Category: Sports News

One week ago, the Orioles were flying high. They were in the midst of a successful road trip that had them back to .500 for the first time since April and just half a game out of the AL’s final wild card spot. Colton Cowser’s walk-off web gem in Colorado felt like a sign from the universe that, despite how “rocky” the season had been to this point, it was all gonna work out.

Fools! All of us.

Since the moment that ball hit Cowser’s glove above the center field fence in Denver, the Orioles are 0-6. They have been outscored 25-13, been shutout twice, own an OPS of just .558, and have seen their playoff aspirations go up in smoke.

As of this writing, the Orioles are now four games back of the AL’s final wild card spot. Baseball Reference gives them just a 4.4% chance to the make the postseason. It’s not an impossible path, especially with a series against the Guardians starting this afternoon, but let’s not kid ourselves. It’s not happening for this club. They’ve treaded water all season, and this most recent series against the Red Sox is what finally made them drown.

As a fan, it’s heartbreaking to see this team you care so much about totally collapse with a postseason chance on the line. But at the same time it’s hard to not feel some sort of relief in knowing that this frustrating season is coming to an end with a bit of closure. There’s no one moment or circumstance to be pointed to and said “Well, if they had just avoided that, everything would have come together.” No. This team was never going to figure it out.

Hopefully it will also be a sign to the Orioles organization that they have a lot internal reflection to do this winter.

It was easy enough coming out of 2025 for the front office to point fingers several different places to avoid blame. There were injuries up and down the roster. Several young players in prominent roles were still growing. The starting rotation was just missing a piece or two. On and on the list could have gone.

It’s tough to run that same “analysis” back after this season. Sure, there were injuries again, but that’s true for every team. Those young players that were supposed to continue their upward ascension have stalled as supporting cast rather than emerging stars. And the rotation added three pieces, including one that was handed a long-term deal and has stayed healthy all summer.

The outcome has been a team that runs (mildly) hot and (ice) cold, but is inherently flawed.

The biggest failure has come in the assembly of the offense. It was supposed to be a juggernaut that carried the team. Instead, they rank 15th in MLB in runs scored, 11th in home runs, 26th in batting average, 16th in on-base percentage, and 23rd in slugging percentage. An absolute disaster.

It’s even worse if you look at some of the individual performances. Gunnar Henderson (99 wRC+), Samuel Basallo (99 wRC+), Colton Cowser (94 wRC+), and Jackson Holliday (88 wRC+) have all been disappointments. That’s not to say that have all been consistently bad. There have been moments where each of them has shown their promise, but they were supposed to be the core of an unstoppable, homegrown lineup.

Those struggles may reveal a deeper organizational problem. The development of young bats at the minor league level is what had evaluators around baseball excited about the Orioles future. The club had prioritized those types of prospects and had done well to groom them through the farm system. But now, almost all of them are hitting a wall once reaching the majors. Henderson even had years of success at the highest level and now looks like a shell of himself. Holliday has never performed like the future star he was supposed to be. Cowser at least has developed into an elite defender in center. Basallo deserves a little grace given his injury woes that followed a solid start to the season. Regardless, alarm bells should be going off in the warehouse.

As a group, these Orioles simply don’t do anything particularly well on offense. They are a subpar “three true outcomes” team years after that approach has fallen out of fashion. It’s a brutal brand of baseball to watch, and it doesn’t even come with the desired outcome of regularly scoring a bunch of runs. Rather it turns into recurring and extended slumps where opposing pitchers mow through the lineup with ease because when the walks and home runs aren’t stacking they have nowhere else to turn.

There have been positives, of course. Pete Alonso (140 wRC+, 33 home runs) has been worth the big contract he earned over the winter. Blaze Alexander (121 wRC+), when healthy, has emerged as a useful contact-oriented utility piece that can fit all over the field. Christian Encarnacion-Strand (124 wRC+) came up late in the year and filled the black hole that opened at third base after Jordan Westburg’s preseason injury. Coby Mayo has become a left-handed pitcher’s nightmare (209 wRC+ vs. LHP) while starting to improve his approach against righties as well. Maybe the Orioles do have something on their hands there. But the bad continues to outweigh the good.

The degree to which the Orioles botched the construction of their lineup has obscured the progress made on the pitching side of things.

Shane Baz (3.5 fWAR) and Trevor Rogers (3.2 fWAR) have been two of the 25 most valuable starting pitchers in MLB this year. Kyle Bradish has faded recently, but has been generally solid in his first season back after Tommy John surgery, and is now signed in Baltimore long term. Brandon Young has been so much more valuable than could have been expected, and now seems like a lock for the 2027 rotation. The group will need to add an arm of some significance this offseason, especially if Rogers signs elsewhere, but the building blocks for a good group are there.

At the same time, the Orioles bullpen has turned into one of the better and deeper units in the sport. Their 5.0 fWAR is seventh-best in MLB, and they also rank in the top 10 in ERA (3.91), xERA (3.65), and FIP (3.81). Is there any one single dominant arm in the bunch? Eh, not so much, but few teams can turn to this many different options with at least some level of confidence, and they expect to have fully healthy versions of Félix Bautista and Ryan Helsley in 2027. Again, this is a solid starting point

But how much credit should the front office get for the pitching when the part of the team that was supposed to be their calling card, the lineup, has been such a problem?

Many in the fan base have been calling for Mike Elias’ head for a while now, dating back to the offseason that followed the team’s meltdown in the second half of 2024. Those cries grew louder last winter, and they may be at all-time high right now.

It is possible that Elias gets the boot this offseason. After all, he is the architect of this team, and it sounds like his boss isn’t thrilled with recent events. Orioles’ control person David Rubenstein described himself as “embarrassed” by the team’s decline. Those comments came after a winter that saw him pony up cash for Alonso’s big deal and an extension for Baz, plus recent long-term deals for Basallo and Bradish.

At the same time, Rubenstein has generally been complimentary of Elias and evidently feels confident in the team’s process, even if the results have not been ideal. Add in what is expected to be an atypical offseason for MLB amid a labor dispute, and you could start to see the ownership group preferring stability for another year.

Whatever happens, a shakeup of some kind should be the bare minimum to expect. Maybe that means Elias needs new voices in the room and moves on from his friend Sig Mejdal or others. Or maybe it means the introduction of a General Manager that is separate from Elias and his “President of Baseball Operations” title, to at least provide an external perspective, though Elias would still be the lead executive in that scenario. Or they could try another coaching staff churn, though that hasn’t changed much the last couple of seasons.

At the moment, it’s unclear what the plan will be. But what is unquestioned is that the Orioles have burned through what was supposed to be a return to greatness. Elias and his crew have failed at their stated goal of building a perennial winner in Baltimore. They should not be rewarded for that. That may not mean Elias himself has to go, but there absolutely has to be change coming.

The Atlanta Braves had one of their most dramatic wins all season yesterday to secure a season tiebreaker against the Philadelphia Phillies. If they win today, it will give them a six game lead. With only three games left against each other before the season ends, a win today could be huge.

Grant Holmes will be taking the mound for the Braves. As we all know by now, he does not go deep into games so the bullpen needs to be ready. Holmes has been up and down as of late. In his last five starts he has given up zero earned runs in has last start and in order from there he has given up six, zero, three, and zero runs respectively. He seems to be dominate when he is on, but terrible when he is not. Hopefully the trend will not continue because base on his last five games he is due to give up at least three earned runs.

Holmes has not faced the Phillies since April, but faced them twice in a five day span. In his first start he went 4.2 innings and held them to two runs on four hits to include a HR. In his second start he tied his second longest start with 6.0 innings pitched. He gave up three earned runs on seven hits while walking three and striking out four. The Braves won both games.

No player on the Phillies has more than nine at-bats against Holmes. Kyle Schwarber has an OPS of .904 and two HRs against Holmes, but only a .143 average. Bryce Harper only has four at-bats against him, but has done massive damage with a HR, .500 average, and 1.964 OPS. Backup catcher Garrett Stubbs has been successful with a 1.334 OPS and Trea Turner has a 1.158. The rest of the roster has struggled. No other player has an OPS north of .625.

Jesús Luzardo is coming to the mound and is having arguably the best season of his career. He has pitched 169.2 innings thus far and has a 3.02 ERA, 2.86 FIP, and a SO/BB ratio of 4.10. Although the Braves have already played the Phillies six times, but Luzardo has not faced them yet this season. There are four different players on the Braves that have at least twenty-two at-bats. Of these four Ozzie Albies has a .625 OPS, Matt Olson has a .518, Austin Riley has a .694, and Lane Thomas has a 1.503 OpS with four HRs.

I think it is fair to say that Thomas needs to be in the linuep this afternoon.

The Braves have proven this series that their path to victory is to get to the bullpen, so the goal today should be to tire out Luzardo to get to the bullpen as soon as possible. On paper, the Braves have a hill to climb, but it can be done, especially if Lane Thomas is in the lineup and continues to rake against today’s All-Star SP.

First pitch is at 1:05 EDT.

Game Info

Game Time: Monday, September 7th, 1:05 pm EDT

Location: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA

Watch: BravesVision

Radio/Audio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan

Two wildcard hopefuls meet at Camden Yards for three games beginning today.

The Guardians are 73-71 and a -14 run differential, since August 4th 14th in team wRC+ at 98 wRC+, 21st in baserunning runs above average at -0.9, fourth in Defense at 2.2, 16th in starting pitcher ERA 4.06 (4.31 FIP), and fifth in bullpen ERA at 3.07 ERA (2.83 FIP).

The Orioles are 69-75 and a -29 run differential, since August 4th 18th in team wRC+ at 96 wRC+, 20th in baserunning runs above average at -0.9, 19th in Defense at -3.2, 14th in starting pitcher ERA at 4.15 (4.10 FIP), and fourth in bullpen ERA at 3.09 (3.43 FIP).

Can’t say this series looks awesome on paper. But, it’s time for the backend of the Guardians rotation to figure things out and for their hitters to be better.

Matchups:

Game One, Monday, 1:35PM ET: Cantillo, LHP vs. Rogers, LHP

Game Two, Tuesday, 6:35PM ET: Bibee RHP vs. Young RHP

Game Three, Wednesday, 6:35PM ET: Griffin, LHP vs. Baz, RHP

Since August 4th, watch out for Pete Alonso at 179 wRC+, Coby Mayo at 147 wRC+, Gunnar Henderson at 129 wRC+, Colton Cowser at 113 wRC+, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand at 111 wRC+.

Meanwhile since August 4th, the Guardians have been led by Chase DeLauter 171 wRC+, Angel Martinez 131 wRC+, Steven Kwan 127 wRC+ and Patrick Bailey 113 wRC+. They are gonna need something from Nathaniel Lowe, Jo Adell, Jose Ramirez and Travis Bazzana to win this series. Oh, and let Rocchtember continue.

Rangers 8, Rays 6

• That was a rather impressive little come-from-behind victory, no?
• It feels weird to call it a come-from-behind victory when the Rangers were only behind for the first few innings, though.
• It seems like when you talk about a come-from-behind victory, you’re talking about snatching victory from the jaws of defeat late in the game. Not putting up a 4 spot in the fourth to draw even, and then taking the lead for good the next inning.
• It was one of MacKenzie Gore’s less inspiring outings, as he was unable to either dominate or fool the Rays hitters.
• 68 pitches for Gore, in three innings plus a couple of batters. The Rays swung 33 times, and made contact 29 times. Just four swings and misses out of 33 swings is pretty poor.
• And Gore only had 7 called strikes, as well. It wasn’t a matter of the Rays being patient and taking a lot of strikes.
• Whereas in his starts Gore has had issues putting batters away, racking up a high number of pitches per plate appearance, Gore faced 20 batters on Sunday.
• Again, facing 20 batters while recording just 9 outs is pretty poor.
• In fairness, while 11 batters reached safely against Gore, one of those was due to a Cody Freeman error, and another was the result of an intentional walk. Take those out and he retired half of the other eighteen batters he faced.
• Yeah, that doesn’t make it sound much better.
• The MacKenzie Gore inning was the second, when he faced ten batters and allowed four runs, giving up five singles, the intentional walk, and the unintentional walk.
• We should be relieved he left the bases loaded, I guess, and kept the Rays from piling on more runs that inning.
• One can note that Gore gave up several not-terribly-well-hit hits that inning, including a bunt single that scored a run, if one is feeling generous.
• Gore got chased in favor of Trevor Williams after allowing a single and a double to start the fourth. One would say that Skip Schumaker was treating it as a must-win game, going and getting Gore that early, but then, one wouldn’t normally use Trevor Williams for the second day in a row in a must win game.
• Williams gave up a sac fly for the final run on Gore’s ledger, but the six innings the Ranger pen had to handle generally went pretty well. Tyler Alexander gave up a run in the seventh, but the Rangers had a two run lead at that point, so it was less upsetting than it would otherwise have been.
• Schumaker also used Jacob Latz and Jakob Junis in reverse order, with Latz, who picked up the loss the night before while throwing 22 pitches, going into the game to face the top of the order in the eighth, and then Junis pitching the ninth after a Corey Seager home run extended the Ranger lead to two.
• Apparently Schumaker was going to use Latz for the ninth when it was just a one run lead, but once Seager made it a two run game, he decided on Junis.
• Impressive work from the bats. 12 Rangers hits and 5 walks. That’s a lot of baserunners.
• Jake Burger was responsible for the first three Rangers runs, with a solo homer in second and a two run homer in the fourth.
• That second homer made it a 5-3 game, and turned a game that felt like it was basically over already into a game where the Rangers maybe had a chance.
• Corey Seager reaching on a two out E6 with two on extended the inning, setting the stage for a Justin Foscue double to tie the game. The following inning, an Elias Diaz drove home Jake Burger with the go-ahead run, and Ezequiel Duran had a two out single to give the Rangers an insurance run.
• It was a 3 for 5 game for Duran, if you’re keeping track at home, which I’m sure you are. He’s now slashing .277/.337/.457 on the year.
• The Rangers also had four different DHs in the game, which is kind of fun. Logan O’Hoppe started the game at DH, then Joc Pederson pinch hit for him, then Cam Cauley pinch ran for Pederson after he walked, then Danny Jansen pinch hit for Cauley with two on and two out in the eighth.
• So the Rangers are two games below .500 heading out to Seattle. They play three games there, and could get buried and more or less knocked out of the playoff race with a bad series in the Pacific Northwest, or they could do well and continue to hang in there.
• Baseball Fever. Catch it.
• MacKenzie Gore hit 96.5 mph with his fastball, averaging 94.5 mph. Trevor Williams reached 90.6 mph with his fastball. Chase Silseth touched 96.1 mph with his fastball. Tyler Alexander’s fastball maxed out at 92.5 mph. Jacob Latz’s fastball touched 96.3 mph. Jakob Junis topped out at 92.2 mph with his fastball.
• Ezequiel Duran had a 108.6 mph single and a 100.2 mph single. Jake Burger had a 105.7 mph home run and a 103.9 mph home run. Logan O’Hoppe had a 105.2 mph single. Brandon Nimmo had a 104.9 mph groundout and a 102.4 mph groundout. Elias Diaz had a 102.1 mph single. Corey Seager had a 101.7 mph home run.
• Now an off day. Just 18 games left for the Rangers. In the regular season, anyway.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

The Philadelphia Phillies head into today's series finale against the Atlanta Braves as a clear 60% moneyline favorite, behind Jesus Luzardo. The first pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET at Citizens Bank Park. 

However, my Braves vs. Phillies prediction and MLB picks see real value in Atlanta's underdog price, with Grant Holmes taking the hill. 

Who will win Braves vs Phillies today: Braves moneyline (41%)

For help understanding probabilities, see our odds calculator.

Atlanta Braves righty Grant Holmes has been throwing the ball well lately. He owns a 2.47 FIP over his last two outings, with no home runs allowed and strong command.

Holmes also faces a Philadelphia Phillies lineup that has not been performing recently, posting a 72 wRC+ over its last six contests. He already has a pair of quality starts against Philly this season, too.

Jesús Luzardo is also in solid form with a 2.95 FIP over his previous 13 2/3 innings, but his 50% hard-hit rate during that span shows some vulnerability.

Atlanta owns a respectable 94 wRC+ vs. lefties and a 106 wRC+ over the last two weeks, giving the visitors a slight offensive edge.

Play this pick up to 50%.

COVERS INTEL: Jesus Luzardo has allowed a 41.5% hard-hit rate across his last five starts. On the season, his average sits at 33.5%. The lefty isn't untouchable right now, and the Braves can capitalize.

Braves vs Phillies Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (47%)

I’m leaning toward the Under, even with a low total of 7.5. Neither offense is flourishing, and I don’t expect either starter to get shelled.

Philadelphia’s bullpen has shown some vulnerability over the last week with a 5.12 FIP and home run issues, but that number is a bit inflated by a poor showing from the relievers on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Braves’ relief corps is dealing, posting a 2.76 xERA during that same span with strong command and minimal long-ball damage.

The finale should stay controlled offensively in Philadelphia, and I'd play this pick up to 55%.

Braves vs Phillies home run prediction: Ronald Acuna Jr (15%)

Ronald Acuña Jr. is scorching hot at the moment. He owns a .440 average over his last six games while going deep three times, and his ISO also sits at .440 during that span.

His 52.4% hard-hit rate recently supports the power surge, and the Phillies’ bullpen has been vulnerable to the long ball lately. Acuña also homered off a Philadelphia reliever in yesterday's game, giving this angle some immediate matchup relevance.

For what it’s worth, Acuña has swung it well against Luzardo in his career, although it's a small sample.

Play this pic up to 20%.

Braves vs Phillies weather

Weather in Philadelphia looks excellent today, with clear skies and temperatures sitting in the high-70s from first pitch through the afternoon. Winds are light around 5-6 mph, humidity is comfortable, and rain chances are 0% throughout. No delay concerns, and conditions look mostly neutral.

Braves vs Phillies odds

• Moneyline: Braves 41% | Phillies 60%
• Run line: Braves +1.5 (59%) | Phillies -1.5 (42%)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (54%) | Under 7.5 (47%)

Braves vs Phillies trend

The Braves have cashed the Under in 24 of their last 35 road games for +13.30 units and a 35% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Braves vs. Phillies.

How to watch Braves vs Phillies and game info

Braves vs Phillies latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Meet the Mets

The Mets looked fairly hopeless and bad through their first seven times up, but against all odds and tradition, they suddenly looked good and became winners.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, MLB.com, Newsday, New York Daily News, New York Post

Prior to Sunday’s victory, the Mets sent leaping Jefry Yan to Syracuse and recalled Tobias Myers in his place.

In a lost season with a lot of young players on the roster, having a stretch of struggles and failure ends up teaching them enough to be beneficial when it’s all said and done.

The Jonah Tong who joined the Mets yesterday morning is not only a year older than the Jonah Tong who debuted last year, but a year more mature and wiser.

If the Mets called up Mark Vientos looking for some sort of defensive improvement at first base, they’re severely disappointed thus far.

Around the National League East

Staging a late comeback with four runs over their final six outs, the Braves left Philadelphia with a 5-4 win over the Phillies and a fairly secure five-game lead in the NL East.

Using a technical term from the annals of the sport, the Marlins beat the hell out of Clay Holmes in his first bad start as a Cub in a 10-3 triumph.

In Sunday’s latest game, the Nationals coughed up another late lead, letting the Dodgers sneak off with a 7-5 win in a game where C.J. Abrams crossed the 30-homer plateau.

Around Major League Baseball

Joe Morgan, a veteran of four big league seasons as a player and another four as manager of the Boston Red Sox died on Sunday at 95 years old.

Not even a week after claiming him off waivers from the Mets, Luis Robert Jr. was placed on the 10-day injured list by the Orioles with a bit of hamstring discomfort.

Umpire Doug Eddings’ apology to Hancel Rincon for stopping the game to make him straighten his hat only came after an official reprimand from Major League Baseball the night before.

Pete Crow-Armstrong became the second player in baseball this season to hit 40 home runs and, if all goes well, he’ll add the 40-steal mark to that statline over the next three weeks.

On the career milestone front, Aroldis Chapman saved his 400th big league game in the Red Sox’s sweep-clinching win over the Orioles.

Gerrit Cole found himself in the history books once again, though in a derogatory sense this time, as he became the first pitcher to ever give up three consecutive home runs to start a game twice in his career.

Dave Roberts is hopeful that Shohei Ohtani can return to the Dodgers’ lineup today after a stretch of four straight games with the four-time MVP on the bench.

Peyton Tolle struck out a dozen Orioles in the Red Sox final game in Baltimore and even found the time to do a push-up on the mound while facing Pete Alonso.

The capper to a really bad week for Ketel Marte, his third inning line drive went directly off the helmet of Geraldo Perdomo standing near first base and sent him out of the game.

This Date in Mets History

On this date 10 years ago, news that the Mets signed Tim Tebow first came out.

After leading for approximately 0 seconds in four games and winning three of those games, the Guardians go to Baltimore today looking to see if they can get and maintain a lead.

Here’s Zack Meisel’s write-up of the Guardians’ doubleheader sweep. Tim Stebbins wrote up the finale here.

Ralphy Velazquez smoked a huge homer yesterday.

Around MLB:

The Orioles, Astros, and Blue Jays lost and the Rangers and White Sox won.

Garrett Cleavinger had a 3.31 ERA and 3.40 FIP through July. Since the beginning of August, however, the results haven’t been there, with a 10.38 ERA and 6.79 FIP. He has even improved his first pitch strike rate from the high 50s to the low 70s between both samples, so it’s not like his command has completely disappeared. We’ll look at his key performance indicators to see what’s going wrong:

Cleavinger is really not doing anything fundamentally different compared to what he was doing most of the year before August. His underlying data is still solid and suggests the pitcher the Rays trusted earlier this season is still there. A .385 BABIP has played a major role in his recent rut while a subtle shift in his fastball location has made his stuff a little less deceptive. That BABIP is roughly 100 points higher than his .283 career mark. Some of that is almost certainly variance, but his recent fastball location issues may be contributing at the margins.

Cleavinger has allowed a .390 wOBA for his career on fastballs located on the arm-side third of the zone compared to a .212 wOBA on fastballs located on the glove-side third. He primarily throws both of his fastballs across the zone glove-side and down to that optimal spot as evident in his heat map from March through July:

But lately he’s been missing more to the arm-side as we can see in his August through September heat map:

The fastball still plays there to some extent, but more importantly it loses some of the cross-fire deception and awkward angle Cleavinger creates when spotting it glove-side. He throws his breaking ball to a similar spot across the zone, so landing the fastball there helps the two pitches play off each other. Failing to consistently hit his fastball locations diminishes the effectiveness of his arsenal. He loses some of the deception and tunneling that makes his entire pitch mix difficult to attack.

Because Cleavinger’s delivery doesn’t appear meaningfully different, I wonder if the problem could be addressed through his visual cue rather than a mechanical adjustment.

When Cleavinger throws his fastball, his catcher initially sets up high and near the middle of the zone before sliding toward the glove-side target. Here’s the setup, which is typically more in on lefties:

A similar cue is used against righties, although it’s typically closer to the middle of the zone:

Because Cleavinger still looks like himself mechanically, a potential solution to getting his fastball glove-side and down again could be to shift the catcher set-up. He’s missing arm-side with a high and middle cue, so shifting the cue to high and more glove-side could help him in regaining feel for locating his fastball. This wouldn’t necessarily need to be a permanent change. Cleavinger has a long track record of spotting his fastball at its intended location. The idea isn’t to change his target, but to change the visual cue he uses to find it.

With Cleavinger already on the IL, the timing could actually work in his favor. The break gives him an opportunity to work through the adjustment without having to solve it in a game, but there is some risk in making an adjustment this late in the season. Relievers live on routine, and changing a visual cue in September could create more uncertainty if it doesn’t immediately improve his command. With the postseason approaching, there’s little margin for experimentation.

Cleavinger doesn’t need to reinvent himself. His underlying performance suggests the pitcher the Rays trusted earlier this season is still there. He needs the BABIP pendulum to swing back toward him and, more importantly, needs to regain the fastball location that makes his unusual delivery and arsenal so difficult to hit. If he can consistently get back to glove-side and down, the rest of his arsenal should follow.

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers didn’t call up an outfielder when active roster limits expanded on September 1, and in fact subtracted an outfielder with Alek Thomas sent back down to the minors. That meant no platooning of either struggling corner outfielder.

“We didn’t bring up an outfielder. That’s part of the bet on Teo, that he can right the ship,” manager Dave Roberts said on Tuesday. “That’s kind of where we’re at.”

Teoscar Hernández hit a go-ahead home run in the Dodgers’ win on August 30 in Detroit, then followed that up with a solid first week of the homestand. In his last seven games, Hernández has 11 hits in 26 at-bats (.423) with a home run, three doubles, four walks, and eight RBI.

Fourteen of Hernández’s 21 batted balls since last Sunday were hard-hit, including 13 with an exit velocity of at least 100 mph. Hernández found success in an old swing, one he used to success in 2024 and the start of 2025 before injuries made it difficult to execute the specific swing mechanics. Now healthier, Hernández talked with Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register about what’s working:

“Last year, I used it before I had the injury. That’s the way I was hitting,” said Hernandez, who got off to an excellent start in 2025. “Then when I came back, I was doing the same thing but I was feeling it (in his injured leg) so that’s why I stopped. This year when I got my hamstring issue, I had to get rid of it because it was putting so much pressure on the hamstring.

Links

At their Down on the Farm newsletter, Owen Riley and Maxfield Lane outlined some prospects who were and weren’t called up on September 1. They analyzed the Dodgers options of James Tibbs — who is not eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this December — and top prospect Josue De Paula, who is. They acknowledge De Paula’s defensive shortcomings, but nonetheless both advocated for the Dodgers calling up the 21-year-old straight from Tulsa. From Riley:

De Paula is too good for Double-A; he’s doing everything right with no red flags and very impressive contact metrics for a guy who is also blasting home runs at a 30+ per season pace. You won’t convince me that the Dodgers lineup looks better with Enrique Hernandez in it against LHP than it would with De Paula. This potential addition grades out top half, but not right at the top, for me, since it is only really relevant in the playoffs. Isolate to just October, though, and I do think De Paula has the potential to be a difference maker—a high-risk, high-reward play.

Kevin Baxter at the Los Angeles Times profiled Dodgers chairman and owner Mark Walter, currently under federal investigation for his insurance dealings. Among the tidbits in the article is this, which matches previous direct statements that the Dodgers are not for sale:

A source close to Walter not authorized to discuss it publicly told The Times he has an interest in selling Chelsea if the terms are right but insisted there is no desire to sell the Sparks, the PWHL, his investment in professional squash or, more prominently, his stake in the Dodgers.

Triple-A: Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (MIA) 8, Norfolk Tides 1

Oh dear, a humbling day at the plate for the Tides. Their only run came when José Barrero walked, stole a pitch, advanced on a wild pitch, and scored on a groundout. Talk about scratching out runs.

Tides hitters combined for just six hits on Sunday. Enrique Bradfield Jr. had one. So did Jeremiah Jackson. Brandon Butterworth hit two, and so did catcher Sam Huff.

Starting pitcher Trey Gibson pitched OK. He threw five innings, allowed three runs on seven hits and struck out four. The loss gives him a 3-6 record with a 4.04 ERA at this level. Dietrich Enns pitched a fairly bad 1.2 innings, allowing four runs on a homer and two-run single. Yaramil Hiraldo served up a homer of his own, but Gerald Ogando pitched a spotless ninth.

Box Score

Double-A: Portland Sea Dogs (BOS) 9, Chesapeake Baysox 7

Despite the result, lots of top Baysox prospects had good days at the plate on Sunday. Vance Honeycutt went 3-for-5 with a home run. Anderson de los Santos hit a two-run single and walked. Catcher Ethan Anderson had an RBI single. First baseman Victor Figueroa homered. And Tavian Josenberger had three hits on the day.

Sebastian Gongora tossed a short outing (3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K), going just three innings and allowing a single run on a home run. His replacements, Alex Pham and Richard Guasch, were not up to the task, proving even more homer-prone, Pham giving up a three-run blast and Guasch a pair of homers, along with a run-scoring balk. Jeisson Cabrera kept the Sea Dogs from scoring, but Ryan Long allowed a run himself in the ninth.

Box Score

High-A: Frederick Keys 6, Brooklyn Cyclones (NYM) 5

The playoff-bound Keys won again! It wasn’t a good debut for the 27-year-old Jack Dykhoff, who allowed five runs on nine hits. But his team scooped him up by holding the line: Kiefer Lord, Zac Hampton, and Jack Crowder all threw scoreless outings after him.

The offense posted eight hits, walked nine times, and six runs in a mighty six-run second inning. It was enough to win! First, Elis Cuevas walked in a run. Then so did Andrés Nolaya. Then, DJ Layton hit a two-run double, and Enddy Azocar hit a two-run single. Layton is OPS’ing .849 these days.

Box Score

Low-A: Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (CWS) 14, Delmarva Shorebirds 3

The starting pitching just wasn’t any good for Delmarva. Esteban Mejía and Isaac Silva got blown up, allowing 11 runs in just the first four innings. The 19-year-old Mejía is still young, but he’s struggled at this level so far. The only scoreless outing was pitched by Dalton Neuschwander. After him, Adrian Heredia threw one inning and gave up three.

On offense, there were ten hits, though just three runs. Eric Booth Jr. had two, including a double. So did Stiven Martinez, a difference maker last night with a grand slam. From the eight and nine spots came two more hits apiece, from Adriander Mejía and Félix Amparo.

Box Score

Today’s Schedule

There are no scheduled games for today.

Welcome to week 24 of our 2026 NL Central Power Rankings — let’s rank some teams!

1. Milwaukee Brewers (88-56); 3-4 this week; 100.0% chance to make postseason (FanGraphs)

For the first time in a long time, the rest of the NL Central gained ground on the Brewers this week, as Milwaukee was the only sub-.500 team in the division. It wasn’t a terrible week for the Crew, though, as they split four games with the Cubs in Chicago before dropping two of three to the Reds in Cincinnati.

Seven players had a homer each this week, with Jackson Chourio leading the squad with nine hits, including two doubles and a homer. William Contreras added seven hits, including four doubles and a homer, while Cooper Pratt led the team with nine RBIs as part of a seven-hit week, including a homer and a bases-clearing triple.

Logan Henderson had the team’s only quality start, though he took the loss, allowing two runs over seven innings and striking out seven. For the bullpen, Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe continue to impress, as the duo combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings with nine strikeouts. Chad Patrick added 3 1/3 scoreless innings across a pair of appearances, striking out one.

Milwaukee will face the same opponents this week, though this time they’ll do so at home, hosting the Cubs and Reds for back-to-back three-game sets with an off day on Thursday in between.

2. Chicago Cubs (81-63); 4-3 this week; 99.7% chance to make postseason

The Cubs, as mentioned above, split a four-game set with the Brewers before winning two of three against the Marlins in Miami over the weekend.

Alex Bregman continues to crush after a slow start to the season, as he led Chicago with nine hits, including four homers and a double, driving in eight. Nico Hoerner added nine hits, including a homer, and Michael Conforto and Pete Crow-Armstrong each slugged a pair of homers, giving PCA 40 for the season as he’s well on his way to winning NL MVP.

Kevin Gausman and Shota Imanaga led the rotation, as Gausman went seven innings and allowed one run, striking out nine, while Imanaga went six innings, allowing one run and striking out four. Aaron Civale was a bright spot for the bullpen, working a three-inning save with no runs allowed and three strikeouts.

Chicago now heads to Milwaukee to face the Brewers for three games before returning home to host the Pirates for three games over the weekend.

3. St. Louis Cardinals (72-72); 4-2 this week; 2.1% chance to make postseason

St. Louis took two of three from both the Dodgers and Rockies to begin their West Coast trip this week.

Thomas Saggese had a huge week offensively for the Redbirds, picking up 10 hits, including three homers and three doubles, driving in eight. Joshua Báez and Iván Herrera both slugged a pair of homers, with Báez picking up nine hits and Herrera adding 11 hits.

Quinn Mathews and Andre Pallante both turned in solid starts for St. Louis, as each went five innings with one run allowed. Mathews struck out four and Pallante struck out one. Ryan Fernandez, Gordon Graceffo, and Cooper Hjerpe led the bullpen, totaling 9 2/3 scoreless innings with 15 strikeouts.

The Cards will wrap up the road trip with three games against the Giants in San Francisco. After an off day on Thursday, they’ll host the White Sox for three games over the weekend.

4. Pittsburgh Pirates (71-73); 4-2 this week; 1.6% chance to make postseason

Pittsburgh hosted a pair of West Coast teams in the Giants and Angels this week, taking two of three from both.

Henry Davis, Brandon Lowe, and Bryan Reynolds all homered to lead the offense, as Reynolds and Lowe also tied for the team lead with eight hits. Nick Gonzales and Oneil Cruz added six hits each, as Cruz also led the squad with six RBIs and three steals.

Jared Jones led the rotation with six scoreless frames, allowing three hits and a walk while striking out nine for the victory. Mason Montgomery led what was a strong bullpen this week, as he totaled four scoreless frames over four appearances, picking up three saves. Carmen Mlodzinski, Brandon Eisert, Wilber Dotel, Lake Bachar, and Gregory Soto also had scoreless weeks, totaling 11 1/3 innings with nine strikeouts.

Pittsburgh now heads to Chicago for the next week, as they’ll take on the White Sox and Cubs for three games apiece through the weekend.

5. Cincinnati Reds (69-74); 4-2 this week; 0.0% chance to make postseason

The Reds continued what has become a nice stretch, as they’ve now won each of their last three series against a trio of playoff teams in the Cubs, Padres, and Brewers.

Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain each slugged two homers this week, and De La Cruz led the offense with 10 hits, driving in six. Five other players added a homer apiece, including Héctor Rodríguez, who had a nine-hit week. Dane Myers and Sal Stewart didn’t homer, but they both put together solid weeks with eight hits and seven hits, respectively.

Andrew Abbott worked four innings in a rain-delay shortened outing, allowing two runs (one earned) and striking out five, while Nick Lodolo worked six quality frames, allowing two runs and striking out five. Emilio Pagán went 3-for-3 in save opportunities, and Tejay Antone, Brock Burke, and Julian Garcia combined for 10 2/3 scoreless bullpen innings, striking out 19, including 10 by Antone over just four frames.

Cincinnati will look to keep it up with a tough schedule ahead. This week, they’ll visit the Dodgers in Los Angeles before a visit to Milwaukee for three games after an off day on Thursday.