Category: MLB

Rangers 8, A’s 1

• Baseball is fun again.
• And Jacob deGrom was dominant again.
• Bouncing back from a disastrous eight run outing where he was knocked out in the fourth inning, deGrom looked like vintage deGrom once again, facing the minimum 21 batters over seven innings while allowing just one baserunner — Lawrence Butler, on a second inning single — who was then erased on a double play.
• This is the second time in his last three games that deGrom has allowed just one hit.
• What is interesting is that deGrom is generally either quite good, or not good at all. In 18 starts of his 26 starts, he’s allowed two runs or fewer.
• He’s allowed three runs in one start, and four runs in another start.
• In his other six starts he has allowed five runs twice, six runs three times, and eight runs once.
• The home/road splits are pretty extreme for deGrom this year…he has a 2.42 ERA in 13 starts at home, and a 5.86 ERA in 13 starts on the road. His walk rate is higher on the road, his K rate is lower, and 11 of the 17 homers he has allowed have come on the road.
• With 8 Ks, deGrom moved up from 93rd to 88th on the all time strikeout list, passing Catfish Hunter, Dan Haren, Orel Hershiser, Rick Reuschel and Lance Lynn. He’s now 15 behind Aaron Nola, 27 behind Dazzy Vance, 35 behind Sonny Gray, and 52 behind Madison Bumgarner.
• The game was far enough out of reach late that the newly-recalled Robby Ahlstrom and Ben “Power to the” Peoples got to go an inning apiece to finish things out. Ahlstrom faced the minimum, but sadly, Peoples allowed a run on two outs, ending both the shutout and the one hitter.
• Per Statcast, the A’s had a .132 xBA in the game, so it wasn’t as if they were stinging the ball and just seeing it find gloves. Its the second lowest xBA allowed in a game this season by the Rangers, and the 79th lowest in the majors.
• The Rangers scored early and often, putting runs on the board in four of the first five innings and taking a comfy 7-0 lead into the sixth inning.
• Ezequiel Duran, anointed the leadoff man for the first time in his career, was 1 for 4 with a walk, and he is now slashing .273/.331/.448 on the year, which I don’t think any of us were expecting.
• Duran has also started a game in every spot in the batting order this season, 1 through 9. I’m curious as to how often a player does that.
• Justin Foscue homered. Way to go, Justin!
• Cody Freeman had a couple of hits, as he continues to play regularly against lefthanded pitching.
• It occurred to me when I was doing the lineup yesterday that I hadn’t typed in Nicky Lopez’s name for a while. His last start was on August 19 — since then, he has appeared in just six games, coming in in the middle or late innings. The last two times he has entered the game it was late in a blowout in place of Corey Seager, including in this game.
• Seager, incidentally, drew a couple of walks, had a barreled fly out to the wall, and had a hard hit groundout. He’s cooled down from that stretch when he was getting two hits in every game it seemed like, but he’s fine.
• Jacob deGrom touched 98.8 mph with his fastball, averaging 97.6 mph. Robby Ahlstrom’s fastball touched 96.4 mph. Ben Peoples maxed out at 95.3 mph with his fastball.
• Ezequiel Duran had a 110.9 mph single and a 105.6 mph fly out. Justin Foscue had a 105.7 mph home run. Brandon Nimmo had a 105.6 mph fly out and a 101.5 mph fly out. Jake Burger had a 105.4 mph single amd a 103.2 mph double. Corey Seager had a 105.0 mph fly out. Elias Diaz had a 104.8 mph fly out.
• That’s two in a row. The wins, they must continue.

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The high-flying Los Angeles Dodgers are priced as hefty 62% moneyline favorites tonight against the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium as they search for their fourth straight home victory. First pitch is scheduled for 10:10 p.m. ET. 

My Cardinals vs Dodgers predictions expect L.A. to come out on top here against Michael McGreevy, who is struggling lately. 

Read more in my MLB picks for Tuesday, Sept. 1. 

Who will win Cardinals vs Dodgers today: Dodgers (62%)

For help understanding probabilities, see our odds calculator.

Michael McGreevy is in a rough spell for the St. Louis Cardinals, giving the Los Angeles Dodgers a clear path tonight. The right-hander has a 5.70 FIP over his last two starts with command and homer issues, plus a 5.02 mark over the last month.

The Dodgers are not in peak offensive form, but their 102 wRC+ at home is enough to attack McGreevy.

Eric Lauer has struggled too, posting a 5.50 xERA over his last two outings, but he rarely works deep, and Los Angeles’ bullpen owns a respectable 4.12 FIP over its previous 18.1 frames.

Against a Cardinals lineup with a 77 wRC+ recently, the Dodgers have the better full-game profile.

Play this pick up to 65%.

COVERS INTEL: Lauerhas been much more consistent at home this season, posting a 4.27 FIP, compared to a 5.96 mark on the road. 

Cardinals vs Dodgers Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (47%)

I’m leaning Under 8.5 here, even with both starters carrying some recent risk.

The Dodgers are not exactly tearing the cover off the baseball right now, posting an 88 wRC+ with a poor .084 ISO over the last week. That makes it harder to trust them to fully punish McGreevy, even with his recent command and homer issues.

The Cardinals’ offense is also struggling, and Lauer should not need to be perfect with Los Angeles’ bullpen in decent shape behind him.

The biggest separator is St. Louis’ relief corps, which owns a 2.65 FIP over its last 27 2/3 innings with a 12.04 K/9.

Play this pick up to 55%.

Cardinals vs Dodgers home run prediction: Jordan Walker (22%)

Jordan Walker has not gone deep lately, but the underlying numbers suggest one could be coming. The slugger owns a 56.3% hard-hit rate, 12.5% barrel rate, and 23.4-degree launch angle over the last week.

Walker is consistently putting the baseball in the air, and Lauer has allowed 2.08 HR/9 over his previous five appearances with an alarming 51.7% fly-ball rate during that span.

The Dodgers’ bullpen has not allowed many homers recently, but it has given up 46.5% fly balls over the last two weeks.

Walker has a chance to run into one tonight.

Play this pick up to 25%.

Cardinals vs Dodgers weather

Weather at Dodger Stadium looks clean tonight, with clear skies and temperatures falling from 75 F to 67 F. Winds are light to moderate at 7 to 9 mph, and rain chances sit at 0% throughout. No delay concern, with cooler late-game conditions that could slightly limit carry.

Cardinals vs Dodgers odds

• Moneyline: Cardinals 39% | Dodgers 62%
• Run line: Cardinals +1.5 (56%) | Dodgers -1.5 (45%)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (54%) | Under 8.5 (47%)

Cardinals vs Dodgers trend

The Los Angeles Dodgers have hit the game total Under in 29 of their last 50 games at home (+6.05 Units / 11% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Cardinals vs. Dodgers.

How to watch Cardinals vs Dodgers and game info

Cardinals vs Dodgers latest injuries

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Good morning.

The DMN’s Nate Sanchez writes about the Texas Rangers closing out August with an excellent performance from Jacob deGrom.

Kennedi Landry writes about deGrom’s seven innings of one-hit ball, which helped the Rangers enter September with a couple of wins in a row.

Jeff Wilson writes about deGrom rebounding from statistically one of his worst outings last week in Chicago to one of his best outings with Texas last evening.

Shawn McFarland writes that the Rangers will have to hope that a couple of last ditch veteran roster reinforcements can arrive sooner rather than later.

McFarland writes that reliever Robert Garcia could be an impact arm upon his return after missing much of the year.

And, the American League is terrible but Russell Dorsey writes that the Rangers could be a threat in October if they make it there.

Have a nice day!

I think you can imagine how frustrated Cubs players must have been after a week-plus worth of losses to the Mariners, Diamondbacks and Reds, three of those in soul-crushing walk-off fashion.

They took those frustrations out on the Brewers Monday evening at Wrigley Field, breaking the franchise record for home runs in a game that was set just last year. Alex Bregman’s three homers — the second time he’s done that this month — led the nine-homer outburst as the Cubs demolished the Brewers 17-3. Sure, three of those home runs were off Brewers first baseman Andrew Vaughn. So what? They count just the same. Regarding the Cubs hitting off position players this year:

Will this beatdown lead to more wins over the team’s division rival this week? That remains to be seen, but this one was sure a lot of fun.

The Cubs wasted no time in beginning the onslaught. Clay Holmes had an easy top of the first and then the hitting began. Seiya Suzuki drew a one-out walk, and one out later Tyrone Taylor hit the first of the nine long balls [VIDEO].

That was Taylor’s 11th homer of the season, but first as a Cub. And that ball was crushed! [VIDEO]

Nico Hoerner then went yard, back-to-back [VIDEO].

The Cubs were not done scoring in the first off Kyle Harrison, either. Michael Busch followed that homer with a double and scored on this single by Carson Kelly [VIDEO].

The Cubs put together another scoreless inning in the second, thanks in part to this strikeout/throw out double play [VIDEO].

Nice swipe tag by Nico.

Two more Cubs runs crossed the plate in the second on a single by Suzuki and this homer by Bregman [VIDEO].

Holmes kept mowing down Brewers hitters, three by strikeout in the fourth, and then the Cubs put together another big inning in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Suzuki homered, the Cubs’ fourth of the game [VIDEO].

Bregman followed with his second homer of the game [VIDEO].

The Cubs have now gone back-to-back with homers twice in this game. More on that from BCB’s JohnW53:

The homers by Taylor and Hoerner, then by Suzuki and Bregman were the seventh and eighth times the Cubs have gone back-to-back this season. They did it 10 times in 2025 and 2024, 20 in 2023.

Tonight’s were their 413th and 414th set of consecutive homers in the regular season since 1876 and the 394th and 395th since 1901. They have gone back-to-back-to-back 11 other times.

Again the Cubs were not done in the inning. Taylor singled and Hoerner walked. One out later, Harrison was done for the evening, replaced by Chad Patrick.

Patrick’s first eight pitches were out of the strike zone, resulting in a walk to Kelly that loaded the bases and this RBI walk by Miguel Amaya [VIDEO].

So it’s 9-0 going to the fifth, and again Holmes set down the Brewers in that inning and the sixth without incident. Holmes left after six, having allowed five hits and two walks. His eight strikeouts matched his season high [VIDEO].

It’s still a bit early to make this determination, but based on what I’ve seen so far, I would have no issue sending Holmes to the mound for Game 1 of a postseason series.

Ryan Rolison relieved Holmes and served up a two-run homer to Cooper Pratt, somewhat forgivable in a 9-0 game.

It went 9-2 into the bottom of the seventn, and Kelly led off the inning with a home run of DL Hall [VIDEO].

That gave the Cubs an eight-run lead and, with the game in the seventh, put it into position-player pitcher territory. The Brewers obliged by sending Vaughn to the mound, and he threw a collection of pitches labeled “eephus” and “knuckleball” on the Wrigley video boards. “Eephus”? Sure. “Knuckleball”? Not intentionally, I don’t think.

The Cubs took advantage. Vaughn hit Amaya with his first “knuckleball,” and Matt Shaw put two runs on the board with this homer [VIDEO].

That ball did not reach Waveland — it landed on the back concourse of the bleachers maybe 20 feet from me. It’s now 12-2. Pete Crow-Armstrong and Suzuki followed with singles, but Bregman hit into a double play, with PCA taking third. He scored on this single by Taylor [VIDEO].

Colin Rea entered in the eighth to mop things up. He allowed a run in that inning, but the Cubs put together their final home-run show in the bottom of the frame. Amaya led off with a single and Shaw walked.

Michael Conforto, who had entered the game in the top of the inning, smashed a three-run homer [VIDEO].

If you’re keeping track:

Michael Conforto: .235/.325/.479, 13 HR in 213 AB, 0.7 bWAR
Kyle Tucker: .228/.326/.357, 11 HR in 456 AB, -0.1 bWAR

Petty? Yes. Fun? Also yes.

One out later, Bregman hit his third home run, setting the team record [VIDEO].

More on the Cubs’ nine-homer evening from John:

The Cubs’ nine home runs break the team record they set against the Cardinals on July 4 of last year, then matched against the Padres on July 1 of this year.

The nine homers ties the National League record, by the Reds, in a 22-3 win at Philadelphia on Sept. 4, 1999.

The Blue Jays hit 10 in an 18-3 win at home over the Orioles on Sept. 14, 1987. The Yankees hit nine twice last season, in a 20-9 rout of the Brewers on March 29 and a 13-3 win over the Rays on Aug. 19.
…
Six were the most the Cubs had hit in their 463 previous regular-season games against the Brewers, both at Wrigley Field, in a 15-12 slugfest on Sept. 12, 1998, and a 9-1 win on June 24, 2003. This was their 380th game vs. the Brewers since then. They had hit five twice, at Milwaukee in 2010 and at home on Aug. 13, 2015.

Rea wrapped up the evening with a 1-2-3 ninth. Here’s the final out [VIDEO].

Here are Bregman’s postgame remarks [VIDEO].

A note about Bregman’s three-homer game:

And here are postgame comments from Craig Counsell [VIDEO].

Counsell’s remarks about Harrison are important. Harrison’s been one of the best pitchers in the league this year and the Cubs made him “uncomfortable” early and continued throughout — the worst game of Harrison’s career.

Does this carry forward to the next game? Well, of course, baseball doesn’t work that way, you start 0-0 the next day with two different pitchers. But I can’t help thinking that the Cubs were not intimidated by the Brewers, who had won nine of 13 coming into this game. And the Cubs have been pouring on runs recently, never mind that many of them have been off position players. The Cubs’ 742 runs now lead MLB by 16, and that’s 5.38 runs per game, a pace for 871 runs, which would be the first time any Cubs team had scored that many since 1930.

This is also the fourth time this year the Cubs have scored at least 17 runs in a game (and third time in their last eight games!). They haven’t done that since 1936, when they did it five times. The last (and only) time with more? 1930, which was a wacky offensive season when the entire NL hit .303.

Also: Who would have thought that Cubs hitters would pound out nine home runs in a game and have NONE of them hit by Pete Crow-Armstrong? That just shows how many good hitters this team has. The nine home runs also give them the MLB lead in that category with 196, four more than the Nationals. One more note on this game from John:

The Cubs’ 14-run margin of victory tied for their largest ever against the Brewers.

They beat them by 19-5 at home on April 30, 2008. In that game, the Cubs made 17 hits, three fewer than last night, and hit only two home runs, vs. nine last night.

The Cubs had won by 13 runs three times: 16-3 in 2001, 17-4 in 2002 and 15-2 in 2021. All of those games were at Wrigley Field.

Even more on all the home runs hit by the Cubs in August (Bluesky link):

Another (Bluesky link):

And another (Bluesky link):

Postseason race note: The Phillies also won Monday so the Cubs remain tied with them for the top wild card spot.

The Cubs will go for two in a row over the Brewers Tuesday evening at Wrigley Field. Matthew Boyd will start for the Cubs and Robert Gasser goes for Milwaukee. Game time is again 6:40 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network. There will also be a national broadcast on TBS (outside the Cubs and Brewers market territories).

With the Minor League Baseball season approaching its end as the calendar gets set to flip to September, fans, coaches, and analysts alike are beginning to fully evaluate the 2026 campaigns of prospects around the league.

While there still are games to be played, the Washington Nationals, as of August 31st, have officially released their MiLB system-wide awards. Highly touted prospects like Seaver King (Hitter of the Year) and Eli Willits (Baserunner of the Year) took home awards, but arguably the most impressive recipient was the Pitcher of the Year, 19-year-old right hander Miguel Sime Jr..

It wasn’t much of a surprise to see the hard-throwing righty receive the honor, but it does present a fantastic chance to take a step back and truly admire the development Sime Jr. has had since joining the organization. 2026 was his first professional season, and he’s already done enough to warrant a considerable jump in the Nats’ prospect rankings.

The stats that immediately pop off the page for Sime Jr. are his Earned Run Average, which sits at 2.99 through 23 starts, and his whopping 130 punchouts across just 72.1 innings, a staggering mark of 16.18 per 9 innings, which leads all MiLB arms.

He’s only become more effective since being promoted to High-A, sporting an ERA in the low-2.00s through 13 starts on the back of his triple-digit velocity and devastating off-speed offerings. Walks have remained a large knack on his prospect profile, but the results he’s managed to maintain have been nothing short of outright dominant.

The righty has been especially lethal as of late, allowing just 6 earned runs to score across 28.2 innings since the start of July. His most recent outing was arguably the best he’s looked all year, surrendering only 1 unearned run over 4.0 innings, giving up just 1 hit and punching out 6 batters to just 2 free passes.

A potential move to Double-A could be possible before the season officially concludes, but Washington might opt to continue his development in A+ until he shows more improvement in his command. Sime Jr. will have to refine some of his secondary pitches and take strides with his ability to keep the ball in the zone if he wants to remain a starter long-term, but at just 19, the upside is absolutely tantalizing.

Seeing Sime Jr. in a Nationals jersey is a reality that likely sits multiple seasons away, but his 2026 performance has already put him miles ahead of where many scouts believed his timeline to be at this point in time. Washington is putting together an impressive stable of arms in their minor league ranks, and he could very quickly find himself right in that mix if he keeps this up.

Today marks the first day of September, or in baseball terms, the day MLB rosters expand from 26 to 28 players. Each team will be allowed to add one pitcher and one hitter to their active roster as reinforcements for the final stretch run of the regular season. 

The Phillies will begin September in pretty good shape. They entered play yesterday tied with the Chicago Cubs for the first Wild Card spot in the National League while sitting with a 4.5 game cushion for a spot in the postseason. The NL East division title is not completely out of the picture either, as the Phillies sit five games back of the Braves with seven still to play against Atlanta. But in lieu of chasing down the Braves, holding the top Wild Card spot will be crucial, as it guarantees the three-game series will be held at Citizens Bank Park. 

It will be something to worth monitoring what the Phillies do with these two extra roster spots. The first players up will almost a certainly be depth players. For the pitching side, Kyle Backhus, Max Lazar, and Alan Rangel figure to be the favorites to take the spot. On the hitting side, it will very likely be a returning from the IL Rafael Marchán. If he is not deemed ready or if the team opts to not carry three catchers, Gabriel Rincones Jr., Otto Kemp, Felix Reyes, or one of the newly acquired Kameron Misner or Colby Thomas figure to get the nod. 

These initial call ups likely won’t be exciting, but perhaps things get more interesting later in September. With the minor league season wrapping up, perhaps the idea of top pitching prospect Gage Wood becoming an addition to the bullpen grows in possibility. It would also seem that newly signed Nestor Cortes has a spot earmarked for him when he is deemed ready considering he was signed to an MLB deal. Those decisions are likely still at least a week away, but they hold some interesting possibilities. 

So, who will be the Phillies September call-ups? Who do you think should be? Will there be some possible surprises a little later in the month?

Amid the chaos of the 2026 Detroit Tigers season, we’ve also gotten a strong dose of the future. Kevin McGonigle is now the man in that dugout, and Max Clark is off to a nice start despite his youth. Eduardo Valencia, Ben Malgeri, and Brett Callahan have all shown some good things. The rookies are now occupying half the lineup most days, but the one who came up first during the season and has gotten the longest look is infielder Hao-Yu Lee. Has he done enough to lock up a job in 2027?

The 23-year-old Lee has gotten a much more extensive look than any rookie other than Kevin McGonigle this season, appearing in 90 games in two separate call-ups, and amassing 258 plate appearances. His initial call-up came back on April 17 and lasted until he was optioned back to Triple-A Toledo on June 2. He struggled in that first look at the Show, but less than two weeks later he was back in Detroit as Gleyber Torres went back on the injured list for his oblique injuries.

In that first tour with the Tigers, things were not going well. Of course, he’s a 23-year-old rookie and a solid prospect but far from a blue-chip, top 100 type, so some struggles trying to settle in were to be expected. Lee hit just .205 with a little power, but a 27.6 percent strikeout rate and a very low 4.6 percent walk rate for a 59 wRC+ (100 wRC+ is average if you’re not familiar).

That return to the minors seemed to allow him to take a breath, get back to a better approach at the plate, and apply some of what he’d learned. When he got back to Detroit in mid-June, we saw a much more consistent and confident hitter in the batter’s box. Since that point, Lee has hit .301 with an .802 OPS and a wRC+ of 122. His strikeout rate dropped to 19.3 percent and his walk rate rose to 7.3 percent, much more in line with his work in the minor leagues. Lee’s mix of power, plate discipline, and intensity have all been on display as he rarely gives at at-bat away and has started using the whole field more like he did in the minors.

For the season, Lee is now exactly at 100 wRC+, but the trend has been decidedly positive. The somewhat heavily left-handed hitting Tigers have seen Lee combine with Dillon Dingler and Spencer Torkelson to give them a lot better balance in their lineup, despite the fact that those two have slumped badly in recent weeks.

Based on his work since returning to the Tigers, they have a pretty good young hitter here. He hasn’t quite tapped into his plus raw power as much as we hope to see in the future, but even with seven home runs in essentially a half season of major league plate appearances, Lee has produced roughly average power and again, he’s trending much better since getting demoted in early June for a two week reset.

Based on the bat, Lee feels like a lock to be on the 2027 Opening Day roster. Certainly we’ll have to see how he finishes in September, and he’ll have to prove himself a bit again in spring training next year, assuming we get much of a Grapefruit League calendar after the lockout ends, but Lee does a lot of things well at the plate. He can hit behind a runner on first, he’ll pull balls down the line to left, and with 112+ mph in his bat, the power potential is plentiful if he can elevate a few more balls to the pull side. It’s nice to have a young, right-handed hitter with as balanced a spray chart as Lee does this season. He absolutely is using the whole field, and that can be a minor key to performing well with runners on base and being held there by a defender, opening up holes in the infield defense.

To improve further, Lee probably just needs to trim his chase rate. He didn’t chase that much in the minors, but at the major league level his outside the zone swing rate is up over 30 percent after posting a 22 percent mark at the Triple-A level. Hopefully this is just a matter of experience, as like all his numbers this season, he’s markedly improved across the board in his second stint with the Tigers. The final tantalizing piece of his offensive profile is that Lee has been much better against right-handed pitching than against southpaws. He crushed lefties in the minors, so it may just take time for things to balance out a little more, but the fact that he’s done so well as a right-handed hitter against right-handed pitching bodes well for his playing time and potential to become an everyday staple of the Tigers’ lineup.

The one big flaw here is obviously his defense. Lee is quite mobile for a barrel chested guy with pretty average speed, and he has solid arm strength as well. The problem is his glove, as way too many clear errors have been committed by him this season. In fairness, the Tigers haven’t made it too easy on him as he’s played a mix of second and third base. Lee has always had a tendency to be a little stone-handed particularly when he’s on the move, but it’s been worse in the major leagues so far.

He’s played the equivalent of roughly 55 games at second base, and 22 at third base. At second, he’s a -5 in Outs Above Average, and a -3 in Defensive Runs Saved. At third base, those marks are -4 and -1, respectively. He clearly has the ability to play close to average defense, but these big mistakes have got to be reduced and no doubt Lee is well aware of that fact.

Cleaning up his actions with the glove is the major task for Hao-Yu Lee this offseason. He’s shown enough to be pretty excited about his bat and his general major league future, but to play everyday and become a mainstay in the lineup, A.J. Hinch has to be able to trust him not to flub a play in a big spot, and right now it’s still a work in progress.

If we take a positive tack here, Lee’s intensity and work ethic are well known. We’ve mentioned this in his scouting reports each of the past three years since he came over from Philadelphia in a 2023 deadline deal that sent Michael Lorenzen to the Fightin’ Dombrowskis. He is a driven, high energy player and that extends to his practice as well. Some of his mistakes this season may simply be a result of an amped up young player trying to do too much in his first look at the big leagues.

Still, he’s clearly not going to be a plus defender either. As young as he is, by age 21 or 22 it’s generally pretty obvious if an infielder has good hands or not, and Lee just doesn’t have the high end glovework that could take him to plus defensive territory. That’s fine. He’s just got to put the work in this offseason and find ways to trim some of those big mistakes.

If Lee can just make some modest improvements in that regard, the Tigers are going to love what they have in his game. The bat is already fairly exciting. Getting to the point where they can play him at second and third without fear would make the whole proposition that much better.

Hao-Yu Lee has been a lot of fun to watch this season. He’s battled through the early rookie struggles, and appears to have come out the other side in a much better place, with much more consistent production over the last two and a half months. The confidence and intensity he plays with should serve him well, and he’s rarely looked intimidated or overwhelmed. He’s an easy player to root for with a team first attitude and ferocious drive to succeed. We jokingly had him ranked as “guy likely to be first out of the dugout if a fight breaks out,” last offseason, and that’s an attribute that endears a player to his teammates as well as to the fans.

The trade for Lee was already a nice win when it happened. Now he’s making good at the major league level. If he can clean up his defense and build back toward the better plate discipline he had at the Triple-A level, the Tigers will have a good everyday player here.

Possibly one of the weirdest positive things about a member of the 2026 Atlanta Braves is that Dylan Lee is second among the team’s pitchers in fWAR, with 2.0. Among all pitchers, he is 71st with that mark. To be clear: every team has five-plus starters and a gaggle of relievers, and Lee is in the top 75 in production. Among relievers, he’s in the top ten, but really smack dab in a big cluster that runs from third to 20th.

Lee was dominant in terms of both peripherals and results-while-he-was-pitching for much of the season. From the start of the season through August 16, he had a WPA over 2.5 and had recorded 26 shutdowns to just five meltdowns. In fact, the tail end of that stretch was 13 consecutive appearances with positive WPA, which accounted for six of his 26 shutdowns. His pitching line was video game numbers-y: a 46 ERA-, 48 FIP-, and a 69 xFIP-. His HR/FB was 5.0 percent (three homers all year, two in the same series against the Orioles). His strand rate was above league average, his BABIP-against was an absurd 2.05, though he was also managing contact to a supreme degree (2.28 xERA, yet still higher than his actual ERA in that span). Basically, he was dominant, but also aided by stuff he couldn’t control amid that dominance. Thanks, universe!

And then, as they do sometimes but not always, things changed for Lee on a dime. Lee has made seven appearances since August 16. He has been saddled with a meltdown in five of them (and shutdowns in the other two). He hasn’t allowed a homer in any, but…

• His FIP has been bad in two of the seven;
• His xFIP has been bad in four of the seven;
• His BABIP-against has been absurdly high in five of the seven;
• His xERA/xwOBA-against has been bad in three of the seven (the most recent three); and
• His aggregate line for these seven outings is 279/64/117.

The lack of homers hasn’t stopped him from accruing value. His pitching has been pretty bad, but it’s really split between his usual dominance in three outings (not in a row) and issues in four. Yes, two of his top four worst outings by xFIP have come in his bad stretch, but nothing else in his top (bottom?) ten. As you can probably tell by the 279 ERA-, this kind of looks like the universe getting back at him for the hubris and good fortune he enjoyed for pretty much the rest of the season. The only thing that hasn’t stung him in these seven outings has been his HR/FB.

Is this an effect of fatigue? It doesn’t quite look like it. His velocity hasn’t really budged, and is actually up slightly over earlier outings. He’s also gotten more chase. The issue has been fewer missed bats, especially on pitches outside the zone.

The reasons for this are fairly obvious once you look at some pitch plots. For the season, Lee has been relatively adept at spotting his slider on the lower glove-side edge. It sometimes drifts lower (below the zone) and sometimes higher (towards the middle of the plate), but he executes the pitcher’s pitch version of it often enough. Since August 19, it’s become more of a grab bag as to whether it ends up over the plate, too far below the zone, or in an intended spot. More minutely, it looks like it’s just missing below the zone. There’s less of a story with the four-seamer — maybe some are drifting below where he usually places them towards the upper part of the zone but nothing blatant. There’s no huge smoking gun as to why batters are making a bunch more contact on pitches outside the zone rather than missing them as they have. Maybe that’s the mechanism for the universe to get back at Lee…

…but honestly, it’s probably as simple as the fact that his first-pitch strike rate has fallen from about two-thirds before this stretch, to 50 percent in this stretch. That seems a more glaring change than anything else in this seven-outing stretch.

I don’t think there’s any real reason for concern, but I still somewhat expect Lee to catch an Injured List stint, even if there’s little suggest any kind of injury woe leading to performance issues. With a slightly-expanded September bullpen, the re-availability of Ray Kerr and the ability to shunt Brent Suter towards higher leverage, and the Braves’ usual foot-not-really-on-the-pedal approach to pitching management, that’s a way to give him a reset, even if that reset is just from the unrelenting pressure of the universe. If they don’t, though, I’d be surprised to see this rough stretch keep up, unless Lee somehow gets it in his head that he needs to do things differently in September after four-and-a-half months of near-unbridled success.

This past offseason, Pete Alonso signed the richest deal in Orioles history, trading Queens for Baltimore and a deal for $155M/five years. Through the 138 games of Alonso’s Orioles career, you could argue the Polar Bear has been underpaid.

Alonso has undoubtedly been the heartbeat of an Orioles team that, after last night’s win in Colorado, sits 0.5 GBof the final AL Wild Card spot. He currently leads the Orioles in hits, runs, doubles, home runs, RBIs and OPS. He has an outside chance to become the 10th Oriole with 40+ home runs in a season, will undoubtedly top 100 RBIs and should become the first Oriole since Jonathan Villar in 2019 to play all 162 games. If Alonso isn’t voted as the unanimous Most Valuable Oriole at the end of the season, it would be an injustice.

However, his performance during the second half of the season has put him in the conversation for bigger awards. Since July 1st, Alonso is slashing .305/.394/.558 with 13 homers and 32 RBIs in 51 games. After collecting 20 multi-hit games over the first 87 games of the season, Alonso has 17 in those last 51 contests—including his first four-hit game as an Oriole last week in St. Louis. During the last two months, Alonso ranks fifth in the AL in hits, second in home runs, sixth in RBIs and second in OPS.

For most of the season, Houston’s Yordan Alvarez has been the presumptive AL MVP winner. After all, the Astros’ DH is still on pace to complete the American League’s first Triple Crown season since Miguel Cabrera in 2012. However, Alvarez’s grasp on each of those Triple Crown categories has become more and more tenuous of late. Tampa Bay’s Chandler Simpson (.311) is only five points behind Alvarez (.316) for the AL batting title. After homering twice over the weekend, the Rays’ Junior Caminero tied him with 37 long balls. And after his recent tear, Alonso sits only three RBIs behind Alvarez for the AL RBI lead.

Outside of Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, the last AL MVP winner from a non-playoff team was Alex Rodriguez on the 2003 Texas Rangers—a fact which could play in Alonso’s favor. The Astros are one of many teams participating in the American League’s musical chair of mediocrity. Though currently leading the AL West, Houston only sits one game above .500 and two games above the second-place Rangers.

MVP awards can be largely narrative-driven. Could Alvarez’s MVP narrative survive both the loss of the Triple Crown and the Astros missing the playoffs? It’s possible, but if both of those came to pass, it’d certainly weaken his presumed stranglehold on this year’s MVP.

The Polar Bear could benefit from the reverse narrative. Should the Orioles complete their turnaround and secure a postseason spot, Alonso will undoubtedly get much of the credit for Baltimore’s unlikely comeback. After all, the Orioles traded away two of their best hitters at the deadline, leaving their prize free-agent acquisition as the only reliable force in their lineup. He’s responded by being a steadying force; one that’s given the other members of this lineup time to rise closer to his level.

Alonso winning the MVP is still probably as likely as when the Orioles had a 13.5% chance to make the playoffs. After all, FanDuel still lists Alvarez as a -20,000 favorite to take home the hardware come season’s end. But Alonso is sitting there with the third-best odds at +4500, just behind Caminero.

The Orioles’ 1B is also fighting against the positional value stigma that comes with playing first. Outside of José Abreu’s MVP from the shortened 2020 season, no 1B has won AL MVP since Justin Morneau twenty years ago. The position’s perceived lack of defensive importance means that 1B often get knocked down a peg in value statistics like WAR. Despite his excellent offensive numbers (and playing the best defense of his career), Alonso currently ranks 15th in bWAR.

In all likelihood, Alonso is on his way to the Orioles’ first top 3 MVP finish since Chris Davis in 2013. The Polar Bear is also likely to become the first 1B since Adrian Gonzalez to win Silver Slugger awards in both the National and American Leagues.

It has already been a debut season to remember for the Polar Bear in Baltimore, one that will hopefully end with an Orioles return to the postseason. And while Alvarez’s advantage in the MVP race is likely too great to overcome, Alonso’s season has been MVP-worthy.

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The Detroit Tigers are priced as slim 52% moneyline favorites when they visit the Minnesota Twins tonight for an important American League Central clash. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. ET at Target Field. 

Detroit's offense has been atrocious lately, so my Tigers vs Twins predictions comfortably back Minnesota to grab another win after blowing out its divisional rivals on Monday. 

Read more in my MLB picks for Tuesday, Sept. 1. 

Who will win Tigers vs Twins today: Twins (49%)

For help understanding probabilities, see our odds calculator.

This will be a bullpen game for the Minnesota Twins, but that is not necessarily a negative. Andrew Morris has posted a 3.01 xERA over the last month across 11 relief appearances, and Minnesota’s bullpen owns a 3.85 FIP over the last week with minimal home run damage.

The biggest factor is the Detroit Tigers’ offensive collapse. Detroit has a 27 wRC+ over its previous six games and has scored just nine runs during that span.

Troy Melton is having a good season, but he has been more vulnerable lately, posting a 6.33 xERA over his last two outings while allowing 1.42 HR/9.

With the Twins carrying a 110 wRC+ recently, Minnesota has the clear edge.

Play this pick up to 55%.

COVERS INTEL: The Twins' bullpen has allowed only a 2.3% barrel rate in its last 15 2/3 innings. That's substantially better than their season average of 6.5.

Tigers vs Twins Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (49%)

With Detroit unable to score runs lately, the Under 8.5 presents value.

The Twins’ bullpen is holding its own, and its ability to limit hard contact and avoid major homer damage should prove key against the Tigers.

Detroit’s relief corps has also allowed just 0.82 HR/9 over the last week while posting a 4.10 xERA. That is not elite, but it is stable enough to support this angle.

This would require the Twins to do most of the scoring to push the Over, and I’m more comfortable with the idea of a lower-scoring contest at Target Field.

Play this pick up to 60%.

Tigers vs Twins home run prediction: Kody Clemens (19%)

Kody Clemens has been smacking baseballs over the last week, posting a 60% hard-hit rate and 13.3% barrel rate. During that span, he has clubbed two home runs while consistently putting the ball in the air, carrying a 66.7% fly-ball rate over his previous six contests.

That is notable against Melton amid his issues with the long ball, and the Tigers’ bullpen has also been vulnerable to air contact, posting a 44.7% fly-ball rate over the last week.

After homering Monday, Clemens has multiple paths to going deep again tonight.

Play this pick up to 25%.

Tigers vs Twins market report

Here is how the trading volume is coming in for Tigers vs. Twins tonight at Polymarket:

Tigers vs Twins weather

Weather at Target Field looks warm and clean tonight, with partly cloudy skies and temperatures falling from 86°F to 78°F. Winds are light around 3–6 mph, and rain chances stay low at 2–11%. No major delay concern, and the warm air could slightly help carry.

Tigers vs Twins odds

• Moneyline: Tigers 52% | Twins 49%
• Run line: Tigers -1.5 (40%) | Twins +1.5 (61%)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (52%) | Under 8.5 (49%)

Tigers vs Twins trend

The Detroit Tigers have hit the game total Under in 10 of their last 12 games (+7.80 Units / 59% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Tigers vs. Twins.

How to watch Tigers vs Twins and game info

Tigers vs Twins latest injuries

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The Mets (62-76) continue their three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays (82-55) on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. on SNY.

Here's what to know about the game and how to watch...

Mets Notes

• Sean Manaea looks to bounce back after a rough stretch on the mound, having allowed 14 earned runs in his last three starts (18.0 IP)
• Freddy Peralta makes his first start against his former team as he's gone 1-2 with a 5.60 ERA over five starts with Tampa Bay
• A.J. Ewing went 2-for-4 in Monday's series-opening win, giving him his first multi-hit game since Aug. 7

Today's Lineups

What channel is SNY?

Check your TV or streaming provider's website or channel finder to find your local listings.

How can I stream the game?

The way to stream SNY games is via the MLB App or MLB.tv.

In order to stream games in SNY’s regional territory, you will need to have SNY as part of your TV package (cable or streaming), or you can now purchase an in-market SNY subscription package via MLB or Amazon. Both ways will allow fans to watch the Mets on their computer, tablet or mobile phone.

How can I watch the game on my computer via MLB?

To get started on your computer, click here and then follow these steps:

• Log in using your provider credentials. If you are unsure of your provider credentials, please contact your provider.

• Link your provider credentials with a new or existing MLB.com account.

• Log in using your MLB.com credentials to watch Mets games on SNY.

• Select the SNY Mets game you wish to view from the Multimedia Center.

How can I watch the game on the MLB App?

MLB App access is included for FREE with SNY. To access SNY on your favorite supported Apple or Android mobile device, please follow the steps below.

• Download the free MLB App.

• Open “MLB” and tap on “Subscriber Login” for Apple Devices or “Sign in with MLB.com” for Android Devices.

• Type in your MLB.com credentials and tap “Log In.” 

• To access live or on-demand content, tap on the "Watch" tab from the bottom navigation bar. Select the "Games" sub-tab to see a listing of available games. You can scroll to previous dates using the left and right arrows. Tap on a game to select from the game feeds available. 

For more information on how to stream Mets games on SNY, please click here.

Meet the Mets

Robert Stock turned in the best start his career to help the Mets get past the Rays 3-2. Mark Vientos homered in his first game back from the injured list, and the Mets held on after building a three-run lead.

Choose Your Recap: Amazin’ Avenue, NY Post, Newsday, ESPN

The Orioles claimed Luis Robert Jr. off waivers from the Mets.

The Mets activated Mark Vientos off the 10-day IL to take Robert’s spot on the roster.

Justin Hagenman will pitch on Wednesday, giving Christian Scott an extra day of rest before his next start.

Devin Williams reflected on his first season with the Mets, saying it has been ‘all over the place’.

Nick Morabito is expected to be activated when rosters expand today.

Freddy Peralta, who starts tonight, looked back at his Mets’ tenure, saying it was the first time in his career he had really struggled like that.

The Mets gifted tennis star Daniil Medvedev 300 pieces of gum after his viral moment at the US Open.

Jonah Tong was named the Syracuse Mets’ Player of the Month for August.

Around the National League East

The Phillies narrowly edged the Diamondbacks 2-1 as Philadelphia ended a hot August with an all-around win.

Paul Casella looked at the Phillies’ postseason outlook heading into the stretch run.

The Phillies sent Tommy Pham to the White Sox.

Mark Bowman wondered whether this could be Chris Sale’s best season.

The Braves fell 7-3 to the Giants in a makeup game. After the game, Dylan Lee said he believes he’s tipping pitches, which might explain his second half woes for Atlanta.

The Nationals doubled up the Marlins 6-3. Daylen Lile, who was named NL Player of the Week, hit two home runs in the victory.

Around Major League Baseball

The Brewers continued to reign supreme in the latest MLB Power Rankings.

Anthony Castrovince explored 10 records that define Major League Baseball.

There may not be much at stake for the Mets in September, but there’s a lot at stake in general for the rest of the league.

The playoff picture is beginning to take shape as we enter September.

Sarah Langs looked at what it means to be in first place entering September.

In addition to adding Tommy Pham, the White Sox acquired Jake Cave from the Rays.

The Red Sox placed Willson Contreras on the IL with a hamstring strain.

One of Boston’s broadcasters apologized for comments he made about the Yankees on a recent broadcast, saying they ‘crossed a line’.

In his return to Chase Field, Ketel Marte spoke to the media about his recent absence and said he plans to address his teammates.

Rafael Devers hit his 30th home run of the year to help guide San Francisco past the Braves.

The Padres blanked the Reds 5-0.

The Red Sox came back to beat the Mariners 9-8 in 10 innings. Roman Anthony and Trevor Story returned to the lineup with a bang in the win.

The Orioles beat the Rockies 2-1 to improve their record to 69-69, the first time they’ve been .500 this year since April, when they were 15-15.

The Twins beat up the Tigers 11-1.

The Cubs walloped the NL Central-leading Brewers 17-3. The Cubs hit a Wrigley record nine home runs to cap off a record-setting August, where they hit 62 dingers.

The Rangers easily handled the Athletics 8-1.

In a battle of first place clubs, the Astros defeated the White Sox 6-3.

The Angels stunned the Yankees 10-1.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

I previewed the Mets’ series against the Rays.

Allison McCague brought us the position player meters for the week.

Linus Lawrence examined ten questions facing the Mets at the start of September.

Linus Lawrence provided a Monday Stat Party.

This Date in Mets History

Tom Seaver whiffed 10 Pirates in a 3-0 shutout win on this date in 1975. In the process, he secured 200+ strikeouts for the eighth straight season, becoming the first pitcher in MLB history to do so.

A Boston Red Sox broadcaster has apologized for suggesting that the team's pitchers should intentionally throw at New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm for his aggressive play during a blowout win over the weekend.

Radio play-by-play announcer WIll Flemming made a number of pointed comments about Chisholm, including calling him a "bush league player" after he swiped two bases in the eighth inning of the teams' game on Sunday, Aug. 30. The Yankees were leading 7-1 at the time.

Flemming went on to suggest that Red Sox pitcher Jovani Moran should intentionally throw at Yankees batter Austin Wells in retaliation.

Red Sox radio broadcaster Will Flemming says Boston's pitcher should drill Austin Wells and fight Jazz Chisholm Jr. because he thinks Chisholm is a "bush league player" that "doesn't play the game the right way" pic.twitter.com/wtXivJobxG

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) August 31, 2026

The comments added even more animosity to the longstanding rivalry between the two teams, and several Yankees players pushed back the following day,

"You've seen teams – actually them (last season) – do the same thing where they're pouring on runs. We didn't have nothing to say or nothing to do about it," Chisholm told reporters on Monday before the Yankees' game against the Los Angeles Angels. "That's just showing how unprofessional he is."

Added Yankees captain Aaron Judge: "He needs to stay out of that and not be telling people to throw at players and injure players. That's not what this game's about."

Here's what happened in Mets Land on Monday, in case you missed it...

• Mets squeak out 3-2 win over Rays with splendid pitching, timely hitting
• Mark Vientosreturns to Mets lineup with home run to help seal win: "It felt great"
• Robert Stock proud to "finally" pitch into sixth inning in career-long start against Tampa Bay
• Mets to call up RHP Justin Hagenman and OF Nick Morabito as rosters expand in September
• Orioles claim Mets' Luis Robert Jr. off waivers
• Rays' Freddy Peraltalooks back on Mets' tenure ahead of facing former club on Tuesday
• Mets promote 2026 third-round pick Aiden Robbins to High-A Brooklyn

As the minor league seasons start to wind down — with one week left for Low- and High-A, two weeks remaining for Double-A, and three for Triple-A — the Orioles’ four affiliates can clearly be delineated into the haves and the have-nots. The Frederick Keys and Chesapeake Baysox are surging, with the former headed to the league playoffs and the latter featuring a drool-worthy, prospect-laden rotation. The Norfolk Tides and Delmarva Shorebirds, meanwhile, are limping to the end of miserable seasons.

Here’s our weekly update of the latest goings-on in the Orioles’ minor league system.

Triple-A Norfolk Tides

• Last week’s results: 4-2 at Durham Bulls (Rays)
• Next week’s opponent: vs. Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins)
• Second-half record: 21-33, last place (12.5 GB) in International League East
• Overall season record: 49-80

The Tides’ offense hit home runs this week — eight in all — but otherwise struggled, scoring just 22 runs and posting a .649 OPS. It was enough to win the series anyway. Ryan Noda and José Barrero socked two homers apiece, but each had only one other hit. Brandon Butterworth launched his first Triple-A dinger. The most realistic candidates for a September call-up, Heston Kjerstad and Enrique Bradfield Jr., were just OK. Kjerstad had six hits but no RBIs. Bradfield had more strikeouts (seven) than times reaching base (six). Will either make an appearance for the Orioles before the year is out? One guy who probably won’t is Creed Willems, who went 4-for-19 to drop his season OPS to .752.

The standout pitching performance of the week belonged to Cade Povich, who worked a 5.2 scoreless inning gem with 11 strikeouts. That’ll play. His reward was getting called up to the majors to pitch at Coors Field last night. No other Tides starting pitcher particularly stood out. Michael Forret, pitching against his former team, held the Bulls to two hits and two earned runs in five innings, but walked four. Juaron Watts-Brown continues to have a tough time at the Triple-A level, with a four-inning, four-run performance this week that inflated his Norfolk ERA to 7.84.

In the bullpen, lefty Andrew Magno added another two scoreless outings to his ledger, lowering his season ERA to 1.36. His 4.9 BB/9 rate is his biggest concern but he’s been otherwise effective, so it’s a little surprising he hasn’t gotten even a cup of coffee in the majors. Southpaw prospect Luis De León, who’s just been converted to relief, had one great outing (a perfect inning, 2 Ks) and one dud (two HRs, three runs in 0.2 IP).

On the other side of the field, former Orioles first-rounder Caden Bodine, part of the Shane Baz trade, made his Triple-A debut for Durham this week and was 8-for-15 with two homers. Bodine has exploded as a prospect in the Rays’ system, rocketing up four levels in one season with a combined .350/.415/.529 slash line. Baz has been solid enough for the Orioles, but Bodine is threatening to make the O’s regret that trade.

Norfolk season stats

Double-A Chesapeake Baysox

• Last week’s results: 4-2 at Harrisburg Senators (Nationals)
• Next week’s opponent: vs. Portland Sea Dogs (Red Sox)
• Second-half record: 31-25, second place (6.5 GB) in Eastern League Southwest
• Overall season record: 60-64

If you’re hoping to attend a Baysox game this year, this upcoming week is your last opportunity. It’s their final home series before they finish this season in Richmond. The Baysox are ending strong, currently in second place in their division, but with little hope of catching first-place Erie at 6.5 games behind and just 12 to play.

Aron Estrada just continues to get on base, with six hits and five walks this week. After a slow start this year with a .624 OPS in April, the 21-year-old infielder has an OPS of .850 or better every month since. I’d like to see him spend a week or two at Triple-A after Chesapeake’s season ends. First baseman Victor Figueroa had his best week yet at Double-A with eight hits, including three doubles and a homer, pushing his Chesapeake OPS over .800.

Ethan Anderson rejoined the Baysox for the first time since suffering an ankle injury in early July and was one of nine different hitters to homer this week. Wehiwa Aloy was another one, but was just 4-for-21 this week. Vance Honeycutt had one huge game, collecting 11 total bases in a four-hit effort on Friday, but was 1-for-15 in the rest of the series.

Let’s talk about this incredibly stacked Baysox rotation that features the Orioles’ #2, #3, and #4 prospects on MLB Pipeline — Anthony Eyanson, Joseph Dzierwa, and Caden Hunter, respectively — along with #14 prospect JT Quinn and former top-15 prospect Patrick Reilly, back from Tommy John surgery. Yet it was the one starter not among that group, lefty Sebastian Gongora, who had Chesapeake’s lone quality start this week. He held Harrisburg to two runs in six innings, including a homer by rehabbing MLB slugger James Wood.

The other five starters were solid, too, combining for a 3.32 ERA, though none worked more than five innings. Eyanson and Hunter each had eight strikeouts; Quinn and Reilly seven. Surprisingly it was Dzierwa who fared the worst, giving up four earned runs for the first time all season. His ERA rocketed all the way up…to 2.21.

Chesapeake season stats

High-A Frederick Keys

• Last week’s results: 5-1 vs. Asheville Tourists (Astros)
• Next week’s opponent: at Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets)
• Second-half record: 36-22, first place (1.0 game ahead) in South Atlantic League North
• Overall season record: 77-45

The Keys already clinched a spot in the Division Series by winning their division in the first half, and now they’re on the verge of winning the second half, too. If they do, I feel like they should be allowed to skip the Division Series and go straight to the next round of playoffs, but it doesn’t work that way. They’ll play against the second half runner-up.

Frederick is continuing to roll even after many of their first-half contributors like Dzierwa, Hunter, Figueroa, and Aloy got promoted to Double-A and Ike Irish suffered a season-ending injury. The addition of Enddy Azocar in the Adley Rutschman trade has helped a lot; he added another five hits this week and has a .986 OPS in 21 games since joining the organization. Jaiden Lo Re is fresh up from Low-A — he should be required to change his name to Jaiden Hi Re now — and went 3-for-17 with a homer in his first week with Frederick.

Boston Bateman was the Keys pitching prospect to watch this week. The 20-year-old lefty has battled some nagging injuries of late, but he looked no worse for the wear in a dominant performance: four scoreless innings, one hit, seven strikeouts. Frederick’s other top mound prospect, Kyson Witherspoon, did not appear this week.

Frederick season stats

Low-A Delmarva Shorebirds

• Last week’s results: 2-4 vs. Fredericksburg Nationals
• Next week’s opponent: at Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (White Sox)
• Second-half record: 21-39, last place (18.5 GB) in Carolina League North
• Overall season record: 44-82

The Shorebirds’ miserable season is almost over, as just one series remains on their schedule. But there’s not much reason to think that things will improve next year, because they rarely do for the Delmarva club. This marks their fifth consecutive season finishing in last place in their division, and their combined record in that span is 253-394, a winning percentage of .391. Ouch.

The Orioles’ first two 2026 draft picks, outfielders Eric Booth Jr. and Ty Head, are getting their feet wet at this level. Head, with five hits this week, is hitting .321 with an .891 OPS in 15 games. Booth is off to a slower start (.190 AVG, .535 OPS), which is not unexpected for an 18-year-0ld straight out of high school. Two other 2026 draftees, fifth-round shortstop Jimmy Anderson and 10th-round infielder Carlos Sanchez, have also debuted here. They combined to reached base 16 times this week. Overall, though, the Delmarva offense is in a sorry state. They scored a league-worst 15 runs this week and were shut out three times.

A few pitchers from this year’s draft class are with the Shorebirds as well: ninth rounder Collin McKinney, 15th rounder Braden Smith, and 17th rounder Diego Gutierrez, all right-handers. Gutierrez made his pro debut by striking out the side in a scoreless frame. Pretty good start!

Unfortunately, the Esteban Mejia experiment took a turn for the worse. The 19-year-old, who has a 9.06 ERA and 12.08 BB/9, had been seeing success with abbreviated outings of late, tossing three scoreless starts in a row. But this week he faced only three batters, walked all three, and left the game with a cracked fingernail.

Delmarva season stats

**

It was an all Rutschman-trade-prospects poll last week, and Enddy Azocar pulled in 58% of the vote to beat out Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon. Azocar has been in the organization for less than a month and he’s already won two of these polls, joining fellow two-time winners Caden Hunter, Ike Irish, and Aron Estrada. One-time winners include Victor Figueroa, Payton Eeles, Braylin Tavera, Wehiwa Aloy, Jaiden Lo Re, Joseph Dzierwa, Luis De León, and Heston Kjerstad.

There weren’t a lot of showstopping performances this week, so it’s only a two-man ballot. Who’s your pick?