TORONTO, ON - MAY 27: Boston fans share some smartphone time together before the MLB game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Texas Rangers on May 27, 2017, at Rogers Centre in Toronto, ON. Canada. (Photo by Jeff Chevrier/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
It’s a big day for Over the Monster. Today, the SB Nation app is live, and it’s the best way to follow the Red Sox.
You can download it by searching SB Nation for iOS or Android.
A year ago we made some big changes to our community, including offering fewer ads and the addition of the Feed. Today, we want to give you even more community tools and fewer ads with this app. It will make starting and joining conversations here as simple as posting to your favorite social media platform.
You can check out the video below showing off some of the useful features of the app, and we’ll dig into them below.
Why should I download the app?
The app will be the easiest way to interact with everybody else in the community:
All your favorite teams’ posts in one dedicated feed
Notifications when someone replies or recs your post
New game thread section, with an experience that’s smoother and faster
Fewer ads
Easily navigating between your favorite communities with a swipe
It will be the fastest way to read every post from our community.
How do I download the app?
Head over to the Apple store or the Android store to download the app. Today, the app is only available for US users.
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 16: A fan takes a picture on an iPhone during the game between the Washington Nationals and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Nationals Park on June 16, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s a big day for Lone Star Ball. Today, the SB Nation app is live, and it’s the best way to follow the Rangers.
You can download it by searching SB Nation for iOS or Android.
A year ago we made some big changes to our community, including offering fewer ads and the addition of the Feed. Today, we want to give you even more community tools and fewer ads with this app. It will make starting and joining conversations here as simple as posting to your favorite social media platform.
You can check out the video below showing off some of the useful features of the app, and we’ll dig into them below.
Why should I download the app?
The app will be the easiest way to interact with everybody else in the community:
All your favorite teams’ posts in one dedicated feed
Notifications when someone replies or recs your post
New game thread section, with an experience that’s smoother and faster
Fewer ads
Easily navigating between your favorite communities with a swipe
It will be the fastest way to read every post from our community.
How do I download the app?
Head over to the Apple store or the Android store to download the app. Today, the app is only available for US users.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 31: Bryce Elder #55 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Truist Park on August 31, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Monday was the rare game in which the Braves got beat by their own strategy. The Atlanta bullpen struggled in a 7-3 loss to the lowly Giants, ending a season series in which the Braves dropped 5 of 6 games to San Francisco. This also ended the Braves seven game winning streak. Losses certainly occur, but the hope is the bullpen, and especially Dylan Lee, return to form soon as a stretch of games vs the NL East is on the horizon.
Roderick Arias of the Somerset Patriots hits the ball during a Minor League baseball game at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, United States, on August 30, 2026. (Photo by Dan Squicciarini/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images
There’s not much time left in the minor league calendar, and the playoff races are heating up. While one affiliate has already punched their ticket, the other three are still searching for late runs to power their way there.
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
Record: 31-23 (68-60), 2.5 GB in the International League East after a 3-3 week against the Worcester Red Sox (Red Sox)
Run differential: +28 (+31)
Coming up: Home vs. Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Phillies)
The RailRiders wrapped up a rough month of August with a contentious split, keeping them within an arm’s length of a playoff spot with three weeks to go. They got a bit of a rough deal with Worcester hosting three different rehab assignments this week, including Roman Anthony, but fared pretty well until a rough day on Sunday.
The offense has a lot of name-brand talent already, but they decided to add another former top prospect to their ranks with a mid-week signing of Jarred Kelenic for the playoff push, because why not? Additionally, Mitch Garver is currently in roster limbo after exercising an assignment clause, but the fact he hasn’t been added to the active roster by now likely closes the door on him getting recalled without an injury. Anthony Volpe (now getting reps at third base) and Marco Luciano carried the offense this week, combining for seven home runs on 18 hits.
The two prospects who’ve been here all season did not get to pitch here this week due to promotions to the big leagues, as Elmer Rodríguez is making a pair of spot starts until the schedule evens out while Brendan Beck was needed as the 27th man on Saturday. Alexander Cornielle won International League Pitcher of the Week with eight terrific shutout innings in the best start of his pro career, but the headline on the farm was the return of Kyle Carr, who got double duty on Tuesday and Sunday. He combined to allow three runs in three innings with Xavier Rivas as the piggyback. Let’s just say it’s not going well for the Ole Miss alum since his promotion.
The team needed two bullpen games due to the promotions, which we saw with Hayden Merda starting both games and tossing three solid innings combined. Eric Reyzelman and Eli Morgan both had terrific weeks as well, and with the rapidly thinning bullpen depth becoming an issue (one attempt to be resolved by claiming John Schreiber on waivers), both could be on the major league radar for cameos down the stretch.
Record: 30-27 (67-59), 3.5 GB in the Eastern League Northeast after a 3-3 week against the Akron RubberDucks (Guardians)
Run differential: +13 (+49)
Coming up: Away @ Erie SeaWolves (Tigers)
Somerset had a perfectly fine week, trading wins and losses without anything too good or bad happening. The problem was, in a heated playoff race, splitting sometimes isn’t good enough. They lost 2.5 games of ground this week, with scorching hot Reading going up 3.5 games. With 12 to go, these guys are going to have to play some of their best baseball.
It was a fairly pedestrian week for the offense. Jace Avina has had a really crummy month (.213/.314/.258) and will look to turn the page next week, while Roderick Arias and Josh Moylan continue to excel after summer promotions. I want to highlight Manuel Palencia here, who’s been one of the best hitters in the system for two months now. After entering July with an abhorrent .504 OPS, he’s slashed .351/.380/.596 with a 157 wRC+ in 121 plate appearances over the last two months. His stock is finally gaining some helium.
For the bruised and battered rotation, we saw a struggle of a start from Cade Smith (5.2 IP, 5 R), a 10-strikeout quality start from Dom Hamel, and a rehab appearance by Clarke Schmidt. The two big storylines were two guys who weren’t here last week. Bryce Cunningham made his Double-A debut on Tuesday and played double duty on Sunday, combining to allow nine runs in 11 innings with 13 strikeouts. We also saw the return of the struggling Chase Hampton, who missed three weeks on the temporarily inactive list. He tossed four solid innings with six strikeouts, hopefully a sign of things to come.
It was an uneven week for the bullpen, which technically counts Rory Fox’s piggyback effort behind Schmidt, where he tossed 5.1 solid innings. Trent Sellers, Michael Arias, Kevin Stevens, and Geoff Gilbert all excelled this week, while others struggled to put up zeroes.
Record: 34-26 (64-60), 3 GB in the South Atlantic League North after a 3-3 week against the Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets)
Run differential: +46 (+55)
Coming up: Away @ Wilmington Blue Rocks (Nationals)
Hudson Valley extended their win streak to nine games on Tuesday, but struggled the rest of the week as their momentum fizzled out and their playoff hopes dwindled with it. Suddenly, they’re going to need to make up three games this week against Wilmington to get in. The division-leading Frederick Keys won the first half, which would invoke other tiebreakers, but the Renegades would lose out on a playoff spot in that scenario to Greensboro, so they’ll need to jump two teams here.
The split wasn’t because of any offensive ineptitude. David McCann homered twice, Jackson Lovich had four extra-base hits, Kyle West had three, and Hans Montero went 6-for-10 across three games. With only a week left in the regular season, you’re looking for guys to finish strong, and that’s certainly what Lovich is doing. After striking out nearly 40 percent of the time in his first few weeks at the level, he’s put up a 10-game stretch where he’s limited them while walking at a significantly higher rate. He was an early-season darling, but is putting together a good body of work in his first full season in the pros.
The bullpen was really ugly this week, so they get most of the blame instead of the starters, who actually pitched quite well. Allen Facundo tossed a quality start (6 IP, 2 R), Luis Serna struck out seven in 4.2 shutout innings, Sean Paul Liñan allowed three runs in five innings, and both Danny Flatt and Brandon Decker pitched brief, scoreless outings in emergency roles. The former had been sent down to the FCL two weeks ago, so that was his High-A debut.
Record: 39-18 (71-46), 9 GA in the Florida State League West after a 5-0 week against the Jupiter Hammerheads (Marlins)
Run differential: +112 (+135)
Coming up: Home vs. Dunedin Blue Jays (Blue Jays)
These guys just keep raking. They outscored a good Jupiter team 41 to 15 in a five-game sweep, marking a 10th consecutive series without a defeat. They’re 8-0-2 in series since mid-June and clinched the Florida State League West Division with nine games to spare. It’s been a truly special few months for the Tarpons.
The offense is still really good. We’re going back to the running tally:
Yostin Pena continues to be a wrecking ball. He went 5-for-13 with a monster home run on Sunday, while also drawing six walks. That last part is important, as he had entred this week with a grand total of one walk in several weeks in Single-A.
Dax Kilby went 4-for-18 with a home run, double, and seven walks. No guy is more content to take ball four than Kilby, who also hit a new max exit velocity at 108.9.
Paul Gutierrez-Contreras II went 6-for-13 with a home run.
Bear Harrison, who was off to a horrible start to his pro career, went 4-for-12 with two doubles and five RBIs. Good week for him.
Tyce Armstrong went 8-for-16 with three homers and two doubles, winning FSL Player of the Week. This is a guy who hit nukes at Baylor and should rise quickly.
The rotation didn’t need to be spectacular this week, but they were pretty good. Wyatt Parliament seems to be getting load-managed down the stretch, only tossing 3.1 scoreless innings. Edinzo Marquez and Tyler Boudreau both tossed five one-run innings, but the latter was awarded a complete game due to rain shortening his start. Sabier Marte struck out nine but gave up five runs in his start, but the crown jewel of the week was J.T. Etheridge’s best start of his pro career, striking out 10 in six magnificent innings.
Pretty much everyone in the bullpen looked sharp, with the exception of Antonio Gomez’s second outing of the week. His stuff is still nasty, but he’s a work in progress. The guy of note here is Matthew Tippie, who throws a forkball and has been brilliant for a few months now. Since May 14, he’s pitched to a 0.86 ERA with a 20.9 K-BB% in 31.1 innings. There’s also Justin West, who struck out nine in a piggyback start and continues to be electric over the last two months.
Jonah Tong of the Syracuse Mets delivers a pitch during a MiLB baseball game at Coca-Cola Park in the United States on June 26, 2026. (Photo by Dan Squicciarini/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images
It’s too bad that the roster construction of the Mets works out that MJ Melendez is left high-and-dry. He wasn’t good in the limited at-bats he got earlier this season, but he wasn’t particularly bad, either. Likewise, his performance isn’t so exceptionally good in Triple-A that David Stearns needs to figure out how to get Melendez back to the majors, but he’s having a nice little run. The veteran outfielder seems like a generally cool dude and apologized to fans for not being good enough when he was sent back down to Syracuse, which makes the fact that he hasn’t really found his footing more annoying.
If nothing else, I wouldn’t be against bringing Melendez back as minor league depth next season.
Jonah Tong
Week: 1 G (1 GS), 7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K (Triple-A)
In Game One of a double-header against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Jonah Tong set batter after batter after batter down at the plate, and before we knew it, it was the seventh inning and Tong had yet to allow a hit. I’m not a fan of treating the two the same, but 7 innings is a regulation game in minor league double-headers, just like 9 innings is regulation under normal circumstances, and Tong was three outs away from throwing a no-hitter. The first batter he faced, right fielder Gabriel Rincones Jr., flew out to left field. The second batter he faced, third baseman Otto Kemp, struck out on three straight fastballs down-and-away. With one out to go, centerfielder Kameron Misner laced a cutter down and in into right field for a hit. With the no-hit bid over, Tong struck out the next batter, Carter Kieboom, on four pitches and had to settle for a one-hit shutout.
It was obviously a great game for Tong, and overall, August has been a strong month for him. Coming into August, batters were hitting .238/.349/.447 against Tong, but in August, they hit .170/.271/.436 against him. A big reason for that was his fastball and cutter both being more effective than they have been all season, especially his cutter; batters hit .125/.239/.325 against his fastball and .158/.238/.158 against his cutter in August as opposed to .213/.353/.386 and .300/.386/.540 entering the month.
I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer, but since none of the underlying metrics for either pitch, such as velocity or spin rate or movement, are appreciably different, I think the recent success is more a case of a .148 BABIP than Tong finally compensating for his velocity/IVB dip stemming from his arm angle change or his change from a traditional slider grip to a traditional cutter grip, but it would be great if I was wrong.
With September here, the right-hander having a strong month or two, and the Mets not exactly having a fifth starter, it is all but guaranteed that Tong gets called back up the Queens and appears in a few games. I’m not sure how well he will perform- honestly, I do have a bit of trepidation, since International League hitters have hit him hard- but here’s hoping he performs well enough to avoid the Mets analyzing the small sample of his MLB performance and switching him to sidearm while having him scrap his changeup for a gyroball.
The Detroit Tigers dropped the series opener against the Minnesota Twins, 11-1, at Target Field on Monday night in a game that everyone wants to quickly forget. Jackson Jobe managed to escape trouble through the early innings, but it finally caught up with him in the fifth, when a three-run dinger opened the gates for the eventual rout.
Taking the mound in Game 2 for the Olde English D is right-hander Troy Melton, who has given up as many earned runs over his last two outings as he had in his 10 starts prior. After a stretch of absolute excellence, the 25-year-old has posted a 4.26 ERA and 4.98 FIP over 12 2/3 innings, allowing 14 hits (two home runs) and three walks while striking out seven and hitting a batter.
Melton’s only appearance this summer against the Twins back on June 9 in Detroit was his worst game of the season, surrendering eight hits — four of them solo homers, representing all of the runs he gave up — but no walks while striking out five over five frames. He still managed to earn his third win as the Tigers ultimately prevailed, 10-4.
For Minnesota, left-hander Connor Prielipp will toe the rubber for the 20th time of his rookie campaign. The 25-year-old has had a brutal August, putting up an ugly 7.76 ERA but a less-offensive 4.73 FIP over five games stretching across 26 2/3 innings, allowing 31 hits (five home runs) and 13 walks while striking out 30 batters. He earned a pair of losses while his team was defeated in all five starts.
Here is a look at how the two match up for Tuesday night’s American League Central battle.
Detroit Tigers (63-74) vs. Minnesota Twins (66-72)
Time (ET): 7:40 p.m. Place: Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota SB Nation Site:Twinkie Town Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 138: RHP Troy Melton (7-3, 1.86 ERA) vs. LHP Connor Prielipp (3-7, 5.55 ERA)
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 29: Luis Arraez #4 of the Philadelphia Phillies in action against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on August 29, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) | Getty Images
On Sunday afternoon in Springfield, Missouri. The St. Louis Cardinals’ top hitting prospect, Rainiel Rodriguez, launched his 24th Home Run of the season, split between High-A Peoria and Double-A Springfield. The Crack of Rodriguez’s bat echoes whispers of top prospects who came before, but only names we revere through recent Cardinals minor league history. Rainiel is compiling stats during his age-19 season at a level whose average age is 5 years older than his.
What he’s doing currently, only 1 other minor leaguer has done in the last 20 years. At age 19 or younger, posting an OPS above .950 at the Double-A level: Mike Trout. While I don’t project Rodriguez to be quite the same 5-tool megastar that Trout became, what he’s doing with the bat is undeniable and impossible to ignore. So far, in 351 plate appearances at Double-A, Rodriguez is slashing .316/.393/.572 -> .966 OPS with a .257 ISO, .419 wOBA, and a 143 wRC+. It is not hyperbolic to say that the young Cardinals backstop is producing video game-like numbers.
Other notable recent Cardinals farmhands age 20 or younger at Double-A to produce an above .800 OPS and at least a 100 wRC+ include Colby Rasmus, Oscar Taveras, Dylan Carlson, and Jordan Walker. That’s an exclusive list of names in recent Cardinals prospect lore. Interestingly enough, they’re all outfielders, except Rodriguez, which makes what he’s doing from an offensive perspective as a primary catcher all the more impressive.
I reached out to a couple of good friends who cover Cardinals prospects more deeply than pretty much anyone out there. From our friend Kyle Reis of thecardinalnation.com on what makes Rainiel Rodriguez special:
“A lot of it is mechanical, in my opinion. He has strength and balance throughout his swing that is unique and innate in a way that cant be taught. He’s capable of adjusting his swing without adjusting his body and his foundation, and thats easier said than done. From there he has the bat speed and direction with his hands to do all that he needs to do to maintain success.
There’s a maturity to the person that he is, as well as, how he goes about the work that he puts in. He’s incredibly driven and dedicated, and he learns and applies that at an instantaneous thus rare level.
I’m not a fan of Joe Rogan or his podcast. I’m about as neutral on it as a person can be. But a lot of times i think about something he said about Elon Musk. Im no fan of Musk but i do appreicate his engineering brilliance. Rogan said that you can tell that Musk is both completely engaged when you talk to him, but that it’s also clear that his brain is thinking about many other important and heavy topics at the same time. That’s how Rainiel’s mind works but about baseball.“
Kyle, as we know him, is one of the most unique observers of talent. With the connections he possesses and has created throughout the industry, and his long history of evaluating prospects, he jokingly wrote on X recently that Rainiel is so good that it’s almost boring to him because of just how good he is and how consistently he can tap into his talent.
From more of a scout perspective to one who is more immersed in baseball from a data analysis standpoint, my good friend Kareem Haq of cardinalsprospects.com and host of “Birds on the Farm” Podcast had this to say about the emerging Redbird slugger:
“What’s so special about Rainiel is his ability to consistently hit the ball in the air. Last year, we mostly saw him find success pulling the ball, but he’s now showing his prodigious power to all fields. We’ve also seen major gains in his bat-to-ball ability recently, and he even went through a stretch of 42 consecutive plate appearances without striking out.”
For Context, this season across two minor league levels, Rodriguez has a 40.7 FB%. Double-A hitters are generally in the 34-36% range on average. How does that translate to the MLB level? MLB hitters average between 34-38%. Rodriguez has a genuine knack for making high-quality contact and being able to also lift and drive the ball with that quality of contact. Famously, Jordan Walker, when he first arrived in the big leagues, would show great quality of contact with high EV’s but could not effectively lift the ball off the ground, thus limiting his ability to do damage. One of the primary reasons we were able to witness his breakout this season was a decrease in GB%. 2025 – 47.9% -> 2026 -41.2%. Rodriguez will be able to step into a big-league batter’s box, already possessing that skill.
I understand that sometimes part of my responsibility on this site is to temper expectations and try to speak in terms that are less hyperbolic and more realistic. I see no reason for every single Cardinals fan not to dream BIG about what Rainiel Rodriguez could accomplish in the near future. Baseball isn’t supposed to be as easy as he can make it look, and perhaps there will be growing pains and adjustments needed as he continues to ascend, but so far in his young career, his roadblock moments have appeared to be more “oppositional suggestions” than real hindrances in his ascension towards the show. “Hulk,” as his teammates affectionately have nicknamed him, should be showing off his immense power in St. Louis in the near future as he stomps his way around the bags at Busch.
MESA, AZ - MARCH 22: Eric Bitonti #48 of the Milwaukee Brewers rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the seventh inning during the game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Athletics at Hohokam Stadium on Sunday, March 22, 2026 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Welcome back to the Minor League Roundup!
As a reminder, you can find this roundup — covering everything you need to know about each of the Brewers’ minor league affiliates — every Tuesday morning right here on Brew Crew Ball. For consistency, all organizational prospect rankings will reference MLB Pipeline unless otherwise noted.
Triple-A Nashville Sounds
Current record: 71-58 Record this week: 3-3 This week’s opponent: @ Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Next week’s opponent: vs. Louisville Bats
Standout weekly performances:
Tyler Black: 7-for-15, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 7 BB, 4 K Akil Baddoo: 8-for-19, 2 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K Bo Naylor: 6-for-20, 3 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K Brock Wilken: 6-for-21, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 1 BB, 6 K Colton Gordon: 11.0 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 13 K Brandon Sproat: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K Tyson Hardin: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K Coleman Crow: 5.0 IP, 11 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
With rosters expanding on Sept. 1, it’s likely that one of the Sounds’ position players will be in Milwaukee by the time this article is published. Lefty reliever JoJo Romero seems like a good bet to be activated, but there are a couple of possibilities for the second and final roster spot.
Three of those options had big weeks against Jacksonville. Tyler Black, Akil Baddoo, and Bo Naylor all recorded four extra-base hits; Black went 7-for-15 with seven walks, good for a ridiculous 1.586 OPS, while Baddoo’s OPS (1.320) wasn’t far behind.
Naylor, who went 6-for-20 with seven RBIs, still feels like the most likely option. Milwaukee already has plenty of outfield options, making Baddoo somewhat redundant, and the same goes for Black, whose defensive fit on the current roster isn’t particularly obvious.
Meanwhile, Naylor gives the Brewers a third catcher with major league experience, which is important because Contreras will need days off to keep him fresh for the playoffs and Gary Sánchez isn’t a Gold Glover. With a .903 OPS in 60 at-bats since the trade, Naylor has also shown that he has enough offensive upside to be useful off the bench. It’s worth mentioning, too, that the Brewers liked him enough to go out and get him from Cleveland, trading away outfielder Blake Perkins and reliever Craig Yoho at the deadline.
Jeferson Quero is another possibility, and he’s had a solid season at the plate with a .755 OPS and 15 home runs, but there are reasons to think Milwaukee might prefer Naylor for September. Quero has thrown out a little under 16% of attempted base stealers this season in 116 attempts, and there are still questions about how much of a workload he can handle behind the plate. From June 28 through Aug. 15, Quero didn’t catch a game, appearing exclusively at DH. Add in Naylor’s previous major league experience, and he seems like the safer choice for a team with World Series aspirations.
Elsewhere, Brock Wilken continued his recent surge with two more homers, while Colton Gordon turned in a strong week on the mound. Gordon worked 11 innings across two appearances, allowing four earned runs while striking out 13 and walking only two. Brandon Sproat struck out seven over four one-hit innings, although he allowed two runs and walked three.
Double-A Biloxi Shuckers
Current record: 59-63 Record this week: 3-3 This week’s opponent: vs. Knoxville Smokies Next week’s opponent: vs. Birmingham Barons
Standout performances:
Andrew Fischer: 6-for-16, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 3 BB, 7 K Braylon Payne: 8-for-22, 2 2B, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 7 K Mike Boeve: 6-for-18, 0 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K Luis Peña: 6-for-19, 0 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K Dylan O’Rae: 5-for-20, 1 3B, 0 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K Bishop Letson: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K Jaron DeBerry: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 5 K J.D. Thompson: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 4 K Manuel Rodriguez: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K Jack Seppings: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
Jesús Made has finally encountered something resembling a speed bump.
Made went 4-for-18 this week to bring his line for the month of August to .204/.299/.280. It’s hardly concerning for a player who is still just 19 years old and has rocketed through the system, but the Southern League has provided a considerably tougher test than the levels below it. Made’s overall numbers (.773 OPS) remain impressive considering his age and aggressive assignments, but his production has cooled as the season has progressed.
Andrew Fischer has dealt with some adjustments of his own since arriving in Biloxi, hitting .183 over the month of August. He spent this week reminding everyone exactly why he’s one of the fastest-rising prospects in the organization, though, going 6-for-16 with four home runs and eight RBIs — three of those homers coming in a monster performance Thursday. He finished the week with a 1.575 OPS despite striking out seven times in 20 plate appearances.
While Fischer still had an .820 OPS last month, his batting average is worth watching, as are the strikeouts — although he hasn’t actually been striking out all that much more in Double-A (82 Ks in 246 Single-A plate appearances vs. 90 in 258 Double-A plate appearances). Still, he’s hit 42 home runs this year. Progress isn’t linear, and both Made and Fischer have proven enough so far that one down month doesn’t mean much. If both struggle tremendously to end the year, then it becomes a conversation, but as of now, it’s somewhat premature.
Braylon Payne continued his breakout season with another great week, going 8-for-22 with two doubles and two homers, while Mike Boeve went 6-for-18 with three walks.
Braylon Payne has looked good vs. Double-A pitching so far, and is coming off a fantastic series for Biloxi.
8-for-22 4 XBH .364 ISO 191 wRC+
While much more aggressive so far, he’s raised his contact-rate from Hi-A, with just slightly elevated whiff. pic.twitter.com/ET7VQAQDVT
Biloxi also got a trio of impressive performances from its pitching staff, headlined by Bishop Letson, who allowed just one earned run over five innings while striking out five. Jaron DeBerry and J.D. Thompson also held the Smokies to one run in their respective starts, although each pitcher issued five walks.
High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
Current record: 63-55 Record this week: 3-3 This week’s opponent: vs. South Bend Cubs Next week’s opponent: @ Beloit Sky Carp
Standout performances:
Eric Bitonti: 9-for-23, 7 2B, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 4 BB, 7 K Sawyer Strosnider: 9-for-24, 3 2B, 1 3B, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K Luis Lameda: 4-for-11, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K Tyler Rodriguez: 5-for-15, 2 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 4 K Daniel Dickinson: 7-for-24, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K Wande Torres: 6.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K Josh Knoth: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K Michael Fowler: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K Andrew Healy: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K Jarrette Bonet: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
Eric Bitonti, who I highlighted as the Player of the Week in last week’s column, almost one-upped himself this week. He absolutely demolished South Bend pitching, going 9-for-23 with seven doubles, two home runs, and 12 RBIs. That’s nine extra-base hits in six games, good for a .391 average and 1.438 OPS. His best performance came Thursday, when he collected three hits, including a homer, and drove in four.
Eric Bitonti has been awarded the Midwest League Player of the Week for his offensive explosion in 6 games for the @TimberRattlers 💥
Bitonti put up 9 hits, all of which went for extra bases, crushing 2 home runs and 7 doubles (‼️) which was the most doubles by any professional… https://t.co/MTdboqBfa8
Bitonti, still only 20, is now hitting .273 with a .929 OPS, although he was far from the only notable Brewers prospect to have a strong week. Sawyer Strosnider continued to hit after his promotion to High-A, finishing 9-for-24 with three doubles and a triple. It’s hard to ask for a better start from Strosnider than a .328/.438/.507 line through his first 67 professional at-bats. Also, for the “eye test” people out there, look at this absolute beauty of a swing:
Daniel Dickinson also had another productive series, going 7-for-24 with a double, triple, homer, and three walks while striking out only four times in 29 plate appearances.
Wisconsin got two noteworthy performances from its pitching staff courtesy of Wande Torres and Josh Knoth. Torres, the Brewers’ Pitcher of the Month for July, might win again this month after putting up a 1.75 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 25.2 innings in August. He turned in the best start of the week, tossing 6 2/3 scoreless innings while allowing only three hits and two walks. Knoth wasn’t quite as dominant, but put together another solid start of his own, allowing two earned runs across six innings while walking just one. Also of note: Knoth was promoted to Double-A Biloxi last Thursday, August 27th.
Knoth’s development remains particularly worth watching down the stretch. The former second-round pick missed all of 2025 following Tommy John surgery, so simply seeing him continue to accumulate innings is important. The results (4.33 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 4.42 FIP, 4.27 xFIP, 8.65 K/9, 3.41 BB/9) are becoming increasingly relevant, too, as Milwaukee gets a better idea of where he fits in among their top pitching prospects.
Single-A Wilson Warbirds
Current record: 64-59 Record this week: 1-6 This week’s opponent: vs. Hickory Crawdads Next week’s opponent: @ Fredericksburg Nationals
Standout performances:
Frederi Montero: 5-for-11, 2 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 0 K Handelfry Encarnacion: 4-for-11, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K Kyle Jones: 8-for-23, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K Rylan Mills: 7-for-21, 1 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 3 BB, 10 K Brailyn Antunez: 5-for-21, 1 2B, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 8 K Miqueas Mercedes: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K Thomas Conrad: 6.1 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 5 BB, 3 K Tyler Renz: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K Hayden Robinson: 7.0 IP, 8 H, 8 ER, 6 BB, 7 K
It wasn’t a great week for Wilson as a team; the Warbirds went just 1-6 and were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday. They’ll wrap up their inaugural season next week with a series against the Fredericksburg Nationals.
While I’ll refrain from talking about everything until next week’s season recap (covering both A-ball affiliates), there’s a lot to be excited about down in Wilson.
Catcher Rylan Mills, who has an .813 OPS in 187 at-bats with the Warbirds, went 7-for-21 with three home runs, six RBIs, and three walks. Even more impressively, he put together multi-hit games with a homer on both Friday and Saturday. Mills’ power came with plenty of swing-and-miss — he struck out 10 times in 24 plate appearances — but three homers in a week will always play.
Rylan Mills (C, 19yo) is coming into his own in Low-A in his first professional season with a torrid month of July 🔥
In 14 games this month Mills has mashed 7 XBH (3 HR) and has the same amount of walks as strikeouts (12) driving his 1.233 OPS‼️ He also ranks among the best… pic.twitter.com/7yFKw9wRUP
— Brewers Player Development (@BrewersPD) July 31, 2026
Kyle Jones had a slightly quieter week at the plate, although it wasn’t exactly quiet. He hit .348 with a double and three RBIs while striking out only twice. Jones, the Brewers’ third-round pick in this year’s draft, is hitting .304 through his first 69 professional at-bats.
On the mound, Miqueas Mercedes delivered easily the best performance of the week. Mercedes tossed seven scoreless innings, allowing only four hits without issuing a walk. He struck out three, relying more on contact management than overpowering hitters, but the results — seven shutout innings with a 0.57 WHIP — are hard to argue with.
Finally, as always, Handelfry Encarnacion and Brailyn Antunez continued to produce. Encarnacion went 4-for-11 with a pair of doubles, two RBIs, and only two strikeouts, finishing the week with a 1.007 OPS. Antunez went 5-for-21 with a double, four RBIs, and two walks, though he struck out eight times.
Play of the Week:
Shortstop Dylan O’Rae broke the Shuckers’ single-season franchise record for stolen bases with his 53rd of the season last Friday.
THE SINGLE-SEASON FRANCHISE RECORD FOR STOLEN BASES BELONGS TO DYLAN O'RAE!!
Aug 25, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets center fielder Luis Robert Jr. (88) gestures after hitting a solo home run in the sixth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Happy Tuesday, Camden Chatters. We made it to September!
The Orioles are still out west for the last few games of their long road trip. I personally find this stretch of games to be a touch on the ridiculous side. After an off-day on Monday, August 24th, the Orioles traveled to St. Louis. That kicked off 16 straight days without a day off. That is a really long stretch of games, but the travel on top of that is too much.
The Orioles traveled St. Louis (Central time zone) to Sacramento (Pacific) to Denver (Mountain). When their series with the Rockies is over, they will travel home to Baltimore (Eastern). They will play seven games in Baltimore before an off day. Sixteen games, four time zones, zero off days. I’m sorry, that’s bonkers.
Yesterday afternoon, the Orioles claimed outfielder Luis Robert Jr. off waivers from the Mets. The Mets are currently a last-place team with a bloated payroll, and the move saves them millions of dollars. Robert is still owed about $3 million of this year’s salary, which the Orioles will now cover. His contract also holds a $20 million club option for 2027 with a $2 million buyout. The Orioles are also on the hook for that. And because the Mets payroll is so large, they were paying 110% luxury tax on Robert’s salary. Getting another team to take Robert for 25 games is saving them north of $8 million.
The Orioles, for their part, are hoping that Robert can harness some of the talent that he showed earlier in his career. The White Sox signed Robert to a six-year contract with two club option years back in January 2020, when he had never played a single Major League game. That year, Robert came second in AL Rookie of the Year voting and locked up a Gold Glove for his defense in center field.
Since then however, he has been unable to stay healthy and productive. He has played over 100 games just twice. In 2023, he hit 36 doubles and 38 home runs in 145 games, racking up a 5.4 bWAR. And in 2025, he played in 110 games with a drop in both power and OBP. His offensive production dropped off significantly of his last three injury-marred seasons.
The White Sox picked up the first of Robert’s two options last November. In January, they traded him to the Mets. In six seasons with the White Sox, Roberts played in 577 games. He hit .253/.313/.455. He has always been considered a strong defender.
Robert broke camp with the Mets in March and was an everyday player until he went on the IL at the end of March with a lumbar spine disc herniation. He was not playing well when he went on the IL, and he got off to a slow start upon his return on July 2oth.
But for the month of August, he has been much improved. In 24 games, Robert had six home runs and seven walks in 84 plate appearances. His hitting line was .267/.321/.520 (.841 OPS). Once a pretty good base stealer, that has dried up. But he is still fast on the base paths.
With Tyler O’Neill on the IL and Leody Taveras atrocious against left-handed pitchers, the Orioles need a right-handed bat in the outfield. They just spent a lot of money to try and improve over the final 25 games of the season (and playoffs!), and it’s a risk I appreciate. I don’t care about their money; they should spend it all, as far as I’m concerned. But I know that some other clubs wouldn’t in the same position. That includes the John Angelos era Orioles.
Will it make a difference? None of us really knows. But it has the potential to, which makes it exciting. Let’s all hope Luis Robert Jr. stays healthy and productive and keeps Taveras where he belongs against lefties: on the bench.
Because You Asked – The Bone Temple – MASN Sports Roch Kubatko has a Q&A for the fans. He says it’s a mailbag, but is someone out there really asking about Nick Raquet? (Get well soon, Nick Raquet)
Birthdays and History
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have two Orioles birthday buddies, although neither is particularly memorable for their time in Baltimore. Eduard Bazardo is 31 years old today. He pitched 2.1 forgettable innings for the 2023. The Orioles traded him to the Mariners at the trade deadline of that year and he’s spent the last three-plus seasons in Seattle. He’s been particularly good out of the bullpen in the last two years. The trade return, Logan Rinehart, is no longer playing professional baseball.
Also born on this day in history is another pitcher, Dean Stone (b. 1930, d. 2018). Stone pitched in eight Major League seasons, the last of which was 1963 with the Orioles. A relief pitcher, Stone had a 5.12 ERA in 17 games. Cool name, though.
On this day in 1999, Albert Belle hit his 40th home run in a 3-1 win over the Rays. It marked his eighth straight season with 30+ home runs. It was also his final season with 30.
In 2000, the Orioles turned a triple play in Cleveland. With runners on first and second, Sandy Alomar Jr. hit a pop-up into shallow left-center field. Shortstop Melvin Mora raced out to catch it, but at the last second let it drop. The infield fly rule was not called. Mora threw to second base where Jerry Hairston applied the tag to Travis Fryman and stepped on second base to retire Wil Cordero. The third out came from Alomar, who assumed it was an infield fly and went right into the dugout.
In 2005, the Orioles released pitcher Sidney Ponson. He had one year and $10 million remaining on his contract, but the Orioles contended that his off-field conduct (multiple DUIs, one judge punching) warranted termination. MLBPA filed a grievance on Ponson’s behalf, and the two sides later settled.
In 2007, Clay Buchholz no-hit the Orioles in his second career start. That was embarrassing.
In 2011, the Rangers and Orioles completed the trade that sent Mike González to Texas at that year’s trade deadline. The PTBNL turned out to be Pedro Strop.
And on this day last year, the Orioles beat the Padres 4-3. They got to Dylan Cease for two runs in four innings, then added on two more against the bullpen. Kyle Bradish allowed two runs in four innings as well, but Baltimore’s bullpen was better. Jeremiah Jackson had three hits, including a home run. Samuel Basallo doubled twice.
Oh, man, I was really wanting this article to be a celebration of PCA, the MVP(?) and a win of the series and start another streak of series wins.
But, Shota. Craig Counsell said, “We need Shota. We need Shota. We need him to have good starts.” That’s good to say, but there needs to be a replacement ready to go for the playoffs — and maybe before to make sure they even make the playoffs. The comfortable Wild Card lead is no longer comfortable, especially with the Brewers the focus over the next 10 games.
Counsell is not wrong — Imanaga has not had a bad season. He’s had a season full of CSPSHRs*, but now they are turning into two- and three-run home runs. “Needing him to have good starts” would be a drastic improvement from recent results, and a lot to hope for.
Yeah, that took a bit of the air out of the PCA bubble, but he can handle all the self-promotion with that magic bat of his. There’s been 40-40 talk for a few weeks now, and it was natural to assume that getting the homers are the hardest part. After Sunday, he’s two homers away. You can’t tell him to walk or turn every hit (inside the park) into a single just to steal eight more bases, especially with the playoffs are on the line. But I’m sure there will be opportunities for him to stack a couple of SBs here and there, so we’ll see.
You know all of PCA’s stats for each game, but for posterity, in the two games, PCA went 6-for-11 with six runs scored, five home runs and eight RBI. The Cubs need to keep him in bubble wrap between games.
For the other hitters this weekend — most of the action was on Saturday (obviously) but these two had a good pair of games. Alex Bregman went 4-for-9 with a run scored, two doubles, a home run and three RBI. Nico Hoerner quietly went 3-for-8 with two RBI.
Saturday saw Carson Kelly go off — 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, a home run and 4 RBI. Tyrone Taylor keeps impressing, going 4-for-5 with a double and three runs scored. Seiya Suzuki went 3-for-5 with a walk, three runs scored, a home run and two RBI. And Pedro Ramirez went 2-for-3 with two walks and three runs scored.
Sunday had Ian Happ adding a 2-for-3 day with a walk and two runs scored.
It’s a good thing that the Cubs scored so many runs Saturday. Kevin Gausman allowed five runs over five innings, with five hits and two walks, but two of those hits were home runs. He did strike out seven. Hope it was just a little blip.
In the two games, the bullpen was (cautiously) good after the meltdown Friday. Over eight IP, the bullpen allowed one run (on Trent Thornton’s HR allowed), four total hits, three walks and six strikeouts.
Complimentary Starting Pitcher Solo Home Run*
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Combo PCA-Mania — Sammy Sosa’s Magic Prediction — Cubs and MLB History — OH! and MVP Race:
Jeff Agrest (Chicago Sun-Times): The anatomy of Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong’s potential MVP season. “While working with assistant hitting coach John Mallee at Citi Field, Crow-Armstrong walked out of the cage and essentially said, “I found something that I’m going to be able to repeat for a long time.” He has.“
Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Even Cubs legends are in awe of Pete Crow-Armstrong’s MVP campaign. “Jake Arrieta said, “For his third at-bat, his fourth at-bat, his fifth at-bat, we were glued to the actual gameplay live. I didn’t want to just watch it on TV. I wanted to see it happen live. We’re all standing there and you’re kind of shaking your head.”“
Pete Crow-Armstrong joins Mookie Betts (2018) as the only players in MLB history to accomplish these feats in one season: • Hitting a lead-off home run • Hitting a walk-off home run • Hitting for the cycle • Hitting 3 home runs in one game pic.twitter.com/kHPkXRjqzg
Jeff Agrest (Chicago Sun-Times): Cubs’ key relievers might be regressing to mean at worst time. “After David Peterson at least gave the Cubs a chance to win, Trent Thornton all but removed it, allowing five runs in the sixth inning of a 10-8 loss to the Reds.”
Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune {$})): Sammy Sosa basking in rebuilt relationship with Cubs. “Of his relationship with the team he defined for 13 seasons, Sosa said he and the Cubs have put their old differences to the side.”
Jordan Bastian and Adam McCalvy (MLB.com): Cubs’ divisional fate rests on the results of their next 10 days. “With seven games between the Cubs and Brewers over the next 10 days, this is Chicago’s chance to try to swing the momentum in this year’s division race before it is too late.”
Altered Five Blues Band (originally known as Altered Five) is an American five-piece blues band. Formed in 2002 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, they have released six albums since 2008. Altered Five smokes, smolders and burns like a swig of good whiskey. The hip Milwaukee quintet is known for its strong brew of tough, original blues and hard-hitting live shows. Blues Blast raves that barrel-chested front man Jeff Taylor possesses a “smooth, warm-toned voice as monumental and undeniable as Howlin’ Wolf with the finish and flourish of B.B. King.” Downbeat declares stealth guitarist Jeff Schroedl “reaches the high bar of mixed invention and fluidity.” Fueled by a rhythm section laying down the deepest grooves this side of the MGs, the award-winning group has remained at the forefront of contemporary blues for more than two decades, performing in 13 countries around the world.
Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 31: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees smiles on the field before the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on August 31, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The dog days of August are over and the final month of the MLB regular season has arrived. Leading the Wild Card race, the Yankees are in good shape to return to the playoffs for the ninth time in the last decade (and 27th time in 32 years dating back to 1995), but they have a tall task ahead if they want to run down the surprising Rays for the division title and a first-round bye. Otherwise, a likely Wild Card Series rematch with the Red Sox awaits, with the winner behind the eight-ball in terms of pitching before they square off with Tampa Bay in the ALDS — the same scenario that the Yankees got burned by in 2025 with Toronto.
But let’s ponder the AL East for a second and be hopeful. FanGraphs gives the Yankees a 16.9-percent chance of winning the division. That’s not great, but 2025 AL MVP runner-up Cal Raleigh is hitting .171, so consider the odds about the same as Raleigh getting a hit in a given at-bat this year. Unlikely, but not impossible! Here’s how Yankees’ September lines up:
September 1-2: @ Angels
September 4-6: @ Padres
September 8-10: vs. Rockies
September 11-13: vs. Mets
September 14-16: @ Twins
September 18-20: @ Diamondbacks
September 22-24: vs. Rays (doubleheader on 9/23)
September 25-27: vs. Orioles
That’s 24 games. If they win, say, two-thirds to take 16, then they’ll need the Rays to only win 11 of their 25 to fully make up the deficit (unless they can sweep that four-game set against Tampa Bay to get the tiebreaker, which I’m not counting on). It’s a tall task, and while I have skepticism about the Rays, in my gut, I don’t think they’re a team that will have a losing month. I actually am optimistic enough on the Bombers that they can get a 16-win month against that batch. My concern is that—like their 18-win September 2025—it might not be enough.
But despite that missed opportunity last night, I can hope! Remember when the 2017 Dodgers were on an absurd win pace and then utterly bombed in September? And this Rays team is no 2017 Dodgers. What do you think?
Today on the site, Dani will discuss the new SB Nation app that just came out to help make your experience on the site (and others around SBN) much smoother! We’ll also have Michael’s weekly minor league report, Madison on the Rivalry Roundup, Kento on the birthday of a forgotten Yankee who starred at Dartmouth long before Ben Rice, Peter’s monthly GM poll, and Jonathan and Matt on our monthly check-ins on the AL Central and AL West, respectively.
As a programming note, there’s no minor-league recap today because none of the Yankees’ affiliates were in action.
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 30: Jazz Chisholm Jr. #13 of the New York Yankees high fives teammates during the game against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on August 30, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
MLB.com | Ian Browne: Sunday’s blowout win over the Red Sox came with some minor controversies, but one of them was generated by a broadcast booth. Red Sox radio play-by-play commentator Will Flemming became irate with Jazz Chisholm Jr. stealing a pair of bases in the eighth inning with the Yankees up 7-1 at the time, calling first for Boston’s pitcher to drill Austin Wells (who was at the plate at the time) before turning his temper to Jazz as he walked over to home plate after Wells hit a home run and saying that the pitcher should start a fight with the Yankee second baseman. The Rivalry can certainly cause a flare of emotions from time to time, even if nowhere close to as often as the 2000s teams did, but Flemming truly crossed a line when he called Chisholm a “bush league player” for stealing those bases and adding that he “didn’t play the game the right way,” invoking the type of commentary that less than stellar folks tend to direct at Chisholm over a decision to swipe some bags in a game that was still very much up for grabs.
Aaron Boone, when asked about the incident on Monday, added that he was the one who told Chisholm to go for the steals since the Sox weren’t holding him at first and he wanted to rule out needing David Bednar in that game, even yelling at the Sox’ dugout that he would let Chisholm loose if they didn’t care to hold him. Boone also added that Flemming reached out to apologize about the incident, though he didn’t give that apology to Jazz. Chisholm, to his credit, took it in stride saying he didn’t care about an apology as he didn’t know who Flemming was until he was told about it Monday morning, and he’d forget about him soon after.
NY Daily News | Gary Phillips: The Yankees are keeping a watchful eye on Shoki Oda, an 18-year-old Japanese pitching prospect turning lots of heads as he weighs a decision to declare for the Nippon Professional Baseball draft or become an international free agent. The NPB draft is on October 22nd, effectively serving as Oda’s deadline, but if he chooses to go stateside teams wouldn’t be able to sign him until January 15, 2027. That pushes him into the 2027 signing class as opposed to the 2026 period, the latter of which the Yankees still have a rare pile of money to spend after previous agreements they made under international scouting director Donny Rowland fell through after he was let go by the organization. The Yankees are one of many teams highly interested in Oda, but they’re also showing a renewed effort in making connections with the Japanese market — an area they’ve been largely absent from since signing Masahiro Tanaka way back in 2014.
NJ.com | Bob Klapisch: Heliot Ramos didn’t get off to the most impressive start in his Yankees tenure, hitting 2-for-32 in his first 13 games in pinstripes. He’s turned it on of late though, encapsulated by his three-run homer on Sunday to break open the scoring in what became a rout, and having Ramos contributing goes a long way towards making the Yankee lineup a more balanced threat. Ramos was the right-handed addition to the offense at the deadline, and being able to slot him in around Aaron Judge once the captain returns will go a long way to building the deepest threat they have for October.
NY Post | Greg Joyce: In case you missed it, the Yankees continued their roulette spinning in the relief market by picking up John Schreiber off of waivers from Kansas City. Schreiber has been a solid enough reliever this year, owning a 3.65 ERA in 55 games, but his numbers come with a very obvious split: right-handed hitters have a .414 OPS against him while lefties have crushed him for a 1.024 OPS. He’ll get a chance to pick up innings against righty-dominant stretches of opposing lineups and carve out a niche for himself with the potential to earn a postseason roster spot if he succeeds, but the biggest impact he could carry is simply lightening the load a little bit from the Yankees’ top three arms in David Bednar, Paul Blackburn, and Brent Headrick.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - AUGUST 31: Ketel Marte #4 of the Arizona Diamondbacks greets Dave McKay #36 in the dugout before the MLB game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Chase Field on August 31, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Record: 73-66. Pace: 85-77. Change on 2025: +5.
The Diamondbacks won the series against the Phillies on the East coast, but all three games there were decided by one run. Tonight’s game at Chase Field was just as close, neither side exactly taking advantage of their scoring opportunities. Arizona and Philadelphia combined to go 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position. But it was the “1” which proved the difference maker, Bryce Harper’s RBI double off the outfield wall turning out to be enough. It gave D-backs’ pitcher Brandon Pfaadt his first loss since April 11th, ending his streak of unbeaten starts at ten, though it was definitely a tough loss.
Of course, the major storyline tonight was the return of Ketel Marte to the Diamondbacks’ line-up. It came after ten days on the Injured List for a knee issue, and a few more on the Restricted List after he failed to show up at Fenway Park for a game. How would he be greeted by the fans at Chase? Listening at home, it seemed a genuinely mixed greeting, but reporting from the ballpark, Jack said, “Many more booing than cheering, booers were louder, and booed again as he grounded out.” However, the reception for his subsequent at-bats seemed to be kinder. Maybe it’s like family: you can’t stay angry at them forever. You still have to live with them, after all.
In the end, Marte went 1-for-3 with a walk (we’ll cycle back to that later). Hopefully, this entire situation is something the team can now put behind them for now, and just concentrate on the battle for a wild-card spot. Regardless of what does (or does not) happen in the off-season, the month of September is something which deserves absolute focus and commitment from everyone on the roster the rest of the way. Hopefully, it shouldn’t be too hard for everyone to pull in the same direction over the remaining games. Except in the absence of a relapse, I’m inclined to draw a line under everything for the balance of this season. So, moving on…
After a pair of 1-2-3 innings in the first, the Phillies took the lead with one out in the second. It came on an absolute monster shot by Bryson Stott off Pfaadt, estimated at 464 feet. That’s the second-longest hit at Chase Field this year, trailing only a ringworm-powered one which went one foot longer. It was also the third-longest allowed by Pfaadt at Chase, the record belonging to a 472 footer by Oneil Cruz. In case you’re wondering, in the Statcast era, the record is a Franchy Cordero blast in 2018 off Matt Koch, tracked at 489 feet. Of course, like the blast tonight, it still only counted as one, the Stott shot giving Philadelphia a 1-0 lead.
They were then able to double their tally in the third, though things could have been a lot worse. A single and a walk started the inning, then Harper’s double with one out put two in scoring position. Luis Arraez did Luis Arraez things, putting the ball in play. However, it was firmly hit to Ildemaro Vargas, who came home for Gabriel Moreno to apply the tag at home for the second out. Pfaadt was able to escape further damage, and got through six innings on 87 pitches, allowing five hits, with one walk and just the one strikeout. While he did take the L and there were only five swinging strikes, it was a better performance than his outings against the Red Sox or Cubs.
After the second Phillies tally, the D-backs were able to get on the board in the bottom of the third. Though they had already stranded their first runner in scoring position in the second inning, after a Lars Nootbaar walk and Nolan Arenado legging out an infield hit (no, really!). Tim Tawa and Ildemaro Vargas came up empty, but definitely weren’t the last Arizona hitters to do so. But in the third, a two-out double just fair down the left-field line by Moreno, and an aggressive send by third-base coach J.R. House, got Geraldo Perdomo all the way from first across home-plate, narrowing the deficit to 2-1.
While the visitors would not be able to score over the remaining six innings, neither could the home team. Arizona’s best chance perhaps came in the sixth, where Moreno singled and Marte walked, to put two on with nobody out. But Nootbaar, Arenado and Tawa couldn’t move the runners. The most egregious mistake might have come in the seventh, where Vargas’s lead-off hit was erased on an ill-advised attempt to start running for second while the pitcher still had the ball. There were two more Arizona men on base with one out in the eighth, but Arenado and Tawa were, again, unable to do anything.
The last chance came in the ninth against (as Sneeks pointed out in the GDT) former D-backs prospect Jhoan Duran, now the Phillies’ closer. He was part of the haul sent by Arizona to Minnesota in 2018 for Eduardo Escobar, and after becoming the Twins closer, was traded to Philadelphia in 2025. Tonight, the D-backs almost got to him. Ryan Waldschmidt and Corbin Carroll each got infield hits (Carroll avoiding an 0-for-5 night), to put the tying run in scoring position with two outs. Moreno came up, with Marte lurking in the on-deck circle, ready to speed-run the Redemption Arc storyline. But Gaby grounded out, and another one-run game went the Phillies’ way.
Click for details at Fangraphs Redemption, of a kind: Ketel Marte, +10% Damnation: Tim Tawa, -26% Perdition: Arenado, -18%; Vargas, -18%; Perdomo, -12%
Interesting to see Ketel Marte leading the Win Probability on his return tonight. Of note, after the game:
Ketel Marte after the game said he misunderstood the question asked to him pregame on if he had any message for the fans, a question he shook his head no to.
Comment of the night to AzDesertLovr (one of these days, I will both spell and capitalize that correctly first time – but today is not that day!) for coming oh-so close to a correct prediction about Ketel Marte’s performance on his return.
With the Padres winning, Arizona drops out of a wild-card position by one-half of a game. We will see what tomorrow brings, in the second game of the series. It’s another 6:40 pm pitch, with Eduardo Rodriguez taking the mound for the Diamondbacks.
ANAHEIM, Calif. — After his first four big league starts were all fairly similar — meaning not particularly effective — Elmer Rodríguez dazzled his last time out, offering hope the young right-hander had figured things out in his time back at Triple-A.
Then came another dud Monday, with most of his teammates following suit.
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Rodríguez walked three batters, hit two more and gave up four runs in 3 ²/₃ innings as the Yankees fell flat all around following their big weekend against the Red Sox, losing 10-1 to the Angels, who came into the night tied for the worst record in baseball.
“Obviously an ugly one for us tonight,” manager Aaron Boone said. “It’s just a great reminder that in this league, you got to play well or you get it handed to you.”
Coming off a high-stakes series win over the Red Sox, with four games in three days and then a cross-country flight Sunday night, the Yankees (78-60) were not sharp in any area Monday in a lifeless performance.
“That’s an excuse. That’s an excuse,” Boone said. “It’s obviously been a tough stretch. We’re coming out here, we know we got to play well. We were ready to go today, we just played poorly.”
New York Yankees pitcher Elmer Rodriguez comes out of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in the fourth inning on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. AP Photo/Wally Skalij
They wasted a chance to pick up a game on the Rays, remaining 4 ¹/₂ games behind them for the division, while the Red Sox moved back within three games of the Yankees for the top AL wild card.
Any chance the Yankees had of coming back after Rodríguez spotted the Angels (53-85) a 4-0 lead was sabotaged by some sloppy play late with three errors, two charged to José Caballero on one play.
Rodríguez had actually flown ahead of the rest of his teammates, landing in Los Angeles around 7:30 p.m. local time Sunday to get him a good night’s rest, though it did not make a difference. After tossing six innings of three-run ball against the Astros last week, Rodríguez needed 91 pitches to record 11 outs Monday, with his velocity falling off late in addition to his poor command.
“Just falling behind a lot of hitters,” Rodríguez said. “I feel like if I just attacked from the start — I know when I was ahead, I was getting my outs and executing good pitches.”
In relief, Michael Fulmer, Luis Gil (in his first career appearance out of the bullpen) and David Bednar (who got hit around in a 28-pitch eighth after pitching just once in the last 10 days and the rest of the seven-man bullpen taxed) each gave up at least one run, allowing the game to get out of hand.
The Yankees, who scored 25 runs in their last two games against the Red Sox, made plenty of loud contact early against Angels right-hander Walbert Ureña with little to show for it before he settled into a groove. They let him off the hook in the first inning, when Trent Grisham — moved out of the leadoff spot against a righty (in favor of Ben Rice) for only the second time since May — struck out to end the threat.
Michael Fulmer of the New York Yankees reacts to a run from Christian Moore of the Los Angeles Angels after a failed pickoff attempt at second base during the fifth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Getty Images
Their only run in seven innings against Ureña came on Spencer Jones’ moonshot in the fifth inning. In each of the first three innings, Rodríguez issued a two-out walk. He worked around the first two but the third, which came after a leadoff double, eventually gave way to the Angels’ first run on Vaughn Grissom’s RBI single.
Rodríguez then got himself in trouble again with two outs in the fourth after hitting ex-Yankee Oswald Peraza and Tyler Heineman in back-to-back at-bats, both on curveballs. Zach Neto and Mike Trout followed with back-to-back singles that made it a 4-0 game.
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Fulmer gave up a pair of runs in an ugly fifth, which were not entirely his fault. With a runner on second and one out, Christian Moore hit a bloop to right field that Jones tried to make a sliding grab on, only to come up short, with his glove flicking the ball back toward the infield and allowing the run to score and Moore to take second on a double.
Fulmer then tried to pick off Moore, but Caballero could not catch the throw and it got worse from there, as Grisham lobbed the throw in to no one in particular. That allowed the advantageous Moore to come all the way around to score for the 6-1 lead.
Caballero later committed two errors on one play in the sixth inning behind Gil, who gave up one run in two innings. First, Caballero bobbled a grounder to cost him a shot at a double play, then tried to just get the out at first, which did not happen either after he bounced the throw there, as the Angels made it 7-1.
“Couple mistakes we made, including me,” Caballero said. “Just need to clean that up and play better baseball.”
