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If I was there this weekend, I definitely would have been “Sleepless in Seattle.”

Friday, the Cubs lost a winnable game on a walk-off single by a .130 hitter, Leo Rivas. Then Saturday, the Cubs see a definite win turn into a brutal loss. After that .130 hitter (Rivas) drove in a run with a two-out single, Randy Arozarena, who had a first-pitch HR to start the game, matched PCA from five days earlier by hitting a two-run walk-off HR.

One could say, “Whew, a 19-2 laugher, finally” Sunday, but it turned into an uncomfortable win after the implosion by Shōta Imanaga, which followed Matthew Boyd’s poor recent starts — the two pretty dependable pitchers Jed Hoyer built a solid four-man playoff rotation around. What now?

Well, let’s start with the good news on the pitching side. Saturday, David Peterson gave up the CSPSHR*, but went on to allow just two runs on four hits and two walks over six innings. Peterson added on eight strikeouts, as 62 of his 98 pitches were for strikes.

The only thing on Sunday that Imanaga matched Peterson on was giving up a CSPSHR* and two total runs allowed. Imanaga was pulled after 72 pitches following two consecutive singles to start the third inning. He allowed five hits, two walks and a HBP, getting pulled from the shortest start in his major-league career.

Aaron Civale took over for Imanaga with a 5-2 lead and was excellent over four innings of one-hit shutout ball. Trent Thornton, Caleb Thielbar and Carson Kelly pitched the final three innings in shutout fashion.

Offensively between the two games, the Cubs scored 23 runs. Nineteen of those, however came only on Sunday. The leaders at the plate Sunday were based on a pair of grand slams, one each by Ian Happ and Pedro Ramirez. Happ only played Sunday, but went an efficient 2-for-4 with a walk and a total of five RBI. Ramirez on Sunday went 3-for-6 with three runs scored to go along with his grand slam, five RBI and a stolen base.

Two other players that played only on Sunday — Michael Conforto went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, and Kelly went 1-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI.

For players performing in both games, Seiya Suzuki went 3-for-7 with three walks, three runs scored and a stolen base. A nice surprise is that Tyrone Taylor doesn’t appear to be an all-glove player. He went 3-for-7 with two walks, a double, a run scored and an RBI. PCA went 3-for-8 with a walk, adding two runs scored, a double, a home run and three RBI. Michael Busch was just 2-for-7, but with two walks, three runs scored and a solo home run. And Alex Bregman’s only hit was a solo home run, but he did pick up a pair of walks, two runs scored and an RBI each.

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Sunday’s Game Stories:

• Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): In blowout win, Ian Happ, Pedro Ramirez become fourth Cubs duo to hit grand slams in same game. “The Cubs put a hurting on the Mariners on Sunday, an offensive explosion that saw Happ and Ramirez do something on two other pairs of Cubs had done since at least 1910.”

• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Sun-Times): Chicago Cubs blow out the Seattle Mariners 19-2 — but Shota Imanaga delivers the shortest start of his career. “Ian Happ’s grand slam off the right-field pole — following three straight walks — was part of a five-run third inning to fuel the Chicago Cubs to a blowout 19-2 victory Sunday.”

• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): Cubs crush four homers (including two slams) en route to 17-run win in Seattle. “Ian Happ walked for five steps out of the box, his bat still in his right hand, as he watched the flight of the ball he just sent towering over the right-field line.”

Additional Game Stories from Sunday:

• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Cubs manager Craig Counsell signals it’s ‘go time’ with quick hook for Shota Imanaga. “”It was just a bad day,” Counsell said of Imanaga, who lasted only two innings Sunday against the Mariners.”
• Abdullah Imran (ClutchPoints): Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong makes franchise history with home run in rout of Mariners. “Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong made franchise history with his 33rd homer and 32nd steal in a 19-2 rout of the Mariners.”

Saturday’s Game Stories:

• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune {$}): Jacob Webb’s 24 consecutive scoreless appearances streak ends in Chicago Cubs’ 2nd straight walk-off loss. “Jacob Webb’s stellar scoreless appearances streak was bound to be over at some point.”

• Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): Cubs’ surprise closer Jacob Webb finally falters, but bullpen in good spot as big playoff moments loom. “Webb’s lengthy streak of scoreless appearances came to an end Saturday, when he gave up three ninth-inning runs in a walk-off loss. But the Cubs’ relief corps is ready for whatever comes next as the different world of playoff pitching nears.”

• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): Bregman, Busch get through top prospect Anderson, but Cubs stunned by Arozarena. “Jacob Webb had not allowed a run for the Cubs dating back to late June. That streak finally ended for the veteran reliever who has grown into Chicago’s closer and a trusted stopper in manager Craig Counsell’s bullpen.”

Additional Game Stories from Saturday:

• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): Cubs’ reliable Webb has rare stumble in walk-off loss. “Jacob Webb spun around on the mound and kept an eye on Pete Crow-Armstrong as the Cubs center fielder raced back to the wall at T-Mobile Park.”

Assorted Stories (Pitching):

• Sean Sears (Chicago Cubs On SI): Cubs October Blueprint: Bonafide Starters, Mid-Tier Options, Top Bullpen Arms. “How should Craig Counsell plan to construct the Cubs’ playoff rotation this October?”
• Matthew Trueblood (North Side Sports): Is Trent Thornton Good? “It’s the greatest thread in the history of forums, locked by a moderator after 12,239 pages of heated debate.“
• Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Craig Counsell sends blunt Shota Imanaga message as Cubs plan for October. “Go time for Sho-Time.”
• Casey McAleer (DaWindyCity): Shota Imanaga’s uncharacteristic outing gets buried by Cubs offensive explosion. “Imanaga needed 72 pitches to make it through only two innings before the Cubs offense completely took over against Seattle.”

Assorted Stories (Hitting):

• Alexander Rosquez (LastWordOnSports): Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong Nears Franchise Record for Homer/Steal Games. “For 35 years, Ryne Sandberg’s 1991 season has stood as the benchmark for power-speed combinations in Chicago.”
• Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): Pete Crow-Armstrong’s leadoff home-run barrage showing just how dangerous he is at top of Cubs’ batting order. “Crow-Armstrong’s leadoff homer Friday was his third such dinger in a four-game stretch, another remarkable feat in a season full of them for the MVP candidate.”
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune {$}): Ian Happ’s struggles with his right-handed swing have the Chicago Cubs switch-hitter in a tough situation. “Chicago Cubs left fielder Ian Happ found himself in what has become a familiar position Saturday.”
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Playoff-tested Alex Bregman delivering the big moments Cubs expected from their big free agent. “Bregman is trending toward a 5-plus-WAR season and his 10th consecutive year in the playoffs.”
• Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib): Cubs’ Alex Bregman has gone from easy out to an elite clutch hitter in the second half. “The team’s big offseason signing is living up to his contract just in time.”

General Assorted Stories:

• Alex D’Agostino (Chicago Cubs On SI): Cubs Present Massive Playoff Threat to Diamondbacks This Week. “The Arizona Diamondbacks managed to live to fight another day after they took two of three from the Cincinnati Reds over the weekend.”
• Steve Silverstein (ClutchPoints): Cubs would normally love seeing Cardinals choke, but now Phillies are breathing down neck. “Cubs feel the pressure of the Phillies charging at them as their lead for the No. 1 Wild Card spot continues to shrink.”
• Brandon Glick (Cubbies Crib): One stat paints troubling Cubs’ NL Central picture compared to Brewers in playoff race. “Neither history nor the numbers are on our side.”
• Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball): Everything Sucks When It’s Not About You. “For the second year in a row, an admirably resilient and impressive Cubs team is suffering from an acute and inescapable syndrome that makes life genuinely unpleasant: secondary character syndrome.”
• Garrett Kerman (ClutchPoints): Cubs’ Craig Counsell provides 2 big injury updates. “Craig Counsell revealed that both right-hander Ben Brown and left-hander Justin Steele came through a milestone step in their respective rehab programs without any setbacks.”

Food For Thought:

Rex Peoples is the 7x winner of the “Best Blues Vocalist” in Colorado. If you like the Blues, R&B, Marvin Gaye, Bill Withers, Koko Talyor then you will love Rex. The XFactr was created by singer, songwriter, vocal coach, and Blues in Schools educator Rex Peoples in 2007. It is intentionally spelled without the “o” to represent the intangibles that make the religious shout, the partiers dance, and remind us of the emotions that make us say, “That’s my song!” He wrote all lyrics and music for the CD : Fried Food / Hard Liquor. Rex was the 2nd most played single on Kai Turners “Strictly Blues station in 2016. The band was a semifinalist in the 2016 International Blues Challenge on Beale Street in Memphis. His title cut song was also covered on Chris Daniels and the Kings CD…Blues with Horns ” which so far has climbed the charts to #4 in the Contemporary top fifty chart in 2017. Rex has worked with Otis Taylor’s Trance Blues Fest for the last 4 years.

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.

The minor league season is drawing closer to the finish line, but the action among the Orioles’ affiliates is arguably the most exciting it’s been all season. Between the debuts of a bunch of 2026 draftees and the arrivals of a slew of new prospects acquired at the trade deadline, the Orioles have added plenty of intriguing young players to their talent pipeline. Let’s check in on the latest minor league action from the past week.

Triple-A Norfolk Tides

• Last week’s results: 2-3 vs. Nashville Sounds (Brewers)
• Next week’s opponent: at Durham Bulls (Rays)
• Second-half record: 17-31, last place (12.5 GB) in International League East
• Overall season record: 45-78

The Tides started the week with a couple of high-scoring wins, plating eight and seven runs in their first two games, but then the offense disappeared. They scored only one run in the final three games combined (with rain washing out the other). Even more embarrassingly, they were the victims of a no-hitter on Sunday in a seven-inning game. Nashville’s Brandon Sproat and Tate Kuehner combined on a near-perfecto, with one walk and one HBP accounting for the Tides’ only baserunners.

No Norfolk hitter played more than four games this week, but the best of the lot was Heston Kjerstad, who went 6-for-12 with a double and triple. Kjerstad has been red hot for two months now, posting an .852 OPS in July and .947 in August. If it were up to me, he’d be getting DH at-bats in the majors, but the fact that the Orioles would rather carry three catchers instead of giving Kjerstad another chance tells you all you need to know about their opinion of him.

Another guy angling for a big league promotion, Enrique Bradfield Jr., had just three hits this week, all singles. With a .685 OPS, he’s not forcing a call-up, no matter how lousy the Orioles’ outfield may currently be. Neither is catcher Creed Willems, who took an 0-for-12 this week. Infielder Brandon Butterworth hit his first home run since his promotion to Triple-A.

Nearly everyone in the Tides’ rotation had a lousy week, as Trey Gibson, Nestor German, Juaron Watts-Brown, and Trace Bright each coughed up five or more runs. The only decent performance was from Michael Forret, who held the Sounds to two runs in five innings. Poor Cade Povich was robbed of a start on Saturday because the game was rained out after just four pitches, before he’d even completed the first at-bat. Why would they even start the game?? Did nobody look at a weather map? Get it together, guys!

A tip of the hat to right-hander Codi Heuer, a minor league trade acquisition at the deadline, who has thrown eight scoreless innings of relief since joining the organization. With 97 games of major league experience, Heuer could be a bullpen option for the Orioles down the stretch.

Norfolk season stats

Double-A Chesapeake Baysox

• Last week’s results: 2-4 vs. Richmond Flying Squirrels (Giants)
• Next week’s opponent: at Harrisburg Senators (Nationals)
• Second-half record: 27-23, tied for second place (7.5 GB) in Eastern League Southwest
• Overall season record: 56-62

The Baysox are showing some life in the second half, currently with an over-.500 record after finishing the first half 10 games underwater. They’ve been helped by some prospects promoted from High-A as well as key trade deadline acquisitions. The starting rotation has some of both. The recently promoted lefty Caden Hunter tossed another solid outing in his fourth Double-A start — five innings, one run — and batters are hitting .195 against him. JT Quinn, in his second start since coming up, allowed two runs in five innings, while Patrick Reilly had his most impressive outing since returning from Tommy John surgery: five innings, one run, six strikeouts.

Then there’s righty Anthony Eyanson, the prize of the Adley Rutschman trade and the Orioles’ new top pitching prospect. This week he delivered a superb performance, allowing only one run in seven innings and striking out eight. He has a 2.60 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in his three starts since joining the club. And how intriguing is this Baysox rotation if Joseph Dzierwa is the fifth guy I’m mentioning? The breakout southpaw was sharp yet again, with a solo homer his only blemish in five strong innings. His ERA with the Baysox is holding steady at 1.89.

Oh, and who was the sixth Baysox hurler to make a start this week? None other than Félix Bautista, making his long-awaited return to a mound for the first time since July of 2025. The rehabbing Mountain was clearly rusty, walking three batters, giving up a hit, and recording just one out. OK, so he’s not ready to jump back into the Orioles’ bullpen quite yet. But the fact that he’s even pitching is impressive for a guy who I didn’t expect to see again until 2027, if at all.

On the offensive side, top infield prospect Wehiwa Aloy is really settling in with the Baysox. He was 6-for-20 with two homers and two doubles this week, boosting his Double-A OPS to .860 in 24 games. The suddenly slugging Aron Estrada added another homer this week after bashing five the week before. And Vance Honeycutt contributed with five hits and only two strikeouts in 16 PAs, even if I’m not sure what earned him a promotion to Double-A in the first place.

Chesapeake season stats

High-A Frederick Keys

• Last week’s results: 3-4 at Wilmington Blue Rocks (Nationals)
• Next week’s opponent: vs. Asheville Tourists (Astros)
• Second-half record: 31-21, tied for first place in South Atlantic League North
• Overall season record: 72-44

The Keys played an extra game this week to make up a rainout from early August, and the Blue Rocks took the series to slow down Frederick’s 10-1 hot streak. Still, the Keys are deadlocked with Greensboro atop the division standings. They don’t even need to finish in first to make the playoffs — they’re already assured a postseason spot because they won the division in the first half — but it would be a cool feat nonetheless.

The Keys’ offense went through a rough patch near the end of the series, when they lost three consecutive games by scores of 1-0, 2-1, and 1-0. But nothing could slow down Enddy Azocar, who has been laying waste to opposing pitchers since the O’s acquired him in the Rutschman deal. The 19-year-old outfielder racked up a whopping 11 hits this week, nearly twice as many as any teammate. In 17 games since joining the organization, Azocar is batting .357 with a 1.024 OPS, 11 extra-base hits, and 16 RBIs. Wowza.

The Frederick pitching staff coughed up 17 runs in a Wednesday doubleheader but otherwise excelled, holding Wilmington to two or fewer runs in the other five games. The biggest standout was righty Kyson Witherspoon — yup, yet another prospect from the Rutschman trade — who threw five hitless, scoreless innings. He struck out eight and walked three. You know, I’m never going to love the fact that the Orioles felt they had to trade Adley, but so far I sure am impressed by the return.

Also racking up the whiffs this week was 6’8” lefty Boston Bateman, who clocked nine Ks in six innings over two abbreviated starts. He allowed 10 baserunners but managed to escape without any runs. Bateman’s last six starts have all been three innings or less, so the O’s seem to be limiting his workload. He missed time earlier this season with right hip flexor discomfort and left triceps tightness.

Frederick season stats

Low-A Delmarva Shorebirds

• Last week’s results: 1-5 at Hickory Crawdads (Rangers)
• Next week’s opponent: vs. Fredericksburg Nationals
• Second-half record: 19-35, last place (13.5 GB) in Carolina League North
• Overall season record: 42-78

With a .350 overall winning percentage, the Shorebirds are the worst team in all of Low-A, and the second-worst team at any full-season minor league level (better only than High-A’s Asheville Tourists, an Astros affiliate). By the way, the Norfolk Tides are the fourth-worst minor league team. Not great for the O’s farm system!

It was another bad week for the Shorebirds, who went 1-5 for the third time in their last four series. The additions of the Orioles’ top two 2026 draft picks, Eric Booth Jr. and Ty Head, hasn’t boosted the team’s record, though not for lack of trying. Head, the second-round outfielder from NC State, collected seven hits and a homer this week, and has a .965 OPS in nine games to begin his pro career. Booth, the Birds’ first rounder, is off to a 5-for-23 start, though he has seven walks in as many games. Not bad for an 18-year-old who most recent experience was in high school ball. Fellow outfielder Jhonmardo Reyes, who’d started out with only seven hits in 41 at-bats since the O’s acquired him for Dean Kremer, had seven in 20 at-bats this week.

And on the mound, Esteban Mejia might be starting to salvage some hints of positivity out of an otherwise disastrous season. In his last three outings, the right-hander has been limited to short stints — two to three innings per game — and he’s responded with 8.1 scoreless frames and 11 strikeouts. Most promisingly, Mejia has walked only three batters in that span, a dramatic step forward for a guy who had issued 62 free passes in 42.1 innings before that. It’s a very small sample size and certainly too early to declare that Mejia has cured his season-long control problems, but it’s a step in the right direction.

Delmarva season stats

**

Last week, Aron Estrada was the runaway winner of our player of the week poll with 70% of the vote. Hitting five home runs will do that. Estrada becomes the third repeat winner of the season, joining Caden Hunter and Ike Irish. One-time winners include Victor Figueroa, Payton Eeles, Braylin Tavera, Wehiwa Aloy, Jaiden Lo Re, Joseph Dzierwa, Luis De León, Heston Kjerstad, and Enddy Azocar.

For this week’s poll, well, it’s not like I intended to only include the prospects from the Adley Rutschman trade. But they all had stalwart performances this week, so here we are. Which one is your favorite this week?

When the Rockies signed Tomoyuki Sugano (菅野 智之), it came a surprise to many Colorado Rockies fans. The 36-year-old veteran was signed to bring leadership to a young pitching staff, which he has done quite well. However, coming to Major League Baseball just one year prior was something that he had been wanting for a long time after a storied career in Japan with Nippon Professional Baseball. 

“The number one thing was that I didn’t want to regret looking back on my career, so that was the main decision factoring in,” Sugano said through interpreter Yuto Sakurai. 

Heading into his decision, he did seek out other Japanese players to gain insights into their experiences before committing. Specifically, he spoke with Yu Darvish and Kenta Maeda.

“They both mentioned that the big leagues is a tough place, but it’d be a really good experience,” he said.

And he has noticed some differences between the NPB and MLB.

“To me, everything has been different,” he said, “starting with the schedule and what the organization expects for each and every player and their ability. So in my mind, everything has been different between the two leagues.”

Sugano signed with the Baltimore Orioles in December 2024, and he made 30 starts for them in 2025. In total, Sugano went 10-10 with a 4.64 ERA and 1.33 WHIP across 157 innings. However, he was also tagged for 33 home runs, which led the league. 

“I think I was playing pretty well, especially the first part of the season,” he said. “In June, I kind of collapsed and realized how tough it was to pitch in the big leagues. I don’t really have too much [that surprised me], but I try to not think too far ahead. I try not to expect anything.”

So far in 2026, Sugano has been fairly steady. 

He has made 23 starts, and has a 12-7 record with a 4.96 ERA, 1.332 WHIP and 0.3 fWAR (T-8th). Some of that has been inflated over his last two starts, which have not been great. On Sunday, he set a lot of dubious records, including a career-low-tying three innings pitched and a career-high 45 pitches in the first inning. In his previous start on August 17th, Sugano threw five innings but allowed seven runs (six earned). He had not allowed more than three runs in each of his last five starts. Those two starts bumped up his ERA from 4.43 to 4.96, and his WHIP from 1.25 to 1.32.

One thing that Sugano has had to contend with, like all Rockies players, is the altitude. But he’s been making adjustments, and actually has fairly even home/road splits.

In 12 home games, Sugano has a 7-5 record and a 5.00 ERA; in 11 road games, he has a 5-2 record and a 4.91 ERA. He also has a 1.33 WHIP at home and a 1.30 WHIP on the road. But he had trouble narrowing down one specific adjustment he’s made to account for the altitude.

“When I start speaking about one thing, there’s unlimited things that I can talk about,” he said. “But I guess the number one thing is I try to study the opposing hitters. And pitching in Denver is different from pitching away in different fields, so try to make that adjustment as soon as possible.”

But the biggest thing Sugano has noticed about the Rockies is how supportive the staff is, which has been echoed by many players.

“Everybody has been supportive, starting with Schaeff,” he said. “And I know the coaching staff is really you, but I think they’re trying their best and they’ve been really supportive as a whole.”

And he is most excited to “get as many wins as possible” to finish 2026.

“I want to be supportive both on and off the field,” he continued, “so whatever I can do to support this team and get any type of win.”

But if nothing else, Sugano has enjoyed his time in Denver and even made a stop at Elitch Gardens. Sugano is a well-known theme park enthusiast, making sure to seek out amusement parks in their different stops if time allows for it (he made sure to ride New York New York in Las Vegas).

His favorite part of the Denver park?

“The turkey leg that they were selling,” he said. “It was super expensive, so I was surprised by that. We didn’t really go on that many rides to have a comparison with each other. One of them was a free fall, and the other one was a roller coaster. It was probably like the scariest one there.”

It’s hard to say where Sugano will play in 2027, but he has at least provided some stability for most of this up-and-down 2026 season when the rotation desperately needed it.

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Here are the 2026 Arizona Fall League teams and schedule | MLB.com

The MLB season is wrapping up, which means the Arizona Fall League is just around the corner! The Rockies will once again send their prospects to the Salt River Rafters, who will share the roster with prospects from the Arizona Diamondbacks, Washington Nationals, Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees. Games will kick off on October 3rd and run through November 14th. Most games will be streamed through the AFL website. Be on the lookout for Purple Row’s continued coverage of the “top prospect finishing school.”

Cole Carrigg proving to be the Colorado Rockies blueprint | Mile High Sports

The Rockies have been looking for a spark for many years, and they seem to have found one in the form of Cole Carrigg. Drew Creasman makes his case for why Carrigg is the blueprint of the Rockies’ future.

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As the Red Sox won yet another game that they trailed in the late innings on Monday night, a win that brought them to 40-13 in their past 53 games, the way the ninth inning unfolded has become a common theme the past two months: Role players, backups, castoffs, whatever you want to call them, were the key to the comeback. 

It was Mickey Gasper’s fourth time on base on the day, contributions that we’ve seen night after night since his recall. And yet, I can’t tell you if Gasper will be on the Red Sox MLB roster tomorrow, never mind on the playoff roster. 

In the coming days, there will be a bit of a “line change” within the Red Sox roster and it’s hard to know how to feel about it. Three position players, who at the start of the season were all firmly within the 13 rostered hitters, will all likely be returning within a week of each other. The discourse around those players varies quite a bit, and none of their situations are easy to unpack, especially when considering how they affect the other players on the roster who have defined the Red Sox’ success in 2026. 

Roman Anthony is the easy one. As he moves his rehab up to Triple-A today, it’s likely that we will see him this week, prior to the pivotal four-game set against the Yankees this weekend. With Masataka Yoshida recently on the IL, Anthony slides into some sort of LF/DH hybrid role fairly easily. Management unfairly placed a lot of pressure on the 22-year-old Anthony’s shoulders heading into this season, but no one is saying that he should stay in the minor leagues once healthy.

It’s in the infield where things get tricky. Trevor Story has been out since May 14th, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa since June 18th. Both of them are currently rehabbing, and with rosters expanding on September 1st to allow for a 14th position player, it seems as if one of them will be activated prior to that date, and one would be activated on September 1st. Additionally, Story and Kiner-Falefa were on the team for the entirety of the “vibes are bad” portion of the season. If you are someone who takes a look at social media on a daily basis, fans aren’t exactly clamoring for the return of Story, who had a negative-0.5 fWAR and a 46 wRC+ in 41 games played with the team. However, he was playing hurt, and as Maura outlined, there’s a lot more here than meets the eye for a rehabbing player who doesn’t want to lose his job because of an injury. In Story’s case, many, many injuries. 

Conversely, look at a player like Anthony Seigler. The Red Sox are 44-19 in games where Seigler is on the active roster, compared to the team having a 29-43 record when Kiner-Falefa was on the active roster. Seigler’s wRC+ is 99, Kiner-Falefa 98. Seigler’s fWAR is 0.2, and Kiner-Falefa’s is 1.1. What should win out there? In fact, look at this entire group and explain to me how we’re supposed to rank these players from one through nine:

In a 3-game Wild Card series, teams will sometimes go with a 12 pitcher/14 hitter mix. But for a 5-or-7 game playoff series, only four of the nine players in the list above would be on the 13-man roster of position players. 

The two catchers would almost certainly be Adley Rutschman and Connor Wong, if healthy. 

Five Outfield/DH from the following group of eight players: Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, Jahmai Jones, Eli White, Mickey Gasper, and Masataka Yoshida (if he returns in time). Even if Yoshida does not return, cutting two of those players from the list will be tough, and that’s the easier task of the two. 

That leaves us with six infielders, including Durbin and Contreras at the corners. Let’s make a case for the rest of them, in order of games played so far this season:

• Andruw Monesterio: He’s been on the roster since Opening Day, and the everyday shortstop since the All Star Break. His 11 doubles since that date is tied for first in the American League. With a 1st percentile Outs Above Average, the defense isn’t starting shortstop caliber, but one would have to think he at least has a bench role.

• Isiah Kiner-Falefa: Tallied 1.1 fWAR in just 47 games, thanks to strong defense (+7 OAA) and a .277 batting average that trails only Rafaela, Sogard, and Contreras (min: 100 AB). In the five weeks prior to his injury, Kiner-Falefa slashed .321/.391/.449. 

• Anthony Seigler: Was the team’s leadoff hitter and starting second baseman against righties for the 15-game winning streak in late June/early-July. Entered Monday with a 104 OPS+ in 158 plate appearances. Vibes+ Ratings: off the charts. 

• Trevor Story: Just a season ago, played in 157 games, including 155 starts at shortstop, hitting .263 with 25 home runs, 96 RBI, 91 runs, and was 31-for-32 on stolen base attempts. Went 5-for-13, with the team’s only home run in the postseason. 

• Nick Sogard: Entered Monday with an .828 OPS and 1.3 fWAR with 20 runs scored in 35 games. His 16% walk rate would be 8th in all of MLB if he qualified. Has made countless great defensive plays, good for a +2 OAA. 
• Romy Gonzalez: Slashed .290/.329/.457 in 185 games over the 2024-2025 seasons for the Red Sox. Rushed his rehab through the minor leagues to hustle back to help a struggling lineup, on a team that was 36-46 when he returned on June 28th. Was rewarded with a demotion to Triple-A after just 65 at-bats, in which he hit .185 with one home run. 
• Tsung-Che Cheng: Perhaps an afterthought at this point, Cheng was with the team for the entirety of their 15-game win streak, and started at shortstop for the majority of those games, playing strong defense.
• Curtis Mead: A major acquisition at the trade deadline from Washington, in return for Connelly Early, Mead comes to Boston with a 134 wRC+. Mead’s timeline seems to align with the final week of the regular season, and if he can get a few games under his belt, would be in the infield or even DH mix. If they choose to wait until 2027 to return Mead (a shaky defender) to the infield, then add him to the OF/DH smorgasbord above. 
• Franklin Arias: Even though I don’t expect to see Arias this season, I’m just putting him here because he’s, you know, one of the Top-3 prospects in the game and has 23 HR and 74 RBI in 98 minor league games this year, even though he wasn’t expected to hit for power. 

If it were up to me, I would let Story and Kiner-Falefa rehab until September 1st when the rosters expand. Story is 4-for-21 in his rehab over six games, with no walks and five strikeouts. Kiner-Falefa is 1-for-13 with two walks and four strikeouts. They have been out for so long that getting a “spring training” worth of at-bats is entirely reasonable, especially after the team brought Gonzalez and Rutschman back from their rehabs earlier than was prudent. It will also give another week to let things play out at the big league level. A Mickey Gasper demotion after what he’s done over the past seven games just feels like bad karma. 

Whoever Craig Breslow decides to put in front of Chad Tracy for the next (hopefully) two months, I expect Tracy will continue to push the right buttons. Seeing the way that he has moved the likes of Gasper, Jones, White, and Seigler in and out of the lineup, whether it be via in-game platooning or pinch-running has been masterful to watch. The team is now 62-42 under Tracy’s watch. Whether it’s the right 13 or 14 players that are there is going to be fascinating to watch unfold. 

Happy Tuesday, Camden Chatters!

After an off-day yesterday, the Orioles will be back in action tonight. They kick off a nine-game, three-city road trip against three teams a playoff team should be able to beat: the St. Louis Cardinals, Sacramento Athletics, and Colorado Rockies. The Cardinals have a .500 record, while the A’s and Rockies are the two-worst teams in baseball. The problem is, the Orioles aren’t really a playoff team.

It’s kind of a joke around these parts that every series is declared pivotal. And really, they have been. When you’re a team on the fringes of a playoff spot, every series is pivotal. Theoretically, this could be a pivotal road trip. But in reality, I have to admit I just don’t see it.

On July 8th, the Orioles lost to the Cubs, falling to a season-worst eight games below .500. Since then, they have gone 21-17. Today, they are five games under .500. At this point in the season, they have established themselves as, at best, a .500-caliber team. It seems silly to imagine anything more than that.

The only saving grace is that there are five other teams whose fan bases are saying something similar about their favorite team. And the Orioles are setting off to play three teams who are a combined 59 games under .500. So I can see how people might say this is their big shot.

The problem? The Orioles are exactly .500 against teams with losing records this year. And that won’t cut it in the pathetic race for the third AL Wild Card.

Now, will I be rooting for the Orioles to win the battle for mediocrity? Of course I will. I root for them all the time, and I’ll be thrilled to cheer them on in the postseason if they manage to get there. Every single night when I sit down to watch the Orioles, I am hopeful they’ll win. But I also know that time is running out and they have already shown us who they are.

Links

After struggling, Dylan Beavers is back to hitting fastballs for the Orioles. Here’s how. – The Baltimore Banner
Jon Meoli looks at how Beavers started hitting again, and while it’s a good story it kind of has me wondering about the hitting coaches. Thank goodness for Matt Holliday, I guess.

These 10 farm systems have the best outfield prospects – MLB.com
MLB Pipeline ranks the Orioles as having the third-best outfield prospects in baseball, thanks to names like Eric Booth, Jr, Ike Irish, Nate George, Ty Head, Enddy Azocar, and Enrique Bradfield, Jr.

Albert Suárez Elects Free Agency – MLB Trade Rumors
The Orioles have DFA’d Suárez three times this season. He has cleared waivers and elected free agency rather than going to Triple-A. If you like Big Al, I predict he’ll be back. He always comes back.

Birthdays and History

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have four Orioles birthday buddies, including Albert Belle (60). Belle was signed to a five-year contract in the winter of 1998, but only played two of those seasons. After 2000, Belle was diagnosed with degenerative hip disease and was forced to retire.

Other former Orioles born on this day in history are pitcher Chandler Shepherd (34), outfielder Gary Matthews (52), and catcher Darrell Johnson (b. 1928, d. 2004).

Today is also the birthday of both Max Muncys. Muncies? The older Muncy, who plays third base for the Dodgers, is 36. And the younger Muncy, who plays third base for the Athletics, is 24.

On this day in 1961, the Orioles defeated the Twins 5-2. Pinch hitter Dave Philley singled, giving him 23 pinch hits on the season, which set a Major League record.

In 1968, the Orioles and Red Sox played an 18-inning game, which the Orioles won. Starting pitcher Tom Phoebus pitched seven innings and winning pitcher Roger Nelson pitched seven innings. The Orioles tied the game in the bottom of the eighth. In the bottom of the 18th, Boog Powell doubled, then scored, on a single from Brooks Robinson. The game lasted five hours, 27-minutes.

In 2014, the Orioles beat the Rays 9-1. in the third inning, Nick Markakis and Steve Pearce hit back-to-back home runs. In the fifth inning, Delmon Young, J.J. Hardy, and Chris Davis hit back-to-back-to-back home runs.

And on this day last year, the Orioles lost to the Red Sox 4-3. Tomoyuki Sugano pitched six innings and allowed all four runs. Colton Cowser had a three-hit game and knocked in all three runs.

Welcome back to the Minor League Roundup!

As a reminder, you can find this roundup — covering everything you need to know about each of the Brewers’ minor league affiliates — every Tuesday morning right here on Brew Crew Ball. For consistency, all organizational prospect rankings will reference MLB Pipeline unless otherwise noted.

Triple-A Nashville Sounds

Current record: 68-55
Record this week: 3-2
This week’s opponent: @ Norfolk Tides
Next week’s opponent: @ Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp

Standout performances:

Eric Brown Jr.: 6-for-11, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K
Sal Frelick: 5-for-14, 2 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K
Brock Wilken: 6-for-18, 3 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K
Tyler Black: 5-for-18, 1 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K
Coleman Crow: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Tate Kuehner: 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Tyson Hardin: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K

Now that we’re just under a month from the end of the minor league regular season, the Sounds’ roster is a bit less stacked than it was going into the year, with four of the Brewers’ top seven prospects entering the season (Cooper Pratt, Brandon Sproat, Luis Lara, and Logan Henderson) earning call-ups to the big leagues and graduating from prospect status.

Even still, the Sounds’ lineup features a few guys who you might eventually see in Milwaukee.

Luke Adams doesn’t have the in-game or raw power that Andrew Fischer or Blake Burke possess, so he doesn’t generate as many headlines, but he’s shown a knack for getting on base, produced at every level, and currently has a .906 OPS in over 200 at-bats this year. Jett Williams has had a bit of a down year, but he’s still here and was ranked ahead of all four of the Sounds’ graduated prospects entering the season. So is Jeferson Quero, who made his major league debut at the beginning of the year.

I’d also be remiss not to mention the players who weren’t with the Sounds at the start of the season, including catcher Bo Naylor, acquired prior to the trade deadline, who has an .895 OPS in 40 at-bats with the Sounds and could see some time this September as rosters expand. It also includes Burke, who’s only hitting .190 in 42 at-bats with Nashville but had a .970 OPS with 30 home runs in a much larger sample at Double-A.

The Sounds’ pitching staff is still their strong suit, even after the graduations of Henderson, Shane Drohan, and Robert Gasser. Coleman Crow (who’s already thrown 18.2 innings in Milwaukee), Tyson Hardin, and Tate Kuehner all threw four-plus shutout innings this week, and all three are legitimate prospects. Kuehner, probably the least exciting prospect of the three, has only made eight starts this year due to injury but posted a 2.77 ERA over 110.1 innings between Double-A and Triple-A in 2025.

In other news:

— Sal Frelick continues to rehab in Nashville, going 5-for-14 with a pair of doubles and a home run.

— Sproat and Kuehner combined for a seven-inning no-hitter in the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader against the Tides.

(No) Hit City ⚾️🚫 Brandon Sproat and Tate Kuehner threw a combined no hitter in Norfolk yesterday, with Jeferson Quero behind the plate. pic.twitter.com/D6oV8QvFtU

— Nashville Sounds (@nashvillesounds) August 24, 2026

Double-A Biloxi Shuckers

Current record: 56-60
Record this week: 1-5
This week’s opponent: @ Rocket City Trash Pandas
Next week’s opponent: vs. Knoxville Smokies

Standout performances:

Luis Peña: 7-for-24, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 7 K
Damon Keith: 4-for-15, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 8 K
Dylan O’Rae: 4-for-17, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 6 K
Josh Adamczewski: 3-for-15, 1 2B, 0 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K
Braylon Payne: 4-for-23, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 8 K
Jaron DeBerry: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
Manuel Rodriguez: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
Peyton Niksch: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
J.D. Thompson: 9.0 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 6 BB, 15 K
Stiven Cruz: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 10 K

In what was otherwise a rough week for the Shuckers, Luis Peña keeps doing top-20-prospect-in-baseball things.

The Brewers have a few other extremely talented infield prospects, and Peña’s missed a lot of time this year, so he’s gotten a bit lost in the shuffle compared to last year. With his first week in Double-A now in the books, let’s take a look at Peña’s High-A stat line:

219 PA, .298/.384/.420, .804 OPS, 109 wRC+, 11.0 BB%, 20.5 K%

In Peña’s first week in Double-A, he went 7-for-24 with a home run. Considering the health scares and the time that he missed, this season could have turned out so much better for Peña. At the same time, if hitting .298 in 200-plus at-bats is a less-than-ideal season, that bodes very well for the 19-year-old Peña’s future.

19 years old and mashing at Double-A 💪

MLB's No. 21 prospect Luis Peña (@Brewers) rips his first @BiloxiShuckers homer, upping his average to .309 this year across three levels. pic.twitter.com/qxGQDKnVbl

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 21, 2026

Peña’s .292 batting average led the Shuckers by a wide margin this week. Only three other Shuckers had more than three hits — Braylon Payne (4-for-23), Dylan O’Rae (4-for-17), and Damon Keith (4-for-15). Jesús Made went 3-for-21. Mike Boeve went 3-for-21. Josh Adamczewski went 3-for-15. Andrew Fischer went 1-for-19; his one hit was a home run, of course.

Biloxi’s pitching staff didn’t fare much better, either. J.D. Thompson led the Shuckers in innings with nine over two starts, striking out a whopping 15 Trash Pandas but walking six, giving up eight hits, and ultimately allowing five earned runs. Jaron DeBerry (6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K) and Manuel Rodriguez (5.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K) had the two best starts of the week, with Rodriguez picking up the staff’s lone win.

J.D. Thompson set a new career-high with 8 strikeouts!

📻 https://t.co/LIZcF8bIA9
📺 @bally__sports, https://t.co/Mw64C5Pis0#ShuckYeah#ThisIsMyCrewpic.twitter.com/GrRJEUELuA

— Biloxi Shuckers (@BiloxiShuckers) August 19, 2026

High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

Current record: 60-52
Record this week: 2-4
This week’s opponent: Lake County Captains (home, 2026-08-18 to 2026-08-23)
Next week’s opponent: South Bend Cubs (home, 2026-08-25 to 2026-08-30)

Standout performances:

Eric Bitonti: 8-for-23, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K
Daniel Dickinson: 8-for-24, 2 2B, 1 3B, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K
Tayden Hall: 5-for-20, 3 2B, 0 RBI, 6 BB, 4 K
Sawyer Strosnider: 5-for-21, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 4 BB, 10 K
Yannic Walther: 2-for-10, 0 RBI, 1 BB, 4 K
Wande Torres: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
Josh Knoth: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
Jayden Dubanewicz: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Jacob Morrison: 7.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 11 K
Ethan Dorchies: 4.0 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

It’s incredible how much talent the Timber Rattlers have had this year, just a couple hours away from Miller Park. Here are some of the prospects who have had at least 150 at-bats with Wisconsin this year:

Andrew Fischer: 1.118 OPS in 191 ABs, 173 wRC+

Josh Adamczewski: 1.036 OPS in 166 ABs, 165 wRC+

Braylon Payne: .930 OPS in 310 ABs, 130 wRC+

Eric Bitonti: .896 OPS in 354 ABs, 126 wRC+

Marco Dinges: .855 OPS in 220 ABs, 121 wRC+

Daniel Dickinson: .846 OPS in 347 ABs, 123 wRC+

Luis Peña: .804 OPS in 188 ABs, 109 wRC+

This list consists solely of players who were considered a top-30 prospect at some point this season, so it also leaves out Luis Castillo (.807 OPS in 330 at-bats) and Tayden Hall (.876 OPS in 265 at-bats).

Fischer, Adamczewski, Payne, Dinges, and Peña have all since earned promotions, but the Timber Rattlers somehow still have plenty of talent left. Bitonti’s 23 home runs speak for themselves, but Dickinson has now posted an OPS over 1.000 and a batting average over .300 in each of the last two months, raising his season-long OPS to .851 in the process.

8/21 MiLB Recap

AAA Nashville (66-57)- PPD

AA Biloxi (56-58)- L 8-10

A+ Wisconsin (61-52)- L 4-8
2B Daniel Dickinson – 3/4, 3B, 2 RBI, 2 SB (50), BB, .274 BA, .857 OPS

A Wilson (62-53)- W 7-5
LF Handelfry Encarnacion – 3/4, HR, 3 RBI, .241 BA, .769 OPS pic.twitter.com/2CFgvsDQEi

— Brewers Fever (@Brewers_Fever) August 22, 2026

Joining Bitonti and Dickinson in High-A a couple weeks ago was Sawyer Strosnider, the Brewers’ 2026 second-round pick who was widely mocked as a first-rounder leading up to the draft. Strosnider has one of the best power-speed profiles in the entire class, although he fell to Milwaukee after slumping late in the season with TCU. In his first 43 at-bats with the Timber Rattlers, Strosnider is hitting .302 with an .877 OPS and a home run (caught by his dad, how cool is that?).

SAWYER STROSNIDER’S FIRST PRO HOME RUN IS CAUGHT BY HIS DAD 🤯 pic.twitter.com/W1GEyCngHz

— Milb Central (@milb_central) August 19, 2026

As for the pitching staff, Wande Torres, Josh Knoth, and Jayden Dubanewicz all put together solid outings. Torres threw four scoreless innings with seven strikeouts, while Knoth allowed just one run across five innings. Dubanewicz went 5 1/3 innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits. Jacob Morrison also deserves a mention after striking out 11 over 7 2/3 innings, while Ethan Dorchies allowed three runs on nine hits in four innings of work.

Single-A Wilson Warbirds

Current record: 63-53
Record this week: 3-3
This week’s opponent: @ Salem RidgeYaks
Next week’s opponent: vs. Hickory Crawdads

Standout performances:

Brailyn Antunez: 10-for-22, 1 2B, 1 3B, 8 RBI, 2 BB, 7 K
Handelfry Encarnacion: 8-for-21, 1 2B, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 4 BB, 2 K
Carsten Sabathia III: 7-for-19, 2 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K
Kevin Garcia: 4-for-12, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
Juan Ortuno: 7-for-22, 2 2B, 6 RBI, 5 BB, 4 K
Diustin Mayorquin: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Miqueas Mercedes: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Jarrette Bonet: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 3 K
Tyler Renz: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Handelfry Encarnacion (.777 OPS on the season) is still here and doing his thing, but otherwise the Warbirds’ roster looks a lot different than it did to start the season.

Brady Ebel’s in High-A, but his brother Trey, the Brewers’ first-rounder this year, is now in Wilson. The younger Ebel is already looking comfortable, starting his career 6-for-21 with a double and four RBIs.

Jadyn Fielder is now with the Astros, but the Warbirds have another son of a former Brewers fan favorite on the roster. 22-year-old Carsten Sabathia III — son of CC — was drafted in the 20th round of this year’s draft out of the University of Houston. He’s outperformed that draft slot so far, going 16-for-39 (.410) with a pair of home runs.

Carsten Sabathia drills the first homer of his career!@Brewers | @wilsonwarbirds | @BrewersPDpic.twitter.com/dSoR5xKATV

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 16, 2026

Another newcomer is Brailyn Antunez, one of the Brewers’ top international free agent signings from last year’s class. Antunez is 35-for-85 (.412) with a 1.256 OPS, seven home runs, five doubles, and a triple. A whopping 12.5% of his plate appearances have ended in an extra-base hit so far in his tenure as a Warbird. That won’t last, and he’s still raw, but he’s shown tantalizing promise — including surprising opposite-field power for his age — and his production thus far is an exciting hint of what he could eventually become.

Wilson’s pitching staff has struggled this year; of the team’s top 11 innings leaders, 10 have ERAs over 4. The 11th is 20-year-old Miqueas Mercedes, whose performance this week brought his ERA down to 3.11 through 66 2/3 innings. Mercedes has struck out 68 batters, but he’s also walked a borderline-unbelievable 45 (6.12 BB/9).

Player of the Week

Eric Bitonti, who went 8-for-23 with three home runs this week. Bitonti bounced back this year after a rough 2025 that saw him slide down prospect rankings. Even though he hasn’t exactly quelled strikeout concerns (34 K%) that have followed him throughout his career, he’s raised his OPS from .762 to .896 while moving up a level and already has a career-high 23 home runs with just under a month left in the season.

Brewers prospect Eric Bitonti is criminally underrated. The 6-ft-5 20-year-old has slashed .289/.378/.684 with 5 HR over his last 38 ABs.

He joined the 20/20 club this year, while showing great feel for getting PullAir contact.#ThisIsMyCrewpic.twitter.com/FPCQubvOaE

— Tobey Schulman (@tschulmanreport) August 24, 2026

As we’ve seen with Andrew Fischer, if a player produces well enough, it doesn’t matter how much he strikes out. Bitonti’s not quite there yet, but he’s showing clear signs of growth. If there’s anyone to be patient with, it’s a prospect who’s still only 20 years old and can hit home runs like this:

Eric Bitonti joined the 20/20 club with a bang.

115.2 MPH off the bat, 419 feet pic.twitter.com/192JYSsDG2

— Spencer Michaelis (@smichaelis234) August 19, 2026

Play of the Week

Another Tyler Black outfield highlight!

ARE YOU KIDDING?!!

Tyler Black preserves the no-hitter with a highlight grab to end the game in left!

Brandon Sproat and Tate Kuehner combine for the first Sounds no-hitter since 2017! pic.twitter.com/MpSPV7mcxF

— Nashville Sounds (@nashvillesounds) August 23, 2026

The Detroit Tigers made it six straight losses and ninth in the last 10 games with a 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays at Comerica Park on Monday night. Framber Valdez was just good enough to earn a quality start, but his offense failed to find any real momentum.

Taking the mound for the Tigers in Game 2 on Tuesday is right-hander Jackson Jobe, who will make his fourth start since returning from Tommy John surgery. The 24-year-old’s last outing was his longest so far, throwing 86 pitches over 5 1/3 innings, allowing a run on four hits and three walks while striking out three.

It looks like he is getting stretched out well as the final month of the regular season approaches after throwing 71 and 74 pitches, respectively, during his two previous appearances.

For the Rays, left-hander Ian Seymour will toe the rubber for his 12th start of the 2026 campaign after spending a good portion of the year in a relief role. The 27-year-old has been solid over his past four outings — all starts — logging a 3.52 ERA and 4.13 FIP over 23 innings, allowing 24 hits (six home runs) and four walks while striking out 33, earning three quality starts and a pair of wins against one loss.

Seymour saw the Tigers once before this season back on June 2, when he was tagged for three runs on two hits (one home run) and three walks plus an intentional free pass with just a strikeout over two frames in a game his team lost, 8-0, at Tropicana Field.

Take a look below at how the two starters match up for Tuesday night’s battle at Comerica Park as the good guys look to snap the schneid.

Detroit Tigers (61-70) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (78-53)

Time (ET): 6:40 p.m.
Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
SB Nation Site:DRaysBay
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 132: RHP Jackson Jobe (1-1, 4.50 ERA) vs. LHP Ian Seymour (9-4, 4.17 ERA)

Player	G	IP	K%	BB%	GB%	FIP	fWAR
Jobe	3	14.0	18.0	8.2	54.8	5.08	0.0
Seymour	40	101.1	29.2	7.6	31.1	4.03	1.3

JOBE

SEYMOUR

When you go to a concert, the less interesting part, but absolutely vital, element of the show is the building of the stage. The guys who put in the tireless, underappreciated hours of setting the scene for what’s to come later. Last week, the Cardinals appeared to be poised to make a run at the final Wild Card spot in the standings. This week, and the whole season really, we’re witnessing the buildup for what’s to come. The Cardinals making the playoffs in 2026 would’ve been like one of those undercover videos where the lead guitarist is dressed like one of the roadies and picks up the guitar on stage and starts shredding to everyone’s amazement, and the few scant fans early in attendance are blown away by the unexpected thrill of what they’re seeing in front of them, knowing show time isn’t here yet.

The same can be said about the 2026 St. Louis Cardinals. Unsuspecting, we came into this season with little to no expectations in terms of the standings for this season and have been pleasantly surprised by the positive steps forward overall. I believe there has been no greater improvement to a man than the steps forward in the St. Louis Bullpen. Yes, Jordan Walker has stepped into the stardom he was always promised. Yes, Andre Pallante, Michael McGreevy, and Kyle Leahy look like bona fide major league starters who can help a playoff-caliber team. But when I look at names like Riley O’Brien, George Soriano, Luis Gastelum, Justin Bruihl, Gordon Graceffo, and even guys who have yet to emerge, like Cade Winquest or Sandro Santana. Perhaps even Matt Svanson is able to go into the offseason and try to reclaim what he had discovered last season. Of note, his arm angle dropped about 4 degrees this season from last year, which could lead to different movement and more erratic command when expecting a pitch to be in one location and it winds up somewhere completely different than expected.

---

Riley O’Brien:

The stuff has been electric from the jump, but the command will waver at times, which will lead to poor location and results. But 9 times out of 10, he gets the job done, and the Cardinals seem intent on carrying him as far as they can into their next competitive window as their 9th-inning option. As the current NL leader in Saves and 2nd overall in MLB behind Bryan Baker of the Tampa Bay Rays, he’s done enough to retain the job going into 2027.

George Soriano:

When the Cardinals traded for Soriano, a majority of fans didn’t understand the move. Why trade for a guy coming off a season with an 8 ERA and is out of options? Chaim Bloom had admitted the Cardinals had tried to acquire Soriano on a couple of different occasions, and they decided to pony up with a young reliever in exchange for his services. Lately, it’s been really rough, and my estimation is that the Cardinals rode him hard this season en route to winning as many games as possible. The result is already blowing past his career high in innings: 36.2 IP in 2025 -> 57 IP so far in 2026. The changeup is a real weapon out of the bullpen, and it pairs well with the fastball and slider. The chase and whiff rates are both well above average, in the 85th percentile according to Savant. Soriano is a weapon for 2027; we’re just watching a reliever who was worked hard this summer run up against a wall.

Luis Gastelum:

Much like Soriano, Gastelum’s Bugs Bunny changeup leads to some very silly off-platform swings that will cause opposite-handed opponents fits. The chase rates, whiff rates, and the quality of contact are all elements we’re seeing progress in a positive direction, especially of late. Manager Oli Marmol was on the Gashouse Gang show a couple of weeks ago and shed some light on some of Gastelum’s HR issues he suffered from early. Marmol explained that there were some pitch-tipping issues that they believe they’ve turned a corner on. What we can evaluate the rest of the season is probably closer to the real Gastelum we can expect for seasons to come, and it’s AWESOME.

Justin Bruihl:

There’s a reason why first impressions matter, because it will color opinion for a lot longer than is probably deserved. But in a season designed for opportunity, Bruihl has persevered and found a way to get a really valuable piece out of the Cardinals bullpen. In his first 16 IP through the end of April, Bruihl had a 5.63 ERA and 5.65 FIP. It wasn’t pretty, and a lot of fans, and at times myself included, were ready to call it a nothing-ventured, nothing-gained unrealized opportunity on a player and to begin churning other options. Credit to the Cardinals for sticking with him and giving him an extended leash. Since May 1st, Bruihl has a 2.59 ERA and 3.29 FIP over 48.2 IP. While he doesn’t strike batters out, he has been a soft-contact merchant. Bruihl is in the 90th percentile or better in average exit velocity, barrel%, and groundball%. While not a modern high-leverage reliever, as a 2nd lefty in a middle-innings chase reliever role, Bruihl profiles excellently for such a vital role.

Gordon Graceffo:

Every role in a bullpen doesn’t come with the prerequisite that they have to be capable of pitching high-leverage situations. Gordon Graceffo has proven this season that he can get important outs for a big-league bullpen and be an early bridge solution for Manager Oli Marmol as a guy who comes in to throw strikes and get quick outs. The swing-and-miss needs improvement and is probably the area that Graceffo will need to improve to continue to grow into potential leverage situations. I’d also be curious to see what Graceffo’s stats are in his first-inning performance as opposed to when he goes multiple innings and what the differences are; for some reason, I recall a lot more hard contact comes against him after his first inning of work. Overall, Graceffo has positive run values in pitching, fastball, and offspeed values. So, while some of the underlying data suggests that he’s due for regression, his performance has still been a very noticeable positive this season.

Cade Winquest:

I am all aboard the hype train when it comes to the Cade Winquest express. 56 K’s in 39.1 IP this season. Winquest has the swing-and-miss profile that thrives in a modern bullpen, and there is little for Winquest left to prove at the AAA level at this point. Obviously, this being the 2nd week in a row I’m talking about Winquest should really say how optimistic I am about the 26-year-old’s future with STL. Winquest has not allowed a run in 7 games pitched in August, including 3 multi-inning appearances, and 16 of his 56 K’s have come in that span alone.

https://prospectsavant.com/player/685464 Here you can look at Winquest’s profile on Prospect Savant, and there is a ton of red proving that the quality across the board is overwhelmingly in support of a promotion. Hopefully Winquest gets an audition in September; he’s earned it.

Sandro Santana:

Acquired in the Lars Nootbaar trade with Arizona, Santana is the next leverage left-handed reliever that will impact the Cardinals bullpen likely sometime in 2027. Since his promotion to AA on June 24th, he has 35 K’s in 22.1 IP and a 0.81 ERA. A 2 pitch pitcher who is very interesting to watch. His setup is reminiscent of JoJo Romero, where he will twist and set, and then his delivery is very whippy and over-the-top, reminding some Cardinals prospect evaluators of Genesis Cabrera. Santana features a mid-to-high 90s fastball and a sharp, sweeping slider that bites hard glove-side and is a whiff machine.

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Other names who I expect to factor into the bullpen mix in 2027 will include Matthew Liberatore, Richard Fitts, Brycen Mautz, Cooper Hjerpe, Tekoah Roby, Pete Hansen, and Hancel Rincon. The Cardinals’ depth should be much improved heading into next season and should have multiple options vying for big-league innings, so nothing will be a given; thus, the competition will force hard decisions for the Cardinals moving forward.

Could the Cardinals consolidate some of these options into a more proven high-leverage reliever? Perhaps. It could certainly be an area of need that would make sense to address from a monetary standpoint with a roster so free and devoid of financial commitment. Overall, the returning group we’ve seen this season should be an area where the 2027 team will take and learn from this season and grow into a secret weapon for a potential playoff hopeful squad heading into next season.

-Thanks for reading

The Yankees have had one of the strongest performances from their pitching staff start to finish that they’ve gotten in recent memory, flaunting a wealth of depth for a rotation that has consistently had at least one member missing from the rotation the entire season. Whether it was Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, or now the latest missing member in Ryan Weathers, its felt like the team has been waiting on a missing piece to arrive at every moment to put them over the edge. Despite that, the arms that have been available have more than delivered, as each of those four have largely thrived when called upon and Cam Schlittler has been shoving since Opening Weekend. The results: New York is neck-and-neck for the best fWAR of any starting rotation in baseball, ranking third with 14.1 and sitting a mere .2 away from first-place Milwaukee.

However, potential cracks have begun to show. Not from their performance, which has remained elite even through a lengthy run of weak run support for the entire staff that kept them afloat for over a month. However, their health which has never been optimal has started to stress test them, taking Weathers and Fried out of commission within the same week to force the team to reach into their minor-league depth. Rodón has only recently come back from the IL himself and is still building back up to a normal pitch count, meaning they’re down two starters and limited on one of their four regulars remaining putting additional stress on a bullpen that has placed a significant workload on their premier relievers. Consider that Will Warren, who has mostly been fine for the role he plays as the fifth starter, is typically a five-and-dive type of pitcher and the pressure for the top end pitchers to be on their A-game every fifth day only intensifies.

The offense is finally looking up, as the infusion of George Lombard Jr. and a resurgent Spencer Jones combined with upswings from Austin Wells and Trent Grisham as well as the return of Cody Bellinger have given them a greater ceiling than three runs in a game. It comes as the staff desperately could use a shoulder to lean on, having carried the team to mediocrity through the start of summer when they couldn’t hit worth a lick but still managed to play to a roughly .500 record. Fried is expected to be back relatively soon, as his bone bruise was deemed to be a minor concern needing only the minimum 15-day stint on the IL, but Weathers will likely be missing until the final weeks of the season and may only be limited to relief duties when he does return. Any other hits at this point would severely strain an already taxed segment of the roster, and as previously mentioned a majority of the staff has dealt with at least some kind of injury concern during the year. So with all that in mind, can they make it through the stretch run in a fit-enough form to compete in October?

Thankfully, the emergence of Schlittler as the team ace has been a godsend for the Yankees. A homegrown Cy Young contender in his second year in the big leagues, Schlittler has taken the ball and ran with it from the first series of the season and stayed a consistent frontrunner for the award since then. His 158 innings pitched are a new career-high at any level, meaning he is pushing the boundaries a bit going forward, but there’s only a handful of regular season starts left to make to stress test his arm. The team shuffled their rotation order around a bit this week, likely skipping his starting spot on Wednesday to use one of their Triple-A callups or a bullpen game before starting him against the rival Red Sox this weekend instead, and little optimizations like that will aid their push to keep the rest of their arms fully healthy. On top of that, Gerrit Cole’s injury history mostly relates to last season as he underwent Tommy John surgery before rehabbing and returning midseason this year. Since shaking off the rust Cole has looked much more like the ace of old that headlined this staff, and with fresher legs under him he should be fine to push himself a bit down the line here soaking up an extra inning here and there.

Fried and Rodón are more of a question mark, as both have underwent multiple IL stints this year (and Rodón started the year shelved after offseason surgery to remove bone spurs in his elbow). But if Fried’s injury can be trusted to be minor as the team has described, then the team should at minimum have three elite pitchers to run out in any postseason series they line up for. They’ll need all hands on deck to finish the year strong though, as they currently sit sandwiched between the Rays and Red Sox in a race for the best record in the American League and as they saw the last two years firsthand, getting to skip that Wild Card Round and await the winner of one of those two teams can set up a strong run to the Fall Classic. Another setback with a rotation member could easily be the difference between being able to close the gap and settling for one of those Wild Card slots, but despite the recent hits they’re still in a good position to compete. The tools are still there for them to push for the AL East crown, they just need the hits to stop coming at some point.

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The Yankees have a new foe arriving into town with the Astros arriving, and Nick starts us off with a series preview going over the pitching matchups to expect. Sam then wishes Adam Warren a happy birthday and remembers his days as one of the most relied on arms in the early Baby Bomber bullpens. I’ll be back to cover the Rivalry Roundup as the East stayed winning with the Yankees inactive, Michael goes over the latest week down in the minors as the rookie ball leagues wrap up, and Peter dives into Ben Rice’s crucial at-bat in Sunday’s win over the Jays to break the game over.

Today’s Matchup:

New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros

Time: 7:05 p.m. EST

TV: YES Network, Space City Home Network

Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

Phillies News:

• Re-count the highlights from this recent nine-game winning streak
• 31 Things that have happened since the last Phillies walk-off homer win
• Phillies install turf at FDR Park illegally

MLB News:

• GM Dana Brow and Astros mutually agree to part ways, surejan.gif
• New Padres Owners are already pumping themselves up
• It’s time to start the 2026 MLB Awards Watch
• Rob Manfred claims he wants to play baseball in 2027