Category: Sports News

Meet the Mets

If you didn’t enjoy the first walk-off loss of the weekend, I have very bad news for you.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, Faith and Fear in Flushing, MLB.com, Newsday, New York Daily News, New York Post

Thankfully, the Mets mission to become Dodgers East hasn’t’ resulted in any financial crimes to this point.

For A.J. Ewing to come out clean on the other end of his slump, he can just look to his fellow psychopath and Nolan McLean as roadmaps.

Though it ultimately meant nothing, as most things do, Jared Young’s game-tying hit was the latest in a long stretch of timely hits by the first baseman.

If the Mets aren’t entertainment enough, some guy in the stands hit a flying leg drop, Matt Hardy-style from two rows up on some unsuspecting brawler.

Around the National League East

In the Little League Classic, Michael Harris II and the Braves gave the kids a show, beating the Brewers 4-2 in a 22-hit contest.

Down to their last strike, the Phillies scored six times, capped off by a Kyle Schwarber walk-off home run, and defeated the Cardinals, 6-4.

The Nationals continued their long descent to The Mets Zone of the NL East, falling to the Marlins for the third time in a row, this time 6-2.

Proving that walls are just a temporary obstacle, Jacob Young clambered up the Marlins’ left-center field wall and started a double play.

Around Major League Baseball

Shohei Ohtani is likely to make his grand return to the mound during the Dodgers’ next homestand.

Barely a week after Pete Crow-Armstrong became the first player in eons to start a game with a homer, end that same game with a homer, and start the next game with a homer, Randy Arozarena has matched him.

The first of two statues to be revealed at Coors Field this summer, a 15-foot-tall bronze Larry Walker was revealed outside the main gate in Denver.

Inside the stadium, Jimmy Herget was stung right on the UCL by a bee on the mound and went on with his business.

With his 120th consecutive day on the injured list in the books, Garrett Crochet has lost his option to opt-out of the remainder of his contract after the 2030 season.

As they continue their wild card push, the Diamondbacks lost one starter voluntarily and one to injury as they designated Zack Littell for assignment and placed Michael Soroka on the injured list.

He may be the best pitcher on planet Earth, but that doesn’t mean Jacob Misiorowski is immune from getting dunked on by a pre-teen in a game of ping pong.

During the Little League Classic, Commissioner Rob Manfred revealed the Blue Jays and the Cubs to to be the participants in the 2027 edition of the game next August.

This Date in Mets History

On this date in 2015, the Mets set a new franchise record with eight home runs in a single game against Philadelphia.

The Jays have this Monday off (and next Monday). Having Monday off is a good thing. I’ve always liked holiday Mondays.

They have 30 games left (and fortunately enough, no 17-game streaks without a day off.

They are a game and a half back of the last Wild Card spot. And would have to jump two teams to get there. I don’t know how many they would need to win to get there. I figure 20-10 would do it pretty easily. 18-12? Likely. Maybe even 17-13. Much worse than that? I don’t know.

They have three against the Rangers and three against the Guardians. Winning those series would help.

I’m mostly hoping it is a fun ride.

Anyway, use the thread, as always, to discuss anything you’d like.

Maybe long movies. I saw The Odyssey and Spider-Man this week. I guess they want you to feel you got your money’s worth. I enjoyed both and made it through without needing the washroom. I’ve hit that fun age that if I drink anything within like 6 hours of going to bed, I’m up three times during the night.

Or a favourite moment of the season up to this point. I’ve enjoyed seeing the young guys come up—Bateman, McAdoo, Valenzuela, Cameron, even Tiedemann for his 1.2 innings.

Or talk about what you plan to do with the last month of summer. Me? I don’t know. I tell myself I’m going to pick up my guitars more, but, with baseball and this place, my sitting on the couch time is pretty much filled. So, it is tough to add more ‘sitting on the couch time’.

Anyway, use the thread to talk about almost anything.

And….we could really use another voice or two on the site. What would be nice is if we could find someone or someones who could do a morning post on weekdays to take some of the morning pressure off me. When you are out here in Calgary, well, a morning post is up around noon Eastern. There is always a point in the season when burnout starts to show. Anyway, if you think you would like to help out, let me know. My email is in my profile.

The Braves are likely very glad Monday is finally here and an off-day can be used as a needed break and reset. Thankfully, the Braves were able to get a badly needed win in the 2026 Little League Classic on Sunday night. This allowed for Atlanta to avoid a sweep to the Brewers, and also have a positive note to end on after a wild last few days. After ending the road trip playing in four different cities in five days, Atlanta can now return home for another big series against the Dodgers.

Braves News

As the Braves switched up the lineup a bit, Michael Harris II proved to be huge from the leadoff spot, including the final run of the game coming via a home run that was clearly wanted from the Little League crowd.

Despite their recent travel and struggles, many on the Braves seem truly delighted to experience the Little League Classic.

Reynaldo Lopez had a fairly positive showing as he began a rehab assignment in his return from injury.

MLB News

The Phillies won their ninth straight game, as the NL East is once again a close race.

Jazz Chisholm helped the Yankees win on Sunday.

Mike Soroka went to the IL for the Diamondbacks.

Saturday night, the Red Sox were down 2-0 heading into the bottom of the ninth against the Giants. The crowd had been anxious all game—understandably—but something shifted when Caleb Durbin led off the inning with a walk. The noise inside a 114-year-old stadium started to rise and crescendoed in a walk-off that encapsulates the luck and magic of the 2026 Boston Red Sox.

The walk-off itself wasn’t just something the crowd watched, though. It felt like something they willed into existence.

That’s what’s been happening at Fenway Park this summer. A building and a fanbase that has decided it’s part of this team.

Sellouts, near-sellouts, 37,000-plus on a regular Friday night in August. You can cite the attendance figures, but the number that actually matters is decibels. Jerseys are coming off—the tarps-off phenomenon sweeping the bleachers, people yanking their shirts over their heads and spinning them in the air like rally towels. People in apartments on Boylston Street are posting videos of themselves hearing the roar from inside their living rooms. That’s not a normal August at Fenway, or at least hasn’t been for quite some time.

I was at last Monday’s game against the Diamondbacks, and the crowd there had that same edge—that sense that nobody in the building was treating this as a casual summer night out. Even in a blowout, it’s beyond apparent how engaged and just purely fun the stands at Fenway are right now. Yankees Suckchants breaking out unprompted, everyone screaming their heads off at Mr. Brightside during a pitching change, every single person leaping to their feet the moment Sweet Caroline came on. It was infectious. The energy is different this year. You can feel it the moment you walk through the gates.

Friday night was the purest version of it. Rafael Devers walked out for his first at-bat back at his old ballpark and Fenway didn’t just boo—it rained boos on this man, 37,000 people making sure he knew exactly where he was and what this series meant. Whether you wanted boos or cheers, the crowd made its distain pretty well known, even to the chagrin of some other media pundits who were shocked there were so many jeers. Devers struck out. Later on, Willson Contreras hit one 450 feet over the Monster and the building became the loudest it’s been all year.

This is what a pennant race sounds like.

After a stretch of Red Sox baseball where the question was whether anyone was going to bother showing up—the pandemic years, the “rebuilding years” with Chaim Bloom, the quiet Septembers, the half-filled sections and the general sense of waiting for something to happen—this summer has felt like a reset, not just in the standings, but in the relationship between this team and this city. For the years of apathy that permeated from ownership and the front office on down to Red Sox Nation, there’s finally a well-earned feeling that everyone has bought in all at once.

The Red Sox are 25-11 since the All-Star Break, the best record in baseball over that stretch. They’re back over .500 at home for the first time since April 17th. They have strong footing in the Wild Card hunt. And Fenway has responded the way Fenway responds when it actually believes in something—which is with everything it has, every night, from the first pitch to the ninth inning comeback.

The crowd needs the team to keep giving them reasons. The team needs the crowd in September. Right now, both sides of that deal are holding up their end. And it has been one of the most raucous, engaged, alive stretches this ballpark has seen in a very long time.

Go outside and stand on Lansdowne Street some time. You’ll hear it.

In the Friday night game discussion, when the Colorado Rockies were being blown out by the Cleveland Guardians, there was some conversation about the effect the Rockies defense had on their overall record.

Although I lack the skills to make that correlation, I did wonder how this year’s defense compared to some of the teams we’ve seen. Are the Colorado Rockies really that bad defensively?

All caveats about the limits of defensive metrics apply here, though I would add that, regardless of accuracy, defensive metrics create a common measure by which to compare players. In this discussion, I want to explore a number of defensive metrics: errors, defensive runs saved, outs above average, and fielding run average. Also, keep in mind this this year’s numbers are a work in progress while the numbers from previous years are for a full season.

In terms of my comparison pools, I went with this year’s team, last year’s 2025 (historically bad) team, and the 2018 team, which was the last season the Rockies went to the postseason.

All numbers were current as of Saturday.

Errors

According to MLB.com, “A fielder is given an error if, in the judgment of the official scorer, he fails to convert an out on a play that an average fielder should have made.”

Team errors

In 2026, as a team, the Colorado Rockies have committed 84 errors, which ties them with the San Francisco Giants for second most errors in MLB. (The Boston Red Sox have the most with 90 errors, and the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago Cubs have the fewest with 48 while the Los Angeles Dodgers have slightly more with 52. Also worth noting, the Chicago White Sox are 12th with 69.)

For comparison, in 2025, the Rockies had the second-most errors with 110. (The Red Sox had the most with 116 while the White Sox were third with 100.)

And the 2018 team? That postseason-bound team had just 74 errors, the third fewest in MLB.

Individual errors

That leads to the question of which players are committing those errors, and for that, I went to FanGraphs.

Clearly, Hunter Goodman and Kyle Karros led the team in errors with 10. Willi Castro is on the leaderboard as well since the sum of errors he has committed is 10. Add to that Ezequiel Tovar’s nine errors, and those four players are responsible for almost half of the errors. (Connor Norby’s three errors in eight games seems like a bad sign.)

Defensive runs saved

Now consider defensive runs saved (DRS), another defensive metric. As a refresher, MLB.com defines DRS as “DRS quantifies a player’s entire defensive performance by attempting to measure how many runs a defender saved. It takes into account errors, range, outfield arm and double-play ability. It differs only slightly from UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating) in its formula, but the concept is the same.”

Team DRS
This season in terms of DRS, the Rockies rank 25th with -11. (Notably, the Cubs are first with 89 followed by the Tampa Bay Rays with 61, which shows just how good the Cubs defense is this year. The worst DRS number goes to the Minnesota Twins with -37.)

Last year, the Rockies had -59 DRS, which was the worst number in baseball.

By this metric, the 2026 Rockies are significantly better than the 2025 squad.

And the DRS number in 2018? That would be 45, which was the eighth most in baseball.

Individual DRS

Here are the individual numbers, again per FanGraphs:

What’s notable here?

TJ Rumfield is the best in terms of DRS, and it’s not close. He has become a solid defender at first base. Meanwhile, Tyler Freeman looks on track to repeat as the Rockies worst defender as measured by DRS. This metric is less brutal on Karros and Goodman than errors, but the fact remains that only eight players have positive DRS numbers, and three of those where pitchers while Chad Steven’s only spent 63.0 innings with the Rockies.

In short, overall, this is not a very good team defensively.

Outs Above Average

According to MLB.com, “Outs Above Average (OAA) is a range-based metric of skill that shows how many outs a player has saved.”

Team OAA

The 2026 Rockies are a bit more respectable by this metric by which they are ranked 20th with a -10. (Once again, the Cubs demonstrate this defensive dominance by putting up 62 OAA while the D-backs are second with 33, almost half as many.)

For comparison’s sake, the 2025 Rockies were 26th with -26 OAA. So, again, this is a better defensive team than the Rockies were last season. Believe it or not, the 2018 Rockies finished the season with -5 OAA, which put them at 18th.

Individual OAA

Below are the individual numbers for the Colorado Rockies, again courtesy of of FanGraphs.

This is another metric that indicates the deficiencies of the Rockies defense. Rumfield has a clear lead with six, but only five Rockies have an OOA score of higher than zero. Ten players have negative totals with Freeman and Edouard Julien tallying the lowest scores.

The good news is that 10 players have a zero OAA number, which means that they are average. A team with average defenders and improved hitters is a good trade off for a Rockies team that has struggled to get hits.

Fielding Runs Value

The final metric to consider is fielding run value, which MLB.com defines as follows: “Fielding Run Value (FRV) combines all of Statcast’s individual defensive metrics into one stat that measures a player’s overall defensive value.”

Team FRV

The 2026 Rockies are 25th at -19. Surprising no one, the Cubs are first with 63 while the Toronto Blue Jays come in second with 37.

Last season, the Rockies were 23rd with an FRV score of -20. It seems likely the 2026 squad will surpass that number before the season ends.

The 2018 team came in 10th with a four FRV score, which suggests the Rockies have never done very well by this metric.

Individual FRV

Here is how individual Rockies stack up:

Once again, Rumfield has surpassed his teammates, but having only five players with positive FRV’s seems like a bad sign. It is notable, however, this Tovar fares better by FRV.

Closing thoughts

So what does it all mean?

In compiling this, mostly I wanted to put together all of the numbers to provide a basis for a larger discussion.

But here are a few things I took away.

First, TJ Rumfield is as good defensively as we thought he is — and he is easily the best defender on this Rockies team.

Second, the defensive numbers are worse, but this team shows improvement over the 2025 Rockies. I suspect the still-below-average numbers are attributable to a few things. The Rockies have young players and new free agents who are learning the nuances of playing at Coors Field.

In addition, the Rockies are moving to a more “optionality-focused” defense, which is going to drive down numbers. So far, this front office is valuing a player’s utility over his expertise — though it’s worth noting that one of their defensive specialists, Rumfield, is the defensive leader.

Those are a few ideas I’m thinking through, and I look forward to reading your thoughts.

This week on the internet

This is just so cool.

On the farm

Triple-A: Las Vegas Aviators 10, Albuquerque Isotopes8

Former Isotopes pitcher Geoff Hartlieb escaped a two-on, one-out jam in the bottom of the ninth by striking out the final two hitters, as the Las Vegas Aviators took the series-closing game 10-8 from Albuquerque on Sunday at Rio Grande Credit Union Field.  The Aviators claimed five of six contests in the set.

Sterlin Thompson led off the ninth inning with a single, then an out later, Vimael Machin roped a single off the wall in right, sending Thompson to third.  Hartlieb then fanned Chad Stevens swinging and caught Roc Riggio looking to end the ballgame.

Thompson was 3-for-4, the third time he has picked up three hits in the last eight games he has played. Meanwhile, Adael Amador was 2-for-4 with a double, and is slashing .333/.421/.636 with five doubles, five homers and 13 RBI over his last 15 games. Charlie Condon was 1-for-4 with a single and hit by pitch.  He is slashing .202/.311/.287 with three doubles, a triple, two homers and 16 RBI over his last 33 games.  Condon has been hit by 16 pitches this year, most in the Pacific Coast League.

The Isotopes issued at least nine walks in a game for the 11^th time this season.

With 24 games remaining in the season, Albuquerque must go a minimum of 14-10 down the stretch to finish with a winning record for the first time since 2013.

Double-A: Somerset Patriots9, Hartford Yard Goats 6

In the series finale, the Somerset Patriots scored five runs in the ninth inning to come from behind and defeat the Hartford Yard Goats 9-6 in Hartford. Although the Yard Goats had a 4-0 lead in the sixth inning and a 6-4 lead in the ninth inning, the Patriots rallied to win the series. Dyan Jorge mashed a two-run homer, his first of the season, and Jared Thomas and Skyler Messinger each had two hits.

The Yard Goats scored the game’s first run in the first inning against Somerset starter Sean Paul Linan. Thomas singled, stole second base, and scored on a hit by Jack O’Dowd to make it 1-0. Then the Yard Goats plates three more runs in the fourth inning to give them a 4-0 lead. After Jorge’s homer, Zach Kokoska scored on a wild pitch to give Hartford a 4-0 lead.

In addition, Yard Goats starter Konner Eaton allowed just two hits over the first five innings, completed six innings, surrendered two runs on three hits, and left with a 4-2 lead. Eaton retired the first five batters of the game before working out of bases-loaded jams in both the second and third innings. The lefty handled the fifth inning before allowing a two-out, two-run home run to Manny Palencia in the sixth inning make it a 4-2 game.

Somerset made it 4-3 on Jace Avina’s RBI single in the seventh inning against reliever Fidel Ulloa and then tied the game in the eighth inning on a throwing error. The Yard Goats took a 6-4 lead with two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.

But it wasn’t enough. The Patriots scored five runs in the ninth off reliever Victor Juarez to take a 9-6 lead. The inning began with back-to-back doubles and a walk to load the bases. Jace Avina then walked with the bases loaded to make it 6-5, and DJ Gladney’s sacrifice fly tied the game at 6-6. then, Manny Palencia’s RBI single scored Avina and Somerset grabbed a 7-6 lead. The Patriots added two more runs on an error and hit batsman.  

High-A: Hillsboro Hops15,Spokane Indians 6

Today, the Indians dropped their series finale with Hillsboro as the Hops pummeled the Indians.

The Hops hit four home runs, including two from Kenny Castillo and a grand slam from Carlos Virahonda. In the course of the game, Hillsboro batted around twice (first and seventh innings) and tallied 13 runs in those innings.

In the bottom of the second inning, Robert Calaz hit a solo homer to get the Indians on the board. It was his ninth of the season and fifth in his last eight games.

Spokane tried to mount a comeback in the fifth inning with no outs when they loaded the bases. With one out, Wilder Dalis singled followed by an Ethan Hedges walk that forced in a run, making the score 9-3. After a pitching change, Tanner Thach hit into a double play to end the inning.

The Indians tried again in the sixth and got the score down to 9-5. But things pretty much ended in the seventh when the Hops took a 13-5 lead on a pair of homers, including a grand slam.

Single-A: Fresno Grizzlies 10, Stockton Ports 9(F/11)

It was a back-and-forth affair, but the Grizzlies were the only Rockies affiliate to win their game today against the Stockton Ports (A’s).

Stockton got out to an early lead when they drew a bases-loaded walk in the second inning. They then tacked on in the second with a sac fly, and then an RBI single in the third to go up 3-0. Then, Gavin Turley hit a grand slam to put the Ports up 7-0. Fresno finally broke through in the fourth when Carlos Renzullo walked, Cristian Arguelles (No. 5 PuRP) singled, and then Daniel Jackson (No. 12 PuRP) singled to score Renzullo.

However, things got interesting in the sixth.

Renzullo singled to lead things off, and then Arguelles tripled to score him. Jackson ten singled to score Arguelles, and Ronny Ugarte doubled. A wild pitch moved up Ugarte, and then Jack Natili walked. Upon a pitching change, Juan Martinez grounded into a 4-6 force out, but Ugarte was able to score and put Fresno within two. Cort MacDonald popped out to short, but then Aidan Redahan singled to push Martinez to third. Ashly Andujar singled to score Martinez, and made the score 7-6. Renzullo flew out to end the inning.

In the seventh, Gavin Turley homered to make it 8-6. But then Fresno came alive again in the ninth when Arguelles walked and Jackson doubled to score him. Then, Ugarte singled and Daniel Jackson scored on a fielding error by the left fielder to tie the game 8-8.

It went back-and-forth in extras, but Fresno had the last laugh. In the 11th inning, Juan Martinez singled to move Jack Natili, the ghost runner, and then Cort MacDonald singled to walk it off 10-9.

Jackson went 4-for-6 with a double, three RBI and two runs scored. Arguelles went 3-for-5 with a triple, two RBI, two runs scored and a walk. And Ugarte went 3-for-5 with a double, a run scored and two strikeouts.

On the pitching side, Bryson Van Sickle took the brunt of it — pitching just four innings and allowing seven runs (five earned) on six hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Sam Larson and Tanner Sagouspe combined for two scoreless innings, while Wilmis Paulino gave up one earned run — a homer — in his one inning of work. Ethan Cole earned the win, pitching the final four innings and allowing one unearned run on two hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

Walker statue unveiled at Coors Field: “Guess that’s a way to slow me down” | MLB.com

Patrick Saunders (recently of the Denver Post) stood in for Thomas Harding today and covered the unveiling of the Larry Walker statue. “To have a statue outside of this ballpark, that’s an honor that’s pretty tough to put into words,” Walker said. “When I came here, my job was to keep moving — hit the ball, run the bases, chase fly balls in the gap, do anything I could to help us win. And now, here I am, frozen in bronze. I guess that’s a way to slow me down.”

FanGraphs Weekly Mailbag: August 22, 2026 | FanGraphs

The question is “Who is the worst player ever to hit three home runs in a major league game?” Do you know the answer?

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

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.

Welcome to week 22 of our 2026 NL Central Power Rankings — let’s rank some teams!

1. Milwaukee Brewers (81-50); 4-2 this week; 100.0% chance to make postseason (FanGraphs)

The Brewers had another strong week with a pair of series victories over the Mariners and Braves, including a 22-0 romp of Seattle in Tuesday’s series opener. Milwaukee became the first team in the majors to guarantee at least a .500 season with their 81st win on Saturday afternoon.

Jake Bauers led the team with a pair of homers and a double this week, while William Contreras led the team with 10 hits this week. Luis Lara added nine hits, including his first career homer, and Garrett Mitchell had eight hits with a homer and two doubles. Joey Ortiz added six hits, including a homer and a double with five RBIs.

Logan Henderson, Kyle Harrison, and Jacob Misiorowski continue to shine atop Milwaukee’s rotation, as the three combined to allow just one run (by Henderson) across 17 innings in their appearances this week, striking out 18. DL Hall, Trevor Megill, Chad Patrick, and Bryse Wilson had scoreless weeks for the bullpen, totaling 13 2/3 innings with 16 strikeouts.

Milwaukee gets another off day on Monday as they head to New York to face the Mets for three games beginning Tuesday night. They’ll then return home to host the Rangers for three games over the weekend.

2. Chicago Cubs (75-56); 3-3 this week; 97.8% chance to make postseason

The Cubs had a .500 week, taking two of three against the White Sox behind a pair of walk-off wins before dropping two of three to the Mariners over the weekend in Seattle.

Pete Crow-Armstrong had another big week with five homers and two doubles as part of nine hits, while Alex Bregman also had nine hits with three homers and eight RBIs. Nico Hoerner picked up eight hits, and Ian Happ and Michael Busch both homered twice.

David Peterson and Clay Holmes turned in the best starts of the week for the Cubs, as Peterson went 7 1/3 innings across a start and relief appearance, allowing two runs and striking out nine. Holmes went 5 1/3 innings with one run allowed despite picking up just one strikeout. Aaron Civale shined out of the bullpen with four strikeouts and no runs allowed across 5 1/3 relief innings.

Chicago now heads down to Phoenix to take on the Diamondbacks for three games before an off day on Thursday. They’ll then host the Reds for three games over the weekend.

3. St. Louis Cardinals (66-66); 3-5 this week; 2.2% chance to make postseason

The Cardinals had a long, disappointing week, as they took three of five against the Reds before being swept by the Phillies, including a tough 6-4 walk-off loss after leading 4-0 in the ninth on Sunday.

Jordan Walker continued to rake, with 12 hits, including three homers and two doubles, driving in eight. Five other players also homered, including rookie JJ Wetherholt, who added a double as part of a nine-hit week. Alec Burleson added 10 hits, driving in six and picking up a pair of doubles.

While the starting rotation as a whole didn’t have a great week, Kyle Leahy shined. He made a pair of starts, totaling nine innings with no runs allowed on five hits and two walks, striking out a team-high 10 batters. Peter Strzelecki was solid out of the bullpen with five innings of one-run ball, striking out five, and Gordon Graceffo went 2 2/3 scoreless innings over three appearances.

St. Louis gets Monday off before a homestand featuring matchups with the Orioles and Pirates begins on Tuesday.

4. Cincinnati Reds (62-69); 3-5 this week; 0.0% chance to make postseason

The Reds dropped three of five to the Cardinals at home this week before dropping two of three to the D-backs, and their once promising season is all but done at this point.

Matt McLain and Dane Myers both slugged a pair of homers, while Sal Stewart homered as part of an 11-hit week, driving in a team-high seven runs. Elly De La Cruz also had nine hits, and JJ Bleday added eight hits.

Chase Burns and Kent Emanuel had the best starts of the week for Cincy, as both pitchers went five innings with two runs allowed (Burns struck out eight and Emanuel struck out four). Tejay Antone, Julian Garcia, and Zach McCambley combined for 7 2/3 innings out of the bullpen, allowing no runs and striking out four.

Cincinnati will continue the road trip with three games in San Francisco to begin this week. After an off day on Thursday, they’ll wrap up their trip with three games at Wrigley against the Cubs.

5. Pittsburgh Pirates (63-69); 2-4 this week; 1.0% chance to make postseason

The Pirates took two of three at home against the Tigers to begin the week but were swept by the Dodgers in L.A. to finish with another sub-.500 week.

Oneil Cruz and Rafael Flores both slugged a pair of homers to lead Pittsburgh’s offense, while Brandon Lowe led the team with six hits, including a homer and double in what was an overall down week offensively for the Pirates.

Braxton Ashcraft turned in another strong start, totaling eight innings with one run allowed and four strikeouts to pick up the win. Lake Bachar went three total innings in a start and a relief appearance, allowing one run and striking out a pair. Khristian Curtis, Camilo Doval, Antwone Kelly, Mason Montgomery, Luke Weaver, and Kirby Yates combined for 15 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, striking out 16.

Pittsburgh continues the road trip with three games in San Diego before an off day on Thursday. They’ll then wrap up the trip with a three-game set in St. Louis.

Good morning, baseball fans!

A new week of San Francisco Giants baseball begins today, so it’s time to take a look at what’s on deck for the week.

The Giants head back to Oracle Park for the week, welcoming the Cincinnati Reds to town tonight to begin a three-game series. After that, the Arizona Diamondbacks come to town for a four-game series over the weekend.

Personally, I don’t really have a preference between the two opponents. But the Reds are sitting in last place in the NL Central. They’re still doing better than the Giants, but they might be the less formidable opponents. So I’ll go ahead and pick them as the series I’m most interested in this week. Since we only have to see them twice a year instead of the nine billion times we see the Diamondbacks.

Which series are you most interested in this week?

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants begin their series against the Reds tonight at 6:45 p.m. PT.

Michael Wacha continues to churn out quality starts, writes Jaylon Thompson.

“When you are giving up one run, you are going to have a pretty good chance to win,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “And two runs yesterday. That’s usually the name of the game. When your pitching is solid, you’ve got a better chance to win.”

Wacha allowed just one run in seven innings. He scattered three hits while registering six strikeouts against the Tigers’ potent lineup. It was his seventh victory and 17th quality start — most in the American League.

“Wacha’s the best, man,” Perez said. “Wacha’s been doing that all season long. And every time he is going to pitch, he’s going to give everything he has for us.”

Anne Rogers writes about the Saturday win.

Isbel was just one of the heroes in the Royals’ win on Saturday. After Isbel put them on the board, Salvador Perez clobbered his 17th home run in the fourth inning to pad the lead. Jac Caglianone doubled in the sixth, moved to third on Perez’s groundout and scored on a wild pitch for insurance. By his celebration, Perez seemed more fired up for moving the runner than his home run.

“As soon as they changed the pitcher, Vinnie [Pasquantino] and I talked, like, ‘I’m going to try to move him,’” Perez said. “Bring him in by moving the other way. He threw me a curveball that backed up and jammed me a little bit, but I still hit it to second base. Sometimes things happen. Don’t have the opportunity to bring him in, but the wild pitch scored that run. We’re doing the little things like that, and it’s good for the team.”

On Sunday, Salvy had his first stolen base in five years.

Craig Kimbrel earned his first save with the Royals, the 441th of his career.

“You get the final out,” Kimbrel said, “I think that’s one of the things that’s so enticing and fun about closing out games. It’s when you throw the last pitch and the last out is made, you can take a breath and everybody gets to go home happy.”

Royals 2026 first-round pick Zion Rose hits his first pro home run.

Preston Farr checks in on 2026 Royals draftees.

Rose has been a mixed bag thus far. He’s made an immediate impact with his speed, stealing eight bases in his first ten games with the River Bandits. The power, however, has been absent, however. Rose did hit his first home run with the Bandits as I’m typing this on Saturday afternoon, but still mid-game action, it isn’t included in the above stat line. Rose has walked at a healthy rate and limited strikeouts enough, but in all it’s been a middling debut for the sixth-overall selection in this year’s draft. That isn’t to say it’s time to sound the alarm bells. Jac Caglianone posted just a 98 wRC+ with a .388 SLG in his small-sample debut with Quad Cities in 2024.

Latif Love at the Star writes about the stories that made Salvador Perez who he is today.

J.J. Bleday hits for the cycle for the Reds.

Randy Arozarena becomes the third hitter in MLB history with a first-pitch home run, walk-off homer.

Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow will return on Tuesday.

The Phillies win their ninth straight on a Kyle Schwarber walk-off homer.

The Yankees lose Ryan Weathers but get Cody Bellinger back in the lineup.

The Rangers designate outfielder Jarred Kelenic for assignment.

Mariners infielder Brendan Donovan lands on the Injured List after a batting cage incident.

Shohei Ohtani may pitch as soon as next week.

Dodgers reliever Edwin Diaz plans to tinker with his arm angle while on the Injured List.

MLB players give their advice to participants in the Little League World Series.

How the “Bat King” created custom looks for players.

A tight end cut by the Cleveland Browns will attempt to play for LSU.

Wyndham Clark avoids collapse to win the BMW Championship.

Robots break world human records at the Robot Games.

New 2D barcodes could help prevent the spread of the next foodborne-illness.

Why do hummingbirds hum?

Your song of the day is Frank Black with Headache.

Triple-A: Nashville Sounds (MIL) 2, Norfolk Tides 0 (Game 1 – makeup)

This will be super quick, because there was really little offense over Game One’s seven innings. The Tides got no-hit, alas, and only a walk to Rece Hinds with one out left in the game kept it from being a combined perfecto.

On a positive note, starter Michael Forret kept it scoreless through four innings, though he allowed two runs in the fifth on a homer, single, and a double. Cameron Weston and José Espada tossed clean innings after him.

Box Score

Triple-A:Nashville Sounds (MIL) 7, Norfolk Tides 1 (Game 2)

One bad inning sunk the Tides in Game Two of the makeup doubleheader. Starter Trace Bright (1-9, 7.46 ERA) threw just 1.2 innings today and allowed five runs in the second inning alone—on two walks and four hits, including a three-run homer to cap things off. After him, Dietrich Enns pitched a good 2.1 innings, followed by talented prospect Luis de León, Codi Heuer and Yosver Zulueta. De León gave up a run on a walk and a double, and Zulueta on a walk and a pair of singles.

The Tides’ lone run came on a double by catcher Silas Ardoin and a single, plus a run-scoring groundout, by Enrique Bradfield Jr. and Jeremiah Jackson, respectively. Bradfield, Ardoin and Jud Fabian had the Tides’ lone hits on the day.  

Box Score

Double-A: Richmond Flying Squirrels (SFG) 6, Chesapeake Baysox 5 (F/10)

A weird result, as Richmond scored three in the first inning, then nothing until the three winning runs in the tenth inning. Those initial three, by the way, come off a rusty Félix Bautista, making his first appearance on a gametime mound since August ’25. Yes, The Mountain faced just five batters and walked three of them. But who cares? Great to see him, although also a fun thought to imagine the Double-A hitters learning they’d be facing him. Anyway, Tyson Neighbors relieved Bautista, but did him no favors, allowing another run-scoring walk and a sac fly.

The Baysox evened up the score with a snazzy double steal in the second, Colin Tuft taking second and Vance Honeycutt scoring the Baysox’s first run. Later on, Chesapeake got back-to-back homers by Wehiwa Aloy and Aron Estrada.

Regrettably, Brock Moore allowed three runs in the tenth inning, on a single and a couple of walks. The Baysox made it interesting in the bottom half with a two-out rally: Honeycutt walked and Thomas Sosa singled him home, along with ghost runner Dom Keegan. But they fell just short. Still, Honeycutt, Aloy and Estrada each had two hits today, and all three are OPS’ing over .800 currently. All aboard the hype train.

Box Score

High-A: Frederick Keys 7, Wilmington Blue Rocks (WAS) 2

The lone winner on the day, the Keys racked up 17 strikeouts across five pitchers. That included opener Boston Bateman, who tossed three scoreless with six strikeouts (!!). The 6’8” lefty has a 3.63 ERA/1.39 WHIP with 107 strikeouts in 79.1 innings at High-A this season. Those K numbers will do! After him, Jack Crowder, Teddy Sharkey, Zac Lampton, and Cohen Achen combined for six innings of two-run ball, the two opponent runs scoring on a Wilmington home run off Lampton.

The Keys got big contributions from the middle of the order, especially in a five-run seventh inning. Enddy Azocar had three hits. Catcher Ethan Anderson doubled to put his team up 2-0. Leandro Arias and Jordan Sanchez each homered. And Braylin Tavera singled home a run.

Box Score

Low-A: Hickory Crawdads (TEX) 4, Delmarva Shorebirds 2

Delmarva got out to a 2-0 lead, courtesy of a Stíven Martínez home run and a throwing error by the Crawdads, but gave up the lead on a three-run homer in the fifth, surrendered by reliever Francisco Morao. Morao also let in a fourth run on a balk. Tough day. The 20-year-old lefty, called up from the FCL in late July, has a 4.67 ERA in just under a month at Low-A Delmarva.

As for the offense, Martínez, DH’ing, had a nice 2-for-4 line including that homer. Jhomnardo Reyes reached base three times. Miguel Rodríguez (C/1B), Carlos Sánchez (C) and Félix Amparo (LF) had a hit apiece. Ty Head and Jaiden Lo Re went hitless in the game.

Box Score

Today’s Schedule

There are no scheduled games for today.

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.