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The Cincinnati Reds sit 8 games under the .500 mark, mired in last place in the National League Central for yet another year. That, mind you, all comes after they surged to nearly 10 games over .500 during the season’s first month.

Only the hapless Colorado Rockies and homeless Athletics have a worse run differential than Cincinnati, who at -122 sit a full 100 runs worse than the Pittsburgh Pirates – the occupants of 4th place in the division. Shall we say, it has not been a good year in the Queen City.

For one Elly De La Cruz, though, things are all seemingly falling into place.

He figured out how to master left-handed pitching, hitting a league best .350 against southpaws as part of an overall .350/.417/.657 mashing of them (who’s 188 wRC+ ranks as 2nd best in all of Major League Baseball). Just this week he unleashed a 102 mph relay throw that’s the fastest by an infielder in the statcast era. He set a career high with 26 homers while bashing homers in five straight games, in the process setting the mark for the most homers in a single season by a switch-hitter.

On the whole, he’s hitting .283/.362/.511 with 26 homers and 25 steals in 567 PA, and that’s despite missing time earlier in the year with a hamstring problem. He’s been a 5.0 bWAR per Baseball Reference, while FanGraphs has him at 5.6 fWAR – the fourth best position player in the game this year (despite, ahem, missing that time).

All told, it seemed as good a time as any to ask you how he’s done so far in 2026 earlier this week, and all he did since I opened that poll was continue on his epic dinger streak while facing the two best teams in the sport (Milwaukee and the Dodgers). Unsurprisingly, I guess, you all think he’s been doing A-OK.

If anything, what’s notable here is that 44% of respondents think he’s somehow not been an A-grade player this season. Perhaps that’s them voting on a curve knowing that there’s still so much that Elly has yet to tap into in this, just his age-24 season, and only after he reaches those higher heights will we truly be able to give him an ‘A’ on his own standards.

Regardless, Cincinnati’s superstar shortstop is just that – a bona fide superstar in today’s game, and it seems he’s only now just busting out of his shell.

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Good morning! Yesterday, the Los Angeles Dodgers called up their top prospect, Josue De Paula, as a replacement for Shohei Ohtani, who was placed on the IL due to injuries in both his knee and bicep and who is in danger of missing the playoffs.

De Paula’s promotion has Red Sox fans once again wondering whether Franklin Arias might make his debut before the end of the season, and, moreover, whether he might crack the postseason roster. De Paula, a Brooklyn native who is cousins with Stephon Marbury and Sebastian Telfair, is about 6 months older than Arias. But he had not yet progressed to AAA and arguably did not perform as well at AA as Arias did, slashing .293/.390/.528 to Arias’s .318/.407/.587 (2026 stats).

But while it’s easy to look at the two situations and applaud the Dodgers for appearing to be more aggressive with a lesser talent, we’re not dealing with an apples-to-apples comparison here. First, in order for Arias to be eligible for the postseason roster at this point he would have to be serving as an injury replacement for someone currently on the roster, as De Paula is. Second, De Paula is a defensively limited outfielder, and he is likely only going to be used as a DH/bench bat by the Dodgers.

In other words: the Dodgers had a hole and De Paula fills it, regardless of whether he’s actually ready to perform in the big leagues. That’s not necessarily the case with Arias. The Sox have plenty of middle infield options at the moment, and Curtis Mead may join those ranks soon. And while it may very well be true that Arias would already perform better than all of them, it’s impossible to say that for sure. No Red Sox fan who lived through the Kristian Campbell experience should blindly assume that Arias is going to take the big leagues by storm. And, of course, the impending lockout and the impact that would have on his development hangs over all of this.

And yet… man, Trevor Story can barely throw the ball across the diamond right now. I’m a baseball romantic, and the romantic move is to call up Arias. Argue for pragmatism all you want, but you’re a liar if you say a part of you doesn’t want to see Arias debut this month and then shine on into October.

Use this space to talk about De Paula, Arias, and whatever else you want and, as always, be good to one another.

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

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (71-69) lost 8-0 (BOX SCORE)

McPherson started for Sugar Land and allowed 4 runs over 1.2 innings. He was relieved by Nezuh who tossed 3.1 scoreless innings with 6 strikeouts. The bullpen allowed four runs late and the offense had a rough game as Sugar Land was shutout in the 8-0 loss.

Note: Ferreras is hitting .325 in Triple-A.

• Pascanel Ferreras, SS: 2-for-4, SB
• Joey Loperfido, DH: 1-for-3, BB
• Lucas Spence, RF: 1-for-4, 2B
• Cesar Salazar, C: 2-for-4

• Brandon McPherson, RHP: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
• Jackson Nezuh, RHP: 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
• Kai-Wei Teng, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
• Logan VanWey, RHP: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Alimber Santa, RHP: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (61-74) lost 5-3 (BOX SCORE)

Mancini started for the Hooks and allowed one run over 3 innings. The offense got on the board in the 5th on a Nunez groundout. Leach relieved Mancini but allowed 4 runs as the RockHounds took the lead. The offense got 2 runs back in the 6th on a Moss 2 run double but that was it as the Hooks fell 5-3.

Note: Moss is hitting .400 in Double-A.

• Jack Moss, 1B: 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, SB
• Anthony Huezo, DH: 0-for-3, RBI, SB
• Zach Daudet, 3B: 1-for-3, R, BB, SB

• Joey Mancini, RHP: 3.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• Hudson Leach, RHP: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• Andrew Marrero, RHP: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, o ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• Colby Langford, LHP: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• Railin Perez, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

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

A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (2-0) won 8-1 (BOX SCORE)

The Woodpeckers got on the board in the first inning on a Durnin RBI single and Alvarez sac fly. They got another run in the second inning on a Flores RBI single. Beck got the start and went 4.2 innings allowing one run while striking out 5. The offense got another run in the 5th with an Alvarez walk. In the 6th the offense scored 3 runs on a Ramirez RBI triple, a steal of home and a Durnin RBI single. Tryon added an RBI double in the 7th. Verdugo was fantastic closing it out as he struck out 6 over 4.1 scoreless innings as the Woodpeckers swept the series 2-0.

Note: The Woodpeckers are moving on to the Championship Series!

• Owen Nowak, LF: 0-for-1, 2 R, 3 BB
• Kam Durnin, SS: 2-for-4, R, 2 RBI, BB
• Kevin Alvarez, CF: 0-for-2, 2 R, 2 BB
• Waner Luciano, 3B: 2-for-5
• Ben Tryon, 1B: 1-for-4, R, 2B, RBI, BB
• Rashawn Galloway, RF: 1-for-4, R, 2B
• Arturo Flores, C: 1-for-4, RBI
• German Ramirez, 2B: 2-for-4, 2 R, 3B, RBI

• Jagger Beck, RHP: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
• Ryan Verdugo, RHP: 4.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K (WIN)

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: Bryce Mayer – 7:05 CT

CC: Nolan DeVos – 7:00 CT

AV: SEASON OVER

FV: OFF

Another day, another “Most Important Series of the Year So Far” as the Guardians arrive in Minneapolis.

The Guardians are 74-73 with a -16 run differential, since the trade deadline 14th in team wRC+ at 100, 23rd in baserunning runs above average at -0.9, sixth in Defense at 1.9, 22nd in starting pitcher ERA at 4.82 (4.30 FIP), and third in bullpen ERA at 2.86 (3.41 FIP).

The Twins are 69-77 with a -54 run differential, seventh in team wRC+ since the the trade deadline at 104, 11th in baserunning runs above average at 0.8, 25th in Defense at -9.8, 26th in starting pitcher ERA at 5.11 (4.38 FIP), and 24th in bullpen ERA at 4.37 (3.63 FIP).

What a disappointing year for the Twins as they actually bought at the deadline and didn’t trade Joe Ryan… only to fall apart again. Jerry-Seinfeld-That’s-A-Shame-Popcorn.GIF.

Matchups:
Game One, Friday, 8:10PM ET: Messick, LHP 2.53 ERA vs. Bradley, RHP, 3.93 ERA
Game Two is Saturday at 4:10PM ET and Game Three is Sunday at 2:10PM ET – Both teams have their starters listed as TBD at the moment. If usual plans proceed, it would be Gavin Williams vs. Bailey Ober on Saturday and Joey Cantillo vs. Joe Ryan on Sunday, but the Guardians have discussed getting an opener for Cantillo. The Twins are likely starting Ryan after an IL stint so he will be on a pitch limit, and may be considering a bullpen game on Saturday.

Since August 4th, the Twins are led by Luke Keaschall 150 wRC+, Josh Bell 138 wRC+, Austin Martin 137 wRC+, Alan Roden 130 wRC+, Ryan Jeffers 121 wRC+, Kody Clemens 118 wRC+, Kaelen Culpepper 112 wRC+ and Brooks Lee 108 wRC+.

Since the trade deadline, the Guardians have been led by Chase DeLauter 177 wRC+, Angel Martinez 132 wRC+, Steven Kwan 127 wRC+, Patrick Bailey 120 wRC+, and Jo Adell 104 wRC+. It would be great if Travis Bazzana continues his recent plate awakening.

The Twins are Murphy’s Lawed a bit lately, but this offense still has plenty of spunk. The Guardians need to come locked in and dedicated to get at least a series win and, preferably, a sweep to compensate for that disappoining finale in Baltimore. It’s been now or never time for a while, and it continues starting tonight,

Hello.

The Rangers lost what had to be a top 3 worst loss of the season yesterday, falling 4-3 to the Mariners.

Evan Grant says it stings that much more now that there’s hardly any time left in the season.

Josh Jung will be back soon, if it isn’t too late already.

Ditto Nathan Eovaldi, who’s likely still looking at a bullpen role when he returns from injury.

Elsewhere MLB Pipeline takes a guess at every team’s top prospect in 2028.

And Prince Fielder is the latest guest on Grant’s podcast.

That’s all for this morning. Happy Friday or whatever.

Welcome to Thursday A’s fans!

We got a brand new series on tap as the A’s welcome division rival Seattle Mariners to town for three games. Seattle is falling in the standings fast and has to be in panic and desperation mode right now. They can’t afford to drop a single game to the Athletics this weekend. That means they’ll be all tense and tight with the pressure of the playoffs bearing on them. The A’s meanwhile don’t have that expectation of a much-needed win. We can play care free and mess with the Mariners all we want. We’re playing with house money and any wins are gravy, especially against a division foe.

The pitching matchups this weekend are set beginning with tonight’s rematch between lefty Jeffrey Springs and righty George Kirby. Springs is in the final stretch of his A’s tenure as the flyball pitcher has made it known he doesn’t think his style of play is conducive to the Athletics’ current home ballpark. He’s not wrong as his ERA on the road is 4.76 compared to the 7.18 mark at Sutter Health. The 33-year-old just saw these guys last time out, firing seven shutout innings with just a pair of hits and walks allowed. That was in Seattle however and this’ll be in his home ballpark. Which Springs will show up tonight? If his season is any indication the A’s bats will have to show up tonight.

Kirby is going to be a tough task for them. The right-hander is in the midst of a solid if unspectacular campaign, sporting a 4.18 ERA through 27 starts. He hasn’t reached the peaks that the M’s envisioned for him when they made him a first round pick seven years ago but he’s settled into a reliable arm for them nonetheless. His most recent start, against our A’s, was the epitome of Kirby as he provided Seattle with nearly seven full frames and three earned runs allowed in a loss. It’s the reverse for Kirby compared to Springs: he’s pitched very well at home but struggles a bit on the road. Oh yea, expect a high scoring game tonight.

Saturday will be another righty-versus-lefty matchup as the Athletics have young southpaw Gage Jump getting the ball for the 20th time this year. The rookie has seen the highs and lows that come with pitching at the big league level and he’s being given runway to work through those issues, which he’s having plenty of recently. The experience he’s getting right now, in these exact type of games, is going to be the building blocks of the future success he’s going to have helping get this squad back to October baseball.

Jump will be opposed by right-hander Bryan Woo. Now wrapping up his fourth season, Woo has been a lot like Kirby in that he’s been reliable to pitch every five days. But like Kirby he’s been more of a mid to backend type of pitcher this season. The 26-year-old has a solid 4.03 ERA but again, those home/road splits are crazy to look at. When pitching in Seattle he’s almost an ace with a 2.36 ERA, but on the road his 5.63 ERA makes him look more like a quadruple-A pitcher. He’s probably not looking forward to pitching in Sacramento.

Then we wrap the series and homestand on Sunday with a Jacob Lopez versus Bryce Miller matchup. Lopez has come all the way back from the lows he experience this summer to be one of the best pitchers over the past couple of months. The lefty has pitched himself back into the A’s plans for the offseason. Whether it’s been enough to guarantee him a rotation job or be more of a depth piece is something the front office will have to decide but for now he’s doing all he can to be a rotation front-runner next spring. He had his first hiccup since rejoining the rotation in his last start where he allowed four runs to the Blue Jays. Hopefully teams aren’t beginning to figure him out with winter around the corner.

Miller meanwhile missed the first month of the year due to injury and that might have thrown him off all year. He started strong enough but has faded back here down the stretch, part of why Seattle has too. He’s 0-4 over his past seven starts with a sky-high 7.22 ERA during that span. It’s going to be a long day at the ballpark all weekend and don’t expect that to change for Miller on Sunday.

And while most of the focus on tonight will be on the A’s versus Mariners, today also marks the 25th anniversary of the 2001 attacks in New York. While the people that perpetrated that disaster sought to tear us apart baseball was one of the things that helped Americans come together during a difficult time. Today we should all remember those feelings of unity to remember those lost on that day.

First pitch is at 6:40. Who’s ready for a win to start our weekend?

A’s Coverage:

• 2027 Infield Landscape Ever Changing
• A’s Shut Out Blue Jays 2-0 to Win Series
• Blue Jays Win 4-2 to Even Series
• A’s Walk Off Blue Jays 6-5
• Mariners Defeat A’s 2-0 in Road Trip Finale
• “Fast Movers” Might Be Key To Contention
• Bi-Polar Performance Arcs Make Evaluation Difficult
• A’s Escape Texas With A Win, Beat Rangers 9-2
• A’s Designate José Suarez For Assignment
• Q&A: Clarke determined to finish strong with A’s after long IL stint
• White exits with back tightness as A’s injury woes continue
• It’s Been a Bummer Summer in Sacramento
• The A’s valuation rises with sales of 2 MLB clubs as Las Vegas move looms
• Your 2026 Hacktastic A’s
• Athletics Considering James Click For GM Vacancy
• Daejon Love case brings back Eric Byrnes’ bizarre story of an A’s bat boy impersonation
• Get the best of Athletics Nation on the new SB Nation app
• How defensive whiz Clarke’s return will impact A’s
• How A’s catcher Bruce Maxwell brought taking a knee to MLB and what happened afterwards
• A’s Plan to Test Top Pitching Prospect Jamie Arnold at Next Level
• Separating The Wheat From The Chaff Not So Easy
• Amidst The Despair: The Position Player Talent Is There
• What Are The Next Steps For The A’s? ($)
• Where Each A’s Player’s Contract Stands Entering Offseason
• Why Athletics Will Have Scary Offense in 2027
• Underdog Athletics prospect Cole Conn playing like a big dog for Aviators
• Behind the Plate, the A’s Face an Offseason Reckoning
• Why The New GM Needs To “Clean House”
• A Seemingly Rock Bottomless Glass
• MLB Trade Grades: A’s Have Quiet Trade Deadline
• Fustercluck 2026: The Real Reasons For A Disappointing Season

MLB News and Interest:

• Salvador Perez Going “Year By Year” With His Career
• Pirates’ Braxton Ashcraft has arm discomfort, lands on IL
• Kaima Taira Expected To Be Posted For MLB Teams This Offseason
• Back with Yankees, Volpe playing second base for first time in bigs
• Braves’ Lane Thomas headed to IL after batting cage injury
• Which Hitters Will Receive The Qualifying Offer?
• Brewers’ Brandon Sproat demoted after struggles vs. Cubs
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Another pitching prospect that could make it to the big leagues next year:

Not shocking with LV around the corner:

Some of the names:

Former 8th rounder promoted to Las Vegas:

Playing spoiler is fun too!

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The Toronto Blue Jays return home tonight with a chance to gain ground in the Wild Card race, and my Orioles vs. Blue Jays predictions believe they're in prime position to pick up another win as -125 favorites.

Read on for my free MLB picks for this Friday, Sept. 11 matchup, with first pitch set for 7:07 p.m. ET at Rogers Centre.

Orioles vs Blue Jays predictions

Orioles vs Blue Jays best bet: Blue Jays moneyline (-125)

The Toronto Blue Jays have a clear opportunity to create separation against another club hanging around the playoff picture in the Baltimore Orioles tonight.

Toronto gets a favorable matchup against Chris Bassitt, who carries a 4.96 ERA and has struggled badly with left-handed hitters. Southpaws are hitting .322 against him, and eight of the nine home runs he's allowed have come from that side.

He has also been far worse away from Baltimore, posting a 6.43 ERA and 1.786 WHIP in nine road appearances.

Max Scherzer’s 6.03 season ERA is ugly, but his recent form has been considerably more encouraging (3.60 ERA last seven starts), and he doesn’t need to be vintage against a Baltimore lineup that has cooled off (28th by OPS in September).

Toronto has several left-handed bats capable of exploiting Bassitt, and I prefer backing the Jays outright at a manageable -125 rather than asking them to cover the run line. Play to -140.

COVERS INTEL: Lefties are batting .322 with a .397 OBP and .505 SLG against Bassitt this season, while righties have managed just .264 with a .321 SLG.

Orioles vs Blue Jays same-game parlay (SGP)

I’m leaning into a Toronto-friendly offensive game without asking either lineup to completely explode. The Blue Jays moneyline anchors the ticket, while dropping the total to Over 7.5 gives us breathing room if Toronto does most of the scoring.

Nathan Lukes completes the parlay, and his matchup with Bassitt is the main attraction. Lukes is batting .294 with a .422 slugging percentage against right-handed pitching, and with lefties hitting .322 against Bassitt, he has a realistic path to cashing with either two singles or one extra-base hit.

Orioles vs Blue Jays SGP

• Blue Jays moneyline
• Over 7.5
• Nathan Lukes Over 1.5 total bases

Orioles vs Blue Jays home run pick: Jesus Sanchez (+675)

Jesus Sanchez is my favorite longshot on Toronto’s home run board because his power profile lines up perfectly with Bassitt’s biggest weakness. Bassitt has allowed eight of his nine home runs to left-handed hitters, and just one home run to a right-handed hitter all season, which makes Sanchez’s handedness an especially important part of the matchup.

Sanchez has also done his best work at home, batting .279 with a .522 slugging percentage and seven home runs in 136 at-bats at Rogers Centre.

The +675 price gives us considerably more upside than Toronto’s more obvious power bats. At this number, I’m comfortable taking a quarter-unit shot on the left-handed bat with the clearest matchup advantage.

Orioles vs Blue Jays odds

• Moneyline: Baltimore +105 | Toronto -125
• Run line: Baltimore +1.5 | Toronto -1.5
• Over/Under: Over 8 | Under 8

Orioles vs Blue Jays trend

The Blue Jays own a .625 win percentage since July 23 (25-15), tied for the best mark in the American League during that period. Find more MLB betting trends for Orioles vs. Blue Jays.

How to watch Orioles vs Blue Jays and game info

Orioles vs Blue Jays latest injuries

Orioles vs Blue Jays weather

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Some Royals seasons suck. When a team is expected to be bad and finishes with a bad record, there isn’t much mystery to it. When Scott Elarton pitches on Opening Day, what do you expect?

But the truly painful seasons are the ones that begin with optimism, only for things to go terribly, terribly wrong. Injuries. Underperformance. Everyone hopes the team will turn the corner. Maybe it is the series they can get back on track? Then you look up and it’s late July and the team is a seller at the trade deadline.

This year has been that kind of gut-punch season. The team was hoping to be contenders, but everything just fell apart. How does this bad season compare with other miserable disappointments? Let’s be sadists and immerse ourselves in the pain.

10. 1997 (67-94)

The Royals began a rebuild after the work stoppage ended in 1995, banking on young hitters like Johnny Damon, Michael Tucker, and Joe Vitiello to lead them back to contention. They won 75 games in 1996, but finished dead last in runs scored. That winter, they found offense through some shrewd trades, acquiring veterans Jay Bell and Jeff King from the Pirates, designated hitter Chili Davis from the Angels, and young postseason hero Jermaine Dye from the Braves. Kansas City Star columnist Jason Whitlock called the team a “legitimate contender.”

By late June, the team was 36-38, just three games out of first place, and might have been even better had their awful bullpen not blown so many leads. But the team hit a wall, losing 12 in a row, part of a stretch where they dropped 18 of 20. Not even firing manager Bob Boone at the All-Star break would stop the losing. The team went 31-48 under new skipper Tony Muser after the All-Star break, the third-worst record in baseball. They finished with 94 losses, at the time, the second-worst record in club history.

9. 2001 (65-97)

The 2000 Royals had perhaps the best offense in club history. They scored a club-record 879 runs with a stable of dynamic young hitters like Johnny Damon, Jermaine Dye, Carlos Beltrán, Mike Sweeney, Mark Quinn, and Joe Randa. They won 77 games despite an awful bullpen that finished with 26 blown saves. So the Royals figured, the solution was to trade some of that offensive depth for an established closer. With Damon nearing free agency, they shipped him to Oakland in a three-team trade that netted them former All-Star closer Roberto Hernández from Tampa Bay.

Hernández did stabilize the bullpen, but there weren’t many leads for him to protect. The starting pitching was hideous with All-Star José Rosado out the entire year after shoulder surgery. And without Damon setting the table, the offense took a huge step back. Dye was dealt away at the deadline, and the team lost 97 games, tying the franchise record and killing any momentum generated in 2000.

8. 2009 (65-97)

The Royals finished the 2008 season strong with an 18-8 September under first-year manager Trey Hillman. They won 75 games overall, the second year in a row the team had improved its win total. The team added veteran outfielder Coco Crisp and slugging first baseman Mike Jacobs to bolster the lineup, made improvements to the bullpen and finalized a four-year contract extension for star Zack Greinke.

The vibes were especially strong when the team got off to an uncharacteristically strong start. A week into May, they were 18-11, with a three-game lead in the division. But they quickly fell back to earth, losing 22 of their next 28. They went 7-19 in July, pushing them even further back in the standings. They even lost 9 of their last 11 games of the season, making that hot start a distant memory.

7. 2007 (69-93)

Dayton Moore was hired in the summer of 2006, tasked with turning around the worst team in baseball. He made a flurry of trades that July, and in the winter, signed free agent Gil Meche to a five-year, $55 million deal, the largest free agent signing in club history. The Royals were also expecting the debut of third baseman Alex Gordon, who was named Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year the previous season.

The team had a thrilling 7-1 win in a nationally televised Opening Day win over Boston in which Meche left the game to a standing ovation. But Moore would soon discover the rebuild would not be immediate. The team lost 10 of 12 after the first win and soon fell to the cellar. They would end up with 93 losses, the sixth time in seven seasons they had lost 90+ games.

6. 2017 (80-82)

The Royals knew the 2017 season was their “last hurrah” with the championship core. Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, and Alcides Escobar were all eligible for free agency at the end of the season, and it seemed unlikely the team would retain them all. After a 7-16 start, it seemed like the “last hurrah” would be a dud. But as that core so often did, they got hot in the summer. The team went 33-18 in June and July and were in a Wild Card spot, just two games out of first by the trade deadline.

Then the team went into a funk. The pitching staff posted an ugly 5.89 ERA in August, and three pitchers acquired from the Padres at the deadline – Trevor Cahill, Brandon Maurer, and Travis Wood – were a big part of the problem. As late as August 23, they were just a half game out of a playoff spot, but a five-game losing streak where they went 45 innings in a row without scoring a run sealed their fate. The World Series stars were given an ovation in their last regular season home game, but it was disappointing their last time together in a Royals uniform couldn’t come in the postseason.

5. 2004 (58-104)

The Royals made a surprise run in 2003 with a hot 9-0 start that propelled them into first place for much of the summer. Although they fell short of the playoffs, it gave the team hope that the youth movement had arrived and that adding a few veterans could put the team into contention. GM Allard Baird added veterans Juan Gonzalez, Benito Santiago, and Matt Stairs, while bringing back Joe Randa, Brian Anderson, and Curtis Leskanic.

The team had a thrilling comeback walk-off win on Opening Day against the White Sox. But the pitching turned out to be just dreadful. Juan Gonzalez was injured in mid-May and never returned. By the end of the month, they had the worst record in the American League and were shopping star outfielder Carlos Beltrán. He was traded two weeks later. The team lost a then-franchise record 104 games.

4. 1983 (79-83-1)

The 1982 Royals won 90 games – fifth-most in baseball – but missed the playoffs for just the second time in seven years. They brought back much of the roster. The lineup featured four All-Stars from the previous season – George Brett, Frank White, Willie Wilson, and Hal McRae. The rotation was a very veteran staff with four starters all age 30 or older – Larry Gura, Paul Splittorff, Dennis Leonard, and former AL MVP Vida Blue. Dan Quisenberry had led the league in saves the previous season and earned Cy Young votes. According to Washington Post columnist Thomas Boswell, the team had “legitimate pennant hopes.”

But Father Time is undefeated and the pitching soon showed its age. Leonard got hurt, Gura was ineffective, and Blue completely fell apart and was released that summer. The team hovered around .500 and was only 1.5 games out of first in late July. But the White Sox caught fire, going 48-16 down the stretch to win the division, while the Royals finished under .500. To make matters worse, after the season Blue, Willie Wilson, Willie Aikens and Jerry Martin were arrested in an FBI drug investigation, eventually receiving jail sentences and suspensions from Major League Baseball.

3. 2026 (65-82, so far)

The season isn’t technically over, but the Royals’ playoff hopes are. And that’s enough to make this one of the biggest disappointments in franchise history. The Royals were coming off back-to-back winning seasons and featured one of the best players in the game in Bobby Witt Jr., plus a very solid starting rotation and the AL saves leader returning in Carlos Estévez.

But the offense struggled to begin the year, with Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez both in a funk. By the end of May, the team was already far out of it with a record of 22-37. Then the injuries hit. Cole Ragans. Kris Bubic. Vinnie Pasquantino. Maikel Garcia. Even Bobby Witt Jr. hit the Injured List for the first time in his career. Estévez has missed virtually the entire season, and the rest of the bullpen has been a complete mess. The Royals had hoped to contend this year, instead they’ll try to avoid hitting the 90 loss mark.

2. 1986 (76-86)

The Royals returned most of the 1985 championship team, and many figured that was good enough to make a serious run at a repeat. The Sporting News picked the Royals to repeat as division champs, and its survey of 210 baseball writers found a consensus on that prediction. But early injuries to Bret Saberhagen and Mark Gubicza and ineffectiveness by closer Dan Quisenberry caused the team to hover around .500 for the first three months. George Brett had been holding up an otherwise thin offense, and when he missed significant time in July, the team collapsed.

Players had also been noticing manager Dick Howser was acting differently, and was frequently suffering from headaches and neck pain. When he managed the American League in the All-Star Game that summer, his mental gaffes became apparent when he sent second baseman Lou Whitaker to left field, and called catcher Jim Sundberg “Sabes.”

It would be the last game Howser ever managed. Following the All-Star break, third-base coach Mike Ferraro took over the team. The next day, the Royals announced that Howser had been diagnosed with a tumor in his left frontal lobe. The diagnosis cast a pall over the team that it never really emerged from.

1. 1990 (75-86)

The 1989 Royals had finished tied for the third-best record in baseball, but because they were stuck in the same division as the “Bash Brothers” Oakland Athletics, they missed the playoffs by a good margin. They had a talented pitching staff led by reigning Cy Young winner Bret Saberhagen, and decided to double down on pitching by signing the A’s 19-game winner Storm Davis. When free agent talks for Mark Davis fell apart with other clubs, the Royals swooped in and signed the reigning National League Cy Young winner.

Many publications thought they could challenge the Athletics. General manager John Schuerholz called them a “legitimate championship team.” The fans were excited about the $19 million plunge into free agency. “The anticipation of this season by our fans was more than I’ve ever seen before,” said manager John Wathan.

But the “Davis boys” turned out to be a bust. Storm put up a 4.74 ERA and taught everyone how run support impacts wins. Mark showed how volatile reliever performance can be by losing his closer’s job in May and ending with a 5.11 ERA. The Royals lost 86 games and finished in sixth place, their lowest finish ever in the standings.

Regular-season wins for the Comets and Drillers. Playoff losses for the Loons and Tower Buzzers. That’s how a full slate of games on Thursday went down in the Dodgers’ minor league system.

Player of the Day

Jake Gelof wrote his name in the history books of the Tulsa Drillers when he left the yard for the 33rd time this season, helping Tulsa to a low-scoring win on the road.

As part of a 2-for-3 effort with a walk on top of it, Gelof tied a record that stood for over a decade, becoming the first Drillers hitter to record 33 home runs since Tim Wheeler did it back in 2011.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Production from top to bottom led to an 8-0 shutout win for the Comets. James Tibbs III and Zach Ehrhard both reached base a team-high three times—and catcher and ninth-hole hitter Chadwick Tromp contributed three RBI when the game was already out of hand for the Space Cowboys, hitting a three-run shot in the bottom of the eighth.

On the pitching side of things, it was smooth sailing for Knack and company, as the starter covered five, enough for the win. Edwin Díaz couldn’t prevent traffic, but he pitched around a hit and a walk to secure a scoreless inning. Kris Bubic also appeared for his second straight outing before Kyle Hurt wrapped up the ninth inning.

Double-A Tulsa

One Taylor Young RBI single in the second and a timely home run from Jake Gelof were all the offense that Tulsa would require to outlast NW Arkansas. Despite six of their nine hitters failing to secure a base hit, the Drillers earned the win thanks to terrific pitching from both the starter Myles Caba and the bullpen.

Caba struck out five in four innings, leaving the win for Payton Martin, who came in with two scoreless innings as the first man out of the bullpen. The sole blemish on Caba’s record was a solo shot allowed in the fourth to Spencer Nivens, the only Naturals starting hitter with an OPS north of .800.

High-A Great Lakes

One extra-base hit is not going to cut it, as the Loons took the loss even though their pitching kept them in it until the very end, dropping this one by the score of 3 to 1. The pitching staff did its best to keep them in it until the end, but the Loons’ problems against 6’6″ left-hander Kyle McCoy were just too big to overcome, no pun intended.

Brooks Auger and Will Gagnon were each responsible for covering four innings, as all three runs from the Dragons came against Auger in the early part of this game. Gagnon just allowed one hit and struck out five in four scoreless.

When catcher Gio Cueto managed to knock in a run with an RBI single in the seventh, the Loons brought the tying run to the plate in the form of leadoff hitter Eduardo Quintero, but he struck out swinging. Quintero finished the game 0 for 3 with a walk.

Class-A Ontario

It seems the Tower Buzzers spent all of their scoring in Game 1’s 10-9 loss. After going down by four in the first two innings of Game 2, Ontario didn’t come close to mounting a comeback effort in an eventual 6-1 defeat, now trailing 2-0 in the series.

It was a particularly challenging day for two of this team’s top hitters, Ching-Hsien Ko and Easton Shelton, as the pair combined for seven punchouts—including a golden sombrero for Ko. Shelton was at least responsible for the team’s sole RBI.

Walks and errors made this a more challenging outing for the Tower Buzzers staff than it should’ve been, allowing a pair of unearned runs and handing out more free passes (8) than hits allowed (6). Interestingly, although it should be noted that none of them—including starter Luis Gamez—covered more than one inning, the first four pitchers to take the mound for Ontario had in common the fact that they didn’t secure a single strikeout. Five of Ontario’s six strikeouts would come from Charlie West, who covered four scoreless.

Transactions

Right-handed pitcher Aidan Foeller was placed on the IL by the Drillers, who activated Payton Martin. Outfielder Agustin Acosta was assigned to Tulsa to replace Josue De Paula, who was called up to the bigs. Lastly, the Comets activated Bobby Miller.

Thursday’s scores

• Oklahoma City 8, Sugar Land 0
• NW Arkansas 2, Tulsa 3
• Dayton 3, Great Lakes 1
• Lake Elsinore 6, Ontario 1

Friday’s schedule

• 4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Cam Leiter) at Dayton (Mason Morris) – Division Series Game 3 (series tied 1-1)
• 5:05 p.m. PT: Oklahoma City (Charlie Barnes) vs. Sugar Land (Bryce Mayer)
• 5:05 p.m. PT: Tulsa (Christian Zazueta) at NW Arkansas (Chase Jessee)

It was a short day for Major League Baseball on Thursday, with only five games taking place around the league. With all of them having at least one American League playoff hopeful however, it was still an important day in the standings. The Yankees capped off a resounding sweep of the Rockies in the Bronx, while several of their leaguemates struggled to make much noise on the mostly quiet Thursday of baseball.

Short schedule at all, let’s take a look at what went down around the Junior Circuit on Thursday.

Atlanta Braves (86-61) 3, Tampa Bay Rays (87-59) 1

With the Yankees winning on Thursday, they benefitted greatly from a tough loss for the Rays. Starters Martín Pérez and Nick Martinez were both brilliant in this one, with the former tossing seven scoreless frame, and the latter doing the same across 6.1 frames. It was a classic pitcher’s duel, as both Atlanta and Tampa Bay managed six combined hits with those two on the mound.

With seven scoreless innings kicking off this game, the Braves finally kicked in the flood gates in the eighth inning against the Rays bullpen. An Ozzie Albies triple got the ball rolling, before Austin Riley’s single into right plated the first run of the ballgame. A pinch-hitting Mike Yastrzemski hit a ground-rule double to bring two more runners into scoring position, before Ha-Seong Kim’s single brought ‘em both home and put the Braves up 3-0.

The Rays finally made a little noise in the ninth, when Victor Mesa Jr. deposited a solo homer into right-center, but it was too little too late, as the Rays fell 3-1. The Yankees now sit three games behind them in the AL East, as the Rays host the Astros for three games this weekend.

Other Games

Pittsburgh Pirates (74-73) 2, Chicago White Sox (75-71) 0: The Rays weren’t the only AL squad to go quiet with the bats, as the White Sox failed to plate a run in their dance with the Pirates on Thursday. The Buccos opened scoring in the fourth when Oneil Cruz belted his 18th homer of the year, one of two RBIs the talented Cruz plated for his squad in this one. The Sox managed just a pair of hits in this one, as Jared Jones took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, before the Pittsburgh ‘pen closed things out. Chicago still holds a 1.5 game lead in the Central, with the Guardians lurking behind.

AL Wild Card Rock Fight

Houston Astros (75-72) 2, Philadelphia Phillies (82-65) 1: In a game that was knotted at one for much of the way, Cam Smith’s 20th homer of the season was the deciding blow for Houston. The game-winning solo shot in the ninth fueled the ‘Stros to their 75th win of the season, and bumped their lead in the West up to three games.

Seattle Mariners (69-78) 4, Texas Rangers (72-75) 3: After trailing 3-0 into the seventh on Thursday, the Mariners leaned on their superstar for the heroics. After plating a run early in the inning, Seattle’s Julio Rodríguez flipped this game upside down with a three-run blast off of Jakob Junis. His 21st home run of the seaosn propelled the M’s to victory, and delivered a major blow to the Rangers, who are now two games out of the party in the AL wild card.