Category: Sports News

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (38-37/22-23)

SYRACUSE 5, WORCESTER 1 (BOX)

Syracuse won their opening game against the Woosox, powered by good hitting and good pitching. On the hitting side, Ronny Mauricio was perfect at the plate and drove in three, and on the pitching side, Xzavion Curry and Tobias Myers combined to allow a single run on two combined hits.

·  2B Émilien Pitre: 2-4, R, 2B
·  CF Nick Morabito: 0-4, R, 2 K
·  SS Ronny Mauricio: 3-3, 2 R, 2B, HR (15), 3 RBI, BB, SB (11)
·  1B Billy Amick: 1-4, 2B, RBI, 3 K
·  DH Eric Wagaman: 0-3, BB, K
·  LF MJ Melendez: 0-4, 2 K
·  3B Nick Lorusso: 0-3, K, E (1)
·  C Shawn Ross: 0-2, K
·  RF Jose Ramos: 1-3, R, K
·  RHP Xzavion Curry: 5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, W (3-0)
·  RHP Tobias Myers: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, H (1)
·  RHP Ben Simon: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

ROSTER ALERT: SS Émilien Pitre assigned to Syracuse Mets from Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

ROSTER ALERT:3B Billy Amick assigned to Syracuse Mets from Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

ROSTER ALERT: New York Mets optioned RHP Chayce McDermott to Syracuse Mets.

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (27-42/23-23)

BINGHAMTON 4, ALTOONA 3 (BOX)

Jefferson Rojas put the Rumble Ponies on the board in the bottom of the first with a two-run homer, but Gary Gill Hill gave both of those runs back in the top of the second. The right-hander settled down after that, not allowing another run and tossing six innings in total. In the seventh, the newly reactivated Felipe De La Cruz allowed a run and it looked like that was going to be that, but in the bottom of the ninth, Binghamton rallied. Rojas was in the middle of things once again, driving in a run on a double and then Chris Suero ended things with a game winning sac fly.

·  2B Mitch Voit: 1-4, R, K, HPB
·  SS Marco Vargas: 3-5, 2 R, K
·  3B Jefferson Rojas: 3-5, R, 2B, HR (2), 3 RBI, K
·  1B Jacob Reimer: 0-4, BB
·  CF Chris Suero: 1-3, RBI, BB
·  RF John Bay: 0-4
·  DH Corey Collins: 0-2, 2 BB, K
·  LF D’Andre Smith: 0-4, 2 K
·  C Kevin Parada: 2-4, 2 K
·  RHP Gary Gill Hill: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, E (1)
·  LHP Felipe De La Cruz: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
·  RHP Carlos Guzman: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
·  RHP Bryce Jenkins: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, W (2-0)

ROSTER ALERT: Binghamton Rumble Ponies activated C Vincent Perozo from the Development List.

ROSTER ALERT: Binghamton Rumble Ponies activated LHP Felipe De La Cruz from the 7-day injured list.

ROSTER ALERT: Binghamton Rumble Ponies placed OF Yohairo Cuevas on the 7-day injured list.

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (25-40/25-23)

BROOKLYN 9, ASHVILLE 1 (BOX)

The top of the Brooklyn order struggled, with Sammy Stafura going 0-6 and Elian Pena going 0-4, but the bottom half of the line-up had their back, going a collective 8-22 with 7 runs driven in. The Cyclones offense really broke this one open in the later innings, scoring four runs in the seventh, two in the eighth, and one more for good measure in the ninth.

·  SS Sammy Stafura: 0-6, 3 K
·  2B Elian Peña: 0-4, 2 BB, 3 K
·  CF Aidan Smith: 2-3, 3 R, 3 BB, 4 SB (19, 20, 21, 22)
·  1B Ronald Hernandez: 0-3, 2 R, 3 BB, K, SB (22), E (17)
·  DH Trey Snyder: 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K
·  RF Yonatan Henriquez: 1-4, R, RBI, BB, K
·  LF John Spikerman: 2-5, 2 R, 2 HR (1, 2), 4 RBI
·  C Daiverson Gutierrez: 1-4, R, HR (8), RBI, BB, 2 K
·  3B Antonio Jimenez: 2-5, 2B, K, SB, E (5)
·  RHP Nicolas Carreno: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, WP, BLK, W (3-1)
·  RHP Rafi Vazquez: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, H (3)
·  LHP Gregori Louis: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, WP
·  RHP Hunter Hodges: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

ROSTER ALERT: SS Elian Peña assigned to Brooklyn Cyclones from St. Lucie Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Luke Gabrysh assigned to Binghamton Rumble Ponies from Brooklyn Cyclones.

ROSTER ALERT: SS Jamari Baylor assigned to Binghamton Rumble Ponies from Brooklyn Cyclones.

ROSTER ALERT: OF John Smith III assigned to Brooklyn Cyclones from St. Lucie Mets.

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (33-33/17-31)

LAKELAND 10, ST. LUCIE 1 (BOX)

Toeing the rubber for the first time since Spring Training, when he was placed on the 60-Day Injured List due to a fractured rib, Justin Hagenman threw 2.1 innings and allowed a run on three hits and a walk, striking out three. The right-hander threw 43 pitches, 25 for strikes, and got 9 swings and misses. Things quickly went downhill for St. Lucie as the bullpen was extremely leaky, with Owen Woodward, Jose Lopez, and Tyler McLoughlin combining to allow nine runs.

·  3B Vladi Gomez: 0-4, BB, K, E (6)
·  CF Aiden Robbins: 0-2, R, 2 BB, K
·  RF Eli Serrano III: 0-3, BB
·  C Ryan Tayman: 1-2, RBI, BB, E (2)
·  1B Julio Zayas: 0-3, BB, 2 K
·  SS Jeremy Rodriguez: 2-3, BB, E (6)
·  LF Jack Toomey: 1-3, BB, K
·  DH Reed Stallman: 1-4, 2B, 2 K
·  2B Jake Ogden: 0-4
·  REHAB ALERT RHP Justin Hagenman: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, WP, L (0-1)
·  REHAB ALERT RHP Owen Woodward: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
·  RHP Jose Lopez: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 1 K, WP
·  RHP Tyler McLoughlin: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
·  RHP Caden Wooster: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

ROSTER ALERT: OF Jack Toomey assigned to St. Lucie Mets from FCL Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: SS Jake Ogden assigned to St. Lucie Mets from FCL Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: St. Lucie Mets activated SS Jeremy Rodriguez from the Development List.

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Zack Mack assigned to St. Lucie Mets from Syracuse Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: New York Mets sent RHP Justin Hagenman on a rehab assignment to St. Lucie Mets.

Rookie: FCL Mets (24-33)

NO GAME (SEASON OVER)

ROSTER ALERT: 1B Carter Dierdorf assigned to FCL Mets from Brooklyn Cyclones.

ROSTER ALERT: SS Kooper Schulte assigned to FCL Mets from St. Lucie Mets.

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Ronny Mauricio

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Jose Lopez

The Detroit Tigers were unable to seal the deal on Tuesday night, falling to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-1, to even the weekday series at PNC Park. Brett Callahan hit his first major league home run, but that was all the offense the good guy got while Keider Montero was extremely mid on the mound for the Olde English D.

Toeing the rubber in the series finale for the Motor City Kitties is right-hander Jackson Jobe, who will be making his third start of the season after returning from Tommy John surgery. The 24-year-old looked good in his debut but got roughed up by the Chicago White Sox the last time out, coughing up six runs on nine hits (two homers) and a walk while striking out four over 3 2/3 innings to take the loss in a 9-5 defeat at Comerica Park.

Up against Jobe for the Bucs is fellow righty Paul Skenes, who has been great this season but a tick below the astronomic he set for himself during his first two years in the league. In the 24-year-old’s last four outings since his last quality start, Skenes has posted a bloated 6.52 ERA along with a very mediocre 4.22 FIP over 19 1/3 innings, allowing 20 hits (three homers) and 11 walks while striking out 18, hitting a batter and throwing a wild pitch, resulting in three personal losses and four for his team.

Here is a look at how the two 24-year-olds match up on paper for the rubber match of the three-game series on Wednesday afternoon.

Detroit Tigers (61-65) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (62-66)

Time (ET): 12:35 p.m.
Place: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
SB Nation Site:Bucs Dugout
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 127: RHP Jackson Jobe (1-1, 6.23 ERA) vs. RHP Paul Skenes (9-11, 3.88 ERA)

Player	G	IP	K%	BB%	GB%	FIP	fWAR
Jobe	2	8.2	20.5	5.1	44.4	5.62	-0.1
Skenes	25	134.2	30.0	6.7	40.0	2.99	3.7

JOBE

SKENES

Good morning Birdland,

Those two days where the Orioles held a playoff spot were pretty cool, huh? We will remember them fondly.

The team has dropped back to one game out of the final wild card spot after their 3-1 loss to the Yankees on Tuesday night. The Rangers, Twins, Blue Jays, and Guardians all won, so it was not a good night for the O’s and their playoff hopes.

The loss falls at the feet of the offense. Coby Mayo’s solo homer in the third inning was all they could muster. Throughout the rest of the game they had just three hits and went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Tough to win games with only one run.

Side note: Mayo now has a 101 wRC+ on the season. Not just against lefties, or since June 1 or whatever, no crazy splits. None of that. The guy has now been a (slightly) above average hitter on the season. That’s pretty cool. Maybe the Orioles have something on their hands after all.

Shane Baz was quite good yet again. The guy just cannot get any run support. He struck out a season high 10 over his 6.1 innings, and the three runs he allowed was slightly elevated because Josh Walker came on and allowed both inherited runners to score. It doesn’t feel like the Orioles have any pitcher in their bullpen right now that you can trust all that much. They are all prone to implosions.

The O’s will give it another try on Wednesday night with Chris Bassitt (4-4, 5.11 ERA) on the mound to face Will Warren (8-6, 4.42 ERA). It’s another 6:35 first pitch.

Links

Orioles updates on Basallo, Alexander, Bautista and more | Roch Kubatko
There was some positive news yesterday. We know that Samuel Basallo is getting close to a return. He has played a couple of rehab games, and Craig Albernaz said he could be back later this week. Then the team relayed that Blaze Alexander and Félix Bautista (!!!) are expected to begin rehab assignments within a week. The Alexander news is expected, but Bautista!?! The team has been optimistic there, and it’s likely that they will take things slow. But boy would it be a boost to get his arm in the bullpen sometime in September for the final couple of weeks.

Former Oriole Trey Mancini retiring after making comeback in 2026 | Roch Kubatko
What a career and what a story for Trey Mancini. He came back from cancer to play baseball at a high level and win a World Series, then he came back a second time when it seemed like the league had totally moved on. The 34-year-old achieved his goal of getting back to the majors this season and should be darn proud of himself for doing so. I’m sure even bigger things await him beyond his playing career.

Jon Meoli: The Orioles are finally hitting, and that means they’re still worth our attention | The Baltimore Banner
The Orioles followed the posting of this article with a putrid one-run showing on Tuesday, but the larger point is true. The team is finally getting contributions from some of their biggest bats. If they really are going to make a playoff push, it needs to continue.

Orioles’ Jackson Holliday found his groove. Now he’s hitting lefties too. | The Baltimore Sun
It has taken more time than many of us wanted, but some of the Orioles younger hitters are finally finding success in the big leagues. The timing is helpful, and it may bode well for 2027 and beyond.

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• Brandon Young turns 28 today. The second-year pitcher has been a savior for the Orioles rotation this season, compiling a 3.52 ERA over 117.2 innings.
• J.J. Hardy is 44 years old. He brought a rare combination of power and slick fielding to the shortstop position during the Orioles return to relevance from 2011 through 2017. Hardy won three Gold Gloves, went to one All-Star Game, and took home a Silver Slugger during his time in Baltimore. The O’s added him to their team Hall of Fame in 2021.
• Lance Cormier turns 46. He worked out of the Orioles bullpen throughout the 2008 season.
• Rocky Cherry is 47 years old. His time with the Orioles spanned two seasons from 2007 through ‘08, when he was an up-and-down reliever for the club.
• Luis DeLeón is 68. The righty pitched in 11 games as a reliever for the 1987 Orioles.
• Paul Mitchell turns 77. His six-year MLB career began in Baltimore, where he played in 11 games for the 1975 Birds.
• The late Jim Lehew (b. 1937, d. 2016) was born on this day. A Baltimore native, Lehew played in parts of two seasons with his hometown Orioles from 1961 to ‘62.

This day in O’s history

1980 – Steve Stone becomes MLB’s first pitcher to get to 20 wins this season as the O’s beat the Angels 5-2.

2001 – The Orioles storm back from a 6-1 deficit to beat the Red Sox 13-7. Jeff Conine has five hits, three different Orioles have three RBI each, and the team steals five bases off of Hideo Nomo.

2016 – The Orioles set a modern record by hitting four home runs before making their first out in their first turn at-bat. Adam Jones, Manny Machado, Chris Davis, and Mark Trumbo all go deep in the first inning to take a 5-1 lead, but it wouldn’t be enough. The Astros score five of their own runs in the second inning and go on to win 15-8.

I think I have it figured out.

Don’t let this umpiring crew call anything down the right field line. There seems to be some kind of allergy to getting the call right the first time, even if it’s on the easier side.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Derek Hill, on Monday night, is the latest iteration of pinch hitters for the Phillies that will be super important down the stretch ($).
• Teruaki Sato is going to be the latest Japanese slugger coming to the United States. Count the Phillies among those interested.

MLB news:

• This whole Ketel Marte thing is getting strange. He doesn’t show up to a Diamondbacks game, gets placed on the restricted list, now needs an MRI on his knee.
• Trey Mancini has retired from baseball. You might remember him from his return from cancer a few years back, but now he is going home. Good for him.
• Max Fried’s bone bruise in his elbow has returned, meaning he’ll head to the injured list once again this season.

Free of charge for the discerning reader.

Happy birthday to Rocky Cherry, and a mighty host of others.

Today in baseball history, in 1951 – Wearing uniform number 1/8, forty-three-inch-tall Eddie Gaedel walks on four pitches from Bob Cain in his only major league appearance. Bill Veeck‘s idea of playing the midget was legal at the time but is later outlawed, and other stories as well.

Today in baseball history:

• 1921 – At the age of 34, Ty Cobb becomes the youngest player to collect 3000 hits when he singles off Red Sox hurler Elmer Myers.
• 1931 – At Chicago, Lefty Grove (25-2) wins his 16th consecutive game, 4-2, tying the American League record set by Walter Johnson and Joe Wood in 1912. Grove holds the Sox scoreless till the 9th, while the A’s score in the second, third and eighth off Red Faber. Grove has completed all but one of the wins.
• 1965 – At San Francisco, Don Drysdale faces Warren Spahn in the start of a critical four-game series. Drysdale lasts longer than Spahn, allowing five runs through eleven innings and leaves with the game tied. The Dodgers win it in 15 innings, 6-5.
• 1968 – Bob Gibson pitches the Cardinals to a 2-0 win over the Phillies. Gibson strikes out Dick Allen four times, the seventh time this season the Phils’ slugger has K’ed four times. He will strike out a career-high 161 times this season.
• 1974 – Reds 2B Joe Morgan drives in seven runs as Cincinnati rolls over Philadelphia, 15-2. Morgan has a grand slam and a three-run homer, then leaves after three innings when the Reds build a 14-0 lead.
• 1980 – Jon Matlack holds George Brett hitless, snapping his hitting streak at 30 consecutive games. Brett batted .467 during the streak and knocked in 42 runs.
• 1992 – Tom Glavine (19-3) wins his 13th in a row, stopping the Expos, 4-2. Mike Stanton gets the last two outs. Jeff Blauser‘s two-run homer off starter Chris Nabholz is the big blow.
• 2007 – John Smoltz sets the career Atlanta Braves franchise record for strikeouts. He whiffs Mark Reynolds in the third inning of a 6-2 win, one of 13 K’s on the day as he passes Phil Niekro‘s old mark of 2,912.
• 2007 – Greg Maddux moves up the historical charts, as he ties Tim Keefe for ninth all-time with 349 wins. Maddux aids his cause with two hits in two at-bats.

Today in Cubs history:

• 1913 – Grover Alexander is reached for nine straight hits and six runs as the Cubs defeat Phillies, 10-4.
• 1930 – In the first of two, Chicago’s Hack Wilson connects off Phils P Les Sweetland for his 43rd home run, tying Chuck Klein‘s National League record set last year. In RF, Klein waves to Wilson as he circles the bases.
• 1969 – John Hollison dies in Chicago at age 99. He was the last surviving major league pitcher to throw from a mound 50 feet from home plate. He pitched in one game in 1892.
• 1969 – At Wrigley Field, Ken Holtzman no-hits the Braves, 3-0, with Ron Santo‘s 1st-inning homer providing all of the Cubs’ runs.
• 1970 – Fergie Jenkins homers and his teammates add another six as Chicago coasts over San Diego, 12-2. Jim Hickman (2), Glenn Beckert, Johnny Callison, Joe Pepitone, and Billy Williams also hit round trippers for Chicago. Six of the Cub homers are solo shots and San Diego adds a solo homer: the seven solo homers by two teams sets a National League record and ties the major league mark set on April 29, 1962.

Cubs Birthdays:Rocky Cherry*, Matt Franco, Gary Gaetti, Tim Blackwell, Tex Carleton, Ike McAuley.

Today in history:

• 1665 – World’s “most mysterious book,” a codex known as the Voynich manuscript, written in an unknown script, is sent by a rector of Prague University to a Jesuit scholar (now in Yale University Library and still undeciphered) in 1666.
• 1839 – Louis Daguerre‘s daguerreotype photographic process with complete working instructions is published “free to the world” in Paris as a gift from the French government.
• 1909 – “Wild” Bob Burman wins his first major auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, earning the Prest-O-Lite Trophy; the 100-lap, 250-mile race is completed by only three of the nine cars, and one racer and a mechanic are killed in a crash.
• 1934 – The first All-American Soap Box Derby is held in Dayton, Ohio
• 1958 – NAACP Youth Council begins a sit-in at a “whites-only” lunch counter at Katz Drug Store in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
• 1960 – American CIA pilot Francis Gary Powers is convicted of spying by the USSR (U-2 incident) and sentenced to 3 years in prison plus 7 in a labor camp; he serves 17 months before being exchanged for a captured Soviet KGB spy.
• 1993 – Dow Jones Industrial Average hits record high of 3612.13.
• 2004 – US gymnast Carly Patterson becomes the second American woman to win the all-around gold medal and the first to win at a non-boycotted Olympic Games when she takes gold in Athens.

Today in music history:

• 1955 – WINS radio in New York City announces it will not play white cover versions of R&B records, opting instead to play Fats Domino‘s “Ain’t That A Shame” rather than Pat Boone’s.
• 1966 – The Beatles are pelted with rotten fruit and firecrackers during a concert at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee; the Ku Klux Klan demonstrates outside the show and burns records.
• 1979 – “My Sharona” by The Knack hits No. 1 and stays at the top for six weeks.
• 2008 – Interscope Records releases “The Fame,” the debut album by Lady Gaga.

*pictured.

The Guardians hosted the Giants last night.

The Giants have had a terrible season, and they played like it last night. Their defense screwed up countless times, including an outfielder who Raburned a throw.

But the Guardians would have beaten most opponents last night—because Jo Adell had a career night.

The bad news is that Adell is now in quite a lot of pain. Can the 2026 Guardians Have Nice Things? Stay tuned!

Chase DeLauter is day-to-day.

Around baseball

• Cal Quantrill pitched 7 shutout vs the Nats. Happy for Cal!

• Padres minor-league catching coordinator detained by ICE in Texas

• Francisco Lindor hit a grand slam…… until he didn’t.

• Sounds like someone is a bit skeptical of “let’s have a bunch of slap hitters watch tape of Jose Ramirez and then they will all hit like Jose Ramirez”

• The Brewers beat the collapsing Mariners 22-0.

The Pittsburgh Pirates currently sit 6.5 games back from the third Wild Card spot in the postseason, and are running out of time to steer the ship towards the playoffs. There’s still some time to get back on track, but there are three factors that will leave the Pirates on the outside looking in.

Pitching day-to-day is shaky

At the beginning of the season, the strength of the Pirates was supposed to be the starting pitching rotation. However, at this point in the season the rotation has lost its reputation and has turned into a largely average unit. Paul Skenes this late in the year is just not dependable. He has not looked like himself all year, but it has become especially clear as of late that he is not performing at his best. Mitch Keller has been shut down for the rest of the season with an injury, so Carmen Mlodzinski has stepped back into his role as a starter. Even though Mlodzinski was solid to start the year, he clearly looks over it with the Pirates and has not been at his best since returning to the starting ranks.

Also — and this isn’t particularly Jared Jones’ fault — but the Pirates are still letting him play with the training wheels on. He has the potential to be the best pitcher on the team, but management is still keeping his outings incredibly limited. Pitching in the playoffs will not matter if the Pirates cannot first get to the playoffs.

What's in the future for Carmen Mlodzinski? @DanZangrilli reacted to another rough start for the #Pirates pitcher. #mlb#baseball#pittsburgh#sportspic.twitter.com/6ritw2skPY

— 93.7 The Fan (@937theFan) August 18, 2026

The bullpen looks revamped, but it’s still a position group with a lot of question marks. In some of these close series down the stretch, they are not dependable enough from what we’ve seen to this point to put a lot of faith in. I do think the group has looked better, but I wouldn’t be willing to wager anything just yet given their track record.

The lineup lacks consistent punch down the stretch

The Pirates’ lineup that was completely transformed for the 2026 season, completely fell apart following the All-Star break. It’s almost like the week off was the worst possible thing for the red hot Buccos. The offense has been shutout five times since returning to action, and have scored two runs or less in seven contests in the second half of the season.

This is a lineup that had a lot of potential, but after taking their extended layoff it might be too late for them to crawl back into playoff contention if the offense continues to lack consistency. Esmerlyn Valdez has gone cold after his hot stretch. Ryan O’Hearn is back on the IL. Bryan Reynolds looks unrecognizable in his last 30 games. For some reason, Jared Triolo is still regularly in the lineup and Henry Davis is still a liability at the plate.

Out of all the things that can get the Pirates back into playoff contention, it could be this lineup. Luckily, Oneil Cruz is back and looking like a threat again, and Konnor Griffin will also be returning. Hopefully those pieces back can help the lineup find some consistency, but the team lacks a true offensive superstar at the moment. There is potential for players to grow into those roles, but that likely won’t happen between now and the end of the regular season.

No easy series left

Part of the Pirates’ problems all season long is that they have grossly underperformed against teams that they should beat easily. That has remained true in the second half of the year. They should have easily won their recent series against the Mets, Marlins and Reds. They should win the series against Detroit, but time will tell if they can seal that series victory.

Don Kelly’s had enough. “It felt like we felt sorry for ourselves. We didn’t compete.” At least he’s admitting there’s a problem. pic.twitter.com/mDz1S1h6t1

— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) August 13, 2026

Moving forward there are no series that the Pirates can take lightly. Following Detroit they have back to back series against playoff teams in the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres. They then travel to St. Louis who they’ve struggled mightily against all year. They also have series against the Brewers and Cubs still left on the schedule as well. It’s not impossible for the Pirates to make it to the postseason if they can string together some wins, but their strength of schedule will allow very little to any breathing room. This team is going to have to play tighter than they have all year if they want to keep their dreams of Buctober alive.

Paul Skenes pitches Wednesday night at PNC Park on seven days' rest and the industry will be watching to see how he responds. He was supposed to start Sunday, but after scuffling for the last three months, Pittsburgh Pirates manager Don Kelly said they wanted to give him extra rest. The Pirates and Skenes swear there is no injury or anything wrong with him, other than the normal wear and tear on a pitcher in August.

Five months after the World Baseball Classic, Team USA's hitters are fine for the most part, but the pitchers seem to be showing the effects of ramping up early.

Since April, every star on the injured list or in a slump who played in March has been Exhibit A that the WBC broke him. Team USA's roster is the easiest way to test that. Thirty guys who went through the same spring and there is very little evidence that the suggestions hold up.

But it doesn't exactly fall apart either. There's a toll on many.

Through May 12, Skenes looked like the defending Cy Young Award winner ready to contend for another. He had a 1.98 ERA through his first nine starts. Since then, it's 5.00. His four-seamer, which sat at 98.2 miles an hour, has dropped to an average of 96.8. Again, the Pirates and Skenes said he is not hurt.

But five other Team USA pitchers have been on the injured list with arm or shoulder issues.

Gabe Spier had a shoulder issue in April. Griffin Jax is on the injured list now with an elbow injury. Garrett Whitlock has twice had an elbow injury that put him on the IL. Brad Keller needed internal brace and flexor tendon repair in July and is done for the year. So is Will Vest, who had surgery on a stress fracture in his elbow.

Four other pitchers from Team USA have gone on the IL this season with injuries to a calf, a biceps, a knee and a broken leg.

In all, 15 of the 29 Team USA players have been on the injured list, including six of the 14 position players.

Even Tarik Skubal, who capped himself at one start and 55 pitches before heading back to Tigers camp, missed time to have a loose body removed from his elbow.

He's been fine since.

On the position player side, Pete Crow-Armstrong is the strong counterbalance.

He has a 30-30 season going, picking up his 30th homer Monday night as a walk-off against the White Sox. He's hitting .281 after a .247 mark last year. Kyle Schwarber leads the majors with 37 home runs. Byron Buxton, who did have a stint on the IL, has a 138 OPS+ at 32. All of them were in Miami in March, too.

Cal Raleigh is the glaring exception everybody has pointed to and his issues are real. He hit 60 homers in 2025 and finished second in the MVP voting. He's hitting .158 now with a .564 OPS, last among 165 hitters with at least 350 plate appearances. Six weeks on the IL with an oblique injury certainly did not help. Last week in the Bronx, he said his timing is just off.

Aaron Judge has missed almost three months with a fractured rib, but he can clearly dismiss any connection to the WBC. He did that diving for a catch in an April game.

Roughly 600 players went, and some of them are having bad years the way some player always do. So the sleuths looking for answers to Skenes' struggles don't have much evidence to go on. Sure, the early ramp up could have led to an early onset of fatigue, but three months is a long time to be tired.

There is no strong argument that the WBC is to blame, so Skenes and the Pirates have to keep searching.

Skenes gets the ball Wednesday night against Detroit. It's his 24th start of a season that started early in March for him. Maybe this time, the extra rest will be the answer to his struggles.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Paul Skenes' season started early. Is it starting to show?

Toledo Mud Hens 9, Iowa Cubs 2 (box)

The Hens got another brilliant outing from Andrew Sears and added to a big lead all the way through this one.

Things did not start off so well. Brant Hurter was sitting 89-90 mph and couldn’t get out of the first inning, as he gave up a run and needed Nick Sandlin to clean up the inning.

Lefty Andrew Sears took over in the second and no-hit the Cubs for five innings, striking out seven against two walks. That’s a bit fitting, as Sears looks ready for a call-up to something like Hurter’s role with the Tigers. Sears got a whopping 16 whiffs in this one, 10 off his mid-90’s sinker, and racked up some whiffs with his high-80’s changeup as well. Sears typically has a good sinker-slider combo, so seeing growth from the changeup is excellent news. He might make a candidate for the rotation in 2027 as well and if the Tigers lose anyone else, Sears is probably the first number you’re going to call.

Here’s every called strike and whiff from Andrew Sears’ 5 no-hit innings tonight: pic.twitter.com/74hsdeKceo

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) August 19, 2026

As Sears silenced the Cubs, the Hens offense started clicking. Chris Meyers was promoted out of his rehab assignment up to Toledo for this one, and he doubled in his first at-bat. Andrew Navigato singled him to third and then stole second base. Bennett Lee stepped to the dish after Cal Stevenson struck out, and crushed a three-run shot for his first Triple-A homer.

In the bottom of the third, Max Anderson singled and Josue Briceño walked. Meyers singled in Anderson, and Navigato doubled in Briceño for a 5-1 lead.

Right-hander Hayden Minton, who we had ranked 33rd in the system prior to the season, has started to find the mid-90’s velocity we were hoping for on his low arm slot, running sinker, to pair with his solid curveball and cutter. The Tigers promoted him to Triple-A on Tuesday, moving him to a relief role, at least for now, and this is the way. They’ll need a lot more of this to start building good homegrown bullpens rather than paying through the nose for veteran relievers. Minton doesn’t really profile as the guy, but now that he can focus on short outings, we’ll see if they can squeeze a bit more out of the stuff.

Here’s Hayden Minton’s Triple-A debut. He hit a batter and walked a batter, but he also struck out two in a scoreless inning. Fastball topped out at 95.5 MPH. pic.twitter.com/HrV6OIYDmX

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) August 19, 2026

Things were quiet through the middle innings until Max Burt led off the bottom of the seventh with a solo shot. Tyler Mattison surrendered a run in the top of the eighth, but in the bottom half the Hens poured it on.

Justice Bigbie led off with a walk and moved to second on a groundout from Meyers. Navigato singled and Stevenson walked to load the bases. Lee was plunked to force in a run, and Jace Jung followed with a two-run double to make it 9-2.

Beau Brieske struck out two in the top of the ninth sitting 95-97 with his heater.

Navigato: 3-4, 2 R, RBI, 2B, SB

Meyers: 2-4, R, RBI, 2B

Briceno: 0-3, R, BB

Sears (W, 1-0): 5.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 BB, 7 K

Coming Up Next: First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

New Hampshire Fisher Cats 6, Erie SeaWolves 5 (F/11)(box)

Zyhir Hope had a huge game, but after tying this one up in the ninth and again in the bottom of the tenth, the SeaWolves couldn’t get it done in the 11th.

Hope doubled in the bottom of the first but was stranded.

Zyhir Hope smokes a 2-out double off the wall in left center. @ZachSurdenik calls it. pic.twitter.com/2PkWDxRppT

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) August 18, 2026

Joe Miller got into some trouble in the top of the second, and a passed ball charged to Thayron Liranzo scored the game’s first run. The SeaWolves threatened in the second but failed to score. Finally in the bottom of the third, Woody Hadeen walked and rode home on a blast to right field from Hope. 2-1 SeaWolves.

Zyhir Hope crushes a 2-run homer to right to put the SeaWolves up 2-1. It’s his 2nd home run with Erie, and his 25th overall this season. @ZachSurdenik calls it. pic.twitter.com/QYnI9B0qoG

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) August 18, 2026

Unfortunately, Miller crumbled in the top of the fourth, allowing three runs. So it was 4-2 Fisher Cats until the bottom of the eighth. Hope led off with a single and took third on a Liranzo single. He then scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-3. Andrew Jenkins walked, but Izaac Pacheco struck out.

Tanner Kohlhepp took over in the top of the ninth and kept the Fisher Cats off the board despite a pair of singles. In the bottom half, Seth Stephenson was hit by a pitch and stole second as Hadeen struck out. Peyton Graham was snakebit in this one, and for the second time hammered a ball right to an outfielder in this one. Hope sprang eternal as he singled in Stephenson to tie the game and send it to extras.

Zyhir Hope’s 4th hit of the night is a game-tying RBI single with 2 outs in the 9th. @ZachSurdenik and @BurgessLuke03 on the call. pic.twitter.com/bKZIKTOj7N

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) August 19, 2026

Kohlhepp allowed the runner on second to score in the top of the 10th, but no more. In the bottom half, Jenkins singled in Liranzo from second to tie things up, and then stole second base. With three chances for a game winning knock, the SeaWolves went in order, and that was kind of the ballgame.

Yosber Sanchez gave up a run in the top of the 11th, and Stephenson, Hadeen and Graham all made outs to end it.

Hope: 4-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2B, HR, K

Jenkins: 1-4, RBI, BB, SB

Exposito: 2-5, 2B, K

Miller: 4.2 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 9 H, 0 BB, 5 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:05 p.m ET start on Wednesday. The SeaWolves still hold a 4.5 game lead in the Southwest division with a 31-15 second half record.

South Bend Cubs 5, West Michigan Whitecaps 1 (box)

A two-run shot late in Rayner Castillo’s outing spoiled it, but it mattered little as the Whitecaps got one-hit in this one.

The Whitecaps had trouble with starter Jostin Florentino, and their only hit came with one out in the first, and it was another monster shot to straightaway center field off the bat of Bryce Rainer. The talented shortstop has now homered in four straight contests, tying a Whitecaps record, according to Dan Hasty.

Bryce Rainer with a monster blast to dead center. It’s his 14th home run of the year, and his 4th straight game with a bomb. pic.twitter.com/DV5j1MTHBm

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) August 18, 2026

Castillo allowed a solo home run in the bottom of the second, but otherwise he was cruising, racking up a whopping nine strikeouts on the outing, a personal best. Unfortunately, they stretched things a bit too far, and the 22-year-old right-hander gave up a leadoff walk in the sixth, struck out the next hitter, and then surrendered a two-run shot to Josiah Hartshorn which kind of spoiled Castillo’s night. Still, we’ve been looking for him to get that easy 94-95 t97 mph sinker back and improve his breaking stuff and things are coming around after a rough season for him.

Preston Howey gave up a pair of runs in the eighth to complete the scoring.

Rainer: 1-4, R, RBI, HR, 2 K

Ankeney: 0-2, 2 BB

Castillo (L, 2-9): 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 9 K

Coming Up Next: The Whitecaps second half lead in the East division is just one game over Great Lakes. They’ll get back at it with a 7:05 p.m. ET start on Wednesday.

Lakeland Flying Tigers 10, St. Lucie Mets 1 (box)

The Flying Tigers athletic young squad played excellent defense and pounded out 14 hits in this one while drawing eight walks to crush St. Lucie.

Caleb Leys got the start, and while he still isn’t missing many bats, he was effective for 3.2 innings of one-run ball. By then the Flygers were working with a nice lead.

Jude Warwick led off the top of the second with a walk and took second on a wild pitch. Maddox Molony lined an RBI single to center for a 1-0 lead.

In the third, Angel De Los Santos dumped a pop-up in for a speed double with one out. Nick Dumesnil struck out, but Jesus Pinto singled in the run. In the fourth, Anibal Salas singled with one out, and Brady Ballinger doubled him to third. Ballinger and Molony did a nice job repping the 2026 draft class in this one. Jordan Yost grounded one to second and then cut down Salas at the plate, but Yost stole second and Ballinger scored as the throw was wide of second base.

Congratulations to Brady Ballinger on his first professional hit, a 375-foot double that the St. Lucie announcers thought was a home run… pic.twitter.com/BBV2nBv7SQ

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) August 18, 2026

So it was 3-0 at that point. Leys allowed a run in the top of the fourth, but in the bottom half the Flying Tigers kept pouring it on. Dumesnil led off with a single and Pinto challenged a strike call correctly and walked. Warwick grounded out but advanced both runners. Molony then fought off a pitch into right field for a two-run single. 5-1.

Dumesnil challenged a strike call correctly in the top of the seventh and led off with a walk. He promptly swiped second and scored on a Pinto single. Pinto took second on a wild pitch and Warwick and Molony walked to load the bases. Salas struck out, but Ballinger walked to force in a run and Yost lifted a sac fly to make it 8-1. Michael Oliveto singled in Molony, and De Los Santos lined a single to left to make it 10-1.

Leonardo Rossell and Bryce Alewine were both a little wild in relief but gave the Flygers two scoreless apiece.

De Los Santos: 3-6, R, RBI, 2B, K

PInto: 2-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, SB

Molony: 2-4, R, 3 RBI, BB, SB

Ballinger: 2-4, 2 R, RBI, 2B, BB

Oliveto: 2-4, RBI, 2BB

Leys: 3.2 IP, ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 2 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:10 p.m. ET start on Wednesday.

It was a day that ended in “y”, so the Yankees played a close game last night. It’s all nail-biters all the way down, but as long as they can score just enough to make their stellar pitching stand up, it’s a good enough formula. The Yankees prevailed in their series opener with the Orioles last night 3-1, and they’ll send Will Warren to the mound tonight with a chance to cinch a series victory and put together a three-game winning streak.

On the site today, Peter will recap a busy Tuesday night of action in the Rivalry Roundup, and he’ll also analyze Ben Rice’s huge home run against the Blue Jays over the weekend. Later, John has the latest entry in the Yankees Birthday series, which features one Bobby Richardson, a hugely clutch Yankee.

Today’s Matchup:

New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles

Time: 6:35 p.m. EST

TV: Amazon Prime Video, MASN, MLB Network

Venue: Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD

Questions/Prompts:

1. How confident are you that Carlos Rodón will be able to close out the season with the same level of production he showed early in the year?

2. Five division leaders (the Astros in the AL West are the exception) has a lead of at least four games right now. Which of those five teams is most likely to lose their grip in the division?