Category: Baseball

The MLB trade deadline (the only one these days, as opposed to the non-waiver deadline days) is Monday. The Diamondbacks are currently five games over .500 and hold the final wild card berth. Furthermore, they have begun the process of picking up some tie-breakers against their competition. When poised to make a playoff push, it is almost always in the best interest of a club to bolster their roster at the trade deadline. However, unlike the offseason, finding available targets is not always possible, at least not at a reasonable cost. That’s a sec0ndary problem though. First, a team must identify what areas could most benefit from improvement. Herein are some of the areas Arizona could most likely address between now and Monday afternoon.

First Base/DH/Left-Handed Platoon Impact Bat

After years of Paul Goldschmidt, followed by a few more years of Christian Walker, Arizona fans became spoiled by just how good they had it at first base. Now, the club is in the midst of a historically abysmal season from the infield corner formerly manned by perennial all-star talent. Recently, last year’s trade deadline acquisition, Tyler Locklear, returned to service at the position. It remains to be seen if the slugging right-handed batter will be able to stick at the MLB level. Due to significant, long-term injury, the team still has not had a chance to examine his ability to make the adjustments necessary to thrive at the highest level. His defense is actually better at first than initial reports, so there is certainly some hope that the bat may still surprise as well. Unfortunately, entering Friday’s action, Locklear only has eight appearances in games, amounting to a total of 28 plate appearances. On top of that, while he is showing some signs of being a decent power bat for the middle of the order, he does bat from the right side. That doesn’t help the team’s retched performance from the left side of the plate.

In order to find a potential quick, temporary fix to that issue, the Diamondbacks turned to PED violator, Max Kepler as he came back from his suspension. The results from that move have been mixed – at best. Moreover, even if Kepler finds his best pre-suspension form again, he is ineligible for the playoff roster. So the team will still need a replacement for him if they expect to play in October.

The team need not focus exclusively on first basemen for this need, that simply is the most straight-forward solution. However, given the injury issues with Jordan Lawlar, Tommy Troy, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. the team could also target a left-handed platoon bat for left field, hoping to get some impact that way, much like when they had Joc Peterson on the roster. Of course, there is also the pure-DH route that could be explored, but such a move is not typical for Mike Hazen, who puts appropriate value on flexibility, maximizing what the mid-market Diamondbacks can do with their roster.

Starting Pitching

Every playoff hopeful wants the best starting pitching they can assemble. Teams with strong October expectations begin to look for ways to turn a season-winning, five-man rotation into a playoff-winning three or four man rotation. Arizona is not so fortunate. Right now, they have a three-man rotation with two more slots being filled by developing prospects. With Zac Gallen and Ryne Nelson unlikely to throw another pitch this year and the questionable return timetable for Corbin Burnes (who may not come back sharp enough to be helpful), the team is left hoping that the injury to Michael Soroka is as minor as can be. Otherwise, the team is short of enough pitching to stay competitive over a long spell. As such, starting pitching may well be the one area in which even a modest acquisition can represent a substantial upgrade to the forecast. But then, pitching always costs a premium at the deadline. Still, this is one area where I would expect much of the attention to be focused.

High Leverage Relief Pitching

Arizona’s bullpen has performed well-above expectations thus far this season. Even the recent demotion of Paul Sewald from the closer’s role is a testament to that. Here we are in August and the Diamondbacks’ bullpen (including Paul Sewald) has been a big part of why they are currently a playoff bound team. However, the recent demotion of Sewald has exposed Arizona’s lack of high leverage relief. The team appears to be flush with arms with the potential for mop-up innings and eating swaths of middle innings. What it appears to lack are shutdown relievers. The team entered the season with hopes that both A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez would be back in time to make meaningful contributions as the team’s back end of the bullpen. Now, at this point, it is wishful thinking to expect any meaningful contribution from either of them in 2026. While Brandyn Garcia and Jonathan Loáisiga have the sorts of arsenals one wants to see in high leverage relievers, neither has spent much time in high leverage situations this year. Expecting them to seamlessly slide into those roles now seems a bit problematic. If nothing else, the team will need more than just two high leverage arms for the sort of action they can expect to see in October.

Relievers tend to be grossly overpriced at the trade deadline. But, at the same time, there are so many of them spread across 30 clubs and 30 AAA rosters, that quality can still tend to be found for reasonable prices. Of course, it doesn’t always work out, even when all the signs point to an amazing deal having been made. Arizona fans need look no further than Mike Hazen’s acquisition of Jake Diekman in the summer of 2018. That summer, the team needed left-handed help in the bullpen. Diekman’s peripherals matched his solid track record of success and his salary was still quite reasonable. He was, quietly, one of the better left-handed relievers in the game. Yet, no sooner did he ride the bullpen cart across Chase Field to join his new team than his performance fell off a cliff. Rather than a change of scenery helping him, the change turned him from one of the better lefty relievers in the game to one of the worst overall relievers in the game. Annoyingly, after Diekman was allowed to walk after his failed stint in Arizona, he promptly returned to being a slightly above league average reliever. It would be four more years before he started to struggle again as his stuff declined. Even his lesser time from 2022-2024 was better than his stint in Arizona though. What this demonstrates is that relief pitchers are simply volatile creatures. Unless one is trading for the likes of a Mason Miller or 2010s Craig Kimbrel, a trade for relief pitching is still a risky venture.

Will Mike Hazen address all of these areas for concern? Will he address any of them? What realistic options are open to Mike Hazen and the Diamondbacks this season? We’ll eamine that tomorrow morning.

In the modern era, you can probably recall the exact prospects the Yankees have had that excited you but didn’t pan out. However, thinks like prospect rankings and outlets that cover up-and-coming players are all things that have come about in most of our lifetimes. If you were to open up the history books, you may find a random player who played in just 10 career games and never made it after that. To us, they’re just a name, but at the time, they may very well have been a potential superstar.

Slim Love was one such player.

Edward Haughton “Slim” Love
Born: August 1, 1890 (Love, MS)
Died: November 30, 1942 (Memphis, TN)
Yankees Tenure: 1916-18

Edward Love was born in the aptly-named Love, Mississippi in 1890. The future big leaguer would say that wasn’t a coincidence and the town was named after his grandfather, but that’s a disputed claim. He grew up working on his family’s farm, but played baseball on some local amateur and semi-pro teams, and showed an aptitude for the sport. Helpful to that pursuit was that Love shot up in height, eventually growing to be 6-foot-7. (He was the tallest pitcher in the majors during his career.) His tall, lanky build got him his nickname of “Slim,” but also added a dimension to his pitching prowess.

Love rose pretty quickly from semi-pro player to getting a deal with the minor league Memphis Chickasaws. While his pitching ability impressed Memphis — he even struck out future Hall of Famer Nap Lajoie in an exhibition — he was a bit too raw and didn’t have a great grasp of other fundamentals, such as fielding. He was sent to some lower minor league levels. A good run with the Selma Centralites in 1913 got him noticed by the Southern Association’s Class-A Atlanta Crackers, which at that time was the second-highest level of the minors. His raw talent shone through there and after just a handful of starts, he was signed by the major-league Washington Senators.

Debuting in September 1913, Love made five appearances for the Senators, including one start. He was pretty decent, posting a 1.62 ERA, but was still considered very raw. That plus an injury led to him going back down to the minors and joining the old Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League. He spent two years there, and — especially in 1915 — was excellent, having refined some of his offspeed stuff. That got him back on the major league radar and the Yankees swooped in and acquired him ahead of the 1916 season.

Love’s first season in New York was a bit of a weird one. He missed time during spring training after injuring himself tripping over railroad tracks, and then contracted malaria in June. Those issues wouldn’t have helped, but he also wasn’t particularly great on the mound. Love posted a 4.91 ERA (60 ERA+), and walked more batters than he struck out.

However, Love’s potential was too much for the Yankees to ignore. Ahead of the next season, manager Bill Donovan said, “If that big fellow ever acquires control he will be as difficult to hit as Rube Waddell was in his best days. No left-hander since Rube’s time had such a good fast ball. His curve breaks fast and his great height will add to his effectiveness.” In 1917, he showed signs of that being true.

Working mostly in a swingman role for the 1917 Yankees, Love was very solid. He posted a 2.35 ERA (115 ERA+) in 130.1 innings, including nine starts. He also put up one of the more impressive pitching performances you’ll see throwing 14 scoreless innings in a game against the Athletics on May 30th. Besides that, Love also lowered his walk rate a bit, giving some hope for the future.

Slim Love mentioned on the @YESNetwork broadcast. Was 6’7” hurler from 1913-1920. Had a 3.04 ERA. pic.twitter.com/73CoRvvCHh

— Stirrups Now! (@uniformcritic) August 2, 2022

For 1918, Love became a mainstay in the Yankees’ rotation. However, he couldn’t maintain his improvements from the prior season. In 228.2 innings, Love issued a league-high 116 walks, and also put up a 3.07 ERA, which doesn’t sound bad, but equated to a 91 ERA+ in that Deadball Era season. That ended up being the Yankees’ limit, and that winter they traded him to the Red Sox.

Love wasn’t with Boston for long, as the Red Sox traded him to the Tigers just a month after acquiring him. After initially having a salary dispute with Detroit, he eventually joined them and had a pretty solid 1919. However after one bad game and reported rule violations, the Tigers released him in April 1920. While he continued on in the minor leagues though 1930, he never made it back to the majors. He just never managed to get his control under, well, control.

Following his baseball career, Love returned to the Memphis area, where he lived with his wife and worked as a pipefitter. He was killed in 1942 after being struck by a car while attempting to cross a road.

With all the technology at hand today, Slim Love is the type of player that teams today would love to acquire and try and work through his issues. However in the 1910s, there wasn’t a ton you could do besides just asking him nicely to stop walking people.

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See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

Earlier this week, we asked you a question about Trea Turner and changing positions. Many of you felt it was fait accompli.

Turner’s defense has been a hot topic for some time now, but it seems that after the All-Star break, it has gotten louder. He has not helped things by playing a poor defense in that time, so naturally we wonder if he will be somewhere else on the field in 2027.

Making such a move in-season would probably never happen unless they make some unforeseen trade that no one sees coming, so now we can really only talk about what happens next season. I had written about his going to center field next season, to which many people thought left field would make more sense. I can see that, but I’d really rather see him using his speed to cover more ground in center. Either way, he should not be the shortstop next year.

This post brought to you by FanDuel.

Past summaries:

• So far, so good through mid-April
• Even better in late April
• May-be they’re just really good
• Late May just good, rather than absurdly awesome
• A June swoon so far
• Awful
• Fake it and maybe make it

How did the Braves do recently?

The post All-Star Break portion of July was a fun one for the Braves. You probably recall that June was terrible for this team, and the start of July was… okay, because the team played .500 ball instead of continuing to plunge through a June-esque abyss.

Two weeks ago, I asked whether 6-6 to start July was going to serve as a springboard from recovering from both June’s record and the fact that the team just didn’t actually produce for a whole calendar month. The answer is complicated. Or, maybe it’s simple, because it’s a similar answer to when the Braves faked it to that .500 record.

The Braves went 10-5 in their final 15 games of July. They won three straight series coming out of the All-Star Break, including taking three of four from the Padres at home (they hadn’t taken a home series from San Diego since 2018). They then dropped a series to the Mets in New York, but ended the month winning three straight, including two over the Nationals. That’s the second-best record in baseball in that span. All problems solved, right?

On the position player side, the Braves produced enough. They finished sixth in fWAR and seventh in runs and wRC+. I opined at the end of June that they’d need to find a way to have a top-ten offense going forward to succeed, and that’s what they did. They had the fifth-highest wOBA, the ninth-highest xwOBA, and the league’s fourth-biggest xwOBA overperformance. To be clear:

• Start of the season through June: eighth-biggest xwOBA underperformance
• July: fifth-biggest xwOBA overperformance

Thanks, baseball gods! After so many seasons and months of underperforming, no help will be scoffed at.

On the pitching side, the Braves narrowly escaped a bottom-five performance. However, the FIP was stung by HR/FB, as the staff finishing 21st in xFIP-, but 26th in FIP- (also 21st in ERA-). It was kind of a weird turnaround with a middling rotation performance for two weeks and one of the league’s worst bullpen performances… but the bullpen performance was largely just weighed down by letting Connor Thomas eat a blowout loss, the continued roster existence of Tyler Kinley, and a few homers given up by Raisel Iglesias and JR Ritchie.

Put this together, and the Braves are still doing their weird record-versus-production thing that I noted in the middle of this month. A combined 3.5 fWAR in 15 games suggests an 8-7 record, not the 10-5 the Braves pulled off. But, the Braves continued to win close games and leave their terrible performances for hopeless contests. In theory, a team hitting pretty well but not insanely so, even with some a lot of luck, shouldn’t be able to pull away if it has a dire pitching situation. But, the Braves overcame. The game-by-game odds for these 15 games also suggested 8-7 would’ve been expected, so, again, yay.

How are the Braves doing for the season?

The Braves now have MLB’s third-best record. Their division lead is back up to eight games, meaning that despite playing just 15 games after the All-Star Break and winning ten of them, they somehow gained six games on the Phillies. That’s pretty efficient! As a result, playoff odds are back to about 99 percent, and division odds are up to 90 percent. These numbers don’t really budge even if you consider alternative forecast schemas (i.e., ones where the Braves’ current production governs how they’ll play going forward), because August tends to be the point of standings inertia, and an eight-game lead is pretty inertial as far as things go.

Overall, the Braves are middle of the pack (and close to dead average in MLB) in most position player categories. Their July run has made their wOBA equal their xwOBA. The aggregate is still being weighed down by June, of course. The pitching is also middling in similar fashion, split between a bottom-ten rotation performance and top-five bullpen performance. The rotation has a silly eighth/23rd/14th delineation in ERA-/FIP-/xFIP-, respectively; the bullpen is a much more consistent third/ninth/ninth.

Put all this together, and the Braves’ production without any context suggests a .500 team. Average hitting, average fielding, average pitching. That they’ve been able to pull out one of MLB’s best records amid all this… it’s a little dizzying. This sort of thing is also somewhat starting to catch up to the team in other measures. For example, the Braves are now +4 over BaseRuns, one of the bigger marks in the majors. However, since the Phillies are an absurd +6 over BaseRuns, it’s hard to fret too much about this sort of thing as far as the season standings go.

Still, the Braves do need to make some real improvements if they want the next two months to be as enjoyable as the last two weeks have been — they can’t hope to coast on divine baseball providence. We know as well as anyone just how fickle the presence of that boon can be.

How are the hitters doing?

Maybe the funniest and/or most informative biweekly cut of these data for the season so far.

Drake Baldwin went nuclear after the All-Star Break. He had a rough two games to close out the month, but was batting like a berserker in the ones before that. Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, Michael Harris II, Dominic Smith, Joey Bart, Eli White, and Brewer Hicklen were the main beneficiaries of excellent luck on balls in play in this span. On the flip side, Mauricio Dubon caught the opposite, and for some reason, the universe still has it out for Ronald Acuña Jr. Anyway, if you look at the right-hand side, you’ll see that the aggregate lines for Harris, Dubon, and Smith have converged after some large discrepancies in smaller cuts throughout the season. Baldwin-Acuña and Albies-Olson seem to be occupying some sort of grand balancing across them, with the former still substantially unfortunate through the arc of the season, and the latter getting undeserved rewards to make up for it.

You can see the extent of Baldwin’s dominance since his circle up there is like some sort of sinister descending planet that can’t even be fully captured in-frame. Also, Acuña is quarantined in the “punished for crimes of unclear provenance” zone. On the flip (right-hand) side, you can see the inputs and outputs are kinda-sorta working as intended, with only Albies defying the natural order of the universe.

A special shoutout to Jim Jarvis for: 1) producing a respectable .306 xwOBA while also 2) leading the hitters in WPA over these 15 games. It’s actually really impressive that he managed to get a number of big hits, and avoid big outs, while not actually producing particularly good outputs in this span. Again, that’s pretty efficient.

How are the pitchers doing?

I feel like I type the same thing about the rotation every time, more or less.

• Chris Sale is awesome. Sometimes he is super-awesome, like in this span, and sometimes he’s just his regular level of hard-to-believe amazing. He’s having another elite season, even if it is a little overshadowed by some freaky young arms doing even better.
• The Braves have a few other guys that intermittently pitch like generic middle-of-the-rotation arms with homer problems. These past few weeks, it was Bryce Elder and Reynaldo Lopez; Martin Perez is that kind of guy over the course of the season.
• The remaining rotation guys are worse-than-average and may or may not have homer problems. Grant Holmes continues to be miscast as a starter and would really help the bullpen as a multi-inning option that can be deployed in close games appropriately (instead of Elieser Hernandez, Victor Mederos, and a sacrilegious level of prayer from the dugout), but here we are, approaching August.

On the bullpen end of things, Dylan Dodd had a very nice two weeks or so, and Didier Fuentes didn’t take a hit numbers-wise despite doing stuff like pitching in both games of a doubleheader. Raisel Iglesias gave up a few homers, and Tyler Kinley is a problem — or will be, if he gets any more higher-leverage opportunities.

A special shoutout is warranted to Danny Young, who has the most bizarre line. On the season, he’s at 49/142/137; over the last two weeks, it’s 0/127/147. He appears to be the team’s lucky charm — in seven games in this span, he garnered positive WPA in each (and two shutdowns), despite only actually pitching well twice. I think Young can be useful in theory, but he’s still recovering from Tommy John Surgery and is only about 16 months removed from the operation. The current version, where he’s apparently the luckiest man in baseball, is preferable to him still working his way back to full effectiveness and causing the Braves to lose games as he does so.

So, the Braves head towards Monday’s Trade Deadline in a great place standings-wise, if not production-wise. Will that compel them to make a move? I can see it either way.

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Another eventful slate in the Majors means lots of opportunity for long balls in my MLB player props home run analysis. 

Today's selections include Shohei Ohtani, CJ Abrams, and Dominic Canzone. 

Read more in my MLB picks for Saturday, August 1. 

MLB home run props for today

Home run prediction: Dominic Canzone (+388)

Dominic Canzone has been a consistent outlet for power in the Seattle Mariners lineup lately. The slugger has gone deep three times in his last seven contests, posting a .444 ISO. 

Over the last week, he's squaring up everything, posting a 57.1% hard-hit rate and 19% barrel rate. Tonight's matchup against Connor Prielipp is an intriguing one for his hot bat. The Minnesota Twins starter has allowed 1.69 HR/9 over his last two starts while allowing a 52% hard-hit rate. 

Canzone also has a very respectable .351 ISO against left-handed pitchers. 

I'll play this pick down to +400. 

• Time: 4:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: FS1

Home run prediction: CJ Abrams (+325)

CJ Abrams is a regular in my home run props, but there's good reason for it. The Washington Nationals star continues to rake. He owns a .520 ISO over his last seven games, going deep four times during that span. 

Abrams has an average launch angle of 26.1 degrees over his last 31 plate appearances and a 15.8% barrel rate. He'll face Reynaldo Lopez tonight, who has given up 1.80 HR/9 over his previous two starts while allowing a 50% fly ball rate during that span. 

Lopez is prone to loud contact in the air, and Abrams is consistently getting lift under the baseball. 

I'll play this pick down to +300. 

• Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: BravesVision, Nats.TV

Home run prediction: Shohei Ohtani (+250)

Shohei Ohtani is always a threat to leave the yard when he steps up to the plate, and he is showcasing his power right now. The two-way superstar has a .476 ISO in the last week, with two bombs in his previous five outings. 

It's rare for him to not be squaring up the baseball lately. He has a 62.5% hard-hit rate and 18.8% barrel rate in the last week, and tonight's matchup against Payton Tolle screams value. Ohtani has actually hit lefties well, posting a .291 ISO. 

Tolle is having trouble with the long ball. He's allowed 2.45 HR/9 over his previous two appearances. One mistake could easily be punished by one of the most feared hitters in the Majors. 

I'll play this pick down to +200. 

• Time: 9:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NESN, SportsNet LA

Best home run combo for August 1

Want more baseball parlays? Check out our MLB parlay picks page!

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.

The calendar has turned to August. And the inventory for Major League Baseball’s top 25 potential trade candidates before the Monday, Aug. 3 deadline hasn’t even budged.

A few situations have changed since our last exercise – though probably not enough to ensure significant action before the deadline’s final moments.

Nonetheless, here’s a glance at our top 25 players on the trade market, based on their possible impact, the likelihood of their availability and the fit of their contracts:

1. Luis Arraez, 2B, Giants

Still No. 1 in our hearts, even if he doesn’t light up all the chyrons on your favorite network shoutfest or podcast. He just keeps hitting, leading the majors with a .328 average and highly respectable .810 OPS. That ability to move the baseball takes on significant value in the playoffs.

2. Tarik Skubal, SP, Tigers

It’s looking like a foregone conclusion he’ll be dealt. But we’re reserving just a tad of juice simply because the Tigers are likely to sweep the Athletics out in Yolo County this weekend, and perhaps draw as close as two games within a playoff spot. Probably not enough to convince technocratic GM Scott Harris to hold him, but possibly worth pondering.

3. Luke Weaver, RP, Mets

Simply, the kid is different, giving up one earned run in his last 29 games, with a 36-7 strikeout-walk ratio. He’s signed for next season, has “New York playoff closing experience,” if you give a damn about that, and solves all kind of bullpen problems.

4. Robbie Ray, SP, Giants

Proverbial big veteran innings-inning lefty, but with a dash of quality, too: Ray has given up three or fewer runs in 18 of his 21 starts. Perhaps not a Game 1 playoff starter, but a key stretch drive piece who can fold into the back of a playoff rotation.

5. Michael Wacha, SP, Royals

He has limited no-trade protection and makes a reasonable $15 million in 2027 and is a workhorse veteran of five previous postseason runs.

6. Zach Neto, SS, Angels

Is this the sort of offensive punch the Red Sox seek? Neto is on track for 30 home runs this season, though that comes with a massive strikeout total as well. And his minus-9 outs above average would not dovetail with Boston’s run prevention ethos. Still, a dynamic figure the Angels decide to let John Mozeliak mess around.

7. Foster Griffin, SP, Nationals

A big climber on our list, from seven to 21, in light of the Nationals’ three-game losing streak that threatens their potential playoff push. Yep, the deadline margins are that razor-thin. Griffin is right behind Skubal among most talented lefties possibly available. His club is now 55-56 and 2 1/2 back of a playoff spot. A pending free agent, an extension candidate, a potential Game 1 playoff starter with a seven-pitch mix, Griffin’s plight is fascinating.

8. Clay Holmes, SP, Mets

Yet another fast mover thanks to a solid rehab start and the possibility Holmes can help a contender almost immediately. He should be good for eight starts plus the playoffs. Barring any health hiccups, Holmes will likely opt out of a player option for 2027 that would otherwise add value to a transaction.

9. Casey Mize, SP, Tigers

Well, they scratched him from his last start, so they must be serious about dealing him, right? Mize has battled groin woes all season but at his best can be a solid No. 2 in any playoff rotation. A pending free agent, you wonder if the Tigers would be better served holding him for a qualifying offer and draft pick compensation.

10. Reid Detmers, SP, Angels

Detmers comes with two additional years of club control and has been on a two-month heater, with a 3.18 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 65 innings of his last 11 starts. His ranking is mildly depressed by the Angels’ potential to deal him and a profile that’s been inconsistent to date.

11. Jake McCarthy, OF, Rockies

Yep, there’s position players on this list, somewhere. McCarthy has found his groove in Colorado, with a career-best .816 OPS (111 adjusted) and playable defense in center field. He and the Astros have been a natural match for months (years?), and now the Astros are over .500 and, for now, in firstp lace.

12. Isaac Collins, OF, Royals

A switch-hitting outfielder with a .342 OBP, speed and a slightly above average adjusted OPS. He won’t “win you the trade deadline,” but he might help win you a championship.

13. Kevin Gausman, SP, Blue Jays

Gausman has limited no-trade powers, with a pair of potential contenders on his list, and isn’t having his finest season. Yet he can still churn out quality starts and, should he retire after this season, would appreciate another crack at a World Series.

14. Tyler Stephenson, C, Reds

Everybody needs a catcher, right? Stephenson is one of the few coming from a selling team who offers some offensive upside. Not the guy who hit 19 homers with a .782 OPS in 2024, but he’s healthy and a near league average hitter and, the Yankees will notice, bats right-handed.

15. Lars Nootbaar, OF, Cardinals

Speaking of the Yankees, Nootbaar wouldn’t be the splashiest add, particularly after he missed the first 60 games after offseason surgery on his heels. He’s been adequate in his return, with a .698 OPS that’s just below league average. He comes with an additional year of club control.

16. Devin Williams, RP, Mets

Williams posted a 10.29 ERA in his first nine outings as the Mets’ season fell apart early, and a 2.73 ERA in 22 games since. (Along with a 2.83 FIP, if you’re interested). Signed for two more years and $26 million, and whether that’s a plus or minus is in the eye of the beholder.

17. Jack Flaherty, SP, Tigers

The third of the Tigers’ pitching triplets should they burn the ships, Flaherty was traded in 2024 and then the Tigers staged a wild rally for a playoff berth. He went on to get a World Series ring with the Dodgers.

18. Shane Bieber, SP, Blue Jays

He was near the top of our list after two sterling starts indicated he was fully back from arm woes that delayed his 2026 debut – and then he walked six batters in the first inning of his next outing. Still, he’s a pending free agent who won Game 4 of the 2025 World Series, with a low odometer this season.

 19. Dustin May, SP, Cardinals

Sure, he’ll occasionally pitch you out of a game – he’s had five outings of at least five earned runs – but will also dominate on occasion. May might not crack the circle of playoff rotation trust but would be a useful arm down the stretch and on the back end of a playoff roster.

19. Jeff Hoffman, RP, Blue Jays

Stung in World Series Game 7 last year and bit by hard luck this year, Hoffman is beginning to round into form, posting scoreless innings in 18 of his last 19 outings. Hoffman wants to stay, but an acquiring team would control him for $12.6 million next season.

20. Mickey Moniak, OF, Rockies

Like McCarthy, Moniak is a serviceable lefty-swinging bat, though he doesn’t bring the defensive optionality McCarthy does. Moniak has 17 homers and a 126 adjusted OPS for the Rockies.

21. Mason Miller, RP, Padres

Just doing our due diligence, as every contending team is surely performing, as well. Yet the Padres are a game out of a playoff berth. Prying Miller away with top 100 prospects while scorching a Padres playoff run is probably a bridge too far for GM A.J. Preller.

22. George Springer, DH, Blue Jays

Who wouldn’t want to see another iteration of Playoff George? The man is magic in October, but also has full no-trade protection and loves it in Toronto. Still, this baby wil go right down to the wire as team and player consider their futures. One downside: He’s only played one game in the outfield this season.

23. Trevor Rogers, SP, Orioles

This remains unlikely, as the Orioles are again within sight of playoff position. Yet Rogers is a pending free agent who has been dominant (2.21 ERA, 51-14 strikeout-walk ratio in 10 starts) the past two months. Might make sense if Baltimore is in buy-and-sell mode.

24. Alec Burleson, INF, Cardinals

Tricky one here. Burleson is one of their best players, yet perhaps lacks the runway (two years team control after 2026) to be considered integral to the Cardinals’ true future. If they put him firmly on the block bump Burleson (15 homers, .803 OPS) up about 15  spots.

25. Freddy Peralta, SP, Mets

Not a good pitcher this year. But perhaps a team with strong ideas from its pitching department can put Freddy back together again.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB trade candidates: Top 25 deadline targets led by Skubal, Arraez

The Atlanta Braves have once again activated the DFA Cycle and the latest passenger is none other than Elieser Hernández. Following another one-appearance stint with Atlanta, Hernández has been designated for assignment and reliever James Karinchak will be taking his place on the roster for the time being.

The #Braves today recalled RHP James Karinchak to Atlanta and designated RHP Elieser Hernández for assignment.

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 1, 2026

Hernández has actually come up pretty big for the Braves over the past couple of weekends. He tossed three crucial scoreless innings against the Orioles in a situation where Atlanta needed every last one of those outs in order to pull off a dramatic victory. This time, he pitched another three innings but it was clear that he was being used to give the bullpen regulars a spell after they were put into heavy use during the series-opening win over Washington. Either way, the three innings were productive (outside of a homer given up to Andrés Chaparro) and Hernández did his job while he was here.

James Karinchak will be returning to the big league fold for the first time since July 9, which is when he pitched a scoreless inning against the Pirates. Karinchak has pitched 9.2 innings so far and has a 1.86 ERA and a 4.34 FIP so far. I’d imagine that he’ll be in line to get some low-leverage innings on a short-term basis. Pour another one out for Elieser Hernández, though, who appears to be the strongest soldier given the fate of the DFA Cycle so far.

Mason McConnaughey started for the Crawdads, allowing two runs in an inning of work, striking out one, walking one and giving up one homer. Jormy Nivar struck out two and walked one in five shutout innings. Louis Marinaro struck out three and walked one in a shutout inning. Geury Rodriguez struck out three and walked one in two shutout innings.

2026 9th rounder Kaden Carpenter made his professional debut and went 2 for 5 with a walk, a double and a homer. Paulino Santana was 3 for 5 with a triple and a homer. Daniel Flames had a pair of doubles and a walk. Yolfran Castillo had a hit and a walk. Marco Argudin was 3 for 6. Pablo Guerrero had a pair of hits and a walk. Jormy Nivar had a pair of plate appearances despite being a pitcher due to Sebastian Baquera leaving the game after the top of the second, for reasons I’m not clear on, and Noah Franklin moving from DH to catcher. Nivar walked both times. Geury Rodriguez also had a plate appearance and walked.

Hickory box score

Hub City starter Caden Scarborough went four innings, allowing two runs, striking out five, walking two, hitting a batter and throwing a wild pitch.

Paxton Kling returned from the injured list and was 1 for 4 with a stolen base. Maxton Martin was 2 for 4 with a double.

Hub City box score

Frisco starter Aidan Curry allowed three runs in 5.1 IP, striking out four and walking three. Bryan Magdaleno threw 1.2 shutout innings, striking out four.

Dylan Dreiling homered.

Frisco box score

Josh Stephan started for Round Rock, allowing four runs, striking out three, walking three, hitting a batter and giving up a pair of homers. Rehabbing Chris Martin struck out two in a scoreless inning. Ryan Lobus struck out one in a scoreless inning. Michel Otanez struck out two in a shutout inning. Wilian Bormie threw a scoreless inning and struck out one.

Jarred Kelenic was 2 for 4 with a triple and a stolen base. Cody Freeman doubled.

Round Rock box score

DSL Rangers Red box score

DSL Rangers Blue were rained out.

Former Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer blasted the Los Angeles Dodgers as “a bunch of snakes,” saying the club abandoned him after he was accused of sexual assault — allegations that never resulted in criminal charges.

“I wish I never played for them because I think the organization treated me like s–t and I am not very happy with that,” Bauer said during an interview with YouTube channel “La casa de los Dodgers.”

The Southern California native joined the Dodgers on a three-year, $102 million deal in 2021.

But his career began to unravel that May when a San Diego woman accused him of sexual assault during two encounters. Bauer denied the allegations.

He told “La casa de los Dodgers” that he was initially backed by the team.

Bauer, who won the National League Cy Young Award in 2020, claimed Dodgers manager Dave Roberts even hugged him and said, “‘Hey, we’re going to get through this together and we’re going to be a family.”

After a five-month review of the case that started with the Pasadena Police Department, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office declined to file criminal charges, citing insufficient evidence.

Bauer was suspended by Major League Baseball for 194 games under its domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy before being released by the Dodgers in January 2023.

He has since wandered from Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league to the Mexican League to the independent minor-league Long Island Ducks. He is now back in the Mexican League.

Bauer doesn’t envision a return to MLB because it “will never allow that to happen.”

A league spokesperson referred The Post to a comment from a statement MLB made in 2024: “Trevor Bauer served the entirety of his discipline and is an unrestricted free agent available to sign a contract with any team.”

The Dodgers did not return a request for comment.

“The front office people, I wish them nothing but the worst … I think they’re a bunch of snakes,” Bauer said.

He's a Major League Baseball star who could be in line to represent Team GB at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

And Jazz Chisholm Jr's New York Yankees team-mates tell him regularly just how good he is.

"Sometimes they've seen me dragging a little bit lately," he said in a post-match interview last month. "So they've been saying: 'Let's not forget who you are. You're the greatest in the world... you are Jazz Chisholm.'"

Chisholm exudes a self-confidence that has endeared him to Yankees fans well versed in big personalities and supportive of those who embrace their huge expectations.

Just this week he made headlines for a video in which he was asked to stay silent until he heard the name of a better player than himself.

He didn't say a word - even when the reporter mentioned team-mate Aaron Judge, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest Yankees ever.

But behind the sometimes brash front, there is a humble side to Chisholm.

From the Bahamas...

Born in Nassau - the capital city of the Bahamas - Chisholm was raised mainly by his grandparents.

His maternal grandmother - Patricia Coakley - had been the star player of the nation's softball team. She began teaching her grandson how to hit a baseball from the age of two, and encouraged him to play with swagger and flair.

His paternal grandmother - Judy Chisholm - also played a vital role in keeping his baseball ambitions on track.

When Jazz was 12, he moved to Wichita in Kansas to attend boarding school - the best route to give himself a chance of becoming a professional athlete.

He soon became severely homesick and wanted to go home but Judy convinced him to tough it out.

After graduating and returning to the Bahamas, he was signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks through the international scouting process.

...to Team GB?

Bahamians are eligible to play for Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic - an international competition that is the closest thing the sport has to a World Cup.

Chisholm was part of the squad for this year's tournament in March - just weeks before the MLB season - and did not disappoint, captaining the team and batting in three runs in an 8-1 defeat of Brazil.

He has made no secret of his desire to represent Britain at the Olympics, but there are several hurdles to overcome.

First, the team have to qualify.

Only one European nation can book their spot in LA when qualifying takes place next year. The competition is open, but GB would probably have to go further than Italy, who unexpectedly beat the USA in reaching the semi-finals of the World Baseball Classic.

Then there are the eligibility criteria. Only athletes who are legally British citizens can compete for Team GB at the Olympics, so Chisholm would have to apply for a British passport.

The final sticking point is the Olympics fall right in the middle of the MLB season, so an agreement still needs to be reached to release players.

An 11-day mid-season break is the latest proposal that may suit all sides as the MLB aims to minimise disruption to its season and the International Olympic Committee looks to ensure it is able to showcase the game's best players.

"I think when you see an Olympic competition, you expect to see best on best," IOC sports director Pierre Ducrey told the BBC.

"That's what we delivered, for example, in ice hockey in Milan-Cortina with the return of the National Hockey League, and we hope we can see that materialising in LA.

"Baseball is a sport proposed by LA28, so they are leading those conversations but we, of course, support as much as we can with the hope that come 2028, we're going to see the best of the best going at it in the Dodgers Stadium."

A shorter-term goal

For Chisholm, the Olympics can wait for now - because the immediate goal is to help the Yankees in their quest to secure a 28th World Series title.

The next step on that journey is a three-match series against the Chicago Cubs, with the final game live on the BBC from 19:10 BST on Sunday.

The Yankees haven't won the big prize since 2009, making this their longest run without the title since 1920.

They fell agonisingly short last season - losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the deciding game of the seven-game World Series - but are on course to reach the post-season again in 2026.

That gives Chisholm a route to living up to the tag he has been given to his team-mates - help the Yankees secure that long-awaited title.

• The night the Tartan Army took over iconic Fenway Park
• Ex-England bowler Plunkett makes pro baseball debut

Blake Snell struck out nine in four scoreless innings for Class-A Ontario in his third rehab start on Wednesday this week. On Friday Snell told reporters at Dodger Stadium he will make another rehab start before returning from the injured list, this time back with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday against Salt Lake.

From Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register:

“My shoulder pain completely went away. I really feel the chips were what was (causing it),” said Snell, who pitched with shoulder discomfort for two seasons. “I couldn’t feel these fingers (ring and pinkie on his left hand). They were kind of numb (for about a year and a half) but I don’t need them so I didn’t really care.

“Once they (the loose bodies) came out, I was like, ‘Wow, I can feel my fingers.’ … I was just, ‘It’s probably nerve damage from throwing. Whatever.’ And this (taps shoulder) was never getting better. We were doing everything. I was, ‘I don’t get this.’

Player of the day

With the trade deadline on Monday, prospect awareness is at a high point of the season. Zyhir Hope is a consensus top-100 prospect in the sport, and continued his fine season for Double-A Tulsa with two home runs in a three-hit game on Friday.

Zyhir Hope is making Santa’s nice list with ANOTHER HOME RUN🤯 pic.twitter.com/S3ny13iCpX

— Tulsa Drillers (@TulsaDrillers) August 1, 2026

Katie Woo and Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic on Friday morning wrote that Hope was “one name Los Angeles would be open to moving, according to multiple team sources.”

“Hope has big all-fields power and short levers. He’s going to swing over top of lots of changeups with his style of hitting, but he should still get to special power,” Eric Longenhagen at FanGraphs wrote in his overview of Dodgers prospects heading into the deadline this week. “He’s the hitter I’m most worried about overrating here.”

Friday capped the best month of Hope’s career, with 10 home runs and 28 RBI while hitting .372/.439/.745 with 24 runs scored and six steals in 23 games in July.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Alek Thomas hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning to lift the Comets over the Las Vegas Aviators (A’s).

ALEK THOMAS CRUSHES THIS BALL TO GIVE THE COMETS THE LEAD☄️ pic.twitter.com/rSfrtdb9Np

— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) August 1, 2026

James Tibbs III tripled, doubled, and singled in the win.

Ben Casparius in his third rehab game for the Comets threw only five of his 21 pitches for strikes in a wild sixth inning. He walked four batters and allowed a run. Nick Robertson relieved and stranded all three runners. Casparius thus far in his rehab assignment has walked eight of his 14 batters faced, with two strikeouts.

Double-A Tulsa

The Drillers scored seven runs early, then seven runs late to out-slug the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Royals) by seven runs on Friday.

In addition to Hope’s two homers, fellow top outfield prospects Josue De Paula — home run, double, single — and Mike Sirota — home run, single — shone on Friday, as did shortstop Elijah Hainline, who homered and doubled.

Zach Root’s first two innings were scoreless but walked three batters in a shaky third inning and couldn’t complete the frame, letting in four runs.

Myles Caba followed Root with seven outs and didn’t allow a run. Kelvin Ramirez struck out five in two scoreless innings of relief.

High-A Great Lakes

Jakob Wright allowed the tying run in the seventh and three runs in the eighth in the Loons’ loss to the Fort Wayne TinCaps (Padres). Wright allowed six hits and three walks while recording just four outs in the loss in relief

Great Lakes didn’t have a hit until the seventh inning, but actually held a led before that, albeit briefly. The Loons scored a pair of runs in the sixth inning thanks to three walks, a passed ball, and a sacrifice fly. Jaron Elkins had that first single, and also singled again with two outs in the ninth inning. Those with the only two hits for Great Lakes all night.

Brady Smith had a rough High-A debut last weekend, but on Friday he pitched into the sixth inning for just the third time as a pro. Smith struck out five in his 5 1/3 innings and allowed only one run, which scored on a double in the sixth inning, the first run scored by either team in this one.

Class-A Ontario

Four crooked-number innings spelled doom for the Tower Buzzers in a blowout loss to the Fresno Grizzlies (Rockies).

Luis Carias allowed five runs without completing the first inning. He only allowed one single but walked four in an inning exacerbated by a throwing error at second base.

Ching-Hsien Ko singled home a pair in the fifth inning for Ontario’s only runs of the game. Fresno tacked on a dozen more runs over the final four innings, thanks in part to 13 walks by Ontario’s pitching staff.

Easton Marks got the final 12 outs in scoreless fashion for Fresno to earn a four-inning save.

Transactions

Triple-A: Veteran left-hander Cole Irvin was called up to eat innings for the Dodgers on Friday. Right-hander Chayce McDermott was designated for assignment to make 40-man roster room.

Friday scores

• Oklahoma City 7, Las Vegas 5
• Tulsa 14, Northwest Arkansas 7
• Fort Wayne 5, Great Lakes 2
• Fresno 17, Ontario 2

Saturday schedule

• 4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Sterling Patick) vs. Fort Wayne (Bryan Balzer)
• 5 p.m.: Tulsa (Christian Zazueta) vs. Northwest Arkansas (Hunter Patteson)
• 5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Jackson Ferris) vs. Las Vegas (Yunior Tur)
• 6:05 p.m.: Ontario (Jack O’Connor) vs. Fresno (Sandy Ozuna)

David Lesky performs an autopsy of the Thursday “ultimate grand slam” the Royals gave up to lose to the Twins.

This is the real moment that I believe the “anyone but him” answer is arguably the right one. I said it before. You can’t bring Strahm in to that spot. See if you can blow the doors of Clemens. He’s hitting .140 with a .193 SLG this year on pitches coming in at 96 MPH or harder. Putting in Strahm in this spot doesn’t teach the Royals anything, though the stats indicate it wasn’t a terrible move with Strahm entering the game having allowed a .235/.264/.353 line with just one home run. But if you’re using the rest of this season to learn what you have and don’t have for 2027, Pearson is the move and not Strahm.

So yeah, I think Quatraro got it wrong. I also don’t know if there’s a right answer. That’s kind of the story of the 2026 season.

Craig Brown breaks down another terrific Noah Cameron performance.

Cameron didn’t get a single called strike on the change, but did get five misses on 15 swings. He alternated with his cutter for the first pitch and got five strikes on six pitches. Add those first pitches (his change and cutter) together and you have 12 first-pitch strikes in 14 at bats.

Getting ahead in the count is key for any pitcher. Cameron is no different, but it’s something he really needs to do to have success. Coming into Thursday’s game, the lefty throttles opposing hitters when jumping ahead with the first strike, allowing a .201/.229/.333 line with an 84 OPS+ if he gets ahead. That means he’s 16 percent better than league average. Conversely, if Cameron throws a ball out of the zone with his first pitch, opposing batters hit .293/.399/.484 with a 117 OPS+. That’s a massive difference in outcomes. It made a difference on Thursday.

You won’t believe this, but a Royals player had a setback recovering from injury. Maikel Garcia has been pulled from his rehab assignment.

This coincides with Maikel Garcia seeing a hand specialist.#Royals MGM Matt Quatraro: “Maikel got his imaging today. He’s going to see a hand specialist early next week just to make sure we’re not missing anything.” https://t.co/aQdfivOPD4

— Jaylon T. Thompson (@jaylonthompson) July 31, 2026

Bobby Witt Jr. will return for the next homestand, reports Anne Rogers.

“He’s doing great,” said manager Matt Quatraro. “… We anticipate him playing when we get back home.”

The rationale behind having Witt — who is on the injured list for the first time in his career — get an extra few days of rest even though he was eligible to come off the IL on Friday, was caution.

Kennen Smith at Just Baseball looks at whether the Royals should trade Michael Wacha.

With only a handful of teams significantly out of the playoff race, Kansas City is positioned to be one of the very few true sellers at the deadline. That scarcity could increase demand for available starters and give the Royals an opportunity to command a stronger return for Wacha than they might receive in a more balanced market.

This barren starting pitching market and opportunity to sell high on him is only made more attractive by the reality that Wacha’s timeline may not line up with Kansas City’s any longer. 

Despite the Royals’ postseason appearance in 2024, the franchise still appears to be further away from sustained contention than that breakthrough season suggested.

Yirsandy Rodríguez at Royals Keep looks at why Luinder Avila has struggled lately.

But when Ávila falls behind, the entire structure changes. Plate appearances become longer, hitters become more patient, and instead of forcing decisions, Ávila is forced to react to them. The first sign appears in his Chase%. In 2025, he ranked in the 75th percentile. Hitters chased pitches outside the strike zone because his sequencing created enough pressure to make them uncomfortable. In 2026, that number has collapsed to the 19th percentile.

Opponents are no longer chasing. They are controlling the at-bat. That change naturally impacts his ability to miss bats. Ávila’s Whiff% has fallen from the 85th percentile to the 40th. With fewer swings and misses, he is reaching deeper counts and needing more precise execution to finish hitters. That has created the next problem: walks

Royals 2026 first-round pick Zion Rose makes his pro debut.

Zion Rose HR in his first professional AB. Not bad for the #Royals first rounder. @royals_kcsn 😎 pic.twitter.com/o1NuPp3TOY

— Jared Perkins (@JaredCP1) July 31, 2026

The Twins acquire starter Dean Kremer from the Orioles and reliever A.J. Minter from the Mets.

The Orioles sign reliever Yennier Cano to a two-year contract extension.

The Astros are interested in Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar.

The Red Sox are open to moving Jarren Duran.

The Giants suspend outfielder Harrison Bader without pay pending an investigation regarding a scooter accident.

The Yankees, Phillies, Rangers, and Guardians are interested in Orioles outfielder Taylor Ward.

The Brewers are willing to take on salary to land Tarik Skubal.

The White Sox are looking for starting pitching.

David Schoenfield of ESPN predicts where top trade candidates will land.

Which executives are under the most pressure at the trade deadline?

UEFA will boycott the World Cup and other tournaments over a proposal to sell a stake to outside investors.

Tony Romo goes on leave after a drunk driving arrest, with J.J. Watt replacing him.

A discarded SpaceX rocket is on a high-speed collision course with the moon.

New York sues Kalshi for being an illegal gambling operation.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day breaks a box office record, making $72 million in early access screenings.

Your song of the day is Jim Croce with I’ve Got a Name.

Hello everyone, and welcome to August.

The M’s suffered another gut-wrenching loss, this time to the Twins by a 5-3 final with the bullpen failing to hold a slim lead.

Anyway, here’s another random prompt for you: What is the MLB team you think about the least? For me it’s probably the Reds.

In Mariners news…

• The Mariners placed infielder J.P. Crawford on the injured list with wrist inflammation.
• Luke Raley missed yesterday’s game due to elbow soreness, which he’s been dealing with for over a month now.
• The M’s said that Brendan Donovan will return from the injured list on Tuesday.

Around the league…

• The Orioles have inked right-hander Yennier Canó to a two-year, $7.5M contract extension.
• The Twins have acquired right-hander Dean Kremer from the Orioles for teenage outfielder Jhomnardo Reyes.
• Baltimore outfielder Ryan Mountcastle is expected to miss multiple months with a “significant” oblique strain.
• Former Mariners reliever and current Tiger Will Vest is undergoing season-ending elbow surgery. He is also planning to get a hip procedure done while he’s out.
• Reds outfielder Blake Dunn is also out for the year after the team announced that he will require elbow surgery.
• The Giants are suspending payments to outfielder Harrison Bader after he got into a scooter accident during his rehab. The team apparently has “long-term concerns” about his foot.
• Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras left yesterday’s game after being clipped in the helmet by a pitch.
• Struggling right-hander Tatsuya Imai is being moved to the Astros bullpen for the foreseeable future.
• With the Rangers now favored to win the AL West, Ryan Blake at Fangraphs dug into what makes this Texas team so interesting.
• Players and owners have much to argue about during these CBA negotiations, but among those things is what constitutes “an even 50-50 split,” writes Evan Drellich at The Athletic. ($)
• Davy Andrews at Fangraphs released a snippet from the baseball journal he kept during paternity leave about watching the Astros’ May combined no-hitter on very little sleep.
• Everyone prepare yourselves for the big bomb this weekend…

Anders’ picks…

• Chris Thompson at Defector gave his thoughts on the Portland Trail Blazers’ nightmare situation with their new owner Tom Dundon who may move the team if he doesn’t get someone else to pay for his new arena.

(54-50) Gwinnett Stripers 3, (48-56) Durham Bulls 4

• Ha-Seong Kim, SS: 1-for-4, .228/.343/.316
• Brett Wisely, 2B: 1-for-2, RBI, SB, .280/.397/.431
• DaShawn Keirsey Jr., CF: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, .259/.311/.362
• Owen Murphy, SP: 4.2IP 9H 3ER 2BB 6K, 3.80 ERA

Box Score

The Stripers bats were held in check most of the night, in their narrow defeat to the Durham Bulls.

Owen Murphy got the start for the Stripers and put together a solid, but not spectacular start. He danced around a lot of work on the bases as he surrendered 9 hits in just 4.2 innings along with a pair of walks but he and the rest of the pitching staff were able to avoid any huge innings because the Stripers limited the Bulls to 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position, making them strand 11 on base. Owen’s velocity held pretty solidly through the 84 pithes he threw, with his final pitch being a four-seam fastball at 92 MPH that still had 19” IVB on it. For the game Owen generated 13 whiffs so despite the contact, he still got the job done for the most part. Owen allowed a solo home run in the fourth, and a two run double in the fifth for all damage done to him. He was replaced by Hayden Harris (1.1IP 1H 0R 1BB 3K) who continued his recent run of success with a dominant appearance. The last pitcher of the game for the Stripers was Ian Hamilton (2IP 0H 1R 0ER 0BB 2K).

Offensively the Stripers struggled – collecting six total hits, with no extra-base hits. As a team they went 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position, and stranded five on base. All of the damage came in the ninth inning when the Stripers tried to storm from behind to tie the game. The first run scored on a bases loaded walk to Brett Wisely who drove in Brewer Hicklen. After Kyle Farmer struck out to be the second out of the inning, DaShawn Keirsey kept the hope alive with a two run single to make the game 3-4 in favor of the Bulls but Jair Camargo would strike out to end the game.

DID SOMEONE SAY RALLY??

DaShawn Keirsey Jr. brings us within ONE! pic.twitter.com/E3G8B8UTk7

— Gwinnett Stripers (@GoStripers) August 1, 2026

(50-49) Rocket City Trash Pandas 6, (45-50) Columbus Clingstones 4

• Adam Żebrowski, C: 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, R, .261/.338/.557
• Carson Taylor, 1B: 2-for-4, R, .462/.481/.846
• Luke Waddell, SS: 1-for-5, HR, R, RBI, .203/.296/.312
• Brett Sears, SP: 7IP 5H 0R 1BB 12K, 3.64 ERA

Box Score

After recording seven phenomenal innings out of Brett Sears the bullpen collapsed, allowing for a dramatic come from behind victory for the Trash Pandas.

Brett Sears got the start and was dominant, generating 21 whiffs across seven innings of work. Of those five hits he allowed just one extra-base hit, a double. His five pitch mix of four-seam, two-seam, cutter, slider, curveball kept the Trash Pandas bats pretty much silent as he weaved the pitches throughout the zone. For a player signed for $12,500 it’s been a very strong year, and professional career to be honest for Brett Sears who is in his second full season, but comes in at 26 years of age. Will be interesting to see how the Braves work with him moving forward because his arsenal last night was that of someone that could pitch in the majors. He replaced by Tyler LaPorte (1.2IP 1H 3ER 1BB 2K) who surrendered the first three runs of the game to the Trash Pandas. He was replaced by Blane Abeyta (1.1IP 2H 3R 2ER 1BB 2K) who pitched the 10th inning with the game tied 3-3, but gave up three runs.

The offense for the Clingstones was real spotty as they scored two runs in the second thanks to Adam Zebrowski who is clearly locked in. After a 3 100 MPH+ EV day, Zebrowski got the offense going for the Clingstones with his 10th home run of the season.

Dogs out here barking 🐕@ValeroEnergy | #ClingtoColumbuspic.twitter.com/aLjcOrYm6K

— Columbus Clingstones (@GoClingstones) July 31, 2026

The Clingstones would then add on another run the following inning when Luke Waddell connected on his seven home run of the season to put the Clingstones up 3-0. The offense was then held scoreless until the 10th inning when Keshan Ogans drove in Ambioris Tavarez with a sacrifice fly – but that was all that she wrote for the Clingstones as they were still down two at the time, and were unable to complete the comeback.

(49-48) Rome Emperors 5, (44-56) Hub City Spartanburgers 2

• John Gil, 2B: 1-for-4, RBI, .241/.345/.370
• Owen Carey, LF: 1-for-4, 2B, .276/.348/.487
• Colby Jones, 3B: 1-for-2, 2BB, R, .184/.357/.268
• Cam Caminiti, SP: 6.2IP 3H 1ER 1BB 14K, 3.89 ERA – 33 WHIFFS

Box Score

Cam Caminiti stole the show in absolutely dominant fashion, putting together one of the craziest lines I’ve ever seen in a minor league game as he registered an absurd THIRTY-THREE whiffs in just 6.2 innings of work. The Emperors offense did enough to make the pitching display hold up, in a big win for the Rome Emperors.

Cam Caminiti got the start and was absolutely dominant for the Rome Emperors. He masterfully moved his four-seam to the top of the zone consistently, while landing his sweepers at the edges. His cutters were thrown near the edges generating whiffs of their own in what was just an absolutely absurd start. Across the first three innings of the game, Cam struck out 7 of them. By every definition, this was just an absolutely fantastic start by a prospect who has done just great job adding 4 new pitches to his arsenal this season. There are not really many words to describe the display, so just enjoy the montage.

Another left-handed Braves pitcher with a nasty slider 👀

Atlanta's No. 1 prospect Cam Caminiti had a career-high 14 strikeouts! pic.twitter.com/ABPb3m6tRE

— MLB (@MLB) August 1, 2026

He was relieved by Mathieu Curtis (2.1IP 2H 1ER 1BB 2K) who pitched the final 2.1 innings and preserved the win for the Emperors.

Offensively the Emperors got enough done on a day where the offense was a bit disjointed. As a team the Emperors went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position, but stranded just three on base the entire game. They struck out 11 times, but also walked seven. Most of the damage came in the decisive fifth inning when the Emperors scored four runs. A bases loaded walk by Colin Burgess was the first run, then John Gil drove in a run with an RBI single to make it 2-0. Eric Hartman would then ground into a force out that drove in Colby Jones to make it 3-0 Rome, and the final run scored on an errant pick off throw to third. They would add another run in the eighth, and it was mainly due to the terror that is Eric Hartman on the bases. Eric would walk with one out, take second on a wild pitch, and then steal third before taking on another throwing error by a pitcher allowed Hartman to score for the Emperors final run of the game.

(51-49) Colombia Fireflies 7, (55-45) Augusta GreenJackets 8

• Conor Essenburg, CF: 2-for-4, 3B, 2 RBI, R, .286/.427/.564
• Juan Mateo, 2B: 3-for-4, RBI, R, BB, .248/.324/.329
• Nick Montgomery, DH: 1-for-4, 2B, 2 R, .200/.346/.392
• Cooper McMurray, 1B: 2-for-5, 2 RBI, .249/.383/.409

Box Score

The GreenJackets survived a wild comeback as they scored all eight of their runs in the games final four innings. They survived a rough starting pitching display by Luis Arestigueta and were able to collect 15 hits and six walks in their dramatic win.

Luis Arestigueta (4.2IP 10H 6ER 2BB 0K) got the start for the GreenJackets and his 2026 struggles continued as he allowed 10 hits, four extra-base hits, across 4.2 innings. He did not strike out a single batter, while allowing 6 ER to score. After a promising 2024, it’s been a struggle for Luis, as he was even sent down to the FCL where he unfortunately struggled there as well. He was replaced by Logan Forsythe (2.1IP 3H 0R 0BB 3K) who responded well, giving the GreenJackets zeroes, while also giving them some length. The final pitcher of the game for the GreenJackets was Critobal Abreu (2IP 2H 1ER 4BB 2K) who struggled with his command, walking four, but picked up the win as he was able to do just enough while the GreenJackets offense took hold.

After finding themselves down 2-0, Junior Garcia got the GreenJackets on the board in the second inning as he drove in Nick Montgomery with a ground ball to first. Augusta would be held scoreless until the sixth inning when Cooper McMurray got things started with a two run single that lessened the gap to 6-3. Junior Garcia would follow that up with a sacrifice fly of his own to make it 6-4. The following inning it was none other than Conor Essenburg who hit an RBI triple, just missing a home run, to make it a one run game at 6-5.

Mama there goes that man again!

Conor Essenburg just can't stop! pic.twitter.com/soZvvf6FOf

— Augusta GreenJackets (@GreenJackets) August 1, 2026

Two batters later it was Juan Mateo who would drive in Conor, with a single to tie the game at 6-6. After allowing a run to score in the top of the 8th, it was Conor Essenburg who tied it up again, this time with a sacrifice fly that drove in Junior Garcia. With the game tied at 7-7 in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, Junior Garcia would hit it to center where CFer Sean Gamble dropped the ball allowing Juan Mateo to score, and giving them the walk off win.

After making the trip across Chicago, the Yankees opened their series on the North Side with a win over the Cubs on Friday afternoon. Led by a good outing from Will Warren, the Yankees got homers from Amed Rosario and Spencer Jones, and that proved to be enough for a victory.

Thanks to the win, the Yankees broke their little two-game losing streak, and had a chance to gain some ground back in their various playoff races. Did they, though? Let’s check in on what happened around the AL in today’s Rivalry Roundup.

Chicago White Sox (58-51) 6, Tampa Bay Rays (64-45) 1

While the White Sox took a pair of games off the Yankees earlier this week, they did give them a bit of a hand on Friday night. The Yankees were able pick up a full game in the AL East, as an early onslaught by the White Sox allowed them to pull away from and beat the Rays. Tampa Bay now leads by 2.5 games.

Chicago never trailed in this game, as they took a led in the top of the first on a Miguel Vargas home run. Andrew Benintendi added another in the second, while Munetaka Murakami hit his 24th of the year, a two-run shot in the third to really open up a lead.

Junior Caminero got Tampa Bay on the board with a home run of his own—one of the longest you’ll ever see at the Trop, sailing 453 feet hitting the “D” ring of the catwalk—but the Rays managed just five hits in total for the game, and Chicago ended up tacking another couple runs on later with Colson Montgomery obliterating one of his own. Erick Fedde scattered just the one run on four hits over five innings, and his bullpen blanked the Rays the rest of the way. His Pale Hose pace the AL Central by three games.

Other Games

• Boston Red Sox (58-51) 9, Los Angeles Dodgers (69-41) 4: While the Dodgers held a lead after putting up a three spot in the fifth on Ranger Suarez, the Red Sox stayed hot and stormed back to come away with the win. Ceddanne Rafaela homered to give Boston the lead back, and they tacked on another couple runs, putting up four in the seventh, giving them the lead for good. The Red Sox finished July at a staggering 21-4; one can only hope that August cools them down.

• Arizona Diamondbacks (58-52), Cleveland Guardians (56-55) 1: The White Sox did the Yankees a favor in helping them pick up a full game in the standings, and they were rewarded by picking up a full one themselves. The Guardians scored in the first inning and held the lead for most of this game, but Arizona put up a four-spot in the eighth to steal the advantage and the win. Cleveland was five outs away from a victory, but six straight D-backs hitters reached base, with a Gabriel Moreno two-run single giving them the lead for good.

• Houston Astros (56-55) 11, Texas Rangers (55-55) 2: Our long national nightmare has returned: the Astros are in first place in the AL West. They’re only a win over .500, but that’s all they need right now in a wretched AL West. Led by a Yordan Alvarez two-run single, Houston scored three runs in the second inning and continued to pour it on from there. On the mound, Hunter Brown did end up allowing a couple innings, but he struck out five in 5.2 innings and mostly kept Texas at bat as the Astros pulled away, slugging three home runs on the day.

• Minnesota Twins (56-55) 5, Seattle Mariners (53-58) 3: After the Mariners led for much of the game, a two-run seventh inning by the Twins flipped things in their favor. Seattle held 2-0 and 3-2 leads after the first and second innings respectively and got a solid enough outing by starter Bryce Miller. However, Minnesota jumped ahead for the first time with on a Luke Keaschall double in the seventh and held on from there. The M’s continue to fade as the season heats up while the buying Twins are actually tied with the Guardians for both second place in the AL Central and the final Wild Card spot, half a game up on Texas and 1.5 ahead of Baltimore.