TALKING STICK, AZ - OCTOBER 06: Justin Lamkin #47 of the Surprise Saguaros pitches during the game between the Surprise Saguaros and the Salt River Rafters at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on Tuesday, October 6, 2026 in Talking Stick, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
Lamkin was nothing short of perfect in his latest gem for Surprise. The 2025 No. 71 overall pick retired 13 consecutive batters before exiting in the fifth. During the start, Lamkin showcased his newly developed curveball, which accounted for three of his four strikeouts and has been a weapon so far in the desert. The 22-year-old had posted a 2.04 ERA and an 0.93 WHIP through seven starts prior to injuring his throwing shoulder in late May. Back on the field this fall, Lamkin has been back to his stingy ways and has allowed just one run on one hit over his past 8 1/3 frames spanning two outings.
I reject all discourse about the Red Hot Chili Peppers. This song is fun and this music video is fun. Your song of the day is RHCP with The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - OCTOBER 26: Garrett Mitchell #5 of the Milwaukee Brewers celebrates with William Contreras #24 after scoring in the fifth inning during Game Three of the 2026 World Series presented by Capital One between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Monday, October 26, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
To whoever said that you can’t rely on stringing together multiple hits to win a World Series game, I have a bridge to sell you. All joking aside, the Brewers just authored one of the most comprehensive offensive performances in a Fall Classic in recent memory, all without the ball leaving the yard. They jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the third, but it was their eight-run fifth that represented likely the final nail in the Rays’ World Series coffin. Milwaukee annihilated the Rays at Tropicana Field, 10-1, to put themselves one win away from their first ever title and on the cusp of becoming the first team to sweep a Fall Classic since the Giants steamrolled the Tigers in 2012.
World Series Game 3
Milwaukee Brewers 10, Tampa Bay Rays 1
(Milwaukee leads, 3-0)
There has been something of a false narrative surrounding the Rays’ play in the business end of these playoffs. Many are quick to praise Tampa Bay’s sound fundamentals when that hasn’t exactly been the case against the Guardians nor indeed in the World Series against the Brewers. Case in point in the bottom of the first, Chandler Simpson reached on a fielder’s choice but then was caught stealing when he over-slid the bag at second to end the inning — already the fifth out on the base paths made by the Rays this series in just two games plus one inning.
They have also suffered a handful of game-altering defensive misplays or simply not converted certain difficult outs you’d still expect them make, and there was another impactful miscue in the third today. First, however, was one of the best defensive plays by either team this series. Simpson immediately atoned for getting thrown out by making an astonishing catch in the second. Garrett Mitchell drew a leadoff walk and Sal Frelick lifted a deep fly ball down the left field line for what looked like a certain RBI double, but Simpson covered a ton of ground before securing the catch and crashing full speed into the wall just to the right of the foul pole.
But then in the third, Chourio lined a first pitch curveball for a one-out single to give him a multi-hit effort in all three World Series games so far. Jake Bauers followed with a five pitch walk to put a pair on for Christian Yelich, the Brewers captain muscling a humpback liner the other way to left for an RBI single to open the scoring. William Contreras then lined a first-pitch heater the other way, and a momentary lapse in concentration from right fielder Victor Mesa Jr. saw the ball clang off his glove as he went to gather, allowing Chourio to score from second (though Contreras did get tagged out in no man’s land between first and second.)
Despite retiring the side in order in the fourth, by the fifth it became clear that Peralta’s command was gone, 35 of his eventual 87 pitches on the outing getting called balls. This came to a head in that fifth inning, where the Brewers strung together one of the most impressive rallies in recent World Series memory. He issued a one-out single to Chourio and then loaded the bases with two outs thanks to a walk of Yelich and an infield single by Contreras. That spelled the end of his start, Kevin Cash calling on Cam Booser as the first arm out of the Rays bullpen.
Booser’s is one of the most inspiring comeback stories in MLB today, retiring in his 20s before returning to pitch almost a decade in the minor believing his shot in the Show would come. This made it all the more inspiring that the 34-year-old southpaw entered this game having not allowed a run in seven postseason appearances as the Rays’ main setup man, but it all went sideways in a manner emblematic of the Rays punching above their weight all year long only to come crashing back to Earth this series.
Brice Turang came up with the bases loaded and clubbed a sharp grounder off Taylor Walls’ glove at short — again, a tough play but one you would expect the Rays infielder to make — allowing Chourio and Yelich to score. Garrett Mitchell and Cooper Pratt then both ambushed first-pitch fastballs from Booser, Mitchell’s going for an RBI single and Pratt’s going for a two-run double. Frelick followed with a double of his own to plate Pratt and chase Booser from the game without the reliever having recorded an out. Cole Sulser was the next man out of Tampa’s ‘pen and the hit parade continued. David Hamilton lined a single to center to score Frelick and Chourio doubled his fourth hit in as many ABs to bring the speedster Hamilton home all the way from first. By the time the dust had settled, the Brewers had sent 12 men to the plate and hung an eight-spot on the board (the most two-out runs in an inning in World Series history), all ten of their runs scoring without the aid of the long ball from the team that had hit the most home runs in this postseason.
Much was made of the Rays unlocking Peralta after acquiring him from the Mets at the deadline, particularly the historic 2.5 mph jump in fastball velocity in the playoffs, but all that velocity doesn’t count for much if you can’t throw the ball over the plate. He ended his outing having given up five runs on seven hits and three walks before Booser allowed a hit to all four batters he faced to put four runs on his card.
While all this was going on, the story could not have been more different for the Brewers starter. Robert Gasser amazed with his five scoreless innings against the Dodgers in Game 3 of the NLCS to earn the opportunity to make a start in the World Series. The 27-year-old rookie reprised that gem with an even more spectacular performance tonight.
Following a leadoff single by Yandy Díaz in the first, Gasser set down the next 15 batters he faced in order. Unlike the Brewers, the Rays showed zero intention of working deep counts, and Gasser was able to leverage this to his advantage. Many of his first pitches were off-speed or breaking offering just outside of the zone, close enough to tempt the Rays to chase resulting in a lot of harmless contact early in counts. His fastball may only operate in the low-90s, but with more precise command and sequencing than Peralta Gasser kept the Rays lineup completely off balance.
His streak of 15 in a row retired ended with a walk by Mesa to lead off the sixth, but Gasser erased that base runner three pitches later by getting Nick Fortes to ground into a double play. He threw just five pitches in the second, eleven in the third, nine in the fourth, and 13 in the sixth to leave him with plenty of gas left in the tank, but with a ten-run lead there was little incentive to push things further, instead presenting Milwaukee an opportunity to get some game time for relievers who hadn’t pitched much this postseason including the longest-tenured Brewer, Brandon Woodruff. Gasser ended his outing having pitched six scoreless, allowing a hit and a walk while striking out three on 75 pitches.
Mesa would be the Rays’ last base runner until the ninth, Antonio Senzatela pitching a perfect seventh and eighth before Woodruff wrapped up the final frame — a special moment for a veteran pitcher who has missed significant portions of the last four seasons with major arm injuries. He allowed a run on a one-out single from Cedric Mullins and an RBI double from Díaz to put a bow on the Brewers’ comprehensive victory, 10-1.
Milwaukee can complete the sweep tomorrow night at The Trop, which would cap off one of the most one-sided playoff runs in history, the Brewers 10-1 overall this postseason after tonight’s rout in Game 3. First pitch of Game 4 is scheduled for 8:00 pm ET, though neither team has announced a starter at the time of writing.
Game 3 was an example of how the Brewers take one tiny advantage and turn it into victory. Seven straight hits in the fifth inning gave them an eight-run inning on their way to a 10-1 win. The World Series could end tonight.
I appreciate your reading.
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Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): How About Sonny Gray as a Veteran Rotation Option for the Cubs? “Fast-forward to October, and we’re on the cusp of free agency. There, Sonny Gray should be freely available, and the Cubs will have a chance to pursue the long-appreciated veteran righty.”
Brock Beauchamp (Diamond Centric): DiamondCentric’s 2026-2027 Top Free Agents, Ranked. “We offer the top 50 free agents, but over the coming weeks, that list will continue to grow until it’s well over 100 names.”
Thomas Domol (North Side Baseball): It Might Not Feel Like It, But the 2026 Cubs Had a Good Season. “Perception became the North Siders’ reality this year. Expectations drove a narrative that flipped the Cubs’ 2026 campaign into a failure in the minds of many fans. A closer look reveals it wasn’t one.”
Pure soul and blues power: The CD “Soul Serenade” released by the German-born guitarist Gregor Hilden in intense collaboration with the American singer blues and soul singer Johnny Rogers. It represents a captivating, grooving musical travelogue through black soul and R&B. Exciting vocals, guitar played with power and feeling, a diversity of saxophone parts and a strong, yet sensitive band are what make up this group. The arts section of the Frankfurter Rundschau daily and Jazz Podium both declared Hilden to be “probably Europe’s best blues guitarist.”
Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - APRIL 06: A young fan of the Tampa Bay Rays looks on as a cownose stingray swims in the outfield Tampa Bay Rays Touch Experience prior to the game between the Chicago Cubs and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Monday, April 6, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Good Tuesday morning, Purple Row!
Colorado Rockies fans probably associate “Fishin’ in the Dark” with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and TJ Rumfield, the Gold Glove finalist who has selected the classic hit for his walk-up music.
But with the World Series headed to Game 4 down in Tampa Bay, which has actual fish onsite, it seems appropriate to turn our attention there. And in this scenario, the Milwaukee Brewers, with a 3-0 lead, are definitely doing the fishing.
It probably comes as no surprise to learn that Kristie Ackert ranks the Rockies last. She notes improvement since 2025, but until the Rockies are able to address their issues with the rotation, their World Series odds are slim.
Ryan Spilborghs goes solo in this episode, and it’s worth your time. Seriously, if you don’t click on any other link, click on this one. In it, he views the proposed salary cap from the owners’ perspective and argues that it does not work; rather, a cap would shuffle money around. Spilborghs is clear, though: He’s on the side of neither the owners nor the players. Rather, he’s advocating for baseball.
The Penner Sports Group has expanded its portfolio to include a minority investment in Valencia CF. Worth noting, this is one of Spain’s most historic soccer clubs. And, apparently, some Denver Broncos fans aren’t happy about it.
One of the highlights of this year’s World Series coverage has been reading Michael Baumann for FanGraphs. In this article, Baumann examines why these two teams have been successful with a focus on player development.
Yesterday, MLB announced that Francisco Lindor has won this year’s Clemente Award. He is the fifth Puerto Rican player to receive this honor, and his list of initiatives is extensive.
This is a topic Jared Thomas mentioned in yesterday’s Rockpile. MLB is exploring the placement of outfielders in an attempt to increase the number of hits that drop during a game. Given that the Arizona Fall League has traditionally been one of MLB’s testing labs, it’s worth following this story.
If there’s a team that needs to be looking in the mirror this offseason, it’s the Philadelphia Phillies. One of their first moves is to hire the former Red Sox hitting coach, Peter Fatse.
Musical outro
And with that, I’ll turn it over to the Dirt Band.
Myself, I prefer “You Ain’t Going Nowhere,” but that’s probably a bad choice for walk-up music, so I’ll defer to TJ on this one.
Colby Shelton brought the boom against Mesa, crushing his second AFL homer and driving in four. | (Arizona Fall League/Instagram)
The Arizona Fall League is underway, and Chicago has eight prospects in the Grand Canyon State, headlined by Caleb Bonemer, 3B/SS/OF (No. 2/MLB No. 27). Rounding out the crew are Mathias LaCombe, RHP (No. 17); Colby Shelton, INF (No. 23); Nick Altermatt, RHP; Jonathan Clark, RHP; Grant Magill, C; Tommy Vail, LHP and Garrett Wright, RHP.
The team added Vail after Pierce George, RHP (No. 18), suffered an olecranon fracture in his pitching elbow. While it sounds like an awful injury, he is expected to participate in 2027 Spring Training. Anthony DePino, INF (No. 21), was also originally on the Dogs roster, but instead underwent shoulder surgery. He should also be ready for spring.
The White Sox prospects are suiting up for the Glendale Desert Dogs (5-13), sharing the dugout with hopefuls from the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, and Pittsburgh Pirates.
Chicago ties Los Angeles for sending the most Top 30 prospects (five) to the AFL.
Peoria Javelinas 3, Glendale Desert Dogs 0 (10/21/26 — 6 innings) The rain put an early end to this one, but the Dogs’ bats never really got started in a 3-0 loss to Peoria. Both teams managed four hits before the game was called after the sixth, but Glendale’s were all singles, with three coming in the second inning and nothing to show for them. Shelton had one of those knocks, finishing 1-for-2 with a strikeout. After a red-hot start to the fall, Bonemer cooled off just a bit, going 0-for-3 with two Ks, while Magill went 0-for-2 with a punchout.
Glendale Desert Dogs 10, Mesa Solar Sox 0 (10/22/26) For once, the Desert Dogs were doing the trampling, piling up 10 runs on 14 hits in a shutout of Mesa. Apparently, Bonemer heard me talking about his bat cooling off and took it personally, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs and finishing a double shy of the cycle. His triple to center came off the bat at 106.9 mph.
Magill added a 1-for-4 night, while Shelton went 0-for-3 with a walk and a sacrifice fly. Chicago’s pitching prospects kept up their fall dominance, with Altermatt, Clark and LaCombe each tossing a hitless, scoreless frame. Altermatt and Clark supplied the punchout party, fanning two and three, respectively.
Glendale Desert Dogs 5, Scottsdale Scorpions 4 (10/24/26 — 8 innings) Bonemer’s AFL farewell was quiet at the plate, but his final numbers should make Sox fans feel pretty good about their No. 2 overall prospect. The 21-year-old went 0-for-2 with two free passes and a K in the Dog’s 5-4 win. He wrapped up 13 games with a .286/.364/.633 slash line, a .996 OPS and three homers over 55 plate appearances, and finished tied for the league lead in extra-base hits (nine) and second in total bases (31). The assignment’s main mission was outfield work, and he got it: eight games in center, three in left, and one in right. There were a couple of adventures along the way, including his lone error in the opener and a fly lost in the sun later on, but the reps were the point. Bonemer was the only Chicago hitter to see action in the win.
On the mound, Wright put his spotless ERA through a stress test. A leadoff single in the seventh was erased by a catcher pickoff, but a walk, single and another walk loaded the bases. Wright punched out the next batter before handing the mess to Cristhian Tortosa, who struck out the final hitter to keep Wright’s 0.00 AFL ERA intact. Vail also joined the fall fun, working a hitless, scoreless inning with one walk and three Ks in his debut.
Mesa Solar Sox 13, Glendale Desert Dogs 12 (10/26/26) Shelton kept his strong fall rolling, but the Dogs came up just short in a 13-12 slugfest. The 23-year-old went 3-for-4 with a walk, four RBIs and two runs scored, including his second AFL blast. His three-run round-tripper gave Glendale a 4-3 lead in the first, and his RBI single in the seventh pulled the Dogs within one. That was as close as they would get, though, as Mesa held on for the win.
(Photo by Luther Schlaifer/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
INDIANAPOLIS — The needle drop hit in the Indiana Pacers’ starting lineup announcement, and the chorus of the “Welcome Back, Kotter” theme song played just long enough for the fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to fill their lungs with air for what was coming next. The audio flipped again to 50 Cent’s “Many Men,” and Tyrese Haliburton ran out for the home fans for the first time since he tore his Achilles in June 2025, though you couldn’t hear his name over the deafening sound of 17,000 people screaming in unison.
Unfortunately for the home crowd, that was the last time they really got to roar. By the second quarter, the only noise coming from the fans was boos condemning the Pacers for a totally flat performance in a game that was so eagerly anticipated for so long.
The Dallas Mavericks routed Indiana from the start, dropping 44 first quarter points on their way to a 37-point first half lead. The Pacers would rally back a bit in the second half after 19-year-old Dallas star Cooper Flagg exited the game with a shoulder injury, but this was a premium example of a game not being as close as the 16-point final margin would indicate.
“It was one of the best crowds I’ve ever seen here,” head coach Rick Carlisle said after the loss to Dallas. “But a great crowd doesn’t guarantee you anything if you don’t compete the way you need to compete.”
The Pacers needed a big fourth quarter comeback to win their opener against an uninspiring New Orleans Pelicans game a few days earlier. A few days later, the Pacers fully looked like the blitzkrieg offense we expected as they trounced the Nets in Brooklyn. On Monday night, Indiana gave the Milwaukee Bucks their first win of the season in the most jarring result of the new year so far.
“That’s what the NBA is,” Haliburton said after the game. “It’s not all fairytales, sunshine, and rainbows.”
Indiana’s roster remains similar to the one that went to the 2025 NBA Finals, but every year is different, and it leaves this team with new questions to answer from the last time it was whole. That’s especially the case in an Eastern Conference is significantly improved. The idea that the Pacers were going to hit the ground running this season was probably always unrealistic. It’s important to remember that they started 10-15 back in 2024-25 before eventually finding some special chemistry on the way to the Finals.
The challenge for the Pacers right now is using the regular season as a lab to figure out their most existential questions without losing too much ground in an ultra-competitive East. Like every team this early in the season, they have a few things that need deeper exploration.
How Ivica Zubac changes the dynamic
The biggest change from the team Haliburton left to the one he rejoined is the substitution at center. The Pacers let Myles Turner walk because they didn’t want to pay him. That looks like a wise move, but it also forced the team to put its best assets on the table to fill its void at center. Indiana shocked the league by trading for Ivica Zubac at last season’s trade deadline during a lost year, sending out two first-round picks to get him. One of those was top-4 protected for 2026 when Indiana entered the lottery tied for the best odds. When the pick fell to No. 5 and conveyed to the Clippers, it felt like a double loss for a team that just endured a 19-win season without Haliburton.
Ultimately, centers don’t come cheap, and the Pacers had to pay to play in the big man market. Zubac’s skill set is so much different than Turner’s in ways that are both obvious and less intuitive, and Indiana will spend this season tinkering with the best ways to leverage his talent within their system.
Everyone will notice the spacing component. Turner took 8.7 three-point attempts per 100 possessions during his last season in Indiana. Zubac is a total non-shooter who hasn’t attempted a three-pointer the last three seasons. While Turner would pop after setting his screens, Zubac is going to roll, and it takes away some of what made the 2025 Pacers special while giving him a new element with some real benefits.
Zubac is going to play with a lot more power than Turner ever did. His ability to add a component of smashmouth basketball will be welcomed for a team that felt built on finesse even at their best. While the offensive adjustment with Zubac is readily apparent, the defensive end will require some tinkering, too.
Zubac often played in a deeper drop with the Clippers. He was so good at walling off the paint in these coverages that he earned my (fake) vote for 2025 NBA Defensive Player of the Year. The Pacers want their bigs playing more at the level of the screen, which requires Zubac to get up to the touch on ball handlers to see if he can make plays with his hands before retreating back. The Pacers just don’t have the point of attack defenders to viably run a deep drop right now, and it’s going to require an adjustment period from everyone involved.
The reality is that Zubac didn’t look quite as nimble last season with the Clippers before the trade. Now he’s already suffered an ankle sprain against Brooklyn that should keep him out of the lineup in the short-term and could linger beyond that. How the Pacers integrate Zubac is the biggest question they need to answer in their 82-game season, and it’s likely to remain a work in progress for now.
Rick Carlisle is still searching for the right lineup combinations
Carlisle played 11 guys in the first half against Dallas. He played 12 players in the first half against Brooklyn, including a starting lineup switch that subbed out Jarace Walker for Aaron Nesmith. Nesmith was nursing a hamstring injury during the preseason, and his return to the lineup will go a long way toward answering some of Indiana’s biggest questions.
“It’s hard to run when you’re taking the ball under the net the whole game,” Haliburton said after the Dallas loss.
The Pacers can probably bank on a top-5 offense with Haliburton back. How they fix the defense is a much more pressing issue. Through three games, Indiana ranks No. 19 in defensive efficiency, which feels about right despite the small sample. Indiana needs Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard to get after it defensively the same way they were during the 2025 Finals run. They also need to figure out what the bench rotation looks like beyond Obi Toppin as their sixth man, and likely Kelly Oubre — the team’s only real free agent addition this summer — as their seventh man.
T.J. McConnell hasn’t played yet as he recovers from a hamstring strain, and Ben Sheppard is also out with a meniscus tear. Jalen Slawson was firmly on my too good for Summer League list, but his opportunities to add some downhill force and defensive playmaking will still be limited by his two-way contract. Quenton Jackson adds some similar elements as perhaps the most athletic player on the team on a standard contract, and Indiana would benefit from adding his quickness and defensive havoc if it can get around his shooting concerns. Jay Huff was impressive last season filling the center void on a bad team, but Carlisle doesn’t appear to really trust him yet. Every time it feels like Walker could take another step forward as a former lottery pick, he stagnates at both ends of the floor.
The Pacers should be able to count on their top-7, which is more than some teams can say. McConnell’s return will be big, but he took a noticeable step back last season and may be experiencing some age-related decline at 34 years old. Can anyone else on this roster help force more takeaways to get the offense out running? I’m not sure. If Jackson, Walker, Huff, or even Slawson can make it a viable 8- or 9-man rotation come playoff time, Carlisle should be pleased.
It’s still too early to say where the Pacers fit in in the East
The great thing about the East this season is that it really feels like every game matters with 10 teams realistically dreaming of making a Finals run. It’s just important to remember that 82 games is a long, long, long season. Don’t forget that a year ago, the Chicago Bulls started 5-0 before sputtering so much that they blew the team up at the deadline. The Pacers are 2-2 with the easiest schedule in the NBA so far.
The path for Indiana to get back to greatness starts with Haliburton leading this group to a top-5 offense while managing to get the defense into the top half of the league. This was a good-not-great team in 2024-25 before finding an unforeseen level of excellence in the playoffs, which is the exact same thing the Knicks did one year later on their way to a championship. Haliburton is back, but questions remain.
The Milwaukee Brewers are just one win away from clinching their first-ever franchise championship, putting pressure on the Tampa Bay Rays as they head into a do-or-die matchup at Tropicana Field on Tuesday, Oct. 27.
The Rays, looking to keep their championship hopes alive, are turning to franchise legend Evan Longoria for inspiration, as he is set to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
The iconic third baseman was selected third overall by the Rays in the 2006 draft. During his decade-long tenure with Tampa Bay from 2008 to 2017, Longoria collected numerous accolades and consistently delivered standout performances both at the plate and in the field.
His impressive resume includes being named the 2008 American League Rookie of the Year, earning three All-Star selections and capturing Gold Glove Awards in 2009, 2010, and 2017 for his impressive defense. Longoria also finished sixth in AL MVP voting in both 2010 and 2013, and he claimed a Silver Slugger Award in 2009.
Longoria’s legacy is also cemented in Rays history. He is honored with a statue outside Gate 4 at Tropicana Field, commemorating his iconic celebration after hitting a walk-off home run in the 12th inning of the final regular-season game in 2011, a moment that propelled Tampa Bay into the postseason.
Now, the Rays find themselves facing an uphill battle, trailing the series 3-0 after the Brewers dominated Game 3 with a commanding 10-1 victory. With their championship hopes hanging by a thread, Tampa Bay will look to rally as they fight to keep their World Series dreams alive.
The 24-year-old rookie leads the team in minutes and rebounds per game, while ranking second in points and assists per game.
On Monday, Lendeborg led Golden State to its first win of the season in a 134-114 blowout against the Denver Nuggets.
His team-high 31 points set a new personal bar in his short NBA career, and he added 12 rebounds and six assists on the night.
After the game, Lendeborg was interviewed by a trio of NBA legends enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter and Carmelo Anthony.
While talking to the former NBA stars, Lendeborg was keen to ask for advice on how to improve his game.
“Lean on your vets, bro,” McGrady said. “You got two great Hall of Fame vets that (are) very intellectual in the game of basketball. So I would say lean on them as much as possible, man. Every day, just ask questions. You can never ask a dumb question, bro. Just lean on them two guys, and you’ll get a lot of information.”
Carter, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2024, told Lendeborg to use his age to his advantage.
“Utilize your youth,” Carter said. “You have a motor. Continue to play with joy, and ask those questions. Like you said, you don’t get comfortable in the game without asking questions. When you get the answers to the questions, you go out there; it’s easier to take the test, meaning play the game.”
Anthony emphasized leaning on the Warriors’ experienced vets to make an immediate impact.
“Get ahead of the film game,” Anthony said. “Stay in the film. Watch that film. Be a student of film and you have two guys on your team, in Draymond (Green) and Steph (Curry), who’ve been through this for so long, and they’ve been winning … so now you have an opportunity to just learn the in-between game and little nuances of the game that’s going to help you and help the Warriors.”
Lendeborg is one of only six players in the NBA to average at least 20 points (21.8), nine rebounds (9.3) and four assists per game (4.5), in company with three former MVPs and two All-Stars.
The Michigan alumnus also leads the Warriors with 7.8 free-throw attempts per game, an area where Golden State struggled last season, ranking 27th in the NBA as a team.
Before letting Lendeborg go, McGrady invoked a message from legendary San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.
“He always said he wants to see some nasty,” McGrady said. “You’re coming in the league with that nasty. I love it. Do not lose that edge, bro.”
If the Warriors are to stay afloat until Jimmy Butler returns, they sure hope Lendeborg’s “nasty” will carry through the entirety of his rookie season.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 26: Payton Pritchard #11 of the Boston Celtics celebrates after scoring against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at TD Garden on October 26, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) | Getty Images
BOSTON — Payton Pritchard was glad the Celtics beat the New York Knicks for their first win of the season on Friday night. But he couldn’t stop thinking about his own lackluster performance — 4 points on 1-for-5 shooting in 30 minutes off the bench.
He wasn’t as aggressive as usual, and he didn’t attack the paint as decisively. It didn’t matter; thanks in large part to a masterful 36-point performance from Jayson Tatum, the Celtics came out on top.
Still, it didn’t feel great to know he didn’t play his best.
“But it’s a long season,” he said. “I try to give myself forgiveness of it, even though it ate away at me.”
On Monday night, in a 134-99 win against the Chicago Bulls, Pritchard bounced back, exploding for 28 points on 10-16 shooting. He did most of the damage in a 39-point Celtics third quarter, shooting 7-for-8 from the field, including 5-for-5 from three.
“It just feels good to catch the rhythm again, and just bounce back from the other night,” he said.
Payton Pritchard 28 PTS (10-16 FG, 7-10 3P), 4 AST, 1 REB, 2 STL, +22 in 22 minutes vs. Bulls
In Year 7, however, Pritchard doesn’t get rattled after a lackluster start to the year. Pritchard signed a 2-year, $44.2 million extension right before the season started, and he now knows he routinely recovers from slow starts.
Still, Payton Pritchard early-season struggles are an interesting phenomenon
In 22 career October games, Payton Pritchard has shot 38.7% from the field and 31% from three. It’s his least efficient month of the season, by far, and he’s not exactly sure why.
“I really couldn’t put my finger on it, but I think you could look at the last couple of years— like, I just have games where it’s very non-aggressive, just out of rhythm,” he said.
The difference between Pritchard’s efficiency in October and the rest of the year is stark; the 28-year-old shoots at least 44% from the field and 38% from three every other month. November typically brings a dramatic bounceback; after struggling to start the year, Pritchard has shot 45.3% from the field and 40.3% from three over 66 career November games.
At the start of the year, it looked like he could get off to a strong start; he poured in 17 points on 4-for-9 shooting in the opener against the Detroit Pistons.
But Pritchard’s individual performance against the Knicks nonetheless left a sour taste.
“We got the W, but I want to perform better and be better for our team,” he said. “So, tonight was me coming out with just an aggressive mindset — just kind of play free and just attack the paint.”
So why does it happen? Why does it seem like sometimes, the 6’1 guard just fades into the background?
Pritchard attributes nights when he creates fewer offensive advantages to his own approach — not to anything his teammates or opposing defenses are doing.
“It’s 100% my aggression,” Pritchard said. “And it’s not about just taking shots to me. Like, I’m fine with any amount of shots. It’s about, like: how do I attack, and am I touching the paint? Am I pushing the pace? Stuff like that — controllables.”
Sometimes, like on Friday, when Pritchard reviews the tape, he feels underwhelmed by his own approach. He’s eager to fix it immediately.
“When I don’t do it, I feel very disappointed in myself, and I feel like I’m hurting the team in that area,” he said. “So, I feel like it’s the main thing I can bring to the team — a sense of pace and attacking the paint and kicking out and just making plays.”
After a career season, opposing teams are no doubt paying extra attention to Pritchard’s offense. He acknowledged he might face extra defensive pressure on the heels of a career-best 17-points-per-game season, but wouldn’t concede that’s a justifiable reason for his early-season struggles.
“Honestly, that shouldn’t affect me,” Pritchard said. “You have reads for any way they defend you, and if it’s gonna be ball pressure, I don’t mind dribbling on any type of pressure. So, if they’re gonna pick me up, I should be able to attack the paint, make a play.”
On Monday, however, his October struggles appeared to be in the rearview.
“He’s another guy that impacts winning in different ways,” Joe Mazzulla said. “Tonight, you saw the scoreboard, which is obviously something that’s really important for us. But he’s been making plays defensively, his assists, his ability to make plays on both ends of the floor. So even if he’s not scoring, he still impacts winning at a high level. When he does what he does tonight, it makes us a better team.”
NBA Games don’t typically boil down to just one possession. But one possession can often tell the story of a game. This is “One Possession,” a recurring series where we highlight one notable sequence from every Celtics game during the 2026-27 season.
Payton Pritchard’s third-quarter outburst had TD Garden rocking on Monday night, but our favorite part was when our NBC Sports Boston cameras cut to the crowd and there, amid all the green-clad Celtics revelers, was a Bulls fans in a Zach LaVine jersey clapping his hands in appreciation, too.
Allen Iverson proved you don’t need to be a Celtics fan to marvel at how Pritchard can take over a game. And the “coldest white boy” certainly got red hot as part of a 19-point third-quarter outburst in Monday’s 134-99 thrashing of the Bulls.
Pritchard’s night crescendoed in the final two minutes of the third quarter. Neemias Queta and Sam Hauser fought to keep a possession alive and Pritchard walked into a 30-foot straightaway 3-pointer that put Boston up 98-73 with 1:48 to play in the frame.
The NBA’s tracking gave Pritchard a 37.6 percent expected field goal percentage on the deep attempt. We’re thinking that there’s only a select few like Pritchard and Steph Curry that can be pegged to shoot better than league average on a 30-foot bomb with a defender rushing out to contest.
But Pritchard sent the Garden into full delirium the next trip down. Everyone in the building knew the heat check was coming and Pritchard put Buddy Hield in the blender before stepping back on a 26-foot triple. The expected field goal percentage dipped to 31.7 percent on that attempt but it felt like 100 percent chance of going in with how hot Pritchard was at that point.
Pritchard finished 10-of-16 shooting overall, while connecting on 7 of 10 3-pointers. His expected field goal percentage overall pegged him at 40.5 percent, but he finished at 62.5 percent. It’s even more jarring when you look at expected effective field goal percentage, which jumped 32.7 percent from 51.7 expected to 84.4 percent actual.
Pritchard, fresh off inking a 2-year, $44.2 million extension before the start of the regular season, continued a familiar trend of being a little slow out of the gates to start the new campaign. Pritchard was quiet against two of the more physical teams in the league in Detroit and New York but got himself activated against the Bulls.
Therein lies the challenge for Pritchard this season. While he’s most certainly left his imprint on the biggest stages, especially all those buzzer-beating heaves during Boston’s 2024 title run, he needs to be a more consistent presence against the best teams in the league. The departure of Jaylen Brown insists that Boston’s supporting cast elevate in those moments, and everyone from Pritchard to Paul George to Derrick White need to be secondary scoring options if the NBA’s best teams put much of their energy into slowing Jayson Tatum.
Pritchard, who averaged just two drives per game in Boston’s first two outings of the season, was much more aggressive against Chicago. Good things happen when he touches the paint. Three of Pritchard’s four assists on the night led to 3-pointers, and his 11 assist points generated were second on the team behind only Tatum (14 points generated on 6 total assists).
Boston’s bench unit can be a differentiator for the team throughout the season. Pritchard was a plus-22 in his 21 minutes on Monday. Hauser (team-best plus-36), Hugo Gonzalez (plus-34), and Queta (plus-32) were all super impactful in their floor time as well.
And even opposing fanbases clearly appreciate how Pritchard can impact winning.
How will this year's World Series play out? Using the Dynasty League Baseball online simulation, USA TODAY Sports' Steve Gardner and DLB designer Mike Cieslinski will pre-play each game to provide some insight into the key matchups and strategy fans can expect to see in the Fall Classic.
Game 4 in a best-of-seven series is frequently an outlier, especially when it comes to pitching strategy.
Teams may have two, sometimes three good starting pitchers. But what do they do when it's too early to bring back their ace?
In Game 4 of USA TODAY Sports' annual Simulated World Series, the Milwaukee Brewers turned to an old war horse, veteran Brandon Woodruff. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Rays chose to go with an opener in lefty Ian Seymour, with right-hander Griffin Jax waiting in the wings.
But pitching strategy ultimately took a back seat to the Brewers' bats as Milwaukee slugged four homers to back Woodruff's outstanding outing in a 9-1 rout.
Rays vs Brewers World Series Game 4 simulation
With three close games packed with stellar pitching already in the books, Game 4 started off in much the same way.
Through four innings, both teams could only manage a first-inning run apiece. Milwaukee jumped on top quickly with Jackson Chourio stroking a leadoff single and coming around to score on Jake Bauers' RBI double. Tampa Bay countered in the bottom of the frame with a solo homer by Jonathan Aranda.
But as Woodruff began to find his groove, the Brewers slowly took control. Joey Ortiz blasted a home run down the left field line off Jax that just managed to stay fair to give his team a 2-1 lead. Garrett Mitchell launched a solo shot of his own to right field in the sixth to double the lead.
And then Bauers blew the game open in the top of the seventh with a mammoth two-run, upper-deck homer to left center that measured an astounding 501 feet to make it 5-1.
Cooper Pratt contributed an RBI single and Ortiz added his second homer of the game, a three-run shot in the eighth, to complete the scoring.
Woodruff, who was just activated for the World Series after missing most of the regular season with shoulder inflammation, looked in early-season form, allowing just three hits over seven innings and striking out seven.
Meanwhile, the Rays hit into three double plays and never had a runner in scoring position until the ninth inning when the game was out of hand.
▶ Wither Woodruff. The Brewers have no idea what they might get out of their former ace, who hasn't pitched in a game since July 4 and was expected to undergo season-ending surgery in August. They added Woodruff to the World Series roster, but would they throw him out there in a pressure-packed situation like this?
Instead, the Brewers could turn to rookie left-hander Shane Drohan, who posted a 4.19 ERA in 124 2/3 innings over 19 starts and 14 relief appearances. Dustin May or lefty Kyle Harrison are also possibilities, as is the dreaded "bullpen game."
▶ Jax to open? The Rays pioneered the concept of using an opener to face the top of an opponent's lineup to start the game. While right-hander Griffin Jax performed well after being converted from a reliever to a starter midway through the season, the Rays do have the option of starting a lefty reliever to try and neutralize the left-handed bats of Brice Turang, Jake Bauers, Christian Yelich and Garrett Mitchell − and have Jax come in to give them bulk innings afterward.
In Sim Series Game 4, the pairing of Seymour (2⅓ IP, 2H, 1 ER) with Jax (4 IP, 7 K) worked reasonably well until the Brewers started hitting the ball out of the park
▶ Matchup plays. There wasn't a whole lot of strategy in a 9-1 blowout, but the Rays decision to start Seymour did result in the Brewers slotting right-handed hitting Andrew Vaughn as the DH in place of Yelich. Vaughn (a .336/.421/.517 hitter vs. lefties during the regular season) went 2-for-4 in this game and scored a run. Yelich would have been a valuable lefty bat off the bench, but he wasn't needed.
▶ Saving the bullpens. The Game 4 blowout gave both bullpens some much-needed rest, especially with a third game in three days coming up. Both managers will need to have one eye on the availability of their best relievers for the following day if they choose to bring them in during Game 4.
Once upon a time, many thought playing under the magnifying glass of the Montreal Canadiens’ market might be too much pressure for many players. Nowadays, it seems to be quite the opposite. Habs sniper Cole Caufield recently appeared on NHL First Shift on NHL Network, and he spoke about the Habs’ fanbase:
“It’s really a feeling like no other. I tell everybody to try to experience it once, if they can, and to be a part of that city during that time; it makes you really want to get back to that moment and definitely pushes our group a lot to get back there. There’s no better feeling than seeing the fans so passionate, and they deserve to see a winning team.”
If Kent Hughes ever needs to sell the Montreal market to another player, Caufield could be his best option. Clearly, the diminutive winger relished the frenzy that took Montreal by storm in the last playoffs and soaked up every minute of it. He was also glad to reach the 50-goal milestone in front of the dedicated fans:
It was for sure stressful a little bit, but I think just playing in Montreal, you get that kind of pressure. It’s a good thing because they know kind of more things than I guess most fans do. But you know, I just wanted to get it done for them and kind of for my teammates to stop worrying about it or stop passing me the puck. It was obviously a cool feeling, and it was really special to do it at the Bell Centre and at home in front of the fans; that was a pretty surreal moment. And you know, I got to have my dad there too, which was cool.
More than just the fans and the market, though, Caufield is also grateful for the Canadiens’ current core:
It’s pretty special times in Montreal right now. With the guys that we have locked up for the next couple of years, it’s pretty special, and you can just tell those guys want to be there and really push each other every day to be better, and it’s just a really contagious feeling in Montreal right now.”
Hearing that part of the interview about the players really wanting to be there right now, it’s hard not to think about the fact that the Detroit Red Wings are often scouting the Canadiens (assistant GM Kris Draper has taken in a lot of Habs hockey lately) in the hope that Dylan Larkin changes his mind and puts Montreal on his list of approved teams. If he did, though, would that change the vibe? After all, he'd be almost forced to go there to get out of Detroit; it’s doubtful he could look his new teammates in the eye and say he really wanted to come and win in Montreal. For Caufield, though, it’s not just about the electric ambiance in Montreal; wherever the Canadiens go, the fans seem to follow. On Sunday in his post-game interview after the Heritage Classic, he made an interesting claim that did create some controversy:
Best fans in the league, I think; they obviously travel well. You know, we might be Canada’s favourite team.
Fans of other Canadian teams would probably disagree, but there’s no denying that wherever the Canadiens play in Canada, or even in the USA, they always have a lot of support. Plenty of red jerseys fill the stands, and “Go Habs Go!” chants echo through the arena. At a time when so many American players want to head back home, the Canadiens’ 15th overall pick at the 2019 draft is happy to stay right where he is.
Cole Caufield just called the Habs "Canada's Favourite Team" 😳
SURPRISE, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 14: Aidan Miller #4 of the Philadelphia Phillies waits for a pitch during a game between the Peoria Javelinas and Surprise Saguaros at Surprise Stadium on October 14, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Phillies News:
What prospects could help bolster the Phillies bullpen next season?
Ross Newhan smiles in the Dodger Stadium press box before a game between the Dodgers and San Francisco Giants on Oct. 2, 2004. (Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times)
The Angels had just reached the promised land, after more than four decades of wandering through baseball’s wilderness. Who better than Newhan, who had been there since Day 1, to write a first-person account of that long and winding road to their first World Series?
Newhan was reluctant. That would make the story about himself, which he despised. The editors prevailed, and within the story he delivered a sentence that struck deep within the heart of every loyal and long-suffering Angels fan.
“I can’t help but feel a sweep of emotions seep through the cynicism and dispassion that is the byproduct of being present for all or part of every Angel season,” he wrote on Oct. 14, 2002.
To this day, the Angels have one guy in the Hall of Fame: Vladimir Guerrero. The Times has two: Jim Murray, the Pulitzer Prize-winning sports columnist, and Newhan.
If Vin Scully provided the voice for the first half-century of Major League Baseball in Southern California, Newhan provided the words.
Newhan died on Sunday, at 89, after what his wife Connie called a “cardiac event.” His reporting — first at the Long Beach Independent Press-Telegram, then over 37 years at The Times — distinguished The Times as a national source for baseball coverage.
Ross Newhan, center, interviews Jim McGlothlin, left, and Jim Fregosi of the California Angels during the 1969 season. (The Sporting News via Getty Images)
Bud Selig, the former commissioner and occasional antagonist in Newhan’s columns, told The Times: “I mourn the passing of Ross Newhan. He was an excellent sportswriter, and I always had a great amount of respect for him personally and for his work.”
In his Hall of Fame acceptance speech, he reserved a special mention for a teacher at Wilson High in Long Beach, the one that envisioned a writer blossoming within a student dozing in class.
“If a high school journalism instructor named John Gartner hadn’t hollered my name and pounded my desk one day, I might still be sitting there asleep,” Newhan said, “with no real clue what I wanted to do in my life.”
Ross Newhan, receives the J.G. Taylor Spink Award from Jane Forbes Clark, chairman of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, in Cooperstown, N.Y., on Aug. 5, 2001. (Associated Press)
In the 1990s, as a young reporter at the Riverside Press-Enterprise, I was among a small group of writers talking with Tony Gwynn, the San Diego Padres’ Hall of Famer. Newhan was there too, and as the group dispersed, he told me: “You ask good questions.”
Talk about inspiration: It was as if Clayton Kershaw had seen a kid throw a curveball and said, “Not bad.”
Behind a gruff and occasionally intense exterior, Newhan had a heart of gold. Mike DiGiovanna, the longtime Times baseball writer, called Newhan “a security blanket” for colleagues needing a fact check, a phone number or an introduction to someone famous.
“He was a giant without the giant ego,” DiGiovanna said.
Newhan trained former Times colleague Jason Reid on how to cover baseball. Reid affectionately called him “Boss Ross.” The two were such relentless reporters that, amid the wild initial days of the McCourt family ownership of the Dodgers, Reid got co-owner Jamie McCourt so frazzled that she actually said this: “This is bad because you guys remember everything and you write everything down.”
Newhan and Reid had reported on concerns with the McCourt financing before the ownership deal closed, and six years before Frank McCourt’s divorce attorney admitted in court that McCourt had put “not a penny” of his own money into the deal. That did not make Newhan and McCourt the best of friends, but neither did it make them bitter enemies.
“He seemed to take a sort of pride in being the guardian of Los Angeles baseball, for lack of a better term,” said Hall of Fame president Josh Rawitch, then the Dodgers’ publicist. “He had an ability to garner respect from people even when he was writing something you weren’t happy about.”
Said Mike Scioscia, on whom Newhan reported as a Dodgers player and Angels manager: “Ross was a true gentleman and had a real matter-of-fact way of asking questions that put you at ease.”
There was nothing flashy about Newhan, not in his writing, certainly not in the way he conducted himself. He let his work and its credibility speak for itself.
Newhan is survived by his wife, Connie; his son, David, and daughter-in-law, Karen; his daughter, Sara, and son-in-law, Mike; five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
The story about David is the one most often recalled Monday, because it really was a story about his father.
David, the kid that tagged along with Newhan when the Angels held spring training in Palm Springs, developed into a major leaguer. He had joked with reporters that he hadn’t been sure if rumors of his call-up were true because “as everyone knows, you can’t believe what’s in the paper.”
In 2004, as Newhan and I covered a game at Dodger Stadium, David appeared as a pinch-hitter for the Baltimore Orioles against the Colorado Rockies, in his first major league at-bat in three years. Newhan was glued to his laptop, where these words suddenly appeared: “In play, run(s).”
Waiting, waiting, waiting … and then I heard one of the loudest screams I have ever heard. Rawitch heard it too. Everyone in the press box heard it.
“Home run.”
The scream was out of character for a professional writer, entirely in character for a proud father. He aced both, and we’ll miss him.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - JULY 18: Assistant athletic trainer Chris Conroy of the St. Louis Cardinals attends to pitcher Andre Pallante #53 after getting hit with a batted ball against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on July 18, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With Halloween just a few days away, it feels very appropriate for the moment to pull this dead body of a Cardinals 2026 roster out and start dissecting what lies beneath the skin. Get your scalpels, bone saws, and retractors out, and let’s dig into what we can find!
Offense
This past week, we learned the Cardinals had decided to part ways with hitting coach Brant Brown, and for some, that came as a shock, not only because President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom had conveyed that the Cardinals were “status quo” on the coaching staff, but there also wasn’t major fan pushback to have Brown removed from his position like recent previous coaches like Turner Ward or Jeff Albert. However, when you look across the board at where the team ranked in several major offensive team categories, the motivation to part ways and not renew Brown’s contract starts to make more sense. 22nd in team average, 22nd in team OBP, 29th in team OPS, 24th in Home Runs, 28th in ISO, 28th in wOBA, 26th in wRC+, and 25th in O-WAR. They finished in the bottom 10 in most statistical categories. There’s a lot of speculation around Casey Chenoweth, who was promoted this season from the Double-A squad because of his work with Cardinals breakout RF Jordan Walker, that he could wind up being the Cardinals’ next primary hitting coach. I would also expect Brandon Allen to get some serious consideration after being on the staff for several years and having an intimate familiarity with all of the Cardinals’ hitters.
So, what was the “Cause of Death” for this squad? When you have multiple organ failures occur all at once, it’s pretty difficult to identify one main cause; however, I would point to the power. It’s just an indisputable fact that teams that don’t slug the baseball consistently don’t win a ton of games on average in the modern game. When we look at the statistic ISO, or Isolated Power, which is the SLG% – BA, it tells you how often you’re generating extra-base hits and power, not just empty calories from singles. MLB average for ISO is .140, and the Redbirds had 7 players with a minimum of .140 ISO; that list included Baez, Walker, Burleson, Bernal, Urias, Crooks, and Herrera, who came in at exactly the league average of .140. The first 4 names listed are undeniably the Cardinals’ core of power producers. Urias was DFA’d in August, and Jimmy Crooks struck out 32% of his at-bats and struggled to make consistent enough contact for his power to be a relevant element in his game.
Ivan Herrera is one of the more unique cases, given that we know the power potential is real with him, but underlying metrics in terms of xSLG were down .101 points, Hard Hit% down 7.1%, and barrel% down 5%. We saw him trying to make several in-box tweaks to his setup over the course of the 2nd half of the season, and with Rainiel Rodriguez footsteps starting to get louder and louder behind him, the questions of his long-term viability in the organization, especially as he begins his trip through arbitration and his salary continues to grow, are how soon he is viewed as expendable.
Herrera was far from the lone letdown in this regard, JJ Wetherholt was impressive with the power in the 1st half of the season and the tendonitis in his wrist really zapped his impact until it was to the point where he could no longer even swing his bat competetively that the Cardinals forced Wetherholt out of the lineup and onto the IL, despite his persistent pleas to remain in the lineup daily. His and Jordan Walker’s 2nd half power fall-offs really created glaring issues with the squad’s ability to consistently score runs. Nathan Church’s .118 was 28th out of 31 CF with a minimum of 350 PA this season, and Masyn Winn’s was 30th of 33.
Potential internal boosts from guys like Jesus Baez and Rainiel Rodriguez next season should provide this group with the added thump they’re desperate for, though I don’t anticipate those guys being real options until maybe June at the earliest.
Defense
The St. Louis Cardinals have always prided themselves on their ability to play strong fundamental defense and suppress opposing offenses from scoring in lockstep with a pitch-to-contact-heavy approach. Chaim Bloom and the revamped front office group have shifted some of that approach to a more swing-and-miss-heavy dynamic among the pitchers they’re seeking through the draft, in trade, and international free agency. Pairing that with well-above-average to plus defenders on the diamond, along with playing 81 games in the offensive wasteland that is Busch Stadium, one Cardinals source posed the question, “Is run suppression and leveraging Busch Stadium really a bad way to build a ball club?” to me. The Cardinals have won a lot of games in the past with that approach, but my counter to their perspective is that fans come to the park to see offense too. That not just winning, but how you win as well, should be an important factor. Glavine and Maddux watched Big Mac hit balls out of Busch 2 and said, “Chicks dig the long ball,” and they’re right!
But getting off that soapbox, the Cardinals were a very strong team on the defensive side of the ball. The team ranked 3rd in outs above average (OAA), 18th in defensive runs saved (DRS; this one is strange to me), 3rd in fielding run value (FRV), and 5th in D-WAR. Fangraphs also has a metric, rGDP, that measures a team’s 2B/SS combo and their ability to save runs with double plays, and the Cardinals rated out as the number 1 middle infield unit at a +7 in 2026.
Side tangent number 2 on this topic. I know some Cardinals fans have inquired about the idea of moving JJ over the 3rd base, and I’m not at all, and neither are the Cardinals, inclined to consider moving Wetherholt off of a more premium defensive position up the middle. Furthermore, what he displayed this season in tandem with Masyn Winn up the middle has the potential to be incredibly special, foundationally special even.
Winn, Wetherholt, and Starting Pitcher Michael McGreevy are all Gold Glove finalists this season, and there are cases to be made for all 3 to take home hardware.
“Cause of Death” – N/A; this patient is still alive and well and should be for several years to come, barring a catastrophic accident.
Pitching
Let’s start with the rotation and call it like it is. This was a group that was mostly comprised of bridge starting pitchers and short-term placeholders for the inevitable high-upside, high-octane, swing-and-miss-generating demons that are ascending through the minor leagues at a rapid pace. Dustin May was a 1-year flier the Cardinals were able to get the most out of and flip for more high-upside young talent. Andre Pallante has 2 years remaining, and that’s right around when the Cardinals expect to be entering their next contention window. Kyle Leahy is over the age of 30, and while it’s not guaranteed to be an immediate or steep decline in his career, there are historical markers that suggest that he won’t be a focal point of the rotation by that time as well.
Michael McGreevy is a prototypical back-of-the-rotation starter. When he enters arbitration within 2 years, are the Cardinals going to pay him above the league minimum if guys like Hunter Dobbins, Richard Fitts, Mason Molina, Cooper Hjerpe, Tekoah Roby, Daniel Eagan, Teegan Kuhns, Jacob Odle, or Cade Crossland exist? That’s not even mentioning the big elite arms like Liam Doyle, Tanner Franklin, Jurrangelo Cintje, Brandon Clarke, or Yhoiker Fajardo. To go along with a Quinn Mathews who has already emerged from the farm. My answer would be no, and the smart money would be to bet against it. So, I and other Cardinals content creators have been kicking around the idea of when, not if, McGreevy eventually becomes someone the Cardinals can leverage in order to obtain the next needed piece to add to their ever-restocking farm system at a below market level rate with years of team control remaining.
This is the process the Brewers, Guardians, and Rays champion. Cycling young, inexpensive strikeout arms rather than committing 6 years at a 30 million AAV that most couldn’t stomach, with the possibility of a missed season due to TJ or any of the other laundry list of injury pitchers’ experience.
This season, the Cardinals’ starting pitchers had a bit of a mixed bag of results. 12th in ERA, 12th in FIP, 24th in K%, 11th in BB%, 26th in BAA, and 24th in WHIP. These results coincided with pitchers like McGreevy falling off in the 2nd half, Leahy having a weird April and September, Andre Pallante had 3 or 4 poor starts against the Brewers but was terrific against pretty much every other oppononent, Dustin May was dealt mid season and his spot was taken over by Hunter Dobbins whos season was derailed by injury, and then Quinn Mathews had only 1 real non competetive start in the final 2 months of the season but it wasnt enough to raise the tide, and Matthew Liberatore found a way to strike out more batters but had trouble stopping a spiraling inning from going out of control more times than not.
“Cause of Death” – It’s the strikeouts. 3 of the 4 teams that competed for the pennant this season were in the top 5 in K%, the only exception was the Tampa Bay Rays, who still came in at 13th. A lot of the earlier names I alluded to will help infuse the swing-and-miss stuff into the pitching staff over the next 2 seasons.
Now let’s move on to the bullpen, a group that, results-wise, was a bit of a night of the living dead. 20th in ERA, 19th in FIP, 23rd in K%, 26th in BB%, 19th in BAA, and 22nd in WHIP. Fundamentally, this was a bottom-10 position group in the sport, and that’s not good enough. Gordon Graceffo, armed with his new slider, really took some important strides forward this season; the emergence of Luis Gastelum was a fun jolt once he corrected the pitch-tipping issue. Justin Bruihl was solid if unspectacular and a true horse out of the pen. Riley O’Brien has closer-type stuff but clearly had moments that were less than brilliant, to put it kindly. Guys like Cade Winquest, Hancel Rincon, and Max Rajcic were able to show some things in their opportunties. Same with Ryan Fernandez though im not sure what his long term future looks like with St. Louis when they continued to not call him up down the stretch of this season.
Sandro Santana, so much of this guy’s stuff has been made such a big deal of, and for good reason. He has a real chance to make the club out of spring training, and that would instantly be a huge boost to the group going forward. I also think of all the places on the roster that Chaim Bloom might try to strike and improve with a big-league addition this offseason; it’s in the bullpen. So, I’ll be curious to see how this group is reshaped between now and opening day, whenever that is.
‘Cause of Death” – K-BB%, the strikeout-to-walk ratio was horrible, and you can get by with high walk rates if you also strike out a lot of guys, and similar with the inverse, though much tougher, that you can get by with fewer strikeouts if you don’t walk anybody. It’s really hard to have success if you walk too many and don’t strike out enough, especially for all of the high-leverage moments the bullpen has to perform in. This bullpen might as well have suffered from a gas leak because if someone struck a match (did damage), it usually resulted in a blow-up.
So, as the official VEB coroner, this Cardinals 2026 body has been on ice for over a month now, and the diagnosis would indicate that this St. Louis crew suffered significant muscle atrophy and asphyxiation, as the wind that filled their lungs in the first half of the season was quickly squeezed out of them after their failed 5-game series against Milwaukee in early July, and the thump and muscle from the offense in the first half atrophied and weakend due to injury and fatigue that ultimately slowed their offense down to a crawl in the 2nd half to the point it could no longer compensate for a less than stellar pitching staff as a whole.
I also want to add to the “notes” column of the examination chart that, though this team wasn’t expected to survive much of the season, the intention was not to do so but to see how long it could sustain itself under its own power, and we saw some important growth steps from players on the roster. I expect next season’s body of work to hold up much longer than this one was able to. It might even make it the whole season with a timely cortisone shot or 4 in the arm throughout the season to get it there. Alright, enough metaphors.
