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On Friday, the Cardinals made a late-night comeback thanks to a 3-run homer by Ivan Herrera in the 9th inning that put the Cardinals up a run. That did not end up being the story of the game however. The story of the game happened a few innings earlier when some of the most egregiously bad umpiring I’ve personally ever witnessed nearly led to a Cardinals loss. I can’t claim that without the Herrera home run the Cardinals would have lost because of the umpiring. It definitely led to a run the Rockies wouldn’t have otherwise scored, but they did score another run after the bad call and there wasn’t two outs when the call was made. Thankfully, we don’t have to speculate, because Ivan Herrera made it irrelevant.

The win softened my anger towards the situation. I think I might still be angry about it if the Cardinals didn’t win that game. If I actually stop and think about what happened and that there will be no real consequences for what happened, then I get incredibly frustrated all over again. I think this might cost the crew a playoff appointment, but that’s not a punishment. Not getting a reward is not the same thing as a punishment.

And because this has made national news and because I do consider this a big deal, I wanted a history of what happened on this site. I think an article detailing what happened will hopefully be informative to people who didn’t get to see what happened for starters. And the sites I’ve seen cover this have either glossed over things or neglected part of the story. I wanted to take a crack at it.

CALL IS CONFIRMED

Our story begins in the top of the 6th. Coming back from the injured list, Andre Pallante threw just 5 innings, although he was efficient. His pitch limit just happened to be 75 pitches. The Cardinals, with a tired bullpen, turned to rookie Hancel Rincon. He had been called up earlier in the week, but manager Oliver Marmol had been reluctant to use him in tight games against the Dodgers. And no disrespect to Rincon, but that reluctance was justified by how he pitched in his first two games, albeit Coors Field is a hard place to debut as a pitcher. Not sure the Dodgers lineup would have been much easier.

Hunter Goodman hit a weak lineout to secure his first out. Good start. TJ Rumfield then hit a ball off the wall that is a homer in 28 parks, but not Coors Field. Jordan Walker misplayed it into a triple, but nearly recovered well enough to throw out the runner at 3rd base. Contrary to what many people think, the runner was safe even if Nolan Gorman never dropped the ball. But Gorman dropped the ball upon hitting the runner. For some reason, Marmol challenged this. Maybe it was a desperate attempt to get a rookie a second out and also just the cool factor if Walker actually pulled off the play.

You can hear the start of the Rockies announcers being kind of surprised at Doug Eddings’ tone in announcing that the call was confirmed. This obviously isn’t a big deal, but I do think it is part of the story. I’ll share the rest of the Rockies’ announcers reaction to his call, because they almost react to Eddings’ call as if they were Cardinals’ announcers. But they’re homers on the other side. They noticed how he announced that the call was confirmed.

Also I have to share this because it is VERY relevant to what happens later, because the Cardinals no longer had a challenge. Doug Eddings knows the Cardinals no longer have a challenge.

“Not on my field”

Here’s where Doug Eddings loses quite a bit of his nonexistent credibility. His excuse in Derrick Goold’s piece was that Hunter Goodman asked him if Rincon was allowed to wear his hat like that. That just does not feel like something an MLB player would say. Obviously he is allowed if you’ve watched baseball in the last two decades. Goodman has faced Sonny Gray before and I think he’s watched baseball growing up, and it’s a thing you see all the time. That, however, is not why Eddings loses credibility.

It’s because he didn’t ask Rincon to fix his hat when Goodman was batting. He didn’t ask him when the next batter, TJ Rumfield, was up either. After the triple and the missed challenge, Rincon threw a wild pitch that allowed Rumfield to score. He then threw another ball to make it 2-0. It was at this point that Eddings requested Rincon straighten his hat, which he did without complaint. Can you explain to me, in Doug Eddings version, why he would wait two batters to ask him to straighten his cap? Wouldn’t you ask immediately?

Oh and this is to say nothing of the absurdity of just granting Goodman’s request because he asked. Yes, I’m sure power hungry Doug Eddings is going to do what a player asks, sure, makes sense. Rincon then gives up an inside-the-park homer to Cole Carrig thanks to a misplay by Nathan Church and Joshua Baez not backing up the play – it was a real team effort in awful outfield defense that inning. Connor Norby then hit a very weak bloop single and Marmol really wanted to win the game, so he took Rincon out.

And while Justin Bruhl was warming up, Marmol argued with Eddings about the hat situation. Marmol was not a fan of that exchange, we’ll say. Marmol walks back to the dugout, Edding is not even in position to call balls or strikes, and he gleefully called a pitch clock violation on Bruhl – who was not capable of pitching because Eddings wasn’t even behind the plate. Pretty sure he had no grounds to call a pitch clock violation. I would go point-by-point and share the video of each point I’ve made in this section, but Twitter user Umpire Auditor covers all of this in a one-minute video if you’re interested in watching.

I would share the MLB official video, but the Film Room contains an 8 second video just telling you that the Cardinals got a pitch clock violation with no context. After the pitch clock violation, Marmol got himself thrown out. There will presumably be a Jomboy video that I expect to be 5+ minutes long that should give us the back-and-forth, but needless to say, Marmol’s message to Eddings was clear: “Grow the f—k up.” If I could condense everything he said to Eddings to encapsulate his message, those four words would be it.

Terrible call

Hampered with a 1-0 count through no fault of his own, Bruhl managed to throw two strikes to make it a 1-2 count on Troy Johnston. Unfortunately, Bruhl allowed a very Coors double to Troy Johnston and then a line drive single to Adeal Amador. That tied the game at 4-4 and runners were still at 1st and 3rd with one out. Zac Veen attempted a bunt, but it was perfectly played by Bruhl who used his glove to toss the ball to a waiting Leonardo Bernal, who barely had to move his glove when Johnston’s hand went directly into Bernal’s glove, well before he ever touched home plate. I actually don’t know if he even touched home plate to be honest. You be the judge.

Johnston literally walked towards the dugout mouthing he was out. It was the easiest call an umpire will ever make. Doug Eddings was in perfect position to see it. I don’t think Doug Eddings is literally blind, but him being literally blind is the best case scenario for Doug Eddings. Because if he’s not blind, he probably could see perfectly well that he was out. But he had made up his mind that he was going to call him safe. That part is true no matter what. Even if his brain convinced him he was actually safe, he 100 percent had made up his mind that he was going to be safe before the play even happened. It was that bad of a call.

In fact, Doug Eddings has only himself to blame if he gets offended that we think he called him safe even though he knew he was out. He provided us with a preponderance of evidence. If this were a court room, I think just about any jury would convict him. The weird, emphatic “confirmed” call that began the entire inning, him telling a player he needed to straighten his hat and then lying about the reason why he did that, the bogus pitch clock violation and ejection of Marmol – it’s an embarrassment of riches. He made it nearly impossible to come to any other conclusion.

Aftermath

Like I said, I think the fact the Cardinals ended up winning the game soothed tensions. I think we may have gotten a very different reaction from Oliver Marmol and the players had the Cardinals lost. But since they won, they were more subdued. Even so, Marmol did not hold back in his postgame interview.

The team rallied around Rincon. The next time they took the field, every player had their cap tilted to the side during warmups. And according to the Cardinals broadcast, manager Warren Sheaffer and Rockies players were none too happy that Eddings threw Goodman under the bus. It’s not shown in the following clip, but apparently some Rockies participated in the protest too.

How bad of an umpire do you have to be to piss off both teams with your actions? And I’ll go one further. This was such unfathomably bad umpiring that I have seen Cubs fans comment in support of the Cardinals. In the heat of the moment, I tweeted that Doug Eddings purposefully made the wrong call and I got 2,600 likes. I do not have that many followers. The likes were from every conceivable fanbase you can imagine: at a glance, I saw Cubs, Phillies, Jays, Guardians, Padres, Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles, and Twins and there’s probably more but not everyone lists their fanbase in their profile or name and I stopped halfway through.

Let me reiterate my point one more time: that was a call so bad that rivals of the Cardinals agreed that an umpire purposefully made the wrong call to spite the Cardinals. I didn’t get called biased once. One person asked how I knew that. That is literally the extent of the pushback I got for claiming that an umpire made the wrong call on purpose. There aren’t enough words in the world to properly express how insane that is.

Doug Eddings apologized to Hancel Rincon because he had to basically. Eddings was told by MLB that he went too far according to Ken Rosenthal. Prior to the apology of course. And again aside from not being invited to the playoffs, which is the literal bare minimum of “consequences,” he will otherwise face zero repercussions for this. In the meantime, this is the kind of thing that rallies a team together and while it’s probably too late, let’s hope it fuels them to a playoff appearance.

Happy Labor Day, San Francisco Giants fans. On account of the holiday, the usual weekend Minor League Baseball roundup will have to wait until Tuesday, instead of going up today. But, since there’s not much to talk about with the big league team, it seemed like I should give you a sneak peak today.

Jackson Flora, the NorCal born and raised Giants fan that the team took with the fourth overall pick in July, made his professional debut on Friday for Low-A San Jose. It went fairly swimmingly, as Flora struck out two batters in a scoreless first inning, albeit with a hit and a walk.

That will go down as Flora’s only official appearance this year, as the Low-A and High-A seasons ended on Sunday. But we’ll likely see him pitch again sometime this week in the postseason.

The future is bright. Which is great, because the present sure as heck isn’t.

Speaking of the present, here’s what’s on tap for the week: the Giants kick off a six-game home stand tonight with a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals, followed by three against the San Diego Padres, with a Thursday off-day thrown in there.

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants are Cardinals play holiday baseball at 5:10 p.m. PT tonight.

Most fans don’t recognize his name, but Fred Ocasio has been a mainstay with the Colorado Rockies since 1998, working entirely in the lower minors. His résumé is extensive.

He began as a hitting coach with the AZL Rockies in Tucson before moving to the High-A Salem Avalanche for a year. He then moved back to the west coast as a hitting coach for the Short-Season Tri-City Dust Devils before taking over as manager in 2006. Ocasio managed the Dust Devils through the 2012 season, and then went back to the East Coast ahead of the 2013 season, where he then managed the Low-A Asheville Tourists for two years before Warren Schaeffer took over in 2015.

In 2015, Ocasio moved up to manage the Modesto Nuts and then the Lancaster JetHawks. However, from 2019-2021, he took a step back from coaching and served as a supervisor for the Spokane Indians, where he basically oversaw the coaching staff to make sure everything was running smoothly.

But the in 2022 season, the manager spot opened up for the Arizona Complex League. Ocasio threw his hat in the ring and got the job, where he has been since.

Early roles

Ocasio didn’t always have dreams of being a coach, but he knew it was something he could pivot to if his own professional career didn’t pan out. He played just 41 games in the minors before moving into coaching.

“I played a couple of years in the minor leagues, and then what made me pivot was that I was not good enough to continue playing,” he said.

“So the Rockies gave me a chance to be a coach in 1998. When I left college and signed as a free agent, I always had the dream that I was going to be a big leaguer, but I was realistic. I’d seen other guys play, and I was like, ‘Well, I’m not as good as those guys.’ I wanted to play Minor League Baseball just to get the experience and hopefully down the road, it would help me get a coaching job. And eventually that’s what happened.”

He started his coaching career as a hitting coach before moving into a managerial role, but he enjoyed aspects of both roles.

“As a hitting coach, my favorite part is obviously getting to work with the position players – the work that you do in the cages, the day in and day out work with them, watching them in the game and seeing how they improve throughout the year. That’s always been my favorite,” he said.

“The most important thing – and one of the things that I love watching – is when you get a kid, and he gets here, and he’s at one point in his career, and then you see him by the end of the season, you see all of the improvements he’s made. That’s always good to see. But then as a manager, it’s a little bit more because now you work with the pitchers, the hitters and the catchers. Obviously, creating relationships with all the players and getting to know them is the main thing with these guys.”

Building relationships is Ocasio’s MO, something he truly enjoys, and he makes sure to find commonalities with his players as quickly as possible.

“I always try to pick something that I think they like, or I ask questions,” he said. “It could be what college they come from, and then I could go, ‘Well, I played at Oklahoma State,’ and we go from there. It could be fantasy football. It could be golf. I always try to get something. I try to find out what kind of stuff they like and then if it’s something that I like too, we’ll go from there.”

But he also knows the importance of learning about their families, especially because for many of his players, this is their first time playing professional baseball or even being in the United States. For players to feel comfortable and play hard, they need to know how much their coaches care.

“I like to create relationships with the players because they want to know that you care for them,” he said.

“And then once you do that, once they see that, they’ll play for you. They’ll play hard, and obviously that’s something that I like to do. I like to make sure that the players feel comfortable around me, and I joke around with them. If I need to be hard on them, I’m hard on them. But I like to joke around with them, and I like to create those relationships so that they know, ‘Hey, this guy cares about me.’”

Setting the foundation

Ocasio returned to rookie ball in 2022, where he has stayed. Since then, the ACL Rockies have finished in the Top 4 three separate times, including their win in 2026, and made the playoffs in four of his five seasons. Additionally, Ocasio has won Manager of the Year twice in his five seasons. (More on that later.)

But he loves working with rookies because “the players are eager to learn.”

“They want to work, and when you get these young kids and they start the season (in one place) and by the end of the season – or maybe by the end of spring training when you see them again – you see an improvement,” he continued. “You say, ‘Wow, remember that kid when he came here? He was just 17 or 18 years old and he couldn’t do this or he did that, but look at how much better he’s doing it now.’ And just their growth and how you can see them grow as a professional baseball player and as a human being — just knowing that they’re getting better and seeing how they’re growing.”

And the ACL specifically is unique because he is not only helping players adjust to playing professional baseball, but also helping many of them adjust to living in the United States.

“That’s one of the main things, with me being bilingual and these kids coming from Puerto Rico, the Dominican (Republic), Venezuela, Mexico – all of these Spanish-speaking countries,” he said. “And then I go down to the Dominican – we have the academy down there – twice a year. Sometimes I just go once a year, but I go down there, get to know them, and talk to them – especially the ones I know who are coming over here.”

Once they get stateside, he makes sure to know that he’s got their backs.

“I stay in the hotel where they stay so I always tell them, ‘Look, this is my phone number. Call me at any time with whatever. If you need to go to the grocery store, I’ll take you to the grocery store. If you need to go to the bank, if something happens in the room and you need my help in the lobby, just give me a call,” he said. “Obviously you do stuff at the fields – you manage and you help them on the field – but off the field, I always want to make sure that they know I’m here for whatever they need.”

Additionally, similar to Triple-A, the ACL sees a lot of players making appearances in addition to their regular roster. This year in particular, Jared Thomas and Griffin Herring made rehab assignments in the ACL, while Jordan Romano made a few starts after he was signed to a minor league deal just to get him acclimated to the new organization.

So that’s something that Ocasio and his staff balance throughout the season.

“We work around everybody,” he said. “We have our schedule that we do with the ACL team and a lot of these rehab (assignments), when they come in town – depending where they are in their rehab – they join the team.

“So they practice with the team,” Ocasio continued. “Some of the kids that are not ready to practice are doing more training room stuff, or maybe they’re not ready to practice with the team, but they need flips in the cages or extra ground balls. We’ve got a few coaches down here, so we always have somebody to either throw extra BP or hit extra ground balls, or just be there for those rehabs that come. But most of the time, once they’re ready to start playing the game, they just incorporate with the team.”

One shining moment

This year was special for Ocasio and his team because they won the ACL and took home hardware for their coaching efforts.

“It was very nice,” Ocasio said of the win.

“Winning a championship is not easy, no matter what league it is, and for this team to be able to play the way they played this year and were able to finish and actually win the championship was awesome. I was telling them from day one, ‘Hey, this is the group that is going to do it.’ And they believed, and they worked hard, and they got it done.”

He also gave credit to his staff for their help along the way.

“It felt good. It’s obviously always good and it feels good to be named Manager of the Year,” he said, “but one thing I told the group here with the Rockies and the ACL is that for me, I feel it shouldn’t be Manager of the Year. It should be Staff of the Year because I was the manager here, but we had some hitting coaches, we had some pitching coaches and catching coaches. It was a group thing, we all did it together. We all worked hard every day to get these players better and work with them. So I was named Manager of the Year, but for me, it’s Staff of the Year.”

The friends made along the way

Ocasio has had a long tenure with the Rockies and has coached many players including Juan Uribe and Matt Holliday. But he also coached another notable Rockie: current manager Warren Schaeffer.

“I was the manager in Tri-City and Schaeffer was drafted that year,” Ocasio recalled. “He came first actually to Tri-City, back when we had those two teams – Tri-City and Casper in the short season. So when he got drafted, they sent him to Tri-City. He was going to be with that team, and I don’t remember if it was one or two practices that he was there. We were doing a mini camp, and then something happened in Casper where I got a call saying, ‘We need a shortstop. We need somebody that can play defense.’ And I said, ‘Well, Schaeffer’s your guy.’ So the he ended up going to Casper and starting his career in Casper as a baseball player.”

Schaeffer remembered it a little bit differently.

“When I first got drafted in ‘07, I went to Tri-City not knowing what to expect. He was the manager there. I was there for, like, four days, and Freddie shipped me out to Casper,” Schaeffer recalled. “We still joke about that today — he needed some guys that could hit, so he shipped me out. But Freddie’s the best. I mean, he’s literally the best. He wins everywhere he’s at. He finds a great atmosphere. He’s so much fun to be around. Everybody jokes with him. He’s a really, really good baseball man. Freddie’s just a Rockies staple.”

And Schaeffer remembers his time with Ocasio fondly.

“He’s just the same guy every day,” he said. “He’s never in a bad mood. He’s always for the player. He likes to have a good time. Everybody’s unique in how they coach and how they manage, and Freddie’s definitely unique.”

Ocasio is also proud of how Schaeffer worked his way up the Rockies’ system.

“It’s awesome to watch him (manage the Rockies). He’s a very, very good baseball person and an awesome human being,” he said.

But Schaeffer made sure to emphasize one thing: The importance of having your best teachers in the lower levels to set a foundation for the rest of an organization.

“Well, it’s been an age-old debate,” he said. “Since I’ve been coaching – especially in a development-centered organization like ours – a lot of people always say that you want to have your best teachers in the lower levels and pay them more than anybody else because when you’re coming in and the guys are freshly getting drafted or getting onboarded with what we’re trying to do, it’s a daily grind. It’s a process everywhere you’re at – High-A, Low-A, Double-A, Triple-A. It’s a daily grind, but it’s all different. And to have guys like that, like Freddie, who are great teachers at that level and they are persistent and keep doing every day.

“It’s ultra important.”

On the Farm

Triple-A:Albuquerque Isotopes 10, Tacoma Rainiers 6

Charlie Condon (No. 2 PuRP) was a one-man wrecking crew for the Isotopes today, scoring nine of their 10 runs. Oh, and he also hit two grand slams — one in the third inning and another in the eighth. His other RBI came off a double in the fourth inning, and the 10th RBI came from Sterlin Thompson (No. 16 PuRP) when he walked with the bases loaded to set up Condon’s first slam.

The slams were set up as such. In the third inning, Bryant Betancourt singled and Conner Capel popped out. Then Drew Avans singled, Nic Kent was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Thompson walked to load them again and then Condon happened. In the eighth, Cappel doubled, Avans hit a sac bunt, Kent walked, Thompson was hit by a pitch, and then Condon happened again.

Kent and Braxton Fulford were the only Isotopes without a hit.

The Rainiers (Mariners) put up a fight, though. They struck first, scoring three runs in the second inning. They also battled back in the fifth with two more runs, and their final was scored in the eighth to tie the game at six (and then Condon said ‘hold my beverage’ in the next inning).

On the pitching side, Case Williams pitched just 1.1 innings and allowed three runs on one hit with four walks and one strikeout. Blake Adams came in after him, pitching 3.1 innings and allowing two runs on eight hits with a walk and a strikeout. Evan Shawver got the hold with his 1.1 innings of work (3 hits, 1 BB); Andrew Baker blew the save in his 1.2 innings (2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K); and TJ Shook earned the win in his final 1.1 perfect innings.

Double-A:Reading Fightin Phils 6, Hartford Yard Goats 2

The Yard Goats were less fortunate in their matchup against the Fightin Phils (Phillies). They mustered eight hits, but only two came around to score. Kyle Karros continued his rehab assignment, going 2-for-4 with a walk, and Dyan Jorge went 3-for-4 with a triple, a run scored and a strikeout. The two RBI came from Zach Kokoska, who went 1-for-4 with a home run, a run scored, two RBI and a strikeout.

Reading jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first inning when Bryan Rincon led off the game with a walk and then Pedro León homered two batters later. Raylin Heredia then walked, stole second, and advanced to third on a balk. Then Raider Tello homered to put the Phils up 4-0. The Goats fought back in the fourth when Jorge singled with two outs and stole second, and then was driven home when Kokoska homered. But the Phils piled on more runs in the eighth when four-straight players reached to score two more runs and make the score 6-2.

On the pitching side, Sam Weatherly opened and pitched just 1.2 innings. He allowed four runs on three hits with three walks, a strikeout and two homers. Cade Denton came in to relieve him, pitching 5.1 scoreless innings and allowing three hits, one walk and three strikeouts. Nathan Blasick pitched the final two innings, allowing the two runs on four hits with a walk and a strikeout.

High-A:Spokane Indians 10, Everett AquaSox 4

The Indians made a statement in their final game, beating the AquaSox (Mariners) by a score of 10-4. Every Indian who had a hit had at least two, except for Jacob Hinderleider who went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Max Belyeu (No. 23 PuRP) didn’t record a hit, but he drew a walk, while Juan Castillo just went 0-for-2 before being pinch hit for.

Ethan Hedges and Robert Calaz each had three RBI. Hedges went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, three RBI, two runs scored and a strikeout. Calaz went 2-for-4 with two home runs, three RBI and two runs scored. Dalis went 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored.

Everett scored first when Luke Stevenson singled to kick off the game and Luke Suisbel walked. Two batters later, Brandon Eike doubled to score Stevenson. But in the bottom of the first, Belyeu walked and Derek Bernard grounded into a force out to get Belyeu. But then Hedges doubled to score Bernard from first. Dalis then homered to tack on two more runs, and Calaz grounded out. But then Tanner Thach doubled and Hidalgo singled to make the score 4-0. Everett struck again in the third with another run, but then two batters into their half, Calaz homered to make the score 6-2. Back-to-back singles and a sac bunt then set up Hinderleider to sacrifice in Thach, and a single and a homer into the fourth made the score 9-2.

The Indians scored again in the seventh when Calaz hit a leadoff homer, and that was it for them. But the AquaSox were able to knock in two more runs in the ninth to make the final score 10-4.

On the pitching side, Yujanyer Herrera threw five innings and allowed two runs on four hits with three walks and six strikeouts. Luke Hansel relieved him for the final four, allowing two runs on five hits with one walk and two strikeouts to earn the save.

Low-A:San Jose Giants 5, Fresno Grizzlies 3

The Grizzlies were not as lucky in their final game, as they fell to the Giants (Giants) 5-3.

San Jose kicked things off right out of the gate when Lorenzo Meola hit a leadoff homer. Luke Nixon then doubled and Dario Reynoso struck out. But then Jeremiah Jenkins was hit by a pitch and Drew Smith singled to score Nixon. They scored again in the third when Nixon walked to lead things off and Reynoso struck out again, but then Jenkins singled and Drew Smith grounded out to score Nixon. In the fifth, Reynoso led off with a double and was scored two batters later by a Smith single to make things 4-0.

The Grizzlies finally got on the board in the fifth when Jesus Freitez tripled, Cort MacDonald doubled to score him, and Kyle Fossum singled to score MacDonald. Sebastian Blanco then doubled to score Fossum and put the Grizzlies within on, but they were unable to capitalize on the pitching change after that. The final run of the game was scored in the ninth when Yanzel Correa got two quick outs, but then hit Meola, who stole second, and allowed a hit to Nixon to make the final score 5-3. The Grizzlies went 1-2-3 in the ninth, when Carlos Renzullo was called out on strikes to end it.

Ronny Ugarte went 2-for 4 with a strikeout. MacDonald went 3-for-4 with a double, a run scored and an RBI. And Freitez, Fossum and Blanco each had one hit apiece.

On the pitching side, Tanner Sagouspe was the only pitcher to not allow a run, pitching a scoreless seventh and eighth in which he didn’t allow a hit nor a run, and only walked one while striking out three.

Sac-bunt extraordinaire Veen embracing new role with Rockies | MLB.com

Zac Veen has had a few clutch hits this week, including two late safety squeezes against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday and Saturday. He also had a clutch hit late in yesterday’s contest, as well as one on Wednesday that set up the walk-off win against the Baltimore Orioles. Thomas Harding spoke with Veen about his new role and how he’s fitting in with this team since he was called up just a few short weeks ago, and asked Warren Schaeffer a little bit about how he constructs his lineups throughout the game.

With Orioles in Denver, Holliday family creating more memories at Coors Field | Denver Gazette ($)

It was a special series for both the Rockies (who won two of three games against the Orioles) and Jackson Holliday, as he recorded his first home run at the ballpark he grew up going to with his dad, Matt, and brother, Ethan, who is now in the Rockies organization. Kevin Henry caught up with the elder brother about his memories, as well as gets an update on the younger brother as he recovers from a stress fracture in his foot that ended his 2026 campaign.

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Good morning. From our top story, it appears silly season came early this year.

• Cardinals manager Oli Marmol was ejected after home plate umpire Doug Eddings told rookie pitcher Hancel Rincon that he couldn’t wear his cap at an angle. (The Athletic sub. req.) Steve Berman with the story.
• Here’s a non-paywalled version of the Marmol/Eddings/Rincon fiasco by Cesar Brioso.
• Eddings said Rockies hitter Hunter Goodman asked about the cap, but Goodman denied that he said anything about Rincon’s cap. (The Athletic sub. req.) Brendan Kuty with the story.
• The next day, all the Cardinals (and some of the Rockies) wore their caps askew in solidarity with Rincon during pre-game warmups.
• Ken Rosenthal reports that MLB told Eddings that he acted inappropriately (The Athletic sub. req.) in telling Rincon to wear his cap straight.
• Eddings ended up apologizing to Rincon and Marmol. By the way, Rincon got sent back to Triple-A Memphis after all this. So it sounds like this is all over.
• A new report by Paolo Torre raises new questions about Mark Walter’s purchase of the Dodgers and their lucrative TV deal. Gabe Lacques has a summary and a link to the podcast.
• Congratulations to former Cub Aroldis Chapman who became the ninth player to record 400 saves this weekend. Ian Browne with the highlights.
• Sticking with Boston, former Red Sox manager Joe Morgan died at 95. Our condolences go out to his friends, family and the Red Sox organization. Also, this is not the Hall-of-Fame second baseman Joe Morgan, who died a few years ago.
• Gabe Lacques reports that the Red Sox are placing outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela on the injured list and are not calling up former top prospect Kristian Campbell.
• About Kristian Campbell. Julian McWilliams goes in-depth on the Driveline revolution in hitting and how it has done more harm than good to players like Campbell. McWilliams admits that the Driveline approach has benefitted many hitters, but some like Campbell have been left behind.
• Maddie Lee reports that the Dodgers Shohei Ohtani may return to the lineup this week after missing four-straight games. However, his return to pitching seems more and more unlikely this season.
• Alden Gonzalez has five questions about the rest of Ohtani’s year.
• Jack Baer noticed that the Dodgers dropped outfielder Kyle Tucker to eighth in the lineup and Tucker hit his first home run in Dodger Stadium since mid-June.
• Brent Maguire has eight injured players who could make an impact with their return the rest of the season.
• Theo DeRosa has some teams that could play spoiler this September.
• Jay Jaffe has a new way of showing how the Giants have been so disappointing this year.
• Sticking with Northern California disappointments, Ben Clemens points to the Athletics’ pitching to explain why Sacramento has been so terrible.
• Zack Meisel, Cody Stavenhagen and Tim Britton look at the poor teams chasing the final Wild Card spot in the American League and note that some teams might earn easier playoff matchups by losing more games. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Bob Nightengale wants to toughen the rules to reduce the number of position players pitching. He also has some other notes, one of which clearly demonstrates that he doesn’t understand WAR.
• Eno Sarris reveals a new metric to evaluate a pitcher’s command. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Mark Feinsand explains why the Tigers should be more optimistic about 2027.
• Diamondback Geraldo Perdomo left the game on Sunday after getting hit in the head with a line drive while running the bases.

• And finally, Brian Murphy has MLB’s ten greatest games of all time.

Worcester, Game 1: L, 8-7 (BOX SCORE)

Gage Ziehl put Buffalo (Blue Jays AAA) on the board with a home run, but that was the only run he allowed in his five innings. The bullpen (Angel Bastardo and Tyler Samaniego) were not as lucky, as they got taken for a seven-run ride in the seventh. This was enough to erase the lead Worcester had amassed throughout the game through some three-hit games from Franklin Arias, Kristian Campbell and Romy Gonzalez, the last of whom is tearing the cover off the ball in Triple-A following a demotion. Even with the team stranding ten, those hits kept them in good position to win Sunday until the lead slipped away.

Portland: W, 9-7 (BOX SCORE)

Henry Godbout’s latest home run is just the newest indication that you can’t judge performance after a promotion too soon. He continued to swing a hot bat against the BaySox (Orioles AA) as he hit his fifteenth home run of the season but his eighth in just a month. The homer was part of a 3-for-5 afternoon for the 2025 Competitive Balance round pick as he adjusts to his third playing level of 2026. Sunday as a whole was something of a home run derby for the Sea Dogs, as Tyler McDonough, Will Turner, and Max Ferguson all chipped balls over the wall before the fifth inning was even over. Meanwhile, the pitching staff, which allowed two home runs of their own up, came together to strike out thirteen BaySox batters as they cruised to a win in the penultimate Sunday game of their season.

Greenville: L, 4-3 (BOX SCORE)

The Drive didn’t get yet another walk off in Bowling Green (Rays High-A). The Hot Rods put up all 4 runs of offense very late, the Drive were actually having kept them off the board through 7. Leighton Finley, who was rewarded for an effective first full season in professional baseball with a start in High-A to finish off the season, pitched brilliantly though his afternoon was a little short. But he put the team in a great position to win, striking out 7 out and allowing just 1 hit. Jake Schaffner and Owen Hull reached the final game of their first season in the pros and there’s a lot to look forward to as they continue to move through the farm.

Salem: L, 10-7 (BOX SCORE)

Salem’s final game of 2026 was a loss that was closer than it appeared it might be at the beginning, as Lynchburg (Guardians A) took them for fourteen hits and eight walks. But Andrews Opata, who had 58 stolen bases on the season, kept it interesting early with his 11th home run. Some 2026 draft picks also got some hits in this game; Willis McGinnis and Colton Coates, to name a couple. Catcher Kleyvar Salazar also added in three hits of his own, but this game was an uphill battle even with the multitude of offense because the Howlers put seven on the RidgeYaks within the first four innings. It wasn’t always pretty for the lowest level of the system in 2026. I think the most comforting thing I can say is that at least draft picks from the most recent draft were productive within days of suiting up for the first time.

When it matters most, its is always best when your stars show up. And in this huge series against the Phillies, that is exactly what Ronald Acuna Jr. has done. He delivered the game tying home run as the Braves came from behind late to get a big 5-4 victory. Tyler Mahle once again showed he can be trusted in a playoff-type setting, as he kept the Braves close early. And it was awesome to see Austin Riley get the game winning hit. Overall, despite their ups and downs, the Braves once again proved they can get the job done against the best teams.

Braves News

While he does not come across as one most of the time, Acuna Jr. certainly seems to enjoy playing the villain against the Phillies.

Connor Essenburg impressed once again over the weekend.

J.R. Ritchie was highly impressive with 15 ks in his start on Sunday, a first in the minors since 2024.

MLB News

The Padres used some early power in historic fashion to get a Sunday win. \

As Shohei Ohtani continues to manage some injury concerns, there is a good chance he will not pitch again in 2026.

Last Week’s Results:

• Monday: Cubs 17, Brewers 3
• Tuesday: Brewers 9, Cubs 4
• Wednesday: Brewers 9, Cubs 5
• Thursday: Cubs 2, Brewers 1
• Friday: Brewers 10, Reds 7
• Saturday: Reds 5, Brewers 3
• Sunday: Reds 12, Brewers 8

Division Standings:

• Brewers 88-56
• Cubs 81-63 (7 GB)
• Cardinals 72-72 (16 GB)
• Pirates 71-73 (17 GB)
• Reds 69-74 (18.5 GB)

Last Week:

• Brewers 3-4
• Cubs 4-3
• Cardinals 4-2
• Pirates 4-2
• Reds 4-2

Top Pitching Performance of the Week

Logan Henderson, who went seven innings while allowing two runs on three hits during Thursday’s loss to the Cubs. The rookie right-hander has been incredible all season; he hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his fifteen starts. Recently, he’s been especially dialed in, going seven innings in three of his last four starts while averaging just 1.2 runs allowed. Henderson now has a 2.48 ERA and a 0.79 WHIP through fifteen starts this season.

While Henderson’s performance would have been deserving in a normal week, this might have been the worst week of the season for Brewers starters, so it wins basically by default. Robert Gasser, who gave up three runs (two earned) in 4 1/3 innings, had what was probably the second-best start of the week; the other contender was Dustin May, who gave up five hits and two earned runs in 3 2/3 innings against the Reds. Jacob Misiorowski (5 ER in 4 IP) got lit up by the Cubs, Shane Drohan (6 ER in 4 IP) got lit up by the Reds, and Kyle Harrison (13 ER in 7 1/3 IP) got lit up by both.

Rough week for the Brewers pitching staff, for sure. With that in mind, Miz, Harrison, and Drohan have all been good way more often than they’ve been bad this year. The Brewers have also had just two off days since July 31st, which is pretty insane, and this week’s games were all on the road against tough divisional opponents. Even with the uncharacteristically shaky pitching, they managed to win three games this week thanks to the offense.

Top Hitting Performance of the Week

We’ve seen this Brewers offense tough out some cold stretches of late, but the bats came alive this week. Milwaukee scored eight or more runs in four games this week, although they did score three or fewer in the other three.

Every Brewer to get at least 20 plate appearances recorded at least a .730 OPS, but Cooper Pratt had the best week of them all. The rookie shortstop went 7-for-22 with a whopping 9 RBIs, punctuating his week by clearing the bases with a triple, then scampering home on a wild pitch, in Friday’s 10-7 win over the Reds. Pratt has certainly risen to the occasion since earning his spot in the big league lineup; he’s now hitting .271 with a .716 OPS in 177 at-bats.

Honorable mentions go to Andrew Vaughn, who hit .400 with a double and home run in 15 at-bats, and William Contreras, who went 7-for-25 with four doubles and a homer.

Injury Notes & Roster Moves

• RHP Abner Uribe was activated from the IL last Monday, August 31st, after missing a few weeks with a right forearm flexor strain. He made three appearances, throwing 2 1/3 innings without allowing a baserunner.
• In a corresponding move, RHP Bryse Wilson was placed on the 15-day IL with a lower back strain.
• LHP JoJo Romero, acquired along with May from the Cardinals prior to the trade deadline, was also activated from the IL and made his debut as a Brewer. Romero, who hadn’t pitched since undergoing an emergency appendectomy in mid-July, made four appearances, allowing four runs (two earned) over 3 1/3 innings.
• Romero and catcher Bo Naylor were the two players added to the active roster as rosters expanded on September 1st. Naylor started at catcher yesterday against the Reds, going 1-for-4 with an RBI single.
• RHP Joel Kuhnel was designated for assignment and claimed off waivers by the Giants.
• Finally, manager Pat Murphy’s comments following today’s game hinted at a potential shakeup in the starting rotation…

On Deck:

• Monday: vs. Cubs (1:10 p.m.)
• Tuesday: vs. Cubs (6:40 p.m.)
• Wednesday: vs. Cubs (6:40 p.m.)
• Thursday: Off
• Friday: vs. Reds (6:45 p.m.)
• Saturday: vs. Reds (6:10 p.m.)
• Sunday: vs. Reds (1:10 p.m.)

Things are looking rough for the Detroit Tigers as the season winds down after dropping three of four to the Cleveland Guardians this past weekend, making it six losses over the last eight games. To make matters worse, all three defeats at Progressive Field came in walk-off fashion as the team continues to struggle in monumental fashion.

The Motor City Kitties return home to host the Minnesota Twins — against whom their seven-game road trip began last week — for a three-game weekday series starting on Monday with Troy Melton taking the mound in the opener. The 25-year-old has been struggling of late after a tremendous three-month stretch, having posted a 4.84 ERA and 5.02 FIP over his last four starts, which resulted in three personal losses and four total for his team.

Melton has faced Minnesota twice this summer — including his most recent outing — having put up a bloated 7.84 ERA and a brutal 10.05 FIP over 10 1/3 innings. His FIP is heavily inflated by the six home runs he surrendered over those two games, and his pair of hit-by-pitches did not help matters much either.

As of Sunday night, the Twins’ starter for Monday’s Labor Day matchup has not been announced.

Detroit Tigers (65-78) vs. Minnesota Twins (68-75)

Time (ET): 3:10 p.m.
Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
SB Nation Site:Twinkie Town
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 144: RHP Troy Melton (7-4, 2.20 ERA) vs. TBD

MELTON

What was with those pitch calls by Garrett Stubbs to Ronald Acuna in the eighth inning? Seven straight fastballs in that situation? Really? That was the scouting report they chose to use? Seems a little sketchy to be doing that one.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Dave Dombrowski tries to do all that he does in the name of getting John Middleton a title. Even draining the farm system.
• Always love when articles like this are written on the day the subject of it gets blown up, but is Jhoan Duran having the best season for a Phillies reliever ever?

MLB news:

• Shane McLanahan is going to the injured list with the always ominous forearm tightness. Tampa Bay holds its breath.
• In what is looking like a lost season, the Mariners are promoting their top hitting prospect in Michael Arroyo.
• The Rockies might have a new majority owner as the Penners, owners of the Denver Broncos, may get an additional 35% of the team. Wonder if that has to do with a potential salary cap.

Happy Monday, Camden Chatters. If you’re off work for the long weekend, remember those in the Labor Movement who fought for your right to work reasonable hours, among other things.

As for the Orioles, I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say they played themselves into irrelevance over the weekend. Having been mopped by the Red Sox in the four-game series, the Orioles find themselves four games out of the final Wild Card spot with just 18 games remaining. It’s over.

They were simply wretched over the weekend. After blowing a winnable game on Thursday, the team went into hibernation for the rest of the series. They were shut out Friday and Saturday, then eked out a single run yesterday in a 3-1 loss. You can get the full details of yesterday’s loss in John Beers’s recap.

One thing that stood out to me over the weekend was the bizarre decision-making process by Craig Albernaz and/or Mike Elias. Firstly, Samuel Basallo. The Orioles signed Basallo to a big contract extension, essentially naming him the catcher of the future. They traded away Adley Rutschman, presumably in part because they already had Basallo. And yet, Basallo started just one game this series because the Red Sox used three lefty starting pitchers.

Is Basallo a platoon bat? The Orioles seem to be telling us he is. Why would they give a platoon bat the contract they gave him? And even if you prefer to use Basallo as a platoon bat, it really only works if you have another bat who can fill in nearly as well. But they do not have that. They have Carlos Narváez, who as an Oriole his batting .083/.191/.100. Are you saying Basallo can’t do that?

Back in June, there was some hubbub around Basallo’s inability or unwillingness to play while injured. Albernaz did not look good when that happened. I’m not saying Albernaz doesn’t like Basallo; I know nothing about their relationship. But I know what it looks like to an outsider, and it looks like Albernaz doesn’t think Basallo is good enough to be an everyday catcher. And it looks like Albernaz makes decisions that harm the team.

I am not a doom-and-gloom guy when it comes to baseball managers. In fact, I tend to think they matter less than some people think. Historically, if a manager makes a move I don’t understand, especially with the lineup, I assume they have more information than me. But I have a hard time feeling that way about Albernaz. It seems obvious that he is in over his head not only with his managing choices, but also with his interactions with the press. It’s a bad scene.

The Orioles begin a three-game home series tonight with the Guardians. Last week, this series seemed huge. This week, not so much. The Orioles could sweep the series and would still be a game out of the final Wild Card spot. And I’m sure the Blue Jays and the Rangers would be happy to see the Orioles take down Cleveland. Those two teams are at the front of the pack to nab that final playoff spot.

Now that the season is basically over, I want to see some changes. Well, I wanted to see some changes earlier, but it’s clear the Orioles have no regard for what I want. No offense to Reece Hinds, but get Enrique Bradfield Jr. up here. And for heaven’s sake, get Basallo in the lineup almost every day.

Links

Luis Robert Jr., new Orioles outfielder, hits injured list with hamstring discomfort – The Baltimore Banner
Not that this matters anymore, but Robert could be out for the rest of the season. What was your favorite part of the Luis Robert Jr. era?

Who was at the Orioles’ game last night? The answer is Jeopardy’s Ken Jennings – Baltimore Baseball
This is a few days old, but I think we could use a little lightheartedness. I also think Milwaukee’s stadium is a dark horse, Ken Jennings. Did you know that Camden Chat was once a clue on Jeopardy! If you’ve never seen it before, here’s the clip.

Birthdays and History

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have five Orioles birthday buddies, although I’ll be honest and say that I have only heard of one of them. David Nehwan is 53 years old today. Newhan had an eight-season Major League career that included three years with the Orioles. From 2004-06, the utility player appeared in 230 games for Baltimore. The best year of his career came in 2004, when he hit .311/.361/.453 in 95 games.

Also born on this day in history are former Orioles Willie Morales (54), Wade Rowdon (66), Orlando Sánchez (70), and Tommy Matchick (b. 1943, d. 2022).

On this day in 1996, the Orioles shut out the Tigers 6-0. Mike Mussina pitched a complete game with six hit, one walk, and 11 strikeouts. Bobby Bonilla hit his 25th home run. It was the team’s first shutout of the season in game 141.

In 2012, the Cubs claimed pitcher Jason Berken off waivers from the Orioles, ending his three-plus seasons run with the team. Without meaning any disrespect, Berken remains the worst Oriole to ever get a t-shirt day.

In 2018, the Orioles lost their 100th game of the year, giving them an unbelievable record of 41-100. They lost 14-2 to the Rays as Dylan Bundy gave up six runs in four innings before being pulled in favor of some of the worst relief pitchers you’ve ever seen.

And one year ago today, the Orioles lost to the Dodgers 5-2. Starter Tomoyuki Sugano allowed four runs in three innings. The Orioles’ runs scored on back-to-back doubles from Emmanuel Rivera and Alex Jackson.

Free of charge for the discerning reader.

Happy birthday to Mark Prior, and a mighty host of others.

Today in baseball history, in 1998 – Mariners’ OF Ken Griffey, Jr. has four hits, including two homers, and reaches the 50-home run level. He’s the third player to do so in successive seasons. Seattle defeats the Orioles, 11 – 1, as Griffey knocks in six runs, and other stories as well.

Today in baseball history:

• 1905 – The Beaneaters and Giants trade shutouts, with Boston beating Joe McGinnity in the opener, 1-0, and Christy Mathewson returning the favor, 3-0, in the nightcap. 
• 1907 – In Boston, Walter Johnson tops the Red Sox, 1-0, for the first of his 38 career 1-0 wins. On the 12th, he will shut out the Highlanders  1-0.
• 1908 – The Pirates sweep an A.M.-P.M. doubleheader against the Cardinals. Honus Wagner is 5 for 5 in the morning game, and 1 for 2 in the afternoon.
• 1911: – 24-year-old Grover Alexander, winning a rookie-record 28 games, pitches the Phils to a 1-0 win over Boston’s 44-year-old Cy Young. 
• 1925 – In an A.M.-P.M. doubleheader, the Senators win the morning contest with the A’s, as Walter Johnson tops Lefty Grove, 2-1, and goes 3 for 4, the second consecutive game he’s collected three hits.
• 1979 – The Red Sox’s Carl Yastrzemski collects three hits to pass Ted Williams on the all-time total bases list.
• 1998 – Houston’s Randy Johnson strikes out 14 Reds in a 1-0 win. It is the 17th time this season he’s struck out ten or more and the 100th time in his career. 
• 2010 – Trevor Hoffman becomes the first pitcher to reach the 600 save plateau, preserving Milwaukee’s 4 – 2 win over St. Louis.

Today in Cubs history:

• 1911 – The Cubs’ Frank Schulte hits his 21st home run and brings in RBI No. 121 as the Cubs sweep the Reds, 3-0 and 4-2. He will lead the National League in both home runs and RBI. He is the first player to have more than 20 doubles, triples, and home runs in one season.
• 1918 – On one day’s rest, Hippo Vaughn gives up only seven hits, but Carl Mays wins a 2-1 duel. Wally Schang has two hits for Boston. Game 3 of the World Series ends with the Cubs’ Charlie Pick caught in a rundown between third base and home while trying to score on a passed ball.
• 1935 – Bill Lee shuts out the Phils, 4-0, for his 16th win of the season, as the Cubs move into second place ahead of the Giants. Augie Galan continues his hitting for the Cubs, driving in two runs.

Cubs Birthdays:Wade Davis, Mark Prior*, Wade Rowdon, Reggie Otero, Bill McAfee, Curt Davis.

Today in history:

• 1876 – Frank James and his gang are involved in a disastrous raid in Northfield, Minnesota, resulting in the death or capture of multiple gang members (Cole, Bob, and Jim Younger are arrested).
• 1892 – James Corbett knocks out 4 to 1 favorite and defending champion John L. Sullivan in 21 rounds at the Olympic Club, New Orleans, for the world heavyweight boxing title; Sullivan’s only defeat and his last fight.
• 1968 – Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham make their live debut as Led Zeppelin (billed as The New Yardbirds) before about 1,200 students at Egegård School’s Teen Club in Gladsaxe, Denmark.
• 1979 – Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) launches; the first show is SportsCenter.
• 1988 – Elektra Records releases “…And Justice for All,” the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica.
• 1996 – Rapper Tupac Shakur is shot multiple times in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas and dies 6 days later.
• 2018 – Rappers Cardi B and Nicki Minaj come to physical blows at a New York fashion event.
• 2025 – Pope Leo XIV canonizes English-Italian teenager Carlo Acutis after his death at 15 years old, making Acutis the first millennial saint.

*pictured.

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (38-37/34-28)

SYRACUSE 4, ROCHESTER 3 (BOX)

Rochester scored a pair of runs in the first and another run in the eighth to give them three runs. Syracuse scored a run in the fourth and then a pair in the eighth to give them three runs as well. In the top of the ninth, with the score tied at 3-3, Chase McDermott had a gritty outing, getting his first two batters out before finally recording the inning’s third out after working around a catcher’s interference runner and a walk. In the bottom of the inning, MJ Melendez got on base representing the winning run and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. After Jose Ramos walked, Big Billy Amick came up to the plate, and what would you expect your team’s big bopper to do? Lay down a sacrifice bunt? Exactly. The move caused so much confusion that pitcher Eddy Yean threw wide to first, missing first baseman Liover Peguero’s glove and allowing Melendez to scamper home for the win. With the victory, Syracuse finds themselves 2.5 games behind the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders and the Red Wings, who are now tied for first place in the International League. The Indianapolis Indians are 1.5 games back, while the Worcester Red Sox and St. Paul Twins are 2.0 back. The Mets will be playing those same Twins this upcoming week.

·  CF D’Andre Smith: 2-4, R, 2B, HR (4), 2 RBI, K

·  2B Émilien Pitre: 0-3, K, HBP

·  SS Ronny Mauricio: 0-3, HBP

·  DH MJ Melendez: 2-4, R, K, CS (6)

·  RF Jose Ramos: 0-3, BB, 2 K

·  1B Billy Amick: 0-2, R, BB, K

·  LF Ryan Clifford: 0-2, BB

·  3B Nick Lorusso: 0-3

·  C Kevin Parada: 1-3, 2B, RBI

·  PR Vidal Bruján: 0-0, R

·  C Hayden Senger: 0-0, E (3)

·  RHP Gary Gill Hill: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, E (1)

·  RHP Cameron Weston: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

·  RHP Dylan Ross: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

·  RHP Chayce McDermott: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, W (2-0)

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Gary Gill Hill assigned to Syracuse Mets from Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

ROSTER ALERT: Syracuse Mets activated 3B Billy Amick from the temporarily inactive list.

ROSTER ALERT: New York Mets optioned LHP Jefry Yan to Syracuse Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: New York Mets recalled RHP Tobias Myers from Syracuse Mets.

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (27-42/33-30)

NEW HAMPSHIRE 7, BINGHAMTON 6 (BOX)

New Hampshire took the initial lead in this one, but Binghamton tied things up and then took the lead themselves in the bottom of the fourth on a two-RBI single off the bat of Jacob Reimer. Both teams settled down for a bit, but in the seventh, Binghamton exploded for four runs, powered by a Marco Vargas RBI single and a three-run Jefferson Rojas shot. Up 6-1 going into the ninth, Carlos Guzman had an epic meltdown, allowing six consecutive batters to reach base and three runs to score. His replacement, Gabriel Rodriguez, got the next two outs with the bases juiced before allowing a bases-clearing double that gave the Fisher Cats a 7-6 lead. The Rumble Ponies did not go down meekly, getting the tying run to third and putting the winning run on with only one out, but Jacob Reimer grounded into an extremely inopportune double play and that was that. With the loss, combined with Reading’s win over Hartford, Binghamton fell to 3.5 games back. The Fightin’ Phils will be taking on the Erie SeaWolves this upcoming week, while Binghamton will have an easier time, taking on the Portland Sea Dogs.

·  2B Mitch Voit: 1-5, K, SB (7)

·  SS Marco Vargas: 1-4, 2 R, RBI, BB, 2 K

·  DH Jefferson Rojas: 4-5, 2 R, 2B, HR (9), 3 RBI, K

·  3B Jacob Reimer: 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K, CS (4)

·  C Chris Suero: 0-3, BB, K

·  RF Eli Serrano III: 0-3, BB, 2 K

·  LF Corey Collins: 1-4, R, K

·  CF JT Benson: 1-4, R, 2 K

·  1B Jamari Baylor: 1-4, 3B, 2 K

·  RHP Gabe Davis: 4.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, WP

·  RHP Bryce Conley: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

·  RHP Brendan Girton: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

·  RHP Carlos Guzman: 0.0 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, L (6-2)

·  LHP Gabriel Rodriguez: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, BS (2)

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (25-40/32-34)

FREDERICK 6, BROOKLYN 5 (BOX)

Calvin Ziegler opened the game, and while the right-hander has been better of late, he has had multiple games this season where he allowed multiple runs in an inning or less of work. In the 2026 Brooklyn Cyclones season finale, Ziegler was money, throwing a perfect inning of work, striking out one. That was the high-water mark of this contest, as the Cyclones completely imploded in the second. Luis Rodriguez, recorded only a single out- a sac bunt, none the less- and his replacement, Rafi Vazquez, gave up four hits, allowing four more runs to score, three of which were charged to Rodriquez and one himself. Improbably, the Cyclones offense fought back and made this a competitive ballgame, scoring two runs in the third and two in the fourth and one in the fifth to make it a 6-5 contest, but they were unable to get over that hump. With the loss, Brooklyn ends their second half below .500 and ended up with a losing record in both halves for the first time since the South Atlantic League moved to a split-season format in 2022.

·  SS Elian Peña: 1-5, R, 2B, K

·  CF Aidan Smith: 3-5, R, 2 RBI, K, SB (25)

·  1B-3B Cole Mathis: 0-3, BB, SB (1)

·  LF Trey Snyder: 1-4, RBI, K

·  RF Yonatan Henriquez: 2-4, K, CS (10)

·  DH Ronald Hernandez: 0-2, R, 2 BB

·  2B Colin Houck: 2-2, 2 R, 2B, BB, HBP

·  3B Antonio Jimenez: 0-3, K

·  1B Chase Meggers: 0-1, K

·  C Alejandro Urias: 1-3, 2 RBI, BB, K. PB (1)

·  RHP Calvin Ziegler: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

·  LHP Luis R. Rodriguez: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 0 K, HBP, L (0-3)

·  RHP Rafi Vazquez: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

·  RHP Ernesto Mercedes: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

·  RHP Juan Arnaud: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, WP

·  RHP Elwis Mijares: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

·  RHP Parker Carlson: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (33-33/25-39)

ST. LUCIE 11, JUPITER 10 / 12 (BOX)

This game technically began on Saturday, as Saturday’s game between the St. Lucie Mets and Jupiter Hammerheads was suspended in the first inning due to inclement weather with the score tied 1-1 thanks to a Jake Ogden homer for the Mets and a Luis Arana steal of home plate for the Hammerheads. Rather than play a doubleheader between two sub-.500 teams, a full nine-inning game was played and the second contest completely cancelled. As soon as the game resumed, Ryan Tayman hit a homer to give the Mets the lead, but it wouldn’t last long as Irving Cota gave the run right back in the top of the second. St. Lucie scratched out a run to take the lead back, and then scored another, and then another. Going into the top of the ninth, St. Lucie had a comfortable 6-2 lead, but the bullpen had other ideas. The Hammerheads plated five in the inning to take the lead. Down to their last out, the Mets fought back, with Tayman and Yovanny Rodriguez drawing back-to-back walks. Pinch runner Vladi Gomez stole third, and then was driven home by a Kuhio Aloy single to tie things up at seven apiece and into extra innings things went. Both teams scored in the tenth, neither scored in the eleventh, and in the twelfth, things looked grim when the Hammerheads scored two, but Dylan Carey ended the game in storybook fashion, blasting a two-run homer to win it for the Mets and end the 2026 season, one that was largely a bad one for St. Lucie, on a positive note.

·  SS Bruin Agbayani: 0-4, 2 RBI, BB

·  SS Jeremy Rodriguez: 0-1, K

·  CF Jake Ogden: 1-5, R, HR (1), 2 RBI, BB, K, SB (4)

·  REHAB ALERT 2B Boston Baro: 0-0

·  PH-2B Yunior Amparo: 0-6, 5 K

·  C Ryan Tayman: 1-3, R, HR (5), RBI, 2 BB, K, E (5)

·  PR Vladi Gomez: 0-0, R, SB (12)

·  C Julio Zayas: 0-0, BB

·  DH Yovanny Rodriguez: 0-5, BB, 2 K

·  LF Kuhio Aloy: 2-5, 3 R, RBI, BB, 3 K

·  1B Reed Stallman: 1-5, 2 R, 2 K, HBP

·  RF Branny De Oleo: 0-0

·  RF Jack Toomey: 1-4, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB, K

·  3B Dylan Carey: 1-4, R, HR (2), 3 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K, SB (3)

·  RHP Alex Petrovic: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

·  RHP Irving Cota: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

·  PRH Luke McNeillie: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, H (1)

·  RHP Landon Koenig: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, H (1)

·  RHP Gavin Guidry: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

·  LHP Zach Crotchfelt: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

·  RHP Candido Cuevas: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

·  RHP Jonathan Jimenez: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, WP

·  RHP Christian Rodriguez: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 0 K, HBP

·  RHP Miguel Mejias: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

·  RHP Brett Banks: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, W (1-1)

ROSTER ALERT: St. Lucie Mets transferred RHP Peyton Prescott to the Development List.

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Landon Koenig assigned to St. Lucie Mets from FCL Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Gavin Guidry assigned to St. Lucie Mets from FCL Mets.

Rookie: FCL Mets (24-33)

NO GAME (SEASON OVER)

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Billy Amick/Dylan Carey

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Luis Rodriguez/Carlos Guzman

The dog days are never really over, regardless of what the song says. Yet, as Major League Baseball’s season staggers into the final three weeks, at least this battle of attrition will soon integrate magic numbers, tragic numbers and do-or-die games into the mix.

Alas, this week’s slate of crucial matchups is light on teams fighting for the same prize. Still, once again, more series than not are relevant.

Five of them stand out from the pack, for various reasons. With that, here’s five crucial series to keep an eye on this week:

MLB POWER RANKINGS: Guardians trying to walk-off their way to playoffs

RED SOX: Interim manager navigated 'fire drill' to turn Boston into contender

BALTIMORE – After a nearly flawless long weekend of baseball at Camden Yards, the Boston Red Sox flew out of Baltimore and back home Sunday, Sept. 6, their spot in the MLB playoffs virtually assured, their World Series hopes very real.

And as their interim manager buckled into his seat, he felt far more secure than the first time he flew into Charm City this year.

More than four months ago, Chad Tracy’s professional odyssey took a shocking turn when, in the fourth inning of the 28th game of his fifth year managing Class AAA Worcester (Massachusetts), he was summoned by club president Craig Breslow.

The message: You’re going to be the new manager of the Boston Red Sox.

The circumstances: Suboptimal. The Red Sox were 17-27 when Breslow opted to eject Alex Cora, their World Series-winning manager, from the manager’s chair eight years into his tenure during a series at Camden Yards.

In his place: A minor-league lifer whose stomach turned on that April 25 flight from Worcester to Baltimore, his to-do list – Calm the youngsters, reassure the veterans, salvage the season  – longer than a CVS receipt.

Tracy admits those early hours in Baltimore amounted to a “fire drill.” And the many players he’d sent from Worcester to Boston along with skeptical veterans who knew him only from spring training and brief rehab assignments were watching closely.

And quietly blown away.

“He did a great job,” says lefty starter Payton Tolle, “of being transparent, being honest. Of saying, ‘Hey, I’m going through this with you guys. This sucks, but we’re going to find our way around it and through it together.’

“He’s done a great job of reminding guys of that. He makes sure you know he’s in the foxhole with us. To me, he was the same guy he was in Worcester. His calming presence.

“I’m sure there was a little bit of nerves – there’s got to be nerves going through that – but you wouldn’t have noticed.”

Not that Tracy was an immediate salve. The Red sox went 19-26 in their first 45 games with him, seemingly cementing their spot in the American League East cellar. Yet, what happened since justified Breslow’s bold venture and Tracy’s young charges’ belief in him.

A 15-game winning streak highlighted a 21-4 July. The club is 47-19 since June 25 – a scorching .712 winning percentage. And now they’re 69-48 under Tracy.

Sunday, they completed a four-game sweep of the Orioles with a 3-1 victory, capping a series of deftly-managed, well-pitched games. They have a six-game lead for the No. 2 wild card spot in the American League with 18 games to play.

They are almost certain to square off against the rival Yankees in the wild-card round, most likely in New York. And guiding them will be a manager who might find the playoffs in the Bronx a smoother ride than the trial-by-fire that made him a big league skipper.

“Everything’s slowed down,” Tracy tells USA TODAY Sports, reflecting on his 105-day journey since getting tapped to run the Red Sox. “Getting up to speed with an entirely new coaching staff. Up to speed preparing for a big league game instead of a minor league game. Getting to know the guys and watching games and getting comfortable with having visual cues for when a guy starts to fatigue.

“So many things that, when you now fast-forward four and a half months, you feel like you have a good handle on all of them.”

The one thing Tracy does not have? The interim tag removed from his job title. Playoff baseball has a way of overturning narratives well-crafted from April to September.

Yet ,“interim” can adorn many managers like a scarlet letter. Tracy, 41, is not one of them.

“A wild situation to get thrown into,” says veteran All-Star closer Garrett Whitlock. “But he doesn’t ride the rollercoaster. Smooth and steady. The spring trainings I’ve had with him, he’s someone you want to talk to, someone you want to be around just because of how good a guy he is.

“I’d never been on his roster, but I still had a great relationship with him going into this. Just because of how easy a person he is to get along with.”

Which is perhaps the biggest prerequisite to survive in Boston.