Category: Baseball

Former MetButch Huskey has died at the age of 54, the team announced Friday afternoon. 

Huskey first landed in the Big Apple as a seventh-round pick in the 1989 MLB Draft. 

After spending five seasons grinding his way through the minor leagues, the righty-hitting slugger was called up to make his big-league debut during the 1993 season. 

Huskey went on to spend parts of five seasons with the Mets, racking up 55 HRs and 214 RBI. 

Steve Phillips traded him to the Mariners following the 1998 campaign, but he appeared in just 74 games with them before being flipped again, this time to Boston. 

Huskey split his final big-league season between the Twins and Rockies. 

He finished his time in the majors as a career .267 hitter with 98 doubles, 86 HR, 336 RBI, and a .760 OPS.

Huskey is also the penultimate Met to wear the No. 42, as he was wearing it when MLB announced it was retired league-wide in honor of Jackie Robinson in 1997. 

The Dodgers lost the first game of this possible postseason preview in exasperating fashion and now look to even up the series on Friday night.

The Dodgers have the right pitcher on the mound to achieve that goal. Yoshinobu Yamamoto takes the mound after a good outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks last Saturday, allowing only three hits and no earned runs, in the only game the Dodgers won in their 1-8 skid to start the month. The Dodgers barely scored enough runs in that game to win 2-1, in what is a common theme in Yamamoto starts.

Robert Gasser takes the mound for the Milwaukee Brewers. The lefty is 3-4 on the season with a 4.57 ERA. He also pitched last Saturday, getting a no-decision, allowing three earned runs in just 4.2 innings. Gasser faced the Dodgers in May in Milwaukee, where he went 4.1 innings allowing four earned runs on four hits, garnering his first loss of the season. All of those Dodgers run came in the fourth inning.

It felt like the Dodgers struggled to score four in Thursday night’s game, continuing the trend of the offense showing up in bits and drabs. Gasser has not been going long into games so perhaps the Dodgers could get into the Brewers bullpen to finally do some damage. Antonio Senzatela, DL Hall, and Trevor Magill all look to be down in the bullpen so if there’s a game this series to get the offense going, this one is it. Jacob Misiorowski looms for Saturday’s game.

Friday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Brewers
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Start time: 7:10 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

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

Although the New York Yankees had a somewhat-reserved Trade Deadline in only bringing aboard Luis García Jr. and Heliot Ramos, they did find another way to shake up the roster.

By adding Ramos, they had to demote an outfielder, and down went former top prospect Jasson Domínguez, whose underwhelming .650 OPS on the season was also accompanied by bad defense. They also made a change at the six, calling up acclaimed shortstop George Lombard Jr. and sending down the man who had previously been annointed the shortstop of the future, Anthony Volpe, who had just one homer in 194 trips to the plate and was tracking for his fourth consecutive season with an OPS in the mid-.600s.

So for this week’s Reacts survey, we were curious if Yankees fans had an inkling on which of the two fallen prospects would have more of an impact on next year’s team. Injuries are of course still unfortunately a possibility, so each player could still make their mark on 2026, but we’re considering the future. The Yankees might have decisions to make on these guys, who were already in trade rumors prior to their demotions.

Here are the results:

It wasn’t a decisive vote and Domínguez didn’t even garner the majority, but easily he led the 181 votes with 46 percent. Volpe was 14 percentage points behind, and 22 percent said that neither would be on the club in 2027. That is certainly a possibility, and I think 4:1 odds are fair of both departing during the offseason.

Offseason status is one of the reasons why I would lean toward Domínguez over Volpe in this exercise (if not only because they may need the outfield depth). The CBA negotiations between the league and the players’ union could affect the status quo, but as of now, Domínguez would only be entering his first year of arbitration in 2027, whereas Volpe would be in year two. The latter is making a little under $3.5 million this year, and arb salaries never go down, so the Yankees will have to decide if they want to pay him somewhere in the range of $4-5 million next year with no clear role. At minimum, he is a non-tender candidate.

There were only a handful of comments on this survey (we always love to hear from you, don’t be shy!), but I do want to shout out Jerry_Terry, who voted Volpe with a decent defense.

The Yankees are working to get Volpe more work at the keystone in the minors to increase his versatility, and it is true that they will need to figure out second base in 2027 with Jazz Chisholm Jr. likely out the door (unless he receives and accepts a qualifying offer). And though Volpe is a nontender candidate, the Yankees didn’t have a problem giving $5 million to Trent Grisham after 2024 in a similar nontender situation. I don’t expect Volpe to go off nearly to the same degree that Grisham did in 2025—I just don’t his bat is going to come around—but it speaks to the light value of depth. The Yankees still rave about Volpe’s work ethic, so while they’re less high on him than they used to be, it would indeed not be shocking to see him back in 2027.

What do you think?

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These survey results are sponsored by FanDuel.

Even the worst teams in baseball win a third of their games. But if you’re a playoff contender and facing one of those worst teams in baseball, letting them take two out of three with just a few dozen games left to play is devestating. If the Diamondbacks end up losing a playoff spot by a game or two, it will not be hard at all to point at the two easily winable games that they dropped to the Rockies this week. Following those losses and the completion of the other team’s games on the Diamondbacks off day, they have fallen out of a playoff position, are half a game behind the Phillies, and a full game behind the surging Padres

The Braves are cruising to a playoff spot, and nothing short of a 30-for-30 level collapse is going to prevent them from getting it. They’re up nine games over the Phillies and have won seven of their last ten. This is just as big a test for them as the Dodgers’ series was, and their only realistic hope of making the playoffs is being successful here.

At the time of writing, the Braves had not announced any of their starting pitchers for the series yet, but here is what I can tell you. They are fourth in baseball in ERA+, fifth in traditional ERA, and eighth in WHIP. It’s not going to be easy, folks, but the saving grace might be we’ve got our best pitchers going up against them…

Game 1 — 8/14, 4:15 PM: Brandon Pfaadt (1.3 bWAR, 6-1, 3.36 ERA/125 ERA+, 1.20 WHIP) vs. TBD

Pfaadt did everything he was asked to and more last time out against the Dodgers. Seven shut out innings, with only two hits and two walks is a great start against anyone, but to put up those numbers against the Dodgers is even more impressive. Now, he has not given up an earned run in his last three starts, and only gave up a single unearned run against the Padres on 8/3. Since returning from the minors, he has yet to give up more than two earned runs and his ERA in that time period has been a sterling 1.32. In case you’re worried about regression, his FIP is only 2.89, which would also be a perfectly acceptable number from him. The Diamondbacks will need to see the greatness continue.

Game 2 — 8/15, 4:15 PM: Eduardo Rodriguez (4.2 bWAR, 11-4, 2.70 ERA/156 ERA+, 1.22 WHIP) vs. TBD

There have been cracks in Rodriguez’ armor showing in recent games. In addition to the five he gave up in 2 2/3 inning against St. Louis back on the 19th, he gave up another seven to the Padres two starts ago. He bounced back, however, and put up a strong performance against the Dodgers to compliment Pfaadt’s, going seven innings, only giving up two earned runs, and throwing a nearly unheard of 115 pitches. That may or may not be something to watch, as he has now thrown over 100 pitches in three straight games. Once upon a time, that would have been a normal thing and not worth commenting on, but these days, one has to wonder if there might be a bit of arm fatigue he’ll be facing this time around.

Game 3 — 8/16, 10:35 AM: Michael Soroka (2.3 bWAR, 8-3, 2.92 ERA/144 ERA+, 1.10 WHIP) vs. TBD

Soroka made his long awaited return from the IL in his last start against the Rockies, and it went about as well as could have been hoped. He held them scoreless for 4 1/3 innings, before a pitch limit reeled him back into the dugout. It’s hard to argue with scoreless, but the three walks were the same as he had delivered in his last four starts combined, so a slight concern. Probably just rust, but something to keep an eye on.

Conclusion

It’s weird to say after losing a series to the Rockies, but I do like our chances. We have our three best starters taking the mound, and while our offense this season is no where near as good as it was in 24/25, it still doesn’t lay dormant for long typically. Combine those two things, and I think the Diamondbacks have a good shot of taking the series and getting back into a playoff spot.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year, we ask questions of the most plugged-in Kansas City Royals fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Earlier this week, we asked you to tell us how confident you were in the Royals competing in 2027

It shouldn’t come as a surprise, I guess, that 69% (nice) of fans voted that Sherman’s Q&A with Josh Vernier did nothing to convince them that the Royals would be able to compete next year. Indeed, I expected the majority of respondents to vote that way. But I was curious just how much of a majority, and, well, that’s more than 2/3 of you. That’s a pretty hefty majority.

Coming in second place was “Neutral” at only 13%, less than 1/5 of the number of people who lack any confidence at all in this team competing next year. I guess it could happen. The Royals allegedly have a lot less salary committed for next season and should therefore be able to spend big in free agency without spending much more on the team than they have this year.

However, it’s still not clear to me how they can make it work without hitting on at least one premium free agent plus a few smaller ones. They need two high-quality starting pitchers plus depth and multiple relievers. Are they really going to go get Skubal plus the rest of the guys they need? Or will they continue the tradition of adding Jonathan India- and Carlos Estévez-like players who cost more than the minimum to provide a certain floor, but offer almost nothing in terms of a ceiling?

If I may, let me do a slight tangent on Jonathan India for a moment. The Royals gave him $8 million this past offseason in order to get most of the playing time at second base before he was hurt early in the season. Some people have pointed out that $8 million for a guy of India’s caliber isn’t a team that is “cheap”. But I’d argue it’s the definition of a cheap team. Let me explain.

When I was working part-time at a grocery store, I spent way more money on shoes than I do now, as a software developer. Some of that, of course, is because I was on my feet more often. But a lot of it was the fact that I couldn’t afford to get a really nice pair of shoes, and so they were constantly wearing out. When you’ve got the money to buy higher-quality, you can sometimes spend less overall because the higher-quality stuff just works better. (This is a real-life example of the Sam Vimes theory of socioeconomic unfairness).

A team that spends $8 on Jonathan India is doing so because they can’t or won’t spend more on a higher-quality player, but knows they need to get somebody to do the job. If they were willing to actually be a not-cheap team, they could have added a Cody Bellinger or someone who could have made more of an impact. The upfront price would have been more, but the return would also have been more, leading to less spent (in terms of $/WAR and perhaps even in profitability if the team performed better and drew more fans) in the long run. The Royals won’t buy the nice shoes that will last a long time, so it’s cheap behavior, even if they’re spending more than some of the other cheap clubs.

Anyway, I hope I’m wrong, and the Royals can compete again next year because, honestly, this year has not been very fun at all.

These survey results are sponsored by FanDuel.

Whether Cincinnati Reds ace Chase Burns is simply slowing down or if the Reds themselves are throttling him a bit we likely won’t ever truly know. That said, he’s only made it through 6.0 IP in 3 of his last 7 starts, and he’s thrown fewer than 90 pitches in 3 of those, too – all while pitching to a mostly un-Burns like 3.99 ERA across 38.1 total IP.

That’s not poor work, by any means, but it’s a departure from the guy we saw before that. That Burns pitched to a 2.00 ERA with 102/29 K/BB in 85.2 IP, much more impactful than the 41/17 K/BB we’ve seen across those most recent 7 starts.

After throwing 43.1 IP at the big league level last season (on top of 66.0 across the minors), Burns has reached 124.0 IP so far in 2026. And with the Reds still mired in the dumps of the National League Wild Card chase and without co-ace Hunter Greene, the odds of them completing some miracle, final week comeback to make a postseason run seem about as long as an Adam Dunn homer. So, there really doesn’t seem to be a need to keep rolling Burns out there every fifth day until the last gasp of the season, especially as the Reds now have him under contract for the long-term and need to manage that as much as each win this season.

An innings limit is inevitable, if not a shutdown altogether.

When I asked you about how many IP the Reds should try to put on Burns this season earlier in the week, you all seemed to think the 150 IP mark was the right threshold for the Reds and Burns to hit.

Notably, 75% of those who responded opted for 140 or 150 IP, with 160 (and more than 160) getting just 25% of the support. In other words, 3 out of 4 of you think it’s best that Burns get about 4 or 5 more typical starts before the Reds put him on ice for the winter.

It’s a slippery slope of a decision, to be sure. You obviously don’t want to see them push him too far this year and risk overworking him, but you also want to see them push him far enough so that, in theory, stretching him out further next year will actually keep him ready for a September playoff push. Teams do typically try to build on these things with their planning, and it sure would be nice to see them planning on trying to make the playoffs in 2027, wouldn’t it?

Regardless, we’ve reached the time in this mostly lost season that we need to cherish watching the Reds new ace each time he takes the bump, since we’re likely down to his last few outings before next spring.

MLB Reacts are brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook.

Did Payton Tolle have the best start of his career yesterday in Toronto? By many measures, yes. The 8 innings he threw tied his career high, having also thrown 8 against the Braves back in May. It was the fifth time in his career he held the opposition lineup to 0 runs (he still has yet to allow fewer than 0 runs in a single game — that’s something he’ll need to work on in the offseason), and the fifth time he’s held them to no more than 2 hits. His game score of 80 also tied the best mark of his career, previously set with a 7-inning shutout against the Yankees in June. Where he was lacking, though, was in strikeouts. In the 23 starts Tolle has made in his career, he struck out more than the 4 he did yesterday in 15 of them. But in the case of yesterday’s start, the lack of strikeouts just showed his versatility. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)

Tolle’s dominant outing came at a great time, not only because the Sox needed to stop a losing skid, but because the bullpen took a major hit. As we feared, Garrett Whitlock was placed on the IL with right elbow inflammation. The inflammation has reportedly been growing over the last few weeks, though as of now it’s not considered serious enough to warrant an MRI. (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)

With Whitlock on the shelf, is the bullpen going to get a boost in the form of Garrett Crochet at any point soon? Don’t count on it. “It’s not a lot,” Chad Tracy said of the throwing he’s been doing. “It’s been light throwing right now, and see how he continues to react to that before they start backing him up.” (Dan Morrison, Yahoo)

We have slightly more positive news on Roman Anthony, however. He’s been down in Florida, having recently progressed to hitting off of a high-velocity pitching machine. Now, Chad Tracy says the Sox are going to “talk through” the idea of bringing him back to Boston to continue his rehab, which, you know, great. It’s always nice to talk things over. (Rodney Knuppel, NESN)

Does Willson Contreras need to talk things over with Red Sox Nation after he was booed in Fenway Park recently? Not according to Contreras, who doesn’t seem bothered by it. “Something’s bothering my leg. That’s why I didn’t run the other day when the fans booed me. Man, didn’t run one time and they boo anybody. Which is good. But I don’t care. I think it’s part of baseball. They have the right to boo, they have to yell, they have a right to do everything.” (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)

If Willson ever does need some advice on how to handle booing, he can always turn to John Henry. And when Henry’s gone, he’ll have Linda and the kids, apparently. That’s because, according to Sam Kennedy, the Sox are going to be in their hands for a long time. “John Henry, Linda Henry, the Henry family are never selling the Boston Red Sox. And that’s a soundbite you can play forevermore. I’d bet anything on that.” (Scott McLaughlin, WEEI)

The Yankees’ offense hasn’t been particularly great lately. Ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Mariners, in which they actually cracked double digits, they had averaged just 3.1 runs per game on their recent home stand. Yet in spite of that, they had also gone 4-3 through Tuesday, which is not what you’d expect in a run where a team puts up essentially a run and half less than the overall MLB average on the season.

The fact that the Yankees have managed to tread water despite getting that little offensive production got me thinking. I wanted to find the best run by a Yankees’ team from history despite not doing much scoring, and I think I might’ve found it.

The 1903 American League season was the first ever one for the team then known as the New York Highlanders. The 1903 team wasn’t bad, and they very nearly won the AL pennant the following year, but the pre-Babe Ruth Highlanders/Yankees teams aren’t particularly fondly remembered, as they didn’t exactly accomplish much. To be fair to them, this streak we’re about to talk about was also in the Dead Ball Era, so bad offensive stats now wouldn’t necessarily translate to bad then. However, they had one very odd run in June.

On June 9, 1903, the Highlanders were hosting the St. Louis Browns. Despite recording six hits, none of which went for extra bases, New York scored three runs and won 3-1, with St. Louis chipping in with a couple errors. That’s because Jack Chesbro — whose real opus was in 1904, but was also good in ‘03 — held St. Louis to one run on six hits, keeping them off the board for the final seven innings.

In the Highlanders’ next game, two days later, the Tigers opened up a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Meanwhile, it took until the fifth inning for New York to get on the board and they were trailing 3-1 going into the eighth. However, they scored two runs in the eighth, and walked it off in the ninth. The winning hit came courtesy of pitcher Jesse Tannehill, who went 3-for-4 on the day. Again though, all their hits were just singles, with none of the nine going for extra bases.

The next game came two days later, again against Detroit. Chesbro was back on the hill on just three days rest, because this was 1903. While this time around, New York took leads of 1-0 and 2-1, they again required a walk-off to win the game, with Willie Keeler providing it in the bottom of the ninth in a 3-2 victory. This particular game should not have required that, though. This time around, the Highlanders recorded eight hits, including two doubles and six walks. However, they managed to leave 10 runners on base before finally coming away with the win.

After two days off, the Highlanders then hosted the White Sox in games on June 16th and 17th. Both of those particular games finished 1-0 to New York, with Clark Griffith — also the team’s manager — and Barney Wolfe each pitching complete game shutouts. For the third time in four games, they also won via walk-off in the game on the 17th. Jimmy Williams hit an RBI single as one of just four Highlanders’ hits in the game.

The Highlanders continued their stretch of not scoring much in their next game, but the pitching couldn’t keep up, as they lost 7-0 to end the winning streak. They finally scored a decent amount of runs in the game following that, putting up six against Cleveland.

Over the course of the 1903 Highlanders’ five-game win streak from June 9-17, they scored just 12 runs on 33 hits and 10 walks. Collectively as a team, they hit .217/.270/.237. The current Yankees’ offense can be a bit of a chore to watch, but I’d prefer they not try and match the 1903 version’s exploits.

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Happy Friday, everyone! It is time to kick off the weekend on a high note by taking a few player props with a ton of upside.

Join me as I break down three of my favorite MLB player props for Aug. 14, including why I expect another big day at the dish from Griffin Conine.

Best MLB player props today

Griffin Conine to record 1+ hit (-131)

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Chase Burns has been fantastic this season, owning a 2.58 ERA and 1.13 WHIP on the year. However, has he been that good to where a red-hot hitter like Miami Marlins outfielder Griffin Conine should be -131 to record a hit? Likely not.

Conine is tied for the fifth-highest barrel rate among players over their last 10 games at 25%. During that stretch, he also has a .594 SLG, .313 ISO and 20% ground-ball rate.

At home this season, Burns is allowing left-handed hitters to elevate the baseball nearly 70% of the time, while they are producing a 33% hard-hit rate.

For a guy to do the bare minimum at -131, this is a great price. If you are not in the juice-paying business, take his Over 1.5 Hits, Runs and RBI prop.

• Time: 6:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: CINR, MIAM

Grayson Rodriguez Over 2.5 earned runs (-106)

The worst-rated pitcher on the day takes on the highest-rated offense. Los Angeles Angels right-hander Grayson Rodriguez owns the worst pitcher rating on Batters-Box, and he draws a fully elite Kansas City Royals lineup featuring five elite-rated bats.

Rodriguez has struggled all season long, owning a 7.36 ERA and 1.64 WHIP while allowing a 45.66% hard-hit rate and 10.4% barrel rate to opposing hitters. The Royals are peppered with left-handed hitters, and Rodriguez owns a 6.35 xERA against lefties this season.

Despite the disappointing season from the Royals, they should be able to keep this one fun and exciting with everyone in that lineup in a great spot this evening. This is playable down to -110, or find their first five team total over 2.5 at plus money.

• Time: 9:38 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: ABTV, ROYL

Orioles first five team total Over 1.5 (-115)

With the Tampa Bay Rays likely going with Steven Matz as the opener and Jesse Scholtens to follow, the Baltimore Orioles offense needs to be backed this evening.

Despite the underwhelming season for the Orioles, they still rank 17th in first-five scoring, putting up around 2.44 runs. Over the team's last six games, the offense owns a 123 wRC+, along with a .349 wOBA, .795 OPS and .209 ISO. During that stretch, they are producing a 47.7% hard-hit rate and 10.5% barrel rate.

The Bird offense is humming at the moment.

Scholtens owns the worst pitcher rating on Batters-Box's default ratings, with a poorly rated matchup ISO, hard contact and ground-ball rate. Matz, meanwhile, has struggled at home this season, posting a 6.75 ERA across 11 games and allowing 21 runs over 28 innings.

We just need two runs!

This is a complete misprice. Take this down to -135.

• Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: RAYS, MASN

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The San Francisco Giants made a series of moves on Friday, ahead of their series opener against the Colorado Rockies, as they’re bringing up a pair of youngsters to replace a pair of youngsters.

As was reported on Thursday, the Giants are calling up outfielder Turner Hill to make his MLB debut. Hill is a tremendous story, as the 27-year old went undrafted in 2023 but has steadily rose through the ranks with strong defense, good base stealing, and sensational contact skills. He was on a 26-game hitting streak in AAA Sacramento, and in 88 games at the level this year posted a .950 OPS and a 148 wRC+, with just an 8.5% strikeout rate. The Giants are surely excited to get a long look at him over the next six weeks as they try to figure out which of their young players can contribute in 2027.

Joining Hill is Jonah Cox, who makes his return to the Majors following a brief stint in AAA. Cox was shockingly called up straight from AA in June, but played sparingly and looked fairly overmatched (while he collected a home run and a double off of position players, he hit just 5-24 with 15 strikeouts against MLB pitchers). The hair-on-fire 25-year old, who is arguably the best defensive outfielder in the system and the best base stealer, was injured in July, and got his first taste of AAA during a rehab assignment. After finishing that rehab assignment he was optioned back to AAA. In 11 games with Sacramento, Cox hit a stunning 22-47 with six extra-base hits and five walks, albeit some underlying metrics that should still give the Giants a little pause about his readiness for success at the next level.

With Jung Hoo Lee playing almost every game in right field, it seems likely that left and center will be handled by Hill and Drew Gilbert when a right-hander is on the mound, and by Cox and Victor Bericoto when facing a lefty.

Hill and Cox replace outfielder Grant McCray and second baseman Nate Furman, who were both optioned back to Sacramento. It’s especially tough news for McCray, who has to feel that his time with the organization might be nearing an end (though he has another option year after this one). While McCray had a huge home run in late July, he’s looked wholly uncomfortable in the batter’s box since getting called back to the Majors. He hasn’t collected a single hit in August, and since the last game of July he’s gone 0-20 with five walks and eight strikeouts. He’s hitting just .081/.227/.162 on the year, for a 22 wRC+, and has also hit below average when in AAA this season.

As for Furman, he barely got on the field, and will have to wait to collect his first Major League hit. He was called up right before the trade deadline, presumably to give the team an option if Luis Arráez were traded mid-game. But given that he’s limited to just second base, and that the Giants are clearly invested in seeing if Osleivis Basabe or Christian Koss can emerge as a viable backup infielder option, there just wasn’t playing time for the lefty, whose proper developmental place was always in AAA. Furman got into just five games in his two weeks with the Giants, and hit 0-6 with two walks and a strikeout.

Welcome back, Braves Country!

It’s nice to come back refreshed after a series win. And even better when it’s against the division rivals, the New York Mets.

Now, the Atlanta Braves are looking for a repeat against the Arizona Diamondbacks with Chris Sale on the mound.

Sale’s stats speak for themself. Holding a 2.20 ERA, it’s no secret that Sale is the weapon that’s holding the pitching rotation together. He’s also 12-7 for the season and has shown consistency in his usual six-inning stint, tallying over eight strikeouts in his appearances since July 23.

The question is, which version of the Braves are set to show up against Arizona’s Brandon Pfaadt?

Currently holding a 3.36 ERA and 1.20 WHIP, Pfaadt hasn’t allowed a single run across his last three appearances. He’s also been producing quality outings with his six-pitch arsenal ready to execute.

It’ll be a pitchers’ duel on the mound with two quality starters who’re performing to the best of their ability.

Check back in with us in a few hours to see how both teams’ offenses fare against these arms before first pitch.

Game Info

Game Time: Friday, August 14, 7:15 PM ET

Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA

Watch: BravesVision

Radio/Audio: 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan, La Mejor 1600/1460/1130 AM

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Brewers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

In this week’s Reacts survey, we asked fans which of Milwaukee’s three young outfielders — Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, and Luis Lara — should be the “odd man out” against right-handed pitching upon Frelick’s return from injury, which is expected to happen in the next week or so. The results had one clear frontrunner:

With 101 voters in total, roughly 71% voted for a Mitchell-Lara combo, followed by Frelick-Mitchell (21%) and Frelick-Lara (8%). That means overall, more than 90% of fans want to see Mitchell in the game, nearly 80% want Lara, and just under 30% want to see Frelick.

It probably shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given the results of these three players.

Mitchell has been a serviceable center fielder, and he’s also been an above-average hitter (.251/.351/.404 for a 109 OPS+), something that neither Frelick nor Lara can say. The fact that Milwaukee’s offense has scuffled over the last few weeks makes that even more important at this point in the season.

Lara, the youngest of the trio at just 21, has been great on defense, and he’s also held his own at the plate, even if he hasn’t shown much pop. Over 28 games, he’s hitting .233/.329/.329 with five doubles, a triple, 11 RBIs, nine runs, and a pair of steals.

Frelick, currently rehabbing at Triple-A Nashville, was, in season’s past, be considered one of the elite corner outfield defenders, but he hasn’t been all that good this year, and the arm injury that has him on the IL is not a good sign either. He also hasn’t been all that good at the plate, hitting just .236/.301/.330 and compiling -0.2 bWAR over 90 games.

Frelick has also only appeared at DH during his rehab assignment, indicating he isn’t ready on the defensive side quite yet. Given his lack of value at the plate, it’s hard to see a spot for Frelick until he can provide his formerly above-average defense or find a groove offensively. He’s been decent (albeit in just 17 plate appearances) in his four rehab appearances, hitting .273/.500/.364 with three hits, including a double, two hit-by-pitches, and three walks compared to one strikeout.

With Frelick on the cusp of returning to the majors, we’ll have a solid answer to this question sooner than later.

Have something else you want to say? Keep the conversation going in the comments, and be sure to check out FanDuel Sportsbook for all your betting needs.

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The St. Louis Cardinals enter the lair of the enemy Friday afternoon when they challenge the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Matthew Liberatore will get the start for the Cardinals while the Cubs will depend on RPH Clay Holmes. First pitch scheduled for 1:20pm central time and the game broadcast will be available through Apple TV.

The Angels have been a franchise adrift in the 12 years since the Royals beat them in the 2014 ALDS, but they may finally be embarking on a true rebuild after firing general manager Perry Minasian and replacing him with John Mozeliak. The team was aggressive selling off pieces at the trade deadline, dealing outfielder Jo Adell, starting pitcher José Soriano, and relievers Ryan Zeferjahn, Brent Suter, and Kirby Yates. That leaves a roster with a few talented players, such as future Hall of Famer Mike Trout, but with plenty of unproven hitters and relievers.

The Royals and Angels are very evenly matched this year, with very similar records and run differentials. The Angles are riding a three-game win streak, but have dropped 13 of their last 20 overall.

Kansas City Royals (49-73) vs. Los Angeles Angels (48-74) at Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA

Royals: 4.12 runs scored/game (24th), 5.06 runs allowed/game (27th)

Angels: 4.10 runs scored/game (25th), 4.78 runs allowed/game (21st)

Who’s hot

• Rookie Wade Meckler is hitting .341/.408./455 in his last 14 games.
• Bobby Witt Jr. is hitting .343/.410/.429 since coming off the Injured List.

Who’s not

• Moisés Ballesteros is hitting .167/.231/.167 in the 10 games since he was acquired from the Cubs.
• Nick Loftin is hitting just 6-for-40 (.150) in his last 13 games.

Interesting splits:

• Mike Trout is hitting just .230/.371/.364 at home this year.
• Salvador Perez is a career .313/.357/.515 with five home runs in 34 games at Angel Stadium.

Seth Lugo has never lost to the Angels, going 2-0 in five games. Grayson Rodriguez has the second-worst ERA in baseball of any pitcher with at least 50 innings. Randy Dobnak has the eighth-biggest positive gap between ERA and FIP among any pitcher with 30+ innings. Reid Detmers has a 2.39 ERA in five starts since the All-Star break, but the Angels have lost all five games. Noah Cameron has allowed five runs in his last four starts for a 1.57 ERA. Opponents are hitting .383 against Ryan Johnson’s sinker this year.

Ben Joyce throws 101 mph, the second-fastest heater in baseball. Lefties are hitting .105/.244/.132 against Samy Natera Jr. The Angels have just 18 saves, the fewest in baseball.

The Angels finally appear to be rebuilding, but its a process that is just beginning and will likely take years to complete. In the meantime, the Royals have an opportunity to win some games against a team struggling as much as they are.