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Happy birthday to Larry Corcoran and a mighty host of others.

Today in baseball history, in 1930 – Before 45,000 fans, the Cubs sweep two from the Boston Braves at Wrigley Field to move a game back of Brooklyn. Hack Wilson drives home seven runs on three homers, the last his 39th, to back up Charlie Root‘s three-hit shutout in the opener. The Cubs win, 6-0, beating Bob Smith. Pat Malone completes the sweep. twirling a five-hitter to beat Bruce Cunningham, 11-1, in the nightcap, and other stories as well.

Today in baseball history:

• 1915 – In Washington, Detroit 3B Ossie Vitt is hit by a Walter Johnson fastball and, after being knocked out for five minutes, leaves the game with a concussion. A rattled Johnson then allows four runs in the 1st inning, two on a homer by George Burns, and another four through the sixth inning to lose (he will be 17-2 at home this year). Ty Cobb, observing Johnson’s fear of hitting a batter, will begin to crowd the plate on the Washington ace from here on. Cobb will average .435 for the rest of his career against Walter, after topping .222 only once in the previous eight years.
• 1917 – Babe Ruth beats the Tigers, 5 – 4, giving up just four hits. The Babe’s drive into the CF bleachers, said to be the longest hit at Fenway Park, is the difference. The homer is Babe’s first of the year.
• 1929 – Pitching for the visiting Cards, Grover Alexander beats the Phils, 7-1, for his 373rd and last National League victory. It is noted at the time that he ties Christy Mathewson for NL wins. 
• 1934 – Babe Ruth announces this is his final season as a full-time player.
• 1957 – Mickey Mantle blasts a 460-foot homer to become the first player to clear the center-field hedge at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore as the Yankees beat the Orioles, 6-3.
• 1960 – Ted Williams hits a pair of homers and a double to pace the Red Sox to a 6-1 win over the Indians. Ted has 21 homers for the season. The first of the two today, No. 512, moves Ted past Mel Ott into fourth place on the all-time list. After the game, Williams announces that he will retire at the end of the season.
• 1971 – Twins’ Harmon Killebrew becomes the 10th player to amass 500 home runs and adds his 501st.
• 1981 – The Phillies’ Pete Rose passes Stan Musial as the all-time National League hit leader when he collects his 3,631st off Cardinal hurler Mark Littell.
• 1996 – Eddie Murray blasts his 18th career grand slam, highlighting an eight-run 9th inning, as Baltimore beats the White Sox, 13-4. Murray’s slam ties him for second place with Willie McCovey.
• 2019 – Another hot-hitting rookie, Yordan Alvarez, also has a three-homer game, scoring five runs and driving in seven as the Astros demolish the Orioles, 23-2. Alvarez now has 51 RBIs in 45 games, beating the previous record of 47 set by Ted Williams in his rookie year. 

Today in Cubs history:

• 1905 – In a great pitching duel, New York ace Christy Mathewson allows three Chicago hits, while the Giants manage just four off Ed Reulbach. New York tallies an unearned run in the sixth for the game’s only score.
• 1908 – Twenty thousand fans, the largest ever to watch a Monday game, crowd the Polo Grounds to see the matchup of Christy Mathewson and the Cubs’ Orval Overall. Matty doesn’t disappoint, winning, 3-2.
• 1912 – In a game at Boston, Chicago star Johnny Evers pushes umpire Bill Finneran after the latter challenges Evers, Heinie Zimmerman, and Frank Chance to fight him under the stands after the game. Evers will be suspended for five days. 
• 1919 – More than 28,000 crowd Wrigley Field to watch Grover Cleveland Alexander shut the Giants out, 2-0
• 2002 – The Cubs wallop the Rockies, 15-1, as Sammy Sosa clouts three home runs and drives home nine runs.

Cubs Birthdays:Jimmy McMath, Bob Porterfield, Elmer Jacobs, Larry Corcoran*. Also related: Willie Wells HOF.

Today in history:

• 1776 – News of the United States Declaration of Independence reaches London during the American Revolutionary War.
• 1893 – Rudolf Diesel‘s prototype internal combustion engine, a single 10-foot iron cylinder with a flywheel at its base, runs on its own power for the first time in Augsburg, Germany.
• 1897 – German chemist Felix Hoffmann first synthesizes acetylsalicylic acid, which is later patented by his company Bayer under the name “aspirin”.
• 1943 – US General George S. Patton slaps a battle-fatigued soldier at an evacuation hospital, calling him “cowardly,” and threatens him with a pistol.
• 1949 – Ezzard Charles TKO’s Gus Lesnevich in the 8th round for the heavyweight boxing title.
• 1969 – Members of the Manson Family cult, including leader Charles Manson, kill Leno and Rosemary LaBianca in their Los Angeles, California home, completing the crime known as the Tate-LaBianca murders.
• 1977 – Postal employee David Berkowitz is arrested in Yonkers, NY, accused of being the “Son of Sam” .44 caliber killer.
• 1984 – The US beats Spain 96-65 to win the men’s basketball gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics; future ‘dream team’ members Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin feature.

Today in music history:

• 1920 – Mamie Smith and her Jazz Hounds record “Crazy Blues” for Okeh Records, the first significant blues hit by an African American artist.
• 1963 – “Little” Stevie Wonder‘s single “Fingertips (Part 2)” begins a three-week run, making him the youngest singer to top the charts at age 13.
• 1970 – Jim Morrison‘s trial for “lewd and lascivious behavior” begins in Miami, Florida.
• 1972 – Paul and Linda McCartney and their band Wings are arrested in Gothenburg, Sweden, on drug possession charges when customs officials discover a package of hashish.
• 1976 – Elton John performs the first of seven sold-out nights at Madison Square Garden, NYC, to conclude his North American tour.
• 1979 – “Off the Wall,” the fifth studio album by Michael Jackson, is released (Billboard Album of the Year 1980).
• 1993 – Columbia Records releases “River of Dreams,” singer-songwriter Billy Joel‘s twelfth and final studio album (unless he changes his mind).

*pictured.

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

Miracles do occur: the Orioles actually can score some runs every once in a while. Yesterday they released more than a week’s worth of offensive frustration by putting up a 10-spot on the Rangers, clubbing 15 hits, tied for their third most of the season. Pete Alonso erupted for his first multi-homer game as an Oriole, eight O’s batters had at least one hit, and the Birds averted a three-game sweep with a rare stress-free, blowout victory. Check out Mark Brown’s recap of the decisive win.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that the Orioles’ overall series in Arlington sunk them further out of the playoff picture. They entered the series on Friday just one game back of the Rangers for the third wild card spot, but the Orioles’ no-show offensive efforts in the first two games cost them valuable ground. Because of their flailing, not only are they now two games back of Texas, but they also trail three other teams — the Twins, Guardians, and the Tigers, who leapfrogged the Birds this weekend. Even the Mariners and Blue Jays are closer to catching the Orioles than the Orioles are to catching the Rangers. One team will eventually rise above all the rest in this battle for mediocrity, but it’s increasingly unlikely to be the O’s.

The Orioles are now off to face another one of that crowded field of wild-card candidates, the Twins, in a three-game series in Minnesota starting tonight. Normally this is where I would write, “This is a hugely important series!!!1!1!!” but…honestly, I’m not feeling it anymore. I think we’re at the point where the Orioles’ season is too far gone to save.

Their offensive woes have become the norm rather than the exception. Before yesterday, the O’s had scored only 11 total runs in their seven games in August. A lineup that is missing Samuel Basallo and Blaze Alexander, and that inexplicably continues to employ Gunnar Henderson’s .294 OBP in the top third of the order, is going to continue to struggle to score runs. We can all pretty much agree that a Dean Kremer Revenge Game is coming tonight, right?

Anything less than sweeping the Twins is going to continue to close the door on the Orioles’ 2026 playoff hopes. And even if the O’s do manage to keep their heads above water in Minnesota, their next 10 games are against the two best teams in the American League, the Rays and Yankees. That brutal stretch is almost certain to bury the Orioles if their goose isn’t cooked already.

The postseason math is looking pretty bleak. But I suppose nothing’s over until it’s over. If the O’s can carry the momentum of yesterday’s 10-run outburst into the Land of 10,000 Lakes, maybe they’ve still got a fighting chance. But it’s going to require a stretch of red-hot, winning baseball that we’ve rarely seen from this team.

Links

Something was missing for Grayson Rodriguez when he faced Orioles – BaltimoreBaseball.com

Speaking of Revenge Games, Grayson had a pretty good one at Oriole Park for the Angels last week, though the Birds managed to win. I’m surprised how few of the current Orioles hitters were ever teammates with him.

Pete Alonso answers his own rallying call with his best Orioles game in win vs. Rangers – The Baltimore Banner

Pete Alonso continues to be awesome. I wish I could say the same about most of the other guys in this lineup.

McDonald: “This is the strongest I’ve seen the minor league system from a pitching standpoint with the Orioles” – School of Roch

Great! Can they hit?

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Three former Orioles were born on Aug. 10: first baseman Dan Johnson (47), catcher Sal Fasano (55), and the late right-hander Bob Chakales (b. 1927, d. 2010) of the inaugural 1954 Orioles.

On this date in 1963, Boog Powell crushed three home runs against the Washington Senators, but the O’s still lost, 6-5. All three blasts were solo shots. The other two Orioles runs were driven in by utility man Bob Johnson, who was starting at third base, snapping Brooks Robinson’s streak of 463 consecutive starts at the hot corner for the Orioles.

On this day in 1981, a newly promoted 20-year-old O’s prospect by the name of Cal Ripken Jr. made his major league debut, pinch-running for Ken Singleton in the bottom of the 12th inning against the Royals. Fittingly enough, the future Hall of Famer scored the game-winning run in his debut, scoring on John Lowenstein’s walkoff single.

In 1996, Eddie Murray hit his 18th career grand slam, which at the time tied him with Willie McCovey for second most in MLB history. (He now ranks fourth, behind Alex Rodriguez, Lou Gehrig, and Manny Ramirez.) Murray’s salami was part of an eight-run ninth inning for the Orioles, turning a slim 5-4 lead into a 13-4 blowout of the White Sox.

In 1999, the Orioles routed the Rays, 17-1, and they did it without hitting any home runs. The O’s racked up an eye-popping 20 hits, and every batter in the lineup had at least one hit and scored at least once. Six different Orioles had multi-hit games, including Mike Bordick, who went 4-for-6 with two doubles and five RBIs. The game got so out of hand that Hall of Fame third baseman Wade Boggs made a pitching appearance for the Rays, the second (and final) of his 18-year career.

But on this date in back-to-back seasons, the Orioles embarrassed themselves. In 2018, they were mathematically eliminated in the AL East with a gruesome 19-12 loss to the Red Sox that dropped them 46.5 games behind with 46 games to play. It marked the earliest date in baseball history that a team had been mathematically eliminated. The Orioles gave up 16 hits and 10 walks in the game. Starter Dylan Bundy was tagged for eight runs, and three relievers — Miguel Castro, Donnie Hart, and Evan Phillips — each surrendered three or more.

And in 2019, the Orioles were obliterated by the Astros, 23-2. Houston set franchise bests for runs scored (23) and extra-base hits (13) in a game. Yordan Alvarez hit three homers and drove in seven on his way to winning AL Rookie of the Year, and five other Astros also had three or more hits. Orioles pitchers Aaron Brooks (nine runs), Branden Kline (five), and Tayler Scott (six) were hit hard, as was utility man Stevie Wilkerson, who gave up three runs in a mop-up pitching appearance. Woof. That 2019 Orioles team was unwatchable.

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (38-37/17-21)

COLUMBUS 5, SYRACUSE 4 (BOX)

Syracuse got on the board first thanks to a Nick Lorusso two-run homer in the bottom of the second, but their lead did not last long, as Ofreidy Gomez allowed a run in the top of the third, right-hander Matt Seelinger allowed two in the fourth and then two more in the fifth. Syracuse appeared poised to make something happen in the bottom of the fifth, loading up the bases with one out, but the best they were able to do was score a run via HBP when Ryan Clifford got grazed by a curveball.

·  CF Nick Morabito: 1-5, 3 K

·  RF Ryan Clifford: 0-4, RBI, 4 K, HBP

·  DH MJ Melendez: 0-4

·  SS Ronny Mauricio: 0-4, K

·  2B Christopher Morel: 1-4, R, K

·  3B Andy Ibáñez: 3-4, 2 R, 2B, K

·  1B Nick Lorusso: 3-4, R, HR (3), 3 RBI

·  PR D’Andre Smith: 0-0

·  LF Jose Ramos: 0-3, BB

·  C Shawn Ross: 0-2, BB, K

·  PH Vidal Bruján: 0-0, BB

·  RHP Ofreidy Gómez: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

·  RHP Dan Hammer: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

·  RHP Matt Seelinger: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, L (2-2), BS (2)

·  RHP Zach Franklin: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

·  RHP Ben Simon: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

·  RHP Dylan Ross: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K

·  LHP Joe Jacques: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

ROSTER ALERT: New York Mets optioned RHP Xzavion Curry to Syracuse Mets.

ROSTER ALERT:RHP Dakota Hawkins assigned to Syracuse Mets from Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

ROSTER ALERT: New York Mets selected the contract of RHP Jack Weisenburger from Syracuse Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: Syracuse Mets activated 1B Ryan Clifford from the 7-day injured list.

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (27-42/17-22)

BINGHAMTON 4, HARTFORD 3 (BOX)

Binghamton logged nine hits in the ballgame but all of their runs came on the longball. Kevin Parada blasted a homer in the bottom of the fifth to put the Rumble Ponies on the board and tie the game at 1-1, and Billy Amick blasted his fourth of the series and his third in as many days in the sixth to make it a 4-1 ballgame. The Yard Goats scored two runs in the seventh on a two-run homer off of reliever Carlos Guzman, but Saul Garcia and Garrett Stratton locked in in the eighth and ninth, each tossing a scoreless inning to lock down the win- Binghamton’s sixth in a row- sweeping Hartford.

·  SS Mitch Voit: 1-3, BB, CS (1)

·  2B Marco Vargas: 1-4, 2 K

·  DH Émilien Pitre: 2-4, R

·  3B Jefferson Rojas: 0-3, R

·  CF Chris Suero: 0-3, BB, K, SB (29)

·  1B Billy Amick: 1-3, R, HR (5), 3 RBI, BB, SB (1)

·  RF John Bay: 1-4, K

·  LF Corey Collins: 1-3, BB, K

·  PR-LF JT Benson: 0-0

·  C Kevin Parada: 2-4, R, 2B, HR (2), RBI, E (1), PB (6)

·  RHP Channing Austin: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

·  RHP Cristofer Gomez: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, WP, HBP

·  RHP Bryce Jenkins: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, W (1-0)

·  RHP Carlos Guzman: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HBP, H (4)

·  RHP Saul Garcia: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, H (7)

·  RHP Garrett Stratton: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, S (2)

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (25-40/21-20)

BROOKLYN 8, WILMINGTON 6 (BOX)

Brooklyn rallied late, digging out of an early hole they found themselves in. Trailing 6-4 going into the seventh inning, the Cyclones scored two runs in the seventh to tie things up and then another two in the top of the ninth to take the lead. Juan Arnaud walked a tightrope in the bottom of the inning, allowing consecutive singles and a walk to load up the bases with no outs, but he proceeded to strike out the next three batters in a gutsy showing, locking down the save and the series victory.

·  SS Sammy Stafura: 1-5, R, 2B, K

·  CF Aidan Smith: 2-5, R, 2B, HR (14), 2 RBI, 2 K

·  DH John Spikerman: 0-3, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K, SB (21)

·  1B Ronald Hernandez: 1-5, K

·  RF Trey Snyder: 1-4, 2 R, RBI, BB, SB

·  LF Yonatan Henriquez: 3-4, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI, HBP, SB (19)

·  3B Jamari Baylor: 2-5, 3B, 2 RBI, K, E (3)

·  C Daiverson Gutierrez: 0-5, K, E (12)

·  2B Antonio Jimenez: 2-4, 2B, RBI, K, E (4)

·  LHP Daviel Hurtado: 4.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, HBP

·  LHP Luis R. Rodriguez: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

·  RHP Hunter Hodges: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, HBP

·  RHP Elwis Mijares: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

·  RHP Rafi Vazquez: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, W (1-0)

·  RHP Juan Arnaud: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, S (3)

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (33-33/16-25)

DAYTONA 5, ST. LUCIE 4 (BOX)

Early on, St. Lucie and Daytona found themselves evenly matched, but Joel Lara finally cracked in the fourth, allowing three runs. The right-hander allowed another run in the fifth, and reliever Jean Brito allowed an additional run, giving the Tortugas a big 5-0 lead. The offense would put up a three spot in the sixth and would plate another run in the eighth, but the rally fell just short.

·  SS Elian Peña: 1-4, R, 2B, BB, 2 K

·  CF Aiden Robbins: 1-3, BB

·  C Julio Zayas: 1-3, R, BB

·  DH Reed Stallman: 2-4, R, K

·  1B Kuhio Aloy: 1-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI

·  LF Simon Juan: 1-3, 2 RBI, K

·  2B Vladi Gomez: 1-4

·  RF Wyatt Vincent: 0-3, BB, K, SB (1)

·  3B Dylan Carey: 0-4, 2 K

·  RHP Joel Lara: 4.1 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 6 K, 2 WP, L (0-4)

·  RHP Jean Brito: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

·  RHP Austin Brown: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

·  RHP Zack Mack: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Austin Brown assigned to St. Lucie Mets from FCL Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: St. Lucie Mets transferred LHP Luis Sotillo to the Development List.

ROSTER ALERT: St. Lucie Mets activated RHP Joel Lara from the Development List.

Rookie: FCL Mets (24-33)

NO GAME (SEASON OVER)

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Billy Amick

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Matt Seelinger

With Monday here, the headlines from this weekend’s series between the Braves and Yankees should be focused on excellent pitching and the playoff-like feel each game had. And also on the fact that the series ended in a good note with the Braves avoiding a sweep on Sunday.

However, the headlines will instead focus on the bizarre occurrences around Chris Sale, who was ejected on Sunday from the dugout for continuing to argue against the reasons he was called for a balk on Saturday. It seems quite odd that an umpiring crew would go to this extent against one of the game’s true stars, especially when Sale did not appear to do anything out of his normal routine on Saturday. Regardless of whether or not the balk was warranted, it does feel that the involvement of the umpires unnecessarily will overshadow one of the better series of baseball we have seen this season.

Braves News

Another big development from Sunday’s win was the continued span of excellent pitching from Grant Holmes.

Owen Carey had a productive weekend in the minors.

MLB News

Jacob Misiorowski became the second fastest player to 200 career K’s in MLB history. Spencer Strider is on the only player to do it faster.

Jacob Wilson of the Athletics set a new record for consecutive games without an error by a shortstop.

The Arizona Diamondbacks signed veteran pitcher Zach Littell.

The trade deadline dust has settled and the stretch drive for the MLB playoffs is now in full swing.

There are a few elite teams at the top of the heap who are primarily playing for first-round byes and home-field advantage, but for the rest of the clubs with postseason aspirations, every game could potentially be the difference between having a chance to win a World Series or watching the postseason on television.

With that in mind, we offer up a quick snapshot of where things stand in the American and National League playoff races as the new week gets underway.

Current MLB playoff picture

All records and stats are as of the start of play on Monday, Aug. 10.

Division leaders

• AL East:Tampa Bay Rays (71-46, +5.5 games)
• AL Central:Chicago White Sox (61-56, +3.5 games)
• AL West: Houston Astros (60-59, +0.5 games)
• NL East:Atlanta Braves (71-47, +8.5 games)
• NL Central: MilwaukeeBrewers (74-44, +5.5 games)
• NL West:Los Angeles Dodgers (70-48, +7.5 games)

Wild-card standings

Three teams in each league qualify for wild-card playoff spots. Here are the wild-card standings through games of Sunday, Aug. 9:

American League

• New York Yankees (66-52, +7 games)
• Boston Red Sox (64-53, +5.5 games)
• Texas Rangers (59-59, --)
• Detroit Tigers (58-60, -1 games)
• Minnesota Twins (58-61, -1.5 games)
• Cleveland Guardians (58-61, -1.5 games)
• Baltimore Orioles (57-61, -2 games)
• Seattle Mariners (56-63, -3.5 games)
• Toronto Blue Jays(56-63, -3.5 games)

National League

• Chicago Cubs (69-50, +6 games)
• Arizona Diamondbacks (63-56 --)
• Philadelphia Phillies (63-56 --)
• San Diego Padres (62-57, -1 game)
• Miami Marlins (60-59, -3 games)
• St. Louis Cardinals (59-59, -3.5 games)
• Washington Nationals (59-61, -4.5 games)
• Pittsburgh Pirates (58-62, -5.5 games)
• Cincinnati Reds (56-61, -6 games)

Postseason format

The division winners with the two best records in each league earn byes into the division series. Currently, the top seeds are the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox in the AL, and the Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves in the NL.

The third division winner in each league will have home field advantage in their division series and will host the wild-card team with the worst record. Three teams in each league qualify for wild-card playoff berths.

Note: If two or more teams tie for a division title or a wild-card spot. Ties are broken by head-to-head record first, followed by intradivision record. Beyond that, things can get complicated.

The playoffs follow this format:

• Wild-card series: Best of 3
• Division series: Best of 5
• League championship series: Best of 7
• World Series: Best of 7

Key MLB postseason dates

The official 2026 MLB postseason schedule has not yet been released. However, no major changes from last year's schedule have been announced or are expected.

Sunday, Sept. 27: Final day of 2026 regular season

Tuesday, Sept. 29: Wild-card playoff round begins

Saturday, Oct. 3: Division series begin

Sunday, Oct. 11: League championship series begin

Friday, Oct. 23: World Series begins

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB playoff picture: Who's currently in and who's out?

The Yankees came oh-so-close to a scintillating sweep of the Braves, but the offense sputtered once again in another extra-innings loss yesterday. Even so, the series victory over Atlanta did serve as proof of concept. Thanks to their stellar pitching, this offensively limited version of the Yankees very much can beat the best teams in baseball. It may not always look pretty, but the Yankees have a chance to win every night because of their staff, and it does beg the question: how good can this team be once (if?) the offensive cavalry arrives?

It’ll be a relatively quiet day on the site, matching up with the team’s offday. In the morning, Kevin recaps Sunday afternoon’s American League action, and Matt profiles Gerald Williams, an outfielder and World Series champion with the Yankees. Later, Peter discusses how Paul Blackburn’s sinker has unlocked the rest of his game, and Madison puts out the call for this week’s mailbag.

Today’s Matchup:

Offday

Questions/Prompts:

1. Has Cam Schlittler re-established himself as the AL Cy Young favorite?

2. The Mariners are in town this week. Where does Seattle rank among the most disappointing teams in baseball this season?

Perhaps some time in October, the Milwaukee Brewers will regret not trading for Tarik Skubal. For the moment, they're the best team in the major leagues, and have one would-be Skubal pawn to partially thank for it.

The Brewers ascended to No. 1 in USA TODAY Sports' power rankings thanks to two one-run victories over the Minnesota Twins in a taut battle of Upper Midwest playoff contenders. Their series-clinching victory came in 10 innings on a Jake Bauers walk-off single, but it was a catch by right fielder Luis Lara in the top of the inning - his second fantastic grab of the day - that prevented a huge inning and put Milwaukee in position to win.

Lara, 21, was among the players the Brewers roped off from Skubal talks, having signed him to a team-friendly extension and identifying him as a key part of their future. Ranked by Baseball America as the game's No. 35 prospect, he boosted Milwaukee on a day Jacob Misiorowski made history but couldn't close the deal.

No matter. Milwaukee's 74-44 record gives it a three-game edge over Atlanta for best in the NL as the Brewers maintain a 5 ½-game lead over the relentless Chicago Cubs.

A look at our updated rankings:

1. Milwaukee Brewers (+1)

• Four games at Dodger Stadium may evoke bad memories of last October - or a boost toward the next one.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers (-1)

• 9-15 over last 24 games. Still no reason for concern?

3. Tampa Bay Rays (+1)

• Now 25 games over .500, but Griffin Jax's elbow discomfort a pop-up concern.

4. Atlanta Braves (-1)

• Nearly swept in Yankee Stadium.

5. Chicago Cubs (+1)

• Craig Counsell slots PCA in at DH for two games, the better to save his legs for the stretch.

6. New York Yankees (-1)

• Cody Bellinger performing baseball activities, Aaron Judge receives semi-positive news. Sky, not yet falling.

7. Boston Red Sox (-)

• Lose consecutive games for the first time since June 30-July 1 - against the Athletics, no less.

8. Arizona Diamondbacks (+1)

• Starters held Dodgers to three earned runs in 19 2/3 innings of series victory.

9. Chicago White Sox (-1)

• Hagen Smith, fifth overall pick in 2024, pitches two scoreless relief innings in major league debut.

10. Philadelphia Phillies (-)

• Jesus Luzardo with a 2.25 ERA over his last 100 innings pitched.

11. San Diego Padres (-)

• An odd setback for Nick Pivetta on rehab start road.

12. Miami Marlins (+1)

• No one wants to play them at loanDepot Park. Really - they're an NL-best 36-24 at home.

13. Houston Astros (+1)

• Yordan Alvarez leads all Triple Crown categories and only Junior Caminero (33 homers to Alvarez's 35) can likely prevent it.

14. Cleveland Guardians (-2)

• Lost five of six after nifty trade deadline additions.

15. Texas Rangers (+2)

• Jordan Montgomery, their 2023 World Series hero, appears in major league game for first time since 2024.

16. Minnesota Twins (-1)

• Kaelan Culpepper arrives, homers in second career at-bat.

17. St. Louis Cardinals (+2)

• Jettison Dustin May, JoJo Romero and Lars Nootbaar at deadline, then win series against Yankees, Rockies.

18. Pittsburgh Pirates (-2)

• Have not won a series since July 19.

19. Washington Nationals (-1)

• Andrés Chaparro starting to excel in pinch-hitting/platoon role.

20. Baltimore Orioles (+1)

• Begin a Rangers-Twins-Rays-Yankees-Rays gauntlet by losing two in Texas.

21. Detroit Tigers (+1)

• Jackson Jobe completes Tommy John surgery comeback with five scoreless innings.

22. Cincinnati Reds (+1)

• Ace Chase Burns' 12-game winning streak finally ends.

23. Seattle Mariners (-3)

• This incredibly disappointing year should probably produce consequences.

24. Toronto Blue Jays (-)

• Daulton Varsho trade gives Brett Bateman a shot to turn heads in centre field.

25. New York Mets (+1)

• Their season long since ruined, they're now spoiling it for others (Guardians, Pirates).

26. San Francisco Giants (-1)

• Matt Chapman out for rest of year after sports hernia surgery.

27. Kansas City Royals (-)

• Luinder Avila and Stephen Kolek both succumb to Tommy John surgery.

28. Athletics (-)

• GM David Forst learns a lesson as old as time: Few get out of Yolo County alive.

29. Colorado Rockies (-)

• Zac Veen with a three-homer, 5-for-5 eruption at Class AAA.

30. Los Angeles Angels (-)

• Trade deadline prize shortstop Arjun Nimmala starts with Class AA Trash Pandas.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB power rankings: Brewers return to No. 1 spot without Tarik Skubal

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Pirates fans and fans across the country.

This week’s question asked you about Mitch Keller. The Bucs pitcher is down for the rest of the year with an injury, and before getting hurt, he was having a terrible season with a 6-8 record, 5.26 ERA, and a 1.37 WHIP. We asked you of you thought Mitch had tossed his last game as a Bucco. Here is what you said:

Only one quarter of Bucs fans think that Mitch has pitched his last game as a Pirate. In all likelihood, teams are going to want to see him in action if the Bucs are going to shop him, but stranger things have happened.

Don’t forget to head over to FanDuel for the MLB Playoff odds. As of this morning, the Bucs are +1260, so if you feel they can somehow still pull this thing off, there’s a hefty payout in it for you.

Thanks for voting. Be back soon!

The Athletic | Brendan Kuty: I wish I believed in anything as much as Aaron Boone believes the Yankees’ offensive woes will just magically fix themselves. Since Tuesday, the day their big trade deadline acquisitions made their debuts, the Yankees have scored just 12 runs in five games. Boone acknowledges this team can be really good but needs the offense to improve in order to get there as the starting pitching, at least, has held things down extremely admirably. Yet, there doesn’t seem to be any answer to the problem outside of hoping and praying Aaron Judge returns as soon as possible.

MLB Trade Rumors | Mark Polishuk: Some notes from around the AL East, but the key point of focus here is Aaron Judge being cleared to begin some upper-body training and light running drills earlier this week. While he’s still got a long way to go and there’s still no timetable for his return, it’s at least some glimmer of hope that hadn’t previously been there for a long time. Though, Brian Cashman reiterated yesterday that he will need to be 100% before they think of bringing him back as they don’t want to risk him injuring something else in a rush to come and save this team. Some of those words are paraphrasing by yours truly, but that’s the gist of it.

MLB.com | MLB.com Staff: When the Yankees signed Antonio Gomez as an international free agent in 2018, they did so as a catcher. Eight years later, Gomez was making his season debut for Single-A Tampa as a pitcher and came out dealing. Ranked with a 70-grade arm, Gomez threw a scoreless inning in relief, averaging 99.9 mph on his fastball and touched or passed 100 mph five times in his 15 pitches of work. Though he transitioned to the mound last season while with Double-A Somerset, he was hurt to start the year, thus making his debut in Tampa.

NJ.com | Keith Sargeant: It’s always a cringeworthy moment when a bat or ball makes its way out of the playing surface and strikes someone. That’s exactly what happened earlier in June when a New Jersey woman was attending a game against the Cleveland Guardians. She’s now suing the Yankees, Yankee Stadium, and companies that her complaint identifies as being involved with the stadium’s protective netting system, for what’s described as “preventable” injuries. They claim the netting was lower in her section than others after a José Ramírez bat made its way into the stands.