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If you’ve watched any Colorado Rockies game over the past two months, you’ll have seen third baseman Kyle Karros and outfielder Cole Carrigg on the field together.

Both were drafted in 2023 – Carrigg in the Competitive Balance B round and Karros in the fifth round – and worked their way up through the minors at nearly the same pace. Karros broke through to the majors a little bit before Carrigg, but the two were reunited in June.

And, you may have noticed, the two are awfully good friends:

But they didn’t cross paths until the MLB draft, where they hit it off almost instantly.

“Right after the draft, there were only a few of us going to get MRI’s and stuff, and a lot of weird and different things that I didn’t know we had to do,” Carrigg recalled. “But he was always in my group, and we just hit it off.”

And Karros noticed Carrigg’s personality almost immediately.

“He was definitely a unique character,” Karros said. “I think it’s kind of a yin-and-yang dynamic with us, but I think we bonded pretty well on the field and off the field. I think our personalities complement each other well. So yeah, we were pretty close off the rip.”

Carrigg’s first impression of Karros?

“He seemed like a good guy, and we got along really well to kick things off,” Carrigg said. “We were pretty good buddies right away.”

And that relationship has blossomed over the years, especially as they moved through the minor leagues together.

“That same year, we went to Fresno together and finished the Low-A season there – same plane flights and everything,” Carrigg recalled. “We got called up the same day and went to Spokane together. We stayed there the entire year. We went to Hartford together, and then he moved to Triple-A and then the big leagues later in the year. And then that was kind of the only time we had split up since then, and now we’re back doing it again. We spend so much time with each other. There’s nothing really to do. It just happens.”

Karros, however, has fostered the relationship more intentionally – both with Carrigg and his other teammates along the way.

“I think I’ve viewed one of my roles on any team I’m part of is to help with the dynamic,” he said. “I think that comes with being in a position of a leader, which I was in the minor leagues, and I hope to be at some point at the major-league level. 

“But I think it’s always been kind of a task of mine to foster relationships and curate a team dynamic,” he continued, “and with him, he’s definitely a very, very strong personality, and I’ve definitely looked at it as one of my jobs as a leader in this organization is to be a mentor for him at times. He’s a mentor for me at times, but I always kind of help him out and we’ve leaned on one another as we came up together.”

Since winning the third-base job outright in spring training, Karros struggled a little bit out of the gate in 2026. Through June 8, he batted .225/.329/.664 with 11 doubles, three home runs, 17 RBI and two stolen bases. He struck out 49 times (23%) and walked 28 times (13.1%), good for a wRC+ of just 75.

Enter Cole Carrigg.

Since Carrigg’s debut on June 9, Karros is slashing .310/.399/.525 with nine doubles, two triples, seven home runs, 27 RBI, and three stolen bases. He has struck out 32 times (17.5%) and walked 19 times (10.4%), good for a wRC+ of 139.

Carrigg, meanwhile, is slashing .292/.375/.489 with 14 doubles, three triples, five home runs, 30 RBI and seven stolen bases in 10 attempts. He has struck out 42 times (20.1%) and walked 23 times (11%), good for a wRC+ 121.

Perhaps it’s just a coincidence that Karros’ performance has skyrocketed since being reunited with his friend, but he doesn’t see it that way.

“I think part of it is just being up here longer and being more comfortable,” he said. “I’ve made some adjustments here and there, but I think there’s definitely something to be said about it.”

But he does think stepping into a leadership role as more young guys, including Carrigg, have been called up has helped his game.

“I’ve always been a leader on most teams I play for, and I think that allows me to be at my best,” Karros said. “And I think being one of the younger guys on the team, I don’t think I really felt a responsibility to lead. But then once we’ve started to get more young guys in the mix – Cole being one of them – I think I kind of get out of my own head in a way and take others as my responsibility, and that allows me to be at my best on the field. Even if I’m having a rough day, I still see my value in being there for Cole and my teammates, and that’s definitely been exemplified since he’s been up.”

And Carrigg takes notes of how Karros carries himself.

“Not that you would ever tell, but seeing how he goes about not having great games and how even-keeled he is,” Carrigg said. “That definitely is something I aspire to be better at, and I think he just leads by example in that way. He would never tell me otherwise to do anything different, but I see it. I try to be a little more like him in that sense, and hopefully I would say my energy rubs off on him and he likes to play with a little more edge, as well.”

Manager Warren Schaeffer sees their bond, as well, and how it translates on and off the field.

“I think it translates enormously on the field and off the field,” he said, after an audible laugh. “It’s a piece of work, for sure. Those guys are hilarious. They love each other — it’s very evident. And I do think that on the field, they bring the most out of each other. 

“They’ve been good friends for a long time,” he continued. “They played in the minor leagues together and really bonded, but they push each other and you don’t always see that with two guys like that who are close. They criticize each other and push each other in that way – just how clubhouse culture is. But it’s fun to watch, and the boys love it.”

He also sees how contagious a strong bond like that could be to others in the clubhouse.

What happens in the clubhouse is a big part of what happens on the field,” Schaeffer said. “It’s a day-long affair with everybody in there. We spend so much time together, and if there’s people in there that hate each other, it’s going to translate on the field. It always does, no matter how good of a player you are.”

But since Karros and Carrigg have spent so much time together, what are their favorite baseball moments?

“Early on, [Carrigg] made a play in Wrigley,” Karros said. “I was at third, he was in center, and he threw a guy out tagging from second. I think that one sticks out. We joked about it. We’ve made that play so many times in the minor leagues, and to do it at Wrigley was pretty sweet.”

And for Carrigg? He laughed while telling his story.

“We won the Northwest League Championship in High-A (in 2024) and the bases were loaded. We were tied in the bottom of the ninth, and Kyle got hit on the knob of the bat and sold it for a hit-by-pitch. The umpire got it wrong, and we walked it off.”

These teammates are a study in contrasts. Carrigg plays with his hair on fire and brings an edge to his game, while Karros is more of a steady presence.

But these two clearly feed off of each other and have made each other better.

As the wise sage Paula Abdul once put it, “Opposites attract.”

On the Farm

Triple-A:Oklahoma City Comets, Albuquerque Isotopes 0

Jack Mahoney made his third start for the Isotopes against the Comets (LAD). He lasted just 4.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits with four walks and four strikeouts.

The first hit came to the leadoff batter, Alex Freeland, and the first walk came to the second batter, Zach Ehrhard, to put men on first and second to lead off the game. Luckily, he got Ryan Ward to pop out and James Tibbs III grounded into a 6-3 double play to end the inning.

Alek Thomas walked to lead off the second, and Noah Miller singled three batters later. The scoring came in the third, though, when Erhard walked again and then was driven home by a Ward two-run homer to put the Comets up 2-0. Those were the only runs allowed by Mahoney, but after walking Ehrhard for a third time in the fifth inning, he was lifted for Mark Manfredi, who immediately walked Ward.

In the sixth, Hyeseong Kim singled to lead off the inning and stole second, and was driven home by Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald drove in the fourth run in the seventh on another single, and Ward grounded into a double play that ended up scoring Chadwick Tromp in the eighth.

The Isotopes’ offense mustered six hits — two from Ryan Ritter and one apiece for Edouard Julien, Charlie Condon, Chad Stevens and Drew Avans. They also struck out 13 times and walked just three. Meanwhile, the Comets walked nine times and struck out just six

Double-A:Erie SeaWolves 5, Hartford Yard Goats 4

The Yard Goats fought back late, but it wasn’t enough. Through the first three innings, there were only two baserunners — one for each side. But the SeaWolves (DET) broke through in the fourth when Thayron Liranzo hit a solo homer to put the Wolves on the board. They tacked on three more runs in the fifth, when Roberto Campos doubled, Joe Campagna singled and then Seth Stephenson singled to score Campos. Woody Hadeen then walked, and Zyhir Hope singled to score Campagna and Stephenson.

The Goats finally got on the board in the seventh, when Braylen Wimmer doubled and was scored two batters later by Cole Messina. But all of the action came in the ninth.

Patrick Lee walked as the second batter of the inning and then stole second. Stephenson grounded out, but Lee took third. After he was ejected, Hadeen reached on a fielding error by Tevin Tucker, allowing Lee to score. Hadeen stole second and Hope walked, but then Liranzo popped out to short to end the threat.

In the Goats’ half, Jared Thomas kicked things off with a walk and them Wimmer singled. A wild pitch by Colin Fields allowed them both to advance, and then Messina smacked a three-run homer to put them within one. Skyler Messinger reached on an error by Liranzo, but then Tucker and Andy Perez flied out and struck out to end the rally.

The Goats offense mustered five hits — two by Dyan Jorge, two by Wimmer and one by Messina. They also only struck out four times and walked four more.

High-A:Spokane Indians 8, Everett AquaSox 7

Meanwhile, the Indians were able to outlast the AquaSox (SEA) in ten innings. It was a back-and-forth affair where the only innings without scoring from either team were the seventh and ninth.

The Indians got things started early when Roynier Hernandez singled, and then Tanner Thach was hit two batters later. Kelvin Hidalgo singled to score Hernandez. In the second, it was the AquaSox turn. Austin St. Laurent singled and then Anthony Donofrio homered two batters later to put them up 2-1. In the third, the Indians said “hold my beer” as Tommy Hopfe walked and Ethan Hedges homered to put the Indians up 3-2. In the fourth, they expanded their lead as Robert Calaz doubled to lead things off, Derek Bernard walked and Alan Espinal homered to push the lead to 6-2.

In the fifth, Aiden Taurek walked and was brought home by a Brandon Eike homer, 6-4. In the sixth, Korbyn Dickerson singled, Luke Stevenson walked and then Taurek singled to score Dickerson. The AquaSox tied things up in the eighth when Carter Dorighi was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and then Dickerson walked. Taurek walked two batters later, and a wild pitch scored Dorighi to tie the game. But then Clausen was intentionally walked and St. Laurent grounded into a double play to end the threat.

In the tenth, Hernandez doubled to score ghost runner Jacob Hinderleider, and then Thach doubled two batters later to score pinch runner Wilder Dalis. That proved to be the game winner, as the AquaSox were only able to plate one run in their half — a double by Eike to score Dickerson — making the final score 8-7.

Low-A:San Jose Giants 10, Fresno Grizzlies 9

Things got off to a hot start for the Fresno Grizzlies and San Jose Giants (SF), but things collapsed down the stretch. Ashly Andujar walked to lead things off and Carlos Renzullo singled right behind him. Two batters later, Jack Natili doubled to score Andujar and put the Grizzlies in front 1-0. Juan Martinez walked two batters later, and then Ronny Ugarte walked with the bases loaded to tack on another run.

In the bottom half, Luis Hernández singled and Lorenzo Meola doubled, then Jeremiah Jenkins reached on a fielding error to score Hernández and make the score 2-1. Things went quiet until the fourth, when Juan Martinez tripled to kick things off. Ugarte walked, then Cort MacDonald singled to score Martinez. Then, Sebastian Blanco attempted a sacrifice bunt that was fielded poorly by the pitcher, loading the bases instead. Two batters later, another run was scored by a bases-loaded walk from Carlos Renzullo. Then, Cristian Arguelles grounded out, but scored MacDonald.

In the fifth, Fresno scored again when Ugarte reached on a fielding error after Juan Martinez tripled. They tacked on another in the seventh when Jack Natili reached on a throwing error and advanced on a wild pitch, then Ryan Niedzwiedz singled to score Natili and run up the score 7-1. Another wild pitch two batters later allowed Niedzwiedz to advance to third, and then Ugarte hit a sacrifice fly to make it 8-1.

But then the eighth happened. Yanzel Correa entered to pitch and got Jeremiah Jenkins to ground out to third, but then the wheels started to fall off. Fernando Gonzalez walked and then three-straight singles made the score 8-2. Broedy Poppell struck out, but then Josuar Gonzalez tripled to score all three singles and make the score 8-5. In the ninth, Lorenzo Meola singled and Jenkins walked. Then, Austin Newton replaced Correa. He got Gonzalez to fly out, then Tanner Mally walked and Andy Polanco walked to score a run. Oliver Tejada then singled to tie things up 8-8.

In the tenth, a wild pitch allowed ghost runner Juan Martinez to advance to third. But Samir Chires got the first two batters out quickly before Blanco singled to score Martinez. In the bottom half, Newton got two quick strikeouts, but then walked Gonzalez and gave up an RBI single to Mally to tie things up again.

In the 11th, the Grizzlies were unable to score. But in the bottom half, a double and a single was all the Giants needed to walk things off 10-9.

In total, the Grizzlies mustered 10 hits, five walks and 14 strikeouts. And the Giants got 15 hits, eight walks and 12 strikeouts.

Mickey Moniak rewrites MLB draft bust narrative with Colorado Rockies | USA Today

Mickey Moniak has had a renaissance since joining the Rockies last year. This year, especially, he’s been a steady veteran presence in the Rockies’ lineup and clubhouse, being able to pass along wisdom to younger guys still trying to make it. Bob Nightengale spoke not only to Moniak about his journey, but also to Kyle Karros about Moniak’s effect on him this early in his career.

Future results will determine winner of July’s rare Rockies-Dodgers trade | Denver Gazette ($)

It’s been almost a month since the Rockies traded Seth Halvorsen to the Dodgers for Nick Frasso and Landyn Vidourek. Kevin Henry looks at the MLB results for Frasso and Halvorsen, in particular, for their new teams as they might face each other in the series that starts tonight.

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

The San Francisco Giants lost yesterday. They lost to the Colorado Rockies, specifically. The Colorado Rockies, who are one of the few teams in baseball as bad as the Giants.

They lost the game and, in turn, they lost the series. It was a home series. I’m beginning to think that they’re not that good at baseball, folks.

Mercifully, the Giants don’t play today. You don’t have to deal with the double whammy of having it be Monday and having to watch the Giants play. You can just handle the former and worry about the latter on Tuesday.

But Tuesday will come, and with it, Giants baseball. San Francisco kicks off a six-game road trip, which jumpstarts a span where they’ll play 13 games in 12 days.

First up is the Cleveland Guardians, and old friend Patrick Bailey. Those games are Tuesday and Wednesday at 3:40 p.m. PT, followed by a Thursday getaway game at 10:10 a.m. PT. Then it’s on to Fenway Park, where Rafael Devers will play for the first time as a visitor, and likely be joined by Marcelo Mayer. The Giants’ games against the Boston Red Sox are Friday at 4:10 p.m. PT, Saturday, at 4:15 p.m. PT, and Sunday at 12:10 p.m. PT.

Those teams are better than the Giants. A lot better than the Giants. Let’s see how it goes.

Noah Cameron continued his run of dominance with a complete game, one-hit shutout on Sunday.

“He was in command all day,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “It was efficient. The last two innings were probably the most stressful innings, and he made big pitches, getting strikeouts in the last couple innings there with the changeup. So, good for him. I mean, it’s exciting, and it was a big way for us to finish the road trip.”

It’s the first one-hit shutout by a Royals starter since franchise legend Zack Greinke on Aug. 30, 2009. This is also the second complete-game shutout by a Royals starter this season, with Stephen Kolek achieving the feat back in May.

Jaylon Thompson writes that Randy Dobnak is making a case to stay in the rotation.

Dobnak threw 25 changeups Saturday. He recorded two of his strikeouts with the offspeed pitch, getting Neto swinging to end the third inning.

“I mean, that felt pretty good starting out in the bullpen pregame and kind of just carried it into the game,” Dobnak said. “And sometimes, when I have that pitch going like that, I can pretty much spam it. It’s always a good pitch.”

Anne Rogers has more on the strike-throwing Dobnak.

Dobnak was a strike-one machine, landing the first pitch for a strike in 70% of the batters he faced. He primarily went to the sinker for the first pitch, using it 10 times, eight for strikes.

“First-pitch strike is probably the most important pitch you throw every game,” Dobnak said. “Just to get ahead of guys, it sets up the whole at-bat going forward.”

Vinnie Pasquantino and Maikel Garcia should rejoin the team this week.

Preston Farr writes about what the rise of Jac Caglianone means for Vinnie Pasquantino.

To do so, it may require a difficult decision. Since July 29, Caglianone is first in Major League Baseball in wRC+ (222) and wOBA. He’s second in OPS, SLG, and AVG. That date is when first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino was placed on the injured list. In 2026, Caglianone has a .947 OPS as a first baseman versus .790 as a right fielder. He’s played right field just twice in 15 games since the Pasquantino IL stint started, and that shift has coincided with Jac becoming the hottest hitter in Major League Baseball. The Royals should make Caglianone their everyday first baseman even after Pasquantino returns. Of course, Caglianone could DH as well, but forcing the clear inferior hitter into a spot simply “because he’s been there for a while” makes little sense.

Cardinals outfielder Joshua Báez homers three times against the Cubs, perhaps the best MLB debut ever.

Paul Skenes has his next start pushed back over velocity concerns.

The White Sox finish off a sweep of the Tigers.

Aroldis Chapman triggers his vesting option for 2027 with the Red Sox.

The Braves release Carlos Santana from his minor league contract.

The Mariners say Colt Emerson downplayed the severity of his wrist injury.

The Guardians become the third AL team to win 10,000 games in club history.

Can Pete Crow-Armstrong top Shohei Ohtani in NL MVP voting?

The Mets troll Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels over his NIL dispute.

Kelsie Whitmore has the first three-homer game in WPBL history.

Former MLB pitcher Tommy John dies at age 83.

Cristiano Ronaldo says this will probably be his last season.

Dolby’s new technology could make sports broadcasts more personalized, and more intrusive.

Lake Powell, the second-largest reservoir in the country, falls to its lowest level ever.

The ten longest airplane flights in the world.

Is Google search over?

Your song of the day is Let’s Active with Every Word Means No.

Call me a bad fan, but I did not realize the Cardinals had a doubleheader today until I sat down to write this article. And because there’s a doubleheader, I’m going to share something I noticed when I looked at the matchups: the Reds are not in a good position to have a doubleheader or play 5 games in 4 days. They are entering today with a very taxed bullpen.

Yesterday, they lost 7-1 but they were in the game until the 9th inning, so they still used some of their high leverage relievers. Nick Lodolo pitched in his second game since coming off the IL, so I assume he was on some kind of pitch count. He only threw 73 pitches in 5 scoreless innings. His replacement, Julian Garcia, threw 2 scoreless innings of his own, however it required 35 pitches. That would seemingly knock him out of tomorrow’s game and probably in an ideal world Tuesday as well. But I think they’ll be forced to pitch him Tuesday and possibly tomorrow as you will soon see.

Tejay Antone came into a 0-0 game in the top of the 8th inning. He got the first two guys out, then allowed a homer. Next: error, single, walk, walk. He needed 30 pitches and they took him out. Antone has been massively overworked. He threw 11 pitches on Saturday, 16 pitches on Thursday, and 9 pitches on Tuesday. That’s four games in six days, and back-to-back days coming off a 30 pitch outing. He has to be out for tomorrow as well, and ideally Tuesday. But I think he might be forced to pitch Tuesday.

Replacing Antone was Ron Marinaccio, who got the last out of the inning, and then needed an additional 43 pitches to get through a 5-run 9th inning. He is almost certainly getting DFA’d before tomorrow’s games, because they picked up him off waivers two weeks ago and they let him throw 47 pitches. He also threw 21 pitches on Saturday. 68 pitches in two days, they clearly have no future plans with him.

Out of their 8-man bullpen, two of them should be out today, and as of now, a third will presumably be replaced. Sam Moll, who averages less than an inning per appearance, threw Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Pitching tomorrow would mean four of the last six days, and he’s almost certainly pitching tomorrow, and then he’ll be tricky to put into games for Tuesday and Wednesday. Luis Mey pitched Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. He also can pitch tomorrow, but you can only pitch every other day for so long. Pierce Johnson is the same, although he threw under 10 pitches in each of his appearances, weirdly. He’s not very good so that may play a role. Brock Burke has gotten two days off, though pitched 3 of 4 before that. I’m sure he’ll be relied upon heavily in this series. Lastly, closer Emilio Pagan is fairly fresh, but I think he’s being used in exclusively save situations, however if there is not a save situation, I think he’ll have to pitch tomorrow.

Which brings us to the replacements. I do not know who is getting called up to replace Marinaccio. Tony Santillan is a strong possibility, with two pretty good rehab appearances, but the timing is a bit awkward. He threw an inning on Friday and yesterday. Are you really going to immediately throw him 3 out of 4 coming off an injury? Wouldn’t be my first choice.

They have three relievers on the 40 man. Connor Phillips has been in AAA since May and he also threw an inning yesterday. Unless the Reds have very poor communication with the AAA team, I feel like you don’t throw Phillips in yesterday’s game if you have any intention of using him in a doubleheader. The two realistic candidates to me seem to be Zach McCambley and Zach Maxwell. Neither has pitched in a few days. Maxwell has unspeakably bad numbers, so McCambley emerges as my only real choice. It is possible they plan for both, but will option one of them after game one. If either of these guys pitches, it should be good news for Cardinals batters.

Taking the start tomorrow would seemingly be Chase Petty. It hasn’t been announced as of this writing, but neither Julian Aguilar nor Jose Franco has appeared in a game, minors or majors, since July. Chase Solesky was claimed off waivers earlier this month, so I suppose you can throw him in the reliever group since he’s only appeared in relief for the Reds. Brandon Williamson made his first rehab start yesterday so he’s out. Petty is literally the only option and there is no way this bullpen could throw a bullpen game.

Another wrinkle however: I don’t think Petty is stretched out. He spent June and July in the MLB bullpen. He threw 1.2 innings on August 7th, got sent down, and then pitched on August 11th, where he faced 12 batters and allowed 5 runs in 1.2 IP. So I’ll be honest. No clue what the Reds are going to do in the game where Lowder doesn’t pitch. I feel like they need a starter and I feel like Petty is the only option, but he hasn’t thrown more than 50 pitches since June 4th so I don’t think he’ll throw many innings even if he does start.

Meanwhile the Cardinals are in a fairly good situation. Luis Gastelum is probably out for tomorrow, having thrown 2 innings. Caleb Ferguson threw 19 pitches and hadn’t pitched since Tuesday, so he’s clearly available even though we don’t want him to be. Gordon Graceffo pitched as well and threw 19 pitches but hadn’t thrown since Wednesday. Both can pitch tomorrow. Riley O’Brien, George Soriano, Justin Bruhl and Ryne Stanek all had light weeks, workload-wise. Peter Strzelecki is here to throw some mop-up innings as well, throwing 36 pitches on Friday, but nothing else in the past week. Pretty fresh bullpen.

They also have an actual starting pitcher in both games, which is helpful. I don’t expect Quinn Mathews to last deep into the game, but he at least can. I don’t Petty can. And Andre Pallante has thrown 6 or more innings in 11 of his 23 starts and he’s thrown less than 5 innings just once. He can eat innings and he’s got game two. Pretty good situation, certainly much better than the Reds current pitching situation.

The reason I decided to go over all this is because this is the kind of pitching situation that could affect more than just today’s game. The Cardinals need to take advantage. The Reds are going to need to use at least one of their pitchers for longer than they want, and the Cardinals should score off whichever pitcher that applies to. I think they’re saving Lowder for game two, but it would also be helpful if they worked his pitch count to its limit against Lowder and forced him out of the game early. They could really make things difficult for the Reds. All the minor league options are bad pitchers. This is the time to strike.

Joshua Baez

It would be foolish to overreact to two games, but I do kind of feel like the two games represent a microcosm of what to expect from Baez. Well sort of. I would be surprised if we have more 3-HR games in store. But generally speaking, it will be rather easy to know when you have to start Baez and the games where you can sit him. If a lefty is pitching, he starts. No question. If a righty is pitching, it’ll depend. Keep in mind they have to keep his PAs below 130. He can’t start every game anyway.

If you look at his minor league numbers, he is batting .294/.351/.745 against lefties. That is a staggering .451 ISO and 1.096 OPS. He has a 27.9 K% and 7.2 BB% against LHP. Against right-handed pitchers, he batted .246/.320/.539. That is a still very, very good .293 ISO, so it’s not like his power disappears. His K% rises to 30.6% and to be fair, his walk rate is also higher at 8.2%.

But broadly speaking, he strikes out less against lefties and has more power. This was true in 2025 as well. He didn’t strike out as much that year, but he had a 23.2 K% against RHP and a 16.9 K% against LHP. His ISO against LHP was .271 and his ISO against RHP was .187. He is undeniably a lefty masher and his MLB success will hinge on how he adjusts to right-handed pitching.

So Oli Marmol can look at the week ahead, see which games features left-handed starters and know Baez is penciled in for that game. And then he can structure his off days around that. This week, he will obviously start one of the two doubleheaders and then sit in the other one. Both probable starters are right-handed. Tuesday is Andrew Abbott, a lefty, so he’s got that game. The Cardinals have two very tough left-handed starters in Jesus Luzardo and Christopher Sanchez over the weekend, so it seems like a given he’d sit Saturday against Zack Wheeler. And I imagine he sits either Wednesday or Thursday and since Brady Singer is a clearly worse pitcher than Chase Burns and Baez would play four straight days, I would bet he sits Wednesday as well. (Burns is the scheduled pitcher)

I assume most of you know the deal, but just a warning: Joshua Baez will sit some games. He will also be on the bench as a pinch-hitting option on games where you sit him. It’s all a part of the plan. The Cardinals have 38 games left. If he played in every one of them and got 4 plate appearances per game – and we know that doesn’t happen since he’s played in two games and gotten 9 plate appearances – he would have 161 PAs. And again, I’m sure there will be games where a lefty reliever will be on the mound and Marmol will want to pinch-hit Baez. So he’s probably targeted for 25 starts the rest of this season.

Offense, do your thing, this is your series. Make it easy for the pitchers, although Great American Smallpark is never easy for pitchers.

Trevor Story, Roman Anthony, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa are all starting rehab assignments this week. The Red Sox have a puzzle to solve.

This is the kind of problem you want to have. Three players coming back from the IL, a roster that’s been playing the best baseball in the American League (well, until last week), and a manager who has to figure out how to fit everybody. Honestly, this is the right time for these moves to be happening. With the team coming back down to earth after their magic month and change, I’m less worried about breaking up chemistry and more worried about finding stability to keep the Wild Card spot this squad has for the rest of the season.

Chad Tracy has some real decisions to make. Let’s walk through them.

The Less Simple Than It Looks One: Isiah Kiner-Falefa

The conventional wisdom says IKF comes back and Eli White or Anthony Seigler goes. Bench a speedy utility outfielder or a replacement level infielder, bring in a veteran utility infielder, call it done.

Except White isn’t just an outfielder anymore. He got some reps in the infield last week, and that changes the calculus. White brings elite speed—the kind that changes games in ways that don’t show up in traditional box scores, whether it’s late-inning defense, a stolen base, or covering ground in the outfield during a blowout you don’t want to burn real arms for. IKF is the more polished infield defender with more positional versatility on the dirt. White is faster and more dynamic. Seigler is the clubhouse firecracker, and sometimes getting rid of that affects a team more than you can expect.

The argument for keeping White over IKF is more legitimate than it might initially seem. And here’s the thing: if they do go that route—IKF gets released, White stays—Anthony Seigler becomes your utility infielder. Seigler can play second, short, wherever Tracy needs him. He’s hit enough this year to justify a roster spot on his own. The Seigler-as-utility-IF path is genuinely compelling. Don’t sleep on it.

The Complicated One: Trevor Story

Story is a legitimate major league shortstop. When he’s healthy and productive, he’s a quick runner with real pop and a strong glove at a premium position. He’s not coming back to ride the bench.

The question isn’t whether Story plays—it’s where Andruw Monasterio goes when he does.

Because Monasterio isn’t going away. He’s been one of the most consistent run producers in this lineup for two months—a doubles and RBI machine who has shown up in big spots repeatedly. You can’t sit him. But you also can’t leave him at shortstop, because Monasterio is a horrific defensive shortstop. That’s not debatable. Story is a significantly better defender at the position and deserves to have it back.

The natural resolution: Story to short, Monasterio to second base. His bat plays anywhere in the infield, and second base covers his defensive limitations better than short does. Then Seigler slides into the utility infielder role, giving Tracy a switch-hitting bat off the bench who’s proven he can do damage in this lineup.

The version of this that makes everybody uncomfortable: if Story comes back and isn’t fully himself at the plate after months away, Tracy has a real call to make about whether slotting him in at the expense of what Monasterio is currently doing is actually helping this team win. Story has earned some benefit of the doubt. But this team has earned its record too. Give Story his spot back, let him find his timing, and watch what happens.

Behind all of this, the Franklin Arias question looms. But that’s a piece for another time.

The Exciting One: Roman Anthony

Masataka Yoshida going to the IL with a hamstring strain is bad news—he’s been a steady offensive presence all season. But it accidentally cleared the path for the best prospect in baseball to get his first real look at a pennant race.

Anthony comes back from rehab, Micky Gaspar goes back to Worcester, and Anthony DHs while Yoshida is out. Simple. Clean. The service time question is gone now anyway. Put the kid in the lineup.

The harder question is what happens when Yoshida comes back off the IL in ten days, because that DH spot disappears and someone loses at-bats. Here’s where it gets interesting: Jarren Duran is not hitting. He’s been one of the team’s biggest offensive disappointments over the last month, and the numbers justify having a real conversation about his role. But Duran is still a legitimate major leaguer who needs reps to find his way—you don’t just bench him cold.

So Tracy has three realistic paths when Yoshida returns:

One: Yoshida DHs, Anthony moves to left field, Duran loses starts. Rafaela and Abreu stay where they are, the outfield becomes a rotation, and Duran works his way back through starts rather than sitting entirely.

Two: Duran stays in left, Anthony takes the DH at-bats, Yoshida sits more than he’d like. This is harder to sell to Yoshida but it keeps Anthony in the lineup every day without disrupting the outfield alignment.

Three: Duran in left, Yoshida as primary DH, and Anthony gets gradually folded in—DH days when Yoshida needs a breather, spot starts in the outfield when someone needs a day off. The ramp-up approach, designed to give Anthony major league at-bats without fully displacing anyone.

Duran’s struggles make all three versions of this defensible. Tracy will probably start with option three and let Anthony’s bat make the decision for him.

The Big Picture

When Yoshida comes back and Anthony’s path gets complicated, Tracy will have to make harder calls. But the answer to “do you want Roman Anthony in your lineup?” is almost certainly yes—and the sooner this team finds out what he can do at the major league level, the better.

This team went 21-4 in July. They won nine straight series. They’re coming back down to earth. They’re getting healthy at exactly the right time. The roster crunch isn’t a problem—it’s a symptom of how good this organization has gotten in a very short time. Figure out the lineup. Put the best nine on the field and let it ride.

Last Week’s Results

• Monday: Padres 3, Brewers 2
• Tuesday: Padres 11, Brewers 2
• Wednesday: Padres 4, Brewers 3
• Thursday: Brewers 5, Dodgers 4
• Friday: Dodgers 3, Brewers 1
• Saturday: Brewers 4, Dodgers 1
• Sunday: Brewers 6, Dodgers 2

Division Standings

• Brewers 77-48
• Cubs 72-53 (5.0 GB)
• Cardinals 63-61 (13.5 GB)
• Pirates 61-65 (16.5 GB)
• Reds 59-64 (17.0 GB)

Last Week

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

Top Pitching Performance of the Week

If it’s one thing the Brewers will be consistent at, it’s pitching. This week, they desperately needed it as they completed the final stretch of 17 games in a row. After being swept by the Padres, which featured a pair of games where the bullpen fell apart, the pitching staff was lights out against the Dodgers. Of course, the series with the Dodgers was critical, as it will likely determine a number of playoff scenarios.

Even though there are a few different performances we could choose this week, it’s clear that there’s one that stands alone, and it was Logan Henderson’s seven-inning masterpiece to silence the Dodgers. While the headlines were about Tarik Skubal, Logan Henderson, and the trade that never was, Henderson dominated to secure the tiebreaker over the Dodgers, and helped create a nice cushion for the best record in baseball. Henderson threw seven innings of three-hit ball, allowing one run, one walk, and striking out six.

Top Hitting Performance of the Week

There’s no team more thankful than the Brewers to have finally finished up their last West Coast trip of the regular season. Furthermore, there’s no doubt that this past week featured one of the roughest showings of the offense all season. So, picking who had the best hitting performance of the week wasn’t easy, but Jake Bauers certainly eased any troubling thoughts with his four-hit performance in the series finale against the Dodgers. Bauers was the heart and soul of the offense in the series against the Dodgers, with the go-ahead hit on Thursday night to go with that four-hit day on Sunday. His double, three singles, walk, and two RBIs propelled the Brewers to a 6-2 victory.

Some honorable mentions for top hitting performances of the week:

• Jackson Chourio quietly had a solid week with a pair of three-hit performances on Monday and Sunday.
• William Contreras perhaps earns the biggest honorable mention of the season with his two-hit outing to snap his 0-for-20 streak, including a two-run homer.

Injury Notes & Roster Moves

• Brice Turang continues to be day-to-day, as he was out of the lineup for a fourth straight game on Sunday. He hopes to return to the lineup in the series opener against the Mariners on Tuesday.
• Sal Frelick is eyeing his return sometime in the near future as he recovers from a right shoulder sprain. He played four games as part of his rehab assignment in Nashville and hit a three-run home run on August 14.
• Abner Uribe hit the injured list with a right forearm flexor strain and isn’t expected to be back until the end of the month. Grant Anderson was recalled from Triple-A to replace Uribe.
• Cooper Pratt looks to begin a rehab assignment as soon as Tuesday, according to Pat Murphy, and we could see him return in the next couple of weeks.
• Newly acquired JoJo Romero threw his second bullpen a couple of days ago and is expected to make his Brewers debut sometime in the next two weeks.
• Jihwan Bae was designated for assignment on Saturday as the Brewers acquired Jonathan Ornelas for cash from the A’s. Ornelas got the start on Saturday and Sunday.
• Lyon Richardson, who was designated for assignment earlier in the week, re-signed to a minor league contract and was assigned to Triple-A Nashville.
• Bryse Wilson, who was also designated for assignment, refused his assignment to Triple-A Nashville before signing another contract. He’s back in Milwaukee’s bullpen.
• Drew Rom, who was designated for assignment last weekend, was claimed off waivers and acquired by the A’s.

On Deck

• Monday: Off Day
• Tuesday: vs. Mariners (6:40 p.m.)
• Wednesday: vs. Mariners (6:40 p.m.)
• Thursday: vs. Mariners (1:10 p.m.)
• Friday: vs. Braves (3:10 p.m.)
• Saturday: vs. Braves (1:10 p.m.)
• Sunday: vs. Braves (6:10 p.m.) — MLB Little League Classic in Williamsport, PA

I promise you, Tarik, Los Angeles will show you so much support if you fight like you did Sunday.

Though you, of course, would also appreciate a little help from your new friends.

A little run support. A little urgency. For them to clean it up a little in the field behind you.

Everything that was missing — again — in the Dodgers’ 6-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, their 11th loss in 16 games.

Sunday’s we-have-Tarik-Skubal-and-you-don’t game against the Brewers — Milwaukee also sought his services but refused, reportedly, to part with winning pitcher Logan Henderson in a deal — didn’t go as planned for the Dodgers.

Read more:Dave Roberts hopes dropping series to Brewers 'doesn't come back to bite' Dodgers

Skubal threw a career-high 109 pitches through six innings, gave up two runs and took the loss for the second time in three starts with the Dodgers, who were trailing 2-1 when he left the game.

Skubal is new here and it’s already a familiar story: They trailed 2-1 when he left the game after six innings in his debut and they were down 3-2 when he exited after five innings in his second start with the club.

It’s not personal. The Dodgers have scored the sixth-fewest runs (50) in baseball this month, when they’ve gone 5-10. They have an OPS of .672, which is 21st in baseball in that span.

They’re not just scuffling, they’re sleepwalking, this team that previously had a .773 OPS through the end of July.

They’re getting every team’s best shot, as they knew they would, and they’re ... shrugging.

“The results are hard,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Hitting’s hard. But I do think that fighting and winning pitches, spoiling pitches, that’s care, hunger.

“That’s the reason why you look at four and a half months in a season, the Brewers have outscored us. It’s a team that’s young and hungry. It’s certainly not talent. I say this because, this has been four, five, six weeks of below-average production from our offense. It’s the truth.”

Presumably, when the games mean more and the three-peat-dreaming Dodgers — who scored only 10 runs in four games against the Brewers, three of which they lost — will care enough to wake up.

It’s just that it’ll take more, apparently, for the Dodgers to stop hitting the snooze button and start hitting the baseball than the prospect of locking up a potential tiebreaker against the Milwaukee Brewers on a pleasant Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.

Clearly it’ll take more, too, than wanting to make a good first impression on Skubal, the two-time Cy Young-award winner and free agent-to-be.

The Dodgers acquired Skubal in an abundantly predictable bombshell trade with the Detroit Tigers in exchange for a trio of prospects, wanting to test the idiom that a ballclub can never have enough pitching.

Read more:Tommy John, Dodgers pitcher and medical pioneer, dies at 83

His new colleagues haven’t done anything to make him miss his best friends on the Detroit Tigers any less, but Skubal hasn’t exactly issued a dominant first impression, either.

It hasn’t been the nightmare pairing so many predicted — at least not for opponents.

In each start, Skubal has been inefficient, he’s been searching for his command. In his 17 innings over three games in Dodger blue, he’s given up 15 hits and seven runs (six earned), 19 strikeouts and six walks.

So, yeah, we can totally table the debate about who should be the Dodgers’ first starter in the postseason: In Yoshinobu Yamamoto we trust.

But credit Skubal for gritting it out each time, keeping the Dodgers in those three games against the Chicago Cubs, the Kansas City Royals and Brewers.

On Sunday, after settling down in the third and fourth innings, he went back to work in the sixth inning, fired up — and struck out the side with the help of a 99-mph fastball and sinker.

“I was just frustrated with the pitch count through five,” Skubal said. “I’m glad Doc gave me an opportunity to go back out there for the sixth, just save some innings from the bullpen.

“My last outing was five. The one before that was six. That’s just, it’s not acceptable. It’s not the standard of what I think I’m capable of in this league. So, you know, I just need to be better.”

So too do the Dodgers’ big name free-agent signings from last offseason: $240-million man Kyle Tucker went 0 for 19 on the homestand and dropped a ball in right field Sunday; high-profile closer Edwin Díaz is making every save opportunity a high-wire tightrope act, blowing three opportunities in his past five appearances.

Maybe there’s a lesson there: Buyer beware?

Still, Roberts likes what he’s learned about Skubal so far.

“Wants to win; prepared; great competitor,” Roberts said. “We certainly haven’t seen his best yet, but man, it feels good every time he’s out there. It really does.

“I just still don’t think we’ve seen his best, which is a good thing for us.”

If Skubal can fight to get up off this floor — if that is what this is, the low point for both the pitcher and his new club — L.A. will love him for it.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.