Category: Baseball

Justin Crawford occupies a bit of a strange space. A rookie, and former first-rounder at that, usually has the eyes of a city on him, and the resulting pressure. But while plenty of Phillies have found themselves in the spotlight this season, Crawford has mostly flown under the radar, despite a rough debut at the plate. That’s the result of being on a veteran-heavy team: a youth movement would certainly be appreciated; but the Philadelphia faithful are mostly focused on how their vets are doing, and there have been a few other, more-established Phillies whose struggles have taken up the majority of the fanbase’s appetite for ire. Contra J.K. Simmons’ character in Whiplash (or any of countless similar hardass mentors from fiction or reality), this is a good thing; a rookie is going to struggle, and being able to work through those difficulties with relative privacy (as much as a professional athlete can get) is a boon. That being said, with most of his rookie season complete, it’s worth checking in on his progression.

Crawford’s August has been the best month of his career. He’s slashing (prior to Saturday’s game) .347/.370/.490, and each figure would be the best of its kind he’s posted in any month if they hold. He’s posting a 131 wRC+, which would make this the first month of his career as an above-average hitter. There may be some luck involved in that (he’s posting a relatively high BABIP of .370 in this eighth month of 2026), but there’s some reason to believe that he’s reaping the rewards of a changed approach at the plate.

Crawford’s willingness to swing is roughly where it was at the beginning of the season: he started out his career swinging at 50.1% of pitches in April, showed a more swing-happy approach in June and July, and then settled down to a 53.6% rate in August. That does not sound like a particularly significant change. But if we look at a more granular level, we see that he’s switched things up in a greater way.

At the beginning of the season, Crawford was most willing to swing at offspeed pitches, and least willing to swing at fastballs. There’s been some fluctuations throughout the campaign, but in August, we see a clear reversal of where he was in his first month, the result of both a greater and gradual willingness to swing at fastballs and a sudden refusal to accept offspeed offerings.

Although (like that Powers of Ten video I saw in middle school) we can go even deeper. Crawford hasn’t rejected offspeed pitches outright; he’s got a more discerning palate than that. Rather, it’s the offspeed pitches out of the zone that he’s starting to turn away. His swing rate against offspeeds has dropped over the course of the season (92.9% in April, 84.6% in June, 80% in August), but the real change is in his refusal to chase them: 55.2% chase rate in April, 50% in June, 16.7% in August.

He’s become more selective at the plate, and has begun to hunt fastballs, as well as offspeed pitches in the zone. Perhaps relatedly, his bat speed has gradually sped up over the course of the season:

Maybe a greater confidence in his ability to see what’s coming at him, or a greater confidence in his approach to it, is getting his bat moving faster, and producing better results at the plate.

A single month of a new approach isn’t much of a sample size to go on. A single season, really, isn’t all that much of one given how many plate appearances it takes to get a solid impression of what’s real and what’s noise. Crawford has a whole lot of time to figure things out, and we have a whole lot of time left before we can really start to figure out who he is. Still, his approach at the plate in August offers an interesting glimpse into how a talented young player is testing, tweaking, and changing.

When I first signed up to do Ron Blomberg’s birthday piece, I was excited to be able to tell the story of the first man to bat in Major League Baseball as a designated hitter. As I dove deeper into Blomberg’s life, I learned I had the privilege of writing a piece about a heck of an athlete, a great teammate, and an incredible man.

Ronald Mark Blomberg
Born: August 23, 1948 (Atlanta, GA)
Yankees Tenure: 1969-76

If you do not know, Blomberg just might be one of the greatest high school athletes of his generation. At Druid Hills High School in Atlanta, he was an All-American in basketball and baseball. Blomberg had over 125 basketball scholarship offers and another 100 from football coaches despite only playing one season. These were not just from random schools sprinkled around the country. John Wooden of UCLA basketball and Bear Bryant of Alabama football both personally traveled down to Georgia to offer Blomberg a scholarship.

To say Blomberg had options is the biggest undersell of the century. However great those offers were, Blomberg loved baseball and he loved the New York Yankees. Even growing up in the South, the pinstripes and bright lights of NYC enamored the young Blomberg. As fate would have it, during the Druid Hills graduation ceremony no less, the Yankees would use the first overall pick in the 1967 draft to select the big, left-handed-hitting outfielder who idolized and was dubbed the next Mickey Mantle.

Blomberg turned down all his college offers and signed to start his professional journey with the Yankees. That summer he went to the Appalachian League and immediately showed what made him the top pick, batting .297 with 10 home runs and 55 RBIs in 66 games. Following that success, the Yankees moved Blomberg to Class A for the 1968 season. They also started to get the teenager some reps at first base. Making two adjustments saw his offensive numbers decline, but the Yankees still saw fit to promote him to Double-A after the season concluded.

The summer of 1969 would prove to be a great one for Blomberg. After finding his swing again, he hit .284 with 19 home runs and was impressive enough to earn a September call-up to the big leagues. Blomberg made his debut on the 10th of the month and would end up playing in four games, going 3-for-6 at the plate. It was a small cup, but a cup of coffee in the big leagues!

Triple-A Syracuse would be Blomberg’s home for the 1970 and part of the 1971 seasons. Following some more seasoning in the minors, Blomberg got the call again in June of 1971. This time he would stick. In 64 games, Blomberg hit .322 with seven home runs, appearing in all of his games as an outfielder. The ever-rebuilding CBS Era Yankees finished fourth in the division with an 82-80 record.

Ralph Houk decided to move Blomberg to first base prior to the 1972 season to platoon him with the right-handed bat of Felipe Alou. In this more specific role, Blomberg slashed .268/.355/.488 with what would be his career-high 14 home runs.

Baseball—or rather, the American League—changed in 1973. For the first time at the highest level, there would be a full-time hitter in place of the pitcher in the batting order. The first man to get an at-bat listed as the starting designated hitter was none other than Blomberg, who worked a walk to force in a run at Fenway on April 6th against the Red Sox, forever cementing his place in baseball legend. His No. 12 jersey and bat were sent to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, where they are still displayed in Cooperstown.

The Yankees again struggled in 1973, going 80-82 and finishing fourth in the division. However, Blomberg had arguably his best season, slashing .329/.395/.498 and setting career-highs in hits, runs, and RBIs while appearing in 100 games and splitting time between first base and DH.

Heading into the 1974 season, first base got crowded with the likes of Chris Chambliss, Otto Vélez, and Bob Oliver. Blomberg shifted back to the outfield but appeared in most of his games that season as the DH. In 90 games, he slashed .311/.375/.481 with 10 home runs. The team went 89-73 on the season, good for second in the East, and for the first time in a while, things seemed to be looking up for the club.

Then in 1975, the wheels started to come off the bus for Blomberg. It started with a shoulder strain that was not supposed to be serious and then cost him over a month of the season. When Blomberg came back in July, he tore a muscle while taking a swing. Opting for a brace, the muscle healed and surgery was not needed. Blomberg’s final line in 1975 was .255/.336/.481 in only 34 games.

Spring training of 1976 saw Blomberg enter healthy. Unfortunately, that would not be the case by the time the team broke camp. In the final game, Blomberg hurt his shoulder again, and this time it would require surgery. Still just 27 years old, Blomberg only appeared in one game on the year. The Yankees went on to claim the team’s first pennant since 1964 but were swept by Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine in the World Series.

Blomberg initially had a clean bill of health and another solid spring training in 1977. However, again, injuries would rear their ugly head. This time, instead of the shoulder, it was the knee. Blomberg went full speed into a concrete wall and shattered his knee, literally. The collision resulted in a shattered left kneecap, four broken bones in the knee area, and torn knee cartilage. The injury required extensive surgery, which included removing half of his kneecap and removing floating bone chips. On three different occasions, surgeons had to break up scar tissue in his knee to allow it to bend while he recovered.

Needless to say, Blomberg missed the 1977 championship campaign. He had to watch from the dugout as the “Bronx Zoo” Yankees went on to win the World Series over the Dodgers. Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and his teammates held Blomberg in such high regard for helping build the team up from the bottom that he presented Blomberg with an official 1977 World Series championship ring even though he did not get to appear in a game during the season.

The less-than-storybook championship ended Blomberg’s time in pinstripes. Making one last comeback attempt, Blomberg signed with the White Sox ahead of the 1978 season. On Opening Day, he hit a game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth. That would be the only real highlight for Blomberg in Chicago as he appeared in only 61 games for the White Sox in 1978, batting .231 with five home runs and 22 RBIs. The team tried to send Blomberg to Triple-A following the 1979 spring training, but he refused the assignment and was released, ending his major-league playing career.

Blomberg ended his career with a .293 average, .832 OPS, and a 140 OPS+. His career splits tell the story of why he did not play more early in his career as he slashed .304/.367/.500 against righties but only .215/.306/.272 versus lefties. Another career ended too quickly by injuries, leaving one to wonder what if.

Following his playing days, Blomberg continued to love being a Yankee. He served as a regional scout for the team and still participates in events when the team asks, including many an Old-Timers’ Day. In 2004, Blomberg was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Blomberg has written two books. The first, published in 2008, was his autobiography, Designated Hebrew. Then in 2021, Blomberg produced The Captain and Me: On and Off the Field with Thurman Munson. This book outlines why Munson should be in the Hall of Fame, showing that all these years later, Blomberg was still going to bat for his teammates.

Happy birthday, Ron!

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

It might feel like we can’t have nice things as Cub fans after a game like this. I’m sure there will be dozens of storylines all across the internet about the Cubs and blown saves on a day like this. And I’m not blowing smoke at anyone. I’m not revisiting this after a Saturday night game. But, yeah, you’ll see the Cubs have 21 blown saves. Out of just 50 opportunities. No question, an atrocious number. Ironically, an exact matching image of the Mariners.

Blown saves happen and they don’t always mean what you think they do. When I deep dived the number a few months ago, it included a handful of games with either two blown saves in the same game or games the team won. When we think blown saves, we all think of games like this. Where the team was leading in the ninth and then lost. The most frustrating of blown saves. Where it literally feels like you snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

Check this out. The Brewers have blown 18 saves. The Dodgers? 19. The Rays? 15. The Braves? 17. The Yankees? 23. The Phillies? 17. The Red Sox? 11. The Padres? With their vaunted bullpen and best closer on the planet? 15. The Diamondbacks? 15.

Yes the Cubs have blown a lot of saves. Yes, at times the Cub bullpen has been abysmal. I wouldn’t try to convince you otherwise. Blown saves are one of the stupidest statistics in baseball today and I defend most of the ones we have. How many of you are concerned about a blown save in the fifth inning? I’m positive the Cubs have one of those this year. Or a blown save in a game the team won? I think the Cubs have two or three of those this year. That stat should be discretionary. If the official scorer doesn’t believe the reliever is being brought in to close the game, it isn’t a blown save, it is a blown lead. That’s a different thing.

I believe as it stands right now, today, if the Cubs decided they were going to run a full bullpen day. Pete Crow-Armstrong leads off the first with a homer. Caleb Thielbar throws a perfect first inning, getting a pair of lefties out. Trent Thornton throws a perfect second inning before turning it over to Javier Assad for the third inning. Javy allows an unearned run in the third inning, then finishes the rest of the game. The Cubs go on to win 10-1. And Javy not only gets a win for his spectacular outing, but he gets a blown save. Because he entered a game with the lead. Thielbar didn’t throw enough innings to earn the win, but Thornton as a reliever absolutely can get a win. And Assad blew that.

Yeah, that totally belongs in the same category as Jacob Webb’s unfortunate Saturday night adventure. He wasn’t going to be perfect forever, but damn. What a way to lose it. Webb faced five batters and allowed three hits and three runs. Webb was last the Billy Goat on June 20. Between Billy Goats? 5-0 with 7 saves. 96 batters faced, 13 hits, 10 walks, 25 strikeouts and no runs. Earned or otherwise. Six perfect innings in there. Most of them in high leverage. A FIP of 2.27. We did have nice things. But it broke.

Bummer. This game sucks when it goes sideways. And this kind of loss is just about as bad as it gets.

Three Positives:

• Tyrone Taylor had a double, two walks, drove in a run and scored another. He stole a base. If you had Taylor as the best pickup for the Cubs at the deadline, you are probably the club house leader. I did tell you they’d benefit from a complementary player to Michael Conforto. One dangerous from each side of the plate. One with more power, one with more speed. He’s been a great addition so far.
• Alex Bregman had a solo homer in four plate appearances.
• So did Michael Busch. The Cubs had just seven hits, no one had two. They drew only three walks (and had a hit batter).

Game 130, August 22: Mariners 5, Cubs 4 (74-56)

Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Tyrone Taylor (.216). 1-3, 2B, 2 BB, RBI, R
• Hero: Michael Busch (.118). 1-4, HR, RBI, R
• Sidekick: Alex Bregman (.110). 1-4, HR, RBI, R

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Jacob Webb (-.916). 0.2 IP, 5 BF, 3 H, 3 R (L 6-3)
• Goat: Seiya Suzuki (-.145). 1-4
• Kid: Miguel Amaya (-.110). 0-4, DP

NOTE: Preliminary indication is that this WPA game score for Webb is the worst for a Cub since September 23, 2017. Another dominant reliever in recent Cub history, Wade Davis was the victim. Wade entered the game in the ninth inning and allowed a solo homer to tie the game. He finished the inning. The Cubs scored a run against future Cub closer Jeremy Jeffress in the top of the 10th, only to have Travis Shaw walk off Davis with a two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th. Final WPA was -1.085. That was Davis’ first blown save as a Cub and it was essentially two blown saves in the same game.

WPA Play of the Game: Randy Arozarena’s two-run, walk-off homer. (.912)

Cubs Play of the Game: Michael Busch’s solo homer in the sixth that gave the Cubs the lead. (.196)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 129 Winner: It happens about once a year. Alex Bregman received 100 percent of the vote. Cade Horton was the last, last September 3. Just shy of one year since it happened.

Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)

The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.

• Pete Crow-Armstrong +28
• Alex Bregman +25
• Shōta Imanaga +14
• Trent Thornton/Carson Kelly +13.5
• Seiya Suzuki -11
• Edward Cabrera -12.5
• Jameson Taillon -13
• Dansby Swanson -17
• Caleb Thielbar -18.5

Scoreboard Watching: Braves lose (one up on Cubs) to Brewers (up seven). Phillies win (down two). Dodgers win (up five). Diamondbacks lose (down six). Padres win (down four). Only one positive result in there. This has been a nightmarish two-day stretch. Nothing is over, but it is going to take a monumental finish for the Cubs to do any better than Wild Card 1.

Up Next: Afternoon baseball in Seattle. Shōta Imanaga (8-9, 3.77) for the Cubs. Imanaga is 3-2 with a 2.45 ERA over his last seven starts. The last two have been a little less good. But still, he’s one of the best Cub options. 28-year-old righty Bryce Miller (4-7, 3.71) pitches for the Mariners. He’s heading in the wrong direction (0-5, 6.57) over his last seven. He’s allowed five earned runs in each of his last two starts. This is the guy you’re supposed to beat.

There is some level of trap to this game. Fangraphs shows this pitching matchup and the Cubs having 43.7% chance of winning (lower than either of the previous two games or the last one in the Sox series for that matter). Looking way ahead, Fangraphs gives the Cubs a higher chance of winning all four of the games against the Brewers later this month than this game. I’m betting against the trap. Cubs salvage one and head to Arizona where the matchups are a bit better.

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The brooms are out and waiting as the Los Angeles Dodgers (-257) hope to complete a sweep over the Pittsburgh Pirates (+245) in Sunday's series finale. 

Blake Snell gives the Boys in Blue a substantial pitching advantage, so I'm eyeing the run line with my Pirates vs. Dodgers predictions and MLB picks for Sunday, August 23.

Who will win Pirates vs Dodgers today: Dodgers -1.5 (-121)

When he's healthy, Blake Snell is among the best to do it. With a 116 Stuff+, 2.16 xERA, and 22.2% K-BB%, Snell is back in peak form and gives the Los Angeles Dodgers a massive advantage on the bump. 

The Pittsburgh Pirates have struggled to hit left-handed pitching all year, and they have a measly 73 wRC+ against southpaws this month.

On the flip side, opener Lake Bachar makes way for Carmen Mlodzinski, who has an unsavory 6.95 ERA and 1.77 WHIP since the All-Star break. L.A. will put up a crooked number, so I'd play their run line up to -130.

COVERS INTEL: Pittsburgh has the fourth-highest SwStr% (11.9%) and the third-highest K% (28.3%) against lefties this month, which is a concern against Blake Snell (16.7% SwStr%).

Pirates vs Dodgers Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (-112)

There's expected to be an uptick in runs scored given the pristine weather conditions for the offense: temps in the mid-90s and winds of 6-10 mph blowing out to right-center. 

Mlodzinki's second-percentile xBA (.295) and second-percentile hard-hit rate (47.7%) are massive red flags. L.A. has a league-best .264 xBA against RHP, and those hits will turn into loud contact given the weather. An offensive explosion is imminent. 

While Snell has been dominant, he's likely capped at 90 pitches. L.A.'s bullpen has routinely fumbled the bag, so it wouldn't be a surprise if the visitors score a few late runs. I'd play this to -120.

Pirates vs Dodgers home run prediction: Freddie Freeman (+442)

Mlodzinski has been bashed by left-handed hitters (.285/.352/.447 splits, seven home runs), so I'm targeting a left-handed Dodger, especially with the wind blowing out to their pull side. 

Freddie Freeman hits righties well (147 wRC+) and sees an uptick in his power (.185 ISO). We're getting a good price since he's been in a cold stretch, but this is a perfect opportunity to send one flying over the fence. 

The veteran has tremendous numbers against splitters (7.1 runs above average per 100 pitches) and four-seamers (1.8) from righties, Mlodzinski's two most frequently thrown offerings to lefties. 

Pirates vs Dodgers weather

Expect an uptick in offense given the hot temperatures and 10 mph wind blowing out.

Pirates vs Dodgers odds

• Moneyline: Pirates +245 | Dodgers -257
• Run line: Pirates +1.5 (+113) | Dodgers -1.5 (-117)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+113) | Under 8.5 (-117)

Pirates vs Dodgers trend

The Pirates are 0-3 on the run line in Carmen Mlodzinski's last three games. Find more MLB betting trends for Pirates vs. Dodgers.

How to watch Pirates vs Dodgers and game info

Pirates vs Dodgers latest injuries

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Iowa Cubs 7, Toledo Mud Hens 3 (F/10) (box)

Toledo let a strong start from Dylan File slip away before things unraveled in the 10th inning. Iowa has won three straight after dropping the first two games of the series.

File’s only damage came in the top of the first. James Triantos hit a leadoff home run, and Ben Cowles followed with a double. File responded by retiring 18 of the next 22 batters he faced, working around a pair of doubles, a single and a walk. He struck out six through as many innings.

File’s stuff was solid for most of the night. He landed first-pitch strikes to 20 of 24 batters and induced 10 whiffs. The changeup was particularly effective, producing four whiffs on five swings. His four-seamer also induced four whiffs and four strikeouts while averaging 93 mph.

The Mud Hens’ offense was fairly quiet until the fifth, when it gave File a lead to work with. Trei Cruz and Chris Meyers opened the frame with back-to-back singles, and Andrew Navigato moved both of them up with a sacrifice bunt. Max Burt drove them in with a two-out single up the middle.

Nick Sandlin replaced File in the seventh and held the 2-1 lead through two dominant innings. Four of his six outs came on strikeouts, and nine of his 31 pitches drew a swing-and-miss. Sandlin’s splitter and slider both worked well, drawing five and three whiffs, respectively. The Cubs only put two balls in play against him and reached base once on a walk.

Ricky Vanasco was tasked with clsoing it out, but he couldn’t preserve the lead. A hit batter, wild pitch and single put the tying run on third, and Ethan Hearn knotted things up at two with a sharp liner up the middle. Vanasco’s woes didn’t stop there. Navigato mishandled a potential double-play ball, allowing the go-ahead run to score. The defense converted the next double-play opportunity, but the damage was already done.

Josue Briceño led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk, but it was Cruz who ended up scoring the tying run after a failed sac bunt. Meyers singled Cruz to third, and Cruz came home on a wild pitch. Meyers tried to score on the same play, but Iowa recovered and tagged him out at the plate, forcing extras.

The failed walk-off attempt meant Jack Little took over on the mound with an automatic runner on second in the 10th, and he was not prepared for the moment. After getting the leadoff man to ground out, Little walked the next three batters to give up the lead. Justin Dean cleared the bases with a double, and all of a sudden Toledo was staring at a four-run deficit.

The Hens went down 1-2-3 in the bottom half of the 10th to end an exciting game on a sour note.

Meyers: 2-4, R, K

Burt: 1-4, 2 RBI

Briceño: 1-3, 2B, BB, K

File: 6.0 IP, ER, 5 H, BB, 6 K, HR

Coming Up Next: The series concludes Sunday at 2:05 p.m. ET.

Erie SeaWolves 7, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 0 (box)

Erie was the only Tigers affiliate to win Saturday, and it did so emphatically. The SeaWolves launched four home runs while Kenny Serwa and the bullpen combined on a two-hit shutout.

Peyton Graham got Erie on the board early, homering to left-center field in the first. Luke Shliger hit the second solo shot of the game in the next inning. Shliger has shown some juice with two homers in six games since being called up to Double-A.

Serwa was solid through seven shutout frames, allowing just two hits and three walks while striking out six. That’s his second straight seven-inning start, and he generated 10 whiffs this time around.

The SeaWolves broke the game open in the fifth. Clayton Campbell notched his first Double-A hit, a single, to spark the one-out rally. Viandel Pena followed with another single, and Woody Hadeen drove both of them in with a triple off the wall in left.

Graham came up next and blasted his second home run of the night, a two-run shot and his ninth of the season.

Izaac Pacheco tacked on another run for good measure, hitting Erie’s fourth homer of the game in the sixth.

Yoniel Curet went 1-2-3 in the eighth, drawing three whiffs and two strikeouts on 11 pitches. Tanner Kohlhepp finished things off with a clean ninth.

Graham: 3-4, 2 HR (8, 9), 2 R, 3 RBI, CS

Hadeen: 1-4, 3B (1), R, 2 RBI, K

Shliger: 1-4, HR (2), R, RBI, K

Pacheco: 1-3, HR (16), R, RBI, BB, K

Serwa (W, 7-8): 7.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 3 BB, 6 K

Coming Up Next: Joe Miller starts Sunday’s 1:35 p.m. ET finale against Nolan Perry. Erie leads the series 3-2.

South Bend Cubs 4, West Michigan Whitecaps 3 (box)

Bryce Rainer’s power surge continued Saturday, but West Michigan couldn’t make his three-run homer stand. South Bend scored four unanswered runs over the final three innings to take a 3-2 series lead.

The first five innings featured a pitching duel between Connor Fenlong and Pierce Coppola. Fenlong allowed the first two Cubs to reach base — a leadoff single and John Peck made an error at short — but he retired 16 batters in a row after that. Coppola was just as good, holding the Whitecaps hitless with seven strikeouts and two walks over five innings.

Cristian Santana broke up the no-hitter with a leadoff single in the sixth. Phew. Jackson Strong walked right after, and Bryce Rainer hit a three-run homer to put West Michigan ahead 3-0. Rainer just saw that franchise-record streak of five consecutive games with a home run come to an end on Friday, but he’s right back at it a day later. That’s six in seven games and 16 on the year for the former first-round pick.

Fenlong returned for the bottom of the sixth, looking for a quality start, but he was knocked out of the game with two outs after a pair of homers. Still, it was a very good outing for him, one that featured 15 whiffs. Juanmi Vasquez got the final out of the sixth and worked around a single in a scoreless seventh before turning it over to Ryan Harvey.

South Bend saw Harvey well and lit him up for four hits in the first five plate appearances against him. A leadoff double and trio of singles were enough to put the Cubs in front going into the final frame.

Stephen Hrustich reached on a throwing error in the ninth, but he never made it into scoring position.

Rainer: 1-4, HR (16), R, 3 RBI, 3 K

Santana: 1-1, R, 2 BB

Fenlong: 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 7 K, 2 HR

Harvey (L, 4-5): 1.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, K

Coming Up Next: The series concludes Sunday at 2:05 p.m. ET.

St. Lucie Mets 6, Lakeland Flying Tigers 2 (F/10) (box)

Lakeland’s five-game winning streak ended in dramatic fashion Saturday. The Flying Tigers took a one-run lead in the top of the 10th, but St. Lucie answered with five runs and a walk-off grand slam in the bottom half.

Kelvis Salcedo continued the organizational trend of good starts with 4 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out six. His stuff was solid, with the cutter and splitter doing most of the work. Both pitches had a 41% called-strike-plus-whiff rate and led to a combined eight of his nine total whiffs. He topped out at 96.8 mph with both the sinker and the four-seamer averaging 95 mph or better.

Zach MacDonald gave the Flying Tigers a 1-0 lead in the fourth. Michael Oliveto walked, Jesus Pinto singled to put men on the corners and MacDonald got the RBI base knock to left. Lakeland had a chance for more runs with the bases loaded, but Jude Warwick flied out to end the inning.

Pedro Garcia cleaned up the final out of the fifth for Lakeland, and Owen Hall took over for another long-relief appearance in the sixth. Hall struck out three of the first five batters he faced, but his command started to slip in the seventh. He hit a batter and walked another but got out of the inning without giving up the lead.

A leadoff single and a pair of walks loaded the bases in the eighth for St. Lucie. The Flying Tigers turned to Leonardo Rossell to get out of the jam with two outs, but he threw a wild pitch before reloading the bases with a walk. Fortunately, a flyout ended the inning, but Hall gets the earned run on his record.

Neither team scored in the ninth, sending things into extras. Michael Oliveto drove in the automatic runner on second with a one-out double, restoring the one-run lead.

Bryce Alewine came in to get the save, and it all went bad. A sac bunt and sac fly tied the game. Then, Alewine loaded the bases with a walk, a single and a hit batter. Jack Toomey took a first-pitch sinker and launched it over the fence in left-center for a walk-off grand slam. Sigh.

Oliveto: 1-4, 2B (5), R, RBI, BB, K

MacDonald: 1-4, RBI, BB, K

Salcedo: 4.2 IP, 0 R, H, 0 BB, 6 K

Alewine (L, 0-1): 0.2 IP, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 H, BB, HR

Coming Up Next: The series concludes Sunday at 12:10 p.m. ET. Lakeland leads 4-1.

Jonah Tong appears to be finding his groove with Triple-A Syracuse. 

It’s been a bit of a rocky season for the Mets’ young top pitching prospect, but he’s been throwing the ball much better over his past few outings.

Tong finished just one out shy of recording a quality start on Saturday night, delivering 5.2 shutout innings in a 3-0 win over a veteran-filled Worcester lineup. 

He walked the very first batter he faced on just four pitches, then immediately pushed him into scoring position with a throwing error on a pickoff attempt, but did well to strand him there. 

The right-hander then worked around a two-single and another throwing error of his own to leave a man in scoring position with a strikeout via a fastball on the corner. 

He worked around a one-out single in the third, a leadoff walk in the fourth, and a leadoff double in the fifth. 

Tong came back out for the sixth but was pulled after retiring the first two batters he faced, ending his day with just three hits and a pair of walks allowed while striking out three. 

He has now allowed one run or fewer in five of his last six starts, and two runs or fewer in six of his last seven. 

Though his overall numbers still aren’t where they need to be, it’s encouraging to see the 23-year-old finding his footing down the stretch in the regular season. 

If he can keep this up, perhaps he’ll be called upon to receive another opportunity to settle in with the big-league club before the year comes to a close. 

Tong pitched to a 3.60 ERA over three MLB appearances earlier this season. 

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A day after Dylan Cease took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, Jose Soriano gets the start for Toronto, and we're going for another plus-money play at BET99 as part of my Blue Jays vs. Yankees predictions.

Let’s dive into my MLB picks for Sunday, Aug. 23, and end the week with some extra cash in our pocket.

Blue Jays vs Yankees predictions

Blue Jays vs Yankees best bet: Blue Jays moneyline (+120)

The Toronto Blue Jays have seen Carlos Rodon a ton throughout his career: this lineup has 126 plate appearances under its belt and owns a .271 average alongside a .417 xSLG. That'll play for us today as the Jays go for their eighth straight series win.

Jose Soriano is his counterpart this afternoon, and he's been on an absolute tear, allowing just three earned runs or fewer across his last eight starts.

It helps that he's striking out this Yankees lineup at a 33% clip, which includes a nasty 37% whiff rate. He should have no problem limiting the bats of New York.

COVERS INTEL: The King of New York? If the Blue Jays are scoring today, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be at center stage. He's 12-for-19 with three doubles and two homers against Rodon in his career alongside an astronomical .797 xSLG.

Blue Jays vs Yankees same-game parlay (SGP)

The Blue Jays are on an incredible run and are closing in on their eighth straight series win. With a pitching matchup that leans in their favor, look for them to get the job done on the back of a big game from Vladdy, who recorded two hits in his return to the lineup yesterday.

Blue Jays vs Yankees SGP

• Blue Jays moneyline
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBI
• Jose Soriano Under 2.5 earned runs

Blue Jays vs Yankees home run pick: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (+510)

We're double-dipping, but Vladdy's numbers in this specific matchup are impossible to ignore. At one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in the Big Leagues, and with Vladdy's 1.105 SLG against Rodon, expect him to break out of his power drought today.

Blue Jays vs Yankees odds

• Moneyline: Toronto (+120) | New York (-140)
• Run line: Toronto +1.5 (-175) | New York -1.5 (+150)
• Over/Under: Over 8 (+100) | Under 8 (-120)

Blue Jays vs Yankees trend

The Under is 7-1 in the Yankees' last eight games as a home favorite. Find more MLB betting trends for Blue Jays vs. Yankees.

How to watch Blue Jays vs Yankees and game info

Blue Jays vs Yankees latest injuries

Blue Jays vs Yankees weather

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below. Check out the previous day’s recap here.

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (66-58) lost 5-1 (BOX SCORE)

Sugar Land got on the board in the first inning on a Biggio RBI single. Nezuh started for Sugar Land and allowed 3 runs over 4.2 innings of work. The bullpen allowed 2 unearned runs and the offense was unable to get anything else going as Sugar Land fell 5-1.

Note: Biggio has a .815 OPS in Triple-A.

• Jake Meyers, CF: 2-for-4, R, 3B
• Joey Loperfido, RF: 1-for-2, BB
• Cavan Biggio, 2B: 1-for-3, RBI, BB
• Collin Price, DH: 2-for-4, 2B

• Jackson Nezuh, RHP: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
• Trey McLoughlin, RHP: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• Alimber Santa, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• Ryan Weiss, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (56-63) won 7-5 (BOX SCORE)

Taylor started for the Hooks and went 5 innings allowing 3 runs. The offense got on the board in the first inning on a Thomas solo home run. They picked up another run in the third on a Janek RBI single and one in the 4th inning on a Brown RBI double. In the 5th, the offense took the lead scoring 4 runs on a Brown hit by pitch, Holy 2 run single and a run on a groundout. The pen allowed a couple of runs but was able to hold on for the 7-5 win.

Note: Janek has 25 stolen bases in 57 games this season.

• Justin Thomas, CF: 1-for-4, R, HR, RBI
• Walker Janek, C: 1-for-4, R, RBI, 2 SB
• Jason Schiavone, 1B: 1-for-3, R, 2B, BB
• Tyler Whitaker, DH: 1-for-3, 2 R
• Marcus Brown, SS: 1-for-3, R, 2B, 2 RBI
• Max Holy, SS: 3-for-4, 2B, RBI

• Andrew Taylor, RHP: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K (WIN)
• Alejandro Torres, RHP: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• Railin Perez, RHP: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K (SAVE)

A+: Asheville Tourists (41-76) lost 15-3 (BOX SCORE)

Smith started for Asheville but struggled allowing 6 runs without retiring a batter. He was relieved by Baez who allowed 4 runs over 3 innings, and then Ogando allowed another 3 runs.m The offense got on the board in the 2nd inning on a Garcia RBI single. In the 5th, Powell connected on a solo home run. Newman added a solo home run in the 9th but that was it as Asheville fell 15-3.

Note: Newman is hitting .476 in High-A.

• Caden Powell, LF: 1-for-5, R, HR, RBI
• Anthony Huezo, CF: 1-for-3, 2B, BB
• Zach Daudet, SS: 1-for-2, R, 2 BB
• John Garcia, C: 1-for-4, RBI
• Brandon Nigh, DH: 2-for-4
• DJ Newman, RF: 1-for-3, R, HR, RBI, BB

• Parker Smith, RHP: 0.0 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
• Jhoster Baez, RHP: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 4 K
• Joan Ogando, RHP: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
• Max Martin, RHP: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Yosweld Vasquez, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (62-53) POSTPONED

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: Bryce Mayer – 2:05 CT

CC: James Hicks – 5:05 CT

AV: TBD – 12:05 CT

FV: TBD – 4:05 CT

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Baseball all day long! We have a full slate ahead, with plenty of value in the MLB player props market.

Join me as I break down three of my favorite MLB picksfor Sunday, Aug. 22, including why I expect a lot from White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami.

Best MLB player props today

Player	Pick	Odds
Tomoyuki Sugano	Over 3.5 Earned Runs	-120
Kyle Leahy	Under 3.5 Strikeouts	-111
Munetaka Murakami	Over 0.5 hits	-150

Tomoyuki Sugano Over 3.5 earned runs (-120)

It's hard to overlook the advanced metrics pointing toward Colorado Rockies seasoned sophomore right-hander allowing Over 3.5 earned runs this afternoon. Most importantly, Tomoyuki Sugano draws the highest-rated lineup in baseball today. The Cleveland Guardians feature six elite-rated bats, with two more carrying strong ratings, according to Batters-Box.

So far at home this season, the second-year starter owns a 6.00 xERA while allowing a 13.37% barrel rate and 45% hard-hit rate to opposing hitters. With the Guardians only having one true right-handed hitter in their lineup, they should expose Sugano's biggest weakness, left-handed hitters, who have tormented him all season long.

The Rockies starter owns a 6.76 xERA against lefties, while opposing hitters have a .411 xwOBA. If 3.5 feels like too much of an ask, take the Guardians' first-five team total Over 2.5 at around -150. 

• Time: 3:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: COLR, CLEG

Kyle Leahy Under 3.5 strikeouts (-111)

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Kyle Leahy enters Sunday allowing the most hard contact among today’s starters, per Batters-Box, giving up over 45.5% hard contact this season.

He also enters with poorly rated matchup wOBA, ISO, and strikeout rate metrics. He’ll draw a Philadelphia Phillies team featuring three elite-rated hitters, along with one strongly rated bat. They also have just four hitters striking out above the league average.

Despite Leahy’s sudden strikeout surge, which has pushed his strikeout rate over 33% across his last three starts, the Phillies have shockingly dropped theirs to 12.2% over their last six games and below 16% over their last 12. This lineup has done a tremendous job maintaining a contact rate above 81% over the last two weeks. On top of that, against the last 30 right-handed pitchers they’ve faced, the Phillies have six bats with strikeout rates below 17% during that stretch.

With how much hard contact Leahy has allowed this season and how much the Phillies generate, the Under on his strikeouts feels promising. Take this down to -115.

• Time: 1:35 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NBCS-Philadelphia, CARD

Munetaka Murakami Over 0.5 hits (-150)

It's still very perplexing why the books price Chicago White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami's hit prop so low on an everyday basis. Sure, he does strike out at a high rate, but he's one of the most lethal bats in baseball this season.

Either way, he's a go this afternoon against New York Mets right-hander Nolan McLean. Today marks Murakami's 28th elite rating at home this season. In the 27 prior, he has recorded a hit 70.37% of the time. Overall, in 55 elite ratings this season, he has recorded a hit nearly 71% of the time. Not to mention, he's hit a home run at a near 35% clip.

Over his last 10 games, he sports a .278 ISO while making a boatload of hard contact, generating a 52.4% hard-hit rate and nearly 20% barrel rate during that span.

McLean, against his last 60 left-handed hitters faced, has struggled. He owns a 5.68 ERA and 5.68 FIP, while allowing 2.13 HR/9 and a 47.6% hard-hit rate. Those lefties own a .366 xBA, .597 xSLG, and .364 xwOBA during that stretch.

Murakami also covers almost 87% of McLean's arsenal, crushing his main four pitches. At -150, it is worth paying the juice on a guy to do the bare minimum. If you want to chase value, his double is hovering around +750 and his home run around +400. Sprinkle on both.

• Time: 2:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: CHSN, SNY

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Better late than never is how the saying goes and the San Diego Padres proved that when they scored six runs over the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to come from behind to beat the Minnesota Twins, 7-5 at Petco Park on Saturday night.

San Diego found itself in a hole early when starter Casey Mize allowed three solo home runs over the first two innings, to give Minnesota a 3-0 lead. Jackson Merrill responded in the bottom of the second inning with a solo home run of his own to make the score 3-1, but then trouble came. Mize injured his ankle walking down the dugout steps after the top of the second inning. He returned to the mound in the top of the third but was not able to finish the inning. Mize got the first two outs before allowing a double to Ryan Jeffers, but was then taken out of the game by manager Craig Stammen. Kyle Hart came on to pitch and immediately allowed an RBI-single to put the Twins up 4-1 before he got a groundout to end the inning.

Minnesota added another run in the top of the fifth and San Diego was staring at a 5-1 deficit after four innings with their bulk-inning reliever Griffin Canning on the mound. The scored remained the same through the top of the fifth before the Padres added a run on an RBI-single from Merrill to make the score 5-2 after six innings.

San Diego came to life in the seventh inning after a catcher’s interference call allowed Freddy Fermin to reach base with one out. Fernando Tatis Jr. followed with a single to put two runners on and Jake Cronenworth shot a double down the left field line. Fermin scored from second and Tatis raced all the was around from first base to cut the deficit to 5-4. Manny Machado hit a ground ball to shortstop and Kaelen Culpepper tried to throw to third to get Cronenworth who was advancing from second base, but his throw sailed past Brooks Lee at third base and Cronenworth was able to score to tie the game at 5-5. Machado was able to advance to second, which allowed him to score when Ty France hit an RBI-single to give the Padres a 6-5 lead.

Those were all the runs San Diego needed to get the win thanks to scoreless innings from Adrian Morejon and Mason Miller, but the Padres tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning when Tatis hit a one-out RBI-single to score Luis Campusano to put San Diego ahead, 7-5. Morejon and Miller faced the minimum three batters each in their respective innings of work and Miller notched his 32nd save of the season.

San Diego will look to sweep Minnesota when the teams meet for the final game of the series today at 1:10 p.m.

Padres News:

• Fernando Tatis Jr. is finally showing himself to be the player the Friars Faithful thought he would be coming into the season.

• Nick Pivetta’s player option for 2027 has converted to a team option now that he has spent more than 130 days on the IL.

• Lamar King Jr. helped the Fort Wayne TinCaps get a walk-off win.

Baseball News:

• Dylan Cease deals the Toronto Blue Jays past the New York Yankees.

• The Milwaukee Brewers got another win over the Atlanta Braves.

• Randy Arozarena does it all to help the Seattle Mariners beat the Chicago Cubs.

• Tarik Skubal got 11 strikeouts to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

• JJ Bleday hit for the cycle and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Arizona Diamondbacks.

• The Philadelphia Phillies extended their win streak to eight games with a dominant win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Good morning, folks…

The Texas Rangers fell to the Anaheim Angels last night by a score of 3-0.

Evan Grant’s game story talks about how the Rangers can’t score runs without Josh Jung in the lineup.

Jake Burger left Saturday’s game after being hit on the wrist by a pitch, though the initial x-rays came back negative.

Ezequiel Duran may be coming out of his slump with some help from assistant hitting coach Alex Cintron.

David Laurila has his Sunday Notes column up at Fangraphs.

A recap of Saturday in the Dodgers minor leagues.

Player of the day

Cam Leiter struck out seven in 3 1/3 scoreless innings in his High-A debut for Great Lakes, stranding two hits and two walks.

The Dodgers’ second-round draft pick in 2025 out of Florida State is in his first professional season and was promoted from Class-A after a 3.09 ERA and 36.1-percent strikeout rate in 18 starts for Ontario.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Jackson Ferris allowed a run in five innings in the Comets’ win over the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Astros).

Austin Gauthier had two hits in the win. James Tibbs III doubled and walked. Zach Ehrhard had an RBI single and stole a base.

Hyeseong Kim stole a base and played center field after Alek Thomas was called up to Los Angeles.

Double-A Tulsa

The Drillers were on the wrong end of a back-and-forth affair in a one-run loss to the Amarillo Sod Poodles (Diamondbacks).

Chris Newell hit a grand slam in the loss, while Taylor Young and Jake Gelof each hit solo home runs.

Patrick Copen took the loss after a devilish start of six strikeouts but six runs in six innings.

High-A Great Lakes

Loons relievers allowed the tying runs in the eighth and ninth innings, and the walk-off run in the 10th in a loss to the Fort Wayne TinCaps (Padres).

Shortstop Emil Morales doubled and singled, driving in a pair. Right fielder Eduardo Quintero doubled and walked.

Class-A Ontario

Three runs in the seventh inning turned a deficit into a Tower Buzzers win over the Inland Empire 66ers (Mariners).

Designated hitter Oswaldo Osorio hit the game-tying home run in the seventh and also drove in a run earlier with a sacrifice fly.

Starter Joel Cruz had a Moses Malone-type game with four strikeouts and four walks in four scoreless innings.

Saturday scores

• Oklahoma City 5, Sugar Land 1
• Amarillo 7, Tulsa 6
• Fort Wayne 6, Great Lakes 5 (10 innings)
• Ontario 4, Inland Empire 3

Sunday schedule

• 10:05 a.m. PT: Tulsa (Wellington Aracena) vs. Amarillo (Roque Gutierrez)
• 10:05 a.m.: Great Lakes (Tyler Gough) at Fort Wayne (Kannon Kemp)
• 12:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Emmet Sheehan) at Sugar Land (Bryce Mayer)
• 5:05 p.m.: Ontario (TBA) vs. Inland Empire (Aiden Butler)

One could argue that the Yankees’ loss yesterday was maybe the fourth- or fifth-most impactful bit of news from the day, but if we were to zero in on that? Yeah, that was annoying. They had a legitimate chance to steal a second Dylan Cease start for a win in the span of a week, even one in which he was no-hitting the Yanks into the seventh. But long before then, they stranded a pair of runner-on-third/one-out opportunities in the first and second. Maybe Luis García Jr. doesn’t get the chance to hit that same kind of pitch from Tyler Rogers to make it a 4-3 game later, but … ah. Whatever.

At least Cody Bellinger is back? Win the series today and soothe the pain of perhaps losing both Ryan Weathers and Giancarlo Stanton.

Here’s what else was going on around the American League on Saturday.

Tampa Bay Rays (76-53) 2, Baltimore Orioles (63-67) 3 (10 innings)

The Orioles have really been the Yankees’ best friend during the past week. They won three out of four against the AL East-leading Rays last weekend, lost to the Yanks in a three-game sweep from Tuesday through Thursday, and have now rallied to beat the Rays again on consecutive nights. The Yanks trimming a 6.5-game Tampa Bay lead in the division down to three as of now gets a big assist from Baltimore. It honestly should be closer at this point, too!

Anyway, on the topic of Saturday night’s game, the Rays held a 2-0 lead through six thanks to a solo shot by Liam Hicks off Brandon Young, and then a Junior Caminero RBI single to knock Young out of the game in the sixth. That, however, was Tampa Bay’s only hit with a man in scoring position all night, as they went 1-for-8 in such opportunities, bouncing into multiple double plays and running into outs on the bases.

Shane McClanahan threw five scoreless innings for the Rays, but with him long gone from the ballgame by the eighth, the O’s pounced. Kevin Kelly started the frame for Tampa Bay and allowed a leadoff single to Jackson Holliday. He fanned the surging Pete Alonso but gave a sinker a little too much plate to rookie pinch-hitter Samuel Basallo, who launched it over the wall in center for a game-tying homer.

In the ninth, the Rays missed another chance to tack on when Andrew Kittredge got Richie Palacios to fly out to right after Jonny DeLuca’s double. Garrett Cleavinger retired the O’s in order to send this to extras … where the Rays again squandered an opportunity. This time, it was with the zombie runner and a one-out squeeze play by Taylor Walls. Former Yankees legend Rico Garcia got to the ball quickly and flipped it home in time to nail Palacios at the plate.

Kevin Cash called upon the reliever who the Orioles traded in a minor move 13 months ago, only to see him become an All-Star closer in 2026. But while Bryan Baker handled his old team on Monday, he looked more like the version that also lost the game in extras exactly one week prior. Baker got ahead of his first hitter on Saturday, Dylan Beavers, with an 0-2 count. Then he fired two out of the strike zone before Beavers cracked one off the right-center-field wall, walking it off for the O’s.

Other Games

Boston Red Sox (70-59) 3, San Francisco Giants (52-77) 2: I do hope that you didn’t invest too much mental space in hoping that this lousy Tony Vitello-led Giants club would actually do something worthwhile at Fenway Park. It didn’t matter that Blade Tidwell threw 5.2 scoreless innings for San Francisco or that they took a 2-0 lead into the final frame on long balls from Willy Adames and Andrew Knizner. This team is wretched. Behold, the bottom of the ninth:

• Walk to Caleb Durbin
• Hit by pitch on Jahmai Jones
• Botched double-play ball, putting runners on the corners
• Single by Eli White to score Durbin
• Single by Nick Sogard to score Monasterio
• Intentional walk to Ceddanne Rafaela
• Walk-off grounder by Wilyer Abreu, with White beating Bryce Eldrige’s throw home

Great job, great work.

Chicago White Sox (67-62) 5, New York Mets (59-71) 10: Luis Castillo looked like the version of himself that got squeezed out of the Mariners’ rotation despite his contract. He was knocked out before the end of the third, allowing four runs on eight hits, including homers to Bo Bichette and one-time White Sox phenom Luis Robert Jr. The latter would go yard again off former Mets teammate Huascar Brazobán in the seventh, with Carson Benge and Luis Torrens hitting dingers against other members of the Chicago bullpen. You can’t give up five homers to the 2026 Mets and expect to win! The White Sox still hold a 3.5-game lead over the Guardians in the AL Central.

AL Wild Card Rock Fight

Houston Astros (65-65) 3, The Athletics (50-80) 4: The A’s had literally only won 11 games since the beginning of summer, but while they’re lousy, the AL West as a whole is also lousy in its own way. Bennett Sousa couldn’t hold a 3-1 lead in the eighth at home, with Lawrence Butler tying the game on an RBI single and Jonah Heim plating the eventual winner on a grounder. Elvis Alvarado struck out two in the ninth for the A’s win.

Texas Rangers (64-66) 0, Los Angeles Angels (52-78) 3: Despite sitting at exactly .500, the Astros still hold sole possession of the AL West lead because the Rangers had their own embarrassing loss to an awful division rival. Ryan Johnson and two Angels relievers combined to spin a one-hit shutout in the Rangers’ own ballpark. Even with a stirring, Randy Arozarena-led walk-off win over the Cubs last night in Kade Anderson’s MLB debut, the Mariners are still three games behind Houston! It cannot be overstated how much the AL West stinks on ice. They are the silverfish skittering across the floor in your weird friend’s basement.

Cleveland Guardians (64-66) 4, Colorado Rockies (50-79) 3: This section is called “AL Wild Card Rock Fight” so I must also zero in on them as well as the AL West (though really the races are almost one and the same). The Rangers still inexplicably hold the last Wild Card spot at two games under .500, but the Guardians tied them there with their third win in a row, as a Jo Adell three-run bomb and a Patrick Bailey single led them to victory at Coors. Cleveland has one of the easiest schedules in baseball down the stretch so to me, it’s honestly theirs to lose. But the AL Wild Card race has been all about losing, so… yeah.

Minnesota Twins (63-67) 5, San Diego Padres (70-60) 7: I’ve had very little faith in the Twins’ realistic chances all year long and really only had them added to the re-introduced Rock Fight section this weekend because they actually held that third Wild Card spot a couple days ago. But they lost on Friday and blew a 5-1 lead yesterday even though the Padres lost starter Casey Mize to a rolled ankle in the third. Yuck.

For those curious, here’s the race for the last AL Wild Card spot:

Texas Rangers (64-66)
Cleveland Guardians (64-66)
Toronto Blue Jays (64-66, 0.5 GB)
Minnesota Twins (63-67, 1 GB)
Baltimore Orioles (63-67, 1 GB)
Seattle Mariners (62-68, 2 GB)
Detroit Tigers (61-68, 2.5 GB)

Inspiring.

Saturday night’s content between the Nationals and the Miami Marlins was, by just about all accounts, a very forgettable night of baseball. Starter Jake Irvin tossed an up-and-down 6.0 innings of 4-run ball, and the Nats only put up 2 runs en route to a 4-2 loss to drop 9 games below .500.

However, one of the beautiful things about baseball is that an average loss in late August can mean so much more than the box score might show.

While the game ended in defeat for Washington. It was a night of pure triumph for 27-year-old reliever Erik Tolman.

Tolman joined the Washington organization as a 14th-round selection out of Arizona State University in 2021, and his pro career has been marred by a plethora of struggles.

His career stats look solid on the surface, a 3.78 ERA across 74 games making appearances as both a starter and out of the bullpen. Looking deeper into his story, his journey to the big show is nothing short of remarkable. 

Injuries have been at the forefront of Tolman’s playing career since before he made his way into the Nationals’ system, suffering a torn UCL resulting in Tommy John surgery during his junior campaign at ASU. That was just the first of two elbow issues to arise for the southpaw, having to undergo the same procedure in 2022 after having barely made his introduction to the organization.

The setbacks didn’t stop there, either, as a freak injury saw him tear every ligament in his knee back in 2023, marking 3 major injuries in just the span of a few years.

Holman refused to let his health issues derail his MLB future, working as a swing starter across 3 levels in 2025 to a 3.67 ERA in 95.2 innings, and starting 2026 with AAA Rochester.

This season has been statistically his least successful, but an uptick in his metrics and a desperate need for pitching at the MLB level led to the Nats calling him up to the bigs a few days ago.

Despite the aforementioned 4-2 loss, the biggest story of Saturday night’s contest was Tolman.

The first man out of the bullpen, he dazzled in a scoreless inning, picking up his first MLB strikeout along the way. It’s yet to be determined whether or not Tolman will have a future in the Washington bullpen in either the short or long term, but one thing is for certain: years of resilience and refusing to quit have now finally culminated in his place forever being cemented in the MLB history books.

Saturday saw the four teams in the Atlanta Braves farm system split their games, but we got to see Eric Hartman hit his first Double-A home run, and his 25th overall. That was part of a three-hit night for Hartman, though he may have been overshadowed a bit by one of his teammates in Adam Zebrowski hitting two homers, a double, and batting in four runs. We also got to see Patrick Clohisy, John Gil, Carter Beck, and Manuel Campos have strong games at the plate, while Cedric De Grandpre pitched a mostly strong start in Triple-A.

Durham Bulls 3, Gwinnett Stripers 2

• Brett Wisely, SS: 3-4, R, .279/.397/.415
• Patrick Clohisy, LF: 1-3, 2B, BB, SB, .374/.447/.537
• Cedric De Grandpre, SP: 5 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 6 K, 4.50 ERA
• Tyler Uberstine, RP: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 2.37 ERA

Box Score

Statcast

Cedric De Grandpre got the start and got through five effectively wild innings, allowing three runs – all unearned, on three hits and five walks as he struck out six and whiffed nine. Cedric threw 53 of his 92 pitches for strikes, but was still effective in this one, not allowing any runs to score outside of the three unearned run second inning. Two scoreless frames with a pair of strikeouts from Blake Burkhalter were followed by a scoreless inning with a pair of strikeouts apiece from Tyler Uberstine and Joel Payamps. Combined the three relievers pitched four innings without allowing a run as they allowed no hits, one walk, and struck out six.

Once again Patrick Clohisy was an offensive standout for the Stripers. Already in his 35th game since his promotion, he walked, doubled, and stole a base in four trips to the plate. Luke Williams scored one of the two runs when he hit his seventh homer of the season in the sixth inning to get the Stripers on the board. Brett Wisely added a three-hit game and scored the other run outside of the Williams homer.

Columbus Clingstones 14, Montgomery Biscuits 2

• Eric Hartman, LF: 3-5, HR, 2B, 2 R, RBI, .239/.353/.313
• John Gil, 2B: 2-4, BB, 2 R, SB, .284/.364/.373
• Adam Zebrowski, C: 3-5, 2 HR, 2B, 3 R, 4 RBI, .288/.350/.600
• Braden Scott, SP: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K, 2.25 ERA

Box Score

Braden Scott threw a gem on Saturday, going six scoreless innings and allowing just three hits and two walks. He would add seven strikeouts and six whiffs as he picked up the win. Julio Robaina allowed both Montgomery runs to score in his inning of work in the seventh, before Luis Vargas and Tyler LaPorte threw scoreless innings to finish this game off with ease.

Adam Żebrowski led the offense in this one, but Eric Hartman was the big story in a game filled with big offensive games. Hartman went three for five, a triple shy of the cycle, as he hit his first Double-A homer and his 25th overall this season. Zebrowski went three for five with a pair of homers and a double, giving him 14 homers in just 45 games with Columbus. John Gil also went two for four with a walk and scored a pair of runs to go with a stolen base. Jordan Groshans and Luke Waddell also added home runs in the win, which gives Groshans 26 on the season. Among the other prospects Alex Lodise went one for four and Owen Carey was one for two with a walk.

Hub City Spartanburgers 6, Rome Emperors 0

• Carter Beck, CF: 0-2, 3 BB, .222/.333/.333
• Dixon Williams, 2B: 1-4, BB, .242/.344/.475
• Aiven Cabral, SP: 7 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 3.44 ERA

Box Score

Aiven Cabral started and went seven innings, allowing three runs on seven hits and no walks, as he picked up the quality start. Cabral struck out four and whiffed seven as he did a good job of keeping this one close. He actually only needed 82 pitches to make it through those seven innings after a very efficient outing. Drew Christo relieved him and went on to allow three runs in his inning of work, before a scoreless inning from Tanner Bauman finished things off for the pitching staff.

Rome was shutout in this one, and managed just three hits – all singles. Dixon Williams singled and walked to reach base twice, while Carter Beck reached three times, all via walks. The other two hits came from Mason Guerra and Logan Braunschweig, each of whom was one for two and drew two walks, as Rome was able to draw seven walks off Spartanburger pitching. Luis Guanipa was hitless in five at bats, while Conor Essenburg sat out this one after leaving the previous game early.

Augusta GreenJackets 5, Columbia Fireflies 2

• Manuel Campos, SS: 3-5, 2B, R, RBI, .216/.245/.333
• Caleb Klein, CF: 1-3, BB, .300/.370/.300
• Luis Arestigueta, SP: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K, 7.18 ERA
• Nico Wagner, RP: 4 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 0 K, 4.50 ERA

Box Score

Luis Arestigueta got his first start since going six shutout innings in his last start, and with five scoreless innings here he boosted that streak to 11 scoreless frames in a row. This run has dropped his ERA from 9.07 with Augusta to 7.18, and his WHIP from 1.82 to 1.69. Arestigueta allowed four hits and two walks as he struck out four and whiffed four. The final four innings went to Nico Wagner, who would allow two runs on two hits and three walks, though he finished with no strikeouts and only two whiffs. This was his first ever appearance with Augusta after being drafted late last year, and he had only appeared in one FCL game back in July.

Manuel Campos had a big game, going three for five with a double, and both scoring and batting in a run. It had been a bit of a slow start for Campos in full season ball, and some lost time due to injury didn’t help things – but the 18-year-old is now seven for his last 18 with the double and a homer in the team’s last four games. Caleb Klein and Caden Merritt were the only others to reach base multiple times, as each one went one for three and drew a walk. Parker Brosius and Yamvier Carrero each had a hit, while Juan Mateo walked and batted in a run. Nick Montgomery also drew a walk in the win.