Category: Sports News

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Good morning, baseball fans!

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

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

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

Which series are you most interested in this week?

What time do the Giants play today?

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

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

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

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

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

Anne Rogers writes about the Saturday win.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Preston Farr checks in on 2026 Royals draftees.

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

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

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

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

Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow will return on Tuesday.

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

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

The Rangers designate outfielder Jarred Kelenic for assignment.

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

Shohei Ohtani may pitch as soon as next week.

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

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

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

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

Wyndham Clark avoids collapse to win the BMW Championship.

Robots break world human records at the Robot Games.

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

Why do hummingbirds hum?

Your song of the day is Frank Black with Headache.

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

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

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

Box Score

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

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

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

Box Score

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

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

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

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

Box Score

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

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

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

Box Score

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

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

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

Box Score

Today’s Schedule

There are no scheduled games for today.

The Guardians swept the Rockies and will now try to keep their four-game win streak going in Anaheim.

Nicole has your game recap here. It is so great to win baseball games. But… the Rockies are awful. I am waiting to hope until I see how the Guardians do vs. two far more frisky teams in the Angels and Royals this week to get excited. The Royals, incidentally, have won eight in a row and are about to be listed in our wildcard update section soon.

AROUND MLB:

The Orioles, Blue Jays, Tigers, Astros and Twins lost, while the White Sox and Rangers won. The Guardians and Rangers are tied for the third wildcard (Rangers have the tiebreaker). The Astros are also tied with both teams but Houston holds the tiebreaker over both.

Iowa Cubs 4, Toledo Mud Hens 2 (box)

Iowa closed out the series with its fourth straight win after dropping the first two games in Toledo. The Mud Hens’ offense finally woke up in the eighth, but a four-run deficit proved too much to overcome.

Beau Brieske got the start on a planned bullpen day. He walked a pair in the first but ended up striking out the side. He ended his day after two scoreless innings with four strikeouts and no hits allowed. Brieske landed 20 of his 34 pitches for strikes, inducing six whiffs on 12 swings. The slider was the primary source of the swing-and-miss (4), while his four-seamer and sinker both averaged 95 mph.

Luke Taggart was next out of the bullpen. He went 1-2-3 in the third and worked around a one-out single in the fourth. Taggart drew eight whiffs, with six coming on his secondary pitches. He ended the day with three strikeouts.

Yilber Díaz took over in the fifth and surrendered the first run of the game. Jackson Cluff hit a two-out triple and came home on a Justin Dean single. Díaz worked around a pair of walks in the sixth to keep it a one-run game.

Eric Silva, transferred from Erie before the game, ran into trouble in the seventh. He walked the leadoff man, and Matt Shaw’s two-out double brought the run home. Chas McCormick hit a two-run homer right after, making it a 4-0 game. Silva worked through the eighth, finishing the day with three strikeouts — all coming on his curveball — but the damage made it an outing to forget.

The Hens couldn’t do much offensively against Braxton Garrett, striking out seven times over five scoreless innings. They finally put together a rally against Iowa’s bullpen in the eighth, but it wasn’t enough.

Max Burt opened the frame with a double, and Trei Cruz walked. Jace Jung advanced Burt to third with a flyout, and Max Anderson broke the shutout with a sacrifice fly. Justice Bigbie drove home Cruz with a double to left. Unfortunately, that’s all the scoring Toledo did on the day.

Andre Granillo pitched the ninth. He struck out a pair while working around a two-out walk and a single.

Anderson: 2-3, 2B (20), RBI

Bigbie: 1-4, 2B (2), RBI, K

Burt: 1-3, 2B (10), R, 2 K

Brieske: 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 BB, 4 K

Coming Up Next: The Mud Hens open a series in St. Paul on Tuesday at 8:07 p.m. ET.

Erie SeaWolves 6, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 3 (box)

Erie closed out a 4-2 series win with another power display Sunday. Izaac Pacheco homered for the second straight day, and Clayton Campbell launched his first Double-A home run in just his second game with the SeaWolves.

Pacheco opened the second with a 463-foot solo shot, his 17th Double-A homer of the year. Pacheco hit 17 last year with West Michigan, so it’s nice to see the power tool stay consistent up a level.

E.J. Exposito doubled to start the third, and Zyhir Hope walked — one of three on the day for him. A double steal set up a sac fly from Thayron Liranzo. Clayton Campbell led off the fourth with his first home run with the SeaWolves. It only took him two games.

Joe Miller held New Hampshire scoreless through 3 2/3 innings in his third start back from the IL. Miller wasn’t particularly efficient, using 73 pitches to record 11 outs. He walked three and struck out three while allowing two hits. Still, a goose egg is a goose egg.

Colin Fields got the final out of the fourth and went 1-2-3 in the fifth. Johan Simon wasn’t as fortunate in the sixth, giving up a solo homer to the first batter he faced. Alexis Hernandez followed with a single, eventually scoring on a passed ball. Simon escaped the inning with a 3-2 lead by striking out the last two batters.

Dariel Fregio held the one-run lead with a pair of perfect innings. The SeaWolves pulled away in the bottom of the eighth with a two-run single from Woody Hadeen. Campbell and Luke Shliger both scored after leading off the inning with back-to-back singles. Exposito grounded out to bring Patrick Lee home, too, making it a 6-2 game.

Wandisson Charles closed things out, but not before giving up a run on a pair of singles and a sac fly.

Campbell: 3-4, HR (1), 2 R, RBI

Pacheco: 1-4, HR (17), R, RBI, 3 K

Hadeen: 1-4, 2 RBI, BB

Hope: 0-2, 3 BB, 3 SB

Miller: 3.2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 3 BB, 3 K

Coming Up Next: The SeaWolves open a series in Altoona on Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET.

South Bend Cubs 3, West Michigan Whitecaps 2 (box)

West Michigan couldn’t escape South Bend with a series split, losing on a walk-off single in the ninth. The Whitecaps dropped four of six but still hold a half-game lead over Great Lakes in the Midwest League East with two weeks remaining.

Zack Lee got the bullpen-game start, hurling two perfect innings. He filled up the zone, landing 20 of his 29 pitches for strikes but came away with only one punchout.

Eliseo Mota wasn’t as sharp after taking over in the third. Mota walked the leadoff man, botched a pickoff attempt and gave up a run on a sac fly. The next two batters reached (walk, single), but Mota got out of it before allowing another run.

Beau Ankeney hit his eighth homer with West Michigan in the top of the fourth, a game-tying solo shot.

Mota returned for the fourth only to walk the bases loaded before recording an out. Fortunately, he induced a grounder for a forceout at home, buying enough time for Donye Evans to warm up. Evans gave up the lead on a sac fly, but the run goes on Mota’s record — and deservedly so. Mota threw just 15 of his 45 pitches for strikes. You don’t have to be great at math to know that throwing 2/3 of your pitches for balls is bad.

Evans worked through the fifth without any damage. Luke Hoskins was next out, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out three through two scoreless innings.

Edian Espinal tied the game in the seventh, scoring on a wild pitch. He doubled with one out and tagged up to get to third.

The Whitecaps’ best chance to win came in the eighth. Andrew Sojka led off with a single, Carson Rucker walked and Nolan McCarthy doubled. That should have produced a run, but Sojka got picked off at first before the extra-base hit, and Rucker was thrown out at home. Jackson Strong walked to get Bryce Rainer to the plate, but he struck out to end the threat.

Jalen Evans worked around a walk in the eighth but couldn’t get an out in the ninth. Jose Escobar walked, Josiah Hartshorn singled to put men on the corners and Angel Cepeda ended the game with a walk-off liner to left. Rainer was also lifted from the game in the ninth.

Ankeney: 1-4, HR (8), R, RBI, K

Espinal: 2-4, 2B (2), R, SB

Lee: 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, K

Hoskins: 2.0 IP, 0 R, H, BB, 3 K

J. Evans (L, 4-4): 1.0 IP, ER, 2 H, 2 BB, K

Coming Up Next: The Whitecaps host the Peoria Chiefs on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. ET.

Lakeland Flying Tigers 12, St. Lucie Mets 2 (box)

Lakeland bounced back from Saturday’s walk-off loss with a blowout victory in the series finale. The Flying Tigers trailed 2-1 through five before scoring 11 unanswered runs to secure a 5-1 series win.

Grayson Grinsell gave up three doubles the first time through St. Lucie’s lineup. The last came from the No. 9 hitter, Wyatt Vincent, to open up the third. Grinsell walked Jeremy Rodriguez and gave up an RBI single to Bohan Adderley to put Lakeland behind.

Grinsell recovered, retiring the next three batters in a row, and Anibal Salas doubled home Zach MacDonald to tie the game back up.

The Mets rallied with back-to-back two-out singles in the fourth, retaking the lead, but that was the last run they scored. Jake Ogden singled with two outs and reached second on a throwing error by Salas before Wyatt Vincent drove him in with another single.

Grinsell prevented any further damage. He completed four innings, allowing two runs — one earned — on six hits and a walk while striking out five. St. Lucie jumped on his four-seamer, putting seven in play with an average exit velocity of 99.1 mph. His changeup drew some swing-and-miss, though, producing three whiffs at a 60% rate.

Yendy Gomez took over in the fifth and delivered two scoreless innings. Lakeland busted the game wide open with a six-run sixth, putting Gomez in line for the win.

Angel De Los Santos started the rally with a single and a pair of swiped bases. Jesus Pinto and MacDonald walked before a passed ball tied the game up. Salas drove in Pinto and MacDonald with a liner into right field.

The fun didn’t stop there. Enderson Delgado walked, and Hunter Dobbins homered, bringing the score to 7-2. Jack Goodman doubled later in the inning but didn’t score.

Carlos Rodriguez worked around a two-out single for a scoreless seventh. He spammed sliders and generated three whiffs.

The Flying Tigers added four more runs in the eighth. Javier Osorio and Delgado hit back-to-back doubles for the first run, and Goodman got the next RBI with a single. Pinto doubled in the remaining two runners, pushing Lakeland into double-digit runs.

The final run of the day came off the bat of Goodman as well. Osorio reached on an error in the ninth and moved into scoring position on a walk before scoring.

Johnathan Rogers finished the rout with two hitless innings. He walked two but struck out three as Lakeland’s bullpen combined for five scoreless frames.

Dobbins: 1-3, HR (7), 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K

Salas: 2-5, 2B (14), R, 3 RBI

Goodman: 3-5, 2B (7), R, 2 RBI

Pinto: 1-3, 2B (16), R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, SB

Gomez (W, 6-3): 2.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 3 K

Coming Up Next: The Flying Tigers host the Clearwater Threshers on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. ET. Lakeland won the series 5-1.

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: the Orioles lost because they couldn’t score any runs for Shane Baz.

It’s becoming a running joke, although not a very funny one. When Baz is on the mound, absolutely everything seems to go wrong for the Orioles, and through very little fault of the hurler himself. Defensive lapses rear their ugly heads — like yesterday, when Jackson Holliday turned a potential inning-ending groundout into a single to spark a three-run Rays rally — and, most maddeningly, the O’s offense simply vanishes.

After yesterday’s 3-1 loss, in which the Orioles were held scoreless for the six innings that Baz was on the mound, the O’s have scored a grand total of 15 runs for Baz in his last 12 starts. Read that again! Fifteen runs in 12 starts. Brutal. Four of those came in one game in Minnesota, in which Baz coughed up a 4-1 lead, but in nearly every other case the Orioles’ bats never gave him a chance to win. The O’s have lost 11 of Baz’s last 12 starts even though he has a 4.02 ERA and seven quality starts in that span.

What did Shane ever do to his Orioles teammates to make them scorn him so? Does he chew with his mouth open? Does he talk on speakerphone in public? Does he do that thing where he’s going through a door and there’s somebody right behind him but he doesn’t hold it open and it just slams in their face? There’s got to be some explanation here.

In any case, the Orioles have completed their grueling 10-game stretch against the Rays and Yankees by going 5-5. Ten days ago, if you told me that the O’s would break even over that span, I’d have taken it. And I still will, even if the Birds’ method of getting there — dominating the Rays and getting swept by the Yankees — was a bit unexpected. But there’s no denying that the postseason math is getting harder. The Orioles now find themselves two games behind both the Rangers and Guardians, who are currently tied for the third wild card spot. The O’s are also a half game behind the Blue Jays, tied with the Twins, and just a game ahead of the Mariners and 1.5 up on the Tigers.

The Orioles’ schedule gets a lot easier for the next week and a half…in theory, at least. Tomorrow they begin a three-game series in St. Louis against the .500 Cardinals, who just got swept by the Phillies and are slipping out of the NL postseason race. Then the Orioles’ next six are against the two worst teams in baseball, the Athletics and Rockies. On paper, it’s a great opportunity for the Orioles to string together a bunch of wins and leapfrog a bunch of teams in the wild card race.

But who are we kidding? We’ve seen enough of the 2026 Orioles to know that they rarely seem to win the games they’re “supposed” to win, and that they continually squander every opportunity to build some positive momentum for more than a few days. Would anyone be surprised if the O’s end up with a worse record in this upcoming nine-game stretch than they had during this Rays/Yanks gauntlet? Inconsistency just seems to be the name of the game for this year’s Orioles club.

Links

Offense breaks again for Baz in Orioles’ 3-1 loss (updated) – School of Roch

The Orioles’ streak of drawing at least one walk in 121 straight games was snapped yesterday. The last time they didn’t walk was in their ninth game of the season, when Leody Taveras had a 1.171 OPS and Samuel Basallo .466. So yeah, it’s been a while.

Have the Orioles added effective fill-in players? | MAILBAG- BaltimoreBaseball.com

I would say no. Even the Orioles’ regular players aren’t that effective.

Bautista (shoulder) begins rehab assignment, pitches in 1st game in 13 months – MLB.com

If you were hoping to see a picture of The Mountain in his SpongeBob SquarePants Baysox jersey, you won’t be disappointed. As for his performance, well, let’s just say Félix looked rusty.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Only one Oriole was born on this day, but he was the greatest of them all: happy 66th birthday to Cal Ripken Jr.! The two-time AL MVP, 19-time All-Star, eight-time Silver Slugger, two-time Gold Glover, 1982 AL Rookie of the Year, 1983 World Series champ, and first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee also had a consecutive games streak that you might have heard about. Cal is now living his best life as a minority owner of the Orioles, frequently attending games at Camden Yards in seats right behind home plate. Enjoy your day, Cal!

Historically, Ripken actually wasn’t a very good hitter on his birthday. He batted .233 (17-for-73) in his career on Aug. 24, with one home run, four doubles, and eight RBIs.

Cal’s only birthday home run came in a crazy game in 1983 that’s best known as the Tippy Martinez Game. The O’s trailed the Blue Jays in the bottom of the ninth before rallying for two runs to send the game to extras, but their bench maneuverings forced them to use infielder Lenn Sakata as their emergency catcher for the first and only time of his career.

The Jays reclaimed the lead in the top of the 10th before Martinez entered the game with a runner at first. Blue Jays baserunners, trying to get big leads off first against the inexperienced Sakata, were left flat-footed by the southpaw reliever. Martinez picked off Barry Bonnell, then walked Dave Collins and picked him off, and then allowed a single to Willie Upshaw and picked him off, too. Martinez was the first pitcher in MLB history to pick off three baserunners in one inning. The O’s immediately tied the game in the bottom of the 10th — on the aforementioned Cal Ripken home run — and won it on a walkoff three-run blast by (who else?) Lenn Sakata.

And on this day in 2012, Chris Davis crushed three home runs to lead the Orioles to a 6-4 win, again over the Blue Jays. Davis powered a pair of solo blasts off Toronto starter Carlos Villanueva and a two-run shot against reliever Steve Delabar, backing a quality start from Zack Britton.

Random Orioles game of the day

On Aug. 24, 2004, the O’s dropped a 6-2 game in Oakland, the Orioles’ ninth straight loss in a streak that eventually reached 12. Starter Sidney Ponson coughed up home runs to Jermaine Dye and Eric Chavez as the Orioles found themselves in a 4-0 first-inning deficit from which they never recovered. The Birds’ offense had four doubles in the game but only one other hit, and went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. The defeat further buried the Orioles, who had been within one game of .500 before the losing streak began.

Have to admit: I had turned off the Phillies yesterday for quite a while and watched the Little League World Series. I pivoted quickly back to the Phillies once I saw that they had gotten runners on base and had a chance, but even the bright eyed optimist in me didn’t think they had a shot.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Andrew Painter has his confidence again ($). It showed on Saturday night as he dominated the Cardinals once again.
• Jesus Luzardo has become one of the aces of the game. How he has done so is pretty worth your time on this deep dive.

MLB news:

• After getting hit in the head during batting practice, Brendan Donovan is going on the concussion list for Seattle.
• Tyler Glasnow is going to make his glorious return to the Dodgers starting rotation. How long he’ll last remains to be seen.
• Casey Mize had to leave his start early this weekend after slipping and falling down the dugout steps, but he should make his next start.

First inning, Shohei Ohtani walks, steals second, jogs to third on a single by Freddie Freeman, scores on a grounder by Mookie Betts.

That’s great, but is Mark Walter selling the Dodgers?

Second inning, Blake Snell gives up a one-out single to Spencer Horowitz, who advances to second on a passed ball, but Snell strands him with a strikeout of Billy Cook.

Lovely, but what happens if Mark Walter sells the Dodgers?

Third inning, Bryan Reynolds draws a two-out walk, but Snell strands him with a flyout to left by Brandon Lowe.

Walter, Lakers, feds, billions, sell?

On a blistering Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-0 to complete a three-game sweep, but the rumblings beneath Chavez Ravine indicated there was much more at stake.

This is a solid franchise fighting for its footing. This is a powerful dynasty that could be undone by paper.

So, seriously, are the Dodgers getting sold?

Nobody knows, but a reasonable guess would be yes.

The Dodgers, of course, say no way, no how, no chance. Stan Kasten, the Dodgers’ president, even met with the media Friday specifically to say it’s not happening.

Read more:Dodgers president Stan Kasten reiterates 'Dodgers are not being sold'

“The Dodgers are not being sold,” Kasten said. “They’re not going to be sold. They’re not for sale. There’s no process that has been started to sell [the franchise]. Period.”

Period? Kasten is a busy man, and there’s seemingly no way he holds even an impromptu meeting with reporters about a possible sale if that “period” wasn’t a “question mark.”

It is indeed a huge question mark, one that suddenly appeared less than two weeks ago when Walter stunningly sold the Lakers just 14 months after buying them.

A federal investigation into insurance companies Walter controls may have led to the Lakers sale, and there’s since been plenty of confusing talk about related-party transactions and holding companies and invested assets.

Translated for Dodgers fans?

The owner of your team also owns another business facing a big legal problem that requires billions to fix. And the only way he can raise those billions is to sell his assets. And the $12.5 billion he will receive from the Lakers flip is only a drop in the bucket.

Which means the Dodgers could be next.

Read more:If Dodgers are put up for sale, previous runner-up Patrick Soon-Shiong is interested

There are reports that Walter is selling his shares in the Chelsea Football Club of the English Premier League, but that won’t cut it.

He could sell some of his smaller properties such as the WNBA’s Sparks, the Cadillac Formula 1 racing team, and the entire Professional Women’s Hockey League, but that might not cut it, either.

His richest, most lucrative, and perhaps most expensive property is the Dodgers. A source told The Times’ Bill Shaikin they could be worth between $10 billion and $13 billion, which would be a record price for a baseball team.

Though no charges have been filed against Walter or anyone associated with his businesses, one could imagine Walter pulling the trigger on the Dodgers sale simply to keep the feds at bay.

“I wanted you to hear it definitively: We are not selling the Dodgers,” Kasten repeated. “We are continuing with our plans going forward, like we always have had them. This comes from Mark. He’s gung-ho about continuing to try to win, again, including next year, subject to whatever next year’s climate looks like.”

This full-speed-ahead attitude by Dodgers management is what makes it so hard to imagine the team being owned by someone other than Walter.

Without Walter, there is no dynasty. Without Walter, there is no richest team in baseball. Without Walter, there is no happiest fan base in baseball.

Since Walter and his Guggenheim Baseball Management Group purchased the team in 2012, they have spared no expense in winning 12 of the last 13 National League West championships and three World Series titles.

Nobody in baseball spends like Walter, or will ever spend like Walter. From allowing the team to travel on two planes to adding baseball’s highest-paid player and relief pitcher last winter — Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz have been busts, but there’s time for redemption — nobody is willing to pay more for success than Walter.

Fans benefit from a Walter partnership on a daily basis. Witness Snell’s six shutout innings against the Pirates on Sunday. The Dodgers swept the three-game weekend series against the supposed contenders behind three starting pitchers who will lead off the playoffs yet who would not all be here if Walter didn’t own the joint.

Who else could pay to acquire superstars Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Snell while building up a farm system that could produce prospects who were used to acquire Tarik Skubal?

The three starters combined to allow the Pirates just five runs in 19 innings with 26 strikeouts and five walks, and how good is that going to look in October?

While Andrew Friedman supplies the talent and Kasten works the business, none of it is possible without the seemingly endless flood of money approved by Walter.

Well, the end might be near.

Read more:The Dodgers are Mark Walter's crown jewel. Can he hold on to it amid federal probe?

If Walter sells the team, they could possibly lose their two MVPS — Friedman and Ohtani. Unless the new owners give Friedman a piece of the team, he could set off to build another dynasty elsewhere. And Ohtani has a clause famously included in his contract that allows him to leave if Friedman or Walter leaves. If Walters goes, Ohtani could demand a new contract with terms that a new cash-strapped owner cannot afford.

As of last week, there is so much at stake, so many reasons to worry, and even all the winning by baseball’s best-run team won’t offer much relief.

Now baseball’s best owner is suddenly its most embattled owner, and Dodgers fans should be afraid.

Very afraid.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Free of charge for the discerning reader.

Happy birthday to Kurt Miller, and a mighty host of others.

Today in baseball history, in 1945 – Cleveland ace Bob Feller returns from the Navy and attracts a home crowd of 46,477, who watch him strike out 12 and yield only four hits in a 4-2 win over Detroit’s Hal Newhouser. He will get nine starts during the remainder of the year, and his five wins will include a one-hitter and two four-hitters. With the war now over, fans are clamoring for entertainment and it is clear Feller is still baseball’s number one ticket seller, and other stories as well.

Today in baseball history:

• 1916 – Babe Ruth fires his seventh shutout of the year, stopping Detroit on three hits as Boston wins, 3-0.
• 1940 – In the Tigers’ 12-1 victory at Fenway Park, Red Sox outfielder Ted Williams pitches the last two innings against Detroit, allowing one run on three hits, in what will be the only pitching appearance of his career.
• 1945 – Cleveland ace Bob Feller returns from the Navy and attracts a home crowd of 46,477, who watch him strike out 12 and yield only four hits in a 4-2 win over Detroit’s Hal Newhouser. He will get nine starts during the remainder of the year, and his five wins will include a one-hitter and two four-hitters. With the war now over, fans are clamoring for entertainment and it is clear Feller is still baseball’s number one ticket seller
• 1965 – In the first inning against Pittsburgh, the Giants’ Willie Mays scoops up a double from Donn Clendenon at the base of the 406-foot sign, whirls and fires with the ball reaching catcher Tom Haller on one bounce. Haller then tags out the astonished Willie Stargell. What is described as the greatest throw ever made in ancient Forbes Field is a costly one as Mays hurt himself and leaves the game in the sixth with a pulled groin muscle.
• 1967 – While pushing a car, Philadelphia’s Richie Allen suffers a severe injury when he pushes his hand through the headlight. It will sideline him for the remainder of the season. The Phils will go 14-21 without him.
• 1975 – Lou Brock steals the 800th base of his career as the Cardinals beat the visiting Braves 6-2. Carl Morton is on the mound and Biff Pocoroba behind the plate when Lou swipes second base.
• 1980 – Nolan Ryan holds the Cubs to two hits in nine innings to give the Astros their tenth straight victory, 2-1, winning over Bill Caudill.
• 1982 – Royals catcher John Wathan steals his 31st base, breaking Ray Schalk‘s 1916 record for stolen bases by a catcher. The backstop will wind up with 36 for the season.
• 1996 – Atlanta defeats Chicago, 6-5, led by 1B Fred McGriff, who strokes five hits, including a double and two homers, and drives in four runs.
• 1999 – Mariner Ken Griffey, Jr. becomes only the seventh player to hit 40 homers in four consecutive seasons.
• 2012 – Matt Harrison has a no-hitter until Trevor Plouffe singles with two outs in the seventh, but it’s Adrian Beltre who ends up with a feat, hitting for the cycle for the second time of his career in the Rangers’ 8-0 demolition of the Twins.

Today in Cubs history:

• 1903 – The Cubs split with the Giants at the Polo Grounds, beating Joe McGinnity, 7-3, in the opener. Iron Joe is not helped by eight Giant errors, including five by SS Charlie Babb. The nightcap is called after Chicago’s at-bats in the seventh with the score 8-1. Christy Mathewson picks up the victory for New York over Jock Menefee.
• 1904 – In Chicago, Christy Mathewson blanks the Cubs on three hits and the Giants defeat Buttons Briggs, 3-0. The second game is called after 10 innings with the score 2-2. Chicago fans show their feelings towards the Giants by tossing bottles onto the field. RF George Browne is hit on the leg and is almost hit in the head while chasing a fly ball. John McGraw tells ump Bob Emslie that he will not allow his team to continue play until all the broken glass is cleared, and by the time that occurs it is too dark to continue play.
• 1905 – In Philadelphia, the Cubs defeat the Phillies in 20 innings, 2-1, with Ed Reulbach going the distance for Chicago.
• 1911 – The Cubs lose to Brooklyn, 6-5, in 10 innings to lose sole possession of first place. Doc Scanlan bests Mordecai Brown.
• 1914 – At Chicago, the Cubs trounce the Braves, 9 5, putting Boston back in second place.
• 1930 – New York’s Fred Lindstrom has his 24-game hitting streak stopped as the Giants lose to the Cubs, 3-2. The game is tied 2-all in the bottom of the ninth, when the Cubs load the bases with two out. With the count 0 and 2, Danny Taylor the runner on third, races safely home as surprised Giant reliever Joe Heving watches and then completes his deliberate windup with a wide pitch.
• 1947 – The Giants break the National League record for homers in a season, held by the Cubs, with their 172nd in a 4-0 shutout by Larry Jansen. Chicago’s Hank Borowy takes the loss. The Cubs take the nightcap, 8-3, led by Eddie Waitkus‘ inside-the-park grand slam. This is the third such slam this season and that won’t be matched till 1990.

Cubs Birthdays:Kurt Miller*, Dean Wilkins, Butch Benton, Frank Secory, Beryl Richmond, Jimmy Cooney, Art Williams, Frank Quinn, Lou Hardie. Also notable: Cal Ripken Jr. HOF. Harry Hooper HOF.

Today in history:

• 79 – Believed until 2018 to be the date of the massive eruption of Mt. Vesuvius which buried the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis and Stabiae, killing untold thousands, latest evidence suggests the eruption occurred after 17 October.
• 1853 – First potato chips are prepared by chef George Crum at Moon’s Lake House near Saratoga Springs, New York.
• 1891 – Thomas Edison patents the motion picture camera.
• 1912 -Ticker-tape parade held in NYC for Jim Thorpe and victorious US Olympians.
• 1919 – Frank King’s daily comic strip “Gasoline Alley” is distributed nationwide by the Chicago Tribune Syndicate, appearing in The New York Daily News among other newspapers.
• 1979 – Rock band “The Cars” plays a concert at Wollman Rink in NYC’s Central Park.
• 2004 – Future 8-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt of Jamaica finishes 5th in his 200 m heat in 21.05 seconds, failing to qualify for the second round at the Athens Olympics.
• 2011–  Steve Jobs resigns as CEO of Apple Inc. and is succeeded by Tim Cook due to his illness

*pictured.