PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 11: A fan of the Philadelphia Phillies boos Blooper of the Atlanta Braves during the 2026 MLB Draft presented by Nippon Express at Pennsylvania Convention Center on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Well, if you wanted a key regular season stretch for the 2026 Atlanta Braves, you got a key regular season stretch.
The Braves are four games up on the Phillies. They have four games with the Phillies, in Philadelphia. Then they come home and play three with the Rays, and three with the Phillies. And they’re not done yet — after that homestand they head to Chicago to play the Cubs, and then Houston to play the Astros. This is 16 games in 16 days against likely playoff teams.
The Braves haven’t had a stretch like this. Their previous “gauntlet” this season was Dodgers-Cubs-Red Sox, but the Red Sox were horrible at the time (early-mid May). The Braves went 6-3 in that span. The only other thing that comes close is the Brewers and Dodgers back to back, and even that worked out pretty well with the close-game-laden sweep of the Dodgers.
So, here we are. Peak Regular Season… but an off-day today. It amuses me greatly that this actually would’ve been a weird “two off days in one week” affair with a two-game series sandwiched between the rest days, but for the makeup game against the Giants. What are you doing to prepare? What are you gonna do tonight, with both the Braves and Phillies off?
What if I had told you Wednesday afternoon that in the game in which the Cubs had to face Jacob Misiorowski, they’d pretty much give him the worst beatdown of his MLB career?
You’d have been pretty happy, right? Figure the Cubs should win that game, right?
Well, nope. The Cubs did do exactly that to “the Miz,” with a strong game plan and some excellent hitting, but the pitching staff could not hold the Brewers down and the visitors from Milwaukee defeated the Cubs 9-5.
Sigh.
This game did not begin well for the Cubs. After David Peterson retired the first two Brewers on just five pitches, they followed with two hits, a walk and another single to take a 2-0 lead.
One out later, PCA walked again. BCB’s JohnW53 explains why that was significant:
This is PCA’s 16th game with multiple walks, tying Michael Busch for most on the Cubs. Seiya Suzuki has 15; Alex Bregman, 11; and no one else more than eight.
PCA had two all of last year, when Ian Happ and Kyle Tucker had 17, followed by Suzuki, with 10, and Busch six.
The Cubs thus had a two-run lead at 5-3 after just two innings.
Friends, that would not last long.
Peterson managed to get through the third holding the lead, but fell apart in the fourth. A one-out walk was followed by a double by Chourio, then Brice Turang bunted. Miguel Amaya tried to get the out at the plate [VIDEO].
That, in my view, was a mistake and helped set up a big inning for Milwaukee. Peterson was not in position to take the throw. If Amaya gets the out at first — which he could have — the run still scores and maybe the Cubs get out of the inning with only one or two runs scoring, instead of three. The latter happened when the next two Brewers singled. Milwaukee is a team that you can’t give these extra chances to, because they will pounce on them.
So the Brewers are up 6-5 heading to the bottom of the fourth. That’s not an insurmountable lead.
Only it was for the Cubs, because the bats went silent after Bregman’s two-run single in the second. The Cubs had just four more baserunners the rest of the game — a one-out single by Happ in the third, a two-out walk by Suzuki in the fourth, a two-0ut walk by Amaya in the sixth and a single by PCA with two out in the ninth. None of the runners got past first base.
You cannot win games that way, I am sure you will agree.
Meanwhile, the Cubs bullpen did an okay job until the seventh, when Daniel Palencia was touched up for a run on a double by Christian Yelich and single by Cooper Pratt. Then Jacob Webb put the game completely out of reach in the ninth, in part because he took this line drive off his arm [VIDEO].
So before I update you on Webb, let me say something about that throw. The competitor in any baseball player wants to make plays. Webb thought maybe he could still get the runner out. There is no chance that was true. He should have just held the ball.
In any case, Webb left the game. Fortunately:
Craig Counsell said X-rays negative on Cubs closer Jacob Webb, but he has a big bruise/welt on his right forearm.
Daniel Palencia twisted his knee on the pickoff throw, but is "fine", Counsell said.
So, all things considered, good news on Cubs relievers.
So maybe Webb hits the injured list, though also maybe a couple of days resting the arm would be okay. Gallows humor: So THIS is the way to get Javier Assad back on the team?
Two runs wound up scoring in the Brewers ninth after Colin Rea relieved Webb, and it might have been more except for this great throw by Happ [VIDEO].
If not for those, the score of this game might have been a lot worse than 9-5. And here’s how bad this game was:
Turning into an ugly game for the Cubs once again and they may have lost a reliever to an injury after Jacob Webb took a line drive off his forearm. Unless they come back in the ninth, it'll be their 7th loss since Aug. 1 after leading by multiple runs in the game, most in MLB.
Seven losses in the last 29 games that way. That’s not the way to make the postseason, or win postseason games.
And all of this came after they gave Misiorowski the worst beatdown of his MLB career. From John:
The Cubs’ five runs off Jacob Misiorowski tied for the most he has allowed in any start of his two-year career. He gave up five twice last season, in 3.2 innings at New York vs. the Mets and in 1.1 at Cincinnati, then did it in 5.0 at home vs. the Reds on July 2.
The four walks earned by the Cubs also tied Misiorowski’s career high. He did it once last year, then April 7 of this year in 5.1 IP and June 26 vs. Cubs in 6.0.
So he had done both of those things before (allow five runs and four walks), but this was the first time both of those things had happened in the same start for “the Miz.” The Cubs had a good offensive game plan and executed it — well, for two innings, at least. And the pitching staff just got pounded by Brewers hitters.
Counsell again sounds exasperated during those comments, with lots of sighing. You can tell he’s as frustrated as anyone with the pitching failures. About his thoughts on Palencia: It appears to me that Palencia is still not quite right. His velocity is down a tick or two and he doesn’t seem to be locating well. As Counsell says, the team needs Palencia to be right. I think he will be, eventually, but that doesn’t help the “right now” that the Cubs need him for.
One last note on this game: A frighteningly large number of pitches were thrown for the second straight night. On Tuesday, the Brewers threw 182 pitches and the Cubs 137; Wednesday, Milwaukee pitchers threw 150 and Cubs hurlers 177. That made for a 3:18 game for the second consecutive day and if you think that’s long (and it is), those are likely four-hour games without the pitch timer.
The Cubs still have a chance to split this four-game series in its finale Thursday evening. Kevin Gausman will start for the Cubs and Logan Henderson will go for Milwaukee. Game time is 6:15 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Fox-TV (regional — coverage map). A reminder that if you subscribe to MLB.TV or MLB Extra Innings, you can watch this game via those services even if it’s not on the Fox affiliate in your market.
And the impact of the harsh penalties after the yearlong investigation will be felt for years to come.
Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers in action against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. Getty Images
Among the punishments the NBA dished out out Wednesday: a $30 million fine for the Clippers; franchise owner Steve Ballmer (one year), President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker (one year) and President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank (six months) being suspended for their roles in Leonard’s impermissible endorsement deals; Leonard having to pay the league $700,000 for his connections with the violations.
And the penalty that’ll have the biggest impact on the Clippers’ short- and long-term futures: having to forfeit five first-round draft picks in 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033.
One of the harshest penalties in league history.
But in the eyes of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, an appropriate punishment considering the violations the league found that the Clippers committed.
“The NBA’s collectively bargained system for determining player compensation is a fundamental component of the basketball competition that the league oversees for the benefit of the teams and players and ultimately the fans,” Silver said in a statement. “I am deeply disappointed by the flagrant violations of our rules and by the Clippers’ institutional and leadership failures that led to this misconduct. The severity of the penalties reflects the seriousness of the violations.”
The league didn’t hold back on the Clippers.
The fine issued against the team is the largest in league history against a franchise — nearly 10 times more than the $3.5 million the Timberwolves were fined in 2000 (around $6.7 million in 2026 when adjusting for inflation) for circumventing salary cap rules with Joe Smith.
But Ballmer has the money to pay for it.
The suspensions will result in the Clippers not having a few of the most important individuals in the organization involved in their day-to-day operations for a significant period.
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But eventually, Ballmer, Zucker and Frank will be allowed to do their jobs.
The deduction of first-round draft picks is where the Clippers will feel the most impact for at least the next half decade.
The Clippers were set on a new era entering this offseason, already having traded James Harden for Darius Garland and Ivica Zubac to the Pacers for a package that included Bennedict Mathurin (now on the Pelicans), a 2026 first-round pick (drafted Keaton Wagler), a 2028 second-round pick via Dallas and a 2029 first-round pick.
Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer leaves his courtside seat after a game against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, March 28, 2025, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
And by agreeing to a trade with the Raptors that’ll send Leonard back to Toronto for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and multiple draft picks, the Clippers made it clear they were embracing being able to rebuild their franchise around younger talent after the seven-year Leonard era didn’t produce the desired results.
But the loss of first-round picks, and the overall lack of draft capital for the next seven years, will make it challenging for the Clippers to set themselves up for a more successful future.
If the Clippers and Raptors go through with the Leonard trade as they agreed to in late June, the Clippers will get the Raptors’ unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, a 2027 first-round pick swap and two second-round picks.
But that’ll give them just four first-round picks over the next seven drafts after entering July believing they’d have up to nine. And if the Stepien Rule applies to forfeited first-round picks, they’ll have zero first-round picks available to trade until the day of the draft.
A very challenging place to build up from.
It appears the Clippers are going to fight against the NBA’s ruling, even though, as has widely been reported, that there isn’t an appeal or arbitration process available to the franchise. In other words, if the Clippers want to fight against the punishments, they’ll have to take it to court.
The Clippers’ future isn’t completely bleak.
Once the trade goes through as anticipated, they’ll have several young or in-their-prime good players on respectable contracts — players who can either develop or be traded for draft capital. They’ll still draft picks at their disposal.
But the Clippers’ future appears to be a lot bleaker now than it did even a couple of months ago.
Following last year’s historic run to the NBA championship, there’s little a critic can say to Jalen Brunson. New York’s captain averaged 28.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 6.1 assists en route to a Knicks championship, hitting clutch shots and stringing together all-time performances along the way.
With training camp still a month out, fans have had to occupy their free time with the sort of debates a run like that naturally sparks. One of those debates is where Brunson now ranks among the best point guards in the league.
Truthfully, 45 points in a close-out Finals game against the best defense in the league should earn you best player in the world discussions, but much of that talent resides at his position anyway. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was one win away from being New York’s Finals foe after winning the 2925 championship. Luka Doncic is still a machine when healthy. Cade Cunningham had another stellar year, and Tyrese Haliburton is returning from injury after absolutely haunting the Knicks in back-to-back Playoffs.
Let’s break down the competition and see where Brunson shakes out.
Honorable mentions are owed to Stephen Curry and Tyrese Maxey, but consensus puts them just outside this group. Curry’s aging has caused his rim pressure and durability to decline, while Maxey’s playmaking and defensive limitations were exposed against Brunson in the Playoffs.
Haliburton is a legitimate wild card. The last we saw of him, he piloted the NBA’s most dangerous offensive system and was nailing big shots in a legacy-defining Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
His size and playmaking advantages over Brunson are indisputable, there’s few passing equivalents to him, and he’s proven the ability to take over with his scoring, especially in the clutch. The only question is if he can walk back into this production coming off injury with a slightly rejiggered roster.
A big argument for Brunson is his aversion to disappearing. Haliburton had a handful of high-stakes single-digit performances, whereas Brunson will shoot his way out of just about any stupor, never shrinking to the sidelines.
Cunningham, keeping with the trend, also has an advantagel of height and weight on Brunson. His production is also especially impressive working with spacing similar to Brunson’s before Karl-Anthony Towns and Mike Brown arrived.
But there’s a clear separator between the two, and that’s ball control. Cunningham’s averaged four turnovers a game over his career and closer to six in the Playoffs, the latter making for a much worse assist-to-turnover ratio compared to Brunson’s.
That poise was much of the difference in Brunson facing the Cavaliers in this year’s Conference Finals instead of Cunningham’s Pistons. While Brunson rose to the occasion, Cunningham faltered in the biggest games of his career, though he’ll surely be back more motivated than ever.
Mar 29, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives around New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) during the second half at Paycom Center. / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
The real conversation is where Brunson belongs in the MVP tier of guys - Doncic and SGA. Unfortunately when the latter is on and healthy, there’s almost nobody that can outplay him.
But Brunson’s been more available, and more dependable on the biggest stages defensively. Doncic got worked in the 2024 NBA Finals on that end, couldn’t do enough in the first round of the 2025 Playoffs to top Minnesota, and outright missed the 2026 postseason due to injury.
While he’s a walking 30-point triple-double, he is entering somewhat of a prove-it year with the major milestones of MVP or a championship still in reach. Brunson spent last season proving all he needed to in ways Doncic never has, such as on the defensive side of the ball or as an off-ball offensive threat.
For those reasons, one can argue Brunson over Doncic in a battle over former teammates.
But what about Gilgeous-Alexander?
That’s a tougher argument to make. The reigning MVP has the added inches but none of the drawbacks when put side-by-side with Brunson.
His shot making is unreal, his passing and defense is reliable, and he has the resume to back up the complete package. He put together his own heroics against the Spurs last Playoffs, scoring 35 points and dishing nine assists in his Game 7 loss despite a lack of secondary weapons.
Brunson is the bigger threat to pull up from three and is less free throw dependent, but Gilgeous-Alexander is the superior defender with gaudy efficiency numbers. At the very least, last year made this a real race.
Wherever you place Brunson in the rankings, 2026 was validation that he belongs among the best names this league has to offer at the position. And this upcoming season should only need to serve as a reminder.
With the Mets working in an extra day of rest for Christian Scott down the stretch, it presents an opportunity for others to receive a shot in the big-league rotation.
On Wednesday night, it was Justin Hagenman’s turn.
Making his first MLB appearance back following a long IL stint, the journeyman right-hander threw well, holding the Rays to just one run on two hits across three innings.
He retired the first eight hitters he faced before running into two-out trouble in the third.
“Solid,” Andy Green said. “What we typically expect from him.”
Hagenman hit a bit of a walk towards the end, so he turned things over to Chris Devenski, who was hurt by a controversial call at first on a potential pickoff.
Devenski gave up three runs on three straight hits directly after.
The rest of the bullpen did an extremely solid job behind him, though, as the next four relievers combined to keep Tampa off the board over the final 5.1 innings.
Dedniel Núñez took home the victory after putting together a perfect appearance (1.1), Nate Lavender left in some seventh inning trouble but Daniel Duarte picked him up, then Jonathan Pintaro put on the finishing touches in the ninth.
“I thought it was great,” Green said. “I even thought Devenski was solid too -- we had a chance to get out of that inning without allowing a run, but from there on out on it was dominant against a very good offense.
“We ran a lot of good arms out and didn’t have to use Senga, so it was a good day.”
New York being able to take two out of three from the AL East leaders without having any of their top three starters on the bump certainly is an impressive feat.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 30: Ranger Suarez #55 of the Boston Red Sox pitches during the game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on August 30, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Here at Over The Monster, we like to ask a topical question of the day; but on this dreary morning, we might as well be asking the question of the month. Very simply: If the Wild Card series started today, who would you want starting those three games?
The Red Sox know this as well and have already reshuffled their rotation to pitch Sonny Gray on Saturday (September 5th) and Payton Tolle on Sunday (September 6th). With off days for the month already scheduled for the 10th, 14th, 17th, and 28th (assuming they make the playoffs), this means Gray and Tolle could pitch with an extra day of rest every start from here to the end of the year in a normal five man rotation and be perfectly lined up to pitch Game 1 and Game 2 of the Wild Card series. (September 11th and 12th against the Royals, September 17th and 18th against the Rangers and Rays, September 23rd and 24th against the Guardians, and September 29th and 30th against the Wild Card opponent.)
So the Red Sox have already told us who they believe will start the first two games of the playoffs indirectly, but third option is far more complex. Historically, Ranger Suarez would be the best man for the job. Not only did they just give him a $130 million contract in January, but he also has a 1.48 career ERA in the playoffs. However, the Sox might not be too pleased with the way he threw the ball in Sunday’s start against the Yankees with the tiebreaker on the line, and they might not want to set things up that way again for a potential winner take all game on October 1st.
So what about tonight’s starter Jake Bennett? He just might be pitching for a postseason starting job over the next few weeks. If he does well and nobody steps up, the Sox could end up sending a rookie to the mound to start and do or die game in Yankee Stadium for the second year in a row.
And then there’s Garrett Crochet, who won’t be available to make a traditional start, but could be ramped up enough to give you a couple of innings out of the gate before you go bullpen game from there, mixing and matching the opponent with all your best arms and running their bench dry of platoon matchups by the late innings.
Those are just some of the factors on the table as we turn our eyes to the end of the month, but what does our OTM community think? Talk about this and whatever else you like, and as always, be good to one another!
The Columbus Blue Jackets have 28 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at the history of jersey #28.
Let's take a look.
Tyler Wright - 2001-2006 - Drafted by Edmonton in 1991.
Tyler Wright was a Blue Jacket Original who played 309 games in the early days of the franchise. Wright totaled 109 points for the Jackets and had 149 for his career.
He was famously traded to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim for Hall of Famer Sergei Fedorov on November 15, 2005. That was his last NHL season, and he would leave for Switzerland the next year.
After retiring, he returned to Columbus and served as the Dir. of Player Development and Dir. of Amateur Scouting for 7 years. He held the same positions in Detroit and Edmonton from 2013 to 2023. After taking last season off, he was hired by the LA Kings to be their Dir. of Player Personnel for this upcoming season.
Zenon Konopka - 2007-2008 - Undrafted out of
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.
On January 26, 2007, he was traded by the Anaheim Ducks along with Curtis Glencross and a draft pick to the Blue Jackets in exchange for forwards Mark Hartigan, Joe Motzko, and a draft pick. He played 9 games for Columbus and had no points. He spent the season as the Captain for the AHL's Syracuse Crunch, where he had 55 points.
He retired in April of 2017.
Nikita Filatov - 2009-2011 - Drafted in the first round of the 2008 NHL Draft by Columbus.
Oh, what could've been! Filatov was an uber-talented winger from Russia and was the 6th overall pick in 2008. He played 44 games for Columbus and totaled 13 points. In 2011, he was traded to the Ottawa Senators and only played 9 games.
He would return to Russia, where he played until 2019 and is now retired. He has spent the last few years as the Vice President of the
Polyot Rybinsk of the NMHL.
"Filly don't do rebounds."
Alexandre Giroux - 2012 - Drafted by Ottawa in 1999.
Played in 9 games for the Jackets during the 2011-12 season, scoring one goal. After his time in Columbus, he would never play another NHL game.
He would play in Europe until 2018, then returned to Canada, where he would play until 2022. He played in Poland, Switzerland, Russia, and France. He came back to North America and played three seasons in the LNAH as well.
Frédéric St. Denis - 2015 - Undrafted out of
Greenfield Park, Quebec.
St. Denis would play 4 games for the Jackets during the 14-15 season and would tally one assist. He would never play another NHL game after playing in Columbus and retired during the 2018-19 season.
He played one year in Germany, then returned to the LNAH for three seasons.
Oliver Bjorkstrand - 2016-2022 - Drafted by Columbus in 2013.
Bjorkstrand played 382 games for the Blue Jackets. Drafted in 2013, Oliver helped the Lake Erie Monsters win the Calder Cup in 2016 by scoring 16 points in 17 games, including the series winner with under .02 seconds to play in overtime.
Bjorkstrand had 234 points in 382 games as a Jacket. He scored a career-high 28 goals in 2021-22 and had a career-high 57 points. On July 22, 2022, the unthinkable would happen - Oliver Bjorkstrand was traded to the Seattle Kraken. Former GM Jarmo Kekäläinen justified the trade by saying it was because they had just signed Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine. It was a sad day for a lot of CBJ fans, especially since the CBJ only got back a third- and fourth-round pick.
Bjorkstrand is most famous for his game-winning goal in the 2019 NHL playoffs against the Tampa Bay Lightning. A goal that will live in infamy for Lightning fans.
In his first season with Seattle, he played a key role in the team's first playoff appearance, contributing 20 goals and 45 points. His two-way game and ability to step up in clutch moments made him a valuable addition.
Two seasons ago, Bjorkstrand suffered an injury called Compartment Syndrome. This happens when there is too much pressure around your muscles. In Bjorkstrand's case, it required him to be rushed to the hospital at 2 a.m. for emergency surgery to fix the issue.
The injury is very serious because fluid and blood become trapped within the muscle, causing it to swell. If not treated immediately, it can cause major complications, including the potential loss of the affected limb.
Thankfully, in Bjorkstrand’s case, it was caught early and treated, which allowed him to play 80 games last season.
Oliver signed with the New York Rangers this offseason as a free agent.
There are 28 days left until opening night at Nationwide Arena.
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ST. PETERSBURG, FL - SEPTEMBER 02: Christopher Morel #28 of the Tampa Bay Rays and teammate Nick Morabito #55 celebrate after the New York Mets defeated the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Wednesday, September 2, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Alex Zadorozny/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Meet the Mets
The Mets jumped out to a big lead early and then poured it on late in their bounceback victory over the Rays to take the series. Nick Morabito’s first major league hit was a three-run double to help put the game out of reach. The team will now enjoy an off day before heading home to play the Giants.
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 07: Amed Rosario #14 of the New York Yankees reacts to a catch made by Luis García Jr. #26 of the New York Yankees during the game against the Atlanta Braves at Yankee Stadium on August 7, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Another month of Yankees baseball is in the books, and though their situation in the American League East has changed little of late, there was plenty of good baseball to take in. With each passing game comes more moments to remember and appreciate, including those made by Yankee defenders. August was no different, as we saw plenty of web gems in the Bronx this month, so let’s take a look back at some of the best from the last month.
August 4: Lombard’s slick play starts a double play
While the defensive slump George Lombard Jr. found himself for part of August is likely the lasting memory, the month also brought plenty of highlight reel plays. Here, early in the month against the Cardinals, the rookie backhanded a sharp two hopper before throwing across his body to kick off an inning-ending double play. Despite the low points of late, we should be seeing highlights at short from Lombard Jr. for years to come.
Speaking of which, why not take a look at another gem from Lombard Jr.? Here, just a day after our first featured play, the Yankees shortstop dove to stop a one-hopper destined for center field. Lombard Jr., after fully extending, quickly got up and threw a seed over to first base, just barely nabbing St. Louis’ JJ Wetherholt. The bad sticks out this month, but there was a lot of good to soak in from Lombard Jr. in August.
Another play from the first week of August, this time with Luis García Jr.’s range on display. With the go-ahead run on third base in the tenth inning for Atlanta, the Yankees first baseman was in a full sprint straight backwards, only to reach over his shoulder and snag the would-be blooper. Not exactly known for his defense, García Jr.’s clutch play saved the game in extras, putting an end to the Braves’ half of the inning. Even sweeter, it was a game the Yankees would eventually win in the bottom half of the inning.
Anyone with experience donning the gear can attest to how difficult a pop up can be from the catching position. Here, Austin Wells makes a difficult one look pretty straightforward. Jackson Holliday lofted a ball toward the third base dugout into foul territory. Immediately set on his intention, Wells ran full speed to the warning track, calling for the ball the entire time, before sliding on a knee to secure the out for his club. Sometimes, making the tough ones look easy can be a highlight on its own.
August 28: Bellinger preserves the lead with his arm
Perhaps more than almost anyone else, Cody Bellinger is a regular on these monthly lists. Toward the end of the month, Belli changed things up, this time making the cut with an exceptional play not with the glove, but with his arm. With the Yankees holding just a 1-0 lead in the seventh, Bellinger caught a relatively shallow fly ball, before perfectly timing his crow hop, and delivering a one-hop strike to home plate. His perfect throw nabbed the runner at home, and preserved what would remain an important 1-0 win for the Yankees at home against the Red Sox.
Steve Ballmer and Kawhi Leonard found themselves in the middle of one of the biggest scandals in NBA history. Photograph: Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images
When Steve Ballmer bought the Los Angeles Clippers for $2bn in 2014, it was widely regarded as a coup for the NBA.
Not only is Ballmer one of the richest men in the world – worth an estimated $152.7bn – but his passion and enthusiasm for the sport stood in stark contrast to the team’s embattled former owner. Donald Sterling, who bought the Clippers for $12.5m in 1981, was forced to sell after being handed a lifetime ban by the NBA in response to a series of racist comments.
Ballmer was the kind of owner NBA fans dream of, especially ones as downtrodden as the Clippers. He invested hundreds of millions of dollars towards improving the roster, growing the brand, and developing the new state-of-the-art Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. When it opened in 2024, it gave the Clippers a home of their own for the first time since moving from San Diego in 1984. Ballmer’s Clippers constantly pushed the envelope, installing the first “halo” scoreboard, a wall of a supporters’ section strategically positioned to throw off opponents, a team with future Hall of Famers Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Ballmer turned a laughingstock that had been living in the shadows of the crosstown rival Lakers into a relevant organization.
But on Wednesday afternoon, after a year of allegations that Ballmer’s Clippers circumvented the NBA’s salary cap to pay superstar Leonard back in 2021, it was confirmed that Ballmer had taken it all a little bit too far. NBA commissioner Adam Silver handed down the harshest punishment in league history, stripping the Clippers of five first-round draft picks and fining them $30m, while suspending Ballmer for a year.
“The NBA’s collectively bargained system for determining player compensation is a fundamental component of the basketball competition that the league oversees for the benefit of the teams and players and ultimately the fans,” Silver said in a statement. “I am deeply disappointed by the flagrant violations of our rules and by the Clippers’ institutional and leadership failures that led to this misconduct. The severity of the penalties reflects the seriousness of the violations.”
NBA fans have been looking for clarity for a year. Last September, journalist Pablo Torre released the first in a series of podcast episodes alleging that Ballmer’s Clippers violated the salary cap circumvention rules designed to punish teams for spending too much on player salaries. Citing legal documents, Torre claimed that Ballmer went under the table to sign Leonard to a no-show endorsement deal with Aspiration – a now-bankrupt sustainability services company that Ballmer invested in to pay Leonard $28m.
The NBA-hired New York law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz has been conducting an independent investigation into the allegations since then, saying on Wednesday that the Clippers violated “the circumvention rules in numerous independent ways by (i) affirmatively initiating off-court income opportunities between Mr Leonard and four different companies doing business with the team: Aspiration, Boingo Wireless, Daktronics, and Lockton Insurance.” It also found that the Clippers facilitated the fulfillment of those endorsement agreements and induced the companies to enter into the agreements by offering and providing them with business from the Clippers, such as an Aspiration jersey patch and Daktronics scoreboard.
The Clippers “vehemently reject the NBA’s punishments,” according to a statement released by the organization, calling them “the result of a heavily biased investigation seeking to justify a predetermined narrative rather than facts and evidence.” Leonard, meanwhile, announced on Instagram that “I accept full responsibility for lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle,” referring to his uncle and former business manager, Dennis Robertson, who solicited these agreements on Leonard’s behalf and was banned from the league for five years as a result.
Leonard appears to be on his way to Toronto, as the previously announced trade between the Clippers and Raptors is expected to go through within the next few days, according to ESPN. The Raptors will send Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round picks, two second-round picks and a pick-swap to Los Angeles to reunite Leonard with the franchise he won an NBA championship with in 2019. The deal was put on hold in late July after the NBA announced that the Raptors had to commit in writing to assume any risk of penalties Leonard might incur from the investigation. But given that Leonard basically got off scot-free – his only punishment is to pay the league $700,000, probably because the league wanted to avoid a battle with its Players Association – the Raptors will be incentivized to see the deal through while the Clippers will have a hard time going back to the negotiating table given that most of their front office has been suspended.
Still, the Clippers are desperate for a way out of this situation, and for good reason. After having to forfeit five first round draft picks, the Clippers now have no natural pick in the draft from 2029 through 2033. It’s a dire situation considering that the franchise only recently pivoted to a rebuild after trading veterans James Harden, Ivica Zubac, and (almost certainly) Leonard – leaving them without any superstars or bluechip prospects to build around. They can’t really attract veteran talent given the damage this year-long soap opera has done to their brand, while finding good young players through the draft just became nearly impossible.
“We intend to vigorously challenge these findings and penalties through every avenue available to us and look forward to an ethical and impartial arbitration process,” announced the Clippers, who also sent a letter to Silver confirming that “we are exploring every legal remedy to address this gross injustice.”
Prolonged litigation between one of the world’s richest men and one of its wealthiest sports leagues could be ahead of us. But while this all may seem like a harsh penalty for an organization that only recently climbed out of the dregs of the NBA – one that could be forced to sell or relocate in the aftermath of this news in the worst-case scenario – Silver had no choice but to drop the hammer on Ballmer given what he represents not only to sports fans, but to the swell of big-pocketed owners who have recently bought into the NBA as well.
“Many fans have expressed apathy about the entire cap circumvention fiasco,” Stephen Noh wrote in Sporting News. “But if the league simply gave a finger wag, then other deep-pocketed ownership groups would surely have started their own cap circumvention techniques.”
Whether it’s Bob Iger and Josh Kushner buying the Lakers for $12.5bn this summer, or casino mogul and Donald Trump megadonor Miriam Adelson buying the Dallas Mavericks for $3.5bn in 2023, the new wave of NBA owners have a lot more in common with Ballmer than they do with the previous generation of NBA owners like Sterling and former Lakers owner Jerry Buss, who ran mom and pop shop operations after buying their teams for, as ridiculous as this sounds, “mere” millions.
Following in Ballmer’s footsteps, the new money entering the NBA is tied to tech billionaires, sovereign wealth funds in the Gulf states, and private equity firms in America that have seemingly unlimited amounts of money and power. Silver had no choice but to make an example out of the Clippers, theoretically setting a precedent that is harsh enough to keep the rest of the owners in line to ensure parity and integrity for the NBA.
From Maynor Figueroa’s son Keyrol at Wigan to Spurs’s Irish forward Melia at Lincoln and Stockport keeper Whatmuff, we look at nine to keep an eye on
Goalkeepers are supposed to peak at about 30, which makes one wonder how good the 18-year-old Whatmuff will be at that point. He spent last season playing professionally, earning promotion from the National League with Rochdale under the tutelage of Jimmy McNulty. When the manager jumped two divisions to Stockport, Whatmuff was the first person he wanted to take with him. City showed how highly they think of Whatmuff by incorporating him within their pre-season tour travelling party, where he worked closely with Gianluigi Donnarumma. Whatmuff is extremely composed with the ball at his feet, unfazed by pressure and his surroundings. Those who have worked with him are confident he will spend his career in the Premier League and win full international honours.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 01: Thomas Saggese #25 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrates his home run with a teammate in the dugout in the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on September 01, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Yes, it’s that time. Last week saw the end of the Dominican Summer League season. In fact the Cardinals’ affiliate ended earlier than that, because they did not make the playoffs. The Florida Complex League ended well before that: though unofficial games have been played since then, games with actual recorded stats I can find online stopped in July. I like to cover the leagues as their seasons end and the less leagues I cover, the more players I can list. It will certainly include players who I probably would not bother covering if I needed to cover more teams, but I prefer that over ignoring players who I want to cover, but don’t want to make this 5,000 words. We will start with the DSL.
In a shocking twist, there is another catcher. I genuinely don’t understand this. The Cardinals are growing catching prospects on trees. They just keep popping up in the DSL every year, seemingly limitless. I have followed the minor leagues for over a decade and I can tell you that it did not use to be like this. Catching prospects used to be quite rare in fact, it was the entire reason the Cardinals signed Willson Contreras. They could not find a Yadi replacement.
When hitters step up to the plate against Beltran, nearly 60% of the time, they did not make contact. That’s the good news. The bad news is he was nearly as likely to let a hitter on base for free as he was to strike them out. He had 22 walks and 8 hit by pitches. He had 41 strikeouts. He faced 119 batters all season. He was also quite bad at preventing runners from scoring once they did get on base, with a 53.7 LOB%. But he’s young and he clearly has swing-and-miss stuff and he has a better shot at becoming an elite prospect than probably anyone else on this team. I have no scouting information to back that up, just basing it off his stats.
It has been said before that sometimes how much a prospect plays can tell you more than how they actually perform. And Cordero had the most PAs on the team, and it came a season after getting over 100 PAs as a 16-year-old. Ideally, he manages a better hitting line than this of course, but the Cardinals are flashing a neon sign that he’s worth following. He also played some first base.
And your innings pitched leader on the DSL Cardinals is Garcia. When watching MLB pitchers, I prefer pitchers who don’t walk hitters. When following prospects though, I don’t find these kind of prospects particularly interesting. If you aren’t really striking out a lot at this level, I find it hard to put any sort of investment in the prospect.
Takahashi played in 12 games last season as a 16-year-old and was basically the same exact hitter. Well this season he actually managed to have a good average. But tons of walks, no power. It is kind of fascinating to see a prospect with the rating bar for patience being 100 and the rating bar for power being 0 though. Hopefully with age comes power or all that walking won’t make much of a difference.
By the way, the offensive environment of this league is all kinds of screwed up, because while I wouldn’t actually expect this to be a good pitching slash line, I feel like like the FIP numbers here are weirdly low. Santillan has the lowest ERA on the staff by a good margin.
It must be easier to find hitting prospects internationally. It’s clearly easier to play in the DSL as a hitter, that is for sure. Each year there are number of notable DSL prospects worth following and they’re always hitters. 17 or younger with good stats. There seem to be around five per year.
This is what I’m talking about. If I ever stumble on a 16 or 17-year-old pitcher, they always have the worst stats you’ve ever seen. Anyway, Moronta is the lone 16-year-old on the staff and he actually threw the 6th most innings on the team. So he’s a real prospect. But yeah hard to get excited with these stats.
Consecion is doing pretty much exactly what you want an 18-year-old to do in this league. The downside is that I don’t really believe in any 18-year-old hitter performing well in this league. But he never got a chance to play at 17, so he’s done all he can do.
Trust me when I say that these are elite stats for a pitcher in this league. They are at least elite stats on this team. This is about as good as they get. Well, I don’t need to tell you, you see the evidence.
Sanchez is yet another player whose stats I am sharing primarily because of the amount of opportunities they got. They are very mediocre in just about every way, but the Cardinals gave him the 2nd most PAs on the team as a 17-year-old. They see something in him.
If I shared these stats independent of the rest of this article, you’d wonder why I bothered sharing his stats at all. But you can see how rare it is for a pitcher to have good stats at all, and you might notice the 17 next to his name and also his 10 starts. Which is certainly eye-popping. I’ll also shout out his groundball percentage, which I noticed because just about nobody else has a good one on this team. But he’ll need to miss more bats for sure.
Two position players with the smallest sample you could possibly want. In Luna’s case, it appears that he got injured multiple times. But he hit 3 homers in his 9 games. Aside from playing DH, he was also the CF in the games he played in the field. So Luna’s exciting! Mirabel was the backup catcher whose season started at the very end of July, and that’s why he only played in seven games.
I was on the fence on whether to list these stats until I noticed that he was left-handed, which I actually don’t see very often in the DSL for whatever reason. He is very wild with 12 wild pitches, 3 hit by pitches and a 22 BB%, but I also like how many balls are hit on the ground against him.
You know the drill. Look at the age. He got quite a few plate appearances as a 16-year-old and on top of that, he had a good amount of power. Obviously, he had trouble making contact and that’s why he had a below average batting line.
Why am I sharing his stats? Well, he’s a converted position player is why. I thought that was cool. He played the last two seasons as a 1B/OF and could never quite hit, so the Cardinals moved him to pitcher. And while he hasn’t been good, nobody is a good pitcher at this level and he managed to miss 23.8% of bats in his first try pitching. Maybe there’s something here.
Oh yeah Cana had good stats at the DSL, but midseason got promoted to the states, which you don’t usually see. He has also thrown a game at Low A, which was on the 19th of August actually. I assume that was a one-off, or I would think he’d have thrown another game since then. It was 2.2 IP of 1 run ball, albeit with 4 walks and 4 strikeouts.
LeBron has played just about everywhere so I was puzzled as to what position to list, but I realized I could just put utility. He has played 13 games in Low A and has struggled to make contact with a 36 K%. I don’t feel the need to list his stats, because I will likely share his Low A stats later when I share stats from Palm Beach.
Okay so most of the pitchers with halfway decent stats at this level have been promoted to Palm Beach. Cabrera is no exception. These pitchers usually also have terrible stats at Palm Beach. Again Cabrera is no exception. He’s made 4 appearances and has a 7.90 ERA with not a lot better peripherals. I would prefer not to list those stats out and focus on the positive part of his season.
Lucena had a very good season in the DSL with a 142 wRC+. Clearly he struggled to hit the ball with any kind of authority. His season ended in early June, I suspect for development reasons. Good thing is he’s still just 18-years-old.
Zulueta, aside from having an incredibly hard name to spell, had pretty good stats last season in the DSL. Obviously, he struggled in the complex league, although there were positives and he’s just 19-years-old. He also made an appearance in Palm Beach, which was not a good appearance. That was a week ago, I’ll be curious if he pitches again.
Interesting fact about Hunter is that he’s displayed more power in the complex league than he did in the DSL. In the DSL he had under a .100 ISO. So not a super exciting line, but he certainly held his own and I imagine he’ll be in Low A next season at 19-years-old.
Cruz has been quite unhittable this season. He’s made two multi-inning appearances at Palm Beach as well and has struck out over 40% of batters there too. He’s also getting groundballs. You don’t usually see both at these levels.
After a good offensive season in the DSL, Rujano struggled quite a bit with the bat in the complex leagues. But again, these players all being 18 is really making this a lot more palatable. You can take multiple seasons to adjust to a level when you are that young.
Strop didn’t really hit in the DSL either, so this is not completely unexpected. He actually significantly cut his strikeout rate in fact, although he also lost some power.
And I’m going to stop there. I forgot that a lot of the good performances in the complex league get promoted to Low A, so not as many players to cover! Good for me though though, because I just watched the Cardinals come back and beat the Dodgers and I need to go to bed!
CLEVELAND, OH - SEPTEMBER 02: Cleveland Guardians catcher Austin Hedges (27) and umpire Laz Diaz (63) have a laugh as Diaz examines Hedges after Hedges pitched the eighth inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland Guardians on September 2, 2026, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Cleveland Guardians last night.
It was a game that does not need to be revisited by us fans any time soon.
But at least we got to watch Austin Hedges pitch.
In all seriousness, the Guardians are still (at the time of writing), 3.5 games behind the Chicago White Sox in the division and only 1.5 games ahead of the Rangers for the final Wild Card spot. They absolutely need to pull themselves together and shake of last night’s game. With Detroit coming to town for four games, there is a great opportunity to stay in win column, but just as easily is there the opportunity to wash away all playoff hopes.
Welcome to September baseball.
Around the League
white sox just had a walk, a single, a triple, plus 2 other balls in play in the same inning and did not score
After some thought, I felt this was the best way to review Monday night’s game:
Tyrone Taylor, Nico Hoerner, Alex Bregman, Seiya Suzuki, Bregman, Carson Kelly, Matt Shaw, Michael Conforto, Bregman.
Team record nine home runs.
National League record 62 home runs for the month.
Clay Holmes, six innings, zero runs, five hits, two walks and eight strikeouts (don’t want to forget him).
A blow-out game with a dominant pitching performance, plus team and NL records for home runs. A very nice, neat, tidy victory in Game One over the Brewers.
Tuesday night’s game — ehhh, not so nice or neat or tidy. Matthew Boyd had the Cubs in a winnable position to pull off their second game from the Brewers. And the bullpen did their best avalanche impression.
Boyd left the game with one out in the sixth, with runners on second and third with the Cubs up, 3-1. He had given up one run while scattering seven hits and a walk with three strikeouts. It was up to Daniel Palencia to slam the door on any chance that a Brewer rally may occur.
Instead, he held the door open and waved the fellas through. Balked in a run, then gave up a two-run double and a two-run home run. Milwaukee was up, 5-3, but there was still plenty of time for the Cubs, especially following Carson Kelly’s fielder’s choice which allowed a run to score to pull within one. Michael Busch’s TOONBLAN on the play ended the inning. But the bullpen just needed to hold it together as entering the game was Ryan Jefferzahn—
Zeferzahn allowed an RBI-double to make the score, 6-4. Still in reach as the next pitcher entered the game, Caleb Thielba—
RBI-single. 7-4, in the top of the seventh. Three runs down, three innings left, there’s time. All that was needed was a great inning by just-called-up Tyler Fergus—
Two-run home run. 9-4. Game over.
First thought was maybe Palencia, coming off an injury, may not be ready for prime-time. Is anyone in the bullpen really ready? They have to be. It IS prime-time.
After the offensive explosion Monday, one hoped a little of that could continue Tuesday. The Cubs managed six hits total. In addition to Kelly’s RBI, Tyrone Taylor had a two-RBI-double and scored on an error. Five singles among five hitters amounted to nothing.
At this point, the Cubs can still win the series, but they will need consistency from all players on the roster. And a lotta luck against Misiorowski.
*Complimentary Starting Pitcher Solo Home Run*
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Alex House (ClutchPoints): Cubs’ Craig Counsell says quiet part out loud about loss to Brewers. “When reviewing all the evidence, it is odd to expect more from the Cubs’ first-class defense, especially on a night when the Brewers committed two errors. And yet, Craig Counsell actually made a valid point.”
Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Why the Cubs are sticking with Shota Imanaga — for now. “Despite Imanaga’s recent struggles, the Cubs need the lefty to regain some of his All-Star form if they hope to make a deep playoff run.”
Sam Caulder (North Side Baseball): The Cubs’ Playoff Picture Is Starting to Come Into Focus. “The Cubs are firmly in the National League playoff picture, but September could change everything. With the Phillies, Diamondbacks and Padres all fighting for October, Chicago has plenty of work left to do.”
Never had the hardships of the world been transformed into such a poetic height; never had the blues plumbed such an emotional depth. Johnson took the intense loneliness, terrors and tortuous lifestyle that came with being an African-American in the South during the Great Depression, and transformed that specific and very personal experience into music of universal relevance and global reach. “You want to know how good the blues can get?” Keith Richards once asked, answering his own question: “Well, this is it.” Eric Clapton put it more plainly: “I have never found anything more deeply soulful than Robert Johnson.”
Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 25: Jordan Romano #68 of the Colorado Rockies pitches during the game between the Colorado Rockies and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Tuesday, August 25, 2026 in Washington, District of Columbia. (Photo by Olivia Vega/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
My introduction to baseball fandom was through an invite to an Out of the Park Baseball sim-league run by some of my father’s friends when I was in high school. I was tasked with playing as a general manager of a fictional baseball team filled with fictional baseball players, and I was competing against my father and his friends who were all running their own teams.
To me, it was just like all the numbers-heavy roleplaying games I’d played throughout my childhood where part of the point is finding ways to optimize a system. I took that mindset into this league primarily made up of older baseball fans just having fun with their friends.
My ruthlessly optimized team quickly became the most dominant in the league.
Now as an adult, I have mixed feelings about the way in which I treated roster building like a math puzzle that could be solved. I probably did a disservice to the spirit of what was, basically, a beer-and-pretzels-style game. I was a child at the time, and everyone still had a good time, so there wasn’t any real harm done.
But I do regret how I went about it.
I mention all of this to give you a sense of the lens through which I am naturally inclined to think about baseball. I have always been one for whom following the numbers and their relation to wins is my first instinct when considering team decisions.
Given all that, I am shocked to discover that Rockies closer Jordan Romano has managed to almost singlehandedly shift how I think about bullpen management.
For almost two decades, I’ve bought into the notion that the best way to organize a bullpen revolves around exploiting hitter tendencies and looking to the leverage of each plate appearance. The idea of holding to reliever roles defined by the inning in which the player is allowed to pitch has always seemed far too simplistic to me.
The question I’ve always put to folks advocating for set closers and set up roles is this: Why save your best relievers for the final two innings? Why wouldn’t you want to use your best arms in the most important situations of the game, regardless of which inning that occurs in?
Watching the Rockies have 12 different relievers blow saves over the course of the past two seasons wore down my previously held belief. The sheer number of times the Rockies lost a lead in the late innings since the start of 2025 is mind boggling when taken into the context of how few leads they’ve even had.
The 2026 Rockies bullpen, in search of a means of blowing fewer leads, has undergone a transformation throughout the summer.
In April, when the starting rotation was consistently unable to make it through the fifth inning, a collection of long relievers were the most important feature of the bullpen. By June, both the effectiveness of those long-relief appearances and the need for innings had been reduced, so the Rockies were left with an amorphous collection of role-less relievers.
Through the first half, 10 different Rockies pitchers had been awarded a save for the team, and seven had blown a save opportunity. In July, Romano joined the big league team, and the Rockies bullpen usage changed immediately.
I should hate this. I should be pushing for Romano to be used in any important situation instead of being limited to the end of the game.
In reality, I find myself simply at ease whenever the ninth rolls around and the broadcast team cuts the final commercial break in favor of showing Romano’s entrance. The memories of so many games having flipped suddenly right at the end from a Rockies lead to a Rockies loss are starting to fade. I am no longer beset by a sense of mounting dread during the final few innings of most Rockies games.
I still want the Rockies to win. To that end, I want them to make roster building and tactical decisions that give them the best chance to do so. I’m not yet convinced that using your best relievers in a rigidly defined inning is actually optimal. What I have been convinced of, however, is that the emotional experience of a lead feeling safe heading into the final inning or two is worth being a bit illogical.
I wish that the younger version of myself had read the room better instead of chasing every last advantage in my old OOTP league. I’m glad that the current version of the Rockies has set aside this one portion of the modern baseball zeitgeist in favor of providing both some spectacle and peace of mind to a fanbase that has had to endure a lot of disappointment in recent years.
Romano is thriving as the Rockies closer. Warren Schafer has to do less hand-wringing when deciding how to line up his bullpen. I get to feel excited at the end of games instead of fighting that old sense of dread. All parties involved get something nice out of the current arrangement.
Should the Rockies eschew all modern analytics and stop trying to find other ways to give them better chances to win?
Of course not.
I’m just glad that they aren’t so beholden to pursuing every single marginal advantage that they aren’t willing to stick to a “sub-optimal role” for a player like Romano when he shows them that he is incredibly comfortable in it.
Should the Rockies go ahead and sign Romano to a big multi-year extension based on his 18 innings of work for the team? Absolutely not, but… if they happen to bring him back for next year, you won’t hear me complaining given how much more pleasant he has made it to be a fan of this team.
This was a close game right up until the end as the Isotopes couldn’t hold a one run lead when it counted most.
While the Rainiers would get on the board first with a one out RBI single from Stuart Fairchild in the top of the fourth it wouldn’t be long before the Isotopes struck back. Roc Riggio (No. 13 PuRP) opened up the bottom of the fifth with his first Triple-A double and was driven in by Nic Kent on a grounder that was just barely missed by Rainiers second baseman Leo Rivas. Albuquerque would take the lead in the eighth when Riggio walked with the bases loaded to score Drew Avans.
The Isotopes would enter the ninth inning with a thin one run lead after great performances from starter Jake Brooks, and relievers Valente Bellozo and Mason Green. The ninth rolled around and TJ Shook was handed the ball. Shook would load the bases on a couple of walks and single before a two-out wild pitch would allow Fairchild of the Rainiers to score and tie the game.
When the Isotopes were unable to score in the bottom of the ninth the game went to extras where Evan Shawver took over on the mound. A pair of walks to open the inning combined with the automatic runner at second loaded the bases before a Nolan Jones sacrifice fly gave the Rainiers the lead again. That would ultimately be all the runs that were needed for a Tacoma victory but they tacked on another two before it ended for good measure.
The Hartford lineup couldn’t dig the team out of a whole dug by their bullpen.
Bryson Hammer started the game for the Yard Goats and, other than four walks, pitched quite well. Hammer held the Fightin Phils to a single run over five innings while striking out five. When Hammer was done he was relieved by Davison Palermo who did not have nearly as good a day at the ballpark. Palermo set down the side in order in the sixth but allowed a two-run homer to Bryson Ware in the seventh. While Palermo came back out in the eighth, he was pulled after allowing another two runs. Nathan Blasick shut the door for the remainder of the game but the damage had already been done.
The Yard Goats came out the gates in the first with a run after Andy Perez doubled and then Jared Thomas (No. 8 PuRP) and Jack O’Dowd singled to drive him in. Hartford would take the lead in the bottom of the sixth with a string of hits to load the bases before a Zach Kokoska grounder and a Cole Messina walk drove in two. Despite a single in each of the remaining innings The Yard Goats scoring would end in the sixth and they’d ultimately drop to a 62-65 record.
After a recent string of impressive pitching performances from Jordy Vargas hopes were high for him coming into this game. Vargas could threw 96 pitches to get through four and two thirds innings and allowed seven runs on nine hits and three walks. The majority of the runs came on a Cesar Quintas double in the third and an Aiden Taurek home run in the fifth but ultimately Vargas simply allowed far too traffic on the bases to be successful. Once Vargas was pulled the string of Luke Hansel, Austin Emener, and Justin Loer would come in to fill out the rest of the game. None of them was able to get avoid allowing the AquaSox to add on to their score.
At the plate both Wilder Dalis (No. 10 PuRP) and Max Belyeu (No. 23 PuRP) hit solo home runs which was essentially the end of the positives for the Spokane lineup. In total, Spokane hitters struck out fourteen times which at least meant that that teams struggles on the mound were not the only reason the team lost.
An early flurry of hits and consistent pitching brought the Grizzlies ten games above .500.
Three straight ground outs in the first from Fresno hitters was quickly forgotten in the second. Daniel Jackson (No. 12 PuRP) and Ronny Ugarte led of the inning with back-to-back hits before Jack Natili (No. 20 PuRP) walked the bases loaded. A triple from Cort MacDonald, a sacrifice fly from Juan Martinez, and a home run from Landyn Vidourek would score five for the Grizzlies before the inning would come to an end. Natili would go on to score an insurance run in the eighth after he doubled and came home on a wild pitch.
That insurance run was ultimately unnecessary due to the solid combined pitching from the Grizzlies. Luichi Casilla and Austin Newton threw four innings apiece. While Newton’s four innings of one-run pitching was solid, it paled in comparison to Casilla’s four scoreless with seven strikeouts. Ben Davis would throw the ninth and allow another run to the Giants on an Andy Polanco RBI single but at that stage the Grizzlies were so far ahead that it never got particularly stressful.
Statements about the CBA negotiations from those directly involved are generally pre-prepared and crafted with a specific purpose in mind. The idea of getting any individuals actual personal thoughts on the process is implausible if their name is attached to the quotes. In order to get insights from players ESPN collected quotes from a two dozen players and anonymized them all. A fascinating look into how the players side is feeling heading into this pivotal offseason.
The Rockies were 23rd in the league in terms of stolen bases last season but have risen up to 14th so far in 2026. Jake McCarthy and his team leading 26 stolen bases are the clear difference for Rockies baserunning this year. Drew Creasman talks with McCarthy about the year he’s had in Colorado and his mindset on the bases. It’s worth the read for McCarthy’s quote about his throwing arm in the outfield alone.
Troy Renck offers his take on the Cole Carrigg benching situation that unfolded this past week. For his part, Renck sees disciplining Carrigg as a delicate line to walk in avoiding extreme outbursts while also not smothering the intensity that he plays with. If the quotes from Schaeffer, Josh Byrne, and Carrigg himself are any indication, the Rockies organization tends to agree with Renck’s assesment.
