Category: Baseball

The Phillies have been hot. Winners of nine of their last ten, they have vaulted themselves back into the National League East race to at least make things interesting there while also tightening their grip on a wild card position. There is still plenty of time to go in the season and a lot can still happen, but their recent play has at least made it plausible that they can still be playing baseball once the calendar flips to October.

What has been interesting of late has been that this recent brand of winning baseball has been led not by the bedrock of their roster construction plan, the starting rotation, but by a lineup that has suddenly become deep and dangerous. Once a group that has been allergic to getting on base with any kind of regularity, they have now shown that they can do so at any point in the game. Since the All-Star break, as a team, they are fifth in the game with a .340 on base percentage, sixth in batting average with a .261 mark and have the fourth best strikeout rate with an 18.9% mark. They aren’t striking out as much, they are hitting the baseball and they are getting on base.

Weird how that can actually work, right?

That begs the question though: is this just a hot streak, or a legitimate change that can be depended on once the chips are down?

We all know that this type of play is all well and good for the regular season as it lets them be able to even entertain the thought of playing in October, but the real test will come once the quality of pitching is at its peak. When they are facing the best pitching staffs in the game when the playoffs are on the line, will this approach continue to aid their winning baseball games?

What say you?

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

There is a certain type of guy that just sticks around. For about a half-decade, Adam Warren was just that for the New York Yankees. That doesn’t just happen either, as highly competent pitching has a way of sticking around, and for a while, Warren was a certified Guy On The Team. In three different stints in New York, Warren was often very effective on the mound, and an important piece in the relief corps in parts of six seasons.

On his 39th birthday, let’s take a look at the career of pitcher who did plenty of dirty work, and did so well enough to stick around longer than most.

Adam Warren
Born: August 25, 191987 (Birmingham, AL)
Yankees Tenure: 2012-15, 2016-18

After playing his high school and college baseball in North Carolina, Adam Warren was initially drafted in the 36th round of the 2008 draft, before finding a better spot in the ‘09 draft, when the Yankees scooped him up in the fourth round.

Warren spent three seasons climbing the ranks in the Yankees’ minor leagues, working his way up to a full season in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2011. In June of 2012, the right-hander made his Major League debut, in what turned out to be a real clunker against the White Sox. Warren started the game and surrendered six runs on eight hits across just 2.1 innings. It was a rough welcome to the bigs, and was his only appearance in 2012, but he’d obviously make a return.

When the 2013 season rolled around, Warren found a much better spot for himself, and played a significant role for the Yanks that season. Primarily working out of the ‘pen, starting just two of his 34 games, the then-25-year-old managed a solid 3.39 ERA in 77 innings of work. Working multiple innings in many of his outings, Warren provided some real stability in a sometimes challenging role. His importance that season began a multi-year run of Warren’s presence in the Bronx.

In 2014, the righty was even better in 78.2 innings, posting a sub-3 ERA and improved strikeout and walk rates in a new career-high work load. A season later, he set a new high-water mark for himself. In a new-found role, spot starting and still often pitching in relief, Warren pitched in 43 games, which included 17 starts, resulting in a significant career-high in innings with 131.1. Being asked to wear several different hats on the mound, Warren didn’t blink an eye, maintaining his same solid production in his most prevalent year yet.

After the 2015 season ended, the Yankees capitalized on Warren’s value at the time by trading him to the Cubs in the deal that brought Starlin Castro the New York. After a rough half-season in Chicago, he was actually shipped back to the Yankees, along with Gleyber Torres, when the Cubs acquired Aroldis Chapman. He pitched much better in the second half once he returned to the Yankees, and rolled that performance right into another excellent season in 2017.

That year, he posted a career-low 2.35 ERA in his 46 appearances, in a role that once again saw him recording more than three outs fairly often. Warren also got some work in the exciting 2017 postseason run, where he allowed a run in 4.1 innings of work, including 3.1 scoreless frames in the ALCS against the Astros.

Despite his continued good work out of the bullpen, he was shipped out once again, this time in a deal that sent him to Seattle. After the 2018 season, Warren inked a deal with the Padres, which would turn out to be his final stop in an eight year Major League career.

Between 2019 and ‘20, Warren actually re-signed with the Yankees a couple of times, but was unable to climb his way back to the big club. In just shy of 500 Major League innings, across eight seasons, Warren managed a solid 6.6 bWAR and a 117 ERA+ for his career. Always a valuable long reliever, and at times a vital part of the bullpen, Warren certainly made a mark with the Yankees in his time there, while also being part of several high-level trades.

Here’s to a happy 39th for the former bullpen stalwart!

Emmet Sheehan is on a nice run since getting optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City, and on Monday was named Pacific Coast League pitcher of the week after a dominant start in Sugar Land, Texas.

Sheehan struck out nine in six scoreless innings on Sunday in the series finale against the Houston Astros’ Triple-A affiliate. He worked around two walks and a double, his only hit allowed.

Sheehan was active with the Dodgers last week for the final two games against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field for extra bullpen coverage, but he did not pitch. That meant he was on 10 days rest for his Sunday gem, but his start before that was also fantastic, striking out eight in 5 2/3 scoreless innings against Albuquerque on August 12.

Five Oklahoma City Comets have won Pacific Coast League player or pitcher of the week this season — James Tibbs (March 31—April 5 and May 25-31), Alex Freeland (May 11-17), Jack Suwinski (June 9-14), Ryder Ryan (June 9-14), and Sheehan

Sheehan also won PCL pitcher of the week from June 24-30, 2025.

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Kalshi on Tuesday announced marketing partnerships with five Major League Baseball clubs.

Key Takeaways

• Kalshi entered multi-year partnerships with the Braves, Red Sox, Dodgers, Padres, and Giants.
  
  
• The operator had not previously partnered with an MLB franchise but now has a deal with nearly 17% of teams.
  
  
• Kalshi said trading on baseball event contracts has grown more than 36-fold year over year

The platform has become an official prediction market partner of the Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and San Francisco Giants. Each partnership was listed as “multi-year” arrangements in what is the operator’s first time joining forces with MLB franchises. 

“The idea is that fans are already engaging with their favorite teams on Kalshi, so it only makes sense to extend that fandom to some of the most beloved baseball teams in America,” said Adam Barrick, head of sports partnerships at Kalshi. 

The associations will grant Kalshi advertising access on in-stadium signage and LED boards, social and online channels, radio, and fan activations. 

As an example, Kalshi will receive naming rights for Dodger Stadium’s Gold Glove Bar, an indoor sports bar inside the stadium directly underneath the Left Field Pavilion with a direct view of the Dodgers’ bullpen. Fans will also receive access to special bonus offers and exclusive on-site activations in Centerfield Plaza hosted by Kalshi.

MLB fans can also trade on team outcomes, including games, player performances, and future outcomes, in prediction markets provided by Kalshi.

Today, we’re partnering with five of the most iconic teams in baseball: Dodgers, Braves, Giants, Red Rox, and Padres.

Baseball fans have made Kalshi part of how they engage with the game. We’re excited to keep investing in them and in the sport. pic.twitter.com/m1wPXjAFmg

— Kalshi (@Kalshi) August 25, 2026

Kalshi builds MLB footprint

Before Tuesday’s announcement, Kalshi’s sports partnership portfolio included the NHL, Chicago Blackhawks, LALIGA North America, and the Argentina Football Association.

The Red Sox and Dodgers had already provided glimpses of the partnerships before Tuesday’s announcement. Boston shared a post featuring Kalshi branding on Friday, while Kalshi signage had appeared at Dodgers games.

The plans for this weekend ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/Rd7n32v6W0

— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 21, 2026

The Kalshi-Red Sox partnership comes as a Massachusetts injunction targeting the platform’s sports event contracts remains paused during an appeal.

Newcomer Novig became the first prediction market platform to partner with an MLB franchise by teaming up with the New York Mets on July 30. Polymarket, Kalshi’s top competitor in the industry, then reached a deal with the New York Yankees on Aug. 6.

Kalshi's five team partnerships represents nearly 17% of MLB, and the clubs have an estimated 60 million-65 million fans, according to national polling. They also have about 9 million combined followers just on X.

MLB prediction markets have surged over the last year. Kalshi reported that baseball trading has grown more than 36-fold year over year, and the company is investing to meet that demand. Nearly $60 million has been traded in Kalshi's World Series future market alone.

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.

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The Texas Rangers head into tonight's clash with the Chicago White Sox as a-116 road moneyline favorite, due in large part to who is on the hill. 

Behind Jacob deGrom, my Rangers vs. White Sox predictions are targeting Texas to win another game at Rate Field this evening. 

Find out more in my MLB picks for Tuesday, Aug. 25. 

Who will win Rangers vs White Sox today: Rangers moneyline (-116)

It’s hard not to back the Texas Rangers given Jacob deGrom’s current form. The right-hander owns a mind-boggling 0.59 FIP across his last two appearances, and his monthly FIP sits at an impressive 2.10.

The Chicago White Sox may be swinging it well, but they scored just two runs Monday, and deGrom is dealing.

Anthony Kay is also pitching well for Chicago, posting a 3.36 xERA over his previous five appearances with respectable home numbers. What makes the difference for me is Texas’ success against lefties, with the Rangers posting a 110 wRC+ this season.

I expect a pitcher’s duel, but Texas has the offensive edge versus Kay.

Play to -130.

COVERS INTEL: The Rangers have a 46.7% hard-hit rate over the last week compared to their 39.9% season average.

Rangers vs White Sox Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (-107)

I'm leaning to the Under tonight with two good arms on the bump. 

Even though Texas has strung together runs against southpaws, I don’t expect Kay to implode. He’s pitching well right now. deGrom is locked in too, and is coming off arguably his best start of the entire year.

The bullpens are also holding things down. The Texas relief corps owns a 3.19 FIP over its last 19 2/3 frames while allowing just 0.92 HR/9. Chicago has been dangerous lately, but the Rangers’ pitching profile suggests they can keep the White Sox contained.

Chicago’s pen had a rough evening on Monday, but overall, it has been impressive, posting a 2.97 FIP over the last week.

This should be a low-scoring affair. Play to -130.

Rangers vs White Sox home run prediction: Ezequiel Duran (+850)

Ezequiel Duran is swinging it well at the moment. The 27-year-old has clubbed just one homer in his last six games, but the underlying numbers are promising. Duran has put 50% of his contact in the air during that span while posting a 64.7% hard-hit rate.

He’s showing gap-to-gap power, too, with a .300 ISO over his previous six contests. While Kay is not especially prone to the long ball, he has allowed a 46.2% fly-ball rate across his last two outings, and the White Sox 'pen showed real vulnerability Monday.

Play this pick down to +750.

Rangers vs White Sox weather

Weather at Rate Field looks clean tonight, with partly cloudy skies and temperatures falling from 77°F to 71°F. Winds are light around 6-7 mph, and rain chances are basically nonexistent. Overall, conditions look neutral with no delay concern or major weather edge.

Rangers vs White Sox odds

• Moneyline: Rangers -116 | White Sox +105
• Run line: Rangers -1.5 (+146) | White Sox +1.5 (-168)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-107) | Under 7.5 (-107)

Rangers vs White Sox trend

The Rangers have hit the Under in 13 of their last 17 games (+9.75 Units / 51% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Rangers vs. White Sox.

How to watch Rangers vs White Sox and game info

Rangers vs White Sox latest injuries

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Another day in the feast part of the feast or famine season for the Cubs is just fine by me. The nail biters will return any day. When we aren’t in nail biting season, I’ll take a fairly comfortable Cub win any day. Like the Sunday blowout of the Mariners, this one was largely closer than the final score makes it appear. This one got comfortable a little faster, reaching 5-0 in the sixth and its final score by the seventh. Still, I was up late enough to not feel totally comfortable when I went to bed (they were up 2-0).

Am I crazy for thinking that this is the deepest Cub team I’ve ever seen? The top four Cubs in the lineup, generally their most productive this season, were a combined 2-for-18 with a double, two walks, an RBI and two runs scored. If we ignore the runs and runs batted in part which are largely context statistics that largely rely on contributions from other players, 2-for-18 with two walks and a double feels like you are going to lose a game. Obviously a large part of this win falls on the pitching staff throwing a shutout. But, seven runs behind an off night from the whole top of the lineup? That’s because the bottom five in the order were a combined 8-for-18 with a double, a triple and two homers. They drove in five and scored six.

The big hat tips at the bottom of the order go to Pedro Ramirez who became a regular on this team when Dansby Swanson was injured, and Michael Conforto. Conforto has been a bench piece, but now he and Tyrone Taylor are more or less splitting the DH spot (very effectively). I just can’t decide if this is actually a deeper team or if it is just like an oasis in the desert. Afterall, these last couple of years, it’s felt like there wasn’t one usable piece on the Cub bench. Most days, it has felt like the Cubs have 11 or 12 interchangeable parts this year that will all help contribute on any given day. That’s a nice luxury to have. With the addition of Taylor, once Matt Shaw is healthy, this team gets really long.

This team was built to reach the playoffs, no question about it. I’ve often talked about the regular season being largely about how deep your roster is. In the regular season, it’s about how strong your roster is from 21-40 and your ability to go past 40 to fill in gaps in the roster. You win by being able to keep your roster productive over the grind of the season. Injuries will happen. Prolonged slumps will happen. You need a village essentially to reach the playoffs. Then it becomes more about how strong you are 1-20, 1-15, 1-10 on your roster.

Stars shine at the biggest times. We’ll all remember the contributions that some end of the bench guy made in the post season. If the series goes seven games, the odds that somebody down past 20 on your roster has a significant role. In the most important Cub game played in any of our lifetimes, Albert Almora, Jr. who was somewhere past 20 on the pecking order of that team, had one of the most significant contributions to the win. Mike Montgomery might have eked into the top 20, but got the most important out in Cubs history.

Those are the exceptions though. A key starter might largely will a win for you by themselves along the way. Again, thinking about the 2016 Cubs World Series run, there was the Kyle Hendricks game to send them to the World Series and the Jon Lester game against Johnny Cueto to get things started. Your slugger might hit a couple of homers and give you a comfortable win along the way. The stars do the heavy lifting in the postseason.

I posit that as rough as the Angels teams were through the years when Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani were together, that they would have had a punchers chance in a playoff series. That’s where those guys might really shine. They are incredibly hard to just shut down. In that vein, once this Cub team reaches the postseason, it’s going to matter a ton what Pete Crow-Armstrong can do on the biggest stage. We know he won’t shy away from the moment. Can Seiya Suzuki get hot? Can Michael Busch look more like the 2025 version? Has Alex Bregman found the fountain of youth?

It’s also going to matter an awful lot if the Cubs can get some effectiveness from their rotation. Kevin Gausman gave the Cubs a huge lift Monday night. That was great to see after a bit of a unicorn game for the Cubs on Sunday. Usually when the Cubs win, they get a reasonably decent start. But that wasn’t the case Sunday. Aaron Civale came in and turned that game around when it looked like the game might have been lopsided the other way. While it looks like the Cubs just swing their way to every victory they get, there is usually pretty good pitching early on the nights where they win.

It’s a whole lot of fun when both halves contribute like this. Hopefully, Gausman can continue rounding into form along with the other big trade deadline acquisition, Clay Holmes. Always remember, with trade deadline acquisitions, the production you get in August and September is a bonus. They are acquired to help you win games in October. So these two months are about getting them right. To that end, I’ll hat tip Ryan Zeferjahn for working a totally boring inning Monday night. The game was lopsided and perhaps that was a good time to slow things down and just post a good result. He certainly has the stuff to be a difference-maker.

Three Positives:

• Kevin Gausman turned back the clock to a time when pitching ruled the day. Three hits, one walk, six strikeouts. Dominant performance against an offense that is pretty good.
• Michael Conforto was unstoppable. Three hits, one a homer, another a double. He was walked, drove in two runs and scored two.
• Pedro Ramirez drove in the first run with a triple in the second. Added another hit on top of that and scored a run. This offseason, we are going to have some fun conversations about how to handle Ramirez and Matt Shaw.

Game 132, August 24: Cubs 7, Diamondbacks 0 (76-56)

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

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Kevin Gausman (.331). 7 IP, 24 BF, 3 H, BB, 6 K (W 7-11)
• Hero: Michael Conforto (.225). 3-3, HR, 2B, BB, 2 RBI, 2 R
• Sidekick: Pedro Ramírez (.116). 2-4, 3B, RBI, R

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Pete Crow-Armstrong (-.125). 0-5
• Goat: Alex Bregman (-.065). 1-5, R
• Kid: Nico Hoerner (-.058). 0-3, SF, RBI

WPA Play of the Game: The Cubs were up to when Michael Conforto’s two-run homer in the sixth inning blew the game open. (.147)

Diamondbacks Play of the Game: Corbin Carroll’s steal of third base with two outs in the fourth, when the Cubs were only up one. (.143)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 131 Winner: Ian Happ received 55 of 93 votes.

Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)

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

• Pete Crow-Armstrong +25
• Alex Bregman +23
• Trent Thornton +13.5
• Carson Kelly +12.5
• Javier Assad +12
• Seiya Suzuki/Nico Hoerner -11
• Edward Cabrera -12.5
• Jameson Taillon -13
• Dansby Swanson -17
• Caleb Thielbar -18.5

Scoreboard Watching: Quiet night around the league and in games that affect the NL postseason. The D-backs loss drops them a full seven games behind the Cubs. The Padres lost (five back). The Phillies lost (three back). So the Cubs gained at least half a game on everyone. A nice nudge in the right direction after a long weekend.

Up Next: Another late one Tuesday night in Arizona. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it’s the last 2026 game scheduled to be played past my bedtime here on the East Coast. Clay Holmes (5-6, 2.49) starts for the Cubs. He is 1-2 with a 2.81 in 16 innings as a Cub. He was a tough luck loser in the last one, allowing only a run over 5.1 innings to the White Sox. His one road start was his only rough one as a Cub. Let’s hope that was more rust than a road thing and he can give the Cubs another good start.

27-year-old Brandon Pfaadt (7-1, 3.39) spent some time in the Diamondbacks bullpen and was briefly demoted to Triple-A this year after a rough start to his season. He has been back in the rotation since June 30 and has really turned his season around. He had a 5.92 ERA through June 3. He came back to the majors and won his first five starts after returning. In fact, in nine starts between June 30 and August 14, he pitched at least five innings in every game and didn’t allow more than two runs in any start. The last five of those starts were all quality starts. Then in his last start, the Red Sox put five runs on him in 5.2 innings in Boston. So he’s coming off of his worst start of the year after nine good to great starts.

Pfaadt has been very good as the D-backs have made a playoff push. This is a tough game. I like to peek at Fangraphs for curiosity. They have the Cubs essentially getting a slight edge in a coin flip game. This one could be a pitcher’s duel. Not sure how I feel about that on the road in a place where the Cubs often struggle.

Yonatan Henriquez

Week: 5 G, 25 AB, .360/.429/.920, 9 H, 2 2B, 0 3B, 4 HR, 3 BB, 3 K, 1/1 SB (High-A)

2026 Season: 87 G, 353 AB, .212/.273/.363, 75 H, 22 2B, 2 3B, 9 HR, 28 BB, 100 K, 21/30 SB, .266 BABIP (High-A)

It has not been a good season for Yonatan Henriquez. Assigned to the Brooklyn Cyclones for the entirety of the season, missing roughly a month early on because of an injury, the utilityman has hit .212/.273/.363 with 9 home runs, 21 stolen bases, a 7.1% walk rate, and a 25.9% strikeout rate.

Given a $104,000 signing bonus when he initially signed with the team out of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic on January 15, 2022, Henriquez was valued for his athleticism and versatility; the 17-year-old did not stand out in any one specific facet of his game, but because he could do so many things well enough, there variety of ways he might develop His career path highlights that, when a player so young lacks a true carrying tool, career progression can sometimes be a true uphill battle.

The 17-year-old Henriquez made his professional debut a few months after signing, hitting .247/.390/.344 in 31 games with the DSL Mets 1 with 3 doubles, 2 home runs, 5 stolen bases, and 18 walks to 27 strikeouts. In 2023, he came stateside, assigned to the FCL Mets and appearing in 43 games with them, hitting .221/.353/.300 with 8 doubles, 1 home run, 7 stolen bases, and drawing 29 walks to 34 strikeouts. He remained in the Florida Complex League for most of the 2024 season, appearing in 40 games and hitting .289/.464/.377 with 6 doubles, 2 triples, 0 home runs, 15 stolen bases, and 34 walks to 23 strikeouts. He was promoted to the St. Lucie Mets at the beginning of August and spent the last month of the season there, appearing in 26 games and hitting .169/.245/.202 with 3 doubles, 0 home runs, 0 stolen bases, and 7 walks to 26 home runs.

In 2025, the 20-year-old began the season with St. Lucie and appeared in 104 games with them, hitting .264/.354/.395 with 18 doubles, 2 triples, 8 home runs, 33 stolen bases, and drawing 51 walks to 72 strikeouts. He was promoted to Brooklyn at the end of August and appeared in 7 games for the Cyclones, going 7-28 with 1 double, 1 triple, 2 stolen bases, and 4 walks to 8 strikeouts.

At the plate, Henriquez has some pretty unique pre-swing mechanics, and as a switch hitter, he has different mechanics from either side of the plate. As a left-handed hitter, he stands extremely open and holding his bat low at the letters, almost perpendicular to the ground. As he begins his load, he closes off and raises his hands into proper hitting position. As a right-handed hitter, he also stands square, with his hands at the letters, almost resting the bat on his shoulders until his load. He has had more success in his career from the left-side, and is currently is hitting .226/.288/.383 in 274 at-bats as a left-handed batter and .169/.226/.299 in 77 at-bats as a right-handed batter.

Henriquez is a true Swiss army knife defensively, playing second base, third base, shortstop, left field, centerfield, and right field this season. This season, he has 182.0 innings at second, 213.2 at third, 35.0 at short, 63.0 in left, 201.0 in center, and 41.0 in right. He has been used similarly since turning pro and, in total, has accrued most of his time in the field in center (854.2 innings), with a third base a not-so-distant second (730.1 innings). His quick-twitch athleticism, reactions, and speed help both at the hot corner and in centerfield.

Xzavion Curry

Week: 2 G (2 GS), 9.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K (Triple-A)

2026 Season: 13 G (11 GS), 61.0 IP, 57 H, 26 R, 26 ER (3.84 ERA), 14 BB, 36 K, .249 BABIP (Triple-A) / 7 G (0 GS), 16.0 IP, 14 H, 5 R, 5 ER (2.81 ERA), 7 BB, 10 K, .250 BABIP (MLB)

Xzavion Curry had a week bookended with two strong starts, throwing five scoreless, no-hit innings on Tuesday against the Worcester Red Sox and then coming back on Sunday and pitching an additional 4.2 scoreless. In total, he pitched 9.2 innings without allowing a run, scattering 2 hits, walking 1, and striking out 4.

The 28-year-old right-hander was signed to a minor league contract back at the beginning of May. He had elected for minor league free agency in November 2025 but received no offers at the time and signed a contract with the Tigres de Quintana Roo of the Mexican League when the 2026 season began. He has been one of Syracuse’s most consistent starters since. Additionally, not only has Curry looked good with Syracuse, but in the handful of MLB opportunities he has been given this season, he has been effective; appearing in 7 games out of the bullpen, the right-hander has a 2.81 ERA in 16.0 innings, allowing 14 hits, walking 7, and striking out 10.

The right-hander, who was initially drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 7th round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Georgia Tech, feels like he should not be having the success that he is, but yet here he is. All of his pitches- he throws a four-seam fastball, slider, splitter, curveball, and sinker- are hittable, he walks more batters than you’d like, his strikeout rate is nearly non-existent, and his batted ball breakdowns are extremely problematic. Everything says that Curry should be a lot worse than he has been, but the right-hander has almost 80 combined innings at the highest levels of professional baseball this season and he’s been making it work. I have no personal knowledge regarding how the Mets feel about the right-hander or if they might be interested in having him return for the 2027 season, but given how Curry has been able to thrive despite so many factors saying he shouldn’t, it might be worth looking into.

Players of the Week 2026

Week One/Two (March 27-April 5): Hayden Senger/Cam Tilly

Week Three (April 7-April 12): A.J. Ewing/Christian Scott

Week Four (April 14-April 18): Randy Guzman/Jose Chirinos

Week Five (April 21-April 26): A.J. Ewing/Channing Austin

Week Six (April 30-May 3): A.J. Ewing/Jonah Tong

Week Seven (May 5-May 10): Ryan Clifford/Jonathan Santucci

Week Eight: (May 12-May 17): Jacob Reimer/Zach Thornton

Week Nine: (May 19-May 24): Ryan Clifford/Channing Austin

Week Ten: (May 26-May 31): Ryan Clifford/Jose Chirinos

Week Eleven: (June 2-June 7): Vincent Perozo/Frank Camarillo

Week Twelve: (June 9-June 14): JT Benson/Nicolas Carreno

Week Thirteen (June 16-June 21): Nick Morabito/Jonathan Santucci

Week Fourteen (June 23-June 28): JT Benson/Daviel Hurtado

Week Fifteen: (June 30-July 5): MJ Melendez/Daviel Hurtado

Week Sixteen: (July 7-July 12): Daiverson Gutierrez/Jonathan Santucci

Week Seventeen (July 13-July 19): MJ Melendez/Noah Hall

Week Eighteen: (July 21-July 26): Ronny Mauricio/Conner Ware

Week Nineteen: (July 28-August 2): Mitch Voit/Jonah Tong

Week Twenty (August 3-August 9): Mitch Voit/Noah Hall

Week Twenty-One (August 11-August 16): Elian Peña/Jose Chirinos

Every season, a couple of times a year, we rank our Top 30 prospects in the Atlanta Braves system. However there are still prospects within the Braves system who have never made a Top 30 prospect list that are still interesting prospects to some extent. While a couple of these guys seem headed for our next Top 30, some of these guys might not have the highest upside, but they still have the tool(s) and/or production which could get them to Atlanta at some point.

In order to be eligible for this list a prospect has to have never appeared on a Battery Power Top 30 prospects list (that’s why Patrick Clohisy won’t be included). I am also excluding players who have not yet reached Low-A ball yet, as those guys don’t quite fit into what this article is about and will still have plenty of chances to make a Top 30 at some point in their careers. I am also going to exclude players who were never on a BP Top 30, but would have made a Top 30 for a previous team in their career (Jordan Groshans, Cade Doughty)

Cristobal Abreu, RHP

Cristobal Abreu is a 20-year-old pitcher who missed last year injured, but has intriguing stuff. He opened the year in Augusta and has spent his time between there and the FCL. To date he has thrown 29.1 innings (27 with Augusta), and pitched to a 2.76 ERA, though his WHIP is 2.49 thanks to the fact that he has 42 walks in those 29 innings. Abreu hasn’t missed bats the way his stuff should this year, with just 21 strikeouts, but if he is able to harness his stuff he could start to get interesting. Abreu has gone over 96 MPH with his fastball in games this year, and I have seen him over 98 MPH in workouts, and he’s got a promising slider as well. He is going to need work on that command and time to get there, but the arm is quite talented.

Daniel Brooks, RHP

I’ve been talking a lot about Daniel Brooks lately, but that’s because he is on an incredible run right now. An undrafted free agent from last year, Brooks opened this year as a FCL reliever, got promoted to Augusta, eventually earned himself a starting job, and just this past weekend made his first start with Rome. With a pair of pitches that both get whiffs, a fastball that is 92-93 with a Stuff+ grade of 100 due to the movement and extension, and a slider with a Stuff+ grade of 127, Brooks has allowed three total runs in 31.2 innings between Augusta and Rome, striking out 52. Brooks is a very strong candidate to make the next updated Top 30 list because of both the stuff and the results. His ceiling is still to be determined as we haven’t seen the rest of his arsenal yet and he is pitching on fairly low pitch counts due to being stretched back out into a starter role, but he does have a change and curve that could get used more frequently next season. Even if starting doesn’t work out, he just might be the best relief prospect in the Braves system right now – but it looks like they are going to give him a chance to start because of his dominance.

Aiven Cabral, RHP

In the 18th round last year the Braves took Aiven Cabral from Northeastern, after he was the ace of the team who made a surprising run in the NCAA Tournament. He didn’t make his pro debut until this year, where he has spent half the year split between both Augusta and Rome. His Augusta numbers are slightly better than the Rome numbers, but they are fairly similar. Combined he has a 3.01 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 79 strikeouts in 104.2 innings. His stuff isn’t big, but he’s a pitchability guy who excels at pitching to contact. The hope with him is that his stuff might tick up as he moves into a future bullpen role for shorter stints. His three-pitch mix is all mostly fringy to average, but he is comfortable with switching between his pitches and moving locations. If his fastball could gain another 1-2 MPH from topping out at 93 MPH, he might have a chance in a relief role.

Logan Forsythe, RHP

Logan Forsythe was the Braves 13th round pick out of Louisiana Tech last year. He previously pitched at Mississippi State, but never got much playing time there because of struggles with his command. Forsythe is a power armed reliever, though one with command question marks to answer. In Augusta this year he has a 4.03 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, and 55 strikeouts in 51.1 innings. He has also walked 45 hitters in that time. When he’s on he can be hard to make contact against, as his 6.3 H/9 ratio shows, which makes him worth tracking. This year his fastball has been up to 96-97 MPH with a sweeper that also gets swings and misses, and he could possibly be holding back a little bit on his stuff in order to be able to command it better. What he could become is fully dependent on where he is able to improve the command to, but he is worth the team taking a flier on.

Kevin Kilpatrick Jr., OF

A toolsy outfielder, Kevin Kilpatrick Jr. is in the middle of his best pro season for Columbus. As of today he is hitting .247/.328/.373 with six homers, 19 extra base hits, and 27 steals with 27 walks to 76 strikeouts in 287 plate appearances. Those numbers may not jump off the page, but since May 29th he is running a .774 OPS after a slow start to his season. Kilpatrick is going to turn 26 this winter, so he is probably not going to hit enough to end up as a big league regular. However if the gains he has made with the bat can make some additional progress, he would have a chance to be a fourth or fifth outfielder. That is because he is a speedy player with a little bit of pop in his bat and is capable of playing all three outfield spots. It’s not the sexiest profile, but he could potentially work his way to the big leagues.

Carter Lovasz, RHP

Carter Lovasz was an eighth rounder out of William & Mary last year who pitched for a short time in Augusta last season. He started in Augusta and pitched to a 3.56 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and 55 strikeouts in 48 innings. He was promoted to Rome and has allowed one run in 5.2 innings over two appearances so far. Lovasz is a pure reliever – all 29 of his appearances this year are as a reliever, and only eight of his career college appearances were starts over four years, but looks like a reliever capable of going multiple innings in a Brent Suter-like role. Similar to Suter, Lovasz doesn’t touch 90 MPH, but he has a five pitch mix that he is able to mix and match with and use his pitchability and command to succeed without the biggest stuff. Because of his lack of velocity he is going to need to prove himself at every level of the minors to keep moving up, but he does stand a chance.

Cooper McMurray, 1B

Last year the Braves signed Cooper McMurray as an undrafted free agent after an impressive college career. In his last three years at Auburn he hit exactly 14 home runs every year with an OPS of at least 1.053 in each season. He struggled in 21 games last year with Rome and got sent to Augusta to open this season. Things looked like he might not last very long as a pro early this spring as he had an OPS of .488 after April, following a .498 last summer with Rome. However that’s when things started to change, and he has an .853 OPS since May 1. Overall he is hitting .250/.373/.399 with 15 doubles, a triple, 10 homers, and 64 walks to 128 strikeouts over 391 plate appearances. In order to have a future as a bench bat he is likely going to need to continue to cut down on the strikeouts, though he has seen some growth with his hit tool this year which gives hope for that.

Davis Polo, RHP

Davis Polo came into this year as a bit of a mystery after missing last year due to injury. However he has looked so good that he is putting himself in position to be a part of our next Top 30, pitching to a 3.25 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 9.6 K/9 in 99.2 innings with Augusta – though a 1.99 ERA and 0.95 WHIP over his last 45.1 innings. He has a four pitch mix led by a fastball that touches 94, but is more of a sinker/slider pitcher who can get swings and misses. He uses his pitches fairly evenly overall and has solid feel for his command of them. Of course due to the injury and missed time he is already 21 and Rule 5 eligible after this season, but there is #3/4 starter upside in there, and a chance we could see even more from him next year as he gets another year out from surgery.

Brett Sears, RHP

A cheap senior sign in the 7th round of the 2024 MLB Draft, Brett Sears has been on an incredible run for the past two years. Last year he started in Augusta and ended up reaching Gwinnett, posting a combined 3.65 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 9.5 K/9 between the four levels. This year he has made 17 of his 19 appearances with Columbus, with single appearances in both Gwinnett and the FCL, posting a 3.11 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 10.9 K/9. His stuff isn’t the biggest, but it has slightly improved from last year. His six pitch mix now has a fastball that touches 94 MPH, and his command and pitchability help it to play up from its velocity. Sears ceiling is probably a backend starter to potentially a multi-inning reliever, but it is hard to ignore his performance. Ideally he’d have more time in Triple-A by now since he is 26, but he is only two years out from being drafted.

Tanner Smith, C

The Braves signed Tanner Smith out of Miami as an undrafted free agent last year. However prior to his year as a Hurricane he had spent three years catching at Oregon State and brought 619 college plate appearances with him to pro ball. He got eight games last year split between Augusta and Rome before opening this year back in Augusta. With Augusta he hit .234/.309/.440 with 11 homers and 22 walks to 84 strikeouts in 243 plate appearances. He has since been promoted to Rome, though he only has three games played there so far. Smith isn’t a particularly high upside prospect, but he is a catcher with good intangibles, a history of being a winning player, and does bring some pop in his bat. The ceiling is probably a backup catcher, and even that would require he cut down the strikeouts and increase some walks – but the offensive bar is a little lower for backup catchers, so it is a possibility.

Luis Vargas, RHP

Luis Vargas has been in the Braves system since making his pro debut back in 2019, but only converted into a reliever last year. This is his second season as a reliever and he has looked good in that role. With Columbus he has pitched to a 3.51 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and 86 strikeouts over 56.1 innings – good for a 13.7 K/9, and even better than last year’s 12.0 (though just 21 innings). At this point he is mostly a two pitch pitcher, with a fastball that has touched 98 MPH and a nasty slider. His command can come and go, and he isn’t always consistent with the shape of his slider, but there is a real chance that Vargas could become a power arm out of the pen for the Braves in the next year or two.

Derek Vartanian, RHP

The Braves signed Derek Vartanian as an undrafted free agent out of Campbell after the 2024 season – a season where he appeared in just three games before getting injured. Prior to that he spent two years in JUCO. That injury caused him to miss all of last season, so he entered this year with 11 innings of D1 experience plus a two year layoff due to injury. So far he has pitched to a 4.12 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and 97 strikeouts in 102.2 innings for Augusta in his first year back from injury. He has touched 95 MPH on his fastball with good movement and has a solid four-pitch mix that he is comfortable in using all of his pitches. It’s a bit soon to say what Vartanian is, but he is a guy I am interested in watching next year, once he gets another year out from injury plus a full healthy offseason.

Adam Zebrowski, C

Zebrowski was a 13th round pick out of a small college in New York back in 2021, and until this year seemed to be more of an organizational depth piece. But he’s hit 15 homers in 46 Double-A games this season, plus three more in 21 games with Gwinnett. Zebrowski probably isn’t going to be a big league starter, but the power is very real and he hits the ball very hard. He could potentially get a look as a backup catcher, one who is there for his power bat more than anything. He might need to start to take more walks to increase his OBP to reach that ceiling, but he has a .350 OBP with Columbus this year, which is his highest mark since Augusta back in 2022. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up getting sent to the Arizona Fall League this year to see how he fares against that level of pitching.

Rangers 11, White Sox 2

• That was a long game.
• And a lot happened in it.
• And the Rangers won.
• Not only did the Rangers win, but they got back to .500.
• And not only did the Rangers get back to .500, they took sole possession of first place in the American League West, moving a half-game up on the Astros, who did not play.
• Kumar Rocker had a kinda fascinating game. He didn’t seem to have it going on early, allowing a hit in the first and what would have been a home run, had Brandon Nimmo not made a great leaping catch to bring the ball back, and a single, a homer, and another single in the second. In the third, he allowed an infield single to start things on a hard hit ball that Jake Burger couldn’t handle, along with a pair of walks sandwiching a groundout.
• The Rangers were up 5-2 at that point, but with the bases loaded, one out, and Rocker looking shaky, that lead seemed tenuous. Rocker seemed destined to get the hook before too long.
• Two strikeouts by Rocker got him out of the jam, the start of ten straight batters he retired before walking Chase Meidroth with two outs in the sixth, the last batter he faced.
• Robby Ahlstrom and Jordan Montgomery took it from there, retiring all ten batters they faced.
• So in all, the Rangers pitchers didn’t allow a hit over the final 21 outs they recorded, and allowed just one baserunner over the final 20 outs.
• The bats, meanwhile, put up a season-high 11 runs in the game.
• Rangers got on via the hit (14 of them). They got on via the walk (8 of those). They got on via the hit by pitch (two of them).
• One of the HBPs was Elias Diaz, who was hit by Jose Urquidy on a 3-2 pitch in the third, and there was some talking that then went on, including, apparently, yelling from the Rangers bench.
• Joc Pederson, who had tried to challenge a called third strike the previous inning, was told he had done so too late, got ejected a few batters later, supposedly for banging bats.
• I remember Pederson, last year, discussing the addition of new hitting coach Bret Boone, said that he liked to talk sticks. Apparently he likes to make them talk, too.
• The Rangers scored in every inning except the fourth and seventh, though they didn’t put up more than two runs in any inning, which seems kinda odd.
• Corey Seager was 3 for 4 with a pair of doubles and an intentional walk before being lifted late for Nicky Lopez.
• Since coming off the injured list the first time, back in early June, Seager has slashed .308/.393/.533.
• Wyatt Langford drew a walk and had a pair of hits, including a homer with two outs in the ninth that led White Sox manager Will Venable to bring in old friend Luisangel to get the final out.
• Jake Burger had a pair of hits, including a homer! And walked twice!
• Cody Freeman had a pair of hits!
• Ezequiel Duran had a pair of hits and walked!
• In fact, every Ranger starter had a hit except for Joc, who only had two plate appearances due to being thrown out of the game. Pederson did draw a walk to start the game, though, and scored the Rangers’ first run.
• It was a fulfilling game, the time that makes you feel all warm inside.
• And it was a good way to start a road trip.
• Kumar Rocker hit 95.7 mph with his fastball, averaging 94.3 mph, and 96.3 mph on his sinker, averaging 93.9 mph. Robby Ahlstrom touched 96.4 mph with his fastball. Jordan Montgomery’s sinker reached 92.6 mph.
• Jake Burger had a 108.3 mph double and a 108.2 mph home run. Brandon Nimmo had a 107.8 mph groundout. Corey Seager had a 106.9 mph double. Justin Foscue had a 105.0 mph double. Ezequiel Duran had a 104.2 mph double. Wyatt Langford had a 103.0 mph home run.
• Onward, hopefully in a way that retains first place.

I usually like to wait a day to digest bigger news stories. It pays to take a little bit of extra time to make sure all of the emotional baggage has cleared. Dana Brown officially failed as a general manager. However, professional sports is a failure business. Most general managers and managers are hired to eventually be fired. We can use the officially approved phrase “mutually agreed to a parting of ways,” but we know that it is a firing.

I like to break up a general manager’s job into three equal parts. The first part is the easiest one to track: what moves did the general manager actually make? Were they good moves? Obviously, those are loaded questions. As we have stated before, there is a difference between whether a move made sense at the time and whether it ended up working out. The second category is whether certain objectives were met. In other words, what moves did the general manager fail to make? Finally, you have scouting and player development. Let’s start with the first one.

What moves did he make?

Recency bias is a thing. When you look at the bulk of moves in 2026, they haven’t worked out. Obviously, the span of time may make us look at these moves differently. There were five major moves this season and none of them have worked out to date. The trade for Mike Burrows and the signing of Tatsuya Imai have both flopped so far. We might look at those differently next year and beyond, but he simply didn’t have the time for those moves to work out.

The Mauricio Dubon and Jesus Sanchez deals also did not work out. Joey Loperfido has not been a positive influence for the most part because he is languishing in Sugar Land. Should he be there? That’s a different question entirely. Nick Allen has been okay in comparison to his career norms, but he has not been Dubon. Obviously, both deals freed up some money, but that ends up spilling us into the second category. Finally, we have the Daulton Varsho trade. We are nearly a month in and the results aren’t pretty.

In spite of these problems, I would simply point out that most of these acquisitions made more sense at the time then what they ended up being. Maybe that is bad luck. Maybe it is something else. The Kyle Tucker trade was a positive mark on his record. Trading for Justin Verlander and Yusei Kikuchi were also generally positive. Christian Walker might be a wash depending on your perspective, but we can debate that one on a different day.

The most significant negative is probably the extension given to Cristian Javier. I for one will not blame him for that one as that is something most of us likely would have done at the time. So, for the most part I tend to give him a passing grade in this area. Every general manager will have misses. The question is whether you have more hits than misses and he seems to be batting about .500 there.

What did he fail to do?

When Brown was signed on we were told he was good at two things. He would be good at scouting and development and he would ink up our controllable players to team friendly deals. Four years later we have one extension and it was a bad one. Would have signing Jeremy Pena, Hunter Brown, Cam Smith, Yainer Diaz, or Bryan Abreu been good moves? Obviously, we would need to see the deals and evaluate those on a case by case basis. The fact that he accomplished virtually none of that is damning.

Two trade deadlines in a row this team came in with acute hitting and pitching needs and two years they really didn’t address the pitching and the hitting adds were questionable. We can hear the excuses now because they sound eerily familiar. This is where only Jim Crane and company can answer the nagging question. How much authority did Brown have to make deals? Of course, it will be a nagging question moving forward.

Two years in a row this team had one of the worst outfields in baseball. Three years in a row he has been hunting a lefty bat like Captain Ahab has been hunting his white whale. Granted, those don’t grow on trees, but it falls under the column of things he failed to do. The last two points here involve Framber Valdez and the previously mentioned Dubon and Sanchez deals. Why wasn’t Valdez dealt at the same time as Tucker? Imagine what two or three additional players could have done for the present situation.

Finally, you get the inane utterances of “we’re not done” following the Dubon and Sanchez deals. Yes you were. You did nothing of significance with the financial savings. The trade of a franchise icon netted you Varsho. Call me underwhelmed. Again, we don’t know how much autonomy Brown had to make deals, but he clearly isn’t a good chess player. A good chess player would have deals in mind before dealing Dubon and Sanchez. You wouldn’t make the move simply hoping something would come available. In this regard, Brown was playing checkers while everyone else was playing chess.

Scouting and player development

Even this is more complicated than it sounds. You can split into two halves. Scouting is the acquisition of players while player development covers what you do once you get them. None of these factors are cut and dried and a lot of this is conjecture/projection. What could have Cam Smith done with a year in the minors? If this were his rookie season would he be better? Worse? The same? it is impossible to answer because life is not a choose your own adventure book, but most people believe he would have been better off with another season in the minors.

The same could be true of guys like Zach Cole, Brice Mathews, and others that have been promoted fairly quickly. Are the quick promotions in their best interest? This is where both questions intersect into one. The Brown years were characterized with a lot of toolsy players that also have a ton of swing and miss in their game. Can proper development coach that out of a player or is that who they are?

It is one thing to announce or pronounce failure. It is another to start probing why the failure is occurring. This is where Crane and the other decision makers have to look more closely at what is being done. Is it a player selection problem or a coaching/development problem? Simply based on success at the big league level and prospect rankings, this has to be marked down as failure.

Final thoughts

Brown was frustrating at times, but that was more based on his public comments that sounded like the utterings of a used car salesman. He did not do much to actively torpedo the franchise. He was not a buffoon on the level of Spec Richardson or with the inane reasoning of an Ed Wade. He was a middling executive that simply didn’t do enough to thread the needle that Crane and company asked him to. There is the kind of sports hate where you hate someone with the heat of 10,000 suns. Then, there is sport irritation. That is the category Brown lives in. Most of us wish him success somewhere, but that will not be here.

As for Crane, he needs to do some soul-searching. Simply handing over the keys to a Jeff Luhnow type is probably a no go. However, a puppet general manager is probably a no go as well. That means he must thread the needle to find a guy that views the baseball business the same way that he does but is also willing to incorporate a little more science into the operation. It’s a tough ask, but every problem also presents an opportunity.

Good morning.

Evan Grant writes that Monday’s blowout victory for the Texas Rangers signified that perhaps Corey Seager is back.

Kennedi Landry writes that the win in Chicago could have turned out differently if Brandon Nimmo hadn’t committed home run larceny.

Grant writes that the Rangers didn’t make much use of an easy portion of their schedule, which turns more difficult in the season’s final month.

Landry writes about Joc Pederson getting the boot from last night’s game because terrible home plate ump Chris Guccione thought the Texas DH was joking when calling for an ABS challenge on a strike three call that the ump got wrong.

Grant writes that Pederson is in the midst of his longest slump of the season, potentially because the Rangers have seen more left-handers of late and unfortunately will continue to do so.

MLB’s Ben Weinrib notes that Frisco’s Rafe Perich made the MLB Pipeline Prospect Team of the Week at third base.

And, Tim Cowlishaw tries to hit his Rangers article quota for this year by writing about the weird, wild American League West.

Have a nice day!

With 31 games left to go in the season, the Orioles are in a weird spot. After the Guardians win last night, Baltimore finds itself 2.5 games back of the final AL Wild Card spot with just over a month of baseball left to play. It’s far from an insurmountable deficit; the O’s have nine games left against the Guardians and Blue Jays—two teams they’re competing with for the third Wild Card berth—as well as six upcoming games against the bottom-dwelling A’s and Rockies.

The problem the Orioles have faced all year is consistency. Despite going 24-20 since the beginning of July, the O’s have only actually occupied the last Wild Card spot for a couple of days after their recent series in Tropicana Field. And even though that last playoff spot is currently occupied by a team that’s only .500, common sense says someone will eventually get to 81+ wins and claim a berth in October. If the O’s want to do that, they’ll need to get back to .500 for the first time since they were 15-15 on April 30th.

To find some level of consistency, the O’s will need some more offense from players not named Pete Alonso. Since July 1st, Baltimore has the 7th-best ERA in baseball (3.71), just behind fellow playoff contenders, the Guardians. The bats have often been Baltimore’s biggest problem, with the O’s ranking 20th in the majors at 4.23 runs/game since the beginning of July. You only have to watch one Shane Baz start to know that this sometimes-potent offense has a bad tendency of disappearing.

So if the Orioles are going to go through an offensive revival over the last 31 games of the season, they’ll need some of their previously hot bats to reignite. With that in mind, here are three players who the Orioles need to wake up if they’re going to make the postseason

Jackson Holliday

Holliday was a revelation for the Orioles’ offense in July. The 22-year-old was an on-base machine for Baltimore last month, posting an OBP of .500 to go along with a .368 average and a .421 slugging. It finally felt like the former No. 1 overall was putting it all together and becoming the type of hitter at the majors that we saw all throughout the minors.

Once the calendar turned to August, though, Holliday has seemingly turtled up and stopped being the offensive force the Orioles were relying on. In 21 games this month, the 2B is slashing .165/.221/.266 with more strikeouts (19) than base hits (13). It’s no coincidence that while the infielder was on a hot streak, the O’s went 15-8 in July. Since his downturn, Baltimore has fallen to 9-12 in August.

That regression could just be the latest episode in the mercurial career of Holliday, or it could be the 22-year-old struggling to adjust to a more prominent role in the lineup. Since August 7th, Holliday has hit 3rd or higher in the lineup and has been the Orioles’ leadoff hitter each of their last six games. His July clearly earned Craig Albernaz’s trust and you’d expect he’ll continue to hit in the leadoff spot for the rest of the season. If the offense is going to get back on track, its leadoff hitter needs to lead by example.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand

CES joined the Orioles thanks to the injury to Blaze Alexander and at first looked like an unlikely shot in the arm for an offense that had lost its second-best player. In his first nine games after joining the Orioles on July 18th, Encarnacion-Strand went 11-for-34 (.324) with three homers and 11 RBIs. That hot start to his Orioles’ career had many willing to hand him the starting 3B job for the rest of the stretch run.

Since then, the former Red has come back down to earth. His August triple slash is a measly .177/.224/.355 while posting 21 strikeouts in 62 ABs (33.9%). CES has consistently been a lefty masher, with a .286 average and 1.016 OPS against southpaws this season. However, against right-handers, the 26-year-0ld only has a .197 average and .563 OPS. Those are the same drastic splits we see with Coby Mayo, except Mayo is actually producing in August, with an OPS this month that is nearly 300 points higher than Encarnacion-Strand’s number.

With Mayo hitting, Samuel Basallo back in the fold and Alexander’s return supposedly on the horizon, CES has a lot of pressure on him. He has the pressure of not only trying to play his part in the playoff run, but also the pressure of keeping his roster spot.

Tyler O’Neill or Leody Taveras

Colton Cowser and Dylan Beavers have cemented themselves as the offensive leaders of this Orioles outfield—Cowser via his all-around good play and Beavers through his clutch hits. Albernaz has three other outfielders to complete the trio (O’Neill, Taveras or Christian Franklin), but if someone is going to break out, you’d expect it to be TON or Taveras.

We’ve seen O’Neill more recently prove what he can provide this offense. Last month, TON looked like the best version we’ve seen in black and orange (albeit in only 42 ABs). The oft-injured outfielder delivered five home runs while posting a 1.009 OPS. This month, O’Neill has continued to get more playing time and has given us a handful of web gems, but a diminished offensive output. The biggest drop is in his slugging percentage, which has gone from .691 in July to .404 this month.

Taveras offers almost an opposite profile to O’Neill; a player who mixes some small ball with a balanced approach that contrasts with O’Neill’s power-heavy game. After struggling mightily in June and July, we’ve seen Taveras turn it around a little in this month, with a .674 OPS in 63 ABs. If Taveras can become a secondary table setter at the bottom of the Orioles lineup, he can give Baltimore the offensive depth it needs to stay in the playoff race until the end.

This question is funny because the Braves could start Ha-Seong Kim as soon as tonight, for all we know. But, for the sake of discussion…

Jim Jarvis has been optioned back down to Triple-A. Jarvis had start 29 of the team’s 34 games against right-handed starters since being recalled. Mauricio Dubon was the starter in all the other recent games, other than a lone Kim start on August 7. On top of that, the Braves’ division lead is 3.5 games, and their divisional odds are about 3-in-4… but their playoff odds are close to unity. So, whether the Braves feel they can afford to try Kim kind of depends on which of those numbers they care about more.

Kim has pretty much some of the worst stats we’ve seen by a Brave in any accumulation of time, with -1.2 fWAR in just 85 PAs. Dubon is at 1.7 fWAR in 500 PAs. Dubon’s batting line (.312 wOBA, .306 xwOBA) is an improvement over his career line (.294 wOBA, .290 xwOBA) but not a career high; he had a very similar line in 2023 in Houston, which is the only other time he’s crossed the 450 PA mark. That said, Dubon has a worse .280ish xwOBA (or worse) in his last seven, 14, and 30 days. To work backwards and get to a point where his seasonal line looks decent, you have to go back to June, where he was having a great time while the rest of the team careened on the edge of the abyss. (Dubon from June 1-forward: .321 wOBA, .309 xwOBA; Dubon from July 1-forward: .292 wOBA, .278 xwOBA.)

So, basically, Dubon isn’t lighting the world on fire, but Kim was doing exactly that but in a bad way, which is what caused his playing time to essentially disappear. Will he get any back, start-wise with Jarvis gone?

After a struggle of a series in Seattle that involved two crushing walk-off defeats, wasn’t that better?

Kevin Gausman threw seven outstanding shutout innings and the Cubs got a pair of homers, one of which was a monster shot by Michael Conforto, and opened the series on a high note with a 7-0 shutout of the Diamondbacks.

After a scoreless first inning, the Cubs got on the board in the second. Ian Happ singled with one out, and one out later scored on this triple by Pedro Ramirez [VIDEO].

Gausman, meanwhile, was mowing down D-backs hitters. He allowed a leadoff single to Tim Tawa in the third, then picked him off [VIDEO].

Corbin Carroll walked off Gausman in the fourth and stole two bases, but Gausman got out of that inning with a ground ball to first.

The Cubs extended their lead to 2-0 in the fifth. Conforto led off with a double and two outs later scored on this double by Seiya Suzuki [VIDEO].

Then the Cubs blew the game open in the fifth — all after the first two hitters were routine outs.

Ramirez singled and then Conforto absolutely destroyed this baseball [VIDEO].

Did I say “destroyed”? Yes I did, and check out the exit velocity and distance on that homer [VIDEO].

And the “home-run race” lead now belongs to Conforto, who now has 12 home runs to Kyle Tucker’s 11 — in 235 fewer at-bats.

Three pitches later, Carson Kelly also went deep [VIDEO].

Back-to-back homer facts from BCB’s JohnW53:

The back-to-back homers by Michael Conforto and Carson Kelly were the sixth pair by Cubs batters this season.

Half of those have come in the past eight days: Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki last Monday, Alex Bregman and Michael Busch on Saturday, then Conforto and Kelly. They had done it once before, July 8 at Baltimore.

The Cubs have gone back-to-back 412 times since 1876, including 393 since 1901 and 182 since 2000.

The Cubs put two more on the board in the seventh. With one out, Michael Busch walked and Alex Bregman singled.

A double by Happ scored Busch [VIDEO].

Bregman took third on that hit and scored on this sac fly by Nico Hoerner to make it 7-0 [VIDEO].

Gausman, meanwhile, was mowing down Arizona hitters. He struck out six [VIDEO].

Here’s more on Gausman’s outing. As you can see, he threw more four-seamers than usual [VIDEO].

Gausman allowed three hits. By Game Score (76) that matched his best outing of the year, a one-hit start vs. the Yankees back in June. But he allowed a run then, the only hit was a solo homer by Jasson Dominguez. In this one, only one D-backs runner got past first base against Gausman. This is the guy the Cubs thought they had traded for. Hopefully he sticks around the rest of the year.

More on Gausman’s night from John:

Kevin Gausman gave up no runs on three hits in 7.0 innings.

The last Cub to pitch at least that many innings, with no runs and no more than three hits, was Justin Steele, with 7.0 and three hit at home vs. the Rangers on April 7, 2025. He walked two, one more than Gausman.

Kyle Hendricks gave up two hits and walked two in 7.1 vs. the Reds on Sept. 28, 2024, and Shota Imanaga pitched 7.0 no-hit innings with two walks vs. the Pirates on Sept. 4, 2024. Both of those games were at Wrigley Field. So was the last with one walk, by Jameson Taillon, who gave up three hits on Sept. 2, 2024, two days before Imanaga’s start.

Ryan Zeferjahn was given the eighth, a good spot for him in a low-leverage situation, and he came through with a 1-2-3 inning on just 10 pitches. Hopefully that’s a good confidence-builder.

Caleb Thielbar, another reliever who’s struggled, took the ninth. He did allow a couple of hits, but completed the shutout, in part helped by this sliding catch by Happ [VIDEO].

Here’s the final out of the game [VIDEO].

A bit of history was made with the shutout. From John:

This was just the Cubs’ second shutout in 97 games at Arizona since the Diamondbacks began play in 1998. The first was by 4-0 on Aug. 24, 2002. Last night’s game was the Cubs’ 74th game there since that one.

Solid win all the way around. Timely hitting, home runs, excellent pitching.

Here’s Conforto on his homer [VIDEO].

And here are Craig Counsell’s postgame remarks [VIDEO].

The Cubs crept to within 5.5 games of the Brewers in the NL Central. They also gained a game on the Phillies, who lost to the Mariners, and are now three games up on Philadelphia for the top wild-card spot.

The Cubs go for the series win Tuesday evening at Chase Field. Clay Holmes will start for the Cubs and Brandon Pfaadt will go for Arizona. Game time is again 8:40 p.m. CT (for folks in ET and CT, this is the Cubs’ last late-night game of 2026!) and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.