SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 29: Jackson Flora of the San Francisco Giants talks to media at Oracle Park on July 29, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Suzanna Mitchell/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Happy Labor Day, San Francisco Giants fans. On account of the holiday, the usual weekend Minor League Baseball roundup will have to wait until Tuesday, instead of going up today. But, since there’s not much to talk about with the big league team, it seemed like I should give you a sneak peak today.
Jackson Flora, the NorCal born and raised Giants fan that the team took with the fourth overall pick in July, made his professional debut on Friday for Low-A San Jose. It went fairly swimmingly, as Flora struck out two batters in a scoreless first inning, albeit with a hit and a walk.
Jackson Flora’s debut is officially in the books
1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K
Heater regularly hit 98, secondaries weren’t all there, and strike throwing was an issue, but it was exciting to get a look at him#SFGiantspic.twitter.com/3W5fBUu6OP
That will go down as Flora’s only official appearance this year, as the Low-A and High-A seasons ended on Sunday. But we’ll likely see him pitch again sometime this week in the postseason.
The future is bright. Which is great, because the present sure as heck isn’t.
Speaking of the present, here’s what’s on tap for the week: the Giants kick off a six-game home stand tonight with a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals, followed by three against the San Diego Padres, with a Thursday off-day thrown in there.
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants are Cardinals play holiday baseball at 5:10 p.m. PT tonight.
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 4: Manager Oliver Marmol of the St. Louis Cardinals (C) argues with umpire Doug Eddings #88 after getting ejected from the game as catcher Leo Bernal #13 looks on in the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on September 4, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On Friday, the Cardinals made a late-night comeback thanks to a 3-run homer by Ivan Herrera in the 9th inning that put the Cardinals up a run. That did not end up being the story of the game however. The story of the game happened a few innings earlier when some of the most egregiously bad umpiring I’ve personally ever witnessed nearly led to a Cardinals loss. I can’t claim that without the Herrera home run the Cardinals would have lost because of the umpiring. It definitely led to a run the Rockies wouldn’t have otherwise scored, but they did score another run after the bad call and there wasn’t two outs when the call was made. Thankfully, we don’t have to speculate, because Ivan Herrera made it irrelevant.
The win softened my anger towards the situation. I think I might still be angry about it if the Cardinals didn’t win that game. If I actually stop and think about what happened and that there will be no real consequences for what happened, then I get incredibly frustrated all over again. I think this might cost the crew a playoff appointment, but that’s not a punishment. Not getting a reward is not the same thing as a punishment.
And because this has made national news and because I do consider this a big deal, I wanted a history of what happened on this site. I think an article detailing what happened will hopefully be informative to people who didn’t get to see what happened for starters. And the sites I’ve seen cover this have either glossed over things or neglected part of the story. I wanted to take a crack at it.
CALL IS CONFIRMED
Our story begins in the top of the 6th. Coming back from the injured list, Andre Pallante threw just 5 innings, although he was efficient. His pitch limit just happened to be 75 pitches. The Cardinals, with a tired bullpen, turned to rookie Hancel Rincon. He had been called up earlier in the week, but manager Oliver Marmol had been reluctant to use him in tight games against the Dodgers. And no disrespect to Rincon, but that reluctance was justified by how he pitched in his first two games, albeit Coors Field is a hard place to debut as a pitcher. Not sure the Dodgers lineup would have been much easier.
Hunter Goodman hit a weak lineout to secure his first out. Good start. TJ Rumfield then hit a ball off the wall that is a homer in 28 parks, but not Coors Field. Jordan Walker misplayed it into a triple, but nearly recovered well enough to throw out the runner at 3rd base. Contrary to what many people think, the runner was safe even if Nolan Gorman never dropped the ball. But Gorman dropped the ball upon hitting the runner. For some reason, Marmol challenged this. Maybe it was a desperate attempt to get a rookie a second out and also just the cool factor if Walker actually pulled off the play.
You can hear the start of the Rockies announcers being kind of surprised at Doug Eddings’ tone in announcing that the call was confirmed. This obviously isn’t a big deal, but I do think it is part of the story. I’ll share the rest of the Rockies’ announcers reaction to his call, because they almost react to Eddings’ call as if they were Cardinals’ announcers. But they’re homers on the other side. They noticed how he announced that the call was confirmed.
The Rockies broadcast catches on to Doug Eddings’ unprofessional attitude toward the Cardinals earlier in the game: “shame on you for challenging.” #stlcardspic.twitter.com/tW46qKrlR6
Also I have to share this because it is VERY relevant to what happens later, because the Cardinals no longer had a challenge. Doug Eddings knows the Cardinals no longer have a challenge.
“Not on my field”
Here’s where Doug Eddings loses quite a bit of his nonexistent credibility. His excuse in Derrick Goold’s piece was that Hunter Goodman asked him if Rincon was allowed to wear his hat like that. That just does not feel like something an MLB player would say. Obviously he is allowed if you’ve watched baseball in the last two decades. Goodman has faced Sonny Gray before and I think he’s watched baseball growing up, and it’s a thing you see all the time. That, however, is not why Eddings loses credibility.
It’s because he didn’t ask Rincon to fix his hat when Goodman was batting. He didn’t ask him when the next batter, TJ Rumfield, was up either. After the triple and the missed challenge, Rincon threw a wild pitch that allowed Rumfield to score. He then threw another ball to make it 2-0. It was at this point that Eddings requested Rincon straighten his hat, which he did without complaint. Can you explain to me, in Doug Eddings version, why he would wait two batters to ask him to straighten his cap? Wouldn’t you ask immediately?
Oh and this is to say nothing of the absurdity of just granting Goodman’s request because he asked. Yes, I’m sure power hungry Doug Eddings is going to do what a player asks, sure, makes sense. Rincon then gives up an inside-the-park homer to Cole Carrig thanks to a misplay by Nathan Church and Joshua Baez not backing up the play – it was a real team effort in awful outfield defense that inning. Connor Norby then hit a very weak bloop single and Marmol really wanted to win the game, so he took Rincon out.
And while Justin Bruhl was warming up, Marmol argued with Eddings about the hat situation. Marmol was not a fan of that exchange, we’ll say. Marmol walks back to the dugout, Edding is not even in position to call balls or strikes, and he gleefully called a pitch clock violation on Bruhl – who was not capable of pitching because Eddings wasn’t even behind the plate. Pretty sure he had no grounds to call a pitch clock violation. I would go point-by-point and share the video of each point I’ve made in this section, but Twitter user Umpire Auditor covers all of this in a one-minute video if you’re interested in watching.
Umpire Doug Eddings went on a power trip during the bottom of the 6th in the Cardinals Rockies game.
First, he demanded that pitcher Hancel Rincon (in his MLB debut) straighten his hat since no one will wear a hat like that on "his field".
I would share the MLB official video, but the Film Room contains an 8 second video just telling you that the Cardinals got a pitch clock violation with no context. After the pitch clock violation, Marmol got himself thrown out. There will presumably be a Jomboy video that I expect to be 5+ minutes long that should give us the back-and-forth, but needless to say, Marmol’s message to Eddings was clear: “Grow the f—k up.” If I could condense everything he said to Eddings to encapsulate his message, those four words would be it.
Terrible call
Hampered with a 1-0 count through no fault of his own, Bruhl managed to throw two strikes to make it a 1-2 count on Troy Johnston. Unfortunately, Bruhl allowed a very Coors double to Troy Johnston and then a line drive single to Adeal Amador. That tied the game at 4-4 and runners were still at 1st and 3rd with one out. Zac Veen attempted a bunt, but it was perfectly played by Bruhl who used his glove to toss the ball to a waiting Leonardo Bernal, who barely had to move his glove when Johnston’s hand went directly into Bernal’s glove, well before he ever touched home plate. I actually don’t know if he even touched home plate to be honest. You be the judge.
Johnston literally walked towards the dugout mouthing he was out. It was the easiest call an umpire will ever make. Doug Eddings was in perfect position to see it. I don’t think Doug Eddings is literally blind, but him being literally blind is the best case scenario for Doug Eddings. Because if he’s not blind, he probably could see perfectly well that he was out. But he had made up his mind that he was going to call him safe. That part is true no matter what. Even if his brain convinced him he was actually safe, he 100 percent had made up his mind that he was going to be safe before the play even happened. It was that bad of a call.
In fact, Doug Eddings has only himself to blame if he gets offended that we think he called him safe even though he knew he was out. He provided us with a preponderance of evidence. If this were a court room, I think just about any jury would convict him. The weird, emphatic “confirmed” call that began the entire inning, him telling a player he needed to straighten his hat and then lying about the reason why he did that, the bogus pitch clock violation and ejection of Marmol – it’s an embarrassment of riches. He made it nearly impossible to come to any other conclusion.
Aftermath
Like I said, I think the fact the Cardinals ended up winning the game soothed tensions. I think we may have gotten a very different reaction from Oliver Marmol and the players had the Cardinals lost. But since they won, they were more subdued. Even so, Marmol did not hold back in his postgame interview.
"[Eddings] tells him he needs to fix his hat and 'the kid's not gonna wear his hat like that on my field.'"
The team rallied around Rincon. The next time they took the field, every player had their cap tilted to the side during warmups. And according to the Cardinals broadcast, manager Warren Sheaffer and Rockies players were none too happy that Eddings threw Goodman under the bus. It’s not shown in the following clip, but apparently some Rockies participated in the protest too.
Brad Thompson says that Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer had words with Doug Eddings prior to the game. Eddings told pool reporters that Hunter Goodman asked about Rincon's hat last night.
"And some of the Rockies players on their dugout bench had their caps turned sideways as… pic.twitter.com/HbAZ7p2tYj
How bad of an umpire do you have to be to piss off both teams with your actions? And I’ll go one further. This was such unfathomably bad umpiring that I have seen Cubs fans comment in support of the Cardinals. In the heat of the moment, I tweeted that Doug Eddings purposefully made the wrong call and I got 2,600 likes. I do not have that many followers. The likes were from every conceivable fanbase you can imagine: at a glance, I saw Cubs, Phillies, Jays, Guardians, Padres, Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles, and Twins and there’s probably more but not everyone lists their fanbase in their profile or name and I stopped halfway through.
Let me reiterate my point one more time: that was a call so bad that rivals of the Cardinals agreed that an umpire purposefully made the wrong call to spite the Cardinals. I didn’t get called biased once. One person asked how I knew that. That is literally the extent of the pushback I got for claiming that an umpire made the wrong call on purpose. There aren’t enough words in the world to properly express how insane that is.
Doug Eddings apologized to Hancel Rincon because he had to basically. Eddings was told by MLB that he went too far according to Ken Rosenthal. Prior to the apology of course. And again aside from not being invited to the playoffs, which is the literal bare minimum of “consequences,” he will otherwise face zero repercussions for this. In the meantime, this is the kind of thing that rallies a team together and while it’s probably too late, let’s hope it fuels them to a playoff appearance.
JUPITER, FLORIDA - MARCH 09: Vance Honeycutt #84 of the Baltimore Orioles at bat during a spring training game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium on March 09, 2026 in Jupiter, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Oh dear, a humbling day at the plate for the Tides. Their only run came when José Barrero walked, stole a pitch, advanced on a wild pitch, and scored on a groundout. Talk about scratching out runs.
Tides hitters combined for just six hits on Sunday. Enrique Bradfield Jr. had one. So did Jeremiah Jackson. Brandon Butterworth hit two, and so did catcher Sam Huff.
Starting pitcher Trey Gibson pitched OK. He threw five innings, allowed three runs on seven hits and struck out four. The loss gives him a 3-6 record with a 4.04 ERA at this level. Dietrich Enns pitched a fairly bad 1.2 innings, allowing four runs on a homer and two-run single. Yaramil Hiraldo served up a homer of his own, but Gerald Ogando pitched a spotless ninth.
Despite the result, lots of top Baysox prospects had good days at the plate on Sunday. Vance Honeycutt went 3-for-5 with a home run. Anderson de los Santos hit a two-run single and walked. Catcher Ethan Anderson had an RBI single. First baseman Victor Figueroa homered. And Tavian Josenberger had three hits on the day.
Sebastian Gongora tossed a short outing (3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K), going just three innings and allowing a single run on a home run. His replacements, Alex Pham and Richard Guasch, were not up to the task, proving even more homer-prone, Pham giving up a three-run blast and Guasch a pair of homers, along with a run-scoring balk. Jeisson Cabrera kept the Sea Dogs from scoring, but Ryan Long allowed a run himself in the ninth.
High-A: Frederick Keys 6, Brooklyn Cyclones (NYM) 5
The playoff-bound Keys won again! It wasn’t a good debut for the 27-year-old Jack Dykhoff, who allowed five runs on nine hits. But his team scooped him up by holding the line: Kiefer Lord, Zac Hampton, and Jack Crowder all threw scoreless outings after him.
The offense posted eight hits, walked nine times, and six runs in a mighty six-run second inning. It was enough to win! First, Elis Cuevas walked in a run. Then so did Andrés Nolaya. Then, DJ Layton hit a two-run double, and Enddy Azocar hit a two-run single. Layton is OPS’ing .849 these days.
The starting pitching just wasn’t any good for Delmarva. Esteban Mejía and Isaac Silva got blown up, allowing 11 runs in just the first four innings. The 19-year-old Mejía is still young, but he’s struggled at this level so far. The only scoreless outing was pitched by Dalton Neuschwander. After him, Adrian Heredia threw one inning and gave up three.
On offense, there were ten hits, though just three runs. Eric Booth Jr. had two, including a double. So did Stiven Martinez, a difference maker last night with a grand slam. From the eight and nine spots came two more hits apiece, from Adriander Mejía and Félix Amparo.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 02: Pete Crow-Armstrong #4 of the Chicago Cubs reacts after striking out against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field on September 02, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to week 24 of our 2026 NL Central Power Rankings — let’s rank some teams!
1. Milwaukee Brewers (88-56); 3-4 this week; 100.0% chance to make postseason (FanGraphs)
For the first time in a long time, the rest of the NL Central gained ground on the Brewers this week, as Milwaukee was the only sub-.500 team in the division. It wasn’t a terrible week for the Crew, though, as they split four games with the Cubs in Chicago before dropping two of three to the Reds in Cincinnati.
Seven players had a homer each this week, with Jackson Chourio leading the squad with nine hits, including two doubles and a homer. William Contreras added seven hits, including four doubles and a homer, while Cooper Pratt led the team with nine RBIs as part of a seven-hit week, including a homer and a bases-clearing triple.
Logan Henderson had the team’s only quality start, though he took the loss, allowing two runs over seven innings and striking out seven. For the bullpen, Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe continue to impress, as the duo combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings with nine strikeouts. Chad Patrick added 3 1/3 scoreless innings across a pair of appearances, striking out one.
Milwaukee will face the same opponents this week, though this time they’ll do so at home, hosting the Cubs and Reds for back-to-back three-game sets with an off day on Thursday in between.
2. Chicago Cubs (81-63); 4-3 this week; 99.7% chance to make postseason
The Cubs, as mentioned above, split a four-game set with the Brewers before winning two of three against the Marlins in Miami over the weekend.
Alex Bregman continues to crush after a slow start to the season, as he led Chicago with nine hits, including four homers and a double, driving in eight. Nico Hoerner added nine hits, including a homer, and Michael Conforto and Pete Crow-Armstrong each slugged a pair of homers, giving PCA 40 for the season as he’s well on his way to winning NL MVP.
Kevin Gausman and Shota Imanaga led the rotation, as Gausman went seven innings and allowed one run, striking out nine, while Imanaga went six innings, allowing one run and striking out four. Aaron Civale was a bright spot for the bullpen, working a three-inning save with no runs allowed and three strikeouts.
Chicago now heads to Milwaukee to face the Brewers for three games before returning home to host the Pirates for three games over the weekend.
3. St. Louis Cardinals (72-72); 4-2 this week; 2.1% chance to make postseason
St. Louis took two of three from both the Dodgers and Rockies to begin their West Coast trip this week.
Thomas Saggese had a huge week offensively for the Redbirds, picking up 10 hits, including three homers and three doubles, driving in eight. Joshua Báez and Iván Herrera both slugged a pair of homers, with Báez picking up nine hits and Herrera adding 11 hits.
Quinn Mathews and Andre Pallante both turned in solid starts for St. Louis, as each went five innings with one run allowed. Mathews struck out four and Pallante struck out one. Ryan Fernandez, Gordon Graceffo, and Cooper Hjerpe led the bullpen, totaling 9 2/3 scoreless innings with 15 strikeouts.
The Cards will wrap up the road trip with three games against the Giants in San Francisco. After an off day on Thursday, they’ll host the White Sox for three games over the weekend.
4. Pittsburgh Pirates (71-73); 4-2 this week; 1.6% chance to make postseason
Pittsburgh hosted a pair of West Coast teams in the Giants and Angels this week, taking two of three from both.
Henry Davis, Brandon Lowe, and Bryan Reynolds all homered to lead the offense, as Reynolds and Lowe also tied for the team lead with eight hits. Nick Gonzales and Oneil Cruz added six hits each, as Cruz also led the squad with six RBIs and three steals.
Jared Jones led the rotation with six scoreless frames, allowing three hits and a walk while striking out nine for the victory. Mason Montgomery led what was a strong bullpen this week, as he totaled four scoreless frames over four appearances, picking up three saves. Carmen Mlodzinski, Brandon Eisert, Wilber Dotel, Lake Bachar, and Gregory Soto also had scoreless weeks, totaling 11 1/3 innings with nine strikeouts.
Pittsburgh now heads to Chicago for the next week, as they’ll take on the White Sox and Cubs for three games apiece through the weekend.
5. Cincinnati Reds (69-74); 4-2 this week; 0.0% chance to make postseason
The Reds continued what has become a nice stretch, as they’ve now won each of their last three series against a trio of playoff teams in the Cubs, Padres, and Brewers.
Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain each slugged two homers this week, and De La Cruz led the offense with 10 hits, driving in six. Five other players added a homer apiece, including Héctor Rodríguez, who had a nine-hit week. Dane Myers and Sal Stewart didn’t homer, but they both put together solid weeks with eight hits and seven hits, respectively.
Andrew Abbott worked four innings in a rain-delay shortened outing, allowing two runs (one earned) and striking out five, while Nick Lodolo worked six quality frames, allowing two runs and striking out five. Emilio Pagán went 3-for-3 in save opportunities, and Tejay Antone, Brock Burke, and Julian Garcia combined for 10 2/3 scoreless bullpen innings, striking out 19, including 10 by Antone over just four frames.
Cincinnati will look to keep it up with a tough schedule ahead. This week, they’ll visit the Dodgers in Los Angeles before a visit to Milwaukee for three games after an off day on Thursday.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 28: Romy Gonzalez #23 of the Boston Red Sox fist bumps third base coach Chad Epperson #81 in the dugout before the game against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on July 28, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Gage Ziehl put Buffalo (Blue Jays AAA) on the board with a home run, but that was the only run he allowed in his five innings. The bullpen (Angel Bastardo and Tyler Samaniego) were not as lucky, as they got taken for a seven-run ride in the seventh. This was enough to erase the lead Worcester had amassed throughout the game through some three-hit games from Franklin Arias, Kristian Campbell and Romy Gonzalez, the last of whom is tearing the cover off the ball in Triple-A following a demotion. Even with the team stranding ten, those hits kept them in good position to win Sunday until the lead slipped away.
Henry Godbout’s latest home run is just the newest indication that you can’t judge performance after a promotion too soon. He continued to swing a hot bat against the BaySox (Orioles AA) as he hit his fifteenth home run of the season but his eighth in just a month. The homer was part of a 3-for-5 afternoon for the 2025 Competitive Balance round pick as he adjusts to his third playing level of 2026. Sunday as a whole was something of a home run derby for the Sea Dogs, as Tyler McDonough, Will Turner, and Max Ferguson all chipped balls over the wall before the fifth inning was even over. Meanwhile, the pitching staff, which allowed two home runs of their own up, came together to strike out thirteen BaySox batters as they cruised to a win in the penultimate Sunday game of their season.
The Drive didn’t get yet another walk off in Bowling Green (Rays High-A). The Hot Rods put up all 4 runs of offense very late, the Drive were actually having kept them off the board through 7. Leighton Finley, who was rewarded for an effective first full season in professional baseball with a start in High-A to finish off the season, pitched brilliantly though his afternoon was a little short. But he put the team in a great position to win, striking out 7 out and allowing just 1 hit. Jake Schaffner and Owen Hull reached the final game of their first season in the pros and there’s a lot to look forward to as they continue to move through the farm.
Salem’s final game of 2026 was a loss that was closer than it appeared it might be at the beginning, as Lynchburg (Guardians A) took them for fourteen hits and eight walks. But Andrews Opata, who had 58 stolen bases on the season, kept it interesting early with his 11th home run. Some 2026 draft picks also got some hits in this game; Willis McGinnis and Colton Coates, to name a couple. Catcher Kleyvar Salazar also added in three hits of his own, but this game was an uphill battle even with the multitude of offense because the Howlers put seven on the RidgeYaks within the first four innings. It wasn’t always pretty for the lowest level of the system in 2026. I think the most comforting thing I can say is that at least draft picks from the most recent draft were productive within days of suiting up for the first time.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 06: Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves at bat during the first inning of game against the Philadelphia Phillies on September 6, 2026 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
When it matters most, its is always best when your stars show up. And in this huge series against the Phillies, that is exactly what Ronald Acuna Jr. has done. He delivered the game tying home run as the Braves came from behind late to get a big 5-4 victory. Tyler Mahle once again showed he can be trusted in a playoff-type setting, as he kept the Braves close early. And it was awesome to see Austin Riley get the game winning hit. Overall, despite their ups and downs, the Braves once again proved they can get the job done against the best teams.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 6: Jhoan Duran #59 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch in the top of the ninth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park on September 6, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Braves defeated the Phillies 5-4. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
What was with those pitch calls by Garrett Stubbs to Ronald Acuna in the eighth inning? Seven straight fastballs in that situation? Really? That was the scouting report they chose to use? Seems a little sketchy to be doing that one.
Things are looking rough for the Detroit Tigers as the season winds down after dropping three of four to the Cleveland Guardians this past weekend, making it six losses over the last eight games. To make matters worse, all three defeats at Progressive Field came in walk-off fashion as the team continues to struggle in monumental fashion.
The Motor City Kitties return home to host the Minnesota Twins — against whom their seven-game road trip began last week — for a three-game weekday series starting on Monday with Troy Melton taking the mound in the opener. The 25-year-old has been struggling of late after a tremendous three-month stretch, having posted a 4.84 ERA and 5.02 FIP over his last four starts, which resulted in three personal losses and four total for his team.
Melton has faced Minnesota twice this summer — including his most recent outing — having put up a bloated 7.84 ERA and a brutal 10.05 FIP over 10 1/3 innings. His FIP is heavily inflated by the six home runs he surrendered over those two games, and his pair of hit-by-pitches did not help matters much either.
As of Sunday night, the Twins’ starter for Monday’s Labor Day matchup has not been announced.
Detroit Tigers (65-78) vs. Minnesota Twins (68-75)
Time (ET): 3:10 p.m. Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan SB Nation Site:Twinkie Town Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 02: Jackson Chourio #11 and Christian Yelich #22 of the Milwaukee Brewers celebrate after defeating the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on September 02, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Last Week’s Results:
Monday: Cubs 17, Brewers 3
Tuesday: Brewers 9, Cubs 4
Wednesday: Brewers 9, Cubs 5
Thursday: Cubs 2, Brewers 1
Friday: Brewers 10, Reds 7
Saturday: Reds 5, Brewers 3
Sunday: Reds 12, Brewers 8
Division Standings:
Brewers 88-56
Cubs 81-63 (7 GB)
Cardinals 72-72 (16 GB)
Pirates 71-73 (17 GB)
Reds 69-74 (18.5 GB)
Last Week:
Brewers 3-4
Cubs 4-3
Cardinals 4-2
Pirates 4-2
Reds 4-2
Top Pitching Performance of the Week
Logan Henderson, who went seven innings while allowing two runs on three hits during Thursday’s loss to the Cubs. The rookie right-hander has been incredible all season; he hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his fifteen starts. Recently, he’s been especially dialed in, going seven innings in three of his last four starts while averaging just 1.2 runs allowed. Henderson now has a 2.48 ERA and a 0.79 WHIP through fifteen starts this season.
While Henderson’s performance would have been deserving in a normal week, this might have been the worst week of the season for Brewers starters, so it wins basically by default. Robert Gasser, who gave up three runs (two earned) in 4 1/3 innings, had what was probably the second-best start of the week; the other contender was Dustin May, who gave up five hits and two earned runs in 3 2/3 innings against the Reds. Jacob Misiorowski (5 ER in 4 IP) got lit up by the Cubs, Shane Drohan (6 ER in 4 IP) got lit up by the Reds, and Kyle Harrison (13 ER in 7 1/3 IP) got lit up by both.
Rough week for the Brewers pitching staff, for sure. With that in mind, Miz, Harrison, and Drohan have all been good way more often than they’ve been bad this year. The Brewers have also had just two off days since July 31st, which is pretty insane, and this week’s games were all on the road against tough divisional opponents. Even with the uncharacteristically shaky pitching, they managed to win three games this week thanks to the offense.
Top Hitting Performance of the Week
We’ve seen this Brewers offense tough out some cold stretches of late, but the bats came alive this week. Milwaukee scored eight or more runs in four games this week, although they did score three or fewer in the other three.
Every Brewer to get at least 20 plate appearances recorded at least a .730 OPS, but Cooper Pratt had the best week of them all. The rookie shortstop went 7-for-22 with a whopping 9 RBIs, punctuating his week by clearing the bases with a triple, then scampering home on a wild pitch, in Friday’s 10-7 win over the Reds. Pratt has certainly risen to the occasion since earning his spot in the big league lineup; he’s now hitting .271 with a .716 OPS in 177 at-bats.
Honorable mentions go to Andrew Vaughn, who hit .400 with a double and home run in 15 at-bats, and William Contreras, who went 7-for-25 with four doubles and a homer.
RHP Abner Uribe was activated from the IL last Monday, August 31st, after missing a few weeks with a right forearm flexor strain. He made three appearances, throwing 2 1/3 innings without allowing a baserunner.
In a corresponding move, RHP Bryse Wilson was placed on the 15-day IL with a lower back strain.
LHP JoJo Romero, acquired along with May from the Cardinals prior to the trade deadline, was also activated from the IL and made his debut as a Brewer. Romero, who hadn’t pitched since undergoing an emergency appendectomy in mid-July, made four appearances, allowing four runs (two earned) over 3 1/3 innings.
Romero and catcher Bo Naylor were the two players added to the active roster as rosters expanded on September 1st. Naylor started at catcher yesterday against the Reds, going 1-for-4 with an RBI single.
RHP Joel Kuhnel was designated for assignment and claimed off waivers by the Giants.
Finally, manager Pat Murphy’s comments following today’s game hinted at a potential shakeup in the starting rotation…
Pat Murphy suggested that the Brewers are going to give a hard look to moving Kyle Harrison to a relief role in the immediate future.
“Maybe he won't start, maybe he'll end up being in the middle of the game or something like that,” Murphy said of the rest of 2026.
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 22: Fireworks are seen after Game 2 of the 2016 World Baseball Classic Qualifier at MCU Park on Thursday, September 22, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB via Getty Images) | MLB via Getty Images
Rochester scored a pair of runs in the first and another run in the eighth to give them three runs. Syracuse scored a run in the fourth and then a pair in the eighth to give them three runs as well. In the top of the ninth, with the score tied at 3-3, Chase McDermott had a gritty outing, getting his first two batters out before finally recording the inning’s third out after working around a catcher’s interference runner and a walk. In the bottom of the inning, MJ Melendez got on base representing the winning run and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. After Jose Ramos walked, Big Billy Amick came up to the plate, and what would you expect your team’s big bopper to do? Lay down a sacrifice bunt? Exactly. The move caused so much confusion that pitcher Eddy Yean threw wide to first, missing first baseman Liover Peguero’s glove and allowing Melendez to scamper home for the win. With the victory, Syracuse finds themselves 2.5 games behind the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders and the Red Wings, who are now tied for first place in the International League. The Indianapolis Indians are 1.5 games back, while the Worcester Red Sox and St. Paul Twins are 2.0 back. The Mets will be playing those same Twins this upcoming week.
New Hampshire took the initial lead in this one, but Binghamton tied things up and then took the lead themselves in the bottom of the fourth on a two-RBI single off the bat of Jacob Reimer. Both teams settled down for a bit, but in the seventh, Binghamton exploded for four runs, powered by a Marco Vargas RBI single and a three-run Jefferson Rojas shot. Up 6-1 going into the ninth, Carlos Guzman had an epic meltdown, allowing six consecutive batters to reach base and three runs to score. His replacement, Gabriel Rodriguez, got the next two outs with the bases juiced before allowing a bases-clearing double that gave the Fisher Cats a 7-6 lead. The Rumble Ponies did not go down meekly, getting the tying run to third and putting the winning run on with only one out, but Jacob Reimer grounded into an extremely inopportune double play and that was that. With the loss, combined with Reading’s win over Hartford, Binghamton fell to 3.5 games back. The Fightin’ Phils will be taking on the Erie SeaWolves this upcoming week, while Binghamton will have an easier time, taking on the Portland Sea Dogs.
Calvin Ziegler opened the game, and while the right-hander has been better of late, he has had multiple games this season where he allowed multiple runs in an inning or less of work. In the 2026 Brooklyn Cyclones season finale, Ziegler was money, throwing a perfect inning of work, striking out one. That was the high-water mark of this contest, as the Cyclones completely imploded in the second. Luis Rodriguez, recorded only a single out- a sac bunt, none the less- and his replacement, Rafi Vazquez, gave up four hits, allowing four more runs to score, three of which were charged to Rodriquez and one himself. Improbably, the Cyclones offense fought back and made this a competitive ballgame, scoring two runs in the third and two in the fourth and one in the fifth to make it a 6-5 contest, but they were unable to get over that hump. With the loss, Brooklyn ends their second half below .500 and ended up with a losing record in both halves for the first time since the South Atlantic League moved to a split-season format in 2022.
This game technically began on Saturday, as Saturday’s game between the St. Lucie Mets and Jupiter Hammerheads was suspended in the first inning due to inclement weather with the score tied 1-1 thanks to a Jake Ogden homer for the Mets and a Luis Arana steal of home plate for the Hammerheads. Rather than play a doubleheader between two sub-.500 teams, a full nine-inning game was played and the second contest completely cancelled. As soon as the game resumed, Ryan Tayman hit a homer to give the Mets the lead, but it wouldn’t last long as Irving Cota gave the run right back in the top of the second. St. Lucie scratched out a run to take the lead back, and then scored another, and then another. Going into the top of the ninth, St. Lucie had a comfortable 6-2 lead, but the bullpen had other ideas. The Hammerheads plated five in the inning to take the lead. Down to their last out, the Mets fought back, with Tayman and Yovanny Rodriguez drawing back-to-back walks. Pinch runner Vladi Gomez stole third, and then was driven home by a Kuhio Aloy single to tie things up at seven apiece and into extra innings things went. Both teams scored in the tenth, neither scored in the eleventh, and in the twelfth, things looked grim when the Hammerheads scored two, but Dylan Carey ended the game in storybook fashion, blasting a two-run homer to win it for the Mets and end the 2026 season, one that was largely a bad one for St. Lucie, on a positive note.
Happy birthday to Mark Prior, and a mighty host of others.
Today in baseball history, in 1998 – Mariners’ OF Ken Griffey, Jr. has four hits, including two homers, and reaches the 50-home run level. He’s the third player to do so in successive seasons. Seattle defeats the Orioles, 11 – 1, as Griffey knocks in six runs, and other stories as well.
1925 – In an A.M.-P.M. doubleheader, the Senators win the morning contest with the A’s, as Walter Johnson tops Lefty Grove, 2-1, and goes 3 for 4, the second consecutive game he’s collected three hits.
1998 – Houston’sRandy Johnson strikes out 14 Reds in a 1-0 win. It is the 17th time this season he’s struck out ten or more and the 100th time in his career.
1911 – The Cubs’Frank Schulte hits his 21st home run and brings in RBI No. 121 as the Cubs sweep the Reds, 3-0 and 4-2. He will lead the National League in both home runs and RBI. He is the first player to have more than 20 doubles, triples, and home runs in one season.
1935 – Bill Lee shuts out the Phils, 4-0, for his 16th win of the season, as the Cubs move into second place ahead of the Giants. Augie Galan continues his hitting for the Cubs, driving in two runs.
1876 – Frank James and his gang are involved in a disastrous raid in Northfield, Minnesota, resulting in the death or capture of multiple gang members (Cole, Bob, and Jim Younger are arrested).
1892 – James Corbett knocks out 4 to 1 favorite and defending champion John L. Sullivan in 21 rounds at the Olympic Club, New Orleans, for the world heavyweight boxing title; Sullivan’s only defeat and his last fight.
1968 – Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham make their live debut as Led Zeppelin (billed as The New Yardbirds) before about 1,200 students at Egegård School’s Teen Club in Gladsaxe, Denmark.
1979 – Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) launches; the first show is SportsCenter.
1988 – Elektra Records releases “…And Justice for All,” the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica.
1996 – Rapper Tupac Shakur is shot multiple times in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas and dies 6 days later.
2018 – Rappers Cardi B and Nicki Minaj come to physical blows at a New York fashion event.
2025 – Pope Leo XIV canonizes English-Italian teenager Carlo Acutis after his death at 15 years old, making Acutis the first millennial saint.
Sep 6, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles infielder Pete Alonso (25) is unable to catch a foul ball near the dugout in the eighth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Happy Monday, Camden Chatters. If you’re off work for the long weekend, remember those in the Labor Movement who fought for your right to work reasonable hours, among other things.
As for the Orioles, I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say they played themselves into irrelevance over the weekend. Having been mopped by the Red Sox in the four-game series, the Orioles find themselves four games out of the final Wild Card spot with just 18 games remaining. It’s over.
They were simply wretched over the weekend. After blowing a winnable game on Thursday, the team went into hibernation for the rest of the series. They were shut out Friday and Saturday, then eked out a single run yesterday in a 3-1 loss. You can get the full details of yesterday’s loss in John Beers’s recap.
One thing that stood out to me over the weekend was the bizarre decision-making process by Craig Albernaz and/or Mike Elias. Firstly, Samuel Basallo. The Orioles signed Basallo to a big contract extension, essentially naming him the catcher of the future. They traded away Adley Rutschman, presumably in part because they already had Basallo. And yet, Basallo started just one game this series because the Red Sox used three lefty starting pitchers.
Is Basallo a platoon bat? The Orioles seem to be telling us he is. Why would they give a platoon bat the contract they gave him? And even if you prefer to use Basallo as a platoon bat, it really only works if you have another bat who can fill in nearly as well. But they do not have that. They have Carlos Narváez, who as an Oriole his batting .083/.191/.100. Are you saying Basallo can’t do that?
Back in June, there was some hubbub around Basallo’s inability or unwillingness to play while injured. Albernaz did not look good when that happened. I’m not saying Albernaz doesn’t like Basallo; I know nothing about their relationship. But I know what it looks like to an outsider, and it looks like Albernaz doesn’t think Basallo is good enough to be an everyday catcher. And it looks like Albernaz makes decisions that harm the team.
I am not a doom-and-gloom guy when it comes to baseball managers. In fact, I tend to think they matter less than some people think. Historically, if a manager makes a move I don’t understand, especially with the lineup, I assume they have more information than me. But I have a hard time feeling that way about Albernaz. It seems obvious that he is in over his head not only with his managing choices, but also with his interactions with the press. It’s a bad scene.
The Orioles begin a three-game home series tonight with the Guardians. Last week, this series seemed huge. This week, not so much. The Orioles could sweep the series and would still be a game out of the final Wild Card spot. And I’m sure the Blue Jays and the Rangers would be happy to see the Orioles take down Cleveland. Those two teams are at the front of the pack to nab that final playoff spot.
Now that the season is basically over, I want to see some changes. Well, I wanted to see some changes earlier, but it’s clear the Orioles have no regard for what I want. No offense to Reece Hinds, but get Enrique Bradfield Jr. up here. And for heaven’s sake, get Basallo in the lineup almost every day.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have five Orioles birthday buddies, although I’ll be honest and say that I have only heard of one of them. David Nehwan is 53 years old today. Newhan had an eight-season Major League career that included three years with the Orioles. From 2004-06, the utility player appeared in 230 games for Baltimore. The best year of his career came in 2004, when he hit .311/.361/.453 in 95 games.
Also born on this day in history are former Orioles Willie Morales (54), Wade Rowdon (66), Orlando Sánchez (70), and Tommy Matchick (b. 1943, d. 2022).
On this day in 1996, the Orioles shut out the Tigers 6-0. Mike Mussina pitched a complete game with six hit, one walk, and 11 strikeouts. Bobby Bonilla hit his 25th home run. It was the team’s first shutout of the season in game 141.
In 2012, the Cubs claimed pitcher Jason Berken off waivers from the Orioles, ending his three-plus seasons run with the team. Without meaning any disrespect, Berken remains the worst Oriole to ever get a t-shirt day.
In 2018, the Orioles lost their 100th game of the year, giving them an unbelievable record of 41-100. They lost 14-2 to the Rays as Dylan Bundy gave up six runs in four innings before being pulled in favor of some of the worst relief pitchers you’ve ever seen.
And one year ago today, the Orioles lost to the Dodgers 5-2. Starter Tomoyuki Sugano allowed four runs in three innings. The Orioles’ runs scored on back-to-back doubles from Emmanuel Rivera and Alex Jackson.
The dog days are never really over, regardless of what the song says. Yet, as Major League Baseball’s season staggers into the final three weeks, at least this battle of attrition will soon integrate magic numbers, tragic numbers and do-or-die games into the mix.
Alas, this week’s slate of crucial matchups is light on teams fighting for the same prize. Still, once again, more series than not are relevant.
Five of them stand out from the pack, for various reasons. With that, here’s five crucial series to keep an eye on this week:
Key matchup: Wednesday – Cubs RH Kevin Gausman vs. Brewers RH Logan Henderson
Outlook: These guys again, huh? Well, this really, truly is the final series between the two, and the Cubs need a sweep to win the season series. Milwaukee managed a split at Wrigley Field last week, its Central lead still a healthy seven games. Yet, with the playoff field still aligned to match these two up in the NLDS for a second consecutive year, it’s worth a peek to see which arms look most viable as late September approaches. Gausman beat Henderson in a 2-1 duel last week and struck out nine. How will Brewers hitters adjust to his splitter, which accounted for most of his punchouts last week?
Key matchup: Wednesday – Astros RH Hunter Brown vs. Phillies LH Cristopher Sánchez
Outlook: This is just a stopover for the Phillies in their crucial stretch of seven games against Atlanta, the final three coming next weekend at Truist Field. This rematch of the 2022 World Series has fairly wide-ranging ramifications for a September interleague clash, with the 73-71 Astros aiming to fend off the Texas Rangers in the AL West. The Brown- Sánchez clash is great eye candy, but the Phillies also hope rookie Andrew Painter can build on a three-start showing in which he’s given up just four earned runs in 20 innings (1.80 ERA). Philly fans might remember Yordan Alvarez for his mammoth home run in Game 6 of the 2022 Series. Now, he's bidding for the AL Triple Crown, leading in average and RBIs and tied with Tampa Bay's Junior Caminero for the home run lead.
Key matchup: Thursday – Braves LH Chris Sale vs. Rays RH Nick Martinez
Outlook: An I-75 World Series, anybody? OK, so that won’t sell too many travel packages, unless you’ve got grandparents to visit in The Villages on the way. Still, this is a ball aficionado’s kind of matchup, spiced up by Ronald Acuña Jr. getting his swagger back. We’re not sure when Sale will throw this series, but the Braves’ practice of giving him an extra day or two of rest figures to push him against Martinez, whose 3.04 ERA ranks sixth in the AL, just behind teammate Drew Rasmussen. While we’re on that subject, Martinez and Rasmussen are a combined 28-9. Wins? Yep, wins. Once again, a ball aficionado’s series.
Key matchup: Sunday – Orioles LH Trevor Rogers vs. Blue Jays RH Dylan Cease
Outlook: We’re pretty much done including the Orioles in these little exercises, given the four Ls they just took at home courtesy of the Red Sox. Yet, Baltimore still has six games left with Toronto and three earlier this week against Cleveland and those guys are 1-2 for the final wild card, so yeah, you never know. The Blue Jays briefly ducked over .500 – 72-71! – for the first time since they were, uh, 4-3 back in April. Naturally, the Royals dropped them back to even. The Blue Jays are 17-9 when Cease starts. Baltimore remains winless in September.
Key matchup: Friday – Rangers RH Jacob deGrom vs. Diamondbacks RH Brandon Pfaadt
Outlook: Guess this is the week for fairly recent and mildly forgettable World Series rematches involving teams from Texas, eh? Since July 31, the Rangers have spent all but two days within one-half to three games of the first-place Astros. Be nice to take matters into their own hands, eh? Sorry! The season series is done. And the remainder of the season is just like this series – all pretty good, but not great, but also not terrible teams like the Mariners, Twins, Blue Jays and Mets. Arizona, at least, will get one more crack at its wild card rivals, the Padres. Of course, that must wait until the final series of the season. So let’s party like it’s 2023 this weekend.
BALTIMORE – After a nearly flawless long weekend of baseball at Camden Yards, the Boston Red Sox flew out of Baltimore and back home Sunday, Sept. 6, their spot in the MLB playoffs virtually assured, their World Series hopes very real.
And as their interim manager buckled into his seat, he felt far more secure than the first time he flew into Charm City this year.
More than four months ago, Chad Tracy’s professional odyssey took a shocking turn when, in the fourth inning of the 28th game of his fifth year managing Class AAA Worcester (Massachusetts), he was summoned by club president Craig Breslow.
The message: You’re going to be the new manager of the Boston Red Sox.
The circumstances: Suboptimal. The Red Sox were 17-27 when Breslow opted to eject Alex Cora, their World Series-winning manager, from the manager’s chair eight years into his tenure during a series at Camden Yards.
In his place: A minor-league lifer whose stomach turned on that April 25 flight from Worcester to Baltimore, his to-do list – Calm the youngsters, reassure the veterans, salvage the season – longer than a CVS receipt.
Tracy admits those early hours in Baltimore amounted to a “fire drill.” And the many players he’d sent from Worcester to Boston along with skeptical veterans who knew him only from spring training and brief rehab assignments were watching closely.
And quietly blown away.
“He did a great job,” says lefty starter Payton Tolle, “of being transparent, being honest. Of saying, ‘Hey, I’m going through this with you guys. This sucks, but we’re going to find our way around it and through it together.’
“He’s done a great job of reminding guys of that. He makes sure you know he’s in the foxhole with us. To me, he was the same guy he was in Worcester. His calming presence.
“I’m sure there was a little bit of nerves – there’s got to be nerves going through that – but you wouldn’t have noticed.”
Not that Tracy was an immediate salve. The Red sox went 19-26 in their first 45 games with him, seemingly cementing their spot in the American League East cellar. Yet, what happened since justified Breslow’s bold venture and Tracy’s young charges’ belief in him.
A 15-game winning streak highlighted a 21-4 July. The club is 47-19 since June 25 – a scorching .712 winning percentage. And now they’re 69-48 under Tracy.
Sunday, they completed a four-game sweep of the Orioles with a 3-1 victory, capping a series of deftly-managed, well-pitched games. They have a six-game lead for the No. 2 wild card spot in the American League with 18 games to play.
They are almost certain to square off against the rival Yankees in the wild-card round, most likely in New York. And guiding them will be a manager who might find the playoffs in the Bronx a smoother ride than the trial-by-fire that made him a big league skipper.
“Everything’s slowed down,” Tracy tells USA TODAY Sports, reflecting on his 105-day journey since getting tapped to run the Red Sox. “Getting up to speed with an entirely new coaching staff. Up to speed preparing for a big league game instead of a minor league game. Getting to know the guys and watching games and getting comfortable with having visual cues for when a guy starts to fatigue.
“So many things that, when you now fast-forward four and a half months, you feel like you have a good handle on all of them.”
The one thing Tracy does not have? The interim tag removed from his job title. Playoff baseball has a way of overturning narratives well-crafted from April to September.
Yet ,“interim” can adorn many managers like a scarlet letter. Tracy, 41, is not one of them.
“A wild situation to get thrown into,” says veteran All-Star closer Garrett Whitlock. “But he doesn’t ride the rollercoaster. Smooth and steady. The spring trainings I’ve had with him, he’s someone you want to talk to, someone you want to be around just because of how good a guy he is.
“I’d never been on his roster, but I still had a great relationship with him going into this. Just because of how easy a person he is to get along with.”
Which is perhaps the biggest prerequisite to survive in Boston.
A 'bittersweet moment'
Mickey Gasper was on the field for the WooSox on April 25 when he glanced into the dugout during the fifth inning. Something was missing.
“I was playing first base and I was just like, ‘Why isn’t Tracy in the dugout?’” remembers Gasper. “And I noticed Collin Hetzler, our hitting coach, he’s not here, either.
“And then after the game, they had a meeting with us.”
Breslow had called. Tracy and Hetzler were bound for Baltimore, where Breslow had fired Cora and five members of the coaching staff. Tracy was getting the promotion of a lifetime, one his charges in Worcester dreamed about for themselves.
“It was a bittersweet moment being there. We loved having Trace there,” says Gasper. “I certainly did; he’s one of the best managers I’ve ever played for. Always there for us, always ready to work.
“Always wanting to get us better, wanting us to succeed.”
Yet, several reunions were soon in the offing.
In Boston, Tracy was surrounded by several former Worcester pupils, most notably outfielders Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu and pitchers like Tolle. By summer, three members of the Worcester lineup on that fateful April afternoon would rejoin Tracy in Boston.
None made quite a splash as Gasper, 30, who’s hit eight homers in 17 games since an Aug. 17 recall and had a 1.671 OPS in August. Gasper is in his ninth season of pro ball and, entering this season, had just 58 major league games under his belt.
When he bade Tracy farewell when the manager left Worcester in April, it resonated.
“I thought he’d earned it, you know?” says Gasper, a 27th-round pick of the Yankees in 2018. “That’s a guy that’s paid his dues in the game of baseball, played the game, managed the game for quite some time, been in the game his whole life.
“A guy that paid his dues and earned his way to his spot. I was ecstatic for him getting this opportunity.”
Yet much of the heavy lifting was ahead.
Veteran outreach
Oh, Tracy wasn’t exactly a major league newbie: His dad, Jim, spent 11 years managing the Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies. Yet, Chad’s playing career hit a ceiling at Class AAA, getting that far with the Texas Rangers, Rockies and Kansas City Royals.
He’d bring pedigree but not playing bona fides to Boston’s clubhouse. Which he knew might be a challenge in a room largely bifurcated between the kids and a group of veterans led by shortstop Trevor Story.
The veteran crew was buttressed by off-season acquisitions of first baseman Willson Contreras and ace Sonny Gray from St. Louis, but the group was misfiring when Tracy joined them.
“It was important to get to know Willson," says Tracy of Contreras, who's having an All-Star season but currently on the injured list. “It was important to get to know Sonny. I knew Trevor, had managed him on rehab assignments, but it was important understanding what those guys are all about.
“They’re what helps your locker room go. That was important.”
Gray, now 17-4 with a 2.69 ERA, says he appreciates that Tracy does not overmanage. Eventually, the Red Sox found themselves, and their scorching July and August have set the stage for bigger things.
“I think it says that we have good players and it just took us a little while to gel and find our rhythm,” says Gray. “But I think if you find it, hopefully you can maintain it.”
A feel for the room
Or at least regain it. Their sweep at Baltimore came after losing four of five against the Seattle Mariners and the Yankees. The weekend came with a bonus: Tracy summoned Worcester hitting coach and Red Sox legend Rich Gedman to Baltimore for the weekend.
Gedman, the catcher for their 1986 AL pennant-winning team who’s been in the organization since 1979, coached almost all the current Red Sox hitters in Worcester and remains beloved. When the team convened a hitter’s meeting during their final game against Seattle at Fenway Park, Gedman walked into the room.
His former pupils roared in delight, and responded even louder when Tracy said, “And he’s coming with us to Baltimore.”
It was a symbolic nod to a longtime friend of the franchise. Perhaps more significantly, it was a sign the man running the dugout knows his players and recognizes that respect is earned in the game’s endless meritocracy.
“You want to recognize people,” says Tracy, “who mean what he means to the organization.”
Soon, Tracy may find out just what he means to the Red Sox.
Sep 5, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Spencer Jones (78) makes a catch during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
If the Yankees fall just short in their quest to rally in the AL East, they may just look back at this series in San Diego as where they missed their opportunity. They had the lead in extras on Friday, having managed to damage Mason Miller, but lost in devastating fashion. They rebounded strongly on Saturday, and had a chance to win the series with Gerrit Cole on the mound, but lost by one run, Cole giving up four solo home runs. Fortunately, the Rays lost to the Rangers to keep the division deficit at five, but two one-run losses this weekend could prove extremely costly.
The Bombers travel back to New York today, where maybe, just maybe, they’ll welcome Aaron Judge back to the lineup. It’ll be a quiet day on the site today, and in the morning, Kevin will recap Sunday’s AL action, while John puts out this week’s SB Nation Reacts poll. Later, Madison puts out the call for this week’s mailbag, and Nick highlights the great Suzyn Waldman on the occasion of her 81st birthday.
Today’s Matchup:
Offday
Questions/Prompts:
1. The Yankees host the Rays for a four-game set in the Bronx in the final week of the season and the second-to-last series of the year. How many games would they have to be behind the Rays for you to feel like they still have a shot at the division? How many games back would they have to be for you to feel confident about their chances?
2. Which teams do you think will secure first-round byes in the National League?
