehab assignment to Brooklyn Cyclones.

ROSTER ALERT: Syracuse Mets activated 1B Ryan Clifford from the Development List.

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (27-42/30-28)

BINGHAMTON 4, NEW GAMPSHIRE 3 (BOX)

The Fisher Cats were in control of this ballgame for most of it, but Binghamton took the lead in the bottom of the seventh on held on to win it. The victory, combined with Reading’s loss to Hartford, leaves them 3.5 games behind in the division.

·  DH Mitch Voit: 0-4, 2 K

·  SS Marco Vargas: 2-4, K, SB (24), E (3)

·  2B Jefferson Rojas: 1-4, K

·  3B Jacob Reimer: 0-3, BB, K

·  C Chris Suero: 0-2, R, 2 BB, 2 SB (35, 36), PB (16)

·  LF Eli Serrano III: 0-3, R, BB

·  CF John Bay: 1-4, R, 2B, RBI, SB

·  1B Corey Collins: 1-3, R, 2B, 2 RBI, K

·  RF JT Benson: 0-2

·  RHP Gary Gill Hill: 4.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

·  RHP Douglas Orellana: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

·  RHP Carlos Guzman: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, W (5-1)

·  RHP Brendan Girton: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, H (6)

·  RHP Garrett Stratton: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, E (2), S (6)

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (25-40/31-30)

GAME ONE

FREDERICK 3, BROOKLYN 2 / 10 (BOX)

This one was a continuation of a game that was suspended way back on July 5th. The game was tied 2-2, with the Cyclones just having tied things up on a Mitch Voit sac fly. When things returned, neither team was able to score within the next two innings, forcing the game into the tenth. Brooklyn wasn’t able to cash in on their ghost runner, but the Keys were in the bottom of the frame.

·  SS Mitch Voit: 1-3, 2 RBI, K

·  LF Trey Snyder: 0-1

·  3B Yonatan Henriquez: 2-4, 2B, BB, K

·  RF JT Benson: 0-4, 2 K

·  2B Antonio Jimenez: 0-0, BB, CS (2)

·  C-1B Ronald Hernandez: 0-5

·  1B Corey Collins: 1-4, 2 K

·  C Chase Meggers: 0-0

·  DH Daiverson Gutierrez: 0-3, BB, K

·  2B Jamari Baylor: 0-2, R, BB

·  SS Elian Peña: 0-0, BB

·  LF Trace Willhoite: 0-1, 2 BB

·  RF John Spikerman: 0-1

·  CF Sam Biller: 2-3, R, 2B

·  CF Aiden Robbins: 0-1, K

·  RHP Robert Stock: 2.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, E (1)

·  RHP Ryan Dollar: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, WP

·  LHP Daviel Hurtado: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

·  RHP Juan Arnaud: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 2 WP, BLK

·  RHP Hunter Hodges: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, L (0-3)

GAME TWO

FREDERICK 6, BROOKLYN 4 (BOX)

Both teams had a long layover waiting for this one to start on account of the rain, but when it did, the Cyclones got down to business quickly, with Elian Pena hitting a triple, Aiden Robbins driving him in with a single, and Robbins eventually getting driven in himself on a Yonatan Henriquez sac fly. Nick Carreno responded to their efforts by leading off the bottom of the inning walking three consecutive batters to load up the bases, allowing three runners to score and putting the Cyclones in an early hole. The Keys added a few insurance runs, and while the Cyclones were only able to get two of those runs back, solo homers off the bats of Robbins and Antonio Jimenez. With the two losses, the defending South Atlantic League champion Cyclones have been officially eliminated from playoff contention. On the bright side, Aiden Robbins- who I wasn’t much of a fan of on draft day because of concerns with his mechanics- is looking more and more legit.

·  DH Sammy Stafura: 0-4, K

·  SS Elian Peña: 1-3, R, 3B, K

·  CF Aiden Robbins: 2-3, 2 R, HR (1), 2 RBI

·  LF Trey Snyder: 2-3, SB (10)

·  3B Yonatan Henriquez: 0-2, RBI, K

·  1B Ronald Hernandez: 0-3, 2 K

·  RF John Spikerman: 0-3

·  C Chase Meggers: 1-3, 2 K

·  2B Antonio Jimenez: 1-3, R, HR (4), RBI

·  RHP Nicolas Carreno: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, L (3-3)

·  RHP Parker Carlson: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

·  REHAB ALERT RHP Ryan Lambert: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, WP

·  RHP Elwis Mijares: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, BLK

·  RHP Joe Scarborough: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HBP

ROSTER ALERT: OF Aiden Robbins assigned to Brooklyn Cyclones from St. Lucie Mets.

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (33-33/22-38)

ST. LUCIE 7, JUPITER 6 (BOX)

St. Lucie and Jupiter were evenly matched for the majority of this ballgame, with the Hammerheads coming back down three runs early to tie things up and with the Mets coming back down three runs late to tie things up again. The pivotal run of the game came in the eighth, with the score tied 6-6. Hammerheads reliever Kifraidy Encarnacion melted down, walking Kuhio Aloy, Yovanny Rodriguez, and Jack Toomey to load up the bases. Needing one out to get out of the jam, he walked Branny De Oleo to force in a run, the winning run.

·  2B Bruin Agbayani: 1-4, R, 2B, 3 K

·  2B Dylan Carey: 0-1

·  C Ryan Tayman: 1-3, 2 R, HR (3), 3 RBI, BB, 2 K, 2 E (3, 4)

·  SS Boston Baro: 0-4, K

·  LF Kuhio Aloy: 0-2, R, 2 BB, 2 K

·  DH Yovanny Rodriguez: 1-2, R, 2 BB, SB (2)

·  1B Julio Zayas: 0-4, 3 K

·  3B Jeremy Rodriguez: 0-4, K

·  RF Jack Toomey: 1-3, R, 2B, RBI, BB, K

·  CF Branny De Oleo: 1-2, R, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, K, SB (11)

·  REHAB ALERT RHP Irving Cota: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

·  RHP Roberto Pena: 2.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, WP

·  RHP Tyler McLoughlin: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, BS (2)

·  RHP Dillon Stiltner: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

·  RHP Candido Cuevas: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, HBP

·  RHP Zack Mack: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, BLK, W (9-2)

·  RHP Miguel Mejias: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, S (6)

ROSTER ALERT: Brooklyn Cyclones sent RHP Irving Cota on a rehab assignment to St. Lucie Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: St. Lucie Mets activated SS Bruin Agbayani.

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Dillon Stiltner assigned to St. Lucie Mets from FCL Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Roberto Pena assigned to St. Lucie Mets from FCL Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: St. Lucie Mets transferred LHP Luis Sotillo to the Development List.

ROSTER ALERT: St. Lucie Mets transferred RHP Jean Brito to the Development List.

Rookie: FCL Mets (24-33)

NO GAME (SEASON OVER)

ROSTER ALERT: OF Heriberto Rincon assigned to FCL Mets from Brooklyn Cyclones.

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Jonathan Santucci

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Nicolas Carreno

Free of charge for the discerning reader.

Happy birthday to Christian Bethancourt, and a mighty host of others.

Today in baseball history, in 1965 – The Cubs beat St. Louis, 5-3, at Wrigley Field, as Ernie Banks hits his 400th home run, a three-run shot off Curt Simmons in the third. Simmons teed up the 400th home run of Willie Mays in 1963. Banks will end the season with 28 home runs and 106 RBI. Ron Santo and Billy Williams will also knock in over 100 runs, the only team with three such sluggers, but the Cubs will still finish in eighth place; and 1972 – Milt Pappas of the Cubs hurls a no-hit game in beating the Padres, 8-0. Pappas has a perfect game until pinch-hitter Larry Stahl walks with two outs in the 9th inning. Pappas and C Randy Hundley both say of the pitches to Stahl, “They were so close I don’t know how Stahl could take them, but they were balls.” Pappas later comments on the plate umpire: “he had a chance to become famous as the umpire in the twelfth perfect game in history, but he blew it.” Pappas retires former Cub Garry Jestadt to finish the game, and other stories as well.

Today in baseball history:

• 1889 – In the afternoon game of a Labor Day doubleheader in Boston, Hardy Richardson hits a leadoff homer and P John Clarkson (36-13) makes it stand up for a 1-0 win.
• 1912 – At Boston, Christy Mathewson wins both games for the Giants in a 5-2 and 6-1 sweep of the Braves. In the opener, Matty relieves Rube Marquard in the ninth with the score at 2-2 and tosses three shutout innings. Larry Doyle ends it with a three-run homer in the 12th. Matty coasts to his 19th win in the nitecap after the Giants chase Ed Doheny with five runs in the third.
• 1932 – The Yankees keep their scoring streak alive by scoring in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Senators, 1 – 0. Lou Gehrig triples off Firpo Marberry to score Babe Ruth.
• 1955 – Whitey Ford throws six innings of no-hit ball against Washington before Carlos Paula spoils it in the seventh with Washington’s only hit. The Yanks win, 4-2, as Mantle hits his 36th home run, a three-run shot. Mantle is ten homers ahead of rivals Al Kaline and Ted Williams. 
• 1958 – At Yankee Stadium, New York snaps a scoreless tie with Boston when Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle crash back-to-back sixth-inning homers off Dave Sisler. New York wins, 6-1. Mantle and Berra will hit back-to-back homers 12 times together, and homer in the same game 50 times before they are through.
• 1962 – Stan Musial‘s 3,516th hit jumps him over Tris Speaker and into second place behind Ty Cobb on the all-time list, but the Mets beat the Cards, 4-3. Although The Man will continue on to 3,630 hits, he cannot overtake Cobb and, in time, Pete Rose and Hank Aaron will surpass him.
• 1966 – Phillies ace Jim Bunning continues his whammy over the Mets by shutting them out, 6-0. It’s Bunning’s eighth complete game in as many starts against them, and his fifth shutout.
• 1966 – The Pirates behind Bob Veale take over first place by topping Fergie Jenkins and the Cubs, 7-5, on Roberto Clemente‘s opposite-field upper deck home run. Besides being his 2,000th career hit, Clemente’s homer is his 23rd this season, tying his career high (he’ll end with 29), and gives him 101 RBI for the year, the first time he’s topped 100.
• 1999 – Setting off a very enthusiastic ovation at Camden Yards, Cal Ripken, Jr. becomes the 29th major leaguer to hit 400 career home runs. 
• 2001 – With two outs and two strikes, Red Sox pinch hitter Carl Everett singles in the bottom of the ninth to break up Mike Mussina‘s bid for a perfect game. The Yankee right-hander beats Boston, 1-0, for his fourth career one-hitter.
• 2011 – The Giants begin a key series with the Diamondbacks with a 6-2 victory. Carlos Beltran goes 4 for 4 with a homer.
• 2020 – The family of Hall of Famer Tom Seaver announces that he has passed away on August 31st at 75, after suffering from Lewy body dementia for some time, a condition aggravated by COVID-19. One of the greatest pitchers of all time, he remains the biggest icon in the history of the New York Mets.

Today in Cubs history:

• 1921 – In Cincinnati, the Cubs’ Grover Alexander outpitches his former teammate Eppa Rixey to win, 7-0. Chicago is mired in seventh place.
• 1926 – In the first game of a twinbill between Chicago and St. Louis, Grover Alexander exacts revenge on the Cubs, whipping them, 2-0. Charlie Root is the loser. The Cards take the nightcap, 9-1.
• 1929 – The Cubs beat the Cards twice, 11-7 and 12-10, before 81,000 fans at Wrigley Field. A crowd of 38,000 sees the morning game and 43,000 watch the afternoon game. Rogers Hornsby has two home runs and Hack Wilson has one.
• 1932 – In St. Louis, the Cubs’ win streak reaches 13 as Kiki Cuyler‘s fifth homer in six games leads the way to an 8 – 5 victory. Mark Koenig adds a round-tripper for Chicago.
• 1935 – With the Cubs splitting two with the seventh-place Reds at Wrigley Field, Chicago is just two and a half games back of the Cards. Chicago wins, 3-1, in the opener as Lon Warneke tops Tony Freitas, then lose, 4 – 2, to Gene Schott. Bill Lee takes the loss.
• 1950 – Phil Cavarretta leads off the ninth with a single, the Cubs’ lone hit against the Reds’ Ewell Blackwell. The Whip strikes out ten in winning, 5-1.
• 1955 – Cubs star Ernie Banks sets the record for home runs hit by a shortstop by hitting his 40th dinger in a 12-2 rout of the Cardinals. ‘Mr. Cub’ will extend the record finishing this season with 44 and will hit 48 in 1958.
• 2002 – The Cubs beat the Brewers, 17-4, to salvage a split in their doubleheader after Milwaukee takes the opener by a score of 4-2 on solo homers by Ron Belliard (2), Eric Young and Jose Hernandez. Glendon Rusch wins his eighth straight over the Cubs. Chicago P Kerry Wood ties a major-league record in the second game by fanning four Brewers in the fourth inning. 

Cubs Birthdays:Christian Bethancourt*, Jason Hammel, Gordon Massa, Len Rice, Al Spalding HOF.

Today in history:

• 44 BC – Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son Caesarion co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesar.
• 31 BC – Battle of Actium: Octavian‘s (later Augustus) naval forces defeat those under Mark Antony and Cleopatra off the western coast of Greece; naval battle leading to the end of the Roman Republic.
• 1642 – English Long Parliament issues Ordinance ordering closure of London theatres including the Globe theatre, once part-owned by William Shakespeare.
• 1666 – Great Fire of London begins at 2am in Pudding Lane, 80% of London is destroyed.
• 1864 – US Civil War: Union General William T. Sherman captures and occupies Atlanta, Georgia, ending the Atlanta Campaign in the US Civil War.
• 1901 – Theodore Roosevelt advises “Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far” in an address to the Minnesota State Fair, entitled “National Duties”.
• 1960 – American sprinter Wilma Rudolph wins the coveted 100m gold medal at the Rome Olympics in 11.0; beats Britain’s Dorothy Hyman by 0.3. It’s the first of three gold medals for Rudolph.
• 1969 – The first automated teller machine in the United States is installed in Rockville Centre, New York.

Today in music history:

• 1972 – Rod Stewart‘s first No. 1 hit single in the UK, “You Wear It Well”.
• 1991 – “Ropin’ the Wind,” the third studio album by Garth Brooks is released (Billboard Album of the Year 1992).
• 2023 – American rock band Aerosmith kicks off “Peace Out: The Farewell Tour” with concert at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

*pictured.

The Detroit Tigers took a spanking at the hands of the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, succumbing to a 10-run rally in the sixth inning en route to a 15-2 defeat. For the second night in a row, the Olde English D was left bruised and battered, having been outscored at Target Field so far, 26-3.

RIP run differential.

Getting the nod for the final game of the series for the Motor City Kitties is right-hander Drew Anderson, who will make his eighth start of the 2026 campaign. The 32-year-old has been perfectly serviceable since returning to the starting role, posting a solid 3.38 ERA but a concerning 5.55 FIP over four games stretching across 18 2/3 innings, allowing 17 hits (four home runs) and 10 walks while striking out 18, taking an L while his team lost three of those four outings.

Anderson has faced Minnesota twice this summer in relief, allowing a run on two hits and three walks while striking out six over 3 2/3 frames of work, picking up a hold in the process.

For the home team, fellow righty Dean Kremer will climb the hill for the American League Central battle. Since being traded to the Twins at the deadline, the 30-year-old has put up a 4.39 ERA and 4.06 FIP — numbers that are much improved over what he did with the Baltimore Orioles (6.50 ERA, 6.22 FIP) earlier this year — allowing 19 hits (three home runs) and 11 walks while striking out 23 and uncorking a wild pitch over his last 26 2/3 innings.

The Tigers absolutely slaughtered Kremer when they saw him with the O’s on July 28 right before the trade, scoring eight runs on eight hits (two home runs) and three walks against four strikeouts over four frames to hand him his fourth loss in a 14-0 blowout.

Take a look below at the matchup between the two hurlers in the series finale on Wednesday night.

Detroit Tigers (63-75) vs. Minnesota Twins (67-72)

Time (ET): 7:40 p.m.
Place: Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota
SB Nation Site:Twinkie Town
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 139: RHP Drew Anderson (4-5, 3.87 ERA) vs. RHP Dean Kremer (2-5, 5.60 ERA)

Player	G	IP	K%	BB%	GB%	FIP	fWAR
Anderson	45	86.0	26.0	9.5	47.6	4.18	0.5
Kremer	12	62.2	23.5	8.5	36.6	5.30	0.0

ANDERSON

KREMER

If the Padres’ former owners are getting what they got and the Angels are being sold for their valuation, what do you think the Phillies would fetch if John Middleton decided to put them up on the market for sale?

$7 billion?

$8 billion?

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• The Phillies had an August to remember. Here are ten statistics that define how that month went for our boys.
• Zack Wheeler using biomechanics to help him figure out what ailed him? What world are we living in ($)?
• Alex McFarlane is a rookie, but of late, he hasn’t really pitched like one. He’s impressing his teammates ($).

MLB news:

• The Padres sold for $3.9 billion. Now, the Angels have one upped them, selling for $4 billion to the Rams owner.
• The Dodgers are bringing in some help for their scuffling offense, activating both Will Smith and Dalton Rushing.
• Prospects are going to be in the news these days as the season winds down, so here is one from each team that you should know about ($).

After hosting the Pirates series at home, the Cardinals could have been a .500 team or even a winning team; however, the Cardinals lost that series and hover a win or two away from the 70 win plateau. Why am I watching that closely? Why, it’s the number of wins Vegas odds predicted the Cardinals would win. If you are a betting Cardinals fan, rejoice! You are sure to be seeing a payout there. I almost made that bet back in April, but alas, I’m not a betting man.

To start out the season, I was writing warped projections articles showing how it wouldn’t be that hard for the Cardinals to get to around .500 or even surpass that mark. Well they certainly have the ability to go over .500, they just can’t stay over by more than 9 games. They also cannot seem to sink too far below the .500 line, but they still have a month to lose. I think they will be fine, -ish. They surely would have, could have, had a stronger finish if stalwart players like Masyn Winn, JJ Wetherholt, Andre Pallante, and the up and coming Hunter Dobbins all could have stayed healthy. But here we are, entering the final month, under .500 and missing key players.

It sure looks like the Cardinals could end up as many as ten or more games below .500, or the team could simply continue to tread water, struggling with .500. Promotions to players like Winquest, Bernal, and Rincon feel more like auditions for next year at this point. So beyond looking forward to seeing how the young players close out the season and set themselves up for 2027, what else is there to do? I don’t know about you, but I feel like reminiscing about what has happened during the first 5 months of the season. Already feeling nostalgic? I guess!

But first, another look at the Rookie of the Year race, which is voted on by a (hopefully) diverse group of assessors that know what they are doing regarding player evaluations…

• Who do you vote for if you like defense? JJ Wetherholt gets rookie of the year here. Unless somehow the other players make up some WAR really quick, the vote probably goes to JJ regarding overall value too, unless you just scoff at and completely write off the WAR stat, which many have (I haven’t).
• Who do you vote for if you mostly like hitting, but want it coupled with good defense? Carson Benge is probably your guy then. He is possibly the most well-rounded player here, given his steadily increasing OPS, his strong throwing arm, and steady defense in right field.
• Who do you vote for if you want them good ol’ counting stats like HR and RBI? Sal Stewart has somehow racked up over 100 RBI already, despite being stuck on one of the worst offenses in baseball. That alone is very impressive, and the fact that he had no problem getting to 30 HR either… some will see this guy as a shoe in. Well I am very impressed, his defense cannot compare with either Benge or Wetherholt, it is the weakness in his game. Benge also is the far superior baserunner and all around baseball playing athlete, as is Wetherholt.
• Who do you vote for if you think a good pitcher should always supplant a good hitter? Nolan McLean would be a perfect option then, with his bright and shiny ERA and his 3+ WAR total, already making him one of the best pitchers in baseball.

I won’t be able to fault you picking any of those 4 guys to win it right now. I of course would just defer to WAR and my own fandom here and vote JJ, but then again, if he misses ample playing time, he may get passed up or tied in WAR if something outlandish happens over the last month.

2026 Cardinals Position Players by WAR

A Grade Cardinals

2B JJ Wetherholt had the right combination of defense and above average hitting this year to amass 4.4 fWAR in 130 games played. He arrived as such a valuable player by playing outlandish defense while sustaining an on-base percentage of .343 at leadoff, while occasionally wearing some pitchers down. He may not have many games left to add to his 17 HR total, but even 17 was more than we had imagined. Wetherholt gets an A for his rookie season, even if it’s already over. If you’re curious, Baseball Reference rates JJ even higher at 4.6 WAR. If JJ were to play a 150 game season, he would have no problem cracking 5 WAR.

Injury update: the earliest JJ can come back is Sept 9, and I think the Cardinals expect him to be back then.

RF Jordan Walker has so far inverted his -1.3 fWAR from last season into a +3.1 fWAR as it stands today. This is still the biggest surprise of the season. While Wetherholt doubled his projections, Walker threw the script on himself out the window. The new Walker has emerged, and this version won the Home Run Derby. He is still a liability in right field, but possesses a cannon for an arm to help offset that a little. When you’re chasing down 30 home runs and hitting better than most of the league, you get an A. When you better yourself by over 4.5 WAR from last year, you might deserve an A+, even. There is still work to be done, however, mostly on defense, but an A is enough. Good work Jordan Walker. Prediction: 3.5 WAR, 30 HR, 100 RBI, 20 SB.

1B Alec Burleson the story of Burly goes back to 2022-2023, where he was a below average hitter working his way up. Since then, Alec Burleson has taken his own form of hitting and made it better each season. He remains hacktastic and a little prone to lefties, but he has worked on his weakness. One of which was on-base percentage. Burly has bettered himself by upping his OBP every season. While his batting average seems to have maxed out, Burleson has raised his OBP markedly each season:

• 2022 .264 OBP
• 2023 .300 OBP
• 2024 .314 OBP
• 2025 .343 OBP
• 2026 .353 OBP

Walks may be boring, but they open the doors to more runs and even more power. Burleson has already tied his career-high HR total of 21 (2024) while walking a lot more often than that year. Going to have to give out another A. Burly now has 100 RBI, which is easily his career high. What can Burly do to continue his constant improvements? He can lower his strikeouts and keep improving vs left-handed pitching. Of course, if he can play defense even better next year which I believe he will, that’s just another way he can continue to become even more valuable.

B–

SS Masyn Winn daredevil shortstop with the difference maker arm, eliminating baserunners gets a B. The hitting is below average, but enough for a plus defender that is difficult to pin down, value-wise. Wetherholt and Winn turned so many double plays it made my head spin. Winn altered his batting style this year, upping his on base percentage but seeing everything else falter on offense. Prorated to 150 games, Winn is still a 3+ WAR player and a key part of the defense.

Update: Winn could return sooner than later

LF Joshua Baez I would give Baez a B but his wRC+ is still around Masyn Winn territory. He gets the B- for hitting home runs at a pace of about a home run per series, but mostly because he’s only played in 16 games and I don’t really know what to say about him just yet. The power has been enormous so far: .315 ISO! Far too early, but it’s been a fun debut for the youngster. The statcast numbers aren’t really out yet except for his sprint speed, which is 89th percentile, and his average exit velocity is among the best at 93.4!

Update: Baez now has 6 HR! and is above 100 wRC+.

C+

C/DH Ivan Herrera’s season has come down to him breaking a record by getting hit by pitches (not on purpose!) and well, should he even be a catcher. While he might be the team’s best blocker, he isn’t very good at catching overall. On a team crowded with catchers, it begs the question, should a guy who can’t throw runners out even bother catching? The complicating factor, other than Ivan may not be suited to playing any other position: he doesn’t hit well when he is the designated hitter. He turns into a pumpkin. Do you continue to let him catch, or try to trade him in the offseason? That’s the choice, in my opinion.

How do we grade Herrera against his past self? His power numbers are down but his on-base percentage is up. He takes more walks but isn’t striking out more. I think ultimately he is having a weird off year because of all the hit by pitches and never quite finding his rhythm. As a big Herrera fan, I wanted to give him a better grade, but he has just been an above average hitter that sets the tone at the top of the lineup, very similar to JJ at leadoff. The defensive metric numbers are very similar to Jordan Walker’s, so he will probably be dragged down in value by his defense going forward each year. Here’s hoping he can figure out to hit more as a DH or moving to another position that he is better at. He is fine as a backup catcher, but you want to get the bat into the lineup more often.

C

OF Bryan Torres looks to be a good bench player depth piece! If you started his .6 WAR 150 games, he would be about a 1.65 WAR guy. So I don’t see him stealing a starting spot. But I am definitely not disappointed with Torres. Batting league average with a few home runs while playing decent defense. That works.

C Pedro Pages I give Pedro a lot of crap off and on throughout the season, but ultimately in a way he is like the “lite” version of Masyn Winn. Good defense, bad offense. Pedro should hit better next year, but you cannot expect more than an 80 wRC+ from this guy. I like the plus defense. But the hitting can be bad, using this season as an example: 59 wRC+ is Victor Scott II territory. Unfortunately, Pedro cannot match that kind of elite defense. That said, Pages is perfectly fine as a backup catcher.

CF Everson Pereira’ his 109 wRC+, ISO north of .200, and pretty decent defense make me want to think of him as something more, but he just hasn’t played for the Cardinals enough to assign more than the default C grade, especially if he will be more of a bench guy. That said, I really like this random acquisition, and he’s been fun to watch (except when seeing his hand get smashed by a pitch!). Prorate his .5 fWAR to 2+ WAR. Maybe that’s our center fielder next year, or at least half the platoon! Perhaps a C+ is in order.

Update: now that Victor Scott II has been recalled, I would bet the Cardinals let Pereira heal up for a while.

CF Nathan Church has held his own despite a BABIP of .266. His 10 HR total has been nice. But! his .2 fWAR over 118 games is less than encouraging. Maybe a C-? He needs to improve on that defense (as does Pereira to some extent). Perhaps my biggest concern with Church is the batting average and especially the on-base percentage, but maybe next year will be better for the left-handed hitter.

3B Blaze Jordan while there have been some flashes of brilliance so far, the fact that his season has been tragically shortened by injury will force us to wait and see. The resulting left ankle sprain will have him missing several weeks of play. Blaze did not show a ton of power or on-base ability, but his defense was solid at the hot corner. Not a total disappointment, but definitely not much of a reinforcement either. Gorman was just that bad.

D

C Jimmy Crooks was a replacement level catcher with decent defensive abilities in 52 games played. You might be surprised he hit 5 home runs over that span of time, because his .179 BA due to a .232 BABIP and well, just not connecting with the ball most of the time made every plate appearance a difficult watch. 32.2% K rate.

F

Nelson Velazquez, Victor Scott II, Thomas Saggese, and Yohel Pozo did not make the cut, all had negative WAR, and ties were severed quickly. And yet, the worst negative fWAR “offenders” Nolan Gorman, Ramon Urias, and Cesar Prieto remain on the team. Granted, Saggese and Scott could theoretically be promoted, I just don’t see it happening. Nolan Gorman is still striking out over 32% of the time on the season. So, prorating his season out, Gorman would be one of the most painful ways to get 20 HR while playing mediocre defense at third base. That is not actually a good player when you aren’t doing much else but hitting home runs at a boring clip. While I don’t think Urias is as bad as his statline, he certainly has not been an asset. Many fans are wondering what the point of him being on the team is, other than being the veteran present. Prieto has been nearly legendarily bad in little playing time.

Some things about this season just do not compute, it’s been a weird year. It’s been fun, but the offense and bullpen are too inconsistent. There are about 3 players that are very good MLB producers, but two of them rely a lot on pulling off amazing defensive plays, with the other one being a first baseman.

What is the main flaw of the offense? They don’t strike out much, but they don’t like taking walks. I’m not sure how much this matters because of what the Brewers are doing, but they’re in the bottom 10 teams in HR total as an offense. With a .281 BABIP as an offense, I can tell you there is a pattern with certain players just not having a good BABIP, appearing unlucky at least to some extent. Wetherholt, Winn, etc.

Ok, so, I was wrong about Victor Scott II on Monday night! He’s back now! Guess that’s the main update for one day of a news gap. I think he will make the pitching staff a little more confident. The hitting can’t be much worse than a Church 80-ish wRC+. The catches will look easier out there... or Scott will be a good late-inning defensive replacement.

1996: The Year In Music

I am back to provide you with not the most popular opinions on music, but also, not the most obscure. Join me as I walk a line between total hipster underground albums you’ll never ever hear, and some albums that you are probably all too aware of! And everything in between, hopefully.

• Meat Beat Manifesto – ‘Subliminal Sandwich’ industrial dub techno psychedelic multi-genre masterpiece, I can never get enough of this 160 minute masterpiece. I could write many words trying to get you to hear this, but I’ll just put it at the top of the list instead. Perfect double album. Or is that quadruple album? It was two 80 minute CDs… sometimes more is better.
• Swirlies – ‘They Spent Their Wild Youthful Days In The Glittering World Of The Salons’ well, I have to admit, I like this album just as much as my #1 there. But, it’s a much different sound, more like shoegaze style. Alt rock, noise pop, psychedelic smart kid music, I don’t know what to call it. Indie rock. It’s one of the best most thrilling listens out there. That’s what I’ll say about it. It’s really fucking good.
• Aphex Twin – ‘Richard D James Album’ the album title is the name of the mastermind behind Aphex Twin, and this was his original breakthrough album, although maybe he became even more well known for his subsequent EPs ‘Come To Daddy’ and ‘Windowlicker’. Nonetheless, as a fan you must always come back to this album, as it distills his future styles with his multi-layered past into a perfect capture of the multi-layered and tiered mid-90s burgeoning electronic music movement. Many didn’t even hear it until a year or two, few after its release… but once you hear it, it’s unforgettable.
• Ministry – ‘Filthpig’ if those two albums are my favorites, then Filthpig deserves a double dipped silver medal since it’s my favorite Ministry album and they’re one of my favorite bands. I am more on the metal/noise rock end of the spectrum of Ministry fans, I suppose. This is an absolutely incredible production. I put it in my album hall of fame, as I did the first two albums from this year. 1996 was a helluva year for music in my book.
• Unwound – ‘Repetition’ post-punk ingenuity meets noise rock together forming a force that blows the roof off the joint. This one’s got the juice. Peak years for the northwest’s Unwound. Cannot recommend enough. Check it out to hear Sarah Lund’s unique drumming, if for no other reason.
• Squarepusher – ‘Feed Me Weird Things’ an amazingly funky futuristic sounding album, especially for 1996, which appears to have been a good year to release breakthrough sounds. This one has grown on me over the years, and I love it more with each listen. Tom Jenkins used to share an old bank building with Aphex Twin. Anyway, Feed Me Weird Things is just an amazing collection of experimental funky jazz fusion drum and bass meets IDM, resulting in new musical forms.
• Dr Octagon – ‘Dr Octagonecologyst’ an incredible listening experience produced by dj Dan The Automator and narrated by bizarre genius Kool Keith.
  

Dr. Octagon, paramedic fetus of the East
With priests, I’m from the Church of the Operating Room
With the strikes of force, scalpels since the Holocaust
I do indeed in greed, explore meet the patients
Back to brooms with the nurse with the voodoo curse
Holding up office lights, standing at huge heights
Back and forth, left wing swing to North
East and South with blood pouring down your mouth
I come prepared with the white suit and stethoscope
Listen to your heartbeat—delete, beep, beep, beep!
Your insurance is high, but my price is cheap
Look at the lamp (Let me show you showmthin’)

And with that, I’m going to leave with my 7 favorite albums of 1996. I will have more ‘96 next week, all my honorable mentions and heavy metal and whatnot. But these are my 7 can’t miss 1996 listening experiences.

It’s another late one in LA tonight, adn the night after. Then the quest continues to Denver and the Rockies later this week. Stay tuned!

The Yankees are gearing up to welcome Aaron Judge back into the fold sometime soon, perhaps as soon as this current road trip is over. When he returns to the lineup, the team will at last have their Opening Day outfield of Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Trent Grisham all healthy again. However, while the team hasn’t had nearly as much of Judge as they’d like and Bellinger has also missed a decent chunk of time, they’ve gotten a good look at Grisham in 2026 and unfortunately the results haven’t been good.

Grisham’s offense has taken a significant hit compared to his breakout 2025, posting a 97 wRC+ that’s a full 30 points lower than last year’s mark while playing increasingly worse defense out in center field. His luck at the plate was rather unfortunate for the first month before a strong May and June brought him back in line, but after looking nonexistent in July it’s become more and more apparent that the decline he’s faced is closer to reality than the Yankees would like. The team didn’t have much choice but to continue running him out there as the outfield depth has been tested throughout the year, but now that they’re at full strength there’s one option they can make. The team can continue to run Grisham out there to close out the year, or they could lean on the power of one of their top prospects in Spencer Jones as he starts to figure things out at the major league level.

Jones’ first couple cups of coffee as a Yankee didn’t do much to inspire confidence that his swing could play in the majors yet, showcasing the massive holes that had been apparent down in the minors. He ran a strikeout rate north of 40 percent through June, but a major turnaround began when he was called back up at the end of July. He’s managed to pull back that strikeout rate a touch, still running a high 32 percent in August, and he’s provided a power boost to the lineup in the process. His defense is still awkward at best, but considering how Grisham looks covering balls out there nowadays I’d have a hard time saying Jones is worse.

It’s a tough choice for the Yankees to make, but their best lineup might just be with Jones penciled in rather than Grisham. There’s little else they can do to optimize their chances to win at this point — the infield has been brought up a level with George Lombard Jr. manning shortstop and Luis García Jr. at first base, Cody Bellinger has been one of the best left fielders in baseball and shouldn’t be messed with shifting him around, and Judge will play right field out of necessity but can’t give 100 percent on defense with his rib injury. They have the month of September to figure out which of the two outfielders can ride a hot streak into October, but the odds might favor Jones as he’s adapted his swing since his initial callup. Which one would you trust to start the lion’s share of games going forward? Let us know down below in the comments.

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We’ve got a busy day ahead of us while we wait for the late night rubber match out on the West Coast. Peter gives a trio of Yankees the spotlight in his At-Bat of the Week, Andrew has the Rivalry Roundup featuring Freddy Peralta exacting some revenge on the Mets after a terrible first half with them, and Nick gives Monte Pearson his flowers on his birthday. Then in the afternoon we’ve got some division check-ins, with Sam, Jeremy, and John covering the NL East, Central, and West respectively.

Today’s Matchup:

New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Angels

Time: 9:38 p.m. EST

TV: YES Network, ABTV

Venue: Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA

Gavin Williams absolutely dominated the Blue Jays last night.

Guardians hitters hit 3 home runs, all with a man on base.

Stephen Vogt pushed all the right buttons.

It was exactly what this team needed to stay ahead in the WC race, and also what they will need if they make it to the postseason. Also the Orioles lost. So CLE has a 1.5 game cushion over them and the Rangers, with the Jays 2.5 back.

Around baseball

• The Angels were sold. To the guy who did this. But because he also did these things, he will be a massive upgrade over Arte Moreno.

• Parker Messick and Chase DeLauter are wildly overperforming their preseason ZIPS, but not by as much as PCA.

The Athletic | Chris Kirschner (unlocked): The Yankees took a calculated risk in offering Trent Grisham the $22 million qualifying offer last winter, and you could make a fair argument the gamble hasn’t paid off. Grish has been the worst center fielder in baseball by OAA and the slowest at the position as well. He’s looked considerably more vulnerable at the position in the past couple of months, and unlike last year when he was also not great defensively, his 128 wRC+ bat has dropped a full 30 points, making him a below-average hitter. With every run — scored or allowed — meaning something for the Yankees right now, it’s time to wonder if he’s the right player for the September stretch run.

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: Speaking of outfielders, Spencer Jones. The Yankee rookie is starting to get his feet under him in the majors, with a 105 wRC+ on the season and some flashes of being an above-average player. This week’s series in Anaheim is something of a special moment for Jones, who was originally drafted by the Angels out of high school before going on to play college ball at Vanderbilt. Drafted in the 31st round in 2019, Jones was considered by the Angels org to have some two-way potential, but Vandy solidified the power profile into the player we know today.

New York Post | Greg Joyce: Speaking of outfielders, Aaron Judge! The Yankee captain seems as though he will skip a rehab assignment and could be ready to return to the lineup next week in the Bronx. What I said above about every run being meaningful goes double for the three-time MVP, as 75-80 percent of Judge is still better than most of the players you could possibly run out on a field…including arguably the team’s starting center fielder.

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Combining the need to save some bullpen arms, keep Max Fried on a calculated return from injury, and the fact he and Will Warren were lined up to pitch in the same game, Warren will likely act as a piggyback for the Yankee lefty Friday in San Diego. Piggybacking has long been rumored as the next stage of pitching strategy, and after Warren’s excellent start Sunday against the Red Sox, you have to be interested to see how it’ll turn out.

Lastly, we get an update on some bullpen depth decisions. Squeezed out of the active roster mix by the Yankees’ activation of Max Fried, recent Yankee relief addition Justin Topa will remain with the organization. He’s not one of the September “call-ups” — that would be erstwhile Royals reliever John Schreiber and the previously injured Ryan McMahon — but Topa is sticking around at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Justin Topa is staying with the #Yankees org on another minor league deal.

— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) September 1, 2026

One thing about aces is that while they’re usually the best card, in some rare games, they’re the lowest. That’s what happened Tuesday in Pittsburgh, when reigning Cy Young winner Paul Skenes faced off against three-time All-Star and one-time pitching WAR second-place finisher Logan Webb.

By the bottom of the third inning, Skenes had given up five runs and Webb was out of the game after giving up nine runs and failing to record an out. The result was a pitching-light game where the Giants produced two separate five-run innings and still lost, 13-12, on a walk-off error from Osleivis Basabe, on a play that started with a pretty nice stop from the out-of-position infielder. Like the final play itself, was some of the best and worst baseball you’ll ever see from both teams and the rare game that leaves both fanbases scarred and upset.

That's the ballgame‼️ pic.twitter.com/h2EpGPLxJD

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 2, 2026

Should a baseball team have to walk it off in a game where they were up five runs in the 8th inning? Probably not, but that’s what happens when, on the second night in a row, a team failed to respect the bats of Turner Hill and Nate Furman. Hill went 4-for-5 with two runs scored and Furman delivered a game-tying two-run single in the 8th. Furman’s probably already worth what he cost in trade: The last 22 innings of Alex Cobb’s career.

WE HAVE A TIE BALLGAME ‼️ pic.twitter.com/hKbxDc7Y9l

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) September 2, 2026

It looked so promising early against Skenes, who has taken a step back in his third season but remains the Pirates’ ace. Osleivis Basabe battled through eight pitches to draw just his third walk of the season, equaling his total of hit-by-pitches. Drew Cavanaugh legged out an infield hit before Tony Vitello decided to get conservative for the apparent pitchers duel by bunting the runners to second and third.

It paid off when Christian Koss hit an RBI single, though Cavanaugh couldn’t repeat his speed demon effort to score from second. Clutch king Turner Hill knocked in Cavanugh with a single and Rafael Devers cleared the bases with his 31st home run of the season.

Rafi takes Paul Skenes DEEP for the lead 💪 pic.twitter.com/TFYEIk3nrz

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) September 1, 2026

A 5-2 lead with Webb on the mound? The Giants were in business! Only Webb simply didn’t have his command, evidenced by drilling two hitters in a two-run 1st inning. The Giants got him out of the second inning with an impressive double play, but the 3rd inning was big trouble.

The Pirates hitters were scattering singles like an appreciative lunch buffet audience at the Gold Club. Webb gave up four straight hits, then issued two bases-loaded walks, which is really frowned upon. His night ended after perpetually-struggling former No. 1 pick Henry Davis hit Webb’s 33rd pitch — a 92 MPH fastball down the absolute middle of the plate — for a two-run single.

Putting up a 5⃣-spot and still no outs.
We love to see it! 🫶 pic.twitter.com/m0WFxGW8hN

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 1, 2026

The improbably-named Braxton Roxby relieved Webb and immediately let Davis, who is no Drew Cavanaugh, steal second base easily. That meant Davis scored on Spencer Horowitz’s single. That was followed by a single from Brandon Lowe (4-for-6, three runs), the 9th straight Pirates hitter to reach base. Usually “batting around” doesn’t mean nine batters and zero outs but the 2026 Giants are a special team.

Roxby finally got an out on a fielder’s choice, then followed it up with a hit batsman and a two-run single from O’Neil Cruz (4-for-6, 4 RBI), who had two separate RBI singles in the 3rd. Final damage? 17 batters, nine hits, two walks, a HBP, a stolen base, and nine runs. It could have been worse, since the Pirates had the bases loaded when the inning finally ended.

But to their credit, the Giants did not cave. Cesar Perdomo, making his major-league debut, struck out four in four innings of relief and yielded only one run, on a Lowe home run.

A Lowe-d crack of the bat! 💥 pic.twitter.com/Tr218NjN3M

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 2, 2026

Perdomo hadn’t pitched above A-ball this season, so this was a very impressive effort for the 24-year-old Venezuelan, who was promoted to the roster just hours before the game. He almost certainly didn’t think he’d be called upon in a Webb start, but he pitched admirably — there’s no shame in letting Lowe go deep for the 29th time this season.

The rookies came through once again. Jonah Cox, who also hadn’t played above A-ball before this season, went 2-for-5 with a walk and legged out an infield hit to get the Giants to 11-6 in the 6th. Cavanaugh, who had less than 200 plate appearances in AAA, went 3-for-5 with a two-run double. We think he’ll get a lower number than #61 next season.

Drew Cavanaugh gets the Giants back in it 👏 pic.twitter.com/QBdcLFk1SV

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) September 2, 2026

Bryce Eldridge went 1-for-4, but walked twice to give him 49 BBs for the season, which is very encouraging for a 21-year-old. Furman has three hits in his last four at-bats and should get a chance at third base if his tiny body is able to make the long throw, or let Basabe (exceeded rookie limits in 2023) take the hot corner (apologies to all three Shay Whitcomb fans out there). And Braxton Roxby continues to break record for pitching statistics by a man named Roxby, though he has a ways to go to climb the ranks of Braxtons (there’s two other pitchers).

The Giants got to see their old friend Camilo Doval, who worked a scoreless 7th inning with two strikeouts. Thankfully, the Giants still have Parks Harber in the minors from that trade, restocking their reserves of players with extremely silly names.

In the climactic 9th inning, the Pirates were able to convert where the Giants simply couldn’t. Mason Montgomery hit a batter and gave up two hits, including a double from Cox, but got an early double play and induced Jung Hoo Lee (0-for-5 with a walk) to ground out to end the threat. Meanwhile, Carson Seymour gave up two hits, but got unlucky when Basabe couldn’t get Lowe on his final goundout.

It’s certainly better than losing in a blowout, and there were a lot of positives! Still, it was a game where even when the Giants roared back to tie, and Vitello pushed the right buttons, it still felt like they’d blow it. And they did, losing in a brand-new way than their previous 81 defeats.

The 2026 Giants may be bad, really bad. But they’ve still retained the ability to surprise their fans, even when it’s ultimately gut-wrenching. And that’s something.

The Dodgers’ August woes followed them into the first day of September.

Roster expansion, returning three players from the injured list, the mental relief of turning the calendar page — none of that gave the Dodgers the boost they needed against the Cardinals on Tuesday.

Instead, the Dodgers lost 13-8 to a team that entered the day 4 ½ games out of the last National League wild-card spot.

“I just think tonight we just got behind the eight ball,” manager Dave Roberts said.

During the Dodgers’ past seven series (following a high-scoring trip to Chicago), their rotation has recorded a top-five ERA (2.97) in the majors. But on Tuesday, left-hander Eric Lauer coughed up seven runs in three innings.

It was a personal outlier as well in Lauer’s time with the Dodgers. Lauer had given up more than three runs in just two other outings since the Dodgers acquired him from the Blue Jays in mid-May, and Tuesday marked his shortest start.

“I felt good warming up, felt good in the bullpen, then got out there and kind of just lost it,” Lauer said. “And you know it’s one of those things where you try to make adjustments and you try to work on things between, and I think I might have been just tinkering a little too much in between and getting outside of myself. So I think really just focusing on what I do well and repeating that and not trying to get too fancy and getting back to the basics is really all I can do.”

The Dodgers had briefly moved Lauer from the rotation into the bullpen, but he reclaimed his starting role when right-hander Roki Sasaki landed on the IL last week with a blister on his right middle finger.

Lauer’s start Tuesday began to go downhill in the second inning when he gave up back-to-back solo homers to Ramón Urias and Thomas Saggese with two outs.

Those two runs could have been quickly forgotten if Lauer had gotten back on track. The next inning, however, he surrendered five runs as the Cardinals kept chipping away with five singles, a hit batter, a walk and a sacrifice fly.

The Dodgers struck back in the bottom half of the inning — but not exactly with authority.

Read more:Will Smith and Dalton Rushing among Dodgers activated as rosters expand for September

Mookie Betts’ bases-clearing double was assisted by a Cardinals defensive miscue. Right fielder Jordan Walker and second baseman José Fermín both raced after Betts’ shallow fly. As Fermín dashed back, Walker slid to attempt the catch — and took out Fermín’s feet from under him.

The ball fell to the ground. With two outs, Dodgers baserunners were going on contact and all three crossed the plate before Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson could retrieve the ball and throw it.

Betts’ bat stayed hot. And he contributed another RBI double in the fifth — this one smoked up the left-field line to drive in one run. But it didn’t do much to put a dent in the Cardinals’ lead.

The Cardinals continued to tack on against the Dodgers’ bullpen, powered by three more home runs, off right-hander Seth Halvorsen, lefty Alex Vesia and lefty Justin Wrobleski, fresh off the injured list.

Catcher Will Smith, who the Dodgers also activated from the IL Tuesday, put the ball in the air in his first four at-bats and was finally rewarded in the seventh inning with an RBI double. He drove in another run in the ninth, grounding into a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded, as part of a three-run last-ditch rally.

“I think that there were some positives with the at-bats,” Roberts said. “I liked some of the swings. I like taking walks when given to us. I like being able to push and runs across.”

All four players who the Dodgers activated on Tuesday appeared in the game. In addition to Smith and Wrobleski, second baseman Alex Freeland (recalled from triple A) started the game, and Dalton Rushing (reinstated from the IL) struck out in his lone pinch-hit at-bat. Rushing will provide a left-handed bat off the bench until he’s graduated from his throwing program and built up on the defensive side.

The score was so lopsided by the ninth inning that utility player Kiké Hernández took the mound to finish the game — but without his signature pitching helmet.

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The White Sox (73-65) rebounded from Monday’s rough loss to the Astros (70-69), defeating Houston behind South Side ace Sean Burke. The righthander earned his eighth win of the season.

Despite getting off to a rocky start in the bottom of the first, Burke battled through his 5 2/3 innings, allowing just one hit while walking three and striking out six. The righty started the game with back-to-back walks. To his credit, Burke battled back from 3-0 to fill the count against Yordan Alvarez, but ultimately walked him to put two runners on with no outs. To be fair, a walk beats Yordan blasting a home run over the right-field wall, so all things considered, I’ll take it. Burke was able to lock in and induce three consecutive fly outs to get out of the jam. There was one final scare when José Altuve drove a ball to the wall in left, but Sam Antonacci had just enough room to make the catch.

Once Burke put the first inning behind him, he recovered beautifully and did not surrender a hit until the fifth. It would be the first and only hit he allowed. Burke labored early, running the count full five times and needing 49 pitches to complete the first two frames. He did, however, limit the damage and kept the Astros off the scoreboard.

The righty settled in during the third, needing only nine pitches to retire Houston in order. He also froze Alvarez with a 95-mph fastball for his second strikeout of the night. Burke rang up two more in the fourth, preserving the no-hitter a little longer. With one out in the fifth, Taylor Trammell poked a double down the right-field line to finally put Houston in the hit column, but Burke moved right along and recorded the final two outs without incident.

On the other side of the ball, the White Sox scattered a few hits through the first four frames but remained relatively quiet until the fifth. Their recent lack of situational hitting carried into the beginning of this one, and the South Siders made Ronel Blanco look much better than his ERA suggested. Blanco entered with an ERA above 7.00 but stranded five runners and kept the White Sox off the scoreboard. He struck out only three over four innings, while three walks helped drive up his pitch count. Still, he worked through the lineup well enough to keep Houston in the game.

It seemed like the Good Guys might have had something going in the second after Tristan Peters walked and Chase Meidroth ripped a base hit to right, but Peters got a bit too aggressive rounding second and was thrown out at third. The play was close, and although Chicago challenged the call, there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn it.

Colson Montgomery has looked a lot better lately, slashing .280/.400/.600 with two home runs, seven RBIs, five walks and 11 strikeouts over his last seven games (25 at-bats). That improvement carried over into tonight’s game. Although Colson struck out in the first, he smoked a single in the fourth for his first of two hits on the night. Unfortunately, the Sox couldn’t capitalize, as Randal Grichuk sent one deep to right — just not deep enough.

Houston went to the bullpen for the fifth, and with Kai-Wei Teng on the mound, the White Sox bats finally started to wake up. Antonacci must have some sort of magnetic force pulling the ball toward his body because he was hit by a pitch for the 25th time this season. His foot took one for the team, igniting a three-run rally that put the Good Guys on the board. Miguel Vargas walked to reach base for the second time, and once again, Andrew Benintendi came through in the clutch, lining a single down the right-field line to drive in the first run of the game. In the next at-bat, Colson followed Benny’s lead by mashing a double into the right-field corner. The ball stayed just fair, bringing home two more and extending Chicago’s lead to 3-0.

The Good Guys took a scoring break in the sixth, but not for lack of trying. With one out, Chase Meidroth put himself in scoring position with a generously scored double, only to get caught in a rundown on Drew Romo’s ground ball. The good news is that the Sox added two insurance runs in the seventh. Tatsuya Imai issued walks to Munetaka Murakami and Colson, and Grichuk brought both of them home with a double to extend the lead to 5-0.

In addition to Burke’s solid performance, the bullpen was on point. Even with a bit of stress from Jordan Hicks in the eighth, the relievers limited the damage and preserved the lead. Lefthander Bryan Hudson relieved Burke and needed just one pitch to end the sixth, thanks to Antonacci’s diving catch for the final out. Hudson returned for the seventh and worked around a single by Trammell, striking out two in a scoreless frame.

With two outs in the eighth, it looked like Hicks was cruising through his appearance. He struck out Alvarez for the second out, but Isaac Paredes added a bit of chaos by smashing a solo shot over the tall left-field wall, cutting the Sox lead to 5-1. Because Houston has half of a Mickey Mouse ballpark, the home run carried just a .050 xBA and would have left only Daikin Park and — you probably guessed it! — Fenway Park. Hicks walked the next two batters to make things a bit dicey, but he struck out Christian Walker to end the threat. Thankfully, the run proved inconsequential.

Vargas led off the ninth with a single up the middle, reaching base for the third time on the night, but three consecutive Ks shut down the White Sox in their final trip to the plate. Vargas’ on-base streak now stands at 18 games, the second-longest active streak in baseball behind Bryce Harper.

The Ump Show briefly took center stage during Colson’s plate appearance. With a full count, he was called out on a pitch-clock violation despite already being in the batter’s box. The umpire ruled that Colson wasn’t engaged with the pitcher. It didn’t matter much with a four-run lead in the ninth, but that made two questionable calls by a home plate umpire in as many days. Lest we forget Monday’s foul-ball-that-wasn’t involving Anthony Kay.

The lack of additional offense was no problem for Grant Taylor, who needed 14 pitches to navigate a 1-2-3 ninth. He struck out two before ending the game with a ground out, securing Burke’s eighth win of the season.

Although they were better with runners in scoring position Tuesday, the South Siders went just 3-for-10 and stranded 10 runners, leaving at least one aboard in all but two innings. On the bright side, Vargas and even Benintendi continue to produce consistently. Colson also appears to be turning a corner, telling CHSN’s Brooke Fletcher during the postgame show that he is feeling much more confident at the plate and trying to build on that momentum.

Sadly, the Cleveland Guardians defeated the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-1, so tonight’s win was much needed to maintain the White Sox’s three-game lead in the AL Central. Our old South Side pal Dylan Cease is scheduled to start for Toronto on Wednesday, and hopefully the Cy Young Award candidate can shut down the Guardians.

The White Sox still trail the Astros, 3-2, in the season series, meaning the South Siders must win the final two games in Houston to secure the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Davis Martin will start for the Good Guys on Wednesday, making his first major league appearance since Aug. 13. The righthander landed on the injured list the following day with a blister on his right middle finger, and the Sox could certainly use a healthy, well-rested Martin for the final month of the season.

MVP
Sean Burke: 5 2/3 IP, H, 0 R, 4 BB, 6 K, WIN (8-6)

Runners-Up
Colson Montgomery: 2-for-4, R, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K, 2B
Miguel Vargas: 2-for-4, R, BB
Randal Grichuk: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, K, 2B
Andrew Benintendi: 1-for-5, R, RBI, K
Bryan Hudson: 1 1/3 IP, H, 0 R, 2 K, Hold
Grant Taylor: 1 IP, 0 H, 2 K

Cold Cat
Jordan Hicks: 1 IP, H, R, 2 BB, 2 K, HR

Runners-Up
Munetaka Murakami: 0-for-4, R, BB, 3 K
Tristan Peters: 0-for-3, BB, thrown out at third

Outhomering the Dodgers five to zip, the Cardinals had no trouble controlling this game right from the jump in a 13-8 blowout win. For the first time since joining the Dodgers, Eric Lauer delivered a bad enough start at home that helps illustrate why he was available in the first place, ready to be scooped up by one of baseball’s strongest teams. Lauer ran into all kinds of issues, first crushed by the long ball and then dealing with a massive rally courtesy of nothing but singles, walks, and an HBP.

The bottom of the Cardinals’ order first gave Lauer problems, with Ramón Urías and Thomas Saggese demolishing fastballs in the middle to upper part of the zone to leave the yard in back-to-back at-bats in the second. Saggese, in particular, was on an inspired night, later also crushing his second homer in the game to triple his total (1) before the start of play. Equally not known for his pop, Urías hit what was only his fourth long ball this season.

Still, both of those were solo shots, and only trailing 2-0, Lauer had a path to find himself once again, but in the third inning, it all quickly unraveled for the veteran southpaw. Six of the inning’s first seven hitters reached safely; a little later, Nathan Church drove in the Cards’ seventh run on an infield single—the runner from first was thrown out trying to go to third on the play, ending the inning with the score 7-0.

A seven-run deficit is a daunting challenge to overcome, but with six innings still to go, the Dodgers had nothing but time, and for a brief moment it looked like they’d get back into it. Back-to-back walks by Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman loaded the bases with two outs in front of Mookie Betts. And probably with more luck than skill, Betts cleared the bags on a fly ball to right that likely should’ve been caught but was aberrantly misplayed by the Cardinals’ defense. The scoring in that inning stopped there, and as much as the end product was promising, you couldn’t help but feel a bit frustrated at the lack of thump—by the end of three frames, the Dodgers had three runs and just two hits.

Understanding full well who they were going up against, the Cardinals made it so that the Dodgers weren’t able to gain much momentum by scoring two of their own in the following frame to make it 10-3. Looking to get in on the fun alongside the bottom of the order, Jordan Walker took Alex Vesia deep in the fourth for a two-run shot, as Lauer got the hook after three dreadful innings of work.

Individually, Betts was the only Dodger who had a big game, showing up again in the fifth with a proper two-out RBI double. However, Max Muncy was retired right after him, stranding a pair and keeping the home side at arm’s length. Undoubtedly, though, the most frustrating inning for the Dodgers came in the sixth. Teoscar Hernández and Alex Freeland came up to hit with runners at the corners, and both were robbed of extra-base hits on fine defensive plays from the Cards’ third baseman and center fielder, respectively.

Fishing for positives in this game, Will Smith looked good in most of his swings, even managing an RBI double in the seventh and adding one more on a bases-loaded groundout in the ninth. That final Smith at-bat represented a recurring theme for the Dodgers in the late innings, often setting up opportunities to make things closer only to not fully capitalize on them. By the time they scored three in the ninth to make it 13-8, there were already two outs, and the Cardinals’ lead didn’t feel threatened.

Game particulars

• Home runs— 2 Thomas Saggese (3), Ramón Urías (4), Jordan Walker (28), Joshua Baez (6)
• WP—Michael McGreevy (6-9): 5 IP, 5 hits, 4 runs, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts
• LP—Eric Lauer (8-7): 3 IP, 8 hits, 7 runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts

Up next

One day you’re facing Chris Sale at the height of his powers, and the next you’re at home trying to outpitch an opposition that will roll with a bullpen game. That’s the scenario in front of Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the second game of this series against the St. Louis Cardinals, starting at 7:10 p.m. (PT).

The St. Louis Cardinals did not forget to ship their bats to Dodger Stadium as they began their west coast trip Tuesday night. I know this because the sound of Cardinals bats hitting balls was everywhere in Los Angeles as they hammered the Dodgers mercilessly, but LA didn’t roll over and just let the Cardinals walk off with the game either.

The Cardinals offense announced its presence in the top of the 2nd inning when Ramón Urías and Thomas Saggese hit back-to-back homers to give St. Louis an early 2-0 lead.

The top of the 3rd inning was even more fun for the Cardinals. José Fermín led off with a single to left and then stole second base. He scored the Cardinals third run when Ivan Herrera singled to center making it 3-0 St. Louis. Jordan Walker then singled giving the Cardinals runners at first and second with nobody out. After Alec Burleson flied out to left, Joshua Baez was barely grazed on his elbow guard by a pitch which loaded the bases for Leo Bernal making his Major League debut Tuesday night. He showed everyone why he’s now in the big league lineup as he lined a solid two-run RBI single to left-center scoring both Walker and Herrera and giving the Cardinals an impressive 5-0 lead.

Thomas Saggese followed that with a sacrifice fly to left scoring Baez making it 6-0 Cardinals and they weren’t done yet. When Nathan Church reached on an infield single, a hustling Bernal scored before Urias was tagged out at third which gave St. Louis a commanding 7-0 lead.

The Dodgers reminded the Cardinals their work wasn’t done in the bottom of the 3rd inning when they scored 3 runs on a play that St. Louis blundered. With the bases loaded, Mookie Betts lifted what looked like an inning-ending pop-out to right, but Jose Fermin and Jordan Walker nearly collided trying to catch it as the ball bounced away from them scoring all runners cutting into the Cardinals lead at 7-3 after 3 innings.

Fortunately, the St. Louis Cardinals answered back quickly as Ivan Herrera drew a walk in the top of the 4th inning. He was able to walk home when Jordan Walker launched a 97 mph fastball that sounded like a cannon coming off of his bat traveling 409 feet into the centerfield seats for a 2-run blast upping the Cardinals lead back up to 9-3. BOOM!

Thomas Saggese must have been binging carbs before Tuesday night’s game as he came up in the top of the 5th inning and went yard AGAIN catching a 91 mph four-seam fastball just right as it soared barely above the right field wall in Dodger Stadium for a 10-3 Cardinals lead.

If only the Dodgers had complied with out wishes and just conceded the game, but alas it was not to be as they drew a little closer in the bottom of the 5th inning when Teoscar Hernandez led off with a single. Two batters later after Freeland grounded into a fielder’s choice, Shohei Ohtani slapped a single to center. Then, two batters later Mookie Betts ripped a double down the left field line which scored Freeland which made a 10-4 Cardinals. Fortunately, that’s all LA would get in the 5th.

With all of the wild offense, Michael McGreevy was having a pretty decent effort on the mound. Truthfully, he probably deserved a better result than he ended up with as he should have been out of the bottom of the 3rd if Fermin and Walker had better communication. However, his stat line still wasn’t bad for a game against the Dodgers lineup. 5 innings pitched allowing 5 hits, 4 earned runs striking out 4 and walking 2. Not an ace performance, but solid. Luis Gastelum took over in the bottom of the 6th inning and he pitched out of a jam – barely. The Dodgers ended up with runners at first and third with just one out, but Luis was saved by some nice glovework from Urias at third who snagged a hot line drive and then Nathan Church caught the final out of the inning with his back up against the centerfield wall.

Have I mentioned the Cardinals brought their bats to California? Joshua Báez put his to good use in the top of the 7th inning when he launched a 96 mph four-seam fastball 404 feet into the left-centerfield seats for a solo blast and a 11-4 Cardinals lead.

The Cardinals bullpen merry-go-round landed in Justin Bruihl’s spot for the bottom of the 7th inning. He drew the ire of the crowd by plunking Ohtani with a pitch and then two batters later nearly clipped Betts who he ended up walking giving the Dodgers two on with just one out. That earned him a place on the bench as manager Oli Marmol brought in Ryan Fernandez in relief to keep the Dodgers at bay. He struck out Rushing, but then gave up a single to Will Smith scoring Ohtani and whittling down the Cardinals lead to 11-5. Fernandez finally was able to get Kyle Tucker to fly out to end the Dodgers 7th.

The Cardinals made it an even dozen in the top of the 8th inning with several assists from the Dodgers. Their first contribution was a walk to Thomas Saggese. Second gift was an errant throw when Nathan Church hit a dribbler to the left side of the infield and the ball was thrown way over first base. Final gift was a wild pitch that scored Saggese to up the Cardinals lead to 12-5. José Fermín isn’t superstitious as he lifted a sacrifice fly to left field scoring Church making it 13-5 St. Louis.

Other than a solitary walk, Ryan Fernandez handled the Dodgers in the bottom of the 8th with no real drama. The Cardinals were unable to add to their tally against position player pitcher Hernandez in the top of the 9th inning, but that wouldn’t matter as long as our bullpen didn’t allow something outrageous in the bottom of the 9th inning. Cade Winquest was given that responsibility. He promptly gave up a line drive single to right by Enrique Hernandez and then walked Betts. Fermin then muffed a ground ball allowing Feduccia to reach first loading the bases with nobody out for LA. A ground ball up the middle from Will Smith that should have probably been a double play ended up being just a force out at second as the throw to first was in the dirt allowing the Dodgers to score a run, but who cares because it’s still just 13-6, right? The slumping Kyle Tucker who was hitless on the night was up next. He flied out to left to Victor Scott II for the second out which scored another Dodger run making it 13-7. Former Cardinal Tommy Edman then ripped a single to right scoring ANOTHER run for the Dodgers edging unnervingly closer at 13-8. Teoscar Hernandez mercifully made the final out of the game, but I have a sneaking suspicion that those arms who had to warm up in the bullpen in the bottom of the 9th will come back to haunt us later on this west coast road trip. Far be it from me to complain about an overall dominant Cardinals victory, though.

It’s game 2 in Los Angeles as the Cardinals take on the billionaires Dodgers Wednesday night. LA will start Yoshinobu Yamamoto while the St. Louis starter is to be determined later. First pitch is scheduled for 9:10pm central time with the game broadcast available via Cardinals.tv.