Category: Baseball

The Dodgers departed Wednesday for their final multi-city trip of the regular season with their magic number to clinch a fifth straight division title at six, meaning their first champagne shower of the year could come as early as Sunday in Miami.

But the team is limping toward that celebration, with Freddie Freeman, the team’s leading hitter, joining Shohei Ohtani, the team’s top slugger, on the sidelines for Wednesday’s 14-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds on a hot and sticky night at Dodger Stadium.

After the victory, manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani will be placed on the injured list and will not travel with the team to Miami as he recovers from an array of ailments, with right arm discomfort the most pressing issue.

The Dodgers soldiered on without Freeman and Ohtani, with the 14 runs scored matching the most in a game since June 27 and the margin of victory matching their largest of the season. And it made a winner of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who scattered three hits over seven innings while matching a career high with 10 strikeouts in notching a career-best 13th victory. He left to a standing ovation from the fans behind the third-base dugout.

The win also extended the team’s winning streak to a season-long seven games and left the Dodgers a season-best 32 games over .500. But with four key players already on the injured list, manager Dave Roberts is running out of time to get his team healthy for the playoffs, where they’ll be facing teams a lot better than the last-place Reds.

“It’s just how to get guys back, but give them enough time to prepare for the postseason,” Roberts said. “Does that mean more off days for those guys? Probably.”

Freeman, who also leads the team in games played and at-bats, was held out of the final game of the homestand with pain in his right knee. Roberts said Freeman, who is hitting .136 in September, has been hobbled by the knee for a while but hopes his first baseman can return to the lineup Friday.

“It’s a possibility,” Roberts said. “It’s also a possibility that we give him three days off to then get him ready, optimally, for the September run.”

Read more:Shaikin: An October bye-bye? Dodgers need bye to save Shohei Ohtani

Ohtani’s situation is more troubling. The Dodgers’ two-way star, who has been battling lingering injuries to his left knee, right biceps, neck and left hip, played Monday for just the third time in nine days and took a swing that “didn’t feel great,” Roberts said.

Neither Ohtani nor Freeman spoke to reporters before Wednesday’s game.

Roberts said he’s had second thoughts about not putting Ohtani on the IL last week and now faces the likelihood the Dodgers will enter the postseason with their most important player diminished.

“The balancing part, No. 1, is getting him back to as healthy as he can be,” Roberts said. “Is he going to be 100% by the end of this season? No.

“If we look right now, here today, I would love to go back and put him on the IL,” he said. “But at that moment in time we all felt that giving him four days was sufficient.”

The team’s injured list already includes center fielder Andy Pages, backup catcher Dalton Rushing, closer Edwin Díaz and right-hander Roki Sasaki.

The Dodgers didn’t appear to miss any of them Wednesday, opening the scoring in the second after Teoscar Hernández blooped a single to center and raced to third on Kyle Tucker’s single into the right-field corner. Hunter Feduccia then reached on a fielder’s choice, loading the bases for Alex Freeland, whose double-play grounder scored Hernández.

Read more:Shohei Ohtani out of the Dodgers lineup, available to pinch-hit

Will Smith doubled with one out in the third, then rode home on Mookie Betts’ 19th homer of the season to make it 3-0.

Elly De La Cruz answered in the fourth for the Reds, hitting a towering homer to center, giving him five straight games with a home run. But the Dodgers got that back, and more, in their half of the inning, scoring six times on five hits, two walks and two wild pitches to blow the game open. The big hit was a two-run double from Kiké Hernández, just his fourth game with an RBI this season.

Max Muncy had a two-run homer in the sixth, his 27th of the season — but his first this month — and Kiké Hernández added another in the seventh, giving him a season-high four RBIs on the night. Tucker closed the scoring with a solo homer in the eighth.

Betts finished with three hits and three runs scored, while Tucker had three hits and scored twice. Kiké Hernández and Teoscar Hernández — who has a 10-game hitting streak — had two hits each. Tommy Edman was the only starter without a hit or run scored.

Now the Dodgers head back out on the road, where Roberts is hopeful no one else comes up lame.

“Freddie is just managing the day-to-day. I do think that we’ll manage Shohei the right way and he’ll be ready for the postseason,” he said.

“If he’s out there, he’s certainly a presence. There’s still enough time to, if he needs days, to do that while still finding time to get at-bats to prepare for the postseason.”

That time, however, is running out.

Josue De Paula to debut

The Dodgers plan to call up top prospect Josue De Paula on Friday, a person without authorization to speak publicly said. He will take Ohtani’s spot on the active roster. The Dodgers will still need to create a space for him on the 40-man roster.

De Paula, 21, has spent the season with double-A Tulsa, hitting .302/.400/.539 in 583 plate appearances, with 36 doubles, 26 home runs and 31 stolen bases.

Times staff writer Maddie Lee contributed to this report.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

It’s not been the easiest start to a career for Kade Anderson, who came into today’s game with a loss and two no decisions on the season, and most recently off a four-run outing against the Athletics he called “unacceptable” and not “holding up to the standard” expected by both himself and his teammates. Much has been made of Anderson not facing hitters three times through the order, something that wasn’t really an issue as he was mowing hitters down in Double-A but has called into question his future as a big-league starter. Today, Anderson calmly navigated through a Rangers lineup that hung double-digit runs on Mariners pitching last night, working through the sixth inning for the first time as a big-leaguer – and something he did just four times at Double-A – and earning his first MLB win.

“This is just the beginning of – and also this is the standard that I set myself to,” said Anderson postgame. “I think pitching is just setting a standard every time you go out there and learning from each individual outing, picking up some things you want to take back [to the next outing] and keep learning with it.”

Anderson worked around some traffic in the first inning, giving up a couple of two-out base hits but getting a soft flyout from Wyatt Langford, first-pitch swinging, to end the threat. Those two base hits each came in two-strike counts, one on a fastball that was too nicely located for a 1-2 count and one on a changeup that stayed high to Brandon Nimmo, highlighting the need for Anderson to develop an out pitch that works at this level. He was able to use the curveball to that effect on a nice swinging strikeout of Corey Seager in the first. Check out the sick movement on this curveball:

The only mark on Anderson was he did allow some hard contact – seven balls hit over 100 mph exit velocity, although he did get the Rangers to pound that hard contact into the ground half the time. Jake Burger in particular hit Anderson hard, with a lineout in the fourth that was the hardest-hit ball of the game at 109 mph; he got to Anderson in the second with a leadoff solo homer, taking advantage of a 2-1 count (which probably should have been 1-2 if Cal had challenged the first pitch of the at-bat). But Anderson didn’t let it shake him and battled back to get his next three outs to cap the damage there.

What Anderson did particularly well in this game was make in-game adjustments; after Burger got to him in the first, despite the hard-hit ball in the fourth, there was no chance of that ball going out as Anderson executed a changeup that Burger got under. He then capped his day by striking Burger out on the changeup to end the sixth, getting him swinging over it this time.

“Cal came out and said something,” said Anderson. “I’m not gonna tell you what he said, but it meant a lot. And he holds me to that standard as well. That’s why he’s so good. Him holding me to that standard really has helped me continue to adjust to this. What he said just kind of clicked, and that’s the standard I hold myself to now.”

“To me he looked like he was almost getting stronger as the game went on,” said manager Dan Wilson postgame, apparently not privy to what Cal said, either, “which is always a good sign. His confidence continued to grow there throughout the game.” Wilson pointed to Anderson’s secondaries, in particular, as buoying him along, noting that he was able to get the slider down more as the game progressed.

“I would say that the in-game adjustment today, it just felt different for whatever reason,” said Anderson. “It kind of felt like I was back out there pitching again. And it shouldn’t have taken me this long to get there. But once again, that’s the standard.”

The Mariners were able to tie up the game against Rangers starter Cody Bradford in the bottom of the second. Cal Raleigh became the Mariners’ first baserunner in the second inning, extending his on-base streak to 11 games, thanks to a savvy challenge on a called strike three that turned a punchout into a walk. However, the Mariners were quickly in a position of needing a clutch two-out knock after Julio Rodríguez punched out on three pitches, and Josh Naylor popped out after burning a challenge on an obvious strike. Enter the much-maligned Taylor Ward, making a start with a lefty on the mound today for Texas, who came up with said clutch hit:

This makes me, personally, very happy. Another happy-making thing: Cal Raleigh is in scoring position there because he took it aggressively on Naylor’s popout, which forced the catcher to dive at the wall for the ball. Heads-up baserunning for Cal and a gold star for him.

Anderson again had to navigate around some traffic in the third, leaving a curveball on the plate for Seager, who singled, and then following that up with a walk to Justin Foscue, unable to get a big-league hitter to expand away the same way he might have gotten a minor-leaguer to do. But he got a weak ground ball from Nimmo, first-pitch swinging on a slider, and then went full count with Langford before striking him out swinging on a slider.

Anderson then hung a clean fourth inning, his first of the day, and the Mariners rewarded him with some two-out offense in the bottom of the inning: Josh Naylor reached on what should have been an inning-ending groundout to Seager that instead took a funny hop, and then Taylor Ward made that mistake count by working a walk, increasing my happiness meter all the way into the double digits. Cole Young then continued what’s been a hot September for him, demolishing this offensively bad fastball from Bradford for a two-run double that missed being a homer by about one Cole Young.

After a dismal August, Young has roared back in the early days of September. He’s increased his wRC+ from 53 all the way to 132.

“I feel like sometimes in August, you just get caught up and try to do too much or try to come through in a situation, and put pressure on that,” said Young, who is in his second (2nd) big-league August. “But I feel like going into this month, I’m just trying to trust my routine, trust the process, and just try to hit the ball hard somewhere, and if it gets caught, it gets caught. But just trusting my abilities and putting the ball in play.”

“I’m always just trying to simplify things, and I feel like it’s easy to get caught up in certain results and all of that stuff. So it’s just big for me to stay simple and hit the ball hard somewhere and not really worry about what the outcome is, moreso the process behind it and just trusting that.”

Then it was time for Anderson to face his běte noire: the third time through the order. Before that even started, though, he gave up a leadoff single in the fifth to nine-hole hitter Cody Freeman, but then was able to execute a well-located four-seamer to leadoff man Ezequiel Duran for a weak flyout, and wound up facing the minimum after getting Seager to ground into a 4-3 double play on a changeup. He couldn’t post a clean inning in the sixth, either, giving up a one-out first-pitch single to Nimmo on a four-seamer that wound up in the middle of the plate, but came back to strike out Langford for the second time on the day – and making him burn Texas’s lone remaining challenge in doing so – on a nasty slider and then striking out Burger on the aforementioned changeup to close up a strong day of work for the youngster.

Anderson was pumping 95s in his final inning, with his slider pushing up to 90, making me think he was deliberately emptying the tank, perhaps having been told his day was done. But according to Anderson, this wasn’t the case.

“It was more of a mentality, like, attacking guys. It felt like when I made that adjustment, my velo shot up, I was throwing things more aggressively in the zone. It felt like at some points I was trying to over-locate like throwing something by a dude, and I think that was the biggest game changer.”

“That’s another adjustment I’ve had throughout my starts: stop thinking it’s the last inning. It’s more, it’s just another inning. I think that’s gotten me over the hump to where I’m not trying to empty the tank necessarily, just treat it like another inning and stop trying to think like the finish line is near.”

While I was hoping to see Kade get a chance to face the bottom of the order and make a full turn through all three times, Dan Wilson opted to lift his young starter while he had the lead and end his day on a positive note. Unfortunately, this gave the Mariners bullpen three innings to cover, starting with Seranthony Dominguez. Dominguez led off with a walk to pinch-hitter Joc Pederson on five pitches, four of which were not competitive misses, but got Elias Díaz whiffing after 98. The Rangers continued to empty their bench of lefties with Anderson out of the game, pinch-hitting Evan Carter, who flew out to left. That turned the lineup over for Duran, who grounded out softly on a splitter to quell the threat.

The Mariners had a chance to expand their lead in the bottom of the seventh, with pinch-hitter Laz Montes coming up with a two-out parachute hustle double followed by a J.P. Crawford walk, but Randy Arozarena grounded out to end the threat, giving Gabe Speier the same slender lead Dominguez and Anderson had been gifted. Speier immediately gave up one of those runs on a first-pitch middle-middle sinker to Seager, who yanked it just far enough over the wall in left for an opposite-field homer. So it goes. Speier was able to recover and get his next three outs, but the already-narrow-lead was even narrower.

The offense couldn’t add on in the bottom of the inning – despite an unfortunately rare-feeling Julio single – giving Andrés Muñoz, he of the Funko Pop giveaway today, the thinnest of margins. I’m so sick of coming up with adjective for “little,” Mariners offense. Muñoz wobbled out of the gate, walking leadoff hitter Burger on five pitches and prompting a mound visit. After that, though, Muñoz buckled down. Joc Pederson grounded out weakly on a changeup, but it was as good as a bunt, moving pinch-runner Cam Cauley into second. The Rangers went again to their bench for pinch-hitter Nicky Lopez, who was helpless against Muñoz, flailing after 101.2 and then two changeups, each at 94 (aka, as fast as starter Kade Anderson’s fastball). Evan Carter was the Rangers’ last hope, but he went the same way as Lopez: on three pitches, fouling off 101, then the changeup at 94, and then swinging after an absolutely diabolical changeup at 95. I don’t know why this pitch works and frankly, I don’t think it’s my place to.

It stinks to be looking for silver linings in a season that had such hope and promise, but if you’re collecting little glimmers of hope to store away like seeds for the long coming winter, this game had plenty to offer: Cole Young emerging from his August torpor; Lazaro Montes coming up with a pinch-hit hustle double; Andrés Muñoz with a new weapon that can get him out of spirals and also obliterate batters’ souls; and Kade Anderson looking like the pitcher he was in the minors. That’s a lot to dream on, going forward.

Shohei Ohtani is not the only Dodgers star suddenly battling an injury.

First baseman Freddie Freeman is dealing with a right knee issue, manager Dave Roberts said, which was severe enough to keep him out of the team’s lineup for Wednesday’s series finale against the Reds.

That marked the second time this homestand that Freeman was out of the Dodgers’ lineup and came on the heels of a rare start for the veteran slugger as designated hitter on Tuesday.

Roberts said there was no specific incident that led to Freeman’s knee problem, and that an injured list stint was not under consideration for the 36-year-old.

However, Roberts believes that Freeman’s injury contributed to his recent 1-for-18 slump at the plate, one that has dropped his season batting average under .300 for the first time since late July.

“Freddie does a really good job of hitting against his front side [in his swing],” Roberts said. “So when you can’t do that with your front side, your right knee, then you’re compromised. And I see there’s a lot more swing and miss the last few days; that’s just not who he is.”

Roberts didn’t set a date for when Freeman would return to the Dodgers’ lineup, wanting to exercise caution with the 10-time All-Star’s workload over the stretch run of the regular season.

The manager left open the possibility of Freeman returning to action for the team’s next game on Friday, when it begins a weeklong road trip starting in Miami. 

But, “it’s also a possibility that we give him three days off to then get back,” Roberts said, “getting him ready optimally for the September run.”

For now, it’s just one more injury-related headache for the two-time defending champions to deal with.

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The Dodgers hit the road for a seven-game trip that could conceivably see them clinch a postseason berth, a division title, or perhaps both. The trip starts with a three-game series against the Miami Marlins beginning Friday night at loanDepot Park in Miami.

Neither team has named any starting pitchers for the weekend series, but based on recent usage, Blake Snell is in line to start for the Dodgers and right-hander Ryan Gusto could be the choice to pitch for Miami.

Friday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Marlins
• Ballpark: loanDepot Park, Miami
• Start time: 4:10 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Giants fans and fans across the country.

Rafael Devers has been on an absolute tear lately. His extremely slow start to the season is in the far distant rear view mirrors, as he’s been one of the best hitters in all of baseball since the weather warmed.

After his most recent surge of power, Devers has found himself sitting on 35 home runs. With three more, he’ll tie his career-best mark, set in 2021. With four more, he’ll set a new career high. And with five more, he’ll make it to 40.

Just last year, Willy Adames became the first San Francisco Giants player to hit 30 home runs since Barry Bonds in 2004. Now Devers has a shot to become the first Giants player to hit 40 home runs since … well … Barry Bonds in 2004. He has 15 games to get there; will he do it?

Blasting a double in the top of the 3rd inning tonight in Philadelphia, Astros legend Jose Altuve became the 103rd member of the 2500 hit club. He is one of only two active players with 2500 hits (Freddie Freeman).

With history now made, we touch the bases with some of our friends at The Crawfish Boxes in recognition of Jose Altuve’s 2,500 hit milestone.

Todd Kalas:

“It’s just another step in an elite career. The guy has been a hit machine since joining the Astros in 2011. The fact that barely over 100 players in the history of the game have accomplished this milestone speaks to the incredible bat to ball skills that Jose possesses.”

Larry Dierker:

“The biggest hurdle Jose cleared was durability. Granted, today he’s not as fast or as powerful as he was in his prime, but wow! I’m hoping he fits into the Astros plans for a few more seasons and I’m sure Astros fans with a long view of things would like to see him finish in Cooperstown with Bagwell, Biggio and Wagner.”

Doug Glanville: 

“Jose Altuve has long been the gold standard for getting a bat on a ball. He may not be huge in stature but there are few better at covering so much of the hitting zone. He is a difficult batter for any pitcher because he is so hard to set up. It’s hard to find any spot where he could not make contact enroute to getting a hit or spoiling a good pitch. He’s always been a tough out and a complete player with longevity and a championship pedigree carved by his own hands. He’s also humble. No doubt a future Hall of Famer!”

Art Howe:

“Altuve is a joy to watch! He brings a ton of energy and passion to his team! Every single game! A great role model for all of the young players on the team! He’s on his way to the HOF as far as I’m concerned! Fun to watch!”

We at The Crawfish Boxes congratulate Jose Altuve on this incredible career achivement.

Mets infielder Brett Baty left Wednesday's game against the Miami Marlins early in the second inning with left knee pain, the team said.

Baty was running down to first base after hitting an RBI single and appeared to start limping before reaching the bag.

Trainers immediately came out to check on him as he tried to shake it off, but he was eventually removed from the game. Christopher Morel entered to pinch-run.

After the 15-14 win, interim manager Andy Green said Baty was in positive spirits and is hopeful he will be able to return to the field soon.

"He had a smile on his face," Green said. "I just saw him passing by and said he thought he was going to be OK. We'll see what he's like tomorrow and get a better feel. He's been swinging the bat great, obviously had a hit in his first at-bat too. We certainly hope he's OK and ready to go for us soon."

Baty's single extended his hitting streak to six games as he's been on fire in his last 15 games with a .375 batting average. 

Overall this season, the 26-year-old owns a .229 average with a .663 OPS, 10 home runs, and 50 RBI over 129 games.

Brett Baty is coming out of the game after appearing to tweak his knee running the bases pic.twitter.com/wjDpS8guiq

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 9, 2026

Roster moves

The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves. The D-backs’ active roster is at 28 and the 40-man roster is at 40.

• Reinstated from the 60-day injured list: RHP Zac Gallen (right elbow inflammation)
• Reinstated from the 15-day injured list: RHP Michael Soroka (strained left glute)
• Optioned to Triple-A Reno: RHP Kade Strowd and LHP Blake Walston

Roster moves as expected, with the two men most heavily-used out of the bullpen returning to Reno. I do feel a little bad for Walston who performed heroically in the 10th and 11th inning. Pretty sure he would have been left out there for the 12th if necessary. It’s funny how we have gone from, not long ago, having 11 relievers and three starters on the staff, to now having six starters. I presume that is the way the team will be operating the rest of the way, with a Soroka/Gallen tandem. Though it’s possible one of them could return to a “regular” starter role, while the other goes to being long relief, whenever needed, rather than a strict pairing.

So – and I trust you note the lack of a full-stop after that word – in this series, we have had a game with no starter on Monday. Tuesday, saw our starting pitcher make his first appearance in 15 months. And today? Use one starter, get another (of equal or lesser value) free! Boy, I’ll be glad when we can get back to regular, boring outings at home to the Rangers on Friday. Though maybe we will keep the trend going, and use three starters in that game. My other major thought is, tomorrow’s off-day can’t come quickly enough. I don’t think I’ve ever seen our bullpen chart with as many cells filled in. We’re only about three numbers short of being able to call “Bingo!”

Tonight, we have Michael Soroka and Zac Gallen both pitching. Gallen gets the start, on the basis of Soroka having more experience coming into a game in progress. From what I can tell, the last time Zac relieved was the year he got drafted, in mid-2016. His first three professional appearances, for the Cardinals organization down in the rookie level Gulf Coast League, were all out of the bullpen. He even got a save in his second outing. But after throwing 3.2 innings (with eight strikeouts, as befitting a third-round pick), he was moved to the rotation for his next outing, albeit still only throwing two innings. And that was his last experience of opening the bullpen door.

Go Rays!

Jazz Chisholm Jr. is reportedly joining the 10-day injured list with a sprained right thumb. Another injury to add to the Yankees’ extensive list this season.

MLB Insider Bryan Hoch reported the news on Wednesday, revealing that Chisholm is unable to participate in baseball activities for 7-10 days. Manager Aaron Boone indicated within the last hour that they just heard the news, so a replacement might not be available to join the team tonight. All told, not what you want to hear in the heart of September baseball and just days away from the Subway Series, but on the other hand, a new space in the roster could be the perfect shuffle the Pinstripes need to finally gain a consistent momentum.

The Yankees have several options to call up and add depth to the roster. Fans probably have mixed feelings on this subject, but placing Chisholm on the IL also opens the possibility of Anthony Volpe’s return to the majors. Reports confirmed that Boone would be “comfortable” with putting the New Jersey native at 2B. Max Schuemann and Oswaldo Cabrera are both already on the 40-man roster as well and could be options if the Yankees want someone in more of a bench role.

Following through with Volpe could be the spark needed for this offense to propel into the postseason. He’s been especially hot of late with a .440 average and a .533 OBP for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in September. He’ll be a huge asset in the Bronx if he can maintain or bolster his numbers, but it would make sense to be cautiously optimistic at this point.

Chisholm will likely rejoin the lineup once he’s reinstated from the IL, which could be just in time for arguably one of the most crucial series against the Rays. The Yankees took the first game in the Rockies series and currently remain four games behind Tampa Bay in a tight race for the AL East crown.

Update

YES Network’s Jack Curry just reported that Volpe will indeed get the call from Triple-A and join the Yankees on Thursday. As noted, Chisholm will remain active tonight in case a pinch-running situation arises.

A bit of housekeeping before tonight’s game: The White Sox placed righthander Tyler Davis on the Bereavement/Family Medical Emergency List and recalled lefthander Chris Murphy from Triple-A Charlotte.

After getting shellacked, 9-3, last night, the South Siders could use a convincing win tonight. Davis Martin gets the ball for Chicago as it attempts to protect a two-game lead in the AL Central — and a three-game advantage in the loss column.

Martin is 9-6 with a 4.13 ERA and 1.32 WHIP over 25 starts. The righthander was solid in his first appearance after returning from a brief injured-list stint caused by a blister. He tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing five hits and one walk while striking out three.

That was an encouraging response after a brutal August in which Martin posted a 14.63 ERA and 2.25 WHIP over three starts. The Sox badly need the Martin of old — specifically, the April and May version who went 7-1 and appeared headed toward an All-Star selection and perhaps even Cy Young consideration.

The Baseball Savant numbers show exactly what Martin needs to do to rediscover that form. The veteran needs to lean on his changeup and sinker and be careful with his breaking stuff. The changeup should be featured particularly against lefties such as Oneil Cruz, Brandon Lowe and Bryan Reynolds.

Martin has also generated chases at a healthy rate, ranking in the 70th percentile, so expanding the zone with the changeup once he gets ahead should be an important part of the plan. The danger comes when he leaves pitches in hittable locations. Martin ranks in only the 15th percentile in average exit velocity and the 10th percentile in hard-hit rate. His expected batting average is in the 11th percentile, and his expected ERA is in the 25th. In other words, when hitters make contact against him, it is often loud contact.

His slider has been particularly vulnerable, ranking in the 11th percentile in run value, while his overall breaking-ball run value sits in the 18th. The curveball has been closer to average, but this is not a night for Martin to rely heavily on breaking pitches in the heart of the plate. He should establish the sinker, use the changeup as his primary putaway offering and make Pittsburgh prove it can resist chasing.

Starting pitching remains one of Chicago’s most significant weaknesses. White Sox starters have a 4.69 ERA, which ranks 26th in baseball, and a 1.34 WHIP, good for only 24th. If this team is going to finish the job and clinch the division, the rotation needs to step it up.

On the flip side, the arm barn owns a 3.65 ERA, sixth-best in baseball. Can you imagine what the White Sox record might look like if the starters had merely been average?

Of course, the offense also needs to get itself together.

Over the past 15 days, the Sox are slashing .220/.318/.379 with a .697 OPS. They have shown patience and a reasonable amount of power, but they have struggled to collect enough hits to sustain rallies. The 98-point difference between their batting average and on-base percentage suggests they are drawing walks, while their .159 isolated power is respectable.

Their .266 BABIP also helps explain the low average. Some of that could be poor batted-ball luck, although weak contact and inconsistent at-bats are likely part of the problem. Either way, the offense has become too dependent on walks and extra-base hits rather than consistently stringing together productive plate appearances.

Tristan Peters and Miguel Vargas have been the brightest spots. Peters is slashing .333/.381/.564 with a .945 OPS over the past 15 days. At the other end is Munetaka Murakami, whose extension price tag keeps slipping lower and lower. He is hitting a paltry .114/.278/.205 with a .483 OPS during that span.

White Sox lineup:

Lake Bachar will serve as the opener for a Pittsburgh bullpen game. The righthander, now in his third major league season, is 1-3 with a 3.59 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. This will be his fifth turn as an opener since the Pirates acquired him from Miami at the deadline. In his first four, he allowed only two runs on four hits over 9 2/3 innings. That is pretty darn good.

Bachar’s Savant profile suggests the Sox should arrive with a patient but aggressive-in-the-zone approach. He ranks in the 80th percentile in whiff rate and the 69th percentile in strikeout rate, so this is not a pitcher against whom they should expand the zone or attempt to protect against everything.

However, Bachar ranks in only the 26th percentile in chase rate and the 29th percentile in walk rate. He has not been especially effective at persuading hitters to offer at pitches outside the zone, and his control can create opportunities. The Sox should force him to throw strikes and avoid helping him manufacture quick outs.

Bachar’s curveball is his featured weapon, ranking in the 96th percentile in run value. His four-seamer has also been effective, landing in the 77th percentile, while his overall breaking-ball run value ranks in the 84th. The Sox should not go hunting for the curveball, especially with two strikes. Instead, they should look for a fastball in a specific area early in the count and avoid getting caught between the heater and the breaking ball.

His expected statistics are strong: 72nd percentile in expected ERA, 92nd in expected batting average and 71st in expected slugging. Bachar has also limited hard contact, ranking in the 79th percentile in hard-hit rate. Waiting around indefinitely will not necessarily work, but controlled aggression could. If he puts a hittable four-seamer in the zone, the Sox need to be ready to attack it.

Pittsburgh has been playing good baseball lately. The Pirates are 7-3 over their last 10 games and have won four consecutive series since being swept by the Dodgers. They are slashing .259/.343/.370 with a .713 OPS and .326 BABIP, with Brandon Lowe, Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds all hitting better than .300 over the past seven days.

Pirates lineup:

Martin’s mission is straightforward. He should keep the ball away from the middle of the plate, feature the changeup and sinker and avoid hanging sliders. For the offense, it is about laying off Bachar’s curveball outside the zone, making him throw strikes and attacking the right fastball when it arrives.

Now would be a lovely time for both sides of that plan to come together.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. CDT. The game will be televised on CHSN and can be heard on ESPN 1000.

Let’s get after it, y’all! The Atlanta Braves and Tampa Bay Rays are in the middle portion of their three game series and the onus is on the Braves to make sure that they don’t end up dropping the series right away. Reynaldo López has returned to the mound and hopefully we’ll see him put in a creditable performance while the Braves figure out a way to break through against Griffin Jax. Let’s see what happens, folks!

Preview

Lineups

The Oklahoma City Comets outlasted the Sugar Land Space Cowboys 8-6 on Wednesday, going two games up on Sugar Land in the second half of Pacific Coast League standings, with 10 games left to play. Jackson Ferris continued his strong recent run by pitching the final six innings in relief, with seven strikeouts.

More importantly, for my interests, Ferris was credited with a SIX-INNING SAVE.

The game was very wild early. Gavin Stone started, his first game in two weeks, starting a new rehab assignment while on the 60-day injured list. He needed 32 pitches to record only two outs, both by strikeouts, with two walks and two hits, one of the hits a three-run home run.

Chris Campos relieved Stone and stranded the runner to end the first inning, then allowed a solo home run of his own in the second inning. In all, Campos struck out three with the one run allowed in 1 1/3 innings.

Oklahoma City tied things with three runs in the bottom of the first inning, then took the lead in the bottom of the second inning with three more runs, and never relinquished it. Campos was the pitcher of record when the Comets grabbed the lead, putting him in position to earn the win.

Official baseball rules govern both Major League Baseball and minor league affiliates, and Rule 9.17(c) covers this sort of situation, and grants the official scorer discretion when the starter doesn’t last five innings:

The Official Scorer shall not credit as the winning pitcher a relief pitcher who is ineffective in a brief appearance, when at least one succeeding relief pitcher pitches effectively in helping his team maintain its lead. In such a case, the Official Scorer shall credit as the winning pitcher the succeeding relief pitcher who was most effective, in the judgment of the Official Scorer.

Oklahoma City play-by-play broadcaster Alex Freedman passed along the official scorer at the ballpark said he could not in good conscience say the outing by Campos was both ineffective and brief.

After rehabbers Edwin Díaz and Kris Bubic got three outs in the third inning, it was Ferris the rest of the way. He allowed only a run on two hits in his six innings, with seven strikeouts and only two walks for his first professional save.

That’s five straightstellar outingsby Ferris, with a minuscule 1.27 ERA with 35 strikeouts and 10 walks in 28 1/3 innings, rescuing a season by the 22-year-old that featured a 7.15 ERA with 71 strikeouts and 43 walks through his first 18 outings and 73 innings. He had a strikeout-minus-walk rate of 8.1 percent through August 8, improved to 22.3 percent over the last five Ferris outings.

History

Since saves became an official major league statistic in 1969, only twice has someone pitched at least six innings while recording a save, both by Texas Rangers. Horacio Piña pitched six scoreless innings in a save against the California Angels on April 23, 1972, and Joaquín Benoit pitched seven innings, allowing just one run to finish out a 7-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards on September 3, 2002.

In that 2002 game, Texas starter Aaron Myette was ejected after only one batter, and Todd Van Poppel followed with two scoreless innings, and by then the Rangers led 4-0, so Van Poppel got the win. It was nearly a combined no-hitter, but Jerry Hairston Jr. tripled to open the ninth inning off the rookie Benoit, and scored Baltimore’s only run.

“I really didn’t think about it. If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen, whatever,” Benoit said of the near no-hitter, per Associated Press.

The Royals have won just 2 of their last 9 games since the hot stretch ended. Last series they were able to salvage game three to avoid the sweep and will attempt to do so again. tonight. On paper it looks like a very lopsided pitching matchup with Daniel Lynch IV facing Zac Gallen, but at this point Gallen has not been very good for a couple of years. So far in 2026 he has posted a 6.34 ERA across 19 starts with a shocking 5.6K/9. I do not know what happened to Zac. I do know that both lineups are probably licking their chops in a series where both have struggled to score runs until the very end of the game.

Jac Caglianone is not headed to the injured list, but he also still is not in the lineup today. Nothing really shocking about the starters today.

Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s pain is Anthony Volpe’s gain. 

Chisholm was diagnosed Wednesday with a right thumb sprain that will require a stint on the injured list, opening the door for Volpe to be called up to replace him on the active roster Thursday, a source confirmed to The Post, as the Yankees head down the stretch. 

It remains to be seen whether Volpe will get everyday playing time at second base — the position he began playing regularly after the shortstop was demoted to Triple-A last month — while Chisholm is out (potentially the rest of the regular season) or be part of a group effort with José Caballero and Amed Rosario. 

But after going on a red-hot tear at the plate in recent weeks with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the 25-year-old Volpe now has his lifeline back to The Bronx. 

“I just know that I have a ton of respect for the person and the player,” manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday afternoon, before the Yankees landed on Volpe as Chisholm’s replacement. “I know he’s been a complete pro and completely got after it down there in everything they’ve thrown at him, whether it’s moving and playing some second base, introducing some third base, making sure his swing’s dialed in. He’s obviously swung the bat incredibly well. 

“That’s not an easy thing to do when you’ve been in the big leagues and you’ve been the guy in the big leagues and you got to go back [to Triple-A]. I’ve seen a lot of good players go there and not perform and struggle. So I think it’s a testament to his makeup and who he is and the kind of player he is.” 

Chisholm will be shut down from baseball activities for seven to 10 days, Boone said, which jeopardizes his ability to play again in the regular season with fewer than three weeks remaining. 

It is brutal timing for Chisholm, who suffered the injury while diving into second base Tuesday night during Aaron Judge’s first game back from the IL in three-plus months as the Yankees inched closer to full strength. The second baseman was just starting to turn the corner over the past month in what has been a largely disappointing contract year, batting .295 with an .832 OPS and 10 steals over his past 29 games. 

“I feel like he has been really putting together some of his best at-bats of the season for an extended stretch,” Boone said. “So definitely a blow, but hopefully one that the time down here gets this thing right and puts him in position to impact us moving forward.” 

Boone indicated that Luis García Jr., who previously played second base but was a liability defensively, would likely remain at first base instead of moving positions, though he regularly takes pregame ground balls around the infield. 

Volpe, meanwhile, arrives back in the big leagues on the heels of a heater at Triple-A after being replaced by George Lombard Jr. as the Yankees shortstop last month. Over his past 17 games at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Volpe was batting .333 with eight home runs and a 1.218 OPS. That included a stretch of five home runs in five games last week, leading fellow former top prospect Jasson Domínguez (who rejoined the Yankees as an injury replacement Saturday) to joke that Volpe had become Barry Bonds. 

Now, Volpe will try to prove that the changes he made offensively were real, and not just a product of offense being up across the International League. After coming back from offseason shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum, he was batting .240 with a .646 OPS in 56 games with the Yankees — and was the target of plenty of fan ire — before being sent back to the minors. 

Of course, he will also have to handle second base, the position that may be his future home, especially if he remains with the Yankees beyond this year, with Chisholm set to become a free agent. 

“For us,” Boone said, “it’s about trying to win and put the best guys out there that we think give us that opportunity.”