Worldwide Sports News

Today, I’m only going to cover the Memphis Redbirds and the starting pitching prospects at Springfield. On Thursday, the relievers at Springfield and the lower minors, but not the rookie leagues. I gave the update on the rookie leagues earlier this month. But there really aren’t that many interesting rookie league pitchers so it wouldn’t have added a ton to this post.

Memphis

Quinn Mathews, LHP – 25 (VEB’s #4 prospect)

Acquired:4th round, 2023 draft

Stats: 18 GS, 85 IP, 29.1 K%, 14.1 BB%, 47.9 GB%, .211 BABIP, 3.39 ERA/4.90 FIP/4.41 xFIP/4.58 DRA

The problem Quinn Mathews is currently facing is that he has not managed to string many starts together where he seemed to have control. He walked four guys in his first start this season, and then over a period of three consecutive starts, the best he did all year was 5 walks. But you could only find one three-start period where he did that. His next highest was 6 walks over 3 games. Same thing. You were more likely to look at his last three starts and see 9 or 10 walks than 5 or 6.

Good news however: his most recent three starts involved just 3 total walks, for a BB% of 4.4%. I’m not sure what kind of sample the Cardinals are looking for, I kind of think they’d walk better control over a longer period than just three starts. But he might get called up next week. It is important to note that might actually have more to do with the no off-days in the schedule than them actually thinking he’s ready. But that’s his big thing right now: if only he walked less, he’d be in St. Louis already.

Tink Hence, RHP – 23 (VEB’s #10 prospect)

Acquired: 2nd round, 63rd overall in 2020 draft

Stats: 18 G (3 GS), 20 IP, 20.2 K%, 18.2 BB%, 45.6 GB%, .278 BABIP, 6.64 ERA/6.49 FIP/6.01 xFIP/6.02 DRA

Speaking of inconsistency, Hence has not managed to find a rhythm this year at all. His ERA is updated, but his other stats will get worse because he threw 0.1 IP with a BB and HR allowed yesterday. Moved to the bullpen for what I would have assumed were innings concerns, there are now performance concerns. He seems to be facing an entirely different problem than he has in the past, when it was pretty much purely injury concerns. The good/bad news is that something has changed in his delivery or mechanics. And that’s good news because you change mechanics or delivery back to what it was before. The bad news is that if he never finds it again, he doesn’t have a future MLB career. He’s still just 23.

Tekoah Roby, RHP – 24 (VEB’s #11 prospect)

Acquired: Traded with Thomas Saggese and John King for Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton

Stats: N/A

Roby underwent Tommy John surgery in the middle of last season and is not likely to pitch this season.

Brycen Mautz, LHP – 24 (VEB’s #13 prospect)

Acquired: 2nd round, 59th overall in 2022 draft

Stats: 17 G (16 GS), 22.1 K%, 15.9 BB%, 43.2 GB%, .251 BABIP, 2.92 ERA/4.90 FIP/5.65 xFIP/6.44 DRA

I feel like Mathews has gotten plenty of headlines about how much he has struggled with control, but Mautz is really getting much attention and he’s been worse. He has a good ERA, somehow, but every other stat is not good. He isn’t striking out a lot of hitters and he’s walking a ton of them. The Cardinals are clearly avoiding calling up Mautz – they’ve had chances and they went with journeymen – and looking at these stats, I understand why.

Ixan Henderson, LHP – 23 (VEB’s #16 prospect)

Acquired: 8th round, 2023 draft

Stats (CPX): 2 G, 1.2 IP, 0.0 K%, 23.1 BB%, 28.6 GB%, .500 BABIP, 21.60 ERA/9.60 FIP/11.22 xFIP

So obviously rehab appearances are not about stats, but I would call these numbers concerning. My first instinct is that he’s still not healthy. He could just as easily be rusty. Certainly if his whole rehab goes like this, I would imagine he’s shut down again.

Hunter Dobbins, RHP – 26

Acquired: Traded with Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aitia for Willson Contreras

Stats:13 GS, 62.2 IP, 17.1 K%, 8 BB%, 51.3 GB%, .303 BABIP, 4.16 ERA/4.73 FIP/4.93 xFIP/4.45 DRA

Last season, Dobbins threw just 78.2 IP all year. This year, he’s already at 84 innings. With over two months left to play, I think it’s pretty clear the Cardinals aren’t going to seriously restrict his innings, but I also think they’re trying to do minor stuff here and there to keep his innings lower than his full potential. Because he’s made 18 appearances across both the majors and minors, he’s one start behind all the MLB guys, and he’s thrown 24 less innings than McGreevy, 14 less innings than both May and Pallante, and 4 less innings than Kyle Leahy – who has also made 18 starts, but is making his 19th start tonight. He did throw 125 innings in 2024, so I assume the Cardinals hope he’ll reach that at least.

Pete Hansen, LHP – 25

Acquired: 3rd round pick, 97 overall in 2022 draft

Stats:14 GS, 59 IP, 22.0 K%, 8.5 BB%, 44.8 GB%, .324 BABIP, 4.88 ERA/4.42 FIP/4.53 xFIP/5.42 DRA

I’ll give Pete this: he’s hanging in there. I haven’t really been a believer of his, because he’s always been okay while never being the young guy. He’s never been old for his level necessarily, just a guy posting okay stats at AA at 24-years-old is not going to get my attention. But he’s mostly maintaining his production at each stop. He struck out 21.1% of people in Springfield, so far it’s even gone up a bit. He’s been worse because of the walks, but as you can see with Mautz and Mathews, it’s apparently hard to not walk guys in Memphis and 8.5% is perfectly respectable. While his stats remain okay, this is probably the first time I can squint and see him with an MLB career.

Sem Robberse, RHP – 24(VEB’s #13 prospect in 2025)

Acquired: Traded with Adam Kloffenstein for Jordan Hicks

Stats (Rehab): 5 GS, 9 IP, 24.3 K%, 0 BB%, 57.7 GB%, .407 BABIP, 6.00 ERA/3.33 FIP/2.53 xFIP

See, now this, this is the kind of performance I want to see in rehab. Who cares about the ERA in 9 IP? He has not walked a single batter and almost everything is being hit on the ground. Great sign. He only threw 14.2 IP last season, so I’m not sure how much they’re going to ramp him up cause obviously it’s going to be pretty easy to beat 14.2 IP with any kind of health.

Mason Molina, LHP – 23

Acquired: Traded with Skylar Hales for Phil Maton

Stats (AA): 14 GS, 69 IP, 28.8 K%, 9.1 BB%, 30.8 GB%, .271 BABIP, 2.87 ERA/3.61 FIP/4.65 xFIP/4.55 DRA

AAA: 2 GS, 8 IP, 33.3 K%, 11.9 BB%, 23.8 GB%, .476 BABIP, 6.75 ERA/3.91 FIP/4.13 xFIP/4.74 DRA

The Cardinals traded two months of Phil Maton and one of the pieces they got back, who had made 7 appearances in High A at the time of the time, is in AAA less than a year later. Here’s some more fun news: Mason Molina was originally drafted by the Brewers, who traded him to the Rangers for Grant Anderson, a perfectly cromulent but whatever reliever. Molina will probably have to get groundballs at some point to be a starter though – not a lot, but he’d allow too many homers with anything lower than 30%.

Ryan Fernandez, RHP – 28

Acquired: Rule 5, 2023 from Red Sox

Stats: 20 G, 22.1 IP, 22.6 K%, 7.5 BB%, 42.2 GB%, .274 BABIP, 4.43 ERA/4.34 FIP/4.08 xFIP/5.12 DRA

Not really stats that make you think he belongs in the big leagues, actually I would describe those stats as good enough for exactly the role he has now – bullpen shuttle reliever.

Hancel Rincon, RHP – 24

Acquired: Internatonal amateur free agent signing of the Dominican Republic in 2019

Stats: 27 G (3 GS), 51.2 IP, 27.1 K%, 11.3 BB%, 46.2 GB%, .304 BABIP, 4.35 ERA/5.05 FIP/4.28 xFIP/4.27 DRA

That’s about as clear-cut of a multi-inning reliever as you’ll get. His three starts were not actually starts, at least not 5 IP starts. He has walked give guys in his two most recent appearances so I don’t think he’s close to getting called up.

Austin Love, RHP – 27

Acquired: 3rd round, 90th overall in 2021 draft

Stats: 12 G, 15 IP, 20.8 K%, 20.8 BB%, 52.3 GB%, .302 BABIP, 7.20 ERA/6.34 FIP/6.33 xFIP/6.77 DRA

Love ended up with not particularly impressive numbers in Springfield despite a fantastic start. The Cardinals promoted him anyway and I guess it shouldn’t be a shock that he has struggled. I was kind of hoping he was going to be an effective reliever, but given his age, it does appear to be a true longshot, despite him being on the door step to the big leagues.

Skylar Hales, RHP – 24

Acquired: Traded with Mason Molina for Phil Maton

Stats: 26 G, 30.1 IP, 23 K%, 13.2 BB%, 52.7 GB%, .389 BABIP, 7.71 ERA/5.55 FIP/4.68 xFIP/5.00 DRA

I got to tell you, sharing the pitching stats are a real bummer. I’m pretty sure the offensive environment is a little bit crazy, so understand that a decent or even seemingly below average looking line is actually fine. But that is not an argument that these are good stats. These are an improvement over his performance last season in AAA, although it’s mostly just because he’s getting a lot of groundballs.

Cade Winquest, RHP – 26

Acquired: 8th round, 2022 draft

Stats: 22 G, 25.2 IP, 29.4 K%, 5.5 BB%, 44.9 GB%, .344 BABIP, 5.96 ERA/3.62 FIP/3.31 xFIP

Well bad news: Winquest got rocked yesterday. I updated the ERA, not the other stats. And the other stats will get worse, mainly because he allowed a homer and didn’t strike anybody out. Good news though is that the K/BB ratio certainly suggests he’s very close to being MLB ready.

Ryan Murphy, RHP – 26

Acquired: Minor League Rule 5, 2025 from Giants

Stats: 19 G, 25.2 IP, 24.2 K%, 14.5 BB%, 56.3 GB%, .353 BABIP, 6.51 ERA/5.80 FIP/4.71 xFIP/4.76 DRA

Murphy is a good example of how an injury can derail a career. Murphy had 11 good starts in AA – albeit a little over 3 innings per start – and then he essentially missed his the rest of that season and the next season (which was mostly spent on rehab appearances). So the Cardinals grabbed him up and ploppped him in the bullpen. And there might be something here with his GB rate being so high.

Springfield (Starters)

Liam Doyle, LHP – 22 (VEB’s #2 prospect)

Acquired: 5th overall pick in the 2025 draft

Stats: 15 GS, 61 IP, 27.4 K%, 13.3 BB%, 33.3 GB%, .340 BABIP 5.31 ERA/4.88 FIP/4.82 xFIP

We probably should have expected some growing pains with Doyle. It was known he needed to work on his secondaries. And sometimes that leads to games like yesterday, when he walked 5 guys and struck out just 3 guys. Yesterday’s stats are not reflected in his FIP or xFIP, so those will be worse when you read this. But he is still missing quite a few bats, balls are maybe falling more often than they would in the majors, and I really don’t think the Cardinals care about Doyle’s specific stats.

Jurrangelo Cjintje, RHP – 23 (VEB’s #5 prospect)

Acquired: Traded with Tai Peete in 3-team trade for Brendan Donovan

Stats: 17 GS, 80.1 IP, 28.2 K%, 11.3 BB%, 40.8 GB%, .288 BABIP, 5.04 ERA/5.26 FIP/4.79 xFIP

Yes, I am aware Cjinjte is now in Memphis. He made his first start for Memphis yesterday, and wasn’t very good, allowing 6 ER in 3.2 IP and more walks than strikeouts. This is really not surprising because his stats at Springfield weren’t very good. So interesting move to promote him. I think the Cardinals are not looking at the same stats we are, or at least he’s doing something they are encouraged by that isn’t necessarily reflected in the stats themselves.

Brandon Clarke, LHP – 22 (VEB’s #9 prospect)

Acquired: Traded with Richard Fitts and Patrick Galle for Sonny Gray

Stats: 2 G, 3 IP, 25 K%, 16.7 BB%, 66.7 GB%, .167 BABIP, 6.00 ERA/4.99 FIP/5.44 xFIP

You would have legitimately no clue that Clarke actually pitched pretty poorly on Saturday, because the attention was rightfully on the fact that he threw 103 mph. But he walked two and struck out 1 of the 7 batters he faced while giving up two runs. It also speaks to the fact that rehab appearances don’t really matter. When the Cardinals deem him ready for Springfield, that’s when I’m going to care that he’s walking more than he’s striking out.

Cooper Hjerpe, LHP – 25 (VEB’s #16 prospect)

Acquired: 1st round, 22 overall in 2022 draft

Stats: 3 GS, 7 IP, 44.1 K%, 20.6 BB%, 41.7 GB%, .400 BABIP, 9.00 ERA/6.08 FIP/3.48 xFIP/3.10 DRA

As good as Hjerpe’s stats are so far…. he is not beating the reliever allegations with them. I’ve pitched it before, but certainly someone who is striking out 44% of batters could probably be an MLB reliever right now. I wouldn’t promote him right now, but I definitely would like to see him get innings in September. I don’t think this is a giving up on starting move – he didn’t throw an inning last season, so I don’t think the Cardinals are going to have him throw more than a few innings per start anyway. If the Cardinals are still in contention, try using him as a lefty weapon out of the bullpen. That’s just my hope.

Chen-Wei Lin, RHP – 24 (VEB’s #11 prospect in 2025)

Acquired: International amateur free agent signing out of Taiwan in 2023

Stats: 17 G (14 GS), 67 IP, 27.3 K%, 13.2 BB%, 52.6 GB%, .331 BABIP, 5.10 ERA/4.53 FIP/4.71 xFIP/5.39 DRA

While these are certainly not what I wuld call good stats, he is striking out 27% of batters while having a greater than 50% GB rate. There’s a starter toolkit here and considering injuries restricted him to 50.1 IP, it’s good to see he has been healthy.

Braden Davis, LHP – 23

Acquired: 5th round, 2024 draft

Stats: 17 GS, 73 IP, 26.5 K%, 14.2 BB%, 41.8 GB%, .315 BABIP, 4.68 ERA/5.13 FIP/5.04 xFIP

I know Chaim Bloom has a reputation for taking things slow with pitchers, but there are kind of lot of pitchers in this system that were seemingly promoted aggressively and who don’t have particularly great stats at that aggressive placement. Davis made 8 total starts last year and missed a lot of bats and missed the strike zone a good amount. If they repeated Davis in High A, I’m sure they were confident he would have good stats, so they wanted to push him. I just kind of get the feeling that the Cardinals don’t want their starters to be too dominant because then they aren’t being challenged enough.

Blake Aitia, RHP – 23

Acquired: Traded with Yhoiker Fajardo and Hunter Dobbins for Willson Contreras

Stats (High A): 14 GS, 57.1 IP, 26.6 K%, 10.3 BB%, 38.6 GB%, .324 BABIP, 3.92 ERA/5.11 FIP/4.84 xFIP/4.27 DRA

AA: 2 G, 12 IP, 17 K%, 4.3 BB%, 33.3 GB%, .200 BABIP, 3.00 ERA/5.09 FIP/4.92 xFIP/6.47 DRA

Davis is followed by another pitcher who honestly proves my point more. It does not feel like Aita gets promoted in an organization that promotes its pitchers too slow. It could be an entirely AAA to majors reputation that Bloom got here. It feels like pitchers are promoted aggressively honestly.

Brandt Thompson, RHP – 23

Acquired: 17th round, 2024 draft

Stats (AA): 12 G (8 GS), 28.8 K%, 9.8 BB%, 46.5 GB%, .323 BABIP, 4.89 ERA/4.11 FIP/3.96 xFIP

AAA: 6 G, 22.1 IP, 15.5 K%, 9.3 BB%, 46.6 GB%, .338 BABIP, 5.64 ERA/4.57 FIP/4.97 xFIP

Thompson is currently in Springfield, hence why he isn’t in the Memphis section. Props to Randy Flores on picking this guy up in the 17th round, regardless of how far he ends up making it, Thompson looks more like a potential MLBer than the vast, vast, vast majority of 17th rounders ever do and that alone makes it a good pick.

And that’s where I’m going to stop. It felt kind of awkward, because I reached the end of Memphis and noticed that covering all of Springfield would actually make this a fairly long post, but I didn’t want to ignore Springfield completely, so today you get the starters, and on Thursday, you get the relievers plus the lower minors. Covering all the bullpen pitchers really adds up. Thankfully, I can pretty much ignore the bullpen guys in the lower minors. So I will get the pitching section finished on Thursday.

Jaylon Thompson writes about the blowout loss on Sunday.

“It stinks for everybody to be out there in that situation,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “You never want to be in that spot (late in the game), but that’s the spot we put ourselves in. And you know, with seven more games before an off-day, you’ve got to get a position player out there to keep people fresh to pitch tomorrow.”

Anne Rogers talks to J.J. Picollo about the upcoming trade deadline.

There will be interest in relievers John Schreiber, Daniel Lynch IV and Alex Lange, too. But the most intriguing part of this Deadline will be what the Royals decide to do with their two veteran starters, Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha, the latter of whom is probably the Royals’ best trade chip this year. But trading them away is not so simple.

“Those [are] two guys we’re going to count on,” Picollo said. “We already have needs in our rotation. We’ll be open-minded to anything. But we have to be very, very pointed in what we want to get out of any one of those two. And also, they made a commitment to us. I think that’s important to the morale of the team. Where you have two guys that have done what they’ve done in their careers, and they want to be here.

“With that being said, teams want to talk about them — it’s never going to hurt to at least listen. I think those guys understand that.”

Salvador Perez hit career home run #315, two shy of George Brett’s franchise record.

“You know, every day I hear somebody tell me about that,” Perez said of the record. “So it’s hard not to think about it. I don’t try to think about it when I’m hitting. I don’t like to put too much pressure on myself, you know.

“I try to see the ball and hit the ball. When it happens, I’m happy. Hopefully, I can do that quick.”

Stephen Kolek had an injury setback in his rehab start and will hit the Injured List.

“He said he didn’t feel great playing catch, but then as he got on the mound, he felt better,” manager Matt Quatraro said Sunday morning. “The first couple of innings were pretty good. In the third inning, he felt more aggressive discomfort. They thought it was best to get him out of there.”

Royals first round pick Zion Rose met with the media this weekend.

“I’m grateful to be here, with an organization that cares about their players, cares about their development, cares about the team,” Rose said. “A city that backs their team. I’m excited to get going.”

Jaylon Thompson has more.

“I hate losing and I hate losing against people,” Rose said. “And I feel like, in this game, everything is a competition.

“It’s so great because it’s a team game, but in the box it’s one on one. So it’s me versus the pitcher. You know, I could care less who’s up there (pitching), and that’s the great part about it.

Freddy Fermin received a warm welcome in his return to Kauffman Stadium.

The Orioles sign pitcher Kyle Bradish to a five-year, $90 million extension.

The Cubs acquire pitcher Aaron Civale from the Athletics.

The Red Sox extend their winning streak to 13.

Dodgers catcher Will Smith is expected to miss another month with injury.

Teams are interested in trading for Athletics outfielders.

The Reds are looking to move players on expiring contracts.

Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff needs season-ending surgery.

Where could Francisco Lindor be traded?

How Pete Crow-Armstrong became an MVP candidate.

Japanese college slugger Rintaro Sasaki will sign with the Marlins instead of playing in Japan.

Former Blue Jays closer Duane Ward dies at the age of 62.

Spain bests Argentina to win the FIFA 2026 World Cup.

The Atlanta Hawks trade Zaccharie Risacher two years after making him the #1 overall pick.

How Burger King is preparing for the GLP-1 revolution.

Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber and severed hand from The Empire Strikes Backsell for $3.75 million at auction.

Airlines warn that adjusting to permanent daylight savings time could take up to two years.

Your song of the day is Ned’s Atomic Dustbin with Grey Cell Green.

Triple-A: Nashville Sounds (MIL) 4, Norfolk Tides 0

Trey Gibson had the start today and pitched well despite taking the a loss. He allowed a run on a walk and a triple, but covered four innings and allowed just the one run. The game remained 1-0 until the seventh inning, when three runs came in against Hans Crouse before Crouse had retired a single hitter. On the other hand, Yaramil Hiraldo, Nick Raquet, Yaqui Rivera and Enoli Paredes all had scoreless outings.

Norfolk had just two hits on the day, a single apiece from Silas Ardoin and Enrique Bradfield Jr.

Box Score

Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats (COL) 5, Chesapeake Baysox 4

Down 3-1 going into the bottom of the seventh, the Baysox stormed back with four late runs, their second comeback win of the weekend

Brandon Butterworth got the scoring going for Chesapeake with a home run in the fourth. In the seventh, Willy Vasquez knocked in a two-run double. In the bottom of the eighth, Thomas Sosa hit a two-run homer, scoring himself and Aron Estrada.

Luis de León pitched well, with 4.2 one-run innings where he struck out five. He was followed by Zane Barnhart, who allowed two runs in under an inning. Micah Ashman threw 1.2 scoreless, Christian Heberholz allowed one run, and Jeisson Cabrera got the save.

Box Score

High-A: Frederick Keys 17, Greenville Drive (BOS) 6

A day after scoring 12 runs on 20 hits on in Greenville, Frederick blasted six home runs in a 17-run, 25-hit donnybrook. This was a lot of hits. RJ Austin went 4-for-6. Ike Irish 4-for-7 with two home runs and six RBI. Creed Willems, in High-A rehabbing, finished 3-for-6 with a homer. Wehiwa Aloy went 4-for-5. I’ll put it this way: the top six Keys hitters each had two or more hits, and three each had four.

Starter J.T. Quinn gave up four runs in 2.2 innings on a three-run home run. Following Quinn, the bullpen pitched a solid 6.1 one-run innings. That comprised Todd Kniebbe, Riley Cooper, Cohen Achen, Trent Turzenski, Chandler Marsh, and Braeden Sloan.

Box Score

Low-A: Salem RidgeYaks (BOS) 4, Delmarva Shorebirds 2

Starting pitcher Dalton Neuschwander got jumped on early, allowing three runs on a first-inning home run. He’d pitch into the fourth and allow one run after that.

The Shorebirds got two runs back in the second inning on a Junior Aybar RBI single and a double steal!

It was a three-hit day for Perez and a two-hit day for Mejía. DJ Layton hit a double. Jordan Sanchez, Andrés Nolaya, Elvin García, Miguel Rodríguez and Aybar each had a one-hit day.

The pitchers who followed Neuschwander kept it together: Adrian Heredia threw 2.1 scoreless innings. Brendan Parks threw 1.1 scoreless, and Zac Lampton each threw an inning-plus without letting in a run.

Box Score

Today’s Schedule

• There are no scheduled games for today.

Drake Baldwin and Austin Riley both delivered in big ways as the Braves once again beat the Rangers in a big series and Sunday win. While there were a few pitching concerns, the bats showed they are more than capable of producing wins. That is certainly a great sign for Atlanta, especially with the return of Ronald Acuna Jr. drawing near. If the offense is ready to be among the best in the game again, that will certainly make winning a bit easier.

Braves News

The Braves sent Owen Murphy back to the minors and brought Elieser Hernandez to Atlanta.

AJ Smith Shawver continued to round into shape in his latest rehab start.

There was some clarification on the plan for Spencer Schwellenbach. He currently is in Florida throwing bullpen sessions and working his way toward live BP.

MLB News

The Red Sox have now won 13 games in a row, continuing to ascend in the AL Playoff picture.

The Phillies lost to the Mets on Sunday and the series over the weekend. The Braves lead in the NL East is now three games.

The Athletics are starting to receive interest in their outfield depth.

Former Toronto Blue Jays Closer Duane Ward unfortunately passed away.

He is baseball’s invisible man.

Remember when the Dodgers signed Kyle Tucker? The prophets of doom wailed. The Dodgers had opened Pandora’s box, and out would fly a lockout, a pall of smoke over their games, and a plague of locusts.

The salary cap proposal was coming anyway. The Dodgers did play through wildfire smoke at Yankee Stadium last Friday. No locusts, at least not yet.

But no one foretold that the star to whom the Dodgers agreed last winter to pay an average of $60 million each year would be, well, average.

Over the first half of the season, Tucker’s OPS+ was 100, making him a player defined by that metric as “league average.”

He is batting .240, 30 points below his career average. He is on pace for full-season career lows in home runs (11) and OPS (.702).

His WAR is 0.9, below the 1.3 of Tyler Glasnow. By that metric, Tucker has contributed less to the Dodgers’ success this season than Glasnow, who has pitched in seven of the team’s first 100 games.

Hardly anyone outside Los Angeles has noticed, and hardly anyone in Los Angeles has gotten all worked up about it.

Read more:Shaikin: With Will Smith out indefinitely, Dodgers need to trade for a catcher

“I appreciate that our fan base, compared to some others, gives a lot more grace to players,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “And I know he sees that as well.”

Here is what Tucker’s trials have cost the Dodgers: Absolutely nothing.

He had two hits, both singles, in 13 at-bats as his team won the weekend series against the New York Yankees. The Dodgers remain the owners of the best record in the major leagues.

Tucker’s four-year contract, lucrative as it is, was not accompanied by a withering spotlight. He does not need to lift his team into the postseason, a burden often borne by marquee free agents signed to put their team over the top.

With the Dodgers?

Shohei Ohtani is the face of baseball. Freddie Freeman’s son walked around the All-Star Game in a T-shirt that read “My Dad Has 2,500 Hits.”

Mookie Betts last played here as a World Series-winning, Gold Glove-winning right fielder; he returned as a World Series-winning, Gold Glove-caliber shortstop.

“I think it certainly helps being around a lot of other guys who have high expectations,” Roberts said.

Neither rain nor smoke nor heat can keep the Dodgers from their appointed October rounds. They need Tucker to prosper then.

“Obviously, we all want to play well all year,” Betts said. “It’s not like we’re kicking the can and nobody cares. Even then, we’d love to be ready in October.

“It’s really just about playing. You never know. You could have a great October and get one hit, and it could be the biggest hit.”

Said Tucker: “Everyone here is very talented. Everyone is here to help each other out. Everyone here just wants to get back to another World Series, and win it. So I’m trying to do my part and just play baseball.”

He insists he is not weighted down by the external expectations that accompany his contract.

“I think that’s the beauty of it, the thing that’s refreshing,” Betts said. “I don’t think he cares about any of that. He just wants to play well and do his thing and help the boys.

“I don’t think he really cares about the expectations.”

Read more:Shaikin: Shohei Ohtani's knee troubles creating a major pitching dilemma for Dodgers

You may think “$60 million” when he comes to the plate. He does not.

“I try, regardless of what my situation is,” Tucker said. “Sometimes it works out. Sometimes it doesn’t. I’ve just got to try and do better.”

His strikeouts are up significantly this season. His bat speed is down slightly. His hard contact rate is down significantly.

He’s working on fixing his swing. He’s been working on it. He’ll keep working on it.

Roberts said the quality of Tucker’s at-bats have looked better over the past couple weeks, even if the results may not show it.

“The thing that I’ve appreciated since Day 1 is, he hasn’t run from his struggles,” Roberts said. “He’s owned it.”

Tucker made the All-Star Game in each of the four years preceding this one. The Dodgers are betting his level of performance will at least approach that in the second half.

Read more:Eliezer Alfonzo delivers emotional first hit in Dodgers' loss to Yankees

Betts said he does not see anything specific to worry about with Tucker.

“I don’t see anything at all,” Betts said. “He’s a competitor. He’s already come through a bunch during the year. It’s not like he’s not doing anything.

“He’s not hitting .330 with 30 [home runs], like we all would dream we were doing, right? But, as a team, we’re doing OK.”

For now, the Dodgers are. Their true season starts in a little more than two months.

From Tucker, the accountability is appreciated. Production would be better.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:W, 5-4 vs. Worcester Red Sox

SS George Lombard Jr. 2-5, 2B, K, CS — first full game at Triple-A since coming back from injury (here’s the double)
C J.C. Escarra 3-4, 2 2B, HR, BB, 2 RBI — walk-off homer, now up to a 1.057 OPS in 13 games at Triple-A
CF Spencer Jones 1-3, 2B, BB, K — in comparison, .952 OPS in 51 games (for those curious)
2B Marco Luciano 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K — two-run bomb put Scranton up in the sixth
RF Yanquiel Fernández 0-4, 2 K
3B Oswaldo Cabrera 2-4, HR, RBI, SB — 10th dinger of the season, tied game in the second
1B Tyler Hardman 0-4, K, GIDP
DH Ernesto Martínez Jr. 0-2, 2 BB, 2 K, SB — no-contact day
LF Duke Ellis 1-4, 2 K, SB

Alexander Cornielle 3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 3 K, HBP — get ready to see a whole bunch of different names!
Eric Reyzelman 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Chris Kean 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Bradley Hanner 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K — there’s a reason they didn’t want to lose him when he exercised his opt-out
Danny Watson 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Will Brian 0.1 IP, 1 H, 3 R (3 ER), 2 BB, 0 K — blew lead, but maybe he was just setting the stage for Escarra! Good teammate if you ask me
Zach Messinger 0.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Yovanny Cruz 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (win) — gassed ’em on 19 pitches with four of at least 99.5, and seven swings and misses

Double-A Somerset Patriots:L, 1-2 at Portland Sea Dogs — both sides got five hits, Portland just had the extra run

LF Jackson Castillo 1-4, K
CF Jace Avina 0-4
3B Coby Morales 2-4, HR, RBI, K — solo shot in the ninth to chip away, 16th homer of 2026
RF DJ Gladney 1-4, 2 K, SB
2B Connor McGinnis 0-2, 2 BB, K
C Miguel Palma 1-4, 2B — grounded out with tying run on first to end it
1B Josh Moylan 0-2, BB, 2 K
DH Tomas Frick 0-3, 2 K
SS Owen Cobb 0-3, K

Ben Hess 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 7 K, WP (loss) — nice work on 77 pitches, hard-luck loss after giving up an RBI triple in his last frame
Ben Grable 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K — showing why he got the Futures Game nod
Geoffrey Gilbert 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Harrison Cohen 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 0 K

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades: W, 14-2 (7) and W, 5-2 (7) at Brooklyn Cyclones — doubleheader sweep!

Game 1

3B Roderick Arias 3-3, 2B, 3B, 2 BB, 5 RBI, throwing error — put Renegades ahead with double in the third and later cleared the bases with his fourth-inning triple, finished a dinger shy of the cycle in maybe best day as a pro
SS Core Jackson 0-5, RBI, K, GIDP
DH Eric Genther 1-4, BB, RBI, K
1B Kyle West 1-5, 2B, 2 K
CF Wilson Rodriguez 2-4
2B Enmanuel Tejeda 0-3, 2 BB, K, GIDP
C Josue González 0-1, 3 BB, K
RF Luis Durango 1-1, 2 BB, sacrifice
LF Robbie Burnett 2-2, 2B, 2 BB, 5 RBI — getting five ribbies from both the leadoff and No. 9 hitter is very funny

Luis Serna 4 IP, 5 H, 2 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 6 K
Aaron Nixon 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (win)
Andrew Landry 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Brandon Decker 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Game 2

3B Roderick Arias 1-3, BB, K, SB
SS Core Jackson 3-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI — two-run shot put ’Gades up, 3-1
C Eric Genther 1-4, RBI, K, throwing error
1B Kyle West 0-4, K
LF Wilson Rodriguez 0-2, K
LF Robbie Burnett 1-1
2B Enmanuel Tejeda 1-3, K
DH Josue González 1-3, 3B, K
RF Luis Durango 1-3, RBI
CF Camden Troyer 0-3

Allen Facundo 4 IP, 1 H, 2 R (2 ER), 6 BB, 2 K, throwing error
Bryce Warrecker 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Thomas Balboni Jr. 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Wilmy Sanchez 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Low-A Tampa Tarpons:W, 7-2 vs. Bradenton Marauders

3B Jackson Lovich 1-5, HR, 3 RBI, 3 K — 18th homer in 72 games, 434 feet off the batter’s eye in center
1B Hans Montero 2-4, 2B, HBP, 3 SB, CS — up to 30-for-35 on steals in 82 games
LF Luis Puello 1-4, 2B, RBI, K
SS Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 1-4, K, 2 SB
RF Willy Montero 2-4, RBI, K, SB
2B Luis Escudero 1-2, BB, CS
2B Christofer Reyes 0-1, RBI
CF Brando Mayea 1-4, 2 K
DH Gregory Bozzo 1-2, 2 BB
C Ediel Rivera 1-3, HR, RBI, HBP, passed ball

Sabier Marte 4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 4 K, HR
Josh Tiedemann 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (win) — one batter faced, one win, hell yeah
Jordarlin Mendoza 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 0 K, pickoff error
Jose Ledesma 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, fielding error
Matthew Tippie 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Parker Seay 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

Florida Complex League Yankees: Offday

Dominican Summer League Yankees: Offday

Dominican Summer League Bombers: Offday

The Detroit Tigers failed to complete the sweep of the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday afternoon, falling short by a run in a 3-2 defeat in Anaheim. Casey Mize was knocked out early after getting hit on the left wrist with a 108 mph comebacker and the offense wasted all of its gas the night before.

Next up on the schedule are the Chicago Cubs, who host the Motor City Kitties for a three-game series starting on Monday at Wrigley Field. Right-hander Jack Flaherty will get the start in the opener looking to continue his superb performance since the calendar flipped from May to June.

Over his last six starts, the 30-year-old veteran has posted an impressive 2.12 ERA along with a sterling 2.46 FIP over 29 2/3 innings of work, striking out 34 against 10 walks while allowing just one home run over that stretch. Flaherty has averaged just a hair under five frames per outing over that stretch, but despite his limited efficiency, he is still getting the job done as the Tigers have won in four of those appearances.

For the Cubbies, fellow righty Jameson Taillon takes the mound amidst what is turning out to be his worst season in the big leagues. The 34-year-old was shelved in early June with a left hamstring injury and will be making his first start off the injured list against Detroit.

Prior to his leg trouble, Taillon had thrown the third of his three quality starts in 2026 against the Athletics, allowing a pair of runs on six hits (one home run) and a walk while striking out six with a wild pitch over 6 1/3 innings, but still took the loss in a 2-1 defeat. He then lasted just one inning against the San Francisco Giants, allowing a run on two hits and two walks while striking out two before being removed from the game with his injury.

Take a look at how the two matchup for the series opener on Monday night.

Detroit Tigers (46-53) vs. Chicago Cubs (56-43)

Time (ET): 8:05 p.m.
Place: Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
SB Nation Site:Bleed Cubbie Blue
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 100: RHP Jack Flaherty (3-8, 4.48 ERA) vs. RHP Jameson Taillon (2-5, 5.19 ERA)

FLAHERTY

TAILLON