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Box Score SP: Connor Prielipp 5.0 IP, 8 H, 8 ER, 4 BB, 6 K (94 pitches, 58 strikes (62%)) Home Runs: N/A Bottom 3 WPA: Prielipp (-0.26), Brooks Lee (-0.28), six Twins batters were between (-0.03 and -0.05) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Twins had a full Friday off to contemplate what went wrong in Dyersville, and Saturday night was their chance to prove that they indeed belonged in playoff contention against a quality opponent on their actual home turf. Connor Prielipp looked to take some of the corn sweat steam off of the Phillies lefty bats, while fellow lefty Jesus Luzardo and his 1.14 WHIP hasn't had to sweat much this season and looked to continue that trend against Minnesota's full-righty lineup. Location, Location, Location The Twins starters have been surrendering two runs in the first inning for what seems like a month, but Prielipp put an end to that with a 1-2-3 top of the first. Austin Martin started off the bottom of the first with a ringing double to the wall in left, but Luzardo decided to stop providing center-cut fastballs and struck out Byron Buxton, Ryan Jeffers, and Royce Lewis in order. The Phillies quickly put Prielipp on the ropes in the top of the second. Twins immortality Luiz Arraez kept on raking for his latest team, lacing a single on a hanging slider. Alec Bohm drove a sinker that didn't sink for a double, and Edmundo Sosa drew a four pitch walk to load the bases with nobody out. Even though Prielipp was home, his location was less than desirable for a Twins squad desperate to stay in the thick of the race. Ultimately, Connor was able to dial in and only allow one run on a sacrifice fly, keeping his team in the game early. Again in the bottom of the second, the Twins got a double. This time it came with one out, and Luke Keaschall was the man standing in prime scoring location at second base. There he stayed, as this time it was Brooks Lee and Ryan Kreidler who struck out thanks to Luzardo's superior sweeper location. Greedy Baserunning Leaves Both Teams Unsatisfied Bryce Harper tried to stretch a single into a double in the top of the third, and Martin gunned him down for the third out. In the top of the fourth, Bohm tried to race to third on a grounder to Kaelen Culpepper at short, and Culpeper gunned him down at third to erase a scoring threat. Then in the bottom of the fourth Keaschall found himself at first base this time, and he tried to make it all the way home on a slow gapper from Lee. Keaschall celebrated being called safe, Don Mattingly and the Phillies had the last laugh as the replay showed a bang-bang out instead. The game headed to the fifth inning with the Phillies still nursing a 1-0 lead. It All Falls Apart The momentum seemed to be in the Phillies favor heading into the top of the fifth, but it actually started off well for Prielipp, with a leadoff single looking like it was going to get stranded at first after Connor retired the next two batters. Then there were three straight walks, the last netting Arraez an RBI to make it 2-0. Then two straight singles made it 5-0. Then Prielipp hung a center-cut slider to Bryson Stott, and Stott dented the right field foul pole to make it 8-0. Seven runs with two outs. With the Twins facing an All-Star, it was time to move towards the exits in the fifth. Any Reason to Keep Paying Attention? Not really. Culpepper laced a double in the bottom of the fifth and got stranded. Jeffers hit a double in the bottom of the sixth and didn't get stranded! Lewis hit the toppiest top of the left field wall and the ball bounced back for the Twins' fifth double of the night. When Lewis got stranded at second with nobody out, it marked the last attempt with a runner in scoring position for the Twins, and 1-for-11 night in that situation at that point (eventually they went 1-for-13 with seven of those being via strikeout). Justin Morneau said during the telecast that hitting with runners in scoring position is a different animal and everything changes in those moments. Well those moments are a large animal, that is currently devouring the Twins' season. The team's power outage in August stands in stark contrast to the homerun barrage taking place in St. Paul this month. Will management make a move to bring new blood up into those moments, or just keep hoping that regression can regress both ways in the same season? The Twins bullpen looked solid yet again, a continual bright spot in an otherwise dismal August. Twins fans can only wonder what might have been if Derek Shelton had been ready to go to them a few batters earlier. Like maybe as your starter is actively walking three batters in a row in the fifth with the game still tight? Also, the usage of Minter and Hoffman in a blowout might snipe the club on Sunday should the game remain close. The oddity of the Field of Dreams game and off-day did leave them on the verge of too much rest, but now their availability in a winnable game Sunday is in question. Rogers, Nance, and even Adams were there and ready to be cannon fodder in this blowout. Time will tell if these systemic and managerial non-moves impact past Saturday's defeat. What’s Next? The Twins look to salvage something from this unique and so far lopsided series on Sunday afternoon. The hottest and newest Twins starter, Dean Kremer (2-4, 5.25 ERA, but 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA and 0.58 WHIP across his two Twins outings) will take the hill to make a stand against the Philadelphia bullies. The Phillies' weakest link in the rotation, RHP Andrew Painter (2-8, 6.27 ERA) will look to bring the brooms to Target Field. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10pm CDT. Postgame Interviews Coming Soon Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Adams 0 0 42 0 0 42 Hoffman 0 24 0 0 17 41 Morris 0 18 0 0 23 41 Funderburk 22 0 0 0 16 38 Nance 18 0 16 0 0 34 Rogers 18 0 10 0 0 28 Minter 0 9 0 0 12 21 Gomez 0 11 0 0 0 11 View the full article

In what could be a huge boon to the Red Sox as they look to bounce back from dropping their last seven of eight games, Roman Anthony, Trevor Story, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa are all set to begin rehab assignments throughout various levels of the organization. First, Story has already reported to Worcester and will start his 20-day clock ticking on Sunday. It will be curious to see if he immediately slides into his usual shortstop position with the quick-rising Franklin Arias manning the position already for the WooSox, or if Story spends some time playing second base. Anthony will report to the Portland Sea Dogs on Tuesday straight from Fort Myers, where he’s been hitting off a high-velocity Trajekt machine to get his timing down. He will also have the typical 20-day ramp-up period before he has to be recalled to the 26-man roster. It’s unclear how much of that window he will need, at least from an offensive standpoint, because he has been consistently taking outfield reps while his partially torn right ring finger tendon was healing. Finally, Kiner-Falefa has also already reported to Worcester but will be the last to start his rehab assignment on Wednesday. He’s rehabbing a left forearm stress reaction that came from him swinging the bat too hard as he started heating up earlier this season. The more difficult part of each one of these guys getting closer to rejoining the Red Sox is how interim manager Chad Tracy will shuffle the lineups on a daily basis. There are a number of guys who have been seeing regular playing time who will either head to the bench in a backup role or could get the call from Craig Breslow that they are headed back to Worcester until rosters expand next month. View the full article

Butch Huskey, who spent parts of seven seasons in the majors and played his last season with Minnesota in 2000, has died at the age of 54. The New York Mets announced his death Friday. A cause of death was not included in the team's announcement, though Mets vice president of alumni relations Jay Horwitz told The Athletic's Tyler Kepner that Huskey died from a blood clot in his lung. A seventh-round selection by the Mets in the 1989 MLB Draft, Huskey reached the majors in 1993 and spent five seasons with New York. He also played for the Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, Twins and Colorado Rockies. Over his seven-year career, Huskey compiled a .267/.318/.442 slash line with 86 home runs, 98 doubles and 336 RBI. He was a versatile player who saw time at third base, first base and both corner outfield positions. His final season came with Minnesota. Huskey appeared in 64 games for the Twins in 2000, hitting .223/.306/.353 with five home runs and 13 doubles. In July, Minnesota traded him and Todd Walker to Colorado in July for Todd Sears and cash. The move to Colorado gave Huskey an opportunity to finish his career on an impressive note. He played 47 games for the Rockies and posted a remarkable .998 OPS before his major-league career came to an end. Wearing Jackie Robinson's Number Huskey is perhaps best remembered for being one of the final players to wear No. 42 after Major League Baseball retired the number across the sport in honor of Jackie Robinson. When Huskey began his major-league career, he wore No. 10. In 1995, however, he switched to No. 42 as a tribute to Robinson, a number he continued to wear with the Mets, Mariners and Twins. Then, on April 15, 1997, commissioner Bud Selig made one of baseball's most significant announcements at Shea Stadium. Robinson's No. 42 would be retired throughout Major League Baseball. Players already wearing the number were allowed to keep it for the remainder of their careers. That group included Yankees Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera, but Huskey was another prominent player who continued wearing Robinson's number during the transition. His decision to wear No. 42 wasn't something he took lightly. Huskey had learned about Robinson while he was in high school and made a promise to himself. "I told myself if I ever got a chance to play professional baseball, I would wear his number," he told the New York Daily News in 1997. "I think about it quite often … It means a lot to me just to be put in the same sentence with him." Huskey's Final Connection to the Twins Huskey wasn't the last player to wear No. 42 for Minnesota, either. Mike Jackson, a veteran relief pitcher who spent 17 seasons in the majors, wore the number during his time with the Twins in 2002. Jackson appeared in 58 games that season and posted a 3.27 ERA while contributing 1.2 rWAR to a Minnesota team that reached the ALCS. Huskey’s time in Minnesota was relatively short, but his seven-year major-league career provided plenty of memorable moments. Huskey was a powerful, versatile player who carved out a role across several positions, and his decision to wear Robinson's number gave his career an added historical significance. That makes Huskey's name a memorable one in both Mets and Twins history, even more than two decades after his final major-league appearance. View the full article

Blue Jays Affiliate Overview (August 13-14) Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Series vs Worcester Red Sox (Boston Red Sox): 2-2 Season Record: 58-60 Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats Series vs Somerset Patriots (New York Yankees): 0-4 Season Record: 51-59 High-A Vancouver Canadians Series vs Tri-City Dust Devils (Los Angeles Angels): 3-1 Season Record: 52-60 Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays Series vs Tampa Tarpons (New York Yankees): 2-2 Season Record: 52-56 FCL Blue Jays: Season Complete DSL Blue Jays Blue Week Record: 0-3 Season Record: 18-34 DSL Blue Jays Red Week Record: 3-0 Season Record: 31-18 Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Season Record: 58-60 Series vs Worcester Red Sox (Boston Red Sox) August 13: On Thursday, Josh Stephan got a chance to make his second start in the Toronto Blue Jays organization, after his first was one that opened some eyes as to his future role with the team. His second outing definitely did not go as swimmingly as his first; he got rocked hard in this game. From the opening frame onward, he was in trouble. A double, a sacrifice bunt, and a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first saw Stephan and Buffalo down one quickly. In the second, it was an RBI double and an RBI single that brought in runs for Worcester. Then in the fourth, it was a two-run triple, an RBI single, and a two-run home run that broke the game wide open for Worcester. Stephan would finish the fifth clean, bringing his outing to a close, throwing five innings and giving up eight runs; it certainly was not the second start he or the team was hoping for. Down 8-0, Buffalo finally got on the scoreboard in the sixth, on a Yohendrick Piñango RBI single to left, scoring Sean Keys. Buffalo kept fighting until the end, though, adding two more runs in the ninth from CJ Stubbs’ two-run home run, his sixth of the season for Buffalo. The hole Stephan dug for the Bisons was just too large to climb back out of, as Buffalo lost 10-3. August 14: On Friday, John Klein made his second start in a Buffalo uniform as well; his outing went a little better than his first. Klein didn't make it out of the third inning in his first start. In this one, he completed four innings and gave up just two runs on three hits. Pat Gallagher came on in relief and was lights out, throwing four innings himself, but he didn't allow a run and surrendered just one hit. Peyton Williams would tie the game up at one in the second inning, with a rocket RBI double to center that came off the bat at 111.9 mph. In the third, Yohendrick Piñango joined him with a missile to center, an exit velocity of 106.3 mph, going 433 feet to center for a two-run home run. Ismael Munguia added to the Bisons' lead with an RBI single in the sixth. In the seventh, Sean Keys ripped a solo home run to right, and Rudy Martin Jr. capped off the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the eighth. Buffalo won in a much better all-around performance, 6-2. Double-A New Hampshire Season Record: 51-59 Series vs Somerset Patriots (New York Yankees) August 13: Thursday game between the Fisher Cats and Patriots was a slow burn for both offenses in terms of getting hits. Carlos Rodón was on the mound for the Patriots, getting a rehab start in on his way back to the big leagues. Over 4.1 innings, New Hampshire hitters got nothing off of him, except for two hits and striking out seven times. In the second inning, Rodón got all the offense he needed when Josh Moylan hit a grand slam off Austin Cates. Eric Snow would homer for New Hampshire in the ninth inning, but that was their lone run of the game. New Hampshire lost this one 5-1. August 14: Hits were again at a premium for the Friday contest between New Hampshire and Somerset. Danny Thompson Jr. was on the mound for the Fisher Cats and was fantastic again. He threw his third straight quality start. This time going six innings, only allowing one hit, issuing two walks, and striking out five. A wild pitch and an Eric Snow RBI single had New Hampshire up two by the second inning. Josh Moylan homered for the Patriots, but that was answered by Carter Cunningham driving in a run with an RBI single to left field. Cutter Coffey would bring in a run in the sixth on an RBI groundout. Gage Stanifer came in for the last two innings again out of the bullpen, but things fell apart in the ninth. He had some base runners in the eighth, after a walk and a single, but finished the inning getting a double play. The ninth went horribly wrong, though. Stanifer walked the first two batters and then left a 3-2 fastball over the plate to Omar Alfonzo, who smashed a walk-off three-run home run. New Hampshire lost this one 5-4. High-A Vancouver Season Record: 52-60 Series vs Tri-City Dust Devils (Los Angeles Angels) August 13: The Canadians ran wild on the Dust Devils as they stole a combined six bases, with Ty Southisene and Jaxson West with a pair apiece. Dylan Watts opened the game for the Canadians and went two scoreless innings, despite giving up three walks. Jake Casey started off the scoring for the Canadians with an RBI single in the first inning. The Dust Devils tied it up, but the Canadians took the lead back, capitalizing on a throwing error, as Southisene scored his second run of the game, and Ryan Sprock drove in another run with an RBI triple. Silvano Hechavarria replaced Watts and pitched well heading into the seventh inning, but a passed ball and throwing error allowed three runs to score, losing the lead. Once again, the Canadians took the lead back, as with two outs, Maddox Latta hit a three-run homer. Bryce Chance made it a five-run inning with a two-run double. They had another big inning in the eighth, as this time they scored six runs, capped off by Max Viera’s first homer as a Canadian with a grand slam to make it 14-4, which ended up being the final score. August 14: Mississauga’s very own Connor O’Halloran had his first start in Vancouver since April 13 of last year, and he pitched well despite some obvious rust, as he walked four batters and had two errors, allowing an unearned run to score on a sac fly. Jean Joseph was able to take the lead back in the sixth inning as he hit a two-run bomb, but caused a kerfuffle as he slowly jogged his home run trot, causing the benches to clear for a bit. Bradley Wilson pitched two scoreless innings in his first outing as a Canadian, but the third inning went poorly for him, as the Dust Devils took the lead back with a two-RBI single. Jean Joseph had his third RBI of the night on a sac fly to tie it up in the bottom of the seventh, but the bullpen got burned by a JoJo Parker throwing error, resulting in two unearned runs scoring. The Canadians brought it within one on a wild pitch that scored Austin Smith, but they couldn’t pull off the comeback, losing 5-4. Single-A Dunedin Season Record: 52-56 Series vs Tampa Tarpons (New York Yankees) August 13: The Jays got down early, as Karson Ligon was unable to get out of the second inning, hitting his pitch limit at 44, allowing two runs and three walks. Giacomo Taschin allowed two more runs, leading to a four-run deficit in the third inning. Jake Bennett, an eighth-round pick who signed for just $1,000, tied it up with one swing as his first professional homer was a grand slam. Taschin allowed four homers in a single game, however, and the Jays continued to bleed runs as Isaac Williams allowed three more runs, although not on homers. The only other bright spot was Bennett once again, who homered for the second time, but to no avail, as the Jays lost it 11-7. August 14: After a string of good starts, Carson Messina had another dud, this time not getting out of the first inning, allowing four runs and three walks and no strikeouts. Jake Bennett could not be denied as he hit his third homer of the series, with a 105.6 mph homer to right field to put the Jays on the board. In the fifth inning with the bases loaded, Dean West hit a two-run single to bring it within one, but despite loading the bases once again, they could not score another run, which unfortunately resulted in a loss, as they couldn’t find a solid scoring opportunity after that, and they lost 5- 4. FCL Blue Jays Season Record: 38-20 Season Completed DSL Blue Jays Blue Season Record: 18-34 August 13: Thursday was a rough day all-around for BJB, poor pitching, errors, lack of hitting, all added up to a loss. A fielding error at shortstop by Cristopher Polanco opened up the doors for a three-run inning by the Arizona Black team in the bottom of the first. In the third, a throwing error by third baseman Juarlin Soto led to two more unearned runs scoring. A wild pitch and an RBI groundout got BJB on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth. Michael Mesa and Luis Felipe each had two hits, but nothing would come of them, as BJB got trounced 8-1. August 14: BJB was in a hole early against the Pirates Black team on Friday. They tried to climb out of it with a big five-run inning, which began with Fabian Gonzalez scoring on a wild pitch. Michael Mesa would then double home two runs with a rope knock to right field. Luis Felipe then singled in two runs as well, with a base hit to left. The Pirates team took the lead back in the top of the fifth, before BJB got an RBI single from Juan Caricote to tie the game back up in the bottom half of the inning. It wasn't meant to be for BJB, though. They gave up a two-RBI single and three runs on three wild pitches in the seventh, as they fell 11-6. DSL Blue Jays Red Season Record: 31-18 August 13: Cristhian Duarte had a good game on the mound for BJR on Thursday. Duarte pitched five solid innings, only surrendering one run on five hits, struck out four, and walked none. BJR would take the lead in the first. Aneudi Severino brought home a run on an RBI groundout, followed by Samuel Orellana's RBI double and Luis Nunez's RBI single. Darwin Nuñez would add a run onto BJR's lead in the third from a sacrifice fly that scored Gabriel Porras. BJR almost gave the game away, though, coughing up two unearned runs in the seventh, but they held on for the 4-3 win. August 14: Elaineiker Coronado had himself a game on Friday: three singles, a walk, two RBI, and a run scored. He paced an offense that walked seven times and added six hits. Darwin Nuñez had a two-RBI single in the first inning, Coronado had an RBI single in the second, and another run would cross home on a wild pitch. In the fifth, Elian Reyes brought in two on his single, then two more runs would score on bases-loaded walks. Luis Nunez would cap off the scoring for BJR with a sacrifice fly in the sixth. With all of the runs scored, BJR had an easy win, as Abrahan Diaz was great on the mound. He pitched four scoreless innings and gave up just three hits. BJR cruised to a 9-4 win. View the full article

Yeah, I know, I'm a little late to the party on this. But we couldn't just not have anything on the site about all the news from before today's game. Here's the rundown: Ricky Tiedemann was promoted for his MLB debut. Chase Lee was optioned back to Buffalo. That's option number five for Lee this season. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is in concussion protocol. He's out for at least a week. Daz Cameron had his contract selected from Triple-A Buffalo. He's on the roster now. Lazaro Estrada was designated for assignment. Similar to Lee, he had been optioned the maximum number of times, which limited his flexibility. A player can't be optioned more than five times in a season. Tiedemann made his debut this afternoon, tossing 1.2 innings. He gave up one run on two hits and struck out two. View the full article

Still looking to shore up their infield depth due to recent injuries, the Milwaukee Brewers have acquired infielder-outfielder Jonathan Ornelas from the A's for cash considerations. Infielder-outfielder Jihwan Bae, who just signed Sunday with the Brewers, was designated for assignment to make room for Ornelas. Ornelas, primarily a shortstop, just re-signed Friday with the A's after being DFA'd himself by the A's a few days earlier. He appeared in six games for the A's, going 2-for-12 with a walk and seven strikeouts. Ornelas has been in 38 MLB over the last four seasons, including 30 with the Texas Rangers, and put together a .200/.257/.231 slash line with no homers and three RBIs, four walks and 27 strikeouts in 71 plate appearances. Bae got into four games and went 1-for-2 with a sacrifice bunt and a run scored. The Brewers' infield depth has been tested with rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt going on the 10-day injured list, then shortstop-third baseman Joey Ortiz battling a neck ailment and now second baseman Brice Turang, who has missed the first two games of the series against the Los Angeles Dodgers due to pain in his left knee. The Brewers are hoping to avoid putting Turang on the IL following an MRI. Prospect Jett Williams is on the minor-league injured list. View the full article

Baseball has released a litany of statistics that has changed the way fans can scout and analyze the game. We now have access to information that, not all that long ago, would have been locked away inside the internal departments of major league organizations. One such metric is arm angle. The concept itself is hardly new. Somewhere between the shin-high grass at Elysian Fields and the modern bullpen, pitching coaches have been encouraging their hurlers to make adjustments to their arm path. It probably comes immediately after the old-timey pitching coach's first instruction: just throw strikes. For those unfamiliar, arm angle measures the angle of a pitcher's arm relative to the shoulder at pitch release. The metric matters in a variety of ways. Teams are interested in outlier arms, particularly those operating at the extreme ends of the spectrum, but arm angle can also help explain how a pitcher imparts spin and creates movement. A lower or higher slot can, depending on the individual pitcher, unlock different characteristics in the arsenal. Forward-thinking teams see this as an opportunity. If a pitcher has an attribute they like but another area they believe can be improved, perhaps there is a player sitting right there waiting to be acquired, tinkered with, and turned into something better. Which brings us to Dean Kremer. The Minnesota Twins targeted the right-hander ahead of the trade deadline after he had put together a pretty good 700-inning career with the Orioles. Of course, the Twins weren't necessarily interested in the version of Kremer that had already accumulated those innings. They saw things in him that they believed they could enhance. One of the low-hanging fruits was his pitch selection. With Baltimore, Kremer was throwing his four-seam fastball around 21% of the time and his sinker around 17%. With the Twins, the four-seam usage has jumped to roughly 39%, while the sinker has fallen to about 6%. This has become something of a Twins go-to move. When they acquired Yoendrys Gomez earlier this year, they also moved him away from his sinker and toward a heavier four-seam diet. We've seen similar ideas play out with other recent acquisitions, including Jeff Hoffman and A.J. Minter. But another change has caught the attention of the stat hounds. Kremer's arm angle has jumped from roughly 42 degrees with Baltimore to 47 degrees with the Twins. That is an interesting development because it puts Kremer's arm slot closer to where it was when he first came up with the Orioles in 2020. It would be easy to look at that and conclude the Twins simply asked him to raise his arm five degrees, but that's not really how pitching mechanics work. The arm is the caboose of the delivery. Everything that happens before it helps determine where that caboose eventually arrives. For Kremer, one of the first things that changed was his hand break, the point in the delivery where a pitcher separates the throwing hand from the glove. copy_DC57A8A0-914C-4BC3-B6C1-8FA341AFCC35.mp4 With Baltimore, Kremer's glove hand would work out and around after the hand break. Now, you'll see it move upward and toward the plate, almost like he is stretching a bow and arrow. It reaches a considerably higher point, creating a different path for the throwing arm to follow. The easiest way I can describe it is that the old movement looked more like a carousel, while the new one has more of a Ferris wheel effect. Naturally, if the wheel is moving differently, the arm is going to arrive at a different angle. I've posted before about the Twins changing a pitcher's posture during his delivery. Mick Abel made a subtle adjustment this spring, while Yoendrys Gomez made a similar change during the season, both keeping their weight farther back toward first base rather than allowing the body to tip toward third. Kremer has some of the same characteristics in his new delivery. This is less about the shoulders themselves and more about keeping the lower half stacked in the glute. With Baltimore, Kremer's weight would tip over his rear knee, allowing some of his momentum to leak toward third base. Again, the body starts working around the ball like a carousel. By keeping the upper half more stacked behind the knee, Kremer is in a better position to drive toward the plate instead, creating the Ferris wheel movement pattern. That can have implications for both command and power. The real story here isn't that Kremer and the Twins made these adjustments and now he's improved. The more interesting story is the complex system that has to exist behind the scenes for an organization to identify a player, determine what it wants to change, communicate those changes to the player, and then actually implement them in the middle of a major league season. That process is particularly interesting when viewed through the lens of Lance Brozdowski's preseason survey of more than 80 MLB staffers. The Twins weren't exactly viewed as the gold standard in pitching acquisition and development. Only four respondents considered Minnesota the best organization in that area, while three considered them the worst. They are not at the Milwaukee Brewers' level of consistently generating top-flight arms, but the Twins have had their successes. And if you zoom out from Kremer, a pattern starts to emerge. Taj Bradley altered his arm action. Simeon Woods Richardson changed his arm slot. Mick Abel tweaked his glove placement to prevent pitch tipping and adjusted his posture. Yoendrys Gomez changed his posture and pitch mix. Now, with Kremer, we're seeing a movement-pattern adjustment that may result in more consistency and power. That doesn't happen by accident. Somewhere inside the Twins' baseball operations department has to be a database, whether literal or figurative, of pitchers whose attributes the organization likes. Not just names and scouting grades, but specific characteristics and potential adjustments. Maybe a pitcher has a good four-seam fastball but doesn't throw it enough. Maybe his arm slot is lower than the organization would prefer. Maybe there is a posture issue, a movement-pattern inefficiency, a pitch-tipping concern or a pitch in his arsenal that isn't maximizing his strengths. Assembling that information likely requires an effort across multiple internal departments. Scouting sees one part of the player. Analytics sees another. Biomechanics can identify something happening in the delivery that isn't obvious on a traditional scouting report, while the coaching staff has to determine whether the proposed adjustment can actually be taught and implemented. That is where Jeremy Zoll and his group come into the picture. As the Twins work the waiver wire or troll the trade market, they presumably have a pretty clear understanding of what they are acquiring and, perhaps more importantly, what they believe they can change once the player gets to Minnesota. The Twins aren't necessarily acquiring the finished product. They're acquiring the ingredients. That's a fundamentally different way of evaluating a player. A pitcher can have a flaw that makes him less attractive to 29 other organizations while simultaneously possessing an attribute that makes him particularly interesting to one team because that organization believes it knows how to fix the flaw. But identifying the change is only half of the equation. At some point, someone has to sit down with the newly acquired pitcher and explain what the organization wants to do and, more importantly, why it believes the change will make him better. This is the part of the Kremer story that would require someone with access and relationships to really uncover. What does that conversation look like? If you rely on reports from former players such as Josh Donaldson, the process can sometimes sound like little more than analytics being dumped on players without much explanation behind it (but that is more likely a Josh Donaldson issue). I personally tend to believe there is considerably more communication happening inside organizations than those accounts would suggest, but there has to be some person or group responsible for taking the information assembled by scouting, analytics and biomechanics and translating it for the player. It has to go deeper than, "Welcome to Minnesota, Dean. We'd like you to throw more four-seamers and raise your arm slot five degrees." There has to be an explanation of why the four-seamer fits, what is happening in the delivery, what the mechanical change is supposed to accomplish, what the player should feel and how much of the change can realistically be implemented during a season. Most importantly, the player has to buy into it. That's what makes the Kremer story so fascinating. We can see the results from the outside. We can see the arm angle move from 42 degrees to 47. We can see the four-seam usage jump while the sinker disappears. We can see the hand break change and the posture become more stable. What we can't see is the organizational process that connected all of those dots. And that's the real story. The Twins didn't acquire Dean Kremer and suddenly discovered that he could throw a baseball differently. They acquired him with a pretty good idea of what they wanted him to become, then went about trying to make those changes happen. For now, the early returns suggest another win for the Twins' pitching development staff. View the full article

The Minnesota Twins had an unusual roster decision to make following Thursday’s Field of Dreams Game, and the solution was a familiar one. The club designated third catcher Alex Jackson for assignment, bringing its 40-man roster down to 39 players. The timing of the move was dictated by the unique circumstances surrounding Thursday’s matchup with the Philadelphia Phillies. Both teams were allowed to carry a 27th player for the game, essentially giving them the same roster flexibility they would have during a doubleheader. Minnesota used that extra spot to activate Byron Buxton from the 10-day injured list. That temporary roster advantage disappears Friday. The Twins needed to get back to a standard 26-man roster, and Jackson was the player caught in the numbers game. Because he is out of minor-league options, Minnesota could not simply send him back to Triple-A St. Paul without first exposing him to waivers. In many ways, this move has been coming for quite some time. Jackson was called up in May after Ryan Jeffers suffered a hamate fracture. He provided depth behind Victor Caratini while Jeffers recovered, giving Minnesota three catchers on the roster for a stretch of the season. Once Jeffers returned around the All-Star break, however, Jackson's role became increasingly difficult to justify. The Twins have a strong catching tandem with Jeffers and Caratini, and this is a team attempting to maximize every available roster spot during a playoff push. Jackson had not started a game since July 30 and had only one plate appearance in August before Thursday. There simply wasn't much opportunity available. Jackson's surface-level numbers this season were actually respectable. He hit .303 with one home run across 69 plate appearances, but the underlying numbers tell a much different story. He struck out 23 times while drawing just one walk, highlighting the same plate-discipline concerns that have followed him throughout his professional career. The former sixth overall pick has now appeared in parts of seven MLB seasons, but he has never been able to establish himself offensively. Across 189 career games, Jackson owns a .174/.252/.305 slash line and has struck out in nearly 40% of his plate appearances. That makes it difficult for a contender to carry him as a third catcher when there are only so many opportunities to get him into the lineup. The next step will be placing Jackson on waivers, which should happen within the next couple of days. There is a chance he goes unclaimed and returns to Triple-A St. Paul. However, catching depth wears thin at this late point in the season and another team could need a veteran backup option. It would be great for Jackson to stick in the organization as depth, but the big-league roster was suffering with him collecting dust on the bench. View the full article

Chicago Cubs Minor League Report - August 15 Affiliate Overview Triple-A Iowa Cubs Series vs. St. Paul Saints (Minnesota Twins): Cubs lead, 3-0 Season Record: 48–66-1 Double-A Knoxville Smokies Series vs. Rocket City Trash Pandas (Los Angeles Angels): Smokies lead, 3-1 Season Record: 61–51 High-A South Bend Cubs Series at Great Lakes Loons (Los Angeles Dodgers): Loons lead, 3-1 Season Record: 64–44 Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Series vs. Hill City Howlers (Cleveland Guardians): Tied, 2-2 Season Record: 44–66 Affiliate Highlights Triple-A: Iowa Cubs Season Record: 48–66-1 Series Opponent: St. Paul Saints (66-50) Series Standing: Lead, 3-0 Aug. 14: The Iowa Cubs had their contest postponed due to rain. They go for a series win today with a doubleheader vs. the St. Paul Saints, with first pitch in the opening ballgame set for 4:08 p.m. CT. Double-A: Knoxville Smokies Season Record: 61–51 Series Opponent: Rocket City Trash Pandas (57–54) Series Standing: Lead, 3-1 Aug. 14: The Knoxville Smokies won their third-straight game and earned at least a series split with a 5-4 victory over the Rocket City Trash Pandas on Friday night at Covenant Health Park. The Trash Pandas opened the scoring with a run in their first trip to the plate before Edgar Alvarez (0-for-1) made it 1-1 with a sacrifice fly in the second. Kane Kepley’s (1-for-4) two-run double in the fifth gave Knoxville the lead, and Carter Trice’s (3-for-3) solo blast in the sixth made it 4-1. Trice gave the Smokies an important insurance run in the eighth with a sacrifice fly as Rocket City would score three in the ninth to make it a one-run game, but Grayson Moore was able to get the final two outs of the frame to earn his first save of the season and deliver the 5-4 win for the Smokies. Luis Martinez-Gomez got the start on the mound for Knoxville and earned his first-career Double-A win, improving to 1-3 on the season. Martinez-Gomez allowed one run on three hits over five innings of work, walked three and struck out four. Jackson Brockett turned in three scoreless frames out of the bullpen, allowing three hits while whiffing two without issuing a walk. High-A: South Bend Cubs Season Record: 64–44 Series Opponent: Great Lakes Loons (62–46) Series Standing: Trail, 3-1 Aug. 14: The South Bend Cubs snapped their three-game losing skid with a 6-2 victory over the Great Lakes Loons on Friday night at Dow Diamond. Angel Cepeda (1-for-4) gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead just two batters into the game with a solo home run, his fourth of the season. South Bend broke the game open with four runs in the third, thanks to a bases-loaded walk from Matt Halbach (0-for-3), a run scoring on a catcher’s interference, and two runs scoring on an error. Michael Hallquist (1-for-4) made it 6-0 in the sixth with a solo blast of his own, his sixth of the season. The Loons would score both of their runs in the ninth, but the Cubs were still able to hold on for the win. Alfredo Romero got the start on the mound for South Bend and earned the win, improving to 3-3 on the season. Romero tossed five scoreless innings, allowed just three hits, and struck out three with no walks. Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans Season Record: 44–66 Series Opponent: Hill City Howlers (48–64) Series Standing: Tied, 2-2 Aug. 14: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans dropped Friday night’s contest to the Hill City Howlers, 11-7, at Pelicans Ballpark. The Howlers took a 1-0 lead in the first, but the Pelicans went ahead with two runs in the second, thanks to Derniche Valdez’s (2-for-3) two-run triple. Jhoander Irigoyen (1-for-3) made it 3-1 in the fourth with a sacrifice fly. Hill City rallied for five runs in the seventh to make it 6-3, but Myrtle Beach was able to get one of those runs back in the home half of the frame on a Juan Cabada (0-for-4) sacrifice fly. The Howlers extended their lead to 10-4 with four more in the eighth, but the Pelicans again responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning to make it 10-7. Irigoyen singled home a run, and Derik Alcantara (1-for-1) hit the first professional home run of his career, a two-run shot. Hill City added one more in the ninth, and Myrtle Beach was unable to rally any further. Daniel Avitia got the start on the mound for the Pelicans and took no decision. Avitia tossed five hitless innings, allowed one run, walked two, and struck out five. View the full article

Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Series vs. Buffalo Bisons (Toronto Blue Jays): 2-2 Season Record: 62-51 Worcester fell 6-2 amidst a rough night at the plate. On the other side of the ball, Gage Ziehl made his second Triple-A start. He turned in a five-inning, three-run effort as he let up six hits. Ziehl issued one walk and struck out five batters before being pulled as his ERA rose to 2.53. Angel Bastardo took the sixth inning, but was pulled after just two outs. Bastardo allowed one run on three hits, issued two walks, and struck out one before being replaced by John Brebbia. Brebbia struggled as well, but he was able to put together a multi-inning appearance. He allowed two runs on three hits, walked one, and struck out another across two and ⅓ innings. Finally, Raymond Burgos came in for a near-perfect ninth inning. He allowed one hit as he struck out two and closed out a loss for Worcester. The WooSox mustered six hits and drew four walks on offense, but fell short when it came time to drive runs home. A 1-for-6 mark with runners in scoring position was good for just two runs as the WooSox lost by four. The team's pair of runs came early. In the first, Romy Gonzales put the WooSox ahead with a sac fly, scoring Braiden Ward. The lead was short-lived as Buffalo led by two the next time Worcester scored. Nate Eaton drove in Tsung-Che Cheng by way of a sacrifice double play as Ward was thrown out at second after a leaping grab by the Buffalo second baseman. Ward stole two bags throughout Friday’s action, ending the day with 53. Ward is just shy of the Worcester record set by David Hamilton with 57 bags stolen in 2023. Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Series vs. Binghamton Rumble Ponies (New York Mets): 1-3 Season Record: 58-53 Portland snapped a three-game skid with a resounding 10-3 win behind a solid start from Devin Futrell. Futrell made his second start at Double-A on Friday evening, turning in a five-inning outing with a solid final stat line. He allowed two runs on five hits, displaying excellent command as he didn’t issue a walk. In addition, Futrell sat down eight on strikes before Cooper Adams took over. Adams pitched through two smooth innings before running into trouble in the eighth. He was pulled after allowing one run on four hits and notching two strikeouts as he was replaced by Tyler Davis. Davis was excellent as he finished the eighth and closed the ninth, allowing one hit and striking out another as he sealed the convincing win. All but one of the Sea Dogs batters recorded a hit on Friday, but each batter reached base safely at least once. Jack Winnay led the way with three hits and two RBIs, and Nelly Taylor backed him up with a three-RBI performance. After Henry Godbout tallied his first Double-A hit in the first inning, Winnay drove him in with a two-run homer. Yoeilin Cespedes tacked on one more as he drove in Brooks Brannon on an RBI single later in the first. Nate Baez capped off the early onslaught with a sac fly to center, scoring Miguel Bleis. Owners of a two-run lead in the fourth, the Sea Dogs pulled way ahead with another four-run inning. Tyler McDonough got it going with a solo shot to lead off the inning before Bleis drove in Winnay on an RBI double. Leading 6-2, Cespedes drove home his second RBI of the night with another single, scoring Bleis. With the bases loaded, Taylor drove in his first run of the day as he drew a walk, scoring Cespedes. Taylor made his mark again in the seventh, crushing a two-run homer to right field as Max Ferguson rounded the bases, capping off the Sea Dogs’ best offensive showing of the series. High-A Greenville Drive Series @ Hub City Spartanburgers (Texas Rangers): 2-2 Season Record: 49-60 An eight-run offensive pop in the fifth inning carried the Drive to an 8-3 win. Jason Gilman turned in a four-inning appearance in his second start at High-A as he struck out seven for the second straight start. Gilman allowed two runs on three hits and issued two walks, but it was a slight improvement over his first start with Greenville. Luis Cohen entered in the fifth inning in search of his first win of the season. He went home happy after earning the win for his bulk relief appearance. It was a deserved win for Cohen, who allowed one unearned run on one hit as he struck out four in one of his most successful appearances of the season thus far. Calvin Bickerstaff took the final two frames of Friday’s contest. Bickerstaff was flawless through the eighth and ninth as his perfect appearance helped secure Greenville’s first win in two games. Stanley Tucker, Gerardo Rodriguez, and Isaiah Jackson all recorded two RBIs on Friday night as Greenville was especially effective with RISP, finishing with a 3-for-5 mark. Maximus Martin got the Drive on the board in the fifth inning, cutting into Hub City’s two-run lead as he drove in Jackson on a groundout to first. Tucker grabbed the lead for Greenville later in the inning, driving in Martin and Yophery Rodriguez on a line drive single to right field. Justin Gonzales kept the momentum going as he scored Tucker on a line drive single of his own. G. Rodriguez scored Gonzales and Carlos Gutierrez with a single to center. G. Rodriguez was then driven home as Jackson capped off the eight-run assault with his 18th homer of the season to right-center. The Drive’s offense stopped altogether after the fifth inning, but it was more than enough to hand them the easy win. Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Series @ Delmarva Shorebirds (Baltimore Orioles): 2-2 Season Record: 49-61 Salem’s bats were hot throughout the evening as the Yaks claimed a 9-3 victory. Salem’s bats weren’t the only thing that went well for the RidgeYaks on Friday. The pitching staff was solid from start to finish as they conceded just three runs. Leighton Finley got the start and hurled four one-run frames, striking out three. Finley issued four walks and allowed five hits, but kept the scoring to a minimum before Nicolas De La Cruz took over. De La Cruz earned the win for his two and ⅔ inning relief job. He allowed two runs on four hits, issued three walks, and struck out a pair as he claimed his fifth win of the season. Wuilliams Rodriguez closed out Friday’s matchup for Salem, walking one and allowing a hit across two and ⅓ innings of outstanding work. The Yaks tallied nine hits and drew seven walks, going 6-for-12 with RISP as they cruised to a dominant win. Andruw Musett led the charge with three RBIs as Kleyver Salazar and Anderson Fermin followed up with two hits apiece. Musett’s RBIs came early as he gave Salem a three-run lead in the second inning. With Andrews Opata and Skylar King aboard, Musett cranked a three-run blast to center field, his third of the year. Salazar added onto the early lead with an RBI single later in the inning, scoring Wills Maginnis from second. In the fifth, Opata made his mark as he drove Salazar home on a standup triple to the gap in right-center. Opata scored as King reached on a fielder’s choice later in the inning. Fermin scored King on a line drive single to cap off the three-run spurt. Maginnis scored Fermin in the eighth inning on a groundball single to left field before Maginnis scored on a Franklin Primera double, rounding out a solid offensive showing. View the full article

The Twins have plenty of young position players pushing toward the big leagues, but not every prospect receives the same level of attention. Sometimes, a player has to spend years grinding through the organization before putting himself firmly into the conversation. Ben Ross is one of those players. The right-handed hitter has spent most of the past few seasons working to turn his intriguing collection of tools into a more consistent overall package. After struggling at times in Double-A, Ross finally began putting everything together late in 2025. That momentum carried into 2026, when he opened the year by dominating the competition and earning a promotion to Triple-A. Now, he has continued to show that his breakout might be more than a small-sample-size fluke. With the ability to play multiple positions and provide some right-handed pop, Ross has developed into a player who could have legitimate value for Minnesota's big-league roster. A Long Road Through the Twins' System Ross didn't enter professional baseball with the same hype surrounding many of the organization's top prospects. After going largely overlooked coming out of high school in Ohio, he continued his career at Division II Notre Dame College near Cleveland. He quickly established himself there, becoming the first two-time All-American in school history. That performance eventually caught Minnesota's attention, and the Twins selected Ross in the fifth round of the 2022 MLB Draft. He signed for $220,000, coming in below his assigned slot value. The early portion of his professional career was anything but spectacular. Ross showed flashes of the tools that made him an interesting draft selection, but he struggled to produce consistently while moving through the organization. He spent more than a full season at Double-A, where the results didn't always match his underlying potential. That changed as 2025 came to a close. Ross finished that season by hitting .286/.328/.518 (.846) over his final 15 games, collecting three home runs, 12 RBI and five stolen bases. The Twins sent him back to Double-A to begin 2026, and Ross exploded out of the gates, hitting .424/.528/.797 (1.325) in 16 games with the Wind Surge. He added five home runs and 16 RBI while walking in 16.7% of his plate appearances and striking out just 13.9% of the time. That performance forced Minnesota's hand. Ross earned his promotion to Triple-A in late April. The Breakout Has Continued Ross' success didn't disappear when he moved up a level. Through 89 games with the St. Paul Saints, he has hit .258/.367/.475 (.842), and has collected 20 doubles and 13 home runs while posting a 14.3% walk rate. The strikeout rate remains something to monitor at 26.3%, but there are encouraging signs in the overall offensive profile. Ross is showing an ability to impact the baseball while consistently working his way into favorable counts. He's also been heating up again recently. Over his last 12 games, Ross is 14-for-44 with four home runs, three stolen bases and a .954 OPS. That stretch is another reminder that his offensive development hasn't stalled after his promotion from Double-A. More Than Just a Utility Player Calling Ross a utility player is accurate, but it can also undersell what he brings to the table. He's an above-average runner with enough athleticism to move around the diamond. His ability to play multiple positions gives the Twins plenty of flexibility, but there is legitimate offensive potential underneath that versatility. Ross has shown an ability to hit the ball hard (36.8 Hard-Hit%) to all fields and produce extra-base hits. He's also begun tapping into his pull-side power more consistently, which has helped turn some of his hard contact into home runs. His line drive percentage is up 3.7% and his HR/FB rate has increased by 3%. Fastballs have been particularly friendly to him. The challenge will be continuing to handle softer stuff and breaking pitches as he faces increasingly advanced pitching, especially if he eventually earns a regular opportunity in the majors. Still, the offensive profile is considerably more interesting than it was a couple of years ago. Ross has gone from a player trying to establish himself at Double-A to someone who has demonstrated that he can make an impact in Triple-A. That's a significant development for a player who entered the organization without much fanfare. An Opportunity for the Twins The biggest question now is whether the Twins will give Ross a chance to show what he can do in Minnesota. He's already spent significant time developing within the organization. He's experienced the struggles that come with being challenged at Double-A, found a way to adjust, and carried that success into Triple-A. That's exactly the type of developmental progression an organization hopes to see. Ross may never become a star, and the Twins don't need to project him that way. His value could come from becoming a reliable, right-handed bat who can play several positions, provide some power and steal a few bases. Those players can be extremely useful over the course of a 162-game season. With his recent offensive production and defensive versatility, Ross has put himself in position to become more than organizational depth. Whether that opportunity comes later in 2026 or becomes part of Minnesota's plans for 2027 and beyond, the Twins have a player worth keeping an eye on. For years, Ross was working to prove he belonged. Now, he's starting to make a case that the Twins should find a place for him. Should the Twins give Ross a chance at the big-league level? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

In his second start in Cubbie blue, Clay Holmes took a perfect game into the sixth and allowed just two total base runners through 6 2/3 innings of work. Still on a pitch restriction while ramping up in his return from the broken fibula, Holmes would have completed seven innings if it were not for a two-out walk to Jordan Walker, likely just not wanting to give in or make a mistake to the Cardinal’s best hitter with first base open and a three-run lead. Game score, a relatively simple metric to quantify a pitcher’s performance, had this as the best start of Clay Holmes career. Granted, that really only encompasses 42 starts over the last two seasons after his transition from the bullpen, but it is still worth noting considering it was his second start with the Cubs and he is still getting back into game shape and knocking the rust off. How has he done it? After throwing his sinker 41% of the time in his first start with the Cubs, that number climbed all the way to 55% against the Cardinals. Holmes threw 35 pitches to right-handed hitters yesterday; a whopping 31 of them were either sinkers (17) or sweepers (14). The most interesting change, however, was his sweeper usage against left-handed hitters. Usually his preferred secondary option, of the 45 pitches he threw to lefties, just one (1!) was a sweeper. In his first start, that number was 14. Instead of throwing the sweeper to lefties, Holmes used his curveball as his primary breaking ball against lefties. Before 2026, he hadn’t thrown a curveball against a lefty since 2021. Aside from the pitch mix itself, two things really stand out so far after Holmes’ pair of starts. First, he is getting more drop on his sinker than he has before. Like, ever. He had never had a drop of more than 30 inches in any game in his career, and he has immediately done so in both of his starts with the Cubs. You may see in the above graphic that this is vertical break including gravity, that is because his induced vertical break is actually down, it’s not in a place it has never been before for him, but it certainly isn’t explaining the increased break. So how is he getting more break on his sinker without necessarily inducing more break? Holmes has dropped his arm angle. Coming into 2026, Holmes had only had four career outings where his arm angle was below 40 degrees on sinkers, with just one of them coming as a starter. Although he made just nine starts before the injury this year, five of them featured arm angles below 40 degrees on the sinker. If you squint, you can see the data point from his first start as a Cub, all the way down in the bottom right at 37.2 degrees, a full degree lower than he has ever been. It appears the Cubs saw this early-season trend and wanted Holmes to lean into it, and I would bet that once the data on his arm angle from 8/14 is released, it will look similar. Why does this matter? Well, that extra break he is getting has helped him get his sinker located where it is most valuable. The vertical strike zone is about 1.5 feet off the ground at the bottom to 3.5 feet at the top. Holmes, like most sinker ballers, thrives when he is living in the bottom half of the zone, as he did for much of his career. The difference in 2025 is very noticeable, not a good trend, and combating that was likely why Holmes had dropped his arm angle early in 2026. Zooming in on 2026, Holmes is back to pounding the bottom of the zone with the Cubs. If you want to live at the bottom of the zone, you can’t do much better than that. Holmes won’t be perfect through five in every start, but if he can continue this trend, he will be exactly what the Cubs need going forward. View the full article

The San Diego Padres sit right in the middle of the Wild Card mix and have been on a surge recently. It’s a good thing that they decided not to sell at the trade deadline, and their decision to hold onto Adrian Morejon looks especially prescient. The Padres might have the best one-two punch to end ballgames between the lethal duo of Morejon and phenomenal closer Mason Miller. The similarities between the pair are actually a lot closer than you may think. Everyone is fascinated with Miller, who’s recorded 30 saves and has pitched to a 0.88 ERA and 0.84 ERA through 51.1 innings. He’s been an electric watch with the combo of his fastball averaging 101.5 mph and the fact that he’s striking out opponents at an incredible 47.4% rate. While Miller leads all qualified relievers with 3.1 fWAR, Morejon sits just two places back with 2.3 fWAR (Louis Varland divides the pair with 2.4 fWAR). Morejon, alongside Miller, is having an incredible season and honestly might be every bit as good as hit superstar teammate. The 2025 All-Star has a 2.76 ERA and 1.09 WHIP over 65.1 innings spanning 56 games. What's Behind Adrian Morejon's Utter Dominance In 2026? If you’ve just happened to stumble across Morejon’s dominance this season, 2026 is actually the third straight season where he’s been one of the better relievers in the game. After making his major league debut during the 2019 season, Morejon posted inconsistent results through the 2023 season due to injuries (including Tommy John surgery in 2021) while also seeing time as both a reliever and starting pitcher. Now, he's settled in as one of the best high-leverage arms in the game. Morejon features a power-sinker that has averaged 99.5 mph and he goes to the pitch 45% of the time. His other three pitches are split pretty fairly consisting of a changeup, slider, and four-seam fastball. His sinker/four-seam duo has been really good this season, earning 10 run value which places him in the 88th percentile. Morejon’s fastball has seen better results than his sinker, even though he’s thrown the pitch over 300 times less. Opponents are hitting just .175 against the offering to go along with a .200 xwOBA. The sinker has also been effective with batters posting a .240 batting average and .293 xwOBA against the pitch. Aside from his primary heaters, Morejon throws a pretty nasty changeup that has accounted for 5 run value landing him in the 92nd percentile. It’s his second-most-used offering at a 22% rate and has limited batters to just a .177 batting average and a .147 xwOBA. Morejon’s slider is a nice change of pace to throw into the mix, but it's certainly his least trustworthy offering. A good reliever will always do a good job limiting hard-contact and keeping the baseball on the ground, and unsurprisingly, Morejon excels in those categories thanks to his aforementioned arsenal. Batters have only managed to make hard-contact 33.1% of the time with an average exit velocity of just 87 mph -- both marks rank above the 84th percentile. He also has really good command of the baseball, only issuing walks at an excellent 6.7% rate. Considering Morejon strikes out 29.9% of opponents -- largely the result of elite chase (37.8%) and whiff (34.3%) rates -- it's safe to say his pristine command is yet another blue-chip tool in his pocket. Having not one but two superstar relievers is a rarity in today's game, but the Padres certainly have their dynamic duo in Morejon and Miller. Come October, that tandem will be front and center in the team's efforts to finally win it all. View the full article

Quad Cities beat Fort Wayne 5-4 when Zion Rose singled home Asbel Gonzalez, after Yimi Presinal struck out four over two innings and Aiden Jimenez closed it out. Michael Braswell III threw three innings without a run, but Columbia fell 5-4 in 11. Felix Arronde gave Northwest Arkansas 5 1/3 innings in a 9-8 loss, and Maikel Garcia, Luke Pelzer, and Carson Roccaforte each had three hits. Omaha lost 6-2 behind two hits from Matthew Lugo. Kansas City Royals Transactions No Roster Moves Storm Chasers Held To Seven Hits In 6-2 Loss At Columbus Omaha dropped a 6-2 decision in Columbus, managing seven hits and one walk against eight strikeouts. Columbus scored twice in the first inning after two walks and a two-run single that Drew Waters misplayed in center field for an error, and the Storm Chasers spent the rest of the night chasing. Henry Williams took the loss after allowing five hits and four runs, three earned, over 4 2/3 innings. He walked four and struck out six. Easton McGee followed with 1 1/3 innings, allowing two hits and striking out two without giving up a run. Anthony Gose worked an inning without allowing a hit and struck out two. Nolan Hoffman gave up two runs on two hits and two walks in his inning. The Storm Chasers were helped early on by some solid defense, including a diving catch by Jacob Berry in the fourth. Omaha did not score until the sixth, when Alejo Lopez came home on Vinnie Pasquantino's ground ball double play. Matthew Lugo added the other run with a single that scored Peyton Wilson in the ninth. Lugo finished 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI, the only Storm Chaser with more than one hit. Waters, Pasquantino, Brett Squires, Brandon Drury, and Lopez each had one hit. Squires drew the team's only walk. Jacob Berry struck out four times in four at-bats, and Jack Pineda and Elih Marrero were both held without a hit. Omaha left five runners on base and did not have an extra-base hit other than Lugo's triple. The Storm Chasers left five on base and went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position. They are now 56-60 this season. Player AB R H RBI BB K Drew Waters, CF 4 0 1 0 0 1 Jack Pineda, SS 3 0 0 0 0 0 Vinnie Pasquantino, 1B 4 0 1 0 0 0 Peyton Wilson, PR 0 1 0 0 0 0 Brett Squires, LF 3 0 1 0 1 1 Jacob Berry, RF 4 0 0 0 0 4 Matthew Lugo, DH 4 0 2 1 0 1 Elih Marrero, C 4 0 0 0 0 1 Brandon Drury, 3B 3 0 1 0 0 0 Alejo Lopez, 2B 3 1 1 0 0 0 Totals 32 2 7 1 1 8 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Henry Williams 4 2/3 5 4 3 4 6 1 Easton McGee 1 1/3 2 0 0 0 2 0 Anthony Gose 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Nolan Hoffman 1 2 2 2 2 1 0 Totals 8 9 6 5 6 11 1 Naturals Lose 9-8 After Springfield Answers An 8-1 Lead Northwest Arkansas carried an 8-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning in Springfield and lost 9-8, giving up eight runs over the final three innings. Arronde allowed eight hits and four runs, three earned, over 5 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out three before leaving in the middle of the sixth with the lead. Brandon Johnson recorded two outs and allowed two runs on two hits, both of them home runs. Augusto Mendieta gave up three runs on three hits over two innings and was charged with the loss and a blown save. The Naturals staff allowed four home runs in all. The offense did its work in the middle innings, scoring five times in the fifth and twice in the sixth. Garcia, on a rehab stint, went 3-for-5 with a double and scored three runs out of the leadoff spot. Pelzer went 3-for-5 with a double, a triple, and three RBI. Roccaforte also had three hits in five at-bats, including a double, and drove in two. Northwest Arkansas finished with 12 hits, two walks, and 10 strikeouts, and did not hit a home run. Daniel Vazquez, Connor Scott, and Justin Johnson each singled. Spencer Nivens and Johnson drew the two walks. Roccaforte singled with one out in the ninth, but the Naturals did not score, and they left six men on base and went 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position. The Naturals dropped to 45-65 after the loss. Player AB R H RBI BB K Maikel Garcia, 3B 5 3 3 0 0 1 Luke Pelzer, LF 5 2 3 3 0 0 Carson Roccaforte, CF 5 1 3 2 0 0 Spencer Nivens, RF 4 1 0 0 1 3 Daniel Vazquez, SS 5 0 1 0 0 0 Javi Vaz, DH 3 0 0 0 0 1 Omar Hernandez, C 4 0 0 0 0 2 Connor Scott, 1B 4 0 1 0 0 1 Justin Johnson, 2B 3 1 1 0 1 2 Totals 38 8 12 5 2 10 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Felix Arronde 5 1/3 8 4 3 1 3 1 Brandon Johnson 2/3 2 2 2 0 1 2 Augusto Mendieta 2 3 3 3 0 2 1 Totals 8 13 9 8 1 6 4 River Bandits Walk Off Fort Wayne 5-4 On Zion Rose Single Quad Cities won 5-4 in the ninth inning, finishing off Fort Wayne with a walk-off single from Rose. Gonzalez started the rally with a walk, moved up on a wild pitch, and came home on Rose's line drive to right field. Blake Wolters started and lasted one inning, giving up three runs on one hit and three walks with two strikeouts. All three runs came on one swing, a three-run home run in the first. Mason Miller then threw three innings, allowing three hits and one run with three strikeouts. Jackson Cleveland and Ethan McElvain each worked an inning without allowing a run. Yimi Presinal struck out four over two innings and gave up one hit and two walks. Aiden Jimenez worked the final inning without allowing a hit and picked up the win. Derlin Figueroa answered the early deficit with a two-run home run, his 24th, and finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Nolan Sailors singled in a run in the fourth, and Stone Russell tied the game in the eighth with a single that scored Jose Cerice. Russell went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and Rose went 2-for-5. The River Bandits drew five walks, two of them by Angel Acosta, and struck out eight times. Blake Mitchell walked and scored a run. Gonzalez walked, and he was the last of five Quad Cities runners to cross the plate. The River Bandits finished with eight hits, left nine runners on base, and went 4-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Quad Cities has the best record of any of the Royals' full-season affiliates at 55-51. Player AB R H RBI BB K Asbel Gonzalez, CF 4 1 0 0 1 1 Zion Rose, LF 5 0 2 1 0 1 Blake Mitchell, C 3 1 0 0 1 2 Derlin Figueroa, RF 4 2 2 2 0 1 Jose Cerice, 3B 3 1 1 0 1 1 Nolan Sailors, DH 2 0 1 1 0 1 Tyriq Kemp, SS 4 0 0 0 0 1 Stone Russell, 1B 4 0 2 1 0 0 Angel Acosta, 2B 2 0 0 0 2 0 Totals 31 5 8 5 5 8 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Blake Wolters 1 1 3 3 3 2 1 Mason Miller 3 3 1 1 0 3 1 Jackson Cleveland 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Ethan McElvain 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Yimi Presinal 2 1 0 0 2 4 0 Aiden Jimenez 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 9 7 4 4 5 10 2 Fireflies Tie It In The Eighth, Fall 5-4 In 11 Innings At Wilson Columbia tied the game with a three-run home run in the eighth inning and lost 5-4 in 11 innings at Wilson, which ended the game with a bases-loaded walk. Coleman Picard allowed six hits and three runs over five innings, walking two and striking out two. Jhon Reyes gave up three hits and a run over two innings. Braswell III was the best of the group, throwing three innings and allowing one hit and one walk while striking out one, and he did not give up a run. Randy Ramnarace recorded one out and walked three, and the last of those walks brought in the winning run. Wilson scored twice in the first and added runs in the third and sixth. JC Vanek provided the tying blow with his 12th home run, a three-run shot that scored Josh Hammond and Sean Gamble. Vanek finished 1-for-4 with three RBI and a walk. Gamble had the best day at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double and a walk. Jhosmmel Zue was 2-for-5, and Yandel Ricardo had a single and two walks. Henry Ramos had a hit and scored a run. The Fireflies drew seven walks and had chances in extra innings but could not convert. Hammond, the zombie runner in the 10th, moved to third on Gamble's sacrifice bunt and was stranded there. The zombie runner in the 11th was retired at third base on a fielder's choice. Columbia left 10 runners on base and went just 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. The loss dropped Columbia to .500, as they are now 55-55. Player AB R H RBI BB K Henry Ramos, LF 5 1 1 0 0 2 Yandel Ricardo, 2B 3 0 1 0 2 0 Josh Hammond, SS 4 1 0 1 1 0 Sean Gamble, CF 3 1 2 0 1 0 JC Vanek, 1B 4 1 1 3 1 2 Jhosmmel Zue, C 5 0 2 0 0 1 Roni Cabrera, PR 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ricson Gonzalez, C 0 0 0 0 0 0 Connor Rasmussen, DH 3 0 0 0 2 0 Jhonayker Ugarte, 3B 5 0 0 0 0 1 Daniel Lopez, RF 5 0 0 0 0 1 Totals 37 4 7 4 7 7 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Coleman Picard 5 6 3 3 2 2 1 Jhon Reyes 2 3 1 1 1 1 0 Michael Braswell III 3 1 0 0 1 1 0 Randy Ramnarace 1/3 0 1 0 3 0 0 Totals 10 1/3 10 5 4 7 4 1 Top-20 Prospect Performance Kendry Chourio: DNP David Shields: DNP Josh Hammond: 0-for-4, BB, RBI Blake Mitchell: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K Sean Gamble: 2-for-3, 2B, BB Ramon Ramirez: DNP Zion Rose: 2-for-5, RBI, K Asbel Gonzalez: 0-for-4, BB, K Carson Roccaforte: 3-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI Taylor Rabe: DNP Yandel Ricardo: 1-for-3, 2 BB Justin Lamkin: DNP Drew Beam: DNP Michael Lombardi: DNP Jack Slightom: DNP Felix Arronde: 5 1/3 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K Angeibel Gomez: 1-for-2, HR, R, RBI Ben Kudrna: DNP Steven Zobac: DNP Blake Wolters: 1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K View the full article

New York Mets Transactions No Roster Moves Syracuse Goes Quietly As It Loses Twice Syracuse managed just three hits in the regular game, and its runs in the seventh were scored without the benefit of a hit. MJ Melendez, Eric Wagaman, and Ryan Clifford drew consecutive walks to load the bases. After a strikeout, Shawn Ross was hit by a pitch to force in Melendez, and leadoff man Nick Morabito lifted a sacrifice fly to score Wagaman. A strikeout ended the game. Zach Peek started and took the loss. The big hit against him was a three-run homer with two out in the second. Matt Seelinger gave Syracuse 1 1/3 hitless innings with two strikeouts and three walks. Dylan Ross followed with a clean inning and two strikeouts. Joe Jacques and Ben Simon allowed the final four runs. Player AB R H RBI BB K Nick Morabito, CF 3 0 1 1 0 0 Vidal Bruján, 2B 1 0 0 0 1 0 Zack Short, 2B 2 0 0 0 0 2 Ronny Mauricio, SS 3 0 1 0 0 0 Christopher Morel, RF 3 0 0 0 0 2 MJ Melendez, DH 2 1 0 0 1 2 Eric Wagaman, 1B 2 1 1 0 1 0 Ryan Clifford, LF 2 0 0 0 1 0 Nick Lorusso, 3B 3 0 0 0 0 1 Shawn Ross, C 2 0 0 1 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Zach Peek 1 2/3 3 3 3 0 1 1 Matt Seelinger 1 1/3 0 0 0 3 2 0 Dylan Ross 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Joe Jacques 1/3 1 2 2 1 0 0 Ben Simon 1 2/3 3 2 2 0 1 0 Binghamton Falls Hard As Run Ends Portland jumped on Hall immediately. A two-run homer, an RBI single and a sacrifice fly put him behind 4-0 in the first. Binghamton answered in the third with a Marco Vargas sacrifice fly and Billy Amick RBI double. Portland broke the game open with four runs in the fourth. A leadoff homer, an RBI double, an infield single and a bases-loaded walk pushed it to 8-2. Amick went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Chris Suero, Yohairo Cuevas, and Emilien Pitre each had two hits, Player AB R H RBI BB K Mitch Voit, SS 5 1 1 0 0 1 Marco Vargas, DH 3 0 0 1 0 3 Émilien Pitre, 2B 3 1 2 0 0 1 Chris Suero, C 4 0 2 0 0 1 Kevin Parada, C 0 0 0 0 0 0 Billy Amick, 3B 4 0 2 2 0 1 John Bay, LF 4 0 1 0 0 2 Corey Collins, 1B 4 0 0 0 0 2 D'Andre Smith, CF 4 0 0 0 0 0 Yohairo Cuevas, RF 4 1 2 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Noah Hall 3 2/3 11 8 8 2 4 2 Douglas Orellana 1 1/3 0 0 0 3 2 0 Cristofer Gomez 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 Gabriel Rodriguez 1 1 2 2 2 2 1 JT Benson 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Brooklyn Pitching Strikes Out 14 Without A Walk In 2-1 Defeat Brooklyn's staff struck out 14 and issued no walks, but two unearned runs decided a 2-1 loss to the Jersey Shore BlueClaws. Luke Gabrysh set the tone, allowing one hit over four scoreless innings with six strikeouts and no walks. Brooklyn took the lead in the third. After a fly out, Antonio Jimenez walked and moved to third when Carter Dierdorf reached on a fielding error. Leadoff man Sammy Stafura lifted a sacrifice fly to right to bring Jimenez home for a 1-0 edge. A strikeout ended the inning. Jersey Shore countered in the fifth without the benefit of an earned run. Colin Houck's fielding error put the leadoff man aboard, and a single moved him to third. A pop out brought Brooklyn within two outs of escaping, but the next hitter reached on a fielder's choice, and a throwing error by Ronald Hernandez on the play allowed both runners to score for a 2-1 lead. A fielder's choice out and a strikeout closed the frame. Luis R. Rodriguez took the loss despite allowing no earned runs, giving up one hit and striking out one over an inning. Rafi Vazquez struck out three over two clean innings, Elwis Mijares struck out two in a clean inning, and Ryan Dollar matched him with two strikeouts. Brooklyn managed just two hits. Jimenez went 1-for-2 with a triple and a walk, and Hernandez singled. Stafura drove in the only run. The Cyclones drew two walks, struck out 11 times, and left four on base. Player AB R H RBI BB K Sammy Stafura, SS 3 0 0 1 0 1 John Spikerman, CF 3 0 0 0 0 3 Ronald Hernandez, 1B 4 0 1 0 0 1 Trey Snyder, LF 4 0 0 0 0 1 Yonatan Henriquez, RF 4 0 0 0 0 1 Colin Houck, 2B 3 0 0 0 0 2 Daiverson Gutierrez, C 2 0 0 0 1 0 Antonio Jimenez, 3B 2 1 1 0 1 1 Carter Dierdorf, DH 3 0 0 0 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Luke Gabrysh 4 1 0 0 0 6 0 Luis R. Rodriguez 1 1 2 0 0 1 0 Rafi Vazquez 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 Elwis Mijares 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Ryan Dollar 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Dylan Carey's Two-Run Homer Pulls St. Lucie Close In 3-2 Loss St. Lucie dropped a 3-2 decision to the Jupiter Hammerheads despite four scoreless innings from its bullpen. Nathan Hall took the loss, allowing three runs on three hits over 1 1/3 innings with two strikeouts and two walks. Jupiter opened with a leadoff homer, then added a double and a walk before Hall escaped the first. The next inning proved decisive. After a strikeout, a single and a walk put two on. A fly out advanced the lead runner, another walk loaded the bases, and a two-run single made it 3-0. A strikeout ended the threat. That was all Jupiter would get. Tyler McLoughlin worked 1 2/3 innings without allowing a run, giving up two hits and two walks with a strikeout. Jonathan Jimenez followed with three hitless innings, walking one and striking out two. Ernesto Mercedes struck out three over 1 1/3 hitless innings, and Julio Gonzalez retired both hitters he faced with a strikeout. St. Lucie finally answered in the seventh. Wyatt Vincent doubled to left, and Dylan Carey followed with a two-run homer to left-center to cut the deficit to 3-2. A strikeout, a groundout, and a pop out followed, and the offense would not threaten again. Carey finished 1-for-3 with the homer, two RBI, and a walk. Vladi Gomez went 1-for-5 with a double, Kuhio Aloy had a hit and a double, and Vincent added a double. St. Lucie drew four walks, struck out 14 times, and left eight on base. Player AB R H RBI BB K Vladi Gomez, 3B 5 0 1 0 0 0 Aiden Robbins, CF 2 0 0 0 2 0 John Smith III, DH 3 0 0 0 1 1 Julio Zayas, 1B 4 0 1 0 0 3 Yovanny Rodriguez, C 4 0 0 0 0 4 Kuhio Aloy, RF 4 0 1 0 0 0 Wyatt Vincent, LF 3 1 1 0 0 2 Dylan Carey, SS 3 1 1 2 1 2 Kooper Schulte, 2B 3 0 0 0 0 2 Elian Peña, PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Nathan Hall 1 1/3 3 3 3 2 2 1 Tyler McLoughlin 1 2/3 2 0 0 2 1 0 Jonathan Jimenez 3 0 0 0 1 2 0 Ernesto Mercedes 1 1/3 0 0 0 1 3 0 Julio Gonzalez 2/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Jonah Tong: DNP Jack Wenninger: DNP Ryan Clifford: 0-for-2, BB Elian Peña: 0-for-1 Nick Morabito: 1-for-3, RBI Jacob Reimer: DNP Mitch Voit: 1-for-5, R, K Jonathan Santucci: DNP Zac Thornton: DNP Chris Suero: 2-for-4, K Will Watson: DNP Wandy Asigen: DNP Eli Serrano III: DNP Randy Guzman: DNP Dylan Ross: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K Ryan Lambert: DNP Antonio Jimenez: 1-for-2, 3B, R, BB, K R.J. Gordon: DNP Jonathan Pintaro: DNP Marco Vargas: 0-for-3, RBI, 3 K View the full article

Bailey Ober has become something of a unicorn in modern-day baseball. When you see a 6-foot-9, 260-pound pitcher standing on the mound, the natural assumption is that he is going to overpower hitters with a high-velocity fastball. Ober, however, has never fit that mold. He has built his career around deception, extension and an unusual ability to make a relatively mediocre fastball play above its radar-gun reading. That formula has made him a key member of the Twins’ rotation over the past handful of seasons. But it’s becoming increasingly difficult to ignore how little room for error there is in Ober’s approach. Ober’s fastball is averaging just 88 mph this season, the lowest mark among all major league starting pitchers. And while velocity has never been his calling card, the problem is that the rest of his arsenal isn't compensating for it the way it once did. Through 99 innings, Ober owns a 4.64 ERA. That’s certainly an improvement from the 5.10 ERA he posted in 2025, but it’s hardly the type of production the Twins can comfortably build around. More concerning is that the underlying numbers don't exactly suggest a pitcher who has simply been the victim of some bad luck. Ober's whiff rate and strikeout rate both rank in the 11th percentile or lower among major league pitchers. That's particularly noteworthy because one of the biggest selling points of his unique profile has always been his ability to use his 6-foot-9 frame and more than seven feet of extension to make his pitches play differently than their raw velocity would suggest. Right now, that advantage doesn't appear to be doing enough. Additionally, there’s another issue that has followed Ober throughout his career: home runs. He has surrendered 17 homers in 99 innings this season, putting him at 1.5 home runs per nine innings. This isn't an isolated down year, either. Ober allowed 1.4 homers per nine innings in 2024 and 1.8 in 2025. His 11th-percentile barrel rate this season further illustrates the problem. Hitters aren’t merely making contact against Ober; they’re finding ways to do significant damage when they square him up. That's the tradeoff that comes with pitching at the bottom of the league in velocity. If Ober isn't generating many whiffs and isn't consistently getting weak contact, there isn't much left to fall back on when hitters get comfortable at the plate. And over the past few seasons, that appears to be happening more often. Ober's velocity has gradually ticked downward, his strikeout and whiff numbers have as well, and the home runs have remained a persistent problem. At some point, the question stops being whether Ober can make adjustments and becomes whether the Twins can continue waiting for those adjustments to materialize. That doesn't mean Ober suddenly has no value. He’s been a legitimate major league starter for a handful of years, and there’s still plenty to like about a 6-foot-9 pitcher who has demonstrated an ability to navigate lineups despite lacking premium velocity. His track record also matters. This isn't a pitcher who has never shown an ability to succeed at the major league level. But the Twins also have to look beyond what Ober has been and consider what he is likely to be moving forward. Ober turns 32 next year and will enter the final year of his contract. That puts him at an interesting crossroads, particularly for a team whose rotation could look dramatically different by the time next season begins. Assuming Pablo López and Mick Abel don't encounter any further setbacks in their recoveries, both should factor heavily into Minnesota's plans alongside Joe Ryan. Taj Bradley has also taken a step forward this season and should have a firm grip on a rotation spot. Connor Prielipp and Zebby Matthews remain in the picture, while Dean Kremer is now another legitimate option after joining the Twins at the trade deadline. Minnesota could also decide to add another starting pitcher — or perhaps even multiple starters — during the offseason. Suddenly, Ober's place doesn't look nearly as secure as it once did. Of course, injuries will inevitably play a role. Starting pitchers miss time every year, and the Twins could easily enter next season needing more depth than they currently have. It's also possible that one or more of the pitchers currently viewed as rotation pieces won't be with the organization by Opening Day. Those realities could create a path for Ober to remain in the rotation. But that's different from saying he should be considered a lock. For years, Ober's unusual profile made him an interesting exception to the conventional rules of pitching. A starting pitcher throwing in the upper 80s shouldn't work as well as it has. And for a while, Ober consistently found ways to make it work. The question now is whether that formula is finally breaking down. The declining velocity is concerning. The lack of whiffs is concerning. The elevated barrel rate is concerning, and the continued home-run problems are becoming increasingly difficult to overlook. Taken individually, none of those issues necessarily spells the end of Ober's time in Minnesota. Taken together, however, they paint a much more concerning picture. With a crowded rotation, a pitcher entering his age-32 season, and the possibility of more additions on the horizon, Ober's long-term role is no longer something the Twins can take for granted. It may not happen this offseason. It may not even happen before next season. But given everything we've seen from Ober lately, we may be witnessing the beginning of the end. View the full article

The affiliates won five of six games Friday, though Biloxi and its impressive-on-paper roster has somehow stumbled into a nine-game losing streak. The DSL teams scored a bunch of runs without a bunch of hits. Transactions: Milwaukee Brewers recalled RHP Grant Anderson from Nashville Sounds. Milwaukee Brewers signed free agent RHP Lyon Richardson to a minor league contract, assigned to Nashville Sounds. LHP Jared Koenig assigned to Nashville Sounds from ACL Brewers. Nashville Sounds activated C Ramón Rodríguez from the 7-day injured list. Biloxi Shuckers placed RHP Braylon Owens on the 7-day injured list. Biloxi Shuckers placed C Marco Dinges on the 7-day injured list. C Darrien Miller assigned to Biloxi Shuckers from Nashville Sounds. RHP Jack Seppings assigned to Biloxi Shuckers from Nashville Sounds. OF Braylon Payne assigned to Biloxi Shuckers from Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Nashville Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Nashville 9, Indianapolis (Pirates) 1 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: Bo Naylor's Multi-HR Night Highlights Sounds' Win I'm going to intersperse video with text from the linked game summary (which you should still read in full): The Sounds powered in front early thanks to the first home run in a Sounds uniform for Bo Naylor. After Sal Frelick drew a six-pitch walk to start the game, Naylor crushed the first offering from Noah Davis to put the Sounds up 2-0. After three straight walks to load the bases, Ethan Murray pushed the lead to four runs with a two-out, two-RBI single. Naylor then connected on his second home run in as many at-bats - his eighth career multi-HR game - to make it 5-0. Two batters later, Akil Baddoo launched his first home run since June 20. A pair of two-out walks in the bottom of the third turned the lineup over to Frelick, who continued to tee-off against Davis with Nashville's fourth home run through three innings to extend the lead to nine. It was the first home run of the rehab assignment for Frelick and his first since game one of a doubleheader against Indianapolis' parent club on July 11. Crow, the Brewers no. 22-rated prospect was excellent on the mound Friday night. The right-hander worked a season-high 6.2 IP without allowing a run on two hits. He struck out six and issued just one walk for his second straight quality start and fourth over his last five games en route to his team-leading seventh win of the season. It marks the 21st career quality start for Crow, who has worked a quality start every time going 6+ IP during his professional career. Friday night was the eighth time doing so without allowing an earned run. He allowed his first hit in the top of the fourth, retiring 10-of-11 to start the game, and facing the minimum until allowing a two-out single to Enmanuel Valdez. The combined shutout was gone after Will Childers was taken deep in the 9th. Eric Brown, Jr. must still be nursing an injury, has yet to play in the four games of this series but remains on the active roster. Catch up with the latest Biloxi pre-game audio interview archives - Brewers Hitting Coordinator Brenton Del Chiaro, consistently one of the best interview subjects in the system, is the latest guest, and his chat is formally linked here. Biloxi Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Pensacola (Marlins) 9, Biloxi 4 Box Score and Game Log Wood Slugs Third Grand Slam of the Season, Shuckers Beaten by Blue Wahoos - Biloxi Loses Ninth Consecutive Contest Blink and you missed the lone Shuckers' highlight of the night, once again brought to you in not-so-glorious standard definition: We'll have to try and drop the snarky comments on the video quality out of Keesler. My goodness, first world problem, right? We're so spoiled compared to not-that-many years ago when we had box scores and little else. As was pointed out in our daily forum thread, only one current healthy Shuckers pitcher has an ERA under 4.50 (RH reliever Edwin Jimenez at 4.05). Here's the stats page. It's a tradeoff. RH starter Manuel Rodriguez kept the ball in the park but walked four men for the first time all season. It was only the 2nd time he has walked three or more. Andrew Fischer singled but fanned twice. He wasn't alone in the K brigade, 11 on the night for Biloxi batters. Fischer is consistent as heck, and let's not forget his .987 Biloxi OPS in 47 games is impressive (hard to match the 1.118 mark posted as a Timber Rattler in 54 games). Those K rates, again consistent - 33.82% with Biloxi, 33.33% with Wisconsin. Fischer remains a fascinating case study. Braylon Payne enjoyed his 20th birthday off as he settled into his new environs. Josh Adamczewski sat for a second consecutive night, hopefully back Saturday. The Blue Wahoos' 'X" feed is packed with unfortunate pitches from the good guys. This one resulted in a fly ball to right field Damon Keith would tell you he should have held on to. Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes (download link) Final: Wisconsin 6, Cedar Rapids (Twins) 0 Box Score and Game Log Via the Timber Rattlers, game details (with four videos for your enjoyment): Dorchies Dominant in Rattlers Shutout Win - Wisconsin picks up much-needed 6-0 victory over Kernels Midwest League second half standings - what a dogfight! Fun promotion for the fans in Cedar Rapids despite the Kernels' loss - Happens to the best of prospects in a tiny two-game sample - Luis Pena 0-for-9 with six K's, golden sombrero here. Plenty of goodness within Chris Mehring's linked report. Remember, the squad is wrapping up a two-week road trip this weekend. A reminder that RHP Ethan Dorchies is 19 years old all season (20 in October). When he is on, and he has been "on" five times in his last nine starts, he's outstanding. Dive deep into his game log and you'll agree it's been a very solid season for the Illinois native. We're only halfway through August, so Eric Bitonti has time to up his .616 OPS for the month. As his monthly splits will show, even when he batted .213 in July, his OPS figure was strong. Wilson Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Wilson 5, Columbia (Royals) 4, 11 innings Box Score and Game Log Warbirds Put the 'Walk' in Walk-Off - Ortuño Leads the Way with Three Hits Four wins in a row, and 1.5 games out of first place. Audio interview from earlier this week - Manager Eddy Morgan discusses Brailyn Antunez and Rylan Mills among others I'd have to research it, but I feel like I've been on Link Report duty for all of Wilson's MiLB-leading 13 walkoffs, meaning the majority have come on Friday and/or Saturday nights. By the way, the manufacturer will need to update this T-Shirt. The Fireflies picked up Chris Edwards' Wilson call on the three-run home run that tied things in the 8th. No walkoff without this! Another box score in which every starter contributed. However, yikes Warbirds! Team RISP: 1-for-20. Team LOB: 12 Check out the "earned runs allowed" column in RHP Hayden Robinson's game log. The recently turned 21-year-old has rocked his 2026 season. Non-drafted 20-year-old RHP Thomas Conrad has been solid but was oh-so-money here. His three scoreless frames included working around the ghost runner in both the 10th and 11th innings as seen in the game log, which you are highly suggested to review for those innings here. Final: DSL Brewers Gold 8, DSL Braves 7 (Reds) Box Score and Game Log Gold now 33-18. Down 3-1 heading to the bottom of the 6th, the bats (Goldenrods) put up a four-spot on zero hits. DSL action, baby! HBP K (Ricki Moneys) Walk Walk Wild Pitch Popout Balk Wild Pitch The four Brewer pitchers only combined to walk three, but they plunked four. RHP Justin Lugo picked up the save in his first outing since switching over from DSL Blue. He didn't strike anyone out here, but has 29 K's in 18.1 innings in this, his 2nd pro season. Lugo's season-long stats aren't particularly shiny, but you'd win a bar bet or two by naming him as the Brewers' lone mound representative in last month's All-Star Game. Moneys and 17-year-old outfielder Josue Rodriguez each singled twice and were responsible for four of the team's five hits, with the only other knock a double by wunderkid Leander Matos, who is a "young" 17 - July 2nd birthday. Final: DSL Brewers Blue 11, DSL Red Sox Blue 7 Box Score and Game Log Six combined errors (three each team) only led to three unearned runs total. Red Sox pitchers threw six wild pitches, Brewers RH starter Brailin Aguirrez had two of his own. Imagine how many pitches in this league would be formally ruled as wild if ones that went to the backstop with no one on base were included. When did "Brailin", "Braylon", etc. become a hot trend birth name? Apparently 18-20 years ago, it seems. After six innings, Blue trailed 7-4. Shortstop Diego Frontado's 10th (!) HR led off a four-run 7th in which there was only one other base hit, a single. Then, the Blue Man Group plated three insurance runs in the top of the 9th on zero hits! Two different opponents, similar madcap results within the Crew's two island affairs Friday. This time in a bulk relief role, just-turned 18-year-old Venezuelan RHP Jesus Sanchez shined again, as not only the box score but his July and August game logs will show you. It's a solid starting pitcher lineup Saturday, with Bishop Letson, Wande Torres, and Diustin Mayorquin joining enigma Brandon Sproat in evening action. Have a great late-summer Saturday, all! 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

There’s a common saying in the world of sports: “Defense wins championships.” That’s certainly true in baseball. If you don’t play clean defense, bad things usually tend to follow. But when the calendar flips to October, postseason baseball is often won and lost in the hands of a pitching staff. One bad inning can completely change the complexion of a series, and one blown lead can be the difference between moving on and going home. That’s why it’s going to be important for Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell to have a strong understanding of who he can trust in late-inning, high-leverage situations. Fortunately for him, multiple bullpen arms have made a compelling case to handle those spots. We’ll start with the obvious one: Jacob Webb. Webb comfortably leads the Cubs in both saves (8) and save opportunities (12). Some of that can likely be attributed to the absence of Daniel Palencia, who should be returning in the near future from elbow inflammation. But regardless of the circumstances, Counsell has clearly shown that he trusts Webb when the game is on the line. And barring a catastrophic end to the regular season, that shouldn’t be any different once October arrives. Webb’s underlying numbers help explain why. His 95th-percentile whiff rate and 87th-percentile chase rate highlight just how nasty his stuff can be. He has the type of arsenal that can miss bats when he needs a strikeout and get hitters to expand the zone when he’s ahead in the count. That’s exactly the kind of arm you want available in the biggest spots of a postseason game. Even if Webb eventually loses the primary closer role when Palencia returns, that doesn’t mean his importance to the Cubs’ bullpen will diminish. In fact, it could allow Counsell to deploy him more strategically, using him whenever the most dangerous part of an opposing lineup comes to the plate. Speaking of Palencia, he should immediately factor into that equation once he’s healthy. A flame-throwing right-hander with a wipeout slider who is 26-for-30 in save opportunities over his career feels like a pretty safe bet to be trusted in high-leverage situations down the stretch. The biggest question is simply whether he can stay healthy. When he’s on the mound, there’s plenty to like. Palencia has the swing-and-miss stuff necessary to put away hitters; he has been significantly better this season at generating soft contact, and walks haven’t been a major concern. The sample size is admittedly small — he’s thrown just 16 2/3 innings this season — but the early results have been encouraging. And even if Palencia doesn’t immediately reclaim the ninth-inning role, he feels like a very safe bet to become one of Counsell’s most trusted high-leverage arms once he returns. The same can be said for one of Chicago’s recent trade deadline acquisitions: Ryan Zeferjahn. The Cubs surrendered Moisés Ballesteros and Mason McGwire to acquire Zeferjahn, and it’s pretty clear how they intend to use him. All four of his appearances with Chicago have come in the eighth inning, which is pretty tough to chalk up as coincidence. Zeferjahn’s sweeper-four-seam combination generates plenty of whiffs, while he has also shown an ability to generate soft contact. Those traits give him the type of profile that makes sense in a setup role, particularly when Counsell needs someone capable of navigating the heart of an opposing lineup. There’s no guarantee that bullpen roles remain completely rigid over the final weeks of the season, but Zeferjahn seems like about as safe a bet as there is to continue receiving important eighth-inning opportunities. Then there’s Ryan Rolison. The biggest difference between Rolison and the other three names mentioned is obvious: He’s left-handed. But that’s also part of what makes him valuable. The Cubs don’t necessarily need Rolison to be the guy they turn to for the final three outs of a game. What he has done is earn himself an opportunity to be trusted when the game is hanging in the balance. Rolison’s 2.28 ERA is the lowest among Cubs relievers, excluding Riley Martin, who has thrown only 8 1/3 innings. His underlying numbers don’t jump off the page in the same way Webb, Palencia or Zeferjahn’s do, but that doesn’t make him any less useful. Rolison has done a good job keeping the ball on the ground, and his presence gives Counsell a different type of weapon to deploy late in games. A bullpen doesn’t need four identical dominant arms to be effective. Ideally, a manager has different looks available depending on the situation, matchup and part of the lineup he’s trying to navigate. Rolison provides that versatility. You probably don’t want him closing out a game in the ninth inning with the season on the line, but he has earned a late-inning role down the stretch. Webb has already established himself as a trusted late-inning option. Palencia should add another explosive arm once he returns. Zeferjahn looks increasingly comfortable in the setup role, while Rolison gives Counsell a valuable left-handed option. There may not be one perfect answer for every late-game situation. But heading into the stretch run, the Cubs have something nearly as valuable: options. And come October, Counsell will need every one of them. View the full article

Riley Quick has pitched at three different affiliated levels in 2026. He dealt with hand issues and was thrown into Double-A Wichita. Despite some uneven results, he's showing an elite ability to miss bats. When might we see Quick in the Twins rotation? Why is he one of the most important Twins prospects? View the full article

With September around the corner. Who the Cubs call up could have an impact on the division race? Cubs have a bunch of pitchers expected to return from the injured list and a potential top prospect could maybe get his first taste of the big leagues. Players discussed include Ben Brown, Edward Cabrera, Hunter Harvey, Shelby Miller, Hoby Milner, Justin Steele, Matt Shaw, Kevin Alcantara, and Owen Ayers. View the full article

Shortly after the New York Mets let franchise icon Pete Alonso go in free agency, they signed Jorge Polanco to a two-year, $40 million deal. The 13-year veteran, who has been predominantly a second basemen his whole career, was tasked with learning first base in hopes of replacing Alonso. The Problem? Polanco has not been better than league average at any aspect of baseball this season. The 33-year-old has missed most of the season due to a right wrist contusion and chronic left achilles bursitis, playing in only 34 games. Currently, Polanco is tied for the lowest fWAR in baseball with -1.3, and his wRC+ of 19 suggests he's earning $20 million to be 81% worse than a league-average hitter. Yikes. Polanco’s slash line of .137/.195/.226 might not get much better down the stretch, as all advanced metrics show no signs of unlucky hitting. Jared Young has taken over the first base position in Polanco’s absence, and manager Andy Green surely won't make the switch back to Polanco with how good Young has been. In 2027, Polanco will be turning 34 coming off his career worst season as a starter, having played less than half of a season and will make another $20 million. When looking at the information in front of him during the offseason, Mets owner Steve Cohen and President of Baseball Operations David Stearns surely will not be happy with this result and will look to sign a replacement. Though unlikely, they could also look to offload his contract elsewhere. The Mets and Steve Cohen would have to take on a huge chunk if they want to get a deal done, though, which might not be as enviable in a post-lockout world. If all else fails, Stearns might just cut his losses like he did with Frankie Montas and release him. In the future, Stearns and his front office have to be better at discerning when to buy high on a player; coming off a career year last year at age 32 with a 133 OPS+, Polanco was bound for some sort of regression, and it came. With players like Munetaka Murakami, Pete Alonso, Josh Naylor, Luis Arraez, Kazuma Okamoto and Willson Contreras all available last offseason, regret is ripe in the air. The Mets' failed 2026 season could look a whole lot different if any of these players were playing first base these days. Alas, Polanco is here, though perhaps not for much longer. View the full article

Alex Cora will manage a baseball team again. As of now, his timeline is uncertain. He mused on Karl Ravech’s “Dirt from the Dugout” podcast, “I think at one point, I’m gonna get back. When? We don’t know.” The Boston Red Sox fired Cora on April 25, after starting the 2026 season with a tepid 10-17 record. In his first season with the Red Sox, he led the team to a World Series title. The team made three postseason appearances under Cora. Overall, the skipper posted a 620-541 record (.534 W-L%) across eight seasons with his former team. Cora said he was “upset they didn’t let me finish the job,” but also “happy for my family… relieved I don’t have to go through scouting reports and the matrix and talk to the media twice a day and live in the bubble of ‘We have to do this.’” With more free time on his hands, Cora has enjoyed his summer. He returned to his hometown of Caguas, Puerto Rico, with his fiancée and twin sons. He attended some World Cup matches in Boston and traveled to Europe with his family. Cora is expected to be a popular managerial candidate in the offseason. He turned down an offer to manage the Phillies this season. Since Carlos Mendoza was fired, the Mets are also expected to have a managerial vacancy. Given the impending lockout, teams have a much narrower window to hire a new skipper. The regular season concludes at the end of September, so some teams have more time, but there's only one month between the end of the World Series and the Dec. 1 lockout. The bigger question is: Against all odds, could Boston go back to Cora a third time? I'm leaning no. Interim manager Chad Tracy is a frontrunner for the Manager of the Year Award and shepherded the team to an historic 27-3 stretch this summer. The Red Sox currently hold the second AL Wild Card spot after entering July all but out of the playoff race. Tracy has proved he’s more than capable of managing the team. Red Sox fans will always appreciate Cora’s contributions in the 2007 and 2018 World Series runs, but it's best for both sides to move on. Cora is still regarded as one of the best managers in the game, and he’ll succeed wherever he lands. View the full article

I don’t know if this has happened to you, but sometimes small samples can cause panic. Throughout his major league career, right-hander Randy Dobnak has had a few of them. The first time I saw Dobnak pitch this season was on July 2, during his debut with the Royals in relief against the Tampa Bay Rays at Kauffman Stadium. He entered after a terrible 42-pitch second inning from Stephen Kolek. The Tampa Bay Rays had taken a 3-0 lead. With Dobnak coming onto the mound, I had the feeling that his inning would be the inevitable reason to stop watching the game. I watched a couple more batters; Dobnak fell behind 2-1 in the count against Junior Caminero, but got him out on a groundball with a high sinker. One out. The next batter, Víctor Mesa Jr., grounded out to second on the first pitch, against a sinker on the outside corner. When it looked like everything was going to be fine, Chandler Simpson and Cedric Mullins collected back-to-back singles, and Taylor Walls walked. Bases loaded. On the first pitch, Richie Palacios missed a sinker away and hit a fly ball to left field. With a little scare, Dobnak escaped the third inning without allowing a run. He dominated the next five opponents and reached the fifth inning with two outs. Who cared about exit velocities? The man was getting outs! But just when everything seemed calm, Simpson and Mullins caught up with the sinker. Single and home run. The Rays extended their lead to 5-1. In the following inning, Dobnak allowed two more hits, but a great throw home by Isaac Collins cut down Hunter Feduccia at the plate to end the inning. Dobnak’s Royals debut was over. He threw four innings, allowing two runs with two strikeouts and one walk. He had seven baserunners and allowed two of them to score. That first look at Dobnak perfectly described the version of the pitcher he has been in the majors. When you look at his weapons against opposing hitters, you realize the contradiction contained in his profile: a pitcher whose fastball barely reaches 92 mph, with an insignificant strikeout rate and a lurking volume of contact allowed in the zone. Taken together, there is nothing that looks more vulnerable in a league where velocity and stuff occupy a central place. His 2021 season with the Minnesota Twins, when he had his biggest role as a reliever, confirms that reading with certainty: his hard-hit rate ranked in the first percentile of the league, along with a 10.3% barrel rate and a 6.81 xERA. So, how can a pitcher with that profile survive now? What were the desperate Royals looking at when they brought in Dobnak? Those were some of the inevitable questions following his debut in early July. The answer begins with his sinker, a pitch he uses 39.8% of the time. Yes, as contradictory as it may seem, the sinker is the starting point. When you look at Dobnak’s splits by count, there are some surprising things. Opponents have posted a .577 xSLG when ahead in the count, with a tiny 4.2% Whiff rate. Yet the result behind that devastating average tells another story. Batter Run Value tells us that the sinker is not being punished throughout the entire zone. There are six of the eight areas of the strike zone where the opposition has negative values. The efficiency inside the strike zone responds to the value that seems hidden in Dobnak’s sinker: his ability to generate groundballs. He does not have elite velocity or the ability to generate swings and misses frequently, but he makes up for that difference with location. And when opponents make contact, here is the success: he induces groundballs more than 67% of the time. Contrary to what we might believe when looking at the sinker’s results, Dobnak’s location problem has been outside the strike zone. Alongside the sinker, the sweeper and his changeup are the pitches that strengthen the plan. With the sweeper, Dobnak has posted his highest Whiff rate (35.5%), making it his two-strike weapon, while the changeup is his most efficient pitch. When opponents make contact with the sweeper, the xSLG jumps to .448, making it even more vulnerable than the sinker (.444). Against the changeup? Just .278, with an average exit velocity of 83.1 mph. The sweeper is most effective when it is out of the hitter’s reach, but when Dobnak misses with it, the result has been terrifying. Bat Tracking data helps explain why that difference is so important. Hitters have averaged a 4.6-inch Miss Distance against Dobnak’s sweeper, while the four-seam fastball (0.9) and sinker (2.0) remain the pitches opponents read best. The Perfect Contact% against the sinker (47%) and fastball (42%) is at its worst for Dobnak, but his ability to generate groundballs and maintain location on the corners has prevented major problems. That explains how Dobnak can survive without velocity, and I believe his uncommon profile was the reason the Royals have tested him as a starter. The result, considering his arsenal, has been surprising. Dobnak has allowed more than one run in only one start, and it came in his most recent outing, on August 9 against the Cubs. He has allowed just one home run against 136 opponents, has a .271 BABIP, and maintains a 55.1% groundball rate. His 2.00 ERA tells a story of success since he arrived in Kansas City, while his 4.79 xERA predicts that he has been too lucky. In an era when velocity has become a pitcher’s indispensable antidote, every inch matters for Dobnak because he does not have many other tools to compensate for a bad location. View the full article

For the Florida Marlins, the 1996 season ushered in a handful of franchise-firsts, including the first no-hitter in franchise history, which was completed against Al Leiter against the Colorado Rockies. That, however, wasn’t the only memorable moment against Colorado from that campaign. On this day 30 years ago, the Marlins beat the Rockies in their final at-bat for the second day in a row. After Joe Orsulak’s solo home run in the eighth inning gave Florida a 2-1 clinched the series win the night before, the Marlins rallied to complete the three-game sweep with three runs in the eighth in the series finale. Édgar Rentería’s two-run single in the Florida seventh had tied the game 4-4 at Joe Robbie Stadium on Aug. 15, 1996, but the Rockies had an answered in the top of the eighth. A sacrifice fly from Jayhawk Owens put the Rockies back in front 5-4 before a Walt Weiss RBI triple on the very next pitch extended the lead two. Down 6-4, the Marlins had work to do against Colorado reliever Curt Leskanic in the bottom of the inning. Florida centerfielder Devon White started the rally with a double to start the frame. Leskanic bounced back to strike out Jesús Tavárez but a walk to Kurt Abbott led to a pitching change. Closer Bruce Ruffin was called upon with two on and one out. Ruffin would surrender the lead in just two pitches. Ruffin’s first pitch of the night was pulled down the third base line by Alex Arias for a game-tying two-run double. Arias was able to take third on the throw to the plate. One pitch later, he scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by Jeff Conine. In the bottom of the ninth, Robb Nen used a pair of ground balls back to the mound – one for a double play – to face the minimum and complete the save. Despite allowing the go-ahead Colorado hits in the top of the eighth, Jay Powell picked up the win for the Marlins. Prior to the eighth, Florida had never led. After the Rockies scored in the top of the first inning, the Marlins drew even in the bottom on a Gary Sheffield solo home run. Colorado went back in front with three runs in the third. Orsulak singled home Abbott in the fifth to cut the lead to 4-2. Ellis Burks, Weiss and Andrés Galarraga each finished with two hits and an RBI for the Rockies. Abbott scored two of the seven runs for Florida. For the 1996 season, the Marlins would finish with a then-franchise-best record of 80-82. Against Colorado, Florida went 8-5, including a perfect 7-0 at home. That included thrilling wins in each of the final two meetings, capped by a thriller on this day three decades ago. View the full article

Before coming to the Toronto Blue Jays in the trade that sent Kevin Gausman to the Chicago Cubs, Brett Bateman's chances of an MLB debut this season were slim. He was blocked in the outfield by the Cubs' everyday starters, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki, and Ian Happ, and by their deep farm system with higher-rated prospects waiting patiently for their call-up. However, the Blue Jays desperately needed a spark for their offense, and Bateman has unexpectedly been that catalyst. He's played in six games since making his MLB debut last Friday (as of August 13), when his first at-bat resulted in a double off Philadelphia Phillies star Zack Wheeler. The rookie has a hit in five of his games, two runs, and three RBIs. The Blue Jays have also won five of the games that Bateman has played. He received the day off when they lost to the Boston Red Sox on August 13. The Blue Jays have shown a massive amount of faith in Bateman. He has played nearly every day and hit in the top two spots of the lineup. His speed gives the team a threat they have been lacking. He's yet to steal a base, but that'll likely change soon, as he had 83 stolen bases in 101 attempts in the minors. Toronto is known to adjust its lineup based on the matchup, but the rookie has avoided a platoon; as a left-handed bat, he has started half of his games against a lefty. The rookie has also shown the ability to provide a solid glove while handling center field. Filling the position was a major question mark after 2024 Gold Glove Award winner Daulton Varsho was traded to the Houston Astros at this season's deadline. A clear answer wasn't in the minor leagues. However, Bateman has filled in nicely. The sample is small, so the Blue Jays will see how the rest of the season plays out before they know if the rookie is their long-term answer. He doesn't provide power, which the Blue Jays also desperately need, but he offers reliable on-base skills and speed. He also possessed great plate vision in his minor league career, with a 0.86 walk-per-strikeout rate over four seasons. However, that hasn't translated to the majors yet, as he has a 0.33 walk-per-strikeout rate in his five games. He had two walks in his MLB debut but has yet to draw one since, while striking out six times. Bateman has given a positive first impression, allowing him the rest of the season to show the Blue Jays that he can be their center fielder for the foreseeable future. The Blue Jays threw him in the deep end and said, "Learn to swim." So far, Bateman has shown signs of being ready for the challenge. View the full article