Category: Baseball

The Tampa Bay Rays and New York Mets wrapped up the final game of their season series on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field. Grifin Jax made his return to the mound after missing sometime with elbow issues. Unfortunately for him and the Rays, it was a rocky reentry to the rotation.

Early on, it appeared that the Mets would be leaving with a series win. Then, for a brief moment, the game was exciting, and it felt as though the Rays might erase a six-run deficit and defy the odds once again on this homestand. Then, in the seventh, this one was all but over again.

Jax, looking a bit rusty in his first start back, was tagged for three two-out runs in the first inning. Again, he was tagged for three two-out runs in the third. Both innings it looked like he might wiggle off the hook, but he was unable to do so and quickly, the Rays were down by six. Baty’s three run double in the third that cleared the bases was the final nail Jax’s coffin and he was replaced by Steven Matz after recording only eight outs on the day.

Jax finished with 2.2 innings of work and allowed six runs on seven hits. He struck out one and walked a pair.

Matz was able to toss 2.1 scoreless innings and keep the Rays in it long enough for them to claw their way back to within striking distance. They scored a run in the bottom of the third when Aranda single home Walls.

Then, in the bottom of the fourth Simpson scored on a Mullins RBI single to make it a 6-2 game. Palacios then left the yard on a line drive homer that just cleared the right field wall. In the blink of an eye, it was a two run game.

The Rays had all the momentum, but the game remained locked at 6-4 until the top of the seventh when the Mets tagged Cam Booser and Manuel Rodriguez for another three-spot. Booser left with one out and two men on. Rodriguez came on to face Simien and quickly hit him to load the bases. A.J. Ewing struck out and again the Rays were just a pitch away from escaping the jam. Instead, Nick Morabito hit a bases clearing double and gave the Mets a 9-4 lead. The next inning Juan Soto clobbered his 23rd homer of the season and extended the lead to six runs once again.

The 10-4 score would hold with the loss, the Rays dropped the series. With the Yankees extra innings win in Los Angeles, the Rays division lead is down to just 3.5 games.

They will look to rebound in the house of horrors that is Globe Life Field where they seemingly haven’t won a game since the 2020 World Series. Mac will be on the bump facing a desperate Rangers team hunting for a playoff spot.

As the home of the Dodgers, Dodger Stadium is great. As the home of the Angels, not so much.

The Los Angeles Angels moved into Dodger Stadium in 1962, their second season, after playing their inaugural season in a since-demolished minor league ballpark near the Coliseum.

The Dodgers billed the Angels for cleaning windows of offices that had no windows. The Dodgers charged the Angels half the cost of toilet paper even though the Dodgers attracted far more than half the fans.

The Dodgers called it enforcing the stadium lease. The Angels called it petty, and they searched for a home they could call their own.

They first looked to Long Beach, and the city said it would welcome the team under one condition: The team would be called the Long Beach Angels.

Gene Autry, the owner, said no. He turned to Anaheim, where city officials invited him to come on down and call his team whatever he wanted.

In 1966, the California Angels made their debut at the brand-new Anaheim Stadium.

In 2026, the Los Angeles Angels play at Angel Stadium: same team, same ballpark, different names for both.

Amid the euphoria over this week’s announcement that Rams owner Stan Kroenke would buy the last-place Angels — “Christmas in September,” Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken told me — elected officials reiterated their fervent desire that the team revert to the Anaheim Angels name.

“For 60 years, our community has filled Angel Stadium, raised a World Series banner as the Anaheim Angels, and shown up through every season,” Assemblyman Avelino Valencia (D-Anaheim) said.

Read more:Inside Stan Kroenke’s deal to buy the Angels: ‘Wherever he buys, he wins’

For 60 years, the city of Anaheim has failed its taxpayers.

Angel Stadium is surrounded by 130 acres of parking lots. The city owns the stadium and the lots. Every winter, and every other week during the summer, the lots sit empty.

The last time a team owner pitched a development plan for those parking lots — current owner Arte Moreno, in 2019 — the city estimated all the shops and restaurants and hotel rooms and offices and homes would generate $10 million per year in tax revenue. As part of that plan, the Angels would commit to stay in Anaheim through 2050.

More parks. More libraries. More police officers. More firefighters.

Over the years, Anaheim had considered a variety of opportunities for the site: An NFL stadium, but the NFL wasn’t interested. A Disney-run retail and entertainment center, but Disney wasn’t interested. The indoor surf and snowboard park could have been wild, but who wants to surf and snowboard inside a giant refrigerator when Huntington Beach and Mt. Baldy are a short drive away?

From this perspective, Kroenke could be a godsend for the city.

What Anaheim needs is what Kroenke already does: Anchor a new sports facility within a new community: in Inglewood, around SoFi Stadium; in Woodland Hills, around the Rams’ practice facility; in San Diego, around a planned arena.

With the Angels, Plan A for Kroenke is almost certainly building a new ballpark and community on the Angel Stadium site, the kind of large urban parcel that is rarely available, and better yet close to freeways and public transit.

That does not mean Kroenke would not consider a Plan B. On Wednesday, an industry official familiar with franchise sales, texting on condition of anonymity, said Kroenke had put himself in a “brilliant” spot: “Option to do small intimate ballpark at Sofi is really huge leverage.”

The Angels’ sale won’t be finalized until early next year, and Kroenke and his people aren’t likely to talk until then.

Read more:Shaikin: 'A big day for Anaheim.' Angels get a fresh start with Stan Kroenke, and much more

In Anaheim, however, the priorities set out in that proposed deal with Moreno should be the same today: Get the city out of the stadium business; anchor the Angels in town for decades to come; get the team to pay for a new ballpark; generate taxes from development on the stadium parking lots.

The Angels’ stadium lease — that would be Kroenke’s lease now — expires in six years. This might be Anaheim’s last, best chance at satisfying those objectives.

That would mean selling the site to Kroenke at a fair price — and with a publicly released assessment showing the market rate, rather than appearing to fit a predetermined sale price. And, thanks to a bill signed into law last week by Gov. Gavin Newsom, the city can help Kroenke make more money from the development, if he is willing to call the team the Anaheim Angels.

But what if he says no, just as Autry said no to Long Beach all those years ago?

Read more:Rams owner Stan Kroenke agrees to buy Angels, ending Arte Moreno's troubled tenure

If Kroenke is looking for immediate goodwill in Anaheim, pulling on an Anaheim Angels cap and announcing the return of that team name would do it. (Actually, please don’t pull on that cap. It was hideous.)

In the long term, perhaps Kroenke prefers the Los Angeles name the Angels have worn for 27 seasons, rather than the Anaheim name they wore for eight seasons.

The Rams played at Anaheim Stadium as the Los Angeles Rams. They now play in Inglewood under a Los Angeles name, just as the Chargers and Clippers do.

The Angel Stadium lease that Kroenke inherits requires the team name to “include the name Anaheim therein.” Under Moreno, the city bristled, the “of Anaheim” part of “Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim” had disappeared. The city could make that an issue anew. Or the city could sell the entire stadium site to the highest bidder, with no requirement that the winner keep a ballpark on the property.

Over the next year, we’ll see the directions Kroenke and Anaheim take in negotiations. For the city, the Anaheim Angels are Plan A. But Kroenke will have a Plan B, and Anaheim should, too.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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The Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers begin a four-game set at Globe Life Field on Thursday, Sept. 3, with tonight’s opening pitch set for 8:05 p.m. ET.

While Tampa Bay is a short road favorite, my top Rays vs. Rangers prediction and MLB picks call for Cal Quantrill to lead the way in a low-scoring Texas win.

Who will win Rays vs Rangers today: Rangers moneyline (46.5%)

For help understanding probabilities, see our odds calculator.

The Texas Rangers are a sneaky underdog tonight because Tampa Bay Rays lefty Shane McClanahan has hit a snag to the tune of a 4.62 xERA and 4.66 xFIP, with his strikeout percentage dropping to 18.8 over his last six starts.

Texas also ranks second in wRC+ and fifth in wOBA against lefties, so I’m expecting the Rangers to have early success at the dish before Tampa has to turn to a bullpen that was leaned on for 12 innings and posted a confidence-shattering 5.19 xFIP in its latest series.

Turning to Rangers starter Cal Quantrill, he’s spun a tidy 2.96 xERA and 3.32 xFIP through his past six outings, so I’m happy to back Texas to 50% tonight.

COVERS INTEL: Quantrill has held opposing hitters to a minuscule .223 wOBA and .510 OPS across his past seven starts.

Rays vs Rangers Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (47.8%)

While I do expect Texas to put runs on the board, the Rangers are in a bit of an offensive funk with a 22nd-ranked xwOBA and an average of just 3.9 runs per game over the past 30 days.

Fortunately, Tampa Bay hasn’t been notably better and ranks 20th in the metric with 4.9 runs per game during the same stretch, and the Rays have played to the Under in 25 of their last 40 away games (+8.70 Units / 20% ROI).

So, with Quantrill’s highlighted run, Tampa isn’t positioned to put up many crooked numbers on the scoreboard, either.

Rays vs Rangers home run prediction: Justin Foscue (11.1%)

In addition to the highlighted struggles McClanahan has had over his past six starts, he’s also allowed a healthy 44.8% hard-hit rate to right-handed hitters, so Justin Foscue is a prime candidate to go deep for the Rangers. Foscue boasts a monster .304 ISO against lefties, and he’s sporting an .800 slugging percentage across his past 22 plate appearances.

Rays vs Rangers weather

The retractable roof will be closed at Globe Life Field tonight.

Rays vs Rangers odds

• Moneyline: Rays 56.5% | Rangers 47.6%
• Run line: Rays -1.5 (43.5%) | Rangers +1.5 (60%)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (53.5%) | Under 7.5 (51.2%)

Rays vs Rangers trend

The Texas Rangers have won 13 of their last 19 games at home (+4.70 Units / 16% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Rays vs. Rangers.

How to watch Rays vs Rangers and game info

Rays vs Rangers latest injuries

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The Red Sox have had a discouraging run of late, dropping back-to-back series and six of their last games. Boston still has a solid hold on the second American League Wild Card entering a four-game set against the Baltimore Orioles, who have managed to hang around in the postseason conversation. 

Losing three of four to the Yankees seemed to all but book a trip back to New York for the Wild Card series in a rematch of last year’s three-game set between the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds in the AL. That still feels like the most likely outcome again, but if the Red Sox continue to falter while veterans get a breather and the pitching staff tires, could Boston get passed by, for example, the Cleveland Guardians (4.5 GB) and find itself as the No. 6 seed? 

To be honest, it actually may not be the worst thing to happen. 

If the Red Sox stay set as the No. 5 seed, they’d battle the Yankees in another war of a Wild Card series. Should they advance, they’d meet another demon in the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALCS. Boston did conquer that path en route to an ALCS appearance in 2021, though this clash with one or both of those division rivals would be draining again in 2026. 

Consider the alternative if the Red Sox hold on for a playoff berth (which would be their first consecutive berths since 2016-2018, by the way) as the No. 6 seed, the path is undoubtedly less daunting based on competition. Boston would get the winner of the American League West. Entering Thursday, that would be the Houston Astros, who sit just two games above .500 at 71-69. Take the bat out of Yordan Alvarez’s hands when possible and Boston should take care of business in that series. 

From there, the Red Sox would face the AL Central champion Chicago White Sox. Chicago is a young team that performed above expectations this year with some familiar friends who would be extra motivated to eliminate Boston, the franchise that flipped multiple prospects in the Garrett Crochet trade two winters ago. In this ALDS hypothetical, the Red Sox are the better team again and should take care of business again. 

The Red Sox shouldn’t be looking to back into the playoffs simply for seeding’s sake. To be honest, that’s a bit of a loser mentality. With that said, that’s clearly not what they’re doing at the moment, at least during the Seattle series. Giving Willson Contreras a breather on the IL and pushing back Sonny Gray’s start was the right call. Those guys need to be fresh for a playoff run and the decent cushion is great to take advantage of. 

There’s something to say about real reinforcements for the Red Sox as well. Roman Anthony and Trevor Story are in rhythm at the plate since they reform while Garrett Crochet and Tanner Houck are nearing closer and should factor into the playoff bullpen.

Not to say September is irrelevant, because there’s still games to be won to clinch a spot, but a trip back to The Bronx still feels relevant. If things go slightly wrong, have no fear for the path ahead for the Red Sox.

With the Cubs now nine games behind the Brewers in the NL Central — Milwaukee’s magic number to clinch the division title is 14 — let’s turn our upcoming schedule attention to the team’s competitors in the Wild Card race.

As you know, the Cubs hold the tiebreaker over the three teams closest to them in the Wild Card race, the Phillies, Diamondbacks and Padres. What makes all of this more interesting is that the Marlins are sneaking up behind the latter two teams. Arizona now holds the third wild card spot, half a game ahead of the Padres. But the Marlins stand just two games behind San Diego.

The Cubs and Marlins have not yet met this year. They will play six times later this month, first with a three-game series in Miami that begins Friday. So the Cubs will have a big say in whether the Marlins can make the postseason or not.

Tankathon has the Phillies with the toughest strength of schedule (second). The Marlins are fourth, Cubs are fifth, Padres 20th and Diamondbacks 21st.

Here are the remaining schedules for all five teams. Home games in boldface.

Cubs, 22 games (10 home, 12 road)

Brewers (1), at Marlins (3), at Brewers (3), Pirates (3), Braves (3), at Reds (3), Marlins (3), at Red Sox (3)

That last grouping of games involves a lot of travel, a three-game trip, then a three-game homestand, then another three-game trip. Those last three games could be important for both the Cubs and Red Sox.

Phillies, 22 games (13 home, 9 road)

Braves (4), Astros (3), at Braves (3), at Nationals (3), at Mets (3), Brewers (3), Rays (3)

That’s 16 of 22 games against teams currently in first place. The Phillies are currently under .500 (32-33) against teams with winning records. That could help out the Cubs.

Also, while the remaining Phillies schedule begins with a homestand, Philadelphia has a slightly better road winning percentage (.569) than at home (.559).

Diamondbacks, 21 games (9 home, 12 road)

at Astros (3), at Royals (3), Rangers (3), Marlins (3), Yankees (3), at Rockies (3), at Padres (3)

A combination of teams fighting for postseason spots and teams way out of it.

The D-backs are under .500 (33-36) away from Chase Field so this might hurt them down the stretch.

Padres, 22 games (12 home, 10 road)

Yankees (3), Nationals (3), at Giants (3), at Rockies (4), Marlins (3), at Dodgers (3), Diamondbacks (3)

Those last three Diamondbacks/Padres games could help decide one of the wild card spots.

Marlins, 22 games (12 home, 10 road)

at Royals (1), Cubs (3), Mets (3), Dodgers (3), at Diamondbacks (3), at Padres (3), at Cubs (3), Braves (3)

The Marlins have a tough schedule, even with a nine-game homestand. Then they have a nine-game trip, including two out west. Miami is 29-42 on the road, so their postseason hopes are probably a longshot.

It should be a fun final three weeks. Fasten your seat belts!

A dead man was found hanging from a bridge outside Dodger Stadium as the team played, an LAPD spokesperson told The California Post.

The unidentified male was found just off of Bernard Street and Stadium Way near Dodger Stadium at around 8:48 p.m. Wednesday night, the LAPD rep said. The location is just a few hundred yards away from where the Los Angeles Dodgers were taking on the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Dodgers vs. Cardinals game began at 7:10 p.m. and concluded at around 10:10 p.m.

Cops were initially called out to the scene after 911 callers said they saw a dead body “in plain sight,” according to police audio reviewed by The Post.

No foul play was suspected following an investigation, the LAPD spokesperson said.

The matter is still “pending identification and legal next of kin,” the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner added.

The Dodgers lost Wednesday’s game to St. Louis in extra innings, 8–6.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis, you can call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for free and confidential crisis counseling.

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Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Yankees travel to San Diego to take on the Padres in a three-game series starting Friday...

5 things to watch

Lombard's return?

George Lombard Jr. has missed four straight games after injuring his right knee on a swing in the second of last Saturday's doubleheader with the Red Sox. 

The Yankees maintain it's a day-to-day situation, and there's an expectation that the shortstop will return to the lineup when the series starts up on Friday, and New York could use the youngster.

Jose Caballero has valiantly started at shortstop, but he has not had a good road trip. He went 1-for-12 with seven strikeouts -- including two errors -- in the three-game series with the Angels. While Lombard wasn't hitting well when he got injured, 5-for-24 in his last seven games, he continued to put professional at-bats and get on base regularly. 

And after Lombard's error streak came to an end, that elite defense began to show up again, which the Yankees can always use. 

Bullpen tryouts

Since the injury to Fernando Cruz, the Yankees have had to use different pitchers to fill the bullpen. 

John Schreiber, Michael Fulmer and Luis Gil are the new faces in the 'pen and vying to earn Aaron Boone's trust and make their way onto the postseason roster. 

All three have been solid so far, and with Clarke Schmidt's return imminent -- and also pitching for a spot in the bullpen -- this weekend will be another testing ground for these three arms. 

Jones vs. Grisham

Trent Grisham has struggled of late on both sides of the ball. So much so that Boone benched the veteran and used Spencer Jones in center field in the series finale with the Angels.

Over his last seven games, Grisham is 2-for-22 while Jones is 6-for-18 with two home runs.

Jones looked competent in center field on Wednesday and is athletic enough to handle the position, but how often will Boone have the rookie start instead of Grisham? They are both left-handers, so the starting pitcher may determine who plays. 

San Diego will deploy Walker Buehler (RHP), Robbie Ray (LHP) and Michael King (RHP) this weekend. That could mean Grisham gets the start against the right-handers with Jones -- who is hitting southpaws better than Grisham -- to start the middle game. But we'll just have to wait and see how Boone handles the playing time. 

Will Elmer get another shot?

Elmer Rodriguez's spot in the rotation is for Sunday's series finale and the Yankees have yet to announce who will start that game. 

Rodriguez, after the best start of his big league career, had arguably his worst. Monday against the Angels, Rodriguez allowed four runs in 3.2 innings and set the Yankees back for the rest of the series with all the relievers they had to use in the opener. 

Will Boone give the ball to Rodriguez one more time? Ryan Weathers could be activated for the following series, so this could be the last chance to make an impression for the rookie. Or, with the off day Monday, the Yankees could go with a bullpen game and activate Weathers for the home series against the Rockies. 

AL East race

The Yankees enter play Thursday 3.5 games behind the Rays for the AL East crown. With a major four-game series with Tampa later this month, the Yankees hope to draw closer this weekend.

Of course, the Padres are in the midst of a playoff race of their own. They enter play 0.5 games out of the final wild card spot and every game is dire for them. 

Predictions

Who will the MVP of the series be?

Cody Bellinger

Bellinger has been hot since coming off the IL. He's 12-for-29 over his last seven, including going 8-for-14 against the Angels. 

Which Yankees pitcher will have the best start?

Max Fried

Fried struggled in his first start off the IL, unable to get out of the fourth inning, but he'll find his way this weekend.

Which Padres player will be a thorn in the Yankees' side?

Fernando Tatis Jr.

The shortstop has turned his season around after a slow start and that continues this weekend.

TODAY’S GAME: The first-place Houston Astros (71-69), who hold a slim 2.0-game lead in the AL West, will host the Chicago White Sox (73-66) for the finale of their four-game series today at Daikin Park.

RHP Hunter Brown (4-3, 3.33 ERA), who shut out the White Sox in 7.0 innings on July 25 in Chicago, will get the start today opposite old rival RHP Luis Castillo (4-10, 5.31 ERA) and the White Sox.

BROTHER BROWN: RHP Hunter Brown has posted a 2.63 ERA (12ER/41IP) in his last seven starts (since July 25), pitching through the 5th inning in all seven outings. Brown, who finished third in the AL Cy Young Award voting last season, has been limited this season, missing over two months due to a lengthy stint on the Injured List (April 1-June 15) with a right shoulder strain.

SLOW AND STEADY RECOVERY: Since starting the season with a 20-31 record after 51 games, the Astros are 51-38 (.573) in their last 89 games (since May 22). That is the second-best record in the AL in that span, behind the Red Sox (53-38).

MEASURING UP: The Astros are within a streak of playing four straight teams with winning records (CWS, ARI, PHI, TB). The Astros are an American League-best 27-18 (.600) vs. teams currently at .500 or above. Some clubs that the Astros have winning records against include BOS (5-1), CHC (3-0), CWS (4-2), CLE (4-2), MIA (3-0), and TB (2-1).

VS. THE WHITE SOX: Regardless of today’s result, the Astros have won the season series against the White Sox, going 4-2 so far with one game to play. The Astros are 26-15 vs. CWS over the past six seasons (2021-26), posting winning records in each of those years. Houston is 57-48 all-time vs. CWS.

ONE OF THE BEST: Astros prospect C Jason Schiavone has six HR and 13 RBI in his last eight games after homering again last night. In his combined 110 games at Single A Asheville and Double A Corpus, he leads the Astros system in HR (31) and RBI (84) while slashing .258/.396/.548 for a .944 OPS.

HADER EARNS AUGUST HONORS: Major League Baseball announced today that Astros LHP Josh Hader has been named the American League Reliever of the Month for August. It is Hader’s ninth career Reliever of the Month Award and his third as an Astro. In the month, Hader converted all seven of his save opportunities, while going scoreless in his 13 total appearances and 14.1 innings pitched.

STREAKING: LHP Josh Hader has worked 19 consecutive scoreless appearances, spanning 20.0 innings (since July 21). This is the longest streak by an Astros hurler this season and the second-longest active streak in the Majors. Opponents are just 5×65 (.077) vs. Hader during the streak.

THE CLOSER: LHP Josh Hader has 249 career saves, needing just one more save to become the 41st player in modern MLB history to reach 250 career saves. Hader has 22 of those saves this season, in 22 save chances.

ON THE OFFENSIVE: Among AL teams, the Astros rank second in home runs (184), second in total bases (1,917), third in slugging (.408), fifth in runs scored (633), and fifth in OPS (.723).

TRIPLE THREAT: DH Yordan Alvarez, who is a solid candidate for the AL MVP Award, currently owns at least a share of the lead in all three Triple Crown categories. He enters today leading the AL in batting avg. (.317) and RBI (94), while ranking tied for first in HR (37).

Rare Feat: Since Carl Yastrzemski won the AL Triple Crown in 1967, there has been just one Triple Crown winner in the Majors, Miguel Cabrera in 2012 (AL).

MATCHING HIS BEST: DH Yordan Alvarez has matched his career high by smacking 37 home runs on the season, reaching his total from 2022. His career-high in RBI is 104, set in 2021 (currently has an AL-best 94 RBI).

WALK OF FAME: DH Yordan Alvarez has been issued 29 intentional walks on the year, which is a franchise record, besting the 27 intentional walks for 1B Jeff Bagwell in 1997. Alvarez leads the Majors in intentional walks, topping second-place DH Shohei Ohtani (16) by a whopping 13 IBB. Lastly, the AL record for intentional walks in a season is in play for Alvarez, a record that’s currently held by RF Aaron Judge (36 IBB in 2025).

THE HIT MAN: 2B Jose Altuve enters today’s game needing just six hits to reach 2,500 for his career. Among active players, Altuve ranks second in hits, trailing only 1B Freddie Freeman (2,586).

BEHIND THE DISH: C Christian Vázquez has played in 999 career games as a catcher and is looking to become just the third active catcher to reach 1,000 career games behind the dish. He would join C Salvador Perez (1,427) and C J.T. Realmuto (1,382) in that exclusive group.

TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY:2004 – Roger Clemens passes both Nolan Ryan and Don Sutton on the all-time wins list with victory #325 in an 8-6 win over the Pirates. Clemens lasts 6.2 innings to earn the win. Jeff Bagwell, Carlos Beltrán, Craig Biggio and Jose Vizcaino each homered in the win. Clemens improves to 15-4 on the year en route to another Cy Young.

Game Info

Game Date/Time:  Thursday, September 3, 1:10 p.m. CT

Location:  Daikin Park, Houston, TX

TV: Space City Home Network

Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

Since the Colorado Rockies are enjoying a much-needed day off before welcoming the St. Louis Cardinals to Coors Field on Friday, I figured it could be a good opportunity to pay some attention to the farm system with a game discussion thread, as all four Rockies affiliates are at home this week.

We will update the article with lineups throughout the day and into the evening as they become available.

Triple-A: Albuquerque Isotopes (65-69) vs. Tacoma Rainiers (64-70): Carson Fulmer vs. Jack Mahoney

The dreams of making a playoff run aren’t likely to come to fruition for the Albuquerque Isotopes as they are 10 games back in the PCL East division in the second-half standings. While that may be the case, the Isotopes are still in the hunt for an overall winning record for the season for the first time since joining the Rockies organization in 2015.

This week, the Isotopes have lost the first two games of the series, trailing by three runs in each. Wednesday saw the Isotopes fall 5-2 in extra innings after giving up three runs in the top of the 10th.

Jack Mahoney (0-1, 4.76 ERA) takes the mound for the Isotopes, looking to continue finding his footing in Triple-A. Mahoney (No. 15 PuRP) has given up at least two runs in each of his five starts in August and has completed five innings only twice. Walks have been his biggest issue, as he allowed 13 walks in 22.2 innings last month against 18 strikeouts.

Carson Fulmer (5-1, 5.25 ERA) takes the hill for the Tacoma Rainiers. The veteran right-hander has found more consistency as a starter since being traded to the Seattle Mariners organization in June. Unfortunately, the consistency has mostly been in giving the Rainiers innings on the mound. Walks plagued Fulmer in August as he allowed 15 free passes against 13 strikeouts in 24.1 innings of work; seven of those walks came in his last start.

Game 1 First Pitch: 12:05 p.m. MDT

TV: MiLB.TV / Bally Sports Live

Radio: MiLB.TV

Lineups:

Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats (62-65) vs. Reading Fightin Phils (64-63): Gage Wood vs. Jackson Cox

After securing a playoff bid in the first half, the Hartford Yard Goats have struggled a bit more in the second half of the 2026 season with a 23-36 record. The main issue for the Yard Goats has been the struggle to score runs despite solid enough pitching. This series is currently tied 1-1 after Reading won Wednesday’s game 5-3, despite Hartford out-hitting them 11-6.

Jackson Cox (2-2, 3.89 ERA) is ready to make his first appearance since July 19, as he’s been on the injured list. Cox (No. 11 PuRP) was really starting to find his rhythm in Hartford in July, having allowed just two runs on five hits over 18 innings of work before he was shut down with an injury. In his second full season post-Tommy John surgery, Cox has impressed quite a bit, even more than he already did in 2025. He’s got the strikeout capabilities, but the command still needs to be honed to cut down on walks.

Gage Wood (0-3, 4.83 ERA) is the No. 1 prospect for the Philadelphia Phillies per MLB Pipeline but has struggled a little bit since being promoted to Double-A at the end of May. The swing-and-miss has been more than apparent with 84 strikeouts against 16 walks in 59.2 Double-A innings. However, he’s also given up a lot of contact and has been stung by home runs, which is a natural hurdle as you advance through the minors. There is plenty of talent, however, and the Yard Goats will have to be on their toes.

Game 2 First Pitch: 4:30 p.m. MDT

TV: MiLB.TV / Bally Sports Live

Radio: MiLB.TV

Lineups:

High-A: Spokane Indians (56-71) vs. Everett AquaSox(65-63): Mason Peters vs. Lebarron Johnson Jr.

The Spokane Indians are just playing for pride at this point in the season, as the Northwest League championship match-up has already been decided. It’s been a tough year for Spokane on both fronts as pitching has struggled to prevent runs and the offense has struggled to score runs. The team is last in the overall standings and their -161 run differential is by far the worst in the league. In this series alone, they have scored just three runs while allowing 21.

Lebarron Johnson Jr. (1-7, 6.57 ERA) makes the start for Spokane, trying to find some sort of groove down the stretch. Johnson has dealt with injuries off and on throughout the season and has struggled immensely since July 10. Since then, he has worked more than three innings in an outing just once and has been hit hard for quite a few runs in that span. Like a lot of other pitchers, walks have been the big issue, and when the strikeout stuff isn’t working, it has led to a lot of damage in a small sample of work.

Pedro Da Costa Lemos (3-0, 2.86 ERA) will make his 12th appearance of the year and his first start since 2024. Da Costa Lemos has been excellent as a reliever in his career and has typically thrown two or three innings per outing this season. This season he has done well to pound the zone and limit walks. While he can give up a good deal of contact, he is able to mitigate damage and hasn’t been stung by the home run ball too often.

Game 3 First Pitch: 7:35 p.m. MDT

TV: MiLB.TV / Bally Sports Live

Radio: MiLB.TV

Lineups:

Fresno Grizzlies (69-59) vs. San Jose Giants (76-52): Ben Bybee vs. Izeah Muniz

Should the Fresno Grizzlies secure victory tonight, they will clinch a playoff spot for the second year in a row. The Grizzlies have enjoyed a strong overall year once again, despite some injuries and promotions of players through the system. Lately, they have enjoyed an influx of newly drafted players like Daniel Jackson and promotions of players from the ACL Rockies. This series is currently tied 1-1 after the Grizzlies won 6-2 on Wednesday.

Izeah Muniz (1-1, 4.66 ERA) will take the hill for the Grizzlies. Muniz has made just four appearances this season, spending the majority of the season on the injured list. He was recently activated on August 18 and has made two starts, though both were essentially as an opener. He has allowed two runs on three hits in three innings since returning.

Ben Bybee (3-3, 4.91 ERA) was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the eighth round in 2025, and he has worked a mixed role this season. He started the year as a bulk reliever before settling into the rotation in June. His usage has still fluctuated as he has worked as an opener for three to four innings or given the reins to work as deep into the game as he can go. In August, he mostly settled into the former, but overall has some nice qualities. He throws strikes and doesn’t give up a lot of hard contact.

Game 4 First Pitch: 7:50 p.m. MDT

TV: MiLB.TV / Bally Sports Live

Radio: MiLB.TV

Lineups:

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Here’s the Blue Jays’ lineup:

Here’s the Guardians’ lineup:

Let’s go, Guardians!

The White Sox will need to find some better offense this afternoon than they’ve shown so far in the series, and it may be a challenging assignment. That’s because after failing to feast on pitchers just back from Tommy John surgery — scoring eight runs in three games — they now have to deal with one who missed only three months of the season because of an injured shoulder, not an elbow.

And who happens to be Houston’s best.

Hunter Brown will be the fourth straight righty Astros starter, and he’s a good one, with a 3.33 ERA and 86 Ks in 81 innings. Last time out, he went 6 2/3 innings against the Mets and struck out 10 while allowing just one run. (Yes, that was the Mets, but still …)

Brown will face a White Sox lineup that still has Tristan Peters in the eighth slot, even though he’s been the team’s best hitter lately.

Meanwhile, the White Sox are starting Luis Castillo, who has had five starts since being acquired from Seattle at the trade deadline: one excellent (Cubs!!) and four bad to awful, producing a 6.45 ERA even with the one good outing. He was ostensibly acquired from the Mariners to be an innings eater, but so far the 33-year-old has been more of an innings nibbler, having made it past the fifth only once.

Castillo faces an Astros lineup featuring Triple Crown threat Yordan Alvarez, whom Sox pitchers have mostly kept in check. Alvarez is 3-for-9 in the series — with one of those hits aided by a friendly official scorer — with only one double, no homers and one RBI.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. Central in the indoor comfort of Daikin Park (not the radish, but a Japanese company that makes heating and cooling equipment and such). The usual broadcast suspects are on the call, which presumably means the dubious pleasure of being stuck with the John Schriffen-Gordon Beckham team again.

The Yankees can use all the relief pitching help they can get these days. Due to injuries, it seems like they are always improvising to fill the unit with reliable arms, signing or claiming guys such as Justin Topa (already DFA’d), Michael Fulmer, and John Schreiber in the last week or so.

They need some stability in the mid-to-late innings. Fortunately, one of their homegrown guys is getting ready and shaping up as an option at the right time: Clarke Schmidt. At the moment, Cam Schlittler, Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Max Fried, Will Warren, and Elmer Rodríguez are ahead of the 2017 first-round pick in the rotation depth chart, with Ryan Weathers potentially rejoining the staff in a few weeks, too. That’s why the organization has already said Schmidt is ticketed for the bullpen when he returns.

To be fair, that’s probably where he’s needed the most. The Yankees’ rotation is better than their bullpen, and they could certainly use an established starter with (successful) relief pitching experience to get through some of the toughest outs in the late innings.

Schmidt, who moved his rehab to Triple-A and pitched two solid innings in which he allowed one run and struck out three on Wednesday, already had a strong season as a bullpen piece back in 2022. That year, he pitched 29 games, starting just three, and posted a 3.12 ERA and a 3.60 FIP in 57.2 innings. He walked 23 and struck out 56.

While it’s true that Schmidt didn’t have a good postseason that year, allowing three runs (and two homers) in three games and 2.1 innings, he is much more mature at this point in his career. After that showing, he has logged three seasons as a starter with mixed but mostly positive results.

A role in relief would allow Schmidt to throw harder in short spurts and maybe focus on some specific pitches, such as the cutter, the knuckle curve, the slider, and the sweeper, with a few four-seamers sprinkled in.

After posting a 26.3 percent strikeout rate in 2024 and a 23.1 mark last year as a starter, Schmidt has some exciting strikeout potential as a reliever, throwing fewer innings at max effort, with the pitching know-how he has gotten over the years. God knows the Yankees need someone who can get some swings and misses in the back of the bullpen.

It’s unclear if manager Aaron Boone will use him as a traditional one-inning reliever or as a multi-inning weapon, but he can thrive in any role. For that to happen, however, he needs to get through his rehab without any setbacks.

Before the two solid frames he racked up on Wednesday for the RailRiders, he had only pitched one game in Double-A, surrendering two runs in 0.2 frames. He is still working his way back from a long layoff following elbow surgery last year, and it stands to reason that he could be rusty whenever he returns to the bigs.

Since Schmidt won’t be starting this year, or at least that’s not the plan at the moment, he is not expected to need too many additional rehab appearances before being ready for activation. In fact, depending on how he feels, there’s a tiny chance his next outing comes in the majors, even though it’s unlikely.

He’ll probably return to starting next year. For now, however, he will help a unit that has the best ERA in the league this season at 3.08, but was 11th with a 3.67 mark in August. As good as the relief corps has been as a whole, the group clearly could use support now, and Schmidt is solid bet to provide it.

Almost two months ago, Paul Toboni made local product Chris Hacopian his first draft pick. He took the Maryland and Texas A&M slugger 11th overall thanks to his intriguing blend of hitting ability, plate discipline and raw power. About a month into Hacopian’s professional career, he has been as advertised for better or worse.

Baseball America wrote an article where they checked in on the top 30 picks from the 2026 draft. Hacopian’s section had some very interesting details. They wrote that he had the highest 90th percentile exit velocity at 106 MPH and the lowest in zone swing and miss rate at 9.8%. That sort of power combined with elite contact skills and a good approach is a rare commodity.

Despite those highly impressive metrics, Hacopian’s actual production at High-A has been solid but not eye popping. He is hitting .275 with a .396 OBP and a .746 OPS. Hacopian is holding his own in a tough Wilmington hitting environment. However, he is also not dominating through his first 13 games.

There is one big reason for that and it is his batted ball profile. Hacopian hits a lot of ground balls and low line drives. He also very rarely pulls the baseball, especially not in the air. 87.6% of Hacopian’s batted balls are either going up the middle or the other way. His ground ball rate is also 48.4%. 

For Hacopian to turn his impressive exit velocities into actual power production, that will have to change. This is not a massive surprise though. Hacopian’s batted ball profile was always seen as the weak point of an otherwise very strong offensive profile. This offseason, I would imagine that this will be a big point of emphasis for him. The Nats new regime has also proven to be able to help hitters elevate and pull more often.

Luis Garcia Jr., Jacob Young and even Dylan Crews have all seen major drops in their ground ball rates. On the minor league side of things, Seaver King is an example of a player who is elevating the baseball a lot more. As we go into next season, I think we will see Hacopian take steps in that regard.

On the rare occasions that Hacopian does pull the ball in the air, he does a ton of damage. His first pro home run was a no doubt shot to left field. When Hacopian does turn on the ball, it is a beautiful thing to watch. He leaves little doubt when he gets all of a baseball.

If Hacopian can optimize his batted balls, there are really not a lot of holes in his game. As we have talked about, he hits the ball very hard and rarely whiffs. The 22 year old is also very disciplined, especially for a hitter that makes so much contact. In his first taste of pro ball, Hacopian is only chasing 22.7% of the time. 

While Hacopian was seen by many as a floor over ceiling pick, I actually disagree in some ways. If he reaches his offensive ceiling, Hacopian can flirt with being a .300 hitter while hitting 25 homers. That is All-Star level production. However, there is quite a bit of pressure on his bat due to his limited defense and lack of athleticism.

So far, Hacopian has been about what we expected coming out of college. He puts together great at bats, makes a ton of contact and hits the ball hard. All the pieces of a great hitter are here. However, he needs some more refinement is needed to reach his ceiling.

Hacopian is a player I cannot wait to see next season. If he makes strides with his batted ball profile, he could have the ability to move very quickly. An early 2028 or even late 2027 call up is not totally out of the picture. 

Chris Hacopian is a pure hitter, and he has shown that in the minors. Just like his entire career, Hacopian’s strikeout and walk numbers are pristine. In 40 AB’s he has 8 strikeouts and 8 walks. That is a staple of his game and it is a profile I cannot wait to see in the big leagues.

In his pro career, Chris Hacopian has looked the part. His numbers do not jump off the page, but when you look into the underlying data, you see why the Nats drafted him. The Maryland kid has a rare combination of skills that will make him a joy to watch in the batters box.

Introduction

While I agree with the general consensus that the Diamondbacks biggest weakness is a failure to develop pitching prospects, and it’s not a strength for the organization, I find most of the criticisms of the current Arizona farm system laughable, when the vast majority of critics can’t name anyone in the farm system. That usually says to me that they have no idea what they are talking about, because there are actually quite a few interesting pitching prospects in the system, some with significant upside. So I thought I’d change that, with a series of articles doing a deep dive into the teams pitching prospects. This was originally one long article but I decided to make it a little more digestible by breaking it into multiple articles. Today I’ll be discussing the lack of LHP prospects and then discussing four RHP prospects with very high upside

Where all the lefties?

Take a quick look at the handedness of the prospects below, and I’m sure you’ll ask yourself, ‘where are all the left handed pitchers?‘ To give you the shortest possible answer, you’ve already seen them. Mitch Bratt and Kohl Drake are basically the only LHP prospects of note in the upper levels of the Diamondbacks farm system. The long answer is the pickings are slim when trying to find a LHP worth talking about in the upper levels. There ARE some LHP, but only a couple really worth mentioning at the moment.

Yu-Min Lin is a 23 year old left handed starter who has struggled as a finesse pitcher in the very hitter friendly PCL, but was at one point one of the higher ranked prospects a few years ago. It’s worth mentioning that he had a horrific baseball related injury, getting struck in the face by a line drive foul ball. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has had some lingering effects from the injury, as I’d be shocked if he didn’t also have a concussion. He’s still young, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get an emergency spot start eventually with the Dbacks. In my opinion, if Lin ever makes it the majors and finds success, it’ll be with some other MLB organization, better equipped to develop him as a pitcher, which doesn’t have a AAA affiliate akin to pitching on the moon. Lin is barely a prospect at this point, if not for his age; giving him the benefit of the doubt, mostly as a result of that injury; and the fact that he’s honestly just a very bad fit for pitching in Reno. Lin relies mostly on off-speed and breaking pitches, while Reno is a place where pitches just don’t break as a result of the altitude.

Rio Britton is a guy who was drafted in 2023, pitched 68 innings with a 3.97 era and 4.10 FIP in A level Visalia in 2024, then did not pitch at all again until this year, thanks to being put on the full season injured list for 2025. In 2026 Britton has pitched in 22 games for A+ level Hillsboro, 15 of which have been starts. He’s tossed 91.1 inning with a 4.53 ERA, a 4.68 FIP, and a 4.47 xFIP. While that may not seem particularly good or noteworthy, it’s actually slightly above average, as shown by 92 ERA- and 96 FIP- (both adjusted stats where anything below 100 is above average). He looks solid enough this season that I think he’s a name worth keeping an eye on now that he’s healthy. That said, he’s essentially a non-prospect until he can prove he’s healthy and advances a little further into the system.

Lin and Britton are basically the Ur-Examples for LHP in the Dbacks system. You have guys who have been injured and struggled in the upper levels of the system like Lin, and then you have guys like Britton, who aside from being injured, just haven’t pitched enough to be really talked about.

Four Flamethrowing RHPs

For each player I’ve written about below, I’ve linked their Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference player pages, as well as a direct link to their blurbs on MLB pipeline that have a more detailed scouting report than I can offer. Scouting grades are the traditional 20-80 scale.

Dean Livingston (FG | B-Ref | Pipeline)

Bats/Throws: R/R Height/Weight: 6’4″ / 205lbs Born: 9/7/2006

Scouting grades:Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 50 Control: 50

Background: The Diamondbacks generally haven’t drafted high school arms early in the draft, at least not very often. Livingston was the rare exception in last years draft, the Dbacks giving him $1 million to keep him off campus at Georgia. Livingston didn’t get into professional game until this season, and he’s honestly been a revelation in 2026.

Livingston’s season started out with the ACL D-backs, where he pitched in 14 innings across three games, but dominated, giving up just a pair of earned runs on eight hits, four walks, and a wild pitch, but struck out 17 batters. That adds up to a 1.29 ERA with a 3.33 FIP and a 3.97 xFIP. His 22 ERA- and 54 FIP- show just how dominant he was relative to the league. He was less impressive while he was in Visalia, but still above average based on his 77 ERA-. He was recently promoted to Hillsboro and had a promising debut with the Hops, pitching five innings and allowing a run on three hits and two walks, while striking out six batters.

I couldn’t find much video of Livingston pitching, but I did manage to find a couple videos of him back in May, which I’ve embedded below.

My Scouting Report: Livingston has the ideal height, weight and build that you look for when scouting a pitcher. He throws a four seam and two seam fastball that sit in the mid to upper 90s, but he’s touched triple digits on occasion in 2026. His slider and changeup are much more advanced than you would expect, but still need to be developed further. He doesn’t turn 20 until September 7th, so he has the advantage of youth on his side. He is one of the top pitchers to watch next season.

David Hagaman (FG | B-Ref | Pipeline )

Bats/Throws: R/R Height/Weight 6’4″ / 215lbsBorn: 4/16/2003

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 60 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50

Background: Hagaman is a name you should honestly know already, as the team’s current top pitching prospect (according to Baseball America). Acquired by the Diamondbacks a little over a year ago in the Merrill Kelly trade (along with Mitch Bratt and Kohl Drake) I think most people considered him to be the third piece in the deal. But his potential was obvious to me, as he adds much more significant velocity and louder stuff in general, especially compared to either of the two lefties. In 2026, I think it’s fair to say he’s broken out as a pitcher.

Hagaman did a few interviews during the fall league last year that I thought were a good insight, which have been compiled in the videos below.

My Scouting Report: Hagaman is much better than advertised. All four of his pitches look above average to me. His slider is the weakest and least developed of the four pitches, but I’d still grade it as average even if i was little more pessimistic in my writeup. His high 90s fastball is the weakest of the four players mentioned, but it’s still a plus fastball. If Hagaman continues to dominate down the stretch, he could potentially land on a few top 100 prospect lists this winter.

Brian Curley (FG | B-Ref | Pipeline )

Bats/Throws: R/R Height/Weight 5’10” / 212lbs Born: 6/1/2003

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 40 | Slider: 55 | Control: 45

Background: I actually don’t have too much to say about Curley’s time with the Georgia Bulldogs, as they have produced some excellent videos covering that time in his career that are embedded below.

Curley’s 2026 has been a bit of a mixed bag. In 69.2 innings in A+ Level Hillsboro, he put up a 4.52 ERA, 3.54 FIP, and a 3.35 xFIP. Those numbers translate to a slightly above average 92 ERA- and a decidedly above average 72 FIP-. His promotion to AA Amarillo, however, has gone how you’d expect. In 35.1 IP his ERA is 7.13, his FIP 6.89, and his xFIP 5.43. I don’t think you need to see his 122 ERA- and 124 FIP- to understand that those aren’t very good numbers.

My Scouting Report: Curley sits 95-96 mph and touches triple digits with his fastball. He gets above-average carry and it plays up further due to a low release height and unusual approach angle. His upper-80s slider has both depth and power. His curveball is more of a top-to-bottom offering, and he also threw a third breaking ball, a sweeper, though the three could blend together. He also has a fringe-average changeup. Curley has excellent makeup and has the personality to succeed at the highest level. As an undersized pitcher throwing that hard, he might be better off being shifted to relief, but I’d imagine the Diamondbacks will give him every chance to stick as a starter. Depending on how he pitches down the stretch in Amarillo, I could see the Dbacks starting him back in AA next season, or being even more aggressive with his promotion and having him start in Reno. Obviously if he pitches like he has so far, expect him back in Amarillo to start his next season.

Patrick Forbes (FG | B-Ref | Pipeline )

Bats/Throws: R/R Height/Weight: 6’3/220lbs Born: 7/11/2004

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 60 | Cutter: 40+| Changeup: 40+ | Control: 50

Kentucky’s 2022 Mr. Baseball, Forbes was a star shortstop at Bowling Green High, but went undrafted in part because of his strong commitment to Louisville. A two-way player as a college freshman, he only decided to pitch full-time during his sophomore year. A year later, in 2025, his draft stock skyrocketed early on as he dominated for the first month of the season, but a flexor injury and less control lead to him falling in the draft to the Diamondbacks at #31. The Diamondbacks shut him down after the draft, and he’s only gotten into pro games this year. I could find limited video of Forbes pitching in the Diamondback system, but I did manage to find a couple, which I’ve embedded below to give you a better idea visually of the kind of pitcher he is.

Forbes started the year on the IL and wasn’t activated with Hillsboro until June, but he has looked solid this season as the Dbacks build up his workload. Including the two innings he pitched in the ACL in his rehab start, Forbes has pitched 29⅔IP with a 2.73 ERA with a 3.56 FIP and a 3.34 FIP. He’s struck out 35.3% of the batters he faced, while walking only 6% of batters. His 55 ERA- and 73 FIP- further hammers home his dominance.

My Scouting Report: Forbes has an explosive fastball with a lowish release point, that tops out in the low triple digits, but he generally works in the mid to high 90s. He has an above average slider with good horizontal movement that compliments his fastball extremely well. His other pitches need work, but they grade to at least average at the moment. I’ve been even more impressed with Forbes’ control this season, as it’s been better than advertised.

Conclusion

The Diamondbacks have done well in the last couple seasons to add pitching over the last few seasons with actual upside. Hagaman is the closest to actually making it to the MLB level, but I would expect the other three to move through the system fairly quickly if they stay healthy and pitch well. Next time we’ll look at four more pitchers and go over some teenage prospects that could be worth keeping an eye on.