US film director Spike Lee takes pictures with his mobile phone of the New York Knicks players ahead of the NBA basketball game against The Detroit Pistons at the O2 Arena in London on January 17, 2013. AFP PHOTO / ADRIAN DENNIS (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS / AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images
It’s a big day for Posting and Toasting. Today, the SB Nation app is live, and it’s the best way to follow the Knicks.
You can download it by searching SB Nation for iOS or Android.
A year ago we made some big changes to our community, including offering fewer ads and the addition of the Feed. Today, we want to give you even more community tools and fewer ads with this app. It will make starting and joining conversations here as simple as posting to your favorite social media platform.
You can check out the video below showing off some of the useful features of the app, and we’ll dig into them below.
Why should I download the app?
The app will be the easiest way to interact with everybody else in the community:
All your favorite teams’ posts in one dedicated feed
Notifications when someone replies or recs your post
New game thread section, with an experience that’s smoother and faster
Fewer ads
Easily navigating between your favorite communities with a swipe
It will be the fastest way to read every post from our community.
How do I download the app?
Head over to the Apple store or the Android store to download the app. Today, the app is only available for US users.
CHARLOTTE, NC - FEBRUARY 16: Kevin Durant #35 of Team LeBron gets ready in the locker room before the 2019 NBA All-Star Practice and Media Availability on February 16, 2019 at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. 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 2019 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
It’s a big day for The Dream Shake. Today, the SB Nation app is live, and it’s the best way to follow the Rockets.
You can download it by searching SB Nation for iOS or Android.
A year ago we made some big changes to our community, including offering fewer ads and the addition of the Feed. Today, we want to give you even more community tools and fewer ads with this app. It will make starting and joining conversations here as simple as posting to your favorite social media platform.
I grabbed it this weekend, and I’m typically not an app guy, but it’s way simpler to do pretty much everything if you’re accessing TDS on your phone at all. All your registered sites appear, you can scroll sideways right through them, then up or down to engage with an article or Feed post. Really cool. And you never know, there may even be a KD burner or two!
You can check out the video below showing off some of the useful features of the app, and we’ll dig into them below.
Why should I download the app?
The app will be the easiest way to interact with everybody else in the community:
All your favorite teams’ posts in one dedicated feed
Notifications when someone replies or recs your post
New game thread section, with an experience that’s smoother and faster
Fewer ads
Easily navigating between your favorite communities with a swipe
It will be the fastest way to read every post from our community.
How do I download the app?
Head over to the Apple store or the Android store to download the app. Today, the app is only available for US users.
PHOENIX - FEBRUARY 14: (L-R) Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs looks at the cell phone of director Spike Lee as they attend NBA All-Star Saturday Night, part of 2009 NBA All-Star Weekend at US Airways Center on February 14, 2009 in Phoenix, Arizona. 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 2009 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
It’s a big day for Pounding The Rock. Today, the SB Nation app is live, and it’s the best way to follow the Spurs.
You can download it by searching SB Nation for iOS or Android.
A year ago we made some big changes to our community, including offering fewer ads and the addition of the Feed. Today, we want to give you even more community tools and fewer ads with this app. It will make starting and joining conversations here as simple as posting to your favorite social media platform.
You can check out the video below showing off some of the useful features of the app, and we’ll dig into them below.
Why should I download the app?
The app will be the easiest way to interact with everybody else in the community:
All your favorite teams’ posts in one dedicated feed
Notifications when someone replies or recs your post
New game thread section, with an experience that’s smoother and faster
Fewer ads
Easily navigating between your favorite communities with a swipe
It will be the fastest way to read every post from our community.
How do I download the app?
Head over to the Apple store or the Android store to download the app. Today, the app is only available for US users.
Milwaukee, WI - APRIL 20: Milwaukee Bucks mascot, Bango takes a 'selfie' with fans before Game Three of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Toronto Raptors of the 2017 NBA Playoffs on April 20, 2017 at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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 2017 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
It’s a big day for Brew Hoop. Today, the SB Nation app is live, and it’s the best way to follow the Bucks.
You can download it by searching SB Nation for iOS or Android.
A year ago we made some big changes to our communities, including offering fewer ads and the addition of The Feed. Today, we want to give you even more community tools and fewer ads with this app. It will make starting and joining conversations here as simple as posting to your favorite social media platform.
You can check out the video below showing off some of the useful features of the app, and we’ll dig into them below.
Why should I download the app?
The app will be the easiest way to interact with everybody else in the community:
All your favorite teams’ posts in one dedicated feed
Notifications when someone replies or recs your post
New game thread section, with an experience that’s smoother and faster
Fewer ads
Easily navigating between your favorite communities with a swipe
It will be the fastest way to read every post from our community.
How do I download the app?
Head over to the Apple store or the Android store to download the app. Today, the app is only available for US users.
CHARLOTTE, NC - FEBRUARY 16: Kevin Durant #35 of Team LeBron gets ready in the locker room before the 2019 NBA All-Star Practice and Media Availability on February 16, 2019 at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. 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 2019 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
It’s a big day for NetsDaily. Today, the SB Nation app is live, and it’s the best way to follow the Nets.
You can download it by searching SB Nation for iOS or Android.
A year ago we made some big changes to our community, including offering fewer ads and the addition of the Feed. Today, we want to give you even more community tools and fewer ads with this app. It will make starting and joining conversations here as simple as posting to your favorite social media platform.
You can check out the video below showing off some of the useful features of the app, and we’ll dig into them below.
Why should I download the app?
The app will be the easiest way to interact with everybody else in the community:
All your favorite teams’ posts in one dedicated feed
Notifications when someone replies or recs your post
New game thread section, with an experience that’s smoother and faster
Fewer ads
Easily navigating between your favorite communities with a swipe
It will be the fastest way to read every post from our community.
How do I download the app?
Head over to the Apple store or the Android store to download the app. Today, the app is only available for US users.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - MARCH 08: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics reacts during the third quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena on March 08, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Celtics defeated the Cavaliers 109-98. 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. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
When I wrote about the NBA teams with the most to prove last summer, the first entry on the list was the New York Knicks. The Knicks had just fired Tom Thibodeau coming off a conference finals appearance, and they struck out on numerous head coaching candidates to replace him before settling on Mike Brown. A final four berth wasn’t good enough for New York; they traded away too much to build a perfect team around Jalen Brunson, and anything less than a trip to the NBA Finals was going to be a failure in a diminished Eastern Conference landscape with Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum both recovering from torn Achilles injuries.
The Knicks were good, not great, during the regular season, before finding a special level during the playoffs and winning their first championship since 1973. New York answered their biggest questions on the way to a title, but not every team was so lucky.
The upcoming 2026-27 season feels wide open. The NBA has had eight straight unique champions, and there’s a great chance that streak can extend another year. Some teams are facing more pressure than others. Here are the teams with the most to prove next season.
Philadelphia 76ers
Need to prove they can make the most of all this talent.
The Sixers haven’t even made the Eastern Conference Finals since before 9/11. Philly has been flirting with building a contender for Joel Embiid’s entire career, cycling through co-stars like Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler, James Harden … dare I bring up Markelle Fultz? To say it’s been a wild decade for the Sixers would be an understatement, but in many ways it all feels like it’s built toward this season. Embiid is in a diminished state at age-32 due to injuries, but at this point he’s more of an extra ingredient than the meat and potatoes of Philly’s stew. The Sixers traded for Jaylen Brown, signed LeBron James, and added some nice depth pieces in Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons, and Labaron Philon over the summer. The expectation will be that the Sixers are the biggest threat to the Knicks in the East come playoff time, but with a loaded conference and legitimate questions about fit and durability, there are plenty of pitfalls before they get there. The Sixers won’t meet expectations if Embiid’s body keeps falling apart, and LeBron declines steeply at age-42. They need Jaylen Brown to buy into a lower usage role than the one he had last year in Boston, and they need the bench to plug the holes in a top-heavy starting lineup. It feels like Philly enters the season with more variance than the typical contender due to Embiid’s injury history, LeBron’s age, and Brown’s fit. Their championship window won’t be cracked open for long. That makes them the team under the most pressure this season.
Boston Celtics
Prove that trading Jaylen Brown was worth it.
The decision to trade Jaylen Brown was never about just this season for the Celtics. They got back potentially valuable first-round draft picks in 2028 and 2031 in the deal, which they hope will set them up with a younger co-star for the end of Jayson Tatum’s prime. Given how quick the public is to rush to judgment, though, it sure would help Boston if it at least maintains the level it showed last season. I’m buying the Celtics as a very good regular season team once again. They’re essentially replacing Brown with a full year of Tatum, Mitchell Robinson, and Paul George. I could see Payton Pritchard taking a leap in production with more on-ball opportunities, and I could see Derrick White shooting the ball better with more in-rhythm attempts available without Brown’s ball-dominant style around. It’s inevitable that anyone who hated the Brown trade for Boston will take a victory lap if and when the Celtics’ season ends in the playoffs, but it’s important to remember this team lost in the first-round last year even with Brown. The Celtics can come out of this trade looking great if they get one of the top seeds in the East, and potentially finish with more wins than Philly during the regular season. The book on this trade can’t be written until those future picks pay off, but it will be hard for the Celtics to deal with the bad PR if this team falls on its face. The East is loaded, and there’s certainly a chance Boston misses Brown’s rugged physicality, durability, and volume scoring. It may not be fair, but the Celtics can’t take a huge step back in their first season without Brown if they want to avoid a black eye.
Los Angeles Lakers
Prove that this is the best place for Luka Doncic long-term.
The Lakers were already going to be facing a ton of pressure this season even before their messy ownership changes. Lead executive Rob Pelinka made one of the boldest bets of the summer by trading two unprotected first-round picks and two first-round swaps to the Utah Jazz for Walker Kessler. It’s easy to see the vision: LA wanted a young, rim protecting center behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, and it’s hard to do better than Kessler in that regard. They just gave up a lot for him, and now can’t trade a future first-round pick for seven years. Doncic has a huge spotlight on him this season. In an era where everyone is winning championships — even Doncic’s former backup in Dallas — it would be odd and kind of embarrassing if he can’t get one. Luka will be extension eligible after this season. He’ll probably take the money and lock in long-term, but it’s no guarantee if things go sideways for the Lakers this year. It’s easy to forget that this team won 53 games last year even with Doncic missing a lot of time. They will have a way better center this year, but the forward room is a major question mark. The Lakers obviously need perimeter defenders around Doncic and Reaves, and I think they made a few good bets in there with Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams, Adou Thiero, and Chris Manon even if they’re mostly long-shots. A first-round playoff exit won’t be good enough for the Lakers this season. They need to show they can push the Thunder and Spurs for being the best in the West.
Denver Nuggets
Prove they’re still a Western Conference Contender.
The Nuggets felt like a championship threat entering the 2026 playoffs. Then they lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round in six games, and had the rest of the league questioning whether they’ve been passed by their Western Conference rivals. Nikola Jokic remains as great as any player in the game, but it sure feels like the arrow is pointing down for most of his supporting cast. Aaron Gordon can’t stay healthy, Cam Johnson had a disappointing first season, and Christian Braun suddenly looks like one of the most overpaid players in basketball. The only real notable thing the Nuggets did this offseason was lose Peyton Watson to the Cavs in restricted free agency, and while I like that deal for Denver long-term, it provides another big hit to this year’s rotation. All things are possible through Jokic, so I’m not going to write the Nuggets off yet, but it sure feels like the vibes are bad heading into this season. If things go poorly, there could be some fretting over Jokic’s future as he enters a contract year without an extension. Jokic sure seems committed to Denver, but he also wants to win. Can he still do that with the Nuggets?
Minnesota Timberwolves
Prove they can beat the best of the West.
I’m old enough to remember when the Wolves were one of the worst franchises in the league, going 13 years between playoff appearances. Now Minnesota has been to the playoffs five straight years, and they’ve won five series over their last three trips. This is a consistently very good team with Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert, but they still haven’t gotten over the hump in the West. The Wolves made a bold trade for LaMelo Ball this summer for a few reasons. His elite playmaking should help cover up Edwards’ deficiencies in that area, his pull-up three-point shooting introduces more variance against elite defenses, and it’s possible his arrival could deter some of the vultures potentially circling around Edwards if he ever requests a trade. I hated the LaMelo trade for Charlotte. I liked it, didn’t love it, for Minnesota, mostly because his durability is such a big question mark. I already had Minnesota at No. 4 in my preseason power rankings even before they added Jonathan Kuminga. I’ve never been high on Kuminga as a player, but for some reason I find myself buying into the fit in Minnesota. The Wolves needed a little more size and physicality in the front court, and Kuminga is a bit underrated as a rebounder and defender when he’s not trying to be an iso scorer. It feels like so much of this season falls on the shoulders of Gobert, and I worry he could be starting to decline. There are some real question marks for this team, but their upside feels like it’s higher than anyone in the West this side of OKC and San Antonio. The pressure is on to put it all together.
Indiana Pacers
Prove they can get back to being an East contender.
The last time the Pacers were healthy, they went on one of the most magical NBA Finals runs in league history. They might have won it all if Tyrese Haliburton didn’t tear his Achilles in Game 7 against the Thunder. After a 19-win season as their star guard recovered, Haliburton is back and so are Indiana’s expectations. The Pacers made an extremely bold trade for Ivica Zubac at the deadline that ended up costing them the No. 5 overall pick in the 2026 draft. There was probably no path back to immediate contention without a center upgrade, though, and Zubac is very good even if he has a different skill set than Myles Turner, the man he’s replacing. Haliburton is one-man offense in many ways with his rare ability to push the pace without turning it over. Does that system still work with a slower, more rim-oriented big man in Zubac who doesn’t stretch the floor like Turner? Can the role players who were so key during the 2025 Finals run find the same magic again? It feels like Haliburton has a huge range of outcomes this year. He could be First-Team All-NBA, or he could fail to make the All-Star team coming back from the injury. The Pacers aren’t expected to be one of the East’s best teams by the sportsbooks, and Haliburton’s return game somehow got buried at New Orleans. No one knows what to do with the Pacers entering the season, but this team knows how good it can be.
Portland Trail Blazers
Prove that last year was no fluke.
The Blazers were one of the feel-good stories of the league last season, making the playoffs for the first time in five years despite their head coach getting arrested after the opening game of the season. It’s hard to feel good about anything that’s happened to the franchise since Tom Dundon bought the team, and that makes keeping their positive momentum going even more imperative this year. The Blazers have a deep collection of guards, but sometimes I think they might be better off starting the two that are slated to come off the bench in Scoot Henderson and Jrue Holiday. How do Damian Lillard and Ja Morant fit together? Can Donovan Clingan take a leap to turn into one of the West’s better centers? Can Deni Avdija’s All-Star brand of bully ball keep thriving with a different head coach and new supporting cast? The West is really tough as always, which means a step back is on the table for Portland. They need to prove that last year was just the start of something bigger.
BOSTON, MA - JUNE 16: (EDITOR'S NOTE: This image was taken with a disposable camera) Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors smiles while looking at this phone before the game against the Boston Celtics during Game Six of the 2022 NBA Finals on June 16, 2022 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Jenny Fischer/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Hey there, Dub Nation. I’m here to let you know that it’s a big day for Golden State Of Mind. Because today, the SB Nation app is live, and it’s the best way for you to follow the Warriors, read about the Warriors, comment on the Warriors, and argue about the Warriors.
You can download it by searching SB Nation for iOS or Android.
A year ago we made some big changes to our community, which included limiting our ads, and implementing the Feed. Today, we want to give you even more community tools and, yes, even fewer ads with the arrival of our app. It will make starting and joining conversations here as simple as posting to your favorite social media platform.
You can check out the video below showing off some of the useful features of the app, and we’ll dig into them below.
Why should I download the app?
The app will be the easiest way to interact with everybody else in the community:
All your favorite teams’ (not just the Warriors!) posts in one dedicated feed
Notifications when someone replies or recs your post
New game thread section, with an experience that’s smoother and faster
Fewer ads
Easily navigating between your favorite communities with a swipe
It will be the fastest way to read every post from our community, and any other communities that you’re a part of.
How do I download the app?
Head over to the Apple store or the Android store to download the app. The app is currently only available for US users.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - MAY 6: Utah Jazz fans take photos before Game Three of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Golden State Warriors during the 2017 NBA Playoffs on May 6, 2017 at vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
It’s a big day for SLC Dunk. Today, the SB Nation app is live, and it’s the best way to follow the Jazz.
You can download it by searching SB Nation for iOS or Android.
A year ago we made some big changes to our community, including offering fewer ads and the addition of the Feed. Today, we want to give you even more community tools and fewer ads with this app. It will make starting and joining conversations here as simple as posting to your favorite social media platform.
You can check out the video below showing off some of the useful features of the app, and we’ll dig into them below.
Why should I download the app?
The app will be the easiest way to interact with everybody else in the community:
All your favorite teams’ posts in one dedicated feed
Notifications when someone replies or recs your post
New game thread section, with an experience that’s smoother and faster
Fewer ads
Easily navigating between your favorite communities with a swipe
It will be the fastest way to read every post from our community.
How do I download the app?
Head over to the Apple store or the Android store to download the app. Today, the app is only available for US users.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 31: Bryce Elder #55 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Truist Park on August 31, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Monday was the rare game in which the Braves got beat by their own strategy. The Atlanta bullpen struggled in a 7-3 loss to the lowly Giants, ending a season series in which the Braves dropped 5 of 6 games to San Francisco. This also ended the Braves seven game winning streak. Losses certainly occur, but the hope is the bullpen, and especially Dylan Lee, return to form soon as a stretch of games vs the NL East is on the horizon.
Roderick Arias of the Somerset Patriots hits the ball during a Minor League baseball game at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, United States, on August 30, 2026. (Photo by Dan Squicciarini/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images
There’s not much time left in the minor league calendar, and the playoff races are heating up. While one affiliate has already punched their ticket, the other three are still searching for late runs to power their way there.
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
Record: 31-23 (68-60), 2.5 GB in the International League East after a 3-3 week against the Worcester Red Sox (Red Sox)
Run differential: +28 (+31)
Coming up: Home vs. Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Phillies)
The RailRiders wrapped up a rough month of August with a contentious split, keeping them within an arm’s length of a playoff spot with three weeks to go. They got a bit of a rough deal with Worcester hosting three different rehab assignments this week, including Roman Anthony, but fared pretty well until a rough day on Sunday.
The offense has a lot of name-brand talent already, but they decided to add another former top prospect to their ranks with a mid-week signing of Jarred Kelenic for the playoff push, because why not? Additionally, Mitch Garver is currently in roster limbo after exercising an assignment clause, but the fact he hasn’t been added to the active roster by now likely closes the door on him getting recalled without an injury. Anthony Volpe (now getting reps at third base) and Marco Luciano carried the offense this week, combining for seven home runs on 18 hits.
The two prospects who’ve been here all season did not get to pitch here this week due to promotions to the big leagues, as Elmer Rodríguez is making a pair of spot starts until the schedule evens out while Brendan Beck was needed as the 27th man on Saturday. Alexander Cornielle won International League Pitcher of the Week with eight terrific shutout innings in the best start of his pro career, but the headline on the farm was the return of Kyle Carr, who got double duty on Tuesday and Sunday. He combined to allow three runs in three innings with Xavier Rivas as the piggyback. Let’s just say it’s not going well for the Ole Miss alum since his promotion.
The team needed two bullpen games due to the promotions, which we saw with Hayden Merda starting both games and tossing three solid innings combined. Eric Reyzelman and Eli Morgan both had terrific weeks as well, and with the rapidly thinning bullpen depth becoming an issue (one attempt to be resolved by claiming John Schreiber on waivers), both could be on the major league radar for cameos down the stretch.
Record: 30-27 (67-59), 3.5 GB in the Eastern League Northeast after a 3-3 week against the Akron RubberDucks (Guardians)
Run differential: +13 (+49)
Coming up: Away @ Erie SeaWolves (Tigers)
Somerset had a perfectly fine week, trading wins and losses without anything too good or bad happening. The problem was, in a heated playoff race, splitting sometimes isn’t good enough. They lost 2.5 games of ground this week, with scorching hot Reading going up 3.5 games. With 12 to go, these guys are going to have to play some of their best baseball.
It was a fairly pedestrian week for the offense. Jace Avina has had a really crummy month (.213/.314/.258) and will look to turn the page next week, while Roderick Arias and Josh Moylan continue to excel after summer promotions. I want to highlight Manuel Palencia here, who’s been one of the best hitters in the system for two months now. After entering July with an abhorrent .504 OPS, he’s slashed .351/.380/.596 with a 157 wRC+ in 121 plate appearances over the last two months. His stock is finally gaining some helium.
For the bruised and battered rotation, we saw a struggle of a start from Cade Smith (5.2 IP, 5 R), a 10-strikeout quality start from Dom Hamel, and a rehab appearance by Clarke Schmidt. The two big storylines were two guys who weren’t here last week. Bryce Cunningham made his Double-A debut on Tuesday and played double duty on Sunday, combining to allow nine runs in 11 innings with 13 strikeouts. We also saw the return of the struggling Chase Hampton, who missed three weeks on the temporarily inactive list. He tossed four solid innings with six strikeouts, hopefully a sign of things to come.
It was an uneven week for the bullpen, which technically counts Rory Fox’s piggyback effort behind Schmidt, where he tossed 5.1 solid innings. Trent Sellers, Michael Arias, Kevin Stevens, and Geoff Gilbert all excelled this week, while others struggled to put up zeroes.
Record: 34-26 (64-60), 3 GB in the South Atlantic League North after a 3-3 week against the Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets)
Run differential: +46 (+55)
Coming up: Away @ Wilmington Blue Rocks (Nationals)
Hudson Valley extended their win streak to nine games on Tuesday, but struggled the rest of the week as their momentum fizzled out and their playoff hopes dwindled with it. Suddenly, they’re going to need to make up three games this week against Wilmington to get in. The division-leading Frederick Keys won the first half, which would invoke other tiebreakers, but the Renegades would lose out on a playoff spot in that scenario to Greensboro, so they’ll need to jump two teams here.
The split wasn’t because of any offensive ineptitude. David McCann homered twice, Jackson Lovich had four extra-base hits, Kyle West had three, and Hans Montero went 6-for-10 across three games. With only a week left in the regular season, you’re looking for guys to finish strong, and that’s certainly what Lovich is doing. After striking out nearly 40 percent of the time in his first few weeks at the level, he’s put up a 10-game stretch where he’s limited them while walking at a significantly higher rate. He was an early-season darling, but is putting together a good body of work in his first full season in the pros.
The bullpen was really ugly this week, so they get most of the blame instead of the starters, who actually pitched quite well. Allen Facundo tossed a quality start (6 IP, 2 R), Luis Serna struck out seven in 4.2 shutout innings, Sean Paul Liñan allowed three runs in five innings, and both Danny Flatt and Brandon Decker pitched brief, scoreless outings in emergency roles. The former had been sent down to the FCL two weeks ago, so that was his High-A debut.
Record: 39-18 (71-46), 9 GA in the Florida State League West after a 5-0 week against the Jupiter Hammerheads (Marlins)
Run differential: +112 (+135)
Coming up: Home vs. Dunedin Blue Jays (Blue Jays)
These guys just keep raking. They outscored a good Jupiter team 41 to 15 in a five-game sweep, marking a 10th consecutive series without a defeat. They’re 8-0-2 in series since mid-June and clinched the Florida State League West Division with nine games to spare. It’s been a truly special few months for the Tarpons.
The offense is still really good. We’re going back to the running tally:
Yostin Pena continues to be a wrecking ball. He went 5-for-13 with a monster home run on Sunday, while also drawing six walks. That last part is important, as he had entred this week with a grand total of one walk in several weeks in Single-A.
Dax Kilby went 4-for-18 with a home run, double, and seven walks. No guy is more content to take ball four than Kilby, who also hit a new max exit velocity at 108.9.
Paul Gutierrez-Contreras II went 6-for-13 with a home run.
Bear Harrison, who was off to a horrible start to his pro career, went 4-for-12 with two doubles and five RBIs. Good week for him.
Tyce Armstrong went 8-for-16 with three homers and two doubles, winning FSL Player of the Week. This is a guy who hit nukes at Baylor and should rise quickly.
The rotation didn’t need to be spectacular this week, but they were pretty good. Wyatt Parliament seems to be getting load-managed down the stretch, only tossing 3.1 scoreless innings. Edinzo Marquez and Tyler Boudreau both tossed five one-run innings, but the latter was awarded a complete game due to rain shortening his start. Sabier Marte struck out nine but gave up five runs in his start, but the crown jewel of the week was J.T. Etheridge’s best start of his pro career, striking out 10 in six magnificent innings.
Pretty much everyone in the bullpen looked sharp, with the exception of Antonio Gomez’s second outing of the week. His stuff is still nasty, but he’s a work in progress. The guy of note here is Matthew Tippie, who throws a forkball and has been brilliant for a few months now. Since May 14, he’s pitched to a 0.86 ERA with a 20.9 K-BB% in 31.1 innings. There’s also Justin West, who struck out nine in a piggyback start and continues to be electric over the last two months.
At midnight, streaming service Crave dropped the first two episodes of the third season of The Rebuild: Inside the Montreal Canadiens, and fans won’t be disappointed with the first two episodes of the docuseries. Unsurprisingly, the first episode focuses on the start of the 2025-26 season and on the Lane Hutson contract, while the second episode covers the rocky road the Montreal Canadiens’ goaltenders traveled last year.
It’s great to see that the series didn’t shy away from what was the main story of the Habs season last year, although it gives the impression that both goaltenders had issues from the start of the year, which wasn’t really the case. There’s no mention of the fact that Jakub Dobes, who played six regular-season games in October, was flawless in that month.
Yes, his performance dipped in November, but that came after the team kept going back to Samuel Montembeault, time and time again, despite his struggles. It would have been shocking for Dobes’ confidence not to be rocked by that, to be fair. That’s my sole criticism of the first two episodes; it feels like a bit of revisionist history, going straight into the "neither goaltender can make a save" narrative.
There are a few interesting quotes in those first two hours, especially when GM Kent Hughes is discussing the Becancour native’s struggles:
It’s not about knowing whether Samuel Montembeault can climb Everest; we know he can. The question is whether he can climb it during an avalanche.
- Kent Hughes on Samuel Montembeault's struggles.
That’s quite an accurate way to put it, as the show mentions, playing goalie for the Canadiens is one of the hardest jobs in professional hockey. It even quotes the great Jacques Plante, who once asked how people would feel if every mistake they made at work was highlighted by a huge flashing red light over their head and 15,000 people screamed at them. It then cuts to Montembeault, who adds that it’s now 21,000 people at the Bell Centre.
While there’s no doubt that Montembeault would like to put that nightmarish season in the rearview mirror and never think about it or discuss it anymore, it’s highly unlikely that will be possible. If he had managed to right the ship, it wouldn’t be an issue, but the start of the new season, and even training camp, will still be about seeing if he can climb Everest during an avalanche, because he didn’t do it last season.
I was surprised to see the docuseries give a bit of a behind-the-scenes look at Dobes’ burst of emotion after a November 4-3 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils. As you’ll no doubt recall, the netminder failed to fight back the tears in his postgame media availability:
It happened last year; it happens this year, losing to those guys in OT. Just disappointed in myself; that’s pretty much it.
In an interview that must have been done a while after the event, Dobes recalls that the day after, a lot of the guys, including Arber Xhekaj, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky, would start fake crying after he said something; clearly that was all in good fun to help him move past the situation. But before they could tease him, they apparently told him that Caufield had cried in the dressing room too when he was sent down to Laval, and that Slafkovsky had done it in an interview a couple of years ago. The camaraderie is alive and well in Montreal.
The second episode also shows the Canadiens' first game against the Washington Capitals after Alex Ovechkin and co. eliminated them in the spring of 2025. The Habs had to wait until November 20 for an opportunity for revenge, and they weren’t successful. In case you forgot, Washington won 8-4. This season, Montreal won’t have to wait that long to avenge their elimination this year, as the Stanley Cup champions Carolina Hurricanes will be the first visitors at the Bell Centre on October 6, the third game of the season. Will the Habs suffer the same fate? Time will tell.
At the end of the second episode, much is made of a Montembeault bounce-back performance against the Vegas Golden Knights. Still, the series isn't a Hollywood blockbuster with a happy ending, and the preview of episode three shows the netminder being sent down to Laval and Jacob Fowler being called back up. It will be interesting to see just how deep the series goes into the conditioning stint and whether they spoke to Montembeault himself about it.
Aug 25, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets center fielder Luis Robert Jr. (88) gestures after hitting a solo home run in the sixth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Happy Tuesday, Camden Chatters. We made it to September!
The Orioles are still out west for the last few games of their long road trip. I personally find this stretch of games to be a touch on the ridiculous side. After an off-day on Monday, August 24th, the Orioles traveled to St. Louis. That kicked off 16 straight days without a day off. That is a really long stretch of games, but the travel on top of that is too much.
The Orioles traveled St. Louis (Central time zone) to Sacramento (Pacific) to Denver (Mountain). When their series with the Rockies is over, they will travel home to Baltimore (Eastern). They will play seven games in Baltimore before an off day. Sixteen games, four time zones, zero off days. I’m sorry, that’s bonkers.
Yesterday afternoon, the Orioles claimed outfielder Luis Robert Jr. off waivers from the Mets. The Mets are currently a last-place team with a bloated payroll, and the move saves them millions of dollars. Robert is still owed about $3 million of this year’s salary, which the Orioles will now cover. His contract also holds a $20 million club option for 2027 with a $2 million buyout. The Orioles are also on the hook for that. And because the Mets payroll is so large, they were paying 110% luxury tax on Robert’s salary. Getting another team to take Robert for 25 games is saving them north of $8 million.
The Orioles, for their part, are hoping that Robert can harness some of the talent that he showed earlier in his career. The White Sox signed Robert to a six-year contract with two club option years back in January 2020, when he had never played a single Major League game. That year, Robert came second in AL Rookie of the Year voting and locked up a Gold Glove for his defense in center field.
Since then however, he has been unable to stay healthy and productive. He has played over 100 games just twice. In 2023, he hit 36 doubles and 38 home runs in 145 games, racking up a 5.4 bWAR. And in 2025, he played in 110 games with a drop in both power and OBP. His offensive production dropped off significantly of his last three injury-marred seasons.
The White Sox picked up the first of Robert’s two options last November. In January, they traded him to the Mets. In six seasons with the White Sox, Roberts played in 577 games. He hit .253/.313/.455. He has always been considered a strong defender.
Robert broke camp with the Mets in March and was an everyday player until he went on the IL at the end of March with a lumbar spine disc herniation. He was not playing well when he went on the IL, and he got off to a slow start upon his return on July 2oth.
But for the month of August, he has been much improved. In 24 games, Robert had six home runs and seven walks in 84 plate appearances. His hitting line was .267/.321/.520 (.841 OPS). Once a pretty good base stealer, that has dried up. But he is still fast on the base paths.
With Tyler O’Neill on the IL and Leody Taveras atrocious against left-handed pitchers, the Orioles need a right-handed bat in the outfield. They just spent a lot of money to try and improve over the final 25 games of the season (and playoffs!), and it’s a risk I appreciate. I don’t care about their money; they should spend it all, as far as I’m concerned. But I know that some other clubs wouldn’t in the same position. That includes the John Angelos era Orioles.
Will it make a difference? None of us really knows. But it has the potential to, which makes it exciting. Let’s all hope Luis Robert Jr. stays healthy and productive and keeps Taveras where he belongs against lefties: on the bench.
Because You Asked – The Bone Temple – MASN Sports Roch Kubatko has a Q&A for the fans. He says it’s a mailbag, but is someone out there really asking about Nick Raquet? (Get well soon, Nick Raquet)
Birthdays and History
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have two Orioles birthday buddies, although neither is particularly memorable for their time in Baltimore. Eduard Bazardo is 31 years old today. He pitched 2.1 forgettable innings for the 2023. The Orioles traded him to the Mariners at the trade deadline of that year and he’s spent the last three-plus seasons in Seattle. He’s been particularly good out of the bullpen in the last two years. The trade return, Logan Rinehart, is no longer playing professional baseball.
Also born on this day in history is another pitcher, Dean Stone (b. 1930, d. 2018). Stone pitched in eight Major League seasons, the last of which was 1963 with the Orioles. A relief pitcher, Stone had a 5.12 ERA in 17 games. Cool name, though.
On this day in 1999, Albert Belle hit his 40th home run in a 3-1 win over the Rays. It marked his eighth straight season with 30+ home runs. It was also his final season with 30.
In 2000, the Orioles turned a triple play in Cleveland. With runners on first and second, Sandy Alomar Jr. hit a pop-up into shallow left-center field. Shortstop Melvin Mora raced out to catch it, but at the last second let it drop. The infield fly rule was not called. Mora threw to second base where Jerry Hairston applied the tag to Travis Fryman and stepped on second base to retire Wil Cordero. The third out came from Alomar, who assumed it was an infield fly and went right into the dugout.
In 2005, the Orioles released pitcher Sidney Ponson. He had one year and $10 million remaining on his contract, but the Orioles contended that his off-field conduct (multiple DUIs, one judge punching) warranted termination. MLBPA filed a grievance on Ponson’s behalf, and the two sides later settled.
In 2007, Clay Buchholz no-hit the Orioles in his second career start. That was embarrassing.
In 2011, the Rangers and Orioles completed the trade that sent Mike González to Texas at that year’s trade deadline. The PTBNL turned out to be Pedro Strop.
And on this day last year, the Orioles beat the Padres 4-3. They got to Dylan Cease for two runs in four innings, then added on two more against the bullpen. Kyle Bradish allowed two runs in four innings as well, but Baltimore’s bullpen was better. Jeremiah Jackson had three hits, including a home run. Samuel Basallo doubled twice.
Oh, man, I was really wanting this article to be a celebration of PCA, the MVP(?) and a win of the series and start another streak of series wins.
But, Shota. Craig Counsell said, “We need Shota. We need Shota. We need him to have good starts.” That’s good to say, but there needs to be a replacement ready to go for the playoffs — and maybe before to make sure they even make the playoffs. The comfortable Wild Card lead is no longer comfortable, especially with the Brewers the focus over the next 10 games.
Counsell is not wrong — Imanaga has not had a bad season. He’s had a season full of CSPSHRs*, but now they are turning into two- and three-run home runs. “Needing him to have good starts” would be a drastic improvement from recent results, and a lot to hope for.
Yeah, that took a bit of the air out of the PCA bubble, but he can handle all the self-promotion with that magic bat of his. There’s been 40-40 talk for a few weeks now, and it was natural to assume that getting the homers are the hardest part. After Sunday, he’s two homers away. You can’t tell him to walk or turn every hit (inside the park) into a single just to steal eight more bases, especially with the playoffs are on the line. But I’m sure there will be opportunities for him to stack a couple of SBs here and there, so we’ll see.
You know all of PCA’s stats for each game, but for posterity, in the two games, PCA went 6-for-11 with six runs scored, five home runs and eight RBI. The Cubs need to keep him in bubble wrap between games.
For the other hitters this weekend — most of the action was on Saturday (obviously) but these two had a good pair of games. Alex Bregman went 4-for-9 with a run scored, two doubles, a home run and three RBI. Nico Hoerner quietly went 3-for-8 with two RBI.
Saturday saw Carson Kelly go off — 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, a home run and 4 RBI. Tyrone Taylor keeps impressing, going 4-for-5 with a double and three runs scored. Seiya Suzuki went 3-for-5 with a walk, three runs scored, a home run and two RBI. And Pedro Ramirez went 2-for-3 with two walks and three runs scored.
Sunday had Ian Happ adding a 2-for-3 day with a walk and two runs scored.
It’s a good thing that the Cubs scored so many runs Saturday. Kevin Gausman allowed five runs over five innings, with five hits and two walks, but two of those hits were home runs. He did strike out seven. Hope it was just a little blip.
In the two games, the bullpen was (cautiously) good after the meltdown Friday. Over eight IP, the bullpen allowed one run (on Trent Thornton’s HR allowed), four total hits, three walks and six strikeouts.
Complimentary Starting Pitcher Solo Home Run*
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Combo PCA-Mania — Sammy Sosa’s Magic Prediction — Cubs and MLB History — OH! and MVP Race:
Jeff Agrest (Chicago Sun-Times): The anatomy of Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong’s potential MVP season. “While working with assistant hitting coach John Mallee at Citi Field, Crow-Armstrong walked out of the cage and essentially said, “I found something that I’m going to be able to repeat for a long time.” He has.“
Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Even Cubs legends are in awe of Pete Crow-Armstrong’s MVP campaign. “Jake Arrieta said, “For his third at-bat, his fourth at-bat, his fifth at-bat, we were glued to the actual gameplay live. I didn’t want to just watch it on TV. I wanted to see it happen live. We’re all standing there and you’re kind of shaking your head.”“
Pete Crow-Armstrong joins Mookie Betts (2018) as the only players in MLB history to accomplish these feats in one season: • Hitting a lead-off home run • Hitting a walk-off home run • Hitting for the cycle • Hitting 3 home runs in one game pic.twitter.com/kHPkXRjqzg
Jeff Agrest (Chicago Sun-Times): Cubs’ key relievers might be regressing to mean at worst time. “After David Peterson at least gave the Cubs a chance to win, Trent Thornton all but removed it, allowing five runs in the sixth inning of a 10-8 loss to the Reds.”
Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune {$})): Sammy Sosa basking in rebuilt relationship with Cubs. “Of his relationship with the team he defined for 13 seasons, Sosa said he and the Cubs have put their old differences to the side.”
Jordan Bastian and Adam McCalvy (MLB.com): Cubs’ divisional fate rests on the results of their next 10 days. “With seven games between the Cubs and Brewers over the next 10 days, this is Chicago’s chance to try to swing the momentum in this year’s division race before it is too late.”
Altered Five Blues Band (originally known as Altered Five) is an American five-piece blues band. Formed in 2002 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, they have released six albums since 2008. Altered Five smokes, smolders and burns like a swig of good whiskey. The hip Milwaukee quintet is known for its strong brew of tough, original blues and hard-hitting live shows. Blues Blast raves that barrel-chested front man Jeff Taylor possesses a “smooth, warm-toned voice as monumental and undeniable as Howlin’ Wolf with the finish and flourish of B.B. King.” Downbeat declares stealth guitarist Jeff Schroedl “reaches the high bar of mixed invention and fluidity.” Fueled by a rhythm section laying down the deepest grooves this side of the MGs, the award-winning group has remained at the forefront of contemporary blues for more than two decades, performing in 13 countries around the world.
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.
Jonah Tong of the Syracuse Mets delivers a pitch during a MiLB baseball game at Coca-Cola Park in the United States on June 26, 2026. (Photo by Dan Squicciarini/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images
It’s too bad that the roster construction of the Mets works out that MJ Melendez is left high-and-dry. He wasn’t good in the limited at-bats he got earlier this season, but he wasn’t particularly bad, either. Likewise, his performance isn’t so exceptionally good in Triple-A that David Stearns needs to figure out how to get Melendez back to the majors, but he’s having a nice little run. The veteran outfielder seems like a generally cool dude and apologized to fans for not being good enough when he was sent back down to Syracuse, which makes the fact that he hasn’t really found his footing more annoying.
If nothing else, I wouldn’t be against bringing Melendez back as minor league depth next season.
Jonah Tong
Week: 1 G (1 GS), 7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K (Triple-A)
In Game One of a double-header against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Jonah Tong set batter after batter after batter down at the plate, and before we knew it, it was the seventh inning and Tong had yet to allow a hit. I’m not a fan of treating the two the same, but 7 innings is a regulation game in minor league double-headers, just like 9 innings is regulation under normal circumstances, and Tong was three outs away from throwing a no-hitter. The first batter he faced, right fielder Gabriel Rincones Jr., flew out to left field. The second batter he faced, third baseman Otto Kemp, struck out on three straight fastballs down-and-away. With one out to go, centerfielder Kameron Misner laced a cutter down and in into right field for a hit. With the no-hit bid over, Tong struck out the next batter, Carter Kieboom, on four pitches and had to settle for a one-hit shutout.
It was obviously a great game for Tong, and overall, August has been a strong month for him. Coming into August, batters were hitting .238/.349/.447 against Tong, but in August, they hit .170/.271/.436 against him. A big reason for that was his fastball and cutter both being more effective than they have been all season, especially his cutter; batters hit .125/.239/.325 against his fastball and .158/.238/.158 against his cutter in August as opposed to .213/.353/.386 and .300/.386/.540 entering the month.
I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer, but since none of the underlying metrics for either pitch, such as velocity or spin rate or movement, are appreciably different, I think the recent success is more a case of a .148 BABIP than Tong finally compensating for his velocity/IVB dip stemming from his arm angle change or his change from a traditional slider grip to a traditional cutter grip, but it would be great if I was wrong.
With September here, the right-hander having a strong month or two, and the Mets not exactly having a fifth starter, it is all but guaranteed that Tong gets called back up the Queens and appears in a few games. I’m not sure how well he will perform- honestly, I do have a bit of trepidation, since International League hitters have hit him hard- but here’s hoping he performs well enough to avoid the Mets analyzing the small sample of his MLB performance and switching him to sidearm while having him scrap his changeup for a gyroball.
The Detroit Tigers dropped the series opener against the Minnesota Twins, 11-1, at Target Field on Monday night in a game that everyone wants to quickly forget. Jackson Jobe managed to escape trouble through the early innings, but it finally caught up with him in the fifth, when a three-run dinger opened the gates for the eventual rout.
Taking the mound in Game 2 for the Olde English D is right-hander Troy Melton, who has given up as many earned runs over his last two outings as he had in his 10 starts prior. After a stretch of absolute excellence, the 25-year-old has posted a 4.26 ERA and 4.98 FIP over 12 2/3 innings, allowing 14 hits (two home runs) and three walks while striking out seven and hitting a batter.
Melton’s only appearance this summer against the Twins back on June 9 in Detroit was his worst game of the season, surrendering eight hits — four of them solo homers, representing all of the runs he gave up — but no walks while striking out five over five frames. He still managed to earn his third win as the Tigers ultimately prevailed, 10-4.
For Minnesota, left-hander Connor Prielipp will toe the rubber for the 20th time of his rookie campaign. The 25-year-old has had a brutal August, putting up an ugly 7.76 ERA but a less-offensive 4.73 FIP over five games stretching across 26 2/3 innings, allowing 31 hits (five home runs) and 13 walks while striking out 30 batters. He earned a pair of losses while his team was defeated in all five starts.
Here is a look at how the two match up for Tuesday night’s American League Central battle.
Detroit Tigers (63-74) vs. Minnesota Twins (66-72)
Time (ET): 7:40 p.m. Place: Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota SB Nation Site:Twinkie Town Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 138: RHP Troy Melton (7-3, 1.86 ERA) vs. LHP Connor Prielipp (3-7, 5.55 ERA)
