The Mets continue a four-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. on SNY.
Mets Notes
Francisco Lindor, sitting at 299 career home runs, continues to search for No. 300 after going deep twice on Sept. 12
Juan Sotolaunched his 26th HR of the season Friday night (No. 270 for his career) and now has 101 hits over 103 games. He joined Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Trout as the only players in Major League history to record 270 home runs and 100 stolen bases prior to turning 28 (per Sarah Langs)
Carson Benge went 2-for-3 in Friday's win, collecting his 152nd and 153rd hits of the season. He's two hits shy of tying Pete Alonso's single season franchise rookie record set in 2019
Prior to the game, Carlos Beltrán will be inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame and have his No. 15 retired
Today's Lineups
PHILLIES
METS
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ARLINGTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 18: Kumar Rocker #80 of the Texas Rangers throws a pitch during the second inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Globe Life Field on September 18, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Rangers 7, Blue Jays 1
Kumar Rocker outduels Dylan Cease, just as we all expected.
We were all worried that we’d end up watching a lot of Trevor Williams in this game. And we did watch a lot of Trevor Williams in this game! But in a good way.
Rocker wasn’t exceptional, by any means, in going 4.1 innings. He did, though, keep the Jays off the board until the fifth, when a pair of leadoff walks led to a run scoring on a one out double by Myles “Turkey in the” Straw which ended Rocker’s night.
Tyler Alexander got the final two outs of the inning, escaping the jam, allowing Williams to enter the game in the sixth and go the rest of the way.
If you’re a Toronto Blue Jays fan, aren’t you a little panicked about Dylan Cease right now? His velocity in this game was down 3-4 mph compared to normal, and he threw only 36 strikes in 74 pitches. He’s in the first year of the Strasburg deal — 7 years, $175 million — and this sort of dramatic dropoff has to have you wondering if there’s something physically wrong with him.
The Rangers took advantage of Cease’s ineffectiveness, to an extent. Probably not as much as they could have, or as we would have liked — and when the Jays had the tying run at the plate in the fifth I was sitting there thinking about the missed opportunities to put up a bunch more runs — but it all worked out.
The Rangers drew a season-high ten walks in the game, six of which were issued by Cease.
Three of those were by Wyatt Langford, who also had a pair of hits and a stolen base, and hey, if Wyatt is about to start going off again, the timing couldn’t be better.
Corey Seager also stole a base, on a straight steal of second, just his second of the season.
Everyone in the starting lineup had either a hit or a walk in the game. The only player besides Langford who had a multi-hit night was everyone’s favorite utility infielder, Nicky Lopez.
I know everyone likes talking about Skip Schumaker’s pinch hitting strategeries. With the Rangers up 4-0 in the bottom of the third, bases loaded, two outs, Cease was lifted for Brendan Cellucci, a lefty, with Evan Carter due up.
Carter struck out on four pitches, and looked especially pitiful in doing so, resulting in no runs scoring in the inning. Dave Raymond and Mike Bascik discussed whether Schumaker should have gone with Justin Foscue as a pinch hitter, in an effort to put the game away.
My inclination is that, with a four run lead, in the third inning, you probably don’t want to lift your excellent defensive center fielder for a pinch hitter, resulting in a bunch of moving parts that weakens your defense the rest of the game.
But man, I wish Evan weren’t so ass against lefties.
Houston lost, so the Rangers are tied for first in the A.L. West, though effectively a game back. The Guardians won and the White Sox lost, so the Rangers are a game back of Chicago in the Wild Card, but effectively two back. Texas is up one (effectively up two) on the Jays in the Wild Card, and up two (effectively up three) on the Orioles, who lost.
We’re still in the mix! This is exciting!
Kumar Rocker hit 95.7 on his sinker, averaging 94.1 mph, and 95.4 mph on his fastball, averaging 94.6 mph. Tyler Alexander’s fastball reached 91.4 mph. Trevor Williams topped out at 91.8 mph with his fastball.
Corey Seager had a 107.2 mph double and a 105.6 mph fly out. Jake Burger had a 107.1 mph double. Nicky Lopez had a 100.1 mph fly out.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 24: Matt Gorski #15 of the Oklahoma City Comets jogs around the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the fifth inning against the Sacramento River Cats at Sutter Health Park on July 24, 2026 in Sacramento, California (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Oklahoma City’s postseason slot is secured so the remainder of this week is just playing out the string. But the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate picked up two wins on Friday over the El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres), first finishing up a game suspended by rain then playing a seven-inning contest to complete the pseudo doubleheader.
Thursday’s game was suspended after four innings in a 5-5 tie, which was resumed on Friday. By the bottom of the sixth inning, rehabbing Dodgers pitcher Jake Cousins was tasked to pitch with a 7-5 lead. But Cousins made only one pitch before grabbing his leg and walking off the mound and into the dugout alongside a team trainer.
The 32-year-old Cousins, who signed with the Dodgers just before opening day and spent the year rehabbing from Tommy John surgery last June, pitched in five rehab games in September with Oklahoma City before Friday. In total he’s allowed five runs in 4 1/3 innings, with more walks (five) than strikeouts (four), with four of those runs coming on Tuesday at El Paso.
Player of the day
Alex Thomas reached base a total of eight times in nine trips to the plate in the two games, with a triple, two singles, and two walks in the first game, followed by two doubles and a walk in the nightcap. The center fielder scored four runs in the two games, and drove in a pair.
Honorable mention goes to first baseman Matt Gorski, who drove in seven runs in the two games with a home run, two doubles, and a single.
Zach Ehrhard had four hits, including two doubles, and scored four runs in the two games.
Transactions
Triple-A: Pitcher Landon Knack was optioned back to Triple-A one day after pitching four scoreless innings to earn the win in the Dodgers’ division clincher.
St. Louis pitchers have the second-worst strikeout percentage in all of baseball over the last six seasons. The only team with a worse rate is the Rockies, who play in a home ballpark where pitches don’t break, so really the Cardinals have been the worst team in baseball this decade. This dynamic is not new, as the team has prioritized strong defense and pitchers that can control contact since the Dave Duncan era.
The highest the Cardinals have ranked this millennium in strikeout percentage was the year 2000, when their 17.7% team rate was seventh-best in baseball. Since that time, their high-water mark has been ranking 10th on three separate occasions: 2013, 2015, and 2017. Here is the league strikeout rate trended against the Cardinals’ rate over the last quarter century.
The homegrown talent that emerged in the mid-2010s gave the Cardinals a roughly average strikeout staff with Trevor Rosenthal, Jack Flaherty, Carlos Martinez, and Lance Lynn (first addition) leading the way.
This pitch-to-contact approach was obviously intentional to some degree. The Cardinals would load up on sinkerball pitchers and put one of the best defenses in the league behind them. This by itself is going to drastically limit the ability of a staff to generate strikeouts. Across MLB in 2026, four-seam fastballs generate a whiff 21.5% of the time and sinkers only 13.5% of the time.
The lack of strikeouts was addressed by Chaim Bloom at last offseason’s GM Meetings in an interview with FanGraphs’ David Laurila.
“It’s definitely a concern,” replied Bloom, who succeeded John Mozeliak as St. Louis’ president of baseball operations at the conclusion of the regular season. “It’s not the only thing that matters, but it does matter. Having stuff that can beat people in the strike zone, that can miss bats — both in and out of the strike zone — is really important. It’s hard to have an elite staff without being able to do that. It’s not something you want to chase at the expense of throwing strikes — you’re not trying to put people in positions where they can’t succeed, or stay healthy — but it’s super important.”
Bloom was not given much in terms of resources to find strikeout arms for the big birds, but two of his free-agent adds, Dustin May and Ryne Stanek, were targeted because of their bat-missing potential. Turning over a pitching staff takes more than one year, especially when you aren’t allowed to go shopping in the expensive aisle of the free-agent store. Still, the team has made marginal improvements. Four-seam utilization has gone from 22.6% (last in baseball) to 26.4% (27th in baseball) this season. The team’s overall strikeout percentage has increased from 19.8% to 20.7%.
I was curious how the players Bloom acquired or promoted from within performed in the strikeout department relative to the major-league team he inherited. All pitchers that had pitched for the Cardinals prior to this season have a combined 20.1% K% in 2026. All of the newcomers, including callups, have struck out 21.8% of batters. The difference is not huge, but the new player rate would rank 16th in baseball. Obviously, Bloom does not get full credit for players like Cooper Hjerpe, Cade Winquest, and Luis Gastelum who were brought in by his predecessor, but I included them because I wanted to illustrate the full shift in the shape of the pitching staff that is already underway.
The marginal improvement at the major-league level is encouraging, but the makeover of the pitching pipeline is truly remarkable. Each of the Cardinals’ four full-season clubs posted strikeout percentages in the top eight in baseball for their respective levels. All four clubs had a higher strikeout percentage relative to the league than at any point since 2015. And this isn’t in the aggregate. Each individual team put together a more prolific strikeout staff than at any point in the last decade. That is bonkers.
Memphis
The average Triple-A strikeout rate trended down slightly this year from 22.6% to 22.3%. The Redbirds staff ranked fourth in Triple-A with a 24.2% team rate. 2026 was the first time since 2019 that the staff ranked above the league average. You have to go all the way back to 2009 to find a Memphis staff that ranked this highly.
Looking at all Triple-A pitchers to start at least five games at age 25 and under (creative filters, I know), the Cardinals have four of the top 22 strikeout artists in Cooper Hjerpe (34.2%, 5th), Quinn Mathews (29.2%, 12th), Mason Molina (28.2%, 14th), and Jurrangelo Cijntje (27.1%, 22nd).
When looking at the pitching pipeline, I tend to focus on starting pitchers because of how rarely relief-only prospects end up being impact relievers in the bigs. Jason Motte and Fernando Salas are probably the two most notable who have taken this trek for the Cardinals in the last 25 years. Still, this Memphis squad could very well buck the trend. Luis Gastelum (28%) and Sandro Santana (35.5% in 7.2 IP) are true relief-only pitchers who I would bet on having long MLB careers. Cade Winquest (34.8%) and Hancel Rincon (31.1%) are converted starters that could figure into the bullpen plans next season as well.
It is also worth noting that the Memphis staff increased four-seam utilization from 30% in 2025 to 35% in 2026. All eight of the high-K-rate pitchers mentioned use their four-seam as their primary fastball.
Springfield
The Springfield Cardinals made Memphis look like a bunch of finesse pitchers by comparison. The team’s 27.7% strikeout rate was the highest in franchise history and led all Double-A teams, edging out Baltimore, Boston, and the New York Yankees.
Springfield had a downright embarrassing number of strikeout specialists start at least five games this season. Tanner Franklin (30.9%), Daniel Eagen (30.7%, STL and Arizona), Liam Doyle (30.0%), Brandt Thompson (28.8%), Mason Molina (28.8%), Braden Davis (28.3%), Cijntje (28.2%), and Chen-Wei Lin (26.0%) all had strikeout rates above the Double-A average. To put this into perspective, here is the number of pitchers each year since 2015, age 24 and younger, to make at least five starts in Springfield while carrying an above-average strikeout rate.
These criteria filter out Yhoiker Fajardo (K rate slightly below Double-A average) and Brandon Clarke (one start) who are both potential top-100 prospects this offseason.
Peoria
Peoria did not have as much prospect firepower as the top two farm clubs, but still put together the eighth-highest strikeout rate across High-A clubs and the best team rate since 2011.
Much of the Peoria star pitching power matriculated to Springfield by the year’s end, but Clarke (36.5%), Fajardo (32.1%), Franklin (29.4%), and Blake Aita (26.6%) all carried strikeout rates above the High-A average of 24.2%. As this group was slowly promoted, Jacob Odle (33.0%) and Cade Crossland (29.3%) filled in to keep the strikeouts rolling.
Palm Beach
The Palm Beach pitching staff struck out 25.6% of batters faced, good for seventh among all A-ball teams. This was the best performance by the Cardinals’ lowest full-season affiliate since 2013.
The thing that is interesting about Palm Beach is that they put together a high-strikeout staff without the same level of big-name prospects that spent time at the other three levels of the system. Odle was the only consensus top-30 prospect in the system to spend significant time in Palm Beach. Since we have Statcast data available for Florida State League games, I pulled the last two seasons for the Cardinals to see how the pitch mix was evolving. The change in fastball type is quite pronounced as the team rate of four-seamers increased by 6% while sinker utilization dropped by 4%.
Not only did the club increase four-seam utilization, but the average velocity increased from 92.3 mph to 92.9 mph. The staff could have even more velocity next season as the 2026 draftees make their debuts. Tegan Kuhns had one of the top fastballs in the draft, Dawson Montesa topped out in the upper-90s, and Cal Randall hit triple digits in college.
Looking ahead
Regardless of what else happens with the Cardinals rebuild, the team is going to have one of the highest-strikeout staffs in baseball in the coming years. The focus from the front office is clear, and the quality of the minor-league depth is unprecedented. With fewer balls in play, the Cardinals might put less of an emphasis on defense. Masyn Winn would lose a bit of his value to the team if the ground balls are replaced by strikeouts. Perhaps Rainiel Rodriguez looks more attractive as a third baseman on a staff that can take care of business without as much help from the defense. The Cardinals might start systematically shuffling out their contact-oriented pitchers (sorry McGreevey and Pallante) as the next wave of talent arrives. Not much is certain in baseball, but I am certain that a pitching staff of assassins is on the way, and I cannot wait.
HOUSTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 18: Michael Harris II #23 of the Atlanta Braves looks on prior to the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on Friday, September 18, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Kairi Mano/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Your Atlanta Braves have made the playoff eight of the last nine seasons. However, 2025 was brutal. Hold me and let’s never go back to that. We learned a lot, er, maybe not really. We learned Joey Wentz still had something in the summer of 2025, but mostly we learned that a dry October is no fun for anyone. There was a pretty muted celebration in the dugout and clubhouse. So let’s relive the homers until the Braves check off the last 3 from the NL East Division magic number, why not?
Michael Harris II now on an 11-for-24 tear after this two-run shot in the fourth pic.twitter.com/vLfCUATbCg
Hey, we’ve been pretty clear about the “pull the ball” stance here at Battery Power. Maybe we should amend this somewhat for Daikin Park in Houston and their Crawford Boxes. They are like 200 feet from home plate, after all. If you’ve ever been in the Crawford Boxes like I have, you’ll know that you feel like you’re in the left fielder’s lap. So surely that’s what Michael had on his mind.
I don’t feel that we talk enough about Matt Olson and the historic work he’s doing with his power. And I should absolutely address it next week. But right now, let’s look at the fortieth.
Jul 31, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm signs autographs for fans prior to the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
There are a lot of people here that have created what I believe to be the best Phillies community there is. There may be disagreement – vehement disagreement at times – but there does seems to be a genuine respect for each other.
So, the question for today is: how did you come up with your handle here at The Good Phight? There is no need to doxx yourself if it would mean doing so, but some of the handles I see here are pretty interesting. Mainly, just looking for conversation today!
I’m going to start this recap of the Cubs’ 6-4 loss to the Reds Friday evening in an unusual manner — a stat from BCB’s JohnW53:
Clay Holmes walked five. He had walked at least that many in only two of his previous 51 career starts, both with the Mets, both vs. the Braves, both last year: six in 4.2 innings, then five in 3.2.
Right there is the difference in the game. Four of the five walks scored, including two in the Reds’ decisive three-run sixth inning.
The other walk that scored was to Elly De La Cruz in the first inning, right after Carlos Jorge had led off with a triple. Then De La Cruz stole second, which turned out to be important, because that allowed him to take third when a sacrifice fly scored Jorge. De La Cruz then scored when Nico Hoerner couldn’t handle a ground ball.
The Cubs then loaded the bases when Dansby Swanson walked. There’s only one out here. But Chase Burns struck out Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki to end the inning.
For Happ, that was the 198th homer of his career. That ties him with Hank Sauer for 10th place on the all-time Cubs home run list.
In the bottom of the third, yet another Holmes walk, to Jorge, began the inning. De La Cruz singled Jorge to third. Sal Stewart hit into a double play, but Jorge scored to give the Reds a 3-2 lead.
The game continued to go back and forth. Conforto singled to begin the fourth and Kelly walked. Swanson hit into a force play at third, and PCA flied to right, with both remaining runners advancing to second and third.
Holmes and the Cubs managed to hold on to this lead until the bottom of the sixth, when it all fell apart.
Holmes walked De La Cruz to lead off the inning and then an attempted pickoff misfired, with Holmes’ throw getting past Michael Busch. On the Marquee broadcast, Jim Deshaies mentioned that a similar play had worked in the last series between the teams at Wrigley. Unfortunately, this time it didn’t and De La Cruz wound up on third. Holmes retired Steward, but then walked JJ Bleday and Tyler Stephenson to load the bases.
Craig Counsell had seen enough at this point and brought in Javier Assad to face Eugenio Suárez.
In fairness, that’s a very difficult assignment for any reliever, to face a power hitter with the bases loaded. I feared a home run here, and instead it was just a single — but a damaging hit that tied the game
Assad then got Hector Rodriguez to hit into a force play at the plate, the second out of the inning. Could the Cubs get out of this jam still tied?
Well, you know the answer to that, which is “Nope.” José Trevino singled, scoring two runs, both charged to Holmes. I don’t have an exact count of inherited runners scored off Cubs starting pitchers this year, but “a billion” would seem like the answer. (It is obviously not literally “a billion,” but sometimes it feels that way.) The Reds led 6-4.
In the eighth, the Cubs got a pair of runners on base with two out when Kelly was hit by a pitch and Swanson beat out a slow roller. That brought up PCA — could there be some MVP-type heroics?
It should be noted that the Cubs got a scoreless eighth from Jacob Webb, which ordinarily wouldn’t be worth making mention of in a recap like this, but Webb’s been so bad recently that, well, at least that was good.
The Cubs had one last shot at things in the ninth. With two out, Michael Busch walked, bringing up Happ.
I am at a loss to understand why Busch did that. Yes, as JD pointed out, they weren’t holding him on — but Busch is not a fast runner, and why would you take the bat out of Happ’s hands at that point in the game? Happ had already homered and as we know, he has always hit well at GABP. That one was inexplicable to me.
Fortunately for the Cubs, the Mets did them a favor Friday evening by defeating the Phillies. The tiebreaker situation got a bit more complicated, though, because the Padres defeated the Marlins. Thus all three teams are now tied for the top wild card spot. Since the Cubs have the tiebreaker over both teams, if they did end up in a three-way tie, the Cubs would take the top spot. The Phillies swept their season series over the Padres 6-0, so they’d get the second spot in this scenario.
Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks lost to the Yankees, so the Cubs’ magic number for clinching a postseason berth was reduced to 3.
Notable: This was the first game all year when PCA and Alex Bregman combined to go 0-for-10. They had been 0-for-9 once previously, July 18 vs. the Twins. PCA struck out three times. More on that from John:
This was Pete Crow-Armstrong’s 15th game of the season with at least three strikeouts. Seiya Suzuki’s was his 13th. Happ has 11 and no one else more than eighth.
Twelve different Cubs have done it at least once, for a total of 66 times.
PCA had eight such games a year ago, tied with Michael Busch for fourth. Suzuki and Dansby Swanson had 10; Happ, nine. Twelve players did it 62 times.
There are, as you know, times when PCA seems unstoppable — and other times he looks lost, like this game. Fortunately, the latter is much rarer. But the bottom line is that the Cubs have to have better pitching, both starting and relieving. And better RISP batting, as they went 2-for-10 in this game.
The Cubs will look to even up the series Saturday evening in Cincinnati. Matthew Boyd will start for the Cubs and Nick Lodolo will go for the Reds. Game time is again 5:40 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 18: Juan Soto #22 of the New York Mets hits his sixth inning three-run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field on September 18, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Meet the Mets
The Mets snapped their five-game losing streak with a 6-3 victory over the Phillies. Zac Thornton pitched six innings of two-run ball, and every single Mets batter recorded at least one hit—including a three-run homer from Juan Soto.
Jared Young thankfully seems to have avoided the worst after the collision he suffered on Thursday night, but he has been placed on the injured list, and the Mets called up Ronny Mauricio to replace him on the roster.
Andy Green is pleased with what Thornton has done this year, but also challenged him to work this offseason to earn a full-time spot on next year’s team.
Despite suffering a mild right groin strain on Thursday night, Jonathan Bowlan will not be placed on the injured list to preserve his chance of appearing on the Phillies’ roster for the NL Wild Card series.
The Orioles front office is reshuffling a bit, as assistant general manager Sig Mejdal is shifting from overseeing the team’s analytics department to a new role overseeing “the research of emerging technologies and innovative practices across baseball operations.”
HOUSTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 18: Michael Harris II #23 of the Atlanta Braves congratulates Matt Olson #28 after a two-run home run in the ninth inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on September 18, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Friday marked a big day for the Atlanta Braves, who secured a spot in the postseason after a 6-2 win over the Houston Astros. It will be the club’s eighth postseason in nine years.
The New York Yankees are placing outfielder Aaron Judge on the 10-day injured list with a right calf strain. Skipper Aaron Boone did not provide a timeline for his return.
Hot take here: I think it is a lot more enjoyable watching PCA’s quest at 40/40 than Sosa/McGwire ‘98. Back then, almost 140 home runs between two guys (yes, it was “unreal and unprecedented”), but it got a little predictable and boring. Sammy never met a curtain call he didn’t love. I haven’t watched PCA in the dugout after every home run, so I could have missed it (like after a three-HR game or the cycle), but I don’t recall PCA doing a curtain call (yet). It’s possible I missed it. But it seems to be all business for Pete. It’s watching a budding superstar. I just find it more fun.
Wednesday night, we had TWO! TWO! TWO amazing offensive performances in one game. PCA and Alex Bregman each went 3-for-4 at the plate. PCA had a triple, two home runs and three runs scored. Bregman had a double, triple and home run. The duo had seven RBI and TWENTY total bases combined.
Almost completely covered up was the performance of the year so far by Shota Imanaga. The lefthander allowed one junk run over six innings on four hits without a walk and struck out eight. He had a similar outing in May, where he allowed one run over six innings and struck out 10, but allowed six hits (including a CSPSHR*) and three walks. Shota’s game Wednesday was smooth, professional and was only jittery at he approached 100 pitches, but he wrapped things up well.
All that to pick up another series win on the way to the postseason.
I appreciate your reading.
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Paul Niemiec (North Side Baseball): Jed Hoyer Doesn’t Like to Spend on the Pen. He’s Paying the Price for That Now. “The Cubs have a world-class offense, but the bullpen is still a glaring weakness. They got unlucky this time, but this is how this front office has always operated. Can they escape a self-inflicted demise?”
Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): Dansby Swanson’s Visit to Wrigley Field and the Plan Going Forward. “The Chicago Cubs’ plan for Dansby Swanson this week was to have him play in a couple games with the Iowa Cubs and then return to the big league team on Friday, fully recovered from his oblique strain.”
Slim Harpo (born either Isiah Moore or James Isaac Moore; February 11, 1924[a] – January 31, 1970) I was an American blues musician, a leading exponent of the swamp blues style, and “one of the most commercially successful blues artists of his day”. He played guitar and was a master of the blues harmonica, known in blues circles as a “harp”.
Moore was born in Lobdell, Louisiana,[4] the eldest child in his family. After his parents died he worked as a longshoreman and construction worker in New Orleans in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Influenced in style by Jimmy Reed, he began performing in Baton Rouge bars using the name “Harmonica Slim”, and also accompanied his brother-in-law Lightnin’ Slim in live performances.
Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 12: Drew Cavanaugh #61 of the San Francisco Giants hits his first career home run at Oracle Park on September 12, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Andy Kuno/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning, baseball fans!
The penultimate week of San Francisco Giants baseball comes to a close this weekend, so it’s time for us to make our picks for Player of the Week!
This week, I’m giving the honors to Drew Cavanaugh, who hit his first major league home run earlier this week!
Who is your pick for Player of the Week?
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants continue this road series against the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight at 6:10 p.m. PT.
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 15: Cole Carrigg #16 of the Colorado Rockies celebrates his two-run home run with Adael Amador #1 in the third inning against the San Diego Padres at Coors Field on September 15, 2026, in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There is an old saying that water finds its level.
The 2026 Rockies are careening toward a fourth consecutive season with triple-digit losses. They are a bad team, and with eight games remaining, there is little left to be decided.
But this season has not always felt like watching a terrible team.
There have been stretches when the Rockies looked like a fairly normal, competitive baseball team. There was even a point when the offense was the best in baseball. There were stretches when the bullpen gave them a legitimate way to protect a lead, and others when the whole thing fell apart.
The standings are not lying. They just flatten out a season that has been anything but flat.
So, with one final week left, maybe this is a good time to reconcile the record with the experience of watching the Rockies get here.
The standings flatten everything
To set some parameters, a competitive game here is defined as any Rockies win, regardless of margin, or any loss by three runs or fewer.
Through September 17, 108 of the Rockies’ 153 games fit that definition — 70.6% of the season.
There have also been long stretches when Colorado stayed in games almost every night. From June 9 through July 10, 27 of 30 games were competitive — 90% — and the Rockies went 15-15. Expand the window from June 9 through August 18 and 48 of 60 games were competitive, during which Colorado went 26-34.
A team can stay close regularly and still lose a lot of baseball games.
Colorado has done exactly that before.
Season
Competitive games
Competitive %
Best sustained stretch
Record during stretch
2023
121 of 162
74.7%
33 of 40 games
20-20
2024
112 of 162
69.1%
45 of 60 games
27-33
2025
100 of 162
61.7%
24 of 30 games
10-20
2026*
108 of 153
70.6%
27 of 30 games
15-15
*Through September 17.
The first two columns measure the full season. The best sustained stretch column shows the strongest extended run from each year.
The 2023 Rockies are a good example of how much a final record can hide. They lost 103 games and still played .500 baseball over one 40-game stretch.
So competitive stretches are not unique to the 2026 Rockies. What stands out is how dramatically this team has changed while doing it.
Six versions of the same team
The shifts become easier to see when the season is broken into six stretches.
For context, wRC+ is a park-adjusted measure of offensive production, with 100 representing league average and higher being better. ERA- is also park-adjusted, but works in the opposite direction: 100 is league average and lower is better.
Stretch
Record
wRC+
SP ERA-
RP ERA-
Mar. 27-Apr. 29
14-17
88
95
79
Apr. 30-May 27
6-20
62
156
115
May 29-July 3
16-16
126
125
134
July 4-29
6-14
72
138
92
July 31-Aug. 16
8-7
96
124
78
Aug. 17-Sept. 17
6-23
90
152
109
Put those stretches next to each other, and the Rockies barely look like the same team twice.
They opened the season 14-17 with an offense that was well below average, but the rotation posted a 95 ERA- while the bullpen was excellent at 79. The offense did not have to carry the team because the pitching kept games close enough for Colorado to find a run somewhere.
April 1 in Toronto was a pretty good example. Kyle Freeland allowed one run over five innings, the bullpen followed with five scoreless innings, and the Rockies survived 17 strikeouts long enough for Troy Johnston to tie the game in the eighth.
That was one version of the Rockies: keep the game close, get enough from the pitching and wait for the offense to find something.
Then the bottom fell out.
From April 30 through May 27, Colorado went 6-20. The offense cratered to a 62 wRC+, while the starting rotation posted a 156 ERA-. The bullpen was below average, too.
The May 19 loss to Texas showed how quickly that version of the Rockies could get buried. Colorado’s opener did not escape the first inning, and the Rangers were ahead 5-0 after two and 7-0 after four.
Joc Pederson was in the middle of it, finishing with four hits as Texas kept piling on.
The Rangers eventually won 10-0. The Rockies finished with three hits.
From May 29 through July 3, the picture flipped almost completely. Colorado went 16-16 and posted a 126 wRC+ — the best park-adjusted offensive mark in baseball over that stretch.
That number stands out beyond this season, too. The Rockies did not produce a full calendar month with a wRC+ that high anywhere in the previous decade. The best mark in the 2016-2025 monthly data was 116 in May 2019.
The pitching never really joined the offense. The starters posted a 125 ERA-, while the bullpen was even worse at 134.
June 26 in Minnesota compressed that entire stretch into one night.
Colorado trailed 7-0 entering the eighth. The Rockies scored three runs there, then five more in the ninth. Jake McCarthy homered to pull Colorado within one, Kyle Karros doubled, and Hunter Goodman followed with a two-run homer that suddenly put the Rockies ahead 8-7.
For a while, the offense was good enough to overcome almost anything.
Almost.
Then it disappeared.
From July 4 through July 29, the Rockies’ wRC+ collapsed from 126 to 72. The bullpen actually improved to a 92 ERA-, but the starters remained poor at 138.
Colorado had gone from asking one of baseball’s best offenses to carry bad pitching to asking one of its least productive offenses to survive it.
A couple of weeks later, the balance shifted again. From July 31 through August 16, the Rockies went 8-7. The offense was almost exactly league average at a 96 wRC+. The rotation remained below average at 124, but the bullpen posted a 78 ERA-.
For 15 games, that was enough.
The constants
Not every part of this team has moved up and down with the same volatility. Defense has been one fairly consistent weakness. The Rockies rank 28th in fielding percentage at .982 and 26th in Outs Above Average at minus-25. Without clean date-range defensive splits, it is harder to map the defense onto each rise and fall, but the larger picture is clear: Colorado has been a poor defensive team throughout the season.
The starting rotation has been the bigger problem. For most of the year, it has ranged somewhere between poor and very poor.
Colorado could survive a 124 or 125 ERA- from its starters when something else was working. The offense carried that burden during the 16-16 stretch from May 29 through July 3, and the bullpen helped do it during the 8-7 stretch from July 31 through August 16.
The two major collapses tell a different story. From April 30 through May 27, the starters posted a 156 ERA- and the Rockies went 6-20. From August 17 through September 17, the rotation posted a 152 ERA- and Colorado went 6-23.
That most recent stretch is particularly telling because the other units have not collapsed to the same degree. The offense posted a 90 wRC+, which is poor but nowhere near the 62 or 72 from the earlier offensive downturns. The bullpen posted a 109 ERA-, also below average but hardly catastrophic.
And lately, the games have looked like it. From September 9 through September 13, Colorado lost five straight by scores of 6-1, 10-3, 6-2, 11-7 and 8-1. After briefly interrupting that run, the Rockies were blown out again in consecutive 9-3 and 9-2 losses.
Starting pitching has been a weight on this team all season. The difference has often been how heavy that weight became — and whether anything else was strong enough to carry it.
Water finds its level
Maybe that is the simplest way to describe the 2026 Rockies. They have spent six months moving between different versions of themselves.
At times, the bullpen carried them. At times, the offense did. There were stretches when they stayed close often enough to give themselves a chance to steal games, and others when everything broke at once. Through all of it, the defense has generally remained below average and the rotation has mostly remained a problem.
Maybe water really does find its level.
The Rockies are eight games from the end of another ugly season, and no amount of slicing the schedule into smaller pieces changes the record.
But it does help explain why getting here has felt so strange. The final record will make 2026 look more straightforward than it has actually been.
There are eight games left in the 2026 season, and whichever version of the Rockies shows up, I’ll be watching.
The Albuquerque Isotopes (72-76) picked up a rain-shortened 3-0 win over the Salt Lake Bees (66-80), with the game called after two outs in the top of the sixth.
Albuquerque did not exactly overwhelm Salt Lake offensively, finishing with five hits, but the Isotopes made enough of their chances count. Drew Avans walked to open the third and Tyler Freeman followed with a single before Charlie Condon reached on an error in left field that allowed both runners to score. Chad Stevens then opened the fourth with his second hit of the night and scored when Nic Kent ripped his 21st double of the season to make it 3-0.
Parker Mushinski worked two scoreless innings despite allowing two hits and a walk, Jarrod Cande followed with two scoreless frames of his own, and Keegan Thompson recorded the final five outs before the rain arrived. Cande earned the win, while Thompson was credited with his first save.
The Bees went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine, while Albuquerque went 0-for-6 with RISP and left five aboard. The Isotopes pitching staff allowed six hits and five walks but struck out five and kept the Bees off the scoreboard.
MLB.com’s Scott Merkin looks at a White Sox team trying to hold its place in a tightening playoff race. Chicago’s 11-8 loss to Detroit dropped the White Sox a game behind Cleveland in the AL Central, though they still hold a Wild Card spot with the final week of the season approaching. The margin for error is getting smaller, and the White Sox will close out the regular season with three games against the Rockies.
Yanks Go Yard’s Pat Ragazzo looks at Ryan McMahon’s continued offensive struggles in New York and argues that his Yankees tenure may be nearing its end. McMahon has an 80 wRC+ over 162 games since the trade and is hitting .210/.275/.346 this season despite continuing to provide value defensively.
Scott Roche of Sports Illustrated looks at Tanner Gordon’s rough September and a trend Warren Schaeffer wants to see him clean up. Gordon has generally done a good job getting ahead of hitters, but finishing them off with two strikes has been another story. That problem showed up again Thursday, when he allowed seven runs in three innings against San Diego, and it has helped push his September ERA to 12.34 over three starts.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - SEPTEMBER 18: Samuel Basallo #29 of the Baltimore Orioles reacts after striking out in the seventh inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 18, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning Birdland,
The Orioles had a golden opportunity on Friday night to gain ground in the AL wild card race. The fading White Sox lost again, which meant an O’s win would have gotten them within two games of that final playoff spot. Instead, they lost 6-5 in extra innings to the Brewers.
It’s the latest loss in what has obviously been a frustrating season for the Orioles. The team has simply lost too many games like it did on Friday. The talent is there. They are capable, on a day-to-day basis anyway, of competing with the best team’s in the sport. But far too often they get tight in the biggest moments, and their execution falls apart.
That was most evident in the seventh inning, when Samuel Basallo failed to lay down a bunt that would have put two runners in scoring position with one out. Basallo probably hasn’t bunted much in his life, and maybe never against a lefty with DL Hall’s repertoire. So it should have surprised no one when he ended up striking out. Might as well have swung away, or perhaps it would have made sense to pitch hit for Basallo given his struggles since coming off of the IL.
There was good news in the loss. Gunnar Henderson and Coby Mayo combined to go 6-for-9 with two runs scored. All three of Mayo’s hits were doubles, and his season OPS is up to .771. Pete Alonso hit another home run, a clutch round-tripper that tied the game at 3-3. As the math of a postseason berth this year starts to look worse, the Orioles will need to turn their focus towards 2027. The trio of Henderson, Mayo, and Alonso could very well be the heart of the lineup moving forward, so giving them any sort of momentum into the offseason would be a silver lining.
The Orioles and Brewers square off in game two of their series at 4:05. It’s a matchup between Trevor Rogers (10-10, 4.22 ERA) and lefty Robert Gasser (4-5, 4.30 ERA). Other games to keep an eye on: Tigers at White Sox (2:10 p.m.), Athletics at Guardians (6:10 p.m.), Blue Jays at Rangers (7:05 p.m.), and Braves at Astros (7:10 p.m.)
Links
Sig Mejdal changing roles in Orioles front office, will no longer oversee analytics | The Baltimore Banner Anyone hoping that Mike Elias’ time at the helm of the Orioles is coming to an end this winter, may be disappointed. The recent news of Matt Blood leaving the organization and now Mejdal changing roles seems like an effort from the front office to show that they are willing to adapt without needing to clean house. Will ownership be on board? That remains to be seen.
Because You Asked – Doomsday | Roch Kubatko Kubatko mentions here that “Elias is expected to stay.” That’s another pretty clear indication of where things are headed this winter. That should also mean 2027 is make-or-break for him, but who knows.
Basallo saw extra O’s gear lying around, and D.R. kids were top of mind | Orioles.com It is very sweet of Basallo think of kids back in his hometown. If someone can enjoy these giveaways instead of them sitting in a closet somewhere, it makes sense to make that happen. It’s also very funny to think of kids down in the Dominican Republic owning beach towels with a big “Ocean City, Maryland” advertisement across the bottom of it.
Orioles injury update on Bautista, Helsley, Holliday, Bradish, Alexander, Baz; O’s-Brewers lineups | Baltimore Baseball It sounds like Félix Bautista might get into a big league game before the season’s over. The same might not be true for Ryan Helsley, who hasn’t pitched in a rehab game in a week. Shane Baz is good to go for his next start, and Blaze Alexander is probably getting re-activated before the season is over. Kyle Bradish might need sports hernia surgery, and Jackson Holliday is meeting with a doctor about his wrist inflammation this weekend. That sums it up!
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
DL Hall turns 28 today. The lefty was one of the Orioles top prospects from the day he was drafted in 2017 until the day he was traded to the Brewers prior to the 2024 season. He worked two innings and earned to the win over his old club in last night’s series opener.
Danny Valencia is 42 years old. He had two brief stints in Baltimore, first in 2013 and then again in 2018. Valencia was known for his ability to hit left-handed pitching (.864 career OPS vs. LHP), which he flaunted with the Orioles.
Nick Johnson turns 48. The first baseman wrapped up his decade in MLB with a 38-game cameo on the 2012 Orioles
Randy Myers is 64 years old. The southpaw was a crucial member of the Orioles bullpen from 1996-97, collecting a 2.51 ERA over 123 total games.
The late Bob Turley (b. 1930, d. 2013) was born on this day. He came with the organization when it moved from St. Louis as the staff ace. In his lone season in Baltimore (1954), Turley had a 3.46 ERA and led the league in both strikeouts and walks. He was traded to the Yankees after the season.
This day in O’s history
1963 – The Orioles and Angels play a game in front of just 476 fans at Chavez Ravine, the smallest recorded attendance at the stadium excluding the 2020 season.
2017 – The Orioles fall 1-0 to the Red Sox. The only run of the game scores in the 11th inning when Brad Brach uncorks a wild pitch with the bases loaded, allowing Jackson Bradley Jr. to score from third base.
The Detroit Tigers scored a huge comeback victory on Friday night, scoring five in the eighth inning to tie their four-game weekend series with the Chicago White Sox, 11-8. It was a bullpen day for the good guys — which surrendered just two earned runs — while home runs by Hao-Yu Lee and Riley Greene powered the late-inning offense to triumph.
Getting the start for the Olde English D in Game 3 is right-hander Jackson Jobe, who is coming off his best outing of the 2026 campaign. Last time out against the Colorado Rockies at Comerica Park, the 24-year-old cracked the six-inning mark and recorded his first quality start with 6 1/3 frames of one-run ball on three hits — including a solo homer — and a walk while striking out eight and hitting a batter for his second win of the season in an 8-1 final.
Jobe saw the ChiSox earlier this summer in his second game back from the injured list and turned in his worst performance of the season, coughing up six runs on nine hits (two home runs) and a walk while striking out four and hitting a pair of batters.
For the White Sox, fellow righty Sean Burke will toe the rubber on Saturday night looking to improve upon his last start, in which he lasted just 1 1/3 innings after surrendering seven runs at home to the Pittsburgh Pirates on eight hits and two walks while striking out a pair along with a wild pitch. The 26-year-old did bounce back in relief in his most recent appearance, holding the Guardians to an unearned run over five frames on four hits and two walks while striking out four in Cleveland to earn his ninth win.
Burke has faced the Tigers twice this year with mixed results, tossing 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball on three hits and two walks while striking out six in Chicago for a no-decision in a 2-1 win. The second matchup came in Detroit, where he allowed four runs on five hits (one home run) and three walks while striking out two over 4 1/3 innings in another team win that he failed to figure in the decision, 7-5.
Take a look at how these two hurlers match up in the third game of the weekend series.
Detroit Tigers (73-81) vs. Chicago White Sox (78-76)
Time (ET): 7:10 p.m. Place: Rate Field, Chicago, Illinois SB Nation Site:South Side Sox Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 155: RHP Jackson Jobe (2-2, 3.89 ERA) vs. RHP Sean Burke (9-7, 3.47 ERA)
PHOENIX — Just in case anyone thought the New York Yankees would simply fade away into the night, their season drifting out to sea with the news that Aaron Judge may be done for the season, the Bronx Bombers delivered a subtle message Friday night that reverberated around the baseball world.
The Yankees, with Gerrit Cole looking more like the 2023 Cy Young winner than the pitcher who looked like he was throwing batting practice earlier this month, smacked around the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-2 Friday, and acted afterwards as if it was simply business as usual.
There was Cole, who had given up seven homers in his last two starts pitching his best game in a month, yielding four hits and two runs in six innings.
There was DH Ben Rice, looking like a top-5 MVP candidate by hitting his 39th home run of the season − just as Yankees manager Aaron Boone predicted in spring training − to go along with 94 RBI.
There was rookie shortstop George Lombard, hitting a homer and playing flawless defense.
And there were the Yankees, talking as if they plan to be playing deep into October, whether Judge is in uniform or on their bench as a cheerleader. Judge is going on the injured list with a strained calf and the Yankees have no idea whether he’ll return.
“I mean, it’s a tough blow for us to take,’’ Rice said. “Obviously, we were missing him for a long time there (three months), so this one is especially hard to swallow, just being back for a brief period and already gone.
“But we got no choice but to just keep playing hard, keeping doing our thing.’’
Well, that starts on the mound, and with Cole dominating Friday, with Cy Young favorite Cam Schlittler scheduled Saturday, and Max Fried and Carlos Rodon pitching well, there may not be a more formidable starting rotation in the postseason.
Cole, 9-9 with a 3.63 ERA in his first season back from Tommy John surgery, certainly knows there’s room for improvement. But after being belted around with a 7.15 ERA his past two starts, giving up seven homers and 15 hits in 11.1 innings, this was a massive improvement.
“I thought he was really good,’’ Boone said. “You know he grinded pretty hard. Between the last start and this one, there are subtle adjustments you make that a lot of people probably over-reacted to.
“The reality is he’s having an outstanding season. He’s throwing the ball really well, and a great pitcher like him is going to be able to make some adjustments.’’
Cole, who missed the entire 2025 season and the first 51 games this year, says he modified his mechanics to remake his delivery. Why, except for missing his location on a low fastball to Corbin Carroll in the second inning, resulting in a two-run homer, he was on-point with virtually all of his other pitches. He threw 90 pitches − 62 for strikes − without walking a batter.
“I mean, I don’t think we did a perfect job tonight,’’ Cole said. “I think we moved the needle in the right direction. I think there’s some meat on the bone there. It’s not easy, but it’s necessary. It’s the big leagues.’’
Yep, just like no one is going to feel sorry for the Yankees with the loss of Judge. Not the Tampa Bay Rays, who are still in first place with a four-game lead. Not the Boston Red Sox, who the Yankees likely will face in the first round. Not a soul outside the Yankees organization.
“We have a lot of confidence in here,’’ Cole said. “I mean, for the most part of the summer, we’ve been tested really, really hard, and responded − by and large − really well.
“We have a lot of perfectionists in here. We’re always trying to be perfect, and always striving to be the best. But the reality is we’ve had a lot of obstacles that we’ve had to overcome, and we’ve played really well. So we’re looking forward to more challenges to come.’’
Yes, with or without Judge. The Yankees went 46-39 when he was out 100 days with a rib fracture, and they believe they’re built for October. They know they have four top-quality starters and a deep bullpen that can dominate anyone.
“That’s probably our biggest strength,’’ Boone said. “Whoever we hand the ball to every day, we know is going to give us an opportunity to win a game.’’
They proved that this night, with Judge merely watching from the bench, knowing he may have played his final game of the season.
“We’re obviously bummed for Aaron, and Aaron’s probably bummed too,’’ Cole said, “but we’ve been in this position before this year. Unfortunately, it’s our reality at this point.’’
