Worldwide Sports News

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

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (66-63) lost 11-3 (BOX SCORE)

Sugar Land got on the board in the first inning on a Loperfido RBI double. They got 2 more runs in the third inning on a Meyers 2 run double. Alexander got the start but struggled allowing 7 runs over 4.2 innings. Weiss allowed 4 runs in relief and the offense struggled the rest of the way as Sugar Land fell 11-3.

Note: Ferreras is hitting .314 in Triple-A.

• Pascanel Ferreras, SS: 2-for-3, R, 2B, BB
• Joey Loperfido, RF: 2-for-4, R, 2 2B, RBI
• Cavan Biggio, 2B: 1-for-3, R, 2B, BB
• Jake Meyers, CF: 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI
• Trenton Brooks, 1B: 1-for-3, BB

• Jason Alexander, RHP: 4.2 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• Michael Knorr, RHP: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
• Ryan Weiss, RHP: 2.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• Cesar Salazar, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (58-66) lost 9-1 (BOX SCORE)

Taylor started for the Hooks and went 4.2 innings allowing 5 runs while striking out 4. The offense got on the board in the 6th on a Whitaker RBI single. Leach struggled in relief allowing 4 runs in the 8th and the offense was quiet the rest of the way as the Hooks fell 9-1.

Note: Janek has 26 stolen bases this season.

• Justin Thomas, CF: 2-for-5
• Jason Schiavone, C: 1-for-3, R, SB
• Walker Janek, DH: 1-for-4, SB
• Tyler Whitaker, LF: 1-for-2, RBI, BB

• Andrew Taylor, RHP: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
• Jose Guedez, RHP: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• Hudson Leach, RHP: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• Colby Langford, LHP: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

A+: Asheville Tourists (41-80) lost 4-2 (BOX SCORE)

Shoemaker started for Asheville and went 4 innings allowing 4 runs, 2 earned. The offense got on the board on a Huezo 2 run home run in the 3rd inning. Varela tossed 4 scoreless innings in relief but the offense was quiet the rest of the way as Asheville fell 4-2.

Note: Huezo has 21 home runs this season.

• Anthony Huezo, CF: 1-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI
• Brandon Nigh, 3B: 0-for-2, R, BB

• Adam Shoemaker, LHP: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
• Jose Varela, RHP: 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (68-53) won 6-2 (BOX SCORE)

Beck started for the Woodpeckers and pitched well tossing 5 scoreless innings with 7 strikeouts. The RidgeYaks scored 2 runs in the 6th to take a 2-0 lead. In the 8th, the offense rallied scoring 6 runs on a Luciano RBI double, Sierra sac fly, Hughes walk, Durnin 2 run single and Alvarez 2 run single. Verdugo closed it out tossing 3 scoreless innings with 6 strikeouts as the Woodpeckers won 6-2.

Note: Beck has 101 K over 85.2 innings this season.

• Logan Hughes, 1B: 1-for-4, R, RBI, BB
• Kam Durnin, SS: 2-for-5, 2 RBI
• Kevin Alvarez, CF: 3-for-5, R, RBI
• Waner Luciano, 3B: 2-for-4, R, 2B, RBI
• Arturo Flores, C: 0-for-1, R, 3 BB
• Rashawn Galloway, LF: 0-for-2, R, 2 BB

• Jagger Beck, RHP: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
• Jhoster Baez, RHP: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Ryan Verdugo, RHP: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K (WIN)

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: Jackson Nezuh – 9:05 CT

CC: Nolan DeVos – 7:05 CT

AV: Parker Smith – 6:00 CT

FV: TBD – 6:05 CT

Several months back, I began a series here at Pinstripe Alley where I was going to put together an All-Star Yankee team of players who were born in a given month. Since then, we as a staff have started doing daily posts for the year 2026, highlighting a Yankee from history whose birthday happens to land on that day. As we near the end of this month, what better way to put a cap on a month’s worth of birthday posts then by using the all-month teams as a way to look back on who we covered? And maybe some we didn’t cover who shared a birthday with someone else?

With that in mind, here are my choices for the All-August Birthday Yankee Team.

Pitcher: Ron Guidry (August 28th Birthday Post)

August has the birthday for a pitcher with a better career in Roger Clemens, but as far as Yankee careers go, there was only one choice to be August’s, and that’s Guidry. Also, he’s my mom’s all-time favorite player, and she would disown me for not picking him.

Catcher: Jorge Posada (August 17th Birthday Post)

There are only a couple catchers in all of Yankees’ history who you could possibly argue were better than Posada, and none of them were born in August. He provided a lot of heart and emotion in the Yankees’ dynasty era and the “Core Four.”

First Base: Anthony Rizzo (August 8th Birthday Post)

The first base position isn’t the strongest for August, so we’ll go with Rizzo, who was decent for a little bit before rapidly falling off following a concussion. Also, he played a non-zero role in convincing Aaron Judge to re-sign during his 2022 free agency, so shoutout to that.

Second Base: Bobby Richardson (August 19th Birthday Post)

Richardson is a player whose numbers don’t particularly impress in a modern context, but who am I to argue with three World Series rings? He was a beloved second baseman for many years and just celebrated his 91st trip around the sun.

Shortstop: José Caballero

Born on August 30th, Cabby is a player who is often described as “you love him when he’s on your team and hate him when he’s on the other.” Having watched him on my team for a little over a year now, I can’t say I disagree with that sentiment.

Third Base: Graig Nettles (August 20th Birthday Post)

Scott Brosius would be a contender for the third baseman on a ton of these other All-Birthday Month teams, just not this one. There is a legitimate argument that Nettles is not only the best third baseman in Yankees’ history, but that he also should be in the Hall of Fame. He’s the only actual choice here.

Left Field: Brett Gardner (August 24th Birthday Post)

While he had only one All-Star appearance and a Gold Glove as far as accolades go, Gardy racked up a sneakily good career according to stats like WAR, as he was a terrific player in almost every aspect of the game.

Center Field: Melky Cabrera (August 11th Birthday Post)

“The Melk Man” was a fan favorite on the 2009 World Series championship team, but ended up leaving shortly after, thanks in part to the emergence of the man playing left for August.

Right Field: Gene Woodling (August 16th Birthday Post)

Woodling was a part of the Yankees’ famous five-peat from 1949-53 and was a very solid role player for those teams, backing up the stars of the era while possessing a fine bat of his own.

Designated Hitter: Rocky Colavito

Between the likes of Gerald Williams, Jay Buhner, and Deion Sanders, there are several more famous players that you could squeeze in at the DH spot. However, I wanted to highlight Colavito (an August 10th birthday) because we didn’t get to him during the Birthday series, and also because the 374-homer slugger was once a winning pitcher in a game for the Yankees.

We asked you the question about whether or not you think this new offensive approach taken by the Phillies is just a hot streak of good games or an actual, concrete shift in their philosophy once they step into the batter’s box. Your thoughts:

You bunch of pessimists, you.

I can understand why though. Asking a team to change its stripes this dramatically in the middle of the season is a difficult thing to do. The Phillies taking more walks, getting more hits and scoring more runs couldn’t just be a thing that happens overnight. Perhaps it’s the idea that Kevin Long has pounded into their heads all season, only for them to suddenly realize it’s a great way to win baseball games.

However, the big test is still to come. Having all of this success in the regular season is great because it allows them to continue on their quest to get into the postseason, but carrying it over into the postseason games is another thing altogether. We have seen this offense crumble once the lights get brighter, so if we really want to think this is going to be a meaningful change in how they approach at bats, we have to see it once the pitching is at its best.

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Worcester: L, 2-0 (BOX SCORE)

Just as the Red Sox struggled to put runs on the board on Friday night at Yankee Stadium, Worcester couldn’t get one cross the plate hosting the Triple-A affiliate RailRiders (Yankees AAA) despite the pitching staff doing a good job throughout the night. This had some parallels with the actual Major League team’s game: John Holobetz let up a home run early that made all the difference. Franklin Arias, Nate Eaton and Romy Gonzalez accounted for the only three hits Worcester got on the night, and none of them are were in the same inning. It’s tough to win games that way, as without the rehabbing members of the organization present, there was no pop in the WooSox lineup to speak of.

Portland: W, 9-3 (BOX SCORE)

Every hitter in the Sea Dogs lineup took Richmond (Giants AA) for at least a knock on Friday. Ronald Rosario and Tyler McDonough had two early home runs and Brooks Brannon mashed his twentieth of the year later on. Devin Futrell had yet another effective outing, striking seven out and going six innings. Justin Gonzales even added his first double in Double-A in a well-rounded, decisive win. There’s a lot to be excited about in Brannon’s 2026. He’s still just 22, is a bit defensively versatile, and has been swinging the bat really well. He still has a .943 OPS with plenty of growth over the last year, and potentially, plenty to still experience in years to come.

Greenville: W, 6-2 (BOX SCORE)

Yordanny Monegro is back! After looking promising in 2025 through 33 2/3 innings and pitching 2.67 ERA, the 24-year-old was out for more than a year after suffering an elbow injury that required a Tommy John. Friday Night against the Emperors (Braves High-A) was his first night back, and he walked three but also struck out three, and did not allow a hit. Shea Sprague and former Yankees prospect Aaron Nixon came in and steered the ship the rest of the way. Luckily, this Drive win was powered by Owen Hull. The two Tar Heels that have emerged onto the farm have been huge and Friday night was no exception, as Hull had a home run and a double as Greenville took an early lead and never looked back.

Salem: L, 6-2 (BOX SCORE)

The RidgeYaks went into the bottom of the 8th inning sweating a 2-0 lead behind Leighton Finley’s nine strikeout performance, but then the Woodpeckers (Astros A) came roaring back for six runs. Salem got the lead in the sixth with a Kleyvar Salazar home run to solidify Finley’s performance and give him a lead, but sometimes baseball happens and a team gets hot and doesn’t stop getting hot until there’s a four-run deficit.

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The New York Mets (56%) are favored to put their three-game losing streak to an end against the Houston Astros.

With a clear pitching advantage stemming from Nolan McLean taking the mound, I see value on the home side with my Astros vs. Mets predictions and MLB picks for Saturday, Aug. 29.

Who will win Astros vs Mets today: Mets moneyline (57%)

For help understanding probabilities, see our odds calculator.

The Houston Astros are not doing much damage at the plate, especially against righties. They sit 29th in xwOBA over their last 20 games.

Nolan McLean has feasted on cold offenses all season long. His ERA sits at just 1.40 over 12 starts vs. opponents who ranked Bottom-10 in xwOBA the 20 games prior to squaring off. 

We should expect a quality start here, which puts the New York Mets in a great spot to get a win. They’re quietly ninth in xwOBA vs. RHP the past three weeks, and Cristian Javier is very hittable.

Back New York to 58%.

COVERS INTEL: McLean ranks in the 98th percentile in Fastball Run Value, and should cause problems for a Houston offense hitting .238 against RH fastballs the past 30 games.

Astros vs Mets Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (47%)

McLean has allowed two runs or fewer in all 12 starts against teams who ranked Bottom-10 in xwOBA their last 20 games, and gave up 0.38 HR/9 along the way.

He is going to make life difficult on an Astros lineup owning the seventh-highest soft contact rate against right-handed pitching this month.

Both teams have Top-10 bullpens by wOBA in August so we shouldn’t expect much fireworks late.

If Javier avoids an early blow-up, there’s a clean path to an Under.

Play to 48%.

Astros vs Mets home run prediction: Yordan Alvarez (23%)

Yordan Alvarez owns otherworldly numbers against McLean’s pitch mix. He will primarily see sinkers, fastballs, and curveballs, and that sets up very well for the AL MVP favorite.

Alvarez has posted a .389 ISO, 18.1% barrel rate, and 60.9% hard-hit rate when facing those pitches. 

His 70% hard hit rate over the last 25 at-bats against that mix signals another hot stretch could be looming.

Play to 26%.

Astros vs Mets weather

With weather in the mid 70s and soft winds, the conditions are still more favorable for the pitchers.

Astros vs Mets odds

• Moneyline: Astros 45% | Mets 56%
• Run line: Astros 64% | Mets 38%
• Over/Under: Over 55% | Under 46%

Astros vs Mets trend

New York has hit the Under in 16 of its last 22 home games (+10.65 units, 45% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Astros vs. Mets.

How to watch Astros vs Mets and game info

Astros vs Mets latest injuries

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

Friday night in the Dodgers minor leagues was highlighted by one former top pitching prospect and a current top arm in the system.

Player of the day

Jackson Ferris put together his third good start in a row, posting a season-high seven innings with eight strikeouts for Oklahoma City, allowing only one run, working around three walks and seven hits.

Ferris has allowed two runs with 20 strikeouts in 17 innings over his last three starts, lowering his season ERA from 7.15 to 6.00.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

A low-scoring affair got wild in the ninth and 10th, when singles by Hyeseong Kim and Ryan Fitzgerald brought home the tying and winning runs in the Comets’ victory over the El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres).

Jerming Rosario allowed two home runs with one out in the ninth inning, turning a one-run lead into a one-run deficit. Oklahoma City kept things alive with a run in the ninth, then Nick Robertson allowed the free runner to score in the top of the 10th, but nothing else.

James Tibbs had two singles, two walks, a stolen base, one run, and one RBI. Zach Ehrhard also singled, stole a base, and scored twice. Ryan Ward tripled in a run.

Rehabbing

Will Smith caught seven innings behind the plate and was hitless in three at-bats with a strikeout on Friday. Smith has been behind the plate three times in four days on his rehab assignment so far this week, catching five, seven, and seven innings.

Double-A Tulsa

Chris Newell hit a three-run home run in the Drillers’ two-run win over the Midland RockHounds (A’s).

Christian Zazueta struck out five and walked one in his five innings, allowing only one run on three hits. Zazueta in 10 starts in Double-A has a 3.48 ERA with 67 strikeouts against only seven walks in 44 innings.

Christian Ruebeck has been wild in relief this year with an 18.1-percent walk rate, and that included three walks to go with his three strikeouts on Friday. But it also came with two scoreless innings, giving him one total run allowed in 9 2/3 August innings, with nine walks but also 14 strikeouts.

High-A Great Lakes

Mairo Martinus singled home Jaron Elkins in the seventh inning, giving the Loons the winning margin over the Lansing Lugnuts (A’s). Emil Morales hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning for the other Great Lakes runs.

Cam Leiter struck out four in three innings, allowing only one unearned run. That’s two starts with no earned runs in High-A, with 11 strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings for the right-hander.

Class-A Ontario

The Tower Buzzers were held scoreless in a road loss to the Stockton Ports (A’s). Ontario had eight hits, all singled until 2026 13th-round draft pick Caleb Johnson doubled. Ontario loaded the bases with nobody out in the ninth but did not score.

Catcher Francisco Espinoza had two of the eight hits.

Friday scores

• Oklahoma City 5, El Paso 4 (10 innings)
• Tulsa 5, Midland 3
• Great Lakes 3, Lansing 2
• Sotckton 6, Ontario 0

Saturday schedule

• 4:05 p.m. PT: Oklahoma City (Emmet Sheehan) vs. El Paso (Jagger Haynes)
• 4:05 p.m: Great Lakes (Tyler Gough) vs. Lansing (Jorge Marcheco)
• 5 p.m.: Tulsa (Patrick Copen) at Midland (Corey Avant)
• 7:05 p.m.: Ontario (Luis Gamez) at Stockton (Jackson Phipps)

The Pirates pitching staff carried the team last year. They had a team ERA of 3.76 and 1,314 team strikeouts. The rotation was strong and consistent while the offense absolutely struggled.  

Paul Skenes won the NL Cy young award last year with just 10 wins. The pitching staff this year has been not as consistent and will be a major question mark going into the 2027 season. 

Braxton Ashcraft leads the team with 13 wins and just 5 losses. Ashcraft has been absolutely fantastic for the Bucs but after him has been more questionable then Pirate fans thought it would be. 

Skenes has a 3.79 ERA and 9 wins and you can tell his velocity has gone down since last year. The first step for the Pirates pitching getting back and being dangerous starts with Skenes. They need him to be elite like he was for the first two seasons he was in the league.

With Skenes being dominant, you can build the rest of the rotation around. An elite Skenes with how Ashcraft has been playing this year would be lethal. Plus you get a full year of Jared Jones, that could be once again a top pitching rotation in the league. 

I think there are two things the Pirates should do to improve that pitching for next year. The first one is to add a veteran arm, there is a lot of inexperience in the rotation, and I think adding a cheap veteran arm paired up with some younger arms can build a nice dangerous rotation. Chris Bassitt and Lucas Giolito are two veteran pitchers I would love to see them look at in the offseason. 

The second thing is I think the Pirates have to have a tough conversation about Mitch Keller. Keller has been a solid pitcher for the last couple of seasons, but he still has three years left on his contract, and it looks like his play has been decreasing. This year ended with an injury, and there is a possibility Pittsburgh could get some young pieces for the farm for Keller. 

These moves aren’t massive, but I think if the Pirates make these moves, the pitching rotation will be better and hopefully more consistent in the 2027 season.    

The Royals are riding high after their 11th win in the last 12 games, writes Jaylon Thompson.

“I’m proud of them, and they have turned the page,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro told reporters in Cleveland.

“We talked about it a lot: Even when we were losing a lot of games, the resolve, the attitude, the commitment to work and the energy was never wavering. “So now they are getting rewarded with some wins, and it feels good. And there is baseball left to be played and this is a crazy game. A lot of things happened over the course of the history of baseball. So you’ve got to keep believing.”

Michael Wacha was brilliant in the win over Cleveland, writes Anne Rogers.

While Kansas City’s offense wasn’t able to do much for most of the evening, the game’s first run was generated on a Bobby Witt Jr. masterclass in the fifth inning, while Michael Wacha made it stand up with eight scoreless innings and a season-high 10 strikeouts as the Royals won for the 10th time in 11 games.

“That’s probably the best we’ve seen [Wacha] all season,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “What impressed me the most was that he threw so many strikes.”

Philip Ruo at Royals Keep thinks its time to consider a Jac Caglianone contract extension.

If the Royals do intend to secure Caglianone long-term, a deal would likely fall into a deal similar to Garcia’s with a few more years since Caglianone is earlier in his career. A seven-year contract would take away two years of free agency, end after his age-30 season, and also remove two seasons where he would be making the league-minimum salary. 

A structure that makes sense could be similar to Tyler Soderstrom’s contract, which was for seven years and $86 million with a $27 million club option for the eighth season. Soderstrom has seen a similar path as Caglianone; both were drafted out of high school and struggled in their first season in the majors. Soderstrom was also at the same age when he signed his extension, entering his age-24 season. With Soderstrom playing first base, his valuation could work as a baseline for Caglianone’s expected average annual value.

David Lesky recaps Thursday’s rout over the Blue Jays.

How the community benefits agreement for the downtown ballpark stacks up.

Local leaders seem to be preparing for a vote on the ballpark.

Tarik Skubal is emotional in his return to Detroit.

One out away from losing, Edmundo Sosa hits a pinch-hit grand slam to give the Phillies a win.

The Rays become the first American League team to reach 80 wins.

Top prospects who could be called up in September.

Nico Hoerner had a unique path to stardom with the Cubs.

MLB proposes setting rosters on a weekly basis.

Byron Buxton may need offseason hip surgery.

Who is in the AL Rookie of the Year race?

MLB suspends a Dominican prospect over age fraud.

The Rays will break ground on a new stadium in September.

Larry Christenson, who faced the Royals in the 1980 World Series, dies at age 72.

Former Expos broadcaster Jacques Doucet dies at age 86.

Cale Makar agrees to an extension with the Avalanche that will make him the highest-paid player in the NHL.

The Chiefs will start making final roster cuts by Sunday.

After Meta settles an $18 billion lawsuit over social media addiction, are YouTube and TikTok next?

It was a long road for Coyote vs. Acme to make it to theaters.

KFC and Oreo launch fried-chicken flavored cookies in China.

Your song of the day is King Crimson with 21st Century Schizoid Man.

Thankfully, on this night, there was no rain around, meaning teams could actually play in their games. Here is how the kids did.

Lehigh Valley 6, Syracuse 4

Robert Moore, you glorious man. Having himself a night, Moore went 3 for 3, blasting two home runs to lead the IronPigs to a victory, including this walk off two-run blast.

That’s the kind of home run you remember for a while if you’re Robert Moore.

The rest of the offense was nonexistent as they had three hits between them, but it didn’t matter. Moore was the leader and gave them the win.

Binghamton 5, Reading 1

Gage Wood night wasn’t exactly a night to remember. The team’s top prospect struggled a bit, giving up five runs in five innings, allowing a home run in the process. He did strike out seven and only walk one, so there is some silver lining to the start. In the process, he did generate 22 whiffs so the stuff was fine; it’s the results that were worrisome. The rest of the team had a hard time as well, the offense collecting only three hits on the night. The best one was an RBI double by Carson DeMartini that scored Aroon Escobar as the only run of the game.

Wilmington 8, Jersey Shore 1
Wilmington 11, Jersey Shore 2

I think with a lot of these players on the BlueClaws, you’re starting to see the effects of a long season coming up. Playing a doubleheader to make up for the rain postponement on Thursday, the team scored three runs in total. In game one, there was only three hits (is this a theme?) gathered by the team while the pitching struggled. In game two, the offense was a little better where they had eight hits, but it only amounted to two runs. A lot of them were singles in both games, so it’s not like someone had a standout affair that we can point to. Daunte Stuart had three hits between the two games! As far as pitching, there wasn’t much to speak of. Giuseppe Velasquez had three innings of scoreless relief in game two, but the rest of the arms? Completely meh.

Clearwater 8, Lakeland 6

Cade Climie, you can join Robert Moore in having yourself a night. Leading the offense on the evening, Climie went 3 for 4 with a home run and six RBI! You may not know who he is, so some background. An undrafted free agent, Climie took advantage of the MLB Draft League to get himself noticed.

Since signing with the Phillies, Climie has hit well, bringing his line on the season average up to .275, but with an OPS under .700. He may not come to much, but it’s nice that baseball can still produce a few good stories of players.

As far as other players on the night, Macon Winslow had three hits for the Threshers, two of them doubles, and an RBI.

Triple-A: Durham (Rays) 7, Norfolk Tides 0

The Tides mustered a whopping three hits and one walk in this game. That’s a tough way to win. Enrique Bradfield Jr., Creed Willems, and Brandon Butterworth all took 0-fors in the game. Heston Kjerstad pinch hit in the ninth inning and hit a double. He’s OPSing .790 at the level this year.

Norfolk’s starter, Trace Bright, had a “could have been better, could have been worse” kind of outing, with three runs surrendered in 5.1 innings. Bright walked none and struck out seven; he’s got a 1-10 record this year and a 7.29 ERA, so it’s not exactly Shane Baz bad luck territory. What really kicked the game out of reach – unfortunately for prospect-watchers – is that Luis De León gave up three runs while failing to finish one inning worth of relief.

Box score.

Double-A: Chesapeake Baysox 9, Harrisburg (Nationals) 7 – 10 innings

This is a dispatch from the alternate universe that poses an affirmative answer to the question, “What if it turned out that Vance Honeycutt was good?” The outfielder who was bumped up to this level almost out of desperation to do something with him collected four hits, all for extra bases: Two doubles, a triple, and his first Double-A homer. The home run was a two-run shot that put the Baysox on top in extra frames. I’m not believing it means anything. I’m just saying it happened.

Chesapeake’s starting pitcher was JT Quinn. He labored through a four-inning outing, 82 pitches and only 46 thrown for strikes. That led to him giving up five walks and four hits, with three runs allowed (two earned). Quinn did leave the game with a lead thanks to some early Baysox scoring. They fell behind for a while, tied it up in the eighth, then got the winning runs in the tenth. Reliever Micah Ashman finished the game off pitching the ninth and tenth. Things got interesting in the bottom of the tenth as the Senators had the bases loaded when the game ended. However, they scored the Manfred Man and nobody else, so they lost.

Box score.

High-A: Frederick Keys 4, Asheville (Astros) 2

Incredibly efficient scoring from the Keys here, as they were able to turn five hits into four runs. They helped themselves by drawing five walks and stealing four bases, and their opponent helped them by committing a pair of errors that led to a pair of unearned runs.

Jaiden Lo Re is at this level now! Let’s just say he’s still adjusting. He took an 0-4 in this game and is hitting .091 through his first few games. Recent trade acquisition Enddy Azocar had a single in four at-bats; he’s batting .341/.382/.585 in 20 games since joining the Keys. Pretty good for a 19-year-old.

Shoutout to Keys starting pitcher Stephen Still, not one of the top prospects I pay attention to around here since he’s 24 at High-A. Still struck out ten batters in 6.2 innings in the game. A good outing! Through five games at this level, he’s sporting a 3.42 ERA and 0.95 WHIP.

Box score.

Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 4, Fredericksburg (Nationals) 2

In the comments yesterday, someone asked, “Does Delmarva ever win?” Not usually! But sometimes, they do. They tied the game in the seventh inning and took the lead in the eighth and held on even though Fredericksburg managed to get the tying run on base with only one out. They were able to do this even though they mustered just 1-13 hitting with runners in scoring position.

Shorebirds batters drew eight walks in the game. Serving as the DH, this year’s fifth round pick, Jimmy Anderson, was on base all four times, drawing three of those walks with a double on top of that. Outfielder Jhomnardo Reyes drew a walk but was hitless in his three at-bats.

Box score.

Saturday’s Scheduled Games

• Norfolk: at Durham, 6:45. Starter: TBD
• Chesapeake: at Harrisburg, 6:00. Starter: Patrick Reilly
• Frederick: vs. Asheville, 6:00. Starter: Twine Palmer
• Delmarva: vs. Fredericksburg, 7:05. Starter Collin McKinney

Hello friends and happy Saturday!

It was a sad Friday night for the M’s, who dropped the first game to the Blue Jays by an 8-1 final. We don’t need to dwell on this one too much.

Let’s get you caught up on the rest of the happenings from around baseball.

In Mariners news…

• In case you missed it, the Mariners have decided to temporarily shift Bryce Miller to the bullpen.
• A 1-of-1 Mariners Jimothy card could sell for enough money to fund one kid’s college tuition, writes Sofia Schwarzwalder at The Seattle Times.

Around the league…

• Atlanta right-handers Hurston Waldrep and Spencer Schwellenbach will each undergo season-ending elbow surery.
• The Rays have cleared another hurdle in the process of getting a new stadium built in Tampa, with the Hillsborough County Commission voting in favor.
• Major League Baseball has suspended Guardians would-be prospect “David Severino” for lying about his name and age.
• Chris Black attempted to diagnose what has gone wrong with Jays star Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. this year.
• Michael Clair profiled Giaconino Lasaracina and Giacomo Taschin, the first-ever Italian-born professional battery trying to make a name for themselves in the Blue Jays organization.
• Russell Dorsey at Yahoo! Sports talked to players around the game about how pitch calling is a dying — or maybe evolving — art with many coaches now calling games from the dugout.

Anders’ pick…

• Elizabeth Merrill and David Purdum at ESPN wrote about the harrowing dangers of gambling addiction from the perspective of one family who’s college-aged son was consumed by it.

The cosmic irony is far from lost on me that I got comfortable with this team and then it has largely struggled since. This is just the second Cubs loss all year in which they scored eight runs. They’ve lost three times when they’ve scored seven. All of that underscores just how bad their pitching has been at times. This offense is just too good to lose when it scores that many runs. It didn’t start out that way though. Through three innings, this felt like it could be an easy win.

3-0 after three. Then they allowed nine unanswered runs over the next four innings and that turned out to be the game. They did come off the mat with five runs of their own to make it close. But they just couldn’t get back over the hump. I wrote in my preview that Rhett Lowder was having a rough year and they did well enough against him. I noted that you could get to their bullpen and that was true. I didn’t comment on the Reds offense, but there wasn’t anything I would have seen there that would suggest this. This was just the ninth double-digit scoring game of the year for them.

Curiously, the Reds have won just five of their last 14 games. But their last three wins have all come in games that they’ve scored 10 or more runs. They did have a loss in there where they scored nine. But it’s not like they’ve unlocked something. In the losses are three shutouts, and three games where they scored one. It’s interesting because it is something I’ve talked about with Cub results. That is just how stratified the results can be at times. I lived through the 90’s and I didn’t need a mountain of stats to perceive that scoring had increased significantly. I would not like that data from someone who manipulates data better than me. I don’t know that I’m right, but I perceive that there are more “outlier” results. In turn making them less outlier and more a part of a homogenous data set.

I feel pretty comfortable saying that the Cubs are scoring more, more often. Yes, this is one of the highest scoring Cub teams of our lifetimes. But it just feels parabolic or something. Like the numbers in the middle of the bell curve are normal but at the outside, the slope is steeper. Obviously, the stand out part of the data set are the multi-inning games against position players. I don’t remember ever seeing that before and I feel like we’ve seen that a small handful of times. But I don’t think it’s just that.

It’s not hard to imagine that if my perception is correct that it correlates with the way the best pitchers are used on teams. I’d construct the argument that some teams pack it in at times. But then, the exhibit in front of us is the Cubs allowing 10 runs. There wasn’t any point in time where the Cubs let go of the rope. So maybe I’m not right.

Whether that theory is right or wrong, I think the second theory almost certainly has truth to it. We saw it play out in Arizona. I think teams have become very sophisticated at picking up a whole host of tells. I don’t think many of the teams would ever be honest with you. But it’s not hard to imagine when we see runs so often clustering. The scoring in baseball is more and more becoming peaks and valleys. I posit that hitting has become immensely difficult on the whole. I think the vast majority of pitchers are fairly unreachable by all but the best players when they execute.

But again, it’s not hard to imagine that players who are looking at their tablets over and over through a game are increasingly adept at picking up on things that clue in to what pitchers are doing. And of course, it isn’t just players. There are coaches and team personnel also watching all of this. I imagine there are vast assortments of observations being made, ranging all of the way from visual things to running pitch sequencing through spreadsheets and finding tendencies. What may seem random or matchup dictated may at times be extremely predictable. We are talking about guys who got where they did largely by being able to pick up on the way the stitches on a baseball are moving and what that tells them about the pitch type and location.

I’m reminded of one of my friends back when I was playing poker multiple days every week years ago. We used to joke about having one of those fancy tables with the hole camera that shows what the cards were. It was always a joke, but he was quick to say that he’d never play again if we put them in. He was a financial analyst and he recognized a fool’s bet. He correctly identified that I would have been studying footage endlessly. I had a mind that could remember specific hands I’d played against people and how they played out and could predict ranges of behavior.

I did it all with a good memory and a controlled group of guys I played against. And I was either a rookie league player or Low-A player compared to these guys. The most sophisticated players ever to play the game. Paired with state of the art technology and state of the art statistical nerds. I’d wager that way more than half the time that your favorite pitcher gets hammered that the team has picked up on something.

Again, not hard to imagine. We are already seeing at least one team working to counter some of those effects. It doesn’t get talked about a ton, but the Rays almost always set their catcher up center cut on the strike zone. Anthony Rizzo and David Ross just talked about this on their most recent podcast. Rizzo talked about always having someone in the dugout make noise if the catcher set up early inside. These guys are doing anything they can to try to simplify the task of hitting. We’ve all known for years that they will know immediately if, for instance, your sweeper is never a strike. Then they know when they pick up that rotation to just let it go. It narrows things down.

These are the things I think about on a day when there is a five-run inning one way and then a four -un inning the other way. Without those innings, this was a 5-4 game. Ho hum. Trent Thornton has been so good. But boy, did it go bad on him in a hurry. Four hits and two homers in seven batters. His ERA jumped from 2.32 to 3.32 in one outing. This is just the fifth time in his career that he’s allowed five runs in an outing. The last was June of last year, while pitching for the Mariners.

Things I think about.

Three Positives:

• Seiya Suzuki had three hits, two of them doubles. He drove in two and scored two more.
• Michael Busch had a two-run homer and a walk.
• Matt Shaw made his return with a double in his only plate appearance.

Game 135, August 28: Reds 10, Cubs 8 (76-59)

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

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Seiya Suzuki (.143). 3-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R
• Hero: Matt Shaw (.107). 1-1, 2B, R
• Sidekick: David Peterson (.085). 5 IP, 24 BF, 6 H, 3 BB, 2 R, 6 K

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Trent Thornton (-.569). 0.2 IP, 7 BF, 4 H, BB, 5 R (L 5-5)
• Goat: Carson Kelly (-.119). 0-3, BB, R
• Kid: Daniel Palencia (-.070). IP, H, R, 2 K

Note: Thornton looks in the early numbers like he’ll register the third worst WPA score of the year. The three worst scores have now happened in an eight-day period (seven games).

WPA Play of the Game: Tyler Stephenson’s three-run homer off of Trent Thornton. (.246)

Cubs Play of the Game: Michael Busch’s two-run homer in the third. (.162)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 134 Winner: Matthew Boyd received 43 of 45 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.

• Pete Crow-Armstrong +26
• Alex Bregman +20
• Ben Brown +13.5
• Javier Assad +12
• Shōta Imanaga +11
• Edward Cabrera -12.5
• Jameson Taillon -13
• Nico Hoerner -14
• Dansby Swanson -17
• Caleb Thielbar -18.5

Note: A Rizzo Award oddity for August. Not one, but two players leaving the top five in one night (Kelly and Thornton). At the same time, Seiya gives himself a gap (4.5) from the bottom five.

Scoreboard Watching: Diamondbacks win (4.5 back of Cubs). Dodgers win (5 up). Padres lose (4 back). Braves win (4 up). Brewers win (8 up). Phillies win (1 back). You really wanted to crush this series, it only gets harder after this series.

Up Next: Game two of this three game set and this 13 straight game stretch. They are 0-1 for both. Kevin Gausman (7-11, 4.37) goes for the Cubs. He moves up one spot in the rotation with the off day. Kevin is 2-1 with a 4.30 as a Cub, coming off of seven scoreless in Arizona. It’s been more than two years since he started against the Reds.

Lefty Andrew Abbott starts for the Reds. Abbott is 6-9 with a 4.15. He’s fairly consistent, checking in at 1-4 with a 4.24 over his last seven starts. His last start was also against the Diamondbacks. He allowed four runs over six and lost. Two starts against the Cubs this year, vastly different. 5.2 scoreless and four runs in four innings. He didn’t factor in the decision in either.

This is a game on paper where you look to stay close and win late. That’s exactly how the two prior Abbott starts went.

After looking shaky and antsy in his first three starts as a big leaguer, Jackson Kent truly put himself on the map last night. Outside of Cade Cavalli and Foster Griffin, who have combined for 28 quality starts, great pitching performances have been hard to come by for the Nats. However, Kent did exactly that, delivering a marvelous performance when his team needed it most.

I want to break down what he did to have success and talk about Kent’s future. Before he debuted, Kent was seen as a lefty with an advanced feel to pitch and a great changeup. In his first three outings, we saw the changeup, but his command was very shaky. Despite walking 4 hitters, Kent showed much improved command.

He was consistently on the attack and never had that super long inning. Kent was not blowing away Marlins hitters, but he excelled at keeping the ball off the barrel. He got 12 ground outs last night, which is a big reason he was able to go so deep in the game. 

Sitting up in the press box, it was surprising to see how long Blake Butera was willing to let his rookie go. With a taxed bullpen and Kent looking good, the decision made sense, but it is not what we typically see from Butera. He lets the likes of Cade Cavalli and Foster Griffin go deep, but otherwise, he has a pretty tight leash. 

Butera said after the game he thought that going into the 7th would be a good learning experience for Kent. He also noted that Kent’s stuff was still there and that played a factor in his decision making. Even as Kent got back his season high in pitch count, he was still up to 94.5 MPH in the 7th inning. In the end, Kent went 106 pitches in his 7 frames.

One thing I saw from Kent that intrigued me as well was a slight tweak in pitch usage. Despite being known for his changeup, we actually saw less of the pitch from his last night. We saw more curveballs and sinkers tonight, and that worked very well. His curveball was particularly impressive, getting a couple massive strikeouts on the pitch.

Seeing a young pitcher adapt and learn as he is tested in the big leagues for the first time is very interesting to see. Kent is not a pitcher with elite stuff, so he will have to get by on feel and gameplanning. He had a very good plan for a pesky Marlins lineup last night. Kent knew they were not going to strike out much, so he tried to coax ground balls out of them with his sinker and curveball. This plan worked like a charm.

When I asked Kent what the biggest difference was in this outing, he said it was being in the zone and getting ahead of hitters. Last night, Kent was pounding the zone with his fastball and sinker before trying to get guys to expand with his secondary pitches. This is a recipe that I think will work for Kent moving forward, but he will still need to limit the walks a bit more.

I am very excited to see what this 23 year old can do the rest of the season. September is like an audition heading into next season for the lefty. He struggled early in his big league career, but last night was a massive step in the right direction. Kent showed he can go deep in games, get out of jams and reward his manager’s faith. Blake Butera pushed Kent to a shocking degree, and it paid off. That is something that will stick with the skipper.

The way they have pushed Kent through the minors and even pushed him through this start shows the amount of faith the organization has in him. They seem to view him as a long term rotation piece, and it is easy to see why. He is a crafty lefty with a deep mix, solid stuff and has flashed good command.

Kent is still far from a finished product. He still needs to find a mix that can consistently work in the big leagues. Kent is not getting the same amount of chase or whiff he got in the minors and that is resulting in a lot of walks. Each time he takes the mound, it does feel like he is learning something new and getting a little bit better though.

As we enter the final month of play, the Nats are out of the playoff race, but there is still a lot to play for, especially for rookies like Kent. He still has a long way to go if he wants to lock down a rotation spot for next year, but last night was a huge step in the right direction.