Category: Baseball

The Columbus Clingstones went on a tear offensively, with Alex Lodise and Jordan Groshans each vying for the system lead in home runs with their output on Thursday night. Eric Hartman has yet to hit a home run in Double-A as those two have passed him up, but is showing some signs of life as well, while the pitching from top-to-bottom gave every level something to look at.

(61-61) Gwinnett Stripers 1, (56-66) Durham Bulls 3

Box Score

Statcast

• Patrick Clohisy, CF: 0-4, .374/.447/.539
• Lizandro Espinoza, SS: 0-4, .286/.286/.714
• JR Ritchie, SP: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, 3.22 ERA
• Rolddy Munoz, RP: 1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 3.74 ERA

JR Ritchie led the way in a well-pitched evening for the Gwinnett Stripers even though they choked the game away later on. Ritchie has been out of the zone too much in his recent starts and that did carry over for this game, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he commanded the ball poorly. He was elevating his fastball consistently even if he didn’t force a lot of chases above the zone, and was able to avoid his sinker getting battered around in the early innings. Once he settled into a groove late in this game and opened up the arsenal he hit the next level and his breaking stuff was at its peak for this outing. Ritchie had eight misses on his breaking ball which carried him to his seven strikeouts, and it was his ability to land the curveball at or below the strike zone that really stood out from this outing. Fastball and curveball placement being pluses doesn’t necessarily mesh with the walk rates we have seen from him recently but there really isn’t much to complain about with how he attacked on those two pitches. His changeup wasn’t where it needed to be which limited how effective he could be with the pitch as he left it up and on his glove side more often than not. He didn’t use it much at all until he got into the third trip through the order where he was mixing pitches well and hitters were off balance on much of what he was throwing, and he hit his peak in the fifth inning by striking out three batters with two men on base to protect a 1-0 lead.

While Ritchie was rolling the offense scuffled and got a bit lucky to get a run at all. Brett Wisely led off in the second inning by forcing a walk and then stole second base, so when Kyle Farmer’s chopped to the right side slid just past the first baseman Wisely was able to trot home and give Gwinnett a 1-0 lead. That lead held until the ninth inning. Neither pitching staff gave ground and Gwinnett turned to Rolddy Munoz. Munoz, unfortunately, had one of his blow up starts. Munoz had absolutely no clue where anything was going, and before you could blink he gave up a leadoff double, hit two batters, then walked home the tying run. Durham got two more in on sacrifices, but it should have been much worse. Munoz threw a slider dead center that got absolutely hammered into the right center field gap, but a diving play from Patrick Clohisy turned a bases-clearing hit into a sacrifice fly and kept Gwinnett in the game. The Stripers got two on in the ninth inning, but failed to score any of them. That diving catch from Clohisy was his lone contribution to the game, but it was a much improved version of Clohisy over some of his recent offensive outings. He made solid contact on a couple of occasions and put up a good approach at the plate, and if he can show more comfort with sliders like in this outing he should be able to put this recent meh stretch behind him. I’m really excited to see Lizandro Espinoza finally healthy again especially with the home run in yesterday’s game. He was not as successful last night with an 0-4 showing and I expect him to face an uphill battle trying to come back from injury and get a look at a new level, but he’s a player that is really worth a look. I was a fan of the changes to his approach that we’ve seen and increased impact he is making on the ball, and I thought prior to his injury he was on his way to a breakout season. He’s flown under the radar but steadily improved everything he needed to since joining the Braves, and the hit tool questions are a major concern but if he’s drawing walks, hitting the ball as hard as he has this season, and playing solid shortstop he’s going to get some major league looks at some point.

Swing and Misses

JR Ritchie – 14

(55-57) Columbus Clingstones 6, (61-56) Montgomery Biscuits 1

Box Score

• John Gil, 2B: 1-4, .293/.373/.397
• Eric Hartman, LF: 0-4, .211/.348/.228
• Alex Lodise, SS: 1-4, HR, .182/.250/.455
• Owen Carey, RF: 0-4, .232/.328/.411
• Garrett Baumann, SP: 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 4.26 ERA

Last week Garrett Baumann went nine innings and this week he cruised through another seven with a game that was even better than it looks in the final stat line. Baumann gave up a run in the first inning when a hitter managed to muscle a fastball up and in out to right field for a double, then scored on a wild pitch that bounced well away from Archer Brookman behind the plate. After that he was in complete control of the game. Baumann dominated the top of the strike zone with his fastball, and Baumann often lives and dies by fastball command so seeing him this sharp was a great outcome. He consistently threw his four seamer past hitters, and when he needed to his curveball and changeup both had the bottom of the zone and produced results. Baumann’s curveball has taken a step to being the breaking pitch he needed to get him over the hump, and with that the biggest step is going to be consistently finding the edge with his fastball. Much of the damage against him comes because he lets his fastball drift down and doesn’t really have the fastball traits to miss a lot of bats, so days like this are refreshing when projecting him to another shot at Triple-A. He still lacks a pitch that I project as a go-to bat misser at the major league levels, but he has the basic command building blocks and an average arsenal top-to-bottom which should be enough to push him to a future as a starter.

The offense was the Jordan Groshans show once again. Groshans had his third-multi home run game of the season, a performance that pushed his hitting streak to 11 games. in that 11 game span he has six home runs and only three strikeouts, and this game would have pulled him into a tie for the system lead with 25 home runs. It would have been a tie, except before he got the chance Alex Lodise hit his first Double-A long ball. Lodise. Lodise showed off his great pop by staying back on a sinker and shooting it over the wall to right center field, and so far he has looked solid in the adjustment to Double-A. He had a couple of aggressive hacks on fastballs too far up for him to reach and whiffed, and that’s still something he needs to tone down in his approach, but he has continued to look better against spin. There were a few hard hit near misses in this game as well. Eric Hartman is still looking for his first Double-A home run and had another near miss, driving a ball in the first inning to the deepest part of the park where it died for a fly out. John Gil did a similar trick a few innings later, crushing a hanging slider out to left field where it died just shy of leaving the yard. I think Hartman has done well in terms of his approach upon being promoted, he just isn’t getting fastballs in the zone and he’s not producing a ton of power on other pitches. He’s been making more contact than the strikeout rates suggest and he’s just a bit off from hitting his stride. The biggest issue I see is that pitchers are keeping the ball away from him and he is still trying to yank those pitches, which is leading to more rollover ground balls than anything. His swing is geared to the pull side and it’s what makes him successful so it’s nothing the Braves can really change, but an attack plan to have better success on the outer third is going to be a key stepping stone for him.

Swing and Misses

Garrett Baumann – 18

Owen Hackman – 3

(56-58) Rome Emperors 5, (53-64) Hub City Spartanburgers 4

Box Score

• Carter Beck, CF: 0-4, RBI, .182/.182/.182
• Conor Essenburg, RF: 1-4, RBI, .204/.405/.296
• Luis Guanipa, DH: 1-4, .224/.234/.355
• Ethan Bagwell, SP: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 3.83 ERA

I tried to watch this game and think of what went wrong for Ethan Bagwell, and the honest answer is that it wasn’t very much. He allowed four runs in the second inning but the Spartanburgers did not hit the ball hard against him, and there were some borderline pitches in two-strike counts that went against him that extended at least one at bat longer than it should have gone. Bagwell didn’t have the best feel for his slider in this game and that didn’t help his cause, and it’s why he struggled to miss bats, but his fastball command was strong throughout. Bagwell worked around the edges with his fastball and utilized the pitch to get weak ground balls and quick outs, but that also had the effect of him having one inning where all of those hits found grass at the same time. It wasn’t Bagwell’s best work, because without a secondary offering to carry the weight late in counts he struggles to finish at bats and is reliant on batted ball luck, but his command was good enough and the batted balls he allowed don’t really support the four runs he gave up. He left his last start with some back soreness, so him being healthy for this game was already a positive, and it’s not great to speculate but it wouldn’t be out of the question to say there is still a lingering issue there. He was not near as sharp with his breaking ball as he has been for the past two months and I don’t expect that to be a trend that holds.

There wasn’t a huge amount to write home about offensively as Rome just took care of their opportunities when they had them. The Spartanburgers issued a lot of walks and hit Cody Miller a couple of times, and that put the Emperors in position to score runs which they pulled off. It was just a 1-4 day from Luis Guanipa but he looked as good as I’ve seen him at this level and he’s definitely working through some changes that are affecting his swing. He was aggressive in his first couple of at bats but he was swinging at hittable pitches in the strike zone, and in both cases he attacked with the intent to hit it hard on the pull side. One of those turned into a hard hit single, and approach early in the count is exactly what I’m hoping to see more of as the season draws to a close. He had some decent takes in his third at bat and ended with a ground out, and the only at bat he really looked uncomfortable was against a side-armer in the 7th inning. Guanipa is always going to be aggressive, and I’m fine with that sacrifice as long as he’s taking those hacks with intent to do more than just make contact and he did so in this game. Conor Essenburg had a couple of hard hit balls in addition to a couple of strikeouts. On the first one he just got beat and didn’t approach the at bat well, but the second wasn’t fully his fault. The opposing pitcher got two borderline calls, neither of which Essenburg liked and both of which were probably out of the zone, and it led to him feeling he had to chase a fastball off of the edge 0-2. Carter Beck had a rough one, with weak contact in his three plate appearances before ending the game getting dominated by a guy with a good changeup. This is the first time I’ve seen Beck really look lost against a specific pitch and I’m going to be keeping a close eye in future games on how he looks against right-handed changeups.

Swing and Misses 

Jacob Shafer – 5

Ethan Bagwell – 5

(62-54) Augusta GreenJackets 3, (58-58) Columbia Fireflies 4

Box Score

• Patrick Brosius, RF: 2-4, 2B, .297/.413/.514
• Juan Mateo, SS: 1-4, BB, .254/.332/.356
• Davis Polo, SP: 6.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 3.25 ERA

Davis Polo had an interesting dynamic in this start. His slider was solid but he wasn’t pitching with his best changeup, and he had to make some adjustments to find success against left-handed hitters. To start with the three runs, he made a couple of bad pitches that led to the Fireflies getting a run on an RBI double, but the rest of the inning was just bad luck. The next hitter got rewarded with an infield single that could have been called an error, but in any case was a bad hop that got away from the second baseman and led directly to another run to no fault of Polo. Polo ran into some control issues in the fifth inning that led to a run, but otherwise he did a good job of locating his fastball. For much of the game Polo was feeding sinkers low and mixing in sliders, and he got a ton of ground balls as usual but his secondaries just weren’t getting the results he was used to. Polo doesn’t pitch up in the strike zone as often as a lot of Braves prospects, but when he turned to that the second time through the order he had his best innings of the night. He was consistently pumping 93-95 and hitting it on the top edge of the strike zone, and the Fireflies couldn’t get to it to fight it off. Polo doesn’t often miss bats like that with his fastball and it was nice to see that facet of his game, and it’s something I would like to see be part of his approach more often in the future. That is dependent on Polo being able to actually command the ball there, which isn’t always a given, but it gives a lot more depth to his arsenal.

There wasn’t a great offensive showing from anybody, as top-to-bottom the lineup struck out quite a bit and it prevented them from taking advantage of the opportunities they were given often enough. Parker Brosius was the exception with a single, a double, and a hard hit fly out late in the game, but that’s going to be the expectation for him moving forward. I am interested to see Brosius tested against better stuff, because I want to see if he is going to be able to handle pitchers that can land fastballs on the inner half and breaking balls away more consistently. Brosius’s swing path can get long to the ball and he’s gear to yank everything, but I don’t see enough bat speed there to get away with that against consistently good velocity. He also doesn’t have a swing that shows the athleticism to adjust to spin and he’s going to be on top of it with his approach, those these are early returns and also pretty picky complaints for a ninth round pick at this stage.

Swing and Misses

Davis Polo – 10

Cristobal Abreu – 3

The demise of the starting pitcher has been much-bemoaned in recent years (including by yours truly when discussing America’s pastime with friends). Don’t tell that to some of the men who toed the slab Thursday though. Shane Bieber, Jacob deGrom, Grant Holmes, and Gavin Williams all starred for their respective clubs. Holmes flirted with history while deGrom and Williams hit impressive milestones.

It was nice of the Jays to come through when they did, as Gerrit Cole (speaking of outstanding pitching performances) spun a gem of his own to lead the Yanks to victory Thursday night.

Tampa Bay Rays (76-51) 1, Toronto Blue Jays (63-66) 5

After falling to Tampa Wednesday, Toronto rebounded Thursday, giving the Yankees a chance to pick up a game on the division-leading Rays. For the Jays, Shane Bieber recorded his second straight excellent start after giving up one run over six innings against the Yanks last week. Thursday, he again surrendered one lone run. This time, he tossed seven innings. In the last six days, he’s brought his season ERA down from 5.48 to 4.53. Not bad.

Offensively, the Jays played home run derby early. Kazuma Okamoto, Nathan Lukes, and Daz Cameron all hit long balls to put Toronto up 3-1 through five. Old nemesis George Springer delivered the dagger blow on Thursday though. His two-run single extended the Toronto lead to 5-1 in the seventh, more than enough run support for Bieber and the Jays bullpen.

Other Games

Houston Astros (64-64) 3, Los Angeles Angels (51-77) 18: I guess not every game can have a masterwork pitching performance. It still had a spectacular stat line though, in the form of Zach Neto of the Angels. Neto went 5-for-6 Thursday night, scored two runs, and drove in seven as the Angels mercilessly battered the Astros in Houston. The loss knocks the Astros down to .500 and moves Texas to within a game of first place in the mire of mediocrity known as the American League West.

Texas Rangers (63-65) 2, Washington Nationals (61-68 ) 0: Another fantastic performance on the mound, this time from a usual suspect. Jacob deGrom was vintage Thursday night, spinning six innings of one-hit shutout ball, striking out 10. His second strikeout of the night gave him 2,000 for his illustrious career. When his candidacy comes up for Cooperstown, it is going to be fascinating, because counting stats (other than Cy Young Awards) will not be on his side. But what a dominant peak he had. Offensively, Corey Seager gave him all the help required with a third innings solo home run, as Seager continues a hot stretch over the last couple weeks.

Chicago White Sox (66-61) 0, Atlanta Braves (75-53) 2: Old friend Andrew Benintendi singled in the seventh inning of this game. That is particularly noteworthy because it was the first hit against Braves starter Grant Holmes. It also ended Holmes’ day, but was Chicago’s only hit, as Atlanta pitching completely stifled the White Sox. Austin Riley, with RBI singles in the third and seventh innings, provided the game’s only offense. Unsurprisingly, this one was over in a crisp 2:22.

Cleveland Guardians (62-66) 5, San Francisco Giants (52-75) 2: Gavin Williams is having himself a nice second half for the Guardians. Thursday, he delivered 5.2 innings, whiffing 11 Giants’ hitters. That makes six of his last eight starts where the righty has notched double-digit strikeouts. Yesterday’s performance also gives him 201 strikeouts on the season in only 154.2 innings. Offensively, “Guards Ball” was on full display, with four singles and a sacrifice fly accounting for all five Cleveland runs. Very on brand.

Diamondbacks news

(Arizona Sports) Ketel Marte headed for 10-day IL, will then rejoin Diamondbacks

Gambadoro added Marte’s MRI “showed inflammation on his upper hamstring and medial joint of his knee.” He received an injection Thursday afternoon, and the D-backs hope his IL stay will be short.

Marte, his agent Charisse Espinosa-Dash, Hazen and manager Torey Lovullo met at Salt River Fields at 1 p.m. Thursday and had a “productive” conversation, according to Gambadoro.

(ESPN) Diamondbacks moving Marte to 10-day IL after strange absence

Marte’s absence and apparent injury come at a difficult time for the D-backs, who are fighting to make the playoffs for the first time since a run to the World Series in 2023. Arizona has a 67-61 record and is one game behind the San Diego Padres for the final National League wild-card spot.

Marte is hitting .249 with 21 homers and 67 RBIs so far this season.

(SI.com) Diamondbacks Sign Former Dodgers Infielder

The Arizona Diamondbacks are adding to their infield depth, according to their latest transaction.

Per the Diamondbacks’ transaction logs, the team has signed former Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds and Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Santiago Espinal.

It will be a minor league deal for the veteran infielder. He’ll report to Triple-A Reno, joining the Aces’ roster for the time being.

MLB News

(Yahoo! Sports) What could stop the LA Dodgers from three-peating in the World Series?

The big, bad Dodgers have looked awfully beatable lately.

They lost seven in a row to start this month. Over the weekend, they lost three of four to the Brewers at home. And this week, they swept the Rockies, but they didn’t make it look as easy as sweeping the Rockies should be for the two-time defending champions.

So what’s up with this juggernaut? And what could stand in the way of a third straight World Series title for LA?

[Ed. Note] The Feds

(AP) Rangers’ Jacob deGrom reaches 2,000 strikeouts in 2nd-fewest games and innings pitched

Jacob deGrom reached 2,000 career strikeouts in the second-fewest games and innings pitched in major league history when the Texas Rangers right-hander fanned the first two batters among his 10 K’s in a 2-0 win over the Washington Nationals on Thursday night.

DeGrom struck out Daylen Lile and Abimelec Ortiz, both of whom chased sliders below the zone. He received a standing ovation and acknowledged the applause by tapping his cap over his heart.

(NBC Sports) Brewers’ Pat Murphy doesn’t think his team has played great. Milwaukee’s record suggests otherwise

“There’s so much that I see that needs to improve, yet you look up and everybody’s saying, ‘Wow, I love the way you play,’ “ Murphy said. “And I look funny and I look behind me, and I see if they’re talking to someone else. Really? Maybe I’m too critical. Maybe I’m missing something. I don’t know. I do trust the team.

When the Orioles left Tropicana Field four days ago, there was an air of hope around them—the feeling that comes from taking three out of four in the house of the AL East leader. Fast forward four days and the Orioles have come back to earth after being swept in Baltimore by the New York Yankees.

This Orioles team has become the equivalent of baseball’s Sisyphus, doomed to get so close to the final AL Wild Card spot but always falling back. The three wins in Tampa had the O’s a half game ahead for that coveted third spot. After three straight losses to New York and four straight losses overall, the Orioles are buried under five other teams in their quest for an unlikely playoff berth. And yet, Baltimore is only two games back of a spot in the postseason, despite their recent losing streak.

In an improbable turn of events, the Rays have turned out to be a favorable opponent for the Orioles. Despite going 9-16 against the rest of the AL East, the O’s are 6-4 against Tampa Bay. The last time the Rays visited Baltimore, the Orioles won all three games, outscoring Tampa 26-10. Before last Sunday’s 7-6 loss, the O’s were on a six-game winning streak against the Rays.

As has been the case for much of the season (and especially in the post-Trade Deadline era), Pete Alonso will have to carry the Orioles offense if they want to take another series from the Rays. The Polar Bear has destroyed his hometown team, posting a triple slash of .415/.489/.683 with three homers and nine RBIs against the Orioles’ southern division rivals. Colton Cowser and Gunnar Henderson have also dominated the Rays this year, with each posting a .300+ average, a .900+ OPS and three long balls against Tampa.

Game 1, Friday August 21st, 7:15pm ET

Probable pitchers: LHP Trevor Rogers (8-8, 4.15 ERA, 108 Ks) vs. RHP Freddy Peralta (5-10, 5.27 ERA, 123 Ks)

Where to watch: Apple TV

We saw this matchup playout last Sunday in Tampa, when the O’s scored a resounding 10-2 victory thanks to an offensive explosion against the Rays bullpen. Rogers was his usual sharp self, delivering a line of 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB and 6 Ks. It was reigning MVO’s eighth quality start since the beginnig of June, a stretch that has seen him put up 2.45 ERA and limit opponents to a .224 average. Rogers has been slightly worse in Camden Yards this season, posting a 4.31 ERA in Baltimore vs. a 3.95 ERA on the road.

Peralta was by no means bad last Sunday, setting down the first eight Orioles he faced and starting the game with four shutout innings. Everything started to fall apart for him and the Rays in the 5th, with Peralta walking two of the first three batters before being relieved by Garrett Cleavinger with two outs. Cleavinger allowed an RBI single to Jackson Holliday to tie the game at 1-1 before a Pete Alonso doubled to put Baltimore up 3-1. The Orioles then scored seven runs in the 6th to put the game out of reach.

And despite a less than stellar season overall, the Orioles have not been one for prolonged losing streaks. The recent skid is only the fourth four-game skid of the season. Baltimore has only lost five games in a row once this year, which means they should be in line for a Game 1 victory against Tampa.

Game 2, Saturday August 22nd, 7:05pm ET

Probable pitchers: RHP Brandon Young (9-3, 3.52 ERA, 96 Ks) vs. LHP Shane McClanahan (9-6, 3.25 ERA, 96 Ks)

Where to watch: MASN/MASN+

The Young vs. McClanahan matchup is another matchup we saw in Tropicana Field, with the two squaring off in the Monday game that the Rays won 7-6. Neither the Orioles’ breakout pitcher nor the Rays’ former All-Star were particularly sharp in the back-and-forth affair. McClanahan, in his first start off the IL, was limited to 3.1 innings, allowing 4 hits, 3 earned runs, 0 BB, 3 Ks and a Coby Mayo moon shot.

Young only last two outs longer than McClanahan, posting a final line of 4 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 1 BB and 3 Ks. It was BY’s shortest start since the middle of May and only the fourth time all season he’s allowed 4+ runs. It was the big Texan’s first time facing the Rays, so he’ll hope the rematch at home goes much better. Unlike Rogers, Young has actually been slightly better at home this year, holding a 3.39 ERA at Camden Yards vs. a 3.69 ERA away from Baltimore.

Game 3, Sunday August 23rd, 1:35pm ET

Probable pitchers: RHP Shane Baz (4-13, 4.02 ERA, 132 Ks) vs. RHP Nick Martinez (12-4, 3.05 ERA, 83 Ks)

Where to watch: MASN/MASN+

The fact that Shane Baz leads the majors with 13 losses is more a testament to his putrid lack of run support than his actual pitching performance. Among qualified starters, Baz has received the second least run support in all of baseball at 3.12 runs/game. Baltimore has lost six Baz starts in a row, despite the right-hander pitching to a 3.44 ERA over that stretch.

Being in front of the Baltimore faithful hasn’t made it any better. In his last five starts in Camden Yards, the 27-year-old has pitched to a 3.25 ERA while averaging 5.2 IP per start. However, in that same stretch the Orioles are only 1-4 and averaging 2.6 runs/game when Baz takes the mound in Baltimore.

All that being said, the former Ray has been particularly strong against the team that traded him. In two starts this year vs. Tampa Bay, Baz has a 1.38 ERA while limiting the Rays to a a .196 average. The last time he faced Tampa, the righty delivered his best start in Camden Yards all season, tossing 7 innings of 1-run ball while punching out 9 Rays.

On paper, it looks like run support would be hard to come by off Rays’ right-hander Nick Martinez. However, the sinker-baller has struggled of late, posting a 5.92 ERA and .303 BAA and six homers against in his last four starts. Martinez hasn’t made a start in Camden Yards since 2015 for the Rangers, when Jimmy Paredes and J.J Hardy each took him deep and his was outdueled by peak Wei-Yin Chen.

Can the Orioles turn it around against the Rays? Or will it be another disappointing series against an AL East rival? Let us know in the comments.

As you know, the Cubs are the only MLB franchise to be in its original location since the National League was founded in 1876.

So that makes this the 150th anniversary of the team, and throughout the year the Cubs have been honoring that history in many different ways.

Thursday, the club announced a 150th anniversary celebration that will happen at Wrigley Field Saturday, Aug. 29 and Sunday, Aug. 30. The team says that the weekend celebration will honor the players, people, places and traditions that have defined Cubs baseball since 1876 while recognizing the organization’s enduring connection to the neighborhood it has called home for more than a century.

The celebration begins Saturday, Aug. 29, with the dedication of a new Founders’ Clock at the corner of Clark and Addison Streets, marking the organization’s latest investment at Wrigley Field — you can see what it will look like in the rendering above. The permanent four-sided clock will serve as a welcoming landmark for residents, visitors and fans while enriching the year-round experience in and around Wrigley Field.

If you were in Gallagher Way during the just-completed homestand, this is the area that was blocked off for construction:

The Cubs said in a press release:

The clock reflects the organization’s enduring commitment to the community it has called home for generations. Finished in Wrigley Field’s signature deep green, the clock features historic Cubs logos and inscriptions highlighting four eras of franchise history, connecting the club’s rich legacy with the millions of people who come to Wrigley Field each year.

In addition, the Aug. 29 game will include recognition of the Cubs 150th Anniversary Team, which is a collection of the most accomplished and influential players in franchise history. The team was selected online by fans and includes 40 players and three managers from 1876 to today. The complete roster will be announced Monday, Aug. 24 with the pregame recognition planned for Aug. 29 featuring over 20 members in attendance. A permanent plaque featuring the names of all members of the Cubs 150th Anniversary Team will be added to the Cubs Hall of Fame located in the left field bleacher concourse.

There will be other festivities over that weekend, culminating on Sunday, Aug. 30 with the inductions of Jody Davis, Jon Lester and Vince Lloyd into the Cubs Hall of Fame, with Lloyd as the recipient of the “Lifetime Achievement Award,” a new honor recognizing individuals who made a significant contribution to the Cubs organization over their lifetime.

If you are attending the Aug. 30 game, which is now a night game beginning at 6:20 p.m. CT, you’ll receive Hall of Fame pins honoring Davis and Lester (first 10,000 early arriving fans).

This all sounds like a great way to honor the century and a half of Cubs history. Perhaps this year’s team will add to that with a long postseason run.

The A’s have been in a free fall for months. Back on June 19th, they’d erase an 8 run deficit against the Angels, ultimately prevailing in extra innings in dramatic fashion, winning by a score of 12-11.    The victory evened their record at 38-38 and since then, it’s been a nose dive to last place.    

Cody Elias from A’s cast walks us through the future of this roster as the season approaches its finish line, which cannot come fast enough for the A’s.

Q: A’s have had some tough injuries but guys like Tommy White, Zack Gelof and Lawrence Butler have shown some flashes.    What’s your overall feel for those guys?

A: Let’s start with Lawrence Butler. After undergoing offseason knee surgery and spending most of Spring Training recovering, Butler naturally got off to a slow start to begin the 2026 season. Through the first half of the year, he struggled, slashing .196/.296/.296 with five home runs and 22 RBIs across 88 games. The second half, however, has been a different story: Butler is slashing .245/.314/.500 with six home runs and 14 RBIs in just 29 games.

Zack Gelof is another player the organization had high hopes for following a stellar 2023 rookie campaign, where he hit .268 with 14 home runs, 32 RBIs, 14 stolen bases, and an .840 OPS. Since then, injuries, contact issues, and a surge in strikeouts have plagued his progress. Gelof actually began 2026 in Triple-A Las Vegas after the team brought in Jeff McNeil to play second base, but injuries and slow starts elsewhere earned him a call-back to the big league club. He’s proven versatile ever since, making starts at second base, third base, left field, and center field. Better yet, his bat has returned—he’s posted 14 home runs, 34 RBIs, and an .827 OPS while slashing his strikeout rate from 34.4% in 2024 down to 24.9%.

Tommy White began the season in Double-A Midland before earning a promotion to Triple-A Las Vegas after 21 games. Combined across both minor league levels in 2026, White hit .303 with 10 home runs, 64 RBIs, and an .818 OPS. That production earned him his Major League debut on July 17 against the Washington Nationals in West Sacramento. In a small sample size with the big club, White is hitting .267 with two home runs—both coming in back-to-back games after going his first 27 MLB games without a homer. He’s also delivered two four-hit games while filling in at first and third base for manager Mark Kotsay.

Q: What’s the biggest thing you think manager Mark Kotsay is looking to see in the final 6 weeks of the season?

A: The obvious answer is pitching. The A’s currently carry the highest ERA in the American League at 5.49, driven by a 5.36 starter ERA and a 5.70 mark from the bullpen. Injuries have sidelined veterans Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs, while a disappointing start to the 2026 season landed top prospect Luis Morales back in Triple-A. As a result, A’s starters have thrown the third-fewest innings in the AL.

Still, it hasn’t been all bad news on the mound.

J.T. Ginn has been outstanding for the Green and Gold, pitching to a 3.53 ERA across 25 games. Ginn—who nearly threw a no-hitter against the Angels in June—has logged six or more innings 12 times this year. Ginn isn’t considered a flame thrower by today’s standards in Major League Baseball but his ability to get ground balls with his sinker is valuable at the ballpark in West Sacramento. The sinker is seeing its highest usage rate since 2018 (16.6% of the time) and Ginn doubles the usage rate at 35.7% and opponents are hitting .218 collectively vs the pitch. If Ginn can continue to use his sinker to his advantage and continue to develop his changeup, he has established himself as a potential top-of-the-rotation anchor.

Q: Gage Jump had some incredible moments during the first half of the season, what’s happened since? 

A: Gage has shown flashes of becoming the franchise’s next elite homegrown southpaw. Jump has struck out the third-most batters by an A’s rookie through his first 15 starts, trailing only Tim Hudson and Sonny Gray. In fact, you have to trace back to Gray’s 2013 debut to find the last time there was this level of excitement around a young A’s starting pitcher. As Jump takes the next step in his development, the key element to watch is his secondary usage—specifically his changeup, which he currently throws just 8.6% of the time. Because he relies on his fastball 47% of the time, refining that third offering will be crucial to unlocking his ceiling as a true top-of-the-rotation starter.

Q: Is it fair to say that Jacob Lopez has the potential to be a future star ?   

A: He’s been a bright spot. He was has optioned to Triple-A in early June, and when Lopez returned in July he’s posted a 2.36 ERA across seven starts since July 10. Coming off a solid 2025 campaign that was cut short by injury, Lopez is proving once again that he belongs in the big league rotation.

Hickory starter Evan Siary went seven innings, allowing two runs and striking out three.

Paulino Santana homered. Pablo Guerrero homered and walked twice. Yolfran Castillo had a double and a walk. Dewar Tovar had a hit. Josh Springer was 2 for 3 with a homer and a walk. Jeremy Owens and Seong-Jun Kim each had a hit.

Hickory box score

Hub City starter Case Matter threw two shutout innings, striking out one. Kamdyn Perry allowed five runs in three innings, walking three, hitting two batters and striking out one.

Evan Morrison was 2 for 4 with a double. Chandler Pollard doubled.

Hub City box score

Rehabbing Jack Leiter allowed five runs in three innings for Frisco, including a homer, walking two and striking out five. Joey Danielson allowed a run in an inning, striking out one. Dylan MacLean struck out three and walked three in four innings, allowing two runs. Eric Loomis struck out three in a shutout inning.

Yeison Morrobel homered. Arturo Disla was 2 for 4 with a double.

Frisco box score

Round Rock starter David Davalillo allowed two runs, including a homer, in 5.2 IP, striking out two and walking one. Ben Peoples allowed three runs in 0.1 IP, walking one and giving up a homer. Ryan Lobus allowed a homer to former Ranger Dustin Harris in one inning, walking one and striking out two. Michel Otanez struck out one and walked one in a scoreless inning.

Alejandro Osuna was 3 for 5 with a pair of doubles and a stolen base. Cam Cauley had a hit, a walk and a stolen base. Logan O’Hoppe had a pair of hits. Aaron Zavala was 2 for 4 with a homer.

Round Rock box score

The San Diego Padres finished a .500 road trip after dropping the final game of the series to the New York Mets by a score of 4-2. It was a disappointing end to a two-city trip that felt like it could have been much better. San Diego took two of three from the Cleveland Guardians and went into New York looking to replicate that success.

The Padres opened the series with the Mets with a 2-1 loss that saw four outs recorded at the plate in the first two innings. Three of those outs came on outfield assists and caused a lot of the Friar Faithful to question whether the team needed to make a change at the third base coach position. Of course, those were more heat of the moment discussions and they quickly dissipated the next night.

The second game of the series will forever be known as the Fernando Tatis Jr. Game. The star right fielder led off the game with a solo home run on the very first pitch. He later went on to add a two-run home run which was a welcome sight considering his slow start to the season in regard to his power numbers. But the home runs took a back seat to his defense which helped Robbie Ray maintain a lead and eventually earn a win.

With two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the second inning Tatis leaped high above the wall in right field to take away what would have been a grand slam home run from Francisco Lindor. The Padres would go on to win the game, 5-2.

In the final game of the series, the Frair Faithful were hoping for the Padres to ride the momentum from Tuesday night to a second consecutive win and a series win. However, they were unable to provide starter Michael King with any run support and they were unable to come through with a clutch hit in the final at-bat of the game. With runners on the corner with one out, pinch-hitter Austin Hays bounced into a double play and San Diego dropped the game and the series to New York with a 4-2 loss.

The Padres have little room for error in the win-loss columns and need to get back on track in the series opener against the Minnesota Twins tonight at Petco Park. The Twins are coming off a sweep of the Atlanta Braves and are engaged in their own playoff hunt in the American League. The sweep in Atlanta followed Minnesota getting swept in a three game set against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Padres have improved their starting rotation and have been getting consistent 6-plus-inning outings from their starters. They have an offense that has shown it can put up a big number on the scoreboard but the problem has been consistency. San Diego will be rested after a day off on Thursday and will get energy from what is likely to be another sellout crowd, but can they turn that into a win? That will be determined tonight at 6:40 p.m.

Padres News:

• It was announced on Thursday that the Padres have plans to reward their employees for the dedication and service to the organization.

• Samad Taylor began his rehab assignment with a bang, recording a home run in his first game back.

• Despite their small market moniker the Padres became the most expensive MLB franchise ever sold, according to a report from Dennis Lin in The Athletic.

Baseball News:

• Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom reached 2,000 strikeouts in a win over the Washington Nationals.

• Gerrit Cole helped the New York Yankees earn their fourth consecutive win with an eight-strikeout performance against the Baltimore Orioles.

• After a strange trip to Boston, Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte was removed from the restricted list and placed on the 10-day IL.

• The Cincinnati Reds handed the St. Louis Cardinals a 10-9 win.

It’s a simple question. And for me it’s a simple answer. I watch the game for the players and for the moments they create on the field. For 8 years Rafael Devers wowed me with his bat, his flare for the dramatics, and with the attitude of boyish fun he brought to the field. I don’t want to be the type of person who cares about anything more than that.

Talk about Rafael Devers and whatever else you want in this space and, as always, be good to one another.

The Guardians won a series yesterday against the Giants. Now, time to see if they can win a second straight series against the Rockies this weekend.

The plan is to get Chase DeLauter, fully functional Jo Adell and Colin Holderman back for this series. We will see.

Jeff McNerny and I recorded a Disgusting Baseball Podcast last night. It was fun.

Around MLB:

White Sox, Astros and Orioles lost, Rangers and Blue Jays won.

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The Milwaukee Brewers (-140) have flexed their muscles against quality competition this season, posting a 41-21 record against teams over .500.

With Milwaukee starting the heavy favorite to win the NL Cy Young, my Braves vs. Brewers predictions and MLB picks see the Brewers earning another victory against a good team on Friday, Aug. 21.

Who will win Braves vs Brewers today: Brewers moneyline (-140)

The Milwaukee Brewers are better positioned for success at the dish.

Eight of their projected batters have been posting double-digit walk rates against lefties over the last 30 games. That will not only help them get on base, but it'll pester Chris Sale and increase his pitch count.

They’ve also hit for a lot of power, producing an 11.8% barrel rate (99th percentile) and 41.4% hard-hit rate (89th percentile) during that span.

The Atlanta Bravessit 29th in OBP vs. righties over the past 30 games, which will make life even harder against Jacob Misiorowski.

Bet this to -150.

COVERS INTEL: The Braves have struck out at the seventh-highest rate against righties in August. That doesn't bode well going up against Misiorowski and his 100th percentile K%.

Braves vs Brewers Over/Under pick: Over 6.0 (-110)

This total is too low.

Sale is exceptional, but he's pitched into the seventh inning just once over his last 10 starts, and Milwaukee’s patience at the plate should chase him in six innings or fewer. 

That would give Milwaukee plenty of opportunities to scratch together runs against a bullpen sitting 25th in xFIP over the last month.

Misiorowski isn't immune to power, allowing multiple homers in three of his last seven starts. He gives up a lot of fly balls, and the Braves boast the sluggers to capitalize.

I’d play the Over to -122.

Braves vs Brewers home run prediction: Gary Sanchez (+510)

Sale attacks right-handed bats with a steady dose of fastballs, and that’s good news for lefty-masher Gary Sanchez.

He's gone nuclear against four-seamers from southpaws, barreling up that pitch more than 22% of the time while posting a .684 ISO.

Sanchez has the ability to make Sale pay if he fails to locate his fastball, and that’s more likely if the Brewers can force the veteran into longer at-bats with their patience.

Bet this down to +480.

Braves vs Brewers weather

This game will be played in a dome.

Braves vs Brewers odds

• Moneyline: Braves +120 | Brewers -140
• Run line: Braves +1.5 (-190) | Brewers -1.5 (+160)
• Over/Under: Over 6.0 (-105) | Under 6.0 (-115)

Braves vs Brewers trend

Milwaukee has hit the moneyline in 34 of their last 50 home games (+9.25 units, 11% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Braves vs Brewers.

How to watch Braves vs Brewers and game info

Braves vs Brewers latest injuries

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.

It’s been thirty plus years since I have been able to watch every single pitch of the season. From 1991 to around 1997 I saw practically every game. I got used to all the subtleties of each interaction. I heard every cliche. Watched the ups and downs of the season. In those days the Braves got to be so automatic that if they lost three or four in a row, I really started to wonder what in the world was going on. And then one of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, or John Smoltz would take the bump. After that, they would win like 14 out of 18 and it would be like that losing streak didn’t happen.

It’s fair to say, I was spoiled like a lot of us. But one thing started happening over the years. I lost to ability to care about one particular regular season game. And then I started learning about expected stats in places like this one, I lost it a little more. I just can’t get that up or down over one game.

Oh sure, there are exceptions. This happened right around 12:30 am after a long rain delay. It’s Danny Young pitching in a tie game in the eighth inning, the pitcher the Braves gave up on to bring Ray Kerr back. There was no reason for Young to even sniff this game. Yet there he was, and the Braves were within 1.5 games of the Phillies. This was pretty infuriating.

This one was so delicious. This lit everybody up. Matt Olson actually displayed emotion. The bullpen fell apart, in a good way. It put the Braves up seven games and ready to crush for another five weeks. It took four hours for me to come down from that.

But for the most part, I have my eye on October. Maybe I shouldn’t but I do. The Braves could still mess this up, but there’s a 0.7% chance of that per Fangraphs. They could lose the division, but my spoiled fandom has seen a lot of divisions. I want them to beat the Dodgers and win it all. So I spend a lot of time watching this team and piecing together how the Postseason might take shape. The next week has my attention for that.

So are you living every single win and loss? I can’t do it much anymore. Baseball feeds the soul for six months and it’s a steady stream for me. Baseball broadcasts are the original podcasts, and are great for listening while enjoying the outdoors or watching the little ones in the pool. I’m too old for any other way.

Welp. What a difference four days makes. On August 16, the O’s were clobbering the Rays 10-2 to complete three straight wins in St. Petersburg, vaulting into sole possession of the third American League Wild Card spot. As of last night, they’d dropped four in a row, including a home sweep by the Yankees, tumbling back out of a playoff spot in the process and falling to six games under .500.

This is who the 2026 Orioles are: a team that can look like the best club in baseball for three days and the worst for four, sometimes in the same week. The question this week of baseball raises for is not whether Baltimore is erratic (that’s not much of a question); it’s whether last week’s high was real, and whether this week’s low means the season is effectively over, even if the math says otherwise.

After three days in Tampa, we were riding high. It wasn’t expected, against the AL’s best team by record—far from it. On August 14, the Orioles won 6-5, buoyed by home runs by Colton Cowser and Gunnar Henderson and a two-run Dylan Beavers single. That night, Chris Bassitt, returning for action after two months on the shelf, pitched a stalwart 5 1/3 innings, and although Yennier Cano gave up three runs in the ninth, Cam Sanders and the team hung on for a narrow win. The next day, they won by a narrow 4-3 margin, in ten innings behind a solid Kyle Bradish, who went six innings with two runs allowed, and homers by Pete Alonso and Christian Encarnacion-Strand. Andrew Kittredge allowed the game-tying run in the ninth, but the Birds rallied in extras and Cam Sanders shut the door. Then came the laugher: on August 16, Jackson Holliday drove in three runs, Colton Cowser added a two-run homer in the sixth, and Trevor Rogers turned in six innings of two-run ball to close out the series, 10-2. Manager Craig Albernaz summed up the mood afterward: “For us, we really believe we can play with anyone.”

The series win pushed Baltimore to 61-63—sub-.500, yes, but nonetheless good enough in a jumbled Wild Card picture for the third and final spot, a half-game up on Texas and a full game up on Toronto, Cleveland, and Detroit. After a disheartening Trade Deadline that had you question whether this Orioles front office believes in the team anymore, it was a great moment.

Alas, the wheels soon came off. The Rays got the series finale back on the 17th, 7-6, in a game the Orioles should have had. Coby Mayo hit a 468-foot homer, Christian Encarnacion-Strand drove in four runs, and Baltimore led 6-4 into the seventh before Yennier Cano failed to get an out and the bullpen surrendered the lead.

A couple days later, the Yankees came to Camden Yards and swept. New York took Game 1 3-1, due to the offense’s total failure to back up a stellar Shane Baz, who struck out a season-high ten batters. The Yankees took Game 2, 5-3 on Wednesday in a game Baltimore arguably should have led in the seventh—that inning, a Pete Alonso fly ball down the left-field line was (wrongly) ruled foul, and the Yankees broke the ensuing tie with two runs in the eighth off Cam Sanders. Then, they got a lopsided 6-1 defeat on Thursday, with Gerrit Cole cruising and Kyle Bradish getting tagged for a pair of solo homers in the sixth. Dylan Beavers’ homer was the lone offensive highlight in that finale, much as as Coby Mayo’s had been two days earlier, with Baz on the mound.

It seems to me that the how of the wins and losses matters here, because this a specific, recurring failure mode. In three of the four losses, Baltimore’s offense either went cold against a plus starter (Cole, Rodón, and Yankees pitching generally), simply lacking thump besides a single big swing. In the other, a shaky bullpen turned a winnable game into a loss. Those are exactly the two questions that were hanging over this roster before the winning streak ever started, and the win streak didn’t dispositively answer either one. In fact, the team nearly lost the lead in Tampa in two of the three games; it was just well-timed hitting and a blowout that, in retrospect, obscured those weaknesses.

So: was the Tampa series a mirage or not? Truthfully, yes and no: this Orioles team is capable of exactly what Albernaz said, beating anyone on a given night, not to mention hanging with the pack in a decidedly mediocre AL Wild Card chase. But those wins ultimately were not proof that the team is good. A sub.-500 club that needs a hot week to sneak into a Wild Card spot in a weak field is, definitionally, a bubble team, and bubble teams have patent, obvious weaknesses.

As for whether Baltimore is really out of it: not numerically, not with more than five weeks left and half the AL still hovering within a couple of games of a playoff spot. But practically speaking, if the team’s ceiling is “beat a good opponent by doing just enough to cover for the weak bullpen” and their floor is “fail to hit decent starters, then blow leads,” they simply aren’t built for anything like a real playoff run. It seems that most of us in Birdland are well aware of this unfortunate fact.

Two months before the season even started, the Colorado Rockies made one of the best moves for 2026 and, hopefully, beyond.

That’s when the Colorado front office brought in a promising first baseman named TJ Rumfield — a prospect who’d never played in MLB — from the New York Yanakees for right-hander Angel Chivilli.

Entering Friday’s series with the Cleveland Guardians, Rumfield leads the Rockies in rWAR at 3.0. He is tied for second in doubles (25), third in RBI (60), tied for fourth in homers (13), and his line puts him among team leaders in every category: .292./372/.447 with an .820 OPS.

His eye at the plate is a key part of his effectiveness. Rumfield leads the team in walks with 48 (9.7% walk rate), while registering an extremely low strikeout rate of 14.3% (71 strikeouts in 497 plate appearances). All of his numbers are making him a strong candidate for the National League Rookie of the Year. He already won NL Rookie of the Month for May and June.

There’s no doubt that Rumfield is an excellent hitter, but a new stat from Statcast also could reveal more about his defense.

He’s an above-average defender by the basic stats as he’s only committed three errors in 893.1 innings. The 26-year-old Rumfield leads the Rockies in 10 defensive runs saved. In addition, Rumfield’s outs above average is tied with Atlanta’s Matt Olson with an MLB-leading six. He also has a Fielding Run Value of six.

Here’s one example of his skills on the right side of the infield.

As the first baseman, it’s no surprise that he leads the team in putouts at 826. However, a new stat gives more insight into how well a first baseman is able to catch the throws that come his way.

Until now, fans didn’t have many options to measure how well a first baseman receives throws. There are scoops, which record how many times first basemen catch throws in the dirt, but the stat doesn’t capture total scoop attempts. Instead, fans mostly used their eyeballs to gauge a player’s Go-Go-Gadget-like abilities to catch high, wide and low throws, indicating whether or not a first baseman was above-average at their position.

The new Statcast metric, simply called first base receiving, is calculated to factor in expected catches for on-target throws as well as those that make the first baseman reach, in addition to the speed of the runner. According to Baseball Savant, “Each throw from 2B/SS/3B is given an out probability based on inputs including throw location (high/low, wide/on-target, bounce/in-air), runner speed on play, and runner location from first base at the point the 1B catches the ball. Only throws within an 8 foot perimeter of the 1B bag are considered in the model.”

Here’s a look at the visual:

Rumfield’s two receiving outs above average puts him in a five-way tie for eighth, five behind MLB leader Alec Burleson of St. Louis. Rumfield is tied for first on one of the factors that makes up the stat — height, which makes sense with his 6-foot-5 frame.

Baseball Savant has the stat going back to 2021, which gives us a chance to look at how Rumfield measures up against the Rockies other first basemen over the last five years. While Rumfield’s sample size is small, with just 107 games at first in his rookie campaign, it’s interesting to see how he stacks up against the main first basemen in Colorado for the last few seasons: Michael Toglia, Elehuris Montero and CJ Cron.

While this is a new stat and Toglia, Montero and Cron have different seasons to compare, the thing that jumps out from this table is the variance from year to year. In 2021, Cron had a four receiving OAA, but the next year he was at -2. Toglia jumped from zero in 2024 to three in 2025. Montero is the only consistent player who had one in both his seasons at first in Colorado.

For the average expected out rate calculation, a ground ball that is thrown right on the money is 0.99, like this throw from Kyle Karros in March against Miami.

A throw that is hard to reach or scoop could measure a 0.01, like this one from Willi Castro on Aug. 4 against Tampa Bay.

For bounce, scoops, low, high and wide, going off a baseline of zero, positive numbers are obviously more favorable than negative. To better understand how high is high and how low is low, as well as the difference between a bounce and a scoop, here’s a diagram.

It helps to have examples to compare it to. Here’s a table with the receiving OAA leader Burleson, 2025 Gold Glove winner Matt Olson, and outfield convert Bryce Harper, who is in last place in ROAA.

However, if you look at the cumulative stats from 2021-2026, Olson is second at 28 ROAA, just behind Freddie Freeman’s 29. So far, ROAA seems to be a stat that can fluctuate from year-to-year and might be best assessed with multiple years of data. Like WAR, it also accumulates over time with greater potential to increase and heavily favors longevity.

In terms of a lifelong baseball career, Rumfield is relatively new to first base. Rumfield was the third-ranked third baseman in the state of Texas as a high schooler before moving to the other side of the infield. He switched to DH and 1B in college at Virginia Tech, where he redshirted in 2019, had a shortened season in 2020 and only played one full year of college ball.

The Phillies drafted him in the 12th round of the 2021 MLB Draft and traded Rumfield to the Yankees later that year. As he worked his way through the minors, Rumfield played 364 games at first base and 63 as DH. All of this is to say that Rumfield could be the type of player who gets better and better at first base, especially with more and more MLB experience.

While ROAA is just one factor in a first baseman’s fielding, if Rumfield is the first baseman of the Rockies future, it will be an interesting number to keep an eye on.

On the farm

Triple-A: Las Vegas Aviators 10, Albuquerque Isotopes 7 (11)

The Isotopes carried a 6-4 lead into the ninth inning, but the Aviators rallied back to tie it in the ninth and then win it in the 11th. Jose Cordova hit a solo homer, doubled and walked, Charlie Condon added two hits and scored a run, Ryan Ritter also pitched in two hits, while also driving in two and scoring one and Sterlin Thompson scored two runs on two walks and one hit. Roc Riggio and Nic Kent each chipped in sac flies. After Las Vegas took a 7-6 lead in the top of the 10th, but Kent scored on a passed ball to send the game to the 11th. That’s when Aviator Brayan Buelvas hit a two-run triple, which ended up being the game-winner.

Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats vs. Somerset Patriots, Postponed

Weather made this one a late scratch, but it will be made up on Friday as part of a doubleheader.

High-A: Hillsboro Hops 9, Spokane Indians 0

Spokane was out-hit 9-3 and gave up all nine runs in the fourth and fifth in a shutout loss on Thursday. On the bright side, Gabriel Hughes entered the game in the seventh and tossed three scoreless, hitless innings with five strikeouts. Jacob Hinderleider doubled, Tommy Hopfe and Robert Calaz each singled and the Indians drew three walks while striking out six times in the loss.

Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies 10, Stockton Ports 8

When Cort MacDonald tripled on a line drive to right field to score Daniel Jackson and Juan Martinez in the eighth inning, the runs put the Grizzlies up 10-7. In the end, that was enough to win the high-scoring game in the Rockies lone affiliate victory of the night on Thursday. On the night, MacDonald went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, while Daniel Jackson went 3-for-3 with a homer, a double, two RBIs, three runs scored and two walks. Ronny Ugarte scored two runs and drove in another two. All in all, Fresno combined for 15 hits.

The Purple Row Mailbag: August 2026 | Purple Row

Purple Row’s Skyler Timmins takes questions from the Purple Row community from all over the world about Rockies prospects, Ezequiel Tovar, front office operations, Rockies fans origin stories and more.

Everything you need to know about 2026 MLB Players’ Weekend | MLB.com

Celebrating players’ personalities and lives off the field, MLB Players’ Weekend will be back in action this weekend. Friday will showcase the players’ off-field interests, Saturday will highlight causes players are supporting and Sunday will feature players’ appreciation of the people who helped them reach The Show. The content will be on social media, local broadcasts and MLB Network throughout the weekend.

Rockies legend Larry Walker statue unveiling | 9News

The bigger news this weekend for Rockies fans will happen when the organization reveals the statue for Hall of Famer Larry Walker on Sunday. The statue will be located outside of Coors Field at the corner of 20th and Blake Street.

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

The Phillies have been calling upon the services of Johan Duran a lot lately. The fire balling closer has appeared in four games over the last week and has seen his rest days start to shrink in number as the postseason race tightens. 

Look no further than his appearances earlier this week for evidence of how much the Phillies will lean on him the rest of the year. Duran collected a save on Sunday but needed 33 pitches to do so. He was then immediately called upon again on Monday in another save situation, however this time he only needed 10 pitches. Duran received some rest on Tuesday, but he was back at again for his third save in four days on Wednesday. In those appearances, Duran threw a total of 61 pitches.

Duran has for the most part been durable. He did miss time earlier this season due to an oblique strain, but has been otherwise extremely reliable since arriving in Philadelphia at last year’s trade deadline. Still, it’s always worrying to put this much mileage on a reliever’s arm, as you run the risk of overworking him and sacrificing effectiveness. 

But in Duran’s case, his earlier injury may actually be a bit of a blessing in disguise at the current moment, as he’s only thrown 45.1 innings this season so far, way down from the 70 he tossed last year. There’s obviously still a month to go in the regular season, but Duran is behind his 2025 innings pace due to missing that time earlier, as he was up to 55 innings by August 19th of last season. Therefore, it should give the Phillies at least some confidence that he should be able to hold up over an increased workload down the stretch. 

Of course, total innings is only one worry. The other is general lack of rest in the day-to-day workings of a reliever. The rest of the Phillies bullpen is a prime example of what can happen when relievers are called upon in rapid succession with little time off. Duran hasn’t seen any velocity bleeding yet and his fastball has actually slightly ticked up as the season has progressed, but it will be something worth monitoring as he sees his usage increase.

The Phillies are going to ride Duran as much as possible while they look to secure a postseason berth, especially if they keep up their tendency of playing close games. But how do you feel about Jhoan Duran’s workload?