Category: Baseball

There isn’t much for Jays news this morning.

The starters against the Royals:

• Friday: Likely Jameson Taillon (just off the IL, 3.38 ERA in two starts for the Jays) vs Daniel Lynch (3.06 ERA, 4-4, 51 games,5 starts, all in August with a 6.32 ERA in 15.2 innings).
• Saturday: Max Scherzer (2-7, 6.16, coming off his best start of the season, 7 innings, 1 hit, 10 k) vs. Seth Lugo (6-8, 5.03).
• Sunday: TBD vs Randy Dobnak (2-3, 2.65, 11 games, 9 starts). People on Twitter are suggesting that Johnny King would be on rotation for Sunday. He’s pitching in New Hampshire and isn’t on the 40-man roster. It would be a big step to start his clock and all, but, you know, they need wins and should use whoever they think will give them their best chance to win.

And, our weekly Anthony Santander rumour:

Today’s lineups:

For the first time this season, the Brewers have won one of MLB’s monthly awards, as closer Trevor Megill was named NL Reliever of the Month.

Megill, who got off to a truly dismal start this season, hasn’t allowed an earned run since July 22, a stretch spanning 14 outings (14 1/3 innings), with just one unearned run scoring in Milwaukee’s loss to the Mets last week. Over that stretch, Megill has allowed four hits and three walks (two of which came intentionally), striking out 11.

Megill has converted each of his last 17 save opportunities, bringing him to 25-for-27 in save chances this season. After allowing eight earned runs in his first six appearances (five innings) this season, Megill has allowed just five earned runs over his last 35 appearances (34 1/3 innings) for a 1.31 ERA and 1.14 FIP, picking up 44 strikeouts. The Brewers are also 30-5 in those appearances. A great turnaround for the 32-year-old veteran, who looks like he’ll finish with the best season of his career.

While many (including yours truly) believe Jacob Misiorowski should have won NL Pitcher of the Month back in May after going 5-0 with a sterling 0.23 ERA, allowing one run over 38 1/3 innings on just 14 hits and six walks while striking out 57, it instead went to the Phillies’ Cristopher Sánchez (4-0 with no earned runs over 39 innings on 25 hits and three walks, striking out 45).

And while Misiorowski won a pair of NL Player of the Week honors (and Jackson Chourio also picked one up in early June), Megill’s NL Reliever of the Month honor for August is the first monthly award for a Brewer since 2025, when Freddy Peralta was named NL Pitcher of the Month and Brice Turang was named NL Player of the Month for August (Jacob Misiorowski and Isaac Collins were also named NL Rookie of the Month in June & July, respectively).

Megill is also the first Brewer winner of the NL Reliever of the Month honor since Devin Williams won it in July 2023.

Connor Norby finally had an opportunity to square off against someone who will be forever linked to him.

Back in July 2024, when Norby was with Baltimore—the team that drafted him in the second round that year—the native of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, was traded to the Miami Marlins for Orioles pitcher Trevor Rogers. 

While still with the Marlins a year ago, Norby had a chance to possibly face the talented left-hander for the first time since the trade. But an injury to Norby the night before Rogers was scheduled to start the next day scrapped any such meeting. 

Fast forward the clock to August 2026 when Colorado acquired Norby from the Marlins in exchange for relief pitcher Victor Vodnik.

Finally, as destiny would have it, the paths for the two crossed on September 2 when both started for their respective teams as Baltimore and Colorado completed a three-game series at Coors Field. 

Rogers might have won the individual battle between the two but, in the end, Colorado won the battle of the game as Brett Sullivan’s two-out, two-run walkoff single capped a three-run 11th inning in the Rockies’ wild 6-5 come-from-behind win in the rubber game of the series.

Norby went hitless in three at bats against Rogers, who gave up just six hits and fanned a career-high 11 while issuing no walks in 6.2 innings. He left the game clinging to a 3-2 lead.

But the Orioles bullpen, just one out away from closing out the contest and a series win for the O’s, surrendered back-to-back doubles to Cole Carrigg and Zac Veen to knot the game and send it to extra innings.

For his part, Norby made a key defensive play in the top of the 11th inning. With one out, he recorded an unassisted out at third base with runners on first and second bases after Baltimore had scored twice in the inning to take a 5-3 advantage.

In the bottom of the 11th, the Rockies third baseman was the placed runner at second base and scored on T.J. Rumfield’s single to bring Colorado within a run. Two outs later, Sullivan tallied his walkoff hit.

The day before his matchup with Rogers, Norby recalled that the two would see each other on the field for the first time after last year’s near miss while the ex-Oriole was still with the Marlins.

“I would have (faced him) but I broke my hand the night before so I missed that one,” the East Carolina product recalled. 

“He is really good and you can’t make it more than it is. I’m sure he probably looks at it that way, too. You can’t make the game bigger than what it is. It’s pitcher vs. hitter. My job is to put up a good at bat and that (Rogers) is a good arm.”

Rogers certainly left an impression on the Rockies on Wednesday, striking out six in a row at one point, including Colorado’s top 3 hitters in lineup in the sixth inning. He threw 71 of 94 pitches for strikes in his outing.

Norby fondly recalls his short stint with Baltimore—he played in just nine games in 2024 before being traded to the Marlins.

“This is now my third time playing them so I have seen them a couple of times,” he said. “It’s always good to see all those guys I came up with. There were a lot of them. We still stay in touch. You’re close with them so it’s always good to see them.”

Norby admits there might be a little added incentive when he matches up against the team that drafted him 41st overall in 2021.

“Does it mean a little more? Do I want to beat them a little bit more? Maybe,” he said.

The third-year MLB player has been pleased with his first month at 20th and Blake.

“I feel like it’s probably been my best month, collectively,” he said.

“I’m still young,” he added. “I’m still trying to make a name for myself and solidify myself. I feel like I am doing a lot of good things and I am giving them reasons to play me. So that’s always good.”

In his first 21 game with Colorado, Norby is slashing .223/.326/.681. He has scored 10 runs, has a pair of homers, 10 RBI and nine walks drawn.

Norby has reached base in 19 of those 21 games while hitting safely in 15 contests. He has compiled 12-game hitting and 15-game on-base streaks—both career highs—since joining the Rockies.

“I am keeping my strengths my strengths, and when I get into the game, taking those strengths—and what I do best—and playing my game,” he said. “I try not to play someone else’s game or be someone else.

“Just be me.”

After being acquired on August 3, Norby has already seen extensive action for the Rockies in his first month with the club. Do you see Norby as being a long-term answer in the infield for Colorado for 2027?

Let us know in the comments.

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

San Francisco Giants vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, September 3, 2026, 12:35 p.m. ET

Location: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA

Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh / MLB.TV

Pitching Matchup: Blade Tidwell (0-1, 4.54 ERA) vs. Luke Bachar (0-1, 3.74 ERA)

The Bucs are back in action today to wrap up their series against the San Francisco Giants. The Bucs currently sit at 68-72 and are 5.5 games out of a Wild Card spot with 22 games left in the season. Their chances are fast dwindling. Is it impossible? No. But there’s only a couple little grains of sands left in the hourglass. The Bucs need to get hot and they need to do it now.

Let’s hopefully raise it.

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It was back to the winning ways yesterday and one strikeout short of the sweep, but that doesn't matter as it's time for Thursday's profits in the pitcher and MLB player prop market, and I have all-day action.

Kade Anderson hasn't even shown his strikeout potential, but his third start might be a market low. Shane McClanahan has to be on a tight leash for a playoff run, and his strikeout market is falling, while Brandon Young's luck should run out in a pivotal series vs. Boston. 

These are my favorite pitcher props for Thursday, Sept. 3.

Best MLB strikeout props and starting pitcher picks today

Player	Pick	Odds
Kade Anderson	Over 5.5 strikeouts	-105
Shane McClanahan	Under 4.5 strikeouts	+105
Brandon Young	Under 17.5 outs	-125

Strikeout prop: Kade Anderson Over 5.5 strikeouts (-105)

This projects as the best strikeout Over on the board today, with 6.56 Ks projected on 84 pitches, which could be a short pitch count.

The Mariners brought up their 2025 third-overall pick after he struck out 135 Double-A batters across 93 innings this year. This will be Kade Anderson's third start, and he has gone 81 and 85 pitches with eight Ks in each, while getting his best K-rate (K%) matchup today against the Athletics.

The lefty has faced the Cubs and Blue Jays, who are both among the 10 worst K-rate matchups for a pitcher. The A's own the seventh-worst K% against left-handed pitching at 24.6% and the seventh-worst K% on the road at 23.8%.

Anderson could see more than 85 pitches, but he can still get to six punchouts in just 15 outs in this matchup.

The market is respecting the projections and moving toward the Over, with some books as short as -140, closer to the -150 fair price. Anderson is a big reason why this Under 7.5 went on the free MLB picks page this morning.

• Time: 9:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Mariners.TV, NBCSCA

Strikeout prop: Shane McClanahan Under 4.5 strikeouts (+105)

This market is falling for good reason, as Shane McClanahan's leash, recent output, and projections point toward the Under.

The Tampa starter is being handled with baby gloves, as he has gone 80, 74, 57, 49, 71, and 87 pitches since the break while going 1-5 O/U on this strikeout total. The Rays are being careful with the oft-injured lefty and need him healthy for a playoff run.

McClanahan missed all of 2024 and 2025 due to Tommy John surgery and a nerve injury. He last threw 115 innings in 2023 and is already up to 113 innings this year, so it's easy to see why the organization is being cautious with him — especially with the Rays owning the best record in the AL.

THE BAT is projecting 79 pitches and 4.55 Ks today, making this a fair price around -120/-115.

• Time: 8:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Rangers Sports Network, Rays.TV

Pitcher out prop: Brandon Young Under 17.5 outs (-125)

Brandon Young has been one of the luckier pitchers in the second half of baseball, with an xERA more than a full point higher than his 3.33 ERA. He is giving up homers and has the worst HR/FB rate in the second half among any starter on today's slate.

Young is also a big part of why Neil Parker is backing the Red Sox on the ML in his Red Sox vs. Orioles predictions.

With Baltimore in a tight playoff race and all but two arms likely unavailable in the bullpen today, any issues could be enough to get the hook for a pitcher who is 50% to the Over since the break and has been on the good side of some luck.

The projection for the right-hander against the No. 2 scoring offense in the second half is 86 pitches and 15.68 outs, which would give bettors value on the Under if/when this number flips to 16.5.

If this gets any shorter on 17.5, I'd suggest waiting for the move to 16.5 and playing that to -110.

• Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: FOX

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.

Trivia nights are a fun activity at local bars, breweries, and restaurants. The best part of trivia is confidently knowing the answer once it is asked. If you ever find yourself faced with the question, “Who is the only Major League Baseball player to be traded for the same Hall of Famer twice in their career?” the answer is former Yankee Eric Plunk. Another trivia tidbit: Plunk is not the reason behind the phrase or term “plunk,” meaning to hit a batter. No, that is simply a fun coincidence, as the term was coined well before Plunk was born or started throwing baseballs.

Eric Vaughn Plunk

Born: September 3, 1963 (Wilmington, CA)

Yankees Tenure: 1989-1991

Plunk grew up in California and attended Bellflower High School. He was drafted by the Yankees in the 4th round of the 1981 MLB June Amateur Draft. The 6-foot-5 right-handed pitcher had a plus fastball to go along with a good curveball, but scouting reports noted that Plunk would occasionally lose command of his offerings.

The Yankees had Plunk report to the Gulf Coast League after being drafted. Plunk went on to make 11 starts that season, most of them before his 18th birthday. In 1982, Plunk stayed in rookie ball, this time playing in the Appalachian League. After getting his feet wet playing professional ball, Plunk played the 1983 and 1984 seasons for the Yankees farm team in Fort Lauderdale. Over those two seasons at Single-A, Plunk posted a 20-22 record over 48 starts with a 2.81 ERA in 301.1 innings and had established himself as one of the Yankees’ top prospects.

Everything changed for Plunk on December 5, 1984. On that day, he was traded by the New York Yankees with Tim Birtsas, Jay Howell, Stan Javier, and José Rijo to the Oakland Athletics for star leadoff man Rickey Henderson, Bert Bradley, and cash.

Oakland assigned Plunk to their Double-A affiliate to start the 1985 season. Plunk made 13 starts in Double-A, going 8-2 with a 3.52 ERA. That was good enough to get the call-up to Triple-A Tacoma. Plunk would struggle and have to grind out the rest of the season, going 0-5 with a 5.77 ERA.

To start the 1986 season, Plunk was back in Tacoma. After making six starts, Plunk received his first call-up to the major leagues. Plunk made his debut against Toronto on May 12. Plunk stuck on the roster and finished the season with the Athletics, logging 120.1 innings, making 15 starts and appearing in 11 more games as a reliever.

After the season, the Athletics decided they wanted to see what Plunk could be as a reliever. He started the 1987 season back in Tacoma, but was called back up after tossing 34.2 innings with a 1.56 ERA out of the pen, picking up 9 saves in less than a month. Over the rest of the 1987 season in the show, Plunk appeared in 32 games, 11 of which were starts. His final line was 4-6 with a 4.47 ERA and two saves in 95 innings.

Heading into the 1988 season, the Athletics decided to use Plunk as one of the primary set-up men for Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley. In 1988, Plunk threw 78 innings, all out of the pen, and posted a 3.00 ERA to go along with a 7-2 record. The Athletics made the playoffs after winning the AL West, eventually losing to the Dodgers in the World Series. Plunk worked 2.0 clean innings in the 1988 playoffs.

In 1989, Plunk would make history. After a solid start to the season, on June 21, he was traded from Oakland along with Greg Cadaret and Luis Polonia to the New York Yankees for Rickey Henderson. This was the first and only time to date that a player was traded for the same Hall of Famer twice. The Athletics, with Henderson, would go on to win the World Series in the Battle of the Bay. Plunk, coming full circle back to the team that drafted him, went 7-5 with a 3.69 ERA in pinstripes in 20 relief appearances and 7 starts. The Yankees would finish the season in 5th place in the division.

The Bombers would move Plunk back into his full-time relief role for the 1990 season. Plunk tossed 72.2 innings in 47 games. His ERA was 2.72. The team, however, was not good at all. Posting a record of 67–95, it was the Yankees’ first last-place finish since 1966 and the first last-place in the division era. 95 losses is the most ever by the Yankees, as the 103 losses in 1908 were by the Highlanders.

Plunk was with the Yankees for all of the 1991 season. The team was better, but still not very good. Despite being such a strong reliever, the Yankees decided to use Plunk for spot starts in addition to relieving. Plunk’s ERA went up more than 2 full runs, and he was released by the Yankees following the season.

Prior to the 1992 season, Plunk signed with the Blue Jays but was cut after spring training. He then landed in Cleveland. The Land is where Plunk would spend the next seven seasons. Just like when he arrived in Oakland, Plunk found himself on another team that was on the verge of making a few World Series runs. In another fun piece of trivia Plunk was the first pitcher to win a game at Jacobs Field. Across those seven years in Cleveland, Plunk pitched 462.0 innings, all in relief. His record was 36-33 with a 3.25 ERA, and he picked up 26 saves.

In July of 1998, Plunk was traded by Cleveland to the Milwaukee Brewers for Doug Jones. Plunk pitched the rest of 1998 and the 1999 seasons for the Brewers. In 107 innings, he posted a 4.63 ERA and went 5-6. Plunk tried to play the 2000 season but appeared in 7 games for the Cubs’ Double-A affiliate before hanging up his spikes.

Over a 14-year career, Plunk went 72-58 with a 3.82 ERA. In total, at the major league level, he threw 1,151.0 innings and pitched in two World Series. He was hurt for Cleveland’s 1995 loss, but his teams could not pull off the win in either.

After his playing days ended, Plunk remained attached to baseball. Back in California, he started coaching and working privately with players looking to further their development at The Institute of Sports & Education in Corona, CA.

Happy birthday, Eric!

The only thing hotter than the August weather in Kansas City has been the performance of Jac Caglianone and Noah Cameron. Today, the pair was recognized with Caglianone named American League Player of the Month for August, and Cameron named American League Pitcher of the Month. It is just the fourth time in Royals history they have had a player and pitcher win league honors in the same month

• July 1980 – George Brett and Larry Gura
• September 1981 – Willie Wilson and Larry Gura
• July 1985 – George Brett and Bret Saberhagen

Caglianone led all MLB hitters in wRC+ in the month of August at 208. He was scorching hot, hitting .411/.429/.684 with six home runs in 24 games. He is just the 16th Royals hitter to hit .400 for an entire month with at least 80 plate appearances. He hit safely in 21 of his 24 games in August and registered a career-high 13-game hit streak. He is the first Royals hitter to win AL monthly honors since Bobby Witt Jr. in July of 2024.

Highest batting avearge for a Royals hitter in a month (min. 80 PA)

Cameron was 4-0 with a 1.87 ERA in five starts for the Royals, and had a 19-inning scoreless streak in August. He is the first Royals pitcher to win AL monthly honors since Kris Bubic in May of 2025.

It has been quite a comeback for both players this season. By the end of May, Jac Caglianone was struggling with an OPS below .700 while Noah Cameron had a 4.61 ERA. But Caglianone has seemingly figured out MLB pitching, hitting .310/.350/.564 with 18 home runs in 74 games since that point. Cameron began calling is own pitches, transforming his season. In his last eight starts he has a 7 percent walk rate, .143 opponent’s batting average, and 1.84 ERA.

Royals named American League Player and Pitcher of the Month

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The Boston Red Sox visit the Baltimore Orioles for a key four-game series in the American League Wild Card race beginning Thursday, Sept. 3.

Boston is a 54% favorite ahead of the opening pitch at 7:15 p.m. ET, and my top Red Sox vs. Orioles predictions and MLB picks call for the BoSox to come through with the win at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland.

Who will win Red Sox vs Orioles today: Red Sox moneyline (54.3%)

For help understanding probabilities, see our odds calculator.

Baltimore Orioles righty Brandon Young has outpitched his underlying numbers this season with his 4.36 xERA and 4.47 xFIP well above his 3.38 ERA, and he’s thrown a career-high 147 innings including his 16 2/3 frames with Triple-A Norfolk.

The workload is catching up, too, with Young’s numbers skyrocketing to a 5.15 xERA and 4.77 xFIP while allowing a healthy .366 wOBA and .205 ISO across his past six starts.

As a result, I like the Boston Red Sox to succeed at the dish, given they’ve averaged 5.3 runs per game while ranking fourth in xwOBA over the past 30 days, and I'd back them to 56%.

COVERS INTEL: The Baltimore Orioles rank 29th in on-base percentage with the seventh-highest strikeout percentage across the past two weeks.

Red Sox vs Orioles Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (51%)

The Orioles are also running hot at the plate with a fifth-ranked xwOBA and an average of 4.6 runs per game over the past 30 days, and their lineup features a number of impact right-handed hitters to counter Boston lefty Jake Bennett. 

There are also ideal hitting conditions forecast at Camden Yards tonight, and in addition to the highlighted favorable matchup for the Boston lineup, the Red Sox have hit the Over in 20 of their last 30 games (+8.90 Units / 27% ROI).

This Over 8.5 is in play to 53.5%.

Red Sox vs Orioles home run prediction: Wilyer Abreu (22.2%)

Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu has six extra-base hits across his past seven games for a .321 ISO, and he also sports a .214 mark against righties for the season.

With Abreu already taking Young deep once this season, and with the righties struggling, the Boston star has my attention tonight.

Red Sox vs Orioles weather

The forecast calls for a hot and humid evening (89 F at first pitch) with a mild 5 to 6 mph wind blowing out to right field for favorable hitting conditions.

Red Sox vs Orioles odds

• Moneyline: Red Sox 55.6% | Orioles 51.2%
• Run line: Red Sox -1.5 (%43.5) | Orioles +1.5 (60%)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (52.4%) | Under 8.5 (52.4%)

Red Sox vs Orioles trend

The Boston Red Sox have won 27 of their last 45 away games (+7.10 Units / 13% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Red Sox vs. Orioles.

How to watch Red Sox vs Orioles and game info

Red Sox vs Orioles latest injuries

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You don’t need me to tell you how good Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has been all year, but he really turned things on in August.

Even after going just 1-for-5 during the Cubs’ home run onslaught on the last day of the month without adding to that home run total, PCA batted .280/.366/.703 (33-for-118) during August with six doubles, a triple, 14 home runs, 28 RBI and 29 runs scored.

For that great performance, PCA was today named National League Player of the Month for August. It’s the second time this year he’s been given this honor, as he also won it for the month of June. The Player of the Month award has been given out for almost 70 years, since 1958. PCA is the first Cub ever to win this honor twice in one season. The last Cub to win more than one, period, was Derrek Lee, for April 2005 and September 2009. (Cody Bellinger won twice, once as a Cub in 2023 and once as a Dodger in 2018.)

Since PCA began his hot streak May 26, he is batting .316/.412/.693 (107-for-339) with 22 doubles, five triples, 32 home runs, 68 RBI, 72 runs scored, 20 stolen bases and 51 walks — in 84 games, just a bit more than half a season.

Congratulations to PCA on this award. This season has been absolutely amazing for him — remember watching all this, because it’s one of the greatest years in Cubs franchise history. Hopefully, it will wind up in PCA crushing it during the postseason, and then following it up with the NL MVP award.

Major League Baseball announced today that Astros LHP Josh Hader has been named the American League Reliever of the Month for August. It is Hader’s ninth career Reliever of the Month Award and his third with the Astros, also winning in August 2024 and June 2025. His nine career Reliever of the Month honors are the second-most since 2005 when the award was established, trailing only RHP Edwin Díaz (10).

Hader was scoreless through his 13 appearances and 14.1 innings pitched in August, recording a .085 opponent batting average (4×47), a 0.35 WHIP and 15 strikeouts to just one walk. He also converted all seven of his save opportunities and picked up one win. Among AL pitchers with at least 14 innings pitched last month, he ranked first in ERA, opponent batting average and WHIP, and ranked tied for fifth in strikeouts. Hader also ranked tied for third among AL relievers in saves.  

Hader carries an active scoreless streak of 19 appearances and 20.0 innings, which began on July 21 vs. MIA and is the second-longest active scoreless streak in the Major Leagues (by innings and appearances). In August, Hader also finished out a streak of 35 consecutive batters retired from July 21-Aug. 14, which was the longest hitless streak by an Astro since LHP Framber Valdez went 39 consecutive batters without allowing a hit from July 31-Aug. 6, 2024. Additionally, Hader made his 500th career appearance on Aug. 19 vs. LAA. 

The 32-year-old, six-time All-Star has been spectacular since making his season debut on June 3 following a stint on the Injured List. In 38 appearances this year, Hader owns a 0.72 ERA (3ER/37.1IP) with 49 strikeouts, a 0.67 WHIP and a .111 (14×126) opponent average. He has also converted all 22 of his save opportunities and has recorded four winning decisions. Among AL relievers since June 2, he ranks first in opponent batting average (.111), second in ERA and third in SO/9 (11.81) (min. 35 IP).

Hader becomes the third Astros player to win a monthly award this season, with OF Yordan Alvarez winning AL Player of the Month in March/April and July and RHP Spencer Arrighetti winning AL Pitcher of the Month in May.

That was one of the more frustrating games of the year. That’s a reasonably high bar too as there have been a lot of lousy, frustrating games. Watching the Cubs rally on two different occasions after Jacob Misiorowski was given the lead by the Brewers offense only to eventually come up (well) short. Just another frustrating day at the ballpark. The Cubs were 74-53 after taking the first two games of the series versus the White Sox on August 18. They are 4-9 since. Not the worst stretch of the season for the Cubs, but definitely one of them.

This one was frustrating on multiple levels. I made a reference to a game feeling like a rerun the other day. This is one of those games that happens a handful of times every year. The Cubs hit the ball hard it finds a glove. The Brewers hit the ball soft, it finds grass. It was pretty clearly a difficult night to pitch at Wrigley Field, particularly early in the game. The Brewers relievers were more less able to figure it out, the Cubs relievers were more or less not. Though in fairness, all of the runs that lost the game were charged to starter David Peterson.

I always know that I’ve just about hit peak frustration with this team when I get to the point where they lose a game and my brain has a sour grapes response. As in, maybe this team shouldn’t make the playoffs, I wouldn’t enjoy it anyway. Yeah, that’s where I’m at right now. It all feels fatalistic.

I think it was right about that 13 games ago that I got comfortable with this team. I felt like they’d reached the point where they were kind of high functioning with all of their limitations. Like no lead was ever going to really be safe with the pitching staff. But also, they score a ton of runs so often that it’s just kind of okay.

I like to think of baseball sometimes as an X/Y axis with one axis being offense is bad/offense is good and the other axis is pitching is bad/pitching is good. Every team is dominant when you get good/good performance. Every team is putrid when you get bad/bad performance. So the first measure of how good your season is comes from having more games in the good/good section than in the bad/bad section. The Cubs have been very good at that.

The second measure of how good your season is comes from how well you do in the good/bad section and bad/good section. The Cubs do reasonably well when the offense is good but the pitching is rough. There aren’t a lot of pitching was good, offense was bad wins for this team. The whole saving grace for the team has been that the offense has been so good that the team is on the right side of the offense axis so consistently.

This funk right now arises from too many games when the pitching is rough. That contrasts earlier in the year when the team had that 10-game losing streak. The pitching didn’t do a ton of favors, but that streak largely saw the offense sputtering. They scored just 25 runs during that 10-game skid and eight of those were in one game (and five in another). They have 91 runs in this 13-game stretch. The problem is that it is massively stratified. 60 runs in the four wins in that stretch and 31 runs in the nine losses.

Long story short, not good enough.

Three Positives:

• Alex Bregman had two hits, one a homer, and drove in four runs.
• Pete Crow-Armstrong had a single and drew two walks. He scored twice.
• Ryan Rolison faced five batters and got five outs. He and Caleb Thielbar were the only two effective Cub pitchers on the night.

Game 140, September 2: Brewers 9, Cubs 5 (78-62)

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

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Alex Bregman (.290). 2-4, HR, 4 RBI, R
• Hero: Ryan Rolison (.209). 1.2 IP, 5 BF, K
• Sidekick: Caleb Thielbar (.030). IP, 3 BF, 2 K

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: David Peterson (-.501). 3.2 IP, 23 BF, 7 H, 4 BB, 6 R, 4 K (L 4-2)
• Goat: Michael Busch (-.109). 0-4
• Kid: Nico Hoerner (-.096). 0-4

Note: Peterson’s WPA is 10th worst WPA game score of the season by a Cub. Year over year, those are mostly relievers, but occasionally a position player or starter will get in there. But this year all 10 of these are relievers. Recent reference, it was eight relievers and two starters in 2025. In 2024 it was three starters and seven relievers.

WPA Play of the Game: Alex Bregman’s two-run single in the second gave the Cubs a two run lead with two outs. (.185)

Cubs Play of the Game: William Contreras had an RBI-single with one out in the fourth, giving the Brewers a 6-5 lead. (.120)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 139 Winner: Tyrone Taylor received 43 of 65 votes.

Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)

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

• Alex Bregman +27
• Pete Crow-Armstrong +25
• Ben Brown +13.5
• Javier Assad +12
• Carson Kelly +10.5
• Nico Hoerner -12.5
• Edward Cabrera -12.5
• Jameson Taillon -13
• Dansby Swanson -17
• Caleb Thielbar -17.5

Scoreboard Watching: Padres lose (five back of Cubs). Braves win (five up). Phillies lose (one up). Diamondbacks win (four back). Brewers win (nine up, magic number 14). Dodgers lose (four up).

Up Next: The last of the four-game set with the Brewers. The Cubs will look to salvage a split. They are 2-4 to start this stretch of 13 games in 13 days. Kevin Gausman (8-11, 4.52) starts for the Cubs. He is 3-1 with a 5.14 as a Cub. Last time out, he won despite allowing five runs in five innings against the Reds. The Brewers scored three in five innings against him in April in Toronto.

24-year-old righty, Logan Henderson (9-2, 2.48) starts for the Brewers. He’s rolling, winning six of his last seven starts with a 2.09 ERA (43 innings). He last lost on August 10 at San Diego and had a quality start in that one (3 runs over 6.1 innings. He hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his 19 career starts. He only threw as many as six innings once before August, but then did so in all five August starts.

Once again, the matchup doesn’t look great on paper. Hopefully, Gausman keeps the team in the game. Many of the Brewers leverage relievers have now thrown in back-to-back games.

Today marks the one-month mark since the 2026 MLB trade deadline. The Phillies were very active at the deadline, as they acquired Luis Arraez, Caleb Kilian, and Brooks Raley. So far, the results have been a mixed bag. Arraez is obviously the biggest name, and although he’s been rather pedestrian, hitting .280 with a .678 OPS through his first month in a Phillies uniform, the lineup itself has excelled since his arrival. The Phillies offense ranked first in on-base percentage for the month of August, a dramatic difference from their dead last ranking from April through the end of July. How much of that which can be directly or indirectly attributed to Arraez is up for interpretation, but the numbers show the team has improved since he was inserted into the lineup.

The two new pitchers the Phillies acquired are a different story. Raley has been fine, but he’s regressed heavily from his previous numbers with the Mets this season. Kilian appeared in just four games before suffering an oblique strain and being placed on the injured list on August 10th. It’s quite possible he does not pitch again this season. For the rotation, the Phillies opted not to acquire another starter, choosing to give Andrew Painter another run at the fifth spot. That decision was maligned at the time, but it looks to have been a shrewd one, as Painter looks like a completely different pitcher since returning from his mid-season demotion to Triple-A.

But we’re not here to talk about who the Phillies DID trade for. So, let’s look at how some of the names connected to the Phillies whether by insider rumor or fan speculation have fared over the last month.

Taylor Ward

Ward has been a constant in the rumor mill surrounding the Phillies for the last few seasons. He was finally moved from the Angels in the offseason, heading to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Grayson Rodriguez. While with the Orioles, Ward’s previous power numbers from his past two years cratered, but his OBP jumped to what would have been a career-best .383. The 32-year-old found himself on the move again at this past deadline, this time heading to the Mariners in exchange for reliever Alex Hoppe and minor leaguers Brock Moore and Harrison Kreiling. The package Baltimore netted for Ward appeared very light on the surface, leading to much consternation among the Phillies fanbase and others over why he went for so little.

Well, it looks as though the Orioles are actually the favorites to come out ahead of that deal, as Ward has been abysmal for Seattle. He’s hitting just .121 through 19 games with 21 strikeouts. Ironically, the Mariners have trended downward since the deal and are fading from the AL postseason picture while the Orioles are trending up and remain firmly in the mix for the third Wild Card in the mediocre AL.

Luis Robert Jr.

Robert is yet another name that has been oft linked to the Phillies over the past few seasons. The White Sox finally moved on from their former center fielder over the winter when they sent Robert to New York as part of Daniel Stearns’ offseason makeover of the Mets. But Robert was a total bust for the Mets, as he appeared in 27 games before suffering a lumbar disc injury on April 30th that kept him out of action until July 20th. His name floated around rumors at the deadline as part of the Mets’ sell-off, but New York did not or could not move him before the deadline passed.

Flash forward to August 29th, and Robert was waived by the Mets in an attempt to move off of the remaining $5M of his deal, assuming he would require the $3M buyout and his $10M option would be declined. The Orioles claimed Robert on August 31st, officially ending his tenure with the Mets after 58 games with a .223/.303/.399 batting line and 0.8 WAR.

Jo Adell

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Adell is another right-handed hitting outfielder that has seen his name connected with the Phillies at the last two trade deadlines. The 27-year-old saw a drastic drop in production from his career year in 2025, as he had a .682 OPS with Anaheim this year after posting a career-best .778 last season. Like his former teammate Ward, the Angels finally found a deal they liked for Adell, sending him to the Guardians at the deadline in exchange for catching prospect Jacob Cozart.

Unlike the previous two names so far on this list, Adell has been a boon for his team post-deadline. He’s hit .258 with an .815 OPS in 24 games with Cleveland and has seen his walk rate jump from a miniscule 3.5% to a more respectable 9.8%. Adell has been a huge addition for the Guardians as they try to chase down the White Sox in the AL Central.

Kevin Gausman

Gausman was a somewhat surprising addition to the deadline trade market, as the Blue Jays were coming off of a shocking World Series run that saw them come within literal inches of winning a championship in Game 7. But the magic quickly wore off in 2026, as Toronto found themselves 53-60 on August 3rd and 4.5 games out of a postseason spot. So, the Blue Jays opted to dismantle some of that AL pennant winning club, with Gausman’s name emerging as a possible option for clubs seeking rotation help, such as the Phillies.

The 35-year-old Gausman was in the midst of a down year himself when he was sent to the Cubs in exchange for outfielder Brett Bateman and infielder Ty Southisene. Gausman is in the final year of a five year, $110M deal and had a no trade clause that blocked a move to all but eight teams. One of those teams where he could have been traded without his consent was the Phillies, but they opted to let him go to Chicago. The Cubs were hoping that Gausman could shake off the 4.38 ERA he had in 23 starts with the Blue Jays and recapture his form as a front of the rotation playoff caliber starter. That has yet to happen so far, as Gausman has a 5.14 ERA in five starts since the trade and has already allowed five home runs.

Clay Holmes

Holmes matches two ongoing themes of the trade deadline in that he was a starting pitcher that went to the Cubs as well as being a part of the Mets’ selloff. The converted reliever excelled in his first season as a full-time starter with the Mets in 2025, finishing with a 3.53 ERA across 165.2 IP in 33 games (31 starts). Holmes looked to have been off to an even better start to 2026, posting a 2.39 ERA across his first nine starts, but a tibia fracture suffered on May 15th shut him down until the middle of July when he began rehabbing in the minor leagues.

At the time of the deadline, Holmes was one of the more intriguing non-Tarik Skubal options on the market. His three year, $38M signed prior to last season includes a player option after this season, meaning that Holmes can once again test free agency following 2026. Considering his performance over the last year plus when healthy, Holmes is likely to exercise that option. That along with the uncertainty of his injury status at the time of the deadline (he had only appeared in rehab games to that point) made sure there was non-insignificant risk in acquiring him. The Phillies clearly chose not to take that risk while the Cubs did, and Chicago has reaped the benefits of it. Holmes has picked up right where he left off prior to injury, as he has a 1.55 ERA in five starts since the trade. His chances of opting out have likely increased even more, but the Cubs will be happy to employ him in the meantime.

Robbie Ray

Ray was yet another solid rotation option available in a trade at a time when the Phillies rotation was very much in flux. The 34-year-old was in the midst of a second straight renaissance season pitching in pitcher friendly Oracle Park in San Francisco, as he was pitching to a 3.08 in 22 games (21 starts) with the moribund Giants. The trifecta of Ray pitching well, his status as a rental still being owed a little more than $4M, and the Giants being long out of the race, made him ripe for a change of address at the deadline.

The Padres ended up being the ones to acquire Ray’s services, sending two prospects in Miguel Mendez and Joniel Hernandez to San Francisco with the Giants also agreeing to pay part of Ray’s salary. The lefty has been a good pickup for San Diego, as he’s made five starts and sports a 3.42 ERA as the Padres look to chase down the Phillies and others for an NL Wild Card spot.

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Yordan Alvarez is arguably the best hitter in baseball right now, but he doesn't force the issue and will take what's given to him.

With a 97th percentile walk rate, and a matchup against a pitcher he is 12-24 against in his career, Alvarez headlines my MLB player props and MLB picks for Thursday, Sept. 3.

Best MLB player props today

Player	Pick	Odds
Yordan Alvarez	Over 0.5 walks	-117
Lawrence Butler	Over 0.5 singles	+133
Jake Bauers	Over 0.5 hits	-156

Yordan Alvarez Over 0.5 walks (-117)

Yordan Alvarez is someone pitchers need to tread with caution against at the best of times. That holds even more true in today’s matchup against Luis Castillo.

Alvarez has hammered Castillo over the years, going 12-24 with five home runs and just two strikeouts.

The Houston Astros are not hitting well as a whole, making pitching to Alvarez an even more unnecessary risk than usual.

Alvarez has walked in 58% of games he faced a right-handed starter sitting in the 40th percentile or worse in K-BB%.

I’d play this up to -130.

• Time: 2:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: CHSN, SCHN

Lawrence Butler Over 0.5 singles (+133)

Lawrence Butler is sporting a .294 average over the last 30 games, and has reached safely in 16 of his past 17.

While his season numbers against lefties are nothing to write home about, he has quietly hit fastballs and sliders – which happen to be Kade Anderson’s two primary pitches.

Butler owns a .292 average facing LH fastballs, and .263 against the slider. Anderson throws one of the two pitches more than 87% of the time vs. lefties.

Nearly 71% of Butler’s hits against lefties were singles, and I like his chances of getting one today. 

Play to +110.

• Time: 9:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NBCSCA, SEAM

Jake Bauers Over 0.5 hits (-156)

Jake Bauers has hit .268 against right-handed pitching this season, and that number has climbed to .290 over the past 30 games.

Kevin Gausman ranks in the 27th percentile in batting average allowed to left-handed hitters, making this an appealing spot for Bauers to pick up a knock.

What really makes Bauers an attractive buy is how he’s handled the fastball-splitter combination.

Bauers has hit .330 or higher against both of those pitches, and they account for nearly 95% of what Gausman throws to lefties.

I’d back Bauers to -185.

• Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: FOX

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