Worldwide Sports News

It’s a big day for Lone Star Ball. Today, the SB Nation app is live, and it’s the best way to follow the Rangers. 

You can download it by searching SB Nation for iOS or Android.

A year ago we made some big changes to our community, including offering fewer ads and the addition of the Feed. Today, we want to give you even more community tools and fewer ads with this app. It will make starting and joining conversations here as simple as posting to your favorite social media platform.

You can check out the video below showing off some of the useful features of the app, and we’ll dig into them below. 

Why should I download the app?

The app will be the easiest way to interact with everybody else in the community: 

• All your favorite teams’ posts in one dedicated feed
• Notifications when someone replies or recs your post
• New game thread section, with an  experience that’s smoother and faster
• Fewer ads
• Easily navigating between your favorite communities with a swipe

It will be the fastest way to read every post from our community.

How do I download the app?

Head over to the Apple store or the Android store to download the app. Today, the app is only available for US users.

It’s a big day for Over the Monster. Today, the SB Nation app is live, and it’s the best way to follow the Red Sox. 

You can download it by searching SB Nation for iOS or Android.

A year ago we made some big changes to our community, including offering fewer ads and the addition of the Feed. Today, we want to give you even more community tools and fewer ads with this app. It will make starting and joining conversations here as simple as posting to your favorite social media platform.

You can check out the video below showing off some of the useful features of the app, and we’ll dig into them below. 

Why should I download the app?

The app will be the easiest way to interact with everybody else in the community: 

• All your favorite teams’ posts in one dedicated feed
• Notifications when someone replies or recs your post
• New game thread section, with an  experience that’s smoother and faster
• Fewer ads
• Easily navigating between your favorite communities with a swipe

It will be the fastest way to read every post from our community.

How do I download the app?

Head over to the Apple store or the Android store to download the app. Today, the app is only available for US users.

Off day yesterday. Light news day.

Jaylon Thompson covers John Schreiber joining the Yankees.

The reverse splits were attractive. Schreiber is not as effective against left-handed batters (opponents hit .326 against him) but he should help the Yankees down the stretch.

New York is responsible for the remaining amount on his contract. Schreiber is earning $3,715,000 this season.

The Royals will likely turn to young relievers in the bullpen. Guys such as Nate Pearson and Connor Thomas have gotten additional opportunities. Meanwhile, the Royals will see what they have in Carlos Duran — who was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline.

Ryan Blake at FanGraphs wrote about Jac Caglianone’s season.

Caglianone swings 77.3 mph on average, which is faster than all but five qualified batters in the majors this year. That hasn’t changed since last year. What has changed is he’s now getting way more from his contact, squaring up the ball 31.2% of the time (compared to 25.9% last year). Maybe it’s obvious, but a fast swing and flush contact is why he’s posted a 54.6% hard-hit rate and 105.6 mph EV50 — each top 10 in the majors. This is the sort of in-game power potential we were promised in his (brief) tenure as a prospect, and it’s respected enough around the league to earn him an invite to the Home Run Derby this year.

Unfortunately, that’s still pretty much the extent of what Caglianone does well at the plate, at least consistently. Again, it’s awesome he’s doing anything well, given his struggles as a rookie, and he could have a very successful career without changing much. But the rest of his profile lags behind, limiting him to a merely top-100 batter in 2026.

One reason is all that ultra-hard contact generally isn’t going that far. Caglianone has done well to lower his groundball rate from 50.6% last year to 46.3% this year, but most of his extra exit velocity is still coming on the ground. Hitting balls on the ground while improving the contact of those groundballs is a fine tradeoff, but well-hit singles are still just singles.

David Lesky is ready for the remaining games, even if the recent hot streak doesn’t catapult them into playoff contention.

So here we are, with 24 games to go, and it does feel like even the tiniest hope is essentially gone, but that doesn’t mean it’s still not fun to watch them play better baseball down the stretch. If they want to start another nine-game winning streak, I certainly won’t turn that down. We’ll get to it at the bottom with what’s up next, but they’ve got a challenge this week at home with three teams fighting for the postseason. The Marlins are currently 3.5 out of the last Wild Card spot. The Blue Jays are currently 1.5 out of the last Wild Card spot. And the Diamondbacks are one-half game ahead of the Padres for the third Wild Card spot in the NL. So everyone has something to play for.

Eli Nitz at Royals Keep examines whom the Royals could add once rosters expand.

Andrew Banks gives some love to Jac Caglianone.

The Cubs hit nine homers yesterday in a win over the Brewers. That’s a franchise record for the Cubs.

The Padres will call up top prospect Ethan Salas, a catcher. Sadly, Freddy Fermin’s bat continued to decline.

Jay Jaffe at FanGraphs examines Tristan Peters’ rise to stardom for the White Sox.

Old friend Carlos Hernández is expected to join the Cleveland Guardians major league roster.

Old friend Tommy Pham is joining the White Sox.

The Orioles picked up Luis Robert Jr on waivers.

The odd saga with Ketel Marte and the D-Backs appears to be ending.

Unforked in Crown Center is closing due to the new stadium development.

Missouri forward Mark Mitchell will return to Mizzou instead of transferring.

UCLA fired their AD over “financial deficit”.

Everton are picking up USMNT star Flo Balogun for a reported $52.3M transfer.

The Chiefs 53-man roster looked like this after cuts, but I think it’s already changed.

A jury found Duane “Keffe D” Davis guilty of “orchestrating” Tupac Shakur’s murder.

Your song of the day is Dirt Poor Robins with Holy Roller.

It’s a big day for Battery Power. Today, the SB Nation app is live, and it’s the best way to follow the Braves. 

You can download it by searching SB Nation for iOS or Android.

A year ago we made some big changes to our community, including offering fewer ads and the addition of the Feed. Today, we want to give you even more community tools and fewer ads with this app. It will make starting and joining conversations here as simple as posting to your favorite social media platform.

You can check out the video below showing off some of the useful features of the app, and we’ll dig into them below. 

Why should I download the app?

The app will be the easiest way to interact with everybody else in the community: 

• All your favorite teams’ posts in one dedicated feed
• Notifications when someone replies or recs your post
• New game thread section, with an experience that’s smoother and faster
• Fewer ads
• Easily navigating between your favorite communities with a swipe

It will be the fastest way to read every post from our community. Whether you’re a Braves fan who loves all Atlanta sports (I salute you, brave sports fan) or you just so happen to be a Braves fan who roots for the Packers, Mavericks and Liverpool FC, we’ve got you covered.

Long story short, if you’ve enjoyed what we’ve been bringing you here not just on Battery Power but across the entire SB Nation network as a whole, then you’re going to love this. You’ll have all of your communities (or even just this one) easily accessible for you right there on your phone or tablet.

The blogs are right there, the comments (and a new focus on game threads) are there, The Feed is there and the conversation is there. I’ve enjoyed using it for the past few weeks before the official unveiling (and in fact, all of my Feed posts recently came from the app) and I’m sure that all of y’all are going to enjoy it if you give it a chance.

How do I download the app?

Head over to the Apple store or the Android store to download the app. Today, the app is only available for US users.

It’s a big day for Viva El Birdos. Today, the SB Nation app is live, and it’s the best way to follow the Cardinals. 

You can download it by searching SB Nation for iOS or Android.

I’ve given this app a test run over the past few weeks and it’s really helped streamline my experience when interacting with the community making it seamless to get notifications when there’s been a reaction or a comment in response to something we’ve shared. It also makes it much easier for you to share which is one of the many things that makes the Viva El Birdos community the best neighborhood in baseball.

A year ago we made some big changes to our community, including offering fewer ads and the addition of the Feed. Today, we want to give you even more community tools and fewer ads with this app. It will make starting and joining conversations here as simple as posting to your favorite social media platform.

You can check out the video below showing off some of the useful features of the app, and we’ll dig into them below. 

Why should I download the app?

The app will be the easiest way to interact with everybody else in the community: 

• All your favorite teams’ posts in one dedicated feed
• Notifications when someone replies or recs your post
• New game thread section, with an  experience that’s smoother and faster
• Fewer ads
• Easily navigating between your favorite communities with a swipe

It will be the fastest way to read every post from our community.

How do I download the app?

Head over to the Apple store or the Android store to download the app. Today, the app is only available for US users.

Monday was the rare game in which the Braves got beat by their own strategy. The Atlanta bullpen struggled in a 7-3 loss to the lowly Giants, ending a season series in which the Braves dropped 5 of 6 games to San Francisco. This also ended the Braves seven game winning streak. Losses certainly occur, but the hope is the bullpen, and especially Dylan Lee, return to form soon as a stretch of games vs the NL East is on the horizon.

Braves News

Blake Burkhalter and Kyle Farmer are the two roster additions for the Braves with their September call-ups.

Some fun stats to follow as the Braves enter September.

Jordan Groshans continues to prove he is one of the best power prospects in the Braves system.

MLB News

Monday’s power display from the Cubs was historic in multiple ways in a big victory over the Brewers.

Padres top prospect Ethan Salas, and one of the best prospects in baseball, is being called up for Tuesday’s game.

Orioles claimed outfielder Luis Robert Jr. from the Mets.

There’s not much time left in the minor league calendar, and the playoff races are heating up. While one affiliate has already punched their ticket, the other three are still searching for late runs to power their way there.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

Record: 31-23 (68-60), 2.5 GB in the International League East after a 3-3 week against the Worcester Red Sox (Red Sox)

Run differential: +28 (+31)

Coming up: Home vs. Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Phillies)

The RailRiders wrapped up a rough month of August with a contentious split, keeping them within an arm’s length of a playoff spot with three weeks to go. They got a bit of a rough deal with Worcester hosting three different rehab assignments this week, including Roman Anthony, but fared pretty well until a rough day on Sunday.

The offense has a lot of name-brand talent already, but they decided to add another former top prospect to their ranks with a mid-week signing of Jarred Kelenic for the playoff push, because why not? Additionally, Mitch Garver is currently in roster limbo after exercising an assignment clause, but the fact he hasn’t been added to the active roster by now likely closes the door on him getting recalled without an injury. Anthony Volpe (now getting reps at third base) and Marco Luciano carried the offense this week, combining for seven home runs on 18 hits.

The two prospects who’ve been here all season did not get to pitch here this week due to promotions to the big leagues, as Elmer Rodríguez is making a pair of spot starts until the schedule evens out while Brendan Beck was needed as the 27th man on Saturday. Alexander Cornielle won International League Pitcher of the Week with eight terrific shutout innings in the best start of his pro career, but the headline on the farm was the return of Kyle Carr, who got double duty on Tuesday and Sunday. He combined to allow three runs in three innings with Xavier Rivas as the piggyback. Let’s just say it’s not going well for the Ole Miss alum since his promotion.

The team needed two bullpen games due to the promotions, which we saw with Hayden Merda starting both games and tossing three solid innings combined. Eric Reyzelman and Eli Morgan both had terrific weeks as well, and with the rapidly thinning bullpen depth becoming an issue (one attempt to be resolved by claiming John Schreiber on waivers), both could be on the major league radar for cameos down the stretch.

Players of Note:

Jasson Domínguez: .269/.347/.420, 7 HR, 29 RBI, 11 SB, 101 wRC+
Anthony Volpe: .235/.313/.504, 8 HR, 20 RBI, 15 XBH, 106 wRC+ (134 PA)
Oswaldo Cabrera: .286/.343/.443, 17 HR, 59 RBI, 31 XBH, 103 wRC+
Brendan Beck: 9-2, 2.75 ERA, 3.35 FIP, 1.05 WHIP, 19.9 K-BB% (121 IP)
Elmer Rodríguez: 8-3, 2.59 ERA, 3.72 FIP, 1.26 WHIP, 13.1 K-BB% (97.1 IP)

Double-A Somerset Patriots

Record: 30-27 (67-59), 3.5 GB in the Eastern League Northeast after a 3-3 week against the Akron RubberDucks (Guardians)

Run differential: +13 (+49)

Coming up: Away @ Erie SeaWolves (Tigers)

Somerset had a perfectly fine week, trading wins and losses without anything too good or bad happening. The problem was, in a heated playoff race, splitting sometimes isn’t good enough. They lost 2.5 games of ground this week, with scorching hot Reading going up 3.5 games. With 12 to go, these guys are going to have to play some of their best baseball.

It was a fairly pedestrian week for the offense. Jace Avina has had a really crummy month (.213/.314/.258) and will look to turn the page next week, while Roderick Arias and Josh Moylan continue to excel after summer promotions. I want to highlight Manuel Palencia here, who’s been one of the best hitters in the system for two months now. After entering July with an abhorrent .504 OPS, he’s slashed .351/.380/.596 with a 157 wRC+ in 121 plate appearances over the last two months. His stock is finally gaining some helium.

For the bruised and battered rotation, we saw a struggle of a start from Cade Smith (5.2 IP, 5 R), a 10-strikeout quality start from Dom Hamel, and a rehab appearance by Clarke Schmidt. The two big storylines were two guys who weren’t here last week. Bryce Cunningham made his Double-A debut on Tuesday and played double duty on Sunday, combining to allow nine runs in 11 innings with 13 strikeouts. We also saw the return of the struggling Chase Hampton, who missed three weeks on the temporarily inactive list. He tossed four solid innings with six strikeouts, hopefully a sign of things to come.

It was an uneven week for the bullpen, which technically counts Rory Fox’s piggyback effort behind Schmidt, where he tossed 5.1 solid innings. Trent Sellers, Michael Arias, Kevin Stevens, and Geoff Gilbert all excelled this week, while others struggled to put up zeroes.

Players of Note:

Jace Avina: .250/.347/.466, 19 HR, 62 RBI, 48 XBH, 23.6 K%, 119 wRC+
DJ Gladney: .268/.331/.509, 23 HR, 85 RBI, 19 SB, 121 wRC+
Coby Morales: .280/.372/.486, 20 HR, 77 RBI, 44 XBH, 131 wRC+
Cade Smith: 7-8, 4.98 ERA, 5.43 FIP, 1.44 WHIP, 12.5 K-BB% (110.1 IP)
Ben Hess: 3-4, 4.45 ERA, 4,69 FIP, 1.45 WHIP, 13.7 K-BB% (56.2 IP, injured)

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades

Record: 34-26 (64-60), 3 GB in the South Atlantic League North after a 3-3 week against the Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets)

Run differential: +46 (+55)

Coming up: Away @ Wilmington Blue Rocks (Nationals)

Hudson Valley extended their win streak to nine games on Tuesday, but struggled the rest of the week as their momentum fizzled out and their playoff hopes dwindled with it. Suddenly, they’re going to need to make up three games this week against Wilmington to get in. The division-leading Frederick Keys won the first half, which would invoke other tiebreakers, but the Renegades would lose out on a playoff spot in that scenario to Greensboro, so they’ll need to jump two teams here.

The split wasn’t because of any offensive ineptitude. David McCann homered twice, Jackson Lovich had four extra-base hits, Kyle West had three, and Hans Montero went 6-for-10 across three games. With only a week left in the regular season, you’re looking for guys to finish strong, and that’s certainly what Lovich is doing. After striking out nearly 40 percent of the time in his first few weeks at the level, he’s put up a 10-game stretch where he’s limited them while walking at a significantly higher rate. He was an early-season darling, but is putting together a good body of work in his first full season in the pros.

The bullpen was really ugly this week, so they get most of the blame instead of the starters, who actually pitched quite well. Allen Facundo tossed a quality start (6 IP, 2 R), Luis Serna struck out seven in 4.2 shutout innings, Sean Paul Liñan allowed three runs in five innings, and both Danny Flatt and Brandon Decker pitched brief, scoreless outings in emergency roles. The former had been sent down to the FCL two weeks ago, so that was his High-A debut.

Players of Note:

Eric Genther: .273/.407/.441, 12 HR, 57 RBI, 31 XBH, 128 wRC+
David McCann (FCL/A/A+): .284/.374/.572, 16 HR, 54 RBI, 26 XBH, 136 wRC+
Jackson Lovich (A/A+): .287/.363/.506, 22 HR, 84 RBI, 36 SB, 28.6 K%, 123 wRC+
Luis Serna: 6-5, 3.98 ERA, 3.59 FIP, 1.15 WHIP, 20.5 K-BB% (108.2 IP)
Allen Facundo: 5-3, 4.64 ERA, 4.43 FIP, 1.44 WHIP, 11.6 K-BB% (94.1 IP)

Single-A Tampa Tarpons

Record: 39-18 (71-46), 9 GA in the Florida State League West after a 5-0 week against the Jupiter Hammerheads (Marlins)

Run differential: +112 (+135)

Coming up: Home vs. Dunedin Blue Jays (Blue Jays)

These guys just keep raking. They outscored a good Jupiter team 41 to 15 in a five-game sweep, marking a 10th consecutive series without a defeat. They’re 8-0-2 in series since mid-June and clinched the Florida State League West Division with nine games to spare. It’s been a truly special few months for the Tarpons.

The offense is still really good. We’re going back to the running tally:

• Yostin Pena continues to be a wrecking ball. He went 5-for-13 with a monster home run on Sunday, while also drawing six walks. That last part is important, as he had entred this week with a grand total of one walk in several weeks in Single-A.
• Dax Kilby went 4-for-18 with a home run, double, and seven walks. No guy is more content to take ball four than Kilby, who also hit a new max exit velocity at 108.9.
• Paul Gutierrez-Contreras II went 6-for-13 with a home run.
• Bear Harrison, who was off to a horrible start to his pro career, went 4-for-12 with two doubles and five RBIs. Good week for him.
• Tyce Armstrong went 8-for-16 with three homers and two doubles, winning FSL Player of the Week. This is a guy who hit nukes at Baylor and should rise quickly.

The rotation didn’t need to be spectacular this week, but they were pretty good. Wyatt Parliament seems to be getting load-managed down the stretch, only tossing 3.1 scoreless innings. Edinzo Marquez and Tyler Boudreau both tossed five one-run innings, but the latter was awarded a complete game due to rain shortening his start. Sabier Marte struck out nine but gave up five runs in his start, but the crown jewel of the week was J.T. Etheridge’s best start of his pro career, striking out 10 in six magnificent innings.

Pretty much everyone in the bullpen looked sharp, with the exception of Antonio Gomez’s second outing of the week. His stuff is still nasty, but he’s a work in progress. The guy of note here is Matthew Tippie, who throws a forkball and has been brilliant for a few months now. Since May 14, he’s pitched to a 0.86 ERA with a 20.9 K-BB% in 31.1 innings. There’s also Justin West, who struck out nine in a piggyback start and continues to be electric over the last two months.

Players of Note:

Luis Escudero: .281/.460/.540, 10 HR, 28 RBI, 17 SB, 160 wRC+
Yostin Pena (DSL/A): .368/.444/.632, 13 HR, 79 RBI, 34 SB, 154 wRC+
Dax Kilby: .272/.444/.437, 3 HR, 23 RBI, 11 SB, 142 wRC+ (135 PA)
Tyler Boudreau: 7-3, 3.51 ERA, 4.04 FIP, 1.06 WHIP, 17.1 K-BB% (100 IP)
Justin West: 10-3, 4.08 ERA, 3.82 FIP, 1.24 WHIP, 19.1 K-BB% (108 IP)

FCL Yankees

Record: 29-29, 7.5 GB in the FCL North

Run differential: +2

Missed playoffs. Season over.

DSL Yankees & Bombers

DSL Yankees:
Record: 33-21, 2 GB in DSL East. Eliminated in DSL Cup Pool Play
Run differential: +141

DSL Bombers:
Record: 25-29, 11 GB in DSL Southeast. Missed playoffs
Run differential: +8

Season over.

Players of Note:

Isaias Castillo: .294/.408/.629, 14 HR, 49 RBI, 35 XBH, 28 SB, 132 wRC+
Juan Torres: .385/.470/.644, 8 HR, 65 RBI, 36 XBH, 26 SB, 159 wRC+
David Carrera: .333/.502/.594, 9 HR, 41 RBI, 23 XBH, 160 wRC+
Fredy Penuelas: 52 IP, 1.56 ERA, 3.91 FIP, 1.00 WHIP, 18.4 K-BB%
Cesar Acosta: 51.2 IP, 3.31 ERA, 3.35 FIP, 1.01 WHIP, 24.1 K-BB%

Prospect of the Week: Tyce Armstrong

Weekly Stats: 8-for-16, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 2 2B, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 SB
Season Stats: .328/.427/.656, 5 HR, 22 RBI, 10 XBH, 16.0 BB%, 25.3 K%, 170 wRC+ (75 PA)