Category: Sports News

Good morning.

• Commissioner Rob Manfred went on the ESPN broadcast of the MLB Little League Classic last night. Johnny Flores Jr. has three big points that Manfred made about the state of the game. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Kristie Ackert has some non-paywall summary of Manfred’s statements.
• The Braves beat the Brewers in the Little League Classic, by the way, thanks in part to a Michael Harris home run.
• Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski went head-to-head with a Little Leaguer and lost . . .in ping pong. Theo DeRosa with the story.
• Dayn Perry breaks down every at-bat of Misiorowski’s start on Friday to explain why he’s so dominating.
• Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo reacted to news that their injured star Ketel Marte was seen at a casino during a D-Backs game.
• That’s as good a place as any to start paying the butcher’s bill. Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages is out for 4-to-5 weeks after surgery on a fractured hand after getting hit by a pitch. So that’s pretty close to the rest of the regular season.
• D-Backs righty Michael Soroka goes to the injured list with right shoulder inflammation. Sounds familiar.
• Yankees southpaw Ryan Weathers goes on the IL with a left flexor strain.
• And Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton has suffered a setback in his recovery from injury and is probably out for the season. While recovering from a right calf strain, Stanton strained his left calf.
• Padres right-hander Casey Mize injured himself slipping on the dugout steps. Mize is hoping to avoid an IL stint.
• Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson is out for the year with a left shoulder injury.
• Good news and bad news for the Brewers. The good news is that right-hander Brandon Woodruff does not need shoulder surgery. The bad news is that Woodruff is probably out for the season anyway. But at least he should be ready for Opening Day, whenever that is.
• Theo DeRosa reports that Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet no longer has the option to opt out of his contract in 2030 because of how much time he’s spent on the injured list this year. The Red Sox also gain a team option on his contract for 2032.
• Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani hopes to pitch during the next Dodgers homestand. It will probably just be one-inning starts until he builds up more strength.
• This may or may not qualify as an injury, but Rockies pitcher Jimmy Herget got stung by a bee (or maybe a wasp or hornet) during Sunday’s game.
• Dennis Lin explains how the late Peter Seidler turned the Padres around and turned them into a team that just sold for $3.9 billion dollars. (The Athletic sub. req.) Lin also looks at the financial outlook for the Padres new ownership team.
• Dodgers team president Stan Kasten insists that the team is not for sale.
• Brent Maguire has ten players who got off to slow starts this year but are turning it on now. Yes, Alex Bregman is on the list.
• Mike Axisa has five formerly highly-regarded prospects who are running out of time to prove themselves in the majors.
• Matt Snyder looks at which of the worst teams from this year have a chance to be playoff contenders next year.
• Dan Szymborski is optimistic about the Mets’ chances of being good next year.
• Russell Dorsey believes that the Mariners are almost out of time to avoid being the most disappointing team of 2026.
• Travis Sawchik evaluates some interesting bullpens on playoff contenders.
• Tim Britton examines the hottest team in baseball since the Trade Deadline: The Binghamton Rumble Ponies, the Mets’ Double-A team. (The Athletic sub. req.) The Rumble Ponies’ surge is led in part by former Cub Jefferson Rojas. Interestingly enough, Rojas said the Cubs told him that he was likely to be traded at the deadline, which I think is pretty classy of the Cubs.
• It’s the minor leagues, but this may be the home-run steal of the year.

• Sam Blum and Stephen J. Nesbitt explain the difficulties in making “fair/foul” calls on balls that go over the foul pole and why technology can’t currently solve the problem. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Bryan Horowitz introduces us to the custom cleats company run by former major league pitcher Jeremy Guthrie. Guthrie’s cleats are all the rage among major leaguers at the moment.
• And finally, White Sox fan Emma Rodriguez caught Jake Rogers walk-off home run while at the same time spilling the entire contents of her purse while celebrating.

The Guardians swept the Rockies and will now try to keep their four-game win streak going in Anaheim.

Nicole has your game recap here. It is so great to win baseball games. But… the Rockies are awful. I am waiting to hope until I see how the Guardians do vs. two far more frisky teams in the Angels and Royals this week to get excited. The Royals, incidentally, have won eight in a row and are about to be listed in our wildcard update section soon.

AROUND MLB:

The Orioles, Blue Jays, Tigers, Astros and Twins lost, while the White Sox and Rangers won. The Guardians and Rangers are tied for the third wildcard (Rangers have the tiebreaker). The Astros are also tied with both teams but Houston holds the tiebreaker over both.

Iowa Cubs 4, Toledo Mud Hens 2 (box)

Iowa closed out the series with its fourth straight win after dropping the first two games in Toledo. The Mud Hens’ offense finally woke up in the eighth, but a four-run deficit proved too much to overcome.

Beau Brieske got the start on a planned bullpen day. He walked a pair in the first but ended up striking out the side. He ended his day after two scoreless innings with four strikeouts and no hits allowed. Brieske landed 20 of his 34 pitches for strikes, inducing six whiffs on 12 swings. The slider was the primary source of the swing-and-miss (4), while his four-seamer and sinker both averaged 95 mph.

Luke Taggart was next out of the bullpen. He went 1-2-3 in the third and worked around a one-out single in the fourth. Taggart drew eight whiffs, with six coming on his secondary pitches. He ended the day with three strikeouts.

Yilber Díaz took over in the fifth and surrendered the first run of the game. Jackson Cluff hit a two-out triple and came home on a Justin Dean single. Díaz worked around a pair of walks in the sixth to keep it a one-run game.

Eric Silva, transferred from Erie before the game, ran into trouble in the seventh. He walked the leadoff man, and Matt Shaw’s two-out double brought the run home. Chas McCormick hit a two-run homer right after, making it a 4-0 game. Silva worked through the eighth, finishing the day with three strikeouts — all coming on his curveball — but the damage made it an outing to forget.

The Hens couldn’t do much offensively against Braxton Garrett, striking out seven times over five scoreless innings. They finally put together a rally against Iowa’s bullpen in the eighth, but it wasn’t enough.

Max Burt opened the frame with a double, and Trei Cruz walked. Jace Jung advanced Burt to third with a flyout, and Max Anderson broke the shutout with a sacrifice fly. Justice Bigbie drove home Cruz with a double to left. Unfortunately, that’s all the scoring Toledo did on the day.

Andre Granillo pitched the ninth. He struck out a pair while working around a two-out walk and a single.

Anderson: 2-3, 2B (20), RBI

Bigbie: 1-4, 2B (2), RBI, K

Burt: 1-3, 2B (10), R, 2 K

Brieske: 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 BB, 4 K

Coming Up Next: The Mud Hens open a series in St. Paul on Tuesday at 8:07 p.m. ET.

Erie SeaWolves 6, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 3 (box)

Erie closed out a 4-2 series win with another power display Sunday. Izaac Pacheco homered for the second straight day, and Clayton Campbell launched his first Double-A home run in just his second game with the SeaWolves.

Pacheco opened the second with a 463-foot solo shot, his 17th Double-A homer of the year. Pacheco hit 17 last year with West Michigan, so it’s nice to see the power tool stay consistent up a level.

E.J. Exposito doubled to start the third, and Zyhir Hope walked — one of three on the day for him. A double steal set up a sac fly from Thayron Liranzo. Clayton Campbell led off the fourth with his first home run with the SeaWolves. It only took him two games.

Joe Miller held New Hampshire scoreless through 3 2/3 innings in his third start back from the IL. Miller wasn’t particularly efficient, using 73 pitches to record 11 outs. He walked three and struck out three while allowing two hits. Still, a goose egg is a goose egg.

Colin Fields got the final out of the fourth and went 1-2-3 in the fifth. Johan Simon wasn’t as fortunate in the sixth, giving up a solo homer to the first batter he faced. Alexis Hernandez followed with a single, eventually scoring on a passed ball. Simon escaped the inning with a 3-2 lead by striking out the last two batters.

Dariel Fregio held the one-run lead with a pair of perfect innings. The SeaWolves pulled away in the bottom of the eighth with a two-run single from Woody Hadeen. Campbell and Luke Shliger both scored after leading off the inning with back-to-back singles. Exposito grounded out to bring Patrick Lee home, too, making it a 6-2 game.

Wandisson Charles closed things out, but not before giving up a run on a pair of singles and a sac fly.

Campbell: 3-4, HR (1), 2 R, RBI

Pacheco: 1-4, HR (17), R, RBI, 3 K

Hadeen: 1-4, 2 RBI, BB

Hope: 0-2, 3 BB, 3 SB

Miller: 3.2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 3 BB, 3 K

Coming Up Next: The SeaWolves open a series in Altoona on Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET.

South Bend Cubs 3, West Michigan Whitecaps 2 (box)

West Michigan couldn’t escape South Bend with a series split, losing on a walk-off single in the ninth. The Whitecaps dropped four of six but still hold a half-game lead over Great Lakes in the Midwest League East with two weeks remaining.

Zack Lee got the bullpen-game start, hurling two perfect innings. He filled up the zone, landing 20 of his 29 pitches for strikes but came away with only one punchout.

Eliseo Mota wasn’t as sharp after taking over in the third. Mota walked the leadoff man, botched a pickoff attempt and gave up a run on a sac fly. The next two batters reached (walk, single), but Mota got out of it before allowing another run.

Beau Ankeney hit his eighth homer with West Michigan in the top of the fourth, a game-tying solo shot.

Mota returned for the fourth only to walk the bases loaded before recording an out. Fortunately, he induced a grounder for a forceout at home, buying enough time for Donye Evans to warm up. Evans gave up the lead on a sac fly, but the run goes on Mota’s record — and deservedly so. Mota threw just 15 of his 45 pitches for strikes. You don’t have to be great at math to know that throwing 2/3 of your pitches for balls is bad.

Evans worked through the fifth without any damage. Luke Hoskins was next out, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out three through two scoreless innings.

Edian Espinal tied the game in the seventh, scoring on a wild pitch. He doubled with one out and tagged up to get to third.

The Whitecaps’ best chance to win came in the eighth. Andrew Sojka led off with a single, Carson Rucker walked and Nolan McCarthy doubled. That should have produced a run, but Sojka got picked off at first before the extra-base hit, and Rucker was thrown out at home. Jackson Strong walked to get Bryce Rainer to the plate, but he struck out to end the threat.

Jalen Evans worked around a walk in the eighth but couldn’t get an out in the ninth. Jose Escobar walked, Josiah Hartshorn singled to put men on the corners and Angel Cepeda ended the game with a walk-off liner to left. Rainer was also lifted from the game in the ninth.

Ankeney: 1-4, HR (8), R, RBI, K

Espinal: 2-4, 2B (2), R, SB

Lee: 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, K

Hoskins: 2.0 IP, 0 R, H, BB, 3 K

J. Evans (L, 4-4): 1.0 IP, ER, 2 H, 2 BB, K

Coming Up Next: The Whitecaps host the Peoria Chiefs on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. ET.

Lakeland Flying Tigers 12, St. Lucie Mets 2 (box)

Lakeland bounced back from Saturday’s walk-off loss with a blowout victory in the series finale. The Flying Tigers trailed 2-1 through five before scoring 11 unanswered runs to secure a 5-1 series win.

Grayson Grinsell gave up three doubles the first time through St. Lucie’s lineup. The last came from the No. 9 hitter, Wyatt Vincent, to open up the third. Grinsell walked Jeremy Rodriguez and gave up an RBI single to Bohan Adderley to put Lakeland behind.

Grinsell recovered, retiring the next three batters in a row, and Anibal Salas doubled home Zach MacDonald to tie the game back up.

The Mets rallied with back-to-back two-out singles in the fourth, retaking the lead, but that was the last run they scored. Jake Ogden singled with two outs and reached second on a throwing error by Salas before Wyatt Vincent drove him in with another single.

Grinsell prevented any further damage. He completed four innings, allowing two runs — one earned — on six hits and a walk while striking out five. St. Lucie jumped on his four-seamer, putting seven in play with an average exit velocity of 99.1 mph. His changeup drew some swing-and-miss, though, producing three whiffs at a 60% rate.

Yendy Gomez took over in the fifth and delivered two scoreless innings. Lakeland busted the game wide open with a six-run sixth, putting Gomez in line for the win.

Angel De Los Santos started the rally with a single and a pair of swiped bases. Jesus Pinto and MacDonald walked before a passed ball tied the game up. Salas drove in Pinto and MacDonald with a liner into right field.

The fun didn’t stop there. Enderson Delgado walked, and Hunter Dobbins homered, bringing the score to 7-2. Jack Goodman doubled later in the inning but didn’t score.

Carlos Rodriguez worked around a two-out single for a scoreless seventh. He spammed sliders and generated three whiffs.

The Flying Tigers added four more runs in the eighth. Javier Osorio and Delgado hit back-to-back doubles for the first run, and Goodman got the next RBI with a single. Pinto doubled in the remaining two runners, pushing Lakeland into double-digit runs.

The final run of the day came off the bat of Goodman as well. Osorio reached on an error in the ninth and moved into scoring position on a walk before scoring.

Johnathan Rogers finished the rout with two hitless innings. He walked two but struck out three as Lakeland’s bullpen combined for five scoreless frames.

Dobbins: 1-3, HR (7), 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K

Salas: 2-5, 2B (14), R, 3 RBI

Goodman: 3-5, 2B (7), R, 2 RBI

Pinto: 1-3, 2B (16), R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, SB

Gomez (W, 6-3): 2.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 3 K

Coming Up Next: The Flying Tigers host the Clearwater Threshers on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. ET. Lakeland won the series 5-1.

First inning, Shohei Ohtani walks, steals second, jogs to third on a single by Freddie Freeman, scores on a grounder by Mookie Betts.

That’s great, but is Mark Walter selling the Dodgers?

Second inning, Blake Snell gives up a one-out single to Spencer Horowitz, who advances to second on a passed ball, but Snell strands him with a strikeout of Billy Cook.

Lovely, but what happens if Mark Walter sells the Dodgers?

Third inning, Bryan Reynolds draws a two-out walk, but Snell strands him with a flyout to left by Brandon Lowe.

Walter, Lakers, feds, billions, sell?

On a blistering Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-0 to complete a three-game sweep, but the rumblings beneath Chavez Ravine indicated there was much more at stake.

This is a solid franchise fighting for its footing. This is a powerful dynasty that could be undone by paper.

So, seriously, are the Dodgers getting sold?

Nobody knows, but a reasonable guess would be yes.

The Dodgers, of course, say no way, no how, no chance. Stan Kasten, the Dodgers’ president, even met with the media Friday specifically to say it’s not happening.

Read more:Dodgers president Stan Kasten reiterates 'Dodgers are not being sold'

“The Dodgers are not being sold,” Kasten said. “They’re not going to be sold. They’re not for sale. There’s no process that has been started to sell [the franchise]. Period.”

Period? Kasten is a busy man, and there’s seemingly no way he holds even an impromptu meeting with reporters about a possible sale if that “period” wasn’t a “question mark.”

It is indeed a huge question mark, one that suddenly appeared less than two weeks ago when Walter stunningly sold the Lakers just 14 months after buying them.

A federal investigation into insurance companies Walter controls may have led to the Lakers sale, and there’s since been plenty of confusing talk about related-party transactions and holding companies and invested assets.

Translated for Dodgers fans?

The owner of your team also owns another business facing a big legal problem that requires billions to fix. And the only way he can raise those billions is to sell his assets. And the $12.5 billion he will receive from the Lakers flip is only a drop in the bucket.

Which means the Dodgers could be next.

Read more:If Dodgers are put up for sale, previous runner-up Patrick Soon-Shiong is interested

There are reports that Walter is selling his shares in the Chelsea Football Club of the English Premier League, but that won’t cut it.

He could sell some of his smaller properties such as the WNBA’s Sparks, the Cadillac Formula 1 racing team, and the entire Professional Women’s Hockey League, but that might not cut it, either.

His richest, most lucrative, and perhaps most expensive property is the Dodgers. A source told The Times’ Bill Shaikin they could be worth between $10 billion and $13 billion, which would be a record price for a baseball team.

Though no charges have been filed against Walter or anyone associated with his businesses, one could imagine Walter pulling the trigger on the Dodgers sale simply to keep the feds at bay.

“I wanted you to hear it definitively: We are not selling the Dodgers,” Kasten repeated. “We are continuing with our plans going forward, like we always have had them. This comes from Mark. He’s gung-ho about continuing to try to win, again, including next year, subject to whatever next year’s climate looks like.”

This full-speed-ahead attitude by Dodgers management is what makes it so hard to imagine the team being owned by someone other than Walter.

Without Walter, there is no dynasty. Without Walter, there is no richest team in baseball. Without Walter, there is no happiest fan base in baseball.

Since Walter and his Guggenheim Baseball Management Group purchased the team in 2012, they have spared no expense in winning 12 of the last 13 National League West championships and three World Series titles.

Nobody in baseball spends like Walter, or will ever spend like Walter. From allowing the team to travel on two planes to adding baseball’s highest-paid player and relief pitcher last winter — Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz have been busts, but there’s time for redemption — nobody is willing to pay more for success than Walter.

Fans benefit from a Walter partnership on a daily basis. Witness Snell’s six shutout innings against the Pirates on Sunday. The Dodgers swept the three-game weekend series against the supposed contenders behind three starting pitchers who will lead off the playoffs yet who would not all be here if Walter didn’t own the joint.

Who else could pay to acquire superstars Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Snell while building up a farm system that could produce prospects who were used to acquire Tarik Skubal?

The three starters combined to allow the Pirates just five runs in 19 innings with 26 strikeouts and five walks, and how good is that going to look in October?

While Andrew Friedman supplies the talent and Kasten works the business, none of it is possible without the seemingly endless flood of money approved by Walter.

Well, the end might be near.

Read more:The Dodgers are Mark Walter's crown jewel. Can he hold on to it amid federal probe?

If Walter sells the team, they could possibly lose their two MVPS — Friedman and Ohtani. Unless the new owners give Friedman a piece of the team, he could set off to build another dynasty elsewhere. And Ohtani has a clause famously included in his contract that allows him to leave if Friedman or Walter leaves. If Walters goes, Ohtani could demand a new contract with terms that a new cash-strapped owner cannot afford.

As of last week, there is so much at stake, so many reasons to worry, and even all the winning by baseball’s best-run team won’t offer much relief.

Now baseball’s best owner is suddenly its most embattled owner, and Dodgers fans should be afraid.

Very afraid.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Happy birthday to Kurt Miller, and a mighty host of others.

Today in baseball history, in 1945 – Cleveland ace Bob Feller returns from the Navy and attracts a home crowd of 46,477, who watch him strike out 12 and yield only four hits in a 4-2 win over Detroit’s Hal Newhouser. He will get nine starts during the remainder of the year, and his five wins will include a one-hitter and two four-hitters. With the war now over, fans are clamoring for entertainment and it is clear Feller is still baseball’s number one ticket seller, and other stories as well.

Today in baseball history:

• 1916 – Babe Ruth fires his seventh shutout of the year, stopping Detroit on three hits as Boston wins, 3-0.
• 1940 – In the Tigers’ 12-1 victory at Fenway Park, Red Sox outfielder Ted Williams pitches the last two innings against Detroit, allowing one run on three hits, in what will be the only pitching appearance of his career.
• 1945 – Cleveland ace Bob Feller returns from the Navy and attracts a home crowd of 46,477, who watch him strike out 12 and yield only four hits in a 4-2 win over Detroit’s Hal Newhouser. He will get nine starts during the remainder of the year, and his five wins will include a one-hitter and two four-hitters. With the war now over, fans are clamoring for entertainment and it is clear Feller is still baseball’s number one ticket seller
• 1965 – In the first inning against Pittsburgh, the Giants’ Willie Mays scoops up a double from Donn Clendenon at the base of the 406-foot sign, whirls and fires with the ball reaching catcher Tom Haller on one bounce. Haller then tags out the astonished Willie Stargell. What is described as the greatest throw ever made in ancient Forbes Field is a costly one as Mays hurt himself and leaves the game in the sixth with a pulled groin muscle.
• 1967 – While pushing a car, Philadelphia’s Richie Allen suffers a severe injury when he pushes his hand through the headlight. It will sideline him for the remainder of the season. The Phils will go 14-21 without him.
• 1975 – Lou Brock steals the 800th base of his career as the Cardinals beat the visiting Braves 6-2. Carl Morton is on the mound and Biff Pocoroba behind the plate when Lou swipes second base.
• 1980 – Nolan Ryan holds the Cubs to two hits in nine innings to give the Astros their tenth straight victory, 2-1, winning over Bill Caudill.
• 1982 – Royals catcher John Wathan steals his 31st base, breaking Ray Schalk‘s 1916 record for stolen bases by a catcher. The backstop will wind up with 36 for the season.
• 1996 – Atlanta defeats Chicago, 6-5, led by 1B Fred McGriff, who strokes five hits, including a double and two homers, and drives in four runs.
• 1999 – Mariner Ken Griffey, Jr. becomes only the seventh player to hit 40 homers in four consecutive seasons.
• 2012 – Matt Harrison has a no-hitter until Trevor Plouffe singles with two outs in the seventh, but it’s Adrian Beltre who ends up with a feat, hitting for the cycle for the second time of his career in the Rangers’ 8-0 demolition of the Twins.

Today in Cubs history:

• 1903 – The Cubs split with the Giants at the Polo Grounds, beating Joe McGinnity, 7-3, in the opener. Iron Joe is not helped by eight Giant errors, including five by SS Charlie Babb. The nightcap is called after Chicago’s at-bats in the seventh with the score 8-1. Christy Mathewson picks up the victory for New York over Jock Menefee.
• 1904 – In Chicago, Christy Mathewson blanks the Cubs on three hits and the Giants defeat Buttons Briggs, 3-0. The second game is called after 10 innings with the score 2-2. Chicago fans show their feelings towards the Giants by tossing bottles onto the field. RF George Browne is hit on the leg and is almost hit in the head while chasing a fly ball. John McGraw tells ump Bob Emslie that he will not allow his team to continue play until all the broken glass is cleared, and by the time that occurs it is too dark to continue play.
• 1905 – In Philadelphia, the Cubs defeat the Phillies in 20 innings, 2-1, with Ed Reulbach going the distance for Chicago.
• 1911 – The Cubs lose to Brooklyn, 6-5, in 10 innings to lose sole possession of first place. Doc Scanlan bests Mordecai Brown.
• 1914 – At Chicago, the Cubs trounce the Braves, 9 5, putting Boston back in second place.
• 1930 – New York’s Fred Lindstrom has his 24-game hitting streak stopped as the Giants lose to the Cubs, 3-2. The game is tied 2-all in the bottom of the ninth, when the Cubs load the bases with two out. With the count 0 and 2, Danny Taylor the runner on third, races safely home as surprised Giant reliever Joe Heving watches and then completes his deliberate windup with a wide pitch.
• 1947 – The Giants break the National League record for homers in a season, held by the Cubs, with their 172nd in a 4-0 shutout by Larry Jansen. Chicago’s Hank Borowy takes the loss. The Cubs take the nightcap, 8-3, led by Eddie Waitkus‘ inside-the-park grand slam. This is the third such slam this season and that won’t be matched till 1990.

Cubs Birthdays:Kurt Miller*, Dean Wilkins, Butch Benton, Frank Secory, Beryl Richmond, Jimmy Cooney, Art Williams, Frank Quinn, Lou Hardie. Also notable: Cal Ripken Jr. HOF. Harry Hooper HOF.

Today in history:

• 79 – Believed until 2018 to be the date of the massive eruption of Mt. Vesuvius which buried the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis and Stabiae, killing untold thousands, latest evidence suggests the eruption occurred after 17 October.
• 1853 – First potato chips are prepared by chef George Crum at Moon’s Lake House near Saratoga Springs, New York.
• 1891 – Thomas Edison patents the motion picture camera.
• 1912 -Ticker-tape parade held in NYC for Jim Thorpe and victorious US Olympians.
• 1919 – Frank King’s daily comic strip “Gasoline Alley” is distributed nationwide by the Chicago Tribune Syndicate, appearing in The New York Daily News among other newspapers.
• 1979 – Rock band “The Cars” plays a concert at Wollman Rink in NYC’s Central Park.
• 2004 – Future 8-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt of Jamaica finishes 5th in his 200 m heat in 21.05 seconds, failing to qualify for the second round at the Athens Olympics.
• 2011–  Steve Jobs resigns as CEO of Apple Inc. and is succeeded by Tim Cook due to his illness

*pictured.

The Detroit Tigers have been struggling of late, having now lost five in a row and seven of their last eight after the Kansas City Royals completed a sweep at Kaufmann Stadium on Sunday afternoon with an 11-7 victory. There really is not much to say at this point as the team’s playoff hopes appear to be evaporating right before our eyes.

Things do not get easier this week, as the Motor City Kitties return home to host the American League East-leading Tampa Bay Rays for a three-game series starting on Monday. The Tigers swept the Rays in St. Petersburg to open up June to break out of their May funk, and maybe — just maybe — Detroit can find its groove again against their Sunshine State foes just like then.

Left-hander Framber Valdez, who has had two straight rough outings after posting a pair of quality starts to open up August, will get the start in the series opener after being pushed back a day. Over the 32-year-old’s last 11 1/3 innings, he has put up a 6.35 ERA and 5.47 FIP, allowing 11 hits (one home run) and nine walks while striking out eight, hitting a batter and throwing a wild pitch.

For the Rays, right-hander Drew Rasmussen will take the hill on Monday night looking to improve on one of his worst outings of the season in his last appearance. Against the Toronto Blue Jays, the 31-year-old gave up five runs on seven hits (one home run) and two walks while striking out five over five frames to take the loss in a 7-6 final.

This will be the first time either pitcher has faced the other team this season. Here is a look at how they match up for the series opener in the D.

Detroit Tigers (61-69) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (77-53)

Time (ET): 6:40 p.m.
Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
SB Nation Site:DRaysBay
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 131: LHP Framber Valdez (8-8, 4.35 ERA) vs. RHP Drew Rasmussen (13-5, 3.01 ERA)

VALDEZ

RASMUSSEN

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (38-37/26-24)

Atypical for the International League, which has averaged 5.16 runs per game this season, we had ourselves a pitching duel between Raymond Burgos and Xzavion Curry, with both starters putting up goose eggs during their time on the mound. Both bullpens were also on point, with Syracuse just narrowly edging out the Woo-Sox thanks to a D’Andre Smith two-run homer in the seventh.

·  CF Nick Morabito: 2-4, SB (41)

·  2B Émilien Pitre: 1-3, BB, K, SB (1), E (1)

·  1B Billy Amick: 0-4, 3 K

·  3B Ronny Mauricio: 0-3, BB, E (11)

·  DH Nick Lorusso: 1-3, BB

·  RF Jose Ramos: 0-4, R, K

·  LF D’Andre Smith: 1-2, R, HR (2), 2 RBI, BB

·  C Shawn Ross: 0-2, BB, K

·  SS Zack Short: 1-3, 2B

·  RHP Xzavion Curry: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, HBP

·  RHP Jack Weisenburger: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, W (2-5)

·  RHP Zach Franklin: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, H (5)

·  RHP Dylan Ross: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, WP, S (5)

ROSTER ALERT: Syracuse Mets activated RHP Jack Weisenburger.

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (27-42/27-24)

BINGHAMTON 7, ALTOONA 3 (BOX)

Another win for Binghamton, their third in a row, their eighth in their last ten, and their eighteenth in twenty-one games in the month of August. The lead changed hands a few times early on, but Binghamton took the lead for good in the fourth on a three-run Corey Collins homer. In total, the Rumble Ponies hammered out 10 hits, with Mitch Voit, John Bay, and Collins all having multi-hit games. The blisteringly hot Rumble Ponies find themselves 2.5 games back in the Eastern League Northeast behind the Reading Fightin’ Phils, and wouldn’t you know it? They are playing those very same Reading Fightin’ Phils next week in a series that will have important playoff implications.

·  REHAB ALERT 1B Mark Vientos: 0-3, K

·  1B Jamari Baylor: 1-1, R, SB (2)

·  2B Mitch Voit: 2-4, R, 2 RBI, K

·  DH Marco Vargas: 1-3, BB

·  SS Jefferson Rojas: 1-4, R, HR (4), 2 RBI, K

·  3B Jacob Reimer: 0-3, BB, K, E (6)

·  C Chris Suero: 1-4, R, 2B, K, 3 PB (12, 13, 14)

·  CF John Bay: 2-3, R, BB, K, CS (2)

·  LF Corey Collins: 2-3, 2 R, HR (6), 3 RBI, BB, K

·  RF JT Benson: 0-4, 2 K

·  REHAB ALERT RHP Justin Hagenman: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HBP

·  RHP Gabe Davis: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, WP, BLK, W (1-0)

·  RHP Douglas Orellana: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

·  RHP Saul Garcia: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

ROSTER ALERT: New York Mets sent RHP Justin Hagenman on a rehab assignment to Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (25-40/28-25)

BROOKLYN 12, ASHVILLE 1 (BOX)

Daviel Hurtado logged another solid outing, allowing an unearned run over 5.2 innings, scattering 4 hits, walking two, and striking out 5. With this one in the books, the Cuban left-hander has lowered his ERA to 2.14, second in the South Atlantic League only to Jacob Kisting and his 1.67 ERA in 86.0 innings thrown with the Bowling Green Hot Rods. Yonatan Henriquez’ scorchingly hot week wrapped up with a nice bow, smacking his ninth homer of the season and his fourth this week, to put Brooklyn on the board and give them a lead they would not relinquish. The Cyclones supplementing Henriquez’ one run with eleven more, winning the game in a laughter and taking the series against the Tourists.

·  DH Sammy Stafura: 3-6

·  SS Elian Peña: 0-4, 2 BB, K, E (1)

·  RF John Smith III: 1-6, R, 3 K

·  LF Yonatan Henriquez: 2-5, 2 R, HR (9), RBI, BB, K

·  CF John Spikerman: 1-4, 3 R, 2B, 2 BB, K, SB (23)

·  2B Colin Houck: 1-4, R, 2 RBI, BB, K, SB (7), E (18)

·  3B Antonio Jimenez: 0-4, BB, 2 K, CS (3)

·  C Chase Meggers: 2-3, 3 R, 2B, RBI, 2 BB, E (5)

·  1B Eddinson Paulino: 1-3, 2 R, HR (1), 4 RBI, 2 BB

·  LHP Daviel Hurtado: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, WP, W (5-2)

·  RHP Elwis Mijares: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, H (2)

·  RHP Calvin Ziegler: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, HBP, H (2)

·  LHP Luis R. Rodriguez: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

·  RHP Juan Arnaud: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (33-33/18-35)

LAKELAND 12, ST. LUCIE 2 (BOX)

Another loss for St. Lucie, and this one was a rough one at that. Things actually started out fine, with Jose Lopez throwing 5 innings of one-run ball, but the game started going south for St. Lucie in the sixth. Lopez loaded up the bases before being removed from the game, and things didn’t get much better when the bullpen became a factor. All together, six runs scored in the sixth, and then an additional four in the eighth, and one more in the ninth for good measure. The narrow 2-1 lead that St. Lucie had coming into that doomed sixth inning was nowhere near enough, and the offense got shut down for the rest of the ballgame once the Flying Tigers took control of things. Thank God they won their Saturday evening contest, because if they hadn’t, St. Lucie would have a nine-game losing streak going right now; as it is, being 2-8 in their last ten isn’t much better, but at least it’s not a nine-game losing streak.

·  3B Jeremy Rodriguez: 1-4, 2B, BB, E (8)

·  CF Bohan Adderley: 2-4, RBI, K, HBP

·  RF Aiden Robbins: 1-5, K, E (1)

·  DH Ryan Tayman: 0-5, 3 K

·  C Yovanny Rodriguez: 0-4, 2 K, 2 PB (1, 2)

·  1B Julio Zayas: 1-3, 2B, BB, K

·  2B Vladi Gomez: 0-4, 3 K

·  SS Jake Ogden: 2-4, R, 2B, K, E (1)

·  LF Wyatt Vincent: 2-3, R, 2B, RBI, BB

·  RHP Jose Lopez: 5.1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, L (1-3)

·  RHP Caden Wooster: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, BS (1)

·  RHP Tyler McLoughlin: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, WP

·  RHP Miguel Mejias: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, HBP

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Jean Brito assigned to St. Lucie Mets from FCL Mets.

Rookie: FCL Mets (24-33)

NO GAME (SEASON OVER)

STAR OF THE NIGHT

D’Andre Smith

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Caden Wooster

Rays RHP prospect Ty Johnson was working as a starter for most of the season until he was placed on the Development list in mid-July. When he returned, Johnson was pitching out of the bullpen in anticipation of a big-league call-up later this season. Not only has his stuff ticked up when he transitioned to a relief role, but the command has been sharper too. Now, Johnson looks as ready as ever to contribute in the majors.

***

Johnson throws from a low three-quarter slot with fringy extension. His short, pushy arm action from a relatively low release height adds a layer of deception to his two pitches: a fastball and a breaking ball. The fastball gets above-average carry from his slot, and the breaking ball has a tight, cut-slider shape that tunnels well off the fastball. Since his move to the bullpen, Johnson has seen approximately a 2mph increase on the velocity of his shapes. His fastball now sits around 94mph (and he can reach back for 96-97 when needed) while his breaking ball sits around 86mph. The breaking ball plays more platoon neutral like a cutter than a traditional slider, helping him counter southpaws.

While the pure velocity on his fastball is unlikely to blow hitters away, Johnson creates a uniquely flat vertical approach angle (VAA) on it that helps him miss bats. In the month of August so far, he’s running a 50% whiff rate on the heater compared to just 28% heading into the month. Johnson has also seen a big jump in whiff rate on his breaking ball this month as it’s now over 55%. Of course, these rates likely aren’t sustainable across a full season, but that kind of swing-and-miss is something the Rays bullpen could use. At the major league level, the bullpen currently has the 6th lowest whiff rate during the second half. Some of this is skewed by their use of openers, but it’s still abnormally low for a Rays bullpen this late in the season.

Cleavinger, Baker, and Booser lead the way in whiff rate for Rays relievers so far this season, but even they all sit in the 25-26% range. Johnson and his 35% whiff rate this season would give Cash a relief weapon to help the team get out of a jam when even a ball in play could result in a run, in other words, he could certainly be pitching in high leverage pretty quickly.

The biggest barrier to him pitching meaningful innings in the majors is finding him space on the 40-man roster and in the current bullpen. Sulser, Jax, and Mesa Jr. all should be back from their respective IL stints relatively soon and should not be transferred to the 60-day IL. Ben Williamson, however, could be moved to the 60-day IL to create a 40-man spot for Johnson given the uncertainty of his hamstring.

The next step is finding a spot for him in the bullpen. This could be easier to do when rosters expand in September and they can simply add another chair in the bullpen. If the Rays wanted to get Johnson up sooner than that, they would likely need to DFA or option a current reliever. With Rodriguez back and Sulser and Jax due to return soon, it could be tricky to find a spot for everyone on the pitching staff and a tough decision might need to be made.

Regardless of how the Rays get Johnson into the Major League bullpen, I do expect it to happen before the postseason begins. His ability to miss bats and pitch to both sides of the plate makes him a valuable weapon to unleash on opposing lineups in September and October.

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: the Orioles lost because they couldn’t score any runs for Shane Baz.

It’s becoming a running joke, although not a very funny one. When Baz is on the mound, absolutely everything seems to go wrong for the Orioles, and through very little fault of the hurler himself. Defensive lapses rear their ugly heads — like yesterday, when Jackson Holliday turned a potential inning-ending groundout into a single to spark a three-run Rays rally — and, most maddeningly, the O’s offense simply vanishes.

After yesterday’s 3-1 loss, in which the Orioles were held scoreless for the six innings that Baz was on the mound, the O’s have scored a grand total of 15 runs for Baz in his last 12 starts. Read that again! Fifteen runs in 12 starts. Brutal. Four of those came in one game in Minnesota, in which Baz coughed up a 4-1 lead, but in nearly every other case the Orioles’ bats never gave him a chance to win. The O’s have lost 11 of Baz’s last 12 starts even though he has a 4.02 ERA and seven quality starts in that span.

What did Shane ever do to his Orioles teammates to make them scorn him so? Does he chew with his mouth open? Does he talk on speakerphone in public? Does he do that thing where he’s going through a door and there’s somebody right behind him but he doesn’t hold it open and it just slams in their face? There’s got to be some explanation here.

In any case, the Orioles have completed their grueling 10-game stretch against the Rays and Yankees by going 5-5. Ten days ago, if you told me that the O’s would break even over that span, I’d have taken it. And I still will, even if the Birds’ method of getting there — dominating the Rays and getting swept by the Yankees — was a bit unexpected. But there’s no denying that the postseason math is getting harder. The Orioles now find themselves two games behind both the Rangers and Guardians, who are currently tied for the third wild card spot. The O’s are also a half game behind the Blue Jays, tied with the Twins, and just a game ahead of the Mariners and 1.5 up on the Tigers.

The Orioles’ schedule gets a lot easier for the next week and a half…in theory, at least. Tomorrow they begin a three-game series in St. Louis against the .500 Cardinals, who just got swept by the Phillies and are slipping out of the NL postseason race. Then the Orioles’ next six are against the two worst teams in baseball, the Athletics and Rockies. On paper, it’s a great opportunity for the Orioles to string together a bunch of wins and leapfrog a bunch of teams in the wild card race.

But who are we kidding? We’ve seen enough of the 2026 Orioles to know that they rarely seem to win the games they’re “supposed” to win, and that they continually squander every opportunity to build some positive momentum for more than a few days. Would anyone be surprised if the O’s end up with a worse record in this upcoming nine-game stretch than they had during this Rays/Yanks gauntlet? Inconsistency just seems to be the name of the game for this year’s Orioles club.

Links

Offense breaks again for Baz in Orioles’ 3-1 loss (updated) – School of Roch

The Orioles’ streak of drawing at least one walk in 121 straight games was snapped yesterday. The last time they didn’t walk was in their ninth game of the season, when Leody Taveras had a 1.171 OPS and Samuel Basallo .466. So yeah, it’s been a while.

Have the Orioles added effective fill-in players? | MAILBAG- BaltimoreBaseball.com

I would say no. Even the Orioles’ regular players aren’t that effective.

Bautista (shoulder) begins rehab assignment, pitches in 1st game in 13 months – MLB.com

If you were hoping to see a picture of The Mountain in his SpongeBob SquarePants Baysox jersey, you won’t be disappointed. As for his performance, well, let’s just say Félix looked rusty.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Only one Oriole was born on this day, but he was the greatest of them all: happy 66th birthday to Cal Ripken Jr.! The two-time AL MVP, 19-time All-Star, eight-time Silver Slugger, two-time Gold Glover, 1982 AL Rookie of the Year, 1983 World Series champ, and first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee also had a consecutive games streak that you might have heard about. Cal is now living his best life as a minority owner of the Orioles, frequently attending games at Camden Yards in seats right behind home plate. Enjoy your day, Cal!

Historically, Ripken actually wasn’t a very good hitter on his birthday. He batted .233 (17-for-73) in his career on Aug. 24, with one home run, four doubles, and eight RBIs.

Cal’s only birthday home run came in a crazy game in 1983 that’s best known as the Tippy Martinez Game. The O’s trailed the Blue Jays in the bottom of the ninth before rallying for two runs to send the game to extras, but their bench maneuverings forced them to use infielder Lenn Sakata as their emergency catcher for the first and only time of his career.

The Jays reclaimed the lead in the top of the 10th before Martinez entered the game with a runner at first. Blue Jays baserunners, trying to get big leads off first against the inexperienced Sakata, were left flat-footed by the southpaw reliever. Martinez picked off Barry Bonnell, then walked Dave Collins and picked him off, and then allowed a single to Willie Upshaw and picked him off, too. Martinez was the first pitcher in MLB history to pick off three baserunners in one inning. The O’s immediately tied the game in the bottom of the 10th — on the aforementioned Cal Ripken home run — and won it on a walkoff three-run blast by (who else?) Lenn Sakata.

And on this day in 2012, Chris Davis crushed three home runs to lead the Orioles to a 6-4 win, again over the Blue Jays. Davis powered a pair of solo blasts off Toronto starter Carlos Villanueva and a two-run shot against reliever Steve Delabar, backing a quality start from Zack Britton.

Random Orioles game of the day

On Aug. 24, 2004, the O’s dropped a 6-2 game in Oakland, the Orioles’ ninth straight loss in a streak that eventually reached 12. Starter Sidney Ponson coughed up home runs to Jermaine Dye and Eric Chavez as the Orioles found themselves in a 4-0 first-inning deficit from which they never recovered. The Birds’ offense had four doubles in the game but only one other hit, and went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. The defeat further buried the Orioles, who had been within one game of .500 before the losing streak began.

Have to admit: I had turned off the Phillies yesterday for quite a while and watched the Little League World Series. I pivoted quickly back to the Phillies once I saw that they had gotten runners on base and had a chance, but even the bright eyed optimist in me didn’t think they had a shot.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Andrew Painter has his confidence again ($). It showed on Saturday night as he dominated the Cardinals once again.
• Jesus Luzardo has become one of the aces of the game. How he has done so is pretty worth your time on this deep dive.

MLB news:

• After getting hit in the head during batting practice, Brendan Donovan is going on the concussion list for Seattle.
• Tyler Glasnow is going to make his glorious return to the Dodgers starting rotation. How long he’ll last remains to be seen.
• Casey Mize had to leave his start early this weekend after slipping and falling down the dugout steps, but he should make his next start.

All of a sudden, the Philadelphia Phillies can't lose. And a prize that didn't seem realistic — the National League East lead - is very much in play.

They have not lost since stumbling out of that cornfield in Iowa, nine consecutive wins that have them soaring up USA TODAY Sports' power rankings, moving up to No. 7 this week.

Their latest caper came when they staged a six-run rally — four runs scoring with two outs — to stun the St. Louis Cardinals on Kyle Schwarber's monstrous walk-off home run Sunday, Aug. 23. The win kept them within three games of Atlanta in the East, this in a season where they once were 10 1/2 games off the pace.

A look at our updated rankings: