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Once again in 2026, I will be monitoring Miami Marlins predictions from our valued SuperSubs, Fish On First staffers and livestream guests. Individual article pages like this one will be created prior to every Marlins series and featured prominently on the FOF site. Consistent participation is key if you want to win this annual contest. Submissions only take a few seconds. Scoring system A "perfect" series is worth three points: Earn one point for predicting which team will win the upcoming series Earn one point for predicting the precise number of victories for each team Earn one point for predicting the “Series MVP” who accumulated the highest win probability added (WPA) during the series as calculated by FanGraphs (could pick a player from either team) FOF staffer Jeremiah Geiger and SuperSub David Fernandez are currently tied atop the 2026 season leaderboard, which will be updated between every Marlins series. If you are a SuperSub, leave a comment with your Prediction Time picks on this page, or join the Marlins Discord Server and submit there. We'll feature them on the upcoming Fish On First LIVE episode and track your points throughout the season! Any picks submitted prior to the first pitch of the series opener will be counted. If you are not a SuperSub, please consider signing up here to support the FOF staff. Series preview notes Probable starting pitchers: RHP Janson Junk (MIA) vs. LHP Cristopher Sánchez (PHI) on Monday TBA (MIA) vs. RHP Zack Wheeler (PHI) on Tuesday Tyler Phillps' turn in the rotation RHP Sandy Alcantara (MIA) vs. RHP Aaron Nola (PHI) on Wednesday The Marlins rank 14th in MLB with a 100 wRC+ and 10th in MLB with a 3.98 FIP. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games and have a 26-36 record on the road this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Anthony Bender (15-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), William Kempner (15-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL), Andrew Nardi (60-day IL), Robby Snelling (60-day IL) and Kyle Stowers (10-day IL). The Phillies rank 25th in MLB with a 94 wRC+ and fourth in MLB with a 3.75 FIP. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games and have a 32-30 record at home this season. The following Phillies players are on the injured list: Tanner Banks (60-day IL), Adolis García (60-day IL), Brad Keller (60-day IL), Caleb Killian (15-day IL), Rafael Marchán (10-day IL) and Johan Rojas (60-day IL). View the full article

Derlin Figueroa's walk-off three-run homer finished a doubleheader sweep for Quad Cities, where Emmanuel Reyes struck out seven, and Rob Hensey allowed no hits over four innings. Justin Johnson's grand slam carried Northwest Arkansas past Springfield behind Drew Beam. Darwin Rodriguez turned in a quality start for Columbia, but the Fireflies lost their lead late. Nolan Sailors also homered, and Jorge Alfaro went 2-for-4 with a home run for the Naturals. Omaha was postponed. Kansas City Royals Transactions Kansas City Royals sent RHP Eli Morgan outright to Omaha Storm Chasers. Justin Johnson's Grand Slam Lifts Naturals Past Springfield Northwest Arkansas trailed 3-1 through three innings in Springfield, then took the lead with one swing. Jorge Alfaro opened the fourth with a single, Sam Kulasingam followed with a single, and Daniel Vazquez loaded the bases with a bunt single. After a strikeout, Justin Johnson hit a grand slam to left-center for a 5-3 lead, his ninth home run of the season. The Naturals added an insurance run in the fifth when Javi Vaz walked, Carson Roccaforte singled, and Kulasingam lifted a sacrifice fly. Johnson finished 1-for-3 with four RBI and a walk. Alfaro went 2-for-4 with two runs and a solo home run, his 12th. Kulasingam was 1-for-3 with an RBI, and Vaz drew two walks. Northwest Arkansas collected seven hits, struck out 12 times, and left four runners on base, but four of those hits came in the fourth. Drew Beam gave the Naturals five innings, allowing seven hits and four runs, three earned, with no walks and two strikeouts, and he earned the win. Caden Monke followed with a hitless inning and two strikeouts. Tyson Guerrero struck out two in a hitless inning. Tommy Molsky allowed a run on a hit and a walk with a strikeout. Dennis Colleran Jr. worked around a hit and a walk with a strikeout for his fourth save, closing out a 6-5 win. Northwest Arkansas committed the only error of the game, and one of the four runs charged to Beam was unearned. The Naturals went 2-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left four runners on base. They are now 47-65. Player AB R H RBI BB K Luke Pelzer 5 0 0 0 0 2 Javi Vaz 2 1 0 0 2 0 Carson Roccaforte 4 0 1 0 0 1 Jorge Alfaro 4 2 2 1 0 2 Sam Kulasingam 3 1 1 1 0 1 Daniel Vazquez 3 1 1 0 1 2 Canyon Brown 4 0 0 0 0 2 Justin Johnson 3 1 1 4 1 1 Alberto Rodriguez 4 0 1 0 0 1 Totals 32 6 7 6 4 12 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Drew Beam 5 7 4 3 0 2 0 Caden Monke 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 Tyson Guerrero 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Tommy Molsky 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 Dennis Colleran Jr. 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 Totals 9 10 5 4 2 8 0 Zion Rose Forces In The Winner As River Bandits Edge Fort Wayne Quad Cities managed four hits against Fort Wayne and still found a way to win, 4-3, because the River Bandits kept taking free passes. With the game tied 3-3 and two outs, Ben North walked, Hyungchan Um walked, and Sailors walked to load the bases in the seventh. Rose then drew a walk to force in North, and the River Bandits protected the lead the rest of the way. The early runs came in pieces. Sailors struck out swinging in the first but reached on a wild pitch, and Rose brought him home with a sacrifice fly. Tyriq Kemp singled in the second and scored on North's single. Quad Cities pushed across another run in the third to lead 3-2 before Fort Wayne tied it in the fifth. The River Bandits drew eight walks, stole six bases, and left six runners on base. Rose finished 1-for-2 with two RBI and a walk. North was 1-for-3 with an RBI, a walk, and two stolen bases. Kemp went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base, Derlin Figueroa was 1-for-3 with a walk, and Um walked twice. Kendry Chourio started and gave Quad Cities three innings, allowing four hits and two runs with a walk and two strikeouts. Hensey followed with four innings without a hit, walking three and striking out three, and he earned the win. The only run charged to Hensey was unearned after he committed both of the River Bandits' errors. Aiden Jimenez closed with two innings, one hit, no walks, and two strikeouts for his third save. Player AB R H RBI BB K Nolan Sailors 3 1 0 0 1 1 Zion Rose 2 0 1 2 1 0 Derlin Figueroa 3 0 1 0 1 0 Jose Cerice 3 1 0 0 0 0 Tyriq Kemp 3 1 1 0 1 0 Erick Torres 4 0 0 0 0 0 Ben North 3 1 1 1 1 1 Hyungchan Um 1 0 0 0 2 0 Stone Russell 2 0 0 0 1 2 Totals 24 4 4 3 8 4 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Kendry Chourio 3 4 2 2 1 2 0 Rob Hensey 4 0 1 0 3 3 0 Aiden Jimenez 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 Totals 9 5 3 2 4 7 0 Figueroa's Walk-Off Homer Completes River Bandits Comeback After getting suspended on Saturday, Quad Cities did not score in Sunday's continuation until its final six outs, and then the River Bandits scored five. Trailing 2-0 in the seventh, Angel Acosta singled with two outs, and Sailors followed with a two-run home run, his fifth of the season, to tie the game. The seven-inning game moved to the eighth, where Blake Mitchell opened as the zombie runner at second base. Chris Brito walked, and Figueroa drove a line drive to right-center for a three-run home run, his 25th, ending it 5-2. Figueroa finished 2-for-3 with a double, the home run, three RBI, and a walk. Sailors was 1-for-4 with two RBI. Acosta went 1-for-1 with two walks and a run. Mitchell was 0-for-3 with a hit by pitch and scored the run that started the winning rally. Quad Cities totaled four hits, struck out 12 times, and left seven runners on base, and the River Bandits committed both errors in the game. Reyes started and gave Quad Cities five innings, allowing four hits and two runs with no walks and seven strikeouts. Both runs against him came on a run-scoring single and a sacrifice fly. Dash Albus followed with two hitless innings, no walks, and three strikeouts. Kamden Edge allowed a hit in an inning of work, stranded the automatic runner, and earned the win to move to 5-1. Player AB R H RBI BB K Nolan Sailors 4 1 1 2 0 2 Asbel Gonzalez 2 0 0 0 1 1 Blake Mitchell 3 1 0 0 0 2 Chris Brito 3 1 0 0 1 2 Derlin Figueroa 3 1 2 3 1 1 Erick Torres 3 0 0 0 0 2 Tyriq Kemp 3 0 0 0 0 1 Stone Russell 3 0 0 0 0 1 Angel Acosta 1 1 1 0 2 0 Totals 25 5 4 5 5 12 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Emmanuel Reyes 5 4 2 2 0 7 0 Dash Albus 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 Kamden Edge 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 8 5 2 2 0 10 0 Fireflies Draw 13 Walks, Then Watch A Lead Disappear At Wilson Columbia turned four hits into six runs and still lost 9-6 at Wilson. The Fireflies broke through in the second on four straight walks, the last of them to Tyson Moran, which forced in the first run. Jhonayker Ugarte grounded into a double play that brought home a second run, Daniel Lopez walked, and Henry Ramos singled to bring in two more for a 4-2 lead. Columbia loaded the bases with three more walks in the third and added a run on a ground ball. Ramos homered in the sixth for a 6-3 lead. Ramos finished 2-for-4 with the home run, two RBI, and a walk. Lopez was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk. Sean Gamble went 0-for-3 with two walks, two stolen bases, and two runs. Roni Cabrera walked three times, and Jhosmmel Zue also walked three times. Columbia drew 13 walks, struck out four times, and left eight runners on base, and the Fireflies did not commit an error. Rodriguez gave Columbia six innings, allowing seven hits and three runs with two walks and five strikeouts, a quality start. Adrian Belen then allowed three runs on two hits, including a home run, with a walk and a strikeout, and blew the save as Wilson tied it 6-6. Justin LeGuernic recorded one out and allowed three runs on two hits and two walks, taking the loss. Yeri Perez got the last two outs of the inning, walking one. The loss dropped the Fireflies to .500 at 56-56. Player AB R H RBI BB K Henry Ramos 4 1 2 2 1 0 Camden Johnson 3 0 0 0 2 2 Josh Hammond 5 0 0 0 0 0 Sean Gamble 3 2 0 0 2 1 Roni Cabrera 2 1 0 0 3 0 Jhosmmel Zue 1 1 0 0 3 0 Tyson Moran 3 0 0 1 1 1 Jhonayker Ugarte 4 0 0 0 0 0 Daniel Lopez 3 1 2 0 1 0 Totals 28 6 4 3 13 4 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Darwin Rodriguez 6 7 3 3 2 5 2 Adrian Belen 1 2 3 3 1 1 1 Justin LeGuernic 1/3 2 3 3 2 0 0 Yeri Perez 2/3 0 0 0 1 0 0 Totals 8 11 9 9 6 6 3 Top-20 Prospect Performance Kendry Chourio: 3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K David Shields: DNP Josh Hammond: 0-for-5 Blake Mitchell: 0-for-3, HBP, 2 K Sean Gamble: 0-for-3, 2 BB, 2 SB, K Ramon Ramirez: DNP Zion Rose: 1-for-2, 2 RBI, BB Asbel Gonzalez: 0-for-2, BB, HBP, K Carson Roccaforte: 1-for-4, K Taylor Rabe: DNP Yandel Ricardo: DNP Justin Lamkin: DNP Drew Beam: 5 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K Michael Lombardi: DNP Jack Slightom: DNP Felix Arronde: DNP Angeibel Gomez: DNP Ben Kudrna: DNP Steven Zobac: DNP Blake Wolters: DNP View the full article

Fish On First staffers react to the latest Miami Marlins series and prepare you for what lies ahead. Sunday's show was hosted by Ely Sussman and featured panelist Isaac Azout. The following topics were covered: A standout defensive performance by Brian Navarreto on Sunday Eury Pérez's mind-boggling homerless streak and value to the Marlins Heriberto Hernández's offense easily making up for his fielding gaffe on Friday Exclusive reporting on what the Marlins think of their Triple-A first base options Previewing and predicting the next series against the Philadelphia Phillies You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods. Our next FOF LIVE episode will be on Thursday at approximately 6:30 p.m. ET on the off day following the Marlins-Phillies series finale. View the full article

The Weekly Nutshell: The Twins need to get on a run. The past week was the latest instance of their inability to do so. It's a recurring cycle: one impressive breakout game is followed by one or two non-competitive duds to damper any momentum. The Twins have had just one winning streak of more than two games since the All-Star break, and are 1-4 following a win here in the month of August. They've lost five straight one-run games, two of them walk-offs, and have fallen to five games below .500 after getting swept at home by the Phillies. The Twins are doing enough to hang around in an undifferentiated AL field, but they're not doing enough to inspire confidence that they can rise above the pack with six weeks remaining. Can their rotation and lineup awaken before the clock strikes midnight? Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 8/10 through Sun, 8/16 *** Record Last Week: 2-4 (Overall: 60-65) Run Differential Last Week: -13 (Overall: -48) Standing: 4th Place in AL Central (6.0 GB); 1.5 games out of WC Latest Game Results Game 120 | MIN 9, BAL 5: Kremer Dominates His Former Team as Bats Break Out Kremer: 7 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 7 K Game 121 | BAL 5, MIN 2: Twins Strand 10 Runners, Ober Gives Up Three Bombs Ober: 6 IP, 5 ER, 8 H, 1 BB, 4 K, 3 HR Game 122 | MIN 7, BAL 5: Offense Keeps Punching Back in Series-Clinching Win Bell: 3-5, RBI Game 123 | PHI 7, MIN 1: Dire Showing From Offense in Dyersville, Bradley Stumbles Lewis, Clemens, Lee: 0-12, 6 K Game 124 | PHI 9, MIN 1: Prielipp Unravels in Fifth as Offense No-Shows Once Again Prielipp: 5 IP, 8 ER, 8 H, 4 BB, 6 K Game 125 | PHI 7. MIN 5: Phillies Erase Five-Run Lead to Clinch Devastating Sweep Morris: 1 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 0 K NEWS & NOTES Byron Buxton's return from the injured list could not have been much more cinematically compelling. Buxton came walking out of the cornfields in Dyersville, IA, to participate in the Field of Dreams Game on Thursday night — his first game action since July 28th following his second hip-related IL stint of the season. This time, like last, he skipped a rehab and jumped right back onto the active roster. Buxton served as 27th man for Thursday's game (a specialized rule for this event), but on Saturday the Twins designated third catcher Alex Jackson for assignment to formally make room. The front office delayed this inevitability as long as they could, fearing they'll lose the out-of-options Jackson on waivers, but no longer could hold off. We'll see if he gets claimed or makes it through within the coming days. Right-handed pitcher Taylor Rashi, himself DFA'ed a week earlier, was claimed off waivers by the Athletics. He never made an appearance in a Twins uniform, posting a 4.76 ERA in 15 appearances for the Saints. On the flip side, Minnesota added back some pitching depth by signing veteran righty Germán Márquez to a minor-league deal. He was a solid pitcher for Colorado back in the day, an All-Star in 2021, but the 31-year-old has faded in recent years. I would expect we'll see him up in the majors before the year is through, even if just as a bullpen filler arm for September. HIGHLIGHTS Dean Kremer was impressive in his first start as a Twin, tossing five innings of one-run ball in Kansas City on August 5th. But his second start and Target Field debut last Monday was nothing short of brilliant. Going against the team that had traded 10 days earlier, Kremer completely stymied the Orioles over seven innings of three-hit ball. He allowed only one run, and he didn't even really allow it — Gunnar Henderson scored on a double-steal for the lone tally. Kremer was cruising again on Sunday in his third start as a Twin, holding the Phillies scoreless through five innings, before hitting a wall in the sixth and letting four across. Despite the rocky ending, he has certainly reversed course after switching teams, allowing six runs through 17 ⅓ innings as a Twin (3.12 ERA) after allowing 16 earned runs in 14 innings in his final three starts with Baltimore. I'm hesitant to read into that too much, given the sample size and how streaky baseball players can be, but it's a great first impression, and there's reason to believe the Twins have had some influence on his turnaround. The bullpen started and ended the week on hiccups, courtesy of Travis Adams, Taylor Rogers and Andrew Morris. (And the defense, naturally.) In between they were mostly lockdown, allowing four runs in 16 innings across four contests. But only in one of those games — Wednesday's 7-5 win over Baltimore — were their efforts particularly consequential. It's a good reminder that a good bullpen doesn't do much for you when you can't build leads, which is the paradox of Minnesota's deadline upgrades. On the offensive side, Luke Keaschall is leading the way as he builds on a resurgent second half. He went 6-for-17 with a homer, two doubles and four walks. He's inching up in the batting order, now usually slotting sixth or seventh after spending much of the season near the bottom, and is making a strong case to be hitting higher yet. Keaschall entered play Sunday slashing .308/.423/.474 since the All-Star break, good for a .395 wOBA that led all Twins by 35 points and ranked 18th among all MLB hitters. Some other notable performances at the plate: Ryan Jeffers went 6-for-16 with two doubles and three RBIs. Royce Lewis was 7-for-22 with three doubles and three RBIs. Brooks Lee went 8-for-24 with a pair of doubles and a grand slam. Josh Bell came through with a big three-run homer on Monday as part of a seven-hit week. And at last, Alan Roden broke out of his funk with a three-hit game on Wednesday that included a pair of doubles. With the exception of Roden, that is basically the same select group of hitters contributing lately on offense while far too many key bats remain dormant. LOWLIGHTS It was not terribly surprising to see Bailey Ober get lit up for five earned runs on Tuesday against the Orioles, who teed off for a home run in each of the first three innings. What's surprising is that this doesn't happen more often. Ober has struggled to ramp his fastball into even the upper-80s of late, but through pure execution and guile he had managed to post a respectable 4.10 ERA with only two home runs allowed in his first five starts off the injured list. That execution was not there in his latest start, with Ober hanging several pitches that were absolutely clobbered, including a moonshot off the bat of former Twins prospect Christian Encarnacion-Strand. Ober was one of several culprits on a staff that looked downright terrible, surrendering 38 runs (all earned) on 59 hits and 22 walks across the six games. The Joe Ryan-less starting stable shows signs of falling apart as we move into the stretch run. Taj Bradley got knocked around in the Field of Dreams Game for five earned runs in four innings, his shortest outing since May. Connor Prielipp melted down in the fifth inning on Saturday, turning a 1-0 deficit into an insurmountable 8-0 by giving up three singles, three walks and a back-breaking three-run homer. It was somewhat bizarre to see him left out there flapping in the wind by manager Derek Shelton, given the stakes of the game and the mounting workload concerns for Prielipp. Shelton's slow hook for Kremer the following day also raised some eyebrows. Meanwhile, with the exception of a few standouts, the all-or-nothing Twins lineup continues to hold the team back. They had strong showings on Monday, Wednesday and Sunday, totaling 21 runs across those three contests, but were held to two or fewer in the the other three games, giving the team no real chance at a victory. Even on Sunday, when they jumped on Andrew Painter for five runs on two early swings, the Twins were not particularly effective at putting runners on and pushing them across, shutting down after the third inning. In their four losses, Minnesota's offense went 3-for-34 with runners in scoring position, stranding 36 runners on base. The penchant for clutchness that buoyed this unit in the first half of the season has largely vanished, and along with it, the team's ability to produce runs on any kind of consistent basis. The Twins entered play Sunday with the fifth-fewest runs scored in the majors since the break, after scoring the sixth-most prior. It's nice to have Buxton back but he doesn't really seem to be "back" in any meaningful sense. He is very obviously limited by rust, lingering injury effects, or some combination of both. Buxton went 1-for-12 including a three-strikeout game on Sunday, and hasn't driven in a run since July 4th. Trevor Larnach, who was one of the team's best hitters in the first half alongside Buxton, has also gone silent, though the steady stream of opposing lefty starters is limiting his opportunities somewhat. He tallied four singles and a walk in 19 plate appearances. Kody Clemens hit a solo homer on Sunday, but went 2-for-14 otherwise and is batting .149 in August. He has the lowest on-base percentage of any MLB hitter over the past two months. Ryan Kreidler is finding himself in the lineup far too often for a guy with a .438 OPS since the start of July. Neither the starting rotation nor starting lineup is warranting much confidence at all. The defense, while somewhat improved, remains prone to multiple headshake-inducing displays every game. And the bullpen showed on Sunday it's far from infallible. Tough to win when there is no concrete strength you can hang your hat on. TRENDING STORYLINE It feels like this season is slipping away away. The Twins aren't playing blatantly horrible baseball — they've been winning games here and there, avoiding prolonged losing streaks to stay within range of .500 — but they're not playing well enough to make up any ground, and the clock is ticking down as we enter the latter half of August. They've slid to six games out in the division, their biggest gap since early June, with Detroit emerging as the prime threat to Chicago in the Central. But the Twins are still technically very much alive in the crowded Wild Card mix, one of five teams that entered play on Sunday within a game of the final spot. Yes, they are "in it." At some point, though, you've got to stop looking at what's happening around you and start to look inward. Currently Minnesota is on a 78-win pace. That's not gonna do it. In order to win 83 games and finish with a winning record, which is the bare minimum for legitimacy in my opinion, they would need to 23-14 the rest of the way. That's a 100-win full-season pace. Not impossible, especially with a relatively soft remaining schedule, but the Twins have shown no real capability to play at that level over any sustained period of time, and lately they've simply looked like a bad team. If they're going to make the push required, they're going to need to put it all on the line. With the trade deadline in the rearview, there aren't a whole lot of levers the front office can still pull, but two options stick out in Triple-A. One is Kendry Rojas. He's one of the most electric arms in the organization and there's seemingly little reason to have him stashed at Triple-A while the season hangs on the brink. The left-hander has been lights-out since returning to the Saints, with a 0.82 ERA and 11-to-2 K/BB ratio in 11 innings. He started twice against the Iowa Cubs this past week (Tuesday and Saturday) and allowed just one run on a solo homer. Rojas is being somewhat stretched out to start, although the Twins don't seem inclined to push him much past the 50-pitch range. That's fine, they can find a role for him in that capacity. He's far from a lock to come up and dominate — we've seen how the control can come and go — but the Twins staff could desperately use some juice with Ryan sidelined, Prielipp wearing down and Zebby Matthews looking thoroughly mediocre. On the hitting side, you have Walker Jenkins. He's a consensus top-20 prospect in baseball, and by nearly every account, he's showing readiness to take the next step. His recent stats help make the case; Jenkins has an OPS over .900 since coming off the injured list in late June, and his past week was another impressive one: 7-for-17 with a home run, a double, three walks and two steals. You can't simply expect that an untested rookie is going to come up and be a heroic world-beater — Kaelen Culpepper's slowish start is a good prompt to temper expectations — but Jenkins has the tools and makeup to hit the ground running. He represents one of the few clear advantages the Twins have compared to other contenders running alongside them in the postseason race. Very few teams have a prospect with this kind of upside and potential impact sitting in Triple-A, ready to go. There's open room on the 40-man roster with the Jackson DFA. (Kyler Fedko, out for the season with a knee injury, can also easily be shifted to the 60-day IL.) So that's not an issue. Finding room for Jenkins in the lineup regularly isn't necessarily quite as straightforward with Buxton back in the mix, but it's also not rocket science. Use Buxton at DH frequently. Strongly deprioritize Roden. Shift Keaschall back to second base on occasion. Do what it takes to get one of most dynamic talents in your organization on the field with everything on the line. The more the Twins wait, the more unserious their aspirations for postseason contention come to look. LOOKING AHEAD The Twins have faced three National League contenders since the All-Star break. They've lost all three of those series, dropping two of three against Cubs and Brewers before getting swept by the Phillies. With two more matchups against playoff-minded NL clubs ahead, can Minnesota finally get over the hump and put together a winning week? They desperately need it to set themselves up for the season-defining stretch that follows: three games against the last-place Athletics followed by 15 straight against the three other teams in the AL Central race: Chicago (6), Detroit (6), Cleveland (3). MONDAY, AUGUST 17: BRAVES @ TWINS — LHP Martin Perez v. RHP Bailey Ober TUESDAY, AUGUST 18: BRAVES @ TWINS —RHP Tyler Mahle v. RHP Zebby Matthews WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19: BRAVES @ TWINS — LHP Chris Sale v. RHP Taj Bradley FRIDAY, AUGUST 21: TWINS @ PADRES — LHP Connor Prielipp v. RHP Randy Vasquez SATURDAY, AUGUST 22: TWINS @ PADRES — RHP Dean Kremer v. RHP Casey Mize SUNDAY, AUGUST 23: TWINS @ PADRES — RHP Bailey Ober v. RHP Walker Buehler View the full article

Mirroring his club, Eury Pérez's 2026 campaign has been one of extreme highs and lows. Slotted as the Miami Marlins' number two arm entering the season, Pérez was initially one of the weak links in their rotation. The byproduct of too many free passes and barreled balls allowed, the 23-year-old carried an ERA of 5.33 through 10 appearances. After a five-run outing in Tampa on May 17, Pérez cried due to extreme frustration, as he recently admitted to the media. Not only did the breakdown serve as a reset of the youngster's mindset—conditioning him to "enjoy" his starts regardless of their outcome—but also his approach on the mound. Since that humbling low point, it's been a complete 180 for the rising phenom dubbed "Baby Goat." Pérez shined yet again in Sunday's rubber match in the notorious hitter-friendly confines of Great American Ball Park, tossing six shutout innings against the Cincinnati Reds in an eventual 7-1 victory. Pérez's 1.80 ERA from May 18 onward is fourth-best in the majors among pitchers to log at least 60 innings. A revamped pitch mix has been the catalyst. To say Pérez has heavily relied on his fastball and slider in the past would be an understatement. Looking at the ten-start sample earlier this season, Pérez threw the two offerings a combined 78% of the time. Neither of them were performing as well as their raw pitch characteristics suggested they should. The solution? A sinker. It induces fewer whiffs than his other weapons, but Pérez can locate it consistently to his arm side. The movement on it reliably gets opponents to swing over the top of it and hit harmless ground balls. Though counterintuitive, limiting the usage of his four-seam and slider has made them so much better. The same four-seam that was predictable and unusually average has a value of 11.1 runs above average since, per Statcast, third-best in all of baseball. The same slider that was a beach ball to hitters for the first few weeks of the season now sits tenth-best at 6.6 runs above average. Pérez's dangerously elevated walk percentage and average launch angle have trended to upper-middle of the pack among qualified starters. Relatedly, perhaps most notable of all has been his ability to keep the ball in the yard. Truthfully, Pérez was not at his best on Sunday. He allowed baserunners in all but one of his innings. When that's the case, opponents will look to exploit his slow delivery—Pérez leads MLB with 25 stolen bases allowed. Against the Reds, though, he was just quick enough to the plate to give catcher Brian Navarreto a fighting chance. They teamed up to nab two runners, including the lightning-quick Elly De La Cruz. Zooming out, Pérez's numbers are extremely comparable to his exceptional rookie year. While both the 2023 and 2026 Marlins are contending, the training wheels are now removed. Rather than worrying about an inevitable early shutdown, the team is confidently testing his limits—he has reached 100 pitches in three of his last five outings while sustaining elite velocity. Even this deep into his MLB career, Pérez is one of the youngest starters in the big leagues. He might not fully reach his peak for another half-decade, but the Marlins are getting a glimpse of his upside at the perfect time. Along with his mentor, Sandy Alcantara, Pérez is carrying an inexperienced roster with a short-handed rotation to a winning record far ahead of schedule. View the full article

Weekly Snapshot: Record Last Week: 3-4 (Overall: 77-48) Runs Scored Last Week: 22 Runs Surrendered Last Week: 28 Standing: 1st in NL Central *** Game 119 (8/10) | SD 3, MIL 2 Game 120 (8/11) | SD 11, MIL 1 Game 121 (8/12) | SD 4, MIL 3 Game 122 (8/13) | MIL 5, LAD 4 Game 123 (8/14) | LAD 3, MIL 1 Game 124 (8/15) | MIL 4, LAD 1 Game 125 (8/16) | MIL 6, LAD 2 *** Game 119 | Padres 3, Brewers 2 MIL Starter: Logan Henderson (6.1 IP, 5 H, BB, 3 ER, 7 K) Top Performers: Christian Yelich (H, HR, 2 RBI) The Brewers kicked off their week having to swallow a tough loss at the hands of the Padres, as Logan Henderson pitched into the 7th inning in an attempt to save a tired bullpen, only to surrender a 2-run home run off the bat of Jackson Merrill, flipping what was a 2-1 Brewers lead into a 3-2 deficit. It was a score that held, as San Diego quieted the Brewers' offense the rest of the way and captured game one. Christian Yelich goes deep (+17.7 WP%) Game 120 | Padres 11, Brewers 2 MIL Starter: Kyle Harrison (4.2 IP, 10 H, 3 BB, 8 ER, 3 K) Top Performers: Andrew Vaughn (2 H, 2B) It got ugly on Tuesday, with Kyle Harrison struggling to find any kind of success against the Padres' bats while the Brewers were unable to pick on Walker Buehler, who turned in one of his finest outings of the season. The only highlight was Gary Sánchez, as he was the only Brewers pitcher to record a scoreless inning. Sánchez toes the slab Game 121 | Padres 4, Brewers 3 MIL Starter: Dustin May (7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, ER, 6 K) Top Performers: Gary Sánchez (2 H, BB, 2B, HR, 2 RBI) Joey Ortiz (H, 2 BB) Trevor Megill (1.2 IP, 0 H, BB, 0 ER) The Padres added to the Misery by completing the sweep in a heartbreaker on Wednesday. It was a game that saw Dustin May pitch very well, allowing only 1 run in his seven innings of work, but the Brewers' offense was unable to hold a small lead late once again, and eventually, they fell behind in the 11th inning with Antonio Senzatela on the mound. Sánchez puts the Brewers in front (+23.8 WP%) Game 122 | Brewers 5, Dodgers 4 MIL Starter: Shane Drohan (5.1 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 3 ER, 5 K) Top Performers: Joey Ortiz (2 H, BB, RBI) Andrew Vaughn (2 H, 2 BB) D.L. Hall (2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 3 K) Shifting over to Los Angeles, the Brewers picked up their first win of the week over the Dodgers. Shane Drohan pitched well, better than his 3-run line may indicate, while the Brewers' offense struggled through the first eight innings of the game to get anything going off of Roki Sasaki and the Dodgers' bullpen. It all changed in the 9th, as the Brewers were all over Edwin Díaz, scoring 3 runs to flip the scoreboard and hand the ball to Trevor Megill with the lead. Milwaukee mounts a 9th-inning comeback Game 123 | Dodgers 3, Brewers 1 MIL Starter: Robert Gasser (6.1 IP, 8 H, BB, 3 ER, 2 K) Top Performers: Bryse Wilson (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 3 K) Joey Ortiz (H, 2B, RBI) The week’s offensive woes continued against Yoshinobu Yamamoto in game two, as behind their best arm, the Dodgers evened the series with a 3-1 win on Friday despite another shaky outing from Edwin Díaz in the 9th. Game 124 | Brewers 4, Dodgers 1 MIL Starter: Jacob Misiorowski (6.0 IP, 5 H, BB, ER, 6 K) Top Performers: Joey Ortiz (H, HR, 2 RBI) William Contreras (2 H, HR, 2 RBI) Aaron Ashby (2.0 IP, 0 H, BB, 0 ER, 2 K, SV) The Brewers punched back behind their ace to start the weekend, as Jacob Misiorowski maneuvered through the Dodgers' lineup without his best strikeout stuff, while the Brewers used the long ball to get through Justin Wrobleski on the offensive side, setting up a season-series decider on Sunday. William Contreras’ 2-run homer (+19.5 WP%) Game 125 | Brewers 6, Dodgers 2 MIL Starter: Logan Henderson (7.0 IP, 3 H, BB, ER, 6 K) Top Performers: Jake Bauers (4 H, BB, 2B, 2 RBI) Jackson Chourio (3 H, 2 2B) Andrew Vaughn (2 H, RBI) Behind Logan Henderson, the Brewers claimed the season series over the reigning champs, as the Brewers righty turned in the longest start of his career, doing what he couldn't earlier in the week and completing seven innings. With the bats, it was the Jake Bauers show, as he continued his resurgent season by recording his first 4-hit day since 2019. Jake Rakes Transactions: 08/15/26 - Designated IF Jihwan Bae for assignment. 08/15/26 - Acquired IF Jonathan Ornelas from Athletics for cash. 08/14/26 - Placed RHP Abner Uribe on the 15-day injured list with a right forearm flexor strain. (Retroactive to August 11, 2026) 08/14/26 - Signed free agent RHP Lyon Richardson to a minor league contract. 08/14/26 - Recalled RHP Grant Anderson from AAA Nashville. 08/11/26 - Signed free agent RHP Bryse Wilson. 08/11/26 - Designated RHP Lyon Richardson for assignment. 08/11/26 - LHP Drew Rom was claimed off waivers by the Athletics. Looking Ahead: Tuesday, 8/18 - Mariners @ Brewers - 6:40 PM CDT Wednesday, 8/19 - Mariners @ Brewers - 6:40 PM CDT Thursday, 8/20 - Mariners @ Brewers - 1:10 PM CDT Friday, 8/21 - Braves @ Brewers - 3:10 PM CDT Saturday, 8/22 - Braves @ Brewers - 1:10 PM CDT Sunday, 8/23 - Braves @ Brewers - 6:10 PM CDT View the full article

Box Score: Starting Pitcher: Dean Kremer 5 1/3 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 6 K (89 Pitches, 52 Strikes, 58.4%) Home Runs: Brooks Lee (18), Kody Clemens (21) Bottom 3 WPA: Andrew Morris (-0.58), Byron Buxton (-0.19), Ryan Jeffers (-0.11) Win Probability Chart (Via BaseballSavant): For the eighth or ninth time, the Twins' season is on life support. After creeping above .500 with a win in Seattle, the team has gone 4-9, which hasn't impacted their place in the standings as much as it should, but has made winning 82-84 games a lot trickier. Perhaps no team out of the Twins, Detroit, Texas, Cleveland or Toronto ends up with a .500 record, but betting on that seems a risky proposition as non-contending teams start to phone in the rest of the season. The Phillies dominated the first two games of the series, despite not starting Zack Wheeler or Cristopher Sánchez. The weakness of the team is their reliance on the struggling Aaron Nola (who shoved in the Field of Dreams game) and Sunday's starter, Andrew Painter, both with ERAs well north of 5.00. It appeared that Painter might wriggle out of trouble in the first inning. He walked Trevor Larnach on four pitches, then fell behind Byron Buxton, but he induced a double-play grounder from the highly compromised Buxton. Fortunately, Josh Bell and Kody Clemens singled and Royce Lewis walked, bringing up Brooks Lee with the bases juiced. He nearly homered on a sweeper but was a hair out front. He then got a harder slider on 1-2 and smashed it into the right-field overhang for a grand slam. Dean Kremer started for the Twins, and his afternoon started with Kyle Schwarber launching a 3-1 fastball off the wall in right-center field for a double. But Kremer settled in (despite falling behind a lot of hitters early), retiring Bryson Stott and Bryce Harper on weak flyouts before Luis Arraez lined out to Clemens at second base for the third out. Kremer mixed his pitches well, giving roughly equal time to each of his five pitches while staying out of the middle of the zone. He got through the first four innings with 56 pitches, four strikeouts and just two hits allowed. Perhaps jealous of Lee (they tend to homer in the same games for some reason), Clemens homered in the third, a no-doubter to the pavilion in right field off a fat fastball from Painter. He has hit .106 since his historic game-winning grand slam against Kansas City, so it was good to see him square up the ball and get rewarded. The Phillies staged a rally in the sixth. Schwarber led off with a walk. Stott singled, and Harper drew another walk. Arraez dribbled a ball to second to score the Phillies' first run, but Clemens did convert the first out of the inning. Alas, Alec Bohm then tomahawked a splitter at the top of the zone for a three-run homer to trim the Twins' lead to one. That spelled the end of the day for Kremer, with Kody Funderburk coming on to record the final two outs of the inning. The teams traded zeroes for a spell, but with Andrew Morris on the bump in the eighth, the Phillies got to work. With one out, Harper singled. Arraez laced a ball to deep left that bounced off of Austin Martin's glove. A fan touched the ball, so it was ruled a ground-rule double, but Martin appeared to hurt himself on the play and had to leave the game with what the team called a left hamstring strain. Bohm then blooped a ball to shallow right field. It landed between Lewis and Keaschall, allowing Harper to tie the game. The Twins elected to walk Brandon Marsh to bring up the struggling J.T. Realmuto with the bases loaded; the game (and perhaps the season) on the line. Morris got him to pop up on a 3-2 pitch, but Bryan De La Cruz slapped a single the opposite way to score two runs. The Twins had the tying run on in their half of the eighth, and Brooks Lee served a ball up the middle that Stott made a diving stop on. He flipped to second, where Lewis was possibly safe, but he overran the bag and was tagged out trying to scamper back, a crucial baserunning blunder with the hot-hitting Keaschall due up next. Facing dear old friend Jhoan Duran in the ninth, Caratini drew a one-out walk, and Kaelen Culpepper worked a great at-bat before singling on the ninth pitch to bring up Ryan Jeffers. Jeffers struck out after being ahead 3-0, and Buxton predictably struck out to end the game. He's just not himself right now. Stuff I'm Tracking: Buxton looks rough, grounding into a rare (for him) double play despite being ahead in the count in the first; striking out on a ball at his eyes in the third; and swinging through a slider with runners on the corners in the fourth. He would later ground out weakly before his game-ending K in the ninth. The Twins couldn't get Painter included in the Jhoan Duran trade last year, opting for Mick Abel instead. Of course, Abel is hurt, but Painter looks more like a bullpen weapon at this point of his career, as he has allowed an .835 OPS against in his big-league career thus far. Victor Caratini has become a problem. His at-bats are non-competitive and he wasted both ABS challenges in the sixth in this one. Alex Jackson is now on the waiver wire, and I feel like he would be more productive as the backup catcher at this point. But Jackson has less of a track record, and the Twins owe Caratini $7 million next year with Jeffers (presumably) signing elsewhere. I sure hope Vahn Lackey develops quickly. What’s Next: The Twins welcome the Atlanta Braves to Target Field for a three-game set. Bailey Ober (7-4, 4.64 ERA) opposes Martín Pérez (8-6, 2.96 ERA) in a must-win series against a formidable National League opponent. Pérez hasn't allowed a run since July, as he continues to oscillate between being a borderline All-Star and being out of the league. Ober has animorphed into Chris Young, and we'll just have to continue seeing how that goes. Postgame Interviews: Coming soon Bullpen Usage Chart: WED THU FRI SAT SUN TOT Morris 18 0 0 23 28 69 Adams 0 42 0 0 0 42 Hoffman 24 0 0 17 0 41 Minter 9 0 0 12 14 35 Rogers 0 10 0 0 16 26 Funderburk 0 0 0 16 4 20 Nance 0 16 0 0 0 16 Gomez 11 0 0 0 0 11 View the full article

It might seem too early to think about the offseason, but in Milwaukee’s case, it may be time to at least make a plan, no matter what happens in October. In this case, it’s time for the Brewers to consider whether it's time to “flip” some of their assets. This might seem cold-blooded, but with a lot of talent forcing their way up, the Brewers may want to figure out how to secure solid returns—and planning for the moves is far preferable to a rushed deal on the fly. So, whom might Milwaukee want to move? Here are some of the most likely candidates. RHP Grant Anderson Anderson’s been a mainstay of the Brewers’ bullpen since coming over in the 2024-2025 offseason. Yet, his time may be running short. He was optioned to Triple-A Nashville when Kyle Harrison returned from the injured list, though he returned after Abner Uribe went on the shelf this weekend. In the long run, Anderson’s best contribution to Milwaukee may be to be dealt for some prospects to recharge a farm system after the most recent flurry of deals. The trade value of middle relievers is always relatively low, but finding an interested suitor this winter shouldn't be a problem. While Anderson is maybe the fifth choice out of the Brewers bullpen (behind Trevor Megill, Uribe, Chad Patrick, and Aaron Ashby), he would probably rank higher in 20 or so other relief units. Meanwhile, the Brewers could be shifting to more multi-inning firemen out of the bullpen, given the wealth of potential starters in the system. If nothing else, they should be able to find the next Anderson relatively reliably; getting even a bit of value from him would help the team keep its perpetual-motion development machine going. LHP Aaron Ashby It’s not that Ashby hasn’t been valuable. He’s a multi-inning fireman who leads the National League in wins. In fact, one could say the Brewers, to date, have gotten a good return on their long-term extension. But the dollars are about to get bigger, and the chances of Ashby being healthy and productive are trending (if anything) the other way. If both of the club options are exercised, Ashby's contract will earn him $29.5 million over the next three seasons. He’s been very good in the bullpen, but should the Brewers be paying a reliever almost $10 million a season? Even the $7.5 million he'll make in 2027 is more than the team is paying all but four players this year. The Brewers dealt Josh Hader, an all-time great closer, when he was picking up $11 million in 2022. Let’s face it: the Brewers aren’t the Dodgers or Yankees, and Ashby has more value to a team whose payroll leaves more room to breathe. Unless the team thinks they can convert him back to a starter, they should snap up a high-end prospect for him this winter. IF Joey Ortiz Ortiz has rebounded, after struggling at the plate for a season and a half as the Brewers’ regular starter at shortstop. Since the All-Star break, he's batting .340/.416/.660, albeit in just 58 plate appearances. This is good for him and the Brewers, since the team has been bitten hard by the infield injury bug lately. It doesn't necessarily mean he's back in the middle of their long-term plans, though. Every winter, several teams hunt for a solid shortstop, third baseman, or utility player, and the Brewers may want to flip Ortiz if they find that the prospective returns reflect that demand—particularly with Andrew Fischer and Luke Adams knocking at the door. This offseason may be their best chance. OF Garrett Mitchell Garrett Mitchell has been a great player when he’s on the field. This year, for the first time in what feels like forever, he's actually been on the field, and the results have held up better than many feared. As is true of Ortiz, though, Mitchell faces competition for long-term playing time from multiple players in whom the organization has invested more. Luis Lara, a natural center fielder, signed a team-friendly contract extension this season and is currently filling in for the injured Sal Frelick in right field. Jackson Chourio inked a historic extension and is holding down left field. So, what happens to Mitchell? The team’s likely to eye one of Josh Adamczewski, Luis Pena, and Braylon Payne as a potential long-term fit in the outfield. Mitchell could well be on the market, as his salary begins to rise steeply via arbitration. 1B Andrew Vaughn Could Vaughn be on the block, despite his resurgence with the Brewers? The team is facing some roster churn, with Jake Bauers set to be a free agent after 2026. They may elect to clear space for Blake Burke, Fischer, and/or Adams by also moving Vaughn. Bauers’s ascension this year has led the Brewers to put Vaughn at third for a few games, which could add trade value if he proves competent there. Still, Vaughn will command a salary pushing toward eight figures via arbitration this winter. The Brewers may elect to let someone else pay that and get deeper in the minors, especially with potent power bats on their way up. World football offers a good parallel for this situation. When non-elite clubs have great seasons in soccer, they still have to head into transfer windows between campaigns ready to sell some of their players. That frees up money to bring in more depth and bet on younger players, which can keep those teams competitive with unexpected consistency. The Brewers will have to do some of that this winter, but they'll still be hoping to keep their winning ways going in 2027 and beyond. Do you think the Brewers should start flipping players in the offseason? Let us know in the comments below! View the full article

The only good thing about injuries is that, eventually, a player returns to good health. And so it is with right-hander Edward Cabrera, who was activated off the 15-day injured list and will start Sunday's game for the Chicago Cubs. Right-hander Javier Assad was optioned back to Triple-A Iowa. Cabrera, who will face the St. Louis Cardinals in Sunday's series finale, has been out since June 24 with a strained left hamstring, his second stay on the IL this year following a brief blister issue on his right middle finger a month prior. His first year with the Cubs has not gone swimmingly as he has posted a 5.05 FIP (5.10 ERA) with walk and strikeout rates of 9.4% and 21%, respectively. He was a big offseason addition following a trade with the Miami Marlins, but returns in time for the most crucial part of the regular season after making three minor-league rehab starts. Assad has been a valuable swingman for the pitching staff, able to start or relieve. While bouncing between the majors and Triple-A, Assad has appeared in 21 games, including 10 starts, and put up a 5.09 FIP (3.59 ERA) with a 6.5% walk rate and 16.5% strikeout rate. View the full article

Xander Bogaerts is having the worst offensive season of his career. At 33 years old, he is hitting .221/.316/.324 with an 85 wRC+ for the San Diego Padres. Those are the lowest outputs among his full seasons since he posted an 81 wRC+ and 0.1 fWAR in 2014, his first season as a starter with the Red Sox. However, there is a question that sounds more interesting than why he's got such a low average: How can a hitter maintain one of the best disciplines in the league and, at the same time, become a much less productive version of himself? When exploring Bogaerts’ profile, it is clear that the reason for his inconsistency is not his plate discipline. His O-Swing% of 23.1% ranks in the 89th percentile of MLB. His BB% increased from 8.2% in 2025 to 11.9% this year, and his swing rate has barely changed, from 41.9% to 41.7%. Bogaerts is still generating hard contact, but that contact is no longer producing the same value. His 39.8% Hard-Hit rate does not support the offensive decline, as that's his best mark since 2021 (43.0%). However, the expected averages bring us much closer to the root of the collapse. His .247 xBA and .374 xSLG this year are his worst marks since 2017, when he had also posted the lowest levels of his career up to that point. Once we break down those expected averages, we get to where we wanted to be. And, to answer your biggest question, no fastballs have not been the culprits stopping Bogaerts’ swing. His hands are still skilled at attacking velocity on time and producing quality at-bats. Against fastballs, he is averaging a .442 xSLG, the highest of his career since 2021. He has produced a .395 xwOBA, .518 xSLG and 46.3% Hard-Hit% against the four-seam. His Whiff% against fastballs is just 13.6%. The challenge he has not been able to solve appears when pitchers mix breaking pitches and off-speed pitches. During his last four years with the Red Sox, when Bogaerts built a profile that made him one of the most complete shortstops in MLB, you could still see the gap between his ability to destroy fastballs and the breakdowns that appeared against the rest of the pitches. When he arrived in San Diego in 2023, that profile improved significantly, but since then Bogaerts has not been able to sustain it. By comparing his performance across these three periods, we can see where the inconsistencies that have now reached a concerning point began to appear: Xander Bogaerts vs. Breaking & Off-speed Pitches PERIOD Pitch% PA BABIP xwOBA xBA xSLG Swing-miss% Barrel/BBE% 2019-2022 43.3 885 .318 .298 .229 .364 32.8 6.8 2023-2026 44.6 889 .302 .287 .233 .352 30.0 5.5 2026 45 181 .234 .251 .200 .275 34.2 3.5 As you already know, the period between 2019 and 2022 covers Bogaerts’ final four years in Boston. The next one covers his first four years in San Diego, and then we have 2026. The most concerning decline appears in everything related to offensive production, especially in xwOBA and xSLG, while BABIP has also fallen considerably. But expected stats aren't enough. So I made sure to go a little deeper. I explored how Bogaerts’ swing impacted every part of the strike zone, and it is evident that his production was much more complete during his final four seasons in Boston. xwOBA 2019-2022 vs. Breaking & Off-speed Pitches xwOBA 2023-2026 vs. Breaking & Off-speed Pitches In Boston, he had just one weak point inside the strike zone: a .241 xwOBA in the lower corner, curiously the same mark he has had during this stretch with the Padres. Most of the notable differences appear in what he stopped producing with his swing against pitches down in the zone. And that is where the 2026 chart changes the story. This year, Bogaerts has been able to produce above-average results in only one quadrant inside the strike zone and, surprisingly, it's when he reaches for pitches high outside of it. If you have followed Bogaerts for some time, you know that he loves to swing at the first pitch. This year, his 24.2% rate is the highest of his career in that situation, and he has gotten some good dividends from it, with a .909 OPS, his best mark since 2021. And yet, that efficiency has also not been able to appear against the mix of breaking pitches and off-speed pitches, where he has produced just a .209 xBA and .228 xSLG. Bogaerts still knows which pitch he wants to attack. The problem is that, increasingly, finding it no longer guarantees that he can do damage with it. As long as he's got flaws in his swing that are this exploitable, the Padres are going to have to find a way to navigate around a black hole in their lineup. View the full article

Walker Jenkins has done everything you could ask of him since entering pro ball. The Twins’ first-round draft pick in 2023 and the organization’s top prospect should become a staple in Minnesota’s outfield for several years to come. At just 21 years old, Jenkins is currently slashing .291/.385/.483 at Triple-A St. Paul, good for an .868 OPS. His plate discipline and bat-to-ball skills are clearly well beyond his years, and while he might not have 30-homer upside, he has no shortage of in-game power. As a result, it seems like all of Twins Territory is clamoring to see Jenkins in the major leagues, and I can’t blame anyone for that. However, I don’t share that belief. And before everyone goes to bury me in the comments, let me explain why. I think there are a few reasons the Twins should keep Jenkins at St. Paul for (ideally) the rest of the season, or at the very least, until September. Some of those reasons are admittedly more important than others, but when you put them all together, I think the argument for keeping Jenkins in Triple-A is pretty compelling. For starters, Jenkins is not currently on the Twins’ 40-man roster. That by itself is a relatively minor issue, but it would create an additional roster decision for the Twins to make if they wanted to call him up now. Unless the team places someone currently on the 40-man roster on the 60-day injured list, Minnesota would have to remove someone to make room for Jenkins. That alone probably isn't enough to keep him in the minors, but I think it goes well beyond that. By calling Jenkins up now, the Twins run the risk of him becoming ineligible for the Rookie of the Year award in 2027. If Jenkins were to win that award, Minnesota would receive a Prospect Promotion Incentive (PPI) draft pick, which would come immediately after the first round and before the Competitive Balance Round A picks. How much do the Twins care about that? I can’t say, but there is a pretty clear incentive to preserve that possibility. Jenkins can get up to 130 at-bats between now and the end of the season and retain his rookie eligibility for 2027. If he exceeds that threshold, however, he would no longer qualify. Considering Jenkins is already performing at a high level in Triple-A, it would be pretty easy to see him accumulating enough playing time to cross that threshold if he were called up soon. There’s also the reality that the 2027 season might not be your typical baseball season. The current Collective Bargaining Agreement is set to expire in December, meaning MLB owners and players will have to agree to a new CBA ahead of next season. Given how much uncertainty there is surrounding future spending rules and the possibility of a work stoppage, the 2027 major-league season could very well be delayed. The minor-league season, however, would not be impacted. If the Twins bring him up to the majors this season and the 2027 season starts late, that's valuable at-bat and development time that Jenkins could potentially miss out on. He'd be sitting around waiting for the major-league season to begin, instead of getting regular playing time in the minors. If he stays in the minors for the rest of this season, the Twins could bring him up early in 2027 if everything goes according to plan. Again, how much weight the Twins place on that possibility is impossible to know. But at the very least, it’s another potential complication they have to consider. The last point I’ll mention isn’t really a point. It’s a name, and that name is Emmanuel Rodriguez. Rodriguez and Jenkins have quite a bit in common. Both are talented, left-handed hitting outfielders who have performed extremely well at Triple-A. But they also have some important differences. For starters, Rodriguez is already on the Twins’ 40-man roster, and in addition, he’s out of minor-league options after this season. Just as Jenkins passed an important deadline Friday when he wasn't recalled within 45 days of the end of the season, eliminating one way he could have lost rookie eligiblity, Rodriguez passed one this week when he exceeded 30 active days on the Saints roster this year. He's now played (technically) five full pro seasons and is not eligible for a fourth option in 2027; the criteria for a full season require only that a player be active for at least 90 days, or be active for 30 days (not counting rehab assignments) and be on the IL (as opposed to the restricted list or in free agency) for another 60 days; Rodriguez has now had five such campaigns. To be saddled with a fourth option year (a benefit to the team, but not the player), a player must have four or fewer seasons meeting those criteria when they exhaust their first three years of being optionable. If the Twins plan on keeping Rodriguez around beyond next Opening Day—which I don't know for sure that they do—this is essentially his last chance to get his feet wet in the major leagues before potentially being thrust into a much more impactful role next season. It would also be easier for the Twins to bring him up. They wouldn't need to remove someone from the 40-man roster to make room for him, and a potential 2027 work stoppage wouldn't affect his development in the same way, because he can't simply be optioned back to the minors again. If the Twins feel inclined to add an outfielder from Triple-A, I’d rather see them give Rodriguez that opportunity first. It might not be the most popular take I’ve ever had, but I think keeping Jenkins in the minors is the right move. I don't think there's any reason to rush him this season, especially with so much uncertainty surrounding next year. Jenkins has already done everything the Twins could have asked of him. Another month in St. Paul isn't going to change that. If the 2027 season starts on time (or soon thereafter), the Twins can bring him up early and let him begin his major-league career on their terms. And if that happens, Jenkins should have a very good chance to establish himself as one of the favorites for the 2027 AL Rookie of the Year award. For a player with this much potential, waiting a little longer might ultimately be the best move for everyone. View the full article

Jose Chirinos has been steady since being promoted to High-A Brooklyn in early June. On Saturday, the right-hander from Venezuela was stellar. He turned in his longest outing of the season, 6 2/3 innings, as he blanked Jersey Shore on two hits. He walked none and struck out five in a no-decision. As always, efficiency was the key: he threw 54 of his 82 pitches for strikes. The 21-year-old has now worked at least five innings in nine of his 12 starts for Brooklyn, which is significant in a time of bullpenning and piggybacking. He went six innings twice for Single-A St. Lucie in May. Overall, he is up to 101 1/3 innings over 21 games (19 starts). He sports a 3.38 ERA (4.09 RA/9), 1.23 WHIP and 25.6 percent strikeout rate. The Cyclones won 1-0 with a run in the bottom of the eighth. Elsewhere in the organization . . . Syracuse edged Jacksonville 4-3. MJ Melendez’s solo home run in the eighth inning was the difference. Ronny Mauricio and Christopher Morel also homered. Binghamton got back on track with a 14-3 rout of Portland. Jefferson Rojas drove in two runs, and Mitch Voit reached base five times one night after the Rumble Ponies’ winning streak ended at 10. St. Lucie lost 3-1 to Jupiter. Aiden Robbins continued to shine at the start of his pro career as he homered for the Mets’ lone run. DSL Mets Blue lost 11-4 to the DSL NYY Yankees. Adrian De La Rosa drove in three runs. DSL Mets Orange lost 2-1 in eight innings to the DSL Nationals. Mets starter Anderson Ozuna pitched five scoreless innings. New York Mets Transactions No Roster Moves. Syracuse’s M, M & M Boys Do Their Thing Melendez, Morel and Mauricio accounted for the Mets’ scoring with their long balls. Mauricio slammed a two-run homer in the first to give Syracuse a quick lead. Morel hit a solo shot in the fourth to make it 3-1. He has 12 homers in 31 games for the Mets as he tries to slug his way back to The Show. Mauricio and Melendez have 14 each. Zack Mack earned the win by getting the final two outs of the seventh, setting the stage for Melendez’s go-ahead homer. Devenski struck out four as he closed out the win. Player AB R H RBI BB K Nick Morabito, RF 3 0 2 0 0 1 MJ Melendez, LF 3 2 1 1 1 0 Ronny Mauricio, 3B 4 1 1 2 0 1 Eric Wagaman, 1B 4 0 0 0 0 2 Christopher Morel, 2B 4 1 3 1 0 0 Jose Ramos, CF 3 0 0 0 1 1 Ryan Clifford, DH 4 0 0 0 0 3 Shawn Ross, C 3 0 0 0 1 1 Zack Short, SS 3 0 0 0 0 1 Totals 31 4 7 4 3 10 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Kevin Herget 2 1/3 2 1 1 0 2 1 Matt Turner 1 2/3 1 0 0 0 1 0 Zach Franklin 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Austin Warren 1 1/3 2 2 2 0 1 1 Zack Mack 2/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 Chris Devenski 2 0 0 0 1 4 0 Rumble Ponies Get . . . Right Back On The Horse Binghamton resumed normal operations as they battered the Sea Dogs. As has been the case during their hot streak, they opened the scoring with five runs in the third. Kevin Parada hit his third home run of the season for a 1-0 lead. After that, Émilien Pitre lifted a sacrifice fly, Rojas drove in a run with a single, and Billy Amick hit a two-run homer. It was Amick's seventh with Binghamton and his 30th overall. They settled matters with four runs in the sixth. Pitre singled in two, Jacob Reimer walked with the bases loaded, and Amick drove in a run with a fielder’s choice grounder. Voit continued to be an on-base machine out of the leadoff spot. He had two hits, two walks and a hit by pitch. Gabe Davis started and allowed an unearned run over 3 1/3 innings. He struck out four and walked three. Carlos Guzman threw a scoreless seventh and eighth. That earned him the win via scorer’s discretion. Player AB R H RBI BB K Mitch Voit, DH 3 3 2 0 2 0 Émilien Pitre, 2B 5 2 1 3 0 0 Jefferson Rojas, SS 5 1 2 2 1 1 Jacob Reimer, 3B 4 2 2 1 2 2 Billy Amick, 1B 6 1 1 3 0 2 John Bay, CF 4 0 2 2 1 2 Corey Collins, LF 4 0 0 0 1 1 Kevin Parada, C 3 3 1 1 2 2 Yohairo Cuevas, RF 2 1 1 0 0 0 JT Benson, RF 3 1 1 0 0 1 Totals 39 14 13 12 9 11 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Gabe Davis 3 1/3 1 1 0 3 4 0 Justin Armbruester 1 2/3 2 1 0 1 2 0 Brendan Girton 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Carlos Guzman 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 Bryce Jenkins 1 0 0 0 1 3 0 Brooklyn Scratches Out Go-Ahead Run Late The Cyclones manufactured their run with the help of a leaky defense by Jersey Shore. Jamari Baylor led off with an infield hit, and Antonio Jimenez followed with a grounder to short. The throw to second was wild, and Baylor advanced to third. Chase Meggers then hit a grounder to second. Baylor broke for the plate on the contact play, and he easily beat the throw home. Juan Arnaud was credited with the win. He got the last out in the eighth and then worked a scoreless ninth. Aidan Smith had two of Brooklyn’s five hits. Player AB R H RBI BB K Sammy Stafura, SS 4 0 1 0 0 1 Aidan Smith, CF 4 0 2 0 0 1 John Spikerman, LF 4 0 0 0 0 3 Trey Snyder, RF 3 0 0 0 0 0 Yonatan Henriquez, 2B 2 0 0 0 1 0 Ronald Hernandez, DH 3 0 0 0 0 1 Jamari Baylor, 1B 3 1 1 0 0 2 Antonio Jimenez, 3B 2 0 0 0 1 0 Chase Meggers, C 3 0 1 1 0 1 Totals 28 1 5 1 2 9 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jose Chirinos 6 2/3 2 0 0 0 5 0 Josh Blum 1/3 0 0 0 2 0 0 Calvin Ziegler 2/3 0 0 0 2 0 0 Juan Arnaud 1 1/3 1 0 0 1 0 0 Robbins A Bright Spot For St. Lucie Robbins’ solo shot in the sixth cut the Mets’ deficit to 3-1. Jupiter had gone ahead with a run in the second and two in the third off starter Joel Lara. The Mets’ third-round pick in this year’s draft is slashing .325/.413/.425 after 11 professional games. He also has three stolen bases after a theft Saturday. The Mets got the tying run to the plate with one out in the ninth, but Vladi Gomez and Dylan Carey struck out to end the game. Player AB R H RBI BB K Elian Peña, SS 3 0 0 0 1 1 Aiden Robbins, LF 4 1 3 1 0 0 Eli Serrano III, RF 2 0 0 0 2 0 Julio Zayas, DH 4 0 0 0 0 0 Ryan Tayman, C 4 0 0 0 0 2 Reed Stallman, 1B 3 0 1 0 1 0 Vladi Gomez, 2B 4 0 0 0 0 4 Dylan Carey, 3B 4 0 1 0 0 1 Wyatt Vincent, CF 3 0 1 0 0 1 Totals 31 1 6 1 4 9 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Joel Lara 3 1/3 3 3 3 4 5 1 Austin Brown 2 2/3 2 0 0 0 4 0 Caden Wooster 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Jonah Tong: DNP Jack Wenninger: DNP Ryan Clifford: 0-for-4, 3 K Elian Peña: 0-for-3, K Nick Morabito: 2-for-3, K Jacob Reimer: 2-for-4, 2B, 2 K Mitch Voit: 2-for-3, 2B Jonathan Santucci: DNP Zac Thornton: MLB Chris Suero: DNP Will Watson: DNP Wandy Asigen: DNP Eli Serrano III: 0-for-2 Randy Guzman: DNP Dylan Ross: DNP Ryan Lambert: DNP Antonio Jimenez: 0-for-2 R.J. Gordon: DNP Jonathan Pintaro: MLB Marco Vargas: DNP Austin Brown and Caden Wooster combined to strike out six over 4 2/3 innings of scoreless, two-hit relief. View the full article

Chicago Cubs Transactions Chicago Cubs sent RHP Shelby Miller on a rehab assignment to Iowa Cubs. Grant Kipp Turns In Three Scoreless Innings In Iowa's Game One Shutout Loss Iowa collected six hits and left eight runners on base in a 6-0 loss to St. Paul in the opener of a seven-inning doubleheader. B.J. Murray led the offense with a 3-for-4 afternoon that included a double. Owen Miller followed with two hits in four at-bats, and Chas McCormick reached twice on a single and a walk. The Cubs never brought a runner home and struck out 10 times as a group. Greg Jones went down on strikes three times, and Jordan Nwogu drew a walk but also struck out twice. Owen Ayers delivered a clean throw to second for the tag in the first. Grant Kipp handled the start and gave Iowa three scoreless innings, allowing no hits with three walks and four strikeouts. Hoby Milner followed and took the loss, retiring two batters while giving up three hits and two runs. Jayden Murray covered 2 1/3 innings with three runs on one hit, a walk, and two strikeouts. Shelby Miller closed the game with one inning, two hits, one run, and a walk in a rehab appearance. St. Paul broke through in the fourth. With two outs and runners at the corners, back-to-back hits off Milner, a single and then a double to left, produced the first two runs of the game. The visitors added three more in the sixth on a home run to right field off Jayden Murray, and a sacrifice fly to center in the seventh accounted for the final margin. Player AB R H RBI BB K BJ Murray, 1B 4 0 3 0 0 0 Owen Miller, 3B 4 0 2 0 0 1 Owen Ayers, C 3 0 0 0 0 1 Kevin Alcántara, DH 3 0 0 0 0 2 Justin Dean, RF 3 0 0 0 0 1 Chas McCormick, CF 2 0 1 0 1 0 Greg Jones, 2B 3 0 0 0 0 3 Ben Cowles, SS 3 0 0 0 0 0 Jordan Nwogu, LF 2 0 0 0 1 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Grant Kipp 3 0 0 0 3 4 0 Hoby Milner 0 2/3 3 2 2 0 1 0 Jayden Murray 2 1/3 1 3 3 1 2 1 Shelby Miller 1 2 1 1 1 0 0 Owen Ayers And Ethan Hearn Homer Early, But Iowa Drops Game Two 5-4 Iowa built a four-run first inning and could not hold it, falling 5-4 to St. Paul in the nightcap. Owen Ayers did the most damage, going 1-for-2 with a home run, a walk, and an RBI. Ethan Hearn drove in three runs on his lone hit, a three-run home run. BJ Murray and Owen Miller each singled, Miller adding a double, and Ben Cowles reached with a hit in two at-bats. Iowa managed only five hits and stranded two runners, and the lineup struck out 10 times, all of them after the opening frame. Andrew Wantz started and worked two innings, giving up four hits, two runs, three walks, and two strikeouts. Luis Peralta was the story out of the bullpen with two hitless innings and five strikeouts, and Ethan Roberts added a scoreless inning with two strikeouts. Tyler Ferguson took the loss after allowing three hits and three runs in one inning, and Gabe Klobosits finished with a scoreless frame and a strikeout. The first inning contained all of Iowa's scoring. Ayers led off the bottom half with a home run to right-center, and after Murray and Kevin Alcantara reached, Hearn drove a three-run shot to the same part of the ballpark for a 4-0 lead. St. Paul answered with two doubles in the third to trim the lead to 4-2, then pushed across three runs in the sixth on a bases-clearing double off Ferguson to take the lead for good. Player AB R H RBI BB K Ben Cowles, 3B 2 0 1 0 0 0 Owen Miller, 2B 3 0 1 0 0 0 Owen Ayers, DH 2 1 1 1 1 1 BJ Murray, 1B 3 1 1 0 0 1 Kevin Alcántara, RF 3 1 0 0 0 1 Ethan Hearn, C 3 1 1 3 0 2 Jordan Nwogu, LF 3 0 0 0 0 0 Ed Howard, SS 2 0 0 0 0 2 Greg Jones, PH 1 0 0 0 0 1 Hayden Cantrelle, CF 1 0 0 0 1 1 Chas McCormick, PH 1 0 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Andrew Wantz 2 4 2 2 3 2 0 Luis Peralta 2 0 0 0 0 5 0 Ethan Roberts 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Tyler Ferguson 1 3 3 3 1 0 0 Gabe Klobosits 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Brooks Caple And Three Relievers Hold Rocket City To One Run In Knoxville's 4-1 Win Knoxville scored all four of its runs in the second and third innings and rode its pitching the rest of the way in a 4-1 win over Rocket City. Andy Garriola paced the lineup at 3-for-4 with a double, a run, and an RBI. Alex Madera went 2-for-3 and drove in two runs from the eight hole. Kane Kepley tripled and scored in a 1-for-4 game at the top of the order, Alex Ramirez singled, scored, and drove in a run, and Ariel Armas doubled and scored. The Smokies finished with eight hits and left only four runners on base. Brooks Caple started and earned the win, going 5 1/3 innings with five hits, one run, three walks, and four strikeouts. Frankie Scalzo Jr. retired both batters he faced to finish the sixth. Tyler Schlaffer worked two scoreless innings with a walk and two strikeouts, and Tyler Ras closed it out with a scoreless ninth for the save. The bullpen combined for 3 2/3 innings without allowing a hit. The second inning turned the game. Garriola singled with one out, Armas doubled him to third, and Madera lined a single to right that scored both runners for a 2-1 lead. Knoxville added two more in the third, when Kepley opened with a triple and scored on Ramirez's single to center, and Ramirez came around on Garriola's double to right. Rocket City's only run came on a two-out double in the second. Karson Simas showcased an impressive grab at short to hold Rocket City in the 4th. Player AB R H RBI BB K Kane Kepley, CF 4 1 1 0 0 0 Alex Ramírez, RF 4 1 1 1 0 1 Miguel Useche, 1B 4 0 0 0 0 2 Edgar Alvarez, 1B 0 0 0 0 0 0 Carter Trice, DH 3 0 0 0 1 1 Andy Garriola, LF 4 1 3 1 0 1 Dom Krupinski, 3B 3 0 0 0 0 2 Ariel Armas, C 3 1 1 0 0 0 Alex Madera, 2B 3 0 2 2 0 0 Karson Simas, SS 3 0 0 0 0 3 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Brooks Caple 5 1/3 5 1 1 3 4 0 Frankie Scalzo Jr. 0 2/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tyler Schlaffer 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 Tyler Ras 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Angel Cepeda Homers And Kade Snell Doubles Twice, But South Bend Falls 7-4 South Bend led twice early and could not hold either lead, dropping a 7-4 decision at Great Lakes. Angel Cepeda led the offense with a 2-for-5 night that included a home run, a double, two runs, and an RBI. Kade Snell went 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI, and Brennan Hudson was 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI from the nine hole. Josiah Hartshorn doubled, scored, and finished 1-for-4, and Matt Halbach singled home a run. The Cubs totaled eight hits, drew four walks, and left seven runners on base. Pierce Coppola started and took the loss, allowing three hits and four runs, three earned, over three innings with three walks, two strikeouts, and a home run. Luis Rujano followed with two scoreless innings, giving up two hits and a walk while striking out three. Anhuar Garcia worked the final three innings and was charged with six hits and three runs, striking out three without issuing a walk. Cepeda opened the game with a home run to left in the first, and Hudson's second-inning single put South Bend ahead 2-1. Great Lakes answered with a two-run homer in its half of the second and took a 4-3 lead on a double in the third. Snell's RBI double in the top of the eighth pulled South Bend within 5-4, but Great Lakes answered in the bottom half with four consecutive two-out singles off Garcia for the 7-4 final. Player AB R H RBI BB K Jose Escobar, DH 4 0 0 0 1 1 Angel Cepeda, SS 5 2 2 1 0 3 Josiah Hartshorn, RF 4 1 1 0 0 1 Matt Halbach, 3B 4 0 1 1 0 0 Kade Snell, LF 4 0 2 1 0 1 Logan Poteet, C 1 1 0 0 1 0 Justin Stransky, C 2 0 0 0 0 1 Alexey Lumpuy, CF 3 0 0 0 1 1 Michael Hallquist, 2B 4 0 0 0 0 2 Brennan Hudson, 1B 3 0 2 1 1 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Pierce Coppola 3 3 4 3 3 2 1 Luis Rujano 2 2 0 0 1 3 0 Anhuar Garcia 3 6 3 3 0 3 0 Juan Cabada's Inside-The-Park Home Run Caps Myrtle Beach's 5-1 Win Myrtle Beach scored in three separate innings and got 15 outs from its starter in a 5-1 win over Hill City. Juan Cabada was the standout, going 3-for-3 with an inside-the-park home run, two RBI, and a run scored out of the designated hitter spot. Caden Sorrell singled home a run in a 1-for-4 game. Corey Nunez singled, drove in a run, and scored. Ethan Conrad singled, walked, and scored a run, and Jose Silva and Jan Luis Reyes each singled and scored. The Pelicans finished with eight hits and left only four runners on base. Riely Hunsaker started and earned the win with five innings of two-hit, one-run ball, walking one and striking out eight. Luis Mata followed with 2 1/3 scoreless innings on two hits and two walks with a strikeout. Sam Mettert recorded the save, covering the final 1 2/3 innings without allowing a hit while walking one and striking out two. The second inning put Myrtle Beach in front. Conrad singled, Nunez singled him home and advanced to third on an error in center field, and Derik Alcantara brought Nunez in with a sacrifice fly to right for a 2-0 lead. Cabada finished the scoring in the seventh. With two outs and Silva aboard, he lined a ball into the right-center field gap and circled the bases for a two-run, inside-the-park home run and a 5-1 lead. Defensively, the Birds pulled a slick 6-3-2 double play in the 6th. Player AB R H RBI BB K Juan Cabada, DH 3 1 3 2 0 0 Alexis Hernandez, SS 3 0 0 0 1 1 Caden Sorrell, CF 4 0 1 1 0 0 Ethan Conrad, RF 3 1 1 0 1 1 Corey Nunez, 3B 4 1 1 0 0 0 Derik Alcantara, LF 3 0 0 1 0 1 Jose Silva, C 3 1 1 0 0 1 Fernando Cruz, 2B 3 0 0 0 0 2 Jan Luis Reyes, 1B 3 1 1 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Riely Hunsaker 5 2 1 1 1 8 0 Luis Mata 2 1/3 2 0 0 2 1 0 Sam Mettert 1 2/3 0 0 0 1 2 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Jefferson Rojas: DNP Pedro Ramirez: DNP Jaxon Wiggins: DNP Josiah Hartshorn: 1-for-4, 2B, R, K Kevin Alcantara: 0-for-6, R, 3 K (doubleheader) Ethan Conrad: 1-for-3, BB, R, K Kane Kepley: 1-for-4, 3B, R Owen Ayers: 1-for-5, HR, RBI, BB, R, 2 K (doubleheader) Jonathon Long: DNP Kaleb Wing: DNP James Triantos: DNP Brooks Caple: 5 1/3 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, W Mason McGwire: DNP Ty Southisene: DNP Will Sanders: DNP Juan Cabada: 3-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, R Eli Lovich: DNP Ariel Armas: 1-for-3, 2B, R Jostin Florentino: DNP Grant Kipp: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K View the full article

The Red Sox were dealt yet another injury blow on Saturday. Both Masataka Yoshida (hamstring) and Justin Slaten (right elbow soreness) have landed on the injured list before the rubber match against the Pirates on Sunday. To replace them, Mickey Gasper and Raymond Burgos have been called up to the major league roster. We last saw Gasper in June when he was called up amid a torrid streak with the WooSox. He continued that hot streak for a while with the Red Sox but ultimately cooled off against major league pitching. Since being optioned, he’s continued to hit at an incredible clip. He’s slashing .337/.450/.566 with the WooSox this season. It’s unclear just how Gasper will slot into the lineup as of this writing, but he figures to get quite a bit of play at DH while he’s up. Burgos has made two appearances with the Red Sox this season, tossing six combined innings. For the WooSox, he’s sitting at a 5.54 ERA over 65 innings pitched with 54 strikeouts and a 1.62 WHIP. While he doesn’t directly replace Slaten’s backend abilities, he can eat innings, and that’s something the Red Sox are going to need while both Slaten and Garrett Whitlock are on the IL. The Red Sox can’t seem to dodge the injury bug as we cross the midpoint of the month of August. There are reinforcements on the way, but both Chad Tracy and Craig Breslow are in unenviable spots with roster construction right now. View the full article

For weeks, Twins fans have been clamoring for the same thing: Call up Walker Jenkins. It is not hard to understand why. Jenkins, the Minnesota Twins' No. 1 prospect and a top-15 prospect in baseball, has been tearing through Triple-A since his promotion. Since July 15, Jenkins has posted a .934 OPS, continuing to show that he has very little left to prove in St. Paul. Meanwhile, the Twins could desperately use the offensive help. Since July 15, Minnesota ranks 21st in Major League Baseball in both OPS and runs scored, and this is a team fighting for a playoff spot with roughly six weeks remaining in the regular season. Despite that, the Twins have held firm with Jenkins in Triple-A. The team has made plenty of other roster moves during that time, including promoting Tristan Gray and later Kaelen Culpepper, but Jenkins has remained in St. Paul. Maybe the Twins genuinely believe he needs more time in Triple-A—that there are still aspects of his game that need to be polished before he makes his major-league debut. I don't necessarily agree with that assessment, but at least it would make sense. If the Twins don't believe Jenkins is ready, there is a baseball reason for keeping him in the minors. There is another possible explanation, however, and it has been speculated about quite a bit: MLB's Prospect Promotion Incentive (PPI). MLB and the MLB Players Association (MLBPA) introduced that incentive as part of the 2022 collective bargaining agreement, in an effort to discourage teams from manipulating the service time of top prospects. Under the PPI, a team can receive an extra draft pick after the first round if a preseason top-100 prospect is promoted early enough to gain a full year of service time and subsequently wins a major award such as Rookie of the Year. The key here is rookie eligibility. A player loses rookie status if they spend 45 active days on the major-league roster or collect 130 at-bats. That has led to the theory that the Twins' plan with Jenkins could be to keep him in Triple-A until late August, call him up once he can no longer reach 130 ABs (the 45-day threshold passed on Friday), and preserve his rookie eligibility for 2027. If Jenkins then wins the Rookie of the Year award next season, the Twins could receive a compensation pick immediately after the first round of the 2028 Draft. If he were to win the MVP (or be a finalist for it) in any of 2027, 2028 or 2029, they'd get one, too. We don't know if that's the reason the Twins have held Jenkins back. There is no way to know what's happening behind closed doors unless someone with the organization says so. But considering everything surrounding this situation, it certainly feels like it could be a major factor. And if it is, I don't think it is a good enough reason. A pick immediately after the first round is certainly valuable. We're talking about a selection that could land somewhere in the mid-30s, and those picks can absolutely turn into quality major-league players. The Twins have also shown throughout their history that they can find talent in that portion of the draft. It's not as though the potential reward is meaningless. The problem is that the Twins would be making a pretty significant bet to get it. First, Jenkins actually has to win Rookie of the Year or become one of the elite players in the league almost immediately after his rookie year; that's far from a guarantee. The 2027 Rookie of the Year race could be extremely competitive, with prospects such as Kade Anderson, Franklin Arias, Leo De Vries, Ryan Sloan and others potentially entering the season with legitimate cases to win the award. We all think highly of Jenkins, and he could absolutely be the best rookie in baseball next season, but an injury or slow start could derail his chances. Another rookie could simply have a better season. If either of those things happens, the Twins have sacrificed weeks of having Jenkins on their major-league roster for a draft pick that would never materialize. That would be a pretty poor trade-off. That brings us to the bigger issue: the Twins aren't playing for 2027 right now. They're playing for 2026. With roughly six weeks remaining in the regular season, Minnesota is still in the playoff hunt. The third Wild Card is within reach, and the AL Central remains wide-open. Nobody knows where this team will be next year, but we do know where it is right now. It has a chance to make the playoffs. If the Twins believe Jenkins can help them win games right now, they should be putting him on the roster and giving themselves the best possible chance to reach October. Instead, if the PPI is indeed a factor, they're sacrificing a meaningful portion of Jenkins' first major-league season in the hopes of acquiring a draft pick more than a year from now. That feels backwards. The value of getting Jenkins onto the roster and helping the Twins make the playoffs is tangible. It could impact the organization immediately. It could change the trajectory of the 2026 season. The value of the PPI pick is entirely speculative. The Twins have to receive the pick. Then they have to select the right player with it. Then that player has to develop. There are a lot of steps between keeping Jenkins in Triple-A today and getting meaningful value from that draft pick years down the road. If Jenkins is suddenly promoted in the coming days, it will only add more fuel to the speculation that the PPI was at least part of the reason he was held back in the first place. He has amassed 122 AB (137 PA) since returning to the St. Paul lineup on July 1, so yes, there's still a chance he would end up surpassing 130 in the majors if called up today. They can avoid that risk by keeping him in the minors even another two or three games. If that was the strategy, though, the Twins have already burned multiple weeks of potential Jenkins production just to position themselves for a potential draft pick. I would have a hard time defending that decision. The Twins have a chance to make the playoffs right now. They have an offensive need right now. They have a prospect who has been performing extremely well at Triple-A. They should be thinking about what can help them win in 2026, not what might give them an extra draft pick in two years. Nobody is going to complain about the Twins receiving an extra pick after the first round if Jenkins wins Rookie of the Year next season. That would be a fantastic bonus. But the bonus should be exactly that: a bonus. It shouldn't be something that influences the construction of the 2026 roster when the team is still in contention for the postseason. What do you think? If the PPI is a significant reason the Twins have held Jenkins back, is that a defensible strategy, or should the Twins have prioritized getting their best prospect onto the Major League roster sooner? View the full article

Let’s check in down on the farm following Saturday’s action. Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Series vs. Buffalo Bisons (Toronto Blue Jays): 2-3 Season Record: 62-52 Worcester put up a fight but was ultimately let down by the bullpen as the WooSox lost in the tenth frame. Blake Wehunt took the first five innings of Saturday’s contest, finishing with a respectable line of three runs on five hits. Wehunt allowed two walks and struck out just one, his third consecutive start with one strikeout. Sam McWilliams took the sixth inning, spinning a one-hit frame as he earned his first Triple-A hold of the season. McWilliams punched out two before Noah Song got the call. Song took the next two innings, letting up two runs on two hits, walking two and striking out four as Buffalo took the lead. Tyler Samaniego entered next and staved off the Bisons as Worcester forced extras. Samaniego gave up one hit and struck out one before Wyatt Olds took a high-stakes tenth inning. However, Olds couldn’t answer the call as he gave up two runs (one unearned) on two hits, striking out two as Buffalo took a late lead that proved fatal. The WooSox put together an impressive offensive performance despite the late loss, garnering 11 hits and drawing ten walks. Worcester fell far short when it came to driving runs in, going a measly 3-for-18 with RISP and stranding a staggering 17 baserunners. Romy Gonzalez led the way with three RBIs on four hits as he continued to build back to a big league call-up. Gonzalez got the WooSox on the board with an RBI single in the first inning, scoring Mickey Gasper. Down two in the second inning, Brett Harris scored on a wild pitch as Worcester narrowed the gap. Gonzales then drove in Franklin Arias and Nate Eaton as the WooSox took a one-run lead. Down one with runners on the corners in the eighth inning, Mikey Romero blooped a fly ball to shallow left as Mickey Gasper scored, tying the game. Worcester couldn’t compete in the end as they failed to score on multiple occasions, falling by two. Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Series vs. Binghamton Rumble Ponies (New York Mets): 1-4 Season Record: 58-54 Portland lost by double digits for the second time in five games as its August woes continued to pile up. Mike Sansone got the start for Portland, struggling through four frames of shoddy pitching. Sansone let up five runs on six hits and issued three walks. The one positive for the 26-year-old came in the strikeout column, where he compiled six punchouts. Jeremy Wu-Yelland got the ball next, but struggled even more than Sansone. Over one and ⅔ innings, Wu-Yelland let up another five runs on four hits and issued four walks. He struck out two before Steven Brooks took over towards the end of the sixth. Brooks was solid, allowing two unearned runs on two hits as he struck out three in two and ⅓ innings. Erik Rivera took the first two outs of the ninth, allowing two runs (one unearned) on one hit and issuing two walks before outfielder Nelly Taylor took the final out of Saturday’s blowout. Portland was just as unsuccessful on the other side of the ball, scoring just twice as they stranded nine runners. Portland’s pair of runs came in the fourth inning as Max Ferguson scored Yoeilin Cespedes on a ground out and Ahbram Liendo scored Mason White on an RBI single. The Sea Dogs were otherwise silent as they fell without much protest. High-A Greenville Drive Series @ Hub City Spartanburgers (Texas Rangers): 2-3 Season Record: 49-61 Akin to their fellow affiliate teams, the Drive struggled with RISP on Saturday, falling 4-2. Dylan Brown spun an excellent start on Saturday evening, turning in three one-hit innings as he fended off Hub City. He walked two and struck out four before Shea Sprague took over in the fourth. Sprague struggled across four frames, allowing four runs on seven hits. He issued a pair of walks and struck out three more, exiting following the seventh inning. Trennor O’Donnell took the eighth in one-hit fashion, striking out two as he threw the final frame of Saturday’s game. Two-hit games from Justin Gonzales and Carlos Gutierrez marked the headlines in a disappointing day at the dish for Greenville. Going just 1-for-11 with RISP and stranding ten, the Drive couldn’t make it happen in a close game. Both of the Drive’s runs came in the third inning. Gonzales drew a bases-loaded walk before Jake Schaffner grounded out as Antonio Anderson crossed home. Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Series @ Delmarva Shorebirds (Baltimore Orioles): 2-3 Season Record: 49-62 Just like Greenville, Salem mustered just one hit with RISP as the Yaks stranded 11 runners in a 7-3 loss. After spinning a scoreless start last time around, Sadbiel Delzine struggled through a three-inning start on Saturday night. The top prospect let up three runs on six hits as he struck out a pair in his third Low-A start. Barrett Morgan made his first appearance since late June and saw encouraging results. In a two-inning outing, Morgan struck out two and allowed one unearned run on one hit. Cam Padgett made his second appearance with Salem, but was less successful than his first go-around. Padgett let up three earned runs on four hits and issued a pair of walks. He struck out one before Yermain Ruiz struck out two in the final frame of Saturday’s loss. Salem compiled nine hits and drew five walks, but fell short when it came time to drive in runners. D'Angelo Ortiz and Anderson Fermin had two hits apiece, and Josue Brito drew a pair of walks. All of Salem’s runs came late, with Wills Maginnis putting the Yaks on the board with his first professional homer in the eighth inning. Franklin Primera stepped to the plate next and launched a solo shot of his own past the right-field wall as Salem cut the lead to five. Colton Coates recorded his first professional RBI as he drove home D’Angelo Ortiz on a sac fly in the ninth inning. View the full article

Wisconsin valiantly tried to win the farm differential all by themselves with a 15-3 rout. The rest of the day's schedule was lined with losses, including a 10th in a row for the sagging Shuckers. Transactions: N/A Nashville Pre-Game Media Notes (unavailable) Final: Indianapolis (Pirates) 4, Nashville 3, ten innings Box Score and Game Log Via the Sounds, game details, and we encourage readers to always review affiliate write-ups as part of their Link Report routine: Sounds Fall in Extras for Second Time This Week - Sproat tallies eight strikeouts, allowing one hit through 5.0 scoreless innings Detailed game summary as always. You know, I thought I had fun with wordplay from time-to-time but between Nashville's Social Media Admin (see the two videos within the above link) and the nightly sub-header titles ("Let Me Clear My Sproat", "Tri-Mur"), the Sounds bring their game to try and entertain us nightly. Sal Frelick (right shoulder) walked and stole a base in five plate appearances as the designated hitter, one night after seeing action in right field, a bit too early for back-to-backs on defense, apparently. Would have been sweet for Blake Burke to come up big in the 10th, flyout to center to end the game with the bases juiced as the summary detailed. Looked awkward as heck for Tyler Black in left field in the 6th, thankfully not hurt on this attempted catch - Ghost runner for Indianapolis was still in place with two outs, RHP Blake Holub has been fantastic but was upset with this tiebreaker: Nice glove work earlier in the game from Brock: RHP Brett Wichrowski got an inning of work in on his 24th birthday, seemingly in a bullpen role for the time being. Biloxi Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Pensacola (Marlins) 7, Biloxi 3 Box Score and Game Log Payne Reaches 3 Times in Debut, Shuckers Fall to Blue Wahoos - Guilarte records multi-hit, multi-RBI performance in loss If you think we here on Link Report duty do our best to accentuate the positive, you can imagine the lengths Javik and Max are going to during this ten-game losing streak within their broadcasts and game summaries. We don't know why LF Josh Adamczewski has now missed three games, but the usual cadence of a scheduled Sunday contest followed by the Monday off day means we may not know more until Tuesday, if then. .933 OPS after one AA game for Braylon, that's a small sample we can live with. This is RBI #86 on the season in 102 games for Andrew Fischer - that's impressive regardless of what other aspects of his game folks may focus on. There was a 1970-71 minor leaguer named Gregory Goularte (Twins), that's the closest my last name (Goulart) has come to pro ball. So, despite it not being a match, I'll still smile when a close Venezuelan resemblance of the surname appears in the highlights: Pensacola scored all seven of their runs by the end of the 5th. RHP Bishop Letson only went three innings and threw 51 pitches. This was his 2nd appearance after a three-week injured list stint. RBI single vs. Letson for the first of three Pensacola runs in the 2nd The next run scored on another RBI single that RF Damon Keith then overran for a two-base error In the 3rd, watch as Jesús Made has to spread-eagle 3B Guilarte, leading to Made's 18th error on the season My goodness, Jack Seppings - in his last three outings, two with Nashville, and this one back in Biloxi: 11.1 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 5 B, 8 K LF Mark Coley II was replaced defensively for the top of the 9th by Mike Boeve. Coley had grounded out into a fielder's choice to end the 8th, and the training staff was involved in Coley's removal, though we don't know the nature of the injury (I did check the broadcast archive). Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes (download link) Final: Wisconsin 15, Cedar Rapids (Twins) 3 Box Score and Game Log Via the Timber Rattlers, game details (with four videos for your enjoyment): Rattlers Crush Kernels - Bitonti homers twice for Wisconsin in 15-3 win at Cedar Rapids Midwest League second half standings - Beloit sweeps a doubleheader and the T-Rats actually drop a half-game Saturday. Boo! Thanks for saving the minor league Saturday schedule, Rattlers! Here are the videos that aren't tucked within that banger of a game summary by Chris Mehring: That's seven clips altogether, not quite the same as the home game package experience, but very helpful nonetheless! Wisconsin plated 15 runs with Luis Peña and Sawyer Strosnider enjoying an evening off. Manager Nick Stanley also only had to utilize two pitchers in southpaw Wande Torres and RH Daniel Corniel, setting up Sunday's finale nicely. An additional note via Spencer on Bitonti: 22-year-old catcher Yannic Walther's High-A sample size is growing (82 plate appearances), and he padded his Wisconsin OPS nicely to .845 in this one, on base four times. Wilson Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Columbia (Royals) 8, Wilson 5 Box Score and Game Log Columbia Clocks Wilson for Their First Win of the Series - Antunez Records Three Hits Rare hiccup of an outing for 18-year-old RHP Diustin Mayorquin as the game's linescore will show you: 2-2-2-1 is not how one wants to see the early inning runs allowed to appear. You have to go all the way back to May 16th in Maryvale to view anything resembling Saturday's outing for Mayorquin, as the Nicaraguan native's game log will show. The Columbia 'X' admin had a busy night, so you'll be able to see five of Mayorquin's pitches (not in a good way) via that feed. Wilson actually outhit the Fireflies 13-10, but in an extreme rarity for the team that leads the Carolina League in walks drawn by a ton (see here), the Warbirds received zero free passes. As for the good guys, we find: Handelfry Encarnacion's LH swing is fun to watch Carsten Sabathia III's RBI knock, one of two singles on his night (now 6-for-16, one double) Brailyn Antunez scored each of Wilson's three runs, with the Encarnacion double, and Sabathia (twice) driving in Antunez (.400/.507/.817, 1.324 OPS in 73 Wilson plate appearances). Just typing that line for Antunez broke my computer's calculator. This was the night for fine long relief efforts - Jack Seppings and Daniel Corniel as noted above, and RHP Tyler Renz allowed only one run in his four innings here. And as you'll notice below during your box score link clicking, LHP Alexander Mercedes performed admirably as well in the DSL Blue game. Gee, the DSL regular season ends Tuesday, meaning this is the next-to-last Link Report with six games. Love you DSL Blue & Gold, but we won't miss the extra efforts required in our reports, although we are keeping today's updates lean! Final: DSL Rojas (Reds) 4, DSL Brewers Gold 2 Box Score and Game Log As far as DSL games go, I was going to say this was about as clean as they get defensively, over a full nine innings, only one error (Reds, did no damage), But an MLB-quality beauty? No, because Brewers batters drew ten walks, saw Reds' pitchers balk twice and throw two wild pitches, but only scored two runs. Only three singles on the Gold batting hit ledger. Team RISP: 1-for-13. Team LOB: 9. Gold's division lead is 1.5 games (over a Cubs' squad, no less!) Final: DSL LAD Bautista 8, DSL Brewers Blue 1 Box Score and Game Log If the Dodgers were going to take a game Saturday over the Brewers, better that it be this one. 17-year-old Venezuelan RH starter Daniel Munoz managed a scoreless first inning. LA scored six in the 2nd and Munoz did not retire a batter: Walk Infield single HBP Walk Walk Walk Walk Walk RHP Jean Rodriguez did well to strand two of the three runners he inherited. Wilson and Wisconsin play early Sunday afternoon. Biloxi and Nashville host early evening games, and surely the Pensacola and Indianapolis equipment managers won't appreciate the lack of getaway day start times. As for you folks, if you have a Sunday getaway planned, hope it's wonderful! Oh, and Go Brewers in LA! Organizational Scoreboard including starting pitcher info, game times, MiLB TV links, and box scores Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Batting Stats and Depth Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Pitching Stats and Depth View the full article

The Twins have arguably the best minor league catching depth in the minors between Vahn Lackey, Eduardo Tait, and Khadim Diaw. Despite struggles controlling the running game, Diaw is showing a polished hit tool, on-base skills, and athleticism in the outfield. What could be his defensive home for the Twins if he continues to hit in the upper levels of the minors? View the full article

The MLB Trade Deadline has come and gone, and Ryan Jeffers is still wearing a Minnesota Twins uniform. That wasn't necessarily the expected outcome a few weeks ago. Jeffers generated plenty of interest leading up to the deadline, with several contenders reportedly looking for help behind the plate. The Twins had an opportunity to turn their veteran catcher into pitching or another piece that could help the organization now or in the future. Instead, Minnesota ultimately decided to buy at the deadline. Jeffers stayed put. That decision doesn't have to mean the Twins will lose one of their most productive offensive players for nothing, though. There is still a path for Minnesota to get something in return for Jeffers, even if he isn't traded during the regular season. That path is the qualifying offer. The Qualifying Offer Gives the Twins Another Option Free agency isn't usually something teams are thinking about immediately after the trade deadline. There are still two months of baseball to play, and plenty can happen between now and November. But some of the decisions made at the deadline (including the decisions that weren't made) can have consequences well into the offseason. Jeffers is one of those situations. The Twins can extend him a qualifying offer after the season, giving the catcher a one-year contract worth the average salary of MLB's 125 highest-paid players. The value of that offer changes annually, and it was $22.025 million last offseason. This year's figure will be determined later in the year, but will likely be near $24 million. That would be a significant one-year commitment for Minnesota. It would also give the Twins some protection against losing Jeffers for absolutely nothing. If Jeffers accepts the offer, the team gets him back for another season without having to make a long-term commitment. If he declines and signs with another team, the Twins would receive draft-pick compensation. For a player who has established himself as one of baseball's better offensive catchers, that is a pretty appealing safety net. There are some important rules attached to the qualifying offer. A player can only receive one during his career, and he must have spent the entire preceding season with the same organization. Because Jeffers has remained with Minnesota throughout 2026, he would be eligible for the offer. The expiring Collective Bargaining Agreement shouldn't create an issue here, either. The current qualifying-offer rules are already established under the 2022-26 CBA. Jeffers Is Exactly the Type of Player Who Could Receive One The biggest question isn't whether Jeffers is eligible. It's whether the Twins are willing to risk roughly $24 million (or whatever the eventual qualifying-offer value becomes) on one season. There is certainly some risk involved. A qualifying offer is not a small financial commitment. Minnesota would be betting that Jeffers can continue to provide enough offensive production and defensive value to justify a salary that would put him among the more expensive catchers in baseball. For reference, FanGraphs says that Jeffers has been worth over $18 million this season despite missing time on the IL. But the Twins wouldn't necessarily be signing Jeffers because they expect him to be their catcher for the next five years. They'd be buying another year. That's an important distinction. Jeffers has been one of baseball's better-hitting catchers over the past four seasons. His offensive production has made him a valuable player at a position where offense can be difficult to find. If the Twins believe that production is sustainable, bringing him back for one more season could make sense. And if they don't want to pay that price? It isn’t a guarantee. Jeffers can reject the qualifying offer and test free agency. If another team signs him, Minnesota would receive draft compensation in return. There have been multiple reports over the last month that say Jeffers would reject the qualifying offer. Suddenly, the decision to hold onto Jeffers at the trade deadline doesn't look quite as costly. The Twins Still Have Time to Make This Work Minnesota's decision to keep Jeffers could ultimately look different depending on what happens over the final two months of the season. If Jeffers continues producing offensively, his free-agent market could become even stronger. That would make a qualifying offer more likely to be rejected, which is exactly what the Twins would want if they are confident they can collect draft compensation. If his production declines, Minnesota could still make the offer and potentially get him back on a one-year deal. That's what makes the qualifying offer so interesting. The Twins essentially get two paths that can work in their favor. Jeffers accepts: Minnesota gets an established offensive catcher for another season without making a long-term commitment. Jeffers declines: Minnesota gets draft compensation if he signs elsewhere. There is obviously a third possibility where Jeffers accepts the offer and the contract becomes a poor investment. That's the risk the Twins would have to weigh. Still, paying a premium for one season can be preferable to handing out a much longer contract to a player entering his next stage of free agency. The Twins have already seen Jeffers' value on the trade market. Contenders were interested in him before the deadline, but Minnesota couldn't find a deal it liked enough to make. That doesn't mean the value disappeared when the deadline passed. It simply changed forms. The qualifying offer is essentially Minnesota's final opportunity to make sure that doesn't turn into an offseason where the Twins get absolutely nothing in return. After holding onto Jeffers at the Trade Deadline, the qualifying offer should be an easy decision. Minnesota has already determined that Jeffers is valuable enough to keep around for the stretch run. The next step should be making sure that value doesn't simply walk out the door this winter. Should the Twins make Jeffers the qualifying offer? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

After over two years on the injured list, Patrick Sandoval made his long-awaited return to the major leagues on July 6 when he pitched 4.1 innings against the Chicago White Sox. Signing with the Boston Red Sox in the 2025 offseason, he spent the previous six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, where he showed high upside as a starter, but saw his production limited by injuries and late call-ups. Eventually, his 2022 breakout season was his first full season in the majors, where he posted a 2.91 ERA and 3.09 FIP in 148.2 innings and recorded a career-high 151 strikeouts. Since returning from injury, Sandoval has been a solid addition to the Red Sox's rotation, compiling a 3.30 ERA and striking out 29 batters in 30 innings. He has consistently ramped up his pitch count in each appearance, with Boston winning in five of his six starts. While he has found early success with his signature changeup, with opponents hitting only .148 against it, Sandoval still needs to improve other areas of his arsenal if he hopes to return to his 2022 form. Patrick Sandoval's Slider Is His Missing Ingredient While his changeup has been his most effective pitch throughout his career, Sandoval has favored his slider this season, throwing it 29.6% of the time. To date, the only other season in which the slider was his most-used pitch was his 2022 breakout season, when opponents hit just .201 against it. However, this season, that average has jumped up to .269, with Sandoval's command appearing to be the biggest difference. Looking at what made the pitch so successful in 2022, Sandoval consistently spotted his slider low or out of the strike zone on two-strike counts, generating a 33.6% whiff rate. His consistency with locating the pitch resulted in a career-high 42.0% chase rate and a 26.9% put-away percentage. This season, Sandoval is attempting to recreate that approach, increasing his slider outside-zone rate from 52.0% in 2022 to 57.5%, yet the results haven’t been the same. In 2026, the southpaw has been less consistent with his spotting, often leaving pitches high in the zone or exaggerated out of the zone. As a result, batters have been less fooled and are chasing the pitch at a career-low 27.5% rate, while his whiff rate has dropped to 30.8% and put-away percentage to 19.4%. The ineffectiveness is especially noticeable when comparing it to his changeup. While its 41.3% whiff rate is down slightly from 44.5% in 2022, Sandoval's put-away percentage has surged from 24.4% to 40.0%, a stark contrast to the effectiveness of his slider. In layman's terms, Sandoval’s ability to deceive batters hasn’t just gone away, as his changeup continues to finish at-bats and generate swings and misses at a higher rate than in 2022. He just needs to be more consistent with his location. The lack of command with the slider is especially daunting given Sandoval's history of having a high walk rate. This season, he has walked batters at a 9.2% rate and has posted a rate north of 9% in all but one season of his career. If hitters continue to lay off his slider outside the zone, Sandoval could find himself in deeper, more unfavorable counts and ultimately allow more baserunners. It's in those spots where he falters, and one blow-up outing or two could change the tune around his standing with the Red Sox. For now, he's become an integral piece of the rotation, covering valuable innings in the wake of injuries and trades that have depleted the team's depth. If he can tighten the spread on his favorite pitch, he might even earn a start or two in the playoffs. View the full article

Life may not be great for the New York Mets at the big-league level, but they have a special nucleus forming in the minor leagues. Mitch Voit was already turning heads entering the trade deadline, and Jefferson Rojas is the top dog on a laundry list of 11 new prospects who could make a seismic impact in New York’s farm system. Let’s dive into the latest on Voit and Rojas. Mitch Voit Is Exploding Up Top Prospect Lists Voit is a first-round pick from the 2025 MLB Draft, and he’s quickly gained a reputation for his multi-faceted approach. The former Michigan Wolverine has stolen 42 bases this year, and his strikeout rate (12.0 percent) is far lower than his walk rate (18.0 percent) as we hit the home stretch of the 2026 Minor League Baseball season. The Mets' No. 6 prospect earned the promotion from High-A Brooklyn to Double-A Binghamton a few weeks ago, and he’s really found his stroke ever since leveling up. An Unbelievable Start To Double-A Voit’s productivity over the last two weeks fits the “video-game numbers” hyperbole well, except it isn’t a hyperbole in this case. Voit was slashing just .242/.349/.396 in High-A, but something has seemingly clicked since his call-up. He's 22-for-40 (.550 AVG) with a home run, nine runs batted in, nine extra-base hits and six stolen bags all in 11 games with the Rumble Ponies. His zone-contact percentage of 92.6 percent (96th percentile) is elite, as the 21-year-old is catching any ball in his vicinity clean. His 99th percentile speed rating (per Prospect Savant) is an added bonus to what has been one of the hottest bats in all of Minor League Baseball lately. The sure-handed infielder has played back and forth between the shortstop and second base positions, showing true five-tool upside in just his first full professional season. Jefferson Rojas Was Worth the Price The Mets also traded for one of the top prospects in baseball, acquiring Jefferson Rojas in exchange for right-handed pitcher Clay Holmes and outfielder Tyrone Taylor. New York entered the deadline period well below .500 and acquired more top-30 prospects than any other big-league ball club. Holmes, a rental, and Taylor, a fringe-starting outfielder, is all they had to give up to acquire one of the most talented rising stars in the game. Rojas Can Do It All Rojas immediately earned the nod as the team’s top prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and he’s the 63rd-ranked prospect in all of baseball. Also 21 years old, Rojas has at least a 50-grade pinned to all five of his scouting tools; his hit tool is labeled as one of his best characteristics, with the former Cubs farmhand slashing .267/.335/.455 (.790 OPS) over 96 games between his time with Double-A Knoxville and Double-A Binghamton. The Mets’ top prospect is an aggressive hitter, offering at 71.2 percent of pitches he sees in the zone (76th percentile) and making opposing hitters pay rather often. Rojas has the potential to be more power-oriented out of the two up-and-coming middle infielders, as he’s swatted 15 homers this season already. The Mets' Middle Infield Has A Controllable, Exciting Future What does the future hold for the Mets’ middle infield? With two of their top six prospects tearing it up this year, and getting time together in Binghamton to build a bond on defense, the future in the big apple could be ultra-exciting. There’s a long way to go for a couple of guys who haven’t made their big-league debut yet, but when that time comes, New York has a pair of multi-faceted threats who could terrorize opposing pitching for years to come. View the full article

With a bullpen that ranks 29th in bullpen ERA and 30th in bullpen WHIP, the Kansas City Royals have been trying to find answers via various trades and free-agent pickups. One of the most intriguing ones has been righty Nate Pearson, who was acquired on July 22nd for right-handed pitching prospect Max Martin after Pearson was designated for assignment by the Astros on July 19th. Pearson posted respectable numbers in 16 appearances with the Astros this season. In 20 IP, he posted a 3.60 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and 4.08 FIP. That said, he struggled to strike out batters (19% K%) and also walked more batters than desired (14.3% BB% and 4.8% K-BB%). When looking at his TJ Stats Statcast percentiles summary, Pearson struggled to generate strikes and CSW, despite elite extension and TJ Stuff+ metrics. Pearson ranked in the 86th percentile in extension, 87th percentile in TJ Stuff+, and 92nd percentile in fastball velocity while a member of the Astros. The 29-year-old did a good job of limiting hard hits in Houston, as evidenced by his 31.5% hard-hit rate (89th percentile) and 84.8 MPH average EV (90th percentile). That said, he struggled to find the strike zone consistently (20th percentile zone rate) and generated CSW (26th percentile). With the Astros competing for a playoff spot and upgrading their bullpen at the Trade Deadline, Pearson ended up being the odd man out in Houston. However, the move proved to be an opportunity for the Royals, who traded for the former first-round pick. Since coming over to Kansas City, Pearson hasn't allowed an earned run in eight appearances and 7.2 IP, and his WHIP is 0.65, and his FIP is 2.17. In addition, his K% is up to 28.6%, and he is posting a 21.4% K-BB% with the Royals. The results are better for Pearson with the Royals, and he's maintaining the extension, velocity, and TJ Stuff+ metrics that made him such an intriguing reliever with the Astros, Cubs, and Blue Jays. Here's a look at his Statcast percentiles with the Royals since July 26th, via TJ Stats. Interestingly, Pearson has seen a flip in his hard-hit% and average EV since coming to Kansas City, as they rank in the 4th and 12th percentiles, respectively. However, his zone rate ranks in the 83rd percentile, his CSW ranks in the 58th percentile, and his GB% ranks in the 73rd percentile. Those are all significant upgrades from what he was producing in Houston earlier this season. So what has been the difference for Pearson with the Royals? And can Pearson keep producing like this, not just for the remainder of 2026, but 2027 as well? Let's take a look at the developments that the Royals have seen with Pearson since coming over to Kansas City less than a month ago. Using the Sinker More in Kansas City (Despite Questionable TJ Stuff+) When looking at his pitch mix comparison between his time in Houston and now in Kansas City, there haven't been a ton of differences, as illustrated in his TJ Stuff+ summary comparison below. That said, there are two key changes that have stuck out: he's increased his sinker usage significantly, and his slider has improved significantly with the Royals. Interestingly, the sinker rates well via TJ Stuff+. It has a 92 mark, which is actually five points worse than his mark with the Astros. However, the pitch has been a better zone rate pitch with the Royals (60%) than with the Astros (51.5%), and while it doesn't generate much whiff (14.3% with the Royals; 7.7% with the Astros), it has been a good pitch when it comes to generating weak contact. He allowed a .108 xwOBACON on the sinker in Houston, and that has remained the same in Kansas City, as he has a .199 xwOBACON. With the Astros, he only threw the sinker 9.5% of the time. With the Royals? That sinker usage is up to 20.2%. With a higher usage, he's generating more chase as well, despite it rating worse on a TJ Stuff+ end. The difference with the sinker is that Pearson has made the pitch more horizontal than vertical. With the Astros, Pearson's sinker had 12.4 inches of iVB and 14.8 inches of HB with a spin rate of 2,235 RPM. With the Royals, that iVB is 11.1, the HV is 12.8, and its spin is 2,136 RPM. It's also an offering that has less spin and general movement, and it's located lower in the zone than it was in Houston. Below is a clip compilation of his sinker from an outing in Houston and Kansas City. As Royals fans can see above, Pearson located the sinker higher and more on the edges in Houston. It also clearly had more vertical rise. With Kansas City, the pitch is located more around the knees and in the middle and fades way more toward the hitter than it did in the Astros clip. Throwing a pitch with bad TJ Stuff+ doesn't seem like a recipe for success. However, it seems like throwing the sinker more has led to a more "aggressive" mindset for Pearson, which has helped him throw more strikes and limit walks in Kansas City. More strikes and fewer walks will lead to fewer runs allowed and more strikeouts. Both outcomes are happening for Pearson with the Royals in his short sample so far. Fewer Breaking Balls Being Thrown in Kansas City An interesting trend for Pearson with the Royals is that he's throwing fewer breaking offerings. Those pitches are his slider and his curveball. With the Astros, Pearson's slider and his curve were his second- and third-most-thrown pitches, respectively. He threw the slider 36.1% of the time and the curve 11.6% of the time in Houston. With the Royals, that slider usage has declined to 22.2%, and his curveball usage has fallen to 8.1%. Those are decreases of 13.9% and 3.5%, respectively. What's interesting about the decline in usage is that the pitches haven't gotten worse for Pearson in Kansas City, at least on a TJ Stuff+ end. Pearson's slider has a 115 TJ Stuff+, and his curve has a 105 TJ Stuff+. The curve has declined by one point in the move to KC, but his slider TJ Stuff+ has been three points better with the Royals. Thus, he's doing a lot of the same things theoretically with those breaking pitches since moving to Kansas City. A difference for Pearson and his breaking pitches is that while he's throwing both pitches less, he's throwing them for more strikes. His slider zone% has gone from 45.6% to 54.5%, and his curveball zone% has risen from 27.5% to 37.5%. He's generating fewer whiffs with both pitches in Kansas City (16.7% slider whiff% and 50% curve whiff%), but by throwing the pitch in the zone more, he's keeping hitters honest. They can't lay off those pitches as much as they could in Houston. Here's an example of Pearson's slider generating a swinging strike out of the zone by the Dodgers' Alex Call in an August 11th outing. VndQT3ZfVjBZQUhRPT1fQlZVRFZGRU5CMVlBWGdFSEFnQUhWRlZlQUZnQlVGUUFCRkFGVlFjQUJGSmRCRlJl.mp4 Not only is the pitch on the edge, but if Pearson has been throwing the pitch for strikes, Call has to respect it and try to make contact on it. That wasn't happening in Houston, and it's likely that without the slider zone% change, Pearson wouldn't have gotten Call to chase in a two-strike count. Pearson did something similar with the curve against Pete Crow-Armstrong on August 8th. Crow-Armstrong had to respect the curve because it has been thrown more for strikes, and on an 0-2 count, he chases on a curve down and out of the zone, and Pearson is able to acquire the save. YVlkZEFfWGw0TUFRPT1fQWdJQVZWMVdWd1VBQ2xVRUFnQUhBbFZUQUZrQlZGRUFVUUVEQWxZRVVnZFNCRmRX.mp4 Pearson's breaking offerings still have flaws. He has a .441 xwOBACON with the slider in Kansas City, which is much higher than .377 xwOBACON on his slider in Houston. Still, his more aggressive approach with his breaking pitches has been key to his early success with the Royals. Can Pearson Stay Healthy and Consistent? Pearson has long been a heralded pitching prospect, especially during his tenure in Toronto. He was often listed as the Blue Jays' top prospect, and many scouts thought Pearson could be a prototypical ace when he was drafted 28th overall in the 2017 MLB Draft. Unfortunately, he has struggled to stay healthy, leading to mediocre numbers and long stretches of missed games. After pitching a career-high 66.2 IP with the Blue Jays and Cubs in 2024, he only pitched 14.2 innings with the Cubs in 2025. Pearson underwent an offseason arthroscopic elbow cleanup procedure that kept him out until May 20th, and he just never looked the same last season. He posted a 9.20 ERA and was designated for assignment, then released on September 20th. Pearson hasn't had any major surgeries. However, he seems to get dinged with a lot of minor ones, which have seemed to stunt him from building momentum on the mound. Since debuting in 2020 with Toronto, he has gotten mono (2022), had an adductor strain (2021), and had earlier elbow issues during his rookie season. As a result, Pearson has a career 4.78 ERA and 4.80 FIP in 184.1 IP. Thus, it will be important for Pearson not just to stay healthy, but to continue building positive momentum with each and every relief outing. He has gotten off to a nice start in Kansas City, and he's getting opportunities, especially in high-leverage spots in the 8th and 9th innings. Thus, this is the best spot for Pearson to turn around his career after being more of a middle-innings, mop-up guy in Houston. Then again, consistency hasn't always been Pearson's strong suit. That was on display on Saturday as he gave up a hit, a walk, and a run in a 1-0 loss to the Angels on Saturday night. While the stuff was solid from Pearson as usual, he struggled to throw strikes, as evidenced by his 35% zone rate. Pearson wasn't hit hard on Saturday in the loss (.300 xwOBACON). Unfortunately, he didn't throw enough strikes and wasn't generating the kind of chase (23.1% chase%) or whiffs (11.1% whiff%) to make up for the lack of control. The outing bumped his ERA up to 2.83 and his FIP to 3.57 for the season in 28.2 IP (it was also the first earned run he's allowed as a Royals pitcher). His pitch chart from Saturday's outing also illustrated that while Pearson was hitting the edges with his four-seamer, he was struggling to locate with his other offerings. That was just enough for the Angels to squeak out a victory against a Royals offense that couldn't solve Reid Detmers (11 strikeouts in 8.0 IP) or closer Ben Joyce (two strikeouts). There's no doubt the stuff, velocity, and potential are there for Pearson to be successful. Even though he's nearly 30, he's still a relatively fresh pitcher without a lot of mileage on his arm. Furthermore, he has the kind of velocity and extension that this bullpen needs. His profile is similar to other big arms in the Royals organization like Steven Cruz and Luinder Avila. According to TJ Stats leaderboards, Pearson's 6.8 extension is the best mark of any Royal currently on the Royals 40-man roster, and his TJ Stuff+ of 107 is second-best, behind only Craig Kimbrel (who has yet to pitch for Kansas City). The tools are there for Pearson to succeed, and perhaps Kansas City and its smaller market are the kind of scenery changes that Pearson needs to turn his career around. Will he be a closer or a future setup man for the Royals in 2027? That's undetermined, especially with the Royals likely spending some money in free agency on the bullpen this upcoming offseason. Nonetheless, Pearson is making his early case that he needs to be considered as part of the Royals' bullpen plans beyond 2026. View the full article

When Deyvison De Los Santos joined the Miami Marlins organization in July 2024, he was mashing in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League and on his way to leading Minor League Baseball in home runs. There was, quite understandably, speculation that he could be a regular in the Marlins major league lineup by the end of that season. Instead, fast-forward more than two full years later, De Los Santos has played a grand total of three MLB games. How is that possible? No question, De Los Santos should be looking in the mirror before pointing fingers at anybody else. His overall production has plummeted compared to what he achieved at age 21, with a drop-off in game power and a troubling tendency to chase pitches out of the strike zone, which opponents have exploited. He arrived with some potential defensive versatility to play either first base or third base, but has failed to become a viable option at the latter. Peaking at No. 3 on the Fish On First Top 30 prospects list, he's no longer ranked at all. De Los Santos has been an afterthought for months since a couple brief stints on Miami's active roster in March/April. However, he's gradually shown legitimate signs of development. In 92 Triple-A games this season, De Los Santos is slashing .276/.339/.480 with 17 home runs and 17 stolen bases. His wRC+ with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp from 2024-25 was merely 86 (with 100 representing league average), but that has surged to a 113 wRC+ in 2026. His current 19.6% strikeout rate is the lowest that he has ever posted in a minor league campaign. June 21 is a key date to circle for De Los Santos. It was coincidentally his 23rd birthday, but more relevant from a baseball career perspective, that was when the Marlins designated Christopher Morel for assignment. A veteran right-handed hitter with a similar offensive profile, Morel was essentially blocking him. Removing that obstacle has brought out the best in De Los Santos—in 37 games since then, his slash line has risen to .295/.370/.550, including nine homers. The Marlins are currently in desperate need of De Los Santos' skill set. With Kyle Stowers recuperating from a hamstring strain, they have a void at first base. View the full article

TRANSACTIONS Two straight days with no transactions in the organization? Inconceivable! SAINTS SENTINEL Game 1: St. Paul 6, Iowa 0 Box Score In the first game on Saturday afternoon, the Saints and the Cubs each had six hits. Yet when the seventh inning was complete, the Saints had a nice, 6-0 shoutout win. Lefty Kendry Rojas made his second start of the week for the Saints. He also started the Saints Field of Dreams game on Tuesday night. On Saturday, he threw four scoreless innings. He gave up four hits, walked one and had five strikeouts. What is the most important thing for Rojas in his development? Throwing strikes, right? On this night, 40 of his 52 pitches were strikes (76.9%). Jack Anderson came and had five strikeouts over three scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and walked one. The starter for Iowa was North Side Baseball’s #16 prospect, RHP Grant Kipp. He worked three scoreless, hitless innings. He walked three and had four strikeouts. NSBB’s #4 Cubs Prospect is catcher Owen Ayers. He went 0-for-3 in this game. Veteran Hoby Milner came out of the Cubs bullpen in the fourth inning and started by hitting Emmanuel Rodriguez. Next, he gave up a single to Matt Wallner. With two outs, Tristan Gray singled to drive in Rodriguez with the game’s first run. Cody Morissette followed with an RBI double to make it 2-0. In the sixth inning, the Saints added a run when Tristan Gray stole second and an Ayers throwing error allowed Hendry Mendez to score from third. Then Morissette came to the plate again. This time, he crushed a long home run to give the Saints a 5-0 lead. The Saints added one more in the top of the seventh. Walker Jenkins walked and went to second on a Ben Ross single. Jenkins went to third base on a fly out and then scored on a Matt Wallner sacrifice fly. Morissette went 2-for-3 with his 13th double and 10th Saints home run. He drove in half of the Saints' runs. He was the lone Saints hitter with a multi-hit game or an extra base hit. Aaron Sabato had a single and a walk. Walker Jenkins walked twice. Game 2: St. Paul 5, Iowa 4 Box Score The second game started out a bit different. The Cubs scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning, but the Saints worked their way back with a couple of crooked numbers and came away with a doubleheader sweep in Des Moines. Trent Baker started for the Saints. He gave up four runs (1 earned) in four innings, all in the first inning. He gave up five hits (2 homers), walked none and had six strikeouts. The Saints started to cut into the deficit in the top of the third. Noah Cardenas was hit by a pitch and scored on a Ben Ross double. Emmanuel Rodriguez followed with a double of his own to make it 4-2. Woo-Suk Go walked two batters in a scoreless fifth inning. With two outs in the top of the sixth frame, Kala’i Rosarios singled. He went to second on an infield single by Cory Morissette. Tanner Schobel walked to load the bases. Noah Cardenas came through with a huge, clutch hit. He doubled to left field which cleared the bases and gave the Saints a 5-4 lead. Eric Orze and Julian Merryweather each had two outs in a scoreless inning to give the Saints the sweep. Aaron Sabato went 2-for-4, the lone multi-hit game for the Saints. Ross hit his 21st Saints double, and Rodriguez and Cardenas both doubled for the fourth time. Rodriguez also walked and stole a base. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 6, Corpus Christi 10 Box Score A six-run sixth inning for the Hooks was something that the Surge were unable to overcome. Cory Lewis made the start. He gave up two runs on two hits over 3 2/3 innings. He walked three and had four strikeouts. Darren Bowen came on to get the final four outs of the fourth inning. He pitched a scoreless fifth inning. However, he gave up three runs in the sixth, and Jaylen Nowlin came in and gave up three more before the inning ended. Mitch Mueller struck out two batters in a one-hit inning. William Fleming gave up two runs (1 earned) on four hits over the final two innings. In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Wind Surge tied the game at 2-2, but it was an inning with a couple of big What Ifs. Brandon Winokur led off with a single, but he was caught stealing. Caden Kendle followed with a single. Garrett Spain hit the third straight single. Kendle advanced to third base, but Spain was thrown out at second base for the inning’s second out. Fortunately, Jake Rucker came through with a line drive home run that tied the game at two. When the Surge came up in the bottom of the eighth, they were behind 10-2. They sure attempted a comeback but fell well shy. Jaime Ferrer and Jay Thomason started the innings with singles. The next two batters got out, but Caden Kendle drove in Ferrer with a single. Spain then walked to load the bases. Jake Rucker came up again and came through again. He lined an opposite-field double to clear the bases and cut the deficit to 10-6, but that was as close as they got. Rucker went 2-for-3 with his eighth doubles, his seventh home run, and five RBI. Kendle was 2-for-4. Kyle DeBarge was 1-for-2 with two walks and his 27th stolen base. Andrew Cossetti and Garrett Spain each had a single and a walk. KERNEL NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Wisconsin 15 Box Score The Brewers organization is loaded, and even though the Rattlers roster is missing many of the top prospects that began the season in Wisconsin, but as this game shows, there are more terrific players on the way up. Another rough start for Cesar Lares in his return from Tommy John surgery. In this game, he went one inning and gave up three runs (1 earned) on one hit and three walks. He struck out three. He needed 38 pitches to get through the inning, so that was it for him. Christian Becerra came on and gave up two runs on two hits and two walks in 2 1/3 innings. He struck out two batters. Ross Dunn came in and got two outs. He was charged with three runs on four hits. Both outs were on strikeouts. Cleiber Maldonado walked one and struck out one in his inning. Cody Peschl gave up four runs on five hits (2 homers) and a walk. He struck out two. Brian Zeldin gave up three runs on two hits (1 homer). He walked two and had three strikeouts. It may not have made a difference since the Kernels were down, but they went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left eight on base. The Kernels had eight hits and four walks. Yasser Mercedes went 2-for-3 with a walk, his 19th stolen base, and his 34th stolen base. JP Smith went 1-for-2 with a walk and his fourth Kernels homer before being ejected after a strikeout in the sixth inning. Jose Salas hit his fifth double and was hit by a pitch. Irvin Nunez hit his first double with the Kernels. Quinn McDaniel and Miguel Briceno each had a single and a walk. None of the Brewer Fanatic Top 20 prospects played in this game. #2 Prospect Luis Pena and #16 Prospect Sawyer Strosnider didn’t even play in this game. MIGHTY MATTERS Fort Myers 2, Clearwater 8 Box Score The final score is not at all indicative to how this game played out. The score was 1-0 through seven innings. However, the Thrashers scored seven runs in the top of the eighth inning. With two outs in the bottom of the first inning, Luis Fragoza homered to give the team a 1-0 lead. The Mussels didn’t score again until the bottom of the eighth, after they were behind 8-1. With two outs, Fragoza walked and went to second on defensive indifference. Aidan Teel had an infield single which advanced Fragoza to third. Quentin Young walked to load the bases. Bryce Fowler followed with another walk to drive in the team’s second and final run. Ramiro Villanueva started and gave up one run on three hits over three innings. He had four strikeouts with no walks. Matt Dalquist tossed three scoreless innings. He gave up three hits, walked three and had three strikeouts. Nick McAuliffe pitched a scoreless seventh inning. Then came the eighth inning. McAuliffe faced three batters. All three reached base. Michael Hilker came on and combined they gave up seven runs in the inning. Melvin Rodriguez struck out two in a perfect ninth inning. Fragoza went 2-for-3 with a walk and his 14th home run. He also stole his 13th base. Fowler was 1-for-3 with a walk and his first pro double. Teel was 1-for-3 with a walk. Young walked twice. COMPLEX CHRONICLES DSL Twins 4, DSL Tigers 6 Box Score This was a fantastic game for the Twins… until it wasn’t. Adrian Martinez made the start and gave up one run on three hits and two walks and a hit batter over three innings. He had four strikeouts. The Twins got on the scoreboard in the third inning. Fabian Ulloa singled to start the inning. He stole second. Luis Suarez walked. With one out, Jendy Martinez singled to drive in Ulloa and tie the game at 1-1. The Twins scored twice more, both on wild pitches. The Twins added a fourth run in the fifth inning on a couple of walks and a balk. Sebastian Echevarria walked two and had two strikeouts over two scoreless, hitless innings. Juan Quinones pitched a scoreless sixth inning. He also started the top of the seventh. He gave up three runs and Wisarly Reinoso gave up two more and abruptly the Twins were losing 6-5. They were unable to score in the bottom of the inning to take the loss. Jendy Martinez went 2-for-3 with a walk. Fabian Ulloa was 2-for-3 and stole his seventh base. Jhon Gonzalez was 0-for-1, but he walked three times. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter(s) of the Day Jake Rucker (Wichita): 2-for-3, HBP, 2B(8), HR(7), R, 5 RBI Cody Morissette (St. Paul): Game 1: 2-for-3, 2B(13), HR(10), R, 3 RBI, Game 2: 1-for-3, R. Luis Fragoza (Fort Myers): 2-for-3, BB, HR (14), 2 R, RBI Pitcher(s) of the Day Kendry Rojas (St. Paul): 4 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 52 pitches, 40 strikes (76.9%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects. See how they did today. #1 - OF Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - Game 1: 0-for-2, 2 BB, R, K (batted first, played LF) #3 - IF Kaelen Culpepper (Minnesota) - 2-for-4, 2B(1), K (batted ninth, played SS) #6 - OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - Game 1: 0-for-3, HBP, R, K (batted third, played CF); Game 2: 1-for-3, BB, 2B(4), RBI, SB(3), K (batted second, DHd) #7 - OF Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 0-for-3, BB, K, R (batted sixth, played DH) #8 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 2 K (batted third, played DH) #9 - 1B/OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - Game 2: 0-for-3, BB (batted fourth, played RF) #11 - C Carson Tinney (Fort Myers) - 0-for-4, K (batted second, played catcher) #12 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Wichita) - 1-for-5 (batted second, played SS) #18 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-2, 2 BB, 2 K (batted fifth, played 3B) #19 - OF Yasser Mercedes (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-3, BB, 2B(19), R, SB(34) (batted fourth, played CF) UPCOMING PROBABLES Sunday, August 16 St. Paul @ Iowa (1:08 pm CT) - RHP German Marquez (First Saints start) Corpus Christi @ Wichita (1:05 pm CT) - RHP Ty Langenberg (1-4, 3.58 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (1:05 pm CT) - RHP Kolten Smith (0-3, 3.32 ERA) Clearwater @ Ft. Myers (11:05 am CT) - RHP Callan Fang (3-3, 4.02 ERA) CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 60-64 St. Paul Saints: 68-50 Wichita Wind Surge: 45-66 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 44-67 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 61-50 FCL Twins: 33-26 DSL Twins: 17-34 Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the rosters, and discuss today’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related! View the full article

On a rather rough Saturday, the San Diego Padres' four full-season affiliates went 1-3 with another game suspended. The Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas gave up the lead in ninth of an 8-7 loss to Salt Lake, the Double-A San Antonio Missions were handcuffed by Frisco 7-1, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps lost the opener of a doubleheader with Quad Cities 4-2, then had the second game suspended heading into extra innings and the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm blanked Inland Empire 6-0. Padres Minor-League Transactions San Antonio Missions placed SS Carson Tucker on 7-day injured list San Antonio Missions activated 2B-C Oswaldo Linares from developmental list. Four Walks In Ninth Cost Chihuahuas A Victory After the host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas built a 7-4 lead entering the top of the ninth, four walks led to a four-run rally as the Salt Lake Bees pulled out an 8-7 victory. Marcos Castanon homered as part of a two-hit, two-run day, while leadoff hitter Dustin Harris went 3-for-5 with a double and three RBIs and Mason McCoy went 3-for-3 with a walk, three steals and three runs scored for the Chihuahuas, who led 6-2 after four innings. Castanon's homer was a solo shot to center in the second inning, his team-leading 15th of the year, while McCoy now has 30 steals, which is tied for the Pacific Coast League lead. Chihuahuas right-handed starter Jhony Brito went three innings and allowed two runs on five hits with no walks or strikeouts. Right-hander Logan Gillaspie gave up a run over three innings, right-hander Alek Jacob a run in one inning and right-hander David Morgan a clean eighth inning. Right-hander Hans Crouse, who had allowed just three hits and no runs in four one-inning outings since joining the Chihuahuas struggled for the first time, giving up three hits and three walks, leading to four runs while only getting one out. The go-ahead run scored when right-hander Ethan Routzahn came on and struck out the first batter but walked the next one. EP_0815.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Dustin Harris 5 1 3 3 0 1 Bryce Johnson 5 0 1 0 0 2 Carlos Rodríguez 5 0 1 0 0 0 Nick Solak 4 0 0 1 0 2 Gage Workman 5 0 0 0 0 1 Will Wagner 5 0 0 0 0 2 Marcos Castañon 3 2 2 1 1 0 Mason McCoy 3 3 3 0 1 0 Rodolfo Durán 4 1 2 2 0 1 Totals 39 7 12 7 2 9 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jhony Brito 3 5 2 2 0 0 0 Logan Gillaspie 3 2 1 1 0 1 1 Alek Jacob 1 2 1 1 0 1 0 David Morgan 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Hans Crouse 1/3 3 4 4 3 0 0 Ethan Routzahn 2/3 0 0 0 1 1 0 Totals 9 13 8 8 4 4 1 Missions' Offense Stuck In Neutral In Loss To RoughRiders Four pitchers held the Double-A San Antonio Missions to six hits and a first-inning run as the host Frisco RoughRiders came away with a 7-1 victory. The Missions' lone run came on Tirso Ornelas' 13th homer of the season with one out in the first inning. The Missions did draw eight walks, including two each by Romeo Sanabria and Wyatt Hoffman, but could create any offense. Missions right-handed starter Matthew Watson allowed four runs in 4⅓ innings, giving up six hits and two walks, striking out six. He was touched for a pair of homers. Right-hander Tucker Musgrove, Padres Mission's No. 12 prospect, followed Watson and gave up an RBI double to the first batter he faced, closing the book on Watson, and then getting two outs. Right-hander Clay Edmondson allowed three runs in two innings and right-hander Sadrac Franco a scoreless eighth. Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Jackson 4 0 0 0 1 1 Tirso Ornelas 4 1 1 1 1 1 Alex McCoy 5 0 1 0 0 2 Braedon Karpathios 4 0 0 0 1 4 Jack Costello 5 0 1 0 0 2 Romeo Sanabria 3 0 1 0 2 1 Albert Fabian 4 0 1 0 0 0 Wyatt Hoffman 1 0 0 0 2 0 Anthony Vilar 3 0 1 0 1 2 Totals 33 1 6 1 8 13 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Matthew Watson 4 1/3 6 4 4 2 6 2 Tucker Musgrove 2/3 1 0 0 0 0 0 Clay Edmondson 2 3 3 3 0 2 1 Sadrac Franco 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 Totals 8 10 7 7 3 8 3 Robbie Lavey Homers Again In TinCaps' Loss; Nightcap Suspended What was supposed to be a doubleheader for the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps ended up being one completed game and another that was on the verge of being finished when a rally and then rain caused the second game to be suspended. The result was a 4-2 loss by the TinCaps, who then took a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh (and final) inning when the host Quad Cities River Bandits got a two-out two-run homer to send it to extras. Only problem was Mother Nature unleashed a torrent of rain, pushing the conclusion of the game to Sunday to be followed by a seven-inning game. In the opener, a makeup of Wednesday's postponement due to a power outage, the TinCaps were stifled to two hits through the first six innings before finally scoring in the seventh. Robbie Lavey, the Padres' fourth-round pick, homered for the second game in a row to break up the shutout, then Dylan Grego singled home Bradley Frye, who had also singled. Lavey went 2-for-4 and now has three hits in his first three games, two of which are long balls that have come in the last two nights. TinCaps right-handed starter Carlos Medina gave up a run in two innings, left-hander Braian Salar had a scoreless third, then right-hander Maikel Miralles gave up three runs (two earned) in 2⅓ innings on four hits and three walks. FW_0815.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Justin DeCriscio 3 0 1 0 0 1 Ryan Wideman 3 0 0 0 0 0 Rosman Verdugo 2 0 0 0 1 2 Robbie Lavey 3 1 2 1 0 0 Kerrington Cross 3 0 0 0 0 1 Bradley Frye 3 1 1 0 0 0 Yoiber Ocopio 2 0 0 0 1 1 Dylan Grego 3 0 1 1 0 2 Conner Westenburg 2 0 0 0 0 1 Luke Cantwell 1 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 25 2 5 2 2 8 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Carlos Medina 2 2 1 1 2 2 0 Braian Salazar 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 Maikel Miralles 2 1/3 4 3 2 3 3 1 Javier Chacon 2/3 0 0 0 1 1 0 Totals 6 6 4 3 7 7 1 Kruz Schoolcraft, Tyler Schmitt Fan 12, Fuel Storm Shutout Left-hander Kruz Schoolcraft and right-handers Tyler Schmitt and Brett Langley combined on an eight-hit shutout, while Ty Harvey and Alex Conover homered as the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm rolled to a 6-0 victory over the host Inland Empire 66ers. Harvey, who scored twice, and seventh-round pick Joe Tiroly each had three hits, while Yimy Tovar and Jose Verdugo had two. Sixth-rounder Nu'u Contrades and Dawson Willis scored twice. Schoolcraft, Padres Mission's No. 4 prospect, had his start pushed back a day after twisting an ankle at Tuesday's bullpen sessions and went the first three innings, striking out four and allowing four hits. Schmitt, the usual Saturday starter, followed with five tremendous innings, punching out eight while allowing three hits and two walks. Langley took care of the ninth inning, but it wasn't pretty as he loaded the bases on a single and two walks before striking out the final two batters. For Schmitt, it was continued dominance against the 66ers. In three appearances, he has not allowed a run in 17 innings with 22 strikeouts. Harvey got the Storm going when he crushed a 1-0 pitch down the left-field line for a no-doubt solo blast, his second of the season. In the fourth, Contrades singled home Truitt Madonna, who had a leadoff double, and Willis, who reached on an error, to make it 3-0. Verdugo tripled home Harvey in the fifth, Conover led off the seventh with his second pro homer and Qrey Lott tripled home Willis in the eighth. LE_0815.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Nu'u Contrades 5 0 1 2 0 2 Alex Conover 5 1 1 1 0 1 Ty Harvey 5 2 3 1 0 2 Joe Tiroly 5 0 3 0 0 0 Yimy Tovar 5 0 2 0 0 1 Jose Verdugo 5 0 2 1 0 2 Truitt Madonna 4 1 1 0 0 2 Dawson Willis 4 2 1 0 0 1 Qrey Lott 4 0 1 1 0 2 Totals 42 6 15 6 0 13 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Kruz Schoolcraft 3 4 0 0 0 4 0 Tyler Schmitt 5 3 0 0 2 8 0 Brandon Langley 1 1 0 0 2 2 0 Totals 9 8 0 0 4 14 0 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: DNP Ryan Wideman: 0-for-3 Coleman Borthwick: In Arizona Kruz Schoolcraft: 3 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K Ty Harvey: 3-for-5, HR, RBI, 2 R, 2 K Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Jorge Quintana: DNP Alex McCoy: 1-for-5, 2B, 2 K Braedon Karpathios: 0-for-4, BB, 4 K Lamar King Jr.: DNP Elliot Lascelles: In Arizona Tucker Musgrove: ⅔ IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K Jagger Haynes: DNP Jake Cunningham: DNP Truitt Madonna: 1-for-4, 2B, R, 2 K Eric Yost: DNP Winyer Chourio: DNP Jesus Castro: DNP Michael Salina: On injured list Rosman Verdugo: 0-for-2, BB, 2 K View the full article