ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 26: Matt Olson #28 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates hitting a solo home run in the first inning during the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Truist Park on August 26, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jack Casey/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Braves once again left it late but they still got the job done and were able to break out the brooms one more time. Thanks to a Matt Olson RBI single in extra innings, the Braves are now winners of seven-straight games following a 3-2 win over the Colorado Rockies.
This time, we didn’t have to wait until the eighth inning to see the Braves put a number on the scoreboard. The wait only lasted three innings this time, as Sean Murphy continued to get his season going in the right direction by leading off the third inning with a solo homer to put Atlanta on the board first.
Austin Riley very nearly made it back-to-back dingers after he hit one to deep left. Somehow, the ball hit the yellow part on top of the fence but bounced back into the field of play so that it became a double instead of a dinger. Fortunately, a wild pitch from starter Mason Adams and an RBI single from Ronald Acuña Jr. (who made up for getting picked off lackadaisically at first to end the first inning) ended up bringing Riley home anyways so the Braves came out of the third with a 2-0 lead.
Things settled into a bit of a lull for the next two innings, though it has to be mentioned that Sean Murphy got another challenge correct during the fourth inning, which gave Tyler Mahle a strikeout. Even before this current upturn in form at the plate, Murphy had been providing value with with his ABS challenges behind the plate and his overall command of games with the pitchers that he’s been working with. There’s more than one way to be productive as a catcher and Sean Murphy has started to get it done in all facets of the game.
Meanwhile, business picked up again in the sixth, which is when Tyler Mahle finally gave up his first (and only) run of his outing on a no-doubter of a dinger from Jake McCarthy. The solo shot cut it to a 2-1 lead for the Braves and fortunately, Mahle was able to keep it at 2-1 on his way out. For Mahle, he’s now made five starts in a Braves uniform and this is the fourth time that he’s gone six innings and also the fourth time that he’s given up one run or fewer. Perhaps this is why Alex Anthopoulos was so adamant about the team getting better when their sole starting pitching acquisition back at the Trade Deadline was Tyler Mahle — the results have been very impressive so far.
Once Mahle left the game, we got another example of the baseball gods punishing a team for leaving the bases loaded. Unfortunately for us, it was the Atlanta Braves who felt the wrath, as they loaded up the bases with two outs in the bottom half of the seventh inning only to leave them loaded when Matt Olson struck out to end the inning. Sure enough, Dylan Lee entered the game in the top of the eighth and gave up leadoff single to Brett Sullivan. Following two productive outs moving Sullivan to third base, Connor Norby completed the A-B-C baseball move by poking one out to left for a game-tying RBI single. The Braves squandered their opportunity and the Rockies capitalized on theirs. That’s baseball!
Both the bottom of the eighth and ninth innings for the Braves were quiet and Raisel Iglesias pitched a clean ninth inning of his own, which meant that this one ended up heading to extras. Victor Mederos pitched a clean inning and left ghost runner Mickey Moniak stranded at second. The Braves got their chance to walk it off and made no mistake with it — Ronald Acuña Jr. looped one into left for a single and wisely, Braves third base coach Tommy Watkins put up the stop sign for ghost runner Brewer Hicklen. Any thoughts of Hicklen being stranded at third were quickly dispelled once Matt Olson shot one up the right field line for a walk-off single that allowed the Braves to break out the brooms for a second time in the span of a week.
Well, the Braves had to really fight for it for all three games but they came out on top in this one just like they did in the previous two and just like in the Dodgers series as well. This seven-game winning streak is exactly what the doctor ordered and the Braves have well-and-truly taken advantage of this return back to Atlanta.
They still have one game left to go on this homestand, as they’ll be making up their rained-out game from June against the San Francisco Giants. That game starts at 6:05 p.m. ET and we’ll see if Bryce Elder can help push Atlanta to their eighth-straight win.
Aug 30, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Zebby Matthews (52) delivers a pitch against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
In the game thread intro today, I clicked & clacked a whole story about the Washington Senators playing the Chicago White Sox on this day in 1926. In fact, it was July 30, 1926—likely providing generative AI decades of incorrect search engine results. Fortunately, there was no such confusion in today’s decisive Minnesota Twins victory over the Tighty-Whities!
The Sox sent reliever Jordan Hicks to the bump first as an opener—and the Twins’ bats were ready (for once)! Walks drawn from Luke Keaschall & Ryan Jeffers resulted in a Josh Bell RBI 10-hopper up the middle. 1-0 MIN.
Next-Sock-up Tyler Gilbert fared worse—immediately greeted by a Trevor Larnach-laced double down the RF line. 3-0 MIN!
Bell struck again (heh, heh) in B3, this time driving in a doubling Jeffers with another RBI single. 4-0 MIN.
In T5, Twin-killer Jim ThomeJose BautistaSalvador Perez Andrew Benintendi threatened to break up SP Zebby Matthews’ perfecto—but Walker Jenkins fought the wall and Walk won!
ChiSox C Parker Romo busted Matthews’ pursuit of perfection in T6, but the Zebster worked out of further trouble to keep the shutout bid intact.
Proving that it is indeed allowable in the sport of baseball to add on runs as the game goes along, Keaschall bopped one into the bullpens beyond LCF in B7. 5-0 MIN.
At this point, Zebby’s pursuit of the complete game shutout was the only drama left in the contest—and despite coming thisclose he was lifted after 8.1 sterling innings when CWS put two on with one out in T9.
Jeff Hoffman would enter and—though charging a run to Zebby’s tab—slam the washing machine door closed.
Your Final: Minnesota Twins 5, Chicago White Sox 1.
A fun Sunday afternoon victory, if part of a disappointing lost series overall.
Zach’s Zealot(s)
Matthews: Zebby oh so nearly joining Bailey Ober in the Twins CG SHO club this year (argh!). Still—easily the best outing in the young man’s MLB career thus far!
Bell: 83 RBI so far in 2026! I remember the derisive chuckles—many from myself—when Josh was the “big offseason acquisition” this past year. No one is laughing now—instead cheering when he comes up clutch again and again! Bell has been everything this team could have possibly wanted out of the DH spot.
Heliot Ramos’ first Yankee home run came in one of the most crucial games of the season, and Will Warren threw seven strong innings Sunday afternoon as the Yanks clobbered the Red Sox, 16-1.
The victory, which became a runaway late, meant the Yankees won three-of-four over their rivals this weekend and took the season series, 7-6, which gives them a tie-breaker edge over Boston.
The second-place Yankees (78-59), who are now four games ahead of third-place Boston in the AL East standings, finished their 10-game homestand at 6-4. The Yanks have won 10 of their last 14 games.
Here are the key takeaways...
-The Yankees acquired Ramos on Aug. 3 from the Giants to be a righty-hitting weapon to give their lefty-heavy roster some protection against pitchers such as Boston’s Ranger Suarez, Sunday’s starter. But Ramos had mostly been a bust, batting just .119 with one RBI in 20 games entering Sunday. Still, they kept giving him opportunities and he batted third Sunday against Suarez. After a walk and a single in his first two at-bats, Ramos came up in the fifth with two on and one out and smashed a 106.7-mph drive over the left-field wall, turning the Yankees’ 2-0 lead into a five-run advantage.
-The Yankees scored five times in all in the fifth inning with the first two runs coming home on a Paul Goldschmidt single. José Caballero led off the frame with a single and then Jazz Chisholm Jr. lofted a ball into short center field. Ceddanne Rafaela dove for the ball but umpires ruled he did not catch it. The Red Sox challenged the call, but it was upheld via replay review, putting runners on first and second with nobody out. No. 9 hitter Ali Sánchez sacrificed the runners over and then the Red Sox moved their infield in for Goldschmidt. He hit a 68.7-mph grounder up the middle that just got past Suarez’s reach and both runners scored.
-Warren might find himself in the bullpen come playoff time, but he sure looked good as a starter against Boston. He got into the eighth inning for the first time all season, completed seven innings for the second time and was mostly superb. He gave up a double and a single to start the eighth inning and was replaced by Tim Hill. Warren, who got a nice hand from the 45,256 on hand as he walked off the mound, allowed one run and six hits in seven frames, striking out seven and walking one. Warren matched his season high, throwing 98 pitches.
-With Warren’s sharp outing, Yankee starters have given up two earned runs or fewer in 15-of-17 starts and 26-of-their-last-31. No wonder they led MLB in overall ERA entering the game.
-The Yanks added insurance in the sixth. With one out, Caballero and Chisholm hit consecutive singles. Caballero went to third on Chisholm’s hit and Chisholm was able to move up to second on the throw to try to stop Caballero. Austin Wells pinch-hit for Sánchez and hit a sac fly for a 6-0 lead. In the seventh, they plated more cushion on an RBI single by Amed Rosario.
-In the eighth, the Yankees poured it on, scoring nine runs, and the game got ridiculous. After Chisholm walked and stole second and third when the Red Sox stopped paying attention to him, Wells smacked his ninth home run of the season, the first of a back-to-back pair with Goldschmidt. Goldschmidt’s homer, his 18th of the season, upped the Yankee lead to 10-1. Both homers came off Jovani Morán and, two batters later, the Red Sox brought in infielder Andruw Monasterio to pitch. Monasterio gave up a sac fly to Trent Grisham, a three-run homer to Caballero and Wells’ second home run of the inning. Wells is the sixth Yankee to hit two home runs in a single inning. Alex Rodriguez did it twice in his career.
-Pretty good 30th birthday for Caballero – he was 3-for-5 with three runs and three RBI.
-The Red Sox got reinforcements before the game when they activated both Roman Anthony and Trevor Story. The duo, who both had been out with injuries since May, had two hits each.
-Cody Bellinger was 2-for-4, which means he has hit safely in 12-of-his-last-14 games and 17-of-20.
Game MVP
Ramos, whose home run was the biggest hit of the game until the rout was on. It was his 10th of the season, including his 74 games in San Francisco. He finished the day 2-for-2 with two walks.
TORONTO, ON - AUGUST 30: Max Scherzer #31 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches during the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Sunday, August 30, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Colton Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Mariners 0 Blue Jays 7
I was worried about Max Scherzer getting the start today, but he was terrific. Seven scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and one walk with ten strikeouts. He passes Gaylord Perry for ninth all-time in strikeouts. He now has 3535 strikeouts. He needs 20 more to pass Justin Verlander for the eighth spot. And he has five or so starts to go this year.
Spencer Miles and Braydon Fisher each pitched a scoreless inning.
And the offense did their job today. We scored:
Two in the first: Brett Bateman (what a great trade that was) walked and Alejandro Kirk hit his eighth homer of the season. We are so lucky to have Kirk on the team.
One in the fifth: Myles Straw singled to start the inning, Bateman bunted (why?) and Vlad doubled, just under the glove of the Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford, driving him Straw home.
One in the sixth: Kazuma Okamoto homered. Number #28 on the season.
Three in the eighth: George Springer started it off with a double. Nathan Lukes was hit by pitch. Okamoto walked. Andrés Giménez singled in two. After Ernie Clement hit into a double play, Straw walked and Bateman (him again?) doubled in our seventh run.
We had ten hits and four walks on the day. Kirk and Springer had two walks each. Bateman had a hit and two walks. The only starter not to reach base was Charles McAdoo.
Jays of the Day: Scherzer (0.34 WPA) and Kirk (0.15). I’m giving Bateman an honourable mention.
No one gets the Other Award. The low mark was a -0.03 from Nathan Lukes and Charles McAdoo.
Tomorrow is an off-day. And then a huge series against the Guardians. Three games in Cleveland which has the possibility of telling us whether we have meaningful baseball for the rest of the season or not.
Jonah Tong of the Syracuse Mets delivers a pitch during a Minor League Baseball game at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, United States, on June 26, 2026.
If nearly throwing a seven-inning no-hitter Saturday shifted everything in Jonah Tong’s favor for returning to the Mets in September, interim manager Andy Green didn’t provide many concrete hints one day later.
But, Green said, “it definitely becomes a discussion point” for himself, for president of baseball operations David Stearns and for others. Tong, while starting the first game of a doubleheader for Triple-A Syracuse, came within one out of an abbreviated no-hitter, allowing a single with two outs in the seventh while otherwise issuing only two walks. He struck out eight batters, continued to make earlier struggles seem like afterthoughts and lowered his ERA in the minors to 4.54.
Jonah Tong pitches in a game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on September 24, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. Getty Images
“I think we’re glad to see those results from Jonah,” Green said before the Mets fell to the Astros 6-3 at Citi Field. “He’s doing some really nice things, so that is definitely not unseen. … Encouraging outing for him for sure.”
While Green admitted he only finished watching three innings before getting sidetracked, he thought Tong’s fastball had “real life,” that the ball was “really jumping out of his hands” and that the 23-year-old was winning at the top of the strike zone. Their No. 2 pitching prospect — and No. 5 prospect overall, according to MLB Pipeline — recorded a 3.60 ERA across three appearances as either a starter or bulk-inning reliever in the majors this season, but he struggled after getting sent back to Triple-A in early June.
The turnaround has been promising as Tong continues to build his bid for a return to the majors before the season ends — especially with postseason hopes for the Mets virtually nonexistent. Rosters expand from 26 to 28 players Tuesday. Journeyman Robert Stock has made five starts and is set for a sixth Monday, but he allowed seven runs on 10 hits during a dismal outing last week.
Jonah Tong of the Syracuse Mets delivers a pitch during a Minor League Baseball game at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, United States, on June 26, 2026. NurPhoto via Getty Images
Closer Devin Williams threw for a second consecutive day — this time at 75 feet — since starting his throwing program. He hasn’t pitched since Aug. 7 due to a right shoulder strain and has been adamant about wanting to return this season.
“Yesterday felt like I was throwing with somebody else’s arm,” Williams told The Post, “but today, it actually felt pretty good.”
Luis Robert Jr., who was placed on outright waivers Saturday in a move that gave potential contenders 48 hours to add his bat — and an approximate $5 million in money owed — for the stretch run, started in left field and went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. … Francisco Lindor moved into sixth place in Mets history with his 155th career home run, passing Dave Kingman. … In a game Sunday when Syracuse turned a bullpen game into a combined no-hitter, Mark Vientos launched three homers as his rehab assignment for a fractured right hand continued to take a promising turn. He started 0-for-8 but has since crushed five homers across the last four games.
Facing the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs on Sunday, Vientos homered not once, not twice, but three times.
Vientos' three blasts on Sunday give him five for the week.
Syracuse defeated the Iron Pigs 8-0, with six Mets pitchers combining to throw a no-hitter.
The corner infielder has been on the IL since July 10 due to a fractured hand, and when he does eventually get activated by the Mets, his path to playing time may not be straight forward.
"I don't know," interim manager Andy Green said about Vientos' role earlier this week. "I was very forthright with him when he started the rehab assignment that a lot of that will be dictated by how others perform and also by how he performs. Still think there’s a very bright future for him out there if he wants to grab a hold of it. That’s on him."
It's been a down season for Vientos, who is hitting just .211 with 11 home runs and 35 RBI in 73 big league games.
As Sunday's power display proves, the talent is there for Vientos, but he hasn't been able to put it all together since his 27-homer campaign in 2024.
Here are all three of his home runs:
Mark Vientos hits another home run on his rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse pic.twitter.com/Lo8hQ3TV08
Filip Hronek is committed to seeing things out with the Vancouver Canucks.
The 28-year-old defenceman is one of a crop of players that don’t quite fit in the Canucks’ age timeline heading into their oncoming rebuild, the likes of which have been kicked-off with budding prospects Braeden Cootes, Caleb Malhotra, and Zeev Buium.
Still, despite how things have shook out for the Canucks through the past two seasons, it’s reasonable to say that no current player has made more of a positive impact on their team than Hronek. The defenceman was even named his team’s MVP at the end of the 2025–26 season after grabbing the metaphorical reins post-Quinn Hughes trade in December.
Acquired by Vancouver in 2023 in exchange for a first and second-round pick in that year’s draft, Hronek found success on a pairing with Hughes in his first full season with the Canucks. After Vancouver’s magical 2023–24 season, the defenceman signed an eight-year contract extension with the team currently set to expire after 2031–32.
Evidently, things have changed since this point in time. No longer are the Canucks a game away from heading to the Conference Finals of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. No longer are they considered bona-fide contenders.
The moves that have occurred since Vancouver’s Game 7 loss to the Edmonton Oilers have set the team on a very different path from where they seemed to have been going back then. Hughes, J.T. Miller, Tyler Myers, Conor Garland, and many others have since been dealt in favour of younger, budding pieces with a long-term contention goal in mind.
It’s these types of moves that have led many to lean towards trading Hronek in order to accumulate more future assets.
The defenceman sees things differently.
“We like the city, and obviously the fans are great in Vancouver. They were supporting us even though we didn’t have a good year last year, and they still are showing up to the games, and it was sold out,” Hronek told David Alter of The Hockey News at the NHL’s European Player Media Tour. “Just like it overall in Vancouver, and that’s why I signed there for eight years.”
Is it about the desire to be part of change in Vancouver, or is it the prospect of helping mentor the next generation, kind of like what Luke Schenn brings in his third stint with the Canucks?
Partially both, Hronek says.
“I think it’s part of it, but it’s more about the commitment to the deal.”
Now entering year three of said deal, Hronek has emerged as one of the team’s leaders — a role especially important after the departure of veterans Teddy Blueger and Marcus Pettersson in free agency and trade respectively. Joining the team are veterans Schenn, Brendan Gallagher, and Jamie Oleksiak. These three, along with Paul Cotter, are the main additions the Canucks have made to their lineup heading into 2026–27.
“There’s been a lot of changes over the summer, and I hope we’re going the right direction, and we’re gonna be way better than last year.”
It’s these players, as well as longtime Canucks Brock Boeser, Elias Pettersson, and Thatcher Demko who will be relied on most to help usher in the new generation consisting of players like Zeev Buium.
“He’s listening and he wants to get better every day, and it’s the same for [Tom Willander] and [defenceman Elias Pettersson]. It’s easy to deal with them or mentor them because they’re listening and you know they’re trying to get better and want to be better players.”
Mar 26, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek (17) makes a pass against the Los Angeles Kings in the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Off-ice changes are a different story. Shortly after the season’s end, Vancouver made significant changes to their front-office and coaching staff, firing General Manager Patrik Allvin and Head Coach Adam Foote, and shifting President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford to an advising role. Into the NHL club’s ranks came Abbotsford Canucks GM Ryan Johnson and Head Coach Manny Malhotra, with Daniel and Henrik Sedin moving from player development roles to Co-Presidents.
Hronek’s experience with Malhotra in particular, while limited, has given him a glimpse at what Vancouver could be getting in the coming seasons.
“I don’t know much, I’m not gonna lie,” he said of working with his new Head Coach. “I met him at a couple training camps, and I’d been skating in Abby for like a week when I was injured, so it was fun practices there, and I think it’s really detailed.”
The defenceman also echoed praise of the Sedins, affirming his belief that role changes won’t impact the way they go about their duties.
“They’re great people, and they’re always trying to help with anything, and so I think they will stay the same.”
Changes have come for the Canucks in the past few seasons, and more change is still likely to come along the way. More draft picks will be accumulated, more players will come and go, and more progress will be made towards a long-term contending solution.
When it comes to Hronek’s future with the team, if he has things his way, his commitment will outweigh the prospect of change.
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Nash and Amare. Stockton and Malone. Peanut butter and jelly. Batman and Robin. We’ve always had a fascination with dynamic duos.
In the context of the modern NBA, analysts often consider two-man lineups. These allow a good sample size of more minutes than three- or even full five-person lineups. Further, they provide an isolated look at chemistry combinations that work. I looked at the top 25 (minutes volume) Suns two-man combinations from last year and sorted by net rating. Here are the ten best combos:
Player 1
Player 2
Net Rating
Goodwin
Ighodaro
7.8
Goodwin
Gillespie
7.5
Gillespie
Dunn
7.4
Booker
Gillespie
7.0
Gillespie
Ighodaro
6.9
Booker
Ighodaro
5.5
Booker
Goodwin
4.5
Booker
Williams
3.7
Ighodaro
Dunn
3.6
Allen
Ighodaro
3.5
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 23: Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the basket against Oso Ighodaro #11 and Jordan Goodwin #23 of the Phoenix Suns during the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center on December 23, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. 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 Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Key implications
Oso Ighodaro appeared in five of these top ten combos. This underscores his impact. Phoenix needs to find more ways to get him on the floor. And he needs to keep working on his shooting. A bump of even a few percentage points in free throw shooting or short jumpers would increase efficiency, and more importantly, allow him to be on the floor at the end of quarters when over the team foul limit.
Jordan Goodwin was a beast last year. The numbers bear out what many of us saw watching the games. As team depth has improved, it’s important he gets minutes and stays engaged.
Ryan Dunn appears twice in top 10 combos. There is still good value with this player, and like Oso, just a small shooting consistency improvement will make a big difference.
Booker and Gillespie were each part of four of the top combos, and it’s interesting that the two of them together was Book’s top pairing at +7.0. This justifies playing them together heavily even in staggered lineups to allow optimal starting size and evaluating the Green/Booker dynamic.
The five worst combinations all included Grayson Allen or Royce O’Neale (-2.7 to -8.7 net ratings). This surprised me. For floor spacing purposes and to allow minutes for the top combos above, it will be important for Luke Kennard to get his long-range shots, Gillespie to continue at a high clip, and Booker to get back above 35% on three-point FG%, as he has done six of his eleven seasons.
What about the key new piece? Miles Bridges is bound to get a high volume of minutes as the primary addition. I looked at the same top volume lineups for the Hornets. His best pairing (+11.2 net rating) was with Moussa Diabate, a center who stands only 6’10” but is athletic and an effective rebounder. That sounds a lot like an Oso-Miles pairing! If Khaman Maluach can develop a shot, Oso can then play some at the four-position for a big frontline of Maluach/Ighodaro/Bridges.
Each season has its own dynamics, chemistry, and player development. This look backward at last year’s duos gives clues on what to watch and hope for as the Suns start camp. I can’t wait to see it play out. Comment below if you see other implications from this data.
Welcome to the Bright Side writing team, Mark Bowser!
PHOENIX, AZ - AUGUST 11: Ketel Marte #4 of the Arizona Diamondbacks rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the first inning during the game between the Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Tuesday, August 11, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Julia Jacome/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Arizona Diamondbacks fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Yeah, it’s a story which is not going to go away. Since last time, we’ve had a major Athletic story on the topic, and to be honest, the information in it did make me more sympathetic to Ketel Marte. Some of the quotes ascribed to him do appear to me – though I am not a trained professional – to indicate significant mental health issues. It always strikes me as weird that, if an athlete has a physical issue, treatment for it is taken as a given. But if the affected part of the player happens to be the brain, then showing empathy for them and wanting them to get help, is labeled by certain parties as “soft”.
Here’s a sampling of comments on the topic, in no particular order. A “well done” to the community, incidentally, for perspectives which were generally thoughtful and considered. This was definitely not the case on certain other sites I could mention…
Veeloh: “This is a fluid situation and I am so far removed from knowing the real details that I will spare you all the hubris of thinking I can weigh in with any meaningful opinion. In other words, I have no idea and will leave it to those actually in the room at the correct time to determine the best course of action.”
gzimmerm – “If you can get out from under his contract, I vote for taking anything you can get. The cancer needs to be cut out.”
BTbaseball – “I voted to keep his value. Torey has done as good a job as anyone maybe could to manage Ketel and I think they find a way to keep going. The bigger question, I think, is whether Ketel even wants to be a baseball player anymore.”
JustRonM – “Once you can excuse. Twice you still excuse with caution. Three or more times, you have a pattern and that’s where we are. I just don’t know if the headache is worth it for an extremely talented but aging, me-first player.”
Chicharron – “I do know he’s a great ball player. I also know that when he behaves like an entitled prima donna (e.g. Barry Bonds), it’s potentially toxic to the team. Given Ketel’s erratic history and his lack of a viable explanation, it’s pretty easy to make a case for trading him – if the deal makes sense. I wouldn’t trade Ketel at a huge loss to make a point though.”
AzDesertLovr – “Torey may have received direction from the front office to do whatever necessary with this asset to get production, and perhaps that coddling had results in the past. That has to stop ASAP, or there is little chance that Torey will be effective with the rest of the roster”
With the return of Marte imminent, it does appear the team will be bringing him back on board for the remainder of the season. With replacement Ildemaro Vargas now batting .154/.167/.212 for a .378 OPS over thirteen games in Marte’s absence, that makes absolute sense to me. Hopefully, everyone can put it behind them and concentrate on winning a wild-card spot over the remaining month. But as for what might happen over the winter, we can only wait and see.
MIAMI, FL - AUGUST 21: Tom Cosgrove (34) of the Washington Nationals looks on during a game between the Miami Marlins and the Washington Nationals on August 21, 2026 at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida.(Photo by Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
You can make a whole list of the most humiliating 9th inning meltdowns of the Nats season. The bar is very high, so this one may not be number one, but it is easily in the top 5. It may not have been the worst, but it was the sloppiest and most self destructive.
The Nats are in the middle of a 16 day run of playing every day, so the bullpen is on fumes. However, Blake Butera’s decision to use the two worst arms in the bullpen to close out the game is still head scratching. When a fan sent out a picture of Kranick and Cosgrove warming in the bullpen, you had a feeling something awful was coming.
After the Nats squeezed across an insurance run in the bottom of the 8th, they only needed three more outs to secure a series win and get a 4th straight win. However, we ran into problems instantly, as Esteury Ruiz dropped down a beautiful bunt. It was a nice play, but you have to shake it off.
Instead of shaking it off, it seems to throw off Max Kranick, who lost the strike zone. As soon as he walked Griffin Conine, Nats fans started getting deja vu. He got an out, but he allowed a double steal by not keeping track of the runners.
If you thought that would be the last mental mistake by the Nats, boy would you be mistaken. Kranick exited the game after another walk and the bases were loaded. Blake Butera turned to Tom Cosgrove, who had given up runs in 5 of his last six outings. The soft tossing lefty came in and plunked the first guy he faced.
Butera’s logic for putting in Cosgrove was likely that he was saving Will Dion for tomorrow. That is not a line of thinking I agree with. Go and win the game instead of sitting back and waiting for tomorrow. The Nats waited for tomorrow while the Marlins won today.
The Marlins in the 9th inning trailing 2-0:
Ruiz: 1B Conine: BB Sanoja: Pop out Jimenez: BB Marsee: RBI-HBP Mack: Sac Fly, 3rd run scores on throwing error Hernández: BB Marsee: Steals home on double steal Lopez: 2-run HR
Cosgrove’s meltdown was only beginning though. His failure to back up third base allowed the go-ahead run to score on a two-run sac fly. Jorbit Vivas also needed to keep the ball in front of him instead of trying to deke the runner. However, as a pitcher your job is to be the last line of defense. Cosgrove did not do that and it cost the Nats a run.
The lefty cost his team yet another run when he fell for a very obvious double steal attempt. He stepped off and turned his back to the plate. That allowed the Marlins runner to steal home just putting even more salt on the wound. The cherry on top, or in this case, the nail in the coffin was a homer by Otto Lopez.
This 9th inning has been the most blood boiling of my life.
Cosgrove Gordy Howe hate trick of head shaking moments. Didn’t cover, misplayed double steal, hit by pitch to score a run. Served up a homer as icing on the cake.
That is the type of outing that costs players their jobs. I do not expect Cosgrove to be on this team tomorrow, and if he would, I would have questions. The production has not been there lately and his mental mistakes cost the team multiple runs.
You also have to question Blake Butera for putting him in that spot though. I get he does not have much to work with, but he has made a number of head scratching bullpen moves this season. It seems like he always has a lefty he trusts far too much. Mitchell Parker, Matt Krook and Cosgrove all fall in that category.
In what could have been a really fun afternoon win, the Nats bullpen and lack of fundamentals struck again. The team just melted down both physically and mentally in the 9th inning. Some of the mistakes they were making were stuff you would not see in high school ball.
The fans were not happy. I have not heard the Nationals Park crowd boo the home team like that in a very long time. It was pent up energy that was just launched onto the field by a fanbase that has seen this movie too many times.
These are the loudest boo's I have heard at Nationals Park in a while
Heading into the offseason, building a competent bullpen needs to be a top priority. If the bullpen does not take massive strides next year, this regime will begin to lose the trust of the fanbase. Having 35 blown saves before September is just comical. The manager, POBO and owner all have to do some soul searching after building and managing this kind of bullpen.
There have been a lot of positives this year, but the bullpen hangs over this organization like a massive dark cloud. Outside of yesterday, the late innings have been doom and despair all year for the Nats. If this franchise wants to actually compete again, that has to change and change fast. For now, Nats fans are just getting punched in the gut over and over in the late innings.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - AUGUST 21: Logan Webb #62 of the San Francisco Giants in the dugout at Fenway Park on August 21, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Andy Kuno/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images) | Getty Images
A few weeks ago, I put out a call for San Francisco Giants mailbag questions. Then both life and the Giants got hectic and, well … it’s been a few weeks, hasn’t it?
But the Giants have the ultra-rare Sunday off-day today, offering us one of the scariest things in all of sports: a Sunday that features neither baseball nor football. How do people live like this?
Anyway, seems as good a time as any to finally answer those questions. Thanks to everyone for the interesting and insightful questions that were posed!
Thompson for 3 What can/will the organization do (if anything) this offseason to help repair the effect the Pride Night fiasco had on many of us?
For starters, I recommend reading our own Sami Higgins’ recent piece, When the team you love won’t even tolerate you. How Sami — who will be stepping away from covering the team after this season because of the team’s bigotry — is feeling is fairly critical to my point.
I don’t think the Giants should try to repair the situation because I don’t think the Giants can repair the situation. They have lost fans; a lot of fans. Some will come back with time, regardless of what the team does. Some will come back with time, presuming there’s an appropriate change in behavior. And some will never come back, no matter what the team does.
That’s the reality, and those are the repercussions you face when you make such a catastrophic unforced error. And as such, I believe the primary focus should be on creating a more inclusive environment for the fans and employees that are still there, and the ones that will be there in the future. You can’t put together a glass after you’ve dropped it and shattered it into a thousand pieces; all you can do is take the necessary steps to not drop another one.
Which, to be clear, doesn’t mean neglecting the lost fans. I just think that, in order for behavior to actually change, and in order for an apology to actually be honest, you need to be comfortable with that apology not being accepted. Or being accepted but not forgiven. The Giants lost a huge amount of both fans and public grace, and if they actually care about the LGBTQIA+ community, they’ll look forward to how they can be an asset and an ally to that community going forward, rather than spending all their energy apologizing for the past.
But it does start with an apology. A big one. The organization still has not actually taken any level of accountability for what happened, only done the meekest of “I’m sorry if that hurt you” pseudo-apologies.
So, apologize. And then, critically, affirm the organization’s stance, while making it abundantly clear that support of the queer community is not because of marketing opportunities. Work with local organizations. And then, when next June rolls around, have a proper Pride Night free from distractions and bigotry … or, at the very least, with the celebration of the queer community being much, much, much louder.
CurryfromDeep Who is your pick to start in left field on opening day next year?
Well, I’m taking the field, that’s for damn sure!
There are too many plausible options to count. Honestly, everyone playing the outfield on the active roster right now is a decent enough guess. Turner Hill has been really impressing, and does everything the organization wants out of an outfielder. Drew Gilbert and Jonah Cox look poised to form a center field platoon next year, but one of them could end up getting a chunk of playing time in left. Grant McCray is a few good at-bats and a strong Spring Training away from being in the mix. Hell, even Jung Hoo Lee could slide over to left to allow one of the better defenders, like Gilbert or Cox, to play in right.
Then there’s Victor Bericoto, who, had it not been for an injury, would have had a chance to run with the job for a while and make a strong impression. But he did impress during his time in the Majors this year, and will get a long look in Spring Training (if there is a Spring Training, that is).
Bo Davidson, Scott Bandura, and Parks Harber are all tearing it up in AAA. And that’s before we get to free agency and the trade market. Hell, Heliot Ramos has struggled so much in the Bronx that maybe he gets non-tendered and re-signs with the Giants (yes, that’s a joke).
I don’t think there’s a single player who I would give a better than 10% chance of being the left fielder on March 25, should we be lucky enough to have baseball then.
But you asked me to make a pick, not to explain why making a pick is so difficult, and my pick is none of the 10 names that I just mentioned. I’m going, instead, with Casey Schmitt. It’s clear from his performance this year that Schmitt will be an everyday player for the Giants next season, unless he’s traded for pitching depth. He wasn’t a great left fielder, but he was plenty competent there, and I think the Giants would be fine sticking him out there again. In a perfect world, I think Schmitt is the easy answer, but in the actual world we still have no idea what Marcelo Mayer looks like and we don’t know if Willy Adames will be healthy by Opening Day. And if there’s a hole in the infield, Schmitt won’t be in the outfield.
Pumping Irons Who are the Giants likely to protect in the Rule 5?
Well, since this question was first posed, the answer got a little bit easier. I was surely going to talk a fair amount about Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson, Yunior Marte, and Turner Hill; but in the weeks since this question was asked, all three were added to the 40-man roster, which presumably tells us that the organization planned to protect them.
There’s only one player that I think is an absolute lock to be protected: outfielder Bo Davidson. Even when he was struggling in AAA, Davidson was an automatic protection. Teams just don’t leave top-10 prospects who are in AAA unprotected, nor should they. And then Davidson caught fire in AAA and, well … what’s more of a lock than an absolute lock? At this point the only question regarding Davidson and the 40-man roster is whether he’ll be on it before this season ends or not.
They have too many outfielders, but I still strongly suspect they’ll protect Scott Bandura. His hot streak in AAA has lasted two months now, and when you hit as well as he has (.880 OPS, 131 wRC+) while playing all over the outfield and being a lefty, well … that decision makes itself. Bandura may not be a blue chip prospect, but he does things the Giants either value (he has just a 14.6% strikeout rate) or claim to value (he’s stolen 32 bases between AA and AAA this year). As the team has shown this year, you can never have enough outfield options, even though it’s hard to carry them all through the offseason. Bandura is the perfect fifth/sixth outfielder to provide depth in AAA, come up to the Majors when there’s an injury, and hopefully turn an opportunity into a job.
Left-handed pitcher Joe Whitman is one of the more interesting decisions. He hasn’t been particularly good in AAA, but he’s a lefty with draft pedigree who has shown a lot of signs, and was arguably the best pitcher in the AA Eastern League before his promotion. All of that points to an automatic protection, but the fact that the Giants turned to both Wilkinson and Marte without rostering Whitman might suggest that the team isn’t yet sure about it.
Perhaps the most fascinating decision is left-hander Henry Lalane. On the one hand, Lalane, a 6’7 southpaw who came over in the Heliot Ramos trade, is only seven starts into his High-A tenure, and those aren’t usually players you need to protect. On the other hand, he’s one of the top pitching prospects in the organization, was thoroughly dominant in Low-A, and it’s not inconceivable to think he could jump straight into an MLB bullpen. And the Giants are surely scarred by last year’s Spencer Miles incident.
Those are really the big four, now that Wilkinson, Marte, and Hill have been promoted. I’ll say they protect Davidson, Bandura, and Lalane.
Other names of note: AAA lefty Cesar Perdomo, who I think is kind of in the same class as Whitman and Wilkinson, but with less name recognition; AAA second baseman Diego Velasquez, who could play a role in the Majors next year, but isn’t enough of an impact player to be selected; righty Josh Bostick, who probably would have needed protection had he not lost the entire year to injury after playing last year in High-A, and who could work his way into the fold if he’s healthy enough to pitch in the AFL; and High-A relievers Gerelmi Maldonado, Marty Gair, and Liam Simon, who all have the Miles-esque electricity, but I think are raw enough that the Giants don’t need to worry about them.
Lyle If you had to put money on it, do you think Flora makes his MLB debut before July 2028, or after? I’m leaning before.
What a great question, Lyle. Let’s look at a little historical precedent, yeah? July, 2028, would be two years after Jackson Flora was selected fourth overall. So let’s see when other collegiate pitchers taken in the top 10 of the draft debuted…
2024 had two NCAA pitchers in the top 10: Chase Burns (No. 2) and Hagen Smith (No. 5). Burns debuted just 11 months after being drafted, while Smith debuted earlier this month, just missing the two-year mark.
In 2023, there were three such players: Paul Skenes (No. 1), Rhett Lowder (No. 7), and Chase Dollander (No. 9). Skenes nearly made the Opening Day roster, and debuted 10 months after being drafted. Lowder also debuted in his first full season, 13 months after draft day. And Dollander debuted in April of the next year, 21 months after being selected.
So, removing context, recent history suggests that Flora is more likely to debut before, than after July 2028. And the context only furthers that belief, as the Giants have proven this year to have a fairly heavy hand with MLB debuts. I’m joining you and predicting before.
tgtbtrue15 Do you feel like Bader has played his last game with the Giants? If yes, who is the best internal option to replace him?
Yes, I think it is highly, highly, highly likely that Harrison Bader has suited up in a Giants jersey for the final time. We know that Buster Posey doesn’t mess around with players who are unprofessional (or at least this particular brand of unprofessional), so the combination of Bader making the mistake he made and, reportedly, not cooperating with the organization about what exactly happened, all but guarantees that his time is done. Add in the extremely poor performance and, well, yeah. That ship has sailed.
I think it will be a Drew Gilbert/Jonah Cox platoon next year. That’s the best internal option until someone proves otherwise, especially now that the Giants have moved Bo Davidson off of center field. And I think an internal option is the right choice, too … whatever money they do have should go to pitchers.
DJ Tofu Among the guys currently with the Giants, who will be in the starting rotation when the 2027 season begins?
Well, this proved to be a cursed question, as Carson Whisenhunt and Adrian Houser were both injured since the query was first posed.
Logan Webb and Landen Roupp are locks for the rotation, assuming neither is traded. Roupp has certainly been uninspiring for a few months now, but he’s a pre-arbitration pitcher with a 3.73 FIP on a team with limited options and an even less limited interest in spending money on pitchers.
Honestly, I kind of think Houser ends up back in the rotation to start the year if he’s able to avoid Tommy John surgery. We should have an update soon. So, I think the rotation is Webb, Roupp, Houser, one outside signing/trade acquisition, and then a competition between Blade Tidwell, Matt Wilkinson, Yunior Marte, Cesar Perdomo, and Joe Whitman. And I’ll give Tidwell the nod there.
Mikey_Starbeams Which top prospects are closest to making it to the big league roster next year?
Who’s gonna need to be protected from the Rule V draft?
We already covered the second question, but the first one is interesting. And also very difficult to answer with this front office … Mays knows I never would have listed Jonah Cox or Yunior Marte as among the 50 most likely Giants prospects to debut this year, and that’s without getting to Drew Cavanaugh or Seth Lonsway.
Barring injury, we’ll almost certainly see Bo Davidson and Parks Harber in the Majors next year. That pair is probably closest to making next year’s roster, but I don’t think Scott Bandura is far behind them. And given what we know of how the Giants use pitching prospects, Joe Whitman and Cesar Perdomo aren’t far behind, either.
Diego Velasquez probably gets to the Majors next year, maybe even on the earlier side. The Giants have some serious winter cleaning to do with the 40-man roster to accommodate acquisitions and Rule 5 protections, and that spells bad news for a few, if not all, of Christian Koss, Osleivis Basabe, Shay Whitcomb, and Nate Furman. Thinning the backup infield corps is necessary, and opens the door for Velasquez. We’ve also seen how many catchers teams need — who had the Giants reuniting with Andrew Knizner or (however briefly) promoting Zach Morgan on their bingo card? — and Adrián Sugastey is fitting in well in AAA while playing excellent defense.
As for the non-AAA players … I think Gavin Kilen has a very strong chance of debuting next season. He’s impressed in AA, he’s polished and has a high floor, and we know Tony Vitello loves him. And with the growing injury histories for Willy Adames, Marcelo Mayer, and Casey Schmitt, there will likely be a place for him. Jacob Bresnahan just got promoted to AA, too, so he could end the year in San Francisco.
Candlestix Will the Giants sign more than one viable starter and one potential closer in the off season?
They definitely might sign more than one viable starter. I’d say you or I have as good a chance as being the closer next year as a big free agent signing, though.
The Giants just aren’t going to spend big money on the bullpen. And, in their defense, they shouldn’t. Their issue this year was not that they didn’t sign Edwin Díaz or Devin Williams, but that they brought in a shockingly small and uninteresting crop of Minor League free agents and waiver claims.
Another thing that would help the bullpen? The other thing you mentioned: multiple viable starters! The more starters get displaced to the bullpen, the better the bullpen is. That said, if Adrian Houser avoids Tommy John, I kind of think San Francisco only adds one starter this offseason.
Candlestix Should the Giants re-sign and bring back Robbie Ray to bolster starting staff?
It’s certainly not the worst idea, but probably not the best idea, either. Ray feels like a bubble waiting to burst: he has an awesome ERA this year, but his FIP, expected ERA, and expected FIP are all fairly awful, and he’s rocking his worst strikeout rate since his rookie season. He’s about to turn 35 and has Tommy John in his not-too-distant past.
He’d be a decent pickup for the back of the rotation, but I would be quite against the Giants signing him for a large amount of money, or to have him be the No. 2 or 3 starter.
dangerismycat In light of the Pride Night debacle, piss-poor performance this season (and hella mid-ness for almost a decade), baffling “management”, etc — when do you think we can get psyched on the MLB team again?
I think 2028 will be a very exciting year. Buster Posey will be entering Year 4 and Tony Vitello Year 3, which likely means that either A) they will have shown enough to give us optimism about them going forwards (exciting!), or B) they will have failed and been fired and replaced by people presumably better fit for the job (exciting!).
Most importantly, that’s when the exciting crop of young players should start to show up. 2028 should feature heavily some combination of Bo Davidson, Parks Harber, Jhonny Level, Dakota Jordan, Gavin Kilen, and Jackson Flora. The quintet of Flora, Miguel Mendez, Jacob Bresnahan, Ramon Marquez, and Henry Lalane will have hopefully paired with some of the older prospects (Yunior Marte, Tugboat Wilkinson, Blade Tidwell, Joe Whitman, and Cesar Perdomo) to create a rotation with a few young players that you’re excited about. And Josuar González will, Mays willing, be flying through the Minor Leagues and nearing a debut as the No. 1 prospect in baseball.
Now, that’s a rosy outlook. But after this year, I’m allowed to dream a little, right? We all deserve it.
SonofaPitch Since we actually don’t have any bonafide 60+ FV prospects in the farm system, wouldn’t that mean that it would take a lesser prospect significantly performing above expectations in order for us to develop our own stars/superstars or are we destined for more disappointment and overall mediocrity with just a few brighter lights? Who are the prospects who you see exceeding expectations and possibly becoming true superstars? How often do 50+ FV prospects actually become true stars? If not, will we once again be at the mercy of a front office needing to overpay to get those stars in other ways and choosing not to spend the big bucks? Tell me, oh baseball go, what’s the pathway to the stars?
Wow! That’s a lot to unpack, but some fair concerns. On the one hand, I want to tell you to take a deep breath and stop Joe Paniking, because there’s a lot there that you don’t need to feel so negative about. On the other hand, the overall conclusion you reached is probably a fair one: you can’t ever count on the farm system. It’s one of the funniest things about baseball: you have to build a team through an entirely unreliable system.
But there are a lot of things here to tackle. First, the claim of the team lacking a 60+ FV prospect. It really depends on where you’re looking, which is why all prospect rankings should be taken with a grain of salt. Fangraphs doesn’t give the Giants any 60FV prospects, but MLB Pipeline slaps a 60 on Josuar González, while Baseball America gives both González and Luis Hernández a 65 in their “BA Grade” (with a lower “adjusted grade”).
Second, the Giants — who undoubtedly have one of the best farm systems in baseball right now — have the bulk of their talent in the lower Minors. Players in the lower Minors inherently have lower grades, not because they have less potential, but because that potential is countered by more risk. Fangraphs, which is always a little stingier with high grades, has just nine players given a 60FV or higher. Three of those nine are in the Majors, two are in AAA, and two are in AA. The only two players that aren’t in the upper Minors or Majors are Eli Willits and Seth Hernandez, High-A stars taken first and sixth, respectively, in the 2025 draft.
This year’s No. 1 pick, Roch Choloswsky, viewed by most as better at the time of being drafted than Willits was? He’s a 55, because that’s about the highest you’ll ever see a Fangraphs rank a prospect who was just drafted.
The point I’m trying to make is that if you’re a 50-55 FV prospect in rookie ball, Low-A, or High-A, you almost always have 60-65 grade talent and 30-35 grade risk, for lack of more industry-accurate terms. It’s why you hear analysts say about González, if he keeps this up he’ll be a top-5 prospect. Not, if you gets better, but if he keeps this up. The “low” grades on González, Hernández, Jhonny Level, and Jackson Flora are not an indictment of their talent, but rather an acknowledgement of their inherent risk.
You won’t meet a single prospect analyst who thinks González doesn’t have superstar potential. You just also won’t meet a single prospect analyst who thinks superstardom — or even stardom — is a given for a player in Low-A.
I’ll end on this: ultimately, every great MLB player dramatically exceeded expectations. That’s just the reality of it. If you win an MVP award, you greatly exceeded your prospect expectations, even if you were the No. 1 prospect. So seen through that lens, yes, the Giants will need prospects to go above and beyond the projections; but that makes them just like the other 29 teams.
sachertorte Giants have made a lot of trades in the last 13 months, and their farm system ranking shows it. But aside from that bounce, is there anything different happening in the farm system — administratively, financial investment, personnel, or otherwise – that makes you think that there is an identifiable improvement in how the organization is managing the farm system?
Great question. The simple answer is “no.” The farm system has made dramatic improvements, which is primarily due to two things: signing the best player in back-to-back international classes, which was agreed upon many years ago; and making a bunch of trades (and good ones, at that), which, it bears noting, is the direct result of failing at the Major League level.
Ultimately, I don’t see anything tangible going on developmentally to suggest they’ve taken huge strides there. That’s not a criticism, to be clear; these things are not easy to spot, and the new front office has been in place for less than two years. It will likely be a little while before we have any concrete data on how they’re developing prospects. But I’m certainly not aware of anything tangible, like a certain approach or investment, that represents an improvement over recent years.
MrInteligint This is probably a dumb question, but it seems like Vitello is playing to win, as opposed to protecting his big money stars like Adames and getting a good look at the prospects during the next 6 or 7 weeks. There’s a question in there somewhere….
Definitely not a dumb question although, technically, not a question at all!
It’s a sticky situation, and one of the harder things for a new manager to handle. You can’t just not play your best players, especially when they’re so well compensated. And you want to develop a winning culture. But you also need to turn to the future.
I don’t envy Tony Vitello for having to balance it, but it’s also not something he’s done well. I’m particularly thinking of the game where he said the reason he took out Blade Tidwell was because they were chasing wins, but then left Drew Gilbert in to face Josh Hader with the game on the line. There have been a lot of such instances.
For better or for worse, injuries have forced Vitello to manage more with an eye towards the future. But you can’t really blame the man for trying to win games.
Pumping Irons Will the Giants move Landon Roupp [sic]?
Highly unlikely. The Giants are catastrophically thin in the rotation. Roupp is currently their clear No. 2 starter, even if he should be a No. 4 or No. 5.
PoloFieldNeighbor I’m curious about what the heck happened to Bader’s foot after he ran into the fire engine. Some reports said his foot was run over, which sounds horrible. Others say he flew to Indianapolis the next day to get it checked out, which makes it sound at least somewhat less serious than horrible. It’s a bit hard to square these reports. Since there are legal/pr issues involved for Bader and the Giants, it might be a long time before we learn anything more. Any idea how this is likely to play out?
I don’t think it’s hard to square those reports. Harrison Bader had a scheduled trip to Indianapolis to have his plantar fasciitis checked out by a foot and ankle specialist. The day before, he further injured the foot in the scooter accident. He still went to Indianapolis to have a specialist check out the plantar fasciitis, only now the specialist also got to check out the reportedly-fractured foot. So I don’t think those particular reports need squaring.
Unfortunately, it seems we’ll never learn the whole story, as Bader is reportedly not cooperating with the Giants in revealing details. Perhaps they come out in court, if it comes to that.
As for how it plays out? The Giants probably hope that the foot is still injured come next season, which would make it much easier for them to void the contract. And if they’re unable to do that, I suspect they try to trade him and, if failing, just waive him. I don’t think he’ll be in Scottsdale next year, let alone San Francisco.
Chris867 The Giants will host the 2028 All Star game. Let’s say Bryce Eldridge is one of our All Stars. If he hits a splash hit bomb, will it count as a official Giants splash hit? Thanks
What a great question. I’m not entirely sure, to be honest, but I believe the answer would be yes. The closest thing we have to historical precedent for this is 2002, when Barry Bonds hit a ball into the water during a postseason game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Postseason stats do not count on a player’s record, but the Giants did count it as a splash hit. Now, the All-Star Game is a bit different than the postseason, in that it’s an exhibition rather than a meaningful game, but I suspect it would count.
The Cubs will wrap up a wild three-game series against the Reds Sunday night. They dropped a close game on Friday 10-8 after they just couldn’t quite pull off the comeback. Saturday they left no room for error, scoring 17 runs, including the first career three home run effort from MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong. They’ll look to win their final game at Wrigley Field against Cincy this season on NBC’s game of the week, and you know what that means: Bingo.
This game started as a way to make some truly groan-worthy national announcer crews more palatable, but I admit tonight’s crew for NBC is not that. Jason Benetti is the best in the business and he’ll be joined by Jeff Brantley and Anthony Rizzo. That only would be a great booth, and I admit I’m excited to hear what Rizzo has to say about his 2016 World Series teammate Jon Lester, who will be inducted into the Cubs Hall of Fame tonight. But tonight’s crew also includes the absolutely essential Joey Votto who will be contributing from the sideline and if you haven’t had a chance to watch Votto talk about baseball this season, you’re in for a treat:
Joey Votto, a former star left-handed hitter, breaks down a tough lefty-lefty matchup for Kyle Schwarber in his NBC 'Inside the Pitch' analyst debut on Sunday Night Baseball. ⚾️🎙️ #MLBpic.twitter.com/acl7INbu6T
But the (Bingo) game must go on even as the booth reaches legendary status. As always, play along at home and if you want a real challenge, make it a blackout game. I do not recommend making it a drinking game unless you are trying to black out:
SACRAMENTO, CA - AUGUST 29: Colton Cowser #17 of the Baltimore Orioles rounds the bases during the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on Saturday, August 29, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Don Collier/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Orioles have an opportunity to sweep the Athletics today with Chris Bassitt on the mound. Baltimore managed a pair of close victories over the struggling A’s on Friday and Saturday. The team will look to build some momentum with a convincing result this afternoon.
Blaze Alexander is back atop the lineup and will play second base. Jackson Holliday will begin the game on the bench. Pete Alonso is back as the designated hitter, which brings both Coby Mayo (first base) and Christian Encarnacion-Strand (third) into the lineup. CES made several nice plays in Baltimore’s 5-3 win last night.
Leody Taveras (right), Christian Franklin (left) and Colton Cowser (center) will makeup the outfield. Carlos Narváez will catch Bassitt, and Gunnar Henderson will play short.
The Orioles will face left-handed pitcher Jeffrey Springs. Springs holds a 3-12 record and a 6.08 ERA over 118.1 innings.
These are the games the Orioles need to win if they hope to make the playoffs. Baltimore has already clinched the series, but the team needs every win it can get. Baltimore can come within one game of .500 with a victory today.
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