SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 08: Abimelec Ortiz #81 of the Washington Nationals is congratulated at the dugout by Yohandy Morales #28 after Ortiz scored a run during the sixth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on September 08, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Nats have been a chore to watch the last month and a half. We really saw that on display during an 0-6 west coast trip. Many of the games were close, but the Nats consistently found ways to lose. That is just what they have been doing lately. Hopefully that can change at home against the Angels.
With a lefty on the mound, Daylen Lile is actually out of the lineup. The outfield will be Dylan Crews, Jacob Young and James Wood. Andres Chaparro will get the DH duties, with Yohandy Morales at first base. With Nasim Nunez on the bereavement list, CJ Abrams will be at shortstop. Harry Ford will do the catching in this one. Nats ace Cade Cavalli will look to snap the losing streak.
The Angels have a couple big names at the top of the lineup with Zach Neto and Mike Trout. There are a lot of younger players and journeymen after that though. Wade Meckler has been the most productive of that group and he will be a bat to watch. Veteran lefty Yusei Kikuchi is on the hill tonight.
Angels 9/11
Z. Neto SS M. Trout CF W. Meckler LF V. Grissom 1B M. Ballesteros C C. Moore 2B J. Lowe RF D. Guzman 3B A. Frazier DH
With Cavalli going up against the Angels, the Nats have to be looking at this as a game that needs to be won. The losing streak is starting to really drag on. Back at Nats Park, the boys have a chance to snap this ugly streak. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR - JULY 22: Josue De Paula #55 of the Tulsa Drillers warms up during the game between the Tulsa Drillers and the Arkansas Travelers at Dickey-Stephens Park on Wednesday, July 22, 2026 in North Little Rock, Arkansas. (Photo by Braeden Botts/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
Josue De Paula makes his major league debut on Friday night for the Dodgers against the Marlins at loanDepot Park in Miami. De Paula is the designated hitter, as expected, and bats seventh in his first game in the big leagues.
Right-hander Ryan Gusto starts on the mound for the Marlins. The lefty-hitting De Paula this season in Double-A Tulsa hit .314/.416/.600 against right-handed pitching this season, compared to .267/.351/.371 against southpaws.
At 21 years, 110 days old on Friday, De Paula is the youngest Dodgers player since Alex Verdugo on September 2, 2017, playing center field in both games of a doubleheader at Petco Park in San Diego on his second day in the majors. In the 2000s, De Paula is just the eighth Dodgers player 21 years, 110 days old or younger, along with Adrian Beltré (2000), Edwin Jackson (2003-04), Jonathan Broxton (2005), Clayton Kershaw (2008-09), José Peraza (2015), Julio Urías (2016-17), and Verdugo (2017).
Like De Paula, Gagné 27 years ago was the top Dodgers prospect at the time of his call-up, and joined the majors directly from Double-A.
“I’ve seen a lot of good pitchers break into the big leagues, and this [performance] was right up there at the top,” Dodgers manager Davey Johnson told Jason Reid of the Los Angeles Times. “He showed three quality pitches and he really had no problems. Just a real impressive performance. Real impressive.”
Todd Hollandsworth took over in left field for Billy Ashley in the sixth inning, and grounded out to second base to end the seventh inning.
Antonio Osuna entered in the seventh inning with an 8-2 lead. He allowed a solo home run in the eighth inning and got two more outs in the ninth inning, coming one out shy of being the first Dodgers pitcher to record a three-inning save in his major league debut – Osuna would have been the eighth major league pitcher to do so – but had a rough final frame, allowing four runs as the Dodgers held on to win 8-7.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - AUGUST 21: Sonny Gray #54 of the Boston Red Sox walks to the dugout after pitching the fourth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Fenway Park on August 21, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) | Getty Images
⚾️ First Pitch: 7:10pm EDT – Fenway Park, Boston, MA
The Cubs spotted the Pirates a first-inning lead and then brought out the big bats against a bullpen game for the visitors.
Regardless, those bats provided 16 hits. Alex Bregman homered and had three hits and Seiya Suzuki added three, including a triple, and the Cubs won a laugher, 12-2, likely something the whole team badly needed.
Things did not start well for Shōta Imanaga, who allowed a leadoff triple to Konnor Griffin and RBI single to Oneil Cruz and the Pirates had a 1-0 lead after just two batters. But Imanaga settled down, helped out by Carson Kelly throwing out Cruz trying to steal [VIDEO].
Thus it was still 1-0 entering the bottom of the second when the Cubs began hitting.
Bregman led off with a single and advanced to second on a single by Ian Happ. Nico Hoerner also singled, loading the bases.
So it’s 3-1 Cubs heading to the bottom of the third and the Cubs kept hitting. Seiya Suzuki led off with a single and scored on this double by Michael Busch [VIDEO].
The five runs produced this fact from BCB’s JohnW53:
This was the 80th game of the season in which the Cubs have scored at least five runs. One more such game means they will have done it in at least half of all their games for the year.
The Cubs last had more such games in 2019, with 82. From 2021-25, they had 65, 56, 78, 73 and 72.
This is the 11th season since 1901 in which they have reached 80 and the fourth this century. They had 84 in 2016 and 87 in 2008, their third most ever.
Their record is 104, in 1930, then 94, in 1929.
But the offense didn’t stop there. Four more Cubs runs crossed the plate in the fourth. Kelly was hit by a pitch and Pete Crow-Armstrong walked. This single by Suzuki made it 6-1 [VIDEO].
That made it 9-1, and if the rout hadn’t been on before, it certainly was now.
Imanaga completed six innings and, well, did allow a home run leading off the sixth. That made this game the first time Imanaga had ever allowed two runs to the Pirates, as he’d allowed them one run total in 38 career innings before today. Can’t be too upset about a six-inning, five-hit, two-run start, though. From John:
Shota Imanaga now has 13 quality starts among his 29 of all kinds this season. Matthew Boyd is a distant second among Cubs, with eight, followed by Colin Rea, six. Eight others have one to four.
The Cubs began today with 49, exactly one of every three games, tying them with the Cardinals and Rangers for 16th most, one behind the Angels and Brewers. The Dodgers led by far, with 77 to the Phillies’ runner-up 68.
The Cubs increased their lead in the bottom of the sixth. Suzuki’s triple began things, and he scored on a single by Busch. Here are both hits [VIDEO].
That made it 11-1. Javier Assad relieved Imanaga and allowed an infield hit leading off the seventh but got out of it scoreless, and then the Cubs completed their scoring in the bottom of the inning. Ramirez led off with a double and went to third on a single by Kelly.
Daniel Palencia, who’s had a rough time since returning from the IL, was given a low-leverage eighth inning. He issued a one-out walk but got out of the inning scoreless. His velocity did still seem down a tick or two and the Pirates did hit the ball in the air. I suspect Palencia still is not 100 percent.
The Pirates could have opted for a position player to throw the eighth and instead kept Antwone Kelly (not to be confused with Antoine Kelly, who pitched briefly for the Cubs earlier this year) in the game. He threw a 1-2-3 eighth and thus it was left to Trent Thornton to wrap things up. He allowed a leadoff single but retired the next three Pirates, finishing the inning on just seven pitches. Here’s the final out [VIDEO].
This win ought to let you exhale, a bit, after the Cubs lost four in a row, three of them in excruciating fashion in Milwaukee. There’s still work to do, of course. We’ll all be watching the Braves/Phillies game this evening, which features Chris Sale for Atlanta and Aaron Nola for Philadelphia. That game begins at 6:15 CT.
Saturday, the Cubs will send Clay Holmes to the mound to face Pirates ace Paul Skenes. The Cubs, as you know, have handled Skenes pretty well in the past, so hopefully that will happen again. Game time Saturday is 1:20 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.
Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-football sports, you name it. As long as it’s allowed by the site’s ToS, it’s fair game here.
ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 28: Devin Carter #22 of the Sacramento Kings drives to the basket during the game against the Atlanta Hawks on March 28, 2026 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Atlanta Hawks are beginning to trim down their roster towards an eventual list of 15 names plus three two-way names. The team had 16 guaranteed contracts as of early Friday afternoon.
But now, per a report from Jake Fischer of Yahoo and the Stein Line substack blog, Atlanta has chosen to part ways with a player they acquired this very offseason:
The Atlanta Hawks are waiving former lottery pick Devin Carter, according to league sources.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 06: Aaron Nola #27 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday, September 6, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Phillies begin a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Field on Friday night. The teams split a four-game series in Philadelphia last weekend.
Aaron Nola will start for the Phillies. When he faced the Braves last weekend, he allowed just one run in seven innings.
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 5: Starting pitcher Mason Adams #38 of the Colorado Rockies delivers a pitch in the fourth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Coors Field on September 5, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Those little-town blues didn’t start melting away, and the Colorado Rockies (55-91) didn’t get a fresh start in old New York, getting swept in three games and inching closer to another 100-loss season. Now, they are in Detroit to kick off a weekend series against the Tigers (67-79).
It’s been a middling season for the Tigers as they hoped to be in the thick of the playoff race in the American League Central. However, after a dismal May where they posted a 6-22 record, they haven’t been able to gain ground behind the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians, currently sitting fourth in the division. The pitching has kept them competitive most nights, but the overall offensive lineup has lacked some depth and consistency. Still, there is plenty of pop in the lineup, and rookie Kevin McGonigle is a strong candidate to earn AL Rookie of the Year honors.
Rookie starter Mason Adams (0-0, 3.95 ERA) will take the hill for the Rockies. There has been plenty to like about Adams through his first three starts in the big leagues, allowing six runs on 16 hits over 13.2 innings. As advertised, Adams is generating plenty of strikeouts with 17 so far while allowing six walks. He is throwing strikes 67% of the time, which is a positive sign; now he just has to work on the efficiency of his pitches. In his last start, Adams worked 4.2 innings against the St. Louis Cardinals, allowing three runs on eight hits, including two home runs. He did manage seven strikeouts against one walk. The Rockies have kept him limited with his pitch count, as the 78 pitches were the most he’s thrown so far. The limit makes it more paramount that he be quick and efficient to save the bullpen as much as possible.
The Tigers will send out veteran left-hander Framber Valdez (9-10, 4.17 ERA). While the ERA has been higher than usual this season, Valdez is still just as dangerous as he was in Houston. Valdez represents the veteran anchor for the Tigers’ staff, especially after Tarik Skubal was traded to Los Angeles. The command has wavered at times this season, and the strikeouts have fluctuated from start to start, but Valdez is sturdy and can still throw out excellent starts. In his last outing, he fired seven shutout innings against the Guardians, giving up just three hits. He’s been an absolute menace against the Rockies, posting a 1.40 ERA in 25.2 innings over four starts. In that span, he has 24 strikeouts against seven walks. His last start against Colorado came in 2025, when he fired seven shutout innings.
Aug 30, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Dustin May (21) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Texas Rangers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Milwaukee Brewers are fresh off a huge series sweep of the Chicago Cubs that, had there been any doubt remaining, all but locked up the NL Central division. It also put the Brewers on the precipice of officially clinching a playoff spot, which they can do tonight: a win (or losses by both San Diego and Arizona) clinches the Brewers’ eighth postseason berth in the last nine years. For you kids out there, the Brewers didn’t make the postseason for the first 20 years of my life… and that streak was already six years old when I was born!
While they’ve more or less taken care of their business on a team level this regular season, some questions remain about how the postseason pitching staff will shake out. Many of those questions revolve around two currently underperforming players who could claim a rotation spot with strong finishes to the season, Dustin May and Kyle Harrison. If either finishes strong, it could provide a lot of clarity for how the Brewers will approach their playoff rotation. May makes his first bid at showing something, as he makes his seventh start as a Brewer tonight. May got off to a good start as a Brewer, but things have been rough lately; in two starts since leaving after his first pitch was lined off his back on August 26, May has allowed six runs in eight shaky innings.
The Reds counter with lefty Andrew Abbott. Abbott is in the fourth year of a solid career, but in his first three seasons he was a player who tended to outperform — sometimes drastically — his peripherals. This year, he hasn’t. With 29 starts and 152 1/3 innings, Abbott has been one of the more durable pitchers in the league this season, but he’s pitched to a pedestrian 4.43 ERA and 4.78 FIP while not striking out many batters (7.1 K/9) and walking too many (4.1 BB/9). Abbott’s results against the Brewers have been a bit better, though: In two starts, he’s gone nine innings and allowed three earned runs, with eight strikeouts to five walks.
Today’s roster note, which came out in phases over the last couple of days, is that Brandon Sproat, after his poor outing on Wednesday, was sent back to Triple-A Nashville while Garrett Stallings, who didn’t allow a run and struck out nine in eight innings across four appearances for the Brewers earlier this season, was recalled.
The Brewers are fielding a strong lineup versus the left-handed Abbott tonight. Jackson Chourio leads off and is joined in the outfield by Garrett Mitchell in center and Luis Lara in right. Jake Bauers, Brice Turang, Cooper Pratt, Joey Ortiz, and William Contreras make up the infield, while Andrew Vaughn is the designated hitter.
Let’s see if the Brewers can get a little bit of revenge on the Reds, to whom they dropped two of three to in Cincinnati last week. Tonight’s game is exclusively on Apple TV (my apologies on baseball’s behalf), but of course you can hear it on the Brewers Radio Network. 6:45 p.m. first pitch; see you in the comment section.
West Ham secured their fourth league win in a row as they returned to the top of the Championship with a thumping 6-0 win over Wrexham at the London Stadium. It was a marvellous display of attacking football from Nuno Espírito Santo’s side, who swept to victory with room to spare and six different scorers.
Jarrod Bowen got the ball rolling after 28 minutes, Joël Piroe made it two before the break, then Konstantinos Mavropanos, Taty Castellanos, Mohamadou Kanté and Manor Solomon all scored in the second half as the Welsh side were dealt a hiding. The performance was further evidence the Hammers are finding their feet in the second tier after failing to win any of their first three games following Premier League relegation.
Brett Batyisn't in the Mets' starting lineup Friday against the Yankees, but that's by design.
Although Baty left Wednesday's series finale with the Marlins with knee pain, interim manager Andy Green assured that Baty "is going to be just fine" after he underwent an MRI on Thursday, and that the left-handed-hitting Baty wouldn't be in the lineup against southpaw Carlos Rodon anyway. But Green expects Baty to be available off the bench.
The Mets, who come into the Subway Series winners of four straight and five of their last six, could use Baty's hot bat. In his only at-bat Wednesday, Baty hit a single to extend his hitting streak to six games. Over his last seven games, Baty is batting .375 with two home runs and 10 RBI.
Before Friday's game, Green was asked what has changed with Baty of late and the Mets skipper said that the youngster is using the whole field, which he's done more over the last month than he did when Green was first announced as interim manager.
"The consistency of the at-bat wasn’t at the level where he is right now, where he’s using the entire field," Green explained. "The best version of [Baty] uses the whole field... Brett has the capacity to do all of it. Understanding what your strengths are. He’s just been really good using the whole field."
Later, Green said that Baty's defensive versatility makes him valuable to the Mets and that the next step in Baty's development is to unlock the consistency at the plate, which the organization hopes he can figure out for the rest of this season.
"Having someone who can move around [the diamond] like that and have the offensive upside that he has is rare in this game," Green said. "You want to get away from words like ‘upside’ and flip it over to ‘consistent production.’ That’s what he’s done over the last month and that’s what we want to see carried forward through the rest of this season and onto next season."
Graeme Clarke wasn't a Senator for long last season, but he did enough in Belleville for fans to think he might earn a longer look.
At the NHL trade deadline back in March, the Senators acquired the Ottawa native from the Washington Capitals for forward Wyatt Bongiovanni. Clarke was a 2024 AHL All-Star who had back-to-back 25-goal seasons for Utica.
He found out about the deal a minute before the deadline passed.
At the club's annual golf tourney this week, Thomas Chabot was asked about the Sens captaincy.
"I get a call in a hotel room that I'm traded to Ottawa, and it was amazing," Clarke told TSN 1200 this week. "Like, I grew up going to Sens games as a kid, wearing Alfie's jersey and all this stuff.
"So just that, that itself was super cool."
Clarke was clearly energized by a chance to maybe play for his hometown team. He rolled into Belleville and immediately put up seven points in his first two games. He also credited a return to the centre-ice position, which he says he hasn't played for a couple of years, and relying more on his instincts.
Clarke closed the season with impressive AHL totals (19 points in 15 games), but despite that, he wasn't able to find a deal with an NHL organization this summer, at least not one he liked enough to sign.
So for Clarke, an Ottawa kid who grew up cheering for Daniel Alfredsson, he didn't get to play for Alfie's NHL team, but he will get to play for Alfie's old Swedish team.
Frölunda HC announced this week that it has signed Clarke to a one-year contract for the coming season. That club produced both Alfredsson and Erik Karlsson, probably the finest two players in modern Senators history.
“I’ve only heard good things about the club and the fans," Clarke said. “Frölunda is one of the best teams in Europe, with a clear goal of winning. I’ve also gotten a good impression of Gothenburg as a city. This will be exciting.”
Clarke does have a little experience in Europe. He and his younger brother, Los Angeles Kings defenceman Brandt Clarke, briefly played in Slovakia during the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season. Graeme also represented Canada at the Spengler Cup last December and will compete in the event again this year, this time with his Swedish team.
Clarke wasn't part of Ottawa's NHL organization for long, but his Ottawa hockey roots run deep. He not only played AAA hockey here, but he also played for three years with the OHL's Ottawa 67s.
At 25, Clarke's NHL hopes aren’t necessarily over. A productive season in one of Europe’s best leagues could put him back on the radar of North American teams.
For now, being on the same path as the Senators' greatest player isn't a bad place to be.
By Steve Warne The Hockey News
This article was first published in The Hockey News. For more Sens coverage at The Hockey News, click on one of the latest THN Ottawa headlines below:
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - JULY 08: Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees walks back to the dugout following the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on July 08, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Well, when it comes to potential AL East playoff opponents, the majority want nothing to do with the New York Yankees.
For this week’s Rays Reacts poll, I asked which AL East team you least wanted to face, and the result was clear. Fifty-four percent of respondents said they do not want to face the Yankees in the postseason among the AL East options.
The result tracks with my own sentiments, which are familiar mix of respect, rivalry fatigue, and hard-earned wariness, although the numbers this season offer some encouraging context: The Rays currently lead the season series against the Yankees 6-3 (all in the first half), including an early-season sweep at the Trop.
Yet the Yankees remain the Yankees, capable of explosive offense, deep pitching, and that perennial October pedigree that has frustrated Rays fans for years. Even a favorable regular-season mark doesn’t fully erase the memory of high-stakes series that have gone the other way in the past.
Compare that to the other AL East clubs. Against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Rays have been dominant at 9-4. The Blue Jays have been the division’s soft underbelly this year, and the Rays have not missed their opportunities against the Canadians.
Against the Boston Red Sox, the season series sits even at 5-5, and the matchups have competitive and sometimes frustrating, but not nearly as strong of a problem with visiting fans as the Yankees pose at the Trop.
With the Rays sitting atop the AL East at 87-59 and the Yankees three games back at 84-62, the division race remains very much alive. The Red Sox at 80-67 are solidly in wild card contention, while the Blue Jays at 73-74 trail the playoffs by one game back.
Playoff matchups are never guaranteed: seeding, wild-card results, and the whims of October baseball will decide who lines up against whom. But if the Rays do clinch the East and earn a first-round bye or favorable bracket, the fan preference is unmistakable.
Given the current standings and remaining schedule, which includes a late September series in the Bronx, the preference may end up being tested one way or another. And when playoff time comes, you are welcome to put your money where your vote is with our friends at FanDuel, who sponsored this post.
For now, the message from the poll is simple: give us the Blue Jays or even the Red Sox. Keep the Yankees on the other side of the bracket, if possible.
The Lakers’ front office makeover continued on Friday.
The team announced it hired Keith D’Amelio as the franchise’s director of integrated performance systems, in addition to making the already-known hiring of Eric Amsler as an assistant general manager official.
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka continues to add to the front office. Getty Images
“Continuing to invest in and strengthen our basketball operations group is a top priority as we build for the long-term success of our team and players,” Lakers president of basketball operations/general manager Rob Pelinka said in a statement. “Eric and Keith bring a wealth of experience that will add valuable expertise across our organization. Eric is a highly respected talent evaluator with an extensive background in scouting and player personnel, while Keith brings a unique perspective at the intersection of athlete health, performance, sport science and technology. We are excited to welcome them both to the Lakers.”
D’Amelio, who most recently worked for the New York Liberty, has over 25 years of experience across professional and collegiate sports in athlete health, performance, sport science and innovation.
The Lakers have made their first major hires since Josh Kushner (left) and Bob Iger (right) agreed to purchase the Lakers from Mark Walter. JASON SZENES/ NY POST
D’Amelio was most recently the Liberty’s chief innovation officer, working across the WNBA franchise’s basketball operations, health and performance, analytics and applied science.
Before working for the Liberty, he spent 13 years at Nike, in addition to having roles with the Stanford’s men’s basketball team, the Raptors and Celtics.
Amsler’s official title with the Lakers is assistant general manager, player personnel.
He spent 22 years in the Heat organization, starting as an intern in 2004-05 before working his way up to various other roles, including being the Heat’s vice president of player personnel before joining the Lakers.
General manager Rob Pelinka overhauled the Lakers’ roster in addition to adding two assistant general managers this summer. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 10: Jackson Flora #9 of the San Jose Giants pitcher against the Stockton Ports in the top of the first inning in the Cal Division Series Game 2 at Excite Ballpark on September 10, 2026 in San Jose, California - Region AMER. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Three games for the San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball affiliates on Thursday, as the season nears an end for everyone. Here’s everything that happened.
All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.
News
Some good news on the injury front. AAA Sacramento outfielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) was in huge amounts of pain on Wednesday when he fouled a ball off his foot, and had to leave the game with the trainers. But the Giants are officially calling it just a contusion, rather than a fracture. Hopefully that means he can still return before the season ends.
In transaction news, AA Richmond RHP Manuel Mercedes was placed on the Development List, while Low-A San Jose outfielder Peyton Bonds was activated off the Injured List.
AAA Sacramento (77-61)
Sacramento River Cats lost to the Las Vegas Aviators (A’s) 6-2 Box score
After back-to-back excellent pitching games from the River Cats, they finally fell prey to the offensive environment of Las Vegas.
It was RHP Trystan Vrieling whom the Aviators got to, as the soon-to-turn 26-year old once again got beat up. The 2022 3rd-rounder got rocked for 10 hits in 5 innings which, along with 2 walks, put 4 runs on the board. Needless to say, 12 baserunners in 5 innings isn’t a good game, but it was notable that Vrieling struck out 9 batters. That’s a large number for the Gonzaga alum, as he is not really a strikeout artist: he had just 8.3 strikeouts per 9 innings in AA this year.
Vrieling has really struggled since a recent promotion which, admittedly, was due more to roster logistics than merit, as he only had a 4.23 ERA and a 5.06 FIP in Richmond. Through 3 games with Sacramento, Vrieling has given up a staggering 28 hits in just 13 innings, with 8 walks and 16 earned runs, though he does have 18 strikeouts.
RHP R.J. Dabovich also had a tough go of it, as he gave up a walk and a 2-run home run in an inning of work, with an error, though he struck out 2 batters. Dabovich has been quite good since returning to health, so this was a rare not-great game for him. RHP Wilkin Ramos was the lone bright spot on the mound, as he pitched 2 shutout innings with 1 hit and 2 strikeouts.
The offense did very, very little. The best performance came from first baseman Charlie Szykowny, who hit 3-4 with a double. Szykowny, a 26-year old lefty taken in the 9th round in 2023, is, like Vrieling, likely in AAA more because of roster needs than because of AA performance. But he’s certainly making the most of his opportunity: he has an 8-game hitting streak going, and in 10 games with Sacramento has an .885 OPS and a 128 wRC+. It will be fun seeing him have a full year at the level next season.
Quiet games for the top prospects: third baseman Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL) hit 1-4 with 2 strikeouts, while center fielder Scott Bandura went 0-4 with a strikeout. Outfielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) didn’t play, after injuring his foot on Wednesday. Designated hitter Victor Bericoto (No. 35 CPL) made his 2nd rehab appearance, and hit 1-4.
AA Richmond (73-60)
Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Chesapeake Baysox (Orioles) 8-2 Box score
The struggles continue for the Squirrels, who have seen their losing streak creep all the way to 8 games. The regular season ends on Sunday, so they’re certainly limping to the finish line, but hey … at least they’re guaranteed to finish, at minimum, 10 games above .500, even if they end the year with a double-digit losing streak!
This was another fairly uninteresting game for Richmond, save for one player: third baseman Sabin Ceballos (No. 43 CPL). The just-turned 24-year old put on quite a show in the batter’s box, going 2-3 with both a home run and a double, while also drawing a walk and striking out once.
With the big fly, Ceballos has now tripled his home run output over last year, which was spent at the same level (and he only has 76 more plate appearances this season). That’s pretty notable, as you need a good chunk of power to survive at an infield corner.
Yet despite that, Ceballos’ wRC+ has only gained 3 points year over year (102 to 105), the result of both struggling to get hits that aren’t homers, and the improved offensive environment in the Eastern League this year (his OPS has risen from .670 to .750).
As I’ve written about many times this year, Ceballos is just … an odd offensive profile. In both of his years in AA, he’s done a great job making contact … his strikeout rate and swinging strike rate have gone a little backwards this year, but they’re still just 17.9% and 10.3%, very good numbers. And yet, despite all that contact, Ceballos has a miserable .225 batting average. He’s basically doing 3 things at the plate: hitting home runs, drawing walks, and hitting into a whole bunch of outs. It’s a little odd.
No one else had particularly good offensive days. Center fielder Trevor Cohen (No. 15 CPL) had the only other multi-hit game, as he went 2-5 with a strikeout, while designated hitter Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL) had a rough game as he continues to shake the injury rust off, going 0-4 with a strikeout hat trick. Cohen, who turns 23 in December, has a .745 OPS and a 101 wRC+ in 47 games since getting promoted; Jordan, who turned 23 in May, has a .707 OPS and a 90 wRC+ in 20 games.
RHP Niko Mazza’s 2nd game in AA was rough on his ERA, though he pitched better than the 4 runs he allowed in 4 innings. A run per inning is a bad ratio, but a baserunner per inning? Well, that’s mighty fine, and it’s exactly what Mazza did, as he gave up just 3 hits and 1 walk, with 4 strikeouts. Unfortunately, one of those hits (a double) immediately preceded the walk, which immediately preceded another one of the hits (a 3-run home run). The 3rd and final hit (also a double) opened up the 5th inning, and immediately preceded a rain delay, which immediately preceded Mazza being replaced by RHP Manuel Mercedes, who allowed the inherited runner to score.
LHP Jack Choate (No. 37 CPL) continued the trend he’s had for a few years now, of getting far more strikeouts than one would expect out of a soft-tosser, but also not pitching all that well. He struck out 4 batters in just 2.2 innings in this game, but also gave up 3 hits, a hit batter, and a run. The 2022 9th-round pick, who turned 25 at the start of the season, has a 4.38 ERA and a 4.17 FIP this season, despite a fantastic 11.4 strikeouts per 9 innings.
RHP Marty Gair made his 3rd appearance since getting promoted and it didn’t go super well, as he allowed 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 hit batter, and 2 runs in just 1 inning of work, though he struck out 2 batters.
Low-A San Jose
San Jose Giants beat the Stockton Ports (A’s) 3-1 Box score
And with that, the Baby Giants are championship bound. After ending the regular season with 20 wins in their final 22 games, San Jose swept the best-of-3 divisional series against their northeast neighbors, and will now face the Lake Elsinore Storm of the Padres organization for the Cal League championship. That series, which is also best of 3, starts on Sunday in Lake Elsinore, and continues in San Jose on Tuesday and, if necessary, Wednesday.
The big news in this game was that RHP Jackson Flora made his 2nd career appearance (and, thanks to the Giants advancing, we’ll likely get to see him pitch a 3rd time). Flora was impressive if a little shaky in his professional debut last Friday, which was the only official appearance he made in his debut season, as only regular season stats count in the record books.
But his follow-up performance, in Thursday’s playoff game, was where Flora really showed why he was the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, and immediately becomes the top pitching prospect in the system (and one of the best pitching prospects in baseball). Flora was utterly dominant, striking out 4 batters in 2 no-hit innings, while touching triple digits with his electric fastball. The command still isn’t quite there — he walked 2 batters and only threw half of his 32 pitches for strikes — but that’s also very understandable given that he went a few months without pitching.
Good morning, good afternoon, good night.
Jackson Flora strikes out the side, and reminds the crowd to tip your beer batter responsibly. pic.twitter.com/5HsmG5NlyQ
Seeing Flora overwhelm Single-A hitters like that made it pretty clear, in my eye, that he belongs in High-A to start the 2027 season, though I suppose there’s a chance the Giants give him the Carson Whisenhunt treatment (Whisenhunt was similarly dominant after being drafted in 2023, and returned to San Jose for his first full season, but only spent 4 games there before getting promoted to High-A … where he only spent 6 games before getting promoted to AA).
After Flora, the bulk innings went to LHP Ricardo Estrada, who gave up 5 hits, 0 walks, and 1 run over 4 innings, with 3 strikeouts. Rounding out the pitching performance were RHPs Chen-Hsun Lee and Samir Chires, who each had no-hit, no-run showings (Lee gave up 1 walk in 1.1 innings, while Chires allowed 1 walk in 1.2 innings, with 2 strikeouts). Lee, who is finally healthy after losing all of 2024 and 2025 to injury, posted a 1.42 ERA in 14 appearances for San Jose this year, those his strikeout and walk numbers weren’t particularly good and, as a result, he had a 4.73 FIP. Chires, who had struggled with both performance and injuries for 3 years in the Complex League before finally dominating the league in his 4th attempt, had a 1.82 ERA and a 3.36 FIP in 15 Low-A games this year. Counting the playoff performance, the Venezuelan, who turns 23 next week, had 29 strikeouts to just 6 walks in 26.1 innings.
Despite this being a low-scoring game, and despite the big story being Flora, the star of the game actually came on the other side of the ball, as designated hitter Drew Smith carried the team to victory. Smith was the team’s 15th-round pick in July, and signed for a very modest $25,000 out of Oregon. But my goodness has the 23-year old right-hander fit right in. He wasted no time making his mark on this game, as he bopped a 2-out, 2-run double in the 1st inning, which proved to be all the offense the Baby Giants would need.
Drew Smith with a two-run, two-out double, and the Giants take an early 2-0 lead! pic.twitter.com/0W6fSpH8QA
But as the game grew tense, Smith — who finished 2-4 with a strikeout — provided the insurance. In the 8th inning, with San Jose clinging to a 2-1 lead, Smith bashed a solo home run to increase the margin.
Have a series Drew Smith! His second HR in as many games is a HUGE insurance run. To the ninth we go. pic.twitter.com/9pTddilBVB
Smith hit just 3 home runs as a freshman for Oregon, just 4 as a sophomore, and just 5 as a junior. But he exploded for 16 home runs in his senior season, and it seems he’s carrying that into the pros: he only got into 3 regular season games, but hit a home run, and now has smacked big flies in both of San Jose’s playoff appearances. 3 dingers through 5 career games! Hard to argue with that!
Catcher Rod Barajas Jr. also had a nice game, as he went 2-4 with a double. Shortstop and uber-prospect Josuar González (No. 2 CPL) went 1-4 with a double and a strikeout. Right fielder Peyton Bonds, the team’s 3rd-round pick who hadn’t played in quite a while due to injury, returned to the lineup for half the game, and hit 1-2.
Sacramento: 7:05 p.m. PT at Las Vegas (SP: TBD) Richmond: 4:05 p.m. PT vs. Chesapeake (SP: Jacob Bresnahan) Eugene: 6:35 p.m. PT vs. Vancouver (SP: Hunter Dryden)
Reminder that almost all MiLB games can be viewed on MLB TV
