Category: Baseball

In the small sample size of 29 plate appearances, Spencer Jones has gone 8-for-25 with two home runs, two doubles, a triple and a 1.134 OPS against left-handed pitching.

The lefty slugger will have to prove more to remain in the game when matched up with particularly tough southpaws.

In a one-run game in the eighth inning Thursday, manager Aaron Boone lifted Jones for righty-hitting Heliot Ramos against Seattle lefty José Ferrer, who is one of the game’s best relievers at neutralizing lefty hitters.

“That’s one of the reasons we brought Heliot Ramos in was his presence against [lefties],” Boone said of the trade-deadline pickup, who grounded out and has not started well with the Yankees (2-for-25).

Boone said he did not consider leaving Jones, who had a strong game Wednesday but went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in Thursday’s 1-0 loss, in to face Ferrer.

Entering play, Ferrer held fellow lefties to a .553 OPS with zero home runs in 109 plate appearances while righties (.913 OPS with five home runs) have crushed him. 

In that way, Boone said Ferrer is “unique” because he has “really struggled with right-handed hitters.”

This was the type of scenario GM Brian Cashman may have envisioned in acquiring the former Giant, Ramos entering the at-bat hitting .271 with a .795 OPS against southpaws, and became Boone’s choice over Jones and Paul Goldschmidt.

For one August game, it didn’t work.

After going 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored Wednesday, George Lombard Jr. was moved up to fifth in the lineup and went 0-for-4 with a strikeout. He had batted from sixth through ninth in his first seven major league games.

Boone downplayed the ascension, chalking it up to his “obsession with trying to create a little balance.” The righty swinger hit between lefties Luis García Jr. and Jazz Chisholm Jr. for a lineup that alternated handedness from Nos. 4-9.

Regardless, Boone needed a righty to bump up and chose Lombard over José Caballero and Ali Sánchez.

“His approach has been excellent,” Boone said of Lombard.

Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger, who both had run the bases — typically a significant step that leads to a rehab assignment — the past two days, came through fine, Boone said.

Boone declined to reveal the next steps for either and said the organization has not yet decided if Stanton — out since April with a pair of calf strains — will require a rehab assignment. 

Carlos Rodón threw 58 pitches (41 strikes) in 4 ¹/₃ scoreless innings in his second rehab start.

Pitching with Double-A Somerset, Rodón struck out seven while allowing two hits and a walk.

Yerry De los Santos (1 ²/₃ scoreless innings, three strikeouts) has not allowed an earned run in seven of eight appearances this year.

The Yankees held a ceremony before the game honoring Goldschmidt, who is this season’s club nominee for the Heart and Hustle Award, which “is presented annually to an active player who demonstrates a passion for the game of baseball and best embodies the values, spirit and traditions of the game.”

The Mariners are shaking things up with their lineup, sending struggling shortstop Colt Emerson back to Triple-A and selecting longtime super-utility infielder Brock Rodden to take his place, per Ryan Divish.

It’s a tough but necessary step for the 21-year-old shortstop, who has been struggling of late on both sides of the ball. Never one to strike out much – his career strikeout rate in the minors is around 17% – Emerson has been struggling to adjust to big-league pitching, striking out at double the rate he was in the minors. He’s been especially susceptible to high fastballs, frequently expanding up, but has also struggled with catching up to big-league fastballs on the plate. He’s striking out on fastballs over 50% of the time; his Statcast bat-tracking data shows how often he’s late on fastballs, and how often he’s swinging under them rather than on-plane.

Emerson is also struggling on breaking and off-speed pitches, although maybe not as much as one might expect; however, the fastball issue isn’t getting better, and pitchers continue to exploit his weakness there. It’s a big ask of a 21-year-old who is also playing the most demanding position on the field – non-catcher division – but it’s become apparent that Emerson hasn’t been able to make an adjustment, even when the attack plan for opposing pitchers is clear. He’s simply being overwhelmed at this moment by big-league pitching, which is not an uncommon thing for a rookie getting their first taste of the big leagues, especially those who were pulled up to fill in for injury, as Emerson was to patch over the injured left side of the Mariners infield. But Emerson’s defense has also been an issue.

Always a steady-handed shortstop in the minors, Emerson’s defense has been inconsistent at the big-league level. Athletic, fast, and rangy, Emerson is capable of making highlight-reel plays, and has logged a few of those, but he’s also booted several routine ones – as Perry Hill calls them, the plays “in the box”, the ones that have to get made. There’s a certain degree of learning curve that’s to be expected for young infielders – big-league infields play much faster than minor-league ones between the quality of contact off big-league bats and the maintenance of the fields themselves – but Emerson has noticeably scuffled, even on routine plays. From the vantage point of someone who has watched Emerson play infield for years, he’s made mistakes with footwork or transfers that he simply wasn’t making in the minor leagues, perhaps feeling the pressure of needing to produce on at least one side of the ball.

It reminds me of the level of defense we saw at times out of Cole Young last season, another steady defender in the minors who initially struggled with the transition to a big-league infield. Like Emerson, the Mariners gave Young a blow as he struggled down the stretch on both sides of the ball, replacing him with Jorge Polanco for the playoff run. Unlike Emerson, Young had a team of offensive producers around him and was able to slip quietly into the background, while Emerson’s struggles have unfortunately been magnified by the struggles of the team as a whole.

Moving Emerson back to Triple-A will hopefully slow the game back down for him and allow him room to breathe and adjust and get back to the player he is. For someone who has always prided himself on sticking to his plan at the plate and not striking out, it’s been a frustrating and unfamiliar experience for Emerson to struggle at this level, even as he’s worked hard to maintain a positive attitude every day.

Giving Emerson a blow is the best move for the player, but it’s also the best move for the team. With the rest of the Mariners lineup failing to produce consistently, Emerson’s bat is too much of a liability right now to be a consistent zero out of the nine-hole. And with some porous infield defense, especially on the left side, if Emerson’s bat is holding him back from being his best self defensively, then both sides are well-served by a change. With J.P. Crawford still on the shelf with wrist soreness with no timetable for his return, the Mariners have called up superutility infielder Brock Rodden.

Rodden, a long-time favorite here at LL where he’s known as “The Brocket Ship”, was a fifth-round draft selection in 2023 out of Wichita State; his ascent has been slowed by some unfortunately-timed injuries, but he’s produced at every level in the minors, consistently running an OBP of around .350. For fans of scrappy lil’ players like Dustin Pedroia or the Mariners’ own Shawn O’Malley, the 5’9”, switch-hitting Rodden – whose jersey is always dirty – will be a quick favorite. Rodden can also play all over the infield, and won a minor league Gold Glove at second base in 2024. Despite his short stature, Rodden also has some sneaky pop – he has 19 homers at Triple-A this season already, beating the 14 he notched in Double-A in 2024, his last fully-healthy season. Standard PCL caveats apply, but he’s hit some that are decidedly not cheapies:

With J.P. Crawford still out, Leo Rivas will likely get the bulk of Emerson’s starts, but Rodden will certainly be given an opportunity to show what he can do. For a team that’s lacking offensive consistency and continually struggling to put runners on base, Rodden’s on-base skills will hopefully help lengthen the lineup (and did I mention he’s a switch-hitter?). If nothing else, he’s a fun player to watch, hustling out every single infield grounder and playing with the kind of high energy many have noted this team to be lacking of late. It will also be interesting to see how the team slots him in defensively – second base, not short, is Rodden’s natural position, and Cole Young is capable of playing short, but Rodden could also be used at third to spell Brendan Donovan. He’s played second, third, and short for Tacoma this season, offering Dan Wilson flexibility in penciling his name into the lineup. If Rodden’s on-base skills from the minors transfer to the bigs, he could be a boon for a struggling ballclub on both sides of the ball.

The St. Louis Cardinals looked to be going the wrong direction after the All-Star break, but the resilient Redbirds continued to show this rebuild is unlike most others. A tough end to July knocked the Cardinals out of the Wild Card spot and under .500, but the team battled in the last three series to remain in the postseason race.

The Cardinals are coming off three straight series wins, two of which came against favorites to be playing in October. After taking care of business against the Yankees, Rockies, and Phillies, the Cardinals hit the road to take on postseason contender and NL Central rival Chicago Cubs at Wrigley field. The series kicks off with an Apple TV afternoon game on Friday and concludes on Sunday afternoon on ABC.

Another series win could put the Cardinals back in the thick of postseason contention

The two teams meet as both are in the middle of a little hot streak in the dog days of summer. With 41 games remaining, the Cubs are where they expected to be, in the middle of a playoff race, while the Cardinals are continuing to exceed preseason expectations. With most outlets putting the Cardinals as a 67 win team, St. Louis can surpass that total with another strong couple of weeks. The Cardinals will also be putting their three series winning streak on the line at the Friendly Confines, where St. Louis won the series when they last met in Chicago over the July 4th weekend.

*Projected pitchers are be subject to change*

GAME ONE (1:20) : MATTHEW LIBERATORE VS. CLAY HOLMES

GAME TWO (1:20) : MICHAEL MCGREEVY VS. MATTHEW BOYD

GAME THREE (2:15) : HUNTER DOBBINS VS. SHOTA IMANAGA

In the first game, Matthew Liberatore will look to show he belongs in the rotation for another handful of starts despite the down year. The Opening Day starter has struggled for much of the season and looked to turn a corner with a dominant showing two starts ago. Unfortunately, he followed up his seven strikeout, six shutout inning start with another blow up as he gave up five runs for the sixth time this season. We will likely see Libby taking the ball every fifth day for the rest of the season, but he will have to impress the staff to be written into the starting rotation next year.

In game two, Michael McGreevy will attempt to end a five start winless streak as his command has faltered a little in the second half. The increase in free passes has also been met with more hits allowed, so McGreevy will have to find ways to limit a powerful Cubs lineup to give the Cardinals a chance to win. He will be opposed by lefty Matthew Boyd who currently sits at 8-1 despite a middling ERA. The last time he faced the Cardinals, though, he was dominant. Boyd threw seven shutout innings, allowed just four hits, and struck out five batters in the victory. He has given up some runs of late, however, so the Cardinals hope to get to him early and often on Saturday.

In the teams’ final meeting of the 2026 season (postseason not included), the Cardinals will turn to their newest rotation showcase arm. Hunter Dobbins will be out of the hot and humid Busch Stadium where he struggled with his grip in his last outing to face the Cubs in his third consecutive start at the big league level. Like Liberatore, Dobbins is auditioning for next year’s rotation but may be more of a lock than the lefty Libby. Facing Dobbins is Cubs de facto #1 Shota Imanaga, who is in the midst of a mediocre season. In his last start against the Cardinals, he got the loss after giving up two runs in 4.2 innings.

A series win against the Cubs will not do much for the overall Wild Card as the Cubs have a massive hold on the first runner-up spot, but depending on how the others in contention do, the Cardinals could be in position to make a late run. St. Louis sits within three games of the final postseason spot and could find themselves in striking distance again with five games against the Reds before another series against the Phillies.

Texas Rangers lineup for August 13, 2026 against the Anaheim Angels: starting pitchers are Jacob deGrom for the Rangers and Walbert Urena for the Angels.

Its almost game time! You fired up! WOOOOOOOO!!!

The lineup:

Pederson — 1B

Langford — LF

Seager — DH

Nimmo — RF

Duran — 3B

Carter — CF

Lopez — SS

Wynns — C

Foscue — 2B

9:07 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are -148 favorites.

Max Fried’s outing Thursday qualified as good enough that he bears zero blame for the Yankees’ ultimate 1-0 loss to the Mariners on Thursday. 

It wasn’t, however, good enough that he was particularly happy with himself afterward. 

“Definitely a grind,” Fried said, having tossed five innings of one-run ball, with Weston Wilson’s home run the only blemish on his record. “Didn’t feel like I necessarily had my best stuff and was a little erratic. Relied on [catcher] Ali [Sánchez] and defense. We had some nice defensive plays today.” 

Fried required 88 pitches to get through his five innings of work and, mostly, pitched to contact. After getting Randy Arozarena and Julio Rodriguez looking to start the game, Fried struck out just two Mariners.

The Yankees’ infield defense, though, was excellent behind him, and the Mariners hit all of six balls hard against him, according to Statcast. 

George Lombard Jr. started one double play, made a clean turn at second on another and made a charging play on Brandon Donovan’s second-inning ground ball that Jazz Chisholm Jr. was caught waiting on. 

A 2-2 cutter that hung in the middle of the zone for Wilson was the only real mistake of Fried’s day, and even that cleared the left field wall at Yankee Stadium by all of one row. 

“Definitely wish I had that two-strike back to Wilson,” Fried said. “But all in all, grinded. Definitely a hard-fought game today.” 

To the extent you could call anything a problem, it was that Fried threw more pitches than necessary, perhaps costing himself a chance to go deeper into the game. 

“I think probably a couple of those innings, he had a chance to have a quick inning and they maybe worked their way on or worked foul balls and things like that, longer counts,” manager Aaron Boone said. “So it made for a longer day out there for him in some put-away situations. 

“I thought [his] stuff again was really good. Got a couple of double play balls that helped him.” 

Indeed, if this qualifies as underwhelming, the Yankees will qualify as happy with the bigger-picture outlook from their ace. Thursday was Fried’s third straight start — and fourth in five — of allowing one run or fewer. 

“Sign me up for one run, getting us into the middle of the game,” Boone said. “We just weren’t able to do much offensively. But I thought he threw the ball pretty well overall.”

I was unable to get to a Minor League Baseball roundup yesterday, so we’re doing a midweek two-day special! Here’s everything that happened with the San Francisco Giants Minor League affiliates on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Link to the 2026 McCovey Chronicles Community Prospect List (CPL)

All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.

News

The most exciting news is that AAA Sacramento outfielder Turner Hill has been called up! He’ll join the Giants on Friday, which is awesome.

Sacramento is getting emergency help from a pair of A-Ballers, High-A Eugene’s Jose Ramos and Low-A San Jose’s Dario Reynoso. That probably means that Parks Harber is headed to the outfield with Hill leaving town. But the River Cats should have plenty of infielders in the coming days, as they just claimed Shay Whitcomb off of waivers, while Marcelo Mayer is set to begin a rehab assignment.

AA Richmond released RHP Brad Deppermann.

And in encouraging news, Baseball America released their latest farm system rankings, and the Giants are No. 4!

AAA Sacramento (65-48)

Tuesday: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Las Vegas Aviators 9-2 [box score]
Wednesday: Sacramento River Cats beat the Las Vegas Aviators 7-3 [box score]

Well, a pair of typical Pacific Coast League games here: some inspiring hitting performances, but not a lot to love on the pitching front.

As far as the hitting goes, it’s hard to ignore just how red hot right fielder/center fielder Turner Hill is. It was another sensational set of games for the 27-year old undrafted lefty, who hit 2-4 in both games, and collected a home run and a double on Tuesday.

That pushed Hill’s hitting streak to a whopping 26 games. 26! And it’s not like he’s collecting a hit a night, either … he’s averaging nearly 2 knocks a game during the streak, as he’s gone an unfathomable 48-108 with 16 extra-base hits, 9 walks, and just 9 strikeouts in that time. There’s hot, and then there’s whatever the hell this is…

Most notably, however, was that Hill left Wednesday’s game late after being subbed out for a pinch-runner. That paved the way for today’s news: he’s getting called up! Hard to argue with that, given his .950 OPS and his 148 wRC+ in Sacramento this year.

Speaking of speedy and defensively talented outfielders who could end the year in San Francisco, Jonah Cox had another solid pair of games, hitting 2-7 with a double, 2 walks, a stolen base, and 2 strikeouts. He’s been red hot since making his AAA debut which, critically, came after his MLB debut. Through 11 games with the River Cats, he’s 22-47 with 6 extra-base hits, 5 walks, and 7 stolen bases. Absolutely splendid!

Those weren’t the only good offensive performances from outfielders, either. Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) had a tough Tuesday, going 0-3 with a hit by pitch and a strikeout, but responded on Wednesday with his best day since joining Sacramento, as he hit 2-5 and smashed not just a double, but his 1st AAA home run, giving him an even 20 dingers on the year.

Davidson’s numbers are still lagging in AAA — he has a .209 average, a .584 OPS, and a 59 wRC+ — but his at-bats are getting so much better. It certainly looks like he’s adjusting well, which is all you want to see in AAA.

Left fielder/center fielder Scott Bandura had a similar weekend, as he hit 0-4 with a strikeout on Tuesday, but on Wednesday went 2-4 with a home run and a walk. Bandura’s home run was quite memorable, as he hit it off of former Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel. That’s one to remember!

Bandura has adapted to AAA excellently. Despite a very slow start after an early season promotion, the 2023 7th-rounder is all the way up to an .828 OPS and a 117 wRC+.

Rounding out the homer party was second baseman/left fielder Thomas Gavello, who hit 1-3 with a solo blast and a hit by pitch. The 2022 13th-rounder has a .648 OPS and a 74 wRC+ on the year.

LHP Joe Whitman (No. 26 CPL) had a tough start on Tuesday, as he survived just 2.2 innings, giving up 5 hits, 2 walks, and 4 runs, while striking out 3. On the exciting front, Whitman has returned to Sacramento’s rotation after a brief and odd stint in the bullpen. On the unfortunate front, he’s still pitching a reliever’s number of innings because of how hard he’s been hit in his 2 starts since returning to the rotation.

LHP Seth Lonsway had a much better start on Wednesday, though it wasn’t particularly good. Lonsway did a good job limiting runs, as he only gave up 2 in 6 innings … despite allowing 2 home runs, 6 hits total, 3 walks, and a hit batter, with just 2 strikeouts. Not a very sustainable way to do it, but hey, whatever works!

Whitman has a 5.36 ERA and a 5.96 FIP with Sacramento, while Lonsway has a 5.78 ERA and a 6.60 FIP.

RHP Joel Peguero (No. 27 CPL) began a rehab assignment and it did not go well. Pitching for the first time in 2.5 months, Peguero faced 3 batters and walked them all, while throwing just 3 of his 15 pitches for strikes. That ended up being an ERA buster as well, after RHP Wilkin Ramos allowed all 3 inherited runners to score.

RHP Ryan Walker had a nice outing though, pitching 2 scoreless innings with 1 hit and 2 strikeouts. Walker has been strong in AAA this year, with a 1.88 ERA … but just a 4.15 FIP, and only 7.9 strikeouts per 9 innings.

AA Richmond (64-45)

Tuesday: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Harrisburg Senators 4-2 [box score]
Wednesday Game 1: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Harrisburg Senators 6-2 (7 innings) [box score]
Wednesday Game 2: Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Harrisburg Senators 7-6 (11 innings) [box score]

Quite a way to end Wednesday’s doubleheader, as the scheduled 7-inning game went 11 innings after each team scored exactly once in the 8th, 9th, and 10th innings.

That excitement aside (and a shoutout to RHP Mitch White for being the pitcher who finally stranded a Manfred Man), it was a pretty uninteresting trio of games for the Squirrels. LHP Greg Farone and RHP Trystan Vrieling had similar starts, in which they had nice strikeout-to-walk ratios, but struggled with hits and runs. Farone went on Tuesday and went 6 innings deep, with just 5 hits, 1 walk, and 4 strikeouts. But 2 of those 5 hits were home runs, as he got tagged for 4 runs, though only 2 earned runs. Vrieling went 5 innings, with a sterling 6-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio … but gave up 9 hits and 6 runs.

Farone, a 7th-round pick in 2024, hasn’t had a good 2nd season, with a 5.60 ERA and a 5.64 FIP. But lately he’s really improved the strikeouts and walks: after having 58 strikeouts to 36 walks through his 1st 15 starts, the 24-year old has 33 strikeouts against just 7 walks in his last 6 outings. Great improvement to see!

Vrieling, a 3rd-round pick in 2023 by the Yankees, is also having a tough year, with a 4.34 ERA and a 5.13 FIP. He’s also been better with the strikeouts and walks lately.

A pair of really nice relief outings, from RHPs Marques Johnson and Tyler Vogel. Johnson struck out 4 batters in 2 shutout innings, with just a hit allowed, while Vogel pitched a perfect frame with 2 strikeouts. Both players are having slightly disappointing seasons, and surely had visions of being in AAA right now (Johnson was recently sent back down to AA after a stint in Sacramento, while Vogel has been with Richmond all season). But each player has a lot to love about the pitches they throw.

Very mild-mannered offense. Center fielder Trevor Cohen was brilliant on Tuesday, hitting 4-5 with 2 stolen bases, a caught stealing, and a strikeout. The doubleheader was less kind to last year’s 3rd-round pick, as he went 0-7 with a walk and a stolen base. It’s been an exciting AA stint for the 22-year old lefty from Rutgers, who has a .791 OPS and a 110 wRC+ through 24 games, with 12 stolen bases in 16 attempts.

Just 1 home run over the 3 games, courtesy of catcher Ty Hanchey, who caught the 1st game of the doubleheader and the 2nd part of Game 2, after replacing Jancel Villarroel (No. 42 CPL). I would assume that meant Villarroel suffered an injury of sorts, but he’s in today’s lineup, so that’s a good thing.

Hanchey hit 2-4 with a 3-run blast and a hit by pitch, raising the UDFA’s OPS to .764 and his wRC+ to 105. Not only that, but the home run came with 2 outs and 2 strikes in the 9th, and tied the game! A solid season for the 26-year old.

High-A Eugene (65-44)

Tuesday: Eugene Emeralds lost to the Hillsboro Hops 5-4 [box score]
Wednesday: Eugene Emeralds lost to the Hillsboro Hops 5-3 [box score]

A pair of the best pitching prospects in the system started these games, and the results were fairly similar: extremely exciting and encouraging performances, though not the greatest overall results.

On Tuesday it was RHP Ramon Marquez, who made his organizational debut. Marquez, a 20-year old who was the headline piece to come back in the Luis Arráez trade, has been in the midst of an outrageous breakout campaign. The Giants got their first glimpse of that on Tuesday, when he struck out 8 batters in just 4 innings of work. That’s quite on brand for Marquez, who has a stunning 101 strikeouts in 63 innings this year, between both A-ball levels. There is extreme electricity in that arm!!

The rest of Marquez’s performance wasn’t as strong, however. He only gave up 3 hits, but that included a home run and a double. He only walked 1 batter, but he hit 2. The end result was 4 earned runs on his ledge, in as many innings. But certainly a reminder that ERA is far from the only thing that matters … that was a rock star performance in so many ways.

On Wednesday it was LHP Jacob Bresnahan (No. 11 CPL), who was similarly awesome, striking out 6 batters in 5.1 innings, while allowing just 4 baserunners. But, as was the case with Marquez, those baserunners did some damage: Bresnahan only ceded 3 hits and 1 walk, but 2 of the 3 hits cleared the fence.

That’s been an issue for the recently-turned 21-year old, who also came to the Giants in a trade (the Alex Cobb deal of 2024). In 88 innings this year, Bresnahan has struck out 104 batters, while allowing only 56 hits … but 10 of those 56 hits have left the park. That’s given the 2023 13th-rounder a 4.08 FIP, despite a glistening 2.76 ERA. This is certainly a case of the ERA looking a lot more important, and not just because it’s so much better.

RHP Hunter Dryden pitched well while piggybacking after Marquez. He gave up 3 hits, 1 walk, 1 hit batter, and 1 unearned run, while striking out 3. It’s been a tough year for the 2024 17th-rounder, who has a 4.75 ERA and a 5.39 FIP. But he’s been so much better lately: in his last 3 games, the D3 Whitworth product has pitched 15 innings and allowed just 10 hits, 3 walks, and 1 earned run, while striking out 15. Here’s hoping he keeps that up for the rest of the year!

RHP Marty Gair, a flamethrower who also came over in the Arráez deal, made his 2nd appearance with the Emeralds, and his 4th total appearance in High-A. He allowed a hit, a walk, and a run, with a strikeout in an inning of work.

On the hitting front, the organization’s top home run hitter was at it once again, as center fielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 32 CPL) went 3-7 with a 2-run blast, a walk, 3 strikeouts, and an error. Diaz, whose 22 home runs are tops on the farm, has taken his already solid game to a whole new level over the summer. Since the start of July, the just-turned 21-year old righty has hit 47-138 with 12 home runs and 21 total extra-base hits. In July he posted a stunning line of .327/.340/.635, and he’s one-upped himself in August, as he sits at .382/.432/.794. Outrageous! His OPS is up all the way to .836 on the year, though his wRC+ is “just” 113 due to a lowly 3.5% walk rate.

Just an awesome year for Diaz, who will likely find himself in AA before the year ends. But because he’s still in High-A, we’re at least getting to see him play center field on a daily basis, which is fun.

Also homering was right fielder Cam Maldonado (No. 34 CPL), last year’s 7th-round selection. Maldonado went 3-7 with a 2-run shot, a walk, a strikeout, and an outfield assist, and has looked so comfortable since getting promoted. Through 4 games with the Emeralds, the righty is 5-14 with 2 homers, 2 walks, and just 3 strikeouts. He’s certainly making the promotion look like the right move!

No one else stood out on offense. Shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL), who has been brilliant with his promotion, had a quiet pair of games, hitting 1-7- with 2 walks. Third baseman Walker Martin had a difficult time, going 1-8 with 4 strikeouts, a stolen base, and 2 errors. Level, a 19-year old switch-hitter, has an .836 OPS and a 120 wRC+; Martin, a 22-year old lefty, has a .725 OPS and a 90 wRC+.

Low-A San Jose (60-50)

Tuesday: San Jose Giants lost to the Fresno Grizzlies 7-2 [box score]
Wednesday: San Jose Giants lost to the Fresno Grizzlies 5-4 [box score]

We’ve become accustomed to players with the last name “González” dominating for San Jose, but what about “Gonzalez”? That was the case on Tuesday, when designated hitter Fernando Gonzalez carried the offense, when he hit 2-3 with a home run and a walk, accounting for 50% of their hits and 100% of their extra-base hits.

It was a rare show of power for Gonzalez, who caught and went 0-4 on Wednesday. The 24-year old, who was taken in the final round of the 2024 draft, has strong contact skills and a good eye, but doesn’t hit for a lot of power. He has a minuscule 7.2% strikeout rate on the year, between the ACL and Low-A, and an 11.2% walk rate. But this was just his 9th extra-base hit in 152 plate appearances. He has a .719 OPS and a 90 wRC+ with San Jose on the year.

The more highly regarded player of that last name didn’t do much, however, as Josuar González (No. 2 CPL) hit 0-3 with a walk, 2 strikeouts, and a caught stealing on Tuesday, and didn’t play on Wednesday. Interestingly, González played second base in that game despite Luis Hernández (No. 6 CPL) not playing. I would assume that’s a nothing burger, and just the teaming wanting to get reps at shortstop for Lorenzo Meola (No. 23 CPL), who went from 1st to 3rd on the depth chart with the arrival of those teen phenoms. Hernández played on Wednesday, at shortstop, and went 1-5 with a strikeout and an error.

Right fielder Tanner Mally, the team’s 17th-round pick last month who is the only one of their 2026 draftees currently playing, continues to fit right in. The 21-year old righty went 2-7 with a triple, a walk, and 2 strikeouts, and has now hit safely in 5 straight games to start his career. He’s 8-19 with 2 triples, 2 walks, and 4 strikeouts so far.

RHP Argenis Cayama (No. 13 CPL) started on Wednesday and had his best game since returning from injury. Cayama got hit a little too much, as he gave up 7 hits in 5 innings, which tagged him for 3 runs. But his nearly unparalleled combination of electricity and control was on display once more, as he needed just 66 pitches to get through those 5 innings, with 47 of them being strikes, and recorded 6 strikeouts without walking any hitters. That’s the Argenis we know and love! The 19-year old only has a 4.63 ERA and a 4.30 FIP, but has 57 strikeouts to 13 walks in 46.2 San Jose innings. I’m very much looking forward to how he performs in Eugene next year.

Things went less well for Tuesday’s starter, RHP Trey Seeley, as he gave up 5 hits, 3 walks, 3 runs, and 2 earned runs in 3.2 innings, with 4 strikeouts. It’s been a tough debut season for last year’s 13th-rounder, who has an 8.46 ERA and a 9.30 FIP with San Jose.

RHP Chen-Hsun Lee continues to look comfortable in San Jose, as he threw 2 no-hit innings, albeit with 2 walks and 2 unearned runs, the result of his own error. Lee, who struck out 3 batters, maintained his 0.00 ERA in San Jose, though he has a 4.39 FIP. He’s walking too many hitters, but has only allowed 6 hits in 12 innings with the Baby Giants.

RHP R.J. Dabovich made his 2nd rehab appearance and pitched a scoreless inning, with a hit and a strikeout.

Dominican Summer League Black (33-18)

Tuesday: DSL Giants Black beat the DSL Mets Orange 9-1 (8 innings) [box score]

This was a scheduled 9-inning game that was called right as the 8th inning got underway due to rain.

A few nice performances, but none better than the fantastic game that designated hitter Franco Willias had, as he continues his superb season. The 21-year old hit 3-4 with a double, a walk, and 2 stolen bases, which pushed his hitting streak to 16 games. It was also his 3rd straight game with 3 hits. During that 16-game hitting streak, the righty is 33-64 with 11 extra-base hits, and 8 walks. Willias has been one of the very best players in the DSL this year, and has a stunning 1.106 OPS and a 170 wRC+, with 31 stolen bases. It’s his 3rd year in the DSL, and it’s certainly going to be his last.

Right fielder Rainer Espinoza hit just 1-4 with 3 strikeouts, but his 1 hit was a home run, his 1st of the year. It’s been a very tough and disappointing 2nd season for the 17-year old, who has been limited to just 8 games, while having only a .387 OPS and a -15 wRC+, a year after a delightful debut as a 16-year old, when he posted a .760 OPS and a 117 wRC+.

Nice performance from the catcher spot: Diego Alambarrio started and hit a perfect 3-3 before giving way to Luis Padron, who doubled in his only at-bat. Alambarrio, an 18-year old in his 2nd season, has an .828 OPS and a 112 wRC+; Padron, a 16-year old in his debut campaign, has an .864 OPS and a 103 wRC+.

RHP Santiago Guerrero, a 19-year old in his 1st season, had a decent start, throwing 4 innings and allowing 4 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run, with 3 strikeouts. Guerrero has a 3.34 ERA, albeit with a 6.01 FIP due to a huge number of walks. Another debuting player, LHP Moises Soto, pitched well. Soto, a 17-year old, pitched a scoreless inning with a hit and 2 strikeouts. He’s only allowed 2 hits and 1 run through 6 innings in his 1st season.

Home run tracker

22 — Lisbel Diaz — [19 in High-A; 3 in Low-A]
20 — Bo Davidson — [1 in AAA; 19 in AA]
16 — Cam Maldonado — [2 in High-A; 14 in Low-A]
10 — Scott Bandura — [7 in AAA; 3 in AA]
9 — Turner Hill — [AAA]
7 — Thomas Gavello — [AAA]
6 — Ty Hanchey — [4 in AA; 2 in High-A]
3 — Fernando Gonzalez — [2 in Low-A; 1 in ACL]
1 — Rainer Espinoza — [DSL]

Thursday schedule

Sacramento: 7:05 p.m. PT at Las Vegas (SP: TBD)
Richmond: 3:30 p.m. PT at Harrisburg (SP: Yunior Marte)
Eugene: 6:35 p.m. PT at Hillsboro (SP: Henry LaLane)
San Jose: 6:30 p.m. PT vs. Fresno (SP: TBD)

Reminder that almost all MiLB games can be watched on MLB TV.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers are coming off a sweep, and they're -145 favorites to keep the good times rolling against the Milwaukee Brewers tonight.

With an in-form Roki Sasaki on the mound against a cold offense, my Brewers vs. Dodgers predictions and MLB picks see value in backing Los Angeles to pull off a low-scoring victory on Thursday, Aug. 13.

Who will win Brewers vs Dodgers tonight: Los Angeles Dodgers (-145)

Roki Sasaki's figured it out for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has posted an xFIP of 3.32 or lower in five straight starts after doing so only three times over his first 15.

That has rightfully translated to improved results, with Sasaki conceding only eight earned runs over those five games.

The Milwaukee Brewers have struck out at the fourth-highest rate vs. righties in August while hitting just .212.

I expect Sasaki to have another quality start, putting the Dodgers in good position to win their fourth straight.

Bet to -155.

COVERS INTEL:Sasaki has held opponents to a poor 29.5% hard-hit rate over the last month, the fourth-lowest mark among today's projected starters.

Brewers vs Dodgers Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (-115)

The Brewers are ice-cold at the dish, sitting Bottom-5 in batting average, wOBA, OPS, and SLG vs. right-handed pitching this month, and it’ll be tough to get back on track against Sasaki in his current form.

While the Dodgers showed more life against the Royals, it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for their bats.

They are 18th in wOBA and have hit into grounders at the eighth-highest rate in August. They could also be without Freddie Freeman, who left Wednesday's game after falling down the dugout steps while trying to catch a pop-up.

I don’t see a ceiling game against Shane Drohan and a strong bullpen.

Play the Under to -125.

Brewers vs Dodgers home run prediction: Andy Pages (+440)

Andy Pages crushes left-handed pitching. His counting stats are good, and his underlying profile is even better. 

Pages sits in the 95th percentile in xSLG, the 96th in xwOBA, and has a hard-hit rate well over 50%. That’s a good recipe for power.

Drohan isn’t overly reliant on his fastball (31.1%), and Pages hammers his secondary pitches like the curve, sinker, slider, and cutter.

I think +440 is a generous price, and I would back Pages down to +400.

Brewers vs Dodgers weather

Winds are blowing out, but temperatures are expected to hover around the low 70s. Small boost to the bats.

Brewers vs Dodgers odds

• Moneyline: Brewers +125 | Dodgers -145
• Run line: Brewers +1.5 (-160) | Dodgers -1.5 (+140)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-105) | Under 8.5 (-115)

Brewers vs Dodgers trend

Los Angeles has hit the Game Total Under in 26 of the last 45 home games (+5.35 units, 11% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Brewers vs. Dodgers.

How to watch Brewers vs Dodgers and game info

Brewers vs Dodgers latest injuries

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

Entering the final week of June, the Yankees were sitting 17 games above .500 and about to play a four-game set with the Boston Red Sox.

The Red Sox entered the series at Fenway Park as a team continually adrift, two months removed from firing their manager and sitting 14 games below .500. 

Over the next 49 days, it has been a tale of two cities: Boston swept the four games and has gone 33-10 (.767 winning percentage), snapping a five-game skid with a win Thursday. New York would lose 11 of the next 13 games and is 20-22 (.476) and is just 3.0 games ahead of the old rivals in the AL East.

"We're just grinding through it right now,” manager Aaron Boone said after a 1-0 loss to the Mariners to cap a 5-4 home stand against St. Louis, Atlanta, and Seattle.

Since the All-Star break, the Yanks have gone 14-11, and the constants have been too many close games (11 one-run contests) and a lack of offense (they’ve failed to score more than three runs 17 times).

“We’re playing a lot of good teams on the schedule the last month or so,” Boone added. “We’re playing these types of games every day. Close ballgames, even last night when we break out and pull away, it’s still a tie game in the seventh. 

“The good thing is we're very used to playing in these situations. Hopefully that's a good thing for us. But we've got to continue to move the needle offensively."

The biggest reason for the recent tumult has been that the bats have gone ice cold and stayed cold. Over their last 25 games, the Yankees have posted a .641 OPS (third-lowest in baseball during that span) while striking out 242 times (fifth-most) and posting a .207 batting average (worst). Boston, meanwhile, has a .739 OPS (top in MLB) and .266 team average (fifth best) during that span.

Aaron Judge's absence, as well as Cody Bellinger's and, to a lesser extent, Giancarlo Stanton's, hasn't helped. Nor have the season-long woes for Jazz Chisholm Jr. or the recent skid from Ben Rice: .172/.274/.323 slash line for a .597 OPS with 34 strikeouts in his last 93 at-bats. And the deadline additions have been mixed: Luis Garcia Jr. has four extra-base hits in eight games with a .755 OPS, but Heliot Ramos has just two hits in 25 at-bats (.080). Of course, George Lombard Jr.'s debut has been a bright spot with two home runs in his first eight games.

Now would also be a good time to mention the team at the top of the division, the Tampa Bay Rays, who are idle on Thursday and hold a 6.5-game lead over the Yanks thanks to going 18-8 since the break, are riding a nine-game winning streak, and are about to host the scuffling Baltimore Orioles for a four-game set.

“It's been playoffs every day it feels like, these games,” Boone said of the intensity of the season with still 41 games to play. “I got people on the street saying, ‘Hey, it'll turn around.’ And I'm like, 'We're doing alright.’”

Boone said he’s seen them “doing a lot of really good things,” and is seeing “little crumbs” of the offense getting jump-started while the pitching stays consistently good. However, the skipper isn’t letting his surging rivals move his focus from the short term.  

“Honestly, I really haven’t even looked ahead like that… Now it’s just kinda on to Toronto,” he said, referencing the upcoming weekend series with the Blue Jays. “Not getting ahead of myself with like ‘Oh, let's go win 10 in a row or eight…’ No, you gotta go play well, and hopefully that stuff takes care of itself. And we put ourselves in a good position.

“On to the road.”

Jazz Chisholm Jr. wavered between downcast and confident that his season from hell would turn around in its final six weeks following a rancid day at the plate against the Mariners, but one solution the Yankees infielder didn’t want to entertain was sitting on the bench for a few days. 

“I don’t think that would help,” Chisholm said Thursday after striking out three times, including for the last out in a 1-0 loss to the Mariners. “That’s the only way I know how to get through anything is to keep going through it. I feel like to sit and just sit on it is not a good move either.” 

Chisholm was pinch hit for against a lefty last Friday against the Braves, and though the Yankees could look for similar opportunities to do so, he doesn’t like that idea either. 

“My numbers are better [compared to last season] against lefties,” he said. “I don’t think — like, why.” 

Chisholm’s batting average is similar against lefties and righties, but his OPS is nearly 90 points lower against left-handed pitching.

The Yankees have also built some right-handed depth after trading for Heliot Ramos, who pinch hit for Spencer Jones in the eighth inning Thursday. 

As for how to fix his own season-long hitting woes — his .687 OPS is down massively from his .813 mark a year ago, as are most of his numbers — Chisholm sounded out of ideas.

When it was put to him that he has a 40 percent whiff rate against breaking pitches, Chisholm replied, “I’m at a 40 percent whiff rate on every pitch right now.” 

“Missing fastballs down the middle. Missing sliders down the middle. I can’t tell you why,” he said. “Or else I would be hitting.” 

Chisholm said he’s talked to Paul Goldschmidt a couple of times about the pressure of being a pending free agent, but claimed that’s not weighing on him so much as his struggles are in general. 

Given the Yankees’ bigger-picture hitting issues, which were at the forefront again Thursday, the club desperately needs Chisholm to solve what’s ailing him sooner rather than later. 

“I feel like overall, he’s making good swing decisions,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s not chasing. There’s some patience in there. But probably, whether it’s just missing, maybe a foul off, maybe swinging through more pitches than he’s used to, just hasn’t gone on that hot streak at any point.” 

That might be coming, Chisholm said. Although, whether he truly believes it is probably an open question. 

“Forty-one good games can turn a season around. And that’s what I’m planning on doing,” he said. “… I feel like mentally, I’m not defeated. So if I was mentally defeated, I think it would have been a different story in my eyes, but I’m not. I feel like I’m still as good as I am.”

Davis Martin was tossed from the White Sox’s loss to the Reds on Thursday after throwing at Sal Stewart’s head, not once, but twice and hitting him in the helmet during the third inning. 

The incident caused both benches to clear, although nothing beyond that went down as the umpires regained control and eventually ejected the White Sox right-hander. 

“I thought that was extremely blatant, and you can’t throw two balls like that head high. You can kill somebody. I thought that was terrible,” Reds manager Terry Francona told reporters, according to MLB.com.

Martin did appear to be having control issues during the outing before he hit Stewart in the head, having hit Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson in the first inning and hitting the backstop with several pitches.

Things took a turn in the top of the third when Martin fired a 0-1 pitch that sailed way over the head of Stewart, who ducked down to avoid being hit. 

Martin did seem to motion a non-verbal apology after the throw and Stewart could be seen giving him a thumbs-up in acknowledgement. 

However, that didn’t last long when the very next pitch hit the bill of Stewart’s helmet and the Reds’ player angrily gestured toward Martin. 

While it wasn’t directly known what Stewart said, he gestured about it being the second pitch that Martin had thrown near his head. 

“More than anything, it was just kind of a scary moment,” Stewart told reporters. “I’m not sure exactly what happened, but it’s scary when two balls are coming up and in, so that’s all I have to say about it.” 

Martin was eventually thrown out of the game after the umpires met on the field. 

The Reds went on to win the game 9-8. 

It was bound to happen. The Cubs offense has been so good lately that you knew if they ran into a good, hot pitcher they’d probably get stymied.

And that was what happened Thursday afternoon at Nationals Park. It took until two out in the seventh for Cade Cavalli’s no-hit bid to be broken up. Michael Busch’s little flare single into left field did it. But that was the only Cubs hit of the afternoon as they lost the last game of the road trip to the Nats 7-0. I don’t usually put photos of Cubs opponents at the top of recaps, but Cavalli is the story of this game, and so he gets the photo spot. It was the second time this year the Cubs were one-hit — also by the Braves May 12.

The game began quietly. Cavalli and Kevin Gausman both retired the first nine hitters they faced — just the second time this year that had happened.

Gausman got touched up for a run in the fourth on a single by Abimelec Ortiz and RBI double by Dylan Crews. Still, this felt like a game the Cubs could get back into until the Nats exploded for a five-run fifth off Gausman, highlighted by a three-run homer from Ortiz, who looks like a pretty good major-league hitter.

So Gausman has had one good start and one not-so-good as a Cub, and his next outing — presuming the Cubs remain on rotation and don’t add Edward Cabrera back — should be next Tuesday at Wrigley Field against the White Sox.

Once the Nats were up by six, all attention turned to what was at that point a perfect game bid, as Cavalli had retired the first 15 Cubs in order. The perfecto ended when he walked Dansby Swanson leading off the sixth, but the no-hitter was still intact. Could the Cubs potentially get back into the game?

Nope. Michael Conforto hit into a double play and Miguel Amaya struck out, Cavalli’s seventh, so the no-hitter was intact through six innings.

Pete Crow-Armstrong struck out leading off the seventh and Seiya Suzuki flied to right, so seven outs stood between Cavalli and a place in the history books.

Busch took care of that with his single [VIDEO].

And that kept the Cubs’ current no-no-hit streak going (Bluesky link):

That means the Cubs have been no-hit just once in their last 9,628 games dating to Sandy Koufax’s perfect game against them Sept. 9, 1965 at Dodger Stadium. That, of course, was Cole Hamels’ no-hitter against the Cubs at Wrigley Field July 25, 2015, ending their MLB record streak of not being no-hit at 7,920 games, 80 games short of 8,000 and a few weeks short of 50 years. And, of course, three years later Hamels became a Cub.

Aaron Civale relieved Gausman and, as was the case with Javier Assad Wednesday, he saved the rest of the bullpen by finishing the game with 3.1 innings on only 37 pitches, allowing one run. This resets the bullpen well for the upcoming homestand.

As for Cavalli, he was removed after eight innings and just the one hit by Busch. Clayton Beeter finished up for Washington and retired the Cubs 1-2-3 in the ninth to wrap things up.

Fortunately, this offensive blackout only counts as one loss, and the Cubs still had a successful 4-2 road trip. If they keep winning series like this, two of every three the rest of the year, they’d win about 26 games, giving them 97 wins for the year — which would match that 2015 team.

More on Cubs and no-hit streaks from BCB’s JohnW53:

The Cubs’ current streak of 1,707 games without being no-hit is the 86th longest since 1901.

There are 10 longer active streaks. These are the top five, including games by teams that played this afternoon.

4,252: Angels (13th longest; began Sept. 12, 1999)
2,892: Royals (May 20, 2008)
2,416: White Sox (May 4, 2011)
2,264: Twins (May 4, 2012)
2,233: Cardinals (June 2, 2012)

The Cubs’ MLB-record streak was 7,920 games, Sept. 10, 1965-July 24, 2015. It is 811 games, 11.4 percent longer, than the second-longest 7,109 by the Reds, June 24, 1971-April 20, 2016. That one was ended by Jake Arrieta, in his second no-hitter.

The Cubs also have the sixth-longest streak ever, 5,412 games, May 3, 1917-June 18, 1952.

The Cubs’ 9,628 games while being no-hit once also is the MLB record.

The Cubs are 3.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central after this loss, pending the Brewers game against the Dodgers in Los Angeles tonight. If you’re going to follow that game, it’s at 9:10 p.m. CT and Shane Drohan pitches for Milwaukee against Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki.

As for the Cubs, they return to Wrigley Field to open a six-game homestand with a three-game series against the Cardinals. Clay Holmes will make his first start at Wrigley as a Cub, and Matthew Liberatore will go for St. Louis. Game time is 1:20 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Apple TV (how to watch).

Good evening, folks.

All off days are much-needed, but they are especially welcome this month where we will lose two of them to makeup games. So today is probably especially sweet for the Bravos before a grueling 10-game stretch:

• Finishing this homestand with three games vs. AZ
• A series vs. MIN
• The one makeup vs. CHI from 6/11
• A Player’s Weekend series vs. MIL, including the Little League Classic on Sunday, 8/23

That’s right, the only other day you’ll see an off day thread in August is on Monday the 24th. Yay for us, the baseball sickos. Not as yay for the players, probably.

What to Watch

There’s a thin slate of games tonight, but let us know if you’re tuning into the Field of Dreams game (on Netflix? sure?) to see the Twins and Phillies square off starting at 7:30 pm ET.

Alleged Braves-spurner Jacob deGrom is starting tonight as the Rangers take on the Los Angeles Angels. Also happening on the West Coast is one that could have implications for us and our chances for a postseason bye: Brewers and Dodgers is at 10:10 pm ET.

The floor’s yours for anything on your mind! Thank you all for bearing with us with the sitewide updates to comments, etc. Hopefully things are mostly ironed out. As a token of our appreciation, here’s a fun Dubie interview.

In the Iowa corn, Phillies find past, present and a needed victory originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

DYERSVILLE, Iowa — It is hard to put into words how special Thursday night felt in the Iowa cornfields.

Whether you care deeply about baseball history or not, whether you were there for the Phillies or the Twins, Philadelphia’s 7-1 win at the Field of Dreams pulled the sport’s past and present into the same frame.

That was clear from the start.

Just like in the 1989 film Field of Dreams, figures emerged from the cornfield beyond right field. In this case, they were not ghosts.

They were living Hall of Famers.

Twenty-six of them walked out during the pregame ceremony, wearing old-school uniforms as they made their way from the corn to the field.

It was the most Cooperstown representation at a single game since the 2008 All-Star Game at the old Yankee Stadium. Before that, it had not happened since the 1999 All-Star Game at Fenway Park.

A few of the current faces in Dyersville could one day join that kind of company.

Bryce Harper. Kyle Schwarber. Dave Dombrowski. Maybe even Don Mattingly, depending on how the next chapter of his baseball life unfolds.

Former Phillies Mike Schmidt and Jim Thome know what those nights feel like.

In 1999, Thome was an American League All-Star. Schmidt was honored as part of MLB’s All-Century Team, a 30-player roster filled with legends like himself and Ted Williams.

That night became one of the sport’s lasting images. Williams was brought to the mound in a wheelchair before throwing out the first pitch. The All-Stars gathered around him, shook his hand, hugged him and took in a moment that cut across generations.

Schmidt called it “very touching.”

“It’s another one of those things about baseball and its effect on people, the history of the game, that connects generations,” Schmidt said. “That’s what it’s all about.”

Thome remembers it through his father.

“I remember having a moment where I locked in with my dad and how special that was to be able to watch the greatest players,” Thome said. “That night I was able to meet Ted Williams.”

Then came the part that fit Thursday night just as well.

“This great game gives us memories, friendships, the fraternity that ballplayers are so lucky to be in and be a part of,” Thome said. “It’s just a gift.”

That fraternity is part of what Terence Mann’s famous speech in Field of Dreams was built around. Baseball as the constant through all the years.

You could feel that in Dyersville Thursday.

The Phillies and Twins greeted members of Cooperstown before first pitch. The throwback uniforms gave the night a different texture. The cornfield made every look toward the outfield feel like a scene.

Then, as the Hall of Famers emerged from the corn, the Phillies’ offense came out with them.

A group that had been mostly dormant since the All-Star break sent eight hitters to the plate in the first inning. They blended the modern game with a more traditional brand of pressure.

Kyle Schwarber led off the game and homered on the third pitch from Twins right-hander Taj Bradley.

What would Shoeless Joe Jackson have made of a leadoff hitter with 36 home runs?

The Phillies did not stop there.

They made Bradley throw 29 more pitches in the inning, kept traffic on the bases and manufactured another run on Bryson Stott’s RBI single.

Shoeless Joe probably could have appreciated that part, too.

Then it was Aaron Nola’s turn.

A two-run lead must have felt unfamiliar. Nola entered the night having received five total runs of support over his last five starts.

This time, he had room to work.

And he dealt.

Maybe it was the vintage uniforms that brought out “Vintage Nols.” Maybe it was the absence of ABS, which made the night feel more traditional and gave him more freedom with the edges of the zone. Maybe it is just that Nola has looked like a different pitcher since the start of July.

The last explanation is probably the truest.

With no Statcast in the ballpark and no advanced metrics on the scoreboard, it felt right to track the start the old-fashioned way.

Five innings. Five hits. One run. Nine strikeouts.

Nola generated 14 swings and misses. All nine of his strikeouts were swinging.

That might be a simple way to explain it, but it still tells the story.

He gave the Phillies a chance to win. With real run support, including another Schwarber homer, a two-run shot, and a Bryce Harper RBI single, that kind of start looked even better.

Nola has now completed at least five innings in eight straight starts. He has allowed three or fewer earned runs in seven of those eight.

For a pitcher who has spent so much of this season trying to find the version of himself the Phillies have known for years, this was another step in the right direction.

It came in the right place. A night built on appreciation.

And franchise surrounded by its past, getting a needed win from its present…

… at the Field of Dreams.

Phillies rout Twins 7-1 in 2026 Field of Dreams game originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

DYERSVILLE, Iowa — It is hard to put into words how special Thursday night felt in the Iowa cornfields.

Whether you care deeply about baseball history or not, whether you were there for the Phillies or the Twins, Philadelphia’s 7-1 win at the Field of Dreams pulled the sport’s past and present into the same frame.

That was clear from the start.

Just like in the 1989 film Field of Dreams, figures emerged from the cornfield beyond right field. In this case, they were not ghosts.

They were living Hall of Famers.

Twenty-six of them walked out during the pregame ceremony, wearing old-school uniforms as they made their way from the corn to the field.

It was the most Cooperstown representation at a single game since the 2008 All-Star Game at the old Yankee Stadium. Before that, it had not happened since the 1999 All-Star Game at Fenway Park.

A few of the current faces in Dyersville could one day join that kind of company.

Bryce Harper. Kyle Schwarber. Dave Dombrowski. Maybe even Don Mattingly, depending on how the next chapter of his baseball life unfolds.

Former Phillies Mike Schmidt and Jim Thome know what those nights feel like.

In 1999, Thome was an American League All-Star. Schmidt was honored as part of MLB’s All-Century Team, a 30-player roster filled with legends like himself and Ted Williams.

That night became one of the sport’s lasting images. Williams was brought to the mound in a wheelchair before throwing out the first pitch. The All-Stars gathered around him, shook his hand, hugged him and took in a moment that cut across generations.

Schmidt called it “very touching.”

“It’s another one of those things about baseball and its effect on people, the history of the game, that connects generations,” Schmidt said. “That’s what it’s all about.”

Thome remembers it through his father.

“I remember having a moment where I locked in with my dad and how special that was to be able to watch the greatest players,” Thome said. “That night I was able to meet Ted Williams.”

Then came the part that fit Thursday night just as well.

“This great game gives us memories, friendships, the fraternity that ballplayers are so lucky to be in and be a part of,” Thome said. “It’s just a gift.”

That fraternity is part of what Terence Mann’s famous speech in Field of Dreams was built around. Baseball as the constant through all the years.

You could feel that in Dyersville Thursday.

The Phillies and Twins greeted members of Cooperstown before first pitch. The throwback uniforms gave the night a different texture. The cornfield made every look toward the outfield feel like a scene.

Then, as the Hall of Famers emerged from the corn, the Phillies’ offense came out with them.

A group that had been mostly dormant since the All-Star break sent eight hitters to the plate in the first inning. They blended the modern game with a more traditional brand of pressure.

Kyle Schwarber led off the game and homered on the third pitch from Twins right-hander Taj Bradley.

What would Shoeless Joe Jackson have made of a leadoff hitter with 36 home runs?

The Phillies did not stop there.

They made Bradley throw 29 more pitches in the inning, kept traffic on the bases and manufactured another run on Bryson Stott’s RBI single.

Shoeless Joe probably could have appreciated that part, too.

Then it was Aaron Nola’s turn.

A two-run lead must have felt unfamiliar. Nola entered the night having received five total runs of support over his last five starts.

This time, he had room to work.

And he dealt.

Maybe it was the vintage uniforms that brought out “Vintage Nols.” Maybe it was the absence of ABS, which made the night feel more traditional and gave him more freedom with the edges of the zone. Maybe it is just that Nola has looked like a different pitcher since the start of July.

The last explanation is probably the truest.

With no Statcast in the ballpark and no advanced metrics on the scoreboard, it felt right to track the start the old-fashioned way.

Five innings. Five hits. One run. Nine strikeouts.

Nola generated 14 swings and misses. All nine of his strikeouts were swinging.

That might be a simple way to explain it, but it still tells the story.

He gave the Phillies a chance to win. With real run support, including another Schwarber homer, a two-run shot, and a Bryce Harper RBI single, that kind of start looked even better.

Nola has now completed at least five innings in eight straight starts. He has allowed three or fewer earned runs in seven of those eight.

For a pitcher who has spent so much of this season trying to find the version of himself the Phillies have known for years, this was another step in the right direction.

It came in the right place. A night built on appreciation.

And franchise surrounded by its past, getting a needed win from its present…

… at the Field of Dreams.

Freddie Freeman has long been loathe to off days.

And on Thursday, not even a frightening tumble down a set of dugout stairs the night before managed to keep him out of the Dodgers’ lineup.

After escaping his scary-looking fall on Wednesday with only general body soreness from his shoulder to his foot, Freeman was indeed good to go for Thursday’s series-opener against the Milwaukee Brewers, playing first base and batting fourth in the Dodgers’ order.

“I didn’t hit my head, so that was the key part,” Freeman said Wednesday night.

“Kneecaps are sore, shoulder is sore, hand is sore, wrist is sore,” he added. “I mean, I fell. But I’m in good spirits. I’ve already cold-tubbed. I’ve done everything I needed to do to put myself in a position to be able to hopefully play tomorrow.”

When Freeman went crashing into the visiting dugout on Wednesday, an immediate return to the lineup hardly seemed certain.

The 36-year-old remained down for several moments, as Dodgers players and trainers came racing over to check on him.

The crowd held its breath, before breaking into chants of “Fredd-ie! Fredd-ie” as he got back to his feet.

Somehow, Freeman emerged from the freak incident largely unscathed, initially staying in the game and playing out the rest of the eighth inning on defense.

He was removed thereafter, but was feeling good enough postgame to not even warrant an X-ray.

“Really dodged a bullet,” manager Dave Roberts said.

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