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Call me a bad fan, but I did not realize the Cardinals had a doubleheader today until I sat down to write this article. And because there’s a doubleheader, I’m going to share something I noticed when I looked at the matchups: the Reds are not in a good position to have a doubleheader or play 5 games in 4 days. They are entering today with a very taxed bullpen.

Yesterday, they lost 7-1 but they were in the game until the 9th inning, so they still used some of their high leverage relievers. Nick Lodolo pitched in his second game since coming off the IL, so I assume he was on some kind of pitch count. He only threw 73 pitches in 5 scoreless innings. His replacement, Julian Garcia, threw 2 scoreless innings of his own, however it required 35 pitches. That would seemingly knock him out of tomorrow’s game and probably in an ideal world Tuesday as well. But I think they’ll be forced to pitch him Tuesday and possibly tomorrow as you will soon see.

Tejay Antone came into a 0-0 game in the top of the 8th inning. He got the first two guys out, then allowed a homer. Next: error, single, walk, walk. He needed 30 pitches and they took him out. Antone has been massively overworked. He threw 11 pitches on Saturday, 16 pitches on Thursday, and 9 pitches on Tuesday. That’s four games in six days, and back-to-back days coming off a 30 pitch outing. He has to be out for tomorrow as well, and ideally Tuesday. But I think he might be forced to pitch Tuesday.

Replacing Antone was Ron Marinaccio, who got the last out of the inning, and then needed an additional 43 pitches to get through a 5-run 9th inning. He is almost certainly getting DFA’d before tomorrow’s games, because they picked up him off waivers two weeks ago and they let him throw 47 pitches. He also threw 21 pitches on Saturday. 68 pitches in two days, they clearly have no future plans with him.

Out of their 8-man bullpen, two of them should be out today, and as of now, a third will presumably be replaced. Sam Moll, who averages less than an inning per appearance, threw Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Pitching tomorrow would mean four of the last six days, and he’s almost certainly pitching tomorrow, and then he’ll be tricky to put into games for Tuesday and Wednesday. Luis Mey pitched Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. He also can pitch tomorrow, but you can only pitch every other day for so long. Pierce Johnson is the same, although he threw under 10 pitches in each of his appearances, weirdly. He’s not very good so that may play a role. Brock Burke has gotten two days off, though pitched 3 of 4 before that. I’m sure he’ll be relied upon heavily in this series. Lastly, closer Emilio Pagan is fairly fresh, but I think he’s being used in exclusively save situations, however if there is not a save situation, I think he’ll have to pitch tomorrow.

Which brings us to the replacements. I do not know who is getting called up to replace Marinaccio. Tony Santillan is a strong possibility, with two pretty good rehab appearances, but the timing is a bit awkward. He threw an inning on Friday and yesterday. Are you really going to immediately throw him 3 out of 4 coming off an injury? Wouldn’t be my first choice.

They have three relievers on the 40 man. Connor Phillips has been in AAA since May and he also threw an inning yesterday. Unless the Reds have very poor communication with the AAA team, I feel like you don’t throw Phillips in yesterday’s game if you have any intention of using him in a doubleheader. The two realistic candidates to me seem to be Zach McCambley and Zach Maxwell. Neither has pitched in a few days. Maxwell has unspeakably bad numbers, so McCambley emerges as my only real choice. It is possible they plan for both, but will option one of them after game one. If either of these guys pitches, it should be good news for Cardinals batters.

Taking the start tomorrow would seemingly be Chase Petty. It hasn’t been announced as of this writing, but neither Julian Aguilar nor Jose Franco has appeared in a game, minors or majors, since July. Chase Solesky was claimed off waivers earlier this month, so I suppose you can throw him in the reliever group since he’s only appeared in relief for the Reds. Brandon Williamson made his first rehab start yesterday so he’s out. Petty is literally the only option and there is no way this bullpen could throw a bullpen game.

Another wrinkle however: I don’t think Petty is stretched out. He spent June and July in the MLB bullpen. He threw 1.2 innings on August 7th, got sent down, and then pitched on August 11th, where he faced 12 batters and allowed 5 runs in 1.2 IP. So I’ll be honest. No clue what the Reds are going to do in the game where Lowder doesn’t pitch. I feel like they need a starter and I feel like Petty is the only option, but he hasn’t thrown more than 50 pitches since June 4th so I don’t think he’ll throw many innings even if he does start.

Meanwhile the Cardinals are in a fairly good situation. Luis Gastelum is probably out for tomorrow, having thrown 2 innings. Caleb Ferguson threw 19 pitches and hadn’t pitched since Tuesday, so he’s clearly available even though we don’t want him to be. Gordon Graceffo pitched as well and threw 19 pitches but hadn’t thrown since Wednesday. Both can pitch tomorrow. Riley O’Brien, George Soriano, Justin Bruhl and Ryne Stanek all had light weeks, workload-wise. Peter Strzelecki is here to throw some mop-up innings as well, throwing 36 pitches on Friday, but nothing else in the past week. Pretty fresh bullpen.

They also have an actual starting pitcher in both games, which is helpful. I don’t expect Quinn Mathews to last deep into the game, but he at least can. I don’t Petty can. And Andre Pallante has thrown 6 or more innings in 11 of his 23 starts and he’s thrown less than 5 innings just once. He can eat innings and he’s got game two. Pretty good situation, certainly much better than the Reds current pitching situation.

The reason I decided to go over all this is because this is the kind of pitching situation that could affect more than just today’s game. The Cardinals need to take advantage. The Reds are going to need to use at least one of their pitchers for longer than they want, and the Cardinals should score off whichever pitcher that applies to. I think they’re saving Lowder for game two, but it would also be helpful if they worked his pitch count to its limit against Lowder and forced him out of the game early. They could really make things difficult for the Reds. All the minor league options are bad pitchers. This is the time to strike.

Joshua Baez

It would be foolish to overreact to two games, but I do kind of feel like the two games represent a microcosm of what to expect from Baez. Well sort of. I would be surprised if we have more 3-HR games in store. But generally speaking, it will be rather easy to know when you have to start Baez and the games where you can sit him. If a lefty is pitching, he starts. No question. If a righty is pitching, it’ll depend. Keep in mind they have to keep his PAs below 130. He can’t start every game anyway.

If you look at his minor league numbers, he is batting .294/.351/.745 against lefties. That is a staggering .451 ISO and 1.096 OPS. He has a 27.9 K% and 7.2 BB% against LHP. Against right-handed pitchers, he batted .246/.320/.539. That is a still very, very good .293 ISO, so it’s not like his power disappears. His K% rises to 30.6% and to be fair, his walk rate is also higher at 8.2%.

But broadly speaking, he strikes out less against lefties and has more power. This was true in 2025 as well. He didn’t strike out as much that year, but he had a 23.2 K% against RHP and a 16.9 K% against LHP. His ISO against LHP was .271 and his ISO against RHP was .187. He is undeniably a lefty masher and his MLB success will hinge on how he adjusts to right-handed pitching.

So Oli Marmol can look at the week ahead, see which games features left-handed starters and know Baez is penciled in for that game. And then he can structure his off days around that. This week, he will obviously start one of the two doubleheaders and then sit in the other one. Both probable starters are right-handed. Tuesday is Andrew Abbott, a lefty, so he’s got that game. The Cardinals have two very tough left-handed starters in Jesus Luzardo and Christopher Sanchez over the weekend, so it seems like a given he’d sit Saturday against Zack Wheeler. And I imagine he sits either Wednesday or Thursday and since Brady Singer is a clearly worse pitcher than Chase Burns and Baez would play four straight days, I would bet he sits Wednesday as well. (Burns is the scheduled pitcher)

I assume most of you know the deal, but just a warning: Joshua Baez will sit some games. He will also be on the bench as a pinch-hitting option on games where you sit him. It’s all a part of the plan. The Cardinals have 38 games left. If he played in every one of them and got 4 plate appearances per game – and we know that doesn’t happen since he’s played in two games and gotten 9 plate appearances – he would have 161 PAs. And again, I’m sure there will be games where a lefty reliever will be on the mound and Marmol will want to pinch-hit Baez. So he’s probably targeted for 25 starts the rest of this season.

Offense, do your thing, this is your series. Make it easy for the pitchers, although Great American Smallpark is never easy for pitchers.

Trevor Story, Roman Anthony, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa are all starting rehab assignments this week. The Red Sox have a puzzle to solve.

This is the kind of problem you want to have. Three players coming back from the IL, a roster that’s been playing the best baseball in the American League (well, until last week), and a manager who has to figure out how to fit everybody. Honestly, this is the right time for these moves to be happening. With the team coming back down to earth after their magic month and change, I’m less worried about breaking up chemistry and more worried about finding stability to keep the Wild Card spot this squad has for the rest of the season.

Chad Tracy has some real decisions to make. Let’s walk through them.

The Less Simple Than It Looks One: Isiah Kiner-Falefa

The conventional wisdom says IKF comes back and Eli White or Anthony Seigler goes. Bench a speedy utility outfielder or a replacement level infielder, bring in a veteran utility infielder, call it done.

Except White isn’t just an outfielder anymore. He got some reps in the infield last week, and that changes the calculus. White brings elite speed—the kind that changes games in ways that don’t show up in traditional box scores, whether it’s late-inning defense, a stolen base, or covering ground in the outfield during a blowout you don’t want to burn real arms for. IKF is the more polished infield defender with more positional versatility on the dirt. White is faster and more dynamic. Seigler is the clubhouse firecracker, and sometimes getting rid of that affects a team more than you can expect.

The argument for keeping White over IKF is more legitimate than it might initially seem. And here’s the thing: if they do go that route—IKF gets released, White stays—Anthony Seigler becomes your utility infielder. Seigler can play second, short, wherever Tracy needs him. He’s hit enough this year to justify a roster spot on his own. The Seigler-as-utility-IF path is genuinely compelling. Don’t sleep on it.

The Complicated One: Trevor Story

Story is a legitimate major league shortstop. When he’s healthy and productive, he’s a quick runner with real pop and a strong glove at a premium position. He’s not coming back to ride the bench.

The question isn’t whether Story plays—it’s where Andruw Monasterio goes when he does.

Because Monasterio isn’t going away. He’s been one of the most consistent run producers in this lineup for two months—a doubles and RBI machine who has shown up in big spots repeatedly. You can’t sit him. But you also can’t leave him at shortstop, because Monasterio is a horrific defensive shortstop. That’s not debatable. Story is a significantly better defender at the position and deserves to have it back.

The natural resolution: Story to short, Monasterio to second base. His bat plays anywhere in the infield, and second base covers his defensive limitations better than short does. Then Seigler slides into the utility infielder role, giving Tracy a switch-hitting bat off the bench who’s proven he can do damage in this lineup.

The version of this that makes everybody uncomfortable: if Story comes back and isn’t fully himself at the plate after months away, Tracy has a real call to make about whether slotting him in at the expense of what Monasterio is currently doing is actually helping this team win. Story has earned some benefit of the doubt. But this team has earned its record too. Give Story his spot back, let him find his timing, and watch what happens.

Behind all of this, the Franklin Arias question looms. But that’s a piece for another time.

The Exciting One: Roman Anthony

Masataka Yoshida going to the IL with a hamstring strain is bad news—he’s been a steady offensive presence all season. But it accidentally cleared the path for the best prospect in baseball to get his first real look at a pennant race.

Anthony comes back from rehab, Micky Gaspar goes back to Worcester, and Anthony DHs while Yoshida is out. Simple. Clean. The service time question is gone now anyway. Put the kid in the lineup.

The harder question is what happens when Yoshida comes back off the IL in ten days, because that DH spot disappears and someone loses at-bats. Here’s where it gets interesting: Jarren Duran is not hitting. He’s been one of the team’s biggest offensive disappointments over the last month, and the numbers justify having a real conversation about his role. But Duran is still a legitimate major leaguer who needs reps to find his way—you don’t just bench him cold.

So Tracy has three realistic paths when Yoshida returns:

One: Yoshida DHs, Anthony moves to left field, Duran loses starts. Rafaela and Abreu stay where they are, the outfield becomes a rotation, and Duran works his way back through starts rather than sitting entirely.

Two: Duran stays in left, Anthony takes the DH at-bats, Yoshida sits more than he’d like. This is harder to sell to Yoshida but it keeps Anthony in the lineup every day without disrupting the outfield alignment.

Three: Duran in left, Yoshida as primary DH, and Anthony gets gradually folded in—DH days when Yoshida needs a breather, spot starts in the outfield when someone needs a day off. The ramp-up approach, designed to give Anthony major league at-bats without fully displacing anyone.

Duran’s struggles make all three versions of this defensible. Tracy will probably start with option three and let Anthony’s bat make the decision for him.

The Big Picture

When Yoshida comes back and Anthony’s path gets complicated, Tracy will have to make harder calls. But the answer to “do you want Roman Anthony in your lineup?” is almost certainly yes—and the sooner this team finds out what he can do at the major league level, the better.

This team went 21-4 in July. They won nine straight series. They’re coming back down to earth. They’re getting healthy at exactly the right time. The roster crunch isn’t a problem—it’s a symptom of how good this organization has gotten in a very short time. Figure out the lineup. Put the best nine on the field and let it ride.

Last Week’s Results

• Monday: Padres 3, Brewers 2
• Tuesday: Padres 11, Brewers 2
• Wednesday: Padres 4, Brewers 3
• Thursday: Brewers 5, Dodgers 4
• Friday: Dodgers 3, Brewers 1
• Saturday: Brewers 4, Dodgers 1
• Sunday: Brewers 6, Dodgers 2

Division Standings

• Brewers 77-48
• Cubs 72-53 (5.0 GB)
• Cardinals 63-61 (13.5 GB)
• Pirates 61-65 (16.5 GB)
• Reds 59-64 (17.0 GB)

Last Week

• Brewers: 3-4
• Cubs: 3-3
• Cardinals: 4-2
• Pirates: 3-3
• Reds: 3-3

Top Pitching Performance of the Week

If it’s one thing the Brewers will be consistent at, it’s pitching. This week, they desperately needed it as they completed the final stretch of 17 games in a row. After being swept by the Padres, which featured a pair of games where the bullpen fell apart, the pitching staff was lights out against the Dodgers. Of course, the series with the Dodgers was critical, as it will likely determine a number of playoff scenarios.

Even though there are a few different performances we could choose this week, it’s clear that there’s one that stands alone, and it was Logan Henderson’s seven-inning masterpiece to silence the Dodgers. While the headlines were about Tarik Skubal, Logan Henderson, and the trade that never was, Henderson dominated to secure the tiebreaker over the Dodgers, and helped create a nice cushion for the best record in baseball. Henderson threw seven innings of three-hit ball, allowing one run, one walk, and striking out six.

Top Hitting Performance of the Week

There’s no team more thankful than the Brewers to have finally finished up their last West Coast trip of the regular season. Furthermore, there’s no doubt that this past week featured one of the roughest showings of the offense all season. So, picking who had the best hitting performance of the week wasn’t easy, but Jake Bauers certainly eased any troubling thoughts with his four-hit performance in the series finale against the Dodgers. Bauers was the heart and soul of the offense in the series against the Dodgers, with the go-ahead hit on Thursday night to go with that four-hit day on Sunday. His double, three singles, walk, and two RBIs propelled the Brewers to a 6-2 victory.

Some honorable mentions for top hitting performances of the week:

• Jackson Chourio quietly had a solid week with a pair of three-hit performances on Monday and Sunday.
• William Contreras perhaps earns the biggest honorable mention of the season with his two-hit outing to snap his 0-for-20 streak, including a two-run homer.

Injury Notes & Roster Moves

• Brice Turang continues to be day-to-day, as he was out of the lineup for a fourth straight game on Sunday. He hopes to return to the lineup in the series opener against the Mariners on Tuesday.
• Sal Frelick is eyeing his return sometime in the near future as he recovers from a right shoulder sprain. He played four games as part of his rehab assignment in Nashville and hit a three-run home run on August 14.
• Abner Uribe hit the injured list with a right forearm flexor strain and isn’t expected to be back until the end of the month. Grant Anderson was recalled from Triple-A to replace Uribe.
• Cooper Pratt looks to begin a rehab assignment as soon as Tuesday, according to Pat Murphy, and we could see him return in the next couple of weeks.
• Newly acquired JoJo Romero threw his second bullpen a couple of days ago and is expected to make his Brewers debut sometime in the next two weeks.
• Jihwan Bae was designated for assignment on Saturday as the Brewers acquired Jonathan Ornelas for cash from the A’s. Ornelas got the start on Saturday and Sunday.
• Lyon Richardson, who was designated for assignment earlier in the week, re-signed to a minor league contract and was assigned to Triple-A Nashville.
• Bryse Wilson, who was also designated for assignment, refused his assignment to Triple-A Nashville before signing another contract. He’s back in Milwaukee’s bullpen.
• Drew Rom, who was designated for assignment last weekend, was claimed off waivers and acquired by the A’s.

On Deck

• Monday: Off Day
• Tuesday: vs. Mariners (6:40 p.m.)
• Wednesday: vs. Mariners (6:40 p.m.)
• Thursday: vs. Mariners (1:10 p.m.)
• Friday: vs. Braves (3:10 p.m.)
• Saturday: vs. Braves (1:10 p.m.)
• Sunday: vs. Braves (6:10 p.m.) — MLB Little League Classic in Williamsport, PA

I promise you, Tarik, Los Angeles will show you so much support if you fight like you did Sunday.

Though you, of course, would also appreciate a little help from your new friends.

A little run support. A little urgency. For them to clean it up a little in the field behind you.

Everything that was missing — again — in the Dodgers’ 6-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, their 11th loss in 16 games.

Sunday’s we-have-Tarik-Skubal-and-you-don’t game against the Brewers — Milwaukee also sought his services but refused, reportedly, to part with winning pitcher Logan Henderson in a deal — didn’t go as planned for the Dodgers.

Read more:Dave Roberts hopes dropping series to Brewers 'doesn't come back to bite' Dodgers

Skubal threw a career-high 109 pitches through six innings, gave up two runs and took the loss for the second time in three starts with the Dodgers, who were trailing 2-1 when he left the game.

Skubal is new here and it’s already a familiar story: They trailed 2-1 when he left the game after six innings in his debut and they were down 3-2 when he exited after five innings in his second start with the club.

It’s not personal. The Dodgers have scored the sixth-fewest runs (50) in baseball this month, when they’ve gone 5-10. They have an OPS of .672, which is 21st in baseball in that span.

They’re not just scuffling, they’re sleepwalking, this team that previously had a .773 OPS through the end of July.

They’re getting every team’s best shot, as they knew they would, and they’re ... shrugging.

“The results are hard,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Hitting’s hard. But I do think that fighting and winning pitches, spoiling pitches, that’s care, hunger.

“That’s the reason why you look at four and a half months in a season, the Brewers have outscored us. It’s a team that’s young and hungry. It’s certainly not talent. I say this because, this has been four, five, six weeks of below-average production from our offense. It’s the truth.”

Presumably, when the games mean more and the three-peat-dreaming Dodgers — who scored only 10 runs in four games against the Brewers, three of which they lost — will care enough to wake up.

It’s just that it’ll take more, apparently, for the Dodgers to stop hitting the snooze button and start hitting the baseball than the prospect of locking up a potential tiebreaker against the Milwaukee Brewers on a pleasant Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.

Clearly it’ll take more, too, than wanting to make a good first impression on Skubal, the two-time Cy Young-award winner and free agent-to-be.

The Dodgers acquired Skubal in an abundantly predictable bombshell trade with the Detroit Tigers in exchange for a trio of prospects, wanting to test the idiom that a ballclub can never have enough pitching.

Read more:Tommy John, Dodgers pitcher and medical pioneer, dies at 83

His new colleagues haven’t done anything to make him miss his best friends on the Detroit Tigers any less, but Skubal hasn’t exactly issued a dominant first impression, either.

It hasn’t been the nightmare pairing so many predicted — at least not for opponents.

In each start, Skubal has been inefficient, he’s been searching for his command. In his 17 innings over three games in Dodger blue, he’s given up 15 hits and seven runs (six earned), 19 strikeouts and six walks.

So, yeah, we can totally table the debate about who should be the Dodgers’ first starter in the postseason: In Yoshinobu Yamamoto we trust.

But credit Skubal for gritting it out each time, keeping the Dodgers in those three games against the Chicago Cubs, the Kansas City Royals and Brewers.

On Sunday, after settling down in the third and fourth innings, he went back to work in the sixth inning, fired up — and struck out the side with the help of a 99-mph fastball and sinker.

“I was just frustrated with the pitch count through five,” Skubal said. “I’m glad Doc gave me an opportunity to go back out there for the sixth, just save some innings from the bullpen.

“My last outing was five. The one before that was six. That’s just, it’s not acceptable. It’s not the standard of what I think I’m capable of in this league. So, you know, I just need to be better.”

So too do the Dodgers’ big name free-agent signings from last offseason: $240-million man Kyle Tucker went 0 for 19 on the homestand and dropped a ball in right field Sunday; high-profile closer Edwin Díaz is making every save opportunity a high-wire tightrope act, blowing three opportunities in his past five appearances.

Maybe there’s a lesson there: Buyer beware?

Still, Roberts likes what he’s learned about Skubal so far.

“Wants to win; prepared; great competitor,” Roberts said. “We certainly haven’t seen his best yet, but man, it feels good every time he’s out there. It really does.

“I just still don’t think we’ve seen his best, which is a good thing for us.”

If Skubal can fight to get up off this floor — if that is what this is, the low point for both the pitcher and his new club — L.A. will love him for it.

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

This is not a drill. As we wake up this morning, your Baltimore Orioles are currently in playoff position.

In a turn of events that would’ve been nearly impossible to believe just three days ago, the O’s have claimed a half-game lead for the third and final AL wild card spot. Yesterday, every single one of the other wild card contenders was defeated. The Rangers, who had been in possession of the third spot, lost to the Athletics. The Blue Jays lost. The Tigers lost. The Guardians lost. The Twins lost, blowing a 5-0 lead, as Dean Kremer melted down in the sixth after throwing five scoreless innings. Every one of these sub-.500 teams did their usual thing, as the staggering mediocrity of the American League has never been more apparent.

Of course, all of their competitors losing wouldn’t have made much difference if the Orioles hadn’t handled their own business. But boy, did they ever. The O’s bagged their third straight win over the Rays, and this one was an absolute beatdown, 10-2. Check out Mark Brown’s recap to soak in every glorious detail.

It was the latest incredible result in a series that has blown away the expectations of even the most optimistic Orioles fans. A mere three days ago, the O’s stumbled into Tampa Bay as a team on the brink of irrelevance. They’d just squandered a pair of opportunities to make some noise in the playoff race, losing series to two of their direct wild card opponents, the Rangers and Twins. And they were about to face a scalding hot Rays team that had the best record in the American League, the best home record in baseball, and was riding a nine-game winning streak. This could have been the series that finished off the Orioles’ 2026 playoff hopes for good.

Instead, the O’s have delivered their most impressive series performance of the season. They gutted out back-to-back, hard-fought, one-run victories in the first two games, stealing the momentum away from the Rays with quality pitching performances and a few key hits. And yesterday, the Orioles played a dominant brand of baseball that was almost unrecognizable from what we’ve seen from this team for most of the year. Their offense erupted for double-digit runs for just the eighth time in 124 games. Most impressively, for a team that has so often struggled to get timely hits, they came through in the clutch over and over again. I can’t stop being amazed by their seven-run, sixth-inning rally in which eight consecutive batters reached base after there were two outs and nobody on. A guy could get used to this.

The Orioles’ 10-game gauntlet that started last Friday, featuring two series against the Rays and one against the Yankees, is off to a sensational start. I was expecting the Orioles to go something like 3-7 during that stretch. (And technically that’s still possible, but don’t harsh my buzz, okay?) They’ve collectively stepped up their game against the toughest competition in the league, and they’re firing on all cylinders at the right time.

Not all days are going to go as perfectly as yesterday’s from here on out. It’s not often you can count on the exact combination of an Orioles win and losses for every single one of their competitors. With six teams all within 1.5 games of that third wild card spot, there’s going to be quite a bit more jostling for position before all is said and done. The only thing the Orioles can do is to keep playing good baseball and control what they can control.

The Birds have one game remaining at Tropicana Field tonight, with Tampa Bay ace Shane McClanahan coming off the IL to start the finale against the Orioles’ Brandon Young. The Rays of all teams certainly aren’t going to suffer a four-game sweep without a fight. But right now, the Orioles are playing like the kind of club that might just be able to pull it off.

Links

The Orioles’ highest-scoring inning of the year powers their blowout win vs. Rays – BaltimoreBaseball.com

Among the heroics by O’s hitters yesterday were Jackson Holliday’s left-on-left RBI single and Colton Cowser’s left-on-left two-run homer. Are the Orioles actually…good against lefties now?

Basallo (shoulder) begins rehab assignment with 3-RBI showing – MLB.com

The Orioles’ lineup is showing signs of life, and they’ll be getting a massive upgrade real soon. No offense, Carlos Narváez, but you, well, provide no offense.

Will Orioles continue to trade their stars? | MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com

Probably yes, sorry. That doesn’t mean we can’t have some good times along the way.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! And happy 85th birthday to Orioles Hall of Famer and eponymous barbecue master Boog Powell. The left-handed slugger bashed 303 homers in his 14-year Baltimore career, third-most in franchise history, and is one of just four Orioles to tally more than 1,000 RBIs. Powell was named the AL MVP in 1970 after hitting .297/.412/.549 with 35 homers and 114 RBIs, and was an integral part of the Birds’ World Series championships in 1966 and 1970. Enjoy your day, Boog!

Other former Orioles with Aug. 17 birthdays include left-hander Chris Waters (46) and the late righties John Buzhardt (b. 1936, d. 2008) and Vern Bickford (b. 1920, d. 1960). Bickford, a former Brooklyn Dodgers All-Star, pitched a single game for the inaugural 1954 Orioles.

On this date in 1989, Cal Ripken Jr. played his 1,208th consecutive game, passing Steve Garvey for the third longest streak in major league history. Spoiler: he ended up getting a lot further than that.

In 1999, O’s lefty Jesse Orosco broke Dennis Eckersley’s MLB record by pitching in his 1,072nd career game, retiring the one Twins batter he faced. Orosco, who ultimately pitched until he was 46 years old, finished his career with 1,252 appearances, still the most in major league history.

And in 2009, the Orioles traded Aubrey Huff to the Tigers, a prime example of addition by subtraction. Even better, the prospect they got for him, Brett Jacobson, was one of two players the O’s later traded for eventual Orioles Hall of Famer J.J. Hardy.

Random Orioles game of the day

On Aug. 17, 1958, the Orioles eked out a 2-1 win over the Washington Senators at Memorial Stadium. O’s right-hander Connie Johnson, a former Negro Leagues star, went the distance with a three-hit, one-run complete game, the 54th (and final) of his career. Johnson also helped his own cause by hitting a sacrifice fly, and Gene Woodling drove in the other O’s run with a first-inning RBI single.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: Suspended, 0-0 in the top of the second (game will be resumed on Sept. 1st)

2B Anthony Volpe 0-1
LF Jasson Domínguez 0-1
SS Max Schuemann 0-1

Alexander Cornielle 1 IP, 0 R, 2 K

Double-A Somerset Patriots:L, 1-7 vs. New Hampshire Fisher Cats

2B Connor McGinnis 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K, throwing and fielding errors
C Omar Alfonzo 1-4, 1 RBI, 2 K
SS Roderick Arias 0-4, 1 K, fielding and throwing errors
3B Coby Morales 1-4
LF Jackson Castillo 0-3, 1 BB
1B Josh Moylan 0-4
DH Manuel Palencia 0-3
CF Cole Gabrielson 0-3
RF Luis Durango 1-3, 1 R, 1 SB

Rory Fox 7 IP, 5 R, 4 ER, 9 H, 1 BB, 5 K (loss) — ate it and provided seven innings, his longest outing since getting promoted at the end of July
Tony Rossi 1 IP, 0 R, 2 K
Kevin Stevens 0.2 IP, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Harrison Cohen 0.1 IP, 0 R, 1 K

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades:W, 5-2 vs. Wilmington Blue Rocks

DH Eric Genther 0-2, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 SB
SS Jackson Lovich 2-4, 1 3B, 3 RBI, 1 K, 1 SB — three-run triple capped off a five-run second inning
C David McCann 1-4, 1 K
1B Kyle West 1-3, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SB
3B Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 1-4, 1 R, 1 K, 1 SB
2B Enmanuel Tejeda 0-2, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 CS
LF Robbie Burnett 1-4, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 K, 1 SB
CF Willy Montero 0-3, 1 K
RF Camden Troyer 0-2, 1 R, 1 BB, assist

Allen Facundo 7 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 3 BB, 6 K, 1 HR (win)
Hansel Rincon 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 K (hold)
Wilmy Sanchez 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 3 K (save)

Low-A Tampa Tarpons:W, 18-8 at Dunedin Blue Jays

SS Dax Kilby 2-3, 1 RBI, 2 R, 4 BB, 1 K, fielding error
CF Wilberson De Pena 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 R
CF Diego Castellanos 2-4, 1 R, 1 K
DH Yostin Pena 2-6, 1 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RF Paul Gutierrez-Contreras II 0-5, 1 R, 1 BB
C Bear Harrison 1-4, 2 R, 2 BB
LF Brando Mayea 4-5, 1 RBI, 3 R, 1 K
1B Tyce Armstrong 3-6, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 2 R, 2 K
2B Luis Escudero 3-5, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K — the only two extra-base hits were these two going for back-to-back jacks
3B Bayram Hot 1-5, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 SB, fielding error

Wyatt Parliament 3 IP, 2 R, 0 ER, 4 H, 5 K
Danny Flatt 2.2 IP, 3 R, 4 H, 2 K, 2 HR (win)
Josh Tiedemann 1 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 K
Rafael Arias 1.1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 K
Matthew Tippie 1 IP, 0 R, 1 K

Florida Complex League Yankees: Season over

Dominican Summer League Yankees: Off-day

Dominican Summer League Bombers: Off-day

The Detroit Tigers failed to make up ground in the American League Central race this past weekend, getting swept by the division-leading Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park after a 7-5 loss on Sunday afternoon. All series long, the Pale Hose found ways to outscore the good guys and were able to shut down the home team’s offense when it mattered most.

Next up for the Olde English D is a trip to take on its “designated interleague rivals,” the Pittsburgh Pirates, at PNC Park starting on Monday evening. Left-hander Framber Valdez will get the start in the opener looking to get back on track after a subpar showing his last time out.

The 32-year-old had thrown two straight seven-inning quality starts before facing the Cleveland Guardians in Detroit last week. Instead of maintaining that level of play, Valdez regressed, allowing four runs on six hits (one home run) and five walks while striking out three over 5 2/3 frames, hitting a batter and throwing a wild pitch to earn his eighth loss in a 6-4 final.

For the Bucs, right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski will be making his 12th start of the season as he bounces between the starter and reliever roles. The 27-year-old has struggled immensely his last two times out — both starts — to the tune of a mind-boggling 15.19 ERA and 7.02 FIP over just 5 1/3 innings of work, allowing 12 hits (one home run) and four walks while striking out just two, earning a pair of losses in the process.

Over the course of Mlodzinski’s first 11 appearances this season — which includes nine starts and all but one lasting 4 1/3 innings or more — he posted a 3.76 ERA and 3.32 FIP stretching across 55 frames of work, allowing 58 hits (three home runs) and 20 walks while striking out 46, plus a pair of hit batters. Those numbers suggest that he is much better as a starter than his most recent appearances demonstrated, but those outings were also much earlier in the season.

Last season, the Pirates swept the Tigers at PNC Park. Here is a look at Monday’s starters’ stats as Detroit looks to buck that trend this week.

Detroit Tigers (60-64) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (61-55)

Time (ET): 7:05 p.m.
Place: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
SB Nation Site:Bucs Dugout
Media: ESPN, Tigers Radio Network

Game 125: LHP Framber Valdez (7-8, 4.26 ERA) vs. RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (6-5, 3.79 ERA)

VALDEZ

MLODZINKSI