SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 10: Taylor Ward #27 of the Seattle Mariners watches a long foul ball during the eighth inning against the Texas Rangers at T-Mobile Park on September 10, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jack Compton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Mariners traded for one of the league’s streakiest player, and then he took a big slump.
I wrote about Randy Arozarena a few months ago. I’d often referred to him as a streaky hitter and wanted to know how much to hedge against his red-hot start to 2026. I crunched some numbers and found out Randy isn’t actually that streaky. Yes, sometimes he gets super hot, but he rarely gets that cold, because Randy is simply one of the 10 best hitters ever to play in Seattle. And hey, what do you know, Randy never slumped in 2026, and delivered his best-ever season.
While doing that analysis, I came across some very streaky batters. The streakiest just so happened to be Taylor Ward. I didn’t think anything of it at the time because Ward was hardly relevant in Seattle (beyond his modest performance in Anaheim for years). That’s obviously changed. Ward joined the Mariners as one of the best batters moved at the trade deadline, and has since posted a 20 wRC+ and -0.8 fWAR. He’s behind only Rob Refsnyder, Leody Tavares, and Kolten Wong as the worst Mariners of the decade by WAR.
The method I used to define streakiness back then was fairly simple. I found every batter’s rolling wOBA over 100 plate appearances dating back to 2021, then found the standard deviation (and coefficient of variation) of those rolls. Basically, this identified batters with the largest changes in performance over this stretch.
I figured I’d try something more nuanced this time around using a process known as permutation sampling. I shuffled each batter’s plate appearances into a random order, found the rolling wOBA from that order, and took the standard deviation of that roll. I did this 200 times for each batter. I then compared the average of the 200 samples to the batter’s actual, chronological sample. Batters whose actual performance goes up and down more than a random sample could thus be considered streaky.
Here I found Ward to be the fifth streakiest player overall since 2021. The names in front of him are Michael Harris II, Aaron Judge, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and CJ Abrams; the names behind him are Justin Turner, Steven Kwan, Trea Turner, Josh Rojas, and Mookie Betts. It seems being streaky (by this measure) isn’t inherently good or bad, as there’s a nice mix of Hall of Famers, All-Stars, fringe Major Leaguers, and even TOOMGIS himself.
Still, we can say that Ward has been streakier than most batters this decade. The Mariners just so happened to pull the trigger on acquiring him right before he experienced his one of his annual plummets:
Ward was a slugger for a long time. He hit 36 homers in 2025 for Anaheim, but his approach wasn’t very good. He posted a mere 118 wRC+ despite all the power. Ward joined the Orioles in 2026 and made drastic changes to that approach. He started drawing walks (17.2% through July), but that came at the expense of power (seven home runs). He wound up with a nearly identical 117 wRC+ in Baltimore.
Then he was traded to the Mariners. Ward hasn’t changed too much from Baltimore to Seattle. He just hasn’t been as good at whatever it is he’s trying to do. He’s now swinging out of the zone quite a bit more, leading to fewer walks and worse contact. That seems to hold up, as Ward’s walk rate has dropped back to career norms, but the power he sacrificed for those walks hasn’t returned.
I don’t know that I have a ton else here. I just thought this was neat. I think the point is this isn’t that weird a stretch for Ward, even if it’s a bit extreme. Were the Mariners wrong to make the deal? Eh, I don’t know. I mean, obviously it’s been a tremendous failure. But Ward’s streakiness could have gone in the other direction, too. There’s some timeline where he came to Seattle and hit like a top five batter in the majors for two months — he’s done that several times before. It’s also hard to lose a deal when the price is a few middling relievers. Still, the Mariners technically would have been better off giving up those relievers for Piggy Ward, an Orioles right fielder who’s been dead for more than 100 years.
PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 12: Wyatt Langford #36 of the Texas Rangers celebrates with teammate Jake Burger #21 after hitting a home run in the fifth inning during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Saturday, September 12, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Julia Jacome/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Good morning, folks…
The Texas Rangers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks last night by a score of 6-2.
Josh Jung and Nathan Eovaldi were each activated prior to the game.
Joc Pederson and Nicky Lopez are each being evaluated after leaving last night’s game due to a hit by pitch and hamstring issue, respectively.
MESA, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 01: Luke Sinnard #97 of the Glendale Desert Dogs throws a pitch during an Arizona Fall League game against the Mesa Solar Sox at Sloan Park on November 1, 2025 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Saturday saw two strong outings by the starting pitchers in the Atlanta Braves organization. Both Cedric De Grandpre and Luke Sinnard threw excellent outings, though both came up short as the offense wasn’t able to support either. Combined Sinnard and Cedric struck out 15 in nine and a third innings of work.
Cedric De Grandpre, SP: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 8 K, 4.03 ERA
Luis Vargas, RP: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K, 4.15 ERA
A pitchers duel took place on Saturday night in the form of a 2-0 game. Cedric De Grandpre pitched five exceptional innings, with just two mistakes coming via a pair of solo homers. In total he allowed those two runs on four hits and a walk with eight strikeouts and 13 whiffs. After a scoreless inning from Ricky Vanasco, Luis Vargas went two scoreless innings to finish the game off. In total Gwinnett pitchers allowed two runs on four hits and four walks with 10 strikeouts.
The pitchers duel went both ways as the Stripers were shut out and held to four hits and one walk. David McCabe, who singled and doubled, had half of the hits for the team, while Luke Williams and Chuckie Robinson had the other two Stripers singles. The lone walk came by Jordan Groshans. Jim Jarvis and Lizandro Espinoza were both hitless on the day.
Luke Sinnard, SP: 4.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 7 K, 4.15 ERA
Luke Sinnard had a very strong outing on Saturday, going four and a third and allowing four runs on eight hits and no walks. He did strike out seven and whiff 15 as well. He had seven strikeouts on just 35 pitches through three scoreless innings before allowing two runs apiece in the fourth and then again in the fifth before recording just one out there. In total he threw 59 pitches and had those 15 whiffs. Ian Mejia went the next two and two thirds scoreless, followed by two more from Owen Hackman, before Isaac Gallegos allowed the final Montgomery run in his one third of an inning.
The Columbus offense didn’t manage much in this game, though a two-run homer by Carson Taylor helped to get this game into extra innings. Still the team managed just six hits, half by the bottom of the order with Luke Waddell picking up a pair of singles. Eric Hartman and John Gil each went one for five with a run batted in, while Alex Lodise also went one for five and stole a base.
All Blacks were valiant in 3-1 series defeat but Springboks sent another warning to rest of the world in Baltimore
What is the enduring image of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series? The Springboks put the exclamation mark on their status as World Cup favourites by wrapping up the series 3-1 with victory in Baltimore on Saturday, but in months and years to come where will the mind immediately go when reflecting on this epic?
The reality is that after four Tests of remarkable intensity – a brutal reminder of the levels required to compete with the two biggest beasts in the world game – there are plenty. But it is hard to look beyond the 65th minute of the third Test in Soweto, when the Boks’ tank rumbled over from 20 metres. Malcolm Marx was awarded the try and there would be no more deserving recipient of a player of the series award.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - SEPTEMBER 12: William Contreras #24 of the Milwaukee Brewers reacts toward the crowd after hitting a three-run home run in the fourth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field on September 12, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The State of Wisconsin sports will be going for a rare weekend sweep, and it’ll begin with the Brewers taking on the Reds. With the Brewers soundly taking care of games one and two, and the Badger football team winning their first of the season, the Brewers and Packers will be up next to finish the weekend strong.
Most importantly, the Crew eyes their longest winning streak of the 2026 season, as they currently sit at five games in a row. They’ll have to face the Reds ace, however, Chase Burns. He’ll be facing this Brewers offense for just the third time in his career and the second time this season. His last time against the Brewers was back on July 2, when he allowed two runs on four hits and two walks. The month of August wasn’t kind to him, but he’s off to a great start in September after three scoreless innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Looking on the Brewers’ side, Robert Gasser will be making his third start of the month. Gasser has been struggling with his command over the last month and a half, as he has 15 walks in seven starts, but it feels that he’s beginning to round the corner and at the right time, too. After allowing two runs in 4.1 innings at Wrigley Field, he walked through the Cubs lineup the first time through in his last outing before being unable to finish at-bats, which led to his quick departure during the fifth inning of the game.
With the Brewers having clinched the playoffs a couple of nights ago, other magic numbers are still in play and on the horizon. The magic number to win the National League Central is still three games, so at very least, we’ll have to wait until tomorrow for that to happen, assuming the Brewers win today and the Cubs lose their next two. Of all the possibilities, a first-round bye is crucial for a deep postseason run, and to get it, they’re sitting at nine games back, and 11 for the No. 1 seed. Finally, to reach 100 wins in the season, they’ll need to win seven out of their next 13 games.
Today’s game will be at 1:10 p.m., and you’ll be able to watch the game on Brewers.TV and listen on WTMJ 620.
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 08: Bernie Williams looks on during the New York Yankees Old Timers' Day before the game against the Atlanta Braves at Yankee Stadium on August 8, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Once upon a time, back in the old Yankee Stadium, fans were permitted to go down to the field level behind and near the dugout during batting practice even if they did not have tickets for seats in that section, much like you can do these days along the foul lines in right and left field. Back in 2002, a pair of young fans, no more than six years old, did just that. As excited young children do, they called to the players, and while very few reacted, as their voices were drowned out in the din of the pregame stadium noise, one outfielder noticed them. When he knew that these two kids were looking in his direction, he gave a sly wave, his hand half-hidden by the bat in his hand as he waited to take his turn in the cage.
Of course, waving to two six-year-olds during batting practice isn’t exactly something that a professional baseball needs to hide. But by pretending that it was, this outfielder made those fans feel seen, giving them a much more unique memory than a simple wave normally would be — one that can be remembered just as vividly almost a quarter of a century later. That outfielder? Today’s birthday boy, Bernie Williams.
Bernabé “Bernie” Williams Figueroa Jr. Born: September 13, 1968 (San Juan, Puerto Rico) Yankees Tenure: 1991-2006
The son of a merchant marine and a college professor, Bernie Williams excelled in all sorts of athletic and non-athletic pursuits throughout his childhood, becoming an accomplished sprinter (winning four gold and one silver medal at the 1984 Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships), classical guitarist, and pre-medical student at the University of Puerto Rico. But it was baseball that was his first love, and so, when the Yankees signed him as an international amateur free agent, he put his other interests on hold to pursue baseball full-time.
Over the next few years, Williams established himself as one of the game’s premier prospects. It was not a smooth journey by any stretch of the imagination — he struggled so much in Triple-A in 1989 that he was dropped down a level, for example — but in the end, by the time he made his Major League debut on July 7th, 1991, he had been named Baseball America’s second overall prospect. He spent the next two seasons shuttled between the Bronx and Triple-A Columbus, before ultimately starting the 1993 season as the Yankees’ center fielder and leadoff hitter.
Because his former top prospect had not yet broken out as a veritable star by the end of ‘93, George Steinbrenner encouraged his front office to trade Williams that winter, with a rumored deal for Larry Walker possibly on the table. In the end, though, Bernie remained in the Bronx, and, obviously, everything worked out perfectly: from 1995 to 2002, Williams became one of the league’s top players, slashing .321/.406/.531 (a 142 OPS+) and averaging 5.2 rWAR per year while earning five All-Star nods, four Gold Gloves, and one batting title across that span. This performance earned him a seven-year, $85 million contract, as the team nearly signed Albert Belle to replace Bernie but ultimately fought off strong pushes by the Boston Red Sox and the brand-new Arizona Diamondbacks to keep their superstar center fielder in New York.
More important than any regular-season and monetary accolades, however, was that fact Bernie he came up big in October again, and again, and again, helping the Yankees to three straight World Series titles and four in five years, plus another two appearances in the three seasons following the threepeat. Twice, he hit walk-off home runs in ALCS play, first off Randy Myers to down the Orioles in the “Jeffrey Maier Game” in 1996 …
His 118 wRC+ ranks 341st among the 1,335 players with at least 30 career postseason plate appearances, and his 22 playoff home runs remains the Yankees franchise record (and is bested only by Manny Ramirez, Jose Altuve, Kyle Schwarber, and George Springer).
After his seven-year peak came to an end following the 2002 season, Williams played for four more years. In an era before modern defensive metrics, Bernie remained the Yankees’ center fielder through the 2005 campaign, long after he was an asset with the glove in center field; as our very own Esteban Rivera wrote in his profile of Williams as the 13th greatest player in Yankee history, this “was the difference between remembering him as a Hall of Famer, and Hall of Very Gooder.” After the 2006 season, the team opted not to give him a guaranteed contract; rather than compete for a job, Williams declined the invitation to spring training, and that would be the end of his playing career — even if he did not officially retire until April 24, 2015.
Following his baseball career, Williams turned full-time to music. He had released a studio album while still a player, back in 2003, but it wasn’t until his second album, Moving Forward, released in 2009 that he established himself as a true musician, and not simply as a former athlete moonlighting as a musician.
Throughout his career, he has collaborated with the likes of Bruce Springsteen, earned a Grammy nomination, went on tour, wrote a book about his baseball and music career, received a bachelor’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music, and, earlier this year, played at Carnegie Hall. Not a bad second career.
Happy birthday, Bernie! Here’s to many more.
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 12: Starting pitcher Brandon Pfaadt #32 of the Arizona Diamondbacks is removed during the seventh inning of the MLB game against the Texas Rangers at Chase Field on September 12, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 12: Michael Arroyo #96 of the Seattle Mariners holds the trident as he celebrates his first career MLB home run during the top of the seventh inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on September 12, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Mariners spanked, smacked, and otherwise stunted on the A’s on their way to an easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy 19-1 win, the largest margin of victory in franchise history! Obviously it would be completely unreasonable to expect the guys to score 19 runs again today, but it would be cool. Jacob Lopez will try to prevent that against Bryce Miller at 1:05 PST.
Happy first Sunday of football season everybody! If you need me, don’t. I will have my butt parked firmly in my chair right at 10:00 am eagerly awaiting Scott Hanson announcing the start of RedZone while a pork shoulder braises.
In Mariners news…
It takes a village to score 19 runs, but impossible to lose in the shuffle was Michael Arroyo who started yesterday with no hits and no homeruns, and will enter tomorrow with three hits and a homerun already secured.
Yankees ace Gerrit Cole has never been especially good against the Mets, and yesterday was no exception. What was exceptional about Cole’s start yesterday was how it started. Cole, apparently a real stickler for the nuance of scheduling, decided to stand behind the mound and wait for the clock to tick over to 1:38 pm before stepping on the mound to throw the first pitch.
Gerrit Cole refused to start the game before the official start time, and then allowed a lead off home run pic.twitter.com/4C9wMZtBn3
The A’s have been pretty devastated by injuries in the second half of this season, so joy of joys for them that they got All-Star Shea Langeliers back from the IL ahead of schedule! And his reward for his rehab efforts was getting to play in last night’s game. Baseball can be really cruel sometimes.
A note to all the kids at home reading this, if you catch your spike on the mound maybe just hold onto the baseball. Otherwise, you run the risk of looking as silly as Joey Cantillo here.
Make no mistake, the Cubs have won a lot of games this season with their patient approach at the plate. The willingness to move the line and not try to do too much has served them well so many times. But this is the first game this year where I can remember that their patience literally won them the game. No disrespect to Pedro Ramirez or anyone who pitched in this game. We’re going to talk about all of them before we are done here. But the decisive stretch of the game went hit by pitch, walk, walk (game tied), hit by pitch (Cubs lead). As was pointed out in my initial look at this series, the Pirate bullpen got better at the trade deadline and they’ve been pretty good when they are able to deploy their leverage pitchers in leverage situations. Gregory Soto was the only reliever they used in this one and he lost some amount of command and control. The Cubs benefitted and got the win.
This was a close one, so we ought to take a peek at the WPA from it. After the top of the fifth, the Cubs were up to 81.9 percent to win this game. By the end of the top of the sixth, that was down to just 38.6 percent. The Cubs bottomed at 24.7 percent to win after the bottom of the seventh. Ryan Rolison’s scoreless eighth got them back about 5 percent. Pedro Ramirez’ double jumped them all of the way back to 47.1 percent. But when Pete Crow-Armstrong struck out for the second out, it was all of the way down to 25.6 percent again. Unsurprisingly, the Shaw bases loaded walk (.278) was the Play of the Game. The Nico Hoerner hit by pitch for the go ahead run was worth slightly less (.248). Those two reaches turned a loss into a probable win.
As is nearly always the case in a low-scoring, one-run win, just about every contribution was vital to the win. So for today at least, I’m ditching three positives. I’m going with a series of hat tips instead. I’m going chronological and not in any order of importance. Michael Busch for a first-inning homer. I hadn’t realized it was the first ever run Paul Skenes gave up at Wrigley Field until they said it on the broadcast. I know they had beaten him a few times in Pittsburgh, the two wins in games Colin Rea has started against him the last two years front and center in my head. That had to put the Cubs squarely in the right head space.
Pedro Ramirez led off the third with a solo homer of his own. He also had the double leading off the eighth that led to the decisive rally. Pedro had a huge impact on this game and I imagine him having a good shot to win the Player of the Game vote.
While those two were giving the Cubs the lead, Clay Holmes was terrific. He ended up one out short of a quality start. Nico Hoerner appeared to possibly get caught thinking about trying to turn a very difficult double play and that let the inning get away. Even if you leave the sequencing as is, Holmes leaves 2-2 after six otherwise. Of course, maybe they work Ryan O’Hearn differently if it is one on and one out rather than two on with no outs.
Jacob Webb came into a bases-loaded situation to get out of the sixth, then worked a scoreless seventh. Let me say it this way, you hate your circle of trust, but also Jacob Webb is pretty darn close to the circle, using what you’ve got.
Both Seiya Suzuki and Matt Shaw taking huge walks in pinch-hit plate appearance in the eighth. Seiya’s loaded the bases and Shaw’s tied the game. It’s hard to be patient, I’m sure with the game on line. But they both had quality plate appearances and it turned the game in favor of the Cubs. Nico Hoerner had the decisive hit by pitch and I was a little surprised the Pirates didn’t at least argue that he made no attempt to move. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that called unless the ump calls it right away. But I didn’t think Nico even flinched on it.
Ryan Rolison bridged the eighth and the ninth innings, retiring five of the six batters he faced. He’s pretty securely your first lefty out of the pen. Rolison and Webb have saved the Cub season. As bad as the bullpen has been, without those two, this may have gotten really ugly. We’d all rather have the Brewers or Padres bullpen to call on to close one out, but at this point you can only play the hand you were dealt. To that end, Ryan Zeferjahn faced one batter to finish this and he ended it with a strikeout looking. Just the kind of arm you hope to have out of your pen. Zeferjahn was one of two deadline additions that will probably be best assessed in the future and not in this postseason. Though obviously, he could make a huge impact this postseason and start firmly on the right foot.
For most trade deadline acquisitions or if you are a team like the Dodgers, at the end of the day you are evaluated based on how far you go into the postseason. Kyle Tucker had a rough season for the Dodgers. If he’s a key part of a championship run, none of that matters. Zeferjahn had a rough start as a Cub. If he closes out a win that lets the Cubs advance a round in the postseason, that’s going to be what mattered in the end.
Kudos to this team. After the last loss in Milwaukee, I talked about this. This team is resilient. This team doesn’t believe they’ll just get demolished by the Brewers. They know the Brewers are damn good. But they’ll believe with a break or two they would have won the season series and that they could definitely win a playoff series. It won’t be easy, but I trust this team to not play at a disadvantage against anyone. They’ve beaten all of the best teams. Swept a series from the Dodgers. Beat the Padres. Crushed the Phillies. This team may not win, but it won’t back down.
Game 149, September 12: Cubs 4, Pirates 3 (83-66)
Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.
THREE HEROES:
Superhero: Matt Shaw (.269). 0-0, BB, RBI
Hero: Pedro Ramirez (.251). 2-3, HR, 2B, RBI, 2 R
Sidekick: Nico Hoerner (.205) 1-3, HBP, RBI
THREE GOATS:
Billy Goat: Clay Holmes (-.179). 5.2 IP, 27 BF, 5 H, 4 BB, 3 R (2 ER), 6 K
Goat: Michael Conforto (-.159). 0-4
Kid: Tyrone Taylor (-.144). 0-3
WPA Play of the Game: Ryan O’Hearn’s three-run homer with one out in the sixth gave the Pirates a one run lead. (.340)
Cubs Play of the Game: Matt Shaw’s walk with the bases loaded that tied the game. (.278)
Cubs Player of the Game:
Game 148 Winner: Shōta Imanaga received 24 of 57 votes.
Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)
The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.
Alex Bregman +27
Pete Crow-Armstrong +24.5
Michael Conforto +17
Carson Kelly +16.5
Ben Brown +13.5
Jameson Taillon -13
Seiya Suzuki -15
Nico Hoerner -15
Dansby Swanson -17
Caleb Thielbar -18.5
Scoreboard Watching: Padres win (2.5 back of Cubs). Diamondbacks and Phillies both played late.
Up Next: The third and final game of the series. With Saturday’s win, the Cubs secured the season series with the Pirates for the 12th(!!!) consecutive season. The Pirates have had some struggles, but certainly not 12 years of struggles. These two wins push them below .500 on the season. Matthew Boyd (8-4, 4.03) gets the start for the Cubs. Boyd is just 2-3 with a 4.98 over his last seven. He’s lost two of his last three starts, allowing seven earned runs over 18.1 innings. None of them have been terrible, but just not as sharp. He beat the Pirates in July in Pittsburgh, allowing a run on seven hits and three walks over seven innings.
Righty Bubba Chandler (7-9, 4.25) starts for the Pirates. Chandler is heading in the right direction. He’s 4-1 with a 3.38 over his last seven. And he won his last start, allowing four hits, no walks and two runs against the White Sox in Chicago. He struck out eight. He’s made two starts but recorded no decisions against the Cubs. He’s allowed seven runs in only 10.1 innings of work. So the Cubs have hit him well.
I always love to check back with Fangraphs. The Pirates starter was scratched on Friday. That made the Cubs about a 56-44 favorite in that one. They’ve also revised this Sunday game up to 54-46. So they do now like the Cubs to finish this sweep, even before the win over Skenes is rolled into the equation. The model still loves the Cubs against the Braves, basically 55 percent or better for all three games. Obviously, the Braves front loaded their top starters to facing the Phillies this weekend in an effort to push towards a division title. The Fangraphs modeling has the Cubs back at 90 wins. Again, before today’s win is in there (it would have been 89, but this win over Skenes flipped one upside down).
After these last couple of days, Fangraphs now sees the Cubs with a better chance to reach the playoffs than the Phillies, but still see the Phillies as more likely to win the World Series. They basically have the Phillies at 7 percent to win it all, the Braves 6 and the Cubs 5. I have no problem with the modelling that suggests that. Fangraphs frames the best chances to win as Dodgers (27), Brewers (13), Yankees (10) and Rays (9.5). You can always find a nitpick, but none of that seems too crazy.
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR - JULY 22: Patrick Copen #24 of the Tulsa Drillers pitches during the game between the Tulsa Drillers and the Arkansas Travelers at Dickey-Stephens Park on Wednesday, July 22, 2026 in North Little Rock, Arkansas. (Photo by Braeden Botts/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
Saturday in the Dodgers minor leagues saw Oklahoma City get even closer to a postseason berth, and Tulsa power their way to another win in a record-setting evening in Springdale, Arkansas.
Player of the day
Patrick Copen’s final start of the regular season was very good, with six scoreless innings and six strikeouts for Double-A Tulsa, allowing only two singles and two walks.
Copen had a rough go of things this season in a return trip to Tulsa, finishing with a 5.90 ERA in his 116 innings, but things could have been much worse. Through July 22, Copen had a 7.45 ERA with 12 home runs in 73 2/3 innings and a 9.5-percent strikeout-minus-walk rate, but in his final eight appearances put up a 3.19 ERA and only two home runs allowed in 42 1/3 innings with a 19.5-percent strikeout-minus-walk rate.
Triple-A Oklahoma City
The Comets kept rolling, winning their 14th straight game, making three runs in the third inning stand up on Saturday to beat the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Astros) yet again.
Zach Ehrhard singled home a run in the third inning and would later double, then he scored on a two-run home run by Alek Thomas, his fourth home run in seven games since getting sent back to Triple-A.
Christian Romero struck out seven and didn’t allow a run until two scored off him in the fifth, his final inning. Kyle Hurt, Ronan Kopp, and Jerming Rosario each struck out multiple people in relief, combining for seven strikeouts in their 3 1/3 innings, followed by Garrett McDaniels getting the final two outs to close out the win.
Double-A Tulsa
The Drillers got home runs by Elijah Hainline and Joe Vetrano to back Copen and beat the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Royals). Tulsa has 197 home runs on the season to lead the Texas League and surpass the 2022 team for the most in Drillers history. Hainline’s homer was the record-setter.
Hainline reached base three times, and Copen left with an 8-0 lead. Northwest Arkansas scored two runs in the eighth and ninth innings to make the final score closer.
The 88-49 Drillers have the most wins in a Tulsa baseball season since 95 wins by the Oilers, a St. Louis Cardinals affiliate, in 1968.
That 2022 Tulsa team was led in home runs by Ryan Ward (28) and a 21-year-old Andy Pages (26), plus excellent pass-throughs by James Outman (16 homers in 68 games) and Michael Busch (11 homers in 31 games).
The Italian was the beneficiary of Lando Norris’s ill luck with a virtual safety car and pit stop
The formation lap is away. It’s a hot day in Madrid, 31 degrees, no shade at all. The track temperature is 54 degrees.
The 57 laps are soon to start, a voyage into the unknown, with the preliminary races throwing up a few questions of what the track will dish out to the drivers.
Cole Beaudoin is entering a new chapter in his career, taking the jump from the Ontario Hockey League to play professional hockey, though it is not exactly the chapter he expected.
Beaudoin entered Utah Mammoth’s development camp this summer with high hopes and expectations about his future with the organization.
The plan was for him to either play for the Mammoth at the NHL level or start the 2026-27 season in the American Hockey League with the Hartford Wolf Pack.
What Beaudoin wasn’t expecting was to be traded to the New York Rangers in the midst of development camp.
“I was just with all of the guys and then the news kind of broke,” Beaudoin said on being traded to the Rangers. “It was crazy, I wasn’t expecting it.”
On July 1, Beaudoin was traded from the Mammoth to the Rangers along with Sean Durzi in a deal centered around Vincent Trocheck.
Despite the initial shock of being dealt, the 20-year-old forward expressed his excitement for this new chapter in New York.
“It’s been exciting,” Beaudoin said. “It was kind of a surprise, but again, nothing but good things to say about Utah, and now moving to New York, Original Six team, I’m excited, super excited to get going.”
Since being selected by the Mammoth in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft, Beaudoin has played two seasons in the OHL for the Barrie Colts.
This past season as the captain of the Colts, the Ottawa native recorded 33 goals, 55 assists, and 88 points in 54 games.
Beaudoin now feels fully prepared to take the professional hockey leap after two years playing in the OHL.
“I think going back to Junior there, I thought I had a big year in Barrie… I learned a lot about myself, learned a lot about my game. I had that confidence in myself to make those plays offensively, but then also shut down top lines if needed,” Beaudoin said of his decision to go pro. “I’ve learned a lot so I think I’m ready to make that jump and play pro this year.”
Given the current structure of the Rangers’ roster and influx of players competing for an opening-night roster spot, there’s a high probability Beaudoin starts the season in the AHL with the Hartford Wolf Pack.
However, going into training camp next week, Beaudoin has his sights set on earning an NHL roster spot with the Rangers.
“That’s my goal. That has been my goal since coming to my first NHL camp,” Beaudoin said. “I want to play in the NHL, that’s everyone’s goal is to make the NHL. That’s my goal coming out here for rookie camp and then moving into main camp, is I want to make that team. That’s my goal, and I’m going to push.”
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 12: Michael King #34 of the San Diego Padres pitches against the San Francisco Giants in the bottom of the first inning at Oracle Park on September 12, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Much like the day before, the San Diego Padres jumped out to a lead against the San Francisco Giants and needed their back-end bullpen arms to lock down the 7-6 win at Oracle Park on Saturday.
Michael King took the mound for San Diego and was hurt by the home run over the first two innings but settled in over the next five to earn the win. Rafael Devers gave San Francisco the lead with a two-run home run to right field, which was his second homer in as many days to give the Giants a 2-0 lead. After the Padres responded with two runs in the top of the second, Shay Whitcomb connected on a one-out solo home run in the bottom of the inning to put San Francisco up 3-2.
Jackson Merrill stayed hot and hit his 25th home run of the season when he connected on a one-out solo home run in the top of the third inning, which tied the game at 3-3. San Diego took its first lead of the game in the top of the fourth inning when Samad Taylor and Fernando Tatis Jr. reached on back-to-back singles. Dustin Harries, who was batting second for the Padres, hit a sacrifice fly which allowed Taylor to tag up and score from third to make the score, 4-3.
San Diego scored a run in the fifth and an emphatic run in the sixth when Tatis hit a 421-foot leadoff home run to left field which pushed the Padres’ lead to 6-3. San Diego tacked on a run on a San Francisco error in the top of the seventh inning to give the Padres a comfortable four-run lead at 7-3 after their half of the seventh.
Bradgley Rodriguez replaced King on the mound to start bottom of the eighth inning and had a disappointing outing. The rookie right-hander was tagged for a leadoff home run, a single and a two-run home run, which allowed the Giants to get back in the game at 7-6. Adrian Morejon was called on to stop the San Francisco scoring after Rodriguez was unable to record an out while allowing three runs. Morejon recorded back-to-back strikeouts and got a groundout to end the eighth.
Mason Miller came on for the bottom of the ninth and had a much better outing than he did in Game 1. He needed just 17 pitches to retire the final three batters to get the win and earn his 36th save.
King was solid outside of the first two innings. He pitched seven innings, allowed three runs on five hits and struck out four without allowing a walk. King had four innings where he faced the minimum number of batters and two of his five hits allowed came in the seventh inning, his final inning of work.
The Padres will go for the road sweep of the Giants and look to extend their winning streak to six games when they meet today at 4:20 p.m.
Padres News:
The majority of respondents to this week’s Gaslamp Ball Reacts Survey believe if the Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks keep running neck and neck in the final weeks of the season, their series at Petco Park will determine which team advances to the postseason.
It has been a wild offseason for the Lakers, who revamped their roster around Luka Dončić and are preparing to try to compete for their first championship since 2020.
There’s a lot of uncertainty after they lost their superstar of the last eight years in LeBron James and underwent their second ownership change in the last 14 months, but there’s also a lot to be excited about.
Here are the five things Lakers fans have to look forward to heading into next season.
Luka Dončić at an outdoor basketball court during the Los Angeles Lakers’ visit in Ljubljana, Slovenia in August 2026. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett
1. Luka Dončić is on a mission
After James chose to go to the 76ers in free agency, the Lakers are unequivocally Dončić’s team. For the first time in his career, he took all of his teammates to his home in Slovenia this summer to host a minicamp to build chemistry.
Dončić is clearly taking the responsibility of being the Lakers’ superstar very seriously. He knows he’s playing for a 17-time championship organization and all eyes are going to be on him to lead the team back atop the league.
Last season, Dončić led the league in scoring (33.5 points), finished third in assists (8.3) and was fourth in MVP voting before he suffered a hamstring strain that sidelined him for the playoffs.
This season, here’s to betting he’s going to be on a personal mission to carry the roster he helped select deep into the postseason.
Austin Reaves signed the richest contract in NBA history this offseason for a player who went undrafted. Getty Images
2. Austin Reaves is due for a breakout season
Reaves signed the richest contract in NBA history this offseason for a player who went undrafted. Dončić wanted him as his sidekick. He has officially gone from being one of the league’s wonderful surprises to becoming one of the torchbearers for the NBA’s second-winningest franchise.
Reaves had so many moments last season where he proved he’s a star, including a 51-point performance followed by a 41-point performance in October and a jaw-dropping floater at the buzzer during a game against Denver in March.
Now expectations are going to be even higher for a player who scraped his way into the league and is now a borderline All-Star.
The Lakers went all in on Walker Kessler, whom Dončić wanted as his center. Getty Images
3. All eyes on Walker Kessler
The Lakers went all in on Kessler, whom Dončić wanted as his center. They acquired him from the Jazz for unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033 and first-round swaps in 2028 and 2030, signing him to a four-year, $130 million contract.
So, they essentially mortgaged their future for him.
How does Kessler feel about that?
“I’m going to run through a brick wall for them,” Kessler said during his introductory Lakers news conference in July in Las Vegas.
Kessler, who’s one of the league’s top shot blockers and rebounders, has every reason to pour out his heart for Dončić and the Lakers.That’s good news considering they need him to transform into a superstar to have any chance in the very crowded Western Conference.
4. The Lakers‘ new owners have a lot to prove
After Mark Walter stunningly sold the Lakers to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner, there were a lot of questions around the team. But there’s also a lot of optimism, especially considering there’s a federal law enforcement probe into Walter’s financial affairs.
The Lakers have a fresh start under Iger, the former CEO of Disney, and Kushner, a venture capitalist.
While Iger’s and Kushner’s plans have yet to take form, there’s hope that things could trend upward for the Lakers under the new owners who are eager to prove themselves in their new endeavor.
5. The Lakers have been front and center
Say what you will about the Lakers, who have been embroiled in a seemingly endless cascade of drama all summer — ranging from James leaving, to new ownership, to more Buss family drama — but the Lakers are still dominating the spotlight.
The Lakers are exciting. They’re the talk of the league. They’re full of surprises.
Regardless of what happens, it’s obvious that next season is going to be a fun-filled thrill ride full of twists and turns that captivates the basketball world’s attention.
Cheers to the adventure being around the corner.
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PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 09: Luke Williams #30 of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts after hitting a walk-off two run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park on June 9, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Braves 2-1. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There is 1993, when the Phillies knocked the Braves down in six games, including hammering Greg Maddux around for six runs in the series finale. There is the NLDS’s in 2022 and 23, the height of which being when Bryce Harper stared Orlando Arcia down after a home run.
There are several moments to choose from but if you had to pick something that isn’t super noteworthy or wouldn’t get covered on a National TV broadcast, what would it be?
The Braves-Phillies rivalry is one of the best things going on in baseball right now. The Phillies have knocked the Braves around over their last two postseason matchups but the Braves have mostly dominated the division outside of 2024 and 25 but also have the more recent World Series title. It’s a rivalry without true bragging rights, which feels a little rare in today’s sporting landscape.
Anyway, my personal favorite weird moment is when Luke Williams hit a walk off home run against Will Smith, taking a hanging slider into the left field seats for the Phillies to take a game in June (on a very nice date). It was Williams’ first career home run, he did not do much with the Phillies the rest of the 2021 season, and Williams would go on to play 82 games with the Braves over the last four seasons.
Let us know what your answer is, especially if it’s older, because this Question of the Day is being written by a 23-year-old. If you remember something from before 2010, now is the time to share it.
