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Lehigh Valley’s game got rained out, but the other affiliates were in action on Saturday, including the Dominican Summer League Phillies who were eliminated from the DSL Cup tournament.

Reading 5, Portland 2

Raider Tello, Pedro Leon, and Raylin Heredia each had RBIs in the top of the ninth to allow the Fightin’ Phils to surge past the Sea Dogs.

Bryan Rincon got things started in the first inning with his 20th home run of the season, and starting pitcher Jean Cabrera largely kept the Sea Dogs in check, giving up one run in five innings. Dustin McGowan pitched 1.1 scoreless innings to record the save.

Hudson Valley 2, Jersey Shore 1

After giving up a run in the first, the BlueClaws held Hudson Valley scoreless for the next eight innings. Starter Cade Obermueller allowed just the one run while striking out five in four innings. But the BlueClaws’ offense didn’t provide much support, with the lone run coming via a Robert Phelps RBI single in the sixth.

The game was tied heading into the tenth, but a fielding error by first baseman Scott Mudler allowed the winning run to score.

Dunedin 9, Clearwater 6

A shaky start by Matthew Fisher (three runs in one inning) put the Threshers in an early hole, and poor outings by relievers Brian Walters (three runs in one inning) and Luis Avila (two runs in 2.2 innings) kept them from making a comeback.

After going scoreless for the first four innings, Clearwater’s offense came to life with a five-run fifth inning. Reece Moroney had an RBI double in the frame, one of his three hits in the game. Matthew Herrera also chipped in two RBIs in the inning, part of a two-hit, three-RBI effort.

DSL Padres Gold 9, DSL Phillies 3

The DSL Phillies lost their final game of pool play in the Dominican Summer League’s postseason DSL Cup tournament and have been eliminated from contention.

It was a rough game for the Phillies’ pitching with starting pitcher Cristian Rego and Jorge Mitre both allowing multiple runs. Offensively, Elian Adames had two doubles and centerfielder Francisco Renteria had a home run.

The Giants led for 8 ⅓  innings on Saturday night. It never felt real. Not unreal, like magical or unbelievable, but temporary. Willy Adames solo shot in the 1st off Red Sox starter Patrick Sandoval, Andrew Knizner’s follow-up to deep left-center (in his first AB in the Majors this season, playing for his fourth organization) in the 3rd added on — but neither homer tore through the Boston night or cut their opponents to the bone like Willson Contreras’s 3-run shot did yesterday. 

The 2-0 lead was always temporary, borrowed. A late lead that was never going to last. It was only a matter of time… This ominous sense was not especially prescient. The dread is fortified and well earned. Giants fans this year aren’t allowed to have nice things, especially that late in a ballgame.  But there were individual signs as well…fog began to choke the bridge and fill Gloucester harbor as my friend Tony from East Boston and I walked down to the Crow’s Nest to watch the game. We had to ask the bartender to switch one of the televisions from the Patriots preseason game to the national broadcast and spent the whole game watching against the current of gazes glued to meaningless yards gained and loss, clipboards and adjusting headsets, touchdowns touched down. On the wall to my right was a faded framed photograph of Mark Wahlberg, arm around the owner of the bar, because of course this was the local dive the crew of the Andrea Gail drank at before setting off on their ill-fated journey in The Perfect Storm. 

Blade Tidwell put together his best outing of the year by a country mile, striking out 7 over 5 ⅔ IP, allowing only 3 hits, limiting hard contact and scoring opportunities — but I knew the wave was coming.

The innings rolled on, and the offense squandered opportunities to pad their lead: Osleiveis Basabe stranded at second after a lead-off single and error; Jung Hoo Lee with the bases loaded and two outs ripped a 102 MPH grounder right into Contreras’s glove at first. 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position. 11 left on base. Tony from East Boston in my ear: Best atmosphere in sports… If you can’t handle the stage… This crowd is pent-up, it’s looking for an excuse to explode… He was right. The cramped confines of Fenway seemed to constrict, getting tighter and tighter as the game progressed. The lead was phony, unearned. It became a burden.

Carson Seymour gave up a double to Mickey Gasper, Boston’s first extra base hit of the night, to lead off the night. Mark Wahlberg, that smile and jawline, over one shoulder. Mike Vrabel and the Keno numbers over the other. A walk and Seymour was out. Dylan Smith came in and immediately gave up a single. Bases loaded, no outs. I kid you not, the “Jaws” theme started to play over the bar’s speakers. But Smith bared down, channeling his performance from Wednesday in Cleveland. He struck out Wilyer Abreu, then Contreras with his four-seam baseball. Adley Rutschman gave one a ride but it proved routine for centerfielder Drew Gilbert.

A masterful performance — that merely prolonged the inevitable. Tony was right: Fenway is a special and awful place. The Red Sox’s 21-7 home record might have something to do with their season’s miraculous turnaround. Bostonians have the unique ability to feel victimized and threatened while standing over you, on top of you. Sweet Caroline plays and everyone sloppily bah-bah-bahs and starts dropping their “r’s” and asking strangers if they like applesand throwing Dunkin’ munchkins at each other while rubbing their crucifixes and praying to their patron saints: Dear Tom Brady…Oh, Bobby Orr…intercede on our behalf, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, give us protection, o’ Big Papi, against these strangers from the West, because this is our f***in’ city, amen — and if you’re Smith, or any reliever in the bottom of the 9th, a 2-run lead becomes a disadvantage, a personal slight, and the pitcher’s mound is not high ground but a boat floating out in the middle of an angry sea as a wave forms. 

In those types of situations, and in those environments, the vestments and armor one wears throughout the day gets stripped away. The bad habits that have plagued the San Francisco bullpen all season became their skin. There would be no repeat of Cleveland for Smith. He walked the lead-off man on four pitches. Tony Vitello went to Sam Hentges. The second pitch the lefty threw struck pinch hitter Jahmai Jones and put the tying run on base. Osleivis Basabe couldn’t handle a groundball from Andruw Monasterio cleanly and missed turning a double play by a stud. Then the hits came. Eli White’s 68 MPH lob somehow split the difference between Basabe and Adames to plate one. Nick Sogard forced the count full and ripped a game-tying double. Then, on another 3-2 count, after an intentional walk loaded the bases, Abreu yanked a grounder up the first base line. Bryce Eldridge laid out for it. A nice stop and he scrambled onto his feet as quickly as his long limbs would allow and one-hopped a throw home. The ball beat the runner. Knizner picked on the bang-bang play…but, somehow, his foot wasn’t on the plate. Fielding the high hop caused his shoe to slide from the plate’s edge a cruel fraction of an inch. The tiniest gap between toe and home that no matter how many times they replayed it video review could not close.   

What we saw in the 9th was a team playing with purpose against…well, these Giants. Even if the offense had added on when those earlier opportunities presented themselves, and the lead in the 9th was three or four runs, I doubt it would’ve made a difference. Boston, decked out in the Marathon city connects, knew they were going to win. This is their city after all.

SEATTLE — It was just six days ago that Pete Crow-Armstrong led off the game for the Cubs with a home run on the first pitch of the game and then hit another one for a walk-off win.

Now the Cubs have seen it happen against them, courtesy of Mariners outfielder Randy Arozarena, who hit David Peterson’s first pitch out of T-Mobile Park and later smashed a two-run walk-off homer off Jacob Webb for a crushing Cubs defeat by the Mariners, 5-4. Webb had a streak of 24 consecutive scoreless appearances before this game, and got the first two outs in the ninth easily on just eight pitches before the catastrophic ending.

All right, here goes with the recap of this… whatever the heck this was.

The story pre-game was the MLB debut of highly touted left-hander Kade Anderson, who got the loudest cheers for any Mariner when the lineups were announced. And he retired the first five Cubs he faced before Tyrone Taylor walked with two out in the second. Two more strikeouts of Cubs hitters followed before Arozarena stole a home run from Miguel Amaya in the third [VIDEO].

All credit to Arozarena there — one heck of a play. That came after his leadoff homer gave the Mariners a 1-0 lead in the first. You might remember a similar robbery he made in the 2023 WBC.

David Peterson settled down after that and though there was some traffic on the bases in the second, third and fourth, the game went to the fifth still 1-0. That’s when the Cubs finally got to Anderson. Seiya Suzuki had singled off him in the fourth to take away any thoughts of a no-hit bid, and then Anderson walked Taylor again leading off the fifth. Taylor stole second and held at third on a single by Pedro Ramirez.

Kevin Alcántara’s sacrifice fly tied the game 1-1 [VIDEO].

That left a runner on first with only one out, but Amaya hit into a double play to end the inning.

The Mariners took the lead back off Peterson in the bottom of the fifth. Weldon Wilson singled and went to second on a hit by pitch. An infield hit by Arozarena loaded the bases and a fielder’s choice made it 2-1. Peterson then struck out the next two hitters to end the inning.

The Cubs finally got to Anderson in the sixth, though there’s a play here I want to talk about in detail because it very well could have had an impact on the final score. Pete Crow-Armstrong led off with a double. Suzuki then grounded to third [VIDEO].

I mean… I guess I understand what PCA’s thinking here… try to get to third with one out, where another sac fly could score him. But he stumbled a bit trying to get back to the bag and was doubled up. If you try to move up a base on a play like that, you have to make really, really, REALLY sure you can get either to third or back to second. PCA didn’t do that here and though the Cubs did take the lead in the inning, that play could have cost them at least one and maybe more runs.

So now there are two out with nobody on base, but Alex Bregman paid that no mind and tied the game with his 19th home run and third of the series [VIDEO].

The 19th homer surpassed Bregman’s total from all of last year when he missed 44 games with injuries. The T-Mobile Park crowd booed every single appearance Bregman made on the field — must be a leftover from his AL West division rivalry when he was with the Astros, and the good division series he had against them in 2022.

Michael Busch hit Anderson’s next pitch out of the yard for his 15th homer and a 3-2 Cubs lead [VIDEO].

Back-to-back facts from BCB’s JohnW53:

The sixth-inning homers by Alex Bregman and Michael Busch were the fifth time this season that the Cubs have homered back-to-back. The last had been Monday vs. the White Sox.

The Cubs have gone back-to-back 411 times in the regular season since 1876. They also have hit three in a row 11 times.

Before we look at the rest of the Cubs sixth, a couple of thoughts about Anderson, who was taken out after the Busch homer, his 80th pitch of the game. That matched the most he had thrown in any of his 18 Double-A starts. Is Anderson good? Sure. His velocity wasn’t otherworldly — he was sitting mostly around 94-95. He had a good assortment of pitches, but as you saw, Cubs hitters didn’t wildly swing at stuff out of the zone, as many Double-A hitters did against Anderson. They worked counts, walked twice and eventually took him deep twice.

So yeah, Anderson’s good. Is he “better than Paul Skenes or Jacob Misiorowski” good? I don’t think so, not at this time, anyway.

The Cubs were not done scoring in that sixth inning. Carlos Vargas, making his first appearance for the Mariners this season after a lat injury, gave up back-to-back doubles to Nico Hoerner and Taylor, the second (which bounced into the stands) giving the Cubs a two-run lead [VIDEO].

That inning was good, but again… if PCA doesn’t make that baserunning mistake, maybe we’re talking about a much bigger inning and a Cubs win.

Peterson completed the sixth with a pair of strikeouts sandwiched around a ground ball on which Bregman made a really nice play:

I’ll say it again: Bregman’s going to win a Gold Glove this year. His only real competition would be Matt Chapman, and Chapman hasn’t played since June.

Peterson struck out eight, matching his season high [VIDEO].

Here’s more on Peterson’s evening [VIDEO].

And just remember — that’s the guy the front office (I’m guessing it was the FO, not Craig Counsell) wanted to take out of the rotation for Edward Cabrera. If I’m running this team right now Peterson not only isn’t going anywhere, he might be in line for some postseason starts. More from John on Peterson:

This was David Peterson’s third quality start among his nine since joining the Cubs.

He is tied with Ben Brown for the sixth most on the staff. Shota Imanaga has 11; Matthew Boyd and Colin Rea, six; Edward Cabrera and Jameson Taillon, four.

The Cubs have 41 total QS, a little less than one of every three starts. They had 62 last year, 63 in 2024 and 71 in 2023.

The Cubs couldn’t do anything with Mariners relievers in the seventh, eighth or ninth, with a pinch walk by Ian Happ and Hoerner hit by a pitch being the only baserunners. Neither got past first base, though Nico would have had a steal of second if not for this ABS challenge resulting in an inning-ending strike three on Taylor [VIDEO].

Then, the awful ninth. Two easy outs. It took just seven more pitches from Webb to turn victory into defeat. A double by Wilson. A single by Friday’s Mariners hero, Leo Rivas, made it 4-3. And Arozarena slammed his walk-off on Webb’s second pitch, a slider that was actually a pretty good pitch:

That’s a pitch most hitters can’t get to, or they pop it up. Arozarena hit it a long way. A tip o’ the cap to the Mariners left fielder, who had a career game with his two homers and steal of one from Amaya.

More on that from John:

So Arozarena did to the Cubs what PCA did to the White Sox on Monday: first-pitch homer and walk-off homer.

And that ends the Cubs’ streak of nine straight wins in series on the road, tying the team record set in 1912.
…..
Friday and Saturday were the 13th time since 2000 that the Cubs suffered back-to-back walk-off losses.

The most recent pair had been Sept. 1-2, 2023, at Cincinnati, by 3-2 and 2-1.

The one before that had been vs. two teams, on Aug. 15-16, 2019, at Philadelphia, 7-5, and at Pittsburgh, 3-2.

Only one of the previous 12 had been against an American League team, on June 27-28, 2003, at the White Sox, by 4-3 and 7-6.

A note on the baseball history made in this game:

Also (Bluesky link):

I have seen three of those seven in person: Arozarena’s in this game, PCA’s on Monday and Reed Johnson’s in Toronto in 2003, which was also against the Cubs.

No sugarcoating this one, it hurt, from a fan standpoint and I’m sure for the players. Webb has been so good this year and, well, he had a bad day at the worst possible time. The 24-game scoreless streak was tied for fifth-longest in franchise history (and tied for third-longest in a single season), with some eclectic names:

The loss reduced the Cubs’ lead over the Phillies for the top wild-card spot to just two games. Good thing the Cubs have the tiebreaker there.

The Cubs will look to salvage the final game of this series Sunday afternoon in Seattle. Shōta Imanaga will take the mound for the Cubs and Bryce Miller will start for the Mariners. Game time is 3:10 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.

Columbus Clippers 11, St. Paul Saints 15

Clippers fall to 64-57

We will sing songs one day about the heater top Guardians prospect Ralphy Velazquez currently is on. The prodigious prospect has walloped a whopping 16 home runs in 21 games since July 28 and he now leads the Clippers in home runs despite not joining the team until two months into its season after being promoted from Double-A.

On Saturday, Velazquez put on his best show yet, going 3-for-4 with three home runs and a walk.

Other standout performers included Kahlil Watson, who went 1-for-3 with a home run, a walk and a hit by pitch, Cooper Ingle, who walked three times and stole a base, Daniel Schneemann, who went 1-for-4 with two walks, and Kyle Manzardo, who went 2-for-5 with a double and three RBIs.

This was not a great day for pitchers. Rorik Maltrud gave up three runs on three hits with four walks and three strikeouts in 3.2 innings. Jack Jasiak got blasted for six runs on five hits in 1.1 innings. Trevor Stephan gave up two runs on a hit and two walks in 1.1 innings. Conner Brogdon gave up two more runs on three walks. Franco Aleman allowed two runs (one earned) on a pair of hits in 0.2 innings.

The lone pitcher who held St. Paul scoreless was Jake Miller, who three a single scoreless inning.

Lake County Captains 10, Wisconsin Timer Rattlers 1

Captains improve to 61-52

The bottom of Lake County’s order did most of the work on Saturday. Jose Pirela had a sensational performance as he was perfect at the plate, going 2-for-2 with a home run, a double and two walks.

Catcher Ty Howard also had a great game, going 2-for-3 with a home run and a walk.

Welbyn Francisca doubled while Tommy Hawke singled, walked and stole a base. No one else reached base twice or had an extra base hit.

Don’t look now, but Jacob Zibin has turned himself into one of the top pitching prospects in Cleveland’s minor league system. Zibin had possibly the best start of his young career on Saturday, tossing 6.0 scoreless innings of two-hit ball. He struck out seven and didn’t walk anyone. He now has an ERA of 2.66 on the season where he’s made all 22 starts at High-A as a 21-year old.

After missing the first three season of his career due to injury, he’s bounced back in a huge way similar to Justin Campbell, although Zibin was a high school arm compared to Campbell’s more polished college history.

Xavier Martinez followed Zibin with 1.1 scoreless innings and Zane Petty finished off the game by allowing one run in 1.2 innings with a pair of strikeouts.

Akron’s game was cancelled and Hill City’s game was suspended in the second inning.

The St. Louis Cardinals continue to remain relevant in the postseason discussion thanks to a solid month-plus of play since the All-Star break. After struggling out of the break, the team has been one of the best in the National League since the calendar turned to August. They have done so with starting pitching that has kept the team in games and the continued offensive breakouts from Alec Burleson and Jordan Walker.

It does not show up in the box score, but another reason for the August success has been the consistent spectacular work the Cardinals have done with the glove. With a pitching staff that allows plenty of contact, the defense around the field gives the arms confidence to fill up the strike zone and let the fielders do the work. As the fourth-best defensive team in the majors this season, the glove work behind the staff has been nothing short of spectacular.

If you have been on social media in the past couple of months, there is a continuous debate about how much defense should be valued, especially when looking at the NL Rookie of the Year race. Unpopular side bar take: Give me a 30 homer, 100 RBI guy that knows the strike zone in the lineup. Sorry JJ.

For this iteration of the roster in St. Louis, however, the defense has been valuable for the pitch-to-contact staff. Wetherholt is one of the best defenders in baseball, regardless of position, and Alec Burleson has finally gotten the respect he deserves for his stellar work at the first base bag. Those two surprises and passable performance at the hot corner has taken some attention away from one of the best shortstops in the game in Masyn Winn. Currently, Winn and Wetherholt make up the best defensive middle infield in all of baseball and we have seen plenty of times where Winn’s arm (sorry Justin Turner) has gotten outs no other player in the game would be able to get.

Cardinals should lock up Masyn Winn before his bat makes him too expensive

The glove and arm have never been a question for Winn, who is in his fourth big league season. Where people still need convincing is with the bat, especially after the former top prospect put together a successful minor league career together on offense. It has not completely translated to the majors just yet, but there have been signs that he is on the verge of reaching another level in the box.

His current hand/wrist injury notwithstanding, Winn has looked more comfortable as a hitter with a noticeable change in his approach. Known offensive threat Pedro Pages suggested a slight change for the shortstop between games in a doubleheader, and the adjustment paid immediate dividends for Winn. In five games since, Winn has three extra-base hits and two walks, but he has still struck out eight times in that span. That level of offense, if sustainable, when matched with his otherworldly defense, to me makes Masyn Winn an easy choice for an extension.

As we all know, VEB has the smartest fanbase in baseball and the majority of you agreed with me in June when Doc ran a poll asking if Winn should be extended. 63% of you agree that now is the time to get it done, and I am pushing it a little further and saying they should get this hammered out before the end of the season.

My annual prediction of Masyn Winn being a 20 homer, 20 stolen base threat looks worse and worse every year, but expect me to beat that drum once again heading into the 2027 campaign. Since his solid rookie season, his overall offensive numbers have been going the wrong direction but there has always been a reason (or excuse) for why he has not yet reached the same level of production as he did in the minor leagues with his bat or his legs. Maybe all he needed was a little more Pedro Pages in his life to put everything together.

Winn debuted in 2023 as a 21-year-old coming off a strong season in Memphis and has been with the major league team ever since, mostly because of his nightly highlight reel plays. Because of the early debut, Winn will be arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason and will become a free agent after the 2029 season. At that point, the shortstop will be just 27-years-old and hopefully blossoming into the hitter we all want him to be.

That is why I have some concerns with the Cardinals playing the waiting game around Winn and his contract when talking extension. There has not been much reporting, if any, about either sides desire to work out a longer term contract, but that does not necessarily mean there is bad blood from anyone. To me, it signals that both player and team are hoping for more production from Winn and want to see additional improvement before sitting down at the negotiation table. If I were Chaim Bloom, which thankfully I am not, I would take these next few weeks to get a price and start talking numbers… just in case the bat does finally take off.

“Take off” for me means a .270 hitter that shows gap-to-gap ability and can pop double digit (I’ll drop my number to 15) homers and steal as many or more bases. Take that offensive skillset and put it on one of the best defensive shortstop in all of baseball and you now have one of the more complete players in the National League. C.J. Abrams is currently the only NL shortstop to surpass all of those numbers while Willy Adames and Elly De La Cruz have the power but not the average. Otto Lopez has the average and stolen bases while Konnor Griffin would have likely surpassed those numbers if not for injury.

In Abrams’ case, the Nationals are also planning to move him off of shortstop so if Winn could truly end up being that player we would be looking at a top shortstop in the league. Unfair expectations, sure, but he is still just 24 and will hopefully be in a lineup that will give him more opportunity to succeed in the future. Right now, Winn is relied upon to be a run-producer and also a table setter in the middle-third of the order but his skillset would be better used at the bottom of the lineup. With the Cardinals top four (or five) boasting above-average offensive potential, a couple free agent additions or other minor league options could push Winn to be the perfect 8/9-hole hitter in a competitive lineup.

So why is the time now if there are still so many questions about his bat? I want him locked up now because an investment into Winn for another six years is a safe option. While he has missed regular season time with minor injuries in his career, he has not looked hampered by the knee issues in a big way in the field. His arm will continue to play for another decade even if his lateral movement does drop a bit in the next few seasons. I am normally against paying for defense, but in Winn’s case, he has proven time and again to be a valuable piece up the middle and a major league-average bat would only raise his price.

If Bloom is able to get Winn to the table before the postseason, a six-year deal could end up being a discount if the Pages adjustment sticks. I am also a believer that he is a hard worker who wants to spend his best years in St. Louis, so rewarding him with confidence (and money) could continue to push him to be the hitter I still believe he can be.

I am pretty bad at comps and extension estimates, so anyone who is on board with a Masyn Winn extension should drop their thoughts below. I would like to say 6/$100 million would be a fair point for both player and team, but it’s also not my money.

Thanks as always!

Let’s say that right now, the Phillies had a high leverage situation in which neither Jonathan Bowlan or Jhoan Duran are available. Both of those pitchers are ones the Phillies want to use in the eighth and ninth innings in games in which they are tied or have a lead, something that has been established in the days since Brad Keller went down for the season.

In this high leverage spot, the team needs a right handed pitcher to get them out of a jam. Which pitcher are you hoping the Phillies go to – Alex McFarlane or Orion Kerkering?

Both of them have good, strikeout stuff that can get outs on their own, not needing a defense to get involved if need be. Both of them have had control issues in their past. We haven’t seen how McFarlane would react in a big spot, but we have seen how Kerkering will pitch when the chips are down. It’s hard to predict how that at bat would end up going, but which would you rather see?

The Red Sox should feel comfortable with the current outlook of a playoff rotation.

Game 1: Sonny Gray
Game 2: Ranger Suarez
Game 3: Payton Tolle

Wouldn’t it have been hard to fathom early in the season that the Red Sox could be a real threat in the American League without Garrett Crochet leading the rotation as a healthy, functional starter? 

That still won’t be the case for Boston the rest of the way. Even as the 2025 AL Cy Young runner-up continues to ramp up his progression from left shoulder inflammation for a possible return late this year, the best case scenario is far from handing him the ball and letting him eat, as he did to open the 2025 postseason. 

Crochet said this week that, at best, he could get up to throwing two innings in live game action if and when he takes the ball again in 2026, per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. While that takes him out of the rotation, that’s far from a loss for the Red Sox. Any innings from Crochet in October should be greatly welcomed. A step further? He could be a legitimate weapon. 

Would it be wise to deploy him more than twice a series? Perhaps not. But he’ll be ready as a competitor, the stuff will likely play up in shorter intervals and he’s already proved he can effectively handle the role in October. 

Remember, Crochet was not a full-time starter with the White Sox until the 2024 season. He previously put together a fantastic campaign out of the bullpen in 2021 with a 2.82 ERA and 10.8 K/9 when Chicago won the AL Central. He also did not allow a run in four total outings in the postseason between 2020 and 2021. 

He’ll also become a pretty vital part of the bullpen in this iteration of the roster. Aroldis Chapman and Garrett Whitlock will have massive responsibilities in high-leverage spots while Justin Slaten and Tyron Guerrero will have big outs to get themselves.

Assuming he doesn’t make the rotation in a potential later series, Brayan Bello will be a vital long reliever. Crochet’s role is interesting. He can be saved to get out of late inning jams or could end up being the bridge in the middle innings to get to the horses late. 

He won’t have the innings potential that David Price had during his bullpen run in 2017 (that will be a separate article eventually, he was spectacular in that role, albeit expensive), but Crochet’s realistic ability to contribute in 2026 is still really intriguing. 

Arms are arms in October. The Red Sox could have the best in the American League ready to roll with wins on the line.

MOOSIC, Pa. — Friday at Yankee Stadium was Cody Bellinger Bobblehead Night.

While that was taking place, the real thing was at PNC Field in northeastern Pennsylvania in the second game of a rehab assignment with the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

Both games went well for Bellinger to the point where he is expected to come off the injured list Sunday. He has been out since July 26th with a left hamstring strain.

In Friday night’s game against the Charlotte Knights, Triple-A affiliate of the White Sox, he played six innings in the RailRiders’ 5-3 victory. He went 0-for-3 against right-handed starter Jonathan Cannon, who made 38 starts for Chicago between 2024-25. Batting second, Bellinger struck out swinging in the bottom of the first on a 3-2 pitch. He grounded out to second on an 0-1 pitch in the bottom of the third and grounded out to third on a 2-2 pitch leading off the bottom of the sixth.

Bellinger also played left field and had some balls hit to him that tested the hamstring. He made consecutive putouts on fly balls in the top of the second inning. In the top of the sixth, Junior Perez lined a ball to left field. Bellinger went back and reached up, but had the ball just deflect off the top of his outstretched glove for a RBI double. When he threw the ball back in, it eluded shortstop Oswaldo Cabrera for a throwing error that allowed Perez to advance to third. Mario Camilletti followed with a RBI double into the left-field corner that Bellinger had to run down.

Playing the outfield is a better indicator than batting to see if the hamstring is healed. Bellinger had no issues.

“I think it’s moreso the up-and-down. Playing defense, going to sit down. Playing defense, going to sit down. Going to the bases,” Bellinger said.

On Thursday night, in the first game of his rehab assignment, Bellinger was penciled in the lineup in left field, but Mother Nature had other plans. An all-day rain delayed the start of the game two hours and caused RailRiders manager Shelley Duncan to switch Bellinger to DH.

“I walked the field before the game and the soft warning track, that’s tricky,” Duncan said. “Don’t want him to go back on a ball and have an injury. I want him to play the game the way he plays the game. Too much of a risk there.”

As the DH, Bellinger went 1-for-3 in the seven-inning game.

“It felt good. It was good to get in the batter’s box again off a pretty good arm over there,” Bellinger said. “Ran the bases once, felt good. It was a good day.

“First time (here). It’s a really nice ballpark, it’s got nice views. Obviously the weather kind of made it a little bit of a delay, but overall it was good day.”

Facing Charlotte’s 6-foot-10 lefty starter Noah Schultz (another recent White Sox starter), he grounded a 2-1 pitch past a sliding second baseman Rikuu Nishida and into rightfield for a single. He was erased on a double play by Jasson Domínguez.

“It was the first time seeing a live pitch in a while, so I wanted to keep it simple,” Bellinger said. “See the ball, hit the ball.

“I wanted to slide to see how it felt. I slid (on the double play), no issues.”

With one out in the bottom of the third and Kenedy Corona on second following a leadoff double, Bellinger hit a 1-2 pitch from Schultz to deep right-center field. However, right fielder Perez caught it in on the warning track in front of the fence 385 feet away for the second out.

Righthander Adisyn Coffey came on to pitch for the Knights in the bottom of the fifth. Bellinger popped up a 1-0 pitch to shortstop Andy Weber to end the inning. A two-run home run by Anthony Volpe preceded Bellinger’s at-bat and accounted for the only offense in a RailRiders’ 2-0 win.

“Second AB, I just really stayed with my plan,” Bellinger said. “Got the righty in there for my third at-bat and popped up. But overall I liked where I was at.”

Bellinger wasn’t sure if he got all of the ball he hit to the warning track in his second at-bat.

“I hit it decent,” he said. “Didn’t know if the ball flew here. But it was a good swing. I liked that swing a lot.”

Duncan agreed that Bellinger had some good at-bats.

“It looked like he was seeing it well. Gave it a charge his second at-bat,” Duncan said. “It was nice to see him comfortable up there at the plate. I know we’re here to get his legs ready, but at the plate he looked like there was no rust. He put together good swings.”

This season, in 102 games with the Yankees, Bellinger is batting .259 with 97 hits, including 21 doubles, three triples, 11 home runs and 53 RBIs. He was Most Valuable Player of the MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia in July after driving in two runs with a single in the first inning to help the American League win, 4-0.

Watching the Yankees struggle offensively the past few weeks while he has been sidelined has been frustrating for Bellinger. But after two games with the RailRiders, he appears ready to return.

“It’s hard being on the IL. You want to get out and play and help the boys win,” he said. “Hopefully I’m pretty close and hope I can do what I can to help the team win.”

Meet the Mets

Luis Robert Jr. homered twice in a 10-5 Mets victory over the White Sox. The Mets got out to an early lead, but the White Sox fought back in bottom of the third, thanks in part to Carson Benge catching a ball against the wall, but the force of the impact knocking the ball over the fence for a home run. Luckily Benge made up for it with a home run of his own, as the Mets built a second lead they would not relinquish and the bullpen held firm in relief of Christian Scott.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, MLB.com, New York Post

“I am having a really good time here right now,” Bo Bichette said when asked about his opt-out and whether he intends to exercise it. “There are a lot of really good young players that make it fun to come here and a lot of really good players that have been around, so I am enjoying my time here.”

And suddenly Bo Bichette opting out doesn’t look so bad, writes Laura Albanese of Newsday.

After another year when big spending let the Mets down, David Stearns’ more low key approach may be what the franchise needs to turn things around next season, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Around the National League East

The Marlins beat the Nationals 4-2, buoyed by a strong performance from Eury Pérez.

Andrew Painter had the best start of his career in the Phillies’ 12-3 rout of the Cardinals, extending the Phillies’ winning streak to eight games.

The Braves fell to the Brewers 4-1, as they continue to see their NL East lead shrink amidst the Phillies’ winning streak.

Around Major League Baseball

Giancarlo Stanton sustained a moderate strain of his left calf while running the bases trying to make his way back to the Yankees, which may end his injury plagued season.

In more bad news for the Yankees, Ryan Weathers left yesterday’s game early with forearm discomfort and is being sent for imaging.

In a surprising turn of events, Brandon Woodruff, who has been sidelined since early July and was scheduled to have surgery this month, won’t need surgery after all and is holding out hope for a return this season.

Randy Arozarena hit a home run, robbed one, and then hit a walk-off homer in the Mariners’ crazy win over the Cubs.

This Date in Mets History

The infamous unassisted triple play against the Mets took place on this date in 2009.

Pirates catcher Henry Davis hasn’t quite lived up to the expectations you get when you are selected with the first overall pick. Davis has a batting average of .170 with just eight home runs and 32 RBIs. 

However, MLB.com believes Henry Davis is a top Gold Glove candidate and should be in that conversation. Going into this week’s games, Davis was worth 10 defensive runs saved, per FanGraphs. That is tied for second in Major League Baseball. In 2025, Davis was ninth among catchers with at least 500 innings caught with 8 DRS. 

Davis does have an absolute cannon behind home plate, throwing for 85.6 mph, which is ranked first in the league. He has also thrown out 17 runners, which is surpassed by only six catchers who’ve caught at least 500 innings. Davis would also have more caught-stealings if anyone actually ran on him. The 35 attempts against him are the fewest on that list.

Base runners just simply don’t run on Davis, and he doesn’t cause any major defensive errors when behind home plate. Davis perfected his setups along with where and how he catches the ball, Davis has seen that number become a positive (2.3, 10th in MLB).

Another big stat to look at for catchers is their challenge success rate while using ABS. After going 19-24 (44.2%) on challenges in the first half, Davis is 20-12 (62.5%) since the All-Star break. Overall, Davis has a 52% success rate (51st among those with 20 or more challenges), but he’s also flipped 16 strikeouts in the Pirates’ favor, which ranks tied for ninth. 

MLB.com used all of those stats to say that not only should Davis be a candidate but that he could be the favorite. Although I would love to see Davis win a gold glove this year I just don’t think it will happen. Patrick Bailey of the San Francisco Giants is an elite defender behind home plate and is having a great defensive season. Luis Torrens from the New York Mets is also a top candidate because of his defensive runs saved which is top five in the majors. 

Davis is a very good catcher because of what he can do defensively but this season he has been a liability offensively. It brings up a difficult question. Do you keep Henry Davis because he is a great defender even though his offense is lacking ?