Category: Baseball

Welcome to week 23 of our 2026 NL Central Power Rankings — let’s rank some teams!

1. Milwaukee Brewers (85-52); 4-2 this week; 100.0% chance to make postseason (FanGraphs)

The Brewers started this week taking two of three from the Mets in New York before returning to Milwaukee for a quick three-game homestand against the Rangers over the weekend, with another 2-1 series for their ninth consecutive series win at home.

Jackson Chourio led the offense with three homers as part of a seven-hit week, driving in seven and adding a stolen base. William Contreras, Gary Sánchez, and Brice Turang also homered, while Christian Yelich added seven hits, including three doubles.

Shane Drohan, Kyle Harrison, and Logan Henderson all turned in solid one-run outings, with Henderson leading the way with seven innings and seven strikeouts. Robert Gasser did more than enough in long relief after Dustin May exited one pitch into Wednesday’s game, going 5 1/3 frames with one run allowed and six strikeouts. Aaron Ashby, DL Hall, Antonio Senzatela, and Bryse Wilson combined for 11 2/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, striking out 13 (Trevor Megill also added 2 1/3 innings, allowing only the Manfred runner to score in a walk-off loss to the Mets).

Milwaukee now begins a big stretch against NL Central teams, as their next 16 games come against the Cubs, Reds, and Pirates. It begins with four games against the Cubs at Wrigley before three games against the Reds in Cincinnati.

2. Chicago Cubs (77-60); 2-4 this week; 97.9% chance to make postseason

The Cubs had a bit of a down week overall, as they dropped two of three to the D-backs in Arizona before returning home to drop two of three to the Reds.

Pete Crow-Armstrong, who appears to be the leader for NL MVP at this point in the season, went off for nine hits this week, including five homers and a double, driving home eight runs. Carson Kelly added a pair of homers, while Seiya Suzuki had nine hits, including four doubles and a homer as part of a five-RBI week.

Kevin Gausman earned both wins out of the rotation, allowing five runs across 12 frames with 13 strikeouts. Matthew Boyd went six innings with one run allowed and five strikeouts, while Clay Holmes worked seven scoreless frames with five strikeouts. Colin Rea, Ryan Rolison, and Caleb Thielbar combined for 4 2/3 scoreless bullpen innings, striking out five.

Chicago now plays host to the Brewers for four games before a three-game weekend set against the Marlins in Miami.

3. St. Louis Cardinals (68-70); 2-4 this week; 1.1% chance to make postseason

The Cardinals dropped two of three at home against both the Orioles and Pirates this week, pushing them further out of the NL Wild Card picture.

Joshua Báez, Nathan Church, Jimmy Crooks, Nolan Gorman, Blaze Jordan, and Ramón Urías all homered for St. Louis, while Iván Herrera and Jordan Walker tied for the team lead with six hits apiece. Bryan Torres led the offense, going 5-for-6 in limited opportunities.

Quinn Mathews picked up his first MLB win, going 5 2/3 innings with one run allowed and seven strikeouts. Gordon Graceffo made two appearances (one start), totaling five innings with no runs allowed and seven strikeouts. Ryne Stanek and Cade Winquest led the bullpen, totaling 4 1/3 innings with no runs allowed and six strikeouts.

St. Louis now hits the road on the West Coast, as they’ll visit the Dodgers, Rockies, and Giants for three games apiece over the next week and a half.

4. Pittsburgh Pirates (67-71); 4-2 this week; 1.5% chance to make postseason

The Pirates had a surprisingly solid week, as they managed to take two of three from both the Padres and Cardinals on their road trip this week.

Esmerlyn Valdez led the offense with a pair of homers, while Jared Triolo had eight hits, including a homer. Brandon Lowe, Rafael Flores, and Oneil Cruz all homered, too, while Bryan Reynolds added seven hits.

Braxton Ashcraft made a pair of starts, totaling 11 frames with three runs allowed and five strikeouts. Bubba Chandler went 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs (one earned), Lake Bachar went 3 2/3 innings allowing one run, and Paul Skenes worked six scoreless innings, striking out four. Noah Murdock, Evan Sisk, Mason Montgomery (two saves), and Gregory Soto totaled 10 1/3 scoreless innings for the bullpen, striking out 11.

Pittsburgh now plays host to a pair of West Coast squads in the Giants and Angels this week.

5. Cincinnati Reds (65-72); 3-3 this week; 0.0% chance to make postseason

The Reds continue to struggle, though they did turn in a .500 week, losing two of three to the Giants in San Francisco before winning two of three against the Cubs at Wrigley.

Sal Stewart led the Cincinnati offense with a four-homer week, totaling eight hits with seven RBIs and six runs scored. Héctor Rodríguez added three homers in a seven-hit week, and Tyler Stephenson had eight hits, slugging a pair of homers and a pair of doubles. Elly De La Cruz led the squad with 11 hits, including three doubles.

The Reds didn’t have much to write home about when it came to the pitching staff, but Emilio Pagán led the way with four relief appearances, allowing one run and striking out three over four innings to pick up three saves. Brock Burke and Pierce Johnson combined for three scoreless innings, striking out four.

Cincinnati now hosts the Padres for three games before an off day Thursday. They’ll then host the Brewers over the weekend.

It is technically August 31st, but the Cardinals are off today, which means that when the Cardinals next take the field tomorrow, they are allowed to carry two extra players. They can only carry a maximum of 14 pitchers, so the two new players will be a position player and a pitcher. Last night, it was announced that the two players would be catcher Leonardo Bernal and pitcher Hancel Rincon.

I will be honest guys. I am grateful for this news. I am very out of whack with the Cardinals right now. On August 19th, I watched the Cardinals lose to the Reds. I didn’t catch the game after that because it was a day game and I was at work. And then my vacation got in the way. I was scrambling to pack and clean my house on Friday, and I had to attempt to go to bed early, because I had to be at the airport at 3 that Saturday morning. Then I missed the no-good, terrible week of baseball while in Mexico. This past Saturday was a travel day, so I missed that as well. I did finally watch baseball yesterday.

Nonetheless, I appreciate the absolute layup the Cardinals are throwing me to help me get back into the swing of things. So let’s talk about Bernal and Rincon and why they’re being called up.

Leonardo Bernal

Stats (AAA): 100 G, 431 PAs, .279/.364/.469, 11.8 BB%, 20 K%, .190 ISO, .319 BABIP, 116 wRC+

Bernal was signed out of Panama in January of 2021 for $680,000, following in fellow Panamanian Ivan Herrera’s footsteps. He was sent to the Dominican Summer League that summer, where he struggled with the bat. It was more or less entirely due to a low BABIP – he walked a good amount, didn’t strike out, had good power – but a .224 BABIP is hard to overcome. But the Cardinals clearly saw something, because when he advanced to the United States, they skipped him right to full season ball.

Well, sort of. They were a little more responsible than that. He did next play in Low A, skipping the rookie leagues in America entirely. But his 2022 season didn’t actually start until June. So he got the harder competition, but he ended up playing in just one more game from his DSL season. He rewarded their aggressiveness with a 120 wRC+.

But his bat at this point wasn’t his selling point: it was his glove. Savant pointed out that his glove looked advanced defensively even before signing and that the Cardinals pushed Bernal primarily because of their appreciation for his work ethic on defense. His arm was also a selling point. In all, Baseball Savant graded Bernal at a 55 for fielding and a 55 for arm.

Again, the Cardinals scouting is fairly good at their job and they saw something in Bernal’s 120 wRC+ that didn’t quite pass the sniff test, so the 19-year-old repeated Low A. And his bat got worse, kind of. His xwOBA actually improved significantly from .301 to .329, but his wRC+ dropped to 114 and his power completely disappeared. But the reason he was a comparable hitter was his 15.2 BB%, which more than doubled his walk rate from the previous year. 2023 ended up giving Bernal a stronger approach and it seems like he didn’t really hit the ball any weaker if his x stats is anything to go by despite less power.

But I imagine the Cardinals were nonetheless excited when Bernal showed power again in 2024. He did sacrifice some strikeouts, with a still professional high K% of 22.8%. But he also had his highest BABIP of .333, so he was doing something right. He got a sampling of games in Springfield to end his season, which offensively didn’t go great, but he wasn’t that overmatched.

In a full season at Springfield, I would say his bat was kind of disappointing because it seemed like he had a breakout in High A. But he was barely above average, again due to a low BABIP. Where he shined was defensively, catching 39% of runners who tried to steal. He’s also considered a good receiver, being able to steal strikes. Prospect Savant upped their scouting grades to 60 arm and 60 fielding for this season. Now, we got pretty lucky here. The Cardinal Nation, who rank a lot of prospects, randomly made Bernal’s page free to access. I don’t believe it was made free with this news, but I could be wrong. So I will lean heavily on Kyle Reis for the scouting part of this.

Reis says Bernal is an average MLB blocker who works from the one knee position. So don’t be totally shocked if you are disappointed when balls get past him, that stance does not seem to do catchers any favors. But teams surely know the numbers on this, and I’m guessing to the extent that it hurts a catcher’s blocking, it’s probably not as much as you think and it’s worth whatever benefits it brings. Kyle calls him a “thicc boi” which some might mistake for unathleticism, so ignore those assumptions you have! He finishes his defensive report by calling him a good game caller and above average framer.

As far as his offense is concerned, he’s a true switch hitter. Against right-handed pitchers and as a lefty, Bernal batted .282/.364/.482 for an .846 OPS. Against left-handed pitchers and as a righty, Bernal batted .267/.362/.422 for a .784 OPS. I will warn you about small sample sizes however and point out that in 2025, Bernal had a .848 OPS against left-handed pitchers and a .668 OPS against right-handed pitchers. They were virtually equal in 2024.

As of now, and obviously things can change, we have a very well-rounded catcher coming up to the major leagues. He doesn’t have much swing-and-miss, he has power potential, and he knows how to take a walk. He’s also considered an excellent defender.

I don’t know if worry is the right word, but I already know what him failing as a hitter looks like: he’ll be a low BABIP guy. He’s not fast and he had a .274 BABIP all year in Springfield, one of the best places to hit in baseball. I don’t expect him to strike out, I expect him to walk, and he really doesn’t have a terribly high bar to reach for his power to play at Busch Stadium. See JJ Wetherholt. But it’s hard to overcome a low BABIP. See: JJ Wetherholt.

Hancel Rincon

Stats (AAA): 41 G, 70.2 IP, 30 K%, 10.2 BB%, 47.6 GB%, .284 BABIP, 3.82 ERA/4.26 FIP/3.84 xFIP

Rincon has been around a bit longer and is a bit older. He signed as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in January of 2019. In April that season, he turned 17, and he debuted in the DSL as a starting pitcher. The most notable thing about him was that the Cardinals saw fit to have him pitch 47 innings – sometimes the truest test of which prospects to pay attention to is who the Cardinals throw in games a lot – because his performance was… fine. Below average K rate, normal BB rate, groundball rate under 40%. Nothing prospect worthy.

The Cardinals agreed, because two years and a pandemic later, he was still at the DSL in 2021. This time, his stats were great, but he was also 19 playing against a lot of hitters younger than him. In 2022, he started in the complex league, had a fantastic K/BB ratio, and the Cardinals promoted him for 8 starts in Low A. He held his own there, then spent all of 2023 in Low A. He was okay, not really that interesting in a prospect way cause he had a low strikeout rate.

He spent all of 2024 in High A. Still not that interesting as a prospect cause he’s still not missing bats. Things improved in 2025 when he suddenly gained the ability to miss bats. Weirder still, his BB rate didn’t balloon and in fact his groundball rate got a lot better too. But things got extremely weird when he was promoted to AA and suddenly dominated the competition. Unfortunately, his season ended prematurely to injury.

Want to know an advantage of being an International free agent? Rincon moved through the system at somewhat of a glacial place, he in fact missed an entire year to COVID, and he still found himself in AAA at the age of 24 entering this season. He spent three seasons in the DSL and 2+ seasons in High A. He did advance quickly at opportune times to be fair – he barely spent any time in the complex league and he really didn’t spend that much time in AA either. But yeah you can’t have this minor league career drafted out of college, that’s for sure.

In a weaker system, I kind of wonder if the Cardinals continue try developing him as a starter. But they settled for a multi-inning reliever instead. Part of that reasoning is he has a weak fastball. I know we’re tired of pitchers with weak fastballs in the rotation. So I’m sure there will not be grumbling about his move to the bullpen. A changeup grip change suddenly made his changeup a bat-missing pitch to pair with his bat-missing slider. Pair that with good command and you can see how his profile works in the bullpen.

Why them?

In Bernal’s case, one reason is he’s pretty clearly – from the information we know – the best position player in Memphis. I don’t think that’s a controversial statement. The only other player on the 40 man is Victor Scott and aside from Scott having a 78 wRC+ in Memphis, he’s also kind of the exact same player as Nathan Church. Church, who isn’t even hitting well, is outhitting Scott’s numbers in Memphis. And his offense, at least so far, doesn’t play at all in the corners. It doesn’t really even play in center, but hypothetically it could. An 80 wRC+ will never play in the corners.

Colton Ledbetter is an option, but his stats aren’t really promotion worthy and he’s not on the 40 man either. And I suspect Everson Pereira is coming back soon, which honestly is another reason no Scott. Outside of that, they have Ramon Mendoza, who is fun, but is essentially another Bryan Torres/Ramon Urias/Jose Fermin/Cesar Prieto/how is this half our team now? No seriously, one of these guys on the team is fun, your entire bench and a starter or two not so much. Good luck to Mendoza, I hope you make it one day.

As far as Rincon, well the choices were him or Cooper Hjerpe. And the Cardinals seem to be acting like Hjerpe is no choice at all for some reason. But Rincon is a good choice. On a team with 3.5 healthy starters, they can use every single relief pitcher who is at least in theory capable of throwing in 3 inning bunches. I think that describes Rincon. The only other pitchers it describes are their legitimate starting pitching prospects not on the 40 who also don’t need to be added to the 40 man either: Jurrangelo Cjintje, Brandt Thompson, Mason Molina.

They could have gone the path of least resistance with Matt Svanson, but clearly he’s not a reliable bet for 3 innings. They could have gone Pete Hansen who is basically Rincon who hasn’t been moved to the pen, but I think they moved Rincon to the pen because they think his stuff will play up in shorter stints and they’re less convinced that is true for Hansen. And that’s pretty much it. The other relief options (Austin Love, Skylar Hales) haven’t been any good.

Oliver Marmol has probably his most difficult task yet: figuring out how to get playing time to four different catchers. I legitimately cannot imagine that Ivan Herrera will still play catcher going forward or this move makes no sense. It’s much easier to imagine the playing time if Herrera is just planted at DH. I don’t really know when Pedro Pages will ever play, because now you can start Bernal against lefties. So good luck to him and his few opportunities.

And the bullpen, he at least has some serious flexibility. Until Andre Pallante returns, he’s got a glorified bullpen game two out of every five starts. And yes, I’m counting Kyle Leahy as a bullpen game, if he’s only throwing 3 innings, it’s a bullpen game. But he has Brycen Mautz, Rincon, and you can even push Gordon Graceffo for 3 innings. Cade Winquest is another multi-inning threat with the amount of pitches in his arsenal. And on the right day, most of the bullpen not named Riley O’Brien and Ryne Stanek are capable of throwing more than one inning. So he’s going to have to earn his paycheck with the current set-up of the roster, so that will be interesting to follow.

Until then though, we get to see a legitimate, top 10 prospect in the system maybe to help them better make a decision on who to trade in the offseason and we get to see how much of a relief threat Rincon can be, which should also make planning the future easier. Failures from either doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t a part of the future, but the way they fail can tell the Cardinals a lot and of course if they don’t fail, they can put them in their plans. And hey if they succeed in a way they don’t trust, good trade bait! Lots of good reasons these two are the pick, all we have to do is see how they perform.

This was the 21st week of full minor league play (stats are entering play on Sunday, August 30th).

According to FanGraphs (which factors in age and proximity to the big leagues), prospect Theo Gillen tops the system and might just find himself in the running for Minor League Player of the Year. Gillen ranks 5th among all minor leaguers while Caden Bodine ranks 6th.

Meanwhile, Aidan Cremarosa remains the top hurler in the system despite spending several weeks on the Injured List. Thus far in his first professional season, Cremarosa has a 2.89 ERA | 2.98 FIP with a 30.4 K% & 5.4 BB% over 71.2 IP in Single-A. FanGraphs has ranked the 22-year old as the 30th top prospect in the Rays system.

RUMBLINGS

• Jhon Diaz, the team’s largest signing from the 2019 international class, had a solid week. The 23-year old launched three homeruns over three consecutive games in High-A.
• Austin Slater was released.
• Jared Oliva, a 30-year outfielder, signed a minor league deal with the Rays. He appeared in seven games earlier this season for the Giants and was most recently with the Mets before being designated for assignment on July 9th.
• Xavier Isaac and Caden Bodine made good impressions for their respective first weeks in Triple-A. Isaac launched a 400+ foot homerun to the opposite field while Caden Bodine had a multi-HR day, going deep from each side of the plate.

TEAM LEADERS

• Must currently be assigned to that team
• Baseball America’s top ten prospects are featured below each team they’re currently assigned to.
• (minimum of 220 TBF & PA)

Tampa Bay Rays

Top 10 Prospects

• None currently on active roster

Durham Bulls

Team Offensive Leaders:
AVG: .252, Blake Sabol
OBP: .335, Tatem Levins
SLG: .401, Blake Sabol
HR: 12, Logan Davidson
wRC+: 88, Blake Sabol
SB: 35, Homer Bush Jr

Team Pitching Leaders:
ERA: 2.58, Evan Reifert
FIP: 3.33, Ty Johnson
K%: 34.9% Ty Johnson
BB%: 3.9%, Mason Englert
WHIP: 0.95, Ty Johnson
AVG: .167, Ty Johnson
WHIFF%: 16.3%, Ty Johnson

Top 10 Prospects

• #3 Brody Hopkins
  • AAA: 5.46 ERA | 5.06 FIP | 26.9 K% | 21.6 BB% | .204 AVG | 12.4 WHIFF% | 89 IP
• #5 Caden Bodine
  • AAA: .533/.500/1.067 | 25.0 K% | 0.0 BB% | 2 HR | 1 SB | 283 wRC+ | 16 PA
  • AA: .316/.397/.447 | 6.7 K% | 11.2 BB% | 5 HR | 4 SB | 128 wRC+ | 179 PA
  • A+: .341/.411/.477 | 6.6 K% | 7.3 BB% | 4 HR | 3 SB | 132 wRC+ | 151 PA
  • A: .379/.433/.614 | 3.9 K% | 9.2 BB% | 5 HR | 1 SB | 175 wRC+ | 152 PA
    • 8/25: Promoted to Triple-A
    • 6/30: Promoted to Double-A
    • 5/19: Promoted to High-A

Montgomery Biscuits

Team Offensive Leaders:
AVG: .309, Austin Overn
OBP: .395, Austin Overn
SLG: .565, Austin Overn
HR: 24, Will Simpson
wRC+: 151, Austin Overn
SB: 48, Austin Overn

Team Pitching Leaders:
ERA: 4.43, Chris Clark
FIP: 4.75, Chris Clark
K%: 25.2%, Jackson Baumeister
BB%:  3.5%, Santiago Suarez
WHIP 1.21, Chris Clark
AVG: .225, Jackson Baumeister
WHIFF%: 14.1%, Jackson Baumeister

Top 10 Prospects

• #1 Theo Gillen
  • AA: .291/.407/.514 | 20.3 K% | 15.2 BB% | 9 HR | 14 SB | 144 wRC+ | 217 PA
  • A+: .342/.449/.589 | 23.8 K% | 14.3 BB% | 12 HR | 28 SB | 165 wRC+ | 265 PA
    • 6/23: Promoted to Double-A
• #10 Santiago Suarez
  • AA: 4.82 ERA | 4.92 FIP | 19.0 K% | 3.5 BB% | .270 AVG | 11.3 WHIFF% | 114 IP

Bowling Green Hot Rods

Team Offensive Leaders:
AVG: .287, Tony Santa Maria
OBP: .418, Ryan McCoy
SLG: .544, Ryan McCoy
HR: 21, Nathan Flewelling
wRC+: 147, Ryan McCoy
SB: 52, Tony Santa Maria

Team Pitching Leaders:
ERA: 4.06, Noah Beal
FIP: 4.26, Noah Beal
K%: 28.2%, Trevor Harrison
BB%: 5.2%, Dominic Niman
WHIP: 1.27, Dominic Niman
AVG: .232, Noah Beal
WHIFF%: 17.7%, Noah Beal

Top 10 Prospects

• #4 Nathan Flewelling
  • A+: .237/.361/.451 | 27.1 K% | 14.8 BB% | 21 HR | 8 SB | 111 wRC+ | 465 PA
• #9 Anderson Brito
  • A+: 3.34 ERA | 4.50 FIP | 28.8 K% | 14.4 BB% | .240 AVG | 13.4 WHIFF% | 32.1 IP
    • 5/23: Placed on 7-day Injured List

Charleston River Dogs

Team Offensive Leaders:
AVG: .330, Brady Marget
OBP: .429, Brady Marget
SLG: .473, Brady Marget
HR: 10, Cooper Flemming
wRC+: 146, Brady Marget
SB: 37, Alberth Palma

Team Pitching Leaders:
ERA: 2.69, Jacob Kuhn
FIP: 2.98, Aidan Cremarosa
K%: 30.4%, Aidan Cremarosa
BB%: 5.1%, Aidan Haugh
WHIP: 0.85, Aidan Cremarosa
AVG: .176, Aidan Cremarosa
WHIFF%: 15.8%, Aidan Cremarosa

Top 10 Prospects

• #2 Grady Emerson
  • A: .179/.303/.250 | 18.2 K% | 15.2 BB% | 0 HR | 0 SB | 63 wRC+ | 33 PA
• #6 Cooper Flemming
  • A: .293/.377/.443 | 17.7 K% | 10.3 BB% | 10 HR | 15 SB | 124 wRC+ | 497 PA
• #7 Taitn Gray
  • A: .296/.389/.457 | 22.4 K% | 12.6 BB% | 7 HR | 11 SB | 130 wRC+ | 294 PA
  • CPX: .333/.400/.611 | 20.0 K% | 5.0 BB% | 1 HR | 0 SB | 140 wRC+ | 20 PA
    • 6/1: Placed on the 7-day IL
    • 7/14: Began rehab assignment
    • 7/28: Activated from the IL
• #9 Daniel Pierce
  • A: .252/.336/.390 | 28.6 K% | 7.9 BB% | 4 HR | 6 SB | 101 wRC+ | 140 PA
    • 4/22: Placed on the 7-day IL
    • 5/2: Activated from the IL
    • Hasn’t played since May 30th. Underwent shoulder surgery. Likely out for the year

Good morning baseball fans!

It’s a new week of San Francisco Giants baseball, and it’s gonna be a busy one on the road.

First up, the Giants will head to Atlanta to make-up the June 18th game against the Braves this afternoon.

After that, they’ll head north to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three-game series. Then they’ll begin a three-game series against the New York Mets.

Personally, I’m most interested in the Braves game. Because it’s only one game and they can only inflict one game’s worth of damage.

Which series are you most interested in this week?

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants play the make-up game against the Braves this afternoon at 3:05 p.m. PT.

Good morning.

• It’s always news when the Red Sox play the Yankees, and the Red Sox are a little salty right now as the Bronx Bombers took 3 of 4. Jake Mintz has four takeaways from the series.
• The Red Sox were also furious when a play by center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela was ruled a trap rather than a catch. (The Athletic sub. req.) Jen McCaffrey reports. It sure looks like the umps got the call correct, but not from the camera angles that the Red Sox broadcast on NESN showed.
• Red Sox radio broadcaster Will Fleming called for Red Sox pitcher Jovani Morán to hit Austin Wells and start a fight with Jazz Chisholm Jr. (The Athletic sub. req.) after Chisholm stole second and third while the Yankees were up six runs.
• Jorge Castillo writes that frustrations are mounting in the Red Sox dugout.
• Castillo also gives an updates on what’s next for injured Yankees, including Aaron Judge and Max Fried.
• Mike Axisa explains how the Yankees can still save their bullpen after the injury to Fernando Cruz.
• Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani did not return to pitching over the weekend after not feeling “100%.” When he will pitch again is unknown.
• Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte is expected to rejoin the team today (Monday), hopefully putting an end to that soap opera.
• Congratulations to Curaçao, which won the Little League World Series. The last Curaçao team to win the LLWS had Jurickson Profar and Jonathon Schoop on it. So keep an eye on these kids.
• Stephen Borelli has more on the Curaçao team and how the LLWS was a victory for “Curaçao cool.”
• ESPN paid tribute to longtime baseball voice Karl Ravech at the end of the their broadcast, Ravech’s last for the network.
• Alyssa Haduck has the story of how Little League remembers the legacy of a member of the 1991 Staten Island team that lost the LLWS final, but went on to become a firefighter who died on 9/11.
• Today (Monday) is the final day teams to add players and still have them eligible for the playoffs. Since the trade deadline has passed, the only way to add players is through waivers. Jon Becker explains the process and has some players who might be posted and claimed on waivers today.
• One player who is available is Mets outfielder Luis Robert Jr., who was placed on waivers this weekend.
• Michael Baumann knows they have no chance of being agreed to, but he looks at all the non-salary cap changes that MLB has proposed and what impact they’d have on the game.
• Travis Sawchik has five dark horse teams that could be dangerous in the postseasons—if they manage to make the playoffs.
• Mike Axisa looks at how the National League Rookie of the Year race has changed now that Cardinals infielder JJ Wetherholt has hit the injured list.
• Will Sammon explains why the Mets didn’t just shut outfielder Juan Soto down for the season. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• The Mariners put right-hander Emerson Hancock on the IL with a strained adductor.
• Twins outfielder Byron Buxton went on the IL with a hip impingement. Because of course he did. Add Buxton to the list of guys who had a good chance to go to Cooperstown were it not for injures.
• Ryan Blake is impressed with the Royals’ Jac Caglianone’s sophomore season after one of the worst rookie seasons this century.
• Max Scherzer passed Gaylord Perry to take ninth place on the all-time strikeout list.
• All 20 pitchers with 3,000 strikeouts.
• Giants coach Ron Wotus got ejected from Game 1 of Saturday’s doubleheader during the lineup card exchange.
• Rockies rookie outfielder Cole Carrigg has been benched for a “few games” after he flipped the bird to a Braves fan.
• The Padres lost to the Rays thanks in large part to one of the goofier plays you’ll ever see. Padres outfielder Samad Taylor caught the ball in left field, but then he hit the wall and the ball left his glove and went over it.

Samad Taylor had the last out in his glove, ran into the wall, and it came out of his glove and over it for a 2 run home run. Rays tie it in the 9th

Unbelievable#padrespic.twitter.com/9d1ZbK5wfD

— Padres Central (@PadresCentral_) August 30, 2026

• Jason Foster has ten of the greatest baseball bloopers in history. Or at least the history we have video for.
• Alden Gonzalez reports that a Dominican prospect who agreed to a for $2.8 million deal with the Guadians has been suspended for age-fraud. I thought those days were over, but this was a pretty elaborate plot.
• Tarik Skubal had bought a high-end espresso machine for the Tigers clubhouse, but when he was traded to the Dodgers, he took the machine with him. To make matters worse, he blamed his wife for taking it. He’s going to get $300 million this winter and somehow he can’t leave his old teammates a $10,000 espresso machine?
• The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, the High-A Brewers affiliate, wore their lederhosen-style “Brats” uniforms in honor of Octoberfest this past weekend.
• The uniforms are going viral in part because of rehabbing major leaguer Abner Uribe wearing them. (The Athletic sub. req.) Johnny Flores has more on the uniforms and Uribe’s rehab appearance.
• And finally, Anthony Castrovince has the details on the Trajekt pitching machine that is trying to give hitters an edge in facing the vicious stuff that major league pitchers have today.

Let’s start with what actually happened.

The Red Sox went 1-3 against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium over the weekend. They got outscored 26-9 across four games. On Sunday, they lost 16-1. That’s a brutal number to stare at, and nobody should pretend otherwise, even with a bunch of runs coming off of Andruw Monasterio (seriously, do we need position players pitching?). The Yankees are 4 games ahead of Boston now, at 78-59 to the Sox’s 74-63, and the Wild Card lead sits at 5 games. That’s a decent cushion but still feels ominous enough to bungle.

So. Panic?

No. But not everything from this weekend is dismissible either, and the honest conversation sits somewhere in the middle.

The stuff to ignore

The 16-1 loss was ugly. It’s also the type of thing that happens to every team in baseball over the course of a season. Blowouts are part of the game—they’re usually a combination of a pitcher having a bad day (Ranger Suarez was fine until the 5th, but that 5th was an otherworldly level of bad so it makes the whole start bad) and an offense that gets hot at exactly the wrong time for the other team (yes the Yankees are a homer-dependent team, doesn’t mean they can’t score otherwise). One 16-1 loss tells you nothing useful about whether this team can compete in October. Neither does losing 9-2 in a night game after already playing a doubleheader opener. Teams get flat. Bad games can come in clusters.

And Saturday’s first game—the 6-0 shutout win—is at least as instructive as the 16-1 loss. The Red Sox, when right, can go into Yankee Stadium and shut that lineup down completely. That game happened. It’s in the results. This isn’t a team that goes to the Bronx and can’t compete. It’s a team that competed, split a doubleheader, and then had a bad Sunday.

This team is also 25-11 since the All-Star Break. That’s the best record in baseball over that stretch. One 1-3 series doesn’t erase that. The standings still have Boston in a Wild Card spot with a month to go. The rotation is intact. The bullpen has been outstanding. Roman Anthony is back. The pieces are still there.

The real worries

The offense—and not just from this weekend. The Yankees series was the latest data point, not the first. The Red Sox also didn’t hit in Miami, and the pattern of leaving runners on base and going quiet against quality pitching has been showing up for a few weeks now. The Friday loss—the 1-0 game—is the starkest example: Cam Schlittler walked five Red Sox batters and the offense couldn’t score. Ten men left on base. Was some of it bad luck? Sure. A lot of it was an approach issue, namely from one overzealous baserunner. When a pitcher is handing you free base runners and you can’t cash in, that’s a real conversation about whether this lineup is as dangerous as it looked in July.

Then there’s Trevor Story. He’s finally back from Worcester, where he really struggled with the bat. Which raises a fair and uncomfortable question: if Story wasn’t hitting at Triple-A, what does bringing him back to the major league roster actually solve? The lineup needs run production right now, not a veteran name. Story has earned the benefit of the doubt after everything he’s been through, but Cad Tracy is going to have to make a clear-eyed decision about whether this team is better with him in the lineup or without him. At the very least, Roman Anthony looks more ready and the roster expansion is here right quick to add some depth to the stretch run of September.

The 9-2 and 16-1 losses also suggest the pitching isn’t airtight. One blowout is an aberration. Two lopsided losses in the same series raises a fair question about depth and durability. Sonny Gray is noticeably absent from the Mariners series. Garrett Crochet isn’t near coming back yet, Ranger Suarez has really imploded over the last month, you can’t rely on Patrick Sandoval on a constant basis. That leaves Peyton Tolle and Jake Bennett to carry a lot of this load, and that’s enormous pressure on two kids who have thrown a lot of innings. Brayan Bello exists, but he wasn’t exactly infallible on Saturday night in Game 2.

And then there’s the managing question. Jen McCarthy had a piece in The Athletic this week arguing that Chad Tracy has been managing like it’s already October—namely the three consecutive pinch hits in Friday’s bout—while it didn’t reap rewards, it’s the aggressive move you see from teams trying everything to win. It’s a fair point, and it’s going to get even more nerve-wracking from here. Tracy’s aggressive approach is part of why this team has won the games it’s won. It’s also the kind of approach that can leave you shorthanded when October actually arrives. That tension isn’t going away.

The Yankees are also just a very good baseball team. At 78-59 they’re playing at a .569 clip and they’re doing it in a ballpark that plays in their favor. Boston is going to have to either catch them or hold off everyone else for the Wild Card, and this weekend was a reminder that neither of those things is going to be easy.

The verdict

Don’t panic. Do pay attention. The Red Sox are still in this thing, still well-positioned in the Wild Card race, and still built around a core that has spent the last two months playing the best baseball in the American League. One bad series in the Bronx doesn’t change the trajectory.

But the offense needs to find its legs again in September, because that 10-LOB performance on Friday is not the version of this team that’s going to make a run in October. This could be the right time to add back these injured players, or it could be the worst time to blow up team chemistry. You just never know. The pitching staff is going to need more than the top of the rotation to carry it through 25 more regular season games and whatever comes after.

The magic at Fenway is real, and so is the 25-11 run. The path to the playoffs is still clearly in front of this squad. What this weekend should do is sharpen the focus, not trigger the alarm. There’s a difference between those two things, and right now, this team needs the former.

September starts now (well, tomorrow). Let’s see what they’re made of.

If there is one thing about the Atlanta Braves, they currently enjoy dramatic baseball. Fortunately, they also enjoy winning baseball. Matt Olson provided the latest chapter with a walk-off hit to earn the Braves a 3-2 victory and a series sweep over the Rockies. Tyler Mahle once again looked fantastic, while both Sean Murphy and Ronald Acuna Jr. continued to return to form over the weekend. Ten days ago, the Braves were badly seeking positive momentum. Now they have plenty of it with seven straight wins as they enter a stretch of games against the NL East this week.

Braves News

Eric Hartman continues to add to his historic season and meteoric rise on the farm.

Mark Bowman looks at how the Braves, though in dramatic fashion, are simply taking care of business with their seventh straight victory.

MLB News

The Rays won a 5-4 game over the Padres that included the potential final out for San Diego being dropped over the wall for a game-tying home run.

Pete Crow-Armstrong continues to solidify his MVP candidacy with another historic performance.

It looks as if Tony Vitello will be back with the Giants in 2o27.

Byron Buxton once again lands on the IL with a hip injury.

The Feed

Another fun prospect to keep tabs on is Dixon Williams, as he is yet another power/speed combo prospect putting up impressive numbers in the minors.

Sweeping the Angels was needed, particularly as they head on to Arizona. We all know how well they play once there, so getting these three wins was a must.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• The front office has themselves a little shuffle this week. The big question was: why? In this piece, we get the answer to that question ($).
• Baserunning and the Phillies are not exactly what we’d call “friends”. Don Mattingly isn’t worried about how rough it has been.

MLB news:

• Ketel Marte is going to address his teammates when he is eligible to come off the injured list. Wonder how that’s gonna go.
• James Click won a World Series with one American League West team and is now generating interest as a GM from another team in the West.
• I know he was the perfect trade candidate for the Phillies, but man, seeing Byron Buxton always needing to go on the injured list would be a bummer.
• Mitch Garver wants to know what he’s doing next for the rest of the season.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: L, 13-10 Worcester Red Sox — fell behind 10-3, rallied to make it 10-9 but ultimately fell

CF Jarred Kelenic 1-5, 2B, 2 K
3B Anthony Volpe 3-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI, BB, K — homered in consecutive at-bats
LF Jasson Domínguez 3-5, 2B
2B Marco Luciano 2-5, HR, 2 RBI, 3 K — 424-foot bomb brought Scranton within one
C J.C. Escarra 2-5, 2B, RBI, K
SS Max Schuemann 3-4, RBI, BB
RF Yanquiel Fernández 0-4, BB
1B Tyler Hardman 2-5, HR, 3 RBI
DH Ernesto Martinez Jr. 1-5, HR, RBI, K

Kyle Carr 2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 HR (loss) — just the second start for Carr off the IL
Xavier Rivas 4 IP, 9H, 9 R, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 HR — Triple-A has just gone terribly for Rivas
Travis MacGregor 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
Carson Coleman 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 2 HR

Anthony Volpe joins the party with SWB’s third homer of the inning! 🔥🔥🔥#RepBXpic.twitter.com/DDPBdu6sbp

— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) August 30, 2026

AV x2️⃣

Anthony Volpe homers in back-to-back ABs! #RepBXpic.twitter.com/S9aWfL3Jre

— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) August 30, 2026

Double-A Somerset Patriots: L, 7-4 vs. Akron RubberDucks

DH Jace Avina 1-5, SB
SS Core Jackson 1-5, 2B, K
2B Roderick Arias 0-3, BB
C Omar Alfonzo 1-4, RBI, K — roped a 105-mph single
RF DJ Gladney 0-1, 2 BB, K
3B Coby Morales 1-3, RBI, K, SF
1B Josh Moylan 0-2, BB, K
CF Cole Gabrielson 0-3, RBI, BB, K
LF Jackson Castillo 1-4, K

Bryce Cunningham 6 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 0 BB, 7 K, 3 HR (loss) — quite a strange line for Cunningham
Geoffrey Gilbert 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R 0 BB, 1 K
Yerry Rodríguez 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K
Hueston Morrill 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Bryce Cunningham (@Yankees No. 9 Prospect) FLASHING the CHANGEUP in a 2⃣-strikeout first inning! 💪 pic.twitter.com/QKI0xPnH4N

— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) August 30, 2026

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades: L, 5-2 vs. Brooklyn Cyclones

DH Eric Genther 2-3, RBI, K, HBP
SS Jackson Lovich 1-4, 2B, 2 K
1B Kyle West 0-4, 3 K
CF Maika Niu 0-3, BB, K, SB
C David McCann 0-4, 2 K
RF Dean Toigo 1-4, RBI, K
2B Enmanuel Tejeda 1-2, BB
3B Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 0-3
LF Robbie Burnett 0-3, K, fielding error

Danny Flatt 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Bryce Warrecker 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Jose M. Rodriguez 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 K (loss, blown save)
Hansel Rincon 1.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K
Brady Kirtner 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K

WHAT A CATCH BY MAIKA NIU!!!!😱😱😱😱 pic.twitter.com/p1dgqFgvDr

— Hudson Valley Renegades (@HVRenegades) August 30, 2026

Low-A Tampa Tarpons: W, 7-3 at Jupiter Hammerheads

SS Dax Kilby 0-2, 3 BB
CF Yostin Pena 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, BB, K — his fifth at the level, remains on a crazy upward trajectory
RF Wilberson De Pena 0-4, 2 K
LF Diego Castellanos 1-4, BB, SB, CS
C Luis Puello 0-3, 2 BB, throwing error
1B Tyce Armstrong 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI
3B Anthony Potestio 1-3, BB, K, SB, CS, fielding eror
DH Luke Pettitte 0-3, BB, 2 K
2B Blake Schaaf 0-1, RBI, 2 BB, K, CS

Wyatt Parliament 3.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K
Pedro Rodriguez 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (win)
Antonio Gomez 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 K (hold) — another bump in Gomez’s catcher-to-pitcher switch
Justin West 4.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K (save) — old-fashioned 13-out save

YOSTINNNNNN PENNNNNNAAAAA!! This kid is unreal!

His 5th HR in Tampa: 108.6 mph / 23 deg / 423 ft

He's 2-2 with a BB today
.365 AVG
1.051 OPS

This kid is going to find himself on top 100 lists at the end of the season. He is a spectacle pic.twitter.com/EiIpIxOp9P

— Yankees Stats (@ChrisCoop_) August 30, 2026

🎙️Yostin Peña makes a diving catch in CF!#RepBx#Yankeespic.twitter.com/7p6I7LOIhp

— YankeesFarm (@YankeesFarm) August 30, 2026

Florida Complex League Yankees: Season over

Dominican Summer League Yankees: Season over

Dominican Summer League Bombers: Season over

Last Week’s Results:

• Tuesday: Mets 3, Brewers 2
• Wednesday: Brewers 8, Mets 1
• Thursday: Brewers 8, Mets 2
• Friday: Brewers 6, Rangers 1
• Saturday: Brewers 5, Rangers 3
• Sunday: Rangers 7, Brewers 4

Division Standings:

• Brewers 85-52
• Cubs 77-60 (8 GB)
• Cardinals 68-70 (17.5 GB)
• Pirates 67-71 (18.5 GB)
• Reds 65-72 (20 GB)

Last Week:

• Brewers: 4-2
• Cubs: 2-4
• Cardinals: 2-4
• Pirates: 4-2
• Reds: 3-3

Top Pitching Performance of the Week

Four Brewers pitchers made starts of at least five innings with just one run allowed this week… and none of them was Jacob Misiorowski. So if you’re wondering if the Milwaukee rotation had a good week, yes, yes they did. But with a nod to Kyle Harrison, Robert Gasser, and Shane Drohan, this award must go to Logan Henderson, who pitched seven stellar innings on Friday night en route to a 6-1 Brewers win in the series opener with the Rangers. Henderson was just one over the minimum (his sole blemish was a solo homer to Danny Jansen) while striking out seven in what was, by game score, the best outing of his career.

Kid just produces one historic stat after another pic.twitter.com/9MLBPFl1Zp

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) August 29, 2026

Top Hitting Performance of the Week

There were several Brewers who swung the bat well this week. Could we be seeing a Christian Yelich renaissance? He was 7-for-17 with three doubles. Joey Ortiz continues to swing the bat and hit .375 with a triple in 16 at-bats. In his return to the lineup, Sal Frelick was 5-for-14 (.357) with a couple of RBIs. William Contreras was big: he hit .350/.417/.600 with a homer, two doubles, and five RBIs. Luis Lara hit .353 and felt like he had good at-bats almost every time up.

But let’s give some space here to Jackson Chourio. After an awful game on Tuesday, Chourio was benched on Wednesday… only to return to the lineup with a vengeance on Thursday. From Thursday through Sunday, Chourio was 7-for-18 with three homers, two of which came on a 4-for-5 night on Thursday. Chourio is up to 20 homers on the season, and as a guy obsessed with baseball history, this is notable to me and worth highlighting quickly. With three 20-homer seasons through his age-22 season, Chourio added his name to a remarkable list:

• Mel Ott (511 career HR, in the Hall of Fame)
• Ted Williams (521 career HR, in the HOF, arguably the greatest hitter of all time)
• Eddie Mathews (512 career HR, in the HOF)
• Mickey Mantle (536 career HR, in the HOF)
• Al Kaline (399 career HR, in the HOF)
• Frank Robinson (586 career HR, in the HOF)
• Orlando Cepeda (379 career HR, in the HOF)
• Ken Griffey Jr. (630 career HR, in the HOF)
• Tony Conigliaro (166 career HR, hit in face by baseball that ruined his career when he was 22)
• Bob Horner (218 career HR, basically done at age 28 because of injuries and collusion)
• Alex Rodriguez (696 career HR, would be in the HOF if not for *gestures*)
• Giancarlo Stanton (456 career HR, an MVP, outside shot at the HOF)
• Mike Trout (424 career HR, a HOF lock)
• Bryce Harper (390 career HR, two MVPs, a HOF near-lock)
• Carlos Correa (203 career HR, would have a solid HOF case if not for injuries)
• Juan Soto (265 career HR, still only 27, essentially a HOF lock)

Pretty good stuff.

Injury Notes & Roster Moves

• Sal Frelick is back. After missing over a month, Frelick returned to the lineup on Thursday and had a pretty nice weekend. To make room on the roster, Jonathan Ornelas was designated for assignment, cleared waivers, and was assigned to Triple-A Nashville.
• The big bullpen news this week: Abner Uribe and JoJo Romero both pitched twice with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on rehab assignments. Uribe’s return is presumably imminent, and Romero shouldn’t be far behind. Plus, their time in Appleton gave us this picture:

Abner Uribe in a Brats Jersey, anyone? #Brewerspic.twitter.com/roZk3SQtyk

— Chris Mehring (@CMehring) August 29, 2026

• Besides that, not much to report, which is good news at this point in the season!

On Deck

• Monday: @ Cubs (6:40 p.m.)
• Tuesday: @ Cubs (6:40 p.m.)
• Wednesday: @ Cubs (6:40 p.m.)
• Thursday: @ Cubs (6:15 p.m.)
• Friday: @ Reds (5:10 p.m.)
• Saturday: @ Reds (5:40 p.m.)
• Sunday: @ Reds (11:10 a.m.)

The Detroit Tigers played things close with the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers for most of the weekend, but came away with just one win in the three-game series after a 6-1 defeat on Sunday afternoon. Framber Valdez gave his team five frames of one-run ball, but a hung changeup in the sixth broke a 1-1 tie and opened things up for the eventual loss.

Next up for the Motor City Kitties is a six-game road trip against a pair of American League Central rivals starting on Monday night against the Minnesota Twins.

Opening the three-game series for the Olde English D is right-hander Jackson Jobe, who is still getting his feel back after returning from Tommy John surgery earlier this month. The 24-year-old has kept his team in the thick of things over his last two starts, posting a 1.86 ERA and 3.81 FIP across 9 2/3 innings, allowing eight hits and six walks while striking out seven and hitting a batter.

For the Twinkies, fellow righty Taj Bradley will take the mound looking to end a rough month of August on a high note. The 25-year-old put up a subpar 5.40 ERA but a decent 3.98 FIP over his last five starts stretching across 26 2/3 innings, allowing 28 hits (three home runs) and a whopping 14 walks while striking out 30, hitting a batter and uncorking a wild pitch, earning a pair of losses along the way.

Bradley has faced the Tigers twice this year already with very different results between the two. On April 7 in Minneapolis, he threw 6 1/3 frames of one-run ball on six hits, no walks and 10 strikeouts for his second win of the season; on June 9 in Detroit, he coughed up five runs on seven hits (three home runs) and three walks while striking out three for his third loss of the summer.

Take a look below at how the two match up for the AL Central battle starting on Monday night.

Detroit Tigers (63-73) vs. Minnesota Twins (65-72)

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 137: RHP Jackson Jobe (1-1, 3.93 ERA) vs. RHP Taj Bradley (9-6, 3.97 ER)

Player	G	IP	K%	BB%	GB%	FIP	fWAR
Jobe	4	18.1	18.8	10.0	55.6	4.66	0.1
Bradley	26	147.1	27.0	10.0	34.6	3.90	2.1

JOBE

BRADLEY

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

The Orioles, for all their trials and tribulations throughout this 2026 campaign, are on the brink of being a .500 team again. The Birds’ sweep in Sacramento has pushed them to a 68-69 record, the first time since April 30 that they’ve been within a game of .500. On six other occasions since then, they’ve climbed to two games under, only to immediately lose. This time the O’s got over the hump thanks to yesterday’s comeback win against the Athletics. Check out Alex Church’s recap of the exciting finale, which featured a vintage Gunnar Henderson performance and more lefty-mashing Coby Mayo magic.

Back in March, if you’d told me that we would finish August by celebrating the Orioles almost being a .500 team, well…that would have been my first clue that the 2026 season didn’t quite go as planned. Indeed it hasn’t, for reasons that we probably don’t need to rehash. At times the Orioles have appeared to be light years away from contention, sinking to a season-worst nine games under .500 by the of June. But they’ve shown plenty of gumption since then to rally back to where they are now. They’re not exactly steamrolling the league, and plenty of flaws on the roster still remain, but the O’s have been playing a better brand of baseball for nearly two months.

This road trip is a good example. The Birds haven’t been dominant, with their starting rotation in particular showing some cracks, but they’ve managed to get their offense clicking and tighten up their often-shaky defense. The bullpen is a perpetual enigma, constantly working themselves both into and out of jams, but they’ve gotten the job done more often than not.

The O’s absolutely needed to have a winning road trip against three teams that they should be able to beat, and at 5-1, they’ve already clinched that. They took the series in St. Louis and swept the atrocious A’s in three games decided by one or two runs. But the Birds can’t take their foot off the gas pedal now. Three games remain against the Rockies, who are tied with the Angels for the worst record in baseball, and it’s a chance for the Orioles to stack up two or three more wins if they stay focused. The Orioles avoided a letdown in Sacramento and will need to do the same in Colorado. A victory in tonight’s opener would get them back to .500 for the first time in four months.

Yesterday’s win didn’t gain the Orioles any ground in the wild card race but allowed them to keep pace with the Guardians, who routed the Royals earlier in the day. The O’s remain a game behind Cleveland for the third wild card spot. They’re also trying to hold off the Blue Jays, who are a half game back of the Birds, and the Rangers, who are one game behind Baltimore. The Twins, Mariners, and Tigers seem to be falling off the pace, each of them at least four games behind the Guardians, but none of them can be completely ruled out yet in this thoroughly mediocre American League.

The Orioles’ job is simple. Keep playing good baseball and, most likely, good things will happen.

Links

Gunnar Henderson dazzles in dominant performance as Orioles sweep Athletics – The Baltimore Banner

I don’t particularly care for Gunnar’s new beard, but if it proves to be a good-luck charm for his hitting, then I hope he keeps that monstrosity on his face for the rest of the year.

Using critical September games as starting points for Orioles’ 2027 decisions – BaltimoreBaseball.com

Rich Dubroff names some of the players who are auditioning for 2027 roster spots, including Carlos Narváez. Watching Narváez hit, I’m at a loss as to how this guy hit 15 home runs last year.

Alonso avoids serious injury after being hit on brim of helmet – MLB.com

The Polar Bear fortunately seems to be OK after a scary HBP off the helmet yesterday. If he weren’t, you could kiss goodbye to the Orioles’ playoff hopes.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Today would have been the 91st birthday of Orioles legend and Hall of Famer Frank Robinson (b. 1935, d. 2019). The Birds’ acquisition of Robinson from the Reds before the 1966 season was the single most impactful transaction the franchise has ever made. Frank famously won the Triple Crown and was named AL MVP in his debut season with the Orioles, launching them to their first World Series championship in 1966 (and a second in 1970) with his on-field excellence and clubhouse leadership. His legacy in Baltimore will never be forgotten.

Other former Orioles born on this day are outfielder Tim Raines Jr. (47) and five right-handed pitchers: Armando Gabino (43), Ramón Ramírez (45), Mike Hartley (65), Tom Dukes (84), and the Baltimore-born Steve Johnson (39).

Aug. 31 used to be the waiver trade deadline, so the O’s have made a bunch of deals on this date in history:

In 1987, the Orioles traded lefty Mike Flanagan, who’d spent his first 13 years with the Orioles and won the 1979 AL Cy Young Award, to the Blue Jays for righty Oswaldo Peraza and a player to be named. Peraza pitched only one season in the majors, but the PTBNL turned out to be José Mesa, who went on to a 19-year MLB career with 321 saves. Flanagan spent parts of four seasons in Toronto before returning to the Orioles to finish his career.

In 1988, the O’s made a fantastic trade, dealing veteran outfielder Fred Lynn to the Tigers for minor league catcher Chris Hoiles. Hoiles reached the majors a year later and became the best offensive catcher in Orioles history, hitting 151 homers and posting an .833 OPS while spending his entire 10-year career in Baltimore. He was inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame in 2006.

And in 2011, the Orioles made another nifty deadline deal, jettisoning failed closer Mike Gonzalez to the Rangers for reliever Pedro Strop. Strop became the top setup man for the Orioles’ dominant bullpen during their breakout 2012 season, posting a 2.44 ERA in 70 games, and went on to plenty more years of success with the Cubs after the O’s traded him in 2013.

Random Orioles game of the day

On Aug. 31, 1986, the Orioles dropped the finale of a rare six-game series in Oakland, 7-0. The series, originally scheduled as a four-gamer, featured two makeup games for a pair of postponements in Baltimore a couple of weeks earlier, which were shifted to Oakland as back-to-back doubleheaders. The Birds lost five of six, getting shut out in the finale by right-hander Joaquín Andújar. The Orioles managed only four hits against him, two by Eddie Murray, while starter Mike Boddicker gave up five runs in five innings. Dave Kingman and José Canseco homered for the A’s, dropping the Orioles to a .500 record at 65-65.

Free of charge for the discerning reader.

Happy birthday to Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, and a mighty host of others.

Today in baseball history, in 1960 – The Pirates come from behind yet again, defeating the Giants, 7-4. Roberto Clemente hits a two-out, two-run homer and Roy Face closes the game. For the Giants, Willie Mays does his best with a single, double and near-homer his first time up, but falls victim to Face in his final at-bat, a seventh-inning strikeout, representing the tying run at the plate, and other stories as well.

Today in baseball history:

• 1903 – Joe McGinnity wins his third doubleheader this month, stopping the Phils twice, 4-1 and 9-2 and handing losses to Chick Fraser and Bill Duggleby. Iron Joe strikes out nine batters in the opener to win. 
• 1914 – Walter Johnson relieves in the eighth inning with his Senators holding a 3-2 lead over the White Sox. On the first pitch, Jack Fournier hits a home run to tie the game. Fournier’s next at bat up comes in the 10th and he homers again to give the Sox a 4-3 win. This is the first time Johnson has been reached for two home runs in a game by the same batter (Lou Gehrig will match it August 13, 1926).
• 1927 – The Yankees open a home stand by beating the Red Sox, 10-3. Babe Ruth hits home run number 43 and leads Lou Gehrig by two.
• 1931 – Against the Senators’ Lloyd Brown, Lou Gehrig belts his second grand slam homer in three days, but the Senators hang onto second place by beating the Yankees, 6-5.
• 1959 – Sandy Koufax fans 18 Giants to set a National League mark in a 5-2 Dodger win. The game is witnessed by a crowd of 82,974 spectators (60,194 of whom have paid admission), the largest ever for a regular-season game.
• 1969 – Morganna(first-ballot, HOFer?), a well-endowed fan dressed in a mini dress, jumps onto the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium field and kisses the batter, Clete Boyer, on the cheek. The Braves’ third baseman then promptly ends a 1-for-17 slump with a RBI single and goes on an 8-for-15 tear.
• 1974 – Johnny Bench drives in seven runs with a bases-loaded double and grand slam to lead the Reds to a 10-3 win over Montreal.
• 1977 – Hank Aaron‘s mark of 755 career home runs is tied by Sadaharu Oh of the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Pro Baseball.
• 1998 – Oakland OF Rickey Henderson scores the 2,000th run of his career in the Athletics’ 15 – 6 loss to Cleveland. He joins Ty Cobb, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Pete Rose, and Willie Mays as the only players to reach the milestone.
• 2008 – CC Sabathia improves to 9-0 with a 1.43 ERA since joining the Brewers, with a one-hitter against the Pirates. The lone hit is a grounder back to the mound by Andy LaRoche which Sabathia bobbles. Brewer manager Ned Yost and LF Ryan Braun both say it was undoubtedly an error and that Sabathia had a no-hitter; an appeal is filed over the ruling, to no avail.

Today in Cubs history:

• 1915 – At the Polo Grounds, Cubs hurler Jimmy Lavender* no-hits the Giants, 2-0.
• 1947 – The Cubs overcome Ralph Kiner‘s 39th homer of the season to defeat the Pirates, 6-3, in Chicago. Doyle Lade goes the distance. Kiner’s homer, with one aboard, gives him 101 RBIs for the year.
• 1948 – Before 45,531 at Wrigley Field, the last-place Cubs beat the first-place Dodgers, 3-0 and 7-2. Hank Borowy stops Brooklyn on one hit in the opener – a single by Gene Hermanski – and faces just 27 batters. He hurls 100 pitches, while Bob Scheffing drives in all three runs. Doyle Lade wins the nitecap.
• 1963 – Trailing Houston, 5 – 1, entering the 9th, Chicago’s Ellis Burton clouts a dramatic two-out grand slam off Hal Woodeshick to give the Cubs a 6 – 5 victory.

Cubs Birthdays:Boots Day, Ramon Webster, Ramón Hernández, Cleo James, Ray Mack, Duke Farrell. Also notable: Frank Robinson HOF. Ray Dandridge HOF. Eddie Plank HOF.

Today in history:

• 1837 – Ralph Waldo Emerson gives his famous “The American Scholar” speech to Phi Beta Kappa Society at Harvard College, Cambridge, Massachusetts, declares American literary independence from Europe.
• 1888 – The body of Jack the Ripper’s first victim, Mary Ann Nichols, is found in Whitechapel in London’s East End.
• 1897 – Thomas Edison patents the Kinetoscope (Kinetographic camera), a device that produces moving pictures.
• 1971 – Beatle John Lennon leaves England for the final time, moving to New York City.
• 1972 – Soviet gymnast Olga Korbut wins balance beam and floor exercise gold medals at the Munich Olympics; follows gold in the teams all-round.
• 1978 – Emily and William Harris plead guilty to 1974 kidnapping of American publishing heiress Patty Hearst.
• 1997 – Diana, Princess of Wales, dies in a car crash in a road tunnel in Paris.
• 2006 – Stolen on August 22, 2004, Edvard Munch‘s famous painting “The Scream” is recovered from a raid by Norwegian police; the painting was said to be in a better-than-expected condition.

*pictured.

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (38-37/30-26)

SYRACUSE 8, LEHIGH VALLEY 0 (BOX)

Everything clicked for Syracuse in this one. On the offensive side, the rehabbing Mark Vientos went yard not just once, not just twice, but three times, driving in five runs, and Ronny Mauricio and MJ Melendez both had multi-hit games with extra base hits. On the pitching side, Kevin Herget, Saul Garcia, Tobias Myers, Chayce McDermott, Joe Jacques, and Zach Franklin combined to throw a no-hitter, Syracuse’s first since 2018, their 5th shutout in their last 10 games, and the 176th no-hitter in International League history.

·  RF Nick Morabito: 1-3, 3 R, BB, SB (42)

·  REHAB ALERT 1B Mark Vientos: 4-5, 3 R, 3 HR (3, 4, 5), 5 RBI

·  1B Nick Lorusso: 0-0

·  SS Ronny Mauricio: 2-5, R, 2B, RBI

·  LF MJ Melendez: 2-5, R, 2B, HR (17), 2 RBI, 2 K

·  DH Eric Wagaman: 1-4, BB, K

·  3B Billy Amick: 1-4, BB, 2 K

·  CF Jose Ramos: 1-4

·  C Shawn Ross: 0-4, K

·  2B Zack Short: 0-4, 3 K

·  RHP Kevin Herget: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

·  RHP Saul Garcia: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

·  RHP Tobias Myers: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, W (3-1)

·  RHP Chayce McDermott: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

·  LHP Joe Jacques: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

·  RHP Zach Franklin: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

ROSTER ALERT: Syracuse Mets activated RHP Chayce McDermott.

ROSTER ALERT: Syracuse Mets transferred RHP Ofreidy Gómez to the Development List.

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (27-42/29-28)

BINGHAMTON 14, READING 5 (BOX)

Having come into this series with the potential to upset the Reading Fightin’ Phils, the Rumble Ponies tripped over their hooves, dropping four of the five games leading to Sunday’s finale, giving Reading a 5.5 game lead over Binghamton for first place in the Northeast Division with 13 games to go. Both teams fought tooth-and-nail, with Binghamton taking the lead and Reading catching up and tying things up twice, but the Rumble Ponies finally jumped out to a four-run lead in the seventh that Reading wasn’t able to catch up to. The top of the Binghamton line-up remained hot, with Mitch Voit, Marco Vargas, and Jefferson Rojas going a combined 10-16 with four doubles and a pair of homers

·  2B Mitch Voit: 3-4, 3 R, 2B, HR (2), 3 RBI, 2 BB, K

·  SS Marco Vargas: 4-6, 2 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K, 3 SB (21, 22, 23)

·  3B Jefferson Rojas: 3-6, 2 R, 2B, HR (7), 4 RBI, 2 K, CS (1)

·  DH Jacob Reimer: 1-6, R, 2B, 2 K

·  CF Chris Suero: 0-3, 2 R, 2 BB, K, SB (34), E (15)

·  RF Eli Serrano III: 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K

·  LF Corey Collins: 1-4, R, 2B, RBI, BB, 3 K

·  C Kevin Parada: 2-5, R

·  1B Jamari Baylor: 0-2, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB

·  RHP Gabe Davis: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 2 K

·  RHP Cristofer Gomez: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

·  LHP Felipe De La Cruz: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, BLK

·  RHP Brendan Girton: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, H (5)

·  RHP Bryce Jenkins: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, W (4-0), BS (1)

·  RHP Bryce Conley: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

·  LHP Gabriel Rodriguez: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (25-40/31-28)

BROOKLYN 5, HUDSON VALLEY 2 (BOX)

The top half of the Cyclones order went 6-20 with two doubles, two homers, and three walks, while the bottom of the order went 0-13 with 3 walks. No one Cyclones pitcher looked particularly great, nor was anybody particularly terrible. With the win, Brooklyn moved to 5.5 games behind the first place Frederick Keys, the very same team they will be playing to close out the regular season this upcoming week. While I wouldn’t put money down on anything, never say never, either.

·  SS Sammy Stafura: 2-4, 2 R, 2 HR (20, 21), 3 RBI, BB, K, SB (18)

·  DH Elian Peña: 1-5, 2B, 2 K

·  RF Trey Snyder: 1-5, R, K, 2 SB (8, 9)

·  LF Yonatan Henriquez: 1-3, R, BB, 2 SB (26, 27)

·  CF John Spikerman: 1-3, 2B, RBI, BB, SB (26)

·  2B Colin Houck: 0-2, 2 BB

·  3B Antonio Jimenez: 0-4, K

·  C Chase Meggers: 0-4, K

·  1B Eddinson Paulino: 0-3, R, BB, K

·  LHP Conner Ware: 3.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, WP

·  RHP Elwis Mijares: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, W (2-0)

·  RHP Ryan Dollar: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, H (3)

·  LHP Gregori Louis: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HBP, H (3)

·  RHP Juan Arnaud: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, S (4)

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (33-33/21-38)

ST. LUCIE 13, DAYTONA 5 (BOX)

St. Lucie split their series with the Tortugas, closing things out almost identical to the way the series started, scoring double-digit runs against Daytona. The Mets’ pitchers were solid-if-unspectacular, with Christian Rodriguez, Ernesto Mercedes, and Jean Brito combining to allow 5 runs over six-plus innings and the rest of the bullpen limiting the Tortugas to three baserunners. Early on, the game was competitive, with the score tied 2-2 going into the fifth, but in the top of the inning, St. Lucie erupted for seven runs, with 2026 additions Ryan Tayman, Kuhio Aloy, Jack Toomey, Jake Ogden, and Aiden Robbins all driving in runs.

·  SS Jake Ogden: 1-4, R, RBI, HBP, BB, E (2)

·  CF Aiden Robbins: 2-5, R, 4 RBI, BB, 2 K

·  C Ryan Tayman: 3-5, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI, K, HBP

·  RF Kuhio Aloy: 1-6, R, 2B, RBI, K

·  DH Jack Toomey: 1-4, R, RBI, BB, 3 K

·  1B Julio Zayas: 2-5, 2 R, HR (11), 3 RBI

·  LF Branny De Oleo: 1-4, R, 2B, BB, 2 K

·  2B Vladi Gomez: 1-3, 2 R, 2 BB, E (10), CS (2)

·  3B Jeremy Rodriguez: 2-4, 2 R, BB, K

·  RHP Christian Rodriguez: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, HBP

·  RHP Ernesto Mercedes: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, W (3-3)

·  RHP Jean Brito: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 0 K

·  LHP Luis Sotillo: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K

·  RHP Brett Banks: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Jean Brito assigned to St. Lucie Mets from FCL Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: St. Lucie Mets activated LHP Luis Sotillo from the Development List.

ROSTER ALERT: St. Lucie Mets transferred RHP Jose Guevara to the Development List.

ROSTER ALERT: St. Lucie Mets placed RHP Jose Lopez on the 7-day injured list.

Rookie: FCL Mets (24-33)

NO GAME (SEASON OVER)

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Kevin Herget, Saul Garcia, Tobias Myers, Chayce McDermott, Joe Jacques, and Zach Franklin

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

None; System sweep!

September arrives kicking and screaming into this Major League Baseball season, with its dozens of mediocre teams still in contention and just 28 days left to find resolution.

No, we are not yet to the point of calling this week’s key matchups compelling. That day might never come. But we will say things are getting moderately more interesting.

That’s a start.

The coming week will produce a nearly full slate of games every day and just two to four series are virtually devoid of playoff ramifications, and fewer than that if you consider the Cardinals, Pirates and Twins still on the periphery of contention. The rest will have a scent of relevance – and a few are actually pretty important.

With that, a look at five of the bigger series this week:

Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs

When: Monday-Thursday, Wrigley Field

Key matchup: Monday – Brewers LH Kyle Harrison vs. Cubs RH Clay Holmes

Outlook: The Brewers can more or less ice the NL Central title by taking three of four, which would push their lead to 10 games. And the Cubs likely need a sweep to trim their deficit from eight games to four, at which point they’d have 25 games to try and make up the difference. But the division largely seems like settled business; this one feels more like a couple fighters feeling each other out in the early rounds with larger stakes down the line, such as a repeat of their five-game NLDS last year, won by Milwaukee. In case you wondered, Jacob Misiorowski will pitch Wednesday night, opposed by Cubs lefty David Peterson.

Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros

When: Monday-Thursday, Daikin Park

Key matchup: Thursday – White Sox RH Luis Castillo vs. Astros RH Hunter Brown

Outlook: A clash of division leaders! A potential ALCS preview! Or, a 69-68 club that just fired its general manager taking on a team that lost 119 games two seasons ago. OK, let’s call the glass half full, at least: The White Sox have very much earned their 3 1/2-game Central lead, even if their 72-64 record would be useless in any other division except the West, where the Astros for now reign supreme over a cast of losers. This will be a good test for the Sox, though, getting out of the Central and taking on a club of playoff veterans in what can be a raucous place to play. A Sean Burke-Brown matchup would’ve been entertaining but instead, Castillo, who has a 6.45 ERA in five starts as a White Sox, will try to pull off a reverse lock.

Toronto Blue Jays at Cleveland Guardians

When: Tuesday-Thursday, Progressive Field

Key matchup: Wednesday – Blue Jays RH Dylan Cease vs. Guardians LH Joey Cantillo

Outlook: Finally – finally! – a compelling matchup strongly tied to the AL wild-card race. It might take all September for this quagmire to shake free, but at least we have a showdown between two teams that are both playing well and firmly in the race. Cleveland enters the week with a one-game lead over Baltimore for the final wild card, with Toronto lurking 1 1/2 games back. So the Jays are just 68-70, you say? We say they’ve won 12 of their last 19 and are a different team since catcher Alejandro Kirk returned and solidified matters on both sides of the ball. When will the Guardians call up super prospect Ralphy Velazquez? Rosters will expand gently this week.

Boston Red Sox at Baltimore Orioles

When: Thursday-Sunday, Camden Yards

Key matchup: Saturday – Red Sox RH Sonny Gray vs. Orioles RH Kyle Bradish

Outlook: It’s getting interesting in Baltimore. The Orioles are beating up on inferior teams, finally, after not at all giving off “Don’t let them get hot!” vibes all year. Well, now they’re getting kind of hot, with Pete Alonso climbing into the nether reaches of MVP ballots and Gunnar Henderson starting to salvage what looked like a lost season. Losing three of four at Yankee Stadium was a heat check for the Red Sox, who increasingly look locked into that No. 2 wild card behind New York. Interim manager Chad Tracy returns to the site he grabbed the reins from fired Joey Cora back in April.

New York Yankees at San Diego Padres

When: Friday-Sunday, Petco Park

Key matchup: Sunday – Yankees RH Will Warren vs. Padres RH Michael King

Outlook: Just call this the Trent Grisham Bowl. The Michael King Cup. The Randy Vasquez Invitational. OK, you get the idea. Point is, the Juan Soto trade still resonates for both these teams and several participants will join the fray this weekend, even as Soto is two years removed from pinstripes. This series means a lot more to San Diego than New York, as the Padres’ wild card hopes took a hit with a sweep at Tampa Bay. They can’t afford another letdown against an AL East team, while the Yankees can start to sort out their rotation as they fold Max Fried back into mix.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Five MLB series to watch, as playoff races get even wilder