I feel certain that if I look long and hard, I’ll be able to find some internet source material that says that Philadelphia is a lovely place to visit in October. I mean, it might be propaganda from the city’s tourism board or something, but it’s got to be out there somewhere, right? Right now, the Cubs find themselves on a death march in that direction. To be clear, I’ll go that far with doom and gloom, but no way and no how is it entering my mind that this team doesn’t reach the playoffs. As long as we are getting the record straight, I think the Cubs are going to take this off day and then get back to playing better baseball and winning games. It’s not optimal that they are looking up at Philly with 15 to play. But also, it’s 1.5 games. Tie goes to the Cubs, so that half isn’t scaring me in the slightest. Though I do recognize for Philly, it’s the “good” half. If you had to pick one, you want to be one less win than one more loss. But that’s splitting hairs.

I was relatively prepared to write something to the extent “The Cubs played and lost and none of us want to talk about it, so moving on.” After all, the top of the fourth inning was the first time the Cubs had a better chance to win at the end of the half inning than the start of it. That improvement in their odds? .002! The bottom of the inning kept it rolling. The Cubs progressed .005! The bottom of the fifth was a positive inning at .004. By the end of the sixth, the Brewers were at 99.2 percent to win. It was almost a straight line in the Brewers direction through six innings. For all of the seventh and eighth innings, the game was sliding around in the 99.0 to 99.9 percent chance of the Brewers winning. When the game looks like that, there is no WPA being generated anywhere.

I can imagine inquiring minds wondering, how close did WPA think this ever got? Pete Crow-Armstrong’s inning opening walk put the WPA at 99.8 percent chance. By the time Michael Conforto had a two-out, two-run double they had moved the odds all of the way to… 96.3 percent. So there you have it, nothing at all good happened for the Cubs by way of WPA. They never moved the needle and you’ll see that in the WPA scores as we move on.

I’ll give a few paragraphs on my thoughts and you can dismiss it entirely as cope if you want. I’m not at all bothered by losing five of seven to the Brewers. I saw a lot of these games in part or in whole. What I saw? A blow0ut in favor of the Cubs and a blowout in favor of the Brewers (this game, despite the late rally). The other five games went overwhelmingly to the Brewers, but I saw five games that were neck and neck. A few plays here or there wins those games. I’m not at all surprised the Brewers came out on top. They are the better team. They have been for a few years now. Good teams often find a way to win a close game. Though Jed was always right that in general, if you are really good, you’d rather it wasn’t close. But the Brewers are built especially well for close games. They are built on playing fundamental baseball, taking advantage of every little edge and limiting mistakes wherever possible.

I don’t care that they won these two sets of games. Obviously, it would have been a heck of a lot better to win them. I’m not blowing smoke at anyone. There is no significant contributor on this Cub team that thinks they can’t go toe to toe with the Brewers and win a series. If even one guy in their clubhouse eventually takes the field against the Cubs thinking they are going to roll and it’s all going to be easy, awesome. The Cubs are going to be ready for that fight. Of course it’s going to be an uphill battle. I shouldn’t have to say it, but I’ve said it dozens of times here for months and months. Nothing that matters is ever going to come easy for this team. It’s just too flawed.

Excellent hitting. Excellent fielding. Good baserunning. The National League MVP. A couple of battle tested starters with playoff experience. I’m saying there’s a chance. I lived through Cub baseball in the 80’s and 90’s, a chance is a heck of a lot better than we had most years. And I sure am glad I wasn’t around with Al and so many others for the 70’s. Roll it all out on the field. Hope everything breaks right. Be prepared for exiting with barely a whimper. Then get the offseason right. Take PCA out of your Cub season. Very little went well. Maybe you found some fringy relievers (to be depth and not key performers). You got a whole lot of data for making decisions on Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ and how each might age. But really, this isn’t a team boasting a bunch of career years or anything else.

This team can be better next year. Particularly if it has some actual pitching. But let’s enjoy this ride for a few weeks longer, shall we? Rest up on our day off. We’re gonna have to try to will this team to the finish line and beyond. What else are you doing? Even if you are a rabid football fan, that’s only a couple of days per week. You can put your honey-do’s off another couple of weeks. We’ve got work to do putting some positive mental energy behind this team over these last two plus weeks. Let’s do it.

Three Positives:

• Pete gets the top spot. He had a single and a walk. He scored twice.
• Michael Conforto had that two-run double I referenced in the open and was also hit by a pitch.
• Alex Bregman was the only other Cub to reach twice, with a double and a walk, though neither really impacted the game other than making Brewers pitchers work.
• Hat tips for Trent Thornton and Caleb Thielbar each working clean innings with no leverage.

Game 147, September 9: Brewers 8, Cubs 6 (81-66)

Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Michael Conforto (.015). 1-3, 2B, HBP, 2 RBI
• Hero: Carson Kelly (.006). 1-3, DP
• Sidekick: Trent Thornton (.004). IP, 3 BF, 2 K

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Kevin Gausman (-.355). 4 IP, 23 BF, 8 H, 2 BB, 7 R (6 ER), 6 K (L 4-2)
• Goat: B.J. Murray, Jr. (-.038). 0-1
• Kid: Pedro Ramirez (-.035). 1-4, RBI

Note: the Heroes and Goats debut for Murray, the 51st Cub to join the list this year. Will he be the last?

WPA Play of the Game: Christian Yelich’s two-out, three-run homer in the first inning. You pretty much knew it was over already, right? (.250)

Cubs Play of the Game: Kevin Gausman actually struck out Andrew Vaughn just one batter earlier, providing hope of escaping that first inning unscathed. (.043)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 146 Winner: Carson Kelly received 52 of 78 votes.

Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)

The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.

• Alex Bregman +27
• Pete Crow-Armstrong +26.5
• Michael Conforto +18
• Ben Brown +13.5
• Carson Kelly +13.5
• Jameson Taillon -13
• Seiya Suzuki -16
• Nico Hoerner -16.5
• Dansby Swanson -17
• Caleb Thielbar -18.5

Scoreboard Watching: You’ll pardon me if I dropped all of the division leaders. I believe those ships have sailed. Though with the trajectories of the Phillies and Braves, I may review that decision again next week.

Padres win (2.5 back). Phillies win (1.5 up). Diamondbacks lose (3 back).

Up Next: The Cubs are off Thursday. The only consequential game is Thursday afternoon when the Phillies play that “game in hand” that they have. They host the Astros. The teams have split the first two games. The Phillies then fly to Atlanta for a three-game set to kick off a nine-game, three-city road trip. They have nine road games followed by hosting the Brewers and Rays. The remaining Philly schedule is tricky.

The Cubs begin the last “block” of games on the year. 15 games in 17 days with days off bracketing the Reds series September 18-20. So off day, six home games, off day, three road games, off day, three home games, three road games. Two of five series against likely playoff teams. The other three series are against teams mostly fighting to try to limp in with a winning record. Visiting Fangraphs for their model’s projections of those 15 games finds the Cubs winning eight more games, including all three against the Braves but only one each versus the Pirates and Reds. Go figure that out.

Shōta Imanaga (9-10, 3.91) gets the opener for the Cubs. He pitched well in Miami the last time out. He won, allowing a run on three hits over six innings. It was a nice bounce back after a handful of rough starts. Imanaga has two starts against the Pirates, one win and just four hits and no runs yielded in 12 innings of work.

The Pirates are 73-73 heading into play Thursday night in Chicago against the White Sox. They have won the first two against the Sox. They are 6-2 so far this month. They haven’t officially named starters for the series yet. Fangraphs projects Braxton Ashcraft to start. Ashcraft is having a terrific season at 14-6, 3.65. He did lose his last start against the Angels. He allowed three runs on seven hits in five innings of work. He’s finishing very strong though with 4-2, 2.51 over his last seven. He went nine and eight innings back to back August 13 and 18, winning both. So he gets deep into some games too. He hasn’t thrown even 90 pitches in a game since August 24 as the Pirates monitor his workload. They talked about loss of command and velocity as that last start went along.

Wednesday’s Pirates win was close and you’d hope Thursday’s will be a close game too, giving the Cub bullpen a huge rest edge. The Pirates used eight pitchers Wednesday. Pirate relievers are middle of the road in ERA (4.03, 15th), two spots behind the Cubs. Pirate relievers have thrown the ninth most innings of any bullpen. They are tied with the Cubs for 22nd in saves and have only four less blown saves (though I’ll keep reminding you that blown saves includes a lot of rather innocuous middle inning runs allowed in close games). Pirate relievers are 19th in WHIP but 7th in opponent batting average (read: a lot of walks). The Cubs might be able to steal a game in the late innings with patient at bats.

We’re likely catching both Ashcraft and Paul Skenes in the series (the answer to the go figure). But I still like the Cubs to come out with a couple of wins. But three sure would be nice.

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

This week’s Lone Star Ball Reacts question looks to the upcoming offseason, and the various Rangers players who are scheduled to hit the free agent market this offseason.

We want to know, of the Rangers who are set to become free agents, who would you most like to see the Rangers bring back?

Cast your vote below…

Worcester: W, 8-3 (BOX SCORE)

While Jedixson Paez struggled to go far in Lehigh Valley against the IronPigs (Phillies AAA) some may wonder if him being pulled at exactly 60 pitches may signify some not too distant need to have him come up to toss another few innings soon, or at least give the club the option to do so if needed. Still, Paez threw ten scoreless outs and set the WooSox up well to take the win.

The team grabbed fourteen hits, 11 of those being singles but one being a home run by Vinny Capra in the ninth to combat the IronPigs breaking their scoreless run; Capra’s home run really put the game on ice and gave the team a five run lead. Most notable story from this box score, though, is Franklin Arias reaching base four times, going 2-for-3 with two walks. Chances are, if there’s a game, Arias is getting on.

Portland: L, 5-2 (BOX SCORE)

As the Red Sox fell to an Angels team that featured Vaughn Grissom, his return in Isaiah Jackson had both his first Double-A start in the Sea Dogs’ final series of the season, his first hit (a double) in Double-A, as well as his first stolen base and RBI. Henry Godbout also continued to hit as his Double-A batting average has now topped .300. Sadly, though, the hits came far and few between, and Hayden Mullins kept the ball in the yard in yet another quality start, going six innings with just one run allowed, Aaron Nixon’s promotion went less than stellar as he gave the lead up to the Rumble Ponies (Mets AA) in the 7th and the Sea Dogs would not recover, though they would thwart three opportunities to score with a runner in scoring position. Such is baseball!

The Braves sure do love “hey, this guy might have reverse splits, let’s do something about it!” Or, maybe they don’t really love it, but this is at least twice in recent memory that they’ve taken someone who might have… neutral splits, and gone with more righty bats. It doesn’t make much sense to me, but there it is. Lane Thomas and Brewer Hicklen are in the lineup this afternoon, as well as Ha-Seong Kim, while Sean Murphy, Ozzie Albies, and Mike Yastrzemski ride the bench.

Let’s take a wide view of Nick Martinez and his stats.

For the 2026 season, Martinez has a .283 wOBA-against by lefties, and a .310 wOBA-against by righties. This persists when you look at inputs by those batters, with a 3.78 xERA from lefty batters and a 4.89 xERA by righty batters.

However, the actual pitching is way less clear cut: Martinez has a 3.96 FIP and 4.50 xFIP against lefties, and a 3.94 FIP and 4.45 xFIP against righties. He seems more platoon-neutral than anything else. Considering that Lane Thomas is himself worse against righties, I’m not a huge fan of this, but whatever.

If you take the arc of Martinez’ career, “platoon-neutral” also seems tempting as a conclusion. His wOBA-against is within .001 against lefties and righties, his xERA is marginally lower against lefties (4.19 to 4.39), and his FIP and xFIP have a marginal split in the expected direction (4.53 / 4.66 against lefties, 4.45 / 4.49 against righties). So, I wouldn’t do this, but the Braves are.

Meanwhile, the Rays are giving Martin Perez a few more righties to contend with, including Ryan Vilade and Nick Madrigal, though Chandler Simpson and Cedric Mullins remain in the lineup despite batting left-handed.

Let’s talk about batter-versus-pitcher, too, just for the sake of having something else to add here, even though it doesn’t really matter. Martin Perez has been around a while, but most of these Rays batters have not. Both Nick Martinez and most guys in the Braves’ lineup are veteran-ish.

Everyone but Hicklen and Drake Baldwin on the Braves side has faced Nick Martinez at least twice; Matt Olson leads the pack with 19 PAs and a pretty hefty .508 wOBA / .384 xwOBA. Austin Riley, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Mauricio Dubon have also done the business against Martinez in limited PAs. The collective line is a .351 wOBA and .336 xwOBA in 53 PAs.

For the Rays and Perez, it’s similar-ish: six of nine in their lineup have faced him. Yandy Diaz (.468 wOBA, .358 xwOBA) has 32 career PAs against Perez; Mullins has struggled with a .210-.220ish wOBA/xwOBA in 14 PAs. Collectively, it’s 64 PAs with a .364 wOBA / .316 xwOBA, so basically there’s a similar level of familiarity and performance in that sample by both of these teams against the scheduled starter.

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It's another short Thursday slate for our MLB expert picks.

Two of our analysts are eyeing lines from the Texas Rangers-Seattle Mariners clash at T-Mobile Field this afternoon, while Josh Inglis is backing the Chicago White Sox to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the nightcap on Thursday, Sept. 10.

MLB expert picks for today

Pick	Probability
Josh Inglis: CHW ML	51%
Jon Metler: TEX ML	47%
Joe Osborne: TEX/SEA o6.5	51%

Probabilities courtesy of Polymarket. For help understanding Polymarket probabilities, see our odds calculator.

Josh Inglis' expert pick: White Sox moneyline

Price: 51¢ at Polymarket

I got this at 51% and have the fair price closer to 54%.

The Chicago White Sox have already dropped both games of this series, and the threat of a sweep should provide plenty of motivation. There might be some interest in the Pittsburgh Pirates with White Sox rookie Hagen Smith making his first start, but he's been a nasty lefty out of the bullpen this year, with nine scoreless outings in 10 games and 23 Ks over 16 innings.

Jared Jones looks like a pitcher who struggles on visiting mounds, with a 4.0 BB/9 away from home compared to 2.6 at PNC Park. His road WHIP is also half a point higher.

I see this as a 50/50 game on a neutral field, and home-field advantage is worth at least another 2%, or 20 points, to me. The White Sox are fighting to hold onto the AL Central lead, while Pittsburgh has already secured the series and Chicago has one more chance to avoid the brooms.

• Time: 7:40 p.m. ET
• How to watch: SportsNet Pittsburgh, CHSN

Jon Metler's expert pick: Rangers moneyline

Price: 47¢ at Polymarket

The Texas Rangers are trading at 47%, and that's a number I'm buying because I price them closer to a 52% favorite. That's a sizable edge compared to what we typically see in this market. 

The middle of the Seattle Mariners' lineup, including hitters like Cal Raleigh and Dominic Canzone, features steep uppercut swings designed to elevate the ball. 

That's exactly what Jacob deGrom's high-velocity fastball with late riding life at the letters can neutralize, turning those uppercut swings into routine popups or complete whiffs. 

The Mariners will try to counter the right-handed deGrom by stacking their lineup with seven left-handed hitters, but that doesn't give them an advantage. DeGrom is equally tough on lefties as he is on righties, thanks to his ability to attack their hands with his fastball and use his back-foot slider to keep them off balance.

Neil Parker breaks this matchup down further in his Rangers vs. Mariners predictions.

• Time: 4:10 p.m. ET
• How to watch: RSN, Mariners.TV

Joe Osborne's expert pick: Rangers at Mariners Over 6.5

Price: 51¢ at Polymarket

Such a low total isn’t warranted with the 2026 versions of these two starters.

Logan Gilbert owns a 4.45 home ERA and just surrendered seven earned runs and four homers to the A’s, and deGrom has a brutal 5.86 road ERA across 13 starts.

Neither lineup is imposing, but each is in respectable form. Seattle ranks fifth in wRC+ against righties over the last two weeks, while Texas sits second overall over the past week.

Add in two bullpens getting smacked around all September, and getting to seven runs shouldn’t be much of a struggle.

• Time: 4:10 p.m. ET
• How to watch: RSN, Mariners.TV

More MLB best bets for today

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The Seattle Mariners are a short home favorite over the Texas Rangers ahead of the 4:10 p.m. ET first pitch in their series finale at T-Mobile Park on Thursday, Sept. 10.

My top Rangers vs. Mariners predictions and MLB picks call for the Rangers to pull off the afternoon win while the total goes Over the number.

Who will win Rangers vs Mariners today: Rangers moneyline (46.5%)

For help understanding probabilities, see our odds calculator.

While there have been a handful of hiccups from Texas Rangers veteran Jacob deGrom, he’s still allowed two runs or fewer in 19 of his 27 starts. Perhaps even more encouraging, the 38-year-old righty’s 3.11 xFIP ranks ninth among104 starters with at least 100 innings.

The Texas offense is also trending in the right direction with a fourth-ranked wOBA, third-ranked ISO and fourth-ranked xwOBA over the past two weeks. For comparison, the Seattle Mariners check in at 24th, 26th, and 23rd, respectively.

Mariners righty Logan Gilbert has also started to slide late in the season with a ho-hum 4.10 xERA and 3.92 xFIP over his past six starts, and Seattle ranking 30th in bullpen xERA over the past 30 days only bolsters the case to back Texas.

As a result, I expect the Rangers to outscore the Mariners this afternoon and recommend the Texas moneyline to 50%.

COVERS INTEL: DeGrom ranking second in swinging-strike percentage, seventh in strikeout-to-walk ratio, and eighth in strikeout percentage reinforces that the two-time Cy Young winner is still among the best in baseball.

Rangers vs Mariners Over/Under pick: Over 6.5 (51.2%)

This is an aggressively low total, and I’m still bullish on the Over 6.5 to 53.5%.

As highlighted, the Rangers are rolling at the dish, and the Mariners have scored eight times through the first two games of the series and have hit the Over in 15 of their last 22 games (+7.35 Units / 30% ROI). Texas has also cashed the Over in 11 of its past 15 games (+7.65 Units / 47% ROI). 

Seattle isn’t the only team with struggling relievers, with Texas ranking 23rd in bullpen xERA over the past 30 days.

Rangers vs Mariners home run prediction: Wyatt Langford (16.7%)

Gilbert has surrendered 11 homers across his past seven starts with an unheard-of .403 ISO allowed to right-handed hitters. Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford has hit 12 of his 16 homers against righties with a .210 ISO. He’s also faced Gilbert 21 times, so there’s a growing familiarity.

Rangers vs Mariners weather

The weather forecast calls for clear, sunny skies with warm afternoon temperatures peaking around 75 degrees, and a light 4-6 mph wind blowing out toward right-center field at T-Mobile Park.

Rangers vs Mariners odds

• Moneyline: Rangers 47.6% | Mariners 56.5%
• Run line: Rangers +1.5 (67.7%) | Mariners -1.5 (37%)
• Over/Under: Over 6.5 (52.4%) | Under 6.5 (52.4%)

Rangers vs Mariners trend

The Rangers have hit the Over in 11 of their last 15 games (+7.65 Units / 47% ROI), and the Mariners have gone Over in 15 of 22 (+7.35 Units / 30% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Rangers vs. Mariners.

How to watch Rangers vs Mariners and game info

Rangers vs Mariners latest injuries

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Recaps

[Dbacks.com] Gallen, Soroka return, but D-backs fall out of 3rd NL Wild Card spot – In Arizona’s 5-2 loss to the Royals in the series finale, Gallen worked the opening 3 1/3 innings. He wasn’t able to get through the fourth because a 10-pitch at-bat against Nick Loftin with one out lifted his pitch count to 68. Gallen gave up four hits and two runs (one earned), including a solo homer to Carter Jensen. Soroka took over for the fifth in his first relief appearance of the season. Soroka struck out Kyle Isbel to begin his outing, but then surrendered a single to Isaac Collins and a walk to Jensen before Bobby Witt Jr. snapped a 2-2 tie with a three-run homer that proved to be the game-winner.

[SI] The Good And Not So Good From Zac Gallen’s Return from Injury – Gallen’s four-seam fastball has been the hinge point of his issues for multiple seasons. It simply has not been an effective pitch since the early stages of 2024. Unfortunately, that was the case again Wednesday. Gallen shied away from his fastball after the third one he threw was hit 106.5 MPH (albeit for an out). He threw only nine out of 68 total pitches, tied with his sinker for the least-used offering on the night. The fastball’s velocity was also significantly down. This is not a major concern after a lengthy IL stint and an elbow injury. But Gallen’s four-seam averaged 91.2 MPH, which is 2.2 MPH down from his 93.4 yearly average.

Team news

[Arizona Sports] Diamondbacks’ Corbin Carroll to get MRI on Thursday – Manager Torey Lovullo told reporters on Tuesday that Carroll would likely need imaging after he was scratched from the lineup in Kansas City. Lovullo said Carroll would not play in their series finale on Wednesday against the Royals. Carroll said he suffered a back spasm last week during Arizona’s home series against the Philadelphia Phillies. He made 44 start starts before taking a seat on Monday, when he came off the bench late in the D-backs’ 5-4 win. The All-Star has gone through his ups and downs this season both in terms of performance and health. At the plate, Carroll was great through mid-June, suffered a miserable July and started to tick back up in August before a late-month slump.

[ProPublica] The Dominican Baseball Factory – On an evening in late 2021, in a pristine baseball complex in central Santo Domingo, a baby-faced 14-year-old outfielder in athletic gear named Belfi Rivera huddled in front of a computer screen. Next to him was John Carmona, who had been Belfi’s trainer and de facto caretaker since he was 11 years old. In a nearby office, Belfi’s parents stared anxiously at a separate computer. On the screen, calling into the Dominican Republic, were representatives of the Arizona Diamondbacks, there for a conversation that promised to shift forever the fortunes of Belfi and his parents. The team, they would soon learn, had agreed to pay Belfi $1.8 million after his 16th birthday. It was a deal Carmona had negotiated without consulting Belfi or his parents. It was also a handshake agreement that skirted Major League Baseball’s rules that bar teams from signing players younger than 16.

[SI] Derek Jeter’s Most Meaningful World Series Was the One He Lost – Twenty-five years later, the 2001 World Series—a series he lost—resonates more deeply with Jeter than most any career highlight. It was bigger than the team. Bigger than the title that slipped away. Bigger than baseball. “But, the interesting thing is even to this day, if I run into people, Yankee fans, New Yorkers, they’ll mention how great that World Series was—and no one mentions the fact that we lost. It’s really fascinating because Yankee fans are like no other. It’s, ‘You win a World Series or it’s a failure,’ which I 100% agree with. But in that particular World Series, no one I run into mentions the fact that we lost.”

[NBC Sports] Don’t expect Burnes to return to form in 2026 – James Schiano breaks down Diamondbacks pitcher Corbin Burnes’ season debut, pointing to his inefficiency and velocity while tempering expectations for a return to form this season.

And, elsewhere…

[ESPN] Early MLB free agency intel: Skubal, Chisholm, Arraez, more – It’s anyone’s best guess as to how owners handle the free market. In the days leading up to the last lockout after the 2021 season, there was a flurry of big-money deals, including Corey Seager and Marcus Semien to Texas for $500 million combined; Javier Baez to Detroit for $140 million; Max Scherzer to the New York Mets for $130 million; Robbie Ray to Seattle for $115 million; and Kevin Gausman to Toronto for $110 million. Unlike last time, however, the owners today are seeking a system that would fundamentally change the game and its salaries. And without a sense of how previously signed contracts would work in a capped system, the reticence might be strong.

[MLB.com] Ohtani placed on injured list to rest left knee, right biceps injuries – “It was more just really huddling up and saying, ‘Hey, how are you going to feel on Friday? How are you going to feel on Saturday?'” Roberts said. “Talking to the doctors and training staff, there was not much certainty that he’d be in a much better place. With that, just taking it off the table seemed like the best course of action.” As a corresponding move, the Dodgers will call up MLB Pipeline’s No. 6 overall prospect, Josue De Paula, from Double-A Tulsa. De Paula will join the team on Friday in Miami. L.A. will need to add him to the 40-man roster ahead of his Major League debut.Roberts previously described placing Ohtani on the IL as a deterrent because the minimum-length IL stint for two-way players is 15 days. But after Ohtani did not show sufficient improvement over the past week, the Dodgers felt that he would be better served by taking a more extended stint to recover.

[ProPublica] The Rising Baseball Star, a Fatal Car Crash and the Fixer – Six years ago, Pittsburgh Pirates star prospect Oneil Cruz rear-ended a motorcycle, killing all three of its passengers and jeopardizing his career. Cruz’s parents brought in a fixer to pay off the victims’ families so they wouldn’t sue and wouldn’t demand that prosecutors pursue the case. In making the case go away, that fixer, Santo Caraballo, saved Cruz’s career and launched his own as one of the most powerful figures in Dominican baseball.

Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below.

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (71-68) lost 8-6 (BOX SCORE)

Sugar Land got on the board in the first inning on a Price 3 run home run. In the 2nd inning, Spence connected on a solo home run. Alexander start for Sugar Land but struggled allowing 6 runs over 3.2 innings. In the third, Dezenzo drove in a run on a groundout. Swanson pitched in relief and allowed 2 runs as the Comets extended their lead. The offense got another run in the 8th on a Delgado groundout but that was it as Sugar Land fell 8-6.

Note: Santos has a 1.00 ERA in Triple-A.

• Cavan Biggio, 2B: 1-for-2, 3 R, 2 BB, SB
• Collin Price, 1B: 2-for-4, R, HR, 3 RBI
• Zach Dezenzo, DH: 1-for-3, RBI, BB
• Lucas Spence, LF: 1-for-3, R, HR, RBI, BB

• Jason Alexander, RHP: 3.2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
• Alex Santos II, RHP: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• Nic Swanson, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
• Christian Roa, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• Roddery Munoz, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (61-73) won 5-3 (BOX SCORE)

Shoemaker started for the Hooks and tossed 4 scoreless innings allowing just one hit. The offense got on the board in the 3rd inning scoring 4 runs on a Janek RBI double, Moss 2 run single and Holy RBI single. The pen allowed a few runs as the RockHounds made it close. The offense got an insurance run in the 9th on a Thomas sac fly and David tossed a scoreless 9th inning to close out the 5-3 win.

Note: Thomas has a .802 OPS in Double-A.

• Justin Thomas, CF: 1-for-3, R, RBI, BB
• Will Bush, DH: 1-for-3, R, 2 BB
• Walker Janek, C: 1-for-3, R, 2B, RBI, BB
• Jack Moss, 1B: 1-for-4, R, 2 RBI
• Alejandro Nunez, LF: 1-for-3, BB
• Max Holy, SS: 1-for-4, RBI
• Hector Salas, 2B: 1-for-4, R
• Alberto Hernandez, 3B: 1-for-4, 2B

• Adam Shoemaker, LHP: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 6 BB, 2 K
• Max Martin, RHP: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
• Amilcar Chirinos, RHP: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, o ER, 1 BB, 2 K (WIN)
• Alejandro Torres, RHP: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
• Ramsey David, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K (SAVE)

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

A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (1-0) OFF

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: Brandon McPherson – 6:35 CT

CC: Joey Mancini – 7:00 CT

AV: SEASON OVER

FV: TBD – 5:35 CT

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The New York Yankees beat the Colorado Rockies by multiple runs in the first two games of this series, and my Rockies vs. Yankees predictions expect more of the same in the finale.

New York's power should be front and center against Ryan Feltner, who bleeds home runs and will get no help from the favorable conditions at Yankee Stadium.

Let's break it all down with my MLB picks before first pitch at 7:05 p.m. ET.

Who will win Rockies vs Yankees today: Yankees -1.5 (58%)

For help understanding probabilities, see our odds calculator.

Ryan Feltner is one of the most hittable pitchers in the majors, ranking in the second percentile in xERA.

Pitching a healthy chunk of games at Coors Field hasn’t helped his cause but, unfortunately for Feltner, playing in warm weather at Yankee Stadium isn’t much better.

Feltner has posted a 5.91 ERA and allowed 1.86 HR/9 in hitter-friendly conditions. Things are unlikely to go well for him against a New York Yankees squad sitting third in ISO vs. right-handed pitching.

Max Fried should get a ton of run support, making the Yankees run line a buy up to 59%.

COVERS INTEL:Ryan Feltner's 11th percentile barrel rate will get him into trouble against a powerful Yankees attack.

Rockies vs Yankees Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (53%)

Feltner has allowed nearly two baserunners per inning over the last 30 days. He's giving up a ton of traffic, and the Yankees certainly have the power to cash in.

They sit fifth in homers against righties — and third at home — despite playing a ton of games without Aaron Judge. Luis Garcia Jr. is also still relatively new to the scene and adds to their pop.

The Colorado Rockies quietly rank eighth in road wOBA vs. southpaws the past two months, and could cause headaches for Fried.

Play to 55%.

Rockies vs Yankees home run prediction: Aaron Judge (32%)

Aaron Judge hasn’t left the park since returning from injury, and this is the perfect storm for that to happen. Hot weather and wind blowing out create a great environment for homers, with a 22% boost projected for this game.

Judge also shines against Feltner’s pitch mix. Isolating the three pitches he uses at least 20% of the time facing righties, Judge owns a .270 ISO and a remarkably high 21.3% barrel rate. All rise!

Rockies vs Yankees weather

The bats will see a big boost with temperatures in the 80s and winds blowing out in an already hitter-friendly ballpark.

Rockies vs Yankees odds

• Moneyline: Rockies 26% | Yankees 75%
• Run line: Rockies +2.5 (55%) | Yankees -2.5 (45%)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (53%) | Under 8.5 (48%)

Rockies vs Yankees trend

The Yankees have covered the run line in 15 of their last 22 games for +11.15 units and a 42% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Rockies vs. Yankees.

How to watch Rockies vs Yankees and game info

Rockies vs Yankees latest injuries

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Two games and two wins, as the Comets and Drillers were the only teams in action on Wednesday.

Player of the Day

Logan Wagner hasn’t had the easiest of transitions to Double-A, which is to be expected given he began the year in rookie ball. However, in this particular game against the Naturals, he was as menacing a hitter as the Drillers had at the plate, with a pair of long shots.

Although Wagner had multiple displays of power this season prior to yesterday’s game, it was only his second multihomer performance of the season, taking his season total to 22 across three separate levels.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

What did Gavin Stone, Edwin Díaz, and Kris Bubic all have in common as the Comets outhit the Space Cowboys on their way to an 8-6 win? All three of them failed to complete a full inning; Stone was removed with two outs in the first after seeing his pitch count rise over 30 in an inning in which he allowed three runs. Díaz’s pitch count climbed over 20 to secure a pair of outs as he allowed multiple walks, and lastly, Kris Bubic came into the game just to finish off the third inning started by Díaz.

The lack of length from several Comets pitchers led to Jackson Ferris coming in early and completing six innings of work as the Comets rode the hot hand all the way to the end of this game. Ferris had the incredibly rare six-inning save, allowing fewer hits (2) and runs (1) than the pitchers for the game’s first three innings combined.

Scoring six of their eight runs in the first two innings, the Comets were aggressive early and didn’t require a lot of slugging to reach this impressive total. Their most important hit came in the second when Ryan Fitzgerald knocked a bases-clearing double to make it 6-4 and give OKC its first lead of the game. James Tibbs III led the team with three runs scored, twice walking and also recording a hit.

Double-A Tulsa

In his final game with the Drillers before joining the big league club on Friday, Josue De Paula showed why he is one of this game’s most promising prospects. The Dodgers’ number one prospect homered as part of a blowout win for the Drillers. It was his 27th long shot of the season and one of four for the Drillers against zero from their opponent.

While the batting average has taken a big hit for Logan Wagner in his second promotion of the season—this one to the Drillers—the third baseman had his best game at this new level, securing a pair of long balls, now with six in 29 games in Double-A.

Alex Walsh, Christian Suarez, and Jacob Kmatz did a fantastic job behind starter Aidan Foeller, each of them delivering two-plus scoreless frames to keep the Naturals from even scoring multiple runs. Foeller ran into some problems early on, allowing four of the Naturals’ five hits in just 2.1 innings, but kept the damage minimal, not that it mattered much with the offense scoring 10.

High-A Great Lakes

There was no game in High-A, as the Loons return to postseason action this Thursday, visiting the Dragons.

Class-A Ontario

The Tower Buzzers also had an off-day, with Game 2 of their Division Series against the Storm coming this Thursday.

Transactions

The Dodgers extended Gavin Stone’s rehab assignment with the Comets.

Wednesday’s scores

• Oklahoma City 8, Sugar Land 6
• NW Arkansas 1, Tulsa 10
• No games scheduled
• No games scheduled

Thursday’s schedule

• 4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Brooks Auger) at Dayton (Kyle McCoy) – Division Series (GL up 1-0)
• 4:35 p.m. PT: Oklahoma City (TBD) vs. Sugar Land (Brandon McPherson)
• 5:05 p.m. PT: Tulsa (TBD) at NW Arkansas (Grant Grambell)
• 6:05 p.m. PT: Ontario (TBD) at Lake Elsinore (Kruz Schoolcraft) – Division Series (ONT down 1-0)