José Urquidy: stopper of sweeps, saver of bullpens, silencer of Cubs. | (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Third time’s the charm, or so they say. After two nights of late-inning faceplants at Wrigley, the White Sox finally got the last laugh, blanking the Cubs, 3-0, and sneaking out of the North Side with a win.
And José Urquidy was exactly the hero an exhausted pitching staff needed.
Urquidy carved up the Cubs for six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and no walks while striking out eight. More importantly, he gave a bullpen that had been running on fumes a much-needed breather. The White Sox did just about everything right in this one — pitching, defense and, eventually, the clutch knocks they needed to put the game away.
The offense, however, apparently needed a few innings to remember that pounding Clay Holmes’ pitches into the dirt wasn’t going to be the winning formula.
The top of the first was an early indication of how things were going to go against Holmes, as the Sox went down in order on just 11 pitches, with two of the three outs coming on grounders.
Andrew Benintendi tried a different approach in the second, grinding out a 10-pitch walk, but Braden Montgomery immediately followed with — you guessed it — a ground out. Colson Montgomery managed an infield single that Pedro Ramírez made a nice play to keep from reaching the outfield, but Chase Meidroth and Tristan Peters followed with two more grounders to kill the threat. It’s almost like someone wrote in the game thread that the Sox probably weren’t going to beat Holmes by pounding the ball into the dirt. Make him work, don’t chase and look for something to elevate.
Guess they didn’t read it.
Fortunately, the pitching staff had no trouble following the game plan.
Sean Newcomb handled the first two innings, allowing only a walk in each frame before handing things over to Urquidy.
The Sox offense remained stubbornly attached to the ground in the third, recording three more ground-ball outs. Sam Antonacci worked a one-out walk, and Miguel Vargas added a two-out single, but the clutch knock never arrived.
Urquidy made his first appearance in the third and immediately announced that the Cubs were going to have a long afternoon. Tyrone Taylor reached on an infield single, but Urquidy struck out the side in a 17-pitch inning.
Braden led off the fourth with a single, but Colson struck out, and Braden was caught napping to complete a strike-’em-out, throw-’em-out double play. Then Meidroth grounded out, because of course he did.
Urquidy, meanwhile, was cruising. He needed just 10 pitches to retire the Cubs in the fourth, striking out two. Then he punched out the side in the fifth. Absolutely nasty.
The Sox did manage another hit in the fifth when Jake Rogers singled out of the nine-hole for his first hit with the Good Guys. Antonacci followed by grounding into a force out while also burning a challenge on the play. After the last few days, the Sox might want to take another look at their ABS challenge policy. Munetaka Murakami then grounded out on a nice play by Alex Bregman, and the game remained scoreless.
Finally, in the sixth, the Sox figured out how to get the ball off the ground.
Vargas led off with a double, and Benintendi — who continues to have a knack for coming through when the Sox need him — ripped an RBI single to give the South Siders a 1-0 lead.
Braden followed with another grounder, which was enough to chase Holmes in favor of Caleb Thielbar. Braden didn’t stick around long, as Thielbar promptly picked him off.
Then came perhaps the defensive play of the afternoon.
Taylor opened the bottom of the sixth with a double, giving the Cubs their first real opportunity against Urquidy. Pete Crow-Armstrong lined out to Braden in right, and Taylor apparently did not read the scouting report about running on Montgomery’s arm. The rookie unleashed an absolute laser to Vargas at third to double him off and erase the runner.
The throw brought back flashes of Bo Jackson in 1993. Yeah, it was that pretty.
Suzuki grounded out on the next pitch, and just like that, Urquidy had escaped the inning on five pitches.
Meidroth singled to open the seventh, but Peters grounded into a force out. Rogers then gave one a ride 361 feet to left, only for the Wrigley wind to knock it down for the second out, and Antonacci struck out to end the inning.
The defense flashed the leather again in the bottom half. Bregman sent one all the way to the ivy in left, but Antonacci, at the top of his defensive game, made a highlight-reel play to take away a hit.
Urquidy needed just eight pitches to get through another scoreless frame.
The Sox finally gave themselves some breathing room in the eighth. Murakami grounded out before Vargas worked a walk, and pinch-hitter Randal Grichuk doubled to put runners at second and third. This time, Braden delivered. The rookie got a high fastball and ripped it down the first-base line, bringing home Vargas and Grichuk to extend the lead to 3-0.
Colson followed by smoking a ball right at Suzuki, and Meidroth struck out to end the inning, but the damage was done.
Urquidy came back out for the eighth and continued to dominate, retiring the Cubs in order on 12 pitches to finish off a brilliant afternoon: six innings, two hits, no walks and eight strikeouts.
The Sox threatened to add on in the ninth after Peters drew a four-pitch walk and Antonacci worked a seven-pitch one-out free pass. After a Mune ground out, the Cubs intentionally walked Vargas to load the bases, but Grichuk popped out to leave them loaded.
No worries. Three runs were plenty.
Grant Taylor came on for the save and struck out pinch-hitter Michael Conforto before getting PCA to pop out. Suzuki worked a two-out walk, but Taylor froze Bregman for strike three to finish off the shutout and finally — finally — send the White Sox home from Wrigley with something to celebrate.
No sweep for you, Cubs.
Now it’s back on the bus to the South Side, where the Sox will welcome Atlanta for Thursday’s makeup of the June 11 rainout. And frankly, the Braves owe us one after getting swept by the Twins. What are we doing, Atlanta? Come on. The Pirates, meanwhile, beat the Tigers, so we thank them for their service.
After the way the first two games at Wrigley ended, a 3-0 win, a rested bullpen and a little help from Pittsburgh isn’t a bad way to head home.
MVP José Urquidy: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K, W
MVP Runners-Up Braden Montgomery: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, 2B, PO, CS Andrew Benintendi: 1-for-2, RBI, BB Randal Grichuk: 1-for-2, R, 2B Miguel Vargas: 2-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB, 2B Sean Newcomb: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB Grant Taylor: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, 2 K, S
The San Diego Padres came into a three-game series with the Mets as one of the hottest teams in baseball, firmly in the NL wild card race thanks to a 17-5 stretch.
With a 4-2 win in Wednesday’s matinee, the Mets proved they were hotter with a series win and 11 victories in 15 games since the MLB trade deadline.
"It feels gritty to me,” interim manager Andy Green said of his side’s play. “It feels like the kind of club that's just trying to scratch and claw, figure out a way to win a baseball game.”
In addition to the clawing, the series finale was marked by some fine cobbling together by the pitching staff as veteran Robert Stock combined with five men out of the bullpen to limit the visitors to just five hits and five walks and held them to 2-for-12 with RISP.
The bullpen, which saw several key departures just over a fortnight ago, received special commendation for allowing just a run in 4.2 innings with six strikeouts.
“Bullpen has been phenomenal,” Green said. “With this much turnover, to see guys step on the mound and handle tough situations again and again. [Jonathan] Pintaro getting the double-play ball, [Nate] Lavender coming in with an inherited runner again and getting out of it in nine pitches, which is more than he’s been throwing to get out of innings, which is crazy.
“And then [Daniel] Duarte’s been great, [Kodai] Senga closing it out. [Austin] Warren getting back into the mix, too; fell behind more than he wants to, but good stuff. I think the bullpen stands out.”
With 34 games to play, guys standing out and taking advantage of their opportunity is big ahead of another offseason of potentially big changes for the club.
“It hasn’t been the year that, maybe, we’ve all wanted,” first baseman Jared Young said after the game, “but in that you can find silver linings and players to really step up.”
Stepping up is something that Lavendar, Pintaro, and Duarte in the ‘pen have done, and the interim skipper said they are “squarely in the mix right now” for the organization moving forward.
“They’re incredibly well thought of,” Green said. “And there are some attributes to great relievers that all managers appreciate: they’re the same person in every set of circumstances… those guys have come into tough situations, and they find their way out of tough situations by doing what they do consistently.
“The moment hasn’t sped up the heartbeat at all. The human on the mound matters; they have to have good stuff, but [those guys] have shown the ability in those situations to be who they are.”
Green said that ability to keep your heartbeat from speeding up is “less common” than many think and leads to “tugging sliders or letting fastballs go up and away.”
And when you couple that attribute with their stuff, Green continued, that means the trio will continue to pitch meaningful innings this year and will have the club “continue to think about where it goes in the future.”
Lavender, 26, has been one to especially seize on his chance since making his big league debut earlier this month, as he stranded his seventh runner on Wednesday without allowing one to score and ran his scoreless streak to 6.1 innings with eight strikeouts.
While youth, with rookie Carson Benge powering a two-run home run to give the Mets a lead they wouldn't relinquish, has its way, the tone for the game was set by the 36-year-old starter giving the Mets 4.1 innings of one-run ball.
“To get four or five innings out of him, especially the day before an off day when you can go to your bullpen pretty quickly and feel confident about doing that, it’s great,” Green said. “He’s pitching meaningful innings for us; he’s doing a really good job.”
The journeyman Stock put it best into words what the next few weeks will mean for most of these Mets the rest of the way: "Every game is just me trying to prove that I can hang and I can stay. There's no one out there that wants it more than me, so I’m trying to put that into reality and results."
These games may not matter in the standings, but they mean a whole lot for their careers and for next season.
There seems to always be something for this year’s Red Sox team.
The latest something happened late in Wednesday’s loss to the Diamondbacks, after Willson Contreras opted to not properly run to first after grounding out in the bottom of the 10th inning. If there was booing inside Fenway Park, it wasn’t nearly as audible as the round of disapproval that Contreras received two weekends ago for the same action.
Yet Contreras did hear the boos on Wednesday, cupping his hand to his ear while retreating to the dugout in an attempt to request more boos from the home crowd.
Willson Contreras put his hand to his ear after some Red Sox fans seemingly booed him for jogging on a ground out pic.twitter.com/46fLjIFfLQ
It didn’t end there, though, as Contreras reportedly got into a verbal confrontation with a fan, who was sitting behind the dugout.
“Contreras turned to face the crowd and engaged in a long, animated argument with a fan behind the dugout,” according to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “According to witnesses, other Red Sox players, including Jarren Duran, also were involved. Contreras jawed back and forth with the fan, then walked toward the clubhouse tunnel as the game ended. He returned to continue the conversation and pointed out the fan to security personnel.”
Though the Red Sox won the first two games against the visiting Diamondbacks, they lost a lead on Wednesday and ended the series on a doubly sour note.
When reporters spoke to Contreras in the clubhouse, the 34-year-old had cooled down, and he calmly explained the situation from his perspective.
“I’m not gonna get hurt running on a ground ball,” Contreras said after joking that the fan had been inviting him out to dinner. “And if you’re a real fan and you know baseball, there’s no case for me to hustle out the box. I’m not 100 percent, we never are, but I’m taking care of my leg. If I have to run, I’ll push it a little bit. If I don’t, my manager has my back. And I talked to him, and he gave me the permission to just do whatever it takes to take care of my legs, and that’s it. I just don’t care.”
Contreras admitted that after explaining his lack of hustle in his previous incident at Fenway Park, he thought the fans would understand his situation this time around.
“For sure, yes,” he said when asked if he was surprised to hear boos. “And if you’re a smart fan, you know what’s going on. I’m not gonna make excuses, because it’s not an excuse — it’s real. And I just want to play through it. I want to stay on the field as much as I can, especially at this time of the year where every game matters and it’s really important for me to stay in the game for my team, for my teammates. We’re all battling through something. We’re human, we’re not robots. I wish I was, to not feel any pain in my body. It’s just baseball, man. You got to keep your head up and keep going.”
Contreras said he had been feeling better but tweaked his leg when stretching for a ball on Tuesday night. Contreras said he informed interim manager Chad Tracy that he may not be able to go 100 percent as a result. (Tracy said he didn’t witness Contreras’ confrontation with the fan.)
“It’s more mental,” Contreras said of the challenges that arise this time of year. “It’s like you have to get the mindset where — let me explain it the best I can. You don’t think about pain or you don’t think about any part of the body that hurts, but you have to be cautious about it. So the right mindset right now is just to grind through it, keep grinding. I know we want results. I know we all want to do our best, but at this time of the year, you have to grind.”
And though Contreras has now been booed twice in less than two weeks at Fenway Park, he said his commitment to Boston remains unchanged.
“No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. That won’t change my mindset. I won’t change my mind about Boston or the fans,” he said. “I think I’m in the best place to play baseball. If I was 100 percent, they wouldn’t boo me, because I was gonna hustle down the line. But I was sharing my perspective about being a Red Sox, being in Boston. I get goosebumps every time that I think about Boston, and I’m in the right place. I’m in the right place.
Hurricanes goalie Brandon Bussi united Islanders and Rangers fans — with the bitter rivals coming together on Long Island Wednesday to celebrate the first Suffolk County native to win the Stanley Cup.
The 28-year-old brought Lord Stanley’s hardware to the packed Rinx in Hauppauge, which the champ noted was “the first place I ever put my goalie gear on” for a hockey clinic.
Carolina Hurricanes goalie Brandon Bussi steps off the bus while holding the Stanley Cup before greeting fans at The Rinx in Hauppauge, NY, on Aug. 19. Heather Khalifa for NY Post
“Going to bed as a kid, you definitely dream about that moment – and you never know if it’s going to happen,” Bussi told The Post before his big day that brought out easily over a thousand fans.
“Fortunately, we’re here.”
Huntington’s Greg Packer showed up first on line at 5:30 a.m. for the 10:15 a.m. event.
“Because the Rangers, Islanders, Flyers, Devils — they’re not going to see a Stanley Cup for quite some time,” he quipped.
The crowd was so large that hundreds couldn’t even get into the ice complex before the hometown hero had to leave.
New York Rangers left wing Alexis Lafrenière (13) and Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin (74) fight for the puck as Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi (32) defends the net during the first period at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, NY on Feb. 5. Robert Sabo for NY Post
But the gracious goalie walked the cup outside down an entire block so every fan in line had a chance to see him with it.
Bussi said the overwhelming show of support was humbling, but he is focused on how “it’ll be cool for me to see the next generation of hockey players.”
“It hasn’t been on the island that much, so it definitely would be cool to get my hands on it,” Quinnipiac’s star, who was also the NCAA’s rookie of the year, told The Post.
“It’d be really cool to bring it back and continue to spark the island with some hockey.”
Bussi has had a meteoric rise in the sport, having only reached the NHL this past season at age 27.
“I think once Carolina claimed me and I knew I was on the opening night roster, I definitely had the vision that [winning the cup] could happen,” said the quick stick.
He made NHL history by becoming the fastest goalie to reach 20 wins, needing only 24 appearances in net for the milestone.
The skater then stunned the hockey world by taking over for starter Frederik Andersen in the Stanley Cup Finals, notching a 22-save, 3-0 shutout in Game 6 to clinch the title in June over the Golden Knights.
Carolina Hurricanes goalie Brandon Bussi holds up the Stanley Cup before greeting fans at The Rinx in Hauppauge, N.Y. on August 19, 2026. Heather Khalifa for NY Post
“You kind of black out in a sense; I remember everything, but it all happened so quickly,” said Bussi, who graduated from Miller Place High School in 2016.
“When I got handed the cup, I looked into the crowd, and I saw where my family and friends were all standing. I was able to take a lap and face them when I was holding it – and it made it even more special.”
Bussi got to share that heartfelt moment with his younger brother Dylan, who is autistic and nonverbal.
“He had to be through the roof,” said the goalie, whose mask is painted with autism awareness illustrations.
Carolina Hurricanes goalie Brandon Bussi poses for photos with county officials at The Rinx in Hauppauge, N.Y. on Aug. 19, 2026. Heather Khalifa for NY Post
“He means everything to me.”
Bussi will bring the cup to Bracco’s Clam and Oyster Bar in Freeport Wednesday night as a nod to Rob Scuderi, the only other Long Island native to hoist it.
Nassau County’s Scuderi took it to the Nautical Mile hotspot after winning with the Penguins in 2009 and the Kings in 2014.
“The fact that he’s going back there is pretty fun,” Scuderi, from Syosett, told The Post.
“I think one of the things I really enjoy about Brandon’s journey, and I don’t take it away from anyone else, is that he did it mostly from here on Long Island,” the St. Anthony’s High School star of the mid-1990s added.
Bussi said he looked up to Scuderi and another pair of previous Long Island NHLers – Rangers Matt Gilroy of North Bellmore and the Devils Keith Kinkaid of Farmingville.
Kinkaid came out for the day.
“All those guys set good examples for us and showed us that we can do it.”
TONIGHT’S GAME: The first-place Astros, who own a slim 1.0-game lead in the AL West, will try to even up their series tonight in the middle game of their three-game series vs. the Angels.
RHP Ethan Pecko will get the start for the Astros tonight in his Major League debut opposite RHP Walbert Ureña (8-8) and the Angels.
ABOUT PECKO: RHP Ethan Pecko, 23, has combined to post a 4.57 ERA (42ER/82.2IP) with 86 strikeouts in 20 games (18 starts) in the minors this season, including 17 games at Triple A.
The Astros sixth-round pick in 2023 out of Towson University (MD), Pecko has pitched in parts of four minor league seasons in the Astros system and currently ranks as the Astros No. 9 prospect per MLB.com.
THE TURNAROUND: After a slow start to the season, the Astros are 43-32 since May 22, which is the second-best record in the AL in that span.
On that date, the Astros were 20-31, 11 games under, which is their low water mark for the season.
THAT’S OFFENSIVE: Among American League teams, the Astros rank first in slugging (.411), first in total bases (1746), second in home runs (169), third in OPS (.729), and third in runs scored (577).
In the Majors, the Astros rank third in homers, trailing only the Nationals (180) and Yankees (172).
VS. THE ANGELS: The Astros are 6-5 against the Angels this season and need just one win this week to win their sixth consecutive season series against the Angels.
The Astros 144-93 (.608) all- time record against the Angels is their best against any single opponent in franchise history.
TONIGHT’S RADIO BROADCASTS: The Astros English radio broadcast can be heard on SportsTalk 790 featuring Robert Ford and Brian Bogusevic… the Spanish radio broadcast will feature Francisco Romero and Alex Treviño on TUDN 102.9 FM.
ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Astros dropped a 3-1 game to the Angels last night in the series opener in Houston, TX.
The Astros scored their only run on a solo homer by RF Cam Smith (1×3) in the 7th, which was one of three hits the club got on the night.
RHP Cristian Javier (2ER/4IP) started forHouston and struck out five in the outing.
ASTROS ROSTER MOVES: The Astros have selected RHP Ethan Pecko (#70) to the Major League roster and have transferred IF/OF Brice Matthews to the 60-day IL.
After last night’s game, the Astros optioned RHP Miguel Ullola to Triple A Sugar Land.
THE CLOSER: LHP Josh Hader, now in his 10th Major League season, has made 499 career appearances, needing just one more to become the 12th active Major Leaguer to reach 500 career appearances.
Hader has been stellar since returning from injury in early June, going 4-1 with a 0.90 ERA (3ER/30IP), 41 strikeouts, a .126 opponent average (13×103) and a 0.77 WHIP, while also converting all 17 of his save opportunities in 31 appearances.
THROWING STRIKES: LHP Steven Okert has not allowed a walk in 22 consecutive appearances (since June 28), which spans 22.0 innings pitched.
Some notes on his streak:
Okert is closing in on the club record for consecutive walkless apps. in a single season, which is 24 straight, posted by RHP Pat Neshek from April 8-June 2, 2015.
Only RHP Garrett Whitlock (27g) has had a longer streak of consecutive walkless apps. in MLB in 2026.
per Elias, Okert’s streak of 22.0 consecutive innings without a walk is the fifth-longest by a reliver in a single season in franchise history, and the longest since RHP Wilton Lopez had a streak of 22.1 consecutive walkless innings from April 8-May 17, 2012.
MVP-CALIBER: Yordan Alvarez holds the lead in all AL Triple Crown categories, ranking first in average (.318), first in HR (36) and first in RBI (88).
Additionally, he leads MLB in OPS (1.044), OBP (.431), SLG (.613), and TB (276).
In the AL, he ranks first in XBH (61), second in hits (143) and in walks (86), and tied for second in runs (82).
YOR-GONE!: DH Yordan Alvarez has hit 36 home runs this season, which leads the AL.
He’s just one homer shy of matching his career high in homers (37 HR in 2022) and is 11 homers shy of matching the franchise record for a single season, set by 1B Jeff Bagwell in 2000 (47 HR).
AUGUST HEROES: RF Cam Smith is hitting .356 (16×45) with four homers, eight RBI and a 1.072 OPS in 14 games this month.
2B Jose Altuve is also having a strong month, hitting .347 (17×49) with a .421 OBP and an .890 OPS in 14 games in August.
DOWN ON THE FARM: Several of the Astros minor league clubs are having success this season: • Triple A Sugar Land: In second half action, the Space Cowboys are in first place in the PCL East Division with a 31-15 (.674) record.
• Class A Fayetteville: For the second half, the Woodpeckers are in first place in the South Atlantic League North Division with a 27-20 (.574) record.
• Rookie Level FCL Astros: The Astros won the Florida Complex League championship, finishing with a 42-11 (.792) record in the regular season.
• Rookie Level DSL Astros: The DSL Astros Orange team finished with a 33-20 record and have clinched a spot in the DSL playoffs, which begin tomorrow.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Tuesday, August 19, 7:10 p.m. CT
Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
TV: Space City Home Network
Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
The Montreal Canadiens have plenty of promising prospects in their system.
Among their most exciting prospects is Alexander Zharovsky, as the 19-year-old forward has the tools to become an impactful NHL player in the future.
After being selected by the Canadiens with the 34th overall pick of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, Zharovsky responded by having a fantastic rookie season in the KHL in 2025-26. In 59 games with Salavat Yulaev Ufa last season, he posted 16 goals, 26 assists, and 42 points.
Now, with the KHL pre-season being here, Zharovsky is only continuing to show a lot of promise.
Zharovsky scored a goal in his most recent pre-season game for Salavat Yulaev Ufa with an excellent snapshot on Tuesday. He also did so while playing at the center position, which is certainly promising to see.
Zharovsky will now be looking to continue to shine in the KHL once the regular-season is here. He certainly had a successful rookie season in the KHL, but it would be huge for the Canadiens if he takes another big step in his development this season.
Nevertheless, it is going to be very interesting to see what kind of season Zharovsky can have in 2026-27 from here. It is encouraging to see him already scoring a goal like this in the preseason.
A former Yankees All-Star is getting closer to a big league return.
Left-handed pitcher Nestor Cortes Jr., who has yet to pitch in 2026 after undergoing offseason surgery for a tendor tear in his throwing arm, agreed to a deal with the Phillies on Wednesday, The Post’s Jon Heyman confirmed.
Philadelphia confirmed that Cortes’ deal, which was first reported by Fansided, is a major league contract and that he would begin his buildup with Single-A Clearwater.
Right-handed reliever Brian Keller was designated for assignment to free up a spot on the Phillies’ 40-man roster.
Cortes had posted a video to X on Tuesday showing himself throwing for major league scouts.
Cortes spent parts of five MLB seasons with the Yankees. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
The well-traveled veteran posted a disappointing 6.29 ERA in 2025 — splitting the campaign between the Brewers and Padres — while missing time due to left biceps tendinitis.
But the Hialeah, Florida, native has previously been an All-Star-caliber pitcher, primarily during his run with the Yankees (2019-2024).
After two disappointing seasons in the organization, the Yankees re-signed Cortes to a minor league pact ahead of the 2021 campaign, and he cemented himself in the rotation.
He posted a solid 2.90 ERA as a swingman for New York that same year, and followed it up with a 12-4 record and 2.44 ERA in 28 starts in 2022 to earn his first All-Star nod.
Following an injury-riddled 2023, Cortes returned to make 30 starts for the Yankees before hitting the injured list weeks before the postseason.
The Yankees traded Cortes to the Brewers after the 2024 season, but injuries and inconsistency limited him to eight starts last season. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - AUGUST 19: AJ Smith-Shawver #32 of the Atlanta Braves walks off of the mound during a pitching change during the fifth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on August 19, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Matt Krohn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The toughest road trip of the season for the Atlanta Braves has gotten off to an incredibly inauspicious start, as the NL East-leading squad went into Minneapolis and ended up getting swept by a Minnesota Twins team just scuffling to stay alive in the crowded AL Wild Card race.
Things remained deadlocked until the third inning, which is when Minnesota pushed the first run of the game past the plate in pretty frustrating fashion. A walk, a soft single from Kaelen Culpepper and an even-softer bunt single from Luke Keaschall put AJ Smith-Shawver in a bases-loaded situation with Byron Buxton at the plate.
AJSS induced a ground ball out of Buxton but he hit it at such a pace and in such a spot in the infield where Jim Jarvis was unable to even get the runner at second base. Instead, everybody was safe and the Twins went up 1-0. Naturally, Josh Bell grounded into a double play in the very next at-bat and even more naturally, this came after the Braves were unable to score with two runners in scoring position during their half of the third inning. Frustration already abounded.
Following a quiet fourth inning for both teams, things picked up again in the fifth — though it was once again another source of frustration for Atlanta. Austin Riley got a two-out rally going with a walk and then Jim Jarvis joined him on the basepaths with a walk of his own. That set the stage for Ronald Acuña Jr. to potentially do something big at the plate and sure enough, Acuña came through by poking one into left field in order to tie the game at one run apiece. While Drake Baldwin was unable to keep the two-out rally going, there was at least a tiny sign of life from the offense.
That’s why the bottom half of the fifth was so frustrating. AJ Smith-Shawver had been doing fine up until this point, which is when he found himself in a ton of one-out trouble. Kaelen Culpepper’s second single of the game kept the Twins alive and then he was eventually joined on the basepaths by Luke Keaschall and Byron Buxton in order to load up the bases. Buxton got on after an eight-pitch walk so you just had the feeling that this AB against Josh Bell probably wasn’t going to go well either. Sure enough, AJSS walked Bell on six pitches and just like that, the Twins were back in the lead. Dylan Dodd was then called upon for relief and things got worse after Kody Clemens picked up a double to make it three runs in the fifth for Minnesota. Once the smoke cleared, the Twins were up 4-1 — a scoreline that really hasn’t suited Atlanta here in Minneapolis.
To Atlanta’s credit, they did respond once it was their turn to bat in the sixth. Perhaps spurred on by the exit of Taj Bradley, the Braves got to work immediately in the sixth by ambushing Kody Funderburk with a trio of singles to lead things off. The third single in that sequence came from Lane Thomas, who laser-beamed one into the grass in right field to make it a 4-2 game. Ozzie Albies sent one out to right for a sacrifice fly to make it a one-run game and then following a single from Mauricio Dubón off of Tommy Nance, a balk actually went Atlanta’s way for once. This time, Dubón essentially coaxed it out of Nance by taking a huge lead from first base. The balk tied the game up and it was officially “game on” from that point forward.
Now, I don’t believe in the whole “Commentators’ Curse” deal but hoo boy, Dylan Lee’s seventh inning would be the best example to make me believe that it’s an actual thing. Lee entered the game in relief of Victor Mederos after he left a man on second with one out and the commentators mentioned that Lee had not given up a hit in his last nine appearances. It took two pitches (or roughly the amount of time to discuss that stat) for Lee to give up an RBI single to Kody Clemens that put Minnesota in the lead. The Twins eventually picked up some insurance run with a Brooks Lee RBI single that brought home Clemens and now the Braves had to overcome yet another deficit in a series where it felt like the Braves were trailing for the entirety of all three games.
There was no comeback on the horizon, as the Braves ended up only getting one hit across the eighth and ninth inning and the eighth inning in particular was contentious. Maurico Dubón battled for nine pitches against Jeff Hoffman, only to get rung up by the home plate umpire on a check swing on a full count. He was incensed by the call (or at least the lack of going to the first base umpire in order to confirm the call) and argued furiously and Walt Weiss went out there and got himself ejected in order to make sure that Dubón didn’t get tossed.
It was honestly the one of the most casual ejections I’ve ever seen in a game — almost as if Weiss was seemingly like “Bro, just eject me,” and home plate umpire Carlos Torres seemingly responded with “Alright, you got it” and then Torres gave him the hook.
Anyways, that ejection was about as interesting as things got in the final two innings as the Braves went down in order from that point forward. Yoendrys Gómez closed them out for the third day in a row and the Braves went to go hop on the plane in the midst of a three game losing streak and having now lost five of their last six. Woof.
Atlanta has lost three games in a row on a few occasions this season but that was only the second time they’ve gotten swept this season and it came against a team that you could argue that the Braves have no business getting swept by. That’s baseball for you, though, and now the Braves have no choice but to continue searching for a way to break out of this current funk. They’ll have to hop over to Chicago for a make-up game against the White Sox tomorrow at 2:40 p.m. ET before facing off with the red-hot Brewers for three games. Things aren’t going to get any easier for Atlanta after what looked to be (on paper, at least) the “easier” part of this seven-day, four-city road trip.
Fort Myers, FL - February 21: Northeastern outfielder Cam Maldonado catches a fly ball for an out. (Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
A fun day of Minor League Baseball games for the San Francisco Giants affiliates. Here’s everything that happened on Tuesday, as well as the Dominican Summer League games from Monday.
All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.
News
Lots of off-day movement that was officially announced before Tuesday’s games. As I talked about in the weekend roundup, outfielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 32 CPL) was promoted from High-A Eugene to AA Richmond. Taking his place in Eugene is outfielder Jose Ortiz, who is finally healthy. Speaking of good health, RHP Miguel Mendez, who came over in the Robbie Ray trade, finished his rehab assignment and was assigned to AA Richmond where he replaces LHP Tyler Switalksi, who was placed on the 7-Day IL.
Outfielder Damian Bravo was promoted from Low-A San Jose to Eugene, while infielders Dario Reynoso and Jose Ramos were returned to their proper levels (San Jose and Eugene, respectively) after brief emergency depth stints with AAA Sacramento.
Sacramento is losing one pitcher, as LHP Matt Wilkinson is getting called up for his MLB debut, but they’re gaining a pair: LHPs Reiver Sanmartin and Philip Abner. The former was optioned from San Francisco, while the latter was claimed off of waivers and optioned.
AAA Sacramento (69-49)
Sacramento River Cats beat the Tacoma Rainiers (Mariners) 9-5 Box score
After a day off, the River Cats returned home following a stint in Las Vegas, where the ballpark is what I affectionately like to call the Coors Field park of the Coors Field league. All numbers there should be taken with a little bit of a grain of salt.
Which made it all the more exciting that left fielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) didn’t seem to notice that they’d moved back to a more standard hitting environment. Davidson continued his absolute destruction of the Pacific Coast League on Tuesday, hitting 2-4 with a double, a walk, and no strikeouts. The double was yet another case of Davidson showing off the power, as it left the bat at 108.3 mph.
Davidson, like so many prospects, does seem to really struggle when adjusting to a new league … but once he adjusts, he’s off to the races. So let’s update the splits once he started to figure out AAA:
First 22 games: 17-86, 0 home runs, 3 doubles, 10 walks, 21 strikeouts Next 6 games: 16-24, 4 home runs, 4 doubles, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts
Now, again, 5 of those torrid 6 games took place in Las Vegas, but still. Davidson is rapidly figuring out how to hit in AAA, and is up to an .839 OPS and a 120 wRC+, with just an 18.0% strikeout rate. His statcast page is basically a sea of red bars (red being good in this case), save for his pull percentage, which really makes you think about how much untapped potential there still is, despite the great numbers. And he’s doing it against hard stuff and off-speed pitches.
Given the rate the Giants have called up players, and given that Davidson will need to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft, it’s almost surprising that he’s still in AAA … even though I think that’s where he should be for, at the minimum, a little while longer.
Someone who will not be in AAA much longer is second baseman Marcelo Mayer, who is continuing his rehab. Mayer hit 1-3 with a walk and 2 strikeouts, before being lifted after 6 innings. Mayer’s numbers have been so-so with Sacramento: he’s 6-17 with 2 extra-base hits and 2 walks, but has struck out 9 times. But, while nice numbers are obviously always better, this is a rehab assignment, and the Giants are just looking to get him healthy and physically up to speed before, presumably, letting him play every day in the Majors for the rest of the season so they can see what they have.
The best day, however, belonged to someone that a lot of Giants fans have likely forgotten about: first baseman Will Brennan. The veteran, who was outrighted earlier in the year, has moved from the outfield to first base to accommodate the youth in the grass, and he’s been slumping lately. Not on Tuesday, though, as he hit 2-3 with a home run, a double, 2 walks, and a strikeout. What a day!
The lefty has a .794 OPS and a 107 wRC+ on the year, with just a 10.4% strikeout rate. Hopefully someone gives him another opportunity in 2027.
A nice game for designated hitter Nate Furman (No. 39 CPL) and catcher Adrián Sugastey. Furman, who recently returned from a short MLB debut, hit 2-4 with a double and a walk; Sugastey, who has adapted incredibly well to AAA since a recent promotion, hit 3-5 with an error.
It was a less fruitful day on the mound, particularly in the starting performance, as LHP Seth Lonsway struggled once more, giving up 8 hits, 4 walks, and 5 runs in just 3.2 innings, with only 2 strikeouts. Lonsway, who was a 6th-round pick back in 2021, has really had a brutal go of it in Sacramento: among the 60 PCL pitchers with at least 50 innings thrown this year, he’s 40th in ERA (6.14), 53rd in FIP (6.56), 56th in strikeouts per 9 innings (5.9), and 59th in walks per 9 innings (6.4). Given that he turns 28 in less than 2 months, he has to feel like his spot in the system is in peril.
But great relief appearances from RHPs Ryan Walker and Braxton Roxby, who each struck out 3 batters in perfect appearances, Walker in 1.2 innings and Roxby in 2. The strikeouts were a welcome sight for Walker, who hasn’t been able to reclaim his punchout stuff after being optioned … he has just 24 strikeouts in 26 innings with Sacramento, but he does have a sterling 1.73 ERA (albeit with a 3.89 FIP). As for Roxby, he continued his recent trend of dominance, which lowered his ERA to 3.42 (though his FIP is 4.74). In his last 9 games, Roxby has pitched 18 innings and allowed just 7 hits, 5 walks, and 1 run, while striking out 17 batters.
AA Richmond (66-47)
Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Chesapeake Baysox (Orioles) 7-2 Box score
The exciting news for the Squirrels was the arrival of one of the organization’s hottest prospects: outfielder Lisbel Diaz (No. 32 CPL). The farm’s home run leader made his AA debut on Tuesday while playing right field, and hit 1-4.
He also got in on a little bit of fun, as he scored the team’s 1st run when, as part of a double steal with second baseman Maui Ahuna (No. 33 CPL), he stole home. What a cool way to score your first run at a level!
Lisbel Diaz swipes home on a double steal to get the Squirrels on the board 💨 pic.twitter.com/28kpgm48bU
Unfortunately, later in the 2nd inning Ahuna would be thrown out on a play at the plate, and he left the game before the start of the 3rd, so presumably he suffered an injury. Hopefully it’s not a big one.
First baseman Charlie Szykowny had the best day, hitting 1-3 with a home run, a walk, and a strikeout.
Szykowny is trying to bounce back from an absolutely brutal July, in which he hit just 16-86 with 0 home runs and 26 strikeouts, en route to a .455 OPS. So far, so good: he already has more hits in August, as he’s gone 17-53 with 2 home runs, just 5 strikeouts, and an .862 OPS. The 2023 9th-rounder has a .731 OPS and a 92 wRC+ on the year, and his swing certainly gives you reason to believe that he could put it all together at some point … though he did recently turn 26.
Center fielder Trevor Cohen (No. 15 CPL) has cooled down a bit from his red-hot stretch, but had a solid game in this one, hitting 1-3 with 2 walks and a stolen base. The 22-year old from the 3rd round of last year’s draft has just a .751 OPS and a 100 wRC+ through his 1st 28 games at the level, but he’s stolen 13 bases and only has a 7.8% strikeout rate.
As with their older brothers in Sacramento, Richmond had a poor starting pitching performance but a strong bullpen (other than RHP Ben Peterson, who got rocked). The rough opening came from LHP Greg Farone, who allowed 10 baserunners in 5 innings (6 hits, 3 walks, and a hit batter), while giving up 4 runs and striking out 4.
Farone has been a lot better lately, especially from a strikeout and walk perspective. Even including this rough outing, he has 37 strikeouts to 10 walks since the start of July, after posting 58 strikeouts to 36 walks leading up to that. It’s looking like the 2024 7th-rounder, who has a 5.68 ERA and a 5.57 FIP, will repeat the level in 2027, which is no big knock, since it will only be his 3rd season in the pros.
RHP Logan Martin and LHP Jack Choate (No. 37 CPL) shined in the bullpen. Martin, who opened the year as a starter but now is working in relief, gave up a walk in a no-hit inning, lowering his ERA to 4.01 and his FIP to 4.55. Choate struck out the side in an inning of work, with just a walk allowed, lowering his ERA to 3.27 and his FIP to 4.00. Choate has an impressive 11.3 strikeouts per 9 innings this year, which is made all the more impressive when you realize that he doesn’t throw the ball hard. But he also is walking 6.1 batters per 9, which is an unsightly number for the 2022 9th-rounder.
High-A Eugene (69-45)
Eugene Emeralds lost to the Vancouver Canadians (Blue Jays) 10-5 Box score
The exciting news is that while Eugene lost an outfielder, they also gained one. When Lisbel Diaz (No. 32 CPL) jetted across the country to join Richmond, Jose Ortiz took his place.
Ortiz, who wasn’t on our CPL this year but was all the way up at No. 22 the year prior, has never had an issue with talent. He’s only ever had an issue with staying on the field, so it was especially exciting seeing him in Tuesday’s lineup. A 21-year old whom the Giants took in the 13th round back in 2023, Ortiz entered the season having appeared in just 63 games over his 1st 3 seasons.
His season debut was again delayed, as he didn’t get on the field until a pair of rehab games in the Complex League in July. And then we didn’t see him again for quite a while, making me think his season might be over.
But no! Ortiz was in Tuesday’s lineup for his 3rd game of the year, and his High-A debut. And he wasted absolutely no time showing what he’s capable of … while the rust was there (he struck out 3 times), Ortiz went 1-4 with a walk, and had one of the most sensational defensive plays from any Giants prospect this year while patrolling center.
Ortiz is, to my eye, the 2nd-best defensive outfielder in the system, after only Jonah Cox. And he’s not lacking with the bat, either. Let’s hope he can have a sustained run of health to end the year, because he really is an exciting prospect when he’s on the field.
The best day belonged to a fellow outfielder, right fielder Cam Maldonado (No. 34 CPL). Maldonado had an up-and-down campaign in Low-A this year, but has been lights out since getting promoted to Eugene. Tuesday was more of the same, as the 2025 7th-rounder hit 2-3 with a 3-run home run, a walk, a stolen base, and a strikeout.
Cam Maldonado is pretty good at this whole hitting thing!
Maldonado is only 9 games into his High-A tenure, but he’s already bopped 4 home runs at the level, and they’ve not been cheapies, either. That brings him up to 18 home runs on the year, which is tied for 3rd in the organization behind only Diaz and Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL). That’s all the more impressive when you remember that Maldonado missed nearly 3 weeks with an injury earlier in the year.
An uncharacteristically poor outing for shortstop Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL), who hit 1-5 with 2 strikeouts and 2 errors, though he did steal a base.
LHP Jacob Bresnahan (No. 11 CPL) was not nearly as sharp as we’ve grown accustomed to, as he struggled to put batters away. Bresnahan made it through just 4.2 innings while giving up 5 hits, 3 walks, and 2 home runs (which would have been 3 without Ortiz’s brilliance), with just 4 strikeouts. 5 runs were scored against him but, because of Level’s errors, only 1 of those runs was earned, so the game actually lowered his ERA, despite it being one of his worst starts over the last few months.
Those home runs remain the biggest thing for Bresnahan to address. The 61 hits he’s allowed in 92.2 innings? Elite, as evidenced by the fact that his .183 batting average against is 1st among the 43 Northwest League pitchers with at least 50 innings thrown this year. The run suppression? Stupendous, as his 2.72 ERA is also 1st. The strikeouts? Tremendous, as his 10.5 per 9 ranks 10th. The walks? Solid, as his 3.6 per 9 ranks 16th. But the home runs? Well, he’s allowing 1.2 per 9 innings, which ranks 27th. Something to work on, but a wonderful season nonetheless.
RHP Liam Simon found his control for a night, which was fantastic to see. Simon retired all 4 batters he faced, 2 by way of strikes, while throwing 10 of 13 pitches for strikes. Walks have been far and away his biggest issue this year, so seeing him not throw 4 balls all outing was absolutely fantastic. An electric 25-year old who has really struggled with injuries, Simon, who has a 5.63 ERA and a 5.53 FIP, has 60 strikeouts in 40 innings this year … but 35 walks.
Low-A San Jose (65-50)
San Jose Giants beat the Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres) 9-2 Box score
First baseman Jeremiah Jenkins continued his all-or-nothing hitting approach this season, going 1-5 with a tremendous 3-run blast and also 3 strikeouts. A 23-year old slugger who was taken in the 14th round of the 2024 draft, Jenkins struggles to get hits … but when he gets hits, my goodness are they something.
The lefty is hitting just .243 on the year, with a 29.7% strikeout rate. But well over half of his hits have gone for extra bases … he has 78 hits this season, which includes 42 extra-base knocks and 16 home runs. That, plus a 16.0% walk rate, has given him an .856 OPS and a 113 wRC+ on the year, despite the issues he still needs to fix.
Also homering was designated hitter Angel Guzman, who hit 1-3 with a 2-run shot, a walk, and a strikeout. Guzman’s season has flown fairly under the radar, in part because injuries have limited him to just 40 games. But the 20-year old has been solid, posting a .923 OPS and a 129 wRC+ in the Complex League, and now a .763 OPS with a 107 wRC+ in Low-A. Hits have been a little hard for him to come by in San Jose … after having a .306 average in Arizona, he’s hitting just .236 with San Jose, but propping up his line with an outrageous 18.5% walk rate. Hopefully he can stay healthy and play regularly for the Baby Giants the rest of the way.
A few other nice days. Notably, shortstop Josuar González (No. 2 CPL) continues to make the Cal League look easy, as he hit 2-5 with a strikeout and a stolen base, bringing his OPS to 1.048 and his wRC+ to 159, with 4 stolen bases. González now has a 5-game hitting streak, and is 8-22 with 4 extra-base hits, 4 walks, and just 3 strikeouts in that time. I really hope we get to see him have a brief introduction to High-A before the season ends, because it truly feels like the 18-year old is way too good for Low-A.
Right fielder Tanner Mally hit 1-3 with a a hit by pitch, a stolen base, and an outfield assist, while center fielder Andy Polanco went 2-4 with a double and a stolen base, and left fielder Broedy Poppell hit 2-3 with a double, a walk, and a strikeout. Mally, who was a 17th-round pick last month and is the only 2026 draftee currently playing in the Giants system, has looked so comfortable since debuting. Polanco, a speedster with strong defense, has been finding his offensive groove after a very slow start to the year. Poppell, a 13th-rounder last year, has had a pretty mediocre season, but he’s certainly showed some signs.
RHP Trey Seeley, a 14th-rounder in 2025, had a quality game but not a dynamic one. Seeley went 6 innings in this game, and gave up 7 hits, 1 walk, and 1 hit batter, with only 3 strikeouts … but only gave up 2 runs. It’s been a very tough debut season for Seeley, who has just a 7.38 ERA and a 7.76 FIP between the ACL and Low-A. On the bright side, he didn’t give up any home runs in this game, which is a huge win, as he entered the game having ceded a comical 13 home runs in just 27.2 Low-A innings.
RHP Cooper McGrath had another nice game. He threw 19 of 28 pitches for strikes while tossing 2 shutout innings, with just a hit and a walk allowed, and 3 strikeouts. Last year’s 18th-round pick had an absolutely horrific start to his debut season, but has been much better lately. Check out the splits:
Monday: DSL Giants Black beat the DSL Nationals 12-2 (7 innings) [box score] Tuesday: DSL Giants Black beat the DSL Mariners 11-5 (7 innings) [box score]
And with that, the DSL regular season comes to an end, though the Giants Black team will continue play on Thursday in the postseason.
Left fielder Franco Willias ended a dominant year with a bang, hitting 5-7 with a triple, a double, a walk, a hit by pitch, a sacrifice bunt, and 2 stolen bases. Yeesh! Willias, a 21-year old righty, ended his 3rd — and certainly final — DSL campaign with a staggering 1.112 OPS and a 172 wRC+. He led the DSL with a .406 batting average, smacked 21 extra-base hits, and stole 34 bases in 50 games, while striking out just 12.9% of the time. Bring on Papago and the challenges of the Arizona Complex League and/or Cal League!
Also ending his final year in the DSL was shortstop Joniel Hernandez, who hit 2-5 with a home run, 4 runs batted in, and a strikeout on Monday, before taking Tuesday off. Hernandez, the Padres’ high-profile signing this year who was traded in the Robbie Ray deal, finished his debut DSL season with a .978 OPS and a 132 wRC+, with 7 home runs, 10 stolen bases, and just a 15.5% strikeout rate. Pretty freaking impressive for someone who turned 17 in March!
It’s certainly looking like when the 2027 Minor League season begins, Hernandez will be in the Arizona Complex League, Luis Hernández (No. 6 CPL) will be in Low-A, Josuar González (No. 2 CPL) will be in High-A, Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL) will be in AA, and Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL) will be in AAA. My goodness that is an embarrassment of middle infield riches!
Not much on the pitching front, but RHP Brayan Cabello and LHP Hector Dos Santos had good games. Cabello pitched a perfect inning, as the 22-year old finished his 5th season with a 1.24 ERA, but a 4.61 FIP. Dos Santos gave up a hit in 2 shutout frames with a strikeout, and the 20-year old ends his 2nd season with a 4.62 ERA and a 5.46 FIP.
Dominican Summer League Orange (31-24)
Monday: DSL Giants Orange beat the DSL Cubs Red 4-3 (8 innings) [box score] Tuesday: DSL Giants Orange lost to the DSL Blue Jays Blue 8-5 (7 innings) [box score]
And with that, we’re down to 5 teams. The Giants Orange squad also saw their regular season conclude, but they’re not postseason bound, so this is it for them.
We’ll highlight a trio of hitters and a pair of pitchers.
On offense, all 3 players appeared in just 1 of the 2 games. Second baseman Yoxander Benitez hit 2-3 with a double; the 19-year old ends his 3rd DSL season with an .814 OPS and a 112 wRC+, easily his best marks. Designated hitter Jeyson Moya had a perfect game, going 4-4 with a pair of doubles; the 19-year old has a .750 OPS and a 91 wRC+ in his 3rd season, and while those numbers are still fairly poor, they represent huge improvement over his 1st 2 years. And shortstop Israel Alfonse only hit 1-4 with 2 strikeouts, but smashed a home run; the 17-year old posted an .893 OPS and a 100 wRC+ over 8 games in his debut season, though he had a 35.7% strikeout rate and no walks. Small samples!
On the pitching front, RHP Jhon Leon struck out 5 batters in 2 scoreless innings, with just 1 hit and 0 walks, though he hit a pair of batters. The 22-year old posted a 3.98 ERA and a 4.12 FIP in his 3rd season. RHP Jose Trevizo tossed 3 no-hit, no-run innings, with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts. The recently-turned 18-year old impressed in his 2nd season, with a 3.52 ERA, a 3.63 FIP, and 40 strikeouts to 12 walks in 38.1 innings.
Home run tracker
18 — Cam Maldonado — [4 in High-A; 14 in Low-A] 16 — Jeremiah Jenkins — [Low-A] 13 — Charlie Szykowny — [AA] 7 — Joniel Hernandez — [DSL] 5 — Will Brennan — [AAA] 4 — Angel Guzman — [2 in Low-A; 2 in ACL] 2 — Israel Alfonse — [DSL]
Wednesday schedule
Sacramento: 6:45 p.m. PT vs. Tacoma (SP: TBD) Richmond: 3:35 p.m. PT at Chesapeake (SP: Trystan Vrieling) Eugene: 6:35 p.m. PT vs. Vancouver (SP: Ramon Marquez) San Jose: 6:05 p.m. PT at Lake Elsinore (SP: TBD)
Reminder that almost all MiLB games can be watched on MLB TV
If the Phillies had a wish list heading into the second half, shoring up the back end of the rotation would have been near the top.
Step one was getting Aaron Nola back to being a pitcher who can consistently give Philadelphia a chance to win each time he takes the ball.
That is exactly what he has done.
His latest start, Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park, was another clear example of the pitcher he can still be, even with diminished velocity and a big breaking ball in the ABS era.
It was key in the Phillies’ 4-1 win over the Miami Marlins.
The pitch that will keep Nola afloat in this league is his knuckle curve. The biggest factor is whether he can get into enough favorable counts to use it when he needs it most.
With two strikes.
Against Miami, the longest-tenured Phillie faced 25 hitters and got into 17 two-strike counts, tying his highest tally of the season.
Being on the attack, pitching with confidence and not falling behind allowed Nola to play his game. He struck out eight batters, tied for his second-most this season behind the nine he had in his last start at the Field of Dreams.
He also completed seven innings for the first time since July 5 in Kansas City.
That kind of rhythm becomes easier to find when the Phillies give him something to work with.
In the bottom of the second, Philadelphia manufactured a run with the bases loaded when Garrett Stubbs legged out an infield single. An inning later, Luis Arraez drove out his second homer as a Phillie, a two-run shot that gave Nola a three-run cushion.
That was meaningful against Sandy Alcantara, a former Cy Young winner who has routinely pitched well against the Phillies.
From there, Nola settled in.
He completed five scoreless innings before Don Mattingly sent him back out for the sixth. Nola allowed a leadoff homer, which has become a recurring issue in most of his starts, then allowed two more batters to reach with one out.
The score was 3-1. The tying run was on base. Griffin Conine, one of the hotter bats in the Marlins’ lineup, was at the plate.
That is where Nola’s breaking ball took over.
He opened the at-bat with two changeups, evened the count at 1-1, then threw three straight knuckle curves. The last one got Conine swinging for a huge second out.
Heriberto Hernández followed, another power bat who has hurt the Phillies before. Nola took a similar path, starting him with the curveball and finishing him with it for another strikeout.
He bent, but he did not break.
That gave Mattingly enough confidence to send him back out for the seventh, a valuable development for a bullpen that has been leaned on heavily this month.
The Marlins whiffed on 63 percent of Nola’s knuckle curves Wednesday. In the 51 knuckle curves he threw against them across his first two starts versus Miami this season, they whiffed on 35.7 percent.
That is a major difference.
Nola has now faced the Marlins three times this season and allowed just two earned runs over 18 2/3 innings. His surrounding pitch mix has changed each time, and changing looks has been a key part of his recent success.
Miami is no easy assignment, either. The Marlins entered Wednesday as a top-seven offense in baseball by batting average.
The more starts Nola stacks together like this, the more confidence the Phillies can have in handing him the ball during another postseason run. That confidence is growing.
Over his last five starts, Nola has posted a 2.51 ERA across 28 2/3 innings with 34 strikeouts. He has averaged more than five innings per outing over that stretch and has looked much more like the stabilizing arm the Phillies need behind their top three starters.
Nola handed the ball to Jonathan Bowlan in the eighth, and the inning got tense quickly.
Bowlan put two on with one out, bringing the tying run to the plate. Then Brandon Marsh scaled the wall in foul territory to take away a potential problem for the second out.
Bowlan finished the inning by striking out Conine, then screamed toward the Phillies’ dugout as he walked off the mound.
For a team trying to line up the bridge to Jhoan Duran, that has been under the microscope lately, too.
Duran handled the ninth for his 28th save, locking down a win built on exactly what Philadelphia needed.
And how about this?
The Phillies are now 12 games over .500 — for the first time in this rollercoaster of a season. They now sit 4.5 games out of first place in the National League East.
The Buffalo Sabres have brought in multiple new players this off-season. Among their newcomers is Olen Zellweger, as they acquired him from the Anaheim Ducks earlier this summer.
The Sabres' decision to bring in Zellweger is easy to understand. They traded away both Bowen Byram and Michael Kesselring this off-season and let Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley leave in free agency. With this, it makes that they are taking a chance on a promising young defensman like Zellweger.
Zellweger has shown good promise early on in his NHL career. This was again the case this past season, as he scored seven goals and set new career highs with 15 assists and 22 points in 76 games with Anaheim.
Yet, when noting that Zellweger is only entering his fourth NHL season and is still just 22 years old, there is a clear reason to believe that he can have a true breakout season for Buffalo in 2026-27. The Sabres should also offer him plenty of opportunities to succeed when looking at their current blueline.
It would not be very surprising if Zellweger's all-around game improves further this campaign. He has the potential to become a more impactful puck-moving offensive defenseman, so it will be fascinating to see what kind of season he can put together for the Sabres in 2026-27 from here.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - AUGUST 16: Kyle Schwarber #12 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates with Brandon Marsh #16 after scoring in the sixth inning during the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on Sunday, August 16, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Michael Turner/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Here are the lineups for the final game against Miami. Let’s discuss!
Draymond Green has spent 14 NBA seasons standing his ground against some of the most imposing athletes in the world.
A giant goose apparently presents a different challenge.
The Golden State Warriors star was caught completely off guard when a fan approached him from behind with a lion-head goose during his offseason tour of China.
Draymond Green jumped from his seat when a giant lion-head goose surprised him from behind during the Warriors star’s offseason tour of China.
Green was seated outdoors at a table covered with local dishes while a large crowd gathered around the NBA star. He turned around to find the enormous bird suddenly inches away from him.
“Oh s–t! No! No!” Green shouted as he jumped out of his seat and scrambled away from the table.
The crowd erupted in laughter as Green attempted to create distance between himself and the fowl visitor. Once the initial shock passed, the four-time NBA champion smiled and laughed off the unexpected encounter.
In fairness to Green, this was not an ordinary goose.
Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green shares words with Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown during the second quarter of Game 2 of the NBA Finals in San Francisco on Sunday, June 5, 2022. (ONLINE_YES) AP
The lion-head goose, also known as the Shitou goose, is native to the Chaoshan region of China’s Guangdong province. The breed can weigh between 20 and 26 pounds, making it the largest cultivated variety in China and one of the largest in the world.
The breed gets its name from the prominent knob above its bill and the loose skin beneath its throat, which combine to create an appearance resembling a lion’s mane. Lion-head geese are also known for being loud and territorial.
Draymond Green jumped from his seat when a giant lion-head goose surprised him from behind during the Warriors star’s offseason tour of China.
Green was visiting Shantou, where the breed is a prominent part of the region’s culture and cuisine. The Warriors forward has spent his tour of China meeting supporters, filming content and sampling regional food.
The 6-foot-6 forward has challenged opponents, officials and occasionally the league itself without much hesitation.
All it took to send him flying out of his seat was a fan, a sneak attack and approximately 25 pounds of goose.
One day it’s the bats carrying the Mets and another it’s a starting pitcher or the rebuilt bullpen. It’s created at least something of a murmur for a team buried in the postseason race.
“I think it’s fun for the fans, right?” Mets owner Steve Cohen said before his team’s 4-2 victory over the Padres at Citi Field on Wednesday. “It’s creating a little excitement and hopefully it will carry through to the end of the year and give us good feeling into next year.”
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This series victory was the fourth in five the Mets have played since the Aug. 3 deadline. Overall, the Mets are 11-4 over that stretch. Even so, the improved play hasn’t produced dramatic headway in the NL wild-card race, where the Mets are 10 games behind for the final spot. The Mets were 13 games behind before starting this surge.
Such is life trying to climb over seven teams, including these Padres, who are positioned for the NL’s third wild card.
What is the underlying characteristic of this recent surge?
“It feels gritty to me,” interim manager Andy Green said. “It feels like the kind of club that is trying to scratch and claw and figure out a way to win a baseball game.”
Mets pitcher Robert Stock pitches in the third inning against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, at Citi Field. Robert Sabo for NY Post
A bullpen that lost four key veterans at the trade deadline — then closer Devin Williams to the injured list — has led the charge. On this day, Jonathan Pintaro, Nate Lavender, Austin Warren and Daniel Duarte combined for 3 ²/₃ scoreless innings before Kodai Senga surrendered a run in the ninth.
“The bullpen has been phenomenal with this much turnover, to see guys step on the mound and handle tough situations again and again,” Green said. “Pintaro getting a double play ball, and Lavender coming in again with an inherited runner and getting out of it on nine pitches, which is more than he’s been throwing to get out of innings, which is crazy.”
Mets right fielder Carson Benge (3) reacts after scoring on a two-run home run in the fourth inning against the San Diego Padres at Citi Field on Wednesday, August 19, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Robert Stock gave the Mets a second straight effective abbreviated start, allowing one earned run on two hits and three walks with six strikeouts over 4 ¹/₃ innings. In his previous start, against the Nationals, the right-hander did not allow an earned run over the same length.
The Mets have entrusted a rotation spot to the 36-year-old journeyman following the trades that jettisoned Freddy Peralta and Clay Holmes.
“Hopefully, I am improving,” said Stock, who underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in spring training. “The difference between Triple-A and the big leagues is very big. It’s a different strategy. Such incredible hitters that you have to figure out things along the way and constantly make improvements, and that is something I’m continuing to try to do.”
Carson Benge’s two-run homer in the fourth produced the game’s first scoring. Benge hit a shot just inside the left field foul pole for his 11th homer this season and second within the week.
Nobody had a better homestand than Benge, who threw out four base runners from right field over a three-game stretch. The highlight was Monday, when he nailed two runners at the plate in the same inning, becoming the first outfielder in franchise history to accomplish that feat.
“I feel like I’m in a good spot,” Benge said. “I feel like I am on time with just about every pitch, seeing the ball well. It’s a good place to be.”
Mets first baseman Jared Young (29) reacts after hitting an RBI single to score third baseman Bo Bichette (19) in the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres at Citi Field on Wednesday, August 19, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Fernando Tatis stroked an RBI double in the fifth that sliced the Mets lead to 2-1. Xander Bogaerts doubled against Stock to begin the rally. Stock was removed after Tatis’ double.
The Mets added insurance in the eighth. Bo Bichette grounded into an RBI fielder’s choice and Jared Young’s single increased the lead to 4-1.
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Senga allowed one run in the ninth but earned his fourth save in as many chances since moving into the closer’s role with Williams on the IL.
“I think there’s a lot of things to kind of be excited by,” Cohen said. “The development of our young players is significant. That creates a nice foundation for next year.”
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 14: Tim Thomas, Patrick Ewing, Walt Fraizer, Bill Bradley, Stephon Marbury, Wilson Chandler, John Starks, Latrell Sprewell, Allan Houston, Kyle O'Quinn, Larry Johnson and Carmelo Anthony pose for a photo during the game between the Indiana Pacers and /ny. during Round 2 Game 5 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on May 14, 2024 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
August brings the dog days of baseball, doubly so in New York these days. Whether the Yankees win the World Series or lose every game left, Aaron Boone will be back in 2027 and likely 2037, job security even Clarence Thomas envies. Meanwhile, David Stearns’ golden sombrero of an offseason last winter won’t stop Steve Cohen from handing him the keys to another hot stove league — Stearns has yet to sexually harass someone or be found by police black-out drunk behind the wheel of his running car, so he’s still the best hire Cohen’s made (other than Buck Showalter, fired by . . . Stearns).
August also means the dog days of NBA coverage. Free agency is over and done with, unless you’re a restricted free agent, in which case *makes the sign of the cross*. It’s too early to know what training camp injury will significantly alter the league landspace. Wanna taste hate and spiteful joy rise up in your throat at the same time? Tyrese Haliburton can’t believe the NBA isn’t treating his return to action like when Magic Johnson came out of retirement. Or Michael Jordan. Or Michael Jordan again.
In honor of this month’s mailbag invite — acknowledging as always that all questions are welcome — I’d specifically like to get some questions from y’all about lists or rankings, inspired by the one and only instance I ever had of an editor at P&T telling me “no” on something.
P&T Hall of Famer Joe Flynn once put the kibosh on a f***/marry/kill question someone submitted to a mailbag. He was right to. I know there’s a lot of annoyance whenever the comment section isn’t left to grow wild and free as some metaphor for freedom of speech, but sir, this is a Wendy’s. An infinitude of more meaningful fights are out there, waiting for you to join the cause. The only thing that sucks about this job besides the criminal wages care of SB NationVoxRupert Murdoch Penske Media is comment section moderation.
Since I’m asking for rankings and lists, I’ll get the ball rolling and give you one of my own. I realized recently that after the Knicks won the title my all-time Knick starting five — players I’ve actually seen play — has changed in one position and is unresolved at another. Patrick Ewing is the constant. Jalen Brunson made it a few years ago. Carmelo Anthony is the small forward. My power forward had been Julius Randle, but I realized Karl-Anthony Towns is about to enter his third season with the Knicks. Randle played four-plus seasons in New York; between KAT’s central role in last year’s playoff orgasm and him nearing Randle in length of tenure (fingers crossed), I’m cool putting him there.
The only tough pick for me is the two-guard. John Starks was a fingertip away from making the title-winning shot, a well-rounded player who could drain, drive, dish and defend at an All-NBA level. Allan Houston was the most complete offensive player I ever saw in blue and orange until Melo, and made what was the most famous shot in pre-OG history. Latrell Sprewell joined the Knicks after a decade of smashmouth basketball and brought all of that intensity but with actual athleticism, more multi-faceted than Houston, more consistent than Starks.
Who would you go with, if you saw them all play? If you didn’t, sit and be silent, child. You might learn something from your elders. On the other hand, there was a lotta lead and asbestos back in the day. Odds are some of your elders are real fruit loops, and best left alone.
