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The Minnesota Twins have activated Byron Buxton from the injured list, bringing their All-Star outfielder back just in time for Thursday's Field of Dreams game against the Philadelphia Phillies in Dyersville, Iowa. Buxton has been sidelined with right hip impingement since July 29. Before the injury, he was enjoying another productive season, posting a .864 OPS with 25 home runs and 45 RBI. The 32-year-old earned his third All-Star selection earlier this season. Because Buxton can be added as the 27th man under a special roster exemption for the Field of Dreams Game, the Twins do not have to make a corresponding roster move until Friday. Now the question is how the Twins will deploy Buxton in his return and who will be the odd man out when they make the corresponding move tomorrow. Look for Buxton to make his return in the Field of Dreams game at 6:30pm on Netflix. What are you expecting to see from Buxton in his return? And who do you think the Twins will move off the roster Friday? Let us know in the comments. View the full article

Edward Cabrera fired five no-hit innings for Double-A Knoxville Wednesday, and is no more than a fortnight from returning to the Cubs rotation. It's more likely that he comes back after just one more rehab appearance—and possible, even, that his next outing marks his return to the active big-league roster. He only threw 64 pitches against those minor-league batters Wednesday, but it might not take much more than that to fulfill his responsibilities each time through the rotation for the Cubs down the stretch. Thanks to the aggressiveness of the front office in late June and at the trade deadline, Chicago has found its way back to the place of exceptional starting pitching depth in which they felt they stood to begin the season. Your mileage may vary, but my own depth chart for healthy (or nearly healthy) starters for the team right now reads: Kevin Gausman Matthew Boyd Clay Holmes Shota Imanaga David Peterson Cabrera Colin Rea Javier Assad They started the season with a corps equally deep, but including several different names. Gausman, Holmes and Peterson were not yet in the organization. Cade Horton, Ben Brown and Jameson Taillon were in the mix instead, with the team holding out hope that they would also get starting contributions from Justin Steele. Six weeks ago or so, however, the team was down to Boyd, Imanaga, Rea and Assad, with Horton, Taillon, Brown and Cabrera all on the injured list. Piece by piece, returns from injury and trades have taken them from having to give Jordan Wicks a last chance to hack it in the bigs to once again feeling that their rotation overflows with talented arms, even though Taillon is now gone and Brown and Steele look likely only to pitch in relief (if at all). We saw how Craig Counsell will address this superabundance of starters over the course of his first week with all the new guys stepping into their roles. After four innings from Holmes in his Cubs debut Saturday, Counsell turned to Rea for the other four frames of a loss in Kansas City. On Wednesday night, Peterson went five innings, and Assad pitched the final four. Even without Cabrera back in the frame, Assad and Rea have been moved to the bullpen, but they're not switching to leveraged short relief. Rather, they're becoming long relievers—and, in some sense, that makes them piggyback starters. In the short run, of course, Counsell will still try to get length from the likes of Gausman, Boyd and Imanaga. Only Holmes, Peterson and Cabrera will be removed proactively, rather than based on their performance and the game context. But it's easy to see where this is going. As Chicago tries to catch the Brewers and win the NL Central—and, whether they succeed in that chase or not, as they prepare for the postseason—they're trending toward a piggyback rotation. Let's talk about why and how that works. Firstly, of course, a caveat: there's no guarantee whatsoever that the team will stay healthy enough to carry out a piggyback plan for their starters. As any fan who has followed the team all season knows perfectly well, eight pitchers can become four in a hurry. It's more likely to be five or six. What's fairly unlikely is that, over the final quarter of the regular season and when October comes, the Cubs really will have eight starting-capable pitchers to whom Counsell wants to turn for multiple innings in each outing. Let's assume, though, that they spend at least some time with all eight pitchers available to them. That could be the situation as soon as early next week. In such a case, there are three main reasons to deploy starters in tandems, as piggyback partners: Gaining matchup advantages. This one is obvious. If you use tandem starters of opposite handedness or who use very different arm angles, pitch shapes or release points, you can force opponents to choose between making early changes to their lineup (locking them in and making them more prone to matchup play at the end of the game) or losing an edge in the middle innings. Thwarting familiarity. Every modern manager is aware of the times-through-the-order penalty, but they have to weigh their desire to deny batters a third look at the starter against their need to keep the bullpen fresh. Piggyback starters make that less of a concern. Counsell, for instance, can take out one half of a starting tandem after 15 or 16 batters, as soon as the right matchup opportunity presents itself. Having a plan to use the second half of the tandem for the next 15 or 16 batters should get him close to the end of the game. Using a starter an opponent won't see again in a series as a major part of the relief solution for a game also means denying batters a look at one or more short-relief arms you'll deploy later. They not only don't see any hurler three times, but don't see a reliever twice in three or four days. Limiting and managing workloads. Holmes, for instance, is still working his way back to full strength after three months on the shelf with a broken leg. Cabrera is in a similar situation. Rea tends to wear down at the ends of seasons, despite his big frame and deep arsenal. Getting maximal value from certain pitchers means preventing them from piling up too many innings and being exposed to either injury or exhaustion. Right now, the Cubs are unlikely to use Rea, Assad, Peterson or Cabrera (the latter of whom would seem to be rivals for the final spot in the starting rotation if and when all eight arms are active again) as piggybacks for Boyd, Imanaga or Gausman. Those three starters need to soak up innings as Chicago tries to keep everyone fresh, at least until their bullpen gets healthier and rosters expand to allow a 14th active pitcher come September. How best to deploy a piggyback plan depends on your needs at any given time. When September comes, however, and especially in the playoffs, all eight of these guys will be candidates for some kind of tandem plan. Picking the right pairings is vital. So, how should the team do it? Which pitchers fit best together in what would be a fairly noval usage plan for a team trying to make a deep run into October? Boyd & Cabrera: Timing Nightmares In a perfect world, you'd always have one righty and one lefty in a tandem like this. Boyd and Cabrera check that box. They also offer another layer of difficulty, though. Boyd is no true soft-tosser; he can touch 95 MPH with his fastball. But he's elite at producing mistimed swings, because he leans so heavily on a changeup and breaking balls that feature big velocity differentials from even his more typical, low-90s heater. Cabrera, by contrast, throws exceptionally hard, and even his changeup relies more on movement than on velocity gap. He's power all the way. Boyd will leave you off-balance, and often early. Cabrera will look like he's throwing 105, compared to the southpaw. That's all exacerbated, for a batter, by the fact that each hurler throws from a relatively low slot, so there's about 5 feet of horizontal difference in their release points. Imanaga & Rea: Forcing Splits Again, one lefty and one righty. This time, there's no huge difference in velocity or timing tendencies, but the differences in style and delivery are enormous. One way two pitchers can frustrate hitters' timing in successive at-bats even if their raw velocities don't differ much is by having big differences in their extension at release. Hitters don't time their swings purely to numbers on the radar gun. They see a hurler's delivery and respond to it. A fastball that plays slightly faster than its unadjusted velocity because of plus extension can prime a hitter differently than one that plays down, and if the next pitcher they see has the opposite relationship between their velo and their extension, the effect is magnified. Imanaga, with his drop-and-drive delivery and short stature, has below-average extension; Rea is above average. Statcast sees a difference between their average arm angles, but hitters see an even bigger one, because of the ways their bodies actually move. Rea would also benefit tremendously from coming in to replace Imanaga, who is likely to prompt opponents to load their lineup with right-handed batters. Gausman & Holmes: Shapes and Angles With Imanaga and Rea, we talked about how tandem starters with different relationships between actual and perceived velocity can pose problems for batters, especially if their deliveries are extremely different from one another. What about two starters who look strikingly alike to batters, and who even pitch with the same hand, but whose pitch shapes are radically different from one another? Gausman and Holmes have very similar arm slots, just above the average three-quarters slot. Holmes works from the first-base side of the rubber; Gausman works from the middle. Their deliveries are similar enough to invite a hitter to see them the same way. However, Gausman gets much more extension toward the plate than Holmes does. He uses a high-rise fastball and a great splitter, but doesn't get much value from moving anything toward the glove side. Holmes has one of the heaviest sinkers in the sport, but everything else in his arsenal moves to the glove side. They're two pitchers whom hitters will want to see as similar, but whose stuff could not move more disparately. Peterson & Assad: Grounder Guys We're back to basics here. Peterson is a lefty; Assad is a righty. Peterson has elite release extension; Assad's is merely average. Peterson throws from a standard slot at 6-foor-6; Assad is a shorter, stockier guy who throws from a much higher angle. Neither is a guy you want opponents to see three times in a game, and neither will miss many bats, but they can both keep the ball on the ground and induce weak contact. That gets even easier if an opposing lineup has to hedge against playing matchups on Peterson because Assad is lurking, or if they don't hedge and Assad thus comes in to face a lineup chock-full of right-handed batters. Though Gausman, Boyd, Imanaga, Cabrera and Holmes have each looked like legitimate front-line starters in playoff series at some point in their careers, none enter the stretch run of 2026 as that kind of pitcher. The Cubs did add to their bullpen at the deadline, too, and they'll get some important reinforcement in the days ahead for that unit, but they still don't have an elite 'A' bullpen for a playoff club. Their best bet, for the final stretch of the regular season in which they'll try to secure a bye and keep people fresh at the same time and when the postseason begins, is not to treat any of their starters as traditional aces and hand the game over to multiple one-inning relievers. It's to piggyback their bevy of strong starters and shorten games in a new way. As they've already shown, they're thinking along these lines, too. It will be fascinating to see how often they piggyback their way to wins (or even use the strategy to cushion the blow of losses) in the weeks ahead. View the full article

There must have been a spark after the trade deadline that has pushed the Jays to all of a sudden start playing like they did for large stretches last season. They are doing the little things that had been missing for much of the year. Some players left, and some new ones arrived, and somewhere in those transactions, the offense found its footing. The Jays have started to leapfrog teams. Winning does that. They are now half a game ahead of the Orioles in the East and 2.5 games ahead of the Mariners as they chase the Wild Card. The Jays have made the Red Sox look like the team they were prior to Boston’s crazy winning streak. Toronto has had multiple innings with runners on base. They are getting on, moving runners around and demonstrating some confidence at the plate. Sure, they have also squandered plenty of opportunities as well. Just to be clear, this team is not going to run the table and miraculously end up winning the division. They might very well make the playoffs, but it still isn’t going to be easy. The Jays still aren’t hitting home runs, so instead they need to cobble together runs. For a week and a bit, that is working, but can it be sustained? Through 122 games, the team owns a very modest .243 batting average, .304 on-base percentage, .377 slugging percentage and .681 OPS. There’s a reason they are where they are, but a week and a half of tightly-fought games might be moving the needle. What has been encouraging is that the recent run has not been driven by one statistical outlier or one player carrying the offense. The Jays have been winning with better at-bats, better situational hitting and a greater willingness to take what opposing pitchers are giving them. For much of the season, that has not been the case, and frustratingly so. The starting pitching, despite some hiccups with injuries, looks strong and resilient. That might help the bullpen catch its breath, but those bullpen arms have been overworked for much of the season. That reality cannot be ignored. Toronto's starting rotation has spent most of the season carrying a heavy workload while frequently receiving very little offensive support. There have been countless nights where three or four runs felt like an impossible mountain to climb. Even so, the rotation has continued to keep the club competitive and has prevented the season from completely slipping away. This next stretch of games with the Yankees and Rays will be the tipping point. Have they really turned the corner? Can the Jays' starters continue to work deep into games? Will the bats not drift back into hibernation? The season has been a constant give-and-take between other teams adjusting and the Jays not keeping pace. Every time the team appears poised to build momentum, another prolonged offensive drought follows. Series victories are slowly piling up now, and that is a change. This week, Joey Votto mentioned on social that he may have identified the issue that has plagued Vladimir Guerrero Jr. all season. According to Votto, Guerrero's movement pattern may be delaying his barrel and preventing him from consistently reaching pitches he recognizes as hittable. Vladdy seems to be a bit more relaxed since a handful of off days. He is still late on his swing more often than not, but his bat has some life. The Jays and every other MLB team are now in the period of the season where everyone is grinding. Plenty of players are playing through injuries. Some more so than others, but no team is completely healthy at this point. Toronto’s front office is working in the background to fill gaps. They have been more active than a lot of other clubs on waivers as they try to proactively address a depleted bullpen. Former Diamondbacks reliever Paul Sewald is the latest addition. He joins Matt Waldron, who has been picking up some innings lately in non-leverage situations. They don’t have the flexibility of Chase Lee, Lazaro Estrada, and Chad Dallas, who have options and can be shuffled between Buffalo and Toronto to replenish the bullpen. The Jays' recent ability to get length from their starters has quietly become one of the most important developments of the last couple of weeks. Yet, more important than the pitching is the hitting right now. The Jays' starting pitching has kept them in games all season. The bullpen has done the same. More extra base hits would certainly help the cause. Contributions from unexpected places like the bottom of the order (and new arrivals) have been the difference. That’s where success came from last season even when the big bats were firing. Now that they are still quiet-ish, those contributions are essential. There were six teams between Toronto and the final Wild Card (currently held by the Rangers) prior to the Jays going 7-3 in their last 10. Now, only four teams and 1.5 games stand in the way of realistically talking about the playoffs. The real question is what has been the spark that has made this team look so strong against the Phillies and the Red Sox. Is it the young energy from Brett Bateman or Andrés Giménez putting the ball in play? Or is it stronger at-bats and fielding from Myles Straw, Nathan Lukes and Jesús Sánchez? Even Josh Smith, despite a slow start, has contributed when called upon of late. The departure of Daulton Varsho has meant that Straw, Lukes and Sánchez have gotten more playing time. They have made the most of it. Maybe they are the spark. At the very least, they have brought energy. There has been a noticeable difference in how the lineup functions when players are consistently putting the ball in play and forcing defenses to make plays. Whatever it is, the Jays need to ride it to the finish line. They aren’t going to win them all, but they need to keep playing like they do. Every series matters now. Every game against a divisional opponent means more. Maybe Blue Jays baseball will start being as fun to watch as it was during the stretch run and into the playoffs last season. Or maybe it won’t. Here’s hoping we’re still talking about this season, instead of next year, in a couple of weeks. The next two weeks will tell us whether this is a genuine turnaround or just another brief surge in a season full of ups and downs. View the full article

Blue Jays Affiliate Overview (August 12-13) Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Series vs Worcester Red Sox (Boston Red Sox): 1-1 Season Record: 57-59 Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats Series vs Somerset Patriots (New York Yankees): 0-2 Season Record: 51-57 High-A Vancouver Canadians Series vs Tri-City Dust Devils (Los Angeles Angels): 2-0 Season Record: 51-59 Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays Series vs Tampa Tarpons (New York Yankees): 2-0 Season Record: 52-54 FCL Blue Jays: Season Complete DSL Blue Jays Blue Week Record: 0-1 Season Record: 18-32 DSL Blue Jays Red Week Record: 0-0 Season Record: 28-18 Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Season Record: 57-59 Series vs Worcester Red Sox (Boston Red Sox) August 11: Buffalo opened a new series on Tuesday, this one against the Worcester Red Sox. They would have to face a couple of the top arms that the Red Sox could throw at them, John Holobetz and Eduardo Rivera. The Bisons' bats were up for the challenge, though, and then some. Three players would collect three hits in the game, as Buffalo racked up 15 on the day. Sean Keys was trouble for Holobetz in the first inning, squaring up a 96 mph fastball that was up at the top of the zone and sending it over the right field fence with flames coming off the ball. The home run came off of Keys’ bat at 110.5 mph and went 417 feet, resulting in a three-run shot for Buffalo to open up the scoring. In the fourth inning, Holobetz's replacement, Rivera, was met with the same greeting; Rudy Martin Jr., Keys, and CJ Stubbs had RBI singles. In between their singles, Carlos Mendoza scored on an error, and Yohendrick Piñango knocked in a run on a sacrifice fly to center. The eight-run lead was enough for Buffalo to hold on to, despite Grant Rogers, Ricky Tiedemann, and Javen Coleman all giving up runs in the final five frames. The Bisons cruised to a victory, 9-6. August 12: On Wednesday, Buffalo jumped out to an early lead against Worcester. Davis Schneider singled, moved to second when Sean Keys walked, and then scored on Nick Goodwin's double to left field. Franklin Arias tied the game up at one in the third inning when he knocked in a run with an RBI groundout. From there, the game went back and forth with a hit or two in an inning, but neither team could get a runner across home plate. In the seventh, Worcester broke through and scored a run to take the lead 2-1. In the top of the eighth, Buffalo tried to even the score. They got a leadoff double by Yohendrick Piñango, a walk by Keys, then Goodwin tried to move them over with a sacrifice bunt. Instead, he popped up the bunt to the catcher, Peyton Williams popped up to third base, and Ismael Munguia struck out to end the inning and the threat. Buffalo didn't get any more chances and lost to Worcester, 2-1. Double-A New Hampshire Season Record: 51-57 Series vs Somerset Patriots (New York Yankees) August 11: New Hampshire kicked off a week-long series against the Somerset Patriots on Tuesday, and it was one to forget. Home runs from DJ Gladney and Coby Morales put the Patriots up five in the first inning. The second inning was worse for New Hampshire. Gladney homered again, and Manuel Palencia added a solo shot to put the Patriots up 11. Down 12 in the sixth inning, New Hampshire finally got on the scoreboard when Carter Cunningham hit an RBI single. That was all of the offense for the day, but on the mound, Gage Stanifer came in to pitch the seventh and eighth innings. His command was still not that smooth, but he got through both innings without giving up a run and only allowing a single and two walks. He did strike out three hitters in his appearance. New Hampshire lost this one 12-1. August 12: Nolan Perry was on the mound for the Wednesday game between New Hampshire and Somerset. He pitched well, taking the Fisher Cats into the fourth inning. He only allowed an infield single and walked three batters. The last of which would come around to score in the fourth inning after he left the game. He struck out four batters on the day and was good, but not as crisp with his command at times. New Hampshire got off to a 4-1 lead by the fifth inning, on the back of Dub Gleed, who hammered his ninth Double-A home run. Carter Cunningham and Eric Snow added RBI singles. Hedbert Perez launched a home run in the fifth before things fell off for the Fisher Cats. A grand slam and a solo home run would put the Patriots ahead for good. Daniel Guerra made his Double-A debut out of the pen, pitching the seventh and eighth innings. He struck out four and allowed one hit, a solo home run. His stuff looked really good over 27 pitches and 19 strikes. New Hampshire lost the game though, 7-4. High-A Vancouver Season Record: 51-59 Series vs Tri-City Dust Devils (Los Angeles Angels) August 11: This was a classic pitching duel, as Troy Guthrie and Zachary Redner both had scoreless starts. Redner went into the sixth inning without allowing a walk, and Guthrie pitched five no-hit innings before getting taken out in the sixth. Gilberto Batista lost the no-hitter in the sixth inning, but pitched three scoreless innings, striking out two batters and allowing four hits. In the seventh, Maddox Latta walked and was moved over to second on a sac bunt, which brought up Edward Duran, who drove in Latta with a single, but was caught heading to second on the throw home. Gable Mitchell added an insurance run with a sac fly in the eighth, and Reece Wissinger earned his second save as a Canadian to complete the shutout. JoJo Parker had his first hit as a Canadian in this game as well. August 12: Landen Maroudis had another strong start in a row, with his fifth straight start going five innings, this time only allowing a single run and striking out four. The Canadians' offense also had it going, as Richmond Hill native and former Angels prospect David Calabrese walked to start the second inning, then stole a base. Dariel Ramon was hit by a pitch, then Bryce Chance drove Calabrese in with a single. Chance stole second, then Ty Southisene walked, leading to JoJo Parker coming up with RISP, driving in his first runs as a Canadian with a 2-RBI single. Reece Fields replaced Maroudis in the sixth and pitched two innings, striking out four, but a throwing error by Southisene brought the lead within one. Franly Urena blew the save in the eighth inning, giving up a single to Ryan Nicholson to tie the game up. Jack Eshleman pitched a scoreless ninth inning, and with the game tied in the bottom of the ninth, and Chance and Southisene both walking, Jake Casey came up to the plate and blasted a homer to right field to walk it off in a 6-3 victory. Single-A Dunedin Season Record: 52-54 Series vs Tampa Tarpons (New York Yankees) August 11: Brandon Barriera had his best start since 2023, when he also went four innings pitched without allowing a hit. The talented but oft-injured lefty struck out six batters despite diminished velocity, using his wicked slider to great effectiveness. The Jays pieced together a few runs in the first four innings for an early three-run lead, and Barriera was replaced by Brayden Heidel, who was effectively wild, walking three batters but striking out as many in three innings of work. He did allow a run, but a three-run inning from the Jays in the sixth took the lead to five. Dameury Pena, received in the Jeff Hoffman trade, showed off his bat-to-ball skills, with three hits on the night. Nolan Higgins allowed two runs in the eighth inning, but the Jays were able to get those runs back as well, with Ryan Cooney hitting his first professional homer and Blaine Bullard capping it off with an RBI single as the Jays won it 8-3. August 12: The Jays offense once again kept it firing as they looked to win their fourth straight game. Power-hitting Aldo Gaxiola started it off. With the bases loaded, the third baseman cleared the bases with a 106.3 mph double to left field. Enmanuel Bonilla added another RBI double in the fourth inning for an early four-run lead. Jack Nedrow struggled after being promoted to Vancouver, but is once again pitching well in Dunedin, going five strong innings and only allowing one run in the fifth inning. Owen Carapellotti had himself a great game, as the catcher from the A’s organization homered once in the sixth inning to make it 6-1 for the Jays, and in the seventh inning, he and Ryan Cooney both homered, adding three more runs to the lead. Dameury Pena had his second three-hit game in a row, as he singled in the eighth inning to make it double digits for the Jays' offense in a dominating win. FCL Blue Jays Season Record: 38-20 Season Completed DSL Blue Jays Blue Season Record: 18-32 August 11: It was a real rough game for BJB down on the island Tuesday. They only managed to get two hits in the game, both by Michael Mesa. He had a single in the fourth, but was thrown out going to second on the play, but it did move Juan Caricote to third base. Caricote would score when the next batter, Yariel Cordero, grounded out, tying the game up at one. Trailing by a run in the sixth, Mesa's second single of the game brought in Cristopher Polanco to tie the score up at two. From there, BJB pitching would give up six runs in the bottom of the sixth, three RBI singles and then three runs from a passed ball and two wild pitches. BJB fell 8-2 in a game that was close until poor command from their pitchers did them in. DSL Blue Jays Red Season Record: 28-18 August 11: Postponed Transactions 08/12/26 Toronto Blue Jays recalled RHP Jake Bloss from Buffalo Bisons. 08/12/26 New Hampshire Fisher Cats activated 2B Adrian Pinto from the 7-day injured list. 08/12/26 OF David Calabrese assigned to Vancouver Canadians. 08/12/26 Toronto Blue Jays signed free agent OF David Calabrese to a minor league contract. 08/11/26 Toronto Blue Jays recalled RHP Chase Lee from Buffalo Bisons. 08/11/26 SS Nick Goodwin assigned to Buffalo Bisons from New Hampshire Fisher Cats. 08/11/26 RHP Austin Marozas assigned to Buffalo Bisons from New Hampshire Fisher Cats. 08/11/26 1B Peyton Williams assigned to Buffalo Bisons from Vancouver Canadians. 08/11/26 RHP Tomoya Kinjo assigned to DSL Blue Jays Red from DSL Blue Jays Blue. 08/11/26 Toronto Blue Jays sent 2B Lenyn Sosa on a rehab assignment to Dunedin Blue Jays. 08/11/26 RHP Deiker Pineda assigned to Dunedin Blue Jays from FCL Blue Jays. 08/11/26 SS Raimundo De Los Santos assigned to Dunedin Blue Jays from Vancouver Canadians. 08/11/26 SS Max Viera assigned to Vancouver Canadians from FCL Blue Jays. 08/11/26 LHP Johnny King assigned to New Hampshire Fisher Cats from Vancouver Canadians. 08/11/26 RHP Daniel Guerra assigned to New Hampshire Fisher Cats from Vancouver Canadians. 08/11/26 LHP Johnny King assigned to New Hampshire Fisher Cats from Vancouver Canadians. 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The Minnesota Twins are heading to one of baseball’s most recognizable settings this week, but the distinctive site will come with a rule change that could have a bigger impact on them than their opponent. The Twins will face the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday night at the Field of Dreams site in Dyersville, Iowa. The matchup brings plenty of attention because of the unique venue, but Minnesota will also have to adjust to playing without one of the tools it has leaned on throughout the 2026 season. Major League Baseball’s Automated Ball-Strike system will not be available for the game. That means neither team will have the opportunity to challenge ball-and-strike calls, creating a significant departure from the way games have been played throughout the regular season. For the Twins, that is more than just an interesting wrinkle. Minnesota has been one of the most aggressive teams in baseball when it comes to using the ABS challenge system. The Twins have frequently relied on their ability to challenge borderline pitches, both at the plate and behind it, to turn questionable calls into favorable ones. In fact, FanGraphs crunched the numbers and the Twins have benefited more than any other team when it comes to ABS. On the offensive side, the Twins have made 143 challenges this season, the second-most in baseball behind only the New York Mets. Luke Keaschall leads the team with 12 challenges won, but he’s also been wrong 13 times (48.0 Won%). Austin Martin is second on the team with 10 challenges won in 19 attempts (53 Won%). Trevor Larnach has only challenged 12 pitches, but his 4.4 overturns versus expected leads the team. On defense, Minnesota has been even more active. The Twins lead MLB with 189 challenges from the field and have won 115 of those challenges. Victor Caratini ranks third in baseball with 61 challenges on the defensive side with a 65.0 Won%. He also ranks fifth overall in overturns versus expected (12.6). Ryan Jeffers has gone 38-for-63 in challenges for a 60.0 Won%. That makes Thursday’s game a particularly interesting adjustment for Minnesota. Instead, Minnesota will have to live with borderline calls. That could put additional emphasis on the way the Twins approach the strike zone throughout the game. Pitchers will need to understand that they might not get a call overturned if a borderline pitch goes against them, while hitters will need to be even more disciplined when dealing with pitches near the edges of the zone. Interestingly, the Phillies aren't nearly as dependent on the challenge system. Philadelphia entered Sunday with the fewest catcher-initiated challenges in baseball at 96. J.T. Realmuto has gone 41-for-59 (69.0 Won%) and Rafael Marchan has gone 18-for-33 (55 Won%). The Phillies have also been highly successful when they do decide to challenge, ranking second in the majors in overturn rate. So, while both teams will be playing without ABS, the change could represent a much bigger adjustment for Minnesota. There is also an element of unpredictability that comes with playing at the Field of Dreams site. This isn't a typical regular-season environment, and the absence of ABS adds another variable to a game that already comes with plenty of them. MLB is giving both teams an extra position player for the contest, adding to another rule change to the game. For the Twins, though, the biggest adjustment might happen before the first pitch. They have spent an entire season taking advantage of the ABS system. Now, they'll have to play a game without it. That doesn't necessarily mean the lack of challenges will decide the outcome. But considering how frequently Minnesota has used the system (and how successful the Twins have been when doing so) it is a wrinkle worth watching closely. At a venue built around nostalgia, the Twins will get a brief return to baseball without one of the more modern additions to the game. And for a team that has embraced ABS more than almost anyone, that could make Thursday night's matchup a little more challenging (pun intended) than expected. Should Twins fans worry about there being no ABS for one game? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

After he allowed a season-high six earned runs against the Minnesota Twins in his last start, Shane Drohan knew what went wrong. "I was just too low with the slider," he said postgame. Drohan's tight gyro slider is his best pitch. FanGraphs's Stuff+ model grades it as his most dominant pitch (108 Stuff+), and big-league hitters have managed just a .215 xwOBA against it (with a 41.6% whiff rate) this year. It wasn't a useful part of his arsenal last Friday, however, because he was not nearly competitive enough with it. Sliders are usually more of a chase pitch than an in-zone pitch, because their late break occurs after the hitter has already decided to swing. But to force those chases, the slider must start in or near the bottom of the zone. Drohan wasn't doing that against the Twins. Just a quarter of his sliders were in the zone, and most of them bounced in the dirt well shy of home plate. "I was just throwing it too low," Drohan said. "It could be a couple inches higher, so out of hand it's looking like that fastball at the bottom of the zone." The Twins made him pay. Because those sliders were nowhere close, they could effectively eliminate swinging at anything around the bottom of the zone. That allowed them to focus on the top of the zone, where Drohan likes to attack with his fastballs. Of the nine hits he allowed, eight came on fastballs, and five came on heaters at or above the belt. Drohan wasn't hit as hard as his line indicated. His average exit velocity against was 78.6 mph, and only six of 18 batted balls (33.3%) were hit 95 mph or above. If anything, that's a testament to how deceptive his fastballs can be. However, those deceptive heaters usually induce plenty of swings and misses around the top of the zone. The Twins only whiffed twice each at Drohan's four-seamer and cutter. Eliminating the slider was the difference between a whiff and contact that could find the outfield grass, even if it wasn't hit hard. "They eliminated down, and the breaking ball didn't come into play," Pat Murphy said. "His slider did not come into play much, and that's been key for him." The issues with the slider have become a recurring problem for Drohan over his past few starts. Before his Twins start, he bounced plenty of uncompetitive sliders in Anaheim, but he threw enough at the bottom of the zone to work six solid innings with seven strikeouts. He even induced chases on some of those bad misses against a poor Los Angeles Angels lineup. A better offense made him pay his next time out. "They hit them hard," Murphy said. "You give up 10 hits, or whatever you gave up, that's unusual. A couple homers. He missed some spots." On the whole, Drohan is still authoring a productive rookie season. His 3.87 ERA is still above average, and his 3.50 xERA and 3.34 FIP are both a touch lower. He's one of the reasons Milwaukee's pitching staff has kept chugging along amid injuries and workload management measures. "He's throwing the ball great for us," Murphy said. "Let's not act like he hasn't been good. If you had to pick four guys from the July time frame, this guy would be one of the four in everybody's ballot who have put us in this position." As October nears, though, the Brewers will have to decide whether Drohan fits best as a back-of-the-rotation starter or a multi-inning reliever who can pitch in high-leverage situations. He has the arsenal and poise for either role and has shown flashes in both. To be the productive starter version, Drohan needs to get his slider closer to the plate more consistently. View the full article

Ethan Conrad is the Cubs' 2025 first-round draft pick, and he's 30 games into his professional baseball journey. In this video, we'll break down Conrad's approach, his remarkable hand-eye coordination, and how his trajectory can vastly improve with one key adjustment. View the full article

The Brewers' offense hasn't been firing for a while now. But the most concerning part isn't simply that they're struggling to score. It's how their approach appears to change when the pressure ramps up, and that's oddly reminiscent of the 2025 NLCS. We could look at the eighth inning, where Chad Patrick couldn't find the strike zone, or why Aaron Ashby once again was slow covering the bag after showcasing his own wild arsenal. We could look at the 10th, where Luis Lara got a pitch timer violation, and Brice Turang hesitated while trying to steal third base. Instead, the 11th inning is perhaps the best place to analyze the Brewers' recent travails under pressure. Picture the scene again. Trevor Megill just went multiple innings of work, closing out the ninth and shutting down the Manfred man in the tenth inning with the help of a wonderful catch from Garrett Mitchell. The Brewers have some momentum. To start the 11th, up steps Gary Sánchez against Adrian Morejón, one of the best relievers in baseball. Drilling a double down the left field line, Sánchez scores the runner from second, and the Brewers are now sitting with a runner on second, no outs, and a one-run lead. Sánchez took two triple-digit sinkers inside and off the plate, getting into a 2-0 count before getting something he wanted. He saw that Morejón was trying to bust him inside, so he waited for it to come back over the zone and got the bat head out early, ripping it into left field. Morejón was already showing some signs of his command deteriorating in his second inning of work, and a wild pitch got Gary Sanchez to third base with nobody out. Garrett Mitchell takes advantage, going up 3-0 in the count before working a six-pitch walk. Eventually, Mitchell would steal second base, but he showed patience and didn't over-extend himself. Then we come to David Hamilton. One of the criticisms we can have of this offense, particularly in the last two months, is how they lose their identity as hitters when they feel a big moment in the game. In this instance, scoring another run would have felt like a killer blow (and the Brewers would have approached the bottom of the inning differently with a two-run lead). Instead of waiting on the ball to come to him, Hamilton tried to snatch the glory. Morejón had already demonstrated that he couldn't reliably command the fastball, Hamilton had just watched Mitchell take three balls and walk, and the Brewers had a runner on third with nobody out. Given that context, expanding the zone twice was particularly difficult to justify. Yet expand on two straight pitches Hamilton did: Adrian Morejón follows the same script: two fastballs, too far inside and off the plate. Hamilton swings at both of them. Almost identical pitches, way in on Hamilton, and he was taking big cuts. Rather than patiently working the at-bat, working his counts, and trying to search for something he could drive, Hamilton tried to be the guy. Against a reliever like Morejón, that just won't work. Even if either of those pitches had clipped the top of the strike zone, Hamilton should not be swinging at them early in the count. He has squared up just 13% of pitches in the "up and in" quadrant, and produces a 64% ground ball rate with an average exit velocity of 65 mph in that zone, even if it did land in the strike zone. That is not the pitch Hamilton should be swinging on with the infield in and Sanchez at third base. Instead of staying patient and trusting his approach, Hamilton fell behind 0-2 and struck out on a high slider that would have looked very juicy in a 2-0 count. So up comes Joey Ortiz. He's seen Adrian Morejón throw seven of his eleven pitches outside the strike zone in this inning. Ortiz gets some leeway here as he should be looking for something up and away; that's a pitch he's done a good job of driving to the opposite field. That leeway, however, is wiped out by two things: one, he should be almost in auto-take mode on the first pitch. Two, he faced not a single pitch inside the strike zone in this entire at-bat. Morejón had thrown multiple non-competitive fastballs, and the Brewers had an advantage if they simply forced him to demonstrate he could throw strikes. Again, you don't want to hamper a hitter by saying don't swing at anything, but Ortiz should have been sitting on one very specific pitch, and taking anything that didn't resemble that pitch. None of the first four pitches Morejón threw in this at-bat would have resembled a quality pitch to hit. Morejón has the kind of elite raw stuff that makes chasing outside the zone particularly dangerous. You cannot chase a reliever of this caliber with impunity and expect to succeed. Either Hamilton or Ortiz walking would have put Morejón in an increasingly difficult position with the bases loaded, where his faltering command became even more dangerous. It would have forced an at-bat with Jackson Chourio, the one match-up the Brewers would have wanted to create. Instead, the Padres could intentionally walk Chourio and face Brice Turang against a top-tier left-hander, something Turang has struggled with all season. The Brewers offense is built on a team ethos. Pass the baton. Build pressure. Sequence good at-bats together. They're doing it in parts, but then moving away from that process when the pressure builds up, and it's costing them. What could have been an inspiring eleventh inning win turned into a gut-wrenching loss. Many will say the Brewers are fifth in runs scored this year, but it would be remiss not to mention how they've performed since the middle of June. Since June 10th, the Brewers have ranked 17th in runs scored. They've also had the joint best exit velocities in baseball during that time and an expected weighted on-base average that ranks fourth in that span. The Brewers' inability to convert opportunities is a major reason the offense has stopped producing at its earlier rate, and the deterioration has been particularly pronounced with runners in scoring position. I've showcased the splits before and after June 10th with runners in scoring position: Up to June 9th Since June 10th BA 0.280 0.227 xBA 0.255 0.220 xWOBA 0.335 0.299 Strikeout rate 19.90% 24.00% Walk rate 13.60% 10.50% The Brewers are striking out more and walking less, and it's the main reason for their dip in results with runners in scoring position. Yes, there was some fortune in their early-season production, but the last two months have been poor from both a process and expected results viewpoint too. Whatever the cause, the Brewers are showing signs that they're losing trust in the approach that got them here. It's exactly what we saw in the NLCS last year: a team forcing at-bats and suffering the results that come from that. The 2025 Brewers were built around an identifiable offensive philosophy: getting on base, avoiding strikeouts, making contact and creating pressure with a low chase rate and low strikeout rate. The NLCS exposed what happened when that philosophy disappeared against high-quality pitching, producing a historically awful .118 batting average in the series. This team is very capable of scoring runs, far more than we've seen in the last two months. There should be some optimism that they've performed as well as they have despite the malfunctioning offense, but they're going to need to find the belief in their approach soon. October baseball will not bode well without it. View the full article

The Minnesota Twins were active at the 2026 trade deadline, adding four arms to their pitching staff in an effort to strengthen a group that needed reinforcements for the stretch run. One of those additions was Dean Kremer. Of the four pitchers Minnesota brought in, Kremer may have been the easiest to overlook. He arrived in Minnesota with a 6.50 ERA across 36 innings with the Baltimore Orioles, hardly the kind of surface-level production you’re looking for from a deadline addition. Clearly, though, the Twins believed there was more to unlock. So far, they most certainly have. Through his first two starts in a Twins uniform, Kremer has allowed just two runs across 12 innings of work. He's surrendered only four hits and three walks while striking out nine, and he is coming off a dominant seven-inning performance against his former team. It would be easy to chalk that up to a small-sample-size hot streak, and there's certainly an element of that here. Two starts aren't enough to suddenly declare that Kremer has transformed into a frontline starter. But there are some legitimate changes behind the early success, and they offer a pretty good explanation for why the Twins have been able to get more out of him than the Orioles did. For one, Kremer's pitch usage has changed noticeably. Before coming to Minnesota, Kremer leaned heavily on his splitter. It accounted for roughly 30% of his arsenal with Baltimore, and it was the pitch he went to the most. That hasn't been the case through his first two starts with the Twins. Instead, Kremer has leaned on his four-seam fastball, which has accounted for roughly 37% of his pitches. Meanwhile, his splitter usage has dropped to about 21%. That might seem like a relatively minor adjustment, but it’s changed the way the rest of his arsenal plays. Kremer has also significantly reduced his usage of his sinker. He was throwing it roughly 15% of the time with the Orioles, but that number has dropped to just 6% across his two starts with Minnesota. In its place, the four-seam has become much more prominent, and it's not difficult to understand why the Twins would want him throwing it more. His four-seam is a quality pitch, particularly when he’s able to get the kind of life he's shown in these first two starts. By using it more frequently, Kremer’s giving hitters a different look while creating better opportunities for his secondary pitches to play off of it. There has also been another noticeable change, particularly in Monday night's start: Kremer's arm angle appeared to be higher than it typically has been. That may not sound like a major adjustment, but it has had a meaningful impact on the movement of his pitches. Kremer's induced vertical break was up by roughly an inch on average across his arsenal over these two starts. An extra inch doesn't sound like much, but when you're talking about a baseball and the width of a major league bat, that inch can be the difference between a hitter squaring up a pitch and swinging underneath it. And there are already some tangible results. The quality of contact Kremer has allowed in his two starts with the Twins has been extremely impressive. Opposing hitters have produced just a 34% hard-hit rate against him during that span, a strong indication that hitters haven't been consistently squaring up what he's throwing. That's especially important for a pitcher like Kremer, who isn't going to overpower hitters very often. His success is going to come from changing speeds, manipulating movement and keeping hitters from getting comfortable in the batter's box. The early results suggest he's doing exactly that. In addition to his pitch usage and arm angle, there’s been an increase in swings outside the strike zone. Kremer's chase rate for the season is around 31%, but that number has climbed to roughly 36% across his two starts with Minnesota. Much of that increase has come against his splitter and cutter, which is where the changes to his fastball become particularly important. If Kremer can consistently get his four-seam to rise through the zone, hitters have to account for that pitch when they see it. When he follows it with a cutter or splitter that works down, he can create the kind of vertical separation that leads to awkward swings. The result has been a pitcher who is getting more swings outside the zone and weaker contact when hitters do make contact. That's exactly the kind of formula the Twins were hoping they could find when they acquired him. Should anyone expect Kremer to continue throwing six innings of one-run ball every fifth day for the rest of the season? No, two starts are still just two starts, and opposing teams will eventually adjust. Kremer will have outings where his fastball doesn’t play as well, and his splitter and cutter don’t get as many chases or hitters find a way to square him up. But that doesn't mean the early results should be dismissed. The Twins didn't acquire Kremer because they expected him to suddenly become an ace. They acquired him because they saw a pitcher whose underlying traits could potentially be improved, and they've already made some adjustments that appear to be working. That's a pretty encouraging development for a team that needs as much from its pitching staff as it can get. With roughly a month and a half remaining in the regular season, Minnesota doesn't necessarily need Kremer to be perfect. They need him to be useful. If these changes allow him to consistently give the Twins quality innings while keeping hitters off balance, that could be incredibly valuable down the stretch. And for a team trying to make a playoff push, getting that kind of production from one of its more under-the-radar trade deadline additions could end up being a much bigger deal than it initially appeared. View the full article

Boston Red Sox Affiliate Recap Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Season Record: 61-50 Worcester’s pitching staff scuffled over the last two games, but they locked in for their 2-1 victory over the Buffalo Bisons (Toronto Blue Jays). The Sox were outhit in this matchup, collecting four hits to Buffalo’s eight, but they still came away with a win. The Bisons jumped on top early in the first inning with an RBI double that made it 1-0. Kristian Campbell continues to crush baseballs as of late. The former top prospect took an inside fastball for a ride, hammering it on a line at 107 MPH off the left field wall for a double. Franklin Arias went hitless but was still productive, reaching base twice with two walks and tying the game up 1-1 in the third with an RBI groundout. Not much happened for Worcester until the seventh came; Vinny Capra and Tsung-Che Cheng drew back-to-back walks, setting up Jason Delay to bring in a run with an RBI double, putting the Sox ahead 2-1. Wyatt Olds and Angel Bastardo threw shutout innings in the eighth and ninth to win it for Worcester. Journeyman pitcher John Brebbia started on the mound and held his own, not letting the game get out of hand where it easily could have in the first inning. Hobie Harris was dominant out of the bullpen, setting the tone for the rest of his teammates with three shutout one-hit innings with four strikeouts. Tyler Samaniego was awesome as well, despite him giving up three hits; every out he recorded ended with a strikeout in 1 ⅓ innings. Standout Performances: Jason Delay: 1-for-2, 2B, R, RBI, BB Hobie Harris: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 4 K Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Season Record: 57-52 This time using a bullpen game, Portland’s pitching staff scuffled once again, getting blown out 13-5 by the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (New York Mets). Out of the Sea Dogs' nine hits as a team, Ronald Rosario, Yoeilin Cespedes, Nate Baez, and Max Ferguson combined for eight of them, all recording two-hit games. Cespedes, who has been struggling through his first seven games of Double-A while also entering the game with an 0-for-20 slump, finally broke out with a multi-hit day and a solo homer in the fifth. Nelly Taylor made the game a little interesting in the fifth inning, crushing a three-run bomb to cut the deficit to 8-4, but the Rumble Ponies exploded with a massive five-run inning in the sixth to put the game away. Portland sent out five pitchers on the mound, with two of them having shutout appearances. Steven Brooks threw two shutout innings out of the bullpen, followed by Erik Rivera striking out three batters in his shutout ninth inning. High-A Greenville Drive Season Record: 48-59 Greenville completed two games on Wednesday, finishing off a suspended game due to lightning, then playing another contest right after against the Hub City Spartanburgers (Texas Rangers). Game 1 (suspended on August 11, finished on August 12) Greenville’s bats started off hot and held on just enough with a 7-6 victory against the Spartanburgers. The Drive’s runs came fast in the first inning; Luke Heyman’s single brought in two runs, and Isaiah Jackson’s three-run blast put Greenville on top 5-0. Now, the runs carried over to the following day. Justin Gonzales lined an RBI single to left field in the fourth while Antonio Anderson stayed extremely hot, roping an RBI double to left field as well, making it a 7-0 game. Hub City responded in the best way possible in the sixth, stringing together a six-run inning to put them within striking distance, 7-6. Luckily, Greenville’s bullpen locked it down the rest of the way to end it. Alex Bouchard was solid through two shutout innings with two strikeouts. Matt McShane was the lifesaver out of the bullpen for the Drive, putting the game away with two shutout innings of his own with one strikeout. Standout Performances: Antonio Anderson: 2-for-4, 2 2B, R, RBI, BB, SB Isaiah Jackson: 1-for-4, HR, R, 3 RBI Game 2 After combining for 13 hits, Greenville cooled down heavily, tallying just two hits in a 3-2 seven-inning loss to Hub City. The Spartanburgers jumped on top early in the first inning with a 1-0 lead, then Greenville responded with an Isaiah Jackson solo shot in the second, followed by Yophery Rodriguez’s RBI groundout that brought in Maximus Martin, 2-1. Things looked bright for the Drive, but that was not the case, unfortunately. A single by Gerardo Rodriguez in the third was the last hit Greenville recorded, as Hub City walked it off in the end to take a 3-2 victory. Marcus Phillips had one of his best starts of the season. Although he gave up three walks, the former Tennessee Volunteer pounded the strike zone, throwing 45 of his 63 pitches for strikes through four innings with six strikeouts and just one run allowed. Brandon Neely gave up one run in his two innings of work. Aaron Nixon was one strike away from bringing the game to extra innings, but an infield single sealed the game for Hub City. Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Season Record: 48-60 Salem bounced back from a loss and earned themselves a 10-3 victory after a late surge against the Delmarva Shorebirds (Baltimore Orioles). After Adonys Guzman scored on a wild pitch in the third, Delmarva responded with a three-run fourth inning to make it a 3-1 game. Then came Salem’s huge inning. Colton Coates led the sixth off with a walk, then Franklin Primera continued to stay on fire, roping an RBI hit down the left field line that should have been a double, but a throw to home plate forced Primera to go to third, which went down as a triple. A fielder's choice from Starlyn Nunez brought in Primera, and a pair of RBI knocks from Skylar King and Guzman put Salem on top 6-3. The RidgeYaks followed up with a four-run seventh inning to put the game out of reach. Another Coates walk and a Primera hit put two runners aboard, then Kleyver Salazar brought in a run with an RBI single. With two runners on base, Andrews Opata blasted a three-run shot to give Salem a massive 10-3 lead. The game was smooth sailing for them with the RidgeYaks taking home a victory. Christian Fouch made the start for Salem and struggled to find the strike zone, but he still made it work, giving up just one run on four walks and one hit with five strikeouts through four innings. Nicholas Justice made his season debut, allowing two runs in 1 ⅔ innings but also earning the win. Ethan Walker was dominant in his 3 ⅓ appearance out of the bullpen, punching out four batters with just one hit and one walk allowed. Standout Performances: Franklin Primera: 4-for-5, 3B, 2 R, RBI Andrews Opata: 2-for-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI View the full article

It may have only been in a mid-August minor-league game, but Christopher Morel and Eric Wagaman stuck it to one of their former organizations Wednesday night. The Miami Marlins castoffs hit back-to-back home runs in the top of the ninth inning to rally Syracuse to a 10-9 victory over the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, the Fish’s Triple-A affiliate. The jacks rescued the Mets after they blew a four-run lead in the bottom of the eighth. The Marlins signed Morel as a free agent last Dec. 18 with the idea of trying him at first base. They released him from Jacksonville’s roster on June 26. The Mets signed him to a minor-league contract five days later, and he has responded with 11 home runs in 28 games while filling a super utility role. He has now started at five different positions for them after playing right field Wednesday, adding to first base, second base, third base and left field. Miami traded Wagaman to the Minnesota Twins on Jan. 2. The Mets claimed him off waivers from Minnesota on April 27. He has appeared in 23 games with New York, seeing time at all four corners. Elsewhere in the organization: Binghamton made it nine wins in a row with a 13-5 rout of Portland. Jefferson Rojas drove in three runs, Émilien Pitre and D’Andre Smith each drove in two, and Chris Suero and Billy Amick homered. Brooklyn lost 4-3 in 11 innings at home to Jersey Shore. The Cyclones tied the game in the ninth and 10th. Daiverson Gutierrez had three hits and two RBIs. Starter Emilio Obispo threw five scoreless innings. St. Lucie lost 16-8 to Jupiter after leading 8-7. The Hammerheads scored two runs in the sixth and seven in the eighth. Aiden Robbins, the Mets’ third-round selection in this year’s MLB Draft, had two hits and drove in three runs. New York Mets Transactions No Roster Moves Syracuse Captures Wild Win In Jacksonville The Mets were down 8-7 in the ninth when Ronny Mauricio doubled with one out and Morel followed with a two-run blast to left. The next batter, Wagaman, hit a solo shot to stretch the lead to 10-8. That long ball proved to be vital. Zach Franklin gave up a home run in the bottom half to cut the advantage to 10-9. He later stranded the potential winning run at second base to record his first save with Syracuse. Wagaman had two doubles in addition to his home run. MJ Melendez and Zack Short also homered for the Mets. Joe Jacques was credited with the win despite allowing two runs (both earned), a hit and three walks in the eighth. Starter Jack Wenninger allowed three runs (two earned) on two hits, walked four and struck out eight over five innings. Chris Devenski marked his return to the Mets' organization by pitching a scoreless seventh. He signed a minor-league contract Tuesday, Player AB R H RBI BB K Nick Morabito 4 0 0 0 1 0 Ronny Mauricio 5 1 1 0 0 0 Christopher Morel 4 2 2 2 1 0 Eric Wagaman 4 3 3 2 1 0 MJ Melendez 5 1 2 3 0 1 Nick Lorusso 5 0 0 0 0 1 Jose Ramos 3 1 2 0 1 1 Shawn Ross 4 1 1 0 0 3 Zack Short 3 1 1 3 1 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jack Wenninger 5 2 3 2 4 8 1 Austin Warren 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Chris Devenski 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Dylan Ross 1/3 2 3 3 1 1 1 Joe Jacques 2/3 1 2 2 3 2 0 Zach Franklin 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 Binghamton Keeps Scoring In Bunches The Rumble Ponies scored five times each in the second and sixth as it buried the Sea Dogs. Binghamton was already up 1-0 when Suero led off the second with a homer. The other runs in the inning came on a sacrifice fly by Smith, a double by Yohairo Cuevas, a single by Pitre and a sac fly by Rojas. Portland cut the deficit to 8-4 in the fifth, but Binghamton answered in the sixth with a second five-spot. Pitre and Rojas had RBI singles, and then Amick belted a three-run homer to make it 13-4. Starter Gary Gill Hill improved to 2-0 with Binghamton thanks to that run support. He didn't need to be great, and he wasn't. He was charged with five runs (four earned) and five hits, including two home runs, over six innings. Player AB R H RBI BB K Mitch Voit 5 2 2 0 1 0 Émilien Pitre 4 1 3 2 0 0 JT Benson 2 0 1 0 0 1 Jefferson Rojas 3 2 1 3 0 0 Jacob Reimer 4 1 2 1 0 1 Chris Suero 5 1 1 1 0 3 Billy Amick 3 3 1 3 1 1 John Bay 4 1 0 0 1 2 D'Andre Smith 4 0 3 2 0 0 Yohairo Cuevas 5 2 2 1 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Gary Gill Hill 6 5 5 4 1 5 2 Carlos Guzman 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Brendan Girton 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Justin Armbruester 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 Misplays Hurt Brooklyn In Extra-Inning Loss A passed ball and two errors in the late innings led to three of Jersey Shore's runs, including the decisive run in the 11th. The Cyclones committed three errors overall. Brooklyn led 1-0 after seven. Gutierrez's single in the fifth produced the run. He drove in Ronald Hernandez, who led off the inning with a double. Jersey Shore tied the game in the eighth with the aid of a passed ball by Gutierrez. The misplay moved the runner up to second base with two out. A balk moved him to third, and then a single brought him in. The Blue Claws took the lead in the ninth on a two-out error by first baseman Chase Meggers. Brooklyn forced extras in the bottom half with a sacrifice fly by Yonatan Henriquez, scoring Aidan Smith. After the teams traded runs in the 10th --- Gutierrez doubled home Colin Houck for Brooklyn's tally --- Jersey Shore went ahead when Houck couldn't come up with a grounder with two out. Obispo, Elwis Mijares and Ryan Dollar combined for seven scoreless innings. Josh Blum, Juan Arnaud and losing pitcher Joe Scarborough were all charged with unearned runs. Player AB R H RBI BB K Sammy Stafura 5 0 0 0 0 2 Aidan Smith 4 1 1 0 1 2 John Spikerman 4 0 1 0 1 1 Ronald Hernandez 5 1 1 0 0 2 Yonatan Henriquez 4 0 0 1 0 1 Colin Houck 3 1 1 0 1 0 Daiverson Gutierrez 4 0 3 2 0 0 Eddinson Paulino 4 0 1 0 0 1 Chase Meggers 4 0 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Emilio Obispo 5 4 0 0 2 3 0 Elwis Mijares 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 Ryan Dollar 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 Josh Blum 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 Juan Arnaud 2 2 2 0 1 3 0 Joe Scarborough 1 0 1 0 2 1 0 Error Helps To Negate Big St. Lucie Rally St. Lucie wiped out a 6-0 deficit with two runs in the third, one run in the fifth, and then five runs in the sixth to take a short-lived lead. Robbins capped the outburst in the sixth with a two-out, two-run single. A bases-loaded walk to Bohan Adderley and a two-run single by Dylan Carey preceded it. But the Mets gave the lead right back in the bottom half with the aid of an error. Left fielder Kuhio Aloy dropped a fly ball with two out, and the next batter hit a two-run home run off Jose Lopez to put Jupiter ahead 9-8. The Hammerheads roughed up Brett Banks and Caden Wooster in the eighth to pull away. The Mets stole seven bases in the game. Adderley had three of the thefts, including one of home on the front end of a double steal in the fifth. Carey had two, including one on the back end of that double steal. Player AB R H RBI BB K Elian Peña 4 1 1 1 1 2 Aiden Robbins 5 0 2 3 0 2 Julio Zayas 5 0 0 0 0 2 Kuhio Aloy 4 1 0 0 1 2 Yovanny Rodriguez 3 0 0 0 1 2 Wyatt Vincent 4 1 1 0 0 1 Vladi Gomez 3 1 0 0 1 1 Bohan Adderley 3 3 1 1 1 1 Dylan Carey 4 1 2 2 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Owen Woodward 1 4 4 4 1 0 1 Jose Lopez 4 2/3 4 5 2 2 3 2 Ernesto Mercedes 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jose Guevara 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Brett Banks 1/3 5 6 6 1 0 2 Caden Wooster 2/3 2 1 1 1 1 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Jonah Tong: DNP Jack Wenninger: 5 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 8 K Ryan Clifford: DNP Elian Peña: 1-for-4, R, RBI, BB, SB, 2 K Nick Morabito: 0-for-4, BB, SB Jacob Reimer: 2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI, HBP, K Mitch Voit: 2-for-5, 2B, 2 R, BB Jonathan Santucci: DNP Zac Thornton: MLB Chris Suero: 1-for-5, HR, R, RBI, 3 K Will Watson: DNP Wandy Asigen: DNP Eli Serrano III: DNP Randy Guzman: DNP Dylan Ross: 1/3 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR Ryan Lambert: DNP Antonio Jimenez: DNP R.J. Gordon: DNP Jonathan Pintaro: MLB Marco Vargas: DNP View the full article

Chicago Cubs Transactions No Roster Moves Iowa Cubs Score Seven Over Two Innings To Edge St. Paul The Iowa Cubs trailed 3-0 through five innings, then scored seven runs over the next two and held on for a 7-6 win over St. Paul. Kevin Alcantara started the comeback with a two run homer, his 19th of the season, that brought home Owen Miller. The seventh inning delivered the rest. Justin Dean opened with a double, Greg Jones singled him home, and Ben Cowles doubled to put runners at second and third. Jordan Nwogu singled to score both Jones and Cowles, and BJ Murray followed with a two run homer, his 14th, that scored Nwogu and pushed the lead to 7-3. Alcantara added a double later in the frame and finished 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, and two RBI. Nwogu went 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBI, Miller went 2-for-4 with a double, and Murray drove in two. Iowa totaled 10 hits, four doubles, two home runs, and three walks, and left six runners on base. Braxton Garrett started and allowed one run on one hit with six walks and one strikeout over two innings. Luis Peralta allowed two runs on one hit with one walk and two strikeouts across two innings, and Hoby Milner allowed one hit and one walk over one inning without a run. Connor Noland earned the win, allowing three runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and no walks over 3 2/3 innings. Tyler Ferguson closed it out for his second save after St. Paul cut the deficit to one run Iowa Cubs Hitting Player AB R H RBI BB K BJ Murray 5 1 1 2 0 2 Owen Miller 4 1 2 0 0 0 Owen Ayers 3 0 0 0 1 2 Kevin Alcantara 4 1 2 2 0 1 Chas McCormick 4 0 0 0 0 1 Justin Dean 4 1 1 0 0 1 Greg Jones 3 1 1 1 1 2 Ben Cowles 4 1 1 0 0 0 Jordan Nwogu 3 1 2 2 1 1 Iowa Cubs Pitching Player IP H R ER BB K HR Braxton Garrett 2 1 1 1 6 1 0 Luis Peralta 2 1 2 2 1 2 0 Hoby Milner 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 Connor Noland 3 2/3 7 3 3 0 3 1 Tyler Ferguson 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 Knoxville Smokies Break Through With Four Run Seventh Against Rocket City The Knoxville Smokies collected 13 hits and pulled away late for a 7-1 win over Rocket City. Knoxville tied the game in the second inning when Dom Krupinski walked, Ariel Armas singled, and Drew Bowser singled to bring Krupinski home. Carter Trice scored on a Krupinski groundout in the fourth, and Armas singled home Trice in the sixth for a 3-1 lead. The seventh inning turned it into a rout. Bowser opened with a single and was forced at second on a Karson Simas grounder. Kane Kepley singled to move Simas to third, and Alex Ramirez doubled to score both Simas and Kepley. Miguel Useche followed with a double that scored Ramirez, and Andy Garriola singled home Useche for the fourth run of the inning. Armas led the offense with a 3-for-4 night and one RBI. Ramirez went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI, Useche went 2-for-5 with two doubles and one RBI, and Bowser went 2-for-4 with one RBI. Trice scored twice, and Kepley, leading off, singled and scored. Knoxville left eight runners on base. Connor Schultz earned the win after allowing one run on five hits with one walk and one strikeout over five innings. Shelby Miller struck out all three batters he faced over one inning. Tyler Schlaffer allowed two hits with two strikeouts over two innings and did not allow a run, and Vince Reilly struck out one over a hitless inning. The staff issued just one walk. Knoxville Smokies Hitting Player AB R H RBI BB K Kane Kepley 4 1 1 0 0 1 Alex Ramirez 5 1 2 2 0 2 Miguel Useche 5 1 2 1 0 0 Andy Garriola 4 0 1 1 0 2 Carter Trice 4 2 1 0 0 0 Dom Krupinski 3 1 1 0 1 1 Ariel Armas 4 0 3 1 0 0 Drew Bowser 4 0 2 1 0 0 Karson Simas 4 1 0 0 0 0 Knoxville Smokies Pitching Player IP H R ER BB K HR Connor Schultz 5 5 1 1 1 1 0 Shelby Miller 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 Tyler Schlaffer 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 Vince Reilly 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 South Bend Cubs Fall At Great Lakes After Six Run Sixth The South Bend Cubs managed three hits and dropped an 11-3 decision at Great Lakes. South Bend fell behind 3-0 in the first inning and did not answer until the fourth. Alexey Lumpuy was hit by a pitch, Logan Poteet doubled him to third, and Michael Hallquist walked to load the bases. Justin Stransky was hit by a pitch to force in the first run, and Kade Snell, batting leadoff, lifted a sacrifice fly to score Poteet and cut the deficit to 3-2. The sixth inning ended the competitive portion of the night. Great Lakes sent 10 batters to the plate and scored six runs on five hits, two triples among them, plus two walks, and South Bend never recovered. The last South Bend run came in the eighth, when Lumpuy walked, Stransky walked, Snell reached on catcher interference, and Angel Cepeda was hit by a pitch to force in a run. Poteet went 1-for-3 with a double, Cepeda went 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI, and Jose Escobar went 1-for-4 with a walk. Josiah Hartshorn went 0-for-4. South Bend drew seven walks and struck out nine times, and left 12 runners on base. Braylon Myers started and took the loss after allowing three runs on three hits with three walks and one strikeout over 2 1/3 innings. Jose Romero allowed two runs on two hits with two walks over one inning. Noah Edders was charged with six runs on five hits over 2/3 of an inning. Nate Williams retired all five batters he faced with two strikeouts over 1 2/3 innings, and Luis Rujano did not allow a hit over 2 1/3 innings. South Bend Cubs Hitting Player AB R H RBI BB K Kade Snell 3 0 0 1 0 1 Angel Cepeda 3 0 1 1 1 1 Josiah Hartshorn 4 0 0 0 0 0 Jose Escobar 4 0 1 0 1 1 Matt Halbach 5 0 0 0 0 1 Alexey Lumpuy 2 2 0 0 2 1 Logan Poteet 3 1 1 0 0 1 Geuri Lubo 1 0 0 0 0 1 Michael Hallquist 3 0 0 0 1 2 Justin Stransky 1 0 0 1 2 0 South Bend Cubs Pitching Player IP H R ER BB K HR Braylon Myers 2 1/3 3 3 3 3 1 0 Jose Romero 1 2 2 2 2 0 0 Nate Williams 1 2/3 0 0 0 0 2 0 Noah Edders 2/3 5 6 6 2 2 0 Luis Rujano 2 1/3 0 0 0 2 0 0 Myrtle Beach Pelicans Ride Two-Hitter Past Hill City The Myrtle Beach Pelicans held Hill City to two hits and won 3-1. Myrtle Beach scored in the first inning when Alexis Hernandez walked and came around on an Ethan Conrad double, his fifth of the season. The Pelicans added a run in the second. Eli Lovich walked, Corey Nunez singled him to second, and Ivan Cespedes singled to bring Lovich home for a 2-0 lead. The winning margin came in the fourth. Jhoander Irigoyen reached on a throwing error and took second, Lovich singled him to third, and Nunez grounded into a force out that scored Irigoyen for a 3-1 lead. Conrad went 1-for-4 with a double. Lovich went 1-for-2 with a walk, and Nunez, Cespedes, Jhoander Irigoyen, and Caden Sorrell each had a hit. The Pelicans totaled six hits, two walks, and one double, and left five runners on base. Juan Cabada, batting leadoff, went 0-for-4. Jubrayker Salaya started and allowed one unearned run on one hit with one walk and two strikeouts over three innings. Victor Zarraga earned the win after allowing no hits and no walks with two strikeouts over three innings. Julio Valdez recorded his first save, allowing one hit and one walk with two strikeouts over three innings, and no run scored against him. The staff walked two, struck out six, and did not allow an earned run. Myrtle Beach Pelicans Hitting Player AB R H RBI BB K Juan Cabada 4 0 0 0 0 1 Alexis Hernandez 3 1 0 0 1 0 Caden Sorrell 4 0 1 0 0 0 Ethan Conrad 4 0 1 0 0 1 Jhoander Irigoyen 4 1 1 0 0 0 Eli Lovich 2 1 1 0 1 1 Corey Nunez 3 0 1 1 0 0 Derniche Valdez 3 0 0 0 0 3 Ivan Cespedes 3 0 1 1 0 1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans Pitching Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jubrayker Salaya 3 1 1 0 1 2 0 Victor Zarraga 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 Julio Valdez 3 1 0 0 1 2 0 Top 20 Prospect Performances 1. Jefferson Rojas: DNP 2. Pedro Ramirez: DNP 3. Jaxon Wiggins: DNP 4. Josiah Hartshorn: 0-for-4 5. Kevin Alcantara: 2-for-4, 2B, HR, 1 K 6. Ethan Conrad: 1-for-4, 2B, 1 K 7. Kane Kepley: 1-for-4, 1 K 8. Owen Ayers: 0-for-3, 2 K 9. Jonathon Long: DNP 10. Kaleb Wing: DNP 11. James Triantos: DNP 12. Brooks Caple: DNP 13. Mason McGwire: DNP 14. Ty Southisene: DNP 15. Will Sanders: DNP 16. Juan Cabada: 0-for-4, 1 K 17. Eli Lovich: 1-for-2, 1 K 18. Ariel Armas: 3-for-4 19. Jostin Florentino: DNP 20. Grant Kipp: DNP View the full article

Let’s be clear: Jackson Merrill did not rescue his season through luck or a sudden burst of bat speed. In fact, his first-half bat speed was 71.3 mph, the same figure he's posting during his subsequent breakout. What has changed is a decision about space and timing; Merrill understood that the problem was not how fast he moved the bat, but where on the plate he was delivering the barrel. To understand the adjustment, we have to look at how the league tried to neutralize him from the start. Opposing pitchers identified a pattern and threw him a clear combination of velocity and horizontal movement. The plan was straightforward: consistently fill the middle and outer portion of the hitting zone. This first Baseball Savant heat map shows that strategy perfectly. Pitch density clustered in the heart of the plate and along the outer half. Merrill entered the zone with an average attack angle of just 6°, an overly flat swing plane. Against pitches over the middle or away from his body, that lack of lift left him with almost no margin for impact. When he made contact, the ball came off softly toward the infield or died without elevation. Against the primary five pitches he saw (sweeper, fastball, cutter, slider and sinker), the result was a costly 26.4% whiff rate, a 25.8% strikeout rate and an average exit velocity of 89.6 mph. Pitchers did not need to hide the ball from him; they simply needed to throw over the plate, knowing his mechanics would not generate much damage. With a diagnosis like that, the solution at the major-league level is not to make the swing more violent in an attempt to pull the ball. It is about syncing up. Merrill kept the structure of his swing intact but moved his contact point a few inches farther out in front of him. By getting to the ball before it traveled deeper into the zone, his rate of ideal attack angle against that same pitch combination jumped from 43.4% to 51.4%. That allowed the barrel to work on an upward path at precisely the moment of impact. This will sound like ninth grade all over again, but it really did just require a change in geometry. Merrill's new attack has dismantled the opposition’s plan. As the second graphic shows, the league has tried to respond. Pitchers began targeting the upper and outer part of the zone, trying to get the ball above his new contact plane. But those elevated pitches along the far edge were no longer finding the late bat that had defined the beginning of his season. By reaching the contact point on time and with the right amount of lift, Merrill turned pitches in that area into his primary source of extra-base damage. Against the same group of pitches that had handcuffed him early, his average exit velocity jumped to 95.1 mph, his barrel rate went from 11.2% to 23.6%, and his expected slugging percentage reached a devastating .739. Against 263 pitches of those types during the second half, he has hit six home runs, nearly matching the nine he needed more than 1,100 pitches to produce at the beginning of the season. At the highest level of baseball, an adjustment is never permanent; it is simply a window of time in which the hitter gains the upper hand. By moving his contact point farther out in the second half, Jackson Merrill neutralized the plan the league had used to contain him. Now, the pressure is back on the pitchers, who have to find a new answer. View the full article

Fangraphs loves the Minnesota Twins farm system! After the midseason update, seven Twins feature, including Walker Jenkins, Vahn Lackey, and debutants Marek Houston and Riley Quick. Is the Twins farm system in the best shape it's ever been? View the full article

Yoendrys Gómez has been one of the best additions the Minnesota Twins have made this season, and it's hard to argue with the results. Since the Twins acquired him in early May, Gómez has been nothing short of excellent. In 35 innings with Minnesota, the right-hander has posted a sparkling 1.80 ERA while becoming the team's most trusted option in the highest-leverage situations. He leads all Twins players with a 1.88 Win Probability Added (WPA) and has appeared in more high-leverage situations than any other reliever on the roster. Gómez has firmly established himself as the Twins' closer, too. Even after Minnesota added Jeff Hoffman at the trade deadline, there has been no indication that the Twins intend to move Gómez out of the ninth inning. When the Twins have a lead to protect in the ninth, Gómez is still the guy, and considering how well he has pitched, it's easy to understand why. But there are some reasons to pump the brakes on expecting Gómez to continue pitching at this level for the remainder of the season. Despite that 1.80 ERA with the Twins, Gómez's season-long ERA sits at 3.27, and his underlying numbers suggest that even that mark may be flattering. Gómez has a 5.05 expected ERA, and the enormous gap between his actual ERA and expected ERA is the 13th-largest difference in baseball, making him one of the luckiest pitchers in the majors by that measure. One of the reasons for that discrepancy is that Gómez has been remarkably effective at getting outs despite allowing some solid contact. Gómez ranks in the bottom third of the league in both hard-hit percentage and barrel percentage, which isn't exactly the profile you want to see from a pitcher who is being relied upon to consistently shut down the best hitters in the biggest moments of games. His xFIP reflects that, as it is the sixth highest in all of baseball among relievers at 5.01, suggesting that his true skill level has been significantly worse than his results would indicate. xFIP attempts to strip away some of the luck involved in a pitcher's results by removing the impact of defense and normalizing home-run rates based on fly balls allowed. When a pitcher has a 1.80 ERA but an xFIP that ranks among the worst in baseball, it's probably worth paying attention. Then there's the control, which might be the biggest concern. Gómez ranks in just the 11th percentile in walk percentage, and those free passes have gotten him into plenty of precarious situations. To his credit, he has been remarkably good at escaping them, stranding 79% of the runners who have reached base against him. The problem is that the Twins can't reasonably expect him to keep escaping those situations at that rate forever, especially with a strikeout rate that is solid, but nowhere near elite. Eventually, those walks are going to come back to bite him. There have already been some cracks, too. Gómez took the loss in extra innings against the Milwaukee Brewers over the weekend, and struggled again on Wednesday as he surrendered a home run against the Baltimore Orioles. More concerning is the recent walk problem, as Gómez has issued 10 walks over his last 12 innings. That's a lot of traffic for a pitcher who is being asked to navigate the highest-leverage situations on the roster. None of this is meant to suggest that Gómez has been a bad acquisition. Quite the opposite. He has been a slam-dunk addition for the Twins and has provided tremendous value since arriving in Minnesota. But there's a difference between appreciating what Gómez has done and expecting him to continue doing it indefinitely, especially when so many of his underlying numbers suggest that a correction is coming. The Twins should be prepared for that regression, and the good news is that they have given themselves a much better chance to withstand it. Minnesota was aggressive about adding bullpen help at the trade deadline, and the Twins now have multiple legitimate alternatives if Gómez's underlying numbers eventually catch up with his results. A.J. Minter, Jeff Hoffman and Andrew Morris are all capable of handling important innings, giving Minnesota options if Gómez needs to be moved out of the ninth inning at some point. For now, though, the Twins have been firm about keeping Gómez in the closer role, and there's no reason to change that simply because his underlying numbers aren't pretty. He's earned the opportunity to keep pitching in those situations, but the Twins also shouldn't be surprised if things get a little bumpy down the stretch. Gómez has done an outstanding job getting himself out of trouble all season, but eventually the walks, hard contact and other underlying indicators are likely to catch up with him. What do you think? Is Yoendrys Gómez due for a significant regression, or has he earned the benefit of the doubt and proven that he can continue to thrive as the Twins' closer down the stretch? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! View the full article