Category: Sports News

This season has not gone as the Royals had hoped. After back-to-back winning seasons, the front office was hoping to return to the formula that led them to a postseason appearances in 2024. But the offense started off cold, the bullpen blew many early leads, and injuries buried any hope the team could climb out of their hole.

There will be a lot of pressure for the Royals to turn their fortunes around next year. Fans are upset this season turned out so badly, and the organization is facing additional backlash for trying to circumvent a public vote on their downtown baseball project. Looming over this offseason is the possibility of a work stoppage that could result in missed games. And if things are resolved, the financial state of the game could look much differently, with owners adamant about implementing a salary cap.

Royals payrolls since 2020, the pandemic-shortened season, have increased under the Sherman ownership team, aside from in 2023 when spending remained flat.

So what does the salary situation look like for 2027? The Royals have already parted ways with Kris Bubic, Lane Thomas, Starling Marte, Matt Strahm, and John Schreiber, all of whom were impending free agents this upcoming offseason. Jonathan India and Craig Kimbrel are also free agents, and the Royals seem very likely to decline the $13 million club option on Carlos Estévez and pay his $2 million buyout after he missed nearly the entire season with an injury.

Salvador Perez will be under the last year of the two-year, $25 million contract extension he signed after the 2025 season. The deal pays him a $9 million salary in 2027, although $2.5 million of it is deferred until 2032. Spotrac has his 2027 number at $12.5 million, reflecting the contract’s $12.5 million average annual value for Luxury Tax purposes. In terms of actual cash paid in 2027, however, the Royals will owe Perez just $6.5 million of his salary, with the remaining $2.5 million coming later, plus a deferred $7 million signing bonus that isn’t paid until 2030.

So here are the amounts the Royals will pay players under contract for next year.

• Seth Lugo $21.5 million
• Bobby Witt Jr. $20.111 million
• Michael Wacha $14 million
• Cole Ragans $7.583 million
• Maikel Garcia $7.26 million
• Vinnie Pasquantino $6.9 million
• Salvador Perez $6.5 million

Those seven players total $85.854 million in salary, plus the $2 million buyout for Estévez. The team has a $6 million club option on Randy Dobnak with a $1 million buyout. With his emergence this year and their need for pitching depth, it seems likely that would get picked up. The Royals also have a $2.5 million club option on Tony Gonsolin which is likely to get picked up. That puts us at $96.3 million.

The Royals have eight players eligible for salary arbitration under the current rules (which may be changed in the next collective bargaining agreement): Lucas Erceg, Kyle Isbel, Alex Lange, Daniel Lynch IV, James McArthur, Nick Mears, Alec Marsh, and Michael Massey.

Considering their injury histories, McArthur and Marsh each seem like a good bet to be non-tendered, although I would expect the Royals to make an effort to retain them on minor league deals. Alex Lange had mixed results, Nick Mears was largely hurt, and Lucas Erceg ended up being demoted so there should be a decision to be made on each of them. But the cost for each of them likely won’t be high and the Royals are not in a position to shed bullpen depth. I would not expect more than $1.6 million as a salary for any of them should they be retained.

Lynch will be tendered a deal for his second year of arbitration, which should earn him a salary around $2 million. Michael Massey will be eligible for the second time, and is probably looking at a deal close to $3 million, while Kyle Isbel could earn $4 to $4.5 million in his final year of arbitration.

The Royals tend to hang onto “close call” arbitration cases, so let’s say these players are all retained for just under $15 million combined. That puts them at just under $111 million in contractual obligations for 15 players.

The remaining 11 players on the roster at near the league minimum will collectively earn around $9 million, so that’s $120 million.

The Royals haven’t publicly committed to a payroll number for next year, but owner John Sherman has hinted the team expects to spend at least as much as they did this year.

“We’re freeing up some money that I think we can invest,” he said in an interview in August. “We have our payroll that I think is probably at the highest sustained level as the Royals maybe ever have had, right? And it didn’t work out this year, and that’s frustrating. But it doesn’t take away from what we want to accomplish here. We want to win. We want to win now. We think that our division is still there for the taking.”

That would give roughly $20 million for Picollo to match this year’s payroll, potentially more if they continue to increase payroll as they have in each of the last three seasons. The Royals need major upgrades to the bullpen, although Sherman dismissed the thought of spending a lot in that area, suggesting they could “cobble” together a solution.

This winter’s free agent class is very heavy on starting pitching, not an area the Royals particularly need to address. There are some bats the team could pursue like Gleyber Torres, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Randy Arozarena, Taylor Ward, Luis Arraez, or Brandon Lowe, although the depth falls off pretty quickly. The Royals could also wait out the market and pivot to scoop up bargains late, as they did in February of 2025 when they signed Estévez after failing to land a bat.

How would you address this offseason? Can the Royals make the changes needed to get this team back to contention?

Note: The original article omitted Randy Dobnak, Tony Gonsolin, and Craig Kimbrel. The article has been revised to include them.

A 3-4 week for the Phillies isn’t horrible considering the competition they had, but the general tenor that is surrounding the team right now isn’t that great. They should have done more against both the Astros and Braves, yet several blown games really has left a sour taste.

Three up

J.T. Realmuto – Yes, the team still needs him to play less. This has been his worst season of his career, maybe because he’s wearing down, maybe he’s just not that good anymore, maybe he’s just an older catcher seeing Father Time get closer in the rearview mirror. His week this reminded us that when he was right, Realmuto was the best catcher in baseball and it really wasn’t close for a time.

Jesus Luzardo – A complete game shutout? In this baseball economy? Sure, the shoulder pain he’s having right now is probably a result of his pushing to get that shutout, but Luzardo has truly elevated himself to be discussed among the top starting pitchers in the game right now. We’ll all hold our breath to make sure he’s actually alright for the final two weeks, but let’s just pause and appreciate the game he pitched this past week. He really is an ace now.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ – I really wanted to give the third spot here to Justin Crawford since his overall numbers for the week were pretty good, but do you really remember him being that good? I thought about Trea Turner, but his feeble attempt at an at bat during the extra innings loss to Atlanta has stuck with me these past few days. Kyle Schwarber had a grand slam, but he has largely stunk of late. Some of the bullpen guys have actually been pretty good, but three innings deserves a spot here? Eh. Let’s just leave it as an “I don’t know” for now.

Three down

Luis Arraez – It seems that whatever bloom was on the Arraez rose trade has officially fallen off. This wasn’t a good week for the second baseman (.222/.276/.259 over 29 PA), but it was more about the lack of clutchness that he was exuding more than anything. He’s simply not a cleanup hitter, no matter what the lineup card may say. He has not truly demonstrated the ability to drive runs in on a consistent basis and his being miscast as someone who does is costing the Phillies runs. They don’t really have someone that can do the job in the classic sense of the term, so this is basically what they’re going with for now. A change may need to be made.

Brandon Marsh – You could point to this week as an example of his not being that good, but it’s the splits that truly tell the story.

• 1st half: .301/.339/.490 in 363 PA
• 2nd half: .184/.244/.247 in 173 PA

He’s just been all around bad, this week a classic example of that.

Brooks Raley – You know when people are actually fine with Tanner Banks being back as a left handed option out of the bullpen, things have taken a turn. Raley has generally disappointed since his trade from the Mets. This week, he had multiple shots to redeem himself, yet struggled on Friday and Saturday evening, giving up crucial runs when the team needed a stop. One has to wonder if he’s on a (potential) playoff roster.

With 12 games left in the season, Jacob Milham and Jeremy Greco are counting down the games until the Kansas City Royals’ season ends amid a much-needed offseason overhaul.

Carter Jensen is the centerpiece of the on-field conversation after tying the Royals rookie home run record and climbing historic rookie leaderboards in extra-base hits, doubles, RBI, walks, and caught-stealing rate. He may not win AL Rookie of the Year, but Jacob and Jeremy make a real case for him as a catcher Silver Slugger contender. Bobby Witt Jr.’s pursuit of a 20-40 season keeps the MVP conversation alive, and a quick thought experiment considers whether a Padres roster crunch could open the door to a Freddie Fermin reunion.

The bullpen evaluation dominates the back half of the episode, with the hosts sorting the current arms into keep, depth, or move-on buckets. Steven Cruz and Nate Pearson both earn real support as 2027 pieces based on improved strikeout-minus-walk profiles, while Craig Kimbrel, Alex Lange, Anthony Gose, Jose Cuas, and Easton McGee are all scrutinized as possible non-tender or depth-only candidates. Connor Thomas and Nolan Hoffman emerge as pleasant surprises, drawing praise for strike-throwing and ground-ball rates.

The rotation discussion turns urgent quickly. Noah Cameron looks like the likely Opening Day starter, while Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Randy Dobnak, and Daniel Lynch IV are sorted into very different tiers of trust. Jacob and Jeremy stress that the Royals need multiple starting pitchers before a likely December lockout compresses the free-agent market, and the front office may have no choice but to move fast and overpay this winter.

On the farm, Quad Cities and standout left-hander Kendricho draw praise, LP Longavin’s strikeout totals are turning heads as a future Northwest Arkansas arm, and Carson Roccaforte is putting together a 30-30 season in Omaha.

Need your Royals fix? Head to royalsreview.com for news, analysis, and to engage with Royals fans around the world! Follow us online:

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– Jeremy Greco: @hokius.fromthehawkseye.com
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On September 14, 2026, the Texas Rangers begin the day a game back of the Houston Astros in the American League West, two games back of the Cleveland Guardians in the battle for the third Wild Card spot, and a game behind the Toronto Blue Jays. Texas had played 150 games, and had 12 games left over the final two weeks to determine whether they will make the playoffs. Fangraphs gave the Rangers a 30.3% chance of making the playoffs.

On September 14, 2025, the Texas Rangers ended the day three games back of the Seattle Mariners in the American League West, and two games back of the Houston Astros for the third Wild Card spot, a half-game up on the Cleveland Guardians for that spot. Texas has played 105 games, and has 12 games left over the final two weeks to determine whether they will make the playoffs. Fangraphs gives the Rangers a 31.3% chance of making the playoffs.

So much has changed. And yet, so much is still the same.

In 2025, the Rangers started the penultimate week of the season with a three game set in Houston, having just taken two of three in New York against the Mets to raise their record to 79-71. It was part of an improbable run after the team had been wracked with injuries and left for dead in mid-August.

In 2026, the Rangers return home for nine straight games at the Shed, beginning with three against the Boston Red Sox, having spent the last month or two generally hovering a game or two under .500.

The 2026 Texas Rangers have a worse record than last year’s version, but unlike the 2025 team, they aren’t running with a patchwork, duct-taped roster. Here’s the starting lineup the Rangers rolled with in their opener in Houston last year:

Smith — SS

Langford — CF

Pederson — DH

Burger — 1B

Garcia — RF

Osuna — LF

Jung — 3B

Heim — C

Moore — 2B

Cody Freeman, Kyle Higashioka, Michael Helman, Rowdy Tellez, and Ezequiel Duran entered the game off the bench. Jack Leiter started, with Jacob Webb and Carl Edwards, Jr. appearing out of the pen.

The Rangers, as you may recall, were swept by the Astros, then were swept at home by the Miami Marlins, pretty much putting a stake into their playoff hopes.

And here we are a year later, with the Rangers back in much the same place, fighting to stay in the playoff hunt, trying to keep their hopes afloat down the home stretch, facing a Boston team that has pretty much clinched a playoff spot, followed by a Toronto team they are battling in the playoff race.

History doesn’t repeat, but it rhymes. Hopefully this time around, it results in a better outcome.

Poor Baltimore. The only AL East team to lose Sunday and it was in no small part because they were playing a divisional foe. The rest of the division, led of course by Cam Schlittler’s gem for the Yankees, all put notches in the win column.

Meanwhile, the rest of the AL continues to gravitate to the mushy middle. With the White Sox’s loss Sunday, they drop a mere three games above .500 leading the AL Central. The Astros, despite getting swept this weekend in Tampa, hold down the top spot in the West with a perfectly cromulent .500 record.

Tampa Bay Rays (90-59) 14, Houston Astros (75-75) 4

Sigh. The Houston Astros can’t do anything right. After losing Friday and Saturday to Tampa in nail biters, Houston evidently decided to take the suspense out of it and let the Rays put two touchdowns on them in honor of opening Sunday of NFL season. Tampa attacked early and often, scoring in four of the first five frames, giving themselves an 11-0 lead before the Astros got off the schneid.

It was a very balanced attack from the Rays Sunday as well. Every starter either scored or drove in a run, with six of the nine ending the day with at least one ribbie and eight of nine stepping on home plate at least once. Former Yankee farmhand Hayden Wesneski was on the receiving end of the onslaught, giving up seven runs (four unearned thanks to an error) in just three innings of work.

Other Games

Boston Red Sox (82-68) 4, Kansas City Royals (66-84) 1: It’s a good thing the AL East is representing these days, because the rest of the Junior Circuit… woof. The Red Sox sit third in the division, 14 games over .500. Only two AL teams outside the East are above .500 at all. Sunday, Roman Anthony broke a 1-1 tie with a single in the seventh. Trevor Story provided the insurance in the eighth with a two-run single of his own and Boston held on to take down an AL also-ran.

Chicago White Sox (76-73) 1, St. Louis Cardinals (74-76) 3: Imagine getting called up from Triple-A, taking a perfect game into the sixth, and… losing. Such was David Sandlin’s fate for Chicago today. Sandlin was perfect through 5.1 innings. Then, a pair of singles and an error loaded the bases for Alec Burleson. His 36th double of the season cleared them all and gave the Cards a lead they never surrendered.

Cleveland Guardians (76-74) 9, Minnesota Twins (70-79) 2: And while Chicago was losing, Cleveland was notching a win to move within half a game in the AL Central. Power powered the Guardians for a change, as they clubbed three dingers Sunday. And in a small miracle, Tanner Bibee was on the hill for a win for a change. Sunday’s outing gives him six to go with his 15 losses.

Toronto Blue Jays (75-75) 8, Baltimore Orioles (72-78) 1: Canada’s long national nightmare has ended. The $500 million man, Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. has finally homered this season at home. Incredibly, it took 149+ games for the franchise player to put one in the seats in Toronto. Also of note, Dylan Cease put together another solid start as he continues to at least make the AL Cy Young Award race a conversation.

Texas Rangers (74-76) 7, Arizona Diamondbacks (79-71) 6: The Rangers took advantage of Houston’s loss Sunday. They scored five runs in the middle innings, just enough for the win, as Arizona scored twice in the ninth to get within one and brought the winning run to the plate. Corey Seager led the way for Texas, launching a majestic 458-foot bomb.

Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below. Check out the previous day’s recap here.

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (72-71) won 5-0 (BOX SCORE)

Weiss started for Sugar Land and pitched well tossing 5 scoreless innings with 5 strikeouts. The offense got on the board in the 6th inning scoring 5 runs on a Spence RBI single, Schiavone hit by pitch, Delgado walk and Ferreras 2 run single. The pen was really good tossing 4 scoreless innings as they closed out the 5-0 win for Sugar Land.

Note: Ferreras is hitting .320 in Triple-A.

• Pascanel Ferreras, SS: 2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI
• Joey Loperfido, DH: 3-for-5, R
• Collin Price, 1B: 0-for-3, R, 2 BB
• Lucas Spence, LF: 2-for-5, R, 3B, RBI
• Zach Dezenzo, 3B: 0-for-2, R, 2 BB
• Jason Schiavone, C: 1-for-2, R, RBI, BB
• Ray Delgado, 2B: 0-for-2, RBI, 2 BB

• Ryan Weiss, RHP: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
• Nic Swanson, RHP: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
• Logan VanWey, RHP: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• Kai-Wei Teng, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• Roddery Munoz, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (62-76) lost 6-5 (BOX SCORE)

The Hooks got on the board in the 2nd inning scoring 4 runs on a Moss 2 run double and Bush 2 run single. They got another run in the 5th inning on a Whitaker RBI double. Dombroski got the start and pitched well tossing 6 scoreless innings allowing just one hit. Marrero struggled in relief allowing 6 runs and the offense was unable to respond as the Hooks fell 6-5.

Note: Moss has a .852 OPS in Double-A.

• Jack Moss, DH: 2-for-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB
• Will Bush, 1B: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, SB
• Walker Janek, C: 2-for-4, R, 2B
• Tyler Whitaker RF: 1-for-3, 2B, RBI, BB
• Alejandro Nunez, 2B: 1-for-4, R, SB
• Hector Salas, 3B: 1-for-3, R, BB, SB

• Trey Dombroski, LHP: 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• Andrew Marrero, RHP: 0.1 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Railin Perez, RHP: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, o ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• Ramsey David, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

A+: Asheville Tourists (43-87) SEASON OVER

A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (1-0) won 14-4 (BOX SCORE)

The Woodpeckers got on the board in the first inning scoring a run on a wild pitch. In the 2nd inning, the offense blew the game open scoring 10 runs on a Tryon solo home run, Flores RBI double, Piasecki RBI single, Alvarez 2 run single, Luciano sac fly, Galloway walk, Flores sac fly, Piasecki RBI single and Hughes RBI single. Weber started for the Woodpeckers and went 4.2 innings allowing 2 runs. The offense added 3 more runs in the 6th inning on a Piasecki RBI double and Durnin 2 run home run. The pen allowed 2 runs late but held on as the Woodpeckers won game one 14-4.

Note: Woodpeckers are one win away from a Carolina League Championship!

• Kam Durnin, SS: 3-for-4, 3 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB
• Logan Hughes, DH: 2-for-4, R, 2B, RBI, BB
• Kevin Alvarez, CF: 1-for-5, R, 2 RBI, SB
• Ben Tryon, 1B: 2-for-5, 2 R, HR, RBI
• Rashawn Galloway, RF: 2-for-4, 2 R, RBI, BB
• Arturo Flores, C: 2-for-2, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB
• Aaron Piasecki, 2B: 3-for-5, 2 R, 2B, 3 RBI, SB

• Charlie Weber, RHP: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
• Mick Uebelhor, RHP: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (WIN)
• Aubrey Smith, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• Leomar Rosario, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Brady Thomas, RHP: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
• Jank Pichardo, RHP: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: OFF

CC: OFF

AV: OFF

FV: OFF

This one is basically for the folks who were paying attention to the Probable Pitchers page over on the Atlanta Braves’ official website. It still lists Wednesday’s starter for the game as “TBD” but that picture may becoming a little more determined with this latest move that the Braves have made.

Bailey Falter has been designated for assignment and his replacement on the Braves roster will be none other than Owen Murphy.

This will be Murphy’s first stint with the Braves since back in July, which is when he made three appearances (one of which were starts) before getting sent back down. He’s been pretty productive at the Triple-A level for the Gwinnett Stripers, which is where he’s made 18 starts and pitched 96.2 innings while producing an ERA of 3.61 and a FIP of 4.23. His last start for the Stripers was on September 8, which is when he tossed six innings and only gave up a run against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. If he does make the start, then he’ll be on more-than-regular rest.

With all of that being said, the indication does seem to be that Murphy will be coming out of the bullpen. That’s what Mark Bowman of MLB.com is reporting shortly after this news came down.

So Wednesday’s starter is still clearly “TBD” and we could still see another move before then. Will it be JR Ritchie? Will the Braves choose to go with Chris Sale on his regular rest? It’s all up in the air but for now, it’s time to see how Owen Murphy fares in his latest stint for Atlanta.

Meanwhile, Bailey Falter’s time with the Braves is now up in the air after 3.1 innings pitched for Atlanta during his time on the roster. He got a handful of outs against the Phillies on Sunday without giving up any runs, so “job done” in that regard. We’ll see what happens with Falter and the Braves organization going forward.

Edwin Díaz signed a record-setting contract for a relief pitcher last offseason, but his first season with the Dodgers has been a lost cause, sidelined by a pair of injuries, currently on the sidelines with neck inflammation. Díaz had another bad rehab outing on Sunday with Oklahoma City.

Díaz faced eight batters and retired two of them. He permitted two singles, walked three batters and hit another, and struck out one. He left with three runs already in, and two of his three bequeathed runners scored after he left. He threw only 13 strikes in his 30 pitches, the third time in four outings on this rehab assignment he’s thrown more balls than strikes.

In his four games over the previous eight days in Triple-A, Díaz has allowed six runs in 3 1/3 innings, with seven walks, four strikeouts, and a hit batter, with 46 balls and 40 strikes. I’m not sure what the Dodgers will do for the final two weeks of the regular season, but Díaz has no place on any postseason roster this year and it would make more sense to look forward to 2027 than activate the veteran closer for any of the final two weeks of the regular season.

Meanwhile, Kris Bubichas been getting outs on his rehab assignment, including 1 1/3 scoreless innings with three strikeouts on Sunday for Oklahoma City. Bubic is a starter but being groomed for relief after the Dodgers acquired him from the Kansas City Royals on August 3, currently sidelined on the 60-day injured list with elbow soreness and shoulder soreness.

But right now Bubic looks healthy and in his six appearances over two weeks in Triple-A has pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings with two singles and two walks allowed, with nine strikeouts among his 21 batters faced, a 42.9-percent strikeout rate.

Player of the day

Infielder Jake Gelof capped off a stellar regular season with another home run on Sunday for Double-A Tulsa. His 34th home run of the season set a modern-era (since 1932) Tulsa record, surpassing Tim Wheeler in 2011 when the Drillers were a Colorado Rockies affiliate.

Gelof, the Dodgers’ second-round draft pick in 2023 out of Virginia, where he set a school record for home runs, had his best professional season to date, hitting .271/.285/.565 with a 138 wRC+, while splitting time at third base,s second base, and first base.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

The five runs charged to Díaz were the only runs scored on Sunday in the Comets loss to the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Astros), snapping Oklahoma City’s 14-game win streak.

Cole Irvin started and pitched 4 2/3 innings in a no-decision. The 32-year-old left-hander leads the Pacific Coast League in innings pitched (134), ERA (3.09), and wins (12).

Ryan Fitzgerald had two of Oklahoma City’s four hits, all singles.

Double-A Tulsa

The Drillers dropped their regular season finale the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Royals), but finished with a stellar 88-50 record, with 10 more wins than another team in the Texas League.

Tulsa also got reinforcements on Sunday, with High-A Great Lakes eliminated on Friday. Top-100 prospects Eduardo Quintero and Charles Davalan joined the Drillers for the playoff drive. Davalan got a hit, while Quintero hit a two-run home run in his first game in Double-A.

Tulsa starts the Texas League playoffs on Tuesday, Quintero’s 21st birthday.

Transactions

Triple-A: Pitcher Antonio Knowles was activated after missing five weeks on the injured list. He did not pitch on Sunday.

Double-A: Outfielders Eduardo Quintero and Charles Davalan were promoted to Tulsa. Outfielder Augstin Acosta and pitcher Alex Walsh were transferred back to the Arizona Complex League.

Sunday scores

• Sugar Land 5, Oklahoma City 0
• Northwest Arkansas 5, Tulsa 4

The week ahead

• Texas League divisional playoffs: Tulsa vs. Springfield (Cardinals)
• Oklahoma City at El Paso (Padres)

The North Division playoffs is best-of-3 for the Drillers, with Game 1 at second-half winner Springfield before Game 2 and potentially Game 3 in Tulsa on Thursday and Friday. Left-hander Adam Serwinowski starts Game 1 for Tulsa, with righthander Yhoiker Fajardo on the mound for Springfield.

(64-68) Columbus Clingstones 1, (71-66) Montgomery Biscuits 4

• John Gil, 2B: 1-for-4, .315/.385/.427
• Eric Hartman, LF: 0-for-4, .182/.312/.265
• Alex Lodise, SS: 0-for-4, .283/.343/.435
• Owen Carey, RF: 0-for-4, .211/.296/.323
• Davis Polo, SP: 6.1IP 8H 4R 3 ER 3BB 5K – 18 whiffs, 2.19 ERA

Box Score

The Clingstones ended the season on a sour note falling 4-1 to the Montgomery Biscuits ending the second half in the fourth place. The Clingstones got solid pitching from Davis Polo and Julio Robaina, but the offense came up short with just one hit in the season finale.

Davis Polo (6.1IP 8H 4R 3ER 3BB 5K) got the start in the final Clingstones game of the season and overall pitched very solidly. Davis clearly struggled with his command missing quite often in the first – missing erratically, well erratically for Davis Polo. Even still, Davis did well to generate whiffs with 18 on the afternoon coming from his slider and his quickly developing changeup. After giving up a pair of runs in the first two innings of the game he settled in putting up zeroes over the next four innings giving the Clingstones offense a chance to come back throughout the game. Davis would give up a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh, get a fly out, and give up a walk before he was replaced by Julio Robaina (1.2IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K) who allowed that runner to score – but was unearned. He would go on to completely close the door, pitching a perfect 8th inning and opening the door for the Clingstones offense who couldn’t get the job done today.

Offensively, it was a stinker by the Clingstones who couldn’t get anything going throughout the game. As a team they went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position, and they stranded a total of three runners on base the entire game. The lone run that scored came in the ninth inning when Dalton McIntyre lead off the inning with a walk, took second on defensive indifference, took third on a passed ball, and scored on an error by the shortstop. The only hit of the game was a fourth inning lead off single by John Gil who would be thrown out immediately after trying to steal second. It was a frustrating end to what has been a strong season for many of the Braves prospects on the team. It will be interesting to see who is moved up to Gwinnett this week to get more work in, but those that don’t will be able to hang their heads high after a strong season.